Storiesonline.net ------- Robin by John Smith Copyright© 2001 by John Smith ------- Description: On a three day pass Keith finds a town, a girl, and an adventure that changes his life forever. This story starts out rough, and may be hard to get through the first 15 or so chapters, then it starts getting better and better. So read it, you'll like it! For those who wanted me to update the codes, I did, yet couldn't include everything. Didn't want to as some parts add to the story, but are not a real part of it. Codes: MF mf Mf mF FF ff Ff Mm 1st cons lolita inc mother son bro sis dau aunt group orgy ------- ------- Disclaimer: The towns mentioned here were pulled off a map. I have never been to either place and couldn't tell you if my descriptions were in anyway accurate or not. The people and situations are part of my imagination and have no bearing on people that have or are living in these areas. Any similarities are mere coincidence. ------- Cast of Characters Main Characters Name Age Physical Description Other Info Initial Location Chapter Beth Ann   Her face is perfect; she has long blond hair, a tall slender body, and soft blue eyes. Large breasts, narrow waist and hips that had a nice wiggle to them.. Shapely legs too. Student at the university Utah CH20 Brian Braun 9   Millie and Bruce's son Carp CH6 Cliff Johnson 31 Six foot three, with broad shoulders and in reasonable shape. A face a woman might like and sandy brown hair, large callused hands 225lbs. Congressman McCarran's nephew Carp CH1 Cynthia Huntington 37   Jack's wife Nellis AFB CH4 Daisy Freedham 14 She didn't have a petite body like Robin but she had curves in all the right places, blond shoulder length hair, and good sized breasts. Married to Hank, Robert & Mildred's daughter Carp CH1 Dora Elrich 22 Blond hair and blue eyes five foot two inches, but what was in that frame was enjoyable to look at. Stephanie's mother, widow of Carp miner Carp CH11 Hank Freedham 41   Miner, married to Daisy, town medic Carp CH6 Jack Huntington 50 Little gray around his temples, tall, a rugged looking face, square shoulders General, CO of base, Nellis Air Force Range Cynthia's husband Nellis AFB CH2 Katy E. Thiesen 25 Light brown hair, green eyes, a petite frame with hand full size breasts Patrick's daughter, Robin and Jimmy's mother (was 13 when she had Robin) Carp CH1 Keith James Patterson 26 6 feet tall and 195 pounds, brown hair, and deep brown eyes Two degrees, one in Chemistry and the other in Biology, specializing in toxicology. Liz and Kristin's brother Nellis AFB CH1 Jill Wheinstein 14 Slim figure, light brown hair, dark eyes and a few freckles Rebecca's daughter Carp CH12 Jimmy Thiesen 8   Katy's son Carp CH1 Kristin Patterson 20 5 feet 4 inches with dirty blond hair, green eyes. She is petite with small breasts, thin arms and legs and a great shape At 20 she still looked like she was maybe 15. Keith's younger sister Ft Collins, CO CH1 Liz (Elizabeth) Mary Patterson 28 Her hair is darker, lips fuller, breast twice the size than Kristin, slim figures, light brown hair, dark eyes and a few freckles. Teaches at Linden Hall Boarding School. Keith's older sister Grand Junction , CO CH11 Mary McCarran   Classic look to her face. Thick brunette hair with a natural wave that fell to her shoulders. C cup, hips tapered out nicely and it gave the classic pear shape to her ass. Patrick's daughter, Sarah's sister Utah CH11 Mildred     A weaver. Daisy and Pamela's mother, Robert's wife Carp CH14 Pamela 8 Small for her age. She has a harelip, lisp, and green eyes. Mildred and Robert's daughter, Daisy's sister Carp CH14 Patrick ÒPatÓ Thiesen 53   Millie, Bill, and Katy's father. Preacher in Carp, Wife Mildred died giving birth to Katy Dinuba / Carp CH8 Rebecca Wheinstein 25 Brunette a little on the plump side but by only a few pounds. Breasts are on the small side but looked firm enough. Most of the additional weight was on her legs. Jill's mother, widow of miner Carp CH12 Richard Thompson 27   Keith's friend from base, married Katy Nellis AFB CH2 Robert     Mildred's alcoholic husband, supervisor at the mine, Daisy and Pamela's father Carp CH14 Robin Louise Thiesen 12 Dirty blonde hair, green eyes and an angelic face. Turning 13, but looks 10 or 11. More mature than many three times her age. Katy's daughter Carp CH1 Stephanie Elrich 7 Long blond hair and blue eyes. Dora's daughter Carp CH11 ------- Supporting Characters Name Age Physical Description Other Info Initial Location Chapter Annabelle Thiems Blaney     Julie's mother Angle City CH49 Anthony Hamilton     Professor at the university. Plane owner. Utah CH20 Barbara     Katy & Millie's second cousin Angle City CH49 Bill Theodore Thiesen 30   Katy's brother, husband, and Jimmy's father Carp CH4 Beth Ann's Uncle     Gruff man of few words Utah CH23 Betty Appleton   Short and thin, long brunette hair down to her waist. Student at Linden Hall Boarding School. Close friend of Sue   CH20 Bob Reimer 41   John's brother Carp CH8 Catharine Patterson 49   Liz, Keith, and Kristin's mother Ft. Collins, CO CH11 Cheryl Friesen Reimer 24 Vivacious Married to Bob Reimer Carp CH8 Dan     Marriage & Family Counselor, husband of Sam Grand Junction, CO CH58 Dorothy Johnson     Student at Linden Hall Boarding School, Susan's sister Grand Junction, CO CH29 Dr. Don Smithers     Surgeon, head of department at the University. Keith's liaison to the university. Utah Medical Center CH18 Dr. Leonard Jameson   Thin, white hair, deep wrinkles lined his face. In charge of medical evaluation and testing. Nellis AFB CH15 Dr. William H. Harrington, III     Works for Memco, came from Grand Junction, CO Carp CH50 Elizabeth Montgomery 11   Katharine's daughter, Kristina & Kenneth's older sister Redding, CA CH21 Frank Laferty     Obnoxious military guy Carp CH13 Frank Patterson 55   Liz, Keith, and Kristin's father Fort Collins, CO CH11 Franklin     Chaplin at the hospital Long Beach, CA CH41 Fred Blaney     Miner, outlaw, Annabelle's husband Angle City CH5 George Seldes   Small wiry individual, presence was unassuming and his mannerisms polished dark brown eyes Newspaper reporter Nellis AFB CH9 Grace Turcotte     school administrator of Linden Hall Grand Junction, CO CH20 Jane McCarran     Mary & Sarah's mother, Patrick's wife Grand Junction, CO CH58 Janice Williams     Mayor Jim's wife, School Board member Carp CH28 Jeff     Flight instructor, pilot. Friend of Keith's Nellis AFB CH20 Jim Williams     Mayor de Facto, Janice's husband Carp CH4 John Wilhelm     Miner & woodworker, partner of Larry Carp CH27 John Reimer 42 Premature graying Married to Cheryl, Bob's brother Carp CH8 Julie Blaney     Anabelle's daughter, assumed mother's maiden name Thiems Angle City CH49 Katharine Elizabeth Montgomery     Elizabeth, Kristina, & Kenneth's mother. A nurse. Redding, CA CH21 Kenneth Montgomery     Katharine's son, Elizabeth and Kristina's brother Redding, CA CH21 Kevin Smith     Grounds keeper at Linden Hall Boarding School Grand Junction, CO CH19 Kristina Montgomery 8   Katharine's daughter. Elizabeth & Kenneth's younger sister Redding, CA CH21 Larry Wilhelm     Miner & woodworker, partner of John Carp CH27 Laura Taylor   Small, thin and frail sixth grader Jill's friend at Linden Hall Boarding School Grand Junction, CO CH29 Lt. Payne     Obnoxious army liaison to Keith at the university. Utah CH20 Mike Thompson(Jack in ch13, 28)(Frank in ch30) 54   Sandra's husband, Richard's father. Senior lawyer at a firm that represented a large mining consortium Denver Colorado CH11 Mike Wells     Chemical Specialist Commander Carp CH14 Millie Braun 34   Brian's mother, Katy's sister, married to Bruce Carp CH2 Miss Peterson     Older teacher at Linden Hall Boarding School - hates men Grand Junction, CO CH20 Mrs. Walker   Tall, five foot nine inches with a full frame and a booming voice. She has dark red hair, but it changed from time to time. Drama teacher at Linden Hall Boarding School Grand Junction, CO CH26 Patrick McCarran     Congressman, Mary & Sarah's father, Jane's husband Nellis AFB CH7 Professor Hamilton     See Anthony Hamilton Utah CH20 Sam     Dan's wife, friend of Patrick McCarran and his wife Grand Junction, CO CH58 Sam Lanley     Brad's father, older man, connected to Fred Blaney Angle City CH9 Sandra Thompson 46   Mike (Jack's) wife, Richard's mother Nellis AFB CH11 Sarah Jean McCarran 13 Blond, shoulder length hair. thin, long arms and fingers, small waist and slightly flared hips. Patrick's daughter, Mary's younger sister Utah CH37 Scott     Childhood friend of Sarah   CH48 Sharin   Full head of red hair and a row of freckles on her light skin. Bright red lips. Stewardess Utah Ch20 Shelly Morrander 37 Five feet four, gracefully thin with a large chest. Her skin is a pale with striking dark brown hair and green eyes. Looks like a trophy wife. Lab technician at university, widow Utah CH23 Stan Emerson     Sheriff Carp CH12 Sue Grafton   Brunette, a little overweight for her height, a delightful smile. Student at Linden Hall Boarding School, Friend of Betty and Jill Grand Junction, CO CH20 Susan Johnson     Student at Linden Hall Boarding School, Dorothy's sister Grand Junction, CO CH29 Tiffany Howe   Slim redhead with long hair and an abundance of freckles. A very beautiful and young looking woman. Teacher at Linden Hall Boarding School Grand Junction, CO CH20 Uncle David     Richard's mother's brother vice president of Memco International a huge mining company Denver, CO CH15 Uncle Joey & Aunt Jeannette Patterson     Keith's aunt & uncle - Catherine's brother & sister Utah CH41 Vicky Nash   Tall and very beautiful girl, waist length black hair, looks like she's 16. Teacher at Linden Hall Boarding School Grand Junction, CO CH20 Vivian     Friend of Sarah's from her school Grand Junction, CO CH46 ------- Miscellaneous Characters Name Age Physical Description Other Info Initial Location Chapter Adam     Man at mine disaster Angle City CH48 Beth     Friend of Jill's at Linden Hall Grand Junction, CO CH46 Beatrice     Lady from the restaurant Carp CH46 Benjamin     Attorney from Memco Carp CH53 Bertha     Nurse in university hospital Utah CH30 Betty     Mechanic's wife Green River, UT CH22 Bill     Mechanic Green River, UT CH22 Blake     Memco geologist Grand Junction, CO CH31 Brad Lanley     Sam's son Angle City CH9 Bradley     Boy in filling station Between Grand Junction and Carp CH51 Brian Williams     Cindy William's brother Denver, CO CH5 Bruce Braun 42   Millie's husband, Brian's father, the local handyman Carp CH1 Carl     Robert's driver Long Beach, CA CH35 Carl and Carol Johnson     Dorothy and Susan's parents Grand Junction, CO CH58 Cathy     Girl in lab Denver, CO CH35 Cindy Williams     Richard's childhood sweetheart, killed in auto accident Denver, CO CH5 County Board of Supervisors     Attended town meeting Carp CH29 Dan     Spokesperson at mine accident in Angle City Angle City, NV CH49 Dolores     Girl in Henry's bar Long Beach, CA CH36 Dr. James Remfault     Colleague of Dr. Harrington   CH50 Drs. Javits and Best     Doctors from Toronto who stopped in Carp to talk to Jill Carp CH19 Dr. William Henry     Mildred's doctor at university medical center Utah CH24 Dr. Talson   A short balding man Mildred's doctor Long Beach, CA CH35 Frank     Miner in Carp Carp CH53 Fred     Imaginary boy created by Jack Huntington Nellis AFB CH63 General Foster   Imposing man six foot four, broad shoulders and a physique that said he was not to be messed with. In charge of the National Guard in Nevada Carp CH15 Governor Molson     Governor of Nevada Telephone CH15 Harry     Copilot on military flight Nellis AFB CH20 Henry     Memco lawyer Grand Junction, CO CH31 Henry     Bar owner Long Beach, CA CH35 Jeff Laferty     Frank's brother works for governor Telephone CH15 Jennifer     Girl & her parents (Lois & Joe) Richard and Katy met while driving Between Denver to Grand Junction CH39 Jenny     Lived down the street from Sarah McCarran Grand Junction, CO CH41 Jim Reynolds     Informant for George works at NTS Nellis AFB CH16 Joe Shoeman     Clerk at Star Gate Motel Redding, CA CH21 John Birk     Original mine owner and wife Mable disappeared Carp CH17 John Freedham     Hank's brother Seattle CH14 John Turnfeld     Mayor Green River CH22 Joseph Murray     Attorney, colleague of Richard's father Carp CH53 Ken     Lawyer, member of Richard's father Mike's law firm Grand Junction, CO CH31 Lani     Prostitute in Redding Redding, CA CH21 Mable Birk     Mine owner John's wife, also disappeared Carp CH17 Marcia     Schoolmate of Sarah McCarran Grand Junction, CO CH47 Michael Blaney     Cousin of Fred Blaney, friend of Cliff Johnson Angle City CH18 Mike     Richard's friend in the discharge office Nellis AFB CH9 Mildred Thiesen     Patrick's wife and Millie, Bill, and Katy's mother. (She died giving birth to Katy). Carp CH8 Mr. Lendford     Author & playwright Grand Junction, CO CH29 Mr. & Mrs. Williams     Cindy William's parents Denver, CO CH5 Mrs. Miller     Sally Miller's mother Grand Junction, CO CH45 Mrs. Moyer     A lady in Carp who talked to Jill Carp CH19 Mrs. Randall     Secretary at Linden Hall Grand Junction, CO CH61 Mrs. Tinderbaum     Dorm teacher at Linden Hall Grand Junction, CO CH45 Patty     Bridge-playing friend of Jane McCarran Grand Junction, CO CH59 Sadie 95   Great grandmother of Keith, Liz, and Kristin Boston CH15 Sally     Clerk in administration office Nellis AFB CH16 Sally     Student at Linden Hall Boarding School Grand Junction, CO CH26 Sally and Dale     Couple in Carp. Sally helps cook & clean Carp CH1 Sally Miller     Sarah McCarran's friend at school Grand Junction, CO CH45 Sally Shmucker     Lady on bus with Liz and Jill. Her husband Homer is deceased.   CH18 Sally Thompson     Imaginary girl created by Jack Huntington Nellis AFB CH63 Sam and Doreen Heidrix     Former residents of Carp Carp CH10 Sam Lanley     Friend of Fred Blaney Angle City CH9 Samantha   Pleasant middle aged blond Dr. Talson's secretary Long Beach CH35 Samantha     Clerk in Utah store Utah CH42 Sergeant Timms     County officer Angle City CH6 Thelma Williams     Cindy William's relative   CH5 Theodore William Preston III     Lawyer. Associate of Richard's father. Eugene, OR CH57 Thomas     Worker at the Mansion Carp CH32 Thomas Miller   Farm boy looking for a wife Imaginary C-45 maintenance crewman. Nellis AFB CH56 Timmy     Boy sitting next to Sarah at Linden Hall play Grand Junction CH59 Virginia     Service station owner's wife Green River, UT CH22 William Thorson     Piano tuner Carp CH46 Willie     Newspaper reporter and photographer Carp CH64 Zachariah Goldstein   An old man Taught history and political science at Harvard, deceased Retired in Carp CH18 Name Changes: Anthony Phillips became Anthony Hamilton Fred Thompson, Jack Thompson became Mike Thompson Jack Patterson became Frank Patterson Raymond Smither became Don Smithers ------- Chapter 1 The water tasted bad in Carp, Nevada. Being a little town out in the middle of nowhere had its downfall. There was one water source and the well had some serious problems. In 1948 people couldn't just call someone and take care of a problem like that. ------- My name is Keith Patterson. I had been working on a government project for so many days straight that when I fell asleep at a test site action was finally taken. My commanding officer, Jack Huntington, called me in. Being a civilian consultant had a few, just a few, more privileges more than the enlisted men. I was handed a 3-day pass. "It was handed down to me that you are to start taking regular time off. There was a three star general at that test. He wasn't very pleased that we were working you so hard. Said it would be harder to get volunteers, if they knew we worked you to the bone. If we so much as see your face before next Tuesday, I've ordered my men to shoot you on sight. Now get out of here and have some fun." Volunteer! I did have a choice, be a consultant, or get drafted. I knew that they would never shoot me, but I took the merit of the words. The problem was, I just didn't have anywhere to go. If you looked at me you might wonder why. I was a 26-year-old guy that looked pretty good. Ok, I wasn't going to win modeling contests, but at 6 feet tall and 195 pounds I was well built. My brown hair and deep brown eyes were something my younger sister's friends all loved. I was shy though. My older sister had teased me unmercifully. She didn't think too much of herself and took it out on me. Because of this I didn't have many friends my own age growing up. I only had one date in high school. After high school, I had stayed at home and attended a local college for the first two years. When my younger sister Kristin, 7 years younger, turned 13, all hell broke loose. Her friends were falling all over me, saying how handsome I was. Kristen was getting jealous and telling her friends that I was hers. It's not hard to say that I had loved the attention and looking at their tight little bodies. The thing is, I was afraid of Kristin's reaction. I loved Kristin more than what I wanted to admit, but I knew that if I stayed around, it would just lead to trouble. So I transferred to a college far enough away so I couldn't be tempted. As fate would have it, it landed me into taking classes that gave me the special training of chemical technologies in water treatments. ------- One of the benefits of working closely with a bunch of guys, at a "secret" testing station for the government, was that you could get things that others had a hard time getting. One of those things was a full tank of gas, complements of Uncle Sam. Throwing some clothes together, I decided to see what this little hellhole part of Nevada had to offer. Taking off east on highway 15 then north on 93 I saw a dusty road that pointed to Elgin. Never hearing anything about it, I turned off and started the 40-mile drive east. Thinking that I would stumble upon a ghost town got me excited. I wished the road was better. A dirt road was a slow going affair. When I came upon the town, I was disappointed. Under my breath I was muttering, as though anyone could hear me, "I drive all this stinkin' way, and it's nothin' but an old tired mining town. The town, if you could call it that, was three buildings with fifteen houses scattered around. The three buildings in the center consisted of a store (you could buy anything in there, as long as they had it), a bar, and a church that looked more abandoned than used. While I may have been disappointed when I drove into town; the people of the town got pretty excited. Nobody, but nobody, came driving into this town without reason. So I hadn't made it past the center of the "town" when people came out from everywhere. I was basically stopped in my tracks. It was then that I also noticed that except for a few young boys, there were no men. Rolling down my window I was barraged with twenty questions all at once. While I was trying to sort out what was being asked, one of the older ladies hushed the crowd that had assembled and asked the question that all of them wanted to know. "What brings a gent like you in a fancy car out here? Are ya lost?" I smiled. I hadn't been to a place so remote in a long time. It was when my father had taken me on a trip into the mountains. I had fallen in love with a young girl within hours of being there. She was so innocent. Suddenly I was brought back to reality by the taping on the car. "Well he sure seems a little lost." I spent the next few minutes explaining I say just out for a few days of relaxation. None of them could understand, why in God's name, you would come to a place like this by choice. As they talked, I got the suspicion that I was getting into something that I didn't want to be a part of. It was then I noticed a sign, at a kind of junction in the road, past the church. Carp 20 mi. I then got the attention of the older lady, who had seemed like she was in charge. "I was on my way to Carp." This seemed to startle them. "Why'd you want to go there? It's even smaller than Elgin. The train don't even slow down there and the water, well you can't even drink it if ya ain't born there." That was all it took. "That's the kind of town I've been looking for, water quality is my specialty. It may be strange to some people but I love what I do and if I can help the people of Carp it would be very gratifying to me." They all looked at me as though I was from another world, but at least they backed off enough for me to go. It took almost another hour to get to Carp. The road looked like it was traveled less than the one to Elgin. Carp was a surprise. It looked like I was coming into a real town. Then I saw it was more like the ghost town that I was hoping for. It had been a silver rush town at one time. Built up as quickly as it died. It looked as though fifteen or so families still lived there. Again my car was surrounded. This time with kids first and then the women. I stepped out of the car, having been at the wheel most of the day. "Wow!" I looked to see who said that. It was a girl that looked like 10 maybe 11. She had dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and an angelic face. I realized I was staring when her mother stepped to her side, pulling her almost in back of her and said to me, "What you doing here?" I understood I must have looked very suspicious to these people, so I tried to put my best foot forward. "My name is Keith Patterson and I work for the government," as soon as I said that, I knew I'd just put my foot in my mouth. Their eyes narrowed they grabbed their children as though I was going to cart them off. I quickly added that I was a civilian, that was on contract to the government, and that I was on leave because they had been working me too hard. I think that that softened them a little. When I got to the part of my specialty and asked for a taste of their water, I had dissolved all suspicion. They were desperate. The water was continually getting worse. They had no real town and no real money to do anything about it. One of the ladies quickly got me a glass of water when I asked for one. I didn't need to taste it; I could smell it. The sight of the water brought on up a need of my own. I'd been driving all day and hadn't stopped. I was hungry, but much worse I needed to relieve myself. It was a bit of an awkward sidestepping conversation. I could see there were no public businesses in the "town" and therefore no public restrooms. Finally one of the boys got the drift and said, "I think Mr. Patterson has to piss." Everyone, including myself, had to laugh at that statement, but I had to admit that he was right. Then came the dilemma. All of the men were miners and down in the mine for at least another hour. They wouldn't take kindly to having a man in their house while they were out. Finally, the girl who had said, 'wow, ' asked if I couldn't use the old Johnson place. Johnson, it turned out was a bachelor and was no longer around. I got the feeling I wasn't to ask why he wasn't around any longer. It was agreed that the Johnson place was a good idea. The girl, whose name I found out was Robin, said to her mother she should show me where it was. This got a stern look from her mother and a, "I've told you about men," whisper that was loud enough for me to hear. Robin was undaunted and said it had been her idea and she should be the one to show me where it was. In consolation she'd take Jimmy, her younger brother, along too. The woman (Katy, I would come to know later) just threw up her arms and said, "Be quick about it. 'Cause if I have to tell your pa about it, you'll get a sound whippin', girl." Robin didn't ask, she ran, opened the car door and jumped in, yelling to her brother to get in quick before he got left behind. I just sort of stood there for a moment. Some of the women understood my apprehension and they started talking. "Come on back down to the center of town around six." "We'll have a get-together. Haven't have one of them since Daisy got hitched, two months ago." "I hope you can talk to the men as sweet as you talk to us. I think you're gonna need it." "I bet he's going to be hungry, I'll cook some of my special stew for ya." "Sally you'd cook anything for him, but Dale would be madder than anything if he thought you're doing it for this gent." I could tell this conversation was going to be going on for some time and now I really needed to go bad, so I excused myself, telling them I'd be back down at six. You would have thought that these kids were in a candy store with more money than they knew what to do with. They were bouncing on the seats when I got in, but quickly stopped. Then Jimmy wanted to know about every knob and button. I gave him a little smile, but had a pressing matter to attend to. I asked Robin how to get to the Johnson place, and then started the car. It didn't take more than three minutes to get there. I could have found it myself, if given the directions. Then, of course, there was the front door. It was locked. This didn't seem like a problem for the kids, they were in the house and opened up the front door in nothing flat. I still don't know how they got in. By this point I was almost dancing around looking for the nearest bush. Robin said something to Jimmy and he just stared at her. She gave him this look. How do girls know that look? Do their mothers train them? Anyway, he was gone and she showed me into the one bedroom and off that was the bathroom. The only doors in the place were the front and back doors, typical bachelor. She just stood there; she knew I had to go really bad. I turned, but then ask her, "Are you waiting for me to show it to you?" She just nodded her head. I didn't have time to think about it any longer, it felt like my brain was filling up with piss. I unzipped my pants, pulled it out, and started to go. When my brain started functioning again, I looked over at her. She had the biggest eyes and they weren't looking at my face. It had that effect that being looked at by a female does, it started to grow. "Wow," she said. I was a little embarrassed. I'm not that big, I guess I'm average. "Haven't you seen one before?" "Just Jimmy's, and he's not that big." Boy what an ego boost, being compared to an 8 year old. "What about your dad?" She turned almost white and stammered, "He's not my real dad, and I've never..." I cut her off seeing she was not happy about her stepfather. "So how old are you, Robin?" She looked at me for what seemed like the longest time. "Thirteen, in two months." I was shocked and I guess I showed it. She looked a lot younger. She was pouting and said, "I knew you'd think I was just a little kid." "Actually, Robin, I thought you were younger than you are. I'm glad you're a little older than I thought." This brought a smile to her face, "Really?" Then she frowned, "I guess I just look like a little kid to you then." I don't know where my head was, well maybe I do, but I said, "Do you know what happens to guys that get excited about seeing pretty girls? This." I turned and showed her my erect cock. Her eyes grew big again as she looked and when her brain figured out what I had just said to her, she started to smile. Jimmy walked into the bedroom at that point, I put my stiff member back into my pants and Robin looked at her brother with dagger eyes. He stammered, "I saw the miners returning." That's all he needed to say, apparently. They were out the door in a flash, but not until Robin looked back and smiled at me. I looked out a window to see them running full speed down the lane. Left alone in the house as it were, I started to look around. I didn't really think of it as intruding. They had told me it was deserted, well kind of. This Johnson guy left, or disappeared. My mind was starting to make up all kinds of possibilities. He wasn't one of the miners and when they all were in the mine, he was in another shaft. I had a grand time thinking about that. He could have a town map showing the different shafts that he'd gone into and the treasures that they possessed. Someone either came back from the mine early or found the map. That was the end of Johnson. Then I started thinking if any of that were true, the men would be mighty possessive and not take kindly to a stranger that they couldn't see during the day. I did not want to disappear like Johnson. Was this why one of the ladies said I have to be very persuasive with the miners? I started to have more questions than answers and I didn't like the questions that were forming in my head. I looked at my watch, thirteen minutes before the meeting. I could just get in my car and drive back out of town. The thing that stopped me was Robin. At six minutes till six, I got into my car. I turned it around. That was no small feat. It was just after six when I walked into a building in the town that was lit by candles, no less. I was nervous as hell. My palms were sweating along with everything else. I could see everyone staring at me, but the light wasn't good enough for me to see their expressions. It was about then I realizing nobody from the base knew I was here. That just about did me in and I started to turn for the door. I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw Robin. Even in the low light I could see that smile. I melted, and stayed. It was kind of a town meeting that happened any time something needed to be done. Tonight's meeting was about me. There weren't a lot of formalities, and I didn't even get introduced. It was more to the tune of, 'We're here because of this man.' That was my cue. Judging on the women's reaction I thought my military ties were best left till later. I explained what I did, how my work was done, and how it could help this town. When one of the men got up and I could see him better, he had this puzzled look on his face. "I don't understand all that fancy stuff you said, and I don't think I like the way you trying to sweet talk your way into this town and take what little we done have." This was greeted with others grunting their approval. This is where I figured I had to get down to brass tacks. I'd win their approval, or maybe disappear. I wasn't sure that I liked the odds. I played the military connection the way I figured they might like it. I was overworked and taken advantage of, but I had many parts available to me, and a promise of regular time off. Did they like the idea of having not just better, but great tasting water? I was willing to give them what they needed, if they would give me what I wanted. "We don't got that kind of money." "I didn't ask for money, and all the parts I will need I can scavenge." They looked very apprehensive. "What is it that you'd be wantin' then, Mister?" "A place to stay and a home cooked meal every night I'm here. I haven't had one of them in I don't know how long." They could sympathize with me on that point. The meeting went a little longer, but it had turned toward the positive, and I knew it. They were figuring out the details at that point, not if they were going to do it or not. As I figured, I was told the Johnson place was available. He wasn't coming back. The women didn't like the idea of me going to a place that had been shut up for so long. The men didn't have a problem with this and I wasn't in the position to argue. I told them I hadn't known where I was going to end up and had brought with me a bed roll. That settled that. The next problem was the meals. One of the larger ladies took charge. There would be a rotating schedule. The problem started when the ladies started trying to out do the next in what they were going to be cooking for me. The men started taking exception to this. I reminded them that they would be eating it also. That got them into suggesting their favorite dishes to be cooked. One of the ladies finally asked if I had eaten today. When I said 'no, ' they looked very embarrassed. I found out that they cooked what they needed and usually didn't have leftovers. Robin piped up, "We have a corn muffin." "Honey that's just one little thing," her mother said, but soon everyone was chiming in about what they had. It was like that tale of 'Stone Soup.' If everyone had brought everything they had, I couldn't have eaten it all in days. I tried to be as nice as I could, saying yes and no to different items. One that was a 'yes' was the corn muffin. While the women ran to fetch their food, I was asked how I was going to do it and how long was it going to take. Some of them were a bit disappointed that I didn't have all the answers. I told them I'd have to find out a lot of information before answers would start lining up. Talk about lining up, at this point the food started to pour in. When the corn muffin was set down in front of me, I looked up to see Robin smiling. I croaked out a thank you. Everyone laughed. They thought I was being polite about a lowly muffin. Robin was just about in tears when I winked at her. She turned bright red. Only she and I knew it wasn't because people had laughed. It was after eight when everything came to a close, I got in my car to go back to the Johnson place. Apparently everyone got up early in this town and so it was considered late if you were up after nine. I didn't want to ask what early meant. One of the perks of not being one of the enlisted men was that I had off base housing. That meant I could wait to the last minute to get up in the morning. I was definitely not a morning person. I was glad to find the front door unlocked. I fumbled around and found the switch, but it didn't work. There was no electricity. "What the fuck am I suppose to do now?" I was glad no one was around to hear my inept plea. I got back in my car, turned it so the headlights were shinning in the front door and went searching. I found five candles, but no matches. In desperation I took them back to the car and tried to use the cigarette lighter to light the candle. After the third try and many nasty comments about Mr. Johnson I got one of them lit. Very carefully I brought it into the house and lit the others. After bringing my other stuff in from the car I realized how tired I was and fell fast asleep. ------- Do you know the feeling you get when you're sure someone is looking at you? It's even worse when you wake up disoriented with your surroundings and get that feeling. I finally turned my head fast enough to see a head disappear under the bedroom window. "Robin?" The head reappeared. I motioned for her to come in. She looked around nervously and then came in from the back, but not the door. "What are you doing?" "I wanted to see if you were up." "Well, I'm awake." She looked down at the floor for the longest time and then said, "Are you hard in the mornings, like you were yesterday?" I could hardly believe my ears, or what I said in response. "Did you want to see me?" In almost a whisper, she said, "Yes." Indeed I had a piss hard on, but now I knew that I'd still be 'up' after taking a leak. "Is your brother outside? You looked around before coming in." "My mom is coming up, with some bread and jam for you." I wilted fast at that, she could see it in my face. "She will knock at the front door and won't look in the windows." When she realized what she had said, she turned that same red as last night. It melted me. I grabbed her and started tickling her. She squealed with laughter. I stopped because I did really have to go, at that point. Plus, we'd never have heard her mother knocking. I got up, my boxers tenting in front of me and walked to the bathroom. Robin followed me. I dropped the boxers and she dropped her jaw. "How did you know that boys are hard in the morning?" "We only have two bedrooms in our place, so I see my brother every morning." "So, then why did you want to see me?" "'Cause your ... Well ... I mean it's different. And you're not my brother." She was turning red again as she was stumbling out the words. I thought it was so cute. "So, did you just want to look at it?" Her eyes got big again and then we heard knocking at the front door. It startled me and when I turned back towards Robin, she was gone. I yelled, "Just a minute," and threw on some clothes. I know I must have looked like a train had run over me. Robin's mother on the other hand was rather a pleasant sight. Light brown hair with those same green eyes, a petite frame with handful size tits. She was wearing a light cotton dress. The light was shining through it and her legs were stunning. I could see where Robin got her looks. As I looked back into her face I started to get embarrassed. I hadn't realized how long I had been taking in the sight of her. She just smiled, saying that she had brought over some bread and jam. I thanked her for her thoughtfulness. About then Robin appeared. Her mom was not as pleased to see her as I was. Trying to get down to business; I asked about the well and its location, so could I drive to it and such. Robin immediately volunteered to be my guide. Her mother said she'd just be a pest. I replied that I'd rather have someone talking my ear off and be in the right place, than wandering lost. She could see the point of that, but said, "Robin you'd best behave yourself, and don't you worry, I'll be ask'n Keith here if you were trouble. If you is, you'll be talk'n to pa about it, understand?" I got the impression that was worse than the 'fear of God' speech. Robin became passive and just nodded. Her mother then turned and walked away. I watched her walking down the path, the sunlight showing through her dress. I got a punch in the side. I looked over and Robin was none too happy that I'd been staring at her mom like that. "She's a very lovely woman. Now I know where you get your good looks from." That smile brightened my morning, but then she was gone in a flash. I didn't have time to think about that, as Bruce, one of the miners that was also the local handyman, walked up. He got the electricity working, checked the water heater and the rest of the plumbing. We found a key to the place, but he said I really didn't need it. I was the first outsider to venture into this area in more than a year. He also told me that while I was out today, some of the women were going to come in and clean the place. They were apparently disgusted that I would be staying in 'that messy bachelor's place.' When I said I was a bachelor, he just snorted. "Women! You can't try an' figure them out. Half of what they do, don't make no sense." I decided I'd leave it at that. As soon as he left, Robin reappeared, inside the house. She had this way of disappearing and reappearing when other people were around. I said that I needed to take a shower and she followed me right into the bathroom. I turned and looked at her, then thought, 'she's seen me my cock already.' Then I smiled and said, "It's not really fair for me. You've seen my thing twice and now I'm going to take everything off." "What do you want me to do?" she asked apprehensively. "Why don't you undress, the same time I do?" "You want to see me?" "Very much so. You're a beautiful girl, Robin." She turned so red I thought she'd pass out. Then that smile appeared and she said, "Ok." We both took our time undressing because we were busy watching each other. Off came her shoes, and then mine. She then took off her socks. I hadn't put any on, so I waited. Then her blouse was unbuttoned and I pulled off my top. I watched her wiggle out of her skirt and she watched me, as my pants hit the floor. I was standing there in my boxers, tented of course, and she in her bra and panties. I reached over and stroked her hair and then bent down and kissed her forehead. I was admiring the outline of her small breasts through her bra, and the very hard nipples. We heard the sound of a number of women talking as they were coming towards the house. I thought, 'Shit, someone always is arriving at the wrong time.' Robin had grabbed her clothes and was out the back. I guessed the best thing for me to do was jump into the shower, and quick. They were all standing outside when I opened the front door. We exchanged the, 'I heard you were coming, ' and 'thought you'd be gone by now, ' stuff. Robin, I noticed, wandered up near the end of all this. She didn't come over to the group of gals, but found a rock to sit on and look bored. I saw her mother was watching her daughter as well. I said to Robin, "Is my guide ready?" She jumped down and got into the car. Some of the women were watching this and looking at her mother with inquisitive eyes. I figured as soon as I left she'd be grilled, so would Robin when she got back. It didn't take but four minutes before the road ended and we were on foot. I wondered the wisdom of the location, but then remembered that this town was built before common sense was invented. What they had called a well was not a well at all. It was a spring. The design of the thing made one wonder if the builders were all on drugs at the time. I passed the fenced off area, and knelt down. My knee pressed into the soft earth, and I let the water collect in my hand. I tasted it and knew it was pure and sweet, as most spring water is. My job would be very easy, but I didn't need to let them know that. Robin had turned up her nose when I took a drink of the water. She said, "We don't like to drink this stuff unless we boil it first. It still tastes bad though." "Can you keep a secret?" "I have so far, haven't I?" She did have a point there. "Come take a taste." I led her over filled her hands with the pure water, when she tasted it her eyes got big. "I didn't know it was this good!" "That's the way it's supposed to taste. Soon it will be like that in all the houses." "Wow!" "I've really seen all I need to see here, but we don't have to leave if you don't want to." "No! Well, I mean, it's so nice looking up here. I don't mind if we stay longer." "The thing that makes it so pretty up here is you, Robin" She smiled that smile and I sat down on a rock. She came over to me. I grabbed her and started tickling her again. She was laughing hard, and then was begging me to stop. "I'll stop on one condition." "Anything! Anything! Just name it." I thought that could be interesting, but knew she really didn't understand what she had just said. "I want to kiss you non-stop, for four minutes." That stopped her cold in her tracks. She looked hard at me and said, "Are you sure?" "Very sure." I showed her my watch and we started. It was a tentative kiss at first. Just brushing my lips, then she joined them fully. When I opened my lips slightly and ran my tongue across her lips she jumped back in surprise. I looked at my watch; it had been less than a minute. "What happened?" I asked. "Nobody has ever done that to me before. It felt like there was electricity going through me." "Did it feel good, or bad?" "Good, I guess, but ... I'd have to try again to make sure." She was blushing when she said that last part. "Well I wasn't nearly ready to stop and we didn't even get to one minute!" I leaned into her and her lips were on mine immediately. When I opened my mouth this time, she responded the same and when I brushed my tongue against her lips, she brought hers out and the dance commenced. I glanced down at my watch, over three minutes. I broke the kiss off. She looked at me puzzled. I looked at my watch and said, "Oh darn, not quite four minutes. I guess we'll have to start over." At that she giggled and started to attack me. We were rolling around the ground, when I let her pin me down. I looked up at her; she had the look of love in her eyes. I pulled her head down and we started kissing again, this time acting as lovers. Our hands started to roam. As my hand reached her firm petite ass, I heard giggling. I knew it wasn't her, she heard it too. She and I immediately broke from our lock and rolled away from each other. There, sitting on one of the rocks not ten feet away, was Jimmy and his cousin. Robin was furious. "How dare you sneak up on us! Just wait till mom hears what you've been up to." As soon as she said that she knew it was a mistake. Jimmy just replied, "Just wait till mom hears what you've been doing." Then the two boys went into singing "Robin and Keith sittin' in a tree, K I S S I N G..." I knew how they felt, I had an older sister and when you had something on her it felt great. But this was my Robin ... Wait, did I just say that. I started to realize I was falling for this young one. "OK guys you've had your fun, now come here." They stopped mid-verse and looked at each other. Teasing your sister is one thing, but I was a grownup and they didn't know me. "Look, boys, you could get Robin into a lot of trouble. You know that if you do you'll also get me in trouble. They'd probably make me leave and not come back, and you don't want that." This perked their interest. "Why not?" "Come here, and I'll show you." I took them over and gave them a drink of the pure spring water. They had the same reaction as Robin. "Now wouldn't you boys like to have that same water in your house?" Of course they agreed. "That's what I'm going to be doing here, but of course if you said anything about what you saw, that wouldn't happen. Wouldn't you feel bad that your mom couldn't have this good water, because you told on your sister?" I knew that last part was the clincher. They swore vehemently that no one could ever make them tell anything that I did. They really wanted that good water. I then asked them why they had come up here. "Mom wanted to see what you were doing. And ... well ... if Robin was ok." "So she will want you to tell her what you saw." "We won't tell her anything, we promise." "But won't that be a little strange, I mean you not wanting to talk about it?" They hadn't thought of that. So we worked out what they could say that they saw. Everyone was happy at that point. I told the boys that I was almost done and they could leave now. They looked at each other and started to giggle, but took the hint and left. I looked at Robin. She was leaning against a tree. It was the pose that did it. I realized why I was falling for her. She looked like my sister at that age. Robin called my name twice before getting my attention. "Boy for someone who wanted to get rid of my brother and cousin, you're not very responsive." "Robin?" She looked worried at me. "Yes?" "I think we need to talk." "Shit, I knew this was going to happen." "Hold on there a minute. I need to ask you a question. Then I think I need to tell you something." "You mean you're not getting rid of me?" "Let me ask the question. I'm getting more confused by the second. Now, we just met yesterday." "Yeah." "It seems like you've been throwing yourself at me. Now don't get me wrong, I haven't been pushing you away. You're not even thirteen, yet. What's the deal?" "Like you don't know" "Maybe I'm stupid, but no I don't know." She looked at me for the longest time; I guess she was trying to believe me. "As you've seen, this town is a hole. It's not bad, I guess, but have you seen any boys my age? No. Everyone is twenty years older or four years younger than me. That leaves me out. I ain't marrying someone as old as my mom, although I think that's what she has in mind. I know my step dad does. Or there's someone as young as my brother, yuck. That's just ... well I don't know how to say it. As you know, nobody comes down that road. You're the first person that wasn't related to someone here to drive here, in three years." "Oh, so I'm a better choice than your brother's friends, or your mom's friends? Great!" "I didn't mean it like that! It's more like I've been looking at my choices and they don't look good. Then all of a sudden this angel appears." "Now, I don't think I'm an angel." "I do." At this she blushed again. Did she know what that does to me? "Ok. But you act as though you don't have any time left. Are you dying or something?" "No ... but I am almost thirteen." "And so?" "So that's when girls get married." I was shocked and must have looked it. "Isn't that when all girls get married?" "No." "Oh," Robin said. Then after a silent pause, she added, "Well it is here ... and there's nothing I can do about that. I have less than two months to choose, or my mom chooses for me." "You're kidding me!" "I wish I was. Now do you see why you're an angel to me? You're smart, and really good-looking, and I think ... Or ... or I thought you liked me." At this she put her head down. I could tell that her eyes were filling up with tears. "Robin." I took her head in my hands and lifted her face to see me, I was right, a tear started to fall. "Remember I said I had a question for you? You answered it, although the answer was more than I expected. I also wanted to tell you something." "Yes." I told her about Kristin. In letting it all out I said more than I expected about my feeling. I never really understood how much I loved her and how much it hurt to move away. I was crying at that point and Robin had her arm around me. Then I told her why I thought I was falling for her. How when she was standing by the tree, she looked like Kristin. Robin stood up in front of me and held my hands, then what she said just blew me away. ------- Chapter 2 Back on the base you would have thought I'd been behind enemy lines and had critical information. They were pestering me as to where I had gone and who the girl was. I hadn't said a word to anyone, but I guess something showed. I had a smile on my face that hadn't been there before. I tried to pass it off as being rested, but they weren't buying it. "Come on Keith you can tell me, I won't tell anyone." "yea right," "So there is something to tell, come on out with it." I had almost decided to make up a story about some buxom blonde, but then they'd want to meet her or worse yet see if she had any friends. The last thing I wanted was to let anyone know where I had gone. It was my little secret and I was keeping it that way. I figured they would turn their attention to the next person that got a pass and start harassing them. The hardest thing that I had to do when I got back was to call Kristin. That meant calling my mom and getting the phone number. People didn't call just to talk, so mom knew something must be wrong. I had anticipated that and had a fairly reasonable excuse for her. She accepted it in any case; if she knew I wasn't telling her everything she didn't say so. Moms are like that. After getting the number I was pacing, I was more nervous than when I'd been at the meeting hall just 4 days ago. Finely I opened up my wallet and saw a little piece of paper with, Keith I love you, Robin. That did it. I sat down and with a large lump in my throat I dialed the number. Kristin had been in 8th grade and had just discovered boys. Her friends all wanted to have sleepovers at her house. It took her only a few times before she found out why. They were all infatuated with her older brother. They would run round her house in their nightgowns. They would brush up against him and even try and sit on his lap! She had always loved him. He was so good to her, took her places, looked after her, and never teased her like her oldest sister did to him. Now she was seeing him as her friends did and she was getting jealous. She didn't want to share her brother with anyone. She got to the point she was always at his side and she loved it. Then he started backing away from her and she didn't understand it. Had she been smothering him, didn't he love her? She remembers that day, when everything went black, she found out he was moving away. How could he do it? He wouldn't even look at her when he left. What had she done wrong? After 2 days of not eating and being hysterical all the time, her mom called the doctor. Things settled down, but the pain still remained. The phone rang 5 maybe 6 times before someone answered it. I had to remember that they would only have one phone in the dorm and not necessarily on her floor. I ask for Kristin Paterson. Can I tell her who is calling? "Keith Paterson," "Oh my gosh," The phone sounded like it hit the floor. Less than a minute Kristin was breathing heavy from running, "Keith what's wrong, are mom and dad OK, is it Liz?" "Everyone's OK, don't worry." "Don't worry, we haven't talked in almost a year and you call me on the phone and tell me everything's OK, not to worry?" Her breathing was back to normal, but she sounded just a bit mad at me for scaring her. "Kristin[, ]" "Yes I'm here." "I want, no I need to talk to you." "Isn't that what your doing?" "No I mean in person." "Oh... Keith what's going on?" "I found out something that I need to talk to you about and it has to be in person. Is there anyway you can get a few days off." "Are you crazy, its finals week." "Oh," "But after that I'm off for a week and was planning on going home." "If I sent you a ticket would you come and see me?" "This is serious, isn't it?" "Yes it is, I really need you here." After hearing that from her brother, she would have bought the ticket herself, that is if she had the money. "I'd love to see you, you know that?" "Thanks, I needed to hear that. Call the train station and get the reservation set up, I'll call you tomorrow and wire you the money, what's the best time to call?" All that settled they chatted for another minute and hung up. Both Keith and Kristin had more questions on their minds than answers. It was hard for Kristin to concentrate on her studying. Keith was having the nervous shakes. He was glad he was home and no one could see him, they would have called the medics for sure. "Sir?" "Yes Keith, come in and sit down." He was in his commanding officers office. "I know I just had time off." "Yes and I hear that you apparently enjoyed it." "Well yes sir, but..." "Now don't tell me you're in here to ask for another 3 day pass to go looking for ladies." "Well not exactly." "Well then exactly what, Keith?" "My sister has her college break next week and she wants to come and see me sir." "And you don't want her here with these boys?" "Well?" "I understand, I wouldn't want my daughter around these guys either, they're too kept up. I'll see what I can do." "Thank you sir." "Don't thank me yet and believe me you'll be working for this one." "Yes sir." Keith had a smile on his face before he left the office. It was going to happen. Now all he needed was some 'spare' parts. Time to visit Richard. Richard was a geek. There was no nice way to say it. If he paid any attention to himself he might not have been so bad looking, but the unkept bed image fit him to a tee. He was also bright, very bright with a lot of practical common sense. Other than his looks his mouth did him in. He didn't give a shit what people thought of him. So instead of being in intelligence or some other lucrative position he was in maintenance. For anyone that could put up with some of his bull, he was a good ally to have. He heard everything. People who didn't know Richard thought he was a dumb maintenance worker and would say things that they shouldn't around him. It was through Richard that I could get just about anything I wanted on the base, no questions ask. If Richard liked you that's all it took. I wanted to keep him on my good side, in one way the things he knew scared me, but he and I had always got along fine. I guess his personality and my shy upbringing fit together somehow. "Hi Richard." "Hear you went off somewhere and nobody's been able to get out what you did" "that's right," "and that's the way its going to be?" "for now." "Don't blame you, if it was good, they'd stomp all over you and take it themselves." "Yea, I know how that works." "What's you down here for, you're in testing now, right?" "That's right, this is a personal request." "Always obliged to help if I can. Whatcha need?" I explained a few parts I was looking for, I knew if I told him everything I needed it would raise some questions I didn't want to answer. I also knew Richard was smart and he might figure it out eventually, but I didn't want that to happen now. "Park your car around here on Monday and leave the keys under the mat, I'll take care of it." "Thanks Richard," "You know one of these days you're going to owe me one?" "Yea, I know." I just hoped he wouldn't see my sister and think that I owed him a date with her. She'd probably never forgive me. With his new 3 day pass starting on Tuesday, he knew he would have to leave around seven in the morning and drive up to Caliente. That was the nearest train stop and she would be in at 11:22. It would take him at least three hours to drive it and he didn't want to be late. If it wasn't so fun to be teasing Keith about his secret liaison, everyone would have been a little more mad that he was getting another leave. It was Saturday and Keith was having a problem concentrating. He had mixed up the test twice now and he was setting it up for a third time when Richard stopped in. "Heard that you've been out to lunch today." "That's a good way to put it." "Anything I can do?" "I think I'm going to end up owing you more than I have already." "Want to talk about it?" "No," "Don't say I didn't ask." "I'll keep that in mind." Richards's questions disturbed him more than the others. Same questions, same curiosity, but Richard was smart. He would figure out something and Keith didn't want anyone to find out anything. Keith pulled up to the train station in plenty of time. Actually it was just a platform with a tiny building at one end. A plaque showed the time of the arrival. He sat and waited nervously and time crawled along. As he could hear the train in the distance and his nervousness increased. When the train stopped he was cold and clammy. Kristin was the only one that was getting off the train. What a sight. Kristin was so beautiful. She stood 5 feet 4 inches with dirty blond hair, green eyes sparkled all the time, and that smile. At 20 she still looked like she was maybe 15. She was petite, small breasts, thin arms and legs and a great shape. If you liked them young she had it. I had to stop myself. This was my sister and I was mesmerized. They unloaded some other stuff, but Keith couldn't tell you if the train was there or not. Here was Kristin, in front of him. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. It just about knocked him over. It startled her and she looked at him, "Are you OK?" Keith tried to regain his composure, "Yea, just a long drive this morning[.]" She said playfully "Well I didn't have to come[.]" He turned white, she saw it and said "I guess I did, Keith what's this all about?" "Lets get in the car, we have an hour drive still ahead of us and we'll need some lunch first." Kristin got the idea her question was not going to be answered yet, so she dropped it for now. After some lunch they were back in the car and turned down a dusty road, she saw the sign for Elgin. "Is that where were going?" "No, it's a town past that." "Do I know anybody there?" "No." "Is there some woman there?" She saw the look on his face and wished she hadn't asked the question. It was quite for a while, and then she said softly "Keith, are you going to tell me?" He knew this point would come and he still wasn't sure how to handle it. "Kristin there is so much I need to tell you, to ask you, and I've just discovered that I needed to do this for a long time." He thought he had better pull off the side of the road, not that anyone else was on it. He couldn't concentrate on driving anymore. "What do you need to tell me? What do you need to ask me? I'll tell you anything you want to know." It was that innocence that was such an incredible part of what made Kristin so special. "This is so hard for me." "Its OK[, ] you don't need to tell me anything." "Yes I do, I was told I do." "By who?" "Robin," "Oh," "OK, here it goes. Do you remember when I moved out of the house?" "Yes, like it was yesterday, do you know how much that hurt me? You didn't even say goodbye to me." I could see the tears welling up. "You don't know why do you." "No, not really, it just hurt all over, it still hurts just thinking about it." Tears were running down her face now. "Kristin I was 20." "So what difference does that make." "You, and your friends were 13." "And," "And they were jail bait, it was flattering to have them flirting with me." "Yea I bet it was." "But then there was you..." She started to say something, then stopped and turned to look at me. "What do you mean, there was me?" I looked at her for a long time. This was it, the point of no return. "I didn't care about your friends, but my feelings for you, I mean I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to hurt you, but you held my heart in your hands." "Then why did you go, I didn't want you to." "If I would have said goodbye to you when I left, I know you would have started to cry and I'd never be able to go, and if I hadn't have left, well I was afraid of what I was feeling, of what I would do, of how I could have hurt you." The tears were streaming down her face at this point, "I knew I had done something wrong, I knew I was responsible for you leaving. I wanted you to be close to me. You were always my best friend, things changed. I changed, my friends changed. I guess I was jealous of them. I wanted you for myself and I smothered you and you left." She was balling at this point. "Kristin," "yes," "I wanted you the way you were. It wasn't you that made me leave it was me. I was in love with you, do you understand. I was in love with my own sister and a 13 year old. You were just starting to understand the changes your body was going through and I could have taken advantage of that." "No, you wouldn't have." "Yes, I would have, I wanted to. I'm not going to tell you the things I used to dream about doing with you. I had to get away I couldn't live with myself." "I would have let you do anything." "I kinda knew that and that's what scared me." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that I ran away on you. Liz told me you didn't eat and you were hysterical; she told me it was my fault entirely. I felt like dirt." "It figures that Liz would rub it in your face." "She had a way of doing things like that." We sat there in silence for a long time, and then she ask the inevitable question. "Who is Robin?" I started the car and got back to driving. I also took the long way of answering the question. Starting with my falling asleep at the base and ending up in Carp. By this point we had just past Elgin. "I can see why you wouldn't want to stop here, you've been telling me a nice story, but you haven't answered the question." "I'm getting to that." "You're stalling." "Maybe," When I started to describe Robin, Kristin was looking at me, no staring at me. "She's me, isn't she.?" I looked over at her, I couldn't tell if she was pleased or resented the idea. "Yes, she is." I told her about her standing by the tree up at the spring and how it had looked just like her. Then I told her about telling Robin about her. "What did she say?" "That I'd better talk to you and tell you how I felt about you." "Pretty amazing girl, anything else?" "Yes, she wanted to meet you." Kristin was speechless, at least for a moment. "She wanted to meet me? Why, to compare me or something?" "She said she didn't want to be a poor second choice, whatever that means." "You don't know?" "Not exactly." "Sometimes your so dumb." "Thank you," "Keith this girl is talking about serious stuff, about marriage stuff and your acting like you don't know what she's talking about." "Kristin, I understand what she wants. I also know what I lost when I moved away from you. I lost myself when I left you." Her eyes were watering again. "I don't know, maybe I'd be making a big mistake, maybe I'd always be thinking of you, maybe I don't know what I'm doing and should run. I think that maybe that is what Robin is trying to get me to find out. It's why she and I wanted you here. You're still my best friend. I can trust you." "Keith I'm not sure what to say, I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure that you can trust me as much as you may want to." "Why not?" "Well... I might become jealous again." "Can you promise me one thing?" "I can try." "Tell me the truth, even if it hurts." "I'll try." By this point we were pulling into Carp. Robin had been waiting and watching everyday for my return. Her mother was starting to worry about her. She wasn't sure what had gone on between Robin and that man, but by now she was pretty sure something had. What was she going to say to her daughter? She knew she was dreading her birthday and all that entailed. Life had taught her men wanted one thing from women and then if you could cook and clean after that you might be a keeper. It was a cynical view, but one she had grown to live with. By Monday she had a plan. "Robin," "Yes ma," "I need you to go over to aunt Millie's and help her with her mopping her floor." "Mom I need to stay around here, can't you send Jimmy or something?" She knew that Robin had a good view of the road from here and Millie's house was to far away from the road to see anything, but that had been part of the plan. "Robin Louise you know that Millie can't bend over after her fall and what would Jimmy do over there, he's no help around here. I don't need to burden her with Jimmy; I need you over there helping. Now get yourself over there and be quick about it." She finally got her out of the house; hopefully it was going to occupy her mind about something other than a man. That man that wasn't coming back for her. Tuesday she had cooked up another chore for her to do. Robin wasn't stupid she could see what her mom was trying to do and they had a big fight about it. Her mother was still in shock when she had got Robin out of the house. She decided that tonight was the night she would have to have that talk with Robin. She wasn't looking forward to it. What she didn't know was that Robin hadn't gone where she was supposed to go. Keith had half expected Robin to be bouncing out when they drove into town. Having been there before, he just got a few nods from people of the street. Kristin was impressed with the old deserted downtown buildings. They ended up at the old Johnson place. She looked at him. "This is were I stay when I'm here." "You make it sound like you come here all the time, I thought you've only been here one other time." "Yea, that's right. I don't think I told you of the deal I made." She looked at me suspiciously "What kind of deal?" "I told them I'd bring them a tasty morsel, they're all cannibals!" I got a jab in the ribs for that one. "OK, really what is it?" "When you taste, or I should say smell the water, you'll know." "That bad?" "You wouldn't believe it. I told them I'd fix it for them if I got a place to stay and a home cooked dinner each night I was here." "You drive a hard bargain." She was laughing at that point. "Well I did need a place to stay and you haven't tasted base food, mine's not much better." "I used to cook for you." She went silent as soon as she said that. I could tell this was going to be hard for both of us. I tried to lighten the conversation by getting out. "Welcome to my bachelor pad." "Bachelor pad, where am I staying then?" "With me, you are my sister aren't you? Unless you don't want to." "Of course I do, I was just teasing you." "I knew that." "Yea sure you did." At that I grabbed her and started tickling her. She was laughing uncontrollably. "Stop [!] Stop [!] I can't take any more." "She is like me, isn't she?" We stopped, I almost dropped Kristin. We both turned and there was Robin, smiling. I opened my arms and she came running. I picked he up and spun her around. When I set her down she looked up at me, I knew. We had a gentle kiss. I was trying to imagine what Kristin was thinking at this point. I didn't have any time to think about that. Robins mother was standing at a close enough distance and she was looking at us. Robin froze; her mom had just seen her kissing me. I wasn't sure what to do. I'd just been seen kissing a 12-year-old girl. It was just a little kiss, but still. I looked over to Kristin. I couldn't read her face at all. Did she think it was funny, was she jealous, mad, I just didn't know. "Robin, you get home now." Her mom yelled out as she was walking towards us. Robin stood still, fright I think. "Robin, you better go. Don't worry it will be OK." She looked at me, trying to believe me. Then Kristin said, "We'll sort this all out, better get going." That did it, she took off, but not down the lane. I don't think she wanted to pass by her mother. I turned to Kristin. I had a million questions but didn't get a chance to ask one. "How dare you lead my daughter on like that." Robins mother was now close enough to us that she had started in on me. I was use to attacks by females thanks to Liz. It had one benefit, after years of it I was able to keep my cool. "I'm not sure what you mean." "Don't you get smart with me. Driving in this little town with your fancy car and filling my little girls head with dreams that just aint real. Then you have the nerve to bring your girlfriend, or is it wife and flaunt her right in front of Robin." "Now hold on a minute, this happens to be my sister." That stopped her dead in her tracks. "Your sister?" "Yes, this is my big brother. I'm on break from college right now and he wanted me to come down and see this place." "Actually, Robin wanted to meet her. She... " "I think we need to sit down and talk about my daughter. Can we go inside?" "Well sure but I'm not so... " "Its had a real going over after you left. Everyone was happy to make you feel at home here, I'm still reserving judgment." "I can understand that." "First of all, do you have any idea how old Robin is?" I could see Kristin was amused by this question [.] "Yes" "And how old is that?" "Twelve, but going to be thirteen in 2 months." "That's right, now do you thinks it's right for a man your age to go around picking up girls Robins age?" I didn't really want to answer that one, so I avoided it the best way I knew how. "She tells me that the way things happen in this town, she'll be married when she's thirteen." "She told you that?" "Yes, is it not true?" "It has been a tradition from when the rush started and this town was built." She didn't say that with a lot of conviction and I wondered if she liked it any more that Robin had. "Don't you like me?" "What?" "Well do I seem like a bad person to you?" "No, but then again I don't really know you." "I guess that's true, something I think we could change." "I'm not sure." "Well if Robins' to be married soon, wouldn't you like to know about one of her courtiers?" "One of her courtiers? She doesn't have any, well unless we count you. I just don't understand but I guess it's the same everywhere. You'd be getting a young virgin to make into the wife that you want." "That sounds kind of heartless of me now doesn't it?" "Just the way men are." "Not all men, not me." "Then tell me what do you see in that little girl?" "Her laugh, that beautiful smile that lights a room. That first morning when you came and brought me bread and jam, I could see were she got her good looks." She was on the verge of a smile with that comment. I went on, knowing any mother would love to hear what I was saying about their daughter. "It's beyond that's she's beautiful. She's smart. She has asked me questions that I didn't know needed to be asked. She told me I needed to call and talk with my sister. Robin is a gem." "I can tell the way you talk your taken with her. I don't think I need to tell you she is head over heels about you. She's been waiting every day for you to return. Frankly I didn't think you would. I had wondered if you got what you wanted from her and were gone." "I don't think I could have lived with myself if I had done that." "Well we'll see about that. Quite frankly I'm glad your sister is here. It will prevent things from going to far." "I understand." "Good, I don't need my daughter hurt." With that she left. I felt sorry for poor Robin. She was going to be grilled to an inch of her life. "So, Kristin." "Yes," "Tell me the truth." "About what?" "I think you know, about Robin." "You mean how you picked her up and kissed her in front of her mother and me?" "Thanks for being so pointed." "No problem big brother." "Well," "What do you want me to say?" "The truth, you saw her the same time I did, you saw her run to me, and you saw her look to be kissed." "Don't remind me." "Did it bother you?" "What do you think?" "The way you're reacting, yes." "Very observant big brother. How do you think I'm going to act? You tell me how you felt about me and then here is a replacement of me, hat you kissed." "Insensitive of me, huh?" "You will win that award." "You sound down right jealous." "I guess so." The conversation had died off. We had things to bring in from the car so we set about getting everything in and put away. "So were am I sleeping?" I winced, I hadn't thought about those kinds of details. "I guess on the bed." "And your sleeping were?" "I don't know" I looked around "on the floor I suppose." "I think we could share." "Are you sure?" I was thinking of what could happen if we were in the same bed. Part of me was saying NO, the other part was saying YES, YES, YES. It also hit me that Robin might look through the window again. I wasn't at all sure how she would react to that sight. Dinner came from rotation number 4. She and her two sons brought it up. She was embarrassed that they had only brought food for one and there were two of us. "I hadn't told anyone, don't worry. Anyway look at all this food, there is plenty for both of us." "Are you sure, I could make up some biscuits real quick." "I'm very sure, we had a large lunch, but thanks for your concern." "I'll tell everyone that you have a guest with you." She was giggling when she said that. "This is my sister. She is on break from college, came to see me, and wanted to see the place I've been talking so much about." "Oh, well I didn't mean to pry or anything." The gossip train is alive and well in this town I could see. I just wondered if the news about Robin and I would be passed along. I figured that would depend on if her mother saw an advantage to letting everyone know or not. I guess I'd have to what and see. After dinner Kristin ask what there was to do around here. When I said nothing, she looked at me hardly believing me. Quite a difference from her college town. "Lets take a walk. I'll show you around." I hadn't seen Robin since we first arrived and I was beginning to worry. As we walked around town I made it a point to walk by her house. The third time this happened Kristin caught on. "Is that where she lives?" "Yes" I felt a little sheepish. Without asking and I'm not sure she was thinking, she walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened and her step father looked at her, then at me and said, "What do you want, kinda late for visit'n?" "I wanted to know if Robin was home?" He yelled to Katy and she appeared, looking apprehesivaly at us. My sister again said, "I was looking for Robin." "She's here." "I was wondering if..." "You can come in for a minute, but he needs to get along." She was looking at me when she said that. "I'd love to." So my sister steps in, the door shuts, and I'm left out in the cold, so to speak. I didn't know if I should hang around or not. I wasn't sure of much at that point. After standing around for maybe 10 minutes I started wandering, it was fairly quiet outside. I figured I could hear her come out. An hour later I was back at the Johnson place. I couldn't sit still, what the hell was going on. It was after nine and she still wasn't back. I had decided that I should go back and see if everything was OK. I opened the door and could hear talking. I stopped and listened. It was two females talking, Robin and Kristin. They were walking towards me. Then they stopped and I saw Kristin continue, but Robin turned and went back. My heart dropped, I yearned to see Robin. When Kristin got to the front porch she had a big smile on her face. I knew I was in trouble. "So?" "So, what?" "You're having a lot of fun with this." "Yes I am." "All at my expense." "Sorry." "What were you doing, you were gone for over an hour, what did you talk about, what did her mother say?" "Hold on and I'll tell you all about it, but first we need to get ready for bed." Oh shit, I thought. What the hell am I going to get myself into? When I realized the pun in that, I started to laugh. Kristin wanted to know what was so funny. I had to make something up. I couldn't tell her what was going on in my head. We got everything settled and she went into the bathroom. She realized there wasn't a door, she looked out and saw there wasn't one on the bedroom either. "No doors? What is it about bachelor pads that women don't like? I just don't know." I yelled back, "I think it's the flowery wallpaper and the nick knacks that they don't like." "Very funny" She came out wearing this short slinky nightgown. My eyes got big, I knew I was staring, but I just couldn't help it. "You can close your mouth now." I hadn't realized that was hanging open. She smiled; apparently pleased with the reaction I gave her. She went over and sat on the bed then patted it. "Your turn now." This was going to be difficult as I realized I was fully hard at this point. I stripped off my shirt, shoes and socks. As I tried to discreetly drop my pants and sit on the bed fast, she threw something at me and giggled. My natural reaction was to catch it. Then I knew I'd been set up. I was standing in front of her, my underwear tenting. "Very funny" "I was thinking, very nice." My turn to turn red. "Come on sit down." "Are you sure it's safe." "I thought you wanted to know about my visit with Robin?" I was onto the bed in a flash. Katy apparently thought Kristin was safe. She showed her to Robin and Jimmies bedroom. Robin was on the bed. She had been crying. Jimmy for all his part was on her bed with her, trying to be nice. He moved to his own bed when Kristin came in, but he never took his eyes off of her. He'd never seen anyone so pretty. They talked in whispers. This after all was girl talk. Jimmy tried to listen but he couldn't hear anything very well and he was too distracted looking at Kristin. Kristin had told Robin her side of my leaving. What we talked about in the car. How she was feeling a little jealous with my attention to her. How much she could see that I cared her. My growing up years, my older sisters torment of me. "Boy, did you leave anything out? No wonder you were gone so long." "I left out a lot, but I did tell her where you were ticklish." She was giggling at that. I jumped over and attacked her. She yelped and tried to get away. We were wrestling and tickling each other. God that silky little thing she was wearing was driving me crazy. Her nipples were erect and I was constantly getting glimpses of her matching panties. I'm sure she could see my hard on pressing out. She rolled on top of me, her hands holding my arms to each side. I looked up at her, she looked down at me. That was it. She bent down and kissed me. We kissed long and hard. When we parted both of us had been crying. Seven years of pent up emotion was coming out. "I love you Keith." "And I love you too, more than I can say." "I know, that's what why I did what I did." I looked at her "What did you do?" "You'll see, and I know you'll like it." She had this devilish grin on her face. I couldn't pry anything more out of her. Except to tell me that it might be nice to change into new underwear. I teased her about wanting to peek at me. I was told that if Robin could see so should she. Boy that was some talk they had. I decided she was right and dropped them right there. "It is as nice as she said it was." I was only half hard, but after that comment it rose to the occasion. "Boy, you tell a guy one nice thing and he gets all hard on you." I was on the verge of blushing when she said, "You really don't need to put anything on. I know you like to sleep in the nude, or at least you use to." I was wondering how she knew that, but I was trying to focus on what she had said prior. "Are you sure it's OK?" "I know it will be fine." I thought what the hell, turned off the light and slipped into bed. "You told me what you said to Robin, but you really didn't tell me what Robin said to you." She rolled toward me, put her fingers to her lips and said, "Hush, we have time to take latter." Then she rolled on top of me. I was in shock, she wasn't wearing anything. ------- Chapter 3 "Kristin!" I froze, she was playful and started nibbling my neck. "I thought you wanted to hear what Robin said." "Yes." I croaked, I was losing my will power fast. "Well she ask me if we ever did anything, you know." She was kissing my chest and going for a nipple. I knew that would be the end of any will power I had left. "What did you tell her?" "No, that I hadn't even seen your dick, that's when she told me that not only had she seen it, you showed it to her!" With that she sucked in my nipple and reached down and grabbed my very stiff dick. I had a hard time trying not to shoot off in her hand. God it felt good. My resistance completely shattered, I wrapped my arms around her and rolled on top of her. I thought two can play this game. Her mouth had come off when we rolled over and I started to nibble her ear. She moaned and I whispered,"So what else did she say?" I then started kissing her neck going lower and lower, her breath was becoming ragged and she was taking long pauses in her speech. "She ask me if I was, Oh God, if I was going to see, Oh that feels so good, to see it tonight?" This was interesting on both parts, the story and how Kristin was reacting. She still had hold of my dick, but at this point it was more of a death grip. I had to reach down and ease her hand. I had reached her breast and as much as I wanted to suck in her nipple, I was having fun teasing her. She had done enough of that to me tonight. I was kissing all around, but avoiding the center. "And what did you say?" "I said, oh, Oh, OH" "Really?" "Shut up and continue, it feels so good." Anyway I said, wouldn't you mind if I saw him?" "Your avoiding my nipple aren't you, you rat. Suck on it." What was I to do, I sucked. I wasn't sure about how to do it, so I was tentative and gentle, apparently that was the right thing to do. "So I, yes that's right, get your hand on the other one, Oh God. So I said I don't know if that would be a good idea, ummmm that's right" "And what did she say?" "You stopped again, how am I suppose to concentrate on my story if you keep stopping?" "It sounds like your having a hard time with what I'm doing." "I'll be the judge of that, now get back to work." "Yes mam, but tell me what she said." Now my hands started to explore her belly and they were moving lower. "She asked why I didn't think it would be a good idea, and now before you stop, ouch! you bit me, yes I told her why. I said if I saw you I might not be able to control myself." At this point I had reached the top of her bush. Her legs had parted. She was moving her hips up trying to advance my fingers. As much as I wanted to run my fingers down into per pussy, I waited for the perfect opportunity. "So she said, OH MY GOD KEITH!" "Did she really?" That got a slap. "Oh, that feels so nice you don't know how long I've wanted you there." "So what did she say?" "You know how to ruin a moment." I guess I had. My hand stopped moving, but she urged it on so I just gently stroked the inside of her thighs. "So she said that if she was me she'd be trying to fuck you tonight." "No she didn't" "Yes she did. I couldn't believe my ears. I said, you wouldn't be jealous if I did something like that? I'll tell you Keith, you picked out the best. She told me that if it wasn't for me that you probably wouldn't be interested in her. That the two of us are alike and how could she get jealous of herself. I couldn't believe it. Then I started feeling guilty about being jealous of her earlier." "So you want to fuck me?" "Damn you're so romantic." "Sorry, nervous I guess." "What because I'm your sister?" "No its defiantly not that, I've had fantasies about you for much to long." "So what is it then?" "Well, umm, I umm, well I'm still a virgin." "Your what!" "Shit Kristin, thank you." "Sorry, it's just that I can't believe it. A handsome guy like you? I mean I know your shy, but shit your 26." "I just never found the right one, the one that was just like you." "Oh Keith, I don't know what to say. I think I'm going to cry. Why did we have to wait so long?" I kissed her. It was long and wonderful. "Now I'm feeling just a little guilty. I mean you waited to find the one just like me and you have, but I want you too." "It's OK. Robin wouldn't know I'm a virgin." "But I do. I am, and I'm sure so is she. It's a whole lot more important to a girl than it is to a guy, even one as special as you. No I can't do that to Robin. As much as I'd like it, you can't marry me. I can't take that way from her." "Kristin," "You're just going to have to wait." I took my hand away from her. Even though she still had her hand around my dick I could feel it wilting. It was as if she had just thrown a bucket of cold water on me. Kristin squeezed my dick harder and said, "I said you're going to have to wait, I didn't say you had to stop." "But!" "Remember when I told you about a surprise?" "I figured your beautiful nude body was it." "Thanks. There's more, a whole lot more." "Oh God, will I survive?" "You'd better." "So what is it, or are you going to make me wait?" "I was going to be a surprise, but now I think I'd better tell you." "I'm all ears." "Robin is going to sneak out tonight and join us." "What? No, I don't think that's a good idea. It isn't that safe? I don't need her in any more trouble than I already got her in today, and that would be a whole lot of trouble for both of us." "She has snuck out before, she told me. When her mom and stepfather got married. She didn't like him, so she planed to run away. She left at night, but never got very far before turning around and going back. She did it three times and nobody ever knew she had left. So she's planning on sneaking out tonight. I'm suppose to have worn you out so you're sound a sleep and she is planning on climbing in bed with you." "Are you sleeping somewhere else?" "No" "Then she's going to be climbing into the bed with us." "I hadn't thought about it that way." "I can't believe it." She hit me,"It isn't going to be an orgy, fantasy boy." "I didn't mean that, I just can't believe she is coming tonight." "Only if your good to her." This time it was my turn to poke her. That turned into another wrestling match. Out of breath I looked at her. "Kristin, I love you." "I love you to. We'd better straighten up these sheets or Robin will think I wore you out to much." We both laughed at that. Then she noticed that I got quiet. After a bit more talking she realized that I was feeling concerned about if I could perform correctly. I wanted it to be right. How would I know, what would I do? We had been talking, wrestling, and all the rest of the stuff for some time and it was getting really late. We had straightened the bed back up. Kristin looked so dammed good I could hardly keep my eyes off her body. I noticed that she was also keeping an eye on my ever-constant erection. I was enjoying looking at her, but she said I should turn off the light. We were close and she moved up to me putting her arms around me. I couldn't see anything but the feel of her body pressed against me was very erotic. I could feel her tip her head up, I moved mine down and we kissed. Slowly at first but it turned faster and urgent. She broke it, and was panting. "Keith?" "Yes" "We can explore, you can find out what makes a woman feel good, I'll tell you. You just can't go all the way." "Oh Kristin, I'll do anything with you. What should I do first?" "I'll lay on the bed and I want you to start what you were doing before. Nibble my neck and then start moving down, and run your hands all over my body. God you were getting me so hot." "You have such a beautiful body, it was getting me hot too." She pulled the top covers off and laid on the bed. I climbed over to her and started nibbling, my hands reached her breasts and I took each in my palms. They fit just right. She moaned, giving words of encouragement. My fingers started tracing the outline of her breasts, circling towards her nipples. I held them between my thumbs and fingers and twisted and pinched gently. "Oh my God, that is so good, yes just like that." I placed my mouth over her nipple and sucked it in. She made a little yep as she sucked air in. With my hand free, it started tracing down her rib cage, across her flat belly and down to her fur. It was sparse and short; as I ran my fingers through it she spread her legs apart. I moved my hand down to her thighs, stroking both sides. With a hand still on her breast I started kissing my way down. She was breathing fast and was saying, "yes, yes, yes" over and over. When I got to her bellybutton I put my tongue in it, I felt her body spasm. "You OK?" "Oh God Keith, I just had an orgasm. I can't believe it. It felt so much better having you do it. You're doing a wonderful job on me." "Then I should continue?" "Oh yes, I don't want you to stop." With that I traced the outline of her bellybutton with my tongue, sending shivers throughout her body. Her legs were spread wide at this point and my hand was running from the edge of her pussy on one side, up around through her fur and down the other. Her hips were moving back and forth. I wasn't sure were to touch, what would feel good to her, everything was feeling good to me. "Rub me in the center, oh yes just like that. Put your finger in my slit, OH YEA." "Its juicy and slick." "You did that to me, God you're making me so horny." I had kissed down to the edge of her fur and wished that I had enough light to see her pussy. Just then she said, "Kiss me." I started to move back up, but she stopped me. "No, kiss me down there." I wasn't sure about that, but then she wrapped her hand around my dick and I dove in. My mouth reached the outer lips. I didn't know at the time but they were puffy and swollen from excitement. I ran my tongue around them. Kristin was mumbling and with my head between her legs, I couldn't tell what she was saying. I placed my tongue along her slit and slide my tongue in. I had put it in dead center and it slipped right in her hole. It surprised the hell out of me, so that's were it is. As I ran my tongue forward it ran right around her hard erect clit. She arched her back and clamped her legs around my head. I had to pry them apart or get smothered. When I raised my head up I could see she had a big smile on her face. She was breathing heavy. "That was number two big brother. I think Robin is going to be very happy with you." "I hope so!" We both jumped. Kristin was the first to see her. I was still in a state of shock. "How long have you been here?" "Long enough to hope I get the same treatment, how was he?, you did it didn't you?" I felt like I wasn't there, but it was an interesting conversation. "He's great so far" "So far, you mean that's as far as you have gotten?" "I told him I wanted to fuck him, but then I couldn't." "Why not?" "It wouldn't be fair to you." "I don't understand, I thought I told you that it would be OK with me." "Yea I know, but then he told me something that changed all that." Robin turned and glared at me as though I had just killed her dog. She said with venom in her voice, "What the hell did he tell you?" "He's still a virgin." "Oh my God, I'm sorry, I mean I thought you wouldn't do it with her. I wouldn't have thought it was something like that. Oh my God, I'm so sorry." "It's not a disease." "Believe me he wanted to do it with me, I wouldn't let him." "You wouldn't, why not?" "Because, he told me that he had waited for the perfect person. That that person had to be just like me. I couldn't take that away from you or from him, no mater how much I wanted it myself." Robin was just looking at her trying to take it all in, after a bit of silence Kristin softly said, "Maybe sometime you'll let me have him another time." "Kristin," She ran over and hugged her, my God what an erotic sight. "I've never had anyone think of me first. You're the, well you're bestest friend anyone could have. You can have him anytime you want, I mean it. Remember when I said if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have stood a chance with him. You are the next special angle in my life. As far as I'm concerned everything I have is yours, including him." "Thanks I guess. I feel like a possession." "You are, and you're mine. But I'm not ever going to get rid of you, I plan on keeping you mine forever." "I hope you mean that." "I do." "You'll be saying that to each other soon enough, now get on the bed and start having some fun." Robin started to undress, but I stopped her. I wanted to do this myself. She was wearing a long nightdress and I pulled it over her head. The only thing she had on underneath it was her panties. I stopped and stared. She was just beautiful; I could tell she was blushing. I reached to each side and slowly pulled down her panties. As I lowered myself, I kissed her. First on her forehead, then her mouth. That stopped me for a moment. I moved to her ear and whispered,"God you are so beautiful, do you have any idea how much I love you?" I didn't wait for a reply I kissed he mouth again. I then kissed down her neck and then to her breast. She had very nice small but hard nipples. I sucked one in, running my tongue around it. Then I moved to the other one. Getting a sharp intake of breath each time, I knew she was enjoying this. I kissed down her flat belly to her bellybutton. As she lifted up her leg for me to pull her panties off, just like I had done to Kristin I ran my tongue into her bellybutton. She squealed and started to fall over. I grabbed on to her and tossed her on the bed. She was laughing at this point. I climbed on the bed and crawled up to her. God what a sight. She was showing a bit of nervousness, a little playfulness, with a body I was in love with. "I guess you don't need me in here." Kristin had been standing there the whole time. I felt a bit odd that I had completely ignored her. So did Robin apparently. "Kristin, please stay." "Stay and watch you two? I don't think so, I mean it's kinda hard to." "I understand, it's just that I'm kinda nervous and it would be nice to have you here, and I don't think Keith would mind either, would you?" "Not me, but she already knows that." "OK, but it's going to be hard. Watching you two so far has made me horny, anymore and I'm probably going to be climbing he walls." I patted the bed, since Robin was in the middle and I was on one side, she sat down on the other side. I took Robin in my arms and kissed her. I wasn't long starting, our tongues were playing hot and heavy in no time. I looked into her eyes, then snuggled up to her neck and whispered in her ear. "I love you." She let out a sigh. I started my descent. The same one I had done with Kristin not more than an hour before. This time Kristin was watching. With one hand on her breast and my mouth on the other breast, my free hand started to roam. She was breathing very hard, but when I ran my fingers down the edge of her rib cage she started to giggle. Kristin slapped me, I looked over at her and she shook her head. Then she took my hand and led it up to the top of Robins belly. I thought that she would let go, but she didn't. With my fingers floating freely, she guided my hand first up and down the center of her belly and then around her bellybutton. They were both breathing hard at this point and I was having a hard time myself. Then she led my hand and its probing fingers down around the top of the few wisps of hair that framed the top of her pussy. Robin had opened up her legs and finely her eyes. She saw Kristin's hand guiding mine, looked at Kristin and then at me with the most incredible smile. I don't think I'll ever forget it. Kristin moved my hand down to the swollen lips. She put her hand right over mine and pushed my center finger right in. I knew Kristin was blushing I could almost feel the heat form it. At the same time I heard Kristin give a little moan and Robin give a gasp and then a shudder. Apparently when my finger slipped in, it ran right across her clit. As she bucked her hips forward the contact increased and so did her orgasm. After she peaked her hips slid back and rubbed it just right again. Her body convulsed and after several minutes slowed back down. She opened her eyes. "Wow!" She looked over at Kristin and said, "Thank you," "I didn't, I mean it wasn't..." "You shared. When I came in, you were, well you had just had what I had. You helped give me what you had, thank you." Robin then looked at me held out her arms. I melted into them and we kissed. She then rolled me over and I was in the center, more or less, on my back. "I think after what he has done for both of us, he needs some attention." I couldn't agree more, but all I did was smile. "Kristin why don't you kiss him. Kiss him all over, while I inspect this." With that she grabbed my dick. My dick had been hard so long that is was beginning to hurt, but when it felt her tiny fingers wrap around it I was in heaven. Kristin after seeing that and having been given the go ahead, grabbed my head lowered her lips and started kissing me. She started with my lips, but then moved to my ears and neck. Then she was kissing my chest, heading for my nipples. I could tell she was at this point watching what Robin was doing to me. Robin had taken my dick in her hand and was stroking it up and down. The technique was jerky but it felt great. I could see Kristin was motioning to Robin something but couldn't tell what. Then I felt the sweet lips of Robin kissing the end of my dick. That was all it took, I couldn't hold on. I grunted and my come flew. I heard the surprise of Kristin, but when I could look down Robin looked shocked. Her face had three streams dripping from it and her hands were coated. Kristin started to laugh, the so did Robin. "Jees, Keith" "Yea, you soaked me." "Sorry, it felt so good I couldn't help it." "Yea, we could tell." Kristin got off the bed and ran into the bathroom. She came back with a towel and started wiping up Robin. She took her hands and cleaned them, then started on her face. She was gently stroking her and you could see that it was more a sign of affection than the need of cleaning. They were both smiling and when Kristin was done, they said thank you to each other. It was by now one in the morning. Robin didn't have much time left before she would need to go back. Kristin looked at me anxiously. Robin though not knowing about down time for a guy had climbed on top of me kissing me all over. I responded very well and was hard again in no time at all. "Boy Keith, I think she's got your motor running." "Yea, both of you have been driving me crazy with anticipation." "Robin, move down and straddle him. Then when his dick is in position you can control of how it goes. You know it's going to hurt the first time." "Yea, I've heard it really hurts bad." "Who told you that?" "My mom." "I think she didn't want you to do anything. I've heard it hurts, but it's not that bad and then it's heaven." "I hope so, I've been looking forward to this." She got into position and lowered herself. I had my hands on her hips helping support. It deflected off. She tried it two more times. I could tell she was getting frustrated. Kristin had been watching this whole process with great interest, when Robin said,"Kristin can you help, hold it up so it doesn't move." She looked at me then Robin. She reached in-between our legs and wrapped her fingers around my shaft. Robin lowered herself again and it wasn't quite right. So I said, "Move it back and forth in her slit like I did with my fingers and get it all slick." Kristin hesitantly did and Robin responded this a moan and rocking her hips back and forth. To say I was in heaven was an understatement. I took hold of Robin's breasts and rolled her nipples between my fingers. Kristin was getting into maneuvering my dick in Robins slit and it was becoming very juicy. She finely pointed it to the object of desire and nudged it in. Robin getting the clue pushed down and the tip slowly went in. She was as tight as a 12-year-old virgin should be. I could see a mixture of pain and pleasure on Robins face as she was trying to get more in. I was having a hard time not thrusting my hips up and sending it home. Kristin was holding my dick in place, helping the insertion. It also prevented me from thrusting up. Robin was determined and kept lowering. Slowly it was disappearing into her and then it hit the barrier. I wasn't more than two inches in. She looked down and then looked at me; with a big smile on her face she dropped her weight. I slide in breaking her cherry and she let out a cry. I was completely in her, well almost. Kristin's hand hadn't had anytime to move and was pressed between us. I think she was embarrassed and didn't know what to do. I didn't help by saying,"So Kristin how does it feel." She looked at me wide eyed and then said with an attitude, "I think you should be asking Robin that." "So Robin how does it feel to have Kristin's hand... ?" "Keith!" Robin replied like she didn't even hear what we had said. "It hurts a little still and I feel very full, like I'm going to split apart. But oh God I can tell this is going to be good. Kristin your hand is kind of in the way now, but thanks. It felt so good what you were doing. Maybe I could do the same for you when you have Keith." With that she lifted up just a bit and Kristin pulled her hand out. Even though I had just come 20 minutes before this child was driving me crazy. I could feel my balls building up their pressure. I knew I'd have to work at it not to shoot off as soon as we started moving. She placed her hands on my chest for balance and lifted slightly. This went on for several strokes. "How do you feel?" "Incredible, this is so good. Thank you for letting me take it slow. It really hurt at first, but now all it feels is good." With my hands on her hips we started developing a rhythm. I glanced over at Kristin. She was wrapped up in looking at our union, her hand rubbing up and down her thigh. Not openly masturbating, but close. The rhythm started speeding up and both Robin and myself were breathing heavily. She bent down to try and kiss me. The change in angle had my shaft rubbing across her clit. She went wild. No more rhythm, she was bouncing up and down as fast as she could. Her mouth was open but no sound was coming out. I knew I was ready to loose it. My balls tightened, my dick swelled and I started spurting. As my dick swelled, the friction increased and that sent Robin off the edge. "Ahhh, Ahhh, Ahhh, OHHHHHHHHMMYYYGGGOOOOOODDD!!!!" Luckily she wasn't a screamer. I could just see her waking everyone in the town. She slumped onto my chest. I turned looking at Kristin; she had one hand in her pussy and the other on her breast. She was so wrapped up in the sight that I don't think she realized the show she was putting on. I smiled at her before I closed my eyes. The next thing I remember was hearing Kristin moaning loudly. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes. She had brought herself off. Thank God, because Robin and I had both fallen a sleep. I had to wake Robin and she didn't want to wake up. When she realized that she had to get back, she dragged herself up and out the back door. I kissed her long and tenderly before she left. When I got back to the bed Kristin was sitting, looking at me. "God Keith, that was unbelievable. I can't believe I saw you two doing it. I can't believe I helped, I really can't believe what I did after." "I'm glad you did, all of it really, but especially the last part. If you hadn't we would still be asleep and shit would hit the fan in the morning. I just hope that nobody missed her." "Ah Keith?" "Yea" "I know this is the wrong time to ask, but, did you think about protection. It looked like you shot your stuff right up into her." "Oh shit, I didn't think." "I guess not." "It's not like I knew or expected this to happen." "Yea I know, I guess it's kinda my fault." "I don't think I'd say that, but it could complicate things." "Lets not worry about that now, I'm tired." "Me too." "Would you hold me while we fall asleep?" "I'd love to hold you anytime." "Thanks," "Kiss me," "Mmmmmm," "Goodnight." "Night." ------- Chapter 4 I had sent the lab samples off, mixing them in with the ones I normally had run. What I didn't expect were the results. The spring water was dumping into a rock holding tank. I had figured that with the amount of time that had elapsed from its creation, the surface of the rock was starting to decompose and that minerals were the cause of the problem. The lab results confirmed that, but the added element was a shock. The second part of the result, which I hadn't expected was a call from the chief commanding officer. "Keith" "Yes sir," "You sent in some samples of water." "I do that regularly, sir" "Cut that crap Keith, you know the samples I'm talking about. They didn't come from your testing. The question is, where did they come from?" My heart sunk, my throat went dry. I could see everything falling apart before my eyes. "Keith?" "Yes sir." "Are you going to tell me where the samples came from?" "It is hard to say, sir" "You don't remember where you got them?" I realized I was having a hard time telling him and he took it for having a hard time placing the location. I took this to my advantage. "I have driven in a number of remote locations on my days off. I wondered about the water quality around, so I took some samples. I would probably have to go back out and take more samples to find the place were that one came from." "Sounds to me like you want some more time off." "The thought never crossed my mind sir." "Now Keith, It's not becoming for you to lie to me. This find could be important. Not as important as you finalizing your first tests, but important all the same. So get the tests done and I'll send you out to relocate the source. I imagine it will take you another three days?" "I'm sure that I could find it in that time sir." "That's what I thought." Shit, Shit, Shit. What am I going to do now? This was something I hadn't anticipated. I was going to have to do something that I didn't want to do. I took a walk to the maintenance department. "Richard?" "Yea, whatcha want this time?" "Remember you said that if I wanted to talk?" "You're in some deep shit aren't you, is it about the water samples?" "Not much gets past you does it." "I try," "Yea, it's about them." "so talk." "Richard this is serious stuff and more serious for me. I think I'd like it better if we talked at my place." "Now it's getting my attention." "Richard, I don't need a clown. I need help." "Sorry" "It's OK, just a bit tense." "Then I'll see you at your place about seven. What's for dinner?" "I'll think of something." "Good, cause I'm hungry." I left him with a smile on his face. He didn't have anything invested so he could joke, but he was smart. I hoped he could be objective and help me with a solution. I wasn't sure how much I would have to tell him. I was leaving the base an hour latter, stopping by the local market for something to eat. Running the story I'd tell Richard through my head, I didn't see Mrs. Huntington and ran right into her. She was the Chief commanding officers wife and someone I didn't need to see right now. I profusely went on about how sorry I was for running into her. I was thinking that this would end up as another visit to the CO's office. She said I must have been thinking of this mystery woman that I must be seeing on all my time off. I tried to laugh it off saying I had no idea what she was talking about. She looked at me with the strangest expression and as I turned to go she patted my butt. I almost peed my pants. I turned around so fast, I couldn't believe it. She just had this smile on her face and told me to keep myself out of trouble. "Women are trouble you know." Did I ever know. I'm not sure what I ended up buying from the store. With what I bought and what I had in the house I put together a not to bad spaghetti and meat sauce. One of the things I did know how to make was spaghetti. I think it's from being hungry as a teenager. Pasta is a quick fill. With some bread and a bottle of wine I was ready for Richard. He showed up not a minute late. After eating I took the bottle and we sat in the living room. I talked and he listened. "So what your saying is that this little place has some cobalt in it." "That's what the water test showed, it is leaching out in that area, along with everything else." "And the reason you give a damn about this town is because of some girl you think your in love with." "Correction. I am in love with." "Right, Mister I've had so many dates in my life, knows what love is." "I don't need a marriage counselor and I don't think you would qualify anyway," "Hold on, this sounds a little more serious, I think I'm in love." "OK, so it's more like I'm very much completely in love. Satisfied?" "It explains why you've been acting so weird. I guess you're lucky, she doesn't have a sister does she?" "Richard!" "OK, OK I'm just teasing, but seriously what do you know about mining?" "Next to nothing." "Then you're going to have to take me there." "I knew something like this was going to happen." "Keith, I'm trying to help. Yes of course I'm interested in this mystery place of yours and yes I want to meet this wonder woman that has stolen your heart, but I can help and you know it." "Yea I know, or I wouldn't' have told you all this stuff in the first place." "OK then. I think I can talk Mr. Huntington to let me go with you." "The CO?" "Yea, I know a few things." "I bet you do, here's another, let me tell you about what his wife did in the market tonight." On the phone the next night Kristin and I talked about everything. The town, the water and the tests, Richard and of course Robin. I was worried about everything. She tried to convince me that I was going in the right direction. She had three more months of college before graduating with her associate degree. It was the basic degree and a lot of women stopped there and got dead end jobs because of it. I hadn't talked to her in so long that I couldn't even tell you what she was majoring in, or if she was planning to go on with her schooling. I resolved to check that out on our next conversation. Not having much of a life, I had been banking almost all of my paycheck. I could train her down every weekend, but she wouldn't have it. "That money should be for you and Robin." This was getting to be complicated. What was I going to say to Richard when he saw that the girl I was in love with was only 12? How was I going to explain that I may not even be able to talk with her alone? If I convinced Kristin to come down, how would I keep Richard from coming on to my sister? My head was spinning. The next day it hurt. The phone was ringing; it was the middle of the night. I got up and answered. "Collect call from Robin Thiesen, do you except the charges?" "From who?" "Robin Thiesen, do you except the call?" I was still half asleep, but I heard Robin's voice over the operator, "Keith it's me." That jolted me awake. "Yes, I accept the call." I had given Robin my phone number and said if there was ever an emergency, to call me collect. "Robin, what's wrong?" She was crying and I could hardly hear understand she was saying. "Why did they have to do it. It's not fair! I didn't really like him, but I didn't want him hurt." "Robin, slow down. Who got hurt?" It turns out that there had been a feud between the miners from different towns. It had started when the rush begun, the townspeople had formed cooperatives. Even with all the cooperation in the town itself, when the ore didn't come up to expectation they would think another town was stealing from them. It apparently had happened one or twice. The ore was loaded up into rail cars with lot numbers on the side of the car. The trains would stop in each town and hitch up the cars. Someone got clever and switched lot numbers on cars down the line that they knew contained ore from a mine that was producing better than theirs. That had happened a long time ago and would be almost imposable to do today. There had been skirmishes before, but that was a long time ago. Within the last year it started happening again. A bunch of the miners would get riled up, probably drunk, and come ambush miners from another town. In this case it was a group from Angle City that took it out on Carp. Robin's stepfather got the brunt of it and was taken to a hospital. It wasn't even in an ambulance. This didn't sound good at all. All those miles on the dirt roads when you're injured. I ask if she knew were he was taken. "It has to be Caliente, It's the only place around for miles." I new that was probably true. I told her that everything would be OK, even though I didn't have much conviction about it. I told her I loved her, I missed her, and I was going to see what I could do. "Call me tomorrow night, OK?" When I hung up, I was drained. What else could happen? I was about to find out. It felt like I had just closed my eyes when I heard the sirens. This was not a good sign. Then the call came in. I already had my cloths on at that point. I just knew I'd be called in. I just didn't know how much I would be needed. When I got to the front of the base I could see the smoke, it was dust really. They had sealed off the base and were trying to get as many people out as possible. When they saw me, they waved me in. Apparently they were told not to even slow me down, but get me in as quick as possible. I pulled up as close as I thought safe and looked at the damage. I couldn't believe my eyes. One of the boys in the tank division has had a girl in the tank to show her around. We all knew what that was about. He wanted to get a piece and would even go so far as to risk being caught with a girl in a tank to get it. This little stunt went haywire. He had turned the engine on, to try and get her motor running. As they were making out, she hit a lever jumping the tank into motion. He fell back and hit his head. As she was trying to get him up, the tank crossed the yard and rammed into my test lab. The lab didn't have much of a chance. The entire corner of the cinder block building had been demolished. The real problem was that very few people knew what we did in that lab. Chemical warfare was not a popular subject. My specialty in the arena was water treatment, so it made it easy to tell people that I was conducting tests on water. This wasn't a lie, just not all the truth. Unfortunately the samples that I had been working on had been smashed and the impact released the chemicals into the surrounding air. The people that had run into the area had been effected. The initial tests suggested that water was an excellent carrier. It looked as if it could be air borne also. They just stood there as placid as could be. The tank could have run them over and they wouldn't have even moved, that is when the CO caught up to me. "A big mess, I guess you'll have to start your tests over again." "Not all is lost, we did get some volunteers to take airborne samples and make a test." "Keith, your something else." "With your permission sir, I would like to test these subjects." "Looking at them, I don't think that they would say no. I have to tell you Keith this stuff scares me." "I understand, I'm not always pleased with what we're doing. This one is fairly safe. At least that's what we believe, but anyone with contact that wasn't wearing a suit needs to be checked." "The lab and the surrounding area will be closed down for some time. I already alerted the crew from the Nevada Test Site and they are sending a chopper in. We are just to quarantine the area." "I need to suit up and get to these people as soon as I can sir." "Yes I understand." "But as soon as I'm done with that, I'd like to go look for that sight I got the water from." "You would, would you?" "Yes sir." "It makes the most sense. The NTS people don't want many people to know what is going on in that lab. They will be rebuilding the lab themselves. As though that doesn't raise suspicion. No offence to you, but I wish this lab was on their site, not mine. You wont have much to do until their done. I suppose that you want to take Richard from maintenance with you." I must have looked a little stunned, he chuckled. "Why yes sir I would. He does know about mining." "Say no more, it's already arranged." I was almost afraid to ask Richard how he managed that. The testing on the people was almost too easy. You couldn't get rats to talk to you after they had consumed anything. People could talk, but to subject them to chemicals that you were testing, that just wasn't done. Well at least in this division yet. They were very complacent and would do anything I ask them. This also confirmed that the reaction was working. I saw that one of my lab technicians was being tempted to see how far one of the ladies named Brenda would go. I stopped him with the reminder that we didn't yet know what they would remember. Then I set up a series of memory tests to go through for the next few days. We took blood samples to send off to the lab. Then they were ready to go into quarantine huts that had been set up. My job here was done, the two technicians could give the memory testing. Richard had been one of the ones to help bring in the huts. He saw me and was grinning ear to ear. "Guess you won't be working for a few days." "No, I thought I might take a trip." "Anywhere special?" "Just out in the desert, want to come?" "My bags are already packed." "You're unbelievable." "Thanks." "Did you bring a tent and bag?" "A bag, thought you'd have a tent." "We won't be sleeping in the same place." "No?" "No." "You like keeping me in the dark, don't you?" "It's one of life's many pleasures." "Thanks" To my surprise my car had been moved. Richard suggested that we look for it near the maintenance building. I just looked at him and he just smiled. There was my car, with a full tank of gas. "Well you are doing this for Uncle Sam, right. He might as well give you a tank of gas for it." I couldn't argue that logic. He said his stuff was already in the trunk. We went to my house and I gathered some clothes. He looked at me suspiciously when I didn't grab a bedroll. "I guess we have a bit more to talk about." "So it would seem, here let me throw those in the back." "Thanks, we have a long drive ahead, we'll have plenty of time to talk. I'm exhausted, wanna drive?" "No problem, just tell me where." We were on the road in less than an hour after leaving the base. By now it was one in the afternoon. I told him to take highway 95 down to Las Vegas then 15 east and then 93 north. We'd be stopping in Caliente. Your not good company when you fall asleep, but after last night I couldn't help it. He pulled into Caliente and stopped. Caliente was on a major road; it also had a train stop. This made it the major town within 60 miles. It had a real main street and a second intersecting street of businesses. It was small and the downtown looked like a mix of a few Victorians, Art Deco, Arts and Crafts, and unfortunately the majority is what I would call just plain ugly non descript shops. "OK, time to wake up. Now where?" "I don't know, we need directions." "You don't know where you're going?" "This is a stop I didn't know I was going to have to make until last night." "What does a town like this have to do with your testing?" "It has nothing to do with the lab or my testing. It has to do with a call I got in the middle of the night from Robin." "Robin?" I went on to explain the mining problem and how her stepfather was probably in the hospital. Or at least I hoped he was still alive and there. After getting some directions, we were at the hospital in no time at all. It was a sad looking place. A one story building that had an art deco influence. Its upright columns in the center hadn't had a lot of maintenance and the once imposing structure looked weary worn. It was probably adequate for this area, but it looked as though you wouldn't get the finest of care here. I realized that if it hadn't been for the collect call, I'd never have known their last name. The lady at the front desk looked surprised to see us. "I'm looking for Mr. Thiesen." "Visiting hours are..." Richard interrupted, "I'm sure they are, but we have just travelled from Nellis Air Force Range and would have been here sooner if not for a little laboratory accident that my friend here had to supervise the clean up. Now all we know is that Mr. Thiesen was taken here and don't know much else. What we need to know is, what is his condition and can we see him. So if you would be so kind as to get someone for us, we would appreciate it." I don't know whose mouth was hanging open farther, hers or mine. I looked at Richard with renewed respect. He did know how to get things done when he wanted to. She picked up the intercom and soon we had a nurse talking to us. He was in serious condition. A broken arm that they had set and cast. His foot has been crushed and although they had put it back together, he was probably not going to walk quite the same again. The real problem was that he had received a blow to the head had left him unconscious. It was just a matter of time. Wait and see. It could be just as easy for him to slip away as it would be for him to wake up. Katy had by this time come out to see where the nurse had gone. When she saw me, the tears started again. "I'm so sorry." "How did you know?" "Robin called me," She looked at me a little suspiciously. "I told her to call me collect if there was ever an emergency." She just nodded. I put out my arms and she let me hug her. If it would have been any other situation I could have enjoyed the feel of her body. She was shaking in my arms. I stood there holding her. I didn't know quite what to say. I didn't know him much at all. My relationship with Katy was strained from the last visit, but I loved her daughter. I felt kind of helpless not knowing what to do. Richard came through once again. "Mrs. Thiesen?" "Yes?" "When was the last time you ate?" "I don't know, dinner I guess. It all happened shortly after that." She started crying again. "Keith and I will go and get you something to eat. Is there anything we can get for you?" "No, I guess a little food would do me good, but I don't feel like eating." "I understand. How do you like your coffee?" We got her to go back to the room. Telling her that the nurse would come and get her when we had returned. Once that was done I started asking the nurse questions. He would be here at least another week, that is if he hung on. She came in the car that brought him and they didn't believe she had any transportation, or even any clothes with her. Richard and I left to go to the dinner that Kristin and I had lunch in. We were both starving by this time and ordered food for ourselves as well as some for Katy. "This is a hell of a mess." "People aren't simple. Life is messy." "Aren't we the great philosopher." "Yea, well what can I say? I did want to thank you for what you did there. I was at a loss." "No problem, Robin must be a looker, because her mom is sure good looking. She doesn't show her age either." I winced at that, oh well here it goes. "So how old do you think she looks?" "Well, I didn't see her in the best of conditions, but she doesn't look like she's over 30." "I don't think she is." He just stared at me. I could tell he was thinking and hard. He was taking a drink of his Pepsi when I said, "Robin is 12." He spit the Pepsi all over the table. "What did you say! Keith are you nuts?" Then in a much lower voice, because he notice people were looking at us. "People go to jail for that kind of shit, what are you thinking?" After I calmed him down, or at least somewhat, I told him of the strange custom of Carp. "You're shitten me." "No I'm not." "Well I'll be damned." We took the food back to the hospital. Katy picked at it, but ate enough to feel a bit better. She thanked us, then looked at me wearily. "I guess you'll be going down to see Robin now." "Lets put off that subject for now. There are a few more important things to get done first." She looked at me with surprise. "This is the county seat isn't it." "No it's at Pioche, why?" "There are two things that need to happen soon, real soon. First is that you are going to record a claim on the hillside around the spring. Second Carp has to become an official town." "Sorry my heads already spinning. Why in the world would I want to place a claim on a hillside? There ain't no silver there and what's this about the town?" "The reason you want to place the claim on the hill is because of what I found in the water. It will make you rich." "So why wouldn't you be doing this. You can make the claim yourself, anyone can. The cooperative sends someone up there each year to file some stuff and they record it and send it off to the Bureau of Land Management." "This is where it gets more complicated. I found out what is in the water by running tests. Now the government wants to know where I got that water. If I put a claim on it, they'd just take it away from me. They can't do that to you. Because we're not related, at least not yet, they'd have to work a deal with you." "And you're doing this because." "I think you know part of it. I want you to believe that you can trust me. That I'd be good for your daughter. The other part is that I don't have any great love for the military. I'm there because I have to be there." "I see. So tell me the part about the town business." "If the town is a real incorporated town, then the government has to treat it different. Basically it has to treat it with more respect. Otherwise they'd just come in, move you out and bulldoze the place down." "They wouldn't dare." "Sorry to say, but I've seen it happen Mrs. Thiesen." Richard had finally added to the conversation. I was hopping for a little more backup help from him. "There is one problem with this whole deal," she said. "What's that?" I couldn't think of anything I'd overlooked. "I know what it costs to file a claim. Ten dollars to Nevada, ten dollars to the Federal guys and then the place has to be marked. I have to show I'm working it. I don't have that kind of money around and even if I did, there are the hospital bills. Then how much is it going to be to incorporate a town? The town is going to be hard pressed to come up with anything I can tell you." "If I took you to the recorders office, would you file the claim?" "Yes, but..." "I'll give you the money to pay the fee." "Why would you... No, I it's like selling my daughter." "What I want in return is trust, that's all. Can you trust me?" "You're asking a whole lot of me." "I understand. All I'm asking from you at this point is a little trust." Richard stayed behind while we went to the bank and then to the County Recorders office. The road was smooth and it only took ten minutes to get there. From the maps we were able to figure out the section the claim would be in. When we got back to the hospital Richard was waiting for us. He didn't like hospitals any more than I did and didn't want to stay there any longer than necessary. "You'll be head'n down to Carp now I suppose." It was a little more icy than I would have liked. "Yes, we need to get more samples of the rock, get the claim posts up and I need to talk the people into making Carp a real town." "And see Robin." There was a definite chill in her voice. Richard was looking between the two of us trying to figure it all out. "Yes, I'll see Robin. Why does it bother you so much?" "Because your not one of us." "What do you mean, one of us?" "Why don't you ask Robin, she'll tell you. She seems to tell you everything else." With that she turned and went back in. I thought I had made some headway and then it looked like it took two steps back. I was pretty confused.I figured that by the time we got into Carp it would be after seven and I couldn't count on dinner. We stopped at a market and picked up some luncheon meat and bread, along with some sodas. On the way I had to explain once again my relationship with Robin, with Katy, and with the whole town. Richard was impressed that I could weasel my way into a town like I had. I told him I didn't think the term weasel was appropriate. "From what I've seen so far, weasel is a good description." I then told him of my accommodations. "So then why did I need to bring a tent?" "Because you're not staying with me." "Your going to make me spend the night in a tent when your in a house with a bed? Why don't I just sleep on the floor?" "I don't think Robin would want to trip over you, or for you to be listening to us." "You mean she sleeps with you?" "Well it's more like she sneaks in, in the middle of the night." "Like I said, weasel." "Thanks for the vote of confidence." "Can these roads get any worse?" "We're almost there and yes they can get worse, so don't ask." Just outside of the center of town there was a roadblock. I slowed down and a flashlight shown on the car. Apparently unrest with the miners was wide spread and nobody was taking any chances. When they recognized me, they told me I hadn't come at a very good time. I told them I had heard, that I'd been at the hospital and gave them the condition. "Guess'n you'll be want'n to see Robin?" He was grinning when he said this. The gossip mill had run its rounds with this one I could see. "Yea, thought I would." "She'd be up at her aunt's house." "Thanks, oh by the way we need to have another one of those town meeting. How does that happen?" "Talk to Jim Williams, if he thinks it's a good idea, then it'll get done." "Thanks." We drove up to the bachelor pad. I had stopped calling it the old Johnson place. It felt more mine now than someone else's. Richard just shook his head, he couldn't believe my luck. When I opened the trunk I saw our clothes, but there was at least five boxes that looked rather suspisous, tools, and supplies. I looked at Richard, who looked a little sheepish. "I wanted to make sure we had what we needed." "Aren't they going to miss some of this stuff?" "Probably not, do you know why it takes a week to requisition anything out of maintenance?" "Backlog I thought." "Thank God that's what everyone thinks. It's because it take them that long to find anything. So where is this aunts house?" "I'm going to find it and your going to set up your tent." "Spoil sport." "You're absolutely right." Millie was beside herself. Robin had been cleaning so much that it was tiring Millie just to watch. Jimmy had been sitting in a corner most of the day by himself. Both of these things were not typical for either one of them to be doing. When I arrived she was almost grateful to see me. Robin was more than grateful. At that point I don't think she cared what anyone thought or said. She ran up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck and held on for dear life. I picked her up and swung her around. There was no cense in pretending anything anymore. Obviously everyone in the town knew something was going on between us and I was sure that Katy would have told her sister. When I finally pried Robin off my neck, Millie with raised eyebrows. "Would you like to come in?" "Yes," I said, "that would be nice." I sat down across from Millie, Robin jumped in my lap and I had to scoot her over to sit next to me. Millie was looking at me with appraising glances as I did this. When I said that I had been at the hospital, I had everyone's attention. Jimmy even came and sat down beside me. They were all looking at me with hopeful eyes. I had a lump in my throat. "Your mom sends her love." I was getting choked up. I hadn't realized what effect that this family had on me. "They don't know a lot about your step dad. He had a broken arm and his foot was crushed." "Well that doesn't sound to bad." I could hear the hope in Millie's voice. "The problem is that he was hit in the head and is unconscious. They don't know what is wrong. He could come out of it and be just fine." I didn't want to say what else could happen, the look on their faces told me they already knew. Jimmy got up and went back to the corner as though nothing had happened. Robin held my arm so tight I thought she was going to cut off my circulation. Millie sat there in shock. I cleared my throat; they all stopped and looked at me as if I would say something, anything. "I have a friend with me from the base. His name is Richard." Robin's grip on my arm had lessened and then it tightened again. I looked at her and she had this pleading look in her eyes. I winked at her, trying to tell her it was OK. She apparently got the signal and let my arm get some blood once again. "So why did you bring, ah Richard, that's his name right?" "Yes, that's right. I found something interesting in the water. Something that is more his specialty than mine. So he is going to do some extensive work while he's here." "What kind of work?" "Well Millie, Richard will make some soil tests I would guess. He brought some boxes of stuff with him to use. To tell you the truth I don't know what it is he'll be doing. I didn't even know he had brought the equipment, but like I said, it's his specialty, not mine." "So while he is running these tests, what are you going to be doing?" "If you'll come out to the porch with me Millie, I'll let you know what I'd like to do." I had to untangle myself from Robin. Both Jimmy and Robin had their mouths hanging open as I helped Millie up, then out the door and closed it. "I wanted to ask your permission for something and if you said no, I didn't want them to be upset with you." "That was very thoughtful of you, I have my suspicions about what you want to ask though." "I would like to take Robin and Jimmy up to the hospital tomorrow." That obviously was not what she was expecting. She just stood there looking at me. "I think it would be good to take some clothes up for Katy. I understand she came off with what she had on. We had to feed her when we stopped, because she hadn't even eaten." "I think you know that that is not what I was expecting you to ask. Do you think it's wise for them to see him like that?" "It may be their last. I don't know, but I wouldn't want to know that I could have taken them and then he slipped away and I hadn't." "I'm starting to see you in a different light than my sister does. Of course Robin is not my daughter and I'm still not sure of that. But as far as a man who shows a lot of compassion, you're at the top." "I'll take that as a compliment. So does that mean that it would be OK to take them?" "I don't know if my sister is going to kill me, or thank me, but yes you can." "I appreciate your trust in me. I know it must be hard. I also know that if the circumstances were different, you might not place the trust in me that you are." "You are quite an insightful young man." "Growing up with two sisters does that to one, I believe." "It didn't with our brother." She was at least laughing when she said that. It was good to see a smile back on her face. When we came back in and told Robin and Jimmy the impending trip, you would have thought that I was taking them to the Worlds Fair in Chicago. The mood had turned from somber as a morgue to a joyous celebration. Millie was so pleased with the return of spirits that she let Robin walk me up to the hillcrest. The same one that I had seen Robin and Kristin separate on last time I was here. She grabbed my hand and practically dragged me out the door. It felt so natural to be walking hand in hand with her. She looked up at me and I tweaked her nose. She giggled, I was in love. I wish we could have walked forever. "What about Richard?" "Can you get out?" "I did when I called you, I was suppose to call you tonight. I like having you here better." "Richard is sleeping in a tent." "Your making him sleep in a tent?" "So I can be with you, yes I sure am." "Keith, a little while ago it seemed like two months were coming up so quickly and how it's still 5 weeks away and it looks like forever." "Robin?" "Yes" "I need to ask you a question. But not now, we'll talk about it in the car." "What kind of question?" "Your mom thought I should ask you." "She did?" "Don't worry, I think it's more explanation of how things work. OK. Don't fret about it. And don't ask about it later tonight. I don't want to talk." That got a punch in the side and a giggle, but I knew that I had opened a can of worms in her head. We had reached the rise and were standing hand in hand looking at each other. I bent down and she wrapped her hands around my neck. I picked her up and held her, and then we kissed. It was long and slow, both of us not wanting to let go. I knew that standing were we were anyone and everyone who looked would be able to see us and there wasn't much of a question what we were doing. More information for the gossip mill. We finally parted and I once again felt like I was loosing part of me. Richard had the tent up in no time at all. He then started rummaging through my bachelor pad. When that was finished he came outside and caught us walking towards him. He was thinking to himself, "Now, I get to meet this little vixen." When we stopped and put on the show for the town he was getting a bit jealous. It had been a long time that he had a girl at his side and seeing me so much in love, bothered him. The he saw her turn and we parted. He was mad when I got back. "What the hell was that little show?" "It wasn't put on for you." I realized that he had made me act defensively. "I was hoping I'd meet her." "You will tomorrow, remember she's taken. So don't get any ideas." "Yea, I could tell she was taken, and good." "You sound jealous!" "Well I guess it's been a while. Do I really have to sleep out in this tent?" "If you had the opportunity I do and it wouldn't happen if I was around, what would you do?" "I'd make you sleep in a tent, thanks for making me feel guilty." "Really, its no problem." "You shit head. Say who was Mr. Johnson?" "The guy that used to live here, why?" "What do you mean used to live here?" "That's all I know. I got the distinct impression that he wasn't coming back." "I'll bet, you want to know why?" ------- Chapter 5 "How did you find out about Mr. Johnson?" "You left me here with nothing to do, so I started looking around." What he found surprised me more than I thought possible. It also shed light on a number of problems that I was having. Richard had found out his first name was Cliff. His family had originally settled in this town in 1918. It was called Carpsdale back then and Cliff was born that year. His father became the leading figure in the town and convinced the townspeople to change the name to Cliffsdale. Cliff was apparently a rotten child and by the time he was 4 had started two fires in the downtown businesses. The family moved away and as soon as they did the name changed to its present Carp. Cliff and his family had moved to the central valley of California. For a while they moved around from Dinuba to Stockton. Cliffs father worked in the farms and saved his money. They eventually bought a small place in Dinuba and stayed. Cliff didn't want to work the farms like his father, so all through high school he worked learning construction. He graduated High school at 17 and took a graduation trip. He had heard the stories and wanted to see Carp. He fell in love with a 12-year-old girl and stayed. He built this house and it never got finished. The girl he was in love with was Katy. She became pregnant before they were married. Her father was ready to string him up. Cliff talked her father into going to Dinuba with him. There was no word from him since. "Well that explains a lot about Katy attitude toward me." "She did seem a bit cold to you." "Yea, she's said some things to me about men getting what they want and then leaving." "She doesn't know you very well, does she?" "No, I try but I don't think she wants to see." "Sounds like she's had a hard life." We sat there in silence for a while. That was a nice thing about Richard. We didn't always feel that we had to talk to each other. I finally said, "Do you want to walk around and see the whole town, it'll take about 5 minutes." He laughed, "Sure what else is there to do?" "Nothing." "Then let's go." Richard looked down the row of storefronts that made the deserted downtown. "You know this would make quite a tourist attraction." "Yea, if the roads were descent enough to get here. Nobody is going to travel down these roads." "You did." "I'm crazy, you know that." "Crazy in love, anybody can see that." It was the way Richard said that. It wasn't jealousy. It was, I don't know. Lonely. Lonely like he had lost something, or someone. I didn't know. We walked around the houses. "It's quiet out here." "Everyone turns in early, they get up early too." "I kinda like it out here, nice and quiet." "I didn't think you were a morning person." "Makes you miss the old times, the base is noisy all the time, day and night." I got the impression that Richard was in his own little world. He obviously wasn't paying any attention to what I was saying. I just let him go on for a bit and then said, "We ought to be heading back, it's pretty late." "What? Oh yea, I guess so." I felt a tinge of guilt making him sleep out in the tent, but only a tinge. I was looking forward to Robin's visit so much I could almost taste it, or her, I should say. I didn't know quite what to do, I was on pins and needles. After straightening the bed, twice, I took a shower and laid on the bed. It had been a long day, a very long day. Oh what a dream. There was this goddess and she wound herself around me. Her hands were all over me. She was kissing my lips gently and then she reached down and grabbed my... I bolted upright, almost throwing Robin off the bed. This wasn't a dream at all. I had fallen asleep. She was laughing, "Oh, did I wake you?" "I'm sorry I fell asleep." "Don't, it was fun." "I'm awake now." She was completely nude and beautiful. "I can see that, " as she grabbed my rapidly inflating dick. "You little temptress!" We tumbled around the bed, laughing. We were kissing each other everywhere we could find a spot to reach. I lunged at her, she squealed and twisted around. I grabbed her waist and pulled her to me. Her legs went flying and I was looking right into her pussy. God what a sight. I pulled her down to me, pressed my lips to her and let my tongue slide out into her warm flesh. She melted and sighed. The fight was over, now the mating dance could begin. She reached out and gently took hold of my dick. I reached up, caressing her side and molded my hand around her breast. Her breath was increasing and her moans getting just a little louder. I let my tongue find her little button. Kristin had told me that it was the most sensitive of places. I could tell it was having an effect. She was yanking on my dick and her breathing was more like gasping. Then she stiffened up and her whole body shuttered. I could feel the spasms in her pussy. Then she went limp, just dropping her weight on me. I could feel he body shuttering, softer and softer. She finally turned and looked at me, "Wow." I felt like a million bucks I was so damn happy to be able to give her that much pleasure. "Now it's your turn." She turned me over on my back and straddled me. She was ready to impale herself on me. I had to stop her. With considerable concern in her voice, she said, "What's wrong?" "Last time we did this it happened with no protection. I was so turned on by you." "And Kristin" "And Kristin, that I didn't think straight. You know I could have got you pregnant?" "I wouldn't have cared, I don't now, come on." "Robin, I care. Sorry, I don't want to ruin the moment, ask me later why I care so much. But for now..." I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a condom. Robin had never seen one and was fascinated. She had heard about them, but that's not the same. She wanted to put it on me. The first time she, I should say we, tried to roll it on upside down. I hadn't thought it had to be rolled down the way it had been rolled up. I'd never used one before. Once that was done, she looked at me with dreamy eyes. "Make love to me." I did, slow and wonderful. Outside in the tent another drama was taking place. Richard was lying in the tent with the flaps open. It was a pleasant evening, always was in Carp as far as I knew. He felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn't that he was in the tent, it was, well he was in nowhere. No sounds of trucks, or planes, or people. It was quiet, so quiet you could hear he crickets chirping, frogs croaking, even the stream running. Sounds that he hadn't heard in years. Letting his ears just listen to the noises became very relaxing. He was running over the events of the day and his mind kept on getting stuck on one image. Keith and Robin standing on the crest of the road kissing. He knew he wasn't really jealous, envious maybe, but not jealous. So why was his mind wandering back to that image. It was then that he heard a different noise. It startled him. He was trying to figure out what it was. Something was moving, and it was moving towards him. He cursed himself for not asking Keith what kinds of animals were around here. Then he caught a glimpse of it, it wasn't an animal at all, it was a person. It was Robin sneaking in. He pretended to be asleep when she came close. After she went in, he knew he shouldn't but he got up and peeked in the window. He was transfixed. When they were done and she was leaving he hurriedly jumped back in his bag. As she passed by his skin felt like it was crawling. His heart just about stopped when she whispered, "It's not very nice to peek." She was giggling as she walked down the lane. My God, he thought, she saw him. What was Keith going to say to him. He'd have been pissed, he knew. His mind was troubled. Even with the erotic sights that he just saw his mind kept brining up the image on the crest. What was that, then it hit him and he started to cry. He hadn't cried since he had left home and his mom was so heartbroken she wouldn't come out to say goodbye. This was from another heartbreak. One he had long ago pushed to the back of this mind. Cindy Williams, just thinking of her name made a lump in his throat. She had been his neighbor, just 5 houses down the street. They had grown up together and although she was a year younger than him, it never bothered him. There were a lot of kids in the neighborhood and they got together all the time. He liked it best, as he was getting older, when he could be around her. By the time he was in 7th grade and she was in 6th, both of them had started changing. He was getting taller and she was, well she was the most beautiful creature on earth. He started getting a little tongue tied around her and she would just giggle. Then it happened. They were over at Sara's house, down in the basement. Six of them, three boy and three girls. The game was truth or dare and Sara had just asked Cindy if she needed a bra yet. Cindy's face turned as bright red as I'd ever seen it. She stammered, dare. Sara smiled and then looked at me. I got uncomfortable with the smile she had on her face, then she said to Cindy, "You have to kiss Richard for 3 minutes." We all looked at each other. Sara's arms were folded in front of her and we knew that was that. As much as I had butterflies in my stomach, I was hopping she would go through with it. Cindy turned to me, I kind of nodded. I'm sure I had a pleading look of yes, yes, yes, please do this in my eyes. She leaned over and kissed me for a second. It was only a second, but something passed between us. I looked into her eyes and I could tell she was surprised. "That wasn't 3 minutes." Sara said. "I was just trying to get comfortable." Then she scooted up close to me and put her arms around me and kissed me. I was tentative. I didn't want her to stop, so I didn't want to do anything wrong. I put one hand on her waist, when that seemed OK, then I put the other one on. The others were saying something, but I couldn't tell what. I was lost. Her lips started parting and so did mine. It just seemed natural. It took me by surprise when I felt her tongue brush the top of my lip. It felt good, really good, so I did the same to her. Soon our tongues were intertwining, dancing in each other's mouth. I think Sara said something about the time being up, but I didn't want to stop. Neither did Cindy. Finally Sara pushed us apart. I think she was jealous, I didn't care. Cindy and I sat next to each other, hand in hand. We looked into each other's eyes and she rested her head on my shoulder. I felt ten feet tall, this was heaven I just knew it. I couldn't tell you what happened the rest of the game, I was in another world. We walked home hand in hand. Stopping in front of her house I turned to her and ask, "Will you be my girl?" "Yes, I've been wanting you to ask for the longest time." "Cindy..." Her mother coming on to the porch and calling her name interrupted the moment. I felt a little embarrassed, like I'd been caught doing something wrong. When I got home my mom had already heard about it. "So, I hear you have a thing for little Cindy down the street." "She's not that little." I blurted out and then ran into my room. She came into my room a minute later with some cookies and milk. "Richard, sorry I know she's not little. You are growing up so fast. It's just kind of exciting for a mom to see her son get his first crush. There's no reason to be embarrassed, Cindy is a very nice girl, and we like her and her parents a lot." Cindy and I were an item. We did everything together. We held hands constantly and kissed whenever we could. I know it was making some of my friends sick, but I didn't care. During summer vacation the William's took a trip to see relatives. They were going to be gone for two weeks. I didn't know how I was going to stand it. I even kissed her goodbye, right in front of her parents. She said she'd send me a letter every day. Three days later I hadn't received anything and I was unhappy. I was stomping around the house. My mom asked me what was wrong. "Nothing, just Nothing," but I think she knew. That night we got a phone call. I knew something was up when my mom handed my dad the phone and she ran into her room with tears in her eyes. I couldn't tell what the conversation was about. My dads responses were, "Yes, When, That must have been hard, I understand, how long," Things like that. When my dad hung up the phone, he just sat there for the longest time. Then he went into the bedroom with my mom. It was almost an hour before they came back out. I could tell both of them had been crying. This was serious, my dad never cried. They ask me to come into the living room and sit down. "Richard." My mom said and then started crying again. My dad took over. "Richard, we got a call from Thelma Williams, the relatives the Williams were going to see." "Yes." I could feel a lump in my throat and my stomach was starting to feel wheezy. "I don't think there is any easy way of saying this, there was an accident." "NO!" "Richard, I'm sorry. They ran into some fog and couldn't see anything." "NO, No, no." Tears were running down my face and my stomach felt like it was in knots. "They hit a bridge embankment. Mr. And Mrs. Williams hit the front dash hard. He has a lot of broken ribs and his jaw was smashed. She has a concussion, a broken collarbone and two broken wrists. Brian, that was Cindy's brother, only had a broken arm and he's with Thelma." I could tell they were avoiding the one person I really wanted to know about. "What about Cindy?" I said, barely getting out the words. "Cindy was thrown from the car and landed about 50 feet away. They think she must have hit her head when she landed." "She's going to be OK then?" I said with conviction I didn't feel. "No son, she's not. She died." "NNNOOOOOOOO!" I ran out of the room and into my bedroom, throwing myself on my bed. I didn't leave my room for a week. My mom would bring some food into me but I didn't feel like eating much. I wouldn't talk to my friends. I just didn't care about life anymore. The only thing that I did was study when school started. It was a way to make my mind think of something else. So I studied and studied and studied. My teachers were ecstatic; I was getting straight A's. I really didn't care. I didn't care what people thought of me, I didn't care what I looked like, I just didn't care anymore. I went to college on full scholarship. After that I was drafted. In all that time I never had a date. I pushed most people away from me. My disheveled look along with my flippant language kept most people away from me. Keith was one of the first people I could call a friend in a long time. He didn't seem to care what I looked like. My cutting comments that I made, he had just brushed off. We didn't always say much to each other and that was OK with both of us. We just had a kind of understanding. After seeing him and Robin, It brought back memories that were incredibly painful. I wanted what Keith had. I wasn't jealous, I was envious. I wanted that kind of love. That kind that I had felt so long ago. I drifted to sleep with these thoughts. Keith and Richard both slept in. It had been a long day and a long night. It was Jimmy and Robin making noise and laughing that finally woke them up. Richard stuck his head out of his tent. I could hear the conversation as Robin came in to see if I was 'up'. "What are you so happy about?" "we're taking a trip," Jimmy said not being able to hold still. "You are, where?" "To see our mom and dad." "Oh, is your aunt taking you?" "No, Keith is taking us." "He is!" Oh no I had forgotten to tell Richard that part yesterday. I was out the door with only my jeans on. "Ah, Richard, I forgot to tell you." "Yea, I guess you did." "Well, under the circumstance, I thought it would be nice." "Nice to what, get Robin in the car with you?" He had a joking attitude that wasn't there the night before. I wondered why, but it was a nice change. "Can I help it?" "No, I guess you can't. So what am I going to be doing, twiddling my thumbs?" "I thought you might want to use the stuff you brought in those cases." "So I get to work, while you get to play." "Something like that." "Some friend." "You know it won't be all that bad. I'm not feeling guilty at all. You'll have your head in all that stuff and wouldn't notice anyone around you anyway." "Yea, I guess you're right, but still. It's nice to have someone around." This was the first time that I had ever heard Richard say that he liked people around him. I was beginning to wonder just what was going on with him. It would have to wait. We had a lot to do before we could get off this morning. After Richard got ready, everyone piled in the car and we went to the spring. Richard was shaking his head. "Just don't say it." I told him. As he was setting up some of his stuff we were pilling rocks up. "Three feet high." That's what the markers have to be I was telling them, then realized they probably knew better than I did. As we were leaving he said. "Tell Katy hello for me." I looked at him like he was crazy, shrugged my shoulders and said, "OK." Then we met Millie at Robin's house. She had packed up a bag of clothes and toiletries for Katy and we were on our way. We were almost out of town when I stopped and turned around. "What ya doin?" "I forgot something." We saw Millie walking down the road. She still wasn't moving very fast from her accident. I came up beside her. "Millie, I'm glad I caught you." "I don't move as fast as I use to, but it's getting better. What do you want." "I need to talk to the townspeople, is there a way of calling a meeting?" "Yea, It could be arranged, what's it about." "What we found in the water and how it will affect everyone in this town. It's going to be an important meeting." "I'll see what I can do to arrange it for you, when do you figure that you'll be back?" "It's going to take an hour to get there. I can't imagine that they will let them be around for more than a couple hours and then an hour back. We'll be home long before dinner." She seemed pleased with my answer. "I'll see if we can do it about six, you know how everyone likes to retire early here." "Yes, I've noticed that." We were finally off. When we were out of town Robin moved over and snuggled up next to me. I put my arm around her and she looked at me. "You were going to ask me a question." Then she whispered, "and tell me why you were so concerned last night." I glanced down at her and put my finger to her lips shhing her. "Well your mom said that I wasn't one of you. What did she mean by that? She told me to ask you." Robin was silent for a moment and I was trying to figure out if she didn't want to tell me or if she wasn't quite sure. She knew and the story was more of a history lesson than anything. There was a large group of Mennonites that came from Winnipeg and traveled down towards California. As they made the travel some of the group decided to stay and settle in a few other places, she couldn't remember were. As they traveled groups of others joined and left the caravan along the trip. The influx of new people had also brought a different lifestyle with them. "Mennonites have different sects you know," I did know as I had grown up in the middle central valley of California. The original group was slightly mixed in their beliefs. By the time that they were ready to make the trip over the Sierras there was a growing hostility between some of the people. The extremists of the group broke away and they ended up in Elgin. They constructed the church there. Still there were some that wanted to separate and be more isolated; they were the ones that came to Carp. That was a long time ago. The silver rush came about the same time and the town grew up quick. All kinds of people moved here. The rush died off almost as fast as it came. The problem was that most of the original people were gone. What were left were the ones that had turned to mining as a way of life. They had traditions and no guidance. One of the traditions was a girl marrying when she was 13, another was not having modern things. That's why the town meeting are held in candle light and why there is only one phone in town. The last of the Mennonite deacons had been Katy's father and he left. I glanced back to see if Jimmy was paying any attention. He had probably heard this story so many times that he was tuning it out. So I said. "What do you mean your grandfather left?" "I don't know, he went on a trip with some guy and didn't come back. That's all I know." "Do you know who the guy was?" "No, mom never likes to talk about it." "I think there must be a reason." "Yea, I guess." "I think I know and it has to do with what I was talking to you about last night." I said in a hushed voice. Here eyes got big. "What do you mean?" "Robin, who is your dad?" She got a sad look on her face. "I don't know. I've ask my mom, but she doesn't want to talk about it. Whenever I ask she says that men are bad. Your not bad, I don't know why she says thing like that." "What about Jimmy?" "His dad is my step dad. My mom used to say that we were both his, but we don't look alike. You can see it Jimmy and mom and my step dad, they all look alike. I remember when they got married. One day I ask her about it. She got really mad, but she told me I was right." "Have you ever seen a picture of Cliff Johnson?" "Who is that?" "That's who owned the old Johnson place that I am staying in now." Jimmy piped in, "Old Johnson must have been crazy to just leave his house and never come back." Robin looked at me funny. Jimmy had obviously listening to our conversation, so she whispered, "Was it my grandfather and Johnson?" I shook my head yes. Then she whispered, "Why did you ask if I'd seen a picture of him?" "Jimmy look at that," pointing to the farthest point I could see. As he was trying to see what I pointed out, I whispered back to her, "I thought you might see a resemblance." "Oh!" she said with an intake of breath. "What you two talking about up there?" "Mushy stuff, you really want to know?" "Yuck, no thanks. How much longer?" "I think about ten minutes, OK?" "Good I think I have to go." As soon as we pulled into town Jimmy said, "I'm hungry. "Jimmy!" Robin looked back at him with dagger eyes. "Sorry, but I am." "It's OK." I said. "First we're going to the hospital and check on your mom. Jimmy you can use the restroom there too." "Good." "Then we'll figure out something to eat." "OK" We pulled into the parking lot and went in. The same receptionist was there and I got a much better response from her this time. We sent Jimmy to the restroom first. Then the nurse came out. Katy came out; she looked like death warmed over. She took one look at Robin and then at me. She held her arms out for Robin, but was giving me the evil eye. When Jimmy showed back up, she was surprised. "You brought both of them up." It was more of a statement to herself than a question to me. "I thought that they needed to see him. How is he doing?" "The same." "Have you eaten?" "I had some coffee, she brought me some." Pointing to the receptionist. "When?" "I don't know." "That was five this morning when I started working, Mrs. Thiesen." "Jimmy is hungry and I'm sure Robin is too. I'll leave them here with you and go get something." "You don't need to." "Yes, I do." And I left. I couldn't stand hospitals just like Richard. They give me the creeps. I also remember from a psychology class I had that people will hang on to life until an event happens. I can be a wedding, a birthday, or it can be that all of important people gathered. After that determined time, then they will die. I didn't want that to happen, but if this is what he was waiting for, I didn't want him to suffer. If not, it could make him better. Who knows? My not being there was probably the best either way. The gal at the coffee shop ask me if it was just one this time. The benefits and drawbacks of a small town. Everyone knows and remembers everything. I placed an order to go and sat at the end seat of the counter to wait. Two of the guys sitting next to me were in deep conversation. They looked like father and son possibly. The older one in his early 40's and the younger one in his 20's "What do you mean he's still in the hospital, Frank never hit him that hard." "Frank was drunker than you, how would either of you know. What got into you guy. One of these days someones going to die and then they'll do a real investigation and find out what's been going on. You need to stop this shit." "I know, I know, but Frank." "Forget Frank. He can take care of himself. If Carp ever retaliated then you could get your head bashed in." "Those pussies in Carp never do nothing. They think were still doing it for a long-standing feud. What idiots." I had heard enough. I got up and told the waitress that I'd be back in a minute to pick up my food. They kind of looked at me, but didn't pay a whole lot of attention to me. I had noticed that they were about half way through their lunch, I hoped I had enough time. I walked down the street to the next shop. It was a yardage store and I felt a little uncomfortable going in. The lady at the cutting table looked at me like I was defiantly out of place. I was. I ask if I could make a call, it was rather important. "Who you want to call mister." "I need to call the sheriff." "Now look here, we don't need no trouble." "It is about a friend in the hospital and I need to tell them about it." "OK, then, you know the number?" "No." "I'll dial it for you then." She watched me suspiciously and listened to my conversation. I really didn't have time to wonder what her problem was. I told them about Mr. Thiesen in the hospital and the ambush that had taken place. They said they had heard about it, but as no one had reported it officially, no investigation had taken place. Then I told them about the conversation that I had just overheard. They were very interested. Apparently the Sheriff's department was tired of hearing about these problems and would have liked to do something about it. They ask me to meet them at the coffee shop and point out the two men. I told them that I would, described myself and that I would be picking up my food. I walked back to the coffee shop and was paying for my food when three Sheriff's cars arrived. Everyone was a bit startled when four of them came in guns drawn, while the other two waited outside. When they came up to me, everyone's eyes were on me. Then they turned to the two at the counter and ask them to please come down to the station. They got up and I backed up. The menacing look on there face told me I'd better watch my back. When they were out, one of the officers said that I would need to come down to the station and make a statement. I said that I needed to take this food over to the hospital. They would have one of the other Sheriff's take it over for me. So much for my lunch. I followed them down to the station and told them of the conversation that I had overheard. They told me that the older man couldn't be held for too much longer, but they were going to try and find out more about this Fred person. They wanted to try and get him before he got wind of anything. They also warned me to watch for any thing strange. I told then I would be watching my back. When I left the hospital, Katy was a mix of emotions. She was sleep deprived and not thinking terribly straight. She yelled at the kids for coming with me and then hugged them and told them how great it was that they were there. Then she grilled Jimmy about the trip and glared at Robin when she found that she was sitting in the front and he was sitting in the back. She then hugged, kissed, tickled them, and then told them she loved them. With the range of emotions done she almost collapsed from exhaustion and started crying. Robin and Jimmy had never seen their mom like this and didn't know what to do. They were wishing I was still around when the nurse came out to see what was going on. She told the kids that it was very hard on their mom right now and that some food would help. She got Katy to sit down and Robin and Jimmy sat on each side of her, wrapping their arms around her. They sat there for some time, wondering what was taking me so long with the food. Robin finally got up and looked outside. Katy watched her daughter. She was in love and there was no deigning it. She was sad knowing how much I would hurt her. Robin saw the Sheriff's car pull up and a deputy walk up with a paper bag. When the receptionist directed him over to them they were bewildered. "I was asked to bring this food to you, Mr. Patterson is down at the station right now." "I knew it that low down, dirty scum. What did I tell you Robin?" Robin was white as a ghost. Jimmy was just staring in disbelief. "Excuse me mam, he is giving a statement right now. Caught someone he did." Now Katy was staring in disbelief. "He did what?" "From what I heard, he overheard a conversation about some fight or something that ended a guy in the hospital." After hearing that Katy had her head in her hands and was crying. "You OK, mam?" "Yea" was about all she could get out. She was so overwhelmed that she fainted right in the chair. The sheriff got excited and a nurse came running. She ended up in a bed with an IV in her pumping liquids. When I got back she was still lying in a bed. She had eaten and wanted to get up but they wouldn't let her yet. "Did you really catch the men that did it?" "Well, I wouldn't say I caught them. I overheard what they were saying and put two and two together. The one that actually did it to your husband is still out there, but now they know who it is. They'll get him soon." Robin was clutching my arm gazing up at me with adoration in her eyes. Jimmy was looking at me as if I were some kind of hero. Katy was having a difficult time with it all. "I don't know how to thank you." "How about a little trust." That made her almost smile. "I can try I guess." "That's all I'm asking." The nurse came in and did a quick checkup. She told her she could get up, but she wanted someone to be with her in case she fainted again. "Oh I'll be alright." The nurse gave her a stern look. "Don't worry, I'll have someone next to me. Can we see him?" I stayed out in the waiting room. I didn't need to see someone I barely knew as the ones who loved him were in pain over his condition. They surrounded the bed Katy and Jimmy on one side and Robin on the other. Tears were running down all of their faces. Although she didn't know if he could hear it, she spoke to him anyway. "Hi honey, Robin and Jimmy are here." "Hi dad." Jimmy said "Hi,... dad." "They wanted to come and see you." "We love you." "Yea, we do, get better OK." They fell silent, they held each other's hand, and they cried. The nurse peeked in on them a few times and then came in saying she needed to do a checkup. They each said goodbye, Robin and Jimmy giving him a kiss on the cheek. They found me out in the waiting room reading old magazines. I said that I had a bag of things that Millie had put together for her out in the car. She couldn't help but thank me over and over. Bringing up some clothes, catching the thugs, bringing the kids up. I was wondering if it was because she was truly appreciative, or delirious. We were getting in the car. Robin and I in the front seat and Jimmy sat in the back. Katy didn't say a word, didn't give anyone a dirty glance. I was happy. "Oh, I almost forgot, Richard said to say hi." "Why would he do that?" "I don't know, maybe because he's a nice guy like me." I had to stop from laughing at that statement. She just looked at me. "Maybe your right." I didn't know what to say. Robin had been looking back and forth between the two of us with a smile on her face. She knew the ice was melting from her mother and she was happy. We pulled out and headed back to Carp. Jimmy was tired, not physically, but emotionally. He laid down on the seat and Robin moved over to me. I was thinking about the meeting tonight when I felt her hand on my leg. It was moving higher. The feeling she was giving me caused an instant erection. I glanced into the back seat and Jimmy was asleep. She reached up and took hold of it through my pants. "Ohhhh." She giggled. "I guess you like it." "Yes I do." With that she tried to unzip my pants. I had to help her with most of it with one hand on the wheel; I unsnapped and started the zipper down. She stopped me and took over. Then she reached in and put her hand through the fly of my boxers, wrapping her hand around my very stiff shaft. I was having a hard time trying to concentrate on driving. I was enjoying watching her and the sensations she was giving me. She struggled with it a little, but got it to come out. She started stroking it up and down. I was breathing heavy, it felt so good. Then she bent over and kissed it. "Ohhhh." She knew I love it and she started giving little kisses all over it. I was encouraging her. My hands were running though her hair. She had her mouth open and was running her tongue on the top of my head. I know I shouldn't have done it, I purposely ran over a large bump in the road. The effect was that my dick pushed up into her lips and my head popped into her mouth. "OOOOHHHHH MMMMYYYYY GGGGGOOOOODDDD" I quickly looked in the back seat as soon as I realized what I had just said. Thankfully it looked as though Jimmy was really out of it. Robin popped my head back out of her mouth and looked up at me. "You really like that?" "I think as much as you did when I ran my tongue around that one spot of yours down there." She got a big smile on her face, turned back to my dick and sucked my head back in her mouth. That was about all that was going to fit, but it was heaven. I took her hand and wrapped it around my shaft, moving it up and down. "Ohhh yessss" My breathing was ragged and I could feel my balls churning. It wasn't going to be long. "Robin, I'm about to come." She started moving faster. "Robin," I was barely getting it out, "If you don't want it in your mouth you'd better..." I never got the sentence finished. I felt the first pulse at that same time I heard, "Where's Robin?" Robin heard it too. She had received the first blast in her mouth and was pulling back when the second and third came out spraying all over her face. Jimmy had come forward and was looking over the front seat as Robin lifted up. He saw her cum coated face and my dick. His eyes were really big and all he uttered was a soft "wow." ------- Chapter 6 If that wasn't bad enough, Keith heard the siren and turned around to see flashing lights of a patrol car coming up to him. ------- Richard had been in a contemplative mood when we left. It was hard for him to see his friend Keith in such a good mood, in a good relationship. He realized that that is what he had really wanted; no, what he really needed for such a long time. Then he thought what I need to do is work on this project and get my mind off of things that I can't do anything about. He took samples of the soil in many locations, marking each area. Then he started sampling the water itself. The spring was on the hill that directly overlooked the town on the east side. It fed into a holding tank. The tank itself was a hewn rock basin. There was a secondary wooden tank that was the distribution center. The spring itself was in wonderful condition. The stone holding tank was what was under suspicion of decomposing. It was six feet long, twelve feet wide and three feet deep. Open to the top; it collected the water on the one side and had a spillway on the other side that dropped into the wooden tank. The wooden tank was more like a barrel. It was round with a lid on the top. On one side was the inlet and down at the base were a series of pipes that went out to the town. The overflow came out an opening on the opposite side. It had had many repairs, but looked in good condition. Richard had seen the test results of the water. Keith had taken them from the overflow of the wooden tank. Richard then took samples first from the spring itself, then from the holding tank, and then from the overflow. He was looking for the placement of how much mineral leaching went from one stage to the next. Then there were the pipes themselves. That would have to be done later. What he found in his testing was initially baffling, so he tested everything a second time. Making sure everything was done to perfection, he knew the results were right this time. They were the correct results, but they made no sense at all. Out of the spring was what could be described as quite wonderful water. A small mix of minerals that added to the water in a positive way. The holding tank had decomposing mineral additions, but not up to the original levels that Keith had tested. Out of the distribution tank the levels were off the charts. They were higher than when Keith had tested them before. The strange problem was that the wood would not have added to the mineral content. Richard was stumped, what had gone wrong? Jimmy's friend, the one that had caught Robin and Keith kissing a few weeks earlier came walking up. "What's you doin'?" "Testing the water." "Why?" "Because something is not right." "That's right it is really bad in my house and it's really good up here." "Yea, but it doesn't make sense." "How come?" "Well the water over here," pointing to the spring, "is really good." "Yea I know." "Then it goes into here, and its still not to bad. But then when it comes out of here, it's awful." "Yea, like somebody dumped junk into it." "What did you say?" "Like somebody dumped junk into it, why?" "Because that makes a whole lot more sense. That's what I've been thinking. Say can you help me lift the lid to this thing? What's your name anyway?" "You want my help, really? Yea, I can try. Oh my names Brian." Brian was just enough help so that Richard could slide the lid off. What he found made him mad. He knew better than to touch anything. He showed the metal canister inside the tank to Brian. They slid the lid back on. At that point Richard was glad that Brian was there to have witnessed this. "So Brian, you helped make a big discovery. I'm very proud of you." "Really?" He was beaming with pride. "Yea, but now I need to make a call and let some people know about what we saw in that tank. Where is a phone I can use?" "There is only one in town, down by the old market. That's where they hold all the meetings now." "There's only one phone in this whole town?" "Yea, what's wrong with that?" "Well now a days, everyone has one in their house." "They do?" "Yes, but let's go and use that one. Can you show me where it is?" "Sure, come on." Off they went. Richard called the Sheriffs department. Told them of the strange finding that he had. He was placed on hold for just a moment and then a detective got on the line. "So let me get this straight. There is a metal cylinder in the holding tank for the water of the town." "That is correct." "And that you believe it is poisoning the water." "Yes I do, you see I was doing some testing..." "Hold on, what town did you say you were from?" Richard was getting a bit agitated at this point. "I told the other fellow, I'm in Carp." "You don't happen to know a fellow named Keith Patterson do you?" What the hell was going on. "Yes, Keith is a friend of mine..." "He was in the station not to long ago, let me find the detective that is handling that. Hold on." This was getting stranger all the time. What was Keith doing there? "This is Sergeant Timms, I was briefed on your discovery. We are extremely interested in your find. I hope that you have not moved many things?" "No, we opened the lid and I saw it, we closed the lid back up." "This investigation has just turned to be more serious. It is now a homicide investigation." "I'm not sure what you're talking about." He was then told about the arrests that Keith had been a part of. The confession of one of the perpetrators, the search for the second one, and the death of the victim in the hospital. The last was the hardest to take. "When did it happen?" "We were just notified moments ago." I knew that Keith was probably already on the road back. I wasn't looking forward to telling him. "There will be a patrol car coming from the south, looking for our Fred character, and now one will be sent from here to look at the cylinder that you found. They will arrive at different times, but both will be assigned to Carp for the time being." It had been some time that the Sheriffs office had had anything this big. Two officers were given a quick briefing and sent down to Carp as soon as possible. They were flying down the road, with their lights flashing. The slowed down a bit when they saw a nice car, a bit out of place for thisarea, weaving on the road slightly. They turned on their siren and the car pulled over. ------- Keith just about shit his pants. What the hell is a patrol car doing out here? Robin quickly cleaned the mess on her face off onto her blouse. He stuffed his now totally deflated dick back into his pants and tried to zip up without being to noticeable. She slid over and Jimmy sat up straight as could be. When the officer came up to the window he recognized Keith. "Say, you were downtown filling the report on the two scum that we brought in weren't you?" "Yes that was me, where are you headed for?" "We're headed for Carp." "You are?" "Yes, someone named Richard found something that we are going to investigate." "No shit." "You should watch your language around the kids." "Sorry, so they're sending you two out to Carp to pick up something, that's going to be a long drive tonight." "We're going to be staying the night, unless they catch Fred Blaney." "You are? That's a lot of man power." "This is a homicide investigation now." I looked at Robin and Jimmy quickly to see if they had any idea of what he had just said. I got out of the car and rolled up the window so they couldn't hear. He didn't understand until I said, "We were just at the hospital. These are his kids. When did it happen?" "Probably a half an hour ago. We were just notified right before Richard called from Carp. Then they sent us on our way." "Can I write a note for you to give to Richard. I think I'm going to need to turn around. Their mother is back in Caliente. Do you have any idea where I'm going to find her now?" They called on the radio while I was writing a note to Richard. When they came back they told me where and had even drawn me a little map. I thanked them and got back in the car. As soon as the patrol car had taken off, the questions started. "Keith, what kind of trouble are we in?" Robin looked as if she was going to throw up at any moment. "Did they see you two?" "Jimmy! Don't you dare say a word about what you saw." "OK, now listen. We are not in any kind of trouble. They stopped me because I was having a hard time concentrating on the road and was weaving." Robin giggled at that. Jimmy said a soft, "Oh." "Now Jimmy you saw something that was very special between Robin and I." "Yea, I did." "I'm sorry I should have thought about it better and not done it were you could have seen us. I'm sorry." "It's OK, it looked... I mean does it feel better than... ?" He couldn't get it out. "Does if feel better than when I do it myself?" "Yea" "Oh so much better. But Jimmy I think you're a little young." "No sir, I've been able to squirt for three months now. Just ask Robin." I had noticed that she was really quiet. "Robin?" "Well, I caught him trying it one morning. Remember when I said that I had seen Jimmy in the mornings." "Now she watches me every morning, but I don't squirt as much as you." "Oh, she does?" "Well I don't have a lot of choice. He is looking right at me when he's doing it." "I can't help it, your so..." He was turning very red. "She is so beautiful, isn't she Jimmy." "Yea." Now it was Robins turn to turn red. "I wish I could feel how you just did." "Jimmy!" Robin stammered. "I bet you do, do you know anyone that you'd like to try it with?" "Keith?" Robin was staring at me. Very sheepishly he said, "Yea". "Tell me Jimmy, I want to know." Robin was just about to die, but then became almost jealous with the answer. Jimmy said it so softly; I had to ask him to repeat it. "Your sister." I almost laughed, "Kristin?" "You want Kristin to do that?" Robin sounded downright hurt. "Well," Jimmy said to Robin, "I knew you'd never." "You mean that you would like to with me? My dick was almost hurting it was so hard from hearing this conversation. "Of course I would, don't you know that." "No I didn't, sorry Jimmy." "Why do you think I always show it to you?" "I never really thought about it I guess." Everyone was silent for a moment. They had been so caught up in the conversation that they hadn't noticed me turning the car around and driving back the way we came. That is until we got to the town. "Hey, we just came from here." "Why'd you turn around?" "There is something else that the officer said when he stopped me." "What?" Both of them said with concern on their faces. "We need to find this place. They gave me a map. It's in the next town up. Won't take more than ten minutes to get there." "What's the place?" "Lets just find the place first." I knew these questions were going to come up and I didn't know how to answer them.We road in silence the rest of the way. I didn't want to answer any more questions and I think they were to afraid to ask them. We made a few turns in town and soon were in front of the County Morgue. Robin with a trembling voice said, "why are we here?" "I need to go inside and see about something." I think they were hoping it was about the people I helped to catch and relieved when I didn't want them to come in. I left them in the car and went in. Next to calling my sister a few weeks back this was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do. She was sitting on a chair in the hall, her head in her hands. I walked right up to her and stopped before she even looked at me. She had been crying and started again as soon as she saw me. I bent down on one knee and wrapped my arms around her. She just dissolved into my arms. I was thinking that it would be nice to have Richard around at this point. He was much better at knowing what to say in situations like this. "What am I going to do." She was sobbing. "Do you need to stay here any more?" "I don't think so. But how can I just leave?" "Let me go find out, OK." "OK" I got up and walked down the hall. It was obvious that they were not set up for visitors. I knocked on a door that was answered by someone who knew enough to answer all of my questions. I found Katy in much the same position that I left her in. "Katy, you can go. There is nothing that you can do here. You need to go and be with your sister. Robin and Jimmy need to know what happened. Come on with me" "Are they still with you?" She asked, not thinking that they would have to be. "Yes we didn't get to far out of town when we were stopped by the sheriff's deputy and I was told. They don't know yet." "I don't think I can manage." "I'll help you to the car. Your children need you. If you want I will tell them." "Could you?" "Yes, I will." I didn't know how. Robin and Jimmy had been waiting for me to return. They had kept a constant look out the window. When they saw their mother coming out with me, they jumped out of the car and ran towards us. Hugging her, she was just about ready to collapse. I got them all back to the car. Katy climbed into the back seat with Jimmy. Robin looked at me, I nodded and she climbed in the front with me. Then Jimmy said, "Mom?" "Yes Jimmy, he did." That was all that was said. We weren't even outside of town when I saw her slide over and put her head on Jimmy's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her. The next thing I saw was that she had dropped her head into his lap and was sound asleep. He was stroking her hair and tears were dropping off his face. I looked over at Robin. She was almost expressionless. I reached over and touched her hand. It was almost like she had been in a trance. She jerked and looked at me suddenly, like she had no idea that I was there. "You knew when they stopped us didn't you?" "Yes, I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure how your mother would be. Was that OK?" "Keith you think of everyone else, do you know how special you are?" "I hope you always think of me that way." "I will, right now I'm feeling very guilty about the way I use to feel about him." "That's natural, I can't say don't let it bother you. Just know that's what happens to everyone." "Thanks, can you hold me?" "You know I would do that anytime." "Mmmm, I feel safe in your arms." I looked in the back seat. Katy's head was in Jimmy's lap. He still was stroking her hair, but then I saw the other hand. It was outlining her breast. As he received no reaction he grew bolder and rubbed his hand across the center. Her nipple hardened and he reached for it. It was then he saw me looking at him and pulled his hand back. I just smiled. It did give me ideas though. I had my hand wrapped around Robin and I extended my hand to her breast. She whimpered. I had to put my finger on her lip to make sure she knew she couldn't make any noise. She scooted up, practically lying over my lap. She had a skirt on and she pulled it up. Then she took my hand and moved it down to the top of her panties. I snaked my hand in and started rubbing her. She pulled her legs apart giving me unlimited access. As my finger ran across her lips they opened. I could feel the moisture in her. My finger slid in. She wasn't making any noise but she was moving her hips up and down to get nice long strokes. As the rubbing progressed it was getting faster and she was practically bouncing off the seat. Katy then said out of a stupor, "The road is awfully rough." "It sure is." Jimmy replied with a smile. My hand had been out as soon as Katy first spoke. Robin was looking at me with wide eyes. The moment was gone. I knew she would be feeling frustrated now. It didn't help when she saw me put my finger in my mouth and lick it off. Jimmy saw me and had a look of fascination on his face. The rest of the trip was uneventful. That could not be said about what was going on in Carp. Fred Blaney had got word of the arrest of his accomplice. He knew that the man would be a blabbermouth. The first thing that came to mind was to destroy any evidence. That meant a trip back to Carp. He would have to do it in the dark so no one could recognize him. What he didn't know was that the evidence had already been found. In addition to that, a patrol car looking for him was just behind him 20 miles. Richard was stewing. He didn't know quite what to do. It was getting late and Keith wasn't back yet. If Millie came asking anything, he wasn't sure how much he wanted to tell her. Brian was still hanging around, without his friend Jimmy he didn't have much else to do. "So what are we going to do now?" "Well it's getting late so I think I'd better go back up to the spring and get my equipment." "Did you need some more help?" "Sure I can always use a hand." The sun was just about to set and it was casting long shadows everywhere. They arrived at the spring just moments after Fred had showed up. He stumbled over some boxes that had not been there before and he was just starting to lift the lid when Richard and Brian came upon him. "Say what are you doing?" Fred turned around. He had been caught off guard, but that didn't last long. A long knife was pulled out from around his waist. Richard just stared. Brian ran away as soon as he saw the knife. He ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. Fred lunged towards Richard. The blade barely missed him, tearing his sleeve. Richard quickly backed up and Fred lunged again, this time making contact. Richard felt searing pain in his arm. He screamed. Sheriff Smith had just rolled into the outskirts of Carp when he noticed a car off the side of the road. Shinning his light on it he caught the license plate number. It was the one they were looking for. Cautiously he approached the car, only to find it empty. He could see the trail of fresh footprints leading to town. This was not good. Getting back in his patrol car he drove into the center of town. He had just stepped out when a boy ran right into him. The boy bounced off of him and landed on his butt. "Are you all right son?" "There's a man with a knife!" "Where?" They heard the scream at that point. Brian jumped up and ran with the Sheriff right behind him. Richard was reeling in pain; blood was pumping out of the wound. He was clutching his arm. Fred looked even more menacing as he stepped forward. Richard was trying to back away when he tripped and fell to the ground. He heard Fred laugh as he stepped over to him. Then he heard a shot. Fred's body jolted back and fell to the ground. Brian was at Richard's side in a flash as the deputy was looking at Fred. "I ran to get help." "You did the right thing. Thanks a lot." That was the last thing he remembered. He hadn't lost that much blood, but when combined with not eating all day and being in the sun, it had taken its toll. Richard had fainted. When he awoke he was in the house of Millie and her husband Bruce. He was laying a bed with his arm bandaged. The Sheriff, Bruce and Brian were standing around him. "You gave us quite a scare." "Sorry to trouble you." His throat was dry. "Trouble, ha, your more like a town hero." "Could I trouble you for something to drink." "No problem. Brian get him some canned stuff from the cooler." The other patrol car had arrived and they were in giving Millie the bad news. She started wailing, "Bruce, Bruce, he's dead." Bruce left to be with Millie. Richard said without thinking, "Are they telling her about Katy's husband." "I'm afraid so. What a tragedy." The other officers then came in to see Richard. Along with Brian and a tall drink. "Looks like you're not going to be much help to us." "I didn't exactly choose to be in this state." "No, I suppose not." "Brian can show you where it is, he helped me discover it." "Oh, a regular hero, are you Brian." "No, not me." He was turning bright red; nobody had paid this much attention to him in his life. "The problem of course is that you don't know what it is. The best person to advise you on how to get it out of there without having a major catastrophe is Keith Patterson. His expertise is water treatment." "Isn't he the one." "Yea, he caught the two up in Caliente. He should be showing up anytime now." One of the miners came in. He had some basic medical education and acted as the temporary mini doctor of the town. He looked at Richard's wound. "Don't look to bad, clean cut. One thing you can say, he had a sharp knife." "I'll be sure to thank him." "Don't recon that's possible, he's dead." "Yea." "Looks like all ya need are a few stitches and you'll be good as new." Richard saw him reach into his bag and pull out a tin with some heavy looking thread and a curved needle. It then struck him that this guy was about to stitch him up. He was about to ask what he knew about doing this when he also pulled out a flask. "Here, you'll need a few slugs of this to deaden the pain." Richard couldn't agree more. It burnt like fire going down, but he could feel the warmth and numbing properties starting to radiate out. He had downed half the flask, much to the surprise of the 'Doc'. "Well, well, well, you'll soon feel no pain after that amount." He then proceeded to thread the needle. Cleaning the wound with batidine he was ready. Richard winced a bit when he started, but the whisky had done its job. Not the best job, but it worked, and in a mining town you were lucky to have such a fellow. It was another forty minutes before Keith showed up. He looked like a truck ran over him. It had been an exhausting day. He was glad to be back. He could get some sleep. He pulled up to Millie's house and was surprised to see both patrol cars outside. Both Robin and Jimmy had fallen asleep on the ride back, succumbing to their depressed feelings. Katy, who hadn't been sleeping well in the last few days, was almost comatose. He nudged Robin and Jimmy awake and they stumbled into the house. He was thinking that maybe he might need some help to get Katy in the house when one of the deputies came out. Seeing the first order of business he helped Keith with Katy and they got her into the house. Millie was buzzing around her sister, while Katy was giving half asleep grunts in response. It was obvious that what she needed was to lie down. The problem was, where. Bruce and Millie's house was a simple rectangular design as most were in Carp. The entry opened right into the living dining room. With the kitchen and bathroom facing each other, directly behind the dining area. They made the hall that went to the two bedrooms, each with a double bed. Bruce and Millie's room already had the Brian, their son, Robin and Jimmy on the floor. Bruce and Millie would soon need the bed. That left the other bedroom and Richard was in it. They didn't have a lot of options and they knew Richard would be leaving soon so they dragged Katy in and laid her on the bed. She was so out of it that she didn't even acknowledge that someone else was on the bed with her. Richard on the other hand, feeling no pain, was very aware. Although Katy was petite, Richard was not and given that he was laying on his back with his left arm elevated with a pillow, placed him in the center of the bed. Katy's body was pressing into Richard. When everyone left the room, they turned off the light. The door may have been still open, but the effect was there. Richard was in bed with the beautiful Katy. Richard wasn't thinking straight, if he had been, he would have cursed the thoughts running through his head. Just the touch of Katy's body against him was causing him to rise. When she rolled over and her hand stretched across his chest, he thought he was going to cum in his pants. Her small breasts were pressing into his arm and she nuzzled her head into his shoulder. He realized his hand was dangerously close to her pussy. He wanted so bad to reach out and touch it. His mind wasn't that far gone, instead he moved it over to his crotch and rubbed his dick through his pants. Having a woman this close felt so good. Brian got up half asleep when he had got something for Richard to drink he had one too. Now he was dragging himself to the bathroom. People were still up in the living room. That was strange he thought, but he was still half asleep, and he needed to go so bad he couldn't stop and listen. After reliving himself he walked automatically into his bedroom. As soon as he had step into the room he stopped dead still. There was Richard and aunt Katy on the bed together and Richard was rubbing his thing. "Richard," he stammered. He jumped out of his trance like state. "What." He was afraid to look who it was and what they might have seen. "Why is aunt Katy on the bed with you?" He realized with some relief it was Brian. "I don't know, they just brought her in here." "It looks like you don't mind her being on the bed with you." He said softly. Oh shit he thought. "I had an itch." "Yea, a big one." Brian snickered. "Brian, please don't tell anyone." "Don't worry, I won't." "Thanks" "How's your arm" "It hurts like hell. I'm really grateful that you went and got help. Without you I could be the one dead. I don't know how to thank you, but I'll think of something." Brian was embarrassed. He'd never been in the spotlight before and didn't quite know what to say. "It's OK. I... ah... well, I didn't do that much." "Brian, you saved my life. I owe you big time." Katy started to wake slightly from the sound of the conversation. She slid her hand back from his chest while opening her eyes. Richard turned his head smiling, he said, "Hi sleepyhead." Katy jolted awake. Where was she and why was she laying on the bed with Richard? "Hi, aunt Katy." Katy turned to see Brian, she then recognized that she was in his room. Talking to him, she said," "What am I doing in here and why is Richard on the bed with me?" Brian proceeded to tell her a long tale. Starting with the holding tank and ending with the stitches in Richards arm. She was very concerned about Richard, saying it was her fault for getting him in this position. She then leaned over him to look at his arm. He couldn't deny the effect that her body pressed against him was having. As she moved back her arm brushed against his painful erection. Her eyes got big and she looked at him. He just weekly smiled, "Sorry, I couldn't help it." "Couldn't help what?" Brian said "You never mind, go and tell my sister that I'm awake OK." "I swear you're as bad as Keith. What is it with men?" "I guess that when they see a pretty woman their whole body enjoys the sight." "Richard!" Then blushing a little, "I'm not that pretty anyway." "More like beautiful in my book." Katy was in full blush at this point. Millie walked in and took one look at Katy. "You look like you're burning up, have you a fever?" "I don't think so, but I do feel warm." "More like hot I would say." Richard whispered Katy elbowed him. Millie said, "What was that?" "Yes it does feel hot." "Oh no, how is your arm? Are you having a problem?" She was completely unaware of the secondary conversation going on. "No, I think it is just the pain killer wearing off." "Pain killer indeed. That was whiskey and you had a good drink of it." "That explains it." Katy said "Explains what?" "No, believe me it had nothing to do with that." "Are you quite sure?" "Very." "What are you two talking about?" Millie hated to be left out of a conversation. "Oh, nothing. I'm thirsty I think I need to get a drink." She tried to stand and sat back down. She felt a little lightheaded. "You just sit there, I'll get you something. Richard, you should try and get up. Heaven knows the two of you can't spend the night on the same bed. The rumors that would bring." "I'd say that would be something." Another elbow from Katy. "I'll try and sit up." Millie left and Katy turned to Richard as he was raising up. "I can't believe you." "I'm sorry Katy, I just... well I." Tears started to swell in his eyes and he lowered his face and said. "I didn't mean to hurt you." Katy was completely taken off guard. This was sensitivity that she was not use to seeing from a man. She had seen Keith being sensitive, but not to the level Richard was showing now. "Don't worry about it." She reached out and touched his arm. It felt nice. "We're both going through a hard, I mean difficult, time." She almost laughed at that slip of the tongue. Keith turned to see her smile though. Millie and Keith waked back in with the drink for Richard. She saw Katy's hand on Richard and saw his tears. "Oh my, does it hurt that bad. You'd better lie back down." Keith looked at Richard and saw guilt not hurt in his eyes. He thought he might as well play along with the game. "It lookes like he's not going anywhere for a while." "Then where am I going to put Katy? We only have two bedrooms." "Well it doesn't look like she should be moving anywhere either." Katy was giving me a dirty look at that point, but didn't say a thing. I think she knew I was playing a game with Millie. Richard was looking at me with an amused expression on his face. "We can't do that!" "Why not? They were both in here before right." "But what will the kids think?" "It didn't seem to bother Brian at all. I don't think Robin or Jimmy would care at all. We can just close the door and not make a spectacle of it." "I guess that makes sense. They are both a little out of it. I mean nothing wrong with a couple of people convalescing." "Right" I ushered Millie out of the room and winked at Katy as I shut the door. "Richard, what the hell just happened." Richard was trying not to laugh. "I think your sister just said that she thinks we should sleep together." Then he became serious. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't joke about that." Katy was very confused with her feelings. "It's OK. I mean it is pretty funny when you think of it. My sister, if she thought about what she just did. I can't believe Keith talked her into it." "He can be persuasive." "I know, believe me I know. Richard is he really as nice as he seems? Please tell me the truth, I have my little girl to think about." "Keith is one of the most genuine people I know. When he came back from here first time he was on cloud nine. Everyone could see it. They had never seen him so happy, but he wouldn't tell anyone anything about where he'd been. Believe me everyone tried to get it out of him, including myself. When he asked me to come with him, I knew that he trusted me a lot. He told me before we came that he was in love and wanted to marry Robin. I didn't know how old she was. Now I understand why he kept it such a secret. Believe me though, you couldn't find a better man than Keith. Well that is unless you're interested in me." He couldn't believe what he had just said. She looked at him. "You're interested in Robin too?" "No, not Robin." She finally got it. "Oh. Richard, I..." "Never mind, It's just..." He couldn't finish. Emotions like this had ended in tragedy so long ago. Tears started welling up in his eyes. He turned his head away from her. She didn't see his eyes and took it as a sign of rejection from him. She was so use to the man getting his way that she hadn't considered another outlook. She looked at him for a long time. Although she couldn't see his face, she was seeing tears dropping on his pants. "Richard?" She said slowly and softly, taking his head in her hands and turning it towards her. "Why does it have to hurt so much? I just wanted what Keith had. A perfect girl, like Robin, and... like you. Why does it have to hurt like it did last time?" "Richard, what last time?" He laid back down and told her about Cindy. It took a long time. He had to stop many times to control his emotions. Katy could see herself in that story. A loss of innocence. A feeling of betrayal. A drop into an existence of just getting by, not really living. Now finally seeing that he was missing so much and wanting it so bad. She was starting to see that what bothered her about Robin and Keith was that they had what she herself did not. They had what Cliff and her had so long ago. She was envious of their relationship. She started to cry also. He pulled her over and she laid down with her head on his chest, his good arm around her. She cried and he kissed her head. She looked up at him and they kissed, each pouring out emotion that was long repressed. His arm slid down her back feeling all her subtle curves until it reached her ass. He cupped on of the cheeks and gave it a gentle squeeze. She moaned and slid her arm down his chest, over his pants and grabbed his hard lump. It felt so good to him. He was frustrated that he couldn't move his other arm. Their kissing had broken and he nibbled on her neck and ear. She was being driven crazy. They both heard the bump on the wall of Millie's bedroom door hitting it. It froze them in position. They slowed down, he rubbing and caressing her ass and she rubbing and squeezing his dick. They drifted off and fell asleep. That's the way Robin, Jimmy, Brian, and I found them the next morning. ------- Chapter 7 The three officers knew it was hopeless to do anything in the night. They would have to wait until morning. Keith offered the bachelor pad and tent to them. One of them would have to be on site, but they could rotate and a place to sleep was appreciated. That also meant Keith was spending the night on the couch at Millie's. He was so tired; he didn't care where he was. When everyone said their goodnights and left, he was out in moments. ------- It was an automatic response, like when a bug is lighting on you. Keith's hand went up to shoo it away. The third time he made contact, it was much bigger than a bug and it woke him up. Robin had been gently kissing his face. She was wearing a smile and nothing else. He couldn't believe it, what the hell was she thinking. She took his hands and placed them on her breasts. Any bit of common sense went right out the window. He molded the palms of his hands to her flesh, feeling her hard nipples. Rolling his thumbs towards the center, he massaged them. She tossed her head enjoying the sensation. Then she pulled him off the sofa and onto the floor. With more room to maneuver, she turned around and straddled his head. He was looking straight up into her slit. Although a beautiful sight he wanted more. Reaching around her waist he pulled her down to his waiting tongue. It was taking most of her effort to remain silent. She decided that she needed to occupy her hands and mind on Keith's dick. Unbuttoning and unzipping as she had seen him do earlier, she was able to reach in and grab his dick. Now he also had to try and remain silent. She was rapidly approaching an orgasm when he snaked his hands up her sides. He ran his fingers around her nipples, giving them a gentle squeeze. That did it, her body went rigid and she had to bite her lip not to cry out. As the waves of pleasure subsided, she moved down to slide his dick into her nice wet hole. "Robin," he whispered "Yea," she whispered back "We don't have any protection," frustration showing in his voice. "I need you in me, we can stop before." "I don't think I could control myself." "Let me know when its time, I'll get off. Besides I'm in my safe time." "OK" At this point his dick was thinking for him. She settled down, sliding his member up into herself. The feeling was divine. She was facing away from him and she put her hands on his legs. This bent her over, having the effect of rubbing her clit over the sensitive part of this dick. Both of them were in heaven. After eating her out, he was so damned horny and she was so tight. He didn't think he was going to be able to hold out much longer. Her rhythm was speeding up and he could feel his impending orgasm. "Robin" He said in a raspy voice. She was too far-gone. It felt so good that she didn't want to stop for anything and she needed relief. Instead she responded by speeding up. "Robin, it's close." It sure was. Robin threw her head back in ecstasy as her orgasm overtook her. As she did she caught sight of something, no it was someone. It stopped her dead in her tracks. Her muscles let go and she dropped down on Keith impaling herself to the hilt. With a big grin on his face stood Brian, his dick in his hand. Keith had tried to hold out. He had told Robin twice, but then she sped up. To top that she dropped herself, thrusting his dick further than it had ever been in her. It was too much, he couldn't help it. He pumped and pumped and pumped his seed into her. He lay exhausted and that's when he noticed she wasn't moving. Brian realized why he wasn't supposed to drink anything before bed. This was the second time he had had to get up and go to the bathroom. He didn't want to wake anyone up, so he moved very quietly across the floor and out into the hall. He was just about to go into the bathroom when he saw movement out in the living room. Being curious he wanted to see what was going on. He slowly moved closer. What he saw surprised him. Cousin Robin was naked. He had always thought she was pretty, but now, WOW. Her petite form made her small tits look just right. He wondered how they felt. He looked further down and saw her pussy and Keith! He was transfixed. His hand went down to his dick and he started rubbing it as he watched the two lovers copulate. What was before him was so much better than anything he had ever imagined before. She threw her head up and before he knew it she was looking into his eyes. That set him off and she saw as he squirted right before her. He was embarrassed and broke eye contact, looking down her body. What he saw made his eyes grow big. She looked down to see what had caused that reaction. Embarrassingly she saw he was looking right at her pussy and the white stuff oozing out of the junction. "Keith" "I know, I'm really sorry. I tried..." "No, not that, we have a visitor." Keith bolted upright. Oh shit, he thought. When he saw it was Brian and he had his dick in his hand, still dribbling, he almost laughed. Keith motioned for him to come over. Brian wasn't sure what to do, but his feet moved anyway. When he was very close, Keith said, "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Robin was blushing and slapped his leg. "Yes, I've always thought so." "You know you shouldn't be sneaking up and watching things like this." "Yea, I know, but..." "But you just couldn't help it, right. I wouldn't have been able to stop looking either." "Really?" "Yea, but you can't tell anyone about this, OK." "I know, just like up at the spring. Right?" "Right." "I gotta piss." "Is that why you got up?" "Yea, but then..." "Then you forgot about the bathroom when you saw Robin." Another slap on the leg. "Yea, I've dreamed, I mean I've..." He was getting so embarrassed. "I gotta go." With that he practically ran to the bathroom. "Bet you didn't know you were the subject of so many fantasies. I'll bet Jimmy and Brian aren't the only ones." "Keith!" One more slap on the leg. "Well I know I fantasize about you all the time." "I hope so." We kissed goodnight. Robin slipped on her nightshirt and crept back to bed. I worried about what was running down her leg. We were apparently in good standing with Katy and I didn't want to change that. That brought me back to Katy, and Richard. I was smiling thinking that I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when I had closed the door leaving them in that room together. I had never seen Richard like this. Didn't know what made the change, but it was definitely for the good. I drifted off to sleep and didn't wake up again until Robin again kissed me the next morning. Robin, Jimmy, and Brian were creeping around like a church mice. Brian had just quietly opened his bedroom door. He and Jimmy were looking in. I had to get up and go pee, so I thought what the hell. I might as well look to. When Robin and I peeked in, I said, "Holly shit." Richard had an obvious hard on and Katy was practically draped over him. He lifted his head and looked at me smiling. Katy was reluctantly waking up, not yet realizing the audience she had. When she noticed him looking past her, she turned and saw us. "Oh, shit." She moaned. "Looks like you two slept well." I said half chuckling. "Better than I can remember." Richard replied, prompting an elbow in his side from Katy. "If my arm didn't hurt so much I'd..." "You'd what?" Katy said to him. "Do you want me to really say it in front of them?" He whispered. Blushing deeply. "No, maybe you shouldn't." We were all looking at each other. Apparently something went on in here last night, but I wasn't sure what. "Come on guys, the show is over. Brain did you need something in here?" "Well, no not really." "What a pervert." Jimmy said, even though he had also looked in. "Jimmy where did you hear such language?" He turned red. "Ah... I don't know." We all laughed. I was to be on the base in five hours. I didn't want to leave. I loved my life here and I didn't have a life there. It took almost three and a half hours to get back, so I didn't have much time. I also didn't have much choice of what to do with my time as a whirlwind of activity started around me. Women started arriving with enough food to feed an army. They went to Katy and Millie to give their sympathy. Two of the sheriff's deputies arrived asking for the help they needed at the spring. The "Doc" came by to check on Richard. One of the sheriff's deputies remembered the note that I had given him and sheepishly handed it to Richard. Then Jim Williams came by. "We had that town meeting that you wanted." "Oh man, I'm really sorry about that." No problem, we had heard about what you did. We figured that you wouldn't make it back. Pretty proud of you, we are." "Well thanks, but... " "No buts, what you did took courage. Now it's no secret that you have a thing for Katy's daughter and you can say that's what motivated you, but you helped the whole town." Robin who had been listening, blushed very red. "Fact is you've been helping us ever sense the first day you came into town." "Like I said when I came here, I'm not looking for anything." "No maybe you weren't looking, but we found you." "What do you mean?" "Well you're one of the local heroes around here now, you must know that." "One of the local heroes, how many do you have." This amused Keith. "Right now we have three, you and Richard and of course Brian." Brian heard his name and came over to find out what was going on. "You've got to be kidding me?" Shyly he scooted up to me and asks, "Who's talking about me?" "We are. You're a local hero, did you know that?" He turned beat red. His mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. He then ran off yelling, "Richard, Richard." Jim was laughing at Brian's apparent embarrassment. "No, in fact the reason that we still held the meeting was to try and figure a way to honor you three." "Oh." I was stunned. Nothing like this had ever happened to me and I was pretty sure that went for Richard also. We all saw Brian's reaction. "Wait till mom hears, she'll love it!" Robin piped in. "So what are you going to do to us?" "You make it sound like punishment." "It's just a bit embarrassing." "We'll keep that in mind." "I just have to tell mom and Richard." Off went Robin. The spring provided little challenge to Keith. He had the deputies go house-to-house, cutting off the water supply flowing from the distribution tank. Then the water was diverted from coming into the tank. After that the water was siphoned out of the tank. The wooden tank would have to be replaced. It meant that for a while the towns' people would have to come up the spring and bring down buckets of water. Keith was glad he would be out of town when they were told that part by the sheriff's deputies. He didn't like the next part. Working with an unknown he would have liked to be in full protective clothing. As it was, he made everyone stay back far enough to protect them. He took a deep breath, quickly climbed into the tank and wrapped a rubber sheet around the cylinder. After pulling it and himself out of the tank, he walked a distance and took some long breaths. Then he went back to look at it. Unrolling the rubber he could now get a good look. What he saw made his blood boil. He didn't know how this could happen. This could be his head and he knew it. He rewrapped it. Then using a rubber cement, he sealed the seams. Tied it with rope and set it into a box, sealing the box. The deputies were looking at each other. They didn't like the looks of how secure he was making this. None of them were too eager to touch the thing. He told them he had to make a call and that shouldn't be moved until he was done. They were more than happy not to have to move it. "This is Keith Patterson, I need to talk to the CO." "Keith, he's been looking all over for you, we've been told it was top priority to find you. Hold on." I couldn't figure what was going on. As soon as I was trying to think of possibilities he was on the line, a record for that base. "Where the hell are you, you get your butt back here and now." "What's going on?" "What's going on? I've been in hot water ever since you left. That little lab of yours has blown up into a full-blown controversy. Christ Keith, I have congressmen breathing down my neck." "Holly shit." "You've got that right, while you've been God knows where playing, I've been having my ass chewed off." "Well sir, I wouldn't say I've been playing." "Oh no Keith, tell me what you've been doing that has been so damned special?" "Well sir, I helped catch two criminals wanted in a homicide case. Richard found something that made me make this call. It is a breach in security from the base, unfortunately my section." "No shit." "My thoughts exactly, sir." "What did you find?" "One of the early prototype canisters that we were using. It was almost a year ago when we used them. They work great, but they're bulky. We've refined the canister and they're less than half the size now. This type has been locked away and nobody should have known about them. That is unless it was someone in the special weapons testing section that removed it from the base. Because someone got hold of it and has been using it." "What do you mean using it?" "Richard found it in the towns water supply." "I am guessing it was put there on purpose?" You could hear the sound of 'shit one more thing added to the pile' in his voice. "Yes, I don't know what is in it yet, but Richard got the brunt of the discovery. A man tried to knife him. Considering, he was lucky; he only needed a few stitches. A sheriff's deputy shot the other guy, he's dead." "My God Keith, it doesn't sound like the R and R I thought you were having. Sounds like you've been having almost as much fun as I have." "Well I think we've been fairing better than you. That is except Richard, I'm not sure about transporting Richard." "If you have to, leave him behind. We can do without him on the base for a few more days. It's you that needs to get back here As quick as possible, do I make myself clear?" "Yes sir." There wasn't a lot of conviction in my voice. "Now about this canister." "It has to be brought back to the base. I don't want anyone else to get their hands on it. I don't need any more problems about your lab than what I have now, do you understand." "I understand, but the sheriffs aren't going to be happy, it's part of their homicide case." "Damn the case, this is military security. You tell them that that thing is government property and classified. If I need to I'll send a chopper over with MP's to pick the damn thing up." "I'll let them know. If there is any problems, I'll call back." "Just one more thing... Keith, Keith. Damn it I didn't find out where he was." My next call was to the Sheriffs department and the detective handling the case. He didn't like it, not one bit. He also was resigned that if the military said it was classified, he had little to say about what could be done. I handed the phone over to one of the deputies so he could tell them that I would be taking the device. I walked over to Millie's before heading back to the spring. Robin who had got lost in all the happenings at the house hadn't known where I had gone of to. She was glad to see me and hung on to me. I found Katy and Richard in Brian's bedroom. Looking directly at Katy and trying to keep a straight face, I said, "Richard, do you think you're OK to travel, if not I've got it from the CO to leave you here so you can, what do you call it, oh yea, convalesce." "What!" He rose up bumping his arm, "Ouch." "That's what I thought, you'd better stay here. Of course I'll have to come back and pick you up." Oh, so there is an ulterior motive in this?" I never thought about it that way." Yea, I bet." "Keith, can I have a word with you?" Katy asked. "Sure what do you want?" I knew she was going to give me a hard time about what I was doing. "Can we talk in private?" This caught me off guard. Robin and Richard both gave me worried looks. "Sure." Not feeling very sure at that point. Maybe I'd overstepped myself. We went into Millie's bedroom and she shut the door. "Keith, this is hard for me to say, but..." I now knew this was something of an apology "Katy, it's alright, you don't need to." "Yes, I do. I need to so let me." I nodded my head and she went on. "You just sort of dropped into this town, so you don't know a lot of history about me and my family, like the others here do." Actually, I've been able to piece a lot of it together." Oh, really?" "Yea." "Like what?" "Well you came from a Mennonite community," "So you did talk to Robin." "Your father was the last deacon in this town. He left with Cliff Johnson." She had a sharp intake of breath when I mentioned Cliffs' name. "Do you want me to continue?" "I'm not sure." Her voice was a little shaky Softly I said, "I know why Cliff left." She dropped her head and started to cry. "So does Richard, Katy it's OK." "Richard knows?" "He's the one that found out. There were some old papers in his place." "Richard doesn't mind, neither do you? I don't understand, I mean why not?" "Katy, A better question would be, why should it." She looked at me for a long time. "When you grow up with a strict set of values like I did, you'd understand. You see, even though I was in love, I knew, I'd been taught, I was wrong. I was wrong to feel the way I was feeling. I was wrong to have done the things that we had done. God punished me with a child to show my shame, but that wasn't enough. Cliff and my father were taken away also. That is what I believed." "That is very sad." "Unfortunately it got worse." "How could it get worse than that?" "It might not look like it on the outside but this sect of Mennonites is very male dominant. In this town, that means that they are the only shareholders of the mine. So here I was, without a father, without a husband, and pregnant." "That does sound bad, what about your mother." More tears. "She died giving birth to me. I'm the youngest, Then Bill and then Millie. She's the oldest. She practically raised me." "Millie mentioned your brother, but I didn't know his name. I got the impression that she didn't think he was such a good character." "This part is even harder to tell you. You see I was destitute and Bill said he'd take care of me. I naively thought he was a wonderful brother." "But he got you through and then you met your husband?" "Bill was my husband" She had her head hanging, tears dropping on the floor. "What. I don't understand." "I think Robin has told you what it is like here, we're very isolated. Bill was, well I guess he was horny. I was desperate. He took advantage of that. It was not as bad as I'm making it sound, it didn't happen all at once. At first it was good. He was taking care of me and people thought it was sweet. We were living in his place, a one-bedroom house, just like Cliffs'. We were sleeping in two beds and I was pregnant. When Robin was born we needed space for her. He got a double bed and we had room for the baby. You can imagine what happened when we were in one bed. I knew it was wrong, but I didn't stop him. I needed love too. When I got pregnant with Jimmy, there was a lot of talk in town. After years went by, people just accepted us as man and wife. We had the same last name and everything." "Did you love him?" "Yes, but not completely, not fully. There was always a part of me that felt taken advantage of. Who knows, if Robin had been his, I mean." "I know what you mean. A little more than you might think." "I guess that doesn't make any difference now." More tears were falling from her face. "We weren't getting along very well these last few years. I guess I've grown up and was more independent. He didn't like it. It's been hard." "I don't know if I should, but can I ask you a difficult question?" "I don't think anything could be more difficult than what I just told you." "Is it hard to loose him because of what you felt for him or because of the financial difficulties you'll be facing?" "That's not a nice question." "I know, but I guess I'm asking because of what I'm seeing in Richard." "Do you really think he's... ?" "I don't have to think. I can see. I've never seen Richard this way. He's a different person around you. It's good. You have brought out something that has been hiding for a long time in him." "We had quite a talk last night, when you left us on the bed together." I had to laugh. "It scared me." I guess it wasn't as funny as I thought. "What did he say?" "It's not just what he said. It was how sensitive he was. I've never seen that in a man around here. Well Richard, he's..." "You're falling for him aren't you?" It was like she was in a daydream and hadn't even heard me. "He's the kind of man a woman would want. He has the same kind of qualities as you do. Any woman that would know you would want you." She was blushing, realizing what she had just said. I couldn't believe my ears. I didn't want to end the conversation, but someone was knocking on the door. I looked at the time. I had to get going. I hadn't even loaded up the car yet. Asking if we could continue with our talk, she said she would like that also. When I opened up the door, Millie was looking at us. "Did you loose track of time?" The ever-present mother in her I thought. "Yes, I guess I did." I saw Robin looking around the corner at me. "Come on Robin, you can help me get my stuff together." I left the house with Millie and Katy looking at us hand in hand. I turned to her. "Things are better than good. I love you my dear sweet Robin." Her smile lit up the day. She wrapped her hands around me, placing her hand behind my head; she pulled me down to her waiting lips. We kissed a long time in front of everyone, neither one of us caring. After loading up the car, I made the long drive back, with a hard lump between my legs. ------- I had never seen the base with this many people in front of it. Security was in full force. When they saw me they passed me through the gate so fast I couldn't believe it. Then I was escorted to the CO's office. What I got back to was a controversy that had been running through my head from the start of this project. This was chemical warfare that we were developing. It wasn't a concept. It was being developed and tested. The problem was those human test subjects that happened to be test subjects because of an accident. Most had not remembered anything that happened, but the last ones to be affected had retained full memory. One of them had leaked out what had happened. When the press found out about it, shit hit the fan. The CO was being raked over the coals for letting me leave. The next few days were a blur. I was debriefed by the military intelligence and interrogated by congressmen. The congressman who had the most interest and a great deal of tact was Patrick McCarran. He could see through the military smoke screen. When he left he simply said to me. "If you happen to remember anything that your conscience doesn't want you to forget, please call me. I would like to know about it." The press was trying to do everything they could to get at the head of the secret lab. It was living hell. I couldn't leave the base, hell I couldn't leave the secured area of the base that I was in. In the end the official word was that any and all testing was terminated. The unofficial word handed down to me was that I was to get my research papers together, so they could be 'stored' at another facility. Anybody with any brains knew another lab was being set up. I was too prominent to be useful any longer. My contract with the military was terminated. They would buy out the rest of my time and I was to leave, of course after signing piles of papers that basically said I knew nothing. Within hours after that I was a free, but unemployed man. As in most screw-ups, the haste to cover everything up means that you don't cover all your bases. I had duplicates of the research that I was doing. This wasn't done as a breach of security. It was just done. Things could happen, accidentally or on purpose and you would have years of research down the drain. It was prudent behavior on part of the researcher. They never ask about it and I didn't offer. The CO asked me if I could please go and retrieve Richard. I was after all the only one who knew were he was. In all the commotion of the present problems, they had never asked me about where the cobalt was, or Richard was. I didn't even realize until I was home and opened up the trunk that I still had the boxes of stuff that Richard had borrowed and the cylinder. I didn't want to think about those things now. I closed the trunk and went into my house to make a call. Before I could get to the phone, someone was at the door. It was George Seldes, who I would learn latter to be a top line investigative reporter. He gave me his card and said he was very interested in talking to me. He would be leaving that day for another assignment, but if I wanted to talk with him he would make it a point to come back. He was poised and refined. Not like the reporters that I'd met that only wanted to take a picture or two and get a few quotes. I didn't know how influential this man would end up being in my life. ------- "Hello, I'm looking..." "Keith!" Kristin was now in the habit of being near the phone and had answered it. "What have you been doing? I've tried to call you, you're never home." "It's a long story, are you sitting down." I described what had gone on from our last call. I could hear her crying at the really bad parts, but there were others, like when I shut Katy and Richard in the room that she laughed about. "So you're unemployed?" "Yes, I know I should be worried, but to tell you the truth, I can't wait to get back to Carp." "I bet you're really worried about Richard, aren't you?" I could hear the teasing in her voice. No sign of jealousy. I was happy to hear it. "Yes you know that's why I want to get back there." She laughed and then said in her best little girl voice. "Can I come to, mister?" "God, Kristin, do you have any idea what that does to me? But seriously, could you?" "Well, just for the weekend. My last class ends early enough that I could catch the same train down." "I'll wire the money now, goodbye." "Keith wait, you really want to see me that bad?" "More than you know and I have a surprise for you." "You do, what?" "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you." "Ohhh, you drive me crazy." "I hope so." "I love you." "Me too, see you tomorrow." I spent the rest of the night thinking. I fell asleep in a chair in the living room and woke up in the morning with a stiff neck. Many plans, none of them complete were running through my head. After getting ready I drove up to the station that I'd picked Kristen up just four weeks ago. When she got off the train I saw part of my life walking toward me. "Kristin!" I ran up to her, wrapping my arms around her and giving her a long French kiss. When we broke she had a very surprised expression. "Keith?" "I love you Kristin, I can't live without you." "What are you saying?" "I'm not sure, lets go to Carp and find out." "I'd love to, now what is my surprise?" "You'll see, it's in Carp. I hope you like it." "Keith you're not being very nice." She was trying to pout, but couldn't through her smile. "I know, but it's fun. At least for me." As every other trip to Carp had been an event, so was this. Kristin slid up to me as soon as we got into the car. When we had just reached the outskirts of town when she wrapped her arms around me. Whispering in my ear and running her hands slowly over me was having quite an effect on me. Her hand finally reached the bulge in my pants and she gave it a squeeze. I moaned. She then unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. I helped her pull them down. I was having a difficult time trying to pay attention to the road. Then she scooted back from me and lowered herself down. As her lips kissed my head, I started running my fingers through her hair. She opened up her mouth and sucked the tip into her mouth. "Ohhhh Kristin, you don't know how good that feels." I wasn't realizing it, but as she was increasing my excitement, I was pushing on the accelerator harder. My eyes were glazed over and I half thought I should pull over. Just about the time I'm ready to pop the front passenger tire does. It's amazing how clear everything gets, and it's all in slow motion. I looked at the speedometer. It was past the 120 mark. The car was being pulled and going out of control. Kristin bounced off the seat onto the floorboard. I had less control of my legs, because of the position of my pants. I thought I'm going to die and they'll find me with my pants down. By the time I had slowed the car down to 80, I could feel the tire ripping apart. When it finally came off, the car went out of control again. I thought of all I could loose, the hell if I was going to die. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, if that was possible. By the time I was going 40 the car was pulling hard, but going straight. When I brought it to a complete stop I was shaking all over. I couldn't control the muscles in my legs they were shaking so hard. "Kristin, you OK?" I almost shouted. She looked up at me, white as a ghost and weakly said, "Yea I think, so." "We could make up a slogan for Carp. Getting there is half the adventure." "Keith how can you joke about this?" "Guess I need to. I don't want to think about how serious this could have been." "I thought we were going to crash. Then that huge noise, I thought we were going to die." "That was the tire ripping apart, you were very close to the noise." "Well my life flashed in front of me." "I know. It scared the hell out of me too." The tire was gone, the rim was badly damaged, but luckily that was the extent of the damage. After the spare tire was on we were on our way. I was surprised how close we were to Elgin. Shit I thought, I'd been flying down the road and hadn't even realized it. In another hour we were in Carp. We found Katy, Richard, Robin, and Jimmy at Katy's house. Robin was ecstatic to see Kristin and me. Richard and Katy were disappointed. Although Richard was looking over Kristin as I had figured he would. Katy noticed it also and punched him in the side. He looked over at her with guilt written all over his face. "I guess they sent you to pick me up." "Well the CO asked if I could bring you back as I was leaving." "As you were leaving, did you get more time off?" "You could say that, I'm not working for the government any more." "What the hell happened?" Richard had a shocked look on his face. I told them the abbreviated version of what went on. Richard was the only one that knew I was leaving a lot of detail out. I figured he'd ask me latter. When I was done, he said, "No shit, damn the military." "It's just the way they work, you know that as well as I do. It's not all that bad. I didn't really like what I was doing for them, plus I was working under contract. They had to pay my contract off." "Well they never have any money sense. What are you going to do now?" Both Robin and Katy were looking very expectantly at me. "I have some ideas running in my head. Some of them depend on you. Want to talk about it?" "Sounds interesting, what do you have in mind?" "How's your arm?" "OK, what's that got to do with it?" "Let's take a walk up to the spring." Not everyone was happy with the unknown. They also didn't like our little private talk we were walking out the door to have. You can't please everyone. I figured if Richard wasn't game, there could be more hurt feelings. Richard looked at me. "How much time do you still have with Uncle Sam?" "Not much, they've been working me over to reenlist. I guess it's my IQ scores or something. They're trying to get rid of everyone around me. You know the military for life plan. Work for twenty years and then retire. I was considering it. I really had had nothing better to do with my life. That is before I came here." "So now you wouldn't mind getting out and staying around here?" "I'd love it, but what the hell would I do? I don't really think that mining is my way of life." "Mine either. I was thinking of the cobalt. What would you say to starting a company and staking out cobalt mines?" "I can see a few problems." "Like what?" "How would we mine it? What about refining it?" "I'm not as sure about the mining part. I have some speculation though about how to get miners here. The refining part is something I do know about. A new technique using a hydrometallurgical refining process can be used. Read about it in reports a few months ago. It just so happens that as I was going through my stuff at the base I ran across it and brought it with me." We were at the spring by this point. I looked at the old wooden distribution box. Without water in it, it had dried up and cracks were appearing all over. We turned around and headed back. "This sounds a little too good to be true. I wish I had my boxes of test stuff. We could run some samples. And get a fair idea of what was where." "I hate to tell you, but I couldn't get the stuff back. It's still sitting in the trunk of my car." "I wish we had some champagne. What are we going to call our company?" "Then you're in?" "You bet. I'm not going to pass up an opportunity like this." "Let's go tell Robin and Katy." "So how come you never mentioned your sister to me?" "You know why I never would bring a hot babe like that on base. It wouldn't be safe. Anyway we hadn't really talked in a while." "God, Keith. How could you stand it? I mean I guess she's your sister, but hell if Katy and I weren't going at it, man." "OK, I get the drift. But see the truth is I couldn't stand it. She was my sister and I wanted her bad. I had to leave, because I thought I'd end up hurting her." "Oh, man. I'm sorry. I didn't know there was all that stuff wrapped around it. I think she's still pretty hot. How do you stand it now?" "I just go for it." "You what?" "I might as well tell you. Kristin wants me as much as I want her. Robin was the one that got us together again." "You mean she knows?" "She's been there, and helped." "No shit. I was starting to feel as lucky as you, but I can see you're way beyond me." "Richard, I wouldn't worry to much about that. Katy is one fine woman. I've thought about what I could do with her, just like you were thinking of my sister." "How am I suppose to get mad when you say it that way?" "Your not, but you might be surprised at the horniness that runs in their family." He looked at me wondering what I was telling him but wasn't saying. We were back at Katy's house. They were all out on the front porch waiting for us. Expectation was high. We went back into the house and what we told them started a celebration. I was the first to start. I attacked Robin, tickling her. She squealed with laughter as we rolled around the floor. Looking into each other's eyes we stopped and kissed. The room disappeared. Robin and I were in another world. It was Jimmy who said, "Do they ever breathe?" That brought us back. Robin looked around and started turning red realizing the spectacle we had made of ourselves. Kristin looking at me with a seductive look on her face, then turned to Jimmy. "Yes Jimmy, they breathe, but they do it while kissing. You can kiss for a long, long time, just like they did." "Oh." He was staring at Kristin mesmerized. "I'd like to learn that sometime." "I bet Kristin could teach you." I said. They both turned and looked at me. "Really?" Jimmy said, turning to Kristin, "could you?" He was almost pleading. Kristin was looking at me like I was crazy. I leaned over to her and whispered in her ear, "That's not all he wants. He wants a blowjob from you, surprise!" She gasp and looked at him and then back to me. "He told me he did and he wants it from Robin to." The color in her face was turning bright red. I could tell she was getting excited with me talking dirty with her. "Go ahead and kiss him. He'll be your little love slave forever." She was so horny she could hardly sit still. She turned and looked at him. Nobody could believe it when she grabbed his shirt and pulled him over to her. "This is how it's done." She held his face in her hands, turned it slightly, and pulled his lips to hers. Katy couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was about to protest when Richard, who was behind her, ran his hands around her cupping her breasts. When she said a high pitched "OH" everyone turned and looked at her. She turned bright red. Everyone laughed when Jimmy said, "Can we try that again, mom stopped us." Kristin was enjoying being the teacher. After giving him some more techniques, they were at it again. Richard never stopped and was massaging Katy's breasts. The erotic, forbidden sight of Kristin and Jimmy in front of her and the ministrations from Richard were making her loose any sense of reality. She was moaning and rubbing her butt against his crotch. Robin and I were not immune to the actions that were in the room. We started kissing, but were soon fondling each other. When Kristin and Jimmy finally came up for some air, they were amazed at the sights and sounds in the room. Kristin pulled his shirt off. They looked at each other and started kissing again. This time though Kristin ran her hands down his chest. Then she reached down and rubbed his hard dick through his pants. He jumped back and said, "Ahhhhh." Everyone stopped and looked at him. His shorts were slightly tented and a wet spot was developing. A look of embarrassment and pleasure was on his face. It was obvious to everyone that he had just cum in his shorts. After he was finished he was just plain embarrassed. Kristin looked at him, reached over and pulled his shorts and underwear down in one swift pull. He didn't even have time to react, he was naked now. Katy gasp. She gasped a second time when she felt Richard reach under her dress and pull her panties down. She looked back at him and then stepped out of them. Richard seeing this was happy. Jimmy's dick was starting to rise again. He pointed it towards Kristin and she bent down and took the whole thing into her mouth. "OH WOW. Keith it does feel so much better. Oh man." Katy looked over at me. I had one hand on Robins' breast and the other under her skirt. I shrugged my shoulders. She didn't have time to respond to me. Richard had released his dick and lifted her dress; she felt it as it slid between her legs. "Richard!" She realized that calling attention to herself was the wrong thing to do. With her dress raised then everyone had a clear shot at her pussy and could see the end of Richard's dick as it moved back and forth. Robin was transfixed. She didn't even realize that I had unzipped her skirt and was pulling it off her. She only noticed when I nudged her up to get her panties over her ass. By then she was too far-gone to care she was in full display also. I unbuttoned her top and she pulled it off. Her bra was the last and she was sitting on my lap stark naked. Kristin, with Jimmy's dick in her mouth was watching me. She popped it out of her mouth and said to me, "Is it my turn yet?" I looked at Robin; she got a big smile on her face and said to Kristin, "You can but only if you'll switch places with me." Richard had moved Katy over to the back of he sofa. He unzipped her dress and it slipped off her shoulders and onto the floor. This time she didn't say anything. No one noticed as he removed her bra and then bent her over the sofa. They watched nude little Robin slide off Keith's lap and Kristin get on. Katy couldn't believe her eyes as Robin sucked Jimmy's dick into her mouth. I said to Jimmy, "It's as good as I said it was, isn't it." He just grinned. Katy looked at me realizing what I had just said. Instead of being shocked she was turned on and wondered what I looked like. Richard had been rubbing his dick up and down her slit and she knew she was going to get it soon. It surprised her was when she felt his tongue at her hole licking. "Oh," she couldn't help it, everyone turned to look. Richard stood up and took a bow. We all laughed and watched as he went back to eating her. She might have been embarrassed, but it felt too good to care. I unbuttoned Kristin's blouse and pulled it off. Running my hands over her silky bra I pinched her nipples. She let out a sigh. I reached back and unclasp her bra, letting it fall free. Reaching under it I molded my hands to her tits. Then pulling my hands away from her, the bra dropped to the floor. The zipper was in the back and I had to have her stand to get it. I massaged it down her hips and it slipped to the floor. I looked over at Richard who was now slowly pumping in and out of Katy and staring at Kristin. I took her by the hips and swiveled them for him. She looked to see what I was doing and caught our eye contact. She decided to play with the show and ran her hands up to her breasts and then down to her wet panties. Richard was pumping at a much faster pace now. I inserted my thumbs at the edge of the elastic and slid them slowly down. She stepped out of them and picked them up. "Can I have them?" It was Jimmy, but it didn't sound like him. His voice was broken and ragged. Kristin smiled and handed them to him. He looked like he had won first prize. Pulling them to his face he inhaled. That put him over the edge. We could see him shaking as he emptied his load into Robin's sucking mouth. Katy had her first orgasm seeing that display. Spent, Jimmy laid down and watched the show before him. Robin looked up at me and smiled. "Thank you for letting me do that." "How could I say no to anything you wanted?" "I love you." "I love you too." She got up and took Kristin by the hand, pulling her over so that they were on each side of me. Pulling me up, they took turns undressing me. When they got to my boxers, both of them were pulling at the front trying to get it to pop out the fly. Frustrated Robin yanked them down. It pulled my stiff dick with it and when it popped free it bounced up and down, much to their delight. They led me to the center of the floor, right in front of Katy. Kristin wrapped her hand around my dick and stroked it, pointing at Katy. I could see her licking her lips and I wondered how they would feel around it. Robin pulled me down to the floor. She had an agenda. "Kristin, sit on his face and let him get you nice and wet." Kristin was more than eager to be told to do something so fun. Robin then took me into her mouth. Not much more than the head fit in, but oh how good it felt. Richard seeing a two some being done right before his eyes was so excited he was slamming it in and out of Katy. She was so turned on by the sight that she was starting her next orgasm. "Now Kristin come down here and I'll help you like you did me." Katy, Richard and Jimmy were trying to figure out what that meant when they saw Kristin turn around and straddle my dick. Robin was holding it upright. When Kristin made contact, Robin moved it back and forth lubing it up. Kristin being older had an easier time when the tip slid in. Everyone was holding their breath and they exhaled. Kristin was feeling a little devilish and wanted to give Robin a taste of what she had. She dropped her weight and in one stroke was fully impaled. Robin's hand was trapped, but what Kristin forgot was the initial pain of tearing her hymen. "Ouch!" "What's wrong?" Katy said. "She was a virgin, mom." "It feels better now." She looked at me and smiled. "Are you going to ask her now." We could feel Robin trying to get her trapped fingers out from between us. This wasn't lost on Richard. I'm sure he would be having fantasies about that. "You're just being nasty you know. The first time, it was an accident. She didn't do it on purpose." Much to Kristin's disappointment I grabbed her waist and lifted her, releasing Robin's hand. Katy was looking at me. "What do you mean? Robin's no longer a virgin?" "Mom!" Katy turned and looked at her daughter. "Don't try and blame Keith. I don't think he could have turned me down if he wanted to. Not that he tried. After that first time, he said we had to have protection. I didn't care, but he said that he didn't want you to see me pregnant before I got married." Katy had tears in her eyes. She looked at me and said, "Thank you." Kristin had adjusted to my size by now and was ready to ride me. We put on quite a show. She had had three orgasms by the time I was ready to blow. Her forth orgasm set me over the edge and I pumped my seed into her. She lay atop of me exhausted. Robin rolled her off me. I thought I was through, but Robin sat on my head and I couldn't resist her tight little body. I licked and sucked her to two breathtaking orgasms. We were all exhausted. Richard and Katy went into her room. Robin and I ended up on her bed. That left Jimmy and Kristin to Jimmy's bed. He thought that was a great idea. Robin and I snuggled up close. My dick rose to the occasion. This was the first night we would spend together. Robin felt it and reached down guiding it into her waiting opening. We slowly rocked in motion. Jimmy had been the first to be out of action, but being young he was ready for more. Kristin was all too eager. Having learned the pleasures of fucking, she wanted more. Although tender, Jimmy was small and it worked just right. She again was the teacher, showing her very willing student. Soon we could hear the rhythm of the bedsprings as they were going at it. A little more faint was the same noise from Katy's bedroom. The frantic pace finally slowed down and stopped as ours did. We all drifted off to sleep with smiles on our faces. You would think I would learn, whenever I ejaculate I will need to pee shortly there after. So I woke up in the middle of the night with my bladder full. The only nice thing about it was my piss hard on was between Robin's legs. As good as that felt, I would be in pain if I didn't get up. When I got to the bathroom, the light was on, but the door wasn't fully closed. Richard or Jimmy, I thought. What the hell, I opened the door and stood stock-still. There was Katy. I could hear the tinkling of pee into the toilet, but what caught my attention was she was off in a daydream rubbing her tits. The door made its full path and hit the wall. The sound made Katy jump and look over. She saw me standing there, hard dick in hand, staring at her. ------- Chapter 8 "Sorry." I whispered. "Doesn't look like it." She dropped her gaze down to my crotch. "Ahhmm," I had to think, why the hell am I here? "I had to go." She had that smile on her face. Like mother, like daughter, I thought. She motioned for me to come over. Like I had a choice, I went. I was standing in front of her, my dick just a little lower than eye level. She got up and stood there. How the hell was I suppose to go now? It took all the concentration power I had to try and relax. I stared down at the toilet; I knew that if I glanced at her I'd go hard again. Finally what seemed like hours, probably a minute I started to go. "Ahhhhhh." When I was done I looked back up, she was gone. I was in such a fog that I wondered if I imagined the whole thing. The next morning was hell. All of us were tired. To top that off Katy was in a particularly strange mood. One minute perfectly normal and the next silent and withdrawn. I was very concerned for Richard. When Katy's sister Millie came she positively broke down crying. Millie carted her off and that's when I was able to get him alone. "Are you and Katy having a problem?" He looked at me like I was crazy. Then it dawned on him. I hadn't been there for the arrangements. "Keith, today is the funeral." It hit me like a load of bricks. God, what an insensitive bastard I was. I'd been toying with relationships and sex in front of Katy while she had to deal with this. Richard saw the color drain out of my face and with an, "Oh shit", He watched me walk out the door. I needed to be alone. My mind was a whirl of things and most of them pretty rotten. Talk about a shit head, maybe my older sister had been right all those years. I walked up to the spring thinking that I didn't deserve someone like Robin, or Kristin for that matter. I was sitting there, so far into myself that I didn't even hear them come up to find me. Richard saw the look, that distant withdrawn look in my eyes. As soon as he watched me walk out the door he found Robin and Kristin and told them to go find me. They thought that he just wanted to talk to me, but were happy to have something to do. He didn't know where I'd gone, but Robin knew that I would probably go to one of two places, the spring or the bachelor pad. They tried the spring first, finding me there. They weren't trying to be quiet, talking as they came up. When they saw me and I wasn't responding to them at all, they knew something was wrong. Robin took my hand. That's the first I noticed them. I looked up at her and started to cry. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." They looked at each other, completely baffled. "What are you sorry about? What did you do?" "Your mom is having to deal with the funeral. She lost her husband, you lost your father, and I'm being such a jerk. I'm so sorry." Kristin put her arm around me as Robin sat on my lap. "Keith I want you to listen to me. Mom is having a really bad time now. She lost her brother." I looked up at her in surprise. "Mom told me after she had that conversation with you. It make a lot of sense to me now. Jimmy lost a father. I lost an uncle, although I didn't know he was my uncle. If you remember I didn't like my step father all that much. I think that's because mom and he weren't getting along. Anyway if you think for one minute that it would have been better for you to not have shown up in Carp, well I'm going to..." She started to tickle me. Kristin followed suit, knowing even better places to get me. I tried to resist and remain glum, but it didn't work. In no time I was laughing. By now I was on the ground with Robin on one side of me and Kristin on the other. Robin tilted my head towards her. "Without you in my life I'd be nothing. You are everything to me. We have everything to thank you for, so don't be feeling that you've done anything wrong." Kristin chimed in. "Without you finding this town and falling in love with Robin, where would I be?" I turned to look at her and she kissed me. "If it wasn't for what you know. I'd still be drinking poisoned water and you wouldn't have brought Richard here. I can't remember when I've seen my mom so full of such hope. So you can stop feeling sorry about something that you thought you did." "Yea" With that they started to kiss me all over. In better spirits I was able to start tickling them and soon it became a joyous ruckus. It died down and then Robin remembered she was suppose to do something for her mom and took off leaving Kristin and I. We had some time to talk and hand in hand we left the spring with smiles on our faces. Katy had returned to the house and was doing a lot of nothing. When we arrived I went over to her, held her hands, looked in her eyes, and told her we were all here for her. Tears started welling in her eyes. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around me and whispered "Thank you, you don't know how much you and Richard mean to me." The service was in four hours and I had to get Kristin back to the train. It was with great surprise when Katy suggested that Robin go with us. So ten minutes later we were on the road back to Caliente. As soon as were out of town Robin who was in the back seat climbs over and squeezes into the center. It was a little tight, but I like it tight, so who am I to complain. At this point Kristin starts describing the trip down, blowjob and blown tire. Robin is in hysterics. Then she has to tell Kristin about the trip with Brian in the back seat and seeing cum all over her face. "So that's when you found out that he wanted me to do that to him?" "Yes" I was highly amused by the story telling and also very turned on. I found out that I wasn't the only one. We were way passed Elgin by this point and Kristin said, "It doesn't seem that it's very safe to have Keith driving when he gets a blowjob." "Yes I would have to agree." Robin replied. I could see the silent communication between the two of them. It had me worried. "Well then Keith I think you'd better pull over." What a dummy I am, "What for?" "So we can give you a blowjob stupid." Both Kristin and Robin were laughing at this. I didn't know whether I should be embarrassed, but I stopped the car, and quick. Kristin was pulling me into the center while Robin exchanged places with me. They had their hands all over me. My pants were open before I knew it. I was being nudged by Robin to lift and as soon as I did my pants and underwear were down around my ankles. They grabbed my stiff shaft and were almost fighting for it. "It would be better if you took turns." I took Robins face in my hands and brought her up to my lips. As I started to kiss her I could feel Kristin's tongue lick the end of my tip. This went back and forth for a while, one of them kissing me and the other kissing, licking, and sucking. As the tempo increased both girls were getting impatient for the other to finish. They would break off their kiss early and almost push the other one off. This quickly degraded to forgetting about kissing me and both of them were licking and kissing each side of my dick. Not that I was complaining, I was moaning, God it felt so damn good. I was getting so close, "Robin, Kristin, I'm going to" that was as far as got, both of them were trying to get my tip in there mouth. The result was that they were practically frenching each other. I was squirting and they were each trying to get the more than the other. I don't know who had enjoyed it the most. I was drained and happy. Kristin and Robin were giggling. "I don't think that he could have been driving for that one." Kristin laughed. "Yea, we'd be off the road or in Idaho by now." Robin retorted. We had to get back on the road fast to deliver Kristin to the train station in time. Even so we arrived only 10 minutes before the train. Robin asked, "When can you come back?" "I'm not sure, I'll have to look. Very soon I hope." Then turning to me, "You know moms been very suspicious that I haven't been coming home." "I have to call her, I'll talk to her." "Are you going to tell her about what we talked about?" Kristin said with anticipation. "I hope so, and more." "More?" "OK, you two you're leaving me out." Robin was trying to pout. "What are you talking about?" "I can't tell you yet." "I don't even know everything he was talking about. He was teasing me too." Kristin said. "He likes to do that." And with that Robin tried to tickle me. It was time for Kristin to get on the train, then we said our sorrowful goodbyes. I kissed her long and tenderly and she was gone. Robin and I got back in the car and headed home. Funny I was thinking of Carp as home. I was in a deep contemplative mood when Robin touched my arm. "Are you ever coming back?" she said. "What?" "You've been in another world." "Just thinking of stuff." "Keith?" "What do you want to ask?" "How did you know?" "The way you said my name." "You love Kristin, don't you?" "You know I do, so?" "Do you want to marry her?" I looked over at her. She had the start of tears in her eyes. "Robin my sweet, how do I answer that question." "I knew it." Tears rolling down her cheeks at this point. "Now hold on. I think your coming to conclusions that aren't quite what they seem." She looked at me trying to figure out what I had just said. "Yes I would love to marry Kristin, but not at the expense of not being able to marry you. And I really can't marry her, she's my sister." "Well my mother and her brother were married." "I bet if you asked, you'd find it wasn't a legal marriage and besides they could get away with it being in such an isolated place." "Well I thought that you were going to live in Carp too, you could do it." "Yes I could and I'd love to have Kristin as a wife. But the one I want to marry, you know legally, is you." She hadn't noticed but I had been slowing down and now I stopped the car. I got out and walked around to her side, opened the door and got down on one knee. "Robin Thiesen will you marry me?" She hadn't known what I was doing and when I said those words, her eyes got so big and she started crying again. She was smiling through them and shaking her head up and down. Finally she was able to get her voice. "YES, YES, YES, do you know you've made me the happiest person alive!" "Kristin knew you'd say yes. That's what we were talking about at the train station." "She knew you were going to ask me?" "Yes, In fact we talked about when and how I should do it. This wasn't quite the time that we had picked, but it seemed right." "I can't believe she knew. I think I love her almost as much as you do." I got back in the car and we were on our way again. "Robin." "Yes, am I, what do you call it, oh yea, your fiancé?" "Yes that is what you call it. I need to ask you a really big favor and your not going to like it." "What?" "I need you to act like I haven't ask you yet." "Why not, it's the best thing that's ever happen to me, and you're asking me to act like it didn't happen. I don't understand." "I need to do something first, actually I'd like to do two things first. I want to ask your mom's permission. I think with all that I've been though with her getting to trust me I need to ask. At this point I know what the answer is going to be." Robin was all smiles. "The second is that I want to get you a ring. I want this to be official. So I know it will be hard, but please let me ask your mom first." "I understand, but you know it's going to be hard. How am I suppose to contain how I'm feeling?" Then she got this sly look on her face. "How soon can you get the ring." I had to laugh. "You little monster, this is what it's all about. You just want a ring, don't you." "Every girl dreams of having a ring on their finger, but what really counts is that I have you." We held each other close the rest of the way home, knowing it would be different when we got there. As soon as we arrived back at Katy's, we had to get ready. The mood had been off when we left, but now it was downright somber. Richard and I left to the bachelors pad to get ready. There was no time to talk and I had lots to tell him. After we were done, we meet Katy, Robin, and Jimmy at Millie's house. Katy and Millie were consoling each other as we walked down to the meeting hall. There were about forty to fifty people standing outside. I figured they were waiting for us to arrive, but as I got closer I realized I didn't know any of them. The hall itself was packed, standing room only, there must have been al least 200 and I only knew a little more than half of those people. I didn't have time to think about it as we were ushered up front. We sat across the front row. With Millie, Bruce, and Brian on one side of the isle and Katy, Richard, Robin, myself, and then Jimmy on the other side. When we were seated the man who was behind the podium and casket rose. There was an audible gasp from both Katy and Millie. I as well as everyone else looked over to them. People were murmuring, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I could see Bruce holding on to Millie and Katy whispering something to Richard. I was about to find out what the commotion was all about as he began to speak. "Today we are gathered in the presence of God to lift up the life of my son, Bill Theodore Thiesen." I looked over to Katy with horror on my face. How could this man do this to her? I felt the tight grip of Robin on one side and Jimmy on the other. I looked down to see the same kind of expression on their faces. I don't remember anything from the eulogy; my mind was in a panic. What would happen now? I sat there dumbfounded as the service went on to people getting up and saying what they remembered about Bill. Richard and I exchanged glances a few times and I could see the same turmoil was going on inside of him. When the service was over we were ushered out and there standing in front was a horse drawn carriage. I had never seen anything like it. The ushers then brought the casket out and placed it in the back. We all walked behind as it made its way to Bill's final resting place. It was during this point that I notice Katy's father staring at Richard and I. Katy reached down and kissed the casket, tears flowing. It was a fitting tribute to the man who was her brother, her savior, and then her husband. A man she loved in many different ways, a man she would miss. The recent bad times set aside; Bill had taken care of her when she desperately needed to be taken care of. Yet a new life was unfolding in front of her and she was embracing it with joy. This was the first time in her life that she had made the decisions about her destiny. Millie was having about as hard of a time as Katy. This was her younger brother, with whom she had fought and cried with, laughed and joked with. She could remember like it was just yesterday when he came and told her that Katy as pregnant with his child. The sheepish look on his face full of anticipation to be accepted by her. He was only thirty, he should not be dead. He just shouldn't be. She had a hard time facing the casket. She didn't want to accept it. She set flowers on the top of the casket and turned to Katy. They fell into each other's arms sobbing. Patrick Thiesen was having a problem with the emotion his two daughters were showing. It was his son, yes, but he hadn't lived a very exemplary life. It was Bill that had introduced Cliff Johnson to Katy in the first place. What a tragedy that had been, he should have ask me first and he knew it. He had taken advantage of Katy and made her pregnant. Well she was the wild one of the bunch, but Millie? Millie had always been the level headed one. When Mildred had died, Millie, only nine, took to the task of caring for Katy. She had let him pick out the suitable husband for her. Yet here she was blubbering on about her brother. He just couldn't stand it. The crowds of people were saying their condolences to Patrick, Millie, and Katy. They had yet to say anything to each other. When it was down to the last few people, Patrick turned to Katy and Millie. "It is good to see you." Surprisingly it was Millie who turned on him. "How dare you come back like this and pretend like nothing has happened." Richard and I were stunned. We had never seen this side of Millie. Her husband was shaking is head. All the last people that were standing there went silent. "Did you think that I wouldn't come for my own sons funeral?" It was now Katy's turn. "Well you weren't here for much of his life, but now he can't embarrass you any more. I guess you wanted to see it end." There was more acid in her words than I thought possible. He obviously felt it and turned away, talking to another townsperson. Even Millie had been surprise with the venom from her sister's mouth. Turning to us she said, "Come on, we can come back and mourn in private." With that Katy, Robin, Jimmy, Richard, and myself started on our way back. Millie, Bruce and Brian were close behind us. It didn't take anyone with a college education to see that there was a high degree of tension between father and children at that point. It also meant that he was not going to be staying with them for the night. That could have been a problem, except for the forthcoming offer. "John and I couldn't help but overhear that little spat. It seems like you might need a place to spend the night. You're more than welcome at our place, Pat." It was little Cheryl Friesen, well not Friesen now; she was married to John Reimer. What a catch John had made. He was eighteen years older than her. Patrick remembered her as a precocious child. One year younger than Katy, she used to be over at their house all the time. He had to watch himself, as she liked to jump into his lap and squirm around. It caused more than one embarrassing moment when his manhood took over his will and started to make itself known. That was a long time ago though. "Considering the circumstances, I'd love to take you up on your generous offer." And so off went John, Cheryl, and Patrick to their house. "I don't know about John, but I can tell you that I'm so glad to see you back. You were gone for too long as far as I'm concerned. I know that, well almost everybody in this town is happy to see you." She went on and on and on. By the time they got back to the house both John and Patrick were glade Cheryl had something else to do than talk. She was just as busy though, getting dinner started and setting up the guest room. They lived in the typical one-bedroom house that had been constructed there. The only difference was on the other end of the house there had been a second bedroom added. They had always hoped that room would be for their child. As time past Cheryl had not conceived. It had been a sore subject for many years. ------- Millie had finally caught up with Katy. "Katy, did you really think you needed to tear into him like that, I mean with all those people around?" "Do you think I care? Wasn't he the one that chased off my boyfriend and Robin's father, leaving me destitute? I wish it was him in that coffin." As soon as she said that she got this horrified look on her face. Tears started rolling down her face. "I'm sorry I didn't mean that, I really didn't, but you know how hard it is to have him waltz in like he did." "Yes I know. I don't think he was the great family man. If you would have known your mom, if she would have been around, things would have been different." Nobody else said anything, none of the rest of us dared. I turned and looked at Richard and motioned him to follow me outside. Once we were alone, I said, "Lets take a walk." "What's on your mind?" "I asked Robin to marry me." "You did what? Does Katy know?" "It was a little premature." "I'd say." "I need to ask for Katy's blessing first, and I want to get her a ring." "This is it I guess." "You've seen the two of us together, can you imagine us not together?" "No, I guess not. What about Kristin, what does she think?" "I was thinking about becoming an Mormon, so I could have more than one wife." "Keith, you're unbelievable. But seriously." "Would you think less of me if I could work out a way to have Kristin live with us also?" "Your serious. Shit Keith, if you could do it what I would be was damn jealous." "How are you and Katy doing?" "Keith, if I was as brave as you, I'd be popping the same question to her." "What's stopping you, worried that she'll say no?" "That's not it at all. It's just so fast. I want to know that what she is feeling for me is real and not because she's lost something that she wants to replace. Do you know what I mean?" "Yes I do. In fact Katy and I had a talk about that already." "You did, when?" "The day after I left you two in Brian's bedroom for the night." "I never thanked you for that." "No you didn't, but she did." "She did, what did she say. Not the thanks stuff, the other." I told him of our conversation, about the question that I ask her. The answer that she gave and that we were going to talk again. "So you think?" "I think she loves you Richard, and from what Robin said, she hasn't seen her this full of joy in a long time. If you want I can talk to her again and make sure." "I would like that, I'd like to make sure that my feelings are reciprocal. The only thing that clouds this is her father showing up." "I know how you feel. From what I know he has a lot of say in this town, or at least use to. I'm wondering if he could derail Robin and me. After the comments Katy and even Millie gave to him, I think our position with him could be strained." "I would agree, we're going to have to play it by ear. I would like to know though. It would be nice to give her a ring if I were to propose, you know." "You sly snake." "Well I think they have them at the PX and as I have to go back." "Yea how mad do you think they're going to be with you?" "Maybe enough to let me go." "Probably, but you want a honorable discharge, not the dishonorable kind." "I wouldn't worry about that, I have a few things up my sleeve." "I don't doubt that at all. I guess I'd better take you back in the morning." "Yea, I guess you're right. Let's get back and see what's going on." We came back to a potluck dinner that was being assembled. People from the town had dropped by bringing food. Millie, Bruce and Brian were still there and as the food had started arriving they were just going to stay. There was so much going on that you couldn't stop. I guess that's what happens after a funeral. Nobody wants to think about it and so they occupy themselves with anything else to not think. I had just cornered Katy somewhat alone and told her that I'd like to talk with her. It had been a long day and she was wearing out. I was hoping to be able to get her before she was so exhausted that she couldn't think anymore. "Sure what do you want to talk about?" I half pulled her into Robin and Jimmies bedroom. "I need to ask you a question." "OK, shoot." "Katy this is serious." Her expression changed. "Oh, what is it." "I know that this is not the best of times to be asking and I'm sorry about that. I also don't know how it all works around her." "Keith, just spit it out." She said it in a loud enough voice to make the people close to us turn and look in our direction. I couldn't wait any longer or be concerned with them. "Katy, I want to ask your blessing." She had this blank look on her face. "It's a little late now, we've already pretty much eaten." It was Jim Williams who was standing close enough and apparently had been listening to our conversation and stepped in. "Katy, I think Keith here is asking for your permission to marry your daughter." She was staring at him with the same blank look and then back at me. I was nodding my head up and down in agreement to what Jim had just said. I think it finally got through to her. A smile started spreading across her face. "That is the best thing I've heard all day. I think you already know the answer to that question though." "I was hoping I did, but I needed to ask anyway." "Well then for formality sake, the answer is yes." "Thank you." "So, when are you going to ask her?" I thought I wouldn't answer that question directly. "I have to take Richard back to the base tomorrow and I thought I'd get her a ring." "You have to take him back?" There was a strained sound in her voice. "Don't worry we won't be gone long. Richard is already figuring a way to get out and be back as quick as possible." "Good, I don't want to loose him." "Katy, trust me, I don't think you have to worry about that." "That is so good to hear. You just don't know what that means to me." "I think I have an idea." People had started to leave and Millie came and got Katy to say goodbyes. Jim came back around and said that he was happy to hear about the impending engagement. He also told me of ideas they had to honor the town heroes. He also ask about the water supply hookup. Although the Mennonites were used to doing without many modern conveniences, not having running water in each of the houses was becoming tiring. I told him Richard and I would be working on that full time now. After everyone had gone, Millie, Bruce, and Brian said their goodnights and left and walked home. They thought it was a bit strange to see someone using the phone at this hour. They weren't close enough to make out who it was and figured it was one of the many he had come into town for the funeral. It was at this point Robin looked at Richard and I. You could tell she was thinking, trying to figure something out. We felt like a little uncomfortable. Even more so when a smile crept upon her face. "I was trying to figure out were you two should sleep, of course considering the other night I wonder if that's a mute point. But there are a lot of people coming and going now. I don't want the wrong information getting around." "You mean like your father finding out." Richard said. "Yes that is what I'm afraid of. Keith you should know that what you asked me is now all over town, I can almost guarantee it. So if you don't want her to find out from someone else, I'd suggest you do it very soon." I took that as a clue. Robin was looking at me strangely, but broke into a big smile when I got down on one knee and ask her for the second time today. "Robin, will you marry me?" She knocked me over as she wrapped her arms around me kissing me. "Well," Katy said "We didn't hear an answer." "Was there ever a question? This is what I wanted from the first time I saw my prince." Everyone laughed and knew it was true. Even though I knew it was asking a lot, I did it anyway. "Katy, do you think it would be OK if I took my fiancé home with me tonight?" Jimmy was looking at me with big eyes. Katy was obviously weighing the outcome finally said, "Yes Keith, go ahead. It's not the first time, but now it's official." "Thank you for your trust." She laughed at that. It had been a long and strenuous road to get to be where we were now. But we trusted each other now. Richard had been in the background of this whole interchange and I was wondering what he was thinking. I didn't have to wait long. He looked at me and I knew what was going on in his mind. I nodded to him, yes. He took Katy by the hands and bent down on his knee. Katy had this almost shocked look upon her face. "Katy, I have known you for only a short time. But in that time my life has been fulfilled. You have made me feel like I belong. That I am part of something special and that something special is you. I cannot imagine living a day without you. Katy will you marry me?" Tears were running down her face. Nobody had ever said anything so special to her in her entire life. I could tell this was something between Katy and Richard and they didn't need an audience. "Come on Jimmy, you can walk with us to the old Johnson place." So Robin, Jimmy, and I walked out the door leaving Katy and Richard alone. Robin was on pins and needles. She couldn't stand that we had left without an answer. I had the feeling that the answer wasn't the definite yes like Robin's was and I didn't want Jimmy or Robin to be around for the aftermath. After all the depressing stuff that was gong on the rest of the day, this exciting little part made Jimmy hyper. He was running circles around us chatting up a storm. I had my arm around her shoulder and was giving her gentle squeezes. I was looking at her, she was looking at me, I couldn't tell you what Jimmy was talking about. We were in another world. I got a brilliant idea and altered our course. We ended up at Millie's "What in the world are you three doing out." Millie said. "We wondered if Brian might want Jimmy to spend the night." Jimmy looked at me like I was crazy. Millie caught on that he had no clue about this. "Oh is there something special going on." "Were engaged!" Robin blurted out. "Oh my." Millie said. "Bruce, Brian come quick." They came running. "Tell them Robin." "Keith and I are engaged." She was a little more reserved this time, almost blushing. "Well congratulations are in order." Bruce said. "Yes and they wondered if Jimmy could spend the night with Brian." Bruce gave me a sideways glance. I was beginning to feel as though I had made a bad choice. "I think that would be alright. I'm sure they have lots to talk about, don't you?" Bruce was giving me a very polite way out. "Yes, " I said, There is a lot to talk about, and Richard and I have to get back to the base tomorrow, so it will be a few days before well be back." "Well run along then." Millie said. I gave a nod to Bruce. He acknowledged it without a second glance. Although I didn't really want to, we had to go back. Katy would be expecting Jimmy to come back. As there were no phones in any of the houses, we had to return. What we found pleased me to no end. We heard some soft slow music as we got to the front door and as I opened it we saw Katy and Richard dancing in the living room. They were swaying to the music, lovers in a dance. I closed the door behind us and taking Robin in my hands, started to dance with her. When the song ended Katy looked up and was startled to see us. "When did you get here?" "Just a minute ago, we didn't want to interrupt anything." I said. "Good thing we were just dancing." Richard shot back. "Richard!" Katy said. Robin and I were laughing. "Were is Jimmy?" "He's spending the night with Brian." "He is! What did Millie say?" "Congratulations." Robin said with glee. "Oh, you didn't say anything about us did you?" The worried look on Katy's face confirmed my suspicion. "No, you get to do that when the time is right." "How did you know?" "Don't know the specifics, but the hesitation was there. That was enough for me." Robin looked at me, she know understood why I got them out of the house. As Katy explained it, she wants to say yes to Richard. She also wants to feel that she is saying yes for the right reasons. Part of that is the talk Katy and I had, part of it was the funeral, and the other part is that her father showed up. All in all she wants to be sure and she wants Richard to be sure that she is saying yes for the right reasons. Richard was glad that she had been completely honest with him. He was sure that she would be saying yes to him when he returned and I think Katy did too. We were standing there, the four of us and I started kissing Robin. Richard took the cue and started with Katy. Soon the four of us were on the couch making out. It was a tight fit and our bodies were rubbing each other. My hands were all over Robin and from the sounds of it Richard wasn't far behind me. I couldn't take it any more. I scooped up Robin and took her into her bedroom. "In a few weeks you'll be Mrs. Patterson, how does that feel?" She looked up at me with love in her eyes, "Lovely, Mr. Patterson." "Good, then let me take you to bed. We need to start practicing on making our children, I hope you want lots." She giggled, "As many as you can give me." I don't know if Katy and Richard got any sleep, we didn't. We might have been keeping them awake with the headboard bumping into the wall time after time. The next morning Katy and Richard stumbled out of their room with sleepy glances at us. You would have thought Robin would have been tired, I know I was, but she had a glow that was positively radiant about her. Jimmy and Brian showed up as we were eating breakfast. "Wow Robin, you look, well I don't know. Is that what happens to you when you get engaged?" Brian was so sweet. The four of us snickered. "Yes Brian, you get to feel all tingly inside." I had to put my hand over my mouth to stop from laughing. I could see Richard and Katy were having the same problem. Robin pinched my leg under the table and gave me a dirty look. She was trying to be nice and we were taking it all dirty. Soon it was time for Richard and I to go. We assured them that we would be back as quick as possible. I gave Robin a kiss and Richard gave one to Katy. Brian and Jimmy had their mouths hanging open watching this. Then we were off. ------- Patrick had left Carp with Cliff thirteen years ago. Cliff didn't know it at the time but he was being taken back to his parents. Eighteen years old or not, Patrick wasn't going to stand for what Cliff did to his little girl. By the time Cliff figured out what was going on they were close to his home. When they stopped to get gas Cliff disappeared. Patrick was then forced to go to his parents, but empty handed. Cliff's parents were furious at Patrick and were raising a stink in the church. To get away, Patrick went on a mission that took him away for the next two years. When he got back he found out that Katy and Bill had taken up house together. He was embarrassed to go back. He knew that it was his fault for what happened. He was down in the dumps, but had a call to start a church in a new area. Things were looking good for him and the church was growing. Then the ax fell. The major packing plant had a fire and the corporation wasn't going to rebuild. With the loss of jobs, people started to move. The church he built went down the drain. Feeling completely lost, he ended up being taken in by his best friends. It had been them that had suggested he go away on a retreat for the past month, something to clear his mind. It was only two days ago that he had heard about the death of his son. John and Patrick had just finished the dinner that Cheryl had made. If there was one thing about it, Cheryl could cook. They had been talking small talk throughout dinner, catching up on the events of the past year. Patrick may not have been there, but he knew plenty of people and news always got to him. Now that all of the other incidental stuff had been talked about he could ask what was really on his mind. What had bothered him as soon as he had stepped up to the podium this afternoon. Who were the two men with Katy? What he heard surprised him. It shocked him really. Poisoned water, ambush from Angle City, Bill being taken to the hospital and eventually dying, a man caught, a knifing here in Carp, and through it all there was Keith and Richard's names. The newly appointed town heroes, along with Brian of course. Patrick realized that he was swelling with family pride, hearing the tail of Brian. He was also realizing that he not only had new men to worry about in Katy's life, but a possible shift of power in the town to deal with. After the last church, a disappointing affair, he needed to feel in control. Carp had been his town, as the revered leader he was on the top. A position he enjoyed and wanted again. As bedtime approached his mind was filled with ideas of his rise back to the power he had enjoyed when he lived here. Instead of going to bed right away, he spent the next half an hour making notes in a journal that he had been keeping for many years. He finally climbed into bed and turned off the lights. Patrick was tired but his mind was still running full speed. As he was staring into the black space he heard the door open and then close again. He saw the shadow approach him and knew it was Cheryl. The short nightgown she had on clung to her body in all the right places. She sat down on his bed and leaned over to him, whispering, "I've been lying awake waiting for you to turn off your light." It was as if he was transported back to when she was a little girl squirming on his lap. His body betrayed him as his manhood became stiff. "What did you want?" His words ragged. Her fingers now running across his chest, she looked at him with seductive eyes. "Pat, I want you. Ever since I was a little girl I've wanted you." Her hand was now traveling down to the lump in the sheets. He was powerless to stop her. "You don't think when I use to sit on your lap I couldn't feel you responding to me. I've been in love with you forever." Her hand now reached out and wrapped around his shaft. Oh it felt so good. It had been so long since he had felt the touch of a woman. He couldn't stop himself. This woman was 29 years younger than him and beautiful. He wrapped is arms around her and pulled her face to his. Her lips were so soft and when they kissed, her tongue danced in his mouth. He was so far gone he didn't realize the noise they were making as they pulled their clothes off and she slipped into the covers. She reached down and grabbed her prize. She had wanted for so many years. He ran his hands across her firm breasts and pinched her nipples. She let out a moan as he continued to explore her body. Reaching between her legs he found she was very wet and as she spread her legs for him he was able to sink a finger into her tight yet very wet hole. She was panting heavily as she climbed on top of him, positioning his dick; she slid it in one fluid motion. It was heaven for both of them. It had been so long for him that it didn't take very long before he could feel the pressure building. "Cheryl, you need to get off," he said between his heavy breaths. "I'm going to do it soon." "Good, I want to feel it in me." She said as she speed up. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't stop it either; it felt like gallons pumping into her. "AAAAHHHHhhhhhhhhh" he screamed. Realizing then how much noise he had just made. She was sent off by his noise and thrashed around as her orgasm overtook her. He guiltily looked toward the door and was shocked. John was standing in the doorway, watching the two of them. There was no denying what had just happened. He pushed Cheryl off him and heard the slurping sound of their union separating. He looked at her and could see seamen running out of her. She then saw John with his arms folded in front of him. "John, look I'm sorry. I don't now quite what to say." "You don't have to say anything. Do you think I'm blind? I know that you have loved him for a long time. Hell half of the reason some people thought that Patrick left town was because of how you used to flirt with him. I kind of expected something like this would happen when he came back. I just didn't think we were going to have him in our house and it would be the first night." "You knew?" "Pretty obvious, babe. Do you think he gave you what you've been wanting?" Patrick had been stunned with this interchange. "What did you want?" He ask, not being sure he wanted to hear the answer. "I want a baby." It was said matter of fact. "John and I can't seem to conceive, so I want you to give one to me." "But," I was looking at John. How could he allow this? He answered my question. "You get to give Cheryl what she wants and I get to try something I've always wanted." Cheryl knew what he was talking about. Patrick was afraid to ask. She pulled me up out of the bed. He was a little embarrassed to be standing in front of John naked. She then led me to their bed and had me get into the center. As she climbed on one side John climbed on the other. John got on his knees and presented his dick to my mouth. Patrick then knew what John meant, He also knew he didn't have much choice in the matter. As he took John into his mouth, he felt Cheryl do the same to him. He didn't know what to do, But he got the idea Cheryl was showing him. He mimicked what Cheryl was doing, knowing how good that felt. He felt John getting bigger in his mouth and his hand went around the back of his head holding him in position. John then released. Pumping his cum into Patrick's mouth. He couldn't move and was forced to swallow the lot. It was a strange feeling, being controlled like that. One that he had never felt before. It sent a surge of adrenaline through his body and he started pumping his seed into Cheryl's mouth. She greedily sucked it all down. When they were done the three of them fell asleep in the bed they would be sharing for some time together. The next morning, Patrick was feeling very guilty for his behavior. He had awakened but couldn't get up as he was pinned between John and Cheryl. As he turned he saw Cheryl grinning at him. "I want another load from you." She put her arm around his neck and pulled him to her breast. With her other hand she reached down and wrapped it around his very stiff dick. Her hand was replaced soon with John's who was enjoying the feel. Patrick knew how wrong everything was, but the feeling was too much for him. It had been so long and this was a girl that had been a fantasy forever that he was now willing to do just about anything to have what was happening. If it meant sucking John off to be able to get Cheryl pregnant with his child, well so be it. He just didn't know what John had in mind. He started to find out when he felt John's hand on his dick and then felt John's dick pressing at his back hole. He was about to say something when Sheryl pulled him off the bed. She laid down on the edge with her legs spread, pulling Patrick down on all fours in front of her. She wrapped her fingers into his hair and pulled his face into her waiting pussy. It didn't take long for him to enjoy her taste. What really surprised him was when he felt something cold and slimy rub against his ass. John was kneeling behind Patrick. He had always wanted to fuck an ass. Cheryl wouldn't let him do it to her. She was the one that had brought the idea up really. What John didn't know was that a long time ago when Cheryl was a very little girl she had been over at the Reimer's house. She had seen John and his brother Bob playing with each other's dicks. She knew that she might be able get him to agree with what she wanted if he got to butt fuck. She got that and a lot more. It was so damn exciting to her she could care less that John seemed more interested in Pat than her. John had lubed himself up and was ready to make his entrance. Pat had little say in the matter. Cheryl had his head in her hands buried in her crotch, as John guided his dick into Pat's back entrance. It was tight and the only thing that was making it work was the lubrication that John had rubbed on. Cheryl was talking sweetly to Patrick, "Relax and enjoy the feeling. If you tense up it will only hurt you. If you relax it will fell good, because after you eat me, I want you to explode in me. I want you to fill me up like you did last night." The dirty talk did it, he started to relax and John slipped the head in. It felt to him as though he was being split open. John had is hands on Pat's hips holding him in place. After a short time John started easing more in. Pat was having a hard time concentrating on his job in front of him. The fullness of his ass was almost overwhelming. It would start to feel a little better and then John would push more in. John had had a contorted face trying to get it all in, my God was it tight, but oh did it feel good. When he bottomed out he got a big smile on his face and looked up at Cheryl. She too was smiling. She then started to pull Patrick up towards her. He thought it was all over with John, but he moved also. She pulled him up to the point that his dick was at her pussy. With the good job he had done on her she was very ready for him. He slid forward and into her. It also slid John out, but as he slid back John slid back into him. He now realized he was a fuck toy, being used between them. It might have seemed degrading, but to tell the truth, he was getting turned on. John having the tightest hole was the first to explode. He bent over hugging Patrick ramming himself into Pat. This caused Pat to push fully into Cheryl and she started to orgasm. Patrick feeling her contractions around his dick started his own orgasm, sending more baby making sperm up inside her. ------- The car that arrived in Carp that afternoon was brand new, the shiniest and biggest thing anyone had ever seen. When the man stepped out of it, Millie who had been down in the main area gasp. This was the second day in a row that she had been shocked by the arrival of someone. First her father and now, now Cliff. She ran as fast as she could to Katy's house. She was out of breath when she got there. She knew she hadn't done good things to her bad back either, but that wasn't as important as this. "Katy, Katy!" She was screaming. Katy came running, expecting the worse. When she saw her sister, red in the face and out of breath she panicked. "What, what's wrong. Is it Richard?" She hadn't realized she said that, but Millie heard it and knew. She knew Katy heart now belonged to Richard. "Katy, you aren't going to believe who just showed up in town." Katy had no clue, "Who?" "Cliff" It took the wind right out of Katy and she past out, falling to the floor. Millie was in more shock now. Luckily Robin and Jimmy had heard Millie shouting and came to find out what the excitement was. When they came around the corner of their house they saw was their mom on the ground. They ran and helped Millie carry her into the house and put her onto the couch. Robin ran and got a wet washcloth and placed it on her forehead. She had seen the nurse do that when Katy had fainted in the hospital. As Katy came back around she saw Millie, Robin, and Jimmy looking at her with worried eyes. "Mom, what's wrong?" Robin said with as much worry in her voice as she had had. "Millie told me she just saw Cliff arrive in town." "Cliff Johnson?" Jimmy asked. "Yes, the very one. I don't know why he came back, but I'm worried." "What is there to be worried about?" Jimmy couldn't see any problem. Robin was afraid she might know. "The thing I'm most concerned about is Robin." Robin started to cry, Jimmy was looking at her still not understanding. "Jimmy, Robin is his daughter. He could change everything that is going on. He could even try and take her away." She had to just about choke out those last words, Tears were falling from her face now. "But he doesn't even know her." Jimmy was trying to see some sense in the mater. "You know Katy, Jimmy is right. He has never seen her. I think that maybe she needs to leave town. I wish Richard and Keith hadn't left yet. It would be the safest thing." Katy couldn't believe her ears. She couldn't believe her sister said what she had just said, but she also knew it was true. "How are we going to get her out of town?" Robin sat there speechless as they talked about how they could make Robin disappear. In the end, even though neither one of them liked it, they came to the conclusion that they had to get their father involved. He would know who could be trusted and who couldn't. They didn't have that kind of information. So off Millie went to find him. Katy packed a few things for Robin and they left the house. They had told Millie they would be up at the spring. From there Jimmy had said there was a place you could see anyone coming up. Knowing how good a little spy he was, they believed him. Millie found out that her father had spent the night at the Reimer's house. She huffed a bit at that. Everyone knew that Cheryl had been a little tramp around her father. She knew it was of no coincidence that he had ended up there. She had to stop and let her anger subside as she was standing at the door. She knocked and he answered it. "Hello." She said. "Quite frankly I'm surprised to see you, after the reception I got yesterday." "Well, I think you deserved it, showing up like that. Did you ever consider our feelings?" "You have matured a great deal. You are right of course. I should have not been so hasty to make a grand entrance at your expense. So I'm guessing that you're not here to harp on me some more or Katy would be with you." "I don't think that is very funny. And no we have a much more serious problem that just showed up. Katy is worried sick." This apparently was no longer parent child bantering; this was something serious he could see it on her face. "What is it?" "You wouldn't have known but Robin just got engaged last night." "Oh, my." "That is not the problem, she will be 13 next week and the man is about as wonderful as can be." "Is it that Keith fellow?" "Yes it is, how did you hear about him?" "We talked a lot last night." Millie had to bite her tongue. "Yes I'm sure you did." "So then what's the problem?" "Cliff Johnson just arrived in town." The shock of what Millie had just said hit him like a ton of bricks. He had to sit down. "You're sure it was him?" "There was no question. He got out of the most expensive, brand new car anyone has ever seen. We are afraid for Robin." "And right you should be. Neither one of you knew Cliff as well as I did. He is a snake in the grass. Never to be trusted, you never knew it but it was because of him that I didn't come back. So what can I do?" "We thought it would be good for Robin to be out of town for a while, but we obviously can't take her. Cliff has never seen her, so that part is easier. We didn't know who we could trust that much. We knew you would." She had pushed the right buttons on him. He felt in power and he liked that position. "I will take a walk. I know one of the older couples that may need to take their granddaughter back home, if you know what I mean." Millie had a smile back on her face. "Yes I do. We thought it best that they weren't home, so they are up at the spring." "The spring?" "Oh that's right you would have called it the well. It really isn't a well. It's a spring." "OK, I know where you're talking about. I hope I just don't run into him before we can get her out of here." So off they went. Cliff, after making his grand entrance downtown, went to his house. He was there when Patrick made his rounds to his most trusted friends. Cliff never saw the car leave with a couple and a young lady in it. He was too busy looking through all of his things. Someone had been living in his house and he needed to find out whom. That person had gone through his things and now he couldn't find something, something of great importance. Latter that evening he was jarred from his thinking with a knock on the door. When he opened it a sly smile crept across his face. He knew it would happen, he hadn't expected it this soon. "Hello Reverend Thiesen." ------- Chapter 9 "Why have you come, you are not welcome you must know that." Patrick said. "Is that a way to talk to the father of your grandchild?" Cliff shot back. "You are not a father to that child, you have done nothing for that title." "As well you should know. I understand that when you drove me out before, you yourself did not come back. Leaving Katy to fend for herself. As I heard it was your son that took her in and bedded her." He was laughing an evil laugh. "But listen to me old man. I shall not be tricked like you did before when I was younger. I shall have Katy back just to spite you. I shall take your granddaughter away and you shall not see her again. I shall have my vengeance upon you." "Indeed things have changed. But what you can take away has changed also. If you think for one moment that you can take what you want as you tried before, then you shall again fail. For you are nothing and in the sight of those who you would want to have, that will be the most obvious." Patrick turned and walked away. Leaving a fuming Cliff. Patrick was indeed shaking when he arrived at Millie's house. Although it had been a long time, she had never seen him unsure of himself. Patrick started talking, more to himself than anyone else, although Millie listened. "He is going to be more of a challenge than I thought. I should not have confronted him alone. It was a mistake that I shall not make again." Then he turned to Millie and said, "It was wise to have removed Robin from this town. Cliff means to destroy as much as he can. I know I don't have a right to tell Katy anything, but maybe you can. Warn her about Cliff and what he could do." She could see the pleading in his eyes. She somehow felt a bit different about it now. Maybe it was that this wasn't his town any more and she could see the truth he was saying. "I will talk to her. That is all I can do." "She is a smart girl. She will listen to you. I've got to go." "You don't have to stay at the Reimer's. You can stay with us." "Thank you for saying that. After yesterday I didn't know if I'd ever hear another word from you. I suppose in a way I deserved it. But I have my things there and I feel obligated, at least for a short time. They have ask me to help with something and I can't turn them down now." He left before any more questions could be raised. Help with something indeed, help get Cheryl pregnant. She saw her father walk down the lane. She didn't like, or trust Cheryl one little bit. It infuriated her that her dad would be setting himself up in that tramps house. Millie sent Brian over to get Katy and Jimmy. They came right over. "He did what?" Katy said when she heard that he went and confronted Cliff. Millie told her the strange conversation. "The strange thing was that he said he shouldn't have done it. Does that sound like our dad?" "Not the dad I remember." Katy responded "That's what I thought. Either he's going soft," Both Katy and Millie laughed. "Or Cliff was very nasty." "I would imagine that he has quite a grudge against him." "Yes, and don't forget that he could try and take it out by way of your daughter." "Over my dead body." "Don't say things like that Katy. I couldn't bear to loose you." "I wish Richard and Keith were here." "I am guessing that Cliff doesn't stand a chance with you any more." "I don't think he really would anyway. I've changed a lot since then, but with Richard, no he doesn't. Richard asked me to marry him." "Oh my, Katy what did you say? You didn't tell me. Oh I can't believe it." "Now Millie, stop getting all flustered. I didn't say yes." "You didn't?" "I couldn't, I wanted to. But I didn't think it was fair. There has been to much going on. I didn't want to say yes, just to say it. I wanted it to be something that I could say YES to. Does that make any sense to you?" "You have grown up a lot Katy. I think that was pretty smart thinking. But if I were you I wouldn't wait to long. He seems to be a good catch and someone else will try and hook him." "I'm glad you like him. I had been thinking that when he came back I'd tell him. I just hope it's soon." "Does Robin know?" "Yes, she couldn't believe that I hadn't said yes." "Well she has her head in the clouds, I would to if I were her." "Millie!" "Well he is quite the catch too, I don't know how she did it. Actually I don't want to know." "Millie, I can't believe you. I just hope she remembers what I told her." "And that was?" "To try and call Keith and if he's not there try and try and try again. She called him when Bill got hurt. He came right away." "He is pretty special isn't he." "Yes and he loves Robin dearly, what more could I ask for." ------- I dropped Richard off at the base. He needed to deal with his own problems there. After our long talk in the car, I had other issues to take care of. First of all was my house. It was the standard housing around a military base. Not bad, but nothing special. I was glad I was only renting it. With a couple of calls I tracked down the landlord and gave my thirty-day notice. They saw it all the time. Off base housing was a premium in this area. I told him if he could rent it sooner all the better. I didn't need it past this week. My next call was to Congressman Patrick McCarran. His secretary told me he was in Las Vegas for the next week. There were two fundraising dinners, a trip to a children's hospital, and a few other things that I couldn't remember that she rattled off in my ear. I wondered if he really did all the things she said, or if that was a bunch of political shit to make it look like he was working. There were two good things out of that conversation, first he was in the area and second she gave me the local number to reach his staff. Never having called a man in his position before I didn't know all of the protocol. I did manage to convince them to give him a message. That he had indeed wanted to talk with me and I was now able to do that. I don't know whether it was dumb luck or if I said the right things, but within an hour I received a call back. The Congressman would take time out of his busy schedule to see me. The meeting was set up for eleven-tomorrow morning, better than expected. The rest of the day was spent packing up stuff. By the time Richard called for me to pick him up I was finished. It didn't take long when what you have is only the essentials. Richard told me to meet him at the front gate. When I arrived he was there waiting for me. He got in and said, "Lets go to the PX." Boy the guy couldn't wait. Neither one of us knew what we were looking at. They had three choices, but that didn't make it any easier. Of all the people to show up and start asking questions. "Hi boys, Keith I hear you're not on the base any longer. What are you doing with yourself? Oh my, what are we ever looking at? Doing some serious shopping I see. Is this for you or Richard?" It was Mrs. Huntington, the CO's wife. When both of us said yes at the same time she raised her eyebrows. "Well haven't we been busy beavers. Keith didn't I tell you to watch out for women?" There was a twinkle in her eye and then she winked at me. Richard saw it and almost started to laugh. "Well now boys, are you getting the same ones?" We had to admit that we hadn't a clue of what we were looking at. She became very helpful at that point. The only problem was the prying questions. In the end we left with packages in hand and only a slightly tarnished reputation. "So how bad did you get it?" I ask, wanting all the gory details. "It makes you wonder when half the people didn't even know you were gone." "Yea, well what about the other people?" "You know Keith, I have something on just about everyone on this base. How do you think I was able to go with you at first with no notice?" "To tell you the true, it kinda scared me." "Yea it does most people. I've never had to do anything. I just mention an incident and they just fall all over themselves. You know the saying the higher you are the further the fall." "OK so enough moralizing, what are you going to do? Were you able to talk to someone about getting out?" "No, I was so busy today trying to look like I was catching up on all the thing I was suppose to be working on. Like I told you, nobody knows what goes on in that department, not even the heads. I haven't been doing anything for weeks." "Richard, your to much." "Thank you," and with that he made a bow. "So what have you been up to?" I told him of my meeting with the congressman tomorrow and the necessary packing. Realizing that everything was packed we went to a dinner to get a bite. It was well after eight by the time we got back to my place. The phone was ringing when I opened the door. I ran to get it, but it stopped before I could get it. There were only three people who could have been calling me at that hour and I was hopping it wasn't my mother. Kristin or Robin would be nice to hear from. I thought about it and figured it must have been Kristin. So I dialed here up. "Hello, this is Keith Patterson, I'm looking for my sister Kristin." "Oh so you're Keith, Kristin is always talking about you. Say when are you going to come up so we can see what kind of dream boat you are?" I was floored "Ahm, I don't know. Maybe sometime. I'd have to talk to Kristin about it. Is she there?" "Oh sure she's here, are you sure you'd rather talk to her? I'm not doing anything right now. If fact I'd love to meet you when you come up. From the way Kristin talks, you're something special." This was getting embarrassing. "Well thanks, but I really do need to talk with her, family stuff, you know." "Well OK, bye then. I'll go and get her." I put my hand over the receiver. "Richard, you wouldn't believe it, I was just getting hit on by one of Kristin's roommates." "Oh yea, what does she look like?" He was grinning ear to ear. "Shut up", "No not you." Kristin had just picked up the phone to hear me say that to Richard. "Hi, who was that girl that answered the phone?" "You never mind her. If she got her claws into you, you'd never get free." "Thanks for the warning. She suggested that I come for a visit." "That would be great, but I'd have to monitor who you could see." "Oh why's that?" "Well I think I've talked about you a little too much. They think you're some kind of angel now." "And I'm not?" "Well yes to me you are, and Robin too I'm sure. Say talking about that, did anything happen, you know about what we talked about?" I told her about the trip back down and how I ask her then. How then I tried to ask Katy's permission and Jim stepped in to spell it out of what I was asking. Then how I ask Robin again in front of Katy, Jimmy and Richard. Kristin couldn't contain herself. She was gushing on about how sweet I was. I thought, no wonder her roommates think I'm some kind of saint. I then finished with the trip to the PX. She was laughing hysterically about Mrs. Huntington's involvement. I then remembered to ask if she had tried to call. It wasn't her and she didn't think mom would have called. That left only one other person, Robin. As there was no way to get a hold of her I ended the conversation with Kristin quicker than she would have liked. I told her I'd call her again tomorrow and that helped. As soon as I hung up the phone it rang. "Hello" "Collect call from Robin Thiesen, do you except the charges?" "Yes operator, Robin hi, did you try and call earlier?" I had anticipated a happy, giddy Robin, what I heard was a Robin full of distress. "Keith, I'm not in Carp anymore. Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for hours." "What, what happened? Where are you? Are you OK? What about Katy?" Richard heard the change in my voice and the rapid questions that I was asking. He came running over. "What's going on?" He said. I shrugged my shoulders as I heard her trying to explain the strange things that had happened. All Richard heard was my end of the conversation and what he heard made him pace the floor. "Katy fainted?" "Cliff Johnson, your sure?" "He's in town." "They talked to their dad?" "You did what?" "Who are you with?" "Where is Jimmy, is Katy OK?" "Robin, how can we get hold of her?" "Are you staying were you are now?" "OK, what's the number?" "Robin, don't you worry. It sounds like your mom did the best thing now. I'm sure Richard feels the same way I do. If I could I would be driving up there right now. Unfortunately I have an appointment tomorrow morning that I have to keep. Richard has to be back on the base also. We will get there as soon as we can." I wanted so desperately to be with her. To hold her, to comfort her. "Robin, do you remember what I said I wanted to get you?" There was a slight hesitation in her voice. "Yes." "I have it, and I can't wait to get it on you. I love you my dear sweet Robin." "Oh, Keith. You know just what to say to make me feel better, I love you too. I can't wait to see you." "I'll call you tomorrow, OK" "OK, bye, love you." "Bye, love you" There were as many questions from Richard as I had had with Robin. He was mad. "He probably waited until we left to come back in town." "You're worried about her." "Of course I am, aren't you?" "Yes, but I don't think for the same reasons." "Yea, I guess." "Robin told me we can get hold of Katy, you interested?" "That's a stupid question, can we do it now?" "Kinda late, but we can give it a try." As I dialed the one and only phone in Carp, I thought to myself that that was going to change as soon as I moved there. To our luck Hank Freedham, the doc, heard it ringing. He had been at on a house call, looking at a nasty infection. "Hello, this is Keith Patterson. Who did I get?" "Hello, Keith. This is Hank, how's Richard doing? "He's fine. Say Hank, can you do me a favor?" "Sure, ask away." "Can you get Katy? I think I may have left something at her house that I need. I can't find it and I want to know I didn't loose it." "Sure, no problem. I know what a pain it is to misplace something. It's going to take a few minutes. Why don't you call back in ten minutes. I'll have her here." "Thanks Hank, you're the best." "Think nothing of it." The next ten minutes were the longest in Richard's life. He was beating himself up for leaving, as though he had a choice. We were both watching the clock waiting for the time to pass. Finally I dialed the number and handed the phone to Richard. He took it in surprise. "Hi, is this Katy?" He was as nervous as could be. "Yes, Richard. Oh, you don't know how good it is to hear from you." "And you don't know how good it is to hear that." "You were worried, I'm sorry. I guess you talked to Robin." "Keith did. Cliff is there?" "Yes" I could see the stiffness in his body. "Is he, are you?" He just couldn't get it out. "Richard! So you weren't calling because you heard I fainted." There was some playfulness in her voice, Richard liked hearing it, but didn't like what she said. "You wanted to know if Cliff came back and stole me away from you, didn't you?" She had never had anyone so desperate for her. She liked the attention. Richard didn't like how it was making him feel. He didn't know what he would do if he lost her. "Katy." He barely got that out. She could hear the despair in his voice, this wasn't fun any more. "Richard, I love you. Do you hear me? I love you and only you. Cliff is not in my life, you are. You have nothing to worry about. Do you hear me?" "I needed to hear that, thank you. I love you too. I wish I could be there. I want to hold you." "I bet you'd like to do more than that, so would I." "Katy!" I could tell the conversation had changed. "Well are you telling me you wouldn't?" "No you know that's not true." "So when are you coming back. I would like you here." "I will get there as soon as I can. You may see Keith before I can get away. I love you." "I love you too. Bye." "Bye." No one was on the other end but Richard didn't want to hang up the phone. He looked at me. I knew what he was thinking and shook my head no. He knew as well as I did we couldn't drive back there tonight. We sat on my couch, listened to the radio, but didn't say much to each other. I saw him looking at the same thing I was looking at the rest of the evening. Two small ring boxes on the table. ------- Jimmy had seen his mother faint, Brian had seen his mother talking to her dad and he knew that it must be serious. She didn't like the new stranger he knew that much. Then Robin had to go. Jimmy missed his big sister. It was all because of this guy Cliff Johnson. As long as either of them could remember, everyone said he wasn't coming back. But here he was and it was causing all kinds of problems. They wanted to find out about him and maybe cause him some problems. Cliff felt refreshed in the morning. How vengeance makes you sleep so much better he thought. He was setting his plans out for the day. His primary one was to find the missing information in the house. He also had to find out who had been in the house. It obviously had been cleaned recently. A thorough cleaning, no man would do that he thought. He also had to find out who his friends were still in town and rally them around him. He was going to make Reverend Thiesen pay for the humiliation that he had caused him so many years ago. Then of course there was Katy. That would be the icing on the cake. He knew no woman could resist him. What he didn't know was there were two boys about to make his life miserable. They were sneaking around looking at him through the windows. He had the feeling that he was being watched, but couldn't see anyone. They were just too quick for him. They saw him looking through things like he was looking for something and couldn't find it. Then they got an idea, collected some pebbles and found a nice hiding place. Brian and Jimmy knew it wouldn't take long before he would come out and they didn't want to get caught. So with ten pebbles each they started throwing them at Cliff's house. The first ones didn't quite hit, so they threw harder. They were blaming each other as they ran way as to who broke the window. Cliff had heard some thunks and wasn't quite sure what it was. He was about to look when the kitchen window shattered. He ran into the room. Glass was everywhere. By the time he looked outside the boys were long gone. He wasn't sure what happened, but he had a pressing matter that couldn't wait. Going into the bathroom, he relived himself and flushed. The bowl didn't refill. He turned on the faucet and it didn't work. "What the hell is going on, who turned off my water?" He went outside to check, but the water was on. He didn't know that the water supply was off from the source. Deciding to check on it later, he went back to looking for his lost papers. When they were far enough away they knew nobody was after them, they started laughing. They were trying to think of their next prank when two of the women of the town came walking up the lane. They thought they were done for, but the ladies passed them by. As they walked by the boys overheard them talking about Cliff's car. They looked at each other and smiled. Cars were not used much around Carp, so they didn't have much experience with them. Finding the car back at Cliff's place, they looked it over. They were smart enough to know better than create any permanent damage. But there were other things that could be done. The car doors were locked, but then they noticed they didn't need the door. A side vent window was open. Brian's arm was just long enough to reach in and roll down the window. They left and although it took some time they gathered a handful of puncture vine thorns. After returning to the car they rolled down the window. With cloth seats the thorns held nicely in strategic places. They rolled back up the window and took off. An hour later, finding nothing, Cliff decided to go check on a few people and find out what happened to his water. Thinking that he should try and impress as many people as possible, he decided to drive. Opening the car door, he sat down. The pain made him rise up hitting his head on the top. As he sat down again his back this time also pressed into the thorns on the back of the seat. He couldn't get out of that car fast enough. He was screaming bloody murder. Looking around as though someone would be there he started cussing. He was thinking, this had to be Reverend Thiesen's doing. Well if he was going to play hardball, two can play that game. Jimmy and Brian were hiding a good distance away when they saw Cliff come out and try and get in his car. They had to stifle their laughter when they saw his head hit the top of the car. They heard him scream and then use language that they had never heard before. Brian and Jimmy wee looking at each other with big eyes. "Maybe we'd better wait to do something else." Brian said to Jimmy. "Yea, I guess you're right. It was sure fun though." "It sure was." Cliff had walked into town. Most people walked everywhere around there, but they were dressed for it. Cliff had on slacks, a pressed shirt and tie, and dress shoes. It would look right at home in a big city, but not here. The first person he ran across looked like he wanted to find Cliff. "Cliff Johnson, I heard you were back in town. What brought you back? Katy's new boyfriend?" It was Bob Reimer. It was the first he had heard of this. He was taken back. Cliff didn't have the supply of information flowing to him like Patrick Thiesen did. He had learned not to let his feelings show, to play along and gather information. "Yea, I thought I should stand a good chance with Katy now." "Well you'll have your work cut out for you." "Oh, you don't think I stand a chance?" "Probably not, but it's worth a try. The worst you can do is feel miserable the rest of your life." "You sound like you've had experience with that." "Yea, even though it was my own fault. It still doesn't make it easier to swallow." "Somebody I know?" Cliff loved getting dirt on people. "Yes, but I probably shouldn't tell." "Don't think you can trust me, not your old buddy Cliff?" "Guess it doesn't make too much difference, it's done now." "So who is it?" "Cheryl." "Cheryl Friesen? I guess she's not a little girl any more." "No she's not. She's one of the hottest things around. But I can't even think about it." "Oh, gone soft on me? Or you don't like the thought of a married woman?" "She's not Friesen any more, she married John." "Your brother? Oh, poor guy." He had a smile on his face. He could have fun with this. ------- Keith and Richard had a bad nights sleep. The only constructive thing that they had done last night was to talk about Keith's meeting with the congressman. They knew that they had some good stuff. What they wanted was help for Carp. They figured he knew just how to get it. Keith dropped Richard off at the base. Richard had his own agenda today. To get out of the service. He figured it wouldn't be hard. They were trying to let people go as fast as possible. He knew a somewhat friend, Mike, that worked in the discharge office. Thing was Richard knew people almost everywhere on that base. One of the benefits of being in maintenance, you were everywhere. He was at the base before his shift and popped in to see about getting discharged. There was a pile of paperwork and then they would review it. He would be in the stack for next months review if he could get the paperwork back in today. That didn't set very well with him and he started on his mission to free himself faster. First thing was to find Mike. After dropping Richard off, Keith was on his way down to Las Vegas. He never toured the place much. One of the things that he had learned in a college math class was the rule of probabilities. Gambling was a sport; it was a way to loose money. He went for the entertainment value and when his friends would complain as they were leaving about how much they lost, he would be shaking his head. Congressman Patrick McCarran was staying at the Sands. It was easy to find and he was there a little early. He went in and was watching all of the people throwing away their money when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning he was surprised to see the reporter that had come to his house. "Hello. You may not remember me, but in my business you don't forget a face. My name's George Seldes." "Yes, I do remember. You stopped by my house. That was a week ago, but it seems like an eternity. So much has happened since then." "Oh? Want to talk about it?" Keith laughed. "That's just like a reporter." "Guess it comes naturally. So what are you doing here? I could see by looking that you're not a gambler." "No, I don't like to throw my money away. I'm not sure I should tell you, but I'm here to see Patrick McCarran." "Oh, really. I've been covering him. That's why I'm here. He's not doing any public stuff this morning, so I've just been people watching. Now I know why he's not doing anything public. He has an appointment with you. Does it have anything to do with the base accident?" I was glad he worded it that way, made my conscience feel better. "No, it has to do with the town of Carp. I've adopted the town of a sort. Well to tell the truth I fell in love and am engaged to a girl there. But the reason I ended up there in the first place was I had heard how bad there water was. That after all is my specialty." ^^^ "Interesting, I didn't know that was your specialty. The base of course would tell us anything about anything. It was through some good connections that I was able to find out who you were. So what kind of degree does it take for that kind of work?" I realized he was interrogating me, but I didn't have anything to hide. "I have two degrees, One in Chemistry and the other in Biology, specializing in toxicology." "Toxicology? I don't think I've heard that term before. What is it?" "There are only a few universities that even deal with it now. I went to the University at Davis California. It is a large agriculture school. Their courses were looking at the over use of pesticides and how it entered into the watershed. My application of the information is a bit different. But I can't really tell you about that, sorry." "I understand, you've told me quite a bit already. So what is the problem with the water?" ^^^ "Well it is a long story really and I don't know the real reasons behind it. A couple of guys from the town below Carp started poisoning the water. I haven't been able to test what they put in it yet, or where they got the stuff, or why they even did it. The end result is that a number of families moved out of Carp and those that have stayed have been drinking this bad water. Now the holding and water distribution system for the town has been tainted and has to be replaced. They don't have the kind of money it will take to do that. Right now they don't have running water in their houses." "Yes I can see why you would want to talk to Patrick. I think he'll be disappointed that it's not about the base, but anyway that you can get in to see the man works, that what I say. What interests me is why. What could they gain by doing it? Do you have any idea who it was; you said there were two. Did they get caught?" I went on to tell him the story about Sam and Brad in the diner. The death of Bill and the fight and death of Fred. He was fascinated by the story. He asked if I would think it was OK to pursue it. I told him to go right ahead. I'd love to know why. I looked at my watch and had to excuse myself. I'd spent more time talking to him than I realized. The congressman took up half a floor. I had to first get by a guard in the hall. Then meet his secretary. Luckily I was on time and so was he. "It's Keith, isn't it?" "Yes, sir." "Now you don't have to be so formal. Call me Pat. So what's this about. I'm hoping that you'll give me a little something I can use. There are some in Washington that don't think we should be concerned about what the military is doing." "Well, sir, I mean Pat. I am living in a town called Carp." He turned his head fast, looking at me intently. "There is a problem there I'd like to talk to you about." He was a little more reserved. I thought it was because he thought I was looking for a handout. "What kind of problem?" "Someone was poisoning the towns water supply. The worst of it is they were using an old prototype that we had developed for what we were doing. I haven't wanted to raise anyone's worries but to tell you the truth I've been sick over thinking what could be in that canister." That caught his attention fast. "How would they have got their hands on such a device?" "Hard to say who knows how long they've had it. They were being used here before I came to that lab. When we stopped using them they were locked away. The only ones that would even know they existed would be people that worked in the lab, or at the Nevada Test Site, they had a lab there too." ^^^ "They did, I was unaware of that. So if I interpreted right, the contents of that canister could hold some pretty nasty stuff." "Very nasty, do you want to know the details?" "I'm not sure I do, you don't know the facts do you?" "Not yet." "I need facts. What I'd like to know and maybe you can theorize, could the government may have been involved in testing on a town?" ^^^ "No, They caught two of the people involved and their civilians. One is dead, but the other's in jail." "This sounds like a sorted tail, tell me what you know." I repeated the story, much like I had told George Seldes. I filled in the parts I didn't want to tell George. He was getting the idea of what I wanted, but was keenly interested in who knew what. "So have there been any other strange happenings in the town since?" "The only one I know is the appearance on someone that I was told would never return." He looked pale, "Who?" "Cliff Johnson." He dropped his head and shook it back and forth. "Idiot." "You know him?" "He's my nephew, unfortunately. I don't even think I should have told you that much." "I'm glad you did. I'm engaged to his daughter." This got a shocked look form him. I didn't know if he knew Cliff had a child or if it was because he must have figured how old she must be. ^^^ "He has cost the family a pretty penny to keep out of trouble. It all started when he was escorted out of Carp thirteen years ago. We had heard he got a girl pregnant. I can't think why he'd return, but I'll tell you, it's for no good. As a politician I need facts to talk to others. Now it seems I have family there, sorry if I look like I'm changing priorities. So back to the immediate problem at hand, what can I do to help? I know we need to get on this canister issue." ^^^ "I still have that canister. I want to know what is in it. If the military gets hold of it..." "Yes I know, it will disappear into thin air. I will have to look into it. I'm sure you could figure out what is in there." "Yes, but I'd need a working lab to do it. I'm fresh out of that right now." "I think it would be best to keep this as contained as possible. If I could get you a lab to use, how long would it take?" "A day, maybe two at the most. Where?" "I'm on a committee that oversees funding for educational facilities. I'm sure I could pull some strings and get you access. Tell me what you need." I described the type of instrumentation that I'd need. He was taking notes, so not to forget. He would take care of everything. His demeanor had changed towards me after I had told him about Cliff's child and my engagement. I wasn't sure what it was, but I'd take the help where I could get it. He asked how to get hold of me and was shocked to learn of the one phone in the town. As I left he warned me to be very careful with Cliff. I told him I would. I hadn't realized how much time I'd spent talking to him. It was one thirty in the afternoon. I grabbed a bite to eat and headed back. I was sitting in the house full of boxes when the phone rang. "Hello," she said. "Hi, is this Katy? "Yes, Richard's not there is he?" "No he's at work." "Too bad. When can you two come back?" "Katy you sound helpless. I know that's not true. What's wrong?" "I miss him, I miss Robin. I'm worried about Cliff and my dad." "I should be back tomorrow. I don't know about Richard, sorry. He's still on the base and I won't know anything until he gets off." "I understand. It's just that it was so much better when he was around. I love him. When he comes back I'm going to say yes to him. Don't tell him though. I want it to be a surprise." "OK. I'll see you tomorrow." "Bye Keith" "Katy?" "Yes" "Would you tell me something?" "Maybe, what is it?" "A few nights ago, I got up to go. Were you in the bathroom when I walked in?" She laughed. "You don't know?" I was turning red and glad she couldn't see it. You could hear it in my voice though. "Well it was like a dream, you were there and then you weren't." "Oh, so you're dreaming about me. Wait till Richard hears about this." I could tell she was having fun with this. "Katy." "OK, I was there." "And you were." "Yes I was. I was so damn horny. I couldn't control myself. It had been a long time. Then the two of you show up and wow. You should have been glad I didn't pull that thing you were dangling in my face right into my mouth." "Oh, God Katy. I was actually hoping that you were going to. Then you disappeared, that's why I though it must be a dream." "You would have liked me to do that to you." "Do you think I'm dead? My God Katy, don't you know how beautiful you are?" "Keith! What would Robin say?" "She knows I think you're beautiful. She saw me looking at you that first day, when you brought me some breakfast. The sun was shining though your dress. It was a lovely sight. Robin punched my arm, and was mad until I told her that I knew where she got her good looks from." "You did not." "You can ask her." "Well what am I supposed to say now?" "How about thank you and goodbye." "Thank you?" "For thinking you're so beautiful." "You're making me turn red, but thank you." "Goodbye Katy." "Goodbye." I was hard as a rock after that conversation. I was glad Richard wasn't around. I wouldn't have been able to have that kind of talk with him here and now I needed some relief. It didn't take long. I brought back the bathroom image. This time in my mind Katy sucked me off. I cleaned myself off and was just about to think of dinner when the phone rang again. It was the CO from the base. "Keith, I'm glad you're back. Richard was in my office earlier." "Oh was he?" "Yes, but that is not why I called. Before you left there were a couple of things that were still up in the air. Everything happened so fast that they weren't taken care of properly." "A couple of things?" "Keith, like I told you before, lying doesn't become you." "That's true, but that's when I worked for you." "So, you don't want to cooperate with me?" "Yes and No. It has become a much bigger issue now." "I don't understand, how is it bigger? I haven't heard of anything." "Well I'm assuming that we are talking about the canister and the cobalt?" "Yes, that's right." "I have a vested interest in that canister. If I let the military have it, it will disappear." "A vested interest?" "Did your wife tell you she saw us in the PX?" "Yes, but... , Oh your engaged to a gal from the town that you found the canister." "Yes that's right and it is in my best interest to do the best I can for that town. I'll be living there soon. In fact I talked to Patrick McCarran today." "Keith, I wish you wouldn't have done that. What did he say?" "I think he understands the issue at hand. He knows my interest in the contents of that canister. The town's water supply has been tainted and the infrastructure has to be replaced. That takes money. Money the town doesn't have." "I understand your position. I also have to be concerned about the bases security. I'm the CO and everything falls back on me." "He ask if I thought the military had anything to do with the placement of the canister, you know, secret live testing." "Oh no!" "Jack, I wouldn't worry to much. I told him I didn't think it was possible. Not with the two people that we know were involved. Someone who knew about the testing was in on it though, but the military wouldn't have had idiots like those, to handle an operation as potentially dangerous as that." "Thanks for the insight Keith. I don't need any more heat right now." "I bet, especially with what that canister can do. That's what concerns me the most. The long-term effects of some of the stuff we were using. I don't need my bride dying on me." "It could do that?" "And worse, but that's just a mater of speech. If the real bad stuff was in there it would have showed up in the people already." "Worse than death?" "In a matter of opinion, yes. There was the one that got released at the base. In the water supply it makes a bunch of zombies that will do anything and then not even remember. Or there are sterility chemicals, for males or females. There was even one we ourselves band the further testing of." "Jesus Keith, What could be worse?" "Paralysis, lying there the rest of your life, watching it go by, helpless." "Shit" "Yea, nobody wanted to touch the stuff. Couldn't blame them really." "No wonder." "That's some of the bad stuff. It can also carry some irritating stuff that isn't so bad. I know that they used it to make the water taste bad. I just hope that wasn't to mask something else." "I hope you're right. So how are you going to test it? The lab you had here is dismantled and quite frankly I'm not sure it would be a good idea for you to use it." "Patrick McCarran is going to take care of that for me." "Yes I imagine that he could do just that. Keith if you would, could you let me know what you find? I need to know what to be prepared for." "That's fair. Personally I don't think that your base is going to have any problems. I don't think it came from here. More than likely it came from NTS. It would be hard at this point to prove anything. This test area was dismantled and as the story goes there wasn't another one to replace it." "Your right, I like the way you think. Always have. I'm up for retirement in several months and I'd like to go out untarnished." "I understand" "That bring me to the other issue." "The cobalt?" "Yes, I'm personally interested in that." "Personally?" "Yes, I would like to be in on something like this. It shows a lot of promise" It would make retirement more important. I'll be 50 this year. 30 years in the service. What does a 50 year old do when he retires? It scares me half to death. I want something out there. From what I saw of the tests that you ran, this could be it." "How interested is the military?" "It's a strategic metal, but I think you know that." "I know what that means on the inside, but not on the public level." "Well the military wants all it can get." "How far will they go and get it?" "Are you wondering if they will come in and take over what you find?" "The thought had crossed my mind." "They will only help in the supply chain at this point. They don't want to be responsible for owning and operating mines." "That's good to hear. If the supply is in a difficult place to get to, could roads be fixed?" He laughed. "That would be asking a whole lot. I'd think that would only happen if the military thought it was a needed there. Of course if that happened they will spend money like crazy, you know that." "So say, if a criminal element were present, to protect the mine?" "You have a creative mind." "Say the criminal element were poisoning the water." "OK, I can see were this is leading. I'll look into it. I'm just guessing that having roads would be a big plus for the town." "You could say that. I'll talk to Richard and see what he says. I think he'd like the idea of you becoming a partner in the deal. None of the town members knows about this yet, that is other than the family that we are marring into." "We? Your marring into the same family?" Me and my big mouth. "Yes, Let me talk to Richard and then I can give you the details." "That's fair." "Have any idea where he might be? You said he was in to see you." "Given the time he's probably trying to call you. I understand he's staying with you right now." "Yes he is, I'd better get off the phone then." As soon as I put down the receiver it rang again. In all the time I'd lived here the phone had never been used so much. It was Richard wanting to be picked up. There was a lot to tell him. I thought it best to keep it in order so I wouldn't forget anything. First running into the reporter. Then the meeting with the congressman. Finally the surprise call from Jack, the base CO. "Wow, and I thought I had a busy day. I think Jack Hutington could have potential and we could use his money." "Are you sure it's not Cynthia you're not thinking of. I saw you looking at her the last time we ran into her." He grinned. "So tell me what happened." The military can crawl when it wants to. Even with Richard spending the entire day running around trying to get the red tape cut and pulling in as many favors as he could it would be at least ten days before he would see the discharge papers. He could tell that I was as disappointed as he was. He told me he was looking on the bright side of it. He could have everything taken care of and never need to come back. "You need to go back up to Carp." "I don't like it, what about Robin?" "We'll call Katy, maybe the smoke has blown over by now." Not feeling very convinced, I agreed. I called. Nothing had changed, if anything it was worse. The call to Robin was even harder. It hurt me deeply to hear her cry. I told her I couldn't endanger her. In the end she knew it was the best to stay where she was, but she didn't like it any more than I did. Richard and I spent another restless night. In the morning I took him to the base and I went to Carp. ------- Chapter 10 It was a fight a brewing. Cliff had been all over town to gather support for himself. He was telling anyone that would listen how Reverend Thiesen had run him out of town. How he wouldn't have left otherwise and would have married Katy. Then Robin could have been raised in a good traditional home life. The man they had trusted to lead this town could not be trusted. Some people took Cliff at face value, seeing the moral problem Katy had faced when she was deserted. They didn't look any further into the character of Cliff. Reverend Thiesen was doing the same. His approach was somewhat different. He was rallying them around God. He told them that it had been God that had been directing his actions and everything had been in God's plan. We do not always see that, he told them. The Mennonites, being a devout group, took to this theology with great commitment. When the same pattern of questions started surfacing Patrick knew where Cliff had been. ------- When I arrived that afternoon, Carp looked deserted. What I didn't know was that everyone was in homes gossiping. Jimmy saw me pull up to his house and was all over me, finally telling me Katy was in the house. She was in the kitchen and saw me walk in the front door. Running to me she threw her arms around me and gave me a kiss, full on the lips. "You don't know how good it is to see you, everyone is going crazy in this town and I can't stand it." I was feeling a bit guilty, that kiss felt a bit to good to me. "I'm glad I'm here. Of course I wish Robin was here and I'm sure you wish Richard was here too." You could see the sadness in her eyes. Boy do I ever know how to put my foot in my mouth. She was missing two people and I was missing one. The biggest surprise was not ten minutes later. Patrick Thiesen showed up at Katy's door. I don't know which one of us was more surprised, but I think Katy was when Patrick said that he had come to talk to me. I knew it would be coming, I just didn't know when. We walked up to the spring and sat down. He looked around. "Understand you're a local hero." "Yea, well it's a title I don't really relish. I was just doing what needed to be done." "In a town you had no connection to. Think about that son, why did you show up unexpectedly? You posses the power that these people needed." "I don't know, it just happened." "Not in my book it doesn't. I see it as direction. You may not realize it, but you were sent here." I could see the power of his charisma. I may not buy into his religious beliefs, but I do think there's a God. I thought I might as well see where this was going. Apparently he had an agenda. "So you think I was sent here. Do you then figure that everything that has happened has been on purpose?" This caught him of guard. He realized that I wasn't going to be a push over. He changed his direction. "Were you looking for a bride?" "What!" "Were you bride shopping?" "Bride shopping?" "Yes, were you out looking for the woman of your dreams, to settle down and get married?" "No, not in the least." "But you did find the girl of your dreams, didn't you?" "There's no question there." "And you find coincidence in that?" "Well..." "OK, so let's take a look here. Your specialty is water treatment and you just happen to drive into a town that desperately needs that. You fall in love with my granddaughter, someone you admit that you were not even looking for. You help catch the men that killed my son. You bring your friend into town and he falls in love with my daughter. He also discovers the reason for the problem with the water. Tell me the truth, do you find all of this coincidence?" "Well I guess I never thought about why, it just happened." "You needn't be so modest boy. What you've done in this town is near miraculous." "I'm guessing that we have your blessing then?" "From what I hear you're both upstanding men. Don't get me wrong; I'd like it much better if you were from our fold. To tell you the truth I've made with raising my kids." He started to get tears in his eyes. "My wife died giving birth to Katy. I had a bad time with it. I couldn't help feeling that Katy was responsible. I didn't give her the time that I should have. I blame myself for her taking after Cliff like she did. He gave her affection, the affection I hadn't." "Sir, you don't need to..." "Yes son, I do. You and your friend need to understand the ins and outs of this family you're getting into. Especially with Cliff back in town." "Yes I heard from Robin." "Then you know that you're in the middle of something ugly. Most people don't know the history of Cliff." "I know a lot more than you would believe." This took him by surprise. "Oh, tell me, where did you find out about Cliff?" "Richard and I were staying in his place and we ran across some earlier history. It ended when you and he left for Dinuba. "Well you do know some." "Then I had a talk with Congressman Patrick McCarran." "I'm not sure I'm following you, what does that have to do with Cliff?" "He is his uncle." "Are you sure about that?" "He told me himself. He was none to proud of that. In fact he told me that it has cost the family a lot of money to keep Cliff out of trouble." "Out of jail more likely. You seem to be very in tune to what is going on. I am going to be frank with you Keith. Cliff has told me in no uncertain terms that he intends to get Katy back and take Robin away so that I will never see her again." I jumped up from my seat, seething with hate for Cliff. "He can't do it." "Son, settle down. From what Millie told me he doesn't stand a chance with Katy. Richard took care of that." "Yea. He wants to marry her." "That is good news. He has my blessing." "We were quite frankly worried. The reception you got was less than warm." "No, but under the circumstance understandable. Katy and Millie's responses were repressed anger towards me, combined with the loss of their brother. You did know that was Katy's brother, didn't you?" He looked a little worried. "I don't think there are many secrets between us. That is a wise understanding of the situation." "It did not come to me right away, but only after long introspection. Keith I don't know how to say this delicately, but there is a real threat from Cliff. He is Robin's father. He could indeed try and take her away." My heart sank. "Keith you have more influence in this town than what you realize." "So?" I was depressed at what he had just said and didn't feel too chatty. "I also have a good deal of influence in this town, even after all the time I have been gone. I would like us to work together and rid the town of Cliff and his destructive influences." "I don't know what I could do that would change anything." "You could do something that would change everything." I looked at him with disbelief. "Do what you want to do most, marry Robin." The words shocked me. "I don't understand" "Marry Robin. He told me that he was going to do harm and it was directed towards me now. He wanted to use Katy and Robin to do that. From what you told me Katy will not be influenced by him." "That is what I understand." "That leaves the more vulnerable Robin. If you marry her he has nothing to destroy. He would be powerless against me." "So you're suggesting what?" "I understand that you have asked permission, received it, and asked Robin for her hand in marriage." "You do get around. I know Katy didn't tell you. Yes it is true." "This whole issue is a very big concern to me. I don't want anyone else to get hurt from Cliff. So all that is necessary is to get a license and have a ceremony." "Doesn't seem very romantic put that way." "I guess not. It can be, but we need to be cautious. We have to remember what and whom we are dealing with. The first and primary thing is to get the license." "I'm guessing that has to be done in the county seat, Pioche?" "Yes and you will have to have both Katy and Robin there." "I guess I could take Katy there, Jimmy could stay with Brian. How do I get Robin?" "I can sent word to the Hindrix's, they would bring her there. I would need a time and meeting spot." "OK, say we have the license, then what?" "Then we plan the wedding and fast. Out here when people get hitched it's done fast, sometimes the license is done afterwards." "So I would bring Robin back here?" "Yes, it will take Cliff longer to try and get Robin away from Katy than it will to marry her." "I guess that I need to call my folks. They have no idea I've been seeing anyone, much less going to get married. My mother is going to have a cow." "Then they have no idea how old she is." "No." "Is that going to be a problem?" "My dad is going to shake his head. My mom is going to faint. My older sister is going to taunt me something terrible. My younger sister is the only one that knows I'm engaged. She loves Robin." "That's good. The sooner you give them the news the better." "Won't Cliff be suspicious of Katy leaving town?" "You've got a point" "Know one knows I'm here. We could leave tonight and be back by tomorrow afternoon. No one would notice if it was done that fast. The question is can they get Robin there that fast." "I'll make sure it happens. Where do you want to meet?" The diner seemed like the best spot. I thought nine in the morning would be a good time. Patrick and I went our separate ways. He had a phone call to make and I had some explaining to do to Katy. She took the news with great joy. ------- There was a mineral show going on in Caliente. I was able to find one room left. I came back to Katy with a sheepish look on my face. The room had one double bed in it. I could have tried her fathers approach and told her it was Gods destiny that ended us here, but I thought better of it. I didn't think I could have said it with a straight face anyway. She took the situation with grace, but I hadn't told her of the one bed. When we entered the room and I saw the bed, I was filled with guilt. I suggested that we take a drive around town. I suggested that we go to the diner for some pie. I even suggested that we should see if any of the mineral exhibits were still open. Katy finally caught on. She walked up to me and placed her arms around me. Looking into my eyes, she gave me a quick kiss. I was surprised, not by the kiss, but because it was so quick. Laughing she took my hand and pulled me into the bathroom. I was beet red by the time she sat down on the toilet in front of me. I was also rock hard. "Now where were we?" She started removing her clothes. I was transfixed. She then started on me. Reaching up she unbuttoned my shirt and tugged it off. Undoing my pants she had to pull it over the obvious bulge and let them drop. When the last piece hit the floor she took her hands and starting at her thighs, sensuously manipulated her fingers as they traveled upward. When she got to her breasts she cupped them. She looked straight into my eyes and said; "Now here we were." I looked down at her and grinned, then laughed. She laughed too. I stood her up and took her in my arms and kissed her. We kissed long and hard. The kind I liked, the kind that led to other things. We walked in tandem to the bed and she laid me down. I looked up to Katy, she had a look that is hard to describe, one filled with anticipation and lust, but at the same time sweet like her daughter. She climbed on the bed and started kissing me. My forehead and my neck, my arms and my chest, my legs and down to my toes. What she missed were my mouth, my nipples and my dick. She knew how to drive me crazy. I couldn't take much more and I think she knew it. She licked my lips and then kissed them. They were on fire, my whole body tingling. As she was doing this, her hands moved to my nipples and she pinched them. I moaned, God she was making me feel so damn good. When she stopped kissing me I whimpered, I just couldn't help it. She moved he mouth down to my nipple and sucked it in and I just about exploded. My dick was waving in the air, saying please play with me. As she lowered her hand and ran it around my shaft it started spurting. I couldn't help it, then I couldn't believe it as she quickly moved down and took it in her mouth, sucking out the last of it. I felt childish as hell that I'd gone off like that, but it had been such a build up, I couldn't control myself. When I had finished, she looked up at me and said, "Excited little boy?" She had this devilish grin on her face. I paid her back. Grabbing her and flipping her over into the position I had been in. I gave her the same treatment. Kissing all over, except the most sensitive spots. She was whimpering as I reached her toes. I sucked her big toe into my mouth and I'd swear she had a tiny orgasm right there. As I licked her lips, I could see the fire in her eyes. Her breathing was rapid and got ragged as I reached up and squeezed her nipples. I was kissing and massaging her breasts, but I didn't do what she had done. I kept my hand away from her pussy. It was driving her crazy and her legs were spread a wider and wider as I kissed her. Finally I had had enough and I know she had. I quickly moved my mouth down and slipped my tongue into her very wet pussy. She screamed out, "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH". As I felt her walls tighten and spasm. I moved my tongue up and found her clit. "OOOOOHHHHHMMMMMMYYYYYY GGGGGOOOOOODDDDDDD KKKKKKEEEEIIIITTTHHHH." I was shocked when people weren't banging on the walls. I thought the manager would be showing up to kick us out any minute, but it didn't happen. As she slowed down, I looked up at her and said, "Good for you little girl?" She had a look of contentment, smiled at me and laid her head down. An hour later we started again, this time under the sheets face to face. We were both worn out by the time I shot myself into her tight hole. She had had four orgasms to my final one. We fell asleep in each other's arms. The next morning I got up early, feeling guilty. It would have been different if Robin and Richard would have been here, if it would have been OK with them. I felt like I had cheated on both of them. I wondered what I would have done if Robin said she wanted to experiment with Richard. I don't think I could have done that. I slipped on some clothes and took a walk. It was a crisp morning with the pale blue sky still showing the morning star. The sun was still below the hills, but the golden glow was starting to rise. When I got back Katy was looking at me anxiously. "You left." "Needed to think." "Wondering if you're doing the right thing?" "Are you talking about today, getting the license?" "What else?" "Last night." "Oh." There was a long pause. "Didn't you like it?" "God Katy, what was there not to like?" She giggled. "It felt absolutely incredible. I'm feeling very guilty though." "Why?" "Why? I cheated on Robin and Richard, it would have been different if I'd have had permission or something." "Well I did." This took me by complete surprise. "You did?" "Sure, I know a lot about you." With that she started tickling me in my most sensitive spots. The ones Kristin had shown to Robin. We rolled around laughing. I got quiet again. "What about Richard?" "He ask me if I wanted to." "What! No, he couldn't have." "Do you remember when we were all in the living room? Your sister brought you over to me and practically stuck your dick in my face." I had to laugh thinking about it. "How could I forget that?" "You probably couldn't see me licking my lips, but Richard felt me get juicier. Later that night he asked me." "I guess you said yes, what did he say?" "He didn't want to lose me to you." "I know how he feels." "I told him that could never happen. He told me I was free to do it if I wanted to." "I think I would have had a harder time sharing Robin." "You did with Jimmy." "I never thought about it. It wasn't like sharing. It was letting happen, something that was already there." "So was Richard." I looked at her. I started smiling. Reaching over she held out her arms. I quickly reached in and started tickling. "You rat!" She squealed with laughter. This time I led her to the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, our hands caressed each other. I turned her so that the shower was hitting her back, then I kissed her mouth and neck. She took my head and led it down to her breasts; I enjoyed sucking on them as much as she did. My hands went down to her thighs and she parted her legs to give me better access. As I caressed her mound she sighed. Soon my finger was sliding in and out of her and she was thrusting her hips to get better movement. She was very juicy, and I had three fingers in her. I'm sure at that point anyone in the next bathroom had no doubt about what was going on. The water was starting to get cold and I reached behind her and turned it off. Making sure my hand was very sticky from her juices I raised it up to my mouth and smeared it around my lips. She watched me in fascination. I then surprised and shocked her by kissing her. I don't think she would have noticed the cold water now. She was hot. Pulling her from the shower, I led her to the bed. Sitting her down, I stepped between her legs. When I knelt down and pushed her back, she got a big smile on her face. She grabbed a pillow and put it under her ass. I took her legs and draped them on each side of my shoulders. Lowering my face, I devoured her. After three orgasms she couldn't take any more, it was getting too sensitive for her. We looked at the time and it was getting late. We had to take a real and quick shower. We dressed and quickly went to the diner without checking out. She apologized for not being able to reciprocate this morning. I told her that it was just fine, I wanted a big load for Robin. She playfully slapped my arm, saying now she knew why I hadn't wanted to check out this morning. She was right. We arrived 10 minutes early, but they were already there. Robin jumped up and ran to the door as soon as I opened it. She threw her arms around me and kissed me. Tears were running down her cheeks and I held her kissing them away. After holding each other for some time Katy finally said, "Well what about me? Didn't you miss me?" Robin got a sheepish look on her face and we untangled. Her mom reached out and the hugged and kissed, tears flowing again from both of them. After making quite a spectacle of ourselves, we walked back to the booth, knowing every eye in the place was looking at us. Robin introduced me to Sam and Doreen Heidrix. Katy had been reintroduced to them when they had picked up Robin. They had been one of many families that had moved away when the water started getting bad. She expressed her gratitude for their willingness to help her in this difficult time. They said it was no problem. They as well as many of the other families that had lived in Carp at one time were excited to hear of the discovery of the problem with the water. They were greatly anticipating the water quality to get back to the way it was so they could return to the town they loved. As breakfast came to a close we said our goodbyes to the Heidrix's. The drive up to Pioche was short and filled with anticipation. The county building was right next to the historic million-dollar courthouse. A monument to government stupidity, it was built more than eighty years ago at that kind of cost. You couldn't miss it though. As soon as we reached the county building I jumped out of the car and ran around to open the door. Katy and Robin thought I was being gallant, but I had another motive. Katy exited first and then Robin, who had been sitting in the center. As soon as she got out of the car I was down on my knees. They both looked at me strange. Hadn't I already gone through this before? they were thinking. Then I pulled out the box that I had been hiding. Katy gasped. Robin was trembling as I opened it. Pulling the ring out I took her hand and slipped it on her finger. It was a little loose, but she could have cared less. Tears were running down her face as she looked at it. I stood up, grabbing both their hands and we walked into the building. It was much easier than I had expected it to be and with only a few raised eyebrows from the staff, we were on our way back to Caliente. When I pulled into the motel Robin looked at me and then her mom. "We need to get our things and check out." Robin, still looking back and forth at us, said, "You spent the night here?" I thought she was going to get upset. I think Katy did too. "Yes dear, we didn't want to attract any attention and no one knew Keith had come, so we left last night." We were out of the car and as soon as I opened the door she saw the one double bed. "Are you sure that the only reason you came up here was to pick me up?" "Shit," I thought, and then I looked at her. She was grinning and then started busting up laughing. "Now I want to know whose idea it was to get just one bed." I scooped her up and threw her on it. She squealed in laughter. I pounced on her and she tried to get away, but it was no use. She then started to tickle me. After a minute of that I started kissing her. We looked into each other's eyes and said at the same time, "I love you." It then struck me that we had forgotten Katy altogether. I looked around and she wasn't there and the door was closed. We were so wrapped up in each other that we never heard her leave. Robin knew the opportunity that she had just been given and was out of her clothes before I had my shirt off. She then undressed me. "You can undress me anytime you want." I told her. "Don't tempt me, you'd be running around without clothes on most of the day." "Don't I wish." Our lovemaking was initially fast and furious, but then turned slow and lingering. It was over an hour later that we stepped back out of that room. Katy was in the car; you could see that she had been crying. Robin went to her. It wasn't us; it was missing Richard that had got to her. It was difficult to feel the elation that Robin and I were sharing while someone we loved was in pain. I stopped in the office to check out. I also made a phone call. It took me a few extra minutes, but it was well worth it. Instead of using the old road Carp, I told them the office told me a better way to get there, better roads they said. The trip back to Carp was mostly in silence, what they didn't know is that we weren't going to Carp. ------- Cliff, in his talks around town, had discovered Robin's engagement. He was furious. Not because he cared for Robin, he didn't even know her. She was his biggest playing card against Patrick and that could be taken away. Worse yet for him was he didn't even know what she looked like and no one had seen her in the last few days to point her out. Cliff wasn't about to let this go. He knew he could stop the engagement, but he had to get Robin and Katy into a public place to do it. Then there was Keith. He desperately wanted to get at Keith. He had learned that it was him that had been staying in his house. It would be best to talk with him alone, use his persuasion techniques that he had learned in his brief stint with the military. This was his normal mode of operation. He never really considered that he could lose at this game he was playing. He never thought he could lose, that's why his family had to pick up so many pieces that he left behind him. Bob Reimer had told him his brother had overheard that Robin was to be married in four days, this Saturday. His blood boiled. Cliff knew, absolutely knew that Patrick had done this on purpose. Patrick wanted to humiliate Cliff in front of everyone. He wouldn't let it happen. He would stop it at all costs. ------- "Keith, we just pasted a sign for Elgin, did we want to take that?" asked Katy. "No, we have a little longer to drive, about a half an hour more, I believe." "Are you sure this is a short cut?" "I heard it's the only way to where we are going." She wrinkled up her eyebrows. "And where might we be going?" Robin, who had been lying with he head on my lap, suddenly sat up. "I thought we might take a little sight seeing tour." I said. Katy had a smile on her face. "Do you think we might run into anyone we know on this sight seeing trip?" "You never know, sometimes you meet the nicest people." "Oh, good. I can't wait." Robin had missed most of the word play. "What's going on? Who are we going to see? Where are we going?" "I believe Keith is going to take us on a visit to his house, am I right?" "Yes you're right." Robin caught on. "Then you'll get to see Richard! Keith, I love you." I had called Carp and was able to get Patrick without raising much suspicion. He thought it was a great idea. I think he was hoping that Katy would come back engaged and that would get Cliffs goat even more. So here we were pulling up in front of my old house. I apologized for the condition it was in; neither one of them cared. Luckily, I saw and hid the ring box that was on the table before they did. After the tour of the house came the inevitable question. "When is Richard coming home?" "I need to make a call. He won't be expecting you two, or me for that matter." "Oh, and he might bring some gal home?" I had to laugh. "No, he might not come here. He does have base housing." I called Jack Huntington, the base CO. He was most helpful, saying we should come over to the base. He'd be glad to give us a VIP tour, which could include the maintenance area. I told him I appreciated his offer, but would have to decline it. He said he understood, didn't want two gals around a bunch of hungry guys. That was only the half of it. I didn't want them to see how young Robin was. He said he'd get hold of Richard somehow and have him call me. I thanked him profusely. What I didn't know nor could have expected was that Cynthia was in his office when I called. She was highly amused that I didn't want to bring these two ladies to the base. Determined to see them she weaseled out of Jack's secretary my address. As the phone was ringing with Richard on the line, Cynthia was making plans to come have a little visit. "Hi Keith, why aren't you in Carp?" "I decided I needed to come down and see the old place." Katy and Robin were trying not to make any noise in the background, but were having a hard time. "Is there anything wrong? Don't tell me that you and Robin..." "Oh no, it's nothing like that. In fact, I have a lot to tell you. I even brought something for you to look at. You'll love seeing it, I know." At that point they started to giggle. "What? I know your playing games with me; what's that noise? Is someone there?" They were laughing at that point. "Keith! Did you bring Robin down here with you?" "Yes and someone else." "Katy?" "You're getting smarter every day." "Keith, did I ever tell you? You're my hero." "No, you haven't mentioned that recently." "Uh, Keith..." "I picked it up before it was noticed." "I owe you." "Are we keeping track? When do you get off?" "As soon as I get there I hope." "You're bad." "As you. Want to pick me up in fifteen minutes?" "Boy, you do get off fast." "Very funny. Jack has been very accommodating. I think he wants to stay on our good side." "OK, I'll be there. I think I'll leave Robin and Katy here." "Sensitive about Robin?" "Yes, I shouldn't be. I'll leave in a couple of minutes." "Can't wait." I must have passed Cynthia at the base gate. She was heading to my place when I was ready to pick up Richard. Robin and Katy heard the knock on the door. Katy opened the door. She didn't think a thing about it. That's just what you did in Carp. "Why now which one are you, Katy or Robin?" "My name is Katy and who are you?" "I'm Cynthia, hasn't Keith told you anything about me? That naughty boy." Robin walked in the room. Cynthia took one look at her, noticed the ring on her finger and just about dropped her jaw. "You're not Robin, are you?" "Yes, who is this, mom?" Cynthia was feeling light headed. "Mom?" "Are you feeling OK? You look a little pale." "I think I should sit down." She made her way to the couch. "Now let me get this straight. You're mother and daughter, and you're engaged to Keith and Richard?" "Well Robin is engaged. Richard asked me, but I haven't told him yes yet." "But he, I mean, don't you, I'm very confused. You look like you're way to young Robin and I can't believe you could be old enough to be her mother. You must keep your youthful looks in your family. I wish I had your trait. I never thought of Richard as someone going for an older woman, but my, you look wonderful." Katy and Robin were amused by all of this. "I'm two years younger than Richard." Cynthia's eyes flew open wide and then she dropped over in a dead faint. They were trying to revive her when Keith and Richard got home. They looked at each other. "What the hell is she doing here?" "I don't know, she seemed to know we were here." "Shit," said Keith and he proceeded to make a call to Jack. "Did your wife happen to be in the office when I called?" "Yes, how did you know?" "Because she showed up here." "Oh no. Did she cause a scene? She's good at that." "Well, yes in a way; she fainted." "I'll be right over." Cynthia was awake, but still a little shaken when Jack arrived. We had to introduce him to Katy and Robin. He took a look at Robin and then at me, shaking his head. "And you wonder why she fainted?" "Why do you think I declined the tour?" He laughed. "Yes, that would have been an interesting tour. Let me get her out of here. I'm sure you have better things to do than take care of my nosy wife." With that he left. We knew we'd see them again as her car was still there. After they were gone we were able to get a good laugh out of it. Finally alone, Richard and Katy embraced, kissed, and well... Robin and I thought it would be best if we left the house for a while. We took a drive around and I showed her the sights. That didn't take that long. I stopped at a place that I had long heard was a make-out spot. It was the middle of the day, so no one was around. Robin looked at me. "Are you embarrassed by me?" I had wondered if this was going to come up. "No Robin, I love you. It's just that there are expectations of what guys are suppose to do. Have you ever heard the expression, robbing the cradle?" "No." "People say it as an almost polite way of saying you are dating someone way too young for you. Cynthia fainted over the idea." "So, you think I'm to young for you?" "No, oh no. Not me. But it is hard to not be caught up into the notions of other people. We are engaged, I wouldn't have asked you to marry me if I didn't want to be with you, always. I guess I'm still concerned about someone taking you away from me. When we get married and you're mine for good..." She had a big grin of her face. "No, you'll be mine for good." "Yes, that too. Anyway, I'll be a lot more at ease. They can think what they want, we're legal and they can't do a damn thing about it." "OK, that makes sense. I was worried." "I know, I didn't know how to say what I felt, how not to make you feel like I was embarrassed about us. I guess I blew it." "No, iIt's OK. I understand." Then giggling she said, "Talking about blowing it." She reached over and grabbed my dick through my pants. It responded immediately, as though there would be any question of that. I started to help her pull down my pants, but she stopped me. "I just want your dick out." Then she looked up at me with a mischievous smile and said, "Do you think you can drive back to the house?" All I could do is grunt as she lowered her head and sucked me into her mouth. I thought I'd better get back there quick before I couldn't think anymore, and started up the car. She was doing her best to make me run off the road. I think she wanted me to get pulled over. I was glad it was the middle of the day when the police force is at its lightest. I was flying down the road, trying to get home before I blew. I had just pulled onto the street when I knew it wasn't going to be long now. I was getting that feeling. As I turned into the driveway the car bounced up the curb as I was going a bit faster than normal. The end result was that Robin got the thrust and more of my dick was in her mouth than had ever been. It had pushed at the back of her mouth trying to go down her throat. It choked her and sent me over the edge. As my balls tightened she was pulling me out of her mouth. The first spray hit her lips and as she was coughing, her head was moving up and down. She held on to my dick and the end result was that I covered her face. What a sight. Then she did something that really took me by surprise. Without cleaning up, she opened the car door and said, "Lets go see what Richard and Mom are doing." I had to stuff my dick back in my pants fast and jump out of the car to catch her. We were in the house in nothing flat. As soon as we opened the door we stood stock-still. We had left Richard and Katy in the living room and they hadn't left. When they heard us leave they ripped each other's clothes off and were like two animals in heat. After Katy's third orgasm and Richards first, they were able to slow down and start making love to each other instead of just fucking each other. They were in the middle of the floor when we walked in. Richard was on the bottom and Katy on top facing the same way; But Richard had his hand in her pussy and his dick in her ass! Both Katy and Richard looked over at us and started laughing. Katy then said, "It looks like you were having fun too, Robin." She realized that she had the cum coated face she thought she'd shock her mother with. "Yea, I couldn't help it." "I guess we weren't gone long enough." I said. Richard said, "Yea, can you come back in a few days." Everyone laughed. I turned Robin towards me and surprised her by giving her a long kiss. Cum was all over her face and lips and she knew I could taste it as she was. It was kind of strange, but hell I was so turned on that I didn't care. The rest of the afternoon we watched each other make love. By supper time we were worn out and had dressed again. Katy looked at Richard with a look that told me I knew what was going to happen next. "Richard?" "Yes." "I have an answer for you." It took him a second to realize what she was talking about. There was a mixture of worry and anticipation on his face. "OK, should I be sitting down?" "No, you should be holding me." He moved over and took her in his arms. I got the hint and quickly retrieved the little box. "I would love to be your wife, that is, if you still want me." "Katy, I will always want you." I put the box in his hand. Robin saw it and broke into a big smile. Katy felt his hand move and before she knew it he was down on his knees with a box in his hand, looking just like the one I had in my hand earlier today. She looked at me and then Robin. The emotion of it caught her so that she just stood there. Richard took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. She still just stood there. "Katy? Katy? Katy? " She finally snapped out of it. "Are you sure this isn't a dream?" she said. "No this is real. I want everyone to know that you're taken." Tears were running down her face. I saw them on Robin, too. "Richard, I love you so much. Do you know how happy you make me?" "I hope half as much as how happy you make me." She stood him up and started kissing him. "Now keep your clotes on," I said, "We have to go out for dinner." They had a good laugh over that. We got a few stares at the restaurant. I tried to ignore them. When we got back to the house there was a car waiting in front of the house. Jack and Cynthia got out as we pulled up. I ask them to come in. Cynthia was not her normal bubbly self. Jack finally said, "Well?" Cynthia looked at him and dropped her head. "I'm sorry that I made a spectacle of myself. I was being a busy body and I had no right to. I hope you can forgive me." I had never ever seen her like this. She was usually the life of the party. Jack must have dressed her down, military style to get this kind of response. I felt sorry for her. I guess that's why I did what I did. "Cynthia, it's OK." I saw a tear drop from her face. I took hold of her face and turned it up. It was the forlorn look that did it. "Really, it's OK." Then I reached in and gave her a little kiss. It shocked me as much as anyone else. It did bring a little smile on her face. "Are you sure it's OK?" "Yes." Then I gave her a hug. God did she have a body. Jack was one hell of a lucky man. "You can let go of my wife now, you old pervert." Jack said laughing. That got everyone laughing. Richard then showed Cynthia Katy's ring on her finger. It was a joyful mood. We told them of our impending wedding and Jack said he and Cynthia could bring Richard up. I said that would be great. I also knew he wanted to get a look at the place. They left and sorrowfully we had to leave also. Even though they would see each other in a few days, they didn't want to part. I knew the feeling. On the road home, I ask Katy if she was prepared for Cliff. She said she wasn't sure. I told her the best thing was not to let herself be alone. Maybe it would be good to stay with Millie for the next few days. She thought that was a good idea. ------- Cliff was tired of waiting. He had hung around all day trying to find Katy, or Robin. He decided that he would just go to Katy's house. When nobody answered he was frustrated. Later in the afternoon he was mad. He had been to the house three times and still nobody was around. He was really mad when he heard that someone thought they saw her leaving town, possibly with Keith. He had lost his common sense and walked into the center of town. Finding Patrick there, Cliff punched him in face, knocking him out. As people started rushing over and the ladies were screaming, he decided that he should leave. He walked back to his car, still boiling mad. Slamming the door, he roared out of town. He traveled up to Caliente and spent the night in the only hotel room available. Little did he know who had been stayed in that room the night before. When Keith got to Elgin and turned on the road down to Carp he was greeted by the lingering dust from another car. They wondered who had been driving so fast down the road. That led to Robin relating to Katy the story of Kristin and myself in the car. I was turning a little red as the story was being told in great detail. Katy was looking at me with a sly smile on her face. As the dust had settled we knew that whoever had created it had traveled from Carp. We thought of, but dismissed the idea, that Cliff had left town. Hank Freedham had been called over to look at Patrick, who was now at Millie's. No one could understand Cliff's actions, not even his friends. Patrick expected him to blow at some point; he hadn't expected him to turn violent though and that worried him. He was glad he had heard that Cliff had left town. When Robin, Katy and myself showed up, Jimmy and Brian were hanging around Katy's house, waiting for them? As soon as they stepped out of the car, Robin expected a hug from her brother. What they got was shouts of a fight, as each of the boys was trying to out do the other. Katy, Robin and I looked at each other and ran over to Millie's. What we found and the tale we were told was extremely upsetting, especially to Katy. She looked pale. I told her not to worry, although I was about as unnerved as she was over the incident. Patrick was in good spirits and said that it wouldn't change a thing about what was to happen. If anything, he thought it strengthened the idea of going ahead. I had to admit he had guts and was probably right. As soon as everything was settled down, I went to make the call to my parents. My mother answered the phone. When I asked if Dad could get on the extension, she knew it was serious. "Keith, what's wrong? You're not in trouble are you? Is work ok?" I realized I hadn't talked to them in some time. "No, mom, I'm not in trouble. I guess I haven't talked to you in a while. I'm not working at the base anymore." "Did it have anything to do with that little accident we heard about, son?" "Well, yes, in a way, but that's not why I'm calling." "Well then, what is it dear, it must be serious." "I've been seeing a girl." "Oh my goodness, is it serious?" "You haven't got her in trouble have you, son?" "Yes, it is very serious, and no Dad, she's not in trouble. In fact, it's more than just serious. We're getting married." There was no response from my mom. It was what I expected. At least I didn't hear her fall to the floor in a faint. "This is rather sudden don't you think? Have you thought this out well enough? You don't want to get into something that turns out bad." That brought my mother to life. "Dear, I think Keith is old enough to make those kind of decisions." "Kristin has met her and just loves her." "Now I know the real reason you wanted her phone number. Is it one of Kristin's college friends?" "Now, this is the hard part. I hope you're sitting down." "What is it dear? She's... well, she's... I mean she's not colored is she?" I had to laugh. "No Mom, but she is rather young." "And how young would that be?" My father could always see what I was doing. "She's thirteen." A gasp could be heard from my mother, but no thud. She was still conscious. "Thirteen? Son that seems a bit young don't you think?" asked my Dad. "But that's the age Kristin was when you left. I thought..." My mother got her voice back. She had finally said what she had wondered all these years. "Yes, that's right. It is also why Kristin has met her. I love her like nothing I can describe. She is just a part of me." "Well that sounds like what I felt when I met your mom." "Oh dear, you say the sweetest things. So have you thought of a date? We'd like to meet her. How do her parents feel about all of this? How did you two meet anyway?" "Slow down mom. First of all if I haven't shocked you enough, here is another one. We're getting married this Saturday." "But that's in two days!" "Yes, I know." "Are you sure you didn't get her in trouble?" "No, dad. There are some other problems. I'm sure that we could have another ceremony in your church and invite all of your friends later if you want to, but it's important to get married now." "We'll take your word on that. Now, I imagine Kristin is coming?" "I haven't told her of the wedding date, she knows we're engaged." "Well I'll call her. At least I get to do that." "Yes, Mother." "What about Liz?" "You know I haven't talked to her in ages." "I know you two haven't always got along, but I think she'd be terribly upset if you didn't invite her. I'll call her too. Maybe we can all come together. That would be fun." "I'll let you take care of the arrangements." "So, if you're not on the base, where are you having the reception?" I'm not living there anymore. I'm in a little town called Carp." "Never heard of it before." "No, neither had I. It's not on most maps." I described where it was and how to get there. They were going to talk it over with Kristin and Liz, but they would probably leave tomorrow and drive. I thought all in all the conversation had gone well. I knew that they would be talking for the next hour about me. My next call was to Richard. I asked if he had talked to his parents. He had. Much the same stuff, but he didn't have to tell them she was thirteen or was marrying in two days so it was much easier. They were, although, coming to the wedding. It surprised me to no end. I had met them once. They were using it as an excuse to check out Katy, Richard told me. He told me that he had been called in to the CO's office yesterday. Jack had asked him about the water supply at Carp and what he thought it needed. When Richard had mentioned water tanks, he had said there were some behind building four and he should check them out. There was one that would be perfect. He had gone in to see him today and told him that. He wasn't sure what Jack was up to, but it looked good. They were planning on driving up early in the morning, wedding day. I told him that would fine, I'd tell Katy. I then told him of the strange things that went on between Cliff and Patrick. He told me I'd better keep an extra keen eye out. I told him a lot of extras would help. ------- Cliff got up the next morning not feeling especially happy with himself. He had lost his temper one more time. Not so bad that he couldn't go back. He had to anyway, but he had done some damage to his position in the town and that's what made him mad. He went into the bathroom, damn that rock show, every decent place to stay was taken. The only stinkin' room in town and it didn't even look like they cleaned it. It was then that he noticed a hand mirror laid upside down on the floor. Picking it up, he noticed it looked strangely familiar. The initials burned in his mind. K.E.T. His mind burned with rage. This was Katy's mirror and he had seen her use it. His rage grew as he imagined her in this room. Was she with a man, was Robin here? The mirror flew across the room at such speed, when it struck the wall it was imbedded in the plaster and the glass flewl into a thousand pieces. His face was red, his hands were clenched in fists, and he was seething with hatred for Patrick, the man who had destroyed his life. After grabbing his things and throwing them in the car, he stomped down to the office. "I want to know who was in the room last." "We don't give out that information, sir," the clerk said. Cliff picked him up by the neck. "I don't care what you don't do, give me the name of the person who was last in that room." Then dropped the white-as-a-sheet boy back down. "Yes, sir," he stammered, "It was Keith Patterson." "Damn it." Cliff slammed down his fist so hard it broke the glass protector on the counter. Then he stormed out, throwing the door closed and knocking three pictures off the wall. He drove off not paying attention to anything around him. Keith and Katy, that means Robin would have been there too. Why? Then it dawned on him and he swung his car around in the middle of the street, causing two cars to swerve out of the way. He drove up to Pioche. Slamming on his brakes in front of the county records building, he rushed in only to find no one available. He was standing at the counter when he saw what he had come for. On the other side of the counter was the marriage license application for Keith James Patterson and Robin Louise Thiesen. As he was reaching for it, someone finally noticed him. The sheriff's station had had three separate calls on what looked like the same person, in the same car. The last call provided a license plate number as well. The car was spotted, of all places, right in front of the county buildings. When the officer was looking at the car, he heard the shouts and ran. Cliff was beet red and mad. The clerk was making a scene and Cliff lost his temper, yelling himself. The deputy was over to Cliff before Cliff had even seen him. Even though Cliff was a big man, the deputy had him on his knees before he new what hit him. The next thing Cliff knew, he was in handcuffs, being led next door to the courthouse. It also contained the jail, the jail Cliff would spend the night in. ------- Chapter 11 Millie had already started counting people. This looked like it was going to be a big wedding, one with lots of out-of-town guests. That had not happened as long as Millie could remember. She went searching for an answer as to where they would stay, As she talked to one woman and the next, they all joined in. Soon there was a group of six of them. They all had questions, but no one had any creative solutions. That is, until Daisy came by and joined the group. "Whatsa doin?" "Trying to think of a place to put all the extra people that are coming in for the wedding. The only thing we can think of is that everyone can take a person or two. The weather is nice, so the kids could sleep in tents outside and the guests could have their beds." They all looked at her; she was not a lot older than Robin. They thought she wouldn't be any help at all. "Why don't you just open up the old hotel downtown?" They all looked at her dumb stuck. She was right. Why didn't any of them think of that? All of them elevated her in their minds at that point. The group led by Millie and now very much including Daisy, marched down to the old hotel. As with all of the buildings downtown, the keys were in the possession of Jim Williams, the Mayor de Facto. Or, to put it better, at his house on a board with a lot of nails and keys. His wife was with them and got it. Once inside, they looked around and knew it would be possible. It would take a lot of hard work in the next day, but it was possible. They separated to go back to their houses and returned with cleaning supplies. The hotel was a simple wood building. In the front, behind double doors with leaded glass inserts, was a small lobby containing a lavish curved staircase and an enclosed check-in desk, complete with iron railing around the cage. Behind that were the four rooms and a shared bath on the first floor. On the second floor, there was a landing and another five rooms and a shared bath. The last had been the manager's room. It was larger and had its own bath. None of then had been in the hotel in years and certainly not since it had closed. They spent the first few minutes running around the place like excited children. Then Millie assigned jobs to everyone. Daisy had the manager's room and bath. Within minutes everyone was at work. I had come downtown to make a call. I was a relieved that Cliff was not in town. I was able to leave the house without worrying about Robin. When I got to the phone I was startled to see movement in one of the old buildings. Going to investigate, I was surprised to see a cleaning crew at the old hotel. Millie saw me and motioned me in, then told me of the great idea Daisy had had about opening up the hotel for all the people coming in for the wedding. I told her it was great and I'd take a look around. I wandered around downstairs and then went up. I found Katy in one of the rooms bending over dusting. I couldn't help myself and snuck up on her. Placing my hand between her legs, I rapidly brought it up to her pussy. She stiffened at the first contact and yelped when I reached the desired location. Turning quickly she was relieved to see it was me. "You scared the life out of me!" she said in mock protest. "I'm sorry. Let's see if I can get some life back in you." And with that I kissed her hard. She broke panting. "The doors open. Anyone could see." "Do you want me to close it?" The hesitation was there. "No, you'd better not. Who knows what might happen then." "Oh, I have a pretty good idea." She playfully slapped me. "Go on and see the rest of the place." "OK," I went out the door. She turned back around and I snuck up on her again. This time she slapped my hand and told me to go away. There was humor in her voice. I wondered what else this hotel had to bring. I hadn't seen Daisy and she was well worth seeing. I walked silently into the last room and didn't see anyone, then walked over to the bathroom. Standing on her tiptoes she had her head pressed against the wall. It took me a second to realize she was looking though a peephole. She was so entranced she didn't notice me until I put my arms on her waist. She let out a suppressed scream. "My, my, what have we got here?" "Keith! Oh please don't say anything; I found it when I was cleaning and the picture fell." She had a worried look on her face. I looked though the hole, knowing what I'd see, a great view of Katy. "So you had a great view." She knew what I was talking about and turned red. "Did it excite you?" I could already see the answer to that on her face. I was facing her and placed my hands on her waist. She looked up at me trembling. "There's nothing to be afraid of." "I've never done anything with anyone but Hank. Haven't even kissed another man." "That's about to change." I said as I bent down and kissed her. It was going to be a little thing, but she wrapped her arms around me and drew me into her. She didn't have the petite body like Robin. She had curves in all the right places and as she pressed in I could feel her hard nipples pressing into my chest. I was sure she could feel my rapidly inflating dick. When we broke, she looked up at me and giggled. "I knew you had to be that good. God, Robin goes on about you. Now I know why." "You'd best behave, or you'll find out what she really likes." I said teasing her. She got a dreamy look in her eyes, "Really, what kind of misbehaving do I need to do?" That wasn't what I thought would happen. I might as well play along, I thought. "Oh, I don't know. Why don't you talk to Robin and see what misbehaving she does." I knew that would stop it, but was shocked when she dropped to her knees and grabbed the front of my pants, undoing them. "I have. I know just how to get you driving fast." She laughed as she said the last part. Does Robin tell everyone? I'd have to ask her about that later, for now I had Daisy pulling my hard as a rock dick out of my pants. She was stroking it, ready to put it in her mouth, when we heard Katy calling. Daisy was up off her knees in a flash, her face was flushed. I was stuffing my dick back into my pants, when Katy came around the corner seeing the two of us. Looking at the lump in my pants, she got a grin on her face. "I didn't disturb anything, now did I?" She sounded so innocent; I knew that was far from the truth. I thought I'd get her back. "No, of course not. Daisy found something and she wanted to take a look." Daisy shot a glance of shock at me. I continued. "Want to take a look?" I had an amused look on my face. Katy was surprised, but not undaunted. "Sure, I'd love to look." She had even more of a surprise when I didn't drop my pants, but led her over to the wall, pointing out the peephole. She looked though, then looked at me, and then at Daisy. Daisy had gone from a shocked look to a full red blush. "You can get a very nice view from here." "Yes, you can," I said as I scanned up and down Katy. She stood there turning almost as red as Daisy. Then Katy said something I just couldn't believe. "Daisy, you need to come over and see Robin. You could tell her what married life is like, maybe even spend the night." She had a twinkle in her eyes. Daisy, who had not said a word, looked at her, unbelieving what she had just said. Katy could sense that she would love to, but couldn't come out and say it. "You know it could be a lot of fun. Would you like me to talk to Hank and see if it would be OK?" Daisy just nodded her head. I said, "I've got to make a call to Richard. Want to say hi?" "Are you kidding? You know I'd love to," answered Katy. We left Daisy to ponder what had just happened. As we were walking out, Katy told Millie she's be back in a minute, that I was going to call Richard and she wanted to talk to him. "Oh, you love birds, I guess the next wedding will be yours," Millie said, smiling. I dialed the number, went through the base exchange, and got the maintenance department. Richard answered immediately. "What took you so long? I've been waiting twenty minutes! "Daisy," I answered. "What?" "Long story. Here, I have someone who wants to talk to you." I handed the phone to Katy. "You should have seen them, Richard." "Who?" "Keith and Daisy. I walked in on them. They looked guilty as jail birds and Keith had quite a lump in his pants." Richard was amused. "So what did you do?" "I invited her over to spend the night." "You are an evil temptress. I love it." "Just wait til I get hold of you." "I can't wait, but I do need to talk to Keith, he was so late in calling me I've got to be out of here and at building three in less than ten minutes and it takes five to get there. Sorry. I'll see you in a day." "Love you." "You, too," he said to her. She reluctantly handed me the phone. She stood and listened to the conversation. I was glad she was there. I needed a piece of paper and a pen. I asked her to get them. Richard asked if she was gone. Then he asked if I'd lost my fucking mind, hitting on Daisy. I then told him what happened. He couldn't believe my luck. Then I asked him to do something that I knew was asking a lot. "Can you call up Cynthia for me?" "Yea, what for?" "I want the two of you to go shopping" "What?" "I want to get Robin a dress for the wedding, she doesn't have one. This is an important day, you know." "Yea you're right. I wonder if Katy would like one, too?" "Boy have you got a lot to learn. I guess you didn't have sisters." "No I didn't. I take that as a yes. I think calling Cynthia is a real good idea. I wouldn't have a clue." Katy came back and I started taking notes. I realized I didn't need the pen and paper, he wanted to ask what had gone on without Katy there, and I was glad. Now all of that would be a surprise. We need a flat pad twenty feet in diameter with a sand base. They were going to helicopter in the tank, so we need to make sure any obstructions above were cleared. That was about it. The tank would show up tomorrow, late in the day. I told him he gave me a lot of fuckin' time to do it. He didn't have a lot of sympathy for me. He would have much rather been here. I met the men at the entrance to the mine at the end of their day. Miners, it seemed, knew how to move dirt and said they could have the bed down and ready in two hours if ten of them worked on it. They couldn't quite see the rush of getting it done tomorrow, but as I was getting married I think they humored me. I walked up to the spring to check things out and then went back to Katy's house. Katy excused herself from any more cleaning and went to find Hank. He laughed and thought it was a great idea; why hadn't anyone done that for Daisy? If only he knew Katy thought. She got back just in time to find them stopping for the day. She took Robin and Daisy home with her. When I arrived, The three of them were in a tight circle, talking. I knew I was in trouble. They were scheming and I was the prey. Robin got up and brought me over to them. I asked nervously were Jimmy was, only to be told he would be spending the night with Brian. Looking at me with adoration in her eyes, Robin said, "Keith, Daisy has never seen another man before." I looked over at Daisy, who had the look of forbidden anticipation in her eyes. Then I looked over at Katy, who was wearing a grin that said this was just the beginning. "So what are you suggesting?" I replied. "This." And she started to undress me, very slowly. I just stood there with my eyes on Daisy. She was glancing, but was trying not to stare. By the time I was down to my underwear, she was staring. When I put my hand under her chin and raised her head so she was looking into my eyes, I winked at her. She turned bright red. Then Robin took Daisy's hands and placed them on each side of my waistband. As I looked at her I took her hands and slowly started pushing them down. Her hands slipped inside my waistband and then started lowering it. The bright red face was warming the room and her fingers were just as hot. She gasped as my hard dick came popping out. I didn't need to give her any more encouragement; she was pulling my underwear off as quickly as possible. "Now isn't that nice?" Katy said. Daisy said a breathy, "Yes, it sure is." Her eyes were glued to my dick. Robin stepped up and put one hand behind Daisy's head and the other on my dick. She pulled Daisy forward and pointed my dick right at her mouth. To my surprise, she opened her mouth and in it slid. Hank was a good instructor, as she had obviously done this before. I looked down at her, her blond hair flowing back and forth and I saw Robin reach around to her front. It took me a second to realize she was unbuttoning her blouse. Daisy didn't want to let go of my shaft, but relented and Robin pulled it off her sleeves. I couldn't help but say, "Yes", when Robin removed her bra. I like smaller breasted women, but there was something about Daisy. I wanted to get my hands on those things. Daisy was doing a wonderful job and I was trying to hold on, but it was a losing battle. Katy saw the tell tale signs of my impending orgasm and moved her hands around Daisy's head. As soon as I tightened up, she started to pull Daisy back. By the time the first stream shot out my head was coming out of her mouth. She made a disappointed sound and stuck her tongue out to try and get more. Katy had other ideas. She pulled her back enough that the rest of it sprayed all over her face. It must have been her technique, because more than normal came out. It covered her face with sticky strings and some had dropped down running across her breast. Katy then said, "Robin, come and clean up this mess." Robin got up to get something, but Katy then said, "No. Use your tongue." Robin, Daisy, and I looked at her as if she was half crazy. "You know how you enjoy the taste of him. This is just another way to get it, now go on." Robin got to her knees facing Daisy. You could see a look of apprehension, as well as lust, in those eyes. Robin leaned forward and tentatively took a little lick. Both girls giggled. Then Robin took another lick, and soon her tongue was lapping up everything it could find on her face. I pushed Daisy onto the floor and Robin came with her. Then I undid Daisy's pants and Katy and I pulled them off of her. I then started pulling off her panties. She lifted for me and was starting with some low moans as Robin was licking down her neck. I knew this girl was hot enough, so I pulled her legs apart and dove in. She had a very light coating of hair. Her lips were swollen and wet. My tongue slid right in. "Oh my God," she said, "Hank has never done that to me." For shame, I thought. Tenderly, I ran my tongue around the outside lips. She spread her legs as wide as they would go. It had the effect of opening her lips and I sunk my tongue into her waiting hole. While I was doing this Robin had moved from licking her heck and now was down to those beautiful breasts. Robin was as almost as hot as Daisy. She forgot about licking and sucked one of her nipples into her mouth. Daisy couldn't take any more. She screamed and her legs closed around me. I could feel the pulsations around my tongue. Robin couldn't stay connected as Daisy bucked up and down. My mouth and tongue were on and off in contact. I tried to keep myself between her legs, but that even failed. As she slowed down, she looked at us in amazement. "I've never felt anything even close to that before," she said. We found out as we talked to her that while Hank loved to receive, he didn't give very much. She didn't know any better. Now that she found out the powerful feelings that her body could give her, she wanted more, much more. ------- Cliff had been in jail before. He knew as soon as the door slammed that he would need to be on his best behavior no matter what. He took a look with disgust at the old cell. He'd been in much nicer, but he didn't dwell on it. It would be a long day for him and maybe he wouldn't need to spend the night. Later, as he found out, he would indeed be spending the night. The judge had taken ill and couldn't be in the court. No court, no bail, and no bail, no getting out. He bit his tongue and smiled. He knew from experience that if you were to show any anger they would hold you a lot longer just for spite. So he sat looking pleasant, but in his mind, everything, absolutely everything that had happened, was the result of Patrick Thiesen. The next morning bail was set and paid. He was a free man again. Free to terrorize Carp. He drove straight down, not bothering to stop once. That he found out was a mistake. By the time he was in Carp he was dancing in his seat. He raced through downtown and couldn't get out of his car fast enough. Standing in front of the toilet, he went and went and went. The one benefit of this was when he came roaring though, everyone noticed. Katy was told and she rushed from the hotel to Millie's house. She felt sick to her stomach and looked pale as she grabbed Robin and ran with her to the spring. I was still there helping with the last touches of the pad. I knew from what they looked like and that they were there, that he had returned. I had played this out in my mind a million times. It came up a million times different, but more times than not the way we wanted it to turn out. I asked Katy if she could stand up to him. Could she say yes when he said no? Could that happen if she had support, and the clincher, it meant the life of her daughter. With that she said she didn't care what the son of a bitch said. Robin was her daughter. Even though none of the men had ever heard her talk with that kind of language, they were behind her. It was a matter of choosing. Cliff who had done nothing for this town or it's local hero and Robin. To this bunch it was an easy choice. We finished up and all walked back downtown. It was reminiscent of a showdown, and if it wouldn't have been so damn serious it would have been funny. Cliff was at the end of the town and we came walking up from the other end. We met in the center. It was my first chance at seeing him. It was his first chance of seeing me, also. Katy was beside me and Robin was in the back. She had never seen her father and was as curious as frightened. Cliff was six foot three, with broad shoulders and in reasonable shape. A face a woman might like and sandy brown hair. The face I knew could change to something not quite human. He outweighed me by thirty pounds and a few inches in his reach, not to mention his large callused hands that appeared to be no stranger to a brawl. "So you're this Keith I keep hearing about," he said to me. "And you are Cliff. I've heard a lot about you," I returned. We stood there looking at each other. He turned his attention and charm towards Katy. "I haven't seen you since I've been back. You look as lovely as ever. More beautiful than the last time I laid my eyes on you." What he got back in response was not what he expected. "Cliff, you can turn off the charm. It isn't going to work. I'm engaged." I could see the pressure rise in his face. He kept his cool, but changed his tune. "I understand that you have submitted to have our daughter marry." "Yes, I am letting my daughter marry this wonderful man. How did you know?" I was wondering that myself. He got a wry smile on his face. "I have my ways. I don't agree with your decision and I want it stopped." Katy was getting mad at this point. I thought she would say something that she might regret, so I stepped in. "I think that may be a mute point. The wedding is tomorrow afternoon." He glared at me. "Katy, I want it stopped. She will not marry." I lost it at that point, so had Katy. I said, "I don't really think you can do anything about it. She is going to marry me whether you like it or not." "I'm her father, I can to stop it." Katy was turning red, she was so mad. "You took away my virginity. You left me with a child, you never came back, you never did anything. You are not her father. Not one little bit. If you think I give a damn what you want, then you are dead wrong." With that she took Robin by the hand and stormed off. The men were between Cliff and her, and you could see that he wanted to get at her. He turned towards me. "You had better think twice about marrying her. It is not a good thing for you to do." I was pumped full of adrenalin from Katy's performance. I had a smile on my face when I replied. "I think it will be one of the best days of my life." With that I turned and walked away. I was able to do it because of the men standing there. I was going to have to thank them a lot for that. Cliff's little stint was a wet blanket on an otherwise good start of a day. I told Katy that Robin should not be left alone. In fact, there should be at least two people with her at all times. I didn't want to say it, but I think she knew the possibility that Cliff might just try and take her. She agreed with me. Robin wanted to be with me. I said that Jimmy and Brian had to be with us at all times also. She didn't like the idea and neither did they, but after what she saw of Cliff, she understood. We all walked back down to the hotel. Millie saw us coming and ran out to us. She had a million questions for Katy. I didn't think Robin needed to hear that stuff again and neither did Jimmy or Brian. I took them into the hotel. None of them had ever been in it before. They were racing around it, looking all over. I had to admit it looked damn good and I told one of the ladies cleaning that they had done a marvelous job. As she was blushing, I heard my name being called by Robin. The hair on the back of my head stood up and I bolted up the stairs to where I'd heard her call. As I ran in the last room, I stopped dead in my tracks. There were Robin and Daisy laughing. Robin stopped as soon as she had seen the worried look on my face. When I saw them, I started worrying for a totally different reason. Daisy hadn't caught my facial expressions like Robin. "He is the cutest damn thing, and just look at it." Daisy said. My dick had made a lump in my pants, so I could only guess what she meant by that. I started turning red. "It is, but you know,..." said Robin. It was like these lines had been rehearsed. They started laughing so hard; they had to hold on to each other. I walked out, not because I didn't think it was funny. It was. I was getting a hard on that was beginning to hurt watching the two of them, and if I stayed, I'd have had to shut the door and give them a taste of my medicine, or my dick, as one might put it. I was glad that Robin's mind was somewhere else than on Cliff. I walked back downstairs. Millie and Katy were back inside. I congratulated them on such a fine job. Millie was proud. "And a day early also." Little did she know that it would be used that night. ------- The miners had left the mine early. Their wives had told them, if they had wives, that they needed to be home in the afternoon. They knew what weddings did to women and they weren't about to miss out on an opportunity like that. So they were all coming back when the sound of the helicopters could be heard coming down through the hills. People gathered around, north of the downtown area. I noticed that even Cliff had come out, although he was standing at a distance. Robin saw him also and stuck like glue to me. Katy was also keeping a close eye on him. I had expected to see one, but there were two of them and no tank. The first came down and landed. Eight men jumped out with tools, pipe, and their gear. When that was unloaded, it took off. The next one had three people get off with a lot of bags, I smiled. Even at a distance I could tell Richard was one of those. The other two had to be Jack and Cynthia. The crowd had moved closer to the helicopter. The men stood around as Jack, Cynthia, and Richard came to meet me. Jack explained that the other men were here to install the tank. They would radio the base and it would come as soon as they were ready for it to arrive. I shouted over the noise. "This is Jack Huntington and his wife. He is the Commanding Officer at the base I was employed at. He is here for my wedding. The men that came with him are here to install a new water tank for the town. We will have water back in our houses by tonight." The cheer was deafening. I wanted to see Cliff's expression. It was hard, as people were jumping up and down. I did catch a glimpse as he turned to leave. What I saw didn't surprise me. Disgust and hatred were there. I didn't have time to dwell on it, as people were clamoring over me. I shook Richard and Jack's hands. Cynthia wouldn't have any part of that and gave me a big hug. I saw the expression on Robin's face, one of amusement I think. Jack got a bright idea as the pilot was ready to take off. He motioned him to stay. After talking with the pilot, he told me that it would be a nice idea to give a few people a little ride if they liked it. Children had to be with an adult though. The copter could hold four at a time. Keith and Richard talked it over. Richard was the one that shouted out what was happening. People were cheering. Jack had made a good impression. Jimmy and Brian were right up front. He told them they would have to wait. Not everyone wanted to go in that flying thing and a few of the men had to go up with other people's kids. Finally they were down to the last and he shouted to Jimmy and Brian that they would be the last when a little girl looked up at Richard with tears in her eyes. He had not seen her. He bent down and looked straight at her. "Do you want to go?" He said. She just nodded. "Well then, where is your mom?" She turned, reaching out, and up stepped Dora Elrich. Richard knew her by sight and was staring. He felt his arm being slapped and turned to see Katy with a big grin on her face. He tipped his head and shrugged his shoulders. She laughed out loud and said, "Go ahead." With that he lifted Dora up into the helicopter, then little Stephanie. Much to Jimmy's surprise he was then grabbed and set in. It was easy to choose, as soon as Stephanie had shown up Jimmy couldn't take his eyes off her and Richard noticed. He climbed in and the door was closed. Richard knew the pilot so he figured he could get away with what he did. He had the two kids in the front seat and he was planning to sit in the back seat with Dora. He told Jimmy to take care of Stephanie, as though that was going to be a problem. Then he sat back with Dora. She was four years younger than Katy and was also unmarried. Her husband had been in a section of mine that had collapsed two years ago. She had been told he died almost instantaneously. Two years was a long time without a man and sitting next to Richard, in tight quarters made her feel thing she hadn't felt in a long time. Jimmy was feeling very lucky. He got to go before Brian did, and he was sitting next to one of the prettiest girls he knew. Stephanie had long blond hair and blue eyes. They made him feel all funny when she looked at him. When the copter took off, the blades made a noise she was unprepared for, and she grabbed his arm, holding him tight. He loved it. He put his arm around her and looked down into her face. She was scared and he wanted to comfort her. The best way he knew how was to reach down and kiss her. It was short and sweet. That felt good to her. She felt special, her dad used to make her feel that way, but now he was gone. She wanted to feel that again and looked up at him. The copter had reached the top altitude, again another set of noises. He took the opportunity again and kissed her, this time she didn't want to let go and it lasted a whole lot longer. Richard leaning up to see if they were OK only interrupted it. They bolted to an upright position and Richard had to laugh to himself at how ridiculous they looked. Jimmy did keep hold of Stephanie's hand. When he leaned back he rested their intertwined hands on his leg. Richard couldn't understand why Dora was still unattached. She was one fine looking lady. Blond hair and blue eyes just like her daughter, and she had a figure that was just nice, as far as he was concerned. She was a little short, five foot two inches, but what was in that frame was enjoyable to look at. He could feel her breasts pressing against his arm. It was causing him to swell. She was pointing a lot of things out of his window, causing her to rub even more of herself on him. He finally leaned up to pretend to see how the kids were doing; really he needed to adjust himself. He saw Jimmy and Stephanie kissing. He was surprised, and then they saw him and acted like nothing happened. The pilot was no dummy. He saw the shenanigans going on. So he played it to the hilt, banking hard, dropping suddenly. Richard quickly figured out what he was doing. It kept the women very close. Richard would have to thank him later. When they landed, he dropped it down with a large bump. Dora practically engulfed Richard with her arms. In the front of them what happened is that when it bounced, it bounced their hands right off Jimmy's leg and into his crouch. There was no mistaking the lump. Jimmy looked at Stephanie with a shocked expression. She knew he didn't mean it and smiled at him. She also liked the feeling. It melted his heart. When they got out, they were still holding hands. Dora and Richard looked at each other and smiled. Brian and Richard took the last trip, and the pilot again made it special, but this time for Brian, as he had to wait so long. After that was over the helicopter flew out of sight. Leaving the crowd behind, we walked up to the spring. One of the men was the leader of the group and quickly got things happening. They marked the lines for the new water lines from the spring to the tank. Robin and I were chatting to Jack and Cynthia. Jimmy and Brian had their own conversation going. It was then I noticed that Richard and Katy were not with us. I mentioned it to Robin. "Yes I know," she said with a big grin, "they left right after the last ride." Once things were going and they saw the layout, we weren't needed. I took Jack and Cynthia down to the hotel. Robin stayed with me, but Brian and Jimmy said they had other things to do. I saw the mischievous look in their eyes, but decided not to ask any questions. They were impressed by the old structures of the downtown. When we got to the hotel, they were stunned. "Looks like it had been closed for years and then just reopened the same way it use to be," Jack said. "It was, as a matter of fact. Lets go in," I replied. They were in awe. They looked and looked. The woodwork, the pictures, the stunning curved staircase; they were silent as if it was a museum. It was when we were climbing the stairs that I heard it. It was faint, but I knew that sound. I stopped and looked at Robin, she had heard it, too. I put my finger to my lips, signaling for them to be silent as we climbed the stairs. The door to the room Katy had been cleaning was closed. I smiled. There was no doubt as the noise was getting louder what was happening behind. We crept into the manager's room and I showed them the peephole. Robin just smiled. Daisy had told her the story of finding it, and the scene it had provided. Jack and Cynthia were fighting over who would get to look. As Cynthia took another turn, I motioned to Jack another opportunity awaiting him. He smiled and took the suggestion. Wrapping his arms around her he started nibbling her neck. She sighed. His hands raised and were massaging her breasts when he realized we were still there looking at them. I turned to Robin and picking her off the ground locked her in a tight embrace and kiss. With that he lost all sense of reality. He was pinching Cynthia's nipples making her moan. I was starting to wonder who was making the most noise. As we left them, I whispered, "this is your room for the night, hope you enjoy it." Cynthia was panting as Jack reached between her legs. About the time Robin and I were down the stairs, we heard a big thump, then a door fly open. "Jack!" "Richard," and then "Cynthia!" "Katy." We were laughing which we knew they could hear, as we left, slamming the front door hard. We were laughing so hard as we left, that we weren't paying attention and didn't notice Cliff. "Hello, Keith," he said in a low, steady tone. It startled me so much I just about peed my paints. Trying to keep my cool, I answered, "Hello Cliff. What brings you down here?" I thought if I engaged him in conversation, maybe someone else would come along. "I was looking for you." This startled me. "Well, it looks like you found me." "Yes, it does." He had a menacing look in his eyes and was rubbing his fist in his hand. What I didn't know was that when we left, Katy didn't recognize our laughter as it reverberated through the old building. Instead of asking any questions, she darted for one of the front rooms so she could see who had just left. What she saw was more than that. Keith, Robin, and Cliff. She yelled to Richard who came running along with Jack and Cynthia. When Richard looked down and saw us, he bolted back to the room and threw his clothes back on. Jack saw the urgency of what he was doing and ran down the stairs with him. Katy and Cynthia weren't far behind. Trying to keep my cool, I said, "Now what Cliff? Are you going to try and stop things another way?" He didn't have time to respond. At that point Richard and Jack came busting through the front of the hotel. Cliff saw them, turned and walked away. Katy and Cynthia were out the door two seconds later. Jack turned and looked at me. "What the hell was all that about?" "Let's go back into the hotel. You need a history lesson I think." We went back up to Jack and Cynthia's room. Between Katy and I, we told them a fairly complete story of Cliff and his dealings with Carp. As I was leaving I popped in the bathroom and quickly hung the picture back on the wall, hiding the peephole. ------- It was more of a challenge to put in the pipes and hook them into the old system than the men had anticipated. It was dusk by the time they were ready for the tank. They sent another helicopter with a generator and lights. Once those were in place it brought out everyone in town. I had to admit it did have a mysterious look to it. Behind the bushes and trees on the hill slope above town was an eerie glow. To top that off, the approaching helicopter was louder than anyone could imagine. It was the largest thing any of those town folks had ever seen. Two rotors on each side of its massive body, and below that, with lights shining on it, hung the water tank. The way the townspeople were talking, this was the most impressive thing they had ever seen. It took about a half an hour for them to get the tank into position and lower it. After that it was a matter of bolting on the flanges and some welding. The helicopter had long gone by the time they opened the gates and started filling the tank. The people who were there cheered, as you could hear it filling. It would be hours by the time it would be done. I had gone over with the men how to instruct the townspeople on flushing their system. It wasn't the best. All the piping from the tank to each house would need to be replaced, but in the mean time this would work. Tomorrow morning they would have running water back in their houses. It was past nine when the last of the men showed up at the hotel. They were very grateful to have a comfortable place to stay. They had been told when they left this morning that if they didn't get done until dark, it would be the ground to sleep on. ------- Catharine Patterson was just ecstatic. She wished she had more time to plan and prepare, but she just couldn't believe it. Little Keith was going to get married. She called Kristin first because as Keith had told her, she already knew and it would be a shorter call. She was so excited and thought it was a great idea to all go down together. The next call was to Liz, that didn't go as well. "He's doing what?" "He's getting married, dear." "I heard what you said. Why haven't I known anything about this before? Why doesn't anybody tell me anything? What's she like anyway?" Liz was irritated. "First things first. Now don't go getting upset that nobody told you anything. He just told me today and the wedding is in two days." "What did he do, knock her up?" The same old sorry attitude she had had for her brother. "Elizabeth Mary Patterson, you keep a civil tongue in you head. He did not knock up some girl. He told me that he found the girl of his dreams and doesn't want to let her go." "Yea I bet, she's probably ugly as sin, or... or so young she has to get her mommy to say it's OK." "Liz do you have to be so nasty towards him? She's not ugly." She purposely didn't go on with how old she was. This conversation was already bad enough. Her mom might not have wanted to say it, but Liz was as sharp as anything. "So, have you seen this pretty young thing. She is young, isn't she?" "Liz, maybe you shouldn't go to his wedding after all. You're being down right nasty. If you must know, Kristin has seen her many times and thinks the world of her." Liz changed her tune, partially because she now knew she could pump Kristin for the information that her mom didn't want to give her. "Sorry, Mom. You know Keith and I never got along all that well." "You can say that again." "But I'd hate to miss something as important as this. You know I'd love to see you and Dad. It could be fun. I don't know what I'm going to wear though. He hasn't given me much time to get anything." The rest of the conversation revolved around clothes and how everything was going to be coordinated to get there. As soon as Liz hung up with her mom, she called Kristin. She had half expected to get a call from her and so had hung around the phone. Not knowing what her mom had said to her, she was a little worried. Liz could be a troublemaker. "So I understand that were going to a wedding," Liz said. "Yes, isn't it exciting?" Kristin bubbled. "Mom and I talked about what to wear. Do you know what you're wearing? What's she going to wear? They don't make wedding dresses for girls that young do they?" "What did Mom tell you?" "Well a little of this and a little of that." "That's what I thought, you're trying to pump me for information. Why does it mater to you?" "Don't get mad at me, Kristin. I just, I don't know, I just can't help myself. If anything, I think you would have a grudge against him. I know how much it hurt you when he left." "He and I have been over that. It really doesn't matter how old she is. I mean, the first time you see her will be the wedding day." "Yea, I guess you're right. So why doesn't anyone want to tell me then? She's not twelve or something, is she?" "Liz if I tell you, do you promise not to make a scene?" "This has got to be good. Yes, I promise." "Liz!" "OK, OK." "Her name is Robin." "Yea." "And she just turned thirteen." "OH MY GOD! Kristin, are you pulling my leg?" "No, Liz, I'm not. She really is thirteen." "Why... how... I mean, what would he see in a little girl like that." It slipped out of her mouth before she realized she said it. "Me." "Kristin, what did you say?" "Nothing." "Yes you did, you said me. Oh Kristin, that's why he left the house isn't it? You were thirteen. Oh my God, I can't believe this. He had the, oh I can't even say it." "Yes Liz, he had the hots for me. I'm his sister, though." "So what now, he's found a replacement for you?" "Well, yes, something like that." "I can't believe it. How did you handle it? When did you realize? Do mom and dad know." "Oh God, no. They'd die. I didn't know until he told me a several weeks ago. He made me come down and meet her." "You're kidding, wasn't that weird? Why did he do that?" "No, it wasn't weird; it was really great. It was her idea to have me come down." "Hers? This is getting strange, Kristin." "Not really. Keith told her his feelings for me and how he saw me in her. She wanted to make sure that he wasn't settling for her because he couldn't have me." "Like I said, weird, but she seems smart." "Yea, she is. I like her a lot. I know you don't like Keith, but I love him. If I would have known back then I would have given anything to him, and yes I do mean anything Liz. I love him very much, I know that is hard for you to understand." There was a catch in her voice that hadn't been there before. "Kristin, I love Keith. I just, well you're not suppose to feel that way about your brother." Kristin thought Liz was talking about her. "I just couldn't bring myself to think I was normal, so I had to make him angry at me. It was the only way." Kristin was realizing what Liz was trying to tell her. "Are you telling me that you were in love with Keith?" Kristin could hear the tears. "Yes, for as long as I can remember. I hated him for being my brother. Why couldn't he have been a neighbor's kid? Why not?" "Liz." Kristin didn't know what to say. She could feel the pain. "I know how much it hurts." "Yea, and now he's getting married." She was sobbing. Kristin had never heard her sister break down. She was always the strong one. That's when she made a decision. She said softly, "Liz, can I tell you a secret?" It was the way Kristin had said it that caused Liz to pause. "What?" "I'm still in love with him." "So? So am I. Who cares?" "Well, I'm not unhappy. Do you want to know why?" "You're always so fucking happy, so what is it this time?" Kristin was getting irritated with her sister and practically shouted in the phone. "Liz, I'm fucking happy, because I'm fucking him!" As soon as she said it, she looked around. Everyone even remotely close was looking at her wide-eyed. She played it off as though she was just kidding. But on the other end of the line, there was a mind in turmoil. "What did you say? Did you say what I thought you said? Kristin did you say you were fucking him? Did you really say that? Tell me, did you really say that?" "Yes Liz, that's exactly what I said." "Oh my god. Kristin how did you, how could you?" Then she said what she really felt. "How was it? Was it good? I bet it was, he was good, wasn't he?" "Oh Liz, you wouldn't believe it. It wasn't just good, it was fantastic, and yes he is so good." "God Kristin, you're making me jealous. But he's getting married." "Who do you think got us together?" "Not; oh my God, not,... what's her name again?" "Robin, and yes, she's the one. I told you she was something else." "I guess so. Now I can't wait to meet her." Then her tone changed. "But I guess I'd never have what you got. I've been a shit to him. You've always been an angel to him. Why would he want to give me the time of day." There was a sorrow in her voice, one born of loss. "Liz, haven't you ever gone after someone you really wanted, but didn't think you could have?" "No, there's only one other person like that." As soon as she said that, she wished she hadn't. "Who?" "I can't tell you." "After I told you what I did, you can't tell me? Who is it, Daddy?" As soon as she said that, she heard Liz gasp. "Oh my God, Liz, Daddy?" It was a weak and almost inaudible answer. "Yes." "Liz, my God. You've been tormented for years, haven't you?" "You wouldn't believe." "Would you like to do something about it?" "About what?" "About Keith, or Daddy?" "God, Kristin, what the hell could I do?" "You'd be surprised. I've found that in Carp, that's the little town that Keith and Robin are in, that almost anything can happen. I do mean anything. Oh, the stories I could tell you." "You're making me hot thinking about it. Don't tease me. Do you really think?..." "What do you want to do. If you want to do it bad enough, it can happen." "This could be some wedding." "You'd have a hard time believing all of it already. I'll tell you in the car. We'll have plenty of time to talk then. So are you rethinking about what you're going to bring to wear?" "If half of what you're telling me is true, I'm going to have a blast." "And you haven't met Richard yet." "Richard?" "Wait for the whole story in the car." "Oh, your terrible." "Yea, I know it, but you'll thank me later." "I hope so." Mary McCarran had been hanging around the phone. Kristin thought it was because she wanted to see if it was Keith. Ever since she had talked to him and told him to come up for a visit she had been bugging Kristin. "Are you done, Kristin? I need to call my dad, he left me a message to call him and I can only get him at specific times." She was thankful that that was what it was. "Yea, I'm done." Mary got on the phone. Kristin was asked about the outrageous thing she had said on the phone that everyone heard. "I was talking to my sister. Can you believe everything someone says to their sister? Really." She was thinking she would have to be a lot more discreet with her conversations. Mary got off the phone and was giddy. "My dad is going to pick me up in a helicopter tomorrow." Kristin thought she was doing something special. Shit. She didn't even want to talk to Mary about it. Who the hell was her father to do such a thing? She consoled herself in the idea of telling Liz a whole lot of stuff. That would be a lot of fun. Kristin was picked up early in the morning. She thought ruefully, Mary wasn't being picked up for another two hours and could sleep in. Mary's dad had a helicopter. Liz was half asleep; this was a lot longer trip for her. After many hugs and kisses, her bag was stowed in the trunk and they were on the road. As sleepy as she was, Liz couldn't wait to talk to Kristin. Their folks thought it was great, how they were being so chummy. They were huddling close and whispering to each other. Between that and the front windows open, Kristin and Liz's parents had no idea what they were talking about. Kristin gave her an abbreviated rundown of the happenings of the town and how Keith had met Robin. She spiced up the story telling her the car ride stories. Liz was laughing so hard thinking of Keith in the car with Robin and Jimmy seeing the flashing lights of the sheriff's car. Liz couldn't wait to meet Richard. He seemed like a wonderful guy. Then was the question of how. Kristin had pondered this all night. As much as she hated the thought, it would have to be the wedding night. Liz thought that was hysterical. Although she didn't tell Liz, she was going to tell Keith. She knew him and he could play along to make Liz feel right. Knowing Keith, he would make Liz feel better than right, she thought. Liz finally agreed to do whatever Kristin was suggesting, so as to make it seem natural. As they approached Carp, Kristin had the shock of her life. There was a helicopter sitting at the north end of town, and then she realized there were a bunch of men getting on it. It was taking off as they passed by. As soon as it was gone, Kristin looked back and almost missed another helicopter landing. She told her dad to stop. Looking out the back of the car, she saw the unmistakable figure of Mary getting out. She was thinking, "What the hell is going on?" She then directed her dad to Katy's house. Liz saw the strange look on Kristin's face. "What is it?" "Helicopters don't arrive at Carp, especially with one of my college roommates on it." "Are you sure it was her?" "There's no question about that. I knew she was well off, but I didn't know she was that well off. I have no idea what her father does." "Well, I guess we'll be finding out." "We certainly will." As they pulled up in front of Katy's house, everyone started coming out. There were introductions, hugs and kisses. There were also a few raised eyebrows when Liz threw her arms around Keith and gave him a kiss. Keith noticed Richard checking out Liz and whispered, "She's my sister, remember?" To which he replied in a whisper with a big smile, "Yea, and so is Kristin." Kristin then said to Keith, "Do you know Mary?" "Mary?" "You know, my roommate. The one that got chatty with you on the phone." I knew just the one who she was talking about, but thought this was a strange time to bring it up. "No, not other than on the phone, why?" "I just saw her getting out of a helicopter as we were driving in." "Kristin, what is Mary's last name?" "I don't know, no let me think. McCarran, that's right, it's McCarran." I laughed, Kristin looked puzzled. "Richard, guess who's coming to the wedding?" "No idea, who?" he shot back. "Congressman McCarran." Kristin looked stunned; she had no idea that was Mary's father. Frank and Catherine looked at each other and then to their son. The congressman at their sons wedding? They thought there is more to this story, but they didn't say a word. Then they took Mr. And Mrs. Patterson down to the hotel. Patrick and Mary McCarran had also just arrived at the hotel. Mary and Kristin stood there looking at each other. Patrick said, "Mary do you know this fine young woman." "Yes, Dad. She is one of my roommates." Then to Kristin she said, "What are you doing here?" "I'm here for my brothers wedding." "Not Keith!" At which point I came forward, took her hand and said, "Hello, I'm Keith, and you must be Mary. It is so good to finally meet you." She was pale. Her father hadn't missed a thing. "Keith, it is so good to see you. I hope you don't mind us dropping in on your wedding. My daughter and I don't get enough time together, so I thought I'd surprise her and take her to this place you talk about so much. I guess it was more of a surprise to her than I thought it would be." He had a big smile on his face. "I'm glad that you could come, and it is a treat to meet your daughter finally. I've only had the pleasure of talking to her on the phone." He was trying not to turn red thinking of that conversation. "Yes, I can tell that." He laughed out loud, making Mary feel a little self-conscious. The ladies were almost done cleaning the hotel from last night's guests. Frank and Catherine took a room on the first floor. Patrick wanted a second story room and took one of the ones in the front. Always wanting to keep an eye on things I thought. I suggested a room to Mary, which she graciously accepted. Little did she know it was the one with the peephole in it. Katy and Robin were looking at me with a smirk on their face. I then suggested Liz and Kristin take the one opposite hers. After placing their bags in the room, they were taken on a tour, first the hotel, then the rest of downtown, and finally the spring. Katy and Robin were going on so much as to how Richard and I saved the town. Richard and I were feeling a bit uncomfortable with all of the attention. Patrick and Mary went back to the hotel and the rest of them ended up back at Katy's. At that point I sat my family down in the living room and brought Robin over. I told them how much I loved her, how I didn't want to be apart from her, and the thought of loosing her was devastating. Then I told them the reason that we were getting married so quickly was because of Cliff, the father of Robin. I went on to give a brief history of Cliff and Katy's family. When it was all done, Mrs. Patterson, Liz and Kristin had tears in their eyes. Mr. Patterson said, "Well done, son, I think you made the right decision." About an hour later, the Thompson's arrived. Another round of introductions, hugs, and kisses. Richard then got to do the same thing as Keith, showing his parents around the town. They also would be staying at the hotel. Katy was in and out, having to help Millie and a group of ladies prepare all of the food for the wedding reception afterwards. I had provided the money for it, a lot more than they were use to spending. They were having fun with all of the fancy things that they could normally not afford to have. It would be quite a feast. Three of the men were preparing the meat: a traditional slow roasted beef, with an age-old spice rub. Jimmy was jumping up and down, wanting to go off and play. Katy finally said yes, and he was out the door before she could say another word. Everyone was a bit surprised when Brian showed up not more than ten minutes later, asking if Jimmy could play. "But he just left, saying he wanted to play. I thought he was with you," Katy said to him. "Oh," he had a downcast look on his face, "He's probably with HER again." Richard caught on to Brian's lament and came over to cheer him up. Dragging him into the center of the living room, Richard said, "Mom and Dad, I want you to meet Brian. This is the young man that saved my life." Brian wasn't thinking about Jimmy any more. He was blushing with excitement from the attention. He thought the world of Richard and Richard describing his heroism was making Brian feel ten feet tall. Of course, Mike and Sandra Thompson were going on about how brave he was and how much they appreciated what he had done for their son. Sandra even said that maybe sometime Richard could bring Brian to see their house. Brian had forgotten all about why he had come there in the first place, he was floating with elation. Jimmy had run straight to Stephanie's house. When he got there, though, he stopped at their door and became nervous. He wasn't sure what he was going to say. He was just about ready to leave when Dora opened the door. She had a pie in her hands and behind her was Stephanie. She also had a pie in her hands. He just stood there with his mouth hanging open. Dora looked down at him. It was cute, but she didn't have time for that. "Here Jimmy, take this pie. You can help Stephanie carry them down to the hall. That will save me some time. I have two more in the oven, and now I can keep a better eye on them. Lord knows, this old stove needs all the help it can get." "OK," Jimmy said. He was more than happy to do what she asked. It meant he could be with Stephanie. They walked in silence for a while and then Stephanie said, "Jimmy?" He stopped and looked at her, he had the most expectant look on his face. "Yes?" "Do you like me?" He grinned. "Yea, a whole lot. You're... well, you're beautiful." She smiled and it melted him. He almost dropped the pie. "I like you too." They quickly walked the rest of the way and dropped off the pies. As they left, Millie noticed that they were holding hands. She popped out the door to see which way they were heading, when something caught her eye that made her forget all about Jimmy. Cliff was at the end of the block, pounding his fist into the side of the building as he was talking on the phone. Katy walked in carrying some food and Millie grabbed her. "Did you see Cliff outside?" "No. Why, what was he doing?" Katy replied. "He was on the phone, pounding his fist into the wall. I hope he doesn't cause a scene and ruin the wedding." "I think I'd better tell Dad about this. He knows Cliffs behavior better than anyone else." "That's a good idea. He's probably over at Cheryl's house," Millie said in disgust. "Yea, I don't understand that. Well, I'll run over there and tell him, and then I think I should tell Keith and Richard, too. Then I'll come back and help you. Sorry I haven't been more help." "Don't be silly! This is your daughter getting married. Go on." Katy went to Cheryl's, but Patrick wasn't there. She went to Millie's and Richard wasn't there. She finally ended up at her house and Patrick, Richard, Keith, Robin, and Brian were all there. Between cooking and running around she had lost track of the time. "Mom, you're finally here. What am I going to wear? I have to get ready." The wedding and everything that that entailed had happened so fast that Katy had forgot to deal with this one very important aspect. She hadn't had a proper wedding and hadn't had a mother around. She felt like a failure to her daughter. She sat down in a lump crying, "I don't know, dear. Your mother didn't do a very good job, I guess." Keith and Richard looked at each other. This was past time to give the presents they had bought. Richard knelt down in front of Katy and took her face, kissing it. "Katy." She looked up at him, and then Keith also knelt down and said to her, "Tell Robin to look in her closet for something to wear." She looked at him like he was crazy. Tell her daughter to just go and pick something out? But Richard was nodding in agreement, so she resigned herself to saying just that. "Robin, why don't you go look in your closet for something to wear?" She had no enthusiasm in her voice as she said it. "But Mom, it's my wedding!" Keith turned to her and said, "Go on and do what your mother said." She looked at him like he was half crazy. He'd never talked to her like that before. "Fine," she said, and stomped to her room. You could hear her throw open the closet door, and there was silence. Katy looked at the two of us and realized there was something going on. At that point, Robin came running into the room, dress in hand. "It's beautiful, Mom, look, it's beautiful." Katy was crying again, this time tears of joy were running down her face. "Oh, you two," she said, and gave us each a big kiss. Richard said to her. "You better look in your closet, too." Her eyes got wide and she jumped up, running into her room. Robin followed her and they were laughing in an instant. They came out, twirling their dresses around, big smiles on their faces. Patrick then said, "Well, now that your future husbands have provided you with appropriate attire, don't you think you should be getting ready? The wedding is in one hour. We decided that Richard and I could go over to Millie's and get ready leaving, Robin and Katy here to do the same. Just then, Jimmy came busting in the front door with Stephanie in tow. "Millie told me to come right away. She saw Cliff at the phone again." Katy had forgot all about it. She then told Patrick what Millie had seen before. He got a worried look on his face. "I'll stay here with the girls while they get ready. You two take Brian and go get ready. Jimmy you'd better take your friend home and don't dilly dally." We all agreed that would work. As we were leaving we could see Jimmy and Stephanie walking down the lane holding hands. Brian said, "I don't understand him." Richard and I looked at each other and smiled. Richard took Brian's hand and said, "Don't worry, in time you will." When Stephanie opened her door, she stood up in the doorway and turned around. She was now eye to eye with Jimmy. Before he had a chance to get lost in her eyes, she leaned in and kissed him. Man, was that ever nice. He kissed her again, but this time it was broken short by Dora, who had come out of their bedroom. "Stephanie, where have you been, I've had to keep the fire going for you to have a hot bath. Now say good-bye and start getting ready. I best believe that you need to be getting ready too, Jimmy." With that they smiled at each other and Jimmy ran happily all the way home. Bruce and Millie had dressed early and were back down at the hall. That left Keith, Richard, and Brian to get ready. As Bruce was a handy man in town they had a newer water heater. Not like some of the houses that relied on the wood stove to heat the water. It took a while, but we were all ready. With nothing else to do, we went down to the hall. It was bustling with people. We found out that the hotel was full and others that had come in were staying at friend's houses. I couldn't believe it. Many of the people it turned out were ones that had lived here before and had known Robin from birth. The one person that we didn't see, who was making us feel very uncomfortable, was Cliff. Little did we know that it would change all of our lives when he showed up. Patrick asked Sam Heidrix to keep a sharp eye out. Sam and Doreen were the ones that had kept Robin when Cliff had showed up in town originally and Patrick knew he could trust Sam with his life. The guests had started to arrive, wearing their Sunday best and the place was filling up. Patrick McCarran and his daughter had come in and was being introduced. At Katy's house they were just about done with getting themselves all dressed up. Jimmy couldn't believe all the giggling. It was like his mom was a little girl. Both dresses were the same, except for the sash around their waist. A light cream-colored silk fabric that was very tailored at the top with darts on the side and a rounded neckline. The half sleeves had cuffs at the end. The skirt was pleated and hung down flat in the front, but in the back, puffed out. The sash was to be tied simply around the waist. It was also silk, but a print. Katy's was in the blue and violet colors and Robin's was in pink and violet colors. They were prancing around the house as soon as they had put on the dresses. Jimmy thought they had gone loony, he was wishing he was over at Millie's. When they picked up the sashes something was tied to them. They looked at each other and yelped in excitement. Richard had remembered seeing little pendants when he and I had bought the rings for the girls. Without permission from me, hell he knew I'd go along with it; he bought one for each of them after the dresses were purchased. We decided not to tell the girls, but to let them find them. Now they were filled with anticipation as they opened up the little box. They were identical, a simple pear shape amethyst pendant on a simple gold chain. The color matched the violet in the sashes. They had tears running own their faces and the laughter had stopped. Jimmy thought something was wrong until he saw the gift they held in their hands. "Wow" he said, "That sure is pretty." At Millie's Richard and I were all ready and Richard was helping Brian with his tie. When we were done we headed down to the hall. As soon as we arrived, Patrick sent two of his friends to get Katy and Robin. We knew when they had arrived because Jimmy showed up. "That was some gift" He said then looked around, "I don't see Stephanie." I looked and he was right Dora and Stephanie weren't there. I told him to go and see if they are still home, if not, come right back. He took off as fast as I'd ever seen him move. It was then that Patrick McCarran came up to me. "Who is giving Robin away? Not her father, if you could call him that." I looked at him with a blank face; this was not what you would call a traditional wedding. "No one." I said. "Do you think that I might have the honor?" "That would be a wonderful thing to do. Although to make any sense of it, you'll need to explain to Robin who you are, I mean in relationship to the family." "She doesn't know I suppose. Yes that would be advisable. It wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to walk down the isle with a total stranger and wonder why you were doing it. I'll go have a chat with her," and off he went. ------- "You're the Congressman aren't you?" Robin said "Yes, but please call me Patrick." "That's funny that is the same name as my grandfather." "Yes I understand that, I bet you didn't know, but we are related." Katy's ears perked up and she came over. "Really?" Robin said. "Yes, I'm almost ashamed to tell you how, but I'm Cliff's uncle. The uncle who keeps bailing him out of trouble I'm afraid." "Oh, No." Robin said. She was afraid he was here to stop the wedding. "I can't do anything about Cliff's character I'm afraid, But I have been able to get to know you through Keith. He and I have become somewhat friends. I can say that you have all of the redeeming qualities that Keith has told me of you." Robin was being complemented in a way she had never been before. She blushed. "Thank you." "I know that Cliff won't be here to walk you down the isle, but may I?" She looked at her Mom, who gave a little nod, and then turned back to Patrick. With a big smile on her face, she said, "yes, I would love it." Patrick also had a big smile; this was the first time he could genuinely say Cliff had done something that turned out right. Not that Cliff had much to do with it, other than a night with Katy. But Robin was certainly a fine young lady, a relative, and she deserved the best. ------- Dora was having a fit. Stephanie was taking her time doing everything. She had never seen her trying to look so nice. The bath was extra long and she asked her mom to put more wood in to the stove to make the water hot again. She had to comb and comb and comb her hair and then the bow she put in wasn't quite right. Dora had been ready for some time, she knew it was getting late, but wasn't sure of the time. She had forgot to wind up her clock and with everything going on today, never had a chance to reset it. When Jimmy showed up and said everyone was there Dora was really mad at Stephanie. She pushed her out the door and slammed it hard. They heard a thunk inside, but Dora didn't look back. She just said, "I hope you like being late." The only thing that kept Stephanie from turning to tears was Jimmy. As they were coming down towards downtown, Jimmy saw a Sheriffs car down the road. He knew it must be the sheriff's car, because it had the light things on top. When they got back I was relieved. Jimmy ask me if the Sheriffs were coming to the wedding too. I looked at him, saying no, why did he ask? He told me about the Sheriffs car. I ran up to Patrick. Sam was there. He had seen it too. Patrick said that Cliff could have asked the Sheriff to stop the wedding. I was ready to pass out. Richard came over and asked what was wrong. Then seeing me, he said, "You don't look so good." ------- Chapter 12 "I've known this was a possible course that he could take. I didn't think he would peruse it, not with his record." Patrick said. "You knew?" I said weekly. "Look Keith, Yes I knew, that's why I have a couple of back up plans." That brightened me up. "Yea what are they." "Well the first and the best would be to go ahead with the wedding." He said. "But wouldn't it be stopped?" I said, thinking this didn't sound to smart. "Yes, but I said go ahead with the wedding, it just wouldn't be you and Robin." I was getting confused, so were Richard and Sam. Richard said, "Then who would it be?" I think he already knew the answer. "You and Katy. You interested?" Patrick said to Richard. He stood there speechless. Patrick said to him, "You do want to marry her, don't you?" He just nodded his head yes. I couldn't believe what was happening. "Katy and Richard getting married and Robin and I aren't?" This didn't make sense. Patrick said he knew what he was doing and everything would work out. "Don't worry Keith, you'll be married to Robin today." I wasn't so sure. He went off to tell Katy the change of plans. I thought if he can convince them it was OK, he was a miracle man. I was waiting for screaming, wailing, anything. He came back with a smile on his face. Richard was the one with a stunned look on his face. "Well, I bet you didn't think you'd be getting married so soon." I said. "No." "Are you sorry it's happening?" That shocked him. He looked at me. "It's the best thing that could happen to me." "Then maybe you should tell your parents." He jumped up, "Oh my God, you're right. If they find out when I'm up there, mom will have a heart attack." He ran off to tell them. As I turned I saw a mother and daughter walk in. The mother was obviously upset and the daughter had been crying. I overheard the mother say, "Now look, you made us so late that there's no place to sit." Tears were running down the poor girls face. I couldn't stand it. I went over to them, "excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear you. There are two seats up in the front row." "But that's the wedding party seats, we could never." The mother said. "I am part of the wedding party and you may if I say so. What is your daughters name?" "Jill and I am Rebecca Wheinstein." I took Jill's hand; she stared at me almost frightened. I thought it was strange. "Jill, I would be honored to have you sit up front, may I escort you?" Her hand was trembling and her face dropped. I took that as a yes and pulled her down the aisle, her mother right behind. As soon as Richard got back the music started. Robin and I walked down he aisle. Then Richard joined me from the side. Patrick McCarran and Katy then walked down. He was apparently told of the switch and wasn't bothered by it. When they got to the front, he took her in his hands and whispered something to her. I couldn't hear what he had said, but I could see the water in Katy's eyes. Patrick Thiesen started. I caught in the corner of my eye Cliff and a Sheriff walk in the back. Patrick came to the part of the ceremony that asked, "If anyone here knows of any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." Sure enough, almost like clockwork. Cliff strode into the middle of the aisle, practically dragging the sheriff with him. "Yes." He said. "This girl does not have her fathers consent for this wedding." Murmurs could be heard throughout the congregation. Richard's parents looked absolutely shocked. They had no idea what was going on. Patrick McCarran stood up and looked at Cliff. It was Patrick Thiesen who answered. "I believe she does. Not that she needs it." At this point Katy and Richard turned and looked directly at Cliff. He turned pale. I now knew why this was what Patrick wanted to do. He had anticipated Cliff and it was a final humiliation of him. Cliff said to him, "This is not the last," as he stormed out the doors. The very confused sheriff looked around. I noticed that he was one that I had met. I walked over to him and said I didn't think he was needed any longer. Recognizing me, he just shook his head and walked out. The rest of the ceremony such as it was, was very nice. I realized that he had put that part of the ceremony at the end of the order to make Cliff wait as long as possible. At last Patrick said Richard could kiss his bride. Everyone cheered. Patrick then held up his hands to silence everyone. "Today is a special day. We have before us a husband and wife. We also have a mother and daughter standing side-by-side and best friends and I might add town heroes, standing side-by-side. They are about to exchange places and we are going to have another wedding. The one that you originally thought you were coming to." Another cheer. The music started again and we simply moved our places. Patrick started, and he started with the same, "If anyone here knows of any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." This time Cliff was not there. I had to admit Patrick had done his magic. ------- Stan Emerson got into his sheriff's car and was shaking his head. Of all the stupid things to be called into a town for, this topped it. It was not that he was doing all that much, he'd been in Angle City when he got the call. Luckily it had only been a twenty-minute drive for him. Stan wrote down his report of the situation and then called in that he was now leaving Carp. He started rolling out of town when he noticed smoke poring out of a house on a lane to his left. Something wasn't right and he headed to it. He passed Cliff who was walking back from his house. As soon as he pulled up in front of the house he knew. He yelled to Cliff, "Fire, there's a fire, go back and tell everyone." He got back into the car and radioed the situation. Cliff had seen the sheriff's car drive by, but he was so far into his own little world that he didn't even look up. He then heard the sheriff yelling at him. He looked up and saw the problem. Cliff thought, yes, this is a way to redeem himself in front of the town. Maybe he wouldn't need to use the piece that he had strapped inside his coat. Cliff ran back to the hall. He came busting in the doors, expecting to see the party going on at this point. He stopped mid track as he heard the words, "Keith Patterson and Robin Thiesen, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." "NO" he yelled. Everyone turned to look at him and they saw as he reached into his coat. As pulled out a gun, everything tuned into slow motion for me at that point. Katy screamed. Patrick pushed Robin down. Patrick McCarran jumped up. So did John Reimer and Cheryl screamed. John grabbed his arm as the first shot left the gun. I heard the bullet as it flew by me and made contact in Patrick's arm. Blood splattered out the back. I saw Katy faint and Robin turn white as a ghost. Richard and I jumped from were we were towards Cliff. Bob Reimer jumped over John and knocked Cliff off balance. Bob landed on Cliff as the next shot went off. Richard and I were next of Cliff at that point and could see by the look in Bob's eyes. He had got that one. As Bob rolled off, things stopped being slow time everything sped up. Richard kicked Cliffs arm and the gun went flying. I knew that he was a big guy and so needed to be taken out fast. I dropped down with all of my weight on my elbow, right at the base of Cliff's rib cage. I heard his air forced out and as Richard struck his head, he was out cold. Cheryl was hysterical; John gave Cliff a good kick in the ribs that gave a chunching sound, as he bent down to look at his brother. ------- Stan Emerson couldn't understand what was taking so long. He heard what sounded like a gunshot. Then he heard a second one and no one was coming. He didn't like it, he got back into his car and flipping on the siren racing back into the downtown. He jumped out and ran into the hall. The first thing he noticed was the stunned wedding guests. Then he saw the blood, the gun, and three people standing around a beat up Cliff. This was what he had trained for. First things first, he grabbed the gun. Looking at Cliff, he shook his head in disgust and threw us the cuffs. Richard caught them and we turned Cliff over putting them on him. While we were doing that Stan looked at Bob, Hank Freedham the local medic was checking him out. Hank said to Stan, "There's another one, Patrick, that got a bullet to, but it only went into his arm and passed clean though." Stan went and looked at Patrick. He was stable and going to be OK. He came back to see Bob. Hank told him, "It looks worse than it is I believe, but he will need to get to the hospital quick, he's lost blood. Can you take him?" "Yes that's no problem, but we do have another emergency." He shouted to everyone. "People, there is a house on fire, straight down the main road, first lane to the left." People could understand that type of emergency, they quickly got out of the hall and the men ran down towards the house. It had been burning to long and by the time they got there it was engulfed in flames. The only water was from garden houses. The best that could do was to wet down the surrounding area so that it wouldn't spread. Dora and Stephanie arrived minutes latter and looking at each other, burst into tears. Everything they had was gone. Patrick McCannan walked down to the house. It had at this point completely collapsed and was a burning rubble. Shaking his head, he turned to Dora. "I understand this was your house." She numbly shook her head yes. "Cliff Johnson may have been involved in this, he has had a problem with lighting fires. I will make sure an investigative unit is sent down tonight. They will figure it out." Dora looked at him blankly. "If he was to blame, then you would be getting money to rebuild. I can guarantee that." He walked off to make some calls, leaving her to ponder what she was going to do now. At the hall, Cliff was waking up. He was stiff and couldn't move. Breathing was very painful his chest was on fire every time he took a deep breath. He struggled to get up and Stan came over to him. I don't think you're going to be going anywhere for a while, that is anywhere but my car. Hank told Stan that it would be best to transport Bob in a reclined position. The only way to do that was to place him in the back seat. That put Cliff in the front. Not the best of situations Stan thought, but as Cliff wasn't in the best of condition and it should be OK. Hank and Stan loaded up Bob and then Stan, Richard and I escorted Cliff to the Sheriffs car. Stan radioed in what the current situation was and that he was on his way in. As he left, Richard and I looked at each other. "How can one person cause so much damage?" There were no answers for that. We went back in the hall to find Patrick being doted over by Millie and Cheryl. I rolled my eyes. Robin, Katy, Jimmy and Brian were standing there also. "Some wedding." I said as I wrapped my hand around Robin's waist. "Were married, that all that matters to me." She said with a sparkle in her eye. Richard and My parents with nothing better to do had turned their chairs around and were getting to know each other. Good I thought. I hope they will be coming here often. I noticed Jimmy bouncing around and it struck me why. I looked over at Katy and said, "I think Jimmy would like to see if someone is OK." She looked over at him. He had an expectant look on his face. "Go on see what's going on and then come back, OK." He was out the door like a shot. "Boy is he smitten." I replied, "Must run in the family." We all laughed. ------- The fire was all but out at the house; a few embers were still burning. It amazed everyone how fast it all went. In less than an hour a house had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Jimmy had practically dragged Richard and Katy to it. They stood at a distance in disbelief. The could see Dora and Stephanie near what was once their house. Richard and Katy looked at each other, they didn't need to say a thing. Walking up to Dora Richard wrapped his arms around her, she melted into a pile of tears. "What am I going to do now," she sobbed. "You are going to come and stay with us." He replied. "No, no, I couldn't do that. You two just got married." Katy had picked up Stephanie and was giving her a big hug. "Dora," Richard said in a strong voice, "We have already consummated this wedding many times over." This made her blush till she was scarlet and she hung her head. "We are going on out honeymoon in a couple of days with Keith and Robin. You will look after the place and take care of Jimmy while we are gone. It will help you and us at the same time." She still had her head hung, but said. "Yes and thank you." Richard didn't make any strong connection to this behavior, but later he would. There wasn't anything anyone could be done there anymore. People were just standing around. I yelled out to them. "I was just married today and so was my best friend. We have a party to go to. Please come back and be apart of it." People didn't know what to do. I knew after all they had seen today, a party seemed out of place, but they started moving. We walked back to the hall. The chairs hadn't been moved, the tables hadn't been placed, and the food wasn't out, but that was OK. It gave everyone a purpose. I noticed even Richard and my folks were helping. Soon the place looked like it was ready to have a reception. Before it all started, Patrick Thiesen got motioned for everyone to be silent. He was still on the impromptu stage that had been built. "There has been great joy and unfortunate tragedy today. I feel I am to blame for some of that." The were a number of murmurs, saying no. "Let me continue, my friends. I knew of Cliffs desires, his hatred of me and I pushed him. I taunted him. I toyed with him. His response was beyond my imagination or control. I feel that I am to blame for the outcome of today and I am grievously saddened that others had to suffer for my struggles to be human. All I can ask is forgiveness for my sins." He looked out to the people before him. "We gathered here for a joyful occasion, a wedding between two in our community. Robin, my granddaughter, whom I never knew, but you have known from birth. You have seen her grow into the lovely young woman that she is today. And Keith a stranger until he showed up, bringing with him many talents this community needed. Everyone has felt his presence. What you got was first the wedding between my daughter, Katy. A woman who has shown strength of character that makes me proud to be called her father. And Richard who has shown tenderness and great courage, a man to whom this town owes a grate deal. These last hours have shown the love and hatred of mankind. The new hopes beginning and painful loss of seeing endings. We cannot forget our past, but I ask that we set it aside for a while as we celebrate with these two couples, who are about to start a new life together." It was a mini sermon, I knew that, but it touched me and I had tears welling in my eyes. Richard turned away from me when I looked at him and I knew that it had affected him the same way. The outcome was one expected of Patrick. People became transformed. They were coming up to us, shaking our hands, giving hugs and kisses, and congratulating us. The party lasted another two hours; I hadn't been in the plans of it and didn't know what it was going to be. I was surprised when all the food started coming out. These women knew how to cook. It ended up being a full-blown dinner. When it was done and we were to leave, I felt a little sad. This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, yet I had not been able to talk to half the people that had come and I felt cheated. I was glad that Richard's family and mine were staying for the weekend. We could talk then. ------- Cynthia had walked into the bathroom. She was getting her things ready for the morning. Jack had already hung a robe on the only hook, behind the door. "Shit," she thought, "where am I suppose to hang mine robe?" That's when she noticed a not very attractive painting hanging on the wall. Hell it wasn't even straight. Then she remembered what must be behind that picture and took it down. She smiled as she remembered the last time she looked through that peephole. The sights she saw. Then there was Jack, God when was the last time he did anything like that to her. She looked through it again. As her eyes focused, she saw Mary. Mary was lying on the bed. She was frustrated and needed some relief. She was also very curious about what Kristin had said on the phone, was she really fucking her brother? Keith was as good looking as Kristin had described her. She sat up and looked at herself in the mirror. She had a classic look to her face, one that you would see in the flyers showing movie stars. Thick brunette hair with a natural wave that fell to her shoulders. She wasn't sure about herself though. She filled out a C cup nicely, but she thought they should be bigger. Her hips tapered out nicely and it gave the classic pear shape to her ass. She wondered if Keith would find her attractive, hell she wondered if anyone found her attractive. As the daughter of a congressman she had been sheltered and had never played the games other girls talked about in college. Mary needed to talk to Kristin. She was burning with desire and didn't know how to quench it. She then heard Kristin and her sister go into their room. "As soon as Kristin leaves, I'll get her," she thought. She undressed, unknowingly to full view of the peephole. When her nightshirt was on she went to stand by the door and waited. Cynthia was on the other side of that peephole and she couldn't believe what she had just seen. A girl undressing right in front of her. It made her feel hot. She would have attacked Jack if he were there. She watched for a while longer, but nothing happened. So she was at a simmer and went to do other things, but every so often she looked again. Liz and Kristin were up in there room at the hotel. "It's his wedding night" Liz said. "Yea, I know. That's what makes it so naughty. Believe me Keith will love it." "I'm glad you're convinced. I'm still not sure." "You know you want to do this and trust me, you'll love it." "Stop it you're making me week. Do you really think we can pull it off?" "Sure why not?" "Well you are three inches shorter than I am." "He won't notice that when you're lying across the bed." Kristin said with a giggle. "OK, well my hair is darker than yours and my lips aren't quite, well they're fuller than yours." "Not by much, anyway the lights will be out." "Yea well how about my breasts, he can't help but notice a difference their. I'm almost twice the size of you." "Thanks, I know that I'm small." "No, no, Kristin. I didn't mean that, I just well, I think he would be, well you know..." "Touching them?" "Yea." "Believe me he'll be doing a lot more to them than that." Kristin said, dreamily. Liz was turning red. "You're not trying to back out are you?" "No, I just want it to work." "Don't worry so much. It will and you two will feel a love between you, you've only dreamed of." "Oh, Kristin, I hope you're right. I've dreamed an awful lot." "OK, lets pull the blinds and turn the light off when you hear me knock. It will take me a little while to get him here, so take your time getting ready." "You really think I shouldn't have anything on when I'm in bed?" "We've been through this before, that's the way I'd be for him." "Yea, I know what you told me, I still can't believe it." "Well, believe it." And with that Kristin was out the door. She had planed to get Keith and have a little talk with him on the way back. She had already told him she needed to talk with him tonight. It was important. What she didn't expect was the door on the other side of the hall opening and Mary calling her in. It seemed innocent enough. As soon as the door had closed Mary said, "Kristin I heard you on the phone yesterday." Kristin knew what she was talking about. "Mary, please... , please don't say anything. I don't want anyone hurt." "Don't worry Kristin. I just want to know how it all started. Everyone at school have these great stories. I was always; well I was guarded as a kid. I wasn't aloud to do anything. So I'm dying to know. Please tell me, how did it start? How old were you? Did he just, well you know, do it?" "Mary, this is kind of embarrassing." "Oh Kristin, please. You know I don't have many friends. I'm so damn horny from hearing your conversation and seeing your brother I could die." "OK, but you have to promise that you'll never tell a sole. It's kind of strange, are you sure you really want to know?" "Yes, yes I want to know, and I'll never tell anyone, I promise. I'll do anything, just tell me, please." "Well, it really started when I was thirteen." "I knew it, oh I love it already." "Mary! I'll never get through with the story if you interrupt me like that." "OK, I'll be good." "Lets sit on the bed, this is going to take a few minutes to tell," Kristin said. "You see I was thirteen and Keith wanted me and I wanted him." "Oh" Mary was already getting excited; she could hardly sit still on the bed. Kristin went on. "But we didn't do anything." Mary looked at her surprised. "What?" "Well not then anyway." Kristin had a smile on her face. "You see Keith was scared he'd hurt me." "That is so nice." Mary said. "He is as great as you've said isn't he?" "Well yes he is. Anyway, then just this year he met Robin." "Yea, he's married now. That's to bad." "Stop interrupting me." "Sorry." "So he meets Robin and realizes that the reason he is falling in love with her is because of me. He then tells her." "Wow." "So then she wants to meet me." "You're kidding me?" "No, I didn't know what it was all about. I got a call from my brother and he says he needs to talk with me. He tells me how he felt about me for all those years and then he takes me to see Robin." "That must have been weird." "It was a little, but I was more jealous than anything else. There was a lot that happened that day. Her mom saw them kissing, that happened right off the bat." "Then what?" Mary hadn't realized it, but as she was squirming on the bed, her nightshirt had risen and all of her legs were showing. The hem was just below her panties. "I went and talked to her, her mother thought it was safe for me to talk to her, boy was she wrong." "Why? What did you do?" "It's not what I did, it's what Robin told me. She may be young, but boy is she smart. She told me that if it wasn't for me that she would have never had a chance with my brother." "Yea." "So she told me to go for it." "No!" "Yes, and then she said she could slip out at night if I thought it would be OK. I said yes, I mean who was I to stop her, she had just told me it was OK to do what I had always wanted." Mary was almost panting with desire. She had never heard anything so erotic I her life. She said in a very breathy voice, "so what did you do?" Kristin could see this was driving Mary crazy. She loved the idea she was doing that to her just by telling her the story. It started to get to her also. "Well, when I came back Keith wanted to know everything. I told him that we should get ready for bed first. Did I mention there was only one bed in the place we were staying?" Mary's eyes flew open wide and she gasped. "No, I guess I didn't." Kristin was having a lot of fun with this now. She was also getting turned on. "Well to make a long story short. We ended up kissing and stuff." "What! That's it?" Mary was shocked. "No, silly. I was just kidding." Kristin pushed at Mary who fell back on the bed. Her hem went up and her legs parted just enough to see the wet spot on her panties. Kristin stared at it and Mary realized she was exposed. "Mary, you're wet." Mary turned red as could be, all she could do is stammer, "I ah..." "Don't be so damn embarrassed, so am I." "You are?" Mary felt a little better. "Are you kidding, just wait till you hear the really good part." "Oh, God." "So anyway lets see, Keith was eating me out and..." "He did that!" Mary was very surprised. She had heard about that, but had never had anyone say that they actually got it. "Yes and it is so wonderful." She went into a daydream for a second until Mary reached over and tugged on her blouse. "Oh, yea, so that's when Robin shows up." Mary sat up and looked right at Kristin. "You and Keith were doing, you know, and you're both, well..." "Naked?" "Yea, and then she walks in on you? Didn't you just die?" "No, it was OK. She had come from her house wearing her nightshirt and panties, just like what you have on. Then Kristin got a devilish thought in her mind. "So say Keith is here and I'm on the bed with him," Kristin moved over into the center and spread her legs, "and you're Robin and you come in." She pushed Mary off the bed. "Now say you're horny as hell already..." "I am." "OK, so your horny as hell and then you walk in and see this. It would drive you insane, so what are you going to do, especially when Keith turns around and smiles at you?" "God, I'd rip my cloths off." "OK, lets see you do that, or I don't have to finish with the story." Mary couldn't believe what she just heard. "You want me to..." "Yes, get into the part. Pretend you're Robin. Believe me, you will love the rest of the story." Kristin couldn't believe she was saying that. Mary couldn't believe she was doing it, but she grabbed the bottom of her nightshirt and pulled it over her head. "Your panties too." Mary turned red, but grabbed them and pulled them down. She felt hot and she wasn't sure if it was because she was so embarrassed or turned on. Cynthia, who was on the other side of the peephole and had been for some time now, couldn't believe what had just happened. She wished she could hear what was going on. She reached down and put her finger between her legs, "Yes," she thought that feels good. "Good, now what happened was that I got off the bed and Robin, that's you got on." Kristin got off and motioned for Mary to get on. "Come on, lie down. Now Keith started kissing her." Mary raised up "You're not going to do that are you?" She wasn't sure about this, what had she got herself into? "No, I'm being myself, not Keith." Mary relaxed a bit and laid back down. "So he was kissing her, on the mouth, down the neck, around her breasts. Can you feel it?" "Oh, I wish I could." "When he sucked her nipple into his mouth." "Oh!" Mary was almost in a trance. "And his hand ran down her side." Kristin reached over and did just that. It startled Mary, but Kristin kept talking softly, "I shook my head, that wasn't how to do it, so a took his hand and moved it. Do you want to see what I did Mary?" She moved her head just enough to say yes. Kristin then took her hand and moved it to the center of Mary's flat and bare stomach. Extending her fingers she gently used her fingertips to move down in a zigzag pattern. She circled around her belly button. Both Kristin and Mary were breathing heavy, neither of them saying a word. On the other side of the peephole Cynthia was getting the show of a lifetime. Her pants were down to her ankles and her hand us under her panties pleasuring herself. Kristin moved on and was at the top of her sparse bush. Mary was dying with anticipation. She couldn't believe what was happening, but she couldn't deny the feelings. She moved her legs apart. Both of them jumped when they heard the knock on the door. "Mary, you still up?" It was her Dad. "Yea, hold on." "Are you OK? You sound a little funny." Mary was scrambling to get her cloths back on. "No Dad, I'm fine. Kristin and I were just talking." They opened the door and Kristin excused herself. "Are you sure you feel OK Mary? You look a little flushed." "Yea I'm OK." She said as she saw Kristin walk down the hall. Cynthia was beside herself. She was frustrated and she knew the girl on the other side of the wall was too. She watched as the girl's father, Patrick McCarran, walked back and forth across the room. He was obviously talking to her, but she could see her mind was else ware. ------- Kristin ran down the stairs and out the door, although frustrated that she was stopped, she was on an adrenalin high. She couldn't believe Mary let her do that. She knew she would be able to do it again. She was also thinking of Liz. She would be worried. Kristin hadn't planed on being so long. She ran all the way to Katy's house. When she got there she was out of breath. Instead of going to Keith, she went and asked if she could talk to Robin, outside. Keith looked at Kristin with raise eyebrows. "Your turn is next" she said as she walked out with Robin. Robin couldn't believe it. "Liz? Keith has never said anything nice about her. It is so unreal. Sure, why not, if you can convince Keith." She said with a laugh. They went back inside and Kristin motioned Keith out. "Let's take a walk." "OK. So, what's this all about?" "What if I told you that someone you know has been in agony over you for longer than I was." "Sorry, I'm not following you." Kristin stopped and looked at Keith. "You have someone in your life that has had feelings for you, strong feelings and just like you they couldn't face them." "Who?" "This person didn't know what to do. She felt trapped and so instead of accepting, instead of running, she became angry. She couldn't have you and it was unfair." "Kristin, are you saying what I think you're saying. Does she know..." He didn't have to finish. "Yes she knows, I told her. When she found out how old Robin was, it just came out. We had an amazing conversation." "So you're telling me that the reason she was so mean to me was because she loved me? That's hard to believe." "I know, but think of it this way, she wasn't mad at you, but at the impossible situation she was in. You just got the brunt of it." "Did I ever. So now what?" "Well," She got a big grin on her face, "She wants the same treatment you give me." "What!" "She's so afraid that you wouldn't want her, that you actually hate her, and you wouldn't ever want her. She was crying when she found out we were doing things. She figured that she had made an enemy out of you." "So let me guess, you cooked up a plan." "You're getting to know me too well. Yes, I'm was to get you to come to our room, telling you that Liz is over at Mary's for the night, but I go over to Mary's and when you come in you think its me." "And this was suppose to work?" "Well, it really didn't mater. Liz bought it and I was planning on telling you all along, so you could play it up." "You were sure that I'd go for it?" She got a coy look on her face, "Yea, pretty sure." "Damn, I can't believe it. Is that what you were telling Robin?" "Yes, she couldn't believe it either, she said that if I could convince you, then go ahead." "Robin is too special." "Yea, she is." "So are you?" She had a worried look on her face. I got a little grin on my face. "Yea, when." "Now, Mary delayed me coming over, I'll tell you about it later, but go now." "OK, OK, you don't have to push. So I'm just to walk in and..." "And she will be under the sheets with nothing on." "How did you manage that?" "I told her that's how I'd be for you." "You're something else." "Thank you, now go." ------- Patrick left and Mary plopped herself down on the bed. Shit why did her Dad have to ruin it. Then he had the nerve to say that they had to leave in the morning. Shit. Business, business, business, fuck that's all he does. She was still wet. She couldn't get the image or feeling of Kristin moving her hands down to her... she shivered at the thought. The knock on the door startled her again. What now, then she thought maybe it's Kristin and she ran to the door. Cynthia was standing at the door, trembling when Mary opened it. Mary looked at her "Can I help you?" Oh God yes thought Cynthia. "Can I come in." "Yes, you're the wife of the big wig from the base near here aren't you." "That's right." "So, what can I do for you?" Cynthia was eyeing the bed. It looked a bit different from the peephole. "You're the congressman's daughter, Mary isn't it?" "Yes, but..." "Then I know just how you must feel, everyone is looking at you and you can't do anything that would upset things. It would be very bad for your father if anything happened that made him look bad. You can't do anything, and everything you do is watched." "Yes, that is exactly how it is, how do you know?" She hung her head. "It is the same for me and it's the shits." Then she raised her head back up. "Come here, I want to show you something. You're not going to believe it." She was almost giddy. Mary went with her, into her room and into the bathroom. "You have your own bathroom?" "Yes it's the only one in the hotel and it's very special. Take a look over here." Cynthia pointed to the hole. "It's a hole in the wall, so?" "Look inside he hole." Mary did and gasped. She saw her room. "When did you find this?" "Right before you changed into your nightshirt." "Then you saw..." Mary couldn't finish. "Yes and I think I was getting as hot as you were." Cynthia then put her hands on Mary's shoulders and turned her so they face each other. Then she did something she had never done to another woman. She slid her hands down and cupped Mary's breasts. Mary took in a sharp breath, but didn't take Cynthia's hands away. It felt to good. Cynthia then took Mary to her bed and said, "I want you on the bed like you were in your room." Mary knew what Cynthia wanted, she needed it also, and she pulled off her nightshirt. Cynthia was staring at her. She had done so through the peephole, but this was much, oh so much better. Mary was blushing being stared at, but she couldn't stop herself. She dropped her panties to the floor and stepped out of them, then climbed on the bed. Cynthia was over to her in a flash. She wasn't as gentle as Kristin was but she started doing the same thing as she had seen Kristin do. Mary started panting. She opened her legs and this time nobody stopped them. ------- Liz took her time getting ready; she wanted everything to be perfect. She put lotion all over and as she was rubbing it in she was dreaming of Keith doing this to her. She was tingling all over when she was done, but she was very nervous. Never in her life had she wanted, no needed something so bad. She tuned off the light and climbed under the sheets. It felt knotty to her and she was enjoying it. She had to resist playing with herself. Other than the few times at the college when she and some girl friends had become drunk and striped, had she ever had anyone else touch her body. She heard someone knock on the door across the hall. What was taking so long? That was the last thing she remembered before she fell asleep. Keith slipped in the door. He did it so silently the only way that you could tell that the door had opened was the light from the hall coming in the room. The door shut with a click, he stood still for a moment and his eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was a little streak of light that came through the side of the blind. It fell across the bed. He could hear Liz's heavy breathing and figured she had fallen asleep. He went over to her. She was lying on her back and her chest was rising and falling as she breathed. He pulled down the sheet and admired her breasts. Then he caressed her shoulder and ran his hand down to her breast. She jolted awake, she was twelve again. No! No! No! She started to scream, she started to shake, it was like she was convulsing. Keith quickly put his hand over her mouth; he didn't know what to do. Didn't she want him there? This was all wrong, what the hell was happening? Her eyes were trying to focus. There he was, that man, looming over her. She opened her mouth, pushed his hand in and bit, hard. "Owww! Liz what the hell is wrong? I thought you wanted me here." What? Something was wrong, it was all wrong. It wasn't 'his' voice. She wasn't twelve. "Keith? Keith?" She said weekly. "Is that you? Is that really you?" Reality was setting in and she started shaking. "Yes, who did you think it was?" "It is you, it really is you." She sounded desperate and she was crying. Keith reached over and put his hand on her shoulder again. She was cold and clammy. "Liz, what is the mater? Is this all wrong, should I go?" She quickly reached out and grabbed him for dear life. "No, don't go." This was too strange for Keith. "Can you explain to me what's going on? Did I startle you? Why did you bite me? Are you unsure about doing something with me?" "No Keith... that's not it... it has nothing to do with you." "OK, then what is it?" He couldn't figure this one out. It just didn't make any sense. He held her in his arms; she was rocking back and forth, tears falling from her face. They sat there in silence for a good ten minutes. She finally managed to build up enough courage to start. She was breathing hard and her works were choppy. "Keith do you remember the girls camp I used to go to?" "Kind of, that was a long time ago." "Yea it was. The last time I went was when I was twelve." "I don't remember, but I do remember you being twelve, boy you were pretty." "You mean I started to grow tits." "Yea, for a ten year old boy that was something to see happen. But what I remember most is that is when you started being mean to me." "I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. It wasn't you at all." "Mom said it was because of your body changes. Kristin told me something different, but you didn't think of me that way then did you?" "No of course not, you were a pest. Mom, well in a way she was right, but for the wrong reasons. The reason I changed is the same reason that I came home early from camp that year and never went back." She had bitterness in her words. I was almost afraid to ask her to go one. "What happened?" She started crying again and through her sobs she told me a story I never would have guessed. She went into an almost trance state. Here breathing slowed, her voice was almost monotone as she talked. It was like she was telling me a story of a film she could see in her mind, but she was pretending it wasn't her. I guessed that was what she had to do to be able to tell me. "There were only three girls that year that had started to develop and I was one of them. One night a male counselor, one I didn't like, came and touched me while I was sleeping. When I woke he put his hand over my mouth and told me to be quiet. Pretty girls with tits like me deserved to be treated this way, he told me. He put his other hand down and pulled and pinched my tits. He then reached down further and was trying to get his hand between my legs. As he moved I was able to bite one of his fingers, he pulled his hand back and slapped my face. He called me a Bitch. I screamed and he ran away. The other girls in my cabin woke up but they hadn't seen a thing. I had a hard time talking to Mom about the things that were going on with my body, how could I say anything to anyone there about what he had done. Where he had touched me. I laid awake the rest of the night. I knew he would come back. I was afraid and I couldn't let anyone help me. I left the camp the next day and never returned. From then on I was left with the feeling of helplessness and shame. To cope I have been pushing people, well men, away from me. I took my anger out on people I could, well guys really. The only dates I went on in high school were disasters and then I stopped being asked out. You would have never known the real reason why I went to an all girls' college. Why I became a teacher in am all girls school." She hung her head. "I'm sorry, really sorry, for the way I treated you. I cried for her. Holding her and rocking her was all I knew to do. I didn't know what to say. No wonder she acted like she did. I was ashamed at myself for thinking she hadn't loved me. She had been silent for some time and then she shifted and looked up at me. "You knew it was me didn't you?" "Yes, Kristin told me." "I didn't think you'd want me. I have been a beast to you for so many years. I couldn't think that anyone would want me, other than to use me." Those words hurt me. I couldn't get over how much damage a few minutes in her life had done. "Liz, why do you think I was around so much? I knew you would be mean to me, I wanted to be near you." "Keith." She hugged me again. Then she looked down and said, "do you think you could make love to me?" "Liz, that's why I came here. I wanted to, but are you sure?" "I want you to make me understand what a man can give, not what a man can take away. I don't want that feeling anymore. I want you to give me the love that you showed Kristin. Can you do that?" "Oh yes Liz I want to try," and I pulled her tight and kissed her. I was kissing her mouth, but then I started kissing her face and down her neck. She tilted her head giving me better access, so I knew she liked the way it felt, but she wasn't responding the way I would have expected. Then I took my hands and started moving them down from her neck and around her breasts. I made sure I didn't come to close to her nipples. "Do you want me to do to you what I did with Robin the first time we made love?" I whispered in her ear. She whimpered. "Kristin was there and helped me, did you know that?" That one got a verbal response, even if it was just a crackled whisper, "No, she didn't tell me that." I moved down and sucked one of her nipples into my mouth, she gasped. I moved over to the other one and did the same, but this time I rubbed my tongue over her nipple. "Oh God," she said. My hands brushed down her side and it made her shiver. I took my mouth off and said, "Kristin told me that was wrong to do to Robin, then she took my hand and did this." I went back to my ministrations to her beasts and ran my fingers down her belly. When I got to her bush, I stopped. Her breathing had become ragged and I knew she was getting into this. I stood up and she looked at me. "I need to get more comfortable," I said. With that, I started to remove my cloths. Liz watched me intently and I made a show of it. I was beginning to see her smile. There was no music, but I did the dance. One piece after another was thrown to the side. Soon I was as bare as Liz and came back to her. I kissed her on the forehead, the nose, the mouth, her neck, each of her breasts, her belly, and then her bellybutton. When I put my tongue in it she started to laugh. I rose up to her and whispered in her ear. "This is what Kristin finally did with me and Robin." I leaned down and took her nipple into my mouth again and then started with my fingertips again at her bellybutton. I moved down, Liz had unconsciously parted her legs. I ran my fingers through her hair and then down between her legs. She was wet. I was surprised. My finger slid in and she gasped. I looked up at her and as I was sliding my finger in and out, said softly, "That's what Kristin helped me with." As soon as I said that, she whimpered and I felt her muscles quivering around my finger. It wasn't much, but it was a start. She watched in surprise as I climbed on top of her, facing the opposite way from her head. She was looking up at my hard dick and I was staring at her lovely pussy. I took my hands and wrapped them on each side of her legs. I pulled them up and out. Liz was embarrassed. "Keith!" She didn't say anything else when I lowered my head and ran my tongue down her slit. She was moaning, "Oh God, oh Keith." She said it over and over. She reached up and wrapped her fingers around my dick. God that felt nice. I knew she was getting close. She was bucking her hips up at my head and then she let go. It started slow and built up, her body started to shake, her hips were bucking and it was hard to keep my mouth on her. my tongue bouncing on and off her clit. She started panting, "Keith, Keith, Oh God, Keith, Oh, I've never, Ahhhhhhhhhhh" She actually squirted. It surprised the hell out of me, but I tried my best to lap up her tasty juices. Then she dropped becoming limp. She had a contented look on her face. I kissed her lips. She was surprised at me. They were wet with her juices. She closed her eyes. I got off the bed and pulled the sheets over her. I dressed and looked over at her. She was already asleep. I opened the door as quietly as I had come in. ------- Cynthia was looking between Mary's legs. She had always wanted to do this, it was so exciting. She reached out and touched her lips, they parted slightly. She could see her clit poking up, her hole and the barrier that kept her virginity. Cynthia couldn't help herself she reached down and kissed it. Mary was gone, it felt so damn good. Cynthia stood up and slowly pulled off her cloths letting Mary watch. Mary had never seen undergarments like Cynthia was wearing. She learned later it was called a merry widow. When Cynthia had taken off the last she moved back to the bed and joined Mary on it. She was on top of Mary in the classic 69 position within seconds. Cynthia's head was back between Mary's legs, kissing and licking. Mary was staring up between Cynthia's legs. She had never in her wildest dreams thought she would be doing such a thing. When she felt Cynthia grab her and take her fingers, she watched in amazement as Cynthia moved Mary's hand to her pussy and pushed her finger inside. She then moved it in and out. Mary got the idea. Cynthia wanted her to finger fuck her. She had done this many times to herself, but she still had her hymen and couldn't get much of her finger in. She was amazed as she slid it in and out. What Cynthia was doing to her was unbelievable. A finger was one thing, but a mouth, oh god it felt good. It didn't take long before they were moving in a pattern. Mary was the first to orgasm; in fact she had two of them before Cynthia had her first. Cynthia rolled them over and now she was on the bottom and Mary was on the top. "Now it's my turn," said Cynthia as she spread her legs. Mary knew what she wanted her to do, she wanted to do it she thought, but she couldn't lower her head. Cynthia felt her hesitation and thought, "I've pushed her to far, shit, now what should I do?" That answer came from Mary. "I don't think I can, I'm sorry. It felt so good when you did it to me, but I can't." "It's OK, I think I pushed you to much. I do that. I just, well, I've never done this either and well, I just wanted to feel it to." "You've never done this? How did you know how to, you know..." "Kiss you down there?" "Yea." "Well Jack, that's my husband if you didn't know his name. He loves to do it, so I just did what he does, I guess it worked." "Boy did it ever. I've never had it done until you just did." Mary was blushing revealing how naive she was. "It was great." "Wow, never?" "No." She felt a little sheepish. They sat in silence for a minute. Cynthia knew it was coming. Mary said, "I think I need to go." She got up and put back on her panties and nightshirt. Cynthia watched her the whole time. She was still lying out on the bed and said, "goodnight," to her as Mary opened the door. Mary turned and said, "goodnight," to her also. As she turned back around to go out the door, there in the hallway was Keith and he was looking at her. She knew he could see Cynthia, on the bed, nude. He just stood there. She got worried. She then started to feel guilty for what she had just done. She started thinking; thoughts were popping into her head. What is Keith doing here? He just came out of Kristin's room. That's why Kristin didn't come back. Kristin and he just fucked. I wonder what that feels like. Is Keith's dick big? Oh no, he saw Cynthia and me. He's going to think I like women. I'll never have a chance with him. What the hell was I thinking? If he tells anyone my reputation is down the toilet. It went on and on. Keith noticed she had a blank face as he stepped up to her. She didn't even move when he put his hands on her hips and looked her in the eyes. "Mary?" She blinked and then realized that he was as close to her as could be. "What?" She was afraid of what he was going to say. He had a smile on his face. "It looked like you had some fun in there." "Oh! Keith." She was really worried now. "I hope you saved some of yourself for me." She couldn't believe what he just said. She wanted him so bad. She decided to stop thinking and just do what she wanted to. She took his hands off her hips and put them on her breasts. God that felt good to her. "Anytime Keith. I wanted you before I met you. Now I want you even more." I reached in and kissed her. Reluctantly I released her breasts and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close. I hadn't had any release with Liz and was rock hard. It was poking into her; she would have had to be dead not to feel it. We heard the stairs creak and knew someone was climbing them. I released her and she reluctantly went into her room. Smiling as she turned around to shut the door. As I walked down the hall, Jack was coming back. He looked at me, "Don't ask, I'll tell you in the morning." I realized I hadn't seen him after the wedding. He'd been gone all evening. When I walked outside I could hear the noise of a helicopter fading in the distance. No wonder he wants to retire I thought. ****Kristin didn't know what to do with herself. She thought about going back and seeing Mary, but that might not be a good idea with Liz and Keith in the room across the hall. She might be tempted to go in there. She walked around for a while, breathing the sweet night air. She finally made her way back to Katy's. Kristin was all smiles when she came in the door. Richard, Katy, Dora, Stephanie, Jimmy, and Robin turned and looked at her. Robin said, "He went, didn't he." "Yes, this is so great. It will change everything." "Yea." Robin said, she was less than enthusiastic. Kristin picked up on it and got concerned. "I thought you said it was OK?" "Yea, but I didn't think he'd do it. It is our wedding night." And with that she ran off to her bedroom. Kristin looked around at their questioning faces. Katy said, "Kristin, what's going on?" "Oh, shit. I blew it," she said. "Well let me start at the beginning. Keith and Liz have never had a good relationship for as long as I can remember. She was always mean to him. Keith, well you know Keith, he's too nice and just took it." They were nodding their heads. Kristin couldn't see, because she had her back to the bedrooms, but Robin had stuck her head out and was listening to the story. One Keith had never talked about. "So when they moved out, they haven't been the best at communication. They only talked on holidays and then Liz fought with him. So when my Mom called her and told her he was getting married she was floored. My Mom didn't give her many details, cause I don't think Mom could believe it yet. So Liz called me, so I told her what was going on." Kristin looked at Dora and Stephanie. They had no idea where this was heading. She wondered if she should be talking about this in front of Stephanie. "Dora, this gets kind of racy, do you think that Stephanie should hear this stuff?" Dora looked over at Stephanie and said, "How racy?" Kristin winced. "Steph, why don't you and Jimmy find something to do." Stephanie knew when thing were getting good and this looked like it was getting that way. She didn't want to leave. She stood up and took Jimmy by the hand and they went into the kitchen and sat down. Then Stephanie put her finger up to her mouth, signaling him to be quiet. Robin who was still in the doorway saw this and almost laughed. "Out of sight, out of mind," she thought. Robin slipped out of the doorway and into the kitchen. Stephanie looked at her with expectant eyes, thinking her little plan was foiled. Then Robin sat down and grinned. With Stephanie gone, Kristin went on. "I kind of expected a call from Liz. I thought she'd go on about Keith, berating him again. She was hurt that she didn't know anything. Mom hadn't told her any details and it was driving her crazy. I couldn't understand it myself. So anyway when she found out that Robin was thirteen she couldn't believe it. Then it struck her that I was that age when Keith all of a sudden moved out. So I told her that when Keith met Robin, well that we had, you know." They were all looking at her waiting for her to say it. "OK, that we fucked, but that was only after he did Robin and she said it was OK." In the kitchen Stephanie's eyes got as big as saucers. She looked at Robin, who just smiled and nodded her head, yes. "That is when I found out the reason Liz had been so nasty to Keith. She had fallen in love with him and it was unfair. So she took it out on him. After hearing that I was doing something with him and with Robin's blessing, she was depressed." "I don't follow that" Richard said, "if you were doing things as you like to call it." Kristin blushed "Then why was she depressed?" "Because she figured she'd been so mean to him for so long, that there would be no way for him to have any feelings for her, she knew that she had blown it, big time." She got a devilish smile on her face. "So that's when we hatched the plan." "What plan?" Dora said, she had been so intent on listening to the story, she didn't realize that she was becoming aroused. "I was to tell Keith I'd be in the hotel room waiting for him and Liz had gone over to Mary's, you all met Mary didn't you?" Shaking of heads, she went on, "anyway she was going to be at Mary's. Only it wasn't going to be me, it was going to be her." "So you were going to set Keith up?" Richard said, he had a smile on his face just imagining it. "Well, no I didn't tell Liz, but I was planning on telling Keith all along. I knew he loved his sister and even if he didn't love her that way, he would have gone. That's just Keith." Robin hung her head, she stood up and took Jimmy and Stephanie' hand and pulled them up to. She walked into the living room. "Kristin I'm sorry. You were right and you ask me besides. Keith is the sweetest most gentle man I have ever known. I'm not sure what came over me, he loves me, I don't need to worry about that. I hope Liz doesn't wear him out." Everyone laughed at that. Just then Keith walked in the door. Everyone looked at him expecting to see the smile of contentment. That's not what he showed. Both Kristin and Robin were at his side before the door was shut. "What happened? Did you to fight?" Kristin said. I was taken back, "no, what gave you that idea?" Robin said, "well you don't look that way after we make love." I sighed. "It's a long story. I don't know if Liz would feel comfortable with me sharing it with anyone. She has never told a sole what she told me." "She told me." Kristin said. "Not this." I had a dark look on my face, shaking my head slowly, and tears were welling in my eyes. Everyone could tell it was a deep dark secret. They might have been curious, but the way I was behaving, they weren't sure they wanted to know. "Then you didn't..." Kristin finally managed to get out. "Well I took care of her, if that's what you're asking." My smile started to return as I thought about it. "We reenacted my first time with Robin, when Kristin helped, so she got massaged in all the right places with my hand and my tongue." Keith then realized what he had just said in front of Stephanie. "Sorry," he said to the wide-eyed girl. We decided it was getting late and at least Katy, Robin, Richard and I wanted to get into bed. Katy and Richard were going to be in her bedroom; Robin and I were going to be in what used to be Robin and Jimmy's room. That left Dora, Stephanie, and Jimmy in the living room. As Katy was setting them up, She told Robin and I to go on. We looked at each other and didn't need any more encouragement. ------- Chapter 13 Kristin had gone back to her room in the hotel; she had wanted to talk to Liz. When she got inside the door, Liz was sound asleep. She was snoring slightly and even when Kristin was getting ready for bed, Liz didn't budge. ------- I was in undressing as Robin came up and wrapped her arms around me. "I love you." She looked at me, "Keith, I was jealous this evening." She had paused and I wanted her to go on. "And, tell me more, why?" "I could understand Kristin. I've told you before; I think if it wasn't for her we wouldn't be together, but Liz? I don't think I was prepared for both your sisters to be in love with you, how am I to compete with that?" I held her tight, "Honey, I am yours. My heart belongs to you. Don't you know that? Yes, Kristin is very special to me. Yes, I love her a lot, but I know you do to." I gave her a pinch on the butt. I sighed, "Liz is a different story." "Can you tell me?" She looked at me with eyes that I knew I couldn't say no to. I brought her over to the bed and we sat down. I knew this was going to be hard to say without getting all choked up. "When I went in the room, it was dark. Liz was asleep on the bed. I went over to her and it startled her. She relived a nightmare right then, one none of us had ever known." Robin was looking at me with a sad look on her face as though she already knew what I was going to say, but what I told her, she was unprepared for. "When she was twelve, a man tried to rape her." Robin gasped and threw her arms around me, dropping her face in my chest. I heard her muffled cry, "No." I lifted her face to look at me, she was crying. "Robin, I was just as shocked and upset as you are." "But you said you... you did stuff with her, how could you?" "She asked me to, she said that she had the feeling that the only thing men wanted, was to take, and she knew I would give, so I did." "Keith, you're so special. It is hard to believe. I don't want to think about it any more. This is our wedding night. Were supposed to be having fun." Then she looked at me and said, "you're also probably aching." She was right about that part; I had a hard time dealing with what Liz had told me and I also had a bad case of blue balls. She stood me up and undressed me the rest of the way. My dick was standing, hard in front of her. She wrapped her petite hands around my shaft and opened her mouth. Robin made me forget everything else in the world existed, I was in heaven, but heaven only lasted three minutes before I filled her mouth. There are few girls who really love the taste and I was blessed with one that did. She licked me clean. Now that my pressing need was relieved, I was able to think again. Robin wasn't fully undressed, I stood her up and I took care of that in a slow and sensual manner. She watched me with a smile on her face, enjoying the feeling. Done with that I guided her to lie on the bed. I wanted to build her up slow. I took her feet and started massaging them, then to her calves and thighs. She had parted her legs, but I purposely avoided that area for now. I moved my caressing hands to her hips and moved them up her ribcage. When I stopped at the base of her breasts, she opened her eyes and smiled at me. I kissed her. Using my mouth, I now kissed, licked and nibbled my way back down. As I sucked in her nipple she started moaning. When I got to her belly button and ran my tongue into it, she was starting to buck her hips. I knew that if I just went down, she would explode in a second. Moving over her I grabbed her legs and pulled them up, she was anticipating me to put my head down. What I did was to grab her under her waist and flip her over, setting her right on my head. I dove in, thrusting my tongue as deep as I could. The spasms were almost instantaneous. As the first orgasm died down I was working her into the next. After the fourth one, she pushed herself off, totally satisfied. We were lying there, cuddled in each other's arms as the bed in Katy's room started knocking into the wall. Robin and I looked at each other and started laughing. Robin got up and went to the bathroom; she hadn't even put anything back on. She wanted to clean up; I had made her so hot she felt sweaty. When she came back, by habit, she swung the door, but didn't make sure it was latched. I noticed it wasn't closed all the way, but I didn't really care. I was on my back and she walked back swinging her hips and licking her lips. She had me up before she climbed on top and mounted me. Looking into my eyes, she said, "put that tool in me and don't you dare stop until you fill me with your cum." Who was I to complain? As soon as I slid in she was moaning. ------- Richard and Katy were ripping off each other's clothes. "I can't believe I'm married," Katy said. "Neither can I, but I wouldn't change it for the world." Then he took her in his arms and as she looked up at him, he said, "I love you, Kathy Thompson." She giggled, and said, "I love you too, Richard Thompson." He pulled her to the bed and they fell on it together. It banged into the wall and they looked at each other, and then started laughing. They kissed and nibbled on each other until the heat was unbearable. Katy startled Richard by sliding him inside of her in one long stroke. As the tempo increased the bed, now pushed against the wall, was making an unmistakable rhythm that everyone in the house could hear. ------- Katy didn't have sleeping bags, so they had laid down a few large quilts for padding and had made one large bed for the three of them. Stephanie went into the bathroom first and came out wearing one of Robin's nightshirts, although it fit Robin just fine, it was long for her. As Dora went in to change, Stephanie climbed into the center of the bed. Dora came out wearing one of Katy's slinky nightgowns, it was a little tighter on her than it would have been on Katy and she was feeling self conscious about how it make her look. When she saw Stephanie in the center, it didn't surprise her. She didn't know what was worse Jimmy being next to Stephanie, or her in this slinky thing between Stephanie and Jimmy. She remembered Katy giving it to her saying; "I always liked the way this one feels on my body." Now she knew why. The silky material rubbed in just the right places, making her nipples erect. She wished she was in there with Richard. It had been so long. Jimmy had been in the habit of sleeping in the nude, he figured that wasn't OK to do now. He wasn't sure what to do, so he pulled his shirt off, dropped his pants and climbed in beside Stephanie. This was heaven. Jimmy and Stephanie had turned towards each other. They weren't saying a word. Their hands were talking. They had started at each other's faces. Outlining each and every part, then they started exploring their necks and shoulders. After that Jimmy started pulling her nightshirt, and with Stephanie's help it was gently and quietly raised above her hips. He then slid his hand up her front and found her two small, but taut, nipples. Dora was having a real problem going to sleep. She had been so wrapped up with the whirlwind of activities surrounding the two married couples that now, as she was alone, it was all becoming reality. She had lost everything in the fire. Her house, her belongings, her memories, everything. She began to cry. She was starting to curl up in the fetal position when three things happened almost at the same time. The gentle banging of the bed in Katy's room against the wall. Stephanie moaned. And as Dora curled up, she brushed against Stephanie's backside and realized that her nightshirt was bunched up. The combination of all three of these threw Dora's problems right out the window. She started to get that feeling again. She had a hard time controlling it on the helicopter flight. If the damn flight hadn't scared her half to death, she knew she would have had a problem. Now with the silky nightgown, the banging of the headboard, and even her own daughter was obviously doing something with Jimmy, she was lost. She knew it would happen and there wasn't anything she could do about it. If she could only get to the bathroom, maybe no one would notice. She got up quickly and as soon as she stood, she could feel it. Juice was dripping down her leg and her scent was starting to fill the air. She walked briskly towards the bathroom Dora was almost to the door when she heard a load moan and noticed our door slightly ajar. She couldn't help herself. She looked back at the kids and then bent over and peeked in. She saw Robin bouncing up and down on me. As Robin came down there was an almost grunting sound coming from her. Dora was lost. She was in another world, she didn't even hear the bed stop banging on the wall. ------- Stephanie and Jimmy felt Dora get up. Then they caught a whiff of her. Stephanie had smelled it before, not as strong and always late at night when she was suppose to be asleep. Stephanie had always wondered what it was. She thought her Mom must be sick or something and that smell was associated to it. She thought that, because every time she smelled it, Dora was also moaning in her bed. Jimmy smelled it to, but he knew what that smell was, although he had never smelled it that strong. He wondered if Stephanie knew what it was. It was getting to him. Intoxicating was more like it. He pulled Stephanie to him and kissed her, this time he didn't let go, his lips parted and so did hers, but only slightly. When his tongue touched her lips and slid into her mouth she was shocked, it also felt good and she was confused. Jimmy slid his hands down her back and under her nightshirt and once again he was touching bare skin. As there kiss broke she sighed. Jimmy was making her feel things she had never felt before. He made her feel special inside and she liked it. She decided then and there that she would let him do anything he wanted. Little did she know where that road would take her. ------- Richard was in ecstasy. Katy had orgasmed around his dick twice before he shot his load into her. There were few words to describe the contented feeling. She lay right on to of him, still connected. He knew that wouldn't stay that way long. He could feel himself shrinking. As he popped out, she let out a disappointed sigh. He pulled her up and kissed her. The moment was divine, but as all good moments, it was only a moment. It was no time that another type of pressure was building in him and like it or not, he would have to drag himself out of the bed and to the bathroom. Katy protested as he slid her off him. "I'll be back in a sec," he said to her and got up. Trying not to wake anyone else, although that was a mute point with the bed banging that had just gone on, he gently opened the door. He stepped out and quickly went into the bathroom. He had forgot about Dora or Stephanie being there and left the door open. Knowing what a bad aim he was late at night and after sex, he sat down on the toilet. It was at that point the smell registered. Out the corner of his eye he saw something move, turning he spotted Dora. She was bent over slightly looking into Keith and Robin's room. She had her hand between her legs and it was that movement that had triggered his attention. She must be the cause of that intoxicating smell, he thought, then he smiled. As Richard silently walked over to Dora, his erection returned. She didn't see him coming and when he walked behind her, bent over and wrapped his arms over her, bringing his hands to cup her breasts, she let out a little scream and rose up. Jimmy and Stephanie, who were now just in there underwear came running over as soon as they started to turn the corner, they stopped standing stock still, as soon as they saw the two of them. Richard quickly said. "Dora hush," in a commanding but hushed voice. She immediately dropped her head and said, "Yes Richard" This time it did not go unnoticed. "Dora, you will take off your panties." Jimmy and Stephanie had heard Richard, but were amazed to see her do it. Katy who had heard something outside their doors got up. As soon as she opened the door she stopped and watched as Dora was taking off her panties. Richard saw the door open and looked over to see Katy. She smiled at him and gave the nod of approval. He grinned back at her. Bending Dora back over, he said, "so you like to watch do you. Look up Dora," and with that he reached over and pushed the door open. Robin and I looked over at the red faced Dora and Richard, who was right behind her. "Tell them how much you enjoyed watching them." Richard said to Dora. We saw her head drop and then she said, "Robin and Keith, I very much enjoyed watching you." Robin and I looked at each other and almost started laughing. I said, "Dora, I'm glad. Now are you going to provide a show for us?" I didn't expect anything but an embarrassed look. Richard replied, "that's a good idea." Then in a direct voice to Dora, he said. "Dora, stand up, turn around and put your arms around my neck. I am going to pick you up and you are going to wrap your legs around me." I was surprised to see her do just as he had told her. I could also see where this was going. As soon as she was in this position, he reached down and slipped his dick right up inside of her. She gasped, but didn't try to undo herself. Jimmy and Stephanie had been watching with fascination. Stephanie had never seen a dick before. She knew they got stiff, she had even felt Jimmy's that way on the helicopter ride. This was a real one, in plain sight. Then her Mom wrapped herself around Richard and he stuck it up inside of her. She couldn't believe it. Dora moaned as it slid in. Richard walked into our room and stood right in front of us with Dora's back to us. Lying on the bed, we had a nice view between her spread legs. "Now bounce up and down for them, give them a nice show." Richard said, almost commanding. She started slowly, but soon she was sliding up and down his shaft in long strokes. Her scent was overpowering and she was moaning loudly. He had a far away look on his face. Soon he was walking out the door and went into Katy's not shutting either door. Dora was still bouncing up and down on him as he walked out. Although being interrupted, we had slowed down to a slight movement of up and down, but not stopped. Now that we were alone again, Robin started the tempo again, this time it was a little faster. I think the show we just saw gave her a boost of lust. She caught my eyes looking someplace else than at her and turned to see Jimmy and Stephanie in the doorway. Stephanie has just seen her Mother being held by Richard, sliding his dick in and out of her. Her scent coupled with the moans let Stephanie know what she had heard and smelled so many times before. Jimmy took Stephanie by the hand and led her over to his room; the one Robin and I were in. He stood behind her and reaching around, started playing with her nipples. It felt really good to her. She was watching Robin moving up and down on me when I caught sight of them. I watched as Jimmy lowered his hands and pulled her panties off. She might have objected, but she had already decided to let Jimmy do anything he wanted with her, she had seen her Mom pull hers off in front of others, and she was fascinated seeing a girl Robin's age with a dick inside of her. Robin motioned for them to come in. Jimmy took Stephanie by the hand and brought her over to the bed. Seeing little Stephanie standing in front of me, completely nude, was overwhelming. Robin felt me grow inside of her, she turned to me and playfully slapped me. "She is pretty isn't she?" "Yes." I croaked, I knew I was staring, but I couldn't help it. Stephanie was turning red. Then Robin said, "Jimmy, you're not being fair." He looked at her and she continued, "Stephanie, it's time to take his underwear off too." She got a big smile on her face and turned to Jimmy. She tentatively reached out and touched him, then grabbed the waistband and pulled them down. She still had hold of them as he was stepping out of them. Her face was level with his small, but very hard dick. Robin knew the look in her eyes and went into teaching mode. "Stephanie," she said as she got off me. I moaned a complaint of her stopping. "Take it in your hand like this." Stephanie mirrored Robin and wrapped her little hand around Jimmy's dick. "Now stroke it up and down like this." It was feeling real good. Watching the show next to me made it even better. "OK, now put your mouth down and lick the end like this." God, if she keeps this up, I'll be shooting all over her in no time. Stephanie was a little more apprehensive about this, but when she looked up at Jimmy and saw him nodding his head up and down, she did it. Stephanie looked over when Robin started to say something and Jimmy let loose. It was three good spurts one of which landed in her hair. "I guess that's it." Stephanie said. Showing her disappointment in Jimmy's now limp dick. "Do you want to learn more?" I ask in obvious lust over the girl. Robin looked at me, and laughed. "I think Keith would like you to continue with him." Stephanie looked at Robin, then at Jimmy, and finally at me. Jimmy was the one who really had to say yes to her. When Robin whispered in his ear, he looked at Stephanie and nodded yes. She got a big grin on her face and immediately wrapped her little fingers around my dick. Oh that felt good to her. It smelled good too. This was Keith, big, strong Keith. She whished she could be in Robin's place, but then she though, "my mom isn't married to Richard and she's with him. Maybe if Keith loves me enough, he'll want me to be his too." I could only guess what Robin had told him, but I guessed right as I saw her cup his balls and start to stroke his dick. "Lick him and get it nice and wet," she said. She has moved down in front of Jimmy. "Good, now open your mouth and suck in the tip, just like this." She pulled Jimmy's dick into her mouth. Stephanie couldn't wait to try. Although I was a lot bigger than Jimmy and she was a little smaller than Robin, the tip slid right in. Robin had let go of Jimmy and said, "now run your tongue over the tip and wrap your hands around the shaft, moving them up and down." She helped her with her hand placement. I couldn't believe I had held out this long, but I knew it wouldn't be long now. I looked at Robin, who could see it in my face. "Keith is going to squirt his love juice, just like Jimmy just did. You need to keep your mouth on him and hold it in your mouth OK." With that explanation, I let loose, I was glad it wasn't my first cum of the night, but there was still enough that Stephanie couldn't hold all of it. When I was done, it was obvious she didn't know what to do with her mouthful of cum. Then Robin said something that just blew me away. "Stephanie, Keith is mine and that means his love juice is mine. I also love the taste of him, so now you have to give it to me." She pulled off my shrinking dick with her closed mouthful of cum. She still didn't know how to give it to Robin. "Come over here Stephanie." Robin the wrapped her hands around her head and pulled her into a kiss. Stephanie was shocked and instinctively opened her mouth to say something. It was covered and Robin's tongue entered in Stephanie's mouth. Robin was sucking as much of my seed as she could out of the girl's mouth. Stephanie realized Robin was swallowing it and she wanted some herself. When Robin let go, both of them were breathing heavy and Jimmy and I were hard again. Stephanie was staring at Robin; she couldn't believe what she had just done. It was nasty, but it also felt really good. She was a little confused. These were new feelings and she was having a hard time trying to understand them. Then Robin said, "OK Stephanie, you just made Keith feel really good, now it's his turn to show you how he can make you feel real good." I looked at Robin with a questioning face. I didn't want to push myself on this little girl, but God, for some reason she was driving me crazy. Robin, seeing my hesitation, took over. "Keith is going to lay down and you are going to climb on top of him." "Then what?" She asked. Here, let me show you. She laid Jimmy next to me, but facing the opposite direction. Then Robin climbed on top of him and lowered her pussy to his mouth. Jimmy didn't need any encouragement. He put out his tongue and started licking. Stephanie looked at her, wide eyed, "he's licking you... down there." Robin was starting to get a dreamy look on her face. "Yes. Oh it feels so good, Jimmy right there, yes, that's it, Oh, yes." Still very unsure about the whole thing, she could see Robin was very much enjoying herself. Stephanie climbed on top of my and with my hands on her waist I helped guide her to my warm, wet, waiting mouth. She gasped. Robin and Stephanie looked into each other's eyes and communicated on a girl to girl level, they were in heaven. So were Jimmy and I. ------- Richard pulled Dora off him. She was standing in front of him and he pulled the nightgown off her. Then he laid Dora on the bed. She was looking at him expectantly. Katy was a little surprised to have seen him bring her in, pumping as he was walking. Dora's scent was starting to engulf the room; it was getting to Katy just as it had done to Richard. Richard in his commanding voice said to her, "Spread your legs, I want to be inside of you." She nodded her head and pulled her legs apart. Katy couldn't believe how submissive Dora was. Maybe that was why she had never been too sociable. She did a number of only women things, but not a lot when men were involved. Richard climbed between her legs and in one thrust was inside her. Then he continued with his instructions to her. "Dora, you will eat Katy out, licking out all of the cum I shot inside of her." She had a pained looked on her face, but nodded. Katy couldn't believe what Richard had just said to her, or that she nodded yes, she would do it. Katy was to intoxicated by the perfume that was dripping out of Dora to question anything though. She climbed on and lowered her pussy to Dora's face. Dora had never ever thought of doing something like what she was about to do. She didn't mind the taste of cum. Her husband had loved it when she gave him head. But another woman? She knew she needed to listen to Richard, his commands made her feel secure. If she gave into him and did as he ask, everything would be OK. She watched as Katy lowered herself onto her face. "Here it goes," she thought and put out her tongue. The taste was not what she expected. It was sweet, and tangy. It was, well... She was gone, her tongue was lapping. As the pressure inside her built she was moaning into Katy's pussy. Her orgasm overtook her and she thrashed around. It had been so long and this was so erotic. Never had anything overpowered her like this. Richard couldn't even stay in and as he was starting to fill her with his seed, she started to jerk her body around. Some of it went deep inside of her, but the rest sprayed her front. Katy and Richard looked at her; she was passed out on the bed. Her face was coated with a fine sheen of juice, her belly had streams of cum running down it and her pussy was a mixture of her potent juices and Richard's seed. She opened her eyes and looked at them. With a smile growing on her face, she said, "wow! I've never felt like that before." "Good," Richard said. Then in a more commanding voice, he said, "you are mine, and you want to be, don't you?" Dora looked at Richard and then to Katy. She had always needed to have someone take care of her. It was how she knew they cared. Her daddy cared a great deal for her and made her do all kinds of special things for him. She got married when she was thirteen and her husband had taken care of her, she again gave herself to him, completely. It made her feel special, wanted, loved. When he died it left a terrible hole in her life. A hole she would do anything to fill. Richard was saying that he wanted to take her and fulfill her needs. All she needed now was Katy's approval. Katy was staring at Dora. What a beautiful body. Katy knew it was Dora's first time with another woman, but if that was the first time, oh boy. Dora was looking at Katy with expectant eyes. She realized that Dora was asking for her approval. "Dora, you know you won't just belong to Richard, you'll belong to me also." Dora once again dropped her head and said, "yes. Yes I need to belong." Richard then commanded, "go and tell Keith what you were doing with us and how good you felt." She got up and started to grab her nightgown. "You won't need that," he said. She stopped and looked at him. "Also tell him you'll be living here from now on." She dropped her head, "Yes," was all she said. Walking out the door and into the other bedroom she had a smile on her face. She was happy. She had a place to belong. ------- The fire investigators were none to happy to get the call. A one-hour drive to find out what caused a house fire, in Carp of all places. They had been told in on uncertain terms to do a very thorough investigation, the request had come all the way from congressman McCarran himself. By the time they had assembled the team and arrived it was dark. There was no mistake as to where the fire had been. You could see the smoldering remains from the main road into town. One lone man was there watching. The captain turned and looked at the others, "well at least they left someone to look for flare-ups, better than most towns around here." They pulled up along side of the house. The man watching as it turned out to be, was Jim Williams, the Mayor of sorts. They were exchanging pleasantries, Jim being glad they were there and he could go home, when a radio call came in that shocked Jim to the core. The sheriff's car had had an accident. The details were sketchy at best, but the reality was that Bob Reimer was dead and Cliff Johnson had escaped. Jim stood there listening with a blank look on his face, wondering why he had ever let himself be talked into being temporary Mayor. He told the crew that he'd take care of the notification. They were visibly relieved they weren't going to be doing that. ------- Cliff sat in the front seat of the sheriff's car, fuming at himself for being so stupid. His efforts to attack Patrick had failed. He found himself in the role of a reactionary. When would he ever learn? He should have found away to initiate his own plans and have Patrick try to counter him. Thirteen years ago Patrick had bundled him off to his parents or at least tried to. Patrick thought that his precious Katy was too good for him. He was so damned busy telling everyone else how to live their lives that he left Katy alone. So what if she was pregnant. She spread her legs and took her chances. Patrick forbade him from seeing her. Cliff had to sneak around to fuck the bitch. Patrick finally caught them. The fight was short, but he was much younger then. If he didn't have his pants down around his ankles he would have probably won. Patrick had brought him in front of the whole town, humiliating him. The townspeople turned against Cliff. He ended up in Patrick's car; the whole town agreed he should be taken back to his parents. Patrick drove for almost twelve hours, stopping only for fuel. Cliff remembered saying "Let me out at the next gas station or I will piss my pants and your seats. You will have to live in here too." Patrick relented and stood at the door to wait. Pat left by the window though. Payback was a long time coming. His little stint in the army, that was before the dishonorable discharge, fuckin' sergeant. He had although gained some friends. One in particular was from Angle City, a rebel that didn't like the people in Carp. He was also part of a secret lab. It was from that relationship that developed the first payback on Carp and all the people Patrick had turned against him. Then there was Patrick himself. Cliff looked out the sheriff's car as it slowly negotiated the pot holes in the road. Bob Reimer moaned in the back seat on the larger bumps. It served himself right for trying to stop him from getting his vengeance on Patrick. Cliff had complained that his left arm was broken and had his arms manacled in the front. The arm was only bruised, though he knew there a few lower ribs broken. Another debt that had to be repaid. Cliff noticed the billy on a bracket under the dash. Ready for instant use when the deputy needed to have a quiet conversation with a drunken miner. Cliff now had a plan, for coming up was a section of road that wove through the hills afforded a view of Elgin. He moaned and cradled his left arm "Hurry up, I need to get to a hospital." the deputy just looked at him. Cliff needed a diversion and one was about to come up on their left. "There's another fire and I didn't set that one either." and as expected Stan looked. Cliff moved forward and with two hands grabbed the billy and brought it across the deputy's head. The car surged forward and left the road and into a wide shallow ditch. The bouncing dislodged Stan's foot and the car started to slow. Cliff put his hands on the wheel and tried to steer as best he could. It hit an old oak tree and came to a sudden stop. The car had torn up some fence, but that could not be helped now. He took the keys from the ignition and used one of them to remove his cuffs. Next he took Stan's gun and placed the cuffs on Stan and through the steering wheel. He stepped from the car and looked for any witnesses, a few head of cattle and a couple of horses grazed a quarter mile away, they probably wouldn't talk. He raised the hood and tried to dislodge the battery terminal. God his ribs hurt, the impact into the tree had hurt like hell. It was too tight, so he used the keys to open the trunk and get the tire iron. He found a lot more than he had expected. The tire iron made short work of the battery terminal. No horn, radio or even the ability to start the car now. Cliff opened the back door and Bob fell partially out the door. The impact into the tree had done him in. Blood was running out of his mouth. "Well you don't need any medical attention now. Do you?" he told the corpse. He inspected the deputy now finding very shallow breathing and a very pale skin. Blood covered most of his uniform. All in all a very satisfactory outcome. The trunk had water, a rifle, ammunition for the pistol and rifle, first aid kit, blankets, flares, binoculars, and a portable walkie-talkie. He took the rifle and some ammunition, the binoculars, the radio, as well as the canteen along with his own gun. Cliff walked out to the road and cut across the tire marks and walked away from Carp. Then to the well traveled section where he doubled back hoping to fool at least for a while any pursuit. He ended up making his way to one of the horses in the field. It had been years, and it hurt like hell to get himself up on the horse, but it would get him back by nightfall. ------- Jim's first thought was that he needed to tell John and Cheryl, then Patrick. He could then decide who else needed to be told. When he went to John and Cheryl's house, he also found Patrick there. "May I come in?" "Yes, of course. I guess the fire people came." John said. Jim, entering, said, "I think we need to sit down. I have some bad news." Thinking it was about the fire, they sat, Cheryl offering coffee. "Cheryl, you need to sit also." They started to wonder what it was that Jim was going to tell them. "Almost at the same time the fire investigators showed up they received a call." He looked at them, not knowing exactly how to proceed. "There was an accident and they don't as yet know the full story" "What kind of accident, come on Jim, what's this all about?" Patrick said. "The sheriff's car. The one with your brother in it, John. It had an accident." They all went a little pale. "So was it bad." John asked. "I really don't know all details, they were sketchy. What they did tell us was..." He just couldn't get it out. "Jim it's OK. Take your time." Patrick already knew what he was going to say. Nothing is more difficult that telling someone of a loss. Jim gave a heavy sigh. He looked at John and Cheryl and said "Bob didn't make it." Cheryl was crying, but the reality wasn't sinking in for John. "He didn't make what?" Patrick said, "John, Bob has died, he never made it to the hospital." John looked at Patrick for the longest time; he didn't want to believe what he had just been told. "No, no, I don't believe it." Jim had felt a lot of weight on his shoulders when he entered the house and it was still there. He needed to get out, but he also needed to tell Patrick the other news. "Patrick, there is one more thing I need to tell you." "Oh, no. Is it about Cliff?" "Yes, he escaped." Patrick felt like a load of bricks just hit him. "Oh, dear God," he said as he slumped heavily into the couch. Then he became alarmed. "Robin, Katy, they could be in danger!" He never once considered himself in danger. "I had better alert others about this." "Are you going to tell Katy and Robin about this?" Jim said. Patrick was shaking his head, "No. This is there wedding night. It needs to be special. If I told them, it would ruin their night. I'll see if I can get some volunteers to keep watch on their house." "Yes, that would be rough on them. Why don't I take the first shift, I was planning on being at Dora's old place for the next hour anyway. Say, do you know what happened to her? I have no idea where she's spending the night." "Jim thanks. And no I don't know where she is. I guess someone must have offered assistance right away, cause I never heard a word about it, but that's normal." "Yes it sure is, not like the bigger towns." Patrick got up and left with Jim. He made his rounds, organizing a watch group for the night. Keith, Robin, Richard, and Katy never knew there house had someone watching it all night long. It was a good thing the curtains were drawn. ------- Dora walked into our room to find Jimmy and me lying on the bed with Robin on Jimmy and Stephanie on me, getting their pussies eaten. She stopped and stared. Stephanie was the first to notice her. She tried to get off me, but I didn't understand what was happening and thought that she was trying to orgasm. I held her hips down and sucked her clit into my mouth. Stephanie couldn't take it anymore. Mother watching her or not, she started shaking as her first big orgasm hit her. I could feel her body spasm. She was moaning, loudly, then I felt some juice on my tongue and that unmistakable odor. "Like mother, like daughter," I thought. As her spasms subsided, she became limp and I laid her down. It was then that I caught sight of Dora. "Oh shit," I thought. Then I realized the entire odor wasn't from Stephanie. Dora's hand was between her legs. Her eyes were wide, just seeing her daughter like that. When she saw me looking at her, she walked up to me. After seeing Stephanie, Robin was gone and her orgasm overtook her just before she saw Dora walking up to the bed. It was then, with her so close that we could see the glistening of her face and the cum dripping off of her. Dora dropped her head and spoke, "Richard wanted me to come in and tell you that he had me and I did to Katy what you were doing to my daughter." Her scent was starting to permeate the air again. "He also wanted me to tell you that I am now going to be living here." I looked up at her. "Are you happy with that Dora?" She smiled and her eyes were twinkling as she looked at me. "Oh yes, very much so." "Are you OK with what I was doing with your daughter?" She dropped her head again, "I don't know. I don't want to think about it." Although she knew it excited her. I glanced over at Robin, Stephanie, and then back to Dora. "Let's go talk to Richard, he can help you with it, OK?" "Yes I would like that." Dora said. I stood up and took Dora by the hand, leading her back to Richard. I thought I might like to play with his mind just a bit. "Richard, we have a problem." Richard looked up at me with a worried look on his face, "Did I go a little to far?" "You're asking now?" He saw the smile on my face and knew he'd been had. "actually the problem is Stephanie. Dora saw me eating her out and she's not sure if she's old enough for that." "Oh, no." Dora said, "that's not it. She's the same age I was when my Daddy started to show how much he loved me. It's just I'm not sure who should be her teacher." "Well, now that we know that," I said with great amusement, "I brought her in so you could help her. She didn't want to make up her mind." Richard knew what I was asking, without coming right out and saying the words. He was shaking his head at me and smiling. "Keith you son of a bitch, I would have never guessed." Then he turned to Dora. "Dora, Keith would be a very good teacher for your daughter. You need to tell her that she should listen to him and let him teach her and love her." She had had her head down and said, "Yes, thank you Richard." ------- We weren't quite sure about the living arrangements yet, It was Katy's house so Richard was a part of that. Robin and I were welcome as long as we wanted, and it was decided quickly that Dora was the new child care giver. With a house this size it wouldn't work out in the long run, but we'd work that out. By this time it was late, actually very late and we were all tired. Robin and I settled into her old bed, Jimmy and Stephanie were in his old bed, and Katy, Richard, and Dora ended up in their bed. Everyone was asleep in minutes, looking forward to a new and exciting future. ------- Cliff had to stay in an old lineman shack about a mile outside of town. The binoculars became a great asset to him. He could see a great deal of activity in Carp. He smacked the horse and it went galloping, back in the direction from where they came. A few hours before dawn he walked toward Carp. There were many people still about, probably looking for him. He was thankful for the hills and the tree cover to hide his presence. His path led to an abandoned mine at the south east end of town, with a large gate secured with a large padlock. He opened and relocked the gate and in five minutes he dropped his equipment on the floor of a very large room. A desk, bed, filing cabinets, and a shelf of chemicals took up only a small portion of the room. He headed for the desk and a small notebook. Finding the part he wanted he read and re-read the part he wanted. The shelf on the far wall had what he needed for his ultimate revenge. Cliff lay in bed resting before his next step, dreaming of all the things that he was about to cause. ------- The next morning Liz was still sleeping when Kristin left. When she opened the door to the hall, Mary was standing there, hand raised as to knock. Mary was surprised when Kristin said, "come on I have something to share with you," and grabbed her hand. Kristin led her down out of the hotel and all the way to Katy's house. Mary had no idea were Kristin was taking her and like it or not, she was getting excited. When they arrived, Kristin opened the door. She had expected to see Dora, Jimmy, and Stephanie out in the living room and thought it was strange that they weren't there. She knew where Keith would be and pulled Mary along with her to the bedroom. Mary was getting concerned. "Whose house is this?" she whispered. "This is were Keith is." Kristin whispered back. She felt Mary's tension build in her hand, but she pulled her on anyway. "Come on, this will be fun and I know how you like to have fun." She said with a twinkle in her eye. When Kristin opened the door, both Mary and Kristin stood stock-still. On the one bed, nuzzling each other was Keith and Robin. On the other bed, without any sheets on, wrapped in each other's arms, were Jimmy and Stephanie. They weren't just nuzzling, they were groping each other, and moaning. Jimmy was the first to see them and said, "hi Kristin." I stopped, and as I peered over the sheets, I caught sight of Jimmy and Stephanie before I saw Kristin and to my surprise Mary. "Hi, Mary." This caused Robin to look also. "What brought you here." "It's not what, it's who, and I did," said Kristin. Mary was turning red looking at the sights in front of her. Then Kristin, still holding her hand, pulled her over to our bed and sat her down. Mary was looking towards the door, I wondered if she was thinking of bolting, but it was probably the sight of Jimmy and Stephanie in the bed across from us that was causing the reaction. Kristin started, "Remember when I told you I was late last night because of Mary?" "Yes," I replied. "Well here's what happened." Mary looked at Kristin with pleading eyes and her face was turning red. Then she dropped her head. I thought that it reminded me of how Dora looked last night. Kristin went on to recount in great detail her encounter with Mary. Mary was trembling by the time she was finished. Kristin had thought I would have been more shocked than I was; she ended up being the surprised one when I took Mary's face and turned it towards me. Looking in her eyes, I said, "was that before or after Cynthia?" "Cynthia?" Kristin said. "Tell us all about it Mary" Keith said in his strong voice. Mary dropped her head again and told us the story of the peephole and Cynthia. I was almost laughing hearing it. Robin was looking at me, questioningly. When Mary got to the part of her leaving and me being out in the hall, Robin jabbed me in the side. I looked at her with a silly grin on my face and she started laughing. "Is this your Dora?" she said to me. "Would you be upset?" She looked Mary over. Neither Mary or Kristin had any idea what we were talking about, but Jimmy and Stephanie who had been listening to Kristin's story did. "No, I guess not, It could be fun." "Does that mean she'll live here to?" ask Jimmy. Both Kristin and Mary were looking at me, with an "would you explain," expression on their faces. "That will be up to Mary." I said. "There are a lot of things that would have to happen before." This didn't answer a single question on Mary or Kristin's mind and that's just what I wanted. In the same type of commanding voice I had heard Richard use, I addressed her, "Mary, do you remember what you told me in the hall way of the hotel." Her head dropped and her face became red again, "yes." "Then I want you to stand up and let Kristin undress you, so that I can see how lovely you are." She sat there for a moment, thinking. She looked over at me and than to Kristin, who was smiling and shaking her head up and down. She looked back at me. "If you want to do it, but you know if you do it, you become mine." She stood and turned towards me. "Are you sure?" I said. "Yes Keith, after what Kristin told me about you, I've wanted to be yours." Kristin got up and started to undress Mary for me. ------- All good things must come to an end and when we stepped out of the house we knew something was up. Jimmy and Stephanie took off as we walked to the center of town. It was a buzz; the fire investigators had ended their job and had left, a helicopter had landed early in the morning and Jack and Cynthia had been whisk away, and most important, the news of Cliff's escape had spread. ------- Cliff got up thinking that he should see what he could see in Carp. His house had been built where it was on purpose. He had always been a sneaky kid. When he was looking for a plot to build on, he had been checking on several sights. The one he chose to build on was special. Running just six feet below was a tunnel, a tunnel to the mine he was now in. He had built the house right on top, with a hidden door in the wall of the bedroom. A ladder ran up from the tunnel to the house. He was just about to open the door into his house when he heard the front door open. He was glad he had three peepholes in the enclosed space. One out into the bedroom, one towards the entrance, and one looking into the kitchen, living area. He could see almost the whole house from his hiding spot. As they came in he could hear their voices. "Come on lets go to the bedroom." "Are you sure, this is Cliff's house." "You want me to tell you about last night, don't you?" "Yea, I'd do anything to hear about that." Cliff saw the two boys, Katy's boy Jimmy and Millie's son Brian. "So we were kissing and I put my tongue in her mouth." Jimmy said. Brian was wide eyed. "Really! What was everyone else doing?" "You wouldn't believe what we saw Richard do with Stephanie's Mom. He told her to take off her underware and she did." "Wow" "Oh, that's notheing, after that he had her almost climb on him and he put his dick up in her you know what." "No he didn't" Brian was trying to imagine it. Thinking of Richard's dick siding up into her was almost more than he could take. "Yes he did, I saw it, and then she started bouncing up an down. You could see it sliding in and out." Brian's little dick was as hard as it had ever been. Just then Jimmy heard a far off voice calling his name. "Shit, I have to go." he said "Stay here for a while after I go." "I will see you later." Jim left, leaving Brian sitting on the bed. As soon as Jimmy left, Brian pulled down his pants. His dick was straight in front of him and he fell back on the bed. In no time he was jacking himself off. Cliff had nothing holding him back now. The law would kill him, and that was before his next plan for the town. He opened the hidden door and entered the bedroom quietly; Brian had his eyes closed and never saw him. "Come back to reality little boy," Cliff said. Brian found a gun pointed at his face as soon as he opened his eyes. The color left his face and he almost fainted. "What were you doing in my bedroom?" Brian looked up into a bruised face of a very dangerous man. "Ah, nothing." "I see your nothing, as he slapped Brian's wilting dick. Pull your pants up." Brian tried to move fast pulling up his pants, but not fast enough for Cliff and collected a slap. The now crying boy sat on the edge of the bed. Cliff went to the cupboard and brought out a few yards of cord. He tied the boys hands behind him, and got a dishtowel ripped two strips and tied it together. He walked behind the boy and put the knot in the rag into his mouth and secured the other ends around his head. Brian was too stunned to offer any resistance. He was dragged to the secret door, down the ladder, and back to the old mine. Cliff secured the door as he shut it, pushing the boy down. They finally came to the workroom. The boy was pushed onto the bed. The bed had a dark brownish red stain in the center of it. Brian knew it was blood, his eyes grew wide looking at it. "Stay there if you know what is good for you." Cliff went to a chest and removed a pair of heavy pliers and cut off a piece of wire from a nearby coil. He walked by the wall and picked up a two yard piece of light chain, carrying it all back to the bed and the frightened boy. He wrapped the end of the chain around the foot of the bed and connected the end with the piece of wire. He got up, dropped the pliers and went to the desk and after a moment returned with a padlock. "I see you're looking at the red stain." Cliff laughed, it was an evil laugh and Brian started to cry. "Virgins bleed when they get fucked. You know Jill don't you?" Brian nodded his head. "Well she ain't no virgin anymore" He laughed again; Brian thought he was going to get sick. Jill was a friend of his, but she wouldn't talk to anyone after the wedding. Now he remembered, her mom couldn't find her before the wedding. "Get over here" Cliff said to the sobbing boy on the far side of the bed. He didn't move fast enough and earned another slap. Cliff grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer and then grabbed a leg. He wrapped the chain around the ankle and put the padlock through the links. Cliff was really hard and his breath was ragged. He stood up and went back to the desk and came back with a hunting knife. He pulled Brian off the bed and had him stand. Brian was so frightened a wet spot appeared on his pants that rapidly spread to the rest. Cliff put the knife at the front of the boy's pants and drew the very sharp instrument downward to one foot then upward from the other. Removing the wet pants Cliff sliced the shirt from the boy's chest and finally before flashing the knife before Brian's large eyes he cut the underwear from him. A very small penis and hairless balls were presented to Cliff. Cliff felt powerful the boy was in his power. He could do anything. He reached forward and twisted Brian around and undid the gag. "You could yell now, but there is nobody that would ever hear you." Cliff sneared. Brian was in a state of shock not understanding what he'd done wrong. Cliff saw the trembling boy and thought of all the power he had over him, a smile came over his face the first in a long time. ------- Jimmy had found Stephanie on his way to find his mom. They walked hand in hand and he looked into her eyes, thinking how lucky he was to have a girl for his own. They ended up back at his house. Katy was inside. "Now what have you to been up to?" They looked at each other and giggled. "I'm baking and I need a hand doing a few things." For the next half hour the two of them did little things around the house. The next thing they knew was Millie was at the door. She worried look on her face. "Hi Katy. Have you seen Brian? I've been looking all over for him, he's missing." "No. I haven't seen him. Jimmy when was the last time you saw Brian?" Jimmy attached at the hand to Stephanie, looked a little out of sorts. "I haven't seen him for a while. I've been here." He made a white lie, "We were walking by the spring." close enough to Cliff's old house without saying he was there. ------- Brian was pulled off the bed, turned around and forced to bend over with his hands on the bed. It was better to force the boy, show him who was boss than to simply tell him. The sight of the boy's cheeks and the small brown pucker stirred his loins. It reminded him of the time he spent in jail with that young punk. He sure showed him who was boss. Cliff grabbed Brian by the hair and pulled him back and then pushed him down on his knees. "Keep your eyes open kid and see what a real man looks like." He pulled his pants down, not all the way, his chest still hurt like hell when he bent over, and then he pulled out his erect dick. Brian couldn't help but stare. It was dangling in front of him, not more than three inches from his face. "Open your funkin' mouth kid, you're about to suck cock." Brian didn't know what to do, but when Cliff slapped him across the face he opened his mouth. Cliff jammed his dick into Brian's small mouth and took hold of the back of his head. He was pumping in and out of his mouth. Brian was gagging and the only way he knew he'd survive this terrible man was to think of something else. The first thing that came to mind was Richard's dick, with Stephanie's Mom bouncing up and down on it. So he imagined this was Richard and he was bouncing up and down, which was more or less true. Then Cliff grunted and his cum filled Brian's mouth. It was disgusting, Brian though. Then his next thought was, "I bet Richard's is much better." When Cliff was done with him, he threw Brian back on the bed. "Do you see that map on the wall" Cliff asked. The nervous boy looked and said, "Yes." "Well, that is the town and the water system. At one time I only wanted to hurt the town. I had poison put into a device that let it out slowly. It would make all the men in the town sterile. Do you know what that means?" "No, sir." "It means that none of the men could ever have children. You must have noticed that there were no babies, in fact none for the last four years. I planned to make the people that hated me leave. I would get my vengeance on them for the way they treated me." Brian eyes widened, here was the devil if there ever was one. Cliff went on. "Now all that is gone. I heard you and Richard found the canister. Don't think I don't know your part in this. Now I am going to use something new, something that within minutes after drinking the water will make them permanently paralyzed. I will walk amongst them laughing. In fact in this little town, they'll be as good as dead. The wild animals will come in and eat them alive. How do you like that plan?" Brian did not know what to think. He thought Cliff was the devil before, now he was something more and he had no comprehension of what that could be. His parents, Richard, Jimmy, everyone lying there, not being able to move, while he laughed at them. He went over to the shelf and out of a wooden box, pulled a small glass bottle. "This is it. The people testing this stuff even stopped using it, it was so bad." He laughed. "That's how I was able to get my hands on it." ------- Richard heard from Millie that Brian was missing. He went straight to ask Jimmy about it. "Come on, let's go back to the spring area and you can show me." When Jimmy was changing his story for the third time, Richard sat Jimmy down. "Look Jimmy, I don't know why you don't want to tell me, but you know where Brian was." Jimmy started crying. "We were in Cliff's old house." Richard couldn't control his anger. "What the hell made you think of going in there?" Jimmy through many tears told Richard "We went there to be private, I was telling Brian about Stephanie and me and then you and Dora. I had to leave when I heard my mother calling, but Brian was still there when I left." The first thing that they did was to get a small party together and opening up Cliff's house, searched it. It was Jimmy who was in the bedroom, who saw the ripped up cloth. When the others saw it, they knew. Cliff had been here and now Brian was gone. They couldn't figure out how he had done it. There were people looking for him all over. ------- Cliff put the glass jar gently back into the wooden box and washed his hands. He then grabed something off the same shelf and came over to Brian. "I have to wait until it gets dark, so we have a little time. Take off my pants boy and I'll show you another way to have fun." Brian knew he had no choice and did as he was told. Soon Cliff and Brian were on the bed together. Brian felt something squishy being rubbed into his butt. Then Cliff pushed his finger into his butt hole. It was the strangest feeling he'd ever had, but that was soon to change. Cliff's finger was pulled out and something larger was being pushed in. Brian finally realized it was Cliff's dick. It was big and it started to hurt. He was crying, asking him to stop. All Cliff did was push harder and laugh. As soon as he got it all in, Brian thought that was it, but it was just the beginning. Cliff started moving it in and out. Brian was trying to think of something else when the vision of Richard came back to him. Now he really was Dora with Richard's dick sliding in and out. It gave him felling like he'd never had before. Cliff made Brian use the gag that he had in his mouth to clean up his dick. The cum, the shit, and the blood. He was then forced to dress him. "After I get done with the town, I'm going to come back to my little fuck toy and have you again. You're the tightest thing I've had in a long time." Then he grabbed the box and went out the entrance to the old mine. As soon as Brian heard the click of the lock, he was pulling the bed apart. Cliff had wired the chain to the side rail. He pulled off the mattress and was able to reach a chair. Pulling the steel bed frame up, he rested the rail on the chair seat. Jumping on the end frame it separated and after some wiggling he was able to free himself from the bed. Climbing back down the passage, he found the ladder up into Cliff's house. When he climbed up the ladder he stood stock-still. He could hear something and thought it was Cliff coming to get him. Then as he listened it was crying. It was then, becoming accustomed to the darkness, that he was able to see the peepholes. Looking through, he saw Jimmy. Jimmy had come back, he knew he was responsible for Brian being taken away by Cliff. Jimmy was startled when he heard banging on the wall, he knew it must be Cliff. Brian was trying to get out. Jimmy got up and ran out as fast as he could. It was after Jimmy had gone that Brian saw the lock and latch that opened the secret door. He opened it and was out of the door and towards the spring. ------- Jimmy burst into Millie's house. He knew Richard would be there. Richard saw the wide eyed boy rush in and he was tugging him out the door just as fast. "Hold on, what's the problem." "He's back!" "Brian!" Millie almost screamed. "No, Cliff. I was at his house and I heard him banging in the walls." Richard stopped Jimmy. "Hold on, what were you doing at Cliff's house." Jimmy dropped his head in shame. "I was sitting there, crying. I know I'm the one to blame. I made him disappear" Tears were rolling down his face. "Jimmy, you didn't make him disappear, it was Cliff that did that, don't blame yourself. Now, tell us again, what happened." Jimmy wiped his eyes and his nose. He told about the banging on the walls. Richard met up with me and we gathered some more people. This time when they went into the house, they saw the open hidden door. "Well that explains how he got in and out. Now, what's down there?" They were all taking a look in the door and down the hole. Richard and I volunteered to go down and look. When we came out of the tunnel and steped into the large room we looked at each other. I went over to the shelf to see what was on it. I was looking at the chemicals and Richard was looking at the bed. What we both saw made us sick. Richard saw the bloody bed, the soiled rag. It made his stomach turn. I saw the wooden boxes, it had been a long time ago, but I'd never forget what was in those marked boxes. There was dust around the shelves and one of those boxes was missing. "We need to get to the water supply fast," I said. We came back up quickly and without saying a word, ran out the door. The others followed. All of us were running as fast as possible, but as soon as we were close we stopped dead in our tracks. Brian was bare ass naked with a chain attached to his ankle. Cliff had the chain in his hand and was pulling Brian to him. Cliff had taken the bottle out of the wood box. Brian was running as fast as he could when he ran into Cliff at the spring. He bounced off of him and as he tried to get away Cliff grabbed his chain. Richard had moved to the other side from us and yelled at Cliff. He turned and lost his balance, falling into the old granite collecting tray. The bottle slipped out of his hand and broke. Cliff started to scream as he fell. Brian was pulled towards Cliff as he fell. Richard threw himself at Brian knocking him out of the way. We then saw Cliff convulsing. He looked like a fish out of water. Then he lay silent. The rest of the men were backing up. It was the spookiest thing they had ever seen. I knew that it had to be the concentration that had done it. When a squirrel fell out of a tree five feet away, I realized the wind had carried the fumes. "Richard, Brian, stay down and crawl away as fast as you can. Come this way, the breeze is coming from this way." I didn't need to say it twice. They scampered towards us. As soon as they were close to me Richard stood up and walked over to Brian. Reaching down Richard took hold of Brian, who wrapped his arms and legs around him. As they walked back to Millie's house, Richard said, "It's all over Brian. He can't hurt you any more." ------- I ask the remaining men to stay here at the spring. They were apprehensive. "Just stay forty to fifty feet away and if the wind changes, run like hell." They said they wouldn't have any problem doing that and understood the need to keep this off limits to anyone. I ran down to the only damn phone in town. The base exchange did not feel the urgency to get the CO as I did. I then remembered and hoped it was still in effect the code word for a disaster. As soon as I said it, I knew it was still in effect. Jack was on the line within a minute. "Who the hell is this?" He demanded. "Keith Paterson, sir." I couldn't believe the military ways just kicked in. "What the hell are you scarring me like that for, you know you shouldn't use that code." "Jack, this is an emergency. Do you remember when I described the chemicals that we used?" "Yes all to well, so what's the emergency?" "Do you remember me describing the one we even baned?" I could hear an, oh shit, in his voice. "Yes." "Cliff escaped and released some of that chemical." "Oh fuck, are there any casualties?" "Only him, thank god, but we have no way of cleaning up the chemicals. Right now it is fairly well contained, but that won't last long and it is becoming airborne." "I don't know what to do with this shit, I'll call the NTS and they will take over. I'll let you know what's going on. It'll take ten minutes or so, so be at that phone in ten." "Yes sir." I ran back up to the spring. The men were a little more than one hundred feet away, I couldn't blame them. The sight of Cliff was eerie. Somehow the animals sensed it and were gone. It was totally silent. I told them of my call and that help would be on the way. They were relieved at that. Then I went back down to the phone and waited. By this time it looked as though everyone in the town had hound out what had happened and there was a large group around me. ------- The first to arrive was the helicopter. It was a large one, like had brought the water tank, this time it wasn't a pleasant sight to see. Ten unidentifiable people in containment suits jumped out. They carried out five trunks and the helicopter left. I walked up to them, the commander of the mission was very business like, until he found out who I was. "This is the shits." "You're telling me. I was one of the one to see it happen. I hope you brought a body bag." "We were told, so you saw it happen?" "Yea, not a pretty sight. He was in convolutions in seconds, He jerk deserved what he got, it looks like he was planning on dropping the stuff into the water system." "No shit, that would have done major damage. So where is this place." A little ways from here, those things heavy?" I said as I was pointing to the cases. "Not bad, lead the way." I got them set up at the spill sight. The men who had been watching were glad to get out of there. One of them said, "I wish we would have had those suits. That stuff was scaring me half to death. There are another three squirrels that we saw running into the area upwind. They dropped in minutes." The squad commander and I looked at each other. I knew what he was thinking and answered his question. "Yes the wind changes direction in the late afternoon, about three or four hours from now." I was the last to leave and heard the commander talking on the radio. I knew the code sequence he was talking about. A five-mile total area containment. That would mean we would be leaving. I got back to the phone as quick as possible. Patrick McCarran was fuming. "Keith, what the hell is going on, I was told they can't bring my helicopter in. I have places to go, how do they expect me to do anything?" "I have a call to make. I'll know a whole lot more when I get done." "Go right ahead. Looks like I'm not going anywhere soon." I called and this time was put right through to Jack. "OK, I know what's going on. They called for a total containment" "Shit Keith, at least you could use the code terms, we don't need this to get out." I disregarded his paranoia. "So tell me the plan, what are doing to get us out?" "Keith, you know I'm not in charge of this." I knew by this build up, it wasn't going to be good. "The fastest way to get that many people out is by train. They tell me it's on its way already. Coming from Las Vegas. Then it is going bring everyone here." "You know they're not going to like it." "I know, but they, just like I don't have much choise about it." "Understand. Say can you tell me one thing." "Try to, what?" "Patrick McCarran is here and he told me they won't let his copter land. I'm sure that's for wind problems, but what can he do." "Keith, you know I like you, but you bring some of the worst news to me. Unfortunatly, congressman or not, he's getting on that train. NTS will have their specialists here to check everyone out. I'm glad you get to tell him." "Oh thanks. The only redemtion is that you're going to have to deal with a lot of very unhappy people when we get off." When I hung up the phone, Patrick was right there. "It's not good news is it. I overheard enough." "I'm afraid not, lets go someplace private and talk." That private place was Katy's house. I kicked everyone out except Richard. "What's going on Keith?" Richard said. "Well to put it in plane English, the spill is going airborne. They won't know how long before they will have total containment of the spill, so they have called for a five mile containment area. That means that they will be evacuating this town. It is the reason they won't let you're helicopter come in, it could stir up the wind and cause people to get contaminated." The idea was sinking in to both of them. Patrick now knew and understood. "So can I get out another way?" I think he was hopping, because he didn't take the answer as bad as I thought he would. "No, everyone is going out together and then we'll all be check by their specialists to make sure everyone is OK." "So how are they taking us out?" Richard asked. "By train." "Well that's not so bad." Patrick responded. I grimaced. "Not the way the military transports. It will be little better than a cattle car with seats. Remember this is how they transport the drafted guys." "OK so that doesn't sound to good." "It's worse than that, most of these people are from German descent. After hearing the stories for the last few years of what the Nazi's were doing with the Jew's they are gong to not like being force out of their houses onto a train." "Oh God, Keith, now I know why you wanted to tell me this in private. What can we do?" "I think the best thing to do is to get them into a town meeting and tell them what is going on, and be the leaders, go on first." Jim Williams was called upon to do an emergency meeting. The miners in the mine were called out; all of the towns people were gathering in the hall as the first of a line of army trucks were seen in a distance. I got up in front. I was almost as scared at that point as when I first came into this town. I looked over the crowd of people. I saw a mixture of anticipation, curiosity and fear in their eyes. I knew that when I was done, it would be mostly fear I would see. My stomach was turning. "As you know Cliff Johnson escaped from the sheriffs car. I was told recently of the details of that. It looks like it was an intentional accident and most probably caused by Cliff himself. The car made a sudden impact into a tree. It was probably that impact that caused Bob Riemer to die." There were cries of grief, I went on. "The sheriff was hit pretty bad and is in the hospital at this point. As we all know Cliff escaped. What most of you don't know is that he is the one responsible for the poisoning of the water. There was a secret entrance in his house to a mine tunnel that went to the old abandoned mine." I stopped for a minute to let that sink in. "I don't what he was doing the poisoning for in the first place, but I do know he came back to do the town in. The chemical agent that he had in his hand was developed to be used in water. I don't think I need to go into the grisly details of what it would have done if it he would have succeeded. We have Brian to thank for that. He literally saved the town from death." Brian popped up at that point and said, "and Richard saved my life, I almost fell on Cliff." There was a great cheer for both their efforts. "It was very heroic what both of them did and I wish we had the time right now to celebrate, but I was very serious about the threat of death. If any of you have talked to the people who were up at the spring and saw the way Cliff died, you would understand." There were many whispers and I waited for them to die down. "Now like I said, this chemical was developed for water use, but as anyone up there saw, it is just as deadly in the air. It will take some time to clean things up. I'm sure most of you saw the men in the strange looking suits arrive." Again murmurs. I got on the phone and reported the incident, the Nevada Test Site specialists were sent in, those were the men that first arrived. After looking at the contamination and knowing the chemicals destructive nature they felt it necessary to contain the whole area." One of the miners stood up, and said, "I'm not sure I follow you, what do you mean contain the whole area, the spring. Are we going to be without water again?" "I wish it was that simple. No they want to contain a five mile perimeter around the spill." "But that would mean the whole town, how can they do that?" another miner asked. "I hate to be the one to have to tell you this, but we are all ordered to evacuate." This stunned them. I knew it was not going to be any easier from here on out, so I went on. "They are on there way as we are here. The idea will be to set up a perimeter around the area, effectively sealing it." "When do we have to leave?" another shouted out. "They have a train, it is on its way, and it will take all of us to the army base that I use to work at." Fright was the best way I could describe what was on their faces at the moment. Patrick McCarran then got up. "I know that this is frightening to many of you. We are all in the same boat. I was to leave today and have had to cancel all of my appointments. I do not like this as much as any of you, but we have little choice in the matter. I will be getting on the train along with all of you." I appreciated the politician at that point, he knew how to talk to people and he was influential enough for people to listen to him. At that point the commander of the military unit came in. I wasn't sure who it was in the protective suit he was wearing. The sight of him coming in gave quite a stir. As soon as he spoke, I knew who it was and I wondered why they sent such an ass hole. "Who is in charge here?" It was his expectation, an instant recognition of authority that had always bothered me about him. I played with his game. "It depends on who is asking, Frank." I replied. This caught him off guard. Then he looked again and recognized me. "So, Keith, is this the little pace you were sneeking off to. Looks like you got the who town into a lot of trouble." "You know, comments like that have demoted better people than you." The battle lines had been drawn. "So what do you need?" "I am to make sure that everyone is accounted for and shipped out of here. When we get done, this place will look like the ghost town it already resembles. I have a man stationed at the door ready to list everyone." "Well, you are tactful as always, I'm sure your military career will be a reflection of that. I will have Jim Williams to go out first. He is the mayor of sorts in this town. He'll know if anyone is missing." "Just do it quick, I want it all completed when the train arrives." There was no reason to keep up the conversation with him and I'm sure he felt the same way. As he turned and walked out, Patrick McCarran came up to me. "It is people like him that I have to watch the military operation. He must not know who I am." "I couldn't agree with you more, sir. Who knows they may have not told him to set him up." I turned to address the townspeople again. "I have been told that there will be a man at the door taking our names down. I am going to ask Jim to go out first and help. This is for our own safety. We don't want anyone left behind. You have seen first hand the protective clothing that they are wearing. It will be easiest if you go out in family units. Please try to be calm. I know that this is very hard on everyone." Jim got up and took his wife with him and went out. Then others followed. Robin and I were the last to come out. What we saw was enough to terrify anyone. At each end of the downtown, blocking the street were a line of men, in full protective suits, but with rifles in front of them. It thought to myself that Frank was an idiot and Jack would be the first one to hear about it. Jim came up to me and said in disgust. "They won't let us go anywhere, not even to our houses and get anything. We are wearing the shirts on our back out of here." "The military in fine form. So how was the list, anyone missing?" "Yes, one. I haven't told them yet. I was afraid they'd go out and hunt them down." "You're probably right, who was it?" "Jill and Rebecca Wheinstein" "I'll go. Tell me where they live." After another confrontation with Frank, two men escorted me to find them. They were sitting in their house. Rebecca was beside herself. Pointing at her daughter, she said, "She refuses to go anywhere." I was about to say something when one of the men when over to Jill and grabbed her, threw her over her shoulder and walked out the door. Jill was screaming bloody murder. Rebecca looked at me with wide eyes, stood and walked out without saying another word. Jill never stopped screaming and when she was plopped down, she fell to the ground in a sobbing mess. No one had ever seen Jill like this before and it fueled even more fear. No one was immune to the stories of the Nazi's cruelty. Here they were seeing the same thing firs hand. Most of these people were from German descent and were keenly aware of the stories. It was even more poignant that the Nazi's had taken people away in trains. As we heard the rumble of the trains approach. I saw two women faint. Children were crying. The guards moved in to keep control, but that made the feeling of terror in their minds even more real. When the train came to a stop. More guards came out. We were lined up like cattle and checked off the list as we were shullfed into the waiting cars. I was one of the last to get on. As I came up to give my name the Chemical Specialist Commander came over and pulled me out of line. "We need you to stay for a little longer." Robin turned and saw that I wasn't behind her; in fact I was out of the line. The whole group of what I would call my family looked out the window as the train started to pull away. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I saw tears running down Robin's face. ------- Chapter 14 Robin ran into her mother's arms "They took Keith away!" she sobbed. Katy looked out the window with Richard beside her only to see Keith walking away with the chemical warfare specialist. "Keith is only helping them," stated Richard. "He will catch up with us later." he hoped. Robin continued to cry into Katy's shoulder. This had the effect of making others upset too. Young children that knew Robin all their lives clutched their parents, most wondering what was wrong, was something going to happen to them too. A soldier in a chemical warfare suit with a full-face mask showed his true age, "Will everyone give me their attention? The train will be starting soon. Please take your seats." He said in a squeaky voice, one not more than nineteen. Although they turned towards him, it was out of fright, not respect. Many voices started asking questions, which the soldier obviously could not answer. Most had not moved. Richard used to military protocol and not giving a shit, stood and called out "Ok! Listen up everybody sit down and watch out for your kids. You don't want them hurt. The soldier is only doing his duty, and he is trying to help you." Richard could feel the gratitude from the soldier. The families sorted themselves out into the available seats leaving a few stragglers, which looked for places to sit hoping for seats with their family. Richard saw that nobody was organizing this and stood up. He started at one end of the car and moved a few small families to make room for larger ones. A few of the older ones he put together of necessity. The car gave a jerk and Richard found himself the only one standing beside the young soldier. He made his way to his seat. "Madam. Is this seat taken?" he asked of the seven-year-old Stephanie. Stephanie was too young for this playacting, her dark-haired mother stepped in," Why no sir please have a seat." Richard sat and smiled at his family. His wife of only a few days had sparkling eyes that seemed to see into his soul. Dora his... well woman, mistress or servant, he didn't know which yet. Dora's daughter Stephanie a beautiful copy of her mother was not of his family but of Keith's. Keith had come into his room last night after licking the young girl to orgasm and asked his submissive mother and him to have her. Richard knew Keith would not hurt a hair on her head and gave his consent. Just minutes before he had told her mother that she was his. She was told to spread her legs for him and then suck the cunt of his new bride. Katy had surprised him and said that Dora belonged to her also. Katy's son Jimmy a boy of nine, held Stephanie's hand protectively he probably wasn't in love but in sex was a sure bet. And last there was Brian also nine years old but a more delicate child. His mother was Katy's older sister Millie. On the seat across the aisle sat Robin, Keith's thirteen-year-old wife of just a few days too. Kristin and Liz, Keith's sisters both loved their brother above all else. Mary was the surprise. She was the daughter of Congressman Patrick McCarran, young and naive. She grew up in a very sheltered environment, no doubt because of her father's public life but a good deal because she like Dora needed someone to guide her, someone to take the worry away of doing something wrong. Keith had copied Richards's lead and asked her to be his, she accepted on Robin and Keith's matrimonial bed. On the seat in front of Richard, Hank Freedham spoke sharply to his fourteen year old wife Daisy, "I don't care if it is your fault or not, I am getting out of this town. My brother found me a good paying job in Seattle, and I mean to have it." Daisy only knew the quiet life of Carp, well quiet until recently didn't want any part of leaving. "All my friends and family are here. What would I do in Seattle?" Daisy would follow her husband were ever he led, but she didn't have to like it. He was more than twice her age and many fights had occurred in the last year since their marriage. It seamed that everything she did was an excuse for a fight. It almost seamed that he was trying to distance himself from her. Daisy only knew the quiet life of Carp, well quiet until recently. She didn't want any part of leaving. "All my friends and family are here. What would I do in Seattle?" Pamela who was Daisy's eight-year-old sister looked on in shock. Daisy had watched her almost all her life she looked after her before and now after her marriage. Nobody loved her as much as her sister. The other kids made fun of her hair lip and the lisp. She was very small for her age and couldn't even play with her age group. Her own mother busy with the family weaving business, gone for long periods with only Daisy to watch her, the father a supervisor in the mine worked very long hours. Her sister was more of a mother to her and she showed it. Most of the townsfolk had looked apprehensively at the soldiers. All had heard of the trains used to transfer families out of their towns, never to be heard of again. Some were their own relatives. The carbine strapped over the back of a person in a suit that hid his identity did nothing to allay their fears. Old men and women kept looking at the soldier, possibly looking for a swastika to appear. The soldier made small quick movements because of his youth and being uncomfortable himself in a stuffy suit with many people staring at him. Richard had heard enough children crying, and parents losing their patients. "I am going to see how the rest of the people doing." "Can I come to?" asked Katy. This is a troop train. It is dangerous to travel between cars you need good footing and strong nerve. I have done it many times." Richard got up and startled the soldier. He was wound up enough to fear an attack. Richard went to him and said, "I am going to check on the others." "I can't allow that." "And, Why not?" "The train is moving and you could get hurt. I am supposed to watch you." "I have spent more time on troop trains than you. Six years of military life, and many trips in trains like this." Richard stepped past the young man and went to the seats with his and Keith's parents. "I guess this wasn't what you had planned for when coming for the wedding." Richards father Jack a tall thin man that had an expensive suit better suited to a boardroom than a troop train. He was a senior lawyer at a firm that represented a large mining consortium. He had been one of the persons most insistent on having the young soldier answering questions. "Do you know what is happening?" There was a hush all around as conversations stopped. "We got in touch with the commanding officer at Nellis Air Force Base Apparently we will be taken to the base and checked over by military doctors and scientists. If everything proves ok then we can go about our business." "How long will that be Richard?" Sandra his attractive mother asked. "I don't know. It all depends on how many people they put onto the problem and how long the lab tests take. You and the rest have the rare and wondrous opportunity to see and taste the excellent cuisine that the military is so famous for. Because of my connections I will see if I can have you excused from basic training. I am not promising anything though." The look she gave him made him feel like he did twenty years ago when she didn't think his jokes were as funny as he did. Frank Patterson, Keith's father mentioned, "What about the sleeping arrangements Richard? I hope this whole thing doesn't take long, both your father and I need to get back too to our jobs." "If my memory serves me right then there is a lot of empty barracks since the military is cutting back the number of people. The arrangements may not be the best but I went through them all right. You can look on it as a camping trip. The U.S. government will supply the clothes food and five star accommodations and at no cost to you." Looking at Keith's mother Catharine a timid but happy person, "I can try to get you the job of sergeant. Who better than you to whip these recruits into shape. You can force march them, get them up at particularly bad times and make their life a living hell. Do you want the job?" "The job does have its merits, I can think of one individual that needs some discipline." she looked pointedly at her husband and put a false scowl on her face to frighten him. "I will see what I can do. You do seem to have the necessary backbone and I can see the sadism. That is necessary, all sergeants are sadists and the best have their own torture chambers. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see what the next car has to offer." Richard made his way to the end of the car and opened the door to a blast of wind. He placed his feet correctly and jumped the gap. Another startled soldier greeted him. "What the hell are you doing?" the soldier bleated. "Checking my people." for a moment Richard stopped and thought about what he said 'his people' that was the absolute truth. He had found a home. And just like a home there was Jill and her mother Rebecca Weinstein, the mother talking in loud tones to her frightened daughter as she waved her purse above her head. The daughter looked out through the same eyes he saw in Brian not to long ago. Her breath punctuated by hiccups, a sure sign that she was severely upset. Richard walked over and sat in the seat beside the mother. "Hi. Is there anything I can do?" The effect on the mother was one thing, but Jill gave a cry and cringed as far away from Richard as she could get. Rebecca looked down through her wire-rimmed glasses and said, "Who asked you to get involved?" Richard had enough with crying children and parents that were at the end of their rope. "I did, Jill is frightened almost to death, and you swinging your purse above her head threatening her into seeing things your way. Do you see her in the corner? Does this look like an ordinary reaction to you?" The mother looked and said, " She is just being an obstinate girl. She knows nothing of life, and has had it good for many years." "That does not explain her fright," he said to the mother. He turned to Jill and in a much quieter voice said, " Jill do you remember me at the wedding? I would like to help you if I can. What is wrong?" She only cringed further into the corner. "See what I mean. You ask her something and she refuses to talk. I can hardly believe that this is my daughter," the mother stated. "I have had enough. If you can do something with her be my guest. I am going over and sit with my sister." Richard looked now at the terrified girl, he felt real concern for her. She started to convulse. Richard quickly looked for something to contain her stomach contents. There was nothing available and the crowded car would go from bad to intolerable. Richard jumped up and snatched her hand and pulled her toward the door he came in. Her chest was heaving in an attempt to control her actions. Richard opened the door and forced Jill down with her head and neck over the edge of the car. Her control broke at last and a stream left her throat onto the coupling followed by three or four others. Her body shaking with the effort, Richard tried to say something encouraging but the wind noise prevented this. Richard reached into his hip pocket and retrieved a handkerchief. After a minute and with no other heaves Richard forced her up. She was petrified, petrified of him. He gently wiped her face and then used a clean section to wipe her eyes. He pocketed the handkerchief and stood the stricken girl up. He looked into her eyes and was again reminded of the same look in Brian's eyes before. He made up his mind and quickly reached down and picked up the surprised girl. The shock was apparently too much she fainted. He looked back into the car the mother just looked at him and didn't come to help. So be it. He gauged his step and leaped across the empty space to his own car. It caused quite a commotion with his arrival with an unconscious girl in his arms. He went over to his wife and said, " I seem to have found another lost lamb." Katy stood up and told the two boys and Stephanie, "Go over to Robin, and sit with her." Richard told Katy and Dora about what had happened, not leaving out the mother's obvious unconcern. He emphasized about the child's fear of him and her uncharacteristic behavior. He looked for a bathroom, a sink, anything, but there was none. Richard went through three cars looking for some water and found none. The military was up to its usual standards of efficiency. An idea blossomed in his mind. He traveled through the cars and found Patrick Thiesen Katy's father. "Hello Pat. I have a problem." Patrick was a little upset by the abruptness of this conversation, but with all that had happened he let it pass. "How can I help you Richard." John Reimer a premature graying man of forty-two and his wife Cheryl a vivacious twenty four year old looked on from the facing seats. "Jill Wheinstein has been acting very odd and that shrew of a mother of hers should be shot for the way she is treating the disturbed girl. The poor girl is back with my family and is in need of some water. I have looked for some and it appears the military in its haste has not placed any aboard. Failing the water we could use some spirits. I know you are all God fearing folk, but someone may have something put aside for medicinal purposes." Patrick was thinking of his son-in-laws use of the word 'family', but the girl was more important at the moment. "I know of a person that takes his health very seriously and may have some of the medicine you require. Let me up and I will ask." He walked down the aisle a few seats and bent over to whisper in someone's ear. A small search produced a flask that had been hurriedly wrapped in a handkerchief. Patrick returned and produced from inside his coat the wrapped bottle. "Thanks a lot. This will cool her off and clean up the mess she made." Richard retraced his steps and sat beside Katy. The concern on his face proved more important than a greeting to his wife, Katy thought the young girl was lying on the seat across from him with her head in Dora's lap. Her clothing had been rearranged and her hair put back in place. Dora was caressing her hair and whispering things to calm the unconscious girl. Even in sleep her eyes moved quickly beneath her lids, showing that she was still overwrought. He produced the bottle. "This is all I could find. Your father found it for me. You can clean her up a little. It wouldn't hurt to get some of this into her if she wakes up." He thought of the numbing effects of the alcohol. It would have to do till this matter was cleared up. Katy understood his reasoning and took the cloth wrap and opened the full bottle pouring a little onto the cloth, she kneeled and wiped the pretty girls mouth and nose, then the rest of her face. Katy reached into her purse and brought out a brush, which she used on the sweat dampened hair. The girl still remained sleeping; she looked like she needed it. ------- I saw the train pull away and felt like something was taken away from me. Chemical Specialist Commander Mike Wells brought me back to reality. "Keith, you need to help us with some of this. I pulled you, because you know this stuff and you know where it is. We have been able to contain the body and we're cleaning up the spill, but we heard there was more than this." "Yea there's more, a lot more. It's in an abandoned mine. I know how to get there from the inside, but not the outside." "Are you sure you didn't get a whiff of this stuff?" "No, why?" "You know how to get to a place from the inside? Sorry Keith, but you're not making any sense." "There is a secret entrance to a mine shaft. It must come out to an opening; I'm not familiar enough to know where that would be. So the only way I could show you is from the inside out." "Well let's get a move on." "You don't happen to have another suit do you, not that I'm scared of something that will kill me, but I don't like to take chances like that." "I can understand, but to tell you the truth, no. I could tell you that no one was suppose to be left in town, so there would be no need, but in reality, it was hard enough to come up with all of these. If something bad happened at NTS now they would be fucked." "That is encouraging. OK, so are you coming with me?" "Yes, I'm to oversee everything, so to me that means make sure it starts the way it should. They are already working on the cleanup on the hill, so I'm not needed there." We walked to Cliff's old house, found the secret door, still open, and climbed down the ladder. Once inside the room Mike said, "Shit, look at all this." "Yea, I don't know what he was thinking." He looked at the mattress, the frame in pieces and dried blood on the mattress and said, "I don't want to know, do I?" "No, you don't." He went over at the shelf. "He had six jars of that shit, where the hell did he get it all? One would have been enough to do in the whole town." Then he started looking at the rest of the stuff. "Keith did you look at this stuff?" I had started looking also. "No, I didn't have time. I saw the bottle missing and knew what was happening. I didn't stop to look at anything else." Mike picked up a half empty bottle that was next to a row of empties. "Isn't this the stuff you guys came up with for sterility?" I knew as soon as I saw the label. I couldn't tell you how many rats, rabbits, even some chimps never fathered because they drank water with that shit in it. "Yea, that's the stuff, and from the looks of it, it's been used." "Use a lot I'd say. So what does it do exactly?" "That one sterilizes males." "Sort of like a birth control?" "Yea, except we found it to be fairly permanent. That is on animals." "This guy was one fucked up individual. What did he have against the whole town?" "Long story, see anything else of interest?" "Well this stuff I know, we used it in my second year of chemistry at college. I say we used it, because a few of us didn't know the stuff on the finals well enough and so we dumped a batch into the front fountain that morning. The smell was so bad they closed the school for a day." "It would make the water taste bad also wouldn't it?" "Yea, real bad. You know this stuff?" "It was used here too, I'm sure to mask the other shit. I think Cliff, that's the ass holes name, was trying to drive everyone away from here, when that didn't work; he probably started making it so they were sterile. He was like that, vengeful." "So can this stuff be reversed?" "We never had human test subjects, so we don't know. It was never designed to be used on anyone for more than a threat. So as far as long term, and of course we don't have data like that, we don't know." "Well that looks like about the extent of it. I don't relish climbing up a ladder with any of this stuff. Lets look for that outside entrance." It was easy enough to find, but we ran into the gate and lock barring our exit. I took a good look to try and determine it's location and then we climbed back out through Cliff's old place. The ever present, always obnoxious Frank was there waiting for us. "How come you pulled him from the train, that was not the orders. The orders were..." Mike stopped him in midstream, "You may be in charge of securing this place, but I'm in charge of cleaning it up. Keith knows more than I do about this stuff and he also knew where it was. I don't know about you, but I'd like to be out of here as soon as possible. So I pulled him from the train so I could save some time and make sure we got everything." "That was not you're decision to make." "I'm sure you don't think so, so write me up for it, see if I care. I have more important things to do, like getting all of the chemicals out of here safely." "You mean there's more?" "Yes, that was one of six jars of that stuff. Only one caused all this reaction, just think what six could do?" We couldn't see his face, but we felt he was shaken and by his voice we knew for sure. "What are you going to do now?" "There is an outside entrance to this place, we're going to locate it, open it and get this shit out of here." "I'd better be there to and I'll have a few other soldiers report to me and guard the entrance." He was feeling in power again. "If you want, but if anything happens to one of those jars, I don't think this suit is going to protect you." Mike turned to me and smiled, he knew that I was playing with Frank's mind. "Well you better be careful." He stammered. They followed me to find bolt cutters. It took a few minutes and a little walk, but I located the mine entrance. Frank radioed for two others to come and guard the front entrance. They showed up right after I had cut the lock off. Mike, Frank, and I went in. Frank immediately went to the bed. "What happened here?" "You don't want to know." I responded. "I need to know everything that is going on here." "Well it didn't happen while you were here, so get over it." I knew this wasn't the way to make friends, but I didn't care. "So, Mike what's the plan. Do you have a way of transporting this stuff out of here?" "I didn't know we were going to be doing that, we flew in., How are the roads out of here?" Frank groaned, "There awful." "Well it'll probably be rail, but I'll have to call and find out what they want to do. This stuff will be going to NTS for me to deal with." I half laughed, "Glad its you and not me. There will be hell to pay over how he got this stuff in the first place." I sat down at the table and noticed for the first time a notebook. Frank noticed it to. "What that?" "I don't know, just saw it." I replied "It might be important, you had better let me see it." "Not on your life. I am planning on looking at it in great detail before anyone in the military gets hold of it and it disappears." "I don't think you have much choice in the matter, you are a civilian and this area is under army protection. That means right now I am the law." This asshole was getting under my skin and it was time to take him down a notch or two. "Frank, we need to get a few things straight right now. I was the one who called Jack; you know your commanding officer. I call him Jack because he's a friend of mine; in fact he was just here attending my wedding. He will be very interested what I have to say about your little performance here. Secondly one of the people you herded onto the train was Congressman Patrick McCarran, he is also a friend and was here for my wedding. So if you think for one minute that I am going to be bullied around by the likes of you, you have another thing coming. Let me tell you a little something more. The canister that dispensed these chemicals was from the NTS and I have had clearance from Patrick McCarran to do independent testing away from military labs to see what was going on. I'll just say this once, if you get in my way, it will be the last thing that you do. You could be charged with harming this civilian population." I held the notebook in my hand and turned to Mike. "Do you need to make a call?" "Yes I do." Turning to Frank, he said, "I suppose you are staying here to keep this stuff safe. That is why you're here, right?" Even through the mask, I could tell he was glaring at me. He didn't say a word as we walked out. "You were pretty hard on him." Mike said. "He and I have never been able to stand each other. He thought he had the upper hand, he got in over his head and I had to tell him to get out of the water or he'd drowned himself." "Do you really know Jack and Patrick?" "I didn't lie to the ass hole, every word I said was true." "How the hell do you get a congressman to your wedding?" "You first give him the possibility of information he's been dying to get hold of, and then you marry his niece." "You're something else Keith. So why are we walking all the way back to the center of town?" "Believe it or not, there is only one phone in town." He looked at me trying to decide if I was pulling his leg or not. He made his call and was shaking his head when he was done. They would once again stop the rail service and send a special train up to collect the stuff. They didn't need any more embarrassment. I called the base and was surprised to find myself connected to Jack so quickly. "So I bet that was an uproar." He laughed. "Well I can tell you, my wife was not very pleased to see me pulled out of line." "Yes I bet she wasn't. They're not here yet; I understand it will be another hour before they pull in. They couldn't exactly stop every train around here, so they have been going slow to let other trains get out of the way." "So how can you get me out of here, any chance of a helicopter ride?" "Is the chemical contained?" I turned to Mike. "Can we bring in a helicopter?" He radioed his men on the hill and shook his head yes. "That is an affirmative." ------- Liz and Kristin sat on one seat and facing them was Mary at the window and Robin on the aisle side. Mary was leaning on Robin's shoulder idly playing with a button and talking of her developing years. "My dad was very kind, but hardly ever home. We were well off and I got things but not a lot of affection because he was never there. My nanny was a tyrant though; no matter how much I did for her she was never satisfied. I was doing all her work, she was lazy. I was really frightened of her. One time she made me... Oh never mind." Robin was not listening very hard but picked up on the hesitation. "What did she do?" "Oh nothing." Robin knew Mary needed to be told what to do. Robin had followed her mother's lead and with Keith claimed Mary for their own. "Mary tell me now." in a commanding voice. Kristin and Liz stopped their conversation to listen in. Mary's eyes were raised and looked to Robin seeing the equivalent of an officer demanding something from a recruit. "She ah... made me touch her." "Where and how?" "I had to touch her breasts." "Mary you tell me the whole story and I want it now." Robin used her commanding voice. Mary bowed her head and said, "Yes Robin. One day when I was eight I think, Monica was supposed to be watching me but was reading a book on my bed while I did my homework." ------- "Mary, come over here." Monica ordered. "Yes, Monica," I got up and approached the bed. Monica breathing was odd. "Get up on the bed." I climbed up. It was hard because I was so small and the bed was high. I looked at the book that had it's cover showing. It was a drawing of one naked girl kissing another naked girl between her legs. "I have something to show you. You will like this." Monica started removing all my clothes. I wasn't worried because I use to getting a bath from her all the time. She took off her own clothes and laid down on her back. She pulled me over and took my hand in hers and put it on her breast. "Feel how soft they are? Move your hand a little. You better be gentle. Pinch the nipples." After a while she said "Oh that feels nice. Now kiss them... Ah." She seemed to like this. I didn't know why though. One kiss was not enough. She demanded more. Monica's hand moved to my leg then inside my thigh. It crept up to my sex. She rubbed a bit but it was dry. She pulled me over on top of her and put her mouth to my sex. This sent a shiver up my back top my head and back to my crotch. "That was the first time." "There were others?" Kristin asked. "Yes, two others, and then she left without a word, I found I missed her. I missed how she made me feel" In a quieter tone she said, "Then I found I missed how she had told me what to do." ------- Richard came back and sat down hard in an empty seat in back of Kristin and Liz. "This was one hell of a hard train ride," he thought. Then he saw Brain scampering over to him and decided it could be worse. Brian practically jumped into his lap. Richard set him to his side, but Brian still held tight. "Brian, I think we need to talk." Brian went white. He stammered out, "about what?" "About what happened to you when Cliff got hold of you." Then Richard put his arm around Brian to try and add some extra comfort. "Keith and I went down into the tunnel under the house, we saw." Brian started crying, he was trying to hold it in and not make a scene, but everyone looked. Richard tried to get them to look away. "I couldn't help it," Brian said in a loud enough voice for everyone to turn and look again. This was confusing to Richard, just what the hell went on, but he also had to get the others to not pay any attention to them. "Brian." He said in a gentle voice, "I am here to help. You saved my life, remember. I want to help you anyway I can. Please tell me what happened. Let's move to another seat so we can talk in private, OK?" Are you sure you won't be mad at me?" Brian said as they went to a seat away from everyone else. Richard looked Brian right in the eyes and said, "I love you Brian, tell me. I won't be mad." That is just what Brian needed to hear. "Well, ummm... Well, you see Jimmy and I... Well Jimmy said he'd tell me. Are you sure you're not going to be mad?" Richard could see where this was going and he almost started laughing, but he knew that would hurt Brian's feelings. So as straight faced as he could, he said, "No Brian, I'm not going to be mad." "OK, well Jimmy said he'd tell me all about what happened, and he said there was a lot to tell. So I wanted to hear about it. He said we should go to Cliff's place cause then we could talk, so we did. Well he started talking about Stephanie, and I was getting pretty well..." "Excited?" Richard could see it was again, just thinking about it. Brian turned red. "Well, yea. But then he told me about you and Dora. I didn't believe it, but he said it was true. Did you really, you know..." "You mean did I really fuck her?" Brian's eyes just about popped out of his head when he said that. "Yea." "Yes Brian I did, but that's not something that anyone else, except our family needs to know about." "I know, I'm not stupid. So I was real, well you know." "Excited?" "Yea and then Jimmy heard his mom calling him, so he had to leave." "Is that when Cliff came out and grabbed you?" Brian had a hard time and he sat there pondering what he should do. He finally decided he should tell the truth, no matter how embarrassing it was. "No, I was so excited from what Jimmy told me that I pulled down my pants and laid on the bed and started..." He just couldn't finish it. He was as red as anything and he dropped his head. "So you started playing with yourself. Brian, that's OK, everyone does it." Brian looked up at him, trying to believe him, "they do?" "Yes Brian, don't worry about it. So what happened next?' Reassured Brian went on. "Well I was, you know and I had my eyes closed." Richard was tempted to ask what Brian was thinking about, but decided he had better not. "The next thing I know Cliff has a gun pointing at me. He gagged me and pulled me down into the tunnel." Brian was starting to cry again. "It's OK Brian, take your time. It's important to tell me. It will help." "OK, then he chained me to the bed and took out the gag. He told me that no one could hear me. He slapped me. I was really scarred." Richard gave him an extra squeeze. "I know, we were scarred too when we couldn't find you." "Then Cliff pulled out his thing." "You mean his dick?" Brian was turning red again. "Yea, he pulled it out and made me..." Almost whispering he said, "he made me suck on it. Then it, you know and I had to taste it." "How did you stand it?" "I thought of other things" Brian was crimson, almost glowing. Richard knew there was more and he couldn't help myself. "You need to tell me what you were thinking of, I can help you better that way." Brian looked down on the floor; he didn't want to look at Richard. "I thought of you." Richard was shocked; this isn't what he'd expected to hear. "You what?" He said as though he hadn't heard right. "I pretended that I was Dora and you were Cliff. It made it better." Richard was over his initial shock and could evaluate the problem better. "So thinking it was me was better?" Brian looked up at him and nodded. "But that's not all that happened is it?" Brian looked back down at the floor. "No." "Are you going to tell me the rest?" "Do I have to?" "No, but it will help you to tell me. If you keep it all bottled up, it will hurt you even more." He looked at me again and after a few minutes, said, "He told me what he was going to do to the town, He was going to make everyone so they couldn't move and then he was going to walk around and laugh at them. He also made me climb on the bed." "I know Brian, but you need to tell me." "He put his thing, you know, his... dick, up my butt. It hurt and I was crying asking him to stop. I had to imagine again." "What did you imagine this time?" "That I was Dora again and you were really doing it to me this time." This was making Richard feel strange. Back when he was about Brian's age, when he and a friend of his had done some experimenting. He couldn't think about that now. "Did that help you?" Brian looked at Richard again; he needed approval for what he had done. "Yes, it helped a lot. I liked to think I was Dora" "Well I'm glad that helped." Brian almost smiled. "Was that all that happened?" "No" "What else?" "He told me he did something to Jill." ------- Stephanie moved over to Robin, "I need to go really bad." "I know sweetie, I saw you squirming. Can you hold on a little longer?" "No, I mean really bad, I've been holding it before we got on, they wouldn't let me go when we went outside. I thought it wouldn't be such a long ride." "Neither did I. Let me go see if there are any bathrooms on this train." Robin got up and walked up to the non-descript soldier. "I have a little girl who needs to use a bathroom, can you tell me where they are?" "I don't think there are any. I'm sorry." "You're going to be a lot more sorry when you have to clean up a mess." With that Robin stormed back to her seat. She plopped down and before Stephanie could say a word. Kristin was over. "What's wrong?" Kristin asked. "They don't have any fuc... stupid bathrooms on this place and Stephanie has to go real bad." "Stephanie, come on with me. I need to go too. I'll show you how we learned to do it at a camp I was at." Stephanie got up and so did Robin. "Do you want to come to?" "Yea, I'd like to. If it's OK?" Robin replied. "Sure, the more the merrier," and without looking back they walked out onto the back platform. It was a full platform running the width of the car with two side openings, chained off and a center opening, also chained off. Because this was the last car it had full-length coverings. This was an advertising medium for the train with their logo and route on it. Kristin reached behind her and undid the buttons and pulled the dress over her head. Her beauty and the unexpected display stunned Stephanie. "Watch honey." Kristin parted her lower lips for all to see and walked to the opening. After a minute a yellow stream sprayed out to the rails below. "Do you want to pee now?" Stephanie just nodded. Robin reached down and pulled the child's dress over her head. Stephanie put her hands over her small breasts. "Stephanie, I don't have anything on. Don't worry we are all girls." with that she crouched and pulled the pink panties down. Stephanie stepped out of them. These panties were put in front of Kristin's face for a sniff and safekeeping. As Robin turned around she saw Mary standing looking through the window. Robin motioned her out. Stephanie was in midstream when Mary came through the door. Mary was staring at Kristin. That is when Robin got an idea. "Mary we will need to be cleaned up." Mary got a panicked look on her face. "Mary go and clean little Stephanie up with your tongue." She turned and looked at little Stephanie. "You'll get to do Kristin and me too." She bent down and laid the very surprised Stephanie on the deck. Spreading her legs, she started lapping her clean. Robin had to go at this point and just pulled her panties off, lifting her dress, she let fly off the back of the train. As soon as she was done she took Stephanie's place. Stephanie was sitting with her back against the wall, her legs still shaking from the excitement. Robin tasted somewhat different, almost as clean as Stephanie, but a little more mature, like Kristin. Mary decided she really liked it and licked Robin to two orgasms. As she finally got up, she was facing the door and saw the soldier coming towards the back. Robin straightened her dress down and went back inside. She was mad that he was trying to spoil there fun. "What is going on out there?" The soldier demanded. "For your information, we are having to resort to using the end of the train as a bathroom, leaving us with no privacy to speak of and only a little dignity left. It was not our choice to be placed on this ill equipped train. It was not our choice to be subjected to chemicals that didn't belong off the base. We are trying to make the best of what we can, and if you will step back we can continue to do so. Stepping forward will just cause trouble for you and when my husband hears about this he won't be very happy." Robin was glaring at him by this point and everyone's eyes were on him. "Very well then, but I hope they're quick about it." He walked back muttering under his breath, "Husband, indeed, shitty little kid" Robin stood her ground. She was almost close enough to here the muffled cry of Kristin. She smiled to herself. Then she thought she heard the sound of a helicopter, but she thought she must be mistaken and she wasn't going to move from her spot until they came back in. ------- "Brian I think Liz need to hear this, Jill needs help too. Is that OK?" Brain looked over at Jill, she looked worse off than he did. He shook his head yes and Richard motioned for them to come forward so they could hear. Turning towards them, he said, "Brian has been telling me about what happened to him. Cliff also told him something about Jill and I thought you should hear it. Go on Brian, they need to hear this as much as you need to tell." "Cliff saw me looking at the stain on the bed, I knew it was dried blood. I thought he'd killed someone. Cliff laughed and said that he'd taken Jill's virginity away from her." As soon as he said that Richard looked quickly to Liz who already had tears running down her face. She didn't need to hear any more. She got up and went over to Jill. Brian thought he'd done something wrong. I could see the worried look in his face. "Brian, I wanted her to hear, because she can help Jill, just like I'm helping you. That's what Liz is going to do." We watched a surprised Jill being hugged tight by Liz, who was fully crying. Liz whispered something into Jill's ear, Jill looking at Liz and then shaking her head yes. They then moved to some empty seats. Dora and Katy were looking at Brian and Richard wondering what that was all about. They couldn't contain themselves and came over to ask. Richard told them an abbreviated story. They both had tears in there eyes when he was done. ------- Jill had finally been able to calm down; she thought it must have been the stuff Katy had given to her. It tasted awful, but she trusted Katy and had always had fun with Robin. Within a few minutes after she had had two gulps of that stuff that burnt her throat, she had started to relax. She was almost light headed. She had wondered how Robin could put up with marring a man. She thought all men were awful. First her father had died and left her with her mother; she never understood how he could have left her. She had thought he was so wonderful, but then he wasn't around anymore and that hurt. She didn't like to hurt. Then, then there was that devil man Cliff. What he had done to her she couldn't even think about. She was happy when she heard how he had died. He deserved worse, a lot worse. Men were terrible. The only thing somebody like Robin's new husband was good for as far as she could see was that he had two very nice sisters. Liz almost knocked Jill over when she came sliding up to her. Liz had tears in her eyes and when she pulled Jill close and hugged her tight, Jill started to get choked up again. Then Liz whispered in her ear that she had something important to tell her, something only a few people in the entire world knew. It had got the best of Jill's curiosity and she went to sit with her, away from everyone else. Liz grabbed Jill's hands and looked into her eyes. "Jill, I have lived with a terrible secret for many years." Liz's eyes were starting to fill with tears again. Jill found hers were also filling. "As hard as it is going to be to tell you this, it is going to be just as hard to listen to, but you need to, so I want you to promise that you will listen to me all the way, no mater how difficult it is, OK?" Jill found she was forming a bond with this person, she didn't know what it was, but she felt it. She nodded her head yes. "When I was twelve." Liz got choked up, the tears started to pour. It took another minute before she could continue. "Like I said, I was twelve and I went to a camp in the summer. That year one of the counselors came in our cabin while we were sleeping and he started touching me. I woke and he forced me to be quite, then he put his hand on me." Jill was crying, her body shaking. Liz knew this was very hard on Jill, but she went on. "I ended up screaming and he ran off, but the damage was done. I withdrew. I never had any date to speak of, I didn't like men at all." Jill was shaking he head in agreement. "I ended up going to an all girls college and I teach at an all girls school. That one bad man ruined my life and I'm just starting to get it back." "How, how did you do that?" "Through Keith, my brother." "But he's a man." "Yes and one of the only ones I could trust. I use to be so mean to him as I was growing up. I hated men and I gave it to him. In my mind he was the councilor at the camp. I was a little beast, he use to just take it. I didn't know until later that he really truly loved me and that's why he took it. I never told anyone, even my parents. Keith knows now because I had a nightmare and he helped me. That was the first time I felt safe since that summer. " Jill looked at her, with a lot of concentration no more like stared at her. This was hard for her to understand. Although she knew the answer, she asked, "So why are you telling me this?" "Because something happened to you. You don't know how to handle it and you don't think you can tell anyone about it. I know, because I've been in your place and I didn't like it. I wish someone could have known, could have helped." "Do you want to help?" "Yes I do, Jill. Please tell me what happened." "I don't know where to begin." "Start with when Cliff got you." Jill looked startled, "How did you know?" "Brian was taken by him too. He saw the blood on the bed and was told it was yours." "Oh no, If I would have told, nobody else would have been hurt. It's my entire fault. No, no, no, no..." "Jill, snap out of it. You couldn't have prevented it. No one could have. It happened after he escaped." "But, how, no, that can't be right." Then she got a shocked look on her face. "Oh no, not little Brian, he wouldn't have." Liz hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. Brian and Jill's behavior was similar. She would talk to Richard about that. "Jill, you need to think of you right now. I know it's not easy, but you need to tell someone, you haven't told your mother have you?" "No, she wouldn't listen to me and she probably wouldn't even believe me." "Jill, I will listen and I already believe." That had the calming effect that Jill needed. "I had been over to my aunts house and I was coming home. Well I really didn't want to go home. I know I shouldn't hold it against her, but Robin was getting married. I'm one year older than her. My mom says that I'm still to young to get married, that it's a crazy thing to do. So I was mad, mad at my mother and mad at Robin. So I didn't go home. I walked through the old piles of tailings thinking about my problems. I went towards the old mine. I thought I saw someone and then I didn't. I guess I did and he saw me. He sneaked up to me. The next thing I knew I was in this cave like place. I was on a bed and I didn't have any clothes on. I was scared, really scared. I started crying and he slapped me. I cried more and he slapped me more. I tried to stop but I couldn't. He told me awful thing. He told me I deserved to be treated this way. He told me I was nothing more than a prostitute now." She hung her head. "He said that's all I'd ever be." Liz held her tight and could feel her shaking. "You can't believe anything he said, don't believe it. It is not true Jill." "That's when he took off his clothes and he, he..." She was starting to convulse just thinking about it. "You don't need to say it. I know. Did he let you go after that?" "Yes, he said, I'm done with you little bitch. If you tell anyone, you'll turn into a prostitute the day you do. No one will want you, except the people who pay and then he laughed. I've felt like dirt ever since. I feel lonely inside." ------- "A helicopter is on its way, who knows, you may even be back before the train arrives." I knew it wasn't fair, nobody else had been able to go back to his or her house, but I didn't care. I walked up to Katy's and found a few things to bring back with me. As I was walking back downtown I passed Rebecca and Jill's house. I remembered the exhibition of her arrival this afternoon. The way the soldiers treated her and felt sorry for her. I turned back and entered her house. I looked around for something, anything and I wasn't sure what it would be. I looked in what was apparently her room, as I turned to go out, I saw it. Barely hanging off the far side of the bed was a stuffed doll. Hand sewn and very worn, but much loved. I hoped it would help. I continued to the area that was now a familiar landing pad and waited. It wasn't long before I heard the sound of the helicopter beating the air and within minutes it touched down. I opened the door and the pilot shouted to me, "Patterson?" I shouted back, "Patterson,... Keith Patterson." I climbed in, throwing my small duffle bag in the back. We lifted off and I watched the town of Carp disappear. As well as moving faster than the train, we could fly in an almost straight line. We were twenty-five minutes into the flight when I spotted a train. Pointing to it I ask if that could be the train. The pilot said he'd check. After a call to the base, that called the train, it was confirmed that that was our train. I ask him if it would be possible to drop me on the train. He looked at me as if I was half crazy and maybe that was so. I told him that I'd taken the special training for my job. He then told me, he was one of the instructors that taught people how to do it. It had been a while and he was game if I was. I couldn't wait to get on that train. He adjusted his course for an intercept and we were along side of the train within minutes. He slowed up and came around the back of the train. At that point we were no more than fifteen feet above the track. I was glad I wasn't piloting the helicopter, but from the sudden jerk I knew he was having a problem to. Right in front of us, not more than twenty feet way in the opening of the back landing stood a woman with her dress up and there were no panties to be seen. Just as quickly as we'd seen her, she disappeared around the corner. I looked at him and he had a grin on his face, "Now I know why you want to get on that train so bad." I shrugged my shoulders, "I have no idea what that was about, but I'd sure like to find out." "I bet you would, now let's get you down there." I strapped on a harness and grabbed my duffle bag, clipping it on. He handed me a hand held radio and told me to let him know when I was secure. I opened the door and helped him get into the right position above the back of the train. I let the line drop and clipped myself to it. It had been a long time since my training and as soon as I let go of the helicopter and was only suspended by the line, I was feeling rather unsure about the whole thing. I lowered myself another ten feet and felt hands pulling at my pants. It was a comforting feeling. Five more feet and I felt hands pulling me onto the platform. As soon as I got my feet on the ground I radioed up. I was unbuckling the line when I saw it drop from the helicopter. Once my harness was off I took stock of my surroundings. Kristin, Stephanie and Mary were there. I noticed by the dress it had been Mary who we had seen in the helicopter. ------- Robin heard the door open and figured they were done. When she turned around she got quite a shock. Standing at the end of the train framed by the door was her Keith. She screamed so load everyone stopped and looked at her and then they caught sight of me. There were murmurs all through the car, but Robin didn't hear or see anything as she ran to me. Throwing her arms around me. The grasp reminded me of a restaurant scene in Caliente not so long ago. She kissed me, tears running down her face. When she wasn't kissing me there was a stream of talk. "How did you? We saw you, you didn't get on. Oh I love you. How did you get here? I want you so bad I'd like to do it on the floor. I can't believe you're here." The only thing that stopped this display of affection was the soldier, who was obviously disturbed about someone showing up through the back. He had his gun drawn and was talking to someone on his radio. "How did you get here? I need you to step away from this girl, now sir." So much for interrogation techniques. "If you will check with whoever you are talking to, you will see that I was scheduled to be here, my name is Keith Patterson. Furthermore you can check with the conductor or base. I came in by helicopter." "Like hell you did." After a bit of communication on his radio, he put away his gun. I was sure he was glad to have that damn mask on to hide his embarrassment. "I'm sorry Mr. Patterson, please understand how unusual it was to have you show up like that." "No harm done. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a little more catching up to do with my wife." "She's your..." He turned around and as he was walking away we could hear him say, "Holy shit." Robin and I looked into each other's eyes and started laughing. There once was a hesitation about telling anyone she was mine. This was now gone, and we both felt it. We kissed, a long lovers kiss. People were looking at us, but neither on of us cared. We never saw that we were standing right beside Liz and Jill at the time, but they sure noticed us. I picked her up and carried her to a seat, next to Richard and Brian, who had watched the spectacle with as much interest as everyone else. "Keith you sure know how to make an entrance." Richard commented. "I try my best." I said with a grin on my face. "So how did you get them to let you go so fast?" "I did what they needed me to do, show them where everything was and what it was. They just about shit when they saw the quantity that was there. They're going to send a special train up to collect the stuff. The jerk, Frank who was in charge, and I had a few words with him." "You never did like him." "No, and I'm sure he hates me now, but that's another story. We missed something down in that room." Oh, what?" I reached into my duffle bag and pulled out the notebook. "This." "I saw Cliff writing in that." Brian said with wild anticipation. "It doesn't say anything about me does it." Then he realized what he had said and buried his head into Richards shoulder. "No Brian, this is a notebook about the chemicals he was using." I said in a slow easy tone. He looked up at me and through his tear streaked face, he tried smile and said, "Oh." ------- "Do you feel as bad now?" Liz asked "No, but you understand. You've had the same thing happen." Jill said rather mater of fact like. "There are many people who would understand. I didn't believe it, just like you." Jill looked at Liz, trying to believe her. "My brother understood and he helped me more than anyone." "But he's a man... I guess he's your brother though." "Keith is a special guy. So is Richard by the way and they are both cute." "Ewww... your brother?" "You don't think so?" "Well, I guess I use to. You said he helped you, how?" Liz was not sure of how much she should say. "If I tell you, you have to promise me that it is between you and me. I mean that. I've told you some very personal stuff already. This is a whole lot more and I need that promise from you." "Oh course Liz, I trust you. I want you to trust me too." "OK, you know how you said that men are bad?" "Yes." "I use to think that way too. I couldn't get past thinking that they only wanted one thing. I knew this was wrong, but I couldn't get over it. Finely with Kristin's help I discovered a way." "Really, what?" "I wanted to be with a man I knew would love me, that would be tender with me." "Yea, that would be nice." "OK here is the part that is going to shock you, I want you to remember your promise, and you do don't you?" Jill rolled her eyes, "Yes I remember. So what's so big and important?" "The person that helped me with that, made love to me, with me, for me, that was Keith." Jill's was staring at Liz, her mouth was hanging open, but she didn't say a word, she couldn't the train had stopped. ------- Chapter 15 I looked out the window and saw the gate being opened. I hadn't seen a sight like it in years. You would have thought the war was still on. I don't know when it had happened but there were armed soldiers flanking the train. The train inside was a hush as everyone stared in disbelief. To some of these people it was their worst nightmare coming true. We were switched to a sidetrack that I knew led off to one of the remote areas of the base. Richard came over to me. "I bet they are taking us to section C9, it was originally set up as an internment camp for the Japanese Americans. I think it was used briefly, and then closed down. It is completely isolated from the rest of the base." If there intention was to try and keep thing quiet, they were doing a bad job of it. A train with soldiers marching along side is enough to make anyone stop and look. The train came to another stop as the next gate opened. "I was right, C9." Richard said. The train came in and stopped, the gate was closed leaving the line of soldiers on the outside. Floodlights came on and flooded the train. An officer left the train and approached a group of medics, gesturing with his hands at the train. It was then that I was able to see the total impact of this experience on the people of Carp. Six gurneys were rushed out; within minutes they had people on them, their loved ones, almost white as ghosts walking beside them. They were looking around like frightened mice, trapped in a cage. I as well as everyone else wanted to know what happened to them. I could imagine that the waiting was just as hard. I was used to the military routine, so it didn't bother me. I was so entranced with what was going on outside that when I was touched on the shoulder I jumped. "Keith, Keith Paterson?" I knew that voice, "Doctor Jameson, I presume?" even before turning to face the thin doctor. He wore a white lab coat that brought out effect of his white hair, deep wrinkles lined his face. "Right you are. How did you get tangled up with this mess?" "Carp is my new home," I turned and called out, "Robin come here please, I have someone I want you to meet." She came over and I could see him eyeing her. "Doctor Jameson, this is my wife Robin, Robin, this is my friend of dubious distinction, Doctor Jameson." They both laughed at that. He picked up Robin's hand, "My, my, Keith, I never knew you had such good taste in women. I'd kiss your hand my darling, but until we do some testing, I'd get kicked off the team if I did." Robin was blushing. "OK, now that you've shown that you have some manners what are you doing here? I didn't think you made house calls." "I don't but this isn't a house and you know as well as I do, that there have never been any real test subjects on any of this stuff we were working on." "Oh. So you're happy to have some guinea pigs?" "Keith, you can be so crude some times." Then with a big smile, "but you know you're right. I wouldn't miss this for the world." "So who is in charge?" "You are looking at him?" "That's what you've been up to, brown nosing all this time, while us in the trenches work our tails off." "It's such honesty like that that got you nowhere. Now look at me, I lie, cheat, and steal for the good of the government and I get promoted, while you are still just a..." "I'm out, and Robin, don't believe anything he just says." Although I knew it was probably true. "No really, I hadn't heard." "Yea, but I've been working on this problem for a while, and almost got shot for it." "What have you found, and how come we just hear about it now?" "I guess some of us are higher in the information chain than others." I had to get my jabs in as I could. He just shook his head and laughed. "So if you're in charge what's going on." "Maybe you could tell me, I didn't expect to have six people needing to be taken off immediately. Four of them completely out; looks like they fainted, and the other two couldn't breath. How bad was it at Carp?" "Oh is that what happened. It isn't the exposure of any chemical that caused that reaction; it was the military's handling of the situation that probably did that. You know as well as I what we've heard about the trains taking entire villages away to death camps, think about it. A lot of these people are of German descent, and have had family disappear. They are scared to death about what is happening to them." "Shit, I'm sorry Keith, I don't think anyone even thought about that." "I'm sure they didn't. The military as a whole isn't known for its concern for human life. But now that we are here, what's the program?" "We need to test everyone, we were going to start tonight, but maybe that's not such a good idea." "No, I think it would be a great idea to start, show that you are trying to help. Why don't you take this car first? It will be the easiest to deal with, so if they see we don't mind it, then maybe it will put everyone else at ease." "Good idea, I'll go and start setting everything up." "Can I have a word with you first?" I broke free of Robin telling her I would only be a moment and walked with him to the outside landing. "What is it Keith?" "Have you been told about the second set of chems that they have been exposed to?" He looked at me sharply, "another one? We just got here with our team, so there has been little time for outside communication. What is it?" "The male sterilization, rerexinal is the suspected cause." "Shit, how long?" "I don't know, but I may be able to figure it out. So as well as the other tests you were planning, I would think sperm testing would be in order. I noticed the lack of young children shortly after arriving in Carp" "Yes, it sure would. We have the testing ability to check that out also, it will take longer for each test though." "Not everyone will need the second set of testing." "That is true, I'll go set up the testing tonight, like we had originally planed and we'll get everyone inside soon." With that he left and I went back inside. Everyone, including Richard had their eyes on me. "That was Doctor Leonard Jameson, he is a acquaintance of mine and the person in charge of testing everyone to make sure we are healthy. They will start to unload us soon. There is nothing to be worried about. It might seem frightening to us, but they are trying to help us, that is their intent. Please remember that. I know we all saw the people being taken off the train as we stopped. They let their fears consume them. Rest assured that Richard and I have worked at this base. Jack Huntington, who was at our wedding, is the Commanding Officer of this base and we have Congressman Patrick McCarran with us. There is nothing to be afraid of." I went from car to car, saying the same thing. My presence was a shock to most, as they had seen me left in Carp. By the time I got back to the last car they had unloaded almost everyone and were about to start on the next one. They were checking off names against the same list from Carp. We were brought into a large building. On this end were chairs and on the other end, curtained off, examining areas. We were lined up into rows and about two rows of chairs were what were filled from each car. I had been singled out as the liaison between the doctors and the townspeople. Children cried, as they were led away causing anguish on the part of the parents as well as the other children. I stepped forward and talked the medics and got them to agree to have the children accompanied by a parent. As soon as I started to sit down, I was whisked away. Behind the examining rooms was the testing equipment. I thought at least they were taking this seriously. They had to have pulled most of the test equipment from a few labs to get this all here, but as Doctor Jameson had said, we were the guinea pigs that they had always wanted. I was told that to keep everything straight, the people who had been tested were going to be in different barracks than the one who hadn't. I told them I didn't think that was a good idea, but they didn't want to hear it. Typical military fashion I thought. ------- We were all very hungry, although there was so much turmoil, no one, not even the kids had given it much thought. As soon as the smell of grilled beef hit our nostrils, that all changed. My mouth started watering from the smell. I was thinking I must be hallucinating because nothing ever smelled that good on this base. As soon as the side doors to the hall opened up I saw who was responsible for this. Cynthia was there in all her glory. She had her army of cooks doing all they could to make our stay more pleasurable. She wore a thin cotton print dress, and a large white apron. I was sure she was waiting to get hold of Mary again. I decided to play a little game with her. Walking over to her. "Why Cynthia, it is so nice to see you," and then under my breath so no one could hear but her, "with your clothes on his time." She turned red, but kept her composure. "Keith! Always a delight," and with the same undertone as I did, "but not as much as I want to see Mary." "So, are you responsible for this feast?" "I couldn't help myself when I heard about what happened. It must have been devastating on everyone. Is there any one that needs some special comforting?" She winked as she said this. "I'll see if anyone is in need, but I am quite sure that, we will find someone." "That is so nice of you." "Maybe you can return the favor." "Oh?" She raised her eyebrows, "What did you have in mind?" "Someplace more private. I don't know how long we will be confined, but I would guess that it would be until we test out OK. Then we'll be free to roam. I'm sure you could find a place, maybe big enough for more than just Robin and I?" I could see the excitement in her face. "Yes, I'll be sure to find a nice big place, some place out of the way. Will Mary be going there?" ------- The actual exam itself was not very long, weight, height, blood pressure, and then a blood sample. It was all of the paperwork that took forever, there were many questions about when the water started to taste bad, to the frequency of live births or complications. I started figuring in my head that if they took this long with each of us, it would take a good three days after tonight to get everyone through. Then there was the sperm testing. Most of the men had never heard of sperm testing, and were going to be very reluctant to give a sample. I looked for and found Katy's father. I explained the problem and how the tests may find a way to correct the effect of the drug. I suggested that the wife might go with the husband to extract the sample. This would be easier on the men, and may be fun for the women involved. The boys are on their own though. He left to talk to some of the town fathers to put the plan into action. This would still be a few days off. I would have to talk with Jack. When my turn came, I rolled up my sleeve and had the resident vampire remove enough blood. I had him do Robin as well when we were together. The last part of the test required my sample, "Robin my little darling, will you come with me for a minute?" Robin gave me a quizzical look but followed me to a partitioned off area. I made sure the curtains were fully closed and said, "I need to fill this bottle." Robin gave me one of those looks, "Well pee in it." "Well it is not that type of sample that they want." Robin thought for a while, then the light came on and she gave me a big smile. She got onto her knees and opened my pants, lowering them to my knees. My underwear came next. Robin licked her lips making a theatrical presentation out of it. My member went from half mast to a full salute as her head slowly lowered to engulf me. Her hands came around and grasped my cheeks. I am sure they would bruise with the amount of force she used. She pulled me deep into her, going slowly, savoring the moment. I placed my hands around the slowly moving blond head, guiding but still allowing her to have her fun. When I could feel the need to come I said, "Sweetie we need to fill the bottle remember." Robin reluctantly withdrew her mouth and used her right hand to continue to stimulate me. "This won't work. The container will never get filled this way. Come over here and get on all fours, I can do a better job." Robin stated I did as I was told and found myself being milked like a one teated cow. Her right hand having a lot of experience with the two cows the family owned, got me back to the state I was in a moment ago. I didn't see it but Robin used a finger on her other hand to gather some of the lubricant that I was generating. The finger traced a small circle around my pucker, depositing some of the lubricant before going back to the source for more. With the added stimulation my groans told her of how close I was. Just before I was ready, she plunged her dainty finger into my butt. I grunted loudly and shot seven huge surges. Robin had left my cock and picked up the sample bottle, placing it over the pulsing end. She continued to work her finger, causing me to try to expel more sperm, but I was dry. Robin removed her finger and the container in the other hand; a finger extended from around the sample and gently lifted the last drop. She looked at me when she cleaned of her finger and closed her eyes savoring the taste. I could not move for a while. Robin smiled as she screwed on the top. I regained most of my composure and arranged my clothing. Robin used a napkin to clean her other finger. I left the enclosure first. All within the hall looked at me. Was my zipper open? I casually moved my hand to find out and was relieved to find I was safe. Katy and Mary stared wide-eyed. I turned to find Robin displaying her trophy. I took it from her hand and put on the table in front of the grinning medic. The medic picked it up and wrote on the label, "When I said to fill the bottle, I did not actually mean that you had to fill it that full." I turned red and held my wife's hand and sat, as I waited for the rest of my family. When Kristin's turn came up I walked with her to the same medic, explaining I had a vested interest. The surprised medic asked his questions, which I helped expedite. I walked my sister back to her chair, just in time to hear Liz's name being called. Kristin got up and took Liz's seat beside Jill. The medic's eyes got very large, watching Liz walk in with me. "Another one of your group?" I didn't feel the need to answer, but sat and helped with the now familiar question and answer routine. When Mary's turn came the medic was no longer surprised, but incredulous. Mary explained that she was the congressman's daughter. I could almost see the wheels going around in his head. These were all my women and I wanted the least amount of trouble for them. I informed the medic about the presence of one more. Mary was walked to her chair and I returned with little Stephanie. The medic stared open mouthed. "I am looking out for Stephanie here." I didn't know what the medic thought, but having four other women, would take the pressure of his ideas concerning the little girl By the time they finished that night they had only done our car full of people. We were taken to the barracks where we would spend the next several days it looked like. These barracks, used as family units were in a modular design, one of the best I'd seen the military come up with. Each of the rooms had two bunk beds and four dressers. There was an outside door and two inside doors, one leading to another unit, and the other leading to the common bathroom. They were originally designed in a six room layout. A total of twelve bunks. All in a U shape surrounding the common bathroom. It was the bathroom that would be enough to make anyone laugh at these being family units. It was one open space. The only privacy one had was on the toilet. The sink area was one long unit and the shower was an open communal style with seven showerheads. As this whole area had been decommissioned. The individual bed units were being pulled at random to be used in other places. Their modular design was such that each unit could be taken away, all that was needed was to close up one or two interior doorways and the units could operate independently. As such Richard, Katy, Jimmy, Dora, Stephanie, Kristin, Liz, Jill, Robin, Mary, and myself ended up being assigned to a barrack unit that had the three of the units taken away. The barrack next to ours was almost completely disassembled. All that was left was the bath unit, beyond that was the barrack that had Richards's parents, my parents, Millie, Bruce and Brian, Hank, Daisy, Pamela and her parents. Brian wanted to stay with Jimmy and that worked out fine with Pamela, who didn't want to bunk with him. Brian brought our number up to twelve. We were all standing at the entrance of our assigned barrack when a troop came in and set up a temporary fence. The barrier was only the type you see on construction. It separated the ones who had been tested from the ones who had not. As I had expected, there was an outcry. I was again asked to be the liaison. I elected to help of Patrick, Katy's father and one of the ones on the other side to quiet the townsfolk. "Please give me a minute to explain what is going on. For a simple matter of organization they are separating those of us who have been tested with those who have not. I know that this feels like you are being treated like cattle, but try to understand. This is how the military thinks. They are not trying to do you any harm, although that is exactly how it feels. As you can see, this is temporary fencing and will be moved as the testing progresses. With your cooperation the tests will go quickly and everyone will be together again." There were murmurs and I could tell nobody was happy about it. The unhappiest was congressman McCarran. "My daughter is on one side and I am on the other. I think it is only fair to have my daughter with me. Why can't I be tested so we can be together? She needs to be with her father." "Well so is mine." Said Rebecca, "and Jill can just stay there as far as I'm concerned She is an obstinate girl. Just look at her, well she can just stay separated from me. I've had nothing but problems with her recently" This had a stunning effect on the townspeople. Everyone within hearing distance stopped and looked at her. At that point she was an outsider and all those who heard about what she said believed that indeed where Jill was, was much better. Rebecca's sister admonished her in front of everyone and wouldn't talk to her. To Rebecca's way of thinking the people of Carp just didn't understand. They didn't want to understand. She had had enough of their little ways. She needed to move on, away from this all of this. The only fortunate thing about that whole matter was that Liz had just told Jill, Stephanie, and Mary a joke and the group of them was laughing. Jill didn't hear the exchange of words. Mary's father saw that Mary was safe and even laughing, perhaps it was better this way, she needed to grow and learn to do things on her own. So he didn't press the issue any further. Before anything else was said I quickly came over and said, "Let's go in and see what sumptuous accommodations the government has provided for our pleasures." Richard took the clue and said, "I want a bunk at the end," and ran in. This of course got everyone else moving and trying to get in through the door at the same time. There was a lot of laughter and Richard and my families were in a generally good mood. That could not be said for the barrack next to us. Within minutes of us getting inside, my mother was at the door. "Do you have any idea of the accommodations here? How are we supposed to do this? I have never felt so... well, so exposed in my life." I thought that my mom has no idea what being exposed really is. "Mom, what's the problem?" "Well, we are stuffed into this little place with people we don't hardly know, no offence Richard." He was standing there listening with a smile on his face. I addressed him first. "Richard, you can take that smile off your face, she is trying to be serious." "Mom, I'm sorry that the place is not to your liking, but I'm sure it is all they had at the moment. We didn't give them a lot of notice. I'm sure it doesn't help to know that these are the nicest units that would have been available. Is there anything that could make it better for you?" "I just wish I had a little privacy that's all." I looked at our unit, figuring they were all the same. The small bunk unit had two sets of bunks and four dressers. The outside door, with the only window in it, luckily had a light darkening shade. The common corner of the unit had two open doorways, one into another bunk unit and the other into the common bathroom unit. "Well mom, you could rig up a sheet to cover the doorway. That would give you a little privacy. You could pretend you were camping with Richard's folks. Would that be OK?" "Well, yes I suppose so, but it is late Keith, where are you going to get the sheets?" "I don't think Robin and I will be using two beds." Turning to Richard. "Will you and Katy be using two beds?" "I sure hope not." My mom was turning red at that point and I was sure ready to leave at the quickest possible moment. "OK Keith, you've had your little fun." "I was being serious." With that I handed two of the beds linens to my totally embarrassed mother. She turned and talked away as fast as she could with the bundle of bed coverings. "Keith, that wasn't very nice." Kristin said with a grin on her face. "Yea Keith." That coming from a laughing Liz "Did you see the look on mom's face!" "Well it will have one desired result." I retorted. "Oh, what's that?" a few of them said almost at the same time. "We won't get anymore visitors tonight." With that they all laughed. Because I had given away two of the linens in this section, it was decided that Richard, Katy, Robin and I would have the north west room. Stephanie and her mother Dora shared the north east room with Brian and Jimmy. That left Kristin, Mary, Liz, and Jill in the last section. I could tell that relieved Jill. Richard had told me what Brian had relayed to him. It all made sense now. Being late for the wedding, not wanting to leave her house, traumatized by the soldier, Fainting when Richard pulled her out of the train car. It was no wonder Jill was a wreck. I couldn't think of a better person to be with though. If anyone could help her, it would be Liz. I felt an even deeper hatred for that foul man. It was late and now with everyone assigned a section they all went to claim a mattress. Brian and Jimmy wanted to leave and go exploring. I nipped this in the bud, and put them in the top bunks. In the end section Mary would sleep on top of Kristin, how poetic, I thought. Jill was in the other bed, in the top bunk, the furthest away from everything with Liz beneath her. It was then I realized my mother's real dilemmas were going to be, the bathrooms would be intolerable and no one had any other clothing with them. Everyone was tired and feeling a big dirty from the days journey. I had suggested that showers be taken. Everyone agreed that this would be a good idea. I whispered to Liz to take Jill I first and we would wait; Richard and I would be last. She thought that was a very good idea. ------- Liz practically had to drag Jill in. "The showers are not occupied, this is a perfect time and you need to bath." "Yes, but..." "Come on and just get it over with. Trust me, it will be OK." Jill did have a lot of trust in Liz and finally relented. They were almost done was Mary, Kristin and Dora came in. Liz and Jill quickly finished and were drying themselves as they watched the three start to washing each other. Liz had no idea what Jill thought of it but Liz wanted to go back in and join them. It was quite obvious they were having a lot of fun as the giggling continued. Jill wrapped herself tight in the towel. As Jill and Liz were ready to leave the bathroom, in walked Brian, Jimmy and Stephanie, all as naked as the day they were born with towels in hand. The only difference was the hard dicks that were sticking straight out in front of the boys. As soon as Kristin saw them she started to laugh. In her best southern drawl Kristin said, "Why Jimmy and Brian, I do declare, you both done got some fine pieces of peckerwood in front of you." This got the others laughing as well. Jimmy and Brian rushed in to tickle Kristin. Liz had to practically pull herself away and she saw that Jill had lingered longer than she would have expected, taking in the sights before her. As Liz dried Jill's head they could hear the repeating laughter. Jill had climbed into her bed just as Keith and Richard, followed by Katy and Robin were entering the bathroom area. They met Kristin and Mary at the doorway. Jill saw Mary give Keith a little kiss as she passed. Then she stared in amazement as Kristin kissed Keith as sensuously as she thought someone could. As Kristin body made contact with Keith, his towel fell to the floor and Jill was mesmerized as she saw Keith's rapidly inflating dick. Keith said something to Kristin as he broke away, picking up her towel. She just smiled and walked into their room. They could hear Dora calling to Jimmy, Brian and Stephanie. The water was still running and that meant that they were still in there. Dora had seen Kristin's little display and wanted no less. As Richard came up to the showers, Dora kissed him with just as much passion. She also didn't want to rely on fate and pulled Richard's towel from him. Nobody but Katy noticed Brian stop, with a mouth open stare. His little dick was rising as fast as Richard's. As soon as he noticed Katy, he turned red as a beet. He ran and got his towel to cover himself. Jimmy getting the idea it was time to get out, followed suit. Stephanie on the other hand, didn't want to be leave. When Dora called her a second time she knew her time was up, but instead of getting her towel, she made a straight line to Keith. She jumped up in his arms and said in her little girl voice, "Can you dry me, please?" Then she batted her eyes at him. Everyone knew this request was going to be granted as his dick had responded before his mouth had. Robin shook her head. "What girls won't try now a days" This got a stifled laugh from Keith and a long look from her mother, Katy. Robin just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Keith finished drying Stephanie and gave her bottom a little smack. She scampered out. From were Dora and Jimmy's bunk was, Dora lying in her bed, had a slight view of the shower stalls. She wasn't trying to look, but when she saw Katy bent over, grabbing a bar of soap, she couldn't stop herself. Richard had dropped the soap on purpose past Katy, she tuned and started to get it, and then realizing the show Richard was hoping for, she bent at the waist. Forgetting all about the soap, she reached her hands down her legs and with her fingers caressing her calves she massaged them higher and higher. She reached her ass and slide one of her fingers down the crack. The only other two people who knew why there wasn't any notice coming from the shower were Dora and now Brian, above her on the bunk. He was sitting up openly staring. They watched as Richard came behind Katy and blocked their view, but then Katy had stood up turning around. She put her arms around Richard and he lifted her. As she wrapped her legs around him, Dora moaned. She had been in that position with Richard and it had felt divine. Brian also remembered hearing about Dora in that position from Jimmy. The image of that was what got him through the horrible nightmare Cliff had put him through. He had been thinking he must be Dora and wishing it was Richard with him. Brian heard Dora moan and wondered if she was watching to. He couldn't help himself and started yanking his dick for all it was worth. Dora felt the bed shake in a definite rhythm and knew that Brian be watching the erotic sight before them, she also knew what he was doing and this only made her hornier. She could feel her juices flowing and as soon as she realized that, she could smell her sexual scent. She couldn't help but reach her hand down and start on herself. It wasn't the loud laughter that could be heard, but soft giggling and an occasional moan that came from the shower area. For all the rest of them, save Jill, they were ready to get up and watch. Finally the showers went silent and the only sound was the occasional giggle as they exited the bathroom. They stopped at the doorway. Richard sniffing in Dora's room and she was beet red. ------- Richard has spied my duffel bag. "What do you have in that?" "The note book, want to look?" "Sure," and he opened it up to pull it out, but instead he pulled out a raggedy looking doll. In a sassy voice he said "Does poor liddle Keithy have to have his dolly with him?" I grabbed it out of his hand. "It's Jill's, I thought she might need it." He felt a little ashamed at that point. "Come on we need to say goodnight to our family." Everyone else we figured had jumped into their bed, as they had only to put on the clothing that they had worn here. We decided we needed to redress for Jill's sake. We walked into the center section. They were all under their covers. Richard and Katy went to Jimmy, giving him hugs and kisses goodnight. Robin and I went to Stephanie and each of us gave her a kiss. I asked her if she had any problems. She shook her head. She didn't want to let me go and I had to tickle her. She looked up at me with expectant eyes, almost in tears I felt. "Not tonight sweetheart. It has been a very long day and you need your sleep. I do love you sweetheart." She pouted, but when I said, "There's always tomorrow." brought a twinkle back into her eyes. We were going into the next room as Brian got hugs and a kiss from Brian, but I noticed Katy whispering something to him. He turned red. We left them to take care of Dora, each giving them a kiss goodnight. Dora gave Richard the same pout as her daughter Stephanie. Must be a genetic trait. I didn't know how I was going to teach little Stephanie without a lot to love, time and patience. Her mother seemed partially concerned for her daughter and partially concerned that she might miss out on the lessons herself. I would not be rushed into doing anything less than perfect. I knew Jill could hear everything because of the lack of doors, and I wondered what she thought. Then Robin and I walked in the last unit. I couldn't wait for lights out to make love to my bride and relive the strain in my pants. Kristin started making her bed, bending over at the hips to tuck in the corners, completely unconcerned with her nudity. I was rooted to the spot as I saw my sister obviously displaying herself to me. She had worked herself up, because I saw the dew on the pubic hairs as she spread her legs. Her, until very recently virgin, hole opened slightly. This was getting to be more than I could endure. I noticed that she only had a bra on the dresser. As she saw me, she smiled, wondering how good her performance was. "Do you know where I lost my panties?" At that point everyone in the room turned to look at Kristin. She stood as if this was an everyday occurrence. Jill's eyes just about popped out of her head. Liz had watched the entire episode and was probably filing it away for use later herself. "They disappeared off the end of the train I think." in a little girl voice, as she brought her finger to her mouth, turned side ways and gave us a profile view. Just like a four year old would act, if asked what happened to the cookie saved for me went. I turned to Robin; when she pulled my arm, "Yes mine too." She said with a big grin. She took my hand and placed it under her skirt, on her bare pussy to give me proof, as if I needed any. Jill was staring at me. I think she was waiting for me to pounce on her, or my teasing sister. Then she noticed the doll in my hand and cried, "Emily! Where did you get her?" This broke the mood. The look in her eyes of vulnerability, took precedence over my own feelings. I looked to Jill, hoping to show a non-threatening face. "It looked like you were having a worse day than anyone else. When I was ready to leave, I stopped by your house and Emily caught my eye, so I brought her to you." I extended my hand as far as possible, handing it to Jill. She tore it from my hand, holding it tightly, while looking to see if I would snatch it back. She was protecting the doll from all the cruel things the world had to show. "Safety and comfort" I thought. "That was a nice thing to do and one of the reasons I love you so much." Robin said. I walked over to Kristin, who was just getting into bed. I sat on the edge and tucked her in. "You are quite a tease, sister of mine." "Why, I don't know what ever you mean." she said coyly. I bent over to kiss her forehead, but she would have nothing of that and wrapped her hands around my neck and gave me a deep kiss. My tongue traced her lips before I pulled away, thinking of her very willing body, and her efforts to entice me. "Whuu, Who is the tease now?" "I love you Kristin, always remember that, I dream of you often. Now have a good sleep." This was nowhere near enough for her, but she knew that she could share with Robin after. Robin had waited her turn and sat and talked to Kristin for a while before wishing her a good night and a lovers kiss too. I imagine a critique of her earlier actions was given, much like the Olympic athletes. In the mean time I moved over to Liz's bed. I kneeled beside the bed and took my hand to gently move the few hairs in front of her face. We stared at one another for a full minute or so, thinking of all that we meant to each other, but completely quiet. A few tears were in both our eyes as I carefully arranged the blanket and lowered my face to kiss my first love. "I remember when you used to come into my room and tuck me in and give me a good night kiss. That was one of the many things I missed. I felt much better after your visit, knowing you loved me too." Liz sniffed and said. "I loved you too, but... a... " "Yes I know now. You were my other mom, before..." Tears came to my eyes again and I had to wipe them away to see straight. "We can't go back, but know that I still think of you as my first love." I kissed her again, and left before I start being emotional again. Robin was standing beside the bunk hearing our exchange. She had tears too and had been glancing up at Jill who was also intently listening. Robin took my place and kissed Liz good night. I backed as far away from the bunk and looked at Jill. "I know you were hurt. Not all men will hurt you. Someday I hope you will know that. Goodnight, sweetheart." She only stared at me, perhaps digesting what I had just said. Holding tightly to Emily, her doll. The last one my family waited for her turn, but Mary quickly turned her head, not wanting to force me to greet her if I did not want to. I stood beside the side of the bed and reached out for her chin and rotated it till she could see my eyes. "In a way you are the most delicate of my women. You don't try to push me into anything. You do my bidding without any whimper. I am very happy that you have decided to join us." I moved my hands to both sides of her head and slowly brought my lips to hers. "Good night, my darling Mary." I whispered as I arranged her blanket. Again I got the look that said much more than a few words. Their eyes followed me as I made my way out of their room and to our own. Jill popped her head down, looking at Liz. "Is Keith really like that? He doesn't even know me, yet he went and got Emily for me." "Yes Jill, Keith is really like that." Liz sniffled, and with that the lights went out. A low wattage bulb in the washroom stayed on for those who might need it. As the only windows in each unit were in the exterior doors and they had black out shades in them, the rooms were pitch black. Katy and Richard, as well as Robin and myself were squeezed a little. I'd forgotten how small a twin bed was. I thought I might as well take advantage of it. I started kissing her on the top of her head and working my way down. I was trying to be quiet, as I knew the sound would carry. I was much too stirred up, Liz, and then Kristin had teased me to distraction. Robin was having a problem being quiet though. When I sucked in her nipples she moaned. When I ran my tongue between her thighs she yelped. I kept on having to say, "shhhh." To which Katy and Richard would just giggle. I wondered what was going on over there when their bunk hit the wall and it hit three times in a row before it stopped. We weren't the only ones laughing. I heard it from the other bunks as well. I could almost see Katy turning red. "Mom, get on top, it won't shake the bed as much and you'll like it better too." "Thank dear, just what I need, lessons from my daughter." But from the sound of it they were changing positions. A minute latter we heard, "Ohhh, yeaaaa," from Katy. I kissed Robin to stop her from saying anything. And she rolled on top of me and guided my shaft into her. Then she mimicked her mom, "Ohhh, yeaaaa." I playfully slapped her, she giggled. Although we had a little fun that night, sleep was the overcoming factor for everyone. Richard and I were used to this life, so we slept like babies. In the other end of the barracks it was another story. Jill woke in a panic. She had no idea were she was and started to cry out. Liz was up with her in a flash and was trying to calm her down. Kristin suggested that Jill come down and cozy in with Liz. "But I'm not wearing anything." "It's OK if you don't want to, I am not wearing anything either, whether we like it or not none of us are." "No, I do, I want to be close to you. You make me feel safe." "Then come on baby. It will be OK." Liz coaxed in her most soothing voice. With that Jill climbed out of her bed and cuddled up to Liz. She knew this was an important step, going to bed with a naked woman. She felt comfortable with her decision and was asleep in minutes. Liz had a harder time going to sleep. There was a sense of mothering, but also an undeniable sense of sexual excitement she had never known before. Liz had seen three times before; in moments of high stress Jill had sucked her thumb. She was almost asleep when Jill suddenly turned and her breast was pressed right in front of Jill's mouth. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Jill opened her mouth to find Liz's nipple. A sleeping girl was suckling her breast. Many feelings went through her head, some sexual and others of a nurturing kind. She decided to separate, so that if Jill woke up she would not be embarrassed. She moved her hand to straddle the nipple with her fingers and pull it from the child's mouth. Jill's mouth even sleep went questing for the lost nipple. Liz moved further down the mattress to remove her nipple from easy contact and tried to return to sleep. Jill tossed and turned, dealing with an obvious nightmare. Liz put up with the poor child's discomfort for ten minutes, before sliding up the mattress and moving Jill's head back to the distended nipple. Liz's toes curled as the sensations started again. She wrapped her hands around the girl's head and shoulders and pulled her closer, as a mother would do to her infant. Jill quieted almost immediately. The sucking eventually stopped, but the mouth never left the breast. Like it or not Liz was as horny as could be. She was dripping wet. Laying there not being able to move much, not being able to relieve her desires. It took a long time, but eventually Liz was able to get back to sleep. Jill awoke finding her mouth around Liz's teat. She was shocked and tried to pull away before Liz found out. The arms encircling her prevented this, actually tightening as she pulled away. She even tried to push it out with her tongue. This only caused Liz's nipple to harden and extend into her mouth. While thinking of how to get away, she found that she felt much better, the worries of the day before were not as bad now. Since Liz was still asleep she decided to try sucking on the nipple to see what it was like, she had obviously been doing it in her sleep. She felt at peace and tried to go back to sleep, but kept up the gentle sucking. Liz had woken up when the Jill tried to push away. When Jill pushed her tongue against her breast it was hard to suppress her excitement. Then there were the first few tentative sucks. Liz brought her hand up and brushed the hair from Jill's face. Jill's eyes quickly looked up into those of Liz. Liz's arm prevented Jill from getting away, and thus reassuring Jill that everything was all right. "Sleep, if you can. Suck if you want. It is fine with me. It makes me feel like a mommy. I will watch out for you, darling," she whispered, as she continued to caress the child's head. ------- Mike watched the receding helicopter heading north. He turned and walked back to the mineshaft. He knew the toxicity of marfane the man made chemical. It would paralyze an adult within minutes, leaving them that way permanently. To paralyze a town the size of Carp would only required about 200 milliliters, if mixed in with the local water supply. There still were five 600 milliliter bottles, enough to wipe out a city the size of Las Vegas. Although the airborne vector of the reagent was less effective, relying on the prevailing winds. It had proved no less toxic. When Cliff fell he had broken the bottle. Covering it with his own body. They had sealed his body in a special container and no doubt it would be the subject of a very through autopsy. Mike had discussed the use of a helicopter but with the amount of reagent remaining and even the remote possibility of a crash ruled out its use. He could see in his mind a cloud of deadly mist drifting through the unsuspecting towns. The use of the roads was ruled out as well. They were much too rough to negotiate with such a volatile substance. That left train and foot as their only safe options. Mike had called in to his superiors and made his request for a special train to transport the dangerous weapons to a safer place. He requested they see the sheet on the chemicals' characteristics and toxicity when they balked at his plan. A return call from a very contrite general, mentioned about a suspiciously empty military train that would coincidentally come through his area in about twelve hours. He thanked the general and made ready for the transport. ------- Frank Laferty head of security in this cleanup operation, still bristled at the way Keith Patterson had outmaneuvered him in the mine where the dangerous chemicals were stored. The book he stole, would probably make some sense of all this mess. There was little use in worrying about it. His report would find Paterson's name featured very prominently. Frank had just been told by Mike about the special train, due to arrive at twenty four hundred hours. Frank was more than happy. He wanted that stuff out of his sight. One of Franks subordinates walked forward and said there was a radio message for him. Usually he would be told who was calling, but let it pass this time. "Captain Frank Laferty here." "Hello Frank. It is your brother Jeff. I have a message for you, call me at 777-555-1212" "How the hell did you get access to this military band and how did you know I was here?" "Phone and find out Frank. It is important." "It better be. Out." Frank had no idea how Jeff had found him or been able to contact him at all. Frank picked up the only phone in town and dialed the number he was given. After two rings a voice answered, "Governor Molson's office. How may I direct your call?" Frank forgot that Jeff worked for the governor of Nevada. "Jeff Laferty, please." A further two rings had Jeff on the line. "Jeff Laferty here." "How the fuck did you get in contact with me and why?" "The same old polite Frank. How are you doing?" "Cut the bull. What do you want?" "Well Frank, the governor through his network has found out about what is happening in Carp. He is running against Patrick McCarran in the congressional election. He thought of a way to embarrass the congressman and score a few votes if done right. The governor asked me about you and suggested I phone you." "So what are you asking?" "Well brother, I mentioned that the military is cutting back, and there is a good probability that you will be unemployed in the next six months." "How would he know that?" "He asked General Foster. You know, the guy in charge of the national guard." "Ok, ok. If that is the case what does he want, and what is in it for me?" "For you. When your time comes you get to join the National Guard and move up to major. Are you interested?" "Sure if what you say is true. Who do you want killed?" "Nothing so dramatic, what we need is what was found in Carp." "Do you have any idea what this stuff does? I could get court marshaled for something like that." "You might if you didn't have the governors backing, not to mention the general." "There is one little problem." He didn't like the whole idea of this, but was afraid to come out and admit it. "What's that Frank?" "There is a train that is showing up to carry the stuff away at twenty four hundred hours." "The Guard is located in Las Vegas, they are already prepared for this and from what we hear it will only take three or four hours to get there. Just hand over the package to General Foster's men. Every thing I promised still applies. Do your job and we will do ours. The governor will be grateful." ------- Mike had gone up to the spring again. The area had been cleaned and there was no trace that they had even been there. That is how he had been trained. Clear everything without a trace. Because like it or not, these chemicals weren't even suppose to exist. After going through the sight with a fine toothed comb they went to Cliffs house. They filtered through everything. One of the men brought Mike a manila envelope. It had been buried under a few papers in the living room. Little did they know that this packet was what Cliff had so desperately looked for. Upon opening it Mike knew the importance of it. He closed it back up and told them that they had not see it. All of them understood this order. They worked in a section of the military that didn't even exist. After feeling confident that the house was clean, they made there way to the old mine. Mike had his men empty two of the boxes that they had brought. Inside each of those he had his men construct another box that nestled the jars, each wrapped with heavy padding. One box he put a heavy 'X', and the other nothing. "Everybody get out now. I am going to move the marfane." Mike waited for the orderly withdrawal ------- George Seldes had been on the track of a man named Cliff for some time now. After his last talk with Keith, he had made a number of inroads into the NTS. Now he was in Angle City following leads. It was relatively easy for him to get in the in roads of most people he met. He was a small wiry individual. His presence was unassuming and his mannerisms polished. Only by looking into his dark brown eyes could you catch a glimpse of the power that drove him to be a top class investigative reporter. He had been in town only a few days when he heard about a few of the folks trying to go north and couldn't. He went to talk to one of them. "Yep, we was stopped about I'd say mile and a half outside Carp. It was no normal thing I tell you. These was soldiers in full uniform and everything. They even picked up one of them radios and said we was trying to get into Carp. Now why would we try and do that, we's just try'n to get through, but they don't let us, no sir." George thanked the man for his information and got into his car. There are two ways into Carp and from Angle City going north, if that man was indeed a mile and a half out there would be no town to see yet. But the other way was a different story. There was plenty of open flat land before the town. Armed with high-powered binoculars and a very good camera, he would see what was going on. ------- As soon as Mike was done and came out he saw Frank. He couldn't wait to get back and write his report on this guy. Little did Mike know that everything was about to get worse. "I understand the boxes are sealed." Frank said "Yes they are, but that only means that it is relatively safe within the box. If anything happens, it tips, it gets hit hard, such as being dropped, and we could have a real problem. I will only feel safe when it is in the special containment cell that will be on that train." "Well I hate to tell you, but there is a change of plans. Those trucks you see in the distance coming this way are going to be caring this stuff out." "Why wasn't I notified about this change?" Mike was outraged. "Now Mike," Frank said with a smile. "You're not the only one that makes decisions. It was determined that the fastest way to get these things out of here was to call up the National Guard and have them take care of it." Mike was fuming at this point. "The National Guard, they have no clue how to transport this stuff. They have no experience. They won't have the containment cell that it needs for transport. Who the hell made a fucking stupid decision like that?" "Well if you must know, Governor Molson and if you think your so fucking important, why don't you call the governor up and discuss it with him." The trucks were rolling into town. There were five heavy transport vehicles with canvas tops on the back of the trucks, along with another four jeeps with machine guns mounted on them. "Governor or not, when I write my report he is going to have some questions to answer. He has no jurisdiction over this type of operation." Frank started to worry what he had got himself into, a political battle that he could see have the fallout of guys like him. He was into it to far now; he would just hope that everything played out right. General Foster himself stepped out of the lead jeep. An imposing man, he stood six foot four. With broad shoulders and a physique that said he was not to be messed with. Mike watched as Frank run over, practically licking the mans boots. General Foster was brought over to Mike. The two men sized each other up. "I am here to do a job. That job at present is to take possession of the chemicals that are here and then transport them. I would hope that you would cooperate fully in this manner." The man did not daunt Mike. He had had to deal with just as tough people who though their rank gave them brains. "I understand your position General, my position is to keep these chemicals as safe and contained as possible. I am not comfortable with the use of trucks as a transport medium. I am also concerned with the lack of a containment system for the chemicals." "It looks as though they are packed well to me sir, is there need of anything more? How did they get here in the first place? I'm sure it wasn't by special train." Mike used a different approach. "Do you have any idea what these chemicals can do?" "Sir my job is to follow my orders and not question them. Maybe you are in a section of the military that that does not apply." "I am going to tell you, if you like it or not, sir. The box, with the X on it, is lethal. It is the reason we are in these containment suits in the first place. If that container was to rupture and all of the containers inside broke, it could wipe out a city the size of Las Vegas." Mike noticed the General paying a bit more attention now. "The other one has chemicals that will make men sterile. I don't think I need to go into what would happen if that had a problem." "You have made your point. We will need to be extremely careful with the handling of these boxes, but our orders are clear and we are required to follow them. They will be placed in the center truck with two empty trucks on either side. The men will be placed into the forward and rear transports. They might not like being a sardine, but that is military life." ------- George Seldes had come over the last ridge before Carp and stopped. Pulling out his binoculars he looked down to see a line of military transport vehicles going across the small bridge that indeed soldiers were at. Looking back and forth he could make out a perimeter of soldiers. Apparently they had secured the town, but for what. Pulling out his camera he started taking pictures. If it had not been for his latest purchase he would have missed some of the detail. This far away he could still pick up a man he knew, General Foster. George went through the first roll of film in no time at all. He had just changed rolls when he started clicking away again. A box, no two were being loaded into one of the trucks. He had seen eight men come out of the back of each truck. Now they were trying to cram into two of the trucks. It was an amusing sight and he snapped a few more frames. In the end with a few men hanging off the back of each truck, the procession started up. He cursed himself, as he had to change rolls once again. When he looked through the viewfinder again they were at the bridge. Two jeeps crossed, but as the first transport crossed the extra weight was too much for the old bridge. It collapsed. The bridge went over a small stream that traveled through the valley floor and was only four feet high. The ensuing problem that George caught on film was that the second truck, not wanting to run into the back of the truck, smashing the men, slammed on its brakes. The third truck, caring the chemicals smashed right into the truck before it, as the each of the other trucks did the same. The only vehicles that were not affected were the jeeps. George watched and snapped as he saw the men run for their lives. He couldn't understand the panic he saw before him. ------- Mike watched the trucks go. He couldn't believe the stupidity of it all. Being careful with the boxes indeed. That meant tying the handles of the boxes to the outside of the trucks. Shaking his head he said to his men. "Well I guess that's it for us. I'll call for transport out." He was on his way to the phone when he heard the crash. He raced back to the edge of town just to see men jumping out of the trucks and running. "Shit, shit, shit." Was all he could say. On of the jeeps came racing back towards town. He stopped it. The driver was white faced with fear. Mike told them to get out. He and one of his men got in and drove back to the crash. They were fortunately still in their protective gear. Reaching the middle transport his fears were confirmed. The box with the X, thank god was still secure. The other one was not as lucky. The handles had ripped free of the box from the impact and liquid could be seen covering the floor. The ensuing cleanup took the rest of the day. All of the Generals men were distraught when they found out that they would need testing for possible sterility. By the time the train came that night Mike and his men were worn out. The General and his men ended up coming back to NTS. He was in a particularly foul mood. Instead of coming back as the hero for the Governor, he was like a wounded sheep. Mike sat back in his seat. He was tired. He could now rest, the chemicals were secured and out of his hands. He fell asleep in minutes. ------- I was surprised by breakfast; it was again, better than anything I'd ever been served on base. We were served last as we were already through with our testing. Then saw the responsible party for the great food. Cynthia was in the background flitting around. When she saw me she came over as quick as possible. And we moved to a discreet distance from everyone else. "I found just the place. So, other than Robin, who might you bring with you?" She was almost giddy with excitement. "If I gave you Mary to play with for a while what more would you do?" I was toying with her and I could see the hunger in her eyes. "Anything, you name it." She whispered to me. I shook my head, I didn't know if I was getting in too deep. This was a wild one. "I'll keep that in mind. I still don't know how long it will be before the test results will clear us." "After lunch, I checked already." "Boy, you have been busy. So then what are we having for lunch and when do we get something else to wear?" She started to answer and then realized I was pulling her leg. "I would like to know about the clothing though. It seams that Mary, Robin, Stephanie, and Kristin all lost their underwear on the train." Cynthia swallowed hard. I could tell she was trying to imagine it. I had to let her go for a moment, but then said, "It was off the back of the train, as there were no lavatories on the train." I think that just added fuel to the fire, so to speak. It took another moment before she came back to reality. "Why don't you ask Mary about it? She had quite an active roll in it from what I understand." "Yes." She said in an almost dream like state. After lunch I'd like to talk to Jack if he's around. Maybe you could organize a tour for some of the others. And a special one for the ones in my barracks." She got the message and said she was sure she could come up with something very interesting for them. As that was said Robin and Stephanie came prancing over to see what I was doing. Cynthia made herself busy and disappeared. "Richard said I should watch out for that woman." I laughed. "I think Richard might have more to worry about than me or you, but not as much as Mary." Both Robin and Stephanie looked at me strangely. "What's that suppose to mean?" Robin asked. It means that if given the choice I think she would go after Richard, not me. But the real person she would like to be with is Mary." Stephanie looked at me and smiled. "I'd rather be with you, Keith." "And tonight we can arrange that, OK?" "Oh, I can't wait!" "I bet you can't, I need to talk to Robin in private, OK." She frowned, but then went off to find something else to do. Robin was looking at me with her head slightly tilted, "What," She said. I explained what Cynthia was going to do and my idea of getting Liz away, that is if it was OK with her. She wrapped her hands around my head and said, "I wish I had a brother like you." At the end of breakfast, when we were bringing our trays up to be taken back to the mess hall for cleaning, there were three tables full of clothes. The women had tan skirts and tan blouses and the men had the same tan slacks and tan shirts. Not the best in style, but functional. I knew these were not enlisted uniforms. Someone up the chain of command must have been told of the indignity that we suffered, and was a token of their regret. There were two distinct things that were missing, children's clothing and undergarments. I ask them about this. One of the gals handing out clothing gave me an exasperated look. I could tell she had been asked this question more times than she liked. The children's clothing would be in tomorrow, but then she winced. It seems no one thought about undergarments. It isn't standard issue material, so it never crossed their minds. I didn't think they wanted to hear that my thirteen-year-old wife had somehow lost her panties off the end of the train while coming here, so she had none. But then again, they may well have liked the story. One never knows. Getting back to the barracks, we were all anxious to change into new clothing. I had suggested to Dora and Katy that they should wash their undergarments and have Jill do the same. After all the clothing they gave us certainly weren't reveling and we weren't sure when we would be receiving replacements. The only one who initially had a problem with this was predictably Jill, but even she could see the logic in it and they would be dry by mid afternoon. Plus Liz said she would never be left alone. The only ones not so amused with all of the new clothing were Jimmy, Brian, and Stephanie. The only thing that made things better for them was that the testing had progressed and more people could mingle together. That meant some of their friends were available for playing with. Both Patrick's had been tested, but for some reason Rebecca had not. I knew she was in the same car as them. So I wondered what was going on. I asked Katy's father about it. "Rebecca? She is the most sour of people. I'm not sure what has become of her. When she moved to Carp, she was full of life. Now she doesn't want anything to do with anyone here. The only ones she gets along with are the soldiers. She has turned into a very strange one." He was shaking his head. "She won't even listen to half of the things people try to tell her. That is why she hasn't been through the testing yet. She wouldn't listen." ------- My father took me aside. One of those things fathers do I guess. "So son, what plan do you have for the future?" I'd heard that line more times than I could remember, after high school, after college, going to my first job, the list went on. I knew what he was getting at. How was I going to support a wife. "Well Dad, I found something that will make me well off." He looked at me with skeptical eyes. He had seen many a get rich scam and had never found one to pan out. "So what is this get rich quick thing?" "Dad, It's not a get rich scam, it is cobalt." "Cobalt?" "Yes, a mineral we found here when we were testing the water. It is used in the aeronautical industry. All that we mine the government contractors will buy. They can't get enough of the stuff." He started to see the importance of this. Being a lawyer he went into that mode. "Who know about this? Have you gained the land rights yet? How are you going to do everything, you don't know about mining do you?" "OK, Dad, slow down. First there are only a few trusted people who know about this. Richard and our new families know and the CO from the base, Jack, knows." "Why does he know?" "We weren't looking for it, it showed up on the water quality samples that we did. Richard then brought in some other test equipment and double checked the find. He saw the water sample report." "Makes sense. So what happens now, do you get land trusts?" "We have to do some extensive soil testing, then we put down claims for the land that has the mineral under it. Richard and I have already discussed it. We want to make this as invisible as possible, so we are planning on having the soil test trucks come in the same time as the trenchers for the new water system is put in. That way all the trucks showing up won't look out of place." "Sounds like some good thinking son. How are you going to form the company?" I looked at him with those Dad I figured you'd help me' eyes. "I don't know," I said. He got the idea. "So, you want me to help you?" "That would be nice, never thought of that." "Yea, I'll just bet you didn't. It wouldn't be right for me to do it, being related to you, but I can have someone else in the office do up the paperwork and I can review it. We can discus the type of corporation that you need and how to work it out. I am guessing that you have financing?" "We haven't got that far. We need to see what we have first and then we can get there. Jack wants in on the ground floor of this operation and he's willing to put up the front money. We thought it could be the money for the sampling. From there we'll go after financing. Richard is going to be talking to his father about that stuff." "Yes I can see how that would be a good thing. We had a nice chat. He has a lot of connections. ------- Richard was having a similar talk with is father. "So let me get this straight, you have an area that you want to stake, that looks to be rich in cobalt, a mineral that is scarce and is desired by the government. No one but a small select group of you even know of its existence, did I get that right." "Yes Dad that's right, so what do you think?" "I think you'd better get those samples. I can see Keith's idea of bringing in the trucks at the same time as the equipment comes in for the trenching. You two are going to make a good team. Have you talked with uncle David about this?" "Uncle David? I know he's Moms brother, but I can't even remember meeting him." "I guess you wouldn't, you were fairly young when he went overseas to work and has been traveling around ever since. He's now the vice president of Memco International." "Not the huge mining company." "The very one. He could answer a lot of questions for you. I'll track him down for you, but you'll need to have the test results in hand when you talk to him. He will want to know particulars, not speculation." "That would be great, thanks Dad." ------- After lunch was over my father called me over. I assumed it was for the mining thing again. When he said that we needed to have a talk and that Robin should be included, I knew something else was up. I looked over and a similar thing was happening with Richard. Soon Katy, Richard, Robin and I were in a group with Richard and my parents. Richard sat, and then pulled his bride onto his lap. Jack started, "Well we didn't plan anything because we didn't know you were getting married. But your mother and I were thinking that we are pretty well off and want you to get off to a good start and with a growing family you will have many needs. Your mother thinks that a proper house and furniture would run about $8000 and I want to round it off to $10,000. I know that is a quite a lot of money but you are our only son and a good start is needed for our grandchildren." Katy blushed she had not been thinking that far ahead. "Thanks dad, mom I didn't expect anything like that. I really don't know what to say." "Well I am speechless too, I have never imagined that much money. I think the way Richard acts that it won't be too long before we have triplets." It was now Richards's turn to blush. Richard moved Katy off his lap and said, "Well I should bring over the rest of the family." He got up and brought back the Jimmy, Brian, Dora, and Stephanie. Dora seated herself with Stephanie on her lap. Richard introduced Jimmy as his new son. Jimmy turned a little red but was comfortable with Richard being his father. "This is my other son, of sorts, but he is really more than that, he saved my life." Brian had felt bad at being reminded that Jimmy was Richards son, but now he was acknowledged as a very special part of Richards life and beamed. "Now this is a little harder. Dora and her daughter Stephanie have lost everything. She needs someone to look out for her and Katy and I have decided that we will do it." Dora lowered her gaze and smiled. Richard had publicly acknowledged that she belonged to him. Nothing could be better, she felt so much love that she was ready to burst. Sandra did not know what to think. Her boy had been single one day, and now had a wife and son, and was taking in a woman and her daughter. There was a lot more here than she heard, but she was very happy with the responsibility Richard was showing. It looked like after all these years he had come out of his shell. If this is what it took, she was all for it. "Well since you have a larger family than we thought your father and I will have to put in a little more money for a larger house." Jack reached into his jacket pocket and extracted his checkbook and filled out a check. He showed it to his wife who smiled and nodded. He handed the check to Katy who looked at it and started to shake. Richard reached forward and held her hand to steady her and looked at the check for $15,000. More money than he could possibly make in many years. Frank's turn had come. "We have not had time to talk to you very much, with everything happening but we wanted to tell you about your wedding gifts. Recently my grandmother, your great-grandmother, Keith, passed away. She was ninety-five years old. Well to shorten the story she left her house and all her positions in equal shares to her three great grand children, That would be Liz, Kristin, and you as well as to Catharine and I. We had a family meeting without you, and decided that all our shares should go to you two." Robin was shocked. Her mouth hung open. Kristin and Liz who had come over smiled at her expression. "I... , I, don't know what to think, or say. I was hoping for a few pieces of linen and some pots." Tears appeared in her eyes and she jumped forward nearly knocking Frank over with her hug and a big kiss. Next she grasped Catharine in a similar manner crying into the older persons ear. Catharine hugged Robin back and alternated between holding and patting her back. She stayed there a few minutes before Robin was able to get control of herself. Catharine said in Robins ear, "Do you want to hear the details?" Robin slowly pulled away. "Yes, but I have to thank my new sisters too." and she hugged Liz till her eyes about popped the kiss was more than sisterly though. She moved to Kristin and this was a more tender embrace with a little cry and a few quiet words in Kristin's ear. Robin reseated herself by me looking at me. I was smiling at her and said, "We're ready, I think." "Well the house is old but in a good neighborhood, there were many rooms very few were ever used. I think there was five bedrooms, a music room with a grand piano, the dining room would seat twenty people, the kitchen was just modernized, and the house has one of the best private libraries I have ever seen. Sadie had a lot of jewelry and cash. The house can be sold for a tidy amount or you can move to Boston. After the estate is settled you and Keith will be well off. Robin put her hands to her face and cried. Never before had she even heard of this happening except in fairy tails where the princess married the prince and lived happily ever after. I pulled her to my chest and let her cry, tears of joy. "Thank you, thank you all. I don't know what to say." "That is ok, there is a lot to adjust to." Mary had walked up hearing the end part of this and in a quiet voice said "Daddy and I got something for you too. Let me get him." In a minute Patrick was within our group. He turned to us. "I know that this Cliff incident has brought a dark spot in the lives of you that shouldn't have been. Katy I can only say that I'm sorry, the only redeeming thing that Cliff ever did for you was give you Robin." Katy smiled at this, for it was true. Robin had always been her pride and joy. "Robin, instead of having a father, you had a problem. I can't tell you how sad that makes me." It's OK Mr. McCarran." "Well, no it's not and please call me Pat. That's what all my family calls me, and you're family now." He looked at Katy and continued, "that means both of you." "Thank you, Patrick, I mean Pat." Katy said. He smiled. "Now, about your wedding present, I couldn't decide and so you're getting the same thing, but don't worry, it will be in different colors." We were looking perplexed at him. "I thought it was the right thing for new families starting out and talking with my wife, she thought it was just the nicest thing." "Do we get to know what it is?" I asked with trepidation. "1948 Ford woody wagons. There is a cream and black one for Richard and Katy, and a Maroon one for Keith and Robin." We must have had a shocked look on our face. Richard and I knew how expensive a gift that was and two of them was more than being generous. He smiled at the obvious appreciation of the gift. "Our extended family thought it was an appropriate gift to give. When they heard what Cliff did before and at the wedding and that his parents didn't show up for their granddaughters wedding, it was more than most of the family members could take. We wanted you to know that we are not all like that in the family and I quite frankly, am honored to have you as a relative." Robin was blushing. "Thank you Pat, you don't know how much that means to me. I've never had much of an extended family to grow up around. This is a special thing you have done for us and especially me." Pat looked at his daughter, and saw how much she had grown in the last few days. Gone were the dependant look, and the constant need for reassurance. Life around these friends was doing her wonders. Her mother and sister would be happy when they found out. ------- We were walking back to our barracks when a jeep and bus pulled up outside the gate. There was no mistaking Cynthia as she was waving us over. "I got just what you wanted." She said to me. I looked at her like she was crazy saying such things in front of everyone. She saw my expression and continued, amused. "Jack has about an hour of time and I've lined up a little tour for the rest of your little group." I looked at her and smiled. "Richard, I think we have a date." He looked at me perplexed, but got into the jeep with me. I told the group that we would only be an hour or so, and would meet them on the tour. As we took off, I could see Cynthia rounding up the others into a bus. I wondered what she had in mind. I couldn't think too much on this as Richard asked me what was going on. "I thought it was high time to do a little debriefing with Jack. You know an informal session. He had come to recognize my tactics and knew we were not going for pleasantries. Once at the administration building we were escorted into Jacks office. As soon as the door closed he greeted us with a different air. "Sorry for all the pomp outside. I needed to make it look as though there was some official business going on, or they would be bugging me. So how are the accommodations?" "Jack, you know for the base they are not bad. This is not Carp and the people are getting antsy. But that is not the reason that brought us here today." "Oh?" he started to get a worried look on his face. I couldn't help myself, I went on the attack. "Who ordered that asshole Frank Laferty to be in charge of an operation that should have been dealt with some degree of sensitivity?" "Keith, settle down, now I know that Frank isn't the most sensitive of people, but he is competent in his field. He is a very devoted soldier. Has a very nice wife." I was getting the idea I was being had. "Three lovely children and a dog named Rex. The man has been at this base for three years, and by the way, I had nothing to do with it." He had a grin on his face by the end. "So, I suppose you would like a full report of his misconduct of the situation?" "Keith, I am truly sorry that anyone had to suffer on his behalf, but I had no say in the matter. That doesn't mean that I won't follow up and try and get him out of here." "You will be shocked at what he did." Jack winced. "That bad?" "He rounded up the people like cattle, wouldn't let them return to their houses for anything. One of the girls, who we now know was raped by Cliff, was in her house with her mother and was brutally removed." Jack let out a long sigh. "I am so sorry Keith. Is there anything that can be done?" "Unfortunately that damage has been done. One of the problems that these people think is men who do wrong are not punished for what they have done. I think an apology along with the knowledge of the investigation and further what came out of it will help heal the suspicion that many feel about the government at this point." "That is a reasonable request, I will see what I can do." "So have you been in contact with anyone into this whole mater? What is the government going to do about it? I hate to say it so brashly, but they know that they can't just cover this one up." "You do have a way with words. Yes I do have an inside track of what is going on. I have been given the word to make sure to keep everyone happy while they are our guests." I had to laugh. "Jack, you and Patrick McCarran would make a great team, the words you chose are almost funny. Guests indeed. By the way, the accommodations are not to bad, but you know, there is absolutely nothing to do. Everyone is sitting around board to tears." "We are working on that, until everyone is tested we are limited on what we can do. I did hear my wife was taking a group on a little tour." "Yes they were loading a bus when we left." Richard looked at me, he hadn't said too much. He just rolled his eyes. Then he said what was on his mind. "Jack, have you given much thought to the mining operation?" "Given the situations that have happened I haven't had much time to think. But it is all this shit that makes me know that I want out of here. What you have got going is an opportunity I don't think I want to pass up, if there is a reasonable return. The question is how do I get in." In contrast to you, who have been up to your neck in shit, we have had time on our hands. So we have a number of different options. It really depends on how much you were willing to invest. Have you thought about that?" "Yes I have. I've discussed it with Cynthia and to my surprise she was for it. I couldn't believe that she would want to live in a town like Carp, but she said yes, go for it." Richard and I looked at each other and smiled. "I have a large chunk of money. I could retire at this point, but what the hell would I do with myself. I'd rather go on and do something. So between my retirement funds, an inheritance I received last year and my house, I have fifty thousand dollars. Forty of that is in liquid assets, the rest in our house. We'll need another house in Carp, but I'm sure we can find one easy enough. "That is good to know. My father is a lawyer, and his firm specializes in this kind of thing. He won't be doing the paperwork himself, but he is having our corporation drawn up now. Richard's uncle is a big wig in Memco International. With that connection we should be set. That is as long as the test samples come out as good as we believe they should be." Richard added, "What we need are those samples. My father said that will be the crucial step. If we can show there is enough recoverable ore, my uncle will have the answers. We are going to need some big equipment to move the dirt for some samples. I have heard that there is surplus sales the military has, do you know anything about that?" Jack smiled. "Yes as a mater of fact I do. The notices come by my desk about once a week. I have recently been getting requisitions to look for equipment that can be sold off to reduce the overhead of this base." Then a thought struck him. "Say Richard, you were in maintenance, you might know of some equipment that needs to be sold off. I have authorization to hold the auctions as need be. If I had a number of those earthmovers and dump trucks to Carp to use in the clean up, then instead of bringing them back I could have them auctioned off up there. What do you think?" "I like that thinking Jack. Richard and I will come up with a suggested list of thing that might be helpful to bring up for the cleanup." We walked out and the jeep was still waiting. Richard climbed in the back and I sat up front. Without saying a word it took off, apparently knowing just where it was going. We stopped in the back of a building. The backside had been used as a staging area for many parades that this base had seen and at the top of the building was a rail that dignitaries had been present at. Richard and I got out and as soon as we did the jeep left us there. We looked at each other wondering what would happen next. We didn't wait long. ------- Cynthia had very craftily put together a tour that would separate the young from the old. Our parents, Patrick McCarran, and Patrick Thiesen and a group of others ended up going one way. Robin, Katy, Kristin, Mary, Liz, Jill, Dora, and Stephanie went another. The tours themselves were close to the same, but billed much differently. Enough so that Robin and Katy who knew something was up caught on. Once separated another host helped guide the other group while Cynthia took charge of this one. The one thing that had separated the group was the walk over a catwalk, looking over the largest aircraft that base had. It was a long climb up many flights of stairs, then out from a tiny metal shack and onto a walkway that was six feet wide. It was not a place for people afraid of heights. The gusts of wind made all hold tight to the railing and spread their feet for better stability. What made it all worthwhile was the view. It was like you were a bird flying over the planes taking a close look. Truly amazing, so amazing in fact that they had forgot that they had no underwear on. The floor below allowed the technicians a full view up through the metal grating. Once noted the word was passed and all the men looked up. The bright lights that were close to the catwalk provided enough light to shine through their skirts. The men who had not been with a woman for a long time were transfixed. This is what every voyeur dreams of. One in particular held some attention. Stephanie had to spread her feet more than the rest and only had the smallest adult skirt, much too big for her. The skirt was hot and she pulled it up, fanning it open as she couched down to get more air movement. Her hairless juvenile pussy swayed back and forth as the wind pushed the young body. Her nether lips opening and closing, as if blowing kisses. It felt good, she had an itch and reached between her legs to scratch it. Katy noticed her and then the group under her looking up. "Stephanie, it looks as though you are providing quite a show, I guess all of us are really." Little Stephanie looked down and then smiled. Katy pulled the child back up on her feet. "Enough teasing." Cynthia, looked down wondering why the men were all looking up, she looked up to trying to find something overhead. It was Katy who ended up mentioning it to her and she whisked them off the catwalk, smiling all the while. The end of the tour would turn out better then planed, she mussed. They walked through several other buildings and then to the top of one. The backside of the building they were walking towards had seats and a thin wire railing providing an unobstructed view. It overlooked the end of the tarmac, a great open space. As they came up to the edge, they were surprised to look down and see Keith and Richard. Cynthia saw the gust of wind hit the flag on the jeep, she stepped back and not more than a second later the skirts of everyone standing at the rail was flipped up. As soon as the gust died down Richard and I were clapping. Stephanie was enjoying the attention and pulled her skirt back up to flash Keith again. Robin gasped and pulled Stephanie's dress back down. "Stephanie, that is OK this time, but only because only Keith and Richard could see. We don't go around flashing anyone else." Within a few minutes they were down joining us. There were many accusations that we had put Cynthia up to this stunt. She finally came to our rescue and said that we could not have known about it. Others, who stood up there years before, had told her to watch out for the gusts. When Jill heard this she was amazed that it wasn't Richard or I who had done it, but another woman. Even more amazing was that everyone enjoyed it. She had to admit to herself that it did feel good, in a naughty sort of way. ------- Cynthia handed Katy a map of the base with a route drawn on it. I didn't get a good look at it, so I wasn't sure where it went. The one thing I knew was that every one started off. Everyone except Liz, Mary and I. We had ducked in a door that Cynthia opened. Robin turned to see us and waved goodbye to me. Cynthia looked at Liz and then at me with her mouth hanging open. "Change of plans, doesn't bother you does it?" She shook her head, partly in disbelief. As they went off, we started on a different adventure. ------- Chapter 16 George S. had waited around to see what was going on. It was obvious that they weren't going north out of Carp. Would they bring another set of transports in and go south, or maybe a train? He decided it didn't make any difference; it would end up going south and that is the way he should be heading. Getting in his car he started to make the long journey that took him around to the south side of Carp. He didn't have to go all the way, for as soon as he had come around the hills to the south of the valley, he had to stop for a train. George had been on many a train and he knew by looking at it, this was no ordinary train. As much as they tried, there were distinguishing marks. To top off his suspicions and to the frustration of the people who had tried to make this look like a normal train, off the back were two soldiers in full combat uniform. He knew he didn't need to back up; this was the train that was going to bring whatever it was back down. Stopping, he pulled out his map and followed the tracks. It would come straight down and then make a switch on the outskirts of Los Vegas. That is where he needed to be. It would tell him where they were going. As he got towards the switch area, George spotted a diner. It was a welcome sight. He sat in a booth and could see the track before him. This was perfect. It was one of those rare times when he could watch for something to happen and be comfortable at the same time. He had dinner, ate a piece of pie and had had three cups of coffee. Reluctantly he paid the check, knowing that he would now have to sit in his car. The time he spent in the diner was well spent. Not more than a half an hour later he saw the train. It took the switch a little slower than he had seen trains before and figured that it was because of whatever was in those boxes everyone was so afraid of. As he had plotted the most likely possibilities as soon as it started off, he was on the nearest road. The road crossed over the tracks in several places and ran parallel and a few also. He kept his distance, not wanting to raise suspicions. It passed Nellis and George then knew it was headed for the Nevada Test Site. He was glad, the contact that he had there would surely be able to get him some information. ------- George sat patiently in his car. He had slept in it the night before. His informant was going to be coming to the base within the next hour and he didn't want to miss him. After Keith had described to him the strange goings on, he had been hot on the trail. That trail had taken some strange and unexpected twists. This being another one. He wanted desperately to know what that was they were loading up. Why was it in Carp? Where were all the people? Jim Reynolds had just turned on the lane when George spotted his car, pulled up behind him and gave him the three short horn signal. Jim pulled over; George was out of his car in a flash. "I'm running late today, I don't have time to talk." Jim said. "I was looking at the time, so I wrote down the questions I'd like answered." George handed the list to Jim. "OK, same deal as last time?" Jim said with a grin. "Even better if you can get the answer to the last question." This peeked Jim's curiosity, but he didn't want to be late. "See you at lunch time, you buying?" George smiled, "Yes Jim, I'm buying." With that Jim took off. Trying to make it on time, this time. Nevada Test Site was a heavily guarded facility, even after the war. It had been the publicly known testing ground for the nuclear testing. It was also the testing area for some less lethal substances. It also was one of the secret lab testing areas for chemical warfare. Even with the ban, the military knew the other side was developing weapons, so they felt they needed to also. Because of the nuclear testing grounds and the extra security that that entailed, it was easy to house the largest chemical lab here. Jim got to work in the nick of time. In fact it was he first time he had been at work in the past 4 days. After the good-natured jabbing that he'd shown up on time, he was left alone. With the anticipation of a child, he unfolded the paper George had given him. A train came in last night. It was a special train. There were two or three different types of soldiers on it. Who was on it? Why was this train so important? What happened to the people that lived in Carp? What was in the special boxes they had on the train? Jim thought this was going to be easy. He was a janitor and therefore was all over that base. He had seen just about everything. There were very few places that he couldn't go. The answer presented itself almost immediately. He was called in to do a cleanup of a hall. When he got there, he was told to do a full sterilization of the room. This didn't happen to often, so it was easy to ask questions. Men had come in last night and had been held in this room for the night. They were gone now. The men, National Guardsmen from Las Vegas. Jim used his crafty questioning, just like George had taught him to find out that it was indeed a train that had brought them in, along with a special contingent from a lab. One other thing he found out. There had been a body bag, none like any of them had ever seen before. Special materials and sealed up special, but it was no mistaking it, it was a body bag. Then he was able to find out that the men that had been in this room were on the same train and going to go to Nellis. That was were some people from a town were that they were testing. Jim figured it must be the town of Carp. It was the third question that Jim had a problem with. Nobody had seen anything about special boxes. The more he asked, the more people asked around for him. This finally got to the right people. Or one could say the wrong people, because all of a sudden Jim was surrounded. One minute he was cleaning a room and the next thing he knew he was in an interrogation room. They wanted to know everything, especially why he knew about some boxes on a train. Jim was scared shit less. ------- Cynthia had us walk through the building we were in and as we came out the other side, a jeep was there. She got in the drivers seat and we all got in. None of us had said a word to each other. Liz had known that I was planning something special for her, but didn't know what. Mary had no idea what was going on, but as it contained both Cynthia and myself, she didn't ask. So here we were in a jeep being taken off to who knows where. We zigzagged around a number of buildings and I guessed that she was trying to avoid being seen. We ended up at the edge of the buildings and we were heading for a row of hangers that hadn't been used since the training division had moved to San Diego. Cynthia pulled the jeep to a stop between the first and second hanger. These buildings, five of them, had been originally been built to maintain the aircraft. The traditional arc shape made each of the buildings able to handle just about any aircraft that had landed here. At eighty feet high and one hundred and twenty feet wide, you felt dwarfed by them. As we stepped inside we could see the entire two hundred ten foot long space. There were three offices one side. In comparison they looked small, but I knew they were about twenty by forty-foot rooms each. There were a series of boxes lining each side, but the center was completely open. From the skylight above the sun shone down on the floor and in the center, bathed in light was a bed. I turned to Cynthia who had a big smile on her face, very pleased at her accomplishments. "And where are you going to be?" I asked. "The old supply room, behind that row of boxes." Pointing the direction. "It is all set up." She said with breathy anticipation. Liz was looking at the bed and back at me. This was it and her emotions were in overload. I took Mary aside. "Mary." She looked at me with expectant eyes. "I would love you to help me." "Yes." She said softly. "Cynthia wants to play with you." She turned red, but didn't turn away from me. "Knowing you were with her would drive me crazy." I took her in my arms and then whispered in her ear. "I'd like to hear all about it later as I run my tongue all over you." As I pulled back she was still a little red, but I think it was heat not embarrassment. Cynthia took Mary's hand and led her away. Liz just stood and looked at me. I smiled, she giggled. I held out my arms and she stepped into them. We held each other for a long time. "I wanted it to be special for you, if this isn't right, it's OK, we can wait." She looked up at me. No. No. This is what I've always dreamed of, getting poked in a big hanger." We both laughed. It relived the tension some. "Liz, I..." I was a loss for words. She could see I was having a problem. The last time I had gone to her, it wasn't what either one of us expected. Now she was the one that needed to make it right and she knew it. I saw the devilish sparkle shine in her eyes. She stood in front of me and undid my pants, letting them fall to my knees, and then she said, "Catch me if you can." And she took off running, laughing as she went. I fell over and landed on the floor. I was up in a flash, but I couldn't see her anywhere. I knew the direction she had gone, so I headed towards the last place I saw her. Behind a few boxes I found her shoes. I smiled. My search took me almost around the entire perimeter. At each juncture there was another piece of clothing. I had started dropping mine to match. This was driving me crazy with anticipation, thinking about how she must look in her undressed state. When I saw her bra, my dick was so hard, my underwear could not contain it. I came out at an opening and glanced into the center, there on the bed, panties twirling on her fingertips sat Liz. I couldn't get to her fast enough. She stood as I approached. We embraced, kissing, falling onto the bed. The bed creaked loudly. It was a standard metal military issue bed. The side rails pressure fit into the head and foot ends. They bolted together to make the bunks that were in almost all of the base barracks. I moved off the bed, around to the other side, so that we were head to head. Starting with her forehead I started to kiss. She got the idea and reciprocated. Her nose, mouth, ear and neck. She was mewing. As I reached her breasts, they were hard and waiting. As I sucked them in, she ran her tongue across my nipple. She got the idea I liked it from just about matching the noise she was making. We were in our own little world. We may well have been in the middle of a large open building, but to us, we were in our own little space and nothing else mattered. She got to my belly button before I got to hers and getting me back for the last time, she ran her tongue into it, this time making me squirm. When she broke the attack to laugh, we were rolling back and forth and ended up falling off the bed. After a little laugh, we resumed our positions as though nothing had separated us. I got her back and ran my tongue into her belly button, which made her shriek with laughter. She grabbed me and rolled over. Now she was on top. She knew where she wanted my tongue and moved forward presenting her pretty little pussy to my face. I had no complaints and pulled her hips down, lowering her to my waiting mouth. As it got close, I blew across it. Liz gasped at the sensation I had just given her. I was rewarded by her lips opening for me. The view was brief, but spectacular. She was staring down at my hard shaft. Kristin had been instructing her, unbeknown to me. She ran her tongue around my head and sucked it in, I gasped "Oh!" She was pleased with herself. As she ran her tongue down the underside of my shaft and licked by balls, I was having a hard time concentrating on what I was doing for her, but my mouth was lapping up the juices that were flowing. ------- Katy had been given a road map. She hadn't understood why she was getting it, then all of a sudden Cynthia was gone. When she realized Keith, Mary and Liz were also gone, she became concerned. That is until Robin told her why they had slipped away. So she took charge, with a smile on her face, and led the group off to the first spot on the map. This is where Cynthia's plans failed her. The building was locked up. No one had told them a group would be visiting and they had a project to accomplish in another location. Undaunted the group went on to the next location on the map. As it was, two of the six places that Cynthia had on the map were not available. Cynthia had cleverly constructed the tour so that they would end up a ways away from their final destination. The hangers. She had planed it that way so that it would take time to get back to where we were. What she didn't know, nor could have guessed was the transport truck that came by. It was driven by one of the men who had been delivering thing when the girls were on the catwalk. He stopped and offered them a lift. He would have been happy to give any one of them more than that. Reluctantly he had to drop them off a few hundred yards short of their stopping place, as he was on a tight time schedule and was heading in a different direction at that point. The end result was that they showed up more than an hour before Cynthia had expected them. ------- When Cynthia said that she had the supply room set up she wasn't joking. She didn't turn on any lights and the windows that looked out onto the floor of the hanger were blacked out. She lit a candle and it gave a soft light, enough to see what was inside. The room was completely gutted and in the center were sheets attached to the ceiling, draping down. She pulled Mary with her in anticipation. Once inside, it was as though being in a sheiks palace. Lying on the floor was a double bed mattress, around were pillows and candles that she lit. The light had an effect of making the sheets glow softly. As she made the circle around lighting candles, she was once again in front of Mary, bending over lighting the last candle. Cynthia had been worried that Mary wouldn't be interested, so she had gone to all of this elaborate surroundings to try and make it as irresistible as possible. What Cynthia didn't know was that Mary was looking forward to it and after Keith's little talk to her, she would have done anything Cynthia wanted anyway. As Cynthia was bending over, Mary slipped out of her clothes. As Cynthia turned back around, Mary was laying on the bed. "I think this is how you want me?" "Oh God yes." Cynthia replied as she stripped in front of Mary's watchful eyes. They intertwined, melting into each other's arms. Both of them reliving that first encounter back in Carp. Both of them were a little timid, having the same submissive tendencies, Mary much more than Cynthia. So it was Cynthia that moved it along. They were both so hot; all it took was a little coaxing from the other to put anything in motion. They had kissed; played with, kissed, and sucked upon each others breasts, and now were in a '69' position. Having brought each other to orgasm once, they were working on a second when they heard the large crash. Fearing something terrible had happened, they came running out. ------- I had told Liz I was about to come; it surprised me that instead of releasing me, she sucked harder. I lied back, drained, when it was over. She wasn't done with me yet. "Come on little brother, you're not done are you?" She had a twinkle in her eye that said I wasn't. "You drained me." I said and as I saw the disappointment fill her eyes, I quickly added, "But it won't take long to recover, here," Holding my arms to her, "Cuddle with me." If there was one thing I learned from Robin, it was the importance of cuddling. She turned and wrapped herself in my arms. We lay side by side for a while. I turned to her, "Liz, I love you," I said as I nibbled on her nose. "Oh, Keith, I wish..." "No need to wish," As I felt myself rising again. "I'm here for you anytime you need me." "Yes, I can feel that," She said with a smile on her face, and then she got serious. "You know I have saved myself for the perfect man. You have always been there and I failed to see it. It took my baby sister to show it to me." I smiled at her, and she kissed me. It was long and slow as though we had all the time in the world. I rolled on top of her. The bed groaned again, but we paid not attention to it. Our eyes were focused on each other. "I don't have a cherry for you to break, I hope you're not disappointed." I smiled at her, "Should I ask? No I don't care." "You are the first man." Then she turned a delicate shade of pink, "But not the first thing up there." "Why Liz, I do declare. What on earth have you been doing to yourself?" Trying to put on an air that was definitely not me. She giggled. "Keith, I love you." "And I too. Now if you will let me do the honors of making you a woman of mine, I shall proceed." "Oh, please do and with great haste kind sir." With that said, I kissed her. Sitting up I spread her legs and admired Gods handy work. "My you're beautiful Liz." She was blushing deeply; being so exposed to me, having me complement her on her most private of areas. I couldn't resist and kissed her mound again. She tasted sweet. I looked into her eyes and saw anticipation and apprehension all at the same time. "Do you want to be on top of me and guide it in at your own pace." I asked. "No, I want you to be in charge. I need to let myself go, and let you take me. I want you to fill me with your love." I was a bit choked up. She had just given herself to me. I didn't know what I had done to deserve such wonderful sisters. Leaning forward I touched the tip of my dick to her lips. They were moist from the entire licking I had given them earlier. As they parted I rubbed up and down, coating myself with her juices. I moved my dick all around, letting her feel the sensation of it, driving up the anticipation. I ran it around her hole, but did not put it in. Around and around I went, occasionally rubbing across her clit. She has started to moan and then she started to move. By now as I got near her hole she was pushing her hips up to try and get it in. I knew I was tormenting her, but I wanted her as ready as could be. I was afraid of having it hurt her. "Oh God Keith, stop driving me crazy, get it into me now." "As you wish my beautiful lady." As I said it, I did it. I let my head slip into her opening and as I pulled my hand away, I slowly pushed forward. She wasn't going to have it enter her gently. She thrust her hips up and impaled herself on me. "Oh, OH, OOOHHHHH..." Her mouth was open but nothing more came out. I stopped moving to let her adjust to having me in there. She relaxed and a smile came over her face. "Keith, you're in me. Oh it feels sooooo good to have you there." I smiled. "That's just the start." With that I started to pull out, she sucked in air as though not wanting to let go and as I slid back in she exhaled. As an answer to continue she shook her head up and down. I started slow, but she wanted more of me and soon I was sliding in and out in long fast strokes. She started to become a little vocal, calling me sweet names, then it changed to how it was making her feel, all of a sudden she went silent and her face contorted, I felt the contractions start around my dick. Gasping for air she still cried out, C U M M I N G. I was envious of how long a woman can last. She started to relax, the spasms running through her body, lessened. Finally she looked up at me. Smiling she said, "Wow Keith, Kristin tried to describe it, but what she said was nothing like this." I leaned forward still hard inside of her and slowly shifted my weight to my knees and hands. It was the change of pressure that did it. All of a sudden we heard the bed make a cracking sound. The rivet holding one of the side rails came loose, sending the top corner of the bed crashing down to the floor. Being a metal rail hitting a cement floor in an almost empty large building, the sound echoed. As the rail fell, I was thrown off balance. I started tipping, Liz grabbed hold of me and the end result was that we rolled off the bed, onto the floor. Giggling, Liz said, "Maybe we need to take the mattress and put it on the floor for safety." I couldn't have agreed more and it was pulled down and straightened in haste. ------- Cynthia and Mary had come running out expecting the worst. They stopped behind the row of boxes that was in front of their little utopia. Seeing the condition of the frame and us on the floor, they were trying hard to suppress their giggles. Then they got quite and watched the sight that Liz and I were presenting them. It didn't take them long to start getting worked up. "Just a minute." Cynthia said as she ran back into the storeroom. When she came out she had something behind her back, Mary had no idea what it was. The only thing she saw trailing behind was an extension cord. "Close your eyes." She told Mary. Mary, thinking it must be some kind of massage thing, what else would she have that plugged in? She leaned across the boxes, keeping her eyes facing in our direction. She thought that Cynthia would be running the machine across her back. She was surprised when Cynthia ran her hand across her ass and down between her legs. "Ohhhhh" she let out and relaxed again. As Cynthia probed her with her fingers, Mary forgot all about what Cynthia had ran off to get. Then she felt something run across her lips and touch her clit. "What is..." "Shhhhh." Was all Cynthia said. Cynthia rubbed it back and forth a few more times getting it nice and wet. Then Cynthia did something that completely baffled Mary. She put her hand on her mouth as a sort of gag. Mary started to turn, as Cynthia turned on the vibrator. Mary tried to scream, her eyes got wide. Cynthia was smiling and as Mary relaxed to this new sensation, it started feeling good, real good. ------- I was still rock hard looking at her. "It's not done yet." I said, as I slid it back into her. Then I rolled her on top of me. She sat up surprised and as she looked at me. The feeling of the difference in position started to register. She was now in control and my dick was rubbing across the bottom of her clit as she moved up and down on me. "Oh." Was all she got out. But the smile that spread across her face said it all. She was ready for more and started slowly moving. Moving down on me so that she was kissing me at times she found to be her best spot. It maximizes friction for her. It was also the hardest for both of us to maintain. I popped out a few times and it gave her legs a real workout. She was in ecstasy and I wasn't far behind. She started speeding up, trying to reach the top. I held her hips and slowed her down. "I want this to last. This is our first time. There is no need to rush it." As she slowed down, she smiled. "Do you ever think of yourself?" "Believe me, this feels as good to me as it does to you. But you are so wonderful that if you keep up this pace, I'll be done in no time. That will be my second time and it would take me a while to recover. So yea, I'm thinking of myself too." "My legs are starting to give out. But I love this position." She then got a sly grin on her face. "Any others you might suggest?" ------- Outside the hanger Robin, Katy, Kristin, Jill, Stephanie, and Dora were looking for us. They found the Jeep. Then they heard a crashing noise. They went around front but the door was locked. Beside the jeep was a series of windows. They were six feet high and curved with the building. Katy told Dora to climb up on the jeep and see if she could look in and see anything. She stood up on the jeep that was about two feet from the wall and leaned over. With her hands holding her against the curve of the building she was at the right height to look in. There were a number of boxes blocking her view, so she had to move back and forth across the edge of the jeep to see in. She had her legs spread across the door when she spotted Liz and myself. She gasped as she saw Liz sink down on top of me. "What is going on?" Kristin wanted to know. "I see Liz and Keith." Dora replied. She watched as the tempo increased and then as I stopped her. Dora was in another world. She didn't hear the next two questions that were being asked of her. She also didn't think about how aroused she was and the obvious odor that she was now permeating the air with. As soon as Katy smelled it she knew why Dora wasn't responding, she was being given a show. Katy moved next to Dora and lifted her skirt. There were the unmistakable beads of her juice glistening between her legs. Because Dora was standing on the jeep, Katy's head was right in line with her pussy. Katy put her hand up and slid her finger right across Dora's protruding clit. It caused Dora to come back to reality, fast. She started to fall, but with Katy in front of her and Kristin on the side of her, she managed to stay upright. "I'm guessing the view is very good from up there?" Katy asked Dora. All she got is a head shake. "Dora." Katy said in a stern voice that caught everyone's attention. "You will describe what you are seeing and in great detail and be rewarded, or you will get down and be punished." "I would like to stay up here, please." Dora meekly said. "Then tell us what you see." Katy replied. As she did, Katy gently stroked her, from one orgasm to the next. Kristin had seen Jill who looked apprehensive at the display before her. Kristin took Jill by the hand and pulled her into the back seat of the jeep and had Jill sit on Kristin's lap. She wrapped a hand around Jill, pulling her tight and started stroking her hair. Jill leaned into Kristin and put her head on her shoulder as they all listened to Dora's monologue of the sights inside. ------- I had Liz get on all fours and entered her from behind. As soon as I made my first thrust I could tell she liked it. She was making noise and the faster I went the louder she became. I was far to gone at that point to care if Cynthia or Mary heard us. As Liz's orgasm overtook her she let out an almost primal tone, low and soft at first, but as it went on it became louder and higher. In the hanger, the sound reverberated, filling the entire space. Her body spasmed like I'd never seen before. The gripping force on my dick was too much for me and I grabbed her hips holding her tight as I pumped load after load into her. We didn't notice until we were slowing down. Liz had become silent. Mary was the first to make a noise. We looked over and saw a number of boxes that had collapsed. There was Mary, sprawled out on the floor. Cynthia was almost on top of her. Both their eyes glued to us. To the left of them, making it's own tribal dance was a glistening vibrator, apparently long forgotten. I smiled and pointed to it. Mary's eyes followed my finger and saw what I was looking at. She turned as red as I'd ever seen. I just smiled. Liz rolled over; she looked at me with a look of contentment. "Keith." That is all she got out before covering her mouth with my lips. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her, kissing, for a long long time. When we finally separated, I rubbed noses with her, something we use to do when we were kids. "I love you." I whispered in her ear. When I looked back at her, she had tears in her eyes. "I love you too. You know I am yours now. I always will be." "You know there is another party that has to agree with that." She looked up at me, and then down to the ground. "I'll be hers too." ------- Dora was trying to keep up with the actions she was seeing. When Liz had gone almost frantic and Mary and Cynthia had fallen over the boxes. She herself had orgasmed, nearly falling. They had thought it was her, but when she spoke again, everyone knew the primal sound was coming from inside the barracks. Jill shuttered, Kristin became concerned that she was upset and reached her other hand around her to hold her tighter. As she did, Kristin's hand brushed across Jill's breast. Kristin was surprised to find her nipple hard. She stopped her hand and almost innocently rubbed it back across. Jill looked up at Kristin. "It's OK that it feels good." She said. Jill looked down and slowly nodded her head. Then Kristin whispered, "What made you excited? Hearing what Liz and Keith were doing, or seeing Katy rub Dora?" Jill didn't say anything and Kristin rubbed her hand across Jill's still erect nipple. Jill jumped and looked at Kristin. Then she lowered her head again and said in an almost inaudible whisper, "Both." ------- I saw Liz looking at Mary as she bent over to pick up the toy. "Which toy would you like to play with more?" I asked her, loud enough for Mary to hear. Liz stared at me awestruck. Mary was turning red again at what I had said. I stood up and lifted Liz up. Taking her by the hand I walked her over to Mary. Cynthia was watching me, with a sly grin on her face. I stood in back of Liz and intertwined my fingers into Liz's. Then I reached out and started to caress Mary with one hand, while taking the vibrator out of Mary's possession with the other. Cynthia was a quick study and came to my aid, turning it on. With one hand cupping Mary's mound and the other, with vibrator, running from Liz's belly downwards, I asked the question again. "So, which toy would you like to play with more?" She just groaned. We were cut short, as this time Dora's orgasm from watching this interplay caused her to fall. We heard her hit her hands on the side of the building. As we turned towards the noise, I was able to see Dora just before she disappeared from sight. "It looks as though the others have arrived." I said. All three of the ladies had a pained expression on their faces. They didn't want this to end any time soon. Liz and I left Mary and Cynthia, as we needed to walk the perimeter collecting our clothes. We walked hand in hand, collecting, but not redressing. When we arrived at the last piece we came back to the center and dressed each other. Mary walked in and out of the storage room. I don't think she had anything to do and wanted to watch us. I finally opened the outside door and there stood Robin with a big grin on her face. Katy, Dora, Stephanie, Kristin, and Jill were behind her. Katy was the first to speak. "Well Keith, you sure know how to put on a show." Liz was turning scarlet. "Why thank you, but it wasn't really put on for your benefit. Cynthia said you should have been on your little tour a lot longer than you apparently were." As we left and headed back to meet the bus and the other group, we were told the story of their shortened trip and what they saw. ------- The other group that had originally split from us were already on the bus. Everyone said they had a grand experience and thanked Cynthia for a wonderful time. Jimmy and Brian were chatting non-stop about all of the things they saw. Richard was looking at me, a bit envious. I saw Katy whispering to him and he was shooting glances to all of us. Apparently Katy said something agreeable to him, because he started shaking his head vigorously up and down with a big grin on his face. We got on the bus and headed back. Katy moved over to Robin and I, saying, "I think Richard needs some special time, can you make sure that the barracks don't get disturbed for a while?" "Sure." I said. "We can take everyone for a little walk, what do you think, ten minutes?" That got me a punch from both Robin and Katy. But they were laughing. "A little longer if you please." Was Katy's response. "What about Brian?" Robin asked. "He never seems to leave Richards side." Katy smiled, "You can leave him to me. I have something special planed for him." Robin and I looked at each other. We figured it was best not to ask. Once back at our location. Everyone went to there barracks. Freshening up was on everyone's mind and the bathroom was full. I noticed that Jill was relaxing a bit more, it was nice to see. Brian was at the far end being talked to by Katy. He was beet red. I wondered what Katy had up her sleeve. I noticed Richard pacing and knew it was time to get everyone out. Katy came up to me and said, "I'm going to distract Richard, get everyone out as quick as possible and give me twenty minutes, then send in Dora. OK." With that she gave me a little kiss. Shit, like mother, like daughter. I'd do just about anything for either on of them; bad thing is they knew it. Katy then walked up to Richard, he said, "What was that all about?" "I was getting prepared for this." With that she kissed him deeply, tuning him slightly and pulling him down to the bed. That was my queue. I motioned everyone out. Jimmy was the only one that noticed that Brian wasn't there. He started to say something and I stopped him. "He might be able to tell you some good stories after, don't want to spoil that, now do you." He shook his head no. I looked at the time, twenty minutes from now I'd need to get Dora back in there. ------- I looked across the yard and saw the girl that Stephanie was playing with. The thing that had caught my attention was the taunts. While the girl was nearly in tears, Stephanie was defending the girl, almost to fists. I was thinking that the tension of being cooped up in this place had finally got to the kids. I got up from the chair I had been sitting in and started to cross the small open expanse. The two boys not seeing me, kept it up. Over and over they went and the girl was reduced to crouching down, a pile of tears. Stephanie saw me and grabbed her friend, pulling her towards me. "What's going on?" I said with as much sympathy in my voice as I could muster. "Those boys are so mean, I could just punch them." Stephanie retorted with an air of fierce determination. I looked the boys had disappeared. We were walking back to where I had been sitting, as I said. "I don't think that would help." Kneeling down to the other girl, who had kept her head down the whole time. "What's the problem?" She looked up at me, with tears in her eyes. "I can't talk right." She said, trying her best to get the words out legibly. Seeing her face, her predicament, I was instantly choking back the tears. "Kids can be pretty cruel sometimes. They don't always mean what they say. You need to remember that." She just nodded. I thought, she's heard that one to many times. "What's your name?" "It's Pamela, Daisy's sister." Stephanie told me. "She doesn't like to talk much." I looked over to Stephanie and nodded. "I need to go up to the administrations office. I'll talk to you girls later, OK." and to Pamela, I said, "If those boys start to tease you again, tell them I'm going to have a talk with them, OK." She just nodded. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something that disturbed me about this situation. I was walking to my barracks and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I turned and found my mother. ------- Mom and I had had a pretty good relationship. We had shared our ups and downs. When she saw me, she got concerned. "Keith what is wrong?" "Have you met Pamela?" "We do share the same barracks, so we share the same bathroom. Nothing is very private. I can hardly stand it. Her mother is... well, yes to answer your question. I have. Why?" I just met her. I don't know why I hadn't seen her around before, but today she was being teased, well it was more like she was being taunted. She was with Stephanie. I started to go over and they came over to me. When I saw that she had a hair lip, I knew why the boys were teasing her." "Yes, I could see how that could happen." "It hit me just a minute ago, why it got to me so much." My mother was looking at me perplexed. "Tim." The guilt that shown on her face told me that she still believed that I didn't know the truth. "I know what really happened to him mom. It's why I want to see how I can help her." She was choking back some tears. I think she was relieved that I knew. "What can you do?" "First thing is to find out why she didn't have the surgery. Then find out if something can be done." "Keith, she's not your daughter." My mother said with sadness in her voice. I wondered if she had tried to help Tim and couldn't. I didn't ask, I'm not sure I wanted to know. ------- Richard half noticed everyone leaving and now knew that Katy had set that up. Alone at last. She sat up on him and started undressing. He couldn't help himself. His hands roamed around her bare flesh. She stood and dropped her skirt, with no panties on; she was naked in an instant. She pulled him up and turned him around. He closed his eyes and felt her fingers undoing his shirt buttons. The she sat on the bed, undoing his pants. Turned around like that, eyes closed or not, he couldn't see Brian watching him being undressed. Katy lowered Richard to the floor and Brian was to move back out of sight. When he saw Richard's dick and Katy standing there nude, he couldn't move. Luckily Richard also had his eyes on Katy and didn't see Brian. She stood over his head and slowly lowered herself. He was making small appreciative noises to the sight that was presenting itself to him. As Katy lowered, her lips spread and he could see deep into her. As enjoyable as it was to see, Richard was being driven crazy and he finally grabbed her hips and pulled her down onto his face. He breathed deep the wonderful aroma, then extended his tongue and started his conquest. Katy was in heaven. Lowering so slowly had driven them both over the edge. When he grabbed her and pulled her down, she realized how far he was gone. His tongue on her was doing magic and she was having a hard time concentrating. Brian was spell bound. Katy may have been his aunt, but she had a body that he often looked at, thinking his dirty little thoughts. Then there was Richard, he didn't know why, but ever since his experience with Cliff, his thinking of Richard instead of Cliff, he wanted to know more. Richard's dick was hard and big, just like Cliff's had been. This time though it wasn't a scary thing. After seeing Katy sit down on his face and Richards tongue start licking her, he would have done anything, anything. But what he wanted to do was exactly what Katy had told him he could do. Katy leaned forward; this gave Richard a better angle to her clit. He also knew that she might start playing with his dick. She motioned Brian over and put her finger to her lips, to make sure he remembered to be silent. He quickly, but quietly moved over and Katy took his hands wrapping them around Richard's dick. It felt a little different to him, but he wasn't sure, and everyone else had left. Katy was enjoying his ministrations and was rocking back and forth over his face. Then Katy did something unexpected for Brian. She had him look up at her and she opened her mouth wide, showing him to do the same. Then she pointed at the dick he was stroking. He looked at her wide-eyed. She smiled and nodded her head. He looked down at Richard's dick and then back at her. Then he looked down again and lowered his head. The head of Richard's dick slowly disappeared into Brian's mouth. Katy leaned forward as Richard moaned into her pussy. Richard didn't know what Katy was doing, but it was almost ready to send him over the edge. The way Richard was licking her, she knew he was close. Katy whispered into Brian's ear, "Use your tongue, lick around the top, he's just about ready. You can make him cum in your mouth. Then you get to swallow it." Brian was in heaven. He loved the feeling. When Katy said he could make him cum, he felt so good inside. He wanted to do that. So he ran his tongue all over, sucking hard, moving his hands up and down Richard's shaft. He first felt the shaft expand in his hands and then Richard's cum explode in his mouth. As best he could try and swallow, it was just too much and it started leaking out the sides of his mouth and onto his hands. Brian groaned in frustration. Richard heard that this time. It was not Katy, he was sure of it. Katy felt him trying to move under him and quickly motioned to Brian to get out. He popped up and ran into the bathroom. By the time Richard was able to get out from under Katy, no one was there. He looked at her, she smiled. "Who?" he asked. Katy looked surprised as though she had no idea what he was talking about. He looked down at his dick, it was still covered in his leaked cum. He then took her hands and said, "You didn't have your hands on me, who did?" He wasn't angry, just very curious. They heard a noise in the bathroom. Looking at each other, he said, "Who is in there?" Out walked Dora and Brian. He looked at Katy, who was looking very pleased with herself, and then back to them. Brian said, "I'm sorry, I had to wash my hands." Richard looked at Katy, to Brian, and back to Katy. He may have washed his hands, but he forgot what had escaped his mouth. "You... he... was it really?" Brian wasn't sure, but he thought maybe Richard was mad at him. Katy knew better, he may b\have been stumbling over his works, but his rapidly inflating dick told her all she needed to know. "Dora come here." Katy commanded. "No wait, stand still. You need to be undressed." Richard looked at Katy in awe. "Brian, would you like to undress Dora?" Brian couldn't believe his luck. He shook his head up and down so fast; it looked like it would come off. "Well, don't just stand there. Dora, help him out; I'm sure he's never undressed a woman before. Tell him how to do it." Katy and Richard watched as Dora instructed Brian, a very eager student, in how to undress a woman. She was getting turned on by the whole thing and started telling him how to not just pull down the garments, but to run his hand down her body as he released the shackles of the clothing she was wearing. By the time she was stripped, her scent had permeated the room and was getting to everyone. Katy thought turn around was fair play, so she told Dora to do the same to Brian. In thanks she was as sensuous in her removal of his clothes. Katy thought he was going to lose it right there and had to remind Dora, not to excite him too far. Once they were both standing before Katy and Richard nude, Katy then told Dora to sit on Richard and ride him well. She smiled at the order and as Richard lied back down, she climbed on, impaling herself. Brian was fascinated seeing her bounce up and down. Katy was instructing Brian on the finer points of Richard and Dora's techniques. It only fueled their fire and the tempo increased. Then Katy took her fingers and showed him Dora's clit, rubbing it as she moved up and down. This set Dora into an orgasm that went on and on. After she came down from her high, Dora was told to roll over and let Richard pound her from on top. They rolled in unison and now Dora was lying on the floor, Richard thrusting in and out. This provided a different view for Brian. It was a calculated move on Katy's part. She knew Richard would get off quicker this way and it would leave as much of his cum inside of Dora. With Dora on her back, Katy showed Brian her tits, had him feel one as she showed him how with the other. Then she showed him how to suck them. Katy could see this was having an effect on both Dora and Richard. Soon he was trusting with long hard strokes. Katy had Brian use one hand, fondling one breast while sucking the other. She reached up and kissed Richard, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. That did it. He groaned and thrust hard holding himself inside Dora, filling her. Spent, he rolled off. Katy was quick to pull Brian down and told him to lick. She said in his ear that if he stuck his tongue in far and licked good, he could get as much of Richard's juices as possible. It was obvious to Richard and Dora that that is exactly what he wanted. After he had licked the outside clean, she had him lay on his back, and Dora straddle his face. As she lowered, Richard and Katy could see Richard's juices starting to drip into Brian's open and eager mouth. "Is he doing a good job?" Katy asked Dora. She responded with an enthusiastic shaking of her head yes. "Then you should thank him, why don't you suck him off?" Dora looked down at his rock hard, but small dick. She looked back at Katy who mouthed, "Do it." She bent down and took his entire dick into her warm wet mouth. Brian had never experienced anytime so wonderful in his life. He was feeling things that felt so good. He loved the idea of making Richard feel so good and he even liked the taste. Undressing Dora and touching her body, then sucking on her tits and now licking her pussy while getting another taste of Richard. It was almost too much. But now he felt the warm wet mouth engulf his dick. He knew he was going to shoot. It hadn't been very long that he'd been able to do it, but it felt really good when it happened and it was defiantly going to happen. Katy saw the impending signs that Brian was about to cum. She moved over to Dora's ear and whispered something into it. She started sucking harder and Brian was shooting his small load in seconds. Then Dora got up and went to Richard, kissing him, hard. The surprise was evident on his face. Dora hadn't swallowed Brian's load and now was sharing it with Richard. As Richard didn't pull back, Katy knew he had accepted the offer. She was smiling. "Is he tasty?" Brian didn't know what was going on. Katy told him that when he had shot his cum into Dora's mouth, she had held it there and then kissed Richard, so they could share his cum. The thought of his Richard, tasting him, like he had done was as exciting as could be. His dick sprung back up and Katy noticed it. "That excites you, doesn't it?" Katy asked "Yes it sure does." "I could see." Pointing to his erect dick. He blushed. Then he whispered, "Do you think he'd ever do it to me? I'd do it to him. Anytime." Katy looked at Brian and cocked her head. "I knew that you wanted to. I could see it. But what made you think about doing it?" "When Jimmy told me about Dora and Richard. Well see when I was down in that place with that Cliff man, he made me do it. I didn't want to, but he forced me. I thought about what Jimmy said and I though I must be Dora. That made it a little better, but then instead of thinking it was Cliff, I thought about him as being Richard and it made it a lot better. Then I kind of change the Dora part to just me." "So he made you suck him. That wasn't all he did was it?" "No, he put his dick in my butt." Both Dora and Richard were silent listening to this tail. "So did you think of Richard then too?" Brian didn't say anything for a second and then said, "Yes, it made it so much better." "So you wanted to suck Richard, do you want him to fuck you in the butt too?" Katy and Dora saw Richard's reaction to the question. His dick was getting hard. Brian on the other hand didn't say a word, but slowly nodded yes. Then Katy said something that surprised both Richard and Brian. "If you do that, you will become lovers. He is mine and you have to get my permission first. My answer is yes. But then you have to ask Richard. You can't just hope, you can't just put it in front of him; you have to ask him to do it. Then if he does it, you two will be lovers, just like he and Dora are." Brian took a quick look at Richard and then looked down at the floor again and just nodded. Kristin was the one that broke the whole thing up. She'd been waiting out there too long. She needed to use the bathroom and bad. She finally opened the door and marched right through, trying not to look, but she couldn't help herself. The sight of Katy, Richard, Dora, and Brian, all nude and close together got her wondering just what had happened. ------- After getting a ride to the front of the base with some of the medical technicians, I entered an administration building. My health insurance had originally been though a program on base, I knew they could help me with the administration of forms, even though it had been converted, it was still with the same company. I needed to add Robin as well as check on dependant coverage, thinking of Stephanie. Sally was very helpful with all of the information I asked about and the many forms. When she looked at the birth date I had written down for Robin, she chuckled and said, "Oh, Keith, you made a mistake here with the year. That would make your wife only, umm, 13, I believe." When I said, "No, that's right." The whole office stopped. You could have heard a pin drop. I then said with a smile. "I didn't know I needed your approval, Sally." "Well no, I uhh... well, I just... I mean..." "It's OK Sally, she's very remarkable, maybe I'll drop by tomorrow and you can meet her." "OK." Was all she could get out. As soon as I was in the hall I could hear one of the other gals say, "Did you say she was thirteen? I snickered. I had just walked outside when I ran into Patrick McCarran. He said he was going to talk with Jack and asked if I wanted to come along. ------- As protocol, George waited near the base and waited for Jim to come out and go to the little diner not more than 300 yards from the base. When he saw two military police cars race out of the base and pull in front of the diner, he knew Jim wouldn't be meeting him for lunch. His car, up on a lift in a service station, getting its oil changed, didn't raise any suspicion. When his car was done, he waited for a while, walking into another little dinner and ate, passed time, and in a few hours left. When he passed by the diner he was to have his meeting in, the military police were still there. His next stop, Nellis. Once at the gate he asked to use the phone. Calling Jack up he announced himself. "Shit George, your hot property at NTS from what I hear, what the hell have you been up to?" "Can we discuss that in the privacy of your office?" "That's probably a wise thing to do." Given a visitors pass, he was pulling into the administration parking lot when he noticed a train coming out of the base. The thing that made him notice it was it wasn't using the normal tracks that ran supplies in and out of the base. He watched it come from a part of the base he was unfamiliar with. He also recognized the train. It was the same one he had seen at Carp. Up in Jack's office George was a cool cucumber. Jack was hot as anything. "Do you have any idea the kind of trouble your in George? I should be calling the MP's in here right now and have your ass hauled off to NTS." "And how many civil rights would you violate doing that? We are not at war and even if we were, there is no crime in me asking questions. There is crime in the government hiding its wrongdoing from the citizens of the United States." "What wrongdoing are you talking about George?" "Are you going to tell me that the military comes in an evacuates an entire town and there is nothing going on?" Jack remembered George's connection with Keith. He couldn't wait to get out of this job. "George I have no comment on that, you should no better than to ask me questions like that." George smiled. "Perhaps your right, I'll ask others. But then, I must be treading on some hot stuff to have poor Jim in such trouble." Jack couldn't wait to get him out of his office and off the base. The worst was over, or so he thought, because at that moment his intercom rang. "Congressman McCarran and Keith Patterson are here to see you sir." Jack felt his heart stop. He noticed George smiling. "You can wipe that grin off your face." To the intercom he said, "You might as well send them in." ------- Patrick and I were surprised when we walked in and saw George there. Patrick, always the politician, extended his greeting to George. I asked him what he had been up to and saw Jack squirm at the question. "Well, I might as well tell you, I'm sure that you already know most of what I've found out already, but I have some points missing. Those parts are what were going on in Carp in the last few days. I happened to be in Angle City and was told by some of the town folk that Carp was sealed off, with military guards. Now of course I needed to see for myself. I knew that the terrain wouldn't let me see anything from going up from Angle City, so I took the long way around and came in from the North. What I saw was quite an interesting display in military bungling." I could see Jack's eyes roll thinking of the commanding officer in charge and wondering what the hell he did now. I asked, to keep the conversation going, "So what were they doing? I only knew that they were guarding our town while we were away." "Keith, you've been spending to much time around Patrick, you're starting to sound like a politician." He smiled and went on. "It wasn't the regular guards that were the ones causing the problems, it was the other ones that came in by truck." I looked at Jack. "Do you know of other guards sent?" He had just as much a blank look on his face. "I know of no others going to Carp. Are you sure George?" "Very sure, the uniforms were different. When I get the pictures developed I could get a better look at any identifying marks. I knew something pretty dangerous was going on there when I saw the men in the containment suits came out, carrying two boxes." Jack and I looked at each other, George didn't miss it. "There is nothing unusual in what you've said so far, is there anything else?" Jack commented. "When they left is when the comedy played itself out. No one was in the truck that these boxes were in, so the other trucks were overloaded with men. When the first truck went over the little bridge right outside of town, the bridge collapsed. The following trucks ran one right into the next. The most amusing thing was that the men scattered like wildfire. Whatever was in those boxes, they were deadly afraid of. The men in the containment suits came in and cleaned up the mess. A few hours latter a special train took out the boxes, the men that had come by truck and the men that were in the containment suits." "Well George, you've been a busy boy." I said. "So where did they take everyone?" "Well the train went to NTS last night, but today I saw the train, with people on board, show up here and go off to a section of the base I've never been." Patrick and I looked at Jack. Jack was put on the defensive. "I don't know anything about a train showing up. I don't know every little detail about what goes on on this base. But I will get to the bottom of this." He got on the phone, many times of which he was shaking his head. After a lengthy conversation, he hung up. "Well it looks like there are a few more guinea pigs for testing." "Who were the others sent in?" I asked "National Guardsmen from Las Vegas, apparently from direct order or the Governor." Jack replied as though he could hardly believe it himself. "Why?" I asked as though it was a stupid question. "I know the answer to that." Patrick said. We all turned and looked at him surprised. "He apparently found out what was going on and sent them up to get something good. He is running against me in the elections. From an outsider's point of view, if he had succeeded in his little attempt, he would have looked like a hero to the people in this State. It would have given him a big boost. The question is, who leaked the information? You said you have the whole blotched attempt on film George?" George could see where this was going to be either a cover up and they would demand the film, ruining his story, or... "Yes I do, If I had some more information, it could be quite a story of how the Governor put the people of his state at risk." Patrick smiled. "You're a shrewd one George. I think that can be arranged. We will need to look over and edit what we feel we can tell you. I know that might disappoint you, but I have to protect what is told. I can't have this coming and biting me back." "I understand. Just make it quick, you know the Governor is going to try and limit his damage." "Don't you worry, I know all about that man." George left with a smile on his face. We sat down for some business. "So we can tell enough to let people know of a chemical release. The trains aren't going to want in on their hands. How is it going to be explained? The military will be more than cooperative, but they do not want it reviled that it was theirs and they lost it. So what?" Patrick said. "I think we need to find out what else George has. He was on to something. Maybe we can get him to cough up some information, for some of ours. We are after all using each other to get what we want. He knows he doesn't have much of a story without our information and I think we need what he knows to balance the whole story." I said. As Jack jumped to the phone, calling the front gate to stop and send George back, Patrick asked me if I wanted a job in politics. I shook my head no. We sat and waited. Within a few minutes George stormed in. "That wasn't pleasant. Thanks Jack." He just smiled. George looked perplexed, "Now what?" "I think we need to share information on both sides." I said. Patrick rubbed his hands together. "George, you were in Angle City. Not a normal place for you, unless you were working on something. You want to tell us?" "This is my whole story you are wanting me to reveal, what do I get out of it? "I think you already know the answer to that. We want you to print this story. What you don't know about Carp will make a great story, dynamite. We want you to have that, because it will help me, but most importantly, it will help Carp." Patrick replied. I have understood that you are a good congressman, but you have a strange attraction to Carp and I don't quite understand that. George said. We all looked at Patrick. He said, "George there are things I will tell you that need to be off the record. The only reason that I will tell you is that I trust your journalistic integrity to understand that when I say it's off the record that it stays that way." "I am honored with such trust. So, about Carp." "My niece and her mother live in Carp." "Well that explains it." "That is only the beginning." Patrick went on. "My niece is Robin." George shot a glance at me, I shook my head yes. "And her mother is Katy, Richard's new wife." George started to laugh, "Well shit, Keith you old dog." "There is more." George stopped laughing at the seriousness in Patrick's voice. "Robin's father is none other than the infamous Cliff." George dropped he jaw. "I can see how that could look. Patrick, if I don't report that, someone else could dig it up." "Yes, I know. The governor would love to use something like that against me. We can give you some information that will be a lot more important than a rundown on Cliff though. If the others that will jump at your story and see how they can try and follow up on what you know, I'd like them to go in other directions, at least until after the election. We have six months." "That is a lot of time, his team will not be looking into it. I can guarantee that he will want the whole story wiped from the newspaper as quick as possible, so that may benefit you." "I can only hope. So what were you doing in Angle City?" "The story really began with the Nevada Test Site." George said. We were all ears. ------- Once back at C9, I found Robin. "We need to talk." She looked at me apprehensively. "I need to tell you some things. A lot has happened since I saw you this morning." "Well?" "Not here, we need someplace private." That turned out to be harder than expected, but at last we were able to talk. "You are now on my health insurance plan." "You needed to be in private to tell me that?" No, but you should have seen the office when I filled out the paperwork. They were sure I'd made a mistake when I wrote your birth date. They didn't know what to say when I said it was correct, that you were thirteen. It was so funny." We both laughed. Then we got quiet. She knew there was more. "I just met Pamela." "Yes, Stephanie told me, you were very nice to her." "Robin, I need to tell you a story. My best friend while growing up was a boy named Tim. He had a problem. Not a problem like Pamela's, his was a muscle problem. He had to wear braces on his legs. Some the kids made fun of him. He was sure that all the kids made fun of him; he just couldn't hear it all the time. He wouldn't believe me that they weren't." She looked at me, trying to understand what I was saying to her. "Tim finally had an operation on his legs and after a little while he didn't have to wear those braces any longer. No one made fun of him any more. The real truth was that the teasing had crippled Tim more than his muscles. He never recovered from the emotional pain. I had liked Tim a lot and resented the pain those taunts had caused him. My mother never knew that I had found out, but I had heard that Tim ended up taking his own life, leaving a note that said his pain would finally be over." Robin looked at me with tears in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around me. I needed her. "I want, no I need to help Pamela if I can. Why didn't she have a surgery to correct her problem?" "I don't know, lets find my mom and ask her." ------- Katy only knew sketchy information. Robin had been three when Pamela was born. Although Robin and Daisy played together, that's about as far as their relationship went. It had been the transition time between when people thought it was great to see Katy's brother take her in and thinking that something was going on. A year later Jimmy was born. ------- I was going to talk with Pamela's parents. As I reached for the door to their barracks, it was thrown open and Daisy stormed out with Hank following. "You had just better get use to it, because that is what is happening." He shouted after her. She turned, with tears in her eyes, and shouted back to him. "You self-centered,... selfish..." I could tell she was biting her tongue, trying to hold back what she would really like to say. She turned back around and ran around the other building. Bruce stormed off in another direction. I thought I should tell Robin about it, but then saw he going towards the way I had seen Daisy go. I thought that nobody within hearing distance could have missed that exchange. I realized I was still holding the door open. Not being sure I wanted to go in after that, I peeked in. Sitting on one of the beds were and Pamela's parents, looking a bit stunned. I stepped in. Their mother got up, I thought she was being polite, but then she rushed off to the bathroom. I looked at him and he shrugged his shoulders. "Nerve's I guess." He said as I heard her losing the contents of her stomach in the toilet. "Oh, I'm sure it has been hard on you being here and not home." "No, this place isn't it. She was doing that long before we got here. Bruce said it's just a case of nerves, that's all. You know he's leaving? Taking Daisy away from us." I couldn't smell it, but from his slurred speech, the slowness of his moves, I was sure he'd been drinking. "I had overheard that. I'll come back, I would like to discuss something with you two, but I'm not sure this is the best of time." "That's fine, but I'm not sure when she'll be better than she is now. She only upchucks every so often. Doesn't have much of an appetite most of the time. Nerves that's all it is." She came back in before I had excused myself. Apologizing profusely. Settling into a chair, she said, "You wanted to ask us something?" "It's about Pamela." They looked at each other, not the first time people had asked them about her. I continued, "I know it is prying, but I do have my reasons. Why didn't you have the surgery to take care of the problem?" He got defensive. "What reason could be enough to ask such a question?" I told them about Tim. I told them how it had made me feel. I told them I wanted to help if I could. They described the breach birth. She was one of the rare babies that had been born in the hospital. They had been told it was going to be expensive. The town had collected some money. They went in as a government assisted patient. Money was very tight, but they could just manage. When she was born, when they first saw her, they cried. The doctor told them that it was classified as an elective surgery. She would not have any life threatening problems with it. They had no money and no choice. When Hank came back to town after getting some basic medical training, they had ask him. Pamela was now five. He had thought that it wouldn't have made any difference. I could tell by the way they were talking; he took what Hank had to say as gospel. She on the other hand wasn't as convinced. I obviously needed to find out more about the treatment. I then started asking about her condition. Same story, he believed it was nerves. Hank had said so. I left with more questions than I had come with. ------- They had thought the testing was winding down. They had one stubborn person that had resisted the whole process. Rebecca. Then the guardsmen came in unexpectedly. They needed the semen testing because of their exposure to rerexinal. The worst for them was that it was determined that to be a valid sample, they would need to ejaculate a minimum of three times before a sample was taken. A few of them were bragging at how that would be no problem to do in a short period of time. Most of them were not very happy with the idea. The only thing separating one exam area and the next was curtains, held up on polls. For a temporary system it worked just fine, although there was little privacy. To facilitate the men that had come in, they had set up a row of stalls. This would give each man just a touch of privacy and allow more of them to be done at once. It was on the other side of this row of stalls that Rebecca was. With paper thin "walls" she had been able to hear what they were going to be doing. The though of a row of men, dicks in hand, pumping their meat, excited her like she hadn't felt in years. She had told the nurse that she didn't want to be tested, that she didn't want a physical. But she was soon getting warm, and realized that having the physical wouldn't be so bad. They had asked her to take off her clothes. She saw the movement on the other side of the curtain and knew that the men were in place. She thought of them as she started to undress. What she didn't realize was that the exam light was on, casting her silhouette against the curtain for the men to see. This visual aid helped the men in their task and soon there was some grunting noises heard. Rebecca hearing this went wild. She was down to her bra and panties at that point. Pretending to be on a stage, she looked at the curtain as her audience and did a little bump and grind for them. Her mind was filled with carnal lust, something she had long suppressed. She had been a willing toy for her husband, catering to his perverted side. Then he died and with that, all contact with her sexuality had died. Now everything was alive again, as though it had not left. Years of pent up fire. Although she would never act it out herself, she could see herself pulling down that curtain and suck each one of them off. The men could hardly contain themselves. One of the men on the end completely went over the edge and pulled the edge of the curtain aside, holding on to it. When he saw Rebecca turn around, bending over, and wiggling her ass, he lost it. He let loose with such force that he nearly passed out. Holding on to the curtain for dear life to hold him up was his biggest mistake ever. The entire curtain came ripping down. As Rebecca turned hearing the startling sound, she was suddenly standing, nude, in front of ten men. As if given permission for this perverse act, every one of them let loose. ------- The nurse who had been told by Rebecca that she didn't want to be tested was getting tired of her attitude and with the doctors permission, had called Jack. He had said he would come over and try and talk with her. He also suggested, after looking over the roster of names, that she had a daughter and that she might help. With Cynthia in tow Jack had driven straight out to the area. When he arrived, he surveyed the area. Seeing the men had been set up in booths, they were being taken care of expediently. Then they walked around the backside to see the testing equipment. As nothing was being tested at that point, no one was there. They had started to pull the curtain aside to enter the "room" that Rebecca was in, when they got quite a shock. It looked like she was in a trance, dancing around removing her clothes. They quietly watched, trying to figure this out, when they heard the first grunt on one of the men. Jack and Cynthia turned and smiled at each other. Then they turned back to watch the show. ------- The nurse had gone out to find Jill. She assumed that she would be in the same barracks as her mother, so she asked for that direction, then found out that Jill was in our barracks, naturally on the other side of the yard. It took just a little time, but she was able to track her down. Jill was with Liz, Kristin and Mary at the time. Hearing that the nurse was looking for Jill, Robin and I went back to our barracks to see what was going on. The nurse told Jill of the problem they were having and asked her for help. She reluctantly agreed. I told her that Liz and I could go along with her. That made it a little better for her. We walked back over to the testing area and right before we got to the curtains there was a loud ripping noise. The nurse not knowing what had happened threw back the curtain. There was Rebecca, nude, standing in front of ten men. Cum was still dripping out of their dicks. Jill was shocked, "MOM!" she shouted, everyone turned to see Jill. The men quickly covered themselves, but her mother stood their defiant. "What are you doing here?" "I... I..." was all Jill could get out. She was white. I don't even know who you are anymore. You might as well live with them. You seem to be happier with them. I didn't need you here, just go away." Liz just stood there, speechless. I grabbed Jill's arm and pulled her away. Liz came with me. When we were outside, Jill started to cry. I held her. It was the first time she had let me do anything like that. I thought she probably didn't even know or care who it was she was crying on. Jill's sobs started slowing down. It was then that she realized it was I that she was holding on to. As she pulled her hands away, the watching Liz was right there. She wrapped herself to us, holding Liz in the center. Jill looked up at me, scared with a bewildered look. "That is the last time that will ever happen to you." I said with a conviction in my voice that she felt. She laid her head back down on my chest and started crying again. ------- Chapter 17 Jill was still pressed between us. I felt Liz release. I also let go, but Jill's arms still wrapped around me. I looked at Liz who was smiling. I looked down at Jill and took her face into my hands, tilting it up to me. I saw her swollen puffy eyes and her tear stained cheeks. Leaning down I kissed her forehead. "Jill, I'm so sorry. It hurts me to see you like this." She dropped her hands. Liz took her by the hand and said they were going back to the barracks. I just nodded and watched them go. When they were out of sight, I went back in. I wanted to release my anger on Rebecca. ------- As soon as I had pulled Jill out of the building, Jack had stepped from behind the curtain. Jack was in uniform and the guardsmen once seeing him knew they were in deep shit. Rebecca didn't quite understand the power Jack had. He addressed the men, berating them for their disrespectful actions. Going on and on he told them that each and every one of them had in effect shown and made lewd actions in front of a minor child. Rebecca saw the men although standing there in the nude, at full attention. Even without being around the armed forces, she could see that Jack had power that the men didn't want to see him use. She was becoming frightened of what was going to happen to her. Jack ended his tirade of the men by telling them that he would personally see each and everyone of them court marshaled with a dishonorable discharge if a single one of them ever spoke of this incident again. The resounding SIR, YES SIR was almost defining to Rebecca. They quickly pulled up their clothing and were starting to move out. The nurse who had heard Jack was impressed by how he handled the situation. He walked over to her and said in a much more normal voice that she had also seen nothing. She meekly said, "Yes sir." "Good, you understand that I am trying to protect the innocent girl that was just in here." The nurse shook her head in understanding and went on with her work as though nothing had happened. Jack then turned to Rebecca. He picked up a paper gown on an exam table and threw it to her. Striking her in the chest. She quickly caught it and put it on. It was at this time that I walked back into the room. Jack turned to see me and understood the anger that was on my face. "Hold on Keith, I think this needs to be dealt with well, if it will have any effectiveness." That stopped me as I considered his words. "Yes, I think you're right. May I suggest that she be transferred to the interrogation rooms? This is much too public a place." "That is a good idea. I am assuming that you would like to be a part of this?" "Yes I would." Jack turning to the far partition and called out, "Cynthia could you come and gatherer these things." Cynthia stepped out. I wondered just what Jack and Cynthia were doing there and how long they had been there. That thought was soon displaced as I heard Jack say to Cynthia to take Rebecca's clothes. So it was the four of us that marched out of the side doors and into Jack's jeep. Cynthia and I were in the back seat, while Jack and Rebecca were in the front. The sun was half way down the horizon as it was quarter to five. It was still warm and the breeze from the open jeep felt good. C9 had been specifically separated from the rest of the base in its construction, so Jack had picked up a bit of speed as he was traveling down the road to the main buildings. Rebecca was in her own little world at this point. She had been scared beyond belief when she had heard Jack address those men. Now she was being taken to some room other place. Her mind couldn't handle it and she decided she needed to think of other things. The first thing that came into mind was her little escapade that caused all of this in the first place. But she was not dwelling on that. She was thinking of those men with their large dicks in hand. She felt herself getting wet, just remembering it. Moving her right leg out toward the opening of the door area she caught a little cool breeze up her leg and it felt good. Opening up her leg further was a big mistake. She didn't count on the gusts of wind that came across the base. It caught her paper gown and ripped the entire front, from her legs to just under her breasts, right off. The paper fluttered in my face, striking my eyes. I ripped it free, leaving only the portion of the gown that was between Rebecca and the seat. It sailed gracefully into the air and eventually landed on the road behind us. Cynthia and I realized what it was and couldn't stop laughing at the situation Rebecca was obviously in. Although Rebecca had been standing in front of Jack nude as he dressed down the men, this was different and she felt very exposed. Putting one hand to cover her pussy and the other to cover the bottom of her breasts, she was quite a sight. It had startled Jack when it happened and he almost ran off the road. Knowing that almost all of the administrative staff would have gone home at four thirty, Jack knew there wasn't going to be anyone around. So he left Rebecca the way she was. Pulling up to the locked side entrance, we all got out. I pointed out to Cynthia that the back of Rebecca's gown had a large wet spot on it. She had been aroused at one point during this trip. Jack saw it also and said, "Cynthia, it looks like this woman has wet herself, or more likely enjoys parading her naked body around a camp full men. I doubt if the soldiers in the hall were as much the blame as I originally thought." Jack led us down a hall and a set of stairs, another hall and then had Rebecca enter a room. It was a basic non-descript room. A wooden table and a chair were the only furnishings. The floors and walls were smooth and the lighting was recessed. The only difference between one wall and the next was the mirror on one wall. "I'll come back in a few minutes and then we can get started with this." His was the first time he had spoken to her sense we had entered the building and the tone of voice he used was full of impending doom. Jack then led up into the next room. As with all the interrogation rooms on this base, this was set up with a one-way mirror and a microphone. We could see Rebecca pacing. "OK Keith, I can tell you are beyond your normal upset. You looked as though you wanted to tear this ladies head off. What's up?" I told him who Rebecca was and who her daughter was. This brought everything into focus for him. "So Jill is the one that you told me was raped, who was man handled by our troops, and has been basically abandoned by her mother." "Yes that is right, I want Jill away from her mother so she can do no more harm to her." Jack smiled. "I don't think that will be a problem. That in fact will be the easier of the disciplinary actions I will be taking with her." I wasn't sure what he meant, but I was interrupted from asking as we heard Rebecca's voice from the other room. Cynthia looked through the glass and saw the brunette, her hair in disarray from the ride to the admin building. She was a little on the plump side but only a few pounds. Her breasts were on the small side but looked firm enough. There was little evidence of stretch marks on her abdomen. Most of the additional weight was on her legs, but a little exercise would trim that away quickly. Even with a thirteen-year-old daughter, the woman looked like she was in her twenties, her posture and body had not yet shown much of the wear time and country life could give. Dark skin around her neck, arms and lower legs attested to where the sun would normally shine. A little tan on the rest of her body would make Rebecca an attractive woman, especially if the constant smirk or condescending looks could be removed from her face. ------- "I don't know what all the fuss is about really. All I did was take off my clothes. The nurse had asked me to anyway." She had no idea we could listen to her. One of the down side of being so sheltered was she didn't know of such things, she also had no idea that the mirror allowed us to see her while she could only see her own naked body. "Could I help it if there were ten handsome men just behind my curtain? I didn't put them there." Then a smile appeared on her face. "But I would have if I could have. Oh it has been so long since I have felt that way. Why can't anyone understand that I need to feel sexy too? Boy those men sure did that to me." She talked in a low voice thinking that she was only talking to herself. She was standing in front of the mirror, right in front of us, and reached up caressing her breasts. Then one hand went down between her legs. She closed her eyes. "Ohhh those nice dicks and they all shot for meeeeeee," she whispered in an odd voice. We watched in amazement that she would display herself so freely. She had become almost trance like, rubbing herself to near orgasm. "Daddy and Mommy never let me have any fun" As if it hurt, she suddenly pulled her hand out from between her legs. She looked at it and said, "Oh, I see you've been a bad little girl again. No, No mommy, please don't hurt me. I'll never do it again." We looked at each other; Rebecca had been abused as a child. There was no mistaking that. "No mommy no." Then she closed her eyes and then smiled. "I showed them. I learned to wake up in the middle of the night. Then I could have my fun." With that she pushed her hand back into her opening and grunted. "Oh God I wish my husband hadn't died. He knew what I needed. He made me to do all of the things I liked." Her hand was moving faster and faster. The small amount of paper that had been covering her breasts was now torn to shreds. "He controlled me. He had me do all those sexy things. He... oh... Oh... OHHHH" She shuttered, obviously orgasming. After coming down from her cum, she looked strait in the mirror, pinching her nipples and said, "I wish I could be made to do all those things again. It was the only time in my life I felt truly alive." I looked at Jack; he had a smile on his face. "I think I can grant that wish," and walked out. "What the hell did he mean?" I said. "Just watch." Cynthia replied. ------- We watched him enter; there was no trace of a smile on his face. Training I thought. Rebecca had been startled when he came in the door. "This place smells like a whore house. Look at yourself; you haven't been thinking about what kind of trouble you're in. You've been masturbating." With that he grabbed the little part of the front paper gown that was left and ripped it from her. She stood in front of him, nipples erect. "We are going to sit down and have a little chat." Jack moved the only chair in front of the mirror, sitting in it. Rebecca looked around as if another chair would somehow appear. "Sit up here on the table." He said and patted the place right in front of him. Now we could see her looking straight in the mirror. He had planed this on purpose. The dog, I'd have to congratulate him on his cleverness. She had her legs to the side, but somehow after seeing her trampy ways she'd soon have a leg on either side of his chair. "So Rebecca, do you have any idea the level of trouble that you're in?" She suddenly became nervous again, as if brought back to reality. "No, sir." "Well, where should we start, with the small things like refusing to take testing that the government of the United States has requested of you? Or we could go back further to refusing to evacuate the town on direct order of the government." She was sitting stiffly we could see. "But it was my daughter!" "SILENCE." Jack bellowed. "I had thought you were the adult, are you not? You are the one responsible." She was visibly shaking now. "But let's get to the more recent events. You purposely exposed yourself to those men. Not just any men, but servicemen on duty. They were in for testing as well and now that test is invalid because of you." She had no idea that that wasn't a real test and Jack was using this to create more fear. "Would you like me to get the law book and show you just how many statues that you have broken on this base? WOULD YOU?" "No no sir!" Rebecca barely managed to get out. "Then let me go on with one of the most serious of offences, this is the one that involves your daughter." Rebecca's head shot up looking at him. "Do you know that when you put yourself in that position, that having your daughter come in and see you and those men like that, you basically were prostituting yourself. You did this right in front of your daughter. Then to top it of, instead of showing any remorse, you blasted her for ruining your fun. TEN MEN SEXUALLY EXCITED AND NUDE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR DAUGHTER, WHAT KIND OF A MOTHER ARE YOU!" Rebecca's eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open. "But I,... I" She was shaking and her breath was ragged, heaving in and out. Cynthia and I looked at each other, we weren't sure were Jack was going to go with this. I was happy to see the bitch squirm. "I bet she opens her legs for him and tries to get out of it by having sex with him" I said in disgust. Jack softened his voice at this point. "I don't know many people who would put themselves into as much trouble as you're in for no reason. You do understand that you are in considerable trouble, don't you?" Rebecca meekly nodded her head. "I would like to help you, not prosecute you. Tell me what was going on in your mind?" Rebecca finally started to see a light at this dark tunnel. She was seeing her world collapse around her. This man wanted to help. He said so. She started to look at him. He was a nice looking man. Tall and a rugged looking face with a little gray around his temples. Nice square shoulders, like all the military men seemed to have. He was powerful. Maybe, just maybe he could help her. "I don't know how to begin." She said, suddenly becoming aware of her displayed body. She pulled her knees up to her. She didn't realize that this just exposed her lips to the sitting Jack. He smiled, "Try and relax Rebecca. I know this may be hard for you, but I want to help you. I can't help without knowing. Why is it that you wanted to expose yourself to those men, you did want to now, didn't you?" Rebecca nodded. "Yes I could tell. So you like displaying yourself do you?" "Yes, but I... " She caught herself. She wasn't sure she should go on. Jack stood up and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. We could hardly hear the next few things she said it was so softly. "I have this powerful desire. Ever since I was a little girl. My body aches and I can't control it." Jack was rubbing her shoulders, she had let go of her knees and her legs had dropped open. "That's OK, tell me more." He said in a soothing voice. I wasn't so sure I liked what was going on. It looked like he was just using the situation to seduce this woman, then I looked over at Cynthia. She was enraptured in the whole process. I wasn't sure if it was because she was turned on with the situation, or something else. "What's going on?" I said. She didn't break eye contact with what was going on. "I've been on the receiving end of this treatment from Jack. Wow, this is incredible to see from outside it." I couldn't believe what she had just told me, and then I remembered when she came back to my house. Jack had taken her away. She had been nosing in to Richard and my life. When she returned to apologize, she was a very different person. Was this, what was going on? Rebecca continued. "I was out of control as a child, my parents couldn't wait to marry me off. I was a child bride. They didn't wait to thirteen like the town standard. I was eleven." Jack looked back at the mirror. Both Cynthia and I bolted upright when we heard that. It was no wonder she looked so young. She was the youngest looking mother of a thirteen year old I'd ever seen. Jack had started caressing down her front. He reached down and cupped a breast in his hand, "Go on." He said. She was trembling, but this time, not from fear. "The man I married, was so good to me. He must have liked young girls, because instead of thinking me as little, he devoured me." She shuddered from the thought. "I was able to do what I wanted to do." Jack now was toying with her nipple. Both of them were hard and she was starting to breath heavy. "What did you want to do?" She looked up at him with expectancy on her face, like she was asking for approval. "Have orgasms, lots of them." "And he gave them to you?" "Oh, God yes. In ways I'd never know were possible." "Like how?" This peaked all of our curiosity. "What was the best way?" "Well he was on the mining board, so sometimes we went to another town." We could hear the breathy excitement in her voice as she thought about it. "Then when all the others in the group had gone to bed, he would take me out on the town. You know to one of those bars. He had me in a dress that buttoned down the front." She was squirming on the table by now. Jack took his hands gently guided her to a laying down position. "He wouldn't let me wear a bra or any panties. That was bad, cause I leak a lot. So we go to this bar and he whispers to me as we go in that for every man that asks me to dance, I was to ask them to undo a button on the dress." She shuttered again. "As soon as we were inside he asked me to dance. I looked at him and he nodded his head. He undid one of my buttons. Well I found out later that when he went up to the bar that he told everyone there that I loved to dance. I did a lot of dancing that night. He had to drag me out of there. There were guys lined up to dance with me." She had a big smile on her face. "I also had almost all the buttons undone on the dress. I think six more and the dress would have come off. Well we got outside and a few of the men came out to say good night to me." Jack was running his hands freely over her now, getting closer and closer to her pussy. She was opening up her legs wider each time he came near it. "So he tells me to undo the rest of the buttons. I did and he took the dress off of me, right in front of the men. I was standing there, out in the street, nude. He handed one of the guys the dress and told me to tell them what a wonderful evening I had. My pussy was so wet I was dripping down my legs. He saw it and told me to give a goodnight kiss to each of the men." Jacks hand was now down between her legs, but just teasing her. She was thrusting her hips up to try and get more contact. "I felt like a tramp, every guy had their hands on me. My husband then bent me over and put his dick inside of me, right in front of those men. I came so hard I passed out. When I woke up I was in my bed, back at the hotel." Cynthia and I could see Jack as he thrust his fingers into her. Her arms hugging Jacks muscular arm keeping it from leaving. She let out a yelp and then started to buck up and down on his hand. Her head trashing back and forth. "Now that was very good, wasn't it?" Jack said as he slowly pulled his finger from her. "Ohhhhh, yeaaaaa. I haven't felt like that in years." Then she looked up at him. "Please help me. I can see you know how to." I felt angry. Jack had a woman who just threw herself at him and Jill was still hurting. This was not right. "I'm going in there." I said to Cynthia. "No" She said with a conviction that stopped me. "He's not finished yet, there is more." I sat back down. Jack was back to toying with her nipples. "Rebecca, you know you want me to make you feel this way, don't you?" She looked up at him. "Yes, I need you." "How bad do you need me?" "I don't know? What do you mean?" "I think you know Rebecca." With that he pulled his hands away from her. She looked at him. Looked at his hands. Looked at the lump in his pants. Then she looked down at the floor. "I need it real bad." She said I a whisper. "Are you ready to let me take care of you, complete care of you?" "Yes." "Are you ready to listen to everything I say and do it without question?" She looked at him again, "Yes, as long as it doesn't hurt me." "Rebecca, I will never hurt you. But you will listen and do as I ask. If you do, then you will be rewarded. Rewarded with what you desire the most. Is that OK with you?" "Yes." "Now, scoot to the end of the table." She did, hanging her feet off. "Lie back and grab your ankles." "But that would... " "No questions, just do it." "Yes." She said meekly. We watched as she spread herself open for him. "Now, stay that way." And he walked out the door, back into where we were. "Come on." He said. The door opened and she had a terrified look on her face. She was still holding herself open. As soon as she saw Jack she relaxed a bit, but then she saw us and started to let go. "I didn't tell you to move." Jack said. "You need an inspection to see if you are worthy." "But I am, I'll do anything for you." She nearly cried. We could smell her aroused state. "Cynthia will inspect you, won't you dear?" "I'd be delighted, you know that. How thorough of an inspection do you want to do?" "Well we are here and not home, but... well, do your best." I was getting the idea Jack was into some kinky stuff. I still was angry. He had led me to believe that Jill would be taken care of, that that was the easier part of this whole thing. What it looked like to me was that he had a willing slut to play with. Cynthia pulled Rebecca's lips apart and her hole opened up. "Looks nice and tight, want to give it a try?" "Sure, get it wet for me." Jack said. Cynthia bent down and started to lick her. Rebecca started to protest. "She's... She's licking... " "Yes and you will be doing the same to her. Tell me you don't like how it feels." Cynthia knew the cue and went straight for her clit, sucking it up into her mouth. "Ohhh, God." Rebecca said. "Now, we have some more things to discuss. Keith come here." I moved around so that I was on the other side of the table. "Now Keith has been taking care of your daughter." "Aaaahhhhhaaa." Was all Rebecca got out. "And he has been doing a fine job of it. You and she need time away from each other, that is quite obvious, don't you agree." "Aaaahhh... yeeeee" "So when you get back to the barracks you will find your daughter and apologize for your rude behavior and tell her that Keith is going to be taking care of her for the time being." "Buuuuuttt" With that Cynthia stopped. Jack who had been pulling at her nipples pulled his hands away. She looked at them and looked at me. It was silent for a moment, and then she said, "Yes you are right. I will do that. What am I going to do without my daughter at home?" Jack said, "Your not going home just yet. You will be staying with us for a while. Then we can decide what it is that you will do." With that Cynthia started again. "Ohhh yessssss" Rebecca said. I interjected. "Liz wants to take Jill to see the school that she teaches at." Before Rebecca could answer, Cynthia popped her head up and said she's ready. Jack walked around, dropped his pants and slid his dick into her in one long stroke. "YYYYYYYYeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss." Rebecca cried. Jack then looked at me and said. "Jill is in your charge. You make those decisions now. Right Rebecca." "Hhuu, Hhuu, Hhuu. What... ever... you... say... Jack." "Good, now I say for you to give the same treatment my wife just gave to you. Cynthia, climb up on the table and lower your pussy down to Rebecca's mouth. I think she wants to taste you." Cynthia pulled her skirt off. She had some of the sexiest panties I'd ever seen. She saw me staring and smiled. "I think Keith likes these." She said to Jack. "He smiled and said. "If you want Cynthia can take Robin to the place she gets them. It is a private shop, for obvious reasons." "Yes I would love that." Cynthia peeled them down and threw them to me. "Keep them as a souvenir." She said with a laugh. Then she lowered herself to Rebecca's mouth. "Oh yes." "She is doing a good job?" Jack asked somewhat surprised. "Well I'm not so sure, I'm just so horny right now. It doesn't matter." "Maybe she needs a little more liquid to suck up, what do you think?" "Oooohhh Yyeeessss." Cynthia said. Rebecca was making some noises to, but it was muffled with Cynthia over her. Cynthia got off Rebecca and lay beside her, taking the same position. Jack pulled out of Rebecca and thrust his dick into Cynthia. Rebecca protested, Cynthia cooed, Jack orgasmed. Jack pulled out of Cynthia, he was still fairly hard and he slipped it back into Rebecca, much to her delight. Cynthia then moved back into place over Rebecca. "She has a little present for you Rebecca." Jack said. "Open your mouth wide and catch it all." With that we saw the first of many ropy strands of Jacks cum drip into Rebecca's mouth. Jack was worn out by the time Cynthia was finished draining. Rebecca was given her clothes and they all dressed. As we were returning to the barracks I was aware of my painful groin. Blue balls I thought. I had been so caught up with everything that was happening that I hadn't had any relief myself. As we got close, Jack said to Rebecca. "You are going with Keith to find Jill. Then Cynthia will come and get you later. You will be staying with us." Whatever she thought of the first part of what he said was displaced with the idea she would be with them. A smile was on her face. Jack pulled up to the same spot we had taken off from. Rebecca and I got out and then Jack and Cynthia took off. Robin came around the corner almost as soon as they were pulling away. "Where have you been? I had dinner saved for you. I didn't know you were with anyone." She said with a not particularly nice tone in her voice talking about Rebecca. I pulled out of my pocket a crumpled, still slightly damp and very sexy pair of panties and gave them to Robin. "Here, Cynthia gave these to me." Robin was dumfounded. "I'll tell you all about it latter. Right now Rebecca and I need to find Jill. She has a few things she needs to tell her." Whatever Rebecca had thought of when Jack left her was sealed now. She looked at me understanding that I had witnessed all of what had taken place. She didn't connect that Jack would now be in more trouble than she could ever be if any of this was brought to light and I wasn't going to tell her. Robin watched the looks between Rebecca and me. I'm sure she couldn't wait to hear everything, but she came back to what I had said and responded. "I know where Jill is, let's go." ------- After a good cry, Jill was starting to feel a little better. She was glad that she had Liz. She was even seeing me in a new light. When dinner came along, Jill didn't think she could face it. She didn't want to see her mother. Liz, Kristin and Mary all persuaded her she needed to eat and they would stay by her side. They did and her mother was nowhere to be seen. This suited them just fine, but Keith was missing also. Robin was getting concerned. No one had seen him. Jill wanted to be in a place no one could see her, especially her mother. So she had retired to her bunk as soon as dinner was over. Liz stayed with her and this is where we found her. Robin went in first, I motioned for Rebecca to go in and then I came in. Robin had asked Jill and Liz to come out. As Jill saw her mother she started shrinking. "Jill." I said in a commanding voice that made her stop dead in her tracks. "Your mother needs to say a few thing to you and I think you need to hear them." Liz and Jill looked at me like I was half crazy. It turned and looked at Rebecca. "I think this is your part now." She was shaking and I put my hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked at me. I nodded for her to go on. "Jill, sweetheart. I don't know how to say this." There were tears starting to run down her face. "I know I haven't been a good mother to you recently. I... I am sorry for what I said to you, what you saw. It was wrong." She started to collapse. I sat her down on the bunk. "Go on." I said. "She needs to hear everything." "I need some time away. Keith has been very good for you. So I'm going to let him look after you for a while." Jill stood there in disbelief. She could hardly fathom what her mother had said to her. I stood Rebecca up. "I think it is time to go." Jill came forward and embraced her mother. "I love you mom." "I love you too. Take good care of yourself. I'll be all right." I led her out and back to the place Cynthia would be picking her up. When we got there, Rebecca turned to me and said, "You will take good care of her." "Yes, you have nothing to worry about. She will be going off with my sister Liz to see the school she works at for a little vacation, then coming back. I think it will be good for her to get away." Rebecca smiled, "Yes you're right." Cynthia pulled up. She looked at me, I smiled to her. That told her everything she needed to know. "Rebecca." "Yes." "Do you have panties on?" Rebecca blushed, "Yes." "I don't think you need them any more." Cynthia looked around to see if anyone could see. "You will take them off." "But..." Rebecca started to say and then went silent. "After you take them off, hand them to Keith, he is making a collection. Or he can take them off for you" That got her moving fast, she didn't even look to see if anyone was looking. She had them off in a flash. Then she realized she was to hand them to me. She just held them out towards me. Cynthia stopped her. "Rebecca, you will address Keith in a proper manner. Ask him to please take them and then ask if he would like to check and make sure they were really yours." I saw her turning red, I also started smelling the state of her arousal. "Keith, would you please take these from me?" With that she handed me her panties, which I graciously took. Then she said with her face looking down. "Would you like to check to see if they were mine?" I decided I needed to play into the game, so I said, "Yes I think I'd better." She did not expect that answer and shot a glance up at me. I reached down and took the hem of her skirt and raised it. The long skirt raised above her head, blocking her view. Cynthia came up and slid her finger into her. "Nice and wet, care for a taste Keith?" "Not now." I replied. We were both about to laugh, but Rebecca couldn't see that. I dropped her skirt. "I guess you'll need to lick off my finger then." With that she presented her wet finger into Rebecca's mouth. Who to my surprise took it and cleaned it thoroughly. "Time to go, Jack is waiting." With that she laughed. I saw them take off and them went back to find what I'd left. Jill was standing in the same spot, totally stunned. When I walked in the door, she said, "What did you do to her." "I didn't do anything. She asked for help and some people are giving her just what she asked for. I think she will be happy." She stammered, "She's never apologized to me, never." I saw tears start to well up in her eyes. "Did she really mean what she said about you looking after me?" I think there was some concern in her voice. "Yes and the first thing that I am deciding is that you need to get away and go with Liz to see where she works." Liz looked at me stunned. It was like everything was falling into place. Like this is how life should work. She didn't know what happened or how, but her little brother was a miracle worker. Liz threw her arms around me, kissing me. "OK enough of that." Robin said in mock anger. "He needs to eat his by now cold dinner and then he and I need to talk." Robin marched me off to get my cold dinner. She sat in silence while I was eating. Half way through my cold mashed potatoes, I reached in my pocket and pulled out another pair of panties and handed them to Robin. "Here, these are from Rebecca." I said nonchalantly. Robin stared at me. "Want me to begin." "Yes if you would." So through the rest of my dinner I told her of the escapade with Rebecca. "So." Robin said, "The help you told Jill about was to help Rebecca have orgasms?" "Yes, and lots of them from what I understand. To do that she needs to feel somewhat humiliated. I don't quite understand it, but I think it has something to do with her childhood. By the way, did you know she was married when she was eleven?" "Eleven! Are you sure?" "That is what she said. Her parents couldn't handle her anymore and married her off." "Holy molly." "So what is going to happen to Jill, I mean after she gets back from being with Jill?" "I want her to stay with us. Would that be ok with you?" "Yes Keith, I'm glad you said that because our little family is where she belongs." We came back out and it had become dusk. The sky was crimson. I held Robin in my arms and kissing her. We walked back, hand in hand, to our barracks. ------- As night had fallen, everyone had retired to their respective barracks. The chaotic scene inside ours was probably no different from everyone else's. One bathroom with to many people to use it at once, at least ours had a bit of humor in it. I was thinking that Daisy, Hank, Pamela and her parents were not laughing. Stephanie was hovering around me; it took me a few minutes to realize why. I bent down on one knee and looked at her. "Don't worry, I didn't forget." With that she went running off, pleased with herself. I wasn't as sure about the whole thing, but I had promised. Robin came up to me. "So tonight's the big night I hear." I turned red. "Ah, yea I guess so." She turned serious on me. "Look Keith, this is one of the most special things a girl goes through in her life, it isn't a yea I guess so kind of thing." "But." "No buts about it, She wants this and I know that you'll enjoy it to, so relax. I'll take care of the preliminaries, you just be good to her, like you are to me." She smiled. I was thinking, she's going to take care of the preliminaries? I can't complain, but does she really know how wrapped around her finger I am? No, I didn't really want an answer to that. So it was that Katy and Richard, Robin and I were making our good night rounds. The first stop was Jimmy, Brian, Stephanie and Dora's room. Richard went to Dora, Katy to Brian, Robin to Jimmy, and I went to Stephanie. We all said out goodnights in differing fashion. Some little tickles and soft words, some sloppy kisses and a bit of groping. Stephanie was looking at me with shining sparkly eyes. I held her in my arms. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, my dick was responding to the soft wanton body I held in my hands. "I'll come and get you when it is time, OK." Her smile was so big it looked like it hurt. She hugged me tight and said, "Oh I can't wait." We moved places saying goodnight to each one in the room, I noticed Robin taking extra time with Stephanie, whispering to her. I wondered what plan was being hatched. I would soon find out I supposed. Next we went in to Kristin, Mary, Liz, and Jill's room. We all took our turns, although I noticed Richard purposely stayed away from Jill. As I had finished saying goodnight to Liz, I stood up. There on the edge of the bunk was Jill. "Aren't you going to say goodnight to me?" She said with a catch in her voice. It stopped everyone in their tracks. Not wanting to miss this opportunity. I stepped up, wrapped my arms around her and kissed her on her forehead. She did not hug me back, but it was a bold step for her I knew. "Goodnight my little princess." I whispered in her ear. As I pulled away I could feel the heat radiating from her face and knew she was blushing. On our way back to our room Robin and Katy were talking, or scheming I should say. Once we were there they told us that one of the bunks needed to be moved. Richard and I looked at each other. I shook my head and he shrugged his shoulders. We both laughed. If this was the price to pay for incredible sex, well I guess I'd just grin and bear it. The bunks bolted together top to bottom and after a little use the nuts were always loose, so with relative ease we unscrewed them with our fingers. The side rails were pressure fit and were easily knocked apart. The question was, what to do with the bunk pieces. "Why not toss them outside." Katy said. Richard and I looked at each other, smiling at the reaction that would cause in the morning. Although it was unlikely anyone would actually see them, considering were the door to our room opened up. "Sure why not." I shot back. So within a few minutes all that was in our room were four dressers along the wall and a floor covered with mattresses. My mind traveled back to high school English class, Shakespeare. 'All the worlds a stage and all the men and women merely players.' Well we have a stage set, and as I just saw Robin leave, I'm guessing the players are assembling. ------- Stephanie was holding Robin's hand, gone was the determination. She was being almost timid. Her mother came up behind her with Katy. I watched as Dora whispered into Stephanie's ear. She turned bright red, but also nodded her head. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I soon found out. Dora walked up to Richard and gave him a kiss, full and long. Then she turned to Stephanie. As she approached me, it took me only a second to see what was happening. I bent down and took her in my arms. She gave me the same kind of kiss. This could be interesting, real interesting I thought. Next Dora started taking Richard's clothes off. She started with his shirt and then turned again to Stephanie who needed no further prodding. She practically ripped my shirt off me. Glancing over at her mother, she followed her steps and soon Richard and I were in our boxers. Stephanie was ready to pull mine down when her mother cleared her throat. She looked over to see her mother shaking her head no. Then Dora kissed Richard again, letting her hands run around his back. I was treated to the same. Dora then started to kiss Richard's neck, going down his front. Stephanie watched in awe. Richard had been quietly enjoying everything so far, but as Dora ran her tongue around his nipple and sucked it in, it was too much. He let go a deep and satisfying "OOOOOhhhhhhhhh". Stephanie looked at me and got a coy smile on her face, knowing I'd be enjoying her ministrations also. Knowing what was coming I was vocal sooner. Stephanie reluctantly let go. She couldn't see what her mother was doing while attached to me. Much to Richard's dismay, Dora stopped to watch her daughter as well as not miss anything she was about to do. I looked over to Richard and said, "Two can play this game." With that I started to undress Stephanie, much to her delight. I looked over and Richard had followed suit. They had their nightshirts on, so it wasn't much of a game. With the shirt off, they were standing there in their panties. I reached down and started kissing Stephanie's neck. Then lowered my kisses, finally reaching my intended target. I could tell from the sounds Dora was making that Richard was giving her the same treatment. Once my hands and lips had done a though exploration of her nipples, I picked her up in my arms and kissed her. "Not so fast." Robin said to me. "Stephanie is not finished with you yet." I set her down. Stephanie was blushing, but Dora cleared her throat one more time and she turned to pay attention. Dora started by kissing Richard and then with her hands, she ran them down his body. First at the shoulders and then the arms, down his chest and around to his back. As she brought her hands down his back she lowered herself to her knees. She reached around his waist and slowly pulled his underwear down. It had a hard time going over his stiff dick, but that pulled free and he stepped out of them. Stephanie couldn't keep her eyes of his tool as it bounced up and down. She then turned to me. I bent down slightly and she kissed me in similar fashion, making the same moves to me that she had just witnessed. There was something different though, because as soon as I stepped out of my boxers, I heard Robin say, "Go ahead." I looked down just in time to see her tiny hands wrap around my shaft and her mouth open wide. I couldn't believe what she was about to do. As soon as her little pink tongue licked my head, a shot of electricity shoot between us. I surprised us both so much that I lost my balance and so did she. I was glad for the mattresses on the floor. As we hit, everyone was laughing. I just looked at Stephanie and mouthed "WOW" she grinned in response. I thought the preliminaries were over, but I was wrong once again. Robin once again stepped in, telling me to keep lying down. Then she instructed Stephanie to squat over me. I was practically drooling when I saw her cute little pussy lips lowering to my face. I could tell she was a little apprehensive about this, but as soon as she felt my tongue invade her moist folds she was moaning. Within minutes this wild one was bucking on my face to her first orgasm of the night. Robin said to Stephanie, "Are you ready?" She was lying there with a dreamy afterglow on her face and nodded yes. "She's all yours now." Robin said to me. "You mean she's all ours, right Stephanie?" She smiled and said, "Yes, I am." I pulled her close and rolled her on top of me. Picking her up, I set her squatting over my dick. "I will guide, you can control the depth, OK." This was the moment of truth. She had a determined look on her face. I rubbed my head up and down her slit, getting it nice and lubricated. Then I rolled it around her opening. She was wide eyed in amazement of the feelings it was giving her. I looked up at her and said, "OK" She pushed down and surprisingly my head popped in and stopped at her hymen. She stopped and I looked up at her. There was such a range of emotion showing on her face. Slowly I felt her push again, it pushed at her barrier, and again she stopped. I looked over to Robin. She knew how agonizing this was for me. "Stephanie?" It broke her concentration and she looked over to Robin. "What?" she panted. "Do you wade into the water or just jump in?" This stumped her, she couldn't figure out why on earth Robin had just asked a silly question like that. "Well?" "I jump in, it is silly to wade in." "Why?" "It takes longer to start to have fun and besides, your going in anyway, might as well jump in." She stopped herself and then looked back at Robin. "Oh I get it, I'm wading on him, right?" "Might as well jump in." With that Stephanie pushed herself down hard, it stretched her, then the inevitable tear. It hurt a bit more than she expected and she let out a yell I knew everyone would hear. ------- Jimmy and Brian had seen Robin and Katy come in and Dora and Stephanie go out with them. They had been whispering back and forth as soon as they were gone. "You know what Stephanie is getting tonight." Brian said excitedly. "Yea, don't remind me." Jimmy said. He was feeling the loss of what he thought was going to be his girl. "What's the problem?" "I wish I could have girls going after me like Keith does." "Yea, Richard is pretty special too." "I've noticed. So what's with that?" "Uh. I... Well, I don't think you'd understand." "Why not? I tell you everything." "Yea, well it's kind of hard." "Fine then, don't tell me." Jimmy said disgusted. He couldn't figure out why Brian was holding anything back from him. "Jimmy don't be mad at me. You see it all started when Cliff got me." "Oh, sorry. I didn't think it would be that." Then he thought for a minute. "But what does that have to do with Richard. You mean cause he saved you?" "Well yea that's some of it." He decided that he might as well tell him. After all Jimmy was his best friend. "You know what Cliff did to me right?" "Not really." "Oh." This was going to be harder than he thought. "Well, Cliff you know, pulled me down to that room." "Yea." "And then he made me do some stuff with him." "Like what?" "He made me suck on his dick." "Brian, oh. Did you?" "I had to. He forced me. I didn't like it." "Yea, I wouldn't either." "Well, I didn't like being force to do it and I didn't like Cliff. I hated him in fact. So I had to imagine it was not Cliff." "How did you do that?" "I thought of Richard." "You though about sucking on Richard?" "It was better than Cliff." "Yea I guess so. Was that all?" "No." Brian said with a sigh in his voice. "What else could he do than that?" "He put his dick in my butt." "That's disgusting." "Well, I thought about Richard again." This is where Brian decided it was now or never, so he went on. "I though about Richard and Dora. You know how you told me Richard was sliding it in and out of her. So I pretended I was Dora and Cliff was Richard." Jimmy didn't know what to make of that. "So why did you do that?" "Well I thought the world of Richard, you know and that was before he saved my life. So I thought if I was Dora, then Richard could be making love to me and it would be better." "Was it better?" "Yes, much." "So, do you want Richard to do that to you? I don't get it." "Well sucking him was pretty good." "What? When?" "This afternoon." "Oh, is that why you stayed behind? Oh my gosh. Keith told me you'd have stories to tell. He wasn't kidding. So what was it like? How did you do it? Did he shoot his stuff in you? Wow, I can't believe it." "If you'll let me I'll tell you. I've been dying to tell you." "OK, so what was it like." "See Katy came up to me and ask me if I wanted to do it with him. I don't know how she knew, but she did. So I said yes. She told me everyone was going to leave, except Richard and her, so I should hide in the bathroom. Well you guys all left and then I was supposed to wait and then come out. Well I couldn't stand it and I came out before time. Katy was nude and undressing Richard. I had to watch. Then she had him lie down and she sat on top of his face. He must have liked it cause I heard him making all kinds of noises. Then she waved me over. I was to sneak up, so he didn't know I was there. Well I did and I was staring at his dick. She had me wrap my hands around it and you know, yank it." "Wow, did it feel like yours?" "Kinda, but a lot bigger. Then she motioned for me to put my mouth on it. I had to do that with Cliff, so I knew what she meant." "That's gross." "Not really. It's kinda neat." "Really?" "Yea, anyway, so I open my mouth and start to suck on it, while I'm yanking on it and all of a sudden it starts squirting in my mouth." "So what was that like?" Jimmy couldn't see Brian, but he was blushing. "It was good. I liked it. But it surprised me and I didn't keep it all in, so it went on my hands and face too. Richard was trying to see and Katy motioned me to go back into the bathroom, so I did." "Was that it?" "Oh no, that was just the beginning." "What else?" Jimmy was starting to get excited hearing Brian's tail. "Well I wiped off my hands and then Dora was there, she had come in quietly. It surprised me so much that I slipped and fell over. Then we heard Richard's voice saying, "Who's there." So we both went out. "So then what happened?" Jimmy was breathless with anticipation of hearing the rest of the story and whether he liked to admit it or not, his dick was hard. "Well Dora and I were standing there and Richard figured out that it was me who had been sucking on him." "So was he mad?" "No, Then Katy told me to undress Dora." "You did! Wow, how was that?" "It was something else. I started, but I really didn't know what to do, so Katy told Dora to tell me how to undress her, making her feel good at the same time. "Wow." Jimmy said in awe. "Yea, it was great and then Katy told Dora to undress me, the same way." "I would have shot off if she did that to me." "Well Katy told her not to get me to excited. It was hard." They both laughed at that. "Then Katy told Dora to lie down and Keith fucked her. That was something to see. It got really wild then." "How could it get wilder than that?" "Katy told me to lie down, and then told Dora to sit on top of me, like Katy had done to Richard earlier. So I'm looking right up into Dora's pussy." "I'm so jealous, then what?" "Then Katy told me to lick Dora, to get all of Richards stuff out of her. So I did. It was different, cause it was from Dora, but it was good. Then I felt something I'd never felt before." Jimmy was having a hard time not reaching down and yanking on his dick. This story Brian was telling him was making his little dick almost hurt. "What was it?" "It was Katy, she was sucking on my dick." "No." "Yes and it felt like I was in heaven. It felt so good. Then all of a sudden I shot right in her mouth." "Oh Brian, what did she do?" "She went over and kissed Richard. I knew he must be able to taste some of my stuff, cause I could see their tongues when they were kissing." "And he wasn't grossed out?" "No." "Wow, I guess it's not so bad then. I wonder..." At that point they heard Stephanie cry out. They weren't sure what was going on, but they wanted to find out. So they got out of bed and quietly walked over to the edge of the door. They couldn't believe their eyes. ------- Stephanie was not at all sure about this log; at least that's what it felt like, inside her. She just sat there. Her eyes full, but she was determined to have this happen. After a few minutes of her impaled on me I did something she couldn't believe. I grabbed her waist and lifted her up and then down again. I did it again and then a little faster again. Soon I was lifting her up and down in a nice rhythm. What Stephanie didn't even realize was that by the fifth time I had lifted her, she was helping. Gone was the hurt, she was feeling a fullness, that fullness was causing friction that was sending her into orbit. By the time I moved my hands off her waist and reached her breasts she had already been guiding herself up and down without any of my help. Her breath was getting ragged and her body was bouncing up and down on my shaft. She was starting to utter noises. Each time I made contact with her nipples, and it was hard with her bouncing, she was mewing. Ahhh, Mmmmm, Ahhhh, Mmmmm. I could tell it wasn't going to take long for her and I was having a hard time controlling myself. I wanted to last until she had cum, but wasn't sure I was going to make it. Her noises were getting loader. Her body stiffened, she let out a scream of triumph and collapsed on me. Her walls had been so tight on my dick it had been almost painful, almost. It also felt incredible. Now her pussy was going into spasms, contracting around my dick. That was the end of it for me. I shot into her for a long time. She finally lifted her head and looked at me, smiling. "Thank you." She said. I was in utter awe that she would thank me for the pleasure and gift that she had just given me. "Mmmm, thank you sweetheart." I hugged her tight, wanting to kiss her, but also not wanting to break the union that we had. I was shrinking and her contractions were still going on, although infrequently now. The effect was my dick was pushed out. "Ohhhh." She sighed. I pulled her up and started to kiss her. That is when we heard the clapping. ------- Jill had stayed in her bed about as long as she thought we were in our room. She was about to get down when she heard some more noises and people moving around. Then it got quiet again. She waited a bit longer wanting to make sure. Finally she couldn't take it any longer. She was off her bunk an into Liz's bed in a flash. They wrapped their arms around each other and Jill whispered into Liz's ear, "I want to hear all about it." "What?" Liz toyed. "You know, you and Keith. Did you like it?" Jill felt Liz's nipples harden as she said, "Oh Jill, it was heaven." "I envy you. I wish I could feel that way. I know Keith is a wonderful person, but I still have a kind of cold feeling inside of me." It was then that they heard what sounded like a small yell of pain. Liz, overhearing what was in store for Stephanie tonight smiled. It also got her thinking. "Do you like chocolate?" This was out of the blue and it caught Jill's attention, "What?" "Do you like chocolate?" "Yes, a lot, why?" "If I gave you a room full of chocolate and said you can eat as much as you like, would you be happy?" "I'd be more than happy." "But what If I pulled you into that room and forced you to eat chocolate. Hurt you, if you didn't eat enough of it and you ended up eating so much, it made you feel sick. What would you think of that room full of chocolate?" "I think I'd hate it. It would make me sick." Jill thought for a while. "The chocolate is," she whispered, "sex and it should be good right?" "Yes that is right." Liz said with a smile. "And Cliff is the one who made me feel it was bad, forcing me. Is that what you're trying to tell me?" "You are a very bright girl. Yes you are right." "But if I get sick at the chocolate what am I going to do?" Jill had tears in her eyes. "You do what I did." "But I don't have a brother." "No silly." And she pinched her nipple, getting a jump from Jill. "You start taking little bites of the chocolate. You find out that it is good. Soon you will want to go back into that room and eat again. To enjoy the taste." "I hope so. So how do I take my little bites?" "First you stay with people who love you." "I've already done that." Jill said as she hugged Liz. "Then you let what feels good happen." "You mean like when you... you know..." "Squeezed your breast and pinched your nipple?" "Yea." Jill said like she was almost out of breath. "Did you like it?" "I think so, but I'm not supposed to feel that way. Am I?" "You tell me." With that Liz reached out and molded her hands to Jill's breasts. Her nipples came up immediately and Liz ran her hand across them. ------- Kristin and Mary couldn't help but overhear the conversation between Jill and Liz. Truth be told, they were listening intently, not to miss a single word. The exchange had made both girls hot and they had started to rub themselves. The bunk shook a little from their actions and they realized what both of them were doing. Letting out a little giggle, it stopped Liz and Jill's conversation. Everyone in that room was quiet. There was no mistaking the noises now, or what activity was going on. Kristin and Mary couldn't contain themselves any longer and got up to see what was going on. They walked through Jimmy and Brian's room, seeing them in the doorway. Coming up behind them, they put their hands on their shoulders. Jimmy and Brain both stifled a gasp. Turning to see Kristin and Mary, they smiled. Kristin and Mary smiled too. They didn't miss the boys tented underwear. They all turned back to see the end of what was some glorious love making between Stephanie and me. Both Kristin and Mary were having a problem with their hands. They couldn't control them. Soon they were all over Jimmy and Brian, finding the object of the tenting, much to the boys delight. When Stephanie and I finished with a kiss. They broke into applause. This not only startled us, but Robin, Katy Richard and Dora, who had been so intent on watching the scene before them. Realizing the spectacle they had made of themselves. They all ran to their room pretending to be naughty children. We got a good laugh out of it. Robin came up to Stephanie and I. "I guess this means your part of our family now. Welcome, lover." And with that she pulled Stephanie into an embrace and kissed her. Stephanie was wide eyed by the time Robin let her go. I was hard again watching the embrace. Richard was done watching and was busy with his hands all over Dora and his mouth on Katy. "Are you sore?" I asked Stephanie. "Just a little, not as much as I thought I would be." "Well I think it should be kissed so it will fell better, Robin, will you do the honors?" Robin smiled at me, knowing that I had done that for her benefit. "Yes I would love to, you know how much I love to make our family feel better, and I love to taste you too." With that she dove in between the legs of the very surprised Stephanie. Robin was having a problem with the angle. So I moved Robin on her back and lifted Stephanie, setting her on Robins face. It took me no time to decide what I wanted to do then, seeing Robin laid out like that. Spreading her legs, I climbed between then, sliding my dick into her warm and waiting hole. Stephanie watched as a slid my dick into Robin, she was amazed as she saw my shaft open and push its way in, filling Robin as I had been doing to her not very long ago. I leaned forward and tilted my head into hers. Stephanie and I started a long and wonderful kiss. Richard not to be outdone had Katy on his face and Dora on his dick as he lay on his back. He guided Katy's hands to his nipples, then took Dora's hands and placed them on Katy's breasts. He then took his hands and started running his hands over Dora's breasts. They were making a good bit of sound almost immediately. ------- Brian and Jimmy had felt a bit guilty at being caught watching and had run back to their beds. Pulling the covers over their heads they were silent for a long time, but they couldn't get the images out of their minds. Their dicks were almost hurting from all of the activity and no release. They wished that Kristin and Dora wouldn't have left. That was so wonderful. The more they thought about it the more they wanted to see more, to do more, to feel more. Kristin and Mary were almost in the same boat. They had run back, but as soon as they had got back to their room, Liz had asked what was going on. They looked at each other. Mary started to say something and Kristin stopped her. "Think about Jill." Kristin whispered. "So what was it?" Liz pressed on. "Just a little, well you know." Kristin answered. "Keith or Richard?" Kristin blushed although no one could see it. "Keith." "So that's why you were gone so long?" We just wanted..." Kristin was interrupted by the sound of Robin. "My God." Liz said, "the man is insatiable. I thought I wore him out." Jill giggled, "From Dora's description you did." Then she realized what she said and ducked her head under the covers. Liz was grabbing her, tickling her, "So you girls are a bunch of peeping Toms are you? Well come on, we might as well see what is going on. Liz threw back the covers. Jill was shocked. Both Mary and Kristin had their blouses on, but Liz and her were nude. Liz got up, realizing that Jill wasn't moving, looked back at her and realized her predicament. "Sorry Jill, did I embarrass you?" "Yea, I mean they have clothes on and we don't" "That is easily solved." Jill expected Liz to put something on, but instead she started unbuttoning Mary's blouse. Kristin took it upon herself to do the same and soon all four of them were sans clothing. "Now, lets go see what is going on." Jill was petrified, you mean like this?" "It's OK Jill, you don't need to come. I'll tell you about it latter. Take the small bites remember." "OK." Jill felt relieved, although she was curious, it wasn't enough to outweigh her fears. So it was that the three gals walked in as Jimmy and Brian were getting off their beds once more. Kristin walked up to Brian and Mary walked up to Jimmy. Liz stood in disbelief as she saw them peel their underwear down. "Now you fit in." Kristin whispered with a quiet laugh. They weren't at the door yet as they heard Katy and then Dora go into orgasmic bliss. The sight they were treated to was so intense that they forgot all about concealing themselves and were in the room blatantly starring. Stephanie was the first to notice the throng of newcomers. "Oh, were we making too much noise?" She asked coyly. That got the attention of everyone else. Suddenly the intruders as it were felt a bit self conscious of their presents and dress, or lack of it and the situation that Kristin and Mary were in. Both had their hands on Jimmy and Brian's dick. What didn't surprise me was that Katy and Robin took charge of things. Robin had Kristin and Liz on each side of me. Stephanie was feeling a little worn out, so she didn't mind stepping to the sideline. Robin I noticed was taking this opportunity to get to know Mary's body in detail with Jimmy lending a helping hand. Katy on the other hand stopped us cold in our tracks when she said, "Brian I think Dora has another load of Richard's cum for you." We all watched Brian lay down on the floor and Dora squatted over him. Seeing her pussy drip into his open and apparently eager mouth as she lowered herself was a sight none of us will forget. Katy the ever-watchful mom, saw Jimmy staring in such utter disbelief that he had forgotten all about Mary. She whispered in his ear, "Did Brian tell you about this?" "Yea." He barely got out of his dry mouth. "Did you wonder about it, touching and even sucking on a dick?" She asked The answer was his bobbing dick up and down, ever before he got out. "Well, kind of." She took his hand and led him over to Brian. He knew what to do. Brian was the same size as him and he had jacked himself off many a time. Brian was surprised when he felt the small hands on his dick. He first thought Stephanie. When he felt the warm moist mouth covering his dick, he just had to see her mouth sliding up and down on him. He pushed Dora up just a little and peered out between her legs. When he saw Jimmy, it was too much and he shot into his mouth before he could say a word. Jimmy felt his shaft swell slightly, but it caught him off guard when Brian's cum spurt into his mouth. He held it there, not quite knowing what to do with it. Katy saw his predicament. "You can swallow it, or share it, or if you really have to, spit it out. But that doesn't say much about you." He just stood there. He hadn't swallowed it, or spit it out, so she figured he might want to share it. "Why don't you share it with Robin." Katy said. That got a smile from him and he went over to her. When he pressed his lips to her, she opened and was surprised to find the contents of his mouth being pushed into hers. She was undaunted and forced some back into his mouth. There tongues dueling. She pulled him down to the mattress and rolled him on his back. She also grabbed his dick and started rubbing it. It was too much for him and as he broke of the kiss, she managed to get a little more of Brian's cum back into Jimmy's mouth. He swallowed and then groaned. "It wasn't that bad, now was it?" No, I guess not." Then he got a devilish look on his face. "Especially when I kissed you and pushed it into your mouth." Robin laughed. "You little devil you." She started to tickle him and as they rolled around she ended up on top of him, with her pussy close to his face. "Now you have to eat me for that little brother." And she lowered her pussy to his eager mouth. Brian had been watching the whole process with Jimmy and Robin with some amusement. When he saw Jimmy under Robin he scampered over to him and took Jimmy's dick into his mouth. He was a little more experienced than Jimmy had been, but it was out of utter excitement that Jimmy shot off. Robin lifted off him, just in time to see that it was Brian that was giving him such pleasure. Normally Jimmy would have gone soft, but as he saw Brian pull off him he watched his mother, Katy, kiss Brian and could see her swallowing. He was rock hard. Jimmy lay back down, staring up at his sister's pussy, he couldn't believe his luck. Then he felt something else warm, but different on his dick. This was engulfing it with warmth. He tried to see, but Robin had sat down on him, demanding some attention from his mouth. What was on his dick he finally realized must be a pussy. He was fucking, or better put, he was being fucked. He didn't know what was going on with Robin, but she was squirming all over his face. She stiffened and he was coated with her juices. As she got off of him, he thought that he had died and gone to heaven. Here was Kristin. The one who as soon as he had seen her, he had fallen in love with her. She bent down and started licking off his face. "Doesn't she taste so good?" Kristin said and then after licking down around his ear, she whispered. "Do you remember when I came to visit Robin? She had been crying and you were trying to help her. I remember you sitting across from us and staring at me." Jimmy blushed at the thought. He had been staring. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. "I knew I wanted to thank you for all you did for your sister. So here's my thank you." With that she started riding him up and down. Then she rolled him over and crossed her legs behind his butt and pulled him into her. He was grunting almost as much as she was. Liz was lying on the mattress as I was between her legs, sliding my shaft in and out of her. Mary was on top of Liz's face, getting a very good licking from all of the vocalization she was making. Stephanie, who had recovered by this point, wanted in on the action. She stepped between Mary and myself, facing her and then bent down, keeping her legs straight. The result was that I was presented with the still red and slightly swollen lips of her pussy, while Liz had the benefit of her mouth sucking on a tit. I could not resist and put out my tongue, running it from stem to stern. This caused Stephanie to shudder almost immediately. Given such positive results I did it again, this time going slower and savoring every little part. Stephanie was shaking so much that Mary had to hold onto her for fear she would fall. ------- Chapter 18 Jill was lying there and after they had left, she wished she had had the courage to go. Now they had been gone for some time and the noises were loader. She thought she heard Liz or Kristin, or even Mary making the same noises that could only come from one activity. Like it or not, it was starting to effect her. She was getting wet. As she heard what she knew was Robin's voice cry in ecstasy it was overwhelming. Her mind was driven by something she couldn't explain, she needed to see what was going on. She got out of the bed and made her way to the room. The room full of noise and excitement. She didn't even peer around the corner, she stood in the center of doorway, staring. The enormity of it all was too much and she started to cry. Kristin saw her first and came to her side. Holding her tight. "It's OK, Jill, there is nothing to be afraid of." Jill suddenly realizing that she was as naked as everyone else was hot with embarrassment. "I..." "It's OK. No one will hurt you here." "Oh God." Jill finally got out "Everyone is..." Kristin shifted her stance and as she did, she pulled Jill close to her. Kristin then realized that Jill, with her rock hard nipples and her ragged breathing wasn't scared, she was excited. "Jill." Kristin said. Jill looked up at her and Kristin planted a kiss on her lips. The shocked, but very aroused Jill, didn't quite know what to do. It was then Liz came up and broke off Kristin's kiss. "Oh, Liz." Jill said. "She's horny." Kristin said. Jill blushed, although with the little light you couldn't see it. "Kristin." Liz said. "I wish I would have come with you. I don't really understand all of this." Liz smiled. "Jill we all love each other. This is one of the most intimate ways of showing it. It wasn't planed, it was spontaneous. Like love should be." "Then I want it to, I want to do all of this, and I want to be loved. I'll even have Keith make love to me." Jill said. She so desperately wanted to be a part of this family of love. Kristin was ready to pull her into the center of the ring, but Liz knew better. "Jill that would not be a little bite of chocolate, it would be a smothering. I don't want you to pull back with a bad taste in your mouth. I want you to enjoy it and want more of it." "But I want this love." She almost cried. "Everyone here cares for you Jill. You know I do, and Keith does as much as I do." Jill looked over at Keith, who was trying not to stare. Jill again remembered her state of undress and covered herself with her hands. Then as she saw Robin punch him in the side for looking at Jill, she suddenly dropped her hands to let him look. Jealousy was the only explanation she could come up with later of why she had done that. Liz said, "Come with me." And led her back to their bed. As they climbed in, Jill said, "I couldn't help myself, I was feeling things I'd never felt before." "I know, you were horny, like Kristin said. Are you still?" "Yea, I think so." "Well I can take care of that." Liz pulled herself down and started to nurse on Jill's nipples, going from one to the other. Liz took Jill's hand and guided them to her breasts. As Jill felt Liz's hand travel down her stomach, she spread her legs. As soon as Liz touched her outer lips, Jill had a mini orgasm. As Liz continued, Jill's orgasms grew stronger and more frequent. Liz stopped with her hand ministrations and Jill protested. "There is something better than my hand." With that Liz turned her body around and on all fours over Jill, put her head between her legs. As soon as Jill felt her tongue her body responded. Jill was going to start screaming, she just knew it. She also was staring at Liz's pussy over her. She had the idea that she should make Liz feel as good as she was making her feel. It would also muffle the voice. So she grabbed Liz's hips and brought her pussy to Jill's face. Liz was shocked that Jill would try this, but she couldn't deign the wonderful feeling of being licked. Jill was building up to a big one Liz could tell. It made her so excited that she had an orgasm, drenching Jill's face. That set Jill off and she went off big time. Jill was glad that Liz's legs were still around her, muffling her screams of passion. When they had both come back down to earth, Liz turned back around and held Jill in her arms. Then she thought of something that made her giggle. "What's so funny?" Jill wanted to know. "Remember when you said you'd even let Keith make love to you?" Jill was a bit embarrassed by that, "Yes." She said. "Well, I think you just got a good taste of him, He shot into me something just before I got up to see you." Jill couldn't say anything, but Liz could feel her nipples grow hard again. Liz reached up and grabbed them, letting Jill know she felt them rise. ------- Kristin was disappointed, although deep down she knew Liz had done the right thing. She turned back to the orgy. Keith was on his back again with Stephanie on his face. Robin and Mary were taking turns sucking his dick. Richard was also on his back with Katy on his face and Dora stuffing his dick inside her. Jimmy and Brain each had a mouthful of her tits. Jimmy saw that Kristin was free and unlatched himself, crawling over to her. She smiled at him. He was almost panting. She lay down and spread her legs, holding out her arms as he climbed on top of her. Katy and Dora switched places. Brian looked at Katy. His aunt was beautiful. She held her tit up to him and he obliged. As she was gently rising and falling on Richard's dick she was whispering in Brian's ear. He looked up at her and nodded yes. She got up off Richard and walked into the bathroom, coming back with a tube of stuff. Then she sat right back down on Richard, this time facing away from him, as though she had never been gone. With Dora covering his face he didn't know what was going on, not that he really cared at the moment. Katy had Brian bend over; she squirted some of the stuff from the tube onto the crack of his ass and started rubbing it in. It was slick and slippery. She even slid her finger into his ass. The sensation made him hard as a rock. Then Katy slid up on Richard's chest, took Brian into her arms with his back pressed against her. Holding him by his legs, stretched out. She started to lower him onto Richard's unsuspecting dick. Richard couldn't figure out what Katy was doing, but he knew it had to be something sexy because Dora had just orgasmed again. Her juices flowing, her sent so intoxicating, he was almost gone. Then he felt the pressure, the small opening being pushed around his dick. It surprised him. He was sure that Stephanie was to sore yet for any more activity like that. Then it hit him. He tried to get up to see if his thoughts were right, but between Dora and Katy he couldn't. His wiggling did have one effect. The tight hole was sliding more and more onto his dick. For some reason and he couldn't explain it, the thought of Brian on him made him grow bigger and firmer. Brian felt the first contact of Richard's dick against him. It was a sensation hard to explain. He wanted more and tried to push down before Katy was sure he was ready. Soon the head slipped in. It didn't hurt like the last time. Probably a combination of the stuff Katy rubbed on him and his desire to have Richard inside him. He was stretched full, but still continued to lower. Then it felt like Richard swelled twice the size and suddenly it hurt. "AAAAhhhhhh." Brian cried out. Everyone looked over to see what was going on. We all stopped and stared. Dora had risen off Richard to see Brian also. Katy got off him too. Richard had now his first full look of Brian, impaled on his dick. Brian turned to see Richard's stunned look and smiled at him. "You grew inside of me." Brian said. All of us started to laugh. Katy said, "That's what happens when a man gets excited." Knowing he had excited Richard made all of the pain he had just felt worth every second. He also realized it was not hurting anymore. He leaned his arms back and raised his butt and then lowered himself again. The tight walls of his ass gripping Richard's dick was too much and again Brain felt his dick expand in him. This time it was different. Richard was thrusting and grunting also. Brian realized what was happening and got so excited his little dick started spurting also. Dora seeing this lowered her mouth and sucked in Brian's dick, lapping up his juices. When it was all over we gave them a round of applause. Although I couldn't see it, I was sure that Richard was turning red with embarrassment. At that point we were all worn out. I know I was having a hard time trying to get my dick to stay up. It had been over worked. Not that I was complaining. There was a lot of kissing and hugging going on. I noticed that Liz was gone. Kristin said that when Jill had come out to see what the noise was, Liz had taken her back. Without regards to my dress I walked into their room and bent down to Liz's bed. To my surprise both Jill and Liz were there. "I... Uh... I just wanted to make sure you and Jill were OK." Liz giggled, "Yes Keith, we're OK." Then she lifted up and I saw both of them were naked in bed together. Worn out or not, when she wrapped her arms around me and kissed me my dick started to rise. I felt a cool finger brush around the head of my dick. I wondered if it could be Jill and my dick jumped. The fingers were gone and the kiss ended. Liz took a look at my aroused state. "Boy Keith, I would think you'd be worn out by now." "I am, but there is something about that kiss and that touch that brought me to life." "Poor Robin." Liz laughed. I turned away red, with my dick pointing straight out. As I passed Jimmy, Brian and Stephanie were asleep already, Dora not far behind them. I realized how tired I was. The mattresses were still on the floor. The sheets had been laid out in the center and Richard, Katy and Robin were already lying down. Robin motioned me to sandwich between her and Katy. I wasn't sure, until Katy motioned also. Climbing between two beauties in the nude does not make on fall asleep fast. I realized that they had done this on purpose as they started rubbing their bodies against me. I was still a little hard and rose back to attention. "You two are evil temptresses, do you know that?" They both giggled. "Yes I think they do and enjoy every moment of it." Richard said half asleep. We drifted off to sleep, or bodies still in contact. ------- "Your brother really loves you." Jill said. "Yes." Liz said dreamily. "Yes he does. I think he would you to, I know he cares so much for you." Jill yawned. "I think I'm beginning to see that." She yawned again. Liz and Jill were almost out and before they drifted off, both of them said at the same time. "You know I love you." Being half asleep they weren't quite sure what the other one said, but it sounded like what they had just said. Sleep overtook then thinking how nice that would be. ------- I wasn't through breakfast when Jack came up to the table and stuffed a newspaper in my face. It was the Las Vegas major newspaper and on the front page in bold type was the headline: CARP: SURVIVING BAD WATER "I didn't think he'd get it out this fast. I think you'll find it to be interested in reading. I've had brass breathing down my neck all morning." Then in a hushed voice. " To tell you the truth Keith, I hope your company pays off. I need to get out of this shit." "I don't understand. I thought the government was willing to help." "They are, they just don't like to get caught with their pants down. Now, willing or not, they have to help. From what I understand this was going to be a three-segment article. The government is calling it a breach of security; the paper is calling it freedom of the press and is printing the other two segments in a special evening edition so they can't get stopped." "Well if they know it is going to be printed tonight, couldn't they get that stopped?" "Probably, but no one has told them. I heard from other sources that information and quite frankly I want it published. With all of the sparks flying, other papers will pick this up and it will be across the country in no time. Keith I tell you, they never will learn." I couldn't wait to see what had made it to print. Unfortunately I was interrupted, so with paper in hand, I ended up walking to the medical area. ------- "Keith you know the test results you wanted me to check on? Lets see, her name was Mildred... umm " "Yes. Well was there anything out of the ordinary?" "No, but that doesn't tell everything as you know. From what you told me, she doesn't have a case of nerves. I think she will need a complete examination; we can't do that here though. As you know, we were looking for specific things. Unfortunately because we were looking at so many people we may not have seen signs of another problem. To tell you the truth Keith this could or may have no correlation to the chemicals released in the water." He could tell my frustration. "But we have a unique situation here and it will benefit this lady. We don't know, therefore we need to find out. So complements of the government, she will get as much care as needed, until we could prove that the chemicals could not have caused this effect. I don't know if that will happen. At least until she's cured of what is ailing her." He said with a smile. "That sounds good, thanks. Now what about her daughter, Pamela?" "You know that kind of work is out of my range, but I did check on it." He hesitated and I knew this was not good. "She should have had the surgery when she was weeks old. It may not have been a life-threatening problem, but from what I've been told, now that she's older, it would involve a series of operation to take care of the problem. On top of that she will need speech therapy. Her lips, palette, jaw, and nasal passages can all be corrected, but she is going to have a speech impediment." He could see my face drop. "Look Keith, you can't expect miracles. With speech therapy, she can recover one hundred percent. It is just that those people are harder to come by. There is one in all of the Las Vegas area and I can tell you that he doesn't have any openings and wont." "So who could do the surgery?" "Somehow I knew you'd be asking that question, the person you want is Doctor Raymond Smither. He is the best in the field of restorative work and that is what she needs at this point." "OK, so where is this Doctor?" "He works out of the Utah medical center on a University campus. From there you are on your own. That's as far as my inquiries went." "That is good to know. I very much appreciate you looking this for me." "OK, so now I have a question for you." This surprised me. "We have been having a problem with one of the townspeople. Rebecca, I think you know her." "Yes." I said apprehensively. "Today she came in for the testing that she had been refusing to do. She was not the same person that was in here before. Can you shed any light on what changed?" Diplomatically I tried to answer the question without saying anything. "She was having a problem and it was straightened out I believe." He laughed. "Keith, you've been spending to much time with McCarran. That was a load of bull if I've ever heard it. Doesn't make much difference. Our job with the people of Carp is done. Now we get to analyze the information. I know darn well we will be looking at more samples to see changes. It is my understanding that you are going to looking for ways to reverse the effects of the Rerexinal." "That is right, that is as soon as they find a place for me to work." "I don't know if I should be the one to tell you, but that has already been determined. Now that this whole issue has blown up in front of everyone. It seems you are the man of the hour Keith. You are now considered a resident of the town and an expert in the field. So the government can rest all of there weight on you. If you don't come through, well, the residents get to blame you." "That makes me feel special." I said in a sarcastic voice. "So where am I going?" "To the Utah medical center." He said with a smile. I couldn't help but smile also. Pamela will get the help she needs, I thought. "Any chance we can get her mothers testing done there also?" "I think that is a possibility. Do you want to tell the family?" "Yes I would like to do that. But first I want to make a call." Using as much push as I could I got myself a ride to the headquarters building. Jack's secretary said he was not in at the moment. I told her that was fine. I needed to make some calls. She was hesitant. So I stretched the truth a little explaining they were government related. I got the number to doctor Smithers and gave him a call. His office picked up the call. Yes he is in, but with patients. Yes they can take a message. As soon as I gave them my name, they ask me to hold on. I was a little perturbed by their phone manners when doctor Smithers was on the line. "Keith Paterson. I told my staff you would be calling. I understand you are going to be doing a little investigative work up here in our lab." "Yes sir I am. But... " "I am head of that department at the school, which in this case means I see to it that we don't do anything that will get us into hot water. So I will be interested to see what you are doing." "Well thank you sir." "Not a problem. What can I do to help you? I'm sure this is not a social call." "No it isn't. There is a girl here, or I should say is a resident of Carp..." "Say no more. Is this the one with the hair lip?" "Yes it is." I was expecting a rejection, the way he said it. "Yes your good doctor down there, has already put in a good word or too. What have you got on him Keith?" He was laughing. "Although the girl is nine, he said that we should look at this as a possible birth defect attributed to the chemical agents that have been contaminating the water in Carp. This way the government will be picking up the tab for the surgery. All she needs is some additional testing to make sure we are looking for causes. I don't really care where the money comes from, but what in the devil is going on?" "Well the easiest explanation is that some highly classified chemical agents have been leaked into the water supply. It has been going on for years. To tell you the truth I don't know how many." I knew it couldn't have been nine years, but he didn't need to know that. "That explains a lot more. So is that what your research is all about?" "Yes to try and find a cure for one of the agents." "Oh, what kind of problems are you having?" "Well the one I will be working on is a chemical called Rerexinal." "I don't think I've ever heard of it.""No, nobody should ever hear of it. It causes sterilely in men." "I take it that all this stuff is classified?" "This stuff doesn't exist, it is so classified. The problem is, is that a man with a vengeance used it on this town." "Well enough dwelling on all the rotten things in life, so when are we going to see you?" "I hope very soon." "Good, let me check my schedule, if you can make it in two days I have an opening. I could see that little girl of yours." "That sounds good. I will let you know latter on today, if that is alright with you." "I've penciled you in, if you can't make it. I'll have to play golf." With that done, I commandeered a ride back. Everyone knew I was gone, nobody saw me return, before I did anything else, I wanted to read that newspaper in my hand. ------- I was finally able to get a quiet moment to myself, hiding as it were, in the back of one of the unused barracks. It was quite warm in the closed up barracks, so I took of my shirt and sat on the bottom bunk in the farthest away bedroom unit to the only usable door. I opened the paper, feeling I'd better read it before anyone else. CARP: SURVIVING BAD WATER By George SeldesIndependent Reporter CARP, NV A sleepy mining town set in the valley between Las Vegas and Caliente. A predominantly Mennonite community. One that has existed in without the turmoil of modern life, or so it would seem on the surface. In the past week the town has stood still, lifeless. The townspeople evacuated. To see how this town went from an idyllic situation to one of terror and military occupation we have to look back. Back to a time before the turn of the century, because that is when this story starts. John and Mable Birk were the power in the land. John had acquired, some say quite illegally, the sole rights to the silver mines in the towns of Elgin, Carp, and Angle City. Carp was the center and that is where the Birk's made their residence. Quite a mansion in fact and it still stands today. The subsequent fights that broke out at the mines, the repression of the miners, and the long standing feud between Angle City and Carp can all be traced to John Birk. It is of no surprise to the old timers that were miners at the time that John and Mable Birk disappeared one April night. Their empire went into disarray. The mines were then formed as cooperatives as the miners who worked then took them over. But some things never change and the feud that started between Angle City and Carp continued. It continues to this day. Or at least that is what many thought. But as twisted as the minds of the criminals in this story, so is what happened. See CARP, page A6 I thought to myself why can't they just print the damn story on one page. I hate this shit. I then heard something. It startled me and I rose up quickly, a little to quickly as I hit my head hard on the top railing of the bunk. It made me sit down. I shook my head. I heard the noise again and got up. Apparently I had hit my head harder than I realized. I was having trouble standing up, but I was determined to see what that noise was. Holding onto the bed frame I moved. It was almost like sleep walking, looking in one room then the next. I wasn't all there. Then I heard a scream. My senses came back to me. I positioned myself towards the sound and ran into the first room I had come in, the one with the door that worked. ------- Pamela's tormentors were being nice to her. She didn't understand it, but she wasn't going to complain. It was attention and she craved attention. So when they asked if she wanted to go and explore with them, she was overjoyed. What she didn't know is that they had found the door to one of the unused barracks open. A perfect spot for what they had in mind. They also figured Pamela was the perfect girl too. They knew if they were nice to her, they could lure her along. So here they were going inside. Pamela was so excited about being included she didn't even stop to think about what they were doing. Once inside, with the door shut, they said to her. This is a special place. A place no one else knows about. But it is a warm place, so we need to take off our clothes to play in here. Pamela thought this was a little strange, but the boys were taking off their shirts and pants. She did want to be included, so she pulled her dress off over her head. She only had her blouse and panties on and realized that the boys were staring at her. She tried to get her dress, but one of them grabbed it. She told them to give it back to her. They said they would only give it back if she took off her top. If she didn't they would leave her in here like that. She was scared, but thought all they will see is my flat little chest. So she started to take it off. As she was pulling her blouse off her arms they attacked. One boy pulling her blouse the rest of the way off and the other boy, pulling her panties down. She screamed. Her blouse was in the corner, her panties at her feet. Out of the blue, there I stood. The boys looked panic stricken and bolted out of the door. Pamela, in tears, held up her arms. I picked her up and hugged her tightly. Her panties stayed on the floor; she threw her arms and legs around me. Holding on for dear life. "It's ok. It's all over. They won't hurt you again. I promise." She stayed holding me for a long time. Then she pulled back from me and looked at me with her green eyes. "You... saved... me." She said in her difficult speech. Whether it was right or not, my eyes glanced down to see her small hairless slit. It was resting on my shirtless stomach. My dick started to swell. I needed to put her down. I started to release her, but she was holding tight to my neck. That had the effect of letting her slide down so that our crotches were in the same place. I could feel her pussy against my pants, pushing at my dick. I knew she must feel it to. I quickly pulled her back up. Holding her out, I lowered her to the floor. When I stood up, I saw her looking at the bulge in my pants. Oh great I thought, some savior. "Uhmm." I said, "I think you should get dressed." "Oh... yes." She said as though she just realized she was standing before me naked. She turned around and bent over to pick up her panties off the floor. I was presented with a wonderful sight. I groaned. "What... is... wrong." She asked. "What?" "You, you... groaned." Oh shit, I thought. Thinking quickly I said. "I hit my head when I heard the noise out here." "Oh... still... hurts?" Now that I had my mind off her little body, yes indeed my head was pounding. "Yes, it does. I think I'll need some aspirin." She came running over to me, only wearing her panties. Wrapping her arms around me, giving me another hug. This time her chest was pressing into my bulge. She pulled away looking at it again. Saying, "My... hero." "Ok, now get the rest of your clothes on." With that I gave her but a little spank. She giggled, but put her blouse and dress back on. I went back, grabbed the paper, threw my shirt on and came back out. Before we left, I picked up the boys pants and shirts. Pamela seemed fine, skipping as I walked. I was surprised it hadn't traumatized her any more than it did, but as soon as she saw Stephanie she wanted to go see her. That was fine by me. I was going to see the boy's parents. Those boys had a lot of explaining to do. Without their clothes on, it was going to be difficult to get out of this one. ------- After the reassurance that the boys would never even look at Pamela again, that is if they could walk after their fathers got done with them. I went to see Pamela's parents. I wondered if this was happening all the time, or if I just happened to pick the right times to be around. Pamela sister Daisy and her husband Hank were at it again. "You'd better get yourself going, were leaving in a few hours." "But I have nothing with me. Everything I have is in Carp." "Then that's where it will stay. We are starting a new life. I'm tired of this from you. Get ready to go and I mean it." Hank pushed his way past me. I wasn't sure what happened. It wasn't that long ago that he was the friendliest of people. Now, nobody wanted to talk to him. Daisy came out a minute later. She saw me and threw her arms around me. "Keith, what am I going to do?" I didn't have an answer for her. I was ashamed of myself as I felt my dick responding to her wonderful body pressed against me. "I don't know what to tell you. Talk to Robin, she can always help." "Yes, thanks." She pulled away. I was glad, because I was completely stiff at that point. She glanced down at my crotch. "At least someone still is interested." I stood there stunned and flushed with embarrassment as I watched her walk away. It took me a minute to come to my senses and remember why I was there in the first place. Mildred looked like she had been crying again. Her husband sat in the corner, drunk. His way of escape I thought. They saw me and brightened up a bit. "I can see that I've come at a bad time again." "There haven't been to many good times lately. I'm afraid." Mildred replied. "I'm not sure I will help." "What do you mean Keith?" Mildred asked. Robert, her husband sat up to listen. "I was interested in your history of what you think of as nerves. So I ask the doctor who took the tests. To see if there was anything that showed up." They looked at each other. "The good news is that that set of tests didn't show anything." "Just like I told you Mildred, a case of nerves." Robert was quick to say. "Well unfortunately, that is not what the doctor thought. He wants more tests. Tests that they aren't set up to do." "Well if that don't beat all, the good doctor wants tests. Now who is going to pay for all these tests I just ask you." Robert was not happy. "Robert, you don't need to worry about that. Everything, and I do mean everything will be taken care of." "Ok Keith, just what is everything?" Robert said in a slightly sarcastic voice. "The tests need to be done at a hospital. The transportation to the hospital is taken care of. You will need to be with your wife, which means you can't work. Your wages will be taken care of. The hospital bills will also be taken care of. Is that enough of everything?" They sat there with their mouths hanging open. Then Mildred said, "I think we need to thank you." "No, all I did was ask some questions. Now to the other question I asked the doctor about." "What is that?" Mildred said. "It was about Pamela." "Oh, yes, you didn't mention her. If I go in for some tests at a hospital, where would Pamela be?" Then she got a sad look on her face. "Daisy can't take care of her any longer." "Well, the other question I asked the doctor was about Pamela's hair lip. He didn't have an answer." "That's cause there is no problem." Robert retorted. I just went on, pretending I didn't even hear him. "So he called one of the people he knew, who let him know about a specialist who deals with this kind of case." "I don't think I understand." Mildred said. "It's hogwash for let's charge the uneducated to tell them there is nothing wrong. That's what it is." Robert said. "Let Keith finish." "I spoke to this man today. He is very interested in seeing your daughter." "Yea, I bet he is and charging for it to." Robert inserted "Robert." Mildred was getting annoyed with him. "The government is once again going to take care of this for you. I believe that everything, her consultation and your testing will be done in the same place. Unbelievably I will be doing my testing of the chemicals at the same place." "Oh." Mildred's eyes lit up, "so you will be there also? Will Robin be coming with you too?" "Yes have you met my sister Kristin and Mary?" "Yes." "They go to school on the same campus that the medical center is on." "Oh this is so unbelievable, isn't this just wonderful Robert?" "Yes I guess so." He said less than enthusiastically. "So how many months off is all this?" "Actually Pamela has a tentative appointment in two days from now." I thought Robert was going to fall off his bunk. "Two days!" He said. "Yes, we can reschedule, but I need to be up there as soon as I can, so I thought you might like to know some others there." "Yes, well two days sounds just fine. By the way where is there?" Mildred said in a cheery voice. "It is in Utah, just outside of Salt Lake." "Oh. So how will we get there?" "That I don't know yet, but I'll find that out and let you know." "I can't wait to tell Pamela about this, you didn't tell her yet did you?" "No, I needed to make sure that everything was ok with you. I wouldn't want to build her hopes up and then let them fall apart." "That is so thoughtful of you." With that I left and went to find Pamela, her mother had some exciting news. ------- I found Pamela and Stephanie still together as soon as I got near the conversation stopped. Not a good sign. "Pamela, your mother wants to talk to you." I said in as serious a voice as I could muster. She looked at me with a pained expression. "Did... you... tell... her... about... boys?" "No, actually I forgot about that. We were talking about some things that were much more important than that. So go on, she's waiting." Pamela scampered out of sight. Stephanie was grinning at me. I knew I was in trouble. "Ok, out with it." "So your dick got hard with the nude Pamela in your arms." I groaned. "It is true." She started to laugh. I grabbed her and said, "I'll give you something to laugh about." I started to tickle her. After that went on for a while she looked at me. "She didn't know what was in your pants. She knew it must be something special, the way you were acting. That's why she asked me about it." I was afraid to ask. "What did you tell her?" "I said that boys had dicks." I looked pained. "She already knew that. But she didn't know they got hard or why." "And you told her?" "I said they got hard when they got excited about something. She still didn't understand so I had to explain a little more. When I asked her what happened when she first noticed it, she told me. Boy Keith that must have been hard." She started laughing again at her own joke. "She couldn't understand why you would get excited over seeing her little body. I told her that you got excited over seeing my body." "Oh thanks, now if she says a word to her parents, I'm dead meat." "I don't think that will be happening." "What makes you so sure about that? "Well she said that she could understand that more, because I was pretty. I told her that I thought that you thought that she was pretty too." "And?" "And she grinned bigger than I've ever seen her. I think she has a crush on you." I needed to be alone after that; I told Stephanie that if Robin was looking for me, I'd appear in about an hour. ------- I was going back to the secluded barracks to finish the article. When I opened the door, there were two boys with very red eyes, wearing nothing but their underwear. I had no pity on them. After tossing my paper down, I grabbed them by their ears, and marched them right through the center of activity. Leaving them to their parents. Going back, I sat down to look at the article. Glancing at the front page, trying to remember where I was. But some things never change and the feud that started between Angle City and Carp continued. It continues to this day. Or at least that is what many thought. But as twisted as the minds of the criminals in this story, so is what happened. See CARP, page A6 Now I remembered. I turned and continued reading. The legend of Jack Birk is what makes men greedy. It was thought that Jack hid a great deal of his wealth in Carp. At first it was thought to be in his mansion, but owing to the many break ins after his disappearance, that theory was laid to rest. So it was, going from the stories this father and others had told him, Sam Lanley pulled the old feud idea out of the hat. The feud, the fights and everything surrounding it was a complete sham. The real reason lay with the idea that he could get closer to the town. Could search and find that hidden treasure. Sam had two accomplices who knew just what he was up to. His son, Brad and Fred Blaney. From what is told, many of the early raids to Carp were successful in the idea that all the townsfolk would rush to one place, giving them time to look. After a few years though they were losing hope. That was until Fred's cousin Michael asked them a favor. Michael was working at the Nevada Test Site, in a little known section that was developing and testing chemicals. He had become a friend with Cliff Johnson. It was this Cliff Johnson who would wreak havoc on this town, bringing it down to its knees. Segment one of three. See our next edition for the continuing story. Shit, shit, shit. I thought. Why do they do this? Do they really have to leave me hanging like this? I threw down the paper thoroughly disgusted. It was starting to place things in perspective, but I sure wish I could read the rest of the article. If Jack was right I'd see it later this afternoon. Walking back out into the sunshine I tried to adjust my eyes. I didn't get more than ten steps before I was practically knocked over. Arms were wrapped around me tight. Blinking again to try and focus I looked down and saw Pamela. She looked up at me with a big smile. "You... are... my... hero." I smiled, then she grabbed my hand and dragged me off to my barracks. Robin, Kristin, Mary, Stephanie, Liz, and Jill were all waiting. They broke into applause. I turned red. "I just did what I could." I said somewhat embarrassed of all this attention. "He... is... my... hero." Pamela said. "He's mine to." Robin said and she came up and kissed me. "Mine to." Kristin said and kissed me also. Mary smiled at me. "Mine to." And gave me a sloppy kiss. "Mine to." Liz said and kissed me twice "Mine to." Coming from Jill, it really surprised me. When she walked up to me and gave me a little kiss on the cheek, I turned and gave her one also. She smiled. "He's mine to." Stephanie said. I got down on my knees, knowing she would want a kiss also. I was right. What I didn't expect was such an erotic one. "Mine... too" I turned to see Pamela leaning in and then kissing me full on the lips. Stephanie must have been teaching her. I felt her tongue run across my lips. I pulled back and whispered in her ear. "Woe girl. Slow down a bit, or you will find yourself like you did this morning." She got a big grin. "With... you?" I was going to have to have a talk with Stephanie, but not now. ------- I looked over at Robin and motioned her to come out with me; we took a walk around the outside perimeter. "So, did Daisy talk to you? I had told her she should, you would know what to say." "Yes, oh Keith. I never knew how unhappy she was. Hank, well I don't know why he married her. He never wanted a young woman. He puts her down all the time, tells her she doesn't know anything. He's not very sensitive, like you." "I sorry to hear things are so bad." "Well it's worse now, ever sense the discovery of the chemicals in the water he has been distant. Now that we had to come here he has been just terrible to her. He won't talk, he just yells at her and then storms off. They haven't had sex in a long time. Then without even saying anything, he calls his brother and gets a job somewhere else. Now they are moving. It is breaking her heart." My mother found us walking and ended that subject. "Keith, I just heard. I don't know how you did it, but thank you." "What did I do?" I was puzzled as to what she was talking about. "Pamela." She beamed. "She is as positive as can be, I saw her in the bathroom and she started talking to me. She had never done that before. I never realized how hard it was for her to speak. She told me what you have done for that family. I only wish..." "Mom. I did what I could. It happened that the timing was right. I wish too, mom." We looked at each other. Starting to get teary eyed. "I've got to go. I'm sorry I interrupted you, but I couldn't help it. When she told me, I just had to see you." "Thanks mom." With that she left. Robin looked at me, "What did you wish?" A tear started to fall down my cheek. "That someone could have helped my friend Tim". I looked out at the open field in front of me. The emptiness of that loss had never gone away. ------- When we got back to the center we found a commotion going on. Hurrying over we saw Hank and Daisy saying good-bye to everyone. Robin looked at me with a panicked expression. She rushed in and threw her arms around her friend. They cried together. I came up to Hank and shook his hand, told him good luck. I turned to Daisy; she threw her arms around me, kissing my neck. "Mmm." I couldn't help coming out. "I'll always remember you, and our little get together with Robin." She whispered in my ear. "Come on Daisy" Hank said. "We don't want to be late." A jeep had come to take them off to the front of the base. There was a bus stop and the buses came by every three or four hours. Most of the connections were in Las Vegas, which is where they were going. We saw them leave, waving. Robin had tears running down her face. "It is hard to see a friend go." I said. "Yes." Was all she said. ------- Congressman McCarran told me he needed to talk with me. I already knew the part about the location of the lab. He was pleased to see my excitement about going. He had ordered his helicopter to come and get him. Leaving Carp without his clothes, he was planning a stop there. That meant he could offer a ride there to Richard's and my parents. They would be getting their things and their cars and then go home. He also emphasized to me that if anything went awry with the government doing their part in the responsibility issues to give him a call. I was surprised when he reminded me about the wedding present. Robin and my new car would be waiting at the dealership. They would deliver it to me at the medical facility. Richards was here at the Las Vegas Dealership. Lastly he looked me straight in the eye. "Keith I want you to know I have seen you as a fine person, who has dealt well under pressure. I couldn't ask for a better partner for Robin. I find Richard in close quarters to you and again feel that Katy has made a wonderful choice for a husband. I know we are not related and I am only remotely related to Robin, but I want you to know you are family. Feel comfortable to call on me. I feel there is an obligation for our family to fulfill when it comes to what Cliff has done to both Kay and Robin. It is more than an obligation on my part though. I know you, all of you. The rest of the family does not. I am not saying this as an obligation, but one of feeling. I know that Mary has become attached to your family as well. So I hope that we can continue to have a friendship." I was floored. I had never heard him be so open with his feelings. I was honored to be the recipient of that level of friendship. "I don't know what to say but thank you." "Say you won't be a stranger." ------- Richard and Katy had been talking with his parents. Owing to the bridge collapse, when they got to Carp they would need to travel south ending up back in Las Vegas. They had talked Richard and Katy into a road trip. They would swing back to the base, Richard and Katy could pick up their car in Las Vegas, and then they would caravan to his parent's home. I asked who was taking care of Jimmy? Dora was their immediate answer. I came back to tell Robin the news and found the place a buzz with excitement. Apparently Jack had heard the goings on with Mildred and Pamela, plus I needed to get up to Utah as well, so he worked out space on a transport. Everyone who was going up to Utah was going to fly up tomorrow morning. Some things were falling into place nicely. I was sure that everyone was glad to be leaving this place and getting back to their lives. Liz had found the next bus that would be leaving and they would be leaving later this afternoon. ------- Katy's father Patrick found himself in the roll of speaker to the townspeople. A job he relished. Jim Williams the mayor had gladly given him this job. He was to announce some of the latest that had gone on in Carp and how they were going to be brought back. So as the townspeople gathered in the large open area, Patrick stood on the back of a truck the maintenance people had brought in, thanks to Richard. It was equipped with a public address system also. Something Patrick was not use to, but after today saw the need for. "My fellow townspeople." He addressed them. "We have come through the brink of destruction and are victorious. God is indeed with us." Several cheers came up. "Tomorrow we are going to return to our home. Our homeland that we were exiled from. We come back in triumph. It is our triumph over the evil forces of this world. But we come to a town that is not the same that we left. The town has forever changed. It has, and will continue to change in its landscape. It will change in our hearts as well. We also have changed as a people. I pray that this time of trial has brought a deeper understanding of the mystery and power of God to each and every one of you. We are going home, but that does not mean we are going to a land of peace." He waited a few seconds to let that sink in to everyone. "During the time we were gone. The chemicals that forced our evacuation have been taken away. The trucks that were brought in although were too heavy for our little bridge and it was destroyed. We are therefore going back to Carp by train." There were some load cries from this statement. This is where the PA system came in handy. "My fellow people." He was able to say over the tops of their voices. "Please listen to me. This is not the train of hiding, the train of death, which we go to our home in. This is the train of hope, a train of freedom. It is a luxury train that will be caring us home." There was silence, he went on. "I know that this experience has made us edgy. We have been in closer quarters with each other than we would like to be at times. But we have found out about each other. We have grown in the community that we are. It was in this community that Keith saw Pamela for the first time. Many of you may not know, but she will be going to the Utah Medical center for a treatment. This my friends was a result of us being here. Do not continue to look at the negative that brought us here, but let us look at the positive that we can take from this experience." I could see the growing change in people's faces. They would be going home tomorrow. ------- I had heard Jack had been back and forth a few times, although I had not seen him. I was surprised that I had not seen Cynthia or Rebecca all day. Almost like they were reading my mind the two of them showed up. Cynthia came up to me with Rebecca by her side. "Did you enjoy the panties?" This comment from Cynthia turned Rebecca red. "I gave them to Robin." I said, this turning Rebecca a little redder, if that was possible. Cynthia was having a hard time not laughing. "She has more on. I could give those to you was well. Would you like them?" I could see Rebecca's nipples had stiffened. She did indeed like the feeling of humiliation. I didn't understand it, but apparently Jack and Cynthia did. I decided to play along anyway. "Instead of giving them to me and then me giving them to Robin, Why don't we wait until Robin is here and she can take them off for her?" Cynthia couldn't contain herself and did laugh at that. "Keith, you are such a little devil." Rebecca's breathing changed abruptly and a scent of her sex could be detected. She had downright soaked those panties I bet. "So what brings you out here?" I said. "We heard that Jill and Liz were leaving soon. Rebecca wanted to say goodbye." "I think that is a good thing to do. They will be gone for a several weeks while school is finishing." "So, do you know where they are?" Cynthia said. I had noticed that Rebecca had not said a single word. I didn't know if this was part of the game that they played. I really didn't care. "I'll show you." And showed them to our barracks. Jill was very surprised to see her mother. We let them talk for a few minutes alone. Jill was smiling as Rebecca was leaving. I followed them out and motioned Robin to come with me. When we got to the jeep, I turned to Cynthia and said, "Robin is here now." She got a wicked smile on her face. "Rebecca." She said. "Your panties please." With that she held out her hand. Rebecca turned bright red and turned looking at me. Her eyes were wide, but then she reached under her dress and slowly pulled them down. Stepping out of them, She handed them to Cynthia, who in turn handed them to Robin. Robin watched this whole process with amazement. When she was handed the garment, she turned and looked at me. "I told Cynthia I had given the other two to you, so when I was offered another pair, I said they might as well be given to you directly." They took off and as we were walking back Robin said to me, "I hope you never want me to do anything like that." "Only if you enjoyed it. She does." I gave her a grin, she laughed. ------- Cynthia had agreed to drive Jill and Liz down to the bus stop. I was surprised that Rebecca was not with her, but she said that she was tied up with Jack. I didn't think I wanted any more explanation. Kristin and Robin wanted to go also, so they all crammed into the jeep Cynthia had. No one complained about the tight quarters though. As She pulled up to the stop and all got out, except Cynthia, who stayed in the jeep and observed. Robin opened her arms and stepped into an embrace with Jill. "Jill, you will love visiting the academy Liz told us about. I wish I were going to, but I'd rather stay with Keith. I know you still distrust men, but Keith seems to be working his way into your heart." Jill's face colored as she heard the words, giving truth to the statement. "I guess he is doing just that. I don't distrust all men now." she replied. Robin gave a slow lingering kiss that curled Jill's toes, and made that feeling start again. Robin stepped back still looking at Jill and smiled. She moved her gaze to Liz. Kristin and Liz were saying their own good byes and stopped to look at the younger women. Robin and Kristin changed places but this time Robin held Liz Robin gave a gentle kiss one usually reserved for lovers. Robin straightened up, "You take care of yourself, you know that I love you both, and look out for Jill." "Jill will keep me sane, especially after everything that happened to us." "Liz, I don't want to see you go. Seven weeks seems a long time to be away from your new sister." and whispered, "And one so tasty." Robin licked her lips and caused Liz to redden her face and chest. "I know you will take care of Jill. She is special to Keith and me." Around the bend in the highway the bus came, making a loud noise because of a noisy muffler. Liz raised her hand and the bus slowed. "We will be back before you know it. Jill will have lots of fun." She winked at Robin. They hugged one last time and the girls boarded the bus. Liz and Jill climbed onto the almost deserted bus and paid for two tickets to Las Vegas, new tickets were to be purchased along the route. Robin stayed to see them off and waved as the bus engine revved making and even louder noise as it accelerated, and slowly moved off in a cloud of foul smoke. She wondered what new adventures were in store for the two women. Liz took one of the front seats, after stowing her bag in the rack above. Jill followed and sat beside her Liz on the seat. Jill had a worried look as she sat beside her confidant. This was the first time away from home other than with her mother. Liz saw the cause and wrapped her hands around the girl's torso and gave her a hug and a kiss on top of her head. Jill needed the reassurance and cuddled closer, putting a hand behind Liz and another held her hand. Liz felt at peace. Jill was such a beautiful young lady, and it was nice having her close. The bus had only a few other passengers; one couple with older clothing befitting their age sat quietly. They had not moved from the position that they first held when Liz boarded the bus. Behind them sat two older women, judging from their clothes a little older and more affluent. Their proximity had nothing to due with any lack of seating, but probably a family grouping. A large blond haired woman of forty years or so sat behind Liz, smoking a cigarette. The smoke traveling rapidly to the back and out a rear window. The other probably closed to muffle some of the sound from the engine and the noisy exhaust. "Hello there, my name is Sally Shmucker. Where are you heading?" the woman uttered in a high-pitched, irritating voice. "Hello to you too, my name is Elisabeth and this is Jillian. We are heading north to Grand Junction and you?" "Not nearly that far just to Las Vegas." "I see you are traveling with your lovely daughter." Jill sat up straighter, thinking about the assumption. In all her life she had not known a friend like Liz. A person who knew the depths to which she had plunged and then was able to reach her and pulled her out. A person who held tight and never let go. You could see in her eyes the amount of caring and love she had to offer, without question or complaint. Jill only wished that the statement were true. Liz shifted her gaze to Jill's beautiful features and said. "Yes, my only one." Jill held Liz's hand with both of hers, and laid her head on her shoulder now. Jill said in a timid voice, "We are going home now." A tear falling from each eye This time Liz felt a warm rush flow through her. She wondered if you had this happening when taking vows. Something between adopting a child and 'to have and to hold from this day forward'. It was wrong but felt so right. Sally saw the tears and wondered what the matter was, "What is wrong child?" Jill sat up again, and adjuster her seating to ease her back from it's unaccustomed position. "I was just thinking about something sad and thought about how good it eventually turned out." Liz pulled the child into a full embrace and kissed the top of her head. "That is so nice. I wish my daughter was as thankful for the things she got. I slaved for ten years after Homer died, working to keep food on the table and clothes on her back. How does she repay me? She runs off with a soldier, leaving me without a word. Simply disgraceful." Liz saw now that Sally would run on now till she ran out of steam. That happening anytime soon would be debatable. "Sorry to interrupt, but Jillian is sleepy. We were with relatives for the last few days and didn't get too much rest. This was completely true, for Liz felt a slight pain behind her eyes, telling her that she should sleep. Perhaps we can continue this conversation a little later." Sally wondered how the girl who didn't seem sleepy when they got on was tired now? It was like both mother and child shunning her, and for no reason at all. She bowed to the inevitable and said, "Sure, a little later." Liz turned toward the aisle and putting her back against the wall. She reached out and turned Jill, pulling her back onto her chest. Liz's hand turned Jill's head to the side and resting between her breasts. The hand continued to hold as she again brushed her lips across this beautiful girl head. Jill for her part was quite content to rest. Being held and loved by a friend or again 'mom' made everything right. She snuggled into a slightly better position and sighed, perhaps she was home already. Liz closed her own eyes and tried to think of all the things that led up to meeting and holding this bundle of joy. A short time later the changing pitch of the engine awoke Liz. She looked around orienting herself after the dream she had. That woman, the obnoxious one sitting behind them was getting off. Liz gently roused Jill. The bus was being unloaded. Liz half supported the sleepy girl with one arm while recovering her baggage with the other and left the bus. Liz found the line of lockers outside and secured her bag. "Lets get our tickets for the next bus," Liz commented, "but first the bathroom. I have needed to pee for the longest time." The truth of the matter was that Jill had been putting pressure on her bladder as she slept. Jill was awake enough to walk on her own as they entered the smoke filled air of the station. They quickly went to the busy washroom and noticed how dirty and smelly it was and quickly finished. They stood in line to get the tickets and suddenly Jill had arms wrapped around her. Liz was as frightened and surprised as Jill. They then heard the familiar voice of Daisy. "Oh it is so good to see you." Daisy was practically in tears. She realized the fright in Jill's face. "Sorry to scare you like that. It has been a long day in this awful place. It is so good to see a familiar face." "It's alright," Jill said somewhat embarrassed. Then thinking it was strange, "Why are you still here?" It wasn't very tactful. "Hank read the schedule wrong and it is everyone's fault but his own." She said in disgust. "We have to stay here another hour before our bus comes in. Hank is being so unreasonable and now I don't have my family to talk to. I can't even call them after tomorrow. They are going somewhere in Utah. I wouldn't even know how to get a hold of them." She sounded so lonely, so desperate. Liz gave her a big hug. "Let me give you my phone number. I teach at Linden Hall Boarding School in Grand Junction Colorado. Here let me write it down for you. If you ever need anything, call. I'll see what I can do. If nothing else, get hold of Keith. I know he'd do anything for you." This was the only smile Liz and Jill saw from Daisy and it was only brief. She then got a glum look on her face. "I can't though, even if I wanted to. I have no money of my own." Liz pulled out two dollars from her purse and stuck then in the waistband of her skirt. Both Daisy and Jill were surprised at her. "That is for you to keep for an emergency." "Thank you, you don't know how much this means to me." Daisy said almost in tears. By now we were up to the window and buying our tickets. As soon as we were done they were calling our bus. She was clutching the paper as we went to collect our bags. We looked out the widow, into the station to see Hank with the piece of paper in his hand, Daisy trembling. They watched in horror as he ripped up the phone number. As the bus pulled out of the station, Jill turned to me with tears in her eyes. "Why do people have to be so cruel?" Jill said Liz didn't have an answer for that. ------- Jack drove up and without even getting out handed me a newspaper, it was thin. Before I could even say a word he drove off. In bold letters I saw, SPECIAL EVENING EDITION CARP The evil unleashed ------- Chapter 19 I took the small newspaper Jack had handed and went back to my barracks. I opened it up and started to glance at it. It was a simple full page. There were two other articles on the inside with a few pictures and some advertising all of which I avoided. It was the pictures on the back page that grabbed me. I knew they were filling space to get this story out, but it had a series of shots, as though in slow motion of the trucks in Carp, then leaving, the bridge collapsing, The other trucks slamming into each other, what looked like one hundred men fleeing, others in containment suits out at the trucks, and then the fated boxes on mats outside the trucks, one of them damaged. The pictures themselves told a story frighteningly enough. I flipped back to the first page and started reading. The story was so riveting; I sat in complete oblivion to anything else around me and read. ------- SPECIAL EVENING EDITION CARP THE EVIL UNLEASHED By George Seldes Independent Reporter CARP, NV There were two factions working against the peaceful town of Carp. One was the greed of the men looking for a hidden treasure; the other was a man looking for revenge. Sam Lanley, fueled by stories of fortune had brought his son, Brad and a friend Fred Blaney into his scheme to find a hidden treasure. It was through Brad and Fred that they had been able to revive the feud idea. But as time passed they were getting nowhere, frustrating the three. Cliff Johnson's story starts when he was born in the town of Carp. His parents moved away after the uncontrollable child started a fires and threatening to burn down the historic downtown buildings. He longed to return to Carp, the town that he remembered with fondness in his early childhood. Eventually as a man he returned, built a house and started a relationship with a 12-year-old girl. Her father didn't like the relationship and tried as he might to separate the two, Cliff defiled the youngster. Finding out the child was pregnant, her father ran Cliff out of town. Cliff a self-centered, self-righteous person was filled with hate and revenge; he spent his whole life in the pursuit of destroying the town. It was not long after that Cliff Johnson was drafted into the armed services and eventually ended up serving at the Nevada Test Site. It was here that Cliff met Michael Blaney. Michael who had also been drafted was placed at the NTS from the beginning. His creative thinking had placed him into a position to test out new processes. It was in this position that he met Cliff and also became involved with a little know, yet highly volatile lab on the base. Cliff became friends with Michael as both had lived in the same area. Cliff found out the kind of research he was doing and the search for the legendary treasure that his cousin was helping in. Cliff in his devious mind hatched a plan. He used Michael to be a go between in his plot. What people had never known about Cliff's house is that it held a secret. As he built the foundation, Cliff had stumbled upon a mineshaft. The mine, on the outskirts of town, had been long abandoned, but Cliff always saw something hidden, something devious as a golden opportunity. He built a secret passageway into the house. His plot involved using some of the chemicals that Michael was testing. With the help of the feud idea, Cliff was able to get into his house and then up to the towns water supply. He promised that the townspeople would end up leaving and then they could rip the place apart for their search. The only ones who knew what the chemicals contained were Cliff and Michael. When the water started tasting bad, many did move away. Not all of them though. At this point Michael was part of the plan, he was linked, and he knew it. It looked as though Cliff used blackmail for what he got next. That something was a chemical called Rerexinal. It was perfect as far as Cliff's revenge went. Rerexinal causes infertility in the male population. Although no more people moved out Cliff did not care. His concern was revenge. How long the water in this little town had been tainted was hard to tell. But a series of events took place that cracked open Cliff's plot and saved the town. Cliff pressured Michael for what he knew. As Michael caved in to Cliff's demands, he was able to gain access to a chemical that the lab had shelved because of its destructive power. With this weapon in hand Cliff could unleash death on everyone in the town of Carp within an hour or less. Michael, having given Cliff this destructive power, could not go on. Six months ago, he took his life. It was a sad day for his family and the note he left was cryptic to them, but provided the missing links to how Cliff obtained what he did. A man wandered into town not to long ago. That man, Keith Paterson, was Carp's saving grace. Keith also worked in one of the labs working on these chemicals. Unlike Michael, Keith was the head of the lab at the Nelis base and water quality was his specialty. His coming to Carp was by accident. But once he had heard from another town, "If you aint born there, you can't drink the water," it drove him to find the problem. It also helped that as soon as he got to the town of Carp, he was smitten with by love. Fred and Brad were frustrated with the whole process Cliff was doing and so made rogue feud raids. The last of them ended in the death of Bill Thiesen. With Brad in jail for murder and singing like a bird, many parts of the story came together. Taking samples of the water, he brought them back for testing and found disturbing results. Keith then enlisted his trusted friend Richard Thompson and the source of the problem was soon discovered. A chemical dispensing canister, a prototype of what they used in the labs was in the main water supply. This was Cliff's first big blow. There were a series of events that happened almost on top of each other. Cliff showed up in town, both Keith and Richard got married to gals from Carp; a fire started burning a home to the ground. The aftermath was that Cliff lost all sense of reality and tried to finally take his vengeance out on the one man he hated most. The girl's father that had banished him from the town so long ago. As the wedding ceremony was just ending, Cliff rushed in pulling a gun. In the ensuing struggle, Patrick Thiesen was shot in the arm; Bob Riemer was shot in the abdomen. It was Bob who had taken Cliff to the floor and saved the rest from the shooting spree of a mad man. The sheriff that came to take Cliff away also took the injured Bob Riemer. Something went wrong and we were able to get the story from the sheriff who just came out of his comma. The wounded man was placed in the back seat, as he needed to be reclined. That meant Cliff, although handcuffed was in the front. Cliff was able to distract the officer and then hit him with all of his force, sending the car off the road. The resulting accident left the sheriff in a comma, the wounded man dead, and Cliff free Once again Cliff was on his way back to the unsuspecting town of Carp. Using the abandoned mine and the secret entrance in his house, he was right back in town the next morning. The first thing he did was to kidnap a young boy. Armed with the chemicals of death, Cliff made his way to the town's water supply, dragging the kidnapped boy with him. As the townspeople looked in vain for the missing boy, his cousin pointed out Cliff's house to Keith and Richard. What they found was an opening to the secret passage way. Placing themselves in great danger, they entered the passage. As soon as Keith found the chemicals, he knew what they were, and the danger they represented. Giving no concern for their own safety, they rushed to the water supply. They caught Cliff as he was approaching. Richard circled around as Keith distracted Cliff. As Richard grabbed the boy, Cliff fell and landed on top of the bottle. The tails are chilling describing his sudden and violent death (due to the nature of this newspaper we have edited out the vivid description). The result of the chemical was ominous. It proved to be the instant death that it had been designed for. The problem now was it had become air born, a scenario its creators had never considered. That event catapulted Carp into the military spotlight. Within a very short time the town was sealed off, a specially trained chemical containment crew came in and started their operations. To its credit, the military, which produced these chemicals in the first place, have been doing an outstanding job attempting to take care of its obvious obligation. The townspeople were taken away on a special train to an isolated section of the Nelis base. A team was assembled to test the people, attempting to tell the level of exposure to the chemicals. In Carp itself the chemicals were placed into special containers and after much discussion, the safest way determined was to take them out by train. The battle over Carp was not over though. My sources inside the governors mansion told me that after obtaining information the governor of Nevada attempted to make a name for himself, he is running for congress against Patrick McCarran. My sources from Carp itself said that the Governor himself had asked General Foster to send the National Guard with five trucks and a hundred men to Carp to collect the containers. The Guardsmen were not knowledgeable or equipped to handle such destructive chemicals. The attempt to take the boxes out by truck was disastrous. The overweight trucks crushed the small bridge that comes into Carp. The ensuing accident caused one of the containers to rupture. The governor in attempting to take the upper hand, destroyed property and put at risk many more people. In the end the train took the embarrassed Guardsmen to be tested for exposure to the chemical. It also returned the chemicals and they are back, safe and sound in the hands of people who know how to handle them. The townspeople are set to return to their town in a few days. They have a lot of rebuilding to do. The government has pledged its continuing support with the clean up and restoration of the town as well as continued monitoring of medical conditions. Keith Patterson is playing a major roll in that. As far as the Governor of Nevada, he has a lot of questions to answer and Congressman McCarran has already appointed a task force to look into the misappropriation of military personnel, as well as the endangerment of property and lives. I for one am hot on the trail of that. So what happened to our congressman? If there were political points to be made why wouldn't he have his nose in it? Well to tell you the truth he had more than his nose in it. It starts with the fact that Keith Paterson and Congressman McCarran are friends. So he was there for Keith's wedding. He got caught up in the whole mess. He himself was on the train, in the containment camp, and tested. If you talked to the townspeople, you would be impressed by how he acted. He has been in the background, doing his job, making sure the military is assuming the responsibility in this mater and taking appropriate steps to never let this happen again. There were a number of other people in town for the wedding also, Keith's parents who live in Fort Collins Colorado, Richard's parents who live in Denver Colorado, Keith's two sisters, Kristin who goes to school with Congressman McCarran's daughter at a University in Utah and Liz who is a teacher at the Linden Hall Boarding School in Grand Junction Colorado So what is in Carp's future? It is hard to tell. Rerexinal has never been unleashed on humans before. Keith Paterson will be researching a way to reverse the damaging effects of the drug. It is our sincerest wishes that he succeeds. ------- I shook my head, as though I was trying to make sense of what I had just read. Although I had lived through most of what the paper said, it was almost unbelievable. Robin saw that I had set the paper down on my lap and came over to me. "Well, are you back with us?" She said playfully. She grabbed the paper, trying to see what had gained his attention so thoroughly. As the headline came into sight, she dropped it as though it would burn her. "What is that?" Robin she screamed, petrified with fear. "Were did it come from?" Richard and Katy, Kristin and Mary came running at the alarmed sound in Robin's voice. Richard picked up the paper; "I can't believe they got it out this fast." Robin looked at Richard and then to me. "You knew? You knew that this was going to be in the paper? What does it say?" "It is a story. The story of one man trying to destroy a town and how he almost succeeded." I answered. "That is until you came along." Robin beamed with pride. I turned my head away, not ever feeling very comfortable with the idea of being a hero. "Well, yes it does say something like that." "Oh I want to read it then." Robin cried. "You might not." I said as she had grabbed the paper from Richard. It stopped her in her tracks. "Why not?" "It has a lot of history, history of what went on behind the scenes. Parts we never knew. Things that happened with, and by Cliff. It is not a pretty story." Robin looked over to her mother and then to me. I could see the water welling in her eyes. "Like it or not, he was my father. I think I need to know." "Maybe you and Katy should read it together then." I suggested. Katy had a pained expression. I could tell she did not want to read it, but she sat down and they started. I motioned to everyone that we should leave. Once outside Richard was the first to speak. "So what did it say?" I gave a short version, adding the parts that none of us knew and skipping the parts we did. They sat with rapped attention as I talked. Then Richard said, "And you let Robin read that?" "Did I have a choice? Like she said, she has a right to know." I caught out of the corner of my eye Stephanie. As I turned my head and before I could say anything she barged into the barracks. She had taken one step in, stopped and turned around. When she saw us, she ran to my waiting arms. "What's going on in there? Did someone die?" Stephanie said. "In a way, yes." I said choking out my reply. "Oh." She said and I gave her a big hug. ------- It was another twenty minutes before the two of them reappeared. Their eyes red from crying. Katy came up to me and said, "I'm glad you had me read that with her. It was as important for me to read as it was to be there for her. I'm glad I was there when she read it. Thank you." With that she gave me a little kiss on the lips. It shocked me. As she pulled back I could see her smiling. I shook my head and she gave a little laugh. ------- Before going to the hall for dinner, I grabbed the newspaper from this morning and bundled it with the special addition. When we got to the hall I found the two Patrick's. I asked the congressman if he had seen the Carp article. "Yes a fine piece of writing so far. Jack mentioned that there was word of trying to stop the rest of it." Patrick Theisen looked at us. "What article?" I explained. "There is a top notch investigative reported that found out about this whole thing and did some incredible research. It described the recent problems with Carp and how they came to be." Turning to the congressman, I continued. "The rest of the story has already been printed. They didn't want it to be stopped, so they ran a special edition." "Do you have it?" His eyes were filled with anticipation. "Yes and I think both of you need to read it. You will probably have question for each other." With that I left then with the paper. Patrick Theisen came up to me as we were leaving. "Keith I don't know what I'm to do with all of this." "Use it to you best advantage. Talk to Jack about it. He is much more interested in the town than the military saving a buck. He can help." "That sounds like good advice, thanks Keith. You know from that article there is no way you are going to escape being the town hero." "I am afraid of that." I said and walked away, hearing his laughter behind me. ------- The bus was long outside Las Vegas and Liz looked out the window thinking. Then she said, "I don't know Hank very well. Robin and Katy said that he had changed in the last little while. Katy thinks it is because he gave some bad advice and sees that it is wrong now and does not want to admit it. I wondered if it wasn't that the town was getting poisoned right under his eye and he didn't know it and cant face it." She added after a pause, "I heard Robin mention about poor little Pamela and how Hank apparently thought she would not be able to get her hair lip fixed and made Robert and Mildred believe him." Liz continued, "Keith told us that Robert believes still that his wife's sickness is still a case of the nerves. The doctor at the base does not think this is true. I'm sure Keith is on Hank's list. Keith made him look bad." "I read lots of books, studied, and asked questions about Pamela's condition. The adults just ignore me. I knew I was right, but they refuse to even get somebody else to even check Pamela. The only one who I could talk to in that family was Daisy, but then it wouldn't go anywhere because of Hank." Liz said, "It looks like he is running from his previous mistakes and not owning up to them. Now he is taking his wife with him. Daisy knows nothing of things outside Carp. She will be lost and afraid all the time." "I overheard," Jill admitted "that Hank was pushed into marrying Daisy. He was forty one and she was just thirteen. He still talks, when drunk, about how he has to baby-sit his wife. Keith doesn't seem to have this problem." Liz laughed out loud, startling a few of the passengers. "Keith fell in love with Kristin and I a long time ago and has not seen that we have grown. He still wants us as we were, or maybe wishes we could go back in time. This is impossible, and has found someone else to take our places. Robin is the Kristin he fell in love with, have you not seen the resemblance between the two." "Yes, now that you mention it. They are very much the same type of people." "Do you remember that obnoxious woman that left the bus in Las Vegas? Well she did mention that she thought that you were my daughter. There are a lot of features that we both share. I think that Keith is predisposed to love you too, he can't help it." Jill stared at her mentor with an open mouth. Words could not make it out, her mind in turmoil, wondering what all that meant. She saw the love in Keith's eyes whenever he looked at his wife or his sisters. He had given her strange looks sometimes too. He was so gentle and sweet to her, could he be in love with her too. No it couldn't be. She was plain and never did anything to ever bring this about, except recently. She blushed, thinking about it. She took stock of herself and saw what Liz meant about how she looked. Both had slim figures, light brown hair, dark eyes and a few freckles. They even had similar mannerisms; some she picked up from Liz and some were home grown. She blushed anew thinking how Liz was probably correct. "What are you thinking darling?" Liz asked. "I... think I see what you mean. Keith has really been sweet to me, but I saw him looking at me a few times differently. I thought it odd at the time, it did make me feel funny down here." she put her hand over her cunt, and gave it a squeeze. Liz laughed again and pulled Jill even closer in a big hug and kissed the top of her head. "I love you for the way you are." "I love you too... "and after a pause, "Mommy." Jill hung her head, blushed yet again but this time had a big smile as she wiggled closer to Liz. After a few minutes, Liz decided to change the subject. "What was it like when you were growing up?" Jill talked of her earlier years. She had grown tall early and the boys felt threatened, the girls jealous. That changed later and both Robin and Daisy had become her friends. But a few years ago, her only friends were the books that she consumed voraciously, and a man named Zachariah Goldstein. Zachariah was an old man when he came to Carp. He taught history and political science at Harvard before looking for a quiet and warm place to spend his last days. Jill was drawn to the kindly old man. They would spend hours discussing Roman history and the political turmoil of those years. Jill picked up a more than a smattering of German and Latin. He told her how talented a girl she was and got books for her to read. When she asked him for a medical book, she remembers him being surprised. He obtained one that was currently used with the first year medical school students he had left. His old colleagues had sent him the book. He joked that they never believed his tale of a girl reading and understanding what the book tried to teach. He passed along by mail some of my questions. He told me that it did bring some around to accepting the idea. The authors, a Doctor Javits and a Doctor Best from the University of Toronto, on a trip to a new school in Los Angeles stopped by to see me. She smiled at thinking how proud he was of her, but knowing she didn't want the attention didn't make a fuss about it. Jill would sit by the radio listening to the German broadcasts. Then the odd couple would debate in that language what they heard. It was a two years after her father's death that Jill found the frail old man dead on his bed. A letter beside the lamp gave his library to Jill. The child cried for weeks after the death, she withdrew even further and read his library through her tears. Liz felt very sad for how the girl lived, and explained to the girl all the gifts she was given before the man died. Liz now wanted to take all the pain away if she could. Perhaps being a good mother figure would help. She tried to console her little charge and after a while saw the first of a few yawns. Jill had only slept an hour or so, and little the previous night. Liz reached overhead and took from her bag a long blue jacket. She placed the bag at an angle with the bench and the wall, making her a place to recline without too much discomfort. She sat with her back against the luggage. "Come over here daughter." This brought a big smile. Liz again made herself as a pillow and got Jill to rest on her breasts. The jacket was placed over Jill, while she snuggled for a better position, between Liz's breasts. A contented sigh reached her ears. Liz woke a few times, finding Jill's hip pushing into her sex, and her thumb in her mouth. The girl would stop and start sucking at any time, no doubt in time where she need for comfort in her dream or nightmare. Liz's own mind drifted back to her own dream. Her brother had been between her legs, gently arousing her before his cock was to plunge again into her tight hole. She awoke and found she was caressing Jill, her left hand around Jill's left breast. Jill's hand held hers in place. Liz did not know if Jill was asleep or not, but found it difficult to remove her hand from the tenacious grip. With the rumbling of the bus Liz felt herself slide off into sleep. ------- Jill was startled awake when the bus stopped at an intersection, and started to cry. Liz jolted awake. Her nightmare was still very vivid in her mind. "I was in the water and was being pulled under by something. Everybody left me. I was going to die." Liz took her free hand and brushed hair from her beautiful tear stained face. "Do you understand what you were dreaming about?" "No, why would I dream about the water?" Jill asked through her tears. Liz looked at Jill. "Think of the water as a place of unknown. It is scary." Even though she didn't want to bring it up, she thought she needed to. "The water could represent the old closed up mine." Jill looked at Liz shocked. "Then the person pulling me under was Cliff?" "Yes and then it felt like everyone had abandoned you after that, didn't it? You felt like you were going to die." Jill still had a shocked look on her face, but nodded. "You can cry if you want. I cry sometimes too, especially when it looked like nobody loved me." For a few minutes the crying continued, but eventually tapered off to a long-term sob, as Liz's hand continued to caress the lovely child. Liz now overcome with her own emotion started to cry. At first this went unnoticed by Jill till tears started to fall onto her face from above. "What are you crying about?" "I felt that you must think that nobody loves you, but I do. I have felt so lonely at times I could die, but that was before, before I went to Carp." "No don't say that. I have felt lonely a lot of the time, before, well you know, and then all the time." Then Jill smiled. "Except now I am with you. I love you too. I wish..." Then she stopped. She didn't know if she should tell Liz that she wished she would remain her mother. Both girls cried now, but the tone had changed. The tears of self-pity had changed somewhat to be mixed with tears of happiness at finding someone to care for and be cared by. Liz saw that Jill's pain was still overwhelming her. When she felt bad she sometimes rubbed herself. Her hand was still held by Jill to her breast. Liz gently squeezed it. Her thumb and forefinger closed around her expanding nipple. Jill gasped and let go, realizing she had been holding Liz's hand to her breast. "Did I hurt you? Liz asked. Jill's breathing was erratic. "No it's just... "You've been taught it was wrong to touch yourself? "My mom would beat me when she found me touching myself. It felt so good; I could never understand how it could be bad. No one has ever touched me like how you did," Thinking of the previous night, and the day when Cliff. Then she fell silent. Someone had touched her. He had touched more of her. It made her feel cold inside again. Liz saw the change and knew what she must be thinking. She thought of another strategy. "Do you remember about the chocolate?" This caught Jill's attention, "What?" "Do you remember what I said about chocolate?" "Yes. Why?" Jill asked. "I could see that you were freezing up inside, and knowing what you have been through, I can guess what it was about. Love is taking small bites until you know you can take big bites without getting sick." Liz continued, "Bad things happen to all of us, and we have to overcome the obstacles that are put into our paths. Sometimes it is better to forgive." "I can never forgive Cliff." She looked truly sad. "Will my nightmares ever go away?" "The nightmares will fade, but never go away without forgiveness." She realized she was talking to herself as much as to Jill. "If you are with people that love and will protect you they will fade faster. Everything faded away when I was with Keith the last few days" Liz said with a smile. "But I don't have a brother." "No silly." And she pinched her nipple again, getting a jump from Jill. "You start taking little bites of the chocolate, remember." "I've already done that." Jill said as she hugged Liz. "Then you let what feels good happen." "You mean like when you... you know..." "Squeezed your breast and pinched your nipple?" "Yea." Jill said like she was almost out of breath. "Did you like it?" "I think so, but I'm not supposed to feel that way, especially with a girl. Or at least I didn't until last night." "I know how you feel and believe me it was incredible with Keith, but he is not here and you still need to nibble on chocolate. So you tell me." With that Liz reached out and molded her hands to Jill's breasts. Her nipples came up immediately and Liz ran her hand across them. "I see that you like my mood improvement technique. Do you want me to continue? I will have to touch you all over to make this technique work." The big smile and nod was enough. Liz looked into Jill's eyes and allowed her hands to continue on their previous path. Liz reached under her blouse and ran her hands around her back. Jill was surprised to feel her bra being unclasped. Liz moved her hands back around and cupped her breasts. They felt so good; Liz was as much in heaven as Jill. When Liz gently pinched her nipples, Jill had a small orgasm. Neither one of them could believe it. It was as nice as last night, it was good none of the passengers looked back and see what was happening. Liz slowed down gradually, giving Jill some time to recover. "So, you liked that, my little baby?" Jill smiled. She felt much more relaxed. This was great, all because of her friend, no sister, no her new mother, had made her feel better than before. Her own mother would never worry about her, never cry for her, and never help without extracting some payment for her actions. Liz was an older woman, but was much the same amount of experience as she did. Both raped or almost, scarred by the experience, and both shutting out the world as best they could. Jill wanted Liz as her mother, wanted with all her heart. Liz was barely old enough to actually be her mother. "Would you be my mommy?" Jill asked. "In the short time I have known you; I have felt more loved than at any time before. My mother yells at me all the time, even if I have done nothing wrong. She hits me if I am slow. Sometimes when I don't understand something she hits me, saying I am stupid. I am supposed to stay around the house and do whatever she wants, just like a slave. I was really surprised that she would allow me to leave with you for this long. I know you love me, and I need an mother to look out for me. Even if you never touch me again I would still want you to be my mother." Liz's eyes started to water. Never before had someone wanted her so much. She withdrew her hand slowly from Jill's blouse and put it in place. Jill misunderstood, "I am sorry. I will never say it again. I will do anything, just don't leave me." She started to cry. Liz hugged the little girl and whispered in her ear, "I love you and will never leave you." She pulled back and looked in the girl's eyes and said, "Did you think I would ever leave you? I was just so overcome by what you said. You wanting me? With all my faults and especially as a mother. If you want me, I will be happy to be your mother." ------- The bus pulled into the station on the outskirts of Cedar City. There were many buses parked on the lot, the only lights were those of the infrequent light standards and the washed out glow from the waiting room and ticket counter. Jill had fallen asleep again, finally getting some rest. Liz hated to disturb her but they needed to change buses one more time. "Come on lazy bones, it is time to get up." "I need to be relaxed again." Jill said not moving or even opening her eyes. Liz reached over and removed the jacket, causing Jill to shiver and curl up to keep her warmth. She straightened the child up and put the jacket about her small shoulders and stood, bringing the child to her feet. She clasped the luggage and were the last to leave the bus. Liz almost had to carry her, she was still very groggy from her sleep, and waking up one thirty in the morning. Liz stepped through the doors with difficulty, having to support Jill and the bags. They shuffled over to the ticket counter and Liz asked where the bathrooms were. She dragged Jill with her and found the washroom empty; pushing through the door she looked for a clean stall and brought Jill over to it. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" she got no response from Jill. "You really are a sleepy head. Aren't you?" "Jill honey, here is the toilet. Do what you need to do." There was no response again. She lowered her bags and used two hands to guide Jill into the stall. Liz steadied her and quickly squatted, moved her hands up the outside of Jill's thighs and pulled the panties down. She stood again and brought up the hem of the dress and guided Jill to sit. "Ok now honey, pee." Liz said in a low voice. After a few minutes Liz found that Jill still hadn't peed. Liz steadied Jill and quickly pulled the bags into the stall, and closed the door on both of them. She slid the bags under the partition to the next stall so they were out of the way and still safe. Liz opened her purse and got out the small nearly empty bottle of baby oil that she used on her skin to protect her from the sun. Liz squatted and pulled apart Jill's knees so she could fit in between. She opened the bottle and spread some oil on her right hand. Her left hand raised the hem of Jill's dress and the oily hand caressed the magic little nub hidden in the precious cleft. Liz shifted to the left for better access and continued her gentle strokes. Jill's legs spread almost without conscious effort. Jill's breathing changed, and her hips moved forward to increase contact, then back so she could feel another stroke. Her head came down on Liz's shoulder, and her hands wrapped around Liz as if of their own accord. The fingers took longer strokes and went around the tiny hole, and back up again. As the fingers speed increased so did the breathing and pelvic movements. Liz was now really turned on herself, her panties were wet. She knew that Jill came first and continued her ministrations, but now put her finger unto the delicate hole up to the first knuckle and gently stroked her to only that depth. Jill's head pulled back and her eyes opened. The face showed pure lust. She kissed her benefactor and continued to flex her hips to get the maximum sensations to her young body. "Do you want me to continue? I think you are awake now." In a deep voice distorted by lust and craving she said, "More... more... put it in." Liz slowly deepened her strokes, constantly listening for someone coming into the washroom. She inserted another finger but only went to the first knuckle again. "Do you want two, darling?" Jill didn't answer but she bucked harder trying to impale herself on the digits that were doing such wonderful things to her body. Liz saw her acceptance and stroked deeper using her thumb to rub the tiny bump when it came within range. Her eyes got extremely large, little pig like grunts escaped her lips and the bucking got furious. The hands wrapped around Liz tightened to the point that Liz felt she that her hand was going to get crushed. A loud moan rang out, echoing within the small stall and carrying on to the rest of the room. Liz stood up straightening Jill giving her a small kiss and closed the stall door as she left. She went over to the sink and held her head, waiting for the inevitable. Thirty seconds later when the male ticket salesman pushed open the bathroom door, saying and said "Is everything alright?" he didn't come further than the doorway. "Yes, Thank you. My daughter just slipped." "Do you need any help?" "No, no thank you." The door closed and Liz smiled broadly and laughed. Jill opened the stall door, but remained seated. She smiled and laughed too, till she saw Liz picking up her soggy hand and gave a small lick with the tip of her tongue. She gave a surprised expression and shivered as the tingles found their way to her young sex. "Now that you are awake, you better use the time profitably." she closed the door giving the girl some privacy. The flow of urine was punctuated by laughter as the girl relived the experience. It was nice to see the girl recovering, at little at a time. The toilet flushed and Jill emerged to find Liz finished her own ablutions and ready to go. They left the washroom with Jill faking a sore head as they passed the ticket counter. Liz had to hold her hand over her mouth to hide her laughter. ------- Evening brought us to our barracks and there was anticipation in the air. I could tell that tonight was going to try and repeat last night's activities. Robin, Katy, Richard and I made our rounds to say goodnight, but with all of the snickering, it was almost useless. We got to our room, if you could call it that. The bunks were still in pieces, although they had been brought in with the morning. The mattresses were still strewn on the floor. I looked at Richard and picked up a section of the bunk. "Well we might as well throw these outside again, it looks like we'll need the room again." Robin and Katy started laughing so hard and still trying to be quiet that they doubled up and were rolling on the floor. Richard and I looked at each other and shook our heads. Once the bunk pieces were out of the way we joined the girls on the floor. Within minutes clothes had been thrown to the far corners and we were really starting to warm up. I caught a reflection in the corner of my eye from the doorway and turned towards it. "You might as well come on in." I said. Robin giggled. I probably had a shocked look on my face as Brian, Jimmy, Stephanie, Dora, Kristin, and Mary all walked in, all as naked as the day they were born. It was little Stephanie who broke the ice as the others had sort of stopped; she came right up to me, sat in my lap and said, "Are you going to make love to me again?" Instead of saying anything I wrapped my arms around her, kissed her full of passion and turned over so she was now laying on her back. Soon I was kissing her neck and then lowered my mouth to her nipples. Her cry of pleasure set the tone as everyone one else found a place to be. The day had been stressful and this was the best stress reliever I knew. But after Stephanie, Robin, and Kristin I was wearing out. My face was between Mary's legs as she was sitting on top of me squirming. Someone was sucking on my dick, I only hoped it wasn't Jimmy or Brian, but hell it felt good, I didn't really care. ------- The schedule told them that the bus would not leave for another hour, so they left for an all night coffee shop they spied through the window in the door of the station. They entered the shop and ordered a light meal and drank sparingly. They giggled at the least reason, sometimes outright laughing. The two other customers, waitress and cook were sure the girls were loony. Liz after a little food was awake and thinking back to the start of the trip. Specifically Daisy. "I am going to try and call Keith." She said. Jill looked at her as though she was crazy. "It's the middle of the night." "Yes I know, but he takes off tomorrow and I'm not sure how to get hold of him then. I feel I need to tell him about Daisy." Jill dropped her head. She was having such a good time that she had forgotten about her friend and the problems there. Jill found the phone booth at the end of the diner. The operator connected her to the base without any problems. It was the base operator she was having difficulties with. "I'm sorry miss, the base is closed. You can leave a message with me and it will be forwarded." Liz hit the roof. "I don't care what time it is. You will connect me to Keith Paterson right now. If you don't I will talk to Jack Huntington myself and tell him that you are not able to do your job properly, do I make myself clear." She was shaking at the strength of her words. "This is highly improper. I can not just contact someone on the base." "Do you have any idea who I am asking for?" "Well, no. But..." Liz interrupted her. "Well let me tell you. Keith Paterson is at section C9. He is there as a guest of the government. He is not part of the base. I am his sister and this message is urgent. He is leaving tomorrow morning and I need to talk to him. So either connect me with him, or get Jack Huntington, your Commanding Officer on the line." Liz realized how much Keith had explained to her about the ins and outs of the bureaucracy of the government. It was now as she was using this knowledge that she appreciated all of that boring stuff he said. "Please hold." The operator said. Seconds later a man was on the line. "What is this nonsense about waking someone up so you can talk with them. Who is this anyway?" "This is Liz Paterson, and who might you be. I want your name so that I can talk to Jack about your phone manners. And yes I am on a first name basis with your Commanding Officer. I am calling to speak to Keith Paterson and if I don't get connected to him soon, he will make your life miserable." "Keith Paterson! You must be one of his sisters." He was laughing. "Yes I am." "Sorry, you have to understand. We get a lot of drunks calling in the middle of the night. The operator you got has only been here less than a month. She probably has no idea who he is. Is he still in C9?" "Yes." "Ok, The only phone out there is in the main building. Someone should be there, so I'll get them on the line and see if we can't roust Keith out of bed. Hold on." The line was dead for almost a full minute and then he came back on the line. "Seems like there were a number of volunteers to go to his barracks. It appears that he has a fair share of good-looking gals there and it was noticed that lights were still on recently. So we'll have Keith on the line in no time." Liz smiled. She could just see a repeat of what was going on the night before. She was heating up just thinking about it. Then it struck her that if someone showed up they might just see an eyeful. It was a good thing they were leaving tomorrow. Word would get around. She was pulled back to the present by Keith's voice. ------- Then out of the blue there was a knock on the door. I almost threw Mary off me as I jumped up. I glanced over at Richard and he gave me a blank expression. I managed to find enough clothes to open the door as whoever it was started knocking again. "Keith Patterson?" "Yes, that is me." "There is a phone call..." I heard him say something about my sister as I started running to the hall. "My mind started to race. What was wrong? Did the bus have an accident? Were they stranded? Liz must be ok; she's on the phone. Was it Jill? Oh dear God, don't let it be Jill. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Is Jill hurt?" he said the last with a catch in his voice. She could tell he was out of breath, running to the phone. Liz was now embarrassed, she had made such a big deal about this, Keith was so concerned, and even more so for Jill. Would he think she was silly? "No, no Keith we are both fine." "Oh thank God, what's wrong then?" Liz recounted the story of them arriving at the station in Las Vegas and how Daisy had reacted, then what Hank had done. "The bastard. I'd like to get my hands on him. If she phones, if she needs anything, let me know." "Thanks Keith, I knew you'd want to know." "I'll give you a call as soon as I know where I am going to be, so you can get a hold of me, ok." "Ok, Love you and miss you." "You too. Wasn't quite the same tonight." Liz knew that there were others within hearing distance, so he had to watch what he said. "Jill and I are having a great time so far. Thank you for this." "Isn't that what brothers are for?" After Liz hung up, having to get a pocketful of change to feed into the phone, she returned to Jill. "It took forever to get a hold of him. You wouldn't believe the run around I got. It frightened him that I called." Jill looked at her. "He was very worried that something had happened to you." Jill blushed at the attention. "He really does care about me doesn't he?" "Yes, Jill he does, very much." ------- I walked back to the barracks; my mind was still in turmoil over the call. The worst of it was going to be telling Robin. When I got back Richard was in the doorway and I thought I saw another head but wasn't sure. He was talking to the man who gave me the message. I say man, but he looked slightly older than a boy, probably just 18. I was surprised he was still there. When he saw me, he quickly said goodbye and I noticed he was having a hard time walking as he left. Richard told me that as soon as I had gone there was another knock at the door, so he went out to see what it was. The messenger was apparently surprised and disappointed to see Richard. He was trying to a peek inside when the door was open. Richard joked that the bunk pieces on the ground and the sound when he came up to knock the first time was probably more than he could handle. The girls who figured out what was going on, tormented the poor guy by popping their head around Richard, showing just enough flesh to make him have a problem walking when he left. I was glad we were leaving tomorrow, as I knew we would have been getting frequent visitors after that exhibition. Once inside I was bombarded by questions. I sat everyone down and told them of the call from Liz. Robin started to cry and Kristin moved to one side and Katy on the other comforting her. The only good thing was how much Liz and Jill were enjoying each other. Kristin laughed, "Yea I bet they are." Even with that the mood had changed. Everyone had already been tired, but now they were sad. Dora along with Jimmy and Brian were the first to go. Then Kristin and Mary. Stephanie, I had to practically pry off of me and swat her little bottom to get going. She turned around and stuck out her tongue at me and then giggled. "See you tomorrow night, lover." She said and ran laughing to her bed. I was shaking my head when Robin came up beside me. "Lover, hum?" "You were the one that set this up, don't blame me." I said playfully. "If you weren't so damned good." She said and started nibbling my ear. "You little temptress." I said as I lowered her to the floor. She fell asleep in my arms, but I could tell from her movements the day's tolls were giving her dreams I wished I could wipe away. ------- They boarded the bus at three o'clock that morning for the remaining eight and a half hour trip. As they entered the new bus, they were able to claim the seats in the same location. Liz again moved their bags into position so that it would support her back, while she supported her new daughter. "Well, sleepy head there is still a lot of time left on the bus, and unless you want to sleep at home you will have to sleep now." "I like sleeping on you 'mommy'," Jill stated "but you are boney in some places and nicely soft in others." She opened the jacket and spread it over herself as she found a comfortable place on Liz. "Well I do apologize for the boney parts, but you make me feel, like a real mother. You pressed on my bladder just like a baby does, making me wanting to pee. You gave me a sore nipple just like a baby after feeding time. And you gave me a sore back, but not for quite the full nine months of carrying you. I would not have it any other way though. You are my only baby and my only daughter. It just seems that I birthed you at times." she said this with a smile. Liz remembered last night, as she pleasured Jill, and Jill had returned the favor. A shiver went up her back originating in her cunt and traveling to the top of her head. The sleepy child had fallen asleep in her arms. Later that night Liz felt Jill's lips absently suckling on her breasts. There was just enough light to see a peaceful face on the sleeping girl. Perhaps at long last she had found her rightful mother. Liz had really awoken by then and just watched the child; a feeling of compassion and love flowed through her. Later she had stopped and then started again as her needs in her dreams demanded. Jill had finally awoken with a nipple in her mouth and a contented look on her face. She looked up into Liz's eyes and closer to what was in her mouth. She immediately let go, wondering how Liz was going to react to what she had done. She needn't have worried; the look on Liz's face reminded her of what a mother looked like when viewing her newborn child Jill in the present said, "I am sorry mommy but that is what babies are for, to test the mother's endurance." this time Jill initiated a deep kiss that was nothing like a kiss given by a daughter. Liz felt light headed and had her eyes closed only to open them and see Jill staring at the effect she had on her new mother. "You like that, don't you mommy?" "Yes, daughter it is nice. It makes me squishy." "Now lie down again and get a little sleep before it gets bright out." Jill lay down on top of Liz and again the jacket was adjusted to cover her. "Mommy would you relax me, so I can sleep?" "You are quite a demanding daughter, but I think you are worth it." Liz said with another smile. Her hand stole under the jacket and caressed Jill's breast. Jill sat up and looked around and undid the buttons to her blouse and showed Liz her bare breasts. She got back under the jacket and assumed the best position for her medication. Liz whispered, "Well young lady, what happened to your bra?" as she found a nipple and gently twisted it. "Ohhh... I may have forgotten to put it on when we were in the restroom." "You are naughty, and I may need to punish you." with that she pinched the nipple a little harder causing Jill to squirm and push her breast closer. Liz felt movement around her knees and asked, "And what is my naughty daughter doing with her hands?" "There seems to be something wrong. I seem to have sprung a leak, and I am looking for the valve to turn it off." "Well continue looking. We don't want the bus flooded. Do we?" Jill continued with the checking of her plumbing till she became very stiff and started to shake. Liz started to remove her hand, but Jill held it in place. "Darling you have a dirty hand. Give it to mommy." The hand came forward and out from under the jacket. Liz held her wrist and smelled the fingers. She plunged two of the fingers into her mouth and licked them clean. The rest were treated to a more leisurely cleaning, making Jill shiver at the touch. Liz replaced the hand and adjusted Jill for sleep. "Good night Jill, my darling. I love you." "I love you more than I can say." They both dozed off till the sun started to shine through the window onto their faces. They had slept through the short stop at Richmond. Liz was very stiff and sore but would not move for the world. Jill's arm stretched out accompanied by a yawn. The jacket slid to the floor reveling one of her white breasts. Liz looked down, finding the nipple interesting. Nobody was looking their way. She stretched her own arm and brought it over the half awake child and gently pinched the object of her desire. Jill shook and brought her elbows down like a prize fighter to protect her torso. "Good morning darling." Liz said "Did you sleep well?" "Yes, I feel great." She moved a little forward and jerked back. Liz's blouse and bra was very wet with slobber over one of her breasts. "Did I do that?" "Yes, I am afraid." "It must mean I was hungry." "Probably, but I find myself a little sad. I am not able to feed you like a real mother should." "Don't feel bad mommy, we can find something else." A man up the aisle moved, and Liz reached over and picked up the jacket to protect her daughter. "You better get dressed, you little hussy. There are a lot of people here that would be interested in your chest." "Are you one, mommy?" "Your new mommy is interested in everything about her new daughter. Put on your bra if you can, we don't want anyone's eyes poked out by pointy objects." When Jill had straightened her self, Liz reached into her purse for a snack. "How long now mommy?" Liz looked at her watch. "It is a little after eight," and with a little mental arithmetic, "and we have a little more than three hours left. Is the trip too long for you?" "Not when I am with you." They heard a toilet flush in the small enclosure, standard on all express buses. A large woman opened the door and had to turn sideways to negotiate the doorway. "You better go, and relieve yourself before someone else takes it over." "Will you come with me? I may need help." "You certainly are becoming a chocoholic aren't you?" "I do need an occasional nibble to keep my strength up." "Go on now. I wouldn't fit in there with you anyway." Jill left on unsteady legs, leaving Liz to think about what she had gotten into. She was twenty-nine and a respected teacher. Until a few days ago she was a technically a virgin that only had thoughts, but never practice sex with anyone. Her brother turned her on greatly and even more so after he had made love to her. She had the occasional urge to peak or fondle one of her students, but would never even contemplate doing it. Here she was with a fourteen year old girl she had masturbated, on her sex and twice on her breasts. Her brother had brought out the animal in her; if she couldn't have her first choice she would have her second. She really did love and want to protect Jill. She didn't think that Jill only wanted females. Sex she found was addictive, for her and for Jill. She would be Jill's mother and she hoped maybe lover, for as long as Jill wanted. The toilet flushed again and Jill emerged flushed. She sat beside Liz and hugged her. "You better go now." Liz smiled and got up and entered the washroom. The smell that struck her nose made her tingle, waves of electricity spread out from between her legs. Jill must have relieved herself more than the usual. Liz found a switch that caused the air to be vented outside. Her own fingers slowly followed her own sex, thinking of the fresh young pussy on her new daughter. Jill's hands had gone up and down her sex, in and out her pretty hole and around the magic button. She had no relief herself, since leaving the camp. The orgasm came upon her quickly and she stifled her groans with great difficulty. A few moments later she was able to do what she came into the stall to do. She cleaned herself and left the air running. Back at her seat she hugged Jill in turn. "You would not believe the perfume someone left in there. It made me very excited. Do you know what I did?" Jill blushed and hung her head trying to hide. Liz turned her and looked into her eyes, "I thought of you as I played with myself." Jill had a big smile and replied, "I thought of you too. It was much better now that you are here." They hugged and sat back thinking of one another, as the miles went by. "So tell me about the school again. There are lots of things I need to know." Jill stated. "Ok, sweetie." Liz stated, seeing the look of adoration in the girls eyes. The school is about five miles out of town. Close enough for a walk or a bicycle ride. There are four very large stone buildings that are about a hundred years old, Lower House is actually two of the buildings and the students up to grade four use them. Each floor is a dormitory. Upper House is for the students to grade eight. There are eight dormitories in all, which house the staff and students. There are about fifty girls in each dorm. The school itself is actually housed in several buildings. The school's property sits upon a low hill overlooking a valley with very pretty farms. The entire property is about twenty acres, mostly grass and paths, but quite a few trees. We have a stable where young ladies learn to ride, and five tennis courts, and an archery range. Five years ago we built a theater; we have plays that the public is invited to. Close to the dorms is a swimming pool with a change house. Behind the Upper House and Lower House are the laundry facilities. We are currently making one large cafeteria instead of a small one in each school, but this work is not done yet. I teach mathematics, and science. I sometimes fill in for the P.E. teacher. There are only women and girls at the school except for old Kevin Smith and his men who take care of all the maintenance. He is a sweet old man that does have an eye on the young girls though. The girls sometimes try to tease them, the men are all married, and we keep a good eye on them. There are very few students that do not live at the school. The students are carefully selected; money is not the important criteria for acceptance, but intelligence and commitment. You qualify in spades." As she tweaked Jill's upturned nose. "What will I learn? Where will I stay? Who will look out for me? I have no clothes or money for this school." Jill was becoming worried and upset over all the things that were beyond her control. "Relax, darling. "There is only seven weeks of school left, so there is no need to worry. You will stay with me, and I will certainly take care of you." She chuckled. "We can go shopping at the next stop that is where we get off. The shops will be open. We can try to find street clothes for you. All the students and staff wear uniforms; we can go to our storage and find a few good changes of clothes for you. It will be like you are a visitor, seeing if you like the school and might want to stay. We have people like that. They come and stay, but usually for a week. The first thing I would like is to have you tested, because I think you have more potential than I have ever seen, and I would like to see in which direction it takes." "I want to be in your classes. I don't know anyone." "Don't worry. I will try to have you in most of my classes, but there are other things than math and science." Liz hugged the girl to reassure her. She continued, "There is English, History, Geography, Physical Education and others that you can learn too. I can't teach all that as well. You will find friends I bet and the teachers for the most part are very nice, you will like them." "Where will I sleep, and eat?" "I am in charge of one floor in Lee Hall. I have my own room. You may live with me, as the papers your mother signed gave me all the obligations she had, or you can have a room with another students. I and another teacher look after the girls on my floor helping with homework and being their guide. Other things the girls need a mother for, like their packing or schedules we have a dorm mother come in for, she is there for an hour each day then she does the laundry and takes care of other things, but the dorm mothers don't live at the school." "She does everyone's laundry?" Jill said surprised. "For our floor, yes. We have special hampers to put out dirty clothing into. They are picked up, cleaned, and returned in the hampers. I am quite sure the girls got into trouble when I was away." Liz held her hand and said, "We all eat in the cafeteria and it has very good food, much better than at the camp we left. If you don't watch out you will end up eating too much. Since the weather is warm, I like to take the students for nature walks. We study plants and animals, and bring our own tents and sleep over for a few days. They would just be in the dorms, so I have been known to take Thursday and Friday plus the weekend to show them the many marvels the world around us has to offer. I do many of my classes outside; it takes a little juggling with the other teachers sometimes for the longer classes. What do you think?" "It sounds just wonderful. I am used to reading from my library and a few of the books the town has. I know every book in Carp by heart, word for word. I used to get asked questions by Mrs. Moyer, but after a while, she said that I knew more than she did. I think she studied to be a teacher a long time ago, but didn't do anything about it. The mothers couldn't always find the time. At least mine didn't. Jill hung her head thinking of her past." after a pause, "Cynthia gave me some of her books too. There was one about first aid, self defense, then some romance novels. I think one of the books was Jack's because it was on military organization, I had never read any books like that except the organization of the Roman army." "Do you really like reading those manuals? I thought the Roman army was a little before your time." "What?" "Well you don't look that old." Jill got the joke and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I lived through that time all right." Giving Liz a jab in the side, making her laugh. "I liked many things in the camp. Everything was organized. Each person had a job, and did it. It reminded me of the mine in Carp, my dad took me there a few times. The book about self defense showed me I can learn so that nobody else will do what that man did." Jill paused before continuing, "The books I read in the library that was given to me on ancient Rome were written in Latin, but were only a few hundred years old. The German books on history were good to, but not as nice." "The school has a few books that you might like but they are only in English. We have some old books on the British army that you might like." Liz put her hand beneath Jill's chin and gently raised her eyes. "I won't be like those mothers in Carp. You are much too precious to loose or waste. In the next seven weeks you may regret coming with me. I am going to make you work, and work you hard. You are very smart and just need a little help for you to outshine all the other children not only in Carp but most likely our school." Conversation died for a while as both thought of the future. "Jill, what do you want to do with yourself when you grow up?" "Before, I just thought of getting married and having children, that was what girls in our town did. Zachariah Goldstein said, I knew almost enough to be a doctor. That was almost three years ago and I haven't talked about it with anyone. I couldn't talk to Hank about anything." Jill made a face and continued. "Now I seem to want to be with you and maybe become a teacher." "With your mind you can be anything you want. I only had thoughts of being a teacher. After the time I was attacked in the summer camp, I didn't trust men enough to think of a family. That was then though. I would like to have a family again and the only man that will do is Keith. I have been dreaming of having his baby. What do you think of having a little brother or sister?" Jill wasn't sure what to think. Liz loved a man and wanted to be with him. It was still hard to think about that. Could she share with a brother or sister? That would take up so much of her new mother's time? She found she wanted Liz for herself. "I don't know about a family. I just found you as a mommy and I don't want to loose that. You can be the mommy and I can be the baby?" Jill almost sobbed. Liz comforted her little girl. "Keith is a very gentle and loving man. I think deep down you already know that. You said you wanted to have a family before. Cliff changed that, but not your true feelings. Inside you still want your own babies just like me. If you trust me then I may be able to help you. My feelings for you will not change. You are a sweet girl, very smart and will go far. You need some help now and I will see that you get it." Liz continued, "If you in the future would like to change from daughter to something else that is alright with me. At the very least, I could be just your friend." Liz had tears in her eyes at the thought of losing Jill. Jill saw that Liz was upset, and wondered why. "What is wrong? Is it something I said?" Liz felt torn, she replied, "I feel like you are my first daughter, but I need a baby too. I just don't want to loose you." Liz put her face into her hands. Jill came to a decision; she knew she didn't have the right to be selfish. "I will always be your daughter. A new baby could be mine too, if you don't mind. This could be fun." An idea came to her, "and when I am hungry like this morning you can feed your big daughter too." Liz had been looking up when this was said and quickly wrapped her arms around Jill. ------- The morning came early to all those in Keith's barrack. Still as tired as they might be, there was excitement in the air. They had been woken up a bit earlier than normal with Pamela rushing in. She was so excited that she was up extra early. Her parents kicked her out of her barracks because they feared she would wake up everyone else. She rushed over to see Keith, her mind was spinning she was so happy. She didn't knock, she didn't announce herself, she just came rushing in the door. As soon as she shut the door and turned around her eyes grew as big as they could. The bunks were missing, the mattresses were on the floor and there was Keith, Robin, Richard, and Katy. They were naked, she was sure of it. There were two sheets somewhat covering both couples, but it wasn't covering much. Their clothes were strewn all over the room. She knew something happened, but she wasn't sure what. I turned around, hearing the door. There stood Pamela, as wide-eyed as I'd ever seen anyone. Robin, tired and not wanting to wake up grabbed the sheet and rolled the opposite direction from me. The sheet came off me and Pamela was again startled to a sight she had never seen. My typical morning piss hard on. She gasped as I was pulling the sheet back over myself. The sound of her voice made Robin come alive and as she sat up, clutching the sheet to her, it came off me again. Robin saw Pamela, then looked down and saw what she had done to me as I was trying to get some of the sheet back. Robin giggled. "Oh, hell." I said, got up and walked into the bathroom knowing there were two sets of eyes watching me every step of the way. I came back wrapped in a towel. "See I told you." I heard Robin say. I noticed they were both looking at my crotch. I could only guess what the conversation was when I had been out of the room. Richard and Katy were now stirring. I was started to look for some clothes when Robin said, "Come and sit down with me." She had this look that said I was in trouble. I sat and she pounced. I was on my back with her lips kissing my face. Feeling my towel still securely on me I felt safe. What a mistake that was. As her tongue entered my mouth, I felt her hands run up and down my sides, then to my chest, ending with them running light fingers across my nipples. I groaned and she knew she had me. Ending the kiss she moved up and placed her right breast into my mouth. I thought about Pamela getting quite an eye full. The strokes across my nipples broke down any resolve and I started sucking on her. Then I heard Robin's voice. "See Pamela, I told you it would come back up. It just needed some encouragement." The giggle told me she must be looking at my enlarging dick. Under the towel or not, there was an obvious difference. I pushed Robin back, she had a satisfied smile on her face. "Between you and Stephanie this little one has no chance." I looked over to Pamela, she had a hurt look on her face. She looked down, "but but I ask." I felt like a heal. I reached over, pulling her to me and gave her a hug and little kiss. As with the last time we were in a compromised position, this wasn't any better. Sliding over me caused the towel to come open and she promptly placed a leg on each side of me. As I let go of the hug she sat right down, it trapped my hard dick in the crotch of her panties. "OOOoooo" she let out. Robin, not wanting to be left in the dark, lifted Pamela's skirt up to see the sight and laughed. "It does feel good, doesn't it?" Pamela shook her head up and down with a big smile on her face. She also started to slide back and forth. I noticed Katy and Richard being amused. "I'll remember this." I said to them as I picked Pamela off me. The rest of the morning activities were not as stimulating. Richard and I decided that we should leave the bunks just the way they were and let the clean up crew wonder. We already knew that stories from last night would be circulating. It was good we were leaving this morning. We had been given duffle bags for our things and the next thing we knew we were gathering to get on a bus. ------- Sitting on the bus, shuttling us to the transport plane, my mind was going over the things that had just happened. I had told Richard to call Liz when he got close to the school. I would be calling her to let her know how to get a hold of me, so he would know also. We had made our rounds saying goodbye. It was surprising how many people had told me good luck with my research. Katy's father was especially concerned that I get it done fast. Patrick McCarran told me once again to call him and keep him up to date. My thoughts were jarred by the sudden stopping of the bus. I had expected to see one of the large transport planes a C-54 maybe, they flew out of the base regularly. That is what was here, but we were stopped in a location generally reserved for visiting dignitaries. Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca were waiting there for us. Jack took me aside and said, "Shit hit the fan with that piece in the paper. We are to give you the royal treatment, I hope you like your plane. It is only transporting your group, along with a stewardess and pilots, this is not your enlisted transport as you'll see when you get on board." I looked at him dumbstruck. He gave a little laugh. "They said to me that they hope you fail. That way it isn't all their fault any longer." He shook his head. "Don't try and follow the logic in that. I think if you fail, they will be in more hot water, but that's not how they see it right now, so enjoy what they are willing to dole out to you right now." I shrugged my shoulders. Jack took a look at our group. "I see you are bringing a friend for the little girl." "I hope you don't mind." Jack shook his head. "With her mother going in for tests also, who knows how her father is going to deal with things. The only way I saw him deal with anything was in the bottle. So we thought it might be nice. Her mother thought it was great to take such an adventure." "Sounds like a good plan. Always thinking, one of the things I like about you Keith." Mildred, Pamela, and Stephanie were in awe. Robert was just standing there as though he never expected this to really be happening. Kristin, and Robin were excited. Mary was used to traveling, so it was completely normal for her. A stewardess came down and started getting people on board. Cynthia came over to me. "It isn't going to be as much fun around here without you." She was trying to pout. I laughed. "I think you will keep yourself amused." "You wouldn't believe how." She smiled with a devilish grin. "I have a little something for you. I had slipped one into Liz's bag when she left. She'll find hers when she unpacks." There was a wicked gleam in her eye. Two boxes about three inched square and twelve inches long. I could only guess what it was. I looked at her and she laughed. "Well you'll be working long hours and Robin need something to do." "And the other?" "Oh, I'm quite sure you will find use for it. Kristin gave me some measurements to closely resemble you, so she may be expecting something to." I looked up at her in surprise. She just laughed. "I got one for myself too." With that, her eyes twinkling, she turned and walked away. I was shaking my head, wondering how to conceal these in my jacket so no questions would arise. I was the last one at the stairs when Cynthia came running back up to me. Something else to give to Robin. I saw her push a small wad of white material into my jacket pocket. I looked over and Rebecca was crimson. "You are terrible." I said to her. "Just trying to help." She giggled and ran back as I boarded. Jack was right; this was something that Generals must use. I'd never seen anything like it at the base. I took my seat beside Robin. "What was all that about?" She asked. "I'll show you later." I said as the stewardess came by to check out seat belts. The plane started to taxi down the runway and soon we were in the air. ------- The bus eventually made the stop at Grand Junction. The driver told every one where they were, and how long a wait there was to the time he was to leave. Jill was excited and jumped up and pulled Liz with her. "Hurry up; I want to see the school." Liz laughed and said, "Ok, but I thought we were going shopping?" "Can't we do that later? I'm so excited I could just burst." The air was noticeably cooler. Liz took the jacket and put it on Jill. "Let's go to the bank and get a little money it is close. Then go to the school and get you set up." ------- Chapter 20 The air was noticeably cooler. Liz took the jacket and put it on Jill. "Let's go to the bank and get a little money it is close. Then go home to shower and change." The bank business was quick, and they quickly found themselves on a bus for Linden Hall. The bus pulled up in front of large metal gates set into stone pillars that joined overhead in an arch. The drive was cobbled and the gate looked as if it had never been closed. It took more than five minutes on the winding driveway to walk to Upper House. Liz pointed out all the buildings and features that they passed. "We have to go in and get a few things straightened out." Jill saw a few students pointing, grabbing others to look. At first, she thought it was because she was new and got self-conscious. Liz noticed the group of girls and waved to them. Jill then understood. They were pointing at Liz. She felt stupid for thinking it must be about her. They climbed the eight stone steps and pulled the large main door open. The interior was well lit and paneled in rich wood tones. Their feet clicked on the slate flooring as the entered an office at the far end of the hall. A large woman in a dark dress sat behind a typewriter. She looked up at her visitors and quickly got to her feet, and moved to Liz and hugged her. "It is good to see you home. I didn't know if those soldiers would ever let a woman like you go." The woman had a serious look, but could not keep it and a big smile blossomed. "Thank you Grace. It did take almost a hundred thousand soldiers to keep me. I would like to introduce my new daughter Jill Weinstein." "I was recently adopted." She joked. "Jill this imposing woman with a mean left hook is Grace Turcotte, our fearless leader in these parts." Grace's eyes had gone up at the mention of a daughter but stepped forward to shake her hand and for some odd reason hugged the girl instead. "I am glad to meet you. You must tell me the particulars of this conception if you can spare the time." "Yes ma'am, I will try but I have been threatened with a lot of hard work, and may not be able to pick the locks on my shackles." Grace laughed at the tenacity of the young girl, she reached into her dark hair and extracted a bobby pin and in a stage voice said, "Hide this and later you can escape to tell me." It was now Liz's turn to wonder. Grace was usually warm but distant with the girls. A smiling Liz asked Grace, "I was to understand there were special rates, for the children of the staff." A very fair price was agreed to, considering the length of the school year remaining. The only real cost was food and laundry. Liz continued, "Jill has been in a home/school environment and needs to be assessed. I have never met a person as bright as Jill. Is there someone free that can administer the tests? I don't believe I should do it myself." "Let me see," she walked back to her desk and opened a large planner and ran her finger down the row of names, "Tiffany Howe may be free tomorrow morning. Do you want me to set that up with her?" "No, that is all right I will see her this afternoon and ask if she will do the tests. I would like to register Jill now that I am here." Liz opened her purse and brought out a sheaf of papers. She changed the order and presented them to grace. Grace read through the documents till she came to one that gave full parental powers to Liz. It was signed by Jill's mother and witnessed by Congressman Patrick McCarran and the Jack Huntington, the commanding officer of Ellis Air Force Base. Grace reached into a tall filing cabinet and pulled out an admittance form, "I see you picked up a few influential friends." as she read the document. "Yes, those and a lot more are friends of my brother Keith." She signed the forms and received the key to the stores so they could pick up the school uniform. Liz left with Jill, promising to come back later, and tell her about her exploits and the acquisition of her new daughter. "I almost hate to ask, but have you seen the latest paper?" "No, we have been on the bus for the last day, why?" "Come back and I'll show it to you. It is bound to be seen by the rest of the school. I just think it would be good for you to see it first." What do you think is in the paper?" Jill asked. "I'm not sure, but knowing Grace we'll find out soon enough. Probably nothing too important, she likes to dramatize things a bit." ------- Pamela wasn't quite tall enough to look out the window, but that is where she wanted to sit anyway. Everyone always did. Stephanie, the guest, should have been the one to be there. She hadn't said a word knowing how much her friend wanted it, which was one of her enduring qualities, as well as the fact that the two girls were so excited they could hardly stand it. We came up to cruising altitude and leveled off. Except for Mary, Richard and I who had been on an airplane before, everyone was excited. I remember it being a mixture of pure adrenalin and being scared to death. This opulent layout of the plane was quite an introduction to air travel. I've never been in a plane so nice. Two seats on each side, hell this was nice I wasn't smashed into the next person as I'd been on most of my military flights. Turning in their direction I could see Stephanie was looking around. She was pointing out everything to Pamela, and I could just make out Stephanie's words. "Oh Pamela isn't this the best thing that you have ever seen, look at this table. If we had a deck of cards, we could play with your mom and dad." They were sitting across from them. The stewardess appeared from behind a curtained area at the end of the seats, and Stephanie took this to be a sign that she could take off her seat belt. She got up on her knees and turned looking over her seat towards the front of the plane. "Kristin and Mary are on one side of the plane and Keith and Robin are on the other." She saw me looking at her and waved at me, but never stopped talking. "I wonder why they are up at the front, there is another row of seats between them and us. These seats that face each other are much better. Maybe it is because Keith got on last and they didn't want him to sit by himself." She went on and on with her conversation, knowing Pamela was listening, although it really didn't matter. Before I turned back around I noticed that Mildred was fine. She was looking out the window and talking to the stewardess, case of nerves my foot. If nerves were the real problem, she'd have used one of those damned bags by now. I was about to get up and say something of the sort when Robin, who had stopped looking out the window feeling me move and tugged me back down. ------- Liz and Jill walked up to the top floors. They heard teachers, and students in their classes. The last floor was the attic and had no classrooms just places for storage. Liz turned the lights on and led the way to the end of the hall, and opened the door. After the light was turned on the size of the room became apparent. It was bigger than two classrooms combined, individual enclosed areas held personal belongings of the staff, while the area at large held uniforms. Some of the uniforms were different, having been changed thirty years ago but never discarded. "Now let's see what will fit." Liz said to herself. "Climb onto this platform and we will see just what this room has to offer." Jill climbed onto a platform about three feet square and about eighteen inches high. The top covered in carpet, to keep girls feet from slipping. Liz looked at Jill's breasts and estimated the size. "Take off your blouse sweetie, while I find something." When Liz returned Jill had removed her blouse and bra. The cool air had made them stand up on their own. This didn't matter as Jill was stroking them. "And what is this daughter of mine?" Jill continued to stroke herself and said in a little girl's voice, "I need to be relaxed." Liz looked at Jill and felt her clit tingle. She went over to the door and locked it leaving the old key in the door to prevent peeking or access. She walked to the front of Jill and said, "You are a naughty girl and I need to punish you." Jill got wide eyed, "bbbutt mommmy." She stuttered out. "Touch your toes, Jill dear." Jill did, and Liz gave her a surprising, but soft spank. She let out a yelp, stumbled off the platform making a thud on the floor, as she had to jump down. "Now put your undergarments on." Liz said as she went to the door, unlocking it. Just as Liz had walked back and Jill was back on the platform, two girls came rushing in. They stopped dead in their tracks. "Oh it is you! We heard you'd returned." They both chimed in unison. The girls rushed over and gave Liz a hug. Jill once again felt a self-conscious standing there, exposed as she was. "Girls this is Jill, I was fitting her for a uniform." Their stares made Jill feel uncomfortable. "So why did you girls come rushing up here?" Liz knew the answer, but she needed Jill to hear and understand. "We heard the bang on the ceiling, and you know how these walls make sound travel in this building." Liz smiled, "Yes, I do. Well you can go back to your class now." The girl's left and Jill looked at Liz. "I'm sorry." Liz smiled. "You just have to be careful when you unwrap that chocolate, someone else might want to take a bite." "You mean, those two?" Liz nodded, "And I would have been powerless to stop them, or risk losing my job." It started to sink into Jill; she sat down and started to cry. "I'm so stupid." Liz wrapped her arms around Jill. "No. No, you're not. You just have a lot to learn about chocolate yet. I know you find it very tasty. So do I. But we have to think too, ok?" Liz lifted Jill's face and kissed her nose. It brought a smile to her face. "Now let's look at some clothes." Liz finally fitted Jill with three complete sets of clothes, along with the shorts and halters for gym. An old suitcase transported them. They started down the steps as a period ended. Hundreds of girls poured out of the rooms, went to their lockers and tried to get to their new classes. Many girls stopped top chat with their best teacher. The time was short, and the girls didn't want to be late, so they reluctantly left. "It seems that the whole school loves you." mused Jill. "I love them to'" and turning to Jill, "but not like you." Jill blushed at the complement. ------- Robin said, "Not so fast, you didn't tell me what was going on out there before we took off." The stewardess then walked up to us and asked us if we wanted anything to drink. It stopped me from any explanation. Robin rolled her eyes, I was amused. "What do you have?" Robin asked The stewardess went through an extensive list. It made me wonder who usually used this plane. It also gave my eyes time to wander over the stewardess. She had a full head of red hair and a row of freckles on her light skin. Bright red lips. I had just moved my eyes down when Robin decided what she would have and ask me. I saw Kristin listening, the stewardess turned to ask them and stopped. "You're congressman McCarran's daughter aren't you?" "Yes Sharin I am, nice to see you again." She took the order from them and then proceeded to the cockpit. I hadn't thought that Mary had probably been riding on planes like this for some time. I smiled at Robin and said "Ok, here it is." pulling out a pair of panties and handing them to her. Her expression was priceless. "That was one of two going away gifts." Then I got up and walked to inspect the plane, leaving her to wonder. I knew I'd get it when I returned, but I couldn't resist. She'd put me in too many positions of being embarrassed recently. I opened up the curtain and stepped into a hallway with a door at the end. The galley was on one side and a lavatory was on the other. As I turned back around, the stewardess asking me if I needed anything "Oh, no, was just taking a look around." I noticed she was beginning to fix our drinks. "I need to start preparing lunch as soon as I'm finished with this. It takes a little over an hour to get ready." She said as though I'd be interested. "Oh, what are we having?" "Roast chicken, baked potato and a green salad." I must have been looking at her dumbfounded. "You have never been on one of these flights before have you?" "No." "Well this is standard fare. This plane is really easy for me. It only has room for sixteen passengers to take care of. And as far as lunch is concerned, the salad is made already, and the chicken and potatoes are in these ovens. All I have to do is place everything on a plate." "Sounds like a good job." "Yes, much nicer than some of my friends. They are all jealous of me." "So what is back here? Storage area? If I remember correctly, these planes were designed to fit about fifty or more passengers." I noticed her blushing a bit. "It is a sleeping cabin. Some of the dignitaries we get on these flights are running such a tight schedule, that traveling from one place to the next is the only time they have to rest." "Mind if I take a peek?" "I guess that would be ok." I could sense a hesitation in her voice. To bad, I was curious now. I opened the door, expecting to see a couple of twin beds on each side. What I saw was a large bed in the center, with a headboard. Night stands on each side and a paint job that made you forget where you were. The only thing that would make you remember you were in a plane was the engine noise. As I shut the door I wondered how much sleep to how much entertaining went on in here. I excused myself as I saw she was about finished her work, and I went back to sit down, stopping to see how Mildred was doing on the way. As soon as I sat down with Robin, I said. "Pamela's father is taking in the hospitality on the plane." Robin turned around trying to peer through the seat backs to see what I was talking about. "He's getting a real drink. A seven and seven." She looked at me blankly. I realized she'd never been around alcohol. "That is bourbon, you know, alcohol and seven-up." "Oh great, now he'll probably get drunk." She said. The stewardess came and gave us our drinks then went up to the cockpit. With the tray in her hand, she couldn't close the door. Robin and I could hear her side of the conversation. "So who is it that is so important back there? I saw the congressman's daughter, but that's not it is it?" "You're kidding me, oh my gosh that's him. Really? I saw his picture in the paper and now that I think about it, it must be." "Holy shit, I was just talking to him. He seems like a mild mannered average guy, not some full blown hero." I looked at Robin with a pained expression. She obviously didn't share in my discomfort. Her eyes were shining in reflected glory. "Didn't it say he got married? "I don't know, he's sitting with his little sister I think." I didn't have time to look over at Robin; I could tell that was going to steam her. The stewardess came back out stooped in front of me resting her hand on my leg, completely ignoring the young looking Robin. "Your Keith Patterson, aren't you." "Yes" "Oh." She said with a beautiful smile. "I saw your picture and read about you in the paper." I noticed her looking me up and down. Then she leaned into me closer and whispered, "If there is anything I can get you, anything at all, please let me know. That room in the back can be used for more than sleeping." Then as she got up, she winked at me. I wasn't sure what to think. "Was my picture in the paper?" I asked. "Yes your picture was there." I could feel the acid dripping from her words. "A picture of Richard and you, as well as the Governor and the Congressmen McCarran. How could you have missed them?" She had tears welling in her eyes. "If this is what is going to happen to my hero, I don't like it. I'm just a little kid sister and there are pretty women throwing themselves at you." I could tell there was an uncertainty in her voice that I hadn't heard since the first day I met her. It hurt me to hear it. "No one could take me away from you. You never, and I do mean never, have to worry about that." I looked her straight in the eyes. "Robin I don't think I could ever express how much I deeply, and truly love you." I was rewarded by a smile that reminded me of the first time I saw her. It melted me and I think she knew that. Her arms wrapped around me and her mouth was on mine. As she broke, her hands traveled down to my jacket pockets. I stopped her hands. She had a coy smile on her face, "Just trying to find the other gift." "Don't worry, you'll get it soon enough." I said with a returned smile, mine a bit more devious. ------- Jill and Liz stepped into Grace's office for the second time that day. "Well Jill, how did you do with the clothing? I know it's not a fashion extravaganza." "This is very nice." she said as she turned around. "It is really very nice." Grace snorted. "You don't have to try and make brownie points with me." Jill looked at her for a moment, then realized that Grace wouldn't know the life she was from and this was a private school. "I know most of the students here probably think these are not very nice, but they are as good or better than any clothes I own." Now it was time for Grace to feel embarrassed. "I'm sorry Jill. I didn't think." Then to change the subject, she turned to Liz. With a big sigh she said. "I know you will be interested in seeing this. I'm sure by tomorrow it will be the talk around school." She handed Liz the paper. Just at that point the door swung open. Kevin Smith the grounds keeper and one of the older teachers stomped in glaring at each other. Grace looked over at Liz who said, "we'll talk with you later." With that Liz and Jill quickly exited. As soon as the door closed Jill could hear them yelling. "What is that all about?" Jill asked as they were walking down the hall to go outside. "Don't let that bother you. It happens all the time. That particular teacher doesn't like men." She realized what she just said and it made her sad. "What I mean is that she doesn't like any man who has any form of authority. It is why she came to this school. So a man like Kevin should be replaced with a woman as far as she is concerned. She is always trying to get him in trouble." Jill looked at Liz hard. "Were you like her?" "No Jill, I was never like that. I was scared of men. I wouldn't go after them with hate like she does." "So what's in the paper?" "Knowing Grace it is probably another award the school just won. I know she means well, but I really have a lot more things to do, just getting back, than to read a silly article." "Oh, well I'd be interested. I don't know enough about the school and if everyone is going to be talking about it like she said, it would be nice to know." "That's fine, we need to get back to my room first though." ------- The stewardess in her haste to see me hadn't shut the cockpit door all the way and it had come open. I noticed the co-pilot had been watching Robin and my little exchange. I acted as though I didn't see him watching us. I thought if he wanted to watch, I'd give him something to look at. "So what are the girls doing?" I asked "Not sure." With this Robin, as expected turned around in the seat. She got between our seats on her knees; her head between the opening of the back, and her arms around the two head rests. She started engaging them in conversation. She was at my disposal. I slipped one of the boxes out of my coat, opening it quietly. I held it up quickly to take a look at it. There it was, a dildo that appeared to be just about exactly my size. I would have to thank Kristin. As her legs were positioned on each seat, she had them spread apart nicely. I slipped the dildo under the hem of her dress and left it where there was a depression between the seat and her legs My hand quickly covered her pussy. I heard a stifled gasp from her. She couldn't look down at me without being obvious. She knew she was stuck. As I pulled my hand back and my fingers caressed and pressed into her, I could feel dampness already. She was enjoying it, I knew she would. A few strokes back and forth and my hand pulled her panties to the side as my finger slipped into her. She was trying to remain motionless and carry on the conversation. It was getting hard for her. Hell something was getting hard for me to. My finger was sliding in and out nicely as she was getting thoroughly aroused. I could tell from her body movement that she was disappointed when I removed my hand, but I was getting bigger and better things. She just didn't know it yet. I grabbed the dildo and brought my hand back up to her pussy, I rose up to her and said, "This is the other gift." If there had been any doubt on the co-pilot's mind, there wasn't any now. When I raised, so did the back of her skirt and any one in the cockpit could see where my hand was heading. My thumb pulled back the edge of her panties and the dildo made contact. She stiffened. "Relax." I said, "I would never hurt you." She looked into my eyes as I was sliding it in. Her eyes were so wide I thought they'd pop out. I had a little fun stroking it in and out. It was getting slick and I almost lost it. As I brought it back up to her, I ran it across her clit. She gasped. I saw Stephanie, who she had been talking to, shifted her eyes to me, and smiled. Stephanie started asking Robin some long-winded questions. Robin figured what she was up to and almost laughed. I stroked it back and forth. When I got it almost all in, I pulled her panties back into place. Now it was trapped inside her. I smiled at her. She had a 'how could you stop now' look. I was sure the co-pilot couldn't have missed most of that. Even if he didn't know everything I was doing, the movement of her skirt told a lot. I also saw that Kristin and Mary had been watching, Kristin whispered to Mary what I must be using. I saw a playful slap as though she was pulling her leg. I turned and saw the co-pilot get up, albeit a bit awkwardly and come out moving to the back of the plane. He stopped along side of me and said, "The captain would like to see you, if it is no bother to you." With that he rushed down the aisle, trying to conceal what I figured was a hard on. ------- Liz showed Jill some of the sights they had missed on the path coming in, as well as going over the others now that she was there to actually see them. "The school is on a 20 acre parcel of land," she pointed out some of the boundaries. "The school and our dormitories are on the southern section, closer to town. This section is higher promoting better drainage. The hill is fairly flat and has a large school building that you just saw. Two Lower House dorms and the two Upper House dorms. Because you are in one of the higher grades, that is where we stay. Behind the school is a four hundred seat theater and a parking lot." "A stream cuts across the flat hill from a higher area to the surrounding low land running east and west. The area on the other side is small and is not used much. The area is a little like a cup and the edges make a lovely meadow. I go there sometimes to think, it is very beautiful and quiet. The trees at the stream block the view of this piece of property. The stream itself has a small falls that leads to a secluded pool about sixty feet across. The pool can not be seen because of the large trees the area. The area around the pool is very rocky and treacherous, making the pool very difficult to get to. I have seen girls getting hurt going and coming from there. There is a good path across a small bridge on the stream, that allows the only safe way to the pond. It takes a long time to walk the short distance, so the pool gets very few visitors. The pool itself is up to eight feet deep with a soft bottom from all the dirt that had accumulated over the years. The girls can get muddy, but not hurt from the bottom. A rope swing has been put up." Around the hill to the east is the stable, beyond that is the archery range and tennis courts. A small storeroom carries the supplies for the sports. Further around the hill and more east and south there is the laundry and the in ground swimming pool. A small building nearby serves as a change house and storage of chemicals and the pump. All the buildings are connected by an asphalt roadway. The dorms and school actually forms a triangle, with roads between. Crushed stone path wander all over the place. There are two well lit tunnels connecting the dorms and school, they serve as a safe way of traveling during the frequent storms. There is no tunnel between the two houses, only paths. ------- I grabbed Robin's hand and pulled her to the cockpit with me. We both didn't fit too well, so I pushed Robin in front of me. She was amazed at what she saw. I was just as amazed when my old flight instructor greeted me. "Hi Keith, it's been a long time." "Yes it has." I noticed him glancing at Robin. "Jeff, I'd like to introduce my wife." He took his eyes off the controls longer than was proper, I knew I had just shocked the hell out of him. He turned back to his job at hand. "Well the paper said you had married." I had been under his training for enough time to know that wasn't all I was going to hear from him. Turning to Robin, I said. "This was my flight instructor." She looked at me like she didn't understand what I was talking about, then it dawned on her. "You mean you can fly a plane?" "Yes, but not this one." "Well Mrs. Patterson, I am very glad to meet you. I congratulate both of you on a long a fruitful marriage." Robin blushed. She was unused to her new formal name. "Thank you very much. I expect to be very fruitful." It was my turn to blush. Jeff saw my predicament and said, "Come on Keith, this one isn't that much different than the C-45 that you learned to fly." "What are you talking about, that had two props and held eight people. This monster is a lot bigger." "Yes a bit bigger and you notice that mostly in landing, but once it's up in the air, it handles much easier." "I'll take your word on it." "You'll do more than that, come on and strap yourself in." Robin was looking at me, as she couldn't believe it. I think she had even forgot what I had just put inside of her. She was grinning as I had just put another foot to that pedestal she has me one. I eased pasted her, but in doing so I gave her ass a little slap. That reminded her that something foreign was inside her. She gave a little gasp. As I sat, she said, "would it be ok if Stephanie and Pamela came up to see." and without waiting for an answer she said, "I'll go and get them." I turned to notice that she had a bit of difficulty walking down the aisle. As I turned back, Jeff was looking at me. "I never figured you going for the young ones. She doesn't look over 12." "She is. She turned 13 last month." He shot a glance at me trying to figure out whether I was being serious, or pulling his leg. "Well I can't blame you. I always thought the young ones were great. But I never had the guts. From the reaction the co-pilot was having you were giving a good show of something. He loves to watch, but gets damned horny afterwards." Our conversation was cut short as Pamela and Stephanie came scurrying up. "Is it true? Are you really a pilot?" You could hear the admiration in Stephanie's voice and see it on Pamela's. "Yes it is true. I don't know how to fly the big ones like this, but Jeff here said he'd show me." "Oh... you... can... do... it... Keith." Pamela got out. "I see you brought your own cheering section." Jeff said. "Keith can do anything. He is the most, well he is the best, " Stephanie finally understood what Jeff had just said and was turning red. "Yes your right Jeff, I love my cheering section. I always bring the pretty ones with me. I love to have them around." Now both Pamela and Stephanie were turning red. "Boy Keith, it sounds like you have them wrapped around your finger. Looks like they are taken by you." Jeff said, tongue in cheek. The reply he got, took him of guard. "Keith can have me wrapped around his finger, or anywhere else. I'd do anything for Keith." Stephanie said. "Me... too" Pamela said in a panting voice. I could see Jeff trying to figure this out. I wasn't going to help him along. The girls had said plenty and I wasn't quite sure if it was actually too much. So I said, "It's more like they have me wrapped around their fingers." Jeff shook his head, trying to focus I think. "Ok fly boy, time to work." With that he started showing me the differences between this plane, and the one that I was familiar with. Stephanie and Pamela stood in rapt attention. I hadn't been at the controls in a number of months, but everything felt right as I took the controls. He was right, it wasn't that much harder. A few more gauges to read, but it ran smooth. After about ten minutes, I gained enough confidence to take it for a hard banked curve. It was exhilarating. As I pulled back to our heading Jeff said, "I hope the others in back were done with their drinks. I then noticed Pamela and Stephanie holding on for dear life. "Sorry," I said. "Maybe they'd like to come up and sit on our laps." Jeff said. I looked over, from the earlier comment he made, I was sure he wanted a cute little girl sitting on him. Before I could say a word, Kristin had come up. "Mildred is not feeling well and I don't see the stewardess." I was glad to get out of that sticky situation. I wasn't sure I liked having my girls in someone else's lap. "Oh, It's probably her thing, Pamela's dad calls it nerves." "Or Keith's flying." Kristin said. "Your sister?" Jeff said, turning and looking a bit longer than I liked. "Yes and don't get any ideas, she's taken." I said with a smile. If he only knew who was taking her. I noticed Kristin smiled at my comment also. In the end she pulled the two girls out and I could hear Pamela say, "Where's my dad?" With Kristin replying, "I think he's had a bit to much to drink." "Again," Pamela said in a sorrowful voice. When I turned back around, Jeff was glancing over at me. "Looks like you have quite a set up. What gives?" "Hero worship. I tell you Jeff it is not all it's cracked up to be." He laughed. "Yea, well I'd like to try it if those are the results I'd get." "What you'd get is time in the pen." "And marring a thirteen year old isn't cutting that a bit close?" We had always had a good time on out flights playing word games with each other. Neither of us took what the other said seriously, so we could let the other have it and at times say what we really were thinking. "Well to tell you the truth there were a few times I wondered if I'd get out of that town alive." I was grinning when I said that. But remembering back, I had actually felt that way. "I bet, what did her mother say?" I laughed hard. "Do you remember Richard, from maintenance?" "The smart one that had no business working in a job like that, he was in the paper too, wasn't he?" "Yea, well he married Robin's mother." Jeff was at a loss for words. First time I'd ever seen that. "Your shit'n me right?" "Nope, he and Katy got married about twenty minutes before we did." "I'd like to come and visit this town, sounds interesting." Jeff said intrigued "I bet you would, but I think you'd be a bit disappointed. Richard and I got the best of them." "Figures." ------- The dorm was of wood painted white. Liz explained how the second floor was her responsibility. The front door opened to a comfortable living room, lamps sat beside a plush couch. An oriental rug quite worn now covered hardwood floor. The walls were lined with bookshelves, packed with old and current books, the smell was reminiscent of a public library. Liz mentioned that there were twenty-three rooms on this floor for students. The rooms usually held four girls, but some had only two or three. Her floor above about the same as the floor below, the only difference being the study room took the place of the cafeteria down stairs. The kitchen was actually added on to the first level. Many chairs and tables gave a crowded appearance, but must serve all the students in this dorm, almost one hundred were in the entire building. This floor had a smaller study area to compensate for the cafeteria. Washrooms filled the rest of the floor. "Like I said before I am responsible for a floor. Each of the main teachers are in charge, then there is sometimes secondary teacher and the floor mother who looks after the day to day needs, but they don't sleep here. Vicky Nash takes care of the girls on this floor. I am in charge of the ones on the top floor, because of my other duties, Tiffany Howe helps me. You will probably get her for physical education and sports." "I like sports, but did not get too much time to play. There were not that many unmarried people my age." "There is a lot of thirteen and fourteen year olds here that you can make friends with." They walked up the steps and found an open landing with chairs and lamps. A hallway ran close to one side of the building. The other side had doors leading to the rooms for the students, and the washrooms. The other narrower side was for the two teachers and storage. Liz reached into her purse and brought out her keys and unlocked the door. Jill was presented with a small, but well organized room. Shear pastel curtains hung from the windows, a plush easy chair with a large pedestal lamp topped with a light brown shade. The floor was hardwood, a small antique table sat atop a Persian rug. A bookcase and a writing desk sat against the wall. A curtain covered, what looked like a doorway. A door opened to an equal sized bedroom. A large bed dominated the room; curtains like the bed were pink. A dresser and vanity were against the far wall. A footlocker sat at the end of the bed. Two doors led to a closet and the bath respectively. Liz showed the apartment and suggested, "Why don't you take a nice warm bath while I put away the dirty clothes and get some clean clothes for us, you can wear the uniform like the other young ladies." Jill started right away taking off her clothes; she sat on the chair in front of the desk as she removed her socks. "Put the dirty laundry in this basket, it will be picked up, washed and returned later." Jill stood pulling her panties off. She stood up and bent over at the hips, facing away from Liz showing Liz her pink gash, to pick up the clothing. Liz stopped breathing, the sight was intoxicating. She shook her self, turned, placed the bag upon the bed, and put the soiled clothing in the wicker hamper. She would be on this girl all the time if she didn't watch herself. Liz tried very hard and moved her eyes away. She helped pick up some of the laundry, ending up with the soiled panties that showed discoloration from the flow from her young cunt. Liz covertly brought them up to her nose; she looked over and found that she had been caught. The naked girl walked over and gently took the panties from her hand, and wrapped her arms around Liz's waist. Looking up into the wide eyes she asked, "Do they smell like me?" Liz had turned red at being caught. "They smell just like you." Jill felt redeemed for the incident in the uniform room. This obviously was a safe place. Liz saw the girl melt into her arms. "I may need to taste again, to find out for sure." Jill closed her eyes and shivered. "I would like to do that." Liz recovered somewhat and said, "You get in that bath, young lady and get cleaned. I have enough trouble without your delectable scent making my own pussy start to flow." Jill was beside the bed, she dropped her panties, stepped back, spread her legs, and brought her hands to the cunt, pulling apart the moist lips. "Is this is making you horny mother?" Liz turned around and picked up a thin slipper and ran toward Jill. Jill turned around and ran for the bath, closing the door behind her. Her laughter was heard through the door. Liz did not know how she could live the next seven weeks with that irresistible child, or how she might have to live the rest of her life without her? Liz opened the dresser and took out some of her clean clothing and found some panties and socks for Jill. She heard the water run as she placed the clothing on the large bed. "Mommy, where is the soap?" "On the counter by the sink." "I am already wet. Would you get it for me, please?" From the tone of voice, Liz figured it was a trap. She made up her mind to resist with all her might. She entered the bath like a gladiator of old. In the bath facing the door sat Jill had one of her feet on the edge of the tub while balancing on the other. Her right hand idly stoking her young cunt. Already her resolve was sorely tested. Jill didn't even look up, but kept up her actions. Liz brought over the soap, "Here is the soap, honey." Jill stopped and looked up, "Will you wash my back, mommy? My hair needs to be done too." Liz gave up. Small knives as well as spears killed gladiators. "Yes, baby. Just let me change, so I don't get wet." Liz threw her clothes into the hamper and returned to the bath. She stepped in and had Jill turn around. She cupped her hands and brought up her hands full of water to wet her darling's head. She gently massaged in the shampoo, bringing forth small groans of contentment. She rinsed the same way and started on the hair again. She spread her fingers and with only a little force ran them up the back of her neck and through the long hair. Jill shivered again and leaned back to get more contact. When the back was done she did the same to the sides, bringing her hands up to her crown. Groans and sighs escaped Jill's lips, as she luxuriated in the unaccustomed pleasure. It had an almost hypnotic effect. Her eyes were closed and Liz had to scoot up to support the backward leaning youth. When the hair was done, she said, "Keep your eyes closed and lean back onto my legs. Liz turned and had Jill lay in the bottom of the tub with her head on her legs. A single hand brought forth water to gently rinse away the soap. Liz looked at the beauty and wondered how she was lucky enough to find her. This way took a long time and Liz used it to admire the little lumps, like small islands pushing their way above the water, the smaller hills, now quiescent riding their peaks. The long thin neck, gently pulsing with the rhythm, of someone close to sleep. Liz gently pinched a nipple, and said "Don't go to sleep on me now." Jill languidly opened her eyes and said, "That was nice. I have never felt like that before." "Sit up now sleepy head. I will finish your hair and back. Lean forward" Liz split the hair over each shoulder and got the washcloth and soaped her lovely back. After the soaping was done she discarded the cloth and massaged the child's back with strong fingers. Louder groans were heard now. "Do you like that?" "Ahh, ya ohh ya." Not quite proper English, but close enough to get the general idea. When the back was done, both hair and back rinsed. "Will you relax me, mommy?" "Aren't your nipples sore?" "No, they can take it." Liz spread her legs and rested in the sloping back of the tub. "Back up sweetie, and rest your head on mommy's pillows." Jill slid back and Liz used re-soaped hands to caress the beautiful mounds before her. "Check the plumbing, daughter, you will eventually find the leak." As her mounds were caressed, she brought up her knees for better access and played with her neither lips. Up and down she went, sometimes stopping to borrow in to attack the magic button. She made an occasional foray into the deflowered hole. The fingers continued their routine, till she decided that two fingers would be twice the fun. A small pain stopped her. Liz had been watching intently said, "It is still a little sore. Isn't it?" Jill continued her exploration with two fingers and said, "Yes, mommy, but it is getting better." Liz gauged her actions to the responses given by the squirming beauty between her legs. As the fingers moved faster in the slot, Liz pinched and pulled harder, which in turn made the fingers fly. The legs shot into the air as Jill groaned. Her abdomen was in stark relief from the strain on her young muscles. Her feet came down and her pelvis went up as the dancing fingers did their work. Her pelvis shot up three more times before gently settling to the bottom of the tub. Jill's gasps slowed, and so did Liz. Her chest still heaved trying to get enough air, and her nipples looked hard enough to cut glass. Liz's cunt though under water was on fire. She desperately wanted relief for herself. Her lips were stretched; her clit throbbed with blood after seeing Jill's performance. Jill opened her eyes and said, "I love you, mommy." Jill thought of all the times Liz had cared for her, in both body and soul and turned around with her knees between Liz's knees and leaned forward to suckle her new mother. She came up for air to see a gasping woman. "Mommy check your plumbing too, you may have a leak as well." Jill's body gave enough room for Liz to bring her hands down to her sex. The first tentative stroke was almost enough. Jill brought her lips back into play as she listened intently to her mommy's breathing. It was difficult to stay attached with the heavy breathing. The nipples moved more than three inches with each breath. She found the mid position and could now move her head to keep a lock on her treasure. She gently brought her teeth into play. Liz immediately brought one of her hands up to keep the head on target. The feeling was entirely different yet the same as when Keith had done the same thing. Jill switched targets but Liz was reluctant to give up the feelings that went straight to her cunt. Eventually Jill pulled over far enough for Liz to get the idea and pull the head the rest of the way. Again the teeth started to make delicious pain in the engorged little bud. This was enough, as Liz thrust her pelvis into her lover, time after time. She quieted slowly coming to rest, but Jill was prepared and had not lost contact. Liz brought her hands around the child's head and gave her a kiss of thanks, and of love. "Thank you, baby. If nursing is like this I may have dozens of babies." Jill got up off her belly where she had been thrown with Liz's wild movements, and ran a finger through her lips. A sudden influx of air and the bulging of the eyes let her know that she had hit the mark. "Come on, mommy, let me wash you now." Liz did as she was told, and both eventually stepped from the tub. Liz went into the corner and took out a very large fluffy towel and very gently dried her child. She occasionally asked for certain body parts to be moved for better access. She took the used the towel and dried herself quickly and picked a course comb up and ran it through Jill's hair then her own. "Look at my old granny hands." Liz stated in an imitation of an old hags voice. "the better to eat you with." She stalked the youngster as Jill ran from the bath and through herself upon the bed. Liz followed carrying another fluffy towel. Liz flopped beside the smiling child. She pulled her close and cuddled for a few minutes. The room was quite warm and there was no need for clothing, even though they were still damp. Liz said, "Go over to the dresser and bring me the comb and brush." Jill returned to find Liz sitting with her back to the headboard and her legs spread. "Come sit in front of me, darling." Jill snuggled close, as the small of her back pushed against the bush behind her. The dry towel removed most of the water and then the brush was used with gentle care to work out the tangles. For many minutes Liz stayed there brushing the luster into the hair and hummed songs she knew from her youth, from when her mother brushed her hair. Jill had her eyes closed savoring the feelings on her back and head, as well as those within her. The soft, almost inaudible humming made her feel as if she were in heaven. Delicate hands pulled her back and sideways, allowing a kiss full of love to be bestowed upon her. "We better move, honey or we will be late for dinner." Jill debated the merits of staying, but her stomach decided for her. Liz threw her leg over Jill and hopped out of the bed and recovered the panties set aside for Jill. She slowly dressed the child as if she were only an infant. She maneuvered her to the chair and proceeded to put the finishing touches on the long beautiful hair. When done to her satisfaction she brushed much more vigorously on her own hair. She dressed and looked around for anything left undone. "Get the wet towels, while I straighten out the bed." Jill stood for inspection. She wore a white blouse and a gray tartan skirt pleated and coming just below the knees. It was the newer style and most of the older people thought that a little too much skin was shown. Her old shoes and socks would have to do for now. "You are very beautiful, with or without clothes." ------- Robin after waddling up the aisle had told Pamela and Stephanie that I was in the front flying the plane. At first they thought she was pulling their leg. She told them to go and look for themselves. They scampered down to see if it were true. Robin wanted to get to the bathroom, but then Mildred stopped her. "That was so nice of you. Is Keith really a pilot?" "Yes he is." Robin beamed. She noticed Mildred husband take another big drink. There were two other empty glasses on the table in front of him. "You know this is the first time we've been on a plane, oh I bet it's the first time for you also." Mildred went on for a bit before Robin could get away. She wanted to get into the bathroom. As soon as she got behind the curtain she saw two doors, on to her left and on straight ahead. She thought it must be the one to the left and took a step that way. All of a sudden the plane banked, she was thrown off balance and was heading for the back door. Putting out her hands she grabbed hold of the handle. The force of her body hitting the door and her hand hitting the knob, the door came open. Robin saw the stewardess, her outfit neatly folded on the floor, sitting on top of the co-pilot's face. As the stewardess, Sharin, looked up to the cause of the noise, Robin saw she was also sucking him off. Sharin looked mortified; Robin smiled and shut the door. She would get back at that slut for calling her a little girl. Robin went into the bathroom to relieve herself of the log between her legs. After she pulled it out, she had the realization she had no place to put it. She couldn't just walk back to the seat with it in her hand. Mildred would have a heart attack. At that point she heard the other door open and shut. She smiled, she know knew what she could do with it. Putting herself back together, hiding the dildo behind her back she opened the door and saw Sharin getting dressed beside the rumpled bed. When Sharin saw Robin she went white. She motioned her to come into the bedroom. Once the door was closed Sharin started talking. "Please, I beg you don't say a word. I know what you saw must have been shocking to you, but please I beg you don't tell anyone." Robin knew she must think of her as some little child who knew nothing about what they were doing. She played it to the hilt. "What you were doing was disgusting. I think I should tell everyone what you were doing." Sharin was panicked. "No, please no. I'll lose my job and Harry..." She started to cry. "Harry what?" Robin asked in a not so nice tone. "Harry is married. He'd loose his wife." "So you are a slut then." Sharin was shocked to hear that word from a young girl. Robin repeated. "So you were sucking the dick of a married man, you're a slut aren't you?" Sharin lowered her head, "Yes, I guess I am." "Well slut, you are going to have to pay for my silence." This brought Sharin's head back up. "What, what do you want?" She was a bit startled at how this was turning out. "First of all, I want you to stop assuming that you know what is going on. I happen to be the wife of that hero up there," Sharin's eyes got wide. "and I heard what you said to him." Sharin was starting to get worried. "So since you're just a slut and was so hot to get him, I have a something for you." With this she held up the dildo. Sharin could see it still glistening with moisture. "This is about the size of him. I am going to slide it up into you and you will keep it there for the rest of the flight. I may check to see if it is still there, so don't think of taking it out. At the end of the flight, I'll retrieve it. Do you understand what it is going to cost slut?" Sharin was indeed a slut and although she had never had another woman touch her, the sight of the dildo was making her wet. She just nodded. Robin wasted no time, lifting Sharin's skirt and pulling her panties off. "Bend over and spread your legs slut." Sharin did. Robin slid the dildo in with ease. "I'm going to keep these." She said about Sharin's panties. "I hope you have strong muscles and it doesn't slide out as you're walking down the aisle." Robin was laughing as she said this. Robin dropped Sharin's skirt, wadded up her panties in her hand and walked out the door, very pleased with herself. ------- Jill blushed, but was pleased none the less. She looked around the room asking Liz questions while she unpacked. When Liz opened her smaller suitcase there was a box she didn't recognize on the top with a note attached. She opened the note. Dear Liz, I hope this finds you back at your school thinking how you might miss Keith, I slipped this little gift for you. Enjoy, Cynthia Liz looked at the note again and then the box. Oh no, it couldn't be. Then she thought of the toy Cynthia had in the hanger. Yes it could be. She wanted to open it, but Jill was within eyesight. She took the note, box and a handful of clothes, stuffing them into a drawer. Jill had plopped herself on the bed as Liz was just finishing. "Where's that newspaper." Jill asked. "Here, Let me find the article for you." Liz with paper in hand sat next to Jill. She unfolded the paper scanning the front page. Liz gasp and dropped it to the floor almost like Robin had. Liz was in shock. Jill was concerned, she hadn't seen what Liz had. "What's wrong Liz." "It, It's, It's about Carp." Liz finally got out. "Well then I guess we need to read it." Jill said with determination. "Yes, I believe your right. I was just so surprised. It was not what I expected to see." Liz picked up the paper and they started reading it. The history at the beginning fascinated both of them. Jill was able to fill Liz in to the rest of the tails that she knew. "I always wondered what those stupid feud things were all about." Jill said. Then it came to more present time. The secret entrance in Cliff's house. Liz noticed that Jill had become quiet, she looked over and saw water welling in her eyes. Jill saw her looking at her. "That's how he got Brian." A tear drop splashed onto the paper. Liz could feel the pain going on in Jill. She was reliving it all over again. "No one knew it was there. He was an evil man." Jill was reading on. "Keith knew the danger when they went after Cliff, didn't he?" "Yes, I'm sure he did." They sat silently finishing the article. There was a knock on the door and it startled both of them. Liz got up to answer the door. Two girls were at it. "We just saw the paper, was it really like that." One of them said wide eyed. Jill couldn't handle the emotions she was feeling and didn't want to cause a scene for Liz, so she pushed her way passed them. Liz saw her run down the hall, down the stairs. Liz felt trapped. She couldn't get those girls away fast enough. Running down the stairs she asked if anyone had seen a girl they didn't recognize. They pointed outside. Liz was panicked. She ran down the path to the administration building when out in the meadow she saw Jill. Stopping, she put her hands on her knees, trying to catch his breath. She watched Jill walking aimlessly. She was startled when an arm went around her shoulder. Grace was standing there looking out at the meadow. "She took it pretty hard?" "Did you read it?" "Yes, was that what really happened?" "That and more. There were parts that weren't there. Things that Cliff did." Liz shuttered and Grace felt it. "Is that why she's here?" "A healing process for both of us I hope." "Sounds like that town has a lot of character." Grace said. She was always good at trying to make someone not dwell in self pity. "Yes it does, a beautiful old downtown." "And that brother of yours, goodness gracious, isn't he quite the hero. It says he got married. I'm sure there are a lot of ladies that are sad about that." Liz smiled, "He is rather special." She thought to herself, if she only knew how special. Grace looked back out at Jill. "She'll be back soon. I sometimes wish I could go out and walk around to collect my thoughts. I wouldn't last five minutes without someone running out there and asking me some silly question." Then she laughed. "Look at me carrying on like that. Talk to her Liz. That's what she needs." With that she continued down the path. It must have caught Jill's eye because she turned and spotted Liz. She waved and it was very reassuring to Liz. ------- As soon as the co-pilot had come back, I was relieved of my training lesson for the day. Not that I minded. It was fun to get back in the seat and fly. I'd forgotten how much I had enjoyed it. Now it was on to more pressing matters. I needed to check on Mildred again. Robert was passed out on his seat. A lot of help he was. Mildred had used two of the bags and was very embarrassed about the whole thing. Mary and Kristin were taking care of her to the best of their abilities. The worst of it, as far as I was concerned was the smell. I could see Pamela and Stephanie were having a hard time of it. I called them away and brought them up front with me. "It is hard to see your mom like that, isn't it." I said to Pamela. "Yes." She replied and then added, "why does it happen?" "I don't know, sweetie. The doctors will find out. Don't you worry." With that I pulled her to me and hugged her tight. Stephanie came up on the other side of her so that she was sandwiched between us. I saw a little tear drop from her face. Pulling her on my lap, I cradled her. If I only I could see the future, I would have cried also. Robin who had appeared from the back helped clean up Mildred a bit more, found some air freshener and then came forward. Seeing Pamela snuggled up on my lap, she whispered into her ear. "Remember he's mine. But I'll let you borrow him." This brought a smile to Pamela's face. Looking at Robin, she said, "Thanks." "Your mom was asking for you." Robin said and so the girls scampered off. Robin sat down beside me. "Where were you?" I said. "Having a little talk with Sharin." The words still were a bit cold. "Was that after the co-pilot had his way with her?" I said wondering now what really went on. "You know about that?" she said surprised. "Jeff said that the little show that the co-pilot saw of us playing made him horny, well he told me he gets horny a lot. I guess Sharin is his fly service. By the way I noticed you sat down nice and hard in the seat. I guess you took it out, but what did you do with it?" "Hold on, I'll be right back." With that she ran down the aisle. I thought she might have left it in the head and didn't want anyone to find it. I couldn't have been more wrong. Robin remembered how Sharin pleaded with her. She could loose her job. She didn't say the same about the co-pilot. She might be a little tramp when it came to what she said to Keith, but she was sure the co-pilot was using her and keeping her quiet to keep her job. Robin felt ashamed for how she had used her also. Robin found Sharin in the galley preparing lunch. When Sharin turned and saw Robin, she stiffened. "Do you want to check me, is that what you're here for." Robin felt terrible. "No, I want some answers. I want the truth." Sharin was a bit taken back. This was unexpected. Robin motioned for her to go into the back. Sharin entered and closed the door. Robin took a deep breath. "I want the truth from you, do you understand?" Sharin wasn't sure what was going on, but she shook her head yes. "Does the co-pilot use you and keep you quiet by telling you, you'll loose your job if you don't?" Sharin blinked. How did she know? She felt like the slut she said she was earlier to Robin. She started to cry. Robin put her arm around her. "It's true, isn't it." Sharin couldn't speak, she nodded yes though. "I feel terrible," Robin said, "I used you as well. I'm sorry. You don't deserve that." Sharin was surprised, nobody had said they were sorry to her in such a long time. She had been on this road for so long, that she couldn't remember any other way for people to treat her. "I need to take out that thing I put in you." With that she lifted Sharin's skirt up and reached between her legs. Slipping two fingers in, she grasp the dildo. As she started to pull it out Sharin moaned. It took Robin a second to realize that this was turning Sharin on. She looked up at her face and her eyes were shut, her lips were trembling. Robin moved it around, twisting it and doing short strokes in and out. She could see it was having and effect. "I don't have to take it out, but if it stays in, it is because you want it there, not because I say it has to be there." Robin kept up the strokes, "Do you want me to take it out, or do you want it left in?" The first thing that came out of Sharin's mouth was more like a grunt, but then she said, "Please, leave it in." "Ok, but you don't get to keep it, I'll be back at the end of the flight to collect it." With that she pulled her fingers away, but not before running them on each side of Sharin's clit bringing her almost to orgasm. The disappointing "Ooohhh" Sharin let out, told Robin that she did indeed, want it there. "I'm glad we had this little chat, aren't you?" Robin said. "Yes." Sharin said still breathing a bit hard. "Thank you." "Time for me to get back to my seat and for you to finish up lunch." With that Robin stuck her fingers in her mouth, sucking them clean as she walked out. That sight made Sharin weak at the knees, but she quickly composed herself and finished up with lunch preparations. Robin came back with a smile on her face. "I found the perfect hiding place for it. Now it will be out of your evil grasp." She laughed. "You know, you enjoyed that." "Yes I did." Robin said and wrapped her arms around me kissing me very erotically. When we broke, I noticed Sharin standing there slightly embarrassed. "Your lunch will be served shortly. We need to set your tray up." I noticed she was moving a bit stiffly and though that the co-pilot must have been pretty hard on her. Lunch was very good and after things were cleaned up I popped my head in the cockpit, "How much longer?" I asked. "About thirty minutes." Was the reply. Were had all the time gone. I was hopping to take Robin in the back and try out that bed. Oh well. I went to the back and Kristin, Robin, Pamela and I played a game on the table. Mary and Stephanie were in the front talking. Mildred was feeling much better after a little food, and Robert had even revived. ------- Liz went to sit on a bench, close enough to keep an eye on the meadow, but not to be intrusive. Another twenty minutes went by and she saw Jill coming back. Meeting her on the path, Jill said, "Can we go back and talk." "Yes." Liz had agreed to be a mother to this child, now she was getting a taste of what that entailed. A lot of pain, feeling for someone else. But now it wasn't by choice, it was a mater of love. They walked silently back to Liz's room. Once the door was shut they moved to sit on the bed once again. Jill opened up. "I wish I could blame someone, but to tell the truth I wasn't supposed to be where I was. Cliff couldn't have got me if I wouldn't have been there." Liz was in uncharted waters, but as she had been sitting on the bench, she had made a resolve not to baby Jill. She would respect her and treat her with honesty. "Yes, that is true. It might not have been you. But I believe it was going to be someone." Jill started, "If I would have screamed, If I'd have tried to run, or struggle harder, maybe I could have gotten away. If I would have listened to what I was suppose to be doing it wouldn't have happened, if I..." "You could play the 'who knows what might have happened' all your life. The man was evil. He was out to get someone. Even if you weren't right at that spot, you could have been at another, or it could have been someone else. But believe me when I say he was going to do what he did. So you can not blame yourself, you don't need to blame someone else. This was all the evil man Cliff's doing." Jill was silent. Her head, resting on her hands slightly nodding as she was thinking though what Liz had just said. "It is still hard." "Yes I know. It will get better." "Keith, Keith, how did he do that?" "What?" "When he was in the mine and saw the chemicals, he knew. He was the only one who knew, really knew what that stuff could do. I heard from a man who saw Cliff die how awful it was. Keith knew. Most people I know would have turned and run. If those other men would have known, I know they would have never followed him up to the spring. I can't get over it. Reading it in the paper, that condensed version, it brought into light what and incredible person he is." Hearing Jill describe Keith so powerfully has an impact on her. She missed him terribly. "Yea." Was all Liz could get out. Tears were running down her face. Jill noticed the whimper in Liz's voice. Turning towards each other, they embraced. Then their lips met. The clock struck and Liz out of habit glanced at it. Like it or not and she did not, Liz broke off the kiss. "Sorry, but we need to get cleaned up and get ready for dinner." ------- Soon it was time to land. Robin told me we could just stay were we were, so we buckled up and prepared for landing. The pilot took it down smooth as glass. "Take a look at that." Robin said looking out the window. I looked and felt a knot in my stomach. On the edge of the tarmac, where we were heading, was what you could describe as a motorcade. Mary had seen them and was telling Kristin what it was, being the congressman's daughter, she was used to riding in them. I had seen them, but this was different. I was uncomfortable with all the attention. Robin said she needed to retrieve something and I wasn't about to be the first off the plane. Plus she said, "Keith can you help me with it. It might be stuck an I need you to pull it out." I knew what she was referring to and smiled, "Sure honey, I'd be glad to help." I told Mary and Kristin to take Stephanie and Pamela down, Pamela's parents followed. As I was following Kristin to the back of the plane, I could see out the window the girls were putting the drivers through there pace. Sharin was in the back and was petrified when she saw me. "Sharin, Keith and I don't hold any secrets from each other. We also share everything with each other. As I told you, that was the size of Keith, so now he gets to see where it has been for most of the flight." With that Robin pulled Sharin's skirt up once more, I noticed she wasn't wearing any panties. "I have them for you." Robin said. As she fingers wrapped around the dildo she twisted and stroked it as before. Being watched or not Sharin couldn't deny the wonderful feelings between her legs and she let out a moan. "You couldn't wait for me to come back, could you?" Robin said Sharin shook her head. As I saw Robin take nice long strokes, she said to me. "Keith, you were right. The co-pilot is taking advantage of her. I don't like that, is there something you can do?" "Yes there sure is." I replied, then looking at Sharin. "Would you like that?" "Ahh" was all that came out first. Then silence. Finally she was able to get her speech together. "Yes, I don't like being taken advantage of." "I think you should thank Keith. I don't mind sharin' him, do you?" Robin laughed at her own joke. Before I could get any pleasure we heard the curtain being pulled back. Robin pulled the dildo out of Sharin, it popped as it exited, what a sound. Her skirt had just come down when the door was opened. The co-pilot stood in the doorway. "Just who I wanted to see." I said. He looked startled; he didn't expect to see anyone there, except Sharin. Moving him into the room and out of the doorway I called down to the front of the plane. "Jeff, you there?" "Yea, Keith. What do you want?" "I'm in the back. Can you come here?" "Sure, be right there." The co-pilot was glaring at Sharin. I pretended not to notice. As soon as Jeff came back I closed the door. "Jeff we have a problem. It seems your co-pilot here is using Sharin and blackmailing her with the loss of her job is she doesn't have sex with him." Expecting the rebuttal, he was right on cue. "She's lying." "I didn't ask you whether I believed it or not. I'm telling you what was happening." I said. Jeff was shaking his head. I went on. "Now I'm going to tell you what is going to happen from now on. You will never be assigned to a plane that she is on. She doesn't get bumped, you do." "You can't do that." He was getting indignant. "If you don't I'll have your license." "I've heard about enough of this shit." He started for the door. "Hold on. I think you don't know enough about Keith." Jeff said, stopping him in his tracks. "I've worked with him and know what he's doing now. He's outside the military but has more pull right now than you want to mess with. What he is saying is true. If he wanted to I bet he could get even my license pulled." "Fine, I was getting tired of her anyway." With that he stormed off. Jeff turned to me, "Shit Keith, that was a load of crap if I've ever heard some." I smiled, "Yea, well with what you said it was getting deep in here." Robin and Sharin looked at us, there mouths hanging open. Jeff looked at them and shook his head. "It would take more than that to have his license revoked, but he bought it, that's all that counts. I didn't realize it was such a problem. I'm going to be keeping an eye out for him from now on." Sharin came up to me and in front of Jeff and Robin, gave me a very wonderful kiss. As I was walking out of the plane Jeff looked at me. "Hero worship." I grinned "So how does one become a hero, sounds like fun." "Well, you have to be at the right place at the right time. You have to risk your life and almost get killed. You have to do some pretty stupid things and have them turn out right. Then you need important people to see it all." "Shit." Was all he said. "It's not all it's cracked up to be." I said as I walked off the plane. Lieutenant Payne was almost patiently waiting for me. "Keith Patterson?" He said, saluting. "Yes that is me." I didn't feel the need to salute back. I was no longer in the military and I was irritated feeling this whole thing was getting out of hand. "I am Lieutenant Payne. I was sent to escort you to the university. I am to be your liaison. If you need anything, just ask. I am also to report your progress, so I will be checking to see how you are progressing." he paused waiting for any reply, before continuing, "Shall we move on." He opened the car door for me. Robin and I got in. As he shut the door I said, "that man is going to be a major pain." The nickname stuck for the entire time he was annoying us. The driver overhearing tried hard not to laugh. The motorcade pulled away and twenty minutes later we were in the middle of the university. The first stop was to let Mary and Kristin off at their dorm rooms. I gave each a little kiss to oh's and ah's from onlookers. I had to remind myself that I was no longer in sheltered territory and I needed to watch what I did where. Telling them we'd let them know where we would be as soon as we knew, they headed off and our next stop was to Dr. Smithers office. He was expecting us and had us ushered right in. He was shorter than I expected, maybe five feet four inches, with sandy brown hair and thick glasses. Looked like a very likable guy. "Keith so good to finally meet you." He was talking to me, but looking at Pamela. "I was under the impression you were bringing your wife with you." I smiled, "Yes I did, Robin," I pulled her to me. "This is Doctor Smithers. He is the one that will be looking after Pamela." He stood there completely speechless, I continued, "I noticed that you figured out who your patient was. I believe she has an appointment with you tomorrow." Pamela smiled and Doctor Smithers was brought back to the task at hand, but I caught him steeling glances at Robin the entire time he was talking. "Please call me Don. Like I told you on the phone Keith, you will be working in the labs that are under my department." Then under his breath he said to me. "You have no idea how much money they are poring in here to make sure you have everything you need." Then back in his normal voice he said, "Our department has some of the newest and finest equipment available. I will be coming around to see if there is anything that we can get you." Looking at the group of us, I could see him counting off. "We added one extra, Stephanie. I thought she would be good moral support for Pamela. As you may know, Pamela's mother Mildred will be getting some testing done here as well." "Good idea Keith." Making Stephanie beam. "Makes no difference to me of course, but let me describe the housing and you can figure out the best way to split your party up." "How shall I say it, there are two cottages that were available usually for visiting professors. One is larger than the other. The first is set up as an efficiency apartment. The second is for a longer term stay and so it has two bedrooms as well as a living, dining, kitchen combination room. Now before you think this would be an easy answer to who goes where, you need to realize one other thing. The efficiency apartment has but one entrance and it is through the center of the rest of the units. Anyone coming or going, like it or not will wake the dead with the gate on one end and the miserable front door on the cottage that you have to slam to get closed properly." Looking at me, he said, "Keith you no doubt will be going in early and coming home late at first and then coming and going all hours as new information shows up. Ahhh the life of the researcher. So it was going to be my original suggestion that you and your wife stay in the larger place." He sounded as though he wasn't sure what was going to happen now. Mildred spoke up. "I think that sounds like a great idea. Robert and I can take the small unit and the girls can stay together." So said, she was very pleased with herself and it looked as if that was the way it would be. Don gave me a strange look. I said, "It's ok really. It will give Robin something to do while I'm gone." Satisfied with that answer, he shook his head. "We have a guide for you, Beth Ann, she will take you around the university, show you where everything is, give each of you a map of the campus and help you not to get lost. She will also be showing you your housing. There is a dinner at Professor Hamilton's residence tonight and you are all invited to attend. As for you Keith, it is more than an invitation." I nodded, understanding the obligations. Very similar to military life I thought. Well I was wrong, but didn't know it then. I noticed Mildred almost wincing at that suggestion. Then I realized the problem. A problem for all of us really. "Don, we have one small problem." "Oh, what is that?" "When we left Carp, almost a week ago, there was no time to pack anything. We have little clothing other than what we are wearing, and what we do have, is, how shall I say it, military issue clothing." He laughed. "Say no more. I will have Beth Ann take care of that problem right away. Dinner is at seven." ------- Beth Ann came in almost like clockwork. Robin slapped my arm for staring. She looked like she could have been a model. Her face was perfect; she had long blond hair and soft blue eyes. Larger breasts than I liked, but for most men they would have been perfect. A narrow waist and hips that had a nice wiggle to them. Shapely legs. Robin slapped my arm a second time, harder this time. Beth Ann was turning red from my obvious assessment of her features and Robin was turning red with jealousy. "Sorry" I mumbled. We were escorted back down to cars, this time from the university. I felt much less conspicuous, which was a relief. We stopped and picked up a man from the front of the school and off we went shopping. For the next two hours the girls tried on outfits, Beth Ann was having a wonderful time with them. Robert and I had found suitable clothes in less than thirty minutes and our dress pants and suit coats were altered long before the girls were done. I was starting to get bored and I could tell Robert had long gone beyond that point. He wasn't too keen about dress clothes in the first place. Next was a shoe store, and that took thankfully not to much time. I think they were tiring of shopping. Through it all the man, who I never did catch his name paid for everything, jotting down notes and keeping receipts for all the purchases. Once that was done we took a short drive around the campus, ending at our housing. Beth Ann told us that she would return at six forty five to pick us up for our dinner engagement. ------- From downstairs, the noise of many girls, it rose to engulf the pair, even before crossing the threshold. As they came out of the room two girls, who had been talking in the living room, across from Liz's door, quieted as they saw the new girl with their favorite teacher. They quickly got up and ran to their teacher and gave her tight hugs. Liz released Jill, kneeled and wrapped her arms around the two girls and gave them each a little kiss. Jill had a pang of jealousy, but realized how loving Liz was, she would have to share. "When did you get back? What happened? We were told the army captured you and took you to their base. Did you escape?" Liz laughed and introduced Jill to Sue Grafton, and Betty Appleton. Sue was a brunette, a little over weight for her height but would outgrow the extra pounds. She always had a delightful smile that cheered up most people after a few minutes. Betty was short and thin for her age, she had the same color hair as her best friend Sue, but hers came down her back to her waist. She usually hung behind her more forceful friend. People sometimes mistook them for sisters with their large sparkling eyes and similar hair. Sue would never let something bad happen to her friend if she could prevent it. First of all, this is Jill and she is from Carp, where my brother just got married. A bad man tried to do something that is too horrible to even speak of. The military came and took us away for testing. When that was done we were all allowed to go home. "What did he do?" the girls excitedly asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. "He did many awful things, the last was to try and kill everyone in the town." The girls gasp. "Jill may tell you some of the other things he did after if she thinks you would be able to handle it. Let's go down to eat. Has the bell rung yet?" "No, ma'am." The bell rang as they just made the main floor. A herd of buffalo thundered down the stairs, while others got up from the couches to head for the cafeteria. "Ladies," and now more forcefully, "ladies, lets show a little decorum." Many of the girls stopped abruptly to stare at the reappearance of Liz, all slowed and walked as if they were visiting royalty. Such was the respect they showed for their beloved teacher. The kitchen was cafeteria style. Some of the girls helped serve the food under the watchful eyes of the cook and her assistant. Liz got into line near the end with Jill, Sue, and Betty in tow. They got their food. Jill had to watch the others to see how this new idea of serving was done. She piled her plate high, as it had been a long trip with little food of her liking. When they got through the line Sue asked if they could eat with Liz. "Sure, you can tell Jill all the secrets that she needs to know." They seated themselves at the far corner where an empty table awaited them, usually reserved for staff. The girls talked throughout the meal, mentioning who was a member of the 'in crowd' and who wasn't. Jill asked no questions, just nodded her head as she ate, remembering all of the names that the two other girls mentioned. They were starting into the idiosyncrasies of the various teachers when a tall and very beautiful girl, with waist length black hair walked over to their table. She looked no older than sixteen, but was in fact a new teacher, that had arrived to replace another teacher on maternity leave. "Come over her Vicky." Liz said as she patted a place beside her. She sat her tray down and smiled at the two girls across from her, and turned past Liz to the new face on the other side of the teacher. "Hello, girls." She looked at Sue and Betty, "and who is this pretty girl?" she asked of Liz. "Vicky, this young lady is Jill Weinstein, a new student form Carp, Nevada." And turning to Jill, "and this girl who looks like she should be working on her grade eight home work is actually doing just that, but she teaches it instead. This is Miss. Nash, our new P.E. teacher." Jill was bashful and only said hello, a little awe struck by the shear beauty of the new arrival. Vicky, greeted Jill and wondered at the reaction she had gotten from Jill. "I heard that the air force had gotten a good look at you and whisked you off to their base. However did you manage to get away?" "There were only a little more than a hundred thousand, and after subduing them almost single handedly Jill and I commandeered a bus and left before they could recover. You would probably notice the extra military flights out looking for us. Jill especially had caught their eye, while they were looking at her I was able to do the commando stuff for our escape." The two girls across the table sat with forks halfway to their head, their mouths open, trying to digest the new development. Vicky started to laugh. People from other tables turned to look at the young teacher. "You certainly have changed. That story would be good for your English class." Sue and Betty's eyes were going back and fourth following the talking, until it occurred the them that the story was just that, a story. They closed their mouths and brought their forks forward and bumped their closed lips, not quite over their reaction to the story. A hand fell upon Liz's shoulder momentarily startling her. She turned her head and her eyes fell on a slim redhead with long hair and an abundance of freckles. The warm smile on the face made the wearer even more beautiful, a tray with food was balanced in her other hand. Liz smiled in return and said, "Will you sit with us Miss Howe?" Tiffany took a seat beside Vicky and placed her food upon the table. Her eyes roamed the table smiling and nodding to the people she knew. Her gaze went at last from Liz to Jill. Her head cocked a little as if in question. Liz introduced the new comer, "Tiffany, I would like to introduce Jill Weinstein. Jill this is Tiffany Howe one of the new teachers here as well. Jill will be my daughter for the next while, maybe even for ever." Wide eyes and stunned expressions greeted her, even from Jill. Liz continued, "Jill's mother is having some difficulties and I have assumed her responsibilities both morally and legally. It is best for all parties involved. I find that I very much enjoy being a mother to a beautiful well behaved young lady." Jill blushed and hung her head. Liz continued, "I should say a fairly well behaved young lady." The statement did not register enough to change the expressions on the rest of the table's occupants. Jill's head came up and a look of love shone on her face and a few tears appeared in her eyes. She had no way of knowing that Liz would want her enough to broadcast it to the school. Tiffany's hand came over and rested on top of Jill's, then she whispered, "She must really love you." Jill replied in a very low voice, "I think she does, and I love her too." The two teachers smiled at Liz, while the other two girls had not quite gotten over the proclamation. "How did this come about?" asked Vicky. "It is a long story, and after a few words with Jill, I can tell both of you and the rest of our floor the abridged version, perhaps tonight or tomorrow." The teachers thought about how the shorter version would be for the girls on Liz's floor, but they wanted all the juicy parts that would be left out. There was no sense in subjecting the young girls to such a heavy dose of reality they figured. They would bide their time and get the full details eventually. They just knew there was a lot more to the story. "Miss. Howe, I have talked to the administrator and she gave her blessings to have Jill assessed. We would like to find the actual grade she should be in. There was a curious glance at Jill from everyone at the table. "Jill has never been in a traditional school. That by no means is to say she isn't very well versed in many thing. In fact she knows a few languages." I am free tomorrow, but I am curious tonight. Lets go up to my room I have all the things necessary there. Unless, this is too early for you." Jill was smiling so Liz knew she was eager to find out herself. "I am sure that Jill would like to find out as soon as possible." The meal finished with small talk till Sue and Betty suggested that Jill go with them on a tour of the grounds. Jill seamed hesitant, but Liz encouraged her to mix. Tiffany heard the exchange, and Liz asked when she would like to have Jill for the test. "I will see you in a few hours Jill." and to Sue and Betty she said, "Jill is new here. Take care of her." ------- Jill went upstairs with Liz and received a spare key and the jacket she wore while on the bus. A distinct smell came from the lining. Liz kissed her and told her to have fun before opening the door to meet up with her new friends. Liz sat on her chair contemplating her future and Jill's. She tried to get a little of her work done that should be done before she returned to classes on Monday. The room was a little stuffy and she undid three buttons on her blouse. At least she had tomorrow and the weekend to get things straightened out. She noticed Jill's soiled panties beside the bed; they had not made it to the hamper. She picked them up. A knock on the door changed the course Liz was going. She put the panties on her desk and went to the door. She found Tiffany standing with a smile and two mugs of hot coffee in her hands. ------- Chapter 21 Daisy and Hank had barely spoken to each other since the bus stop in Las Vegas. She couldn't understand what had happened to him. They never had a great marriage, but in the last month he had turned into a different person. After leaving so late they had stopped in Reno for the night. She had finally fallen asleep in the cheep motel that he had rented when he came in. He had been drinking and his clothes reeked of smoke. He had his way with her and she silently wept. This was not the man she had known. She didn't know who he was anymore. It was scaring her. The further away from the town she knew and trusted, the stranger his behavior was. When they got on the bus the next morning after a silent breakfast, he said, "Tonight we will get to Redding and that is where my brother will pick us up." Daisy was surprised. He had not mentioned this before. "He's driving all that way down?" "Yes, he wants to get a look at you." Hank said and then laughed. It sent shivers up Daisy's spine. "He always did like them young." Daisy was now starting to get frightened. She didn't like what she was hearing. She sat silently, watching the miles go by. They had a long stop in Sacramento and had lunch. Hank was more cheerful, but what he was saying made Daisy all the more uncomfortable. As the hours wore on, Daisy couldn't control the fear she was feeling. At a stop in Chico, she rushed to the bathroom and threw up. She felt like this was some sort of a nightmare. Hanks last comments about her getting some make-up on, so his brother could see just what a doll she was, had made her feel sick to her stomach. Passing Red Bluff, they had about a half an hour to go. Hank wrapped his arms around Daisy's waist. "You'll like your new life. My brother John will be happy to have a woman around that can take care of our needs." And then in a whisper, "all of them?" Daisy's fears were being realized, Hank was planning on sharing her with his brother. "What." She stammered. "Don't get so uptight. It is just a bit of exchange for room and board while I start on my new job. I think you'll like it." He said as he reached around and cupped her breast. Her mind was reeling. How could he do this to her? She started to cry. Now she understood why he didn't want her to have that number Liz had given her. She was totally alone and felt helpless. Then she remembered the money she had hidden. She was surprised Hank hadn't found it, but he hadn't. She tried to focus. She had to focus. What was the name of the town Liz lived in? She spent the rest of the trip putting together a plan. ------- Redding was the biggest town that they had come to after Sacramento. It actually had a station. Daisy said she couldn't wait to get to a real bathroom. Hank told her to make herself real pretty. She forced her way out of the bus and into the station. She was shaking with fright. Once in the station she looked back, Hank was bending over, picking up their meager belongings. She went to the back of the station and though the back door. She ran as fast as she could and didn't stop for the next two blocks. She had got away. But that is about as far as her plan had been able to get to. Daisy was in a strange town; she didn't know where she was, or how to get to anyplace safe. She knew it would take some time before Hank realized she was not in the bathroom at the station. That was the one and only thing she had going for her. After that they would be looking for her. She knew it, and they had a car. She needed a phone. As she turned onto a larger street she saw a few girls on the corner. Not knowing what they were doing she went up to them. "Hey honey, where did you come from?" "Yea sugar, you can't work the street looking like that." "And you can't work it here anyhow, this is our spot." Daisy was trying to understand what they were talking about. "I just need to get to a phone. Do you know where one is?" The street girls could hear the desperation in her voice. "You trying to get away from someone honey?" Daisy shook her head yes. "Two blocks down on your left and sugar walk fast. This street ain't the kind of place for you." Daisy did as she was told and walked as fast as she could. What she found was a dinner. It was open; there were a few people in it. The thing she didn't like is that everything inside was very visible to the people outside. If Hank and his brother drive by they could see me, she thought. She also didn't have a lot of options. Thankfully the phone booth, a totally enclosed unit was at the end and slightly hidden from view. She asked to borrow a pen, made change with the money Liz had given her and with a napkin she picked up, went to the phone. She had had enough time on the bus to come up with the name of the town. She knew what Liz did, so she hoped that was enough. The first operator connected her to the operator in Grand Junction. At times Daisy was crying in frustration, but the operator, sensing the urgency in this didn't give up. Finally Daisy recognized the name of the school. The operator gave her the number and connected her. ------- Grace was on the way out of her office when the phone started ringing. Nothing important, she thought, they can call back. She locked the door and was walking down the hall. She could still hear the phone. She thought if they are this persistent, maybe it is important. Grace turned around and went back in, picking up the phone. "Linden Hall Boarding School, Grace Turcotte speaking." Daisy was crying listening to the phone ring and ring. No one was there. Her hopes were being dashed. Then suddenly someone was on the phone. "Hello." Was all Daisy could get out. "Hello, I'm sorry the office is closed." "No." Daisy almost screamed. "Help me, please. I need help." Grace sat down. She had not heard anyone sound so desperate in her life. Why was this young girl calling the school? "Ok, hold on. Tell me your name." Grace picked up a pen and jotted it down. "Now what number are you calling from." Grace looked at the number. It was too long. "Can you repeat that for me?" Daisy did and it was the same number. "Were are you?" Grace asked. "I'm in Redding California." "Did you know you're calling Colorado? Is there a reason you're calling here?" Grace was completely baffled. "I... Liz told me to call. I'm her friend." "Are you from Carp?" "Yes, I was, but then..." Daisy couldn't continue. She was crying once again. "Hold on. I'm going to try and connect you to Liz's room. I'm not used to doing this, so if something goes wrong don't leave. I have your number and Liz will call you back. Ok?" "Yes." Daisy said meekly. She heard some clicking noises and then silence. She wondered how long this would take and then the phone went to a dial tone. She looked at the phone, not knowing what she was doing. She was glad that the lady she had talked to said this might happen and to wait. Then she realized she needed to hang the phone back up for someone to call her back. She quickly put the receiver back into its cradle and waited. ------- Grace was cursing herself that she didn't know this phone system better. She knew you could connect these phone lines together. But she was looking at the switchboard with no clue. She reached up and pulled a line, knowing almost the instant she did it that she had just disconnected the poor girl. Undaunted she called Liz's room. As soon as the phone was picked up she said. "Liz this is Grace, now listen to this, it is important." Liz was shocked. What was Grace calling for, and so late, what was so important. "Yes." "Do you have a pen and paper handy?" "Hold on." Grace heard Liz call for something to write with. She could hear Jill in the background. "Ok go ahead what is up Grace?" "A girl named Daisy called." "No, oh no." Liz cried into the phone. "Where is she? Is she ok? What happened?" "Liz, now listen to me and for God's sake keep calm. You can't help anyone acting like that." Liz tried to compose herself. "Yes you are right." "I am going to give you her phone number. She is waiting for you to call her back. I, well, unfortunately I don't know these phone lines and I disconnected her." "You did what?" "Don't worry Liz. I told her I wasn't sure what I was doing and if that happened we had her phone number and would call her right back. So she is waiting." Grace gave her the number and hung up. Grace left the office and went home. But the pleading voice on that phone was haunting her, her sleep was restless. That town of Carp was full of mystery. She woke several times in the night. In the morning she decided she had to call Liz up and find out what the story was. ------- As soon as Liz put down the phone she picked it back up and dialed the operator. Jill looked at the number. It was nothing even remotely like anything she had seen before. She knew it wasn't a number from Carp, or the base. She would just need to listen to Liz's conversation and that would probably give her a clue. "Hello, operator. I need you to dial a number." It took just a few seconds and the phone was ringing. "Hello." "Hello." Liz said "Liz! It's you. Oh thank you. You don't know how scared I am. I don't know what to do." "Slow down. Where are you?" "Redding, in a diner." "Redding? Is that in California?" Liz said. Jill knew where that was, but didn't know anyone from there. "Is Hank with you?" Jill who was sitting on the bed slipped of and fell to the floor. Liz looked over to her, to see the shocked expression on Jill's face. "No, I ran away." Daisy started crying again. "What happened?" Daisy started recounting the bizarre behavior of Hank and then his admission that he was planning on sharing her with his brother. "Daisy, you did the right thing. Now the first thing to do is to get you safe. How did you find this place?" When Daisy told her of the girls on the street, Liz almost started laughing. "What's so funny?" Daisy asked. "Daisy those nice ladies were prostitutes." Daisy just about dropped the phone. "You're joking with me, right?" She said nervously. "No, Daisy. That is what they were, but it's ok. No harm done and they did help you." "Yes, I guess they did." She was amazed. Thinking of her upbringing and the teaching of evil people like that. "Now the more pressing issue." "What?" Daisy asked "How to keep you safe until Keith can get you." "Keith?" Daisy's heart leaped. "Yes, he told me that if I heard from you to call him. He'd take care of it." "I wish Robin wouldn't have got him. But of course..." Daisy stopped abruptly thinking what she had just said and then blushed. Liz laughed, "You're not the only one who feels that way Daisy. Now is there any sign of a motel around?" Daisy had to ask the waitress and found out there was one only two blocks away. She then looked up the number and gave it to Liz. "You have some money left don't you?" "Yes a bit." "Good. Now go order some soup. Eat a lot of crackers; it will help settle your stomach and listen for the phone. I'll be calling you back." ------- Hank was tired of waiting. It didn't take Daisy this long to use the bathroom. He couldn't go in there himself, so he solicited the help from a woman heading that way. She came back out telling him no one was in there. He and his bother then looked around the station, then on the outside. It was starting to dawn on him what had happened. Hank was furious. "That little bitch." He said. "I told you not to tell her of our little arrangement. I was planning on having a bit of fun with her in the car. You know with them bench seats we could have done her both at the same time." "Shut up. I need to think." Hank was so angry it has hard for him to see straight. "She doesn't know anything about this town. I bet she couldn't get far, come on we'll drive around and find her. She is going to pay for this. I'll rip her clothes from her, whip her hide and then you can do what ever you want with her." "Holy shit, come on. Lets go find her. I can't wait to get my hands on that one. The picture you sent has had me hard for months. She'll be screaming for mercy by the time I get done with her. Maybe we can get her pregnant and she'll have a little girl for me to play with as well." ------- As soon as Liz hung up, Jill was bombarding her with questions. "I'm not done yet. I need to make a few calls yet and fast. Then I'll tell you all about it." The first was to the hotel. They weren't very keen on letting a minor girl stay in their motel and without paying up front. Liz sweet-talked them into it, thank God; she didn't have many other thoughts. The rate seemed steep, but she had no room to argue. Her second call was to Keith, but the phone rang and rang. Frustrated she hung up. Then she called Daisy back, the phone rang twice and Daisy was on the line. "Daisy, the hotel is expecting you to show up. Go to the front desk and ask to talk to Joe Shoeman. He will give you a room for the night." Daisy was stunned to silence. "Daisy are you there?" "Yes, Liz how can I ever thank you?" "Daisy, it is not over yet. I haven't been able to get hold of Keith yet. He told me he was going to a dinner, but I will keep trying. He will be there. I know Keith. I will leave a message at the front desk at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning, so go and get it. It will hopefully tell you everything that is going on. Ok." "Yes, thank you again." "Just watch yourself getting to the hotel." "I will." ------- Hank and his brother made circles larger and larger outside the area from the bus station. Hank was getting madder and madder. "Where could that little bitch have gone?" They pulled down the road Daisy had been on. Hank and his brother both saw the streetwalkers. "Hank, we could pick up a couple of these and have fun." "Shit, keep your mind on who were looking for, she'd never be caught dead around these type. She's to damned innocent." "Not for long." He laughed. Fortunately they were looking on the other side of the street at a guy picking up a girl and missed the diner, were Daisy was sitting at the counter finishing up some soup. Moments later Daisy walked briskly to the hotel. The street life had become a bit livelier as the night had progressed and she was scarred being out there. As she entered the lobby she felt a sense of relief. Asking for Joe, she was given a key and some stern warnings. Joe after he had said them could tell by the shocked look on this girls face, she was everything the woman on the phone said. She was not a girl looking for free logging to perform tricks. Daisy closed the door behind her, bolting it. Then she flopped down on the bed, crying herself to sleep. ------- Liz gave Jill a watered down version of why Daisy had run away from Hank, but even that was enough to make Jill cry out. Her red puffy eyes made her look like she had been crying for days. This just was one of those hard days. "What is Keith going to do?" Jill kept pestering. "What can he do? He's near Salt Lake. That is a long way from Redding" "I don't know Jill, but he will do something." Liz tried to sooth. She had her worries also. Something had to be done. Daisy was out of money with no place to go and Hank would be looking for her. It wasn't until after eleven that Liz was able to get me to answer the phone. Back from a great party I was in a jovial mood when I answered. "Hi, this is Keith." "Keith, oh thank God you're finally there." "Liz, that's wrong." Everyone heard him, they stopped what they were doing, and came crowding around the phone. "Daisy called." Liz felt the lump in her throat and tears welling in her eyes. She tried to fight it off. She needed to make sure she could tell Keith what he needed to hear without her going to pieces. "Is she ok?" Robin, Stephanie, and Pamela assumed he was talking about Jill and something had happened to her. "Yes she's left Hank and I got her into a hotel for the night, but it is not good. She needs to get away." "Ok, where is she?" Turning to Robin I said, "Get me a piece of paper." She was back in a flash. "She is in Redding. Let me give you the name and phone number to the hotel. I hope you don't mind. I told them you'd pick up the bill." "Oh, you did, did you?" Then I laughed. "Of course I will. That is no problem." "She is expecting a note at the front desk by eleven." "I'll take care of that. Thanks Liz. I'm glad you were there." "So am I." ------- I took Robin aside and told her the real story. Then I talked to Pamela as Robin told Stephanie. I told her that her sister was having problems and I was going to get her and bring her here. Pamela looked at me for a second, and then said, "Is it because of that jerk Hank?" I almost started to laugh, "Yes sweetheart. He is the one giving her the problems." We came back into the hallway. Robin asked me. "What are you going to do?" "Call in some favors, and make a few people mad that I'm calling this late." For the next twenty minutes I had called seven people. I was wondering who was going to get the bill for all of these calls. In the end I had a nice little plane that would get me there with just one stop. I could leave as early as six in the morning. Of course I needed a flight plan, so I'd have to get there earlier than that. My next call was to Beth Ann, she had said to call her for anything. I thought this qualified. I was surprised when I heard Kristin on the other end. "Kristin is that you?" "Yes oh sweet big brother of mine." Then in a more sarcastic voice, but whispering. "Who practically undresses the gals around here with his eyes." I laughed. "Who's been talking?" "Keith you should have heard Beth Ann go on about you. It was sickening." Whispering again, "Mostly because I was jealous." I laughed again. "Actually I called to talk to her, she said that if I needed anything to call." "I bet she did. What did you need?" So here I am explaining it all to Kristin. She called me back in a few minute saying there would be a ride waiting at five thirty outside my place. I thanked her and went to get some sleep. Robin and the girls had a different idea, but I explained to them that it would be better to go without fun and games one night than to see me crash a plane because I was to tired. I went to bed after setting the clock and felt Robin snuggle up to me a few minutes later. ------- Five o'clock came much to early. I dragged myself out of bed, but by the time I was done with a shower I was awake and ready to go. At five thirty I looked out the window and a car was already sitting there. I ran back and gave Robin a kiss, she mumbled goodbye and I love you. I walked out the front door. Kristin hopped out the passenger door, as bright and chipper as I'd ever seen her. Driving was Beth Ann. She was awake, but not so bouncy. She looked over at me and blinked, still trying to wake up. "Thanks for the ride gorgeous." I smiled to her. She turned red again. Kristin conveniently sandwiched me into the center "Is he embarrassing you again Beth Ann?" "Yes, I mean no, Oh lets go." She said. Kristin was laughing. At the next stoplight Beth Ann looked over at me. "So you're going to fly all the way to Redding California to pick up a girl?" "Well, I'd like to find a faster way, but this is the best I could come up with." I said. "No, that's not what I meant," she said shaking her head. "She's not your family, couldn't someone else do something? Isn't there someone in that area?" "If you were in real trouble, feeling alone, scared, and needed help, would you want someone you know and trusted to help you, or some stranger?" I said. She blinked several times as though trying to hold back tears. Kristin wrapped her arms around me and said to her, "I told you." Beth Ann moved her head up and down. "Ok, what did I miss?" Kristin snuggled up to me and said. "Nothing much, just that every female who comes in contact with you, falls in love with you." "Kristin!" Beth Ann said. "Well it's true, isn't it?" Beth Ann didn't say a word, but the color of red she was turning said it all. The airport had been only a twenty-minute drive and we pulled up. Kristin and I got out. Beth Ann watched as Kristin gave me a kiss, right on the lips. I felt her tongue run across my lips and as she pulled away I heard her say, "Mmm. I need more of that." When Kristin got back in the car I saw a wide-eyed Beth Ann looking at her. "Well, I love him too." Kristin said and then laughed. Beth Ann looked at me, I shrugged my shoulders, and then I reached in and took her hand and kissed it. As she was turning red, I said, "Thanks for the ride." I figured that would be an interesting conversation going back. I headed in to log a flight plan. Everything took longer than expected and I didn't get off the ground until nearly seven. ------- The sky was clear and being back in flight was a joy. I just wish I wasn't doing it for the reason I was. My one stop was in Reno. It wasn't the most direct route. In fact I figured it would take me almost an hour more time. But I was told that some of those small landing strips didn't have gas to sell and I could be wasting a lot of time finding a place to refuel. So I took the indirect, but safe route. I didn't need any surprises. When I landed, I had to make a call to the motel. Leaving a message that I would be there as close to eleven as possible. I was back in the sky in no time at all. The flight over the Sierra's was uneventful and soon I was traveling up the valley. The fact that I was enjoying flying again and the beautiful scenery made the time fly. I was approaching Redding before I knew it. As I taxied in there was a clock on the main terminal. Ten twenty five. I looked and then it hit me. I had crossed a time zone. I was here an hour earlier than I expected to be. This was great. Hopping into a taxi fifteen minutes later, I told him the address and he took off. ------- Hank and his brother stopped their search around midnight. "She'll come crawling back in the morning." "She's better." Hank said. "What else is she going to do? She's got no money does she?" "Of course not. I guess we'd better stay close to the bus terminal. That's where she'll show up." "Guess so. I wasn't planning to spend the night in the car. Shit that little gal of yours is some trouble. I'm going to make sure she's worth it." "Don't you worry, after I get done with her she'll be begging for you to take care of her." "Don't worry. I'll take care of every hole she has." He laughed. Hank would have been a bit disgusted with how crude his brother was, but he was so mad it seemed justified. They pulled up in the back parking lot and tried to get comfortable. Hanks brother took the front seat and Hank took the back. Two hours latter they were woken by tapping on the window. Looking out with half open eyes, they saw two gals. This got their attention. "Hi boys. It's kind of cold out here. How about letting us in to warm up with you?" They looked at each other. They knew the line. They also knew they'd love some pussy. So not five minutes latter the car was rocking back and forth. Less than a half hour latter the two gals were out of the car and Hank and his brother were soon back asleep. It wasn't until almost nine when the two woke up. Hank had to go real bad and his brother was almost in the same boat. They made a mad dash to the terminal and into the men's room. They looked in the mirror; death warmed over was staring at them. They got a towel from the car and cleaned up as much as possible. It was slow going. In the end they looked like humans again, at least on the outside. Hunger overtook them and they went in search of food, as well as Daisy again. Down the street they had seen their friends from last night was a small diner. The same one Daisy had been in the night before. They ate some breakfast and as they were almost done their friends saw them in the diner and came in. "Hi boys. You want to buy us breakfast?" "Sure, why not?" So as the gals ate, Hank and his brother fondled them. "So what are you two doing around here?" "Were looking for a gal. She ran away last night. I don't know where she would go. She's not from around here." "Oh yea? I heard Lani say some girl who looked out of place came wandering through last night." Hank perked up. "What time?" "Oh, must have been nine or so." "That must have been her Hank." "Yea that's what I was thinking. Did she know where she went?" "Asking for a phone. This is the only one round these parts. So I reckon she'd have come in here." Hank asked the waitress if she was on late last night. She wasn't, but the gal who was would be in, in about twenty minutes. They decided to wait. Their friends once fed left. It was ten to eleven when the next waitress can in. "Were you here late last night?" Hank asked. "Yes, why do you want to know?" She asked guarded. "A gal ran away and were trying to find her." He said. "You missing one of your girls?" She retorted. "No, she happens to be my wife. I know she looks a bit young for that, but she is. She has no money. I don't know were she is." He was trying to sound as convincing as possible to win her trust and tell her where Daisy was. "I heard she came in here last night to make a call. I was hopping you might know where she went." "There was a young gal in here last night. She'd been crying. I hope it wasn't from you." "Oh no." Hank assured her. "Well I don't know where she went for sure, but she walked out that way. Only thing that would have been open down there at that time of night is the Star Gate Motel. Now that I think of it, she did ask where the closest motel was." They thanked her profusely and left, heading for the motel. "That little bitch, you said she didn't have any money. We were sleeping in the car and she's in a motel. We know that beds can be used for more than sleeping. I don't know about you Hank, but when I get done with fucking her sorry little cunt she will have trouble standing." ------- Daisy wasn't sure if she was hungry. She should be. It was almost eleven, but her stomach was a turning mess. She didn't want to go out, but knew she must. Liz said there would be word at eleven, so she watched the clock tick. After looking out the window, twice, she slowly opened the door. She was sure Hank would be on the other side ready to pounce. No one was there. She still didn't feel safe. She stayed by the edge of the building surveying the parking lot. Being on the far end of the second story she felt very exposed. She made her way slowly, not wanting to be close to the rail. Then quickly climbed down the stairs and entered the lobby. The note was there. When she read that Keith would soon be there to get her, she felt a great sense of relief. It would all be over soon. She was happily walking back up the stairs and didn't see the taxi pull into the entrance. I jumped out, handing the driver some money and asked him to stay. Inside the lobby the clerk wanted me to pay before telling me what room Daisy was in. I was starting to pull his money out when I saw Hank and what must be his brother getting out of a car. Hank was pointing up to the second floor, seeing Daisy open and go into her room. I told the clerk to call the police and fast as he ran out the door. Hank was on the far side stairs and his brother had just run up the ones. I ran up seconds later. When I was at the top of the stairs Hank was at a door shouting and banging on it. His brother was almost at the door as I started running. The two of them busted in the door. He heard Daisy scream. By the time I got to the doorway they were inside. As I looked in, I saw Daisy's hair was being pulled back and Hank slapping her face. "You never ever are going to do that again. Do you understand? You are my woman and you will do as your told." Hank said. It was the last thing I heard him say. I picked up a chair and smashed it down on him. Daisy screamed again. Hank's brother, a much bigger version of Hank, came lunging at me and pushed me out the door. He had me pinned at the railing and was punching me. His rage towards me so intent, he didn't see the patrol car drive up. He screamed at me. "She's our woman. You understand. We will do as we see fit with her. I don't know where you came from, but you are going to regret getting involved." Daisy was beating on him. As he threw back his arm to throw her off the officer stepped in. A nightstick in the back brought him to his knees. I stayed were I was not feeling the strength to get up. The second officer cuffed him. I saw them look in the door. "Guess we need to call an ambulance for that one. Who is it?" The officer asked Daisy. She looked in at him. "He attacked me first. If it wasn't for this man..." She started crying again. "Cuff him. He may wake up." I asked, "What are you going to do with them?" "Well the lady can press charges of course, but other than that I should say we have breaking and entering, destruction of property, and disturbing the peace. That should put them away for the next two weeks. Plus they will need to make restitution for the damage." "Do you want to press any charges?" I asked Daisy. "No, I just want to get out of here and never see them again." "Do we need to come down to the station, or can you do the paperwork here?" I asked. "But Keith, I don't want to press charges." Daisy said. I held her and whispered in her ear. "Yes I know, but you need to be identified as to what happened. I would guess you do not want to married to him any longer." She nodded. "You need just cause. This will give it." "I'm sorry, but if you want to give any formal statements. It will need to be done at the station." I went back down a bit slower this time as I was feeling the sting of the punches I received. I sent off the cab, and then went in to pay for the room. I thought I'd give him a nice tip also for going out of his way for us. I was surprised at the cost. Then I saw him pocket more than half of the money. He looked up at me and said, "My dad owns this hotel. It's the only way your friend got to stay here in the first place and I took a risk of doing that, so it's my bonus." I couldn't disagree with his logic, but felt like I'd already given him the tip I had planed on. Daisy and I rode in the back of the patrol car. ------- At the station I said I needed to call my wife and tell her it was all over. I got up. The officer noticed my stiffness. "You ok?" "I'll be fine." "Maybe you should be checked out." I thought it was nothing, but then if something happened while flying, I'd never forgive myself. "Ok, maybe I will." The doc is on his way down to look at your friend." I looked at him like he must be crazy. "Sorry, a bit of police humor. He woke up, so we brought him in. If we'd have sent him to the hospital it costs our department plenty and we're always trying to save a buck around here. The doc can see you first. Your friend isn't going anywhere." That would be fine." I said. Before I could make it to the phone, I was told the doctor was here and wanted to see me. We were in a small room and he told me to take off my shirt, He asked me what happened. Listened to my chest, felt my ribs and abdomen. "Your darn lucky you don't have anything broken. I saw the size of the guy punching you. Everything looks ok except for some bruising. So I understand you flew in this morning." "Yes." "Well I hope you didn't plan on flying out again today." "Well I..." "Nope, you aren't, so don't even think about it. Doctors orders." Well if that didn't top it. At least Daisy was safe. I still needed to make that call. Now with some more information. ------- "Hi Robin" "Keith! What happened? Is she ok? What heroic things did you do to save her?" "Ok, enough already." Robin giggled. "Daisy is safe." "You sound a bit worn out. What happened?" "I arrived just as Hank and his brother found her." "Oh no Keith. She is ok though, right?" "Yes. I was the one who got the brunt of some punches." "Keith! Are you ok?" "Yes, a doctor checked me out. I have a little bruising that's all. The thing is that the doctor told me I couldn't fly back today. So I'm stuck." "Is that safe?" "Yes, It's all over. Hank and his brother are in jail." "Jail! You're not telling me the whole story are you?" "Not much to tell." "Yea I bet. I can't wait to hear from Daisy. She'll tell me." "I'm sure she will. So, like I said we will need to spend the night." Robin laughed. "Are you asking permission?" I turned red. "Well I don't think she'd be up for anything. It's been hard on her I'm sure." "Keith, take care of her needs, whatever they are. I know how much you care for people and I do remember that little get together the three of us had." She laughed. "Care for her too, ok." "Ok, since you insist." She laughed, "You little devil. Just wait till you get back. I won't let you off the bed for days." Now it was my turn to laugh. "It will be hard to explain why I'm not doing any of the work I was there to do." "Tell them your wife is fu... Pamela, how long have you been listening?" "Looks like you have company. Robin I need you to do one more thing." "Sure what's that?" "Call Liz up and tell her. I know she'll be dying to know what happened." "I'd be glad to. Bye honey." "Goodbye lover." ------- I gave my statement. Daisy wanted me in there when she gave hers. She was holding my hand, squeezing it tight as she told them the story, starting with the destroying of Liz's phone number, up to when the police came. I was shocked at what Hank had said to her. He was not the same person I thought I knew. We asked then to call a cab. I had looked up hotels in the phone book while I had made my call and told the driver an address. He knew it and soon we were in front of Redding's oldest and nicest hotel. Daisy was a bit embarrassed at how she looked. I told her to sit in one of the lobby chairs. I asked for one room, the clerk looked over to the girl sitting in the chair, giving me the eye and then looked at the register I had signed. His face went white. "Your not the Keith Patterson, the one in the paper, from Carp?" "Yes." I said somewhat disgusted at how far this article had extended its reach. Instead of catching the clue I didn't want any attention, he started calling everyone over, telling them who I was. Daisy saw the commotion around me and came to find out what it was. "He's the one who saved the whole town." One of them said to her. She beamed. "Yes I know, I live there too. He also is having my sister treated for a birth defect and my mother tested for problems she has. He is a knight in shining armor." Everyone was speechless to her admission. That is except for me. "I just did what needed to be done, that's all." "Modest too." I heard from a larger man with a booming voice. Everyone looked at him and shrunk away. "I'm the hotel manager and it is an honor to have you as our guest. I see you will only be spending one night with us. Consider your stay complements of the house." "Well thank you, sir. I didn't expect that." "I know, that is why I'm giving it. There are a lot of hero's that expect a lot. You're different." With that he made a few marks on the register and had the bellboy show us our room. Daisy reached up and gave the manager a little kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." He tried to brush it off as nothing, but as he walked away I saw him touching his cheek and smiling. Daisy had touched the inside of what appeared to his staff as a gruff man. ------- I had asked for a double. Nothing fancy. Just a plane nice room. We road the elevator to the third floor. As we got off, the bellboy walked straight ahead to a set of double doors and opened them with a key. "Your room sir." I looked in as though someone must be playing a joke on me. "Are you sure?" I said. "Yes sir." We had no luggage, so I fished into my pocket and handed him a bill. He gave me the key and broke into a big smile. "Enjoy your stay." Daisy was behind me. We walked into the center room. Plate glass windows looked over the town square. There were two sofas and a fireplace. A bar was in one corner. Through the door on the right was a bedroom with two double beds in it and a bathroom. On the left was another bedroom. It had the largest bed I'd ever seen. Beyond that a bathroom with marble. Marble floors, marble counter tops, and a massive marble bathtub. Daisy found two white heavy robes hanging on the door. Neither one of us had said a word. We were in awe. I finally broke the silence. "Well this is just a little better than the barracks don't you think?" She looked at me and we both started laughing. My side was hurting. "Oh you poor thing." She said and put her arms around me. I looked down at her and she looked up at me. "I never thanked you." "Oh it..." She shushed me. "You don't know how much it meant to me to know you were the one coming to rescue me. I'm not sure how to thank Robin for letting you come." Then she got a twinkle in her eye. "But I know how I'd like to thank you." With that she reached up and kissed me. I let out a little groan. Bending over was a bit painful. We walked hand in hand out into the living room. The double doors were still wide open. We hadn't closed them and two girls and a boy were peering in, wide eyed. The boy looked at me and said, "Are you the president?" I laughed, which hurt again. "No, just very fortunate. You want to look out the window?" They didn't answer; The boy ran, but it took the girls a second to stop staring, then they ran to the other side of the room. As soon as they looked out the chatter started. Their mother within minutes of hearing their voices was at the door. She tried to apologize for their behavior. I told her we invited them in. Instead of calling them out, she came in to get them. I think she was just as curious about the room as they were, but couldn't admit it. I took her hand and showed her the whole place. When we got to the master suite she stopped and looked at the bed in disbelief. So I said, "It's so big, it wouldn't make any difference what you were doing, you'd never fall off." She turned as red as anything, so I quickly showed her the bathroom. Again she was looking at the tub. It was in all honesty big enough for two. She looked at me as though I would comment and as I noticed it, she turned red again just at the thought. As we walked back in the living room, Daisy was playing a game of tag with the three children. The mother smiled. The girls looked over and the older one said, while staring at me, "Mom, doesn't he..." "Elizabeth, hush." I took it as they saw my picture also. This hero stuff was a pain sometimes. Then she said in a hushed tone, "I know it isn't any of my business, but could you tell me how much a room like this costs?" "I have no idea." I said truthfully. "You don't?" she said surprised. Daisy piped in, overhearing the conversation. "They gave it to us." She looked dumbfounded. "Gave it to you?" "Yea, cause Keith is a hero." Daisy went on. I was starting to feel uncomfortable again. She looked at me. "A hero humm. So what did you do." Daisy laughed. "Don't ask him. He doesn't like to talk about it. Did you read about a town called Carp in the paper?" The woman stared in disbelief. "Don't tell me your Keith Patterson." From the tone of their mothers voice the children stopped and looked as though something was going to happen. "Elizabeth, Kristina, Kenneth, come here. This man is a real live hero." My neck started to itch. I know I was red from embarrassment. She went on. "He saved a whole town of people." They stood there with their mouths hanging open. This was enough. "I did what needed to be done." I got down on my knees in front of the kids. "I helped when help was needed. I don't think of myself as a hero. I did what everyone should or would have done. Help when you're called to help." I stood back up. The mother hugged me. Her eyes glistening with the start of tears. "Their father was lost in the war. That is the nicest bit of advice anyone has told my children in a long time. Thank you." The conversation went on as the children explored the rest of the place. She had lived in Seattle most of her life, although she loved the scenery, the dreary skies were more than she could handle. Her husband had been in the Navy there. They had been transferred to Vallejo's Mare Island six years ago. It was better weather wise, but she didn't like all the crowds. Her husband, helped design the destroyers that were built. His transfer to Vallejo was no surprise as that was the largest west coast ship building plant. He was a contentious man, always planning ahead. So when a beam dropped at the yard and killed him, she was not surprised to find that he had a insurance policy. What had surprised her was the amount. In his personal papers, she read that he was ever fearful of dying and leaving his wife and children destitute. The government policy paid for by the navy added some as well. She now had more money than she knew what to do with and no one to do anything with. She found relatives, pretending in there want to help her, were out for her money. So as it turned out she was once again looking for a new home. She and the kids would drive and stay in a place, trying to get a feel for it. I said jokingly, "Ever think of the desert? Carp is a nice quiet town." She looked at me with all seriousness and said, "How do you get there." I said, "You're kidding, it is a long way from here. Almost to Las Vegas." "Well you must have been drawn to it for some reason." I smiled, "Yes, my wife, of course she wasn't my wife then." She looked over at Daisy, who turned bright red. Oh no, I thought this is a sticky situation. "She looks a bit young, or maybe it's the desert air." I took a gulp. "No, she is young. It is part of the town's history. I just got lucky that is all." She just laughed. "This town sounds mighty intriguing. I think I'll just have to come and see it. So what are you two doing here then?" I looked to see where the children were. Daisy got the hint and corralled them in the bedroom. "I don't want to deceive you. Daisy is not my wife. If you came to Carp you would find that out." She looked at me as though I must be some villain. "What?" "Daisy is one of my wife's best friends. They are about the same age. Daisy's husband started acting very strange and took her away from Carp. He told her some things I don't think she'd like me to repeat, but it made her run away from him." Now she was looking at the door of the bedroom she and her children were in. I went on. "Daisy called my sister, who called me. We got her into a hotel last night and I flew in to pick her up." She looked at me in almost disbelief. "I had planed on flying her back today, but her husband and his brother found her. As I tried to intervene I was, well I was no match for someone almost twice my size. The doctor said I couldn't fly today." "Where is her husband now, aren't you worried he'll find her again?" She asked. I shook my head. "He and his brother are in jail at this point. To make a long story short, I came to this hotel to have a nice room. Daisy has been through a very bad experience. I thought it would be nice. Well they started making a fuss about who I was down stairs. Daisy didn't help with that. The next thing I know we're in this room for free." "That is some story and I've heard plenty." I could tell that she didn't believe me. She got up and opened the door. Daisy and her children were playing a game I'd never seen before. Daisy got up. "Did he tell you we weren't married? It's him and my best friend." "Yes." She said as she smiled, "and he told me about your husband too." Daisy's chest started heaving. I thought she was going to throw up right then and there. The woman looked shocked. "Oh my god. It's true. Oh, I'm so sorry." She was crying. "You don't know how many people once they find out I have money will tell me stories. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel so terrible." She had led Daisy to the edge of the bed and had her arm around her. Her children had no idea what was going on. I called them by name. "Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth, come with me." I took them out to the living room. "So, do you want to hear something funny?" They nodded. "The reason I know your names is because they are almost the same as mine and my two sisters. There is Elizabeth, but we call her Liz. She's the oldest. Then there is me, I'm Keith. I know it's not Kenneth, but it does start with a K. Then there is the youngest Kristin. Pretty strange don't you think?" They all agreed and started talking about how it was alike and different. It did keep them occupied while the two woman talked. The door finally opened. Out they came. She walked up to me. "I know a lot about you, you know a little about me. I realized when you called my children by name, you didn't know mine. She put out her hand. I took it. "I'm Katharine Elizabeth Montgomery and I expect you two to join us for dinner." I knew I could not say no, so I said, "We would be delighted. What time would you like us?" "Let's say we will meet you here at six thirty." "Thank you Katharine. We will see you then." She left with her children walking backwards trying to get a last glimpse of the room. The mention of food made me realize I had never had lunch. I ask Daisy, "Have you eaten anything?" "Not since last night. I had a cup of soup. But to tell you the truth, I hadn't been very hungry. Now that I think about it, I'm a little hungry." "So am I and if I go to dinner without eating a little something I'll embarrass myself with the amount I eat." We left the hotel, it was late afternoon and I had two objectives. First was a little food. We found a soda parlor and had some ice cream. It was so good and fun. We laughed, we talked, and we laughed some more. Then I took her to the large department store on the square. She had never been in such a store and she could hardly contain herself. I told Daisy to stay put and got a younger clerk to help her. As we were walking back, I told the clerk what she would need. The clerk blushed when I mentioned the undergarments. Then I told Daisy that this attractive young lady would be helping her pick out some things. Daisy didn't know we were in there to buy anything. I said that I too needed something for tonight's dinner and I would be back to purchase what they had picked out. I felt this was very justified. I wasn't paying for the hotel and now I wasn't paying for dinner. The least I could do was make us presentable. When I got into the changing room to change into some new trousers I realized that the bruising was starting to show. Not a pretty sight. My purchases went quickly and the tailor was moving a button and hemming the pants as I went to find Daisy. They were at that point in the shoe salon. Daisy was having the time of her life. It made me happy to see. She spotted me and ran over wrapping her arms around me, giving me a big kiss. "This is just what I needed," she said. I tried not to wince as she squeezed me a bit to hard. Twenty minutes later we were walking back to the hotel, packages in hand. It had cost me more than the hotel and dinner would have, but I had the reward of a smile on Daisy's face. We had an hour and a half before we were to be ready. I said, "I want to try that bath." Daisy said with a coy smile, "It is big enough for two." Then she said, "But I guess that wouldn't be right." "Robin said it would be ok with her." She looked at me, I smiled. "She said for me to take care of you in anyway you needed." Daisy laughed. "I love that girl." In the bathroom we started taking off our clothes. I kind of lost track of what I was doing as I watched her. "Hey, that is no fair. If you get to watch me, I get to watch you," she said. I started again. I realized I had only taken my shoe off. My pants came next. By the time I was down to my underwear she was bending over the tub turning it on. Actually she was turning me on more than the tub. She got in as I was pulling the last sock off. As I came over to the tub the overhead light shown on my body. Daisy was staring. I thought it was the hard on sticking out in front of me. It wasn't. She got the first glimpse of the bruises on my body. Her hand came out, trembling. She got up on her knees and as I moved closer to her, she touched my ribs. It was then I realized what she was looking at. She didn't say anything. The only sound was the filling bath water. Her hands touching every place that my skin was discolored. Then she leaned forward and started gently kissing the areas. She started at my ribs and finished in my stomach area. Then she took my semi hard dick in her hand and looking up at me, opened her mouth and guided it in. I felt my knees starting to buckle and had to bend over to support myself. I heard her giggle. I got my voice back and said. "I think I'd better get in and the water needs to be turned off." As I climbed down and the water was draining into the overflow. We laid together, the warmth of the water releasing our tensions. Her hand reached out and she wrapped it around my dick. "I want to finish what I started. You stopped me." "Only because it felt so good I couldn't keep standing." I said, knowing that would make her feel good. She laughed. "You know all the right things to say. No wonder Robin is so in love with you." She made me sit on the edge of the tub and once again sucked my dick into her warm and inviting mouth. I didn't last long. "That should keep you though dinner I hope." She said with a smile. "I think so" I replied. The water was cooling off, so we got out. Daisy after drying couldn't wait to get one of the robes on. "Oh it feels so nice. Maybe I'll wear this to dinner." "Oh yea!" I said and started chasing her around the place. We were laughing and having a grand time. I don't know if I really caught her, or if she let me, but soon I had her in my arms and was kissing her. "We'd better get ready." I said. "Yes, this robe is nice, but not as nice as my new clothes." She looked at me and grinned. "I have so much to thank you for. How ever am I going to do it?" "Well see what comes up." I said. She slapped me on the arm for that comment. We were ready at twenty after. I sat on the sofa and she came and sat on my lap. "That doesn't hurt does it?" "No." "Good, it feels nice." She took my face and tilted it to hers and kissed me. Soon we were going at it and jumped when we heard the knock on the door. We stood, straightening out clothes, snickering about it. I opened the door as the second knocking started. Kenneth was at the door. He was in a suit, that he was obviously uncomfortable wearing. "My mom and sisters are in the lobby waiting." "Ok." I said. "I bet your mom made you wear that didn't she?" He looked down. "Yes she did. I don't like them." I laughed. "Well Kenneth, someday some girl is going to steal your heart away and you'll be glad you know how to dress nice. Until then you won't like it. I know I didn't." He looked at me trying to figure all that out. Then I said, "Were ready, do you want to push the button for the elevator?" He didn't have to be asked twice. Running over. He pushed it twenty or so times. By the time Daisy had come out and I had locked the door the elevator was waiting. We came into the lobby to find a very attractive woman and her two beautiful daughters. I complemented them on their outfits. Katharine said the girls were too young for marriage, weren't they? I replied by asking how old they were. She laughed at that, telling me I was simply evil. I winked at the girls and they blushed. We took two taxies out of town to a ranch. The restaurant was on top of a hill. Our table was by the window and you could look out and see most of the town glistening below and the stars glistening above. It was a spectacular sight. This was a steak house. The cattle were raised on the ranch. Kenneth wanted to sit next to me and Daisy sat on the other side of me. Across the table Kristina, Elizabeth, and Katharine sat. I noticed that all through dinner the girl's staring and trying to whisper something. Their mother was having no part of it and separated them between her. The descriptions were vague, but the prices seamed very reasonable, so I ordered what I thought was a nice steak. Daisy, still not feeling up to eating much, ordered the smallest steak she could see. When they came, Daisy's is what I would have normally ordered. Mine was a T-bone that covered the entire plate. I stared at it. Daisy made comment to me not wanting to eat much at dinner and embarrass myself. But in the end ate the whole thing. ------- We arrived back at the hotel and parted ways on the elevator, but not before I took each of the ladies hands and kissed them. The mother looked at Daisy and said, "He's a charmer isn't he?" "Yes." She said dreamily. As soon as I had shut the door Daisy was on me, kissing me. Then she said, "Keith make love to me, please. It has been such a long time." I was surprised. "I would have thought..." "Hank had sex with my body." She said with disgust. "But we hadn't made love to each other in over a month, maybe longer." Then she looked into my eyes. "I need this." "My service is at your command." I said. She giggled and said, "You may regret saying that." I wish I could say the night lasted for hours. The truth was neither of us has slept much the night before and after the day's events our lovemaking was gentle, soft and short. We were soon asleep. ------- The sun was shining when I woke. I moved and realized how stiff I was, yes down there too, but I was talking about my side. I figured a nice bath was in order. I turned towards the edge of the bed, but my hand was grabbed. Daisy had other ideas for me. As I turned back around she flipped the covers back and startled me. Reaching down between her legs she grabbed my shaft and guided it into her warm channel. I laid there as she rode me up and down. My body started to get tense as I was ready to let loose a load into her. Her pace has increased and then all of a sudden we heard a knock on the outside door. I realized I hadn't put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door. Thinking it was the maid and she'd come in if we didn't answer it, Daisy reluctantly got off me. She threw on her robe and answered the door. I heard her open the door, say "hi," and then say, "yes he's in the bedroom." I had sense enough to pull the top sheet up over me just in time to see Elizabeth and Kristina. They ran in and jumped on the bed, their skirts flying in the air. They were giggling. I looked over to see Daisy in the doorway with a smile on her face. "What are you girls doing here?" I asked "Kenneth is getting a hair cut with mom." Elizabeth said. "We didn't want to go and be bored, so we said we'd stay out of trouble." Kristina said. Elizabeth looked at the tent in the sheet. My erection hadn't gone down and seeing the girl's skirts fly up in the air, giving me a flash of their panties didn't help either. She reached out and grabbed it at the same time saying, "What's this." Kristina looked to what her sister was grabbing and tried to get it also. My eyes went big and Daisy started to laugh. Elizabeth turned as red as a beet as she finally understood it was attached to me. Her hand pulled back, but Kristina, seeing the opportunity, grabbed it with her other hand. Then Elizabeth said, "Don't Kristina, that's his..." Kristina's hands flew off and she also turned red. Daisy came over to the bed. She sat down. The girls were petrified as to what they had just done. I didn't know what to do or say myself. Wrapping her arms around the girls, Daisy said, "I guess without a father around you wouldn't know about such thing would you." They shook their heads no. "That is too bad. It is lessons like that, that help you become women. If your dad was around you'd probably see his thing, I like to call it a dick, enough to know." They looked at her wide eyed at what she said. "Now come on, don't you look at your brother sometimes?" Daisy went on. They sheepishly nodded yes. "He's just a little boy though. Not a man." This conversation along with the grabbing I had just received only hardened my erection. I was wondering what Daisy was leading to. She turned their faces towards her. "Now I want the truth. Will you tell it to me?" They looked at her for a moment and then nodded their heads yes. "When you figured out what you were grabbing, did you pull your hand off because you thought you were going to get in trouble, or because you didn't like it?" They looked at her, at me, and then each other. "Whisper your answer in my ear." She said. Tentatively Elizabeth whispered something, all the time looking at me. Then Kristina did in Daisy's other ear. Daisy broke into a big smile. I knew the answer they gave when Daisy said, "Well you're not in trouble and your not going to be. It's ok what you did." Then she whispered something into each of their ears that made them giggle. I later learned she told them that men loved to show it off and really loved to have it touched. With that she grabbed the sheet and pulled it down in one swift motion. My dick was bouncing back and forth, being sprung free. I was shocked at what she had just done. The girls stared. She grabbed my dick and started explaining it to them. She had their undivided attention, so did I for that matter. She was stroking my dick up and down as she was talking to them. She took my balls and gently showed them what was inside the sack. Then she took Elizabeth's hand and brought it over, wrapping her small fingers around my shaft. I groaned. She looked at me. "He made that noise because it felt good." Daisy said to her. She looked at me again. All I could do was nod. She took Kristina's hand and had her fingers rubbing my dick head. Then she took Elizabeth's hand that was just holding on and moves it up and down so it was stroking my shaft. Between what Daisy and I had been doing before and now these little ones were doing I didn't last more than a minute. "I'm going to cum." I said. They didn't understand. Daisy said to them, "You are making him feel so good his dick is going to shoot out love juices." And it did. It splattered all over Kristina's fingers and she moved them away. The next shot went straight in the air and came down all over Elizabeth's wrist. She stopped stroking but Daisy was there, wrapping her hand around Elizabeth's and kept up pumping me dry. Daisy then took her fingers, got a glob of cum on it and put it into her mouth; both girls were watching this intently. "Some don't really care for the taste of love juices, but I love the taste." Elizabeth and then Kristina looked at their hands, which were already covered. I started to get hard seeing Elizabeth's tongue come out and taste it. "It's not bad." She said. I looked over to Kristina and almost died. She had her fingers in her mouth. You could see her tongue moving about trying to get it all. When she was done licking her hand, she reached out and wiped some more off my leg. Elizabeth, not to be outdone by her younger sister said, "Leave some for me." Wiping up some too. "Ok girls I think the lesson is over. Let's leave poor Keith to get up. I'm sure he wants to take a bath now. "I wish we could join him'" Kristina said. "Not this time. Your mother will be back at any time. I'm not so sure if she'd approve of the lesson I just gave." Daisy said. "Don't worry we won't say a word. Will we Kristina?" "Oh no." Kristina said solemnly. About that time there was another knock on the door. Daisy went to get it. I could hear it was Katharine. "I figured this is where my girls would be. I hope they didn't trouble you." "Oh of course not. They are delightful. We had fun, didn't we?" Daisy said the girls definitely agreed. "It is to bad you are going back today. I so much enjoyed your company last evening." "It was a treat for us also. I really mean that." "That is so nice of you to say. We are going to visit what they say is a real volcano today. It takes the whole day to go up around the park and back." "Really, that sounds like fun." I had found my robe and underwear, just in case, and was came out. Kenneth saw me and came running over to me. "Hi Kenneth, nice haircut." He smiled at me and then whispered, "It took so long cause I got ice cream after." I smiled too. "Oh Keith, nice to see you again. I was telling Daisy we were going to a volcano today." "That would be Lassen Volcanic National Park." I said. Having just read the maps I knew that piece of information. "Oh, your so smart." Katharine said. "Anyway, we leave shortly, so I guess this is good bye." Katharine hugged Daisy and me; she had tears in her eyes. I scooped up the girls and gave them a hug and a kiss. It was intended to be on their forehead, but Elizabeth looked up and I ended up kissing her right on her lips. Kristina wanted the same, I looked over to her mother who was smiling and said, you can't deny the second one. So I kissed her on the lips as well. Then I got on my knees and gave Kenneth a big bear hug, tickling him at the same time. When I pulled away from him he had the forming of tears in his eyes. Katharine said as they left. "I think we'll just have to come and visit Carp some day soon." ------- As Daisy was filling the tub she said, "Do you really think they'd come to Carp?" "People say a lot of things. In a week from now I bet they couldn't tell you our names." The bath was good, so was soaping each other up. This was surely a nice room. An hour later we said good-bye and our thanks to the staff for a wonderful stay. A cab picked us up and took us to the airport and shortly we were in the sky. Daisy was in awe. She had never been in a plane before and a small one like this really gave you the sense of flying. We were half way to Reno and I asked if she wanted a little flying lesson. She was delighted. So Reno took a bit longer to reach, but it was fun to teach someone. We touched down in Reno at seven minutes after one. Daisy watched the refueling while I made a call to Robin. She was excited to hear my voice. I told her the approximate time of arrival, this time adding that hour for the time change. She said she'd be there to pick us up. I got back to find Daisy asking the poor guy a million questions. Actually he didn't seem to mind it at all. I think he was enjoying Daisy's good looks and attention. We had a smooth take off and were back in the air. Daisy asked if one could do other things in the air. I got the drift and said I'd never tried in a plane this small. She reached over and ran her hand over my crotch. "Well if I could manage a blow job, would you like one?" My smile and the growing lump in my pants told her the answer. She had to hold onto the controls as I let my dick come free of its confines. I had to tell her several times to pay attention to what she was doing and not to watch me. I soon had my hands on the controls and she had her hands and mouth on me. What an incredible experience. It was hard at the end trying to stay focused on flying but I did it and I also filled her sweet mouth full of as she referred to it, my love juices. She took the controls again as I straightened my pants up. As soon as I took the controls back I could see her squirming in her seat. "I'd like to see you play with yourself." I said. Her hands were down between her legs so fast she hit the yoke, making me grab the controls to steady the plane. She tugged at her dress and I'm not sure how she did it sitting, but it was off her head and behind the seat in a flash. Her panties were now down around her ankles, she couldn't get her legs spread very wide, but even over the engine noise I heard the moan as she sunk her hand in-between her folds of flesh. I had to take quick glances over to see her, but the sounds she was making were driving me crazy. I decided to add to the flavor and threw in a few choice visuals from when Robin, Daisy and I were together. That set her off; she was bucking in the seat. As she came down, Daisy looked over to me and blushed. "I don't know what got into me." She straightened herself out. It was a lot harder getting her dress back on, but enjoyable to watch. I always have to pee shortly after I come, so the last hour of the flight was slightly uncomfortable. I made a note to make a provision for that the next time a possibility like this occurred. The landing was smooth and as I taxied the plane to its hanger I saw a group of people. I smiled as I started recognizing then. I glanced over to Daisy; she had tears rolling down her face and a big smile. Her mother and father, Pamela and Stephanie, Kristin and Mary, Robin and Beth Ann were all waiting for us. ------- Chapter 22 Katy had been so excited about the new car that Richard was afraid she would even want to sleep in it. His fears were soon put to rest when they reached the motel the first night. Richard's father had registered for them and as luck would have it, or this was his dad's doing, they had adjoining rooms. This bothered Richard a bit, but not Katy. As soon as the door was shut, she was all over him, practically ripping his clothes off. She dragged him to the bed and pounced. It slid the bed into the wall, making a thud, but she didn't let up, She climbed on top of him with fire in her eyes. "I want you to fuck the living daylights out of me Mr. Thompson." Parents next door or not, she had set him up and he was beyond caring. "If that's what you want Mrs. Thompson, then that's what you'll get." He rolled her over and as she spread her legs he pushed in. The rocking of their bodies pushed the bed into the wall and it made a soft thumping pattern on the wall. ------- The other Mrs. Thompson in the room next door couldn't help but hear it. "My God, Jack. There at it already." "Yes, listen to how much noise their making. It's like they're on their honeymoon or something," They looked at each other, realizing there had been no honeymoon for Richard and Katy. In fact this was the first time the two of them had been alone, since their marriage. "I guess it wasn't wise to have adjoining rooms after all." He said. They looked at each other and laughed. She said, I wonder what's going to happen when we get home. His old room will never be the same." They snickered, but between their conversation and the banging on the wall, it was having an effect on them. He slowly reached out to her and she melted in his arms. His big hands wrapped around her waist. Then he started undoing the buttons on her blouse. Something he hadn't done in years. As he slipped the garment off her shoulders they kissed. ------- The next morning at breakfast both couples were a little dreamy eyed. Richard couldn't remember seeing his parents this way. It was a bit strange, but nice. His dad was softer spoken and more thoughtful somehow. They got into their cars and started driving again. If all went well they would be in Green River by tonight. That would get them to a good position to drive to Liz's school before noon the next day. They had stopped by a market and Richard's mother, Sandra had bought lunch items, it was a good thing too. They had just past the dust filled row of houses that was the town of Beaver when they decided it was time to stop and have some lunch. The air was crisp, but warming. The sky was as blue as could be, and you could see forever. It was the small stream that they had just crossed that caused them to stop. They took a little stroll down to the bank and sat at the edge of the water. "It is just a beautiful day," Katy said. "Yes isn't it. Such wonderful travel weather." Sandra replied. "I've been west, into California once," Katy said, "but never east." "Well this is nothing, just wait till we get to Colorado. It is beautiful there. The two of you could move there you know." Richard's father, Jack said. Katy and Richard looked at each other. "No dad, I think Carp is just right for us," Richard said. Jack and Sandra looked and smiled at each other. They had wanted to strike it out, be on their own, when they had married. They understood, but Sandra missed her boy. She wished he was a bit closer. After lunch they took a little walk to loosen their bodies up. The stream's bank was full of interesting boulders giving thought that it had once upon a time been a good size river. Then they were back on the road. They turned off highway 15 to highway 70. There was a river to their right and a range of mountains beyond that. For the next hour they passed six small towns of no real importance. Then turned east and started their assent over the mountain range. The travel up was long and tedious. Coming back down the other side was just as windy, but the view was lovely. They entered what they later found out to be Gunnison Valley. The afternoon sun had warmed them up and even with the windows down everyone was hot and tired of driving when they saw the sign for Green River, twelve miles ahead. The town was indeed named after the winding river that ran right through the center of the town. It also gave life to the valley and the green growth was a strong contrast to the arid regions they had been through this morning. Beyond them to the northeast was a set of cliffs, the Book Cliffs; they were told from the man at the motel. An imposing sight looking over the valley floor. They stopped in what looked like the only motel in town, right off the road. It was a nice little place with individual cottages and a carport between each one. As Jack pulled in to one after registering he said to his wife, "Well I guess we won't be bothered by any noise tonight." That got a reply from Sandra of, "Well, with comments like that, you might not be making noise either." They looked at each other and grinned. Things had certainly changed in their lives, all for the better. ------- Jack and Sandra had been asked before the trip by Richard and Katy to get some clothes for them. As the helicopter landed in Carp and let them off, as well as Keith's parents, Frank and Catharine, two guards with rifles slung over their shoulders, had greeted them. That had been the only sign of life in this town. It was an eerie feeling to be there. Sandra didn't question the idea that Richard's clothes were in Katy's house. That was a small thing compared to getting her son back. Katy had somehow broken the shell and her boy was back, full of life. He had climbed into the shell after the accident. She had lost her son that day as well as her friends. Now he was back and whatever Katy had done to bring it about was just fine with her. There had been some good natured joking between the two couples about Richard being the same age as Keith, would be a grandpa the same day Keith was a father. Keith and Richard seemed like quite a team and both sets of parents could see why. The four of them had been able to get along well in the tight quarters they had been placed in. As the two couples left they took a good look around, knowing it would be a much different town the next time they came to visit. Both being sure that the next time would be for the birth of a baby. ------- Dinner was early and in a family style restaurant. They wanted to get back to the motel where there was a pool. The weather had been warm enough to use it, as they had seen several families enjoying it as they arrived. After dinner, as Jack started up his car it made a screeching noise. It never stopped until he turned off the motor. You going to look at that?" Richard asked Jack. "Do it in the morning, light will be better and if we don't go use the pool now, the light will be gone." Jack replied. "Ok, let me know and I'll give you a hand." They got their suits on and met at the pool. It was the newest addition to the motel and was very inviting. Once in there was a bit of horseplay, but generally they just enjoyed the cool water. It was a nice relaxing way to end a day of driving. As the sky darkened the two couples could be seen in each other's arms. It was Richard who first said, "I think Katy and I will go in for the night." It took a second for Sandra to break her kiss with Jack to answer, "Ok, dear. We'll see you in the morning." As they got out of the pool Richard and Katy heard Sandra say, "Jack stop that." They looked at each other and Katy whispered to Richard, "Well we're leaving just in time." It was loud enough for Jack to hear, he retorted, "Well if it hadn't been for your bed banging into the wall all last night..." "Jack!" Sandra exclaimed. It was now time for Katy to turn a bit red. They left in a hurry. "Jack that wasn't nice." "I know, but it was funny." As she melted once again in his arms, she said, "yes, it was dear." ------- Jack came pounding on Richard and Katy's door the next morning. Richard looked at the time. He couldn't believe it was eight thirty. Although it was late for him, Katy hadn't let him sleep much last night. Jack knocked again. "Be there in a minute," Richard yelled out to him. Trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes and throwing on some clothes, he stumbled out the door. Jack was in a mood Richard couldn't remember him being in, in well ever. "Nice morning isn't it. The air is brisk." He took a deep breath. "Just makes you glad your alive." Richard was staring at him. "Well come on, you said you wanted to help me look at the car. Doesn't look like you got much sleep last night." Jack chuckled. "Your mom wants us to get this taken care of, she's starving." Richard opened up the hood. They looked, expecting to see a loose or broken belt. Then Jack tuned on the motor. There was the noise again. It didn't take Richard more than a few seconds to pinpoint the spot. He waved for Jack to turn off the car. "It's your generator." Jack took a heavy sigh. This was Saturday. "The filling station is right across from the diner. We might as well get going. I guess well need to take your car, or walk, it's not far." "I hope Katy is up, I'll just need to take a quick shower. We'll be out shortly." Richard said to Jack. He went back to his room. Katy was coming out of the bathroom, looking wonderful. "Boy, don't you look good." Richard said. Katy smiled. "Well, I wouldn't mind getting sweaty with you again mister." Richard shook his head, "Your going to wear me out, but don't think I'm complaining." Katy took that as a yes and jumped on the bed. He looked at her. "Sorry, but the generator is dead on the car. That was the noise last night. Bearing must have frozen. We need to find another to replace it, I don't know how. It being Saturday." Katy looked at him a bit disappointed and got off the bed. "I guess you need a shower then." "Yea. It's funny; dad was so cheery this morning. Even the generator didn't ruin his mood. I don't know what's gotten into him." "Maybe it's what's been getting into your mom." Katy said. "Katy! That's terrible." Richard said laughing. "Well you saw them last night in the pool, and that comment your dad made." He snorted, "You're right. It's just strange thinking of your parents doing it." "I guess for most people, my daughter doesn't seem to have a problem with it." Richard was laughing about that as he jumped into the shower. Katy and Richard were outside this time knocking on his parents room. It took a minute for anyone to answer. His mom opened the door. Her face was flushed. "We'll be out in just a minute Richard," then shut the door. She could hear them laughing as soon as she shut it. "Jack" "Yes dear." "Your son and daughter-in-law were outside our door laughing. I think they knew what was going on in here." "Good for them." She looked at him. "Well, they have been doing it right in front of our faces. I think it's high time for fair play." With that he tried to grab her. She jumped out of the way of his grasp. "Especially with one so pretty as you." Katy and Richard could hear a muffled shriek and some laughter. Richard rolled his eyes. "Do you want to walk or shall I get the car and pull it in front." Katy walked over to the car with her husband. "I love that car Richard," as she ran her hands down the wood trim, admiring the feel of the material. By the time they had pulled the car out, Jack and Sandra were waiting. They climbed in the back seat. Richard saw his dad pull Sandra close to him. He smiled. They drove the block and a half to the diner. Jack and Richard told them what to order for them, as the gals went in, the men walked across the street. ------- "Wish I could help, but my mechanic is gone for the day. We don't stock this particular part here. It has to come from Grand Junction; come to think of it that's where my mechanic has gone. His wife has relatives there. " Richard always trying to see things from another angle. "Is it possible to get hold of your mechanic? Maybe he could pick up the part and bring it back with him." "Hadn't thought about that, makes sense. Let me see if I can find a number and give him a call." He was there and more than happy to help. His wife had relatives that they were visiting, a family gathering. He was bored silly and was happy to go out and get the part. He also said it gave him a good excuse to come home early, cause he couldn't do work tomorrow. So he'd see us about closing time, six, tonight. When we got to the diner the waitress wasn't very happy having our food sitting under the heat lamps staying hot. It was good anyway. We went back to the motel and told them we'd be staying another night. "How do you want to get the car down to the garage?" Richard asked his dad. "We could push it." Jack took off the brake, rolled down the window and asked Sandra to get inside. Jack and Richard pushed it back, out of the carport. "This is a bit heavier than those soap box derby cars." Jack smiled. It had been a long time ago. Jack wanting to do something with his son. The mechanics of it all was beyond Jack, but Richard ate it up. He had never really known how much Richard treasured those times, but this was a glimpse. "Yes you are right. You made them light and they flew like the wind." "Did I ever tell you how much fun that was." "You just did." Sandra had a tear running down her cheek. She had always been the close one to Richard. He and his father never had talked like that before. It was special to her to see. Katy was realizing how much Richard's mother loved her son. He had talked about her a few times. She had a pain of loss. She never knew her mother. It was then she remembered, Mother's day. It was tomorrow. Not having a mother, she had always pushed the day out of the way, trying to ignore it. What could she do for Sandra? Richard probably didn't do anything and she wanted to do something special for her, but what and how? She was shaken out of her thoughts by Richard calling to her. "Hey, you going to join us here?" They were by the road now, she hadn't seen it happen. "You can watch for cars, ok." Katy came running over and got to the edge of the road, ready to wave down any car that approached. Once on the road it was easy pushing. They hadn't gone half a block when two kids ran out from nowhere and started helping, by the time they were close to the station there were six kids pushing and all that Jack and Richard were doing was watching it all. Once they rolled the car up to the side of the station, the owner came out. The youngest of the kids there said, "Hi dad." "So I see you put them to work." Jack and Richard looked at each other, "They all came out of nowhere." The owner was laughing, "Yea, just giving you a hard time. Not much else to do in this town." Richard spotted a gumball machine in the corner of the shop. Reaching in his pocket he asked his dad if he had some spare change. Then he called all the kids together and led them in to where the gumball machine was. He handed the youngest a handful of change. "Put it in and each person can have two turns, till all the money is gone." They were amazed at their good fortune. Jack and Sandra watched how Richard was so at ease with the kids. "I guess he's already a family man," Sandra said. "I think he had some good examples," Katy replied. As Richard was walking back to them the owner said, "you know you spoiled them. Now they'll be expecting a gumball for some honest work." "A bit of honest work never hurt anyone." The owner was smiling, "Yea I know. Nice of you to let the youngest, he's mine, be the money holder. It made him feel special, I could see that. We'll see you back at six." As the two couples walked back to the motel, hand in hand, they talked about what to do with the rest of the day. The pool was a definite, but later in the afternoon. They had a late breakfast so no one was interested in lunch yet. Jack suggested that they play some cards. Katy looked at Richard. "What's wrong?" "I've never played cards before." "Really?" Jack said surprised. "It was never really said so, but I think it had something to do with our religion," Katy said. "Well, that's Ok. We don't need to play," Richard offered. "Oh no, I'd like to learn. You are going to have to be patient with me though. I know nothing." They went to Jack and Sandra's room. With Katy and Richard sitting on the floor, Jack went through the basics. The real basics, as Katy had never even seen a deck of cards before. They played 'go fish', they played 'crazy eights', and then they taught her to play hearts. By the third game of hearts she shot the moon and made it. Jack commented, "Good thing you never played strip poker with her, you'd have lost everything." "Jack!" Sandra said. "Strip poker?" Katy asked interested. "I think I'll show you later," Richard replied. Trying to change the subject, Sandra said, "Is anyone hungry? It's after one." "Yes, I guess I am, now that you mention it," Richard said. It was agreed that they would walk this time down to the diner. Richard and Katy wanted to call Liz first though so they could let her know when they would be arriving tomorrow. ------- In the office there was a phone. Through the operator they got Liz. "Richard, it's so good to hear from you, is Katy there? Where are you?" "Yes, she's here. We're in Green River, last sign I saw was about a hundred miles to Grand Junction. Would have been there to see you today but my dad's car had a problem. I'm sure a lot has happened in a couple of days for you and Jill. How is she doing?" "Great. There has been so much going on," Then she thought, he was going to call to get Keith's number. "You haven't called anyone have you?" "You're my first. Well call that is," Richard laughed. "Ok." Richard noticed Liz's serious voice. "What happened?" Liz relayed the story of Daisy and Keith rescuing her. "Keith, he'll do anything for attention," Richard said jokingly. "I understand he got pretty beat up. The doctor wouldn't let him fly." "Doctor? Shit," Richard said, "Hold on, Katy wants the phone." "Liz, what is wrong?" Katy said as she grabbed the phone. "Keith went to save Daisy and got roughed up. A doctor said he couldn't fly till today. We expect them in a little later," Liz said. Katy sat down. She had no idea the impact; of Keith getting hurt would have on her. "How's Robin?" she said, her voice wavering. "Robin is fine, she's still at the university. Keith is ok, just some bruising I think." "Ok." She said, still a bit shaken up. She told Liz that she'd get the rest of the Daisy story from Richard. But then there was the important question she needed to ask Liz. "Can you do me a favor?" "Sure, what is it?" "You know what tomorrow is?" "Yes, the kids have been doing things all week about it. We have many things going on tomorrow to celebrate. Why?" Katy told Richard to go somewhere else for a minute. "Liz, I never had a mother." She was getting choked up saying it. "This is the first time I've had a mother-in-law and I'd like to get her something special." "Yes, I can see that would be important to you." "But I'm here, in this little town." "Would you like me go shopping for you?" Katy was slightly embarrassed, "Yes. If it wouldn't be to much trouble." Liz smiled. "I think it would be great. I need to take Jill so she can get some new shoes anyway. I feel honored that I could help with something like this for you." "Thanks Liz." "Not a problem. Do you have any ideas?" "That's the problem. We talk and I really like her. In fact I like both of them," She laughed. "It's no wonder why I love their son," Liz laughed too, "but we haven't talked about anything specific like that. I think she likes to collect things, so maybe something like that. Something special, that's all." "I know just the place," Liz said. "Some of our students get things for their mothers their, so I've been in several times." "That is just great, Thanks again." They hung up and the phone rang again with the operator telling the motel the phone charges. Richard was outside feeling a bit upset. "So Keith worried you with his little stunt did he?" Katy glared at him. "Of course he did." She had a catch in her voice when she said, "what would Robin do without him?" Richard felt like a heel. "Katy, I'm sorry. Keith gets so much attention, sometimes I wish I had it." She looked at him, realizing his jealousy. "Richard," She giggled and wrapped her arms around him, "Your jealous! You don't need to be, I love you." He didn't think he'd ever understand women. ------- During their lunch they talked about what they wanted to do in the afternoon. Richard had spied an old closed down factory and wanted to explore it. Jack thought he'd go along. Sandra and Katy didn't have much interest in that; they wanted to use the pool. As they left the diner, Richard and Jack went exploring, both wearing grins like a couple of kids setting out for an adventure. Katy and Sandra walked back to the motel. "I know I've only know you for a short time, but I can tell where Richard gets his humor. He is so much a part of what you two are." Sandra beamed, this is what a parent longs to hear. "Thank you Katy. That is so nice of you to say. I can't tell you how shocked we were when Richard came up to us and said that the two of you were getting married. You know a mother wants to be involved in the wedding day." She saw the sad look on Katy's face. "Oh, no. Now don't take that wrong. I think you two are perfect for each other." "It's not that." Once again Katy had that lump in her throat. "My mother died when I was born, I never knew her. My older sister raised me." "Oh." Sandra was at a loss for words. "It would have been nice to have a mother there." Katy said slowly, and very sadly. "You were for your daughter," Sandra ventured. "Yes." Katy smiled at the thought. "You'd have never thought of how I first viewed Keith when I found out my daughter had her eyes on him." She almost laughed. "I can just imagine, such an older man after your little girl." "Well actually it was the other way around at first, she was relentless. Then Keith fell for her as hard as she had him. If it wasn't for Keith though, I'd have never met Richard. I could never thank Keith enough for that." "Katy, you don't know what you have done for him. He lived in a shell for so long. Something happened when you came along. I haven't seem him this happy sense..." "Before the accident?" Katy said. It caught Sandra off guard. "You know?" "Yes, he told me the first night." Sandra stopped waking at looked at Katy. "He's never told anyone about that. He wouldn't even talk to me about it. What did you do to him?" Katy smiled, and then frowned. "I don't know if I should say. It was a rather odd way we met. I don't know if you'd understand. There are some things about me that..." "Katy, you hold my boy's life in your hands. I can see that. You have brought him out of a shell I never thought he would come out of. What ever you've done doesn't matter to me. You brought my boy back. I..." Sandra gave Katy a big hug. The women started walking again and were soon back at the motel. With suits on, they met at the pool, swimming, sun bathing, and talking more. They found they enjoyed each other's company very much. ------- The trek Richard and Jack were on didn't turn up anything fruitful, but they had a great time being together. Richard's father was so much more relaxed than he'd seen him in years. For Jack, Richard was the son he had lost and now had back. He couldn't really say anything. Mushy stuff like that was never his strong point. Being with his son, that is what mattered. A few hours later they found themselves back at the motel. Sandra and Katy were still at the pool so they decided to join them. Sandra and Katy were in the pool when they arrived. Katy gave Richard a big splash, while Sandra did the same to Jack. The two of them jumped in; and were dunking, splashing, and just having plain fun. It was a bit past four in the afternoon when they left the pool, all claiming they needed showers. But the truth was that they wanted a bit of private recreation. Once in their perspective rooms the kissing started, then the undressing. The smell of chlorine was coming from their sweating bodies. The scene was much the same in both rooms. The men feeling vigorous, the women feeling amorous. The only real difference was longevity. Richard and Katy were still going strong as Jack and Sandra were deciding showers were now in order. In both cases, they came out of their rooms about the same time and walked down the street to the service station. The owner and his young son were there. "Bill should be pulling in any moment, he's rarely late." "You don't know how much this means to us," Jack said. "Glad we could be of service, I know how it is to get stuck in a strange town. It was almost a year ago. I needed to get my wife's brother. He was coming back from the war. Well on the trip back the tire went out. You know how hard it was to get tires, rationing and all. We spent two days waiting. Nothing to do in that town and all he wanted to do was get home." "We know how that feels our little vacation turned into a week longer than planed," Sandra said. We saw a car pull up. "That's Bill, say this job won't take long. We have a Saturday night get together at the old Miller barn. Square dancing, I'm one of the callers. If you have nothing else to do, you're invited." "That is very nice of you," Katy said. Bill came in and got introduced. He set down a couple of newspapers. "We don't get them delivered here, but one of us is always going to Grand Junction. The most we are is a week behind times." The car was pushed to the rack. Bill opened the hood. "Looks very straight forward, have it done in no time at all." Richard offered, "I could do it myself. I know we took you away from your family." Bill laughed. "I was more than ready to leave that mess. My wife on the other hand is still a bit steamed with me. She's still sitting in the car." Katy and Sandra looked at each other and headed for the car. Richard, knowing all he'd be doing was watching, started asking questions. It impressed Jack how much depth his son's knowledge went. He was talking one minute about current flow and size of wires, then to the gear ratio in the transmission, then to the types of rubber used on the tire and how it effected speed. The owner was getting ready to leave, he had been listening to Richard. "Sounds like you've got quite a son there," he said to Jack. "Yes, it is surprising how much someone can know." The owner and his son walked out the door and saw Katy and Sandra talking to Betty in the car. He went over. "You comin' to the dance?" "Wasn't plannin' on it. I was pretty mad that you called Bill up. I figured he'd arranged the whole thing. Then I met these gals. They say you invited them. I told them I thought you wanted some new dance partners." she laughed. "Betty! You know I only have eyes for Virginia." "Yea, and everything else that has two legs and a set..." "Betty! My son is here." "Oh sorry," She giggled. "I didn't see him. I figure you'll see us out there." "I got to get going, clean up and eat a little before going out myself." With that he was off. About thirty minutes later Bill was cleaning up his hands. "Not a bad little job. Nice to have someone to talk to." "My pleasure." Richard said. "So how much do we owe?" Jack said. "I think the boss left a receipt on the front." Bill said. "I just need to add my time on it." Jack couldn't believe the bill. He asked because it looked like there was a mistake. "What is this deduction for special treatment?" "Have no idea, did you do something nice to his son? He has a soft spot for that kid." "Richard." Jack called. "That handful of change was worth five dollars off our bill." When Bill came out to his car Katy and Sandra were still talking. Jack and Richard came over. Jack, feeling good about having the car back in running order and how small the bill was suggested that they take the mechanic, Bill and his wife out for dinner. After a little arm-twisting they talked them into it. "After all," Jack said, "We would have needed to spend another night. The least we can do for all you've done for us is to take you two out for dinner." Everyone had a marvelous time. Then Bill and Betty showed them the way to the barn. In the car Katy made another startling admission. "I've never danced before." "Never?" Sandra said. "No, it is like the card thing, but I always wanted to. Now with Richard I do at least." "Well square dancing is very organized, but not too hard and a lot of fun. I think you'll like it." "When did you ever square dance?" Richard said. Jack smiled. "When we were first married, I was still in college. There was a place near us." He looked over to Sandra, Richard could see the twinkle in her eyes. They arrived at the barn, there were at least twenty couples milling around. Bill said, "They're waiting for the band to arrive. They say they want to make an entrance. Everyone knows it's because they can never get it together enough to arrive on time." We saw the owner of the station show up, he came over and then took us to meet a couple of his friends. While they were talking the band had showed up and soon were tuning their instruments. Richard thought the least embarrassing thing was to tell a few people Katy didn't know how to square dance. They were great and went through the basics with her. That was good; it had been years that Richard had danced so he benefitted also. They all got into position, the music started, and off they went. Katy and Richard were having a hard time keeping up, but everyone was good natured and helped them along. Richard saw his parents never miss a step. Both were smiling. This was good for them he thought. Katy needed a breather and they stepped out. Getting some refreshments they overheard a comment, "Well there goes the party." From the look on the face of the person saying it, they didn't mean a word of it. A couple, dressed up for the evening came strolling in. One of the people they had met earlier came by, "That's the mayor and his wife. He likes to look important, but he's really a very likable guy." Richard could see the political savvy in him. He was making the rounds. He was interrupted watching the saga when his parents came off the floor. "I'm pooped," Sandra said. "I'm afraid we're not as young as we use to be," Jack said. "It was sure fun though." "Yes it was." Sandra had that twinkle back in her eye. "You kids want to go out some more, feel free. We'll just sit and watch. When you're ready we can leave." Katy said, much to Richard's amazement. "I'd like to go one more time." So off they went. Richard and Katy did much better this time and stayed for a second. When they came off, they were ready to go. This is when the mayor, who must have been lurking for the right moment came walking up to the two couples. "I'm Mayor John Turnfeld, I hear you have endeared yourself to several of the townsfolk." He was smiling with his hand out. They introduced themselves to him. He was looking at Richard as though he was trying to place him. They chit-chatted for several minutes. Then his wife, came to pull the mayor away. They headed for the door. The mayor was on the other side of the room when his wife asked the him if Richard wasn't the one in the paper. That is when it hit him. He turned back, but they were gone. Leaving a very frustrated mayor with a golden opportunity that had slipped through his hands. They were in the car, Jack driving, Sandra next to him and Richard and Katy in the back seat. Jack said, "You know Richard that mayor was trying his best to figure out where he'd seen you before. I bet that it was that picture in the paper you told me about. When he finds out it was you, he'll be kicking himself." Richard had never considered this, "Really you think so?" "I'm sure of it, but don't worry, your fame will come in time," Jack said with a laugh. Jack had pulled Sandra closer and had his arm wrapped around her, her head resting on his shoulder. Katy had scooted over to Richard and was nibbling at his ear. "I see that," Jack said. Katy giggled and then reached around french kissing Richard with great enthusiasm. "Sandra, she's... " Then there was a sudden intake of air and Jack said, "Oh." That was the last word said on the way back. When Jack had pulled in the carport they all got out. Richard said he needed to get something, so they all walked over to Jack and Sandra's room. He asked for the deck of cards. Katy turned a bit red, but as soon as Jack handed them to Richard they were off. "A little hasty aren't they?" Jack said. "Come on Jack, I feel the need to get into bed," Sandra said. Jack didn't need any more encouragement. ------- Richard taught Katy the fine art of poker, the odds involved in the game, of keeping a straight face, and of bluffing. She was once again a quick study of the game and Richard sat there with out clothes on. In this game he thought, you really never loose. After a bit they were on the bed, she stopped and thought. "Richard, my period should be showing up at any time now. I'm sorry, but I guess we can find other things to do." Then she had two thoughts. "I am going to need some supplies and I'm going to need to call Robin. Our schedules were just about a day or two apart. She'll need them too. I've always had them for her." "She's around good company, don't worry about that, I'm sure Kristin would take care of her." Richard said. "Yes you're right, but when we get to Liz's I'll feel better if I call." Richard had always loved her taste and he dove between her legs. "Mmmm, tastes good." No sign of her period. That was the last thing he said for a while, but Katy was making enough noise for the both of them. ------- The next morning Richard was knocking on the door of his parents room. Katy and he was ready to get going. They were dying to see Liz and Jill again. "We're almost ready, give us a few more minutes." Richard heard Jack yell through the door. Sandra and Jack came out, luggage in hand, putting it into the trunk of their car. Jack and Richard walked over to the office to pay for the rooms. Jack paid for everything, much to the protest of Richard. "Look son, you two have not had a proper honeymoon and we know it. Now the first time you two have the chance to be alone, you're with your parents. This is the least we could do for you." With that settled they went to the diner and had a small breakfast. After that they went across the street and filed up their tanks at the service station. The owner was there with his son. "I'm surprised your open," Jack said to him. "Wasn't planning on it. Had a Mothers Day present hidden here. Can't have it at home, she's a snooper." He said with a laugh. "As soon as we turned on the lights two cars pulled up, traveling through. Well now, you're the sixth and seventh car this morning. If I don't get out of here soon my wife will kill me. We were just looking for something to wrap the present in. Kind of forgot that detail. Thought we'd just use some of the newspaper, best I can do for now." Just then his son came out the door, his eyes wide. "Dad," he yelled. "That man, the one who gave me the change." He stopped and stared. There he was. "Yes son, what about him?" He held out the paper. There was a picture with Richard and Keith. The owner looked at the picture and then glanced at the article. He was stunned. "You're the guy in this article?" Richard didn't know quite what to say. "Well I'm one of a bunch of people mentioned there." "Can't wait to read it. This ones going home with me. It won't be wrapping the present. You have a good time on the rest of the trip," He said. They were off. Katy looked over to Richard. "I guess a lot of people will have read that article. You're a hero you know." He glanced over to her. "You have been ever since I met you." "Katy." "Well it's true." "Yea." He said, wondering if Keith was getting the same kind of reaction from people. It was about two and a half hours to Grand Junction. ------- In town they stopped and asked for directions. The people were more than happy to help. Apparently the school had a good standing in the town. They learned that the school had started putting on three plays a year with the addition of a new auditorium and the townsfolk were welcome. From where they had stopped, they ended up going through a run down section of Grand Junction. The houses were in need of repair. On one corner were three kids in old clothes. They had a painted sign, 'Mothers Day Flowers'. Richard looked over at Katy, "Katy don't tell me its Mothers day today." "Yes it is." "Shit, why can't I remember things like that? I think I'll go back and get some of those flowers." "That would be nice." At the next stop sign, Richard jumped out of the car. His dad rolled down his window. "Dad, I wanted to look at something. I'm going to run around the block one more time. We'll meet you there." His dad smiled, "I think that is a fine idea son," and winked at him. Jack and Sandra went on, while Richard and Katy made a U turn. At the corner he pulled up and got out. "How are sales?" The three kids looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. One finely said, "They stink." Richard laughed. "Well, how much for this bunch?" They looked at each other again, "Umm. twenty five cents?" another one said timidly. Richard turned it around in his hands, as though he had any clue about flowers. "Any difference in price between any of the bunches?" "Nope." He picked them all up, "looks like you have six bunches here." He set them down again, much to the disappointment of the kids. Then he reached into his pocket. "That would be a dollar and a half all together then." They had their mouths hanging open as he handed each of them a dollar. As he was getting back into the car, they were yelling and screaming, "Thanks mister." They all shouted as they drove away. Katy looked at them, "They are all very beautiful and fresh. I bet they picked them this morning." They drove up the road and came to the two stone pillars with an open iron gate. Jack and Sandra were waiting for them there. Richard and Katy were excited as they could see the buildings and then a parking lot. The two cars pulled into a section that looked like it was designed for visitors. Before they could get out of the car, about twenty girls came running towards them. Katy looked at Richard and said with a smile on her face, "Keith would love this place." As they got out, Richard handed Katy one of the bouquets and said, "I know if Robin was here she would have done something for you. Happy Mothers day." Katy had tears in her eyes, "Richard that is so sweet." Richard took the rest to his mother, Katy watched as his mother gave him a big hug. ------- Chapter 23 It was six forty five and just as Beth Ann had said, two cars were there to pick us up. I recognized the special plates on the cars. I opened the door for Robin. Beth Ann was driving the car, Kristin was in the car also and both she and Beth Ann were dressed up. Kristin turned and smiled. "One of the benefits of having a hero for a brother. Neither Beth Ann nor myself have ever been to one of these dinner parties, but we heard they are marvelous." Robin asked, "is Mary going to be there too?" "I don't think so," Kristin answered. "Both of us have so much schoolwork to catch up on, being gone for a week. She goes to these parties all the time, because of her father. She can't stand them because of politics. Everyone expects her to say the right things and be the perfect little daughter. She hates pretending she told me. That's why she loved it in Carp. No expectations." Robert, Mildred, Pamela, and Stephanie moved into the other car as they had been earlier in the day and we were off. The professor's house was on a sprawling estate. A box hedge framed the front border. The lawn behind that was manicured to a tee. There was a row of trees up the driveway to a circle court in front of the large Georgian style house. As Beth Ann pulled up, two college age boys, dressed in tuxes came up to the car. One opened Robin's door, the other opened Beth Ann's door. Beth Ann wasn't quite sure what to do. I leaned up and said, "he will park the car for you." She turned a touch pink, but got out. I was beginning to wonder about our dress, Tuxes on the valets? I didn't need to feel embarrassed, or put anyone else through that ordeal. I noticed that the second driver didn't get out with the others, but drove off. I was going to ask about the other driver, but our attire was pressing on my mind. The eight of us walked up to the double door entrance. It was opened for us by another man in a tux and as we entered a large entry that led to a stunning living room. There were at least twenty people in the room already and it didn't look crowded. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt a bit more relaxed when we saw the others dressed in similar fashion as we were. We were standing at the edge of the room when the man who had opened the front door said in a booming voice. "Keith Patterson, his wife and their guests." As we stepped from the entry into the living room people surrounded us. Questions were being thrown at us from every direction. It was too much for Stephanie and Pamela to deal with and I could see the panic in their eyes, as they clutched the adults hands. Then came a saving voice. "Now, now. Let them be," said a man whom I did not recognize. "You will have plenty of time to interrogate them over the course of the evening, don't barrage them all at once." The people reluctantly dispersed. He put out his hand to me. "Anthony Phillips," he said. "So good to meet you." I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Likewise, and thank you for saving us." He laughed, "Coming from a man who just saved a town, that is quite a complement. I hope the valet's and butler didn't give you a start. Our dinners are usually a formal affair, but we knew as you had been so rudely displaced you wouldn't have formal attire with you. So I advised our guests to dress semi-formal." I smiled and nodded my head, thinking 'formal attire'? Nobody, including me would have such things coming from where we had been. Robin wrapped her arm through mine and gave it a squeeze. "And who is this beauty?" "This is Robin, my wife." I heard conversations around me come to an abrupt halt. Anthony was looking at the two of us, appraising the situation. Then he said in a jovial voice, "I guess that would be incentive enough for anyone to save a town." Then winked at Robin who turned bright red. I almost laughed myself. Conversations around us started up again, but I could tell that an impression had been made. What that was would be different in many people's minds, and I was to find out later just how some took it. Robin went to check on Stephanie and I saw Kristin and Beth Ann in the corner with one of the college boys, playing waiter. I went up to them and put my arm around their waists. Kristin enjoyed it, and leaned into my embrace. Beth Ann was a bit surprised, but had a pleased look about her. Upstaged, the young man left. I said, "time to join the rest of the party. You can talk to a guy like him any old time." With that I lead them off. We didn't get more than five feet before one of the professor's and his wife asked up about the newspaper and if the details were correct. It would be a conversation I would have over and over that night. To amuse myself as well as the guests, the descriptions and chain of events varied with every time I told it, but I stuck to the absolute truth. I noticed that others would stop their conversation to listen, to see what else I was going to tell this time, so they could put the puzzle together. I noticed that Robin had her own circle of admirers, much to the dismay of their wives. The only one who was having a difficult time of it all was Robert. I walked over to him. "Doesn't appear you're enjoying yourself." "I can't believe it, a dry state? Not that I need it, but I would have thought at a party they would have had a little something." I could tell Robert was probably the only liability to this whole gathering. He was starting to fit the classic alcoholic, but I couldn't dwell on that to long. Anthony came by and whisk me off to the other side of the room. "I know you have met Doctor Don Smithers. The attractive woman standing next to him is Shelly Morrander." "Anthony!" She said, blushing slightly. Shelly looked to be in her late thirties. She stood maybe five feet four and was gracefully thin with a large chest. Her skin was a pale complexion with striking dark brown hair and green eyes. She looked the trophy wife. So it startled me when Doctor Smithers said to me. "I was thinking, unless you have any objections, that Shelly would be the perfect lab assistant for you." It must have shown that I was surprised. She said, "I have almost seven years of clinical work under my belt." Composing myself, I said, "well then, I think that if Doctor Smithers is recommending you, I would be honored to have you in the position." She broke into a radiant smile. It was then that Robin came over. I made introductions and as I did, I could sense tension between Robin and Shelly. I knew I should ask Robin later about it. We were being called, dinner was being served. The weather had been so cooperative that we were eating outside. There were three rectangular tables seating eight set in a 'U' shape. I was seated as the guest of honor, with Robin by my side. Doctor Smithers was on my left, his wife sitting across from him. Anthony was sitting next to Robin, across from him, his wife. Sitting across from Robin was Kristin and across from me, Beth Ann. I knew I was in trouble. At the far end of the table to my left sat Robert, Mildred and across from them, Stephanie and Pamela. We had just all been seated when Anthony stood. "My dear friends. As you know, we have an honored guest. A man who put his life at risk. Not to save himself, but others. One who saw danger and faced it. He is with us today, once again trying to save his friends. It is my privilege to give you Keith Patterson." People all around me clapped their hands, endeavoring to get me to stand and say something. I was stunned. I had no idea this was going to happen. Everyone was continuing clapping. Anthony was gesturing me to stand up. I looked over at Robin. No help, her eyes were shining with adoration, as her hands clapped as enthusiastically as the rest. I looked over to Kristin as I was standing; she had a grin on her face and was clapping very hard as well. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the clapping stopped. That meant I should say something now, I guess it felt like I was to perform for them. I looked at the faces of the people who were there, took a deep breath and said what I had said to my flight instructor. "Someone asked me, how did this all happen. My answer was, first you had to be in the right place at the right time. Secondly you had to do some amazingly insane things and have them turn out right. And finally you have to have the right people there to see it all happen." There was quite a bit of laughter from that, when it died down I went on. "I don't see myself as a hero. I did what needed to be done. Now I have another job to do. I think the Keith Paterson that you will get to know, will not be some hero type, but a person much like yourselves." I had said enough, if not too much. I sat down. Anthony rose back up. "I know you were put on the spot Keith, but what you said was truly inspiring. I believe we have seen humility at it's best. An now without further ado, dinner." A waiter at each table appeared, I recognized them as the two valets and the butler who answered the door. The first course was a slight green thin cream soup. It truly didn't look like much, and then I tasted it. The only way to describe it was rich and complex. The taste of mushroom was there, as well as a faint onion, celery. It was gone before I realized it. When I realized how fast I consumed it, I was embarrassed. I looked over at Robin who was equally enjoying it, but at a more civilized pace. Glancing to Stephanie and Pamela, I realized they hadn't touched it. They were trying to look around and not be obvious. I didn't have a clear shot of Mildred and Robert, but surmised the similar problem with them. Getting up and walking over, I knelt down between the two girls. They turned to me with pleading eyes. I smiled. "The silverware is set so that you will use the outside pieces first. That outside round spoon is called a cream soupspoon. The next is a teaspoon and the slightly larger one next to it is called a place spoon, it is there just because you may need an additional spoon." I went through what the two knives and four forks were for. I noticed as I ended with my explanation that I had a larger audience than the two girls listening. "The reason for all the silverware is the person doing the dishes gets paid a penny for each piece he does, so he puts out a lot of pieces so he can make a lot of money." The girls weren't the only ones who giggled over that joke. Mildred had a relieved look on her face, now that she understood the idea I just mentioned to the girls. I thanked my mother for drilling it into me at home, so I'd never be embarrassed in a fancy public gathering. Truth was, this was only the second time I'd ever used most of that information, but it had been a great confidence builder the first time. Pamela and Stephanie hungrily ate the soup, but didn't get all of it as the plates were whisked away and replaced with an intermezzo. A strawberry and lime ice. It had it's own small spoon and I noticed the girls cleaning the dish. I was amused; thinking to myself if they wondered it that was desert and dinner was over. Next warm rolls came out along with a green leaf salad. The courses were small, but many. I noticed at the main course large mushrooms had been cooked, almost resembling meat. Meat was definitely missing, but the flavor and texture wasn't though. I had never had anything like it before and although I had to admit I enjoy the taste of meat, this was an excellent substitute. After that was another intermezzo, a raspberry and lemon ice. While the food was truly wonderful, some of the events that happened at dinner left me to wonder. When I sat down after instructing the girls on table settings, Robin grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. At the same time I felt a bare foot run up my leg. I immediately looked over to Kristin who was looking at her food and had no expression to suggest that she was doing this. I glanced over to Beth Ann, she was smiling at me, as the leg roamed up a bit she turned slightly. I wasn't her I surmised. When the foot left my leg I was almost relieved, then it landed square in my crotch. I jumped slightly and heard Kristin giggle. I looked at her and she had a coy smile on her face. She then massaged her foot over my expanding member and as soon as it was nice and hard she stopped. I knew I'd get her back for this. The true disruption came later from Robert. I heard a few people gasp, looking over, they were staring at him. As the next course was brought to the table, the same reaction occurred, but this time I was up and over to the table fast enough to hear the end remarks he said. "I don't think I'd feed somt'n like this to my dog. They don't even have not'n to properly wash it down with. A good shot of whisky would just do the trick." I tapped him on his shoulder and ask him quietly to come with me. When I got Robert into the house proper, I found a room with a door. One of the not so nice things about being in the military is that you learn how to dress someone down very effectively. The military's idea is that you rip them apart and then rebuild them as you think it should be done. With Robert I'm not sure I cared about, or thought it was possible to rebuild. I just ripped him apart. In the end I had a quivering mass who I'm sure was wondering why he had even been born. Knowing I couldn't leave him like that, I started telling him what he was and wasn't going to do when we got back to the table. In the end we walked back out. Robert looked once again presentable, murmured apologies to his table and sat, not saying another word the entire evening. I had missed a leek torte and considering how wonderful everything else was I felt a little more animosity to Robert. I truly felt sorry that his wife and children had to put up with him. Deserts were individual cakes. A white cake with an almond filling and a spiky frosting, with the spikes toasted almost like a meringue. It was light and heavenly, like nothing I'd ever tasted before. ------- Dinner was over and everyone went back inside. The living room had been transformed while we ate. It was devoid of all furniture, except for a grand piano in the corner and an assortment of comfortable chairs along the walls. The polished hardwood floor glistened. It was then I noticed the string quartet in the entryway. People had moved around the room and as soon as the musicians started, the dance began. My mother, God bless her soul, had taught me some of the refinements in life. I would never be a ballroom dancer, but I could make a half way decent dance without stepping on feet. Without thinking of it I pulled Robin to me and started. She was in a panic and I soon realized I had practically a limp doll in my hands. I pulled her out, over to the side. I saw Mildred staring at us. "Keith," Robin finally got out, "I've never danced before." I could hardly believe it. "Never?" She looked down, "no. It wasn't allowed." I had never considered this. "I'm sorry, I had no idea. We don't need to dance. No one will care." Robin looked up at me, her eyes filled. "I was enjoying it. The movement, the sway, being in your arms, the pulse of the beat." Then she whispered in my ear. "It was like I was making love to you." I smiled at her. Then I explained the steps, the forward and backward walk, the right and left box turn, and so on. Not hard to learn, not easy to remember as your trying to be gracefully floating across the floor. We went out again. I could occasionally see Mildred, she was not happy. I decided I should have a talk with her after this dance. As the music ended, Robin was smiling her radiant smile. I took her hand and lead her over to where Mildred was standing with Pamela and Stephanie. Before either one of us got a word out Robin was talking. "Oh, that was the most fun I've ever had. It was just wonderful. Mildred you should try it. It fills all of your being up. I felt so alive out there." Pamela immediately said, "can... I... ?" Mildred's answer of "No!" came so fast Pamela put her hands over her face and started to cry. Stephanie was looking at the whole situation with a shocked expression. "I think Keith has tried to tempt us to the devils playground long enough," Mildred said. Robin was steamed at this statement. "You have no idea what you are talking about. You have never danced in your life. You wouldn't know if what you said had any truth to it at all. I have just been dancing and I can tell you, I have never felt more alive. I cannot see how feeling alive would be the devil's work. The thought of that, is absurd, after all Keith has done for you and your family, you have the nerve to say something like that to him." She was shaking she was so mad and as soon as she was done she stormed off. Mildred looked at me with the same shocked expression that Stephanie had just had on her face. Then that expression turned to one that is hard to describe, but I knew what it meant. I took her hand and led her down the hallway as quick as I could. We found the bathroom just in time. She ran in and before I could get the door closed, she was losing her dinner. Pamela and Stephanie had followed us. I turned to Pamela, "go get your dad." Then I turned to Stephanie. "You stay here, I need to find Robin, and I'll be back." With that we left Stephanie in the hall, Pamela searching out what happened to her father and I looking for Robin. Robin wasn't hard to find. She was in the corner, sitting, with a scowl on her face. Two men were trying unsuccessfully to carry on a conversation with her. When she saw me, she jumped up and gave me a hug. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. It made me so mad what she said about you." I laughed. "I think you shocked the living daylights out of her. In fact right after you left, she started not feeling well. She's in the bathroom now." "Oh no. Me and my big mouth. Where is she, ?" she said as she started dragging me away. We got to the hallway, Stephanie still outside the door, but no sign of Pamela or her father. Robin walked up, opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind her. That should be interesting I thought. I said to Stephanie, "I want you to still stay here. Pamela should have returned by now. I'm going looking for her." ------- Pamela had looked across the dance floor, then out at the dinner tables, even in the kitchen. Someone saw her looking and ask if she was looking for someone, she said her dad. They had seen him go out the front door. So off she went in pursuit. Over to the right, just past the parked cars, by the first tree that lined the driveway was her dad. She started running towards him. "Dad," She yelled. He looked over at her. "Go away," he yelled back. This stopped her. "Dad..." She tried again. "I said go away. Turn around and go back inside." Pamela turned around, tears started running down her cheeks as she slowly walked back to the door. ------- I was asking if anyone had seen the little girl, finally someone said they saw her going out the front door. As I reached it she was coming back in, tears rolling down her face. I bent down scooping her into my arms. "What's wrong?" She buried her head into my chest and cried. As soon as she could get it out she told me what her father had said to her. I was ready to punch his lights out. I set her down on the floor and told her to go back to where Stephanie was. As she took a step away, I reached down and gave her little butt a pinch. She squealed and turned looking at me with a funny expression, then smiled. It broke her mood though and she scampered off to find Stephanie. I on the other hand went out the front door. Robert was crouched over when I got to him. It was the smell that hit me first. I thought 'what was it with this family, can't they keep anything down.' It was then I also realized that Robert wasn't trying to be mean to his daughter, he just didn't know how to talk to her in his present state. He was embarrassed about what he had done out here. "What's going on, Robert?" "Oh, I don't feel to good. I think it must have been the food." "Yes, I've often heard if you don't cook vegetables long enough you can get sick. Come off it. You and I both know perfectly well what the problem is. You haven't had a drink in at least six hours and your body is revolting." He was holding his head. "Yes you're probably right, but what am I to do? This is a damned dry state. I think I'm going to go crazy. What am I going to do?" "You need to go talk with someone. I could set it up for you if you want." I of course was thinking of someone to talk to him about his obvious alcohol problem. He was thinking that I knew someone who could get him something to drink. "You would do that for me? Oh, Keith, thanks. How soon can I talk to him?" "I'll find out in the morning, ok." I was a bit surprised by his response, but was glad to see it. Leaving him there, I went back inside. ------- Robin shut the door. Mildred was feeling so bad at the moment she didn't even raise her head. When Robin touched her head, stroking her hair, she was surprised. Robin only showed concern. "Do you think it was something you ate? Is it all out? Do you need a drink? Let me find a washcloth to clean your face." Mildred was puzzled. "Robin, a minute ago you were practically yelling at me, now your helping. I don't understand." Robin took Mildred's face in her hands. "You have been a good person to me. You know that Daisy and I have been best of friends growing up." Mildred shook her yes. "You and the rest of the people your age or older live with a religion that is really a history to me. Your religious leader, my grandfather was not around my entire life. I know parts of what you talk about. We read the bible and we prayed, but you spouted off rules. Those rules don't mean anything to me. I don't see them in the bible. I didn't grow up with them. I didn't dance, not because I was taught that it was bad, I wasn't. Not because I was taught it was a sin, I wasn't. I didn't dance because it wasn't available." Mildred started to stand up, but had to lean back down and she let loose the contents of her stomach once more. It was more of dry heaves at this point. Robin started to clean her up and continued, "do you understand what I'm trying to say to you? I cannot feel bad, or have preconceived notions of what should be bad, when I have not had that drummed into my head. What I have seen in the bible, does not suggest that dancing is a problem. In fact there are many references to people dancing to celebrate God, and God finding favor in that. Like Jacob dancing in the temple." Mildred was starting to feel better now. She said to Robin, "I can not deny the way I feel. It is my upbringing as you so well pointed out. I do see what you are saying, and to tell you the truth it makes a whole lot of sense. So forgive me for judging you. What I have as a burden, you do not carry." She smiled at Robin and they exited the bathroom, holding hands. ------- I stopped at the end of the hallway. There was Robin and Mildred laughing. Obviously things went on that I missed. Pamela saw me and came running, throwing her arms around me. I picked her up and gave her a kiss on the nose. "Pamela, your dad was a bit embarrassed. What he said, didn't come out the way he meant, ok." She looked at me, cocked her head, then smiled and said, "ok." Mildred was looking between her daughter and me. "You seem to have her in your heart." I smiled, "yes, I guess I do." "Well then maybe we should go back to the dance, you have some teaching to do." Stephanie and Pamela were looking at Mildred hoping she meant them. I looked totally confused, but noticed Robin smiling and decided to let things go along. Once again at the dance floor, I said, "Well who needs instruction?" Not wanting to presume. Mildred smiled. "Both Stephanie and Pamela. That is if they want to?" Both girls were jumping up and down. I was wondering how I was going to chose the first one when Robin came to my rescue. "Stephanie should go first." Then she bent down to the dejected Pamela and whispered something in her ear. Pamela grinned and I knew it was fine to take Stephanie out, but it worried me what Robin might have said. The waltz started, it was easy with someone the size of Stephanie. She was actually floating across the floor, smiling the whole time. I was paying so much attention to her, giving her little instruction just like I had Robin that I failed to see much else. All of a sudden I had a tap on my shoulder. Standing beside me was Pamela and Robin. I figured Robin was cutting in, but she took Stephanie's hand and placing her arm around her waist, be it clumsily, dancing away. I was left with Pamela, who had her hands stretched up to me. Instead of picking her up, I held her in the classic position and started the dance. It was not the most comfortable position, she was a good four inches shorter than Stephanie, and I wanted her to somewhat dance. We made the best of it for the rest of that dance. Anthony came over to me, "I see you have some new dance partners." Pamela and Stephanie had big smiles on their faces. "I'll ask the quartet to play the next two songs using something a bit slower. That way the girls can get the hang of it. That is how my mother taught me." This was a very gracious host, I thought. "That would be delightful. I'm sure they would enjoy that very much." The next thing I knew Anthony was talking to the quartet and then he cleared the dance floor, announcing that some lessons were about to begin, looking at the quartet and then to me. I was having second thoughts about the host, this was the second time he had put me on the spot. I took Stephanie's hand and led her out to the center of the floor; I noticed Robin had taken Pamela out also. As the music played I went through the steps one more time. Forward steps, backwards steps, right and left box steps, hesitations, close changes, outside changes, and a few more I couldn't remember the names of, but knew the steps to, slowly at first. Robin, Stephanie, and Pamela mirroring my moves. Once we got down the steps I danced a basic simple dance with Stephanie around the perimeter of the floor. As I got back to the center, I took Stephanie's hand raised it and gave it a kiss. Next Pamela came into my arms and we did the same. We had just ended when the song finished, I once again took her hand and gave it a little kiss. In another minute the next one started. I took Stephanie and started, this time adding a bit more to the step. She was flowing with the music, connected to me. Soon though I was back to the center, ready to take Pamela. Kristin was there and took Stephanie's hand. I took Pamela and the four of us went. Back to the center and this time Beth Ann was there, taking Pamela. That left me with Robin, who was ready to be in my arms. We didn't have much time left before the song ended. I kissed Robin at the end, but with her on the lips. The people clapped and I was embarrassed, until I saw the girls taking a bow. With that, the rest of the dance floor was once again full. I was trying to move myself off when right in front of me stood Beth Ann. The music started. I looked at her, she smiled. I opened my hands and she stepped forward, we danced. I knew if I held her too close she would feel the appendage that was protruding, too far away and she, as well as others, might see it tenting my trousers. When the music stopped, I thanked her. She was an accomplished dancer. I took her shoulders and turned her around, trying to steer her toward the others. Her hands went behind her back and it was just luck that her hands didn't come into contact with what I was trying to conceal with her in front of me. By the time we were back over with the others, my erection had gone down to manageable size. I needed a break and begged off any pleading for the next dance. Sitting down felt good. Robin came and sat on my lap. She gave me a slight smile. "Not all the way back down after your dance with Beth Ann I see." I had to laugh. "Nothing gets past you, does it?" "She is quite striking, but I don't need to tell you that," Robin whispered in my ear and then nibbled on it. I groaned. "She has nothing on you, sweetheart." Robin smiled. "I just wonder how close she and Kristin are." "Not that close." Then I thought about it. "Well, not yet." Robin leaned back into me. I wrapped my arms around her. The music stopped, then started again. Stephanie and Pamela came and sat on either side of us. Then Kristin stood right in front of me. "How is it that my big brother has danced with everyone but me?" She was trying to pout but it wasn't working. "I didn't know you cared," I said in mock surprise. Kristin laughed. "You've had a break long enough. Next song is mine." To Kristin's initial disgust, the quartet took a break after that song. People moved to the side and Anthony was once again in the center. "While they are taking a break, I will entertain you with a piece that I just mastered." With that he sat down at the piano in the far corner. He played the Bach Sonata for keyboard in G beautifully. Bach was one of those composers who's works were difficult to master but well worth it, precise and incredibly well written. It is also a long piece, a little over ten minutes. When he struck the last cord, he looked up, right at me, as his appreciating audience clapped. "Keith, do you know how to play?" He said, after the applause died down. What do people say about three times is a charm. I didn't feel so charming. I felt my arm being tugged. Kristin was hauling me to my feet as she said, "We both played as kids, the best was when we did duets." I had not sat down in front of a piano in a good six or more years. I looked at Kristin as though she was mad. She was undaunted and ready to pick up Anthony's challenge. With a smile on his face, Anthony slid off the piano bench, the two of us slid on. "I haven't played in years." I said truthfully. "So I don't know how good it will be, but my sister is not going to let me out of this if she can." There were several snickers. Kristin made a face at me, reminding me of when we use to practice. I had to laugh. It took two false starts and the third one we were together. It was from memorization, Schubert's Overture for piano for four hands in F major. It was the year after year of learning that brought it back to me. I was almost shocked to see my fingers knowing just where they were to go, as though they had a will of their own. There were several places that we had crossovers. I then remembered why I looked forward to and at the same time hated the practices. I would inevitably run into Kristin's breasts. Now I felt the contact without guilt. It was having the same effect as it always had. My trousers were tenting again. I couldn't for the life of me tell you how we played. My mind was in a different place, a different time. Sitting in the living room at home in front of the piano, my beautiful sister by my side. The applause brought me back. That never happened in my old living room. Robin was standing by my side, awe struck. Anthony came up, "very lovely. What other hidden talents do you have Keith?" "Nothing," I said off handedly. Robin looked indignant. "He's pulling your leg. He's a pilot also. He flew us most of the way here." "A pilot also." Anthony said, his eyebrows rose. "So am I. I have a Cessna 120, just small planes though, what have you flown?" I told him the one I trained on, a Cessna UC-78 and the C-45. The one I flew up here, a C54. Then I mentioned and the other two smaller ones that I had flown, a C-38 and a UC-43. He was most interested, asking why I was trained as a pilot and not used for one. I had to explain that as a part of the disaster team I was on, everyone that had the possibility to go out on a chemical disaster mission had to know how to fly the plane. I was a lead person would have been on any mission from our base, so that's why I had more flight training than most. There was always the risk that someone would be unable to fly, and it could have been the original pilot. Anyone of the surviving members of the mission needed to know how to fly. These were parts of my job that I didn't think too much about and had never told my family before. Both Robin and Kristin were looking a bit ill with the discovery of why I had my pilot's license. The quartet was assembling again. Anthony asked me why Pamela's mother had not danced yet. I told him the problems with the religious beliefs. Then he asked why it was acceptable for her daughter to dance. I smiled. He said he had just the solution. I wondered what he had up his sleeve and if I was going to be put on the hot seat again. He had a word with the quartet, and then he went over to Mildred. As they started to play, I remembered the tune. A traditional Welsh tune I had heard in church as a hymn when I was a child. I was surprised when he extended his hand and she took it. She was timid, not wanting to be held tight, but as they moved across the dance floor the music took hold and I could tell she was enjoying it. As the song ended, he bowed; she blushed and once again took her spot against the wall. Once the traditional waltz music started up, Kristin was at my side. "My turn, big brother." Out we went, just like the piano playing, I had been taught dancing with my two sisters. We fell in a familiar rhythm that I hadn't felt in years. The song ended much to quickly and this time I asked for the next dance with her. She was glowing, curtsied and said she'd love to. I laughed, held her in my arms and off we went. I was getting tired, so was ready to leave the dance floor, Robin had other ideas. She wanted another turn. I couldn't say no to her. After a few times out, a bit of instruction and a lot of watching, she was much better. She ran into, but didn't step onto my feet at any time. She was radiant, smiling and almost glowing as we ended. It was similar, but different from the look I had received from Kristin and I couldn't tell what the difference was. She could tell I was worn out, but told me she wanted one more dance from me. I went to sit down as Anthony came over, beckoning me to come with him. I was getting a bit wary of what might happen this time. He lead me into his study, after closing the door he started talking. "Keith, I must tell you, I have rarely met a person like you. The motivation to host is party was not as innocent as it seems." He looked a bit nervous, the first I'd seen all evening. "Quite frankly the report in the paper made you out as quite a hero, an all around good guy. It has been my experience those two don't always mix well. Most of the hero's that I have run across got there by pushing someone else out of the way. In other words they are big headed self centered people." I looked at him with amusement. "I'd have to agree with you." He laughed. "I have tried all evening to have you bring that side of you out, with no success. What changed my impression of you was what your darling wife said and you didn't." I couldn't place what that could have been. "You are a pilot. Being one myself, I have to say they are in a lot, some of the most bigheaded people I know. Nice people, just full of themselves, somewhat like surgeons. You on the other hand almost dismiss it as just another part of what you know. You are indeed the person the paper portrays, and I would guess the other one, Richard, that is his name?" I nodded. "That he is about like you as well." "We are very good friends," I said, smiling. "Keith, I must apologize for my behavior. You have shown me that I was wrong and now looking at my tactics, I am ashamed at myself." "Don't think anything of it. I have had a wonderful time this evening. If it took a few embarrassing moments to do that, then that is the cost. I have no bad feelings." Saying that I stuck out my hand. He took it and smiled. "You are indeed a man of worth. I would like to begin again, this time on friendlier terms. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. I feel I owe you a debt, a large debt, for my actions, so please, just ask." As we came out the quartet had just started up. Anthony said, this is their last number, you'd better find that lovely wife of yours, or she'll never forgive you. I did just what he suggested and we danced, she glowed, I enjoyed her in my arms. ------- We had just walked outside when then the other car pulled up. I was able to see who the driver was. It surprised me. It was the driver I had seen with Lieutenant Payne. The valet had pulled Beth Ann's car up, we all got in and were off to our housing. Getting out I touched Kristin and Beth Ann's shoulders. "It was a wonderful evening. I'm glad the two of you could be there." Kristin turned around and cupping her hands around her mouth so only I could see, she licked her lips seductively. Then she said, "I had a wonderful time also." Beth Ann was staring straight ahead, but said, "Yes it was wonderful." I could see in the glow of the overhead light her cheeks coloring. We said our good byes at the entryway, Robert and Mildred going into their place and we in ours. ------- The phone was ringing when we entered and I rushed to get it. "Lieutenant Payne here," came to my greeting. "Keith I need to talk to you about these parties. I understand there were a number of important people there. Black tie and such. My driver got a glimpse of the festivities." I couldn't for the life of me understand why he was calling, but now knew why his driver had been one of the cars. "Well it was a nice party. I don't..." "I think I should have been there. I am after all the military liaison for you. It is my responsibility to oversee what is going on with your operation," Payne said. I finally got what he was saying and probably why. "Well if you want the truth of the matter, we were invited because of me. I was the guest of honor. It had nothing to do with what I am here for. It was a social engagement and in that respect you would have no reason or purpose to be there." There was a short silence on the other end. "Just let me know in advance about these things and I will determine whether I should be there or not," he said. I figured our stupid little conversation was over so I said, "I'll see what I can do." Before he could say another word, I then said, "it is late, good night," and hung up the phone. Robin, Stephanie, and Pamela were all looking at me through different doorways. I simply said it was that Payne guy, making a pain of himself. They nodded and went back to getting ready for bed. I was just about to our room when the phone rang again. I was mad. What right did he have to call back? I went back and picked up the phone. I wasn't going to let him ruin my evening. "Hi, this is Keith." "Keith, oh thank God you're finally there." It was Liz, my heart sunk. ------- I didn't know that I'd be calling on the good graces of Anthony so soon. He had given me his card and I was dialing the number. "Hamilton residence." "Is Anthony Hamilton available, please?" I asked. "I can check for you sir. May I tell him who is calling?" "Keith Patterson, I was at the party this evening. I have a request for him." "Thank you sir. I'll check for you." I waited for a minute or so and then the line clicked. "Anthony here. Keith is that you?" "Yes and I hate to have to do this, but I have an extremely large favor to ask of you." "Considering what I put you through this evening I can't see what you would ask that would be so big." I laughed and then told him what the problem was and what I wanted to borrow. To my surprise he agreed. Told me where the hanger was and that his butler would be there in the morning with keys. I couldn't thank him enough. My next call was to Beth Ann, I got Kristin and was promised a car in the morning. My last call went to my flight instructor. He wasn't as happy to hear from me at that hour. I told him what I needed; he looked up some maps and gave me a few possible flight plans. I thanked him and then went to bed, much to the protests of the females in the house. ------- Beth Ann was staring at Kristin, who said, "Well are we going to sit here?" "You... you kissed your brother." Beth Ann stammered. Kristin licked her lips, "yes I did and he is tasty." Then she winked at her and continued, "bet you'd love to taste him too." Beth Ann turned beat red. "He's married," she said, and started the car driving off. "Yea and to a wonderful girl," Kristin said a bit dreamily. Beth Ann glanced over at her. "Young too. She looks like a miniature you." Then as soon as she said it, her eyes got wide. "He, you, oh my God. Kristin don't tell me. You didn't, you haven't. He's your brother!" Beth Ann slammed on the brakes almost going through a stop sign. Kristin smiled and looked into Beth Ann's eyes. "Tell me the truth, haven't you wanted to be in his arms? Taste his lips? Feel his body next to yours?" Beth Ann was trembling. "I can see you have, right?" Beth Ann felt her head nodding yes. She couldn't believe what Kristin had just asked her, but it was true. She simply couldn't deign it; she knew Kristin already knew the answer. "We'd better go there is a car behind you," Kristin said. It shook Beth Ann out of her daze. As they got out of the car and walked back to the dorm, Kristin said, "I'll see you in class and then you and I need to see Robin." It wasn't a request and Beth Ann, no matter how she was trembling inside, knew she'd be going with her. ------- Robin wiped the sleep from her eyes. She looked at the clock it was now eight thirty and there had been three hours since Keith had gone. Pamela and Stephanie were already up. Robin took a shower, dressed and came out to find them. They had eaten and were trying to find something to amuse them. It dawned on Robin that Pamela had her first doctor's appointment that day. "Pamela, do you remember when your appointment is?" "No... my... mom... does," Pamela replied. Then she got up and came over to Robin, with a frown on her face, whispering, "last... night... at... dance... you... said... I'd... get... time... with... Keith... today," then she lowered her head and said, "alone." Robin laughed, "Don't worry," she whispered back, "you'll get your special time." Then in a normal voice Robin said, "Go ask your mom about the time." "I'll go with her," Stephanie said. The two girls went bounding out the door. Robin could hear the gate open then a few seconds later the door open. The doctor had been right when he said there was no way you could come and go with out everyone knowing. Robin moped around, looking at the clock constantly. It was now just after ten thirty. She knew Keith wouldn't be getting there until about eleven, then it would take time to get Daisy and call her. She'd just have to wait. The knock on the door jarred Robin's thoughts. Kristin and Beth Ann were at the door. "Hi, we figured you needed some company," Kristin said. Robin smiled. "Yes, thanks. I've just been staring at the clock. Keith should be there in about a half and hour." Beth Ann looked at the clock, "He's going to get there at ten?" "No eleven," Robin answered, puzzled. "There's an hour time difference. It's only nine forty there now." Beth Ann said. "Ohhhh," Robin groaned. "Another couple of hours before I here something. This is going to drive me insane." "Come on then," Kristin said. "We have a class that starts in twenty minutes. It's only an hour. Keith can't call while he's in the air. It will take your mind off things." "Are you sure?" Robin said, wondering if she would feel comfortable in a college class. "Yes, you'll probably enjoy this one. It is an art appreciation class." Beth Ann was looking between Kristin and Robin. What she had said earlier was truer than she had realized. Robin was a younger Kristin. When she heard Kristin's suggestion she said, "Do you think that would be appropriate?" Robin looked at Beth Ann. Kristin laughed, "Art appreciation, that means we look at nudes." Robin started to laugh. "Beth Ann, you forget she is married. She has seen plenty of nude." Saying this Kristin started laughing hysterically. Beth Ann started to snicker, "I see your point." ------- They opened the gate and Mildred was at the door already. "This is the noisiest door bell I've ever heard," she said. "Were taking Robin off with us to a class. We'll bring her back in an hour," Kristin said. "How are the girls?" Robin asked. "Fine, they found a game that was left in the apartment, and are playing it." "Oh, I almost forgot, when is Pamela's appointment?" "Not until three this afternoon." "Ok, I would like to be there to. I know Keith will be disappointed, he can't be there." Mildred smiled, "I'm sure. I think he has a thing for Pamela, I could see she's stolen his heart at the party last night. She is more than happy he is off getting her big sister though. I think that is much more important to her than visiting the doctor." "Yea, I think you're right. They are very close. He's going to be calling me later. I'll let you know how everything went as soon as I know." With that Kristin, Beth Ann, and Robin went off across campus to class. ------- "I was hopping for some live models," Robin said. Kristin laughed, "Don't I wish." Beth Ann was notably silent. Robin said, "it looks like that class disturbs you?" This caught Beth Ann off guard. Kristin said, "she's a bright one. She can see into people." "I let Kristin talk me into taking this class. I just don't know what the fascination is. Nude pictures, we just look at nude pictures. So what? Then people sit around discussing them as though they are a bowl of fruit or something." It was silent for a moment as they were walking, than Robin said, "I think it will always fascinate people to see what is hidden from them. Nudes take away barriers. It is barriers that separate us in society. We all yearn for a simpler more open and free life." Beth Ann looked at Robin with astonishment. "I... I was thinking that they just represented peoples strange desire for sex. What you just said is something I had never even considered. I'm sorry for thinking you shouldn't have gone to the class. You belong there more than I do." Robin laughed, "I didn't even understand half of what the guy was talking about today. It was fun though and best of all I was so absorbed in all the stuff that was happening, it took my mind off Keith. Thanks." ------- They got back and found Pamela and Stephanie had just started their second game. Mildred was very pleased they were having fun and not under foot. Robert was no where around. Mildred said that when he heard that Keith had gone for the day he grumbled that Keith was suppose to make an appointment for him. He left and she hadn't seen him since. Mary was standing in front of Robin and Keith's place. "Where have you guys been? I've been here for the last twenty minutes." Beth Ann told her of the class they had taken Robin to. Mary chuckled when she heard its title, "probably didn't show you anything new did it." Beth Ann wasn't sure what to make of that statement. Then she realized that Mary was joking with her. Sex was just one of those things Beth Ann had a hard time with. It brought up to many unpleasant memories. They went in and chatted for a while. Kristin brought up Beth Ann's reaction when Kristin kissed Keith. Beth Ann was shocked that Kristin would say anything in front of Mary and especially Robin. Beth Ann was starting to turn red. Robin looked at Beth Ann. "You look a bit uncomfortable. Kristin said you wanted to be in his arms, taste his kiss. What's so wrong about that?" Mary spoke for the first time about the subject. "He does kiss so nice," she had a dreamy look on her face. "Mary!" Beth Ann said, "he's... he's married." "Yea, to me. I don't get the point," Robin said. Beth Ann was staring at Robin with big eyes. "You don't care that your husband kisses other woman?" "No, I don't mind sharing," She said with a smile on her face. "I know he's mine. I share him with people we love. But that is sharing, not giving away. I'll keep him forever." Beth Ann started feeling something she hadn't felt in years. She quickly excused herself and went into the bathroom. ------- The bathroom door was locked and Beth Ann sat down on the toilet. Her emotions were running in overtime. She didn't know whether she was going to start crying or laughing. That burning feeling was between her legs though. That is what brought her to the bathroom in the first place. She couldn't understand Robin. Keith was a dreamboat. Why would she share him? But the thought of kissing him was overwhelming. She though about when they were on the dance floor. She was melting in his arms. It had made her find the bathroom after those two dances with him. She had felt safe with him. Safer than with any other man after her uncle had shattered her world. Something she had never felt before. Her uncle had done that to her. Forcing her to suck him off when her aunt was gone. The last two years of high school had been hell. Now in college she had boys chasing after her. She knew she was pretty. She also knew that those boys wanted one thing. To cram their dick into her mouth, it was disgusting. So she was surprised how she was reacting about Keith. She saw him in a different light though. He went to save a girl. When her uncle had first done what he did to her, no one came. Her mother was sick and her father was too busy to listen to her. Keith had touched her deepest need. To be helped, wanted, and loved. She undid her garments and slid her hand between her legs, into the forbidden folds that captivated her. As soon as she touched her outer lips she was in another world. This time Keith was there, they embraced, kissed, and... The knock on the bathroom door snapped Beth Ann back to the present. "Yes," she said shakily. "Are you ok in there," Kristin asked? "Yes, be out in a minute," Beth Ann said, trying to compose herself. She was frustrated at that point; she hadn't reached that crest she loved to bring herself to. Now she was going to have to go back out and listen to them. She knew it would be driving her crazy. ------- Robin was looking at the clock, "damn I wish he would call." Mary put her arm around Robin. "Don't worry, he'll call as soon as he can. You said he should be there about eleven. He has to get from the airport to the hotel and take care of everything, he'll probably call when they get back to the airport." "I know, but it is twenty after twelve. I have a hard time remembering the time difference. He's been there maybe twenty minutes. I'm just worried about Daisy." She smiled, "I know Keith will be fine." Just then the phone rang. Robin jumped and ran to it. "Keith?" "No this is Lieutenant Payne. I'm looking for Keith myself. I went over to the lab and he was not there. Do you know where he is?" Robin was irritated. "He's in Redding and I'm expecting a call from him. So if you'll please hang up, I'd appreciate it." "Redding, you mean California?" "Yes where else," she said exasperated. Keith was right this guy was a pain. "How did he get there? He didn't tell me he was going. What is he doing there? I told him I needed to be told things like this." "Fine," Robin said really mad now. "I'll have him talk to you when he returns. Now we don't have anything else to talk about and I'm waiting for a call from him, so good bye." With that she hung up the phone, none to gently. The three gals were looking at her. Robin walked out and sat down heavy into the sofa. "It was that pain in the neck guy from the military. I can't stand him. I hope Keith didn't try and call." Tears started to well in her eyes. "I probably got Keith in trouble." Mary came and sat down next to Robin putting her arm around her pulling her tight. "Nothing my dad couldn't fix." Robin looked up at her. "Well there has to be some benefits for all the shit I have to put up with." She went on to explain why she didn't go to the party last night. She is always invited to them. Not for who she is, but for who her father is. She has to be so careful about how she acts and what she says they are no fun. Kristin, Beth Ann, and Robin were now seeing a side of Mary they had never seen before. One of admiration for what her father did and an acceptance of how she needed to act, but not always happy for the attention it brought to her. Robin looked for the clock, it had been moved. "Ok, who moved the clock?" Kristin giggled, "I thought if you couldn't see it, then it wouldn't bother you so much." She got up and retrieved it. As she set it down, she too had a worried expression on her face. He should have been there. Robin saw her expression before the clock. "Kristin, why hasn't he called?" Mary got up, pulling Beth Ann up with her. "I think the two of you need to relieve a little stress." With that she turned and winked at Kristin, pulling the surprised Beth Ann out the door. Robin turned to Kristin, "What did she mean by that?" "I think this," she said and took Robin's hand, leading her to the bedroom. Once in the room, she pushed Robin onto the bed. Surprised Robin fell back and her legs went up. Kristin dove between Robins open legs, her dress billowed with air. Kristin knew this was no time for preliminaries. She pulled the edge of Robin's panties aside and thrust her tongue into her, searching for her clit. "Kristin!" Robin screamed. As soon as Kristin had found her clit and sucked the nub into her mouth, Robin's shock flew out of the window. "Oh God." A few minutes later, their clothing on the floor, they were in a classic sixty-nine position, time stood still. The whole reason Robin was attacked in the first place was to get her to this place. What ended it was Pamela. "Robin!" Pamela said, the shocked sound in her voice piercing both Robin and Kristin's minds. Stephanie was right behind her. "Oh, wow. Looks like you're having fun." Pamela looked back at Stephanie; she couldn't believe what she had just said. Robin and Kristin had untangled, after two orgasms each, they couldn't complain. Stephanie placed her hands on her hips, "Pamela, have I ever told you a lie?" Pamela shook her head no. Stephanie went on, "didn't I tell you about what, and how nice Keith's dick was?" Pamela blushed, but she shook her head yes. "Ok, then trust me when I say this is really fun and makes you feel good too." "You... sure?" Pamela said. Stephanie smiled, "yes, very sure. Do you want to find out?" Pamela's eyes went wide, but she didn't say yes or no. Stephanie took her by the hand and led her into the other bedroom, closing the door behind her. Kristin giggled, I guess we should have done that to, and then we wouldn't have been interrupted. They started getting their clothes on, when they heard the first little sound emitting from the other bedroom. ------- Mary had pulled Beth Ann out the door. "What was all that about?" Beth Ann protested. Mary heaved a sigh. "There are some things you just don't want to know." "What do you mean I don't want to know." Beth Ann said as they were walking. "Look Beth Ann, you're one of the most attractive girls in our dorm. Maybe in this whole school. But when it comes to guys, or sex..." Mary could see Beth Ann stiffen as she said this, "You just are in a whole different place. I mean you act as though you should be a nun or something." "A nun!" That riled up Beth Ann, "a nun!" she said again, "I can't believe you would say that." "Beth Ann," Mary said her best calming voice, "are you going to tell me that you haven't had a trail of boys following you around campus?" Beth Ann nodded. "So, have you even gone out with a boy since you've been in college? What do you think people would think?" "But they don't know... " Beth Ann couldn't finish. She had never told anyone about what happened. Mary stopped. She looked Beth Ann in the eye, "everyone has some sort of problem. Look at me, everything I do could be front page news because of who my father is. Don't you think that has affected me? I have found a way to work that out. You need to find that too. It's just not good for you to be this way." Then she turned around, "come on let's go back. I think they've had enough time alone." Beth Ann knew Mary had spent the last week with all of them, she had been dying to find out more, but couldn't ask Kristin. "Mary, I noticed that Robin looks like a young Kristin. I might not have really noticed, but as Keith got out of the car this morning Kristin kissed him and I'm not talking a little sisterly kiss. I couldn't believe it." Mary started laughing, "she did that right in front of you?" Beth Ann nodded, "Yes, what's so funny?" Mary got serious, "so what do you think of Keith?" Beth Ann looked at her, "he's married." Mary wasn't going to be denied an answer, "and if he wasn't?" "Oh God," Beth Ann said before she realized it. Her face started to color. ------- They were at the door and Mary opened it. Beth Ann felt flush, she hurried down the hall to the bathroom, but before she made it she heard a scream, a little girl screaming. The sound, the quality, the tone didn't quite register, all she heard was an unfamiliar scream. She also didn't notice the odor, the odor of raw sex that was still present in the other bedroom and seeping down the hall. Beth Ann threw open the door. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. Mary, Kristin, and Robin heard the door thrown open and came running into the hallway. There was Beth Ann, white as a ghost. ------- Chapter 24 Stephanie's wiggling nude body was laying on the bed, her legs dangling off the edge. Pamela, in the same attire, was between those legs, her head had turned as she heard the door. Beth Ann could see her face smeared with Stephanie's juices. Pamela gasped and hid her face. Stephanie looked over at Beth Ann and smiled as she was still coming down from a powerful orgasm and could care less what was going on. Beth Ann, from her lack of an earlier orgasm, the smells, and the sights in front of her was becoming weak at the knees. The three other gals came right behind Beth Ann and seeing the sight, pushed her through the doorway. She collapsed into a nearby chair close to the door. Robin sat on the bed where Stephanie was, Mary and Kristin on the other. Robin picked little Pamela up and sat her on her lap, hugging her tightly. "It's ok," She said, "you weren't doing anything wrong. We're not mad, are we Beth Ann?" Beth Ann didn't know what to say, but from the looks she was getting from everyone else in the room she said, "no. You're ok aren't you? I thought you were hurt by the sounds you made." Robin looked down at the worried little girl and gave a hug, but resisted giving her the kiss and lap of a tongue like she wanted to. She had to suffice with the aroma that was penetrating her nose. Pamela looked up at Robin who nodded at her. Pamela had felt embarrassed, but she was told she was ok by Beth Ann, the person who opened up the door so suddenly and embarrassed her. Pamela got off Robin's lap and walked over to Beth Ann. She was startled when Pamela climbed in her lap and gave her a hug. "It is Pamela's sister who Keith went to get," Kristin said. Beth Ann's heart went out to the young girl and she wrapped her arms around her. Pamela wrapped her hands around Beth Ann's neck and the smell came to the older girl's nose. Stephanie had climbed up into Robin's lap and was looking over at Pamela. "Can you hold me like that too?" She said. Beth Ann realized how much bare skin she was touching and let go quite quickly. The sudden release made Pamela slide a little and then grasp tighter to Beth Ann. As with Keith, Pamela had a knack for getting into just the right positions. Her head was now buried between Beth Ann's breasts, her legs spread over one of Beth Ann's legs. Kristin seeing the disconcerting position Beth Ann was in, took full advantage of it. "So Stephanie tell us what you and Pamela were doing in here. Beth Ann saw the smile on Kristin's face and knew she was had. "Well, you know after we saw you, I pulled Pamela in here. I had her take off her clothes and started running my hands all over her body. She liked it, then I got her to lie down on the bed and I licked her. She loved it. Then she returned the favor. She's really good." Beth Ann's mind was a whirl, it didn't even register on a conscious level that Pamela was rubbing her crotch back and forth on her leg. Beth Ann said in a slightly labored voice, "what did she mean after she saw you?" Kristin and Robin looked at each other. Mary was the one who spoke first. "What do you think she meant Beth Ann?" Stephanie was leaning back on Robin, legs spread around Robin's and was openly masturbating. Beth Ann couldn't help but staring. She heard Mary's words, but they didn't really register. Everyone in the room jumped when the phone rang, Robin practically threw Stephanie onto the bed they were sitting on, as she ran out of the room. The phone, in the end of the hall, between the two bedrooms, was answered quickly. Daisy was safe. Keith wasn't. Everyone in the room saw Robin try and keep her composure. She joked about taking care of Daisy. But when she hung up the phone she fell apart. Robin's body was shaking and her tears were flowing. Kristin was beside her, with arms around her, she moved her back into the room. "Keith... Keith can't fly back today." Robin said through her tears. "Hank's brother beat on him. He's been to a doctor." Kristin was crying too. "The dummy..." she said. "He said it was nothing," Robin continued. "He always says it's nothing. I can't wait to get him back here." Pamela was in tears too. "My... sister... ok?" Robin smiled her best at her, "yes sweetheart she is. They have to spend the night. They'll be back tomorrow." Beth Ann hadn't realized the magnitude of the statement, she never knew Daisy, Hank, or his brother. "He went into a dangerous situation didn't he?" "Yea, he knew what he was getting himself into. He's just that kind of guy," Kristin said. "I understand why you love him so much," Beth Ann said, much to the surprise of Mary and Kristin. Pamela said, "got... to... tell... mom." Mary laughed, "you'd better get some clothes on first." With that she grabbed the squealing girl and started tickling her. Robin went into the washroom and came back with a damp cloth. She pulled Pamela over to the bed and carefully washed Stephanie's dried juices from her pretty face, being very careful around the eyes and lips. Robin urged the girl up and onto her back. Robin reached down and picked up her legs at the ankles so that they were pointed at the ceiling. Pamela's legs were pushed down so that they spread, allowing Robin to clean the girls crotch. Again she cleaned carefully with the cloth, separating the lips and removing any scent that would be detected by her mother, or even worse the doctor. When she was done she used the cloth to wipe around the girls little rose. Pamela jumped at the touch and robin lowered her legs before picking up the tiny girl's shoulders for a motherly hug and a quick kiss on the nose. Stephanie was close by to pull Pam off so she could have her turn. She laid in Pam's position and raised her legs to have her little pussy cleaned. Robin laughed as she lowered her legs. "I will get a clean cloth for you sweetie." Robin returned and leaned over the girl to clean her face, being as careful as only a loving mother would. Eventually she got to what Stephanie wanted and raised her feet up and knees spread. The legs were cleaned before traveling on. The hairless pussy lips were spread, bringing a gasp from the girl and an accompanying one from the rest of the room. Robin slipped out a finger to caress the little bud without rubbing it with the rough cloth. Stephanie wiggled wanting more contact. Robin replied by pushing her legs back and raising her little rose into attack position. The cloth went up and down the crack bringing more wiggles, till the hidden finger poked a little bringing an involuntary twitch. Robin pronounced her clean and gave her the same hug and kiss she gave Pam previously. This time Stephanie hugged back fiercely. Clothes on, both Pamela and Stephanie left to tell Pamela's mother the news. Robin, breathing more normally, now said, "I need to call Liz and tell her." "Do you want me to dial the number? I know it by heart," Kristin said. "Sure." Kristin dialed; she got the main school operator. When she said who she was the line went immediately blank and no more than two seconds later Liz was on the line. "Robin is that you?" "It's me, Kristin, what's going on? I've never been able to reach you this quick." Liz laughed. "Our administrator got the original call from Daisy, she has been haunted ever sense. Everyone knew that I was expecting a call. So everyone has been keeping tabs on me to know everywhere I go. It is strange, but I guess it worked. Now I can tell them to knock it off." Kristin laughed, "that does sound strange, well here is Robin." Robin told Liz the little Keith had told her, but the real relief was that it was over and Daisy was safe. Then Robin asked about Jill and found out what she was doing. ------- Robin was drained and she dropped back into the sofa. "You tired?" Kristin asked. "I feel exhausted," Robin said. "I haven't done anything, but I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open." "I read about that in one of my classes," Mary said. "It is the letdown after a stressful situation. Your body wants to recuperate. You should take a little nap and you'll feel much better." "Come on let's leave her to her nap. One of us should stay though. "I'll stay," Beth Ann said, much to everyone's surprise, even to herself. Mary and Kristin left, leaving Beth Ann and Robin. ------- Robin got up yawned and lazily walked back to the bedroom. She couldn't believe how tired she felt. Beth Ann followed her. Robin fell onto the bed. "Here let me help," Beth Ann said as she pulled back the covers. "Thanks," Robin said and kicked off her shoes then pulled off her socks. Beth Ann stood there while she pulled her dress over her head. Robin then undid her bra and let it drop to the floor as she climbed into the bed. Beth Ann had been in the room many times when Kristin had undressed, never thinking a thing of it. She wondered why it bothered her now to see Robin do this. She sat on the bed; Robin had her arms curled around the pillow, her eyes half-mast. "Do you mind talking about Keith," Beth Ann asked? Robin smiled, "no, not at all. I could go on for hours about him." "See, that is what I don't understand. I mean Keith seems like such a dreamboat. Why would you want to share him with anyone? I think I wouldn't want to share him." Robin giggled, "well, it was kind of funny how it all started. See I'm only thirteen." "Yes you're awfully young," Beth Ann said and then added, "but I guess that's ok. I think your pretty smart and all. Well you know what I mean. But Keith is a lot older than you. Didn't it bother you to have an older guy chasing after you?" "Like that would have happened, well maybe, but I was the one who was after him. The town where I'm from, has this tradition. Girls on there thirteenth birthday get married." Beth Ann looked at Robin in shocked disbelief, "you're kidding me?" "No and to top it off there weren't a lot of options for me, old men or young boys. I was feeling depressed about my birthday coming up." "Yea, I guess you would." "So," Robin took a big yawn, "Keith comes driving into town one day," she giggles, "I was all over him." "So what did he do?" "He kissed me," Robin said dreamily. "He did?" "Yea, then I started feeling so good and bad all at the same time. I didn't want him to leave me. He couldn't understand why I was so upset. So I told him of the town's tradition." "Wow, what did he say?" Beth Ann was entranced with this story. She had never heard anything like it. "Well considering, I think he took it pretty good," Robin said with a laugh. Then in a more serious tone she said, "then he told me I looked like his sister." "I noticed that you two could be sisters, almost twins, except for the age difference. That was a strange thing for him to say, don't you think?" "Well it makes sense if you know... I'm not sure why I'm telling you this." "Oh come on, please," Beth Ann said, almost pleading, "I'll never tell a soul, honest." "Promise?" Robin asked. Beth Ann nodded. "Well, Keith fell in love with Kristin when she was my age." "Oh my God!" Beth Ann exclaimed. "You promised." "Ok," Beth Ann said, breathing heavy, "I won't say another word, go on." "It tormented Keith, his sister adored him and he knew it. So he moved away, before anything came of it. He didn't want to hurt her." Beth Ann felt the lump in her throat. Why hadn't anyone cared that much for her? "Yea," was all she got out. "But it did hurt. Keith missed seeing her and she was sure she had done something to make him leave. Six years later I show up looking like her." "Wow, so what did you do?" "I made Keith talk to his sister, I wanted to meet her." Beth Ann stared at Robin, "why?" "It didn't take me long to fall in love with him and he was comparing me to his sister. I wanted to see what I was up against. I might not have ever had a chance. I had to know." "God you're smart." Robin yawned again, "I don't know about that, but the next week he came with his sister." "I remember the night he called. Kristin was bouncing off the walls. I'd heard her talk about her brother before. He sounded like such a nice guy. Everyone wanted to get him to come and visit. He had never called her before. That night she was full of emotion. She was crying and laughing. I remember her saying that he had something to talk to her about, something important. She was afraid of what he was going to say as much as she was happy to go and see him. It was crazy. I don't think she got much sleep that night." "That week," Robin said, thinking back, her eyes half shut. "It was awful. My mom didn't like Keith. She absolutely knew he wasn't coming back to a young girl like me, she even wondered if he already got what he wanted from me. Well when he did come back, and brought his sister," she snorted, "she just about had a heart attack. That night Kristin and I had a really long talk. I told her she should..." Robin yawned again. "She should what?" Beth Ann said in breathy anticipation. "She should show Keith how much she loved him too." "What do you mean, show him?" "They were staying at a place with one bed and... You're Kristin's roommate right?" "Yes, but what did they do?" Beth Ann couldn't contain her excitement. As strange as she had thought about it before, she couldn't deny the excitement she felt hearing this story. Robin was about asleep, she wanted to end the story, "I told her to fuck her brother." The simple crude language coursed through Beth Ann's body. "Oh my God, you didn't." Beth Ann pushed at Robin's shoulder as if she must be kidding her. It caused Robin to roll, her coverings moved along with her. When she settled on her back, her left breast was exposed. Beth Ann noticed it, what made her eye stay was the hard, extended nipple. Robin, now jostled went on, giggling, "Yea, we came up with a plan we knew no guy could resist. Then I snuck in later after everyone in my house was asleep." "But... " Beth Ann was now confused, "I thought you said there was one bed?" Robin was once again trying to hold her eyes open. "Yea, only one. We all had a workout that night. Both Kristin and I lost our virginity. We helped each other, it was so special. I love her too." "Wait... hold on." Beth Ann was trying to grasp all of this, "so what Stephanie said, 'after she saw you and Kristin.' Did that mean that you two were... Robin, Robin, you still awake. Oh damn." Beth Ann looked at Robin, her breast still exposed. She had all these images running through her head, she laid back on the bed. There was Keith, then Kristin and Robin all naked dancing, dancing for joy. They were happy. She herself had never been happy with anything sexual. She felt the heat building, she knew she needed release. It was wrong to think of them that way, wasn't it? They were happy though, not like she had been. She wanted that happiness. The struggle in her mind was losing its way as the heat in her groin was building. She didn't even realize how much the bed shook as she decided she'd had enough and had to get to the bathroom. Running out of the room and closing the door to the bathroom, she pulled her dress off, dropped her panties to the floor and sat on the toilet. Her hand slipping into the folds of flesh between her legs. ------- Robin was flying with Keith; the clouds were zipping past, The plane twirling in the air. He was radiant, smiling. They landed in Carp. Then he was on the dance floor, no one else was there. He was reaching out to her. The music started, the band in the corner was playing some soft music, something familiar, but it just wasn't quite recognizable. Then the floor started to move, really move. Parts and pieces flying around her. Water was gushing up all around. Robin reached out to hold him, but he wasn't there. She woke in a panic, looking around. It was a dream. It took her a minute to orient herself. She was in bed. She had been talking to Beth Ann, but she wasn't there. The only thing that made any sense of that dream was the water; she had to go to the bathroom, and bad. She threw back the covers and sleepily staggered out of the bed, noticing how it shook as she did. 'It must have been when Beth Ann got off the bed that made me dream of everything moving, almost like an earthquake, ' she thought. Although she was only dressed in a thin pair of panties, she heard no sounds so thought Beth Ann was gone and she must be alone. As she pushed open the bathroom door, she heard a faint moan. There was Beth Ann, sitting on the toilet, legs spread, eyes closed, with one hand busy between her legs. The other hand in her unbuttoned blouse massaging her breast. Robin walked up to Beth Ann; she could feel the moisture starting to seep from her. This was quite an erotic sight. ------- Beth Ann was in another world. Keith was there and his bronzed toned muscles gleaming in the sun. They were on the beach in her home town. The secluded beach Beth Ann had been to many times as a child. Keith caught her in his arms. They fell to the sand, rolling towards the surf. The water splashing around them. They suddenly had no clothes on. She was on top of him, guiding his hands to her breasts. Her mind finally registered a noise and lazily opened her eyes, then they flew open. Robin was standing in front of her. Her hands quickly covered her pussy. Robin smiled and kneeled in front of her. Beth Ann watched as Robin reached into her blouse, around to the backside and unclasp her bra. Robin's hands came back around to the front and molded to her breasts. Whether she had any moral issues with it or not, she couldn't deny wonderful feeling it brought. Beth Ann let out a little moan. Twice in one day she had been denied and orgasm, her body was taking over her mind. It knew what it needed. Defenseless, Beth Ann's hands dropped to her side. Robin took the opportunity to trace her fingers down her stomach. Robin remembered the last question Beth Ann asked, she started telling her the story of what Keith did and how her hand was on top of Keith's. She was showing him how to touch and where. As Robin got her hand down between Beth Ann's legs, she then told her how he maneuvered his hand to thrust her finger up Kristin. As Robin said that she was doing the same to Beth Ann. Beth Ann's orgasm took over her body. Robin kept her finger moving in and out, while whispering how Keith would feel if he was doing this. How his longer thicker fingers would grip her walls and the sensation would be magnified. The orgasm didn't want to let down and Beth Ann didn't want it to. She hadn't felt so good in a long time. As the ripples started to die down on Robin's finger she took her other hand, pulling open Beth Ann's blouse and leaned in. Beth Ann starting to come back to her senses was thinking she should push Robin away. Robin was too quick and had one of her nipples in her mouth as her hand rolled her other nipple between her fingers. Robin's other hand was searching and hit its mark quickly. Beth Ann's clit was standing up proudly, wanting to be found and toyed with. As soon as Robin's fingers reached around it, taking it into their grasp, Beth Ann was again taken over by ecstasy. This was what people talked about; this was something she had never been able to understand. The wave of pleasure was almost too much. She let out a scream as her passion consumed her. Robin had released her and as she floated back into reality, she lifted her head. "Oh, God," she said. Standing at the door was Kristin and Mary with big smiles on their faces. "God that looked good," Mary said. "Yea, wow Beth Ann. You must have really needed that," Kristin added. Beth Ann didn't know what to say. She was on display and was flushed, but her body was so drained from that powerful orgasm that she could hardly move. "It looks like you revived, not sleepy anymore Robin?" Mary asked. "Actually I really need to pee. That's why I came in here in the first place." They all giggled a bit. Kristin and Mary helped Beth Ann up. Her legs were still shaky, so they helped her walk. Robin sat down and went, but not much. "I don't know what's up. I feel like I have to go so bad, then it's nothing," Robin commented. They led Beth Ann into the bedroom. Kristin laying Beth Ann's down, Mary pulling a sheet over her. They then sat on each side of the bed. Robin sat in a chair, not feeling a bit uncomfortable that all she had on were panties. Robin then said, "I told Beth Ann about the first night when you showed up in Carp, Kristin." "Oh, Keith was so wonderful, did you tell her about any of the car rides?" "No," Robin laughed, "I never got that far." Kristin and Mary looked at Beth Ann, who was blushing. Kristin always wanting to push things a bit said, "Well, would you like to hear about when Robin and I had Keith in the car for the first time." "Yes," said Mary. Beth Ann and Kristin looked at her, she started laughing, "well I can't help it. He is just..." she sighed. Kristin started telling the tale, "Well then we told Keith I think you'd better pull over." Robin injected, "he said, 'What for?'" "So we can give you a blowjob stupid." Both Kristin and Robin were laughing at this. "He stopped the car, and quick. Kristin continued, "I pulled Keith into the center while Robin exchanged places with him. We had our hands all over Keith. His pants were open before he knew it. We grabbed his stiff shaft and were almost fighting for it. 'It would be better if you took turns, ' he had said. Robin was brought to his face and he started to kiss her. I got his dick." "We went back and forth for a while, one of us kissing him and the other kissing, licking, and sucking. As the tempo increased both of us were getting impatient for the other to finish." Kristin looked over and smiled, "we would break off their kiss early and almost push the other one off. This quickly degraded to forgetting about kissing him and we were licking and kissing each side of my dick. Not that he was complaining, he was moaning. We knew he was close when he said, "Robin, Kristin, I'm going to" that was as far as he got, both of us were trying to get at his head. The result was that we were practically frenching each other. Keith started squirting and we were each trying to get the more than the other. I don't know who had enjoyed it the most." Beth Ann's nipples were clearly erect under the sheet, so were everyone else's in the room, but Beth Ann was trying to remain calm. It was hard after a story like that. Mary was fidgeting, Kristin was breathing heavy, and Robin was actively running her hands over her bare breasts. Mary was watching Robin and being driven crazy. She was the only one in the room that had not gotten off that day. She looked over at Beth Ann, seeing her hard nipples, Mary had to resist reaching out and touching them. Beth Ann saw Mary looking at her and blushed. Mary thought that Beth Ann needed to hear more. More of how wonderful Keith was. "Beth Ann, do you remember what I told you this afternoon about having everyone watch what I did." Beth Ann nodded. Mary went on, "when I came to Keith's wedding, it opened to another world to me. One that I had craved, but knew I couldn't have. It all started with Kristin." Kristin started to blush, Mary continued, "I had heard her the night before talking to her sister, she said she had fucked her brother. It was so wild, so forbidden, so exciting I had to know more." Mary nodded, she knew how she felt. "I didn't know we were going to a wedding or that it was Kristin's brother. My father picks me up and we do things together. It is the only way I get to spend time with him. Anyway we arrive in this town and I see Kristin and then I meet Keith. Let me tell you, I went weak at the knees over him." Robin laughed; Beth Ann rose up to look at her. What she saw drove her crazy. Robin not only was caressing one of her breasts, she had her other hand down her panties, right in front of everyone. It made Beth Ann shudder. Mary was pleased her story was so exciting. "That night, after the wedding I was horny as hell. Kristin and her sister were rooming across the hall. I waited for Kristin and then got her into my room. I told her I had to know what was going on. She told me, but the best of it was she started showing me." Beth Ann was looking between Kristin and Mary. She couldn't look at Robin, she knew if she did she'd start doing what Robin was and everyone would see it too. Mary kept on talking, "Then my dad knocked at the door. It ruined everything. Kristin left and I was frustrated like you wouldn't believe. Then came another knock on the door after daddy left. I was hopping it was Kristin, but it was Cynthia." Mary could see the puzzled look on Beth Ann's face. "That is the wife of the commanding officer of Nelis base. So she tells me she know how I feel being watched all the time. I wondered how she knew. She said it was the same for her also. I could start to see how it would be, then she ask me to come into her room. She brought me into the bathroom and there in the wall was a peephole. She had been watching Kristin and me." Beth Ann got a horrified look on her face. Mary saw it and laughed, "yes I was very embarrassed. Then she said she wanted to do what we had been doing. I was so horny I couldn't stop myself. She ate me and I orgasmed." "Oh, god. She did that to you," Beth Ann asked? "I'm sure you've heard other girls talk about it. I think most of them are lying, it is much better than any of them describe." Mary was lost in the moment. "Did you do that too?" Beth Ann asked tentatively. "No I couldn't. I was shocked that she had done it to me, but it felt so good. I was starting to feel a bit guilty. Probably like you are now." Beth Ann nodded. "Well I'll tell you it didn't' help that when I opened the door to walk back to my room, there stood Keith." Beth Ann gasped. "I knew he could see Cynthia on the bed, still nude. I closed the door, but I knew he'd never want me now. He walked up to me and asked if I had saved any for him." Mary was breathing ragged now thinking about that first time, "I couldn't believe what I did next." Mary looked over to Beth Ann who was staring at her with anticipation. "I took his hands, placed them on my breasts and told him I was available anytime." The bed shuddered and Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann looked at each other wondering who it was that had just had a small orgasm. "Beth Ann started to say, "I wish..." but she couldn't finish. Robin then feeling she needed to add also, said, "did you ever know what Keith was doing there?" Mary looked at her and shook her head while saying, "No." Kristin was looking at Robin with a pained expression, wondering how much she was going to say. "I have to tell you something about Keith's family," Robin said, "Kristin here was always in love with Keith and being younger that was ok. Keith was also in love with her, but you know all about that. Liz is the other sister; she is two years older than Keith. When she was twelve she had a traumatic experience that scared her life. She became hostile to men. Keith loved his sister and took her abuse year after year." Beth Ann noticed Kristin had tears in her eyes. "Kristin found out that at some point Liz fell in love with Keith also, he was always there for her, but it wasn't fair, he was her brother. So she was still mad, not at him, but the situation. When she found out what, Mary overheard, Kristin was fucking him she was devastated." Robin looked at Kristin, "so Kristin hatched a little plan." Beth Ann and Mary looked at Kristin; through the tears on her face, they saw a little smile. "The plan was to have Keith meet Kristin up in their room, Liz was going to be gone. Only it was Liz going to be in the room. Liz fell for the plan. I think she was so desperate she was willing to believe anything. Kristin asked me if it would be ok. I said yes, never believing it would work. Then Kristin told Keith all about it. She knew, better that I had, that Keith, the ever loving brother would do anything for his sisters." "You mean Keith had just done it with Liz when he came out and saw Mary?" Beth Ann asked. "Well," Robin stopped, "there is a lot more to the story." Robin wasn't sure she should tell all of it. "It's ok Robin, go ahead. I don't think Liz would mind," Kristin said. Robin thought that she was her sister and Beth Ann's roommate, so she must know better. "Keith when he got into the room found Liz asleep. He sat down on the bed and started to stroke her face. Then her arms and finely her breasts." Robin was having a hard time getting it out. Beth Ann took it as Robin not wanting this to have happened and she was starting to get the wrong impression of Keith. After a breather, Robin went on, "Liz woke startled and then the nightmare she had been living with since she was twelve flashed in front of her." Beth Ann rose up to see Robin, tears flowing from her face as she choked out the next words. "Liz had been attacked by a male counselor at a camp." The reaction was immediate; Beth Ann pulled herself into the fetal position and started to wail. Kristin and Mary started by her violent reaction took hold of her and held her in their arms. As she started to settle down she said, "how could Keith do it to her, how?" "I think you have the wrong idea Beth Ann," Robin said. This stopped her mid breath; she stared at Robin who went on. "Liz told Keith she didn't think he'd want her. She'd been a beast to him for so many years. She couldn't think that anyone would want her, other than to use her. Those words stung Keith. He didn't know what to say to her or what to do. He just held her in his arms. She then realized he had known it was her in the room. He told her he had always loved her, which was why he'd put up with the torture she dispensed to him daily. She knew then that he was the man she needed, what she said to him, I don't think he'll forget." They all looked at Robin waiting, "Liz said, 'I want you to make me understand what a man can give, not what a man can take away. I don't want that feeling anymore. I want you to give me the love that you showed Kristin. Can you do that?'" Tears were streaming down Kristin's face. "Keith told her what and showed her how he had touched Kristin. Liz just about passed out from the orgasm he gave her and soon after she was asleep like a baby. He left with a set of blue balls. I know, cause I took care of them," Robin smiled. "Mary should be glad Keith can show restraint, or he would have been all over her." Mary said, "I wish he would have." Everyone except Beth Ann snickered. She was still very contemplative. "Do you think he could help..." she stopped short. Robin got up and walked over to Beth Ann, she leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. "What is it," she said. We know it is something big. You are among people who care about you. Don't you know that? Can't you see that? You can't hold it in any longer. Tell us." Beth Ann looked at the three faces. There was nothing but concern, concern for her. She bit her lower lip. "It isn't easy to say," she said. Kristin took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Beth Ann took a deep breath and started telling about her life. She had lived on the gold coast of Oregon. The water is warmer there, the beaches wonderful. She had a wonderful childhood. When high school came everything changed. A boy, the son of the largest employer in the area, made his move on her. He had a very bad reputation and she had been frightened. Beth Ann's father knew that he could loose his business if he complained about what the boy tried to do. She was sent to her aunt's house to live. Although they lived only forty five miles away it was remote. She was now in a one-room schoolhouse. There were three other high school age kids, all girls. She missed her friends, she missed the beach and swimming, she missed her parents. She got along well with her aunt, but her uncle was a gruff man of few words. One day she heard that her mother had taken a fall and needed help. Her aunt went to help and she'd be gone at least a week. That is when the nightmare started. The third day her aunt was gone, her uncle that night came to her room. He pulled out his thing. It looked ugly and disgusting to her. She told him no, he slapped her hard. After some more slaps and threats to do more, Beth Ann sucked him off. The next day she called her mother. Her aunt answered, her mother couldn't get to the phone. Beth Ann couldn't tell her aunt what a terrible thing her husband had done to her. She tried to call her father, but he was in a meeting and too busy. That night and every other night that her aunt was out of the house she was made to take care of her uncle. The most joyous thing about graduating high school was the ability to go away to college and get away from him. She realized when she got here how the boys followed her. It frightened her. All of the girl's faces had tears running down them. Kristin said, "is it all men that make you feel that way?" "It was." Mary looked puzzled, "was?" Beth Ann pulled the pillow in front of her face and said, "until Keith." Her face may have been covered, but the blush was showing on her neck and down her arms. Robin reached over, pulling the pillow away. Beth Ann was beat red. She put her hands over her eyes. Robin lowered her head down and kisses Beth Ann on the lips. Then she whispered in her ear, "you know everyone in this room loves Keith. I'm curious though, what made you fall in love with him?" Beth Ann looked through her fingers and then pulled her hands away from her face. "The first day I saw him, I thought he was just like all the rest. I saw him looking at me, staring at me, right in front of you, Robin." She took a heavy sigh, "but then when we went shopping he was interested in what everyone was getting. I noticed that. At the party, I tried not to be the one staring at him now, but he was like nothing I'd ever seen. That speech he made about not being a hero, how he helped the girls with their silverware," She started to blush again, "then there was the dance floor." The girls laughed. Mary said, "I should have come." Beth Ann once started, continued, "The piano duet with you Kristin, oh that was so touching. He taught the girls to dance. And now..." There was a catch in her voice that made her stop. Mary, Robin, and Kristin looked intently at her as a set of new tears started. "And now he's off rescuing a girl in trouble. I wish he would have been there for me," she wailed. All three girls started kissing Beth Ann, stroking her hair, comforting her. Her composure started to come back when Stephanie walked into the room. It surprised all of them. No one had heard the front door. Stephanie said, as she was staring at the skimpily clad Robin, "it's time to go to the doctor's." That set off a hurried rustle of clothing. Kristin, Beth Ann, and Mary were sure to be late for their classes. As all of them were running out the door there were promises to come back and have dinner together. ------- Mildred was disgusted with her husband. He had wondered off a couple of hours ago and now it was time for Pamela's doctor visit. How could he be so unthoughtful? When Stephanie showed up with Robin, Mildred was to the point of boiling. "Where is daddy?" Pamela asked. "He is not coming with us I guess. Apparently he found something better to do," Mildred said in a curt response. They walked out the door and down the path to the medical building. It took them about ten minutes as they made two wrong turns. Mildred was relieved once they got inside the office. "I need you to fill this out as best as possible," the receptionist said as she gave Mildred a form. Robin looked over as Mildred stared at the Medical Information form. There were a lot of questions that she had no idea about how to answer. "Don't worry. The doctor seems very nice, he will explain anything you don't understand," Robin said. Mildred turned the sheet over. It was insurance information, responsible payment parties, and contact information. Mildred got nervous looking at it. Robin saw Mildred's hand start to shake and wished Keith could have been here. "Here, let me see that," Robin said, gathering her courage. Mildred handed it to Robin wishing she didn't have to deal with it. Robin stood, took the paper over to the receptionist and said, "There are a few things we need to ask the doctor to fill this out properly. We did the best we could." The receptionist took a look at it. The basic information she needed to make up a chart was there. "That will be fine, he will be with you shortly," she said. Robin sat back down; Mildred put her arm around her. "Thank you. I'm glad you're here. I just didn't know what to do." Stephanie and Pamela were thoroughly bored by the time they were called in to the see Dr. Smithers. He sat Pamela up on the examination table and looked at the chart. "There was a lot of questions that I didn't know the answer to," Mildred said somewhat embarrassed. Robin said, "her older daughter was married to the town medic. So he took care of everything." "Oh, I see," said doctor Smithers, "there are only a few things here that are of real importance. If I describe them to you, I'm sure you will know if it ever happened." Mildred shook her head; grateful he was being so nice about the whole thing. As he explained and ask the questions, Mildred and sometimes Robin would answer the questions. "There, now that wasn't so bad. The whole thing is filled out." "I didn't do anything to the other side," Mildred said, dreading what it was about. He flipped it over to take a look at it, and then said, "oh, you don't need to worry about any of that. All the expenses are being provided for. You'll never see any of the costs." Mildred's shoulders dropped, you could see a great weight had just been lifted from her mind. He then turned and looked at Pamela, "Well now we need to have your blouse off young lady so I can check your vitals." She looked at him strange. He then laughed, "vitals are things like your heart rate, blood pressure, things like that." She smiled and nodded. They realized that the jumper style dress she had on, made it necessary to remove both the dress and blouse, leaving her only in her socks, shoes and panties. She wasn't the least bit embarrassed about it. In fact she had her legs apart, swinging them back and forth. This action scooted her forward on the table and had pulled her panties tight against her skin, outlining her pussy lips. He looked down with a start at the sight presenting itself to him. Then he looked back up at her innocent looking face and said, "this always is a bit cold." Taking the stethoscope he listened to her heart. He noticed her tinny nipples hardening to the cold instrument. He was glad the others were in the room, his thoughts were not very professional and he was ashamed of them. Then he took her blood pressure, then fitted a cone shaped piece to the end of a metal cylinder that was hanging on the wall. None of them had seen anything like it before. He used it to look down her throat, up her nose, and into her ears. He then opened and closed her jaw a few times, checking fit and bite. Sitting down into the chair he studied Pamela's face. She was feeling a bit awkward having someone stare at her like he was. Making notes in her chart, he then looked up. His eyes stopped at the slight wet spot on her panties. He shook his head; it couldn't be what he was thinking. Standing quickly he said, "you can get dressed now." Then turning to Mildred, "I need some x-rays. The receptionist will set them up for you. The receptionist had called the x-ray lab. They had an opening in thirty five minutes. She suggested that they could go down to the cafeteria on the first floor. She told them it wasn't like a normal cafeteria, more like a place to get a sandwich, some coffee and ice cream. The word ice cream seemed to perk up the ears of Pamela and Stephanie. So it decided, they found the shop. It was in a small corner of the building with an outside patio. When Mildred saw the prices she was surprised and a bit embarrassed. Robin caught on quickly and said, "This is my treat." Mildred looked at her surprised. "Keith left me some money on the table with a note to have fun while he was gone. I think this qualifies." Although they only had four flavors so it took no time to decide. Once they all had cones, they went outside to sit. Robin was looking at another table, two gals and one guy were sitting there. They noticed her, and said, "You were in the art appreciation class this morning." They came over. Introductions were done and they pulled there chairs over. The two gals were students and the guy was the teacher of the class. Robin asked what other classes they were taking. Pamela and Stephanie were not terribly interested in the conversation and started running around the grass. The two gals excused themselves as they had a project for the art class to complete. This left the teacher chatting with Mildred and Robin. He was a bit older than Mildred and Robin his obvious preference to her. Mildred also noticed and was becoming almost giddy with the attention. As he excused himself and left Robin noticed Mildred's eyes trailing his steps. "Well, well, well," Robin said. "Maybe you should come to the art class. You could model for the class. I'm sure that you would like it." "Really? Do you think so?" Mildred asked innocently. "The teacher did seem very nice" "So I noticed." Mildred blushed a bit, Robin went on, "you know the class is on the human form." Mildred took a sharp breath, "oh!" Robin couldn't contain herself, "yes, they deal with nudes." Mildred's eyes got big and she turned red. Robin laughed, "don't tell me he got to you that much." "No, of course not. I just... I mean it is just... " Robin laughed again, "I know Mildred, it feels nice to have someone complementing you. It makes you feel good." Mildred shook her head yes, blushing again, but not saying a word. Robin called the girls and they went to find the x-ray lab. The technician was very nice and helpful in making Pamela feel comfortable. In no time they were done and walking back to their housing. As they turned the corner and saw through the gate at the doorway of Mildred's place they got a shock. ------- Lieutenant Payne was furious. Keith Patterson was his dream job. A high profile operation that would boost his career and now, now the guy has taken off. To Redding of all places. He needed answers and he needed them fast. Driving over to their housing he found Robert in desperate straits. Robert was also not happy that Keith had taken off. He had promised the night before to help him. Help him with his problem. Robert was getting desperate. He needed that drink. He saw Payne as a possible way to get what he needed. Payne saw Robert as a way of getting the goods on Keith. Robert saw that bottle that Payne had in his car as liquid gold. He got into Lt. Payne's car and went to his billet. Robert was poured a small amount, he was ask questions. By the time Robert was more than half way through the bottle, Lieutenant Payne was nowhere near having enough answers. Robert knew a lot about mining, he had told Payne the whole history of mining in Carp. When it came to Keith Patterson, he knew very little. He didn't even know what the problem was with his own daughter and why Keith was going there to get her. Payne couldn't understand. He kept on pressing Robert, there must be more. People simply don't set up doctor's appointments, line up transportation and run off to rescue a guy's daughter without a really good reason. Robert didn't have one and the more he drank, the less he knew. Robert passed out at the table. Payne was incredulous. He had his driver help him carry Robert to the car, driving him to his house. Robert had woken up enough so that with a little help, he walked to the gate. Shrugging off any more help, they left him to walk down the path, only twenty five feet to his door. After they left, he fell over. He found he was having a hard time standing up. By the time he got to the door, he fell on his knees, turned towards the bushes and threw up. That is where Robin and Mildred saw him. ------- Robin quickly grabbed Pamela and Stephanie, diverting their attention. She took them into her house. Mildred looked on in disgust at Robert. She couldn't contain her anger as she was walking down the path. "Just what were you thinking? What kind of father are you to our daughter?" Robert looked up at Mildred and saw the anger in her eyes. Robin who was in the house came over to shut the open window that allowed the sound to travel to the ears of the two young girls. As she crossed the room and shut the sound off they heard Mildred say, "You are a disgrace, do you know you missed your daughters doctor appointment? Robin came along and she acted more of a parent than you are. In the house with you." Robin turned to see Stephanie and Pamela with there mouth's hanging open. "That's enough you two. Pamela I'm sure you have seen your dad not up to par before." She was shaking her head yes and said, "but... mom... never... said... anything." "I'm sure that she is under a lot of stress right now. People say things that they might not otherwise. It is nothing for you to worry about, ok." ------- Inside the house with Mildred and Robert things were just heating up. "It's not my fault." Robert managed to get out. "Not your fault! Whose fault is it? Did someone force you to drink?" Robert was getting mad now. Mildred had never talked to him this way before. "Keith said he'd get me something today. He's gone, so I had to find it another way. Like I said it's not my fault." "Keith said he'd get you a drink?" Mildred was surprised at that. "Is that what he said?" Robert's head was hurting, "He said he'd get me some help." "Oh!" Mildred said putting her hands up to her face in frustration. "He was more likely getting you help with your drinking problem, not getting you something to drink." Robert was trying to figure that out. He was having a hard time trying to make sense of anything. "Well if that doesn't beat all. That just makes me mad. Lieutenant Payne was mad at Keith too." "Is that where you were? With him?" Mildred stared at Robert hardly believing what he'd just said. "Yes, he at least had something to drink." Robert got a funny look on his face and ran to the bathroom. Mildred heard the familiar sound of someone emptying their stomach. As much as she hated what he's done, she wasn't without compassion. Getting a washcloth she went into the bathroom and started cleaning up Robert. Bringing him to the bed she undressed him down to his socks and underwear. He laid back and she covered him. She could hear him start to snore as soon as she was in the hall. Sighing heavily she shook her head. ------- Stephanie and Pamela had just started playing a game while Robin was in the kitchen taking stock of what could be managed to cook for dinner. The ringing of the phone set Robin running down the hall. She wasn't expecting a call so it was a total surprise to her. Phones were not something she was use to having in a house. "Hello, this is Robin." "Oh, hello. I didn't catch you at a bad time did I, you sound a bit out of breath." "No, just ran to the phone, I was on the other side of the house." "Ok then. This is doctor Smithers office. He wanted to know if Pamela could come back in. We had a cancellation of a surgery Monday morning, so he wanted to see about the possibility of getting her into that slot. He needs to see her again. Is it possible to come back over?" "I don't think that would be a problem, when?" "As soon as you can make it." "I'll round up the group and we'll be over." As she walked back out to the front room there was a knock at the door. "Stephanie you answer the door. Pamela, I need you to go get your mother and father." Stephanie had answered the door by the time Pamela was getting up. She wasn't to sure about going over there. "Hurry up," Robin said, giving Pamela a pat on the butt. "Hi Kristin and Beth Ann, sorry we need to go. The doctor just called and wants to see Pamela again." "Is there a problem?" Kristin asked, concerned. "There was an opening Monday for surgery and he'd like to get her in there, but he's got to see her again. So we're off to do that." Kristin and Beth Ann nodded there heads. "I looked in the cupboards, there's not much to make dinner. I was hoping to have something more than opening a can." Beth Ann smiled, "don't worry about that, Kristin and I can go to the market and pick up a few things while you're gone." With that, everyone walked out. ------- Pamela tentatively knocked on the door. Mildred thought she heard something but wasn't sure. The second time it happened she opened the front door. There stood her frightened daughter. "What's wrong?" Mildred said quickly. "You... dad... ok?" Mildred hugged her daughter, "I'm ok, what are you doing here?" "Robin... said... come." Mildred slammed the front door, Robert never even heard the load bang it made. "Daddy... too." "Sorry sweetheart, your father is sound asleep. He's not going anywhere for a while." Robin was at the end of the gate with Stephanie as Mildred and Pamela came up. "Where's Robert?" Robin asked. "He's asleep," Mildred said in a not so pleasant voice. "What's going on?" Robin once again explained what the receptionist had said as they were walking down the path. Pamela was trying to take all this in. "I'm... going... to... be... better... Monday?" Mildred smiled at her daughter. "I don't know what it means." Robin piped in, "we'll know a lot more when we get there." This time with Robin remembering the way, they were there shortly. The receptionist ushered them right into a room. Doctor Smithers was in within moments. "You are our last patient, actually I already saw my last scheduled patient. That is why I needed you to get here so fast. I hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience for you." They shook there heads no. "Good." He looked over to Mildred. "I would have expected to see your husband here." She shook her head, sighing deeply. "He's drunk." Stephanie said. Everyone turned to look at her and she realized what she said was out of place. "Sorry," she squeaked out. "Can I see you out here." doctor Smithers said to Mildred. They went into the hall. Stephanie looked at Robin, "please don't be mad at me." "I'm not mad, but we will have a talk later about what you should and shouldn't say in front of others. It can get you and others into a heap of trouble." Mildred and doctor Smithers came back in. "Now I have some good and bad news. I'm not one to mince words. I tell it like it is. I don't think it is appropriate for you," he was looking at Pamela, "to think things will happen that might not. Do you understand?" She shook her head yes. "Good. Now I took a look at the x-rays," he pulled them out. Clipped them onto a white piece of glass on the wall and turned on a light behind it. "Take a look at this, here is your jaw, it surprisingly enough is in very good alignment. That is a bit of good news. This area up here is the cartilage in your nose. That predictably is not so good. What we think should have been done is some surgery when she was born. Now I know that didn't happen. The biggest real problem is that she has a speech impediment, that can go away. The other problem of course is that she undoubtedly has had a large share of teasing. We are just starting to see how that is a big problem. There are a few doctors now who are doing surgeries just for cosmetic reasons alone. Many in our profession do not agree with it. But as the information keeps coming out, people who feel like they look good on the outside have an easier time feeling good on the inside." "Sorry, got off track. So if she would have had some corrective surgery when she was a baby, some of the problems would have been minimized. That is the surgery we will be doing now." Robin who had been listening intently, said, "does that mean more surgery in the future?" Mildred stared at her. "Yes that is part of the bad news. When she goes through puberty, her nose will grow from a girls nose to an adult nose. We can not correct everything until then." Pamela got a sad look on her face. The doctor noticed it. "Now don't get me wrong Pamela. That doesn't mean that we won't be correcting some of the visual things." He pulled out some charts. "Now take a look at this picture, then this one. That is what we will be able to accomplish." "Wow." she said with a big smile. "It takes two operations to get you there. What I would like is to do is have the first one on Monday. I can't tell you it will be pleasant. It won't be. After we redo your lip, you won't be able to eat or talk for at least four days. There will be tubes giving you food and you will have a pen and paper to write things down." Pamela was looking a bit frightened at hearing what it would be like. She wasn't sure anymore. "On Wednesday we would do the other part of the surgery, that is to work on your nose just a bit and help open up the passageways. Of the two this isn't as bad." Robin said, "why don't you do them at the same time?" "Good question. There are two answers. First it takes a good bit of time for the mouth operation and we don't like to have anyone under anesthetic, especially so young, for any longer than we have to. Secondly we are working with both breathing areas. We would rather do them at different times. It has been shown to reduce complications." Robin got down on her knees in front of Pamela. "Do you understand what he is saying? What would happen and what you would get out of it?" She could see the water in her eyes. Pamela shook her head slightly up and down. "Pamela, you know that we will all be with you. Not during the operation of course, but someone will always be with you, always." As a tear rolled down her cheek she had a half smile and said, "ok. Keith too?" Robin laughed, "yes Keith too," that made Pamela smile, "your sister as well remember." That produced even a larger smile. The doctor turning to Mildred, said, "do you have any other questions?" She turned to Robin, "do we? I'm sorry I don't quite understand all of this and you are being more of a help than I can say." Robin stood and gave her a hug. Turning to the doctor, "nothing other than what are we to do to get ready?" The receptionist, who I'm sure has gone home by now will hopefully remembered to leave out a checklist of do's and don'ts. Everything is explained in there. I'll give you directions to where we will meet. We will need here there at seven thirty in the morning." They said their good byes, got the instructions and headed for home. Pamela was a bundle of nerves. "What's the dinner thing Robin?" Stephanie asked. "It is just Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann coming over. They want to get together and talk," Turning to Mildred she said, "maybe you could come over and we could talk about art." Mildred's eyes got wide and she said, "maybe I should keep the girls over at my house this evening so you can talk your girl talk." "But I want..." Stephanie tried to protest. "You and Pamela will be dining at my house this evening, end of discussion." "Humh." Stephanie said. Robin and Mildred exchanged glances and then smiles. Robin knew that Mildred would die of shock if she knew what was going on behind closed doors, but she had been able to talk with her like never before and it was very nice. ------- Robert heard the door slam, well she's gone I guess. He got up and wondered out to the front room. He rubbed his red eyes trying to focus. There was Mildred, Pamela and Stephanie. What he'd heard was them returning. Mildred noticed him first. "Robert," she yelled. "do you realize what you're wearing?" He glanced down suddenly putting his arms in the classic fig leaf position and ran back down the hall. Stephanie and Pamela were looking at each other giggling. "Now girls he's going to really wake up soon and realize that that wasn't so funny, so no comments, do you understand?" Dinner was rather a subdued affair. Robert was having to concentrate as hard as he could to Pamela's speech about what was going to happen on Monday. The more he ate and the better his head felt from having something other than alcohol in his stomach. His heart was not feeling very good though. What Mildred had said to him was true. He had failed his daughter, as she was telling him where Robin was asking questions, he knew that should have been him. He was a failure, he felt it pretty completely now. First there was the mine accident. They were working for that little extra bit and the double checks for the bracing hadn't been done. It cost five lives. Stephanie's father was one of them. That is what had started him on the bottle. Now from that bottle he was failing his daughter as well. After dinner Robert sat silently in a chair. His wife had finished the dishes long ago and the two girls were well into finishing a game they had been playing this afternoon. He was in a dark deep contemplative mood. The knock on the door woke up his senses to what was going on around him once again. He recognized the doctor that he'd seen when everyone first arrived; the other gentleman was a stranger to him. They introduced themselves, doctor Don Smithers and doctor William Henry. Mildred took a look at then and then the girls, "I think you should go and see what Robin is doing," she said. That was fine with them that is where they wanted to be in the first place. Scampering out the door, they were half way down the path when they heard the door slam. Mildred offered them seats. "Let me come to the point as we don't normally make house calls," doctor Smithers said. "You may not know who I am, but you are scheduled to see me on Monday," doctor Henry said to Mildred. "Doctor Smithers gave me a call after seeing your daughter today." Doctor Smithers interjected, "I asked where you were," he said directing his speech to Robert. "The response that slipped from one of the girls mouths was that you were drunk." Robert dropped his head into his hands. "It is of great concern to us. With two people in medical need and the third an obvious alcoholic we are wondering where the care giving is going to come from?" The words stung in his mind 'alcoholic'. Mildred started to say something but the two doctors quieted her. "We know how stressful this is, even with only one person from a family. With two undergoing operations and tests there needs to be a strong focal person that can take charge." "Looking at the chart, It says that you are a supervisor at the mine. Is that correct Robert?" He lifted his head and said, "yes." "Then you know how to take charge. This is what you have to do and if you can't do it, as a supervisor, you delegate that job to someone who can." "What we are trying to say is that you can not and will not be let off the hook. This is your responsibility and we are here tonight because we felt you needed to hear it directly from us." "If we can help you in any way, please let us know. But understand that if you do anything to undermine our patients, that is your wife and daughter, we will take action. Their best interest is in our hands. I would sincerely hope it is in yours also." With that they got up and left. Robert watched his wife slam the door shut after they left. He understood what they said. He just wasn't sure he could do what they were asking. He knew what he was like without a drink. It wasn't pleasant. He knew he made a jackass of himself at the party the other night. He also knew that it was much too easy to have that one more drink. The drink that set him up like today. He didn't know how he was going to cope. The only sign of hope was that Daisy would be here. That would help; she always took up the slack. ------- Robin opened her door to the sound of laughter from the kitchen, she smiled and went to say hello. She stopped stock still in the doorway. There was Kristin and Mary without tops on, Robin gasped, they turned to look at her, she turned towards the front room and said, "Lieutenant Payne, have a seat there would you." Both gals shrieked and covered their breasts. It was now Robin who was laughing hysterically. They knew they'd been had and started chasing her. They caught up to her in the back bedroom, pulling off her top and bra. She was giggling when Kristin bent down sucking in one of her nipples. Robin took a gasp of air; they stopped suddenly when they heard Beth Ann call out, "anybody here?" "Back here," Robin yelled. Kristin and Mary looked at her with terror on their faces, "our tops are in the kitchen," Kristin said. "And how many times has she seen you change before?" Robin questioned. Beth Ann walked into the room and blinked several times, then stared to blush. Robin walked over to her, "say what you were thinking." Beth Ann trembled, looked down at the floor and said, "what did I miss?" This sent then all into giggles. Mary recounting how they were going to shock Robin and what she did to shock them instead. How they chased her back here and pulled her top off. Beth Ann was smiling and said without even thinking, "sounds like fun." Mary and Robin looked at each other and sprang towards Beth Ann who shrieked and ran into the hall towards the other bedroom. Mary and Kristin, who was now part of it also, cornered her. Robin amidst mock protest pulled Beth Ann's blouse off, then reaching around her, undid her bra and let it fall. There was no mistaking the hard nipples protruding from her breasts. Beth Ann was breathing heavy and it was not from a little running. Robin looked into Beth Ann's eyes. As well as the excitement, there was a little fear. She knew from Jill it was best not to push her too much, so she changed the subject all together. "What's for dinner? How can we help?" "It's all out in the kitchen, come on," Kristin said. Kristin and Mary walked out of the room and down the hall. Robin looked at Beth Ann who was staring back and forth from Robin to the doorway. Robin winked at her, motioned with her fingers to come and walked out too. Beth Ann looked down at her feet; her bra and blouse were there. She took a big gulp and started walking towards the kitchen and her true and fast friends. Cooking was an amusing task as each of the gals were bumping into each other. This along with the previous play meant dinner was a bit late. As they got everything to the table, the decision was made that blouses were in order, no bras and not to be buttoned. Kristin and Mary's were still in the kitchen. Robin and Beth Ann went to retrieve theirs from the two bedrooms. As they came back out Beth Ann stopped Robin. "Thank you," she said. "You are doing more to help me feel alive again than anyone has been able to." Robin hugged Beth Ann, giggled and then whispered in her ear, "wait till Keith gets a hold of you." Robin could feel the heat of her blush before she pulled away. Beth Ann was as very red. Her lips were quivering, but she didn't say a word. Robin grabbed her hand and pulled her back out to the front. Dinner conversation was lively, mostly to do with sex. Many stories were shared about the adventures with Keith. Robin said she couldn't wait to get her hands on him and hoped Daisy hadn't worn him out to much. They had just cleaned up there dinner when they heard the loud bang of Mildred and Robert's door. Almost two seconds later Pamela and Stephanie came through their door. They stood panting and staring. "You don't have bras on!" Stephanie exclaimed. The gals had, through dinner forgotten about their dress and now Beth Ann and Mary, conscious of their display pulled the bloused closed. "Stephanie, why don't you shout it to everyone and do leave the door wide open while doing so." Robin said in a stern voice that told Stephanie that once again she had done wrong. Quickly closing the door she ran over to Robin, a tear in her eye. "I'm not doing very well today. Are you going to spank me?" She looked up at Robin with pleading eyes. "No," Robin said, "but our talk is going to be just a bit longer." Stephanie gulped. "Besides, you and I might like the spanking to much." Kristin and Mary laughed, Beth Ann had a smirk on her face, and Pamela and Stephanie were looking at Robin as though she was out of her mind. "It was just a joke," Robin said, "one you'll understand when you're a bit older." "Oh, poo," Stephanie said. This made everyone laugh again, even Stephanie. The first question on the gals mind was Robert. This got Stephanie talking, she didn't stop with the full-blown narration until it came to when they opened the door at this house. Pamela looked at Robin and asked, "why... did... doctor... come... over?" "Maybe he needed to see your dad for something, he wasn't at the appointment," Robin answered. Pamela nodded, as that was a good answer. Robin as well as the older gals knew this was probably not the real reason and Robin for one was going to find out. With the girls there, Beth Ann had tensed up a bit. Mary and Kristin noted it. They also noted the time. Without some major excuse, which they didn't have, or a reasonable advanced notice, the dorm monitor would write them up for coming in late. It was part of the universities obligation to the parents in keeping their children safe. So off they went, planing to get together again tomorrow. Robin told the girls it was bath time. They started to complain until she said Keith would like to smell their clean hair and he'd be home tomorrow. They raced towards the bathroom. Why they were complaining before, Robin didn't know as they were giggling and laughing now. When she got in to the bathroom she saw two nude bottoms pointing towards her. Both of them had undressed and were now leaning over the tub, mooning Robin. She ran up and gave both girls a smack, to which they both squealed in laughter. After filling the tub and checking the temperature, she left them to their bath. The giggling could be heard down the hall as she straightened up the front room. After checking the kitchen and turning off lights, she was heading down the hall again. She noticed there was no more giggling, it was silence. She stopped to listen and soon she heard the faint sound of a moan. She smiled and not wanting to disturb and embarrass Pamela, she called out, "bath time should just about be done." She heard the splashing of water and then a weak response of "ok," from Stephanie. As Robin entered the bedroom she saw the empty bed and for the first time since this morning, she felt the pain of being without him. The paddling of feet into her room interrupted her thoughts. Both naked little girls needed their hair dried well and then combed before bed. Dora had always done Stephanie's hair. Daisy had done Pamela's hair for as long as she could remember. Katy had done Robin's, but now she was the one combing out the girls hair. She had always been on the receiving line and had always enjoyed it. Now came the realization it was no chore, but in fact a pleasurable thing to do. When that was done she took the girls to their beds and tucked them in, giving each a kiss. She took their underwear, the only ones they had and washed them in the sink, hanging them to dry. Upon returning, Robin was once again faced with the empty bed. She knew she was not going to enjoy this night. Getting into bed she felt frustrated. Then a thought flashed, the dildo! She almost laughed out loud. Getting up silently she snuck across the floor as she was a little girl getting something she should not have. Hidden in the back of a drawer, in a towel, she felt the unmistakable shape. Her heart was beating fast and she was awash with excitement. Her footsteps sounded like pounding hooves, she was sure to be discovered. It surprised her as she felt the edge of the bed. She had made it and now her secret was safe. Slipping beneath the covers, she held the object of desire in her hands, letting her fingers stroke it, as though it was human, as though it would respond. She brought the tool to her mouth imagining it was Keith's. Not just in size and shape, but in reality. Keeping her lips together she pushed it in, past her lips, across her tongue, and towards the back of her mouth. The excitement was building in her body and as she coated the tool with the moisture from her tongue, moisture in between her legs was seeping out and running down to her rosebud and then to the sheet. She had had enough toying. Taking the instrument into her both her hands, she spread her legs and pierced herself. She cried out in passion as it sunk deep within her, the orgasm taking control of her. The sound from the other room didn't penetrate her. The shuffling of feet didn't awake her outer senses. It wasn't until she heard Stephanie say, "Robin, Robin are you ok?" did she open her eyes and realize Pamela and Stephanie were there, standing on each side of the bed. As the room was dark they couldn't see clearly. Her legs spread, her hands between her legs, were masked by darkness and covers. The beads of sweat were not recognizable. She was sure if she spoke it would give everything away. Pamela was scared, "Robin... what... wrong?" Like it or not, Robin brought her hands out and reached for the girl. She pulled her tight as she said, "nothing is wrong." It was then that Stephanie got a whiff of Robin's fingers. "Boy you can say that again. Pamela, she was playing with her pussy." "Stephanie!" Robin said surprised at her. Then Pamela giggled and said, "really... you... do... it... to?" Robin looked at Pamela's questioning eyes, "yes Pamela, I do it to." Pamela shivered, whether from what Robin had just said or whether she was cold, she wasn't sure. They were both standing there naked. Pamela then said, "can... we... get... in?... cold." Robin was about to answer, not knowing quite what to say when she felt the covers on her left side being raised. She turned to see Stephanie wasn't waiting for and answer, she was already climbing in. Pamela followed suit. Robin was trapped now, feeling a bit like she had on the plane. Stephanie being bold, took Robins arm and snuggled herself between it and her body. Robins arm was now trapped under Stephanie's neck, running down her side. Pamela, not to be left out did the same thing. All three girls were now lying on their backs, Robin trapped in the center. Much to Robin's surprise it was Pamela who said something first. "What... you... do... tonight... with... girls... no... bras... on?" Robin giggled, pulling her arm against Pamela. This caused her to turn on her side towards robin. Pinching her little bottom she tried to answer. She proceeded to tell the tale of the gals running through the house. All the girls were laughing. Stephanie also moved to her side, facing Robin. Stephanie then asked the inevitable question. "Were you lonely without Keith, is that why you were doing yourself?" There was a catch in Robin's voice when she said, "yea." Stephanie decided she knew of a good remedy for that and pulling down the sheet, reached over and sucked one of Robin's nipples into her mouth. It happened so fast all Robin could do is gasp. Stephanie then let go, looking at Pamela and said to her, "you do it to." Pamela upon seeing what Stephanie had done was fascinated and when given the idea she could try it to, went for it. Robin now had two leaches shucking her breasts. Robin had been interrupted in the middle of a good orgasm and her body craved more. The girls with their sucking as well as the dildo, still encased within of her, had Robin panting within minutes. Both girls were starting to respond as well. Their leg slipping over Robin's and their pussies pushing into her leg. Robin grabbed and massaged their butts; she was starting to loose control of her senses. Robin grabbing their sides pulled them on top of her. Each girl straddling her spread legs. Stephanie wanting more reached down and toyed with Robin's pubic hair, getting groans from Robin. She still wanted more and slipped her hand down into her puffy lips. Stephanie jerked her hand back, broke contact with Robin's breast and cried, "what's that?" Robin had felt the contact, as soon as Stephanie's fingers had touched her toy it had sent ripples inside of her body. "It is... , " Robin didn't quite know how to answer. Pamela felt left in the dark, "What... you... have?" Robin sighed. She felt herself blushing. "They make things that are like guy's," she said. "You mean like their dicks!" Stephanie said in astonishment. "Yes," Robin said without feeling any better about explaining this. "They are called a dildo," then remembering what had happened today she quickly added, "If I ever hear you say that word outside of our house, I will punish you." Stephanie got the message. "I know," she said somewhat dejected. "This one," Robin went on, "is about the size and shape of Keith." "Oh... can... I... see?" Pamela said in awe. Robin laughed, "well it was what was making me feel so good when you two came in, so it is inside of me." Pamela, her eyes wide, said, "sorry." Robin laughed again, "It's ok. Let's throw back the sheets and you can see." Stephanie and Pamela couldn't wait. They ripped the sheets down, Robin spread her legs wider and as the two girls watched, she extracted her toy. Their mouths were hanging open in awe. Stephanie was the quickest on the uptake, saying, "can I feel it?" Robin looked at it, glistening, and thought she should wipe it off when Stephanie reached out and took hold of it. Robin and Pamela watched as she looked at it and then put it up to her mouth. Robin was about to say something, but all that came out was a groan as she saw Stephanie's tongue snake out and lick the end of it. Robin's voice came back to her, "Stephanie," she chided, "that's not what it's for." Stephanie had a dreamy expression. "It is like Keith's, can I try it?" "Me... too?" Pamela said. Robin looked over at her surprised. She had a look of rapture on her face. She wrapped her arms around the girl. "Not yet sweetheart," the dejected look just about broke Robin's heart. She looked into her eyes and said, "The first time, you don't want a toy, you will want the real thing. I wouldn't want to take away that wonderful feeling, that is why." Pamela searched Robin's eyes and then said, "with Keith?" Robin broke into a smile, followed by Pamela's, "yes I think so, but it needs to be special, ok." "Ok." Now that, that was settled, Robin turned back to Stephanie, who was expecting something similar. "To answer your question, only if you pretend I'm Keith and I use it on you." Stephanie gulped, but her head was already shaking yes. Pamela watched as Robin took the dildo from her and placed it in her lap. Then she reached around Stephanie's neck and pulled her in for a kiss. When they broke Stephanie said, "wow Robin" "No," reminded Robin, "wow Keith." Stephanie and Pamela giggled. "Yes, wow Keith." Then Robin said in a deep voice, making them giggle again, "my Stephanie, that kiss was good, I think I need to kiss you more." With that Robin pushed Stephanie back and started kissing and nibbling her way from neck to breast and from breast to pussy. Stephanie took no time to get into the act and was calling out, "oh Keith that feels so good." When Robin got Stephanie nice and wet she raised up and again using a low voice said, "look at what you've created, I'm as hard as ever." This sent the girls into hysterics as Robin spread Stephanie's legs wider and climbed between them. With one hand holding herself up, her other hand held the dildo at her crotch and as she moved in, Stephanie felt it tough her. She became silent and her eyes grew as she felt Robin run it up and down her slit. Robin was watching in fascination, remembering how it felt when Keith had done this to her. Stephanie's lips separated and her hole presented itself to the invading tool. Robin was tentative as she entered, but Stephanie was too worked up at this point and thrust her hips up too meet it, forcing more in. Stephanie's orgasm overtook her and as she flailed her arms, the fantasy never left her, "Keith I love you," she screamed. Robin slipped the still erect toy out of Stephanie's limp body and thought to herself, that would be nice, always hard. Stephanie was in afterglow. She looked at Robin and smiled, "thank you," she said and closed her eyes. Pamela scooted up to Robin and whispered in her ear, "wow... and... Keith... is... better. I... can't... wait." Robin looked over at her and smiled. "Yes, better. Now lets take a look at you," she said as she laid Pamela down. She touched her outer lips and felt the beginnings of an orgasm. Robin quickly found her clit and massaged her through it. Robin was amazed that was all it took. Pamela smiled, then said, "was... rubbing... when... watching." That made a lot more sense to Robin. She looked back at Stephanie who was asleep and then to Pamela who was almost there. Pulling the covers back up, covering the three of them, she laid back down. She had only had that interrupted orgasm, but, all in all the evening was fun. That was her last thought as she drifted off to sleep. ------- Chapter 25 The morning came early, or so Robin thought, she awoke from a most pleasant dream by the sound of Mildred's door slamming. Robin was startled as she heard the quick rustling of sheets, and then remembered she had company in bed with her. She turned to see a red faced Pamela. Pamela had been awake for some time. She was excited about so many things. Yesterday was filled with many new things; she thought she could just burst. Her mind was brought back to last night. Her leg moved and touched a hard object in the bed. It was the dildo! Not wanting to awake Robin, her hands trembled as she gently reached for it. Robin had said it was about the size and shape of Keith. As she held it in her hands looking at it, she felt warmth radiating from the juncture of her legs, like she was blushing. Pamela remembered Stephanie licking the dildo. She wondered what it would be like to lick it, well really what it would be like to lick Keith. She tried to picture in her mind when she had rushed into their barracks and there he was. His thing, his dick she remembers Robin calling it, was hard. She almost laughed out loud when she thought about it all. That warmth was radiating even more from her. She was almost hot. Closing her eyes, she brought the dildo up to her mouth. Reliving that barrack incident, but this time, Keith got up and brought his dick to her. It was right in front of her mouth. She opened her lips and her little tongue touched the end of the dildo. It sent shivers down her very warm body. Pamela was trying to be careful about how much noise she was making, but it felt so nice to have the end of the dildo in her mouth. The dried juices tasted good to her and the images of Keith smiling at her had her body on fire. Soon it wasn't enough and although Robin had said she couldn't yet, she needed to feel what it would be like. Giving the dildo one last lick as she pulled it out of her mouth, she slowly snaked it down her nude body, rubbing it against her nipples as she went. She was causing the bed to shake and it woke Stephanie up. She looked over to Robin and saw that she was still asleep. Stephanie knew it must be Pamela. Not wanting to wake Robin by turning her head and looking, she just smiled to herself, knowing what Pamela was doing. It started her thinking about last night as well. Her hands moved around slowly, in hopes to find that toy that Robin had used to bring her so much pleasure. The nine year old spread her legs, as she got close. The dildo slipped between her legs and slid across her hairless lips. The feeling was much more intense than she realized it would be and she let out a surprised "ahh!" and froze hoping it didn't wake anyone. Stephanie was frustrated she couldn't find the toy, then she heard Pamela gasp, the bed jiggle a bit. She wondered is Pamela had the toy and almost laughed. She remained quiet, knowing Pamela would be embarrassed and would stop. Somehow Stephanie wanted to know what was happening, wanted to hear more, wanted it to go on. As scary as that outburst of noise, she wasn't going to stop, she couldn't. Her body felt like it was on fire and the only thing that would quench it was the dildo between her legs. Moving it again she found her lips spread. There was moisture on the dildo now, making it glide back and forth. She didn't know where it had come from. She couldn't remember having moisture down there before. Pamela couldn't concentrate on that point, the feeling between her legs was getting stronger. She was now moving it back and forth running it from the top of her slit to her puckered rosebud. The bed was shaking in a small but distinct motion. Her mouth uttering "ahh... ahh... ahh" softly. Stephanie was surprised Robin hadn't woken from this, but the smile she saw on Robin's lips told her she was having a nice dream. Stephanie wondered if maybe the motion and noise added to her dream. She couldn't control herself any longer. Her hands had traveled down and were caressing the folds between her legs. It all came to an abrupt end when the door slammed outside. Pamela dropped the dildo and razed her hands, just in time to see Robin looking at her, then over Robin's shoulder Stephanie was looking at her. She was sure they knew just what she had been doing and Pamela turned so red Robin thought there might be something wrong with her. "What's the matter?" Robin said to Pamela. Pamela just turned stared at her. Stephanie said, "Pamela's been playing with herself." Pamela gasped. Then was startled as Robin turned towards Stephanie. Robin threw back the covers and reached between Stephanie's legs, feeling the wetness said, "Oh, and what have you been doing?" Robin brought back up her glistening fingers for all to see. Pamela realized that the moisture she had felt must have come from herself, but that had never happened before. The blond seven year old was put on the hot seat, "well I couldn't help it. Pamela was shaking the bed and moaning. I was surprised it didn't wake you" Robin raised her eyebrows and looked back at Pamela, who was looking rather sheepish now. Robin remembered her dream and chuckled. Then out of the corner of her eye Robin spotted something dark between Pamela's legs. "Pamela, I thought I told you, you needed to wait?" Pamela looked down to where Robin's eyes were gazing and saw the end of the dildo showing. "But... I..." Pamela was shaking with fear, she grabbed the sheets and pulled them over her head, turning away from them, she started to cry. Robin quickly looked at Stephanie and motioned for her to get out of the bed and go around to the other side. As Stephanie did this, Robin scooped up the surprised girl, sheet and all, moving her to the center of the bed. Then Robin pried the sheet away from Pamela's head and started kissing her. Stephanie got the idea and getting on the other side of Pamela, she started kissing her also. Pamela finely opened her eyes, "you... not... angry?" Robin smiled, "no Pamela, I just wanted your first time to be with someone who really loves you." Pamela looked at Robin and questioned, with hope, "Keith?" "Yes Pamela, Keith. Did you put it inside of you?" Robin asked a little worried. Pamela looked at her with concern, "no... no... why... do... that?... Felt... so... good... rubbing," she realized she had said what she was doing and blushed heavily again. With that Robin pulled the sheet off Pamela and laid her on her back. The dildo was still trapped between her legs. Robin spread Pamela's legs apart, noting the juices. "Pamela," she said as she picked up the dildo and looked at the opened lips before her, "close your eyes and tell me what you were thinking when you were rubbing this on you." Pamela closed her eyes, but was a bit embarrassed about saying anything, that was until she felt the dildo run across her slit again. "ahhhhh" she moaned. Robin pointed to Stephanie to pay attention to Pamela's nipples. Stephanie smiled and moved over, sucking one into her mouth. Pamela's eyes flew open. "Close your eyes Pamela and tell me what you were thinking of," Robin said. Then she wiggled the dildo across Pamela's clit for added incentive. Robin and Stephanie heard the tale, from when she found the dildo, how her body had warmed, her licking it and then putting the end into her mouth, It had tasted strange to her, then remembering where it had been, she knew it was the dried juices of Robin and Stephanie, rubbing it down her body, then getting it to where Robin was rubbing it now. Throughout the story there was the unmistakable presence of Keith. Pamela then said how she was surprised at how she was moist down there. The last part of the story was more disjointed than Pamela's normal speech as she was gasping and moaning in between. Robin placed the dildo at the entrance to Pamela's virginity, running it around the hole. Pamela was thrusting her hips up to try and get more friction. Robin could see the build up and getting her head between Pamela's legs latched her mouth onto Pamela's clit. Pamela was feeling things she'd never felt before; this was thousands of times better than what she felt yesterday with Stephanie. As the dildo circled her opening, she felt the desire to have it inside her. She couldn't explain it, she just had this overwhelming desire and she needed to quench it. Thrusting her hips up wasn't working, as Robin was making sure it wasn't going into her. Then she felt Robin move and all of a sudden Robin's mouth was on her. On that special spot Stephanie had shown her yesterday. Her mind exploded, her body went into spasms, and she felt a rush of warmth, as though fluid was traveling though her body, starting from where Robin's mouth was to the top of her brain. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her body was relaxing now and she started feeling limp. So limp she couldn't move. All she could do is smile. ------- Robert had been awake for a while, staring at the ceiling while yesterday's events passing through his head. How that first drink that Lieutenant Payne had given him, had tasted so good. He also knew he couldn't stop himself. That had ended up in him missing his daughters very important doctors appointments. Then as though a knife was being driven into his heart, two doctors showed up at the house to tell him how he was letting down his family. He couldn't let that happen. He had a conviction this morning that he would make it up. He would be the father he should be. The first thing was to try and make it up to Mildred. She had needed to be both mother and father yesterday. He got out of bed as gently as he could, not wanting to wake her. Slipping on his clothes and grabbing his wallet, he headed for the front door. That was his first mistake of the morning. As he shut the door it made that awful noise. He just hoped she slept through it as he ran down the path. Mildred did hear the noise and turned to find her husband missing. It was too early to think what he might be getting himself into this early in the morning, she pulled the covers over her head and tried to go back to sleep. Robert didn't know where he was going and as such ran into the right place. There was a sale going on outside the art department. Students were selling crafts they had made. A sign above said 'Get the perfect Mother's Day gifts here'. He looked at the sign and then it struck him that tomorrow must be mother's day. He felt like he'd been given a new chance on life. He looked around at the sale. The art as they put it was a bit much for his taste. He did find the ceramics nice though. Thrown pots, vases, and platters. He was looking at all of them when he felt a tap on his shoulder. "You're Pamela's dad, aren't you?" "Yes," startled that someone would know who he was. He looked at the young girl, well now that he was staring; she was a very pretty young lady. She saw his appraising glance and laughed, "you don't remember me, do you?" That set him back, "no." "I'm Mary, I was at the wedding and then the barracks," she said as though that was the worst thing that could have happened, although she had loved every minute of it. It dawned on him who she was and whom she was related to. He felt like he'd stuck his foot in his mouth. She could see his embarrassment and decided to help him out of it. "So are you just taking a stroll?" "What, oh, no. I was looking to get a little something for my wife." "That's nice. I made these," she said as she pointed to a number of ceramic vases. "You made these?" he said and then realized it had sounded like she couldn't at all be capable of such things. "I mean they are so beautiful, you have real talent." Mary smiled at the complement. He had finally said something in the right way. He decided to go on, "My wife, Mildred hand makes quilts, and so do a few others in town. It has been Mildred though who has sold them." Mary had not heard about this, she was surprised and very pleased. "That is wonderful. I love to hear how someone can make money doing something in art." Robert had eyed one of the vases and picked it up. It was heavier than he expected. "It's beautiful, but it's very heavy." "It is designed that way, its base is heavy so it can't tip with tall flowers in it." "That is good design work, I like the color, a deep blue, what is it?" "That is a two fired color. I rubbed the first color into the clay and it was fired bisque, then I painted on the glaze and it was fired its second time. It was an experiment that worked very well. I have used the same technique on this one, and the one over there," Mary said pointing out a couple more vases with rich tones. Robert was impressed. "How much is this one?" he said waiting for a price he wasn't sure he could afford. Mary looked it the piece and then him, then back to the piece. If she had never been to Carp she wouldn't have given it much thought, but she knew the standard of living they were use to and the income they must have was much lower than here. The price she gave him almost shocked him into dropping the piece. She laughed and told him it was the Carp discounted price. He then understood she was practically giving it to him when he heard someone else getting a price on a piece. Quickly making the transaction before she changed her mind, he was very pleased with himself. Looking at the vase one more time, he asked the inevitable. "Is there anywhere I might find flowers?" She smiled; it was the request she had heard so many times already that morning. "I'm glad to tell you there is, it is on the other side of the campus. There is a small forestry department on campus and they have wildflowers for sale now. It's perfect timing, isn't it?" He couldn't agree more. She pointed him in the right direction, told him of the landmarks to look for and he was off. Twenty minutes later he was on the other side of the campus and he realized just how big this school was, as well as the fact he was completely lost. He saw the sign for the wildflowers and seedlings. They gave him a pained expression when he said he wanted cut flowers and not ones to grow, but they needed the sales and relented, cutting him some. As he placed them in the vase, they all admitted it was a splendid look and he was indeed pleased with himself. Then he had to admit to them he was completely lost as to know how to get back. They were of some help, but not completely. It took him another hour and three other people, to whom he had to admit to he was lost and could they please help, before he started seeing anything familiar. It was good to get back home. He was exhausted. ------- Mildred almost went back to sleep, almost. Her mind kept on wondering, where her husband had gone. She threw back the covers and got up. Walking down the hall, she almost made it to the kitchen. It was a race she had done many times before, could she make it to the bathroom in time. Heaving into the toilet she started crying. This had been going on for a good six months. She thought back to Hank's diagnosis, nerves. Well she was nervous about were her husband had gone to, two nights ago it had happened after Robin had lit into her. That didn't explain the airplane trip though, she had been excited, she was having fun and it happened. As she thought back, the pattern, like Keith had said, didn't point to nerves. Hank, that no good worthless person. Then it started to settle in, if it was not nerves, what was it? If Keith were right, what would they find? Was it something in the water? Is that why he knew? Was there something bad he wasn't telling her? Her head started to hurt; she was crying again just thinking of all of the unknowns. Feeling completely drained, she laid her head down, beside the toilet and fell asleep. ------- After the morning exercises, the girls took another quick bath. Robin had some breakfast while waiting. When the girls were done they ate as, Robin took her bath. She took her time, wanting to be perfect for her Keith. The girls came in giggling, watching Robin spend so much time brushing her hair. "You're just going to do it all over again before he comes," Stephanie said. Robin blushed, it was apparently obvious what she was doing and why. "You may be right, but I have to get a start now," she returned, sticking her tongue out at Stephanie. They all had a good laugh over that. "Come on, let's see if Mildred is back? I wonder where she went this morning?" Robin said as she finished her hair. Leaving the house they walked down the small path and Pamela knocked as Robin said it was polite to do. No on answered. Robin tried the door and it was unlocked, she sent Pamela in. If her parents were doing anything in the bedroom, it would be better for their daughter to come barging in than the rest of them Robin figured. Pamela opened the door and walked in. Robin and Stephanie, at the open door, saw her walk into the living room, then into the kitchen. She looked down the hall and back to them. She shrugged her shoulders and started walking towards the bedroom; she glanced into the bathroom and saw her mother lying on the floor. Pamela screamed. Robin with Stephanie right behind her ran to find Pamela shaking at the edge of the bathroom door. Mildred who had heard the blood-curdling scream raised her head and smacked it into the toilet dazing herself. She lay on the floor motionless, trying to reorient herself. Robin looked in the bathroom to see what had caused Pamela to scream. When she saw the limp body of Mildred adrenalin hit her full force. Her mind was reeling. What had happened? The door had slammed this morning, was it Robert that left? Did he do this to her? "Pamela," Robin yelled, although she was right there, "you and Stephanie look for your dad." They ran around the small place looking in places that he couldn't possibly be in, but they were so upset with what they had seen, sanity didn't exist. Robin bent down looking at Mildred, her hands trembling. She thought it looked like she was still breathing. Robin reached out and touched Mildred's face. Mildred's eyes flew open. This time it was Robin who screamed, bringing Pamela and Stephanie peering around the edge of the bathroom door. Mildred, who did not realize the state she looked on the floor, looked at the three and said, "what is all the screaming about?" Robin, Pamela, and Stephanie looked sheepishly back and forth to each other. "Well?" Mildred said. Robin took a deep breath and said, "we saw you lying on the floor." She looked at Pamela and Stephanie to get reassurance, "it didn't look very good. We were sure something happened to you." Mildred was amused by all of this, but then noticed the tears in Pamela's eyes and understood the fright they just had. Sitting up she reached out and pulled Pamela to her lap, hugging her. "Sorry that you were frightened." Pamela looked up at her mother who gave her a kiss on the forehead. They all jumped a bit when the door slammed. "Who left the door open?" they heard Robert yell out. "Come on help me up," Mildred said. "I want to know what he's been doing all morning." They went out to find him setting a vase, full of wildflowers on the center of the table. He looked up at them; the smile that started radiating from Mildred's face was worth all the walking he had done this morning. Robin noticed it and pulled the girls towards the door. The last thing Stephanie and Pamela saw before Robin slammed the door shut was the embrace and kiss. "Why'd... you... pull... us... out?" Pamela asked. Robin looked at her, "I think you know why." Pamela blushed. "What are we going to do now?" Stephanie asked as they walked back out the pathway. Robin didn't have time to answer. They heard someone knocking on their door. ------- Kristin had a hard time dragging Beth Ann out the door, but she got her out and now they were in front of Robin's and no one was answering. They were ready to give up when around the corner came Robin, Pamela, and Stephanie. "Hi, We just about gave up on you," Kristin said with a smile. "We were over at Mildred's for a minute. You know I can't leave until I hear from Keith. I'm not sure when he's going to call," Robin said. Beth Ann smiled and said mischievously, "I'm surprised you set foot out the door." Robin laughed, "So what are you two doing, want to come in. It's almost lunchtime. We could eat together." "Sounds good," Kristin said. They talked, joked, and made a simple lunch. They had just sat down when the phone rang. Robin jumped up so fast, her plate went flying. As she was running down the hall, she could hear them all laughing. When she came back, she had a smug look on her face. They knew it was Keith. She looked at them all and said, "you laughed at me. I don't think you deserve to be told what he said." Then she too started to laugh, not being able to keep a straight face any longer. She told them Keith and Daisy were in Reno and he expected to be in a little after three. They were all excited. Finishing lunch, they decided to all go and tell Robert and Mildred. The door opened to see a smiling Mildred. They were all ushered in and Robin recited the phone conversation once again. Having a few hours before they needed to leave to pick them up, they were a bit stir crazy. Kristin noticed the vase and flowers on the table. Mildred beamed about how Robert had gone out and purchased them this morning. That gave them all an idea of how to spend a bit of time. Robert noticed that they had walked a different way to the art department and it was much quicker. Mary was still there, but her required shift was over and she had been talking to a few friends when everyone showed up. Mary took them around and showed them her wares. Mildred whispered into Robert's ear that he had done a very good job choosing. He felt very proud of his accomplishment. Robin, Pamela, and Stephanie were very impressed at the work Mary had done. They had never known anyone who worked in ceramics before. Robert, knowing it was mothers day tomorrow, had wanted to get something very special for Mildred. Both girls would be back together, something they had not planed on. He wasn't sure how it could be arranged, where he could go, or how to bring it up. As fate sometimes presents itself, the answer was soon to come. Mary, who had spent all morning with the art department, had seen a few of the wildflowers people had brought by and she wanted to see what they were doing. So everyone went off with her. The wildflowers, which were half gone, were still an impressive sight. They lifted ones spirits. Pamela and Stephanie were giddy and ran around wildly. The next thing everyone heard was a crash and a cry. Pamela, running around one of the tables didn't notice a barrel at the end on the ground full of dirt. She fell right into it. By the time everyone was around her, she was on the ground sobbing. She hadn't hurt anything. Mildred checked Pamela out, not a scrape. They couldn't understand the fuss she was making. She stood up and Robin thought she knew, "is it your dress?" Pamela shook her head and cried, "my... only... one." "That settles it," Robert said in a voice that stopped everyone, "we're going shopping today. Once that proclamation was made, Robert had little to do with it any more. That was fine with him, but it was hard to believe how an idea could snow ball. Mary, Beth Ann, and Kristin were quick to come up with possible places to go. They could pick up Keith and Daisy from the airport and take the drive down to downtown Salt Lake City. It was settled and they were so excited. They all needed to go and get ready. Robert quite frankly didn't understand it all, but it didn't really matter. He would be able to pick something nice for his wife for mother's day and that was his goal. They were going to split up there, going back to the housing and dorms respectively, when Robert moved over to Mary and whispered in her ear that he had got lost and didn't know the way back. Mary smiled and not wanting to embarrass Robert said to Kristin and Beth Ann that they should all walk together. That worked fine and instead of the hour walk Robert had earlier, it took them less than fifteen minutes to get back to the housing. ------- Robin had Pamela out of her dress and was trying to get it looking the best it could, there was no time to wash and have it dry. They washed their faces, Robin once again brushed the girls hair. She started singing a song she remembered her mother singing to her when she was a young girl. Stephanie asked her what it was and she explained, then Pamela asked if she was going to sing it to her children. Robin blushed thinking about it, but said yes. It was a fun time and everyone was feeling very good. Everyone gathered later outside Robin's. Beth Ann was realizing that everyone was not going to fit into the car she had available. Mary said they could use hers as well. Beth Ann was using a borrowed car from the university to be able to transport the visitors around. Mary was one of the few college students who owned a car. That settled they started heading to the airport. Everyone was a buzz with chatter in the car and as they pulled into the parking lot, the excitement grew. ------- Mary was the first to spot Anthony Phillips. He was outside the terminal, just about to go in. She called to him. He stopped and smiled. "Mary, it has been a while," he said. "What brings you out here? Is your father showing up?" "No, we," as she turned, waving the others forward, "are here to welcome Keith back." He laughed, "don't tell me you're one of his fan's also." He noticed her blush. "My father became friends with Keith and we were down at his wedding, I never knew Kristin was his brother until then." Anthony was flabbergasted, "Keith is a friend of your father? The man never ceases to amaze me." Mary laughed, "Keith never likes to talk about himself." The rest of the group had gathered around Mary and Anthony. Anthony looked around, recognizing all of them from the party. He caught Mildred's eye and smiled. She blushed thinking of the dance they had and how it had made her feel so alive. Then he said, "I got a call from the tower, he's in radio contact with them. Another ten minutes or so and he'll be down." "Good timing," Beth Ann said. "Yes, I need to open the hanger, that is were Keith will be heading, do you want to come along." They all agreed. He opened the hanger and tuned on a radio, they could hear the conversations between the tower and planes. They heard Keith. Anthony deciphered the language so they'd understand and showed them on a map where he was. When he was close enough, he brought them outside and pointed the little plane out to them. They watched him make the approach. It was so smooth; it looked like the plane was gliding down. As soon as it touched down they were crying for joy. The plane taxied around the landing strip and came up to where they were. Everyone could see Keith and Daisy looking at them, smiling. Anthony came back out of the hanger reminding them not to approach the plane until the prop had stopped. They could see Keith writing something and then he killed the engine. As soon as the blade stopped everyone rushed to the plane. ------- After the many hugs and kisses, the plane was pulled into the hanger. Keith as well as Daisy and her parent's profusely thanked Anthony for the use of the plane. He marveled at the genuine nature of their appreciation. Back at the cars Daisy and I were told of the impending shopping trip. Although I was a bit tired from the flight, I was more than happy to everyone excited about it. Daisy then told Robin about the clothes that I had purchased for her. Robin gave me a snicker and said, "So you took my advice." I looked at her, questioningly. "I said to take care of her," she added. I smiled. "I have been dying to hear all about it, we are sitting together," Robin said to Daisy. Mary got in her car with Mildred, Robert, and Stephanie. Pamela wanted to sit with her sister, but Robin said no, not right now. She pouted as she got in Mary's car. I went over to it, first going to Mary and telling her that I was sure she'd get a blow-by-blow account from Kristin and Beth Ann. She smiled and said she wasn't worried about that. Then I went over and opened up the door to Pamela, she turned her head away. As her parents watched me, I took her in my arms and lifted her from her seat, hugging her. "I missed you," I whispered in her ear. She turned and looked at me, tears in her eyes. I turned so that we were close to the car and her parents couldn't see what I was doing. I gave her a little kiss on the lips. She looked back at me in shock. "They couldn't see," I said. She relaxed and said, "again?" I smiled and kissed her again. This time her arms went around my head and her mouth opened. I pulled back as best I could and whispered in her ear, "They couldn't see our heads, but they can see the rest of our bodies. You're going to make me hard by doing that." She giggled. Then she said, "I... wanted... to... be... with... sister." "I know, but I think she will be talking about some of the good things and some of the bad. I don't think she wants you to hear about the bad stuff. It still hurts her a lot." She looked at me and then said, "ok." I set her down and noticed she was looking at my crotch, probably to see if I was indeed hard or not. I told her to behave. Everyone else thought I was saying that in general, she knew what I was talking about and smiled at me. Beth Ann was waiting with Kristin, Robin and Daisy. ------- I asked Beth Ann if she wanted me to drive. She was having a visibly difficult time with what Daisy was describing. She declined, but thanked me. The gals were riveted on how Hank had turned into a monster, what he had done and what he had said was sickening to them. Then Daisy started describing me, her knight in shining armor coming to her rescue. I wished I was in the other car at that point. It is hard to have someone go on about how wonderful you are. I noticed Beth Ann crying and Kristin had her hand over holding on to her. I wasn't sure what that was all about. When Daisy got to the part of the hotel, everyone including myself laughed at the way she described the events of us ending up in this spacious suite, complements of the hotel. I noticed Bath Ann glance back at me in the rear view mirror as Daisy described the bed. I was blushing. Robin was laughing and said, "well I guess you did take care of her." I didn't say a word. Then Daisy went on to tell about the family we met. Robin was as excited as Daisy had been, asking if they really might visit. We were pulling into the downtown at this point and finding two parking spaces together we stopped. The gals making Daisy promise to finish the story. ------- Mildred, Robert, Robin, Stephanie, and Pamela had never seen anything the size of the stores. The department stores were larger than the one Daisy and I was in, when in Redding. I had augmented my wardrobe in Redding, but it still could use a bit of help. I was in the men's department with Robert when he told me he wanted to buy something special for Mildred for mother's day. I told him that was very thoughtful and ask him what he had in mind. He was drawing a blank, he told me, that was why he mentioned it to me. I thought for a moment and ask him if jewelry was an option. He said he didn't have a lot of money. I told him what the little Amethyst pendants cost Richard and I, and the kind of reaction we got. He was for that. I knew just the person for the job and leaving Robert there, went and got Mary. I thought Mary would know more about this kind of stuff than anyone else in our group. She was pleased to be asked and promptly carted Robert off, and out the door. I had picked several things out and had the clerk hold them. I then ask to speak to the manager. He came out and I asked to speak with him in private. I explained that this shopping trip was planed without my knowledge and as such did not have the kind of cash on me that this trip might entail. He listened to my story. When I got to the part about being taken to military housing and then brought up here, he laughed. I wasn't sure what I had said that was so funny. He said my name must be Keith if I was up at the university. He pulled the newspaper article out of his desk. I grimaced, but I guess in this situation it helped to be known. He told me that he'd open up a special account for me and I could charge anything I wanted. I was speechless, but very pleased. I had one more question for him. He was more than happy to help with that as well. Back in the men's department I was surprised to find Robert. He looked very pleased with himself and thanked me for the good advice. He pulled out a box, inside was a small locket with on a chain. I agreed it was very nice. He had picked out a few things and I told him that it would be easier if we charged everything and settled the finances later. He reluctantly agreed. Then I told him about the other arrangement I made. We then went in search of the gals. Daisy was having fun trying on things. Robin and Mildred had to go back and forth between the girls, who were upstairs. They hadn't had a lot of time to look for themselves. I told them I'd look after the girls. Robin looked at me mischievously and I winked at her. Then I said not to worry about what she was buying. I wanted her to be happy. Her radiant smile melted me and I gave her a long kiss. Kristin, Daisy, and Mary who were close broke out in applause. We turned red and I went off to find the girls. ------- I saw a few items that were picked out. I looked through them. They were all practical, functional clothing. That was good, but I went to the racks and started to look for some fun stuff. They came to see what I was looking at. There eyes wide when I pulled out an outfit, I knew I had it. Having grown up with sisters, I knew a little, but only a little. I ask their sizes and pulled out matching outfits, telling them to try them on. They scampered off to the dressing rooms. Daisy came up with Mary as the girls came out of the dressing room. Daisy gasp, Mary laughed and whispered to me, "you dirty old man." I laughed too. The skirts, above the knee, were a pleated plaid. As the girls twirled around it lifted the skirt up and flashes of their panties could be seen. The tops were simple white cotton button down blouses, but without an undergarment on, their nipples, even flat, could be seen. It was having the desired effect on me and I told the girls to go change into another outfit I had picked out. They came out with the next ones on, not so hot, but nice. They handed me the other outfits and were surprised to see me put them into the pile to buy. "Mom... won't... buy... that," Pamela said. I smiled, "I'm buying it for you." She looked up at me and smiled, putting her hands up for me to pick her up. As I raised her I said, "To public for kissing." She smiled and leaned into me, whispering in my ear, "I saw you liked them on us. You grew." I set her down, shaking my head, 'dirty old man indeed' I thought. What about the girls! We picked up a few pair of panties and socks, and then I took them over to the shoe department. Neither one of them had ever had more than one pair of shoes at a time. I helped them pick out two and after fitting told the clerk we'd take both. The girls were stammering at their good fortune. Mary then took Pamela and Daisy with her. I didn't see where they went, but she said she'd be back with them in a half an hour. Telling me to keep the others occupied. That was easy to do. The pile of clothing at the counter was adding up and when Stephanie told Robin about the shoes I had bought them, she needed to see about this, ending up with two pair for herself. She looked at the mountain of clothes and asked how on earth I was planning on paying for it all. I smiled and told the clerk to phone the store manager, he had an account set up for us. Kristin was shaking her head, "only you Keith, could pull something like this off." The clerk, phone in hand, asked my name and I said "Keith Patterson." She just about dropped the phone. "The Keith Patterson?" Then she turned red, "I mean the one from Carp? The one that was in the paper?" Kristin was fast to respond, "in the living flesh. I bet you never thought you'd see a real live hero, did you?" The sales gal was shaken, "no," she stammered. I turned to the very amused Kristin and said, "I'll get you for this." She smiled, leaned into me and whispered, "you already have me. I growled at her, she giggled. Just about that time Mildred asked where Daisy and Pamela were I spotted them coming in one of the far outside doors. Waiting for them to clear the entrance, I pointed them out. Suggesting we wear some of our new clothing I got an enthusiastic response from the women. In the changing rooms for the last time we had a rather lovely group of ladies emerge. We all had bundles to carry and as soon as we got to the car I announced we had dinner plans. I handed Beth Ann and Mary the address. They looked at it and then to me and in unison said, "How did you accomplish that?" Everyone wanted to know what the fuss was. Mary said that the restaurant we were going to was the hardest place to get into in all of Utah. People waited for weeks to get a reservation. I smiled, not wanting to give up my secret, the store manager and his brother who ran the front of the restaurant. ------- When we arrived, Beth Ann knew who the valet's were and graciously got out for them to park the car. Mary, uses to such behavior looked like she was well at ease having someone park her car. We entered and I was greeted by name, causing everyone to stop and stare at me. I was having a grand time, but knew in the end Robin would worm the truth out of me. They whisked us away into a private room, two attendants seating us, placing our napkin in our lap as they went. It was a bit much for Robert and Mildred, who had never been treated to such luxury. The girls ate it up, enjoying the attention. Robin who had remained unusually quiet, said in a hushed voice to me, "where are the menu's, or don't they have them at places like this?" I couldn't contain my smile as I said, "dinner has already been ordered." This received several surprised looks. I noticed Mildred had a funny look on her face. I called one of our waiters over and told him to tell her where the ladies room was. He did just that and was astonished when she jumped up and practically ran towards the direction he had pointed out to her. Robin leaned over and asked me, "how did you know?" "It was the look," I replied. Robin and Daisy both got up and started to go to help her. They stopped and looked at each other. Robin said, "go, she's your mother." Sitting back down, Robin went on saying Mildred was complaining in the dressing room. She wasn't eating much, and losing what she ate sometimes, but looked like she was getting fat. I didn't like the sound of it. That is not how a body should behave. Mildred arrived back at the table right as the first course came and she was grateful to eat something. The meal was splendid and the entrees they received surprised everyone. It was as though they were hand picked for them. Everyone looked at me and I shrugged my shoulders. I mentally chucked it up to a bit of listening and didn't say a word about how they came to be. I noticed during dinner that Robert, who had been a really quite pleasant guy, was becoming agitated. When we got out of the restaurant he said to me "Damned dry state. Don't they understand a meal is better with a drink?" It was the one thing that I had forgotten. Robert was an alcoholic. "I'm sorry you have a problem with that." "No problem," he said defensively, "It just makes everything better." Then he started muttering under his breath. I caught words like doctors, pain, or was that Payne, responsibilities. It was lost in the midst of other conversations and the cars had been returned. We all climbed in. It had been a long day for everyone and after a satisfying meal the car ride back was relatively quiet. As we entered the university grounds Kristin asked where Daisy was staying. We all looked at each other. No one had considered it before. Daisy offered to stay with her parents, but Robin would have none of that. We all knew that Pamela would die if she wasn't with her sister. If she stayed in that room, where would Stephanie be? Robin said the obvious, that Stephanie would feel like she wasn't needed now. Kristin looked over to Beth Ann and said, "How about if Stephanie stays with us this evening. I think she would think that was pretty special." It was agreed that was a great solution, maybe not long term, but workable for tonight at least. We were pulling in front of our housing by this point. Beth Ann saw him first, "there is that major Payne." We all laughed, sure enough, Lieutenant Payne was pacing back and forth. As soon as I was out of the car he was on me. "Who do you think you are, getting a plane and flying out of here? I thought I told you I was to be alerted to what you were doing." I could tell he was hopping mad. Everyone else was out of the cars by now. I noticed Mildred pulling Robert away from the scene as fast as she could take him. What I told him, I knew was going to make his blood boil. I also didn't give a damn. "For one thing, Payne, I am not in the military. If you check I don't even have a contract with them. I am under no obligation to them and especially to you. So what I did and where I went is my own business and none of yours." With that I pulled the open mouthed stragglers who were listening to me into our house and shut the door in his face. Stephanie was looking out the window, "he's still there," she said. "Come away from the window," I said. "He's waving his fist at the house," she said excitedly. "Now he's leaving." "Stephanie," I called. She turned and looked at me, "I know, I didn't listen." "You are right and for that you can't sleep here tonight," I said with a serious look on my face. She looked like she was ready to burst into tears. "Keith! That isn't very nice," Kristin said. Stephanie looked at her and then back at me. I was smiling and she ran over to me hugging me tightly. "Well," I said in a hushed voice so that only she could hear, "Part of that is true." She looked at me concerned. "Daisy is going to take over your bed tonight, but you get to go and sleep in the dorm with Kristin and Beth Ann." "Really?" I smiled, knowing she liked the idea. "Yes, and I have a present for you to give Kristin." She looked at me about to say something, "shhh," I said. "When you see what it is you'll understand. You have to hide it on the way over, ok." She shook her head yes. If there was anything this girl liked it was to know something that others didn't. ------- I called Pamela and Stephanie into my bedroom and closed the door. I walked over to the dresser and opened it, reaching around I found one and pulled it out. When they saw what I was holding there faces drained. "I heard from Robin that you have been playing." "Robin started it," Stephanie said. I laughed, "yes and I heard how, this," I twirled the dildo around in my fingers, "and the person who was holding it was me." The blushes on both their faces were priceless. I then moved a few of my things and reached behind, pulling another long thin box out. They both stared at it. "I was given a second one for Kristin," I smiled at Stephanie, "I though since you have had practice, you might want to give it to her." Stephanie was practically panting as she said, "yes." "Don't let her see it and ruin the surprise," Then looking at her sternly, "think when and were you use it. Take your time and have fun, but don't let others know. Do you understand?" She lowered her head, "yes, I got a talking to from Robin about that kind of thing this morning." "Ok, so get some of your stuff to take along with you and hide it in there." She had a mischievous smile running across her face. I though Kristin would be in for a treat tonight. "Now Pamela," That caught her attention, "I have this other one and I'm going to show you where I hide it in the bathroom. If you want to show it to your sister, you can." I winked at her. "I don't think Robin is going to have much use for it tonight." They blushed again, and we left the room, Stephanie to get a change of clothes from her room and Pamela and I went to the bathroom to hide the toy. We all entered the living room together again. Kristin, Beth Ann and Mary looked at Stephanie and her things. "It looks like you're set," Kristin said. Stephanie nodded. Kristin came up to me and said, "good to have you back, brother." and gave me a hug and a rather wonderful kiss. Mary was next in line and I was wondering what Beth Ann was thinking as Mary kissed me, starting by licking my lips and then piercing my mouth with her tongue. When she stepped back Beth Ann was in front of me, "I... " I could tell she was having a problem and I pulled her to me to hug her. What shocked me was when she turned her head and planted her lips on mine. My eyes flew open and I saw Kristin and Robin smiling. I moaned and that opened my mouth slightly, her lips parted also and I felt the tip of her tongue touch my lips. "HHHmmmm," I let out. She pulled back with a smile across her face. "I'll tell you later," Robin said to me. Beth Ann turned so red I thought she'd pass out. They left right after that, leaving Pamela, Daisy, Robin and myself to end the evening together. ------- Pamela who had not been able to spend much time with her sister since she had returned was sitting on her lap, head against her shoulder, on the couch. Pamela was excitedly telling her about her doctor's visit, the x-rays, and the second visit. Then she told her of the surgery date. I was in much the same position as Daisy, with Robin on my lap, but Robin was nibbling my neck. She was making it hard for me to concentrate on what Pamela was saying. When Pamela got to the surgery date I was surprised, asking her if she knew how she got that date so fast. She said there had been a cancellation. Then she went on about how her dad missed all the appointments, he was gone all day long and when they came back he was laying on the ground in front of their place. Daisy looked at me with a hurt expression, "It's getting worse," she said. I nodded, "This is a dry state. That means there is no place for him to go and buy it. He is going through withdrawals. I understand that is never fun and can be hell on the family. He must have found some though, I wonder how?" Pamela said she heard her mother yelling at her dad. Daisy again looked at her and me with a pained expression. "She's never raised her voice to him as long as I can remember," Daisy said. I untangled myself from Robin and kneeling before Daisy and Pamela gave them a big hug. "You're mom is going through a lot. She is having some kind of medical problems herself. Then she is seeing her youngest daughter getting ready to have surgery, her older daughter leaving her husband, and her husband trying to escape it all in a bottle. You can't blame her. She may yell at you, just remember she doesn't mean what she says." Robin came up behind me and said, "I think we all need a good nights rest. Tomorrow is mother's day. I think it would be nice if you two made your mom breakfast." They thought that was a good idea, then they showed her what they had got her for a present. It was a picture of them, done at a place Mary knew. Then there were small singles, cut into an oval shape. They said that Mary had told them that their dad had bought their mom a locket and these would fit into it. Robin looked at me; I acted like I knew nothing of it. She didn't believe me and we all started laughing. As we were walking down the hall to the bedrooms I whispered in Pamela's ear to not rush and get the toy, but take her time. It would be better that way. She left me with a smile. I didn't even get the door all the way shut and Robin was on me like an animal. She practically ripped my shirt off and then she stopped dead in her tracks. I looked down. The pain was gone, but the bruise marks were still there. Robin touched them and started crying. "I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you." I picked her up and held her tight. She clung onto me for some time. As she started to relax, I knew her mind needed diverting, so I tossed her on the bed and pounced at her, she shrieked and tried to get away. I was kissing her face, her neck, and when they tried to stop me, her hands and arms. By now, Robin was laughing, begging me to stop. I relented, but then stood her up. She looked at me, wondering what I was planning. I walked behind her, and turned her towards the vanity mirror. Reaching in front of her, I started to undress her. "Oh, God," she said as I slipped her blouse off and the cool air rushed around her. I could see in the mirror, even in her bra, her nipples standing proud and erect. ------- Pamela was bouncing on the bed and when Daisy sat on the other one, Pamela bounced over to that one. "Boy you are sure full of it tonight," Daisy said. Pamela just smiled. "I can see Keith loves you, do you like that?" Pamela shook her head and said, "Yes!" Then she added, "I... saw... his... thing... It... was... hard." Daisy was a little surprise, "Oh, where?" "Morning... before... we... came... up... here," then she got a sheepish look on her face, "Opened... their... door... went... in." Then she smiled again. "Robin... pulled... covers... off." Daisy started to laugh. "He... got... up." She had a dreamy look on her face remembering what it looked like. Daisy was a bit concerned with the infatuation and wondered if Pamela would be hurt if she knew Keith had done thing with her. "Pamela, you know that he belongs to Robin, right?" "Yea... she... said... she'd... share." Again Daisy started to laugh. "Yes that is right, she doesn't mind, but you know she shares him with others too." "Yea... like... Stephanie" Daisy was shocked, little Stephanie! "Are you sure?" "She... told... me... how... good... it... was. What... he... did. I... can't... wait. Talked... about... it... last... night... we... all... in... Robin's... bed." Daisy was trying to picture it in her mind. She was getting excited. Thinking about how he reacted to the girls up in Redding, she smiled. Pamela was looking at her sister with a concentrated look on her face. Daisy had seen that look before. It meant she had something she wanted to know, but wasn't sure she should ask. "What are you wanting to ask?" Daisy said. Pamela looked at her surprised and then realized her determined look, Daisy had told her she could always tell what she was thinking. "I... you... how..." She was having trouble getting it out. "What is it? Is it about Keith?" Daisy thought this must be it, she wants to know more about the man she adores. Pamela shook her head yes. "Robin... cried... after... phone... you... had... to... stay. What... happened?" This was not the question she was prepared for. She didn't want Pamela to think badly of men and so she wasn't sure what to say. She looked into Pamela's eyes hopping for an answer. "Was... it... that... jerk... Hank?" What Pamela said took Daisy so off guard, she was laughing. Pamela didn't understand and thought she was laughing at her. Daisy took her hand and sighed. "Pamela, I don't know what to tell you. Some things that happened were very bad." "Keith?" Pamela asked concerned. "Hank's brother was not very nice and he hit Keith. That is why we couldn't come home yesterday." Daisy said. "Oh," Pamela had a hard time thinking anyone could harm Keith. He was her hero. Then not to think about that any more, she asked, "what... you... do... there?" Daisy started thinking about Redding again and absent mindedly as she started to remove her clothes. Pamela saw what her sister was doing and removed hers also waiting for a response. ------- Stephanie was on cloud nine; she was with the big girls, the college girls. She also had a surprise with her. It was like money burning a hole in her pocket. She couldn't wait to use it, but she was remembering what Keith had said to her. She believed him, trusted him, so she would wait, even if it was a hard thing to do. Kristin and Beth Ann showed her their room. On each side, a bed, a dresser and small closet on the end near the door, and a desk on the end, near the window. "Were is the bathroom?" Stephanie asked. "It is down the hall. We share it with a bunch of others, like in the barracks, but not as much fun." Kristin said. Beth Ann looked at Kristin, "you had a shared bathroom?" "Yes," Kristin said to a shocked Beth Ann, "the shower area was not individual stalls like we have, it was one open area." "What's wrong with that?" Stephanie asked Beth Ann. "But weren't there guys?" Beth Ann said. "Yes. There was Keith," Stephanie said dreamily, "and Brian and Jimmy. I think they liked it." "I'm sure they would," Beth Ann retorted. "So did I." Stephanie said. "Oh," Beth Ann said. She had never considered that point of view. Her view of sex had been so altered by her uncle that she failed to see the joy, the fun, the love involved in it. "So," Stephanie said on a totally different subject, "where am I going to sleep?" "We have some blankets I thought we could put down on the floor and you could use for bed." "Ok, it will be like when I was on the floor at Katy's," Stephanie smiled, "but Jimmy won't be sleeping with me." She turned pink thinking about that. Beth Ann looked at this girl with amazement. She didn't seem to have any problems with boys. Not like she did. She wanted to know what happened. "What did you do with Jimmy?" She asked timidly. "I took off his underwear," she giggled, "but that was after he took off mine and Robin said it was only fair." "Oh, God," Beth Ann said. "I guess I asked." Kristin was laughing, "yes you did. Serves you right for asking." Beth Ann looked at Kristin and stuck her tongue out at her, which sent all the girls laughing. They got the blankets down out of the closet and set them on the floor. Placing a sheet over the top. After the conversation they had just had, Beth Ann was a bit self-conscious about changing in front of the young girl. Stephanie didn't have a problem. She put her things down by the head of her bed and stripped down completely, then climbed in the makeshift bed. Beth Ann was staring, "you don't wear anything to bed?" "Just a nuisance, you end up taking them off anyway." "I don't think I want to know," Beth Ann said shaking her head. Kristin was again laughing and said, "I'm with you Stephanie." With that she shed her clothes and climbed into bed. Beth Ann was looking at Kristin, unsure her next move. She felt like both of them were staring at her. She felt like she wanted to bolt. Then she felt herself relax, this was after all her roommate. They had just been topless running around at Robin's. She shrugged her shoulders, 'hell why not, ' she thought. Peeling her clothes off, she noticed they were indeed looking at her. "Well you two did it, why not me?" With that, she turned off the light and tried to get into bed without stepping on Stephanie. ------- As soon as Robin's skirt hit the floor she was trembling. I held her in my arms and turned her around. Her lips were on mine, her tongue slithering into my mouth, grasping for its target. Our tongue entwined, she let out a moan. I scooped her into my arms and this time lowered her gently to the bed. Our kiss broke and she looked up at me, smiling the smile that melts me. "It will work easier if you take off the rest your clothes," she said seductively. "I couldn't agree more," I said, stripping off my shoes, socks, pants, and underwear. She once again touched my bruised marks. I jumped back, "Owh!" She jumped and tightened herself. I started to laugh, "Honey, they just look bad. They don't hurt. It was one day of pain to get Daisy back. I think it was worth it. Don't you?" She looked at me and knew she'd been had. "Yes, I guess it was. I still would have rather not known that you were beat so badly over it. I guess she's seen them." I blushed, "yes." Robin laughed, "I guess she did, and more?" "And more," I said blushing more, "she had a similar reaction to what you did. I'm not sure; given the circumstance I had a lot of choice. I didn't really want to be placed in harms way, but it was me or Daisy." Robin pulled me down to the bed, wrapping her arms around me, she looked in my eyes and said, "I love you. I would never want anything to happen to you. You are my savior, my lover, and my friend. I also know that one of the things that makes me love you so much is that you always think of others." Then she got a mischievous look in her eyes and said, "Are you going to tell me what 'more' was, or do I have to get it out of Daisy?" I reached around her and undid her bra, pulling it off, and then I placed my hands on each side of her slender waist and slowly moved them down, catching the edge of her panties with my thumbs. She looked at me, "you're not going to tell me are you?" I yanked off the panties in one swift stroke and dove between her legs, saying "no." She squealed and attempted a mock struggle; we both knew she wanted my face there. ------- Both girls had removed all their clothes. Daisy was still thinking about what we had done in Redding when she heard Robin squeal. She smiled and looked over at her sister, who had heard it also. Pamela said, "want... to... see... if... we... can... peek?" Daisy knew it was wrong, but she couldn't resist. She hadn't at the hotel in Carp when she found the hole in the wall and she knew she couldn't now. She looked at her sister and shook her head yes. Pamela beamed. Not thinking a thing about her undressed state, she opened their door and saw that ours was not fully closed. Pamela looked at her sister and motioned her to come look. Daisy peered out their door and seeing the opportunity opened their door and walked across the hallway. Pamela was right behind. They peeked in to see Robin sitting on top of my face, her body covering most of me as she was bending over ready to take my dick into her mouth. Both girls were riveted to the sight presenting it self to them. They tried to stifle a moan upon seeing such an erotic sight. The only thing that didn't give them away at that point was Robin making so much noise. They watched as Robin wiggled on my face. They could occasionally see my pink tongue lapping. Her head was moving up and down, slowly engulfing my shaft onto her mouth. My sounds were muffled between her legs. Robin, when she had pulled all the way up, licking the end of me, was almost growling." My tongue, which I had purposely stayed away from her clit, ran across it as she slid her body back on me. That slight contact set her off. I could feel the quivering in her muscles. They started where my tongue was still in contact and radiated through her body. She let my member slip out of her mouth and dropped herself onto my body, panting. "I'm not done with you yet," I said, rolling her over to her back. I sat up, preparing to spread her legs. Pamela and Daisy were panting as much as Robin seeing the orgasm she just had. When I sat up, Pamela saw the marks on my body and let out a loud cry. Daisy tried to cover her mouth and in doing so knocked the door open. Robin and I looked to see two nude girls. Pamela was shaking with her mouth open, but at this point no more sound was coming out. Daisy grabbed her and pulled her into their room. Robin and I looked at each other, not understanding what had just gone on. "Let's find out what that was all about," Robin said and got up walking to the door. She was as dressed as they were. I looked down; the cry had done nothing to the erection I was sporting. Robin looked at me, waving me to her. She then saw my predicament and said, "she's seen it before." I resigned myself to be looked at once more and got up, going with Robin. When we opened the door we heard Daisy saying, "I told you he was hit." "But... he's... Keith," we heard Pamela say, she was wrapped in Daisy's arms sitting on the bed. Daisy looked over to the door and saw us. Pamela looked, but then turned her head away. That did it for my erection, I was deflated. I knelt down in front of them. "Pamela," I said, "look into my eyes." She slowly turned, looking at my face and not wanting to look down. "What do you see?" "You," she said. "Yes," I said, taking her hands and touching my face with them. I smiled and kissed her fingers, each and every one of them. Then I placed my hands on her face and drew her into me. There was a surprised expression on her face. I tilted her head and pulled it closer still. Our lips touched, she, like last time, opened her mouth. I didn't pull away though and opened mine in response. As I taught her the seductive art of frenching, I had taken her hands and was rubbing my body with them. It wasn't until we broke the kiss she realized her hands were on my body. She tried to pull them off, but I had anticipated this and held them there. "What do you feel? Is it any different?" She stopped her struggles and looked at me. "No," she said. "It's just some outside discoloration. Yes it hurt when I got punched, but if I hadn't have taken it here," I said as I moved her hands around the bruise marks, "I would have felt it here," and moved her hands to my heart. "You would have too." She took my hand and put it on her chest, "here?" she asked, with water in her eyes. "Yes," I answered. Then she moved my hand, rubbing them across her nipples. I pulled my hand away and said, "you are as bad as your sister." They all laughed. I looked at Daisy and Robin and they also had watery eyes. I pulled Pamela close to me and whispered in her ear, "I think this would be a good time," then winked at her. She broke into a smile and hopped off her sister's lap and headed out the door. "Where is she going?" Daisy asked. "To get something I think you will like," I said as I stood. Daisy reached out and wrapped her fingers around my rapidly inflating dick. "Ummm," she moaned, "Nothing quite as good as this." I practically choked with laughter, "almost." She was looking at me funny as Robin was dragging me out the door. Pamela was rushing back in. "Remember it's me," I whispered to her. She turned back and had an almost wicked smile on her face. As I started to close the door I heard Pamela say, "We... play... game... I... be... Keith." I stopped Robin and we turned back, this time to spy on them. "Ok," Daisy replied. We saw Pamela move the dildo in front of her, right at her crotch. Daisy gasped. "Lay... down... spread... your... legs," Pamela said. I whispered to Robin, "I'm pretty romantic aren't I." I got a pinch for that remark, but we watched Daisy do just what Pamela asked. Daisy never taking an eye off the dildo. As Pamela climbed on top, Daisy asked the question I had wondered also, "Have you used that?" "Robin... wouldn't... let... me." Then she turned and looked right at me in the doorframe. "She... said... I... have... to... wait... for... real... thing." "Oh, God." Daisy said as Robin pulled me from the doorway and back into our room. I looked at Robin, "well?" I said. She tilted her head and put a coy smile on her face. "You know she wants it, you've already enjoyed Stephanie and Stephanie is two years younger." "Robin!" "Tell me you don't want to," She said holding onto my dick, "Come on, I saw you kiss her just now. Do you have any idea how hard you were when you ended that? Tell me, just tell me that you wouldn't like to taste that virgin hole of hers, to get it all slippery and put your nice hard dick in it, filling it with your love juices." I was hard and there was no denying it, or even pretending for that matter. I just picked her up and carried her to our bed, putting that nice hard tool to good work. After all the build up, I was sorry to say Robin only orgasmed once before I did and as she was kissing me, I fell asleep. Robin looked at me and smiled. "Sleep my darling," she said, "tomorrow is going to be a busy day for you." Placing the covers on me, she went to see what Daisy and Pamela were up to. I half woke up, watching her sexy form move across the floor and out the door. I would hear about what happened the next day. ------- Stephanie was smiling, although in the immediate darkness that follows the light being turned off, Beth Ann or Kristin couldn't see her. Nor could they see her turn and slowly extract the dildo that Keith had given to her, to give to Kristin. As her hand wrapped around its girth she was tempted to use it on herself, but she knew she shouldn't and took a big breath sigh. Getting up on her knees she leaned into Kristin's bed. "What do you need?" Kristin asked her in a whisper. "I don't need anything," Stephanie whispered back, "but Keith gave me something he thought you might enjoy getting." Kristin was puzzled to what that meant when Stephanie lowered her lips to Kristin's and started to kiss her. Then she felt it run across her breast. Kristin knew what it must be and realized why Stephanie kissed her. She was ready to scream. When Stephanie let her lips go Kristin said in a panting whisper, "Keith knows how to drive someone crazy." "Yes and he told me I was to be him for you tonight." Then she giggled and said, trying to imitate Keith's voice, "this thing will never wear out on you honey." Kristin let out a laugh. Beth Ann raised her head, "What's going on over there?" Stephanie sliding her hand and the dildo down to it's intended area of play made Kristin gasp. "Nothing," she choked trying to say as composed as possible. "You expect me to believe that?" Beth Ann replied. "I'm just giving her a gift Keith wanted her to have," Stephanie said as innocently as she could. "Really, Kristin what is it?" Beth Ann was asking, now very curious. Stephanie had the tool at the point of Kristin's opening. As Kristin tried to speak Stephanie sucked in her nipple. "Aaaa," was all Kristin got out. "Kristin," Beth Ann was confused, "that sounded like..." "Ohhh," Kristin said as Stephanie slid the dildo back and forth across her opening slit. Beth Ann couldn't stand it any longer and flipped on her little reading light. The sight of Stephanie with Kristin's breast in her mouth and her hand between Kristin's legs was too much. She turned off the light and threw the covers over her head. Try as she might the image wouldn't go out of her head. The sounds Kristin was making didn't help matters either. Stephanie hadn't let up at all when the light went on. She took her hands and opened up Kristin's legs. The tool glistening from the juices she was producing. Kristin was moaning lowly but constantly now. Stephanie was holding it out, running the tip around the hole that was opening wider. Her hips were thrusting up trying to get it to slide into her. The frustration was growing, "please, give it to me." Kristin cried out. Beth Ann wasn't exactly sure what was going on, part of her was revolting of the idea of two girls. Part of her wasn't sure what was going on, but knew that the sounds were affecting her body and she couldn't deny the obvious. She was getting wet. It got worse for Beth Ann when she heard Stephanie say, "call me Keith, tell me what you want from me darling sister." Kristin was beyond caring what Beth Ann thought or might hear. "God Keith, fuck me with that thing." Beth Ann was out of her mind. What was Kristin talking about, she threw back the covers, turned on the light again and this time sat up and looked. She gasped feeling light headed. She saw Stephanie holding onto something and it was sliding into Kristin. Kristin was in ecstasy; it felt just like Keith was in her. Stephanie was enjoying the rush and loved the role-playing. "Sister darling how do you like it?" "It feels just like you. I love it. Do it to me big brother." Stephanie thought about how it felt sliding in and out of her and tried to mirror that, pulling it out and sliding it back in, slowly at first and then faster and faster. Beth Ann had never ever seen anything like this. She felt herself moving off the bed. She was kneeling down and looking between Kristin's legs. She had never even seen herself this close before. The sight of the dildo sliding in and out between her puffy lips made Beth Ann moan. It came out before she could stop it. Kristin opened her eyes and looked down to see her friend, her roommate, turning bright red, but not able to tear her eyes away from the sight between the open legs. That did it for Kristin. She had to stuff her hand in her mouth so she wouldn't wake the whole floor with her screams. Her body arched and as it did, the dildo started rubbing across her clit. That sent her to new heights of pleasure. Beth Ann was mesmerized. The agonizing pleasure that was evident on Kristin's face was something she had no understanding of. Yet this little child knew. The juices that were dripping down her leg told her that she couldn't deny that she was feeling something. She felt childish though, she knew nothing. Kristin dropped her arched back and sunk into the bed, her eyes lazily opened and she smiled, contentedly. "That was as close to heaven, or I should say Keith as I think I've ever been. Thanks Stephanie." Stephanie had had a workout. That made it all worth it, she smiled broadly. Kristin then looked at Beth Ann. Beth Ann started to get nervous. That smile said more than thanks. 'God thanks, for what' she thought, looking between her legs. "I think Beth Ann needs a turn." She heard Kristin say. Before she could protest, Stephanie was on her. Beth Ann fell back and onto the blankets on the floor. The next thing she knew Stephanie had a breast in one hand and a nipple in her mouth. She saw Kristin get up and move down to where her legs had spread out as she fell back. Beth Ann tried to move her legs together, but Kristin was already there and prevented it. "My my aren't we the wet one," Kristin said, "take a look Stephanie." As Stephanie let loose Beth Ann regained some of her thought process, "no don't," she whispered. Stephanie didn't listen and looked, "wow, she is wet." Beth Ann was blushing furiously, she was being examined and to top it off, they could see how excited she had been. Kristin leaned up over Beth Ann's body and dangled something right over her breasts. "This," Kristin said, "was something I gave the dimensions for. It very closely resembles the size and length of my brother. Like it or not, Beth Ann was transfixed. Like the hypnotists watch, she watched the slick, juicy dildo as it swayed before her eyes, not being able to look away. Lower and lower it went. As soon as it touched her body she trembled. Kristin rubbed it in a circle around one of her breasts, slowly rising the mountain. When it reached the peak, it greased the nipple ever so slightly, causing Beth Ann to moan. Kristin moved to the other beast and did the same torturous climb. When Kristin was done with the second one Beth Ann was out of her mind. As the dildo snaked its way down her belly Beth Ann was panting. Kristin rubbed it along her inner thigh. Beth Ann opened her legs, no longer caring about anything but these new and wonderful feelings. It was Stephanie that broke the silence, but not the character. Trying to use as low a voice as she could muster, she said, "I see you like what I did with my sister. Beth Ann you know I'd love to make you mine too." "Oh, oh, oh." was all Beth Ann was getting out. Kristin and Stephanie looked at each other and this conveyed a message between them. Stephanie played Keith to the hilt while Kristin taunted Beth Ann with the dildo, rubbing it just around her lips, just enough to drive Beth Ann crazy. "Tell me what you want Keith to do for you Beth Ann. I need to know what you need," Stephanie said. Beth Ann couldn't take it any more. "Please more, something, anything." Stephanie wasn't convinced. "Beth Ann, tell me it is me you want, tell me what you want me to do." "Keith take me, I need you," Beth Ann cried out. That is what they had been waiting for. Kristin rubbed the dildo straight across Beth Ann's clit, she jumped at the shock it sent through her system. Kristin started to enter Beth Ann. "No!" Beth Ann said. It startled Stephanie and Kristin so much they completely stopped what they were doing. Beth Ann looked at them with tears in her eyes. "I want him, the real Keith, to be the first one inside of me." Stephanie and Kristin smiled and lay down beside her, giving her a big three-way hug. They lay there for some time, together. Their nude bodies pressed against each other. It was Stephanie who got up, pulled their pillows off their beds, a blanket to cover them and turned off the light. Kristin was the first to signal she was asleep with her deep slow breathing; it didn't take Stephanie to follow. Beth Ann though, wedged between the two of them had a lot to think about. Beth Ann had put her name into the hat as one of almost seventy students vying for the position she now held, the emissary of the school for Keith Paterson and accompanying people. She had heard of this almost legendary Keith from Kristin the day they met. After Kristin had gone to his wedding and everything had turned upside down, she wanted to help her roommate and friend as well, as well as get to know this Keith. What had happened in the past three days had turned her life upside down. She saw what Kristin saw in her brother. A life so involved, so loving, so caring that she herself had fallen for him. She had admitted her troubled past, something her parents didn't even know about, to her now close circle of girl friends. Then tonight, after a day of strange sexual revelry, she was awash in pleasure she had never known. Between the boy in her hometown and her uncle, she had viewed sex as something ugly. What astounded her was her own feelings. Tonight Kristin and Stephanie had forced her to admit something she was already starting feel. Her sexuality had awoke from its dead state and it was demanding attention. She wondered how she would face Keith, would her sister, or Stephanie tell him what she had said? They hadn't forced her to admit she didn't want that thing inside of her, but wanted Keith. She had stopped everything, she had announced it. That is what she wanted. She felt depraved, she felt helpless, and she also felt two nude bodies pressing into her. She knew the hardness of her nipples was from the thoughts of Keith, but the reason they remained that way was the naked flesh pressed against her. Without warning Stephanie turned around, facing her. It had moved her slightly away. She wondered if Stephanie had woken, but her breath was still the slow regular pattern. Then she raised her knees, one of them pressing into Beth Ann's crotch. A tremor to ran through her body. Beth Ann wasn't sure what to do. Then Kristin started to move, good Beth Ann thought, some breathing room. That was not the case. It was as though Kristin and Stephanie had conspired to do this to her. Kristin moved in even closer to Beth Ann and wrapped her arm around her waist, pulling her tight. Kristin let out a little moan; she could feel her breast pressing into her back. She was afraid Kristin was awake. Beth Ann stayed motionless, listening. Kristin's breathing was the same. She also realized with Kristin pulled close and Stephanie also pressing into her, she was getting hot. Yes hot both physically and sexually. She moved her leg and arm up to tent the blanket and get some air on her body. The cool air felt good, but it caused Stephanie to stir. She too moved herself closer to Beth Ann. Stephanie's leg, still bent slid between Beth Ann's legs, rubbing across her mound. This time she almost reached an orgasm, the orgasm that she hadn't quite reached with the dildo. Her body was telling her she needed more; she needed to reach that peak. Wrong, right, it didn't matter any more. Beth Ann was out of her mind and out of control. She closed her leg, trapping Stephanie's leg, as a log between them. She took Kristin's hand and moved it up to her breast and although the hand was limp, the contact was still good. She then wrapped her arms around Stephanie and started, slowly, to hump her leg. After the buildup that Kristin had done on her, it took no more than two minutes for her to cum. She turned her head into the pillow to let out a scream. As soon as the wave of passion subsided, she realized what she had done. As soon as Beth Ann opened her legs Stephanie moved, turning away from Beth Ann. Kristin too moved. What had she done, sleep overtook her slowly, but it was not restful. ------- Robin thought she was the first one up, but then she looked over at her husband, her lover, her Keith. She almost laughed out loud. 'He's always up in the morning, ' she though. Then she remembered that first day when she had peered through the window, trying to catch a glimpse. Trying to see if he was hard in the morning like her brother. It was and he had showed it to her. She climbed under the covers and took it into her mouth. 'He'll love this way of waking up, ' she decided. She was right. I started to stir, boy what a dream. As I was waking the dream wasn't going away. Then I realized what Robin was doing. "Oh, yea," I said. She giggled. Outside the door, were two girls they were giggling quietly waiting for the opportunity to open the door undetected. Upon hearing my comment Daisy turned the doorknob. Robin and I looked at each other. I'm sure she smiled like I did, but she had my dick in her mouth. We pretended not to notice the door. I became more vocal which set Robin to exaggerate her performance. I moved up to a kneeling position on the bed, the covers tossed off. This gave our two voyeurs a better look. Robin moved off the bed, pulling me to the edge. She was now standing with her legs spread widely, leaning over slightly. Her hands behind, grasping my ass. I had my hands on her head and it looked like I was controlling her in and out motion. That couldn't have been farther from the truth, but our guests didn't know that. "Ohhhh, Robin that feels sooooo good. God I love it when you do this," I said. I could tell my words and her actions, being watched, as though we didn't know, were a turn on for her. As I got close, I decided to have a little fun with our 'guests'. "Ohhhh, it's almost there. Yes, yes, do it like Daisy does oh she makes me feel soooo good, just like you do." I could tell Robin thought what I was saying was comical, she pulled all the way back and running her tongue around my head, she looked up at me and said, "oh, I bet you wish Pamela was doing this to you right now." I almost erupted right them. As she sank my dick down as far as she had ever had it, it started the point of no return. I held onto her head and turning, looking right at Daisy and Pamela, said, "you know I'd love that." Then I pulled Robin back and as she held her mouth open, the girls watched as I shot a heavy load. Pamela and Daisy were standing stock still staring at the sight before them. As I finished, Robin got up and walked over to Daisy, kissing her. I could see the two of them swallowing and realized she was sharing my load with her. As soon as that was done Robin looked at the wide-eyed Pamela and said, "if you want a taste, you'll have to get it from the source." Pamela looked at Daisy questioningly. Daisy smiled and then whispered in her ear. Pamela turned bright red and looked back at Robin who nodded her head. I was spent and missed a lot of that interchange. The next thing I know is that Robin and Daisy are leading Pamela over to me. They sat down on either side of me, Pamela standing before me. She was staring at my limp, but wet dick. I saw her lick her lips and then in one fluid motion, she dropped to her knees, grabbed my dick and put the head into her mouth. I jolted with excitement, which popped my head back out of her mouth. "That's... good," she said and put the head back in, using her tongue to swirl around it. Much to her surprise, it started growing. She finely had to release it from her mouth. "See, you can make it grow too, Pamela," Robin said. Pamela who still had my dick in her hand, said, "wow." "Pamela, you can let go now," Daisy said. She shook her head no, "I... like... it." We all laughed, and she did let go. Pamela and Daisy were on their way to cook breakfast for their mom, but got derailed when they heard us. We told them to get some clothes on and get over there; we'd come over as soon as she got dressed. They were out the door in less than five minutes; we took our time and then, hand in hand, walked over. ------- Robert was awake, but he didn't want to get up, he didn't want to be out of the safety of the bed. Mildred was still asleep beside him. He looked over at her. Last night was the first time he could ever remember her yelling at him and then going to bed mad at him. She wouldn't talk to him. After such a nice day it had ended so bad. It had been all about Lieutenant Payne. As soon as they got back last night she had pulled him into the house. Yelling, yelling at him! She said it was his entire fault that he was there and Keith was having problems with him. His fault! Then she went silent and wouldn't talk to him the rest of the evening. It had been awful. Now to top everything it was mother's day. He hoped she wasn't still mad at him. Then he smiled; he did have that nice gift. That would make everything right. He then heard the knocking on the door. 'Who could that be, ' he thought. He had to get up anyway. Nature was calling. As soon as he opened the door Daisy and Pamela came in, whispering, "hi dad, is mom up yet?" "No," he said, "not yet." "We... make... breakfast," Pamela beamed. "Good idea," he said and went to use the bathroom. He was happy to see them; maybe it would break the tension. One thing Daisy had learned well was to cook. When we arrived, breakfast was well under way. Mildred was still in bed, as Pamela had told her to stay, but she was awake. Robin went to help Daisy in the kitchen, while Pamela pulled me off to the bedroom. I was a bit uncomfortable going to see Mildred in her bedroom, but as we entered, both Robert and Mildred were in bed waiting breakfast. "Good morning," I said and then to Mildred, "happy Mother's Day," while holding their younger daughters hand in mine. She smiled, "thank you." Breakfast was right behind us, Robin and Daisy carrying two trays. As soon as they set those down on the bed, they rushed out and brought back juice and coffee. It was a bit strange to be eating breakfast in someone else's bedroom, but everyone was enjoying themselves. ------- The running in the hall woke the three females in the dorm room. They looked at each other, blurry eyed. Kristin said, "is it really morning?" Stephanie was the most chipper of the lot. "It sure is, oh what's this?" Kristin giggled thinking that Stephanie had found the dildo, but she threw back the covers and looked at her leg. There was a line of dried white goo on it. Beth Ann looked in horror. She jumped up and tried to get her robe, wanting to bolt out the door. Kristin stopped her, wrapping her arms around her and practically dragging her back down to the floor. Beth Ann curled into a ball, shaking and whimpering. Stephanie looked at Beth Ann, but asked Kristin, "what's going on?" Kristin looked at her and smiled, "what's on your leg is apparently from Beth Ann." Then she looked down and held Beth Ann, "isn't that right." Beth Ann shook more, but squeaked out, "yes, I'm so sorry." Stephanie was confused, "sorry for what?" "I used you. I'm so bad," she wailed. Beth Ann stopped and stared when Stephanie said to her, "do you want to use me again," she was grinning, "this time I'd like to feel it." Kristin whispered in Beth Ann's ear, "you only used someone if they didn't like it, with Stephanie that is definitely not the case, is it." Beth Ann sat up and looked back and forth between the two. She sighed, "I'm a bit confused right now and I think I have a lot to learn." Kristin and Stephanie smiled. Each bent forward and kissing Beth Ann on the cheek. They had to get up and get going or they'd miss breakfast. Throwing clothes on they headed to the cafeteria. Beth Ann and Kristin had punch cards for their meals. They could take as much as they wanted from the line, so they picked up enough for Stephanie as well. After breakfast they got cleaned up better and went off to Keith and Robin's place. Kristin opened the door, hoping she'd interrupt something. There was no noise of anything; she called out, still nothing. Looking back at Beth Ann and Stephanie with a puzzled look, they walked in. They followed Kristin as she walked into back. She poked her head into Keith's bedroom, the sheets were a mess, and she smiled. Stephanie and Beth Ann peered into the other room. Stephanie's laughter caught Kristin's attention; she joined them in the other bedroom and saw the source of the amusement. On the floor, tangled up in part of the sheets was a dildo. "I guess there are two of them," Kristin said. "But this was where Daisy and Pamela's slept," Beth Ann said slowly staring at the dildo. "Maybe not so much sleep," Stephanie piped in, not seeing Beth Ann's quandary. Kristin did and decided Beth Ann needed to move forward, she took Beth Ann's face in her hands and kissed her full on the lips, pulling back, she said, "Is it any different than what we did last night? Or is it you are thinking because they are related, like Keith and I?" Beth Ann's head was swimming, and she sat down. Stephanie sat down in her lap and looked up at her, "don't you like us any more?" Those words started the tears flowing, "no, I love you," she said hugging Stephanie tight. "I just have never felt the things I'm feeling now. It is all so new to me. It is just so overwhelming. Stephanie tilted her head and looked at her as if trying to figure that out. "You know when our house burnt down and Richard and Katy told my mom we were going to stay at their house, it was new to me too." Beth Ann stared at her; she hadn't heard any of this before. Stephanie smiled thinking about it, "that the night we slept on the floor and Jimmy," Stephanie noticed Beth Ann's puzzled face, "that's Katy's son. Well that's when we undressed each other." "I thought you said Robin told you to pull his underwear off," Beth Ann said. "She did, but that was after." Beth Ann looked at Kristin, "do I want to ask, after what?" Kristin laughed, "might as well know the whole sorted story." "Oh God," Beth Ann moaned, "ok Stephanie, after what?" Stephanie smiled, "my mom, was laying with us and all of a sudden she gets up. I thought it was to go to the bathroom, but I guess it wasn't cause she started looking into the room Keith and Robin were in." "She was spying on them?" "Then Richard comes out and sees my mom. He gets behind her and I'm not sure what he said but the next thing we see is her taking off her panties." "Oh no, wasn't his wife in the room he came out of? What happened then?" "Richard pushed her into Keith's room, well we couldn't see or hear anything so we moved up to look. The next thing we see is my mom with her arms and legs around Richard." Beth Ann sat in rapt attention to the story, it was so unbelievable. "He put his dick into her and she bounced up and down, right in front of Keith and Robin." Beth Ann was having a hard time controlling her breathing, her face was flushed, "so then Robin told you to take Jimmy, that's his name right, Jimmy's underwear off?" she stammered. "No, not yet. Richard took my mom, bouncing all the way into his room." "But Katy was in there." "Yes," Stephanie said like that made any difference. "So then we came to the door and that is when Robin said it wasn't fair and I should take his off also, so I did." Beth Ann was to far gone into the story to want it to stop now, "Then what happened." "Well, lets see," Stephanie was trying to think, "so many things happened. I sucked on Jimmy's dick." Beth Ann was shocked, that had always been disgusting, "oh I'm so sorry." "Why? I liked it, then I sat on top of Keith's face, that was really nice," she said with a big smile. "Keith? Keith did that, where was Robin?" "She was telling me what was happening and how to move." Beth Ann swallowed hard, "oh God." she looked at Kristin, "How long ago was this?" Kristin had a smile on her face that Beth Ann knew she was going to get an answer that would confuse her more. "It was Keith and Robin, as well as Richard and Katy's wedding night." "Their wedding night?" "Yea isn't that something." Stephanie chimed in again, "you want to know what else happened? I'm Keith's" Beth Ann looked at her, "what do you mean you're Keith's?" "Well my mom told Keith and me that he was to teach me everything. So I feel like I'm his. It made me feel so good inside. I know he will always take care of me." It was the statement of a child, yet it hit a cord in Beth Ann, a cord of wanting to belong also, she smiled a bit thinking that, yes indeed, that would be nice. She also remembered what Stephanie had said to her acting like Keith, 'Beth Ann you know I'd love to make you mine too.' It made her shudder. Kristin had a sudden revelation, "I know where they are!" "Who?" Beth Ann and Stephanie said together, not remembering why they were there in the first place. "Everyone, they must be over at Mildred's house. It is mother's day after all," Kristin said. Getting up, they left the house. They saw a beautiful girl run toward them with a big smile. Mary was on the walkway running towards them. "I wondered what happened to you. How did you sleep Stephanie?" "Really good, it was a lot of fun. Were going over to find everyone. We think they're at Mildred's." So they started down the pathway, when out came everyone, with the exception of Mildred and Richard. Pamela was so excited she could hardly talk, so Daisy started to tell what Pamela couldn't get out. "We were all in the bedroom," I noticed Beth Ann's eye get wide. "Eating breakfast together and then our dad pulls out this little box, saying 'happy mother's day'. Our mom was so surprised and told us that it was such a wonderful mother's day to have both her girls here." "See... crying," Pamela interjected. "Then she opened the box and saw the locket, she was going to put it on, but we stopped her and gave her our present, pictures for inside. I've never seen my mom cry so much when she was happy," She looked over to Robin and said, "then Robin made us leave." Kristin and Beth Ann both laughed. Kristin said, "maybe your dad had one more gift to give her." Daisy and Pamela looked at her, "what?" they said almost in unison. Kristin rolled her eyes, Daisy said, "Kristin!" but everyone laughed. Robin looked at me and said, "I would like to call my mom. We've never been apart on mother's day." I looked at her; it was hard to remember sometimes that she was so young. "That would be a good idea. I think she must be to Liz's by now," then I turned to Stephanie, "you need to call your mom also." She had a big smile on her face, "can I really?" I nodded, "oh that is so great. I have so much to tell her." We looked at each other and I said, "maybe you and I need to talk about that you can and can not say on the phone. Sometimes the operator's listen to conversations." Her eyes got big and she said, "oh." Robin opened the door to our place and everyone was in when the phone started ringing. Robin rushed to pick it up. ------- Chapter 26 Jill had just gone out with the two girls to get a tour of the school. When Liz heard a knock on her door, she wasn't surprised, she expected it. In fact that is why she had been so insistent that Jill go with the girls. "Come in Tiffany." Liz took one of the steaming mugs offered her and gave her thanks. She turned, leaving Tiffany to close the door. Liz sat on the bed and facing the chair at the desk where Tiffany would be sitting. She put her coffee on the side table and waited for her guest to start. Tiffany sat, took a sip of coffee and put the cup on the glass-covered desk on the other beside the panties; she did not recognize them as panties. "I notice you are a lot more confident and happy than the woman I knew who left for her brother's wedding." Tiffany commented. "In fact now that I mention it you are a lot different than before, a happy improvement. What happened to cause it?" There was a catch in her voice. "Did you meet a special someone?" Liz noticed the term 'someone special' and wondered if Tiffany was covering all her bases. She decided to stress the man in her life so as to take the train of thought away from her love of Jill. "I met a man that helped me see straight for the first time in fifteen years. He did things to me that I never dreamed of, it was very hard to leave him." Tiffany was a very beautiful and young looking woman. It was hard to deny it, even to her. One look in the mirror was proof. Tiffany had found it very difficult living in a community where she was constantly viewed as a piece of art or a model, where men came after her like bees to honey. The boys and then men wanted to own her, posses her, control her. She felt like they saw her as an object to show what they had obtained. It revolted her. She found security in an almost all female environment, where at least the people that looked at her would eventually get used to her beauty and see her for who she was. It was also a lonelier environment. Liz knew even before she left that Tiffany had started becoming attracted to her. A portion of the attraction she now recognized as being sexual. The other part seemed to want to be with another person who was as withdrawn, as she was. This second part was certainly true before she fell totally and completely in love with her brother. Tiffany was astonished, and showed signs by lowering her gaze, as if very sad. Liz looked at her and thought that Tiffany appeared as if she was heartbroken, partially by her posture and again when she spoke. "What was it like? Do you love him? Will you be leaving me? I mean leaving the school?" Tiffany was sobbing and picked up the cloth under her hand thinking it was a hankie and wiped her eyes and nose, not realizing what it was or even noticing the scent that it gave off. She balled up the panties in her hand like a handkerchief. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet. I would love to move to Carp." Tiffany looked up at Liz as she said this. "I don't know how it could work, but I've been thinking about it." Liz had no idea that Tiffany had become attached so strongly. Liz knew before that she was the stronger of the two, as her views were the ones usually accepted. Part of this was because she was older and more intuitive, so she could put a fair amount of thought into each problem that arose. Tiffany would usually bow to her judgment. Tiffany was sobbing and picked up the cloth under her hand thinking it was a hankie and wiped her eyes and nose, not realizing what it was or even noticing the scent that it gave off. She balled up the panties in her hand like a handkerchief and said, "You are not really going, are you? "If I had my choice, yes I would. I don't have all the answers, I don't know what will happen for sure." Tiffany got up to leave, still sobbing, but trying to hide it. "I have to go now." Liz got up quickly and wrapped her arms around her friend. Liz heard her say, "don't go, we need you here." Tiffany's arms came up and wrapped themselves around Liz's neck in an almost unbreakable hold. "Come here sweetheart," and led her to the chair, sitting Tiffany on her lap. She used words that she had never thought she would use on another woman, at least another woman before going to Carp. Liz spoke to her and held her much as she had held Jill. Tiffany was affected by her words. This was her best friend, one she was secretly in love with for a long time. A friend that she would do anything for, one that she had to convince to stay with her. She needed her too much. Liz wondered how was she going to get out of this situation without destroying the fragile woman in her arms? For that matter her own reputation was at stake here to. If this got out she and Tiffany would be fired and not be able to get a job teaching again. She now knew that Tiffany wanted her sexually. Before Carp she might have given more consideration the relationship. If she gave in now and let Tiffany's natural tendencies follow, a strong bond would tie them. One she didn't know if she could handle, she had Jill to consider now. She was a teacher. She knew how to respond in crisis situations, she was going to use the same advice she had been taught. She took Tiffany's face in her hand and turned it looking into her eyes. "Tiffany, I don't have all the answers. I don't have many. You ask me questions that you probably didn't want the answers for. I told you the truth. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I think you deserve to be treated with the same respect that you give me. You have to understand that a lot has happened to me in the past week and a half. I don't know what the future holds. I can see that you are in turmoil over this, understand that I am to." Tiffany tried to give a week smile. "Tiffany, I know why you are hiding behind these walls, we have talked about it before. You don't know why I have been hiding. I was molested when I was young." Tiffany looked at her friend horrified, she never knew, never suspected. "I don't." Liz went on, "It has taken its toll on me. That has changed, I have been given the freedom I never had before." Tiffany looked at Liz sadly; she wished she could feel that way. She was hoping Liz was going to be that someone special for her, but that looked lost now. "I told you at the cafeteria there was more to the story. Jill was raped." Tiffany gasped, tears started to flow, but Liz held her head, still looking into her eyes. "I have her with me because I know a bit about how she feels. I also know I wasted a lot of my life hiding from myself. I am trying to help Jill, and in the process I am finding I am helping myself." As hard as it was, Tiffany understood what Liz was telling her and why the bond was so strong between the two, who had obviously met when Liz was gone. "Right now I have an obligation to Jill, but it is more than that, I love her." Tiffany nodded, relaying the obvious. "You have an obligation to her as well." This brought Tiffany back to focus, trying to figure out what Liz meant. "You are going to be assessing her soon. You need to put everything out of your mind. You need to concentrate on the issue at hand. You can not help her, or do any justice to her if you do not." Tiffany knew Liz was right. She sighed heavily. Liz knew she had got through to her, wrapping her arms around her instinctively pulling her close. Tiffany melted to her. It was the slight moan, almost indiscernible, but Liz heard it. The soft body that was in her hands, the wanton desire that was on her face, had its affect. If there weren't some other complicating factors, Like Jill showing up. She would have been very tempted to cross the line she knew she shouldn't right now and pull this beauty into her bed. Liz tilted Tiffany's head up slightly and kissed her on the forehead, she wondered how many times she had done that, not thinking a thing about it. Tiffany looked up and smiled, this time a little better than before. "You had better get ready." "Yes I know," Tiffany said. As Tiffany was standing, Liz said, "If I could go to Carp and be with the man I love, have Jill with me, teach, and have you there also, I would. I don't know how any of that could work. I think I'm floating on a cloud and reality is somewhere else. I just don't know what is going to happen and it hurts to know that somehow hurting is going to be a part of this whole mess." Tiffany started to realize the turmoil that Liz was going through in her mind. Those questions she had asked were already driving her friend crazy. She did say those magic words, have you there. That was the best thing she had heard. Although she knew she shouldn't, she knew there were a lot of ifs; it was hard not to have hope. Liz got up to walk her friend to the door. Tiffany, still holding onto the wad of material dropped it back onto the table. As it fell, the ball opened, hit the edge of the table and fanned out revealing for the first time what it was as they floated to the floor. Liz and Tiffany looked at the panties, looked at each other and started laughing. One more look confirmed they were not the style a woman like Liz would ware. Those panties were Jill's, which seemed to make it hysterical. All of the heaviness of the past conversation was lost; this was a good ending point. Tiffany left with a smile on her face and tears from laughing on her face. ------- Liz leaned against the closed door as she wondered how complicated her life had become. She thought about the simple kiss on the forehead. Many girls, some as young as nine lived on her floor. They all had their problems over the years. Some wet the bed, some needed guidance when their periods started, and there were others that were feeling their way sexually. Many young girls still needed a surrogate mother and some of the older ones too. Liz found it a joy sometimes and a challenge, but it was a change with Jill. The level of commitment was different. She felt an incredible responsibility for the outcome. That placed a level of importance to every decision that Liz made, something she had never felt before. She went to the washroom and washed her face, and considered relieving some of her emotions with her fingers. She sat in the recliner and tried to think her way through the complications. She was wrestling between physical attraction and emotional needs. Her body was getting tenser as it went along. Her mind was popping up with images of Jill and her or Tiffany and her in bed. Then all of a sudden Keith would be there also. She could hardly stand it any longer, and then remembered the gift from Cynthia. She got up and opened the drawer she had stuffed it in. She had just opened the box and had her hand wrapped around the shaft when she heard the key being put into the lock in her door. It made her jump. She quickly closed the drawer and jumped into the chair. Jill came in with a smile and went over to Liz and gave her a very erotic kiss. Liz pulled the girl into her lap and gave her one of her own. Liz wanted, no needed more, but she controlled herself. "How did you enjoy your tour?" "There was so much to see and hear about, I don't know where to begin." "What did you think of your tour guides?" "Sue is very out going. Betty, after she gets to know you will make you laugh. Both it looks like, are very jealous of me." "Why is that, darling?" Jill liked the term and smiled, "You said that I was going to be your daughter. They have parents that are too busy to have much to do with them. Sue's parents are going through a divorce and Betty's are into business so much that they have no time to do anything with her. Even though the school does not go to grade nine both sets of parents want the girls to stay at the school the entire summer. Then they will be split up going to new schools for the next grade. They are very sad. Betty was even crying as we walked." "I have talked to them often, I knew about their parents. I didn't know anything about them being split up, they didn't tell me this before." "They hoped that they could at least stay together, for the next few years. They showed me letters they received recently. I thought my mom was the only one that was so cruel and heartless. Another thing, they said you are the best teacher here and all the girls love you. You listen to them and try a lot harder to help them. If it was up to them they would stay with you." Liz noticed the time. "Jill, I'd love to talk more. You seem to have found some friends already and that is exciting. You have an appointment next door for your assessment and I am also anxious to know all about that." Jill got reluctantly up. Liz held her hand as they went down the hall to Tiffany's door. Liz kissed Jill's forehead before she even realized she had done it. Then in a kind voice, "don't worry, and good luck. I know you will do your best and that is all you need to do." Jill nodded and entered the room. Two hours later a tired Jill came back to the room. "How did it go honey? Did you talk about the test? You were gone far longer than I expected." Liz thought that would have been out of the ordinary to do, but it lasted a lot longer than she had expected. "Tiffany had me take some parts over again. I don't know why and she didn't say, but they were the things I knew the most about. She said you would have to talk to her to find out all about it. She would not tell me much. She wanted to tell you first." Then Jill yawned. Liz was very curious and wanted to go right over to Tiffany's to find out, but she did not want to leave Jill alone now. Then the phone rang. As Liz went to pick it up she wondered who it could be at such a late hour. Tiffany would have just come over, not called. It was Grace Turcotte, the school administrator. She had just hung up on Daisy. Jill looked at the number Liz had written down. Liz was back on the phone, obviously it was important. Jill went back and sat on the bed, she'd just have to listen to find out what was going on. 'About one of the girls at school', Jill thought, 'maybe they had an accident, were in the hospital, must be something like that.' Jill heard Liz say Redding; she had seen that on a map, it was indeed in California like Liz just said. Then she head words that made Jill so tense, she fell off the bed. "Is Hank with you." It was Daisy. Now Jill was in a panic as to what was going on. How had she got the number, they saw Hank rip it up. Something must be very bad, Jill thought she was going to throw up, but she couldn't leave, she couldn't tear herself away from hearing any part of the conversation. Liz hung up and Jill was at her side, "Tell me, what did he do? What was she around prostitutes for? What is Keith doing?" "Jill!" Liz said in frustration. It stopped Jill in her tracks. "I have a few more calls to make, time is of the essence." She saw Jill's dejected look. "Don't worry, as soon as I'm done I will tell you everything, ok?" Jill sighed, "yes. Sorry I just..." "I know. I care for her too." Liz had the operator dial another number in Redding. Jill had never seen this side of Liz before, part business, part, well she wasn't quite sure. Liz was sweet-talking a guy she had never met. Jill didn't understand it. She placed another call to the number she had for Keith. The phone rang and rang. Liz didn't want to give up, but conceded as the operator got back on the line that no one was there. She then called Daisy back, telling her to go to the hotel, that she hadn't been able to reach Keith but she would and he'd have something figured out. When she was done, again Jill was by her side. As Liz promised, she told Jill a basic version that Daisy had run away from Hank and why. Jill cried through the explanation. Jill looked up at Liz, "I'm glad you were there to help me when I needed it, I know Daisy is too." Liz smiled, "I'm glad I was there for you as well, Daisy, well, let me tell you. It is going to take a small miracle to pull this one off." "Is that why you were calling Keith? What is he going to do? He's in Utah." Jill asked. Liz smiled, "I don't know of anyone else who could do it. I don't know what he'll do, but he will do something." Jill put her hand on Liz's knee, "thinking of those chemicals in Carp, I think you could be right." Jill felt exhausted; this had been a hard and long day for her. Liz put her to bed; she still needed to get hold of Keith. She was glad that when Keith had called to give her the phone number, he had told her about the party they were at. It would have made her more nervous than she already was. Jill was sound asleep when Liz was able to reach him, he said what she has hoped, what she knew, what made her love him. He would do whatever it took to take care of Daisy. When Liz got off the phone, she looked at Jill and realized how tired she was, but she had one more duty. Liz turned out the light and did her rounds of the windows and doors. She checked the rooms and found one missing, a few seconds later a ten-year-old naked girl wearing bunny slippers wandered in from the bathroom. Liz tucked her in and gives her a kiss. Liz came to the last room and saw the door ajar and muffled noises coming from inside. Liz entered quietly and was about to tell the girls to be quiet and go to sleep. She saw Sue on her back an arm over her eyes and her knees in the air; there was enough light coming in through the open window from a lamppost. Betty was lying down with her mouth licking Sue's pussy, her hands wrapped around the larger girls legs to keep them still. Liz walked beside the bed completely unnoticed. She quietly moved a chair and sat down not two feet from the pair of girls. Liz observed Sue going into orgasm, almost throwing off her little lover. After a few minutes they notice the teacher beside them. Sue looks for something to hide her and picks up a pillow to get behind. Her feet kick Betty in the face in her haste. Betty, hurt started to cry mostly from the pain. Liz went to her knees beside the bed and held the hurt child. "Both of you have done something wrong." Now both girls start to cry in embarrassment. "No, no. If you both want to show love for one another, that is all right, but you should do it where you won't be caught. Your parents would be called and both of you would be separated." The girls had stopped crying when they got the idea of what their teacher was saying. "I have seen you two girls together for the last four years. I know that you both love one another, but I have to ask. Betty, are you made to do this to Sue?" "No," she hung her head, "I like to do it." "Sue, do you like to do it too?" "I don't know," Sue stammered. "Betty, how long have you been licking Sue?" "We used to kiss all the time. Ah. About a year or so, I guess." "Sue, do you mean to tell me in the last year Betty has been licking you and you don't do anything back?" "She likes it." "I will tell you something. I have been at this school for about eight years and have seen many girls having fun. The ones that only want to be the ones receiving soon find that the other has gone to find somebody else that cares for them too. Do you want Betty to leave, maybe for somebody like Sally down the hall?" "No, I love Betty. I help her do her home work and protect her from the bullies, like Joan." "You are going to have to show it. Get out of bed now. Betty get where Sue was." Liz picked up the small bum and put two pillows under her ass before setting it down. "Sue get onto the bed on all fours and lick your friend." Sue looked at her teacher in shock, but reluctantly complied and started giving small licks. She started in earnest when she saw the effect she was having on her smaller friend. Liz moved the girls around so that they could do their best without becoming strained. All too soon Betty came, sending Sue off again. The girls had collapsed. Liz moved them together and put the pillows under their heads, before covering them with a sheet. "Did you like that Sue?" Sue had a wet face and used her tongue to remove some of the flavour. "Yes, it was much better than I thought. Thanks for making me do it. I feel bad for not doing it before." "What did you think Betty?" Betty's eyes were closed and she was cuddled as close to her friend as she could get. She opened her satisfied eyes and looked at Liz, "It was the best thing in the world. I had always wished she would do that to me someday." "Now you two listen. You could have been caught and been in a lot of trouble. You have to hide it from the others now, or they will make so much trouble for you that you will want to leave." Betty said, "Sal, Joan, Carm, Fawn, and Lin do it too and we don't tell on them." "I know they do and I have talked to most of them the same way I am talking to you now. There are others that will still make your life a living hell. So do as I say and don't let others find out." "Good night girls, and remember what I said." As Liz walked back to her room she thought about what the girls had said. Fawn was a very petite blond haired girl of only nine that looked seven. She was bullied a lot, and Joan was indeed one of those. She had not known about Fawn. She may be forced to perform or face a lot of bullying. Liz was going to have to look into this. Liz quietly opened and closed the door, undressed and slipped into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out. ------- Liz wasn't sure what it was, a sound maybe, but whatever it was woke her up. She was in the routine just as she had never left. She sat up, looked over and turned off the alarm clock just as it was about to go off. She pulled back the covers and hopped out of bed. It was when she turned around to pull the covers back up that she froze in her tracks. Jill was in her bed, still asleep. She had just gone through a morning ritual with out even thinking. The sight of Jill brought her thinking how much her life had changed in the past couple of weeks. Routine was not a big part of her life at this point. Far from it she thought. The soft tapping on her door disturbed her thoughts. She opened it to find Tiffany standing there, a gleam in her eye and the test results in her hand. "Is she still asleep?" "Yes," Liz whispered back. "I knew you would be dying to see them," Tiffany said with a smile. Liz grabbed the surprised Tiffany and pulled her in the door, closing it. "Shhh," she said. Then she pulled Tiffany over to the chair and sat down, pulling Tiffany onto her lap. Tiffany, liking the attention, was still in a state of shock. Liz looked at her smiling, "ok, tell me all about it." "Oh," Tiffany said, realizing the reason she was there in the first place was the papers in her hand. "Did she tell you I had to test her twice on some things?" "Yes, but she wasn't sure why." "I thought I had dome something wrong," Tiffany said, Liz looked at her perplexed, "no one is suppose to get all the answers right in a section. Jill did." "What section?" Liz asked surprised. She knew Jill was smart, but this was unheard of in this school. This testing went through high school equivalent knowledge. "Sections," Tiffany stated, "foreign language and biology." Liz smiled, "I guess I'm not surprised at that." Tiffany looked at her, "Jill had a friend, an old retired college professor that taught her the German and Latin as well as medical stuff." "Well now that makes more sense. I was beginning to wonder. It also fits how it happened." "What?" Liz said. "She doesn't know English as well as she knows German and her math skills are lacking in a few places," Tiffany said. "You can tell she was not brought up with the traditional teaching format we use." Tiffany brightened, "yes that is it. We want everyone to learn English very well before we teach them another language, she obviously didn't learn that way." "Right, she had a teacher for German that far excelled what she could learn from anyone in that town about English." Tiffany looked at Liz, "They don't have any kind of schooling there?" "Not exactly, Jill said they were taught at home. There was one woman who took kids in and helped them, but that was it. Jill was fortunate to have had a friend like she did." "That is so sad," Tiffany said. "It wasn't so bad." Tiffany and Liz looked in stunned at Jill who was sitting up still wiping sleep from her eyes. Jill had awoken a minute before and could barely make out their conversation. She wanted to listen in and quietly sat up, but the conversation was too much for her and she said something before she even realized it. Now they were looking at her, so much for listening in. She saw what she took as embarrassment in Liz's eyes. She couldn't understand it until she saw her trying to move Tiffany off her lap. "So Liz," Jill said matter-of-factly, "do you want to, well you know, with Tiffany." Liz and Tiffany looked at each other turning red. "It is only obvious that she does." Tiffany turned a brighter shade of red. Liz said, "I think that is enough young lady." The conversation might have gone on longer, but the ringing of the phone stopped it short. Tiffany got off Liz's lap and as Liz went for the phone, Tiffany went for the door. She was gone like a shot. Liz answered the phone. It was Grace. She was consumed with worry for that young girl who had called the night before. She wanted to know everything and so ask Liz to come into the office after breakfast. Once that call was done, Liz turned to Jill. "That was not at all nice Jill." Liz said in the sternest voice Jill had ever heard from her. It reminded her of her mother and Jill broke down crying. "I'm sorry, I'll never do it again. Please, please don't punish me." Liz was taken back; she was trying to think what just happened. "Jill, it's ok. What is the problem dear?" Jill didn't even look up, tears were dropping on the sheets, "you sounded like my mother." "Oh, Jill," Liz said and wrapped her arms around her. She sighed deeply and went on, "Jill as you know, Tiffany has feelings for me, I'm not sure. I'd be lying to you if I didn't say I wasn't attracted to her. I can't though." "Can't what?" Jill asked finally raising her head and looking into Liz's brown eyes. Jill could see the tears start to form. "I have you, and believe me I want to keep you for as long as I can." Jill smiled. "There is also Keith, the man my heart belongs to. I told you I'd love to have children with him." This got a giggle from Jill. Then a, "yes mommy." Liz tried unsuccessfully not to smile, but did. "Then there is Tiffany." "Yes." "I don't know how it could work. I feel like someone is going to end up hurt, along with me. It makes me sad. It is also why I can't start up something with Tiffany now. That is why I reacted to you like I did. I'm sorry." Jill was looking at Liz and could see the torment in her face. "We will work something out. If both of us think about it." "Thanks for being so understanding. Now we need to get dressed and down to breakfast." Liz looked at Jill again, "you know I think you shocked Tiffany right out of her skin with what you said." Jill looked at Liz and saw her smiling. She smiled too and both of them started to laugh. "She will probably try and avoid you, you know." Jill shook her head in acknowledgment. ------- Grace had the test results on her desk, but first she wanted to know about Daisy. Grace was astonished that Liz had first secured a room, without payment for the minor, and then called her brother and left it in his hands. When she found out that she would know something in the early afternoon she thought, Grace told Liz she was to let everyone know where she was at all times. When that phone call came in, she didn't want to have to find her. She wanted to know where she was and get the call to her immediately. Liz had never seen Grace so adamant about anything in her life. What Liz didn't know and would have never have guessed was that when Grace was young, she worked in New York, in the immigration center. She saw a lot of people come in. The tales of not knowing where family, brothers, sisters, parents, and children were took its toll on her. She had to quit that job to keep her sanity, that call from Daisy had brought back all the despair of all those people right back to the surface. As soon as Grace was satisfied that Liz would be available at all times until that call came in, she picked up the testing that was done on Jill. Liz was in one chair and Jill the other; she had remained silent the whole time Grace and Liz had talked about Daisy. It wasn't that she didn't care to speak up. She had her mind on the test. Keeping it there, she knew she wouldn't get too emotional. If she thought about Daisy, spoke a single word; she knew she'd break down crying. She was relived, although anxious when Grace picked up the test papers. Grace looked at the papers, then at Jill, and again at the papers. "I have reviewed the results," she said. Jill felt a bit of fear and trepidation crept over her like locus in a field of grain. Liz and Grace could see her starting to shake. Grace smiled, "Jill, look at me," she did, "I would have loved to have such an exceptionally bright girl like you in my school for far longer than I am able to. Given the lack of formalized teaching that you have received you are very learned." It was starting to sink in what Grace was saying. Liz could see Jill's muscles relaxing and a smile start. Grace went on, "these results show incredible potential. Let me repeat that, potential. You are not where you will finish and you need to work at what you lack." Jill shot a glance to Liz and then back to Grace. "Jill, Liz can tell you I don't hide anything. I tell it like it is. There are some subjects that you are lacking in. I am quite certain that given the opportunity, you will excel there as well. You have a bit of catch up work to do therefore. Your geography of the United Stated for instance is lacking, but for Europe it is outstanding. I would place you into eighth grade. It is the age to which you should be in." Liz smiled and looked over to see Jill smiling as well. Grace continued, "Jill, I think you will find you are far ahead of anyone in the classroom in some subjects. I would warn you not to become arrogant about it. For you will also find in other subjects that your classmates will know more than you, even if their knowledge is average, you will struggle to catch up. I believe you can, these test results tell me you can, and having Liz as your slave driver as you so pointedly said when I met you, I have no doubt you will proceed with great success." Jill was a bit shocked at what she had just heard. All she could manage was, "thank you." Liz and Grace laughed. Liz then looked at Jill, still in a state of confusion, and said, "I think it will all be a lot clearer to you on Monday when you get into a class and find out what you have just been told. Now I think it is high time for you to see what it is like in those classes." Grace was already ahead of her, "here is her schedule. I hope you don't mind that I placed her in your class." Liz smiled, "I would think both of us would be disappointed if you hadn't." "I thought as much, which is why I went ahead and did it without asking. Now I want to know what you're doing, where you're going. Sorry but I'm keeping tabs on you till that phone call comes in." "Sir, Yes, Sir." Liz shouted out with a salute. Grace and Liz and then Jill started laughing. ------- The first order of business was the classrooms. Jill was enthralled by just about everything, and Liz was glad that they were in the lower grade classes. Jill had never seen the student desks, the large chalkboards, and the full size map in the history room. She stood in awe as some of the girls snickered. Liz was getting concerned that the transition between what she was use to, and this, would be too much. Her fears were soon relieved in a six-grade glass when the teacher asked any of he students to recite the Latin that they had in their book. None raised their hand, and then Jill timidly raised hers. The teacher looked at Liz, who smiled. She called Jill up to the front of the class and Liz introduced her, telling the students that she had never been in a regular school. Jill picked up the unfamiliar book and read without hesitation. The teacher and students were dually impressed. ------- It was almost amusing how it happened. Liz and Jill were in the science lab when an intercom message came over the loud speaker for Liz to pick up the phone. As soon as she did and told the school switchboard operator, who was also one of the office secretaries, Kristin was on the line. Everyone, including the teacher of the class was looking at Liz and the stunned expression on her face. Jill started to ask her something when in came Grace and whisk them away, much to the disappointment of the students. They were now very curious of this obviously important phone call. They weren't five steps from the classroom when Grace looked over to Liz and asked, "is she safe?" It was the hesitation in Liz's voice that prompted Grace to change directions and she pulled them into an empty classroom. "Ok Liz, tell us what happened." Grace listened with keen interest to her rendition of the day's events. Jill was visibly shaken and had started to cry, "but... but, he's Keith," she said. Grace smiled at Jill and said to Liz, "I think that she has a crush on your brother." Liz swallowed, her mouth dry, "it's hard not to," she said. Grace looked at Jill, "Jill, if he had been very badly hurt, he wouldn't have been the one who made the call. It would have been the doctor. He did make the call, so it may seem bad, but he'll be fine." Jill and Liz thought about that for a minute, both shaking their heads agreeing. Grace the ever-present optimist, quickly changed the subject. "Has Jill seen all the classes?" "All except PE, I thought I'd leave those to last. Now that we have the call out of the way, I can move around without feeling like my every move is being watched." Grace laughed, "I guess I might have gone just a bit over-board," then she got a sly grin on her face, "but just a bit." To which everyone laughed. As they were leaving, Grace said with a laugh, "I'd like to meet this brother of yours. He seems to have a strange way of affecting those he comes into contact with." As soon as she had left, Jill said to Liz, "do you really think he'll be ok?" Liz looked at Jill and saw tears in her eyes and it got her choked up. "I hope so Jill. You know Keith would do anything for anyone." "Yea, I know." Jill said softly, "I just want to be able to get to know him better." Liz realized what Jill was saying to her, or at least hoping, "does that mean... " "Yes, it does. I think I'd like... well... I think that I want to be around him. I want to see if my fear is there." Liz smiled at her, "that sounds like a good way to start." "Like you said, nibbles of chocolate." They went out of the building and down the path. Turning the corner, and in the distance they saw a group of girls. It was easy to see that this was the PE class, but it was hard to spot the teacher. She wasn't any taller than the girls on the field. This was the class that Jill would be in and the oldest group in the school. As they got closer a few of the girls broke from the group, running over to grab Liz's hand and dragging her into the circle. Tiffany stopped her talk when the girls had run off from the group. She looked at the direction they ran off to, seeing Jill made her tense up. As the girls pulled Liz into the center, they started chanting, Our favorite teacher is back, hurray, hurray The one we love is back, hurray, hurray Solders couldn't keep her away, hurray, hurray She's back to where she ought to stay, hurray, hurray "Enough already," Liz said with a broad smile. She was bright red with embarrassment. Turning to Tiffany she said, "did you put them up to this?" Tiffany blushed, "no, I had no idea they were going to do this. It was Jill who broke the awkward moment, "I believe this is the class I'm going to be in. I can't wait," giving Tiffany a smile. "What were you doing?" Tiffany still wasn't sure about Jill, but appreciated the fact she brought them back to the subject at hand. "We were about to play touch football. We have an odd number today, so we were deciding who should step out." Liz looked at Jill and then to Tiffany, "maybe Jill would like to join in." Then turning to Jill she asked, "do you know anything about football?" "Only a little, but I've never played before." Tiffany looked at the girl and said, "Great idea." Jill suddenly found herself with a little white belt and two blue pieces of cloth. Jill had to watch the others put them on and she mimicked their action. She had read a little about football, she knew the idea, but she had never played or seen the game. Real life was much more daunting. The girls huddled, not knowing what, if anything Jill could do, they put her into a blocking position. She found herself looking into the eyes of her new friend Sue. Tiffany and Liz watched the arrangement. Liz was especially keen on seeing how Jill would handle herself. When the ball was hiked, they watched a surprised Jill end up being pushed over, Sue rushing the quarterback. Liz felt like she should run out there and save Jill, she also knew that was the worst thing she could do. Jill was still on the ground when the play was over. Sue came over and gave Jill a hand up. Tiffany and Liz could see words were exchanged, but couldn't hear what. The next play, Jill pushed back at Sue, blocking her momentarily. Jill didn't get knocked to the ground this time, but was a fairly ineffective blocker. The worst of it was that Jill could feel the frustration from her teammates; two plays and they had made three yards. Seven to go for another first down. Fourth down came and they had moved only six yards, they had to kick. Jill felt she had let her team down, but was not ready to give up. Sue had told her that the first time she had played; she had become turned around and ran the ball into the wrong goal, giving the opponents a touchdown. Jill knew she wasn't going to be that bad. The ball was kicked and much to the surprise of her teammates, it was Jill who pulled the flag off the girl, almost as soon as she picked up the ball. They were at their twenty-two yard line and probably had a long shot of getting a goal. This was a redeeming factor to her teammates. They found Jill's running ability an asset, she also could see the logistics in what they were doing, anticipating the play. When the red team was at their fourth down and kicking they were at their twenty-three yard line. Jill's teammates wanted her to get the ball and run it. Jill on the other hand had never spent time catching a ball and didn't know how to do it. The ball landed near her and she was able to pick it up, running sixteen yards before her flag was pulled. It was then Tiffany blew her whistle to end the game and send the girls off to the showers. When Jill came back over to Liz and Tiffany, she said, "I think I understand what Mrs. Turcotte said to me this morning. I could see where the play was going, I knew what was happening when it was executed and efficiently took out the play, I was above the others." Liz nodded; Tiffany was still trying to figure out where all this was going. Jill went on, "When it came to blocking I was dismal and lacked the basic skills, I knew a lot less the others." "Good observation Jill," Liz said, proud of the insight Jill had. Tiffany thinking back at her testing realized what Jill was saying. "Are all my classed going to be this way?" Jill then asked. Tiffany sensing the frustration in those words said, "Yes, I think they will be, but only until you figure out where you fit in." Jill and Liz were looking at her. "Take this game. You were put in as a blocker, as you admitted, you were dismal." Jill shook her head, "but that is not the only position you could play. When you play again, you might find a place that works well for you. You may not quite excel and yet you don't feel like a failure. As you gain the knowledge that you lack, you will also not feel cut apart by what you don't know. It is finding your place in the classroom that fills that spot which is tricky and takes a bit of time. You are smart though and should be able to do that without to much trouble." Jill had watery eyes and said, "thanks Tiffany." Then gave her a hug. To Liz, she asked, "where are we going next?" "We need to go back to the dormitories." "Ok, I'll meet you there. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about," and with that Jill scampered off towards the locker rooms. They saw her meet up with Betty and Sue, the three of them walking off together. Tiffany looked at Liz, saying, "you sure have your hands full with that one, don't you." Liz turned to Tiffany, seeing the smirk on her face and started a laugh, "She does seem to come up with surprises. The problem is that most of what she says it the truth." Tiffany understood that Liz was talking about the comment Jill had made this morning concerning her and Liz and started to blush. She composed herself and said, "does that mean you wanted to talk to me?" "I got a call about my brother." Liz said with a crack in her voice. Tiffany had heard through the grapevine that Liz was expecting an important call. "Anything wrong?" Tiffany was surprised when Liz suddenly sat down on the bench they were next to and started to cry. She sat down next to her and tentatively put her arm around her, but found herself pulling Liz into a full embrace. Liz sobbed in her arms. After a few minutes Liz looked up at Tiffany and said, "he got hurt, but there is a lot more. I think I might as well tell you, but not here, not now. Besides," Liz said with a strained laugh, "your next class is probably wondering where you are." Tiffany startled, said, "your right!" She stood and started running towards the locker room. Watching Tiffany's thin frame run, Liz sighed deeply. She blushed when Tiffany turned around and noticed her staring. Liz got up, wiped the tears from her eyes and decided she needed to find Jill. ------- Sue and Betty had a class they needed to go to so parted company with Jill at the dorm. That is where Liz found her. Jill said, "I think I need a shower after that game." Liz noticed the good spirits and looked appraisingly at Jill. She noticed and said, "Both Sue and Betty said that the first time they played football they were terrible too, so I don't feel so bad." Jill laughed, "I guess that meant they thought I was terrible, which I was." Liz laughed too. Liz gave Jill the key and told her to go up and take her shower, she needed to go to the administration building for a bit, but she wouldn't be long. Jill entered the building and Liz walked down the path. Liz's entrance caught a few people by surprise. One was the officer from the Colorado School Federal Credit Union. He came in ever Friday afternoon to transact business and if you were lucky enough to get away from your class, you could get funds without the problem of going into town. "Liz!" He said. "I hadn't heard. When did you get back?" "Just a couple of days ago. Still trying to get things straightened out." "That was quite an ordeal. How accurate was the papers account?" "As strange as it may sound, it was worse that what they put in the paper." "Liz, that is unbelievable. Well you got through it with flying colors it looks like. You must be proud of that brother of yours." "More than you could know." "So, what can I do for you?" "My brother gave me a check for expenses that I'd like to cash." William took the check and looked at it. "That should be no problem," then he raised his eyebrows, "for Jill?" He asked, noting the reference at the bottom. Liz decided to have a bit of fun with poor William; she knew he had a crush on her, one she had not tried to continue. "Jill is my daughter," Liz said very mater-of-factly. William almost fell off his stool, Grace who was passing by heard what Liz said and couldn't resist poking her head into the room. "Liz how did your daughter do looking at the classes today?" William paled, "She's old enough to go to school here?" He said, not believing his own words. "Oh yes," Liz said, looking at Grace with a twinkle in her eye, "but it will be the last year she can attend, as this school only goes to eighth grade." "What!" William said in astonishment. Liz and Grace weren't able to control themselves any longer and started laughing. William knew he'd been had and good. "Ok, you got me, so are you going to tell me who Jill is after all?" Liz had a hard time not laughing as she said, "Well she is my daughter of sorts, just not biological. I'm taking care of her. Keith my brother sent some money for her." "Oh, so he's her daughter." William said happy he figured it all out. Liz had to laugh again, "No, Keith is two years younger than me and he just got married." William was looking pale again, "Then just whose child is it?" "Let's just say a family friend who is going through a difficult time." "Ok, I'll buy that one." William said, not wanting to go on with this conversation. His head was starting to hurt. "Do you need any money also?" He asked Liz. "No, I was at the bank when we came into town. Keith slipped this in our things, so I didn't know it was there or I would have taken care of it at the same time and not troubled you." "No trouble at all." William said, trying his best to be composed. As Liz stepped out into the main room Grace was there waiting with a grin on her face, "That was a down right nasty thing to do to that poor man," she said. "Do you have any idea how long he had flirted with me? How many times and different ways can you say no. I thought it was poetic justice." "I do know," Grace said, "why do you think I came in and helped you? I think he won't bother you again. I'm assuming that was what you were after." "Most defiantly. He's a nice guy I'm sure, but just not my type." "Not like the guy in Carp?" Grace said. Liz looked quickly at Grace and took a deep breath. Grace smiled, "you had the look. There is no mistaking it. I just wonder if I'm going to loose you to that place." With that Grace turned and went into her office, leaving Liz to wonder about what she had just said. ------- Jill was dressed by the time Liz got back to her room. She wanted to know what Liz was off doing, but all Liz gave her was a sly smile and said, "you'll find out later." Liz had planed on taking Jill shopping tomorrow and with Jill having some spending cash, she knew she'd be in heaven. They went over Jill's schedule one more time so she would have it down pat for Monday. Soon after that the dinner bell rang. They met Tiffany in the hall. On the second floor they ran into Vicky and the four of them walked to the cafeteria together. Sue and Betsy were already there and when they saw Jill, came over and got into line with them. Jill was the star of conversation at the table, every one of them wanted to know what she thought of the school, the classes, and the teachers. She was the last one done eating as she had been talking so much. Liz marvelled at the idea that Jill had been there just two days now and she was already blossoming. After dinner talk was spent of what the rest of the evening consisted of. Tiffany and Vicky had homework to correct and wanted to get it done so it would be out of the way for the weekend. Unless there was a special project going on, it was unusual for the teacher to assign homework over the weekends, but they had Friday's correcting and Monday's lesson plan to get done. Betty and Sue weren't sure what they were doing, Liz said she was taking Jill on a perimeter walk and they might like to come. She secretly winked at them and they knew it was more than a request. Liz went back to her room and grabbed a flashlight, then met the others at the front steps to the dorms. Then went north first and soon came to marking Liz showed Jill as the school property lines. In many of the places there was fencing, but as the terrain got rugged, markers were used. They proceeded east, which was the highest part of the school. It included the entering point of the stream that ran thought the school's property. The best part and one of the reasons Liz chose to show Jill this while there was plenty of sunlight was the waterfall. It cascaded fifteen feet into a deep pool. Liz joked that there was a long un-written rule of no swimsuits being allowed. Sue and Betty looked at Liz wide eyed, Jill noticed their reaction, but ask it that wasn't a bit dangerous. Liz smiled and said, "unless you came the hard way over the top like we did, there was only one other way in. In both cases it would be hard to make a surprise entrance, over the top made a lot of noise that echoed into the surroundings and the easier stream path was very visible to those in the waterfall area, but not to those walking to it." Looking at Sue and Betty she continued, "this is one of four very private areas on the school property." Jill decided to find out latter from Liz if she was saying to them what she thought she might be. As they walked out, down the stream, Liz pointed out an unusual tree. Continuing around the properties edge they came to a small circle of trees, outside the circle was a blackberry vines. Inside the circle of trees was dark and lush looking, so dark that you couldn't see into the center. "This is another wonderful place," Liz said. "It does look nice," Sue said, "but how do you get into it?" "That's what makes it so nice. There is but one way in and only few know of it." They all looked at Liz with anticipation. Liz smiled, "Do you see the tree just outside the berry bushes?" They all saw it and commented, It was Jill who spotted the rope tied to a tree branch. "That rope is the only way in and out. Once in, if you don't swing it out for others to catch, no one else can get in," Liz laughed, "unless they want bloody legs from those thorns." "Can we go in?" Betty asked with anticipation. "Another time Betty," Liz said, "there are other places still to be seen." The next place that Liz showed them was a dry streambed. They were at the edge of the property and a marker was on each side of the bed. They then turned, following the bed in towards the school. There was a good bit of overgrowth and the one thing that all three girls noticed was that they were making a good bit of noise walking. The grass crunching under foot, the twigs snapping, the larger branches with leaves rustling as they pushed them aside all made for a noisy entrance. Suddenly they were looking at a small hollow, left by the old stream. Its rounded shape with the dense trees overhead looked gave a sense of privacy. The now dry grass and weed had been flattened, giving evidence of others being there before. Jill ask the questions they all had, "how many people know of these places and how did you find them?" "One more place and I'll answer your questions," Liz replied. The sky was getting dark by the time they got to the stream. "You saw where the water entered the property and the special place there. This is where the water leaves the property, and it also has a special place." They walked along the sandy bank avoiding the dense growth on either side. About thirty feet later, Liz pointed out a fallen tree on the other side of the bank. Directly across from it she took a branch and pulled it down, stepping on it to hold it in place. The branch behind that she held to the side. "Come on," She said and stepped inside. The two branches fell back into place and Liz had disappeared. Betty almost frightened by that quickly pulled the first branch down and soon she was gone. We could hear her muffled voice though. Jill was next and then Sue. Once they were all in, Betty asked if they could hear her as she had been yelling to them. It was dark inside and Liz turned on her flashlight, illuminating the area. Almost the size of a small room, it was lush. The evidence of previous activity was also there. A flattened down area of to the side, about six feet in diameter was visible. "It is getting dark and we need to return to the dorms," Liz said. "But there isn't much left of the property, can't we walk the whole distance?" Sue asked. "Sue," Liz said, "don't you remember the warnings a few weeks ago? It was right before I left." Then Liz turned to Jill who was surprised at what Liz had just said. "There are reports of a pack of wild dogs in the area. First of all, they tend to roam at night; secondly they have been spotted near the cattle and sheep ranches to the south of here. The area we didn't get to. They say it is safe during the day, so we will see it another time." "Are there any more special places there?" Betty asked trying hard not to sound to excited. "No," that area is too open for that. Come on, let's get going." Liz needed to use the flashlight to guide their path as they exited, soon though they were at the edge of the grassy area and could see the buildings. They stayed together and went up to Liz's room. Once inside the room, Liz said, "you may not have noticed, but in each place, the unique tree at the entrance to the waterfall, the rope holder, the property markers, and the branch to pull down all had a thumb tack." Jill, Sue and Betty looked at each other trying to understand what Liz was getting at. Liz went to a drawer and pulled out an old lace cloth and a pair of scissors. Cutting a four-inch square she handed it to Betty. Speaking in a somber, very serious tone, Liz said, "this is a marker and if you see one, it means privacy. If you violate that, it will be disastrous." Sue and Betty nodded their heads, trying to be serious, but the anticipation of what it all meant was overwhelming and they had smiles on their faces. "Keep it in a safe place and don't let others see it," Liz said as she ushered them out the door. Jill looked at Liz. "Those two are doing stuff together." It was more of a statement that she had figured it out, than a question, but Liz answered anyway, "yes and they need to be more careful than they have been." ------- It had been a very long day for both of them and once again Jill fell into bed. She was sound asleep before Liz was out the door for her nightly rounds. This night Liz much to her relief found everything in order and was able to get back to her room and into her bed. She snuggled up to Jill, resting her arm over her and was soon asleep. Saturday morning found them waking to the sounds of girls gleefully running around the hallways. Saturday's were always special days at Linden Hall. There were the organized things like craft projects and nature walks. The girls could also do a number of open activities, such as ridings at the stables. While a relatively small percentage of girls left during the weekend, this one more than normal had left because of Mothers Day. In the afternoon the pool opened up, one of the favorite places to be as the weather warmed. One to two busses with chaperones, depending on sign ups, would take girls in town for shopping. The hallway was a buzz of excitement when Jill and Liz got themselves ready and headed out the door. They soon found out what it was all about. Mrs. Walker, the drama teacher had a play. Liz explained to Jill that Mrs. Walker wrote plays, some of them had gone onto larger touring companies, but these plays, the ones the girls were talking about were simple fun things. She would use a theme, they all guessed Mothers Day, and would come up with something just for fun. Most of her students loved them. They would meet on the grass between Big and Little Halls, she would hand out scripts and you read your part. "You mean there is no practice, no stage?" Jill asked. "No audience either, well except the others in the play. It has become so well liked she will do it several times today with different grade levels." Liz responded. She could see by the light in Jills eyes she was entertaining the idea. "Would you like to try it? They are a lot of fun." Jill looked startled, but said in a soft voice, "yes I think I would. It sounds ok." Liz laughed, "You mean because there's no stage?" "And no audience," Jill finished, but then said, "you'd be there wouldn't you?" Liz smiled, "wouldn't miss it for the world." Eating breakfast was a hurried affair for everyone as they all had thing they wanted to do. Liz and Jill were no different. As they got out to the grass, Liz pointed out Mrs. Walker. It wasn't hard to miss her. She was tall, five foot nine inches with a full frame and a booming voice. She had dark red hair, but Liz said that it changed from time to time. As soon as she saw Liz she stopped, dropped everything, and ran over, grabbing Liz in a hug, swinging her like a rag doll. "I heard you were back, So good to see you again. I had my doubts," she said laughing, "when I heard you were swept away into a military base I figured you'd never come out alive." She finally set Liz back down to the earth much to the amusement of the others around. Mrs. Walker then noticed Jill, "well, who do we have here?" "This is my daughter," Liz said, keeping a straight face. Mrs. Walker blinked twice, then with raised eye brows said in an English accent, "your daughter, you don't say. I would have thought she might be a bit younger, say one or two by now, but never mind. If she is a daughter of yours and I find that odd," and in a stage whisper she said, "but then again anything is possible around this school you know." All of the girls were in stitches as she continued, "She will indubitably want a part." With that she turned, looked through her stack and pulled one out, handing it to the open mouthed, flabbergasted, Jill. Then Mrs. Walker went handing out the rest of the parts to the girls there. It never seemed strange to them that there were always as many parts as girls who showed up. It was part of the magic that Mrs. Walker seemed to be able to pull off. True to form it was a Mothers Day play. The play centered around three mothers and their children. It was a classic look at three different lifestyles and the results of that. The play opened at the park, as the three mothers came together to sit and watch their children play. The first mother didn't recognize the other two mothers as she was at the park all the time. As the play ensued, she was seen not as a dotting mother, but one of a smothering mother. The second mother was constantly smiling, nothing bothered her and her children ran a muck. They had fun, but were so undisciplined that the other children soon wouldn't play with them. The third mother, played by Jill's new friend Sue, was off work today because her workplace was moving. Her children were driving her crazy so in desperation she was here. It was this mother that Jill was the oldest daughter of in the play. Jill followed the lines of the other actresses, she saw how they were trying to play out their parts the best they could and still read the script. It was all a lot of fun. When someone missed their queue, the others would point and say, "your line," then everyone would laugh and it went on. Jill was so comfortable that when she came to her part, she started reading it and it took her by surprise. Mother 3: Mildred, Mary, Jim, no, no, Janet, come here this instance. (other mothers giggle as she can't remember the name of her daughter) Janet: Yes mother? Mother 3: It looks like you didn't tie Mary's ribbons in tight and now she's lost one. (mother sighs) How many times do I need to tell you. Janet: Sorry mother (turns to go away) Mother 3: Send the others to me, I want to have a chat with them. Janet: Yes mother (Janet calls Mildred, Mary, and Jim, they come running) Mother 3: (looks at Janet) I said I wanted to talk with them, now run along. (Mother 1 and Mother 2 decide it is time to go and gather up their children, Mother 3 and children are laughing, Janet is left alone) Milldred: (skips by Janet) Na na na na na na, (sticking out her tongue, Mother 3 sees it and says nothing) (Jim and Mary go the other direction) Janet: (going back to Mother 3) Why am I so bad in your eyes. What ever did I do? I cling to you, trying to get you to notice me. Do you even love me? Everyone else fell silent as the intensity of Jill's words filled the part. No one except Mrs. Walker and Liz noticed that Jill had doped her script; she just kept going without it. It didn't use to be this way. I still remember when we would laugh, but that seems so long ago. What happened, please, PLEASE tell me. I'd do anything to have that back. I miss being anything in your life. I fell like I am nothing. Jill had run out of steam. It was only then that she noticed the Sue, playing Mother 3 had tears in her eyes also. She also realized how quiet it was around her, she felt like everyone was staring at her, and indeed they were. Sue jumped up and threw her arms around Jill "Oh Jill," Sue cried, "I do love you, please don't cry." "Now, now," Mrs. Walker said intervening. "Jill, you gave a stupendous performance. When you can make your audience feel your character, you have archived what you set out to do. When you have your other actresses believe you, you have achieved great honor." Sue blushed realizing it was part of the play, but everyone talked about it for the next day, how Jill made her part so real. Jill and Liz were the only ones who knew how real it was, she had not acted, but lived that part. Mrs. Walker on the other hand was sorry that the school's end of the year play had already been cast. Liz's 'daughter' had just stolen the show and had done it unrehearsed. After that performance, Jill was drained and asked Liz if they could go back to the room for a bit. When she entered the room Jill broke down crying. Liz held her in her arms and let her cry it out. When her tears slowed, Jill asked, "how did she know? You didn't tell her did you?" "No, Jill I didn't. I hadn't even seen her until this morning. You saw the hug she gave me." Even Jill had to laugh about that. "Maybe it was, I don't know, fate, spiritual intervention, whatever you want to call it. You were meant to have that part. I don't think anyone will forget it for a while. Did you realize you dropped your script, you weren't even reading the last lines?" Jill's eyes got wide, "did I really? Do you think anyone else noticed?" "Only one other, Mrs. Walker." "But she said..." "Yes, she did." They were both silent for a bit till the knock on the door made them look at each other. Liz got up and answered it. Sue looked in the door, "Is Jill here?" She asked timidly. "Yes, I'm here." Sue didn't wait to be ask in, she practically ran to Jill's side. "How did you do that?" She asked. "What?" Jill said, somewhat surprised. "You made me feel like,... like, the way I feel about my mother. I've been in tears ever sense you said those things. Everyone is talking about it. No one has ever heard anything like what you said. I mean some of us feel it, but we never say it. How did you do that?" "I don't know," Jill answered truthfully. "I'm sorry that it upset you so much." Sue smiled, "Jill that is a nice thing to say, but to tell you the truth, you put into words feelings I had. I was able to really look at the problem face on. It doesn't make me feel good, but it makes me feel better. Does that make any sense to you." "Yes, more than you know," Jill said with a smile, "I'm glad I could help you feel so rottenly good." Both girl laughed at that. Liz who had been listening to their conversation with great interest, looked over at the clock. "It's almost lunch time," she said, "where's Betty?" "She's down on the grass," Sue replied. "Let's go find her and then all sit together for lunch," Liz said. Off they went and found Betty at the edge of the fifth and sixth graders trying to do the play. It was almost over and as Jill, Liz and Sue came up to them, they could see two girls get up off the bench. "Mother 1 and Mother 2," Liz whispered. Jill watched with keen interest, noticed by Mrs. Walker, how the girl playing her part did. Sue tugged Jill's arm, braking the trance, "That's not what you said. Did Mrs. Walker change the play?" "Shhh," Liz said, stopping a response from Jill. When the play was over, they all cheered their wonderful performance. Mrs. Walker tried to work her way over to Jill, to no avail. Her fans were keeping her at bay, throwing praise her way. Liz and the three girls headed off to lunch. Over lunch Tiffany and Vicky, who had joined the rest, said they had heard of Jill's budding acting career. Jill was embarrassed and blushing. Sue wasn't helping the situation any as she went on about it. Much to the relief of Jill, the conversation turned to the afternoon's activities. Liz said she had plans for Jill and herself, much to Jill's surprise. Liz said they were going downtown shopping. Sue and Betty both wanted to go too. Liz looked at Tiffany and asked if she was doing anything or would like to chaperone two girls. Tiffany smiled and agreed, as it sounded like fun. Vicky was not happy about it though, she had been asked to watch over a group of girls at the stables and had agreed as there was nothing else going on. They all sympathized with her and told her they'd make sure she was included the next time. This placated her. ------- Jill and Liz were just opening the door to their room when the phone rang. Liz rushed to it. It was Richard. Liz was told of their visit tomorrow and then she told him about Keith and Daisy. Liz sensed Richard wasn't as worried about Keith as the others were, but then Katy got on the phone and was very emotional. Then Katy asked her a favor, it was an easy thing to do and fun all at the same time, a Mothers Day gift for Katy's mother in law. Jill was silent and staring off into space when Liz hung up the phone. "What's wrong?" Liz asked. "This is the first year I haven't been with my mom," Jill turned to look at Liz and quickly said, "you know my real... I mean my biological..." "I know what you mean," Liz said, "It's ok to miss that. You do love her and she loves you. You also know it is good for you to be apart right now and you also know that I want and love you being with me. That still doesn't make a day like tomorrow feel quite right." Jill was nodding, "yes that is how I feel "Katy was on the phone, she wants me to get her mother in law a Mother's day gift. Her mother died when she was born, so she's never really been able to celebrate that day. To show a mother how much she appreciates what she has done." "I guess you're right. I never thought about that, she was always Robin's mom. I didn't think she didn't have a mother. That is sad," Jill said. "Well we don't need to think about that, she ask me to pick up a gift for her, so that will be fun." "Yes." Jill was getting excited about a shopping trip. "I have something special for you also," Liz said with a twinkle in her eye. "What?" Liz laughed, "It was something Keith put into my suitcase for you to have." Jill's eyes got wide, "what, what is it?" Liz pulled out a bank envelope and handed it to her. "He said in a little note that he wanted you to have a little fun money." Jill's hands were trembling and as she opened the envelope she gasp. There was more money she had ever seen. That didn't say much, because Jill had never been around money before. She suddenly felt very rich. She could hardly speak, "how... much," she swallowed hard, "is... here?" Liz was amused, "fifteen dollars." "Wow." Jill said in almost a whisper. ------- The first day Jill and Liz arrived in Grand Junction, Jill had not had the opportunity to see the down town square. It was a block long by a block wide. Sitting in the center was a wonderful park with a band stand in the center. There were concerts every weekend during the summer as well as other special times. This was one of those times. As they got closer the sounds of the horns could be heard. Jill looked around in excitement. She had never seen anything like this. Around the square there were a whole row of shops. In the center of the blocks were the largest of the stores, each two story monsters. A Sears and Roebuck store was on the south, McFarren's Furniture was to the east, Witherbie's five and dime was to the north, and to the west was Birkfeld's, the best clothing store of the area. Jill was giddy with anticipation. Betty and Sue were looking at their friend wondering why she was acting like she was. Liz explained to them, while Tiffany listened in, that in the town she grew up in there were no stores. Sue and Betty couldn't fathom that. "You mean they don't have anything like Sears and Roebuck?" Betty asked. "No, I mean they don't have any stores, none, not even a grocery store." Liz answered. Betty and Sue looked at Liz trying to believe what she had just told them, they looked at Jill, who now felt very self conscious. Liz could sense that Jill was ready to burst into tears at any moment. Liz went on, "it does have a downtown. It is just that there are no stores there any more. The hotel was opened for my brothers wedding and I stayed there. It was wonderful, built at the turn of the century and everything inside is still the same. The only additions that were done were two bathrooms that weren't there when it was originally built. Let me tell you, that downtown has more character than this one does, stores or not." "Wow, that sounds like it might be fun," Sue said. Turning to Jill, she said, "did you ever get to go into the old buildings?" Jill put on a sly smile, "well a few of us knew how to get into a few of them, we'd play hid and seek when we were young. Then as we got a bit older we would sometimes go down there at night and try and scare each other half to death." Jill started laughing, telling a story about Robin and Daisy trying to scare her, they had hidden in one of the buildings. Unknown to them, Jill was already in the building on the second floor, her flashlight had gone out and she tapped it to try and revive the batteries to no avail. So Jill walked slowly and carefully down the stairs. Robin and Daisy, hiding, heard the thumping and then the slow creaking of the stairs. They were getting scared. About the time they decided to look out from their hiding place, Jill's flashlight, hanging from a string on her pants, went on. I emitted just a soft glow. All Daisy and Robin could see was this swaying light descending the stairs. They jumped out ready to bolt out the door. When Jill had seen them she was startled and shrieked. Then Robin and Daisy screamed. It took them a minute to figure out who was who, and a whole lot longer before their hearts went back to normal. Jill, Tiffany, Sue and Betty were laughing so hard they were crying, listing to the story Jill was telling them. "I'd like to see your town sometime," Sue said. Betty and Tiffany agreed. This made Jill feel very proud of what she had, even though it was much different. "Ok, we only have a few hours and a lot of looking to do, so we'd better get going," Liz said. Liz took them into Birkfeld's. Story had it that Mr. Birkfeld settled here and opened one of the first trading posts, as the area grew so did his store. He dropped the dry goods and went to strictly clothing in 1922. On its second generation in the family line, Birkfeld's had maintained the highest of reputations. The current president Samuel and his wife Doreen sent their daughter, Lindsey, to Linden Hall and were generous contributors to any fund raising the school had. Jill stepped in side and drew a suppressed gasp. The first floor was woman's clothing, more than Jill had ever seen. From a casual department to formal wear, it was all here. The second floor was open in the center and natural light flooded in from a massive stained glass window in the center of the ceiling. The second floor had men's wear and a children's department. The shoe salon and offices were in the building next door that they had purchased eighteen years ago. There was an entrance in the side wall between lingerie and accessories. Jill, Sue and Betty saw some clothes that they fell in love with. Liz told them to try some on, then explained to Jill just how that worked, where the dressing rooms were, what to do with things you liked and didn't. Jill appreciated Liz's help and done out of the earshot of her friends. She felt so dumb at times. Tiffany and Liz took a look at some fashions just a bit older. Then they moved to the lingerie department. That is where Jill found them, Liz holding up a pair of thin frilly panties for Tiffany to see. Tiffany was the first to see Jill and turned bright red, Liz turned saw Jill and matched the shade of Tiffany. "I see you have found some work clothes," Jill said half laughing. "Jill!" Liz snorted, she too started to laugh. Liz quickly put them back, but not before Jill noticed the size. Liz and Tiffany followed Jill over to where Sue and Betty had a few clothes picked out. "What about you Jill?" Tiffany asked, "didn't you find anything you liked?" Jill stuttered, "well... yes... but..." "It's ok Jill, I brought you here to do a little shopping. You need some clothes and I'm taking care of you." Liz said. Tiffany was gracious enough when she saw the tears start forming in Jill's eyes to pull Betsy and Sue away. Jill sniffled, "The last time I had a new outfit, my dad bought it for me." Liz thought back to earlier conversations, it was several years ago that he died. "Well you are going to have more than one, you are going to pick out three and we are getting shoes for you as well." Jill stood in stunned silence, she didn't know what to say. "Jill," Liz said, realizing she had overwhelmed her, "I'm not kidding, so you'd better start picking some clothes out." It started to sink in and she radiated a big smile on her face, giving Liz a big hug, "you don't know how special you are to me." "Probably as much as you are to me," Liz replied. The shopping was a success and they exited with a very happy trio of girls. The next stop was a little store, just off the main square. It was a specialty store that had many unusual items. Liz had taken many a student their trying to find the perfect gift for a mother, grandmother, special aunt. If it was a special gift, this was the place to go. Liz had warned the girls to be careful as there was a lot of breakables. Neither Sue nor Betty had ever been in the store before, but they had heard about it and were as excited as Jill when they got there. Liz looked and looked, trying to find just the right thing. It was Jill and Sue's discussion that brought Liz to the perfect gift. They were wondering why a gift shop like this had flowers for sale also. Liz saw what they were looking at and explained it to them. Those are porcelain, very finely crafted and hand painted. They are each a work of art and the reason they look so incredibly real. The company that produces them is called Boehm. At that point the owner who had been listening to Liz stepped in. "Always the teacher I see," he said smiling at Liz. "The only thing that you left out is that these are limited numbered editions, signed by the artist who painted them. The one you are looking at here is Camilla." "I almost hate to ask, but how much is it?" Liz said. He smiled and said, "now let's see." She tried to get him to stop, because she was able to glance at the bottom of the flower and saw it's price, but he stepped into the back room. When he came out he had a piece of paper with a price written on it. He whispered, "For our favorite teacher." Liz looked at the price written, it was more than she wanted to spend, but it was less than half of the price she saw marked. She couldn't believe herself as she said, "I'll take it." He wrapped it up in a special box. No one said a word when he told her the total price, they just stared at Liz as she wrote out the check. When they went out, Tiffany asked, "Are you crazy Liz? Did she tell you to spend that much?" Liz couldn't believe what she had just done. "No she didn't. Katy wanted something very special and I think this qualifies. I just hope I made that right decision." Stopping in a few other stores to look around Jill was very tempted to spend her money. They passed Birkfeld's again and went into the store next to it. Jill said to Tiffany, keep her busy, I'll be back in a few minutes. Before Tiffany had time to ask any questions Jill was out the door and heading back to Birkfeld's. She immediately went to the lingerie department, finding the panties that Liz had been looking at. She found a white, black and then a red pair. She quickly bought them and ask if they could be wrapped as a gift. The girl boxed them in the traditional gift box Birkfeld's had been using for years, adding a violet ribbon, a Mothers Day tradition for the store. She was back into the other store just as Liz had come out of the dressing room, Tiffany turned Liz around to look the other way as Jill added the gift into her already bulging Birkfeld's bags. It was soon time to catch the bus that would bring them back to the school. On the walk back the girls talked excitedly about how wonderful the day had been. They thanked Liz and Tiffany for taking them. Liz was quiet and remained that way on the bus trip, she was worried about the gift she had purchased. As they got to the school, Liz still didn't say much and as they entered the room Jill said, "Liz, it will be fine. If it makes that much difference, I'll throw my money into it. I just don't want you to feel so bad about it." Liz looked at Jill and realized there wasn't much that could be done about it now, it was a lovely gift. It was actually an incredible gift and it fit just what Katy said she wanted, even if she had not mentioned a price. "You are right Jill," Liz said smiling, "Now lets take a look at those clothes." Jill panicked about the package she had in those bags. The phone rang saving Jill and as Liz went to answer it, she slipped the box under the bed. It was Tiffany, just checking on Liz. Jill laid out the clothes and as Liz and Jill looked at them, Jill wrapped her arms around Liz giving her a hug, "thank you so much. You are a real mother to me, you know that I hope." "Those words make everything worth while," Liz said, "you make me so happy." The faced each other and kissed, tenderly, lovingly. "We need to go eat dinner," Liz said looking at Jill, still in her arms. "Don't you have anything like what they have in those fancy hotels. I've heard of, umm, room service. That's what they call it. Just bring the food here and we wont need to leave the room." Liz laughed, "no we don't have room service. Come on." Dinner was a subdued affair. With all of the days activities, they were worn out. Soon back in the room Liz wanted to have Jill model her new clothes. Jill started unbuttoning her blouse and noticed Liz's attention to what she was doing. Jill smiled and stripped her old clothes off in a slow and showy way. By the time she had dropped her skirt to the floor, she turned around and bent over, straight legged to pick it up. Liz could see the damp spot on her panties, showing that Jill was as excited about the little show she had put on as Liz was feeling. Jill heard Liz get up and as she straightened back up, Liz picket her up in her arms bringing her to the bed. "We can view the clothes on you tomorrow," Liz said as she lowered Jill down, bringing her lips to Jill's. ------- Sunday mornings were a time at the school many people did many things, some slept in while a lot of the girls went off to church in vans that came up to get them. Therefore breakfast was set out and it was a come whenever and get it routine. Jill was up early as her Sunday morning routine had always been to attend a church gathering, but Liz was still sleeping peacefully. Jill hadn't had the opportunity to do anything about a card, so she searched Liz's desk for anything that she could come up with. It was fortunate that Liz was a teacher, Jill found paper, scissors, pens, colored pencils, and soon she had a presentable card. When Liz woke it was after nine and Jill had read half way through a book. Jill hearing Liz wake, she jumped onto the bed, exclaiming, "Happy Mothers Day!" Liz wrapped her arms around Jill, she had tears in her eyes. "Thank you,"she whispered. "You have made me feel like a real mother." Then Jill brought out her card and present. Liz was surprised, "when, how, oh you are a sneaky one aren't you." She got out of bed and placed the card on her dressing table so she could always see it. Then she went back and opened the present. She blushed as she unwrapped the first tissue covered panties, but had to admit they would look sexy on her. Then she opened the black pair and thought them a bit racy, but loved them. When she opened the last one and saw the red color, she just about had a heart attack. "Where could I ever wear these?" she exclaimed. Jill blushed as she said, "maybe Tiffany, or your brother might like to see you in them." "Jill!" Then she held them up and said, "I'm sure you're right though." Both of them fell into a fit of giggles. Jill then said, "I'm going to model my new clothing, so should you." "Ok,"Liz said, "but we need to clean up first, last night left me a bit sticky." ------- The fashion show was a bit risqué, but as they were getting hungry didn't last to long. After breakfast they went back to the room. It was only a couple hours before Katy, Richard, and his parents would be there. As they were straightening the place up, the phone rang. Liz answered it and then handed the phone to Jill. Jill looked at Liz wondering who it was, "Hello," she said. "Hi, honey." It was Rebecca, Jill's mother. "Oh, Happy Mother's Day. How are you? What have you been doing?" "I'm just fine. I am having so much fun. I know it was hard, but I am really so glad that you have such good friends to be with. This has been so important for me to do. I feel happy once again. So tell me what have you been doing? How was the trip? How is the school?" They talked for seven minutes non stop. Jill filling her in about what has been going on. It was such a different conversation than she had ever had with her mother, when she hung up the phone she couldn't believe what had just taken place. "Your mother was having some problems and is now getting some help, so she is changing. You are also maturing and changing. You could tell that change and I'm sure so could she," Liz said to her. "I think you are right. It will be very strange when I go back to Carp." Jill saw Liz's eyes sadden and realized what she had just said. It pained her too. "What are you doing this summer? I heard that some of the teachers go off and do other things as there aren't many students that stay." "I, well, I never had anywhere else to go, so I always stayed here," Liz said. "Then plan to come to Carp, stay with me. I want you to." "I'm not going to say no to an invitation like that, but I don't know if I can say yes yet. I will have to check some things out." They were thinking they would need to go to lunch when Sue knocked on the door. When Liz answered it, Sue said, "There are people to see you." Jill and Liz rushed out the door to find Jack, Sandra, Richard, and Katy being led up the pathway, surrounded by a group of girls. ------- Chapter 27 There were no lines of guards and especially none in protective suits. The train stood, in its massive power and strength. The throb of its large diesel was heard and above all felt. The eerie part was that it had just appeared, no one had heard it come. There of course was an explanation for how this happened, but no one was really interested. With the adults relaxed, the handful of children, Jimmy and Brian included, were looking the monster over. Jimmy climbed between the cars and peered into the window of the doors. There were people in there, dressed in funny outfits. Never being on a passenger train before he had never seen porters, or conductors. It took a bit of coaxing to get Brian to look in, but he did to please his friend. As the two of them looked into the Pullman they were amazed at the shear luxury the car displayed. The wood gleamed with a sheen they had never seen before, the floor had rich red carpet, the seats where heavily padded. The car was set up with soft bench seats facing each other and a table in between where people could talk. It looked like heaven to the boys. Then one of the men started walking towards them. Jimmy and Brian bolted, but they didn't leave the train. They noticed one of the cars was much different from rest. It looked from the outside much like the ones they had come down in and it gave them the shivers. There were no windows, only a solid door at each end. The two boys decided or hoped it was for storage and went off to look at the rest of the train. The other car they found that was different, and they fell in love with it after only a few seconds. This was the kitchen and the chefs inside were cooking. They wore funny white hats and clothes while tossing things into the air and catching them in large pans. Steam came from almost all the pots on the various stoves. Although they couldn't smell the food very well, just the sight make their mouths water. Mildred, Doris and some of the other harried parents were trying to find their children. Every child had disappeared from the meeting hall that everybody had gathered to prior to departure. The sight of the powerful train throbbing as it seemed to breathe told them just where to look; the calls of the parents eventually had the children coming back, a little apprehensively, because of their unscheduled absences. When they found they weren't in a lot of trouble, stories of what the train looked, smelled, sounded, and even felt like came bubbling out. Inside the hall a large task awaited Jim Williams, looking over the original list of people who had been on the train from Carp. Anyone that had left early was checked off and verified. Then chasing down everyone to confirm that they were in fact returning to Carp. There were only four that had been unexpected people to leave. Hank and Daisy to whom people still didn't understand and they were feeling the loss of a trained medical person. Rebecca, who had sort of disappeared, was the other. After the many disruptions she had caused, only her sister had really missed her. After an explanation to her sister from Keith, she was glad Rebecca was doing something good for herself and that Jill the fourth one gone was on a little trip of her own. It was at this time the parents discovered that the children were indeed missing. A mad rush of parents left the hall to track them down. When the families came back in, the rumors of the train started to circulate. Patrick Theisen caught wind of some of the stories and found his grandson Jimmy. He asked for a full account of what the boy had seen. After confirmation of the schedule with Jack Huntington, the base commander, Patrick took the podium. The murmuring died down. "My friends and neighbors, we have all heard the rumors of our transport. The great and wonderful train is in our midst. Our train, bound for the glorious town God has seen fit to bestow on us. While we go back with anticipation in our hearts, there is much work cut out for each of us to do. Carp as we knew it is no longer, and as sad as that may be, God's infinite wisdom will show us to the path of righteousness once again. Our town will not be downtrodden; it has not been laid to waste. The evil that tried to consume our town has been vanquished and now the exiled people are returning to rejoice. Hear me people of God, our time of fulfillment is at hand." A loud roar of approval reverberated in that hall. Patrick continued, "we are set to go back. Brother Williams has counted our numbers, and we are all present and accounted for. Jack Huntington, the base commander will be traveling back with us. I cannot stress this enough. As much as you will want to return to your home we need to have a town gathering. There are things we all need to know. Please do not go to your homes. We need to have a meeting; there are changes that we all need to know. The meeting will be short and then we are all free to go." There were a number of nods from people accepting the plan. Patrick knew he'd have to remind everyone again, but he had said it now, so it would be just be a reminder on the train. The train cars were being loaded very smoothly, people this time were anxious to get on. It meant going home. Jim Williams, Patrick Theisen, and Jack Huntington were the last to get on. Jack took the radio he had in his hand and told the conductor everyone was on board. The train's whistle blew and within a minute the successive noises then the tug was felt. Jack looked at the other two and motioned them to follow him. He moved across the landing and Jack unlocked the door to the mysterious car discovered by Jimmy and Brian. They followed him in, but were a little apprehensive. A conference table sat in the center. They passed a male secretary who was standing at attention at his desk. Across from the man stood an empty rack that was obviously designed to hold rifles. The far end of the car had electronic gear and another man, standing at attention by a desk. A set of earphones hid his ears. The two long walls had a large collection of maps on them. There were no windows except at the ceiling where a raised part had a row of windows, as well as lights. A fan turned lazily, giving movement to the maps on the walls. Jack was fully in control, "at ease," he said and the two soldiers went back to their tasks. "This is one of our mobile tactical planning command stations. They spent a lot of money making it and it has never been used. Lieutenant Carlyle here is our secretary and will be recording our ideas, comments and decisions." "Decisions?" Jim asked. "I'll get to that," Jack noted, "Sergeant Mayhew on the other side is our radio man. He can be in instant communication with anyone we need to talk to. He volunteered to come today as he's been dying to get his hands on this equipment. It is state of the art." Patrick and Jim looked at the wall, coming from a town that had one phone, only half the homes having electricity, and the horse was almost the only means of travel. While both men had been out of Carp, this was a complete mystery to them. "Now back to your question Jim." Then in a hushed voice he said to them, "when we get to Carp there is a lot to be done. The military is going to be working with you to come up with a plan to get them out of hot water. The way to get the most for your town is a detailed plan with all the things Carp needs." Back to his speaking voice he turned to the lieutenant, "you can start to record now." Then Jack walked over to the wall and pulled from a holder a rolled map. He laid it out on the large oak table, Jim holding one side and Patrick holding the other. "We had a reconnaissance plane fly over and take pictures of Carp. Then they went to the Amy Core of Engineers to get them drawn up." Jim had seen and knew how to read a relief map, but Patrick had no idea of what he was looking at. Between Jim and Jack, they explained a working knowledge of what it was he was seeing. The first map was an overview of Carp and the surrounding area. The next one Jack pulled out was a much closer view, showing individual features of the town. The map was broken into quadrants and Jack then pulled out four maps that they laid out that showed a very good description of the town. "Ok," Jim said, "now that we have this. What are we suppose to do?" "The first order of business is the water lines. See here is the spring and this shows the new tank that was installed, these dashed lines are where they found the existing water lines running through the town. Of course all of that has to be replaced." Jim and Patrick nodded, "The solid lines are where the new lines will be dug." "Ok," Patrick said. "I can assume they know what they are doing." "Most of the time that is true, but it is our job, to look for anything that they can't see. The people who drew up this have never been to Carp. What you need to do is look at it carefully. Are we cutting across space that looks good on paper, but not in real life?" "I get it. We are the proffers." Jim said, "So do we know what all the symbols mean that are here?" For the next hour they went section by section, thinking of the landscape. Talking about where main shutoffs would be best placed. The one feature that was sorely missed was the number of fire hydrants. Jack assumed this was a sensitive issue when they saw the footprint of Dora's house with an X drawn through it. "Dora's house was a sad reminder of what these people have seen," Jim said, "do you remember at the wedding how the people responded to the word fire?" "Yes, now that you mention it, it was a bit surprising considering two men had been shot. The people just left and ran to the fire," Jack said. "Three years ago after an extremely hot dry summer there were winds that picked up and rolled through the valley. One of the houses caught fire. It was a vacant house and we were never sure what happened, now I wonder if it wasn't Cliff Johnson's doing. All of a sudden the ground was a blaze and two more went up. It was evident what direction the fire was going and there was no way to stop it. As the men tried in vain to stop the fire, the women emptied houses. We lost half of Carp's houses in that fire." Jim let that sink into Jack's mind. "But what happened? Everyone has a house to live in, how did it all get rebuilt?" Jack asked. "Because of the bad water, more than half the people of this town have left. Some of the houses that went up were vacant, others weren't. Those people, including myself, had to move into the vacant houses. There were two things that stopped that fire. The wind died down and it ran to the river. It pretty much burnt itself out. Do you see these places on the photo? They are the footprints of those houses. Each burnt out shell was demolished to keep the children from getting hurt." "We wondered what they were. Ok that explains a lot and good justification for a lot more fire hydrants. They should be set up like any city with one every one hundred yards from any structure. How does that sound?" Jack asked. It was a welcome outlook on a serious subject. As they got to the last section Jack said that it would be good to break for lunch. "You mean there is more?" Patrick asked, surprised. "We have just begun," Jack said, "There is a lot more." They left, with Jack locking the door behind him and entered the Pullman. This was defiantly a different atmosphere than the last train ride. People were having fun. Most were either eating or being served. There were white tablecloths on the tables; china and crystal were being set out. This was luxury, the like none from Carp had ever seen before. After they dined, Jack pulled them back to the command car to work. This time it was a brainstorming session. How would they like to see Carp develop? Jim and Patrick had never thought about this. Jack reminded them that after the newspaper article, there would be many curious people making their way down the road. "Down that road?" Jim said, "It is one of the worst in the county." "Do you want a new road, one paved?" Jack asked, "Remember though that a new road, while good for you to travel on, will bring more people in." "I see what you mean, on the other hand if more people showed up, then our downtown could come alive again. We could reopen Wilson's and make it into a crafts store. After all, our ladies send the goods they make all over the state now." "That's a good idea Patrick," Jim said, he was getting excited about the prospect. "The hotel could stay open and the dinner could open. I know the gals enjoyed it. Then there is John and Larry. Have you seen some of the woodwork they are doing. Their houses are filled, they told me the technique has been handed down generation after generation. If we had people coming into town, they could sell their stuff as well." "Sounds like a good possibility," Jack said, "You have looked at what some of the people in the town have to offer. We also need to look at what the kinds of help you are being given, and what they can do for the town. It will be best if we come up with a plan of what could be done to the town and then you can present it to the people. They need to be behind this as it will change how some things have always been done." Patrick and Jim weren't sure what Jack had been suggesting, but as he was bringing ideas up all the time, they would just let them flow and see what he meant. The thoughts came forth, but Jack was writing some of them on paper and not saying them aloud, a library, a school, and a medical facility. Patrick and Jim were shocked at the idea that these things might be a possibility and not just a wild dream. For almost an hour they worked on the plan. When they were satisfied, Jack had one more question. What do we do with Keith and Richard? Patrick smiled, "those two don't want a big fuss made over what they did. Like it or not, it is hard to get over the fact that if it wasn't for them we'd all be dead." Jim laughed, "You are right, and they say it isn't much. I think we have to come up with something that they can't refuse to except." "Good idea, have any suggestions?" Jack asked. "You know it would be appropriate to have it to do with water." Jim said, they all agreed. The thought of a fountain was entertained, but it seemed ostentatious for them. Patrick glanced down at the map and had an idea. "This area of the river, passed the bridge and before the downtown is very beautiful. Could we do something in this area?" Jack's eyes lit up, "how about if we put a swimming pool there?" Jim and Patrick liked the idea. "They are rebuilding the bridge, so when they have the water rerouted, they can put in a cement bottom and sides, the inlet is open and the outlet is maintained with a slat dam. In the winter, you open it up and the pool area cleans itself out." It was perfect. A recreation building with dressing area could be put up and a lawn area from that to the pool would make it one of the nicest places in Carp. Patrick finally asked Jack a question that had been having run through his Jim's mind also which had been having run through both their minds, "it is nice to dream about all of this, but where is the money going to come from?" Jack smiled, "One of the reasons I am on this train is that I was put in charge of the restoration of this town. I'm not sure about the roadwork. Partially because I don't know costs on that and it is county property, they need to work on it as well. The water lines, hydrants, and even phone and electrical lines we might want to put in the same trench as it is dug. The idea of things like this and pointed to the words, school, library, and medical facility, will need to be tackled on a different level." Jack then winked and rolled his eyes over to the secretary taking notes. They got the drift that Jack had to be careful of what he said could or couldn't happen. The three of them were happy with what they had accomplished when they left the room. Patrick and Jim were surprised when they looked out, and found the landscape was looking familiar. Jack put his head back inside the car and asked the radio man, Sergeant Mayhew to check where they were. He replied they were ten miles from Angle City. That meant they were about twenty-five miles from Carp Patrick made his rounds from car to car, reminding everyone not to rush off as soon as they exited the train. He knew this would be hard, but it was important. Jack had instructed the porters to let Patrick, Jim, and himself off first to try and control movement as people got off the train. As the train slowed down, the people anticipating going home, looking out the windows began to quiet down. The only sign of life in their town were military personnel. It was that somber reminder that brought the peoples spirits down. Jim looked at his list again. The names of one hundred sixty eight men women and children. A far cry from what it was only a decade ago at nearly four hundred. The train pulled to a stop and Jack was off, radio in hand. Patrick and Jim were next. Jack had a few words with the officer who approached them and then the townspeople started pouring out. Once Jack had confirmation that everyone had disembarked, he led Jim and Patrick to the far end of the platform. Patrick raised his hand and the people settled down. "Although we are back in our town, there are many things that need to be done. Jack Huntington, who we know as Keith and Richard's friend, is here in his official capacity as the military's representative to Carp. I turn it over to him." "Thank you, Patrick." Jack said, "today you will be going back into your houses that have been empty for days. As well as the water lines needing to be replaced because of the damage, there are other kinds of damage. You will have had food perish, you have not been working, and I'm sure some of you will have special things that have happened while you were away. I am here to help you and will be setting up an office in one of the downtown buildings. As you go back to your houses take stock of what has been damaged because of the emergency evacuation, write down anything you feel you have lost. Then I need each family to come and see me. If you have any questions, please ask. The government knows and feels its responsibility in this matter and I want to make sure that you get all the help that you require. We also recognize that you will not have much in your kitchens to prepare a dinner for this evening. The train will be pulling off the main line onto the spur line that runs to the mine, and pull back here at five thirty. Dinner will be served at six." The people looked at him stunned. He went on, "There will be military personnel still in town. Their purpose is to help. I was dismayed at the treatment you received as you were ordered to leave. These are not the same people. As you cannot drink the water from the pipes, you will find water canisters at each of your houses. They will be filled up daily." Jim Williams then stepped up, "We have scheduled a meeting tonight and we need everyone there, so we will all walk over to the hall after dinner. We have a number of things to discuss. Now you are free to go home. May God go with you. Everyone headed off. Dora took Jimmy to Katy and Richard's house. Bruce and Millie had Brian in tow, Millie turned to see Patrick heading off with Sheryl and Bob's place. Millie said, "I don't understand why he's staying with them any more." Bruce knew, "It's because of Sheryl, everyone knows that when she was younger she had a thing for him. My mother always thought it might have been mutual. She has been childless the same as all the women for the last four years." "She's married!" Millie said. "Yes she is and desperately wants a child." Millie looked at him horrified. "You don't think she'd. No, no even she'd never do that, even if she has seemed more desperate than most." Bruce raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything more. Brian had been listening and wanted to tell Jimmy about it. "Can I go see Jimmy?" He asked. "We haven't even been home yet. You can see him latter." "Rats." ------- Dora and Jimmy entered the house. "Jimmy," Dora said, "you need to be the eyes for me. We will go from room to room and anything not right, I want you tell me." Jimmy wanted to be in his room and read one of his books. He wanted to do just about anything but take account of things. He also understood he was the only one who would know, Dora had spent one night at their house. "Ok," he said. Dora knew the kitchen would be the worst, so she saved that for last. They started looking in the living room. Everything looked fine there. The bathroom was the same. They got to Katy's bedroom and Dora had a shiver run up her spine remembering the happy thoughts of what happened in there. Jimmy noticed her and said, "It's not the same without them is it?" Dora slowly shook her head no. They looked around and then in Jimmy's bedroom. There was nothing amiss. Then she knew it was time for the kitchen. As she scanned the scene her eyes fell on the wedding cake. Tradition had it to save a few pieces and soak them in honey to preserve them for the first anniversary. It had, like everything else, been left and was now moldy. A few mice even jumped from the table and scampered into a cracks under the counter. The thought of what Richard and Katy, Keith and Robin had given up was too much for her. She started to cry uncontrollably, her knees went weak and she reached out for the counter as she started to fall over. Jimmy stared at Dora wide eyed; she was lying on the floor. He poked her once with his hand but it did no good. Bolting out the door he was at Millie's house in a minute. "Help! Help!" He yelled. Bruce appeared first. "What's wrong Jimmy?" "Dora, It's Dora. She fell over." Millie had come into the room and heard the last things he said. "Come on Jimmy," Bruce said, "let's go find out what is wrong." Bruce and Jimmy ran back while Brain stayed and walked with his mom. When they got there Dora was sitting up, but still on the floor. Jimmy watched as Bruce felt for a fever, asked her questions and then tried to get her back on her feet. She had just stood up, being held by Bruce on one side and Jimmy on the other when Brian and Millie came in. "She seems ok to me," Bruce said, "but she still is a bit weak." "Have any idea what happened Dora?" Millie asked. "Let me think," Dora said as they led her over to the couch. "I had just gone into the kitchen and Ohhh..." she wailed crying again. "What is it?" Millie asked. "The cake, their wedding cake." Dora got out. Millie got up and looked in the kitchen. It was a disaster. There had been a lot of food left over from the wedding and as Keith had paid for it all, it had ended up here. The worst was the cake Millie had to agree. It had been thought of as bad luck not to save a piece. Millie was a practical person and could understand that they had no choice. She also couldn't understand why it was so distressing to Dora. Millie came back and sat next to her. "You know that it's just old wives tales about it being bad luck not to save a piece." Dora nodded, "They didn't have a lot of choice in the matter." "Yes I know," Dora said, "I'm not sure what came over me." "Maybe it's the smell," Jimmy said. "It smells kind'a funny over there." Bruce laughed, "It does indeed. Maybe your sensitive to the mold and when you saw the cake it was too much for you." Dora who wanted some explanation shook her head in acknowledgement. "That sounds like it could be right." Millie who wasn't as pleased with her husband coming up with such an explanation, snorted and said, "the only time that happened to me was when I was pregnant. We all know that isn't the case." Dora looked down at the floor, not wanting Millie or Bruce to see the shock of what Millie just said to show. Bruce took her action as a sign of sorrow for the way her life was at present. "Millie, I do say. Sometimes you say things without even thinking what is coming out of your mouth." Bruce said admonishing her. Millie looked at her husband, her mouth hanging open. "Come on, it looks like she's ok now and we need to get back and finish our inventory." He said, pulling them out the door. Jimmy looked at Dora with a startled look on his face, "are you, you know?" Dora looked at him and swallowed hard. "I don't think so, but..." "But what?" Jimmy pressed on. "Just like Millie, this is what happened when I was pregnant with Stephanie. Right from the beginning I had problems with smells. It doesn't mean anything though," she said, trying to convince herself. She also knew she'd better think back to when her last period was. She had it on a board in their home, but that was gone. She sighed and Jimmy sat down beside her. "Who's baby would you like it to be?" he said somewhat innocently. Dora was shocked, but the realization that she had had more than one person's cum inside her was real. Still she didn't think Brian was old enough to produce real swimmers yet. If he was, he might just have the same problem the older men have from the chemical Keith had told them about. As she was thinking this she realized that she wanted to rule out Brian, because it was Richard to whom she belonged, to whom she would bare children for. She answered Jimmy's question simply, "Richard's." Jimmy smiled, "figured as much. You want me to clean up the junk in the kitchen?" She looked at him, trying to put on her best smile, "that would be very nice if you would. I don't think I can manage." "Well I don't want you falling over any more," he laughed. Dora started to get up and Jimmy helped her. "What do you need?" He asked as though she were very fragile. "I just thought it would be best if I went outside while you did it. I think some of those smells would get to me over here." Jimmy didn't know if she was right or not, but didn't really care. It had scared him half to death and he didn't want her to do that again. So he helped her get outside and seated. Once back inside he took a look at what he had volunteered to do. 'Holy shit, ' he thought, 'what did I get myself into." There was a large bin at the side of the house that he had always thrown scraps into. He didn't know what happened to them and at that point he really didn't care. He was glad as he looked and found it was empty but soon it would be full. It took him over an hour to just carry the rotting food outside. He had to stop several times and run out to where Dora was. She was concerned the first time she saw him, as he had looked a little green. A few minutes latter and many deep breaths, he would run back in to carry on. When he came out the last time and plopped into the chair beside her, she could see he was tired. "Just finished," he said. "I know it's not real clean. I've never done too much of this stuff before. I don't know how to clean it all up real well." Dora smiled at him. "I'm glad you are here Jimmy. Lets go in, I'll hold my breath and take a look around." They both took deep breaths and ran in, he had done a good job, but it still needed a complete wipe down and the floor needed a good mopping. They ran back outside gasping for air and then laughing. "You did a marvelous job, now let's go see Sally." Dora said. "Why her?" Jimmy asked as they started walking. "You know how she loves to cook," Dora laughed, "you can sure see how Dale loves to eat." Jimmy laughed also, "That's for sure." Dora continued, "Keith told me that the first day he rolled into town, she offered him something to eat." "I can believe that," Jimmy said, grinning, "so why are we going to see her." "Well, like it or not, I can't get close to that kitchen the way it is and you don't know how to clean it the way it needs, so we're going to ask Sally if she'd like a job." "A job?" Jimmy said surprised. "Yes a job. Richard told me a few things before he left, so there is nothing to worry about." "If you say so." Jimmy said. ------- When Dora knocked on Sally's door, Dale opened it. He smiled, "what are you two doing here?" "Dale," Dora laughed, "your manners are always so wonderful." She knew the real reason that he acted the way he did around her. It wasn't that he was gruff. Just the opposite, he was tongue-tied. She had seen it for years, and sneak little looks at her. She would tease him just a bit to have some fun. He was harmless, but he still couldn't get words out right around her and she let him know it. "We're here for cleaning help," Jimmy said. Dale looked at Jimmy, "Then you don't want to be talking to me I guess." "No, you probably know as much about that as I do," Jimmy stated very seriously. Dora and Dale started laughing. Sally came out to see what the commotion was. "Hi Sally," Dora said, "how did you fair here?" "Just a bit of spoiled vegetables. Not much to pay attention about. I don't think we need to go and talk to that man." "I'd rethink that if I were you," Dora said much to Sally and Dales surprise. "Why's that?" Dale asked. "Have you figured out how much you lost from not working? Richard told me some of the things they take a look at. Or if you had some plants and they died, how much are they worth. But work is a real big one. I know the co-op leadership should be getting together and see what they may have lost also. I don't know but would you be charged by the train for a missed pick up?" Dale was shaking his head, "I thought it was all too easy. Now you're making me think." Sally smiled at her husband. "It's about time you did something around here," she said in mock anger. "Fine," he retorted, "get out of here and give me some peace and quiet to think then." "That would be great," Dora said, "I need a hand. That's why I came by in the first place." As they walked out the door, Sally called out, "I'd better not catch you thinking with your eyes closed." When they had shut the door she said, "he'll be asleep in five minutes if I know him." They all laughed. "So, what is it that you need help with?" Sally asked. "Dora can't go into the kitchen," Jimmy spouted. Sally raised her eyebrows, looking at Dora, "oh?" Dora started, "all the food from the wedding party was at the house." "And it was all rotting," Jimmy interjected. "I think it was the smell that got to me, or maybe the cake. It's was a complete waste, couldn't save any of it. Anyway I fainted." "Oh my," Sally said alarmed, "are you all right now?" "Yes, but I feel a bit helpless. Jimmy had to take away all the food. He's been a big help," Dora said as she tussled his hair. "It needs a good wipe down. I still can't go in there and Jimmy hasn't a clue of what to do." Sally smiled, "well you came to the right gal, but I think you already knew that didn't you." Jimmy was looking back and forth between the two women, Sally saw his bewilderment. "When Dora's husband died in the accident, I went to help her. It is a tradition that one in the community helps another in need. I came in and helped Dora and Stephanie. Cooked and cleaned for them until Dora could start to see the light of day again." They had reached Katy's and Sally dove right in. Jimmy watched her. She was a cleaning maniac and in no time she had not only the kitchen, but the bathroom cleaned as well. Dora stood in disbelief when it was done. The smell of bleach hung heavy in the air. "Sally, you didn't need to do so much. Thank you so much." "Just the way I get things done, now you two had better get cleaned up. Dinner is going to be soon and if it was anything like lunch, you don't want to be late." She headed off back to her house. Dora and Jimmy looked at each other. There had been signs posted on each door. The water out of the faucet could be used to flush a toilet, but not to use for anything that would touch the body, that meant cooking or washing with. Sally had used the tap water for the floor, but used water, and as sparingly as possible to clean the counters with from the container that had been provided outside their door. What was left in it of water would never provide enough for a full bath. Jimmy stoked the fire that Sally had started to heat the water she had used and Dora brought in the rest of the water. Reserving some, she set the pail on the stove they went to find clothes to wear. Dora had to search in Katy's things for something to fit, as all her clothing had gone up in smoke along with her house. The water was nice and warm now and Dora took the pail of warm water into the bathroom, setting it into the bath. Jimmy still wasn't sure how this was going to work. Dora started pealing Jimmy's clothes off him. She guided him to the tub and he stood in it wondering what to do. She then produced a hand towel and soap. Starting with his neck and shoulders she wetted, soaped and rinsed his body. When she used her hand, running her soapy fingers deep into his crack and wrapped them around his balls, his legs just about went out from under him. Jimmy stepped out, his legs still unsteady, but with a large smile on his face. He watched as Dora now stripped and then to his amazement handed him the soap and towel. He tentatively touched her skin and withdrew his hand. She took hold of his hand and started guiding it, mirroring what she had done to him. Once he got comfortable she withdrew her hand from his and she let his hands roam over her body. Her scent started seeping as he took her breast in his hands; the smell was intoxicating him. ------- Jimmy's mind was still on the 'bath' as they walked to the train for dinner. He wished they had had more time. As they got closer to the train, people were gathering and he saw Brian. Tugging Dora, they went to where Brain, Bruce and Millie were. Jimmy told them about Sally's help and how the place was sparkling clean now. They sat together at dinner and the food was excellent, Patrick came down the isles, reminding everyone once again about the meeting. Patrick sat down with them and asked how the cleanup was going. Jimmy gave him a detailed account of everything he saw and did; everyone was shaking their heads at the non-stop talking he was doing. Millie in almost acidic word asked about Cheryl and Bob. It was the first time Patrick registered the hostile feelings his daughter had towards Cheryl, and he knew he'd have some work to do in correcting this matter. He had made major mistakes in his life and regretted alienating her and her sister. Right now though his mind was on the meeting and needed to stay there. He got up and made his way down the rest of the car and into the next. ------- It took some time to settle everyone down. Jack, Jim and Patrick had spent most of the afternoon in the hall preparing for the meeting. The townspeople were curious about what was behind the sheets up on the wall. The addition of lights in the front was also something new to everyone. Some people had electricity but most relied on kerosene lamps for their needs. Jim took the podium. "Can we settle down now and get this meeting on its way. There is a lot to talk about, and I am anxious to get back into my own bed for a good nights rest." Everyone cheered at that comment and Jim had to settle them down again, then he turned the meeting over to Jack. Unveiling the map, the four quadrants pasted together, gave the townspeople a visual that they had never seen before of the town. There were many questions as this was all new to them. The consensus was that it would improve the town as a whole, not just to have the new piping, but the many fire hydrants as well. Jack also talked about the rebuilding of the bridge. Many didn't know that construction had already begun on that, as it wasn't visible. The first part was to divert the water and he had found out that was almost finished. Jack also mentioned that larger scale changes might take place and were in the thinking stage. When they were possibilities, instead of thoughts another meeting would be called. This is where Patrick took over. "On the train trip back up Jim, Jack, and myself spent the time going over these plans, we also spent more time on a way of recognizing our heroes' Keith and Richard." A large cheer went up; again it took several minutes to quiet everyone down. "We felt it appropriate to erect a tribute to the brave men who saved our lives." Patrick held up his hand to keep people from applauding and went on, "the tribute we felt, should involve water as a theme. Any of you who have met Keith and Richard, know that they are embarrassed about the idea of being called heroes'. A statue placed in their honor might scare them away from the town. Those in the crowd who did know the boys laughed at the sight the words placed in their minds. What we came up with is something that we believe will give them due credit and that they can live with." There were many snickers heard. "The current idea is to create a fresh water swimming pool to the south of the bridge. It will have a concrete bottom. The two sides will also be concrete with stairs and ladders. The inlet will be natural with possibly a few boulders added. The outlet will be a dam that will be opened in the winter allowing free water run." Patrick pointed to the map to show where it would be. Reaching behind the large display he brought over the top a much better view of the proposal. He pointed to an area beside the proposed pool on the town side; "this is where we can construct a recreation hall with dressing rooms for the pool and picnic benches around. Shade trees would be planted and grass from the recreation hall to the pool would be added. Most of us have waded into the river to find rocks and black muck stick to out feet. The pool will be much larger than the area we now use and have a clean bottom. We now need your comments." Most of the men wanted to know the construction details; Jack could answer most of those as he had seen such a pool that had just been constructed in Chico California just like the one they were talking about. It was put to a vote and was unanimously approved. Jack, Jim, and Patrick thought they were done when Jim's wife asked where Keith and Robin were going to live when they came home. People looked at each other. The only home that was inhabitable and not occupied was Cliff Johnson's place and no one would even dare mention that possibility. There was some discussion in the far corner and then one of the men yelled out, "What about the old Birk mansion?" There was quite a bit of discussion about it. Most of it was drawn on the fact most all of them had not even been close to the property in years. It was agreed the idea was good. Everyone knew it was the biggest place around for miles and two families, even unrelated could probably live in the place without problems. They had the benefit of being related and as such people almost assumed that Katy would still be instructing her daughter, the new bride. It after all was tradition. Dora had said she knew Keith had inherited a house and it was full of furniture in Boston. Jack kept his mouth shut for some time as many people became anxious that he might leave Carp. The idea of possibly giving a repaired mansion to Keith and Richard, could insure them staying in Carp. Although no one had been in the place for years, they knew its size. It was also noted that during the stay in the barracks, they were the families that were at ease with each other, most attributed it Katy and Robin being mother and daughter as well as Keith and Richard being best friends. The meeting needed to end for the night, but tomorrow morning everyone would take a trip out to the mansion to see the state in which it was. After the meeting was actually closed many came up to view the maps and ask a few personal questions before leaving. ------- Brian was pestering Millie wanting to spend the night with Jimmy. Millie was having none of it. She wanted Brian to be in his own bed for the first time in over a week. Brian wasn't too happy, but stopped asking. Tomorrow night he'd ask again. Dora opened the door of Katy's house and Jimmy just behind her shut the door. It was still. After the noise of the air base and the many people in the barracks, the silence of the night seemed strange. Jimmy didn't know how the night would be. He missed all the people. He missed his mom. Dora was having similar feelings. This was the first time her daughter had been away from her. The comfort of Richard who had taken over for her, making her feel comfortable once again was not there. The sudden loneliness overwhelmed her and she started to cry. Jimmy looked at Dora and was in about the same state she was in. They instinctively put out their hands and hugged each other. The feeling of loneliness in the empty house was almost overwhelming; they ended up in bed together still not over their feeling of loss. Although sleep was slow, it was their troubled minds that took over other bodily ideas that otherwise might have crept upon them. The morning would bring a different story. ------- Jimmy woke to find himself wrapped in Dora's arms. It was very nice feeling and he didn't really want it to end, but a need to pee dictated otherwise. Moving his shoulders back and forth he wiggled out of her grasp and relieved himself. Walking back into his mom's bedroom he noticed Dora had turned and was now on her back, her button down shirt mostly unbuttoned. He climbed onto the bed and stared at the gap in the shirt revealing a good portion of her breasts. The visions of washing them the day before flooded his mind and he reached out, sliding his hand into her shirt. Her nipple hardened on contact and she let out a soft moan. He looked at her face, and could tell she was still asleep. He wanted more and reluctantly took his hand out. His shaking hands started unbuttoning the last few buttons on her blouse. It fell open, but he still had to push it over her breasts to let them into the light. His mouth came up to the left one and his hand on the other, he heard the same moan as soon as he made contact. As he started to suck on her extended nipple she moaned again and then he felt her arms move, and reach over him. He was wondering if he was in trouble. He was so hesitant to leave that he would rather have more time doing this than the harsh words that would follow. He felt her hands on the back of his head, and instead of pushing him away they actually encouraged him. It didn't take much. He was back to the lovely task in front of him. Her pungent odor started to fill the air, an enthralling aroma of sexual excitement. His hands were already busy, and hers soon were as she slid them between her legs. A scream erupted as her orgasm overtook her. Jimmy was so frightened he rolled off of her. As her shudders died down, she opened her eyes and saw that he had moved to the corner of the bed. Smiling at him, he relaxed. As she opened her arms welcoming him, he started to move towards her. She noticed his need was still hard in front of him. She stopped him and laid him down. She moved to the foot of the bed and engulfed his small dick into her warm and soft mouth. He groaned as the pleasure overtook him. Her tongue swirling around his head was almost too much for him. Dora released her hold on him and he was disappointed as his dick slid out from her mouth. His eyes widened as she then started licking his sack. Pulling his legs apart and pushing them up she ran her tongue below his sack towards his ass. It was too much for him and he grunted as the first stream of cum shot forth. It was the last he saw of it though as Dora quickly took his dick back into her mouth, sucking him dry. This time it was his turn to smile. ------- Brian was knocking on their door and couldn't believe that they weren't ready; people were starting to leave to look at the mansion. Brian and Jimmy had never been allowed to go that far out of town by themselves, so they had never had the opportunity to explore the place. They had always wanted to though; the tales told of hidden treasure had made their mouth water. One mile outside of town on it's own road laid the mansion. The dirt road leading to it was in bad state of repair with potholes, a washed out section from a flash flood, and several large boulders that fell from the steep hillside. Jack said the road crew that was coming in for the bridgework could make basic repairs to the road easily. After the last bend in the road, and around a small hill, stood the stately mansion. Three stories high in a traditional Victorian style with a slate roof stood the majestic structure. It was named after the owners, 'The Birk's Mansion'. It was the largest such structure north of Las Vegas for one hundred and fifty miles. It had a rather eerie look to it with its weathered wood exterior. There was a wrought iron fence around the house and evidence of long gone landscaping. The center gate led up to the recessed front porch. It was noted that the double front doors were functional, but in bad shape from the elements. The foyer opened up to both stories and light from the windows made everything visible. As they looked up, it amazed all except the few who had been in the place before to see a round stain glass ceiling. There were large double doors on the right and left, and a central staircase to the second floor. The room to the right was a large woman's parlor and it had a door that opened to the massive dinning room. The doorway to the left of the foyer led to a men's parlor and beyond that to a library. The foyer extended past the staircase in the center and from there was an inside bathroom, very modern for the age of the house and the kitchen. The kitchen was traditionally very large with a butlers pantry, a maids pantry with a pass through to the dinning room, the storage room for dry goods and the cooking area's. A staircase to the basement revealed a cistern that was connected to the roof gutters and a root cellar. There was also a staircase that went to the second and third floors. On the second floor were the owner's bedrooms. Although the Birk's never had children there were six bedrooms and a central bathroom at the back, above the kitchen. The third floor had been the servant's rooms and the bedrooms were just a bit smaller, but there were eight of them. Attesting to the fact that the Birk's cared for their servants, the woodwork was the same on the third floor and it also had a bathroom. The major problems were broken windows, and rot that had occurred around them. Holes that had been smashed in the walls from the fortune seekers and in the back covered porch, outside the kitchen, where the foundation had given way from two rotting beams. The two Wilhelm brothers, John and Larry, said that they would be responsible for restoring the window and doorframes. Their father had taught them all he knew about woodworking and he had learned from his father in Germany. It had been the family business there for five generations. Soon everyone was chipping in with what they could do. It looked like it was not a question of if it should be done, but when. Dora asked how long the whole project might take. The longest project was the back porch and that would take two weeks after lumber was obtained. Jack caught Dora's idea saying he thought that Keith and Richard should be gone at least that long. Patrick then added that he should be able to get hold of Keith's parents and ask about the furniture. Maybe they could get it railed in and they could have the whole house set up for them when they returned. The enthusiasm was contagious and everyone there was all for the project. The one damper was when someone asked about money for the materials and who was going to pay for it all. No one had a good answer. There was glass, paint, hardware, and material to be purchased. It was Jack who asked the right questions. He didn't have any understanding of how the town worked and so his questions were innocent enough to him, but things the town had never considered. He knew that everyone in the town was going to get a check from the government. He was in charge of the distribution and had to record each of the family units. Beyond the normal compensation, they would be receiving money for the detrimental effects of the drug Rerexinal. This is something the town's people didn't know about yet. When Jack asked about town taxation, and he was told that there had never been any need. When the town needed things done either all helped or they did it in rotation. He suggested that there was one now and would continue into the future. There was a groan from some of the men; they expressed hardship from being without work for a week. It was then that Jack revealed that the government would be paying them for lost wages as well as compensation for their suffering. Suddenly the townspeople felt flush, agreeing that the city should collect a percentage of their windfall and it could be then used for this project. Labor would still be portioned out to keep everything fair. Once again things looked good. Now it was Jacks problem to get the money to them fast. With the government that was always a problem, but he knew some strings to pull and figured he could get a good percentage of the money as soon as possible. Jimmy and Brian came rushing in, saying there was a large shed that they had been able to wiggle into that had lots of lumber in it. The two boys had become bored of all the talking had started to explore, but remembered the discussion about supplies. The shed they had discovered when opened by the men, did indeed contain quite a bit of lumber in it. One of the men found the remains of plans for a small barn and this was the lumber for it. It took care of the largest and lengthiest project they had, the porch. Some of the men said they would be returning to measure. Everyone agreed that the materials needed to be ordered as soon as possible. Jack assured them that by the time the materials showed up, there would be money to pay for them. He was hoping he was right. ------- There was a lot of excitement in the air, one that the town had not felt in years. The town had been drugged. Drugged almost into nonexistence and now there was more than just hope, there was promise. Jim smiled as he watched the line of people waiting their turn to talk on the phone. To tell their old neighbors, their relatives, and their friends about the changes in Carp. Jim's wife walked up to him and put her arm around him. He smiled at her and they walked through the middle of downtown. They reminisced about what had been there and what now could fill the long empty slots. The hotel had already made a partial revival and the restaurant looked like it could be opened also. There were many more to fill though. It would take time, but the view for the first time in years was one of optimism. Dora was standing near the phone frustrated when Jack approached her. She had wanted to tell Richard and Katy, or Keith and Robin about what was happening. She had no way of getting hold of them though. Jack smiled and said that it would be much better to have it be a surprise for them. She did like that idea, but then asked about the furniture and the other house that Keith had inherited. Jack smiled and told her not to worry, Keith and Robin have no plans of moving away from Carp. Then he remembered the schedule and asked if Richard and Katy were going to be stopping by Liz's school. It all fell into place; they said they would be calling. Dora could then ask Liz to call her back. Liz' could get the ball rolling without Keith knowing. Dora felt clever and mischievous suddenly and she liked it. It felt good to be doing something nice for her new family. She gave Jack a big hug and was about to give him a kiss also, but stopped. To say the least Jack was surprised. He definitely enjoyed the hug and her supple body pressing into his. Her almost kiss, left him with an acute desire. She apologized for her outbreak. He said he had enjoyed it and laughed. She then became serious and said that she couldn't do things like that without permission. He didn't quite understand, but had an inkling and pressed her for more. She knew he had some kind of special relationship with Keith and Richard, or she hoped he did, as she told him she belonged to Richard. Jack smiled at her and told her he understood in a kindly and thoughtful way. Little did she know how much he understood. ------- Brian had convinced his mom and dad to let him stay overnight with Jimmy. Jimmy had said Dora was ok with the idea. Reality was, he had never even asked, but knew she wouldn't mind. She wasn't as uptight as Millie was. When Dora arrived home she meet the two boys. They greeted her and asked if it was ok for Brian to spend the night. They had sheepish grins on their face when they admitted that they already said she approved it. They knew she would be fine with the idea. As soon as that was cleared up, the boys went into Jimmy's bedroom. Katy had told her to take care of her son, and Richard had added not to wear him out. So even though she hadn't felt that comfortable with the idea, last night and then this morning had turned out well. Brian told Jimmy the tale about their grandfather and Cheryl. "You don't think he's, you know... " "Giving her a baby?" "Yea. That would mean they were fucking." The thought of it had the boys in giggles. Little did they know, but as quiet as the place was, Dora heard every word they said. ------- Dora was in Katy's bedroom and had just found the silky nightgown that Katy had pulled out for her the first night she had slept there. She remembered feeling aroused, then frightened at being caught peeking, then best of all the orders of what she must do. As soon as she slipped the sheer lingerie on, she heard the floor creak and Jimmy's door open. Turning around she saw them in the doorway she had left open. It wasn't the stares that gave away what they were thinking; it was the tent in their pants. The stares reminded her about the first time she first wore the nightgown again. The night she gave herself to Richard. The night she started feeling alive again. She looked at Jimmy and Brian. Two young boys, but at the same time, boys that had seen and participated in many sexual adventures. It was hard not to want to rip their clothes off and have her way with them. She knew that that would be wrong. They needed to explore, to feel their way and make up their minds. Dora smiled at them. "I see you're happy to see me," she said looking down at their crotch. Both boys turned red. "Uh hu," Brian said as though that was the most intelligent thing that could come out of his mouth. "Well it looks like your a bit overdressed, why don't you..." Dora never got the sentence finished. Jimmy and Brian were stripping as fast as they could. Watching then got her excited. As their dicks sprang free Dora's scent was starting to permeate the air and her juices were running down her leg. The boys tuned to her, her erect nipples and naked body could easily be seen through the thin material. All sense was lost as the intoxicating smell overwhelmed them. They went to her side, hands caressing the silky material. "Brian, slow down. Remember what I showed you before of how to touch a woman?" He had been taught and slowed himself down. He was now telling Jimmy where to touch and how. Dora was purring, she was in heaven. She didn't even notice until the nightgown pulled over her breasts that it was being taken off of her. The three of them moved to the bed, Dora in the center. Brian and Jimmy latched onto her breasts and suckled them. Her hands stroked down their bodies, cupping their tight asses. The boys started humping against her leg. Dora was ready for the next step. Her resolve to let the boys explore on their own was out the window. Her needs were consuming her. She rolled towards Jimmy and lifted her leg. "I think you know where to put this," she said as she stroked his dick." Jimmy thought he'd shoot right then and there, but Dora removed her hand. He started to maneuver into place. Brian felt a bit left out; Dora's back was to him. She reached back and wrapped her hands around his dick. Turning her head, she said, "I have a hole back there too and I'd like you in it." It was a good thing Dora released her grasp on his dick just then. Images of Richard and his dick inside of him exploded in his mind. He couldn't wait to see how it felt to have a dick in that tight hole. Jimmy had already slipped in. Thankfully when Dora was on her back, her juices had been dripping out of her and she had a good coating of lubrication in her crack. Brian, not sure of what he was doing took it nice and slow. His thin, short young dick couldn't go inside of her very far, but that didn't matter to Brian. The tightness of it felt great to him. The boys got into a rhythm with the help of Dora. As one slid out the other slid in. Dora was having a hard time staying still enough for them, as the feelings in her pussy and ass were almost too much to handle. She could tell both of them were close. Brian a little further along as he was in a tighter hole. She slowed him up a bit and let Jimmy catch up to him. They were starting to make grunting noises and she knew it was very close. "Take it out and stoke it," she said, "I want to feel your cum splash on my pussy." The erotic words and images sent the boys off. As they pulled out they had already started spraying. What they didn't realize was their dicks, when pulled out, were touching each other and the blasts covered the other. As they felt it, it sent them to another plane and their cum was stronger than it had ever been. Jimmy and Brian rolled onto their backs, satisfied. Dora on the other hand was just getting started. "Come on, you're not done yet," she said to them. They smiled at her with a sated look. "Come on. We are all a mess and this needs to be cleaned up." They groaned and started to get off the bed. "Where are you going?" She asked. They looked at her bewildered. "I said cleaned up, I didn't say washed up." She had a twinkle in her eye and they realized the games were not over. There enthusiasm rose as they bounced over to her. "Jimmy, you get to clean me up. Brian," she smiled at him, "you get to clean up Jimmy, and I will clean up you." They looked at her still not knowing quite what she meant. That was until she laid on her side, lifted a leg. She took Jimmy's head, pulling it down to her pussy. Brian looked stunned at the sight. "Jimmy," she said, "raise your leg." He did so not thinking a thing about it. He was staring at Dora's sticky pussy. The sight was making him hard again. Brain looked back at Dora who was nodding yes. He moved down and took Jimmy's expanding dick into his mouth. As soon as contact was made Jimmy lost all concentration on the sight in front of him. He looked down to see Brian, cleaning him. He finally got the idea and turned his attention back to Dora, this time exploring her pussy with his tongue, not his eyes. Dora had to tug on Brian to get him to move into the right place. She looked at his now hard dick. There were some things she had to deal with first. Grabbing the edge of the sheet she cleaned the end of his dick off. She didn't want to waste the precious cum, but she couldn't stomach sucking on it after where it had been. Once she was satisfied it was clean of her, she engulfed his tool. She has orgasmed once and it felt like Brain was about to get there. She stopped them and had them turn around. Now Brain was lapping her, she had Jimmy's dick in her mouth. Jimmy had Brian's dick in his mouth. After her second orgasm, she could tell they were near the edge. She begged off, much to the groans from Jimmy. She took his body and rolled the boys together, offering Jimmy's dick to Brain's mouth. He took it and she watched them as they sucked each other off. Dora had two fingers rubbing in and out and her thumb running across her clit as fast as it could go when she saw Jimmy stiffen and Brian's cheeks fill. Brian was right behind him and soon both boys' mouths were full. "Don't you dare swallow all that and not share it," Dora said. Jimmy remembered the first time when he did that with Robin and smiled. As his face got close to hers, she wrapped her arms around his head pulling him in and planted her lips against his. She practically sucked all the juices from his mouth. He realized that he was battling with her for some of them and was swallowing as much as he could. When they broke she was laughing. Brain was staring at them wide eyed. "You're next," She said to him and repeated the process. He also grappled with her for his share. Dora laid down in the center of the bed, her arms extended for them to come to her. They moved to each side of her and she took their head, positioning their mouths to suck on her breasts. The three of them drifted off to sleep that way. ------- The morning came with a bang. Literally. Dora woke startled and heard it again. It was someone at the door. She pulled on her nightgown as she was pushing the boys into the bathroom. She opened the door to find Bruce there. He looked her up and down, "well I know why Brian wanted to spend the night." Dora turned red and stammered, "what?" Bruce laughed, "as long as the good lord gives me eye sight, I plan on enjoying his creations." She blushed even more, realizing her nipples were hardening and soon she would be seeping. She wanted to change the subject fast. "Are you here for Brain?" He chuckled, "yes. Millie sent me over. She wouldn't have if she knew I'd find you..." "Bruce!" She said. Not wanting him to continue, as she knew she'd never be able to hold on and here smell would tell him more than she wanted him to know. "Brian said some interesting things to Jimmy about his grandfather. Do you really think that it is true?" He took a deep breath, "I have seen Cheryl around Patrick ever since she was knee high. My guess is that if she'd been given the choice Patrick would be her husband, not Bob. About the baby," he shrugged his shoulders, "it was just a wild thing to say. I wouldn't put it past her." He smiled. "I remember before he left, she was always in his lap. She never sat still there either," He laughed thinking about it, "when she got off of him, he always made sure to cover his crotch. I don't need to think why that was. Cheryl at a young age tempted that poor man something terrible." Dora couldn't believe her ears; Cheryl was two years older than her. She hardly remembered Patrick and now she finds out that Cheryl was rubbing her little ass, giving him erections. Then she realized her daughter was about the same age and she was doing more than just rubbing. Bruce's question brought her back. "Where are the boys?" "Oh my," she said embarrassed, "I left them in the bathroom, they're waiting for some warm water." He laughed, "they do have a long wait, you haven't even got the fire lit yet." She turned and looked at the stove, "oh," she said depressed. "Here, let me give you a hand." With that he came in, brushing against her. He had the fire lit in no time and Dora, not wanting to be in the way, or have the conversation go the wrong way, had stayed out of the kitchen. She did bring the pail in though and as she lifted it up on the sink, she could feel his eye running up her legs. "Is that Katy's nightgown?" He asked. "Yes, all mine were burnt up." "I thought so, I think I remember seeing it on her." He had a twinkle in his eye. She though he's a dirty old man, well not that old, but still. She didn't know him well enough to know if he was harmless or not. She didn't want to find out. She moved to Jimmy's room picking out some clothes for him. She was glad Bruce didn't follow her in. She then went to Katy's room and picked up Brian's clothes. She was glad she didn't have to answer why they were in there. She opened the door a crack and threw the clothes in saying quickly, "waters almost warm, get your clothes off and be ready. Bruce is here to get you Brian." She could now breath, all the bases were covered. She didn't realize her backside wasn't covered as well and when she had thrown the clothes in, she had given Bruce a good show of her ass. There was no question to him that she was lacking underwear. She noticed him staring again as she turned around. "I guess you lost everything in that fire," he said. She noticed the bulge in his pants and realized she must have given him a show. She had to be strong. She thought of Richard, she thought of what she lost. "Yes I did. You seem to think it amusing or at least stimulating that I am without the essentials in life." That was like a cold bucket of water on him. He felt like a heel. Dora saw his bulge disappear as he was stammering, "I'm sorry. I just... Well I. Oh hell Dora, please forgive me. The tight quarters at the base made Millie so uptight I have been without for a week. Now we get back and it's her time of the month." Bruce saw a frown start to appear on Dora's face. " I'm not trying to say that that is the only reason I'm looking at you. You are very attractive, but I don't think I'd have been as bold as I have been under normal circumstances. I hope you can understand. I know I'm putting both my feet in my mouth, by saying all of this, but please believe me. I don't mean to make you nervous, or especially hate me." She was nodding, a good sigh Bruce thought. "Ok, apology excepted. But I think it would be best for you if you left now. If Millie is as uptight as you say I don't think she'd appreciate seeing you ogle me dressed this way." Bruce laughed, "you are very right about that, she'd have me by the balls... Oh sorry." Now it was Dora's turn to laugh, "go on. I'll send then on the way in a few minutes." "Millie is dying to get back to the mansion and start working. Are you going out there?" "Yes I though we would. Why don't I bring Brian out with me, then you don't have to wait for him." "Good idea. I'll be looking for you out there then." "Don't let Millie catch you," she laughed. He shook his head, "it would be the death of me." She breathed a sigh or relief when he left. 'Harmless' she though, but it was good to get it out in the open and know. She called to the boys who opened the door for her as she brought in a pail of warm water. "Jimmy, you can start with Brian, then Brian can wash you." They looked at her. Jimmy knew what she was talking about, Brian didn't. "Then you both get to wash me," she said with a smile, "Now get going." She walked out, to find clothes for herself and heard Jimmy telling Brian to get in the tub. After a few squeals and some laughing she came back in. "Is it my turn yet?" she asked. "Almost," Jimmy said, "Brian is doing a very good job on me." She could see that. The soapy washcloth was wrapped around Jimmy's dick and Brian was sliding it back and forth. "You're suppose to be cleaning him up, not making more messes," she said to Brian. "Sorry, I just couldn't help it," he said sheepishly. She pulled off her nightgown, "here let me give you a hand." With that she soaped up a hand and ran it down his back and right into his crack. Brain was moving his hand back and forth on Jimmy's shaft as fast as he could. Dora found his tight little opening and pushed a finger in. Jimmy's eyes flew open, his knees started to buckle, and he started to orgasm. The washcloth dropped as Brian instinctively tried to hold Jimmy up. Jimmy's cum splattered Brian all over his chest. Both boys looked over at Dora as though she had done some magic. She looked at them and said, "didn't I tell you to clean up?" They all started to laugh. After she lapped up the juices on Brian, he finished with Jimmy and it was Dora's turn. They spent a lot of time running their soapy hands over her body. She ended up having three orgasms by the time it was done. They left the house, running down the lane with smiles on their faces. ------- The mansion was abuzz. It looked like more than half of the town was there. A good deal of the men were pulling the back porch apart to get to the rotting wood. Others inside were trimming back plaster that was cracked or where holes had been made. Most of the women were pulling off covers that had been placed on furniture. Revealing that more than half of it was not worth saving. The unrepairable pieces were being taken outside and thrown into a pile. A few of the women were measuring windows for shades. They realized they needed to know colors and would have to wait till Dora was able to talk with Liz. They had been told Dora was going to start the set up of getting the furniture there. They may find her, so she could ask Liz about colors. Others were helping take out doors and windows that needed fixing. They were being loaded on a horse drawn wagon. There were others that were on ladders, ones that they had been prepared from some of the lumber in the shed to reach the height of this building, scraping old paint off. Still others with shovels in hand were removing the old dead landscaping and talking about what could be planted after the area was painted. When Dora, Jimmy, and Brian got to the gate Jim met them. "A wonderful sight isn't it? Can you remember when the town worked this hard on a project before?" "I think they must like Keith and Richard." Jimmy said. Jim smiled, "yes son, I think you are right," turning to Dora, he said, "some of the women are dying to know what color to use on the window coverings, so don't be surprised to get an earful about what you should ask." Dora rolled her eyes, "thanks for the tip, maybe I'll stay outside." Jim laughed, "they'll hunt you down." With that he was off. So were Jimmy and Brian. They wanted more adventure. Jimmy didn't seem to understand that this would soon be the house he'd be living in. ------- It was almost one o'clock and people were ready to take a break and find some lunch when around the bend came a wagon with four women. One of those women was Sally. She stood on the top seat and shouted "LUNCH TIME." Everyone came scurrying. There was a lot of food for everyone and soon the story started to circulate. The train had stopped, this was unusual in itself, but what was unloaded were more groceries than anyone had ever seen. It looked like the old Filbrun's store was opening up. Jack had been there for the arrival. As soon as all the goods were off the train, he had a crew pulling it into Filbrun's. There they divided up everything and made packages for each household. Anyone who was downtown at the time was put to work delivering the packages to everyone's house. After the military crew had left, Sally and the other three women noticed all the extra food. When asked Jack said that they always expect a percentage of non-usable goods, he had made sure that percentage was high. He asked if they might be interested in making lunch for the crew out at the mansion. The four women set to task just as they would for a barn raising or building a new home for newly weds, the results would be very much appreciated. Jack who had arrived to see what was going on was still surprised to see everyone, food in hand, not eating. As looked the scene over Patrick gave a blessing and everyone started in on their food. 'This would take some time to get use to, ' Jack thought. ------- The last of the crew left about four in the afternoon. Dora and Jimmy were the last ones there. "It's going to be beautiful," she said, looking at the mansion. Jimmy looked and shrugged his shoulders, "yea, I guess so. It is fun to run around in. I'm glad we get to do it while it's being worked on." "You'll have a lot of time to explore it Jimmy." "Aren't they fixing it up for people to live in," he asked? Dora looked at him, realizing what he was saying. "Don't you know who they are fixing this up for?" He looked at her baffled, "ya, Richard and Keith. " "If it is for Richard and Keith, That means Richard's family and Keith's family will all be living here." Jimmy's mouth hung open, he looked at her in disbelief. Finally his senses started working again, "you mean I'm going to be living in that house?" "Yes, we all are, you and your mom, Richard and myself. Keith, Robin, and my daughter." "Wow!" Jimmy said and started racing around in circles jumping up and down. Then he slowed down. "Brian will still be in his house though, won't he?" "Yes, but have you counted all the bedrooms? I think he'll get to stay over a lot. " That brought a smile back to Jimmy's face. They walked back into town. "It's a long way out here," Jimmy said. "Yes it is, Maybe you can get a horse. I bet Jill would teach you. She's a very good rider you know." "I've seen her, she is good. Do you really think I could get a horse," he asked in wild anticipation? "Horses take a lot of care, you will have to be willing to work a lot to have one." "I think I can do that," Jimmy said with all the confidence a young boy can muster. "I took care of my dad's since I was little, but you know she got older and died last year." ------- Jim and his wife were walking down the middle of the downtown with Jack. It was evening and shadows were bouncing across the walls of the buildings. "This town is coming alive. You can almost feel it." "I am glad to see it. Jim I'm going to tell you something in confidence. I am thinking of moving here. It is why I have been and will continue to push for the best that I can get for Carp." Jim nodded his head, Jack continued, "I am in a special position, but I need to be careful also. Some of the large ideas I wrote down can happen. But they need to come from the people here in Carp, not from me." "I understand. It makes a lot more sense now, how you were acting in the command car on the train." They were stopped in front of the largest of the storefronts. Jim looked at it. "I don't know how we'll ever get this one filled. It was a large clothing store and in Carp's heyday, it fed the appetite of Angle City and Elgin as well." Jack looked at it and as they started walking again, he said, "How many kids are in this town?" "About thirty maybe, why?" "And if the others move back, want to guess?" "Seventy to eighty." "Have any idea how many are down in Angle City?" "You're stretching my mind now, but I think they have about forty. You still didn't answer why?" "So right now between Angle City and Carp there are about seventy kids and when others move back that number could raise to maybe one hundred and twenty." "Yes I'd say that was right." "A lot of kids that could use a good education. I wonder where you could set up a school?" Jim swallowed hard, his wife tugged on his arm; she said, "is Jack saying we could open a school here?" Jack said, "I never said that, did I Jim." She said, "Oh, I think I understand what you were just talking about." She smiled. "Jim I just had an idea, we have a lot of children who need a good education, we have a building that could be used to start it off. I think we need to have a school." "That's an excellent idea," Jack said, "maybe you should talk about it with some of your friends. It might then just come up as a necessity at one of the planning meetings." "Jim, this is so exciting," she said. They were at the end of the town by now; Jim noticed a helicopter on what had become a landing pad. He looked at Jack. "I'll be spending tomorrow back at the base, Monday I'll be back here in the morning. I think you understand what Patrick and you can do with some ideas. The next town meeting could well have the secretary there to take official notes about what the townspeople want." Jim just smiled and Jack was pleased with how the conversation had gone. ------- Brain was at his home and quite frankly after the busy day Dora and Jimmy had had, they were ready to just fall asleep. It took all their energy to take off their clothes. Dora liked the feel of the slinky material and slid the nightgown onto her body. Jimmy stripped down to nothing and climbed into the bed in Katy's room. Dora raised her eyebrows at him, but didn't say a word. She climbed in also and he snuggled up next to her. Soon they were fast asleep. ------- Sunday morning people were woken to a sound that they had not heard in years. The bell was ringing. It was a call to church. Ever since Patrick had left, people had got together and had bible studies, they prayed together, most of the religious beliefs were still fast in their minds. A church service had not been done very often. Quite frankly no one had felt qualified for the job. The bell was a welcome sound to the older ones who remembered its cheerful ringing. Jimmy looked at Dora and asked what that was. He noticed Dora almost trembling. She knew what it was and wondered if her life would be reviled to the entire town. She was happy, but was she sinning? She was afraid to ask. How would she ask? She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. The bell stopped and that reminded her of Jimmy's question. "That was the church bell. Tradition had it in this town that it was struck one hour before the service and then again ten minutes before, so everyone could gather." "What service?" Jimmy asked naively. Dora smiled, knowing her daughter would not know what that sound was either. "The church service, with your grandfather back in town we will start having church again." "Why is that, what's he got to do with it?" Dora laughed, "he's the minister. "Oh." Jimmy said with a confused look upon his face. "What's wrong? Dora asked. "I wish my mom were here." It was the first time he'd really said that. She took it as a bit of homesickness. What she didn't know, well until later was that she wanted to ask her questions about his grandfather. "I need your help this morning to get ready in time." After another bath, this time Jimmy had to give to himself. Nicer clothes than he normally wore and his hair combed. He felt uncomfortable, but Dora said he looked quite nice. Dora was just finishing her hair when they heard the second bell. "Time to go," she said. The last time Jimmy saw everyone dressed up like this was for the wedding. Everyone from town was in the hall, in fact there were no seats for the children and he as well as others had to go up front and sit on the floor. Jimmy was not happy with the whole arrangement. Patrick stood up on the podium and started. Opening the largest bible the kids had ever seen, he began to read. He looked down and smiled at the children, the youngest being six years old. His heart hurt at all that Cliff had stolen form the town. Not one child had been born in the last six years. First from Genesis 24:1-38, and 24:50. What stuck in people's minds were the passages that Patrick emphasized. Verse 38 but go to my father's family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son. And verse 50, Laban and Bethuel answered, "This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your masters son, as the Lord has directed. It was a strange passage to read, and as such sounded almost incestuous in nature. How then were the people of God to look at this? Patrick's sermon started to delve into how we determine what is right or wrong and used this example. Little did he know of some of the incestuous happenings in his own family. His point being if God, the creator of all things and the power that sustains life ordained this behavior, how are we as mere mortals to judge what God sees fit. If this wasn't confusing enough, he opened back the bible and read again. This time from the Song Of Songs 3:1-5 No one could remember someone reading a passage from that book in the Bible. It was sensual and Patrick again challenged old beliefs. God had created us as creatures of passion, of pleasure. It was here, right here in the holy book. God had created us, male and female and God rejoiced in our pleasure, in our love. Dora mind was working overtime. She was running two parallel stories. One of her life and one of what she had heard of the possibilities of Patrick and Cheryl. She was comparing the two worlds, and wondering if he was trying to justify his actions, or if there was good and just cause to feel right in what she was doing. In the end she was as confused as she was when she sat down. Pastors had an obligation to confidentiality; she knew that from her childhood. She would talk to him. If he were in a similar boat as she was, and looking at Cheryl through the service, she thought he was. He must feel it to be expectable. She wanted that feeling also. Dora wasn't the only one watching Cheryl during the sermon. Millie had her eye on her also. She wasn't as taken about her father's word as others were. Although she felt inclined to look up the passages and reread them herself when she could be alone. What if what he said were true. It was a far different outlook from the one she had grown up with. It had also been a good ten years since the people of Carp had a minister in their midst. She had looked at the verses that comforted her, not the ones that challenged her. She decided that the best course was to not react, but learn. She was not going to, well try not to, judge what her father was doing until she could come up with some answers. Jimmy was complaining to Dora as they walked out. The whole thing was to long, it was boring, and the floor was hard. Several people snickered when they heard Patrick's grandson go on so. Dora heard her name being called; she turned and saw someone at the phone beckoning her over. Jimmy and her ran over. She took the receiver and said, "Hello." "Hi mom," was the response. "Stephanie sweetheart, how are you? How was the plane ride? Are you having a good time? You are behaving aren't you?" Dora felt a tug at her arm. Jimmy looked at her; "She can't answer a single question if you do all the talking." She almost started laughing, "Yes Jimmy is with me, and he says I need to stop talking if you are going to say anything." Dora looked at Jimmy, "Yes he is." This last statement bugged Jimmy, 'I am what?' he thought. Dora got the whole scoop of what had been going on, She was thrilled about the party her daughter had attended and unlike Mildred's initial reaction, thought that Keith teaching her to dance was rather nice. She was shocked to hear about Daisy. It was nice to know she was being so well cared for. Robin then got on the line. Telling of some of the other thing that had happened. She also told Dora not to tell anyone else in town about Daisy. It was still rather painful and having everyone in town know would just heap on a burden she didn't need. She then told her about Pamela's surgery tomorrow. Stephanie got on the line one last time to wish her mother a happy mothers day and Dora hung up the phone. Jimmy and her were walking back home, Dora telling him what she had been told. They were half way home when the shouting started her direction again, "PHONE DORA" They ran back and she was out of breath when she got there, she handed the phone to Jimmy. She heard him say, "Hi mom, happy mothers day!" Dora couldn't wait to get the phone back and talk to Richard, but she knew how much the call from Stephanie had meant to her, so she patiently waited. Jimmy went on about everything, including Dora fainting. It was that part that made Jimmy relinquish the phone to her. Katy wanted to know everything and she soon figured out what Dora was not telling her. Unlike Dora, Katy was in a room where she could say what she wanted to. "So do you think your pregnant?" Katy asked. Richard almost fell over when Katy said those words. "I wish I had my schedule, but it went up with the house. I think there could be a chance though. I'm worried." Katy had to put aside her feeling that she wanted to be the first to have Richard's children. "It is going to be all right, don't you worry. Do you understand?" It was so reassuring to hear that. Richard was on the phone next. He was a bit apprehensive, "Do you really think you are? I mean to say it would be great if you were. Well that is if you wanted me to be the father." Dora smiled, it was that same feeling she got from Dale and most recently from Bruce, and it was cute to hear the timidness in Richard's voice. "Yes Richard, if it was anyone. It would be you. I don't know for sure though, I may just be silly." "Katy told me she should have started, but it hasn't shown up yet. That would be something to have you both pregnant at the same time." Richard said, Katy smacked his arm and gave him a look that told him he shouldn't have said what he just had. "You don't know how much I've been missing you," she said. "Isn't Jimmy keeping you busy?" Richard asked. The silence on Dora's end made him wonder what was happening. "Is there a problem? Can you talk about it?" "Not here," came the reply. "I need to know I'm doing the right thing too." "Dora, no one is making you do anything, am I right?" "Yes," she said. "Then you are doing what is right for you. How can that be wrong?" Richard asked. "I don't know," she said, but there wasn't a lot of conviction in her voice. "We'll talk about this again, very soon, when you can really talk all right?" "Yes, I would like that." Then Dora remembered she needed to talk to Liz. She got the phone number and then Liz came on the line. Dora said that she had something private to talk to her about and not to let Richard or Katy know, but to call her back. Liz was baffled as to what it could be, but agreed to call back. Dora asked if ten minutes from now was ok and Liz said that was fine. Even though they were far away, she felt their love. She felt secure. Now Dora and Jimmy waited by the phone. There was no use doing anything else. It hadn't been two minutes and the phone rang. Dora looked at Jimmy surprised and picked up the phone. It wasn't Liz, it was Jack. He wanted Liz's phone number. It was more than ten minutes before Liz could sneak off by herself and make the call. After she had hung up with Dora, her curiosity had been driving her crazy about what had to be kept secret from Richard and Katy. The phone rang only once, and Dora was quick to answer it. Liz was ecstatic to hear the plans formulated by the town. She wasn't sure about colors, but would find out and get back to her. Her mother, who knew the colors, would be the one to arrange the moving of everything. ------- When Liz hung up, but she needed another ten minutes to calm down. The idea of a big house for Keith and Richard sounded so exciting. She was sure her face would show something. She didn't get it as Katy had managed to get Jill to point out where Liz's room was again. "I need to call Robin," Katy said, "can I use your phone?" "Sure," Liz answered. She figured it was just a simple mother's day call, so she sat down with Jill. Katy gave the operator the number Liz had for Keith. Robin, the ever-vigilant person around the phone answered it on the second ring. "Hi mom, Happy mothers day!" Robin's voice was so cheery Katy thought. She is enjoying herself. "Robin, this is the first time we've been away from each other and..." "Mom, I'm fine." "Now let me finish," Katy said, "I started thinking that my time of the month should happen soon, well today or tomorrow and your about the same time as me, so you..." "MOM!" Robin practically cried in the phone, "I always start at least four days before you, remember. What's wrong with me?" Katy tried to remain calm, but Liz and Jill could see that was only appearing in her voice. "Don't worry dear. I have heard that sometimes your schedule can change when many thing happen. There have been many things going on you know." "Yea, like getting married," Robin answered. Then she asked what she was almost afraid to. "Do you think I could be, you know..." "Pregnant?" Katy said. Liz and Jill just about fell off their chairs when they heard this. "I think you'd have had to have been with Keith more than two weeks ago then, so..." "Mom, I was," she said almost in a whisper. Katy sighed, "I figured as much, well it still doesn't mean anything. We won't know for another month or so. Don't fret over it, ok?" "Ok mom. Now I wish you were here to give me a hug." "That was the nicest thing to say. I love it when I know you still need me." Katy said. "I think I always will. Bye mom." "Bye Robin, say hi to every one and give that husband of yours a big squeeze for me." Robin laughed and said she would. As soon as Katy put down the receiver, Liz and Jill were on her like glue. "Is she pregnant?" Jill asked. "We won't know that for a while." Liz asked a more disturbing question. "Then you are late also?" Katy looked at her not knowing how to respond. "I don't know yet. I thought my period was not due till tomorrow or the next day. To tell you the truth, now that I think of it I let Robin be the sign for me. She was a few days ahead." She wanted to change the subject. She didn't want to think about all of that right now. Then she remembered the mother's day gift, "Were you able to get something for me? It took just a second to register what Katy was asking. She felt the same anxiety as she did after she had purchased the expensive gift. "Yes, I hope you like it." Katy saw the look of apprehension of Liz's face and was hoping that the gift wasn't some cheep thing. She did want something special. When Liz handed her the box, Katy looked again at Liz and then the box. She opened the lid and folded back the tissue. What she saw brought tears to her eyes. "It's... It's lovely Liz. I couldn't have done any better." Katy pulled it out of the box to get a real good look at it. "How much is it?" Katy asked reaching for her purse. "I think you will want to set it down first," Liz said. Katy noticed that look was back on Liz's face again. It was then Katy started to realize that Liz was worried about the cost. 'How much could it be, anyway?' Katy thought. "It was expensive," Katy said trembling. Then she started babbling. "I saw it and it looked so beautiful. It looked just like what you would want. I wanted it for you. I didn't know, but the when the shopkeeper went in the back to look at for a price for me I saw what it was on the bottom. I wanted to go, leave, but I know the shopkeeper and..." "How much?" Katy asked trembling herself now. "He gave it to me for less than half the marked price," Liz said trying to put a little smile on her face. "It was twenty three dollars." Katy was glad she didn't have the piece in her hands, as she would have dropped it. Her mouth was suddenly dry. "twenty three dollars?" A tear was starting to fall from Liz's eye, "I'll pay for half, I don't know why I was so impulsive." Katy didn't get a chance to answer. ------- Richard was in a sea of third and fourth grade girls. They all were pestering him about Carp. 'Apparently everyone in this school has seen that newspaper article, ' he thought. He felt like he wanted to get away. Seeing Jill, he called her over and asked her where Katy had gone. Excusing himself, he went to find her. The first thing he found was suppressed gasps from a few girls when they entered the building. Jill didn't understand that males weren't allowed in the building. On the second floor she realized she may have made a mistake bringing him up when a girl opened a door, turned and walked down the hall into what looked like a bathroom practically stark naked. Richard stood there in disbelief as to what he had just seen. He was glad she hadn't seen him and was wondering if he should try and make his way out when he was stopped short. Jill was in shock. What had she just done, she had just shown a man a nude girl! She looked at Richard who seemed as embarrassed as she was. She thought to herself that Keith might have been embarrassed also, but would have enjoyed the sight a bit more than Richard. Jill quickly led him to Liz's door and opened it. Liz was practically in tears and Katy was in a state of shock. Richard and Jill looked at each other and quickly closed the door behind them. "What's wrong?" He said. That was enough to startle Liz. "What,... what are you doing here?" Then she looked at Jill, "did you bring him up here?" Jill wanted to hide now, "yes," she said timidly. Thinking about what she had done and what Richard had just seen. Liz blinked a few times, "I guess you didn't think about it, but this is an all girl's dorm." "You are right Liz, I didn't think. I'm sorry." Richard wasn't paying any attention to what they were saying, Katy still looked in a state of shock. He knelt down in front of her, took her hand and said, "what's wrong?" She didn't return his gaze; she said without emotion, "I asked Liz to get something for mothers day. I never had a mother and I wanted something nice to give to your mom." Her eyes turned and he followed where they were looking. There on the table was the ceramic flower. He smiled. "I just had no idea how much something like that was going to cost. I... " "Shhh." Richard said to her. Liz was trembling and Jill was holding her hand as Richard and Katy had spoken to each other. Richard turned to Liz. "How much was it?" Liz said the unbelievable price once again, "twenty three dollars." Richard laughed. "You stole it then." All three of them looked at him, not believing what he had just said. "I have seen a few of them before. I know what they cost," he said. Katy tried to stop him as he was pulling out his checkbook. "It was my decision to buy it. I need to figure out a way to pay for it," she said. Richard started laughing and looked into her eyes. "Katy, we're married. Everything I have is yours." Then he smirked and grabbed her around the waist whispering into her ear, "and everything you have is mine," then he nibbled on her ear. She looked at him, "you're sure?" "When we get back, your name is going on this checking account also honey." There was a visible relaxation that happened then in that room. Katy looked at Liz and said, "I'm sorry, you must feel I'm..." "Don't Katy. I felt terrible after I bought it. I just didn't think." "Come on you two," Richard said as he picked up the ceramic, "It is beautiful. It would be easy to fall over such a piece and like I said, you stole it." He said to Liz and to Katy he said, "my mom will love you forever." ------- It was a trick getting Richard out of the dorm without anyone seeing him, but they managed. They found Jack and Sandra in Grace's office. Katy had the gift in her hands. As soon as she saw Sandra she wanted to give it to her. Part of it was excitement, and part of it was still guilt as to what it cost. She needed to know if it was going to be appreciated as Richard said it would be. "Happy Mothers Day." Katy said, handing her the box. "Oh my," Sandra said. "Why thank you. That is so nice," she said as she started opening the box. She pulled the tissue away and stared. Both Katy and Liz were beginning to feel nervous. She didn't say anything for the longest time. Then she looked at Richard who was smiling. "You told them didn't you?" Katy and Liz looked at him. "I had nothing to do with this, it was between Liz who bought if and Katy who asked her to. This is the first I have even heard of their plans" "Are you sure son?" said Jack, smiling at him. "Are you going to let us in on the secret?" Katy asked. Sandra turned to her and smiled warmly, "I collect these and have wanted this one for years, but the shop I use to buy them from went out of business a few years back. I'd all but given up on finding it," there was a single tear that rolled down her cheek. "My mother gave me the first one of these. It is a precious gift, but I know it must have cost a fortune." She was thinking of how poor the people in Carp had seemed to her. At that Liz, Katy, Richard and Jill started laughing; this time it was Sandra who was wondering what there secret was. She didn't need to know. She got up and hugged her daughter in law. "If you were trying to win my heart, Katy, I you had already done it, this is just icing on the cake." This was all Katy could ask for and more. She started to cry. From the conversation Sandra had with her about not having a mother, she could start to understand why Katy had been so extravagant on the gift. Not to buy her way in to the family, but to show how important the family was to her. The two women hugged for some time. ------- Grace wanted to take then on a tour of the school grounds before they left. Betty and Sue had pulled Jill away earlier. Liz begged off. Katy, who wanted to talk with Liz a bit more, said she wanted to see if she left anything in Liz's room before they left. So Jack, Sandra, and Richard were getting what Grace laughingly called the grand tour. Once back in Liz's room, Katy started, "I wish Richard would have told me and I guess he did. I was so anxious that I practically dropped Sandra's gift." Liz was shaking his head, "he's very much like Keith, telling you things you don't hear until later." Katy smiled, "well a bit different. Their mouths do a few different things on you." "Oh, God, Katy." "Sorry," she said with a smile, "I forgot. You're in an all girl school." Liz picked up a pillow and threw it at her. ------- Jill had used the excuse of Sue and Betty to get away. The mother's day gift had been a bit much for her. She still missed her mom no matter what. Now she though she should go back and find them. They'd be leaving soon and she didn't want to miss that. Saying she would join them again, Jill was walking towards the administration building when she ran into Tiffany. "Do you know if they are still in there?" Jill asked. Tiffany shook her head no; "Grace has them on one of her famous tours. Liz and the other gal didn't go though." "Did you see where they went?" "Check Liz's room first, other than that, I don't know." Tiffany said. "Thanks," Jill said running down the path. When Jill opened the door she was hit square in the face with a pillow, "Ahh" she shrieked. Liz and Katy both laughed, but it didn't slow down their assault on one another. Jill readily joined in and pillows were flying everywhere. Katy moved to the side as Katy flung a pillow at her. It hit a box on top of the dresser and caused it to fall, opening and dumping its contents on the floor. Looking down stopped her further movements. She picked up a pair of white lacy panties. Liz looking over at Jill said, "those were a mothers day gift from Jill." Katy smiled, dropping the white ones on the dresser; she then picked up the red ones and looked at Jill with raised eyebrows. "Those are to wear for Keith or Tiffany." Jill realized what she had just said and put her hand over her mouth. Katy turned to Liz, holding the little lacy red panties and said, "Tiffany?" ------- Chapter 28 Liz gave a glance at Jill, "Tiffany? She's a friend," trying to act as if there was nothing special about it. Katy wasn't fooled for a moment. "Jill," she said. "I think maybe you might find the tour interesting if it is not over yet." Jill didn't mind beating a hasty retreat. She was out the door before Liz could say a word to her. Katy looked at Liz with piercing eyes only a mother has, "ok, what's the problem." Liz put her head in her hands, "were do I begin," she said. She looked back up at Katy and she saw love and perhaps some understanding in her eyes. 'Maybe it would be good to talk this all out, ' she thought. "You know I'm just as bad off as my sister, were both in love with that man, the one your daughter married." Katy couldn't help but laugh. "It's hard not to see that. To tell you the truth I don't know how Robin does it, but bless her soul, she doesn't only put up with it, she actively encourages it." "I wish I would have been half as smart when I was her age," Liz said. "Well ok, I'm in love with my brother. Then there is Jill, she and I..." "You don't have to say it, it is obvious to me. You love her and she loves you. I worry though. I know you went through hard times, similar to her, but is she going to cling to you, or grow from you?" Liz started tearing, "I hope grow, really grow with me. She has helped me too." She choked back her tears. "Then there is Tiffany. I think she is in love with me, but I don't know what kind of relationship I could have with her." "You mean after being with Keith?" "Oh God yes," Liz said starting to grin. "He is good," Katy remarked. This surprised Liz, "you've been with him?" Katy laughed, "more than once, but I'm going to keep my Richard." Liz laughed also. "So here is the problem. I live here, but the man I want to be near lives in Carp. Jill lives in Carp also and she'll be going back. Tiffany is here, but she doesn't have a permanent job like I do. It is driving me crazy." Katy looked at her and sighed, "I'm guessing then that Tiffany is a teacher here, not a student." Liz looked shocked at that possible outlook, but shook her head yes. "What would you like to do?" "I want to be in Carp with Keith... and Jill." "And?" Katy prompted. "And I wouldn't mind having Tiffany there also." "So we know where your interests are. Let me ask you another question. Do you think you are more attracted to Tiffany now, because of Jill? Are you afraid Jill will leave and you want Tiffany there to be a... well I hate to use the word, but backup?" "God you make me think, but this is good. How do you do that?" "I think it rubs off from being with Richard. He is always looking at things differently." Katy said. "To answer your first question, yes. I don't think I saw what Tiffany was trying to show me before Jill came into my life. Jill for all it's worth sees and says things without thinking sometimes, but I think you know that." They both giggled. "To answer the second question, no. Well, at least I don't think so. It tears me apart to think of Jill leaving me. But I also think she will and maybe must one day. Tiffany isn't a replacement for Jill though." "That is good," Katy said, "now how can you move to Carp?" "I wish it were that simple, just move. I'm a teacher. I could do other things, but that is what I love best and would miss it if that wasn't what I was doing. There are no schools around so a teaching job is out of the question." Katy was about to say something when there was a knock at the door. It was Sandra. "Richard told me he couldn't set foot in this place," she laughed. "We need to get back on the road." "Ok," Katy said, "be down in a minute." Sandra understood the language. They were having a private conversation and wanted to finish it. "Liz, don't worry. The only life you really hold in your hands is Jill's, and I think you're doing a wonderful job with her. Tiffany is a big girl and can make her own decisions also. Don't try and protect everyone around you. You'll either smother them or never enjoy anything yourself." "Thanks," Liz said. "You know the only one I can talk about this to is Jill and she doesn't have much life experiences" They were walking out the door when Tiffany called Liz, "I don't think you saw the new swim suit I got yesterday." She had it on and turned around for a viewing. Her slender body, tall legs, and athletic toned shape made her look very good indeed. Liz called back as they continued down the hall, "they're leaving so I need to say goodbye. I'll be back up." As they were walking down the stairs Katy said, "That was Tiffany? Wow, is she as nice as she is good looking?" Liz laughed, "yes she is. I thought it was just me. Thanks again Katy." Katy smiled, "she does look young enough to be one of the students though. If you brought her back to Carp what would you think Keith might say?" Liz started laughing, "he does like them young. It would probably scare Tiffany away, but then again," she said with a smile, "it might just hold her there. Like you said, he is good." They both laughed. In front of the building Richard, Sandra, Jack, and Jill were waiting. Jill was hoping she wasn't in too much hot water for the comments she made. They walked to the cars. Liz and Jill were excited to see the new automobile that Richard and Katy had been given. Hugs and Kisses were exchanged. Richard and Katy said they'd stop in on their way back, and then they were off. Alone in the parking lot, Liz turned to Jill, "Jill I have just one word to tell you." She let her stew for just a bit and then Katy broke into a big smile, "thanks." "What?" Jill said, not understanding. She had been worrying about all the repercussions her big mouth put her into this time. "Liz and I had a really good talk. That wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for what you said, so thanks." Jill broke into a radiant smile and felt relieved. "I'm glad. I didn't want you to be mad at me, even though my mouth gets away from me on occasion." ------- At the University, Robin was doing just what her mother told her she shouldn't do. She was ready to cry and couldn't stop it. How was she going to tell Keith? What would he think? The questions were running through her head until she started screaming. Daisy came running in to see what the problem was. "What's wrong?" "I don't think you'd understand." Robin said, then stopped and thought about what she had just said. "I'm sorry that was not a very nice thing to say, but I'm just going out of my mind." "What is it?" Daisy asked again, she was starting to really get worried. Robin got up and shut the door. She turned around to face her friend. "I should have started my period." "Well that happens; I was late for almost a week. Hank said... Oh shit, that little turd has me saying his name already. Anyway I have been late a number of times, it happens." Robin looked right in her eyes; "It has never happened to me, I am always like clockwork. What my mom said is that I would have had to be with Keith at least two weeks before to be worried." "And" Daisy said anticipating the answer. "Well I was." "Oh Robin, that's so great!" "I wish I could feel that way, but I don't." "Robin?" Daisy asked, "what is the matter, you should be happy." "The first time it happened," Robin smiled thinking about it, "was just incredible. It was like I was in heaven. I know Keith felt that way too." "Ok, I'm trying to understand this situation, but this isn't helping. I mean what's wrong with that." Robin sighed, "the next time Keith wouldn't do it with me." "What!" Daisy said startled, "why not?" "Because of something he found out, it's kind of hard to say what it was." She didn't want to tell her friend that she was a bastard, but that is how some would label her. She couldn't think of another way of saying what the problem was though. She started to shake and Daisy put her arm around Robin. "My mom got pregnant with me before she was married. Well she never did get married. She was afraid, the way I was going after Keith that is what would happen to me also. Keith couldn't let that happen. He told me he should have known better the first time, but wasn't thinking." Robin tried to smile, "I guess I seduced him. Anyway, it wasn't until the night before we were engaged that we really did anything later. I think he must be potent, 'cause it looks like he did it. Now I'm worried what he will think of me, and the baby if there is one." Daisy was trying to keep a straight face, but couldn't help it. She started laughing. Tears were rolling down her cheeks she was laughing so hard. "Stop it, stop it," Robin cried, "it's not funny." When Daisy could finally talk again she said, "Robin that is the most daft thing I think you have ever said. Anyone who sees Keith knows what he thinks of you. His eyes are full of love when he looks at you. If you don't know how much you mean to that man, I think you need some help from a doctor." Robin started to giggle, "I guess you're right. My mom said not to worry about it, it may be nothing. Look at me, did I listen to her, not a bit. I'm just being, what did you call it, daft, that is all." Robin opened up the door, on the other side, almost falling in were Stephanie and Pamela, and their faces turned bright red. "How long have you been here?" Daisy asked her sister. "Not too long." Stephanie said, but it was the vague way she said it that told Daisy and Robin it was long enough. "You... going... have... baby?" Pamela asked not being able to contain herself. Robin burst out laughing from the tension she was still feeling, Daisy said, "come on girls we need to have a talk." Then Daisy turned to Robin and said, "go find Keith and talk to him. Your mind will not clear up until you do." Robin sighed heavily. "I know." I had been called to the lab. One of the valves in a tank containing the water they had brought in from Carp had a small leak. I was requested to be there, for safety, as they repaired it. Robin had walked over with me several times so that she would be very familiar with where I was working and how to get there. She met me in the lobby. "Hi good looking, I'm done and was on my way back. What's up?" I said. Robin didn't respond for a second. She just stood there looking at me. I knew something was bothering her. "Come on," I said, "I want to show you something." This got Robin's mind off the present subject and she wondered what he wanted to show her. I didn't know where I was going, but I figured that a large campus like this would have a nice quiet place they could talk. So I took her by the hand and we started to walk. ------- Katy and Richard were following his parents out of the school. They hadn't even passed the front gate before Katy started. "Richard," she stopped long enough to acknowledge her, "What do you think about Robin being pregnant?" Richard turned his head around, turning the steering wheel and almost running over the curb. He stopped the car and looked at her, "how are you doing?" "We're talking about Robin, not whether I'm pregnant," she said, trying to avoid the subject. Richard couldn't help it, he was grinning, "Katy, I didn't ask about you being pregnant. I ask how you were doing, but now I want to know." "Get that silly grin off your face," she said, "It's like you want me pregnant." As soon as she said the words she realized they were true. "You do, don't you? First Dora then me." Richard surprisingly heard what she said. "Does Dora bother you?" "No, well yes. No, it's just that I felt like I should be first." "I can understand that. It is most probable that you would be if you think about it. We were together before she was introduced to our family." "I guess that is true," she said. "She is part of our family. That is what you want isn't it?" She was looking for an answer from him. "I love to have Dora around, but I think you know I don't love her like I love you. Quite frankly she needs us more. If she is pregnant, it will be my baby. She will be a permanent part of our family. Not my, but our, family. You have to want it too." She looked at him, he was generous. How could she do anything but love this man. She also had to admit that Dora was and would continue to be a good part of their life. "Dora will always be a part of our lives." He took her hands, she looked at him. "Katy, you becoming pregnant would be the greatest gift you could give me." Richard said, wearing that grin again. He also turned the car back to the road and drove out of the school. His parents were waiting a little down the road. He was thinking he'd get grilled by his mother wondering what was going on. Richard then realized that Katy might not be as worried about what he thought. Maybe she was worried about having another child. He looked over at her, she was looking at him. "Katy," he said, "I never asked. Do you want another child?" Tears started to roll down her cheeks. "Richard," she said and then was silent for some time. She wanted to think what she was saying. By the time she had in her mind what she wanted to tell him, they were on the highway. She took his hand. He pulled it away, much to her surprise. That is until she saw him signal and pull over. Up ahead his father's car pulled over also. Then he turned to her. "I figured this needs my full attention," he said. Katy took a deep breath, "I got pregnant with Robin before I was married. That marriage never happened. I got pregnant with Jimmy by my own brother. I love my kids dearly, but pregnancy was some of the hardest times in my life. I was scorned in the town." Tears were falling down her face. He started to say something, but she stopped him with a squeeze of her hand. "I know that it is different, but it is hard to get over that feeling. Do you understand? It is not that I don't want to have your children, I do. I am just reliving some of the bad times in my life." Katy looked into his eyes and saw the tenderness she remembered seeing the first time she met him. "Katy, I'm glad you were able to see what it was that was bothering you. If you let yourself think a bit more I think you'll see things are not just different now, but very different now." She looked at him, trying to figure this out. The obvious thing was that she was married, was there more? "We are married, that is an obvious change," he said, "but the other thing is that there has been no one pregnant in Carp in how long?" Katy thought for a bit, "years," she said. "Yes years, many years. How much joy do you think birth will bring to our town?" Katy smiled, "Now that you are getting me to think about it, I bet that even if I wasn't married, I'd still be welcomed now. I know people are getting desperate." Then she looked at him mischievously, "so you were trying to knock me up all along, were you?" Richard had to laugh, "you bet, I want to see your belly get big with my baby inside." She smiled; he signaled and pulled back on the road. "You know," Richard said, "my folks are going to ask what was so important to pull of the side of the road twice." This time it was Katy's turn to laugh, "We could tell them the truth, but you know it I might not be pregnant." Then she got a twinkle in her eyes, "or we could say that we were being newly weds and couldn't control ourselves." Richard laughed, "Katy! My mother would turn so red she'd pass out." "Somehow I doubt that. The way your folks were acting at the hotel the last few days..." Katy replied. Richard was still laughing, "yes, you may be right." They stopped an hour latter at a diner with a service station next door. As soon as Richard and Katy got out, his mother asked, "what were those two stops all about?" The answer never needed to be said, both Katy and Richard had turned red and Richard's father said, "never mind. With the expressions on your faces I don't think we need to know." Richard's mother let out a suppressed gasp as they went in for dinner. ------- While Jack was back at the base, Jim and his wife set into motion the ideas that had been brought up. They wanted Carp to be the prominent center of the area as it once was. This was the golden opportunity. She tried to talk to every woman in town about the need for a school, to top that off, they'd need a library too. He went to the men and talked about the need of a medical facility. This was a pretty easy sell. With Hank gone, it was almost an hour in a horse drawn carriage to get to any medical facility. Those men knew the dangers of working the mine and the idea that Hank was gone unsettled them. When Jim and his wife sat down for dinner that evening, they found that everyone they had talked to was in favor of the ideas they had presented. They had been bombarded with a lot of questions about how it would work, but with the guidance that Jack had given then, they knew not to give details, this was a wish list. Dora was not as comfortable at dinner and Jimmy noticed, "what's wrong?" He asked. "I need to talk with someone tonight and I'm just a bit worried about it. That's all." "Do you want me to come?" She almost laughed, but he was being sincere. "No, you'd just be bored. Thank you for offering though. That is very sweet of you." He was glad she didn't say yes. He knew it was polite to have offered, but he figured just like she said, he'd have been bored. She was glad he didn't press it. 'Bored! Not likely, ' she thought. She didn't want to tell Jimmy she was going to talk to his grandfather about what he was doing to, or with Cheryl. She set off after the dishes were done; telling Jimmy he could go over to Brian's if he wanted. The road to Cheryl's house seemed longer somehow. Maybe because she was dreading what she felt compelled to do. At the door she almost turned away, but somehow she managed to get enough courage to knock. Thankfully it was Patrick who answered the door. "I would like to talk to you," she looked into the doorway and added, "privately." Patrick's ministerial senses kicked in and he shut the door behind him leading her down the road. They walked for a while not talking, she was wondering where he was taking her. He was wondering what was on her mind. Many thoughts presented themselves as likely candidates, she had lost her house and everything inside, her daughter was gone, and she was taking care of his grandson. What his mind didn't conjure up, nor would have was the real reason she was there. They stopped at the riverbank; Patrick sat on an old stump. Turning to her, he said, "this I remember as a perfect spot. The river masks the talking we do, but it is open enough that we can see if anyone approaches." Dora though that he must have used this place many times and she was right. "Patrick I don't know how to say this." 'A standard line, ' he thought. "It's ok to tell me anything. You would be surprised at what I have been told. Nothing you say will shock me, I'm here to help, and nothing you say will reach another ear." She wasn't so sure he wouldn't be shocked, but his words encouraged her. "I want to know if you are trying to get Cheryl pregnant." The words stung him and he thought he was going to faint. Dora saw the color run from his face and was concerned that she had shocked him a bit too far. "Dora," he finally managed to get out, "where did you hear that?" Fearing the worst. Suddenly feeling embodied with new strength, she said, "never mind that. I can tell from your reaction it is true. I am not judging you, but now that I know it is true, I have a question." He was on shaky ground, Dora knew the truth. The redeeming part was that it didn't seem to bother her in the least. He was worried about the question she wanted to ask though. He didn't have much of a choice though, "what do you want to ask?" "How does it make you feel? You're doing something I thought we were taught was not right. I see you doing it, so I am wondering if it is not a sin then. Is it?" He looked her straight in the eyes, he could see something there, it wasn't condemnation, it was... guilt? Did she have an affair and wonder if the sin she thought she'd committed was ok after all. There was more to her question than met the eye. He also knew he was going to be in hot water in the town if he didn't have people behind him. Dora could be a start. When he had started with Cheryl he had no idea that it was impossible for her husband, or any other male who lived in Carp to father a child. Now it looked like she would be showing and there would be only one explanation. His eyebrows crinkled together as he thought. She was fidgeting, as nervous as he was. "Dora, I don't know how you knew," he sighed, "but I'm going to tell you the truth." He looked straight into her eyes again. "Cheryl was always a temptation for me, I can not deny that. When she came to me desperate for a child, I felt called to help. I cannot lie, I have fantasized about her for many a year. This is not fantasy Dora; I am helping her have a baby. Understand that this is also done with her husbands blessing." He looked at her, watched her expressions as he spoke. He wanted to see what reaction she was having. It was not at all what he expected and it puzzled him. "That does not answer your question. Not really does it?" "No. I heard that when Cheryl was young she squirmed on your lap giving you... well it was hard for you." Patrick laughed, albeit nervously, "I do know how desperate she was to have a baby, so when you came back into town I guess I'm not surprised that she tried. What I want to know is how you live with this. Isn't what you are doing wrong? I mean what if I was having a relationship with a married man, wouldn't that be wrong?" Patrick smiled, not from the question she wanted to know. It was one he had wrestled in his mind for some time. It was what she said about herself; this is what it was leading to. "Dora," he sighed, "Let me ask you what you believe. Not what you are told, but what you believe. Not the do's and don'ts, but what you feel in your heart." He paused and she nodded. "Do you believe God wants good things for us?" she nodded. "Do you believe God would withhold good things from us, punish us for what we may not even have anything to do with?" She shook her head no. "Ok, so then do you believe Cheryl should remain barren, not have children all because of a man named Cliff Johnson?" "No!" she practically shouted. "Because of Cliff, her husband can't give her children. Should she leave the man she loves? Should she be made to choose between having children or the husband she loves?" Dora wasn't sure how to answer. She thought for a second and then said, "are you saying that God sent you to Cheryl so she could have a baby?" "It wouldn't be the first time God did something unusual, the bible is full of unusual happenings. I was talking to a young man not too long ago about how God brought him to this town. He didn't want to see it." "See what?" "This town had a problem, he has a specialty. There is a girl that is desperate for a knight in shinning armor, he falls in love. There is... " "You're talking about Keith!" she said excitedly. "Yes, do you think he believed he was led here? No, not at all. Cheryl has a problem; she also had a crush on me. It fit together. I don't think it is coincidence. I wasn't looking, she didn't search me out. It was meant to be." "So it's ok, whatever we do?" Dora asked, trying to get the whole answer. Patrick knew that explanation was just too simple. "No we don't get to do anything we want. Sometimes though the old conventions, the way we were taught about what was right and wrong just isn't so. Take a look at my situation. What is the reason that I shouldn't be doing what I'm doing?" "Because it's wrong?" "That's what we've been told. Why is it thought to be wrong?" "I'm not sure." "It's because the idea is that I would be doing this behind her husbands back. It would be a hurtful thing to be doing. He knows and is happy about it though. He wants a child for her. He can't give it to her. He knows that she has a thing for me and she will be happy with him for allowing this to happen. Is there anyone hurt in this situation?" "No, I guess not." Dora thought for a bit and then said, "so does that mean that if everyone agrees to something that isn't quite normal then it is ok?" She was asking more specific things than what he had been able to come up for himself. He was just going to have to let things happen and see where they went. "Dora I think that the thing that needs to be present is love. You see in my case Bob and Cheryl are in love. It is a love they do not want to have problems with. The lack of and the desire for a child are placing a stress on that love. I am in a way helping them restore and continue with that love. Granted, I am also receiving love." Then he took her face in his hands and looked her in the eyes, "are you in a loving relationship also?" Dora wanted to turn away, wanted to look down. She didn't want him to see the shame that she had been feeling. She turned red. "I have been feeling ashamed. Not for what I am doing, but for what people would think. I feel alive, alive like when I was married. I feel loved; no I know that I am loved." Patrick had let go of her face and she looked down, "I know people would disapprove though." "Dora the only one you need to worry about disapproving is God. Let me ask you the question again, do you think God wants us to be happy?" "Yes." "Are you hurting anyone?" "No! I could never do that." Patrick smiled; he knew that to be true. "So you believe God wants us to be happy, you are happy, and no one is being hurt. Is that right?" "Yes." "Then what you are worried about is the attitudes of others." "I guess so." "Would the person or people who loves you support you if you were ridiculed?" Dora hadn't thought about that before. "I'm sure they would." "Then you have nothing to fear, do you?" Dora looked up at Patrick, "so is that how you feel? Are you supported also?" Right then, much to Patrick's relief Brian and Jimmy showed up in at the edge of the clearing. It was the end of their conversation. ------- I walked silently with Robin down the university path. Seeing a cluster of trees, I headed towards them. Sitting down I took her hand and pulled her to me. "What is troubling you?" She looked at me and frowned, it was obvious that she was worried. "I talked to my mother." she started to say. I had no idea where this was heading. I thought I'd just hear her out. "Ok, so is that conversation what all this is about?" The emotions were just too much for Robin. She couldn't control herself any more, no matter what Daisy had said to her. "Keith please love me," she said and grabbed my arm and held it tight. I looked at her like she was half crazy, "you know I love you. I will always love you." "I hope so," she said. Her voice cracking, tears running down her face. I know you said we should wait. I know I tempted you." "What is it Robin. What are you trying to tell me?" I said knowing she needed to get it out. "I think I'm pregnant," she blurted out. I sat there stunned. She looked at me, fearing my rejection. I looked at her, "That's it?" I saw the hurt look in her eyes. "Oh shit. That's not what I meant to say. I just thought it was something... you know, like your mom and Richard weren't getting along and she was going back to Carp." We were silent for a minute and then she ask what she really needed to know. "You said it was a mistake for us to do anything before getting married. Now it looks like I'm pregnant. Do you still love me?" I pulled her into my arms and rocked her. "Robin I don't think you are capable of doing anything that would make me not love you. I said that because of your mother's fears. We are married; she was worried you would end up pregnant and unwed like she had been. I didn't want you to show up pregnant and fuel her fears. Not that it would have stopped me from wanting to marry you," I said and kissed her forehead. "We are married, so those feelings and concerns are gone now. I have a question for you now. How do you feel about it? Is this something you want?" She cocked her head; her fears were finally laid to rest. I felt her relax in my arms and she started to feel excited. "I'd like as many kids as you want to give me." As soon as her answer was given she could feel the instant erection I had pressing into the side of her. She giggled as I said, "Robin you make me so happy. I hope you always know that." She snaked her hand down my chest and grabbed my crotch. "I think I could tell." Then we leaned into an embrace and kiss. When I got up and stretched out my hand to Robin, she could still see the prominent bulge in my pants. As she stood up she pressed into me, pressing against my hardness, and moaned. I did also. We hurried back to the house. Pamela, Stephanie, Daisy, Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann were all waiting for us. ------- As soon as Jill and Liz were back in their room at the school, Jill said, "What did you and Katy talk about. You told me thanks, but I've been dying to find out." Liz almost laughed; she had a smile on her face. "What do you think? We were talking all about you." Jill got a horrified look on her face and as Liz did start laughing she realized she'd been tricked. "Oh, you..." she said lunging at Liz tickling her. Liz let out an "AAAAhhh," as she tried to jump away to no avail. Jill had her in her grasp and knew just were to tickle. "Ok, ok, I'll tell you, no more tickling." Liz panted out between bouts of laughter from Jill's infliction. They were sitting on the floor, Liz wasn't sure were to begin when Jill asked, "tell me about Robin. Is she really pregnant?" There was anticipation in Jill's eyes. Liz was pretty sure that Jill, although might have book knowledge, had never been taught how the whole process worked. So she started with the answer, but then went on to how and why they wouldn't know for sure for at least another month. She also told her that Katy was wondering if she too might have caught. From there she wasn't sure if she should go on and say what Katy and she had talked about. She was saved from the dilemma, at least for the moment by a knock on the door. Jill popped up and opened the door to Tiffany and Vicky. They came in glaring at Liz, their arms crossed in front of them. Tiffany spoke first, "All you told me was they were leaving." "And you didn't even introduce them to us," Vicky added, "a real live hero, here on campus and we don't even get an introduction." "The word from the girls that did see him was that he was handsome too." "Where are your manners Liz?" Vicky stated. Liz was staring in disbelief. "I'm sorry; they were here for just a short time. They said they will pass through again and I'll make sure you get introduced. If my brother ever comes up I'll do the same." "You'd better, Vicky said, "we hear from Jill that he is a dream to." Jill was turning red; Liz was now staring at her. Vicky and Tiffany were starting to laugh. "Out with you," she said, as they laughed. She started shoeing them towards the door. "Go on," and gave Vicky a smack on the rear. They laughed even more, but Liz noticed that Tiffany turned a bit to offer herself to the same treatment. Liz thought about what Katy said, 'she's a big girl, ' so she smacked her rear also. Liz was rewarded by Tiffany turning and hugging Liz, Vicky much to Liz's surprise did the same and then they were out the door. Liz turned to Jill, "don't you dare say a word," she said. The smile on Liz's face though couldn't be hidden. Jill didn't say a word, she merely went over to the dresser and picked up the small red panties and threw them at Liz. Liz sighed, "what am I going to do with you?" Again Jill didn't say anything as she just started unbuttoning her blouse. When it hit the floor, Liz could see Jill's hard nipples through her bra. Jill had dropped her skirt to the floor when she finally said, "I guess you need to take care of me. That's what you need to do." With that Jill climbed onto the bed. ------- As they entered the dinner, Richard's mind was not on food. Sandra was looking at her son on the other side of the booth. They looked in love; they were certainly good for each other. There was something on Richard's mind though. She could always tell; it was even more obvious as he hadn't noticed his menu was upside down. He looked up at his mother and the mental communication started. Her love for her son and her desire to help sprang to the front. He knew if he said anything Katy would be upset, and yet she would have talked to her mother about this and had said how much she liked his mother. Deciding to let it out and see how the pieces fall, he took Katy's hand in his. "Mom, dad," He felt the grip tighten on his hand and saw in the corner of his eye her head turn towards him, "we think Robin may be pregnant." There was a noticeable relax in her grip on his hand. "Oh," Sandra said, "she's so young." Katy smiled, "I was her age when I got pregnant with her." "Yes, I suppose that is true. It doesn't seem to have done you any harm." Sandra said with a smile. "So I guess you will be a grandfather," Jack said teasingly. "And you a great grandfather," Richard shot back. "Ok, I deserved that one." Jack said with a smile. "There is more," Richard said. He felt the grip tighten again, "Katy is late also." "That's what the stops were all about," Jack said realizing that this must be very current news to everyone. "Yes that is what they were about," Katy said. There was a bit of uneasiness and Richard said, "dad I heard a noise in the car, want to have a look with me?" Jack turned to Sandra who nodded and the men left the table. "I could just be off a bit. There has been so much going on. Robin though is off by at least five days now and she was as predictable as the sun coming up. I always counted my days after she started." "Was there ever much change in the timing?" Sandra asked. Katy already knew the answer, "No, we were both like clockwork." "You don't sound happy." Sandra said with concern in her voice. Katy started to tear, "Richard says he'd love to have a child." "Just one?" Sandra said, bringing a partial smile to Katy's lips. "I told you, there were things about my past which makes me feel the way I do." "Katy, I don't need to know. If you want to share that with me sometime then I will listen. I think you are looking at the past and not looking at the future. I could always say; what would he do if something happened to your baby? Would my son climb back into his shell? I don't think that and the reason is you. Tell me; is the past still relative, now that my son is in your life?" Katy was silent, thinking. The more she thought, the bigger the smile on her face. She said to Sandra, "No. Richard has made my life feel complete. I really don't know how I managed without him all these years." "You two are very good for each other. And quite personally, maybe even selfishly I hope you are pregnant. I'd love to have a grandchild." Katy laughed, "well if this time it doesn't happen, I'm sure it won't be long. Richard told me he wants to see my belly grow." Richard and Jack were coming back to the table at this point and heard the last comment. Jack raised his eyebrows looking at his son. Richard responded, "I like kids." They all laughed. Dinner was relaxed and enjoyable. They filled up their cars at the service station and were back on the road. Richard and Katy could see Sandra moving over to Jack in the car. Katy was doing the same thing. She rested her head on his shoulder. "I could have shot you when you said that at the table," Katy said, "but I think you did the right thing. Sandra and I had a good talk." "I thought you might," Richard said, "I could tell you were still worried. Mom always had a good ear for me." Richard couldn't see it, but he could feel her smile. "I hope I don't disappoint you now." He laughed, "We will have to keep trying until we know for sure and then, I know I won't want to stop practicing." She elbowed him in the side. "I figured as much from you," she giggled, "but you'd better not ever stop wanting to practice with me." "I don't think you will ever have that to worry about," he said. She snuggled up against him and they road silently the rest of the way to his parent's home. It was a nice three-bedroom house with the typical one car garage. Katy was given a tour of the place. It was so big compared to the places in Carp. She couldn't understand three bedrooms for a single couple. One was their bedroom, one was an office - sewing room, and the last was a guest room. Thankfully Katy thought the sewing room was in between the other bedrooms. It had one bath that entered off the hallway that led to the bedrooms. The kitchen was the biggest surprise to Katy. She knew what a refrigerator was, but had never seen one in person. The gas stove was fascinating to her as well. There was a breakfast nook off the kitchen. The living room - dinning room was where they had entered. As Sandra had been giving the tour, Richard and Jack had brought their things in from the car. It wasn't that late, but after a day of driving all were tired and wanted to hit the hay. ------- Robin looked at me when she saw everyone waiting for us outside our university housing. I said, "I guess word travels fast doesn't it Daisy." She turned bright red and Robin glared at her. Kristin was the first to break the ice. "Well big brother, is it true?" As soon as she said that Robin had the realization that Kristin was before her that night. She could be also. Robin looked at Kristin with wide eyes and said, "we need to talk," pulling her into the house and back to the bedroom. I didn't know what that was all about, but I said, "we might as well all go in." I sat down on the sofa and Mary sat on one side of me, Beth Ann on the other. Stephanie and Pamela sat down on my legs. That left Daisy standing in front of me. She knelt down in front of me and placed her hands on my knees. I was surrounded. It was Mary who asked the same question that Kristin had asked, "Is she really, you know... pregnant?" All the eyes were on me. I started to laugh at the seriousness of the look on their faces. "I don't know, no one does for sure right now," I saw the disappointment in their eyes, I went on, "but the possibility is there. She is late with her period and as she has told me, she's never been late before. From the look in all of your eyes, I am guessing that you're hoping she is." There were smiles all around. It was Beth Ann who surprised me by saying anything, "I think it would be so wonderful to have your baby." As soon as she said that; she turned as red as could be. Mary helped her out. "I think that Robin is blessed to have you as her man. If she is pregnant, she's a darn lucky gal." It was my turn to become red. I was wondering why Robin was talking with Kristin and when they would get back out here. Robin and Kristin were looking at each other. Kristin's mouth felt dry. Robin had expressed her concern. Kristin tried to dismiss it, but the doubt showed. "What have I done?" Kristin finally said, tears starting to roll down her face. Robin wrapped her arms around Kristin. They cried together. Robin who already had gone through her personal battle was able to ask Kristin the question she didn't want to ask herself. Kristin was first concerned about what Robin thought about her. Robin had to try and not laugh at that, reminding her that if it wasn't for her Keith might never be in her life, she was eternally grateful for the feeling they shared. Kristin's next problem was Keith and what he would think. Robin told her about what Keith had done with her, how he was concerned about her mother's feelings above his own needs. If he had not done so with her, it wasn't because he wasn't thinking. That somewhat reassured her, but talking to him directly was the best thing Robin thought. The last and hardest was what would her parents think. This was the hardest for Robin to deal with. From her religious upbringing she should be able to draw on the love of understanding, of forgiveness, of acceptance. Her life and her family had not been a shining example of that. Her grandfather shunned her mother and brother. Her brother taking advantage of what family was there. The best she could do was to get her husband, Kristin's brother. "Be back," Robin said as she left Kristin in the bedroom. I was in the middle of a discussion that was driving me crazy, baby's names. Robin saw me looking at her with pleading eyes as she came out of the hallway. She pulled me up and whispered in my ear that Kristin had some question for me. I was more than happy to get away. As I walked down the hallway I could hear the same questions that I had been bombarded with. When I opened the door Kristin looked at me and almost pulled away. I couldn't understand it. Then it hit me, she was jealous. Closing the door I sat on the edge of the bed. "Robin said you had some questions for me," I said, hoping to get her feelings out in the open. "What did she tell you?" "That you had some questions, why?" "That's all?" "Yes." "Oh God." "Kristin," I said, reaching out and pulling her to my lap. "My dear Kristin, my love, please talk to me." Tears started to flow, "what are our parents going to say?" I was still clueless, "say about what?" "Keith, I... I'm late too." I almost dropped her off her my lap. "Whatever I say is going to come out sounding stupid, like are you sure? Kristin," I said taking her head in my hands, turning her eyes to meet mine. "I hope you have an idea how much you mean to me. To create life with you is beyond my wildest imagination. How will our parents deal with this? I don't know. You know that they love us. Do you think that will change?" Kristin hugged me, holding me in her arms for a long time. "Keith I want you to tell them when the time comes." "I want you at Carp, to live and be with me always." "I was hoping you'd say that." I smiled and held her. I also knew life was not going to be easy for either one of us if she was indeed pregnant. I also knew the night in question, the night that both Robin and Kristin might have become pregnant was the best night of my life and I would not have changed a thing. I held her for another few minutes. "We need to go; everyone is going to wonder what Robin and then I were doing back here with you." She was silent, but got up off my lap reaching her hand down to me. I looked up at her, she was so lovely. I smiled and it caused her to smile also. "When is school out?" I said. She broke into a radiant smile. "Two weeks." We walked hand in hand out to the front room, all eyes were on us. Whatever conversation had been going on suddenly stopped. I looked around the room. The only one who knew what was going on was Robin, but even she didn't know what had transpired when I went back. I had already had a plan of what I was going to say. "Kristin is going to move to Carp with us." I said. Mary and Beth Ann looked at each other and said in unison to each other, "lucky," in an almost jealous fashion. Stephanie and Pamela jumped up and gave Kristin a hug. Robin had a huge smile on her face that wouldn't stop. I sat down between Mary and Beth Ann, putting my arms around them. I didn't think about it until I noticed just a slight tension that disappeared fast from Beth Ann. "So are you two jealous of Kristin?" Mary said, "yes." Both shook their heads yes. I raised my eyebrows and looked at Beth Ann, "you'd come to Carp?" I could see a slight blush. "That's where you'll be isn't it." It was then I realized how hard my dick was. I looked down and it was fairly visible. I couldn't very easily reach down and adjust it without bringing attention to it. I guess that was a mute point when Mary leaned in to me and said to Beth Ann, "I think he likes the idea of you in Carp." Then she looked down at my crotch, causing Beth Ann to look too. I turned to Mary, she had a wicked smile on her face, and she said, "am I welcome in Carp also?" I thought I'd get her back; I took her hand and placed it on my crotch, rubbing it into my hard-on. Looking her in the eye, I said, "I didn't think you needed and invitation." It had the desired effect. She turned as incredibly red, but she didn't remove her hand. I noticed Beth Ann's eyes were locked on Mary hand and how it was rubbing me. ------- Patrick had made his excuses and walked back to Cheryl's house in Carp. Jimmy and Brian wanted to know what Dora was doing and when they spied her talking to Patrick it wasn't as much fun. "Why'd you talk to him?" Brian said. "Yea, he talked enough this morning." Jimmy said. "Well if you must know, he said some things this morning that I wanted to know a bit more about. When you're older some of the things others say will be a lot more interesting to you than they are now," she said to the boys. Dora found out that Millie had almost insisted that Jimmy spend the night as Brian had spent the night before at Jimmy's house. They all walked back to town. Jimmy was looking at the downtown buildings as they walked near them. "I heard that they're going to open all these places back up." "My mom talked with some ladies today about a school. I don't know what that is all about. We never had one here before. Why'd we need one now? I don't even see a reason for school, I know enough already," Brian added. "Let's walk back to your house Brian; I'd like to hear more about that." Millie filled Dora in about the talk of the town amongst some of the ladies. Especially a school and a library was emphasized. The man from the government said he wanted to know what they could do for this town and that would be it. A group of ladies were going to bring it up at the next meeting. "Where are they going to have a school?" Dora asked. The thought was to start it in the old large clothing store while a proper school gets built." Millie said. "That's a good idea. It is plenty big." Dora thought for a moment. "So the government can start a school for us, putting up the building. We need someone to run it. I don't think I'd want the military sending us just anyone to come into our town to teach our children." Millie had a horrified look on her face. "You're right. If we want the right people, we'll need to find them ourselves. I don't think anyone knows anything about this stuff though." Just then Dora had an idea, "I know someone who could answer questions for us." "Really? Who?" Millie said anticipating an answer that wasn't going to go anywhere. "Keith's sister Liz." Millie looked at Dora in disbelief, "You're absolutely right. I wish she was still here. Guess we'll need to call her." She looked at Dora with a smile on her face. "Since it was your suggestion, will you organize the group of ladies with school age kids so we can come up with questions for her?" Dora beamed, she had never been in the right place at the right time most of her life. Things were changing for her, she could feel it. "I'd love to," she said. Jimmy and Brian were told to hang around near the house. Bruce would be home soon and they could tell him what Millie and Dora were doing. Millie thought that the first thing would be to get the ring leader involved. Janice had told everyone it had been Jim and her walking downtown when they came up with these ideas. Janice was the one stirring everyone up. Now it looked like they were going to add more fuel to the fire. Janice was thrilled with the idea and the three gals decided what questions to ask and who they would visit. With the three of them, each would only need to see six or seven women and they hoped to finish tonight. All of the ladies, having been approached already today about the idea of a school had been giving it a lot of thought. The questions raised were well thought out and numerous. When Millie, Dora, and Janice got back together, almost near bedtime, they had collected a lot of thoughts and hopes. "Tomorrow morning we'll go over these and condense this into hopefully the right questions to ask." Janice said. "I would guess you would be the right one to give her a call," as she looked at Dora. Dora smiled, "I'd like that very much." They parted on the road and Dora went to an empty house. She never really understood how much her new family meant to her until she was alone. Even without her husband, she had never been without Stephanie. She didn't want to go into the bedroom; not yet. She sat down and started to cry. She had her knees up and arms wrapped around her legs. Rocking back and forth to comfort herself, she just cried. Jimmy was surprised when he opened the door and saw her there. She didn't look up. In fact she didn't even hear the door. When he walked over and touched her shoulder, she jumped and screamed. It startled him so much he fell over. When Dora realized who it was, she was embarrassed. "I'm so sorry Jimmy, you just scared me." Jimmy saw the lines from tears on her face. "You've been crying. Did you hurt yourself?" Dora realized the state she must look, embarrassed, she said, "no. What are you doing here?" "I came to get something to show Brian. If you didn't hurt yourself why were you crying?" Jimmy wanted to know. Dora looked at the boy, in his innocence he had seen her hurt, seen beyond the tears. "Jimmy, this is the first time I can ever remember that I have been alone at night. Some people might like the idea, but I don't. I guess I was sad, that's all." Jimmy looked at Dora, he cocked his head. He knew she'd never go for the idea that was swimming in his head. Maybe if he didn't tell her. He went into his room and picked up the heaviest thing he could find; a rock. It had special meaning to him, Brian too. He knew Dora wouldn't know that. He also slipped the book he came to get in his pocket. Pulling the rock out, he asked, "Dora, do you think you could help me carry this over to Brian's? He's been dying to see it." Dora looked at the thing, "why didn't you show it to him when he was over?" Jimmy's cover was falling apart, and then he smiled, "'cause we were in your room most of the night." Dora turned red, "Ok, I guess I can help you." The rock was more awkward than heavy and once they got a good hold of it, they walked quickly to Brian's. When they got there Brian was waiting. He looked at the rock and then looked at Jimmy, who was shaking his head no. Brian didn't understand what was going on, but didn't say anything. "We can leave it out here for now. I've got to go to the bathroom." Jimmy said, setting his end down suddenly. He rushed into the house and found Millie. Millie sensing a problem held her arms out for the boy. "What's the matter?" "When I went back to get the book, I found Dora crying." "Oh, what's the matter?" "She said that she'd never been alone at night. I guess she must miss Stephanie. She said she was sad." Millie looked at the boy marveling at his sensitivity. "I was hoping that you'd say it was ok if she slept over, like I'm doing." Millie smiled, "I guess it would, she'd need to be on the couch I guess. Why don't you run back and ask her if she'd like to." Jimmy stammered, "well I umm... you see I kind of..." "Spit it out Jimmy." "She's outside." "She is!" "I got her to carry my big rock over..." Millie was at the door when he was explaining. She opened it, "Dora, it seems you have been led over here by a caring, but deceptive boy," she said looking back at Jimmy. "It seems that he wants to have a slumber party and brought you along to be part of it." Dora looked in the door at Jimmy, who was trying his hardest to put on an angelic face. She busted up laughing. "Well I was having a hard time and feeling a bit sorry for myself, but I don't want to impose." "It is no problem; that is if you don't mind the couch." Millie said putting her hand around Dora's shoulder. Gone were the misled feelings she had yesterday. Dora had made a big step up in Millie's mind when she came up with the teacher idea. Dora felt warm and welcomed. This is what she needed, wanted. She settled in and laughed as Jimmy took the book out of his back pocket, the real reason he went home. The only person who made himself scarce was Bruce. When he heard of the plan for Dora spending the night on the couch he became withdrawn. Millie was surprised at him, almost saying something to him. Instead of bringing the mood down, he had found things to do away from everyone. What everyone except Dora was aware of, was Bruce's reaction and what it might have been about. She was going to be in closer quarters, closer than he was going to feel comfortable with. She understood this and tried to not say much at all to him. After the morning that he came and saw her in Katy's nightgown, she knew his feelings, as harmless as it had appeared. They had all decided bed time was near when Bruce made another entrance. Millie and he took the boys into their room. Millie came out, telling Dora that Bruce had been talked into reading a story to the boys. Dora, not expecting to be staying the night, borrowed a nightgown of Millie's. The two of them were not close to the same size. The sensible nightgown on Millie was a good bit shorter on Dora. As Millie was a bit larger around the clothing had a different effect on Dora. She looked like she had a long baby doll nightie on. As Millie had given it to Dora, she had a hard time not saying how much different it looked. Millie was decidedly much more conservative. Dora had come out of their Millie's bedroom and was fixing her bed when Bruce came through. He stopped and stared at her. She looked over and saw his transfixed look as well as the enlarging lump in his pants. "I think you'd better take care of that before Millie sees it." Dora whispered, looking at his crotch. "Uh hu," he said not registering just yet what she'd just said. Then he turned red as he realized he was fully and obviously hard. He rushed into the bathroom. It was a good thing too. Dora had been missing Richard terribly and the sight of that nice hard dick was starting to get her juices going. The last thing she needed was to have Bruce smell her distinctive odor. He came out of the bathroom several minutes later, looking rather sheepish. He didn't want to look her way, but his small head won out over his big one. She was under some covers, on her back. The swell of her breasts were visible. 'God, ' he thought, 'I'm glad Millie will be in bed with me.' Dora saw him close the door to his bedroom and then a moment later, heard a muffled "Bruce!" She snickered as she expected that Millie was going to get something tonight whether she liked it or not. ------- After a few more embarrassing moments for Mary, I kissed her gently. She smiled at me and then said in a soft voice, "I would like to go to Carp, because that is where you are." Beth Ann made a sound that almost sounded like a moan. I turned to her and she was blushing, I smiled. "We need to talk sometime soon, I think," she nodded her head in acceptance, "but now is not the time. I think you gals are supposed to be in your dorms before the matron has a fit." They looked at the time and shrieked, saying a fast goodbye, Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann were out the door in a flash. It was then that I noticed that Stephanie was the only other one in the room with me. Robin, Daisy, and Pamela were gone. Little did I know that they were scheming. Stephanie, seeing a good opportunity, jumped into my lap, snuggling up to me. I looked down, she looked up and our lips met. By the third long kiss, we were both starting to feel a bit hot. It was then Robin and Daisy came out, breaking us up. Daisy stayed with Stephanie and I was led away by Robin. Instead of going into our room, she led me into the other bedroom. Sitting on the bed, she patted it so I'd sit next to her. Robin turned to face me and then spoke. "Keith, I know this pregnancy thing is on all our minds..." I tried to say something, but she put one of her hands to my mouth. "There is something more important for you to think of tonight." I looked completely baffled. "Pamela has been waiting patiently for you..." Again I tried to say something and again I was quieted. "Daisy and I talked it over with her. She feels left out and not as loved by you." I frowned at that thought. "Tomorrow morning she goes in for her first surgery. It will be at least a week and probably longer before she will be ready again." Robin took my hands and held them close to her. "Tonight is the night for her." My mind was still occupied by the pregnancy issue, "What if I get her pregnant too?" Robin giggled and smiled her radiant smile. "Daisy already asked to make sure, she hasn't started yet. I'm sure it won't be long, but she's as safe as can be now." "And she wants this, she's not feeling pressured?" I needed to ask. Robin down right laughed, "she's as horny as Stephanie was." "Oh God." I said. "Now you said the same thing with Stephanie as I remember. I do believe you enjoyed yourself." I couldn't help but smiling, "Ok, I'd like it. I just want to make sure you're ok with this. I never want to make you feel displaced or even anything like that." Robin threw her arms around me. "You are so thoughtful. I love you, you know." I smiled, "yes, I know. So not to be crude, but how am I suppose to do this?" "Yes that is crude," then she got a coy look on her face, "she's in our room now. I'm going to help." I raised my eyebrows, "help? Like Kristin?" She slapped my arm, "No, not quite like that." Then she got a dreamy look in her eyes. I tugged her arm which broke her out of her trance. I opened our bedroom door and saw Pamela. She was sitting on the bed with anticipation in her eyes. I felt a bit nervous and was thinking that she felt the same way if not more. If it wasn't for Robin who played coach we wouldn't have progressed at all. "Keith, sit next to her. Pamela take his hands. Keith kiss her... ok you can stop now. Yes I'm just kidding. Pamela, unbutton his shirt. Yes really do it. Keith, oh I don't think I need to tell you anything any more. Pamela, look at what you are doing to him. He's hard." She was right I didn't need any more encouragement. I took Pamela's blouse and pulled it off her. He flat chest with just a swell of nipple. She looked up at me and as I ran my fingers across those nipples, she took a sharp breath in. As my hands ran down her chest to her flat stomach, I reached around her and pulled her into me. Our lips met, she whimpered into my mouth as our tongues met. Laying her down, I was still kissing her as I undid her skirt. She raised herself allowing me to pull it down. I broke the kiss with her mouth and started on her neck, then to her chest, paying close attention to her nipples. She was mewing as I made my way down her chest. My hands pulled off her skirt and it landed on the floor. I had my hand on the waistband of her panties and slowly pulled them off when I was kissing her bellybutton. Rising up slightly I took in the sight of a completely hairless slit, untouched. I looked up at her, she was looking at me. I had a questioning look in my eye that she saw and nodded yes to me. Turning back, I kissed my way down until I was kissing her mound. She was moving her legs around trying to free herself of the panties. I let them go and her legs did the rest. I had my hands on her ass cheeks, my face starting to probe the inter openings that she was now offering to me. Robin stopped us. I was and I'm sure Pamela was equally frustrated at her stopping us. Our glare must have said it all. "Pamela, it is your turn to undress Keith." This defused Pamela as she got a big grin on her face. I on the other hand was still missing the place my tongue was ready for, but I complied. Sitting up on the bed, Robin took my hand and stood me up. It was then that I could see Pamela stretched out, nude on the bed. It was a lovely sight, her thin, young body. Robin then got her up, standing in front of me. With my shirt off and her nude in front of me, it reminded me of the empty barrack at the base. If possible, I felt myself getting harder. Pamela just stood there looking at me, letting me look at her. Robin moved to her back side and took hold of her hands. She guided them to my pants. Our eyes were still locked and I could see a bit of uncertainty. When Robin guided her hand across my bulge all I could do was smile and the look of apprehension was gone, replaced with a mix of curiosity and lust. As my pants hit the floor, Robin moved Pamela's hands to my tented underwear. Her hands were brought to the bulge. I was surprised as I saw Pamela's hands move on their own accord, wrapping around my shaft. I let out a small moan and Pamela beamed with a bright smile. Robin had to urge the reluctant fingers away from my throbbing shaft. As soon as she had Pamela's fingers cupped inside the waistband of my underwear she understood the goal and was pleased. It was unceremonious; she just quickly pulled them down. As she hands were down at my feet now, her head was eye level with my dick. For the first time in a while Robin spoke, "open your mouth." Pamela did and I watched as Robin moved Pamela's head closer and closer to my dick. Her mouth still open came in contact and I could feel her tender lips contacting with my head. "Now use your tongue," Robin said. I felt my legs going weak; they were trembling from the ministrations my dick was receiving. Robin stopped the proceedings, for a second time tonight. Leaving Pamela and I both frustrated. As last time turned out, it did get better, so I was hoping for the same. Robin directed me to the bed, then got me to lay down. She then had Pamela standing over my face, then kneeling. I could see Pamela's red face as her pussy was in full view of me. When Robin told her to sit on my face she looked down between her legs at me with a questioning look on her face. I couldn't help myself, I slowly stuck out my tongue and moved it seductively. Pamela got the message loud and clear it seems, for the next moment she had dropped herself on me. It was a good thing she was as light as she was or it would have hurt. As it was I took hold of her hips and maneuvered her to the right place and let my tongue start what I had suggested. Pamela let out a very vocal moan. I felt Robin sit on the bed. Pamela moved, bending down my body. Her hands then grasp my shaft. Then I had a strange sensation of ringing in my ears. I could hear Robin giving instructions as Pamela's hands caressed, fondled and stroked my dick. I did hear the knock on the door and felt Robin get off the bed. Pamela suddenly moved and as I looked over there was Daisy looking at the two of us. Instead of smiling as I would have expected her to be doing she was frowning, so was Robin. "What is it?" I said. "The lab is on the phone, they need to talk to you immediately." Daisy said. I realized that was the ringing I had heard; a call at night with the word 'immediate' was never a good sign. I got up and as everyone in this household had seen me walked nude to the phone. When I came back, Robin and Daisy were on either side of Pamela. They knew as soon as they saw me. "I have no idea how long this will take. That valve on the tank wasn't fixed right. A night watchman saw water on the floor coming from under the lab door. They have no idea how long it has been leaking or where it has gone. They don't want to open the lab and go inside without me there. Everyone is scared stiff of this stuff." I sighed and looked at Pamela, "I'm sorry. I hate to leave you now. I hope it is simple and I can be home soon. Would that be ok? Could we take up where we left off?" Pamela donned a brave smile and said, "Yes." After giving her a big and long hug as well as a kiss, I threw on some clothes and was out the door, but not before Robin gave me a long kiss, telling me I was being very special to Pamela. The word hysteria came to mind as I got to the building. It was surrounded by campus police. They asked me who I was and I asked them who was in charge. The answer made me stop in my tracks. I was the one in charge. I had to ask again who was in charge before I arrived. No one had a clear answer. It was one of the few times I was grateful of my military training. I went into that mode and had one guard at each entrance, sending the others away. As it was night, the only person who had been in the building was the night watchman. He was feeling a bit woozy until I dispelled his ideas. He had not taken a drink of the water and it had not vaporized with him inhaling the mist. He, as well as the half a dozen others who had gathered, mostly techs from the lab and a maintenance man were grateful to hear that it would take that kind of contact to have any problems. After dispelling their doubts I knew I was going to fuel them again. I sent them down to the next floor. They didn't need to see me pull out of the emergency bag that carried a full containment suit. After the long process of putting that on, I opened the door and turned on the light. I shook my head in disbelief. Considering that the people in Carp had been drinking this water for years the small trickle that had been dripping out of the tank, on to the floor and apparently headed strait for the door, consisted in no more than a glass full. I pulled off my head gear and walked down stairs. The first person I ran into was Lt. Payne. I could tell this evening was going to be torturous. "What is going on? I need a full report," he said. I was not in the mood for him, as though I would ever be. "Why don't you come up and see for yourself," I said reaching for his hand. He pulled back, away from me as though I were caustic. His eyes were wide, "I can't go up there! You're all suited up, I'd be contaminated." I glanced at the others and could tell they enjoyed his company as much as I did. I might as well have a bit of fun at his expense. "I'm not sure as it would make a lot of difference," I said. He looked baffled. "You're about as contaminated as person gets I believe." "Now see here. I want answers," he said, not finding my humor the least bit funny. The others were snickering. "You can come up and see for yourself, or you can wait for the morning when I'll be glad to tell you. If you think for one minute that I'm going to let the leak continue so you can have a report on the matter, you're out of your mind." Once again he looked furious at what I had just told him. I could care less. I pointed to the two maintenance men that had shown up and told them to come with me. Just as I expected, Lt. Payne did not follow us. I wasn't about to be called again for this mater. The tank had problems and the simplest remedy was to transfer the liquid. It shouldn't have been a hard operation. The only problem was finding an empty tank. There weren't any available and we ended up emptying one and then disinfecting it to prepare it for the Carp water sample. Not hard, but very time consuming. I called. Robin was as disappointed as I was, but we both knew Pamela needed her sleep. She needed to be up early to be prepped for her operation. I told Robin to give her a kiss for me and tell her how deeply sorry I was. We locked up the lab a bit after two in the morning. I wasn't surprised that Lt. Payne had gone, but I knew he'd make his presence known later in the day. The others that had assembled were almost a bit disappointed I thought. They probably assumed that they would witness a catastrophe or something. Rarely is anything that exciting and they wouldn't want to be around if something like that happened, but that is hard to convey. I was very glad as I opened the door that it was silent. Moving across the floor and down the hall, I was aware of every creak in the floor. Peeling off my clothes, I slipped into bed. Robin didn't budge and I put my arm around her. It wasn't Robin. My mind wasn't working at full speed, but my hands and mind came up with the conclusion that the nude girl in bed was Pamela. I pulled myself to her, spooning myself to her. She never once responded. I had a hand under her neck, the other draped over her side, and a hard on pressing firmly against the crack of her ass. Caressing her gently, I drifted off within minutes. ------- Patrick had walked through Carp's downtown after his talk with Dora. Once back at Cheryl's he was pondering the disturbing conversation. Parts were still running through his head when he went to bed that night. Suddenly he bolted upright. It was Richard, no she said they. Richard and his daughter? He put his hands to his head thinking about what he had said to her. ------- Chapter 29 It was the years of military training I suppose. I was up and to the phone before the second ring. Doctor Smithers was on the line. "Keith, so glad I caught you. I thought you'd be interested in what I'm doing today. You do know where the surgery building is don't you?" I couldn't for the life of me think what he was talking about, but knowing the hierarchy of the medical field I thought I should be honored. "Yes I do know where it is. When do you want me there?" "Fifteen to twenty minutes would be fine," he said as though six in the morning was a normal time for most people. "Be over shortly," I said. I hung up and my brain was still not quite in gear. What the hell was going on? No one was awake yet as I threw on my clothes. I thought I heard an alarm clock as I was shutting the door quietly, but thought I must be mistaken. At the medical facility Doctor Smithers greeted me. He started talking, "this first procedure is a fairly straight forward one, but I thought you'd find it interesting. I see that you look half a sleep still. Coffee is at the end of the hall." I looked at him blankly. "What is the operation?" He blinked his eyes twice and started to howl with laughter. "Where have you been Keith, this is Pamela's surgery." I put my hands to my face, feeling very stupid and embarrassed. "Have a hard night?" He teased. I told him about the leak and when I got in to bed. He was very apologetic at that point, saying he would not have called if he had only known. There would be a note at his office explaining the leak, but he hadn't been there this morning. I told him that now that I was aware of who it was, I wouldn't have wanted to miss it for the world. It was then that he went into training mode. Pamela woke from Robin shaking her shoulder. Pamela rolled over and her eyes blinked open. "Not... here," she said with a frown. Robin still trying to wake said, "he was here last night, the bed is still warm from him." Pamela cocked her head, "thought... was... dream... he... sleeping... with... me." Then a little smile showed. "Were... he... now?" "I don't know," Robin, said puzzled. "Maybe they had some more problems at the lab." Pamela's frown came back, "don't... like... it." "I don't either, "Robin said. "We have to get you ready though." Robin was not at all happy; on the other hand she could see the practical side of it. I obviously had to go off somewhere. As everyone was asleep, it was a bit to ask that I would have woken up others to find her. Still she was not happy. If it wouldn't have been for the need to get Pamela ready she would have been down right mad. Daisy was up also and had laid out clothes for Pamela after she had dressed. Then Daisy left to see if her parents were ready. Robin and Pamela heard the door slam shut, giving indication she was at her parents place. Stephanie was also up and getting herself ready. Within a half an hour they were ready. Daisy and her parents had come over and the six of them left for the surgery center. Pamela was obviously nervous, holding onto Robin and Daisy's hands tightly. Stephanie was the only one that had anything to say. She was a bit too chatty for the rest of them. It was too early in the morning, they were all nervous. Daisy finally snapped at Stephanie, she teared up and dropped her head as tears fell. No other word was said until they got to the center. The reception desk was empty, but someone arrived almost as soon as they got up to it. Pamela's mother looked at the pile of papers that was handed to her, and then looked at Robin. Daisy was surprised when Robin took the papers and started looking at them. Between Daisy and Robin they filled out the paperwork handing it back to Mildred to sign. Once done a nurse was at the door to take Pamela away. Mildred, holding onto Pamela's hand walked her to the door. Pamela looked back at everyone and the door closed. Robert had his head in his hands and didn't see his daughter's last look. He looked up at the sound of the door, realizing she was gone. Looking at Daisy, told everything. He couldn't handle the situation. Daisy realized at that point he had never been the same after the mine accident. "Its ok dad," Daisy said, "she'll be fine." He looked at her. "Thanks sweetheart." He said and tried to smile, but the strain was visible. Mildred saw her daughter get dressed in the hospital gown. She was laid on the gurney and the anesthesiologist prepared Pamela with blood pressure and pulse monitors. Then the I.V. went into her arm. Her pulse was high, to high. Mildred wasn't any help, she was as anxious as her daughter. Two gowned and masked men popped their heads into the room. Both looked at the situation. Mildred was startled when one of them said, "Get Robin in here to calm Pamela down." She was also not in a position to think clearly, she just got up, walked down the hall and brought Robin back. Robin walked up to Pamela, smiling. She stroked her hair and started whispering into her ear. A faint smile appeared on Pamela's face. Her pulse dropped. The anesthesiologist was pleased and picked up a prepared syringe, injecting it into the I.V. line. Mildred and Robin watched as Pamela drifted off. They wheeled her off into the operating room. Doctor Smithers looked at his young patient, "As I told you Keith, she is a bit young. Her face has not matured to full proportions and as such she may need to have a second series of operations. There is the emotional side of all of this as well. Kids get traumatized from the stigma others give them. So from what you told me she is an acceptable candidate." I nodded in agreement. Little did he know how much I understood what the trauma from other kids could do. He went on, "we will be working on the nose today. Thursdays surgery will be for the lip and any palate reconstruction that needs to be done. We have found that in moving the nose back into proper place will shift the lips, so we do that procedure first." "In her case, although it may not look like it from the outside, internally this is not a difficult case. The one nasal passage needs to be opened. In doing so, we will rebuild the symmetry of the nose. For her, what is missing is cartilage, so she needs donor cartilage to graft in place." I started wondering if this is where I came in. This was in an area I had never studied and it was completely foreign to me. Thankfully he went on to relieve my sudden fears. "Surprisingly we can take what cartilage we need from the ear with just the slightest deformity. In fact most people who even know it was done to the patient cannot see any difference." I watched in amazement as his incisions were done internally. He noticed and commented that this was not a wide spread technique as yet but that it left no external scar, a big plus. I had to remember that this was a teaching hospital and as such some of the most advanced ideas would be flowing through here. I was in awe as I watched Pamelas nose reshape and start to look as normal as anyone elses nose. As fascinating as the surgery was, fatigue had settled in. When they had Pamela in the recovery room, Doctor Smithers ask if I wanted to tell the family how the surgery went. I was more than happy to. I found Mildred, Daisy, Robin, and Stephanie in the waiting room. It occurred to me that Robert was not there, but I figured he might have just stepped out. When I pulled off my mask and headpiece they all stared as though they had just seen a ghost. "The surgery was very successful, she is in recovery now and you will be able to see her as soon as she wakes up." I said. "This is where you were?" Robin said in disbelief. "Yes, I watched the whole procedure, but now I am beat. I need some sleep." Mildred looked at me and things started to click in her mind. "You were the one who told me to get Robin." "Yes that was I." Robin, who was still sitting, jumped up throwing her arms around me. "You don't know how much that will mean to Pamela when she finds out you were with her." She looked up at me with her loving eyes. I kissed her. She could feel the weariness in my body. "Go on and get some sleep," she said. Then she whispered, "I want you fully rested tonight." then she winked at me. I rolled my eyes at her; Daisy saw me and started to laugh. Stephanie started to say something when a nurse came into the room telling them that Pamela was starting to wake and it wouldn't be long before she would be transferred to her room. She was going to take them there. It was a good time for me to exit and get some well-needed rest. ------- The alarm clock startled Jill awake, she was not use to such a device yet. It was a busy day for both Liz and Jill. Liz would be starting her teaching again and Jill would be going to classes. Jill was understandably nervous. Even though she had been to all the classes, Liz had been with her. Now she was on her own. She knew Betty and Sue, but they were not in all of her classes. At breakfast Jill was so nervous she dropped her tray. Everyone stopped and stared at her, this of course didn't help matters at all. It was Vicky Nash who was the saving grace. As she sat down at the table, she said to Jill, "you're in my class first period." Jill swallowed hard and let out a timid, "yes." "Good, want to come with me after breakfast and help me set up a project?" Vicky asked. Jill beamed, "I'd love to." It was the icebreaker she needed. Liz smiled and winked at Vicky who turned red. When breakfast was over, Liz went off to her classroom. Vicky and Jill went off to Vicky's class. Vicky taught history and in eighth grade they were studying American history. This was one of Jill's weaknesses. When Vicky pointed to a large sectional map on the wall and ask Jill to grab the thirteen colonies, Jill just stared. The geography of most of the United States was a complete mystery to her. She knew Nevada, the state she was born and grew up in and even California from maps in the town. Her knowledge of European history helped some but she did not know where to place the pieces even though she knew the names. Vicky not understanding her problem, said, "They are pinned on, they come right off." Jill turned to Vicky and it was then Vicky saw the embarrassment on Jill's face, "I don't know where they are. Until I came here, I'd never really studied a map of the United States before." Vicky couldn't help herself as she gasp and said, "you're kidding." Jill was almost in tears her lip quivering and Vicky felt stupid for letting that slip from her mouth. "Jill," she said, "I'm sorry, it just slipped out. I had heard from Tiffany how smart you were." This was welcoming to Jill's ears. "She also said you had some places to catch up in. I just never though they would be something like this. Please forgive my assumptions." Jill sighed, "Liz told me it would be hard. I just never imagined how stupid I would feel. It makes me want to climb into a hole." "No Jill," Vicky said alarmed. It was said with such force it caught Jill's attention. "Liz told me about an older man who taught you many things, isn't that right?" "Yes." "So you obviously didn't know the information before he taught it to you, right?" "Well of course not." "Do you know why that never bothered you?" Jill crinkled up her forehead, "No. I never really thought about it before." "I would bet it was because he was an old man. Now you are going to be around kids your own age. There was no reason to feel threatened by him. I bet you knew he'd never make fun of you. You are not so sure about kids your own age." "I guess, but what am I to do. I don't know any of this. I'm bound to look stupid. Then I'll be teased about it." Jill said with concern in her voice. Vicky sat in silence for a minute, tapping her fingers on the table. Finally she looked up at Jill with a smile on her face. "We are going to scrap the lesson that I had and do something completely different. You are going to be an Indian that has ventured into a settlement and I will have the students tell you different parts of what was going on. It will be a good review for them and a concentrated learning experience for you. How does that sound?" Jill was all smiles, "That sounds wonderful." She ran over and gave Vicky a big hug. "Now, now," Vicky said. "We can't have you looking like the teachers pet." Jill stepped back and noticed Vicky's cheeks shown a slight blush. "Sorry," Jill said, "I'll try and control myself." Jill's head was swimming with new information when she left first period. Second period was math; a snap for Jill and it was with her favorite teacher, Liz. Third period was language. As this was the end of the year and not the beginning they had covered the fundamentals that Jill might have had more challenge with. Now they were dissecting words. As most of the English language was based on Latin and European derivatives Jill could hold her own. Fourth period was science, another strong subject for Jill. She was looking forward to it as Liz taught that class as well. The whole class was disappointed to see Liz introduce them to a student teacher who would be teaching the class for the next week. Jill had to control her urge to hold her hand up every time. She remembered that if she looked to smart in one place everyone would expect it in all cases. The teacher though had different ideas and up at the chalkboard gave Jill a question that they hadn't studied yet. As the rest of the class looked in awe, Jill turned and wrote the answer along with drawing a diagram to help. As Jill turned to the teacher, she saw Liz smiling at her. The teacher on the other hand was dumbfounded, turning to Liz she said, "I didn't learn all that, in that kind of detail until my last year of... " The bell ran drowning out the word college. Liz was grateful and would be talking to the teacher about Jill and not making spectacles of the students. It was lunchtime and as they left, several classmates ask Jill how on earth she knew the answer. Jill smiled and said she had a book and old friend had given to her, she just luckily remembered it. That fortunately satisfied their curiosity. Jill was through the line, seated and after answering endless questions from both Betty and Sue, remarked that Liz was not there. No one had seen her, but Tiffany said she was probably trying to catch up, as this was her first day back from being gone. It made a lot on sense and no one thought a thing about Liz not being at lunch after that. ------- Dora woke with an initial start, and then she realized as her eyes focused, the hands, four of them were Jimmy's and Brian's. They were tentative at first, touching her arms and legs. They progressed and she was pulled into a state of arousal. All three of them jumped when they heard a door open. Millie came out, looked at the boys and Dora who were trying to look angelic, gave a yawn and went into the bathroom. "I think it's time I got up and put my clothes on," Dora said to the boys. They looked disgusted at being disturbed. "Yea, I guess so," Brian said. The boys went back to Brian's room. Dora gathered her clothes and was walking to the bathroom when Millie came out. "You can take a shower or bath if you would like, we have a water heater." This was something Dora was not expecting, as the fire in the stove had not yet been started. It was a very welcome idea. "Oh, that would be nice. A water heater? How does it work?" Millie laughed, not at Dora but they were the only ones in town with one. "Bruce would love to show it to you. It is one of his pride and joys." Dora smiled and thought, 'I bet he'd love to show me more than that.' "I laid out a towel for you," Millie said and went back to her bedroom. Dora went into the bathroom and got herself ready for the day. When she came out. Millie, Brian, and Jimmy were eating breakfast. Bruce was already at the mine. The boys went out to play, Dora gathered the information from the questions they had asked the other women about the school and took it over to Janices house. Jim her husband and the mayor had other pressing things to do and were out of the house. The three women spent the next two hours going over the questions, concerns, hopes, and dreams that were there. In the end they had seventeen questions for Dora to ask Liz. The last question was one she could hardly believe, it was exciting to think about and she wanted to ask it straight off, but knew it needed to be the last, not the first question for Liz. ------- Pamela was still groggy, but awaking when they brought her into her room at the University hospital. Dressings were covering her from the eyes down, her jaw was in a sling to prevent movement, and her left ear was bandaged. She looked around Her mother, sister, Robin, and Stephanie has never seen someone out of surgery before and were unprepared for the bruising that was starting to appear around her eyes. She looked a lot worse than they had expected, but they knew they were there to keep her spirits up no mater what. Robin picked up on who she was looking for. "Did you know you were never alone from the people who love you," she said. Pamela cocked her head trying to figure out what Robin was saying to her. Robin went on, "When you were under anesthesia they wheeled you into the operating room. Want to guess who was there watching over you?" Even though Pamela couldn't talk, her green eyes brightened. "That is why Keith wasn't there this morning," Robin said, "he was getting himself ready to be with you during the surgery. He was with you the whole time. I know he wants to talk to you, but between the lab last night and the surgery this morning, he was beat. He's sleeping now." Pamela moved her head up and down slowly to acknowledge her understanding of what Robin had just told her. The nurse came in and took her temperature, which was amusing to Robin, Daisy, and Stephanie, as it had to be taken rectaly, checked her blood pressure and pulse, and wrote it into the chart. Just before she left she handed Pamela a note pad and pencil. Pamela looked at her mom and wrote 'dad'? It was Daisy who answered her while Mildred listened to what she said. She sat on the bed, took Pamela's hand and leaned down to her. "You know dad has a problem with any kind of trauma. I realized that recently, he likes to avoid it at all cost and you know how he avoids it," Daisy said squeezing Pamela's hand. "It's not that he doesn't care. I think he cares a lot and it hurts him. He doesn't know how to deal with it all." Pamela took the pad and wrote, 'sad' on it. Everyone else was silent in the room, it was sad for them as well. ------- Pamela's father had needed some air. It was going to take some time for the surgery anyway. A good walk would clear his mind; well that is what he had hoped. He didn't want to get lost so he followed the path back to the housing. Lt. Payne was there pounding on the door. When he saw Robert he yelled out, "Where is Keith Paterson?" "I don't know. He wasn't there this morning when my daughter went into surgery." "Sorry to hear that, but he should have been at the lab this morning. He needs to give me a report and he has gone missing again." "Well I don't know what to tell you. He set this whole thing up for my daughter and then he wasn't even there." Lt. Payne sensed a bit of friction. Maybe this time he could get a bit of dirt on Keith and knock him down a peg or two. "Is your daughter out now?" "No, she is still in surgery. It is going to take a while I guess. I don't do well with that kind of thing. If only I could get a... " Robert didn't bother finishing the sentence. Lt. Payne had figured out Robert's problem. He was good at finding out others faults and using them to his benefit. "Drink?" He said finishing the sentence. "Yea." "I have a bit more if you are interested." Robert didn't think about what happened last time he had a drink with Lt. Payne. He didn't want to think. The idea of having that drink was to tempting. "I'm interested," he said. "Fine, I have my car right here." In another hour, Robert was smashed and Lt. Payne had no more information than Keith cared a lot for Robert's daughters. The only thing he could do was to dump him back at the University. Hoisting him into the Jeep he made his way back to the same place he had picked Robert up. Mary, Kristin, and Beth Ann had stopped by between classes to see if anyone was back yet when they saw Lt. Payne pull up. He paid no attention to them as he pulled Robert out of his Jeep. They watched as he took him into the gate, propped him against the wall, and left. ------- Jill's afternoon schedule was a bit better. After lunch, her next class was an elective; she had been placed in the drama class, as that was the easiest to accommodate a new student. Jill was a bit apprehensive because of the Mother's day play she had been involved in, as well as her friends Betty and Sue were not in this class. Mrs. Walker was excited to see Jill arrive, but thankfully did not embarrass her. Jill soon realized they were well into rehearsals of a play that this class had been working on. She also found out fast that the only other person that didn't seem to have anything to do was a girl who looked to Jill to be Stephanie's age. Laura, as she was introduced was in sixth grade and it was her thin, almost frail look that made her look so much younger. As they were the two relatively free ones in the class, Mrs. Walker sent them off to the office to collect a package that had arrived for her. Along the way and back they got to know a bit about each other. Laura was glad to be in this class, although shy, she loved pretending to be someone else. Reality was that her gym class would have been during this period and she wasn't able to attend. This was due to a medical condition that doctors were working on. Laura also told Jill that it was this condition that made her so thin looking. Jill immediately liked Laura. She told her about Carp. Laura's eyes grew big and ask if she was one of the people they talked about in the newspaper. Jill then had to explain all of that to Laura, although in a brief version. She told her it was there that she had become attached to Liz and why she was here now. They were almost back to the class when Laura stopped dead in her tracks, looking at Jill. "You, you were the one that I heard, the one everyone talked about." Jill felt embarrassed, but wasn't sure what Laura was talking about, "what do you mean you heard me?" "The Mother's day play. Nobody has ever done what you did. I was speechless when I heard you." Jill was felling even more embarrassed; she wanted to change the subject. "Sometime I'll tell you about it, ok?" "Really? Would you really? I'd love that." Laura said practically fawning over Jill. "We'd better get back before the class is over," Jill said. They got back seeing Mrs. Walker standing in the front of the stage saying in a voice that cut through everything, "No, No, No, you need to feel the part, become who that person is." She looked over to Jill and smiled. "Let's try it one more time at the start of scene nine." Mrs. Walker went back to her seat in the theater and motioned for Jill and Laura to come over. They also sat down as the beginning of the scene started. The play titled 'Autumn Dance' had been written locally in collaboration with Mrs. Walker and Mr. Lendford a local author, reluctant playwright, and large contributor to the new theater. In scene nine the young girl, Anna, is discovering love. She is also discovering the heartaches that can accompany love. Jill picked up the script to read along. Mrs. Walker leaned over and whispered to Jill, "She is at the beach walking aimlessly while talking to herself." Jill could see how Mrs. Walker was having a problem. They were talking like they had memorized the lines, but didn't know what they meant. Their body movements were stiff, their hands straight down at their sides. No real expression was on their faces. JULIA: (enter stage left.) Why me? How in the world did I fall into this place? It isn't fair, just isn't fair. (Julia drops to the ground.) Susan who was playing Julia dropped to the ground, but it was evident there was no feeling in why she had done it. Jill heard Mrs. Walker sigh. MARK: (enter stage right.) Julia. Julia. Dorothy who played Mark came in saying the lines. That was about all you could say. She said them as though she was reading them off the page for the first time. The rest of the scene that Jill saw was just as bad. JULIA: (She lifts her head) Why him, why now. MARK: Julia, what's wrong? JULIA: Nothing. MARK: I guess you don't want me around. JULIA: No, it's just that. Oh never mind. MARK: You dont think I feel too? (Starts walking away) Or care? The bell startled Jill, She hadn't realized that she had stopped paying attention to how the actors and actresses were performing on stage, and she saw what they should have done it in her mind. As everyone started to grab their things and go to the next class, Mrs. Walker stopped Jill, Laura also stopped. "Jill do you have a study period next?" "Yes," Jill replied. "I imagine that you won't have anything to do in there as this is your first day in classes. Would you mind helping me out a bit?" "I'd love to." Jill said Laura said in a timid voice, "could I help too?" Mrs. Walker was surprised. She had seen Laura's interest in theater, but her shy nature had prevented her from doing anything. She was also well aware of all of the students grades as she received regular reports of their progress. Mrs. Walker had a strong belief that and actor or actress had to not only be well rounded, but excel in other areas. Laura was a straight A student. "You have math next period don't you Laura?" "Yes I do, but I'm ahead of everyone in the class and we are reviewing this week for part one of our final exams. We took a sample test on Friday and I got one hundred percent on it." "Let me make a call," The excitement on Laura's face was something that she had never been able to get out of her before. If Jill's influence did that, she would be hard pressed not to allow her to stay and help. A minute later she came back telling Laura that her math teacher said it would be fine to miss todays class. Laura was practically jumping up and down. "I need you two girls to clean off the stage, everything needs to be put away. Laura I think you know where the storage closets are. With both of you here I won't need to help and can get some other work done in my office. You don't know how much I appreciate this help. With that she left walking up the aisle towards the front of the theater to her office, leaving Laura and Jill looking at the stage. There was a light stand, a few chairs, and other odds and ends. Setting to work, they were done in less than twenty minutes. Finding a broom, they even swept the stage. As Jill set the broom back she saw the script for the play. Mrs. Walker thought she should check on the girls, she had just entered the auditorium when she stopped and listened to the conversation. She then slipped into the last row seat to watch unnoticed. Picking it up she found Laura, "Want to play?" Laura looked at the script in Jills hand, "I've never..." "Come on, it's just the two of us. You did want to know how I did what I did Mother's day didn't you." Jill knew that was the bait that Laura wouldn't be able to resist. "Ok, as long as no one else see us." Jill turned to scene nine. "Do you want to be Julia or Mark?" "I can't be a boy!" "Why not? One of us need to. I'll be Mark. Get a script and come out from that side." "I know what stage left is." Laura shot back. JULIA: (enter stage left.) Why me? How in the world did I fall into this place? It isn't fair, just isn't fair. (Julia drops to the ground.) Jill looked at Laura, "Why do you think she dropped to the ground?" Laura looked at Jill and back to the script, "because things arent going well for her. She's having a hard time." "Right, now is that the way you sounded? Think of a time you felt that way, feel it and then put how youre feeling into those words." Mrs. Walker almost gasp when she heard little Laura say the line, but this time with the emotion she wanted out of those lines. Jill came in right on cue with her voice a bit singsong like. MARK: (enter stage right.) Julia. Julia. JULIA: (She lifts her head) Why him, why now. Laura had captured the feeling; her words came out with apprehension of seeing someone she would rather not see. MARK: Julia, what's wrong? Jill's words were full of concern, the same kind of concern she had shown before when she had grabbed a script on Mothers day. JULIA: Nothing. Laura had got the character, her words were non-committal. MARK: I guess you don't want me around. Mrs. Walker started to get the feeling that these were words Jill had said and felt before. They were just too real as she said them. JULIA: No, it's just that. Oh never mind. Laura showed a bit more concern in her voice than she should have. Given the strength of Jill's words, Mrs. Walker understood it would be hard to keep in character. Sue had lost it completely when she had been in partner with Jill on Mother's day. MARK: You dont think I feel too? (Starts walking away) (Jill turned and looked directly at Laura) Or care? Laura stood there; Mrs. Walker saw her shoulders drop. Then Laura brought her hand up to her eyes, wiping away tears. Jill's words were so stinging; Mrs. Walker realized they had affected her also. Standing up, the chair made noise and both girls turned to see Mrs. Walker in the back of the auditorium. ------- Dora was walking to downtown Carp to call Liz when She heard her name being called. Jim Williams was beside the phone. Dora ran to answer it. Keiths mother, Catharine, was on the other end of the line. "Hello," Dora got out. A bit out of breath. "Hello," Catharine said, "I talked to Liz early this morning. It sounds like there is some exciting things happening in that little town of yours." Dora couldnt contain herself, "Oh you should see the house that is being redone for them. It is really quite beautiful. We want to make is a surprise for them and have everything ready to move into." "That is what I understand. If I hadnt talked to my son I would wonder if he wanted to stay in Carp. I know he does though," She said with a laugh. "The furniture has been in the house, under covers for a bit. We went back some time ago and took care of all the paperwork and cleaning out the closets. I talked to Frank about it and he said we should just have professional movers crate it all up and get it to the train." "Oh that would be wonderful. They are doing a bit of work on the place and I know they want to paint." "If it showed up earlier than you needed it in the house, could the furniture be stored in one of the empty downtown buildings?" Catharine asked. "Thats a great idea. Im sure no one would mind that. Especially if it is for our town heros." Catharine let out a little laugh. "Keith was always quite a child, but town hero is not what we ever expected him to become. You know it makes a mother very proud to hear that." "Im sure it would. You will let me know when to expect the shipment?" "As soon as I know. Thank you Dora, Im glad to know someone is in charge of all this coordination. Good bye." "Good bye." It had surprised Dora that Catharine saw her as coordinator. She was now going to call Liz about school ideas. She had not had this much happen in her life... It hit her. Her husband had died and she fell apart. Life was returning to her, although she was not married, Richard and the extended family was in a sense the same for her. It brought back her confident, vibrant self. She was happy with life once again. Picking up the receiver again, she called the school in Colorado. She was hopping to catch Liz on her lunchtime. After the school operator heard that it was a call from Carp there was a diligent search for Liz. Normally there would have been a message taken. Once Liz was on the line, Dora said. "I hope that this isnt to inconvenient for you." "No Dora, it is fine. What did you need?" "I have some questions for you." ------- Kristin and Mary pulled, or more literally dragged Robert to his door. Beth Ann stayed back. When her uncle was drunk, it had been the worst of times. They were all disgusted with Robert, but they were mad as anything with Lt. Paynes actions. In the dry State of Utah the only place Robert was getting booze was from him. Then he just dropped him off like a common drunk. They couldnt wait to tell Keith about it. It took about all of Kristin and Marys strength to get him over the stoop and into the living room. At least he wasnt a spectacle. They left him on the floor. With only twenty minutes left between classes now, the three girls rushed to the surgery center. It took another few minutes to get to the floor that Pamela was on. They werent relatives and therefore couldnt see her now they were told. Robin and Daisy heard them at the nurses station and came out. As soon as the nurse went to work on something else, Robin hushed them and pulled them down the hall and into Pamelas room. Mary, Kristin, and Beth Ann were better prepared for the state Pamela was in. Pamela picked up her pad and wrote happy to see you. It was then the nurse came back in. "I thought I told you girls you could not see her, now out with you this instant." Pamela wrote in big letters NO. The nurse took one look at Pamela and said, "I make the rules here not you." Pamela flipped another page and wrote a larger, NO. The nurse disregarded Pamela this time and tried to shoe the girls out. Robin stepped in front of her. "Do you have any idea who this little girl is and her importance to this University? If not, I would suggest that you talk to Doctor Smithers first." The nurse flared back, "Fine, it is out of my hands. My sift is almost over anyhow." She stormed off down the hall. Robin stepped back and grabbed onto the bed rail, as her legs had become week. Her muscles felt like jello, quivering from the fright she had caused herself. The rest of the females in the room simply stared at Robin. It was all worth her outburst when Pamela wrote thank you. Mildred told Beth Ann, Mary, and Kristin about Keith being in the surgery with Pamela. "Watching over her, protecting her," Mildred said with a smile. It was time for them to leave for their next classes, but said they would be back. They pulled Robin along with them. As they left, the nurse just huffed as they walked by her station. As soon as they were outside of the building the three gals started talking all at once about Lt. Payne, Robert and the condition he was left in. Robin sighed heavily and was shaking her head. She didnt want to be the bearer of bad news, but she was going to need to tell Daisy and Keith about this. Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann hurried off for their classes, while Robin went back inside. Shed need to get Daisy off by herself to let her know about her father. Keith could wait to be told, as he needed some uninterrupted sleep. ------- Jack Huntington stepped out of the downtown building he was using for an office in Carp. "Dora," he called. "Come in and talk to me." Brian and Jimmy had gone off with Millie to the Mansion; she had just finished up her calls and had nothing else to do. "Sure, be right there," she said. Jack went back in to wait for her. She came in moments later. "I'm not getting much of a response from the townspeople," he said. "I don't think they understand what it is that you are here for really, or what you can do for them. To tell you the truth this town has not had a lot of good dealings with the government and they see you as part of that. Don't take it personally though." Dora said smiling. "Ok. How about you? Do you have time to fill out some paperwork?" "I don't think I have anything to tell you," she said. "I think that is the real problem. People don't think they have anything to tell me. Maybe if you start it off, then you can tell others." "My house burnt down, I have nothing." Jack smiled, "Why did it burn down?" "I'm not sure. I don't think I ever heard. I know people came to look at it." "Let me put that another way, after it started, why did it burn down?" "Because there's no water... " "So," Jack interrupted, "it's a water issue. Is it not?" "Dora let me tell you something. There are towns all over the place getting government money. Most of it comes in the form of grants, but they use it to build the town up. Whether it is for safety, or to generate a better economy, that money is dolled out. The one thing those towns have that this one hasn't got is a politician figuring out how to get it's fair share. This town has done without that fair share long enough and I'm here to help that process along." "Oh," was all Dora could come up with. Jack went on, "now a lot of towns have proper water lines with fire hydrants. If this town had fire hydrants would you still have a house?" "Yes, I guess I would." "I understand that there was a large fire that burnt down half the houses in Carp." "Yes, that was years ago though." "But if someone, like your mayor knew how to use the political system, your town would have easily qualified for fire protection. To top that off, the cause of that fire is thought to have started by none other than Cliff Johnson." Jack took her hands in his. "You see, it comes around full circle. You should not have been out of a house." Dora looked at Jack trying to figure out all he was saying, but couldn't. "So what are you trying to tell me?" "In the forms we are going to fill out there are direct and indirect damages that can be claimed. Your house and all its contents are an indirect damage of this whole incident as far as I see it." She stood there with her mouth hanging open. "Shall we start?" Jack said. It took almost a half an hour to fill out the forms completely. Along with the loss forms were forms to apply for Social Security numbers. When it was all said and done Dora was amazed at the total figure that they had come up with as a loss. She had never thought about what she had in terms of monetary value. Although the total would have been small for most people in other parts of the country, for Carp it was sudden wealth. "What would I do with all of that money?" Dora said looking at the figure. "Let me explain that there will be a review of this and some things may be deleted or evaluated at a different value than what we have come up with, so this is not a final figure. I would think that you would want to rebuild your house." Dora blushed when she said, "I don't need one any more." "Oh," Jack said. "Someone I know?" "I'll be living with Richard's family." Dora said feeling a bit embarrassed saying so. Jack inwardly smiled. "Then you can save the money for your daughter, take some of it and start a business, who knows, the possibilities are endless. Whatever you do Dora, think it through. Talk to people you trust before doing anything with it." "Thanks Jack," she said with a smile. She was glad he hadn't made a big deal about her announcement of living with Richard's family. "We are having a meeting tonight isn't that right?" "Yes it is," Jack said. "The women have been talking and it is a high priority to get a school established here, but I think you know that already." She look at him, he just smiled. "We were concerned with where the teachers would come from. So we took a poll to find out what was important and then I called Keith's sister Liz, you know she's a teacher and I asked her the questions we had." Jack was amassed. "This is quite a jump into the arena of politics." "I never thought about it like that." Dora said. She went on to tell him of their concerns and desires. He told her how a school board should be set up to formalize these ideas. When Dora left, her head was spinning. With Jack's encouragement she was going to bring up the idea of creating the school board. As she was walking back, she saw Cheryl and told her to go and talk to Jack. Cheryl said she was heading that way. She had come from the Mansion and people were asking about supplies. The town of Carp was more than normally quiet. The miners had gone back to work, many others were out at the Mansion and a few were in the meeting hall getting it ready for tonight's meeting. At a little after three in the afternoon the ground started to rumble. Anyone who was in a building ran out. They could see the miner's scrambling out of the mineshaft, a foreman running towards town. A large cloud of dust could be seen approaching along with a more prominent shaking of the ground. Patrick rode up on a horse from the Mansion. It was Jack who they noticed coming out of the office and looking at his watch. Patrick dismounted and strode over to him. After a little chat, Patrick turned and in his booming voice said, "These are the trucks and crew to fix our bridge." Curiosity satisfied, everyone returned to what they had been doing. Well everyone except the miners who were not pleased with the amount of earth shaking the large trucks were causing. They watched as they came to the edge of the bridge and stopped. ------- Laura was beet red and turned away. Jill and Mrs. Walker both saw it. Jill said, "Did you see any of what we were doing?" As Jill was slowly shaking her head no. Mrs. Walker caught on and smiled. "No, were you two running the lines?" Hearing that Laura was greatly relieved and could compose herself. Jill responded, "We thought it would be fun to see what it was like. Neither one of us are very good, so we didn't want anyone to see us." Laura gasped and before she realized what she was saying, she blurted out, "you were great, much better than Dorothy." Jill smiled at her new friend and said, "you were better than Susan too." "Ok you two," Mrs. Walker said as she walked up to the stage. "The bell is about to ring and you need to go to your next class." She smiled at them and then added, "the auditorium is left open in the afternoons. If you want to do some more private practicing." Mrs. Walker could see a small smile on Jill's face and an almost hunger on Laura's face. She knew they would be back to practice and she would need to be more discreet about her spying, for she didn't want to miss what these two were able to accomplish. The bell rang and Laura made Jill promise to meet her after the last class in front of Upper House. Then the two girls ran off to their respective classes. Jill's last class was down in the meadow. She was glad to see Sue as she helped her find her locker. The girls changed into their gym clothes. This was a new experience for Jill and she was a bit hesitant at first, but as no one was paying attention to anyone else and it was all being done in a hurry, she joined in. Out on the field they circled around Tiffany who told them that this week they would be down at the stables. The girls cheered, as this was one of there favorite parts. They all walked down to the coral and once again grouped. Tiffany took a look around at the girls; everyone of them with the exception of Jill had been in this school for at least the last three years. "Jill," she said. "everyone else has had horse training before, so I will spend a bit of time with you as they get the saddles on." Jill looked at Tiffany like she was half crazy, she was indignant that someone think that she didn't know horses. So without thinking of what she was saying, she said, "I've ridden horses all my life. It is the only transportation in our town and when my father died, I was the one who rode our horse almost exclusively. I feed, bushed, and doctored him." Everyone, including Tiffany was staring at Jill with their mouth hanging open. These kids mostly came from privileged homes. The idea that a horse was the only means of transportation was beyond them. To top that, all of them had fathers and it was hard to fathom the idea, even if they hardly ever saw him. Tiffany, thank goodness quickly recovered and said, "Then lets all go in and saddle a horse." It was Sue who said to Jill, "do you really have to ride a horse everywhere?" Jill, who noticed the other girls stop to listen to the answer she was about to give, was perturbed. "No Sue, we walk also." This got some snickers from a few girls. "To tell you the truth I love to ride. If you saw how beautiful our town was it would seem right that it was that way." Sue looked at Jill's expression and realized she'd overstepped her bounds. She whispered, "sorry," to her. Jill sighed, "it's ok. Just been a long first day." Through the class time Tiffany noticed that Jill handled her horse better than anyone else, getting it to do whatever she wanted. She wasn't the only one, Tiffany saw other girls asking her how she did things. By the end of class all of the girls were highly impressed with Jill's abilities on a horse, forgetting how that knowledge may have come about. The end of class was an experience Jill was not quite prepared for. In the locker room the girls stripped off their clothing running to the community showers. Jill had never experienced such a thing and was sitting on the bench in front of her locker in shock. Luckily for Jill, Tiffany saw her scared look and called her into her office. "It is a lot to get use to." Tiffany said. Jill broke down crying. "Liz said it would be hard. I never realized how hard. There are just too many new things to cope with. How am I ever going to do it?" "With people who care for you, that is how." Tiffany said and gave Jill a hug. Jill wiped her eyes and nose, sighed heavily, saying, "thanks." "Now like it or not, you need to get back out there and take a shower. Everyone else is doing it." Then with a little smile Tiffany said, "and unlike boys when you see something that interests you, you don't get an erection." Jill gasp, but then realized Tiffany was just getting her back. It did the trick though and her apprehension was gone. She let out a little laugh, "yes you're right." Then she looked back at Tiffany and just before opening the door she said, "good thing to, or you'd have a hard time every time you were around Liz." Jill quickly scooted out the door as she heard Tiffany groaning. Tiffany was right, there was a lot to look at and Jill had to constantly remind herself not to stare at the young flesh that was before her eyes. She quickly dressed and got out before anyone could ask her any other questions. She was tired of explaining herself at that point. Walking up to the hall, she remembered as she saw Laura standing there that she was going to meet with her. "Hi," Laura said. "Hi. I need to go and get rid of my stuff. I know Liz will want to hear all about my day. Do you have any homework?" "Yes, a little today. Do you have any?" "Yes some, but not much. I do need to figure out how to catch up on thing I don't know." "Oh, How about if we get out homework done and meet back in an hour. Is that enough time?" "I think so, see you then." Jill said and bounded up the stairs into Upper House, running up the stairs. She opened the door and stopped. She wasn't prepared for what lay in the room. ------- "He did what?" Daisy said is such a loud voice it made others in front of the surgery center stop and look. Her face was turning red with anger. "I'd like to strangle him," she said with much fervor. "Daisy," Robin said somewhat forcefully bringing her back to reality. "Keith will take care of that Payne. What you have a problem with is your father and your mother finding him that way." "Why do I feel like the adult now?" Daisy said aggravated. "Have any suggestions?" "Keep your mom with your sister as long as possible, that shouldnt be hard. After I talk to Keith, Ill poor coffee down your dad and get him back here." Daisy nodded in agreement. "When we get him back, we can say he ran into that Payne who ask him a lot of questions." "Sounds like a good plan." "If your dad is stupid enough to say he got drunk again, we cant help him." "Youre right about that." Daisy took Robin by the shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. "Make sure you tell Keith how mad I am at that big Payne." "Dont worry." Robin said. She walked down the path to their house as Daisy went back in to be with her mother, sister and Stephanie. The walk was not long and the first time Robin had done it alone. She noticed several people, guys actually, looking at her. She wondered if it was because she looked out of place on a campus of older girls, or whether they liked what they saw. She smiled inwardly thinking how they were watching her slim body sway as it walked down the path. By the time she was at the front door she was hot and was ready for some action. She tried to put it out of her mind. She knew there were other things to do, but it kept creeping back to her consciousness. Robin quietly opened the front door and tip toed down the hall. She saw where I had fallen on the bed and passed out. The scrubs I had been wearing were still clinging to my body. Robin couldnt help herself as she wondered if I was sporting a hard on. She gently climbed onto the bed and wrapped her arm around my body, searching for my manhood. She found it and to her disappointment it was soft. That was short lived though as her manipulations of my tool had stirred it to life and woke me. As she stroked, it hardened much to her delight. She let out a little scream as her hand was grabbed and she was tossed over the other side of me, landing on her back. As her focus came clear she saw I ready to pounce on her. "You little temptress, you." I said just before kissing her hard. My lips left her mouth and traveled down her neck. Too bad I didnt have time to shave; it was a fleeting thought that never returned. She felt little bites as I went. Her hands were all over me, trying to free me from my clothing. My animalistic grunts and actions were exciting her even more than she had been already. When I bit down on her erect nipple through the bra I was trying to remove she had a small orgasm. The knowledge of that sent me further into a state of urgency, the desire to mate with my woman. Robin was surprised at how fast I pulled the rest of her clothes off. She was half on and half off the bed. I was on the floor, standing. She turned over to climb back onto the bed and I was presented with her cute little ass. I moved behind her fast, grabbing her hips. She froze as my hard shaft slid between her legs. "This is what you want isnt it little girl." She just moaned and I moved myself to the entrance of her pussy. She was wet and very ready as I slid in. The bed was rocking back and forth as our bodies rhythmically danced. We were grunting each time I slid in. As the tempo increased I had to move my stance, as the bed was moving beneath us. I felt her muscles start to tighten, she held her breath and then her body stiffened. I was almost there. "Do it, fill me," she panted out. I wasnt about to deny her. Those words finished me and I plowed into her, pushing the bed further. As my energy flowed out of me, I dropped on top of her. Rolling us over I caught sight of two figures at the doors edge. Robin saw them too. As soon as they were seen Daisy and Stephanie started clapping. "Wow Keith.", "Great performance.", "Im jealous.", "Youve probably worn him out.", "look how far they moved the bed.", were parts I remember them saying. Robin just smiled, sated and said, "what are you two doing here?" Daisy answered, "mom thought it would be best if we took turns being with Pamela. Of course she wanted first turn. But that makes sense; she has a doctors appointment this afternoon. Stephanie will go next, then Ill go later." "I almost forgot about her appointment," I said. "So how much of the show did you see?" They both smiled. Stephanie said, "not enough," which made us all laugh. Robin looked at Daisy and said, "I got a bit distracted so I havent told him." Daisy rolled her eyes, "I figured as much." "Tell me what?" "About that Payne." I looked at her concerned, "What pain?" "Lt. Payne." "Oh that pain. What did he do now?" ------- Jill was almost scared at the way Liz looked. When she saw Jill, Liz smiled, but there was something very odd about it all. Liz was sitting, or better describes as sprawled onto the chair. Her body looked limp, but not from exhaustion. It was her eyes that were daunting, they were almost glassy and yet there was a hint of glee behind them. After closing the door, Jill rushed over to Liz. "Whats going on with you?" "I had a call from Dora." Liz said in almost a trance like state. Not revealing anything else, Jill persisted, "and? What was it about?" Liz smiled again, "There talking about starting a school in Carp." Jill stared at her, "in Carp?" "Yes Jill," Liz looked straight at Jill, the gleam sparkling in her eyes. "Do you know what that means? I could be a teacher in Carp." It took Jill a second to realize what that all meant. Her face then started to glow, a smile spread across her face. "Then you could come home?" Liz stood up and gave Jill a big hug, "yes. I could come home." That word sounded so right to her, home. Liz then told her about the questions Dora had gathered, the meeting tonight, who they were thinking of using the large old clothing store as the temporary school. The more Liz talked, the more excited she got. The knock on the door brought them back to the present. It was Laura. Jill was surprised and then more so when she looked at the time. Over an hour had past. "You werent downstairs so I thought Id come up." Laura said timidly peering into the room. "I havent," Jill started to say. Then she stopped herself. "Can you hold on a minute?" Laura nodded and Jill went over whispering into Lizs ear. Liz smiled and said, "yes. Go on, but dont be too long." "Ok," both girls said in unison. Liz was very pleased to see Jill had made a new friend on the first day of classes. Her shell was breaking. This was of course an all girls school and it was much easier, as she well knew. Maybe as she felt comfortable here for the next two weeks it would carry on. It was wishful thinking, but the best Liz could do. Jill and Laura raced down the stairs and ran all the way to the auditorium. Mrs. Walker had been working in her office a bit later than normal. She was disappointed the girls hadnt shown up. As she opened her office door she heard voices and she smiled to herself. Her work done, she had this time free and could spend it seeing what these two would come up with this time. She knew of a perfect spot to be in, they would never know she was there. When the girls got on stage Jill grabbed a script, but Laura was standing there looking like she wanted to say something but couldnt. "What is it?" Jill said. "When you said those last lines of the play, it hurt me. I... I started to cry." Jill looked at Laura for a minute. Mrs. Walker wished she could be closer. She was hopping Jill wasnt going to whisper her reply. "Laura," Jill said, "I wish I didnt have as much emotion behind words like that. Do you remember when I said; think of something that felt like that." Laura understood what Jill was saying to her, her lip started trembling. "Wha... what happened?" Laura asked. Then she thought of what she asked. "No, no you dont need to say. Im sorry." Deciding the best thing would be to go on, Laura picked up a script. "Where shall we begin?" "How about where we left off." Jill answered, glad to be past those difficult questions. Somehow she knew they would come up again. "That sounds like a good spot. Lets see you were just walking away, telling me you care about me." JULIA: Mark? "Know what is she saying there?" Jill asked. "It has a question mark; maybe she didnt know he felt that strong towards her." "Good now say it with that emotion." JULIA: Mark? MARK: (turns back around, stumbles and lands on his knees) Yes Julia? Jill said it with such anticipation in her voice, Laura had to look back at her script and find her place. JULIA: Dont look so pathetic. Come on, get up. (Gives him her hand) Jill sighed, "Laura, she doesnt care that much for the boy. Shes realizing he has a big crush on her though." Jill looked at Laura, "have you ever had someone like you." Lauras eyes got big, "you mean like a boy?" Jill almost laughed, her question said she hadnt. "Yea a boy, but it could be a girl too." Laura gasp, "a girl!" "You know some girl who decided she likes you and wants to hang around you, driving you crazy." "Oh that, yes there was... " "Ok, then you know how it feels. Now re-say the line." JULIA: Dont look so pathetic. Come on, get up. (Gives him her hand) MARK: (Standing close to Julia) Thank you. I (Pause) Im sorry if I embarrassed you. JULIA: Why would you say that? ENTER TIM AND JOHN (running across the stage) TIM: Come on Julia. That is if you want to play. JULIA: (Smile on her face) Sure. (Starts to run off towards boys. Stops and turns around to see Mark. A single tear running down his face.) CURTIN DOWN When Laura turned, saw the tear and her jaw dropped open. She blinked as though she was seeing things, but the tear was indeed there on Jills face. "How did you do that?" "Thought of something very sad." Laura studied her friend, "Youve had some very sad times havent you." "Yes." Jill said, softly. Laura looked at Jill again, this bright and talented girl. "Is that why youre here?" Mrs. Walker was straining to hear their conversation. Jill said in a soft, almost sad voice, "Liz, oh Im sorry, Miss Patterson, is being more than a parent to me right now. Her brother set it up so I could come and be with her." Laura got a dreamy look in her eyes. "Her brother is Keith isnt it? The one in the paper, the hero." Jill smiled. She was glad the conversation was going this way, not dwelling on her. "Yes, that was him. Hes a dreamboat, but he is also married, so dont get any ideas." Laura looked at her and laughed. "You make me laugh." Then she got a devilish look. "Yes it is too bad hes married." Jill had to laugh. "Youd have to stand in line behind me." "Were both too young anyway, but its fun to dream." Laura whispered to Jill. Much to the dismay of Mrs. Walker who couldnt hear them. Jill smiled and whispered back. "You may be, but I wasnt." Laura stunned, said in a loud voice, "What?" Jill smiled at Laura, "Ill tell you about it sometime." Laura couldnt stand it. "Please tell me now." Mrs. Walker was echoing that sentiment. "Another time, I told you the last thing you wanted to know, didnt I?" "Yes," Laura said disappointed. "Come on, lets go. I need to finish my homework." Jill said, starting to walk out. Laura was following and out of hearing of Mrs. Walker. "You didnt get it all done yet?" "I didnt even start it. There was a phone call." Jill stopped herself. She knew that call was not public information. "Anyway, I couldnt study. So I need to get back and work." "Ok, so can we get together later?" Laura asked. Then she stopped and looked at Jill. "Im not like the girl you were talking about am I? Pestering you." Jill smiled, "no. Not at all." Then she gave Laura a big hug, lifting the thin girl off the ground. As she set her down Jill grabbed her head, tilted it and kissed her on her forehead. "I am having a good time with you." Laura beamed. ------- Jack Huntington was glad that Carp had extra sections of track. The communication trailer had been left and it was now tied into the phone lines. In fact the trailer had two phone lines in it, twice as many as the rest of the town. Jack took a stroll to the rail car and made a few phone calls. Calls that would set up the tone of the meeting tonight he hoped. He saw the crew off at the bridge setting up. A crane was being set up. He would need to go and talk to them, but there were other priorities now. As he walked back he saw that Dora had kept her promise, there were three women waiting at the door of his office. "Good afternoon ladies. I hope I didnt keep you waiting too long." They all smiled and nodded no. They werent use to such polite mannerisms from anyone. He found that they had just come back from the Mansion and found out how that was progressing. He also was asked about supplies. This was something hed have to look into as soon as they were gone. Running through the forms all at the same time for the three saved a lot of time. They were left with a handful of papers for their husbands to fill out and sign. He left the office one more time and headed to the bridge. The idea of a hotel was very inviting to the crew. Jack said that hed let the hotel they would have a full house tonight. Then he went to the communication car. This time his call was to Richards parents home. Telling the communications officer that he should go and tell the hotel they would have a full house, as the bridge crew would be staying there. As soon as he was gone, Jack had the privacy he wanted to make his call. He talked to Sandra who was home, then to Katy. He was given a short rundown of their trip. Finding Richard was with his father at work, he got that number and called. It took just a moment to track Richard down. The secretaries were very efficient in the lawyers office. "Jack, this is a surprise. No problems I hope." Richard said when he came on the line. "No. I was calling to ask for a bit of help. I knew youd be the one who would know what I needed." This peeked Richards curiosity, "Well what is it you need." "There is a little project that needed some attention. I said that Id be able to requisition for some supplies, but you know how long some of that takes." Richard laughed, "you want to know how to get your hands on supplies faster." "Youre the craftiest person I know. If there was a way, youd know how to do it." Richard laughed again, "I dont whether to take that as a compliment or be insulted. So tell me what you need." "A half dozen two by sixes, some panes of glass, and paint." "How are you getting these things there?" "I hadnt thought about it, any suggestions?" "It depends on how much trouble you want to get yourself into." Jack laughed, "Ok, give me the options." All said and done, Jack had a list of people to call. The last was a helicopter pilot who would be bringing the supplies, some other items Jack thought he might need, as well as Cynthia and Rebecca to Carp. This made it all ethical, well in term of what people looked at. Jack smiled at the idea of having his two women here with him. Jack waited a few more minutes for the communications officer to return and then left. ------- I was a lot more pissed than I let Robin or Daisy see. Lt. Payne had made a big mistake as far as I was concerned. I shooed everyone out of the house and made was I thought was going to be a few calls. "Congressman McCarrans office. May I help you?" "I hope you can. I wouldnt think that Patrick is in, but Id like to find him." "The Congressman isnt in his office. He is out of the area at this point on business." I almost laughed; her answers were as polished as could be. "Can you get a message to him. It is rather important." "I would be glad to take a message and relay it as soon as I can." "My name is Keith Patterson..." She cut me off. "Mr. Patterson, the Keith Paterson. I mean from Carp?" I did laugh at that point, "the very one." "Oh my. I saw the paper, you are so brave." This time I cut her off. "Thank you, but I do need to get a message to Patrick. It is urgent that I speak to him." "Certainly Mr. Patterson. He instructed us that anytime you were to call that we should let him know right away." We exchanged a few more pleasantries and I hung up. I new it was inevitable that he would need to call me back, but timing could be an issue. I wanted to talk with him in private. I was walking down the hallway pondering my next move when the phone ran. I answered it. "Keith Patterson." "Keith, this is Patrick. What can I help you with?" I was downright shocked. "That was quick." He laughed, "timing was right. You caught me at my hotel room getting ready for a fund raising dinner tonight." "Im glad, because what I wanted to talk to you about I didnt want anyone else to hear." "This isnt about Lt. Payne is it?" Im sure I stumbled out my words, "how did you know?" "I got a message from his supervisor, who I should let you know is a general. I understand there was a leak." I took a deep breath. "Im not sure what is motivating Lt. Payne, but Im pretty sure it isnt duty to the job. He has tried very hard to make thing difficult for me. My feeling is that he sees me as his next promotion and he wants me to behave like he would like me to." "I see." "I would like you, if you could, to find out more about this guy." "Dont you think that is a bit underhanded?" He was asking the question, but not accusing me of anything wrong. I assumed it was a politicians way of doing things. "Less so than what he has been doing." I replied, figuring that would get some interest. He took the bait. "And what has he been up to?" "Pamelas surgery was today. While she was under, Payne lured her father, Robert, off to have a drink. Now Robert is an alcoholic and this is a dry state. He has been desperate and Payne has played into that twice now." "You are quite right, that doesnt sound good." "This time, as last Robert came back drunk. Your daughter as well as my sister and another friend saw Payne drive up and pull Robert from his car, leaving him propped at the edge of the building in plain sight. After he left, they pulled him into his house." I heard Patrick sigh on the phone. "This isnt good Keith." "No. My big concern is that his motivations are to promote himself and let others pay the price. I dont want to get in that game. I dont want anyone around me to be sucked into it also." "Like my daughter." "Good point," I was glad he thought of that and I didnt need to point it out. "That could be nasty for you." "Ill do some checking. Thanks for letting me know and stay out of trouble will you. By the way, where were you this morning?" "Observing Pamelas surgery. Dr. Smithers wanted me to see what they were doing." "You couldnt have a better excuse than that. The lieutenant should have found that out before crying to his superior. What about the leak?" "I lost about a half a cup maybe. It was a defective valve that leaked. We transferred the water into a new vessel. All is well." "You have added to my work load, but Im glad to do it for you." "Thank you." "You just take care of Robin for me. Keep an eye on Mary too, will you?" "Not a problem, she and my sister are over here all the time." He laughed. "I can see that, how do you handle being around all those women?" "Why do you think I escape to the lab?" I said. He laughed and I could sense a hint of disbelief. We said our goodbyes. Now it was time to find the girls. That wasnt hard. I walked out the door and ran into Stephanie. She was as surprised to see me as I was her. "Do you have any coffee?" She asked. "Lets check," I said. We went back in and she told me they were over trying to get Daisys dad to be better. Daisy had sent her over to see about coffee. We found it and I followed her over to see Robert. Daisy had pushed him into taking a shower and he was out by the time I came in. "Do we have to have everyone here?" He said as he headed to the bedroom. I motioned for everyone to move back to the living room and I followed him. Shutting the door behind me, I started. "You didnt help yourself today, but Im not going to talk to you about that. You have your wife and daughters to look at and explain to them." He looked at me, angry at what I had just said. "Payne was using you. This is the second time. Hes not the kind of person to go out of his way to offer drinks. I want to know what he was asking you?" "How do you know he was asking me anything?" He said defensibly. "You just told me, but Lt. Payne is after something." Then I said what I knew would get to him. "Maybe he doesnt think the government should be spending money on your daughter and wants to stop it." "No, all he asked about was you." "Me?" Not that I was surprised. "What kind of questions did he ask?" When I walked out the bedroom door, I was glad I didnt know where Payne was. I would have decked him. ------- Liz was waiting, well she was working, but when Jill came in, she set everything down. "It looks like you have a new friend." "Laura, yes she and I just hit it off." Liz raised her eyebrows, "A sixth grader? How did you get to know her?" "Shes in my drama class." "Oh, I got glowing reports from Vicky and Tiffany." Jill sat down. "I know you told me, but I never expected it to be this hard. I felt so stupid sometimes." "And brilliant others." "Ok." "I had to have a talk with my student teacher after putting you on the spot. I was glad the bell rang when it did. She was about to announce to the class that she hadnt learned all that you knew about that until she was in college." Jill was surprised, "really?" "Yes, can you imagine what the kids would have said?" "This is such a pain." "I also heard that you shocked the kids in Tiffanys class." "She made me mad." Liz laughed, "your response I think shocked Tiffany also." Jill smiled, "no, that was later." "Oh?" "Ask her what I said about her being glad she wasnt a boy." "Alright, now homework time. Do you need any help?" "I dont think so, but I do need to ask questions about stuff we talked about in the classes. I want to get the homework done first." "Alright. I need to go out and check the others. Ill be back in a bit." Jill was pretty sure that Liz was going to see Tiffany and ask her. She wished she could be there and see how red Tiffany got. Jill was right, she had peaked Lizs curiosity. Liz found Tiffany in her room. "May I come in?" Tiffany smiled, "Of course, anytime." Well if that isnt a line, Liz thought. She shut the door and walked over to where Tiffany was sitting. "Jill and I just had a conversation." "Oh." "She said I should ask why youre glad youre not a boy." Just as Jill had predicted, Tiffany turned very red, stammering, she said, "It was just trying to make her more relaxed." She realized as soon as she said that, it didnt come out right. Liz raised her eyebrows, "Oh, and how many times do you relax your students?" "It wasnt like that!" Tiffany said, than she saw Liz had a smile on her face. "Youre not being very nice. I guess I need to tell you, or Jill will and that could be worse." Liz laughed, "she does have a way of making a story a bit more interesting." "That she does," Tiffany said and proceeded to tell Liz the locker room story. When she was done, like it or not, Tiffanys nipples were erect and showing through her blouse. "Looks like you have your own set of problems." Liz said, looking at Tiffanys breasts. Tiffany brought her hands up to cover them. "Oh hell." Liz looked at her friend, "Tiffany, I think I have an idea of how much you feel for me." Tiffany started to get a sad look in her eyes. Liz took Tiffanys hands away and with her thumbs rubbed across Tiffanys nipples. Tiffanys shocked expression was what Liz wanted. "There are a lot of things happening, that have happened, and may happen. There are a lot of things about me you dont know." Tiffany interrupted, "Id like to learn." She said in anticipation. Liz smiled. "Some of them may be more than you can handle. You and I will have some chats. Serious chats. I can tell you some of it may be funny, but some of it will make us both cry." "Ok," Tiffany said a bit more guarded this time. "I cant tell you anything yet. I know that may not be fair to you, or at least sound like it but Im waiting to hear some more information." "Information?" "Dont ask. I cant talk about it." "Not even to Jill?" "You are prying, please dont. Ill let you know as soon as I do. Is that a deal?" Tiffany sighed, "Ok. Liz did make her rounds like she had told Jill she would. As expected all of the other girls had their homework done. When she came back to her room, Jill looked up from her books and asked, "how was Tiffany?" "Oh you," Liz retorted and grabbing a pillow threw it at Jill. This started a pillow fight and ended up with the two giggling in each others arms. ------- When Robin and the other girls saw me they knew better than to ask any questions. "All of you need to take Robert with you and go soon to collect Mildred. Stephanie, you are staying with Pamela?" She nodded. "Robin, maybe you should too. "I think it would be best to have you," looking at Daisy, "with them when they went to the appointment. I hate to say it, but you may need to act as the adult. This is very difficult stuff they are all going through." I put my arms around Daisy. "Youve had your share and it isnt fair at all. Im sorry, but try and stay together." She nodded and I could see her eyes welling up. I looked back down the hall. "He isnt going to want to go with you. It is not easy to fall on your face and then have to deal with everything that comes with it. Dont take no for an answer. Remember, he needs to see his daughter as much as she needs to see him. He also needs to be there for his wife." I got enough encouraging remarks that I knew Robert didnt stand a chance to back out. Leaving them I went to the lab. By now it was mid afternoon and in all truth I should have been there all day. The first thing that surprised me upon entering was one of the security guards from last night, smiling and calling me by name. The second was the attractive blonde that had been sitting in the lobby standing and addressing me. It took me off guard, and then I placed her. Shelly Morrander from the party and my new lab assistant. I was embarrassed. "Shelly," I said. "Im so sorry. I hope I havent made you wait too long." "Ive been here all day waiting for," she said straight faced. Out the corner of my eye I saw the security guard shaking his head. I guessed she was milking this for all it was worth. "Well that must mean you need this job bad. I guess you can start, but the wages are half of what we had discussed." She face broke and she started to laugh. "Ok, you got me. Ive here about a half an hour with a big apology for being so late." "I guess were even then." We were off to a good start. This was a good thing for people who needed to work closely together. As we walked upstairs I told her of the problem that happened the night before. When we were behind closed doors I warned her about Lt. Payne. She was not to tell him anything. She smiled and told me that her late husband had worked on government programs and she understood. As I talked to her about how we were going to set up the paperwork my mind was what was going on with Mildred, Pamela, and the rest of the family. True to their word they got Robert up to see Pamela. Mildred met his entrance with a solemn stare. Pamela on the other hand brightened. As Robin dragged Mildred out of the room, Pamela excitedly wrote on her tablet. Robert initially shocked by Pamelas condition warmed to her enthusiasm. Within minutes she showed her exhaustion though. The last word she wrote was sleep. She was out before Daisy and Robert were at the door. Robin staying with Stephanie and Pamela, gave Daisy a hug and whispered, "good luck." Mildred was shooting daggers at Robert and she knew soon the words would start. They did as soon as they exited the building and Mildred didnt let up until they entered the doctors office. At that point Daisy who had let her mother go on a bit longer than she had planned said, "I think that is enough mom." Mildred raised her eyebrows at her daughter and started to say something. Daisy was ready and continued. "I dont think the doctors will be happy with you for getting yourself upset and raising your blood pressure." That was enough of an explanation. Mildred didnt say another word to Robert. The stack of paperwork was handed to Daisy. It was much the same as what she had seen with her sister. The only addition was the insurance and responsible party information. With Pamela that had been taken care of in the office before hand. Mildred saw what Daisy was looking at and said, "I think that is like Pamelas. Robin asked for me. We dont need to fill any of that out." Daisy was handing in the paperwork when a nurse came to take Mildred down the hall to an exam room. Daisy and her father looked at each other. Each of them hopping theyd soon find out what the problem was. Sitting in the waiting room they watched down the hall for the next hour and a half as two doctors, several nurses, trays with who knew what went in and out of the exam room. A doctor, one Robert remembered one of the ones that stopped by their place told them that Mildred would be out soon. They hoped to have done enough that one of the tests would show up what was causing the symptoms she was having. They would have all the lab results back and be able to analyze them by Wednesday. After that they would call for an appointment to let them know what they had found. Mildred came out of the room in a wheel chair, surprising both Daisy and Robert. The tests had been draining and she was weak. She did not although want to be taken home that way and insisted on standing up. With the help of Daisy and Robert on each side of her, she was allowed to go. I had called it a day shortly after typing up a little memo to Lt. Payne describing the incident last night. It wouldnt be enough to satisfy him and I knew it. I did that on purpose. The security guard had told me hes been there three times that day. I left the memo, sealed with him to give to Lt. Payne. I missed crossing paths with Mildred and her crutches, but as I approached the housing I heard their door, so I changed directions and went to see if all went well. I also knew from the time it was shift change for Pamela and Daisy was next. I didnt know if it was safe yet to leave Mildred and Robert alone together. With as much stress as that family was having to deal with right now, nasty stuff could erupt out of their mouths that would be a lot harder to take back once said. ------- From where the car was setting on the track, he could see the miners retuning from their days work off to his right. The downtown was straight in front of him. It looked somehow more alive than it had the first time he had seen it. Houses were scattered behind and to his left. Beyond that the rise of the hill, the spring, and the oar that would make his retirement much more enjoyable. As Jack walked downtown, he saw the bustle of energy coming from the meeting hall. Sally met him at the door. "The women decided it would be a grand idea to start a new tradition. Were going to have a potluck before the meeting. This way were all on time and having a good time by the start. Plus anyone extra will have a good meal." Jack realized she had a point there and may well have been talking about him. Carp didnt have a functional restaurant. "I have invited some guests tonight. Im not sure when they will show up and I dont know if there will be two or three of them. My communications officer will also be here tonight to take minutes of the meeting." Sally smiled, "Jack as you should know, we have plenty of food now. There is no problem with feeding a few extras." He was pleased. From what he knew of their food, his mouth was already watering. It was going to be a good night. In the distance he saw people returning from the Mansion. As they got closer, Brian and Jimmy saw him and waved. Millie had been with them on the way back, but as soon as they were within sight of downtown the two boys took off on their own. It surprised Jack that he felt as if he belonged in this town. The adventures they were having at the Mansion were filling their heads. The stories of the hidden treasure were still one that they found terribly exciting. Dora caught sight of them and called them over. "Have you two been having fun today?" They looked at each other. "Great fun." Jimmy said. "Im walking back to the house, come on and tell me about it," she said. As they walked both boys told her of a game they had started. One of them would be a robber stealing the treasure from the house. The other would be the owner, trying to defend his loot. It would end as one of them captured the other and made them to do what they wanted. Dora saw potential in what they had been playing. She had been horny all afternoon. As she brought them in the house she asked if they wanted to continue playing the game, but this time she could play too and they could capture her, making her do what they wanted. They caught on to this more adult version of the game and were all for it. ------- Jill had finished her homework. Looking at the time she had an hour and a half before dinner. She started to leave a note for Liz, she went out to the front of Upper Hall. She saw Betty and Sue as they were walking down the path. She was about to call to them and then stopped when she saw the corner of the special fabric Liz had given them sticking out the top of Bettys back pocket of her jeans. Jill smiled and was starting a daydream of which site they might go. A tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality. "Hi, thinking of something?" It was Laura. Jill smiled, "Yes, just some pleasant thoughts." "Did you finish your homework?" Laura said with anticipation in her question. "Yes and I came down to find something to do before dinner." "Would you like to, I mean could we,..." "We can do something together." Laura beamed, "Oh good, what do you want to do?" "Lets walk down to the stables, but first I need to run upstairs." Jill ran up and finished the note, letting Jill know where she was off to. As they walked, Jill found out a lot more about Laura. She was concerned how her new friend was so emotionally needy and she tried to encourage her to believe in herself. This was the start of an ongoing battle. Laura was comfortable agreeing with people she liked. The horses were out in small meadow beside the stable. Laura was timid as they approached the horses. Jill could read the horse and knew which ones she could easily approach. "Come on Laura, shes a friendly one." "How do you know?" "The way she moves, they tell you. Just like people do. At dinner tonight are there tables that you wouldnt sit at?" "Yes." Laura said. "Did they tell you not to sit there, or was it non verbal." Laura thought for a minute. "Youre very smart." "Thanks, but that is just a practical observation and I have to tell you I didnt come up with that on my own. Now look at these horses, that one is strong and stubborn." Laura laughed at the descriptions she used for the horses. It also calmed her down and she was able to get close enough to pet one of them. That was a first for Laura and although Jill didnt know it, the pedestal that Laura had placed Jill on just went higher. A stable hand, one that the school hired came out and started bringing the horses in, bedding them down for the night. Jill listened as their names were called. Then they walked back. Liz came back to the room, ready to give Jill a mock scolding for embarrassing Tiffany so. She found a note instead of Jill. Disappointed she sat down and started thinking of Jills first day of school. It was a lot to take in. Jill had done remarkably well. This led her thinking to the others in Carp. Jill had a definite advantage with the private teaching that she had received, but it was her attitude, her generosity, and her nature, that made today possible. That came from growing up in Carp. The more she thought, the more excited she became at the prospect of a school in Carp. Jill came in pulling Liz back to the present. Smiling she told Jill to shut the door, thanking her for the note and then giving her a light handed scolding for her words with Tiffany. Jill could tell all of this was extra stuff around what was on her mind. "What is it? What do you really want to really tell me?" Jill asked. Liz was relieved and yet scared to put into words her feelings. "I want this to work Jill. I want there to be a school in Carp. I want to be a part of it. I want to be there. I scares me to want something this much without having any guarantees that it might work." Jill came over and sat in Lizs lap, she wrapped her arms around her and nuzzled hr neck. "It will work out. When did Dora say shed call?" "She didnt, but the meeting is tonight. Im on pins and needles. I just cant stand it. I wish I could be there." "You will be in spirit, that Im sure of." Jill said with confidence. "Time to get ready for dinner," Liz said. "Maybe that will take my mind off this." Both Jill and she knew it wouldnt. ------- Daisy was glad to see me. "I think it is time to relieve Stephanie and Robin." I said to her. She looked back and forth at her parents. "Youre right, see you later," she said and was out of the house in seconds. Robert looked at me as if he was none to pleased. Mildred was tired and just staring off into space. I knew this was the best time to build back those bridges. "Robert," I said. "I need some help." It didnt make any sense that I would need help in his place. It didnt matter; he got up with me and walked down the hall. I shut the door to the bedroom. "This is no time to play the pity me routine. Your wife and daughter need your help." "She dont want no help from me," he replied. "No, after what you did, she probably doesnt. In the state she is in though, shell accept it though. Shes had a hard day, run a bath for her and help her in it. Wash her back, talk with her." He looked shocked. "In the bathroom, with her?" "Yes, she will appreciate it, believe me. Shell need a hand out of the tub. Dry her off and then tuck her in bed. Tell her you are going to relieve Daisy and sit with Pamela." "I..." He sat silent thinking of what I had said. "It would be the nicest thing you could do for your wife, it would show her you still care." He looked at me for a long time and then said, "I do care." "I know, you need to show it to her now." Mildred watched me as I opened the door to leave, but made no effort to move. I heard the water running in the bathroom as I shut the door. It was a good sign. I was tired. It probably explains why I didnt notice the blinds pulled or there being only one light on as I entered. I slumped into a chair. It didnt take very long before I realized that something was wrong. Then I spotted two sets of eyes staring at me from the darkened hall. ------- Dora found herself as a captive of the bandit who had made off with the treasure as well. Jimmy, who played the bandit, tied Doras arms behind her back as she sat on the chair. Truth be known, Dora was giving a lot of advice to Jimmy as what to do with her. From her suggestions he opened her blouse and pulled it back. Reaching around her, although it took him a bit of time, he unclasped her bra. Pulling it up, exposing her tits. Her hard nipples gave a clear indication she was enjoying this game. All of a sudden the bandit was attacked and overpowered by the trusty hero, played by Brian. With more of Doras coxing, Brian made Jimmy undress and then do the bidding of the poor maiden. It didnt take very long before all three of them were in the bedroom enjoying each other. Dora thoroughly satisfied realized it was getting late and then remembered she was to make a potluck dish. They all scramble and got things together, thank goodness. Dora did not want to be late. This meeting was important. Jack Huntington was showing his polished mannerisms. Two of the three guests that he had invited had been able to attend. On such short notice it was an honor. The first people he introduced them to, was Patrick Thiesen and the Mayor of Carp, Jim Williams. Both Patrick and Jim were surprised when Jack introduced two of the three county supervisors to them. After a big fuss was made they were escorted to the front of the line and had seats at the head table. The potluck was an incredible delight of good hometown cooking. Jack couldnt remember when hed eaten so well. The tables removed, the room was set up for the meeting. As last time there were lights in the front of the hall. Patrick started the meeting off with a prayer. Just as Jim started the meeting, which was a formality, a small slender man slipped in the door. He sat down, pulled out a tablet and started to make notes, first as to who was there. Jim quickly turned the meeting over to Jack, as this was his show. Jack did the customary introductions. People were surprised that county supervisors were there, but it had two desired effects as far as Jack was concerned. They could speak as to what the county could do for the town and it gave this meeting another level of importance. The townspeople were also surprised about someone recording the meeting, before in their little town nothing like that had ever been thought of. Jack had started with an outline of an agenda, first the report of how many families had filled out the paperwork. Many were surprised to find how few had done it, those who had got up an encouraged others to get it done. Then the real issue came up. What were we going to do with Carp? What did we want this town to become? How were we going to accomplish it? Ideas at that point came from the floor. From the people primed, the suggestions came in. A medical facility, a school, a library, and better roads were at the top of the list. Everyone agreed, including the County supervisors that Carp was a central location and could serve several communities as it once had done. This made the idea of a medical facility much more feasible. As Jack said they needed to, the town made the formalized request for the federal government to build a facility and to add to its value have a laboratory attached. It could serve as a monitoring station for any long-term effects of the chemicals that were unleashed on this unsuspecting town. This was Jacks subtle plan to make the big plans workable. The government body dolling out the reconstruction money would be swayed by ideas like this. Next was the school. Dora was prepared and much to everyones surprise she made an impassioned speech on how important educating our children was. Her usual meek demeanor had suddenly changed as if she had come by the heart of a lion. She had projected numbers of children and hit on many points that touched the heart of all who lived there. Her unaccustomed speech made all listen very carefully to the points she rang off. Almost all of the women were already in favor of the school idea, but in 1948, it was the men who needed convincing. Their own children, others who would return to their home in Carp, children from Angle City, and new children born would all benefit. Those were magic words. Keith and Richard had been able to find and stop our poisoning from the education they had. Education would be a deterrent for any other attacks, phrasing Jack had introduced to her, as the government would like to hear words like that. By the time she was done there was not a one who was about to oppose an idea like that. When she sat down, Brian gave her a hug and whispered in her ear that Richard would have been happy. She knew how much Brian adored Richard and for him to say that to her brought tears to her eyes and choked up her voice. One of the County Supervisors suggested that a school board be formed. It would need at least three people. The three women who spearheaded this whole idea were unanimously approved. Dora, Millie, and Janice were suddenly in the limelight as the new Carp school board. Thrilled that things had turned this way, Dora took charge. She began saying that they could use the old clothing store to start the school this fall. They would ask the government to build a new school, provide the initial textbooks, equipment and desks. Both Millie and Janice where nodding their heads in agreement as Dora spoke. It was obvious to everyone that a good decision had been made having those three as board members. It was then that someone asked the question about teachers. Dora said that they had discussed that issue also and she had been in contact with Liz, Keiths sister who was a highly regarded teacher in a private school. When someone asked if it might be possible if Liz was interested in teaching or even being the principle here, Dora just about burst with a smile across her face. The rest of the meeting was a blur for Dora; she remembered approval of a library. The supervisors supported paving the road from the highway through Elgin, down to Carp, and ending at Angle City with a joint effort being called for by the County and Federal governments. Doras mind wasnt on any of that although; it was on the school and on Liz. She couldnt wait to sneak out of the meeting and give Liz a call. Millie picked up on Doras fidgeting and whispered to her to go make the call to Liz. As Dora left the building she noticed the man, pen and tablet in hand, looking at her. It wasnt until later that she realized that it was George Seldes, the reporter. Dora ran to the phone and dialing the operator, made her connection to Liz. ------- Chapter 30 My senses stood on edge. I tried to look like my muscles weren't tensing, or my eyes weren't scanning for options. I saw movement and jumped, grabbing the sturdy brass lamppost beside me. The scream I heard, stopped me in mid stride. Something wasn't right. Out of the shadows moved Robin and Stephanie. "You scared me half to death." I said. The adrenaline that had pumped me up was draining and I was feeling more exhausted than before. I dropped back into the chair. "Sorry," Robin said now at my side. She started to kiss me, pulling at me. "You don't get to relax just yet. We have a small job for you." I pulled myself up. "I hope it is small, I'm tired." Both Robin and Stephanie started to giggle. "Yes its small," Stephanie said. I was starting to have my suspicions about what was going on as Robin pulled me back to the bedroom. At the doorway I turned around to see Stephanie standing behind me. She looked at me, lifting her dress. She turned red as she slid her hand down between her legs; "I hope this is small enough for you." I turned back to Robin, seeing a wide smile on her face. Sighing, I was resigned to my fate and headed to the bed. Little Stephanie squealed with delight and made it to the bed before me, jumping up and down with a lot more energy than I could muster. I heard the door close and noticed Robin wasn't with us. I decided to be slow, stroking, and then started kissing any exposed skin. Her blouse came off first and I did the same treatment again. After covering every inch, I removed her skirt, leaving on her panties. As I was running my tongue up and down her legs she was getting impatient. She tried to pull her panties down herself, but I was in the way preventing it. Little did she know what this build up was really going to do to her. As I pulled down her panties, revealing her hairless slit, she was squirming on the bed. My mouth covered her and as the tip of my tongue touched her clit an explosion went off in her. I wondered if Robin was still in the University grounds. The cry Stephanie uttered could have woke the dead. As her breathing went back to normal, her body stopped quivering, and her eyes refocused, she smiled at me. "WOW," was all she could say after she recovered. I just smiled. She thought she should reciprocate and climbed on top of me. I swung her around so I could have a good look between her legs. She could only get the head in and was licking that as well as stroking me up and down. I have to admit it felt very nice. She was on all fours, with her legs spread across my chest. I took three fingers and sliding each one across her slit to get them nice and juicy. Then my middle finger slid into her hole with a finger on each side sliding back and forth on her outer lips. She was starting to buck. I was paying so much attention to her that although what she was going was very nice; I was not going to end soon. Stephanie on the other hand was not going to last at all. As I slipped my other hand up across her ass and ran my finger down her crack she started bucking even more and forgot all about what she was going to me. My fingers on my one hand were busy sliding around her pussy and my other hand had its finger starting to trace her little rosebud. More and more pressure was being applied and as the tip of my finger started to go in, she went off a second time. She turned around and looked at me. "This time it is your turn," she said. With that she straddled me, she was wet and although I am not small and she is, it slipped in with her weight. "Ohhhhhh." She said as I was in as far as she could take me. This time the little nymph was in control, but I waited it out as much as I could and started spurting in her as soon as I saw signs that she might be ready. She was. When she felt me expand, she cried out again and went stiff. After her third orgasm she let me rest, leaving to look for dinner. I was almost asleep as she quietly closed the door and tiptoed down the hall. ------- Jill answered the phone in their room. She was so excited to hear Dora's voice. She hadn't realized how much she missed how people talked in that little town. It was comforting, it was home. Liz was out in the hall, monitoring. Jill put the receiver down, after a few words of her own and ran to the open doorway yelling to Liz that it was Dora on the phone. She knew she would hear about proper etiquette tonight. Liz couldn't get back into the room fast enough, pushing Jill out telling her half instructions of who was were. Jill was suddenly out the door and it was closed behind her. Others in the hall who witnessed the strange event made little comments to one another. It was good in a way as it kept Jill occupied, musing to Liz's strange behavior, instead of trying to make up stories of why this call might be so important to Liz. "Dora." Liz said out of breath as she reached the phone. "You won't believe it, I'm on the school board." "School board," Liz said in anticipation. "So there is going to be a school?" "Yes, there sure is. I know I may be overstepping my bounds, but would you consider being part of our school?" Liz's smile warmed the room, even if no one was there to see it. "I was hoping. Yes, yes, yes. What do you need?" Dora laughed, "we need everything. Can you advise us?" Liz flashed back at the jobs Grace had given her over the past two years. She was sure Grace had been grooming her for administration. Now was her chance, but not at this school. Common sense filtered into Liz's thoughts. "Dora I don't want to say yes to something that I don't know about fully, although you know I want to be there. I want to think this out. Your board needs to also. By the way who is on the board?" Dora smiled, her hurried question was being tempered with reason. Liz was indeed a good choice. She told Liz the other two women on the board. Liz was high as a kite; she knew with this board she would have a position in the school. She was going to Carp. Liz opened the door; Jill was standing next to it. "Everyone accounted for?" Liz asked. When Jill nodded her head, Liz grabbed the surprised girl and pulled her into the room. In a an excited trembling voice Liz said, "I'm going to Carp. There's going to be a school." Jill threw her arms around her friend, her mother, her lover, and her advisor. Liz had become so much to Jill and yet she had let her be open and free. Exploring as she needed. Tears were in Jill's eyes. "I'm so happy for you. I'm happy for me too." Liz looked at Jill questioningly. "I won't have to leave you. It was something I haven't been looking forward to. You have given me more in the past few weeks of knowing you than my own mother has in the last two years." It choked Liz up to hear this outpouring of faith and hope. She wanted to downplay her role. She always had a problem with getting praise and this expression was beyond that. Before she could though, Jill asked the question that Liz was yet to know. "What are you going to be doing? Teaching the same things?" "I don't know. I could have something in administration as well." "You mean do what Grace does?" "I don't know. I need to talk to Grace. She is a good person and has become a good friend over the years. I will hate to loose that relationship. She has taught me so much." "What about Tiffany?" Jill said knowing there was something between them and then she pressed the one who she suspected, but wasn't as sure about, "or Vicki?" Liz let out a little gasp at the mention of Vicki, was that one obvious too. Liz looked at Jill who had a smile on her face. "Oh you," she said knowing she'd just been tricked. ------- Dora had just hung up from talking to Liz when the meeting broke up. She saw the small thin man slip out the door and was almost to her. Then she saw Jack push past others and call out to him, "George." She saw the glint of a smile as the man turned. He'd been caught. "Jack, I was hoping to get away clean." "No luck. So what brings you to our little neck of the woods." George looked around, "I think that is an interesting expression considering the landscape." "And you're avoiding the question." The smile returned briefly. "I wanted to check on the progress of the promises that were made, and see if the military is keeping its part of the bargain." "Well? What do you think?" Jack asked. "It looks very good so far in words, I want to see the signed contracts. If I can get a few papers to do a follow up with this, they won't have a choice. Once in print, it turns into an expectation by the masses." Jack took a look around. Most of the people from the meeting were in the street now; the two County Supervisors were talking up a storm. "Let's talk about how I can help. Jack pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, wrote something on it, and handed it to George. He looked at it, smiled and tucked it into his pocket then hurried off. Millie and Janice made there way over to Dora, each giving her a hug. "You did it." Millie said. "I can't believe it. We're the school board," Janice said, "what do we do now?" "What did Liz say? Can she help?" Dora smiled, "you knew I'd ask, didn't you?" "Yes, I figured you would. So what did she say?" "Ok you two, what's going on?" Janice said. Much to Dora's surprise Millie answered, "Liz who has made some of this possible so far, may well make us look very good indeed." "So what did she say?" Janice excitedly asked and wanted to know now. "Well we hadn't talked, I mean we were just elected, so I couldn't give her a lot of specifics, other than we said we needed everything." Janice laughed, "that's for sure." Dora went on, "she said she needed to think and talk it over. My guess that she's going to talk to the administrator of her school." Just then the County Supervisors made their way over. "It would be good to get together and talk. You undoubtedly have many questions as to what you are to be doing. Setting up a school is not an easy operation. We are sure that the focus that you showed in the meeting indicates that you have good sources." They smiled. "We would like the three of you to come up to Pioche and visit a Supervisors meeting, a school board meeting, as well as be able to have some time after that to talk with them. Our meetings are in the afternoon, the school boards are in the early evening so it could be done on the same day." "That sounds great, but how would we get there and back?" Janice asked. Jack who had still been close and listening in on most of the conversation stepped forward. "Do you have a place where a helicopter can safely land, and could you provide transportation to and from it?" "Yes we do, well it is a makeshift pad, it was set up for emergencies by the hospital, but it works and we can arrange transportation to and from. The only thing left is to find when the school board is meeting. We will give one of you a call, who should that be?" It was Jack who started to laugh, the three women were glad it was dusk so their red faces weren't so obvious. "There is but one phone in this town and this is it." Jack said, pointing to the phone on the wall. The supervisors looked at him in disbelief. "That of course is going to be changing very soon. In the meantime," Jack pulled out the same type of paper he had handed George, "here is the number to my communications center. It is manned from eight in the morning until five in the evening. If you call there the message will then come to me and I will forward it to the ladies." That done the supervisors took their leave. Dora, Millie, and Janice looked at Jack. Dora said what the other two were thinking. "We are going to go to Pioche in a helicopter?" "It is much faster than by horse. I think it is a twenty minute flight." Their eyes grew large. "Otherwise you would have to spend the night and waste taxpayers money." "What?" Millie said not understanding what he was referring to. "The school board position is a paid one and expenses are compensated for. It comes out of the budget that isn't in existence now, but will be shortly." "We are going to be paid for this?" Millie said as though she couldn't believe her own words. Jack laughed, "don't worry, it's not a lot and you will earn every penny. You will find that out soon enough." ------- Robert was in the room with Pamela, she was asleep and he was watching her. It was fatherly pride he supposed, but she was beautiful even with her bandages. With no one else to hold a conversation his mind wandered and he started to get depressed. He had let his daughter down; he had let his wife down. The only good thing that happened this day was that he had reluctantly taken Keith's advice. The bath had worked wonders; his gentle touches on his wife's back had softened more than her skin and when he had tucked her in bed she had smiled at him. In the silence of the room he muttered, wondering what they had found out with the tests. His daughter was in good hands he could tell and things were progressing. It was hard to admit that he might have been wrong. It would have been easy to put the whole blame on his ex son in law, but the truth was he had other opinions and didn't want to face them. His wife was his biggest concern now. What had he done by listening to Hank? In his self pity, he couldn't see that even if he had wanted to, she would never had the treatment she was receiving now. Pamela stirred; Robert was at her bedside in a flash. She opened one eye, looked at him, smiled and closed her eye. He sat back down. That smile was payment for the last hour of sitting alone. Robin came in to relieve Robert and found him in the chair, head in his hands. She wasn't sure if he was sleeping or something else. His eyes were slightly red and puffy. She smiled at him and he told her that Pamela had slept most of the time he was there. They turned to look. Pamela was somewhat awake and had written 'Thank you Dad' on her pad. He had a smile on his face as he left. Robin started to sit down, but Pamela beckoned her over to her bed, she started to write. Robin started to read what she was writing. Dad feels sad. I think he feels like it is his fault we are here. Why is that? I don't like it. "Why do you think that?" Robin said. Pamela wrote, 'he thought I was asleep and was talking to himself.' Robin frowned; she knew Robert hadn't meant to burden Pamela with any of this. After all she said he thought she was asleep. "I think parents worry about everything Pamela. Even if it isn't anything they can do anything about." Then she smiled. "I guess I'll find that out soon enough." 'You sure now?' Pamela wrote. "No, but I have a feeling..." Robin drifted off and it wasn't until Pamela squeezed her hand that she had realized she had go off into a daydream. "Sorry," she said, "just thinking." Pamela grabbed her pad, 'looked like it, ' and then she drew a smile. Robin laughed, "you are very special to me, you know that?" 'Do you think I'll find a prince like Keith? You are so lucky.' Pamela wrote. Robin turned so that she could face Pamela and look at her in both eyes. She took her hands and as water was filling her eyes, she said, "I am very lucky. There is that someone special for you as well, believe that. He may be someone you already know." Pamela tried to shake her head know as she couldn't think of anyone who made her feel the way she felt around Keith. "He may be someone who is yet to come into your life. I think you will know when it happens. I knew that the first time I saw Keith." Robin laughed and said, "When I saw him I said wow and thought, there is the man for me." With her bandages Pamela couldn't laugh out loud, but from her body movement, Robin saw that that is what she was doing. As she shook a monitor came undone sending out a high-pitched buzz. A nurse came running in. "What happened here?" "I made her laugh." Robin said. The nurse looked at Robin sternly. Pamela wrote on her pad, 'she told me what she said when she first met her husband.' She looked at Robin, "Husband! That's a laugh." Robin just smiled at her. "Now try and not tell her any more tall tales. She needs her rest." When the nurse left Robin said, "I hope Keith comes to pick me up. That would give that woman a thing to think about." Pamela nodded her head. Robin saw that she was getting sleepy. "I need to go to the bathroom, will be back in a minute." Robin figured that minute would be enough silence to put her to sleep. ------- Liz's phone rang before her alarm. Jill was laying on one of her arms and it was asleep. She had to push Jill over and then grabbed the phone. "Yes," Liz said still half asleep. "There has been a dog attack out in the field." It was Grace. Liz's arm stung as she put weight on it, but she bolted out of bed. "I'll be there in a few minutes." "Thanks, it will take me ten to get to the school, see you there." Jill had turned back over and was watching Liz. "What's wrong?" she said with a yawn. Liz was throwing clothes on at this point. "Some wild dogs got into the lower field and did some damage. It's the first time they have ever done that. I didn't get any more information. Jill was fully awake now. "Damage? That is were there the..." Then she got a horrified look on her face. "Not the horses." "I don't know. It takes Grace a bit longer to get to the school. She lives off campus, but not far. So I'm going down to appraise the situation." By now Liz was dressed, she leaned over and gave Jill a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon and tell you all about it." The dogs were long gone when Liz got there. A stable hand and the stable manager were tending a young colt. Kevin the groundskeeper was eyeing the horse but keeping his distance. Liz went to him first. "What happened?" "Those dogs are getting more aggressive. It means that the wildlife that they have been hunting is probably getting more scarce or shifted because of the fire in the hills last year. Got in through a break in the fence. Never noticed before and haven't gone over to it yet to get a close up." "How is the colt, that is Farmer's Daughter isn't it?" "Could be. I tend to stay away from the stables." Kevin said. Liz looked at Kevin; she had seen him only on a few horses before, although it seemed he was not a bad rider. He seemed... scared. "Hard to see them when they are hurt," she offered. "Got kicked when I was young by an injured horse. Don't fancy landing in the hospital over that again." He looked at Liz and saw the compassion in her eyes. "It's why I have the slight limp. I would be hard pressed to be near a horse an injured horse again." The veterinarian arrived and right behind him, Grace. She got out of the school jeep and strode to Liz. "Looks like you have this under control. Tell me what happened?" Liz told her what Kevin said, who at this point had wondered over to a break in the fence. The vet came into the conversation telling them the horse was lucky. The worst was only a few small cut and would heal up just fine with only a few stitches. "Can I ride back up with you? I'd like to talk." Liz asked. "Sure, I'm going to radio this in first." They walked back to the jeep. Grace undid the long antenna on the side of the jeep, turned on the radio and then picked up the mike. Much to Liz's surprise Grace wasn't talking to the school secretary, but the sheriff's office in Grand Junction, telling them what had happened. When Grace was done she turned to Liz. "This isn't about Jill is it?" Grace asked cautiously. "No." Liz said and they were quiet as the antenna was put back down and they got into the jeep. "Then all I can guess is that it is about Carp. It has to be something serious. You have never asked to talk to me like that." "One of the reasons I like you so much Grace is that you are so intuitive." "Well, are you going to tell me?" Liz was suddenly nervous. "There has never been a school in Carp." Grace raised her eyebrows, "And you would like one there." "They just took a vote in town, they want one." Liz said with a lump in her throat. "And your involvement in this was?" Liz swallowed hard, "I told them how to get the people to vote yes." Grace laughed much to the relief of Liz. "It doesn't surprise me. Not one bit. I was hoping to keep you here a bit longer, but you were growing wings. It took a place like Carp to make you want to take flight." Liz was stunned at how much Grace had seen in her. "So now, what did you want to ask?" On the way back to the administration building, Grace told Liz the pros and cons of being an administrator. As they pulled up in the parking lot she turned to Liz. "You have wanted to be in this position. Do you realize how many times you have assumed a leadership roll here at the school?" "Yes, you have given me many great opportunities." "Liz, everyone has had those opportunities, you took them." Liz looked hard at Grace, "You mean others didn't?" "That is right. You took those times and enjoyed them. But remember how much you enjoy teaching. Are you willing to give that up? Do you need to?" "I feel like I'm in a big ocean and don't know where to swim." "You can choose the direction and there are no right or wrong answers." Grace said. "Whatever I choose to do I'll need help from my mentor. Can I count on that?" Grace smiled and she felt very pleased. This was one of the rewards of her job and she sometimes didn't have enough. "I would be honored." "I'll hold you to that." Liz laughed as she hugged her. "You'd better. I don't want to loose contact with you." ------- Pamela felt sore when I stopped in and saw her on my way to the lab. "All of the medication has worn off and you are starting to feel. We can get you some pain medication." She started to shake her head and realized that it hurt to do that. Then grabbed the pad. 'No, I don't want any unless I can't stand it.' "You are a brave one sweetheart." I left, giving her a kiss on her hand. There wasn't much other options considering her bandages covered her head. The nurse wanted to give her a sponge bath and although Pamela wouldn't have cared, the nurse would have had a fit if I had stayed. My assistant walked in a minute after me and we ascended the stairs together. I thought it was going to be a good day, but standing by the lab door looking at his watch was Lt. Payne. I had decided to take Patrick at his word and not cause any scenes. I also decided I'd play with his mind. "I see you choose your own hours as well." He said. Tying to ignore him I unlooked the door and let Shelly in. "Your report needs to be in triplicate." He continued and tried to hand it back to me. "Shelly I'll be back in a minute." I said shutting the door. I walked Lt. Payne into the next lab; it was unoccupied as were all the other rooms on this floor. In fact Shelly and I were the only two who were regularly going to be on this floor until I was done. The lab next to the one we were using did have one thing that I wanted. "Did anyone notice you picking up this report?" I asked. Lt. Payne was indignant. "Yes they made me sign for the silly thing." "Good," I said, took it from his hand, opened the weighted door on the incinerator, and threw it in. Shutting the door, I pressed the button before he had a chance to react. My report was turned to ash in seconds. "What on earth did you do that for?" He said shocked at my actions. "Never ask me to do your military work for you again. If you need something in triplicate, you do it. Now you are going to have to figure out what to do about a missing report that you signed for." His eyes grew narrow. "You'll pay for that." "For doing what?" "You destroyed that report." He said indignantly. "Did anyone else see that? All I know is that I wrote the report, you signed for it and now you don't have it. Any witnesses contrary to that?" I saw his jaw start to quiver. He turned and stomped out the door. I new a slime ball like him wasn't going to take that as a 'don't play games with me.' He more likely was going to turn up the heat. I was expecting it in a way and hopped it would be his undoing. Shelly was waiting in the other lab. "Was that Lt. Payne stomping away?" "Yes." "What did you say to him?" "That he needed to do his own work and if he wanted a form in triplicate, he could do it." Shelly looked at me. "I don't think you would want me in here if I was as gullible as to believe that was what caused his reaction." I laughed. "It is what I said, that is, after I incinerated the report." Her eyes grew big. "You didn't!" With a smile on my face, I said, "yes I did. Then I told him there were no witnesses to it and he had signed for the report, so it was his responsibility as to it missing now." Shelly laughed out loud and shook her head. "You sure know how to stir up a hornets nest. You said to watch out for him. Now I'm wondering if it is you who I need to watch out for." "Me?" I said raising my eyebrows. "I would guess you will see Lt. Payne soon. He will be mad about this for some time and try and stir up as much trouble as he can now." "Is that why you did it?" "You are smart. I figure he will get caught in his own trap and I hope it is soon. I'd like to see the weasel out of here." After that, we set out our first set of experiments. We needed to see what this stuff could do. The poor rats had no idea they would become sterile. We also set out to find what would counteract the Rerexinal and how much it would take. ------- A boy of about eighteen, embarrassed both himself and Mary with a crude comment that he didn't quite mean to escape his lips. Kristin and Beth Ann were laughing and caring on about it, Mary tried to act disgusted, but laughing, left for her room. Leaving Kristin and Beth Ann, still in stitches about the whole thing as they went to their room. As soon as she saw the letter on her desk, left, as all mail would be to students in the dorm, Beth Ann dove for it. Then she looked at the return address on the envelope her mood changed radically. The lip started to tremble and then the tears started to flow, dropping one by one from her eyes, running along her cheek as she opened the letter. As she read, the tears flowed faster. Finally she said, "NO!" Kristin watched the almost instantaneous transformation of her friend Beth Ann. "What is the matter?" Kristin asked concerned. "My uncle..." was all Beth Ann got out before thrusting the letter at her. Kristin took the letter and started to read the alarming document to herself. "He wouldn't would he?" Kristin didn't get a response. "It's a long way to drive." That did get a response. "And a long way back, all alone in the car with him." Beth Ann wailed. "You want to go back and see your parents though." Kristin offered. "Not if it means that. Not if I have to spend any time alone with him." Beth Ann said defiantly. "What else would you do?" Beth Ann looked at her with tear stained, pleading eyes. "Carp?" "Could I?" She said with sadness in her face that Kristin couldn't stand. "It is time you talked to Keith. You have a lot to know." Kristin studied Beth Ann's face. "I hope you will still want to go." "Why? What's wrong? You're going, aren't you?" "Carp is the best place I know to be... It is perfect for me right now. I think Keith needs to explain, I can't. I'm sorry." Kristin got up and ran out of the room, tears in her eyes. It surprised Kristin as much as it did Beth Ann. As soon as she was half way down the hall she stopped. 'What am I doing?' Her thought that she was indeed pregnant and this bizarre behavior a result didn't set well with her. She walked back to her room. Beth Ann was still staring at the door when she walked back in. "Kristin are you ok?" "Go talk to Keith." Kristin just said. She didn't want to make eye contact with Beth Ann. Her emotions had just gone through the roof and she couldn't explain it. Beth Ann had never seen Kristin act so strange. As upset as Beth Ann was, she wasn't sure what was really going on. She was pretty sure it wasn't because she had asked to go to Carp. She didn't like the idea of bothering Keith. He did say he wanted to talk to her, maybe if he started talking, she could bring it up. She was resolved to do just that, besides going with her uncle was not an option she wanted. ------- The miners were at work, the crew was setting up the bridgework and people were milling around as Patrick had told them not to go to the mansion yet. He had been told there would be supplies this morning from Jack. A few minutes after ten they heard the sound that was beginning to become a lot more familiar. The helicopter circled around the town and dropped down to the ground. Those gathered were surprised to see Cynthia who they recognized from the base and a woman who most didn't recognize at first. It was easy to see why. Cynthia and the other woman wore clothing that fit the style of the day, but was much more stylish than what was seen in Carp. Their hair was also done and hats that matched their dresses complementing the whole ensemble. A few of the women commented to each other that it would be nice to find clothes that looked like that, no where did they have the opportunity. The women also noticed how the few men that were there reacted to the sight of the two ladies. It caused a feeling in the women of wanting to compete. As the ladies got closer, the women were shocked to see that it was Rebecca who everyone knew hadn't been with them on the return trip. They didn't have time to dwell on making any more idle gossip, as other things were being unloaded from the helicopter. The other things were causing a stir in the people. Lumber, glass panes, and paint were unloaded. A few other boxes made it off the helicopter and then it was in the air and away. Jack had been there to see the arrival. When the helicopter noise had gone he addressed those who were there. "It would be greatly appreciated to get a couple of wagons over here. These two boxes need to go into my office downtown and the rest of this," he winked as he pointed to the other supplies, "I'm not sure why it was brought. Now that it is here. I think it could be used at the Mansion." A few people laughed at the obvious appearance of supplies that came from unscheduled sources. It did set into motion the men who had wagons and they were brought around. Everyone helped load and they were off to drop the boxes at Jack's office and then to the Mansion. Jimmy and Brian secured seats on the wagon and went out to the Mansion. Dora asked Millie if she could keep half an eye on Jimmy. Jack had asked Dora to say behind. After everyone one was gone Dora was standing in the office with Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca. Jack pulled them into the back room. Dora wasn't at all surprised at the kiss Cynthia received, but had her mouth hanging open when he moved to Rebecca and gave her the same treatment. "You see Dora, you are not the only one who is being taken care of, in a manner of speaking." Dora looked at Rebecca who was bright red, but obviously excited from the attention she had just received. Cynthia was now looking at Dora trying to figure this new development out. Jack went on, "Cynthia, Dora is Richard's... how shall I say it?" Dora was now turning as red as Rebecca had been. "special woman. Is that a good description?" Dora had to clear her throat before she could speak. "I like to just think of myself as part of the family." "Yes, that is a good way to look at it," Jack said. "I believe Rebecca is a part of our family now, aren't you dear." "Yes," Rebecca said quietly but with more happiness in her voice than Dora could remember hearing from her in a long, long time. "She likes the special clothing we provide for her. You do have some on, don't you?" Dora watched Rebecca turn red again as she nodded her head. "I don't think Dora understands." Cynthia said. "Your right. Rebecca, please show us." Jack added. Dora was looking between all three of them until she saw Rebecca with sparkling eyes and a shy smile start to unbutton her dress. Dora was staring as Rebecca's dress hit the floor Dora's mouth was open. Rebecca had on a bra, a bra that her nipples, hard nipples were pointing out of. There were holes in the bra with decorative stitching to let her nipples seductively stick out. Dora had never seen anything like it and she had to tear her eyes away. They moved down she gasped. Rebecca's panties, if you could call them that, were open in the center. There was nothing covering her bare lips. Dora realized that indeed she was bare, clean-shaven down there. Dora also realized she needed to get out of there fast. Jack was laughing as Dora made her hasty retreat. She was sure that they assumed she was embarrassed. She was, but more than that she was becoming aroused and knew she would start producing her distinctive odor anytime now. She got to the front door before she caught the first whiff. Jack stuck his head out and caught the scent. Dora saw him as she was closing the front door. She also heard Rebecca moan. Jack's eyebrows raised and Dora turned red, she also realized she had a smile on her face. Where was Richard when she needed him? She needed him bad now. ------- "Did you hear about the wild dogs?" Sue asked Jill as they walked to their first class together. "Yes, Liz had to go out there this morning." Jill replied. "You know everything that happens around here I bet." "No, only the good stuff," Jill replied with a smile on her face. "Oh, you." Sue said and gave Jill a friendly push. "You started it," Jill said. "Did not." "Did too." Both girls were in a fit of giggles when they got into there second period class, math. Both girls stopped and looked at each other. Liz who should have been there was not. Jill didn't know but the substitute in the classroom was the one that had taken over in Liz's absence. The teacher was surprised to see a new student. She was a bit taken back when Jill started almost demanding to know what had happened to Liz. Sue came to the rescue, as the teacher was about to send Jill to the office for her behavior. She could understand her sense of concern when he realized Liz was her caretaker. She only offered to make a call to the office and find out what was going on after class. It was not what Jill wanted, but it had to do. Near the end of class they heard the door open and in slipped Liz. She sat down at one of the desks in the back and motioned the class to turn back to the teacher. All did, except one who couldn't control herself. Liz was surprised at the tears dampening her blouse. Jill had wrapped her arms around her, holding on for dear life. Liz had to remind herself how fragile Jill's world was. She whispered into her ear, "class is almost over. Go sit back down and I'll tell you all about it." Jill got up and realized what a spectacle she had made of herself. The room was silent and everyone was looking at her. She sat back down and the teacher who looked back at Liz, shaking her head, went on. Liz thought to herself, this is why she is still a substitute. I would never hire her. Then it struck her. She was indeed taking on administrative tasks without realizing it. She smiled inwardly at this revelation. As soon as the bell rang students normally bolted for the door, but none moved. Liz got the message loud and clear. Everyone wanted to know. So she made a brief explanation of what happened and sent them on their way. She gave Jill another hug and told her they would talk more about all this. Jill heard a few girls snicker about how she was clinging to her mommy. It made her mad, it embarrassed her, and for the first time in her life, she ignored the words that were truer than she had realized. In fourth period, science no one said a word to her, but of course Liz was the teacher. She hoped it would go away, but by lunchtime it seemed more people had heard how she ran and cried in Liz's arms. The gossip had reached other teachers by lunchtime as well; making them upset at the cruel biting things the girls did to each other. Jill was sitting with Sue and Betty, getting more and more agitated when Mrs. Walker came over to Jill. Mrs. Walker, who was as well liked as Liz, always made her presence known. Well that is when she wanted to. "Jill," she said in a booming voice. "I understand you have been working on your dramatic presentation during other class time. I commend you, but you should keep to the subject at hand and save the practice for drama." She gave Jill a sly wink and then continued. "If you would like, we could go a bit early so you could show me how well you are doing. I understand that others were quite taken by your performance." Jill very much relieved to get away, stood and the two walked out of the lunchroom. As they walked to the theater, Mrs. Walker talked. "Jill, I have seen you in action more than once. You are a sensitive girl who has the ability to pull out feelings and express them. Don't think for a minute that this is something everyone is capable of." Jill looked at Mrs. Walker. Her suspicions were confirmed that she had been in the auditorium much longer than she let on, hearing a good bit of the practice she had with Laura. "You have seen how our play group is doing. This is the last week of rehearsal. They know their parts, but they do not feel them. You my dear child picked up the script and read it with deep emotion that only comes from experience." Jill was embarrassed with the way Mrs. Walker was going on. It also made her feel good in a way. Another piece of understanding into who she was. "One of the problems that you will face in life is your ability to feel intensely, it will embarrass others. They will not understand and so to hide their inabilities to feel with the passion you have, they will make fun of it." Jill was shaking her head in a positive manner, pleasing Mrs. Walker very much. Jill turned to her as they entered the building. "Thank you. You have seen things in me that others have not. You have been gracious enough to let me hide as I have needed to." Then Jill gathered a hint of a smile. "And pushed me where you thought would be safe." "You Jill are an incredibly insightful young lady. I wish I had more time with you." Jill laughed, her first of the day. The bell rang and students started pouring out of one building and into others. Laura couldn't get into the auditorium fast enough. She raced over to Jill. "Are you really studying a special part?" Jill laughed and whispered so no one else heard, "no. It was Mrs. Walker's way of stopping the mean gossip." Laura smiled, "she is a nice lady isn't she?" "Yes," Jill had to agree. ------- Beth Ann was standing at the lab door about ready to knock when Shelly opened it to go out. Startled Beth Ann looked at Shelly for a moment. "Something I can help you with dear?" Shelly asked. "Would you tell me if Keith is here please?" Beth Ann asked timidly. "Yes he is, go on in." Shelly said as she left. I had turned from my papers to see Beth Ann coming in and shutting the door behind her. "Well this is a pleasant surprise." "She's..." I looked at Beth Ann waiting for her to continue. She didn't, so I added in words until I got the positive response from her. "My lab assistant. One of the women from the party at Anthony's. Attractive." That was it. "Yes she is and I put my foot in my mouth the first time I saw her thinking that was all she had to offer. She wouldn't be here if she didn't know her stuff. I can't afford to make any mistakes." Beth Ann was obviously a bit embarrassed. "I just thought. I mean does Robin know." I laughed. "She's seen her. I don't think Robin would care. So what brings you this way? You didn't just stop by to brighten up my day did you?" Beth Ann blushed at the compliment. "You said you wanted to talk to me sometime and I was wondering..." Not quite what I had expected to hear. I crinkled my brow. "How much time do you have." I asked. "My classes are over today. I have some homework, but that can be done anytime." "So you are pretty much free." I got a positive response. "Shelly and I were setting up to do the first of a series of tests. I need to run the first with her so she knows the procedures. Then I'll be free. Do you want to stay?" "How long?" "Not more than an hour." "An hour? For the first test? How many tests are you running?" She asked surprised. "Twelve on this first set of test subjects over the next three days. It is very time-consuming work. This is what I consider the boring part of the job. Shelly likes this. That is why she is a very good tech and I was not. I like setting up the tests and analyzing the results, so we are a good team. "Ok." Beth Ann said. "I'll stay. What are these tests going to show?" "Active sperm." I said with a straight face. I think she was trying to figure out if I was kidding or not. She looked at me and turned red. "How do you..." "Milk it out of them?" I offered and she turned brighter red. "It is why I don't like to do it and Shelly does." The expression Beth Ann gave me caused me to laugh so hard I couldn't stop. When Shelly came back in I was still laughing. "What's so funny?" Shelly asked. I looked over at Beth Ann who was throwing daggers at me with her eyes. "Just a funny joke. Wouldn't be the same repeated." "I don't doubt it." Shelly said. Then turning to Beth Ann she said, "I have to keep my guard up all the time. I never know when he's trying to pull my leg." I think Beth Ann's curiosity was peeked and she was a bit disappointed with the clinical method of extraction. Once that was done and the paperwork was logged, Shelly had gone through a full run. The next she could do on her own and I was able to leave with Beth Ann, promising Shelly I'd be back to look over the next set of paperwork. Not by any other thought than I knew where it was I led Beth Ann over to the quiet place I had the in depth conversation with Robin just the day before. When we got to the secluded place I could see Beth Ann shaking a bit. I didn't think she was nervous about being there with me alone, or at least I hoped not. So was it something else? I sat her down with me. Looking her directly in the eye I said, "So why the sudden interest in Carp?" "I've been interested in Carp for a while." She answered defensively. "Beth Ann, I told you I wanted to tell you about Carp, but that was because I thought you should know. It is not everything it seems. Now I think there is something more in your question of wanting me to tell you." "Your sister said I should ask you." That hit me. There was a lot more to this than met the eye. "I know she would say only if there was a reason. What is the problem?" The tears started to swell in her eyes. "My uncle..." was all she got out before letting go a stream of tears. I winced. Robin had told me what Beth Ann had said about him. I didn't know what she was going to think about me. Maybe that is why my sister told her to talk to me. "What about him?" I said in a soothing voice, trying to calm her down. It didn't help, she still cried, but she did venture more, "He said he's coming to get me and take me home." I knew how long a trip that was and what that could mean to her. "You don't want to go with him do you?" "No." She said with more force than I'd heard out of her before. I was starting to get the picture. "You think you want to come to Carp, isn't that right?" She tipped her head up to look at me. Her eyes were red and puffy, but they had a look of pleading in them. "Is that when Kristin told you to talk to me?" She shook her head yes. "You are upset and I'm not sure that this is the best time to talk to you about this." "Please?" Beth Ann pleaded. "What I tell you is going to shock you. I will not tell you until you promise that you will listen to all of what I have to say. You will not walk out with out me saying I'm finished. If you can't agree to that, you are not ready to hear about Carp." Beth Ann thought that was a very strange thing to say. It made her start to wonder about this place. On the other hand, Kristin said it was the best place. "Yes I will listen." "What Kristin wanted me to tell you was about me and then about Carp. It starts with a history lesson and believe me this is important, so listen carefully. When Kristin was thirteen..." ------- This was the second day Richard had gone into work with his father. He almost felt like it was one of those school things were the parent brings their child. He had nothing to do and sat around bored most of the day. This day wasn't much different. He wondered why his father had wanted him there. Richard had figured that Katy would be spending the day with his mother. That would have been nice, but to his surprise she had been left alone in the house most of the day. His mom had something important to attend to and couldn't bring Katy along. Little did either one know, but Richard's mother, Sandra had spent all day with movers going over all the details of emptying a house full of furniture and shipping it to Carp. Richard didn't realize at the time, but his father, Frank knew, he was listening in on every conversation that came by him. Frank had positioned several clients so that Richard couldn't help but hear what was going on. Knowing how Richard assimilated information, Frank was teaching him what questions people ask without Richard even knowing what was going on. Frank was a good lawyer; getting juries to hear what they didn't realize they are hearing had won him many court cases. Richard saw a secretary interrupt his father from a meeting. He stepped into another office to take a call. As he was going back in to the meeting, Frank turned his head towards Richard and said, "your uncle will be here tomorrow." Richard smiled. His father could pull some strings. Katy had been thoroughly bored yesterday. Today it seemed as if Sandra was trying to make it up to her. Sandra had started with asking about their bedroom. Then they went to the yardage store. Katy was amazed. She had never seen so much material in her life. The five and dime store, thirty miles away had a small section of sewing items and usually less than fifteen bolts of material. This was a whole store. Sandra had always wanted a little girl. One she could sew for, play dolls with, have tea parties. That had never happened. Richard was their only, not that they hadn't tried. Now she was having the time of her life. She was helping her daughter in law set up a new house. Not quite the same, but still very fun. For Katy this was something she had never experienced. A mother, mothering. The idea that they were going to make a bed spread with a matching dust ruffle and some decorative pillows was beyond what Katy could imagine. She had made do with whatever all her life. She was in heaven. Sandra had to bite her tongue several times trying not to tell Katy that her bedroom was going to change more than she knew. Sandra also knew what colors the curtains were going to be in that new room. She tried to steer Katy in complimentary colors that would look good. She used ideas like the color of Richard's eyes, or the color of Katy's hair. All in all they were having a wonderful time. As Katy looked through some more fabric, Sandra sat down and started looking at the pattern books. Sandra hadn't noticed until Katy touched her shoulder that she was behind her. "Looking for something special?" Katy said and then noticed what was on the page. It was baby clothes. Sandra stammered, "I just thought I might have a look." Katy had never see such things, she pointed to one, "That looks cute. What is this book?" "The Butterick catalog." "Oh, it's a catalog to get ideas from. That's a good thought." Sandra looked at Katy, "You've never seen one of these before?" Katy felt a bit embarrassed, "no." It was Sandra's turn to feel embarrassed; she had forgot that Katy had not grown up with a mother. She also grew up in a very remote town. "Sorry Katy, I just wasn't thinking. Tell me, when you make your clothes, where does the pattern come from?" "We usually cut it out, using something that fits. Most of the clothes are plain, so the patterns are simple." Then Katy remembered something. "When Daisy got married, her mother got a pattern for the dress Daisy wore and it was different than anything I'd ever seen before. Mildred, that's Daisy's mom, sold many handmade quilts all over, so it must have come from somewhere I'd never been before." "It was probably a pattern from a company like this. We liked this one." Pointing to the pattern that Katy had shown interest in. "Yes that is so cute." "Ok, see the number down here?" "Yes." Sandra took Katy up to a desk and told the sales girl the number. She opened up a filing drawer and handed Sandra a thick envelope with the same picture on it as was in the book. Taking it away from the counter, Sandra started to explain. "On the back here is everything you need to know and inside is the pattern. It is marked for three different sizes. Let's use the smallest. It shows how much fabric to purchase to make it. Below that it shows the number and size of buttons also." Katy was looking intently, this was fascinating, "and this is the kind of fabric to use?" She said pointing to the bottom of the envelope. "Yes it is. You're a quick learner." That started it and two patterns with enough material to make several styles later they were laughing at how they were getting a bit carried away. In the end the two women went home with a three large bags filled with yards of material, thread, piping, buttons and some pillow forms. ------- Keith was a bit worried; Beth Ann hadn't said a word in the last forty minutes. She didn't gasp. She didn't make any signs of emotion. Not even when he told her that Kristin may well have be pregnant, with his baby. He was talked out. They had been there for over an hour. He needed to get back to the lab. He stood and reached out his hand. She took it and stood. It was almost like she was comatose. He walked her back to her dorm. She turned at the door and offered her hand to him. He kissed it, but the whole thing was just as strange as could be. Had what he told her just flipped her out? Was this too much to hear especially with her news from her uncle? Keith didn't like leaving her, but she turned and went into the dorm. Beth Ann sat on her bed in the dorm. She had left the door open and a few people had said something to her without a response. When someone mentioned Beth Ann's strange behavior, Kristin dropped what she was doing and rushed to the room. She closed the door and kneeling before her, Kristin looked into the blank eyes. Kristin was scared, "Beth Ann?... Beth Ann, please. Talk to me." Kristin took her hand and sat down next to her. Beth Ann turned her head following Kristin's movements. They sat in silence for a while, Kristin holding Beth Ann's hand. Kristin was feeling guilty. What had Keith said, she had told her to talk to him. Kristin's emotions started overwhelming her again. Tears started to form and a drop landed on Beth Ann's hand. "Why." Kristin was startled by the word Beth Ann had uttered. She was hopping there would be more, but nothing else came. "Why what?" Kristin said with trepidation. "Why do you get to be so happy? Why is Robin married to Keith? Why didn't I have a brother who loved me so much it hurt? Why do I have such an awful uncle? Why did Mary get to go to Carp and I was left out? Why couldn't you tell me?" Beth Ann finally said looking at Kristin. Kristin's tears had not stopped. "I was ashamed." Kristin said lowering her head. "I don't know what my parents are going to say when they find out." Beth Ann was stunned. This was not an idea she had come up with. "But you love him. That is easy enough to see. God, I remember that kiss you gave him at the airport. If I had only known you weren't just trying to get my goat, but that was for real, I'd... well I don't know what." Beth Ann's voice softened. "He loves you too. When he talked about you it was so obvious." "But Beth Ann, we're sister and brother. We can't get married. In fact he is already married. My parents are... I don't know what, but I don't want to know either." "Kristin, I'm no expert in the subject, but I think a lot of girls would agree with me. You have got the best thing you could have. A man who loves you completely and isn't afraid of facing the future with you. In fact I think he's rather proud of the idea you are carrying his child. How many men do you know who would fit that description?" "None, but he still is my brother." Beth Ann rolled her eyes, "Yes and he's married also, to your younger twin from what I gathered." Kristin couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "I don't know if it is not done much now-a-days, but did you know that a church could marry as many people together that they wanted. They are indeed married. It is just not seen in the eyes of the law as binding, but in the society where that goes on, it is accepted as a marriage like anyone else. Do you think that could happen in Carp?" "I don't know. Where did you come up with that? I've never heard of it before." "Where were you two weeks ago in our early US history class?" "At an army base, held behind wire fencing." "Sorry I forgot, well you would have heard about it. In fact I should have the notes and we could go look up the references in the library." "That would be fun." Kristin took both of Beth Ann's hands and looked her in the eye. "You scared me. I didn't know what you were thinking. I was afraid." "Sorry. It was so much. Too much I guess. I went into overload." Beth Ann dropped her head. "You know I think a lot of your brother... a lot. Oh God, I wonder what he thought of me. I just sat there. I couldn't say a word. I was... I guess I was jealous of everything. I wanted to be loved by him." Beth Ann closed her eyes and shook her head. "I put my hand out for him. He kissed it just like a gentleman. I can't believe I did that." Kristin smiled, "well let's go find him first. I'm sure he is worried about you." "But I..." Beth Ann hung her head. "I'm embarrassed." Kristin raised her eyebrows. "About how you acted? Or how horny you feel around him?" Beth Ann gasped and turned red. The answer was obvious. Kristin would have left it there, but just then she spied a long cylindrical shape at the edge of her bed. As the room was small, she didn't have to move much to reach it. Beth Ann saw the dildo in Kristin's hand and didn't know what to do. It excited her and at the same time frightened her. Kristin took the toy and placing it in her crotch said in a low voice. "Is this what you want my pet?" She looked into Beth Ann's wide eyes and then said, "I can do a good job of imitating my brothers voice, can't I?" Beth Ann didn't say anything; she just nodded her head in affirmation. Kristin took one of Beth Ann's hands and started to pull it towards the dildo in her lap. Beth Ann resisted. Kristin stood and moving in front of her, the dildo at her pelvis being held at Beth Ann's eye level. Kristin wiggled it around as though it was attached to her and using her low 'Keith' voice again, said, "come on, take a lick." Beth Ann's eyes bulged and she scooted back, and then jumped up on the bed. Kristin wasn't about to let her go and chased her around the room. They were jumping from bed to bed, laughing as pillows started flying. In an attempted strategy, Beth Ann jumped to the floor, but her inertia carried her body to the bed and she fell over. Kristin leapt upon her, burying the dildo between their crotches. Beth Ann whimpered. Kristin wiggled around some more, pressing the dildo further between Beth Ann's legs. "Tell me," she whispered. "Tell me what you want." Beth Ann's was almost shaking from her whimpering. Her voice was shaky when she said, "I want to be like you. I want everything you have." This surprised Kristin, "Everything?... I'm probably pregnant." Lying on top of Beth Ann, Kristin felt Beth Ann's nipples harden. She didn't say it in words, but she lowered her eyes and nodded a yes. Then Kristin in her Keith voice said, "Then you need to love me." She tilted her head and lowered it to Beth Ann who also tilted her head and her lips started to part, waiting for the contact. ------- Although neither one said a word about it, both Patrick and John were worried. Cheryl could well be pregnant by now. In a few days she would either start her period or not. Before, they didn't know it was because of Cliff that John hadn't been able to father. Now it would be hard to explain. Everyone knew any male who lived in Carp was unable to father. Patrick shows up, stays at their house, and Cheryl gets knocked up. There would be only one conclusion to this story. There was the fear that a many would feel that Patrick was in a take advantage situation, not the loving situation that it was. For John it would be the ridicule from both his co-workers as well as the other people of Carp that he was worried about. For Patrick is was his position in the town. He stood to loose everything. The only one that was happy was Cheryl. She didn't seem to notice, or maybe she didn't care. She was finally getting what she wanted, a baby. She didn't let Patrick stop and guilt or not, when he saw her body, he couldn't help himself. John on the other hand was almost vengeful in the way he treaded Patrick. This night as Patrick was between Cheryl's legs, John came behind pulling Patrick to the edge of the bed. Patrick didn't mind, as it was one of his favorite positions. He stood, pulling Sheryl's legs up and apart. It gave him a great view as he plunged in and out of her. This time was a bit different. Patrick was pushed over to her and he felt the presents of John's hard dick pushing at his rosebud. Without any lubrication it made a hard and firm grasp of John's dick as he pushed it in. John kept on pushing. Pushing Patrick into Sheryl. John's movements, slamming into Patrick, were starting to cause a rhythm. Patrick felt like the play toy between the needs of both Sheryl and John. When it was all over, Patrick was a worn out and sore man. Still, he knew he'd do it again, even encourage it. Although next time he'd be prepared with a bit of lubricant. Dora wasn't in much of a better state. She had been by herself all afternoon. She had to be. After the stint with Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca, she was in a state of constant arousal and that meant she smelled like a sexual animal. Jimmy and Brian came in after getting back from the Mansion. They didn't know why Dora hadn't been there. Ready to tell about all the stuff that had gone on with the new materials, they ran into Jimmy's house. Dora said, "shut the door, quickly," which took them by surprise. As soon as Brain had done so, both boys caught a whiff. "What have you been doing?" Jimmy asked wondering why the scent was so prevalent. "Not enough," Dora said as she reached the boys. Alternating between the two, she started to strip them. They were more than eager to help. Once they were bare, the two boys stripped Dora, much to her delight. They had started right there at the entrance, but then moved to the sofa. Dora was draped over, with her legs hanging off the back. This gave a wide-open look and nice height to her pussy. Brian dove right in, lapping her juices. With her head resting on the seat cushions all she did was tilt her head back and open her mouth as Jimmy slid his dick into it. From there it was the kitchen table and Jimmy was the main course. He was lying on the table with his dick in Brian's mouth and Dora's breasts in his mouth. Finally they ended up in Richard and Katy's bed. The boy's wanted to recreate what they had done before. Jimmy slid into Dora's pussy while Brian took her ass. Dora encouraged them to come at the same time. This time without any prompting they pulled out at the last minute, soaking Dora from stem to stern as well as each other's dicks. Both boys were tired, but they had the idea Dora could go on for some time. "I need to get back home before mom comes looking for me." Brian said. Then he looked sheepishly at Dora. "Could I stay over?" Dora smiled. "As long as it is ok with your mom. I guess we'd better clean you up and then you can go ask, but we can't have you going home looking like that." Brian got a bath with hands from both Dora and Jimmy all over him. He was smiling the whole time, but knew it had to end. After he was gone, Dora said, "we had better get something to eat. You need your strength." "You're not done with me yet?" Jimmy replied with a grin. "Not on your life. I have a few new things to show you and if Brian comes back..." Dora left it with a wicked grin on her face. Jimmy couldn't get into the kitchen fast enough to fix dinner. ------- I had finished up for the day and decided to check on Pamela before I went home. Good thing I did as it was almost a party in her room and I would have found an empty house. The nurse was having a fit that so many were in the room. Robert, Mildred, Daisy, Stephanie, and Robin were all there. Pamela looked to be in good spirits. I looked at the chart on the end of her bed and realized part of that. As brave as she was, the pain had been too much for her and she was drugged. "My shift is changing and you are going to have to deal with Bertha. She is not quite as nice as I am, so be prepared to be kicked out." The nurse told us as she passed by one last time. I had to laugh. Any doctor knows that laughter is good medicine. This was the best healing process Pamela could have and unless she tired, we were staying. Within minutes Bertha was at the door, hands on her hips glaring at us. Robin recognized her as the nurse from last night. Before Robin said anything though I did. "May I help you?" "There are too many people in this room, visiting hours are over. You need to leave." 'Well so much for bed side manners, ' I thought. I walked out of the room so that she turned towards me. In a low voice as not to attract attention, I said. "Do you know who I am?" "Does it matter?" This was a feisty one I thought and probably intimidated a few of the doctors. "My name is Keith Paterson," I didn't like to use my position to get what I wanted, but there were times when I'd seen the military brass do it very effectively. "I was appointed to do some specialized medical research for the US government and am here as a guest of the university. Dr. Smithers is my liaison for the school. I was assisting in the operating room during Pamela's surgery. Now I know you are just trying to do your job, but I don't believe your job entails depressing your patents." Bertha looked a bit bewildered at my last statement. "Pamela is not tired and she is enjoying the company. When she tires, we will leave. I'm sure that won't be too long from now." Bertha took a deep breath. She may well be in charge of the floor at this moment, but Dr. Smithers was in charge, period, and she knew that I knew it. Turning back to the room as I walked back in, she said. "Fine then, but I don't want her rustling around pulling her cords out like last night, setting off the monitors, do you hear." She was looking at Robin saying that last part. Robin smiled sweetly at her and said, "Oh Bertha," As Robin wrapped her arm around my waist. "You have now met my husband." The shocked look in her eyes was priceless. It did get her out the door and down the hallway. "Was that called for?" I said in a stern voice, with a smile on my face. Everyone in the room started laughing, everyone but Pamela who couldn't yet. Kristin surprised me by showing up. I was about to ask her about Beth Ann when she went over to Robin and whispered in her ear. The two of them left, making me wonder what was going on. I was very worried about Beth Ann's mental health. Kristin without saying anything more than 'I need to talk to you, it's important', had Robin out the door. They did not say another word until they went out the front door. The sky may well have been beautiful, the air sweet with perfume, but Robin didn't notice. Beth Ann was standing there, her head down. She looked embarrassed to be there. Kristin took Robin by the arm on one side and Beth Ann on the other walking them down the lane. "Robin," Kristin started out. "Beth Ann has a few problems and they are big ones." This surprised both Robin and Beth Ann. Robin had yet to hear any of what had happened today and Beth Ann thought she only had one problem; her uncle. "I guess she, or you are wanting to tell me about them. Is that why I'm here?" Robin asked. Kristin smiled, "Yes it is." They turned off the path and went into a small grove of trees. There were three chairs set up. Beth Ann and Robin looked at Kristin. "No I didn't set this up, I just know it is here. Now sit down and let's hold hands." Beth Ann felt like she was in the spotlight now. It was a very uncomfortable position for her. She knew Kristin, but didn't know Robin well enough to know how she would react. She kept her head down. "You remember when Beth Ann told us about her uncle?" Kristin asked Robin. "Yes, the asshole." Robin replied. Beth Ann looked up startled at the strong words used by Robin. Kristin went on, "He sent her a letter, telling her he was coming and picking her up. They would be driving back together." Beth Ann knew what Robin thought before she said a word. The grip from her hand and the steel-eyed look in her eyes said it all. "You're not going are you?" Robin said. "No... well at least I hope I never have to." "What is that suppose to mean?" Robin asked. "That brings us to another of Beth Ann's problems." Kristin said. Robin noticed that Beth Ann was fidgeting in the chair. "She wants to come to Carp." "That would be fun." Robin said. Kristin choked down a laugh. "The problem is that she is in love." Robin looked at Beth Ann, she hadn't heard about this before. "She even admitted she wouldn't mind being in my... well, my state." Kristin said taking her hand from Robin and patting her belly. Robin was a bit confused about all of this. She wasn't sure where this was leading. "The problem Robin, and why you are here, is that she admitted she would like to be, how do you say it, in my shoes." It finally hit Robin. "Your in love with Keith?" She said to Beth Ann who had her head lowered. Beth Ann couldn't speak. She was afraid to. Robin who let go of Kristin's hand placed it under Beth Ann's chin, lifting her head. Soon the two were looking into each other's eyes. "I don't mind sharing. You can never keep him and you need to understand that. It is always a loan," Robin smiled. "Of course Keith has a say in all of this as well," Robin chucked, "but he'll do just about anything I want him to." "That's for sure." Kristin added. "Do you think he'd be interested in me?" Beth Ann asked with not much self-esteem in her voice. Both Kristin and Robin laughed so hard they had to hold their sides. "You've got to be joking." Kristin said. "Keith was ready to jump you the day he first saw you." Robin said. "Maybe you didn't see when I had to jab his side, he was staring at you so hard. Of course I really couldn't blame him, you looked very beautiful." "Really?' "Really. Now the best one to answer that question is the man himself, but we need to do it outside of the hospital setting. My guess is that Pamela will wilt soon and everyone will need to go." Robin said and then thought for a moment. "Why don't you go to the house? I'll make sure that Keith comes home alone." Kristin figured what Robin was thinking and she wanted to play into it. "Ok, I'll take Beth Ann there and we can have everything set up for him." Beth Ann thought it was a good idea, little did she know what she was getting into. Robin headed back to the hospital just as they were coming into the lobby. "She's almost asleep." I said. "I'll see her tomorrow." Robin replied. "Daisy, would you like to see the girls dorms? Kristin thought you might and told me tonight would be a good time to see them." She gave Daisy a wink to let her know something was up. "Stephanie can show us the way as she has been there before." This made Stephanie feel important. "Ok, I'll show the way." She said. "Keith I hope you don't mind, we shouldn't be gone to long. I'm sure you'll find something to do for a while." Robin said. "Maybe get some sleep for once." I said, causing Robin to start laughing. No one said a word more, as Robert and Mildred were walking with them. They parted ways, Mildred and Robert going down their short path to the loud sounding door, and Robin, Stephanie, and Daisy continuing on. I opened the door, noticing the light was on in the bedroom, knowing it shouldn't be on. Before I had time to think about it, I saw Kristin peek out around the corner of the doorframe. Her shoulder was bare and as she winked at me, I realized that I had been set up again. Little did I know of the surprise waiting for me in that room. ------- Chapter 31 Jack came out of this office. He had heard the phone ringing and ringing. It was unusual that someone wasn't around and wouldn't have answered it. "Hello, you have reached Carp Nevada, who are you calling for." "Did I reach a business?" "No, you have called Carp's phone." "Carp's phone? I don't quite understand. I was calling for Dora Elrich." "There is only one phone in town and I was the one available to answer it." Jack started hearing laughter; the man on the other end of the line was trying to speak but was having a hard time. Finally he got out, "You've got to be kidding?" "No." Jack said, as he thought to himself, 'I need to call the phone company'. "Is there a message I can give to Dora, or would you like me to get her for you." The man was still chuckling, "I'm from Samuel and Son's transportation company. I'll just leave a message with you. The furniture will be placed in a box car two days from now and is due to be delivered a week from Thursday." "That soon. What are the number and size cartons everything is in? I want to make sure we have enough people on hand." "I can see you are familiar with the shipment, but it won't be necessary to have anyone on your end for pick up. The shipment was set up with a house to house delivery, so one of our associate companies with arrive to unload the car, deliver, and set up on that Thursday. To facilitate the placement of furniture, a detailed list of contents was sent out today to Dora" "I'll let her know that. It will push their schedule, but I'm sure that the house will be done by then." "All right then. I'm going to let our associates know everything will be ready and that someone will be ready to take delivery." Then he let out a laugh. "And I'll also make a note for them to let the phone ring if they need to make a call." Jack bit his tongue and using diplomatic integrity, he said, "Yes that would be a good idea." Hanging up, he thought it would be good to see how fast the mansion was coming along. Placing a sign on the door of his office, he took his jeep and headed out. Along the way he radioed in to the communication center what he was doing and where. As Jack came around the curve that opened up to the small valley the mansion stood in, he was shocked. It had been almost a week ago when he was out here. No longer did the mansion look ghostly vacant. Windows glistened, new paint shown brightly, and even the grounds had been cleaned of weeds and flowerbeds were being prepared. Not surprising, it was Jimmy and Brian who had spotted the Jeep on its way down the road. They had been exploring the attic at the time and had been looking out a dormer window. The dormers were on all four sides of the Mansion. To the back was most of the small-enclosed valley. On each side they could see the rim of the hills. In front was the single lane that was the only suggested road to the place. What caught their eyes in the front dormer was the long trail of dust in the still air. They could make out the auto as it turned the corner and made itself visible in the valley. The two boys were at the gate when Jack pulled up. "Hi boys. This place sure looks good." They both looked around. "Yes I guess so." Jimmy said. He was like most boys; the way a property looked was not much of a concern to him yet. "Do you know where I might find Dora?" "On the second floor I think." Brian said. "I heard her voice as we were running down to see the Jeep." Jack smiled. They said Jeep instead of meeting him. If that did not tell him what the boys were interested in all he had to do is follow their eyes. "So you boys might like a ride after I'm done here?" They were jumping up and down, smiles on their faces. "Yes." They cried in unison. They started pulling Jack to the house. They wanted him to finish whatever he was there for fast. Jack was stunned at the new front door. Or that is to say the door was reworked, back to original look. It stood more than eight feet tall and each of the double doors were at least three and a half feet wide. He could tell some of the glass had been used there. The entry was glistening from a new coat of paint and as he looked right and left as he ascended the stairs the two rooms he could see a part into looked good also. Dora was on the landing of the second floor. She looked a bit embarrassed to see Jack. "I got a call from the movers." He said briskly. He wanted to dispel any signs of embarrassment from her. "Oh, what did they say?" "A week from Thursday the furniture will arrive." "That soon?" Dora looked around. "I was hopping for a bit more time than that. The first floor is almost ready." "I saw that. It sure looks good." "Yes, everyone has been doing a very wonderful job. The second floor has a ways to go. More of the windows need to be replaced. By the way did you notice the front door?" "How could I miss it? Those two brothers did an incredible job. The mover said that a company would be showing up to meet the train. They will pick up the furniture, bring it here and set it all up for you." Dora stared in disbelief. "You're kidding me." "That's what I thought. Keith's mother must have spent a fortune to pay for that kind of service. You will also be receiving a list of everything so the placement of furniture can go quickly." "Well it will be greatly appreciated. Without the furniture moving, I can ask everyone for a bit more help and when it is done, then we can play with what goes where. When they come, we can sit back and watch it all be put together." "Good idea. We might want to have a party, celebrating its completion." Dora smiled. "Yes I like that idea." Jack was going to be taken on a small tour when Dora was called away. The boys got their ride instead. He had wanted to take a drive around this little valley. He was use to adults in the Jeep and it felt a little odd driving with the boys jumping up in the open jeep looking at the countryside that they had seen since they were born. He was concerned with their safety and drove slower to compensate. When Jack came back to the office, Cynthia and Rebecca were standing at the door. There was not a lot to do in Carp for them. ------- I was in the lab when the phone on the wall near my desk rang. I was closest and so grabbed it. "Hello, Keith Patterson." "Keith. This is Jack, what the hell are you doing up there?" I didn't quite know what he was getting at. "What do you mean?" "I just got off the phone with Congressman McCarren. You are sure pushing a person that has connections." I had to laugh. "That wouldn't be Lt. Payne would it? "Keith you know dammed well it is. What is this I hear of you incinerating a report?" "I do not believe that anyone can point their finger at me on that one. I was the one who wrote the report. He signed for it and now you tell me that he said I incinerated it?" "Ok Keith cut the crap. I can hear the humor in your voice. You are toying with this guy and I'm telling you he has an influential family." "I asked Patrick to look up some stuff on the guy." "Yes I know, that is why he called me. He wasn't amused with the incineration story, or at least that is his official statement. I know Payne well. It is best if you let him play Lieutenant and not bother with him." "Do you know what he has done?" "No I don't. Do I need to hear this?" "Yes and then tell me if I should leave him alone." "Ok, what is it?" I told him about what he had done to Robert, twice and why. In the end Jack told me that Payne would need to be dealt with subtly and with a good number of witnesses to take him down. It would not be easy and his parents would try and cover up anything that he had done, using their political ties to do so. I told him I understood where I was and thanked him for his help. It got me thinking of what I could do to counter what Payne was trying to accomplish. The knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. It was Beth Ann. She looked radiant. Passing by Shelly, who gave her an appraising look, she came over to me. "I am done with my classes and wanted to know if you needed any help." I looked at my stack of papers and then looked back at her. "I got straight A's in my statistics class. Sorting numbers is something I do well." I smiled at her and she let out a sigh. I glanced over to Shelly who was highly amused by all of this. "Yes." I said as I looked at Shelly. "It would be great to have some good help around here for a change." Shelly started to get mad. I could see it on her face and then she realized that once again I was pulling her leg. She shook her head at me as well as her finger. "One of these days I will get you back and good." Beth Ann turned around in time to see it and then said, "You did say to me that you had to be careful around him didn't you." At that all three of us started laughing. The next knock on the door was Lt. Payne. Beth Ann opened the door. He looked in, I guess to see if it was safe inside. Brushing past Beth Ann he came over to my desk. "Another person on the payroll," he said eyeing Beth Ann. "A volunteer." "Oh. It seems I need that report that was destroyed. If you could make another one for me I can submit it." He did not try and accuse me of anything and I wasn't ready to attack him. "I'm sure that I can write up another one." He opened his brief case with three forms and two pieces of carbon paper. "I think this will make it easy for you to do the required three for submission." He had obviously gone out of his way. I just wondered how much trouble he was in about that report. I was amused. I took the supplies and said that it would be downstairs tomorrow morning for him to pick up. He got the message and understood that he'd be signing for receiving them again. He looked at me with hard, uncaring eyes, and then turned and walked out. "That guy gives me the creeps." Beth Ann said. "You are right." Shelly said, then turning to Keith she said, "Keith you told me to watch out for him. Now I know why. He is a strange one." ------- Jill fell on the bed, dead tired. "Another hard day honey?" Liz asked. "There is so much to learn. I can't believe how much I don't know." "And how much you do know?" Liz pointed out. Jill smiled. "Yes, and do know. Mrs. Walker is having me help coach the actresses with their parts." "That sound like fun." "Yes, but they are so dense. How can you not see this stuff? Mrs. Walker said it comes naturally to me and it doesn't to others, but really, some of it is just plain common sense." Liz got up from her desk and sat down on the bed, next to Jill. "What looks like common sense to you, is not always so. You have much different experiences from others in this school. They are not going to look at things the way you do." "I guess not." "Would it embarrass you if I stopped by to see what is going on?" "No. You have never embarrassed me." Then she smiled, "well there have been a few times, but I enjoyed them." There was a knock on the door. Liz got up and answered the door. It was Laura. Jill was surprised as she had been with her all afternoon. Laura looked like she was ready to cry. "I can't help tomorrow." Liz wasn't sure what this was all about, but was concerned for the girl and brought her into the room, closing the door behind her. Jill took Laura's hand. "Why not?" "I have another stupid doctors appointment. It is earlier than most and I have to leave during my last period to get there. I hate it." Jill gave the small girl a hug. "I'm sorry." Laura looked up to her friend, tears dropping from her face. Her voice sounding choked up. "I need to go, but I'd much rather be with you." Liz sat back down in her chair at the desk. Laura was a sixth grader and she taught seventh and eighth graders, so she didn't know much about her. "How often do you go?" She asked. "Once a month, sometimes more." Jill was fascinated, "What do they do?" "You know, weigh me, measure my height, and then always take some blood." Liz and Jill looked at each other. Laura wasn't offering a lot of information and they both decided silently that if she wasn't going to say, they weren't going to push her to tell anything. Laura looked at the two of them. "They have me breath into a machine too." She dropped her head and if there had been any other noise in the room they might not have heard her say, "I don't even know what's wrong with me. My dad doesn't want me to know what is wrong with me. I do know that this doctor is the best around." Laura looked at Liz. "That's why I go to this school." Jill was realizing that her friend had something seriously wrong with her and she wanted to cry for her. Liz was realizing that Grace would know, and that information, the good and the bad, was all part of the job. Sue and Betty were the next two to knock. "Jill I have never had so many people at my door until you showed up." She laughed as she said this, as it was not really true. They took a look at Laura. "We thought you might want to see something we found, but I guess you're busy." Sue said. Jill looked at Laura, "You doing anything?" "No." "Can we both go and see?" Betty and Sue turned a light shade of pink. Betty who was standing next to Jill whispered in her ear. "She doesn't know our secret." Jill smiled and said, "Laura can be trusted to see, but not say a word to anyone. Can't you." Laura beamed from the attention and confidence Jill had in her. "I'd never do anything of the sort." Sue and Betty were still a bit apprehensive. Sue sized Laura up. "You're only in forth or maybe fifth grade aren't you." Laura bit her lower lip, ready to burst into tears at any moment. It was Liz who came to Laura's rescue. "Sue, I'm ashamed of you." This took everyone by surprise. "What if she was, didn't you listen to what Jill told you?" Both Sue and Betty were looking sheepish. "To tell the truth, Laura is in sixth grade. She has a medical condition that makes her look so small." At this point Sue and Betty were feeling a bit small themselves. Betty said. "We're sorry. "Yes, please forgive me. I didn't know." "You can come with us if you like." Laura wasn't sure, but Jill said she'd love to go. So off they went. ------- Richard sat in the office the whole morning, once again listen to things his father put in front of him. It didn't make any difference to him that he had nothing to do. He was looking forward to his uncle's visit. He was also happy with the thought that his wife and his mother were home, having a grand time sewing. "Come on Richard. We have a helicopter to meet." Richard smiled. It had been a long time since the last time he had seen his uncle. They made it to the landing pad, a twenty-minute drive, just as the helicopter was making its dissent. It touched down and the rotors started to slow. The door opened and three men got out. From the distance Richard and his father saw three men in business suits, all with similar brief cases. When they got closer it was obvious to Richard, which one was his uncle. "Richard." He called out. "My how you have grown. The last time I saw you, why you were, oh, this high," as he put his hand out to indicate only four feet. They all got into Richard's car. Now he knew why his father wanted him to drive today. They fit very comfortably in the large automobile. Uncle David introduced the two others that he had brought with him, Blake, a geologist and Henry, a lawyer. Blake was the first to start asking questions. He wanted to know the soil formations and the type of testing that was done so far. Richard's depth of knowledge into geological formations was good, but not great. The testing on the other hand, he had down pat. He started to answer when the lawyer started asking questions. Richard noticed that neither his uncle nor father had said a word so far. Richard was smart and quick enough to catch the game. "I think that my attorney should answer those questions." Richard replied. Everyone in the car started laughing. Richard was pulling into the parking lot by this point. "Good answer son. Lets go up to the board room and do some real talking." In the boardroom, one more lawyer was present. Richard's father, Jack said, "Since Richard is my son. I do not want to have a conflict of interest. I have assigned Ken to do the job; I will be in an advisory roll. The first thing Ken did was to pull out a confidentiality agreement. They all signed it, understanding that anything said in that room was private information. The geologist asked the same questions to Richard. This time he had a chance to answer. At the same time Jack had a topographical map of the area laid out on the table. Richard used it to describe the location of the find. The geologist then started to give his opinions based on what Richard had said, and the geography of the land. Basically it looked very promising. It was the lawyer's turns now. Richard started to understand what his father had done for him, having him sit and listen to others coming and going in the office. Richard was able to ask some important and direct questions as to who would be responsible for what. The tentative working relationship was for the Memco Corporation to do extensive core sampling. If the ore was within mining feasibility then they would proceed with talks. If the core samples tuned out unfruitful, the cost of sampling would be split between the two companies. Papers were to be drawn up and signed by the following Monday. Richard took a deep breath as he shook everyone's hands. He was wondering how in the world he would get Keith out here to sign papers. Richard's uncle was staying out until Monday; the other two were driven back to catch the helicopter. As soon as the others left, Richard's father and his uncle slapped him on the back, congratulating him on how he handled himself. "You've turned out to be quite a resourceful young man, Richard. Your father and I are proud of you and for good reason." Son, now that everything is progressing, you need that company structure set up. How fast can your friend Keith come out?" "I don't know. I guess I need to call him and find out." ------- Mildred, Robin, Stephanie, and Daisy were all allowed back into the room after the doctor took off the bandages. Pamela was waiting, waiting for anything as they stood there looking at her. They were quite frankly in awe of the transformation. Although not complete and her next surgery was scheduled for tomorrow, it was incredible. Stephanie was the first to break the silence. "No more boys teasing you," she said with a smile. Mildred had tears in her eyes, "Honey, you look..." She was choked up. "wonderful." Daisy said with a twinkle in her eye, "Now you're going to have a different problem." Pamela looked questioningly at her and her sister finished. "You'll have to chase the boy away from you." Robin added, "It's true. Your prince will be one of them." Pamela had a tear in the corner of her eye. She was the happiest girl in the world at that point. She wished her savior, Keith, would come so she could give him a hug. She also couldn't wait for her father to get back from the bathroom so he could see. Robert's delay was far from anything the happy people in that room would have expected. He was talking to Mildred's doctors who wanted her back in for more tests. It worried him. He assumed that everything would have been done the first time. Deciding he needed to talk to Keith about it he went back to the room. Trying to put on a smile, he told his little girl how wonderful everything looked. It did, but the concern shown through and Pamela wrote on her board asking him what was wrong. Looking at Mildred he told his little girl what the doctors had said. She was unfazed and told him not to worry, it was probably routine. That helped Robert's anxiety and he was able to give Pamela a genuine smile. He and his wife needed to leave for the tests she needed, leaving Robin, Stephanie, and Daisy. A few minutes later Kristin came in. "Wow. You look great Pamela." "Yea she does." "I was going to take Robin away, Daisy you might want to come too. If it's ok with you Pamela." 'Where are you taking them?' Pamela wrote on her pad. "To one of my classes. It's a lecture class with a lot of people. So no one would even know you were there." "What's the class?" Robin asked, getting suspicious. Kristin had a smile on her face. "Human Sexuality." "I guess I can't go too." Stephanie said. They chuckled. "No honey, but I think you know enough already." Kristin said. Stephanie blushed. Robin and Daisy were very interested and couldn't wait to get there. That left Stephanie alone with Pamela. Stephanie looked at Pamela and started to smile. "Are you getting a bit sleepy? Maybe I should shut the door and help relax you." Pamela's eyes lit up. Stephanie closed the door, turned off the lights, and came back sitting on the end on the bed. She slipped her hand under the sheet. Pamela's knees went up, giving Stephanie access. She trailed her fingers up along her leg. As Stephanie came to the edge of her panties, Pamela shuddered. The door opened as Pamela had her eyes shut. The nurse leaned her head in. Stephanie held her hand in place and softly said, "She's falling asleep." The nurse nodded and closed the door. Stephanie went back to work, slipping her fingers under the waistband and across the front of Pamela's hairless crotch and into her slit. Pamela was making mewing noises and opened her legs wider for Stephanie. She pulled her finger out making Pamela open her eyes and look up. She saw was Stephanie reach her other hand under and they pulled Pamela's panties off of her. Then Stephanie pulled both hands out from under the sheets. With the one hand she started licking her middle finger, sliding it in and out of her mouth. Pamela couldn't wait as Stephanie slid her fingers back under the sheets. She was lifting her hips up and wiggling anticipating the contact. Stephanie gauged and then cupped Pamela's little mound. Pamela arched her back as Stephanie's slick finger slid between her folds and started to penetrate her small hole. Stephanie hadn't reached Pamela's cherry when her finger felt as though it were being pushed out. Pamela stiffened and let out a high pitched, but soft, moan. Stephanie looked up at Pamela. She had pulled the pillow in front of her face and was screaming into it. Pamela's body went limp. Stephanie was surprised how fast Pamela went off, she started to caress her thighs, but got no response. Worried something might have happened; Stephanie pulled her hand out, reached up and moved the pillow aside. Pamela was sound asleep. ------- Jimmy and Brian felt like they were at the right place at the right time. The two men who were rebuilding the back porch on the mansion wanted a measurement of one of the stone footings and that required crawling under the house. The boys volunteered to do the job. They knew they were not to get too dirty but now they could claim it was in the line of duty. Once under the measurement was simple, but they weren't ready to come out. From the back of the house they could see the front stairs, the other side. There sight was blocked by two solid structures in the center, one toward the back. It looked to be maybe six feet square. The other was closer to the front and was interesting as it had a jog in an out at several points. The boys shimmied over to it. As they got closer they were able to get a better idea of the size. It looked to be maybe ten feet at its widest area and maybe twenty feet long. What really interested the boys was that they hadn't seen any stairs going down. Maybe they had missed them. Trying to judge the distance in from the sides they crawled back out. Once they were standing up, Millie spotted them. "You boys are filthy. Don't you dare set foot in that house. In fact you might as well start back, there's a wagon going back in a few. Then you need to hose off outside, peel your clothes off and take a good bath. They were ready for another adventure and were stopped flat out. There was nothing to do but get on the wagon and go back into town, but as they went, they plotted their next move. Dora had gathered everyone before they had started to leave, to tell them of the furniture arrival date. A few groaned at how soon it would be there, but when they heard that movers would set the furniture, everyone was grateful. She mentioned Jacks idea of a party after the furniture was in. All agreed it that this was a splendid idea. ------- Richard was glad to be able to catch me at the lab. When Richard told me of the deadlines, I knew of only one way to get there, fly. From Richard's description of his uncle's arrival, I wondered if a helicopter was a possibility. From the financial risk they were taking, they knew that Jack would need to be in on the whole deal. If it fell though, Richard and I didn't have the half that Memco would want. That would probably mean Jack would need to sign papers also and he was in Carp. I told Richard I would call and set up something. Both Shelly and Beth Ann were looking at me as I placed the receiver down. "Just a little business." I said. Shelly snorted. "Little indeed. My late husband tried unsuccessfully to deal with Memco. They are huge. Nothing is little with them and signing papers is no small feat." I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. "If you have the right connections it all works out." Shelly rolled her eyes. "I think it's time to call it a day. Besides I need to see Pamela. She was to get her bandages off today." "Really? She's all done?" Beth Ann asked. "They are off, but she has one more surgery. Do you want to come and see?" "Sure I'd love to." Beth Ann replied. Then she looked over to Shelly. "He knew not to ask me. I have obligations many nights, so I'm tied up." "That must be a sight. I would love to see that." I let slip out. Both shelly and Beth Ann turned a bit red. I quickly said, "do you need anything from us before we go." "No." Shelly said. "Get out before you say another word." When the door closed Berth Ann said, "Do you think she does anything like that?" I laughed. "I wouldn't put it past her. She looks prim and proper sometimes, but if someone did the things I did for you last night to her, I bet she'd howl too." Beth Ann started walking briskly and when I caught up to her, her face was still bright red. "Sorry." I said. "I didn't mean to embarrass you so much. I though you had a good time." "Keith," She said and suddenly stopped. "I've never felt like that before. It was... well for me it was love. Damn it," Stomping her foot. "I now know what you sister was talking about." I was a bit confused, "What was she talking about?" Beth Ann pulled in her bottom lip and she crinkled up her face. She was silent for a moment and then said, "Being in love with you." I swallowed hard. "Come on, let's go see Pamela." Beth Ann got a worried look on her face. As we walked I tried to think of things to say. "Beth Ann, I love you too. You know I'm married though." I looked over at her. Her face relaxed, "Yes, Robin told me she would never let you go." I let out a laugh. "She also said she wouldn't mind sharing you with me. I don't understand it really, but I'm grateful she will." That was the end of our conversation as we were passing by others and then at the hospital. ------- Kristin was coming out of the hospital door as we were coming in. She took one look at me, her face burning red. "Your wife!" she said in an outraged voice. "What?" I said not having a clue as to what had transpired. Kristin pulled us off to the side. "I took her and Daisy to one of my classes. She embarrassed me so much. I took them out before I was asked by the professor." I couldn't imagine. "What class was it?" Kristin started to turn red again said, "Human Sexuality." I started laughing so much I couldn't stop. I could tell Kristin wasn't amused and Beth Ann was trying hard not to smile, let alone laugh. "You should have known better." I finally got out. "What did she do?" Kristin was trying to be composed, although it was very hard. "The lecture was on making your partner have more intimate feelings for you." I looked over to Beth Ann and she was starting to blush. Kristin went on, "He then outlined two ways that he was going to lecture on, one for females and one for males. He started with cunnilingus, and was being rather clinical about it, but explained how it made a woman feel cared for in a special way." Kristin looked over to me and I rolled my eyes. "Ok, so what did she do?" "She was on the other side of Daisy and stood up, I couldn't pull her down. Then she said that her husband did a much better job than what he was explaining, but he was right. It always made her feel loved in a very special way." This time Beth Ann couldn't hold back and both of us were laughing. Even Kristin started to. "I had to pull both of them out and fast before anyone found out who they were. Everyone in the lecture hall was laughing. I was glad they had back doors to that place." When my laughter died down, I said, "I know it must have been embarrassing, but you've got to admit it was funny." She looked perturbed at me. "So where is my little vixen now?" "Up in Pamela's room." I couldn't help but laugh again, but at the same time I gave Kristin a hug. "I know the most embarrassing thing is that you will have to face those classmates again, but just remember you don't have much school left." "I know." Kristin said, resigned to the idea. "Also remember that Robin is going to be in my and your life a lot longer than any of the people in that class." "You have a way of putting things in perspective. You know how that bugs me." She said, and then smiled. "Tomorrow I will be laughing about it, I hope." "I'm sure you will." Beth Ann said and then gave her a hug too. "I want to go up and see Pamela, how does she look?" Kristin smiled, "Great, go on." We went up. ------- Laura didn't understand why Sue and Betty were being so sneaky as they walked from the main area of the school. "It is so no one will follow us." Jill said to her understanding the look she had on her face. "Why?" Jill smiled, "You'll see." Behind one of the supply sheds for the new construction of the cafeteria was a pile of discarded wood. Betty said, "We overheard one of the construction men say that they would have a clean up crew come in and haul everything away after the completion of the project." Jill looked as perplexed as Laura about that. Sue said. "That will be after the school year is over, so this is ours." "A pile of junk?" Laura said looking at the discarded wood. "Doesn't look like much does it?" Betty said pleased with their find. Then motioning us over to the far end, she said, "Come on." They watched as Sue ducked into a small hole between the wall and the boards. Then Betty followed. I pushed Laura and although hesitant, was curious. After she went, Jill climbed in. "This is nice." Jill said as her eyes adjusted. "Yes and it is all ours. The other places were always taken. It was hard to get in." "What other places? What are you going to do in here?" Laura asked. She knew it was something special the way they were talking, but she didn't know what. "Laura, Betty and Sue are special friends." Jill said. Laura's eyes got wide. "You, I mean, they do... no, I don't think so. Girls don't do that, do they?" "Laura, you do remember that you said you would never say a word." "Of course not," she said indignantly. "Then come on." Jill said. Betty and Sue looked at Jill. "Where are we going?" Laura asked as she was being pulled from this hidden spot. "To answer your question," Jill replied. The four girls walked quietly, Jill leading the way. They ended at the edge of a ridge. "What is this?" Sue asked. "I'm good at geography. This place we're going to see in a second had one flaw in it, but I don't think anyone else has really noticed." She led them around a large rock. When Sue and Betty peered around they put their hand over their mouths to suppress a gasp. Across, not more than thirty feet away, across the open area was the trees in the center of the thorn bushes. Laura looked too. She said in a whisper, "I've seen that place, It looks great if you could get inside." She noticed the other girls smiling. "We will keep an eye out." Betty who was feeling better about Laura being there said, "See that little piece of cloth?" Laura looked and finely spotted it. "Yes." Sue took out theirs. Laura looked at it as though Sue had done some magic trick. "These are given to those who need to use places like this." Jill said suddenly, "Look." They watched as a girl swung out of the center, then tossed the rope back in. A second girl swung out, took the cloth and tied up the rope. The two girls, one looked like an eighth grader while the other maybe a sixth, straightened their clothing, looked around and gave each other a little kiss and went their separate ways. Laura was looking at Jill. Sue was looking at Betty and two conversations erupted at once. "It's free. I've always wanted to." Betty said. "They weren't, were they?" Laura said. "I don't think they would mind if we left them." Sue said. "Yes they were and there are more. This is an all girls school remember, Laura." Jill said. "We had better go now then, before someone else takes it." Betty said in anticipation. "But with another girl?" Laura said quietly to Jill. "I agree, lets go." Sue said and got up. "It is not as strange as you might think." Jill said. "Bye." Sue and Betty said, walking down the slope. Laura and Jill watched Betty and Sue swing into the center. The cloth outside as the other had been. "Come on, let's go back. They will probably be a while." They were half way back before Laura broke the silence. "Do you want to do that with me?" It was a question filled with emotion not thought out. Jill had anticipated the question and had spent the time while Laura was gaining courage to ask, to think of the answer. "Laura, I think that Sue and Betty love each other. It may be a passing thing, it may be a long-term thing, it is hard to say. They are exploring each other and themselves. I don't think it is bad, but it is not for someone to push onto someone else." Jill could see Laura's brow wrinkle as she thought about what Jill had just said. As they got closer Laura said. "I don't think you answered my question." Jill laughed and was about to say something when a group of girls came running towards them. They were playing some sort of game and Jill and Laura had walked into it. Jill was relieved that it ended their conversation. ------- Robin and Daisy had opened the door quietly, as it was shut, to see Pamela asleep on her bed and Pamela curled up at the end of the bed, also asleep. Pamela had turned and looked at the two. She straightened her legs, pushing into Stephanie who woke. "What was the class like?" Stephanie said, suddenly excited to see them. She jumped off the bed and flipped the light on, causing everyone to squint and blink their eyes. Robin looked around the ceiling and Daisy looked at the floor. Pamela grabbed her pad and wrote, 'must be good.' Robin finally said, "We had to leave." Stephanie frowned, Pamela wrote, 'to bad.' That was the end of questioning and Robin was glad. She had suddenly felt like a little child doing something bad. Everyone had laughed at what she had said. Kristin, red with embarrassment had pulled them out. It was not a highlight in her life. Daisy was not the guilty party and so was not feeling bad like Robin. She walked around the bed as something on the floor had caught her eye. Beth Ann and I had just opened the door when Daisy had picked up a pair of Pamela's panties off the floor. We heard her say, "How did these get here?" We left the door open. After a brief explanation from an equally red Stephanie, we had a good laugh. Beth Ann told Pamela how good she looked. Then Pamela wrote on her pad. 'want to give hug to my hero.' I was touched. I leaned down and Pamela wrapped her arms around me, hugging me for dear life. I felt someone shoving something into my back pocket. When I stood back up, Robert and Mildred were also in the room. Mildred saw Pamela's note pad and pointing to it, she said, "you know, you are all that and more to her." I was choked up, but said, "I think she is very special too." Beth Ann, Robin, and Stephanie left with me, leaving Mildred, Robert, Daisy, and Pamela to talk. As I walked down the hall, I reached back and pulled what had been shoved into my pocket. It was Pamela's panties. I looked at Robin, but she shook her head no, but started to laugh at the idea. It had to have been Daisy. I need to get home and make a phone call. That prompted a talk with Robin about the trip as we walked back. Beth Ann and Stephanie just listened with interest. ------- Jack pulled Cynthia and Rebecca into the Jeep. "Let's take a ride," he said. They climbed in and he drove back out to the mansion. A few people were still there getting ready to take the last wagon back into town. "Dora, I'm glad to have caught you." Jack said. "I was hopping to get that tour. I thought it would be good to have Cynthia and Rebecca see it also." Dora looked around, "I'd like to, but Jimmy is already in town and I need to fix him dinner." Millie, who was standing by said, "Don't worry about Jimmy, I'm sure he's still with Brian. In fact they are probably now just bathing. He can eat with us. Just come and get him later." "Thanks Millie." Dora said, but there wasn't the enthusiasm there should have been in her voice. Quite frankly, after the last time she was alone with these three she had left horny and frustrated. Everyone else got into the wagon and pulled away. Cynthia and Rebecca were standing by themselves staring at the mansion. Jack and Dora walked over to them. "I don't remember it looking at all like this." Rebecca said. Dora smiled. "There has been a lot of hard work put into this place." "It shows," Rebecca said, impressed at the difference. "This thing is a monster, what is the history of this place?" Cynthia said. Dora who had been hearing everything from the older people working told them the history of the Birk's, their silver conquests to their sudden disappearance. "That is quite a tale," Jack remarked as Dora opened the massive front doors. They weren't all inside when Jack heard the radio on the Jeep. He ran across the porch, down the steps across the path and through the iron gate to get to the radio. The three gals watched from the doorway as he talked. He finished, turned towards them and shouted, "I got a call from Keith. I need to go back in and talk to him. As soon as I'm done, I'll come back out." "OK" Cynthia shouted back. They watched him drive off, and then Dora went back to describing the foyer. They toured the downstairs, seeing the ladies sitting room, the men's parlor, the library, the dining room, and the large kitchen. Two maids quarters were off the side of the kitchen, but what surprised them the most was a bathroom. "This was a very modern house at the time. There is a bathroom on each of the floors. The Birk's spared no expense building this place. They had an architect from the northeast design it. It is the reason there were radiator outlets originally plumbed into the place. Their holes have now been covered. Of course there was no boiler installed, as though we would need heat. Also did you notice how thick the outside walls were? A little over twelve inches thick! They did that in the snow country. It does give this house the benefit of insulating in the summer against the heat, but we are sure that is not what the architect had in mind." They took the stairs in the back of the mansion to the second floor, originally used for the servants were much smaller and steeper. They ascended the steps, noting that the woodwork here was painted and not stained as the front opulent staircase was. Cynthia asked innocently enough, "Which bedroom is going to be yours?" Then she added with a smile, "or do you need one." "I don't know yet." Cynthia wasn't sure which answer Dora had answered, instead of being sensitive to the idea that Dora may not know quite where she stood, she was about to probe further when Dora asked a much more interesting question. Dora had been dreading any questions like what Cynthia had just asked and now she wanted to change the subject. The subject was something she had been very curious about. "Where did you get the bra and panties Rebecca was wearing?" Cynthia laughed, "You liked them?" "Yes, I think Richard would be all over me if he undressed me and I had something like that on." "It does have an effect on people, male and female, doesn't it Rebecca?" "Yes it does. Better than anything else I've ever done." Rebecca answered simply. Dora saw that her nipples were hard under her blouse. "Yes she has another set on today, if you were wondering." Cynthia said as she watched Dora look long and hard at Rebecca. "Show Dora what these ones look like." Right there in the second floor hallway, Rebecca undid and dropped her blouse and then her skirt. Dora couldn't react to the sensation that swept over her. She didn't care that she would fill the air with her powerful scent. The image was captivating. The straps and outlying support of the bra were black with the inner fabric an almost flesh color. Around the nipple cut outs was black lace. The panties were similar with the top waistband in black, the small pieces of fabric in the flesh colored fabric and the center opening framed in the thin black lace. "Oh how I'd love to try something like that on." Dora said. Cynthia looked Dora up and down, "Why not, you're about the same size. I bet it would fit." Rebecca without being asked took the two small garments off and handed them to Dora. Dora couldn't contain herself; she didn't think that Jack might show up at any time, she didn't think that her scent would fill the second floor as soon as she disrobed. All she thought about was that she wanted those little things on. Dora removed her clothes almost as fast as Rebecca had. Cynthia appraised her body and made mental comparisons with Rebecca. Both had nice firm breasts, Dora's stomach was a bit flatter. Rebecca had slightly wider, shapelier hips, but her legs were slightly fuller than Dora's. Dora noticed her glances and smiled nervously. She slid the panties on, dampening the material as it touched her inner thigh. The panties were a trick to get centered right and she had to admit that Rebecca who was clean-shaven looked better that way. The bra was no problem; her nipples were already standing out, giving direction as to placement. As Dora turned, facing the other two, Rebecca fell to her knees in front of her. "This is twisted, I will fix it." Rebecca said and reached for Dora's crotch. Cynthia was as surprised as Dora. Rebecca took a deep breath, inhaling Dora's scent, and slid her fingers between Dora's legs. As soon as her hand was in position, she forgot about any pretence of why she was there and her finger slid into Dora's wet, slick lips. Dora jumped slightly and took a sharp breath in. Then watched wide-eyed as Rebecca took that finger and licked it off, moaning. "It is as good as it smells." ------- Jack roared down the path. His thoughts were a call from Keith probably meant trouble with Lt. Payne. The townspeople were surprised to see him roll though town at a speed that kicked up a good bit of dust and frightened a few of the horses tied up. He pulled in front of the communications rail car and rushed in. "I saw you coming and have him on the line now sir." "Good job. Thank you." Jack replied, and then a thought crossed his mind. "Why don't you take a break? Stretch your legs." "Yes sir, good idea." "Keith what is the problem?" Keith laughed. "Not really a problem, but we need to talk. Are you alone?" The laugh relieved a lot of Jack's tension, now he was very curious. "I'm alone. So what is this all about? "Richard talked with his uncle, a geologist, and a lawyer from Memco." Jack's attention stood at full attention. "Memco the mining corporation?" "Yes, that one. They are interested and want to jump on this as soon as possible. In fact they want papers signed by Monday." "Monday, shit Keith. How is that going to happen? Keith was already ahead of that thought. "Do you think that you could make a trip to Fort Collins? Maybe on the way out there you could stop by here and see how progress is going on the reasurch that I am doing?" "I'm glad you're on our side Keith. The way your mind works is scary. I will make a few calls and see what I can pull off. I have a question though. Why don't you just go? I know I want to be a part of this, but isn't this above where I would be?" "Good question. Here is the deal. Memco is going to come in a and do the core sampling. If the levels are fesible, we go to part two of the negosiations. If they fall short and mining the ore isn't cost effective, then they want half of the cost of the sampling." "That would be a fair chunk. Did they say how much?" "I think they gave a rough estimate. Richard and I don't have all of that. This is where you can buy in. The risk is there and you will know going in what it is and what you are gambling. You will also know what you have to gain if it works. That's why Richard and I want you there." Jack was floored. He had never taken this kind of risk before. He had a lot to loose and probably a lot to gain. "I'd like to know as much as I can. I will find a way to get us there. I just need to make a few calls to arrange it." "I knew you would be the right man for the job." Keith said tongue in cheek. "Thanks for the confidence," Jack retorted. They hung up after a few more jabs at each other. Jack was torn between wanting to get back out to the mansion, where three beautiful women were, and his need to get some calls made and this ball rolling. He let his dick take second place and he made the calls. ------- Cynthia, Rebecca, and Dora were happily tired out. All three had come back to reality after the multiple orgasms they had given each other. Dora jumped when she heard Rebecca say, "That must be Jack's Jeep coming back." "Oh I'd better get dressed. Dora said, trying to assemble her clothes. "Why bother. I'm sure Jack would love to see you." Cynthia said. "I'm sure he would, but I belong to Richard and his family. It wouldn't be right for me to do that without his permission." "What about us then?" Rebecca said. "That is different somehow. Don't ask me how, but I know Richard wouldn't care." Then turning to Cynthia, Dora said, "Would Jack think it was alright if you undressed for another man without him there?" "I see your point." Then Cynthia got a gleam in her eye. "Why don't you keep the underwear? They looked very good on you." "Could I?" "Yes. Rebecca and I have several sets." Dora quickly dressed, the other two just had their panties and bras on when Jack came in the door. Cynthia moved to the top of the stairs. Her undergarments matched the ones Dora was now wearing. She placed one leg up on the handrail and called, "up here big boy." Jack who had started to look into the other rooms started to run up the stairs. He stopped midway up when he caught sight of his wife. Her crotchless panties were made for such a pose. Spread wide like she was, Jack was looking into her wet open slit. His mouth dropped open and his tongue might as well have been hanging out it looked like he was drooling. "Sorry dear, you missed all the fun." She said to him. Dora and Rebecca were giggling at his silly expression. As well as the sight he was beholding, Jack caught the smell. It was a lot stronger than usual. He continued up the stairs. Then he remembered the little scene in his office. I had to have been Dora. He looked at Dora, who was dressed and then to Rebecca, she didn't have the same undergarments on as she had this morning. Cynthia knew what he was thinking. She talked over to him, wrapped her arms around him and then whispered in his ear. "Dora traded with her. Can you imagine what they look like on Dora? She looks as good as Rebecca up close." Jack was going crazy, his half naked wife, wrapped around him, whispering in his ear, telling him things that he his mind had imagined. He moaned and grabbed her ass. Cynthia pulled herself up and was being supported by her arms around his neck and his hands on her ass. She tilted her pelvis and ground her mound into him. He almost fell over with ecstasy and had to let go of Cynthia. As she dropped to the floor, all eyes were on Jack's crotch. It had a whitish layer of slime right where a prominent raise in his pants were. "Jack you missed the first and second floor tour, it is time to go to the third floor." Dora said. She saw his eyes and was concerned that things would get further out of hand. She was really concerned that she wouldn't be able to stop herself and she didn't want to ruin anything that she already had, so she decided that a diversion was needed. "Third floor?" Jack said, coming out of his fog and back to reality. Where is the staircase?" Cynthia said, looking around. "From what I understand the third floor was used as servants quarters, so it is connected by that back stairwell we took here." She showed them back to the stairs in the back of the house and they went up to the next level. Dora continued, "Do you see the molding? It is the same as in the second floor." "Yes, so is that special?" Rebecca asked. "It would in the area that these houses were built. It told the servants that the owner of the house thought enough of the hired help to use the same grade materials for their living quarters as the rest of the household had. In towns where servants worked in houses like these, the first thing they would request to see on a job interview was their living quarters. What they really wanted to see was the molding. It told them if they wanted to work in that house or not." Jack shook his head. "Dora, where on earth did you find out all of this information?" Dora smiled. "It was told to me by my grandfather. He worked as a servant in a house like this in New York. It is where he met his wife, my grandmother." The bedrooms were considerably smaller, yet the floor did have a full bathroom. At the end of the house was a large sunroom. You could see out on three sides and the view of the small valley was breathtaking. "I think it's time to head back." Cynthia said. She looked over to Dora and winked. "Already? I just got here." Jack exclaimed. "Yes dear," Cynthia said. Then she whispered into his ear. He looked at her, "Yes you are right. Let's go." Dora was escorted into the back seat, sitting next to Cynthia. Dora was surprised that Rebecca had the front seat next to Jack. As they started down the path, Cynthia told Dora about this same sitting arrangement, but Keith was sitting where Dora was. Rebecca whipped her head around. "Now dear," Cynthia said to Rebecca. "Sit back straight and open your leg, just like you did on that trip." Dora watched, as Rebecca turned red, but also turned around. She was aware that Jack was picking up speed. She watched Rebecca slowly close her eyes and open her leg towards the outside of the Jeep. The wind caught and her dress pulled up, revealing her, well what were Dora's panties. Cynthia was laughing at Dora's expression. "You should have seen it the first time. All she had on was a paper gown. And I do mean that was all she had on. Instead of just flipping up, it ripped right off of her." "Oh God." Dora said. Cynthia was still laughing, "The piece landed right in Keith's face and then flew off landing on the road." As they came closer to town, Jack slowed down. "Make yourself presentable." He said to Rebecca, who pulled down and straightened her dress. They dropped Dora off at Millie's and proceeded to the hotel, laughing as they drove off. ------- As soon as Jill was back in the room Liz had the question Jill knew was coming. "Well my darling, now that you have introduced Laura, the girl who is obsessed with you into the possibilities of something new, what did she think?" "You have a nice way of saying what I did to the poor girl." "I take it something happened? Not to bad I hope." "Oh no. Sue and Betty found a new place. Apparently there are more pieces of cloth than places to go." Jill said. Liz raised her eyebrows. "They were having a hard time finding anything unoccupied. So they stumbled upon this new place." "I do hope it is as safe as the others." Jill smiled. "I think so. They didn't want to share it with others, but needed to share the discovery with someone. Well Laura had to be pretty much told what it was for. The hints didn't do it." "She is only in sixth grade and rather sheltered." "I guess so. I didn't think about that. She had a hard time believing that anyone else did such a thing." Liz could tell there was more. "And." "And so I took her to see the tree in the thorns." Liz looked surprised. "There is a place you can see the tree and marker." "So there was another marker there I guess." "Yes and then we watched two girls leave. Laura had to believe then." Jill laughed. "Then Betty and Sue got so excited, because they had never been able to go there, that they left us and we watched them go in." "Well I guess that did it." "Kind of." Jill said with some apprehension in her voice. "Kind of?" "On the way back Laura ask if I wanted to do that with her." Liz looked at Jill and noticed her nipples were pushing at her blouse. "I already know the answer, but what did you tell her?" "You do?" Jill asked. Liz smiled and pointed to Jill's nipples. ------- The early morning call to me about the surgery was not the same shock as it had been the first time. I was much more prepared. Expecting the call I had a good nights sleep, much to the disappointment of Robin and Daisy who were ready to go all night long. When I reached the hospital I knew were to go this time, and was in scrubs in no time flat. The benefit of that was that I was able to see the patient before she went under. "Pamela, it's me, Keith." She looked almost glassy eyed at me. I knew I needed to identify myself, as the bunny suit I was wearing with a facemask would conceal who I was. She had the board by her side and grabbed it, writing, 'thanks.' I gave her a hug. "I'll be there for you," I whispered in her ear. The operation went better than expected. It was fascinating to see the precision of the cuts and stitching inside to reduce ugly lines on her face. I popped my head in to the waiting room, pulled off my mask and said, "It was perfect." After a bit of talk about what they did, I went to change. It had been a great morning so far. I bounced up the stairs two at a time getting to my work and stopped at the top, seeing two people talking to Shelly. She saw me and waved me over. They turned and I recognized one of them as Mildred's doctor. My heart went into my throat. "Keith Paterson." "Yes." "We have met I do believe." "You are Mildred's doctor." I said realizing I was shaking. "It's not good is it?" "We ran some additional tests yesterday." "Yes I know. Tell me what is going on, what have you found?" "Unfortunately nothing." The words stunned me. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. "Nothing?" "I should rephrase that. We know there is something wrong. Every indication says so. What it is," he sighed, "we're not sure of. Is it possible that it could be some type of new virus from the chemicals?" Now I knew why they were here, "No. I don't believe so." "We were hoping you would say that. It also means that we have exhausted our abilities of what we can do. We are not really set up to take on someone like Mildred." I felt myself getting choked up again. "So what is the prognosis?" "Keith, I'll be frank with you. It doesn't look good. We know that whatever is going on in her body is very harmful. What it is, we're not sure and without knowing, we can't treat the problem and help her. She will be sent down to the Long Beach Naval Hospital. I have several friends there that I have contacted and they know she is coming." "When is she leaving? You know her daughter just got out of surgery?" "The transport will be arriving tomorrow. I checked with Doctor Smithers just before we came over, her daughter would not be ready to go with her. She needs to stay here." I looked at the two and new what they were not asking. "You would like me to talk to the family?" "Yes, It would be so kind if you could." "Give me the particulars." The door had been left open and I was sure that Shelly had heard, well better put, was listening to the whole conversation. I came in, shutting the door and sat down heavily into my chair. She came over to me, putting her arms around my neck. "One of the hardest things to do in you life. I would guess." I laughed, even though my eyes were watering. It surprised Shelly that I had laughed and she pulled away from me. I turned the chair around. "Yes you are right. I just thought of something I had done that I had considered being much harder and this put things into perspective. I think I'd better go soon. By the way what are we doing today?" Shelly looked at me. She knew by the question that my head wasn't all there. I always knew what we were doing. "Running a few more tests on the first batch. Get out of here. I'll take care of things until you get back." "Thanks." I said and left. I didn't even notice Lt. Payne coming up the stairs as I went down. I realized later he must have seen me; he might have even said something to me. I never heard him. Everyone was still at the hospital. I walked up to the room hearing them laugh, their voices filled with joy. I felt the weight of what I needed to tell them on me. The closer I got, the worse I felt. Robin popped her head out the door and saw me. She took a double take. I should not have been there. As she looked into my eyes, she came out the door and ran to me giving me a hug. "What's wrong?" She asked. "I need to talk to Robert and Mildred." I said. Robin got a horrified look on her face, "What's wrong with Pamela?" I shook my head, "Not Pamela, its Mildred." Robin dropped her hands away from me and ran back into the room leaving me in the hall. I started walking again when Robert and Mildred came out, Robin guiding them. "What's this all about?" Robert asked. "Robin said you needed to talk to us urgently." I swallowed hard. "I talked to the doctors." They looked at each other. "Your doctors Mildred. Those tests yesterday didn't help them. They know something is wrong, but don't know what." "Shit, damned those tests." Robert said. "Robert!" Mildred said. "Robert." I said, knowing he needed to hear this more than Mildred. "There is something wrong." He looked straight at me for the first time in the hall and saw how distraught I was. "They have scheduled a transport to take Mildred to one of the best hospitals on the west coast." "Where is it?" Robert asked with a weak voice. "In Long Beach California. I know you will want to go, but I was also told that Pamela can't be moved. She will have to stay here." "What are we going to do?" Mildred said sounding very pale. "We are going to talk with Doctor Smithers. He will have some answers I would imagine." "I need to tell Daisy." Mildred said. "I'll go and get her," Robin said. I think she was having a hard time dealing with all of this herself and was wondering why she followed them out in the first place. Daisy came out with a bewildered look on her face. I said, "Let's take a walk." ------- Chapter 32 The word that struck its ugly head into our already difficult talk was survivability. There was no question of whether there was something wrong. It was to what extent the problem had developed. Doctor Smithers was not beating around the bush. It was one of the reasons I went to him, it was also why I was feeling the way I was, nauseous. Mildred, for all it was worth, was taking everything well. Robert was a basket case and Daisy wasn't far behind. I was the one who there to help them keep focused. I wasn't sure how good a job I was doing. "I know this is all sudden and in the best of situations this wouldn't happen. You need to face reality; we cannot make you better if we have no idea what the problem is. You will be going to Long Beach and your daughter, Pamela, has to stay here." Doctor Smithers said for the second time. "There are a few questions that need to be answered." "Whether I'm going with her?" Robert asked pitifully. "No, you need to be with your wife. That is not a question." Doctor Smithers answered. "The first question is your older daughter." Daisy looked surprised. Then the doctor said, "Is she going with you or staying here?" They looked at each other. Daisy spoke. "I think it would be best to stay here, don't you think? I'm a family member, isn't that important for me at least to be with my sister?" "Yes it is for moral support, unfortunately you are not old enough to be her guardian. That brings us to the other question. Where is there a guardian we can bring in for Pamela?" Robert and Mildred looked blankly at each other. I thought they didn't understand the question. "You know, and aunt, uncle, grandparent?" I said. "There is none." Robert said. "I was an only child to older parents. They have passed on. Mildred had a brother who was killed in the war. Her parents took it very hard. They were not themselves after that." He looked over to Mildred. "She lost both of them when he got his buggy stuck on the train tracks." I sunk my face into my hands. What this family has faced. Why did I ever stick my nose into it? It would have been better that Mildred never knew something was really wrong with her. There was a tap on my shoulder. I looked up to see Daisy. "Could you do it Keith?" I shook my head no. "Yes could you?" It was Mildred who said that. I was petrified. "No." I got out surprising everyone including myself at how strange it sounded. "I think that would be a good choice." Doctor Smithers said. "Unless you have any objections Keith?" I looked down at the floor. "I'm not worthy of that." Tears dropping from my eyes. "It is precisely the feelings you have for this family and that little girl that makes you a perfect choice. There will be paperwork to fill out and it needs to be formalized by a judge. My department has the paperwork somewhere and I'll have them dig it up. In the meantime I'll make a few calls and get a judge to look over everything and make it legal." We all looked at him, the speed at which he moved things along was incredible. As if reading our thoughts, he said. "It is all who you know. Keith I think you should understand that." I did, I guess it was strange to see it being done by someone else. I numbly shook my head. I was supposed to be the strong one in this situation. I think I could have been, but it had caught me so off guard that my rational thinking wasn't working right then. As we walked out of the office, Mildred held my arm and looked into my eyes, asking me, "Can you talk to Pamela? Can you tell her what is going on? I don't think I can do it." There was a pleading in her eyes and as much as I wanted to say no, I couldn't have. "She loves you, you know," she said as I bowed my head in acceptance. "I am so sorry," I said. "I wish..." It was Robert who surprised me by saying, "Keith you have helped our daughter become as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside. Anything else we will get through." I could tell he was saying things he felt inside and I appreciated that he could express himself. I knew from experience that all of them were not dealing with the full reality of the situation yet. I noticed that Robert and Mildred were holding on to one another as we walked down the path. "Daisy," I said. "I'd like you to come with me when I talk to your sister." She didn't say anything, but nodded her head. We split in the road and Daisy gave hugs to her parents. We went to the hospital. ------- Jill arrived at the theater and Laura was standing at the door with a smile on her face. "I thought that you needed to go to the doctors." "They changed the time, I don't go until the middle of next period." Laura said practically dancing for joy. "Great, come on, or we'll be late." It was another busy day of Jill helping the actresses with feeling their parts and she had little time to talk with Laura. But subtle communication was going on, as Laura was her assistant to show the others how to do it. The drama teacher, Mrs. Walker, sat back in the auditorium and watched the whole show go on. "Now what is going on here?" Jill said. They had become accustom to that line from her and what she expected in return. "He has become bold enough to tell her how he feels about her." Dorothy said "Good," she exclaimed, "and what does she do about it?" "She doesn't do anything, she doesn't say a word." Susan said. "Right, why?" Jill asked. Susan pondered that. "I'm not sure." "That is ok, but you need to understand to be able to play the part." "Yes I know, so what is it?" Susan asked. Both Dorothy and Susan, who were sisters, had begun to respect Jill in her abilities. They had been some of the ones who had snickered at the stables when she talked about her hometown. They had laughed and carried on the rumor about Jill needing her mommy Liz. They had also come to realize the depth of Jill's knowledge and instead of trying to take the parts away from them, were helping them become better. Even little Laura had grown up in their eyes. Little did they know how much this experience was maturing both of them. Jill was patient in explaining. She had started to understand that her outlook was a gift and not everyone had it. "Have you ever had someone say something to you that brought up feelings you didn't know you had? Those feelings might have embarrassed you and you didn't know what to do about them?" "I'm not sure, like what?" Jill smiled. "How about when you are having your seventh birthday and a boy comes up and gives you a little kiss. You have just been taking with your friends about how boys are so gross, but that kiss was out of the blue, and it didn't feel so gross. You don't know what to do with the confusion you felt inside you." "I understand now." Laura said, which surprised everyone. Then she realized what she had been thinking and had she said out loud. Her face turned red and she lowered her eyes hoping the others would not understand. Jill quickly brought them back. "Does that make it clearer Susan?" "Yes I think so." Her eyes lit up and she said, "She is starting to realize she might have feelings for him too. But she's been playing the part that she doesn't care and she doesn't know how to change that without looking like a fool." "You got it!" Jill said as she clapped her hands together and brought a bright smile to her face. Susan and Dorothy looked at each other. Dorothy said, "Can you and Laura play the parts so we can see what you would do?" It was the first time they had asked. Usually Jill had resorted to doing that when all else failed. Now after Laura's embarrassing outburst they asked. "Ok. But I don't want to make this a habit. You two need to find out how to feel the parts for yourself, not be shown." Jill took up her script, although she hardly looked at it at this point, she had memorized the entire play. Laura had to and didn't even pretend to read the script. MARK: Julia, I think you already know this, but I'm going to say it to you once and for all. I love you. I can't help myself. When you walk into my presence I feel alive and when you leave, well, I feel drained. Jill had been looking straight into Laura's eyes when she said that. Laura had started blushing and was fully red in the face by the time Jill was finished. Jill heard Susan ask her sister, "How does she do that? It looks so real." JULIA: (embarrassed) You make is sound like I'm responsible for how you feel. (she laughs nervously) Laura didn't have to act the part, she felt it. She was trying to understand if Jill was trying to answer the question she ask yesterday, or if she just believed she was. MARK: Julia (he looks her straight in the eyes) Why don't you just say it? JULIA: What? Laura asked with the questioning she felt inside herself. MARK: (look down) You don't care. (run off, stage left) It was how Jill said the line with biting pain that got to her. She wanted to shout out that she did to care, but that wasn't the script. JULIA: Why should I? (she shouts off in same direction, turn to stage front, tears in eyes) I do but I can't say it. I'm afraid. The, 'I'm afraid' came out trembling. Both Susan and Dorothy stood there speechless. Jill came back on stage and said. "All right now lets see you to do it." Mrs. Walker was intently watching. The scene that Jill and Laura portrayed was captivating, showing just what to do. Susan and Dorothy paled by comparison, although they were so much better than a week ago. As class ended Laura cornered Jill. "We need to talk. We didn't finish and it has been bothering me ever since." Jill's eyes shown, she smiled and said, "Yes, you are right. When do you get back from the doctors?" "Ohhh. I had almost forgot. It will need to be after dinner I guess. I never know when I will get done." "That is ok," Jill said. "Find me at dinner time." Jill and Liz had a good talk in the morning and she was pretty clear on what she wanted to tell Laura. ------- Cynthia and Rebecca told Dora that they wanted to help with the Mansion, before heading out. They met downtown. "Cynthia," Dora said as she looked inside the store windows as though she had never seen them before. "I have heard that you are thinking of moving here. Is that true?" "That is what Jack would like." Cynthia replied. It didn't sound like she was convinced that this was the place for her. "Are you thinking that this town is a bit quiet for what you are used to?" "You hit the nail on the head. What on earth would I do all day?" "I was thinking last night," Dora said and then looked around to make sure no one was within hearing distance. "When I was taking off my clothes," she snickered, "that you could open a dress shop." "A dress shop?" Cynthia said as though the idea pained her. Most dress shops she knew had old ladies operating it. She didn't want to be in that category. "Oh that would be fun." Rebecca said enthusiastically. "It could be," Dora said. "You have excellent taste in clothing." "Yes she does. I love shopping with her." Rebecca added. "Well ok, I do, but a dress shop? How much fun is that?" Dora smiled. "You could also have a back room with some fun things in it as well. Like the little things I wore home last night." This caught Cynthia's attention. "Now that is starting to sound like fun. But do you think that it would work?" "I'm sure you could make it work. You have a way of bringing out some wild ideas in people." Dora said. Cynthia loved her ego getting boosted and Dora was doing a good job. Rebecca jumped in, "I would love to work with you Cynthia. Just think how much fun we could have together?" Cynthia started looking at the old buildings with a different eye now. They had character. She had heard Jack talk about the improvements Carp was going to receive. This could be the place to come and a little dress shop with a back room full of fun things could keep her amused. Cynthia looked at Rebecca and said, "I think we might need to talk to Jack about this and see what he says." "That would be so nice. I would love to do something fun like this with you." Rebecca said. "Well we do need something for you to do. Can't have you just dotting around our house like a kept woman now can we?" Cynthia said with a chuckle. "Maybe you could be the model." Rebecca blushed heavily, and her breathing deepened, but smiled to. She liked knowing she belonged, and this job sounded exciting. They took three horses, one was Rebecca's (the one Jill had used), the second one was Dora's and the third, which Cynthia used, was Katy's. Dora was an old hand with the horse. Rebecca wasn't bad, but Cynthia needed a lot of help. Once they got her into the saddle, they walked their horses down the street, showing Cynthia how to hold the reigns, sway with the horses movement, and direct the horse to do what you wanted. The trip out was amusing, as the horses started to gallop; Cynthia would get nervous and want to pull back on the reigns. She stopped her horse dead in its tracks twice before the other two convinced her that she would be all right and let the horse go. When they reached the Mansion, Cynthia felt like she was worn out. Rebecca and Dora helped her down off the animal. "Boy they are big, and strong." Cynthia said. "Yes they are." The workers were hard at work by the time they got there. They were predominantly women, as most of the men worked the mine. The men that were there came and went as time allowed. Everyone in the town wanted to be part of this. They all were grateful for what Keith and Richard had done for them. Jimmy and Brian, who were on the first wagon to come out, and were on another mission. To find out what the blocked off area was down below. ------- Pamela was surprised to see Daisy and me coming back. Stephanie was there, I looked at her, pulled some money out of my pocket and whispered in her ear. "We need a little time with Pamela alone, why don't you go get something from the cafeteria." She looked at the money and then me. She knew it was fruitless to argue so she might as well take the money. "How long?" She asked. I held up both hands, indicating ten minutes. She was out the door in a flash. I looked over to Pamela and though, she doesn't deserve this. "Pamela," I said. "You know that both you and your mother came here for medical reasons. While you have been in here, she has had a lot of testing." Pamela wrote on her pad. 'Did they find out? Is it bad?' "They haven't found out. They know something is happening and it is not good. This hospital isn't equipped to do anything more than what they have done." 'Then what?' She wrote. "She needs to go to another hospital with better equipment to find out. The doctors think it is important to find out as quickly as possible." I could see Pamela's eyes moving back and forth, looking between Daisy and me. "They will be leaving tomorrow." Pamela wrote. 'What about me? Am I going too?' "No, you and your sister are staying here with me, until you are better." Pamela started to write something and scribbled it out. "There is more," I finally said, breaking the silence. "I am going to be your guardian. Daisy is too young to do it." Then I added, "So you had better behave yourself." I saw the bed shake from her trying to laugh. That was a good sign. I knew the hard part was over and there would be a lot of questions that Daisy could handle. I said goodbye and that I needed to go back to work. I saw Stephanie in the hallway, making her way leisurely back. I told her the gist of what was going on and that Pamela would need our help even more without her parents here. Then I told her I was especially glad that she was with us for Pamela. It made her day. As I walked back to the lab, the gravity of the situation started to take its toll. Shelly and Beth Ann watched me walk into the lab and sit down heavily into my chair. I didn't greet either one of them with the usual banter. They looked at each other and Beth Ann went out the door. I didn't pay attention to what was happening. I was in my own little world. Not more than a few minutes latter Beth Ann came back in, but she had called and had Robin with her. I didn't notice until Robin pulled my chair back and sat on my lap. It startled me so much, that I almost dropped her onto the floor. "What's wrong?" She asked. I bit my lower lip, a trick I had learned when as a boy you were not to show emotion. "Mildred and Robert have to go to Long Beach for some more tests. It is the place they will find out how bad she really is." I left it hanging. It was no longer, if there was something wrong, but how bad. "What about Pamela?" Robin asked concern shown in her face. "She has to stay here and so is Daisy. The problem is that Daisy is too young, in the eyes of the law, to be Pamela's guardian." Robin was incensed. "She can get married, she could have children of her own, but can't take care of anyone's child, much less her own sister?" "Yes I know it does sound silly, but it is the law. If she was anywhere else than in the hospital no one would think twice about it, but if Pamela needed something, someone has to be responsible for her welfare." "So who is it going to be?" I didn't answer right away. I could tell that I had three sets of eyes on me. "Well?" "They want me to do it." I said in a quiet voice. Robin cocked her head and looked at me. "So what is the problem? You are the perfect choice." "If I hadn't pushed Mildred into becoming a guinea pig, this wouldn't be happening." I feel responsible. Robin laughed, "Keith you constantly amaze me. How you can think that they would be better off without your involvement is beyond comprehension. They are lucky to have you as a friend. I think that is why they want you to be Pamela's guardian. You show how much you care for her." She looked at me to see if anything she said was sinking in. It was, but it was still hard to swallow. "I guess it will be you and not us that will be the guardian." "Would you want to? I mean; want that responsibility?" "I hope you are joking?" She said as she rubbed her tummy. I saw Shelly's eyes raise and Beth Ann crack a smile. "That is different." I whispered, although my voice carried in the room. "Pamela isn't ours." "I wouldn't mind if she was." Robin said, and then drew me into a kiss. I was feeling much better by the time she let me up for air. She had been able to do that from the first kiss we shared. I was hopping I would not have to stand for a few minutes as the erection Robin had given me was obvious enough just sitting down. It was a mute point because as Robin got off my lap, Shelly and Beth Ann's eyes went right to my crotch. There was no mistaking what they were looking at or saw. After Robin had gone, along with Shelly's blush, she said, "We have a lot of work to catch up on. Right after you left I was interrupted. You warned me, you told me he'd be coming and he did." "Who?' "Lt. Payne." Shelly said with disgust. "Ewe, him?' Beth Ann said with a wrinkled nose and upper lip. "What was he up to?" I asked. "Wanted first to know what was so important that you walked right passed him on the stairs without even a hello. The worst of it was that he tried really hard to be charming. My God Keith, it was so pathetic. I think I hurt the poor guys feelings, but really." I had to laugh thinking about how he must have tried to be appealing to Shelly, but instead of appealing, it was appalling. "So what did he want to know?" "Why you were gone, again. Did you ever really spend any time in the lab, or make me do all your work? Who did you go and see? Was there any progress in our work?" and then she added the zinger. "What ever do you see in that little girl of a wife?" I knew he was dancing into dangerous territory. I didn't like what he was doing or how he was going about it, but I had to see how this played out and not loose my cool. "What did you tell him?" Shelly laughed; I think partially at my discomfort. "That he was asking the wrong person. If he wanted to know that information, he should ask you directly." I smiled at her. She was a ruthless charmer. "He just about broke the glass out of the window slamming it so hard when he left. I think I'm on his list now to." ------- Jill had walked down to the stables with Betty and Sue. Jill enjoyed the riding time. It felt good to be on a horse, it was one of those 'home' feelings. Everyone was inside the barn when they got there. For the past few days after the dog attack, they had been kept inside the stable. Most of the girls were looking at the colt and how she was healing. A couple others were placing saddles on their mounts. Betty, Sue, and Jill were just at the entrance when they heard the scream. Jill looked and saw, in the back of the barn flames were creeping up the wall in the dust and cob webs. She heard Tiffany's voice over everything, "OUT, EVERYONE OUT." There was general panic as both spooked horses and girls came out the barn doors. The second horse that bolted out had Dorothy on its back. Her hands gripping tightly to the horse's mane with a shocked frightened look on her face. The horse didn't stop at the edge of the coral, he jumped. They saw Dorothy's body raise and fall back against the animal. It was at full gallop and was heading right towards the off limit area. The girls that were outside, who had witnessed it all were standing there with their mouths hanging open. Well all but one. Jill saw the right horse, the biggest of them. He was still unsaddled, but she didn't care. Grabbing his mane, she threw herself on top, dug her heals into his side and ran him right for the fence. Three of the girls screamed as they watched Jill fly over the fence. She was on the horse properly and made the jump like she had been doing so for years. They watched as Jill and her horse disappeared into the brush, going after the runaway. They weren't the only ones who were watching. Kevin Smith liked to be down in the field about this time. Most people would call his actions being a dirty old man. He loved to look at the young flesh and this age range was just right for his tastes. He had been not more than thirty yards away, pretending to prune high branches with a saw mounted on the end of a pole, when he had first heard the screaming. He knew something wasn't right. Then he saw the horses and girls exiting the barn. He wondered what was going on as no smoke had come out of the barn yet. His fear of injured horses kept him from rushing over. When he saw the first horse jump the fence he was shocked, when the second went, he let all fears drop. He ran to the stable. Took one of the horses that had a saddle on and opening the gate, pulled him out. Mounting the horse, he yelled at the girls, "Tell Miss Howe I'm going after the other two." They saw him take off, not quite as fast as Jill, but still with more speed than any of them had ever ridden a horse before. He almost looked like a knight or something with the pole still in his hand, with one end under his arm. As soon as they saw him disappear, they were at the doors edge. Tiffany was quick to see the problem. Loose wires from a faulty electrical connection and dry hay were the culprits. She had yelled to one of the last girls in the stable to kill the electricity. Once the source was gone, the fire extinguisher took care of the rest. She had been trained for such emergencies, but had never thought she would need to use any of her knowledge. Once completed, she felt the adrenaline that had pumped her up draining. That was until a group of girls came to the edge of the door. "Mr. Smith's going to get them!" They shouted excitedly. Tiffany had no idea of what they were talking about. She came out quickly and was besieged by everyone trying to say something at once to her. It took a few minutes, lining the girls against the fence, and shouting at them to settle them down. After that she got the story. The first thing she did was to count everyone else; making sure it was only Dorothy and Jill who were gone. Dorothy's sister Susan was hysterical and Tiffany pulled the girl to her, giving her a hug. The girls more subdued by now were all very worried. They heard Tiffany say, "Jill is out there. If anyone in this school knows what to do with a horse, it is her. Mr. Smith is out there to. She will be ok." Tiffany, with Susan attached to her, gathered all but two of the girls, they stayed to watch for any flair ups, and walked them up the hill to the main athletic building. Once inside Tiffany made the call to Grace. It wasn't two minutes after she had hung up the phone that the school secretary was in the room. "Grace is outside and wants me to watch the girls till the end of class." Tiffany nodded, gave Susan another hug and said, "It will be just fine, don't you worry." Tiffany got into the Jeep and they took off, out of the school grounds and towards the service, access roads that led to the off limits brush area. Tiffany looked over to the other occupant in the Jeep and then to Grace who caught her glance and rolled her eyes. The other occupant, who happened to be in the office at the time of the call, was not as concerned about the girls as she was Kevin being out there with them. She had made it her crusade to rid the campus of all men. Kevin stood in her way and she had made his life hard. She would pull him into Grace's office to complain about something and the only thing that would go on would be a shouting match. This she thought with amusement, this would be his undoing. Off campus with two girls. ------- Dorothy loved the horses, the feel of them, and the look of them. They still scarred her somewhat. It was why she had been sitting on the horse, Golden Boy, in the stall. A nice safe place. She had been stroking his neck and talking to him. Playing with his mane. It was when she was leaning over, her fingers interwoven in his mane that the scream started. The horses became restless and then the door to the stall was opened. She couldn't get her hands out of the mane and the harder she pulled the worse it became. Then Golden Boy bolted out the door. She saw her friends as she few past them and then she felt the horse leave the ground. The only thing that held her on were her hands. She was like a rag doll being tossed into the air. She came down hard on its back. It knocked the wind out of her. Her hands still attached and her legs now dangling to each side. She had no idea that she was being pursued. The brush was thicker now, but the horse did not slow. Suddenly there was a break and she was in a clearing, still the horse ran. His nostrils were flared, his body sweating, his breathing heavy. She was panicking now. She had been able to get her fingers free, but was holding on her dear life. Tear streaming passed her face, flying towards her blouse. If he would just slow to a walk, she would just fall off him, She thought. She just wanted off. She was to the other side of the clearing when She heard a noise, it was a shout, but what it sounded to her was like a whisper. It was something and someone was there. Back into the bushes with the horse weaving his way through. She was glad she had a good set of pants on as branches smacked into her legs. She heard the voice closer now and recognized it. It shocked her. Jill? Her mind was still on how she was there when the horse suddenly reared up, almost throwing her off. Looking down, she saw the reason. The dogs, the wild dogs were at the legs of the horse. As she grabbed tighter to the belly of the horse with her legs digging into his side, it spurred him on. He lunged forward with the dogs in hot pursuit. Wildly jogging back and forth between the bushes and trees, Dorothy was afraid now of being thrown off and being on the ground. The height of the horse was safety and out of reach of the dogs. Dorothy saw something in the corner of her eye and turned her head. Jill was almost parallel to her now. She was stunned to hear Jill calling at the dogs, trying to get them to go after her. Everything went into slow motion from then on for Dorothy. The horse changed direction suddenly, the ground raised and then dropped. She saw a dog jump towards the horse, the horse stumble and fall. She was falling also. She felt the pressure on her inner leg, then the pain. She didn't remember the impact to the ground, but she was looking at the back of the horse. It was baying and tried to get up. The horse got to three legs, but the forth gave way and the large beast fell over again, almost landing on her. She heard the dogs snarling and Jill shouting at them. Then she passed out. Jill was ready to cry. She knew she needed to stay on the horse, to control the animal, to fend off the dogs. She made her steed turn back and forth circling around the fallen horse and Dorothy, but it was a hard battle and she was sure the dogs were figuring out how to attack. It seemed an eternity to Jill, although in reality it was only a few minutes. She was very grateful to hear another voice. Kevin was glad he had the pole with him when he arrived. He may have been safer on the horse, but he was more than ready to get off the thing. Pointing the menacingly sharp saw at the end of the pole at the dogs kept them at bay. He slashed back and forth hitting on occasion. Jill could almost feel they didn't like the odds now. With Mr. Smith and his third horse there, the dogs started to back off. Jill now felt safe enough to dismount. One dog then the rest backed up into the trees to await their next chance. Kevin who always had things attached to his pant loops, pulled off a line of rope and threw it to Jill who quickly tied the two horses the tree next to them. Then Jill ran over to Dorothy touching her, waking her. She looked up at Jill, her eyes were glassy looking, but she managed to smile. Jill didn't like the look of it. The horse lying on the ground started to stir. Jill had seen it try and get up after it's first fall and almost land on Dorothy. "Mr. Smith," Jill yelled. "Dorothy needs help and so does the horse." He looked at her and said, "What am I suppose to do?" Then Jill saw him look at the horse with fright in his eyes. She knew he didn't belong at the horse's side. "Stay with Dorothy. I'll tell you what to do. I need to calm the horse. Jill made some reassuring remarks as Kevin came over to her. Jill slowly and gently approached the Golden Boy. She could see it in his eyes, and it made her feel sick to her stomach. He would have to be put down. She stayed with him. The last thing they needed was an animal that size trying to get up and landing on Dorothy. It would crush her. Kevin had no clue what he was to do. The girl looked, well, awful. "Is she conscious?" Jill asked in a commanding voice. "Yes." "Good make sure she stays that way. Slap her in the face if need be, but keep her awake." This startled both Kevin who wondered if he could do such a thing and Dorothy who was in enough pain already. Jill saw the reluctance on Mr. Smith's part and continued, "She looks like she is going into shock and it is important to keep her awake, talk to her, tap her arm, and if worse comes to worse, slap her face. It is important, so just do it." Kevin nodded. He offhandedly asked, "Anything else?" The horse raised his head and Jill soothed him, then answered. "Yes, check for any problems, obvious broken bones, bleeding, contusions, pupil dilation or out of focus, clammy skin, irregular breathing, slurred speech and pain, things like that." Kevin didn't understand half of what Jill had just rattled off. He took one thing he understood and asked. "How will I know about the pain?" "Don't worry, she will let you know." Kevin was unsure of how to proceed. Talk to her, Jill had said. "Hi," he said nervously. "Jill told me I should check for anything broken. So that is what I'm going to do. If anything hurts, you can let me know?" "Yes," came her weak reply. He started with her fingers, It was a silly thing to do really, but he took her small hand into his and touched it, then massaged it. She liked the sensation. It felt good where so much of her was painful. He moved to her arm and all the way up to her shoulder. Then he did the same to the other side. He wanted to stay away from the center of her body so he moved to her feet. He was talking to her, telling her what he was doing. It made him feel better that way. The problem with the legs he discovered was that they led to her little pussy. He was ready to stop short when she let out a moan. Not of pleasure, but of pain. She parted her legs slightly and he saw the problem. The back part of her inside thigh was a broken off branch protruding from her. Jill saw him turn his head away fast. A sick look on his face told her he had found something. "What is it?" Jill said. "Come look for yourself." The horse looked stable, so Jill left him. She looked around for the dogs and then where Mr. Smith had indicated. Dorothy asked what the problem was. Jill didn't answer. Down on her knees, she ran her hand inside the girl's thigh until it made contact with the branch. Dorothy screamed. Jill pulled her hand out and away from Dorothy's line of sight. It was bloody. Jill looked at Mr. Smith. "I can't take it out, but we need to stop the bleeding." "Bleeding, BLEEDING! I'm bleeding?" Dorothy cried. Kevin moved over to the girl's head. "Now don't worry. It's a little thing and Jill knows what she is doing." Jill was surprised he said that, but it did have a calming effect. "Did you check her ribs?" Kevin shook his head no. "We need to know if anything is broken there as well." Then Jill leaned over to him and whispered, "and we need to distract her." Kevin looked down at Dorothy and although she was a mess right then, she was still beautiful. He felt guilty putting his hands on her. Swallowing hard, he said nervously, "I need to check your ribs too." She just nodded and followed his eyes. He tentatively touched her. Jill rolled her eyes. "Kevin you have to feel the skin to tell with ribs, they are small." He looked at her in horror. What was she asking him to do? She answered that unasked question. "You are going to need to unbutton her blouse to get to her ribs, now do it. She has a bra on for Gods sakes." He looked back at Dorothy. "I need to..." She nodded her head yes, in understanding what he needed to do. His hands were trembling as he tried to get the buttons undone. Dorothy could feel his nervousness. She knew of the stories of him spying on the girls, but if he was as bad as some of them talked about then he wouldn't be acting this way, would he? She thought not. She was paying so much attention to what he was doing, as Jill thought she would that she didn't notice what Jill was doing. Kevin noticed the first thing was that she had retrieved his pocketknife from his holster on his belt. He made a quick glance as he heard the cutting of material. She was cutting the girls pants off her. His mind was a whirl and he knew he had better keep his attention to the task he was to do. It was a good distraction for both Dorothy and Kevin. As he reached the last button, he realized he did not have to pull her blouse out of her pants. He glanced further down once again; he couldn't help himself from looking. Jill had cut Dorothy's pants from the top down to the bottom of the leg. As she picked up the waistband of the pants, she had snagged her panties as well. The result was that when she peeled the pants back, everything was bare. What was done was done and Jill was not going to dwell on it. That fully exposed hip did catch Kevin's eye and the only thing that brought his eyes back up to what he was doing was Dorothy letting out a little grunt. He realized he was the one responsible for it, as he was pressing too hard on her side. While Jill cut the crotch seam out to remove the pant leg completely, Kevin went back to his task. Her blouse was now slightly open and he could see bruising. He knew Jill was right, it was important to check and he gently placed his hands on her soft skin. Dorothy watched him as though she wasn't a part of her body. He was tender with her and she liked that. She couldn't remember the last time her father, the only other male to ever touch her body, had touched her skin. She thought it felt nice. His hands exploring from the front to around her sides, then up a bit and again. As his hands got closer to her bra she saw beads of sweat form on his brow. Her blouse had fallen completely open from his movements. She was getting warm and tingly. It was almost like when she was... She almost laughed out loud. It felt the same, no better than when she played with herself. Her eyes shut as she enjoyed the feeling. "Dorothy! Dorothy!" He called, his voice conveying his worry. She opened her eyes looking at him. "Good, I thought I'd let you down, not keeping you awake." He was so concerned for her, she thought, and smiled at him. Jill had the pant leg off and was planning on using it as a sort of tourniquet. She didn't know enough to take out the branch, but she did know that if she did the wrong thing it could be worse than leaving it in. She wanted to stop the bleeding though. Taking part of the material she formed a circle and then wrapped the material around until it looked like a big firm donut, with an opening just slightly larger than the branch. Then she cut up the rest of the pants for the strips necessary to hold the donut tightly in place around the foreign body and secured to Dorothy's leg. "Kevin I'm going to need your help holding this in place while I tie it off." Kevin took the little ring and said, "What do I do with it?" "It needs to be centered." Jill said as she pointed to the place. Kevin had to look. The way Jill had cut Dorothy's pants off, and her panties were no longer snug left a small piece of material between his eyes and her treasure. As Dorothy tried to look at what they were looking at, her legs separated and everything was in plain sight. Kevin gasped; Dorothy felt the cold air on her and realized how exposed she was. "Dorothy!" Jill said, as Dorothy's hands flew down to try and cover herself. Jill caught her left hand that would have probably smacked the branch if she had succeeded. "I'm sure Mr. Smith has seen more than you in his life. You need to get your hands out of the way so we can stop the bleeding. Then you can be modest again." Dorothy looked over to Mr. Smith, who was blushing and realized he was having as much of a problem with this as she was. She didn't like the word bleeding at all, so she pulled her other hand away. "Kevin as I was saying, you need to hold it in place. Slip the center right on and then I can tie it in place." He tried to be as discreet as possible, but every place he moved his hands it was touching flesh. Jill barked at him to hurry and put pressure on it. Kevin concentrated on the donut and nothing else. He just listened to what Jill said, move it here, put more pressure there. It wasn't until Jill said it was done that he looked at the whole picture. Half of his hand was practically cupping Dorothy's pussy. He pulled his hand back as though it had just been burnt. He was horrified as to what she must think. Not wanting to look, but needing to, he looked into her eyes. Nothing. Did she not know where his hand had been? Did she know he didn't mean it? Did she..." Jill knew of no way to stop the pain of what she needed to do next, so she went ahead and just got it over with. Pulling the knot tight, securing everything, suddenly sent a jolt of pain through Dorothy, she screamed out. That had two bad effects and one good one. It brought the dogs back to their prey. It startled the laying horse, which then tried to get up again. It also alerted Grace to the general area where they were. Jill jumped up quickly and yelled, "Protect Dorothy." Jill had to try and do two things at once. Get the horse down and ward off the dogs. Kevin seeing the danger from the horse fell across the girls form. He was on his hands and knees hoping that the horse would not fall on them. Jill had grabbed the pole and swung it around yelling at the dogs. They backed away. Her yelling brought the Jeep closer, close enough that she saw it. Letting go of the pole with one hand, she waved her other hand high over her head as she ran to the horse. The dogs had retreated again and she thought it safe to drop the pole now. He was starting to try to stand and she saw his muscles flex. She yelled at him this time and as he turned to look her way, she plowed into his body knocking it off balance. The jeep pulled up as Kevin cried in pain. His arms giving way, he dropped on top of Dorothy for just a second and then quickly rose to his elbows. Miss Peterson may have been the oldest in the group, but as soon as she saw Kevin practically lying on the poor child, the undressed child her blood boiled, and she jumped from the Jeep. Jill recognized the woman as the one Liz had told her about the first day she had come to the school. She hated men, she remembered Liz telling her and was always trying to get Kevin into trouble. They watched in horror as she ran by the wounded horse and grabbed the pole and swung it at Kevin. It hit his head and he screamed in pain again. She was ready for another blow when Grace grabbed her arm, preventing it. "He's trying to rape the girl, you can't white wash his actions this time." She screamed at Grace in maniacal glee. Grace who was normally very composed slapped the woman across the face. It startled everyone so much all action stopped. "Get into the Jeep and do not set foot out of it. If you do it will be the last thing you do." Grace snared at her. Miss Peterson was so stunned at Grace she dropped the pole from her hand. Turning to go to the Jeep, she said, "You won't get away with it this time." Tiffany saw Jill stand up, so she moved to Dorothy, kneeling and asking how she was. Grace looked over to Kevin and said, "I think the danger is gone, you can get up now." He turned to look at her and she saw his eyes were out of focus. His speech was also slurred. "Can't, horse on leg." She grimaced and walked around him to see his leg caught under the body of the horse. She looked over to Jill. "Can we get the horse up?" Jill pursed her lips, tears started to form in her eyes. "He's got a broken front leg." She had to look away as tears fell from her face. Grace had to ask more questions of Jill. She was the only uninjured one. "Jill can we move Dorothy?" Jill wiped her eyes and turned back. "Yes, you have to be careful of her left leg. I put a tourniquet on her to stop the bleeding, but the wound is still there. She needs to go to the hospital." Dorothy was more awake with all the action around her. When she heard wound, she realized they never told her how bad it was. Now Jill was talking about the hospital. "Tiffany, you and Jill try and slide Dorothy out from under Kevin. I'm calling this in." Grace said. She walked to the Jeep and sitting in the front seat was a woman full of hate staring at Grace. She ignored the woman. If it were as Jill said and not what the woman supposed, it would be grounds for dismissal. Something Grace could never do before, but had wanted to. She picked up the mike and turned on the radio. The sheriff department would call the hospital and the veterinarian. Grace had to relay landmarks for directions as they were off the road. Once she was done, she turned back to the operation at hand. Dorothy's pants were hardly staying on as they pulled her out from under Kevin. Dazed or not, the sight of her slowly coming into his view stiffened him. As Dorothy felt her pants sliding down, she reached to grab them. Her hand grazed across his tented pants and froze for a second then moved on. Her eyes looked widely into his. He felt ashamed. Dropping his head, he started to cry. As her legs were coming past, she felt the teardrops land on her bare skin. When free, Dorothy said softly, "Thank you Mr. Smith." He looked up at her with red swollen eyes. "Thank you for protecting me." Tiffany, Grace, and Jill slid Dorothy away and near the tree trying to be as gentle as possible. Dorothy winced a bit as they let go of her. The three went back to Kevin. Grace assessed the situation and looked at Jill and Tiffany. "We have to move the horse." Tiffany nodded her head and Jill spoke, her speech breaking with emotion. "Yes I know. I will raise him up, the two of you can then get Kevin out of the way." "Are you sure you can do that?" Tiffany asked. Grace took Tiffany's hand and just nodded to Jill. The horse snorted as Jill approached his head. She stroked his neck and looked into his large eyes. "Come on Golden Boy. You need to move." She pulled at his head and he responded. His muscles rippling down his frame. "Come on." She said, urging him on. She pulled at him one more time and he started to get up. As soon as they saw the weight lifted, Grace and Tiffany pulled. Kevin cried out in pain as the blood rushed back into his leg. It spurred the two and they pulled hard and fast, falling over, but moving him a good four feet away. The horse, with the coaxing from Jill and the rest he had got to his feet, all three of them. He wasn't moving, he couldn't. Jill stood by him, talking to him, soothing him, and crying the whole time. The first to arrive was the vet. He was the closest to the school and had been out in this brush area more than once. He checked the other two horses first and found no problems. Then came to the one Jill held. He examined the leg, shaking his head. Jill already knew. "To far gone, isn't it?" She said. "Afraid so." "You'll have to put him down then?" Jill asked, although she already knew the answer. "Yes." "I'm sorry boy," she said to the horse. "Do you use a bolt?" she asked the vet. The vet was surprised at her knowledge. This wasn't the average girl from the school. This one had been around horses and knew the ins and outs. "It is the most humane way we have." He replied. As there was little other noise, everyone heard the conversation between the two. Grace marveled at the girl's stamina, Tiffany wondered what kind of life Jill really had before, Miss Peterson thought it was crude to be talking of such things, Dorothy was downright amazed at Jill, and Kevin understood that without Jill there things would have been a lot worse. She was a hero. "I don't think I can watch. Once was enough. I couldn't sleep for days." Jill said. "It is never easy, not even for me. The only good thing you can say about it, is that it puts them out of the pain they are in. It is for them, not us." Jill thought that was a good way of thinking about it. "I'll hold him while you get your box." He walked off and brought back the black box. "We need to take the other two horses and get then into the trailer first. They can smell blood a long ways and it spooks them." "Yes I remember." Jill said and led each of them into the confines of the trailer that was hitched to the vet's vehicle. "Grace can you drive it down the path twenty yards or so?" He said throwing her the keys. Once the other horses were gone, he opened up the case. Jill looked at it and saw the gun looking device with the big barrel. She turned and walked over to Dorothy. She took Dorothy's hand and squeezed it hard. The gun fired, throwing the bolt into the horse, killing it instantly. Jill's tears were streaming down her face as fast as her eyes could produce them. Tiffany came over and hugged Jill. Grace walking back gave Jill a hug also. The sheriff's car, followed by an ambulance arrived seconds later. The attendants went to Dorothy immediately. Looking at the puncture and then donut like tourniquet, they asked who did it? Dorothy pointed to Jill. "Girl, you did one fine job. Where did you learn to do stuff like that?" Jill didn't feel like answering and never had the chance. The sheriff needed to ask her questions. Miss Peterson had bent his ear from the moment he stepped out of the car. She wanted him to arrest that awful man who was trying to rape a young girl. Jill told him what she could recall from start to finish. Everything she did, what she saw of Dorothy and what happened when Mr. Smith arrived. The sheriff was used to medical reports and felt like he was being given a verbal one from one of the city's doctors. "So from what you saw, nothing was remotely like rape to you?" He asked. Jill had to laugh. "I had to tell him to check out her ribs for broken bones. He didn't want to touch her. Rape." She shook her head. "He was risking his life for her." Then she said softly to him, "and I know it wasn't easy. My, umm, mother who works at the school told me he hates injured horses. I understand he was kick good by one when he was younger, gave him the limp he has now." The officer looked at Kevin, who was being treated by the medics and then to Miss Peterson. "I think I've heard enough." He went over to the medic, "So how is he?" "Legs broken and it looks like he has a concussion. We will be x-raying him to see about a skull fracture. It is pretty well bruised right here." He pointed to a three-inch long, one-inch wide mark across Kevin's head. "Ow, how did you get that?" Tiffany spoke up, "Miss Peterson beat him with a pole while his foot was caught under the horse, he was protecting Dorothy." The officer raised his eyebrow, "This true?" he asked Kevin. "Guess that is the way it happened." "You can press charges you know." "I don't think I'm thinking clearly enough to do anything right now." ------- Brian and Jimmy were working like a good team should at the Mansion. One was in the house marking off steps while the other one was peering under the house lining up the front, the back, and the two sides were. They started on the smaller one because they thought it would be easier to find. After spending most of the day figuring out how, then blocking it out they knew where to look. It was below part of the kitchen and pantry. A thick wall divided the two rooms. After a lot of probing and looking, as well as getting in the way of others, they found their prize. A trap door on the side of the wall. Once they saw it, it was obvious to them. It opened easily and inside was a belt on a pulley. That led to a second discovery, a keyhole and the explanation of what a turning handle was doing in the kitchen. This brought the attention to one of the older men out at the house. He looked at the device, "Well I'll be. I'd heard they had some of the fancy new things, but no one ever saw them." "What is it?" Brian asked. The boys were very excited about their discovery. "That is a water conveyer. It would go into a cistern I would bet." "What's a cistern?" Jimmy asked. "Place to hold water. From what I've been told the gutters on these houses drained into the cisterns. They usually were full of porous rock that filtered the water. Then it would be hoisted up in the house to use. This one is a fancy system, my guess is that you'd turn that crank and a series of cups would bring up the water pouring it into the sink." The more they found out about it, the less interested they were. It wasn't hidden treasure, just some water tank. They were wondering if that was all the other one was as well. They didn't get a chance to find out either way as Millie came up behind them. "I understand you two have been under foot all day." They tried to put on angelic faces, but it was a bit to late for that. "Come on you two, I have a project for you." They were not looking forward to whatever Millie had in mind for them to do and dragged themselves behind her up two flights of stairs where Thomas was standing waiting for them. "Found your two helpers," Millie said. He smiled at the boys. "We need to find out where the studs are in this wall. If could take Larry and me a day to do what the two of you can do in about an hour." This intrigued the boys, "How can we do it so much faster?" Jimmy asked. "Because you Jimmy will be inside the wall and Brian on the outside." They looked at him like he was crazy "I know you two have been up in the attic, right?" Looking at each other and them him, they nodded. "Did you notice the gap between the walls below you when you were scampering about?" "No." Brian said. "Well you missed it then, some of these walls for some reason are at least fifteen inches thick. It means they have studs for both walls and a lot of space between. It's that space that a boy can fit into." The light was starting to dawn for the boys. "So I knock where there is wood and Brian can mark it?" Jimmy asked. "You got the picture son. The only thing we have to do is lower you down and give you a flashlight." "How come he gets to be in the wall and I don't?" Thomas laughed. He knew their question would come and had already thought of an answer. "We decided that the one with a blue shirt got to go in the wall." "Shucks." Brian said. "What am I going to stand on? Is there a floor?" "Yes, we already shined our flashlights down. It isn't a complete floor, so you have to watch where you put your feet, but there is plenty to walk on." "Sounds like fun." Off they went to the attic. Jimmy had a rope tied around his waist and under his arms. Taking a flashlight, he looked down the hole. He would fit fine and then his light fell onto a set of boards, a ladder of sorts using two of the studs as uprights. Not knowing the safety of the ladder the two men who were up there with the boys, held the rope as Jimmy descended. As soon as he hit the flooring they tied the rope so they could use it pulling him up, but giving him enough slack to move around in the wall. It took Jimmy a minute to figure out how to turn himself around as he was facing the wrong way. He fit in the wall, but just. By going to the far edge of the room at the junction he would be able to maneuver. Jimmy shouted up what he was going to do and they could start at that side. They left to go back down and he wove his way to the other side. Once there, he realized how alone he was. That was until a thump on the wall just about made him pee his pants. He was turning around when the sight of something caught his eye. He wanted to look further, but the knocking on the wall prevented it. It took better than an hour for Jimmy and Brian to mark the placement of the studs and when Jimmy was done, he was tired and covered in dust and old cobwebs. Before he could even say a word the two men were up in the attic, talking with him. Brian was there as he climbed up. Brian looked at Jimmy and said, "You're a mess." Jimmy laughed, "Yea, I guess I am," as he shook dust off himself and cobwebs out of his hair. Climbing down from the attic, the boys were escorted to the back stairs and out the door. Millie caught sight of Jimmy, telling him not to set foot back into the house until he was cleaned up. The boys knew what that meant; explorations for the day were over. ------- I was sitting at my desk, we had started the next set of tests and now there was paperwork to catch up on. I was still sitting at my desk a half an hour later. I hadn't picked up a single piece of paper. My mind was on so many things, but as I was here, doing work for the government, my mind came back to Payne. Of all the comments that man had made, the last that Shelly told me he said was the most disturbing. I didn't need him to, nor would I allow him to start attacking my wife or any of the young ones in my care. I didn't need this job. I was doing it as a service for my town and was getting shit from a jerk bent on his own promotion. There were two ideas that were reoccurring in my mind, how to get rid of Payne and how to step back and be an advisor. The problem was, I didn't have an answer to either one. Beth Ann's hands on my shoulders, massaging them, brought me back to the present. "You have a lot on your mind." She said, not as a question, but a statement of the obvious. "As much as I hate to remind you, I'm going to." She took the two pieces of carbon paper and set them in front of me. "Thanks," I said sarcastically, then turned and smiled at her. "How are our test subjects doing?" She frowned, "Two of the rats are dead, a few others don't look so good. I didn't realize how difficult this work was." I stood, took her hand and led her out the door. "Be back in a minute," I yelled to Shelly as the door was closing. Beth Ann asked me, "Where are we going?" I just smiled and still holding her hand, took her to the next lab. As soon as the door shut my hands were wrapped around her waist, my mouth closing on her lips. When she came up for air, she looked at me, blinking her eyes. "What was that for?" "Incentive. I like having you here. I know it is hard seeing what happens to our unsuspecting test subjects. We don't have many other options." She looked at me with a sly smile. "Could I get a bit more 'incentive'?" One hand around her waist and one in her hair, I pulled her to me. "As much as you need." I walked back into the lab, my mood vastly improved. Shelly looked at me. "Where is Beth Ann?" "She needed a bit more time. The rats dying were bothering her. I was trying to help her with the idea. I like her being here and don't want her to quit." "I noticed." Shelly said, her eyebrows raised at me. I laughed. "You are a bad one." "Sure it is me who is bad?" "I'm good, very good." "Your impression, or is that what is on the report card you get from your admirers?" I liked Shelly; her witty tongue was a treat. I knew she wasn't serious, just playfully biting. "I have straight A's, want to know the subject matter?" Shelly was about to answer when Beth Ann came back in. Her face was put back together, the real reason she didn't come back with me. She looked at us and became self-conscious. "What's up?" "We were talking about you." I said. Beth Ann turn red. "You are bad Keith," Shelly laughed. "He told me you were having a problem with our test subjects." Beth Ann, realizing I was teasing her, looked at me and stuck her tongue out at me. Then said to Shelly, "Yes, It is hard to see them die." "It is one of the reasons I call them test subjects and not rats or animals. It is easier for me that way. I hope you stick with it, Keith told me he likes having you around." Beth Ann turned red again and said she had something to do. I looked at Shelly; she had a wicked smile on her face. I shook my head. I guess she found out that two could play my game. ------- The ambulance was loaded with Dorothy and Kevin. The medic came over to Jill, "You need to be seen also." "I'm fine." Jill said. Grace said, "That wasn't a question Jill, you are going to the hospital also." "But..." "If something happened to you and I didn't take you, Liz would have my head. I'm right, am I not?" "Yes." "Tiffany can you ride back to the school with the vet and take care of the horses?" "Yes, that sounds like a good idea." Tiffany said. She got in and they left for the school. The sheriff said he was staying. Others were coming out and they would be figuring out how to take care of the dogs once and for all. He had a rifle in his hands. The ambulance turned on its lights and headed for the hospital. The Jeep followed behind. They weren't very far when they heard a gun shot from where they had just come from. Jill was sitting in the front seat with Miss Peterson in the back. No one said a word to each other on the ride. In the ambulance, the attendant was checking on Dorothy. Kevin was sitting in the back, his leg in a box, strapped together. The pain medication they had given him was setting in and he was feeling fine. Kevin brought his hand up to an itch at his nose. He noticed the scent, it was light, it was sweet and he lingered, sniffing the aroma of Dorothy. Movement caught his eye and he looked to see her eyes watching him. He became red with embarrassment and turned his head away in shame. When he looked back after a while, she was still looking at him, but this time he noticed a little smile on her contented face. It confused him and he didn't know what to think. At the hospital they were each placed on a gurney and rolled into separate rooms. When Grace arrived Jill got out and started walking to the entrance. "Hold on there." Grace said. Jill was not very happy to be placed in a wheel chair and rolled into the building. Grace went with her, leaving Miss Peterson by herself. ------- Unlatching the outside gate, Tiffany let them into the pasture. As they rolled towards the stable they saw a very large crowd of girls waiting at the edge of the fence. As they got closer they could see the teachers there as well. Pulling up to the stables, the vet said, "I'll take care of the horses, you take care of the crowd and good luck." Tiffany didn't want to get out; she knew what it would mean. She'd be in the spotlight and a thousand questions being asked. "It is time." The vet said. "You'll do fine." She didn't have much of a choice when Liz opened her door. "Where is Jill? What happened?" Liz asked. She had obviously been crying. Tiffany stood and through her arms around her friend. "She's ok." Tiffany said as they embraced. Liz took Tiffany by the hand and led her in front of the crowd. "The entire school is here. The only one left up on campus is the secretary in the office. Susan was driven to the hospital." Tiffany looked at Liz questioningly. "Grace called on the radio, saying they were on their way there. That was about all we got. We thought it best to get Dorothy's sister there. She's been in hysterics ever since you left." Tiffany stood there paralyzed looking into the faces of so many girls, most had been crying, all were looking expectantly. A hush drew over them. "Tiffany," Liz said squeezing her hand, "They need to know what happened." Tiffany nodded, looked over at Liz and held her hand tight. "Girls, as you know we had a problem today." Tiffany started to shake. "It's ok." Liz said to her. "Take it slow." The only sound was in the stable; the girls were silent, trying to hear anything they could. Tiffany started again. She figured the only way to get through this was to become almost solemn about telling the events "A small fire broke out in the stable. As we rushed the horses out, Golden Boy bolted out the door and over the fence carrying Dorothy on his back." Tiffany looked out and saw many girls nodding; obviously they had heard this part. "Another girl from the class, who is an excellent rider, jumped on a horse, bareback and took after Dorothy." She felt Liz's grip tighten on her hand and several girls whispering Jill's name. "Yes, for your information it was Jill, a new student here. Mr. Smith, our groundskeeper was also in the area and saw the two girls. He also got on a horse and followed, but was a ways behind them." She heard a few snickers when she said Mr. Smith's name and being close to the stables. The questions started to be asked. "What happened?" "Why aren't they here?" Liz held up her hand and shook her head. The other teachers in the group were quieting everyone also. Once it was quiet Tiffany went on, "What I am telling you is what I was told. The wild dogs that attacked the colt came after Dorothy's horse and it eventually tripped and both fell." There were many gasps. "Jill had caught up to Dorothy at that point and protected her from the dogs by riding around Dorothy and trying to scare away the dogs from her and the horse. Mr. Smith arrived shortly after that and the two of them were able to fend off the dogs." Tiffany looked at Liz; she wasn't sure how much she should say. Liz nodded her head and Tiffany was hoping she was able to read her mind. "Jill then tended to the horse and told Mr. Smith how to check Dorothy for anything broken." Tiffany again looked at Liz who had a tear in her eye. "Dorothy had a small injury. The horse..." Jill started to get choked up. She stopped for a minute, cleared her throat and went on. "The horse had very bad injuries. While Jill was bandaging Dorothy with Mr. Smith's help the horse started to get up. Mr. Smith got in the way between the horse and Dorothy and he sustained injuries also." The girls who had giggled about Mr. Smith and him keeping an eye on the girls gasped at his heroism. "All three of them are at the hospital right now. Jill said she was fine, but they wanted to check her to be sure. We hope she will be back soon. The two horses are now in the stable." Most of them had seen the two being unloaded. One of the girls shouted out, "But there were three horses. Where is Golden Boy?" Tiffany just lowered her head and shook it. Tears were coming from her eyes as well as many others there. ------- Sitting on the back of the wagon by themselves, Jimmy told Brian what he found. "Remember when I saw the ladder like thing that I climbed down on?" Jimmy said. "Yes, I still don't know why you got to go and not me." Brian pouted. "Just because you wore a blue shirt." "You'll get your chance." "Do you think they need another wall marked?" "No, just listen to me will you." "Ok." "When I got down there I had to walk to the end to turn around. There is another thick wall." Jimmy said with anticipation in his voice. "I saw another ladder going down." Brian looked at him with wide eyes. "You think we should look? Maybe that's where the treasure is." "We'll need to sneak in there and we'll need an extra set of clothes to change into or everyone will know what we've been up to and we'll get it from your mom." "Yea I know. We also need a flashlight, where are we going to get that?" "I bet Mr. Huntington has one. Think he'd let us use it?" "Maybe, we can ask I guess." They were very pleased with their plans and couldn't wait for tomorrow. As soon as they got off the wagon downtown they rushed over to Jack's office. Knocking on the door, they opened it. "What brings you two here?" Jack said, peering around the corner. "We were... Ummm" "Do you..." The boys were finding it harder to ask than they originally imagined. "What do you want boys?" Jack asked. "A flashlight." "Yes, can we borrow one?" "If you have one." Jack found the two amusing. "Well yes I do have one, do you need it now?" They looked at each other. This was not a question they had the right answer for. "No, tomorrow morning," Brian finally said. "In the morning? When it is light?" Jack asked, knowing there must be more to this than meets the eye. "We wanted to explore something." Jimmy said sheepishly. "And you didn't want anyone else to know about it. Is that why you're asking me for the flashlight?" "Yes." Jack thought for a minute. "Ok boys. I'll tell you what. I'll let you have the flashlight, but you need to tell me where you're going." Jimmy and Brian looked at each other. "If I gave you the flashlight and something happened, then I'm responsible. What happens if one of you got hurt or something? How would anyone know where to look for you?" That made sense to the boys, Brian said, "But it's at the Mansion." Jack laughed. "Searching for hidden treasure?" The boys wondered how he knew. "That's fine then, but be careful ok?" "Yes sir." Jimmy said. "Oh, Jimmy," He turned to look at Jack, "Change into something clean when you get home." They left very pleased with themselves. ------- Chapter 33 Laura, back from the doctors office, walked out of the parking lot. She stopped and looked across the grounds, no one was around the school, nobody was on the center grass, and it was eerie. The secretary saw Laura arrive and came out of the administration building. "They are all down in the meadow." Laura was surprised, "Everyone?" "Yes, there was a problem. Everyone wanted to find out what was going on." "Problem? What sort of problem?" The secretary, who wasn't known for her tact, just stated what she knew. "There was a small fire in the stable, after three horses took off; our groundskeeper Mr. Smith, Dorothy and Jill are at the hospital." Laura felt weak; she turned and started running towards the meadow. Her stomach was feeling sick; her visions of hospitals were the horrid experiences she had. Half way down the path she was winded, she knew better than to run, but she kept pushing herself forward. Tears were falling from her face, blurring her vision. She ended up running right into one of the teachers, bouncing off and falling to the ground. Everyone had started to walk back after hearing what Tiffany had to say. Tiffany had to stay and check on the stable and the stable hands that were there now, before going back up. Liz and Vicky told Tiffany they would be in the dorm. Liz was visibly distraught, but she had a job to do. Running off to the hospital, like she wanted to, was not what she could do. She had a floor full of children who depended on her. Her backup was Tiffany and she was tied up as well. The best Liz could do was surround herself with her friends and wait for a call. The girls on the path saw Laura coming, running towards them. The teacher in front expected her to stop and it surprised her as much as Laura when they collided. Sue and Betty were there when Laura looked up. They helped her up. She took a look at the two. She was gasping for breath and shaking, "What happened to Jill?" Laura cried out almost breathlessly. "Where have you been?" Sue said. She couldn't believe that Laura wouldn't have heard. "I was at the doctors." Laura looked like she was starting to hyperventilate, her chest heaving in an out. Her lungs were trying desperately to get the air her throat wouldn't deliver. This was one of the reasons she was not in the athletic class; she knew she should not be running. "Why is she at the hospital?" She panted out. Betty gave her a hug, "Slow down Laura. Take a deep breath. Jill is fine, she's ok." The teacher who Laura ran into had watched the interchange. Laura's breath started to return to normal and she decided the little girl was ok, just distraught like so many of the other students from what had taken place, she went on to her dorm. Laura was trying to control herself. The others walking past, looked, but none made comments. Everyone was a bit shocked at the events that had happened. Nothing like this had ever occurred at the school before. "What about Dorothy?" Laura managed to get out around her heavy breathing. Luckily at that point, Liz and Vicky were coming by. Liz saw Laura's condition and understood her attachment to Jill and how upset she must be. Liz pulled Laura close, wrapped her arm around the child's shoulder and walking her back up the hill. "Laura, They say Jill is ok, but we don't know everything yet." Laura looked pale. "That doesn't mean it's bad, come back with us. I'll be the first to know anything." This comforted Laura somewhat. ------- Kevin was lying in the room waiting for a doctor to come in. He was more worried about Dorothy and what she had thought about his actions than he was about his leg. He couldn't believe what he had done. His recriminations were interrupted by Grace coming into the room. She was as frank as always, "Kevin, I know it may not have been the smartest thing to go after those two girls." Then she smiled. "But I'm sure glad you did." "I didn't do that much," he said, being embarrassed about the whole thing. "It was Jill. Without her there, I hate to think what would have happened to Dorothy." Then he asked the question that had been on his mind. "How is Dorothy?" "The doctors are with her right now, I'll know soon and let you know how she is." She looked straight at Kevin. "Now you did do a lot, your leg isn't in that box for no reason. You put yourself in harms way to protect Dorothy and you can't deny it. I know it couldn't have been easy for you either. You don't like injured horses, you've told me that story yourself." "Yea, I guess. I felt a bit helpless. You didn't see how Jill rode. Dorothy's horse was going full gate and Jill managed to catch up to him. All I did was fend off the dogs." He got a bit choked up. "Dorothy was bleeding and Jill knew just what to do. She was pretty amazing." "She wanted to come in and see you. I said I'd check on you first." "She did?" "Yes, I think she was glad you were there also. I'll send her in." Grace opened the door and Jill was standing on the other side waiting. "He's all yours," Grace said. Jill came in and Grace closed the door as she stepped out. The noise of it shutting made her jump. She could tell Mr. Smith had been interested in the young girls at the school. She could see it in his eyes and it had worried her. She also saw the concern in his face when he looked at Dorothy when she really needed it. She almost laughed when she remembered how he wouldn't touch her. Jill looked around the small room, just to make sure no one else was there. "Mr. Smith," she said tentatively. "Jill, I'd get up and give you a big hug, but I can't." That relieved a lot of the tension Jill felt, he was back to his same jovial nature. "I wanted to thank you. Before you arrived I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't feel I was going to be able to help Dorothy at all." "Jill, I'm glad you were there. I wouldn't have known what to do. Where did you learn all of that stuff? You are very smart and resourceful." Jill wasn't accustom to praise of any kind. "I just did what I needed to." "So did I, but I didn't know what to do, you did." Jill looked at Mr. Smith's leg, still taped in the box. She didn't want to look at his face right then. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I know you were having a hard time... umm... touching Dorothy. I know you like looking at the girls, but I appreciated how you didn't want to touch her. It meant a lot to me that you didn't take advantage of the situation." Kevin was breaking into a sweat. He was thinking, 'How did she know? Was I that obvious? I can't think of anything to say.' Jill quickly glanced over and saw his awful embarrassment. Then staring back at his boxed leg, she said, "Mr. Smith, I had someone take advantage of me." She started to tear. "It was awful and that's how I know." When she turned and looked at him, he saw tears in her eyes. "It is men like you that help me realize that all men are not all like him. Thank you." Kevin couldn't believe what she had just told him. It was a very private and personal thing to say. He felt dirty, guilty, and compelled to express his feelings. "Jill I don't feel all that innocent." Jill snorted, "You mean when your hand was touching her..." "Jill!" He was shocked she would say such a thing, but then saw the hint of a smile on her face and realized she was as embarrassed as he was and giving him a hard time somehow relieved the tension. He still felt he needed to say something. "I was so embarrassed. I am worried that she believes what Miss Peterson said about me." Jill understood his painful position and took his hand giving it a small squeeze. "I don't think so. Mr. Smith, I bet a lot of men look at young girls. There is a big difference between looking and taking advantage, a lot. She knows you were just trying to help. If you want I can ask her. If she has a problem with what happened, I can try to explain how things really were. You did nothing wrong." That felt strange to him, to have her ask. It would be a relief to know although. "How would you ask?" Jill smiled, "Us girls have our ways," she said cryptically. Kevin supposed so; there were things he never understood about females. ------- "Beth Ann, I don't recognize that name. Are you one of the lab techs?" "No, I just help out where I can. Who were you looking for?" "Excuse my manners, this is Jack, is Keith around?" "Jack? Is that Richard's father or are you the gentleman from Carp?" Jack laughed, "I'm from Carp." It amused him to be thought of from Carp and not the base. Her rich voice made him think of a beautiful young lady and after a second thought knew that only Keith could manage to pull in such help. "Ok, just wanted to know. I'm trying to get everyone straight. Maybe I'll meet you soon. Keith just came in, let me get him for you." When I got on the line, Jack's first question was who the nice young lady was on the line. I looked at Beth Ann and said to Jack on the phone, "She's a beauty, you can just keep your mind off her though. She's already been taken." Beth Ann turned beet red, Shelly was laughing and said, "He got you again. We'll have to team up and fry him one of these days." Jack heard the laughter on the other end and he shook his head. Keith was up to his old tricks; it is one of the reasons he was so well liked. "So back to why I called. I made a few calls and found out that Dr. Jameson is up at Fort Collins now, doing a bit of work. I figured that was good enough excuse. I just need to set up a time to talk with him and see what his team is doing with all of the information they collected at the base when everyone from Carp ended up there." "That is great, so I guess it would be good for me to be there also, for my research?" "You catch on quick. Even better for me is that they need a number of helicopters sent to that base for a unified training exercise. Several are coming from our base. I need to have some flight time and this will qualify. I can make the flight plan, so we will be dropping in on you." "Not at the university I hope. I don't need all the attention drawn here." "Well I thought that would be fun, but we can get you at the airport if you prefer." "That would be good. I'll have Mary Beth drive me there." I hung up and had two gals looking at me for explanation. "Looks like I have a helicopter ride to Denver." "And you want me to take you, after those comments?" Beth Ann said. "I thought that was what you volunteered for? Aren't you the liaison from the school?" She looked at me perturbed, "Yes I am. But I am going to get you one of these days." I smiled at her and then winked. She blushed. ------- Hank was in downtown Sacramento, he was walking down J Street and saw what he wanted, and even though it was early he wished he had the money for her. It just fueled his anger. He needed to save as much as he had. It had taken him the entire day to get here. From Redding, he got a ride to Marysville. It took another three hours before someone was going far enough and would pick him up to get to Sacramento. Now he would be spending some money for lodging. His brother had to get back to his home and work. The jail time that they had took away from any vacation time he had earned, but it was the only way to keep his job without telling anyone what had happened. Hank's anger was burning in him. It all revolved around Keith Patterson. If that man had not set foot in the town everything would have been fine. He was not thinking very clearly, only on his own personal problems. Not that Hank had ever cared that much for Carp. It was his parents' fault that he ended up there; well ok, some of his own, but he didn't like to admit that part. He had been trained to be a medic in the army and although he never saw any action he ended up with something that was needed. His parents had pushed him to Carp. A town they had been to several times. He remembered it and especially its unusual customs. It was the possibility of some young pussy that made his decision. That had been a mistake. Daisy talked about her family so much it drove him crazy. She was so attached to her sister. She was married to him, damn it. She wasn't devoted to him as he thought she should be. Devotion in his book was to love to have sex with him any way and any time he wanted. When Paterson came around he knew, just knew, people started questioning his decisions. He wanted out of there. When his brother came up with a possible job, they started talking. The plan was set, he would have another job where no one knew about Carp and he'd take his wife away from her family and train her the way he wanted her to be. It was Paterson again that ruined his plan. He not only jeopardized his new job, but took his wife away from him. His wife! What right did he have to do that? She belonged, yes belonged to him. He was going to get his wife and take her back with him no matter what. He was also going to deal with Paterson as well, once and for all. It would take several days to get all the way up to that University. He knew Paterson would be there. Daisy, he bet would be too. Her sister was there. ------- When they had obtained a flashlight, Jimmy and Brian had run all the way to Jimmy's house. Jimmy was now hot sticky and the dust was mud on him. He pealed his clothes off as he went to the bathroom. Brian had watched his friend strip. When Jimmy bent down near the bathroom door to take his socks off, Brian's dick strained at his pants. Jimmy looked between his legs, back at Brian. "If you're going to stare, you might as well join me." Jimmy said and then stood up, turned around and wiggled his inflating dick at Brian. Brian didn't need much encouragement and that was a lot. He tripped as he was running, pulling off his clothes. Jimmy laughed, ran over and helped his friend pull off his clothes. The two of them were in the tub in nothing flat. Jimmy didn't think about the need to start a fire in their stove for any warm water. Jimmy let it run for a minute to get some hot, but nothing came. The thing the cold water did, was to splash on the boys feet and make them need to pee. They looked at each other, realizing they were in the same predicament. Jimmy was the first to let loose. He started and it hit Brian's feet. Brian squealed, but it made him start, like it or not. Then he decided to get Jimmy back and aimed it for his leg. Both boys ended up pointing the stream at each other's dick. The water was no warmer than when they started, but now like it or not, they needed to wash up. Jimmy filled the tub only about three inches. He grabbed a washcloth and soaped it up. Brian was looking around for another one when he felt the washcloth on his back. The water was cold, but he was not. It felt good, very good. As soon as Jimmy was done with a very though wash job, Brian returned the favour. Rinsing was not fun with the cold water and they were shaking when they got out. Their towels were used as much for drying as they were trying to snap each other with them as they ran to Jimmy's bedroom. Once inside, Brian shut the door and both boys jumped onto the bed and under the covers. It was a natural reaction for both of them to snuggle up to each other for warmth, but soon they were hot. Both boys knew the other was enjoying the contact as they could feel the expanding dick of the other. Brian was the first to do something about it. He reached down and rubbed his hand across Jimmy's dick. The contact made Jimmy jump, then laugh, and then say, "That felt good, do it again." This time, encouraged, Brian wrapped his hand around Jimmy's slender dick. Jimmy moaned, it felt good, like when his sister first did that. Brian didn't want to be left out. He took Jimmy's hand and brought it to his dick. Jimmy was ready to reciprocate. They were getting too hot to be under any covers now and tried to kick them off. Brian's feet got tangled and he had to stop what he was doing and untangle himself. After he had pulled off the covers twisted around his legs, Jimmy was laying on his back waiting for him to finish, his dick standing in the air. Brian couldn't resist and bent over, sucking it into his mouth. Jimmy gave a big sigh. Getting head was one of the best things for him. His slender dick felt good in pussy, but all he had been in were adults and it didn't feel as good as the tighter confines of a mouth. Jimmy reached out and took hold of Brian's dick. He moved around and soon was presenting it above Jimmy's face. Staring at the throbbing member above him, he stuck out his tongue and ran it across its head. Brian lost it, his muscles went to jello and it made him drop, forcing his dick into Jimmy's mouth. Brain was shocked at what he had just done, but as he rose up, it lifted Jimmy's head, as he had started to suck on Brian. When Dora got back from the Mansion, she went straight to Katy's house. She didn't see the state Jimmy was in, only knew that they had gone home early. So she got suspicious that the two of them were up to something. She opened up the front door as quietly as possible. She looked outside quickly to make sure no one was around and slowly closed the door. The living room made her smile. From the bathroom to Jimmy's bedroom were a line of clothes and two towels. Dora moved to the doorway of the bedroom. She was listening intently, but couldn't hear anything. Her curiosity was killing her as she turned the knob on the door. She looked in and what she saw was the two boys trying now to out do each other. She moved up to Brain and licked her finger, then quickly pressed it at his little rosebud. The unexpected sensations made him thrust himself into Jimmy's mouth and start squirting. Jimmy's eyes flew open, he saw Dora as his mouth was being filled. As soon as Brian was done, Jimmy pushed Brian off. It surprised him until he also saw Dora. Then he saw Jimmy stand up on the bed and kiss Dora, opening his mouth and feeding her Brain's cum. Dora eagerly sucked and swallowed the load. Brain was sated, but Jimmy had yet to fulfill his need. Dora took charge and led the boys to Katy's bedroom. With the larger bed all three could fit. Brain was in the lead and as he scampered onto the bed, his back end was raised. Dora noticed Jimmy's interest and remembered when Richard had entered there with Brian's exuberant willingness. "Brian, I think Jimmy just saw what he'd like to do." Dora said. "What?" Brain answered, he looked at Jimmy who was blushing. "Your backside was presented to him and he was rather interested I think." Jimmy looked at Dora and wondered how she knew. He was thinking that there was a tight hole. It might be better than a mouth. Brain was still looking at Jimmy. He started to blush as he said, "I kind of like the feeling, so if you want to." Jimmy's eyes lit up, "Yea." "I'll get something to help." Dora said and left the room for a minute. She rubbed something slippery onto Jimmy's very stiff dick and then around Brian's little rosebud. She was massaging more and more, finely pushing her finger into him. Jimmy who had been entranced watching almost jumped when she said, "He's ready." She could see he wasn't sure how to proceed. Thinking back about Richard, she said, "Jimmy come and lie on the bed. Brain, climb over him and slide yourself into him. Both boys were very eager to comply with her instructions and soon Jimmy was imbedded into Brain. Dora needed to disrobe and both boys watched her. She smiled and made the best of it, tossing her clothes in many directions as she turned for them to admire her body. Then she also climbed onto the bed and fed Jimmy her breast. He took to it like a nursing child. ------- It was after dinner and though she protested, Grace knew it best to take Jill back to the school. Dorothy couldn't be seen until the next morning although she was doing fine. Kevin had his leg set and was waiting for the plaster to harden. All of the doctors, and there had been three, who had come in to look at Jill said she was fine. The last just made the excuse to check her, but in reality he had only ask questions about her training in the medical field. It had been embarrassing for her. Grace had some expectations of what Jill was in store for and wanted to be there for her if she needed help. Miss Peterson was at the hospital entrance waiting for them. It looked like she had never moved. Her stony face was glaring at Grace. It put the damper on any conversation that could have occurred. When they pulled up, Grace looked around and quickly escorted both into the administration building. She had Jill sit outside and ushered Miss Peterson into her office. Jill could hear them yelling at each other although she couldn't hear anything specific. She sat there for a good fifteen minutes and then to her surprise a sheriff showed up. "Is this Mrs. Turncote's office?" He asked. "Yes." That was all he needed. He knocked, opened the door and went in. Jill was flabbergasted. She was also very curious as to what was going on inside. There were raised voices now, but not the shouting as before. Miss Peterson then stormed out of the office. She looked over at Jill and shook her head. Her expression was a mixture of hatred and determination. It scared Jill to see it. Grace stood at the doorway and asked Jill to come in. Jill was a bit apprehensive after the scene she had just witnessed, but got up and went in. Grace closed the door behind them. Jill was motioned to sit in a chair across from the officer. "I know this may be hard and I know you already have said this before, but I need to ask you about Kevin Smith again." Jill nodded and the interview started. Jill got the sense that he was asking questions over, a slightly different way to see what her response was. Jill turned to Grace and said. "I am not happy with someone accusing Mr. Smith of this and I don't like being asked the same questions over and over to see if I am telling the truth. I stated what happened. I know as I was there. That... that teacher," Jill was having a hard time controlling her emotions, "saw the end of what went on and made up what happened. She didn't witness any of it." Jill turned back to see the officer smiling. "I wish I had witnesses like you on the stand any day. You obviously know what you saw and are truthful in what you say. To top that off, you are smart enough to know where I was going and how. Many people would not pick up on that. I'm sorry to have upset you, but you need to understand that we have to make sure the truth is told. I know it may be hard for you to understand, but there are men out there who would threaten young girls like yourself so you would not tell the truth. Our questions would bring that to the light. We are just trying to help." Jill was just about in tears and the officer noticed the change. "There was something I said that upset you. I need to know what it is." Jill looked over to Grace and then to the floor. She was silent for a minute and then looked back up at the officer. "A man..." her voice started to crack. "He did something..." She started to cry. Finally she blurted out, "he raped me. I know how bad men can be." She said very pointedly and then in a softer voice, "Mr. Smith is not like that." The officer looked over to Grace and then back to Jill. "Did that happen here?" "No in Carp." Jill sniffled. "He's dead now." The officer looked again at Grace and asked her. "She came from Carp? The Carp that was in all of the papers?" Grace shook her head yes. Grace was beginning to understand the real reason Jill was here; it was for a healing process of great magnitude. She was saddened that Jill had to go through this. She moved over to Jill and put her hand on her shoulder. Grace was surprised when Jill took hold and held her hand tightly. It brought her back to those days when she was in the immigration office, when the children that were there were in desperate need for any tenderness they could get. "Jill I know that all of this must be very hard on you." The officer said. "Try to understand we are not on one side or the other. We just want to make sure if someone has done something wrong they are held accountable." "It is that teacher." Jill said with a forceful tone. "She has made Mr. Smith and myself feel awful. All because she hates men." The officer was nodding, but didn't say anything more. He packed up and left, leaving Grace and Jill alone. "Jill, I'm so very sorry. I know this must be excruciating for you." Jill started to ball. "I just want it to go away. Why are people so mean to each other?" "Not everyone is like that, you must know that. Between you and I, Miss Peterson has been a thorn in my side. She not only goes after Mr. Smith, but she has tried to go after me for protecting him." Jill looked up to Grace and nodded. "I would like to ask you to keep your ears open. Miss Peterson was told by the sheriff not to say a word to any of the girls. If she does, I know rumors will spread. If you hear anything please let me know immediately." "Don't worry, I will. I'm glad I don't have any classes with her. I don't think I could take it." Grace smiled. "We need to clean you up before going back. You know that you are going to be a hero on campus." "What? Oh no, please don't say that." "I think it can't be helped. You will find out what Liz's brother has been dealing with in a small way. Some will be good and some will be bad. It is unavoidable, you saved Dorothy and people saw you do it." "Oh..." Jill said, thinking she wished the day would be over. ------- I had been looking at some of the test data we had run and realized that there were two prongs of this investigation. I had only been working on one, the other was a lot more important to me personally and I needed to add to the study. We were looking at what happened to the rats when exposed to Rerexinal. How the infertility worked and could it be reversed. The second part that I had not worked on yet was what it did with females. Mildred's problems were at the forefront of my mind. I didn't need the love of my life, Robin, having any long-term health problems that I overlooked. I could set up the tests and evaluate the data. Running the operation was not my strong point. This came to my next line of thinking. I would be asking Dr. Jameson about how he set up the programs he does. At the base it was a rather efficient operation. At my desk, I pulled out a map to gauge what airtime we would take to get there. I noticed how close we would be to Grand Junction in our probable flight plan. I picked up the phone and rang the base, they transferred me to the rail car and the communications officer told me he would have Jack call me back. I was looking at Beth Ann bending over picking something off the floor when the phone rang. She turned towards it and noticed my gaze. She turned red as I answered the phone. "Keith Paterson." "Just the one I wanted." Jack said. "What did you want Keith?" "I was looking at a map, have you made a flight plan yet?" "You wouldn't be asking if you didn't have something up your sleeve. What do you want now?" I laughed, "I was thinking that it looks like we may well fly close to Grand Junction." "I'm looking at the map now, yes, we probably would." Then it hit him. "That happens to be where your sister is, isn't it?" "As a matter of fact it is. As well as my charge, Jill. You remember, Rebecca's daughter." "I get the point Keith. I'll see what I can do. No promises. I'm stretching this as it is going. My replacement on base has called me at least six times today." "Problems, incompetence, or you left everything such a mess he doesn't know where to begin?" "You have a nice way of getting people to want to do things for you." Jack laughed. "If I thought your skin was that thin, I'd wonder how you ever got so far, but I know better. So why so many calls?" "He came from another base, it was small and they didn't have the support staff that we do, they also apparently didn't run everything by the books. He is just a little overwhelmed. I don't doubt his abilities. It will just take him a bit of time to get up to speed. He had come in just before I left. He knew I would be retiring soon. They failed to tell him I'd be gone almost as soon as he got there to work on the Carp project." "That's good to hear. I always wondered if you could give up that position." "I did too, but you know, there is something about this town that makes me think I could be here for some time." "I know what you mean." I looked at Beth Ann, ignoring Shelly's look and said. "There was something about the first sight. I was smitten." Jack laughed. "I can tell by your choice of words, you are trying to embarrass someone." He was right, Shelly was shaking her head and Beth Ann was almost scarlet. I laughed. "You are right and you know that I enjoy every minute of it." "We are to meet up with another squadron mid flight, but haven't seen anything of their flight plan yet. They want to try and test some ideas out. I don't think they think it will work, but I need to try. So I don't know if a stop will work." "Well if we can do it, it would be fun. I'll need some of that." "Oh, sounds like a problem, what's going on?" I filled him in about Mildred's condition and that I would be at the airport for their departure. He expressed his sympathies and we ended our conversation. Kristin and Robin showed up. Beth Ann took them into a corner. I saw them looking at me. Shelly said that I was in trouble and said she was taking a break. I just smiled. If having three beautiful women looking at you was trouble, I'd like it as much as I could get. Robin came over to me and sat promptly in my lap. I smiled and grabbed her around her little waist, tickling her. As she was laughing and squirming, I asked, "Now what did you vixens try and cook up?" "You are terrible, big brother." Kristin said. I reached over, grabbed her around the waist also pulling her to me. "Yes my pretty." With both of my hands occupied it left Beth Ann free. She took my head and turned it towards her. "If you are going to tease, you have to pay." She said and planted a kiss on my lips. She didn't expect my tongue so fast, but then her hands were running through my hair. She was purring by the time Kristin said, "Your times up. Don't hog." She broke off the kiss, but then kissed me twice again then said, "Do I have to?" "Yes. I need some too." Kristin said. "If this is punishment," I said to Beth Ann, "you are only encouraging bad behavior." "Shame on you." Robin said. I leaned over to her ear, "Wait till tonight and see what you get!" She blushed, but snuggled into me and whispered, "I hope so." ------- Jack made another phone call. It gave him the time and interpret data. He then laid out a flight plan and called it into the base. They would be bringing up three; one Jack would fly from there. Once done with that, he closed up for the evening. One of the nice perks of being off base. He was free in the evening and unless there was a real disaster, no one would bother him. His hotel room was the best in the hotel. That didn't say much, except for the fact that it was the only one that had its own bathroom. The additional plus was that bathroom had a peephole and Jack had been thinking all day of how to put it to good use. Cynthia and Rebecca were at a table waiting for him at the restaurant. He was glad when they had opened it and although it was basic food with two nightly dishes, it was always good. With the steady clientele of the bridge workers as well as himself, they were busy enough to make a go of it. It had taken the waitress and the cook a bit to accept Rebecca as a customer and not just another town member who didn't have money to go out and eat. They soon learned that Jack always picked up the tab. After a while they stopped thinking about it and enjoyed the money it brought and especially the generous tip. After dinner he brought his gals to Rebecca's house. She had been in it once since they had been back and only quickly. Now the three of them stood before her door. "Do you have the key with you?" Cynthia asked. Jack laughed because he knew. "We don't lock doors around here," Rebecca replied. Then she blushed, "Unless we need some privacy." She didn't want to go in. She didn't like it the last time, but wanted to look around and make sure everything was ok. Her eyes had been drawn to Jill's room the door was open. The bed still a mess, the books piled everywhere. It was the bed that made her sit down on the floor and cry her heart out. Now... now that she was happy again, she could see the grief she had put her daughter through. It made her so sad, enough that she didn't want to go into the house. Didn't want to face those images again. Jack knew there must be some problem, but didn't know what it was. He could see her reluctance in going into her own house. He thought back to the time at the base, the time before he caught her displaying herself. She had been a thorn in everyone's side. She had never said much of anything about her life before and it made him wonder what she was hiding behind that door. Cynthia was oblivious to the silence. "Are we going in?" She asked. Jack looked over to Rebecca, "No, I don't think we need to. I just wanted to make sure it was still standing." He saw Rebecca give a sigh of relief and thought to himself that he was going to get her alone and ask what the problem is. They headed back to the hotel room and he laid out his plan. They were visibly excited about it. For Rebecca it was the thought of doing something this bold in her own hometown that made it so much more exciting. Jack went over to the bathroom, removed the picture and looked into the room. No one was there yet. He came back to the room to find Cynthia putting Rebecca's hair in ponytails. She was removing her makeup and the armoire door was open. "We don't have quite the right outfit here," Cynthia said. Jack looked at the whole procedure, "What did you have in mind?" "Something young and innocent." Cynthia said with a devilish look on her face. Jack shook his head. He came up with the idea and the gals ran with it. Not that he was in anyway not looking forward to the additions they had added. In fact it fueled his desire to what was about to take place. They weren't quite done when they heard a door slam. Jack quickly went to the peephole. Still no one was in the room. A second door could be heard a few minutes later. This time Jack saw light in the room before he caught sight of the man. He smiled; it was a large man that he had talked to on several occasions. He knew this would be fun. Cynthia led Rebecca out their door, making sure that the door made no noise. Rebecca walked quietly down the stairs and as soon as she saw no one was in the lobby, walked back up, this time making noise. She was a little nervous and very excited when she got to the landing. She walked up to the door and opened it. Jack and Cynthia were taking turns looking through the peephole. Cynthia was the one who saw the door open. She almost let out a laugh at the expression on the poor mans face. Jack took his turn, each describing to the other what they saw. "She's in the room now looking around as though her stuff should be in there. She plays this part well. The guy is trying to be nice. Oh God Cynthia she's bending over to look under the bed." "My turn." Cynthia said. "She did the first one. She must have unbuttoned it when she was leaning over. He noticed it. She's now going to the window. I'll have to go soon." "Let me see." Jack said moving her aside. "Second ones undone. The poor sap is having a hard time trying to look at her face and not her tits. Look one last time." "She's now sitting on the bed, bouncing up and down, Her tits are bouncing and he can't take his eyes off them. Oh! She just fell on the floor." "Let me see." Jack snickered. "She undid the third as she got up. I saw her do it, but he didn't. You'd better get in there before he takes her." "On my way." Cynthia said and was out the door. Jack saw Cynthia enter the room, She was dressed very conservatively, she said something to the man; he fell back landing on the bed as though he'd been hit. The guy was turning red and Jack could see that he was stammering as he was talking. Rebecca was the perfect angel and went to help the man up. Jack watched as Cynthia slapped the man on the arm, it was almost playful the way she did it. Then she pulled Rebecca out of the room. Rebecca turned to wave goodbye and as she did, her entire bra clad breast was visible to him. Jack couldn't believe the performance that had just taken place. It was a classic. As soon as they were in the door and it was locked, their shoes off they ran to the bathroom. "What's he doing?" "Still staring at the door, but he's starting to rub himself. Believe me it worked." "Can I see?" Rebecca asked. "My pleasure." Jack said and took a step back. As Rebecca looked on, Jack wrapped his arms around her. She wiggled back and found a hard lump in his pants. "What's he doing?" Cynthia wanted to know. "He shook his head and now is locking the door. Oh now he's undressing." "I want to see." Cynthia said and took Rebecca's place, both at the peephole and at Jack's hands. "He has his shirt off and he's rubbing his nipples. He's now sitting on the bed and pulling his shoes and socks off. Here come his pants. Come here quick, you did this to him." Cynthia pulled Rebecca to where she was. Rebecca looked in and said. "He's dropping his shorts. Oh my God! It's not that long, but it is really fat. I bet I couldn't get it in. Ohhh that is nice." Jack had Rebecca's dress hiked up and her panties down. He was rubbing his now free dick down the crack of her ass. "Want to try?" He asked. Rebecca stiffened up. "No." She said. That was a little too much for her. Jack pulled back and Rebecca whimpered. Cynthia laughed, "That's alright. I don't think Jack is ready to share you anyway, are you Jack?" "No, not for a long time," and he slid back into Rebecca. That pleased Rebecca to hear. She was also pleased that Jack was rubbing into her wet channel giving her a great deal of pleasure. "My turn, you're not talking." Cynthia said. Rebecca reluctantly moved and Cynthia took the place. Jack was happy with either one climbing on board. "He's jacking off. It looks like he mumbling something, I bet it's your name," Cynthia said and looked at Rebecca. It's starting, I can tell." "I want to see him cum." Rebecca said. "As you wish. I'm going to watch Jack." Rebecca took the spot, Jack slid into her and Cynthia slithered between the wall and Rebecca. Cynthia's face was right at the height of Rebecca's crotch. As Jack pulled back, his dick almost was completely out of Rebecca and Cynthia could see his piss hole. Then he would thrust it back in. Cynthia moved in closer and licked Rebecca's bare pussy. Rebecca had to stifle a moan. "What's happening?" Cynthia asked. "He's laying on his back now. His hand is flying up and down. His other hand is pinching his nipple. He's stiffening... It's shooting! Oh that was high. It landed over his head. More on his neck. Now across his chest. What a load. Jack was ready and he increased his pace also. Cynthia reached between Rebecca's legs and took hold of Jacks balls. That did it. There were two shots directly into Rebecca and then Cynthia took hold and shot it across her breasts. Cynthia quickly cleaned Rebecca, then stood and said, "Your turn." Rebecca leaned in and first kissed Cynthia on the mouth and then trailed her mouth down, licking and sucking anything she could find. Jack was starting to get stiff again, watching those two. The man in the other room long forgotten, he pulled them to the bed and they continued. ------- Laura was antsy. No one had called. She could see Liz was distraught and that didn't help. Tiffany was the only person who had come in. That had helped Laura a lot. With the door closed and only Liz, Vicki, Tiffany and herself there, they got Tiffany's whole story. Jill was a hero. There was not doubt in anyone's mind. The big question was why no phone call, why wasn't she back. Maybe there was something wrong. It was driving them all a bit crazy. Laura announced that she was going to take a walk and try and clear her head. "That's a good idea." Liz said. "Come back so if we know anything, we can tell you." Laura smiled. She liked Liz and thought she must know how much of a friend Jill was to her. After she was out the door, both Tiffany and Vicki looked at Liz. "They are very good friends and that is all." They gave her a look of suspicion. "That is all it is and I know." Then Liz smiled. "At least that's all it is now." Vicki was the closest to a pillow and flung it at Liz and they all had a good laugh. It was good to relieve a bit of tension. Laura walked down the steps and out the front door in a daze; she didn't know where she was going. That is until she saw a glint of movement in the corner of her eye. She glanced over and saw two girls. She recognized them as classmates in her drama class. The only class she had with older girls. She wondered, well no, well maybe, well I'll just follow them, she thought. The further away from the buildings the farther back Laura had to be, but she was sure now to where they were heading. This time she knew why. She could have easily turned back but curiosity had been driving her crazy. What was it that two girls did? She took a different path, now knowing where they were going and climbed to the lookout place Jill had shown them. She watched as two other girls swung out, grabbed their cloth marker and ran off, giggling. The ones she had followed approached the place slowly. Laura watched as one of the girls drew their cloth marker and placed it onto the tree. She briefly wondered how they all knew. Did someone show them? Was it passed down? Her thoughts were diverted as she watched the first girl swing into the trees, then the second. The sun was setting and she could see shadows playing among the branches. The images she saw started painting a picture, filling some of the gaps. It wasn't more than five minutes after Laura left that Liz heard a loud commotion on the first floor. She opened her door and the word of Jill's arrival filtered up to her. Looking back at Vicki and Tiffany, Liz gave them a pained look and flew down the stairs. Jill hadn't made it through the door. She was standing in its frame with Grace just behind her. Crowded around were Jill's sudden admirers. Grace was trying to keep them at bay, but it was hard to do, as everyone it seemed wanted to talk to her. She looked up at Jill coming down the stairs with a pained expression on her face. "Ladies, ladies. Show some dignity. I know that this must be terribly exciting to each and every one of you." Almost every one of the girls turned and stopped their clamoring. It impressed Grace that Liz commanded so much respect from the girls. "I'm sure that Jill will be telling everyone what happened. As you know it has been hours that she has been at the hospital. I think she may need a bit of quite time before being barraged with questions." The girls parted, Jill ran to Liz who gave her a hug. Then Grace made her way over and they headed back up the stairs. Vicki and Tiffany were at the top of the stairs. They all made their way to Liz's room. The room was a bit crowded with that many people in it, but no one felt uncomfortable. Grace looked around, noticing only one bed. "You are sleeping where?" She asked Jill. Jill blushed. "In this bed, with Liz. She tells me I'm a bed hog though," she offered. The question tensed up an already anxious group. Grace smiled. "I'm sure it feels safe for you. I think that is probably important now." Liz looked between Jill and Grace. This was not the typical Grace. She was showing a more tender side, like the day she brought Jill into the school and enrolled her. Now,... now it was like she was protecting her. It did bring the level of anxiety down in the room though. Everyone was looking at Jill now and she was feeling a bit self-conscious. Liz stood in front of her. "I don't care what anyone thinks, she's my daughter and I was scared." She gave Jill another, but longer hug. Liz whispered in Jill's ear. "You scared me half to death. I love you." When they separated, both Liz and Jill had water in their eyes. Vicki said, "Jill I'm just going to barge in here. Tell us what happened. We want the uncut version." Everyone laughed. "Again?" Jill said. Everyone laughed a second time. "You had better get use to it," Tiffany said. "You are going to telling this story to your grandchildren." Jill's eyes grew and she blushed thinking about that. Grace stayed, which surprised Liz, but afterwards understood, as even she had not heard everything. Jill started at the part of hearing the yelling in the barn to the sheriff in Grace's office. Grace let her talk, but at the end said, "Now I know you asked for the uncut version, but there are parts that may not leave this room and I don't think I need to spell those out." The turning to Liz she said, "You have a remarkable daughter," Then smiling she said, "you must be proud." Liz was choked up. Grace continued, "I think it would be good for the two of you to talk and figure out the story that she will be telling everyone else." There was an underlying message to make sure Jill didn't say what she shouldn't. After Grace left, Jill looked at Liz and said in a pained tone, "Am I really going to be a hero?" "Not going to be, are sweetheart." She answered. "Like it or not for days everyone is going to hang on everything you say. I know you haven't wanted to be in the limelight, but you are there now." "Shit." Tiffany and Vicki, shocked, both said in unison, "What did you say?" Jill turned red, "Nothing," she muttered. Then wanting to change the subject quickly asked, "Has anyone seen Laura?" "Oh no." Liz said. "What?" Jill asked. "She was here and very worried about you. After we hadn't heard anything, she said she wanted to clear her head and went for a walk. She should have heard that you were back by now." "Can we go look for her?" "Yes, I told her to come back here after she was done, so someone had better stay." Tiffany and Vicki said they would stay. Jill and Liz quickly went down stairs and out the door so they would avoid questions. While Jill held back, Liz asked girls around if anyone had seen Laura. Only a few knew who she was. Then one pointed out past the buildings to where she thought she had seen her walk. They headed that way and as they were walking Liz had the idea of where to look. She told Jill to take a different direction; they would loop back and reconnect. It seemed like a good plan and they went their separate ways. As soon as Jill was out of sight, Liz went to the place Jill had described, the place overlooking the tree group in the thorns. ------- Laura seeing clothing coming off was embarrassed. Although she knew in the locker room showers the girls were undressed and showering, this was different. It was... intimate. That was the right word. Although she knew she was an intruder, she could not stop herself. She wanted to know. After the clothes went, there was an embrace. She felt herself getting flustered thinking of their nude bodies pressing together. She wondered what it would feel like. Laura's hand traveled up her thin frame and clasped her tiny breast. It sent a jolt through her body. This wasn't the first time by far that she had touched herself, but this was different. She continued to watch. As she did, she unbuttoned her blouse almost unknowingly and slipped her hand under her bra. Her small nipple was hard and loved the touch of her bare hand. The couple's shadow playing in the sunset was transfixing to Laura. She almost cried out when she saw them lower their bodies, taking the dance away from her sight. Then she saw a form rise but only a little. She realized that the girl was on her knees. Her mind was trying to think of what they could be doing, she was racking her brain. She was coming up with nothing and it was frustrating her. She sat down as she thought the girl must be. As she did, an exposed large root came into contact with her crotch. It made her jump, and then she sat down again. The feeling was better than good. She leaned forward and got and even better sensation. Liz quietly moved up the small hill. If Laura wasn't here, she thought, it would be a good place to look from. She came up the rise and stopped. There was little Laura, her hand in her blouse, on her knees humping a root, staring off in the distance. Liz didn't want to scare her, so she made a noise, but Laura didn't respond, she was too far-gone. Liz's next thought was that if she sees her now, she might scream making quite a scene. She moved up to where Laura was and gently, but firmly placed her hand around the girl's mouth. "Don't scream Laura, it's only me, Liz." Laura immediately started to scream, but stifled it fast; she also stiffened, realizing the predicament she was in. Liz took her hand away. Laura looked at Liz with terror in her eyes and started to cry. "It's all right Laura, settle down." Laura was not responding well and Liz sat down, took the girl into her arms and rocked her. "It's ok, don't worry." It took several moments for Laura to settle down. She realized then her blouse was open. There was no denying what she had done, what she was looking at. Laura felt very ashamed. "Laura, it is ok, really. Don't feel bad. I understand." She started to scoot Laura off her lap and stand her. "Jill is out here looking for you. I think you might be more embarrassed having her find you than me." There was a pleading look on Laura's face. "Laura when you are ready to talk, come and see me. You are curious and there is nothing wrong with curiosity, but you don't want it to consume you. There are many things for you to know. Do you understand?" For the first time Laura spoke, "Yes I think so. You're not mad at me." Liz smiled, "Of course not. Come on, let's find Jill, she was dying to see you." That brightened up Laura. She was a bit self-conscious buttoning her blouse in front of Liz, she thought it silly, but couldn't help herself. Liz wanting to speed up the process took over the job and buttoned the blouse for Laura. As they turned, the sun was just setting and the shadows played though the trees. Liz looked over to Laura who was blushing. "Don't forget to find me so we can talk." "I won't forget." They walked down the slope and weren't twenty feet from the bottom when Jill came into view. The two girls ran to each other. As they were giving each other a big hug, Jill looked over to Liz and then up to the rise and back to Liz. Liz simply raised her eyebrows at Jill; her facial expression didn't give anything away. When the hug was over, Laura wanted to leave that place and also wanted to hear everything from Jill. ------- Robin was standing at the door when I arrived. She dragged me past Kristin, and Daisy, down the hall and into the bedroom. I was starting to wonder what I had done wrong. This was not giving me a good feeling. She shut the door behind me as we entered out bedroom. Looking up at me with those beautiful green eyes, I suddenly felt guilty, but I wasn't sure for. She just looked at me, didn't say anything, just looked. I wasn't sure if I should reach out to her or not. I saw her lips moving in and out. Then she said, "I don't want you to see Beth Ann any longer." I was flabbergasted. She was just there in the lab, sitting on my lap and saw Beth Ann kiss me, she hadn't said anything. What was it? My mind was reeling, but I knew the answer I need to say. "If that is what you want, I won't see her again. I love you and never want to hurt you." I got down on my knees and held her hand. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what I've done, believe me I never, ever want to hurt you. Please forgive me." I heard snickering behind me, I turned to see the door open; Kristin, Daisy, and Beth Ann were standing in the doorway. I turned back to a red faced Robin while I heard Kristin say, "He makes it very hard to be mad at him, doesn't he?" "Yes he does." I heard Beth Ann reply. I was starting to understand. "So I was set up and you used Robin to try and get back at me?" They were looking a bit sheepish, especially Beth Ann. I took her by the hand and pulled her quickly into the room making her almost run right past me. I then pulled her hand back causing her to turn around and loose balance. She fell right on top of the bed. "I told Jack," As I loomed over her, "that you were taken. I guess you didn't believe me." Her eyes grew as big as they could get. "Kristin, Robin, I think she needs to understand she is taken." They didn't need any more encouragement and were right over, hands unbuttoning anything they saw. I looked over to Daisy who was looking on with her mouth hanging open. "Daisy, want to help me undress?" I smiled, "I do remember you enjoying doing that another time." I could see the smile creep over Daisy's face and she was in front of me in a flash. She placed her hands on each side of my face and lowered them sensually down my cheeks and neck. Her hands then started to unbutton my shirt. She would unbutton one and then rub her hands around my flesh. The lower she went the more flesh was exposed and the bolder her movements. By the time she lowered herself to my pants, everyone, including the nude Beth Ann, was watching the show. Daisy had a difficult time with my pants. The erection she had caused me to have, made the unbuttoning hard. I was grateful when she unzipped them. She made a point to keep my boxers up when she pulled my pants down. I stood that way, with tented boxers while she undid my shoes, pulling them off and then my socks and finally my pants. Her hand glanced across my protrusion, causing it to jump. Everyone had a giggled a little, including myself. She was playing with the audience at that point, knowing they were watching. It kept me hard and I wasn't doing a thing except standing there. She pulled down a part of my boxers, playing with the fabric. Kristin couldn't stand it any longer and reached over and pulled them down. "No not yet!" Daisy said. "It's not ready yet." With that she engulfed my dick into her mouth. I drew my breath in; the feeling was surprise as well as pleasure. Daisy gave it several sucks and then withdrew slowly. She gave a last suck on my head and popped it out of her mouth. "Now it's ready." She said with a big smile on her face. Everyone erupted in applause. She blushed. I looked over to Beth Ann, lying nude on the bed. "Are you ready to understand that you are taken?" She swallowed and shook her head yes. I climbed onto the bed and with out much ceremony spread her legs. I'm sure it embarrassed her to be so exposed in front of the others. I pulled her knees up and looked down. "What a lovely sight." I said. She turned even redder. "I know what I'm occupying, but there are many other parts to be had. She obviously needs to know she's been taken. We don't want to let her down, now do we?" I asked the other three. Kristin and Robin each took a breast and started playing. Daisy looked at me not knowing what to do. I got a wicked smile on my face. "I'm sure she'd love to eat you." I mouthed so Beth Ann couldn't hear me. Daisy's eyes grew big, and then I saw the laughter in her face. She pulled off her dress and pulled down her panties. She climbed onto the bed and presented herself to Beth Ann. Beth Ann looked up at Daisy's pussy and then at me with an alarmed expression. I smiled and said, "Just do what I do." With that I dove in and took a long lick. I heard Beth Ann let out a sigh and then it became muffled. Beth Ann was reeling on the bed with excitement. Her body was primed and I wasn't far behind her. Kristin and Robin were holding Beth Ann's hands while Daisy was stroking her face. I knelt between her legs; she looked down and saw my hard dick pointing to its target. I looked at her. I still had to ask, "Beth Ann tell me you want this?" "Oh God Keith yes, yes please." Beth Ann said. "I couldn't last time, but I don't want you to stop. Make me a woman, your woman." Then with a smile on her face, she said, "take me." I smiled. She was in control, well somewhat. I leaned over her and then felt two hands reaching for my dick, one from each side. Kristin and Robin were guiding me to Beth Ann's entrance. I was in heaven. Though maybe technically not a virgin, that was what she was giving me and I knew it. It showed on her face as I started to push my way into her tight opening. It was love on her face. ------- When Stephanie came in, Kristin and Beth Ann were back at their dorm room. Stephanie said it smelled like sex. We all smiled. She frowned. "I always miss the good stuff." I picked her up and said, "You haven't missed me, have you? Lets go take a bath." She squealed with delight as I threw her over my shoulder and carried her down the hall. I heard Daisy say, "He's going to be a great dad." Later that night I was in bed alone with Robin. She snuggled up to me. "I like it best this way, you know that don't you?" I asked. "Yes I do. I'm sorry." She said. I tweaked her nose and she giggled. "I love you." I said. "Me too." She replied and then asked, "How long are you going to be at Liz's?" "I don't have any idea. Jack couldn't make any promises that we could even land." "If you do, give her a big wet one for me." Then she kissed me long and seductively. "And spend time with Jill. She needs it." "I will try as much as I can." I thought back to the first time I really noticed Jill. It was at out wedding. She was a scared frightened girl. I knew some things had changed, but I wasn't sure how much towards men. I jumped at the sound. It was the dead of night and I couldn't see a thing as our blackout blinds were pulled. I heard something again and knew where it was coming from. I got up and went across the hall. Now I heard faint giggling. As I pushed the ajar door open as quietly as I could, I saw Daisy with Stephanie on top of her. I could hear them now. Stephanie was pretending to be me. I almost laughed at her attempt to use a low voice as she talked. "I know you like it little girl." It was then I saw what she held in her hand. The dildo. "Yes, oh yes, please give it to me Keith you know I need it." Daisy said in a sweet little girl voice. They both giggled again. I felt a warm body press into me. Robin had woke to their noises. "You want me to give you a baby with this thing don't you?" Stephanie teased. Daisy didn't respond. Robin pushed her head around to look at her better. Then daisy said in her normal voice, "Yes, more than anything." Stephanie stopped and became still, she looked at her best friends sister and then said, "Really? You aren't joking about that are you?" "No." I looked at Robin and she pulled me back to our room. ------- Chapter 34 The previous night was very pleasant and in stark contrast to the hectic morning. I had walked to the hospital with Daisy to Pamela's room. Their parents were already there. It was obvious their night sleep was neither long nor restful. Daisy went to give her parents a hug. I moved over to Pamela. I saw tears in her eyes. Giving her a hug, I whispered in her ear, "I love you sweetheart. I'm sorry to see you sad." I saw the hint of a smile. It was a first since her surgery and a good sign of her healing. Doctor Smithers slid in the door, "Good to see you're here." Then he looked around, "Where's Robin?" "She will be along in just a few minutes." "Good, we need her to sign some papers." I looked at him questioningly, "Sign what?" He smiled, "Guardianship." I saw Daisy out of the corner of my eye, she didn't look very happy. "I thought she was too young." I said to make a point and question how this was going to work. "Well, yes and no. I thought we might as well try it. As you two are married," He smiled, "It might just fly." I had to laugh, "So you don't know if this will work?" "With you, no problem, with Robin, there could be some complications." I could see this was irritating Daisy somewhat. "Ok, after we sign, then what?" He looked at his watch, "You have forty minutes to get to the courthouse and meet with the judge." I gulped, "Forty minutes, that is cutting it close." "Robert and Mildred need to be there and I know they have a plane to catch. We're cutting this as close as we can." Robin and Stephanie showed up. Mildred, Robert, Robin, Dr. Smithers and myself went off to his office. The papers were laid out on his desk and there was a stack of them. As he was explaining what everything was, I was half listening and also trying to figure out the logistics. He saw my puzzled look. "Keith you have a question?" "I'm embarrassed, I was trying to figure out how everyone was going to get where they should be at the right time." He looked at me and laughed. "I wouldn't have expected anything less of you Keith. Who needs to go where?" I explained our needing to go to the court and then the airport, but there were others here that would need to go to the airport as well. He went out of the room and came back in just a minute latter. "We'll have an answer in just a bit, now back to the papers. We were signing the last of them when Beth Ann, Kristin, and Mary showed up. I looked at him and shook my head. He said, "We need witness signatures," And smiled. Pointing to where Beth Ann and Mary should sign. Then he went on. "I think it is best that only ones who should be there are Mildred, Robert, you Keith, and of course the driver. Beth Ann, you were planning on that, weren't you?" "Yes sir, I was." "Fine. Now Mary, I got that right didn't I?" "Yes sir." Mary said smiling. "You have a car, is that what I understand?" "Yes, so I would be taking the rest? How many would that be?" We counted off, Robin, Kristin, Daisy would go, and Stephanie would stay with Pamela. That would be four and easy enough for Mary to handle. I kissed Robin goodbye and off we went to the courthouse. Robin, Kristin and Mary heading off to the hospital to be with Pamela. The courthouse was a ten-minute drive and fortunately we found parking right out front. The doctor the day before had sent Beth Ann to the courthouse to deliver something and make sure she knew the way. Little did we know then that he had a slight deception planned. Beth Ann came in with us and showed us to the information board. It took another minute to find where to go. It was rather nerve racking for us all, knowing we were on a tight time schedule. We were standing outside the door to the judge's office. I had no idea of protocol. I'd never been in this position before. So I decided the best action was to knock and find out. I was just about to when we saw a man approach, dressed in a full gown. There wasn't much doubt in our mind that this was the judge we were looking for. He took a look at us, "You are right on time, and I'm running a bit late. Sorry." Then he ushered into his office. "You have all the paperwork?" He asked as we sat down. "Yes." I said and pulled out a manila envelope for him. "Dr. Smithers compiled them for us and we signed them this morning." He went through the pages with rapid, but through inspection. When he got to the end he looked back up to us. Addressing Mildred and Robert, he said, "You understand that this gives Keith and Robin here complete rights for decision making for your daughter in your absence." We looked at each other, realizing he took Beth Ann for Robin. I saw Beth Ann start to say something and they saw me slowly shake my head no. She raised her eyebrows, but didn't say a word. In the meantime Mildred answered the question. "Yes, I would trust Keith with my life. I know my daughter couldn't be in better hands." "And you sir?" The judge asked Robert. "I couldn't say it any better. Anyone who sees him with her can see they love each other. Did you know he made it possible for her to become a beautiful girl?" The judge smiled, "Yes that is my understanding. You have said something wonderful about Keith, how about Robin. She will have as much to say about Pamela." He could see with the smiles on their face that Robin was very acceptable. Again Mildred spoke, "My daughter told me that Robin may well be pregnant. I couldn't think of a better mother for a child. Robin will be a wonderful mother; I can tell she is a lovely wife for Keith." The judge was glanced at Mildred again. She was dressed in a loose fitting dress. Her stomach was distended making her look pregnant was well, he refrained from comment. Looking at Beth Ann, whom he took to be Robin, she was blushing. He took it for the impending baby and not for the mistaken identity. "Well that settles it. I see nothing that would suggest I shouldn't sign these." He pulled out a pen, jotted his name in three places and said, "These need to be recorded, so take then down to the first floor. You will find the recorder's office. They will take care of it. Make sure they give you a copy so you have something if you need it." We stood and thanked him and then went off to record the papers. That took only a matter of minutes as Beth Ann had been there before. Mildred got that look and Robert took her off quickly to the restroom. Beth Ann and I were standing in the hall waiting. A couple came out of a room. They had just been married and kissed in the doorway. I looked over to Beth Ann, "So your pregnant my dear? You didn't tell me!" Then to her surprise I grabbed her around the waist, bent her over and kissed her long and with great passion. When I stood her back up she was dizzy and blushing. The other couples from the wedding erupted in applause. Mildred and Robert were coming back and we all walked outside. "We heard clapping" Robert said. "Some man grabbed his gal and kissed her right here in the hallway. Apparently there was something important to celebrate and he couldn't control himself." I said. Beth Ann's eyes were bugging out; she was turning crimson and tried to walk ahead of us. They noticed her pace. "We need to get to the airport quickly," answering their unasked question. ------- Mary, Robin, Kristin, and Daisy were already at the airport when we arrived. I saw Beth Ann quickly go to Kristin and Mary and form the female version of a huddle. They were throwing me glances. I was grinning knowing what she must be telling them. Kristin came over to me, "Keith, you're unbelievable. That poor girl is out of her mind, you know she's head over heals for you and you just torment her." Robin was looking at me and I had to explain. My explanation was a bit different than Beth Ann's and Kristin was shaking her head. Robin shook her head at me also. "So you're telling me that because the judge thought Beth Ann was your wife and pregnant, everything was fine and you were so overjoyed that you made a spectacle in the hall kissing her." "That doesn't sound to convincing does it?" "No," Robin said. "It sure doesn't brother, but I would have loved to seen it." Kristin said grinning. Robin was shaking her head, but I saw the grin on her face, "You two are just like family." After that frivolity, it was hard to come down to the seriousness of why we were there. I think it was a coping mechanism for me. It was hard to deal with the reality of this situation. Daisy was hugging and crying with her mother and father. The plane was waiting. Kristin, Beth Ann, and Mary each gave them a little hug. Mildred took Robin in her arms and hugged her hard. "Take care of my baby," she said in a broken voice. Robin moved over to Robert and gave him a hug. I gave Mildred a hug. She looked into my eyes. "Thank you for everything you have done. You have saved both of my children. I couldn't ask for a better angel to be with them." I was not dealing with this very well at all. I didn't feel like any sort of an angel, my eyes were watering and I was having a hard time trying to say anything. Robert took my hand and shook it. He looked me in the eye. "I meant what I said in the judges chambers Keith. You have been a gentleman all along the way." He looked down, "Much more than I could say for myself." I heard the voice before I saw the face. "Are you going to be flying with us? We need to board now." I turned to see Sharin, tapping Robin's shoulder. Robin turned around and gave her a big hug. Sharin looked over to me and I gave her a hug also. "I'm afraid we won't be with you on this flight." I said to her disappointment. Then I whispered, "Is everything ok with you?" She broke into a radiant smile. "So much better. He's gone, so I don't even have to think about it any longer." "That is great." Robin said. Sharin looked at the two of us. "I'd like to fly with you again," she said, her voice softer. The landing of three helicopters cut our conversation short. Sharin needed to get Mildred and Robert into the plane so they could take off. I grabbed Sharin around the waist and said. "Take care of them. Remember Robert likes to drink." She nodded, and didn't feel me slip a note with my lab phone number in her pocket. We waved goodbye to her and she blew us a kiss from the doorway before she closed it. Robin and I had our arms around Daisy as the plane flew out of sight. She had cried herself dry by then and her body shook from the emotional outpouring. ------- Liz had posted a sign on her door after the fifth girl had knocked the night before. Jill didn't want to go out for breakfast. Liz sympathized and brought her something, but she was going to have to face the school. Liz made a practice run in the morning, she took her down the back fire escape stairs. Once out on the grass, Jill felt free. That didn't last long. One person noticed her, then another, and another, soon she had a crowd around her. Liz was being no help to her she thought. All Liz would say is that she needed to learn how to deal with her admirers. What did she know about admirers? She wasn't a movie star or anything. She was just a plain girl from Carp. Somehow she knew that's not how these girls saw her any longer. She soon found out that after she told the first group of girls her story, it only fuelled more girls to come and want to hear for themselves. It wasn't that she didn't like the attention, it was rather fun telling the story after a bit. What she didn't like was that she hadn't had a moment's peace since she had walked outside. Everyone wanted a piece of her. She was being driven crazy with it. She had seen Sue and Betty as well as Laura walking near her, but couldn't talk to any of them. She started to wonder how Keith stood it. He was a real hero. How did he do it? Thankfully Liz came to the rescue and pulled her to her room. Jill sat down on the bed and looked at Liz. She was grinning, Jill was perturbed at Liz's attitude. "How does your brother do it? I am being driven crazy and I'm not really a hero like he is. All you can do is have this silly grin on your face." "Why don't you ask him?" Liz replied. "Ask him, I guess I could, but I've never made a long distance call before." "You don't have to." Her grin turning into a full-blown smile. "Robin called, he'll be here in less than an hour" Jill stared at Liz in disbelief. "He's what?" ------- Hank woke early in his Sacramento hotel room. Although the bed was better than ones he had slept on in the past month, he didn't have a very restful sleep. After getting some breakfast, he made his way to the freeway and with his thumb out stood there for the next two hours. He felt it humiliating having to do this. If it wasn't for Paterson, he kept mumbling to himself, his anger growing, consuming. The ride finally came. A man in his mid twenties picked Hank up. He was traveling to Reno. This was good. Hank threw his duffel bag in the car and off they went. The trip was uneventful until they were approaching the town of Truckee. The detour was posted taking them to Lake Tahoe. By this time it was close to lunch and they stopped in the town of Truckee. The sun shown in the car and with a full stomach, a warm car, as well as a bad nights sleep, soon Hank fell asleep. He nodded off as they were along side the Truckee River on the way to the Tahoe basin ------- Jack was very amused at my embarrassment. Each of the girls there wanted to give me a kiss goodbye. Mary was subdued in her kiss, but I felt her hidden hand massage my dick. She had yet to know the games that were going on with Jack and that he'd never say a word. Daisy was still upset about her parents and didn't want me to leave either. She clung on to me, and her kiss, wow. She whispered into my ear to hurry back. Beth Ann who had been introduced to Jack. I saw that he enjoyed her tall slender body, long blond hair, and beautiful face. After all the comments made on the phone, she was bound and determined to show Jack that she did indeed know she was taken. Her hands snaked around my body, her lips started on my neck and traveled to my mouth. She didn't whisper, but said out loud, "I want you back soon." Kristin, being my sister, should have been more discreet, but then again, she'd be showing in a few months and how discreet can you be then. She took my hands and placed them on her delicious ass. Then taking my head in her hands she put out her tongue so all could see as she entered my mouth. Robin was last. I smiled and she laughed. "If that isn't enough incentive to make it back quickly I don't know what would." I reached for her and rubbed her belly. She looked up at me and I said, "You," then I looked down to my hand on her belly and said, "and her." Her radiant smile warmed me. We kissed until the group around us started to clap. We broke apart smiling at each other. I walked out to the helicopter. Jack was looking over to me, "You and I have a lot to talk about." I looked over and saw the grin on his face. I shook my head and said, "You're just jealous." "You're right and I want to be more... what would you say." "Younger?" Jacked laughed, "You are very bad. No, what I was thinking of was expansive." I looked at him, my eyebrows raised, "Rebecca isn't enough for you to handle?" "I don't see you stopping at one." "I didn't start. They came to me." Jack was shaking his head as we climbed in and started off. ------- Brian and Jimmy were on the first wagon out to the Mansion. They had hidden a roll containing their clothes and the flashlight on the wagon and had left it there. Now they were being pests. They figured this was the best way for everyone to tell them to get lost and no one would notice them missing for a while. It worked and hadn't taken over twenty minutes. Luckily for the boys, the new school board was having a little meeting, so Dora and Millie were not out at the Mansion. They went out to the wagon and collected their roll. Brian and Jimmy walked as quietly as they could up the stairs and then up the ladder to the attic. They checked the ladder once more, thanking their good luck that no one had stopped them; no one had asked them any questions. They were breathing heavy in anticipation. Stripping down to their underwear the boys changed into the other clothes they had brought along. Jimmy was the first to climb down the ladder inside the wall. Brian tossed down the flashlight and Jimmy almost dropped it. Both boys realized they were holding their breath and started to giggle. Brian came down next. Jimmy moved, with Brian following, weaving through the studs making up the support for the lathe and plaster on each side of this open space. "I thought the floor was not finished in these crawl spaces, isn't that what Thomas said?" Brian whispered. "That's what he said, but these are solid floors, at least what I was on. Maybe they built this different." Jimmy whispered back. Jimmy came to the corner and moved so Brian could see around. Five feet around the corner, at the end of the expanded opening, was another ladder on the wall going to the second floor. The boys looked at each other. Their hearts were beating wildly at the excitement of it all. Jimmy handed the flashlight to Brian and started down. Brian was doing his best at shining the light down, but inside the middle of the house, it was very dark. The dust and cobwebs seemed to soak up the light. Jimmy whispered up, "I've hit the bottom." "I can't see you well enough to drop the light to you." Brian whispered back. "Put it in your pants and keep it on. It will shine on your hands at least." Jimmy whispered to him. Brian did as Jimmy had said and was climbing down when he felt the flashlight coming loose. "It's falling." He said in a panic. The flashlight hit one of the steps and made a good size noise. Jimmy caught it as it bounced off the outside wall. Worse than the noise was the idea that they didn't have an extra bulb. He held it as Brian climbed the rest of the way down. Jimmy wished he knew where he was in the house. Other than being now on the second floor, he had no clue. The open passage was directly behind them and stopped, or that's the way it looked. They walked as quietly as they could down the passage. They could hear talking on one side of the wall and they didn't want to be heard. The passage jogged to the left. Went another five feet and then jogged back to the right. It was after the first jog that the flashlight flashed onto something. Jimmy shined the light back over and they found a small piece of sheet metal. Brian reached up to it and found that it was hinged. As it came back from the wall a beam of light flooded the walkway they were in. The boys looked at each other. A peephole! They were a bit short to see through it, so Jimmy got on all fours and Brian stood on his back. He looked through and saw one of the bedrooms. They switched places and Jimmy got a look. They both realized the importance of this find. They could spy on anyone in this room. That started a search for other bits of metal on the walls. They found another on the other side, before the jog. It showed into another bedroom. This time they could see people in the room, the ones they had heard talking. When Jimmy was up looking through one of the women looked right at the wall. Jimmy closed the hole fast. He was sure that she could see him. He was breathing fast. Brain started to say something, but Jimmy shh'd him fast. Jimmy stood stock-still looking at the wall. It was then he noticed some marks on the lathe. Jimmy calmed down much to Brian's relief and got down. He told Brian of the scrawls he saw. Brain wanted to look. He held the flashlight with him and started to make out what was written. Beatrice Dress 6:45 am Undress 9:10 pm They continued to look, but that was the only other one before they got to the ladder up. Going back to the first peephole they found it also had writing: Grant Dress 7:02 am Undress 8:55 pm Edna Dress 7:14 am Undress 8:48 pm The boys didn't understand if two people were in the same room why they would dress and undress at different times. They came to the conclusion that one stayed in the room at one time and the other had stayed in there at another time, maybe even different years. The idea that a woman would never show herself to a man was simply not something they could fathom. They continued their search down the passage. Around the second jog was a drop. Not a large one. Maybe four feet and then it looked like the passage went to the left. When Brian saw it, it reminded him of the passage in Cliffs house. His body tensed, he backed up against the wall, and he was sweating. When Jimmy turned around and had the flashlight under his chin, the beam pointing up, making a scary look to Jimmy, Brian stared at the hole, his eyes looked strange, and he was starting to back away. Jimmy couldn't understand it. He was just making a funny face. "What's wrong?" Jimmy asked. Brian's muscles were twitching, his speech stuttering. "Looks like Cliff's house." Brian managed to get out. Jimmy turned around to look again. It didn't help Brian's fears to have the passage lit up again. Jimmy couldn't see the resemblance. He shrugged his shoulders. "Brian," he said and turned around. Brian looked almost white. At that point it didn't matter if it looked nothing like Cliff's house. He gave his cousin a big hug. "It's ok. We don't have to go any further, but you know Cliff is dead. He can't hurt you." Brian sucked up his courage. Shaking his head, he said, "I know. Lets go on. If I don't now, I'll never do it." Jimmy nodded. Brian then said, "If I say so, can we go back?" Jimmy smiled, "Anytime you want." "Ok." Jimmy again lowered himself down. This time there was no ladder, but he didn't need one. Brian could hand the flashlight to him this time. Brian climbed down and they looked down the new passage it was almost box shaped. A little more than three feet high and maybe two and a half feet wide. The end looked far away, but of course they had been deceived before. The boys had to bend over to walk down the passage. Half way to the end was a set of stairs to their right. They looked at each other. The stairs were again, only three feet high, and they mirrored themselves on top and bottom. They would have to be very careful going down them. There was a loud sound above them of clumping feet and then they descended. Both boys were shaking their heads at the realization they were now under the second floor landing and this was the main staircase above the other one. Everything went wrong at that point. Jimmy shined the flashlight down the stairway; Brian leaned over to look and bumped into Jimmy's arm. The flashlight dropped and they watched in horror as it went bouncing down the stairs, making an awful banging noise as it went. Halfway down the filament in the bulb broke, the light went out and the boys were in pitch black. To top that off they could hear muffled screams and their ears were deafened as several people ran over the top and down the stairs. It took the boys some time to crawl out, find their way down the passage and climb up the ladder, find their way down the second passage and climb up the last ladder. They made it and were relieved. Dusting themselves off, they changed, storing those clothes. Jimmy looked down the ladder from the attic to the third floor and saw no one. Both boys scampered down quickly. They didn't hear any sounds and made their way over to the back stairwell. Feeling fortunate that they hadn't run into anyone on the way down, they walked into the kitchen. No one there either. The boys looked at each other and got a bad feeling. As soon as they opened the back door they knew they were in trouble. Everyone who had been working in the house was outside. Millie saw the boy's heads and yelled at them. "Were you two responsible for that ghostly noise?" Brian and Jimmy wanted to close the door and run, but it wouldn't have done much good. Brian shook his head yes. They could see everyone's anxious anticipation drain. Millie took the boy's and pulled them out of the house. "You scared everyone half to death with that stunt. I don't know how you managed it, but if you try anything like that again, you won't sit for weeks." Then looking at Brian, she said, "Your dad will be giving you a sound spanking tonight I can tell you that for sure." She pulled them to the front door where Dora had been keeping an eye out for the boys, hoping they would come out that way and not run into Millie. "Jimmy you stand here. Brian is going to stand at the back door the rest of the day. When ever anyone come in, or goes out, you will say you are sorry that you scared them. Do you understand?" In unison, they said, "Yes ma'am." ------- I had never been in a helicopter for a long distance. The noise was a bit much for me, not to mention the vibration. I hadn't had a chance to look at the flight plan. I picked up the flight schedule and looked it over. At that point, it was another twenty-two minutes and we would intersect with another three helicopters. It struck me then that Jack landed and picked me up earlier than he had said originally. I looked over to him; "We're going to have time to land at Grand Junction?" He smiled and that told me the answer. "We need to refuel anyway." The flight would be a little more than two hours in the Sikorsky R-5B that we were in. There would be another two hours after that. I was glad that we would have time to stop and knew better than to say a word. Jack had flown a little under four hours already to get to me. Each of the two-seater helicopters would be used in a rescue operation exercise. The whole project was designed to try and win support for the need to maintain their fleet. We arrived first and waited only five minutes before we could see the others coming towards us, then we flew in formation, heading for Grand Junction. ------- The sound was amazing. Six helicopters descending near the school. Jack landed in the meadow and shut down the helicopter. The other five, over the restricted area, came down and hovered trying to maintain about four to five feet above the ground. They would have just gone on to the nearby airport, but they had some advance warnings and this was one of the exercises planned. So the other pilots didn't mind the extra practice. Jack stayed in his seat and was communicating how they could have done some things better. A couple of them went back up and then descended again, this time doing a much better job. The result of all of this activity was two fold. Anyone who was able came over to the meadow area to see what was going on. That meant pretty much most of the school. Secondly the helicopters over the brush scared two wild dogs out into the meadow. I took one look at the dogs and knew something wasn't right. I could see a white foam around one of the dogs mouth. I grabbed a rifle, stepped out of the helicopter and downed the two dogs. Jack saw what I was going and quickly radioed the others so they would understand where and what the shots they heard were from. Then he got out and came around to where I was. Grace was down to the meadow in a flash in her jeep. She took one look at the rifle, the dogs, at Jack and then me and said, "You have got to be Liz's brother Keith." I know I had an impish grin on my face, but I couldn't help it. "Yes, what gave it away?" Grace laughed, "Family resemblance." She looked back over to the dogs. "We've been having some major problems with these dogs coming into the meadow. I'm sure you heard about Jill?" She saw my face go white as I leaned back to the helicopter for support. "No," I stumbled out. "Oh!" Grace said embarrassed. "Jill's fine, don't worry. I just thought you'd have talked to her." "I didn't know if we could come and I wanted to surprise them." I said, my stomach feeling a bit sick. "So Jill is ok. She didn't come into contact with those dogs? It looked like one of them was rabid." Grace looked alarmed. "I'm calling the vet." She got on her radio. Jack took one look at me and said, "Why is it that you show up at these times. Does some one follow you around to make your life so exciting?" I looked back at him, "Exciting? Feeling sick to my stomach isn't my idea of exciting." "Your problem is that you care too deeply for too many people." Then he laughed, "No I should rephrase that, too many females." I did smile at that. Grace came back, "I talked to the vet and he's on his way to look at the dog. He had an idea and I thought I'd pass it along." She looked at Jack and his uniform. "I think it is a good educated guess from your name tag that you are the base commander that I've heard so much about." Now Jack was at a loss for words and I had to laugh. "That is him, in the flesh. Are we to guess you are Grace? I'm sorry I don't know your last name, but my sister refers to you as Grace and has talked a good bit about you." This time it was Grace that was tongue-tied. I had to prompt, "So what is this idea." "Well seeing that the dogs are not keen about the helicopters, we were wondering..." Jack stepped in, "If we could help hunt them down?" "Exactly!" "Excellent idea. It would give these guys some low flying practice and I'm sure they'd be a lot happier doing that then sitting at the airport for a few hours. Plus if they are rabid we don't need them anywhere near any school grounds. The helicopters will ensure that until they can down them all." "Great," Grace said. "I'll call up the sheriff." "They are on your radio frequency?" "Yes, it is a safety and emergency idea that we came up with during the war. Thank goodness we never had to use it for that, but it has proved itself very useful." Jack went over with Grace to work out the details. I looked across and saw a vast number of girls at the edge of the meadow and two climbing over the fence. It didn't take me long to recognize Jill and my sister. I ran over to meet them. I grabbed Liz and swung her around. I was close enough to hear the girl's ooh's and aah's. I set her down and looked into her bright eyes. I said, "I'd kiss you, but I think I'm making a spectacle of myself already." "Oh Keith, it is so good to see you." I turned to Jill, she looked a bit shy. I smiled and gave her a hug. It surprised that she hugged me back. I couldn't help myself and swung her around too. When I set her down I looked into her eyes and said, "Grace said something about you and the wild dogs." She looked at Liz and then back to me, she bit her lower lip. I continued, "It made me sick to my stomach to think anything could happen to you." "She's ok, we'll tell you all about it." Liz said. "I'm glad. When we landed two dogs came running out on the meadow. I shot them because one looked rabid." Liz and Jill looked back at each other, this time with concern in their eyes. By now Jack had set up the operation for the Sheriff's and helicopters. The law officer was going to coordinate the effort to track down and kill the wild dogs. Jack walked over to where we were. "Liz, Jill, it is so good to see you again." Jack said and shook their hands. I looked over to the crowd of girls and teachers. "I guess introductions need to be made." Liz looked over to me and whispered, "Feel like you've died and gone to heaven? A school full of innocent girls?" Jill overheard and snorted. Liz looked over to her and sighed, "Ok, some are not so innocent." I raised my eyebrows and they laughed. Then Liz pulled me in front of the girls and raised her hand to quiet them. She said in a loud voice. "This is Keith Paterson, my brother and the hero that you read about in the newspaper." I rolled my eyes when I saw some of the girls swoon, others shriek with delight, all of the ones at the edge of the fence had their arms over, trying to touch me. "How do you stand it?" Jill said. I smiled. "I try and ignore it." "Hard to do when they hound you everywhere you go." I looked over to Liz, who said, "Jill has become a hero at the school." I grabbed her hand and said, "I knew you were special the first time I saw you." She blushed and I laughed. She thought I was laughing at her, so I said, "You are so beautiful when you get embarrassed." This turned her even redder. "Keith stop tormenting her." Liz said in mock anger. "Where can we go to talk? I understand from Richard your room is out." I said. This time Liz blushed. Jack who had remained quiet through all of our interchange was shaking his head, "Keith, you know how to make anyone feel..." "Wanted?" I interrupted him. He laughed, "Not quite what I was thinking." Liz said, "Robin called and told me you were coming," I looked over to Jack who shrugged his shoulders. "We have the theater to ourselves." I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Does that mean we get to play?" Liz started laughing, "Keith you are bad, and that was a bad pun." ------- When they returned to the University, everyone went up to see Pamela. Stephanie got up and hugged Daisy when they came into the room. It was obvious that Pamela had been crying. Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann all gave her hugs. "I'd like to talk with Pamela for a couple of minutes. Why don't you take Stephanie down for some ice cream?" Stephanie thought that was a great idea and they left, leaving Robin with Pamela. As they were walking down the hall, Daisy said, "Robin acts like she's the boss. It bugs me sometimes." "She is, isn't she?" Kristin said. Daisy stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean?" Kristin as well as everyone else stopped also, "Well she's the one who is married to Keith, so she's the head of the family. I'm glad that she will share. If she didn't, I wouldn't be in the position I'm in. I like it quite frankly." "It doesn't bother you that she's the head? I mean you're older." Daisy said. "No. Robin is a very smart and extremely sensitive girl. If I was to be under anyone, Robin would be my choice." Then she giggled, "Well I'd rather be under Keith." They all laughed at that. "I guess you're right. What do you think Beth Ann?" "What can I say, I'm in love with the man." Beth Ann blushed. "If Robin didn't allow it, I'd be in love with a man who would either have to cheat on Robin to see me and I couldn't take that, or I'd be frustrated the rest of my life. You were there when Robin told him not to see me anymore. I was hoping he didn't like the idea, but all of our relationships with Keith are held in her hand. She is the head of our household. I don't mind at all. I love Robin too." "I guess I'm just jealous. I'd like Keith myself." "Wouldn't we all. We should be grateful to Robin, that she's willing to do what we would not." They all started walking again. A few minutes later Daisy said, "You're right. Robin is not the jealous type and very thoughtful. She is the right choice. I guess that's why she has Keith." Pamela was curious as to what Robin wanted to talk with her alone. Robin pulled out of an envelope a stack of papers. "You know that Keith was going to be set up as your guardian while you are not with your parents." Pamela shook her head yes. "I got to be on those papers as well. Both Keith and I are responsible for you. I wanted to tell you that I couldn't ask for a better new daughter." She gave Pamela a big hug. "I hope I never need to use any of this responsibility though," then with a twinkle in her eye, she said, "except maybe to give you a spanking!" Pamela grabbed her covers around her. Robin laughed and said, "I know, you'd rather have Keith's hand on your little bottom." Robin saw the hint of a smile. "I saw that smile." Pamela grabbed her pad, 'do you think he would?' "You little devil," Robin laughed. "You'll try and get him anyway you can." 'yes, ' Pamela wrote. Robin then got serious, "Pamela, I don't know what is going to happen. Keith left just after your parents, so I didn't have any time to talk with him. I know he was very upset with your mom's condition, and the way she had to leave." 'I know. He cares a lot.' "Yes he does. That comes to you as well. Like I said, I haven't talked with him, but I do know him. Don't be surprised if he has a problem with doing stuff with you." 'what stuff?' Pamela wrote. "I think you know. He's like your father now, not just your friend. He might feel like it isn't right to do things while he's in that position." 'don't like it.' "I know, but as soon as your out of the hospital and with your parents, that shouldn't be a problem," Robin then smiled, "anyway, Keith can't do anything while you're in the hospital anyway." 'too bad. Stephanie did.' Robin laughed, "I bet she did. You two are worse than me." Pamela let out a little laugh; her frame was shaking from laughing inside. "Now don't you disrupt your wires, like last time or I'll get yelled at." This only added to the shaking. ------- Richard and Katy had also received a call from Robin and were anticipating Keith's arrival. Katy hated to put away the sewing machine. She was having so much fun. The curtains were done and two little outfits had been made. They looked so darling. She wanted to make a lot more, some for her daughter as well as for her expected arrival. The room was going to be needed. It just wouldn't look right to say Keith could share their room. So Katy and Richard were busy cleaning everything up. They didn't have to worry about Jack, as they knew he would be staying on the base. Keith could have also, but he wouldn't want to and they didn't want him to either. Everything was so exciting. Richard could even see his father's excitement about this, something he'd never seen before. Richard and Katy also washed their car. They wanted Keith to see it nice and shiny so they could compare. They were having fun spraying each other with the hose. Richards father and mother stood at the window looking at the happiness in their son. This is what a parent hopes for. This was something that for many years they never thought was going to come true. Yet here they were witness to their son, the one withdrawn boy, alive and playful. They looked at each other and smiled, then kissed, then left the window. ------- Robert and Mildred felt a bit uncomfortable. Not that the plane wasn't nice, quite the contrary, it was the same as they had taken from the base. No, these were very nice surroundings. The problem was, they were the only two passengers. Sharin was sitting across from them at take off and as soon as they were at cruising altitude she offered them something to drink. Mildred wanted some water, Robert a good stiff drink. It had been a long time it seemed to him that he could get an honest drink. Sharin remembered what happened last time and had overheard their daughter talk about her father. She also remembered Keith saying to take care of them. She knew that wasn't to indulge them, but rather watch over them. "That will be fine," she said. "I hope Scotch is to your liking. This plane is coming back from a long trip and we haven't had a chance to restock. I think we have enough of that to make one drink for you." Robert sighed. Scotch was not his drink, but it would have to do. Anything would do quite frankly. "Yes that will be fine, make it neat." Mildred was inwardly happy that they were out of stock on liquor. It had been an embarrassment to see him get so drunk. On the last flight she had needed him and he had been passed out. Robin had to help her instead. Sharin brought back the drinks and said she would be making lunch. After sipping on their drinks, Robert took to looking out the window. Mildred grew bored. "I'm going in back to see the kitchen." She said. Robert waved his hand in acknowledgement. When Mildred pulled back the curtain, Sharin quickly closed a cabinet, but not before Mildred saw a selection of alcohol. Smiling she said, "Thank you." "I remembered what happened to him last time, besides, Keith told me to take care of you." "He's quite a man." "Yes he is," Sharin said dreamily. "Is he really as nice as he seems?" "And more." Mildred felt a bit funny talking to a stranger about this, but on the other hand it was nice to talk with someone who didn't have any preset ideas of how it should be, as in her little town. "He's the one who set it up for my daughter to get the surgery she needed." She beamed, "You should see her. I always knew she was a beautiful girl, now everyone else will be able to see it as well." Sharin smiled, "That is just the nicest thing I've ever heard." Then she got a puzzled look on her face. "I thought that I had heard you were having something too." Mildred's face suddenly looked troubled. "Yes. They ran a whole load of tests on me." Then she sighed deeply. "I'm not sure if they are telling us everything or not. All of a sudden it was important for us to go down to the hospital in Long Beach for more testing." Sharin's eyes grew large. Mildred noticed. "What? Do you know something?" Sharin quickly shook her head. "No." "Then what? You know something." "I just know that is the best hospital on the West coast. They wouldn't be sending you there for nothing." Mildred's eyes started to water. "I just knew it would be something." "Now, now." Sharin said. "They have the best there and medicine is not what it use to be. They can cure almost anything now. Why I've even heard that they can replace the lens of a person's eye." "Really?" "What I heard is part of the good that comes from a war. I overheard some of the brass we have on the plane talk about it. Seems that they were using plastic for the... oh, I can't think of the right name. You know like the windshield of a car." Mildred nodded, but not being around cars, wasn't for sure what a windshield was. "Anyway, in some of the crashes the plastic shattered, some of it going into the pilot's eyes. They found that the eye didn't reject it. So now they know and have been experimenting on replacing the lenses of people's eyes." "That is incredible." Mildred said thoroughly confused, but impresses at the same time. "So whatever you have, I'm sure they'll take care of it." Mildred went back to her seat feeling much better as though everything would be all right. After lunch was served Robert asked how long the flight would be. Sharin said she believed the whole flight was just over two hours. ------- The crowd of girls around us was unbelievable. I saw Jill looking around. I thought maybe she wanted to introduce me to a friend of two. She gave up looking at the sea of faces. I felt hands touching me, and words like 'hero, ' as though they were in awe of my presents. Once I felt a pinch on my ass. I turned around, but couldn't tell where it might have come from. As I turned back a hand rubbed right across my crotch. I grabbed it and held it there for a second. I heard a gasp and let go. The hand pulled back fast. No others ventured there. Standing at the door to the theater was Mrs. Walker. Her voice boomed out. "Might as well go on girls. Many may come, but only a few can enter." I could see how this woman could be the drama instructor. Her voice carried over everything and she loved to dramatize the situation. She opened the door and let Jack, Liz, Jill, and myself in. Then she also came in, closed, and locked the door behind her. Mrs. Walker looked at Liz. "I can see why you wanted this place. They are crazy out there?" Liz smiled, "You would think they'd never have seen two heroes on campus before." This was my turn. "Ok, tell me about this hero stuff. What crazy thing did you do Jill?" "Crazy?" Liz said. I smiled. "Like I've said before. A hero is someone who does something almost stupid, risking a lot and it turns out right." Jill burst into laughter. "That's about right," she said. Then Jill recounted her story. She looked over to Liz who nodded and she included the man-hating teacher also. Liz looked at Mrs. Walker and said, "You didn't hear Jill say that part." "What part?" she replied. Liz then added, "What Jill left out was her medical help. Grace told me the doctors were highly impressed at how she handled the situation. She bandaged Dorothy's leg as a medic would have." Jill rolled her eyes, and then looked at me. "Now everyone thinks I'm some kind of a hero. It drives me crazy. I don't know how you take it. I always thought it was fun to be in your position. It's not, is it?" Before I could answer I saw Mrs. Walker pulling Jack off and down a hallway. Liz leaned over. "The real reason I chose this place. I think he'll be gone for hours. She's told me she has a thing for men in uniform." I couldn't help but laugh. Jill wanted to know what was so funny. I couldn't tell her. Liz did though. All Jill did was shake her head. I tried my best to explain to Jill how people saw a hero. What they wanted to see and how it can affect you, the hero. "Jill, it doesn't have to overtake who you are. If you don't pay much attention to it, then others will stop bugging you about it. You can never stop being that hero in people's minds, but you don't have to let it go to your head. You are the one who can control that." I could see her nodding, taking in what I was saying. It was a heavy discussion and not what I was prepared for. I needed to stretch, wanted to run around before we talked more. And really wanted to have some time alone with my sister. I got up quickly, and said, "Now who can catch me?" It caught them off guard; they were still sitting as I took off out the door, down the hall, into the auditorium, and onto the stage. I had been on stage a time or two. Well, ok, I dreamed of being a movie star, but who doesn't. The piano recitals that we did were fun for me. I was never nervous. I liked being on stage, having people look at me. I'd take over the audience, not do what I was supposed to, but play something funny, tell a few jokes, before the embarrassed instructor could get me off stage. Now I was wrapped up in the curtains on stage, thinking about it. That was why my parents stopped sending me to the teacher and had me just do it at home. The teacher couldn't take it from me any more. I almost laughed out loud. I heard Jill and Liz run into the auditorium laughing and calling my name. Liz said, "He's got to be in here. You check that side, I'll check this way." I was glad Liz chose the right side. I could just see them as they looked down each of the rows to make sure I wasn't hidden there. When they came up on stage, Jill went to the back and Jill stayed up to the front. I heard the familiar click. The stage was flooded with light. Jill, that clever one, had turned the stage lights on, leaving very little area to hide in. I peeked out and saw Liz as she turned around looking out to the rows of empty seats. She was ever so lovely. I remembered her on stage with me at times, being caught by her with my mouth hanging open. Just staring at her. It embarrassed her I knew, but I think she also enjoyed knowing I thought she was so pretty. Now I was doing the same thing. So many years had passed, but I was suddenly that young boy on stage looking at my beautiful sister. "I do remember a small boy on stage getting caught with his pants down." She suddenly said. I moved silently out, my beautiful sister was trying to get my ire up. I grabbed her, holding my hand over her mouth so she couldn't make a sound. Pulling her back into the curtains we were gone from sight. I let go of her and she turned towards me. "You know they never caught me with my pants down." I placed my hands on her hips; her arms went around my neck. She looked at me questioningly, knowing that she had just said that to find out where I was. I had made her wonder, was there a time I have my pants down on stage. I could see it on her face, but before she could ask I kissed her. We kissed again, this time Liz reached for my dick. I took hold of her breasts and started massaging them. We heard Jill call out, "Liz? Liz what happened to you?" We stopped kissing and most, but not all of our hand movements. "Liz? Shit she must be with Keith." We couldn't control ourselves and started laughing. She was over to us in a flash, pulling apart the curtains. Jill looked at us suspiciously and then her eyes traveled down. Our hands had moved, but my arousal was still visible. I saw a little smile on her face. ------- On the wagon back to town, Brian and Jimmy were very quiet. They both knew what was coming. Brain's dad, Bruce, would paddle both boys. They were also sandwiched between Millie and Dora. Dora had been nice to them in the afternoon, but Millie had gone on about how embarrassing it was to her. Brian knew that if something embarrassed his mom and he was even remotely responsible that he would get a spanking. When they pulled into downtown and stopped, the four got off. Millie said, "Brian, Jimmy, you march right home now and wait." Dora saw their heads lower as they started walking towards Brian's home. She wasn't happy about the situation. Sure the boys had scared everyone. It hadn't done any harm and she heard people joke about how silly it was to think the place was haunted. She was also in a quandary as to Jimmy. She'd been placed in charge of the boy, but this was his aunt. A difficult position to be in for sure and she wished Katy and especially Richard could be there. It was about quitting time at the mine and Millie was going to wait for her husband to pass by. Dora said she'd go up to the house with the boys. Millie looked like she was about to say something, but didn't. As Dora walked up the lane she decided that she needed to have a talk with the boys. This was a difficult position for her to be in and she was very uncomfortable. Up at the house the boys were sitting on Brian's bed. When they heard the door open they tensed up. As Dora stuck her head around the corner of the door she saw two scared boys start to relax a bit. "Can't you get us out of this?" Jimmy pleaded. "Boys, listen to me. You are placing me into a very bad position. I work with your mother on the school board now, Brian. Jimmy, she is your aunt. I am what?" "Richard's umm." "Ok, umm is a good answer and you'd better not say that around anyone else." Both boys looked at her, "We're not stupid." Brian said. Dora smiled, "I know and you're also very good at making me feel good." That lifted their spirits some. Then she got serious. "I can't stop what is going to happen, but I can try to change its course I hope. You've just got to learn from this and be a little smarter next time, alright." "Ok." They said in unison not looking forward to the punishment. Millie and Bruce walked in a few minutes later. She had a smile on her face and it bothered Dora. Bruce walked into the bathroom. Dora needed to get Millie to do something, to distract her attention for several minutes. Then she thought of something. "Did you get the minutes from the meeting this morning?" Dora had remembered Millie had planned to take them with her but hadn't. "Well I think so, now where did I put them?" Millie went searching. Bruce went into the Brian's room and Dora followed. She whispered into his ear. Brian was surprised how long he whispered. Jimmy noticed something else and really wondered what she was saying to him. Bruce's pants were getting snug in the front of his pants. She pulled away and said, "Thanks," and then was out the door. Out in the living room Dora looked at Millie and saw her still looking for the documents. "I think you left them. Let's go, I'll bet they're still on the table and I have one more idea that we can jot down." The flustered Millie threw up her arms and said, "I bet you're right; I don't see them here." They had just closed the door when they heard the first cry; they weren't off the step when they heard a second boy let out a cry. "They'll think twice about that." Millie said. Dora looked over to her, "That is my next item to consider." Millie looked over to her as they walked down the lane. "Punishment. I believe the rules need to be spelled out for both the teacher and student. Appropriate punishment for appropriate behavior." They were half way there when Millie spoke. "You don't agree with what I did?" They were almost there when Dora answered. "If none of the other townspeople were around to hear anything; if you hadn't been embarrassed by what they did, would they be getting a spanking? Was it what they did, or your embarrassment that caused the punishment?" Millie started to say something but stopped, her mouth still open as Dora knocked on the door. Brian and Jimmy couldn't believe their good fortune. The first swat had been a good one, but it was also the only one. Bruce asked them what they did. This was a first for both of them. Millie who was the stay at home mom, like almost all the women of Carp, would just tell him that Brian needed a good spanking and he'd deliver. It was how his father had done things. Dora reminded him that he might have received spankings in his life that he never believed he deserved. Then she said, "Why not give them a good first one to get their attention and then ask them about it." When the boys started telling him about the flashlight they had borrowed dropping in between a wall making a terrible noise he almost smiled. When they said everyone that thought it was ghosts and ran out of the house he nearly laughed out loud. He contained himself. He remembered some of the pranks he had pulled as a kid. This one was good and they hadn't even meant to do it. Then he remembered why he was here. He had almost given both boys a good spanking over this. Something he hated his father doing. The boys were surprised when they saw him get up and leave the house. The next thing they heard was him chopping wood. They looked out the window and saw the axe flying down with such force, spitting the wood and throwing it to each side. The boys had no idea the anger that Bruce was dealing with in his mind. He needed to be alone. His past anger towards his father, his willingness to do the same to his child, and never questioned, never asked what Brian had even done. ------- Liz felt compelled to tell Jill of my acting skills. Or better said my hamming it up. Jill looked at me appraisingly, "Is there anything you haven't done?" I laughed, "Yes, lots." Then I took her hand, which she let me do without restraint. "Jill you said something about hero worship. Did you realize you were just doing that with me?" Jill's face reddened. "You can't help it, no one can. If you think of that, it is easier to take." She crinkled up her nose. "I'm not so sure." I laughed. "Jill, you have it worse than me though." "But you're a real hero, I mean you saved us all." I laughed, still holding her hands; I started to swing them back and forth, Her body swayed with the movement. She was indeed lovely. "Jill, I have been surrounded by adults, a lot of whom may have known other heroes. You are surrounded by girls to whom a hero, amongst them, is a new and exciting thing. That is why you have it worse than me. If I hung around here, I'd be mobbed by girls." Jill smirked and squeezed my hands, "Yes, but you'd enjoy that." Liz who'd been listening couldn't help but laugh. "Jill," She laughed out. It was then I could make out the shadows of two people entering the auditorium. With the lights on the stage, it masked definition. I knew however, who it was. I turned Jill around, holding on to her shoulders, and stage whispered, "We have guests." "My goodness Keith, you're a natural." I heard her call out as they proceeded up the aisle. "He did some things on stage when he was young," my sister said. I turned and looked at her annoyed. She just smiled wickedly at me. She knew the outcome before I did. "Oh goodness. I must see. You know, Jill is quite the budding actress. She is teaching the others how to feel emotion in their parts. She is remarkable." My hands still on Jill's shoulders could feel the heat from her blush that was sweeping over her. "That does sound like a good idea." Liz said. "I'm sure there are scripts around." "Oh yes, Jill, you know where they are. Get one for Mr. Paterson." "My friends call me Keith." I said, wondering how much of this my sister had set up. She did say Robin had called, but it wouldn't have given her more than an hour and a half at best. 'No, ' I thought. This was all innocent. Jill had reluctantly, but dutifully gone off and came back handing me a script. I looked at the front, 'Autumn Dance'. " Interesting name," I said. "It is about what happens when love is awakened in someone who can not see what is standing right in front of them." Mrs. Walker said. I looked at Jill, who was standing in front of me. "Is this true?" I said in a whisper that did not carry. She looked up at me, her face crimson and then down to the floor. Knowing that the most plays had their best stuff near the end, I thumbed through and took the next to the last scene. "How about here?" I said. "Act three, scene two." Jill immediately protested, "No!" Then embarrassed by her outburst tried to cover herself by saying. "I've never gone over that part yet." I knew I'd struck a good one by her response. "Then it will be a good one to start. I've never even seen the play before. What do you think?" I said looking at Mrs. Walker. I could see the mischievous gleam in her eye. She knew what I had just done and she did know what was in that part. "That sounds just grand. Now Jill has been playing the character of the boy." She stopped and smiled. "This being an all girls school we have to do what we can." I laughed. "So am I playing the girl?" Making it sound as a horrid thing to do. Jill laughed, eased at the perceived discomfort now on my part. "Yes you are, and you have lots of critics if you don't do it right." She said sticking out her tongue at me. We all laughed. Liz moved off the stage. Jack said he needed to use the restroom and had better do it now, before the fun began. I think he was prepared to see me make a fool out of myself. I wasn't so sure that wasn't going to happen. It had been a long time. Jack had found Mrs. Walker fascinating. The first thing he found out was that she was a widow. Then he quickly found how a man in uniform could entrance her. This led to some kissing and light petting. It left him with acing balls and now he needed to piss to at least relieve some of the tension. Walking to the back of the auditorium he opened the doors onto the foyer. Its full glass windows and doors in the front looked out to a peaceful courtyard. The sight of a girl near the door struck him. She was crumpled on the ground almost like she was hurt. It was obvious to him as he approached she was crying. Her body heaving, shuddering. He tapped on the glass and she quickly looked up. Her eyes reddened. She jumped up and was at the glass. "Please let me in. I need to be in." She shouted through the glass. Jack wasn't sure what to do. He looked to either side. No one else was around. The crowds of girls were gone. He opened the door and Laura stepped in. "I need to use the restroom." Jack said as though he needed to state why he was there. Laura sniffled, wiped her nose and said, "So do I, " wanting to straighten herself up before seeing Jill. 'That was easy, she just needed to use the toilet, ' he thought. I bet this place is usually open. He went off to one side of the foyer and she went to the other. Jack came back in and they were standing on stage, a few props around, waiting for him. He didn't mention the girl, he was sure she'd have let herself out. I was looking at the words of the script and glanced over to Jill, then back to the script. I could see why she had said no. She had no script, so I knew she had memorized the play. Practiced it or not, she knew what this was about. As I looked at my lines, I tried to get into the character. MARK: (on bench looking out at nothing, then hears Julia enter) Have you come to torment me? Jill's words were of a true nature in how she was feeling. Her hands had been in mine and I had placed them on her shoulders. They felt good to her, yet this still alarmed her. JULIA: Mark, please don't think that way. (walk over to sit on the bench with him) I had wanted to ask how she was feeling inside, the real Jill, not the hero. I was concerned with how she felt about me and it showed Jack was stunned. Two lines and he wanted more. This was theatre. Full of life, full of heartfelt emotion. With the attention to everyone on stage, no one heard the door open, or Laura step inside. She had to stifle a gasp when she saw Jill and Keith on stage. MARK: Why not. I can't help it. You remind me of... (turn towards audience, tears) Jill turned her head away, the tears rolling down her face. Liz was just about in tears herself. She knew the thought Jill had conjured up was Cliff. Mrs. Walker felt Jack tense up on one side and Liz almost cry out on the other. She knew Jill had some bad experiences. It was the only way she could pull such emotion out of her young frame. They both knew and their reactions told her that Jill was not hiding, but living with her pain. JULIA: It wasn't me! (jump up, standing in front of him) I never ever want to hurt you like that. I... My eyes, voice, body pleaded to her, to hear me. Tears came to my own eyes as I fought with my emotions. Laura was drawn down the aisle. She had heard the same passion that Jill used. It made her feel jealous to see the magic on stage and that is just what it was, magic. Sparks flew, emotions soared, feelings pulled. MARK: I what? I walked past you when those other boys came along? I pretended not to know you? I have never given you a second thought? Jill let out the despair she had felt, the loneliness of being picked last, not asked, not heard JULIA: (crying) I have always cared Mark. (drop to knees) Do you know how hard it is to be the popular one? To have people expect so much out of you? Sometimes I forget who I am. When Jill had read those lines before, she didn't understand. Now that she was classified as a hero she knew very well what they meant. She wondered if Keith struggled as much as she did. His tears looked very real to her. MARK: It is so hard to believe any more. My heart is broken. Jill's voice almost monotone, slow, and uncommitted JULIE: (Take his hand, stand and pull him with her) Let me help mend it. Believe me. MARK: Believe what? (look into her eyes) JULIE: That I've discovered (pause) that I love you. My words were so real, that all who heard believed them, Jill felt a bit light headed. She didn't understand. Laura almost dropped to her knees crying. She had walked right past the others. The sudden movement finally caught sight of her in the corner of Liz's eye. Standing, Liz pulled Laura to the seat next to her. Mrs. Walker glanced over and was surprised, but not shocked to see Laura here. MARK: That scares me, how do I know... The words were fraught with emotion of how Jill felt every time she was around Keith. Her emotions were always in a roller coaster of ups and downs. JULIA: Like this (give a little kiss) I pulled Jill to me, one hand was around the back of her head and my lips pressing against hers before she had time to react. It was quick and simple and over about the time Jill could react. She blinked, several times, looked back up at me and smiled, almost to a laugh. The tears in her eyes seemed to sparkle now in the light. Liz felt Laura slump, she looked over and saw her with her face in her hands and it concerned her to no end. It wasn't the end of the scene, but Mrs. Walker jumped to her feet. "Bravo, Bravo, that was an amazing performance." Jack was on his feet as well, "Keith, I never would have suspected." "Embarrassed?" I asked Jill as they were clapping and couldn't hear us. She didn't look at me; I could see the red on her neck and knew she was blushing. "About?" "Take a pick," I whispered. "The adoration or the kiss." I was hoping for an answer, but whether she would have given one or not, I'll never know. The others were on stage now. Jill saw Laura and smiled. "Did you see it?" "Yes," Laura said less than enthusiastically. Then she saw that what she said hurt Jill. "I'm sorry, it's just that it has been..." "Our play?" "Yea." Jill took Laura by the arm and brought her right in front of me. "Keith, this is Laura, a dear friend and the one I usually practice this play with." Then she turned to face Laura. "Laura this is Keith, a man I owe a great deal to." I noticed a catch in her voice. "If it wasn't for him Laura, I wouldn't be here." Laura looked at me appraisingly; this shed a new light on things. She shook her head as though accepting the idea, accepting me. Jack looked at his watch, "Keith, I need to go check on things. The helicopters need refueling before we head out. We have about a half an hour before we need to leave." I knew the time would come; any time would have been to short. "Jill, we need to talk," I said. "I know," She said. Liz and Laura looked at us. Jill and I understood completely of what we needed to talk about. Liz said half laughing, "If I don't introduce you to my two closest friends, they will do me bodily harm." "Take me to them, I'm yours." I heard her mutter under her breath, "Don't I wish." Jill piped up, "I have two others who will also kill me." Looking over to Liz, she said, "Betty and Sue." ------- The detour took the car Hank was riding in around the North East part of the lake. The driver was paying attention to the beauty of the lake and missed the detour sign. When he was at the Carson Pass, even he, who was not a good navigator, knew he must have gone to far. His passenger was still asleep and would never know his mistake, so he turned off heading over the pass. Hank woke as they were just leaving the town of Carson. The young driver had made another wrong turn and was now heading south on highway 395. It took Hank a few minutes to orient himself. Another twelve miles down the road Hank saw the road sign. He was steamed. He thought this man was obviously trying to take advantage of him, just as Paterson had. His anger grew. "Can you pull off the next road? I need to relieve myself." Hank asked. "Sure, not a bad idea." He slowed and pulled off onto a gravel road. As flat and open the area was out there, he went about a mile off the main road. Pulling to a stop they got out, the driver stretching. Hank walked around to the driver's side. The man was surprised, then shocked as Hank grabbed him around the collar and slammed him against the hood of the car. "What the hell are you thinking Paterson." His anger growing even more. "My name is not Paterson!" Cried the man wondering what was going on. Hank brought his hand across the man's head, hitting it hard. "Shut up. You think you can just fuck with me any way you want. This is time you are wrong. This time you get fucked." Thinking that the hitchhiker was going to kill him he pleaded. "Please, my name is not Paterson." Another smack against the head left him stunned. "Shut the fuck up Paterson." Hank was in rage that was almost unstoppable. "I'm going to give you what you deserve now Paterson and there is no one to stop me." The man whimpered, knowing if he said anything another blow would happen. He was hoping the man would leave and leave him alive. He felt the hand around his front and then the buttons of his shirt flew off, as the fabric was ripped away. The assault terrified the man. When he felt the hand reach for his pants he panicked and started to rise up. Hank was a much larger and stronger man. He ripped the slacks apart, destroying the clasp as well as the zipper. Hank threw him over the hood again and laughed. "Now you are really going to get fucked, you asshole. Never again will you try anything with me, do you understand Paterson?" The man felt Hank's dick against his hole, pressing in. It was dry and tight. The man screamed in pain as Hank forced it in. "Take it Paterson, you deserve it." Hank's raged in full force. "You should be fucked for what you did to me." "I'm not Paterson, I'm not." The man whimpered. It was the last thing Hank heard him say. Hank's hand came down hard and the man was knocked out. Hank felt the man's body drop its weight on the car, but it didn't stop him. Grabbing the unconscious man by the hips he pounded in and out. Hank swore again and again about Paterson. After filling the bowels of a man he didn't even know with his seed, he pushed him away. The man fell to the ground. He looked down and although what he had done didn't bother him that much, his training to care for people took over. He pulled the man's clothes up covering him, laid him out on the road with another of the man's shirts under his head and checked his heartbeat. Hank drove off in the man's car, knowing the man wouldn't wake for a bit and then have a tremendous headache. By the time he walked back down the road, Hank laughed at how sore he'd be walking, and even if he reported the incident, Hank planned on being long gone. His only regret was that it wasn't really Paterson that he had done that to. ------- Chapter 35 Ready to leave the auditorium, Jack said he was going to stay for a while instead of venturing out. I raised my eyebrows, looking at him and then to Mrs. Walker who blushed. We stepped out of the side door. No one was around. Jill smiled. She and Laura were able to catch up with time missed and were talking away to each other. Liz and I were a few steps behind. Looking over to Liz, I said, "You know about Robin?" She looked back, "You mean that she's your wife?" Then she smiled. "You're not making this easy, are you?" "No, I guess not. She told me when she called. "I can't believe it Keith, you a daddy." We had been talking in hushed tones so that our words would not carry. "Funny isn't it, me a father." Liz looked over to me and I caught the sad look. "What is it?" "It's silly." "What?" "I... wanted..." Oh shit, I thought. Wait till she hears about Kristin. Well I think she doesn't know. "Is that all Robin said?" "She told me about her mom. Boy Keith, what were you and Richard thinking?" "You mean what were we thinking with?" She laughed causing Jill and Laura to turn around and look at us. "Did she say anything else?" I asked Liz. "No, but the way you're asking, there is something." She looked at me. "Keith, what is it? I can see something on your face. It's important isn't it?" "You remember that the one who knew about Robin was Kristin. She was the one who helped us both, who got you and I together again." Liz stopped walking. I saw tears in her eyes. "She caught like Robin, didn't she?" "Yes." "Why her and not me?" She said loud enough for Jill and Laura to not only hear, but also feel. Jill and Laura stopped, turned around and Jill came running back. "What's wrong?" Jill said. "Kristin's pregnant." Liz said crying to Jill. Jill looked at me hurt, "How could you?" "It's not his fault." Liz said. "He didn't know." I stood there with a dumb expression on my face. I couldn't believe what Jill had said and then Liz defended me by saying something so ridiculous it was funny. What I didn't know was that Liz had told Jill she wanted my babies. "It is too." I said half laughing. They looked at me like I was crazy. Laura had joined us now and I was careful of what I said. "Well Liz it did take me, to make it work, so it is at least half my fault." Jill saw the humour in that and started to giggle, Liz couldn't help it and laughed. "Oh Keith I just dreamed." I took her by the arm and started to stroll again with her, "Well don't stop." I said in hush tones. "It may come true." I glanced over. There was a smile on her face. My pants tightened in front. I wished we could have been alone. ------- The plane landed in Long Beach; Robert and Mildred stepped off and shaded their eyes from the bright sun. Sharin was right behind them on the landing. "Isn't southern California just grand?" She took a deep breath, "The sun, the salt water," she sighed, "It is just about one of my most favorite places to land." "We've never been here before." Mildred said, realizing how limited her life had been in Carp. A tall dark haired officer with the medical insignia on his uniform was there to greet them. He had a large official car waiting and soon they were at the hospital. They asked as they pulled up in front of the long expansive building what part was the hospital. Hearing that the entire structure was the hospital surprised them both. The officer smiled and then proceeded to take then into a doctors office. After telling the secretary their names, he departed. The secretary promptly brought them into the doctor's office It had happened so fast and now they sat there, alone, wondering what to do next. They started recounting the way they were whisked from the airport, the dark glass on the car, the back entrance that they had taken, and then as soon as they had arrived, to be taken in here to sit, alone. It was as if they were being hidden. They sat there for a good twenty minutes before the door opened and a short balding man dressed in his whites walked in. He had rushed in, quickly closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry, no one told me you had arrived. I'm Doctor Talson." He put out his hand and Robert shook it. "Please sit," he said motioning to the chairs they had been in. He went around to sit at his desk. He was looking across the top of the desk and then looked at Robert. "You weren't given a large envelope were you?" Robert shook his head no. Dr. Talson pressed a button on a box that was on his desk and started talking into it. "Get the Utah medical center on the line and ask if they sent the packet down with these people. If they did, then find it, because I don't have it." Mildred thought he was a bit gruff until he explained. "They were to send down all of the test information. It doesn't help if we do the same tests that they have already done. I haven't had a chance to see what they came up with. We want to start you on more advanced tests as quick as possible, so we can determine just what is the problem. We need to know what they have done, and the results first." The box buzzed and then a voice. "It was given to the pilot who didn't know what he had. It was still on the plane and is now on its way over." Dr. Talson again pressed the button on the box and said, "Thank you, Samantha. Bring it in as soon as it arrives." While they waited, Dr. Talson wasted no time in pulling down a diagram of a woman's internal organs. Explaining how the stomach reacted to different problems, running through a fast list of more than fifty different types of problems that could give the symptoms Mildred had. When he concluded, he said that these were the problems they were faced with, so many questions and only one right answer. Mildred and Robert were thoroughly confused at that point. The envelope arrived and the doctor pored over the contents, leaving Robert and Mildred to look at the walls and the chart. It took nearly ten minutes and then he looked up. "Tomorrow we see how much of a pin cushion we can make of you. It looks like they were trying to do their best up there." Then he smiled. "I'm sure this isn't funny to you, but in the medical field, that is a joke." Mildred tried to smile. Robert wasn't too sure about the whole thing yet. Dr. Talson stood. "We will get you situated Mildred. My secretary will take care of you and I'll see you bright and early in the morning." With that he brought them out to his secretary and he was off. The secretary, Samantha, was a middle aged woman with blond hair done up in the latest fashion. Mildred thought she looked a little over done. She was pleasant though and that was comforting. Mildred would be set up in a private room that they were preparing. "You're a special one. I haven't seen this much fuss since we had the vice president in here two years ago." Mildred looked over to Robert who was wondering the same thing. "What makes us so special?" Samantha smiled, "Well you're from Carp, dear." Then she whispered, "They messed up real bad there. We received a memo yesterday. No mistakes, no errors, and positively no publicity." Then she smiled. "The private room is real private. You are at the end of a corridor and the other two rooms down that hall are now empty." It looked as though Samantha could have gone on talking for hours. She didn't get the chance. A nurse came to get them. They went up two floors, walked down the long center hallway, and through the center corridor. Robert and Mildred stopped and stared. A set of doors had opened and four people came out of a box looking cube. One person entered the box and the doors closed. "What on earth was that?" Mildred exclaimed. "Our elevator. It transports people from one floor to the next." "You're kidding?" Mildred saw the look of surprise on the nurse's face. "No, I suppose not, looks much different than the mines use. You'd never get me on one of those things." The three of them continued to the end of the hallway. As they turned the corner there was a MP sitting at a desk. Sure enough there were three rooms and the end of the corridor. They were introduced to Jeff, one of the military policemen that would be stationed round the clock at that post. Mildred was feeling a bit uneasy about all of this. It did confirm their ideas that they were being hidden. She wished Keith were there to explain it all to them. They proceeded to the end room. It was nice. White everywhere, a simple iron twin size bed, and a nightstand next to it with a telephone. A door leading into a private bathroom and a window that looked out over some gardens in the back of the hospital. All in all it was stark, but pleasant. Robert took a second glance around the room. "Where am I going to be?" He expected, with the single bed, it would not be in this room. He thought it would be in one of the adjoining rooms. "We have accommodations at the base set up for you sir." The nurse said. Mildred looked pale, "How far away is that?" "Oh not very, just six miles away." "Six miles!" Robert said. As soon as he said it, he was embarrassed. Six miles on a horse or walking as he was used to, was a lot different than six miles in a car as these people were used to. "Oh, don't you worry. All you need to do is pick up your phone and a driver will be there to get you." The nurse said. "And as you are her husband, you can come and go from here anytime. You aren't restricted by the normal visiting hours. The same man who had picked them up at the airport was at the end of the corridor waiting for Robert. He gave his wife a little kiss and then left to find his new residence. ------- The teachers had warned the other students to stay on the outside of the fence. Liz, Tiffany, Vicky, Jill, Laura, Sue, Betty, and myself walked down to the meadow. Jack had stayed on with Mrs. Walker as I had been paraded around the school. Then he left to go to the airport to refuel the helicopter like the others were. The girls were a bit more civilized as I walked past them. I had a few hands reach out to me, but the groping that was done when I had landed was not present. I soon realized why. Teachers had made a path for us to walk and were keeping a close eye on everyone even close to me. I smiled to myself. As shocking as it had been, I had indeed enjoyed it and now missed the same treatment. The seven of us climbed over the fence and watched as Grace drove up in the jeep. She jumped out quickly and said, "I'm glad I caught you. The tests were positive, the dog has rabies." There was a low murmur in the background and I glanced to see that we were close enough that other girls had heard what Grace had said. She looked over to Jill. There was a catch in her voice. "I heard from Dorothy that you tried to get the dogs away from her by calling them to you." Jill lowered her head as thought she was in trouble for what she had done. I had to think to myself, another example of something dumb turning out right. She'll be in a higher hero status at the school. I hear more murmurs. Grace went on. "You were also helping the horse with his injuries, isn't that right?" "Yes," she said softly. "Thankfully we have the dog, although it wasn't tested at the time and now is in bad shape for that. You will need to start treatment. I'm not sure what we do with the horse." I knew what was next and also what I could offer. "Grace. I am at risk also." Everyone turned to me. The crowd of girls stopped their gossip, looking, waiting for the next thing. "It can easily be transmitted by saliva." I said. Jill said without thinking, "I don't understand?" I couldn't help myself and if we wouldn't have been out where everyone could see I'm sure my sister would have decked me. "The kiss." I simply said. The rush of murmurs filled the meadow. After letting that sink in and turn Jill absolutely red, I turned to Grace. "If I can get a sample of brain tissue from the dog, in several hours I will be at a laboratory with enough advanced equipment to detect the presence of the rhabdoviruse quickly." "The treatment is a series of very painful shots in the abdomen Jill. It is good to have connections so that you don't have any more than necessary." Grace said. Then turning to me, "I'll get hold of the vet, how soon do you leave?" Grace then laughed, she had heard from Mrs. Walker about the impromptu rehearsal. "I'm sure Jill appreciated you telling everyone in the school about the kiss." I shrugged my shoulders, "We'd have to call Jack to find out." Jill and Liz who were standing on each side of me, both turned and looked at me. Jill said it first, but I could see it on both of their faces. "Why do you know so much about rabies?" I winced. This was not the picture I'd have liked to paint for myself. I walked them further away from the crowd and talked in a hushed voice. "It was one of the ideas someone came up with, to spread death through a viral infection. It didn't pan out thank god." Liz shuddered, "Keith, it is hard to believe you were involved in such stuff." "Liz, Jill, listen to me. We know they were doing it as well. It was part of the war. Yes, not a very nice part to think about, but a part. My role in it was to find out what could be done to combat it. That is why I was on one of the rescue teams, and why I have a pilot's license. Liz looked at me and blinked, "You have a pilot's license? Oh yes, I remember you flew off to get Daisy. That's the first I'd ever heard of it though." "Yes. Everyone on the team did. We had to make sure someone could fly back out." Jill and Liz looked horrified, "You mean you, and any one on that rescue team could have..." "Liz that is exactly what it means. Not pretty stuff. Someone had to go in and help, someone with enough training. I know how to disarm most of what we produce and I could probably do the same for whatever they came up with. My biggest challenge so far is not to disarm, but to reverse the effects of Rerexinal. That kind of research was never done. It wasn't supposed to go on for years." Jill cocked her head, "So you were trained to disarm what the enemy came up with, to hurt us with?" "That's about right." She had a grin on her face, "So you have wanted to be a hero all along." I smiled and shook my head, knowing she was trying to get my goat. "That is right, the same way you rode horses, so you could rescue someone in the brush." Liz started laughing, "You two can stop it before I get sucked into this word game." Jill and I smiled at each other, knowing our jabs were just for fun. It also eased Jill's pain of being a hero. Jack hadn't been happy, either about a possible delay or my possible exposure, when Grace had contacted him on the radio along with the vet. Grace came back with the news that the vet would be here shortly, about the time Jack touched down. She said that Jack was mollified somewhat as this wouldn't delay us any. He was still not happy with me. I just smiled. It has air of possibilities that I liked. As I was preparing to leave, I hugged Tiffany and Vicky, they blushed. Betty and Sue did the same. They were a bit more interested, I think. It seemed they pushed themselves into my body a bit more. It could have been my imagination. Laura was a bit more timid about a hug, but once in my arms, she held tight. "I haven't had a hug from a man in a long time. That was nice," she whispered in my ear. Jill was determined. I could see it in her face. She took the initiative and hugged me. I whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry, you have more to deal with." "What more?" "Saving your friend with such peril to your own life.It doesn't make any difference if you didn't know at the time the dogs could have had rabies." "Oh." "And the comment about the kiss." I could feel her blush. "I wouldn't have missed it though, and I would have done it knowing the risks." We separated and she had a radiant smile on her face. "Really?" "Yes." Liz was last. I hugged her, twirling her off the ground again. "Put me down!" "I'm glad that I didn't kiss you after Jill, that would have been hard to explain." I whispered in her ear. She huffed. "Or is that a mute point?" I felt her blush. "Maybe you need the shots too. Just in case? I could tell Grace that for safety reasons." She was almost shy when she said, "Yes, maybe that would be good." Then I asked what I had wondered about as soon as I had been introduced. "What about Laura, could she have swapped saliva with Jill?" Liz looked up at me sharply. "I don't think so. I'd better check with Jill though. That would be a lot harder to explain." "I'll ask, and if so, we will come up with a good reason." Liz was relieved. I walked back to Jill and motioned her away. That of course brought attention to us. It couldn't be helped. I whispered just loud enough for her to hear. "Is there any possibility that Laura could be infected?" Jill turned pale, "Did Liz tell you?" "No, Laura did, with how she acted." "Oh." Jill looked at me, appraising me. "It doesn't bother you does it." "Jill, your happiness is what matters to me." There was a half smile on her face. "You make it hard to be afraid." "I wish we had more time to talk. I want to spend some time talking with you. Would that be ok?" She smiled, "Yes, I'd like that too." "And my question?" "No." Then she giggled, "Well not yet." I smiled, but said seriously, "You know not to do anything until we know, or you have your treatment..." "Yes I know." I walked over to Grace and said, "Look at Liz a few times while we talk." She immediately looked over to her. Then she asked, "Why?" "Good, you've already done it once." Grace quickly got the idea that I was pulling a practical joke and smiled. "Ok, you got that one. Now what." "I can see why my sister likes you." I said, another glance over before she realized it. "Keith, you have a way..." "Why thank you." I couldn't help but smile. "Grace, there is something serious though and it would be best to keep it quiet. Another glance. "Dammit Keith," She said. "This had better be real." "I'm not the one glancing, but you're doing a good job of making her feel paranoid." "Oh shit," she said under her breath. "She needs to start the treatment also." Grace looked up at me and quickly stole a glance at Liz. "It is just a precaution, but they are in close quarters. I don't think it would be good to have rumors about that. Maybe it would be a good idea to have Liz drive Jill over to the hospital." Grace could see the seriousness in what I was talking about, even though it was being done in a joking manor. "Yes you are right. We don't need any more for the rumour mill to grind out. You already did enough of that with the kiss comment." She said jabbing me. I went back to Liz, "Everything is taken care of." "Are you sure? She was looking at me a lot." Then she looked at the expression on my face and shook her head. "You little shit." She said under her breath. "Language dear." I admonished while snickering. "If we were alone..." She said. I smiled. She shook her head again, "Yes, we would, but that is beside the point." The vet pulled into the meadow as Jack flew over and descended. The vet had a box for me. I knew what it was and didn't feel the need to open it up and view the contents. I waved goodbye and climbed in. As soon as I was buckled in, we took off. ------- It was just before four in the afternoon when Hank rolled into Reno. He was thinking about where to ditch the car when he spotted a young girl. One who had many of the same features of Daisy, his wife. She had that sway to her walk; the hair flowed sided to side. He pulled up to the next block and got out, watching her walk his way. She was pretty. The lump growing in his pants told him what it wanted to do with this young thing. He noticed the low bushes next to him. One way or the other she would be coming his way. He smiled inwardly. This was going to be fun. He watched her as she hurried towards him. Then suddenly she stopped. He wanted to know why. Maybe she saw him standing, staring at her. Maybe she was going to cross the street. He started walking towards the girl. She stood still now. He had her, almost laughing out loud. Just a few more steps. Then suddenly, what seemed like out of nowhere a bus pulled up. The girl got on just as Hank had reached her. The bus driver opened back up the door and looked at him, expecting him to board. Hank looked blankly at the bus, not knowing what to do. He noticed the girl now looking at him. He needed to get away. He shook his head. The driver shut the door and drove away. Hank was left in a cloud of smoke. He looked, just looked at the direction the bus went for a long time. He almost had her. Then things snapped for him. He knew he needed to get out of there, get out of this town. Getting back into the car he had lifted from the asshole driver, he drove to the edge of town, and parked it two blocks away. Grabbing his duffle bag, he walked back to a service station that was at the edge of the highway. He put out his thumb and waited. It wasn't too long before he saw a family pull up to the pump. They were obviously on a trip with the back of their station wagon full. He watched the mother climb out of the front. The way she moved told him something wasn't right. Then as he saw her in profile, he knew she was pregnant. He walked over and started making conversation with the man. Within a few minutes he had his next ride. Dropping his duffle bag in the back, he climbed into the back seat. Two girls were there and the one moved over, sitting in the center. They were introduced as Jeanette and Allison. Jeanette was eleven he found out and the holder of the other window. Allison was fourteen and not very happy about sitting in the middle. Hank the ever-pleasant gentleman offered to sit in the middle. Allison gladly accepted this and the move was made. Now Hank had to place his legs on each side of the drive shaft hump, touching both girls' legs. He was very happy indeed. They started off and it didn't take much time for Hank's eyes to start roaming. He looked over to Jeanette. She had long wavy brown hair and brown eyes. Her face was slender and her lips small, but nicely shaped. Hank was jarred into the present with a question directed his way. He had to ask for the question to be repeated. Then he answered. He realized his mind had turned off and he had probably been staring. So he took a quick glance over. Jeanette was smiling at him. He may have been caught, but she didn't seem to mind. He smiled back. For the next twenty-five minutes he would glance over and get more information. Her breasts had started to develop. He saw no bra lines. Her skirt was a bit to small for her, thus a little short and was riding up. He looked over to the other one, Allison. It was plain to see she had her mother's features. Straight dark brown hair, those brown eyes like her sister, a soft smile and full lips. He shook his head; he'd been staring again. He turned to take another peek at Alison; she was looking out the window and had turned slightly. He could make out her bra lines, but he already knew she would have been wearing one. His gauge was that she was a 32B. For a girl that age, she sure had a set. He was thinking to himself that as darkness set his hands could get busy. The young one with the shorter skirt like his attention. He might just have to see how much she would like. All of Hank's looking hadn't gone unnoticed. The father had been aware of what he must be looking at for the last ten minutes. He was furious; those were his little girls in the back. That man was ogling them, like they were women of the street. He was also a bit scared of this stranger. He was a much bigger man. Wondering what to do, his answer came to him with a road sign. Rest Stop 7 miles The driver announced they'd be stopping soon for a break. The normal chatter that had died down started, how far, when do we get there, why do we always stop, how long will we be? Hank was starting to get to the point he wanted out of the car, no matter how these girls looked, the non stop talking drove him crazy. It reminded him of the things he was planning on teaching Daisy not to do. The seven miles seemed long. They pulled into the parking area and all got out. After Hanks long drive, the interruption with the girl and his desire to get away, he needed this stop. Rushing into the men's room Hank was relieved to be there. As soon as Hank walked away from the family, the man motioned the rest of them to stay. As soon as Hank had entered the building, he told everyone to get back in the car. They did and he drove away. Hank came back out feeling much better. He went out to the parking lot and looked around. He looked back at the building to make sure he was in the right spot and looked around once more. They were gone. He was furious. Then he burnt with rage. His duffle bag was in that car. ------- When Millie and Dora got back to the house the boys were playing in Brain's room. They came out to greet them, acting good as gold. Brain was always on his best behavior after a good spanking, but something was different Millie surmised. She didn't catch on that he wasn't angry and the smiles weren't forced. It was a concept beyond her. Dora saw the difference and knew something good had happened. Bruce called to Millie from the back; when she came out, Millie asked Dora if she could take the boys. Dora smiled and offered to have Brian overnight. Millie nodded, it looked to Dora that she was befuddled. If Dora hadn't had an inkling what this was all about, she would have been worried. Dora told the boys to get themselves ready and they were out the door within minutes. On the way, Brian and Jimmy described what had happened. "I hope you understand, that this is a learning lesson. There are always consequences for our behavior." The boys shook their heads. "We learn what we have been taught. Sometimes those lessons are not good ones." They looked at her, not understanding what she was getting at. "Brian, if I told you that every time you make me angry you will be punished, what would you learn?" "Not to make you angry?" "You might try that, but did I tell you what makes me angry?" "No." "Then it will be a guessing game on your part. You are also learning something else too." Brain thought hard, but couldn't come up with anything, "What else?" "You are learning that the person in charge doesn't have to be fair. Now what happens when you grow up and are in charge?" "I don't have to be fair either?" "That's what you learned, but is that right?" "I guess not." Brian had his brow wrinkled. "So how do we know the difference?" "That is the hard part Brain. A lot of what we learn is good, but not all. Sometimes it is important to listen to others and see what they are doing. It is hard to do." "Is that what my dad was doing?" Brain asked reflecting on the event that was so unusual. "Maybe so Brain. Time will tell." They were at Jimmy's house by then. She told the boys to go collect some wood outside for the stove. When they got back, Dora had already started the small bunch of kindling to warm the flue, now she fed the small chamber with wood. Within no time the house had that rich aroma that a wood-burning stove gives off. She had a kettle on and was working on cutting up some vegetables and fruit. The boys got quickly disinterested and asked to go and play. She smiled and said yes, but only inside. They didn't understand until a little while later they heard the bath running. Remembering the cold bath they had taken, and why, the boys couldn't wait to get in. Dora wasn't ready for them yet; she had the water running in slowly. It was very hot that way and the sight of the steam rising made their desire to climb in even more. Worse yet, she made them watch it fill up so it wouldn't overflow. Going back to the kitchen she finished her dinner preparations, then came back to the bathroom. The boys, shutting the door were in a nice warm room. They had removed their clothes in anticipation. When Dora opened the door, she eyed both boys. "You boys were bad today, so I have a worse punishment than spanking lined up for you." She had a wicked grin on her face and they weren't sure what they were in for. "You will have to watch me undress and if you get excited," she said looking at the boys still flaccid dicks, "Then I'll decide what your punishment will be." They didn't think that would be too difficult. That was until she started. The boys saw their first full strip tease, and it was a tease. They had also forgot about her intoxicating scent. It started filling the room almost immediately. Her blouse came off first. She slowly removed button after button. The boy's eyes bulged. Her bra was something that they had never seen before. It was not the one that was planned for Richard, with the cut outs, but it was also from Cynthia and very sexy. Then she unzipped her skirt, but she didn't let it fall. She lowered it, inch by agonizing inch. First the top of her panties came into view and the boy's felt the pull of anticipation. It was matching her bra! She leaned over concealing most of herself as she continued to lower her skirt until it was a pile on the floor. She rose back up and reached for the ceiling, giving the boys an unencumbered view. Kicking the skirt aside, she turned around with her backside to the boys, and lowered the straps to her bra. Then reached back and unclasped it. They saw it drop to the floor. She slowly turned and let her self once again come into full view. Brian had lost the battle and was fully erect. Jimmy wasn't far behind, but he was trying hard. She slipped a finger in each side of the waistband of her panties and started with a back and forth motion of lowering them. She had them down to the start of her bush and then turned around. When Dora turned around, kept her knees straight and bent over, pulling the panties down with her. The boy's eyes were riveted to Dora's wet, glistening pussy. Jimmy had lost his will power and his dick made a full upright appearance. Dora turned back around and stood before them. "Boys, you lost. Now for your punishment." Their eyes grew anticipating the worst. "You each must feed my pussy and my mouth with your cum." The boys were relieved; smiling thinking this was great punishment. Then she went on. "But it must come from your mouth and be pushed in by your tongue." The boys looked at each other, how was that going to happen? Brain got it first and whispered to Jimmy. "I have to get yours in my mouth and give it to her." Jimmy smiled too. "Then I get yours and give it to her also." They both looked back at Dora. Jimmy said, "Is that the only punishment or is there more?" Dora laughed. "Somehow I don't believe you think that is a form of punishment." The boys shook their heads no. "Don't you worry there will be more. Time to wash up first, then dinner." Bath time was fun. With the nice warm water and plenty of it, they took turns cleaning each other. Afterwards when the door was open, the smell of roasted vegetables with some meat and a fruit pie met their noses. ------- Stephanie came rushing in to the room. "Pamela let me tell you about the flavor I had." It was a good time for Robin to go out. She met Daisy in the hall. The two girls looked at each other and walked back down the stairs. When they were outside Daisy turned to Robin. "I don't know how to say this." Robin looked at her friend, "Daisy, you don't need to say anything. You have had more to deal with than anyone I know." "I do, you." Daisy said. Robin looked at her inquisitively. "Robin, look how you have blossomed. It wasn't that long ago that you were a sad girl looking at her birthday with dread. Your mother, unhappy with life, your stepfather..." Daisy shook her head. "I know you saw me, in an unhappy marriage thinking that was your fate. You saw your stepfather, beaten and die. You saw your real father shoot your grandfather and then try and kill the whole town." Daisy lifted Robin's face. She had tears in her eyes. "Robin, you are very different than you were, not very long ago." Robin looked into Daisy's eyes. Daisy smiled and continued. "Yes, you are right. Things are not good for me. I have no idea what to do with what was has happened to my marriage. My sister is in the hospital. My mother is sick and flying away for special tests to find out what is wrong with her. It isn't fair. It wasn't for you either." "What I'm trying to say is that although I've had a hard time admitting it, I look up to you. You have had the world crash at your feet. I have only a continent or two crashing down around me." The girls giggled at the joke. It also broke the tension that had been building. "I think Keith is a big part of who you are now." Robin smiled and nodded yes. Daisy started to stammer. "I'd like. I know you said to him before. I want to know. I need." "Daisy," Robin said stopping Daisy's babbling. "I love Keith with all of my heart. I also love you. When he went up to Redding to get you, I told him to take care of you." Robin grinned. "I think he did too." Daisy shook her head yes, enthusiastically. Robin took Daisy's hands and looking her she said, "I never told him to stop. He is there to take care of you when you need him." Daisy was crying. They were tears of joy. The conversation she had with the Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann had been important. It brought this one up. She could see what they were talking about. Robin, although young, she was kind, thoughtful, and considerate. The perfect choice for Keith. ------- Jack glanced over to me, "So how many are there?" I knew what he was getting at, but tried to play dumb. "Many of what?" "Women on line?" "Numbers or names?" "Oh God Keith, how do you keep it all straight?" "Easy, I let Robin decide who can, then sometimes I get a choice." It was a good thing that I had hold of the controls also, because he lost it. "You get a choice? What the hell does that mean." I smiled although he couldn't see it. "It means that there are times I haven't been given much of a choice. I have to perform, and do it well." "If you're looking for sympathy, don't look here. Somehow it just doesn't make sense though. Why would a young gal like Robin want to farm you out? You would think she'd want to keep her hooks in you and have you on a short leash." "I think it just started innocently enough and got out of hand." "We have time, want to elaborate?" "You'll be dammed uncomfortable by the time we land." "Let me worry about that." So I proceeded to tell him about Kristin and how Robin thought she owed a lot to her, so that was the first. There was Katy. Jack could hardly believe that one and asked if Richard knew; I said yes, he was even more amazed. Then there was Daisy, but that was just a little thing. Helping her out, so to speak. I could see him shifting himself in the seat and I knew he was trying not to be too obvious about needing to adjust. Then there was Liz, I said, that was on my wedding night. Jack started laughing so hard I thought he'd lost it completely. "Your wedding night and you are out on a mission of mercy to screw your sister? Keith, you are unbelievable." I had to explain that it wasn't quite like that. In fact nothing with my sister was consummated until we were on the base. I didn't know if I should talk about Stephanie, but he had other ideas. Jack was entranced, he just went along and then it sounded more and more plausible, the details were all there. He thought, If Keith had been making this shit up, something would have been mixed up, but his story flowed just like it was the God's honest truth. Jack started thinking of the people in that barracks. Robin, Kristin, Liz, Jill... "How about Jill?" Jack asked. "No, you know what she went through. She's not ready for anything like that yet. I never force, Jack. Like I said, they come to me." That made sense to Jack. Ok, Jill's out. He was thinking - there also was Dora, Stephanie, Jimmy, Brian, Katy, and Richard. "Dora?" "No." "I know, she's Richard's." Jack said. That surprised me that he knew that. "But so is Katy." "Katy and I did things before she was married." I didn't think I needed to add that we had done anything after and with Richard's consent. Jack hesitated and then said, "Stephanie?" I didn't say anything. "God Keith, little Stephanie, what the hell could you do with her?" I almost laughed. He hadn't had an accusing tone; it was more a curious tone in his voice. "Jack, just about everything. I told you that these things were not my idea, doing anything with Stephanie wasn't, I can tell you. I didn't want to hurt her, but she was relentless and encouraged by some of the others." There was a bit of silence and then Jack asked the question I was hoping he wouldn't have. "What about Jimmy and Brian?" I was breaking into a sweat. "What about them?" "With all that going on, they must have seen something." "Oh," I laughed. "Yes, they saw a lot. Their education is fairly well versed by now." "Why didn't I have teachers like that?" Jack snorted. Then there was another moment of silence. "I just don't see it. But I like them a bit older than you it seems. Rebecca is just about as young as I like them. The older ones that have great curves and a little meat on their bones. That's what I like." "Good, no competition then." He laughed. "I guess I could say the same." Then he asked about Beth Ann. I was glad he had forgotten about Mary being there. I was really glad he didn't ask about Pamela. "Beth Ann is a friend." "Yes, one who is taken. Who took her?" "I'm glad this ride is so long, you get to know all the gritty details. Yes, I took her, or should I say I was the male who took her." Jack glanced over to me. "You're not pulling my leg are you?" I shook my head no. "How many?" "There were five of us, including her." "Keith you are one lucky son of a bitch. I wish I had to work as hard as you." "Yes, well someone has to bear the burden. Might as well be me, although let me tell you, sometimes they tire me out. By the way, how much longer?" "Is that what you say?" Jack said with a laugh. "Or do you want to know how much time we have?" "Very funny." "Looks like about twenty minutes." ------- Robert and the other man walked down the hallway to the center. The man walked over and pressed the button. Robert knew of the idea of an elevator. They used that sort of thing in the mine. It wasn't enclosed like this and didn't have buttons. The one in the mine got stuck on occasion. The doors slid open and Robert looked in as the man walked in. Not wanting to look scared, Robert ventured in. The doors shut right behind him and it was a startling noise. Robert noticed the numbers above the door. From what it looked like they were on the forth floor, that was right. On a side panel a button was lit for the first floor. The sound of the cable, the car sway, and the enclosed space made Robert feel uneasy, nauseous really. When the doors opened he couldn't get out fast enough. "First time in an elevator?" The man asked. "One like that." "Sorry, didn't think it would bother you. Understood you were a miner." "Being in tight places doesn't get to you, that is until you've had a tunnel collapse on you." Then he said, with a sadness in his voice that was unmistakable, "Or had people die in one under your watch." There was nothing for the man to say, what does one say when presented with death. I'm sorry sounds a bit contrite. Therefore there was silence until they got outside. Entering the same car that had taken them from the airport, the man said, "Off to the base then." Robert spied a building across the parkway. "I'd rather go there," he said pointing to Henry's Tavern. "Sounds like a good time, unfortunately I'm on duty and don't fancy the idea of the hell I'd catch if they found me in there." Robert laughed; at least this man, who had seemed rather stuffy to him at first, had a sense of humor. "Maybe when I come back, or is there one on base?" "There are two, and that is a good question, being a civilian I don't know how you would go about it. They are for the people on base, one for officers and the other one for the rest of us. I'll check into that for you." The base was indeed a short drive and soon they entered the front gate. It was beautiful, much different than the one they had been brought to by train. This had large open areas of grass and palm trees. The buildings were of brick and wood and had a charm to them. The car pulled up into a cul-de-sac that had five two story buildings in a circle. "This is your home away from home." The man said as he pulled the car to a stop. This was much better looking that the place he had stayed at the university. Robert followed the man up a walkway to the door on the first floor. He opened it and gave Robert the key. "These units were mainly used for officers laying over for the night, or on occasion the wife of someone. I hope you find it comfortable. You call for a ride back to the hospital anytime you want." The man gestured to the phone that was in a cubbyhole in the hallway. "Thanks." Robert said and the man was off. Looking through the place didn't take much time. There was a front sitting room, two bedrooms, each with a double bed and a bathroom. Robert noticed in one of the bedrooms that his bag was there. With everything that had gone on he hadn't even thought about it. He walked back out to the front and took a second look. No, he thought, he hadn't been mistaken. There was no kitchen. What and how was he going to eat? ------- The high desert can get very chilly when the sun starts to set in the springtime. Hank would have pulled out his coat, but those bastards had driven off with his meager belongings. As the cold set in, his temperature rose to boiling. Mr. And Mrs. Douglas Michaels had pulled out of Reno later than they expected. To stay awake on the drive home Mr. Michaels had had two cups of coffee. Now he needed this rest stop. The elderly couple pulled in. Hank saw them and smiled. As the man quickly entered the restroom, Hank made his way to intercept. Standing side by side at the urinals. Hank spoke. "Rather late for you and the Mrs. to be driving." "Harriet doesn't mind at all. I'm the one who doesn't like to drive at night." Hank had what he needed. The man, full of fluid was still going strong as Hank left. He walked up to the car and opened up the passenger side door. "Harriet." Hank spoke, not asking, but stating. Harriet was surprised. "Your husband is giving me a ride and ask if you could sit in the back." This wasn't an unusual request, for the woman to sit in the back. Harriet thought it was a bit strange for her husband to be offering rides at this time of night. She switched and Hank sat in the front, waiting for the husband to return. Douglas didn't notice a difference until he opened the car door. "What in blazes?" "You sir, are going to give me a lift." "I will not. Now you get out of this car this instant young man." Hank bellowed at the man in a menacing voice, "Get in and shut up or I'll take the car from you." "Douglas, please just do as he says. He only wants a lift." Harriet said in a shaky voice. Douglas looked back at his wife. She was frail and didn't need things upsetting her. He got into the car and started the engine. "Where am I taking you?" He asked feeling defeated. They turned back onto highway 95 east. "Were are you headed?" Hank asked. "We live just outside of Winnemucca. It's about 2 hours from here." "That will do. It has a hotel I'd imagine." Hank thought to himself that it was not as far as he'd like to have gone, but other than being forceful with his voice, he'd done nothing wrong. Can't put you in jail for that. Needn't press his luck. "Yes it does. I'll be glad to drop you there." Douglas said. He was thinking he'd like to drop him off right now, but didn't dare to say a word. For the rest of the trip he said nothing. That is not to say the drive was silent. Harriet was a bundle of nerves and as such she talked, non-stop. She told Hank about the wonderfully rich history of Winnemucca. The hotel they would drop him at, the Winnemucca hotel, was built in 1863. She went on to tell him how, when the railroad came in, the town split apart. There was the old part of town and a new part by the tracks. As the town grew on both sides it eventually grew together and old US 40 ran right through the center. She even told him of the legendary bank robbery that Butch Cassidy was thought to have staged. Although it was thought to be more of a legend than fact, she said it was fascinating and went into every detail. Hank was bored silly. He didn't like history, and couldn't stand women non-stop talk. It was a long two hours. ------- There was a knock on the door. Dora looked at Brian and Jimmy. The boys were still nude; Dora had slipped on a loose dress, but nothing more. Knowing that Millie or even Bruce could come over to get Brian, this was prudent behavior. The boys quickly went into Jimmy's room. Dora opened the door to find Patrick Theisen there. "Dora, can we talk?" Dora looked back towards Jimmy's bedroom, two heads disappeared behind it. "I think maybe we should take a walk," she said. He nodded, following the direction of her gaze. "Yes, that might be better." "Boys, I'll be gone for a little bit. You behave." She heard acknowledgment as she shut the door behind her. They walked in silence for a bit, Patrick trying to get his nerve up, Dora wondering what this was all about. The walk led them out to the spot that he had taken her before. It was a perfect place for a private conversation. "Dora, I hate to have to admit it, but I think I need your help." Dora was surprised, "My help?" "Don't underestimate yourself. You are able to do things others can't, or wouldn't. This help though is personal. You are in the right place." She was starting to catch on, but wanted confirmation. "What place is that?" "You are, how do I say it, special to Richard." "And Katy." Dora added. The air was cool and she felt her nipples point, as much from the cold as the conversation. She was glad of the dusk. Maybe Patrick couldn't see them. With no bra they were much more visible. Patrick suspected as much, but didn't want to admit it. "Alright. I don't understand that all, but you are special to Katy and Richard. You know this is not the normal relationship that is expected." Dora nodded. She knew that very well. "Don't get me wrong though. I don't think that. It is obvious that there is love. That is what is important." "Yes there is love." "You very well know from our last conversation that Sheryl and I have a relationship. It is based in love also." Dora said in jest, "How about her husband." She was shocked to see Patrick turn red. "Patrick, don't answer. I don't think I want to know." Patrick was unnerved. His last conversation with Dora had been a heart wrenching. Later on, as he was able to look back, it had been a freeing experience. Now that was happening all over again. Was it because he was so transparent that she could see what she asked, or maybe that being in a similar situation, she could understand the possibilities. "Dora, I don't know how to answer that. There is something. What it is, I'm not sure if I could say." Dora took hold of his arm. "Thank you for being honest with me. Now your question" "Yes. As I said, we have something in common. The other thing that you posses is an ability to talk with my daughter." Dora laughed. "I guess you are talking about Millie." "Yes Millie. She is sometimes as hard headed as I am. Maybe that is why we don't see eye to eye at times." "So let me try and understand. You see us having a similar problem on our hands, so that makes me understand the situation. Then you think I can talk to Millie." "I know you can talk to Millie." "Oh, what makes you think that?" "Bruce." Patrick said. Dora lowered her head and stared at the ground. "He told me what Millie said to him. It came from you." He took Dora's head and raised it up to look in her eyes. "Dora, others don't talk to Millie that way and get heard. She trusts you." To Dora those words struck a cord. Being a single parent, having lost her husband, made her always feel second best, not very valuable. Now, Richard and Katy had given their love to her. Even though she did not have the outward commitment, she felt secure. Though most people didn't know anything about that; it gave her the courage to do as she had always felt, to say what she had always wanted to say. She was finding that people accepted her, trusted her. It was a strange, yet exciting feeling. On the other hand, "You're asking a lot from me. If I fail to make her see, I could lose that trust. We could lose our friendship." Patrick had anticipated those words. "You are right, but let me ask you a question. Will it be better to talk of such things when you are starting to show?" Dora turned beet red and stammered, "I..." "Dora, we need to be sensible about this. You and I are in the same position. I am trying to have a child with Sheryl. My guess is that may well happen for you too eventually and like I said before, you will start to show. We need to help each other and work on this together. We are not the only ones doing this, there are others." "Others?" "Keith for one. He has a unique position in this town to help sway people. It would be very bad for him, as well as Richard if the town turned against them. It would be disastrous for the town also, but most townspeople look in hindsight to see what mistakes they make." "I hate to say it but you are making sense. So what do you want me to do? But before that, let me ask this. Other than your daughter, why is Millie so important, or is that it?" Patrick laughed, "If that was it, I would ask you anyway. We have not always been on the best of terms and I'd like to change that. She is on the school board. If that doesn't say something to you, let me spell it out. You three ladies were voted in because people saw leadership. I know that surprises you, but believe me, I know what people think." Dora was again overwhelmed. "Thank you." "So you see Millie is one of the three cornerstones to the women's thinking in this town. You are another and I already know where your heart is. I'm working on the third." "You say women, is there a men's part to all this?" Patrick chuckled, "Dora, I hope I'm not too crude here, but men won't have as much of a problem with this. The idea of Keith or Richard having more than one gal, well, it is a guy's fantasy." "So what do you think I need to do?" ------- Robert picked up the phone and dialed the number he had been given. It was not a number he was used to, only four digits. It rang twice and then was answered. "I'd like a ride." He said, hoping all that was said to him was true and he hadn't just made a fool of himself. "Will that be to the hospital, sir?" "Yes thank you." "We will be around in five minutes." Robert had unpacked and now waited. Five minutes seamed like a long time. He saw the same car pull up and wondered if it was the only one they had, or if it was reserved for his use. The driver, Carl as he found out, would be the primary person that he would see. He was taken to the hospital and let off. He watched the car drive away from the entrance. Robert turned and walked down the rose lined walkway, back towards the main thoroughfare. Robert was unaccustomed to traffic lights, but he got the idea the second time it changed. He was surprised at the number of cars and trucks on the road. His small amount of outing, outside of Carp had never been to such a metropolitan area. It was on the third light change that he made his way across the street to Henry's Bar. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he recognized the uniforms of a good number of hospital employees who apparently frequented the place. Most were at small tables having lively conversations. He wanted a spot at the bar. Fortunately there were several and he could sit where no one was next to him. "What's your poison?" Robert had been in a few bars and had heard the line, so it didn't throw him. "Bourbon on the rocks." The glass was set in front of him and the bartender left. He was busy with a few others. Robert wasn't half done when he came round again. "New here. Haven't seen you before." "Just got in today." Robert said in typical bar talk. In a noisy place the only things said were the important things. "Not with the hospital, don't have the clothes." "Wife's there." "Nurse?" "Patient." "Sorry to hear that. That drinks on me. The name is Henry," he said as he put his hand over to shake. "Don't like to lose business, but I hope you're not here long." "Thanks. I hope not also." ------- Daisy said she needed to rest, after the day she had, Robin could understand. Robin went back to the hospital to check on Pamela and see what Stephanie was doing. When she got into the room, Stephanie had a wicked grin on her face. Robin though the two had been playing again and didn't say a word. Pamela was more animated than usual, writing a good bit, asking a good many questions. Then the tide turned and it was almost as if they wanted Robin to go. Stephanie said she didn't need a replacement for a while. She and Pamela had something to do. Robin wasn't going to ask; Stephanie had that look again. Sighing, Robin left. She really didn't want to go back to the house. She didn't want to face the emptiness of it. True Daisy would be there, sleeping. The man she wanted wouldn't. She walked glumly back. Opening the door into the darkened living room, she moved to turn on the light. She stopped dead in her tracks as the door behind her slammed shut. The light turned on and she blinked several times to adjust to it. There, sitting in a circle were Daisy, Mary, and Beth Ann. They were nude and in the center was the dildo, standing straight up on the bare floor. Robin just stared, her mouth hanging open. Kristin, who had shut the door, came over to her. "We've been waiting for you." She said and took Robin, guiding her to the center. Once she was there, the others stood around her and started stripping her. Once her clothing was pulled from her, she was touched. Small light touches, everywhere, with eight hands. It was just about sensory overload for Robin. Daisy picked up the dildo, the girls hugged around Robin and moved out of the room and down the hall. Daisy said, "Keith is not here to save you." Robin looked around at the smiling faces, "Do I need to be saved?" They all laughed. Once in the bedroom, Robin saw a difference. The bed was gone, or that is the frame. The mattress was there, as well as the other two from the other room. It made her laugh, reminding her of the barracks. She was lowered. Mary and Beth Ann knelt down on each side of her. Taking her hands they cupped their pussies and lowered themselves down to start feeding on Robin's breasts. Daisy was at her head and started kissing her. She started at her neck and then to her ear. Kristin had taken place between her legs. Starting at her toes, she was kissing Robin and up she went. One kiss on one side of her inner leg, then one a little higher on the other side. Up and up she went. By the time Daisy covered Robin's mouth with hers, Robin was moaning, crying, and almost shouting. Robin's first orgasm hit her hard, they felt her body stiffen, then shake, then soften, only to do it over and over again. After the fifth, they let up. Daisy then handed the dildo to Beth Ann. Robin looked at her as Beth Ann and Kristin traded places. Pushing up and out on Robin's legs, her swollen, juicy lips could easily be seen. Beth Ann toyed with the dildo. Kristin couldn't believe what her friend was doing. Everyone else stopped to watch the show. Beth Ann took it and rubbed it between her breasts, then over each nipple, making them swell just a little more. Trailing it up her body, she grazed up the side of her neck and around her ear. Then she brought it to her lips. Before she put it in, she said, "I understand this was sized after Keith." The others moaned as they watched her open her lips just slightly and such the end in. Pulling the dildo back out, her tongue followed, flicking the end. She looked right into Robin's eyes and said, "I think it's ready now." They watched as Beth Ann, holding the end firmly slid it from Robin's belly button down to her slit. Beth Ann circled the tip around Robin's noticeable bump. Robin's muscles rippled from the effect. Then the dildo made its descent into the opening that lay beneath. Robin was panting as Beth Ann slowly slid it in, little by little, and then out to start again. Robin's hands, trapped between Mary's and now Kristin's legs, were forcing their fingers in, trying to give them a taste of what she was feeling. Robin started a low, long moan. It filled the room with sound. As it continued, with gasped of air, it became louder and higher pitched. Kristin and Mary started sucking on Robin's nipples again. Daisy raised up on her knees above Robin's head and moved her pussy in a slow grinding rhythm, her fingers now moving in and out, coating themselves on her juices and then wiping them upon Robin's lips. With the dildo fully into Robin, Beth Ann increased the tempo and Robin's gasping cry became wilder. Until it all went silent. Robin had passed out. The girls withdrew. She was laid out, a smile upon her face, her body still shuddering. They straightened her legs, covered her with a blanket and waited for her to awaken. ------- Liz and Jill were instructed to go to the hospital. The vet, Grace told then had notified the hospital. Girls at the school were shocked, some had heard of the terrible pain that was associated with these shots. As Jill left, she was greeted with many offering sympathy for what she had to endure for saving Dorothy. Indeed as Keith had predicted, her hero status had risen. Mrs. Walker asked to go as well, she wanted to see to Dorothy again and talk to her parents who had come into town because of the accident. So the three of them drove out of the school, girls lining each side of the car as they left. "This is driving me crazy" Jill said. "Why dear?" Mrs. Walker asked. "They are trying to say they think highly of you." "I didn't do anything, not really." "You mean you don't consider what you did as anything special." Jill wasn't sure about that. "What do you mean?" "You think that all you did was ride a horse out, and help someone who needed help. Am I right?" "Yes that's just what I did." "Ok, that is how you see it. Now remember the play and how you saw it the first time. Those girls were reading the script, right?" "Yes, but it wasn't good." Mrs. Walker laughed. "You are right about that. They could have said the same thing you said though. I memorized my lines and said them." "But there is a lot more to it than that, you have to put feelings into those words. Make them come alive so they mean something to the others who hear it." Mrs. Walker was nodding. "Yes you are perfectly right. When you do that is it something special, it will bring out the emotion of others." Jill knew this was going somewhere. She knew she was being led, but she hadn't quite got the pieces together yet. "Yes, so what are you trying to tell me?" "Jill, did anyone else even think of jumping on a horse and go after Dorothy?" "No." "You know the other girls in that class, do you think that there are more than maybe one or possibly two that would have called the dogs, trying to get them away from her." "No." "Do any of those girls know what you possess in terms of medical knowledge?" "Probably not." "Jill, to quote Shakespeare, 'All the word's a stage.' You my dear, had that part so well down that when you were ask to play the part, it was natural. Jill, none of the other girls in that class could have done what you did. There is probably no one in the school that could have done all of the things you did." Jill was starting to become embarrassed again. "It is not something to be ashamed of. You know what could have happened if you had not gone after Dorothy?" Jill shuttered. "Yes." "Mr. Smith might not have even known. Or acted so quickly. It was seeing you go after her that made him realize something was terribly wrong. You, Jill, probably saved her life. There is no one else, and you have got to come to terms with that, it was you. To these girls, most of whom have grown up in a privileged life, you have shown them something they had never thought about and will never forget." "What is that?" "Putting someone else above themselves. If I asked you why you risked you life to save another, you would say that is the right thing to do. Believe me Jill, most of these girls here have not been brought up this way. Jill, you acted out a part. You did a stellar performance. Now your fans are praising you. If you think of it that way, maybe it will be easier to swallow." "I guess." Jill said without much enthusiasm. "Jill can I ask you a question?" Mrs. Walker said. "Yes." "Were you brought up with the idea that bringing attention to oneself was wrong?" That puzzled Jill. She had never thought about that concept before. "I don't know, maybe. In our town people dress very plainly. There has always been little talk about what someone has done. Well, that is before Keith came to town." "And Richard." Liz who had been fascinated listening to all of it. "Yes, and Richard." Jill said waving her hand as though he didn't matter as much. "You know Jill, we all have the desire to be appreciated. I think I've seen through your acting that you know what it has felt like to be, well how do I say it, almost discarded." Jill was shocked; she got out a trembling, "Yes." They were at the hospital at this point, Liz had parked and turned off the car, but no one got out. "Jill, if something makes us feel bad that is a problem. If the reverse makes us feel good then it is a positive thing to do. Some times people's ideas get in the way of what is really right and wrong. They forget to feel. It is good, it is healthy to want and get positive attention. You are unaccustomed to it and now instead of some, you have been heaped with a lot of attention. It is uncomfortable for you." "It sure is." "It is uncomfortable for you because of who you are. It is right and good that others be able to show and say how they appreciate what you did. You need to learn to accept that it is right and feel good about it." "That sounds hard." "It is dear and likely to get worse before getting better." Mrs. Walker said. Jill missed the wink she gave to Liz. "Well now, we are here, and times a wasting." They all got out and entered the hospital. ------- When Robert got to Mildred's room, she was sitting on a chair looking out the window. "Robert, I'm bored silly here." She came up to him and gave him a hug. Smelling the liquor on his breath and she knew he had been drinking. He hadn't had too much; he had come back, so she didn't say anything. "Why don't we take a walk?" Robert said. "I'd love that," then she got a sad look, "but they said we needed to be escorted." "What? Why? Who told you that?" "The man at the end of the hall." Robert was visibly upset. Mildred knew the look; he'd also had a drink. This was not a good combination. "Settle down now dear." She said rubbing his shoulders. "We should call Keith, I think, and ask him what is going on and why." Robert stomped around the room. The idea that they had hidden away his wife, almost placed her under arrest, is what it felt like. It was enough to make him boil. His wife suggesting that he let another man take care of things made him madder than anything. What made him suddenly remember why he was there is not important. He knew that his wife, who was hugging him, was the one who was stuck here. He remembered the doctors at the University telling him she needed him. He would try. "Ok, let's call Keith. How do we do that? Do you know where he is?" "No, but Robin will. Let's give her a call." ------- We flew in with much fanfare. Helicopters were still not common. I was told this was the reason for the whole ordeal. To show brass what they could do, how they could help. I was glad to get out of the thing. Dr. Smithers was there to greet us. "Well Keith," He said with a grin. "From the frying pan and into the fire." I smiled. "Do you have the sample?" "Yes." I said, pulling out the box. "Good, lets go. I'm sure you don't need to stay around for this parade." "No. I'll be glad to get away from it frankly." We climbed into his jeep and drove off after I left Jack with Richard's parents' phone number. "You know how we do the test now, don't you?" I looked at him perturbed. "I was on a team who suggested to hospitals to implement a program to train people for the diagnosis." He smiled, "Yes I saw the memo, good work you did on it, too." I had to remember his tactics, try and piss the guy off so he'll tell you what he doesn't want you to know. His mannerism was crude, but he was an effective person. I would be more careful next time I felt myself getting upset with what he said. "So what are you doing here and for how long?" "Getting to the point fast, aren't we?" "Just answer the questions." He laughed. "Keith, you are one of a few that will come at me with the same type of bull that I throw out. I like that about you." "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not, but you are avoiding my question." "Ok, I can't tell you why I'm here, but it will end in about three days at the most." "Then what?" "They will find something, or I'll get some golfing in." We had pulled up to a non-descript building. I didn't say a word, but knew this was the lab. If he couldn't tell me what he was doing there was probably no way in hell I was supposed to be inside there. He opened the building. There was a second door inside with a mirrored window to one side. The door closed behind me. A voice asked to identify me. Dr. Smithers looked at me and said. "I've never seen this man in my life." I looked at him like he was half crazy and then he started laughing. "This is Keith Patterson." "Keith Patterson, as in Carp?" 'Fuck' I thought. "The very one." Dr. Smithers said with a grin on his face. As the door buzzed and he opened it he said, "You're quite the celebrity around here." "Thanks a lot." "Wasn't my doing, I think you're an asshole," he said laughing. "Well if my head gets too big, I know who to come to." "Always available to take you down a peg." "I knew I could count on you." I said to the Doctor. As we bantered back and forth, we had walked down a hallway and entered a room. There was a set of glass windows facing a lab. He tapped on the glass, one of the men came over and let us in, through another locked door. I looked over and he shrugged his shoulders. I knew until we were away from there, no questions could be asked. He led the way over to a woman sitting at a table and she looked up at me. "Keith Patterson! I recognize you from the newspaper photo." Dr. Smithers chuckled at my embarrassment. "I'd love to ask you questions about some of your research. Seems as though a lot of it went missing." I looked at her blankly, missing? Then it hit me. A lot of my papers were loaded up in my car. I had placed them there when I wasn't to sure what the government's response to the toxic water in Carp would have been. In a way it was insurance, but thankfully never needed. It was sitting in the trunk of my car. I laughed. "I know exactly where it all is. No one has asked me for the information." "I guess it is hard to do when what you do doesn't exist," she said, a smile on her face. That told me what this place was. The security had definitely been increased. It did make me wonder what Dr. Smithers' role was in all of this. Dr. Smithers cleared his throat. "Keith has a brain in the box," Looking at me and smiling. I shook my head. "We need to do a dFA on it." "dFA?" "Ask Keith, he's the one who wrote the military specs on it." He nudged me. I looked at him rolling my eyes as she said, "Oh, would you?" "It stands for direct fluorescent antibody. I didn't create the process as Dr. Smithers suggested, just wrote the procedure in a useful, helpful manner." It didn't seem to matter if I did or didn't, she had puppy dog eye looking at me. I felt set up and probably had been. "What needs to be done is this sample needs to be incubated with the rabies antibody. If it is present, then it will bind to the rabies antigen. All other material can be washed away. After that it is viewed with a fluorescence microscope. If the antigen is present it will look apple green and the test is positive." "Ok," is all she said. I wondered if she had even listened to a word, but I saw her start preparing an incubation tray. She had to be pretty smart to be working in a lab like this, so I let my worries fade. I walked over to Dr. Smithers, he turned to me, "Did Cathy take care of you?" He said with a smile on his face. "Not completely, but I have no doubt she would have if given the chance." He grinned, "I think you are right. She has that newspaper article in her locker." I groaned, he laughed. "Come on, you know it takes time for the incubation." We went out of the building and got back into his jeep, "Now where?" he asked. "I was to meet Richard and Katy, but I'm not sure where." "Let's find out," he said. As we drove through the base he told me about the lab, a small one. It was working on only two projects. He was there to make sure security on materials was up to snuff. I laughed as I, who should not have been in there at all, could walk in. He didn't find that as funny as I did. We stopped in front of the base; there in the parking lot were Richard and Katy. I looked over to him and he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess they knew you were here." "Guess so." As we got out, walking over to them, Dr. Smithers said, "You have asked me about what I was doing and when I would be finished. I assume there is a purpose to that?" "Yes there is." I replied, but didn't let on any more. "Richard, Katy." I shouted. Katy ran over and I gave her a long hug. I shook Richard's hand. "You remember Dr. Smithers?" "Is there a way to forget him?" Richard asked. We all laughed, "Keith, you have been spreading rumors I see." "After what you did? I'm being bad?" "Ok, I did set that one up, but it wasn't that bad, was it?" I shook my head, "No, not that bad." Katy and Richard were looking back and forth between us. "Long story." I said. Katy pulled me over to their car. "Is yours the same color?" I looked at it with a blank expression, "What is it?" Katy asked. "I forgot all about the car. I guess it is still on the lot in Utah waiting for us." "You're kidding?" "No, we have been so busy, I plum forgot about it." "Well, now you can see how nice it is. Come on, get in." "I guess I'm going. You apparently have the number, I want to know as soon as the results are in on that test." I said as Katy was pushing me towards the car. "Will do. I think Jack has a meeting scheduled for us also." "Yes,." was all I got out before Katy shut the door. We were just outside the gate when Katy looked at me and said, "It is so good to see you," and gave me a kiss on the lips. "You have that same glow just like Robin," I said. "Richard how does it feel to be an upcoming father and grandfather al at the same time?" "Very funny," he said. Then he added, "She does look great, doesn't she?" "Yes, but I suspect you've always thought that." Even in the darkened car I could see Katy blush. We pulled up to his folks' house and I was ushered in. It didn't hit me until then I didn't have my clothes and ask. Richard said they had been delivered. "Can I call Robin and tell her I'm here?" "Be my guest," Jack said, popping his head out of the kitchen. "Richard will show you where the phone is." I called and found a very relaxed Robin on the phone. "Keith, you won't believe what they did to me. I'll tell you all about it when you come home. Oh and Keith, Robert called. He said to call him back at the hospital." She gave me the number and we said I love you's to each other. I purposely didn't tell her about the rabies. I didn't know if I'd been infected and why worry her. I dialed the hospital and asked for the room, I was transferred to another extension that asked my name. I told them and then asked who they were and why the inquiry. They told me they were following orders and connected me to the room. Robert was hostile on the phone. I told him I couldn't blame him, which satisfied him a bit. I also said that thing would be changing tomorrow. Then I talked to Mildred and told her not to worry. She said she wouldn't. I said I'd call them again tomorrow and see if things had changed. Then I told her that I had seen Pamela start to smile and that was a very good sign. She was pleased. I said my goodbyes and hung up. Richard, Katy, and I then spent the next two hours catching up on all that had gone on. ------- Jill and Liz had walked over to Dorothy's room with Mrs. Walker as it was on the way. Dorothy's parents as well as Susan, her sister were in the room. They heaped praises on Jill who, uncomfortably but graciously, tried to accepted them. She was looking at Mrs. Walker, thinking of what she had said in the car the entire time. Then came the news of why Liz and Jill were there. Dorothy was mortified. Here, once again Jill had placed herself in harm's way for her. It was more than Dorothy could take and she burst out in tears. Jill told her it was all right and said it was just a series of shots, that was all. Liz and Jill left and found that right around the corner was the station that they were looking for. The nurse took their blood pressure, temperature, weighed them and then had them sit and wait for the doctor. He was soon there and explained what they had to do. It was a series of shots in the abdomen over a period of months. The needle was long and he told them it was very painful. Unfortunately the alternative was much worse. Both Liz and Jill thought his bedside manners were not great, but he did seem to know what he was doing. Jill volunteered to go first. She had been warned, but the pain was terrible and she let out a scream that seemed to shake the walls. Liz was a bit reluctant to go next. She was a bit more prepared and just made a face that looked like a dried apple. It took both of them at least thirty minutes before they felt like they could get up and move. As soon as they got to Dorothy's room, Susan asked if that was Jill screaming. Jill turned red with embarrassment and nodded her head yes. Then Dorothy's parents and Susan exited the room. Susan took Liz's arm and brought her out too. Dorothy said to Jill, "Would you have rescued me if you knew all of this would have come about?" "Of course I would." Jill replied. "If I said I need help again, would you rescue me again?" "Without hesitating. Dorothy what is this all about? I think you know I went after you because I could. I would do it again, I would help in anyway possible." "Good. Mrs. Walker, she will be a hero again." Jill was getting the idea that something was going on, she had been set up. "Jill," Mrs. Walker said, "Dorothy can't possibly perform in our play." Jill looked over to her, "Why?" "I can't sit down, I can't move right yet. That branch that got stuck in me, well it didn't do good things. I'll be all right, but it is going to take a bit of time to let it heal. In the meantime, I can barely walk right now. I can stand up straight and lay in bed. In another three days, they say I can start sitting. That is in a wheel chair, but not walking yet." "Jill," Mrs. Walker said. "You need to step in and rescue Dorothy again, just as you said, if you knew how to do something, you would. You are the best person to take over the part and you know it." "Yes, Jill. Please." Jill sighed heavily, "I never wanted to take the part away from you. I don't know how I will do it. Rehearsal is one thing. People out in the audience is another." "Jill, you are not taking it away from me, I am asking you to do it for me. It was my part and I wanted to do it right. I wanted to do it the way you were helping me. I can't, but that doesn't mean I don't want it done right. Jill, you are the only one I know who can do it right." Jill looked between Dorothy and Mrs. Walker. "Ok, I'll do it." Dorothy had a big grin on her face. "You were right, she would do it." Jill looked at Mrs. Walker. "I knew all along you would eventually say yes. You just needed encouragement." "Jill," Dorothy said. "Can I ask you another question?" Jill threw her hands in the air, "Sure, why not." Everyone laughed. Then Dorothy got serious, Jill saw the look on her face and wondered what it was this time. "Can you tell me, was it good?" "Was what good?" "The kiss." Jill looked sharply over to Mrs. Walker who was busily trying to notice anything in the corner of the ceiling. She looked back at Dorothy and smiled and mouthed 'YES', raising her eyebrows and breaking into a big smile. Dorothy broke out laughing and Mrs. Walker knew she had missed the answer. That Jill had told her without making a noise. Jill was a clever one. The laughter brought everyone back in Mrs. Walker announced the plans; first that Jill was going to play the part Dorothy was cast as. Secondly that they were going to need to get Laura to play the part Susan was cast as. Jill looked over to Susan. "I can't, I just can't do it. Please get Laura to play for me. You two do such a great job together. Please." "Jill, do you think you can come up with a way to convince Laura to play the part?" Mrs. Walker asked. Jill smiled, "Yes I think I can get her to do it." ------- Chapter 36 Five in the morning came very early. It was still dark outside as the nurse woke Mildred. She was in a stupor, not remembering where she was. She wanted to use the bathroom, but the nurse said she couldn't, not until the test was over. As Mildred slowly woke, she remembered the drink they gave her late last night. She was moved to a gurney and wheeled down the hall. Without her even realizing it, she was in the elevator. As the doors closed and it jerked to a start, she tried to sit up. "Where am I?" "In the hospital," the nurse said patiently. Mildred looked around, "No, Now!" "We are going down to the second floor." "We're in that elevator thing?" Mildred's voice started to shake. "Yes." The nurse started to get concerned, seeing the level of anxiety on Mildred's face. "I need to get out." Mildred said in a panic, her voice raised. She started to get up, off the gurney. "Hold on! I'll stop it," said the nurse, now panicking herself. She hit the stop button. The elevator snapped to a sudden stop. Mildred let out a blood-curdling scream. Her body couldn't hold on and gave way, releasing her bladder, and pouring a blue colored liquid all over her gown and the sheets. Mildred looked down and started to sob. The nurse didn't know what to do with Mildred. She was stuck in the elevator with her. She pulled out the stop button and the elevator started to move again, opening a minute later on the second floor. Four people, including the doctor were at the elevator when it opened. The stop had sounded an alarm and they were ready for anything. As the doors opened they saw a distraught nurse, and Mildred curled up in a fetal position, whimpering on the gurney. "What happened?" the doctor barked. "I'm not sure," the nurse responded, "We were in the elevator and she got hysterical." The doctor looked at the gurney and Mildred's gown. "Damn, that test is wasted." ------- When I woke in the morning, I was greeted first by a kiss from Katy and then a phone call. The test results were negative. I was elated that I didn't need those damned shots and was sorry that Liz and Jill had to have endured one. Richard's father, Jack, had been up for some time. The meeting was in a little over an hour and I needed to get up to speed. We also needed to get Jack from the base over to the meeting. I knew this was going to get confusing with two Jacks. My mind not quite awake was amused with the idea that with two Jacks we could have a full house. Like I said, my mind wasn't fully awake and stupid stuff like that amuses me that early in the morning. I made a call to the school. Grace answered, as the office wasn't open yet. She was dying to know the news and was greatly relieved. There had been a good number of girls who had been disturbed over the fate of the horse, and of course, for Jill's welfare too. Only a select few knew about Liz. After the hang up; when Daisy was in need of immediate help, Grace had learned to use the switchboard and connected me to Liz's room. "Good morning," I said. "Keith! What is it? You have the results don't you? That shot was terrible." Liz practically shouted to me. "The test was negative. You and Jill are fine." "Oh Keith, you don't know how wonderful that is to hear." "Yes I do, I would have needed to start treatment if it had been positive." Liz giggled, "All because of a kiss." "Yes, well I wouldn't have missed that opportunity." "I don't think she would have either." I heard some thumping sounds and realized what I was hearing were pillows hitting Liz. I had to laugh. "Jill has something special to tell you." I was wondering what it could be and, whether it was good manors or not, my dick started to swell. "Keith." Jill said timidly as she got on the phone. "Yes, sweetheart." She giggled at that. "You'll never believe what has happened. I can't believe it myself." Once reassured, she was a chatterbox. She told me how she was tricked into accepting the part in the play. I told her she would be marvelous. Then she told me of how she needed to get Laura to play the part that I had played. I laughed and told her I didn't think that should be a problem. She didn't think so either. As she got off the phone, she said something that I had not heard out of her mouth before, "Bye, love you." When Liz got back on line, I asked if she had heard what Jill said to me. "Yes, I think she'll be just grand on stage." "No, not that part, right before she gave the phone to me." "Yes, but remember..." "I do, it just floored me. I..." "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure, what?" "Is she the young me?" There was a long pause as I thought about what she had just said. "Keith?" "I never thought about that. Does that idea upset you?" "Does it upset Kristin, about Robin?" I laughed, "No." "I figured it out a while back. Keith, I've got to go. Love you too." "Me too, and give Jill a kiss for me." Liz just laughed. "Oh and Liz." "Yes." "When Jill is not around, call me with the performance dates." "Will do." Katy was standing behind me, and as I turned around, I bumped into her. She wrapped her arms around me. I was surprised. "Milk was bad and mom's gone to get some more." The 'mom' wasn't lost on me. Katy had a mother again; good for her. "Richard and Jack are outside waiting for the other Jack to arrive. We are alone in the house." I shook my head. "Katy, you temptress, you are as bad as your daughter." My hands were around her waist and I reached down and smacked her butt. "Where do you think she got it from?" "I do remember you telling Robin about me just getting what I wanted from that little girl and..." "Keith don't." I saw water in her eyes. "I wasn't happy then." She shook her head as though to forget about all of that. Then I saw a glint of a smile. "I guess I got it from my father, Robin got it from me. My brother sure had it. Look what he did with me!" Then she got this gleam in her eye. "I wonder what happened to my sister? She's the prude of the family." She started rubbing her body on me and after my conversation with Liz and Jill, I was still half hard; it went to full mast in no time. Katy pulled back, reached in front of me and grabbed my nice hard dick. "You'd better clean this up," she giggled, "As well as the rest of you. Everyone needs to leave soon." "Thanks for the discomfort. It will last all day." I said in mock anger. I also made a mental note not to bring up the past. It was a bit raw for her yet. "Well, Robin did say to take care of you while you were here, so we have some things planned." "We?" She smiled, "Richard and I. The thought of the two of you at once, it has me hot." "Oh God," was all I could say. I needed to get to the shower. Once there I didn't know if I should relieve myself, or wait. I wasn't given much of an option. The shower curtain, which was a two-piece design, wrapping around the open tub, was pulled back slightly right at the opening. A hand reached in and pulled my dick, along with myself to the edge. Now my dick was outside the curtain and I was right against it. My hands had to hold onto the overhead bar for balance. I felt lips closing down around my shaft, the warm tongue bathing me. I knew it was Katy, but she had concealed herself. It was more erotic this way. I didn't last very long and she swallowed my load. Then she was gone. I quickly finished my shower in the now cooling water. I dressed and as I came out to the living room, Richard's mother, Sandra, ushered me into the kitchen for some breakfast. I was the last one to eat and they all gave me a bad time about it. Even Katy chided me for taking such a long shower. I looked over at her, and a smile was plastered on her face. I shook my head. As soon as Jack got to the house, they wanted to leave. I had other plans. "Jack, we have a problem in Long Beach." "Long Beach?" Jack said and then remembered. "Where Robert and Mildred were sent?" "Yes, it seems they are hiding Mildred away, and have placed a guard at the empty corridor that she is on." He shook his head. "I wish I could say I don't believe it, but I do." "So what are we going to do about it? This is intolerable." "Let me make a call," he said none too happy. We went inside and he called the base that transferred him to somewhere else and that person transferred him to the hospital. Jack put on his military voice and mannerism, addressing by rank. He was soon in communication with the chief of staff. "You, sir, have a patient that just came down from Utah, a special patient." "Yes we do. We are doing our best to find out the problem here, I can assure you." "I'm quite sure that you are. Your hospital has a very fine reputation. The question has been raised as to the housing of this patient. There have been complaints. I would hate to think that the hospital is, in an attempt to protect the patient, disregarding the mental heath of that same patient." "I will look into that and let you know what I find. Where may I reach you?" The basic conversation had ended and Jack went on to tell him where he could be reached. As he hung up, Richard's father said, "Have you thought about being a lawyer? The way you crafted those words to tell the guy to get off his ass and find out what was going on was very well put." Jack smiled, "In other words, I smiled as I was kicking him." "A little bit crude, but yes." "You learn that from the military. Say the stuff you have to in a nice way and it will be accepted a lot more from the men higher in rank." We drove off and ended up at the lawyer's office. ------- Robin woke, her muscles a bit sore from the last night's activities. She stretched and looked around, gathering her bearings. The mattresses were still on the floor; the bodies of Stephanie and Daisy sprawled across them. Robin got a delicious smile across her face. She saw Stephanie stir and she caught her eye. She put her finger to her mouth to silence any noise she might make. Then Robin pointed at Daisy and held up what she had noticed as she stretched. The dildo. Stephanie had to put her hand across her mouth to stop her giggles, but her body shook and Robin could see the sparkle in her eyes. Stephanie moved and the sheet covering her dropped; she wasn't wearing anything. Robin pointed to her lack of clothing. Stephanie shrugged and pointed back at her and then to Daisy. Robin didn't have anything on either and that suggested neither did Daisy. Robin moved over to Stephanie and whispered. Robin and Stephanie gently climbed over to where Daisy was. Stephanie was at Daisy's head and Robin at her waist. Robin yanked the sheet off Daisy in one pull. Daisy started to say something but it came out muffled as Stephanie lowered her pussy onto Daisy's face. Robin spread Daisy's legs apart, she offered no resistance. As soon as Robin had a finger inside Daisy, she motioned to Stephanie to rise. Stephanie did, but with a little pout, she was enjoying herself. Robin addressed Daisy, "Last night you teased me with this," Robin toyed with Daisy's pussy. "You held it away from me and taunted me with it." Daisy was whimpering from Robin's ministrations. Robin withdrew her fingers and Daisy groaned. Then Robin picked up the dildo and slid it in, one stroke for the full distance. Daisy gasped in delight. Robin pulled it out, all the way out. "Ohhhh" Daisy said. Robin and Stephanie got up. "Time to take a shower don't you think?" Robin said. "Yes," Stephanie answered, Robin had promised a very good shower time. They left a very frustrated Daisy. ------- For a Saturday, the Law offices that were usually silent, were a buzz of activity. Jack and I were going over the offer from Memco, and having it explained in plain English. Then there was the limited partnership and how to divide up the shares. It was a bit uncomfortable and Richard's father, who was just observing, suggested that we each write how we thought it should be. We thought that sounded reasonable. I thought thirty six percent for Richard and I, and twenty-eight for Jack was a good mix. The other two had different ideas. They both put me down for larger shares. We all knew which one was mine when I protested. Both said that I had discovered the town and had collected the samples. I could have kept it all, but didn't. Richard was in on the deal from the start. Jack had wanted in and was willing to buy that position. With the information that was provided by Memco and the start up costs for our company, we came up with a price for Jack. He was agreeable, much to our relief. So after a bit of number playing, we settled on some figures. I owned forty two percent. Richard owned thirty three percent, and Jack owned twenty five percent. As everyone was happy and they wanted to give me more of the company, I was going to be happy too. Now it was time to meet with the Memco team, hammer out the final details, and sign the papers. It seemed so unreal that all of this was happening, but it was. ------- Robert had arrived and was in the waiting room when the Chief of Staff came in. He called Robert and they went back into an examination room. The talk was relatively short, an apology for the over reaction by staff members. Although they wanted to keep her more isolated in her room, with no one in the adjoining rooms, the guard would be gone and they were free to move about, as she felt comfortable doing. Robert asked if he knew how the tests were going this morning. He said fine, except for the one major test that they had planned. He started to explain and Robert blew up. "They put her in an elevator!" "Yes, it is the only..." "She..." Robert was fighting back the tears He had to wait a moment to compose himself. "She's deathly afraid of them." He took several long breaths. "I'm a silver miner. I was also a supervisor." His hands started to shake. "On my watch we had a cave in. We have an elevator of sorts. Nothing fancy like you have. It was our only way down." After a pause, Robert rubbed his hands together and swallowed hard. "Two men and their gear got on it to help." The tears started dropping. "The line broke. We lost six good men that day." Robert had his face in his hands sobbing. He still took it very personally. As far as he was concerned, it was his fault those men died. "I'm so sorry, we had no idea." "No, no, I guess you wouldn't," Robert said wiping his eyes. "I'll see what we can do to make sure she doesn't need to use it." "Thank you. When can I see her?" "Let me find out," he said and left Robert in the room. ------- Carp was bustling with activity, in part because everyone who had been working on the Mansion was downtown. At the Mansion, there were three men painting the first of three thin coats of varnish on the floors. It was the last step to do and one that needed enough time to dry and harden. The people were very proud of their accomplishment. Jim, now the official mayor of the town, had just received word that the bridge had been completed. He gathered the people together and they walked down to view the new structure. Many had seen parts of it, but most had stayed away. Unlike the old wooden bridge, this was a much wider, concrete bridge. It almost looked out of place with the dirt roads on each side of it. The bridge crew was now spending its time working on the swimming area just south of the bridge. As the water had been diverted for the bridge construction and the ground was dry, work was proceeding rapidly. Patrick had finished an eloquent little speech dedicating the bridge when the people saw a large cloud of dust coming down the road. Everyone stayed to see what this was all about. Three large big rigs had very large machines on the beds. Then there were other trucks as well. The lead man got out and first talked with the construction supervisor as they looked at the bridge. Then he walked over to Jim. They were there to install the new water lines. Everyone cheered. The bridge was ready to go and all watched as the big rigs went over it, one at a time. Everyone knew the old bridge would have never carried that weight. It had been a blessing in disguise when the old bridge failed. Two women came up to Jim. They were the ones who ran the restaurant. "Jim, we don't have enough food in our kitchen to feed all of these people for more than a couple of days. I'm not sure how to get more fast enough." The other one added, "I also know we don't have any more hotel space. What are we going to do about that?" Jim looked at the crew that was getting out of the trucks. It looked to be about fifteen. He looked back downtown and then gathered a group together. Standing in front of the hotel he said, "We need more space for these workers. We don't have another hotel, but we have plenty of buildings. I'm going to get the keys for these places. We will need to break up into groups, look at each of the buildings and see what would be easiest to convert into temporary housing. We will also need beds. So think of anyone and everyone who has an extra bed. There are fifteen men who will need a place to sleep tonight." As he was leaving the two women came up to him again. "Good plan, have you thought about the food situation yet? Any ideas?" "Yes, let me go and get the keys and I'll see about that." Jim said and ran off to his house. It wasn't hard to get groups together; the problem was everyone was interested in seeing all of the buildings. It had been a long time since any of them had been inside. Jim let them explore and said he'd be back. He grabbed Patrick and the two walked down to the rail car that held the communications equipment that Jack used. Although Jack wasn't there, his communications officer was. Jim knocked and the door was opened to him. Jim explained that the town needed more food supplies if it was going to be able to continue to feed the workers that were here on government contracts. "Jack is gone. Although I could reach him, it might take time. That is something it looks like we don't have a lot of. I will need to relay this to the acting commanding officer of the base and see what can be done." "Thank you." Patrick said. "How can I get a hold of you?" Jim and Patrick looked at each other, Jim stroking his beard. Patrick said, "Do you have a flag?" "Yes." "Hang it outside, we'll be watching. When we see it, we'll come over." The man was nodding, "Good idea." ------- The geologist from Memco was flying out to Carp on Monday and would meet Jack there. We wanted to keep this under wraps as much as possible until we knew what we had. Memco would then be sending out the trucks for the core drilling. They would also be filing an intent of prospecting with the state. I didn't know of such things, they did. With the paperwork taken care of, we went home. Katy was thrilled, so was Sandra. I said as the major shareholder of PTH, the company name using the initials of our last names; that we needed to celebrate. A dinner reservation was made for that evening. I also made a call to Robin. "Hi honey." She had a hundred questions for me. The first and foremost on her mind was how soon was I coming back. Then how was her mom. She giggled, and asked if she was showing yet. Finally she asked if we had our meeting. I went into full detail, how we had a corporation now, what shares went to whom, and what the next steps were going to be. I then said that we had forgotten to pickup a wedding present. That puzzled her. I told her that it was up there in Utah. That didn't help her at all. Then I told her that I was reminded of it when Katy and Richard showed me their wedding gift. She was appalled that we had forgotten or that Mary hadn't said anything about it. I laughed and said when I get back; we'd go and get it. Then break it in properly. She didn't know what I was talking about. I said I'd show her. I needed to go back to the base and have the meeting we had scheduled with Dr. Smithers. He was after all, our excuse for using the government to get here. Jack was very pleased with how things had turned out and chatted the whole way back to the base. We pulled up to the same nondescript building. We were also about thirty minutes early. So we were going to wait when Cathy, the technician from the lab came walking by. ------- Planted with the knowledge that no one else knew, Jill went to Mrs Walker and said she needed to use the auditorium for a closed performance and winked. Mrs. Walker almost fell off her chair laughing; it was a great set up so far. She handed Jill a key and told her to be very careful with it and not announce that she even had it. The next part was Laura - the first, getting her into the auditorium would be easy. How it all panned out, well, she'd wait and see. Laura was as excited as could be. Jill actually had a key. Although it had been given to her, they snuck around so that no one could see them enter. It made the mood mysterious and exciting. Once inside, they ran down the aisles laughing. Once on stage, Laura said, "What shall we practice?" "It is really important to practice everything. I need to make sure I know it by heart by the time dress rehearsals come around." "You know it better than anyone Jill, but what's the big deal?" "Thanks. I need to ask you a question?" "Sure, anything." Jill looked at Laura, she had this planned in her head, but sometimes those things don't always work like we want them to. "You know the scene I did with Keith?" Laura didn't say anything, but with wide eyes she nodded. "I want to know how jealous you were." That was not what Laura expected Jill to ask. She was embarrassed and looked down at the floor to hide her blush. "Laura, I need to know." "Why?" she said in a pleading manor, not wanting to tell. "Laura," Jill took Laura's face in her hands and turned it up to look into her eyes. "Laura, answer me. How much did it bother you?" "It doesn't bother me so much now. He is..." Laura looked a bit dreamy. "Yes he is, but you said now. What about when you first saw it. What if it wasn't him, but say Susan?" Jill saw the flash across Laura's face, even before she said a word. "Don't do that with her!" Laura said and then realized what she had said, but it broke down her resistance. "Jill, I wanted to be up there. Is that wrong? It's not that I want to kiss you. Well maybe I do. I don't know what it is; it's just that I want to be that close to you. It made me mad that you let him kiss you." She looked down at the floor again. "When I found out how special he was, I couldn't blame you. I couldn't even be mad. He hugged me too, you know, when he left." Jill laughed. "Sounds like Keith has you under his spell too." Laura looked up at her friend, "Yes Laura, I have some kind of feelings for him, but that's another story. So the question is, what are you going to do when I'm up on stage and some other girl is kissing me?" Laura looked questioningly at Jill. "What did you say? Why would you be on stage kissing anyone?" "Just think about it. I'm on stage and we are going through that scene. Where do you want to be? In the audience or playing opposite me?" "I'm not going to be sitting anywhere." Laura said defensively. "You know I'd want to be with you." "How much do you? What would you do?" Laura realized how personal that question was and started to blush. She was glad that they were alone. "As much as I could." Laura almost whispered. "Even if what you had to do to make that happen was uncomfortable. Even if it made you feel nervous?" Laura was determined now to tell Jill she would do just about anything for her, she realized the feeling she felt for Jill must be love. Even if it meant going to one of those places she saw the other girls go, like that tree surrounded by thorn bushes. She would do that still very scary, yet somehow rather exciting thing. "Yes, anything." "That includes being on stage with an audience, you know." Laura looked at Jill like she was crazy, "What are you talking about?" Jill reflected on what was just said between the two of them. She then realized Laura was taking this a different way than what Jill had intended it to be taken. So much for the perfect plan of having her see the idea of needing to be an actor for the play. It appeared Laura was taking this to the next level, one of relationships. "Laura..." ------- Lt. Payne was determined. Keith was now out of town. Maybe it was best this way. Robert had been a complete failure. Shelly, that made him mad and more determined than ever to get at Keith. There was the girl, Beth Ann, the volunteer, as she put it. He had spent the last few days gathering information on her. Beth Ann was not going to get away from him. He would find the perfect moment and pump everything he could out of that young naïve girl. He smiled cruelly, thinking about it. He would get at Keith, find his weakness and then use him as he had the rest, to advance his career. He now had to wait for the perfect opportunity, a time when she was alone at the lab. ------- Robin was euphoric after talking to her husband, but no one was around to share the news with. She went out to find Kristin. As she walked down the path, a couple of guys were walking behind her. She smiled to herself and added a little wiggle to her walk. She could barely make out their conversation and if any other noise had been present, she never would have heard it. "Bob, that one sure looks like a doll." "Short, but man does she have a wiggle." "Yes. I don't recognise her from back here, let's walk faster and catch up to her." "Ok." Robin heard their footsteps quicken. Her heartbeat also sped up. She realized that she didn't know who they were and that this might not be a good idea. She picked up her pace. Not a lot, just a bit. She was near the dorm when she needed to turn on the path and they were only three or four steps behind. As she turned, she caught sight of them. They saw her and started laughing. One of them pushed the other. "She's just a kid!" he said. They continued straight down the path. Robin then heard, "Yea, what were you thinking, idiot." It stopped Robin dead in her tracks. Her self worth flew out the window. She wondered just what anyone saw in her. They were right, she was just a kid, on a grown up campus, and she was the idiot. Robin turned around. Why on earth was she here in the first place? She knew Keith loved her, but at that moment, she couldn't understand why. She slowly walked back to her housing. Opening the door, she half pushed the door behind her, walked down the hall and threw herself on the bed, crying her eyes out. Mary had seen Robin on the path in front of the dorm. She was on the second floor landing and had watched her turn onto the path. Mary couldn't understand as she saw Robin stop, then turn and walk away. By the time Mary had come down, Robin was gone. It was almost as if she had changed her mind. Kristin and Beth Ann had gone over to see Pamela, Daisy and Stephanie. She thought that maybe Robin would have gone there, so she started walking that way. Her curiosity was nagging her. It took her by the housing and Mary decided to stop and see if anyone was there. Mary knocked, no answer. That was strange because the door wasn't closed all the way. She pushed the door open and looked in. No one. She called out. No answer. Mary was ready to turn and go out when she heard a soft cry. Beyond good common sense, Mary went to investigate. She found Robin on the bed, crying. "Robin?" Mary said concerned. She didn't answer, didn't even raise her head. "Robin what's wrong?" "Yudntwntono" came the gibberish. Mary sat down on the bed beside Robin. She put her arm on her. "Robin please turn over and talk to me." Mary tried to nudge her. Robin turned her head away from Mary and said, "Why? I'm just a little girl. Why would you even want to talk to me?" Mary looked at Robin, crying her eyes out, lying on the bed, saying the things she had just said. Mary sighed. Mary wasn't a good source of inspirational talk. She had had moments like this. Her little sister was going through them now, she understood and was being a bit destructive. Mary got up and did what she knew she could do. Saying to herself, more than to Robin, "Stay there." Mary left the room and shut the door. At that end of the hall was the phone. Fortunately right beside it was the phone number to Katy, Robin's mother. Mary called, got the operator and billing the call to her father's number, she called Katy. "Thompson residence." "Richard?" "Yes." "It's Mary, is your," Mary giggled, "wife there?" "Yes, it's good to hear from you. Let me get her." Mary could hear Richard shouting and then a second later Katy answering, "Hi Mary, what's wrong?" "Something with your daughter. I found her home crying. She won't talk to me. I'm going to try and get her to the phone. Maybe she'll talk with you." Katy was heartbroken, what was wrong? As a mother she wanted to be there for her daughter and felt a bit helpless, being so far away. Mary had set down the phone, opened the door and went over to the bed. She was glad that Robin was small. She literally picked her up and set her on the floor. "Walk." Mary said. Robin did as she was told, shocked at what Mary had done. When Robin got to the hall, Mary picked up the phone, handed it to Robin and said, "It is your mom on the line." Robin looked at Mary and then the receiver, "Hi mom," she said in disbelief. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Robin started to cry once again. Out came the story of the two guys. Then she tried to express her feelings, but it didn't come out quite right. Her last sentence, "Mom, I don't know why Keith would even bother with a kid like me," set Katy off. It may not have been sound psychological advice to do, but she blasted Robin. "Robin now you listen to me and listen good. I don't know what the hell got into you, but let me tell you something that you have obviously forgotten. Think back to when you first met Keith, you fell in love with him right off the bat. I was worried if you remember. Worried sick. I wasn't so sure, that he hadn't got what he wanted from you and that was the last of him. Am I right?" "Yes mother." "He did come back. He also brought his sister, didn't he? Why did he bring her? You knew better than I did. He brought her to check you out. To say you were the right one. He did that after seeing you one day. I don't know what you call that Robin, but I'd call that love. He could have walked away. I didn't make it very easy for him, but he persevered. He loved you then and I haven't seen any indication that there has been any change in him. Now ask yourself, have you seen that change?" There was a pause. "Robin?" "No mom. He is wonderful. It's just me." Mary, who had been listening to as much of the conversation as she could, started nodding her head. She was remembering something from one of her classes. She motioned to Robin that she wanted to talk. "Mom, Mary wants to say something." "Katy. I was just thinking. I remember from one of my classes that sometimes women get depressed when they are pregnant. I bet that is Robin's problem. There were just a series of things that happened and pow, it hit her wrong, sending her down." "Mary, that makes sense. What are we to do for her?" "Pick her back up. I'm going to try that and get Kristin, Beth Ann, and Daisy to help." "Beth Ann?" "Ask Keith, he'll tell you all about her." Katy started to laugh, "Sounds good." "Yes, I think you'll have fun with that tale." "Mary thanks. I'm glad she has such good friends." Mary hung up the phone. Robin was looking at her. "You called my mom, didn't you?" "Yes. I..." "Thanks." Robin said. Mary took Robin's hand leading her into the living room. They spent the next hour chatting. Mary was suddenly very aware that Robin reminded her of her sister and that is why she liked her so much, right off the bat. ------- Hank didn't think about what a couple of older farm people could do. But he was about to find out. They had grown up in this town and knew or were related to just about half the town. The next morning, their step-nephew, one of the sheriffs in the area, paid him a visit. He was checking out and thanking his lucky stars that at least he had his money. The sheriff, not wanting to make a scene, waited until he had exited the building. Hank was asked to come over to the cruiser. He knew something was up when he was told they could make it easy, or hard on him. Reluctantly Hank got into the back of the car. There wasn't any hard evidence so it would be hard to prove anything and he didn't know anything about Hank. So this was just a bit of hometown justice going on. No one had been hurt, just a bit of rattled nerves, so equal treatment was about to come. Hank started to get concerned when they left any sign of the town. They traveled out on highway 95 a couple of miles. It was the continuation of the same highway he had come in on and he didn't realize he needed to go out of town on another road to get to his destination. No one else knew either, but in this case it couldn't have done a better job. "Where are we going?" Hank finally asked. There was no response. They turned off and Hank saw the road sign, Old Tollhouse Road. Hank was starting to get uncomfortable. They were on the other side of a hill and he could no longer see the highway. They passed a small stream and then stopped. "That was my dad's new wife's older sister that you decided you needed a ride from boy." Hank felt his stomach tighten. "We have ways of dealing with thugs like you, boy." The door was opened and Hank was sure he didn't want to get out. The billy club slapping against a hand and the words, "you don't want me to take you out of there", got Hank out. Hank was standing and waiting. Just waiting for the first blow. The sheriff walked around him. He was not making a single expression on his face, although he was laughing inside seeing the man before him sweat. Stopping in front of Hank, he pointed into the distance. "If you walk down this road a bit, you'll come to a junction. Take the left and it will bring you out to the highway again. If I ever see you in our town..." He shook his head. Then he got in his car and drove off. The sky was clear; and the little valley that the road was in, would have been nice. Nice that is, if he knew just exactly where he was. Hank was glad it was spring and the temperature as very nice, not the blazing heat of summer. Hank was left in a cloud of dust. The road the sheriff had said was a junction was not visible, but he had few options. He started walking. Hank was rather optimistic that he'd find a car that might pick someone up on a road like this. What he didn't know, until he had walked for over four hours, was that the sheriff had placed "Road Closed' signs up. Hank had not seen a soul for the entire time he was out there. It was well past noon by the time he got to the highway and his mood, which was bad before he saw the signs, was then bitterly foul. He was thirsty and hungry. The only redeeming fact was that he was on the highway again. ------- Dr. Smithers was not as amused as I was that we were inside the lab, but more than that, inside the testing area. The most restricted area. "I'm not going to ask how you managed this," he said. I looked at him and smiled, "You should. Security is something that should be on your mind at all times. It obviously isn't on the minds of your co-workers." He sighed, "Ok, tell me how." I had fun telling him that it was him who had given me the in. He was shaking his head, "So you used the poor girl's crush on you." "If I was someone of disreputable character, I would have done the same and with much worse results." He laughed, "You think your character is not disreputable? I've seen the company that you are surrounded by." Jack was sucked in, "Hey, that includes me." Both Dr. Smithers and I laughed. Jack realized he had been reeled in and had to laugh himself. "So Keith, you ask what I was doing after this. You have me curious, why were you asking?" "Do you know what I am doing?" "I have heard that you are doing some research, other than that, no. I could guess that it may well have something to do with Carp." "That is right. On the train, you said that you had always hoped that you had human subjects and you wouldn't miss this opportunity for the world." Dr Smithers showed a bit of discomfort with my memory of that. "You know my specialty was finding a way of stopping what was happening. Looking through lab results, finding the common elements as well as those that didn't match and working out solutions is my strength." "Yes, so what are you working on?" "You know the test results better than I do. The men of that town look to be sterile. That drug was never intended to be in a system for that long. I'm trying to see if there is any way to reverse its effects." "Really, that sounds interesting." "I thought you might like the sound of it. Or at least I was hoping. I told him what I was doing, and how I felt the program needed expanding. I was better at looking at what was going on and observing data, not to run a program and not to expand it as I thought it should be. He looked at me for a bit and said, "You want someone to come in and run the program, don't you?" "Yes I do. This is important, especially to me. You know you would be perfect for the job." Then I got a smile on my face, "You also need to see, or meet, I mean, my lab assistant, Shelly." Dr. Smithers laughed, "Shelly?" Jack was shaking his head, "If she is anything like the others that hang around Keith I'd watch out. They're all gorgeous." "I have to admit there is certainly nothing wrong with the way she looks. Blond, slim figured and with a very nice face with blue eyes." "Ok, what's wrong with her?" "Nothing, well except she has a wit about her that stings most people." I could see his mind turning; he had that same twisted wit. "The job sounds interesting." I chuckled, "I think it is Shelly that sounds interesting to you." He smiled. "There should always be a bonus to a job and a good looking gal with fire in her personality sounds like my cup of tea." "I think we need to get the ball rolling. You can come back with your test findings saying additional research needs to be done and not just on the males, but females as well." "Ok, that sets the stage for you to make a bigger program, then what?" "I can say I'm not qualified to run such a program, which I'm not. I will be glad to keep my role as investigator. If we want updates from Carp," I smiled, "I will need to be there to transport samples up, look at data, and continue what I set out to do. My part will just be joined into a larger part. If I don't have to deal with all of the crap, it will be better for me." Dr. Smithers smiled and nodded his head. "So you get to travel, do a bit of work, and still live at home. Sounds like a nice arrangement Keith." "I try my best. Seriously though, those chemicals poisoned my wife. I need to know she isn't going to have long-term problems, or if it could carry into our children. I had turned the conversation suddenly serious. "I understand. If I was in your position I'd be anxious too." "I don't want to have a poorly planned operation. I saw what you did at the base. It was impressive." "When do we start on this?" Dr. Smithers said. Like I had hoped, he was on board. "Where are the test results from Carp?" ------- Laura and Jill opened the door of the auditorium and squinted at the bright sunlight. Laura was still embarrassed when she found out that Jill was going to play the part Dorothy had and was asking Laura to play the part Susan had. Jill had not said a word about the misunderstanding, but Laura knew that Jill understood what she had been saying. She hadn't answered Jill either, she wanted to get away, crawl under a rock, and turn invisible. She felt humiliated and the silence between them was aggravating the situation. Had Jill just liked her as a friend all along and she had made up anything else? She wasn't sure, but knew she needed to go off and think by herself. Jill was mad at herself. She was going to convince Laura to take over Susan's part all by herself. She was smart, right, so she should have been able to handle this? Now her very good; no, very special friend was mad at her. Jill wanted to cry. When they got outside and Laura said she wanted to go and read a book she needed to finish, Jill knew the answer. It broke her heart. She also knew that she had caused the problem. Jill went straight up to her room. A couple of girls tried to ask her something, but Jill was in no mood to talk and walked right past them. Liz was in the room when Jill came in. As Jill threw herself on the bed and started to cry, Liz came over to her. "What is wrong, honey?" "I just messed up everything with Laura. I made her feel stupid and now I don't think she'll want to play the part." "Give Laura some time. She seems like a smart girl to me. Let everything sink in. I'm sure in the end it will be alright." "Yeah, sure," Jill said in a sarcastic voice, turning away from Liz. Liz smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. Just give her time. Listen Jill, I need to go meet with a student, and I'll be gone for about an hour. Are you going to be here when I get back?" "Yes, I'm not going anywhere." Jill said sulking. "Oh by the way, do you still have the key?" "Won't be needing this again." Jill said sorrowful, and dropped it into Liz's hand. Liz left. She had told Jill the truth. She just never said which student she was seeing. Going over to Lower Hall, she found Laura in her room. "Laura, you said we were going to talk." Laura looked up, her eyes were red from crying. "I don't think I need to any longer, Miss Paterson." "I believe you do. Now up with you." It would have been out of the question to disobey a teacher, so even if she didn't want to, she got up and followed Liz out. They walked across the center and back to the auditorium. Laura was surprised that this was where Liz was taking her and that she had a key. She walked a step behind Liz into the theater. Liz stopped about ten rows from the front, turned, and said; "Now I was over here, where were you?" Laura knew exactly what Liz was alluding to. "I don't want to talk about it." "No, I don't suppose you do, but you are going to listen, and in listening, think." Liz said. Laura turned and looked at her trying to figure that out. "Laura, you are confused." "We both know why you were at the little hill, where I found you, don't we?" "We both know what you were doing, and I can guess who you were thinking about." "We also know what your reaction was when you saw Keith on stage with Jill, don't we." "Now ask yourself, why would Jill want you to play the part opposite her?" "What was it that you reacted so much to? Were you going to need to do that with her?" Laura blinked, her mouth dropped open, and Liz went on. "Jill knew you would be kissing her, on stage, with everyone watching. Who did she ask, who did she want to be on stage with?" "You didn't know what Jill was trying to ask, did you." Laura dropped her head and shook it. "I think Jill knew you were scared to death of being on stage. She is too, you know. She was hoping that she meant enough to you that you would overcome your fear and say yes. Yes because of her. She feels like she has failed pretty badly now." "I didn't know that is what she was asking, I was embarrassed. I told her I'd do anything for her." Laura realized what she had just said to Liz. She dropped her head again. "And you meant it, didn't you?" Laura nodded. "So are you going to take Susan's part?" Laura looked up with a panicked filled face, "You mean on stage, with everyone watching me?" "Yes, but the audience is only there to see you and Jill doing what you have been doing all along. The real question Laura, is will you do what you are scared to do because Jill needs you to be there?" Laura bit her lip and looked up at Liz, "I guess I need to talk with Jill, don't I?" "She's in her room." ------- Two hours, two fuckin' long hungry hours Hank had been sitting by that road. He'd almost given up when a man in a pick up stopped. "Don't reckon you're sittn' there for fun, want a lift?" "Sure do," Hank said and climbed in. He started off once again, "So hows come you got yourself there, didn't see no car." "Long story." "Got plenty of time," The older man said, as he patted Hanks knee. Hank noticed it, but said nothing. He needed this ride, needed to get somewhere that had food. The driver looked to be in his early fifties, but it was hard to tell. He was a larger, more muscular man than Hank, with a well-weathered face. A bit of extra fat on him that showed up in his rounded face and belly. He hoped that if he talked nothing more was going to happen, other than that simple pat on the knee. Hank talked and talked, he had turned a bit, so as to protect himself, and looked at the driver as he talked. Well over an hour later Hank missed a junction, but noticed, after the road curved they were still on highway 95. "How much longer?" "'Nother two." Hank found out later that was two hours. The pickup was fitted with two gas tanks and he could drive non stop from Winnemucca, where his sister lived, to Boise. Hank just about choked when he heard that. "Boise, but, but that's in Idaho, isn't it?" "Yup, you're on 95. Where'd you think you's goin'? Hank got a sick feeling, "Utah." The driver laughed, "Let you out here, but do you no good. Get to Boise and head on down 20 in the morn is best." He reached over and patted Hank's leg again, this time giving it a little squeeze. "You could stay the night ifn's you wanted. I'm a sheep farmer." That was the smell Hank realized. "They be fun animals." The man paused and smiled, "But not as much fun as doin' the real thing." Hank thought he was going to be sick, "No thank you. I'll be fine. You can just drop me in town." Hank's thoughts flashed to what he had done to that other driver and suddenly he saw the possibilities of him being in the same position. He wanted out of that car, but at fifty miles an hour with a deep gully on his side of the road, jumping seemed like suicide. Hank saw the beginnings of the town, a house here and there started to appear. As they got closer, he saw a subdivision. It must have been more than forty homes all together. The car was slowing down for a junction. "I live out yonder," The man said pointing out into the distance. "Be best if you'n come out with me, spend some time." That was all Hank needed to hear. He opened the door and jumped. Losing his footing, he tumbled on the road. The man didn't try and stop and hopefully would not come after him. Hank tried to stand and realised he had torn his pants and shirt, he was bruised and sore. His ankle was throbbing and he needed to walk into the center of town. He needed new clothes and to get something, anything to eat. ------- Dr. Smithers joined the group for dinner at the large restaurant. Adding one more to the reservation was not a problem. He was anxious to go and have some down time. As well as get to find out first hand what Keith and Richard had been doing in the little town of Carp. As much as he had been impressed before with Keith's thoroughness and competency in his job, this was at a new level of admiration. Not that he let Keith know, it would spoil the fun each had poking fun at the little mistakes one makes in life. It was the way Richard and Keith talked about the town, a responsibility to its well being. Not just in health issues, but financially, and mentally as well. He had been all over and had found very few men who demonstrated such compassion for the people they lived with. He knew that the people of Carp were a good part of that mix. Working with them just a few days had made him appreciate their caring and unselfish nature. The dinner was all in all very fun. Keith noticed the giddy, loving nature that Richard's parents were displaying. He looked over to Richard and gave him a little smile. Richard rolled his eyes. Katy, who saw our exchange and was sitting between us, gave us both a little kick under the table. I knew just how to get her back. In the next room and visible to us was a small band, a dance floor, and a few people dancing. I smiled, stood up, put out my hand, and said, "Katy, may I have the honour of a dance." She looked at me, thinking that I knew Mennonites don't dance. I couldn't help smiling and she knew. I went on, "Your daughter dances just divine, I must say." Katy's eyes went wide hearing that. Then I added, just to get her goat, "Mildred wasn't so bad herself, once I talked her into it." Katy stood; it was either that or embarrass herself. As she walked with me out to the dance floor, she said "You think you're so funny, don't you." "Gets you back for that kick." Then she grinned, "Guess Richard didn't tell you about the square dancing we did on the way out here." I shook my head, "Well then, it will be a pleasure just to take you in my arms." Katy laughed, "Bet you say that to all the gals." "No, just the mothers of the ones I sleep with." Katy was in rare form, she was coming right back at me. "Oh, so you've said that to Dora, have you?" I had to laugh, the music started and we danced. Square dancing and what we were doing was a bit different, but Katy had by the last dance been able to feel the music and flow with the beat. She picked it up easily and I was enjoying myself when Richard cut in. "Trying to take my wife?" Katy and I just looked at him and busted up laughing. "No, just getting her hot for you." I retorted. He took it in stride, "Well then, that's different." I came back to the table and Richard's parents got up to dance. "Richard didn't seem to be bothered by your, how shall I put it, sensual dancing with his wife," Dr. Smithers said to me. "You did know I was married to her daughter." He shook his head and laughed. "I'd forgotten how interesting that little town is." I thought I might as well torment him just a bit more. "Did he tell you?" I asked, not waiting for a response, "Richard is going to be a grandfather." He howled with laughter. ------- Mary had not left Robin alone. After their talk, long and heart to heart, they walked to see Pamela. Pamela was far from worn out by having Daisy, Stephanie, Kristin and occasionally Beth Ann in and out. She was glad to see Robin and Mary. She wrote, 'Hi mom!' Showed it to Robin and giggled. Robin rolled her eyes at the writing, but exclaimed excitement about the noises. "Have you said any words yet?" 'scared to.' She wrote. Robin looked over to Daisy and Kristin. "Any reason she shouldn't?" They shook their heads. Robin got a sneaky smile on her face. "I almost forgot!" Robin said, brightening her face. "Keith called." Everyone wanted to hear about it. Robin took them over to the far side of the room. Pamela looked crushed. She wrote. 'I want to know.' Robin looked over to her, "You have to ask. I want to hear you ask." Pamela crossed her arms in front of her and scowled at Robin. It hurt Robin to see her looking that way at her, but she was as determined as Pamela. She huddled the girls and told them the best joke I had told her, they all laughed. When the laughter died down, they heard a faint noise. "Tell me." It was faint, but clear. Everyone rushed over to Pamela, tears running down and smiles on their faces. Robin kissed Pamela on the nose. "I knew you could do it. Now let me tell you about the call." ------- Brian and Jimmy were at Brian's house. They had made a tent under the sheets and were talking in whispers. "We can't go back into the Mansion until it's all done." "Yea, stupid floors. Why does it take that stuff so long to dry?" "I don't know, but no one is allowed on them until the furniture arrives." "I guess we're going to have to tell Mr. Huntington that we lost his flashlight." "I wonder how mad he'll be." "I wonder how much those things cost." The boys looked at each other. Their adventure was mounting in losses. The excitement of the time sure didn't seem worth it now. "Maybe he'll forget." "I doubt it. Maybe we can do something for him, you know to repay him." Both boys sighed and they sat silent for a moment. Jimmy said, "I wonder where those stairs went." Brian pushed at him, but a smile spread across his face. "Yea, I wonder." "When I live there, we can explore anytime we want. No one else knows about it." "Or those peep holes." They giggled thinking about it. As much trouble as they and been in and would be still. Neither one of them would have missed it for the world and they knew it. "Dora's here, Jimmy," they heard Millie shout. "Guess I gotta go." Jimmy said with a sad expression. "Don't try and kid me. You get to sleep with her and I know that's always fun." Jimmy smiled, "Well someone has got to do it and Richard's not here." "Yea, too bad." On the way back home, Jimmy asked, "Do you know when Richard and my mom are coming back home?" "Soon, Jimmy, soon. Why do you ask?" "Miss them. Robin and Keith too." "Stephanie and Pamela too?" Jimmy grinned, "Yea, everyone. The barracks were sure fun. I hope that's the way it will be in the new house" Dora smiled, "Yes, maybe it will be." As they closed the door Dora said, "I'm not tired, so I'm going to bed." Jimmy looked at her as she walked away and then it dawned on him what she said. "Do you want me to come?" "I'm hoping you will. Maybe a few times." Dora said while Jimmy blushed. "I have a few new things to teach you." ------- "He did what?" Mary said to Beth Ann. The three girls were sitting on Kristin's bed. "He asked me out on a date." Beth Ann said again, disgusted. "I was just coming out of the lab. It was as if he knew I was in there alone." "What did you tell him?" Kristin asked. "That I already had a boyfriend. He told me that I didn't either, he'd checked." "He'd checked?" Mary said equally disgusted. "How did he do that?" "The dorm supervisor, I found out later. I was furious with her. She tried to cover herself by saying he was checking references, but I asked if he had any paperwork that suggested he had a right to know personal information like that. She wouldn't answer. I'm complaining." "Good for you. So how did you get him to back off?" "I couldn't, he told me he'd pick me up at 7:00 tomorrow night." Kristin and Mary both had sour faces. "You're not really going are you?" Beth Ann looked worried, "I don't want to, he was so forceful. I didn't know what I could do. He's made the dorm supervisor think he's some kind of military superstar and I think she'll let him in the building." "Wait, wait, wait a minute. I think we are all daft. Didn't Robin say my brother was going to be home tomorrow afternoon?" Kristin said. "And I'll have to go pick him up!" Beth Ann said suddenly a lot brighter. "That pain in the neck can just go fly a kite." Then she smiled. "My boyfriend will be back." "He's not yours, he's mine." Mary said. "No sir, he's mine." Kristin said. That was the beginning of a pillow fight, leaving the gals in a sweaty giggling mess. ------- Robert was back at the bar, sipping on a double. Henry knew something was wrong. The man didn't even raise an eye when Dolores walked by. Every man noticed Dolores. It was a slow night, so Henry walked over to Robert. "Want to talk about it?" "They stuck my wife in a fucking elevator this morning." Robert looked up at the puzzled expression Henry was giving him. "She is deathly afraid of them." "Oh, sorry. Didn't ask any questions, did they?" "No and it ruined the biggest test they were going to do on her. Made her drink this stuff. She said it tasted really bad. Now before bed, she has to do it all over." "You sound very concerned for her." Robert fought off tears. "She's the reason that I live. After the accident in the mine I couldn't go on. She was the one who made me want to keep going. Frankly I'm scared to death." Henry saw a lot of emotion from people in the bar, most of it from happy or crying drunks. This man was speaking from the heart; it showed in the tone of his voice. In the bar, that was an exception, not the rule. He would have stayed, would have talked to this man, except for the next wave of workers that came off their shift had poured into the bar. He was busy once again. As soon as things died down Henry looked over to the corner of the bar. The empty glass was all that remained. ------- Chapter 37 Hobbling to the downtown, Hank was fortunate enough to find a thrift store. The walk made his ankle swell to the point, when he was able to purchase a set of clothes, he couldn't get his shoe back on. A restaurant wasn't hard to find, but it was a bit humiliating limping in with one shoe in his hand. He ordered two dinners and consumed both, much to the amazement of his waitress. Trying not to draw any attention to himself, he forced himself to eat slowly, but it was hard. Not having any food all-day and the long walk in the morning had made him famished. Afterwards he was directed to the hotel and he found it with ease. Up in his room, he bathed and then packed his ankle in ice. The only single purpose that made all of this worthwhile was going to see Paterson, that fuckin' Keith Paterson, suffer at his hands. Blanking everything else out, he let all that was happening around him channel into his hate for the man. Tomorrow, he thought as he fell asleep, tomorrow. The next morning Hank was in good spirits, revenge was still foremost on his mind, and he had been waiting a long time for this. The train tracks were not more than a block away and from what he heard from the desk clerk, most southbound trains traveled through Salt Lake City. This was going to be easy he though. The one thing he hadn't counted on was it being Sunday. Not as many trains traveled on this day, and as he looked, there was only one train that was about ready to depart. Hank smiled when he found an open boxcar. He looked both ways and was ready to pull himself in when he noticed the other three men in the car. Before they could look his way Hank had lowered himself out and was backing away from the car. One of those men looked like the man who gave him the ride the night before. Hank knew it wasn't probable, but the facial features and his speech patterns were much to close for comfort. He didn't relish being in a boxcar with a man like that. Hank had to swallow more than his pride when he shelled out a good portion of his remaining money for a ticket. It brought him down to his last two dollars and some change. The only thing that made it worthwhile was that he would be able to get to where Paterson was today. ------- Richard woke from the bang of the front door. It was his parents' ritual Sunday morning outing. They'd be gone for the next hour. As his senses came back to him, he realized his wife was not in bed with him. So comfortable was his old twin bed he didn't immediately notice. Jack and Sandra had been a little amused that Richard wanted to sleep in his old bed. Even more amusing to them was that Katy had enjoyed the idea. 'Newlyweds, ' the parents thought. Richard sat up and spotted Katy in the corner of the room. She was wearing her nightgown. It was a short style and although not see through, left little to the imagination. The silky material clung nicely to the form of her body, enticing the viewer to the treasures beneath. He watched as she was quietly moving his old junk. He made a noise and she turned around smiling at him. Richard's room had an old maple play table for a child in the corner and that was apparently what she was after. Katy had pulled the heavy item out looking at all the scars on its surface from a little boy she had fallen in love with. When it was in the center of the room, she looked at it with great interest. "Why are you studying that so intently?" "I was wondering how sturdy it was built and was seeing a little boy sitting at it playing." "The boy has grown a little and the table is very sturdy, I can tell you," then Richard got a far away look in his eyes. "Bobby and I used it as a take off point playing games, jumping from it to my bed. We both stood on it at the same time jumping up and down." "Why?" "That answered my question. Now for something to pad the top with." Richard looked around and picked up a blanket that was on the end of his bed. Katy took it from him and laid it across. "You didn't answer my question." "No I didn't, but you'll see later. Stand up next to it here," Katy said as she knelt down to get a sight line across the top of the table. "I like this table, it's just the right height." Richard was beginning to catch on and smiled. "Don't go away," she said and winked at him as she walked out the door. I had awoken from the front door slamming. I was sure it was very early, or at least that is how it felt. The dinner and dancing the night before had worn everyone out. I had two pressing needs. My bladder needed to be relieved and my morning erection wanted some attention. I was missing Robin. First things first, I went to the bathroom. I was still half hard after going. I opened the bathroom door to go back to the bedroom and take care of things. There Katy was, leaning at the edge of the door as if waiting for me. She gazed down my front and saw the bulge of my pajama bottoms. It was rising, both from her gaze and my appreciation of the attire she had on. She came close, turned around, reached back, and took my hands. Pulling me into her, my now stiff member pressed into her backside. Wrapping my hands across her belly, she pulled me in tight to her and I heard her moan. She walked me into Richard's room, swaying her ass as she moved. I might as well have been a dog on a leash, Robin and her mother had a spell on me and they both knew it. Richard was sitting on his bed. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was just going to go with whatever they felt comfortable with. Katy had mentioned that they had discussed this get together, so who was I to complain? She let go of me, but not before taking my hands, pulling them up, placing them on her breasts and rubbing her ass against my hard on. She then stepped away, turning and smiling at me. Moving over to Richard she said, "He's about ready, how about you?" "Has there ever been a time I've not been ready for you?" Richard said, almost panting. Katy laughed, "Down boy." As she said this, she was standing Richard up. It was obvious that she didn't mean a word she had said, as she started undressing him, giving him little kisses along the way. I felt a little out of place watching. Not that I hadn't seen what they had done before. Lord knows we had seen just about everything each other had done in the barracks, but that was a bit different. Robin had been there. Katy had just dropped his drawers and pulled his dick into her mouth. Richard stood there with a silly grin on his face. It didn't last long as she with great suction, popped it out. Standing, she turned to me. "You're next," she said, licking her lips. I don't know why, but I felt nervous. As though I was about to be devoured. This time Richard looked on as Katy undressed me in similar fashion, complete with giving my dick a nice little suck. She stood once again and looking back and forth between us she laughed. "I like these odds," she said. She then peeled off her nightgown. If this is what I had to look forward to Robin growing up looking like, I was going to be one happy man. Katy twirled around for our enjoyment and then jumped over to the table. To tell you the truth, even though the table was practically in the center of the room, it was the first I saw of it. My eyes, as well as mind, had been otherwise occupied. She lay, with her back to the blanket and scooted around until she was where she wanted to be. It didn't look terribly comfortable to me, but then I was not thinking straight. She propped herself up on her elbows and looking over to us, smiled. As soon as she raised her legs up in the air, I could see the possibilities. Actually I saw everything Katy was offering right then. "Richard, I have something for you." He didn't need to be asked twice. Her legs pushed back as he moved forward. She bent them and her feet were at his chest as he was entering her. She used her toes to rub his nipples, the moans gave good indication he was enjoying all the feelings offered to him. Dropping back down on her back she moved her head, which was off the end of the small table and lowered it. Then turning to me she said, "I have a place for you." With that said, she turned back, opening her mouth. I couldn't get over to her fast enough. My dick slid past her lips and I moaned as her tongue licked the underside of my dick. Before I could get into a nice pattern of sliding in and out, Richard was shaking the table with his thrusts. Katy's body was squirming below us; she reached around me and grabbed my butt, controlling my rhythm. She was pulling me in as Richard was thrusting in. Faster and faster we went, until I felt something I'd never felt before. The back of her throat, which I had hit a couple of times, opened up and my tip slid in barely. It happened a second time, just slightly and then a third. Richard made a final thrust and groaned. I knew he was filling her. She was still now and took me slowly, pulling me into her, to the back of her mouth and into her throat. I went weak at the knees and almost fell over, catching myself, with my hands on the edge of the table. She pushed me out, took a deep breath and pulled me back in, slowly again. Over and over this happened, each time the tempo increasing. By the time she was getting a good motion going, I was over the edge and couldn't hold back. It was on one of the out strokes that it let loose and she drove it back in. The feeling on my head was too sensitive and I had to pull back. I lost my balance and fell to the floor. I looked up to Katy, cum was all over her lips. Richard was still where he had been. To tell the truth if he had walked out the door I might not have known. "Wow Richard, wow Keith, that was something else. I started orgasming with you Richard and it felt like I never stopped." Richard was about to say something when we heard a noise downstairs. It wasn't the front door. We looked at each other, realizing Richard's parents had come back. I was mortified until Richard and Katy looked at each other and started to laugh. "How am I going to get out of here?" I whispered. "The bathroom, I guess. But don't take long, I need to clean up." Katy said as she ran her tongue around her lips. I shook my head and stuck my tongue out at her. She giggled. I don't think I'd ever heard her do that before. It sounded just like Robin. I wanted to see her. I was the first down the stairs and not a word was said to me. It was a different story when Richard and Katy came down. "You couldn't wait until Keith was gone?" Jack said. "Jack!" Sandra said. "Well they were making as much noise as they did in the hotel next to us." I started to laugh, understanding now what Katy and Richard were laughing about upstairs. Then I looked around at everyone staring at me. "I didn't hear a thing. Was something going on?" I said in my most angelic voice I could conjure up. "Really Keith," Sandra said, rolling her eyes. "I do remember a time when you were first pregnant dear," Jack said with a twinkle in his eye. "Don't you dare!" Sandra said, pointing a finger at him. "I'd love to hear that tale." Richard said. Sandra glared, "Not a word." Then she walked into the kitchen. At the doorframe, she turned. "Not a word, Jack." "Yes dear." ------- Jill woke up before the alarm. It had become a habit soon after arriving. She would wake, turn off the alarm and wake Liz gently by practice nursing on her. This morning was no exception. "Hi baby, you hungry?" Liz said sleepily. The same line she said every morning. Jill giggled every time she heard it. "Practicing for when Keith gives you one for real." Jill was in a contemplative mood this morning. Liz sat up, cradling Jill's head. "Were you listening to our conversation young lady?" "Only the end, didn't he say not to stop dreaming?" Liz fell back down onto her pillow and a big smile appeared on her face. "Yes and I haven't." Jill let Liz dream a bit and then asked, "Did I thank you about Laura?" "Only about a hundred times. I'm glad you two worked it out. Above anything else you two are friends." "Yes I know, I think she does too. I also think Mrs. Walker has her work cut out for her. This was her doing. She's going to have two actresses who know their parts forwards and backwards, but are scared to death to be on stage." Liz laughed, "Let her worry about that. I think she feels very happy to have you saying yes." Jill tilted her head and Liz got the idea there was something else on her mind. "What do you want to ask me?" Jill smiled, "Does it show?" "Yes, so what is it?" "Your conversation with Keith about me. What did he say?" Liz pulled Jill close to her. "What part? When I was teasing him about kissing you, or about being the younger me?" Jill was silent for a moment. "Everything." Liz propped her head up and looked over at Jill, she had a smile on her face. This was a changing girl and it was good to see. Liz opened her mouth ready to say something when they heard a knock on the door. Jill looked perturbed. Liz said, "Might as well get it. They're unlikely to go away." Jill climbed off the bed, throwing a robe on and answered the door. Liz also got up as it could be for her as well and threw on her own robe. Before she could say a word, in came Betty and Sue, pulling Laura with them. "Tell me what she is saying is true. You are going to play the lead in the school play and Laura is playing the second lead?" Sue said in an almost accusing tone. Jill smiled. "Are you jealous?" Sue's eyes showed shock. She stammered, "You mean it's true?" Betty piped in, "You'd never get me in front of a bunch of people like that." Jill answered them, "I didn't say that Laura or I wasn't scared half to death. I said we're doing it." Both Betty and Sue gave Laura and Jill hugs, saying to Laura that she was braver than they were. Laura beamed at the complement. "Jill," Laura said. "Yes." "Mrs. Walker said she wants a practice today at two." "Ok." "With ten friends there watching us." "Oh," Jill took a deep breath, "I guess she knows what she's doing." "She said if we can do it in front of our friends, an audience of strangers will be a piece of cake." Jill smiled, "I think she's right. It will be hard with our friends there." "Probably. Do you have ten friends?" "No, I have five and you have five." Laura got a panicked look on her face. "You mean five of my friends?" Jill was shaking her head, "That's what it means and I claim Betty and Sue." "Rats." Laura said. Everyone laughed. Liz came over, "Do you need help thinking of some people?" "I guess." Laura said and before she knew it all of them were saying girls names. Names of girls Laura never considered friends. Now that someone else said their names it made her wonder, did more people consider her a friend than she realized? ------- The large bell ringing its solemn tone woke Dora and Jimmy, signalling it was Sunday. "Do we have to go?" he asked. "Yes we do, now get yourself looking nice," swatting his bottom as he got out of bed. It surprised the townsfolk when they saw the construction workers showing up. They didn't have Sunday dress, but they were there. Reverend Patrick Theisen led his congregation from the overfilled meeting hall to the empty riverbed. Moving to the bridge, he was overlooking his flock. Everyone knew this had been set up in advance when the small pump organ started playing. The hymn was familiar to most and all but a few sang. Patrick stood overlooking his people. He took his bible and read from Genesis, the creation story. After that he started with the sermon, "Today sets the stage of where we shall be in the future. Every action that comes forth from our being is a statement of who we are. Let us not forget our lord who said, let the children come unto me. For theirs is the kingdom of God." There were very few indeed who knew the basis for this sermon. Dora was one of those and she read between the lines. She understood what he was setting up. Patrick even gave them a glimpse of where he was going with this whole topic. The next four weeks would be devoted to God's chosen replenishing the earth. To Jimmy and Brian's mind, as well as quite a few others, it droned on a bit too long. They were glad when he said the last Amen. The surprise of the day was Jim Williams who sang, 'And God Created Great Wales', an aria from 'The Creation', by Hayden. After the service Dora heard many comments from people. Some were positive, a lot wondering, and a few very negative. It was the negative ones that surprised her. It was unusual for anyone to really question the pastor. The grumblings were the same. As the head of the household, the bringer of life, how, now with being sterile, could they do the task Patrick was suggesting. One Dora heard, thought God must be punishing them. Another thought he was failing his family and didn't belong married to his bride. She decided she needed to tell Patrick what she heard. ------- Robert was in a nondescript hospital waiting room. There was one other woman there with as much anticipation on her face as there was on his. There were magazines he had never seen before, they were interesting, but he couldn't keep his mind on anything. This was the big test that didn't happen the day before. After what seemed like hours a nurse came and got him. Robert followed her down a hall and into a room. Mildred looked up at him with a half smile on her face and droopy unfocused eyes. "The test is pretty uncomfortable, so she was given medication to kill the pain. It makes her very relaxed as you can see. It will wear off within the hour." The nurse attending her said to Robert. He moved right over to her and held her hand. "Are you alright?" He asked. She smiled and made a little nod. The nurse picked up her chart and looked at it. Looking to Robert, she said, "The medication she got makes her understand there might be the sensation bit of pain, but she won't care. It is an amazing drug." He looked up at the nurse and she saw the water in his eyes. "That is comforting to hear. I hate to see her in pain." They were there much longer than any other patient would have been, but she had to be ready to walk two flights of stairs as it was stated in bold letters on the front of her chart 'THIS PATIENT IS NOT TO GO INTO THE ELEVATOR.' By the time Mildred got into her room, she was exhausted and could hardly keep her eyes open. The nurse wanted to bring her something to eat, but Robert's glaring eyes and his statement that she needed her rest, made her reconsider. She would bring food latter. After the nap and as Mildred was sipping down broth, the doctor came in. "The test went very well. We are pleased." "Is it all done then?" Robert asked. "We won't have the results of this test until tomorrow. It is the one that will show us just about everything that the others couldn't. Our team is hopeful that we will have answers now, instead of so many questions." Then he smiled, "The good news is, of course, that until we have the results, you are free to enjoy the rest of the day." He looked at the chart, made a note and was gone. Robert and Mildred looked at each other. The thought that they might finally know what was going on frightened them as much as was a relief. ------- Jack told me he had asked about transportation back to Nellis base, by way of the university. He told me he was unsure of the results of the request, as every time he asked, he had been run around in circles. All he knew is that some type of transportation had been arranged. I looked at him and laughed. "Now you know what it is to be on the outside of the loop." He didn't find it as amusing as I did. We arrived at the airstrip not knowing quite what to expect. Jack looked over to me as we saw the C-54 custom transport, complete with Sharin waiting for us. "Are you sure you didn't arrange this?" Jack asked me. "I'd love to take credit, but I have no idea about this." I shook my head, "Man, that gal sure gets around." "So, another one on line?" I didn't say a word, but he saw my smile. "Keith, are you ever going to stop?" "I told you," I said as we approached the plane, "I don't go after them." Sharin gave me a big hug, kissed the side of my cheek and whispered, "I get to have you again. This will be fun." I know Jack heard her as I saw him shaking his head. I knew he was jealous and there was little I could do about it. We stepped inside the cabin and were greeted by Patrick McCarren and his younger daughter Sarah. Patrick didn't miss me taking in her beauty. "Keith, she may be the same age as your wife, but our customs are a bit different than Carp's." I laughed. "Just admiring one of God's beautiful creations." After blushing at my comment, it dawned on Sarah what her father said. "You have a wife my age? But, but I'm only thirteen." "It's a long story. Maybe during the flight, if your father lets me, I'll tell you about it." She threw a disgruntled glance his way and whispered, "He's always trying to tell me what to do. As though a woman needs advice from a man." "I heard that Sarah." Patrick said. "A fiery character, I wonder who she takes after." "Don't you start Keith. I already have a bone to pick with you." "Great. What did I do this time?" I said in mock disgust. "I'm glad you're in the hot seat this time and not me." Jack said. "Who says you're not?" Patrick said. I saw Jack's expression drop, until he looked at Patrick and saw him smiling at him. Jack started to laugh, knowing he'd been had. Sharin had to nudge us to our seats. We were ready to taxi out. We ended up in the back seats that faced each other. Patrick and Jack sat on one side of the table facing forward; Sarah and I sat facing them. As soon as we were in the air, Patrick said, "Sarah, why don't you see what Sharin is doing." She rolled her eyes, "So you important men can talk secrets? Fine, I'll go amuse myself." "Don't worry, it won't take long. Whatever your father has to say will be short to us." I quipped back at her. She turned and smiled at me. "You're not making friends you know." Patrick said to me. "I'm not making enemies either. Was Mary like this at her age?" Patrick gave me an appraising glance. "Not as bad, but yes, trying." "It is the idea of what they must do, not the doing that is so hard. Second ones are a bit more testing I hear." "Oh, who did you hear that from?" Jack asked, interested in this conversation. I laughed, "My mother." Patrick and Jack joined my laughter as I said, "I'm the second." Timing could not have been better. Patrick was out to get a report on what was going on. Carp, the leak, military secret chemicals, and security were hot items. Everyone wanted answers. With some input from Jack, I outlined a larger scale plan to test, evaluate, and monitor the prognosis of the chemical Rerexinal. From earlier conversations, I new he wanted facts, numbers, the stark information. That is just what I gave him. I told him what I was qualified to do and what I wasn't. He was impressed that I would be willing to step down as the project leader. Not admitting defeat, but understanding my limitations and the importance of this project. I used Dr. Smithers name and it played a good part of my presentation to Patrick. I knew that pleased him, he had seen the quality of work while he was at the base, captive, as we all had been. Even with the need for the facts only, I knew where to hit home with him. Robin, family as he had said, was pregnant. It was my pressing need to know that whatever Rerexinal did, was not passed on to our child. It may not have been a fair thing to do, but I saw him get a bit choked up. ------- Stephanie had been the first one awake. The mattresses were still on the floor and as she looked Robin and Daisy were still asleep. This didn't last long. Robin had given Mary a key and now Kristin, Beth Ann, and she were on their way down the hall. They had silently opened the front door, closed and re-locked it, taken off their shoes, and now, with pillows in their hands were at the bedroom door. Stephanie heard something, turned and saw them burst into the room giggling. It had been prearranged, Mary hit Daisy, Kristin hit Robin, and Beth Ann tried to hit Stephanie. The pillow fight that ensued was quite something. Three college age gals fully dressed against three younger, completely nude, girls. It ended when Daisy, standing, hit Mary, on all fours, across the back and her pillow covering opened. Down and feathers flew everywhere. The sweaty body of Robin and Stephanie got it the worst as the down stuck to their bodies. Not to let an opportunity go to waist, Kristin said, "Let me help you with that," gently rubbing Robin's body with her hands. It did dislodge the down, but also brought Robin to the brink of orgasm. Mary and Beth Ann were close to follow suit and had Daisy and Stephanie in the same situation soon. Kristin had let Robin cool off to the point she could think rationally again and said, "I think you are a bit overdressed for this party. Don't you agree girls?" Robin helped Kristin out of her clothing, Daisy did the same for Mary, and Stephanie helped Beth Ann. "Now that looks better," Robin said, "I think a little turn around is fair. What did they call it in that class Kristin, reciprocal foreplay?" Kristin turned a nice shade of red, but nodded. "Ok then, get down on the floor. I'm going to slide on top of you." Robin then looked over and said, "Mary and Beth Ann, you'd better get on the floor too if you want a little fun." They didn't need to be asked twice. Daisy and Stephanie watched as Robin sat down on Kristin's face, leaned over, grabbed Kristin's legs pulling them up and spreading them apart. Robin dove in. Daisy and Stephanie followed Robin's lead. Robin heard Stephanie and it wasn't hard to know she had just orgasmed. "Time to switch. Stephanie, you just orgasmed right?" Stephanie looked over to Robin with a big smile and nodded. "Ok, next one to orgasm says 'switch' and we'll move again." Robin moved to Mary, Daisy to Beth Ann, and Stephanie to Kristin. This went on until everyone of them had at least two orgasms. "Time for showers," Robin called. They were more than ready by then. Robin went first and when she was almost done, she pulled Beth Ann in. "My turn to wash you," she said. Beth Ann was glad she was in the shower as Robin had got her all worked up again, rubbing her all over with soap. Robin then started to get out. "Now pick another and clean them," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "Daisy, come in," Beth Ann called. Robin had dried herself when Beth Ann came out and Daisy called Kristin in. Robin then dried off Beth Ann and then handed her a towel. Beth Ann didn't need further instructions; she was to dry off Daisy as she got out. This went round and round until everyone was cleaned and dry. "That was fun," Mary said. Then she looked at Beth Ann. "We were thinking of a picnic today, what do you think?" Everyone was in favour and after gathering things; off they went in the car Beth Ann had the use of. ------- Sunday trains were the milk run specials and seemed to stop at every spot that had a platform. The only blessing was that Hank could move about. He wasn't trapped with some person talking his ear off. Hank was daydreaming, thinking of all of the things he'd like to do to that fuckin' asshole Keith Paterson. A smile came to him as he thought. He must have some of the chemical Rerexinal to test it. As he remembered they were testing to see if it had something to do with sterility. It would be fun to force some down him and make him sterile. Although castrating him could be quicker and more painful, now there's an idea. Hank could see it all in his mind. Keith a whimpering boy crying out to his wife, I'm nothing, I've got no balls, go back to your husband. Hank saw Robin being repulsed by the sight of Keith, wanting nothing to do with him. As Hank was coming out of his little dream, Keith was walking out into the desert, alone, and unwanted. It was so good to see, Hank laughed out loud. A conductor came over to Hank and asked if everything was fine. "Yes, just fine and getting better all the time. By the way, how long until we get to Salt Lake City?" ------- I went back to see what mischief Sarah might be getting into and say hello to Sharin. I caught Sarah teasing poor Sharin, saying a perfectly nasty little thing in her ear. Sharin was bright red. I didn't resist, or even think about it. I smacked Sarah's little ass. She let out a startled yelp. Turning she looked at me surprised at who had given her such a reprisal. She started to say something and I cut her off. "We want you out here now." I said, grabbed her hand and pulled her out from the curtain. Before she knew it she was standing in front of Jack and her father. Again she looked at me. I smiled at her and sat down. Putting out my hand to her, I said, "So you want to know about my little wife." Curiosity forgave everything else; she took my hand and sat down. I noticed Patrick rolling his eyes. "You don't need to go into the details Keith." "Daddy," Sarah said with an irritated voice, "it's not like I don't know anything." "That's exactly what I'm afraid of," he replied. I told her our love story. How Robin and I first met. When she stood by the tree, that first day and it reminded me of a lost love. I didn't say that lost love was my sister, or that we got together. Patrick, I noticed, was listening intently. He had never really heard any of this. Jack who knew a bit more of the tale was highly amused at my portrayal. I explained the strange, old custom of Carp, marrying off the girls at age thirteen. Sarah couldn't believe such places existed. Telling of Robin's mother's concern and fear of me made both Jack and Patrick laugh. I had to explain that she felt very differently now. Sarah was full of questions. What did she look like? Did she go to school now that she was married? Were we having children? Was that even possible? I laughed and told her she could ask her herself as she was bound to meet her. Sarah at that point couldn't wait to land. Patrick shook his head. "Keith I've not seen her this excited on one of our trips in a long time." Sharin came out with drinks, I noticed as I reached over to get mine, Sarah leaned in and grazed my arm with her breast. I glanced over to her and saw a little smile. It looked innocent enough, but I had the feeling that it was far from that. I noticed the plane change altitude and asked where we were. The flight was going to end in another twenty minutes, so we hurried our drinks. I was expecting to see Robin waiting when we landed, but then remembered that Jack had no idea what our transportation was going to be. I wondered if Patrick had told anyone of our arrival time. As soon as we were on the ground I found out there were plans arranged, but ones without my knowledge, and not what I expected. "Son," Patrick said to me, placing his hand on my shoulder, "I've heard through the grapevine that my wedding gift is still sitting on the lot." I looked dismayed. "I... I..." stammered. He laughed. "You've been a busy man. I know, I just wanted to see you squirm a bit." "Dad likes doing that to people," Sarah added. A car was waiting and we climbed in. The driver already knew where to go and drove us, not to the university, but to the automobile dealers lot. The owner of the dealership came running out when he found out who was here. "Congressman, what a pleasure. We have the car you ordered waiting, but the young man has, of yet, not picked the car up." Patrick laughed, "This is the young man," motioning to me. We were paraded around the whole place. All of us quite sure the owner was trying to get as much visibility of a visiting dignitary as he could. We ended up in front of the car. Jack blinked, several times, and then looked between Patrick and myself. "Jack, maybe you don't know. Cliff Johnson, Robin's father was a relative. This was a small way of saying not all of our family is like him." I could see Jack felt a bit uneasy when this was explained to him. It was such a painful subject. On the other hand, Sarah finally made the connection. "Oh my. You mean Robin, I mean your wife. I mean she is related to me?" Sarah looked at me with bewildered eyes, "That would make her my cousin." Looking at her father she said, "Why didn't you tell me?" "Until recently, I didn't know she existed." Patrick said truthfully. Sarah looked at me quizzically, then smiled, "You, you are Keith Paterson. The one I read in the newspaper dad brought home?" "Sarah!" "Well he is, isn't he?" "Yes, but you shouldn't have been reading that stuff." ------- Beth Ann and Kristin knew of the perfect picnic spot. With a car it was much easier than the bus and walk they usually had to take to get to the place. Mary was surprised at it. "How on earth did you know about this place," she asked. Beth Ann and Kristin looked at each other and laughed. "It was one of those silly scavenger hunts. We got lost, took the wrong turn and ended up here. Isn't it just perfect?" Everyone agreed it was. It was a great lift after the pained look on Pamela's face when they told her what they were doing as she knew she would be unable to be with them. No one would be with her for a short time. Everyone needed this and they knew Pamela would understand, but that sad expression had put a damper on everything. Now they were in a secluded small meadow, the brook happily dancing over the rocks at the far edge, and the low, almost velvet looking grass in the center. It was idyllic and everyone couldn't help but forget about everything outside of this place. The food was wonderful; they ran, played silly games and laughed. It was as though each was as young, or younger, than little Stephanie. Soon though they knew they must return, Pamela needed company and Robin had heard Keith was coming back, but hadn't heard when. She was dying to call and find out. Packing up everything they brought, the girls stepped out of the meadow, looked back as though it was a magical place they had just been in. In the car their mood was reflective, each talking about the fun of childhood. Beth Ann pulled into the parking lot and into her slot. So euphoric was her spirits that she hadn't paid any attention to who was next to her. She opened the door and stood up, facing Lt. Payne. It startled her so much she started to loose her balance and sit right back down. He grabbed her arm. "Nice to see you. I noticed you were gone this afternoon. I hope you have not tired yourself out. This evening should be very entertaining." Mary was on the other side and out, Stephanie was trapped inside, on the front seat. Kristin had exited and was next to Mary. Robin and Daisy were getting out close to Beth Ann. "I think she may well be too tired tonight." Robin said. Lt. Payne turned to Robin, "I wasn't talking to you little one." "Beth Ann, get back in the car." Kristin said. She stood there not moving, not saying a word. Lt. Payne could see the fear in her eyes. He liked it. He'd get anything he wanted out of this one. All he had to do was get her away from her pesky friends. "I want you to dress in something nice tonight," he said. "Whether you were talking to me or not, she's not going with you," Robin said. He ignored Robin. Infuriating her. "You would look nice in pink. You should wear a pink dress. Be ready at six." No one noticed the brand new car enter the parking lot and drive up the lane. Daisy was furious with the way he was talking to Beth Ann. It reminded her a lot like Hank. "Don't you talk to her like that, you, you,..." Daisy might have not able to finish, but Robin could, "you Son of a Bit..." He turned, glaring and causing Robin to stop mid word. He let go of Beth Ann's arm. It looked as though he was going to come after Daisy and Robin, and they were afraid. I pulled up, in back of the car and jeep. I saw what looked to me like a lunge, at my wife by Lt. Payne. Slamming on the brakes, their attention was turned. I saw Lt. Payne's stunned look as I jumped out of the car and advanced on him. "Just what the hell do you think you are doing?" I demanded. Jack was ready to jump out of the car as well. Patrick put his hand on his arm and shook his head, "Just observe." Lt. Payne stood his ground; a steely expression overtook his face. "He's trying to force Beth Ann to have a date with him," Robin told me. I looked back at him. "I think this party has just ended. Whatever plans you had with Beth Ann are over. I'd suggest you get into that jeep and remove yourself." "I can do as I see fit," Lt. Payne defiantly saying. "No," I said with patience I did not feel, "No, you can not." I had to pause for a moment thinking of the right words to say. I would have liked to deck the son of a bitch, but that wouldn't have looked to good for the passengers I had in my car. "Beth Ann may well be a volunteer, but as part of my staff, she is entitled to the same code of ethics that prohibit you from dating her and you know it." He was furious and it showed. The code I referred to was a normally ignored, but military ethics code, that he knew was there and I could use against him. He did not like the tables turned. Once again he stomped away from me. Getting into the Jeep, he looked back and saw he was blocked. This didn't stop him as he put the vehicle in forward and drove it over the lawn and out of another vacant parking place. I looked back at my car. The way the light was reflecting, you couldn't see into the windows. I had to smile. Lt. Payne didn't know what kind of an ass he had just made in front of the wrong people. As soon as he was gone, reaction to my presence was immediate. Robin threw her arms around me and kissed me. Beth Ann was next; I had to pull away from her kiss. She had a puzzled look on her face until I said, "We have company." Everyone looked over to the car. The first one out was Sarah. Mary shrieked. None of the other girls had seen her and the pictures Mary had in her room, at least a year old black and whites, didn't do her justice. When Patrick got out, they all started putting two and two together. Of course by this time Mary and Sarah were embracing. Lastly Jack stepped out. When I asked Robin, "What do you think of our wedding gift?" Her mouth hung open, her eyes went big and she just stood there. I pulled her over to it and had her look inside. "Big enough to lay you down and find some interesting ways of..." I whispered in her ear. She turned back looking at me crimson. "That's what you meant when you said, try it out, didn't you?" I tried to look angelic, but failed as I started to laugh. Robin shook her head, slapped my arm playfully and then ran over to Patrick and gave him a big, long hug. "Thank you so much!" Patrick had a big grin on his face. "You know that means a lot to me," he said. "Now I want to introduce you to my younger daughter." Calling over to her, "Sarah, come meet Robin." I watched the awkward introductions, they were a bit uncomfortable with their positions with each other, When Sarah said they were cousins Robin couldn't believe it and said she never thought about that, Mary would be her cousin also. More hugs all around. Daisy slipped her arm through mine. "She's a cute one. What did you do with her?" "Bite your tongue." She just giggled. Kristin made her way over to me finally. "Hi, big brother," she said. Then with a twinkle in her eye, she whispered, "I'll give you a proper greeting when there aren't so many eyewitnesses." Her smile was both warming and devilish. I loved her. ------- Hank stepped off the car and onto the platform at Salt Lake City. He smiled to himself as he was finally here, or at least close enough. He remembered the name of the university and knew it was in this area, but exactly where, he hadn't a clue. In the phone booth at the station, Hank found where he needed to go. Then looking at a map posted on the wall he realized that one of the many stops, the train that he'd been on, made, was where he needed to go. He wasn't going to let that hinder his thoughts. Not now, he was too close. Studying the city bus schedule carefully, he found he could get to the university with only one transfer. It would be only a few minutes before the next bus. He couldn't wait and had anticipation written on his face. Anyone seeing him would have thought he was going to see a long lost friend. When he got on the bus, dropped his coin into the meter and took a transfer, Hank was smiling. Just over a half an hour and he'd be there. He took a seat and the bus took off. Hank had a route map with him and was watching. He started getting a bit anxious, then saw his stop. Another ten minutes. He was almost there and he could taste it. ------- Payne was back at his housing, stewing with anger. He didn't understand it, but Keith Paterson always screwed up his plans. The more he thought about it, the more he disliked the whole scene that happened earlier. Keith had no business butting in like he did. That man needed to be taken down a notch or two. His parents would approve, he thought. After all, isn't getting ahead in the game, what it was all about? Lt. Payne looked through some papers and found a log of Keith's in and outs of the lab, then looked at his watch. He should be going there in another forty minutes. He'd just go have a little talk with Keith and set him straight. No more mister nice guy. Keith could figure out pretty fast that the Payne influence could make his life pretty miserable. The clock looked like it was slowing down each time he looked at it, but finally it was time to go meet Keith at the lab and give him a does of the Payne medicine. ------- We moved to the hospital and Pamela was ecstatic to see everyone. I was surprised to hear her say, "Hi, Keith." It brought water to my eyes and I hugged her for a long time, whispering in her ear, "That was the nicest thing to come back to." I also noticed she was no longer connected to anything. Soon she would be out of here. When I pulled away Pamela was blushing. Sarah noticed and said, "Looks like she has a crush on you." "Almost every gal that knows Keith, does," Robin replied. Sarah just looked at her, not knowing what to say for a minute. "That doesn't bother you?" "Why should it? He's wonderful and I'm not the only one who sees that." "Ok," I said, "Enough of this chat." Robin smiled, "He doesn't like it when people talk about how wonderful he is." Sarah shook her head and giggled. "I can see that." I looked at the two of them, "Do I have to separate you two?" They both laughed. "You said I could talk to her, it's your own fault." Sarah replied. Patrick started to snicker at this point, "She has her mother's tongue." I looked over to him, "I'm not sure, it sounds like yours." We left the hospital, leaving Stephanie with Pamela, and were walking. Jack said, "It is amazing what they were able to do with her. I saw her briefly at the base, but the change is dramatic." "Yes it is. It is everything I hoped for and more." Sarah looked over to me, "Is she your sister?" "No, mine," Daisy said. "I know Keith doesn't like me to say it, but he is the hero of our family. He took it on himself and found a doctor that could correct Pamela's problem." She blushed a bit and continued, "He flew from here to California and saved me. Keith picked me up from a very bad situation." Sarah looked at me. I was trying to ignore what Daisy was saying. "He also found treatment for my mother who is having problems." "You're not related though?" Sarah said trying to understand, "Why did you do it Keith?" I didn't want to get emotional. "Because they needed it, that's why." I said quickly. It didn't work, my eyes started to fill with water, and I had to blink several times. I think Sarah may have seen it. Maybe that is why she didn't ask anything more. We were at the house and everyone came inside. It was then we found that Patrick was planning on staying the night. Sarah asked immediately if she could stay with Mary. A few calls later everything was set. Jack and Patrick would stay in the housing where Robert and Mildred had stayed and Sarah would be with Mary. Patrick didn't want to waste any time and asked if I could show him what was being done. I told him that it was my routine to be at the lab in another twenty minutes to check on things. We could leave early. I was talking to Patrick about the testing that we were doing and so missed the person who walked across the path not more than ten feet in front of us. He didn't miss me. Hank got off the bus and looked at the college map at the bus stop. The size of the campus was daunting, but he had tuned into one thing, the hospital and was headed that way when we almost collided. He couldn't believe his luck. I walked right into his sight and didn't see him. The only thing he would have liked better was if I had been alone. This way he only needed to follow me and wait. We came to the building and went in, not knowing we were being followed. Hank walked up to the building and saw us climbing the main staircase to the second floor. As soon as we had ascended he came into the building and walked up those same stairs. I turned the lights on and Hank could see the illumination through the frosted window in the door. Again he smiled. He knew where I was and it was simply a matter of time now. Not wanting to look suspicious, he walked down the stairs, out of the building, and waited. I showed Patrick the lab, telling him what tests we were doing at the time, the ones we had done, and the ones we planned to do. Then I picked up the stack of papers on my desk and gave him a general summery of the results we were seeing. The whole time I was talking couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes. I decided that this was the time to hit the idea of expanding the lab work one more time. As soon as I started he stopped me. "Keith, you don't need to plead your case with me. I'm sold," then he looked at me and said, "Your touch with putting Robin into that mix was not a nice thing to do." I had to smile, "You're right." Then I lost that smile, "It is a real concern I have though." "I know. If it had been any other person, I would have taken it as a selling tool. With your feelings for Robin, I didn't." "Thank you." "I've seen enough, unless there is more." "No, labs in general are rather boring places, that is unless you are working in one." We were exiting when I looked at the note on the back of the door. Keith, ran out of time if you get in can you dump the trash Shelly I sighed and gathered the trash. The janitor didn't want to enter our lab, he had heard of the spill and didn't want any part of it. "I'll meet you out front." We both exited and I turned out the lights. Patrick went down the main stairs, but I went down the back stairs to empty our trash. Our trash was in two parts. The stuff that went into the incinerator in the lab next door and all the other that went into a dumpster in back. Hank watched the man he had seen me with, come out of the building. He was tired of waiting. Hank stood up and walked right past him; walking up the stairs as I came around front. Patrick and I walked back to my housing. It was a mater of minutes later that Lt. Payne walked up the stairs. He watched as a man he didn't recognize was pounding on the door of the lab. "Keith Paterson, you fucker, I know you're in there. Open up." Jack watched as the man became more agitated, finally hitting the door hard enough to shatter the glass. Hank turned and saw the man standing there watching him. He turned pale. The building's security officer, who had been dozing, was on his feet and up the stairs when he heard glass breaking. He saw Lt. Payne and recognising him asked, "What is going on here?" "My friend and I were looking for Keith Paterson." Hank was smart enough to keep his mouth shut at this point. "He knocked on the door and the glass just shattered for no apparent reason." The guard was obviously not happy about the situation, muttering that he'd have to get someone from maintenance to board it up for the night. As soon as he walked down the stairs, Hank and Lt. Payne looked at each other. "I think you should come with me and we can talk." Lt. Payne said. Hank knew his butt had just been saved. This man had seen him, probably heard him and now wanted to talk with him. He nodded and they left. When they came up to the Jeep, Hank was a bit taken back. Military meant suspicious to him. Lt. Payne climbed in and Hank hesitantly got in. He had had many a bad ride getting to this place. Lt. Payne drove to his place and sat Hank down. Payne opened up a bottle, poured two glasses, and said, "Tell me how you know Keith." Patrick and I had a nice chat on the way back. As I had already figured, he and his wife were having rebellion problems with Sarah. Nothing that most parents don't go through, but when campaigning, everyone watched his every move. I let him talk. I wasn't a parent, well not yet at least and I figured that anything I said might sound a bit wrong. Best if I didn't say anything and let him talk it out, I thought. We were about home when he said, "I want to know what you think, Keith. You are a lot closer to her age than I am. Maybe you see things differently than we can. I'd like to know how you see it. Think about it and let me know." I said I would. We went in to see Jack as red as a beet and the gals having a grand time. "Ganging up on you?" I asked. He looked at me with a pained expression, "How do you manage?" I just laughed. I wasn't about to answer a loaded question like that. ------- The lights had not come up on cue, but Jill knew where in the act she was to be and was on stage. The mishap though, rattled Laura. Jill started to say her lines. Laura stepped on stage and immediately froze. Some of their friends that comprised the audience giggled. The booming voice of Mrs. Walker came through the auditorium. "We will take it from the last three lines of scene two." She was moving towards the front, to the stage. Looking back to the sound and light area she said, "It is obvious that everyone needs a good run through to make this work." Jill could see Laura relax just a touch. They had just finished the part where Laura ran off with the other boys, leaving Jill, who was playing Mark. Laura had become accustomed to Jill turning on the emotion and the tears when the scene called for it. These ten friends that had been assembled were not part of the drama class and as such were taken by surprise. It had been Mrs. Walker's plan. One part was to get Jill and Laura to feel comfortable. The second part was to give a sneak preview. She knew that Jill would steal the show and her instincts were proving right. This would be the catalyst that would make this production a 'must see' by the students. Laura left after the two boys called to her, leaving Jill standing there; she said her last powerful lines and the lights faded. Mrs. Walker, up front could see the pained expressions on the audience's face. Even the second time through, they felt the pain Jill expressed in her character. The lights came up on cue and there was Jill standing dead center. As the defeated boy, she started her lines once again. "Why can't my heart see what my mind wants to tell it?" Jill looked around. "As though anyone cares about me. I'm just a nobody." The tears started to flow. "If only I could do something, anything, that would make people stop and take a look at me. All they do is see me as different. People look right through me. I'm not the same as them, but I have feelings. If only..." As Jill walked off the stage the girls in the audience were feeling a bit uncomfortable. Jill had spoken not just lines of the script, but what they had felt about her. That is before she became the school hero. It was not a nice feeling and if not for this being a play, it would have hurt. As soon as Jill had walked off stage left. Laura with the two 'boys, ' Brad and Tim, came running on stage right. "Julia, come on tell us what were you were doing with him?" Brad laughed. "Really Julia. It must be embarrassing having him around you. Come here and I'll show you what a real man is like to be with." Tim said. "Not him, come with me Julia. I'm the best." "Oh no you're not." "Am too." Brad and Tim continued to jibe at each other. Laura looked at them with sudden disdain. Walking off, she turns back; they are so absorbed in themselves that they don't notice that she has left. She shakes her head, walking off stage. This next act was the one Laura was dreading. She had dreamed about it. Act three was the one she saw Keith and Jill play. The one she got so, well, so jealous about. Now she was about to play it. The curtains came up. Knowing it by heart or not, Laura had a script in her hand. Although she glanced at it only briefly, she wanted it for comfort, if nothing else. JULIA: (center stage) I thought this was going to be fun. My friends told me when boys started looking, I'd love it. (look down, then back to the audience) Why is it that I feel my insides being ripped apart then? It hurts with every move I make and the notion that I know what I want, is being turned inside out. (Brad and Tim enter stage left) BRAD: Julia what happened to you? You just left. Think you're better than us? TIM: Yea, what do you think? You're the only cute girl around here? Come on Brad, let her go play with that fool Mark. I think she likes him anyway. JULIA: (Watching them leave, look down, then back to audience) Cute? I knew they thought I was cute. (shake head) No, here I go again feeling confused with my emotions. Why is it that everything a boy says, pulls me this way or that? What do I feel? (Lights down) (Lights up) Laura was visibly shaking off stage. Clutching her script tightly in her hand, looking at the lines, knowing in only seconds she would be on. MARK: (on bench looking out at nothing, then hears Julia enter) Have you come to torment me? Jill's words sounded very much the same as when Laura had come back in to say she would do this play with her. JULIA: Mark, please don't think that way. (walk over to sit on the bench with him) Laura still felt as though she owed her friend more. She felt, after she knew Jill's intentions that she had betrayed her. Her words came out pleading. The girls in the audience had been riveted anytime Jill and Laura had been on stage together. Most sat on the edge of their seat, their bodies stiff, trying to hear every inflection of every word said. MARK: Why not? I can't help it. You remind me of... (turn towards audience, tears) Jill turned her head away, the tears rolling down her face. It was a bit harder this time. The image of Cliff was fading. JULIA: It wasn't me! (jump up, standing in front of him) I never ever want to hurt you like that. I... Laura wanted to cry out more, it wasn't the real her that Jill had seen. Jill had seen the scared Laura, afraid of being rejected. Tears came to her eyes as she fought with her emotions. MARK: I what? I walked past you when those other boys came along? I pretended not to know you? I have never given you a second thought? Jill let out the same despair she had felt when she said those lines before, the loneliness of being picked last, not asked, not heard. That pain she thought might never go away. JULIA: (crying) I have always cared, Mark. (drop to knees) Do you know how hard it is to be popular? To have people expect so much out of you? Sometimes I forget who I am. Jill knew these words were hard for Laura. She didn't feel this way inside and yet she was able to pull this off very convincingly. What she didn't know was that Laura was thinking about Jill and how she had become popular and hated it. It was hard and she could see that in her friend. MARK: It is so hard to believe any more. My heart is broken. Jill's voice almost monotone, slow, and uncommitted. JULIE: (Take his hand, stand and pull him with her) Let me help mend it. Believe me. MARK: Believe what? (look into her eyes) JULIE: That I've discovered (pause) that I love you. Laura's words were so real, that a few of the girls in the audience gasped, it also made Jill shake. MARK: That scares me, how do I know... The words were fraught with the emotion of the ups and downs she had recently had with Laura. JULIA: Like this (give a little kiss) Jill and Laura knew this part was coming. Laura leaned in and Jill moved to her. Their lips met. The girls in the audience were stunned into silence. It took everyone by surprise how gentle and right that kiss looked. Jill wasn't sure, but it seemed a bit longer than it was suppose to last. As she pulled back, she saw the look of contentment on Laura's face. Jill was embarrassed; neither of them said a word. The lines were forgotten. Mrs. Walker had to break in and save them from any other embarrassment. "You know the play doesn't end there. I know that's where we stopped it when Keith kissed you last time Jill." Jill looked at Mrs. Walker, as she turned beet red. Then she understood as she saw the girls in the audience staring and whispering. Laura and her had just made a spectacle of themselves and Mrs. Walker had just defused it with another rumour that was being talked about, confirmed. "Let's move on to the last scene." Mrs. Walker said. ------- Hank was being plied with a bit of help from Johnny Walker; the alcohol that was coursing through his veins loosened his tongue and any other inhibitions. Lt. Payne had found out how much this man before him wanted nothing more in life than to see the destruction of Keith Paterson. Using the same techniques that he had used on Robert, he was at least getting something this time. As Hank was feeding Payne everything he knew about Paterson, Payne was doing the same. A pamphlet of the university showing the layout of the campus was one of the most valuable things, as far as Hank was concerned. Payne had written on it showing Hank where the hospital, lab, and Keith's housing was. What got to Hank the most was that Daisy was staying in the same housing with Paterson. Lt. Payne understood most of all, how hate filled this man was, when the story came out of Paterson coming and taking away his wife. Lt. Payne smiled to himself. He now had something he could use. The idea that this mad man was only telling one, very distorted side of the story about what happened didn't seem to matter to Payne. When Lt. Payne told Hank about what he knew of Paterson's flight to Redding, he was ready to explode. Lt. Payne excused himself to go to the bathroom. It was the opportunity Hank wanted. He now had what he needed; how to find Paterson. As Lt. Payne left the room Hank saw two things that would help him, the keys to the Jeep and a handgun. As Payne closed the door Hank was on his feet, grabbing the keys and gun. As he passed the cupboard, he also picked up a new bottle of Johnny Walker and walked out the door. ------- Hank was not thinking completely straight. After three drinks, as big as he was, he had a good buzz going. As he drove into the university, his eyes were set on his first target. The signs to the hospital were clearly marked. Hank figured Pamela would be there and if she was there, so was Daisy, his wife. Hank found a parking stop in what he thought was an inconspicuous spot. It was a double slot, the other car was already there and shrubs surrounded the three sides. Not used to driving any car, much less a Jeep; he didn't think too much when he felt a bump. What he didn't realize was that had run over the curb and the Jeep had stopped a foot into the bushes. He didn't even notice, or was too incoherent to tell the difference. He walked up to the main entrance of the Hospital. Suddenly he was filled with fear that everyone was watching every move he made. Not wanting to draw any suspicion to himself, he couldn't ask where Pamela's room was. He moved from the front lobby to the elevators. This was nothing new to him. He'd been in many before. Smiling he noticed a layout of the hospital. It showed the pediatric ward on the second floor. Not wanting to wait, he took the stairs next to the elevator. As he walked up, he considered his options. This was a very public place with a number of people around. If Daisy protested, he might not be able to get her out without a lot of commotion. He would need to get close enough to ensure that she could not disagree with him. As he opened the door to the second floor, he was presented with a solution he thought perfect. Across the hall in an open doorway was a dirty clothing bin and on top, a large lab coat. 'This was too easy, ' he thought. Walking down the hall, he felt a new sense of confidence. No one would stop him or ask him questions and he could do as he wanted. It was almost the truth too. Right past the elevator doors was the viewing area for newborns. There were four, he noted. Hank walked down the hall and found Pamela's name on the door. He quickly looked inside. He saw Pamela on the bed. He also recognised that pesky Stephanie in the room. Daisy was not there. This wasn't as easy as he hoped. He continued down the hall trying to figure out what to do. Passing the nurses station made him a bit nervous, but no one paid him any attention. He made note of the restrooms just past that. At the other end of the hallway he found a second staircase, but no solutions. He walked the entire length of the hallway again. Hank looked just a bit longer into Pamela's room, making sure it was only Pamela and Stephanie inside the room. At the other end he walked down the stairs and noticed on the first floor there was an exit, right at the end of the building, not more than fifty feet from where he was parked. 'If Stephanie left the room, Pamela could become the bait I would need, ' he thought. Walking back up the stairs he started formulating a simple plan. Quite frankly, in his alcohol induced state, that was all he could come up with. He would take off the lab coat and sit on it. There was a bench across from the viewing room with magazines. He would sit and wait. After thumbing through the second magazine, he spotted Stephanie walking down the hall. He stood watching her pass the nurse's station and then enter the restroom. He didn't have much time. Throwing on the coat as he moved down the hall made it look like an emergency was taking place to anyone looking outside their room. It wasn't until Hank was at Pamela's bedside that she saw him close enough to recognise him. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't scream and lying there so long her muscles were weak. She was defenceless as he picked her up and carried her out of the room, a blanket wrapped around her flaccid body. He rushed down the hall and to the stairs, not even looking back to see if anyone saw him. Pamela felt nauseated, as she was jostled down the stairs in his arms. She was crying, but couldn't do anything more than that. When Stephanie came back into the room and found Pamela was not in her bed, she thought it was a trick being played on her. She looked under the bed, in the little closet, and behind the door, before she started to wonder if anything was wrong. Looking back at the empty bed she shrugged her shoulders and walked back down the hall to the nurses station to see if they had seen anyone come into the room. She figured that Keith might be playing a joke on her. Stephanie decided it was time to ask the nurses. They were perturbed at her and ask if it was another little joke. Stephanie realized that they had indeed played a few jokes along the way. After all it was boring sitting there day after day. By the time she had convinced them that she didn't think this was a joke, Hank had Pamela secured in the Jeep, out of sight. He had walked right out. No one had stopped him or questioned him at all. Pamela hadn't even given him a fight. When he plopped her down in the seat of the Jeep, he knew why. She had little muscle tone. His curiosity got the better of him and he looked at her surgery. "They did a nice job," he said. "Why?" Pamela in a croaking voice, softly asked, her scared expression saying more than her words. He grabbed the rope he had seen on his drive over and he bound her hands and feet. Pulling off the lab coat, he ripped a strip of material off and made a gag. As he put it on her he said, "I don't want you. I hope I haven't hurt you. I want my wife back," He said with increased anger in his voice. Then slamming his fist down on the dash, he said, "I want to make Keith Paterson pay for what he did too." Her eyes widened as she saw him pull up a bottle and take a big swig of it. She thought of her father and how he just fell asleep, became almost lethargic when he drank. Hank looked angry. He set down the bottle and then he reached under the seat and pulled out a gun. She started crying, feeling totally helpless. "I'll be back for you as soon as I take care of Paterson." Hank said. Pamela could hardly see, she was crying so much. She only saw images, the flash of the gun, the bottle in his hand, and then the door close. The fabric top rattled as he pushed on the door to make sure it was locked. ------- Stephanie couldn't understand why no one was answering the phone. What she didn't know was that the college girls had gone off earlier to show Sarah the campus and then settle into the dorm room. The rest, including Keith, were showing Jack and Patrick their quarters for the evening. The nurses would not let Stephanie go find out why no one was answering the phone, as she wanted to do. Instead they said the first thing was to do a search of the hospital. This took the next half an hour. In the dorm room, Sarah was bugging her sister, "Mary, can we go see Pamela again?" "Whatever for? You don't even know her." "But, well, I wanted to know about her. I mean can you tell me what is so special that Keith would do all that for her?" Mary looked at her sister. This was not the normal rebellious attitude that she spouted off. "No, I guess I can't. Come on, let's go." Mary said in an exasperated tone. Sarah jumped up, excitedly. "I don't have a lot of time though, I've got studying for a final to do." When they got to the hospital they were saw many people in the corridor. If that wasn't unusual enough, they asked her if she'd seen a young girl outside as they'd entered. As soon as they reached the second floor and Stephanie saw them, she ran as fast as she could. "Where is she?" Stephanie cried. "Who?" Mary replied, concerned about how Stephanie was acting. "Pamela, she's gone and Keith's not answering his phone." Mary took Stephanie's hands. "Slow down. Let's go talk to the nurses." Turning to Sarah, she asked, "Do you know the way back to the house?" "Yes." Sarah said a little more scared than she wanted to let on. "Sarah," Mary said in an even voice. "You need to find Keith and tell him to come here." Then to both of them she said, "Don't worry. It is probably some misunderstanding." Sarah nodded her head. "That's what the nurses have been saying, that people wander off all the time. I told them Pamela wouldn't do that, but they aren't listening to me." Hank had looked at the map. He was concerned with someone looking for Pamela, so he couldn't take the direct route, running right past the hospital, to get to Paterson's house. He checked Pamela once more, to make sure she couldn't get away, yet was in no pain. Between the bushes and the canvas top of the Jeep, she should remain out of sight long enough. Keeping hold of the map, he glanced at it from time to time, making sure that he was going in the right direction waking down the path. It was hard to do as Lt. Payne had not identified all the buildings on the map and only the largest ones had markers. It also didn't help that some of the sidewalks were curved. He spent the next fifteen minutes lost and nothing looking familiar, he didn't know he was right then between the dorms and Keith's housing. Instead of pondering what to do know, his eyes focused on the backside of someone familiar less than two hundred yards ahead of him. From his back pocket, he pulled out the bottle and took another swig. A girl's figure, not like the women around this campus, her hair was the right length and color. He didn't recognize the clothing, but he was sure she was Daisy; no one else he knew wore that hairstyle. It was sure going to be nice getting between those legs again, he thought. Trying not to be too obvious he hurried towards her. It took him until he was no more than fifty yards to Keith's place to catch up to her. It was a nice location as far as Hank was concerned. A building with solid walls was to the right of them and dense shrubs just to the left of the pathway. Neither forward, nor as he turned and looked back, was anyone else visible on this curved pathway. This was a similar set up that he had in Reno with that young girl. This time though, his girl was not going to get away. Sarah was thinking of nothing but making sure she remembered how to get back to the house. She was a bit nervous. As soon as she felt a hand around her mouth she started to scream, but it was cut right off. Trying to thrash around wasn't getting anywhere with the large man who had hold of her. She was pulled into a break in the bushes where a tree had been cut and then pulled further in. Being swallowed by the bushes, cut off from the path, she knew she was in big trouble. Even if her mouth wasn't working, her mind was screaming. What was happening to her, why, why was this happening? The man ripped open her blouse and the buttons went flying. He yanked down her blouse, the sleeves getting bunched up in her arms. Ripping apart the clap of her bra, she felt it fall forward. As he turned her around and pushed her to the ground, she tried to cover herself. Her arms wouldn't move, caught in the blouse and as she landed on the ground her bra fell completely forward, exposing her breasts to this man. Sarah wanted to shout, her mouth opened but nothing came out, she was scared to death. "Who the hell are you?" The man said, looking at her. Sarah tried again to open her mouth. He raised his fist to her. "Don't you say a word." He looked her over. "You're not Daisy, but you are a pretty one." Then he got an idea. "I bet you know Keith Paterson don't you?" Sarah couldn't understand this, what did Keith have to do with this? "Shake your head yes or no?" The man shouted to her, "Do you know Keith Paterson?" Tears finally started to flow down her cheeks as she nodded. "Good, then he'll come looking for you, cute piece of bait you are." He had a leer on his face looking at her nakedness. Pulling the flask out, he downed half the bottle. Laughing, thrusting it at her and spilling some onto her exposed skin, he said, "Want some sweetie? No? Well in the meantime I could have a bit of fun." ------- The phone was ringing when Robin, Daisy, and I got back to the house. I ran back and answered it. Mary asked first where Pamela was and then Sarah. "Slow down Mary, is Sarah supposed to be here?" "Yes, she should be there about now, we were looking for Pamela." "Pamela's at the hospital," I said, not believing Mary asked me such a silly question. "I'm going out front to find Sarah, hold on." I dropped the phone, not listening to Mary's last words. Running out of the house, telling Robin that Mary was on the phone. Hank looked down at her tousled blond hair. It looked sexy to him. He had already decided that as soon as he was done with her tits, he was going to make her suck him. He couldn't make up his mind whether to pull his dick out now and show her what she was going to have stuffed into her mouth in moments, or get his hands on those small, firm tits. His hands made up his mind and were just about to touch Sarah's nipples when she found her voice. "NO!" She screamed at the top of her voice. It was all she got out as he backhanded her. I recognised the voice, she was in trouble. "Sarah, where are you?" I yelled running down the path and turning the corner. Hank turned towards my voice and the sound of running feet. He was distracted just enough for her to pull herself up and try and get away. Hank caught her heel and she fell to her knees. She pulled forward and he caught her blouse, he pulled it the rest of the way off of her. I saw the movement and then the front half of her, the remains of her bra got caught in the bush as she moved forward. Right behind her was Hank. She stood back up and he had her around the waist. His eyes full of fire, an evil smile on his face. He stepped out, holding onto Sarah. I charged at him, my shoulder and head down. He defiantly held Sarah out in front of him as a shield. She screamed thinking I was going to ram right into her. At the last second I stood up, my hands straight out and let my momentum hit. My hands connected with his shoulders, above Sarah's frame. The impact shocked him enough to let loose of Sarah. That was my main goal. As I staggered back, I grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her away. "Run!" I yelled to her. She stood motionless. "RUN!" I yelled louder, pulling her further away. Hank was standing back up. That did it. She started down the path. At the corner she turned and looked back. Hank stood no more than ten feet away from me. All she could see of me was my back. She saw Hank's evil look on his face and then caught the gleam of the gun in his hand. Sarah stood still; too afraid to move. Keith, who had just rescued her, now had a gun pointed at him. As Hank spoke she was able to move again. "Keith Paterson, you are going to die." Sarah had to get help. She could see the house. She didn't care if her blouse was ripped off and her breasts were showing, she ran. She saw Robin at the door motioning her in. Her stomach tightened and she felt as though she'd throw up as a shot rang through the air. Sarah was at the door before Robin could utter a word. "Keith," was all Sarah said. She fainted, falling into Robin's arms. ------- Chapter 38 Robin quickly glanced at Daisy in the living room and as Daisy ran over, pushed Sarah's limp body to her. She was out the door and starting down the path when she heard Jack. "Robin stop!" He was alarmed with her outside after hearing a gunshot. She turned around to look at him, tears running down her face. "Someone shot Keith." She said in a barely audible, very shaky voice. She was going into shock. "We heard the gunshot and it sounded very close. How do you know someone shot him? Did you see it? You weren't out here were you? Where is he?" Jack said rapidly. He wanted answers and wanted them now. "Sarah." Robin said, having trouble getting out anything more than that. "Is she alright?" Jack said, suddenly with even more concern in his voice. "She fainted." "Someone is shooting. Keith wouldn't want you out here and you know it. Go back inside. Is anyone else there?" "Daisy." "Good. Go back inside. Patrick, because of his position, has to be very careful. He called the police. There is no good reason that someone fired a shot on campus. He should be off the phone to the authorities by now. Patrick needs to be kept safe, but he'll want to see Sarah is safe too." Robin just stood there, swaying back and forth. "Go." Jack said. As he reached up to give her a gentle push, she saw the gun in his hand. Her eyes went wide open and she looked at him even more frightened, if that was possible. "I'll be careful, you stay inside, safe. Keith would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you. I'd never forgive myself either." She went back, tears still streaming down her face. She had heard the shot. Sarah said it was Keith. He wouldn't be shooting. It left only one explanation, one she didn't want to face. She made a resolve to get Sarah to wake up and tell her what was going on. Why? Why on Earth would someone want to shoot Keith? Who would do such a thing? ------- As soon as I had pushed Sarah to go, I turned to face Hank. He didn't even look at Sarah running away, it was very obvious he used her to get to me. I didn't know how he got here, but anyone who had come this far, was out for revenge, and I was his target. His eyes were menacing and I'd felt his punch before, I wasn't looking forward to this. He smiled, but there was nothing nice in it and soon I was looking down the barrel of a handgun. "Keith Paterson, you are going to die," he said to me. I thought I heard a noise in back of me, but I wasn't about to look. I was hoping Sarah was out of the way. In that split second I realized he had been drinking. I think it was the slight slur in his words that gave it away. As he pointed the gun at me, his hands weren't steady. I knew his reaction time would be off and took advantage of it. I suddenly jolted towards the building and then immediately towards the bushes. As I figured he moved with me the first time and fired. The bullet was too close for comfort as I dove into the bushes. I heard him cursing. There were several things running through my head. I needed to get away from him and get him away from here. Hank also had military training, so although he may well be crazy, he wasn't stupid. I scrambled through the bushes. I knew one thing I had going for me, other than Hank's inebriated state, and I knew this campus. I doubted he did. I jumped out forty feet from him. He was still scanning, trying to see where I was. The way the path curved, I figured I was as safe as I could be, considering he had a gun and I didn't. He spotted my movement, between the shadows the buildings were casting, and took after me. I was glad it was dusk and not many students would be out. The thought that this mad man might hurt them chose my course carefully. I aimed for the most unpopulated section of the campus. Hank was a big man and drunk or not, the only way I was keeping my lead was by being more agile. The amount of energy I was spending, trying to keep away from him, didn't give me much time to think about any thing else. Around the last corner, a second shot rang out. My adrenaline was pumping overtime. I was also at the edge of the campus; near the forestry area where I had heard Robert had purchased flowers for his wife, after buying a vase from Mary. It is strange the things that pop into one's head at a time like this. It was very distracting. I didn't relish being out in the open. Weaving between the few trees and some bushes, I turned the corner of the building, heading back into the campus. I was almost at the end of the building when Hank turned the corner. The third shot rang out. I heard it zip past my ear. A sound I'll never forget. It was close enough to deaden my hearing. It hit the front glass door of the building straight in front of me and the door shattered. I was hoping for help soon. This was the second time anyone had tried to shoot me. Cliff, at my wedding, was the first and that was over in seconds, Somehow I never felt mortally in danger then. This was very different. The distant sound of sirens didn't comfort me. I ran around towards the edge of that building. My head had just cleared the corner when a chunk of the plaster flew off, striking the back of my head. Number four. I heard Hank yell, "Fuck!" Two bullets left I thought. I was hoping he would waste those as well and didn't have any more. I really needed that. I had maneuvered myself to a part of the campus I was totally unfamiliar with. These were the largest of the buildings on the campus and as I remembered, where the core classes were held. I turned the next corner and almost came to a standstill. A very unpleasant sight greeted me. The building was a U shape and I had just run into the middle of the U. I had two choices. Wait for Hank or climb up the fire escape. Neither one sounded great, but I wasn't about to wait for him. Jumping up, I grabbed the end of the weighted stairs. I was at the first landing when he turned the corner and saw me. I saw the smile on his face and I didn't like it. He had two bullets left and knew I was stuck. ------- By the time Jack got around the corner, Hank and I were long gone. He looked around and saw a corner molding that looked out of place. The bullet hole was evident when he inspected it. No blood or body that he could see. That was a very good sign. He knew Patrick had called the police as soon as they heard the gun shot. Jack was not about to run around, not knowing where he was going, holding a gun. The last thing he needed was to be shot by friendly fire. Jack walked back to see how Robin was holding out. As he approached, he noticed the blinds drawn and it didn't look like any lights were on, at least not in front. He knocked and then thought, 'If I was them, I wouldn't answer the door either. I'll go see what Patrick knows and then give them a call.' Patrick was very relieved to see Jack come back. "Jack tell me what is going on? Robin just called frantically, telling me not to step a foot out the door. Some madman is out there and he shot Keith." Jack sat down heavily in the chair and looked at Patrick. "Did she tell you how she found out?" Just then they heard another sound of a shot, but much further away. "No, she was hysterical and not making a lot of sense." Then he looked alarmed. "It isn't true is it? Did someone shoot Keith?" "I don't have a lot of facts sir, so I have no idea how much is true and how much is hysteria. What Robin told me was that your daughter, Sarah, told her that Keith had been shot." Patrick jumped up looking at the door. "I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet." Patrick looked back at Jack, realizing he was acting out of fear and not knowledge. "I'm not sure what Sarah saw, but I can tell you that there was a shot fired. It happened right around the corner. Keith is not here and apparently he was. There is no sign of blood though, so I can only hope no one was hit." Patrick was visibly relieved hearing at least that. Then Patrick shook his head, "But Sarah's with Mary." "That's what I thought too. Like I said, I don't have all the facts. When did the police say they would be here?" That gave Patrick a little smiled. "I may have over reacted a bit, I told them who I was." Jack had to bite his tongue to not laugh, "And?" "I think they might well send half their men over, didn't you hear all the sirens?" "I did hear a number, but I didn't think they were all converging here. I think I should ring Robin and see what is going on there. I tried knocking but no one answered. I don't blame them" Patrick watched him set the phone back down with a perturbed look on his face. "It's busy, but I'm going to keep trying." ------- Robin slammed the door so hard it made Daisy jump, even though she had seen her walk through it. Daisy was in pretty much the same position as when Robin had left several minutes ago, sitting on the couch with Sarah. She was still out. Robin came over to Sarah wanting to demand answers; she looked down at her and for the first time saw her state of dress. It shocked her. Looking at Daisy, she asked, "Did she come in looking like this?" Daisy looked at Robin funny, "You don't remember?" Robin shook her head slowly. "Yes she did and look." Daisy then pointed out red lash marks. They didn't know at the time but they were from where Sarah, in her struggles had ripped her naked torso against the branches to free herself from the man. Robin started to cry, "I want to know what happened to Keith." "I know." Daisy said. "Maybe a bath would be good for her. It relaxes me when I am tense. I'm locking the door and turning off the lights. Anyone we would want to come in here has a key. Come on, I'll help you walk her." They were half way down the hall when they heard someone knocking. Robin and Daisy froze in their tracks. The scarcely dared to breath. There was no other sound and after what seemed like eternity, they moved again, into the bathroom. Daisy ran the bath as Robin held Sarah. The running water masked the sound of the second shot. She now took a look at the girl, who was groggily moving. It dawned on Robin of the similarities the two girls in front of her had. Blond shoulder length hair, cut similarly. The same thin, long arms and fingers, small waist and slightly flared hips. The legs of Daisy were a little stronger, but that didn't surprise Robin. Daisy's breasts were also larger. Sarah's were smaller, more like her own. Sarah suddenly woke up, thrashing away from Robin. "NO!" She screamed. It was almost deafening in the small bathroom. "Sarah." Robin yelled to grab her attention, and then in a softer voice, "You're alright, you're safe." Sarah crumpled to the floor crying. Robin and Daisy crouched by her side. They stood the girl up and removed the rest of her clothing. Although Sarah was weak from all the exertion, she could have undressed. It felt a little strange, but nice. Daisy and Robin were saying very comforting things to her, preparing her for a bath. Once in the water, Daisy picked up a cloth to wash Sarah. The phone startled them. Robin ran to get it. "What is going on?" Mary practically screamed into the phone. "Where's Sarah." Robin had to control her emotions, or at least try. Tears were again streaming down her face. "Sarah's here, she's fine now." "Now? Now! What do you mean?" "Sarah said someone shot Keith." Robin got out before crying so hard she couldn't say another word. Mary was stunned. She listened to Robin on the other end of the phone, crying her heart out. Mary couldn't imagine what had happened to her school. Mary had to ask the inevitable, "How is he? Did they bring him to the hospital? He isn't..." Robin's soar of emotion had started to die down, until Mary hinted at the possibilities of death, "I don't know anything, I'm stuck in this house and don't know anything," she sobbed. Mary was trying to figure it all out, "Robin, slow down. Take a deep breath. So what did Sarah say exactly?" "That someone shot Keith," Robin paused, "Then she passed out." She quickly added, "She's awake now, we were giving her a bath when you rang." "Get back to her then. Who else is there?" "Daisy" "Just you three? My father is safe, I guess." Mary had long ago stopped thinking about the possibilities of people in public office. Her time with her father on the campaign trails had shown her the precautions he took to keep himself safe. "Yes." "You have the door locked, don't you?" "Mary!" "I had to ask. Have her call me. I'm going to stay with Stephanie. You might want to call Kristin too." "I don't think I can." "He's her brother." "I know." Robin sobbed, "I need to talk to Sarah first, maybe she knows more." "Good idea." Robin came into the bathroom to see Sarah leaning forward with a relaxed look on her face. Daisy had the washcloth in hand and was rubbing it up and down her back. "Sarah, that was your sister." Robin said. ------- Pamela knew struggling was useless; she simply didn't have the strength. She felt so helpless. Hank was here, after her sister and Keith. All she could do was lay there and be bait. She cried and cried until exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep. In the hospital Stephanie was blaming herself for Pamela's disappearance. The administrator on call was beginning to realize that Pamela did not wander off, was not playing some game and that this was serious. He didn't get a chance to call campus police; they came to the hospital in full force. This was unlike anything he had experienced before. He knew the girl was under special government treatment, but this was a bit overwhelming. The building was sealed until further notice. Mary knew what was going on, or at least somewhat. There had been a shooting on campus. Soon, in response to Patrick's call, the police started to arrive. In the hospital the sign was evident, as police in full gear walked down each corridor. Every person in the building was being accounted for. Mary and Stephanie were in Pamela's room when a nurse and an officer came in. "This is the little girl who first reported that our patient was missing." "And the other one?" The officer asked. Not waiting for the nurse's reply, Mary stated, "Mary McCarren." "Are you Congressmen Patrick McCarren's daughter?" "Yes," Mary said somewhat surprised. "We need you out of this building and into a safe place." He looked at Stephanie, " She can come too if necessary." Mary started to protest, the officer gave her a steely look of determination, "Look Miss, that is our order. To remove your father and his two daughters until the situation is defused." "You mean that little girl missing, is the cause of this amount of turmoil?" the nurse asked, surprised at all the commotion. "We are not at liberty to discuss the matter," the officer replied. "Someone shot Keith," Mary said without even thinking what she had said. She didn't realize the impact of that statement until she saw Stephanie faint, dropping to the floor. The nurse ran and got some smelling salts and revived her. Stephanie was looking at Mary, crying. "Why?" "I don't know sweetheart. I don't know." "Come along Miss. Is she staying?" Stephanie wasn't about to be left behind. "No, I'm going with Mary," she said and on the second try, got to her feet. Mary was used to some fuss when she was with her father. This was more than she had seen in a long time. Stephanie had not seen anything like this before. There were police cars everywhere, their revolving red lights washing the cars in the parking lot with a pulsing glow. As they walked out to an available car, Mary noticed something. "What is Lt. Payne doing here?" "What's that?" The officer said. "Lt. Payne, that's his Jeep. He must have been in a hurry. Look at the way he parked." "Are you sure Miss? Is he someone you know then?" "I wish I didn't. I don't know why he'd be here though." They walked over to the car. Pamela who had woken from the sirens, was trying to build up some energy. Even a little. Someone was bound to come near. Mary looked into the car. "Pamela!" she screamed. Five or six officers were at the Jeep within seconds. One came a minute later with a crow bar in his hand. It wasn't necessary with the soft top. The fabric was penetrated with a knife, and then the door opened. Mary reached in and scooped up Pamela. Her gag was carefully taken off and her hands and feet unbound by the officers. "I need to take her back to the hospital." Mary said, cradling the girl in her arms. "We need to evacuate you. One of our..." "Not on your life," Mary said cutting the man off. "I'm taking her, do you understand." "As you wish Miss." This man knew, from the wrath of his wife, that certain things, when a certain tone was used, were not up for discussion, and Mary had just used that tone. Four of the officers walked with Stephanie and Mary carrying Pamela, back to the hospital. The nurses were relieved to see her and fawned over her. An attending doctor came running immediately to check on her as well. Soon she was back in her bed resting. She had tried to talk, to tell them what was going on. They told her to hush. She didn't want to hush, they needed to know. She mustered enough strength to say in an almost normal voice, "It was Hank." "Hank!" Stephanie said alarmed. "Daisy's Hank?" Pamela nodded, the tears starting again. "He's the one who shot Keith. He'll be after Daisy!" Pamela started crying. She was too late. Keith had already been shot. A nurse rushed in and called for a doctor. They gave her a sedative to calm her down. "I'll call Robin." Mary said. "Robin?" Mary asked, when the phone was answered. "I just got done talking to her. I was about to call Kristin." Then both Robin and Mary said at the same time, "It's Hank." "We found Pamela. You'll never believe where." "Where?" "In Payne's Jeep." Robin gasped. "Did they know each other?" "I don't know how. The police are here, lots of them. Call Kristin and tell her what's going on." "OK." Robin dialed the dorm. "I need to talk with Kristin Paterson, it's very important." "I'm waiting for a call from my boyfriend, can you call back." The girl on the end of the line said. Robin was furious. "Kristin's brother was shot just outside of here, the police are all over the campus trying to find the mad man. Now get me Kristin." There was a thump and then dead silence on the end of the phone. Someone else answered. "Hello?" "I need Kristin Patterson, immediately." "OK, someone is getting her," Robin heard shouts in the background as Kristin was coming to the phone. "What did you say to Tina? She fainted," the gal said. "Kristin will tell you when I get done talking to her." "This is Kristin, who's this?" "Robin." She paused trying to keep her emotions in check. "Are you sitting down?" There was a rustle, "I am now. Robin, what's wrong?" Robin couldn't help it, her tears started once again. "Hank is here. He's on campus." "Are you sure?" "Kristin, listen to me. Pamela disappeared first. Then Sarah said he shot Keith. I heard it." "Robin!" Kristin wailed. "Mary found Pamela, but I don't know anything about Keith." Kristin's tears were making it hard for her to talk. She overheard someone bursting into the front doors shouting that there were police around the northeast part of the campus and the hospital. "Robin," was all she got out. "I'll call when I know anything." "I'll be right by the phone." ------- I was on the second story-landing going for the third when I heard the stairs at the bottom being pulled down. Hank was on his way up. By the time I was at the top of the three-story building, I could hear him laughing. He knew I was trapped. The sirens sounded close, but I was up high and knew sound traveled better, plus I thought it was hopeful thinking. As I climbed over the ledge I scanned the top of the building. There were two elevator shaft tops in the center of each leg of the U. A stairway roof access and assorted vents. Some hope but not a lot. The trees were close to the building, but their tops were either level or just above the roofline. That was no good as a means of escape. I ran to the roof access first. It was locked as predicted. I was just to the elevator top when a shot splintered the wood right in front of me. I fell back, onto the ground. Glancing over, I saw that Hank had just come onto the roof. One shot left. I was hoping it would be as unlucky as the others. What Hank didn't realize was that the last shot he made echoed around the buildings and everyone nearby heard it. They had a fix on where we were. Hank was being methodical about trapping me. I could see it, and knew there was little I could do about it. I was soon going to be at the end of the U with nowhere to go. The only time I saw him turn his head away from my line of vision was at the sound of the sirens closing in and stopping. As he was approaching and I was moving further back, into the corner, he was taunting me. "Why Keith, where are you going to go now," he laughed, "I think you are going to hell." "Too bad Robin and Daisy aren't here to see big strong Keith get his head blown off." "The only regret I have doing it this way, is that I wanted to castrate you first." I was beginning to realize the level of his madness, as he said these things to me. I didn't know what the police were going to do. Hank was ready to kill me, no matter what. I was sure of it. ------- Try as they might to stop it, most of the student body was out to see what was going on. The sirens excited everyone and they came rushing to see. Kristin called Robin, "I can't stand it. Everyone is going to see what is happening." "I just talked to Jack. It looks like Keith is alive, or was," Robin said with doubtful hope. "He will make it, I just know it. Robin I have to go. I want to be there too." "I know, so do I." Robin called Jack, "Jack they know where he is, the students are out there, everyone is watching and I'm stuck in here." "Robin don't they realize how dangerous that is?" "No, I'm sure most of them have no idea what is going on. Kristin does and she just called to tell me she is going." Jack was waiting for what Robin then said. "I want to be there. Do I need to go alone?" Jack knew he couldn't face that. Police had come to the house. Robin didn't know, but they were outside her place as well. "Robin, Patrick has to be kept safe." Although Robin knew this was true, she was hearing Jack say he wouldn't help, and she let out a big sigh. "Police are here, so he is safe. I will go with you." "Good," she said relieved. She was frightened and really wanted Jack to be there. "Daisy is coming too." Jack started to say something, and then realized it was fruitless. Hank was Daisy's husband. She had every right to be there. "Ok," he said, resigned to it. He had forgotten that Sarah was there and when he opened the door, the three of them were waiting. Jack looked at Sarah and shook his head. "There is no possibility I can take you. Your father would string me up." Sarah put on a very good pout and said, "Fine, I guess I have to be held captive with my father. I'm not staying here by myself." With that she started down the courtyard. Robin called to Jack; they were already at the corner. He looked back to Sarah and knew she'd be all right. Daisy and Robin were walking fast and Jack knew they were anxious to get there. That probably explained why it was too late to do anything when he finally caught sight of Sarah sneaking behind them in the shadows. He was mad and motioned her to come forward. When she was with them he started, "Do you have any idea what is going on? If so, please tell us all. I don't know everything. I do know that a girl was kidnapped and a man has fired shots. Did you ever think there could be more than one person doing all of this?" From the look on her face, she hadn't. It went white. Jack went on, "What would have happened if anything were to happen to you?" Sarah started crying. While Jack could handle crying from a woman, this was still a child as far as he was concerned and he couldn't take it. As mad as he was at her, he caved. "I can't take you back now Sarah, so you are where you wanted to be. We need to be extra careful though. Do you understand? No separating, we have to stay together." Kristin and Beth Ann saw Jack and came over to them. Beth Ann said, "People are saying the police are at the history building and someone is on the roof." "Where is that?" Jack asked. "There are two ways to get there from here. Everyone is going that way," Kristin pointed, "Let's go the other." She led them around the building and suddenly knew why the other way was chosen. Police cars had filled the area and they were blocking off part of the building. A policeman stopped them. "This area is blocked off and dangerous. You will have to leave." "Officer," Jack said. "I think we need to talk to your commanding officer." "Oh, and who might you be?" "Well frankly I happen to be the chief commanding officer of Nellis air force base," Jack watched the mans jaw drop, "But I'm not the one he wants to see. This is Robin, the man's wife who is being shot at and this is the wife of the man doing the shooting." The officer looked back and forth to these young ladies with a pained expression on his face. He looked over to the other young one, Sarah, and asked, "And this one?" Jack winced a bit, "This is one of Patrick McCarren's daughters, she wasn't supposed to be here with us." Sarah looked down until the officer laughed. "Now that I can believe. I heard radio conversation the other one was pretty head strong." Jack had to smile. "The other two are with you as well?" "One is Keith's sister, the other..." "Come on," The officer said and led them through the maze. They saw a fire truck pull up. The gals thought that was strange. There was no fire. Robin stopped dead in her tracks. One of the officers had placed, on the trunk of a patrol car, a specially fitted wooden box. He was pulling out a rifle. The officer saw where Robin was looking. "That's Doug. There is no better shot within the state of Utah." "Come on girls, everything will be alright." Jack said. He was wondering if that was true or not. ------- The students were on the far side of the U, the one I was being pushed to. I could hear the drone of a crowd assembling. The police were on the other side, and the inside section of the U, that had access to the fire escape. It was all blocked off. This is where Jack, Robin, Daisy, Sarah, Kristin, and Beth Ann were taken. The chief of police had been pulled in as the unit commander. He was a bit daunted by Jack until he realized that Jack was only there because of the girls, not to try and take over. There were three units working. One in the next building, heading for the roof. It overtopped the roof of the history building, because of a slope. The second unit was inside the building going up the stairs to the roof access. The third unit was making their way, as quietly as they could, up the fire escape. At the moment, all they could do is wait. The first unit to call in was on the roof next door. They could see two men. One appeared to be backing up, the other advancing on him. The description of Keith made it affirmative as to who was there. Daisy described Hank's physical features and they matched the second man. It was a numbing experience for the gals to listen to the radio communication. When they confirmed the presents of a gun in the aggressor's hand, Daisy and Robin exchanged pained glances at each other. Kristin put her hand on Robins shoulder and all of them started to cry. Jack tried to pull them a few steps away, but they wanted to hear, that is what they were there for. The second unit called in. They were at the top of the stairway, ready to go. Jack who knew the operation's idea told the gals that they would wait until given the signal and then storm the roof. Because of the noise factor, the third unit, on the fire escape took the longest to get to their position. They radioed in as well, although from the ground they could see them in position. ------- Hank had been smiling and taunting me the entire time he was forcing me back. The roof was just an open expanse, with no place to go, and nowhere to hide. The back of my foot hit the edge of the building. I was running out of room. "Why don't you get up on the ledge Keith? I'm sure your admirers would love to see you one last time." I knew this wasn't a request. Standing in the far corner of the building I had nowhere to go. I stepped up and started to slip. There was just enough light, that as I looked down I could see the yellowish white markings of bird shit. Then the crowd of people and the noise brought my attention to my right. I glanced to my left and saw cars and a few people. I knew that they were there for one reason only. The police were there. I just hoped that they would be able to do something before he did. To my back was a tree that obscured any other part of my vision. It was still a good seven feet below me, even if it was right against the building. I couldn't see any of the branches through the leaves; its spring growth had covered the massive tree. It would be suicide to try and jump for that. "Looking for someone?" Hank asked, "I'm sure they are down there by now. Maybe your body will drop right at her feet." Then he laughed. I was struggling to stand up with the goo under my feet. There were small pebbles on the narrow ledge as well, making a sure footing almost impossible. I was going to face Hank. If he was going to shoot me, he would have to look me in the face to do it. Somehow I didn't think it would stop him, he was mad, just plain mad. It would help me though. I noticed, as I stood there, that the noise died down and then stopped completely. It was an eerie quiet. I didn't like it one bit. ------- Everyone saw my arrival on the ledge. The two teams that had visuals had seen it coming. The actual event caused Kristin to faint. Jack and Beth Ann carried her to sit against a car and Beth Ann stayed with her. The team in the other building radioed in that Doug was set up and had a clear shot. Daisy went pale and it looked like she was the next to faint. To everyone's surprise, it was Sarah who dropped, but quickly recovered. Robin and Daisy took her away from the radio conversation. It was too much for any of them to bear. They didn't hear the final communications. The team on the fire escape called in that the gun was being raised The commander radioed back for Doug to take his shot. ------- Doug was a hot shot. He had earned his reputation by his accuracy. He also had a reputation of making up his own set of rules. He knew that he got away with things that others wouldn't simply because when a situation like this came up, he was the man of the hour. He would do the job and there was no one better. He had looked for some time at his subject. His scope fixed on the man. He had enough time to see the handgun. It looked suspiciously like army issue. He had asked them to call that possibility in. The connection of a Lt. Payne made that a possibility. This put a twist on things. Doug knew that if this man had military training and he got a fix on his man, the shot might well be fired. Doug would take the shot, he would kill the man, but that man, a trained man, would get that trigger pulled. With the man's prey on the ledge, even a flesh wound could knock him off and a three-story drop would do him in. He took some more calculated looks as the radio conversations were being hashed out. As he saw the man raising his weapon, Doug saw his opportunity. He was given the go. Doug was above all, thorough. He quickly double checked everything, had the gun in his sights, breathed out, stroked the trigger and blew the target away. ------- It happened so fast. I saw the evil grin on Hanks face as he raised the gun to face me. "Any last words you son of a bitch?" I swallowed hard. I was suddenly very sad. I wouldn't see my children. Robin would be without a husband, just like her mother. I wanted to yell out. I looked back at Hank and saw only hatred on his face. Then suddenly there was a shattering sound, his gun was gone and some of his fingers were missing. I heard a scream, many of them, but one was piercing. It was Robin. My head jerked around towards it, I felt my feet go out from under me and I was off the ledge, falling. The outside foliage of the tree cushioned my initial impacted and then my head hit a limb. I was out. ------- Robin, Sarah, and Daisy were over with Kristin; she was back on her feet with Beth Ann's help. Suddenly they heard a shot. Robin screamed and the rest followed suit. They saw my body turn towards them, my feet buckle and off I went. Robin without even thinking what she was doing was running, running to where I was falling. My body first impacted the top of the tree. They watched my limp, lifeless body tumble down, cracking thin branches as I went. Robin and the others weren't the only ones who ran to the site. Firefighters on the ground were at the base of the tree almost as soon as they saw me go off the ledge. They knew that that was a possibility and were ready for it. Six of them were watching my movements coming down to judge where I was going to land. As I came out of the last bunch of branches, still a good twenty feet from the ground, they had canvas stretched tight. I landed and the impact needed all of the strength of the men to not have me impact the ground. They gently set me down. Robin was at my head, pushing my disheveled hair away from my face. Tear drops were falling, she couldn't get a word out. Sarah looked at me, looked at the others, Kristin, Daisy, Beth Ann, all crying their eyes out. She had only met me and now, now her tears started to flow. She believed this was her fault. She had been used as bait and had fought back. The man who saved her was now on the ground dead. None of them were paying any attention to the doctor that had been summoned from the hospital and had been in the background hoping he was not going to be needed. These things were rare, but he knew they could get very messy. He gently pushed Robin's hands away. That was the first Robin even knew he was there. She looked at him with a 'How can you ask such a thing, ' look on her face. "I need to check his pupils Miss." "What?" "I'm checking his vital signs. I need to check his pupils to..." "You mean he's alive?" Robin asked. Not believing the words she was saying. "I believe he could be, but..." "But he fell off the building. I saw him," Robin looked around as if looking for confirmation, "We all saw him fall. Didn't you see it? He fell. Kristin didn't you see him fall? Mary? I saw it, I know I did..." "It looks like you may be in shock. It would be good for you to come to the hospital also." "You're taking him there?" The man had a penlight and was checking the body. "Yes, when I saw the fall, I called in for transport. I can hear the siren, can you?" "Yes, I can hear the siren, what is it for?" Robin was indeed in shock and the visible signs were all there. "You are coming in also. I gather this is a relation of yours." "He was my husband." Robin said, as though it was all over. Her life was over. Kristin and Beth Ann put their hands on Robin's shoulders and helped her up. She looked into their eyes. Her glassy eyes looked void. The doctor took a look at the young girl, then to the others around her. The other girls there were nodding confirmation to her statement. This was something new in his books, she was pretty darned young. Two ambulances pulled into the area, one up to where they were. They pulled the body onto a stretcher and slid it into the back. The doctor was waiting for the next one to be brought down. He understood that the police had brought Doug there, which usually meant a body bag for someone, not a trip to the hospital. Robin rode in the ambulance. Jack, Kristin, Beth Ann, and Sarah said they would be over as soon as possible. Robin jumped when she heard the sirens start. The reflections of the flashing lights bounced back into the windows lighting up her husband's face with a pulsing red glow. Robin didn't know what to believe. Her own eyes saw the fall. If he was dead, why would that man be attending to him? Why would they be bringing him to the hospital? It just seemed so unreal. Maybe he was alive, just maybe. It had been a while since Robin had prayed and now she felt a bit guilty doing so. It didn't stop her; she would do anything she could, to save the man she loved. As she looked at her prince, her heart crying in pain, she pleaded with God to save her husband, the father of the child she was carrying. Soon the siren stopped and they pulled into the emergency bay. Robin opened her door and as soon as she did, was greeted with a wheel chair. Looking over she saw them pulling her husband out of the back. She looked back at the chair. "I don't need that." "Sorry Miss, doctor's orders. You are to be checked out also." Robin closed her eyes to fight back her tears. She wanted to be with her husband. As she did, her world started to spin. She quickly opened her eyes, but needed to hold on to something. She took her place in the chair and they wheeled her in. ------- They were about to leave for the hospital when Jack heard the radio message saying they were on their way down with him. The next thing they knew there were four officers surrounding Hank, pushing him out the door towards the other ambulance. Daisy caught sight of him and stopped dead in her tracks. Jack saw him as well and pulled Daisy's arm to get her to go a different direction. They were starting to turn when he yelled at them. It was incoherent, but made all of them turn and look. What they saw was a bloody hand thrusting out at them. He was yelling even louder when Daisy turned her head away from him and with the others, walked away. Jack saw a crumpled piece of paper fall out of Hank's pocket onto the ground, just as they pulled him hurriedly away. Starting to leave Jack said, "I'll catch up to you," and went back. Everyone had started to pack up. It was easy to see from the trail of blood where Hank had been. Jack looked over the area. With his keys in his pocket, he made a hole in the lining. Upon finding his target, he let go of them. They dropped to the ground inside his trousers. "Hey, what are you doing over there?" Jack stooped down, retrieving his keys and palming the paper. "Found them," he said showing his keys off. "All right then, you had better move on now." There were few people on the pathways. If they weren't still at the building, swapping stories of what they saw, they were in their doom rooms, unwilling to go outside. As soon as they had gone several hundred yards, the noise was gone and they were in silence. Kristin looked over to Daisy and saw tears streaming down her face. She noticed Kristin's stare. "It's all my fault. If he hadn't come and got me, Hank wouldn't have gone after Keith. It's my fault, all my fault." Kristin didn't know how to respond, Sarah did. "No Daisy, it is my fault," She hung her head. Everyone stopped walking. They couldn't believe what Sarah had just said. "He used me as bait, I fought back and that drew Keith to him." Sarah burst into tears, "I killed him." Kristin took hold of Sarah's shoulders and shook the girl. "Sarah, you listen to me. Keith is not dead. He's can't be, he just can't." "Daisy, Sarah," Beth Ann said, looking at both of them, "You can not blame yourself for someone else's actions. You asked for help when you needed it, knowing full well Keith wanted to be there for you. You can't change that. Keith is special for how he cares. Hank was just one of those people who..." Beth Ann started to get teary eyed, "He's just like my uncle." ------- Robin was bundled up in warm blankets; she had liquids practically forced into her and the nurses constantly checking her. She asked about her husband, but the nurses told her she needed to calm herself down, try not to think about anything. That might have been their attempt at helping, but it just made Robin imagine the worst and they didn't want to tell her. As soon as the gurney had been wheeled into the emergency room, a trauma team was looking over the body. What they call razors with handles, were used to slice the clothing off. A nurse examined every inch of skin looking at the bruising as well as trying to see if there was a bullet hole that had been missed. The doctors kept searching for a heartbeat, a pulse, and regular breathing, to make sure the patient was not in difficulty. What they got was shallow breaths, a barely detectible heartbeat and no discernable pulse. It did not look good. They needed x-rays. They needed to know what was going on inside. The x-ray technician had been called in and was on his way, but time didn't look to be on their side. On the other side of the emergency room, two police officers came in then a gurney was brought in with a man strapped down, his hands wrapped in bloody gauze. Until they sedated him, everyone on the floor heard him screaming in pain. What the doctor saw when he unwrapped the hands, shook him. On his right hand his thumb was swollen, the index finger was missing from the knuckle down, on the last three fingers the skin on the fingertips were raw from skin being ripped away. The left hand was worse. He had used that hand to steady the gun and as it was blown away, his index and middle fingers went also. The other two fingers were there, but as soon as the doctor saw them he knew there was no hope for them. They would have to be amputated. His thumb was the only salvageable part. The palm of his hand was black from bruising and was starting to swell up. He was in shock, but they stabilized him enough to be taken to surgery for the amputation and cauterization of the stumps where his fingers use to be. ------- Jack had left the gals at the hospital and rushed back to tell Patrick the news. When he stepped in, Patrick said, "How is he doing? He is going to make it, isn't he?" Jack looked at the floor. "I don't know." Then he looked up at him, "How..." "The police have let me listen to the radio. I have been in earshot of everything." He rubbed his eyes from weariness. "We should have had some protection on him I guess. Someone can't be a hero, finding the deceptive nature of others and not make enemies. I feel a responsibility in this." "That is what Daisy and your daughter said." "Oh, what did Sarah say?" Patrick said puzzled. Sarah was not one to feel much responsibility as far as he could see recently. Jack wasn't sure how much he knew, so instead of answering directly he asked, "Do you know what happened to her before the attack on Keith?" "Not thoroughly, but I know something happened." "From what I understand, Hank thought Sarah was Daisy and grabbed her. He then realized it was not Daisy, but put two and two together. It was unlikely that a girl that age would be a college student. He then used her as bait." "That Son of a Bitch." Jack wasn't sure he should proceed. Patrick saw his hesitation. "There is more, isn't there?" "Yes, Hank decided he should molest her. I understand he didn't, but as she ran away, her top was off." "Fuck him, the bastard." Patrick snarled. Jack was surprised at the language Patrick was using. He had never heard words like that come out of his mouth. It was silent for a moment and then Patrick said, "You didn't answer me, what was Sarah concerned about?" 'That she was used like bait and her fighting back caused Keith to come and save her. She feels like she killed him." Patrick didn't know what to say, he stood there opened mouthed, staring at Jack. ------- Sarah, Daisy, Kristin, and Beth Ann were allowed to enter the hospital only because one of the police officers that had brought Hank in and was now in the lobby recognized them. They asked about Keith, no word. They asked about Robin, still in the emergency area, no access. They went to find Pamela, Stephanie, and Mary. When they walked into the room, all three were sitting on the bed, their heads down, almost like they were in prayer. Sarah was the first to speak, "Mary, it is so good to..." She didn't get to finish, as soon as Mary heard her sister, she jumped of the bed and wrapped her arms around her, holding her tight. Tears were in her eyes. "What happened?" For the next half an hour the girls were crying as stories were recounted. Pamela reverted to writing as her voice had given out. NO Keith can't be hurt It isn't fair They all agreed with that sentiment. It wasn't fair. It was then Kristin said, "Like it or not, I'm family and they will let me in." With that said, she marched down to the emergency ward. ------- Lt. Payne was sitting at his table. He had worked out his statement. He knew the Jeep would be there and he'd need to answer about that. Hopefully not the gun, but he had a backup plan to wiggle his way out of that as well. Hearing all the sirens, he knew it must have happened. Quite frankly he was glad. Keith Paterson had been a thorn in his side, one that got in the way of his ambitions and now that would be all over. The knock on the door startled him, even more, who was on the other side. "Lt. Payne?" "Yes Sir." He looked out the door and saw a black sedan, a driver in front and blacked out windows in the back. "I am Congressman McCarren, I think you have heard of me." "Yes sir, my parent's think very highly of you sir." This was not who he was expecting. What bad timing, he thought. "There has been an incident on the University campus." "An incident sir?" "Yes, I think you should come along with me." Lt. Payne locked the door and walked down the sidewalk to the car. The congressman opened the door and Lt. Payne entered, feeling nervous. Once inside, the car started driving. There was a glass partition between the front and the passenger compartment. Patrick again spoke, "Your Jeep was on the campus tonight, can you tell me why it was there and you are here?" Lt. Payne tried to act surprised, but his stuttering gave away more than he would have liked, "Mmmyy Jeep? I have, well, I don't, no sir, I don't know why." "Son, look me in the eye." Lt. Payne was reluctant to do so, but knew he must. "When did you meet Hank?" The expression on Lt. Payne's face gave Patrick everything he heeded to know. "Your Jeep with a kidnapped girl inside, your service revolver, and a map of the campus with your handwriting, describing particular locations, were all present tonight." Patrick said, holding a crumpled piece of paper with a bloodstain on it. Payne felt his chest tighten. "I..." He started to say. Patrick interrupted him. "Lt. Payne. You may not know it sir, but I have been at the university and I arrived with Keith Paterson this morning." Payne felt his mouth go dry. "It would be a disgrace to your uniform, much less to your family if you were brought to trial, for aiding the man charged with kidnapping and possible murder. There was silence in the car. This was not how things were supposed to turn out. Everything had gone wrong, very wrong. "I spoke to your parents just a while ago and filled them in on the seriousness of this situation." Payne's mind was in turmoil, his parents knew, how would he face them now? "They agreed that the best situation would be to have you removed, or shall I say, disappear. Under National Security measures you will be out of the area and have no knowledge of this." Lt. Payne felt a weight taken off him. He sighed, relieved. "Where am I going?" "The transport will be at the field in less than fifteen minutes and we are heading there now. May I remind you sir, that anything said about your time on this campus could jeopardize your innocence." "Yes sir." "If I hear anything, I will personally see to it that you are court-martialed and thrown out with a dishonorable discharge, if not with a substantial amount of time in prison. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" "Yes sir." The plane, a UC-45 was sitting on the tarmac waiting. As soon as Lt. Payne arrived, the engines started. He climbed in, the doors were closed and the plane started to taxi. Now this is what he expected. He knew a lot of the officers were transported in this. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. "You'd better buckle up, we are clear to take off." "Where are we headed?" He asked, suddenly realizing he had nothing but the clothes on his back. He didn't realize that he was embarking on a two-day journey that ended up at Mile 26, an air force base ten miles from North Pole, Alaska. ------- Kristin had pushed her way into the emergency room. She was standing face to face with a nurse and an officer. She also was not about to back down. On her way from Pamela's room to here, she had formulated a plan. It was working, although those in authority did not like her there, they were being forced to reconsider the possibilities. "It is your duty to call his parents, you know it and so do I." The nurse glared. Kristin went on, "Unless you can show me that Robin is fit, I happen to be next of kin, as I am his sister. Further more, Keith's business partner's father is a lawyer and will have a field day with the inappropriateness of this if you don't start telling me what is going on." This last statement came as the chief surgeon was walking up. "Do we have a problem?" He asked. "We don't if I am allowed access to my brother and his wife." Kristin stated. He was amused at her tenacity. "You are?" "Kristin Peterson." "Nurse, please take Kristin to see Robin. I came down to have a look at Keith. I will come in to see you after I know more about his prognosis." Then he took Kristin's shoulder and turned her to look at him. "If you do anything to upset Robin, or when I come in and you start ranting, I will have you thrown out of this hospital. Do I make myself clear?" Kristin took a deep breath; this was the largest amount of courage she had ever had to draw. This man, her brother, was responsible for the child she knew she was carrying and she damned well was not going to sit back and do nothing. "If I am allowed access and told correct information, then there will be no problems." She took his hand off her shoulder and then said, "If you, or anyone on your staff start withholding information again, you will never see the end of it. Do I make myself clear?" The surgeon looked at Kristin with a certain respect. He was tapping his hands together. Most people, male or female, coming into a trauma situation are easily swayed. Their thinking is not straight. This one had a fire under her and a level head on her shoulders. He knew part of her determination was born out of frustration that the hospital system constructed, to distance itself from anyone but the patient. He cracked a smile. "I am a surgeon, not a policy maker. My job and utmost concern is the patient, not hospital politics," Kristin smiled, "And not you either. It is the patient. Do you understand?" "Yes and I respect that, as long as my brother's welfare is the priority." With that, Kristin gave the nurse their parent's phone number. It had been the way she had gained access to the emergency room in the first place. She didn't want to wait to hear the phone conversation. She didn't think she could handle that on top of everything else and she knew they weren't going to get any more information than she had received. Robin was in a darkened room, the warm blankets still being changed on her, and fluids had decreased, as she had to get up every ten minutes to pee. A light sedative had been given to her and things were fine for the moment. That was until Kristin walked in. Robin looked over to her. Kristin almost started to cry when she saw how sad Robin looked. "Is he..." She couldn't get the last word out. "I don't know any more than you." She came over to her, kneeling and brushing Robin's face with her hand. "I'm sure he's not dead, if that is what you were asking. They would have told me that, I'm sure." Robin stared at Kristin, her red cried out eyes looking much older than they should. "He's such a good man." Kristin was surprised at how calm Robin was and asked her if they had given her anything. Robin didn't know. When a nurse came into the room to check on her, Kristin asked her if they had given her anything. The nurse looked at the chart on the end of the bed. "Just a light sedative." She said. Kristin didn't know, but thought she had better ask, "Do they know that she is pregnant?" The nurse looked mortified; she looked at the young girl, the chart, and then back to Kristin. "No. Let me check on that," and was out the door in a flash. ------- Frank Paterson was out when Catherine picked up the phone. "Hello, yes this is Catherine Paterson." "This is doctor Stevenson from the university hospital at..." "What's wrong with Kristin?" Catherine could only think that her daughter was at the university. "Mrs. Paterson, it is your son, Keith." That sent a shock to her system and she sat down on the kitchen chair, listening to the details of the problems. "What about my daughter, Kristin, or his wife Robin?" "Everyone is doing fine. Robin was in shock, but is coming around. Apparently the gunman was only after Keith." When Frank came home he found his wife on the sofa, wrapped up in one of Keith's favorite old blankets. An untouched cup of tea and several pictures of their children sat on the coffee table. "What's all this?" He asked jokingly. When she turned to him, he saw her red eyes, tear stained face, and sad expression. "Catherine," he said alarmed, "What's wrong?" Twenty minutes later he was on the phone finding out when the next train was. "We leave at five thirty tomorrow morning," He said to his unresponsive wife. "Honey, does Elizabeth know?" She shook her head. "I'll call her, alright?" No response. The switchboard got him through, "Hi dad, this is a surprise." "Honey, sit down." "What dad, did something happen?" "Honey, I know this is going to be hard, but listen to me. Keith is in the hospital." Liz was stunned, "What happened?" She couldn't believe what her father had just told her. "Your mother took the call, I was out. The details are sketchy. It sounded like someone was trying to shoot Keith. I don't understand it." "He got shot?" Liz said, practically screaming in the phone. "No. Honey calm down. He fell off a roof." After the words came out of his mouth, he realized how stupid that sounded, calm down, he just fell off the roof. Liz was trying to grasp what she was being told. "He fell off a roof? What roof? How high was it?" "Like I said, I don't know all the details. We are leaving early tomorrow morning by train." She knew her parents, they let their children take their falls and learn from their mistakes. This was not a problem that could be worked out. This was serious. "How bad is he?" "Liz," There was a catch in her father's throat she had rarely ever heard, "He's in a coma right now. They didn't tell mom a lot." "Daddy..." "I know honey. You two were always close as kids." "Kristin?" "She's alright." "Robin?" "They said she went into shock." "Oh no! I hope she doesn't lose the baby." This was the first he had heard of this, "She's pregnant?" "They thought so, just pregnant." Liz knew she had better watch what she said and not let out about Kristin. Enough shocking news had already happened. ------- The scream had brought Jill, who was down the hall, running. She caught some of the last of the conversation. Jill's best guess was that she had been talking about Keith, but it didn't sound good. She watched Liz hang up the phone, curl up in the chair and start crying. Liz was unaware that Jill quietly left the room. She was very worried and didn't feel like she knew what to do. She found Vicky first. "Liz needs help, we need to find Tiffany fast, and get back to her." This alarmed Vicky, "What is wrong?" "I'm not sure, but she had a phone call. I heard her scream and I was down the hall, she is now curled up crying." "Tiffany is downstairs." "I'll be right back." Vicky watched Jill fly down the stairs, hitting every third tread. Three faces looked out into the hallway at her, their nightshirts showing. She looked at Jill's door and decided she should wait. Frankly what Jill had said, scared Vicky. Liz was the solid one. To the surprise and wonderment of many of the girls, Tiffany and Jill came bounding up the stairs to meet Vicky. The three of them entered the room. Liz didn't look up, didn't even acknowledge they had come in. She was in the same position when Jill had left her minutes ago, still crying. "Liz," Jill ventured. She glanced over, such a sad look upon her face. It broke the other's hearts to see it. "Tell us; tell me, we have never hid anything from each other before." Jill pleaded. Liz held out her hands for the child. Both Tiffany and Vicky were running through their heads what Jill had said. Did she really mean that? Did she know what Liz thought, about them? Liz pulled Jill into her lap holding her tight. "Are you sure you want to know?" "Liz..." She took her time. Not because she didn't want to say anything, because she was scared of Jill's reaction. In the end she just said what she could. "Keith is in the hospital." Vicky and Tiffany pulled their hands to their mouth stifling a gasp. Jill's expression told her mind, shock. "Wwwhhyy?" Jill stammered out. She told what she knew. Then she said that her parents were going. "They don't go places unless it is important." Jill put her head in her hands and thought. "What did Kristin say?" "Kristin?" "You haven't called her?" Liz looked a little guilty, "No." Jill got off Liz's lap and picked up the phone. "The number Liz?" "No one's there, that doesn't surprise me. How do I get the hospital?" "Let me," Said Vicky, taking the phone. Taking two operators, she was connected. "I am looking for a Kristin Paterson." "No, she isn't a patient." Jill took the phone, "Hello, This is Liz Paterson. I understand my brother, Keith, is in the hospital right now. My sister, Kristin, is most likely there and Robin his wife. I need to locate one of the family members, can you help me?" Vicky, Tiffany, and especially Liz, whom Jill was impersonating, were all stunned at Jill's performance. "This is Kristin." "Kristin, this is Jill. Tell Liz what happened." With that, Jill thrust the phone to Liz. ------- The residences of Carp finished up their evening in relative comfort. There were many new and exciting things happening to the town. Life seemed very good for the moment. They were the only ones, who knew Keith, who had a good night sleep. None of them knew anything of the recent events, at least not yet. ------- Robert hadn't called for the car, so when the knock came on the door he was surprised. "The doctor would like to have a conference with you." "What does that mean?" "Sir, I have no knowledge other than that. I can not answer any questions you might have." The ride to the hospital was done in silence. When they arrived and Robert got out, he looked across the parking lot, across the street to Henry's Bar. He'd much rather be there than going in to some unknown conference right now. The secretary was expecting Robert and ushered him right in. Dr. Talson was at his desk. He looked up and set down the paperwork in his hand. "Have a seat Robert." Robert looked at the chair; suddenly it didn't look so inviting. This was not a social call. It made him feel like when he had needed to call an employee in and talk with them. It was never good news. "Alright if I stand," he asked nervously. "Have a seat." Robert sat. His brow was starting to sweat. "I told you and your wife that there were hundreds of questions and only one right answer." Robert nodded, recalling that conversation. "The test we did, the one I said was so important," Robert nodded again, "I got the results back." Robert took a hard swallow, his mouth turned dry and he had a hard time getting out the words, "What did you find?" The doctor crinkled his brow as he pulled the yellow paper from on top of his desk. The doctor read down a list of nineteen things Robert couldn't pronounce, much less remember. Robert had no clue what they meant, but after each one, the doctor said negative. Robert was waiting, holding his breath for the word positive. When the doctor put down the list, Robert was puzzled. "I know you have no idea what all that was, but it was our best bet." Robert was beginning to think this was good. Then the doctor put his hands together, leaning them on the desk. Robert knew it was coming. "We know something is going on. I should rephrase that, something is wrong. Some of the tests tell us that. A simple exam tells me that." He shook his head in frustration. "What they don't and won't tell us is what. There is one last way to do this. Robert we need to do what is called exploratory surgery." ------- Chapter 39 The nurse came into the room; Robin was asleep in the chair, curled up with a blanket wrapped around her. She looked so innocent, so young, and yet pregnant? The nurse had to take another look, it just didn't seem right, but that was what she had been told. It had caused a bit of alarm in the emergency room, but as soon as Keith was out of the emergency room and into a bed, albeit intensive care, Robin's blood pressure went down and she started responding to the people around her. Keith lay in his bed, unmoved. His vital signs were checked. The nurse was glad that his right arm was free to take a pulse from. From what she had heard of his fall, to have only one broken arm was truly amazing. Of course that was if you didn't count the state he was in now. It was a waiting game. She made notes and left. Three AM would be his next visit, unless the monitor he was plugged into went off. Until they knew all the answers of why and who, a guard was posted outside Keith's door, as well as Pamela's that night. Kristin was down the hall in a waiting room, asleep on a sofa. In Pamela's room, Stephanie and Daisy were there. Stephanie, much to the nurse's dismay, was in the bed with Pamela. Daisy was asleep in the chair. Fortunately for Pamela she had no physical damage from the kidnapping. The mental trauma would not be so easy on her, everyone thought. Mary had left the hospital only after she knew Keith had been moved. Escorted by a police officer, she ended up at Keith's place, where Patrick, Jack, and Sarah had awaited her arrival and news of what had been going on. Patrick wanted everyone together for the night and Keith's place had two bedrooms. Soon they were going to bed with Patrick and Jack in the room with the twin beds and Mary and Sarah sharing the bed that was in Keith and Robin's room. In the morning, Robin awoke with a stiff neck. She looked over at her husband. Tubes and wires were coming from his still body. She was cried out and she had found that crying didn't help, although the tears came when they wanted to. She paddled down the hall and found Kristin starting to stir. They looked at each other in disbelief of last night's terror. Hugging helped. "You have classes this morning?" Robin asked. It was only then reality started to settle in. A final exam, in history. Today was the first day of finals. She stared into Robin's eyes, 'No need to trouble her, ' she thought. "Yes. I need to go soon." Robin nodded her head. "Do you think they'll let me look in on him?" "They'd better." Kristin managed a smile and the two walked back to Keith's room. A nurse was in the room, another set of vitals. Robin stayed out as Kristin entered. As she looked at him, she could see a bruise on his cheek and a brace around his neck. The nurse rolled him to listen to his back with a stethoscope; a shaved section of the back of his scalp came into view with a small row of stitches. His head moved back and she lost sight of it. Kristin wondered if Robin knew. She took his hand gently, rubbing it. "Don't know if you can hear me, but I love you brother. We love you." Tears dropped as she kissed him on the cheek, she added, "I'll be back as soon as I can." She stepped back, looking again at him. He looked so peaceful sleeping, but his coma was at great emotional expense to everyone around him. "I need to make a call." Robin said, "Can you be with me?" "Yes." After the call, Kristin left the hospital only to find she was escorted by military police. It was not a pleasant sight. She was walking to her dorm, when out stepped Mary from Keith's place. They looked at each other, dressed in last nights clothing and hair a mess. Somehow none of that mattered. There were a lot more important things in life right then. Another policeman joined them. Mary rolled her eyes. "Daddy's doing," she said. At least they were staying several feet back as not to intrude. "They will be with us all day. Anytime you are outside a building, they will be with you." "Sounds like you've done this before." Kristin said looking at the MP dressed in his pressed uniform. His side arm in its white holster gave her a chill. "Yes, but thankfully not that many times." Trying to stay focused on what was happening at the moment was a very hard thing to do. "What exam do you have?" Kristin asked. "Math." "Ugh. Mine is history." Mary looked sharply at Kristin and noticed she didn't relate to what she had just said. Mary decided not to say a word "At least that is one class I had an A in so far. I'm so tired I think I could fall asleep in the middle of the exam." "I know. It is going to be awfully hard trying to concentrate. I was going to do some last minute studying last night. It never happened." Beth Ann greeted both gals at the dorms with a hug. That was the first of many as she went to her room. Kristin knew she was loved, but it made her emotions well up each time. The shower released a lot of her tension, but fatigue was starting to set in. She needed her strength to get through this exam. Beth Ann had the same class as Kristin and she knew how hard this was going to be for her. She figured just getting there would be a small miracle. Setting up a group of classmates, they were waiting for Kristin, as she was ready to go. Kristin thought it was a nice gesture that they all walk together; it did keep her mind occupied. She noticed they traveled a different way than usual, but that was to pick up a few others along the way she was told. Each time an explanation had to be made about the armed escort. What she didn't realize at the time was that the whole trip had been staged to direct her attention away from the marked off areas the police had set up the night before for evidence. The building itself was unforgiving though. As soon as Kristin saw it, she realized what she was walking into. This was the building her brother fell from. She stopped mid sentence, her body started to tighten. There in all its horror was a marked off area beneath the tree. She didn't want to look up, didn't want to face the height of the building. All of the students were being ushered into the building from side entrances. It took longer than normal to walk to the classroom that looked out over the front of the building. Sitting down in her seat, she was pale from the experience of just entering the building. She looked out at the expanse of grass in the front, normally a peaceful scene. Today it was filled with a police car, a maintenance truck, and a truck from a glass company. When the ruler smacked onto her desk, it made Kristin jump. "Now that we have your attention, we can begin the exam." Kristin realized that her mind was not anywhere near this class. The teacher was known for her harsh methods, but she was a model student, and the top of her class. It startled and embarrassed her that the teacher would do such a thing to her. Glancing quickly out the window to see what it was that had grabbed her attention, she lost all sense of demeanour. There, being carried by two men, were the remains of one of the front doors. Its shattered glass was a chilling reminder of the bullets. Kristin went over the top. Her body started to shake and then she started to go into convulsions, as though she were dry heaving. The teacher, alarmed, rushed over, and called for everyone to turn their exams over. The teacher looked out the window to try and make sense of it all. "Kristin! What is wrong? I just see some trucks out there. They are just replacing a door. What is wrong with you?" It was Beth Ann who, sitting in the next seat over, answered. It was a bit curt, but it sent shock waves to anyone who didn't know, including the teacher, "The bullet that shattered that door was aimed at Kristin's brother. I guess you didn't know. He's in the hospital, in a coma." All eyes were on the teacher. She stood Kristin, took her exam and brought her up to the front of the class, to her desk. "I can see you haven't even written your name on this, so I can assume you have not looked at it." Not waiting for an answer, she went on, "We will deal with your exam later. Right now I think it best if you remove yourself from this building." With that, she led Kristin over to the door and opening it, nudged Kristin outside, into the hall. The teacher was startled to see an MP standing by the door; she looked at Kristin, showing an unusual amount of compassion, giving her a hug, she said to him, "Can you make sure she gets outside, she is not feeling well and needs the fresh air." Then to Kristin, she said, "Rest, fluids, and good food are the best advice I can give you." Within a minute the bewildered Kristin found herself on the outside of the building, a place she was very ready to get away from. She wasn't sure how she did it, but soon, she was standing in front of the hospital. Inside, she found Robin and the two hugged and cried together. Stephanie was the first to wake. Pamela was kicking her. She got out and climbed into Daisy's lap. That woke Daisy, but she hugged the girl. It had been Stephanie who had calmed Pamela down enough by climbing into bed with her, so that she would go to sleep. Daisy rocked Stephanie in her arms, just like she had seen her mother do to Pamela. Soon she was singing a little lullaby to her with words that seem to come from nowhere. The chair was not designed for sleeping, or rocking for that matter. Both started to drift off from the motion and singing. Stephanie started to fall to the floor as Daisy's hold on her loosened. Stephanie gave a little yelp as she hit the floor. That woke Pamela as well as Daisy again. Daisy and Stephanie came to each side of Pamela's bed and gave hugs. The concerned sister took over and started looking critically at Pamela's face, as though she might see something the doctors had missed. She spent enough time looking that is started to concern Pamela. "What wrong?" Her face was mended, but speech therapy was still needed. She was so used to having problems with words, that she kept the pattern of cutting out anything unimportant in a sentence. Daisy looked back into Pamela's eyes and said, "Nothing. You are still just as beautiful as yesterday. I guess I just wanted to check myself." "Want to see that jerk did anything," Pam said in a weak voice. Daisy almost laughed at Pamela's words. "Yes. Pamela," Then all humour left her face, "I'm so sorry he did this to you. You know all men aren't like that." Pamela stopped and thought, "I know, he was, I think, called a dick." Stephanie couldn't control herself and started laughing. Daisy even managed a little smile. "Yes, he was," Daisy said, "but I feel somewhat responsible." Pamela shook her head. "He not like time you spend with me ever. Bad man. Glad he gone." Just then Sarah appeared at the doorway with Patrick and Jack behind her. She turned back annoyed with their presence. "I'm fine now." Sarah said. Both men nodded. The military police, instead of the local police, were stationed outside the door. Both men were anxious to see about Keith. ------- Catherine didn't need the alarm clock. She had been laying awake most of the night. Frank tried to sleep, he knew he needed to, but between his wife's tossing and turning and his own anxiety about his son, it was almost impossible. Arriving at the train station almost an hour early, they had plenty of time to review their trip. There were fifteen stops in all, with two train changes. One was at Denver, the other at Salt Lake. Sitting on the hard wooden benches at the station didn't seem to faze them. Nor did the cold that penetrated the bones on early spring mornings. Catherine had packed for them the night before and had a bag to carry on. She had been very contemplative in picking out the items in that bag. Time ticked slowly, but eventually the train arrived and they boarded. Settling in, it left the station right on time, pulling out with the familiar jerk of the engine. The sun was just coming up, over the horizon. Catherine glanced out the window, seeing the pale pink sky, the valley floor still dark, and the cold feeling, just before the warmth. "Keith always liked the morning," she said, not expecting a reply. Frank bit his lip, a trait he had seen his son pick up to hide emotion. Those simple words had transported him to a fishing trip with his son. Keith a boy of nine, scampering out of his sleeping bag and out of the tent, to see the sun showing its face. Wearing his cotton pajamas with the cowboys on them. Waking his father in excitement and the two of them watching the sky turn from dark to light as the young boy shivered in the cool morning air. The sun had turned everything from a muddled dark mass to a rich kaleidoscope of colors a few hours ago. Frank took Catherine's hand and led her to the dinning car. The thought of food was far from their minds, but Frank knew it was important. Catherine stared at the menu but that was it, she just looked. Frank ordered for both of them. When the order had been taken and they were alone, Catherine started to take things out of her bag and set them on the table. A hand made doll, Liz had made so that Keith could play with her. A few chess pieces, the only ones remaining, Keith had made for Kristin in high school. Finally a Medal of Honor for bravery beyond the call of duty that had come with a letter signed by Congressman Patrick McCarren. Keith had sent it to his parents, not wanting it to be seen, embarrassed by it. Robin, his own wife knew nothing about it. Frank looked at the items. His will to be strong was fading, but he knew he must say a few words before he too dissolved into tears. "Catherine, he's not going to die." She didn't look at him and he took her arm causing her to look up at him. "He is a strong young man. He will make it. You need to be strong for him now. We all do." They held each other, holding onto what they could, hoping for the best. ------- When the phone rang in Carp, Patrick Theisen just about jumped out of his skin. It was early in the morning and he was coming back from his meditation spot, absorbed in his own thoughts. "Hello." "Grandpa?" "Robin, is that you?" "Yes." "You don't sound well child, what's wrong?" The tears started to flow once again for Robin as she told him. It was very hard to hear his granddaughter so distraught; it was also hard to hear of one of the fold doing such atrocities. As soon as one of the townspeople, a young woman, came by, he had her scurrying to get Jimmy. By the time Jimmy and Dora showed up, just two minutes later, Robin was spent. Jimmy got onto the phone and Robin handed it weakly to Kristin. "Hi Robin." "Sorry this is Kristin." "Oh, Hi." "Jimmy there have been some things that have gone on. Bad things, and Keith is in the hospital." This caught Jimmy's attention very fast. "He was brought into the emergency center last night. Your sister was pretty much out of it. She wasn't hurt..." "Hysterical? Is that the right word?" "Yes, that is a good word for it." "Yea, I can understand that." "Jimmy, this is serious. She has a good reason to react like she is." Kristin said thinking that Jimmy assumed that Robin was just over reacting. "I know, but maybe you don't know why, do you?" Jimmy said as though it made perfect since to him. The explanation was pure innocent thinking. "No why?" Kristin asked wondering what Jimmy thought. "My dad got beaten up pretty bad, hit in the head, and was taken to the hospital. Keith took Robin and me there. It was the first time we'd ever been in a hospital," For the first time Kristin heard the catch in his voice. "Dad didn't come home." Then Jimmy asked in a voice that was on the verge of tears, "Is Keith going to come home?" Kristin remembered Keith telling her about that. It had been a turning point in his relationship with Robin's mother Katy, but an agonizing time for everyone. Now everything fit, why she was going crazy and as they said he was stabilized and doing better, Robin suddenly responded again. "I think so," Kristin said, hoping herself. "Thank you, Jimmy, for telling me that. I know it is hard talking about that stuff. It helps me though. I can help your sister knowing stuff like that." Jimmy was embarrassed and proud at the same time. "It's ok. Does mom know?" "Not yet. They are traveling back and until they call, we don't know where they are. It is sad." "Yea I know. Richard wrote a letter, saying they were leaving soon and couldn't wait to be home. Hold on, Dora wants on." Kristin did a quick recount of what happened. Dora couldn't believe Hank would have done such a thing. She had heard about the Redding incident, but this left her stunned. Before breakfast was over, just about everyone in Carp had heard Keith was in the hospital, in a coma, put there by none other than Hank. At ten, the bell rang. There was no surprise; a service was going to be held. These were Mennonites and above all, they believed in God. It was a time to let out the helpless feelings and let in the idea that a power beyond their comprehension would take control. Patrick for the first time in his life shook as he stood before the townspeople. His faith was being tested as never before. The reality of what had happened was settling in on Jimmy. Dora was still in a stunned disbelief mode; Millie stepped in and took over. "You two are coming over and having lunch. You'll be staying for dinner as well." Jimmy's eyes turned from watery to crying, "But that's what happened when dad went to the hospital." "Straighten up now Jimmy, Keith is not going to die." Millie said and proceeded to busy herself. She did not want to think about it. If she was doing things, anything, she didn't have to think. Jimmy looked at Dora who put her hand on his shoulder, "It will be alright. It will be good for us to be around family." The meaning hit home to Millie and she put her arm around Dora, "Yes it is good to be around family. I'm sure your daughter is helping Pamela right now." "I miss her." Dora said softly, a tear dropping from her face. Patrick had walked up in the middle of this. Millie's husband, Bruce nodded to him. Millie turned to see him and said, "I expect you for dinner as well." Knowing this was a breakthrough for Millie, Patrick wasn't about to let the opportunity go by. "I would be honored. Thank you." The mayor, Jim, and his wife, the third member of the school board, came up and started talking to them. Jim pulled Patrick to the side. "If I remember right, when Jack left here he was going to see Keith. I was wondering..." "I think it is high time to pay a visit to the communications officer." "My thought exactly." "If you will excuse us ladies, we need to see a man about a horse." They left and Brian looked at his mom. "Is grandpa going to get a horse?" "No sweetheart, it is an expression they are up to something that they don't want anyone to know about." Jimmy piped in, "Can we follow them then?" Millie laughed for the first that day. "No you cannot. You're coming home and having lunch." ------- Jill and Liz had cried themselves to sleep. In the morning the signs of red puffy eyes were still visible. They had talked a lot. Jill asked why she wasn't going to see her brother. Liz knew she needed to be here; she had been at his wedding. The first time she'd taken time off during the school year, ever. Then with the chemical leak and the ensuing quarantine, she had been away from school for too long. Liz couldn't justify it, it wasn't right. What she didn't want to face and knew deep down inside was that fear was keeping her from even asking about going. Fear of seeing her brother for the last time. Jill still couldn't understand. She knew everyone would understand, but Liz was stubbornly adamant about it. She would be teaching her classes. There were only four people who knew about the call and Liz told them to keep it quiet. They might not agree, but respected her wish. It might be easy not to say anything, but Jill had a hard time acting normal. After all, even if he wasn't her brother, he had a very special place in her heart. In first period Jill burst into tears and the teacher needed to send her out of the class. Liz wasn't doing much better and ended up having a study period for the class, so she didn't need to pretend everything was fine as she was in front of them. It was better and worse as the day went on. For Jill, it came to a head in the drama class. They were practicing the part where Laura, playing her part, runs off with the other boys, leaving Jill alone. At that moment, Jill felt abandoned, totally alone. Why the rush of feeling came over her, she didn't know exactly, but it powerfully knocked into her. As she said her last lines, tears were rolling down her cheeks and her legs bucked, landing her on her knees, her face in her hands, sobbing. It took Mrs. Walker a moment to realize that Jill wasn't just putting on a stellar performance, something was wrong. Quickly giving everyone a job, she took Jill into her office. "Jill, I know a good performance when I see one. That wasn't it." It jarred Jill's senses somewhat to hear what she thought was criticism. For the first time, she looked at Mrs. Walker. "Jill, that was not a performance at all. The emotion you were releasing was real, very real. It must be fresh as well. Care to tell me about it?" It was silent in the room for a good four to five minutes. Jill was weighing the pros and cons of saying anything. The deciding factor was Liz. She had trusted Mrs. Walker to bring her brother here, to the theater. "Keith got hurt." "How hurt?" ------- It was early in the day when Robert walked into Henry's Bar. Henry was still setting out glasses. The lunch crowd from the hospital had yet to pile in, he looked at his watch, another minute of so. Robert sat down in what had become his favorite spot, off in the corner. "The usual?" Henry asked, he was good at remembering what people ordered from the second time they walked in. "Make it a double." Henry knew this meant trouble. He had been a bartender too long. A double before lunch told him either an alcoholic or some major problem, sometimes both. Henry took his time and mixed the drink; a bit weak, knowing his patron probably would not notice. The crowd started coming in, filling tables. He had two waitresses at lunchtime. His clientele needed to get in and out quickly. The bar filled as well. John; his part time bartender showed up; late as usual, and started taking orders. Soon the place was filled with talking. "Want to talk about it?" Henry said as he noticed half of the drink was gone already. "They want to cut into my wife, just to see if they can find anything." He was frustrated. For the last year he had been told it was nothing. Told that by the husband of his daughter, whom he had trusted. Henry heard people talking all the time and he was always listening. Surgery was never a simple matter. This procedure not something he recognized. "You mean they just want to cut in and take a look?" Henry asked. This caught the attention of the person sitting close to Robert, who turned and listened. "Yes, they have done so many damned tests on her I think they ran out of things to do. Now they want to slice her open and see what other pain they can put her through. I don't know if I can take much more of this." The man turned in his seat, "Sounds like exploratory surgery." "Yes that's the name." Robert downed the rest of his drink, pushing his glass to Henry, "Another one. That's what they want to do, explore. Can you believe it? They might as well have told me, I don't know what I'm doing, so let me cut her up and see if I can find anything." Henry filled the glass while listening and set it down in front of Robert. "It's not that bad," the other man said. "Just a small incision usually." Robert took a good-sized swig and looked harshly at the man, "It's not your fuckin' wife they're talking about, it's mine. The last test they did was so painful they had to give her a drug so she could stand it." Robert downed the rest of the drink. "You look at me and tell me, buddy, that cutting into her ain't going to be painful." The man looked down and grimaced. Feeling was something he couldn't afford to do on his job. It was too painful. He had shut feelings off after the second month of working there. "Thought so." Robert said. He got up, realizing at that point how much, and how fast, he had consumed. "Call a cab?" Henry asked. Robert was fishing in his pocket for cash and also pulled out the paper with the phone number on it. "If you could call this number." Robert said, handing Henry the paper. Henry figured it to be relatives, but when he called and was asked if the car wasn't at the hospital already, Henry explained who he was and that he was calling for, had to ask the man's name, Robert. They would send the car over. Henry was curious about this man, who showed great emotion, had a drinking problem, a very sick wife, as well as a private driver. It was a very strange combination. The lunch crowd was in full swing and doing well; Henry had a moment and helped Robert out the door. The government car came rolling up; the driver hopped out and opened the door for Robert, then took off, leaving Henry with more questions. Robert slept the next three hours, while his wife, Mildred, wondered why he hadn't come back from lunch. ------- Katy, Richard, Sandra, and Jack were standing outside their home. Katy had just put the last of Richard's toys that they would be taking, into the car. When the table came out, Sandra had said she hoped it was put to good use. Richard used to have fun with it. Katy made a remark after that, before she really thought of what she said; having a bit to do with the hotel rooms, the noise, and the height of the table. As soon as it came out, Richard was blushing and Sandra started snickering at her son's embarrassment. It was painfully obvious that Jack wanted to say something. He got a certain expression and moved back and forth on his feet. After years of being with him, Sandra could see the signs as plain as day. "Katy," she said, "let's take a walk around the block one last time." Katy looked at her and smiled. The two had bonded over the short time they were together and she knew something was up. "I'd love to. It will be good to get a little exercise in before sitting the rest of the day." The two left the men standing by the car. They watched the women walk down the block. It wasn't until they had turned the corner and were out of sight that Jack said anything. "Richard," He hesitated. Never one that shared his feelings much, this was hard for him. "I want you to know how proud I am of you." Richard smiled. He did know, his father showed it in many unsaid ways. "Thanks dad." "I mean that son." He took a deep breath, "I'm sure you knew how worried we were of you after the accident." Jack looked down to the ground. He didn't want eye contact right then. "We knew how special that girl was to you. There wasn't much anyone could say." "I know. It was probably hard on everyone." "When you climbed into your shell, we thought it would be temporary. After years, we felt like we had failed you. You just weren't going to turn around. I don't know quite what happened son. It doesn't matter really. What you have done in this short time is amazing, simply amazing." Richard laughed, "Well, I had help." Jack smiled, "Yes, it looks like it. Good help too." He paused and then went on, "I think you are smart having a kid now." This surprised Richard, "Really?" "We waited a bit. My career was just starting, we had just been married. We spent time for ourselves. I spent a lot of time for myself." Jack stopped trying to decide whether to go on. "When you came along I had a lot of readjusting to do. I was jealous of the time you took. It took away from the time that I had called my own. It isn't a nice feeling to resent your child for needing you. It took years to get over that." Jack turned his head away, but Richard could hear the tears in his voice. "When the accident happened and you withdrew from everything, I blamed myself." "Dad, no..." "I felt if I'd spent more time with you, hadn't felt jealous of the time your mother spent with you, maybe, just maybe, we could have talked." Jack turned to his son. "Richard, I have seen you with children. You are much different than I was. I hope that continues. One of the best things that I can say I did in my life was to have a child. That is you, by the way. I mean that. I just wish I could have been a better father." Richard was choked up. Never had his father said such things, painful, inside the heart things, to him. "You know I always loved you." "Not quite the same. I plan on making it up by spoiling my grandchildren to death though. There are going to be more than one?" Jack said, one of his eyebrows raised. Richard laughed, if only his father knew. He wasn't sure how to tell him there might well be two along the way right now. 'Yes dad, definitely more than one." As soon as they were out of hearing distance Katy asked, "What is all this about?" "Jack wanted to say something to Richard." "Oh. Something important?" "I'm not sure what it was," Katy looked over to Sandra, "He had this look. It told me. When you've been married as long as we have, you just know." "That is so sweet. Sandra you are the best mother I could ask for." As soon as those words were out she wondered if she should have said them. "Katy, I feel the same way. You are the daughter I never had. I do hope you have a little girl that I can sew for. I missed all of that." "I'm sure there will be a little girl in Richard's life." Katy said thinking that if she didn't have one, Dora might. That was another bridge to cross. When they got back to the car it was the final goodbyes and they were off. Katy noticed that Richard was silent, she let him be. It was almost thirty minutes later that he spoke. "My father said a lot of things to me." Katy smiled, "Your mother knew he wanted to talk to you. She said he had a look." "She was right." Then he proceeded to tell her what his father had said, up to, and including the part of having more than one child. Katy laughed. "Your mother wants a granddaughter to spoil. You can count on me, if you want." With that she reached over and rubbed her hand into his crotch. Richard nearly ran off the road. "Katy, I've heard you and Robin talking about what she did to Keith on the road, now I understand. "She did more than just rub," she said as she unzipped his pants. "It's a bit warm in here, isn't it?" Richard managed to say. Katy stopped her ministrations for just a few seconds, rolling down her window. "Here, that might help," she chuckled, "But I doubt it." As much as Richard tried to concentrate it was impossible, he had to pull off before he caused an accident. She was very good at what she did with her hands. Katy never noticed the car slowing down, or even stopping. Her whole attention was on the hard shaft in front of her and she wasn't about to let loose until it filled her mouth. Richard was at the point of no return when a car pulled off in front of them and a girl maybe fifteen jumped out of the passenger side and came running up. "My dad wants to know if you need any..." Her speech slowed to almost a standstill as she said the last word, "help." She just stared, as Katy's cheeks filled and Richard turned crimson. "Katy! Katy!!" Richard said, "We have company." Katy hadn't heard a word from the girl; she thought Richard was in ecstasy as he was yelling out her name. As she pulled up and licked her lips she heard the words, we have company. She turned to see a stunned girl, who was now looking at the first dick she had ever seen. Richard noticed where her eyes were riveted and quickly stuffed his tool into his pants. Katy's eyes were sparkling; she didn't seem to mind at all. "Now what was it dear?" The girl looked at her with a pained expression, she started to stutter as she said, "M-m-y dad s-saw y-you pulled off the side of the road," she paused, "h-he thought you might need some help." Katy laughed, "No, I had everything well at hand." The girl's eyes went wide. Never in her life had she ever heard anyone talk like this, especially an adult. Her mind was filled with things she had only started to hear about at school. It made her start to feel a bit flushed, kind of funny, but kind of nice. Katy jumped out of the car, "Come on, I'll explain," she told the girl. "No, I mean my parents wouldn't understand." "Don't worry, everything will be fine," Katy said as they approached the car. "Hi," she said to the girl's father, "it was so nice of you to stop. We just had a few things to take care of and my husband couldn't concentrate on driving as I was taking all of his attention, so we pulled off." The girl couldn't believe what she had just heard. This young woman just told her dad they had been doing some sex stuff in their car, she had said it plain as day. "Just wanted to see if we could help." The girl couldn't believe her ears. Was her dad deaf? She looked between her father and this woman, and started to blush. She realized, only she took the meaning to be full of sex. "Do you live around here?" Katy asked. The girl's mother replied, "No, my mother fell off a ladder and broke a bone. She lives alone and we needed to set up some things for her. It has been a very short trip. My mother insisted we take all of this back with us. Frankly I think it was the medication and she'll call and want us to bring it back to her. We need to get this one back for the end of school." "So where do you live." Katy asked looking into the car. The back seat was full and the three had been riding in the front bench seat. The girl had started to relax and piped in, "Grand Junction." Katy's mouth fell open, "Really? That is where we are heading. You don't go to Linden Hall Boarding School do you?" "No, that place is too expensive. Full of rich spoiled kids." The father said. "You might be surprised. That is were we are heading, one of my good friends teaches there." Katy thought it prudent at the time not to say it was her son-in-law's sister as that might raise a whole series of questions she didn't want to answer now. "I've never really know that much about the school to tell the truth," he said. "I know they do special things for the community, but we've never been involved. I'd like to know more about it though. But..." The woman said looking over at her daughter. "Well as we are traveling the same way, why don't I ride with you and your daughter can ride with my husband. I'm sure he will keep your daughter entertained and I can tell you what I know. We can stop and have lunch together. You must know a place somewhere ahead." "Sounds like a fine idea, and yes I know just the spot, we always stop there." The girl couldn't believe it. She was being brought back to the car where she had seen; well she had seen sex things in broad daylight. Now she was going to ride with this man? Were her parents out of their minds? She had to remind herself they didn't know, but why didn't she tell them she didn't want to? As the door opened and she looked at him, she realized she was curious, curious enough to get in. Richard watched Katy and the girl walk to her car with amusement. He was very surprised when he saw both of them return to his car and shocked when Katy opened the door and the girl climbed in. "Can you believe it? They live in Grand Junction. Her parents don't know much about Jill's school so I'm going to ride with them and she's going to ride with you. We'll stop for lunch. He said he knows a great place." With that Katy reached over the girl and drew Richard to her. The kiss Katy started to give was passionate and inches from the girl. The girl, between the two of them started to squirm, moving her head towards Katy, that meant her legs went towards Richard. Richard got bumped and pulled back some. Katy wasn't ready to let go yet and went with him. She lost balance and her hand landed right at the base of the girl's crotch, on the material of her dress, between her legs. The material stretched as Katy's weight was pushing on the seat to stabilize herself, causing pressure on the girl's pussy. The girl was mortified; she realized she had caused this to happen. She also realized where Katy's hand had landed. She tried to sit up, but her dress was unyielding and the only thing that happened is she knocked Katy and Richard apart, their tongues still duelling. It was an up close and personal visual of French kissing. Katy looked down at her hand, "Oops!" she giggled, pulling her hand back. As she did, Katy let her hand slowly drag against the girl's thigh. "Have fun," Katy said with a little smile on her face and patted the girl's leg. Then she walked back to the other car. The girl was suddenly faced with the reality of the situation. She has seen these two doing sex stuff and now she was alone with the man. As she started to panic, thinking she should get out, she should go back to her father's car, the car started onto the highway. She moved as far away from the attractive man as she could get on the wide seats. She looked over at the man. He was not paying any attention to her. Watching the road, looking at the gauges, looking in the mirrors, he was absorbed. She then realized he might not want her here. He hadn't said anything to her as yet. She was almost a full-grown woman, but she didn't know anything about what she had seen these two do. It surprised her that she felt a bit sorry that he didn't seem to even want her there. Wasn't she attractive? It was all very confusing. Richard wasn't quite sure what to do with this girl. He was glad in a way that he had just been drained. It allowed him to think a bit clearer; after all, here sitting next to him was a very pretty girl. She looked like a young Dora; he started to get hard at that thought. They were all alone and would be for some time. As she wasn't going to say something, he thought he'd better break the ice. "My name is Richard. What's yours?" His voice was strong, yet gentle, it made her go weak. Older boys were starting to do that to her now. "Jennifer," she said softly. Do you go by Jennifer, or Jenny? I knew a girl that went by Jen once." She giggled, "Jen, that's strange. My friends call me Jenny." "Ok, Jenny it is." Richard said, trying to make light conversation. "Richard do people call you dic..." She turned bright red as the word started coming out. It flashed in her mind the scene she saw as she walked up to this car. "No Jenny, they don't. Just Richard." There was an awkward silence, and then he went on. "You don't have to be so embarrassed. It wasn't your fault what you saw." She glanced over at him and then back to the floor. "I guess you have never seen anything like that before, have you?" "No," she said, wondering why she told him, but the disappointment in her voice was evident. "Jenny, I'm not going to hurt you. I couldn't. It would make me feel terrible to force anyone to do something like that, but if you are curious. If you have any questions, I might be able to help you. After all, it is unlikely that we will ever see each other again, so you could ask anything and not have to be embarrassed about it." Jenny bit her upper lip. She had so many questions and she could ask no one she knew. The girls at school knew as much as she did and that wasn't enough for the girl. She looked ahead; her parent's car was right in front of them. They couldn't hear a thing, but the nearness was reassuring nothing could get out of hand. Her decision was made. "Can you tell me about what you were doing?" She asked, blushing as she said it. Richard smiled. "I'd be glad to, but first you need to know something else, so it doesn't surprise you." "What?" "About guys' dicks." Jenny's eyes went wide, "What?" "Mine was the first you've ever seen right? Maybe your dad's, I'm guessing you don't have any brothers. But if you saw your dad's it was soft, not like mine. Am I right?" "I only have a little sister and I've never even seen my dad's before," Jenny said, feeling a little more at ease. This was defiantly a strange conversation, but Richard's voice was soothing, and he was rather handsome. "I kind of thought so. Your eyes just about popped out of your head when you saw it." Her mouth went dry, embarrassed once again, but she couldn't help herself from asking, "Is it always so big?" "No, right now it is smaller. Not as small as it gets, but not as large as it was. I know that is confusing, so let me explain. Most of the time it is in its smaller soft state." Richard was trying to think of an analogy. "Kind of like a girl's nipple. When it gets excited, it firms up and gets larger right?" Jenny could feel it happening, they decided to do just that as he mentioned it, she was wondering if he knew they would, 'oh, no, ' she thought, he probably can see them too. Richard could see her embarrassment, maybe that wasn't such a good choice, oh well, it is done now. "Jenny don't you think this might be a little embarrassing for me as well?" She hadn't even thought about that. She looked over at him. He was looking out at the road. 'My goodness he is handsome, ' she thought. 'Here it goes.' She sat upright and pushed out her chest. "Yes, they get hard." Richard glanced over and could see her thrust out breasts, the outline of hard nipples pressing against the constraints of her clothing. "Jenny," he said, his voice cracking. "When a guy gets excited the same thing happens to his dick. Look." He motioned her to look down at his crotch. She couldn't help but stare. She saw the bulge getting bigger and bigger. "Oh," she said. "That is what I wanted to explain. When a very pretty girl comes along, or when a guy talks about sex, even when he thinks about it, sometimes it starts to grow." Jenny's mind was racing, processing this information. He had said before it wasn't soft. They hadn't talked about sex stuff yet. She couldn't think he'd be thinking about it, he'd been to busy driving and talking. "Do you think I'm pretty?" She said before she realized she had said it out loud. "Jenny, you are very pretty." That stated and revelation of what it did caused her to blush once again. Richard could see her desire for more information and the embarrassment of asking. "Yes Jenny, it was you that caused it to be more than just soft, but I think you already figured that out. I was telling you all that because when it gets big and hard I need to make it more comfortable or it hurts." "It's hard too?" Then she became alarmed, "More comfortable? You're not going to... to take it out are you?" Richard laughed. "No Jenny. I don't think you want to see it again. I just need to arrange how it is in my pants." "Oh," she said. Then she frowned without realizing it. She wouldn't get to see it again, that was more disappointing than she thought. "What's wrong?" Richard asked seeing her expression. "What?" She said, than glanced at his bulge. "Oh, nothing." "Jenny, remember, you can ask me anything. This is your golden opportunity to say and ask anything to a guy. I doubt you'll have another chance like this one. If you don't take advantage of it, you'll be kicking yourself the rest of your life." She knew he was right, 'why not, ' she thought. "You said I didn't want to see it again." "And you do?" "Maybe." "Jenny either you do, or you don't. You know the answer to that. If you do, just ask. I wouldn't mind showing it to you at all. In fact I would like it as much as you." "Oh!" "Now where were we when we started all this, oh yes, what were we doing? Jenny I'm going to guess you have heard of a blow job." Richard glanced over, Jenny was staring out the windshield and she was bright red. "Jenny?" "Yes, I've heard." She almost whispered. "That told me what I wanted to know. You've heard, but the definition has been somewhat lacking and the sight you saw was a bit overwhelming. Am I right?" "Yes." She said in that still soft voice. "Ok, try not to get too embarrassed here. I'm going to try and tell you what it is like for a guy." "Really?" Jenny said. She couldn't believe her luck. She was finally going to know something. This was just too good to be true. "Just like guys, Jenny, girls play with themselves. We all do it, so get over that idea of trying to deny it alright. So now you know how good it feels to rub yourself down there. Have you ever imagined what it would be like to have another hand, I mean other than your own, there instead?" Jenny couldn't believe what he was saying. She was really trying to cooperate; she needed to know this stuff. She shook her head timidly, cleared her throat and letting out a timid, "Yes." "Good. Now let me tell you, with someone who is good to you, and cares for you, it is not just twice as good, but maybe four times as good as doing it yourself. Can you imagine that? Jenny was caught up in the moment, "I'd like to." Richard was having a hard time. He had to adjust himself. A movement not lost to Jenny. "Now you can picture how good that is. A girl can be... have you heard the expression, 'eaten out'?" Jenny looked over at him, "That really doesn't happen, does it?" She said shocked. "Yes it does. Trust me when I tell you that it is even better than a hand, a lot better." "Ohhh, how can that be?" "I guess you know what orgasming is? You know a woman can do it many times right?" "That's what I've heard. One of my girlfriends said she did it twice. We didn't believe her." "What if I told you when Katy and I have sex together, she usually never goes without four and I think the most was over ten." "How?" Jenny said in wondering disbelief. "Starting with the hands and then going to the mouth." Jenny interrupted, "She likes it? You aren't pulling my leg are you?" "Likes it, she loves it, but what I am trying to tell you Jenny, is the intensity of it all. That level of feeling, remember how good I said it felt from your hand, to another's hand, to another's mouth." "Yes." "It is the same for a guy, but maybe even more. It is one of the best things a gal can do for a guy." "Really?" "Didn't it look like I was enjoying myself when you looked in on us?" "Yes, very much. I'm sorry about that. I hope I didn't spoil it for you." Richard had to adjust himself once more. "No not really. I was already too far gone and nothing was going to stop me at that point." Richard saw Jenny staring again at his bulge. "You want to know how, don't you?" She looked up at him. They caught each other's eyes for just a moment before Richard looked back to the road. She said 'yes' in more ways than her voice. "Jenny you know it doesn't take much to get a guy excited. Just being around a pretty girl like you will do it." Jenny blushed. "You can see a guy's excitement, a whole lot easier than a girl shows hers. So once his dick is big and hard." "It's really hard? I don't understand that. How does that happen? I mean it's just soft flesh isn't it?" Then Jenny said, "Can I see it again?" In the black Ford ahead, Katy knew the trouble Richard was going to get himself in. She was laughing to herself about it. "What's your name?" he asked, as they pulled onto the highway. "Katy and yours?" "I'm Lois and this is my husband Joe. So you have some acquaintance or something working at the school?" "It is actually my daughter's husband's sister." "Your what?" "Forget it, it is hard to understand, a relative." "That is easier. What does she do?" "She's one of the teachers." "So you say that the school isn't full of bratty rich kids?" "I'm sure they have their fill, but not the ones we met. One of my daughter's friends is going there for the last weeks of school." "Just for the last weeks?" "It's a long story, but in our town, we haven't had a school. That will change next year from what I hear. We have had to teach our children ourselves." The man and wife looked over to her at the same time, "Where do you live?" They said in unison. "A little town called Carp." "Carp, Carp. Seems I've heard that name recently. Where was that?" He said, looking into the rear view mirror. A car had separated them in the last passing lane, or was it two. There were two cars back there that were the same, except for the color and he couldn't remember. He wasn't going to ask either. Only one car passed he decided. "I'd have said with your fishing buddies, but I've heard that name to. What is so special about your town?" The Lois said. "Not much," Katy said, "If you didn't count the bad water." Joe just about ran the car off the road, stirring up dust behind them and slowing the cars in back of them. "Carp! That town in the papers? That Carp? That's where you live?" "Yes, that is the place." Katy said excited that her little town was now a landmark. 'Then you must know Keith and Richard, the heroes?" Lois said. Katy laughed. "Richard is my husband." "No!" "Yes. He won't tell your daughter, I'm sure. He's just like Keith, won't brag about saving a whole town." "That's almost funny," Lois said. "If she knew, she'd be talking his head off so she could tell all her friends." There was another passing lane and the car that was between them passed, but another two came between them. He could see the other car he had thought might have been them also had a car between making it five cars away. 'Good thing that wasn't them, ' he convinced himself. Katy asked, "You wanted to know more about the school?" Lois answered, "We have wanted to know for some time, but didn't quite know who to ask. We figured the school officials would sugar coat everything." "I think your daughter is too old for the school." "We have a younger one. She is staying with a friend right now. She had a music program that she had been practicing for. We couldn't take her away from that." Lois said. Then looking at her husband, she continued, "She is having trouble in school." Richard was a bit distracted when the first passing lane came up and two cars got between him and Jenny's parents car. She didn't notice, in fact she wasn't paying any attention to the road ahead of her. All of her attention was on Richard and the lump in his pants, and she had just asked him to see it again. Richard wondered how he had got into this position. Should he show it to her, he knew what his little brain was thinking. She glanced back over to her. She could see the indecision in his eyes. 'He's thinking that I'm just a little girl and he's not going to show me.' She thought. "Please." She said. "I don't have a boyfriend. The girlfriends I have don't have brothers. We are all wondering. None of us knows anything. You're safe." "Not that safe," Richard said without thinking. Her eyes went wide. "Look, you are a very attractive girl, I'm a guy. We are alone and you want me to show you my dick. How safe is that?" She bit her lower lip, he did have a point and she didn't like it though. "My parents are just up in the next car." She said as though that was a lot of help. "Are they?" She looked and then back at him, "Where did they go?" She was not feeling as safe. "Now four cars up." She looked again and seeing the black sedan, relaxed. "You see, a lot can happen when you are thinking with your emotions rather than your head." He chuckled; knowing those cars between them was a result of that little head getting the best of him. "Most guys think with the brain they have down here when it comes to girls," he said pointing to his dick. She looked seriously and then smiled as she caught on to what he was saying. She looked at him shyly, "I still want to see it." Richard sighed. Katy had set him up with this one. Not that he minded, but he knew it was just going to frustrate him in the end. "Hold on to the steering wheel," he said. "Why?" "So I can pull something out of my pants." He was glad he had a good hold on the wheel as she grabbed it. It took her a minute, and she had to scoot over next to him, but she was holding the car straight. "Now keep your eye on the road." "Ok," she said disappointingly. She wanted to watch everything. She felt him move around, his leg brushing up against hers made her tingle. Richard took hold of the wheel again. "You can let go now." She did and looked down, there; right next to her was a dick. She felt like she was going to pass out. He had pulled his pants down and there it was standing straight up with a funny sack below it. She started to reach over, to touch it and then pulled back. Looking up at him, he looked at her and smiled. She melted. "You like the looks of it?" It was so hard to get the word "Yes" out. Suddenly her mouth was dry and it felt like she couldn't talk. The cars started to slow down and they went to a complete stop. Richard pulled up his pants, much to her disappointment. "We don't need anyone coming up to the car and seeing this, do we?" She could see his point. "I hope we get moving soon," she said with more than time being an issue. They did start to move, but at a crawl. It was another half an hour before they saw cars being diverted to another road. The cars slowed down again and when Richard came up to the roadblock he was stopped. Jenny, who had stayed where she had been next to Richard, scooted back to the other side. An officer pulled the roadblock away and suddenly Richard, and the cars behind him were let through, with no traffic ahead of him. "Can I see it again?" Jenny asked as she slid over, "I'll hold it again." Even though Richard knew Jenny was too naive to understand what she had just said and was referring to the wheel, his dick responded. He took one of her hands, wrapped it around the steering wheel and said, "Hold it gently then." Jenny turned red as she realized what she had said and how Richard responded. He looked at her embarrassment. "I told you I wasn't that safe." She looked over at him and then down. He grabbed the wheel as she let go, realizing that his dick was once again looking at her. She again had to resist the urge to reach out and touch it. Richard slowed down and it caused Jenny to look out the window for the first time in a while. Her eyes had been studying a new friend. She saw a line of cars entering the roadway form a side road. "The end of the detour," Richard said. "We'll pull off up ahead and let them catch up to us. It will have taken them longer to get here than us." Richard pulled off and now had his hands free. It quite frankly worried him. "Jenny, maybe I should put it away now." "No!" she cried. "Jenny," Richard said, turning her head up to look into his eyes. "I don't need my hands on the wheel and you can see that it excites me to be here with you." "I trust you," she said with the innocence of youth. "I don't trust myself." Jenny started to frown. "Can I..." He could see she was trying to build up courage. "Can I just touch it once before you have to put it away?" She looked up at him and put on a little smile. Richard sighed again, "Once, just once and quickly." Her hand quickly reached over and grabbed it before he had a chance to change his mind. "Oww," Richard cried. "Sorry," she said on the verge of tears. "Here," he said and took her hand, gently wrapping her fingers around his shaft. This time she touched him softly. It was heaven. She started to explore and in that was stroking him. It was starting to get to be too much. "Jenny," She didn't respond. "Jenny, you have to stop." Still no response. "Jenny, I'm going to cum if you keep on." Her hands moved faster, urgently seeking it. "Jenny. Stop!" Richard finally cried out, taking her hand away. "Your parents are here." That sent a jolt through Jenny. She rocketed to the other side of the car. Then timidly looked out the window. Richard was pulling back on the road, in back of them. She sighed with relief and looked back to his crotch. His pants were up and the lump was gone. He looked over to her, "It had an effect on me as well. You moved to the other side of the car. I wilted." Jenny started to laugh. Richard followed. It was only ten minutes later that they pulled off to have lunch. Jenny jumped out of the car and Richard saw her go to Katy. "Thanks," she said. "I knew you'd have fun. I kind of like him myself." Lois and Joe were trying to suppress smiles. They were thinking, 'if only their daughter knew, she would have really enjoyed herself.' As they walked in, Joe spotted a monthly he liked to read in the newspaper stands. "I like this," he said, feeling the need to justify himself, "because it has in depth stories about interesting items around here." They sat and ordered. As they were waiting for the food, Joe couldn't help but scan the paper. Then he lost all pretence of glancing and was avidly reading. He looked over to Richard and Katy. Lois was not happy with him, "Would you put that away. You're being rude." He ignored her and started reading aloud, "The girl from Carp, a town filled with enough intrigue itself, see side bar, claimed fame in Grand Junction as she saved a fellow classmate from sure disaster. She is now the school hero, but would rather not talk about it." The rescued girl's parents though could not say enough about how she had saved their daughter. A daring horse ride, keeping rabid dogs at bay, and finally providing exemplary medical help for their daughter. Jill would forever have a debt of gratitude from the family." Jenny wondered what that was all about. She had heard about the girl at school. It was pretty interesting, but she didn't know why her father was making such a fuss. "I wonder," He said, "did she get the humility approach from her fellow heroes in Carp?" Richard looked at Katy who smiled sweetly. "Dad what is all this about? Why are you going on about this girl?" "Was this the one you were talking about Katy?" Lois asked. "Yes she is our friend." This perked up Jenny's ears. They knew her? Lois looked at her daughter, "Jennifer, they live in Carp." Jenny looked over to the man who she had just ridden with, She looked a bit pale when she asked, "You're not the Richard, I mean the Richard and Keith from Carp everyone has talked about, are you?" When he nodded his head and said, "I'm afraid so," she fainted. After Jenny was revived, she was practically drooling over Richard. Her parents were amused and grateful he was married and his wife was with him. Lunch was good and soon they were outside. Jenny begged her parents to let her ride with Richard and Katy. They reluctantly agreed, but only after Katy said it would be just fine. With the many things that they were bringing back from Richard's home, Jenny sat in front. In fact she sat in the center, saying it would be easier as she was the smallest. As soon as they were on the road, Katy asked for a blow by blow description of what happened. The story Richard told, turned Jenny red throughout the story. She heard it from a male's viewpoint. It was much different. When Richard ended at the parent's car showing up Katy wanted more. "You mean you didn't get to see him shoot off?" Jenny was surprised by what Katy was saying, she wasn't even bothered. If he was her boyfriend she'd kill another girl for doing what she did, she realized. Instead of answering Katy's question she asked, "You don't care that I was doing that?" Katy laughed, "I know Richard, I also know curious girls. My daughter was more curious than you. I knew if you two were in the car together, something would come up. Don't I care? Yes, of course I care. I care about Richard and his feelings. I care that you looked like you needed something too." Katy smiled at her. "Remember though, I get to take him home at night and as excited as you got him, I'm going to have a great time." She looked over to Richard. "You must be hurting." "A bit." "Hurting? Why?" Jenny asked. Katy had to explain about blue balls to Jenny. Then Katy instructed Jenny on the importance not to tease to a point of hurting, either physically or mentally. Richard now had his turn at a crimson complexion. Katy leaned into Jenny and whispered into her ear. Richard knew this was trouble, but as he was driving, there was little he could do. When Jenny nodded, and blushed, he guessed something was coming. "Jenny wants to finish her instruction." With that Katy leaned over Jenny's lap and undid Richard's pants. Katy ran a commentary while doing so. Pointing out how his dick was responding. As soon as it was out of its packaging, Jenny reached out for it. It was part of the game plan Katy had whispered into her ear. Jenny was comfortable doing it as Katy was right next to her. As she started to stroke his dick, Jenny asked, "So tell me about this daughter of yours. You don't look old enough to have a daughter my age." Jenny's strokes picked up as Katy told of Robin, her age, her man, and her marriage. Her hand was flying fast when Richard said, "I'm going to cum." Much to Richard's dismay, Jenny stopped and leaned back. Katy, then leaned in and took him into her mouth. That sped things along. Richard was having a hard time paying attention to the road. He now understood Keith's plight. He was just about to shoot as Katy stroked and sucked him. Fighting to keep his eyes on the road and his foot from jamming down on the accelerator, he felt his release. Katy felt his shaft expand and knew, her hand was flying up and down his shaft. She pulled back her mouth and kept it open. Jenny could see the end of his tip just inside the edge of her mouth. Then she saw the blast, then another. Jenny was sad to get out of the car. The last twenty miles Katy had told her how to let little parts of information out. How it would look if she knew everything so fast. Most importantly how someone might tell because they were jealous and the trouble everyone could get in. Jenny very much appreciated her help. They said goodbyes, gave hugs, left addresses, and promised to come to Carp if the opportunity ever arose. ------- Richard and Katy drove into the parking lot at the school. They could see students were milling around. Grace had seen them enter the parking lot and recognized the car from their last visit. As soon as she could she came out to greet them. She was not the only one who saw them arrive. Jill, with her friends Laura, Betty, and Sue came walking to the parking lot. Richard, in an attempt to be funny said out loud, "If it were Keith, they'd be running over here, not just walking," hearing the reception Keith had received. Jill stopped and stared at Richard; it caused the others to stop as well, just as Grace came down the steps of the administration building. "Sorry Jill, I just know how Keith would love to have the whole school witness his arrival," he said laughing. Jill's lower lip started trembling, tears started to roll down her face. "How could you?" She said, her voice showing shock at his statement. She turned and ran from them, her movements showed she was wiping tears from her eyes. Grace looked at them and then to where Jill was running away. "I assume you have no idea what that was about?" Katy and Richard looked blankly at Grace. "None," Richard said. "No time like the present to find out. Let's go find Liz." That took less time than they thought. Halfway to Upper Hall, there was Jill, standing like a statue. Off to the side of the entrance to the hall, Liz head bowed and shoulders slumped, was with Mrs. Walker and she was talking. ------- Chapter 40 Laura, Betty, and Sue knew better than to be around when people got disciplined. They exited the scene quickly. Grace was leading Richard and Katy down the path and when they spotted Jill standing in the path, Grace kept moving. Locking arms with the surprised girl, she continued to where Liz and Mrs. Walker were. Richard and Katy, walking right behind the woman, and were quite amused by the action. Liz looked up when everyone arrived. She was startled to see Richard and Katy there and started to speak. Grace, cut her off and in her direct way, said, "Into my office everyone, we need to talk." This was not a question, it was a command and everyone followed. No one said a word on the short distance there, but glances back and forth to each of the parties were constant. Once inside Grace told her secretary she did not want to be disturbed. She pulled a few extra chairs into her office and motioned for everyone to sit. Perching on her desk, Grace looked at each of the people in her office. She focused in on Jill. "There seems to be a good sized problem here. It appears to be overwhelming to you Jill. I can only guess that Liz knows this and has chosen not to be forthwith about it." Liz started to protest, but Grace held up her hand to silence her. "Maybe you could shed some light on your recent outburst." Jill knew everyone was staring at her. This was worse, much worse than being on stage. She glanced over at Liz, trying to get some help. Liz had tears forming in her eyes and was biting her lower lip. This didn't help at all. Jill lost all resolve and burst into tears. She reached into her pocket and pulled a well used handkerchief out and held it to her face. Katy quickly moved to Jill, "It's ok. We know you didn't mean it." Grace was surveying the situation. The one person that was there that didn't fit into what Grace had come to know as the Carp family was Mrs. Walker. Grace moved over to her and placed an arm around her. "Want to tell me what you know?" Mrs. Walker looked at Jill and then to Liz. "I'd rather not betray the trust that was placed with me." Grace was losing patience. "Now look, I can see, in fact I heard something disturbing come from Jill. Liz, you are a part of that. Anyone can see everyone is looking to you. Richard and Katy, close people to you look dumbfounded about what is going on. What is the problem here?" It became silent in the small oak paneled room. Liz took a deep breath. Her eyes were watering; it looked like she was twitching as her emotions took over her body. Hands and arms were visibly shaking. It scared everyone in the room watching her. "K-K-K" she took another sharp breath, "K-Keith is..." Liz couldn't finish; she dropped her head into her hands and sobbed. Katy was alarmed and started to move where Liz was sitting. "Is what?" she cried. "In the hospital, he's in a coma." Jill said with courage she was trying her hardest to maintain. Katy went white and she started to hyperventilate. Richard was visibly shaken with the news. He jumped up to take hold of his wife and try to break her cycle of breathing. In a last ditch effort; he kissed her, closing off the air from her mouth. She panicked and tried to break away, but Richard held fast. It worked and her breathing slowed. Grace was mortified. Before her was a scene that could not have been imagined. For once in a long, long time she was at a loss for what to do. Once Katy collapsed in a chair, Richard looked over to Jill and said, "I'm sorry." Jill realized then, that they had no clue of Keith's state. What he had said in the parking lot would have been funny another time. "No, Richard. I should be apologizing." She bowed her head, "You didn't know." Katy was feeling things that she hadn't felt in a long time, well anytime after Richard came into her life. She felt drained. She felt like she was back in the hospital in Caliente waiting and watching her brother-husband die. As much as she didn't want to hear, she had to know. Reaching out and touching Liz she said, "I need to know. What is going on? What happened?" Liz looked up to see Katy's pleading face. She sighed, remembering the story her brother had told her of Katy's husband. As much as her emotions consumed her, she forced herself to speak. "Hank," she paused. "Hank went to the university." "Oh God." Richard said, suddenly feeling sick. "He kidnapped Pamela." "No!" Jill cried out. Liz reached out and Jill clasped onto her for dear life. "Hold on Jill, it is alright. Let me finish. Then he went to get Keith. He got hold of Mary's little sister Sarah." Jill's grasp on Liz's arm looked like a tourniquet. "He used her to get Keith. It worked, because Keith made sure Sarah got away. Then Hank started shooting. No one knows what happened, Keith got away somehow and he was chased. The campus has bullet holes all over." Liz stopped to take a breath; this next part was going to be the hardest. "Hank chased Keith up to the top of a three story building. I'm not sure of everything that happened, but he fell off. The thing that saved him was a tree." Her voice finally broke, "At least that is what we hope." "Pam... Pamela?" Jill asked. "Mary found her. She was fine. Hank wanted her as bait also, that was all." Jill released her strangle hold on Liz's arm. Her muscles had tightened so much that now as they started to relax, she felt completely drained. "When did this happen?" Grace wanted to know. "We heard yesterday." Grace glared at Liz, "Get up," she said, pulling Liz to her feet. She marched her to the door, opening it, Grace said to her secretary. "Liz needs a train ticket to Salt Lake as soon as the next train is leaving." Richard spoke up, "That won't be necessary, we will take her." Grace closed the door. "Liz I don't know what has gotten into you. Why in the world are you here right now?" Liz bowed her head. Grace looked over and asked Jill, "Do you know?" "She said she had been away too much and needed to be teaching. It didn't make any sense to me." "No it doesn't," Grace replied. Katy pulled at Jill's arm, "Do you want to come with us?" Jill felt panicked, "No!" She realized how that sounded. "I mean I have school. I have the play." She said looking over to Mrs. Walker. "Jill it would be fine. You can go." Jill started to cry, "But I don't want to go. I can't see Keith like that. He's a... my... hero." It was that statement that clarified everything. A hero can't be hurt. Jill and Liz didn't want to face it. Katy, of all people understood. "Liz you have to come and you know it, don't you?" Liz slowly nodded. "Jill I know how you feel, and it might best if you stayed, but with who?" Jill looked at Liz questioningly, "Tiffany?" she ventured. Liz had a strained smile on her face. "Let's ask." ------- Catherine and Jack looked out the windows watching the scenery go by. A thought hit Catherine as they passed a freight train and she started crying. Jack put his arm around her. "What is it?" "The furniture. It should be on its way. We were going to go down to help. I'm just no good. I'm falling apart." He hugged his wife. "Dear, you have always been there for the kids. This has got to be the hardest thing either one of us has done, but remember we don't know much. Try not to let your fears take over. Maybe he'll be wondering why we showed up when we get there." She blew her nose and tried to smile. "Yes, that would be nice." Others got on and off the train at the many stops. There were two couples that Catherine could hardly stand to have in the same car. The first was a newly married couple. They went on to those around them about how this was the start of their lives. The second one was a couple and the wife was very pregnant. Catherine figured seven to eight months along. She thought of poor Robin and wept. Jack pulled Catherine to her feet and led her again to the dining car. It was not suppertime, but some tea would be good and possibly calming. He also wanted her to get away from the things that were upsetting her. It would still be a few hours before they arrived. ------- Bruce came into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Mildred could see his tear stained eyes. She could smell a bit of alcohol on him. He was a mess. She wondered how he got along without her, what he would do if something happened to her. Even now as she lay in the hospital, she felt the need to comfort him. It had always been that way, but after the accident in the mine, even more so. He was considerate to her though and thought of her constantly. She knew she never had to worry about him looking at another woman. He understood what she did for him and appreciated it, but it was more than that, he loved her for it. "I almost punched a man out today." Mildred was surprised, "Why?" "He said that your surgery was routine, as though that makes it right." "Robert," she said lovingly. "I asked him to tell me it wouldn't hurt you. I just wanted to hear that. The... man couldn't, he wouldn't even look at me." Mildred took a deep breath. She could hardly believe her husband had been talking about it. "Where did this happen?" Robert looked at her guiltily, "At the bar across the street. A bunch of the medical people get lunch there." She didn't have the strength to get into drinking his lunch, so she ignored that part. She was amazed that he would bring the whole subject up. He was a fairly private man. It showed her his level of concern and it was gratifying and worrisome at the same time. "I have a restricted diet now, so my dinner is going to be sad." Then she poked his side, "I don't want you bringing a big piece of meat up here and eating it in front of me." "Ok, I get the hint." Then he looked over to her and held her hand; "I won't go to the bar for dinner either." "Thank you." ------- Anthony flew in from a trip to Chicago. Things had been very busy for him and it had taken him by surprise when he looked at the flight log, how long ago he had been able to fly. Well to tell the truth, the last time he had flown himself had surprised him, but what really surprised him was Keith's log. He had forgotten all about that night Keith had called in desperation, asking to use the plane to rescue a fair maiden. He smiled thinking about it. It had sounded so much like himself at Keith's age. Running off, rescuing others. Things had been so hectic in his own business that he hadn't had a chance to talk to Keith afterwards, or meet this fair maiden. He hoped she was still in town and that would be something he could now rectify. This last trip had been the signing of papers and sealing an eight month long deal. Anthony was glad it was all over. As he taxied in, he noticed there were a few people being held outside the fenced area by the airport patrol. This was very unusual. He radioed the tower to see if they knew anything about it. Anthony was above all a cautious man and didn't want to enter anything without forewarning. The man in the tower, a good friend of Anthony's chauffeur, took his binoculars and looked to the place mentioned. Radioing the patrol officer, he let Anthony know what was going on. There were two reporters and a cameraman wanting to talk to him. Anthony first assumed that it was from the business deal that had just been closed, until he was told it had something to do with the incident at the university. Anthony made a radio call to his ground crew, specifically his chauffeur. He was going to bring the front of the plane right into the hanger. It would be almost impossible for a picture that way. He would get out, and the plane would be stored as he slipped on a jumpsuit. The car would drive away with his chauffeur in the back seat. This wasn't the first time he had used this ploy, but things like this were a necessity to avoid the press at times. Until he knew what was going on, this was one of those times. His vintage Rolls was a joy to drive and he felt sad that he didn't get to drive it more often. When he arrived at his estate, his first question was directed to the university. He called the chancellor and sat down in his chair, stunned at the events that had taken place. When he mentioned the reporters, the chancellor was not very pleasant with his remarks about their behavior. The hospital had to be completely sealed off with guards at all entrances, even the employee and truck bays. It was that bad. Anthony had not heard him this upset in a long time. As he heard more he understood the frustration. Congressman McCarran was there and could hardly step out. His daughter and Keith's sister were being hounded and extra security had to be placed around them as they tried to get to classes. All this in the last week of school as students needed to concentrate on their finals. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, Anthony asked if he could help in any way. Specifically asking, if the Congressman would like a quiet place to retreat to. As soon as he hung up, Anthony had another thought. Calling again he asked if any relatives had shown up and if not, would be coming unsuspecting into a storm of media. He was thanked for the quick thinking, suggestions of avoiding the reporters, and his willingness to assist. ------- Kristin had been able to get to the hospital with only two cameras flashed in her face. Patrick had showed her ways of hiding her face, tricks he had learned long ago. It was best to choose the time and place to have one's picture taken, he had said. Now with Robin, she was talking about the madness when the phone rang. The nurse's station had to monitor all calls coming in at this point as well. The reporters had managed to get the room number. Sarah was on the other end, "Dad told me to find you. He wants to talk to you. I guess I'm playing his personal secretary when I'm not visiting Pamela," she said with a laugh. "It beats having nothing else to do. My dad says he's glad none of the reporters have been able to get this number." Robin heard the phone being passed off. "Robin?" "Yes." "I had an interesting call just a few minutes ago. Do you know if any of Keith's relatives are coming to the school?" Robin repeated the question to Kristin and then answered, "His mother and father got on the train this morning. Kristin heard from her sister." "Does she have the train number, or time of arrival?" More questions and then, "She'd need to call Liz and find out if she knew. Why?" "With the reporters swarming around we don't want anyone arriving, who would get caught unaware." "Yes that would be bad. I'm glad I'm not going anywhere and they can't come in here. I feel sorry for Mary and Kristin who have to go to class. I'm glad they haven't been pestering Beth Ann yet." "Probably just a matter of time unfortunately. Give me a ring as soon as you know." "Ok, I will do that." Kristin made a call to the school and was patched into Grace's office immediately. A call from Kristin was not anticipated and no one wanted to hear any more bad news. Liz was shaking when she was handed the phone. "Hel,, looo," she said, her voice shaking. "Liz? What's wrong?" "Why are you calling? What's wrong now?" Liz said with dreaded anticipation in her voice. Kristin realized the problem. "Liz don't worry, nothing has changed." All those in the room saw Liz's tight muscles relax. "It is just that there are a swarm of reporters and camera men running around the school. We didn't want mom and dad to get caught unsuspecting. Do you know what train they are coming in on?" After several deep breaths Liz was almost back to normal. "No, I don't know the number, but I remember the time they were leaving. I'm sure someone could figure that out." "Yes. Give it to me and we will have someone pick them up," Kristin said. Then after a prodding from Robin, she asked, "Are you going to come up?" There was a short silence and then Liz said, "Yes. Richard and Katy are bringing me." "They're there?" "Yes, just got in a bit ago. I had to tell them." "I'm sorry. I know that must have been hard. Is Katy there? Robin would like to talk with her." "Yes, hold on." "Mom?" Robin said, her voice showing the tears coming to her eyes. "Yes, it's me. Oh Robin, I'm so sorry. How are you doing? Are you eating enough? Who is watching over you? How are you sleeping?" "MOM!" "Sorry," Katy said. "I'm just so worried about you." "I know, I have people who love me here. They are taking good care of me. I can't wait for you to get here. When are you coming?" Katy looked over to Richard, then to Liz. "We're leaving today. We'll be there tomorrow." "Kristin said to call before you come so we can make sure the reporters don't get you either." "Alright dear. When we get into town we will give you a call." Kristin called Patrick with the information and it was passed on down the line. ------- As the train came closer, Catherine and Jack sat. Not looking out the windows, not talking, they just sat. Each in their own little world, wishing that the next stop wasn't going to happen. As the train slowed and the conductor called out the stop, they looked at each other. Catherine had a tear starting to fall down her cheek. Jack reached in and kissed it away. Something he always did. She held onto him. As soon as they retrieved their luggage a man approached them. "Mr. and Mrs. Paterson?" "Yes," Frank said, surprised. "I have a car waiting." They looked at each other. "But no one knew we were coming." "It is my understanding sir, that your daughter Liz told your other daughter Kristin, who then told Congressman McCarran, who relayed the information to the University Chancellor. He informed my employer and I was sent here to assist you." His statement was rattled off fast and with a bit of smile on his face, it was evident he was expecting to be asked and had practiced his delivery. "My name is Theodore and I am at your service." Catherine and Jack looked at each other and started to laugh. It was just so unbelievable and with their tension so high, they couldn't help themselves. "Then let's go," Jack said shaking his head. When the man walked up to the Rolls, the Paterson's looked at each other again. They had never ridden in such luxury vehicle before. The door was opened by the gentleman, and Catherine stepped in. The burl-grained wood had a soft glow. The metal glistened. The richly upholstered seats had more legroom then could be imagined. For a moment they forgot their problems and fascination took over. In front of him, Jack couldn't help himself and released a lever on the back of the front seat. To his surprise a jump seat unfolded. There was one on each side. The chauffeur looked back in amusement. "If you are ready?" he said. They turned to him embarrassed. "It is quite an automobile. A grown up toy some could say." Instead of arriving at the university as they expected, they arrived at a house, well it was more than a house, and estate. As the door was opened again for them and they got out, Anthony was waiting. "I am sorry for this," he waved his hands, "runaround. This afternoon the university was besieged with reporters. If you would have shown up," he shook his head, "it would have made a difficult situation dreadful." Jack looked at this man. A man of means and yet having compassion. "How do you know our son?" Anthony smiled and led them down the pathway to the entrance of the house. "I am a director on the board for the university. Therefore I know a lot of what is going on, that is, shall we say, special. I heard about Keith and his guests and family were showing up. The way he had, what shall I say, finagled his way into getting Pamela and her mother treated was something I'd never seen. He also had the status of a hero, which I had read about in the papers. I was interested in the man, so I threw a party." "I imagine he didn't tell you why Pamela was so special, did he." Catherine said in a sad voice. They passed the foyer and entered a living room, he motioned to seats as he continued, "No, but I'd be interested. Keith is a real hero as he is characterized to be." Anthony chuckled. "I am ashamed to say it, but I laid little traps for him all evening long. I wanted to see the real Keith, the braggart, the obnoxious hero that wants all the light. What I saw was the person that showed a great deal of humility. It is an unusual combination. So tell me about Pamela." Catherine took a breath, "Pamela was being teased because of her," Catherine paused, thinking of the right word, "cleft palate. Keith saw it and came unglued." She had to stop for a minute to wipe her eyes. "He had a friend that was so traumatized over a physical condition that he took his life." Anthony nodded his head. "Yes I can see Keith taking up the cause and caring enough, not to want someone else to have to go through that." "So how are we going to get to the hospital?" Jack asked. Anthony laughed. "You will be going in a slightly different mode of transportation. First let me show you to your rooms and then the three of us shall go." Anthony pointed out the piano as they stood and told them of the duet Keith and Kristin played. Catherine couldn't help a smile thinking how nice that must have been. They walked down the hallway, passing a bathroom and were led to one of the guest rooms. Catherine and Jack saw their luggage laid out. Anthony explained that the house would soon be full, as Congressman McCarran and the Nellis base commander would also be showing up. Then he led them outside to the front and there in the driveway was a small delivery truck from a stationary supply store. "I have many friends, and one has agreed to do us a favor. We will be delivered to the service entrance of the hospital." The same driver that had picked them up at the train station was now dressed in a delivery uniform and was opening the back of the truck. It was empty inside, except for a sofa that stretched the length of the short box. An open window into the front cab let light in. Anthony held out his hand for Catherine. She looked at Jack, who also offered his hand; she took them and stepped up inside the van. Jack followed and Anthony came in last. The driver rolled the door down, as he got into the front, they seated themselves and started to become accustomed to the dim light. "It will take several minutes to get to the campus. I hope neither one of you gets car sick." "No," Jack said. "At least not yet." Anthony glanced over, "I can see where Keith got his dry sense of humor." He detected a small smile from Jack. It was less than ten minutes but felt much longer to the passengers in the back. With no way of seeing, every turn and bump came as a surprise. As the truck stopped they heard the conversation between a guard and the driver. Then they started backing up, it was obvious they had arrived. The driver opened up the back and two security officers delivered three people into the hospital. ------- The call from Kristin set off a chain of events. Now everything was in full gear. Liz was energized, as she needed to take care of so many things before she could go. The first was to make sure Jill was taken care of. Tiffany was in her room when Jill and Liz found her. When she heard the news that Richard and Katy were here, she was excited to meet them. When she heard that Liz was going with them to see Keith, she shook her head in agreement. When asked if Jill could stay with her she just about fell over. "Jill, you want to stay with me?" "You were her first choice," Liz said. Tiffany was, well, not surprised, maybe a bit confused. "Are you sure? You could stay with some of the other girls. You're friends with Betty, Sue, and Laura." Jill looked like she was going to cry. "You don't want me here?" "No, oh no, it is not that. I just didn't want you to think you couldn't do something different. If you want to stay with me that would be fine." "Are you sure?" Jill asked. "Yes. I'm sure we'll have fun." Jill smiled. "I hope so." Liz gave Jill a, 'I'm going to talk with you, ' look. Tiffany saw it and wondered what she just volunteered for. Liz gathered up her lesson plans, made notes of assignments turned in and gave them to Grace. She was going to be taking papers to be graded with her until Grace told her to leave them also; her mind would never be on school. Liz understood and had to agree. Then it was the matter of packing. Jill insisted on helping. Liz was trying to be serious and Jill was asking if she would need the red or black pair of little panties Jill had given to her. When she pulled out the dildo, Jill said, "I think I'm going to need this. I hope you weren't planning on taking it." Liz grabbed it from Jill's hand. "Behave yourself. I don't want to find out you are being shipped back to Carp because of behavior unbecoming a lady." Jill sat up on the chair next to the bed. Her legs close together and nicely planted on the floor. Her arms crossed in front of her at the wrists, resting on her lap. Her head tilted slightly to one side. In a soft, young girls voice she said. "Liz, I am not at all sure what you are talking about." Then with a devilish smile she said, "I'm always a good little girl. I'm very good, or so I've been told." Liz took a pillow and whacked Jill across the head with it. Jill replies with gales of laughter. As soon as Jill stopped laughing she looked at Liz, "I'm sorry I shouldn't be laughing. It's that I've been tied up in knots and now everything is coming out." Liz took Jill's face into her hands and looking into her eyes said, "I know. I'm sorry to have put you into such a difficult position. Don't push Tiffany though. I don't want her hurt." Jill could see Liz was being serious. In a much more normal voice, Jill replied. "Don't worry; I was just letting off steam. I'm sure she wouldn't even be interested in me." Liz thought to herself that she wasn't so sure, but wasn't going to say so. As soon as Liz was packed, she took her suitcase downstairs. A crowd of girls had assembled. Liz realized two things. She was going to need to introduce Richard and Katy to everyone; she hadn't heard the end of it last time when she didn't let anyone know they had been there. She also needed to tell the girls why she was leaving. It wouldn't be fair to make those around, especially Jill, make that announcement. She gathered most of the girls, who were on her floor, that she looked after and brought them into the main part of Upper Hall. Dragging a reluctant Richard along with an amused Katy, to the female only building, then she introduced them. Richard saw the girls starting to drool; others in the hall stopped and stared as well. He could see how Keith could get caught up into liking this. As he sat down, several girls that were near him touched him. He turned to see a young girl with a hungry look on her face looking at him. 'Raging hormones and no boys in sight. What a bad combination, any male is a target, ' he thought. "Now girls, you can stop with the looks, he is married." That got a moan of disappointment from many and a snicker from Katy who looked at Richard and almost laughed at the ridiculous situation. "Girls, now I need your full attention." Liz said. One of the girls not on Liz's floor made a snicker. Jill stood, pointed to the girl and slowly shook her head. The room fell quiet. She sat down again. "I am leaving today." A tear started rolling down her face. "My brother is in the hospital." Liz took hold of a chair back to steady herself. "He's... he's in a coma." Many of the girls gasped. Questions started, Liz was unprepared for it. She ran out the door in tears. Richard confirmed what Jill wanted to do, "Go after her." Then he turned to the stunned girls. "I know many of you had the opportunity to see Keith when he flew in. You saw a hero that day." Richard started to get a bit choked up and Katy held his hand. "He is as much a hero as he seems, and I am proud to be his friend. What he did to become a hero has put him at odds with people who were doing wrong. One of those men tried to kill him. As a result, he is in the hospital and we are left waiting, hoping for the best." You could have heard a pin drop. There was almost no sound at all, as though every one of those girls were holding their breath. "I ask you to pray. Pray for Keith, pray for his new wife, and pray for his sisters and his parents. They need your thoughts, your prayers, and your love." Richard pulled Katy up and walked out of the room. At the corner, Grace was standing and walked out the front door of Upper Hall with them. "That was a bit more direct than most of these girls have ever faced before. It was well said, and maybe they needed to hear this." Grace cleared her throat. "This is a year they will not soon forget. I will know in a day or two how the girls react. I do thank you for taking over and finishing where Liz could not. The girls needed the rest of the information and you provided that. I know it wasn't easy." On the bench half way between the hall and the administration building Liz and Jill sat. They walked towards them, Richard bringing Liz's luggage with them. Grace said as they were walking. "Those two have been very good for each other. I don't know how that all got set up, but it was the right thing to do." "Keith set the whole thing up. From Jill's mother, who was having problems, and now is getting some help, to sending Jill here with Liz." "Sometimes he sounds like a saint," Grace said. Katy smiled, "I wouldn't go that far. Maybe close. He does have his wicked side." Richard looked over at Katy and rolled his eyes at her. Grace pretended not to notice. Liz and Jill stood as they approached and everyone walked out to the parking lot. A suburban pulled up and Kevin Smith hobbled out. "Look who got sprung from the hospital!" he said with enthusiasm. "Kevin!" Jill screamed with excitement, running over and giving him a big hug. He was almost knocked over and blushed from the hug. When Jill pulled back, she knew it had felt a bit too good to him. "You bad man," she whispered with a smile on her face. Kevin blushed a bit more while Jill looked inside to see who was driving. Dorothy's father was at the wheel. "Hi," Jill said. "How is Dorothy? I haven't been able to see her in the last few days." "She is doing as well as could be expected," then he frowned just slightly. "I don't think either girl is going to be back at school this year though." "Why?" Jill asked wondering if something else could be wrong. "Personally, I think it is embarrassment. There are only a few girls from school that she allows to see her." He smiled at Jill, "Of course you are one of those. She will never forget what you did for her." Jill blushed from the complement and then thinking about what Keith had said to her, she said, "Thank you." The others surrounded Jill and Kevin by then and Liz was complementing Kevin on such a nice cast. "Ha," Grace said, "He only got it for attention." The smile on her face said she was teasing him and they all laughed. Kevin was a hard worker and this cast around his leg would slow him down, undoubtedly frustrating him. Jill told Richard and Katy, "You know he saved me from rabid dogs." Richard raised his eyebrows. "Another savior. Wait till Keith hears about that." Jill when white and then crimson as Kevin said, "Oh, another man?" As he saw Jill's reaction, he reached out and patted her on the shoulder, saying in a soft voice, "It's ok. If you want we can talk about it sometime." Jill just nodded, looking down at the ground. Kevin noticed the luggage. "Going somewhere?" Richard figured he might as well jump in. He could get out the story without breaking down. "Liz is coming to Utah with us. Her brother, Keith, is in the hospital." Kevin turned to face Liz, "I'm so sorry to hear that. I do hope things get better for him. What is wrong?" "We can discuss that later." Grace interjected, looking at Kevin, giving him the signal that he should ask no more questions. He had one more to ask. "Jill, are you going as well?" "No, I'm staying here." It was a short answer and once again, Kevin felt he had no business asking further. Betty, Sue and Laura appeared almost from nowhere. As Jill looked at Richard and Katy's car she said, "And where would you have put me anyway?" They laughed. Richard picked her up; she was laughing and her arms were flailing. "There is a roof rack," he said, acting like he was going to put her there. As he dropped her down, she punched him and laughed. "That wasn't nice," she said, but you could tell she had enjoyed every moment. Liz smiled, "Another nibble of chocolate. Nice, wasn't it." Jill smiled back, "Yes, it was." No one around them had any idea what the two were talking about, but they did and that was all that mattered. Stowing Liz's luggage, the three gave hugs and a few kisses to Jill. They climbed into the front seat and drove out of the school grounds. They weren't out of the parking lot when Katy said, "Liz, I know this drive is going to be hard, so I have thought of a bit of entertainment. First I'm going to tell you of some people we met who live here in Grand Junction." "Really? How ever did you meet them?" Richard was trying to pay attention to the road, but looked over to see a sly smile on Katy's face. "It all started when we were pulled off the side of the road..." ------- Kristin saw her mother and father in the hallway and fell apart. By the time Catherine reached her daughter, Kristin had tears streaming down her face. Kristin knew they would be showing up, knew it was soon even. Still, it was the fact that they were there. Everything became more real, more ominous, more frightening. Robin popped her head out of the room and gave Jack and Catherine a little wave. This was after all their son she was holding onto. The man she loved, had dreamed of, and was carrying a child for. But they had been part of this life for a much longer time. She knew sharing with Kristin was going to be much easier than with his mother, but she was due time with her son. Robin felt guilty for feeling this way, but it was how she felt. Keith was hers. Bucking up her courage, Robin went out, took Catherine's hand and led her in to see Keith. What Catherine saw jarred her senses. Her son laid still on the bed, tubs and wire seemed to come out from nowhere. His face showed a purple bruise on the right side of his cheek and another one near his temple. His left arm set in a perfectly white cast. A swollen section on his right leg could be seen, even under the sheet. This was not her son. Not the son she knew at least. It was hard not to turn away. Catherine felt a warm hand touch her shoulder. "It is hard to see him like this," her husband said. Catherine looked around while holding onto him. She hadn't felt or seen Robin leave, or her husband come in behind her. "She's with Kristin," Jack said almost reading her thoughts. "She knew we needed time to be with him. Frankly I'm surprised she can even think. Her friends must be taking good care of her." Catherine sniffled, "Yes, She's so young to have to face this." Jack cleared his throat and looked to the side of the room. He felt like he wasn't dealing with this well and he was over three times Robin's age. Jack stood by the bed; Catherine sat in the chair that Robin occupied most of the time, and held Keith's hand. Robin, after moving around realized she needed to use the ladies room. After that, she and Kristin went to see Pamela. Sarah greeted them in the hallway, as she was about to step out of Pamela's room. "She is such a doll, she's so funny, I just love being with her," Sarah said. Robin pondered this. Pamela was never a 'funny' type. Maybe it was because she rarely spoke. The idea that her husband brought Pamela to life made Robin start to cry. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked. Robin swallowed and coughed. "Just thinking how Keith helped her." Sarah saw the pain in Robin's eyes. She hadn't seen Keith, she couldn't face it. What he had done for her was too overwhelming. The results of him being caught into a trap she had been used as bait for, was something her mind had to push into a room and shut the door on. It was just too painful for her to deal with. The conversation, as well as time stood still. Sarah felt like the clocks had just stopped. "Robin, Kristin, going stand there? Come." Pamela said in words that were getting stronger, but still disjointed. Sarah looked into the room, "Try that again, you know what to say." From the doorway they could see the determination on Pamela's face. "Robin and Kristin," Pamela said slowly, "are you just going to stand there? Come in." "I'm trying to get her to talk better. I make her say things to me how they should be said." Sarah explained. "Good for you. That is just what she needs." Kristin replied. Robin had never heard Pamela speak a whole sentence before. "Maybe you should be her speech coach," Robin said offhandedly. Sarah's eyes brightened, "Really? Do you think I could? I'd have to come to Carp then." She had a positively radiant smile on her face. "Mary has said so many things about Carp, it almost sounds magical." Robin snorted and started to laugh. It was the first time she had done that since the accident. "Carp? Magical?" Sarah looked at Robin and started to say that most of it had to do with Keith, but reality stared her in the face. "Well," she said, "maybe to an outsider." Robin was still laughing and shaking her head. "I thought you said Pamela was the funny one." The laughter was contagious and Kristin started giggling, then Sarah joined in. "Come in, what you laughing about?" Pamela said, adding just enough to get by Sarah's nagging. As the three walked in, Robin said, "Sarah said Carp was a magical place." Then Robin looked seriously at Pamela and tried to say in a straight face, "Pamela, what have you been telling her?" She started laughing as soon as she finished. Sarah excitedly said, "Robin said maybe I could come and help you learn to talk better." Robin and Kristin looked at Sarah like she was crazy. Robin was pained; she knew Sarah shouldn't build Pamela's hopes up. Pamela on the other hand beamed, "You do that? For me?" "Yes, I need to tell my dad," Sarah said. Then to Kristin and Robin she said, "That is where I was heading. Stephanie or Daisy, maybe both, should be showing up soon. I can never remember their schedule. I just know what time I am here. I always look forward to it." With that Sarah left. Robin looked at Pamela. The incisions were starting to heal and it was quite a miracle how she looked now. She thought back to the base, when her husband told her... "She looks great, doesn't she," Kristin said, pulling Robin out of her fog. "Yes she does," Robin said managing a smile. "Sorry, I think I need to go back." Pamela and Kristin watched her go. "I sad too," Pamela said, expressing both their thoughts. "My mom and dad showed up," Kristin said. Before Pamela could say anything else Stephanie came running in. "Hi Kristin!" she said. "You're in a good mood." "Sarah said she wanted to come to Carp." "I'm sure she does, but you know, her dad has some say in that. He might not want her to be there." "Why not?" "Because it would be away from him." "Oh." Stephanie said, her face showing disappointment. Kristin noticed on Pamela's face as well. "We will have to wait and see. You never know." ------- It was not quiet; it was hardly a place to meditate. Catherine had to move twice and Jack had to remove himself from the room a few times as nurses tended to their son. The nurses were very pleasant, mentioning to them what they were doing. The idea that Keith was being fed intravenously turned Catherine's stomach. The last one in changed his sheets. This turned Keith to his side and Catherine gasped, as she saw the shaved area and stitches on the back of his head. Jack who was standing in the hall looked in to see what had distressed his wife now. He saw the wound and looked at his wife. He remembered just a year ago, when the war was still going. The parents of children, waiting for their safe arrival and the agonizing notifications some of them received. They had been spared all of that. Liz didn't qualify to be in service and although she could have volunteered, they knew her constitution wouldn't make it. Keith's specialty kept him stateside which was a blessing to them. Kristin was too young. The nurse had to ask Jack a second time so he would move out of the doorway and let her through. He had been lost in thought. When Jack felt a tap on his shoulder, he was about to say something about knowing he was in the way, but as he turned he saw it was Robin. He picked her up in his arms and gave her a big hug. Without thinking, he nuzzled her neck. It was just the sort of thing Keith did to her and she burst into tears, holding on to him and sobbing on his shoulder. He held her in his arms gently swaying back and forth, letting her cry. Catherine watched and remembered both her girls in the same position. Dad just knew how to get them to cry it out. Jack felt Robin loosen her grip. He set her down. She looked up at him, "Sorry," she said. "It has been a while that one of my girls let me hold them like that and cry on me." "Am I one of your girls too?" Robin asked. He answered, "Robin, you are a part of our family. Yes, you are one of our girls." Robin sniffled, "Thanks. Oh I almost forgot. I saw the doctor and told him you were here. I figured you would have questions for him." "Robin," Catherine said, "that was nice to think of us." Then continuing to stare at her she asked, "How are you doing? Kristin said she thought you were pregnant. Are you alright?" Robin dropped her head, "I'm ok. I'm sure I'm pregnant and nothing has changed there." It should have been a joyous admission, but it was not. Robin did not want to think what life might be without her Keith. Also whether she liked it or not jealousy reared its ugly head. His mother was sitting in the seat she should have. Robin didn't like her feelings, but that didn't make them go away. The room was crowded with two people in it and couldn't hold three. The doctor showed up and Robin didn't want to hear any of it. She had cried enough. Robin went down to see Pamela again. She wished she hadn't. Kristin had left and as soon as she entered, the police officer at the door made contact and an investigator showed up. "Robin, I know this isn't a good time. No time is going to be good. Can we just get it over with? It should take just a few minutes." Pamela looked at Robin and then to the officer. Robin turned to Pamela, "Honey, this man wants to ask you some questions about what happened," she paused seeing Pamela's face turn down. "It has to happen and as soon as you do it, then it will be over for now." She tool Pamela's face in her hands and tilted it up so they made eye contact. "Ok?" Pamela sighed, "Ok." The officer sat in the chair. "Pamela, I want you to tell me what happened, from the start to the finish. Just use your own words, if I don't understand something, I'll ask." The officer was amazed when he was done and looked at his watch, it took longer for Pamela's interview than it had for Sarah's and her father had stopped them several times. Pamela talked much slower, needed Robin's hand to hold many times, and added a bit of history into the whole story. History that could be damaging to Hank in terms of his motivations. Robin stopped it finally, as it looked as Pamela was getting tired. The investigator was pleased about the whole thing when he left and thanked both Robin and Pamela for doing this very hard job. ------- Sarah hated the guards around her. She hated the reporters even more, so she tolerated being escorted here and there. When she got to their housing she was surprised to see college maintenance men filling the back of a truck with their luggage. Jack and her father were inside. "I'm glad you are back young lady. We have a change of plans. To help defeat the reporters, we are taking up a new residence." "Dad!? How will I get to the hospital?" "Don't worry honey." "Dad?" "Yes," looking at his daughter he could see she wanted something. "What do you want?" "I want to go to Carp." "Why on earth do you want to do that? You haven't even seen the place?" "I have it all figured out. My school is over in one week, that is, if I even go back to it." She looked over to him. It wasn't the first time his schedule had made it necessary to get papers sent and a tutor to finish her schooling. "So this summer is free. I know you are going to be campaigning, and don't even think I want to do that with you." She looked directly at him. He had talked her into that two years ago and she hated every minute of it. "I can then help Pamela!" "Sweetheart," he started, but she cut him off. "I told Pamela I wanted to come and help her," Sarah said almost in tears. "If I can't go, you tell her. I can't." She ran from the room and into the bathroom. Patrick could hear her crying behind the door. He sighed heavily. This wasn't the first time he'd been placed into a situation like this by Sarah. The problem was that this time Sarah was doing it for someone else and not for some self centered reason. When Patrick came back into the room, Jack raised his eyebrows. "Looks like I need to make a trip to the hospital." "Anthony was just here and said he'd be back in a minute. I would guess he would know a way of getting us in without the reporters knowing." "Us?" "Well I do need to see Robin, and Keith," he winced. The thought of seeing him was why he hadn't wanted to go, but just receive reports. He'd witnessed many boys returning from the war. It was a numbing experience, but the ones that came in that he knew, still affected him. He knew seeing Keith would be even worse as he was personally involved with his family and the business. "You're right, I need to. I've been avoiding it as much as you. I shouldn't have. You're not family and I am. There is no excuse for me not to have been over there." Anthony walked in, happy that his new guests were almost ready. He looked at the two of them and knew something was wrong. "We need to go to the hospital before we leave. How can we get in without the reporters seeing us?" Anthony laughed, "Plans have already been arranged. I just didn't know that we would be using one so soon." "Plans?" Patrick asked. "Different each time. We don't want to have anyone seeing a pattern." "So what do we do?" "Let me get the costumes." "Costumes?" Jack said surprised. Anthony left and returned almost immediately. He had two bundles, handing one to each of them. They went off to bedrooms and changed. Soon two maintenance men drove up and stopped at the service entrance to the hospital. They talked to a guard posted at the entrance and were surprised to find out that they had been expected. As soon as they were inside, the two took off their coveralls and became Jack and Patrick once again. "He was right, these are costumes," Jack said. "I will have to remember that. It could prove useful." Jack looked over to him. "I imagine you have reporters at your throat more times than you could count." Patrick nodded, "It is one of the drawbacks of public life. Sometimes it is a bit too public. Now let's go find Robin and Keith, then I need to have a word with Pamela." With one question they were told the directions. Everyone it seemed, knew who Keith Paterson was. The elevator took the men to the third floor. The nurse's station was just down the hall and the head nurse was not at all happy to see more people in the intensive care area. "There can only be so many visitors a day. His parents are there as well as his wife. Only one person is to be in the room at a time, we are being asked to stretch the rules constantly. Now who are you gentlemen?" Jack gave his name, almost apologetically. Patrick was used to having doors open for him. He was not so subtle and told the nurse just who he was. She just about came unglued "How many important people does this man know?" She said looking pained. "The list is growing daily," Patrick teased her. "If we could just see Robin, that would suffice." "That is an easy request," she replied, sending a nurse to retrieve her. Robin looked around the doorframe and saw Patrick and Jack, then ran to greet them. ------- As soon as Pamela saw Patrick come into her room she knew something was wrong. Stephanie sensed it as well and said she was going to the bathroom down the hall. Patrick sat down on the edge of Pamela's bed, and before taking a look at her, he started. "My daughter, Sarah, told me something," he looked over to her, trying to show his earnest nature. It was a practiced speech delivery technique and he was good at it. When he saw her sad expression, her tears in her eyes, he lost all resolve. This little girl needed help and his daughter wanted to do something good for a change. How could he deny that? Clearing his throat he started again, "Sarah said she wanted to go to Carp." Pamela saw maybe a little hope in how he worded that. "Yes," she answered him. "I can see many problems," then he took her hand, "but she wants to help you. I don't know how. I will see what I can do." Pamela's eyes brightened and she squeezed his hand, smiling. "I can't promise anything Pamela, but I can tell you I will try and make it happen if possible. Is that good enough for you?" Pamela was nodding her head before her words came out, "Yes." Then a bit slower, "Thank... you." Jack was out in the hall with a smirk on his face, "That went well," he said as they walked towards the elevator. "I'm glad no one else saw me caving in to a little girl." Jack laughed. "You didn't see that, either." "No, I sure didn't," Jack said, laughing still. The two maintenance people drove the car back and parked it, then walking back to the housing. Mary was there talking to Sarah in the living room. Mary had said hello when they came in, but Sarah just gave her father a cold stare. As soon as they had changed, they returned the costumes to Anthony. Jack made himself scarce as Patrick went to talk with his daughters. "Mary what are you planning on doing this summer?" She looked at him like he should already know the answer. "Go to Carp? Where else?" He looked at her, his eyes trying to penetrate her brain. "Is there work there?" She rolled her eyes, "Yes, dad." "Where are you going to stay?" He was starting to be amused by this display of independence his once reserved daughter was showing. "Well I'm not exactly sure, but Kristin said it should be no problem." "Kristin? She is going there also?" "Yes and so is Beth Ann." Patrick rubbed his chin as he thought. Sarah would have been pestering by now if she hadn't been so angry with her father. "What would you think if Sarah came with you?" He said, thinking that the three college girls could watch out for her Mary and Sarah stared at him in disbelief. "What?" Mary said. "Dad, do you really mean that?" Sarah asked, still not believing what he had just said. "If you don't think it is a good idea, I understand," Patrick said. "Dad, I think it would be grand. I never get to spend enough time with her. We could spend the whole summer together." Sarah got up and ran to her father with a wide smile on her face. She threw her arms around his neck, giving him many kisses and thanks. "Your mother still needs to be convinced this is a good idea," he said. "Leave that to me," Mary said and Patrick knew it was a done deal. His wife could never refuse anything to Mary. They were ready to leave, Mary was going to go out to the house with them and have dinner. They had already talked their father into letting Sarah stay in the dorms with Mary, so she wouldn't be staying the night. As soon as they were dropped off, the driver changed clothing and climbed into an unmarked delivery truck, going off to collect Jack and Catherine from the hospital. ------- After the doctor had come in and talked with Jack and Catherine, they needed to debrief, so they had gone to get a bit to eat and to let Robin have a little time alone. Sitting down in the cafeteria they both started to cry. It was good to hear the doctor's encouraging words, but only time would tell them what they wanted to know. When Keith, and they wanted to use the word 'when', woke up, would he be the same? There were no comforting answers. Jack and Catherine were a bit amazed at the line of visitors. When they returned, Mary, their daughter Kristin, Daisy, and another girl who they didn't know, were each taking a turn to say something to Robin. To console her, to encourage her, and to share their love. Jack and Catherine stood back, near the nurse's station. One of the nurses saw them and commented. "We have so many people up here because of Keith Paterson. Usually this is a very quiet area, this parade happens at least once a day sometimes two or three times. It is almost like they are paying their respects. No other person we have seen up here has had the attention of so many ladies. They seem to be in love with him." Keith's parents watched a bit longer. It was the comment, the observation from a nurse that made them start to notice. Subtle things each of the gals did. A little pat; a kiss. Could she have been right? Were these ladies not only giving Robin support, but showing their love for Keith? It was a notion their minds were not ready to process. Too many other things took precedence. Kristin saw her parents and went to them, introducing them to Beth Ann, the girl they didn't know. Beth Ann was a bit shy, but there was little denying that she was infatuated with their son. The girls were leaving. Kristin and Beth Ann to study for the next day's exams. Daisy to see her sister, Pamela, and Mary coming along to collect Sarah. Kristin gave Robin one last big hug. Robin whispered into Kristin's ear, "Your dad smells just like Keith." Kristin was blushing and as they pulled away from each other, she whispered back, "I know." Then she left before Robin could say another word. Jack was the first to speak as they came up to the room. "Keith seems to have his share of admirers," he said almost teasing. Catherine poked him in the side and gave him a dirty look, but was more surprised at Robin's answer than her husband's poor taste in comments. "They all love him very much. How could I blame them? He is so special," Robin then fell silent. ------- As distraught and emotional as Liz had been when they left the school, Katy's tale of the girl had Liz in hysterics. She could just imagine a nice young thing seeing Katy getting a mouth full. It was so funny that she had to laugh. They say laughter is the best medicine. When they stopped for dinner the three of them were still laughing about it as they entered the diner. With a bit of food in him Richard realized how tired he was. As there was a motel across the road, they called it a day and decided to stop. If they got an early start they could be there before noon the next day. Liz insisted that no more money needed to be spent and that they could share a room. There was one room that had two double beds and they took it. After placing their bags in the room, they drove down the road a mile to the local filling station that was open evenings, but not early mornings. Getting back to the room, they all took showers. Richard and Katy went in first and Liz endured the giggles they made. Endured is the term she used when she told Jill. Frankly it drove her crazy, but she knew it would embarrass her if she started to do anything and suddenly one of them opened the door. As soon as they were out, she went in. The shower water washed over her body, carrying with it some of the day's stress. Not all though and that which didn't want to leave, made itself painfully known. Her muscles were tight, her head slightly pounding, but that was nothing compared to what her mind was doing to her. As she opened the door from the bathroom, there was no mistake what Richard and Katy had been doing and she almost closed the door. Then she flashed back to the times at the base, where there were no doors and no one cared. Walking back in, the towel wrapped around her waist, she dropped it as she climbed into her bed. They said a few things to each other, but it was obvious that they were all tired. Katy got up, Liz noticed she wasn't wearing anything either, and turned off the light. As the darkness settled in, Liz's mind would not shut off. It was almost the opposite. Without the other distractions, Liz's brain had full attention to spend dwelling on the unknown. Keith, mangled and twisted. An almost unrecognizable lump of flesh. She couldn't stand it and wanted to scream. Her mind wouldn't stop. Her pillow was becoming wet with tears so she turned it over. As soon as she laid her head back down she heard movement and then felt the edge of the sheet being pulled. Liz's body stiffened. Katy reached out and touched Liz's body. She could feel the tension. Moving herself closer, Katy wrapped an arm around Liz and pulled her close. The tension broke and Liz started to sob. ------- Hank woke in a room. He looked around and figured it was a hospital. Pain was everywhere, making him feel sick to his stomach. His eyes started coming into focus and he looked down. Both hands were wrapped in gauze and taped. He didn't know what was under that gauze and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. The pain was excruciating. He noticed down at his ankles he had cuffs on, locking his legs to the bed. His eyes traveled to the door. Outside the window, he saw the back of a uniform. Hank knew he was in trouble, a lot of trouble. In the back of his mind though there was a sense of satisfaction. He had taken care of Keith. He had seen him go right off the top of that building. He smiled about it and then became concerned. Pamela, little Pamela. He hadn't meant to cause her any harm, just use her as a little bait. He wondered if someone had found her. He was hoping that they had. He had no idea that he had been out of collective reasoning for almost sixteen hours in total. From the emergency room when they had to knock him out from the pain, then as he was starting to wake up just to be put under and have his hands operated on, sewing up what was left. It took a while in recovery to start to come back and now he was awake, waiting. A nurse came in and he turned his head, she noticed it and called out, "He's awake." Two police officers came in. They ask him if he wanted to talk. The first thing he asked about was Pamela. "So you placed her into the car, bound and gagged?" "Yes." "And left her there." "I was planning on coming back. She's alright, isn't she?" "She is doing fine." The two police officers looked at each other, "Now." "How about the other girl." "What about her, I didn't do anything to her." "That is not what we heard. She wasn't wearing much from what we understand. Do you have any idea who that was?" "No, just some girl Paterson knew. Why, who is she?" The officers looked at each other again. "I guess that is not important right now." Hank was starting to understand that this wasn't going so good and shut his mouth. "I'm not saying another word without a lawyer." "Fine, that is your choice. You are being charged with two counts of kidnapping, attempted statutory rape, assault, and attempted murder to an officer in the army." Hank was outraged, his face turned red, "Attempted! I saw him fall. I killed him. He's dead. I know he is, I saw it." "You are sure about that?" Hank realized he had just confessed to murder, his anger had taken over and he had just made a fatal mistake. At the same time he was starting to realize what they had said to him. He said weekly, "He's not dead?" "No." Hank felt depression sweep over him. He didn't hear the officer say, "at least not yet." Now everything was in vain and he just wanted everything to end. The officers saw the signs and walked out, signaling the nurse to come with them. "The next twenty-four hours are critical; he is being placed under a suicide watch. Please let the staff know so that he is not able to reach out and grab anything that he could harm himself with. He will also need to be watched to make sure he doesn't try and reopen his wounds. If so, he will need to be fully restrained." She nodded, understanding what they had said, but she was going to be more than happy when her shift was over in ten minutes and she didn't need to deal with this one again. While he was out, she could tolerate doing what was needed, now that he was awake, she felt, even with all of her training, like she'd rather let him sit in his own shit and suffer. She had gone in to see the girl he had kidnapped out of the hospital. What kind of monster did that? That poor little girl was so helpless. It made her blood boil and she knew Nancy, the next nurse felt the same as she did. It would be hard not to just give him a knife and tell him where to kill himself with it. Hank lay in his hospital bed and wondered why life was so cruel to him. He could see his life was crashing down upon him. He knew there was no justice now. Daisy would never be his again; Paterson had taken her away from him for good this time. Still, after everything he had done, he was not going to feel responsible for it. It was still all Keith's fault, every part of it. The nurse came back into the room interrupting his thoughts. He watched as she cleared all the counters, locking the drawers and cabinets. He knew the reason. The medical training had given him enough understanding to know what was going on. She didn't look at him though, didn't acknowledge him. When he called out to her, she didn't even respond. She simply walked out the door, her shift was over and she was more than ready to leave. The head nurse was not very pleased with her attitude as she told the next nurse coming on that the patient in room four might need some assistance. As she told the head nurse what the police officers had said, notes were made and she was at least relieved that the cabinets and drawers had been locked. When the new nurse came in, Hank was feeling a bit desperate. He called out to her, knowing from her height she was a different gal. "I need to go," Hank was a bit embarrassed, "you know, to the bathroom." The nurse nodded and made a call. Two orderlies came in and the nurse left. Hank was a good size man, but these two made Hank feel small. They asked one of the officers in, told them what they were there for and he unlocked Hank's legs. The officer stayed in the room as the two picked Hank off the bed and carried him into the bathroom. Hank was a bit shocked when one of them pulled his gown off. He was now standing in front of these two, buck naked. The other one said, "Sit," and pushed him down. Hank got the idea he was going to have no privacy and shut his eyes. It took a few minutes before he could relax enough to release his bowels, once done he realized a problem. Both hands were bandaged. He had no way to clean himself. "I think I need some help," Hank said. Both men laughed, "You're telling us." Then they got a smile on their face that Hank didn't like. "Tell you what; we'll help you out," There was a pause, "for free this time." Pulling Hank off the toilet, one of them bent him over while the other wiped him clean. Hank was humiliated. He felt like he was two years old again. Then Hank felt a wet towel run up his crack. It alarmed him, but that wasn't the worst of it. Two fingers with what Hank knew to be KY jelly started to massage him at his opening. He tried to straighten up, but was firmly held down. Hank cried out and felt a firm and direct slap to his but cheek. The invading fingers slipped into him and then back out. "This will be a good one, nice and tight." One of the orderlies said, then to Hank he asked, "You a virgin?" Both men laughed, not waiting for a reply. Standing Hank back up, they placed the gown back on him, picked him up and carried him back to the bed. "That was quick," The officer said, cuffing his legs. "It was his first time. It will take much longer next time." Hank could tell from the conversation that complaining to the officer was going to fall on deaf ears. He was just going to have to hold it as long as he could. 'Maybe these two would end their shift soon, ' he thought As they were leaving one of them turned around and said to Hank, "We just started our shift, so we'll see you later tonight." Hank's reaction caused him to slam his hand against the bed rail. He screamed in pain. ------- The dinner was lovely. Anthony had cooked the meal himself, much to the consternation of Catherine's husband, Jack, who didn't know his way around the kitchen. It had been interesting and a bit confusing having two people at the table named Jack. Anthony moved them to the living room and sat down at the piano. He started to play and then stopped. "I feel like I'm trying to compete and I don't have any reason to," he said suddenly. "Compete with whom?" Patrick asked. "Keith." Then he added quickly, "I know it is silly." Catherine was dismayed. "Keith can't cook," as though that made any sense whatsoever. "I'm not so sure about that," Anthony surmised, "I told you I put him to the test. He excelled at everything I challenged him on. I guess I was trying to, I'm not sure, impress you the same way Keith impressed me." Patrick who could separate his emotions better than Catherine and Jack could, said, "Well I don't mind if you continue trying, I'd like to hear the whole piece you were playing." "So would I," Mary said. "I missed that evening and I'm sorry I did. Kristin and Beth Ann said it was enchanting." Anthony laughed, "Touché." With that he started and played again, this time to the end. Sarah sat in reflective silence while Anthony played. This man, Keith, was someone to know and she may well have missed her opportunity. She had met many important people in her life, friends of her father. Important and yet so aloof, that it wasn't hard to say you never knew the person. Keith was different and everyone kept saying so. She knew it personally. Her mind couldn't let go the images of him pushing her away, making sure she was safe, only to have a gun pointed at him. She could never know what might have happened, only what did and guilt riddled her frame. When they retired, Mary and Sarah were going to be taken back to the university. The others started for their rooms. Catherine said, "I want to go see my son again tonight." "Let me ask Anthony," Jack replied. ------- It was late; Robin was alone in the room. She had taken a short break, the only ones she allowed herself, to go and see Pamela. Pamela loved to see her; she would ask about Keith, hug Robin and tell her it was going to be alright. It had bothered Robin that Pamela never said a word about her parents to her, but then talking to Daisy, she found out they talked constantly about them. She understood it must be hard to talk about. What Pamela was doing for her, always made her feel better and right now she needed that. Sometimes it felt like they were switching roles. This afternoon, Robin had to play mother and help Pamela through the interview with the officer. Now she needed to be comforted. This night though, Daisy and Stephanie were there and planning on sleeping where they could. They didn't like the idea of going to the housing with no one else there. It was not the same between Pamela and Robin that night and Robin left without the good feeling she usually had. Alone is the darkened room, Robin started to let the day catch up to her. Crying had become such a part of her; she hardly noticed the tears dropping. She didn't hear, nor notice the person walking up to the room and stopping at the doorway, as Robin started speak. "Why Keith? I feel like you are leaving me." "Don't leave, please don't. I can't go on without you." Catherine flashed back. She had heard those words, those very words. It hit her, they had come from Kristin. Suddenly whether she liked it or not, pieces of that puzzle fell into place. It was hard to swallow. Robin was Kristin and for the first time she knew it. Robin started to speak again, pulling Catherine's attention back to the room. "I can't have your child without you. It isn't fair. You told me you wouldn't do that to me. You promised my mother you wouldn't." Robin laid her head down and sobbed. She picked it back up and then said, "And what about Kristin, too." Catherine gasped and Robin quickly turned her head, seeing Catherine and realizing what she had just said. ------- Chapter 41 "I think we need to talk," Catherine said to Robin. Robin nodded numbly, not knowing what else to do. It was late at night and even in the intensive care unit, things were relatively quiet. Catherine took Robin by the hand and led her to the lonely waiting room. Robin went over and sat down, as Catherine closed the door. She looked over at Robin, Keith's very young bride, her face buried in her hands. Catherine knew what she wanted to ask, what her mind was screaming answers for, 'what about Kristin?' but she needed to find out about Robin first. "Robin how are you doing, really?" Robin's head moved back and forth in her hands. Catherine could see her trembling and moved over and knelt in front of the overwrought girl. Catherine took Robin's hands and gently pulled them away from her face. They were wet from tears. Robin looked at Catherine and with a sad tone said, "Kristin is going to hate me." Compassion for this girl took over and Catherine reached around Robin pulling her into a hug. Robin's limp body sobbed against her, as the girl's arms enveloped her in turn, much like her own daughters had on many occasions. As soon as the sobbing ended and Robin's body just shuddered a bit Catherine sat the girl back into the chair. "Robin, tell me please. I need to know. What is going on? Is it like Uncle Joey and Aunt Jeannette?" Robin looked puzzled, "Who?" This time it was Catherine who realized she had opened a can of worms. "Nobody." "I'll just ask Kristin," Robin said and then sadly added, "That is if she'll still talk to me." Catherine knew no matter what Robin did, Kristin would always be her friend. She had told Catherine just that; saying they were so much alike. It was one of those parts that fell into place. "Ok, I'll tell you who they are, Kristin would anyway. Me and my big mouth, but you need to tell me what you were talking about." She took Robin's hands, "Is it what I thought you meant?" Robin looked panicked. Catherine pressed on with the question she didn't want the answer to, but had to know. "Is she pregnant?" Robin didn't have to answer; her face betrayed her and then she nodded. Catherine sat on the floor stunned. She had known the answer, but the confirmation of it hit her hard. This was her baby girl. She was older than Robin, a good bit older, but she was unmarried. Tears started to swell in her eyes as she asked the next question. "Is Keith the father?" Robin found her voice and said, "Yes, Kristin..." but she couldn't finish. Catherine thought she knew the rest. It was not all Keith's fault. Who knows if any of it was? Uncle Joey hadn't known the trick Jeannette had pulled until it was too late. Of course he didn't mind, but he wouldn't have acted on it himself and Jeannette knew that. Were Kristin and Keith the same she wondered? "How much of this do you know? I mean their past?" Catherine asked. "Pretty much everything." "Everything?" Robin nodded, "Everything." This was the opportunity Catherine had always wanted. Not the circumstances, but maybe she'd get some answers. "So you know Keith was in love with his sister." "Still is." Robin said matter-of-factly. Catherine drew a sharp breath. If she was going to learn the truth about these two, she was going to have to control herself. "And that is why he moved away." "Yes," Robin was starting to be relieved. Catherine didn't seem upset. She just wanted to know, maybe if she knew it all, maybe she'd understand. "That is when Liz started in on him. She told me she was a little bitch." Catherine couldn't believe the word that just came out of this girl's mouth, but restrained herself; after all, it was a fairly accurate description. "That was the end of their strained relationship." Robin looked at Catherine, trying to study her. Did she know about Liz? Did she suspect like she must have with Kristin? "Liz was bitter, bitter about men." It took Catherine by surprise, "Yes she was. I could never understand it." She suddenly realized, "You know don't you?" "Yes," Robin said softly. "Please don't ask. I don't think I have the strength." Catherine was saddened. "It was bad wasn't it? She couldn't talk to me." Tears swelled up in her eyes, "Do you know how that makes a mother feel?" For more than an hour Catherine and Robin talked. Both needed this. Catherine found out much, but not all about her children, about the love Kristin and Keith shared. Although she wasn't ready to condone it, she understood. Telling Robin about the incestuous relationship that Kristin's aunt and uncle that started long ago, Robin could see Catherine's points, the good and bad of it. The family get-togethers that they weren't a part of. The undisclosed parts that the family held secret from the outside world. Moving away from the community they grew up in, never being able to return. The big difference, of course, was Robin in this relationship. They were both tired and talked out. Robin was still very worried that Kristin and even Liz would never speak to her again. Catherine, now much more relaxed, almost laughed. "Do you know how much they admire and love you? They could never do such a thing, even if they got mad at you, they wouldn't be able to make it last. Robin they love you deeply. It is why they have been so happy for Keith." This brought a question that had been nagging Robin since his parents had talked to the doctor. "Were you told anything?" Catherine didn't know what she was talking about and Robin realized this came out of the blue. "Did the doctor tell you anything? Anything he wouldn't want to tell me?" Catherine saw the frightened anguish on Robin's face. "No Robin, he told us the same as you. Robin, you are his wife. You have every right to know everything." Robin needed to hear those words. The way Catherine said them, telling her she was his wife made her realize how silly her feelings were earlier. Catherine didn't feel like Robin had taken her son. It was very comforting to hear. One of the few comforting things she had heard in the last few days. "I just want him back." Robin said. "We all do." They walked hand in hand, back to the room that held Keith. They walked back differently, holding trust and hope in each other. ------- Tiffany watched, well nearly stared, as Jill dropped her clothes. There was no sense of modesty. Turning away from Tiffany she bent over, straight legged and picked up her dropped clothing. Tiffany's mouth was hanging open, looking at the moist pink folds of flesh offered to her eye. Then she saw between the legs, Jill looking at her. Tiffany was as red as a beat as Jill scampered off to the bathroom. She looked at the door, hearing the water start in the tub and wondered to herself what Liz had done to her. This child was... tempting. As she thought back about the panty issue in Liz's room, Tiffany wondered how Liz managed her. Waiting for the call into the bathroom, it never came. Wondering if Jill was going to prance around the room naked all evening, Tiffany was almost disappointed when Jill had a robe on when she came out of the bathroom. In fact the rest of the evening was rather plain, leaving her to wonder if Jill had anything to do with the incident before her bath, or was she herself pushing the limits of her own behavior or imagination. Those questions were soon to be answered at bedtime. Tiffany went out to do the check that Liz usually did on the children on this floor. It was a quiet evening, everyone in their place. As Tiffany came back to her room, Jill was in bed. This was something Tiffany had not really thought through and she just stared at Jill for a moment. For some unexplained reason it made sense. This is what Liz and Jill did. Tiffany turned off the overhead light leaving her bedside light on and went into the bathroom. As Tiffany walked around the bed, she noted Jill's robe on the floor, she also noticed Jill watching her. She felt a bit funny, almost embarrassed. Her selection of nightshirts was clingy silky material. They made her feel pretty and they didn't stick to the sheets like the cotton ones did as she moved around at night. She wore her panties to bed tonight; normally she didn't. Normally she would be playing; tonight she couldn't. Tiffany turned off the light before she pulled back the covers and slid into bed. She was afraid that something would arouse her. This material was unforgiving that way; it would have shown the rise of her inch long nipples. Jill was disappointed that Tiffany had turned off the light before she had pulled down the covers. She had spoiled the surprise. Liz had said not to push and she was trying; she was also very horny and needed some relief. Liz had been no help in the last two days. Laura wasn't there yet for her; even if she was ready to try. Now she was with Tiffany and Tiffany was a beauty. She had tempted Tiffany, that wasn't pushing. She had not done a thing the rest of the evening, hoping. Tiffany was almost ignoring her. Jill was determined though. "Tiffany," Jill said in a sad voice. It was almost as she had rehearsed these lines. "Liz..." she choked up a bit, "Liz always gives me a goodnight kiss." She paused, long, almost too long, and then said, "Do you think?" Tiffany was sure that Jill meant a little peck kiss, but she was glad the lights were off as her nipples hardened. She answered almost to fast, "Of course sweetheart." Something was wrong as they touched; Tiffany didn't feel any material on Jill's shoulder. As Jill pulled in, Tiffany's hand, wondering what Jill was wearing, moved down her back. Again, nothing. As soon as their lips met, Tiffany realized Jill was in the bed nude. Jill was not asking for a little peck, her mouth was pressed against Tiffany's lips and she felt Jill's tongue run across them. For Tiffany it had been much too long. She whimpered as her mouth opened. That was the only encouragement Jill needed. She pulled Tiffany's body close and the two made full body contact. Jill relishing the hard long lumps pressing from Tiffany's breasts, Tiffany feeling everything, as close as it could be. Jill was still rational; Tiffany had given up on that. Jill said what she knew Tiffany would think later, "I know you are in love with Liz, so am I. We both need this. So I want you to pretend that I'm Liz. Call me Liz tonight." "Jill?" "No, she's not here, I'm Liz." "Liz?" "Have I ever told you that you are beautiful?" "Only in my dreams." Tiffany said and both giggled. "I'd like to see more of you. Can you... would you turn on the light and take your nightshirt off?" "Jill!" no response came, "Liz..." "I want to see you. You saw me." Tiffany groaned, but at the same time the image of Jill bending over, showing her everything plastered her mind. She reached up and turned on the light. ------- Lt. Payne had no idea what was happening. One moment he was in his bunk asleep, the next a flashlight was being shined in his face. "Out now!" Lt. Payne jumped out of bed. No one paid an ounce of attention as two military policemen grabbed him under his shoulders and hauled his body out the door. He woke completely when the cold air hit his body. Only wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt was fine in the barracks he was in, but not outside, not in Alaska. He was trying to make any sense of what was going on as he was being pushed into a waiting car. He thought to himself, 'I was told I'd be fine. No one would know if I went. This can't be about Keith.' The car moved away and as he fell back into the seat he realized he had handcuffs on. "What is going on?" Lt. Payne asked. His question went unanswered. The car pulled into one of the smaller hangers on base. With the darkness of the night, the many turns, and his lack of vision from the back seat, Lt. Payne had no idea where he ended up. The car was shut off and he turned around to see the hanger doors being closed. There was something out of place about this. He didn't have time to think as the door was opened and a man twice the size of him pulled Lt. Payne out. "What is going on?" Lt. Payne asked again. "Why do I have handcuffs on? Am I being charged with something? Who is in charge here?" "He is a feisty one isn't he?" One of the men who had pulled him out said. "Not for long." A man said, moving to stand right in front of Lt. Payne. "I got word of why you are here. You see my dad is the base commander." He smiled. It was a smile Lt. Payne knew too well, one he had used far too often. "There are a few things you are going to learn tonight. The first is that Keith Paterson was a friend of mine. He treated me with respect. In fact he treated everyone with respect. I wonder what you did to lose that from him in the first place?" Lt. Payne saw the punch coming, but the men holding him prevented him from doing anything about it. His insides felt like they would come right out his mouth. "Don't worry," the man continued. "That was just to get your attention. We have better uses for you than to let you look beat up and able to cry for help." The rest of the men started to laugh. Lt. Payne looked around. These men towered over him. The classic lumberjack frame, tall, large broad shoulders, muscles showing. His noxious feelings were not subsiding. "Time to strip him." Lt. Payne could hardly believe what he had just heard, but as soon as it was said, hands were all over him. He felt his hands being uncuffed, but he was unable to do anything himself. Soon he was standing on the cold cement floor naked surrounded by six large men. His hands went instinctively to cover himself and were swatted away almost instantly. "If we wanted you to be covered, we'd have left clothing on you." A padded stool was slid out to the center. "If you know what is good for you, lay over that." Lt. Payne looked at these men, he knew he had little choice but to do as they wanted. He would have to endure this and then, then he would have his revenge. He moved himself over the stool, at least he wasn't so exposed he thought. Hands were upon him once again and he found thin rope tying his wrists to the stool. Just above his knees were also being tied. This was a bit more alarming. The legs were being pulled apart to the outside edges of the stool. Lt. Payne started to panic. He was starting to realize what kind of position he was in. "Lieutenant let me explain just what is going on here. As you hurt a friend of mine, I get first crack at you. Then Bill over here is the dog sled runner. His head dog loves to lap up the result." There was a good bit of laughter. "Problem with it is that then the dog gets mighty horny. Tonight though, he'll get to have his fun." The man got right down to Lt. Payne's face and said, "He gets to mount you tonight." Then he smiled again and stood. "Then Jim, over here, he's the base photographer, will snap off a few shots." Lt. Payne's face started to drain its color. He was being blackmailed. The man knelt down and with his large hand pulled Lt. Payne's face over to look. "Now see this tattoo? There are twenty-three men on the base that have them and you will belong to each and every one of us. See there are no women up here, so your ass is ours. Anytime and anyplace one of our members says he wants it, you drop your pants and bend over." The man rubbed Lt. Payne's face in his hand. "If you don't do it, your first warning will be you back on this stool, except all there that night will take you and then the whole dog sled team will get its chance." Lt. Payne was sickened by the laughter. "If that doesn't convince you, then tonight's pictures along with the second time with multiple dogs will be sent to your mother." Lt. Payne's head dropped in shame when let go. He knew, and so did those men, he could never allow that to happen. He felt a slippery substance rubbed into his crack, a finger starting to probe his opening. "Don't worry. We don't want to hurt you. It wouldn't be good for us, after all you may well have three or four of us a day. My dad said he didn't know how long you were going to stay, so we all want to take advantage of the opportunity." As Lt. Payne felt the pressure of a dick force its way in, his fear overtook him. Fear that he'd rip apart and fear that this would become his way of life. The man wanted him to pay for Keith; revenge was on his mind as he ran his shaft in. Lt. Payne was tight, most likely a virgin, the man grunted. "Oh God, I'm going to make sure you stay here as long as you can." ------- Hank was suffering a similar fate. He had to go again and knew what that meant. First he called for the policeman. "Did you want to make a statement?" The officer asked. "No," Hank said as though he should have ever said anything. "The two men, those orderlies, I want different ones." "Why?" "They tried... They said they would... They are going to..." "Look here buddy, I don't know what you think you got yourself into, but I can tell you you're going to the slammer. There's no way out of it for you. I'd suggest you get used to what these two are doing. Fact is they are probably helping you out." "Helping? They are trying to rape me!" "What do you think is going to happen inside prison? You are going to turn into someone's wife or prostitute and they will have you anytime they want. Look buddy, you tried to kill a hero. You also kidnapped a little girl. No one on the inside is going to help you out. If you want to survive and not be killed in there, you will have to take it and pretend you enjoy it. I'm not trying to scare you into doing anything. I'm just telling you like it is." Hank started to say something but stopped. He had indeed heard a few stories; and although not quite as graphically told; they were indeed consistent with what the officer was telling him. "So you want me to call the orderlies for you?" Hank didn't say anything, but nodded his head in resignation. ------- Liz woke early in the morning pressed against the wall on the bed. She twisted her head, noting Katy was pressed against her. She smiled. Richard could be heard slowly breathing on the other side of Katy. All three in the one bed, it was no wonder she was pressed against the wall. Moving woke Katy up and she looked into Liz's eyes. Now Katy realized she was sandwiched between the two. This isn't how the night started, but must have happened sometime. Katy remembered Liz crying, her coming over and comforting. How or when Richard showed up she wasn't sure. Katy knew Liz needed some diversion therapy. Whispering Katy said, "Can you move your hands?" "Yes, why?" Liz whispered back. "Move them up here." Liz moved her hands up, between them. Katy took hold of them and placed them on her breasts. Liz's eyes widened as she felt Katy's hard nipples through her nightshirt. "That feels nice," Katy purred. Her hands left Liz's and traveled down Liz's frame. Liz was not about to pretend, or even try and be modest. She parted her legs, letting Katy explore. The grunted "Oh," she let out, confirmed to Katy that she was doing the right thing. Richard woke as Katy was trying to remove Liz's panties, but he pretended to be asleep. Katy knew better, but Liz was either in denial or simply didn't even think about him. She pulled her nightshirt off. The bed bounced a bit more as Katy pulled the remains of her clothing off and then dropped her head between Liz's legs. "Oh, Oh, Oh!" Liz said Richard couldn't take it any longer. The way Katy had turned left her pussy staring him in the face. He was about to move over to it when he saw Liz's hand snake up and her finger part Katy's lips. Richard was so hard by then; it hurt. He looked over and could see Liz's face, but her eyes were shut, her breathing was in short gasps. He knew it wouldn't be long for her. Liz was enjoying the reaction she was getting from Katy. It was so intense because of the constant diet she had with Jill and then the sudden stop a few days ago. Liz needed this bad. The orgasm that overtook Liz started with spasms around Katy's tongue. It spread out to her legs, her body, and her arms until Katy was unable to hold her mouth on her. Richard saw Liz going into what almost looked like convulsions, but he knew better. The sound Liz was making also made it very clear she was enjoying every second of it. With Katy not occupied, Richard took his opportunity and went with it. Getting onto his knees he slid his dick into her very wet hole. Katy let out a very satisfied sigh. As Liz started to relax, she didn't open her eyes; she was enjoying the feelings her body was giving her. Reaching out, she pulled Katy up towards her. It took Katy a bit longer for her to respond than Liz would have liked, but she didn't realize both Katy and Richard were moving to accommodate Liz. Liz took hold of Katy's face and brought their lips together. As they kissed, Liz tasting her own juices, her hands started to roam. Cupping Katy's breasts, she rolled her nipples around her fingers. One hand moved quickly back to where it had been before her orgasm, between Katy's legs and between her lips teasing her clit. This time though, Liz encountered something she didn't expect. Her eyes flew open and her astonished face made Katy almost start laughing. Katy whispered, "You didn't expect Richard to sleep through all of that did you?" Liz blushed realizing the show he had just witnessed. "I guess not." The fingers that had just touched Richard made him speed up. "Ahh" Katy said. "What?" Liz asked. "I think your hand made Richard grow inside of me, he sped up too." "Really?" "Yes, turn around and slide under me so you can see." Liz couldn't believe how nasty that sounded, but she also couldn't help herself. She didn't want to do anything with Richard, but watching, closely, she couldn't pass that up. Richard watched and saw Liz turn and slither under his wife. He knew she was getting quite a view of her stretched lips and his slick shaft sliding in and out. Katy was right; the thought of being watched like that did have an effect on him. A good one as far as Katy was concerned. She felt the extra pressure on her walls and his tempo increased to the point the bed started to move and move and move. Thump, Thump, Thump, it started making a rhythmic sound against the wall. Richard didn't even notice. Katy wasn't about to tell him to slow down. Liz was mesmerized. Then Liz felt her legs being pulled apart. She looked down to see Katy bending her knees up, her hip tilted up and then Katy's face moved down, her pink tongue out and quivering. Liz felt Katy stiffen; she looked up and could see the muscles tightening and Richard driving into her. Liz tried to move, but didn't have much room as drops of white goo came dripping out of Katy hitting Liz's hair. The bed came to a rest and that is when they hear the banging on the other side of the wall. Katy and Richard started to laugh. Liz had turned completely red, but then started to laugh as well. After the quick showers and dressing, Liz was concerned about anyone recognizing her. Katy and Richard knew they were too far away from her school, but couldn't resist a bit of fun. Looking out the door, they had Liz make a run for the car. Inside they were laughing at her antics. Richard and Katy came out bringing the suitcases. Liz was hiding on the floorboard and couldn't see the imaginary person Richard had a conversation with outside the car. It added to Liz's paranoia. When Richard and Katy got in Liz didn't even raise her head. "Katy hurry up and shut the door," Richard said almost panicked. "It looks like our neighbors door is opening." Katy quickly shut her door as Richard had started the engine. "Here," Katy said, lifting her skirt to Liz, "Hide under here." Then she pulled Liz's head under as she slid forward. Liz's face was suddenly pressed up against Katy's bare crotch. If her anxiety wouldn't have been so high she might have enjoyed the position. Richard as he was pulling backwards said, "Katy look. There are three men." Katy took over and added, "Yes and isn't that Grace from the school!" Liz knew she had been teased all along and took a little love bite from the tender flesh in front of her. Katy let out a little yelp and said; "Now you had better kiss it and make it feel better." Liz did just that. ------- Robert had woken early. Without the alcohol in his system he was agitated. Getting ready, he called and was waiting for a ride down to the hospital. He was a bit disappointed as they passed Henry's Bar that it was closed. He knew early in the morning it probably would be, but this being a larger city, he held out a bit of hope. He took his usual route in the hospital, moving two stairs at a time. A habit he had learned, going up and down the stairs quickly, so that he was almost as fast as the elevators he no longer trusted. Mildred was asleep when he entered the room. He took a long look at her face. Gentle wrinkles were starting to appear, lines at the edge of her eyes from her smiling. It made him sad to think how upbeat she always seemed to be, no matter what the situation. She was his stability and had been from before they were married. He smiled at that idea. No one had needed to match them up. He had been five years older than she was and at age seventeen he had started looking at the possibilities. Three girls stood out and as soon as he had paid attention to the then twelve-year-old Mildred, it was a match. No one questioned it; everyone could see they fit together. Taking one last look at his sleeping angel, he walked out of the room and down the hallway. This time he took the stairs slower; he had no place to go. His wandering took him to a corridor and an unexpected room. He stood there, looking at the plaque that read Chapel for the longest time. Ever since the accident that killed his friends, his co-workers, he had questioned God and the foundation of beliefs that he had grown up with. He was about to turn away when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw the chaplain. "Needing a bit of quiet time?" "Not here." Robert said, almost too quickly. The chaplain took his hand away from Roberts's shoulder. "I would think, knowing where your wife is and where you come from, you might have been interested." Robert looked at the man surprised. "How did you know?" The chaplain smiled. "It is my business to know. There aren't many people who come in with the status your wife has. The last time there was a guard and special set off room was when the Vice President spent a little time here." "That is all changed now," Robert said somewhat defensively. "True, but I try and see anyone who comes in. Maybe you have never looked at your paperwork, but you are listed as Mennonites. Is that correct?" "Yes we are." Robert conceded. As he thought, it was indeed his job to know all of this. "Then might I say I am a bit surprised at your reaction about wanting to spend some time here. The few Mennonites that I do know are very religious people." "They probably didn't have God turn their back on them." Richard said, showing at last some of his anger. The man intertwined his fingers, wrinkled his brow and said, "Are you sure about that?" "Why else did those men need to die? They believed and quite frankly every one of them was a better person than I am. Where was God when I had to tell their wives," the thought brought tears to Robert's eyes, "and their children." The chaplain glanced into the empty chapel and then said, "Want to talk about it? You know sometimes telling a stranger is much easier. It is why people go to bars." Robert looked nervously at him; did he know that too? Then he looked around. There was not a soul in sight. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sure, why not." The two men went in and sat. It was not a large room, maybe twelve by fourteen feet with four rows of chairs. In the front was an altar. Robert got the impression that this was as nondescript as one could get to a chapel, but then again it was trying to make room for everyone's ideas. The chaplain had turned his chair to face Richard. "So there was an accident. The first one you had ever seen?" "No. I've seen more than I'd like to, maybe five bad ones. I was the supervisor on this one though." The chaplain sighed, this wasn't the first and he knew it wouldn't be the last, person that was mad at God. Almost all of them, when they could look at the real cause, wanted God to let them do as they pleased. It was just fine to make their decisions by themselves, but when trouble cropped up, God should swoop in and save the day. Of course that meant doing it, as they wanted it to be done. Somewhere responsibility was the key point, one most people didn't want to face. The only thing he could do is ask questions. It was up to each and every person to accept what had happened. Some would, a lot of people wouldn't. "So tell me what happened on your shift. Why did the accident happen?" "One of my best friends died. I had to tell his wife and their five year old daughter." "I'm sure that was one of the hardest things you had to do, but tell me what happened. I'm sure there was an investigation." Robert looked appraisingly at this man; he had graying temples, the wrinkles on his forehead of too much thinking, and a belly that suggested he ate a bit too well. He was maybe in his fifties. "What did you do before you were a chaplain?" The man smiled. "I was a civil engineer." "That explains it. You're not going to let me off the hook are you?" "Hadn't planned on it." Robert, although not comfortable with the subject, was at least able to talk about it. This was a man who understood and didn't know any of the people. He could speculate for the first time that his best friend might have put too much weight on that lift. He could also say that he may have panicked and not followed procedure. He was pretty sure it might not have made any difference, but would never know. The only interruption came when a wheelchair came in being pushed by a nurse. "I wondered." Mildred said, looking at Robert. "Someone said they saw you and Henry's bar is closed in the mornings." Robert looked at the chaplain who didn't say a word. "So you thought you'd look here?" Mildred smiled, "I was hoping." "I did look in at you, but you were sleeping." "I woke up two hours ago." Robert looked at his wife like she must be joking. He had no idea that he had spent that much time talking. She smiled again, "Come and help me up to my room, will you dear." Robert glanced at the chaplain and then back to his wife. "Of course. You know I'd do anything for you." ------- The dean had pulled Kristin aside and told her that her exam scores may well affect her grades, but not her graduating. He was hoping that without the pressure, she might be able to relax just a bit and do better than her first exam had turned out. She still had one to make up. The administration knew that the people close to Keith, Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann had been greatly affected by the events, but no one more than his sister. It was difficult for Kristin to study, to concentrate, and to even be in her dorm room. She wanted to be at the hospital and no one blamed her. Today was no different. She had her exam bright and early in the morning and then rushed to the hospital. Robin had always been glad to see her. When Kristin arrived, there was something out of place. Her mother kept staring at her, not saying much, but looking, constantly looking at her. Robin was also not herself, but she looked tired as though she didn't sleep much. When Kristin whispered to Robin, "My mom keeps staring at me." Kristin knew something was definitely wrong. Robin turned away, said she needed to see Pamela, and left suddenly. Kristin had the impression she didn't want to be around her. She started wondering what she had done. "Mom?" "Yes, dear?" "What did I do?" "What do you mean?" "You've been staring and Robin is avoiding me. What did I do?" Kristin asked and then seeing the look on her mother's face wished she hadn't. 'It must be bad, ' she thought. "Jack?" Catherine called to her husband who had been standing where he could try to stay out of the way. "Could you come in and be with Keith. Kristin and I need to find Robin." This was not what Kristin wanted, she was ready to stay with her father, but Catherine took her by the hand and pulled her down the hallway leaving Jack to wonder what that was all about. "Where is she?" "Who?" "Robin." "She said she needed to see Pamela." As Catherine tugged her to the stairs, she again asked, "Mom, what did I do?" Catherine did not want to answer that, not right then at least. "Let's find Robin. I think that is the start." ------- Pamela was surprised to see Robin. She showed up when no one else was around. Stephanie and Daisy were there as they had slept in the room. Sarah was also there. Pamela started twice and then got it out right, even though it was slow, "Hi Robin. It is good to see you." Even though Robin's mind was somewhere else, the complete sentence made her smile. She had just come over and given Stephanie, Daisy and then Pamela a hug when Pamela looked over and said, "More people!" Robin turned to see Kristin and Catherine in the doorway. Daisy saw and recognized the look on Robin's face. It was terror. "Robin," Daisy said startled, "What is wrong?" Robin was sinking to the floor Undaunted, Catherine walked over and reaching out for Robin, said, "It is time to talk." Sarah, Stephanie, and Pamela gasped. Daisy was stunned and then all was silent. Catherine looked around to the despaired looks on each of their faces and started to make the connection. "No, no, it is not what you think. There is nothing different with Keith." She could feel the weight of anxiety being lifted in the room. The only one who was still trembling was Robin. "We just have a little matter to settle." As Catherine led Robin out of the room, Robin looked back to Daisy and made eye contact. Stephanie saw the exchange and asked as soon as they were out of the room, "What is that all about?" "I don't know, but the look on her face reminded me of how I felt when Jill and Liz got on the bus and I was still at the station. I felt..." her shoulders slumped thinking about it, "... lost. I was hoping that what was happening, wasn't going to." "What could be so bad," Sarah said and then quickly added, "I mean other than Keith. She said it wasn't him, so what could it be?" From some of the talks with Robin she wondered if it was Kristin, did her mother find out? Daisy looked over to Sarah. She was an outsider as far as this sort of thing went. She knew Keith risked his life for Sarah, but this sort of stuff was different and she wasn't about to answer that question. Daisy looked at Stephanie and then Pamela, giving them a 'Silence your tongue' look. Sarah saw it and knew she was an outsider at that point. "I guess I'm done here," Sarah said, in a hurt voice and ran out the door. Daisy sighed. "I'm sorry Pamela, but I really don't know what it is, but if it's about Kristin and maybe a baby we can't say anything. It isn't fair to anyone." "I know," Pamela said without too much effort. "I know you like her and want her around," Daisy tussled her sister's hair. "Don't you." "Yes," She beamed. ------- Catherine realized as they were walking down the hallway that hospitals were not known for quiet, private places. In the stairwell she asked Kristin, "Where can we go and talk, privately?" "Privately? Nowhere in the hospital that I know of." "That is what I figured, so where? Then how do we take Robin without anyone seeing her?" Kristin knew the implication was reporters; most had gone after the first day, but a few, hard core photographers, were still around. It was Robin though that spoke. "I can't go," She said almost pleading, "What if Keith wakes, he'll need me. I need to be with him. I can't go, I just can't." Kristin stopped, turned and looked at Robin. This was day three and she had not set foot outside, had not changed clothing, she wondered if she had even bathed. The only thing she figured was happening was that the nurses were feeding Robin. She drew Robin into a big hug. "I'll be with you. I'll never leave. My dad will call if anything changes and we can be back in minutes." Kristin said, trying to cheer her up and reassure her. Robin started to cry and Kristin took it as not wanting to leave, Catherine knew she still was afraid of a break in the relationship between Kristin and herself. The sooner things could get out in the open, Catherine knew, the better it would be for Robin. "So where are we going?" Catherine asked. "To the apartment. Robin needs a change of clothes. I'll call dad and tell him the number. The biggest problem is getting her there." "I'll take care of that." Catherine said. Kristin raised her eyebrows at her mother, but she pretended not to notice. She had a card up her sleeve, Anthony, who seemed to have an answer about transporting anyone incognito. Robin stood between the two as they made their calls. Catherine took much longer and as she hung up, all eyes were upon her. "A man will arrive who will take care of everything. We are to wait at the entrance to the loading dock," she said. In reality, that is all she could say, because other than that, she didn't know what was going to happen. It was less than five minutes when a maintenance man approached the three. "Catherine Paterson?" The man asked. "Yes." "Mr. Anthony Phillips has instructed me..." As soon as they unboxed themselves the three were laughing. Never in their wildest dreams would they think they would have been placed in large boxes and 'delivered' to their location. It was absurd, but effective. Kristin took Robin's hand and led her down to the bedroom. As soon as Robin saw the bed, their bed, her body heaved, her eyes started flowing, and she wailed in pain. Kristin grabbed her and tuned her quickly around. Catherine was right behind them and stepped into the doorway of the second bedroom as Kristin marched Robin down the hall into the bathroom. As Catherine came down the hall she could already hear the water running in the tub. As she looked into the doorway, she saw Kristin taking Robin's clothes off. It was a gesture of love and her words followed. "Robin, it is going to be fine. I know it is, trust me, please. I can feel it. You need to believe too." Kristin took Robin and helped her in and as Robin sat, Kristin took up a washcloth and bathed her. Catherine took this opportunity, the loving, caring time to make Robin understand Kristin would always care. "Kristin, you asked me a question and now it is time to answer that." Kristin had almost forgotten why they were here; she held the washcloth, it's dripping water sloshing the side of the tub. Robin scooted back away from Kristin, her tranquility that she had been lulled into, suddenly shattered. "I walked in on Robin late last night. She was talking to Keith. Talking about the future." Kristin's face revealed everything; Catherine knew there was no doubt. "Kristin, I know." Kristin glanced over to Robin and saw her shaking in the warm water. Her legs pulled up tight, her face in anguish. Kristin was ready to cry for the girl. "Robin, did you think I'd be mad at you? Come here." Kristin said and held out her arms. Robin reached out and grasped Kristin's arm, almost pulling her into the tub. Robin was held and cried, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." "Hush now. It isn't your fault." Kristin said. Then she turned to her mother. "Couldn't you have found a better time for this?" Catherine ignored her daughter's remark and asked the question she needed to know. "Have you thought about this?" "Yes, mom, I have. I have thought and thought and thought." "And?" "And I am going to live in Carp. I am going to have my brother's child. I am going to be happy." "So you think it is going to be different for you and Keith, different from what Uncle Joey and Aunt Jeannette endured." Catherine studied Kristin's face and saw her processing that information. "They were..." "Yes and that is why they were never at any of the family reunions. They never came to their high school reunions. They never came to visit the town they grew up in." "Mom, you sound sad about it, were they? We went to see them all the time. Maybe I never knew, but they seemed very happy." Catherine was stunned, she had never thought about it that way. Maybe they didn't miss what she had felt was important. What was more important to them was being together. She still needed to ask, "What are you going to do? Are the people of Carp going to accept an unwed mother? Robin is married to Keith, so you can't pretend you are married to him." Robin finally relaxing with the knowledge Kristin loved her no matter what, spoke up. "Catherine, I know our wedding took you a bit by surprise. The events during and right after the wedding, were a bit overwhelming, so you never got a chance to know anything about us, or Carp." Catherine laughed, a bit nervously, "Well that is true. Most weddings don't include a fire, a shooting and then end up with the whole town being occupied by the army and everyone taken away by train all because of a mad man." Robin winced. "That mad man was my father." As Robin saw Catherine gasp, she said, "Now before you faint, I never knew him." She went on to describe her mother's seduction by Cliff. The reason she said Keith had promised never to leave her, because that is what had happened to her mother. Then the clincher was her mother's brother becoming her husband and the town not really saying much about it. Catherine turned to Kristin, "You knew all about this, didn't you?" "Yes, Robin and I share everything." "Including her husband." Catherine said. Robin giggled which brought Catherine's glare. Robin looked a bit sheepish, "You mentioned to me how their aunt and uncle got together. It wasn't Keith or Kristin. It was me." "You?" "Yes, you see I knew Keith was in love with his sister. I wanted him. I wanted to marry him, but I also didn't want to play second fiddle to someone else for the rest of my life. So I made him get Kristin and bring her down to Carp. I found out she was in love with him, just as he thought she might be. I was in love with Keith and I fell in love with Kristin. It was easy; she's just like me. So I was the one who hatched the plan." Catherine was amazed, "You could have lost him." Robin smiled. "I would have anyway. I needed to know as much as they did. I wanted them to get it out in the open and not want to sneak about." Nodding, Catherine said, "Yes, I could see that. I just..." She sighed, "I just don't understand I guess. I mean my brother and sister..." Catherine's face started to color. Kristin knew this must be good. "What, mom?" Then teasing, she said, "You didn't ever..." Catherine's face turned brighter red, she quickly said, "That is not appropriate to even ask, young lady." Kristin couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Does dad know?" "Kristin! Don't you even say a word." "Of course, mom," Then she got a little smile, "You're not going to tell us anything you did?" "Kristin." She said sternly. "Ok." "Did you say anything about our talk last night to Jack?" Robin asked. "Mom, what will dad think of me?" Kristin said becoming very serious. "He won't think I'm a... you know." "I think your dad is going to have a hard time with it. Dad thinks of his little princess growing up and meeting the right man. I think he's given up on Liz." Kristin and Robin stifled a choking laugh. "With you, he will be disappointed. I know he will be mad at Keith, a man isn't supposed to do that, no matter what." "What does he think of your brother and sister?" Robin asked. Catherine looked again at her, gaining more respect for her insights all the time. "I think it might be good to give them a call and see if they couldn't come for a visit." "You mean that, mom?" "Yes, dear. We have been there for them when parts of the family were not so nice. I think this is a time I can collect." "Not to change the subject, but can I get the rest of my bath? The water is starting to get cold." Robin said. They all laughed. Catherine moved over and turned on the hot water; Kristin soaped up the washcloth again and started washing the rest of her. Robin dressed afterwards, bringing with her another change of clothing. She had made Kristin get the clothes, as she didn't want to see the bedroom again. Catherine made a call; they were boxed and 'delivered' back to the hospital. ------- Jill bounced out of the class. The teachers were starting to wonder what was going on, there was such a dramatic change from the day before. Grace started making her rounds, telling the teachers that Liz was gone again and why. The ones who had Jill in their classes the first two periods asked about her behavior. Grace told them she thought it was partly relief not to need to pretend nothing was wrong and still denying anything is. All of them were asked to watch for any problems and let her know immediately. Tiffany was especially worried. What she had done the night before was grounds for not only losing her job, but also landing in jail. The only thing that comforted her somewhat was Jill's assertion that Liz was part of this. She was not looking forward to Jill in her class later in the afternoon or in her room that night. Jill felt good. She missed Liz very much, but the night with Tiffany was very nice and she needed that release. She also found out how much Tiffany would do for Liz and she was only the second female Tiffany had ever been with. The only times she had been out on a date with a boy, they were rough with her, something she never liked and she always ended the dates early. That first time with the girl was when she was young and now as her body had matured, so had her needs. Jill thought that Liz might just like to know. At lunch Sue and Betty sat on each side of Jill. Laura was sitting across from her, surrounded Jill. Sue said in a sneaky voice, "Remember that place we found that no one else knew about?" "Yes," Jill answered. "Well, it got better with the new construction," Sue said in a hushed, but excited voice. Laura was remembering being included in seeing that, then she remembered finding out about some of the things Betty and Sue did. It had been an eye opener to Laura and one that made her see Jill in a new light. She was interested in this new development. Maybe she would be asked to see it again. "We want you to come and see it. You," then looking across the table, "and Laura." Jill was suspicious, "Just look?" Laura was practically dancing in her seat she was so excited and now it sounded like Jill didn't want to go. "Well," Betty blushed, "we did have a little game in mind." Jill looked over to Laura and saw the anticipation written all over her face. "Do you want to?" "Oh yes!" Laura said. "Ok," Jill said. Then in a low voice to Sue she whispered, "Out on the field today I want to know everything." At drama class, Laura was almost fawning over Jill. She had done so once before, but it had been a while ago and Jill had to get her to step back a few times. Overall though, Jill liked the attention, but was worried that Laura would do just about anything asked and knowing Sue, that could be more than Laura could handle. The class Tiffany had been dreading came. The last period and Jill was in it. Jill on the other hand was preoccupied with trying to get Sue alone to talk with her. After the anticipation, Tiffany was almost disappointed Jill hadn't tried anything during class. There was always after, like last time right before the showers. When that didn't even happen, Tiffany felt a bit dejected. Jill had her mind on other things and knew that this wasn't the place to torment Tiffany. She didn't understand that what she was doing, ignoring her, was tormenting Tiffany even more. "Sue, stand next to me," Jill whispered. Sue moved over, close enough so that they could talk without anyone else hearing, but far enough away so it didn't look like they were talking. "What?" Sue said, although she knew what this was about. "You know what. This game, what is it?" Sue couldn't help but smile. "Kind of a truth or dare game." "Truth or dare?" Jill asked, she had never heard of that before, not in her little town. "You've never played?" "No." "Oh. Well, see, someone asks a question to a person and they have to tell the truth or take a dare." "What kind of question?" Jill asked, her suspicion rising. Sue started to blush, "Well, maybe how many boys you've kissed." "That doesn't seem too hard, but somehow I think there is more." "Of course. That is how it starts, easy like. Then it goes to questions such as how far up your dress would you let a boy put his hand." "What happens if you don't tell?" "Then you have to do the dare." "What is it?" "What is what?" "The dare?" "It can be anything the person asking the question wants it to be." "Like what?" Sue blushed again. "The first time I kissed Betty, you know, really kissed her with my tongue and everything, was a dare." Jill didn't say anything for a few minutes. Sue was beginning to worry. Then Jill said, "So you two cooked up this plan to take advantage of little Laura?" Sue got a shocked look on her face, which surprised Jill, and then Sue started stammering, "No, no, it isn't us. We thought, I mean, we wanted. No, that isn't right. We were going to get you two. We, I," Sue looked right into Jill's eyes and said, "Don't you like her? It sure looked that way when we saw you on stage." Jill started to blush at that. "So you were just trying to help us along?" Sue got sheepish, "Something like that. It is fun for us too. When someone else dares you to do something it is more fun than just doing it otherwise." Jill was getting the picture and it did seem like fun, she had to admit. She thought she might as well shock poor Sue a bit for the fun of it. "So if you didn't want to answer my question I could dare you to do something?" Sue was happy that it looked like Jill was going to go along with it, "Yes, anything." Jill looked at Sue and made sure she caught her eye, before saying, "Even if it was to remove your top and bra and then take Betty's hand and place her fingers on your nipples and tell her to pinch and twist them until she heard you scream?" Sue dropped her jaw at the description Jill had just said; all she could do was numbly nod her head. She started to wonder if they had made a mistake about Jill. "Well then, it sounds like it could be fun. I think you know that Laura is very inexperienced and she doesn't need to be frightened. Is that clear?" Sue nodded again. She did understand. If the dare Jill just came up with was a first example, then she sure didn't want to see what Jill would do if she was mad at them. After class and when Sue saw Betty, the image of what Jill had said, burnt into her mind and she was starting to get tingly thinking about it. ------- Richard was the only one who was paying attention when the mileage signs came by. But as the city limit sign for Salt Lake City showed, Liz saw it and conversation stopped from her. She was on the outside and was now facing the window. She didn't want the others to see the tears dropping. Katy looked over to Richard and neither one needed to say a word. They both knew this was going to be hard for her. It was hard enough for each of them. As Liz watched the houses go by, she realized that she had been preoccupied the entire trip. Katy and Richard had forgone their feelings and had worked to make her get here in one piece. She turned back to them. "Katy," she had to clear her throat, "Richard, thank you." Katy put her hand on Liz's leg and gave it a gentle squeeze, smiling at her. "I know what you have been doing. Keeping my mind elsewhere. Thank you. Richard I want to especially thank you. It could have been easy to..." "Liz, don't think I wouldn't have. You are very beautiful." Katy play-slapped Richard and he went on after smiling at her, "I know that it wouldn't have been right. Keith is for you and I am not. I had to respect that." Then he got a devilish grin on his face, "That doesn't mean I didn't look though." They all laughed. "That is just what I mean." Liz said. "You two have been wonderful. I couldn't have come up here without you. If I would have been put on a train, like Grace wanted to do to me." Liz shuttered, "I think I would have been a basket case when I arrived." They were quiet for a while, each in their own little world. Then Liz couldn't help it, something just set her off and she said, "Grace wasn't really at the motel this morning was she?" They all started laughing so hard that Richard had a hard time driving. "Sorry," Liz said. "I don't know what brought that on." "It's easier to joke and laugh." Richard said. "I think it is about time I found a place to pull off and call." That silenced the car once again. After Richard stopped and had got back in he looked at them and said, "Don't laugh." Katy and Liz looked at him, "What?" Katy said "Why?" Liz said. "When you hear what we are to do, you are going to think I made this up." "Don't keep us in suspense, what is it?" Katy demanded. "We are going to drive to the airport. There a cargo truck will be waiting." Richard looked a bit pained, "We are going be given jump suits to put on and I will drive us to the to the hospital loading dock." "We're doing what?" Liz asked. Our bags will be placed in boxes," Richard went on, "that we will load onto the hospital dock." Katy couldn't help it, she started snickering. Richard said, "Stop," but it didn't help, Liz started too. Richard held out for as long as he could, but with both gals laughing in hysterics, he soon lost the battle and was laughing also. When they stopped and dried their eyes, Richard said, "I hope that is out of your system. The reason for all of this is to get in there without the press alerted to our being there. If you two make a scene it will all be for nothing." "Don't worry." Liz said and started giggling. "That is what I'm afraid of." Richard replied. It did go off without a hitch, that is, after Richard found where he was to meet the person at the airport. Soon they were inside the delivery section of the hospital and before they had time to wonder what they were to do now, Catherine showed up. ------- Mary was surprised to see Sarah in her dorm room when she arrived back from her last exam. Sarah's eyes were red from crying and Mary, although tired from the mental challenge the day had brought, was ready to help her little sister. "Sarah, what is wrong?" Mary asked as she sat on the bed next to her. "I don't understand. I thought they wanted me. I was helping, I know I was." "Who doesn't want you?" "Daisy, Stephanie... and Pamela." Sarah said dissolving into tears. Mary took hold of her sister and rocked her. "What makes you think they don't want you around? Did they say something to you?" Mary knew all of them. They were very nice; every one of them, and it was hard to understand. "It all started with Robin." "What started?" Mary said concerned with what she may have missed. "Robin came in. Something wasn't right. Then Kristin's mother came in. Kristin was at the door. Robin looked like she was going to faint." "Was it Keith?" Mary said alarmed. "No, it was something else, something important. I think Daisy knew. The others knew too. They didn't want to tell me. I was shut out. It was horrible. Why do people do that? I thought they were my friends." Sarah started crying again. Mary knew of only one thing that might have had that kind of impact, Kristin's pregnancy. It was something Mary had thought of, a lot. If that was it, then she also knew why no one said a word to her sister. "Sarah. Maybe it wasn't like it seemed. Didn't people act all of a sudden very strange around you?" "Yes, they were all strange." "Sarah, look at me. I think you may be taking this all wrong." "But they..." "Are you sure? Does that feel right to you? I mean inside, deep down, do you think Pamela would not want you to be around her?" "No, I guess not." "She was very excited to have you coming to Carp, wasn't she?" "Yes." "Ok, so maybe, just maybe things just looked like they weren't. This is a very hard time for Robin. Think what she must be going through." "I don't want to. It hurts too much." "Yes I know. You can't expect anything normal out of her until Keith gets better." "I just ran out." "You didn't say anything mean did you?" "Just that I was done here. Was that too mean? How do I go back now?" "Let me see who is there. If it is just Pamela, then that is the time to go." "Ok." Mary dialed up and talked to the nurse's station. Pamela and Stephanie were inseparable, so when asked if she was alone, they didn't even think to count Stephanie and said yes. "Time to go," Mary said, standing Sarah up. "You're sure?" "Very sure, go on and take one or make it two of the guards with you. They are starting to drive everyone crazy." "Yes ma'am," Sarah said saluting her sister. Mary tried to swat at her, but Sarah ducked out the door and then popped her head back in. "Thanks. I'm glad you're my sister." Mary smiled. That was one of the nicest things she'd heard all week. ------- Robin had walked by and motioned Daisy to come out with her. Stephanie told the nurse that Pamela was tired and wanted some rest, so couldn't they please have the door closed, at least most of the way. The door was not completely shut, but almost. The guard at the door saw the lights go off in the room. Pamela and Stephanie didn't have sleep on their mind though. It had been too long. As soon as Stephanie climbed back onto the bed she found Pamela's legs spread open under the sheet and her panties gone. It sent shivers down Pamela's spine when Stephanie slipped her hand under the sheet and touched her leg; she caressed it, moving her hand ever higher. As Stephanie got to Pamela's inner thigh, Pamela couldn't take it any longer and reaching, took Stephanie's hand, placing it on her hot and waiting bare pussy. Pamela moaned in satisfaction as Stephanie's fingers cupped her and the center finger pushed into her crease. It was an awkward position for Stephanie and she was having a hard time moving her hand and fingers where she wanted them to go. Their eyes had adjusted enough that the light coming in through the pulled shade and the doorway made everything just visible. Stephanie pulled up the sheet and looked in. Under the single top sheet, there was the soft glowing highlight of Pamela's legs, but the object of desire was hidden in shadows. Stephanie moved her head in closer and Pamela instinctively opened her legs wider. With the darkness, Stephanie didn't realize her face was as close as it was until she made contact. Not wanting to miss an opportunity. Stephanie snaked out her tongue and ran into her opening. Pamela pulled the pillow in front of her face to prevent the sound from traveling out of the room, as she couldn't control her moaning. It felt so good and Pamela didn't want it to stop. Pamela took her hands and reached down to Stephanie's head as she flexed her pelvis. Stephanie stuck out her tongue and let Pamela guide her, moving her head up and down, in and out. Little Pamela knew the point was coming. She was going to have to give up her hold on Stephanie's head and grab that pillow, holding it tight. The panting sounds she was making already seemed loud and she knew she would be screaming, it was feeling that good. Sarah told the guard that she would be quiet and let the girl sleep. The guard thought to himself that it was much easier to be around hardened criminals, they weren't so crafty in getting what they wanted as these little girls seemed to. As Sarah opened the door quietly and slipped in she was greeted by a noise that confused her senses. There was a muted screaming sound and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw a pillow over Pamela's face. Concerned for the girl's safety Sarah rushed over. Only when she was at the bedside and pulling the pillow off the surprised girl did she notice Stephanie's legs sticking out from the sheets. Pamela gasped in horror of being caught like this. Stephanie, sensing something wrong, popped out from under the sheets. Sarah looked at Pamela and then Stephanie. It was painfully obvious what they had just done. Stephanie's face was wet and the smell was unmistakable. "Pamela! Stephanie! What have you been doing?" She said as her voice came back to her. Stephanie didn't pick up on Sarah's tone and answered, "Having a little fun." Sarah was taken back. She stammered, "Having fun?" Stephanie started to get the picture that Sarah was upset. Pamela had tears running down her face. "You don't come to Carp." With that Pamela buried her face in her hands. Sarah was torn. She had grown fond of Pamela and to see her so upset was distressing. "Pamela, please," she begged, "let me see you." "All done with me." Pamela said through her hands. "You said so." Sarah's eyes started to water now. She looked to Stephanie, "I didn't mean that." "Here," Stephanie said and took Sarah's hands, pulling them to Pamela. Sarah got the idea and hugged the girl, picking her up in her arms in the process. Stephanie got on the other side of Pamela and hugged her too. "See Pamela, she loves you." Sarah was awash with sensory overload. Her distress of not feeling included, her feelings for Pamela, and then that smell. It reminded her of... Jenny who had lived down the street. ------- "A bladder infection." Robert said repeating what the doctor had just explained that they had found in routine testing. "Yes, it is more a nuisance than a problem. With some medication you'll be fit in a few days, but the surgery is off until then." Robert didn't know if that was a blessing or not. On the one hand they could come up with something better. On the other hand, it was more time to agonize and wait. He was trying to remain calm. After all it was no ones fault really, but after the roller coaster of emotions that he had been dealing with, this just about topped it. "The only good news for Mildred is that her diet will change for the better." Robert tried to smile at his wife. She looked at him and smiled back. The doctor left, saying he would stop in later on in the day. Mildred looked at her husband and said, "This is hard. I'm glad we don't have our children to worry about. I don't think I could manage." "Yes you are right. They are in good hands with Keith." ------- Tiffany had made herself as scarce as she could. She knew it was silly. She was the adult, but the problem was, she liked what had happened and it scared her. She also found she was disappointed when Jill hadn't done things. It was driving her crazy. When Jill found her and asked if she could go out with Sue and Betty before dinner, Tiffany was very agreeable, it would give her more time to think. Laura was looking forward to the get-together, although she had no idea what was going to transpire. The four girls met and then secretively walked away in different directions with the intention to meet in the special place. The idea was so no one would be suspicious. The problem was that if anyone had paid any attention to any one of the girls, they would have known something was up. Each of the girls wore a big smile on their face. Fortunately for all, no one paid any heed to them and soon all four were together again. Speaking in hushed tones, Sue opened a tarp that was now the backdrop to what had been the secret place. Behind the tarp was open framing and beyond that a small room. Jill looked at Sue; she had obviously been there earlier. There was a blanket on the floor, a clean spot among the sawdust. "Come on," Betty whispered excitedly. They all sat down. Jill was surprised at how warm it was in the room. She looked up saw a heating duct in the ceiling. There was no register on it, so the warm air had no restriction and had warmed the room to a very comfortable temperature. The room was ready to paint, except for the hole in the outside. Sue saw Jill looking and trying to figure out why the hole was there. "I overheard one of the construction men say that it is for a piece of equipment that needs to vent to the outside. It's not here yet and until it shows up," she said with a twinkle in her eyes, "we have this perfect spot." "Laura," Sue went on, "I want you to know the rules of the game. Everyone has to agree with them before we begin, alright?" Laura was nodding her head before Sue finished. "The game is truth or dare. Have you ever played it?" Shaking her head, she was thinking of what she had heard of the game. Almost everyone who talked about it had said it was so good. "First rule," Sue said and went down the list. At the end she asked the question, "Everyone agree?" "Yes," Betty said. "Yes," Laura said. "Yes," Jill said, looking right into Sue's eyes reminding her of the talk they had. "Yes," Sue said. "Ok. Now we can begin. I thought this up, so I get to go first." She smiled and looked at Jill. "Jill, have you ever kissed a boy?" Jill was not pleased with that question, but then thought of Keith and the stage kiss, "Yes." "Who?" Sue wanted to know. "You didn't ask that. You have to ask again if you want to know," Jill said, enjoying this word game. Sue groaned, knowing Jill was right. The others laughed. Jill then asked Betty if she had ever seen a boy naked and who. Laura gasped, but Betty laughed and said, "Yes, my brother Phillip. He's three years older and I think he showed himself to me on purpose." Then Betty asked Laura, "If you had to undress in front of a girl and let them look everywhere on your body they wanted, who would it be?" Laura's eyes grew wide; she looked over to Jill. That answered the question to everyone there, but she said, "Dare." Betty wanted the dare and figured that question might go unanswered. Jill was not as pleased and was a bit concerned that it was going a bit fast for Laura. Jill was ready to leave, when Betty said, "Laura, I dare you to take Jill's blouse off and you can only do it standing in front of her." There was an air of excitement. This is not what Jill had expected and realized her nipples were already hard with anticipation. Laura looked over to Jill, who nodded encouragement to the girl. Laura's trembling hands started to unbutton Jill's blouse. Laura, not wanting to look directly at Jill, afraid she would show how much this excited her, looked down. Her eyes stopped though, as they reached the point of Jill's nipple, poking at the blouse Laura was taking off. ------- Kristin and her father Jack met Katy, Richard, and Liz in the intensive care ward. There were hugs all around. Robin was in with Keith and heard them. She got up, looking out and motioned them to come over. What Robin wanted most was to be held in her mother's arms. She wasn't disappointed. Katy ran over to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her baby, letting her cry. Katy had felt bad not being able to be there and now was ready to fill the mother roll. It was as traumatic to Liz, looking in on Keith, as it had been for Catherine. She had to turn away. She wanted to run away. Catherine caught her daughter outside the door and wrapped her arms around her. Kristin, Jack, Catherine, and now Liz walked to the waiting room to talk. Katy, with Robin on one side and Richard on the other went in. "Oh God," Katy let out, not being able to control herself. "I want something to happen," Robin cried in desperation. Richard immediately tensed up. Katy felt it in his hand she was holding. "What?" Katy asked. Richard shook his head. Katy wasn't going to let it go. "Richard, it was something. I felt it. What was it?" Richard shook his head more violently. "Richard," Robin said, "You are his best friend. What is it? Please tell me." Richard turned to her with tears in his eyes, "No, you don't want to know." "Yes I do, damn it," Robin yelled in frustration. "I've been looking at him laying here for days. WHAT IS IT?" After Robin's outburst that had the nurse running over to the room and stopping to see it was just frustration, something that happened. The room was now very quiet. Richard took his time; he wanted to form his word right. This was no time to get things wrong. "Keith told me," Richard began, "that he had heard people who are hurt bad sometimes wait." "Wait for what?" Katy asked. "A special event," Richard looked at the floor, "A family gathered." Robin went white as a ghost. "He took Jimmy and me up to see mom. Bill died after that." "Robin, Robin!" Richard knelt before her taking her hands. "He told me that it helped them. They could say goodbye if that is what they had to do." Richard's hands were shaking, "Or they would get better." Robin looked into Richard's eyes, "I want him to get better." "So do I, so do I." Looking over to Katy, she asked, "Mom?" "It is what he believed in. I think you should respect that. As hard as it sounds, let's get everyone together. You remember you two said how much you loved Bill. I think that is what Keith would want." Robin's head was jerking back and forth, "But I don't want him to go." "Robin," Jack's voice cut clear into her, "I don't think he wants to either." She looked at Keith's father, her lips quivering, "Ok." ------- Chapter 42 Laura watched as Betty took Sue's nipple into her mouth and sucked on it. The dare had been from Sue herself and as she had said to Jill earlier, it is much more exciting in an arena like this than otherwise. Jill noticed that Laura was making almost as much noise as Sue was. It was quite obvious she was enjoying the sight. Now it was Betty's turn to ask the question, she looked around. All four girls were bare on top now. Betty was the only one who was down to her panties, but she thought that should change now. The questions were getting worse as it went along, trying to make the other take the dare. She turned to Laura. "We know you liked what you just saw," Betty commented, which turned Laura red. "Would you rather have Jill do that to you, or would you like to do that to Jill?" Laura glanced over to Jill, it wasn't cold, but Jill's nipples were standing out. She was trying to decide if she should answer or not. It was an embarrassing question and one that would say to everyone that she did want to do sexual things with Jill. On the other hand, if she chose the dare, who knows what that might be. Then she thought, 'maybe they would make me do it and I wouldn't have to say I wanted to.' "Dare." Betty smiled. It had taken Laura long enough to answer, that she thought she might just answer the question and ruin a good dare. "I dare you to take Jill's hand and put it inside your underwear, sit down on her hand and move yourself back and forth for two minutes." Neither Jill nor Laura could believe what had just come out of Betty's mouth. Jill was so turned on by the idea that pushing Laura too far, too fast, flew out the window. Laura had her mouth still hanging open, looking at Betty, as Jill moved in front of her. Laura looked at Jill, who offered her hand. "It's ok with you?" Laura asked. Jill's smile answered and she took Jill's hand, sliding it under her dress. She hesitated as to how to do this best, then took her other hand and pulling her panties to the side, placed Jill's hand against her. As Laura sat back down, Jill's fingers adjusted. Her thumb rested right above Laura's clit. Her pinkie and ring finger were on one side, her index finder to the other, but her middle finger slid into the moist lips. Laura sighed. "You have to move back and forth for two minutes, don't forget." Betty said. As Laura slid forward, Jill's thumb pushed against her clit. Laura didn't need to be reminded to move again. The only problem was shushing her. She was starting to make too much noise. It left Laura frustrated when Betty said her time was up and she needed to stop. "I don't want to," Laura panted. "You must. We need to get on with the game and it's your turn to ask." That was the only redeeming part of stopping. She didn't even look at Betty or Sue; she just looked into Jill's eyes. "Did you get excited when you kissed me on the stage? I mean did it make you want to do things like this? Do you want to do more?" Jill smiled, "Laura that was three questions. Which one would you want me to answer?" Laura's blood pressure had gone down to normal by then and she could think straight. "Ok. Jill when you kissed me on stage, did it excite you enough to want to do what we were going and would make you want to do more?" The three girls laughed. Sue said, "She's getting the hang of it. She put all three questions into one. Ok Jill. Are you going to answer, or take the dare?" Jill looked over to Laura and winked at her, causing Laura to blush, "Dare," Jill whispered. Laura hadn't thought up a dare. She was hoping Jill would tell her the answer. She wanted to hear Jill was as excited as she was. As a dare popped into her head she turned bright red. "What is it?" Sue said. "We know you have a good one, come on, out with it." Laura shook her head. "Laura, tell me. You know I have to do anything you say." The thought of that just added to Laura's blush. "Did you want me to kiss you again?" Jill asked. Laura nodded. "Like when we were on stage?" Another nod from Laura. They both stood and Jill started to kiss her then stopped. "We had clothes on then. Do you want our clothes on, or off?" Laura didn't want them on, but hadn't realized how Jill had worded it, "Off," she answered. Jill slipped off her skirt and Laura realized she had just said she wanted the clothing off. This was just like her the image in her head. Laura quickly peeled her remaining clothing off. "Now when I'm kissing you, are my hands supposed to be stationary or moving all over your sensitive spots?" "Moving," Laura said, she couldn't even see Betty or Sue, all she saw was Jill. "And your kissing isn't just for my lips." Jill raised her eyebrows at Laura. She couldn't believe what Laura had just said. Jill glanced over to Betty and Sue, who were smiling and gathering their clothes, preparing to leave. Jill had one more question. "How long does this last? The two minute standard or until you tell me to stop." With that Jill kissed Laura's lips again. "Don't ever stop," Laura sighed. ------- The idea was easier than the application. As Catherine started counting with Katy's help, the number of people to surround Keith was staggering. There was no way in the world to get everyone in the hallway very close, much less in the room. Richard, a problem solver, suggested that they talk to the doctor. He was given the task. To the doctor the idea of having fifteen people traipsing through the intensive care unit at one time was not his idea of a sterile environment. That didn't mean he was opposed to the idea; in fact far from it. He had seen what Richard was talking about, work before and quite frankly he was ready to have Keith do something. The amount of attention and pressure in the hospital was not good as far as he was concerned. The doctor suggested that a special wardroom be set up for him. There was one that at the time had only one patient in it and it was designed for four. They could move that person out and Keith in for a short time. With the extra space, everyone could be in at one time, making the duration shorter, a consideration of the doctor's standpoint. All of this would take a bit of work and so could not be done that evening, but tomorrow for sure. Timing was an issue as well, with the students who were taking their exams. After a bit more discussion back and forth, they decided that two o'clock tomorrow afternoon would be the time. When Catherine came back from making her call, she was pleased with the news, as things would progress. Robin had not been as receptive. It was the reality of something very scary coming to pass and she would have more time now to dwell on it. Everyone understood and tried in their way to comfort her. Kristin and Liz had been talking together for some time away from everyone else. Catherine worried that Liz was hearing what was taking place with Kristin and how Liz would take the news. Jack and Richard saw them as being sisters and sharing. Robin knew what they were doing and wondered how Liz felt. She wanted some time to talk with her also. As Kristin and Liz came back into the waiting room where most of the rest of the people were gathered, Catherine made the announcement that Uncle Joey and Aunt Jeannette would be showing up tomorrow at midday. Jack looked at his wife with a wrinkled brow. "You called them?" "This is our son. His future is on the line and you are asking if I called my Brother and his wife?" "You're right. I'm sorry, especially since they live close enough to get here. What about their kids?" "The youngest is off at college still, remember, he's about Kristin's age. Their daughter is working in California." "I guess that would be right. I just can't keep track. It will be nice to see them." Catherine smiled, "Glad to hear you say that. They may stay for a week." Jack thought this was a fairly innocent exchange between him and his wife. Little did he know that every ear in that room was listening intently to every word said. Kristin yawned and then gave Liz a hug. "I wish I didn't have any more classes, but I have what would have been my last final tomorrow morning. I have to do a make up on the one from Monday." "A make up final? I've never heard of such a thing. What happened?" Liz asked. Kristin looked down at the floor. "I couldn't do it." Her father started, "Kristin, we've told you to..." "Dad! The class was in the building my brother fell from. When I sat down in my chair, I looked out the window and saw them taking away a door that a bullet had gone through. I just couldn't handle all of that." Kristin said and then ran out of the room. Catherine had her hand over her mouth. Jack's mouth was hanging open. Katy and Richard were looking at each other, not feeling very comfortable. Liz, as shocked as she was, still ran after her sister. "Kristin wait!" Liz called to her. Kristin stopped in the hallway and let Liz catch up to her. Liz put her arm around her sister and turned her around, walking her back to the room. When she came in her mother enveloped her in a hug. Her father stammered a bit and then said, "Kristin, I don't think any of us had a clue of what it was like. I am truly sorry. That must have been excruciatingly painful." Kristin nodded as she was crying in her mother's arms. "Do you forgive me?" Kristin turned to him, "Yes daddy. I think all of us need a bit of forgiveness." Kristin felt the grip around her tighten. Richard said what Katy was thinking. "If that is how it was for you, how has Robin managed?" "I don't know." Kristin said truthfully. "Every one of us has been up here, but today was the first time she has left this building, and beyond being here, I think the only place she has been is to see Pamela." Katy turned to Richard, "I'm going to stay with her tonight, is that ok with you?" Richard nodded, "Of course." "Can you stay with me?" Kristin said to Liz. "Is there room? I remember dorm rooms aren't too large and you do have a roommate, don't you?" "We'll fit you in." ------- When Jill walked into Tiffany's room, she was waiting, her arms crossed in front of her. "I want you to explain your actions." Jill's mind was awhirl. How did she find out? Did someone see them? Then it hit her, this had nothing to do with Laura and she almost laughed. "So what do you want to know?" Tiffany moved over and said, "Come and sit here, we need to talk." As Jill was moving she thought about what had happened today. The time with Laura was a lot of fun, but it was also a bit frustrating. She had done most everything and Laura had a long way to go before she would know how to reciprocate. Now it looked like she was going to lose her time with Tiffany. As she sat, she asked, "What is wrong?" "You don't know?" "Is it that I'm a sort of student here? Really I'm not even enrolled you know." "As if that technicality matters. You are also too young." Jill laughed, "Liz hasn't told you much about Carp, has she?" "No, but I don't see what that has to do with it." "My mother bucked tradition in the town and didn't have me marry at thirteen as is custom. I'm fourteen now." Tiffany blinked several times and finally got out, "What?" Jill was amused at Tiffany's reaction. "You know the wedding she went to, her brother..." Tiffany interrupted Jill saying, "He married a thirteen year old?" "Yes. But I must say Robin is a gem." "Thirteen? I'm eighteen, five years older than her." Tiffany said. She didn't even notice that Jill had moved and was now behind her. Jill moved her hands to Tiffany's shoulders. "It sounds like you might have had a hard day." "Jill, stop that. No, not the massage. Stop trying to change the subject." "Ok," Jill said softly as she moved her hands up Tiffany's neck and then down her back. "So now we've established I'm not really enrolled in school and I'm old enough." Jill spread out her fingers reaching out to each side of Tiffany's small frame and pressing then releasing each finger as she moved her hands up Tiffany's back. "So what else is there you need to know?" "Why?" This was a much harder question to answer. Jill stopped the massage and moved back in front of Tiffany, this time though, taking her hands that were in her lap. "I think to answer that completely, you would need to know a lot. I think Liz was going to be explaining it to you, so I don't feel it is my place to do so. Let me just say that I love Liz and I'm sure that you know we have done more than just sleep in her bed. I also feel the love you two share. I wanted to be a part of that also. I know that may seem a bit strange, but you will need to trust me that in a strange sort of way, it is ok." "You are telling me it is ok to have more than one love?" "You have strong feelings for Liz don't you?" "Yes, I think you know that." "It was pretty obvious to me." Jill said as Tiffany blushed. 'You know now, she and I have been together." A nod from Tiffany and Jill went on, "wouldn't you like to think you could fit into her life as well?" "I'm starting to see what you mean. Liz may not have to, or need to, and especially want to kick you out to let me in." "Yes that is right. Can you and I have a special bond with Liz being the catalyst?" "I like how you put that." Tiffany said. Jill unclasped her hands with Tiffany and moved them up her legs. Tiffany looked into Jill's eyes and then let out a little moan before saying, "Yes, let's work on that." Then she added, "I think you have too many clothes on though. Here, let me help." ------- The telephone was ringing early in the morning, but after the news about Keith, people rushed to the phone anytime it rang now. "Is Miss Elrich available?" "There are several ladies that could answer to that name. Do you have a first name?" "Dora." "I can get her for you if you need to speak directly to her. It will take several minutes. I can go get her and you might want to call back in, say ten minutes." "No, that won't be necessary if you can take a message and deliver it to her." "Sure, that would be no problem. What is it?" "The train is scheduled to make its stop at one forty in the afternoon today. She knows all the details, but let me give you my number. If she has any last minute questions she can call. I'll be in the office until noon." Dora, still half asleep when she answered the door was shocked awake. "Today! Are you sure they said today?" Many found the news stunning. In the last few days, there had been a depression over the town. The man who had brought life back into this town had also brought it down. Now the people there had to face something that many, who had looked forward to, the completion of the Mansion, the gift of thanks from the town. Now they were dreading doing anything with it as that place was a reminder of what they felt as though they had lost. Dora herself had been planning on having the help from Keith's mother. She knew what everything was and would have been a great help. Now she wouldn't be there and the general feeling was, what's the use? When the group of volunteers gathered on the main street, Dora was ready to cry. The saving grace was Patrick, who apologized for being late. He looked at everyone and started in on them. "Look at the lot of you. We have gathered to do a job." His booming voice drew several others and then more came. "I want you to ask yourself what would have happened to us if Keith said, well this doesn't look good. I don't see an end to what I'm doing here, so I'm going to quit. Where would any of us be?" Patrick looked around to a lot of sheepish looking faces. "My granddaughter is there, taking care of a man we owe our lives to. Heaven only knows the outcome, but I don't plan on making this furniture move like a processional to a tomb. I plan on this as an adventure. Many of us will see things come off that train we have never seen before. This is as exciting as we want to make it and I'll tell you right now that I'm excited. I want to lead my granddaughter around that house and show her all the new things there. Deep down, don't you feel that way too?" By the time Patrick was done, the crowd couldn't wait for that train to arrive. Dora saw Patrick sit down and she went over to him. It was then that she saw the tired sweaty man. He was drained. Patrick looked up at her and smiled. "I'm not as young as I used to be. It wears me out to do that now." He smiled again, "It was worth it though. To see them come alive again." "Yes. Thank you." Dora said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she whispered, "I don't know if you're too old or if Cheryl is wearing you out too much." The grin on Patrick's face was priceless. Then he shook his head as though he didn't believe she had just said that. ------- Robin jumped a bit in her chair that she had been using to sleep in. The touch on her shoulder was enough to wake her. She squinted out of her eyes and noticed it was still dark outside. Yawning she said, "What?" "Robin," was the reply in a soft gentle tone, "I have a problem." Blinking her eyes, trying to get them awake and focused, she turned to Daisy and said, "What kind of problem?" "I started my period and I don't have any supplies." Yawning again, Robin got up and walked Daisy over to the nurse's station. A sympathetic nurse got her a sample pack. "We can get Kristin to bring over some." Then with a rare smile, Robin added, "She won't need them for a while." With that introduction to the day, Robin sat at the window and watched the sun rise. She knew this day was going to live with her forever. She thought of the young girl jumping into a stranger's car, never realizing how much that man would change her life. A tear trickled down her cheek, but she had little time for any self-pity. A nurse interrupted her quiet moment. "Excuse me. Robin Paterson?" "Yes, that is me." "I was asked to let you know that they would be releasing Pamela today." Robin stared at the nurse. Not knowing quite what to say. "You are her guardian, isn't that right?" "Oh, yes, of course." "There will be some papers to sign and the doctor will want to talk to you." "When?" Robin asked. She didn't want to leave her husband. She didn't like leaving him at all, but at least if someone else was there it was better. "In about an hour if that would be alright with you." "I guess that would be fine." Robin was wondering how she was going to make sure someone else was there. She didn't have Anthony's phone number and should have, as everyone was there or at the dorms. Her mind was going into overload and she was ready to scream in frustration. "Honey, what is wrong?" Robin looked up from the chair she had plopped herself into and saw her mother. "Oh mom, I don't know what to do. They are releasing Pamela today and I need to sign papers and then they will be moving Keith and I'm not sure what to do with Pamela, I guess Daisy could take care of her, but the doctor wanted to talk to me and you know I hate being away from him so long." "Stop!" Katy said, taking hold of Robin's hands. Robin, startled realized she was rattling on and on. "Sorry." "Now what's this about Pamela and why are you signing papers." Robin all of a sudden felt a bit self-conscious. "Well, Keith and I are her guardians." "Her what?" "Guardian's, you know we are responsible for..." "Yes I know what a guardian is. Why?" "When Robert and Mildred went to Long Beach, Pamela needed someone here. They wanted Keith to do that and the doctor wanted me as his wife to also be her guardian. I never knew I'd have to do anything really. I mean I love her, it's just I thought Keith would be taking care of everything." "Well that explains two things. Why you are so upset and where Mildred and Robert are. I wondered why we hadn't seen them." "Oh, I guess you didn't know. They couldn't find anything here and they know something is wrong. She was taken to a hospital in Long Beach; they say it is one of the best they have on the west coast." "So now my daughter has a daughter to take care of?" "Mom, can you help me?" A smile ran across Katy's face. "Sure honey, you know I'd love to. It has been a while that I've had a little girl to take care of." Robin picked up a pillow and threw it at Katy. Then Robin said, "Can you stay here for a bit so I can run down and see what needs to be done?" "How about if both of you go," Catherine, who had been outside the door said. "I'll stay with my son." Robin walked over and gave her a hug, "Thanks. That would be very nice. I hate to leave unless I have to, and knowing he's being looked after is comforting." Catherine got a lump in her throat and tears formed in her eyes. "Keith is one lucky man." Robin and Katy walked down to the floor below, finding Pamela, Stephanie, Daisy, and Sarah. They obviously interrupted something as the whispering stopped as soon as they entered the room. Robin looked at Daisy with a slightly raised eyebrow. The hint of a smile returned told her it was a good conversation and she'd hear about it latter. That was one of the benefits of being such long time friends. Katy walked over to Pamela and said, "You're going to be released today." Pamela's reaction wasn't at all what Katy had expected. She looked around and said, "But what am I going to do? Where am I going? Who's going to take care of me?" "Haven't you always been taken care of Pamela? We are your family, aren't we?" Busting into a big smile, she said, "You're right. Sarah is going to be with me too, isn't she?" "Of course," Robin answered. "Now you know I'm your guardian," Sarah's mouth just about hit the floor when Robin said this, "and there are a few things that need to be done young lady." Pamela's eye were big as saucers, "What?" Robin picked up Pamela's arm and in an exaggerated manner took a sniff, "First you must bath." This broke everyone into giggles, "And then," she went on, "Dressed into something better than these rags," picking up the hospital gown. "But warden," Daisy said to Robin in a mocking voice, "These are our Sunday best." It was supposed to be funny, but Pamela had a tear in her eye. "What is wrong?" Robin asked. She turned her head away. Stephanie wrapped her arms around Pamela and whispered to her. They watched Pamela shake her head and then nod. Stephanie then looked back at Robin, "She wants to look nice for Keith today, but she doesn't have anything to wear." Robin and her mother looked at each other. It was only nine in the morning. "Pamela, you just don't worry about that. What we need is for you to get cleaned up." Katy said. "Now, how many others need to also?" Robin asked. "I do," Stephanie answered. "So do I," Daisy said. "How are we going to change into anything? Our clothes are over at the apartment." "Don't you worry about that, it will all be taken care of." Katy said. "Now Stephanie, I assume you have been down this hall so many times that you've seen where they hide the tub?" Robin asked. Stephanie with a grin on her face nodded. "Have you looked in?" Another nod. "Were there towels?" "It's a big tub. You don't need to heat the water. It comes out hot already. There is soap and shampoo too!" Stephanie said excitedly. Everyone chuckled "Alright, you three had better get into the tub. I guess that you have bathed recently?" Robin asked Sarah. Sarah was a bit embarrassed, but answered, "Yes, I'll go with them and just keep guard." Katy had to hold her hand to her mouth to stop from laughing. Robin said, "Yes, wouldn't want them interrupted." Sarah blushed and Robin knew the answer to that question, she'd walked in on most likely Pamela and Stephanie. The fact she was still there meant she was willing to accept at least their behavior. She would have to wait to get the rest from Daisy. As they scampered down the hall, Katy and Robin looked at each other. "So, what were you thinking?" Katy asked her daughter. "When we arrived, we went to a large store." Then with a sad look, she added, "Keith drove us." "Robin, stay with me. I need your help." Robin pulled herself out of the fog she was drifting into, "I'll try." "Alright, let's go upstairs." As they walked, Katy learned about the store and its many offerings, also about the manager who had helped them. Catherine was excited about an adventure with the girls, "You know," she said, "It has been a long time since I had girls that age to shop with." Anthony was almost as excited. What he didn't tell them was that he would be driving the Rolls, something that would bring him a great deal of pleasure. They were to take the delivery system they had used before and would be dropped at the airport. He would be waiting for them. Katy ran down to tell the girls. She was at the door and could hear the laughter from within. As soon as she knocked, it was silent. Sarah asked, "Who's there?" "It's Katy." The door opened and she came in. There was a small changing area and then a tiled room with a large cast iron tub in the center. It was obvious this room was designed for many applications for getting patients in and out. The girl's application of the room was probably never conceived of. "I could hear a bit too much outside the door," Katy said first of all. Sarah turned red, but none of the others did. "You just need to keep what you are doing a little more to yourselves. These tile walls bounce the sound a lot." "You know? You don't care?" Sarah asked in disbelief. The other girls giggled and she turned to look at them as Katy said. "Sarah, they are expressing how they feel about one another. Should I have problems with that? They love each other." Sarah turned back to Katy; "Do you have any idea what my mother would say if she saw what was going on?" Katy smiled, "Yes, I probably do. But that is her problem, not mine, and it doesn't have to be yours, does it?" Everyone could see Sarah processing that information. "I guess you are right, but..." "Sarah, you need to be careful about who knows your true feelings. Someone can get hurt otherwise. These girls have let you in on their private love, so they must feel very close to you and trust you. Remember that." Sarah suddenly felt ashamed for how she had run off yesterday. Looking over to the Pamela, Stephanie, and Daisy, she said, "Thank you. I don't think I've ever had friends like you before." Then she turned red again, "I mean that trusted me." They all started laughing. "Now the real reason I came here is to tell you that we are going somewhere and you need to get ready. Our transportation should be here in about twenty minutes." Katy was bombarded with questions. The only one she answered, was Sarah's, she was going too. Katy ran back upstairs and asked if anyone knew how to get hold of Patrick, as Sarah wanted to go as well. Jack said he had heard that he would be spending the day in the lab talking to the doctor who had been at the base, a Dr. Jameson, and now was here taking over for Keith. Robin knew that number and Katy quickly made the call. That settled, Katy and Catherine were ready to go and collect the girls. At the loading dock, the girls looked at the boxes. "We're supposed to get into them?" Daisy asked. "You are pulling our leg now, aren't you?" Pamela questioned. Katy smiled and responded, "You can watch us, but then you need to get in, alright?" The girls looked at each other and nodded in acknowledgment. Katy got into one box, Catherine into another. The four girls looked at two boxes left. "I guess we are going to need to share." Daisy said "Ok." Stephanie answered, "I want to go with you." Pamela looked at Sarah and smiled. "I guess that means you'll be with me," Sarah said. Pamela's smile grew. The girls pulled the lids onto the boxes and waited, but not for long. As the boxes jostled onto pallet lifters and then moved into the truck, just as Catherine said they would, the girls fell into each other from the movement. It was a bit awkward for Sarah at first, but then it was just easier to hold onto Pamela. As soon as they were in the truck and heard the door shut, they pulled the lid off. Everyone had a good laugh at how silly that was. The drive to the airport didn't seem very long as the girls, still in the dark, were trying to pry any information out of Katy and Catherine. They were having a grand time keeping the secret from the girls. Then the truck stopped and the doors opened. They all blinked from the brightness of the daylight. The girls saw the Rolls Royce. Daisy, Pamela, and Stephanie had never seen such an interesting car. Its gentle curves, that grill, as well as the size of the car, placed it as something special. Sarah had and knew how special it was. They were all in awe. "Come on now, no time to dilly dally; the store will be opening." Anthony said. He held out his hand and helped them off the truck. "Store!" squealed Stephanie. "Oh, did I let the cat out of the bag?" "Never mind," Catherine said. Anthony stepped to the door and opened it for the ladies. "Is he our chauffeur?" Sarah asked. She was used to sometimes this happening, but only with her father and only to something she found to be boring. "At your service, my lady," he answered. Catherine laughed, "Sarah, he owns this car. Probably half this airport as well." "Not true," Anthony said, then with a little smile, "only just a part of it." Pamela and Daisy couldn't stand it and had entered, looking around. Sarah and then Stephanie got in. "How are we all going to fit?" Stephanie asked. Anthony reached in and unclasped the jump seat, much to the amusement of the girls. "There is one on the other side," he said. Catherine got in and then Katy. It was a bit of a tight fit, but no one cared. Daisy whispered to Katy, "He was looking at your butt." Katy's cheeks colored, "No, he wouldn't do that." Daisy laughed, "Yes, he would. Don't think Richard is the only one who thinks you are attractive," she whispered again. "Daisy!" she let out. "What are you talking about?" Stephanie wanted to know. "She was trying to get my goat." Katy said looking at Daisy. "I think she's still trying to figure out where we are going." "Oh, I know that. Shopping!" Everyone had a good laugh. The car pulled up in front of the store. There was a sales lady holding a parking place. As soon as they pulled up the manager of the store came out and opened the back door. "Welcome," he said. Anthony got out and the two men looked at each other. Walking towards each other the men shook hands. The interchange wasn't lost on the women. As they entered the store and Katy had enough distance from the manager, she asked Anthony, "What was that all about?" Anthony smiled, "His family, the ones who own this store, are sometimes the people I compete against in my business transactions. I have never met this relative, but have heard of him. He is a good person from what my sources tell me. In a way it is a pleasure to meet him." The manager stopped them in the center of the store. They noticed that the few customers that were in the store were watching them. "Now, I have Samantha to help the young ladies. It is my understanding that they need something nice for today." "Yes." "I am sorry about the circumstances that have brought you here today. I would rather not have the business and wish the best for Keith." Then he put a smile on his face, "But as you are here and for a purpose, she will take care of their needs and get them fitted. She is our best for girls their age." Samantha took the girls and they moved to the far side of the store. "Now for you two," he said. Katy looked at Catherine. Neither of them had considered this, but, given the opportunity... Anthony trailed along with the two. Katy said, "I've never seen a store this large. So many clothes, how does one make up their mind?" "I believe that is why it takes so long." Anthony replied. "You will regret saying that." Catherine said with a smile. "I'm sure Shelly would love to hear that from you?" Anthony was surprised, "And how would you know about her?" "I walked into the kitchen yesterday morning before anyone else was up." Anthony's face colored thinking about that conversation. The new doctor that had come in to take over for Keith was giving Anthony a run for his money. He was smooth, where Anthony, although polished in business, was painfully scared around women. In an attempt to show his amorous nature, he had used words on the phone he had rarely used ever. Katy, not wanting to be left out asked, "Who is she? How come we haven't seen her?" "I'm sure you have. She was just over to see Keith the other day," Anthony replied wishing to change the subject. "Not the tall blond?" Catherine said. "Oh Anthony, she's a tall blond?" Katy teased. The redness of Anthony's face answered the question. "Katy, you should have seen her. Any man's head would turn, my husband's did and I had to poke him in the side to remind him he was married. She's..." Catherine moved her hands to give a description of a curvaceous gal with large breasts. "She's a wonderful lady." Anthony said in protest. "She is the most intelligent person in a lab I've ever met." Katy wasn't about to give up on this. Thinking that if Daisy were right, he'd be mortified if she teased him. He was, as Daisy's ascertained, checking out her ass, so deserved it. Picking up a small silk nightgown as they walked by, Katy asked, pressing the fabric against herself, "Do you think Shelly would like this?" Anthony's eyes widened and he blushed again. Catherine laughed. Katy was moving now into the intimate clothing and Anthony was sure he didn't want to get trapped there. Luckily for him, the manager had been watching the interchange and knew it was time to step in. Before Anthony could get sucked in any further, he heard a male voice. "I was wondering if you would like to take a tour of the store while the ladies shop?" "I would love to," Anthony said relieved. "I'm sorry ladies, duty calls." As the two men walked away, they heard the chuckling form the two ladies. "I must thank you." Anthony said. "In my position, I must do this type of rescue every so often. I have some fine cigars up in my office if you are interested." "That is very kind of you, yes, I would enjoy that." The two men went up to the second floor. Catherine and Katy were now looking around, but were still making small giggles and comments about Anthony's embarrassment. For Daisy this was a bittersweet experience. She was thinking about how Keith had been hurt rescuing her, their stay in the hotel, and his extravagance in buying her clothes in a large store. She looked over to Sarah and wondered if she felt guilty. Stephanie and Pamela were young enough to let the moment capture their enthusiasm. They would think about it later, now it was fun. Sarah had wanted to be with the girls, but the reminder by the manager, of why they were there, had been very upsetting to her. She had not gone up to see Keith; she could not face it and had the utmost admiration for Robin who was the same age as her and showing great strength. Her mood could be seen though, and although she tried to be nice everything was pushing her. "Sarah," Daisy finally said to her. "Yes, what do you want?" Sara answered in a tone that reflected her tense feelings. "Can you tell me if this looks good," then pulling her along said, "We're going to the dressing rooms." Once inside Daisy set down what she had picked up. "Sarah, how guilty do you feel?" It caught the girl off guard. She stared at Daisy for the longest time and then asked, "How did you know?" "Do you know that Keith rescued me?" "He did?" Daisy bit her lip, trying to force back the tears. "My husband took me away from Carp. He was turning into a monster before my eyes." "You were married?" Daisy didn't answer; she kept going. "I ran away from him. I had only a few dollars on me and was in a strange town." Sarah was silent now, listening to Daisy tell the story of her call and subsequent rescue along with Keith's injuries. When she was finished saying how she was brought back here, Sarah said, "Wow. I guess you know pretty much how I feel. You felt guilty too?" "Sarah, I did then, but Keith and Robin shared their love with me. Keith came for me out of love. I was told that I couldn't feel guilty for that." "But he didn't really know me," Sarah said. "Sarah, you were used. The man that was after Keith used you. You had little to do with it, although I suspect you and Keith had a special moment or two; you flew here with him, didn't you?" Sarah's cheeks colored as she thought of some of the things he had said to her. He had made her feel special. Daisy then brought Sarah back, "I have to live with what he did; you were an innocent bystander, and you have nothing to feel guilty about." "What do you mean you have to live with it? What did you do?" "That man," Daisy said with disdain, "He was my husband. He wanted revenge. It is my fault." "Daisy," Sarah said alarmed, "no, that man wasn't human." "You are right. That is what makes me go on," Daisy took Sarah's hand; "You need too also. It was not your fault, not at all and you have nothing to feel guilty about. You can feel sad. I am, I'm very sad, but not guilty." "I'll try." "Let's go out to the others now." "Daisy... thank you." Catherine and Katy, finding a new outfit for themselves, had migrated over to the girls. When Daisy and Sarah came out they found Pamela and Stephanie looking very pleased. "We found it!" Stephanie said. "Yes, look." Pamela said. It took Katy by surprise to hear her words more clear than ever before. The girls held up dresses, a larger and smaller size. "This one is for you," Stephanie said to Daisy Pamela was a bit shyer, but Sarah took hold of the dress in her hand. "Is this one for me? We could match?" Sarah asked enthusiastically. Pamela was very pleased with her response, "Yes!" All four girls traipsed into the dressing room and came out looking beautiful. They left the dresses on and were marched over to the shoe department. They would have liked to spend a lot of time trying on many different shoes, but Anthony and the manager reappeared. "We need to hurry up so that we can have some lunch before we get back." Anthony said. All four girls running to him, giving hugs, greeted him. Catherine and Katy looked at each other, Katy saying, "A natural born family man." The manager looked at Anthony; "You volunteered for this job?" "I think he has enjoyed every minute." Catherine said. "You have, haven't you?" Sarah asked with a concerned voice. "Sarah, they are teasing him." Daisy said. Sarah got a sly smile on her face, "Oh really?" Turning to the manager, Anthony said, "You wonder why I'm afraid of women. It is easier to deal with half million dollar projects than this." Everyone laughed and the shoes were selected for all the outfits. Then they were escorted out. Anthony shook the manager's hand and then got into the driver's seat. Only then did Katy realize she never signed for anything. Katy asked Catherine, she hadn't either. When they stopped for lunch, as soon as they got out of the car, Katy and Catherine asked Anthony if he had signed for their purchases. He just smiled. "You can't do that." Catherine said. "Why not?" He replied. "Can't do what?" Daisy asked. "He paid for our clothing," Katy answered, "he shouldn't have." "I can do as I please, and it pleased me to do so." "But..." Katy said. "Well, thank you," Daisy said and curtsied in her new dress on the hot pavement. The other girls followed suit. "Don't expect us to curtsy for you." Katy said with a smirk on her face. "I was so hoping," he replied with a laugh. "Go on in, I need to lock up." When they were seated, Daisy raised her water glass. "Here is to Pamela and all the good future ahead of her." Everyone was ready to join in when Pamela cried out, "Please." It stopped everyone. "Please don't." She took a deep breath. "I don't," she paused, "want to," another pause, "celebrate until," one final pause, "Keith is ok." It sobered everyone up and set the tone for the rest of the meal. Pamela was sorry she said what she had; it had made everyone sad again. When they returned to the car the girls got in first. There in the seats they had been sitting in was a small box. By the time Catherine and Katy got in the girls were seated holding their prize. "What is it?" Stephanie asked in great anticipation. Before Catherine or Katy could say a word, Sarah opened hers. She gasped, prompting the quick opening of the others. The girls looked at each other. Katy said, "Well, do we get to see?" Pamela turned her box around to show a single drop pearl on a fine gold chain. Catherine looked at Anthony and said, "How could you?" "Quite easily, you see the each of the girls looked at the pearls longer than any other type of jewelry." "How did you know that?" Daisy asked. "There are windows that look down on the entire store. You can see everything from there." "Everything?" Stephanie asked innocently. "Everything of interest." Katy suddenly blushed, thinking that the tops of the dressing rooms were open. It was a decidedly better atmosphere traveling back than it had been at lunch. ------- A small moving company truck, Dannel's Movers the side was printed, arrived almost a half an hour before the train. Dora watched it come over the rise of the new bridge. It was still quite a sight, so different from that old wood bridge that was decaying. Underneath, the dry riverbed, almost completed as a swimming area, made a sharp contrast to what was. She was the only one to greet the three men who piled out of the front cab. When the whistle of the train could be heard in the distance, others started to arrive. A train stopping in this town was a sight and everyone watched the engine pull onto the track that led to the small loading platform. The train stopped first with the Pullmans letting off three passengers, then pulled slowly forward before stopping again. A station agent that worked these lines jumped off the train and opened a boxcar. He moved to a second and opened another, then held up the packing list for someone to take charge. The moving company men stared in disbelief. "All of this?" Dannel asked the man who had unlocked the car. "Yes, and we have one half an hour for you to unload." He turned to Dora; "I'm sorry Miss. We got the letter from our associate in Boston, but we have done deliveries to these small towns. I thought it was a misprint. I couldn't believe there would be so much. Our crew isn't sufficient to unload this." Dora looked at the townspeople who had gathered. "These people are not here to look, but to help. Tell us how we can help and we will do it." The man surveyed the people in front of him. "We have tarps; we'll get them out on the ground. That will protect what we need to move onto them from the dust of this dirt street. Then we'll start thinking about transporting all of this." Patrick came forward, "Would it help if we made a sort of line with your crew on each end?" Dannel nodded, "That makes sense," Then in a loud booming voice he shouted, "OK, listen up everyone..." The moving out was going smoothly. The movers were impressed about the hard work these people were doing. The only two that were sort of in the way were two inquisitive boys. Jimmy and Brian were in awe of the fascinating things coming off that train. They were indeed making a nuisance of themselves. At one point they had crawled into the far corner of the boxcar. The crew leader was about to yell at them when he got a few stern looks and shaking of heads. He didn't know, but this was the first time both boys seemed to be enjoying themselves. Brian had not been quite as affected as Jimmy, but it was painfully obvious they felt great sadness about what had happened to Keith. Jimmy was on the verge of tears at any given moment and once got so frustrated that he threw a pitcher right through a window. That outburst of anger startled him so much; he ran off, only to come back two hours later in more tears. This was the first time in days that any of the townspeople had seen the boys acting their normal mischievous selves and no one wanted to disrupt that. The engineer had come down the track. Their half an hour was up. He surveyed the scene. "Didn't believe it would happen, to tell the truth. That is a real pile of furniture there. Told it was from one house. Hard to believe." The slapped the station agent on the back. "We'll be rolling as soon as I'm back up front." As the train started down the track everyone looked at what they had accomplished. There on the platform and covering the entire street, were the crates, boxes, and covered furniture. Everyone had worked so hard to just get everything off, that now looking at it and realizing it had to be moved again was almost overwhelming. Dora looked across the people, seeing their shoulders drop at the realization. She was wondering what she could do to bring their motivation back up when it was provided for her. Three women, with Patrick driving the reins, pulled up with a wagon. In the back was a feast. In gracious mannerism that was typical of the town, they brought the moving company people to the front of the line to have the first share. Embarrassed, but hungry, they thanked everyone. Before they reached their hand out though, Patrick broke into a prayer of thanks. The men looked at each other even more sheepishly, but as soon as they heard the Amen, they dove in. That was just what they needed. Soon after lunch they started moving things into the one truck as well as several wagons. It was going to be a long day ahead of them. ------- Robin was suddenly left with Jack and Richard. She looked at both of them and said, "I hope you two can manage." "Manage what?" Richard asked. "Me. You are going to have to be there for me. I know when they move Keith it is not going to be easy. I'd have liked my mom around," Robin paused, "She's doing the right thing though. You are just going to have to hear me cry," she said as she clutched an already soggy handkerchief. "I think we can manage," Jack said. "I raised two girls and from what I can see you are a spitting image of Kristin." Those words took Robin by surprise. He could see it too. What else was he seeing she wondered? "Ok." Keith's doctor as well as Dr. Smithers came in. "Hello, Robin," Dr. Smithers said. "I know it is a stressful time to start your duties as Pamela's guardian, but frankly we had no reason to keep her." Robin managed a smile, "I know. I appreciate you taking such good care of her. I don't think I could have managed." Dr. Smithers raised his eyebrow. "I think you underestimate yourself, young lady. You managed to land Keith and he was quite a catch." This time Robin's smile wasn't forced. "Well, that was different." Richard snorted which got him a dirty look from Robin. "No, probably not, from what I've heard, you had motivation. The same would have held true here," Dr. Smithers said. Before this conversation could have gone any longer, the other doctor interjected. "We are here to make sure the patient gets moved as planned." Robin looked at Richard and Jack, then back to the doctors, "Now? It's time already?" "Yes, we need to move him downstairs and make sure he is stable before we let the hoards in to worship him," Dr. Smithers said in a humorous, but sincere manner. Richard stepped in. "So what are you going to do to move him?" "We need to unhook him and move the equipment down first. Then we will move him. I wish we had enough of this," he said pointing to the machines that monitored Keith, "We fight for what we have though." "That is why we are here," Dr. Smithers added. "Two nurses will take the equipment downstairs and plug them in; running the diagnostic tests to make sure everything is running smooth. We are to stay with Keith while he has nothing monitoring him. Then we will move him." Richard asked, "It takes two of you for this?" Dr. Smithers smiled, "This isn't a normal procedure and Keith is no normal patient. It is prudent we take safeguards." Robin stood outside, looking through the window while the nurses unhooked Keith. Richard put his hand on her shoulder; Jack did the same on the other side. They could feel the tension in her build. As the nurses wheeled the equipment down the hall it was silent in the room for the first time. "It is so peaceful, like he is just asleep." Robin said. Neither Jack nor Richard could find words. They stood and watched, as every few minutes the doctors checked his pulse. It was more than a half an hour before they got the call that everything was ready. As the doctors took off the brakes and rolled the bed out into the hall, Dr. Smithers said, "Robin, come with us." Jack and Richard stood there watching as they moved down the hallway and into the elevator. Robin looked back, with a scared look on her face as the door shut. "Where are they going?" Jack asked. Richard raised his hands and shoulders to signal he didn't know. The two men quickly walked to the nurse's station. Liz came down the hallway and met them there. "What room did they take Keith to?" The nurse looked on her chart, "Room two two four." She didn't get a chance to say another word, as both were halfway down the hall as soon as she got the number out. Running down the stairs, they opened the door to the second story hallway just as Keith's bed was being pushed into the room. Robin heard the noise of the door and looked back to see them. Her face showed appreciation upon seeing them and that made it was well worth the run to Jack, who had not done something like that in years. Jack had to stop and catch his breath for a moment and then they walked down the hall, past the guards and into the large room. It was a stark contrast between the compact ICU room on the floor above. This was a four-bed wardroom, but all of the other beds had been removed and now Keith's bed stood in the center. There were chairs surrounding the outside, against the walls. As Richard and Jack came up they heard the doctor explaining to the nurse who would be staying how everything would work, where she should be during the visitation and what to do in an emergency. Then Dr. Smithers took Robin by the hand and led her over to a seat. "Are you prepared for this?" He asked. "I guess so." "Don't guess. Some of the people that come might think this is almost fun, a family get-together. Robin, this is serious. You know what you are asking from Keith." Tears started welling up in her eyes. "I need him." "You need to prepare yourself. Nothing could happen and you need to know that. He could pop his eyes open, or he could..." "Don't!" she interrupted him. She was shaking her head. "He can't, he just can't do that." "Robin," he said gently, "you have a lot of caring people around you. Let them help you. Will you promise me that?" She nodded her head. Dr. Smithers got up and walked over to Jack, Richard, and Liz. "Don't leave her alone and get her something to eat." Richard, never one to like hospitals in the first place, went to get them something to eat in the cafeteria. Jack walked over and sat down across from Robin, reaching out and taking hold of her hands. She looked up at him. He had to clear his throat. "Robin," His eyes started to fill and he blinked, sending a tear down his cheek, "he's my only boy. I'm not ready to lose him. I want him back, too. We all do, we are all with you. His aunt and uncle are even showing up today." Robin almost started to laugh thinking he had no idea why they were really showing up. Fortunately Jack took her movements as being uncomfortable. She squeezed his hand. "Thank you." Robin looked around the room; as the other room had been quiet and peaceful when the machines were gone; this room was cold and heartless. The machines reverberated, adding to the distraction of her man in the center. She wanted life and everything in this room spoke of something else. She didn't want him here; she didn't like it at all. Then suddenly a plate was thrust in front of her face. "You didn't hear me the first, or the second time I called your name. I thought that, at least, would get your attention," Richard said. He had come back with food. Richard, Liz, and Jack ate; Robin picked. Liz sat with her and forced her to eat enough to satisfy herself that she at least wouldn't pass out. Robin finally looked up at Liz and asked, "What took you so long this morning?" Liz blushed and whispered, "They..." Robin had a stern look on her face, "She didn't. She's supposed to be studying." Liz started to stammer, "Well, I mean it was late." Then she saw the hint of a smile on Robin's face and new she was trying to tease her. "Robin, you can be..." "What?" "The most wonderful person." Liz said, breaking into a smile. Richard was wondering and stepped into the hallway when he heard a commotion. ------- Joey and Jeannette Patterson parked in the hospital lot. As they walked up to the front doors a flash hit them. Slightly stunned, they blinked several times. "And who might you be seeing today?" Asked a voice that told them this man was a shark. Jeannette, always the quick witted one responded, "My sister Catherine, what does it matter to you, and why were you taking our picture? I have half a mind to call the police." "Sorry miss, got you mistaken with someone else I did. Never you mind. I'm good as gone." True to his word, he was off like the flash of his camera. When they arrived at the door they were greeted by military police. "Your names?" "I'm Joey and this is my lovely wife Jeannette. We're here to see Keith Patterson. He's our nephew." The man smiled as he looked on his sheet. "You're expected. I saw the little interaction with the photographer. I don't think he has any idea he had a photo of a family member. They have been desperate. The ones here on campus are escorted wherever they go and they know better than to come near. Everyone else is taken in and out secretly." "Sounds rather fun," Joey said, "But of course it would be so much better if the circumstances were better." "I couldn't agree with you more, sir. I understand he is on the second floor now." They saw the stairs before the elevator and as they had a long car trip, the stairs sounded good. They had missed Catherine and the rest getting on the elevator minutes before. They went up to the third floor, only to be sent back down to the second. As the door opened, there they all were. Catherine embraced her sister and brother. The rest were very excited and Stephanie didn't see a chair in the hallway and fell over it. As they looked over to her, they saw Richard down the hallway. He waved to them and went back into a room. It was easy to see which room, as there was another military policeman outside the door. Stephanie picked herself up and they made their way down the hall. The room swelled in numbers and volume. From the meager six in that large room to now, a total of fourteen, Robin could see how this room was necessary. Catherine brought Joey and Jeannette over to Robin and made introductions. Joey had a warm smile that Robin immediately liked. She could see parts of Keith in him. Jeannette picked Robin up into her arms and gave her a big hug. When she set Robin down, she looked over to the bed Keith was on and said, "I wouldn't worry too much dear. His mother probably never told you about the time he jumped off the roof into a pile of leaves. He was sure it would be enough cushion. That boy has nine lives. He'll do just fine," then she smiled one of those knowing smiles and said, "Plus he's got something special to come back to, now doesn't he?" She had that way of making you feel special. Robin liked that. She knew why Kristin had asked her mother why she thought she might not be happy. She did exude happiness. Liz was next and was standing there, waiting. Jeannette didn't disappoint and Robin watched as she enveloped Liz with the same feeling she had received. Jack was next and was smothered in kisses from Jeannette. He was blushing, but there was no sign he had tried to stop her either. A striking image of her older sister, anyone could understand how Jack would enjoy the attention. Joey had walked over to see Keith. Catherine came up beside him. "Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me." Joey turned to face her. "Sis, you have always been there for us, how could we refuse? We'd do anything for you. I hope you know that." Then he looked at her hard. "I'm frankly surprised you are holding up so well." "On the outside, Joey," She glanced over to Robin. "I need to be here for her. She's so young," then she paused, "and she's carrying his child." "Keith has been an active boy," he said with a weak smile. "Joey, not now." "Ok, sis, but later. We do need to talk." "I know." Mary and Beth Ann were the next to arrive and were introduced to the family. Then Kristin arrived. Jeannette was the first to get to her and hugged her, whispering things into her ear. Kristin was beet red when they broke their embrace. Kristin greeted her mother and sister on her way over to Robin. The two hugged. It was very obvious to everyone in the room that those two had a special bond. It was almost as though they were twins. Thinking that they were all gathered, Katy told Robin she needed to start things off. Robin wasn't so sure about what to do and before she could do anything in came Anthony, Jack, Patrick, Dr. Jameson, and Shelly. Robin looked around the room; not including Keith or the nurse, there were nineteen people here for him. She stood by his bed and took his hand. Everyone made a circle around the room. She looked around and tears came to her eyes. "I," she put her hands over her mouth. She did not want to start crying now, but the emotion swept over her and she had no choice. Wiping her eyes, she looked back up and noticed everyone holding hands. "You have no idea what this means to me." Katy stepped forward, still holding hands, "Sweetheart, I think we know exactly what this means. That is why we are here. We are here for you and Keith." Robin sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Thanks mom. I know I couldn't have gotten this far without all of your help." She looked over to her husband lying on the bed. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I believe Keith would want each and every one of you to say something to him." Looking at everyone, making eye contact, she added, "I think each one of you will know what you want to say. What it is comes from you and that is the important part." With that said, she turned and taking Keith's hand, said, "Honey, I love you. Stay with me. I need you. No one else makes me feel like you do. Please come back to me." When Robin finished, she noticed her mom was on one side of her and Daisy on the other. Robin went over to a chair and sat. Keith's father, Jack, stood her up and moved the chair to the head of Keith's bed, then helped her sit back into it. "You need to hear this, as much as he does." She looked up at him, "Thanks," she said with tears running down her cheeks. Robin listened as each and every one said something personal, meaningful, and full of love for her husband. In each person's voice was a plea for him to wake. What Sarah said struck her. She pleaded for him to forgive her. She needed to hear it from him; she needed him to wake so she wasn't tormented any more. He saved her from a beast and she could never forget what a sacrifice he had done for that. She then apologized to Robin for not coming and seeing him. When everyone was done, when they were once again standing around in a circle, holding hands, there was something. It was a mysterious moment and everyone half expected Keith to wake, rise up, but it didn't happen. Robin looked over to Richard, who had suggested this in the first place. She needed help. She didn't know what to do. Richard looked over to Keith's father. "Robin," Jack said, "My son has everything he needs. Now I think we need to let him work." "I think he's right," Katy said. "That sounded like something my father would have said. We can't, as much as we want them, expect miracles." Robin looked at her mother, her red eyes showing the stress of the day, "But that is just what I want. I want a miracle." "I know, I know." Katy said, hugging her daughter. Everyone knew it was time to go, but they didn't want to. Catherine had told the nurse it was time and she made a call to move him again. Within minutes another nurse and the two doctors came into the room. The two nurses unhooked and wheeled the equipment away. Robin was glad that people were still there now. It would have scared her to have the silence in the room now. She was afraid, afraid that Keith was going to die. "Can you check him again?" she asked. "We just... yes of course we can. Robin, don't worry. He doesn't look like he is going anywhere. I should know, I've seen a lot go in my life." "MOM," Robin shouted out. Katy came rushing over, "What!" "Does he look alright to you?" Katy paused; she looked, paused again. "Robin, Bill was not doing well. You said goodbye to him. Maybe you didn't know it. I could feel it." The doctors looked at Katy, she saw them and said, "My husband was... he suffered a head injury and never came back." "I'm sorry," Dr. Smithers said. "Robin..." "I know, but it doesn't help. What I know and what I see conflict." What seemed like hours was only a little more than twenty minutes before the nurses called down. The doctors, with a better understanding of Robin's anxiety, were monitoring him unnecessarily, but it was comforting to her. As they rolled the bed, with the two doctors and Robin out of the room it was suddenly silent. Everyone looked at each other. The pain of uncertainty was plain to see on their faces. ------- Robin dropped into the chair next to the bed. It might be four thirty in the afternoon, but she was dead tired. The only thing she could manage to do was take hold of Keith's hand. Joey and Jeannette came into the room. "Can we say a few more words, ones we couldn't say downstairs?" Robin looked up from her half open eyes and just nodded. "Keith, your mother said you have made a family. This is the time to start enjoying it." Joey said. Jeannette rolled her eyes at him and then leaning over the bed, said, "Keith, let me tell you of a family secret. One you don't know about. Joey and I are brother and sister. Personally I think it is grand that you have a little baby growing inside Kristin. We could see all along you that two were a pair. This Robin is a gem also. How ever did you get so lucky? We have come here to tell your father all about how good it is. Don't let us down now." She winked at Robin and they walked out. Robin started to nod off again, but jolted awake when she heard a large breath sound, felt his hand tighten, and the alarms on the machines sounded. ------- Chapter 43 Bolting out of the chair, Robin was afraid at what she was going to see. Was that his last breath? Was that the grip of a soul leaving its body? Tears were forming in her already very red eyes. Two nurses ran in as she turned to look at him and saw his eyes open. Robin, so overwhelmed, fainted and dropped into the chair behind her. Both nurses glanced at Robin, but she wasn't their main concern. By the time the doctor ran in, Robin was awake again and she heard the doctor say, "You scared us there." She looked and realized he wasn't talking to her, but to Keith. Robin looked over at her husband, his head was turned and their eyes met. She couldn't help but cry, but this time her tears were tears of joy. She reached out and took his hand. The lump in her throat made it hard for her to say anything and he didn't say anything, but there was a smile on his face. "Keith, I know you want to look at your wife, but I need your attention for a few minutes," the doctor said. "First, if you can you hear me squeeze Robin's hand." "He did!" Robin excitedly said. "Try and turn your head towards me." Robin watched as her love started to move and winced in pain. Stopped and started again getting it back to the position that it had been all the time he had been in that bed. She realized he had turned it when he woke and had caused himself pain to see her. She also saw him glance over to his left arm, the one in the cast, and make a discouraging look. "Oh Keith. I love you so much." The doctor smiled, "I think he is well aware of that, young lady." Robin blushed, but then said something that was on her mind. "How come he's not talking?" "He hasn't for a few days and he is all dried up. We will get that fixed up soon, but still it will be a struggle at first. I don't expect anything is wrong there." "There, you mean there could be something else wrong with him?" Robin said in a panic. "Don't jump to conclusions. That is why I'm here. He hasn't been able to tell us anything for days, so now, if you will permit, I need to do some more testing on him. He's not going anywhere, and it might be best if you weren't distracting him." The doctor paused before taking Robin's hand away from Keith's and saying, "I'll bet there are a few people you might want to tell about this?" "I get the message," she said in a smile that was once again part of her face. "Leave me alone to do my work," she laughed. "And yes, I do want to tell everyone," looking at Keith, "I love you, be back soon." The nurses at the station saw a smiling Robin approaching them. It was one of the large and unfortunately few and far between rewards of this job. "I need to locate everyone," Robin said. "Let's see if anyone is still down in the other room," one of the nurses said. ------- Almost everyone was still there. Anthony, Dr Jameson, and Shelly had to go, but the rest were standing there wondering what to do. Catherine had wanted to go up to Keith and Katy wanted to go up to Robin, but Jack had said she needed some time alone with him. They resisted going, heeding his words. Kristin was the one next to the phone when it rang. The room became silent as she picked it up and they heard her side of the conversation. "Yes, almost everyone is here. Robin, oh, ok." Kristin had a sick look on her face when she turned around and told them, "Robin wants to talk." The room was painfully silent now. "Robin?" Kristin asked, trembling. She almost dropped the phone, "HE IS!" Her actions didn't give them a clue, until she yelled out to the room, "He's awake!" Robin could hear the cheer on the other end of the phone. They talked a bit more, but Katy and Catherine were already on their way up to the third floor. Robin saw them in the hallway and hung up with Kristin, then stopped them. "You can't go in." Robin said, a smile evident on her face. "Why not?" Catherine wanted to know. "The doctor kicked me out; he needs to do some testing." Her face clouded once again, "He needs to make sure nothing is wrong." Katy took Robin's hand, "He's back Robin, nothing could be better." Robin smiled again, "Yes, I know. He turned and looked at me. He was smiling." The doctor stuck his head out of the doorway, "Robin, could you come here?" She looked at her mom, panicking. "Go on," Katy said. Robin entered, trying to prepare for the unknown, if that is ever possible. The doctor took Robin's hand and pulled her into the room, "There is someone who would like to say something." Robin's eyes just about popped out of her head. "Robin," I said in a gravely voice, "thanks for staying with me. I knew you were there." Robin could hardly see me, tears clouded her vision, "Oh Keith, I was so afraid of losing you." "Pamela?" I asked. "She's just fine. She got released today. Mom is taking care of her." "Sarah?" "She's fine, but..." "What?" I wanted to know. "She feels so guilty." "Is she still here?" "I think so." I turned slightly towards the doctor, "How many visitors can I have." The doctor rolled his eyes, "I think you had almost twenty already." Then he laughed, "but you didn't know it." "I did know." I said. "Sarah was one of them." The doctor looked appraisingly at me; "I'd like to talk about that some more. I want to know what you remember." "Ok, but you didn't answer." "I should say none, but I see two ladies out in the hall that would murder me if I did that. One more will be acceptable, but you can't have much time with any of them." "I know." "Robin, can you get Sarah for me?" "Thank you," Robin said. She was aware that I was,"Thank you." Robin said, knowing I was even now, being the sweet man she knew I was. I was back for her. As Robin walked out, she saw that Jack and Richard had joined their wives. Robin came up to them and said, "One, I guess one couple, at a time and the doctor says it has to be short." Katy looked at Catherine and said, "Go, he's your son." Catherine and Jack were already in motion; she turned back and said to Katy, "Thank you." Robin ran down the stairs and when she reached the room the questions started. It was overwhelming. Hugs from everyone and when Daisy, the last one to give her a hug, let go, Robin dropped to the floor and started crying. She looked up to see a circle of concerned people around her, "I don't know how to thank you." She sniffled, "I could not have been able to get through this on my own. Keith told me that he knew I was there, always. I couldn't have done that without all of you. Everyone who helped me, helped him. I can't thank you enough." Pausing to hold her emotions at bay, she then went on, "The doctor put him through a lot of tests. I don't know anything yet, but Keith is very tired. I'd love to take each and every one of you to see him, but please understand, he can't see everyone yet. Robin gave Liz and Kristin a wink and said, "We'll talk later, ok" They both smiled and nodded. Then Robin took hold of Sarah's hand. "Yes?" Sarah said, in surprise. "Come with me." Robin felt the apprehension as Sarah's arm stiffened. "He asked specifically to see you." Sarah glanced over to Daisy, "Me?" "Yes you. You were the second person he asked about. The first was Pamela." "Pamela?" Sarah said, and then her emotions took over, as she knew why he asked. That man had kidnapped her. It was suddenly like it had just happened all over again. "Sarah, come please," Robin said, tugging on her. Feeling numb, Sarah walked out of the room. The only other person there who had a clue of how she felt was Daisy and she was holding onto her sister, hugging her tightly. ------- Sarah's grip on Robin's hand was getting tighter as they got to the room. Robin had to pull the reluctant Sarah into the room. I opened my closed eyes and smiled. "Sarah," I said in my still gravely and soft voice, "come here." Sarah did as she was told, was compelled to do. Tears had started falling from her face, "Keith I'm so sorry, please forgive me. Please." I moved my hand over for her and she took it, put her head down to it and cried. I didn't say anything, but was looking and smiling at Robin. When Sarah stopped her crying, she looked up at me. "Sarah, listen to me. If you weren't family, if you weren't so pretty, if I had never met and had the opportunity to talk and find out how special you were, it wouldn't have made any difference. I would have done the same thing." Stunned, Sarah had her mouth hanging open. "You would have?" Then a pause, "Pretty? Me?" Then she looked at him suspiciously. "Are you sure?" "Ok, maybe not everything. I might not have turned around to make sure you were out of the way when I had a gun pointed at me, but yes, pretty." Sarah blushed. "I should be the one asking forgiveness from you, you know." "Me? Why?" Robin and Sarah watched as I looked like I was in pain, I was, but it was memories, not physical. "I made that man mad at me. He used you to get back at me. I'm sorry that he did that." There was a big pause and then, "He didn't..." I didn't want to say it. Sarah had a sort of blank look on her face. "When I found you, your blouse?" Sarah then remembered, Keith had seen everything, well her breasts! Her face turned bright red. She stammered out, "No, I think he might have. You rescued me in time." Then with a big smile, said, "You're my savior." Robin rolled her eyes, I groaned, "Where have I heard that before?" "From all your adoring fans honey," Robin said, with a smirk on her face. Looking between the two, Sarah said, "What did I miss?" Not knowing what had gone on in the past few days, I said, "Everything, no sorry I didn't mean that. Carp, I mean our," I was trying to be diplomatic, but nothing was coming out right, I didn't know what she had heard in the past few days. "Robin can tell you." Robin snorted, Sarah looked at her, "What is he trying to say?" "Don't worry, you'll find out soon. It is probably best before you come to Carp anyway," Robin interjected. "Why? What is wrong? Does my sister know?" "Sarah?" I said. She turned to me. I extended my hand and she took it. "Don't worry so much, you frown when you do that and it hides your beauty." Sarah took a deep breath. Keith may be in a hospital bed, may be pale, but his words... They carried her away. "What is this part about you coming to Carp?" I added. She beamed, "I'm coming to help Pamela!" A nurse popped her head in, "Time's up. Sorry." "Tired?" Robin asked stroking his cheek with her hand. "Yes, it's silly. All I've been doing is laying here for days and I'm tired. You are too, I can see it in your eyes." "Yes I am," Robin finally feeling the day catch up with her again. "I'm sure the nurses will have a fit, climb up," I said and patted the bed. Sarah looked wide-eyed as Robin did just that and was lying next to Keith, "Oh this feels so nice." "Robin!" Sarah said. "What? I've been sleeping in a chair for days." Sarah turned bright red. "I think Sarah has a vivid imagination." I said. "Too bad you are here while the door is open or we just might find out." Robin teased. "I... uh... think I'd better be going." "Ok," I said lazily, "if you must." Sarah looked back as she stepped out the door. They had obviously been tormenting her and from the way she had felt, doing a good job. They weren't about to do anything. In fact she thought, it looked like Keith was already asleep and Robin was just about asleep herself. ------- Sarah returned to a room full of people, friends, really, she decided, that were anxious to know anything. Catherine and Katy had come down and given their reports to the group, now she was in the limelight. When asked what he said, she turned red. A few thought the attention was too much, but for most, knowing Keith, they knew the reason behind the blush. They directed more reasonable questions: how did he look, was he tired. The big question after that was - what was everyone going to do. With the events of the day it felt like a celebration was in order. As the talk between Jack, Catherine, Richard, and Katy took place about what they could do, Daisy had moved over to Sarah. She wanted to know more, much more. "So what did he say?" Daisy asked quietly. Sarah knew just what she was referring to. She looked around. Daisy did too, "Come on, let's walk down the hall," Daisy said. Sarah nodded and the two slipped out the door with only Stephanie noticing. Daisy put her finger to her lip, signalling for her to be quiet. Daisy smiled as she took Sarah's hand, thinking of the best place to go. "Here!" Sarah stammered. "Yes, we can talk in private." "But what happens if someone needs to bathe?" Daisy smiled, "We could ask them to join us." The shocked look on Sarah's face was so funny, Daisy couldn't help but laugh. "I was just kidding." "Oh," Sarah said, starting to realize that there was a lot of joking, concerning sexual things. Daisy sat down on one of the tile benches. "Now tell me, how was he, really?" "What do you mean?" "Was he, I don't know? When he talked did you, were you..." "Transfixed? Feeling wonderful?" "Yes," Daisy said, wistfully. "Yes. You've felt it too?" Sarah asked, feeling comfortable to say many things to Daisy, all because of their last conversation. Daisy smiled. "Sarah, there are many things you have been privileged to see, and some you are in the dark about." Sarah looked at her quizzically. Daisy bit her lip, realizing this was becoming a habit. "Do you remember when Robin came into the room and then Catherine and Kristin came and got her?" "Yes," Sarah said slowly, she thought she had figured that out. "What about it?" "You felt uncomfortable after that, but there was a good reason." Daisy sighed, "We were holding things back from you. Things we didn't know if you were ready to know yet." Sarah couldn't imagine, "What?" "I don't know how to say this right, but I was elected the one to do it." "What do you mean, elected? What do you need to say? Is it bad?" "Three questions first, no it isn't bad. Well let me rephrase that, I don't think it's bad." "And?" "It doesn't make a difference who elected me." "So, what is it?" Sarah was getting impatient and curious. "Robin and Keith have a very different relationship." "What do you mean different? She is young, I mean my age." Then it dawned on Sarah, "You were married, and you must be about the same age as Robin. Is that it?" "Not really, you see Robin is a very loving person." Sarah smiled, "Yes I know." "So is Keith. They are two of a kind really." "I can see that," Sarah said, nodding her head. Now was the hard part, "Sarah, do you remember when Katy came in here?" "Yes." "Do you remember what she said?" Sarah thought and her eyes went wide, her mouth opened. "You remember." "Are... are you telling me?" "Keith and Robin share their love as well." "You mean they have... sex... with others? They're married!" Daisy laughed under her breath, "Yes they are and don't you forget that. Keith belongs to Robin. There is no doubt about that." Sarah's eyes showed the confusion she was feeling. "But she shares," Daisy said. "Shares?" "You said it yourself, you felt it when you were with him. Look at me, in the eyes, and tell me you wouldn't like to be in his arms?" "He's married!" "Still, you would, wouldn't you?" Sarah fidgeted, "You were married before, it is different for you." "Sarah, you didn't answer." Looking down at the floor, Sarah answered, "That kind of thing scares me." "What kind of thing?" "Love." It was silent in that room for a few minutes. Daisy's mind was racing with possibilities. She finally asked the question that came back to her time and time again. "Sarah, is there a reason we see your father and not your mother?" "Yes." "That is why you ran out of the room when you felt shut out of the conversation in Pamela's room, wasn't it. You have a hard time thinking that people could really love you, don't you." Sarah had her head down, she didn't answer. Daisy raised Sarah's face, tears were falling. Daisy found herself biting her lip again, "Sarah, if you come to Carp, you will find out what love is all about." "I... I... I don't think I'm ready for sex." Sarah's mind was spinning with all of this new information. "Sex," Daisy expounded, "is an extension of love, another open channel, although one isn't always dependent on the other. "Sex without love," Daisy painfully went on, "is not anything but an act. On the other hand Love with sex is as intimate as one can be. It is glorious." Sarah was watching Daisy's face. "It looks like you have experienced both." "Yes, my husband, that man," She said in disgust, "That was just sex with no love." Then her face changed to a smile, "Now with Keith..." "Keith! You... you've had sex with Keith?" "Sarah before you lose your head, think. Please, think." "Think? Think! Think about you having sex with Keith?" The idea was so foreign to her. This was sex with a married man. She had heard about some of her father's friends having affairs. The ones she had heard about, were always the ones that ended up in the papers. The ones that were nasty and couldn't be covered up. "Think about love and what you know of it. Think about what Katy said, about our trust. Think about how it has been, around us." There was silence once more in that room. Daisy was wondering if she had done the right thing, had said the right words. She wasn't so worried that Sarah would tell anyone. She was afraid that she would not want to come to Carp. How would she tell her sister? Sarah thought and thought, and thought some more. She realized that these people she had met, that she was calling friends, were so different from anyone else she had known before. "Daisy?" "Yes." "When I come to Carp, I'll see, I'll learn about love." "Yes," Daisy smiled. "And I don't have to have sex with Keith." Daisy laughed, "Sarah. If you think Keith is going to go after you, think again. Keith has never asked and he has never pushed. It is us who have wanted to be with him. We had to ask Robin and then we had to push. If you don't know by now, Keith never wants to hurt anyone." "Us?" Daisy rolled her eyes, 'that was a mistake, ' she thought. "Do you think that I am the only one who could feel anything for that man? You said you did." "That was different." "Maybe, but think Sarah, think." She shook her head, "Too hard." "I know. It takes time. You haven't met Jill yet either, that would answer a lot of questions for you on love." Sarah looked at her, eyebrows crinkled, "Jill?" "Another talk for another time. We need to get back." "Daisy?" "Yes?" "I've never had a friend like you. Thank you for being honest with me. I don't get that very often." "Then Carp will be quite a shock to you. Honesty is normal, there." Sarah smiled, "I can't wait." ------- Grace had just turned the light off on her desk. It had been another late day at the office. 'Paperwork, ' she thought, 'what I wouldn't like to do without that.' Her secretary had been good enough to stay, missing dinner and helped her finish. The phone rang and the secretary called out to Grace. "I think you want to pick this up." Grace thought, 'what now?' "Liz is on the phone." Grace couldn't grab the phone fast enough. "Tell me," she said. Liz laughed, "My, what manners. He woke up tonight. He's awake!" "Liz! That is great news! How is he doing?" "I really don't know much. We haven't been able to see him, only Robin." "That is his wife, right?" "Yes, she came down to tell us," Liz paused, "Grace, thank you for pushing me here." Grace smiled, "That is what friends are for, to help. Liz?" "Yes." "Do you want to tell Jill and Tiffany, or can I?" "Sounds like you might want to." "I don't get as many opportunities to tell people good things, as I used to." "Go ahead Grace, but one thing." "What?" "You have to hug them, give both of them a big squeeze from me, ok?" Grace laughed, "You have a deal." "Done for the evening?" her secretary asked with a smile. Grace returned it and with a sparkle in her eyes, she said, "Yes, here at least. Now I have some good news to deliver." As she walked down the stairs of the administration building and towards Upper Hall, the pathway felt light, as though she was walking on air. Grace realized she hadn't felt like this in a long time, too long. She opened the door to the hall. A number of girls stopped and stared, as Grace was never seen here that late. Grace waved and bound up the stairs, feeling twenty years younger. Knocking on Tiffany's door, she waited impatiently for it to open. Both Jill and Tiffany were in the room, Tiffany grading papers, and Jill doing a bit of homework. Jill had gone into the bathroom when the knock came. Tiffany prudently covered her papers before answering the door. When Tiffany opened the door, Grace walked in. "Is Jill here?" Grace said to the astounded Tiffany. "Yes," called Jill from the bathroom. She knew someone asked about her, but didn't place the voice. When she came out, her face went white. "Keith?" Both Tiffany and Grace noticed Jill's reaction it was sudden and powerful. Jill was shaking. Grace was amazed at how people felt about that man. "Jill, I came to say I talked to Liz." Grace said hurriedly. It didn't help. Jill sat down, looking faint. "Jill, Keith is fine, he's ok and he's awake." Jill looked at Grace, it looked to Tiffany and Grace that what she had just said didn't sink in. "Did you hear me? Keith's awake." "He is?" Jill ventured as though it was too much to believe. "Yes! Jill, he's awake, he's doing ok." Jill clasp her hands to her face and squealed for joy, she then kissed Tiffany right on the lips, gave Grace a hug and ran out the door, yelling, "HE'S OK!" Grace and Tiffany just looked at the door. Grace then said, "Liz also wanted me to give you this from her," and hugged her tight. Tiffany blinked several times and Grace laughed. They both walked out the door and at the first landing they could see Jill in the grass turning cartwheels. "A little over excited, I guess." "Looks that way," Tiffany agreed. "She'll probably drop tonight." Tiffany didn't answer; she was thinking she wanted to talk about this with Jill. She didn't understand, and it disturbed her. ------- It was time to go, Jack, Patrick, and Anthony showed up and heard the good news. Both Jack and Patrick were relieved, in many ways. Both had felt guilty about Keith getting into a position of vulnerability and because of that, felt a need to stay. Now, although the guilt of having him in that position was still present, they were free to go. Liz was once again staying with Kristin and Beth Ann. Now that Pamela was out of the hospital, she, Stephanie, and Daisy, were unsure of where they were going. That was quickly taken care of by Mary and Sarah who wanted them all to come back to the dorms. Mary's roommate had finished her classes and had needed to leave. Katy who had told Robin she'd look after Pamela hadn't realized that entailed Stephanie and Daisy as well. She was relieved they had taken care of themselves. Anthony had something for everyone that evening: paper-mache masks. "School children in one of the elementary schools in town were having a fund raiser. I purchased the lot of them. He set them out and everyone got to choose their own. They were laughing and carrying on with each other. The spell broken, the fog lifted; everyone was ready for fun. For the photographers, who had noticed Jack, Anthony, and Patrick entering the hospital, this looked like an opportunity. They had converged. When the whole lot of them came out at once, wearing masks and in a preplanned choreographed maneuver; they split into groups, all walking different directions. It infuriated the photographers so much some of them became aggressive and ended up getting themselves expelled off the campus. The others threw up their hands. It was obvious that they were wasting their time. ------- There was no way for Aunt Jeannette and Uncle Joey to talk to Kristin and Keith. They wanted to know the score before they started in on Jack. There were subtle things they could do though and they did everything they could think of, much to the amusement of Anthony, who saw what they were doing as a sort of game. Catherine put a stop to his butting in with the mention of Shelly. At once, Jeannette the perpetual matchmaker wanted to start on him. That set everyone laughing, but in the kitchen later, Anthony asked for some specific advice from her. Jack called his wife, Cynthia. Rebecca answered the phone. "Huntington residence." "Rebecca! Nice to hear you sweetheart." "Jack! When are you coming back? I've, we've missed you." Then she asked the dreaded question, "How is Keith?" "He's awake. Is Cynthia there?" "Yes, wanting the phone." Rebecca giggled. "Honey, how's Keith and when are you coming? I'm dying to see you." "Keith woke today. I'll be coming to Carp tomorrow. You two can come up and we can play there. Jack could feel the smile with Cynthia's tone, "That is great news, and yes, we'll be there." ------- Robin was happy! She was soaring, darting through the clouds, and by her side, and flying with her was Keith. This was one of her favorite dreams, as soon as she realized that, Keith left her side, falling, ever falling, to the ground. Her body jerked, her eyes flew open, and her senses were confused. She was in a bed; Keith was there, looking at her. "Bad dream?" "Keith?" I smiled, "Want to tell me about it?" "This is no dream, you are here." "Not planning on leaving." "Never, please never." I could see her frailty and sighed. "I'm sorry that I put you through all of this." Robin managed a smile, "You couldn't help it. If I remember I told you to help Daisy. It was Hank. I always thought he was nice. It is so disturbing." "Don't think about it any more, come hold me." Then I smiled, "I'd do it, but this damned cast." Robin didn't need any more encouragement. She loved how I felt. The damned hospital gown though was not helpful. Therefore, she placed her hand on my leg and started snaking it up. She gasped as the doctor walked in. The doctor smiled, "Don't worry about that, it will return to normal." Robin was scarlet, but the doctor was pragmatic. "When the body needs to heal, it shuts off or slows down anything unnecessary. That is one part. Now that he is back with us, it will grow back to what you are used to." I couldn't help myself, "I hope it starts soon, it has a long way to go." "Keith!" Robin said. The doctor laughed, "Well, there is nothing wrong with his sense of humor. You know they say that a coma is a state of unconsciousness from which the patient has not yet been aroused, I think you have already done more than your part," Robin looked wide-eyed at the doctor, who had a grin on his face. "Now little lady, I need you off the bed." "More tests?" Robin asked as she rolled off. "I'm afraid so, but just a few. He had a good night." Then he looked out the door, "Don't tell anyone, but it was probably because you were with him." ------- Dora woke only because Jimmy had rolled off the bed. There had been a knock at the door. Jimmy opened it to find Brian and Millie. "Jimmy, it looks like you just got up." Millie said. Jimmy grinned, "I did. Dora is still in bed." Brian had to resist running in and jumping on the bed. It wasn't any good anyway. Dora came out of the room with a robe and messed up hair. Millie raised her eyebrows, "Sleeping a bit late." "I..." Tears came to Dora's eyes. "I couldn't leave. The house, the furniture, but no one coming..." she broke down, sobbing. Millie put her arm around Dora, comforting her. It was almost an hour later when they joined the small group of people in the center of town. It was only eight of them, not counting the boys. Dora was trying to keep her morale up; it was hard and understandable why others hadn't wanted to come. What was the use? They had plenty of time, maybe forever. Jimmy and Brian, who had always been interested in going out to the Mansion, were not talkative. When they arrived, the group looked at the mountain of furniture that had been stuffed in as quickly as possible yesterday. There was so much. ------- When the train stopped, the few who were downtown looked to see who it could be. They recognized Jack's wife, Cynthia. That other woman, was that Rebecca? She hadn't looked that good for years. The smile on her face was the most striking part. No one had seen that after her husband had died. They walked over to the communications car and learned Jack ended up flying to another base to learn some stuff neither could remember. What they knew was he wouldn't be in until very late in the evening. Next they walked over to the hotel. No one was there, but as everyone watched everyone else's business, someone showed up. Cynthia was learning and took two rooms. Then asked what they thought of the news. The person playing clerk looked at Cynthia blankly. "The news, the good news." "What news?" "About Keith, don't tell me you haven't heard?" "No, what is it?" "He's awake, he's fine." "Oh my gosh," he said and ran out the door, shouting it in the streets. Within minutes the miners knew. The news spread like wildfire, people filled the main street. Cynthia and Rebecca after putting away their bags came out. Patrick, who had stayed in town to make a call, gathered the people. Cynthia and Rebecca were brought forward. Patrick said, "It is no wonder we didn't know anything. The phone line seems to be down, I tried to make a call and I can't, but we have two angels who have brought the news. Cynthia was embarrassed upon being put in the spot. Rebecca was trying to hide. "Jack, that's my husband, called me early this morning. He told me Keith woke last night. Jack will be coming here tonight." Cynthia said. Patrick took each of them in his grasp and said; "Now we have good reason to celebrate. There is a small group working an impossible task at the Mansion. I say we should go out and put everything together for our soon to be returning hero." ------- Even over the noise of people moving boxes and unpacking, they heard. Everyone stopped and came outside of the Mansion to see what was going on. What they saw astounded them. It looked like most of the town on wagons and horses, hooping and hollering. When they got close enough they could hear someone say, "Keith is awake!" ------- Robin was in the hall when Liz showed up. She was still yawning. "Hard night?" Robin asked. Liz cracked a little smile, "I miss my college days." "Where's Kristin?" "Taking her last final." Robin nodded, "I forgot about that one. You two have a good talk?" "Yes. It will be good to be at Carp with everyone. As much as it was a pain, I miss being as close as we were in the barracks." Just then Aunt Jeannette and Uncle Joey arrived. "Where are the others?" Robin asked. Aunt Jeannette said, "We needed to talk to Keith, without Catherine or Jack around." "Is this about Kristin?" Liz asked. "You know?" "Yes. I also know about you two. I think that is so wonderful." "You know, but not everyone does, so keep it to yourself. You can do that, right?" Liz smiled and thought, 'If they only knew, ' but answered, "of course." The doctor came out, "Robin, he seems to be doing very well. We have some lab results yet to wait on, but it looks very good. We're not out of the woods yet. The one thing we have to worry about is blood clots. It can be serious, but it is also rare. He's all yours now." Robin smiled at him and responded, "He's been mine for some time now, doctor." He laughed, "Between you and Keith, what a couple," he shook his head. Making a large, hand waving gesture, Robin motioned Aunt Jeannette and Uncle Joey into the room. Then she said, "Liz and I are going to the cafeteria." "You don't want to be here?" She took Aunt Jeannette's hands, "Catherine and I had a very long talk. I know everything you are going to ask and everything he is going to say. This is for you, not me." When she left Aunt Jeannette asked Keith, "Do you know how incredible she is?" "Yes and how lucky I am." "Ok, Keith, spill," Uncle Joey said. "We want to know everything. How is it that Kristin is pregnant?" Keith looked at his uncle, "I'd have thought, you having two children, that you'd have figured that out, but if you want to know..." Uncle Joey was shaking his head, "Some things never change, always the joker." "Ok, you might want to take a seat. This story starts when Kristin turned thirteen." "Thirteen! You didn't do anything to her then, did you?" Uncle Joey stammered, he thought back to Kristin at thirteen, she was just becoming a stunning beauty. "Joey!" Jeannette said, slapping his arm, "let him talk." Uncle Joey was trying to get a little sympathy, rubbing his arm as though it hurt. It was a game they played; Keith had seen it a million times. They loved each other and still played with each other. It was fun to see. Jeannette wanted to get things rolling along, looking at Keith she asked, "So, as I remember, that is when you moved out, was that when you realized you loved her?" Keith was surprised, "How did you know? Have you talked to Kristin?" "We could see it, long before you realized it." "Well I knew a lot before that, but then Kristin changed, I mean her body started changing. I was afraid I'd do something to hurt her." "I told you he wasn't the one. Must be a family trait," Uncle Joey said. Aunt Jeannette rolled her eyes at him. "Did I miss something?" Keith asked. "She seduced me," Uncle Joey said. Keith laughed, "Yes I think it is a family trait then." "Then Kristin set you up." "No, it was Robin really." "Robin?" Keith went on to tell the story of their getting together and how Robin changed his life. ------- The mountain of furniture didn't seem so large any longer. People in one room were singing, laughter could be heard down the hall. Jimmy and Brian were so ecstatic when they heard the news that they raced around the house three times before slowing down. Dora was at the entrance to the main parlor where most of the larger furniture had filled the room. She had her list with her and would tell the people which room the next piece they had in their hands was to go into. Cynthia and Rebecca had come out with the others and were surprised at how different the place looked from the last time they had been there. They walked around, top to bottom looking in all the rooms, and trying to stay out of the way of the people working. When they came back down to ask Dora how they could help, they walked into a conversation between two of the men and Dora. "I'm not sure where to put this; I don't even know what it is." Dora said. "Well don't ask us, it has a cord. Some sort of electrical thing. Maybe the kitchen, those new iceboxes use electricity. "Could be one of those radio like things, like Jim or Bill have, they have cords." Cynthia could see Dora was stumped and the two supposed helpful comments weren't getting her anywhere. She walked up to see what they were looking at. "A television!" Cynthia exclaimed. "I've seen one of these. There aren't any in the Las Vegas area but when Jack and I went to Long Beach last spring we saw one." "What is it?" "A television," Cynthia started to explain. She didn't realize that as they had started talking nearly fifteen people had moved into the hallway and were now listening. "See this?" she said, bending over and touching the front, "it's what they call a tube and a picture comes on it." As she stood up, she saw a sea of bewildered faces. "You mean you turn it on and there is a painting in there?" Cynthia shook her head, "No, let me explain, at least the little I know. The time I saw it, it was a show, like a play. Someplace they have a stage with cameras and then they send the stuff out, just like a radio. Then this," she patted the box, "shows the picture on the tube." Cynthia heard suppressed laughter. One man said, "You've got to be joking. I could see what they are doing in, say in Pinocle, by looking at this thing?" "Well I suppose, if they had the cameras and sent the information." People started to walk away, some shaking their heads. One, Cynthia heard saying, she could sure weave a tall tale. "But it is the truth," Cynthia said, feeling hurt. One of the women turned around and said to her, "In Carp we have a different version of truth I guess. It means to say what is true." Cynthia was stunned; she sat down on the edge of the stairs. Dora came up to her, "It's alright. I believe you, now where should we put the thing?" Cynthia looked at Dora and let a little smile run across her face, "Thanks, I don't know what you should do with it. I think you can't use it here. Where did it come from?" "Boston, I believe." Cynthia nodded, "Yes, they would have a television station out there I suppose. I'd just leave it in here and see what Keith wants to do with it." "As good of an idea as any," Dora said and went back to tell the men, still waiting instruction. It was just past lunchtime when they were finished. The beds had been made, the linens stored, kitchen filled. The place, once a run down uninviting structure, was an impressive home once more. Much more like the Mansion stories everyone knew. The townsfolk started to leave, Millie told Dora she had Jimmy with her and would feed him. Then the two boys could play. As everyone left, the three that remained were Dora, Cynthia, and Rebecca. Dora suspected why they might be hanging around, the last time they had been out turned into a sexual frenzy. Smiling, Dora walked back into the house. The other two followed. She was sure now what was on their minds, or at least Cynthia's. Dora excused herself and walked to the back of the house. There, she climbed the stairs to the third floor and into a bedroom that she had figured would be hers, hopefully. She undressed and lay on the bed, waiting, and hoping. After a few minutes Cynthia couldn't figure out what Dora was doing. She wanted to see if Dora was interested in another round of playtime. Motioning to Rebecca, the two looked around the downstairs and could find no Dora, and then they looked out back to see if she was there. "Maybe she went upstairs," Rebecca said, pointing to the back staircase. "Might as well look," Cynthia said, puzzled. The second floor turned up nothing. Then they proceeded to the third. Dora could hear them down the hall, opening doors. She was wet with anticipation. When the door opened, Rebecca gasped. Cynthia was right behind her and as soon as she saw Dora, pushed Rebecca in. Cynthia didn't miss a beat, Dora was here anticipating, so she was going to go along with that. "Rebecca undress, nice and slow, like you've been taught." The last statement made Rebecca blush, but she did as told, starting a slow and seductive stripping of her clothes. ------- It was just after lunch when Robin pushed Daisy into the room and then left her there. I looked at her, "I thought you would have come sooner." Daisy looked guilty, but said, "It's hard." I looked down at the sheet and between my legs, Daisy's eyes moved to where I was looking, "No, but give it a little time, you have always had an effect on me." "Oh Keith," Daisy said and leaned over giving me a gentle hug, crying onto my chest. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I know it is and don't try and say it isn't. If I wouldn't have called, if you wouldn't have come and got me, none of this would have happened. Keith, can you ever forgive me?" I would have liked nothing better than to wrap Daisy in a warm hug, but with a cast on one arm and an IV in the other, it was quite impossible. The best I could do was to lift her chin up so that she looked at me. "Daisy." "Stop, please." "I can't. I can't let you feel this way. You are not responsible for what I have chosen to do." "But, I asked." "Yes, you did. You were hurting and in pain. Tell me you could have lived that way? It would have killed you and you know it, you knew it then, didn't you?" "Yes..." She had to admit, "but, if I would have known." "I could say the same thing. If I would have known, then I would have pressed you into filing charges against him in Redding, but I didn't, remember?" "That's different." "Not so much. You needed help and I helped. Neither one of us had any idea that Hank would snap. That he would turn into a mad man. I didn't know, you didn't know. Daisy, it is not either one of our faults as to what he choose to do. Stop blaming yourself." Daisy looked at me for the longest time, "Can I tell you that I love you?" "I think you just did." "I mean it Keith, I love you. You really forgive me, don't you?" "Daisy, there is nothing to forgive, this was not your fault." "Do you want me to love you more than I already do? Stop that." I smiled, "Too bad I'm still healing, or I'd pull you up on this bed and..." "Keith, oh Keith," she said. Robin popped her head in the door, "Ok you two, that bed is for Keith," she giggled, "and me." "Robin!" I said, acting shocked. Robin rolled her eyes and said, "If you haven't figured it out, my dear husband, she wants one of what I have from you too," as she rubbed her belly. I looked over to Daisy to see if this was true. The blush rising on her face told me before her nod did. I was wondering how I was going to cope with all of these children. My head hurt and it wasn't from the fall, this time. ------- Mildred had been able to get up and had taken walks with Robert. The doctor said that the medication should have taken care of the problem and they had taken samples again. That was something that Mildred could do without again. A sterile sample of urine was not a pleasant thing to obtain. The little tube being pushed up inside of her and then she felt as though she had no control, she just went. It was an embarrassing feeling. The test results were to be back soon and so that found them in the room, waiting for the doctor to show up. Dr. Talson came in, with a smile on his face. "The infection is clear," he said. "That's good," Mildred returned. "Yes, now that she is better you can cut her up," Robert said in a sarcastic voice. "Robert!" Mildred admonished him. "They are trying to help, not hurt." "I know, I know. I just don't like it." "None of us do, Robert. We wish there was another way; unfortunately, she has us stumped." "So when am I going to have this?" Mildred asked, giving a worried look at her husband. "I have scheduled the operation three days from now, on Monday morning." "Three more days?" Robert wasn't happy. "The best surgeon, a colleague of mine, is out of town and will be back Sunday evening. I only want the best for you." "I appreciate that, thank you," Mildred, always polite, answered. "Your diet will remain the same until Sunday, when we will need to modify it." Mildred smiled. The doctor left, leaving Mildred and Robert alone once again. "I miss Pamela and Daisy," she said. "I know you do. When this is all over, you will be able to spend as much time as you want with them." She smiled at him, but yawned. The walk that afternoon had been tiring and her lack of energy bothered her. Bruce told her it was just that she hadn't been doing anything. That was true, but still... Her eyes were growing heavy, Robert tucked his wife in, turned off the light and before he was out of the room heard her soft breathing, as she did when she was asleep. Robert was ready for a drink by the time he left the hospital. Henry's, across the street, was calling to him. It was a good place, comfortable, and the owner a genuinely nice person. He quickly walked down, towards and across the street. Inside it took his eyes a minute to adjust to the dim light. He was not happy most of the bar was full, including the corner that he liked to meld into. He shrugged his shoulders and took one of the spots. Glancing over to his right and then left to see who was sitting next to him, he stopped and stared. The man turned and smiled, "Robert, if I remember right." "Yes, umm." "It's alright, most people don't remember; it's Franklin by the way, but you are wondering what I'm doing in here?" "Quite frankly, yes." "Do you remember me saying, sometimes telling a stranger is much easier? It is why people go to bars? Coming here lets me in on what people are really thinking who work in the hospital. It all comes out here." Robert smiled, he knew what the man said was true, he also noticed a drink in front of him, "and the drinks aren't so bad either?" Franklin laughed, "Yes, it does have a side benefit, as long as I moderate. Otherwise I couldn't remember anything that was said, where would I be then?" "Probably in my place." Robert said, there was no smile on his face this time. "Did they schedule the surgery?" "You guessed it, Monday, they make us wait and worry until Monday." "They had a good reason, didn't they?" "Yes, but that doesn't make the waiting any easier." "No I suppose it wouldn't." Henry stepped over, "The usual?" he asked Robert. Robert felt a bit uncomfortable with that, as though he was in there so often the owner knew what he drank, Franklin saw his discomfort and said, "Henry has a great memory, after two times in here, he knows what you drink." "Yes, the usual," Robert said, a little relieved with the explanation. Henry laughed, "You are in better hands here than having me listen, this man is a pro. He not only listens, but has a way to help as well." Robert gave a little smile and nod. Franklin was distracted; he noticed a table being freed and tugged on Robert's arm. "Want to sit in a more comfortable seat?" Looking over to the table, in the corner, somewhat secluded. More comfortable to sit and watch. That is why he liked the end seat at the bar. He answered Franklin by standing. The two men walked over and sat. 'Much more comfortable, ' Robert thought. "What happens next?" "What do you mean?" Robert asked "Your wife goes in for surgery, what is next?" Robert scratched his head. "I never thought about it." "Don't you think it's about time?" "I don't... I never expected this. I believed it would go away. Now, what am I supposed to do? I'm not sure if I'm handling what is going on at the present, much less the future." "Escaping reality?" "You are thinking, that's why I'm in the bar?" "The thought had crossed my mind." Robert set down his drink hard, "You are perceptive, I'm not sure I like it." "I understand, want me to change the subject?" "To what? Would it do any good?" Robert looked Franklin in the eye, "I have to live with my choices. You get to go home." "Robert," Franklin said with compassion in his voice, "you are deeply troubled. The mine accident is still in your head and heart, and now your wife. What good have you seen?" Robert's brow wrinkled. "Pamela." "A daughter?" Robert smiled, "A beautiful child," then he frowned, "she had a cleft palate. Just like my wife, I took the wrong advice and I hurt my daughter. I hurt her." He paused and blinked his eyes several times to try and stop from crying, "It took someone else to push me, to take control and help my family." Robert hung his head. "I'm sorry. You said she's been helped? How is she? Is she with relatives, she isn't with you, am I right?" "We had to leave her at the hospital and Keith, the man who helped her as guardian for her. I hate to admit it, but Keith saved us all." "Keith? That wouldn't be Keith Paterson, would it?" "Yes, do you know him?" Franklin shook his head, "No, but I've read." "A hero, I'm not much of anyone besides him. The funny thing is, he doesn't treat you that way." "Then you like him." "He was our choice for our daughter. She loves him and I think he does too. He has done things I couldn't for her." "Then by allowing him to do what he could, you have helped your daughter. You need to see that. We can not always do what needs to be done, but allow what can be done, happen." "You are trying to cheer me up." "I'm speaking the truth." "I'll have to think about that one." "It's goodnight then?" "Yes, I can't get drunk, not tonight at least. I promised Mildred. I haven't always been the best husband, but I have always loved her. Always. She means more to me than life." "I'm sure I'll see you around." Franklin said with a smile. "Don't doubt that." Robert asked Henry if he could use the phone. Henry dialed and handed Robert the receiver. This man had interested Henry and so he listened in the conversation. "This is Robert..." "No I haven't received any message." "Keith is awake? What kind of message is that?" "Coma! Oh God." Henry watched Robert nearly fall over, holding on to the bar he sat down hard. One hand holding up his head and the other handing the phone back to Henry. "Bad news?" Henry asked, as though it wasn't obvious. "He was taking care of my child. He," Robert shook his head, "he was a better father than I was. For the past days he has been in a coma. A fucking coma? How does that happen?" Whether he wanted an answer or not, he got one from the fellow to his left. "Head trauma." He looked back at Henry ready to ask for a drink when he saw one sitting in front of him already. He took it and downed it in two gulps. "What am I to do now?" ------- Tiffany was surprised at Jill's giddiness. She understood Liz's concern for her brother. She knew Jill felt bad about the whole thing; there was that little thing about a kiss, but her exuberance was what Tiffany didn't understand. Jill had gone off with Sue, Betty, and Laura. That was all right with Tiffany, she wanted to talk with Vicky. Talk about Liz. She left a note as she expected to be late. Sue and Betty thought it was cute how Laura would hang on to Jill. They were trying their best to set them up as a couple, so that the four of them could be together without raising any suspicion. As soon as they were alone, Laura was on Jill's lap. Jill's mind was not on Laura though, her mind was on Keith. She felt elated that he was awake and at the same time guilty for not going to see him. Sue and Betty looked at each other and suggested that they move to the waterfall, Betty setting out the scarf to let others know it was a private place. They walked over to the edge of the water. It was peaceful; the fall was now slower and made less noise, but still enough to mask any noise they could make. Then they moved to the dry area off to the left. It was a large flat granite slab that was covered with sand and then layers of leaves, smashed from constant use. Laura was still standing on the granite and had taken off her blouse; she wanted Jill's attention and smiled as she started getting it. Walking to a branch laying sideways she placed her blouse there. Laura was watching Jill and didn't notice the puddle of mud she had just stepped into. As soon as she let go of the branch and turned, she lost her footing. Jill was up and over to her as soon as she started going down. By the time Jill, Betty, and Sue were around Laura, she was laughing. Jill gave her a hand up. Laura's entire backside was muddy. "Oh that won't do," Betty said, "just look." Thinking this might be fun. "Come on," Jill taking Laura's hand said, "I'll clean you up." Then there was a twinkle in her eye, "you might need a bath you know." Laura's eyes widened and she nodded, being led off by Jill. Betty and Sue stayed, smiling how things had turned out. ------- Tiffany noticed the note on the door gone. She opened it slowly, wondering if Jill might be in bed. She closed it just as silently, but this time it was because she had seen the light on in the bathroom and heard voices, two voices. Not recognising the voice she moved closer, and then she heard water splashing. Then a moan. A moan? Tiffany stepped into the doorway. "Jill? Laura!" Tiffany said without thinking. The movement of water blurred what was going on, but Laura practically jumped out of the tub splashing water everywhere. "We were walking, I slipped and fell and was all muddy and I came here and Jill said I should clean up and..." "Laura stop!" Jill said in a loud, commanding voice. Freezing on the spot, Laura turned to Jill; water was dripping off her body on to thefloor. "Laura, take my robe. I think you are cleaned now," and then winked at her. Laura was nodding, then gave Tiffany a wet hug, "I hope I'm not in trouble," and slipped past the still surprised Tiffany. As the door closed Tiffany asked, "What was that all about?" Jill was amused, said, "Didn't you listen to her? She fell and got muddy. I was cleaning her off." "Cleaning?" Tiffany asked with raised eyebrows, "it sounded a bit more like..." "We were having fun?" Jill splashed water on the already damp Tiffany. "Oh you," Tiffany reached out to get Jill, but instead lost her footing on the wet floor. Jill grabbed hold of her as she fell into the tub. ------- Chapter 44 Jill was relaxed, her head resting nicely on the pillow. Tiffany, lying next to her, was trying to build her courage. It was strange that she felt that she needed to figure out how to approach this girl, yet not 'a girl'. "Jill?" "Yes," she said, with a big yawn. "I had one question running through my head. Now I have two." "So? Are you going to ask?" Jill said. She knew one of them would be about Laura. Frankly, she wondered why it had taken Tiffany so long to ask. "Tell me about Laura?" Jill smiled, "She's about four foot..." "You know what I mean." "Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't have any fun." "I don't understand. Tell me." "I'm not sure how to explain Laura. She started as someone who was in the drama class with me, but not doing drama. We have both grown from that, and are now both acting. We have become close. I know she needs me, more than I need her. I just don't know. I'm trying my best not to do anything that might hurt her in the long run. I am not sure that I'm succeeding." "Ok, I think I get the picture, at least some of it. Now the harder one. When you heard that Grace got a phone call, you were distraught. When you found out that Keith was awake, you were on 'cloud nine'. I'm not sure I understand why your emotions for him went to such extremes." Jill took a deep breath, in and out. "You're right, that is a harder one. Before I answer that, can I ask you a question?" Tiffany smiled, "Is it a hard one?" "I think so." The smile faded, "What?" "Do you like boys? I mean, do they interest you? You are very beautiful, Tiffany. I'm sure that growing up, you had a string of boys following you." "Did I ever," Tiffany said, sounding exasperated. "They wouldn't leave me alone. All they wanted was my cute little body. It drove me crazy." "You haven't answered my question. Not having boys around, like in this place, doesn't mean a thing. You are sheltered, here. But what about inside of you?" "Sometimes, Jill, I'm not sure that I like your insight," she said. Then Tiffany smiled, to show she was just kidding, "Yes, it is easier here. I can't be a nun, though. And when I go into town, I notice men looking." "Do you like it?" "I'm not sure. I used to hate it, but being here all year long, I think I may miss the looks. It is something I don't like to think about. Men look at me, for only one thing." Jill had a concentrated look on her face, "Tiffany? How many boyfriends have you had?" "None." "And dates?" "Just a few. Now wait a minute! This is a whole lot more than one question." "All revolving around the same thing, though; and you haven't been very outgoing about the subject, so I have to drag it out of you." "And the purpose of all of these questions, Lieutenant? Am I going to jail?" Jill got a twinkle in her eye. "No, but maybe tying up, is just what you need," and Jill lunged at her. Tiffany jumped off the bed, laughing, Jill following. When their breathing returned to normal, Jill said, "To answer your question, Keith is my piece of chocolate. I think, today, I'm smothered in it. But that's allright, because he's not here to see it." "Jill you are not making any sense. What do you mean 'he is your piece of chocolate'?" "Let me tell you something that Liz told me. You like chocolate, don't you?" "Of course, is there anyone who doesn't?" Jill giggled, "Maybe, but they must be crazy. So say someone took you into a room, filled with the best chocolates in the world, how nice would that be?" Tiffany liked this, "I could eat anything?" "Now, wait. Say that the person, who took you in, held a gun up to you. And he told you to eat, and eat, and eat." "That doesn't sound good." "No. You'd end up being forced to eat so much, you couldn't look at another piece of chocolate, without feeling sick." "That's terrible." "So, what would you think of that room of chocolate, now?" "I don't think I'd want to be there." "But is the chocolate bad?" Tiffany didn't answer, but Jill could tell she was thinking about what she was just told. "The chocolate would be just as good, the problem is that you couldn't eat it. Wouldn't that be sad?" Tiffany looked at Jill; and simply, slowly, nodded. Going on, Jill said, "The only way to get back in that room, and enjoy what it has to offer, is to take small bites. Once you can stomach that, take bigger ones." They looked into each other's eyes. Then Tiffany asked in a soft voice, "Jill, what happened?" Jill was caught off guard, and her eyes started tearing. She lowered her head, and the shame took over. "I was raped." Tiffany felt her chest tighten. It was almost as if someone had just punched her. "Jill!" "He was a horrid man, and now he's dead." Tiffany looked at Jill. She couldn't comprehend what this girl had gone through. Hugging her tightly, Tiffany kept on saying, "Jill, Jill, Jill." "Now you see why Keith..." "No! He's a man!" As much as her emotions had just gone into overdrive, concentrating on Tiffany, made Jill focus. "Tiffany, you are missing the point. Not all men are bad. Was your father bad?" "No, but he's..." "a man," Jill finished Tiffany's sentence, but not the way she was going to. "I'm sure that you had friends as you grew up, before boys saw you as a sexy girl." Tiffany blushed. "Jill!" "Well?" "Yes, I guess so." "OK, so take a guy like Keith." Tiffany looked suspiciously at Jill, "What about him?" "He knew something was very wrong," Tiffany could see in Jill's eyes she was remembering, "It was at his wedding. His wedding, of all things! He noticed me. He saw that I was not right. He came over, and helped my mother and me. He didn't need to do that, and at that point I didn't want him to; but he stayed back, and guided." "Then, when we were all forced to leave Carp, he couldn't leave. He had to stay and help the clean-up." Jill started getting choked up, "He brought me back a doll that was on my bed, to comfort me." "Oh, Jill," Tiffany said. She saw that as a nice gesture, but couldn't see how important that had been to Jill. "Does that sound like a bad man? He is as sweet and gentle as can be. When my mom..." Jill stopped and had to gain control, thinking of what her mother had done in the military base's testing hall. The images in her mind that flashed up. All those men, and her mother, nude... Her mother was supposed to be there for a test, but those men were... "when she..." another pause, "and I walked in there..." Tiffany could see that whatever Jill was trying to say, was very painful. "Keith yelled at my mom, I think. He pulled me out of the room, and made sure I was allright. He had Liz stay with me, and then he went back in." Jill looked up to Tiffany's face, tears on her cheeks. "I don't know what happened. Keith was gone. So was my mom. Then they came back, and my mom apologized to me. I don't ever remember that happening before." "You're in love with him, aren't you?" Jill ignored that, "It's all a bit blurry to me now. I guess that's good. He knew, somehow. He knew, and made it so I talked with Liz. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here, Tiffany. He has done so much for me, and I didn't want him to even look at me. He's a man." "You are, aren't you?" Tiffany asked, again. Tiffany's persistence irritated Jill, partially because she had a nagging suspicion that it might be true. Jill launched herself at Tiffany, who wasn't expecting it. Tiffany gasped in surprise. She pulled back, freeing herself, but then fell back onto the bed. Jill was on her now, and pinned her. Tiffany turned to her side, and tried to slip away. The chase and capture didn't last long. Tiffany knocked over a lamp with a pillow, along the way. Luckily, it didn't break. In the end, Tiffany was on her front, her arms pulled behind her, with Jill sitting on her back. "Uncle!" "Not good enough," Jill said, with a satisfied smile. "What," Tiffany said, with a labored breath, "do you want?" "All of you." "What?" "I need you to do as I ask, for the rest of the evening." "Anything?" "Yes. Only within this room, without the possibility of hurting you, and no one else can be present." Tiffany was hoping that Jill meant what she alluded to. Tiffany needed some good sexual release. "Allright, just let me go." "Allright, that means you will do as I say? Everything?" "Yes, Jill, everything." As Jill let go, and Tiffany turned around facing her, Jill could plainly see Tiffany's hard nipples pointing out of her blouse. "This is going to be fun!" Jill exclaimed, "Tiffany take off your clothes, while I get something. Tiffany looked questioningly at the door that Jill had just gone out of. She started taking off her clothes. Feeling funny, standing there with nothing on, she went into the bathroom. At least that way, she would have an excuse, if someone did happen to come in with Jill. Jill returned from Liz's room, with something behind her back, but no one was in the room. "Tiffany?" Jill called out, as she shut the door. "In here, is it safe?" Jill looked at the item in her hand, and smiled. "Just a minute," she said, sliding it under her pillow. "It is, now." Tiffany came out, and looked around; as if expecting something, or someone, to appear. "Turn around, and let me look at you." Tiffany did, without thinking, showing Jill her body. "You know, Tiffany? If I was a guy, you would be cringing. Have you asked yourself why it is allright for me to look, drool even, over your body. But not for guys to?" Tiffany looked perturbed at Jill, "Like I said, sometimes your questions..." "On the bed, then." "Like this?" Tiffany asked as she laid on her back. "How limber are you?" "Very, why?" "Can you bend your legs back, over your head?" "Yes." "Do it, then." Jill slipped her hand under the pillow, and pulled out the dildo. Tiffany, feeling very exposed, looked over to see what Jill was doing. When the dildo came into light, she panicked. "Jill!" she said, as she brought her legs down. Her right heel made contact with Jill's head, and brought Jill to the floor. Tiffany was off the bed, and over to Jill, in a flash. Jill was shaking her head, in a daze. "I didn't think you'd get that excited about it," Jill said, with the beginnings of a smile, letting Tiffany know she was allright. "Where did you get that, that thing?" "From Grace, where else?" Tiffany's mouth hung open in shock, until Jill started laughing so hard, that Tiffany knew she'd been had. "I'll get you for that!" the chase was on again. This time Tiffany was going after Jill. Jill ran into the bathroom, and slipped across the floor (still wet from Laura), to the other side, hitting the wall. Tiffany, right behind her, took the same course and ran right into Jill. Both ended up on the floor, in laughter. As they got up, Jill tried to run back out, and slipped again. She grabbed onto the edge of the doorframe. Tiffany grabbed hold of her, and was pulled along, around the corner. Both ended up back onto the bed. This time, though, Tiffany was on top. "Now for your just reward," Tiffany laughed, and grabbed the dildo. The feel of it in her hand was unexpected, so was Jill's response. "NO!" Tiffany looked down at a suddenly frightened child. She rolled off, dropping the dildo, and tried to hug Jill. "What's wrong?" "I... I can't..." Jill bowed her head, and started to cry. "Did I do something? Jill, please talk to me, what just happened." Tiffany watched Jill breathing long slow breaths, trying to compose herself. "It has nothing to do with you, Tiffany," she said looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." "It's all right. But what happened? I'm still confused." "I thought you were going to... you know... try and put it in me." "You mean this?" Tiffany said grabbing the dildo with both hands, stroking it up and down. Jill watched Tiffany, and then they looked at each other. "It looks like you like that," Jill said. "You are scared of it, aren't you? Is it because of what happened?" "No, not scared, but, well..." Tiffany nodded. "That man forced me," Jill continued. "I want it to be the time I choose. I want it to be what it should have been, the first time, and with the one I want." "And that is?" Jill blushed. "Keith?" Jill blushed even more. Tiffany took hold of the dildo by the base. "Well this probably looks like it could be Keith's size." "That's what Liz was told," Jill said, blushing all over again. Tiffany smiled. Then, playing with it in her hand, said in a humorous voice, "Oh, Jill! I'm so hard for you!" She then made a quick circle around Jill's nipple. Jill shuddered, and Tiffany's mouth fell open. "Did you just?" Jill nodded. "With this?" Tiffany looked appraisingly at the toy she held. "Not just that," Jill said, perturbed, "It represents Keith, and I'm not sure you could find a better man." "Oh, really? Tell me all about him," Tiffany challengingly said. Jill grabbed the dildo out of Tiffany's hand, "Better yet, I'm going to show you." Tiffany was pushed down onto the bed. Jill started by kissing her. Then she was moving down to her neck, then upwards, towards her ear. "I'm very gentle, but I know you want this," Jill said, as she moved the dildo along Tiffany's leg. This time, it was Tiffany who was losing control. She opened her mouth, tried to speak, but nothing came out. Jill brought it up and circled one, and then the other of Tiffany's very erect nipples. "You like me rubbing this all over you, don't you?" Tiffany's breathing was labored, and it took all she had to nod. Jill smiled, "I knew it, you lovely girl. Now spread your legs for me." Jill was amazed that Tiffany did just as she had requested. As Jill slid the dildo down Tiffany's belly she could see it ripple in anticipation. Jill slid the cylindrical shape between the open legs. "Ohhhh." Jill smiled to herself, and using the tip, stroked around the edges of Tiffany's outer lips. Tiffany's hips bucked upwards as she had her first orgasm. For the next ten minutes Jill teased her, until Tiffany's juices were flowing continuously. Jill ran the dildo across Tiffany's clit, making her jerk in another round of orgasmic bliss. As she came down, Tiffany opened her eyes, and smiled. "I think it's time to stop," Jill said. "Ohhh." "Tiffany, I'm getting so excited, and so are you. I don't want to put it in, and open the bud of your flower. That isn't what this is for," Jill said holding the wet, shiny dildo. "It is what a man should do for you." Then her smile left her, "but only someone special." Tiffany almost started to cry for her friend. She also vowed to herself to make sure that if Jill could get together with Keith, it would be a time to remember, always. Maybe even enough to push that past, out of her mind, forever. ------- Sarah was ready to go to the dorms with the others, when her father stopped her. "Sarah," he said, "tomorrow we will be going home." She stopped dead in her tracks. The smile on her face drained away. "Dad! I thought... you said..." Sarah's face was turning bright red in anger. "Sarah, what's the problem?" Patrick said, not understanding what was going on. "I thought you said I could go to Carp!" Sarah burst out with evil daggers for eyes, trying to cut him down. "Honey, yes! You are. First though, you have to finish some schooling, and you also need a few clothes." "Oh," Sarah said, feeling a bit embarrassed at her outburst, "sorry, Dad." Patrick smiled, "It's fine. Today has been hard on everyone. Get some sleep; we will be leaving in the morning." "Not before I get to say goodbye, right?" "No, not too early." ------- I woke to the sound of some noise in the hallway. It was a nurse, and Jack. They were discussing if he could come in or not. Long gone was the security at the door they told me had been there. Now, it was only at the entrances, and that was not as tight as it had been. As I listened, the nurse was concerned about waking me. I put an end to that, by saying I was awake now. Jack poked his head in, and smiled, "Hi, Keith. I'm on my way to Carp." "Wish I was, but that will happen soon." "It was a hell of a way to get out of doing research." "You know me. Anything I can do, to get away from the boring stuff." He looked at me; not knowing how to ask a question I could see was on his mind. "Go ahead and ask," I said. "Are you all right? I mean, is everything ok with you?" I looked down at my crotch, covered by the thin sheet, "Well, the doctor said some things take longer to come back." He couldn't help but laugh, "No doubt in my mind, nothing wrong with you," then he looked serious again, "That's right, isn't it? I don't need to worry about anything." "I feel fine, well not fine. I hurt like hell in a few places. I should, I guess," I looked at him, "I'm lucky, damned lucky to be alive." He was nodding, knowing that that was indeed true. "Now, I have a question for you." I asked him. "Ok, shoot." "What happened?" I could see his eyes didn't want to look into mine; they were darting around, "What do you mean." "Things are starting to come back, most all of it, in fact. I know who did it, and why. That doesn't tell me what happened to him after..." Flashes of images hit me. I was standing on the ledge. Hank had the gun pointed. I saw something flash. Hank's hands were bloody. Robin screamed, and I turned, I started to... "Keith!" "Oh, God!" I realized I was shaking. "Are you all right?" "Yes, I just flashed about the rooftop," I could see Jack wince. "Something happened to Hank. There is more to the story, tell me." "Hank's hands were pretty much taken off by the marksman they pulled in, to try and save you. He was in the hospital. I understand he just got transferred yesterday, to the county ward. He'll be there until he heals, I guess." I could tell there was more. "What else?" Jack looked at me, perturbed. "Lt. Payne was involved." "Shit." "Patrick took care of him," Jack said, with a satisfied smile. I raised my eyebrows, "Oh? And what did he do?" "Do you know where the town of North Pole, Alaska, is?" "There's a base there, if I recall. A friend of mine was sent there." "Lt. Payne found himself on a transport out of here, within the hour after you fell, with only the shirt on his back." "I hear they're a rough crowd, up there." "It does have that reputation. As well as one for not liking back stabbing, smart ass brown nosers. I understand that, why he was up there, may well have leaked out." "I should, but I can't say I feel sorry for him. He will come back in one piece?" "He should, but his days of military advancement are all but over And I think he knows it. His parents are pretty devastated about this." "They know?" "Patrick called them, personally. He wanted them to be able to save face, and not have Payne up on charges," Jack smiled, "They agreed it would be better to send him there." "Serves the fucker right. I guess I won't see him for a long time. Hank, either." "Hank is up on so many charges, it is staggering. Of course, most will be dropped before it actually goes to trial. But the worst is not what he did to you." "Oh?" "Keith? Haven't you heard what they do to inmates, who do bad things to kids? The stories I've heard aren't pretty, and Hank kidnapped one girl, and tried to molest another." "I see what you mean. It doesn't make any difference what the sentence is, it could well be a death sentence, being in there." "And he doesn't have any way to defend himself, without any hands, to speak of." "It didn't have to be this way." "Keith, none of this is your fault. I didn't want to tell you all of this, you asked." "I did ask. You would have, too." Then wanting to change the subject, I asked, "Is Cynthia meeting you in Carp?" Jack's face radiated, "Yes, and Rebecca as well. I can't wait." "Well, don't let me hold you up. Get going." He started to get up, and I added, "Jack, thanks a lot for being here." He shrugged his shoulders, "I couldn't have left." "No, I guess not. But you were beyond just being helpful, and you know it. So do I. Thanks." I could see Jack was embarrassed, so I said, "Now get out of here. You've got a couple gals waiting." He smiled, "See you soon," as he headed out the door. I was given a meager breakfast, and wanted to eat something else, when Patrick and Sarah came in. Patrick quickly said goodbye to me, and told me we would talk. Then he ran out to catch Jack, whom they had seen in the hallway. Sarah gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek, which she blushed about. I was the last one she needed to say goodbye to, before she left. Daisy, Robin, Pamela, and Stephanie, had walked up to my room. Although Robin was the only one in the room, with Sarah, when she said her final goodbye. The nurses were not being particular about how many visitors I had in my room, at this point. They knew I was on my way out of intensive care that day. Pamela and Stephanie climbed up onto my bed, as Daisy led the others into the room. The doctor showed up, as all of them were in there. He didn't say a word about their presence either, pretending not to notice them. "Keith, Robin, good news. The tests came back and show no problems, as I had hoped for. I have done more research about comas in general, to understand what went on. You were out for a short time. And although no coma is good, the shorter the time, the better." "So, I'm ready to go home?" I asked. The doctor laughed, "Not quite. That nasty place on the back of your head, is something we need to watch, but not for long. It probably helped you in the long run. From what we know, the brain can swell some. That wound undoubtedly took pressure off. The thing that puzzles me, is that it doesn't look like anything that a fall could have produced." I closed my eyes, and shuddered. "Honey, what is it?" Robin asked. "Could it have been from a chunk hitting me?" "A chunk? A chunk of what? To do the damage that did, it must have hit hard." I looked around the room, and saw the faces of the girls looking at me, "I don't know." "Keith?" "OK, I do," wincing, "it isn't pretty." Robin took my hand. I looked at her. She smiled at me, and nodded. "There was a point, as I turned a corner." I had to stop. Suddenly, I was seeing the whole scene, in slow motion. This time, not flashes of pictures, but like a movie. I didn't really want to relive it, but there it was. As I talked, the scene in my head, played along. "I heard the shot, and the sound of a bullet exploding into the building. I felt something hit the back of my head." I looked at the doctor. "Do you need anything else?" "Not about that. I can tell it hurts you, to think about. Tell me though; what direction would it have hit you?" I showed him with my good arm. He was nodding, looking at the back of my head. "The wound looks consistent with that. That piece of building probably saved you a good deal of later trauma. It also might explain why you lost your balance and fell, if you want my opinion." "Really? I fell because of that?" I said, with more enthusiasm than was good to let out. Robin looked at me, knowing there was more to it than that. I wasn't about to tell her that I thought it was her scream, and my turn towards it, that set me to falling. She would never forgive herself. It made good sense that my equilibrium would be off, with a strike to the head. In some strange way, it was comforting. "Is there anything more, Keith?" The doctor asked. "Not now, if that is all right." "It's not a problem. We will be moving you later today, out of the intensive care unit. I'll come and see you then. We'll be getting you up, then, as well." "Up?" Robin said, "as in walking?" "Yes, we might try walking. As long as he can stand without problems, he should be fine." As he was heading to the door, I said, "Oh! There is one thing. Can I get better food than this?" I said, pointing to the cold breakfast that lay on the tray. "Keith you need to behave, and do as you're told. This stuff is nutritious." I could see the smile appear as he went on, "I'll see if we can't sneak something 'real', up here for you. ICU patients don't get much real food. Hopefully you won't be here too much longer." When he left, Robin took hold of Pamela and Stephanie's hands. She told me she was going to take them for a little walk, to tire them out. Daisy was the only one in the room, as I swung my feet over the side of the bed. She looked at me, surprised. "The doctor did say I'd be on my feet, today." "But... shouldn't I get a nurse, or something?" "Daisy, I'm not trying to walk out of here. I just want to touch the floor." "Do you need help?" she asked, as I was fighting the sheets. It was becoming a pain in the ass, to have my arm in a cast, "Yes that would be nice." Daisy reached over me, and pulled the sheet away. Up came my hospital gown, as well. My immediate thought was, 'maybe the cast isn't so bad after all.' Daisy stared. "It's smaller." "Thank you for noticing," So much for the cast idea, "it will be back to normal, shortly." Then she surprised me. She took my dick in her hand, and cupping my balls with her other, she asked, "How long?" "I think proper stimulation is helpful, and you are certainly doing your part." Daisy blushed, but didn't stop stroking me. I think she forgot where she was, as she started to get on the floor, and had her mouth parted. It would have been nice, although I wasn't responding the way I'd have liked to, yet. That made it easier to say stop, as well as the door being open. She looked up at me, with a sexy smile. "Kiss me; that works fine. Plus," and I glanced to the door, "if anyone sees us, I won't go to jail." Daisy's smile turned to a grin, as she moved up to kiss me. I used her closeness to pull myself up. She didn't realize until we broke the kiss, that I was standing. "You did that on purpose," she tried to scold me. "What? The kiss, or stopping you from giving me..." Daisy rolled her eyes, "Your standing. Though that kiss was great. Wait till the others hear." I shook my head, "Don't tell them." I took Daisy's arm, and lowered myself. "I wanted to know if I could do it, before the doctor makes a spectacle out of me." "Oh, all right. But Robin should know." "Yes, but not when anyone else can hear." ------- Jack had flown into Nellis. He thought that it would be a short detour. But the interim commander, who had been overwhelmed by several things, needed his expertise desperately. It took him nearly five hours, before he was on a helicopter, back toward Carp. As the flight came into the valley; he could see, off in the distance, the Mansion by itself. Telling the pilot to make a wide slow circle, he was able to take in everything. The 'core test' rigs over the ridge that held the spring, were busy in action. The north section of town, that was a series of small pads, where houses had been before the fire. The new bridge, and the pool that looked almost complete. The mine, with the miners on their way out. Disturbing to him, were the trenches; where the new water pipes had been laid. They were still open. To the south, were open fields with horses grazing. Jack saw three men looking up at the helicopter. Jack pointed over to the Mansion; and the pilot swung by, closer, on his way to the landing pad. It was very gratifying to see, and Jack smiled to think this town was becoming home to him. As the helicopter set down, there was a small crowd of people waiting for him. Looking out, his eyes focused in on his radioman. Jim and Patrick were there, as well. He also saw the two he was most interested in seeing, Cynthia and Rebecca. As Jack was clear, the helicopter lifted off. Soon the area was once again quiet. Then the questions started. Patrick raised his hands, to silence the people. Walking over to Jack he said, "I know you must be more than ready to spend time with your wife, but everyone wants to know about Keith." Jack sighed. He knew (being the commander of the base), that he had been in the know, and was responsible for spreading that information. He made sure that it was accurate, and timely. That responsibility had, on more than one occasion, cut into his private life. He smiled, thinking he would have to say a word or two to Keith, about doing it to him outside of military life. He knew Keith would get great amusement out of that. Jack looked at the people, and judged by their numbers, that maybe one third of the townspeople were there. To Patrick, he replied, "I think it would be best to have a town meeting, and let everyone know at the same time." Patrick laughed, "Yes, it probably would," then in a whisper, "and give you some time." Jack couldn't help but laugh, "The thought never crossed my mind." Patrick just laughed in response, and then raised his hands again, "My people, I know you are all very interested in knowing what has, and is, happening with Keith. In all fairness to others who are not present now, we will be holding a meeting at six thirty this evening, at the bridge. There, Mr. Jack Huntington will let us know what he can share with us. Please let everyone you know, know about this, as we do not want anyone left out." Many nodded their heads, and the crowd started off. The radioman simply said it was nice to see him back, and he would talk with him tomorrow. Jim and Patrick said they would like to talk with him about some other things, and could he come to the meeting a bit early? With that acknowledged, they left, leaving Cynthia and Rebecca. He wasn't a bit shy about hugging both of them. But the kiss he gave Cynthia was a lot more openly sensual, than what Rebecca received. "You'll get yours, later," he quipped, as he saw her look. That made her smile. Cynthia had her hands on her hips, "Well we don't have much time, and certainly not enough for what I was planning." Jack smiled, "Well, at least I can change out of these." Cynthia laughed, "Yes, you look dreadful. I think we should get them off of you as quick as possible, don't you Rebecca?" Her eyes were bright. Her smile full, as she nodded enthusiastically. In the hotel room, there was little wasted time. Cynthia on one side, and Rebecca on the other; peeled Jack's clothing off, in record time. Then they took him in for a bath; each talking turns, as their hands roamed around his body, to stroke his dick. Cynthia drained the water, and Rebecca started to dry him. He was hard as a rock, by now. Cynthia looked at the time. "Oh, honey! It's time to get you ready." He looked at her, in disbelief, "It can't be!" Then looking at Cynthia's smile, he knew other things were in store. Rebecca and Cynthia took Jack out of the bathroom, and to the bed, laying him on his back. They were on each side of him. "Rebecca, you start." She smiled, and bent down, taking Jacks dick into her mouth. "Ohhhh," was all he could get out. Cynthia had undone her top, and filled his mouth with her breast. Then Cynthia moved down, and they both were licking and sucking on him. It had been too long, and Jack knew he wasn't going to last. "I'm cumming," and a second later, he did, spilling his seed over both their faces. They cleaned him up with their tongues. "Now, that will keep me till later, and then we'll have time to do this right," Jack said, as he got up. Rebecca pulled his clothes out for him. Cynthia noticing the sight of their cum covered faces started to get him hard again, and ran her tongue around her lips. "Now, I have work to do. And you need to clean up," Jack said, pulling Rebecca over to Cynthia. "Go on, take a lick." Cynthia let out a little moan, as Rebecca's tongue circled around her face. He stood there looking at them, not wanting to go to the meeting. "You two had better not be late, you only have a half an hour." Then he walked out the door, listening to the giggles behind him. Jim and Patrick were standing at the entrance to the hotel, as he came down the stairs. Jim looked at him, "We didn't tell you where we should meet." Jack thought, smiled, and then said, "No, I guess you didn't. My mind was otherwise occupied." The other two men laughed, deciding it was best to leave that alone. They started walking down the street. "I thought we might go to your office, Jack," Patrick said. "That sounds fine." Inside the office they all sat around a conference table. "Tell me about the pool project, have you been given a completion date?" Jack wanted to know. "Not really. I saw the floor being poured three days ago, the day the plaque came. That was a great addition, by the way." Jack hit his forehead with his hand, "I forgot all about that! A guy in the machine shop at the base we flew to; owed me a big favor. I collected, but I thought I was returning right away. It slipped my mind to tell anyone about it." "That's fine, it arrived and your radioman opened the parcel and then handed it off to me. No one else really knows about it." Jim said, as Jack looked at him. "The town was in a rather somber mood, after the news of the attack." "So, now that you are here," Patrick added, "you get to tell people about it. After all, it will be at their feet, shortly." Jack looked at the two of them, "Is that why we are having the meeting there?" Jim and Patrick looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, "Why don't you think of it as a strange coincidence." Patrick said. Jack smiled at him, "Keith once told me you didn't believe in those." Patrick started laughing, "I guess I was caught with that one. Ok, you're right, it was indeed planned." "So are there any other surprises I should know about?" "I think you may well be asked if you know anything about the Memco trucks doing core samples. The miners are concerned with what is going on. They know the name, Memco, and that it is a large company. This town has been a cooperative mining organization ever since the Birk's disappeared. There are a number of them that are concerned that their jobs might be in jeopardy. The mine itself isn't producing that much right now, and with the cave-in's, morale is not very high now. With not as much going on with the mine, couple that with their inability to bear children, the men don't feel much like men. The Memco trucks just put the icing on the cake, so to speak." "We had thought about that." "We?" Jim said surprised. "The company that asked Memco to look into the viability of a mine here." "Company?" "Comprised of Keith, Richard, and myself; in differing amounts of ownership. Keith found a metal in some of the testing he was doing. It was a pleasant consequence of what he was looking for." "Silver isn't over there, anyone can tell you that." "This isn't silver, and it is worth a lot more. It's all speculation at this point. We will be bearing the costs if nothing is found." "If they find what they are looking for?" "Then they help us. This metal is special, and needs different mining techniques than the silver mine that these people are familiar with. It also takes special refining methods. Memco has the facilities, and they want that piece of the business." The three men didn't say anything for a minute, and then Patrick said, "That is what Richard was going to see his father about. He's a lawyer, right?" "Yes. There is a lot at stake. Not just for us, but for the whole town. If it is going to work, it needs to work for everyone. Richard's uncle works for Memco as well. It was through his connections, that we were able to get their cooperation, to do these core samples." Jim, after listening back and forth, said, "I think I'm going to say that we are looking into the Memco sampling, and we should know something... ?" "In a week, I would think," Jack answered. Patrick smiled, "Jim, I never knew you could be so crafty. That sounds just like a politician. Telling them something, without letting them know anything. And to top it off, not lying." Jim looked indignant, "Should I be offended?" Then he laughed. "I have another question," Jack said. "Yes," both answered. "If all goes well, and I expect it will. I will want to build a house. This is unlike any community I've ever been in. What do I do, for a plot of land?" "Where do you want to build?" "As I flew over, I noticed the place where the houses that caught fire had been, that area was nice and level. Maybe there." "Be our guest, take any plot you want." Jack looked between the two, to see the joke. "Jack, I don't know what it is. But people have been reluctant to build there. Some of us think it is silliness. If you started, maybe others would follow. There are a few families that have returned; that left from the water problem. They are staying with relatives, and you know how small these houses are. Beyond that, the land is part of the city, and anyone who wants to build on it, is fine to do so. Just like the buildings downtown. Did you ever stop to think who owns the hotel?" Jack pondered this, "No, to tell you the truth. Now that you mention it, who does?" "No one, really. It is just run. And those who work, get paid out of who stays there." Jack was shaking his head, "That is a very foreign concept to anything I am accustomed to. I like it though." Then he said, as tactfully as he could, "What if I need two plots, to build the house?" "Two? A very large house then?" "Well, it may well have more than one family in it." Patrick snorted, "That couldn't be Rebecca, now could it?" Jack felt his face getting warm and knew he was blushing, "Yes, I suppose it could." "Two families, two plots, doesn't sound like a problem. That would open up Rebecca's house then, as well," Jim said, and then stopped. He looked at Jack, and continued, "Unless Jill needs it." "I honestly don't know, for sure, but I would venture to guess not. My guess would be she will stay at the Mansion; with Liz, Keith, and the others. But if she wants to be with her mother again, that would be fine, as well. I don't think she would want to be by herself." "Good to know that. Pick out the plots you want, and let us know. There is a sort of an informal map, showing who lives were. As you know; it changes from time to time, and we just take off one person's name, and add another." "Amazing system. But one that works, apparently." "I see it is time we started the meeting." The three men walked down to the bridge. Patrick and Jim steered Jack to the center of the bridge. He looked over the edge, and saw everyone down below. They were on the concrete floor of the soon to be pool. To his right, was an open area that was (as he remembered) set up for grass, and trees. A short space away, was the form of a building, to be used for the park. Patrick started with a prayer. Jim said a few words of welcome, and then they turned the meeting over to Jack. As much as Jack was used to public speaking, he had a hard time not getting emotional, talking about the events of the night the attack happened. Everyone was so still. Even the children, when he paused for a breath. He could hear the crickets chirping on the banks, and the wind through the tree branches. When he got to the part of Keith being in the room, and everyone saying something to him; he added that Robin, Katy, Daisy, Stephanie, and Pamela represented the town, and knew each one of them would have liked to have been here. When he described Keith's awakening, he choked up completely. He had to stop, several times. Everyone there knew the impact that the awakening must have had on all who were present. As, when they received the news, it was an instant transformation in the town. The mention of Pamela's name got Jack to think they might not have heard much about her. He asked, and then started to describe the miracle of the surgery she had had, and the transformation. Jimmy poked Brian in the side, "I'd like to see what she looks like now." Brian rolled his eyes, "Why?" "She was always a nice girl, and people picked on her. It wasn't very nice," he looked down, "Although I never did anything to stop it, Keith saw something special in her." "I guess." Their attention was diverted up to Jack again, as he was talking about a special plaque. They saw Patrick walk down into the crowd. A circle of people formed, around a brass circle, imbedded into the concrete. "Many of you can not read it, from where you are. When the pool is filled, it will almost disappear from view, although each and every one of you will know it is there. It says, Keith Patterson and Richard Thompson This water is life giving As you have been. Our prayers are with you always. Carp Nevada, 1948 When Jack stopped, the people started clapping. Softly at first, it got to the point (echoing off the concrete), that it was almost deafening. It was powerful, and Jack felt in awe of these people, and of the town they had. He felt fortunate, at that moment, to know he would be part of this soon. ------- Robin came into the room, leaned over to me, and said, "I hear you can stand." I was perturbed. She smiled, "I want to see. I understand that you get a kiss if you do it." Then she wiggled her top at me. I saw the rise of her nipples. "Or maybe you can get something else." I no longer thought of Daisy. There was a feeling down there, and boy did it feel nice. I figured I'd just let Robin discover it, on her own. I sighed, "Ok, if I must perform." "I'm hoping that will happen soon," she winked at me. If only she knew how soon! She stood in front of where I was sitting, on the bed. Placing my hands on her shoulders I pulled myself up, into an embrace with her. She tilted her head up, and we kissed. Placing my full weight on my feet, I let my hands travel down her sides. She moaned into my mouth as I cupped her ass. I had my eyes open, and was watching her, as I pulled her ass in. Her front came into contact with a lump that she was not expecting. Her eyes flew open, and she broke the kiss, "Keith!" I smiled, "Anything wrong?" I asked playfully. "No, defiantly not wrong, it's great! Daisy didn't tell me about that." "She didn't get it." Then I took Robin's face in my hands, kissed her several times. "You are the one that got me going. You have always done that, you know." Her smile lit the room. Her hand grasped my hardening dick. She glanced at the open door, and then back to me, "Can we?" "Quietly," I responded. "Do you think that's possible?" She giggled, "No, but I'll try." "Hold on to this." Grabbing the IV bottle, Robin watched as I took one step, and then another. She was right beside me, but didn't hold on to me. Three steps to the door, and I closed it. Three steps back, and I sat down. "How was that?" Robin anxiously asked. "It still feels good," pointing to my hard on. "I meant the walk." "Good thing no one is asking me to run. But I think the doctor is going to be stunned." "I think the doctor needs to see you vertical, without this horizontal thing sticking out." Robin then grabbed hold of the tent in my hospital gown, and started moving it back and forth. All of a sudden the door opened. "We need to have this open..." The nurse stood there, open mouthed, looking at where Robin's hand was. "She is giving me some much needed therapy," I said, making both Robin and the nurse blush. "I think I asked for a private lesson, but if it is meant to be a group lesson, then please leave the door open." The door closed behind the nurse so fast, that both of us started snickering. Then Robin looked at me, "Group lessons?" "First thing that popped into my mind." "I'll bet it did." "I want to be alone with you, right now, Mrs. Patterson." That received a smile. "Now that we are not going to be disturbed, what did you have in mind? I'm sorry, but I can't sweep you off your feet. "You did that long ago," she said, giving me a kiss. "Lay back down." I moved myself over, not an easy task with an arm in a cast and she didn't help. Climbing onto the bed, she flipped up her skirt. Then I looked at the floor and saw her panties lying there. I looked back and smiled as she took hold of me and lowered herself. We both moaned softly as I slid inside of her. ------- When Daisy ran into the room, her chest heaving from a long run, I knew something was very wrong. Her eyes showed terror, and her words came out as gibberish. I took hold of her hand, and in a commanding voice, said, "Daisy sit." She did promptly, on the edge of the bed. "Take three long, slow, breaths." As soon as the last one was exhaling, I asked, "Five words! Tell me what is wrong?" That stopped her, and made her think. "Beth Ann's uncle is here." I sat up, pushed Daisy off the bed, and stood up. This time with only the help of the side rail. I was mad. But I had learned a big lesson about being stupid. I looked around. IV still attached, one monitor still on. Clothes. "Daisy, I have some clothes my mother brought me, in the closet. Get them out." As she did, I pulled the needle out of my arm. "Fuck." Daisy turned to see what I had done, and looked wide-eyed at me. "This isn't easy, with a cast on," I said. "Do you want me to help?" she asked, but I could tell she was hoping I'd say no. "Yes, get me that tissue, I need two of them." She did, holding them at arms length to me. "Fold them up, and place them in the crease of my arm," I said. She didn't like it, but did so. I pulled my arm up, to stop the little bleeding that was happening. She quickly moved back to the closet, to retrieve the clothes. I looked at the monitor. It was simple enough. It would buzz at the nurse's station, if the monitor was tripped. I turned it off, and listened. I also shook my head. It was too simple to defeat the machine. I disconnected myself from it, and turned to face Daisy. Socks, underwear, a pair of jeans, and a bright green shirt. "Only my mother," I muttered, exasperated. "What?" "My mother; I liked these colors, when I was maybe eight. Now it will look like I'm going to the circus." Daisy laughed, "It's kind of cute." "Thanks. Now help me get it on." The cast provided a difficulty. I told Daisy where she would find scissors. She looked at me skeptically, until I told her I had nothing to do, but watch what everyone did all day. We altered the shirt by cutting off the sleeve. I wasn't sorry that the shirt was going to be a one-time-wear item. I was also going to have a talk with my mother! Daisy enjoyed the underwear detail, saying she had talked with Robin. I told her she'd have a hard time with the jeans, if she teased me too much. She smiled and said that was for later. It didn't help, I swelled, and it pleased her. I had socks, but no shoes. Fortunately the socks were a dark color, so they wouldn't stand out. Now to get me out. "Daisy, walk on the other side of the nurse's station, and ask them a question about... when I'm getting transferred. Keep on asking them something, until you see I've passed the station." "I'll try." "Try really hard. Then meet me at the elevator." Daisy left me, and I was hoping this was going to work. Peering around the corner, Daisy was at the station, talking to the one nurse that was there. That meant one was in a room. I didn't have time to wait, so I started walking. It hurt like hell. I didn't want to look over to Daisy, and make her look at me. It seemed like I was walking fast, but I knew better. As soon as I passed the edge of the open area, I heard Daisy say she would talk to Robin, and let them know. Seconds latter she was by my side. With a hand to hold onto, I felt much better. We moved to the elevator. Once inside, I felt better still. "As soon as we get outside, I know I'll be ok. But in here, anyone could spot me. By the way, where are we going?" "To the dorm," Daisy said, as the door opened, "are you going to be able to make it?" I knew better than to answer. The answer was 'not if I had to walk all that way'. Fortunately a solution presented itself almost immediately. A wheelchair was at the end of the hall. "Daisy, get that wheelchair, at the end of the hall." She looked both ways as though someone was going to catch her, walked over to it and wheeled it back to me. I sat. "Now what?" "Take me out. If someone asks, just say that you will be back, as soon as you drop me off." "Drop you off?" "They will think that you are taking me to a car. Let them believe what they want." "Allright," she said, not very sure of herself. "Daisy, if you sound like that, no one will believe you. And I won't be able to help Beth Ann." "Ok, I'll do it," she said, with much more determination. There were only two ways out of the hospital in a wheel chair. The emergency room, or the front entrance. One was impossible, and the other not such a great place, as the guard that was stationed there looked at everyone. I had Daisy hold back for a moment. "Ok, Daisy. When you see those four people come up to him, go out." Her timing was great. He was looking at all of their identification, when she wheeled me past. We were down the ramp, when he said, "Hey, you two!" Daisy was so rattled, she dropped her purse. She bent over to pick it up, as the breeze picked up her skirt. I saw it and said, "You're flashing him." She turned red and I continued, "Turn around and look at him, embarrassed, that won't be hard to do and then keep pushing me." She did as I told her. The guard didn't say another word, but I knew he wouldn't. He was as stunned as any man would have been, seeing the young flesh of a pretty girl. Daisy was now walking faster and faster, down the path. At one junction she turned a bit sharply. I fell out, hitting my cast on the way down. It dug into my armpit, my eyes watered from the pain, but I kept my mouth shut. "Are you allright?" Daisy said, kneeling down beside me. I saw the panic look on her face. "Don't worry about me, we need to get going." Another fifty feet, and we came to the parking lot on our left, the dorm rooms straight ahead. ------- Robin had been with Kristin, when they had come back to Kristin's dorm room. At first glance, Kristin thought one of the parents was lost. Many were in the dorms, helping collect things and move out, for the summer. That was, until she saw a suitcase with things thrown into it. "What are you doing?" she asked of a tall heavyset man, in flannel shirt and corduroy pants. He turned to her, and showed a strong face, with hair going to white. "Getting Beth Ann's things. What I can make of them. I'm her uncle." Both Kristin and Robin had gone pale. "Keith," was all Robin said. Robin ran out, and was on the path to the hospital, when she ran into Daisy. Robin had told her to go get him. She was worried Beth Ann would come back to the dorm, and into the dorm room. Robin was running back through the hallway. She realized she was too late, when she heard: "I don't want to go." "I said you're going, and that is it. Who do you think paid for your schooling, girl? You have an obligation to fulfill now, and you will come with me, do you understand?" Robin reached the doorway to see Beth Ann, eyes downcast, nodding. Kristin was furious. "She's an adult, and can do as she pleases. If she says no, it's no." "I don't know where you come from miss, but where I come from outbursts like that aren't permitted. If I had my way your hide would be tanned." "If I had my way, your balls would be cut off." Robin said, with venom. The man stopped and looked at this new arrival. "You look a bit young to use language like that dear," he smiled a not too pleasant smile, "but if you can dish it out, I guess you can take it," then he looked her up and down, "good and hard, I'd imagine." It revolted her, but she wasn't about to let go. "We have ways in our town, dealing with people like you, also. One of them is dead; the other sits in jail, and will be there a long, long time." "Don't matter none, we'll soon be gone." "Not if I have anything to do with it," Kristin said. "What you going to do missy?" he said, with a smirk on his face. "Beth Ann, I thought this was mine?" Kristin said, pulling a top out of the suitcase." "I think it might be." Beth Ann said, timidly. "Well, then. I think I'm going to have to look at everything, and make sure none of it is mine. Then Kristin put her hands on her hips, looked at him in the eyes, "It is my right, and you can't stop me." He was just about ready to boil at that point. Instead he dumped out the two suitcases and picked up one thing after the next. "Yours?" he asked until he had only a few sets of clothes. "That should be enough to get home on, anyway. Let's go," he said, grabbing Beth Ann by the arm and leading her to the door. Robin stood in his way. He used Beth Ann to push her out of the door. She stood looking down the hallway stunned. Kristin came out, "Mary is on her way down. Why did you say Keith? What can he do?" "Daisy is getting him. I hope in time. I'm not sure what he's going to do, though." Kristin didn't have time for this. Keith was still in the hospital, and maybe Robin just couldn't deal with that. "We need to talk sense into Beth Ann. She doesn't have to go, but remember with Lt. Payne. She just does whatever they want, when talked to that way." Mary was at the bottom of the stairs, and the three of them caught up to Beth Ann and her uncle, as they were going out the front door. ------- I heard the shouts before I saw them. It was Mary's voice that caught my attention; she was usually a quiet type. I looked around, and saw an older pickup truck. Daisy was pushing me so fast, that I thought if she dumped me now, I'd be in the hospital again. The pickup looked out of place. It was parked, taking up two places, and then I spotted the Oregon license plates. I said, "Slow down, Daisy," in a persuasive voice. "Their out the door!" she was panicking. "Daisy, wheel me over to that pickup. That is where he is heading." She looked at where I was pointing. "How do you know?" "Look at the license plate." She almost lost me again, as she changed course. I had to tell her how to get me down a curb, without dumping me out. She brought me up to the truck, and I took hold of it, standing. "Put that thing on the passenger side, so no one can see it." Daisy didn't question, she just moved quickly. The voices were getting closer. I could hear Robin, Kristin, and Mary each telling Beth Ann to say something. Then they saw me, and stopped. The uncle must have sensed something, because as I saw, he had been ignoring anything they said. He looked up at me, regarding me with his bushy eyes. Mary and Kristin stood there, mouths hanging open, wondering how I was there, but couldn't ask. "You don't want to do this," I said, coolly. "The hell I don't," he retorted. "I'm sure that is true, but you are kidnapping. In any State, that is life." "Only if she didn't want to come, and she's coming." "No, she's not. And you are going to have to go through me, to take her away." So much for thinking. ------- Chapter 45 Catherine was perturbed at her husband. She knew she shouldn't be, but she was. He had gone off with Anthony that morning to look at, well she couldn't even remember what, and it didn't make any difference. She wanted to be down at the hospital, with her son. Last night she could sleep without crying, gone was the feeling she was going to lose him. She knew her husband felt a great deal of pain over these last few days as well, but he handled things differently. As upset as she was with him; she knew if he hadn't looked at things differently, they could never have made it to the train, and been here. It was his strength that did it. But that ability to separate his feelings, perturbed her now. She could see much clearer how Katy and Richard had picked up her daughter, Liz, and could go off shopping this morning. That was all different, she wanted to be with her boy. Keith would always be her little boy. "Catherine? CATHERINE?" Jeannette said louder, "Boy are you in la-la-land. I think I hear them coming. Listening now, she heard the car drive into the driveway. Both women walked out to greet them. "Can we go, now?" Anthony looked over to Jack and laughed, "Your husband said, as we pulled up, that you would ask that very question." As Catherine gave Jack a dirty look, Anthony went on, "I guess that is one of the benefits of being married so long, knowing what the other thinks." Then in retrospect he added, "Maybe someday, I'll know that feeling." Catherine stared at Anthony, realizing that what they had was indeed special, and it set her in a good mood. "Let me get Joey, then we can be off." Anthony dropped them off in front of the hospital. Long gone were the photographers. The four of them headed straight to Keith's room. Catherine was the first to walk in, and turned abruptly around. Jack ran right into her, "What's wrong?" "They've moved him already, he's not there." Walking to the nurse's station, Catherine asked, "Where did they move my son? I mean, Keith Patterson?" The two nurses that were at the station looked at her perplexed, "We aren't scheduled to move him until two this afternoon." "Then where is he? I thought the tests were over." One of the nurses jumped up, and ran into the room. As soon as she reached it; she yelled to the other, "Call security!" Catherine felt uneasy, and Jack held onto her. The nurse came back holding a green shirtsleeve. Catherine's eyes went wide, and felt like her legs were about to go out from under her. "I brought him that shirt," she said. Three security officers ran down the hall, stopping at the station. The next few minutes brought out several revelations. The security guard at the front door saw a man in a wheelchair, and girl going out. The man had on a shirt that matched the color of that sleeve. After a description of the girl with him, the nurses knew it had to be Daisy. She had been up there, only minutes before. From the looks of the room, Keith had undone himself from the machines. The nurses were indignant that they had been kept busy, while he slipped past. Now, of course, was the question of why did he leave, and where did he go? And of course, the biggest question, did he go there willingly. That possibility was soon dismissed, as the one security officer had only seen Daisy pushing Keith in the wheelchair. The doctor showed up in the midst of this, and was none too happy about it either. "Keith needs to be back here, and he knows that. All I can think that would make him leave would be something extremely important. If that is the case, we need to find him. If he hit his head hard, it could be all over. He has to take it easy, for a good month. As well as all that, the military was crawling all over this place after the incident. I was told his knowledge in the research project that is going on at this campus, was important enough to give him that level of protection. He is valuable to them, and we can't let him disappear like this." Then muttering to himself, "I don't need all those people crawling all over the place again." That set out a call for police help, and all of the university security went out to look for him. Their best description was the bright green shirt he was wearing, and the wheelchair. Jack looked at his wife, "Joey and I are going to look for him as well, you two stay here." Catherine and Jeannette numbly nodded. ------- Beth Ann's uncle had not lunged at me yet. I was thankful for that, but his menacing looks said 'anyone that got in his way', would be dealt with. Mary and Kristin took a different approach, instead of the Uncle; they were talking to Beth Ann, and took her hand, trying to pull her away. "Graduation is tonight, you can't miss that." "You know the fun party last year afterwards; we want you to be there. Tell him you'll stay." Beth Ann's Uncle had been staring at me. I stared right back, but my mind was working overtime, trying to figure some way out. How to get Beth Ann to stay, and not get myself hurt. The position I was in right now, didn't look promising. He turned slightly, breaking eye contact with me, and looked at Kristin, who had pulled hard enough at Beth Ann to get noticed. "I heard what you two said and it's just a formality, she's graduated. I called the school, and already found out. No reason to stay." Then he jerked Beth Ann away from them. "We haven't heard from her," I said coolly. It made him whip back around to me. "She needs to say she isn't interested. That she wants to go with you. That can't happen with you holding her arm, and forcing her." His eyes narrowed, "She's coming with me. Her obligation is to her family. Not a bunch of students." Trying to keep the dialog going as long as I could, I said, "Without me hearing from Beth Ann myself, without your forcing her, she is going nowhere. I'll stop you, if I have to." "Keith, NO!" came from Beth Ann. It stopped everyone, including her uncle. "So this guy a boyfriend? Well say good-bye to him. You'll never see him again." I was mad at myself. Here I was in the same position as last time, although much more vulnerable. Beth Ann needed help and I had promised to be there. The problem was I didn't think I could help her. "NO!" Beth Ann grabbed onto her uncle's flannel shirt. He pushed her aside, and she landed on the pavement as he took a step forward. I saw Kristin, Mary, Daisy, and Robin converge onto him. His menacing swing at them, kept them at bay. They had seen how easily he had thrown Beth Ann to the ground. Their intention though was not to strike at him, which would have been fruitless. They were trying to distract him away from me. Then he looked at me, again. "You may have a few girls here, that want to help you, but it ain't going to help. You are going to pay for being a pain in the ass." "I'd wait, if I were you." "Don't you try and pull any games on me mister, it ain't gonna work. I've been around the block a time or two." Mary came around to the front, between us. "You are not going to hurt him," she said with such defiance, that it worried me. Robin, Daisy and Kristin started to join her, but he was too fast. "Enough of this," he said. Reaching out, he grabbed Mary and pushed her to the ground. She screamed in surprise. "Now you get it, buddy," he said to me. "Keith!" I heard from more than one direction. Robin, Beth Ann, and Kristin were some of the voices, but I heard my father's voice as well. At that point; I didn't know if it was real, wishful thinking, or I'd been hit, and he was there looking at me. I then realized I was still expecting a blow, but saw Beth Ann's uncle fall. I noticed a second later, a nightstick by the leg he was now holding. He screamed in pain. Then two police officers rushed in. I also saw my father and Uncle Joey, running up. The officers rolled him over, pushing him into the pavement. He resisted, trying to roll back. That got the nightstick against the raised shoulder blade. Again a scream of pain. This time they were able to get his hands behind him and the cuffs flew on him. "What the hell is going on?" he screamed, "What did I do?" The two officers got him to his knees. I said, "You attempted to kidnap a student." "She's my fucking niece." I looked at him coldly in the eyes. "I know," and then slowly said, "I know all about it." His face stared at me, but there wasn't the fierce determination in it any longer. The police didn't pay any heed to our interchange, the officer said, "You were seen attempting to injure a man under the protection of the United States Government. That charge alone, could bring you a year in prison. We also saw you accost this woman; she is Congressman McCarran's daughter. You picked the wrong people to tangle with." Beth Ann's uncle was now visibly shaken. We watched as they pulled him to his feet and walked him to the police car. He was sputtering about how he didn't know who we were. After setting him in the back seat, the officers came back. "Looks like we got here just in time. What the hell were you planning on doing? That man outweighed you by sixty pounds, at least." "I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. I hadn't expected to be in this position." It was then Kristin butted in, "Keith, dear, how did you get here? You can stand? When?" The two officers looked at me, amused I think. "I kind of broke out of the hospital, with Daisy's help. I got here by a wheelchair that she pushed. And yes I have even taken a few steps." "We knew you were in the hospital, but you mean you can't even walk?" One of the officers said, stunned. "It was the wheelchair, on the other side of the truck that I first spotted," he continued. "Then I saw these two, who I recognized from the hospital, running towards you," pointing to Jack and Uncle Joey. "And finally, I saw that bright green shirt," the other officer said, with a smile. Beth Ann at this point interrupted by giving me a big kiss, holding my face in her hands. "Thank you, I..." "Don't need to say anything more. You knew I'd be there for you, and I was." The blush Beth Ann showed, was hard to miss. Robin was the next to add confusion. "Come on now, he's mine remember." The police officers stared at the youngest looking girl in their midst. Robin noticed it and played it to the hilt. "We're married you know," then rubbing her belly, she added, "and I'm expecting." The look the two officers gave her, made the rest of us howl with laughter. I think they left with the idea that it was all a joke, and she wasn't telling them the truth. Everyone was a bit giddy that in the end, it had turned out well. The officers talked to Mary and me, telling us that we would need to press charges, if it was to go anyplace. They were still shaking their heads at me. They said that in the meantime, he would be sitting in a cell, at least until Monday, as they knew no judge would give him bail. As they started back, several of the university security officers came up. Looking at the pickup, and how it was parked, and finding out the owner was in the back seat of the police car; they asked the police to have it towed. I had to suppress a laugh. This was going to be a very expensive trip for Beth Ann's uncle. As soon as the police car drove away, Beth Ann fell apart. She was crying hysterically. The others swept around her, but when I touched her cheek, she stopped sobbing and looked up at me. It caused everyone to look up at me. "You walked over here," she said in utter amazement, and then her expression changed. "I said 'no' to him. I haven't been able to do that before." It was a shock to her, "I said no," then, looking at me, she smiled, "It was because of you." I smiled, and noticed my father and my uncle giving me appraising glances, at the attention I was receiving. Robin said, "Daisy, get the wheelchair." They could see what I couldn't. My color wasn't as good as it could be. I was becoming dehydrated. The troop of gals wheeled me back to the hospital, ushered by my father and Joey, both of whom were eyeing the gals. Security was right behind us. The doctor was outside, his hands folded in front of him, staring at me. My father and Uncle Joey left me to my punishment, while they found their wives. The doctor was attempting to make me feel guilty. It wasn't working. As we came up to him, he scowled. "Keith, what were you thinking?" "Who said I was thinking, but do you see Beth Ann?" I motioned to her, "she was about to be taken away, against her will. If you knew about it, would you have let that happen?" The doctor looked at Beth Ann, who was blushing; his eyes roamed a bit longer than necessary. "We'll talk about that later, Keith," the little smile I caught, told me he might just understand. "Now, let's get you into your room." Robin stayed with me; as Kristin, Mary, and Daisy, said they were taking Beth Ann for some down time. I looked suspiciously at them, and the three laughed at me, Beth Ann blushed again. My mother, father, Aunt Jeannette, and Uncle Joey, were waiting in my new room. As I was out of the hospital, the staff had made the transition. As soon as I got there, they shuttled all except Robin out, and pulled my clothing off. They wired me, and stuck needles in me. I thought they were making me suffer for the whole ordeal, until a few minutes later, a nurse said that my color was returning. I looked over to Robin, who nodded. As soon as I was situated; my parents, and aunt and uncle, came back in. My mother wrapped her arms around me. "Keith, don't do that again." I could hear the tears in her voice. "You gave us quite a scare, there," Aunt Jeannette said, "disappearing like that." "I didn't have time to write a note, sorry." My father laughed, and shook his head, which got a look from my mother. "He has your sense of humor," he said, at which she sighed. The doctor came in and looked at the group, "You have more people visiting you than I have ever seen, Keith. I don't know how you do it." "Bad jokes, and good food," I replied. He rolled his eyes, "That must be it. Now that you are getting fluid back in you, your color is returning. You know, for someone so bright that was pretty dumb." "I agree, I should have carried my IV with me. But that would have looked a bit suspicious, as I snuck out of the hospital." "Now tell me, how did you do that anyway?" I was feeling better, I hadn't done much, but he was right. After lying around, the little exercise I'd had, without any nourishment, left me out of it. Now with the IV pumping me full of fluids, I was feeling normal again. "Want to see?" His curiosity got the better of him, "Sure, show me." He watched me sit up, throw my legs over, and stand on my own. Everyone was impressed. Robin was smiling, because she knew what I was about to do. The doctor was about to say something when I turned, took hold of my IV bottle and then walked over to him. He stood there, speechless. "Keith! That is great!" my mother said. "You shouldn't be able to do that, yet," the doctor said, "I can hardly believe my eyes. I told Robin we would have you up, I was joking about walking." "Glad no one told me. I might have believed them," I quipped back. The doctor took hold of the IV bottle, and walked back with me to the bed. "This is remarkable, Keith. I think you know you are going to be out of here in no time." "I was hoping you would say that, I have things to do." ------- When Liz got back to the campus, she couldn't believe what she was told. Rushing up to my room, she threw her arms around me. "You big dope." "Where were you?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Smiling, she showed me a bag. "Shopping. There is a graduation tonight, although you'd never think so. I couldn't believe Mary's parents aren't going to be here. Beth Ann's can't and her Uncle, what a horrible man! I'm glad he's sitting in jail." "Mary told me a while back that she didn't expect them. They were never there for any of her important times; she has grown up not expecting them to be there. I think that is why she is so surprised that her father has paid any attention to Robin. Robin is distant family, but Mary has pushed him hard to make an effort, and is surprised with the results. She thinks that maybe all he needed was a push." It wasn't said, but the message was there, her mother had never pushed her father for Mary, and she had suffered. "Yes I kind of got that idea," Liz said, then smiled, "so I hope you don't mind what you helped buy, as graduation gifts." "Gifts?" "One for your sister, of course. One for Mary, and one for Beth Ann. Is that alright?" I had to laugh, "Do I get to see what I bought?" After she left, I slept. That was, until the doctor came in. "Ok, Keith. I want to see what you can do." "Oh, am I going to be joining the circus?" "No, but I thought you would want to go to your sister's graduation. And quite frankly, I need to be able to justify your going." "Now you've got my interest, what do I need to do?" "My first and foremost concern is equilibrium. Then I'll see how well you can walk on your own. Finally, I'll do a thorough checkout of how well you respond to everything I can think of." "So I'm the test dummy?" "Well as far as this morning went, I think the dummy part holds true," he chuckled. "Thanks." "You were placed into an impossible situation, Keith. Let me ask you a question, though," he said, as he helped me get off the bed and stand, then looked at his watch. "When did you know her uncle was coming?" "What do you mean?" "Did you know he was showing up?" "Yes, but not when." Then I wondered, so I asked, "Should I be doing anything?" "No. I just want you to stand, right now. So back to this problem, you knew he was coming, so what kind of a plan did you have?" I looked at him blankly, "That does make me feel stupid. We didn't have one." He looked at his watch again, "Don't feel too bad, you may have come up with something. But you were out of it, literally." "You're just trying to make me feel better, now." He smiled, "Maybe. So what happened? Is he in jail?" "They're holding him. If I pressed charges it could get ugly, and I don't need to do that to Beth Ann. So, as the officer said, he will be released on Monday." Then I started thinking, and it hit me, "He is going to be pretty mad at me, and not too happy with Beth Ann either." "I think you are starting to get the picture here, so go on." "I don't need someone chasing me around the campus again. That is for sure." He chuckled, "You are bright, boy," he said in a Southern drawl. "Beth Ann is planning on leaving with us. I don't know when that is going to be, now." Looking at his watch again, he took the IV from its holder and said, "Let's take a little walk." I moved, tentatively at first, by my sixth step it felt pretty good. I had walked the perimeter of the room, when he led me to the door. I started down the hall, slowly. Getting back to our talk, he said, "I can't answer when you'll get out of here, and I won't yet. So you have to rely on other things. What else can help?" I thought about that, "I'm not sure, yet." "Ok, but it is probably a good idea you spend a little time on thinking about it. Now, you said that you knew everyone was around you when you were still in the coma, tell me about it." "What has that got to do with Beth Ann?" "Nothing at all." I smiled, "You are getting me to talk about things, as a way of distracting me." "You do know about clinical research, I forgot. Yes I am, so play along. What do you remember; I am personally very interested in this." I started to describe the sensation of people near me. I couldn't hear or see them, but felt them. It was as if I was in a dark room, and the others were there, not saying anything. I knew who they were, just by their presence, their aura. How, why, I had no answers. "How far are we going?" I asked, suddenly. "Are you feeling faint?" he said, concerned. "No, but I'm getting tired." "Let's turn around then." When I got back into the room, I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was climb back into the bed. "The test subject isn't done yet." I groaned. "Hold out your arms, straight out from either side and hold them there." I did. "Now close your eyes." The next thing I knew, he is pressing on one of my arms. I had to readjust, not to fall over. "You can put your arms down, and open your eyes now." I did and saw the doctor smiling. "You walked pretty well. It will get better, and is already better than most after being bed-ridden. I wore you out, and then tried to see if I could make you loose your sense of equilibrium. You passed the test." "And?" "And, you are going to have to find something to wear for tonight's ceremony, but no partying afterwards." I smiled. "I mean that Keith. I'll be checking! If you are out, I'll have security find you, and bring you back in a rather humiliating way." "I get the point. I'll be good. So what about this?" I pointed to the IV. "We need to see you peeing, so I'd suggest you start drinking, you have a few hours. I'll send in a nurse, and she'll bring you something." "Thanks. Thanks for everything." He smiled, "Keith, I wish I had more time with you, but I don't. And I can't blame you for wanting to get out of here." ------- My mother, thankfully, didn't say a word about the green shirt when she pulled it off of me. Robin and she had found clothes for me, and now they were getting me dressed. The cast on my arm was the worst of it. This time though, with time and her know-how, she split the seam up the sleeve. After I got the shirt on, she buttoned the cuff. With a needle and thread (that she apparently carries at all time in her purse), she placed a few stitches in the seam and you could hardly tell I had a cast on. Then my mom left, to go be with Kristin. The nurses fitted me with a sling, and that made it a lot more comfortable. I now had to walk to the bathroom every ten minutes. I had forced so much liquid into me that I wondered if I'd see the ceremony, or if I'd be in the restroom the whole time. They assured me, with great humor, I'd slow down. I felt self-conscious, having to be in a wheelchair. Pamela asked me if she could push me. She looked so sincere, and wanting to help me in any way she could. I couldn't possibly turn her down, and she squealed with joy when I said I'd be honored. Robin was on one side of me, holding my hand. Pamela was pushing, with Stephanie beside her, as we headed out of the hospital toward the stadium. There was a good-sized crowd gathering, trying to get in the gates. As we got closer, it was increasingly difficult with the wheelchair. As we approached, one of the security men recognized me. "Keith Patterson," he called out. He opened up a larger section of the gate, to let us in. Then he escorted us, until we reached the stairs. I looked at them. "I'm not going to deal with this any longer." I pulled at Robin, and she got the idea, helping me up. "Can you take this, until after," I said to the security man who was looking at the wheelchair. "You won't need it?" "I hope not." With Robin on one side, Stephanie and Pamela on the other, we walked down the stairs to where my parents, my Aunt and Uncle, Liz, and Daisy were. It was as typical as any I had been to. Enduring the boring parts, for the excitement of hearing the names of those you know. Beth Ann was given an award from the Accounting Department, for not only the highest test scores that academic year, but also for tutoring several other students. Mary was on the deans honor roll, for the second year running, and was number three in her class. We were very proud for them. After everyone had received their diplomas, the president and a group of professors and teachers gathered on stage. "There is one more student we would like to honor," the president addressed the crowd. "This young lady is an inspiration to all those who know her. In the face of extreme pressures, she persisted, and graduated." We could see the students looking at each other, trying to figure out who this was. "Kristin Patterson, would you please come forward." There was silence. All waited until one, in the sea of many, stood. Applause erupted from the students, carried through to the stands. She made her way up to the stage, and was ushered next to the president. "There is not a one of us, who didn't know about the mad man who ran through this school firing his gun. As we know, his intended target was Kristin's brother." There was a hush over the auditorium. It made me feel self-conscious. "I don't need to go into any of the harrowing details. Suffice it to say, it was traumatic on each and every one of us. She may not have realized it, but Kristin set an example to all of us, as she was at her final the next day. She went on with life, and that helped the rest of us to continue as well. Her perseverance in the midst of turmoil, showed each and every one of us, how we should continue." My tears were flowing. I looked over, and it had affected everyone else the same way. The teachers had formed a semi-circle around Kristin. "It is with great pride, that I present to you the 'President's Award', for the most outstanding student." He placed a medal around her neck, and gave her a little kiss on the cheek. The other professors and teachers shook her hand, as everyone else was clapping. I was so incredibly proud of my sister, that I thought my heart would burst. I looked over to Robin, and she had a smile on her face, that looked as big as the one I felt on my face. We squeezed each other's hands, tightly. They said the last of the formalities, the caps were tossed, and it was over. Robin got up, but I was getting weary, she looked back at me and sat back down. My mother looked over and saw me still sitting. "Go on," I said, "They'll be looking for you. I have pushed myself too far today." Robin sat with me as the others left. "I'd be alright if you want to go." She smiled at me. "You are always thinking of others aren't you?" "I can't help it." "I'd rather be with you than anywhere else." I smiled. Just then Kristin came running up and almost knocked me over. She sat on my lap and gave me a more than brotherly kiss. "You know I love you." "Yes Kristin, I think I do, maybe as much as I do you." Kristin then looked at Robin and back at me, taking hold of the medal around her neck, she asked, "Did you have anything to do with this?" I saw Robin smile; I rolled my eyes and then said, "Yea, I fell off a building." "Keith!" Kristin play slapped my arm, "stop that." "Well no, actually. I was as surprised as you." Mary, Beth Ann, and the rest of the group arrived. Beth Ann whispered in my ear as she hugged me, "Keith, thank you. I... I love you." When she pulled back I saw her eyes were moist. I smiled at her and said, "Me too." Mary was a little shyer, I patted my legs and she blushed but came over to me. "Mary, you constantly amaze me," I took her hand, "not only are you beautiful, but number three in your class. That is quite an accomplishment. Do you know how proud I am of you?" She blushed even more, I pulled her down so I could whisper to her, "I can't wait to get this cast off and give you a congratulatory session of love making." I could feel the heat radiating off her cheeks and as she pulled away, she was very red, but the smile on her face was an undeniable yes. There were several parties; I encouraged them all to go, save Stephanie and Pamela, who I said that I needed to be helped back. I had a lot of help from everyone walking back up the stairs and at that point, I was grateful. By the time I got back to the hospital I was exhausted. I was glad to have such good helpers with me. They wheeled me into the room. It was much different from the intensive care room with a nurse constantly checking in on you. I yawned. "Keith you need to get to bed," Pamela said as concerned as a mother might be. Stephanie looked back at the door, and then ventured, "We could help you." I wasn't sure what she was getting at, "Well sure, why not?" They helped me get onto the bed. Then I felt them take my shoes off and then my socks. I got the idea of what they were doing. "Girls, my shirt next." Both of them frowned, then laughed and tried. I had to show them where to break the threads my mother had stitched in. With my shirt off, I told them I needed my lovely hospital gown. They giggled as they held it up, pretending they didn't know how it went on. I knew better as Pamela had worn one for more than a week, I let them have their fun though. Once that was on. I told Pamela to close the door. Stephanie helped me stand. With Pamela on one side and Stephanie on the other, they reached in front of me, trying to undo my pants. The concentration on their faces almost made me laugh, but I knew that would make them cry. I told them how to unbutton the jeans. They got the zipper just fine and were tugging on my pants. With one on each side they were down on the floor in no time. I knew from the look of their faces that they wanted the prize, but I had to remind them that the nurse could open the door at any time and it would look rather strange for me to have two girls in my room, with the door closed, and my pants on the floor. They just giggled, but helped me step out of them and then picked them up, placing them with the other clothing. They might have wanted some activity, but I couldn't, not yet anyway. I sat onto the bed and then to their surprise, I laid down. Making sure I was in the middle of the bed, I patted each side. Smiling, they hopped up, one on each side. My cast was in the way for Stephanie to snuggle up to me well, she was down further, and laid her head on my chest. Pamela was up as close to my head as she could get. I turned to look at her and she was looking into my eyes. "Love you Keith," she simply said. Knowing that sentence, although not complete, took effort and showed remarkable progress. I silently thanked Sarah. I winked at Pamela, smiled and said, "I love you too, always will." "Too bad married." "You'd have to fight me for him then," Stephanie said. "Ok, girls. I don't have the strength to have you fighting over me now." Stephanie propped her head up on my stomach and looked at me seriously, "Are you two tired for everything?" Another yawn, "I'm afraid so. Today has been much too busy for me." "I know, I was just hoping," Stephanie said as she slid her hand across my gown, running over my crotch. Pamela looked with interest at what Stephanie had done. Even with the cast on, I was able to pat her little buns and said, "Don't get any ideas. I need sleep." She tried to put on a sad face, frowning, but it didn't work and she started to smile. "Just lay with me while I fall asleep, would you?" It was the last thing I remember before the morning. ------- Robin had her head propped up on her hand, and was watching me when I woke. "The nurses had quite a fit last night, when they found you with two girls in your bed," she laughed. "What did you say?" "That Pamela was our daughter, and the other was her friend. The nurse didn't believe a word I said, that is until she talked with another nurse, who had been with Pamela. She just came back in to apologize, but got a bit distracted and needed to leave." I couldn't figure out why, until I felt Robin move her hand, running it across my dick. I tilted my head and gave her a little smile. "You didn't?" She shrugged her shoulders, "What is a poor girl to do?" I laughed, "Poor girl?" "Well, you haven't exactly been available to take care of me like I want you to." "Mrs. Patterson, we will just have to take care of that," she had over the course of our chat; made me hard, "now climb on board." She didn't need any more encouragement, and straddled me. Grabbing hold of me, she rubbed my head in between her outer lips, rubbing her moisture around. Then, positioning me, she sank down in one drop. We were both building to a climax, when Liz walked in the door. Robin was too far gone to care who it was. I glanced over, and gave Liz a silly grin. Liz rolled her eyes, and then broke out into a smile. "Can't you wait, Robin?" "uh... uhhh... no... ohhh." I felt her walls contract around me. I had noticed it was taking me longer now than it had before. I was hoping that was just a temporary thing, and decided I'd ask the doctor about it. Robin dropped down hugging my chest. Then she looked over to Liz. "Sorry, I know you'd like to have a turn." "What am I, a circus ride?" Liz laughed, "No, brother dear. You have the lever, and if you insert it, you get the ride." I groaned, and Robin and Liz laughed. "You can't tell me you don't enjoy every minute," Liz said. "Well, ok. Yes, every minute." "I'm sorry we aren't in a more private place," Robin said, "I know you'd like to join in." Liz got a wishful look, "Yes that would be nice." "Liz, that would be nice. But even if we weren't here, right now I don't think I could. I'm not..." I didn't want to finish. Robin did for me and it left me with a tear in my eye. "up for it?" Robin noticed my look. "Sorry." "It's alright." "Keith everything will be back to normal, shortly," Liz said, "You were in a coma a couple of days ago, what do you expect?" "Everything." Liz snorted, "Well you just about have that in your arms, right now." Robin smiled, "Thanks Liz." "It's true, and I mean that. I couldn't, in my wildest imagination, have picked out a better person for him to marry." "Not even you?" Robin said with a twinkle in her eye. "That's different, I couldn't marry him." Then she leaned down and whispered, "But I'd like a baby or two, from you." Robin felt my dick jump and she laughed, telling Liz what had happened. Liz radiated a very satisfied smile. "The others are going to be up in minutes, so you may want to get somewhat presentable. I think Mom would have a heart attack, if she walked in here and found the two of you this way," then Liz laughed, "especially in front of me." Robin got out of bed, I noticed Liz taking the opportunity to see under the sheets. I had to thrust my hips up, to show her I noticed her gaze. She just smiled, but said nothing. Robin was in the bathroom when we heard a knock, and then my mother opened the door, walking in. She was apparently the one who was willing to walk in, because right behind her walked my dad, my aunt and uncle, Daisy, Pamela, and Stephanie. "Where's Robin?" Daisy asked. "In the bathroom, probably trying to get out." The room was so full, that if she had tried to open the door, it would have been impossible. "Why don't I see if I can get up, and meet you in the waiting room?" "That would be fine, dear," my mother said, and herded everyone out, closing the door behind her. Robin helped me with underwear, and pants. I didn't remember taking off my underwear last night, and wondered who had relieved me. I asked Robin and she told me they were off when she got back. She said she'd have a talk with the girls, but snickered about it. When I got to the waiting room; Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann were also there. It was a good thing no one else was waiting, as they filled the whole room. Liz announced that she was leaving. She needed to get back to school. This got everyone else talking. I had sat down in a chair, and she came over and sat on my lap. "Keith, I didn't want to come. I'm sorry, but I didn't want to see you that way. I was pushed into coming, and I'm glad I did. It would have hung on me a long time, if I wouldn't have." "I'm glad you were here. I guess Jill had the same sort of feelings?" I asked. Liz had not said much about Jill. "Yes, maybe even worse. Her feelings are strong, and they polarize her," then she whispered, "I would guess she has fallen in love with you, if you want to know it." "Jill?" Liz smiled, "Yes, Jill. You know she admires you for what you have done." "Maybe it is best if she didn't come then." Liz crinkled up her brow, "Why?" "I don't want her to get hurt. If she falls in love, it needs to be for the right reasons." Liz brightened, "Keith, it is your concern for others that is one of your most endearing qualities." "By the way," wanting to change the subject off myself, "when is that play starting?" "It opens this Friday. Why? Want to come?" "You know I'd love to, but I don't know if I can get out of here." "Well it runs this weekend, and next." There was more talk, but then Liz needed to get to the train station. I found out that my parents had paid for her ticket back on the train, so she could stay longer. As everyone was wondering off, I asked Beth Ann to stay. We needed to talk about tomorrow, and her Uncle. ------- Liz had told me she would call the school when she arrived, the station was only a few minutes away, not to worry. I didn't worry, but I wanted them to know she was arriving, so someone would be there. I didn't know how that was going to work, though. The only number that I had directly was Liz's. Otherwise, it was into the school office. This being Sunday, the office would be closed. Looking at my watch, I waited for a bit. From what Liz had told me, I had a vague recollection of the schedule that they kept. Plus I had the benefit that in Liz's room, if no one was there, they wouldn't answer and I wouldn't get charged for the call. It was on my second try that I heard a panting girl answer the phone. "Jill, is that you?" Silence, and then "Keith?" I laughed, "Yes, it's me." "You can talk." "Of course I can. I've been known to do many things, even kiss pretty girls on stage." I could tell that flustered her. "I mean you are all right? Everything is fine?" "It looks like it. They are keeping me for as long as they can. I feel like a human pincushion. They want to do everything they can to me, before letting me go." She laughed, and it was sweet to my ears. "I'm calling because Liz is on the train. She should get there at six seventeen, this evening." "Tonight?" "Yes. So you'd better stop the party, and tell those boys to go home now." "Keith!" I had to laugh. "I figured it would be nice to have someone waiting for her at the station." "Uh huh." "Do you know anyone who would be interested in seeing her?" Jill caught onto my game, "Gee, I don't know if anyone will be interested or not. If I can find someone; I'll make sure they don't dilly dally, and go with them, so they don't get lost." Trying to keep serious, which was hard, I continued with the charade, "That would be good of you. You know how my sister is, I'm sure you could take care of her." "I'll do my best." "Jill?" "Yes." "Just don't give her everything." There was a hesitation, "Oh, don't worry. I'm saving some." "Good. See you soon. Love you, bye." "Bye." Jill sat on the bed after hanging up. 'Don't give her everything?' what was that suppose to mean? It drove her crazy. She ran down the hall, and into Tiffany's room. She didn't knock; she just walked in. There sat Tiffany and Vicky. Jill stopped, mid stride; and then turned, and slowly closed the door behind her. "You wanted something?" Tiffany asked with raised eyebrows. Jill nodded, "Liz is on a train, she comes in at six seventeen. Can we pick her up?" "Today?" Jill thought this was the same question she asked, did they sound as dumb when she asked them? "Yes. Today." Tiffany and Vicky looked at each other. "Jill, that is right in the middle of dinner." "I don't mind, I'll miss dinner," Jill pleaded. "That's not the point. We have to be on campus at that point." "Oh," Jill said, disappointedly. "We could see if we could find someone to take our place; but on a Sunday, and with this short notice, I don't know," Vicky explained. "I understand." "Jill, you know," Tiffany looked over to Vicky, "either one of us would love to pick her up," then she caught Jill's eyes, "but I think you know that." Walking down the path, pulling her hair out (well not literally, but figuratively), she thought of the options. She spotted Mrs. Walker, her drama teacher. She couldn't leave the campus, as well. Jill thought about Kevin Smith, and almost laughed as she could think what people would say about that. Jill smiled to herself. He didn't frighten her, and yet she knew he enjoyed looking at the young girl flesh this school offered. Noticing him in places where he had good vantage points for any display that might be offered. That would have been frightening, but not after the incident and seeing his care, concern, and embarrassment. She had indeed come a long way, from just a few weeks ago. Yet, though she knew it was not all over for her, the worst may well have passed. Frustrated, Jill sat down on a bench. Laura saw her, and came running up. "Why do you look so sad?" "Liz is coming back today on the train, and I can't find anyone to go get her with me." "Let me see if Mrs. Tinderbaum can do it, she's my dorm teacher," Laura said, and ran off. She came back several minutes later with a down cast look. "It's alright, Laura. No one seems like they are available. I've just about given up." "Not so fast, little lady." Jill turned around quickly. She had been so self absorbed, that she hadn't seen Tiffany walk up. "Sorry, Tiffany, but I've tried everyone." Tiffany smiled, "You didn't think we'd leave you all alone, did you? I've been able to switch my duties, and we can go." "Really?" Tiffany nodded. "Oh, I can't wait! Thank you so much!" ------- Tiffany and Jill left a bit early, as neither one had been to the train station, and they didn't want to arrive late. It was easy to find, and they had ten minutes to spare. Jill was driving Tiffany crazy, with the amount of energy she was releasing. "Jill will you slow down just a touch. She's been gone just a few days." Jill stopped, trying to slow herself down. "I know, but I have missed her so much. She is like a mother to me." Tiffany looked at her skeptically, "A mother? Somehow I don't think your mother did things that..." Jill blushed, "No, but Liz is more than that. She is my mother at times, my friend, my lover, and my sister." "That is a lot of different things. How does she do it, and how do you know which she is being?" "I think she is what I need her to be. She shares with me what I need from her. In the beginning that was a lot. Now I'm growing. Not away from her, but along with her." "There are some special ties between you two." Jill smiled, "Yes, Carp is one. Her brother... well he is another, and you need to talk to Liz for any more information. I can't tell you anything more." "You like to do that, don't you?" Jill laughed, "Well, not on purpose." They could hear the whistle blowing, and Jill got just as excited. She could hardly keep still. When Liz stepped off the train, she didn't have time to be surprised at someone being there, Jill smothered her with a hug. When they pulled apart Liz saw tears in Jill's eyes. "She missed you," Tiffany said. Liz smiled. 'We didn't know when you were coming back, so I have your night schedule. You two look like you need some catching up to do, and I'll keep everyone away." Liz nodded as Jill was still hugging her. "We need to talk, also." Tiffany smiled, "I'd like that." Tiffany drove to Upper Hall on the service road, thus avoiding the younger students, who were out walking after their dinner. Liz and Jill went straight to their room, and shared with each other both in and out of bed. They finally fell asleep, late that night, in each other's arms. ------- Sarah was a bit hesitant, when her mother dropped her off at school. It looked foreign to her; she had been gone for just a week, nothing unusual, but so much had happened. "Sarah!" two girls ran up to her, "Is it true? Did you really meet Keith Patterson? Was it strange to meet a hero, and then know he went into a coma?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She walked past them, wanting to get into class, wanting to get away. The two girls took her behavior as somewhat normal; the congressman's daughter, too high up the social ladder to speak to them. Sarah, on the other hand, had felt like she had been assaulted. She was thinking, 'How could they ask such a question? Don't they understand how painful something like that would be?' She never considered that she had changed more than she realized. Sarah heard small talk around her between classes, but she moved from class to class, as fast as she could. This was torture, being at school. The only normalcy was in the class, where everything was somewhat equalized by the teacher. She felt like she was ready to explode. She looked around the classroom. It struck her that she didn't even know the names of most of the people there. The girl in the front, with the thick glasses. The boy in the corner, not paying attention to anything. The girl always raising her hand. School was almost over, she had spent most of the year with these kids, and yet she knew nothing about them. When lunchtime came, Sarah did not want to go outside. She was the last one out of the classroom, and the teacher was getting a bit impatient with her, shooing her out the door. Her friends and her table, were at the far end of the quad. She closed her eyes for a second, thinking how far away that was. Sarah didn't get more than five steps toward the lunch line, before she heard the taunting of a girl and two boys. She looked over to see yet another girl she didn't recognize. The girl (red hair, freckles, and crying green eyes) had something wrong with her mouth. Sarah couldn't quite see it, as the girl was trying to cover it, with her hands. This was the object of ridicule. She was cowering as they teased. It was the mouth, that made her think of Pamela. Before she realized what she was doing, Sarah walked right up to them, and pulled the girl up. Sarah saw the terror in the girl's eyes and mistook its meaning, she turned way from the girl, and was now facing her taunters. "How dare you!" Sarah said, in a voice that stopped most of the lunchtime chatter. The boys and the girl stared at Sarah, as though she had gone mad. "Why are you treating her this way? Do you think she is inferior?" Now, everyone was staring at Sarah. She tried not to notice, as she turned back to the stunned girl. Sarah took her hand and led her to the lunch line. Sarah thought the nervousness that the girl was demonstrating was a result of what the others did, not being with her. As they were getting their food, Sarah saw what had started the whole thing. A set of braces, the shinny metal in her mouth puffing out her lips. They must have been new. The girl was having a hard time talking, and Sarah again thought of Pamela. As they picked up their trays at the end of the line, Sarah said, "Come with me." The girl shook her head. She knew she didn't belong there. "I'll sit over with my friends, ok?" she finally said. "If you want to." She nodded, and Sarah let go. The girl darted to a table where she felt safe. Sarah moved between tables of girls and boys looking at her. "Boy, Sarah, what got into you? I thought for a minute you were going to have that thing really sit here." Sarah turned to look at the girl, realizing that the people at the table she was sitting at were all looking at her strangely. "She's not a 'thing', Marcy, she's a girl. Just like you." "Oh, brother! Next thing you know, she's going to say we should all be friends." The girls at the table started to laugh. Sarah realized why the girl wanted to get away, why the girl shook when she stood her up. She was terrified of her friends. Then the realization hit. That girl was afraid of her, too. Maybe if they understand, Sarah thought. "When I was away, I was helping a girl with her speech. She had a surgery to correct a problem with her face. She was the nicest girl," Sarah smiled, thinking of Pamela. "What is wrong with you, Sarah?" She turned to her supposed friend Jenny, and bored holes into the girl. Then Sarah snapped. "Wrong? WRONG? I'll tell you what is wrong." "Sarah! You are causing a scene," Sally said, quietly. "You think I care?" Sarah said, and jumped up on the bench. Once again everyone at lunch turned to look at Sarah. This time attracting the attention of the yard duty lady and a teacher walking by. She was one of the most popular girls. The table of 'friends' set the standard that everyone else had to live up to, or live with. Everyone looked over, wondering what was next. "I know none of you can possibly understand. When I was gone, some of the most incredible things happened to me. I met the most wonderful person you could possibly meet. A real live hero, Keith Patterson, I'm sure most of you read about him in the newspaper." Here it goes, most thought, a new standard to live up to. The adventures of the rich and famous. "What made him a hero to me was not what the papers said, but what he did. There was a young girl that needed help; he was able to get surgery for her. I helped her with her speech, after that. It was so incredible." Sarah looked around at the blank faces looking at her; she was desperate for them to understand. She couldn't go on feeling the way she had all morning long, never realizing that today she had felt the pain of being in school. The pain of not measuring up, having feelings tossed aside, never sure of whether you were going to be acceptable. This was something most of the students dealt with ever day, but it was a first for Sarah. "He was a hero to me because he rescued me. I had been taken..." Sarah started to realize what she just said and wanted to sit down. She also realized she had no place to sit. At this table sat people who were really not her friends. In desperation, she went on. "I was used by an evil man to get at Keith. He grabbed me and pulled me into some bushes." Sarah heard some girls gasp. "I kicked and screamed. I almost got away, and Keith was there to help. The evil man let me go and started laughing. Keith told me to run, because he was concerned for my safety." Slowly saying, "He thought of me, before himself, in my mind he is a true hero." Sarah looked down, tears forming in her eyes. It was so quiet, that the sound of the kindergarten class on the other side of the school could be heard. "I turned around to see the man pointing a gun at Keith. I ran, and then fainted. Later we could hear the shots at the university, as that man chased Keith. That man, that evil man, trapped Keith on top of a building. I went with my cousin, his wife, to where we heard they were." Sarah sat down on top of the table, unable to go on. The teacher walked over to her, "Sarah?" She took it as an urge to finish. She said in a softer than normal voice, but as it was so quiet, everyone heard. "He fell off a three story building." Sarah's body was shaking, "He fell, and I was a big part of why he was there. He laid there like he was dead." The teacher put her arm around Sarah, "That's enough; you don't need to go on." Sarah looked up at the teacher, "Oh... ok." The teacher walked off, with Sarah. But the rest of lunch on the quad, was very quiet. ------- The weekend had been strenuous for Mildred and Robert. Saturday Robert showed up late, and Mildred could see in his eyes that the reason had been from drinking. When she found out about the phone call he had received at Henry's, about Keith's condition, she understood. They were both understandably worried, until they found out more. The news that Keith was much better, that their daughter was now out of the hospital, and that Robin had been watching over her; was comforting. They had been sheltered from the realities of that situation. It had been relayed information, and so as they didn't know anything that had gone on up there. No one knew of the impending surgery down here. Keith had been the go between, and he had been out of action, so communication had faltered. Sunday evening wasn't very pleasant, as Mildred was then on a liquid diet. Over the weekend Franklin had stopped in several times. He never mentioned meeting Robert in the bar. Beyond that first Friday night, they were there on Saturday night, as well. The morning of the exploratory surgery, it was Mildred that was jittery. Robert looked at his watch. They had told him the surgery would be at eight, and it was now fifteen minutes after that. There had been a parade of people in. The nurses took her weight, temperature, and blood pressure, twice. The anesthesiologist had just come in, and given her a shot. Then the doctor came in, "Sorry for the delay. There was a bump in the scheduling. As Mildred's surgery is exploratory they bump them if something else comes up." It may well have been a good explanation, but Robert was mad. This whole thing was upsetting enough without delays like this. He felt Mildred patting his hand; he looked at her, lying on the bed. "It's all right, don't fuss." He tried to smile for her, but he was thinking that she held his life in her hands, and those hands seemed frail now. "Robert, make sure that the kids are taken care of. Tell them I love them. Oh, yes. One more thing. Make sure that Keith and Robin know how much we trust them, with our children." The anesthesiologist interrupted. "Everyone gets a bit talkative. It is the shot that I gave her, to relax." then he chuckled, "It's like having several stiff drinks, you talk, but don't remember anything." Robert, unfortunately, knew just what that felt like. They took Mildred down the hall. It was a bit of a challenge to get her from one floor to the next, not using the elevator, but they managed. Robert walked with them as far as he could, and then was left to find the waiting room. Franklin was there, waiting for him, it seemed. There was a couple there as well. Robert eyed them. 'The ones who bumped my wife's place, ' he thought. The man quickly looked up at Robert when he came in and then back to his wife. Franklin was already standing and walked over to him, extending his hand. "I thought you'd be here earlier, but I understand that another surgery was performed earlier this morning." Robert looked again at the couple, their hands holding together tightly. "Yes, that is what I was told," Robert couldn't help but let his frustration out, in his words. The woman stood. Robert saw her tear stained face. "Our daughter is in surgery," she started to say. Taking a moment and holding out her hand for her husband to take hold of. "I thought it was just a bump, nothing bad," she looked back to her husband. "He said we should let the doctor take a look. I didn't want to; we had many things to do. He insisted, now... my... baby, my baby's in surgery." She sat, dissolving in tears. Robert felt like a heel, and worse, he felt like a failure. He hadn't insisted they check out anything, and now look at where they were. He wasn't sure how he could live with himself, if they found something wrong with his wife. "She will be fine," Franklin said, "you know this is the best place she could be." They nodded. Franklin turned his attention to Robert. "How are you doing? You have waited days for this, and now it is here." "I feel a bit numb." ------- Liz couldn't wait to get into her classroom. School was over in a few weeks, she only had a short time left with her students. She thought of each one of them as a special part of her life. At lunch, Liz was not to be seen, she was still in her class getting things back to normal. Her absence worried Jill. After quickly eating, she ran out toward the office. She met Grace sitting on a bench, near the administration building, enjoying the sunshine. "Jill, looking for someone?" "Liz, she wasn't at lunch. Nothing is wrong is it?" No, she's probably still in the classroom, come, sit down with me." As soon as Jill sat, Grace started talking. "You have created quite a bond between many of the girls in a short time here. That is unusual, do you have any idea how special that is?" "I never thought about it really. I'm just myself." Grace smiled, "That is the point. 'Just yourself', is pretty special. You may not know it, Jill, but your upbringing has built a good foundation." Grace noticed Jill's smile fade. There was that part of Jill's life that was masked. It made Jill who she was, but it was also holding her back. "Jill, everything that happens to us in our life, affects how we react to further situations. I don't need to know, but it is plain to see something happened to you, and it still controls you." Jill turned and looked at Grace; they said nothing for a few minutes. "Grace, I'm working on it," Jill saw Grace nod. "Liz is helping me." "I know, Jill. I don't know if you could be in better hands." Jill's mind went to Keith, and it surprised Jill so much she took a deep breath in. Grace noticed, and started to chuckle, "Oh, someone else on your mind?" Jill turned bright red, making Grace laugh. "Must be a boy. Jill, that is perfectly natural at your age, but don't worry, I won't say a thing." ------- A doctor came into the waiting room and addressed the couple. Robert listened to his words. The doctor was praising the husband for his persistence, and how it had probably saved his daughter's life. The little girl had come through with flying colors, and was in post op now. The nurse would come and get them, shortly. Roberts heart sank, his failure as a father couldn't have been thrust at him any closer. Here was a father who cared, did he? Did he care enough to see what was happening? Someone else had to take over for his daughter. What was going to happen to his wife? The questions consumed him, carrying him deeper and deeper into a depressed state. Robert vaguely remembered the nurse coming in, and Franklin saying he'd be back in a few minutes. It felt like a few minutes, but Robert couldn't tell for sure. The questions, those damned question about his wife, his daughter, his son-in-law, his reactions, his decisions. They pounded in his head. The longer it went, the worse his fears became. Robert looked around, agitated. Where was everyone? Why wasn't Franklin there? Was there something they weren't telling him? He started to hyperventilate and the sensation scared him, along with everything else that his mind was doing to him. He yelled for help, but no one heard him. He opened the door and ran out, not knowing where he was going, not being able to think, his heart racing as fast as his breathing. He was in a panic as to what to do. ------- "Robert!" Franklin yelled for the third time. Robert looked up at him finally, but his expression looked blank. Franklin was worried that Robert was drunk, but couldn't figure out how that could have happened. It was early in the morning. Henry's bar was closed, and there were no other places to get a drink around here. "How did you get here?" Robert looked around. It was then he noticed that he was in the maternity ward waiting room. An observation window overlooked rows of bassinets, many with newborns. Robert looked back at Franklin with that same blank look, and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know." "We need to get you back; the doctor will come out, expecting to talk to you." The reality of that statement brought Robert back into somewhat of a state of cognizance, "Do I have to?" This was the first time Franklin caught a glimpse of the soul eroding inside of the man in front of him. "Yes, you do. Your wife is counting on you." Franklin led Robert back to the surgery waiting room. They sat down, but weren't there long when the door opened and the doctor walked in. Pulling off his mask and sitting down across from the two men, gave Franklin an uneasy feeling. ------- Chapter 46 Robert looked at the doctor in confusion. He didn't understand most of what the doctor was saying, but words like 'we will make her comfortable' didn't make a whole lot of sense to him. Hadn't they been doing that? When the doctor finally asked him if he had any questions, Robert spoke. "To tell the truth, I didn't understand most of what you just said. So did you find out what was causing her nausea?" The doctor looked over to Franklin for help. He couldn't believe that none of what he had just said had gotten through. The doctor didn't understand that the medical terms that were easy for him to say, did not convey any meaning for the less educated. "Robert," Franklin said, "Your wife has carcinoma of the pancreas." Robert looked at him sighing, "You know I come from a small town, we didn't have a real doctor we had a, well I guess you'd call him a technician. We didn't get to know all those fancy terms and to tell you the truth, we are pretty isolated." "It is cancer Robert, like a bug that eats everything it can get hold of. It destroys," Franklin took hold of Robert's hands. "Your wife... there is nothing they can do. This cancer has spread into the liver and lungs. She is going to die." Robert pulled back his hands, and shook his head. "No! No! This isn't right! They said they would help! Now you're telling me she's going to die. Why don't they do something? Why?" "No one knows how. I'm sorry, but the word cancer is terrifying; and pancreatic cancer, well there is no cure." Emotions welled up in Robert, and he grabbed a magazine, ripping it in half. He threw it to the floor. The tears started. The doctor looked at Franklin and nodded, his job was done. He left Franklin to pick up the pieces, as he had many times before. "I know how you feel, Robert." Looking up with anger in his eyes, he lashed out, "How? How would you even start to know?" Franklin sat back in his chair, and looked at the man, bent over with grief. He didn't like to open his past up. Sometimes (and this was one of those times, it looked like), it could be helpful. "Robert you never asked me why I'm a Chaplin. I told you I had been a civil engineer, if you remember." "What of it?" "I adored my wife Robert. She would bring me lunch to the worksite, every day. The others would tease me, but I knew they were jealous. Robert she was beautiful and funny... oh, how she would make me laugh." Robert glanced over and saw the ring on his finger, but he was talking in the past tense. Those words had caught his attention. "One day, as we were building a fifteen story office building, she drove into the lot. I can still remember the explanation I was given. A bolt sheared off, that was holding a pulley, and that caused the cable to drop. The strain snapped the cable, and a forty-foot long I beam fell over ninety feet, crashing to the ground. My wife's car was right under it, when it landed." Robert tried to imagine it, but the image was not pretty. "I was right there, walking to her car. See this scar on my ear, it was from the flying glass of what had been the windshield. For a long time, Robert, I wanted to be in that car. In a split second, my life was gone." Then he looked Robert in the eye. "I do know how you feel. Remember that. You have every right to feel angry, right now." They sat in silence for some time and then Robert's tears could be heard dropping onto the linoleum floor. "It isn't fair." "No, it's not, Robert. Not fair at all." ------- It was early in the afternoon when I got the call from the precinct, telling me that they had released Beth Ann's uncle. My talk with the doctor had set a number of things in motion. I was not about to be caught with my pants down again, nor did I want Beth Ann to be put into that kind of position again. I told Robin (who had been on the phone), and she relayed the information down the line. We had everyone in on this, this time. Little did Beth Ann's uncle know, but he was followed. Sure enough; he came right back to the campus, to the parking lot, to get his truck. I was sure he figured he'd get Beth Ann this time, as well. The first thing that hit him, was that his truck wasn't there. We were positioned (hiding, in various spots), knowing that this was the likely place for him to return. The only one that was hidden away completely, was Beth Ann. She was in the apartment with Kristin, Mary, Daisy, Pamela, and Stephanie. He had no idea where that was, so we felt safe about that. After running into one madman in my life, I didn't want to set off another person to start hunting me down. So after talking to the police chief, he had come up with an idea. My father, and Uncle Joey, added to it. Now we were going to see if it played out right. The campus security just happened to drive in, as planned. Beth Ann's uncle flagged the security officers down, we watched as he pointed and gestured. It was easy to see that he was getting more and more upset about the whole thing. Being handed a piece of paper, he looked at it, and then made a fist waving it at the security officers as they drove off. He didn't stop to watch them turn and park. This was my queue. Anthony pushed me along the path towards the dorm. One very nice aspect of this whole scenario is that we knew he was unarmed. Coming from the jail and being followed here, had assured us of that part. He spotted me, and made a straight line to where I was. As soon as he was focused on us, the others came out, and started moving closer. "You had my truck towed, didn't you? You asshole. Government protection my foot. If that were the case I'd still be behind bars. What a load. They said this ticket is going to cost me plenty and I don't plan on paying it," he said as he looked down at me in the wheelchair. "You can get out of that thing as well; you ain't getting any pity from me. I saw you standing." He had completely ignored Anthony. I expected as much. It was someone he had not seen before, so was disregarded. "So you're leaving your truck here when you go home?" I could see the veins in his head swell as his anger increased. "I'm not leaving without my truck, but you're paying for it," then he slammed his fists together, "one way or another, understand." "What I understand, is that you are an oversized piece of shit. If Beth Ann had enough guts, I'd make sure she saw you in court, and hung by your balls. You and I know she won't, and you used that to your advantage. But if you think your going to frighten me," I smiled, just to infuriate him more, "you just might as well start walking home." He was so focused on me that he didn't see my father, Uncle Joey, two police officers, and two university security officers; moving closer, behind him. He put a hand on each side of my wheelchair shaking it slightly and his face was inches from mine. "Now you listen here, boy! Nobody is going to talk that way to me. People disappear around my neck of the woods, for not knowing their place. I guess I'm just going to have to show you how it works." "So I behave and listen to you, or you hurt me? Is that it?" "You're starting to catch on, boy." I just smiled. "Thank you for that explanation. Officer, did you hear all of that?" "Every word, Mr. Patterson." Beth Ann's uncle stood up straight, and turned around fast. He turned a bit pale when he saw the people standing around him. "Sir," The officer addressed Beth Ann's uncle, "I'd like you to come with us. We can do this easy, or we can take you down and cuff you. Your choice." Looking back at me and then at the officers, "Am I going back to the station?" "We have another place to take you. I think you just might want to see someone." He walked off with them, but he kept looking back. He knew this time he had been set up, but good. If he had half a brain, he also knew he had threatened me, and the officers had heard him say it. That was not a good thing to do. Now as the police chief had suggested, he was going to see Hank, and the trouble he'd gotten into. It was the chief's thoughts that we make it look as futile as possible to him, and that way he wouldn't bother us again. ------- It was a good thing that none of us saw Hank again. He was a broken man and it was a pitiful sight. His orderlies took care of him, as long as he took care of them. His stumps were healing but he had been given the prognosis that the two fingers he still had, were not getting the blood supply they needed. Hank knew all too well what that meant. He was going to loose the last of his hands. The officers walked Beth Ann's uncle through the gated section of the hospital ward unit at the county facility. Hank was in, getting a treatment, and they watched through glass as a doctor removed the bandages and examined the wounds. It was a rather grotesque sight. "This man wanted vengeance against Mr. Patterson. He set out to kill him, in fact. Now he'll be behind bars most of the rest of his life, no doubt. Worst of all, he lost both hands in the process." The officer then turned and looked directly into Beth Ann's uncle's eyes. "One of our men did that. Let me tell you right now, the man you decided to mess with, well lets just say you will always come up on the short end of the stick. I know if you ask Hank in there, he'd tell you to never go near the man." The doctor was checking for nerve response, it was the way to tell if the tissue was healthy or not. It was also a somewhat painful test. They watched as the doctor pushed a needle into Hanks tissue. A suppressed scream could be heard through the glass. "Something to think about, don't you agree," the second officer said. "All I was doing was getting my niece." The officer nodded his head, "That's what we were told. Problem with that is, we were also told, she wasn't interested in going with you." "I'm family." "Don't know how things are where you live, maybe they have different laws. She has parents still living, doesn't she?" "Yes, but what..." "Then you have no rights. If you took her against her will; and anyone of those girls, much less Mr. Patterson, called us up and told us that, we'd run you down." "Seems to me you had that little gal all strung up, but now she's gone off into the big world and she doesn't want to go back. I can't blame her," the other officer said. "We're done with the tour," the officer said, as he gestured for them to start moving again. "Now you have some decisions to make. We could take you to get your truck, and you can get on your way. Or you can come back to the station, and spend at least one or two nights in the jail. If Mr. Patterson presses charges this time, it wouldn't need to include the girl. He has a lot of witnesses, including the two of us on his side. You don't stand a chance and I can tell you that would mean at least sixty days and as much as two. Again, that is your decision though." ------- The rest of the school day was not much better for Sarah. The other kids were whispering just as much. And now, when she got into the classroom, people around her, just stared at her. When Sarah got home, after their driver picked her up and did a few errands, her mother was waiting. "I've had three calls already, Sarah. One from Sally's mother, who says her daughter won't come out of her room. Another one from a mother I don't even know. She said her daughter went on and on, about how nice you were to her, today. The third was from a teacher, wondering if you are all right. Do you mind explaining to me what you said at lunch?" Sarah looked to her father for help, "Just say what you said, sweetie." "I just told everyone what happened," Sarah said, softly. "Would you kindly tell me what happened?" Sarah realized her mother probably wasn't told everything that had happened. "Do you want to know what I said at the school? Or everything?" Sarah watched her mother look at her father, and then say, "I think you should tell me everything." Starting with Keith getting on the plane, she continued to tell her mother the amazing journey she had taken. Of course she left out a few key parts, mainly about the sexual freedom that she learned was shared. She did make sure to talk about the love that was felt. She saw her mother look at her father, several times. One time, was when talking about being pulled into the bushes. But the other, and longer time, was when she described spending time helping Pamela. At the end, Sarah was telling her mother how she was going to go to Carp for the summer, to help Pamela. How it would be so fun, as her sister would be there, as well. "When were you planning on telling me this?" her mother said. Sarah realized her mother wasn't talking to her, but to her father. "Sarah must have forgotten, but it was our agreement that she ask your permission." Sarah was getting nervous now, she had forgotten about that. She looked at her mother with pleading eyes. "Sarah," her mother said, "it seems as though that trip had more adventures in it, than is good for a girl your age," then her voice softened, and she smiled. "You have certainly grown up nicely from it, though. You're right, I'm sure it would be fun to be with your sister. You two haven't been able to spend much time together, recently. Helping that girl would also be good for you, as well." Sarah was feeling very happy at that point. She could go! She just wished it was now, and not in two weeks from now, when school was out. Her mother continued, "You have homework to do, and then a few calls to make to those girls." Sarah was bouncing down the hall, happy as a lark, when she heard her mother say to her father in a very serious tone, "We should talk." Sarah finished her homework in no time flat. She had always done that, it just came easy to her. She then took a look at the paper her mother had given her, with the two girl's names and phone numbers on it. One was her friend, well, she wasn't sure about that any longer. Then again, she was the only one who had called, she would have to see. Maybe she was the only friend, out of that table of girls. "Hello, Mrs. Miller, is Sally there?" "Is this Sarah?" "Yes." "Oh! Thank goodness you called back. I'll call for her. She hasn't stepped foot out of her room, since school. Maybe if she knows you are on the phone, I can get her out. Hold on." "Sarah?" Sally asked, panting in the phone from running. "Yes. Your mother said you wouldn't come out of your room. What's wrong?" "Can I ask you something? Will you tell me the truth?" "Sally, we have been friends for a long time. Oh, I guess after today that doesn't mean much, does it. I don't know if I have any friends left." "Sarah was that true. What you said at lunch, was that really true?" Sarah was a little irritated, "Yes, it was true." "Sarah," The pause caused Sarah to answer, "Yes?" "Do you ever cry when you get home from school?" "What do you mean?" "Never mind," Sally said, quickly. "No, tell me. I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." "Promise not to tell anyone else?" "Yes, Sally, I promise." "You're telling me the truth, right. I don't think I could stand it if you weren't." Sarah heard the pain the Sally's voice. Pain she had recently felt herself. "Sally, what you tell me is staying with me, no one else will ever know." "Ok. I cry a lot when I get home. You know at lunch, when you stood up for that girl? I've wanted to do that. I've wanted to say something. I can't. My friends would hate me. I'd have to find another place to sit. Sarah, I feel bad every day. I want to be popular, yet that means I have to be mean. It doesn't make me feel good inside. So I cry when I get home." "Sally, I'm sorry. That is why you are the quiet one at the table isn't it?" "Yes, I guess it is." "Sally, I don't know what to say. I think I was the type of girl that made you feel bad, wasn't I?" "Yes, No... Well, you're different now. What happened?" The two girls talked for more than half an hour, a record for both of them. Sally told Sarah how she felt about the other girls at the table. What they would say about each other, when someone wasn't there, trying to make each one better. Sarah told Sally how her life changed, and why. How seeing someone give of themselves so completely, how they were honest; and how helping Pamela was not only fun, but made her feel so good. Sarah had to get a drink of milk. Her mouth was so dry from the non-stop talking. She knew there was another call to make, as well. She munched on some peanut butter and crackers then had another glass of milk, before heading for the telephone again. The next call Sarah made, was harder to do. She didn't know this girl. "Hello, this is Sarah McCarran." "The girl from school. I called your mother earlier. Thank you for calling back. I don't know what you said to my daughter, but she was happy today. That is a first, in a long time. Let me get her for you." Sarah was thinking about what was just told to her when a timid, "hello," was heard. "Hello, this is Sarah. Who is this?" "Sarah! I'm Vivian. I didn't think you would really call me. I mean, I'm nobody." That stung. "Vivian, that is not true, you are someone. All of us are. I thought I was someone special. That was before I met someone who really is special." "Is that the hero person?" "Yes, Keith Patterson. He was, I mean is... Oh, how do I say it?" "Cute?" Vivian giggled. Sarah laughed, "Yes, oh yes. He is very handsome. That isn't what I was trying to say, though; and by the way, he's married," smiling to herself; thinking of what Daisy had told her. "He is always thinking of others, even before himself. It makes him happy if you are happy." "How do you know? I'm sorry. I... just... well I've been made fun of from some people I thought were my friends. It is hard to trust anyone. I don't know if anyone tells me the truth." "Do you trust what I'm telling you?" "I have too." "Why?" Sarah was very curious at that statement. "I need to have faith in what you said at school. Please don't tell me it wasn't true. I don't think I could handle it," Vivian sounded frantic. "Vivian, stop. I didn't lie. There is a lot more than what I said at school." "More?" Vivian said in disbelief, "you said so much. I guess I needed someone like you to say something like that. I needed to hear you were human." Sarah felt uneasy. "Vivian, do you know how much that makes me want to cry? I am starting to realize what people thought about me. It isn't nice." "Oh, no! I'm sorry. I looked up to you. I wanted to be like you." "Don't. Please. Not the person I was. I'm not sure, but I think I changed a lot more than I realized. Maybe that is what my mom was talking to me about." "But you have everything. Clothes, friends, and you get to go to such interesting places." "The only thing I have that is really worth anything is the trips. I never realized how important they were. This last one changed my life. Most of my friends at school, Vivian, aren't my real friends. That's what I found out today. And clothes, well they can be ripped off you at a moments notice." "What?" "Promise not to tell a soul?" "Yes, cross my heart." "Remember when I said someone took me?" Sarah heard Vivian gasp. "That man pulled me into some bushes and ripped off my top." "Oh, no! Tell me it didn't happen!" "That is all that happened, but I lost my blouse and my bra. That man wanted more, but he was really after Keith. I lost my top, but Keith almost lost his life. Do you understand? That clothing was nothing, but Keith pulled me away and put himself between the awful man and me." Sarah still couldn't help but feel responsible and got emotional, and she started to sniffle. "He almost died, and it was to save me." There was silence "Vivian?" "Yes... Wow. I mean he must have thought you were so special, too." "I was so guilty. What that evil man was going to do, wasn't as bad as someone dying. But you know the most unbelievable thing was, Keith wouldn't let me feel guilty." "What did he do?" "It is what he said to me. When he woke up from his coma, he wanted to see me. He knew I was feeling guilty. He told me that he would have put himself in that place, for anyone. He chose to be there. He would have done that for you. He would have risked his life for you, Vivian." "He doesn't even know me, and I'm not pretty, like you." "First of all Vivian, you can be pretty, if you want to. But that is not the point. Keith said he did it, because it was the right thing to do." "That is hard to believe, but it would be nice if it were true." "I know it was true. Every one of the people who were around him, all of his friends, told me the truth, always." "Oh, Sarah, that would be so nice. I wish I could live in a place like that." Sarah smiled, "I'm going to be lucky enough to spend the summer there. I can't wait." "Want to take me?" Vivian pleaded. Sarah laughed, "I can't, but I'll tell you what. Starting tomorrow in school, I will always tell you the truth." "Really?" "Yes, just try not to embarrass me, ok?" "Oh, you mean don't talk to you when you are with your friends?" "NO! I mean don't ask me a question that would embarrass me. I think you know what kind of questions those are." Sarah could almost feel Vivian's blush through the phone line, "ok," she said quietly. "Just not in front of people ok?" "Really? I mean you'd even tell me that stuff?" "Vivian, I learned being honest means being honest, not just when it's comfortable. But that means you will need to be honest with me too. Do you think you can do that?" "Yes, it would only be fair. Wait. Are you going to ask me embarrassing questions too?" Sarah laughed, "Of course. Now tell me what boy kissed you first?" Vivian gasped, but knew Sarah was teasing her when she heard Sarah laughing. "Oh, you!" "Well?" "No one, satisfied?" "No, we need to change that." Vivian was surprised. She'd never thought that it could be arranged. She'd been dying to know how it felt. The girls chatted, until Sarah's mother told her she needed to be off the phone. Sarah looked at the wall clock. It was the longest record yet, for being on the phone. ------- Jack had just come out of the Carp hotel. Cynthia and Rebecca had tried to wear him out, he was convinced of it. They could sleep it off, but he had work to do. First he went to the information car. It was one of the things that kept him sane. A whole town with only one telephone was beyond him, but that would soon change. His constant communication is what kept him abreast of what was happening at the base, as well as being able to forward the progress in the town. The first installments of Government checks would arrive this week, he was told. That would cause a stir, he was sure of it. After pushing; he was assured that the pipe work would be completed, and trenches filled, by the end of the week. He asked his communications officer what he thought of Carp. It was always at these times, that Jack was pressed for better usage of words. They taunted each other, trying to push the level of speech, both enjoying the interchange immensely. "Sir? May I speak candidly?" Jack smiled, "Of course you may, I want your opinion, not military rhetoric." "This town. It is most unusual. I find the stillness of it, daunting. Yet within the confines of this town, lies a great depth of character. I am not sure, but one could guess they go hand in hand. This community exists, because it is small and isolated." "So; could the intervention of the military, the news coverage and the possibility of new roads into Carp, spell the destruction of what we see before us? I doubt that the stone willed founding fathers planned to isolate themselves from the world. Could it be that only because of their isolation, more people have not followed their footsteps? "Jack," he laughed, "you wish to bottle the essence of righteousness, and distribute it among the heathen of this world? It has been tried, and has failed miserably. No, the outside world has not damaged this Garden of Eden. At least, not yet." "Yet, the practice of marrying the girls at thirteen, is not troublesome to you?" Jack saw the smile, which could not be concealed. "So that is one of the attractions that you find desirable?" Jack laughed, "You are nothing more than a 'dirty old man'." "Not that old, and look at Keith! He..." his face turned red. Jack laughed so hard, he thought he'd pee his pants. It was infectious, and they both were laughing. Jack waved him goodbye, and walked out the door, still laughing. ------- Dora, Janet, and Millie, were waiting outside of Jack's office when he arrived. Smiling, he asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" He unlocked the door, and they walked in with him. Dora was the spokesperson for the group. "We are the school board, as you know, and we are wondering if you could help us?" "I am guessing you are asking, how I could help in my official capacity?" "Well, yes." Jack smiled, shuffled a few envelopes on his desk. "You wouldn't believe how much paperwork can accumulate, when you are gone a few extra days. Oh, here it is," pulling out a manila envelope. He handed it over to Dora. "You three might want to read it over, and then ask me questions. I'm sure some of the language will be foreign to you, as it is a mixture of legal jargon and military lingo." The three women went out into the front office and sat. Dora pulled out the contents of the envelope. Between the 'therefore it shall be made known' language, and the 'item grade V236', they were able to make it out, some. They didn't want to get their hopes up too high, but it looked as though it was saying the military would provide funding for the building. Surplus equipment could be asked for, in any size and manner needed. It was a stunning gift to them. Jack noticed the lull in conversation, and looked out on them. "Have any questions?" "Is this real?" "Yes, it is. Now, what do you think it says?" They told him excitedly what they had read out of it. He was nodding his head, as they talked. "You got the large gist of it. Now, there are several things you need to know. One is that there is a lot of surplus, and the government doesn't know what to do with all of it. Surplus means: 'not in use now'. That also means most of it was at one time, and some things are in better shape than others are. You can also occationaly get lucky and find unopened boxed that have never even been touched, but that is rare. All of this is important to you." "Why?" "Now that you have the authorization to procure surplus, you need to do so as soon as possible. You will get the best of what is there, that way. Also, this is not an open ended invitation to get whatever, whenever. It doesn't have a time frame, but let me tell you what will be their thinking. You will have your initial request, and then when the school is built, you will have an additional one. That will be it." The women's faces saddened. "Now don't get me wrong. The list of items can run into the hundreds, each time. There is no real limit, except for timing. So the important thing, is to make sure that those lists be as complete (and even filled with possible extras), as you could see fit." They looked at each other, "We need Liz." ------- Brian and Jimmy had gone off for the day. With Brian's mother, Millie, and Dora wrapped up in the school stuff, it gave the boys a lot of time on their hands. They had discovered a few things, important things, at least to them. The Mansion had been built in its own little valley. To get to it, there was one road that led into Carp, and stopped just past the Mansion. The hill that separated the town from the Mansion had a nice slope on the Mansion side, but a very steep slope on the town side. This made it hard to spy on anything that was going on in the Mansion. Most of the little valley was flat and arid, except the rise where the Mansion had been built. There were, therefore, no trees to climb. It was a perfect place to keep people from snooping on you, but the boys didn't see it that way. The Birk's who originally built it had considered this, as there were many who didn't like them. The boys moved to the spring, to see what was going on there. Not a whole lot and they were disappointed. The only thing they saw was the open trench, where the new piping had gone in. It had been a long process that the boys had enjoyed watching. Every house in town now had a new water connection. As well, there were things called 'fire hydrants', that they had never seen before. Something to do with putting out fires, they had been told. The place the boys wanted to go was the Mansion. But they had been told to stay away. It frustrated them, but they knew if they broke anything, there would be hell to pay. They ended up deciding to see what Jack was doing. He always had a story or two, for the boys. ------- Jack was just stepping into his Jeep, when the boys arrived. "Where are you going?" Brian asked. "Over to see what they're doing with the core samples." "What's that? Is that what those big machines are doing, on the other side of the ridge?" "Have you been spying again?" Brian and Jimmy stammered; that is until Jack started laughing. "It's alright, boys. I was just teasing you." "Can we come with you?" "You need to ask your mom, Brian." "Come on, Jimmy," Brian was off like a shot, Jimmy right behind him. Jack smiled and waited. After all, Jimmy would be part heir to the mining company, someday. He might as well see what was happening. It couldn't have been five minutes later, that two boys were hanging onto the side panting from running; telling him that it was all right to go, as long as they were back by supper. "And you, Jimmy?" "Dora was there, too. I think they were talking school stuff, 'cause Mrs. Williams was there, and they wanted us gone. Jack just smiled at that. "Ok, boys, then you'd better get in." The ride Jack gave them was full of bumps and sharp turns, and the boys laughed, loving every minute of it. Pulling up to one of the rigs, Jack stopped. The boys looked out, and saw another nine trucks, along with a trailer that was near the truck Jack had stopped at. "Hello, General Huntington, checking up on us?" laughed the foreman. "Just seeing how things were going. Oh, by the way, I brought two spies with me." The large imposing man with a shaven head gave the boys an intense stare, as though he would look right through them. "Good thing you told me, you remember what happened to the last spy." "Oh, yes," Jack answered grievously. Both boys' eyes were wide as saucers, looking between the two men. "It was cake last time, wasn't it?" Jack asked. "No, no. Not cake, I think he was forced to eat pie." The puzzled look of the boys was just too much, and the men couldn't contain the charade any longer and started to laugh. "Come on, boys, let's take a look at what we are doing here," the foreman said. "The back of this truck is tipped up, and now it is a drill. It drills down into the ground. We take a piece of dirt out, at different depths." "You're drilling dirt?" Jimmy asked surprised. "In that dirt, there is other stuff," he pointed out a cylinder of dirt on the ground, close to the truck. "See that one, it was twenty feet down. You can see some layers in it. It's not just dirt, but other things as well." "Is there silver?" Brian asked. "No, no silver here. The part over there is a tube of rock from further down. The reason that was discarded was it wasn't deep enough. Those white lines in the dirt told us that. There is a guy who came out here, he's a geologist, and he studied the way the layers of dirt were formed. It's about ten feet below that white line, that we want." "So what do you do with it?" Jimmy asked, as he was looking at the sample on the ground. "When we get close to where we think we should be, we take what is called a 'core sample'. It is a long cylinder, like the one on the ground. We mark where the top is, and then it gets sent over to that trailer." "What do they do with it?" "They can tell if it has the metal in it, that we are looking for, and how far down it is." "Why do you need to know that?" "Let's say this hole has the metal, thirty feet down; but at a truck on the other side, the metal is sixty feet down. Were would you dig first?" "Oh, I get it." "So when they know there is metal there, that's it? You start digging?" "No, there is a bit more to it. Say that thirty foot hole has good metal in one percent of the dirt, but the sixty foot one has eight percent?" The boys looked at him blankly. "I think you lost them," Jack said. Jack picked up some rocks and started explaining yield ratio to the boys. They didn't understand that is what they were learning, but they got the concept of the better the yield the more it was worth. "So does the trailer tell you that, too?" Jimmy asked. "No, it doesn't have that good of equipment. When we find what we are looking for, then it is bagged up and labeled. It has been sent off to our labs." "Is that why there have been two mail bags, at the train tracks?" The foreman raised his eyebrows, and Jack laughed. "I told you they were spies." "Then they will get their punishment." True to his word, he produced some pie, and 'forced' the boys to eat a slice out of the mess tent. They couldn't have been happier, and almost licked the plates. While the boys were occupied, the two men talked. Jack learned that they were a day away from finishing the samples, and some of the results were in. But it would take until early next week, to have all of the results in. The trucks would be packing up and driving off, starting tomorrow, and the last of them would be gone Wednesday. As Jack and the boys drove over the crest of the hill and into the valley that held Carp, they could see a trail of dust from a car that had just come into town. Jack was just as curious as to who had shown up as the boys were. He raced back. As Jack and the boys pulled up in front of Jack's office; they could see, down by the phone, the car and a tall thin man. Beatrice from the restaurant was talking to him, and waved for Jack to come down. As soon as the three had walked down, Beatrice sent Jimmy and Brian off to get Dora. "I am William Thorson, and have been hired by a Mrs. Patterson, of Ft. Collins Colorado, to tune a piano." He looked around the empty buildings, and the small town. "She gave me the impression that the piano was a fine instrument. I find that hard to believe out here. As I was prepaid, I will do what I can." They waited awkwardly, until Dora arrived. She was told his purpose. Jack, and the boys in his Jeep, led the way to the Mansion. As William Thorson stepped out of his car, he stared at the structure. "Where on earth did this come from? It is a prime example of Victorian architecture." He couldn't wait to get inside. Having changed his attitude from snobbish, to desiring to see all he could. Dora proudly led him into what they had set up as the music room. It was originally the 'men's parlor', and opened up to the library, now filled with books. William stood in the doorway looking into the room. He saw the piano, and ran to it. "Where? How did this come to be here?" Dora smiled, "The building has been here for years, and was recently renovated. Keith Patterson is going to reside here soon. These were his grandmother's furnishings, brought out from Boston." Nodding his head, William caressed the piano, as though he should not even have the pleasure. Lifting the lid and keyboard cover of the grand, he let out a sigh. Sitting down, his fingers poised above the keys, as though almost not worthy to touch it. "Do you have any idea what this heavenly instrument is?" "No," Dora answered. "other than it says Steinway on it." "That, in itself, spells quality my dear. But this is a 'Hamberg Steinway' and this wood is called 'fire mahogany'. These keys are the original ivory, and are in perfect condition. I have only seen one other piano like this, but even I couldn't touch it. If I would have had any idea I would have the privilege to tune such an instrument..." William drifted off, with a smile on his face Coming back to the task at hand, he ran thought scales from the top key to the bottom. Then he stopped, and smiled. "Considering the move, it is in good tune. It was well taken care by his grandmother, I can tell." He went to his car and brought back a box. Removing the top holding the music stand, revealed the tuning knobs. Brian and Jimmy found what he was doing interesting, until it came to the real tuning. Striking a key over and over, until the right pitch was obtained, was rather monotonous. The boys were ready to go up the stairs, when Dora caught them, and shooed them outside. Once out the front door, the boys ran to the side of the house. They had wanted to get back to their mystery, but hadn't been allowed to go into the Mansion by themselves, since the furniture had been moved in. Brian opened up the little opening, which led to the crawl space under the house. It was much more visible, now that the brush had been cleared away. They looked around, just to make sure no one saw them, and climbed in. They noticed two things, right away. First it was cooler under there, and secondly the piano could be heard. The notes thunking away. "Come on," Jimmy said, in a whisper. "How come you're whispering?" Brian whispered back. "Cause if we can hear the piano, they could hear us." Brian nodded, and the boys crawled off for their intended target. "Ok," Jimmy said quietly, "that one." He pointed to one of the two areas that were closed off, under the Mansion. "It has to be where the water is stored, that you can get in the kitchen." "Yea, I think you are right. But what is this one? We haven't been able to figure out where it would be in the house." "I wish we could go in." "Me too. Maybe it is the same kind of thing, but for the bathroom." "That would be no fun, plus why would it be so much bigger? I'm not giving up, until I find out." "Me neither." "How are we going to tell where it is, though?" "Measure it, I guess." "But we don't have any way to do that, and if we were in the house with a measuring tape (like my mom uses for sewing), everyone would ask us questions." "I know." There was silence, except for the droning of the piano being tuned. "I got it!" "What?" "We'll use our bodies. Put your feet against it, and point your head to the side of the house. I'll put my feet to your head, and do the same. All we need to do is know how many body lengths it is." "That's smart." Jimmy blushed, "No, not really. Come on, let's get started." It took them a while to get the hang of it, but they got the side measurement, and had started the front measurement. They started under the front porch, and had moved two times each, when the piano stopped making its sound. The boys froze, looking at each other. They were close, as they could hear the sound clearly, and wondered if they had made noise and were going to be found out. They were whispering back and forth, whether they should stay still, or get out. All of a sudden, sound filled the crawl space once again. Not the plunk of a single note. This time it was music. The only time they had heard anything quite like this, was on one of the few radios in town, and that had never sounded so wonderful. The boys forgot what they were doing, and scrambled to get out, both drawn to the music. ------- It had been two weeks that Katharine Montgomery had been in the little town of Seaside California. The lazy little town on the coast was nice. It was remote enough, that none of her relatives had bothered her. The one drawback she'd found, was that everything was a bit too slow, the newspapers especially. Katharine didn't like to be so out of touch, and had demanded that the local market get the Los Angeles Times, along with the local paper for her. She got what she wanted, but almost a week after the fact. Walking to, and then back from the market (with Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth in tow), was a daily routine. Pointing out the whales, the changes in tide, and how the sea gulls float on currents of air; she taught them, without them knowing it. She was perusing the paper, when she jolted to a sudden stop. She looked for a place to sit. "What is it, Mom?" the oldest, Elizabeth asked. "There was," then she decided she shouldn't tell them. "Never mind." The line that caught her eye was: "Keith Patterson, Hero that saved town, in Coma". Her mind went back to the hotel in Redding. Meeting Keith, and the girl... Daisy. They were such nice people. She smiled about mentioning she would come to where they lived. She had written down the name of the town, as she knew she would never remember it. On occasion her children had said something about them; but as time passed, it was less and less that they were mentioned, so it was put out of her mind. That was, until the day they had arrived in this little town. Kenneth had seen the large sandy beaches, and asked if that was part of the desert. She couldn't understand why he would ask such a question. When prompted, he said it was about the nice man they met, from that town. That night, late after Kenneth was asleep and the girls should have been also, she heard her two girls whispering. She couldn't hear what they had said, but the name Keith was clear to her. Now; two weeks later, as she read the article, she was very sad. She thought about his young bride possibly losing her husband. She knew how that felt. Although she had more money than she ever wanted, it was not a substitute for her husband. Kenneth wanted attention. As his mother was sitting, he tried to push the newspaper away, to climb on her lap. She pushed him away. He looked up at her. Announcing to his sisters, "Something is wrong with Mom." As they came over Katharine folded up the newspaper, stood, and said they needed to get back. They might be traveling around, but Katharine was keeping their education going strong. She was college educated, and expected her children to be also. She had home study lessons for them, each day. Some they would do in the morning. The rest they did in the mid-afternoon, after their daily walk. She used every opportunity to teach them something. As they studied, she prepared dinner. Nothing more was said, until they were sitting together at dinner. "I would like to know, in the past month, what do you remember most?" The three children thought a while; Katharine started it, knowing she might need to beak the ice. "Remember when we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge?" "Yes! That was so much fun." From that, there was a deluge of things. They were all small things though, going to a park, seeing something funny. They hit on the trip to seeing the Volcano and the boiling mud pots, at Lassen National Park. The smell of sulfur, that reminded them of rotten eggs, was something they would never forget. Then Kristina who had been jabbering almost non-stop, was suddenly quiet. "What is it?" Katharine asked her, noticing the change. "Before we went to the volcano, we were in Red... something." "Redding." "Yes, Redding. And we stayed at a hotel there," Kristina looked over to her sister. Kenneth beat them to the punch, "That was where Keith was! That was the best!" "Elizabeth, Kristina, what about you two?" "Yes they were so nice. Keith and..." Kristina said. "Daisy. I thought you said we could go there," Elizabeth added. Katharine was suddenly troubled. She had brought the subject up, but didn't realize her children had not only not forgotten about those two, but had very fond memories about Keith and Daisy, even remembering their names. She was now concerned about what might happen, if she had to tell them about Keith, and what happened. "I don't know about going there." "But you told them we would. Can we leave tonight?" Kenneth with an innocent hopeful look, asked. "No, Sweetheart, not tonight. We would need to pack up, and tell them we are leaving the motel. Plus, I would need to find out how to get there." "I could help packing, and he said it was in the desert," Kenneth said. "Not tonight. Now you three can straighten things up. Kenneth, you said you'd help. I need all of your toys put away. Elizabeth and Kristina, I need you to clean the dishes up." "What are you doing, Mom?" "I need to go and make a call or two." She put the newspaper in the dresser, and left them to their chores. Walking to the front of the motel, she spied a phone. Dialing up the operator, she was able to get a phone number for Carp. The operator said it only showed one listing, so Katharine tried it. Jim Williams and his wife (Janet) were taking a stroll after dinner, when they heard the phone ring. He rushed over, and picked it up. "Hello, you have reached Carp, who were you trying to get hold of?" "This is Katharine Montgomery, and you don't know me, but I had the pleasure of meeting Keith Patterson a while back," she paused, not sure how to proceed. "I saw in the paper just recently that there was some trouble, and he was in a coma. I hate to ask, but how is he doing?" Jim smiled, "He's doing great! He woke up a few days ago." "Oh, that is so good to hear," Katharine relaxed, only then realizing how tense she was. "When I saw it in the paper, I was heartbroken. We only knew him for a few days, but my children felt a great fondness for him." "Most people around here feel the same way. But we owe our lives to him, so he is pretty special to us, too." "Where is Carp, exactly? I don't remember seeing it on my map." Jim laughed, "Yes, we are left off most maps. Doesn't bother us though. Do you have the map in front of you?" "Yes, right in front of me." Jim explained from the main highway, where to look. Katharine thanked Jim, and they hung up. She was very pleased, and went straight to the motel office, to tell them they would be checking out the next day. When she came back to the motel room, she saw three children huddled on the sofa, their eyes filled with tears, and the open newspaper in front of them. Taking the newspaper, and folding it up, she sat in front of them. "I am not going to talk to you about getting into things you had no business looking at," she looked at her children sternly. Their sad expressions broke her resolve, and she gave them a group hug. "When I was out, I called Carp, the place they live. He is not in the coma any longer, he is fine. We will be leaving tomorrow, so we have a lot of work to do." The change was instantaneous. Kenneth was bouncing on the sofa, and the girls were dancing. They all gave their mother hugs and kisses, and then started the process of packing up. It took quite some time before they unwound, and were able to get to sleep that night. ------- Jill could hardly wait until drama class. They were going to dress in their costumes for the play, this time. Liz was apprehensive about the end of the day. She had received a note from Grace, saying she needed to see her for a long conference. The unknown was eating her up. Jill was so excited she couldn't sit still, in her last class before drama. The clock looked like it had stopped, but finally it was time. Jill jumped out of her seat, and ran for the door. The teacher was shaking her head, and some of the other students were laughing at Jill's behavior. They all knew about the upcoming play. It was something every student went to, and the posters were all over the campus. Not surprisingly, Jill was the first to class. She was out of breath, as she had run all the way there. Mrs. Walker was smiling, when she saw Jill arrive. "You need to cool down, before trying on the costume, Jill." This was something Jill hadn't thought of, and she frowned. Mrs. Walker laughed. "We can't do anything until the seamstress arrives anyway, and she's running late. She'll be here in a few minutes, though. I saw her car pull up, just before you came in." The rest of the girls started coming in, Laura being one of the last. It had nothing to do with her not being excited. Far from it. She knew better than to run. The last time she had done so (when she thought something had happened to Jill) she had almost ended in the hospital, herself. There was an air of excitement. Mrs. Walker had been through it many times. She had to settle the girls down to a point, before anything would work. "All right, class. Before we do anything else, we need to do our breathing exercises." A number of the girls moaned, including Jill, but they arranged themselves on the floor. They put a bit of space between themselves; knees bent, silent, waiting for instructions. Mrs. Walker took them through a mental focusing exercise. It had been very hard for the girls at first, but now it was so easy. Identify and drop each of the sounds that bothered them. Concentrate on their breathing, and feel the muscles in their bodies relax. When Laura's doctor had heard what she was doing in the drama class, he was impressed. This was something that would be helpful for her in her battle. If she could control what her body was doing (instead of her body controlling her), she would be miles ahead of the game. As the girls slowed their breathing; their eyes closed, as Mrs. Walker talked softly, and gently. She touched one girl, and then a few minutes later, another girl. As they opened their eyes, she motioned for them to be silent, and to move over to the side door. Each of the girls got up, and tip toed out, to find the seamstress's assistant taking them off to the dressing room. When Mrs. Walker said, "Open your eyes, now," Jill was the last one in the room. Jill looked around, questioningly. "It is your turn, now." "You mean everyone else got to get their costumes before me?" Jill said, hurt. "Jill, you and Laura have the hardest costumes. Therefore, they take the longest to fit. So you two were last." "Oh," Jill brightened, "Where do I go?" She was fitted, marking where seams should be taken in. It seemed like it took forever, but lasted maybe five minutes, and then she joined the others on stage. Each girl was looking and admiring each other's costume. Mrs. Walker came in a minute later, "Now, Girls, it is time. You have one more class today, so back into the dressing room, and carefully remove your costume. The fittings will be made this afternoon, and by tonight I will start getting them back, done for you." It was the good with the bad, that made Mrs. Walker's comments a part of her good standing with everyone. The girls slowly shuffled into the dressing room, knowing everyone wouldn't fit in there, at once. Jill and Laura were the last two in. It was hard not to look at each other undressing, even if it was just to bra and panties. Liz was frantically finishing her classroom duties, so she could get to the administration building, and see what this was all about. She locked the door on her classroom, and walked briskly down the hallway towards the path. Grace was waiting for Liz to arrive. She had seen Liz, through her office window, walking hurriedly towards the building. "Good afternoon, Liz. How was your day?" Liz was perturbed with the pleasantries, and then it hit her, Grace was toying with her. She decided to not bite. "Just fine, you know how Mable gets sometimes? I had to work closely with her. Other than that, everything went very smooth. Why do you ask?" "Alright, I've let you stew long enough now, haven't I?" "Yes. A lot longer than I would have liked." Grace closed the office door, and asked Liz to have a seat at a table in the corner. Grace sat down in the other chair. This was done on purpose. Grace did not want to have a desk in front of her. The sign of authority that it gave was not needed here. She wanted to be looked at as an equal, and hopefully, a helpful person. "I got a call from Carp." Liz's eyes opened wide, but before she could react, Grace took her hand. "It is not what you are thinking; in fact I still can hardly believe it." "Well are you going to share it with me?" Liz asked, jittery with anticipation. "Dora called with a request. The government is willing to donate almost everything you need, and more, to start the school. It is surplus, and they need to get rid of it," Grace smiled, "and they can get good press, for something like this." "Wow!" "Yes, wow. Dora said they didn't have a clue what to ask for, so they need a list, as complete as can be," there was a pause as Grace tapped her fingers. "I'd like to help you make the list, if that would be all right." Liz broke out laughing, "I'd love it!" Grace pulled out some paper, and they started a process that Liz knew, but Grace made it flow smoothly. Taking each area of instruction, as well as administration and maintenance, they were able to break down the components. They identified twenty-seven different sections that they needed to work on. That alone, brought them to dinnertime. Grace, in a rare appearance, went to eat with Liz in the dinning hall. It was hard for the two to contain their excitement at doing the project. It was like being a kid in a candy store, with unlimited coins in their pocket. They could dream, and ask for everything they wished for. Jill, along with everyone else, watched the two come in and sit at a table by themselves. She knew something had been going on. As for Jill, she was glad it was obviously good. Sitting at the table with Sue, Laura, and Beth; Jill was satisfied. She was happy that whatever Liz was doing looked like it would run on longer, as she had taken the invitation by Mrs. Walker, for Laura and herself to do some last minute practice that evening. As Jill watched Liz and Grace walk back to the administration building, Laura tugged on her arm. "Are we going to practice?" "Yes, we are, come on," Jill looked back once more. She saw Liz turn, and just before going into the building notice her, and wave. Jill smiled, knowing she'd hear all about it, later. The girls ran over to the auditorium. Seeing a few lights on, they knocked on the locked door. "Why don't we try the other side?" Laura asked when there was no response. Walking around to darkened side of the building, Laura pulled Jill into the doorway, and gave her a kiss. It surprised Jill so much, she lost her footing, and broke away so that she didn't fall. Laura giggled. "What was that about?" Laura shrugged, "Just practicing, isn't that what we are here for?" Jill sat down on the edge of a planter. "Laura, you know that school is going to be over in several weeks, and I will be leaving. So will you." "I don't want to talk about it." "We have to. I won't be coming back here next year, and you will, right?" Jill could see the tears starting to form in Laura's eyes, and it broke her heart. "You do know how special you are to me, don't you, Laura?" "Yes, but I wish..." Laura raised her head, and looked at Jill, "Can't you come back, next year?" Jill smiled, and gave Laura a hug. "I'm too old." "Damn." "Laura!" "It makes me mad," then she looked up and smiled, "Can we at least practice some more?" Jill giggled, "Come here." She gave Laura a kiss that curled her toes. They heard a car driving up, and walked back around the building, running into Tiffany. She saw Laura's flushed look, and rolled her eyes at Jill. "We were waiting for Mrs. Walker, she said we could practice some," Laura said, trying to explain what they were doing. "Haven't you two got that part down, yet?" Tiffany asked, suppressing a smile. Jill wasn't about to be outdone, "Not until she gasps for breath, from my performance." Laura's eyes got large; Tiffany shook her head, and then started snickering. As Mrs. Walker turned the corner, walking towards them, they were all laughing. ------- Grace and Liz looked at the lists of areas to tackle. There were a few last questions to ask Liz. "What kind of instructional base are you going to use?" "Meaning?" "If you are primarily using textbook instructions, you would want to look at a traditional classroom setup, with the standard desks and blackboard in the front. Like you have in one of your classrooms. "If you look at how Francis works in her room, she works with tables and chairs in groups. I have watched her. It's interesting. You should spend some time watching her. Her classroom has great results, but it isn't for every subject." "So what you are saying is; the type of curriculum and teaching methods need to be thought out before these lists can be finished." "That's right." "That would mean I would need to talk with the school board." "... and set up contracts, make budgets, get teachers," Grace added. "Looks like I'm not going to be able to sleep for a few months." "Liz that is what I am here for. My budgets are set. This school runs itself," Grace smiled, "but don't tell anyone that." "I've seen how much you work, you can't tell me that." "Running a private boarding school has it own set of problems. Many of which, you will not have. My work is pretty much done for the summer. The biggest problem I have (and believe me, it is a big problem), is who I will get to replace you." "That is very nice to say." "That's the truth. Tiffany is filling in. Next year, the teacher she has been filling in for, will be coming back. So she is not an issue. Vicky will be another issue, but I have several leads." "Tiffany? Vicky?" Grace smiled warmly, "I am sure that you will be taking them with you. Am I under the wrong impression?" Liz stammered, "I, well, I'd thought..." "Liz, you know them. You get along with them. They look up to you. The relationship is already built. For Tiffany, it is not a hard decision as she was only temporary this year. For Vicky, she would be giving up a position, for the unknown. She would go if you ask, I'm quite sure of it. The reason I suspected that you would ask them is because if I was in your shoes, I would do the same." "I have been thinking I should talk to them." "That's the first step. No, go on. We have plenty of time to work on this, and set up your school. I have all summer, if need be." Liz just stared at her, opened mouthed. "Don't you think I've been trying to find a way to justify seeing that little town?" Liz started to laugh. "I mean that, really. First you go off to your brother's wedding, and having the adventure of a lifetime. Then you come back with a girl who constantly amazes everyone. Your brother shows up, and the whole school falls all over him, and he is the most humble hero I have met. Then there was the girl that called," Grace choked up, "the way everyone helped her. It is very rare to see." "Carp is a special town." "Yes, and that's why I can't blame you for wanting to be there. If I were younger, I'd want to go with you. If I can wrangle seeing it for myself, I'll be satisfied. Now, off with you." ------- Liz found Tiffany with Vicky, in the common room of Upper House. "Come on, you two, we need to talk," Liz said. Liz thought it was very convenient that Jill was practicing. Liz led them into her room, and then closed and locked the door. "We have a lot to talk about, and I don't want to be disturbed." Tiffany and Vicky looked at each other. "Is this about Carp?" "Yes, and decisions you have to make." "We have talked, and we both want to go with you." Liz sighed, and looked at the two. It was just as Grace had said, and she expected, but not quite like this. "Vicky, Tiffany, before you make that decision, you need to know about Carp. The real Carp and how my brother fits into it." Looking at Tiffany, Liz asked, "Does Vicky know about Jill?" Tiffany turned red. "I didn't think so. Vicky, would you take off your clothes, and climb up on the bed?" Vicky bolted upright in her chair, not believing her ears. "Do what?" "Getting your attention, Vicky. Now tell me what you think. I mean what you really think about girls having sex together?" It was Vicky's turn to blush. "Well?" "I've tried it, if that is what you are asking." "No, that wasn't what I was asking. I ask you what you thought." Vicky shrugged her shoulders. "It works for some." "That's about as evasive as you can get. Vicky, look at me. Not a word of what we say here will be told outside these walls. If I told you that Tiffany and I have slept together, what would you think?" "I guess I wouldn't be surprised." "So it wouldn't bother you?" Vicky tilted her head back and forth, "I guess not." "What if I said that I have also been in bed with a man?" "Well that would be all right." "Tiffany?" "It's ok with me. You already know that, though." Liz smiled, "Yes, I do. Now the questions get harder. What about me being in bed with a man who is married? His wife knows, doesn't care, and even thinks it is good." "That is strange." "What's wrong with her? Did you really do that?" "I think we need to backtrack here, and talk about love." "Love? You in bed with some wife's husband?" Vicky was starting to laugh. "Liz, come on." "Ok, let's take me out of the picture Vicky. Did you ever know a guy that you just adored, in high school?" Vicky blushed. "Name! I want a name!" Tiffany exclaimed. "Tiffany, you are next," Liz stated, "Well, from your expression, there was at least one. Think of the one you would have done anything for." "But he didn't even know I existed." "Even better. Remember, this is just a game." "Ok." "Now, say you go to a convention at a hotel, a few years later. He is there, looking as handsome as ever. You find out that he is also married." "This isn't fun. Why does he have to be married?" Vicky said, frustrated. "You are both drinking a bit, and the two of you start talking." "That would be nice." "He tells you he thought you were cute." "I'd just die! Why wouldn't he have told me in high school, if that's what he felt?" "He tells you that he didn't feel comfortable around you, you were always so smart." "That I can believe," she said, sarcastically. "So; here is the man of your dreams, in front of you, telling you he always thought you were cute. Saying he has always wanted to tell you, but couldn't." "I'd want to cry." "So now his wife walks up." "Oh, no! You're ruining it, again." "He introduces you to his wife. She isn't jealous of you. In fact, she is happy to meet you. She thinks you are part of why he is so thoughtful to her. She invites you to dinner with them, and will not take no for an answer." "I'd be so embarrassed." "Why?" "Because, I'd be looking at her husband." "And she encourages that, asking you if he is as handsome as he used to be. Soon you are laughing, and telling her all of your favorite things you can think of, about him. Can you see that possibly happening?" "I guess it could, it sounds strange, but I guess it is possible." "Good. Now you have gone upstairs with them, and you are in their room. She kisses him. I mean really kisses him, right in front of you. You feel a bit uncomfortable." "That would be right. I'd want to leave." "But she turns to you, and says, 'I bet you never thought you'd see this.' You notice she is rubbing his crotch, and you can see the bulge. Your eyes can't tear away. They wouldn't, would they, Vicky?" Liz had noticed the change in her breathing. Vicky merely shook her head. "You watch as she unzips his pants, and pulls out his dick. Are you going to leave, now?" Vicky swallowed, and then looked into Liz's eyes. "The truth, would you leave?" There was almost shame in her eyes, when she shook her head slowly. "Vicky I wouldn't have either, what about you, Tiffany?" "From your story? I don't think I could have." "Now she has his pants to the floor, and has his dick in her hand, stroking it. It is getting bigger with each stroke. Your eyes finally break away, and you look at his face. He is looking into your eyes. You look at his wife, feeling guilty." "That is an understatement, Liz." "She has his pants and underwear off. Standing up, she takes him by the dick and pulls him so that he is standing right in front of where you are sitting. His dick is now right in front of your face." "Oh, God, Liz." "She says, have a good time with him." "What?" "She says, have a good time with him. You ask her what's going on." "Yes, I sure would." "She tells you that he has said your name a few times, as he is getting close to orgasming. So she knows he has fantasized about you. She is just making him happy. She goes on to say that if he is happy, he makes her happy. So it is good for her, also." "I'm supposed to believe that?" "What else could you do? She takes your hand, wraps your fingers around his dick, and then walks out the door blowing a kiss to her husband." "She just leaves me there with him?" "Yes. Now what do you do?" Vicky didn't say anything, Liz looked over to Tiffany, "Well, what do you think?" "Does she have a choice? She has to; she'd never forgive herself, if she just left." "That is the question you asked before isn't it. What would I think?" "Yes, now you are in that position, so you know what it would be like. So now, what do you think?" "I guess if everything was like you said, how am I to say that it's wrong?" "Ok, now Tiffany," Liz said, as she turned her attention to her. "What am I going to say? You already know what I've done." "What did she do?" Vicky said, astonished at this revelation. "Remember, nothing leaves this room," Liz cautioned. "I know, so spit it out, Tiffany. What did you do?" "Slept with Jill." A loud gasp could be heard, and it was not from any of the three seated there. It came from the bathroom. "Come out!" Liz demanded. Jill and Laura came out, red faced. Liz looked at them in disbelief. Tiffany was astonished, but Vicky had a horrified look on her face. ------- Chapter 47 Liz was tapping her fingers on her knee. She was working hard at trying to get to understand Vicky, more than she had tried before. Her sexual feelings and ideas surrounded subjects that were not in normal conversations. In an all girls school, there was little discussion of some subjects, unless you were interested in girls. Now, Jill and Laura had made matters difficult. And she was mad at Jill, who was now standing before her. "You had plenty of time to make yourselves known. You know that I am displeased by your hiding and eavesdropping." Liz was quite unprepared for the response she received. Jill folded her arms across her chest, and said, "I'm also mad at you, too. Where is the trust that we have formed? I see what you are doing. I am hurt that I would not be included. Do you think I'm such a little girl, that I know nothing of the feelings you are talking about? Maybe you forget that I could have been married for over a year, now." Liz was stunned, as she hadn't really considered this. Laura's mouth was hanging open, looking at her friend. Tiffany wasn't surprised, as she had already been the recipient of Jill's cleverly crafted words. It was Vicky, though, that first responded. "You could have what?" Jill broke eye contact with Liz, and turned her attention to Vicky. "Vicky, I think what Liz is trying to get you to see, is that in Carp, there are many different customs that you don't find in other places. Until I had left there, not too long ago, I didn't know of any other way to look at things. What I grew up with, was what I thought was how everyone did things. I found out, fast, that that was not true. "Oh, sure. I knew in Africa, or China, they have different customs. But I thought it was everyone's tradition, in this country, for the girl to marry at thirteen. I was feeling left behind, because my mother bucked that tradition." Vicky looked from Jill to Liz, "She's joking right?" she nervously asked. "No, she isn't, Vicky. My brother, Keith..." "Don't tell me he married a thirteen year old!" Jill couldn't help but laugh. Liz looked sharply at her, and answered Vicky's question. "Yes, he did. But you are jumping to conclusions." "Oh, like he is taking advantage of a young girl?" Jill flew over to Vicky, grabbing her wrists, tears in her eyes. "No, he didn't. Keith is not like that. He would never..." Jill dropped to the floor, sobbing. "Jill," Liz said softly, "may I tell her why you feel so strongly?" Jill (still crying) nodded, after a long moment. "Vicky," Liz said, and then looked over to Laura. "Jill, Laura is here. Do you want her to know?" "It's ok. I trust her." Laura felt shattered. Jill was more than just someone special to her, and Tiffany had... had... It made her gasp out loud. Jill was saying she was special to her, and trusted her. That what was going to be said, was apparently very important. "Vicky? Not long before Jill came here, she was attacked by a man. After that, she couldn't find any redeeming feature, in the nature of men. Do you hear that in her voice, now?" Vicky looked at Jill, "No! Attacked? How?" Liz sighed, "She was raped." "Oh, Jill," Vicky said, with emotion, "I'm so sorry." Liz continued, knowing Jill didn't want to dwell on that. "So, what she was saying about Keith is from her heart. This is a man who was able to break down her barriers, and let her see love, again." "That's what you meant when you said he was very special, on the stage, isn't it?" Laura asked. "Yes, Laura." Jill sniffled. "I'm sorry, Vicky." "No, Jill," Vicky said, reaching out and pulling Jill up, "I am sorry. I didn't understand. And you are opening up very private parts of yourself, to get me to understand. I'm just reacting, without thinking." "Jill, how come men are bad like that?" Laura asked, trying to comprehend what happened to her friend. Jill released Vicky's hands that she had been holding tightly, and stood to pull Laura into a hug. "Laura, a few men are bad. Not all men. A bad one got hold of me, and hurt me. But then there are ones like Keith... He made it so I could be with his sister. He was very concerned for me, just because..." Jill was trying to find the right words. "Because he loved you." Jill brightened, "Yes, I guess that is it." "But he's married, isn't he?" Laura asked, confused. Liz smiled, "Yes, Laura, he is." "Laura, do I love you?" Jill asked. Laura blushed, and stammered, "I hope so." Tiffany and Liz tried to suppress a grin. Vicky was curious as to where this was going. "But I love Liz too... and I love Keith, also... and my mom..." "And Tiffany?" Laura ventured. Jill laughed, then looked at Tiffany, "Yes, her too." Tiffany blushed, and it was not lost on Vicky. Jill noticed her look. "Vicky, do you think this is strange?" "Well, yes, to tell you the truth. It sounds a bit strange. There are, of course, different types of love. I mean your love for your mom is one kind, but I get the idea that some of the other kinds involve physical love." Then Vicky got a startled look on her face. "It wasn't you? You didn't do something with Keith! He's a married man." "Vicky," Liz said, somewhat disappointed. "Sorry. There I am, jumping to conclusions, again." "Vicky, when was the last time you loved someone?" Jill asked. "Why? What does it have anything to do with me?" "You got hurt didn't you?" Jill persisted. The look on Vicky's face, one of surprise and acknowledgment, was plainly visible. "She did the same thing to me, Vicky. I don't know how she does it, but she can suck out the stuff you'd rather not have others know," Tiffany said. "Vicky, you felt something for someone. You got hurt so bad, that you stopped feeling, didn't you?" Vicky had tears forming in her eyes, "How do you know that?" "You are afraid of love," she said. Emotion welled up in Jill and her eyes started to tear, "Vicky, I know that feeling. I know that reaction. I know how you looked. I've felt it, too. Fortunately, I found Liz. She wouldn't let me crawl back into a hole and hide." "But the hurt, the laughter..." tears were dropping from Vicky's face. "Is all in the past. Can you see anyone in this room, making you feel that way?" "No," Vicky sniffled, "but you are all girls. I've thought that maybe that is what I needed. You know, love from a girl. I just couldn't see doing that. It isn't right, is it?" "Vicky, I said I did something with Jill. Do you think less of me?" Tiffany asked, fearing the answer, but also needing to know. "No, Tiffany. But I thought we just talked about you needing to find out about men, again." "Yes, and that was because of Jill. Not because I was turned off by doing that with her," then Tiffany turned red. "It was because of what we did." "What did you do? I mean you are two girls? I'm not sure..." "I pretended to be a man," Jill said, trying to keep a straight face, but grinning, anyway. "A man?" both Vicky and Laura said at the same time. "Men can do different things than a woman..." Liz said, dreamily. "Liz!" Vicky said. "You... You've been with a man? I mean, sexually?" Liz turned to Laura, "Jill said she trusted you. You do remember nothing is to be said, outside of this room?" Laura just nodded her head. "Yes, Vicky. It is the most compelling reason for me to go to Carp." "And you've been with a woman, too?" "Yes, Vicky. More than one. It is love that we share. That love has become big enough, that we want to share more of ourselves than just words." All was silent for a few moments. Then Vicky asked the 'bombshell' question. "Do you love me?" ------- "Dora," Jimmy said, as they were getting ready for bed. "When everyone comes home, will I be sleeping alone?" Not knowing quite how to answer that question, she tried to circumvent it. "I would think that when Richard and the rest get back, we would move into the Mansion. Where we all end up, I don't really know." Jimmy wasn't quite satisfied with that answer. "Yeah, but, I mean," stumbling over his words, he then just blurted out, "will we get to sleep together?" Dora took Jimmy by the hand, and led him over to the bed. She sat down and he climbed into her lap. "Most boys your age, don't ever have the fun of doing what you have done, Jimmy." Jimmy got a sad look on his face. "Why do you want to sleep with me, Jimmy? I mean, wouldn't you rather be with someone your own age?" Dora felt she needed to ask. She had been placed in a position of taking care of Jimmy. If it hadn't been for what had happened at the base, she would not have initiated the intimacy they now shared. She had a strong attachment to Jimmy; and to Brian as well. It was something she struggled with. At times, needing to be a parent. At other times, being the receiver of the sharing of their bodies and souls. She did know she needed to work at their pace, and be ever mindful of their needs, no matter what her feelings were. "That might be fun, but what choices do I have?" "Oh," Dora teased, "so I'm better than nothing?" "No, No! I didn't mean that!" Then he caught the smile on her face. "What about Stephanie, or Pamela? I thought you liked Stephanie? At least that is what she told me," Dora said. "She did? I thought she liked Keith, more than me." "She does, but that doesn't mean that you can't like her too, you know." "Yeah, I know. It's just, well, she's your daughter, but she's not quite like you?" "What do you mean?" Dora said, thinking he must mean her shapely body. "She's a bit pushy." Dora laughed, "Yes, she is. Always has been," then Dora smiled. 'Just like her father, ' she thought. "I guess you didn't like being told what to do?" Dora asked. "Not really. She tries that with Keith, but he doesn't take it from her." "No. I guess that is because he's older, and knows how to handle someone like her. So what about Pamela?" Jimmy made a face. He couldn't help it. Pamela's deformity was something he could never get past. Stephanie had told him how nice Pamela was, and chided him for not wanting to do things with her. He had never really spoken to her much. But that wasn't too odd, not many people had. When he had heard about the surgery being successful, he wanted to see how she looked. Maybe he could get over it, and be a friend to her. "Jimmy, you don't need to make a face. She is a very sweet girl. Maybe you don't deserve someone like her. I could tell you things about her, but I'm not going to, you'll just have to find out by yourself. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be like that. It is easy to like your daughter, she's beautiful." Then to try and redeem himself, he added, "Keith told me what those two boys did, at the base, to Pamela. It made my blood boil. It's probably a good thing their parents moved, cause Brian and I would be doing the things we did to torment Cliff, to them." His eyes got big, realizing what he had said. Dora passed over that, and went on. "Jimmy, that sounds like you might just like Pamela, after all," Dora teased. "No!" Jimmy said, mortified that someone might think something like that. "I just don't like it, when someone is taken advantage of." Dora was smiling, "You just stick to that story, but I think you like her." "I've hardly ever even talked to her!" "So? Don't tell me that when you first saw Cynthia, you didn't like her." Jimmy started to say something, and then closed his mouth. "Jimmy, some day you will understand that when talking to a woman about love, you will never win. We have ways of twisting everything you say around, to mean anything we want." "I'm getting that idea." "Come on, let's climb under the covers." "Do we have to go to sleep?" ------- It was late enough that Laura had to get back to her room. Jill walked her back. As soon as they were away from everyone's hearing, Jill said, "You know no one can know anything that was said." "I know; you trusted me." Jill smiled, "Yes, Laura, I do." "Jill, how come," Laura stopped trying to compose herself. "How come you did that stuff with Tiffany, and haven't with me?" Jill had been waiting for that. "Laura. It is a powerful thing, love. Do you remember our discussion about me leaving?" "Yes," Laura said downheartedly. "You didn't like it, because you have grown attached to me, right?" "I guess so." "What would happen if we attached ourselves more?" Laura giggled, "We can't, we're both girls." "Laura!" Jill whispered. "I know what you mean, it would be worse. It still makes me sad." "Yes, I know it does." ------- Liz looked over to Tiffany, and winked at her. She got the message, and the two of them moved to each side of Vicky as soon as they heard the door being locked by Jill. Vicky looked nervously at them, "What are you doing?" "This," Tiffany said, as Vicky turned to look at her. Tiffany pressed a kiss upon a surprised Vicky. Liz's hands started to roam, reaching around and fondling Vicky's breasts. As soon as Tiffany let her go, Vicky uttered, "Oh, I think, I should be, no, oh no, ohhh." Tiffany saw Liz's hands pulling at Vicky's taught nipples through her blouse. Soon Tiffany and Liz stood, pulling Vicky up with them. Vicky, walking in a stupor, moved over to the bed. They laid Vicky down across the bed, her knees falling off the side. Liz moved around and was looking down at Vicky's face. She got down on her knees, and bent over so they were looking eye to eye. Lowering herself, she kissed Vicky on the nose, then the cheek, then the ear lobe. As she started placing kisses on Vicky's neck, Liz's hands were moving down to Vicky's breasts. Waiting until she reached her mouth, Liz placed her lips against Vicky's. At the same time her fingers wrapped around the mounds of flesh. She was searching for the center and what Liz suspected, were erect nipples. Tiffany had been watching the slow seduction, but as soon as Liz had Vicky's breasts in hand, kissing her at the same time, it was her turn. A turn she had been wishing would happen for some time. Tiffany knelt between Vicky's legs and unceremoniously pulled up Vicky's skirt, diving to the treasure hidden there. ------- Jill walked back slowly. She knew she needed to give them time. Either it would be Tiffany and Liz in the room being very sorry, or Vicky would be there. If that were the case, who knows what array of clothing would be strewn around. She didn't want to get back and spoil everything. She had seen from her bit of experience, that once into what was going on, it was hard to stop. And that is when she wanted to enter into. Talking with a few of the other kids in the common area, she tried to make her way up the stairs look as inconspicuous as possible. Thankfully, no one was in the hallway when she entered it. With her key in hand, she turned it as quickly, yet quietly, as she could. Opening and slipping inside, she knew instantly it wouldn't have made any difference how much noise she would have made. Lying on the bed with not a stitch of clothes on were three beautiful women. Hands and mouths roaming everywhere. Jill didn't say a word. She merely stripped and touched Tiffany's face, which was once again buried in Vicky's pussy. Tiffany looked up, smiled, and let Jill take her place. It was the way Jill moved her tongue that told Vicky something was different, much different. She was too far gone though. She didn't look up until she had orgasmed once again, to see Jill there. Vicky tried to be embarrassed. One, for being in the position she was in; and two, for letting Jill bring her to an orgasm. Jill wouldn't let her talk though. She took Vicky's face and kissed her. Then she pushed Vicky down, and jumped up on the bed. She straddled Vicky's face, lowering her pussy to Vicky's mouth. Jill didn't know the other two hadn't done anything like that, yet. When Jill moaned, Tiffany and Liz smiled and attacked the two, for one more round. Later that night, as Liz and Jill were in bed, Jill was feeling euphoric. "Are all your teaching positions going to have similar interviews?" Liz smacked her with a pillow, and the two rolled around on the bed tickling each other, and giggling. ------- I woke in the early morning to find myself without covers on. Sleeping soundly beside me, wrapped warmly, was Robin. I smiled, and pulled some covers over myself. Robin made a little sound and rolled onto me. Lazily throwing her arm over me, her hand came smacking down onto my cast. Her eyes flew open. "Ouch, that hurt!" she said, startled. "Let me kiss it and make it better," I said. "It doesn't hurt there," she teased, now more awake. "I could still make it feel better." "Mmmm, I bet you could." "Climb over the top of me and sit down on my face, and I'll make you forget all about that hand of yours." She didn't need to be asked twice. Robin's hand was evidently not hurting any longer. I could tell, as she was frantically pushing the sheet down and pulling my hospital gown up at the same time. The constant and steadily increasing 'ahhh, ahhh, ahhh', was a good indication she would cum soon. I didn't know if it was a trick they learned in school, but just about the time Robin was at the point of no return, in walked a nurse. She had pushed the door open with her hip, as she had both hands full. Being new and trying to have everything at hand, she was carrying too much paperwork. As the door automatically shut behind her, she suddenly became aware of what was happening in the room. My head turned just slightly and our eyes met. She was young, and looked fresh out of school. It looked like she couldn't say a word. The frantic look, as well as the blush appearing on her face, was enough to let me know she was desperate to get out and not cause a scene. With her hands full, she couldn't open the door. I winked at the nurse, and attacked Robin's clit. That was enough to send Robin over the edge. Robin collapsed onto me, turned her head, and saw the nurse. "Enjoy the show?" she asked in a dreamy voice. I looked over to see the nurse drop her mouth open. Robin, who loved to tease, pulled the last bit of material that was trapping my very hard dick. "I'd have you help, but I can see your hands are full already," she laughed, taking my dick in her hands. The nurse dropped what she had, unable to hold them, or control herself. "Ah," Finally came out of her mouth. "You two..." She was able now, with her hands free to turn and open the door. She slipped on a clipboard that was now on the floor, and landed on her ass. Robin, the ever-helpful one, jumped off the bed. Before the nurse knew what was happening, Robin helped her back up. Sliding the papers together that were on the floor, Robin handed them to the nurse. "Did you need something?" Robin asked, as though nothing had just gone on. "I think I should come back later." "No, this is just fine. I'm done," Robin said, and started laughing. Grabbing onto the nurses hand, she pulled her over to my bed. "Now what did you need to do to him?" Robin asked with a little more sensuality than she needed. The nurse had a hard time concentrating. My hard dick was still standing, and my face was glistening from Robin's juices. "I was just supposed to take his vitals," she stammered out. "Well his blood seems to be flowing just fine," Robin said almost laughing and slapped my dick with her fingers. "Although he is hot, I can tell you that for sure." "Why are you doing this to me?" The nurse said, in anguish. "Sorry," Robin said, seeing her face, "I was just having fun." "Well if you had just broken up with your boyfriend, you'd know how I feel." "Oh," suddenly, Robin was a loss for words. I had silently been watching, now was a good time to say something I figured. "It would be fine to come back if you want. We can get cleaned up." The nurse shrugged her shoulders as though throwing her hands up in defeat, "No, I might as well get it over with now. I mean, what more could I see." I couldn't help it and started to laugh, "Don't ask." Robin slapped my arm; I looked over to her and saw the smile on her face. The nurse moaned. The nurse looked as composed as ever when she left the room. As soon as the door closed, we started giggling. "Poor gal," I said. "You just wanted to help her out," Robin commented, "out of her uniform." "Robin!" She giggled again. "If I had the strength, I'd..." "What?" she said prancing around the room lifting her dress, showing me her panty-less bottom. That ended quickly when the doctor walked in. "Keith, Robin," he looked between the two of us and broke into a smile. "I was walking by the nurse's station, and overheard some interesting gossip. Robin turned red, I laughed. "Seems you don't have a problem down there any longer." "No. It appears I'm working just fine." "The only thing I can say is that we had better get you out of here as fast as I can. You drove that poor nurse frantic. By the way Keith, before you do anything else, you might want to wash your face." Robin, who was still red, got a bit brighter. "So what do you have in mind to do to me today?" I asked. "Get you up and out. How about going over to the lab?" "That would be great, when?" "After you clean up. We'll get a wheelchair for you. That is still a long walk. I don't want you to do it over and back. So you can go over in the wheelchair, and if you feel up to it, walk back. I want to see you when you get back, to see how you did." "Sounds good." ------- Beth Ann, Mary, and Kristin had shown up, hearing that I was going to see the fresh air. They planed on escorting me. To tell the truth, with classes over, they had little to do. I was ready to leave the room, when the phone rang. It was a call I had anticipated, and I asked Beth Ann to get it. She looked at me suspiciously, but answered it. No one else, except Robin, knew what the call was about. Beth Ann sat on the bed, saying just a few words. As soon as she hung up, she looked at me. "It's all over, isn't it?" "Yes, it is. No more worries." Beth Ann started crying. Mary and Kristin wanted to know who that was on the phone, what was going on. She explained that was the state patrol office. They had escorted her uncle to the state border, where he was greeted by the next set of patrol cars. She had been assured he would be 'escorted' all the way back home. Kristin and Mary were looking at me. "What did you do?" "Just made a call or two. That's all." "A call or two?" Mary asked. "Yes, your father said he'd make the rest." Everyone laughed. It set a good mood for the day. Beth Ann was suddenly much more relaxed. A wheelchair was set outside my door and I walked to it. We crowded into the elevator and left the hospital. It felt good to be out in the warm air. We arrived at the science building, housing our lab, without any trouble. The guard at the building was amazed to see me get up and walk, albeit slowly, up the flight of stairs. I knocked on the door of the lab. Shelly opened the door, gasped, and then hugged me. Waving everyone inside, she started to pull at me. I had to slow her down. Dr. Jameson was at a station that I had not seen before. He turned and looked, then paused before turning back. "Good to see you're finally on your feet. Some people will do just about anything to get out of research work." "I guess I wasn't used to how many rats would be running around," I countered. "Some of us are more in tune to their behavior." He laughed, "I can see how you and Shelly got along so well. She has as sharp a tongue and mind as you do." "You are one to talk. So what do we have here?" Shelly showed Beth Ann (who had not been there since my fall), Mary, Kristin, and Robin around. Dr. Jameson and I talked through the experiments that I had started, to the ones he was now starting. Somewhere in the midst of that, the gals left for lunch. When they came back, bringing with them something for the two of us, we were still talking away. Shelly and Beth Ann looked over some of the test subjects. Robin, Kristin, and Mary came over and sat listening. They had never seen me work. Most of what I did was not as hands-on as one might assume. That was one of the reasons I had originally wanted to pass on this fieldwork. I was a critical thinker, looking at the problem in as many ways as I could. Dr. Jameson told me then, that he had wondered about my consulting on the process. Now, after this short time, he considered my knowledge and thoroughness an asset for the whole program. We planned to get together the next day, and set up a system to work for us. Standing, I shook his hand. I gave Shelly a hug and whispered in her ear that Anthony was worried about our good doctor's possible advances on her. I could feel the blush, before I pulled back to see it. I just smiled, and she gave me a wicked look, before laughing. As I was walking down the stairs, I was rather pleased. I could keep my hand in and see what was being done, but not need to be dealing with the day-to-day operation. ------- Sarah didn't know what she was going to find when she arrived at school the next day. In her mind many scenarios played out, most not nice. What she didn't expect is that everything would be normal. The kids talked in groups as they always had, the teachers hurrying here and there, the bus arriving. No one stared, no one pointed their finger. It was as if yesterday was like a dream that didn't happen. That was until she got into her first period class. Sally turned around and smiled at her, and then passed her a note. Sarah opened it up, careful not to let the teacher see it. Want to sit at a new table today? "Sarah?" Sarah jolted, looking up at the teacher in the front of the class, suddenly realizing that she had been off in a daydream. "I'm sorry Miss Henderson, what was that?" Miss Henderson raised her eyebrows. Sarah was a very good student, and although away quite often, was able to catch up to what the class was doing. She had heard in the teacher's lounge yesterday what Sarah had said at lunchtime, and it had concerned her. "I asked if you could stay for a minute after class." Sarah looked nervously at Sally, but said, "Yes, of course." Several boys snickered. Mainly because the only reason they had been asked to stay after, was to be sent to detention. As the bell rang the teacher called, "Sarah." "Yes," Sarah said nervously. A few of the troublesome kids had a smirk on their face, looking at Sarah, as everyone filed out. "Come sit down here, please." The teacher took a long look at Sarah, "I've heard that you made quite a breakthrough yesterday." "A what?" "A breakthrough. You took an opinion that was yours and stuck it out, no matter what others thought." "Well, I guess..." "My guess is that you were able to do so, because you felt so strongly that your position was right." "It is right!" The teacher nodded, "You will find that many people have 'right' ideas, Sarah. Most people don't act on them though. They sit in silence." "I found that out, yesterday." "I'm not surprised. What will surprise you though, is that people will look up to you for different reasons." "What do you mean?" "Say a girl thought you were just so wonderful, you were the person to like." "That makes me ill, now." Miss Henderson smiled. "That same girl, not knowing all of the problems you faced before, sees you as someone new. It is terribly exciting. They will watch you all the time." "That sounds the same. It also sounds rather hollow." "Yes it does now, doesn't it? Sarah, it's easy to get pulled into the same game that you always were doing. It makes people feel comfortable, and that is where they want you to be." Sarah looked perplexed. "Just think of what I've said. It will come to you. I'm sure of it. You are a bright girl. Now let me write a note for you. You're late for your next class." ------- Mrs. Montgomery looked back at the Seaside Motel and smiled. It had been a bit small for her three children and herself. Being right on the beach, the isolation of this town, and the kitchenette that these units had, all had been desirable. Now, it was onto their latest adventure. She didn't mind at all. Her children were receiving an education many never knew. They didn't just read about whale migration, they had seen it. The textbooks could never describe the smell of sulfur in the boiling pots of mud at the Volcano. It had only been six years since its last eruption, and they had run into many guides that had witnessed it first hand. Packing up the car had been the easiest chore ever. She had not seen her children so excited about anything in a long time, and marveled at their cooperation. After breakfast and a goodbye to their oceanfront home, they were on the road. Katharine had looked at the map before taking off. The coastal route, Highway 1, was long. But it looked to be a beautiful trip. She was planning to make it to Santa Barbara for the night. The map was rather deceiving. It did not give the indication of how narrow or curvy the road was. It was very slow going. When they stopped for lunch and she looked at her map, she was dismayed at how little progress they had made. To top that off, a lot of the area was in fog. It made seeing the ocean impossible. Worse yet, it made driving hard on her. Food had done the trick, and they got back into the car. This time, Katherine started singing. She taught her children some new songs along the way. It kept her mind sharp, and her children occupied. That lasted for a while. But then the touching started, and then the pushing and pulling. Kenneth, Kristina, and Elizabeth went silent, when their car suddenly pulled off the road and screeched to a halt. Their mother had only done that once before. She turned to them, then suddenly opened up her door and left the car. They looked back and forth, from one to the other. This was nothing that had ever happened before, and it scared the children. Katherine stood by the guardrail, looking out into the white fog. She was taking deep even breaths, trying to regain herself. Just as she had been about to let her children have it, she saw their frightened faces. This was supposed to be a fun trip, but the fog was making her mood foul. As she thought about it, that fog probably affected her children as well. She turned back to the car, opened the door and noted the silence. As she slipped into the seat, she sighed, and then turned to them. "I think it would be best if we slowed down, all of us. We need to have some fun, and this fog is putting a damper on our moods. Lets find the next place and stop, so we can have a bit of running around." "That sounds great, Mom." "Yeah!" "Yes, that does sound like fun. And Mom, we're sorry." Tears welled up in Katherine's eyes. "It wasn't your fault," then she smiled, "well not entirely," and then reached over and tickled her daughter. ------- When Jack, Joey, Catherine, and Jeannette announced they were heading out for a hike, Richard and Katy were more than pleasantly surprised. They had decided to stay at Anthony's for the day; only to find out Keith's parents, as well as his aunt and uncle, had the same idea. Richard had to go into his room and cool off a bit. Katy had been a bit tense being in someone else's house, with a group of strangers. Their lovemaking had tapered off to almost nothing. When he mentioned that Keith (in the hospital) was more active then he was, Katy snorted. Later that morning, her suggestion to stay back had driven his anticipation into high gear, only to see it fall apart. Now it looked like everything was falling into place. He couldn't wait for them to leave. As soon as the door shut, he was pulling her into their bedroom. "Richard! They could come back," she giggled "Not likely. I asked them three times if they had everything." He paused as he got to the bedroom door. "Well, if I must then," Katy sighed, then jumped onto the bed and turned to see Richard admiring her. "You are so lovely." She smiled at him, and started to undo her blouse. She could see the wild need in his eyes. As soon as she had her blouse undone, she sat up on the bed. Pulling her blouse off, she then made a production of removing her bra. Richard was licking his lips, as she crooked her finger motioning him to come closer to her. To tell the truth, Katy was in as bad a shape as Richard. She needed him as much as he did her. That didn't overcome her need to act proper among these older adults. It was just something she couldn't overcome. Now, as they were alone again, her needs surfaced. Katy undid Richard's pants in nothing flat, and as they were starting to fall, her hand was at the waistband of his underwear. His erect dick nuzzled her cheek as she lowered his underwear, and she let out a little moan. Not wanting to waste any more time, Katy took Richard's dick in her hands and guided it to her mouth. "Ohhhh. That feels so nice." ------- Outside, the hikers took their time as they redistributed the packs. The slope in Anthony's back yard led to open forest. There was a path on his property, between the landscaping. As soon as Jack met the fork in the path he started to turn around. Between two large bushes was a clear view inside Katy and Richard's bedroom. There was no mistaking what was going on. It stopped Jack short and he ended up falling over. The fall was embarrassing enough, but as the others came up to see the reason for his abrupt stop, he was further embarrassed. "Jack!" Catherine said when she glanced in. "Can't two people have a little privacy when they," she glanced back in. "Oh my." That of course brought her brother and sister to look. "Wow!" Joey said; which got him a slap on the arm. As Jack got back up, each one of them again stole glances at the forbidden sight. Katy was giving quite a blowjob, and it was very obvious that Richard was enjoying the treatment. As far as the men were concerned, that spotting had done wonders. Little tidbits of conversation were now concerning sex. A lot of subtle touching was happening as well. Katy and Richard were not the only ones who were feeling the lack of sexual contact. On the next rise Catherine looked back, stopped and just stared, causing the others to do the same. ------- Katy could feel Richard getting close. She did something she had rarely done. As she felt his dick enlarge in her hands, she pulled it out of her mouth and pumped his cum all over her face, letting it splash down onto her breasts. I hadn't taken Richard much time to get there and as soon as he was ready to shoot, his beautiful wife surprised him. It was so erotic that is cum was stronger than normal. When he was down to just dribbles he felt weak. That and his pants down around his legs contributed to him falling over. Katy started laughing and Richard joined in. They felt so free. Richard sat up, wondering how he was going to keep up with her after that draining experience. He soon had his answer. Katy, with two fingers, started scooping up his cum on her body and sucking it clean off her fingers. That sight alone started getting him hard again. He was on his hands and knees, growling, as he approached her. The smile on her face was mixed with anticipation of the wild animal at her feet ready to attack. Richard leaped up in front of her. She fell back as he grabbed her around her waist, his head buried into her breasts. He could taste the saltiness of his own cum on her, but his state of arousal was too great to care about it much, at this point. He sucked a nipple into his mouth, causing her to gasp with pleasure. His hands were moving down and reached her hips. As he pulled his hands from around her back, his fingers felt the zipper to her skirt. He quickly pulled that down as he moved to her other breast. Her state of consciousness was enough to lift herself, letting Richard tug down her skirt. As soon as he had it down below her knees, he left her delicious breasts and made a trail of kisses down her belly. His hands now had hold of her panties, and they too were pulled down. As his mouth lowered, his hands took hold of her legs and pulled them up and out, leaving her skirt and panties on the floor. He ate in earnest as she moaned with approval. After bringing her to a second orgasm, she pushed his head away. "I want that hard dick in there. Now." Richard smiled and was more than ready to comply. He started to climb up, but she stopped him. Then she pushed him back and stood, turned around, and straight legged bent over. Resting her head and arms on the bed, she looked back at him. "Now I'm ready." He looked at the sight before him, her swollen mons waiting for him. He stood behind her and holding onto her hips, pressed his dick at its target. He watched as her lips spread and his head slipped in, and then down. He tried it again. The third time, he used his hand to position his dick and it slipped in. Placing his hands back onto her hips, he now rocked himself within her, sliding his dick in and out. This is what Catherine saw as she looked back. It was far enough away that details weren't visible, but the effect of what was going on, was very evident. ------- Sarah went out to lunch with apprehension. When Marcy at 'her' table waved to her, she just about died. 'Didn't I just yell at her, yesterday?' Sarah thought. Then it hit her, what her teacher had said, she had changed, but no one else had. Well, other than Sally and Vivian. Sally came up to Sarah, "Did you get my note? What did the teacher say to you? She didn't see it did she? You're not in trouble are you?" "Sally! Stop." Sarah laughed. "I can't even remember the first question you asked me." Sally realized she had been rambling, and started to laugh as well. "No, I'm not in trouble. The teacher just wanted to talk with me." Then looking Sally straight in the eye, she asked, "Are you sure you want to sit somewhere different?" Sally nodded her head as Vivian came up. It was the first time they had seen each other that day. "Hi, Sarah." "Hi, Vivian. This is my friend Sally. Sally this is Vivian." The two girls looked at each other and smiled. "We were just wondering where to sit for lunch." Vivian's eyes grew large, "You mean you're not going to sit at your table?" "It's just a table, when the younger kids come out here to eat, someone else sits there." "I never thought of that." "Who do you usually sit with Vivian?" "You don't want to sit there," Vivian said quickly. "Vivian, the truth," Sarah said to her, "Why not?" Vivian looked down at the ground, "'Cause we don't fit in anywhere else." "Come on, let's get in the line," Sarah said. Walking through it, she made Vivian tell them about the other three that sat there. "Bob is the smartest math person in the school," Vivian said. "He likes chess, and no one in town can beat him. But he never talks to anyone, without making references to things no one understands. He is a nice boy though, never mean. "Jean, she never says more than two or three words the entire lunchtime. She looks like no one ever fed her, and she is dressed in the same clothes day after day. She is a sweetheart though. "Marg, she is the pretty one, well most of the time. She is also very shy," Vivian had added quickly; that Marg was clumsy, so not to mention the bruise on her arm. Sally and Sarah looked at each other. "We're sitting at your table, today," Sarah announced. "Are you sure?" "Are you sure, Sally?" "Yes, I think I need to." "Yes, lead the way." Vivian was still having a hard time with this. She felt like she was going to turn around and they wouldn't be there, they'd be over at their table laughing. When she looked back, they were right behind her. When they arrived at her table, she felt a sense of pride being able to introduce them. Sarah's table looked at the two girls in shock. They couldn't believe what the girls were doing. They couldn't comprehend why they would lower themselves. Marcia said they would not allow the girls to come back, for they had violated the trust. This statement from Marcia didn't last as long as she had hoped. After the initial shock of seeing Sarah McCarran at another table, the people around her were all ears. Sarah had been exposed to too much (in terms of politics) and knew that if she was going to make a point, she needed people on her side. She did what she could do best, tell a few good jokes. As the laughter arose from the tables surrounding Sarah and Sally, the girls at her former table first became mad, and then became worried. Their status was at stake. Sally, the ever-conscious one of how people were feeling around her noticed the girls at their former table fuming, she told Sarah. Glancing over, so as not to look obvious, she saw their expressions and as she knew how they operated, this worried her for a moment. As Sally took over the next joke, Sarah was able to think. What came to her was, how would Keith, or Robin, or Daisy deal with this? As the laughter died down, Sarah said to Sally that she needed Sally to follow her cue, and that what seemed very wrong would turn out right. Sally looked uncertain, but just nodded. After all, things were going much better than they had all year for her. Sarah excused herself, Sally followed suit and the two walked over to 'their' table. Sarah sat down and motioned Sally to do the same before anyone could say a word. "Just what do you think you were doing?" Marcia asked. Sally cringed. "Why? Were you jealous of the people we were talking to?" Marcia looked at Sarah in disbelief, "What?" "What's the problem? Were you jealous?" "Of course not, why would I want to talk with them?" "Then what's the problem? Why does it make any difference to you who I talk to?" Now everyone was looking at Marcia. "Fine talk to anyone you want, but don't think you are welcome at this table." "Marcia, I plan on sitting anywhere I want, and talking with anyone I want. So will Sally. You know as well as I do, that if we all wanted to sit in the center of the tables we could. This isn't really our table now is it? Why does it really bother you so much?" Marcia looked away. She knew that Sarah McCarran was the top of the social chain, and that what she had said for years, was what went. Sarah's behavior was unheard of, and the next school year (when they were in high school), things would be different. ------- Joey and Jeanette were looking at the forbidden sight, and then at each other. The scene at the beginning of the little walk had fueled their passion; this made it go over the top. "The path has a couple of different routes, maybe we should each take a different one," Joey said. Jack was quick on the uptake, thinking the same way, "That sounds like a good plan. Then we can tell each other what we saw." Catherine elbowed Jack for that last part, and he grinned. The women had a bit better self-control, but only a bit. The men were stealing glances, as they proceeded, as much as they could, until Richard and Katy's forms were out of sight. Soon as there was a fork in the path, as a large grove of trees were in the way. Each couple went their separate way. Joey had taken a little walk up just past this, the day before. He quickly wanted to go to the left. As Sandra and Jack started off to the right, Joey bent down to tie his shoe. He was biding time. As soon as they were around the bend, he took Jeanette's hand and pulled her along. As soon as they turned the bend, he pulled her into a little hollow, to the right of their path. Jeanette giggled, Joey kissed her, and they lowered to the grass covered ground. It couldn't have been better choreographed. As Joey and Jeanette were lowering, Jack and Catherine were finding a hollow in the grove of woods on the left of their path. They smiled and snuck in as though they were little children doing something naughty. Snapping of twigs could be heard. But on both sides of a few trees separating the two areas, the same sounds were happening. Jack looked at the surroundings. Light was filtering in from what looked like an opening in the trees and had Joey and Jeanette still been standing, he would have seen them. The open area they were in was no more than six or seven feet in diameter. The ground was flat, but twigs littered the ground. Catherine watched as he took off his shirt and laid it on the ground. When he slipped off his shoes and undid his belt, she touched his arm, looking at him surprised. Jack just smiled. He dropped his pants and spread that on the ground as well. Taking his wife in his arms, Jack kissed her as he lowered her to the ground. Joey was fumbling with Jeanette's buttons, she had a dress that buttoned up the front and he was preparing to undo all of them. She smiled at him, removed his hands and started to undo them herself. He sat back and watched, then it dawned on him and he started undressing as well. Catherine was in a relaxed state as Jack pulled open her blouse. Her thoughts were a mix of the quiet surroundings, the pretty trees that surrounded them, and the forbidden sights of Richard and Katy. She was in need and there was no denying that. As Jack got the zipper of her skirt, she lifted herself so that he could pull it down and off of her. Jack was in awe that she would let him go this far, out in open. When he reached for her panties, she lifted for him. As he moved down, over the top of her, he slid them down her legs. His face looked right into her sex. Instead of continuing down, he pulled her legs up. This removed her panties, but also opened her legs. She saw what he was up to and smiled, she had her own possibilities, right over her face. Catherine snaked her hand into Jacks underwear. When he felt her hand grasp his dick he stiffened, so to speak, then continued on his route. She pulled his growing dick out of the fly, as he was lowering his head into her pussy. The dick running across her mouth stifled her groan, as Jack drove his tongue into her. Jeanette was laid out smiling at him as he pulled off the last of his clothing. They had always been a bit playful, ever since she had caught his eye and trapped him forever. He started at her toes and worked his way up. She moved her legs into a bent position and spread them, knowing where his mouth was headed. She let out a little whimpering sound that was lost to the wind as he found her stop. The two ladies, with only a few trees to separate the world they surrounded themselves in at the moment, were coming up to the edge. It hadn't taken long for either one. The timing, the sights, the openness, was all a mix of the allure. Catherine started with a low moan. Jeanette soon joined in. Being sisters, their cry was nearly the same. Catherine died down as Jeanette started to as well. Although they were not in sync, it was not obvious that there was not a bit of a lingering sound, echoing in the trees. So that neither couple paid any attention to it. What did happen at the same time was the entrance of the men into their wives. The grunting sound from the gals was almost simultaneous. Both Jack and Joey liked the missionary position and were as anxious to get themselves off, as the gals had been able to. Neither man made much of any notice, although the women did. It wasn't until Jack was just over the top, thrusting in for that final push that the sound of Joey could be heard. It didn't register to Jack who was too far gone. He cried out himself. The realization that they were within hearing distance of each other was startling. Clothes started rustling. There was no after glow to be had. Jack and Joey glanced at the sparse opening and saw each other through the branches, then quickly looked away. Each man knowing the other was looking, as they had upon Richard and Katy. On each side, they ran outside of the wooded area, and onto their paths. They were still tying their shoes. The ladies were red from embarrassment. The two couples hurried down the path, not wanting to have the other find them. What they didn't realize, was that the paths came back together on the far side of the wooded area. As soon as they saw each other, Jack and Joey couldn't help but start laughing. The embarrassment of it all was too much, and Catherine and Jeanette joined in. ------- "There's a place," little Kenneth said. He had pointed out every eating place on the road for the past hour, although that wasn't a lot, none of them were of up to the standard Katharine wanted for her children. "Not yet, Kenneth," she replied. "Are we ever going to stop?" The little dark headed boy cried in frustration. Katharine saw the sign she had waited for, and turned, going away from highway 1, to the east. "Kenneth, there is a nice town coming up in a few miles. I'll bet we can find something there." She remembered this little town on a vacation she had with her husband, before her children were born. She wondered how much the town had changed. Solvang came up in the next ten miles, and Katherine pulled up in the downtown area. Kenneth, Kristina, and Elizabeth were very happy to get out of the car. They looked at the buildings, and then at their mother. "This town has a very large population of Danish. I think you will like the food," she said as they passed a bakery. The children's eyes opened wide. The buildings were like nothing they had ever seen before. They could see a windmill, the people dressed in funny costumes, the funny lettering. Finding a nice restaurant, they ate and Katharine's fatigue started setting in. "I think we will spend the night here," she said. "You mean we're not going to get there tonight?" Kenneth said disappointed. Katherine smiled and rubbed his hair, "No, we are about half way there I think." "Only half way!" Kristina said. "Don't worry dear; most of the windy road is behind us now." "That's good," Kenneth said in a voice that was a bit too loud, "cause I thought I was going to barf." "Kenneth! Mind your manners," Katherine said, sternly. Kristina and Elizabeth were trying not to laugh. "Well, I did," Kenneth said softly and sulkingly. Katharine looked over to Kenneth with compassion in her eyes, "Then you should have told me. We could have stopped for you to get out." "But I wanted to get there." "We will," Katharine was amazed at the effort her children were putting into seeing the town, or better, seeing the two people who had obviously had an effect on their lives. The waitress had been to their table more times than anyone else's, finally she couldn't contain herself. Kneeling down in front of Kenneth, she said, "You look just like my cousin Mathew. He is the most adorable child I've ever met. I love to be around him." Then she smiled and looked at Katharine, "It makes me want to have children, lots of them." Katherine laughed, "Well, it's a lot of hard work, but if you spend the time with them, they are a lot of fun." Then she took the waitresses hand and looked at it, then up to her face. The waitress blushed, "Yes, I know. I need to get married first." Then she leaned over and whispered, "This town has one type of man to offer, if you know what I mean." "I do, indeed. Have you thought of going to college?" "No, I can't afford anything like that." "You might be surprised. Can you afford to stay here, and get what comes along?" The waitress was pulled away, but came back near the end of the meal. "Are you spending the night here?" "Yes, any suggestions? The last time I was here, there was no hotel." "There's only one in town, you can't miss it. Just look for the windmill in the front. Are you coming back for breakfast?" "Will you be working?" "I'd switch if I knew you'd be here." Katharine smiled, "No need to switch. Come by, and I'll take you to breakfast." "Wow, that's a deal. What time?" When the waitress left, Elizabeth said, "Mom, we've never been here before. I think I'd remember a town like this." "I said I've been here. It was with your father, before you were born." The children noticed the tear forming, the far away look in her eye, and decided not to ask any more questions. The motel was easy to find, and they were situated. Kenneth was ready to climb into bed as soon as they arrived in the room. Katharine got the two girls down and set out everything for the morning. She saw the card for Santa Ines mission, thinking to herself that would be a good detour for her children. She was ready to retire herself, when Kenneth got up. "I don't feel good." ------- I got the call that I knew was coming, but wasn't looking forward to. "Keith? This is Jeanette." "Hello, I haven't seen you in a few days, what were you doing today?" "Oh, never mind that," I heard a hesitation in her voice. "It is time to talk with your father. I think today is the best day to do that." "Today?" "Yes," another hesitation, "there were things that happened today, that make it a good time to do it. I think it will be best." "Then I need to get Kristin and Robin." "I guess that would be best." I laughed. I needed to, knowing this was going to be difficult. "It will take both of them to pick up the pieces of me." Jeanette laughed now, "That's what Joey thought. He had to change his pants before he got out of his room." "You're not helping." "Keith," she said full of compassion, "you have parents who understand a lot more than mine did." She got a bit choked up, "There is no one who would question your love for your sister." "I guess my mom was pretty smart, asking you to come." "Or desperate!" Now I could laugh again. "No, my mom has always said such good things about you, too. I always thought she had a thing for your husband. If I would have known he was her brother, I would have died." "Oh, really? Hmm. I'll have to ask her about that." "Don't you dare." "Keith, you should know. Everything in a family will be used against you." "Aunt Jeanette, you make me laugh." "Good! Now your mother and I have a few things cooked up for your father, and then we need you to arrive." We talked a bit more about how this could work, and then I was on the phone to my sister. "I need you to practice driving my car." "You trust me?" "No," I laughed, "but I can't drive." "I'll get you for that." "I already got you." I could feel her smiling through the phone. "Yes, you did. So when do you want to do this?" "Now. We have a date for later." "A date?" "I'll tell you when we are in the car." "Sounds mysterious," she laughed. "How are you breaking out?" "I have a bit more freedom, as long as they can monitor me every now and then. Robin will come with me." "This sounds better all the time." "Kristin!" She just laughed, "I'll meet you, ok?" ------- This was not how it was suppose to happen. Not at all. I'm not at all sure what went wrong; but here I was, sitting in a room, with my father staring at me. I don't know what could be worse. Gone was the hero that saved a town, gone was man that fell three stories and lived to tell about it. I was my father's son, being stared at. It was one of the worst feelings I knew. He didn't say anything, he didn't need to, his look said it all. Aunt Jeanette and Catherine came through the door, with Uncle Joey right behind them. They stopped abruptly. I saw Kristin and Robin peering in the door, not sure whether to come in or stay out. I looked at my mother, tears welling up in my eyes. I knew the consequences of having my parents disapprove. But when it happens, the blow is too much to handle at times. Aunt Jeanette was the first to move. She walked over to my father and much to his surprise, sat on his lap. "Don't tell me that you have harbored disapproving feelings towards me and my brother, all these years." "What?" my father said. "Here let me whisper it again." We watched as Jeanette nuzzled into him, whispered in his ear and then nibbled on it. The discomfort it gave him was obvious. "It's not the same," he said. "No, you are right. This time they have parents who might not kick them out of the family." My father looked at Jeanette and felt the pain in those harsh words, seeing the water in her eyes. He knew from his wife the times she would write, crying out her pain. It had been a very hard path those two had taken. He reached out and pulled her close, to comfort her. "Jack, don't tell me you haven't seen the love they have shared for years." He was silent. "I remember what my sister said when Keith left the house. Don't tell me you could forget that." My father looked at me, "But he should have known better. He did then." I noticed Robin walking in the room. I saw the tears on her face. "It wasn't him. It was me. I'm the one to blame." "And it was me, daddy. I climbed in bed with him, not the other way around." My father shook his head, "What is it with women these days?" My mother moved, and as Aunt Jeannette moved to one leg on my father, my mother sat on his other leg. She nuzzled into him, and whispered into his ear. A blush could be seen rising on him and my uncle motioned for us to leave the room. When the door closed behind us, he said, "I don't know how you got stuck in there, Keith." "I don't either, to tell you the truth." "Your mother and her sister were supposed to ply your father first, now it looks like it is happening all backwards." Kristin, Robin, and I looked back and forth to each other. "What do you mean, ply?" Uncle Joey smiled. "You don't think that your father hasn't looked at his wife's sister a time or two?" Kristin and I looked at each other, obviously we hadn't. Joey looked at our state of denial and laughed. "Well, I looked at my sisters." That broke the tension. He did have a point there. We were walking down the hall laughing. We heard the door open behind us, turning we saw my father. "Aren't you going to help me?" he asked Joey. "Not on your life. Look what happened when one of those sisters got hold of me." The look on my father's face was priceless, as the door was shut, by someone other than him. "I think they will be in there for some time. When those two gang up on you, you never have a chance," Uncle Joey smiled. "I know from experience. "Shall we take a little hike?" Uncle Joey asked, "There are some interesting sights one can see from the back." ------- Franklin had been counseling for two days now. The normally sparkling Mildred was so sad, but had resigned herself to the facts. Robert was a different story and Franklin was the most worried about him. His state of denial was high. He had refused to call and let anyone know what was going on. Robert was the one living, but you wouldn't have thought so. He needed to be there and support his wife, but he couldn't. When Franklin had suggested that he should call and at least let their daughters know, the anger that erupted from Robert was so great that he had backed away, deciding that it could wait. That incident also stopped him from going any further with pushing for Robert to make any contacts. Now the Chaplin was on his own. Helping a woman deal with dying, and her husband who could not fathom living without his wife. The three times he had brought them together had been frustrating. Yet he persisted, and this was one more time he was trying. "Robert, she needs you," Franklin said standing outside her door. "What am I ever going to do without her?" "Robert, open the door and go in." "I don't want to lose her! Why, why, is this happening?" It had been the same as the time before, but this time Franklin had not had enough sleep to remain objective. "At least you have time to say goodbye. Some of us never got the chance. Get in there and spend time with her." Franklin opened the door and pushed Robert in. Then realizing what he had just done, walked away. He needed some time alone, to collect his thoughts. And to stop reliving the past, himself. ------- Chapter 48 "Scott, this is Sarah." "Hi, Sarah," he dragged out her name, making it sound sweet. He could still make her blush, even though they had never been anything more than good friends. He was two years older, and had been the boy who taught her how to kiss. That was almost two years ago. He owed her a favor, and she was calling it in. "You do remember you owe me a favor?" His interest peaked, "Yes, what did you have in mind? Any time alone with you?" Sarah laughed. He might never want her as a girlfriend, as they had been almost like brother and sister growing up, but that had never stopped him from being horny. "Not me, Scott. But I would like you to teach someone. That is, if you remember how." "Oh, that's not nice," then he laughed. "What friend of yours needs to learn anything? I hear Marcia is making moves on a friend of mine, and would do just about anything for him. She's going to get herself in trouble if she doesn't watch out." Scott had brought up an unpleasant reminder of her 'group' "Thank you, Scott. This is a new friend, and she is a bit shy. And no, I didn't say ugly, I said shy. So keep that comment to yourself." Scott laughed, she knew him too well. "So what do you want me to do, exactly?" "She doesn't know much of anything about guys, so obviously she's never kissed one. I want you to teach her. You know, like you did with me. Make it so she is comfortable with boys." "And she's game for this?" Sarah smiled to herself, "Oh, yes. She's very ready." Scott, feeling rather cocky now said, "So how long do I have to transform this shy one with my amazing powers" Sarah couldn't help but laugh, "Amazing powers? Well then if they are so amazing, then one time will do it. Say two hours, this Saturday." "Two hours! Saturday! Why do I feel like I'm being set up? Where is this supposed to take place anyway?" "Scott, why would I want to set you up? Hmmm? The girls name is Vivian, she's in eighth grade, so no one will know. Saturday morning there's a baseball game. You are going to meet me there, and then we'll go to the tree at the edge of the park. I'm sure you remember which one that is." Scott had to chuckle. He remembered that well, although he hadn't used it in a year or so. "Ok, I'll do it. But then my debt to you is over, right?" "Right; that is if you do good," Sarah said, laughing. "I have a reputation to uphold here too, you know," he laughed back. "I'm curious though, what's with the girl, I mean why are you doing this?" "She reminds me of a dear friend I have, who lives in Carp." "Where?" "Never mind, Scott. She's just someone who needed a friend, and I was there for her." "Sarah, I hate to say it, but that doesn't exactly sound like you." "Not the old me, maybe, but I've changed a lot." "Has it been that long since I've seen you?" "Thanks, Scott. No, it has all happened recently. On the last trip I took with my father." "Oh, so something interesting happened?" The emotion welled up inside her again. "Sarah... Sarah?" Scott asked again. "I just changed a lot," she said, in broken words. "Sarah," he said, with more concern in his voice than she had heard in a long time, "what happened?" ------- "Keith?" My father's voice penetrated my consciousness like a scalpel cuts through an artery. The last tests that the doctor had put me through had almost done me in. He assured me if I passed, then I would be on my way. I looked up to see my mother, Aunt Jeanette, Uncle Joey, and Kristin, coming into my hospital room. I felt my hand being squeezed, and knew Robin was by my side. "Yes," I answered apprehensively. He pulled a chair up to my bed. "I don't think I need to tell you that this is not what I would choose for you," he looked at my mother and her sister. "Love, I know, does not always work the way convention would hold. I must admit that Jeanette and Joey have been one of the happiest couples I've known. Their children are not deformed. They do not have letters on their chest. They are, quite frankly, as normal as anyone. He sighed, "But that feeling is not mirrored by most people. You have also not chosen to take your sister as your wife, but as a..." "Wife, just not legally," Robin interjected. She was the only one who could have said that, and make it valid. "Robin, I don't understand you at times." "Keith loved her before he loved me, loved her very much. That has never gone away, but I don't think you would doubt that he loves me. He can be legal with me, but the love between them, is as intense as it is with us. I know it, and don't feel cut out. I know he loves me." My father turned back to me. "I don't know that you could ever have my... blessing, but I'm not going to be hypocritical either." He allowed a little smile, "There is also no way you will keep me from my grandchildren." "You mean that, Daddy?" Kristin said, coming over to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Kristin, this life you have chosen will not be easy for any of you, or your children. You will have a lot of difficult times ahead. Know that your mother and I will be there for you, when you need us. We will not do as my wife's parents did. Your Aunt and Uncle will be there for you, as well. They know first hand a lot of the difficulties you will face, better than anyone." ------- The knocking on the door felt like the pounding in Katharine's head. Kenneth had woken up three times last night. She stumbled to get up, only to find that Kristina had opened the door, and was letting the waitress in, from the night before. Realization hit her. She had invited the poor girl to breakfast. Throwing on a robe, Katharine came out, looking not at all like she would wish anyone to see her. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but Kenneth was up most of the night." Concern came over the waitress's face, "Not the food, I hope." "No, we all ate the same. He also has a fever." "Oh, the poor dear. Is he any better?" "Still asleep, thank goodness." Just then they saw Elizabeth running through the room, her hands covering her face, toward the bathroom. Katharine put her face in her hands, "Another one down." "You go back to bed, I'll take care of her," the waitress said, and headed to the bathroom. Katharine sat down on the couch for a moment, listening. She heard the toilet flush, then the water running in the sink. The water stopped and the two came out, Elizabeth looking pale and being helped over to the couch. "You are no good to your kids this way. Go get some sleep. That's what my mother always says." "Smart mother, that is what I used to say to my patient's families," Katharine said as she pushed herself up. "Patients?" "I was a nurse, worked for an orthopedic surgeon." "Oh, then you didn't have to deal with sick ones like this." "Only my own," then she shuffled back to bed. The waitress was sitting on the couch, her hand around Elizabeth singing her songs, when Kenneth came into the room. He saw the waitress, and ran to her, landing in her lap. When Katharine woke again, she heard humming. She went out to find two children gently being rocked, asleep on the couch, with the waitress humming lullabies. Smiling, Katherine said, "You'd better find that man, soon. You're a natural." "My mother had six children. I'm the oldest." "So you have, by default, raised a set already." "In a way, I guess. I've always enjoyed being in this role." ------- My mother told me they would be driving home with Joey and Jeanette. I knew my dad would put up with this only because it made my mom so happy. He was a really good man. Then, out of the blue (just as I had done at the base); I asked my mom off handedly if they would be staying any place along the way, where they could peek at other couples. The shade of red my mother turned was almost as bright as her lipstick. I had to laugh. I said Uncle Joey had told us some interesting tales, when Aunt Jeanette and she were talking to my dad. She narrowed her eyes and said, "He should know better. When Jeanette hears," she shook her head, "he'll get his." I laughed again. "You know, Keith..." "I do know, Mom. Thank you," I couldn't understand, but my eyes were watering, "I love you, Mom." She pulled me into a hug, holding me like I was a small child. In a way I guess I would always be that, to her. It was bittersweet, waving my parents off in the car with my Aunt and Uncle. I could not ask for better parents. They were there for me, us, when we really needed them. They also (well, now, at least) didn't try and interfere with our lives. As they were driving away, Jeanette looked back waving. I felt Kristin slip her arm around me. The smile on my Aunt's face was unmistakable. She was very pleased. It was nice to know that at least some of our relatives could be invited to Carp, without our needing to worry too much. Pamela and Stephanie were being rambunctious, running around the parking lot. No one could blame them. We had all been cooped up a bit too long. Robin gathered the two girls, along with Daisy, announcing that they needed to do something. Beth Ann had felt stifled by her Uncles appearance. Now she felt she, too, needed to get out. I looked over to Richard, who nudged Katy. "There is a little park, I understand." Beth Ann was the only one who blushed at its mention. "Men are not allowed there," Kristin said. "That's fine with me," Richard said, "I have been dying to look at the library." Beth Ann, Kristin, and Mary looked at him as though he must be insane. "It is much different if you are not going there for a class, to study." "I guess so. Still, it seems a bit strange," Beth Ann said. "And I have a place to go, as well. Have fun ladies." ------- Shelly looked out the door, "No one but you this time?" "Disappointed?" "No," then it dawned on her, "you're getting better." "Yes, much. My head still hurts and this cast is a pain..." Shelly laughed, "Yes, you are getting better. You can always tell when they start to complain." "Thanks. So, is the good doctor available?" Shelly gave me a grin and a wink, then staged whispered, "For you, he'll always be available." "I heard that!" he said, coming around a corner. "Keith! I'm glad you're here. Maybe you can explain what is going on with this test. The results we are getting just don't look right. I was ready to scrap it, until Miss Smarty Pants said we should ask you." I looked over at Shelly who was looking at the ceiling, but had a smile on her face. We spent the next hour looking over the test they had done, and the results they were gathering. This was my area of expertise, and what I thought was challenging. It took me about twenty minutes on my own, to start seeing a pattern. Another fifteen, to start seeing something I could explain. When I came back to him with some results, he looked at me, shaking his head. "You know, Keith, to tell you the truth, I wondered why we would need you to come and look over our shoulders, to see what we were doing. Now I know." I laughed. "I was ready to scrap the test. Shelly couldn't figure out what it was. But my guess is, she had worked with you long enough, to see you pull information out of thin air. It will not look good for me, if I'm running around in circles." "This is what I find fun about the job. The thinking part," I said. "You are going to be an integral part of this team, I can see," he was nodding his head, "I can understand now, what you were talking about before. You don't need to be here most of the time. Looking at the information, and making suggestions for further testing. Is that what you had in mind?" "It sounds like the perfect position, to me. I will need to figure out how to get up and back, in the best possible way. There will be results coming out at different times. So I see that, as the most difficult part of this whole idea." "You can always stay at my place, when you come into town." I turned around, hearing Anthony's voice. I smiled. He had his arm draped around Shelly. "Thank you. That is very generous, after having most of my family there," I laughed. He gave a smile, "I got to know the real you, Keith. You weren't around when they were telling me your childhood stories." I groaned, and he laughed. By the time I left, we had set up some preliminary plans of contact, and some tentative schedules. The one nice thing we didn't need to worry about was the budget. That was being taken care of as we needed it. It was also one of the reasons the doctor loved to work on this type of project. As I closed the door behind me, I heard Shelly ask Doctor Jameson if he would like to go to dinner with them. After a pause, and with a giggle in her voice; she said some woman's name I hadn't heard before, would be there. He quickly agreed. It was good to see that that had worked out nicely. If things progressed, the good doctor would be inclined to stay for some time. That would be very good for the research. ------- The waitress had been a godsend to Katharine. Kenneth was better, and Elizabeth was getting almost over it. Kenneth had been out to the pastry shop, twice. The second time with Kristina. Katherine knew that the waitress was spoiling them, particularly Kenneth, but running him ragged was so good for him. Good for everyone else around, too. With a tearful goodbye, they left as soon as Elizabeth was better. Just as their mom had said, the road was better. They made it past Santa Barbara and almost to Ventura, when Kristina told her mom to pull over. She almost didn't make it out of the car. It was a miserable four miles before they could get to a service station, and get her cleaned up. In the restroom, Katharine questioned her daughter, "How long were you feeling bad? Why didn't you tell me earlier? "Mom, we already wasted time at that town." "Kristina Louise! Your brother and sister were sick." Then it hit her. Kristina was also, but just hadn't let her know, that is until it was too late. "I'm not very happy with you. Now we need to stop again." "No! I'll be ok, really I will," she looked at her mother with pleading eyes. "Can't we just go on some more?" The determination of her children to get to this magical place was daunting. She hoped they wouldn't be sorely disappointed, when they got there. Katharine felt Kristina's forehead. "I'll make a deal with you. You tell me how you are feeling, and don't try and hide it, and we'll go on as far as possible." Then she narrowed her eyes, "But if you try this again, we will stop and stay in the first flea bag hotel that comes into sight. And your brother and sister will not be happy with you for making them stay there. Do I make myself understood?" "Yes, Mother." After some lunch (just a little broth, crackers, and lemon-lime soda for Kristina), they were traveling into the Los Angeles basin. It was a vast farming area, with some small and very large towns, scattered between. They were coming into Los Angeles itself, when Katharine saw a service station, and pulled in quickly. She jumped out of the car and rushed into the rest room. When she returned, opening the door, she looked a bit pale. "I'm afraid I've got it now," she said disappointedly. "What are we going to do?" Elizabeth asked. "My second cousins live down in this area. I think I will give them a call." She came back to the car, "I think I can make it, they said it would take about an hour from where we are." "Where is it?" "That long?" "How do we get there?" Katharine held up her hands, "Not so many questions. Just down this highway is the Long Beach highway and we take that down almost to the end." "Then what?" "Then we will turn on a road called 2nd Street. It's close to the ocean. Then it goes next to a military base, which is where my cousin works. They live on the other side of it." Katharine rubbed her face, sat down in the seat, and turned towards her children. "I'm sorry to have to do this too you. I know you are all anxious, but I feel miserable." They were all very sympathetic, they all knew just how she felt. But unlike them, she had no one to take care of her. The car was quiet on the drive down. There were a lot of interesting things to see. The children had never seen so many orange trees in their lives. Then out of what seemed to be nowhere, there was a town. Then it would dissolve into more orange groves. As they came to the end of the highway, the agriculture tapered off, and the housing was more prevalent. Katharine had only stopped once so far, but was feeling worse every mile. To her utter amazement Kristina had stoically said she was fine. "Mom, there is a hospital if you need one." Elizabeth said, noting her mother's pale complexion. In the back seat, Kenneth remarked, "And a bar across the street." "Kenneth!" Elizabeth scolded. He just grinned. "It's not very far now." Katharine had to thank her lucky stars she made it, as she pulled up in front of the small white house. Normally she would have looked at it, and thought it was much too small for her and her children to intrude upon, but she didn't feel in the mood to think at all. ------- The University operator called the apartment. Daisy was shaken when she handed the phone to Beth Ann. The few that were there, gathered around her to hear. "Yes, I will be here... The police? Yes. Alright then." Beth Ann hung up, and turned around to questioning faces. "The police called the University to find me. Apparently there is an important call that they needed to find me for." "Who is calling?" "I don't know. Daisy did you... Where did she go?" That question was answered moments later when Mary and Kristin came running in. "What's happening?" Mary wanted to know. Beth Ann looked perplexed. "I have no idea." Then her face turned sour. "I bet they need to fill out something about my Uncle." The mention of his name put a damper on the conversation. Everyone jumped slightly when the phone rang. Beth Ann hesitated. "Go ahead, it is only the phone," Mary said. "Hello." "Hello." "Mom!" Everyone looked at each other and then back to Beth Ann. "Your Aunt just called. Your Uncle showed up with two state troupers escorting his car, and without you. I called the police station there to find out what was going one. They wouldn't tell me anything, but did say they would find you. Would you like to explain?" Beth Ann was far enough removed at this point not to be scared, she was mad. "I bet he had no explanation, did he." "You're right, Dear. That is why I'm calling. He won't say a thing." "I bet he won't, Mom. You don't want to know the reason. You've never listened before, so why bother." Everyone in the room could see Beth Ann's regret in her face. This was obviously not how she wanted things to be. "I don't know what you are talking about. We have always listened to you." Beth Ann bit her lip, her eyes starting to water. "Do you remember when you first got sick, your sister came down to see you?" "Yes, I remember. But what has that got to do..." "Do you remember I called? You couldn't talk to me. Dad didn't have the time." "I still don't understand what this has to..." "Every time she came down to see you. Every time, Mom. Didn't you ever wonder why I didn't come, or why he stayed with me?" "Beth Ann!" "You sent me there to keep me away from what, Mom?" "Beth Ann. Stop it!" "You never questioned why he would drive all the way out here to pick me up. You never wondered why I wanted to be so far away, to be at school." "What are you saying Beth Ann?" "Ask him, Mom. If you want to know, ask him." Beth Ann heard the tears in her mother's voice. "You're not coming back are you? Never coming back?" "Ask him, Mom. I would never come back, if he was ever around." There was no response, just crying on the other end of the phone. It tore Beth Ann apart. "I'll call you, when I get to the place I'll be living soon. I don't want to say goodbye, Mom, but..." "You promise? You'll call?" "Yes, Mom. I promise." There was a pause in the conversation. "Goodbye, Mom. I'll call you." "Goodbye, sweetheart. Please... You know we love you." "Yes, Mom, I know. I love you, too" Beth Ann held on to the phone, looking at it. She slowly set the hand piece back on the receiver. Leaning against the wall, she sank down, grabbing onto her knees. In the fetal position, she started crying, and shaking. Kristin picked up the phone, and called my room in the hospital. I was glad I was there. "Hello, big brother." I smiled. "Hello, beautiful." "Beth Ann just got a call from her mother, asking why she didn't come home." Kristin then handed the phone to the surprised Beth Ann. "Beth Ann?" "Yes," came the timid voice. "What did you say?" The crying started again, but through it she said, "I think, too much." "Did you say what he really did?" "No! I couldn't." "Then what?" "I told my mom to ask him. I told her... I told her he wanted to be alone with me." "What did she say?" There was a pause. "Beth Ann?" "She sounded sad." "Beth Ann? How would you feel if you were told by your only daughter, the one you were protecting, that everything was wrong?" "I'd be sad... Oh, no! I've hurt my mom!" "No, Beth Ann. Keeping it inside you for so long hurt her more. You have helped her in the long run. It just isn't very pleasant right now, for her." "Keith, you know just what to say." "No, just sometimes. I put my foot in my mouth often enough. Just ask my sister." I heard Beth Ann laugh, that was a good sign. "Keith, I love you." I heard in the background, 'stand in line', from Mary's voice and my sister laughing. ------- "Keith, I hate to say it..." the doctor said, clipboard in hand. Then I saw the smile he was trying to conceal. "You are pulling my leg." "No, I do hate to say it. I would like you around here a bit longer. I just can't justify it. You are a free man." Robin squealed, and gave the doctor a big hug, then jumped onto the bed with me. I could see the doctor raise his eyebrows and wondered what kind of a show Robin was affording him. She wrapped her arms around me. Then looking into my eyes, she said, "I can't wait to get you into our regular bed." The doctor was shaking his head, but the smile remained on his face. "We have a pile of paperwork to go through yet, Keith. Don't run off yet." "I won't, unless something important comes up." The doctor laughed, "No wonder the nurses talk about you." "Oh?" "Don't you even think I'm going to divulge that privileged information!" he laughed. I felt truly free. First, my father was at least willing to accept our situation. Now, I could leave. It didn't seem real somehow. "Keith?" Robin said, bringing me back to reality. "Why don't you do that paperwork, and I'll gather your things." She gave me a kiss, and then pulled me up, so that I could go with the doctor. When I returned to my room, everyone was there. As soon as I opened the door, they yelled 'congratulations'. I was overcome. I took Stephanie and then Pamela, in my good arm, giving them a kiss. Of course, everyone else wanted one. The only one I didn't give a kiss to was Richard. But he wasn't looking for one. "As soon as we can pack everything, we are leaving." Everyone looked at each other. "If no one has an objection, I'd like to take a detour to see Liz and Jill." As I expected, everyone thought it was a grand idea. The plan was set then. We had three autos. Richard's, Mary's and mine. Richard's was full of things from his parent's home. We would be filling ours with Beth Ann and Kristin's college things. Mary would fill her trunk. We just hoped everything would fit. There would be room for all. The only down side that I could see, was that I wouldn't be able to drive, except maybe on the straight open road. Nothing could help that. I wanted to get on the road. For one, I was ready to get away from this place. Then there was a play I was anxious to see. ------- Katharine had waited until her second cousin's wife had gone out to the store. She gathered up her children. "We're leaving! Come on! Get everything, quickly!" Her children looked at each other. It had been a while since she had said something like that to them. But they listened to her. They were all out the door, within a few minutes. Elizabeth saw her mother write a note. She watched her mother put it, along with some money, in an envelope. The envelope was placed on the kitchen counter. Katharine drove away with the knowledge of where she was going, this time. Once on the highway, she picked up speed. Elizabeth, who had insisted on being in the front seat, spoke to her mother. "Is it the same reason we leave all the other relatives?" Katharine glanced over to her daughter, realizing she was growing up, and starting to notice things. Before she could respond, Elizabeth went on, "Is it the money?" "Yes, Elizabeth, it is. That's why I have told you never to say anything about that subject. Sometimes people get strange; relatives, especially. I was being pressured, and I don't like that feeling." "Then when we get to Carp, everything will be better," Elizabeth said, turning back straight in her seat, with a smile on her face. Katharine thought how nice it would be to have a simple approach to life, like her daughter saw things now. "You think so?" "I remember how you thought Keith was after your money." Katharine smiled, yes she had. It was Daisy, though, that had convinced her. No one could imagine what that poor girl had just been through. That was a chance meeting though. Her leaving this time, had been aggravated by the fact that her second cousin had ideas of building on an addition to their house, with Katharine footing the bill. It wasn't as much money as other relatives had tried to weasel out of her, but the principle was the same: expecting her to give them money. They had no clue as to what that money represented. It had been payment for her husband's life, and nothing had been enough to replace him. She still felt his loss, and it angered her. To her, it would have been the same as asking if her second cousin could cut off his leg. Because she'd like a new car and she could get one for a leg. She was almost done with the virus she'd had, and was well enough to drive. She took the opportunity to leave, instead of face another day there. Her thoughts were interrupted by Kenneth. "How come their house smelled like my socks when I'm running around a lot?" Katharine had to smile, while the girls laughed. Her second cousin's had changed a lot. She was pretty sure it was depression that caused them to eat like they did, but that was not a problem she could help them with. Towards the edge of the Los Angeles basin, they stopped at a service station. While the man pumped the gas, and two others checked the tires and fluid levels, Katharine studied the map. "Where you headed?" "To a town called Carp." "The one that was in the paper? You'd never catch me close to that place. I don't believe they got all that stuff out. If they covered up the stuff once, why wouldn't they do it again?" "We have friends there." "Oh. Well, I guess you'd know then. I don't think I've ever seen it on a map, whereabouts is it?" Katharine pointed out where she'd been told it was. "Guess you'll stop for the night somewhere, unless they know you'll be showing up in the middle of the night." "You think it will take that long?" "Yeah. If I was you, I'd be stopping at Las Vegas for the night, then head up. It'll take you about four and a half hours to get there." She thanked him, and drove off. She had tried to call Carp, but the phone system was still down. That storm had caused a lot of problems. She couldn't just show up, she didn't even know if they had a hotel there. Las Vegas was going to be their destination for tonight, and they'd get there at about dinnertime. ------- In one of those rare times, Robert was in the room with his wife when Franklin entered. Robert had hold of his wife's hand. It was hard to tell, looking at the scene, who was comforting who. "I know that everything is a strain, but please bear with me. It is only a matter of time, as you know, and you need to talk about what happens then." "What happens when?" Robert said. It was hard to tell if he was trying to deny what was going on, or simply didn't understand. "Mildred? Is there a plot in Carp? I would guess you would want the burial there." Robert buried his head in his hands, "I don't want this... I don't want this!" he cried out. "Robert," Mildred said softly, "I know this is hard, but we do need to let them know." Robert looked up at her, "How can you be so strong?" "I'm not, dear. I'm not." "How are we going to afford all of this? I haven't been working." Franklin was ready for that. "Robert, I think you may have forgotten. Your wages are being held as to what you would make on an average, while you are here. Also, if you remember, all expenses are taken care of. So transportation will be provided." Robert took a deep breath and looked at his wife. "I guess we need to call, and let everyone know then?" "You mean you haven't told anyone?" Mildred said, hurt. Robert burst into tears, "I couldn't. I just couldn't do it. I'm sorry." ------- Franklin came into Henry's bar and saw Robert in the corner. It had become a usual meeting place for the two men. This was away from the immediate threat, and Robert could be more open. Robert got up when he saw Franklin and the two found a table. "Does your apartment have a phone?" "Phone?" "I thought you promised to make a few calls." Robert looked into his glass. "Yes, I did." "You're not going to make them?" "Didn't say that. I just have to build up a bit of courage. It is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. I don't want to sound like a blubbering baby, when I call." "That is understandable," Franklin said. He knew better though. Once the statements were made, the emotions rolled in and there was little one could do to stop them. "Maybe if you practiced, just picked up the phone and talked into it, as though there was someone on the other end." Robert nodded. "Yes, I could try that. Maybe in the morning I'll give it a try." "That is all anyone is asking, Robert." The rest of the evening was spent chatting about much lighter subjects. Religion and Politics were at the top of the list. ------- Jimmy came running into Jack's office, holding onto the doorframes to keep upright. "The phone's... for you," he panted out. "Sounds urgent," Jack said amused. "The man from... Memco... said it was." "Memco, did you say Memco?" Jack asked as he was out of his chair. Jimmy was left in the office, answering 'yes' to no one. Jack was out of breath when he arrived at the phone. Brian was holding it, smiling. "This is Jack Huntington." Jack was in a daze as he walked back to the office. He didn't notice that Jimmy had gone, or that the door had been left open. Sitting down heavily into his chair, he let out a breath, as though he had been holding it for an eternity. The rush of adrenalin that hit him was something he was not quite prepared for. The project was a go. Suddenly, everything that was a hope, a dream, a prayer; was going to happen. There was this little doubt in the back of his mind, of course. He'd got that Memco was happy with the results. They wanted to get everyone together and go over the fine points, now. He very much wished Richard and Keith were there. The percentages that were given to him didn't mean much of anything. He was not a miner, nor was he knowledgeable in scientific things. He was an administrator. He did know when something was right, and this was definitely right. He no longer could sit at his desk. It felt to him as though he had drunk too many cups of coffee. Closing the office, he set out to find Cynthia and Rebecca. ------- Jack found himself running down the main street, and suddenly he stopped. Jack had no idea what his wife did in this town while he was in his office. This was not home. Well, not yet. She didn't have anything to do, so where would she be? His only thought was to find Dora, she might know. A sparkle from one of the storefronts caught his eye, turning he saw Rebecca waving to him. 'Well, that was simple, ' he thought. Opening the door, Cynthia, Rebecca, and Jack all started talking at once. Rebecca was the first to quiet herself. Jack held up his hand and Cynthia stopped talking. "Ok, now start over. What are you talking about?" There was a sparkle in Cynthia's eye. "I want to open a clothing store, here. Look, the sales counter could be here, the dressing rooms out along there..." "Not against the wall?" A smile grew on Cynthia's face. "No, we'll discuss why later, in bed. Then there will be two back rooms." Jack raised his eyebrows, "Two?" "Yes dear, one for back stock, one for items that can't go on the open shelves." Jack's eyes grew wide, "You're not thinking... not in this town." "Jack, dear," Cynthia said, caressing her hand around his head and pulling him into a kiss. "You might be surprised what these women are looking for." "We'll talk." "Can I? Can I do it?" Jack smiled, "We have many things to talk about." "What did you want, dear?" "Come with me." Jack took them for a walk; they ended at the edge of the town. At the edge of the open lots where at one time there had been the houses that had burnt. Cynthia didn't know what this area was, but Rebecca did. "What are we doing here?" she asked. "Rebecca, we can't stay at the hotel forever. Your house is too small for us. So Cynthia and I need to build. We can use one plot," then he took Rebecca's hand, "that is, unless you want to move in with us. Then we can use two." "Are you sure?" Rebecca asked. What she asked, had two meanings, but Jack smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. Right, Cynthia?" he said, and she smiled, "I also asked Jim about it. He thought there would be no problem." Rebecca was stunned. He had asked, others knew she would be living with them. A smile crept onto her face, and broadened to fill it completely. "Are we going to have a big house Jack, one with a game room in it like the other one?" Cynthia broke in, "Jack, that means we are moving here, for sure?" "Yes, sweetheart. The mine is going to be operational. I still don't know what it all means, but I do know I should be making more than I was." Cynthia took hold of him, and pulled him close. Looking into his eyes, she said. "You really mean that. We will have a real home, a permanent place for us to be. This is going to be home?" He had never seen that longing in her, before. As the base commander, he knew there were women who had a lot of problems with never having a house that they could call home, but he had never seen it in his wife. Now that he thought about it, maybe there were little things that she had said. He turned her around so she could see the plots, and wrapped his arms around her, "Yes, dear. This is going to be your home, to do with it as you want." Jack felt tears drop onto his arm, and he whispered into her ear. "This home will be yours, and Rebecca is yours, as well. Cynthia turned around. Her eyes were glistening, crying, and smiling, all at the same time. She hugged him and said, "Thank you. I have wanted this for so long." Then Cynthia took hold of Rebecca, and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you will be part of our family." Rebecca had tears in her eyes. "You'll treat me like you have been, won't you?" Cynthia smiled, "You don't need to worry about that. I have plans for you." Jack broke up their thoughts by asking, "What about Jill?" Rebecca's face clouded over. "My daughter..." "Has been taken care of. She will be welcome, but she may choose to live elsewhere." Jack replied, knowing some of the developing relationships that had been transpiring. "But where?" Rebecca asked concerned. "You know Liz is going to move here, to start the school? She has grown quite attached to Jill." Rebecca brightened. "Yes, I guess so. Thinking about it, I think any of them would be a good place, even with Keith and Robin." Jack tried to not smile. Failing at that, he turned away, only to see two boys coming down the path towards them. "Brian, Jimmy, what are you two doing?" "Seein' what's goin' on." "Whacha doin'?" "Looking at plots of land. We're going to build a big house," Cynthia said proudly. "Someone is coming!" Jimmy said excitedly, as he looked up the open valley. They could see the trail of dust in the distance, and by the time they had walked back to the center of town, a car was coming over the new bridge. As cars didn't show up very often, a few others came out. The car rolled to a stop, and a boy jumped out of the car. "Is there a bathroom around here?" Everyone laughed. Jimmy and Brian took the boy off, while two girls and a woman stepped out of the car. "I hope I'm in the right place, now. Is this Carp?" "Yes, it is. Are you looking for someone?" "We met Keith Patterson in Redding. He was rescuing Daisy at the time." "You must be Katharine. I'm Jim. I talked to you on the phone, I thought from our conversation you'd be here earlier." "We all got sick, one after the next." People backed up a bit, and Katharine laughed. "We're not contagious; I used to be a nurse. I should know. She looked around, "This place is..." "Out in the middle of nowhere?" Katharine smiled, "Well I didn't want to say it, but yes." "We don't mind that." "So what brings you here?" Jack asked her. "My children. They were taken so, with Keith, Daisy too. I know they are not here, but are they coming back soon?" "That is what we understand. Are you going to be staying in the hotel?" "You have one? That's great!" The girls were introduced. Kenneth came back with Jimmy and Brian, obviously enjoying himself already. They were given a tour of the downtown. They saw the mine, and the new bridge and pool. Then they got back into the car with Brian and Jimmy. Jack got into the Jeep, with Cynthia, Rebecca, and Dora who had just arrived. They all drove out to the Mansion. When they got out, they were in awe. Elizabeth whispered to her mother, "You don't need to worry about them, they have lots of money." Katherine smiled, "I think you're right, honey," she whispered back. ------- The girls were so excited, that none of them could sit still. This was the dress rehearsal, and they were in full costume. Jill was a little worried. Not for her lines, she had those down pat long ago. It was Laura. She had been almost a bit distant, in the last few days. Liz had listened to Jill lament about it, and had given her things to look for in Laura's behavior. Jill pushed them to the back of her mind. It was just nonsense. Laura was a special friend. Those nagging thoughts kept creeping up though and as they got to the part where they were to kiss; Laura said they had practiced that part enough. As it was just Jill and Laura on stage, they could skim over it and save time. Jill was devastated. What had happened? So caught up in what Laura was doing, Jill missed three lines in the last act. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Walker. My mind is just not able to focus." Jill may have been talking to the teacher, but she was looking straight at Laura. There was one thing that Liz had mentioned, and it kept rearing its head. The only way to know, was to ask. When they were done it was late. As Jill and Laura had the most intricate costumes, they were the last ones to leave. Laura tried to get out first, but Jill caught up to her. "Laura," Jill said, as they walked out of the door into the cool evening air, "I have a question for you." Not returning the look, she just said, "What?" "When school gets out, are you leaving right away?" Laura stopped dead in her tracks. Jill saw her swallow hard, and with a voice that showed she was starting to cry, she answered. "What difference does it make? You'll be going." Jill had hit it on the head, but it didn't feel good to know. "Laura, come with me." Jill grabbed her hand, and before she was able to react, she was being pulled down the path towards the stable area. "What are we doing here? We'll get in trouble." "No, we won't. No one will find us, anyway." Laura was shaking, Jill noticed. And she was breathing hard, as well. "Are you ok?" "You ran me too fast." Jill started to get worried, "Are you going to be alright? Should I get help? Laura, tell me what to do?" Laura wasn't paying much attention to Jill. She was taking long, deep, even breaths. She was also using the relaxation techniques she had learned in drama. After a few minutes Laura looked up to Jill who was shaken by the whole incident. "You still care about me." It was more of a statement of recognition, than a question. "Of course I do! I always will." "But you said we would be leaving this place. You would be going to Carp, and I would be here next year. It sounded like we were just done with each other." Jill took Laura in her arms, and pulled her into a big hug. "I'm so sorry if that is what you thought. I just didn't want you to get too hurt. I will always think of you, no matter where we are. You will always be very special to me. Don't you remember what I said in the room, when Vicki was there." "You mean, you love me?" "Yes." "I wasn't sure if that was real, or if you were just trying to make a point with her." "That was real." "Then I've been kind of mean," Laura looked up into Jill's eyes, "I'm sorry." "It's alright, but you know, we never got to do that kissing scene." "You want to?" "I'm sure she does," said a voice out of the darkness, "but I'll bet there are people out looking for you two, right now." It was Kevin Smith. Laura was so red, even in the dim light you could tell how much she was blushing. Jill, on the other hand, smiled at him. "Thank you Mr. Smith. That is very kind of you to let us know. I guess, in the dark, we took a wrong turn." Laura was now looking between Mr. Smith and Jill, trying to make sense of this conversation. He smiled, "Well, I wouldn't want to see my favorite hero get into any kind of trouble now, would I." "No, you wouldn't," Then Jill did something that surprised even herself, she took hold of Mr. Smiths ears and pulled him closer, then tilted his head down, and kissed his forehead. Then she whispered softly into his ear, "Have pleasant dreams, you dirty old man." He looked at her, stunned. Jill just giggled, took Laura by the hand, and they walked back up the trail. "He's a dirty old man. I've heard stories." Laura whispered to Jill. "I know, but he is also one man I wouldn't be afraid to be alone with." Laura looked at her as they walked. She knew what had happened to Jill, and curiosity got the better of her. "Why not?" "Because I have seen him in a vulnerable position. He would never hurt a girl. I think if it was offered, he wouldn't resist. And he is going to look. He is a man," Jill giggled, " but he wouldn't take advantage. I would trust him on that." ------- "I still don't like the idea that we couldn't get hold of Robert. We are taking their daughters to another state." "Don't worry so much. We'll give them a call when we stop for the night," Robin told me. "Keith, you worry enough for all of us. It's fine." Kristin had been driving for the last two hours. The three of us were in our car. Richard and Katy had Daisy in their car. Mary had Beth Ann, Stephanie, and Pamela in her car. Beth Ann had bemoaned the fact that upon leaving, she had to hand over the keys to the car she was afforded by the University, to help while Keith had been there. That was until Robin mentioned that until Keith had driven into town, she had never even sat in a car. Beth Ann realized that the privileges that she had taken for granted, were unknown to some. We had decided at each fuel stop we would all change places to make it interesting. This was the third leg of the journey and the first time Robin was in the car with me, along with my sister. I was hoping that things could be interesting, but so far it was just as plain as any other of the travelers had been. With my arm in a cast, I wasn't able to initiate much. It was mid afternoon and Robin started acting sleepy. I was sitting in the middle at this point, between the two of them. I pulled Robin over and she leaned into me. My arm draped over her and whether by sheer luck or fate, my hand landed on her breast. "Ummm." Kristin looked over. I saw her roll her eyes, then I smiled at her. She was looking back at the road, but smiling. I let my hand roam over Robin enjoying the feel of her body. From the sounds she was making, she was appreciative of my 'handiwork'. Richard was driving his car. With Daisy's suggestions whispered into Katy's ear, he was having a hard time concentrating on the road. Her hand had traveled up his leg, and was now massaging his crotch. Mary and Beth Ann were having a hard time also, but not from anything they were doing. It was Stephanie and Pamela in the back seat that was the distraction. The two girls had practically stripped and were in a 69 position on the back seat. The sounds, and then the smell, was enough to drive anyone crazy. By the time we stopped for dinner, every occupant of the cars was ready to climb the walls. The only ones who had had any real activity had been Stephanie and Pamela. The rest of us were just in a state of need. "I think we should stop for the night," Richard said. It was agreed to quickly. I looked across the road, and down about one hundred yards, there was a motel. "Come on," I told Richard. "Robin, order for me." I looked back, and Richard was still trying to figure out what to do. "I guess you should order for me, as well," he told Katy, and hurried to catch up to me. "Why did you do that?" he asked me, when we were out of hearing range. I smiled. "I'm not that hungry. I haven't done anything all day, so I figure I can't loose. Plus, it will give Robin a chance to see if she knows what I like. I figure soon, she will need to be setting up meals." Richard was nodding his head, "Yeah, that sounds good." "Plus, I think it will be easier if just the two of us show up, to rent the rooms." Richard smiled, "You might just be right about that." ------- The manager looked at us, "You want two rooms both with double beds?" "Yes, sir. And we need two extra cots." He stuck his head around the counter, looking out the window. "Everyone is over at the diner." He nodded his head. "You two Mormons?" Richard and I looked at each other, and then it dawned on us. "No. We are traveling back from the University." He started shaking his head, and closed his register book. "I don't want any parties going on here." "I have my wife with me, so does Richard. We have my sister and a few of her friends. Then we have a couple of small girls, which is why we need the cots." He narrowed his eyes. "A couple little girls? Now that doesn't seem right." I really didn't want to bring it up, but I guess it was inevitable. "My name is Keith Patterson, this is Richard Thompson. Have you heard of a town called Carp?" The man tilted his head, his tongue rolling around his mouth as though he was trying to decide about us. Then he stepped away from the counter, knelt down, and pulled out a newspaper clipping. He was looking at the pictures and then us. A smile grew on his face. "One of those girls is the one who had some sort of surgery, isn't she?" "Yes, she is." "Well, I'll be. You are the most famous person we've had stay here. And I was ready to toss you two out! Wait till my wife hears about this. She's the one who clipped this out, and saved it." Before we could say a word he ran to the back room. "Now you've done it," Richard said to me, rolling his eyes. I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, and our food will be cold if we don't get back soon." A short, but portly lady came running out of the back. She stopped when she saw us; the manager was right behind her. "See, I told you." 'Pleased to meet you," she timidly said, blushing. "Our pleasure," Richard responded. "We do need to get back. We asked out wives to order food for us, and we don't want to get into trouble with them." The woman just giggled, and he said, "Of course not," and smiled a knowing smile. "Everything will be set up and ready, as soon as you get back. Just stop by and pick up the keys." "That sounds good." We left and I said, "He wants to see our wives." Richard looked back and waved, "I think you're right. They were right there at the window, looking at us." ------- The idea of one phone for a whole town had been bad enough for Jack to comprehend, although with a communications trailer, he had his own lines of communication. That had gone out with the storm that blew through. Knocking down lines, it had also put the radio's antenna out of commission. In the day that followed, several aircraft flew over. They were able to transmit that they were fine, but all communications were out. Jack told them the antenna had been severely damaged by a tree falling on top of it, pretty much mangling it. He also found out how wide spread the damage really was. Most of lower Nevada was without phone service. It was only today that the phone was working again, but it was intermittent. Long distance calls were almost impossible, unless you were calling from an area they had fixed. An hour later, after the helicopter landed and three men arrived with new parts, the antenna was back in service. It was shortly after that, that Patrick Theisen received the devastating news about Mildred. Patrick had asked and knew, even when it was promised, that Robert didn't want to call his children. As soon as Patrick hung up, he tried to call Keith. Only to find out from the University operator that he was gone. With him driving, there was no way to reach him. Patrick walked away with a heavy heart, knowing he would need to tell his people. He decided that he should tell them in a couple of days, during the church service. Coming into the house he was staying at, Patrick dropped into the couch. Cheryl walked over and dropped into his lap. "Why are you so down?" "I have something to tell the people, and it isn't going to be easy." "Not about this, is it?" She was rubbing her belly. The belly was growing a child. Patrick's child, not her husband's. "No," Patrick sounded tired. "Robert called me from Long Beach. He could hardly talk he was so distraught. It had taken him days to get up the nerve to call, and then he couldn't get through until now." "Why? What is wrong?" "Mildred has cancer. It is wide spread, and there is nothing they can do. She is going to die, soon." "No! No, not Mildred! She was so good! She loved her children and her husband. It isn't right! What is Pamela going to do? Patrick isn't there something that can be done?" He looked at her, and knew this was going to be the reaction of most of the community. He hated to be the bearer of bad news. This one especially tore him up. Mildred had a daughter still to be taken care of. Patrick just shook his head, while Cheryl cried on his chest. ------- Dinner was less than could be expected. But out here, no one would complain, I imagined. Driving over to the motel office, the husband and wife were there to greet us once again. More likely, to check out our story. Kristin, Robin, and I, talked on the way over. We just let them believe what they wanted. That would be, that Kristin was my wife. Robin stated, "Well she is, just not on paper. Just like I told your father." Kristin took my hand after we pulled in, her eyes full of moisture, "Yes, I have always wanted to be your wife. Robin is so wonderful to let me be that, for you." They came out and it was obvious they looked at the back of Richard and my vehicles noting their fullness. They also checked out the passengers. When I walked into the office, I mentioned that I needed to make a long distance call to Long Beach. The manager asked me where that was. I told him, and he shook his head. "Won't get through, not for a couple more days I hear." "Why is that?" "You didn't hear about the storm they had a day or two ago? Most of the damage was trees, but that took out lines. A lot of lower Nevada is without phone service, and they are between us and that Long Beach place. So no need to even bother, the call won't go through." Richard and I looked at each other. Obviously, we had not paid any attention to the radio. Come to think of it, when it was on, the gals only wanted to listen to music. They would change the station, when any news or commercials started. "Are you sure there was not much other damage?" "Yeah. Want to see the paper? It had some report about it. 'Course the front page is the interesting part. Old Earl's farm had seven ewes go missing. 'Course we all know what happens to them round here," he joked. "Carl!" His wife said, shocked, "Those are only very bad rumours. We all know that doesn't happen." The manager looked at us and winked, but said, "Of course not, dear." We opened our rooms, and then the doors that joined them. Each room had two double beds and a cot. There was room for ten. The big question was who was sleeping with whom. I knew it was best for me to sleep with Robin, but I kept my mouth shut while the women discussed it. Richard had the same idea as I had. Unpack some things for tomorrow, and keep busy while the arrangements were made. Any sleeping place would be good for each of us, unless the gals stuck us together, and neither of us worried about that. I was bending over getting my things out of a suitcase when Pamela threw open the door that separated the rooms. The door handle caught me in the side of the head. I dropped to the ground, seeing stars. Pamela didn't even realize what she had done. She wasn't happy with the conversation, and had marched away. She glanced over at me, as I staggered to the bathroom. Once inside I dropped to the floor, curled up into a ball, holding my head and cried. It hurt so much I thought I was going to vomit. That was the only reason I had headed to the bathroom, in the first place. With everyone having their place to sleep, Robin came into the room. She saw Pamela, and asked where I was. "He went to the bathroom," Pamela said with pretty good speech. Robin went to the door and knocked. I didn't answer; I was still in too much pain. She opened it and saw me lying on the floor, and screamed. Everyone came running, Pamela was the first there. "What's wrong?" Robin asked when I had turned and looked at her after she screamed. "My head." "What happened?" "The door hit me." "That was me." Pamela said in a panic. I held up my hand to quiet her. She was starting to shake, realizing what she had done. "It was an accident, Pamela. Not your fault. I'm not mad at you. No one is." Pamela looked around and it was true, no one was looking angry at her. "But..." "I shouldn't have been there, it was silly of me. This just hurts right now. It will get better." Then I motioned her to come over to me. I knocked her off balance, so that she fell to the ground. Then I gave her a big bear hug. She was giggling by the end of it. I looked up a Robin and said, "I need some aspirin. I wish we had something stronger than that." ------- Everyone rushed from their homes at the sound of the siren. As they ran down the streets, the men were looking at each other. This was the wrong time of the day; no one should be in the mine. They were intercepted downtown. "We have a major cave in. I was sent to ask for help." It was one of the older men from Angle City. He was on a sweating, overworked horse. "When did it happen?" "Right about quitting time. When I left there were a lot of men trapped." It was chaotic as every wagon was loaded with tools and hitched to horses. Some of the most experienced men left immediately on horseback. Katharine walked out from the hotel into the commotion. "What is going on?" "A cave in at the mine in the town below. You're a nurse right?" "Yes, but orthopedics..." "Then we need you, get into your car and follow me." "But my kids!" "I'll take care of them. They'll be fine, and you don't want them down there." It was Millie, and she had her arms wrapped around Brian, Jimmy was standing by. "Well make sure Kenneth has fun," he said. "Oh, ok." Jim yelled out "We have five spaces in a car." Katharine found herself in a car with five men she didn't know. She didn't have time to react, as the Jeep in front of her started moving. Jack's Jeep had five other passengers with him. It was a tight squeeze, but no one said a word on the way down. One of those men was the one who had asked for help. His horse would be returned, later. Jack pulled up in front of the mine, having been given directions as to where to go. He had never experienced mining, but he did know how to survey a crises situation. Katharine was more than happy to get out of the car. That was, until she saw the situation. The agony on the faces of those standing there was hard to imagine. As she heard bits and pieces, she understood what was going on. The possibility of death was being faced by each of these people. She stayed by Jack, listening, and waiting for something to do. There were a dozen men working at the mine entrance. There were another dozen or so, just milling about, as though they didn't know what to do. The military training Jack had went into automatic mode. He asked the four men who had come down with him from Carp to find out who was in charge. He wanted to know what the damage was, what was being done, and what the best way to help was. Then he stopped one of them as they started, and said, "Find out if they could do something, what it was they would do?" The man looked at him blank faced. "If they had every tool or all the manpower they could muster; what would they be doing now, that they couldn't?" "Oh! What would they dream about doing, if they could?" "Yes. That's it. I want to know." Jack was then left alone. It was the crying of the children that got to him. He could never handle the cries of a distraught child. It set off a flashback to the German blitzes, and one of the bombed out buildings in England he had been assigned to help with. The people who were dead and those who were left alive flashed in his mind. But it was the children that had really made his mind suffer. It was one of the reasons he had never wanted to have children. He couldn't handle that pain. "Jack," Adam said out of breath, "there are thirty two still trapped. They are in two sections. The first section they hope to get to, within the hour." "And the second," Jack asked as Adam had paused. "They're not sure there is much hope." Jack took a second to digest this, "How many are there in the first section?" "They're not certain, but maybe twelve." Jack looked at the people gathered. This was war. Not against a human enemy, but against time. He swallowed his feelings, as he had needed to do, so many times before. "There is more to be done." He looked out and saw a boy about twelve. "Hey, You!" The boy turned. "Yes, you. I need a phone, where can I get one?" "Only one in town." Jack refused to think how crazy this all was. "Where is it?" "I'll show you, but it won't do much good, all we can call is south of here." "That's all I need." Angle City was built with the mine as the center of everything. The town spread as a semi circle away from that focus. It was in the center; away from the crowds, that the boy led Jack to the only phone in town. Picking up the receiver, Jack called the operator. "I need to get hold of Nellis Air Base. Tell them this is Jack Huntington, and that this is an emergency." The boy hung around to hear what this man was saying. "Jack here. Sorry to get you up. I didn't know they would send me to you." Then thinking about it, Jack knew that was the base operator would think that his replacement, the temporary Commanding officer was who he needed to talk to. "Listen we have a situation here, and I know that unless you have had some emergency that I don't know about, those rescue boys need a bit of an exercise." "Yes, well I know it is not within the normal ideals. But this is real hands on stuff, and would be very good training for the boys." "What you do is call the squadron leader, and say this is a code blue training emergency. He will take it from there. Don't be surprised when you hang up from him, to hear the siren. It should, if protocol is done right, be sounded within ten seconds of hearing the code." "Oh, yes. I guess that would be good. Angle City. It is in the same ridgeline as Carp, but about fifteen miles south. There will be a lot of activity around. I have my Jeep, so as soon as I hear the helicopter, I will be in contact with them and give them a landing site." As soon as Jack hung up, the boy asked, "What's happening?" "I asked for some more help. I just hope they get here in time." When Jack got back; some of the others on horseback, from Carp, started to arrive. The other three men were there to tell Jack what they knew. The others that had just arrived listened to the news. Just then a rumbling could be heard. Jack wasn't sure what it meant, but everyone else knew. The ladies started wailing. ------- Chapter 49 There was a frantic rush to the mine entrance. Everyone wanted to know what had happened. Jack looked at the situation, and shook his head. Chaos never helped anything. Flipping on the PA system in his Jeep, he grabbed the microphone. "Please! Back away from the mine entrance!" The sound stunned everyone. They stopped mid-stride, and looked towards him. "It only takes the rescue people longer, if they have to stop to answer questions. If you are not involved with the rescue, move to," Jack looked around for a split second, "the large scrub oak tree." Some people started moving. Some, he could tell were reluctant. "We will have someone who knows what's going on, get on this mike, and tell you what has just happened. We need everyone to move away, though." The promise that they would get information, did the trick. Everyone started moving to the tree. Jack then walked up to the mine entrance. "Who is in charge?" "I am, and thank you." "No problem. If we want to keep everyone away though, we need to feed them information. I would guess that their loved one's are down there, and emotion is a hard thing to control." "Dan!" he yelled out, "go with..." "Jack." "Jack. Let the people know what's going on. But get back here fast, we need your help." Dan was a bit reluctant to use the mike. Then, when he said his first few words, it almost deafened everyone. He then knew that all he had to do, was talk normally. "Um, Hi. This is Dan. I was, um, asked to, um, let you know what was going on." Most of the people nodded their heads; they were trying to be as quiet as possible, so they could hear him. "I'm, ah, going to tell you, um, everything, ah. So some of it might, um, be a repeat. A dynamite charge blew a hole into an adjacent tunnel. Um, that caused the collapse of the tunnel and, ah, the floor above let go." "We got that, um, information, ah, from a few of the men, uh, now waiting for an active, um, elevator. "How many men?" One of the ladies shouted out. Dan looked over to Jack, who nodded for him to go on. "From what we know, um, there are twelve. The phone is gone, ah, so our communication has been with notes, um, up and down the shaft." "Who are they?" A woman cried in desperation. Dan looked again at Jack, who shook his head as if to say, 'Not good to say, right now.' Dan nodded. Then another shouted out, "What about the others?" "They are trapped, and, um, the men at the mineshaft can't get to them. Um, so we do not know anything much. There has been some tapping, ah, as you know that is the usual thing. It means there is hope. Until we get that, um, elevator working, we are, ah, without a lot of good information." "What was that last tremor?" Dan looked at Jack and then said, "Um, we don't know yet. We're working on it," Jack nodded, and Dan went on. "Ah, as soon as we know anything, um, I guess I'll be back here, uh, to let you know." More and more women started shouting out questions, ones that couldn't be answered. Jack took the mike. "Dan will go back to working with the others. No one knows anything more than what you have just heard. As soon as we know what is going on, we will let you know." Dan was glad to get back to the rescue work; it seemed easier than talking to everyone. The frustrating thing for everyone; was they could only see what was going on at the surface of the mine. As soon as a cable was dropped, no one had any idea what it was for, or what they were doing. The sound of the helicopter entering the canyon made Jack realize that he had been so caught up in the goings on, that he hadn't sought out a landing place. He ran up and grabbed Dan by the shoulder. "There's a helicopter coming. It needs a place to land. Where is a good level piece of ground?" Dan pointed and said, "That's the best place." Jack jumped into his Jeep, and drove the two hundred yards to where Dan had pointed. Then he got on his radio, as he picked up sight of the helicopter. The only ones that didn't pay much attention, were the people directly working at the mine entrance. Everyone else stood and stared as the helicopter made a circle, and then landed. As soon as the helicopter touched down, eight men jumped out of the machine. Jack took them over to the mine in two trips. The first trip had everyone staring. There were two men holding on to the back of the Jeep, standing on its bumper, with the other four crammed into the seats. They couldn't understand until he went back to the helicopter. The remaining two loaded up the Jeep with boxes. Jack led the rescue team to meet the man in charge, at the mine. Jack had not thoroughly introduced himself, but it was no guess from his Jeep that he was military. "Sir? This is Lt. Garry Sanders. He is the leader of our rescue team at Nellis Air Force base. I asked for his help. These guys are good, but they have never done anything like this before. It would give them some great hands on training, and give you some tools and techniques, you have never seen before. I hope you can accept their help. That caused the man to break into a smile. "There is no way in the world I'd turn down help like that." "Ok. What they will need, is an idea what they are going into. This is a battle, and every detail helps." "A battle?" Lt. Sanders spoke up, "Yes, Sir. A battle against Mother Nature and time. We are here to win." "You have the right attitude boy. Now, this is the shaft down into the mine. Above you, here, is the shaft tower. It holds the pulleys that we use for the elevator" "Where is the secondary shaft?" "There ain't one," he was shaking his head. "We started digging two of them, one on each side of the ends of the main tunnels. But one is only twenty feet deep, and the other only thirty. Neither is deep enough to break into where we need to go. It's a state requirement, now. Many of our miners thought it wasn't needed. I wish we had worked harder on them, now. We have two air vents," he pointed, "one there, and the other over there," he used his finger to direct them in the general direction, "and then there are the water pipes." Lt. Sanders looked at where he had pointed. "All right, so one way in and out. I don't see water coming out of those pipes, is that normal? Also, what is the depth, and what is stopping the miners from coming up?" "The water is a terrible concern. Maybe twenty percent of the tunnels would fill with water, if it's not pumped out. The group that we have been in contact with is about seventy feet down. That's not below the water table, so we are lucky, there. But the elevator is jammed, below them." "All right. Now, you said 'the ones you are in contact with'. How many are down there, and how many do you have contact with?" "Twelve, at the shaft. Twenty one are not in a place the twelve can get to. They have been hearing the tapping, so we are very hopeful. Those twelve were ready to come up, they are right at the edge of the shaft and were cut off. They have very little moving room, and no tools to even help." Turning, Lt. Sanders yelled out, "Team one, you are going to descend down the shaft. Bring lights, and communications." While they opened boxes, he yelled out again, "Team two, come with me." Turning back, he said, "I need a diagram of the mine. The clearer the better. When we go in, we need to know where we are, and what we should be looking for." "That shouldn't be too much of a problem. The Mining Commission makes us keep current on our maps of what, and where, we are digging. We have those in the office, over there." He started to walk over, and then stopped and watched. Three men with climbing gear and backpacks on; dropped into the shaft. Their ropes were secured to the heavy beams on the tower above. When they were out of sight, he continued towards the shack that served as the office. Looking over the map, the one deciding thing they needed to know; was where that dynamite charge had been placed. From there, they could look at possibilities. Until then, they were working in the dark. One of the team members looked out of the window, "We have communications." "How is that?" "One of the men dropped down with a phone and line. Now we can talk to them." Fortunately, two of the men knew where the charge had been set. But they had no idea where the problem occurred, or why. That left a lot of speculation, but at least they had a starting point. As the lanterns lit up the area down in the shaft, more information came up. The elevator was a lost cause. Part of the track was mangled, right were the men were. That elevator might be able to go down, but it was not going up further, anytime soon. One of the rescue team dropped to the top of the elevator, and stood on the top of the I-beam where the cables were connected. It was an open framed elevator, about 10 feet square. It had sides up from the bottom, to four feet high. The steel T beams went up two sides, and fit into channels that kept it straight. There was no door. No safety device of any sort, in fact. Shining a light down on the floor of the elevator, gave them the clues as to the mangled track. An ore car was tipped on its side. The ore scattered on the floor. From its position (and the markings on the car) the miners that were waiting to get out, had pieced together what must have happened. That car belonged in the tunnel they were in. It most likely had been ready to be taken up, when the blast occurred. The blast sent it flying over the edge, into the track. Then it had landed on the floor of the elevator. The first thought was to look for a body beneath, but that was ruled out, quickly. A team member dropped down to the top of the ore car. As he touched it, the back half of the floor gave way. The floor section and the ore car went down the shaft and made a splash, below. Holding onto his rope, the man ascended back up, once again standing on the I-beam. He called up to ask them to give the line a bit of slack, and then he jumped on the I-beam. It didn't look like it was going anywhere, anyplace soon, and for that he was very relieved. Even so, the miners were reluctant to come to close to the edge of the shaft. Each one of them had been a witness to, or had heard stories of, falls to the bottom of a mineshaft. This last sound of twisting metal, and the splash afterwards, made them even more skittish. ------- As the three rescue team members on top descended down the shaft on their safety ropes, the others from Carp started to arrive. As information was passed along, people with specific information came forward. Two of the men had been there, when Robert had been in charge. One thing they knew now and knew well, was how to bring people up. It was an incredible sight to them, to see both the lights and the people who had descended. This was something new, but very helpful. The phone was an unbelievable bonus. Coordination between the men from Carp and the base's rescue team, soon started taking place. It was necessary to get those men out as quickly as possible. It was also good to know that there were men down there that would keep the evacuation orderly. That had turned out to be one of the big problems, and ultimately the undoing, in Carp. Too much weight had been loaded on the elevator at once, and the cable had broken. That disaster had sent the men to their death. Everyone understood Robert blaming himself for the problem. With people working on the alternate 'one man platform' situation up top, the team down below now had time to work on other problems. After some discussion with the men below, and the ones on top (holding the map); the conclusion was to go through the top of the elevator, and try and reach another tunnel. The first hurdle was to get the elevator to drop another six or seven feet. Asking for that much slack in their safety rope, and the elevator's cable, the team's three men jumped up and down on the elevator. It budged, slowly. Then, all of a sudden, it dropped. This pulled its cable taught. Even though the rescue team had been through an exercise similar to this, it was disconcerting. It did do the trick, though. They were able to phone up for the people on the surface to secure the cabling, so that the elevator was now stationary. One man dropped inside the elevator. He stood, and checked on the remaining floor section. Then he set up lights, shining them down the tunnel. He pulled himself up to the others. The people on the surface were lowering the 'one man platform' down, with one of the rescue team's men on it. He was also attached to the beams above with a safety rope. This allowed him to go down, and for them to safely test the platform. The first miner got on, as the new rescue team's man dropped onto the elevator. The team man then proceeded into the shaft. As soon at the platform reached the top, they could hear the cheering all the way down the shaft. As the platform lowered again, it brought down a second man. Those two, armed with a pencil sketch of the tunnels, proceeded. They could hear the tapping sound, and that was very encouraging to them. Setting a measuring tape down, they found it was at sixty-two feet, to the cave in. They could see a portion of the tunnel above them. One thing that they had learned, much to their disappointment, was that none of the miners knew Morse code. They could tap on the rocks, to alert others of their location, but no real communication could take place. Walking back, they relayed the information. They also said that they would go up into the tunnel above. ------- Katharine found herself playing triage nurse. There was little time to think: 'this is not anything I have done before'. She knew more than anyone else here, so everything rested on her shoulders. At that point, she felt lucky that she had had her bag in her car. As each of the miners came up, they were taken to her. Jack had set up one of the wagons that had a cover, as her med station. Katharine had two obstacles to overcome with the first two miners, before the rest understood the routine. First was the family, who wanted to crowd around. The second was the miner himself. This was something new. A woman touching him was strange. Soon it became routine and accepted. By the time one would get done, the next one was up. There was little time between, although none of what she was doing was difficult. There was a small time when she could take a breather, and that left Katharine with time to think. Think about her children, but more poignantly, to think about the other miners that were trapped. They might need 'real' medical attention. She was questioning herself. Did she have what it took? The problem was, and she rapidly saw it, that she was far more qualified than anyone else. She thought she was going to have a break, as she had just finished with the last man who had come up. Then she got the message that there were going to be two more coming up. ------- The one team member was now relaying information from the tunnel to the phone, as he was at the edge of the shaft. He heard a yell that didn't sound right. Then he heard something from the tunnel, and then another shout. He yelled down the tunnel to hold. That stopped communication. He heard the yell again. With his harness on, rope attached, he perched out on the edge of the elevator and shone his light down the shaft, through the missing half of the floor plate. One, two, three... There, on the forth tunnel down he caught a glimpse of a man. "How many?" "Two." "We'll be down to get you." As he shown the light further down the shaft, the man yelled back, "Hurry the water is rising. Can you shine it down, again?" He did, slowly. Catching the men (he now saw them both), then down. He saw a tunnel below them, but the water was covering the floor. "The mine has seven shafts below us, how many do you see?" said one of the two. "One and it's not all there." A panicked voice called back up. "Get us out, fast!" One of the second team members had come out to the entrance, wanting to know what was going on. When he heard voices coming up from the shaft, he ran back and called the rest of his squad. They looked down the shaft, and came up with a plan. One man would go down, with a second line and harness that they would drop from the top. All that was needed was to get them to their spot, and the platform would do the rest. Up on top, there was a bustle of activity. Securing a rope, attaching the harness, and then lowering it. There were a lot of questions, also. Which two men, and why only two? Everyone knew they had to wait until the two were up to the top, before they would get answers. It ate at everyone. Was this a good sign, or bad? ------- A few more wagons arrived from Carp at that point, this time with food. The women of these areas had long learned that you needed to eat, no matter how you felt. The shock of a cave in would only worsen, if you didn't eat. These wagons were full of food, and the women who made it. There were a few extras. Brian was one of them. He had talked his mother, Millie, into coming down. Jimmy was playing with the new boy. Brian was young enough the last time this had happened, that he didn't remember. As well, his father had made sure he had been kept away during most of it. Now he saw the groups of people, and the state of confusion that seemed to linger in the air. It was almost like when he had seen a circus, a year ago. As soon as they pulled the one man up, there was a general state of anxiety that Brian wanted to be away from. He saw another boy. He was maybe a few years older than Brian, and a good foot taller. He was standing back from the crowd. "My name is Brian." The boy looked at him. "You from Carp, I guess." "Yes." "The only Brian in town?" Brian didn't know what to make of that question. "Yes, why?" "Then you know Richard?" "Of course I do! He's my... Well, I saved his life once. But he saved mine, too. He's my hero." "Want to get out of here?" the boy said, casually. Brian looked around, "Sure, where?" "If they had dug the rest of that other mine shaft, they'd all be out by now. Not stuck in the tunnels. My dad was working on them." "Where is it?" "I'll show you." ------- The two boys were looking down at the shaft, standing on the boards that covered it. The boy started jumping on the boards, making them bounce. "Stop, please! That scares me," Brian said. The boy took hold of Brian, his eyes flashed in a way that scared Brain even more. The boy grabbed hold of Brian's arms, and bounced again. Brian shook as he heard the boards beneath him crack. "Richard is why my dad is dead. I heard he was shot. You were the one who told the sheriff didn't you? I've been waiting for this!" his voice was filled with hate. The boy was bouncing even more. Brian was struggling to get away, his eyes full of panic. "He had a knife, and he stabbed Richard!" "All for hitting some guy in the head, my dad is dead." The boy, holding onto Brian's arms forced him down as he bounced. The boards made a cracking sound again. Brian all of a sudden knew who that was, and without thinking he blurted out, "That was my uncle he hit, and he's dead!" The boy's eyes were filled with hate. "Yeah? Well my dad's not coming back, and you are going to pay for it." "No!" Brian cried out. Trying his best to pull free. The other boy was much bigger though. The boy shoved Brian. Instinctively, Brian reached out, pulling the boy off balance. He landed on top of Brian. The boards cracked underneath them. Brain tried to roll the boy off of him. As their weight changed position, the boards cracked again, the sound echoing in their ears. Brian was scared stiff, unable to move with fright. The boy stood up, and laughed. Brian wasn't sure about the devil before, but he was sure that it was somewhere in this boy. "I'm going to throw you down the shaft." His expression changed quickly as he stepped forward. The board he was on cracked through. The boy dropped, but not without reaching out, and grabbing hold of Brian's leg. Brian was suddenly pulled into the opening. He held onto a board, for dear life. The boy, screaming, was now slipping. Brian was also slipping, and the board Brian was holding onto was cracking. Suddenly Brian heard a blood-curdling scream, the pressure was released on his leg, and he realized the boy had fallen. Then he heard a deadening thump. It made Brian sick to his stomach. The board was giving way, and Brian didn't have a good grip in the first place. His mind was running overtime, giving him flashes of his mother, Richard, Jimmy, Robin, Katy... He heard the board break, and knew he was falling. Brian could hardly open his eyes. Pain racked his mind to overload. He reached out, not knowing quite why. The ground didn't feel hard to him. His hand came into contact with an arm. He realized he was on top of the other boy. There was no sound. He knew he needed to move, to get up, to yell. His hand wouldn't move. Breathing was hard. Pain overcame him. Everything went black. ------- Pamela didn't even bother asking what she had been dying all day to ask. After hitting Keith in the head, she knew he wasn't in shape to have her in his bed. She was crestfallen, and climbed into her roll-a-way bed without saying much. Daisy went over to her, and found out what the problem was. "Sweetheart, your time will come. No one except Robin has had much of any time with him. I know he loves you." "Yea, but everyone else..." She buried her face into her pillow." "is not as young as you are, my dear," Daisy finished up the sentence. "Stephanie is." "Yes, she is. Although if I remember right, it was her that introduced him to you." Daisy saw Pamela blush. Daisy started tickling her. Others heard the laughter, and joined in. Mary got hold of Pamela's foot. Stephanie came to Pamela's rescue, and went after Daisy. Kristin, hearing Pamela screaming in laughter, got Mary, who was extremely ticklish around the neck. Beth Ann started to go to Stephanie, and Robin attacked her ribs. Katy saw that, and went after her daughter. Richard and I looked at each other; and the laughing squirming group of girls. We weren't about to get involved, as we both knew the tables would turn, and we would end up on the bottom of the heap. One by one, the girls, laughing, moved away. Left in the center was Pamela, with Daisy still by her side. I motioned Daisy away, and sat down in her place. "Still alive?" Pamela smiled, and then laughed, "Yes, barely." We settled into our respective sleeping places. Robin and I were in one of the double beds, with Kristin and Daisy in the other. Pamela was in the cot they had added. In the other room, Katy and Richard were in one bed, with Mary and Beth Ann in the other. Stephanie was in the cot in that room. The lights were turned off and that is when the action began. Robin's hands were roaming. Well, so was my good one. We were kissing, but at one point, I made Robin stay silent for just a moment. We were not the only ones making noise. It sounded like Kristin and Daisy were, as well. Then we heard the floor creak and knew it was Pamela. I expected her to show up at the edge of my bed, instead we heard a bed creak and whispering. Robin and I giggled. My head still hurt some, but not enough for me not to want. With Robin, there was always want. She was so beautiful. I may have a damned cast, but I could still maneuver. I surprised her as I slid down her body, planting kisses along the way. My cast really only got into the way as I kissed my way between her legs. With my one good arm, I pulled her knee up, the other followed. There. I had the perfect position to attack her. Robin let out a moan so loud, that I heard her mom respond in the next room. "Robin! Keep it down; there are people in Carp that want to sleep." That set off a series of laughter all around. Robin, though, wasn't able to laugh. I attacked her again. Before the laughter died down, she was in the throws of her first orgasm for the night. This time though, she found the pillow, and her dampened cries only made it past the next bed. At her third orgasm, she was pulling my head back up, and I heard Daisy comment. "I thought he was on the mend, Robin. I think you have been hiding him away." Robin, in a panting voice, replied, "Oh, you don't know how long I've waited for him to be back like this. I'm in heaven." Kristin whispered, "Keith, I think she knows you love her, still." I rose up on my arm, and stared into the darkness towards the other bed, "I hope so. After all this time, if she doesn't know I love her more than life itself, I don't know what else I could do." There was a collective 'Ahhh', from the gals. I could see the white of Robin's smile. "That is so nice of you to say," she said. Reaching out, I pulled her with my good arm, until she was right next to me. "Honey, I meant what I said. You have intertwined with my life. I'm not complete without you." I felt a tear drop on my arm. "You make me so happy." "I just hope you always feel that way." "I plan on it, and I plan on living a long time. So you had better, too." We drifted off to sleep. Robin's head was resting on my chest, my arm was around her. ------- Most of the girls ran back to the dressing room as soon as the curtain fell. The applause could still be heard, but they were ready to be out of their costumes. Once inside the dressing area, the conversations started. "I can't believe someone left the outside door open." "Is that what that slamming noise was? Right in the middle of my part, too." The conversation came to a standstill when Jill and Laura entered the dressing room. The girls, who were there, gave them a round of applause. It made the self-conscious girls even more self-conscious. This was a lot of attention, almost too much. It was fun but overwhelming at the same time. Both girls dropped into chairs. Mrs. Walker came strolling in, and took a look at them. "No time to get comfortable yet. Your adoring fans want to meet you." Laura looked up at her with a pained expression. One of the other girls quipped, "It must have been that kiss. It sure gave the audience something to talk about." Jill stuck out her tongue at the girl. Laura was turning red. "Yeah, it looked like you two had practiced that quite a bit more than any of us saw." "Don't you wish you had the pleasure of knowing what it was like," Jill taunted. Laura turned an even brighter red. "Now, now, girls. None of that! The play went beautifully, they always do. Come on." Shooing Laura and Jill back down the hall; they were greeted by at least thirty fans that fawned over them. By the time they got back to the dressing rooms, they could hardly keep their eyes open. At least everyone else had gone. They helped each other undress, not thinking a thing about it. Once outside in the cool evening air, their spirits rose. They held hands, and giggled. "It was fun, wasn't it?" "Yes, but I'm glad it was you. I don't think I'd be here if you hadn't come to the school." Jill smiled. "Want to walk down by the stables?" Laura looked around, but no one was in sight. Everyone knew they were going to be late coming back to their rooms anyway. "Ok," she said, nervously. They walked down the sloped walkway, hand in hand. The stars were bright, and the moon was just a small crescent. As soon as they reached the fence, Jill saw movement. She recognized it, and kept silent. It did motivate her actions, though. Pulling Laura close, she took Laura's hands and placed them on her breasts. She looked into Laura's bright eyes, "This is how you really want the play to go, isn't it?" With that, she kissed Laura for a long time. When she released Laura, she could see him easily enough, to know he had been watching very intently. "Did you get a good view?" she stage whispered in his direction. He cleared his throat. Laura grasped Jill's hand with an iron grip. "I was just seeing..." he began. "The interesting sights?" Jill interrupted. "The stars are very lovely this evening, don't you think, Mr. Smith?" "Have I turned into someone formal again, Miss?" Jill laughed, "No, Kevin. I was just playing with your mind." His shoulders slumped. "Again." "Yes, again. Sorry." "You don't know what that does to me, do you?" "My talking, or us kissing?" Kevin let out a groan, "The kissing." "Sorry. I guess it is rather strange to see." "More like exciting, Jill," he said, then after a pause, "I guess I shouldn't have said that. Sorry." For the first time, Laura said something, "You liked watching that? Two girls kissing?" "More than I should admit." Laura, after hearing Jill talk, (especially the last time, about him), was able to relax and have a little fun at his expense. Just as she saw Jill doing now. "This really doesn't bother you?" She took hold of the surprised Jill, and kissed her. Laura's hands were roaming. Jill pulled back, blinking at Laura's bold action. "I think you two need to leave. Go on, now," he waved his hand, gently. Jill took Laura's hand, and pulled her up the path. "Laura, what were you doing?" Laura was hurt, "What you were." Jill realized that she had indeed started it, and Laura didn't know the stopping place. "Laura, I don't think you listened to him. He was telling the truth, there. The reason I call him Kevin, and not Mr. Smith, is because we have been though something... special... together. I could tease him a bit. But we were playing. Yet, telling the truth." She paused to let Laura absorb that. "He did get excited, and then you showed him, up close. He told us to leave. Not because he didn't like it, Laura, but because he liked it too much." "Oh," Laura felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry. You didn't know. I didn't expect you to do anything like that, though," she smacked Laura's butt. They giggled a bit, and then Jill said, "Expect Kevin to shy away from you now. He will be afraid." "Afraid? Of me?" "Yes, Laura. You don't realize it, but he does. You have power. He will avoid you because he knows you are temptation. Like I told you before, he loves to look, but would never hurt." It was dawning on Laura what Jill was saying. "I tempted him to a point he might not be able to control?" "Yes." "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to." "I know. I think a lot of girls do that. It is probably why he has that reputation. Not from what he has done, but how he has had to respond to the temptation of what was being thrown at him." "Sometimes, Jill, you know a lot." Jill got a sad look in her eyes. "Sometimes, I wish I didn't." ------- The rescue team had reached what they now knew was the first of two groups. Those twelve miners said they had heard the tapping on rocks, but then it had stopped. As they were being led out through the small opening that had been dug; some stayed back to help identify, by the map, where they thought the others could be. The rescue team knew there were nine more miners down there, and time was running out. While they had been down there, one section above them had given way. They had been able to respond in time, but it was clear that this mine was unsafe. "When was the last inspection of the mine?" "Always do it in May, so only a few months ago. The inspectors never come down here though. The most I've seen them in, is the first 5 or so levels." "That is what makes things like this happen. It would be better to have them find things, and prevent stuff like this; than to skip, and have you endangered." "Never thought about it like that. You know the thought is: if we have to shut down for a day, we'll loose money." "Yes, but now I don't know if this mine will ever reopen." "I think you may be right. I don't know what we'll do. This may be the end of our town. Pretty sad, when you think of it." "It sure is, and over inspections not done right." It was another two hours later, and down one level, when they broke open the trap that had become the men's tomb. There were nine men; they were sitting in a circle. Obviously they knew they were going to die at that point. Suffocation is slow. So they had sat down. In front of them, scratched into the dirt floor, were the last thoughts these men had had. It was a very emotional time for the rescue workers. This was not what they wanted to find. There was no way to bring their loved ones down to see what they had written. It couldn't be moved. The three rescue workers, and the two miners still down there, were crying. They couldn't help it. It was just such a tragedy. One of them finally got the idea of taking a picture. The two miners came up to the surface, and at the same time, they were lowering a camera down. As the two reached the surface, they could see the sun setting, and all eyes were glued to them. The emotions were so great, they both collapsed. Katharine rushed over. She had them brought to where she had things set up, and had everyone back away. As they came to, their anxiety started taking over again. She knew what to do with this. Patients, and sometimes loved ones, reacted this way. She was prepared with a bag to breathe into, reducing the amount of oxygen they were getting. It slowed them down. People saw they were awake, and were anxious about the remaining trapped miners. Katharine had to enlist Jack's help to keep them at bay. The two men were grateful, and were able to tell Katharine what they had seen. The imagery was hard for her to imagine. But she was not connected to these people, so none of the emotions took over for her. She asked them if they would like her to tell everyone what happened. Their shoulders slumped, tension released, as they nodded yes. Everyone watched Katharine as she walked to Jack's Jeep. Picking up the mike and turning on the PA system, she started. "The two men are doing better, but they have been through a traumatic experience. They asked if I could share with you what they are having a hard time with, right now." She looked down on some notes she had jotted, to make sure she had them right. "In the ninth tunnel, about fifty yards behind where the blast took place two levels up, there were two cave-ins. It took almost an hour of digging the last part out to reach them." "When are they coming up?" One man yelled. Katharine thought she was ready for this, but as she looked out at their faces, she couldn't go on. Tears started streaming down her face, blurring her vision. She took a handkerchief out of her pocket, wiping her nose. Her reaction told them more than words. Women wailed in anguish, their children cried. Others surrounded those who had lost their loved ones. Jack came up to Katharine, touching her. It jolted her, and she looked down at him. He held out his hand. She took it, and stepped off the Jeep. He then took her in his arms, and held her while she cried. It was a slow and exhausting process bringing up the bodies. Each time, on the surface, there was a new set of painful cries. Relatives gathered around the body, to morn the death. The eighth body to be brought up had only one girl approach. Millie recognized the body, and then saw the resemblance to the girl. She was about the same age as Brian, if Millie remembered right. The last time she had seen the girl, she had been six. Her mother had brought her to a gathering. Now standing there was a tomboy. The only way Millie knew she was a girl, was because Millie knew who she was. The man lying there was her second cousin, and one that had moved from Carp, not wanting to be under the family pressure. Millie walked up to the girl, "Where is your mother?" "Died, last year," the girl said in an even, monotone that said she saw, but wasn't registering what was going on. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. You probably don't remember, but your dad was my second cousin." The girl looked Millie over. Her face was puzzled. "You live in Carp, then?" Millie was nodding, "Yes." "Dad said he'd never go there." "I think your dad didn't like my dad. I can understand that. He was pretty hard on everyone back then." The girl's expression almost showed a smile. "What happened to him?" "My dad?" The girl nodded. "He moved away. He's back, but he's grown up a lot." The girl laughed at that. "You're funny." Millie put her arm around the girl. "I think it would be good if you came home with us, tonight," then Millie paused, as if she was concentrating hard, "your name is Barbara, right?" "Yes." Then she got a look on her that was hard to describe. "Should I get all my things?" Millie had to hold back her tears for the youngster, "No, just something for tonight. We can think of things, later." "Ok. I'll be back." With that the girl dashed off. Millie thought, 'How sad that this child has had to grow up so fast.' That made her think of her own son and then wonder where he was. She started to look for him. It was dark by now, and the mine area as well as the center was lit. Millie looked, asked, and then almost a half an hour later, as Barbara showed up, started to get worried. No one had seen him. Thinking about it, even the ones who knew Brian hadn't seen him for hours. This set off a search party. It was close to eleven o'clock that some men, shining a lantern across the opening, noticed the boards askew. Running up to the deeper of the two new shafts, they pointed their lanterns down, and cried out in pain. There, in the bottom of the shaft, lay the forms of two boys. Many people came rushing up. Frantically, they began pulling the boards away. Yelling, calling, hoping. Millie came running up. She saw Brian lying at the bottom of the shaft, and fainted. Two of the rescue team members were next to arrive. They had gear with them. With four men holding their ropes, they descended. Everyone on top looked on, holding their breath. "He's alive," as they checked Brian. Then they checked the other one. They shook their heads. By then, the basket had arrived that had been used to carry up the bodies from the mine. Brian was still not awake. They carefully moved him into the basket. It was pulled up, and Katharine was there to take care of him. The basket was lowered again. This time, it was bringing up a body that was now cold. The boy's mother and sister were there, and tears were flowing. Katharine had to put all of her attention, pull on all of her training, so that she didn't loose focus. Children were hard to deal with, and this boy had helped her son. She went through the vitals. He was weak, but there. The fall, and she had seen the depth of the tunnel, should have killed him. She then spent time looking for injuries. His left arm was broken, and probably a rib or two. She almost cried when she felt breaks in both legs. Jack had walked up, and was standing behind her. "What does Brian need?" She was surprised that he knew him by name. "He needs medical attention. X-rays, checking for internal bleeding, casts. He has three breaks I can feel." "We can take him to the base." She looked at Jack, "Are you sure?" "I'm still the CO, there. I think so." Katharine blinked several times, "You are?" Then she composed herself. "Yes, if he can go there, that would be the best." "Do you want to ride along?" Katharine knew she did, but then said, "My children..." "Will already be in bed, by now. You are in a community that takes care of one another." "You're sure?" "Believe me, Katharine. I have never seen anything like it. You can trust your children with them." "Ok. I think you know I want to go." "Yes, I do." As Brian was strapped onto the stretcher, Millie was shaking. Katharine came up beside her. "You take care of my kids, and I'll be taking care of yours." That, at least, brought Millie back to some form of reality. She was realizing Katharine had just shown up in town, hadn't even been there a day. Now she was leaving her children to people unknown, so she could care for Millie's son. Millie took hold of Katharine's arm. "Thank you. Take care of him. I'll watch out for yours." ------- I still wasn't quite awake, but I wanted to make the call. That is, if I could, before anything else happened. I slipped out of bed, Robin just curled up. Throwing on pants and a shirt, and then slipping on my shoes, I quietly opened and closed the door. Once outside, I was greeted by a glorious morning. The pale blue sky stretched forever. I took a deep breath in, stretched, and then went searching for that phone. I wanted to rip the receiver out, and wrap that cord around the person's neck, that hadn't got those lines fixed yet. I may have power of attorney for Pamela, but I didn't feel very comfortable transporting her, without her parents knowing where she was. The only (and it was small) redeeming fact was they couldn't reach me, either. Stepping outside the booth, the idea hit me. The operator had said the lines were down going through southern Nevada, so trying to reach Los Angeles from here was impossible. But she hadn't said they were down everywhere. I rang the operator to get hold of my sister. It was picked up by the school switchboard. I was glad, for once, to be given that delay. "Hello. This is Keith Patterson." "Oh! Mr. Patterson, let me connect you." "Hold on a second." "What?" came back the voice, a bit timidly. "I need to get hold of my sister. But I don't want Jill, who may well be there, to know I called." "Oh," her much-relieved voice said. "I'll get her on the line, and then patch you through." "That's very kind of you." "Keith!" Liz exclaimed. Then a bit softer, "Jill is out of the room right now, so don't worry. What is all the secrecy for?" "Can you get ten tickets for tomorrow nights performance?" There was dead silence on the other end. "Liz?" "Keith," Liz said in a tearful voice, "you mean it? You're coming?" "I wouldn't miss her performance for the world. I bet she was great tonight. I wish I could have been there for that." "Oh, Keith! You don't know how much this will mean to her." "Yes I do. It will scare her to death. Don't you dare tell her we are showing up. There are tickets available, aren't there?" "I'd make them put in more seats if there weren't, but yes, I can get them for you. The newspapermen will be showing up tonight, and then it will be in the paper. Next weekend will be a sell out. Oh, you should have seen her! She was just wonderful!" "You sound like a proud parent." Liz laughed, "Well, yes, maybe I am. So where are you now?" "In a little spot on highway 6 they call Royal. Not much more than a few houses, a mediocre diner, and a motel." "Oh," she laughed, "now you're being treated like 'royalty'." "Don't start, or I'll get you." "Promises, promises..." she laughed back. We worked out the details of when the show started, and where to meet her. We told each other we loved and missed each other, and I was to give hugs and kisses to everyone. I walked back to the motel room, with a glowing smile on my face. As soon as I opened the door, all eyes were on me. "Where have you been?" Robin asked curiously. "Ordering tickets for tonight's play." That set off a barrage of questions. The only one that troubled me still, was whether I had reached Mildred or Robert. I gave a round of hugs and kisses from Liz. Richard and I looked at the check out time, and we were glad that it was eleven. The amount of time it took eight gals to use the two bathrooms, was just amazing. We all made it out the door and to the office, a few minutes before eleven. By then everyone was starving. Although the diner had been lackluster, it would have to do. We didn't get on the road until twelve. I had looked at the map, and talked to Richard. He had taken Liz up with them, to find out what kind of time we were looking at driving, today. The trip was no more than four hours, now. ------- Bruce and Millie were now taking care of Barbara. No one had gotten much sleep during the night. Now, late in the morning, all three were dragging. That was, until a knock was heard at the door. It was Jimmy. "There's a phone call from Katharine, about Brian." Then Jimmy got a pained expression on his face. "He is going to be alright, isn't he? I heard he fell, and shouldn't be alive." Millie was throwing on clothes. Bruce answered him. "Jimmy, we don't know everything, but he's been through a lot already. He's getting the best of care. Millie will know more after she talks on the phone. He'll be ok." Millie was out the door and down the lane, as fast as her legs could carry her. Jack was on the phone talking when she arrived. She stopped and caught her breath for a moment, and then he handed her the phone. "Is this Katharine?" "Yes, hello Millie." "How is Brian?" The good news was that there were no internal injuries, something the doctors were amazed at. He did have 5 cracked ribs, and those hurt like nothing else. His left arm was in a cast, as well as both his legs. It was going to be very hard for him, as he was immobile, but he was lucky he was alive. Millie left the phone, racked with emotions. Ecstatic her son was alive and well, yet very pained that he was going to be so immobilized. She knew how that would make him feel. Coming back to the house; Jimmy, Kenneth, Kristina, and Elizabeth were there, along with Bruce, and Barbara. Elizabeth asked how their mother was. Millie realized she never asked, and felt guilty. Here were Katharine's children, needing comfort, and she had none for them. Millie did give a run down on Brian. Jimmy couldn't believe what it would be like. "How's he going to go to the bathroom?" "Oh, my mom will fix up something," Elizabeth said. "That's what she did, when she was a nurse. She was in a place that took care of people with broken things." ------- Vivian had been taken to Sarah's house in the mid morning. Vivian's mother was so pleased that her daughter was coming out of her shell. To get acquainted with the McCarran's daughter to boot, she had to resist making a scene. On the other hand, Vivian was just about a basket case. As Saturday approached, she had been on the phone constantly with Sarah. What should she wear; what about make up? Should she use any perfume? Sarah had just laughed, and told her to be herself. This was hard for Vivian. She had never thought much of herself, so why would others. The only reason she hadn't backed out, was that she wanted so desperately to know what if felt like to kiss a boy. Sarah and Vivian had run into Sarah's room, as soon as Vivian got there, leaving the two mothers to talk. "I hear they are planning to go to the baseball game." "Yes, and I can tell you that it isn't to watch baseball, it's to watch the boys." "Maybe Sarah can make Vivian feel a bit more confident. She has never done anything quite like this, before." "Well," Sarah's mother was about to say something, and then realized how much Sarah had changed. "I'm sure Sarah will look after Vivian and make sure she is fine." "Ever since she got those braces..." "I know, isn't it funny? Every kid thinks that they are the only one that feels like they do, or has gone through this. Sarah wouldn't say a word for almost a week, and she hid in her room. She wouldn't even eat in front of us." "She had braces too?" "Both of my children did. Sarah's was a bit earlier than Mary's were though. I think that is why it was a bit harder on her." In the bedroom Vivian was grilling Sarah. "How do I look, is everything perfect? Does he like hair pulled back like this? Or maybe I should do this with it? What about this dress? Is it too tight? It felt like it, especially up here." "Vivian! You are driving me crazy." "But I just want it right!" Sarah sighed, "If it is you, it will be right. If you try too hard, you can't enjoy it, and neither will he. Is that what you want?" "No." "I like you. Be yourself, and he will like you too." Vivian frowned. "Are you sure?" Sarah laughed. "Well, maybe you shouldn't frown." It didn't help a lot. Vivian was trying to chew her nails that Sarah kept on pulling away from her mouth. She was fidgeting, and starting to pace. Sarah somehow knew this was going to happen. That is part of the reason she hadn't told Vivian everything. Or at least, everything the way it was really going to happen. "Sit down. Now let's go over this one more time. We get dropped off at the ball game. We will stay there for a few minutes. Then you and I will walk to the far side of the park, past the pond, and past the restrooms." "I know, I know. Then straight back, behind the bushes, to the big tree." Sarah raised her eyebrows, "Have you ever been there before?" Vivian's eyes got large. "No. Why, what is there?" Sarah smiled. "A long time ago, there was a fire. That is what I was told. It damaged the tree, but didn't kill it." She paused, thinking about it. "There is a hollow in that big tree." "So I can hide?" "You will wait there. I'll get Scott, and when he is where he should be, I'll let you know." "You're just going to leave me there? By myself?" She said this with wide eyes, and a very worried expression. "Vivian? Do you want to come with me and get Scott?" That idea was more frightening than being left alone there. "No." "It won't take more than a few minutes. Anyway, it's very pretty back there. Very peaceful. And when you are in the hollow of the tree, you just about disappear. All the sound is gone, and you just see the flowers." "You make it sound so nice." "It is. Vivian, this is for you. I want this to be good." "I know, but I'm still scared. I can't help it. What if he looks at me and runs away? What if I do everything wrong, and he starts laughing at me?" "Vivian! Stop It!" Fire was burning in Sarah's eyes. "I know Scott. I chose him for you because I knew it would work." Not knowing what to do, Vivian looked down at the floor. "Ok, I'm sorry." Sarah shook her head, "Don't be sorry. I know you are nervous, but it will be all right." The two girls got themselves ready, and were taken to the ball field at the edge of the large park. "I'll be back to pick you two up in two hours." "Mom, the game won't be over." "Sarah, I know you don't watch the game." Sarah blushed, "MOM!" "Two and a half, then." "Is that all?" "Yes. I have things I need to get done, as well." "Ok, thanks Mom." As the car drove away, Vivian looked at Sarah. "I can't believe your mom said that." "I know. Come on, let's go." "I thought we were going to wait a few minutes." "Plans changed. We have less time than I hoped for." Sarah also saw Scott. He was there, looking from the bleachers at them. "Are you sure this is going to be safe?" Sarah's shoulders dropped, "Vivian, how many times do I have to tell you..." "Ok, ok, just hurry. I can't stand it." "Don't worry; I'll let you know when he's in the right spot." Sarah climbed through the intricate path that was hidden to all but those who knew. As soon as she stepped out, she thought she saw Scott on the other side of the pond. Walking over, she saw that it was indeed him. "A bit anxious, aren't we?" "I just thought I shouldn't waste any time." Scott returned coolly. Sarah wasn't buying it. "You couldn't wait could you?" The blush that hinted on Scott's face made Sarah giggle. "Ok, she is as anxious as you are." "She is? What did you tell her?" "Don't be so silly. Come on." Sarah was right. As soon as she walked maybe ten feet away, Vivian couldn't hear her. It was as if she was in a whole different place. It started to relax her, and her mind wandered. What was this boy going to be like? A smile grew on her face as her daydream consumed her. His touch, his lips... she shuddered with excitement. Vivian was very aware of her firm nipples pressing against the dress that was a bit tight already. Her hand lowered and went under the hem of her skirt. As soon as she touched the outside of her panties she let out a high soft 'Ah'. She was lost in her own world, and just about beyond caring, as soon as her finger slipped underneath the elastic and into her moist folds of flesh. Vivian was jolted back by the rustling of the bushes. Her hand flew out from under her dress, but she could plainly see it was wet. Panicking, she looked at her dress as a place to wipe it, but that wouldn't work. She heard Sarah's voice. Without any other options she could think of, she thrust her finger into her mouth and attempted to suck off the juices. There they were. They! Sarah had brought the boy. In a natural reaction to his perplexing situation, she tilted her head as she looked at him. "Scott this is Vivian. Vivian, this is Scott." Sarah turned to look at Scott and saw a funny expression on his face. Scott had done this for a favor. When he first caught sight of Vivian, there was something that intrigued him, but he couldn't say what. Now as he was close enough to see her, what he saw looked like a much younger girl than eighth grade. Her hair pulled back in a ponytail, her head tilted and sucking on her finger. Scott realized he was getting hard, and it shocked him. Then Sarah looked at him, and he stammered. "Hi, I'm Scott." "Yes," Sarah said, rolling her eyes. "I see you have a watch, good thing because you only have two hours, no more. If I have to come and get you..." Scott smiled. "Don't worry. I'll keep track of time." Sarah laughed, "Vivian, I'll tell you a story sometime." "Don't you dare!" With that, Sarah left. Scott and Vivian shyly looked at each other. Scott was glad his pants didn't feel so tight. He didn't want to look down and draw attention to that spot. Vivian, on the other hand, was very worried that Scott could see the hardness of her nipples. This boy was a dreamboat. If he kissed anywhere near as good as he looked, she'd be in debt to Sarah the rest of her life. "Come on," Scott said. "We're not staying here?" Her first words, and said somewhat turned away from him. Scott smiled, "No. There is a better place, and Sarah has never been there." His voice melted her. She felt, all of a sudden, special. If only she could get rid of the nagging thoughts that she had braces, and he'd laugh when he saw them. He took her hand and it surprised her so much, she looked down at their clasp, and smiled. "You've got braces!" Vivian was in tears instantly. Scott didn't know what to do. He knew he hadn't said anything wrong, so she must have stepped on something. So instinctively he wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong?" "You hate me!" she wailed. Taking her shoulders and pushing her back, so there was some space between them, he looked at her. His brow crinkled, trying to figure this out. "What did you say? Why would I hate you?" "Cause I have braces. I knew Sarah didn't tell you." He shook his head, "Of course she didn't tell me. She knew." This confused Vivian, "Knew what?" Scott smiled, "I kinda like braces." Then thinking about the girl he had become stuck to, and basically was kissing for more than two hours, he blushed. ------- I was getting a chance to drive, finally. We had passed Wellington twenty minutes earlier. The junction for highway 124 had just taken off, and as the road turned south, it was about as flat and straight as one could see. I was glad to be in the driver's seat. I had not been able to drive this new car much and had been dying to get my hands on the wheel. This was the perfect opportunity. Changing gears, while holding the wheel with my cast, was still awkward, though. I had less than twenty miles of pure joy before highway 124 came back in. Mary was in the lead, with me behind her and Richard behind me. As we came up to the junction, a slow moving tractor with a trailer took Mary by surprise, as it didn't stop at the intersection. She swerved off the side of the road. I was gritting my teeth. Holding onto the wheel with my one good hand, I was braking as fast as I could. I could see the blowout happen and the back-end of Mary's car sway. When she got to a stop, the car was almost crossways to the road. Mary was still gripping the steering wheel, her knuckles white. A scared stiff expression was on her face. Robin and Kristin were already over to her car. I put my head into the open car window, "Is everyone ok?" Beth Ann was in the back seat, with Pamela. Daisy was in the front, with Mary. They were all pale. "Get out, and take a bit of a walk. It will help." They got out, but it took them a bit to start walking, as they said their legs felt a bit rubbery. Richard was at the car by now, with Katy and Stephanie, talking with the girls. I looked at him and joked, "Hope you know how to change a tire. I can't do it." He looked at my cast and said, "I talked to the doctor. He said you could have had that thing off, but wanted the sympathy." I couldn't help but laugh. I chased him around the car, threatening to beat him with it. Our frivolity helped relieve the girl's feelings. The trunk had to be unloaded. We had no idea how packed it was, but Mary had left no space unused, and we gave her a bad time about it. She took us seriously for a minute getting a frown on her face, until Kristin told her I was pulling her leg. Her eyes narrowed, staring at me, trying to figure out if this was true. Richard and I couldn't help but laugh. She chased me around the car twice, until I let her catch me. "Ok, you've got me," I panted. Her smile broadened, she wrapped her arms around me. "Yes, I do. And I want you to make love to me." "Here?" I croaked out. She laughed, now getting my goat, "No, Silly. I'll wait until we are in the middle of the show tonight. I bet those seats could have possibilities." I was in shock from what she said, and then she started laughing, and I knew I was getting some of my own medicine. It was good to have her laughing, though. I had been in some hair-raising 'almost accidents', and knew the feeling. It was darn scary. We walked back to where Richard was just now getting the spare out. I wasn't a lot of help, and that was as frustrating as could be. That whole ordeal took a little over an hour. Mary was so concerned, that we stopped in the next town to see about getting a replacement. She also had Beth Ann drive. With the rationing that had been done during the war, out of the way places like this, were still short of supplies. Upon her insistence, we stopped at each town after that, to no avail. The only thing it did was eat up time, but that we had. We rolled into Grand Junction a little past four thirty. There we found a tire. We had to unload the trunk and place everything in the back seat. As the tire was being installed, we went off to do other things. The gals had a good time in the downtown looking around, as the tire was mounted. Richard saw a place and darted into it. I followed him in, wondering what had caught his eye. He was looking at some ceramic flowers. Ones like I had seen at his parent's house. When the sales person quoted the price, and Richard said he'd take it, I looked at him like he was crazy. When the woman went into the back, I asked him about it. "Katy asked Liz to pick one of these up. She also had no idea how much they cost," Richard smiled. "Some of these are out of production, and they haven't adjusted their prices. It is a great deal. My mother is going to love this one. I saw her collector's book and it had a circle on it. She hasn't been able to find a few of them. This is one. Plus her birthday is coming up." "You're right. Thinking of the gift, and a bit of planning, makes it so much more special no matter the price. I hope you are paying as much attention to Katy." He turned his head to look at me and saw me smiling. Shaking his head, he replied, "For a guy in a cast, you sure no how to get yourself in trouble." I had to laugh. We walked out of the shop, and Katy spotted her husband with a package. He retold the story, and got a lot of admirers for his thoughtfulness. It was time to have dinner, and then get to the school. ------- Scott looked at his watch. It couldn't be, there was ten minutes left. He felt sad. That was an emotion that he was quite unprepared for. "What's wrong? Didn't I get it right?" Scott smiled, "You were perfect. I just looked at my watch. We have ten minutes." "Oh, then you will be done with me," Vivian said. Over the last two hours, she had lost her fears. She had opened up to him as she had never been able to do before. Now that the 'mountain top' experience was sailing away, her fears jumped up and took over. "I, ah," Scott stammered. "It's ok. I understand." "No. I don't think you do." "You did this as a favor..." Scott put his hand over her mouth. "Vivian, I don't want to leave." She blinked, her mind was racing, what was he saying? She was shaking inside, and hoped it didn't show. It did as she spoke, though. "You don't?" He shook his head. "Sarah was right. She said I was the perfect one for you. She meant to teach kissing, but I think it was more than that. Maybe she knew something more than she said. We know each other pretty well. "You mean like the braces? I'm going to kill her; she never told me she had them." "Don't do that, she's a good friend." Vivian smiled, "Yes, the best." Scott wrapped his arms around her. "I've never had a girlfriend as young as you." Vivian stopped breathing, 'What did he say?' "I know some of my friends will make fun of me, but that's ok. What do you think your mother would say?" Vivian realized she still wasn't breathing; she took a gasp of breath. She turned around, and looked him in the eyes. There was nothing to suggest he was joking. If anything there was a bit of vulnerability there, and she knew just exactly what that looked like. "Are you saying you want me to be your girl?" He nodded. Instead of a verbal answer she let her tongue do the answering. He had taught her well. She had to straighten her dress a bit, as they walked out of the secret place where they had moved. They saw Sarah at the entrance to the large tree. Walking over, hand in hand, they startled her. "Where have you two been?" she said accusingly, and then noticed their hands. She looked at Scott, and raised her eyebrows questioningly. He laughed. "Sarah, I believe this is the best set up you have ever done." "Does that mean you still owe me a favor?" Scott shook his head, "Not on your life. You don't ask small favors, you change people's lives." ------- Chapter 50 Doctor William H. Harrington, III, stepped out of the Lockheed Lodestar that had flown into Carp. Jack Huntington had met them, as they landed in the small valley that housed the Mansion. He was a tall gentleman in his late fifties with white hair and a striking physique. "I was quite surprised when my communications officer intercepted your call," Jack said. "I had no idea improvements weren't in place yet. But as you said, this is nice and flat. I've flown into worse places." "Now that you are here, can you tell me what brings you to Carp?" William crinkled his brow, "You didn't receive any communications?" "No. From who?" "Memco. It was my understanding there was a mining disaster." Jack looked at him and couldn't believe his ears. "How in the world did they hear? It happened yesterday." "This is a big organization, we have eyes and ears everywhere." Then the doctor laughed, "Well actually, as I was told, one of our employees was in the state mining office when the news came in. I'm surprised the inspectors haven't arrived yet. They usually fly in for things like this also." Jack was nodding. "The mine is in Angle City, south of here, so they may have come in down there, but more likely on train." "Angle City? It was my understanding that the call came from Carp. That is why I'm here. Jack sighed. Although this time, it wasn't just because these towns had only one phone. "We've been having communication problems with the regular phone lines, and this was an important call. It was made by my communications officer, who ran it through Nellis Air Force base, and then out to the Department of Mines." "Well, I'm here, and so is my office. Are the casualties there as well?" "There was only one serious one, a boy. It was indirectly related to the accident. He was flown to the base." William raised his eyebrows, "That is fairly high priority treatment. Who was it?" Jack smiled. "The boy is a local boy. He's not there because of who he is, but because of what I could do. I'm here right now at the request of the government, but I am the CO of that base. I'm retiring soon. I think it was a good chance for them to bring in my replacement to train, while I'm still around, but not hovering over him. I called up our rescue team for a little hands-on training, so we had a helicopter there." "What happened to the boy?" "He fell down a shaft that was about 30 feet deep." "And he survived?" "We're not sure what happened, but he was the second one down. The first didn't make it." William was nodding his head. "Gave the cushion that the first didn't have. Unfortunate. So no-one in the mine was hurt?" "There were a number of men trapped, but in good condition. We got all but nine out and we had a nurse check them. Those nine didn't make it. From what I was told, it looks like they suffocated." "That's one of the sad things of these silver mines. They are so old and can become unstable. If you get trapped in a small enclosure, running out of air is a real possibility." "You said you had your office here. Is it in the plane?" Jack said. It might not have surprised him that the military had done something like that, but not a private company. William smiled. "Yes. This is one of two Memco planes like this. It has been very convenient so far, and we received this one just two months ago. It was purchased as government surplus, and refitted. Now, I can fly into a problem area, and start treating. No need to set up. Would you like to see it?" "Yes, very much. Keith Patterson asked me about those auctions and getting a plane some time ago. I thought he was just thinking, then recently while I was with him, he asked me to look into it again. It seems he may be traveling a good bit. "You might want to ask him to contact Memco about that as well," Then William smiled, "unless you have some inside connections for planes. Jack smiled. "I might have one or two, but now I'm curious to see this setup." Jack took a tour of the plane. The set up was very efficient. Behind the cockpit was an open area with four original seats. "This doubles as our waiting area and extra crew seating," William said. A wall separated the back at that point. Behind that were two beds, one on each side of center with cabinets against the fuselage, and then another wall. "Back here is our operatory. It is good enough for most cases, and of course if it is too bad, we can fly the person out." Jack looked in the back to see a single bed in the center, cabinets against the center wall. "We even have a portable X-ray machine on board," William smiled, "Of course we have to squeeze into the far back of the plane to develop the films, but it sure beats guessing." "So what are you going to do now?" Jack said, after the tour. William shrugged his shoulders. "You don't have a golf course do you?" then he laughed at the look on Jack's face. "I was told to look the place over. I have a small specialty practice in Colorado. I also work for Memco, doing this type of operation. My wife has been having some problems recently, and I asked them if there was an opening that was in a warm location. We get snow up there, but my local was centrally located to several of their smaller mines in Colorado, Southern Utah, and Northern Nevada. The idea with this plane was that I could fly in, and take care of just about anything. When I got the call to fly here, they also told me to look the place over, as a new mine was going to start here." "And your position here would be?" "Medical doctor. All of their larger mines have a doctor on staff." "Oh, we haven't seen any formal paperwork yet." "Well, I would assume that the mine's shareholders would." Jack smiled. "I'm one of the three. We just got a notification it was a go." "That's funny. It was my impression that this was going to be up and running within six months. If that is true, you have very high priority. They must want whatever is here." Jack had to admit he knew little about mining. They talked a bit more, and then Jack took the doctor for a tour of the town. "This is a nice quiet place. I could see us living here. The plane, of course, allows me to get out when I need to. I think I'll talk about the details with the company, and see what they want. I know one of my colleges was able to come into a town like this, and set up a brand new clinic. I can't tell you how nice it is to work with the latest equipment. If, as you say, there will be a school serving Carp as well as possibly two other towns, it could be beneficial for the company to set up such an operation. You said there was a nurse. Is she from Carp, or the other town, Angle City?" "Well, to tell you the truth," Jack smiled, "she was in town less than an hour, before she was pressed into service. I don't think she knew what hit her." "Where is she now?" "At the base hospital, with the injured boy. Brian is his name." "Well then, no family?" "She came in with three children." William looked horrified, "Where are they now?" "Oh, they're around somewhere. Most likely with Millie, that's Brian's mother. One of the things you will find out quickly in this town, people take care of each other." "I'd say. Is she planning on staying, or did this experience drive her away? I'm guessing she has relatives here then, or did she just show up, out of the blue?" Jack laughed. "Well, a little out of the blue," which got a surprised look from William. "You no doubt, have heard of the notoriety of this town." "Yes. Oh, she just wanted to see it for herself?" "Well, no. It was Keith Patterson, one of the heroes. He met her and her children. The story I got was that they were so taken by him, they begged their mother to come see the place." William laughed, "Well, if that don't beat all. What did Keith say when they showed up?" "He's not here, but we understand he's on his way." "Now that I think about it, didn't I read something about him, up in Utah at a school?" William was scratching his head. "Someone shot at him, and he ended up in a coma." "Yes. The man nearly killed him." "All of the news about him shows up in our paper, now. His sister works at the private school in a town close to where I have my practice." "That would be Liz, she lives in..." "Grand Junction." "Yes, that's it. You are from there then?" "Well, just outside. My specialty is breathing disorders. I've been working on it all my life. Some things work, others don't, and you keep trying. I have moved to six different areas of the United States to conduct my research. I have even had a few patients follow me around. One is a little girl, who is now going to that school in Grand Junction. Her father and I met in Pennsylvania. When I moved my practice, he sent his daughter to that school." "Well, that is some recommendation." "Her father won't like the idea that I may move again. I can't see how he could send her here, although I have my suspicions that this climate might be very good for her. Nice and dry. But enough about that. Now, about this boy, I'm very curious. What happened, any internal problems?" "Why don't we go to my communications car? They can patch you into the hospital on base and find out. We can also get you in contact with Memco, so they know what is going on there." ------- Without much else to do; Doctor Harrington and Jack drove down to Angle City, along with several others. They arrived shortly after the mine inspectors had shown up. The mood was rather sober. Dan, the man who had addressed the townspeople the night before, came up to Jack. "It doesn't look good. We don't need an inspector to tell us that." "What will they do? I've never been through anything like this." "It will take at least two days. They'll measure the depth of the water, talk to everyone, I'd imagine they'll want to talk to the guys you brought in." "I'll have a report sent to them. I'm not sure what they are up to, now." Dan nodded, "Our guess is that we won't be able to reopen," he said, and looked around. "To tell the truth, it wasn't paying out much any more. We were hoping for a good vein to show up, but it just wasn't there." "When will you know?" "Last time anything like this happened, it took four days before we could reopen. We didn't have nine people die though. That was bad. Now they are going to be looking at everything, including who inspected it last. No one knows. I don't know how any of us are going to make it. We've been scraping by as it is. There is a lot of talk about moving." "You are all miners though, aren't you?" "Yeah. And we know, there just ain't a lot of new work like that around here. This town is just going to vanish. The people we grew up with moved in many directions. It is just as sad as it can get. Add that to the nine now lost, and people around here are just in a daze. None of us know quite what to do." Dan just stood there, hunched over, like a broken man. Jack motioned the doctor away so he could ask a few questions. "How many people," he asked William, "usually work at one of Memco's mines? You said that this was not going to be small." "I don't know. But off hand, I'd guess more than sixty miners would be needed. Then there is the support staff." "There are a lot less than that in Carp. I'm just thinking that it would be much more economical to employ these miners, than bring in new ones." "Well, I don't know how that all works. But if you are talking straight logistics; yes, that makes sense." "If that's the case, we don't need them to start leaving town." "You've got a point there. I think stalling them would be a good tactic." Jack looked at the doctor, "Maybe a good physical for each of them would be in order? I wonder if the inspectors could help along that route." Dr. William Harrington laughed, "Jack, you have a devious mind. I think we will be able to do good things together." "Let's go talk to these mining inspectors. I think that they may need to talk with my rescue people after all. In person. On the base. It could take days." William was shaking his head, "Or let me guess, to speed things along, these miners could all be given a run through by me, taking several days." "You're catching the drift." "I always wondered how you military guys got things done." "Through helpful persuasion." "Helpful?" William laughed. The mining inspectors were more than helpful. The thought of free medical attention was something unheard of in these areas, and was always welcome. The real underlying reason was that it would shift some pressure they were feeling in town, off of their department. As there was no good way to fly the plane down to Angle City, the people would need to come up to Carp. This was a good idea as far as Jack was concerned. If they could figure an easy way of transportation, then workers as well as school children could travel and they could keep their town. Jack met with the acting town council, and mine supervisors. They were surprised and pleased about having a medical check up, especially for their children. Working out the details, Jack and William found there were now thirty-seven men, fifty-two women, and sixty-eight children in the town. As they left, Dan caught up to them, "I can see you have derailed anyone leaving, as yet." Jack and William looked at each other, wondering where this was leading. "I think that is a pretty good thing. I don't have much education, but I can tell when people are reacting before thinking. Most people that were talking about leaving, haven't thought much." "I'm glad you are thinking," Jack said. "There may well be things that happen, that no one can say right now." "Yeah, I kind of get that feeling from you two." Jack smiled. This man was obviously intuitive, and that was a good trait. "I have one more question that I almost forgot to ask about. One of the men who died, he had a daughter, Barbara. I was asked to find out a bit more about her." "I understood that, what would it be, a second cousin or something, from up in Carp, took her in." "Yes, that's right, but I need to ask. There was no other family, here? I understand her mother died about a year ago?" "Yes, she was a good woman, and the one who made an effort. He was a loner. Many people felt bad about the kid, but what could you do. He was pretty quiet when his wife was alive. When she finally passed on; he was even more of a recluse. No one ever saw anything of the two, outside work." "I get the picture. Millie, who has the girl now; wanted to make sure that the girl didn't belong somewhere else." Dan smiled. "No. I think, if anything; people 'round here will think where she's at, will be better for her. She took care of her mom when she was dying. That ain't easy on a kid." As they drove back up to Carp, William asked Jack, "You sound like you've been around here some time. But from what you told me, it hasn't been long." Jack laughed, "Keith found this town on a three day pass, and was flying as high as a kite when he returned. Carp is a place that is pretty unique. I never thought I'd want to live in such a small town, where you know everything that goes on. You can't help yourself. It's just easy to want to pitch in and help. So you'd better watch out, or you'll end up here as well." "You're making the case, for me to want to transfer here, stronger all the time." ------- Grace was in the parking lot when we showed up. There were a number of cars arriving. This was good, as our three cars arriving at once, would have caused commotion otherwise. She saw us, and came over. "I couldn't believe it. Keith do you know how many girls are here the entire year, and their parents never show up once? Jill has been here for only several weeks, and you have been here twice." "She is special," I replied. Grace smiled. "Yes, she is. But each one of the girls here, I would need to say that about." "True, but they don't have a special place in my heart," then I paused. "Well, other than my sister, that is." Grace shook her head, "You are a little devil, you know." I saw her looking at my cast. I knew good manors prevented her from asking. "This is what Liz told me, was my sympathy ticket," I said, raising my cast. Grace couldn't contain herself, and laughed. "Yes, I could see her saying that. I have to say that between you and her, your mother had quite a time, didn't she?" I smiled and nodded, thinking that was probably very true. I saw Kristin walk around the side of me. "Let me introduce the rest of the lot." "This is Daisy, the girl you hung up on, in Redding." Grace looked horrified at my comment, but Daisy was very much past that incident, and smiled. Grace looked at me, shaking her head. "One of these days, Keith," then extending a hand. "It is a great pleasure to finally meet you. You don't know how your phone call troubled me. I have kept up on you, by way of Liz." Daisy blushed at the attention. Puling Pamela in front, I said, "This is Pamela, Daisy's younger sister, and one of the most beautiful young girls I know." Pamela turned beat red, turning to look at me with a wide smile on her face. Grace knelt down. "I have heard so much about you. My, what a change in your life this has been," Grace said. She turned up to me. "I'll bet you have no idea what you did for her," Grace said to me. I bit my lip. Water was forming in my eyes. She caught a glimpse that I did, indeed, know. I blinked several times, and cleared my throat. I grabbed the next one. She was feeling left out, now. "This is Stephanie, Pamela's playmate as well as inspiration. If it wouldn't have been for her, I don't know if we would be here today. She was our saving grace. When I was in the coma, Stephanie was with Pamela almost round the clock. She allowed everyone else to spend time in other places." Stephanie turned around and looked at me. I saw tears in her eyes. It dawned on me that she had never heard how special her time was, or how valued it was. "Well, Stephanie, it sounds like you are held in very high regard. It is good to meet you." "Mary?" I called, and she stepped forward. "This is Mary McCarran. A dear friend." Grace smiled, "And the congressman's daughter, I presume?" Mary smiled, and said a simple: "Yes." "I've heard many nice things about you. Your father is a good man, and you seem to have equally admirable qualities." Mary was glowing. Pulling my sister into the spotlight, "This is my other sister, Kristin." Grace studied her. "Yes, I see the family resemblance. I have heard so much about you, that I feel I know you." Kristin broke into a smile. "I could say the same," then in her wicked way, she added, "but then I won't tell you what Liz said, if you don't." Grace laughed out loud, "She has your evil sense of humor, Keith." I tried to look angelic, which made everyone laugh. She already knew Richard and Katy, so now was the time to see how much Grace really knew. "Grace? Now I'd like you to meet Robin, my wife." I pulled Robin, who was a bit reluctant to be the center of scrutiny, before me. Grace's jaw just about hit the ground. She looked up at me, to see if there was hint of teasing in my eye, but it wasn't there. She swallowed hard, trying to get her voice back. "I'm sorry, Robin. You just look so young. I mean you look like a lot of the eighth grade girls, here at the school." Robin just nodded her head, "Yes; that would probably be about right." Noting that Grace looked like she was about ready to faint, I moved over closer to her. "There is a little custom in Carp. The girls get married at thirteen. I was lucky enough to drive into town, when Robin was just about that age." Grace looked at me, "Thirteen? Maybe I shouldn't let you on campus." I laughed, "Grace! I'm already married." Then, in all seriousness, I said, "Think about Jill, and tell me she isn't more mature than any of the other girls here. In fact, I bet you would be hard pressed to say she isn't as mature as many gals much older than she is. You have been around Jill enough to know that. These girls have lived a different life than you see here." "I can't say I haven't heard of this before," Grace said regaining her composure. "I am just surprised. Well, shocked is more like it. Not with you, Robin. Liz left the little detail about your age out of the picture. If what I have heard is true; then you are indeed a strong, yet compassionate, woman. Even, if you are very young." Then Grace turned to me, "Does this mean Jill is going to get married when she returns to Carp?" "Her mother bucked the tradition, but that is a different story. Jill was expecting to get married, and her mother refused to allow it. Jill is a year older than Robin. She will marry when it is the right time." "That's good to hear." "Now, you know Richard and Katy." Grace smiled, "Yes, I do. Thank you so much for transporting Liz. She can be so stubborn at times." "Now I know where I got that from," I said, making everyone laugh. "All right, I was supposed to keep you down here until the play was close to starting. Even though they shouldn't, the girls peek out of the curtains." We walked up the path, and over to the auditorium. Our seats were the second and third row, center. I looked at Grace, and she smiled. "Your sister loves you," she said, "even if you are a scoundrel." I smiled. "Yes, I love her, too. I think those are your words, though. My sister would never call me that." Grace smiled back, "I'm not sure, but it does fit." We shuffled to our seats, getting a lot of stares. I knew that some of the girls from the school, on the side we walked down, recognized me. I heard them start to whisper. The auditorium lights dimmed, and everyone became silent. The curtain rose. I was glad to know that it was very hard to see anyone in the audience, while on stage. I had been there. You could feel them, getting good or bad vibes from them. You could hear them, sometimes more than you wished. But you couldn't really make out the faces. That is, unless you stared. I was pretty sure that Mrs. Walker would have gone over that. I recognized Laura when she came on stage, skipping lightly, and carefree. She had certainly come a long way, and I was pretty sure Jill had a lot to do about that. Out of the corner of my eye, during the second scene change, I saw the curtains rustle. I knew someone was back there trying to peek out. I smiled, thinking how I had done the same thing, thinking no one would know. I was also amused when a larger form pushed against the curtain, and the movements stopped. Someone was now in trouble. I smiled again, thinking how many times that also had happened to me. As the curtain rose again, Jill was center stage. Her face in anguish her words as troublesome as ever. The only thing that was slightly out of place, were the glances. She was trying to see out into the audience. I wondered if someone saw us, if word had got to her, or if it was just curiosity getting the best of her. I'm sure it was the talk of the back stage, when ten of the best seats in the house were empty, right up to show time. And then they were suddenly full. No matter what the reason, Jill's performance didn't suffer, and only our group would have picked up on her glances. Her movements, her powerful expressions; carried the audience to gasp, laugh, and I believe, cry. She simply was stealing the show. The curtain came down for intermission. As the house lights came up, I saw Jill's head peek out from the curtain. Her eyes opened, and her face went pale. I made a large gesture of blowing her a kiss. Even with the stage makeup, I could see her blush. The next thing I saw was Liz, poking her head out as well, and then pulling Jill back in. Before I could turn around Laura's head poked out, and as her eyes got big, she was also pulled back in. The girls who had recognized Richard and I were hovering. I saw Robin, Kristin, Mary, Beth Ann, and Daisy talking. I knew that spelled trouble for me. Pamela and Stephanie, I could see, were having problems with the attention the other girls were giving us. Katy, the troublemaker this time, said, "Sorry, Girls. They are taken. Richard is mine, and Keith belongs to Robin." Robin, listening, was enjoying the game. She came over to slip her arm in mine. Several girls gasped at the sight of Robin. As most of the audience was out in the lobby, or heading that way, I decided to play along. I gave Robin a little swat on her bottom. She gasped in surprise. "You know you love it, Honey." Robin was surprised; Katy was trying not to laugh. The schoolgirls stood there wide-eyed, taking it all in. "Come here," I said, drawing her to me, and planting a rather sensual kiss on her lips. She just melted out of my arms, as I released her. All of the girl's eyes were on us. I glanced over to Katy and Richard, who were shaking their heads, but had smiles on their faces. Kristin came up to me, and pulled me down the aisle. "That was just nasty, Keith," she whispered in my ear. I couldn't help but laugh. "Those little girls will be playing with themselves until they are raw, after your little performance." Trying to keep straight faced, I replied, "Oh, poor things. Maybe I should give them a hand." Cast or not, Kristin smacked me. "Behave," she laughed. As soon as I stepped into the lobby, my hand was taken, and I was being pulled to the side. It took me just a second to realize the person holding my hand was Mrs. Walker. Soon we were outside, and walking to the back entrance. "Jill said that if I didn't bring you back stage, she was going to march up there and pull you back herself. I didn't doubt her. She can be as determined as..." "You?" I ventured. Mrs. Walker laughed, "You hit that nail on the head." As soon as she opened up the door she yelled in, "Gentleman in back." Then turning to me, she said, "Some of the girls get a bit immodest." "I can just imagine," realizing what I had just said, I blushed, and then to not further embarrass myself, I added, "those costumes can get hot." She laughed at my embarrassment and said, "Yes; but I could tell when you read the script with Jill, you've seen the workings behind stages, before. These girls are still a bit immature, though." I couldn't help myself, "Oh, then the dresses are padded?" She shook her head. "You are a bad man," she said, laughing. "Now, come on. There's not much time before intermission is over." As soon as Jill saw me, she ran over. The rest of the girls back stage just stopped and stared, as Jill wrapped her arms around me, and kissed me on the lips. I backed up, blinking. "Aren't you supposed to save that for Laura?" Many of the girls giggled. I saw Laura out of the corner of my eye, she wasn't smiling. "Keith, you don't know how much this means to me." I smiled, "Yes, I do. Remember, I've been on stage, before," then I leaned in and whispered, "You know that what makes it special, is that I love you." When I pulled back, I could see the blush rising. Laura was staring at us, along with everyone else. Laura knew she shouldn't be feeling what she was feeling. She couldn't help herself. She was jealous, and it hurt. Jill had never wrapped arms around her, or kissed her while others watched. The fact Jill couldn't, or that I was married, didn't make any difference. Laura knew her feelings were irrational, but they still affected her. "Places, everyone!" the stage manager called. "I need to get to my seat and you to your place." I started to leave, then grabbed Jill's hand. She turned to me. "Don't try and do your best," I said. "Do what feels right. That will turn out to be your best." She smiled at me, and then turned to go to her place. What I didn't see was Laura, who said, "Well, I guess that does it. I'm nobody." ------- The lights flashed as I made my way to my seat. I got thoroughly grilled as soon as I sat down, as to where I had disappeared to. Robin was not at all pleased. It took me a second to realize it was not jealousy, with all these young girls around. Robin had been frightened at my disappearance. I was going to have to pay attention to that. I took her hand after we were sitting, and gave it a squeeze. "I'm not planning on going anyplace. But I'll try and be more considerate, next time," I whispered to her. She turned and smiled at me. "You know me, don't you?" "Not as much as I want. Lets spend the rest of our lives together, finding out about each other." My hand was squeezed hard. I looked over to her, and saw tears in her eyes. "I love you," she said. Looking to the stage, the curtain had already risen. We had been in our own world. Luckily, Jill wasn't on stage yet. Laura had just come on though. JULIA: I just don't understand. Why is everything so difficult? First they say they like me, then they don't. Boys! [She was shaking her head.] Laura looked out into the audience. I felt like she was looking right at me, and it made me feel a little uncomfortable. JULIA: The sad thing is that the one true person that has always been there for me... There was a pause, I could see it; this was not in the script. JULIA: The one who cared for me, who has always been there for me. [Placing her hands up to her face, Laura cried out] Oh, why? Why? WHY? This is not right, though; my heart is twisted as tight as a knot. What would the others say? Laura ran off stage. There was a pause. Again, I knew something was going on, but couldn't tell what. Jill came on stage; tears were running down her face. Her sad expression caught the audience off guard. MARK: Why can't my heart see what my mind wants to tell it? [Jill looked around.] As though anyone cares about me. I'm just a nobody. [The tears started to flow.] If only I could do something... anything... that would make people stop and take a look at me. All they do is see me as different. People look right through me. I'm not the same as them. But I have feelings. If only... The lights dropped, and I realized Robin was gripping my hand hard enough to cut off the circulation. She looked at me, "Was that part written for her?" "No. She wasn't even at this school when they started practicing." "She's that person though, that is how she feels. I know it, we've talked about it." The lights rose. Two 'boys' entered the stage from the opposite side. JACK: Did you see what John and Tim did? [They were laughing, pushing each other.] BOB: I heard. It was mean, though. JACK: Oh, you like her too now? BOB: Stop it! Just because she likes Mark... JACK: Mark, can you believe it? Mark? She doesn't even know, but everyone else can see it. BOB: Jack, you're not such a catch, yourself, I think you are jealous that Julia likes him. JACK: I am not! I don't care at all. If she wants him, fine. BOB: Don't worry, I wish I was in Mark's shoes, too. JACK: It just isn't fair, why him and not me. I'd do anything for her. BOB: Not like Mark, and we both know it. He has been stepped on, and still comes back. Everyone has made fun of him, but he is the one who loves her. I'd just like to be seen with her. JACK: You don't need to be so right about it; that makes me mad. Robin was clasping my hand, pulling on my arm. I looked down the row; no one had a dry eye, not even Richard. He glanced over to me, and gave a little smile. I knew he was affected by the whole setting. The others were too. This was Jill, someone half our group had seen grow up. They knew that the pain she was talking about was more than just words. The power she was placing in her character, showed how much she had to offer. Yet she was always overlooked. Typical, in your own arena. When she was building up to the point where they would kiss, I knew what was about to happen, but no one else did. The audience was now spellbound by the performance Jill and Laura were creating. MARK: [Jill was on the bench, looking out at nothing, and then Laura entered.] Have you come to torment me? JULIA: Mark, please don't think that way. [Laura walked over to sit on the bench.] MARK: Why not. I can't help it. You remind me of... I had felt Robin's grip tightening. As soon as Jill delivered those lines, Robin cried out in pain, "NO!" She realized what she was doing as she said it, and it came out a very breathy word. Laura and Jill could hear it, as well as the people around us, but no one else heard. JULIA: It wasn't me! [Laura jumped up, standing in front of Jill. Robin's cry had to have affected Laura, as she said, ] I never ever wanted to hurt you like that. I... MARK: I what? I walked past you when those other boys came along? I pretended not to know you? I have never given you a second thought? JULIA: [Laura was crying.] I have always cared, Mark. Do you know how hard it is to be the popular one? To have people expect so much out of you? Sometimes I forget who I am. MARK: It is so hard to believe any more. My heart is broken. JULIE: [Laura took Jill's hand, stood, and pulled Jill with her.] Let me help mend it. Believe me. MARK: Believe what? JULIE: That I've discovered... [Laura paused, looking out at me, I was sure of it, ] that I love you. MARK: That scares me, how do I know... JULIA: Like this [Laura pulled Jill into a kiss that curled the toes of most everyone in the audience.] There was a stunned gasp, then silence. I started clapping. Well, ok, smacking my hand on my cast. It had an odd sound, but it worked. The others in my row started to follow. Soon the hall was filled with applause, and it continued, while the next actors came out. They had to wait for a minute, until they could begin their lines. As soon as the curtain came down on the final scene, I was not alone getting to my feet. By the time the curtain raised, with the cast on stage for their bows, they saw and heard a standing ovation for their performance. It was hard to get to Laura and Jill, as they were mobbed. Jill was taking the attention a bit better than Laura. I smiled at that, she was starting to accept people saying good things to her. Liz was at my side, pulling me away. I didn't want to go, as I wanted to congratulate Jill. My sister can be persistent though. I tugged on Robin's sleeve so that she saw me leave, and she smiled at me. Another lesson learned. As soon as we were far enough away to talk in hushed voices, she stopped. "How long are you staying?" "I'm not sure. We didn't have plans, really. The big push was to get here. Then back to Carp. With the phone lines, I haven't been able to make contact with Mildred and Robert. They have no idea we've left, or where we are. It bothers me a lot. So the first thing I'm doing tomorrow morning is to try and call them. It's too late, now." There was a slight pause. I knew Liz was trying to ask me something. I wanted to keep the conversation going. "How long after school's out, are you going to get to Carp?" Her eyes brightened, "As soon as I can. I've been here long enough, that I can't just walk away. But Jill will help me clear out all of my things. School ends in two weeks." "Great! Now what is it you wanted to ask me?" Liz's eyes darted at me, "How did you know?" I smiled, "You have that look. Liz you can ask me anything, what is it?" "How... you... I mean everything is working, isn't it?" It was not the question I expected. A smile radiated over my face. "Yes, it's all working. I'm still a bit weak, so no one but Robin has been with me, but I have the feeling that is going to change, soon." "Oh," Liz grinned, "you are feeling pretty good, now?" "No, not me. Robin has been asked so many times. I think they are going to wait till she's out doing something, and take advantage of me." Liz couldn't stop laughing. "Keith, that is so funny, I can't believe you. The thing that makes it so ridiculous is that it's probably true." "Is that the only question?" "No." "Well, do you want to ask me?" "What do you think of Tiffany and Vicki?" I didn't answer her immediately, trying to figure out what exactly she was asking me. That pause placed doubt in Liz's mind, and she let me know more of the question she had just asked. "They are good looking aren't they?" "Liz, why are you asking me this?" "Well..." "They're coming to Carp?" Her pleading look of 'wanting acceptance' was too much. "Liz, do you need me to say it is fine for them to come? Why do I have a say in it?" Then it hit me. "Don't tell me they want a part of me, too?" She didn't answer me, and that told me the answer. "Liz, you need to talk to Robin about this. To answer your stated question, yes I think they are very beautiful. Someone would have to be dead not to think that. But that isn't the real question you were asking, was it?" "No." "Ok. I don't know what you have told them, or why they would be interested in me in the first place, but that is not my department. Robin has hold of my heart. If she wants to share me with someone," I smiled, "who am I to complain? But I am not about to say that it's fine. Do you understand?" "Yes," she said timidly and then added, "It's just... well you and I..." "Could not have been, if Robin had not said yes, and even agreed that it was a good idea. If you remember; the first time we were able to say anything about us, to each other, was on my wedding night. Robin was willing to give up something large, for you. I don't know if she can always do that." Liz had tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry. I think maybe I've forgotten how precious that gift was. I need to remember that. It is hard to say, but your wife is the best thing that could have happened to you." I laughed, "Oh, no. I bet you would find that easy to say, what did you used to call me?" Liz was smiling, "Stop that, I never meant it." "Oh, and I was suppose to know that?" I reached out, grabbed her, and started to tickle her, she let out a little yelp, and then started laughing. "Stop, stop," she cried. "You know," I said, letting her go (I didn't have much of a hold, with one arm in a cast), "Grace just about had a heart attack when she saw Robin. You never mentioned her age, did you?" Liz gave me a coy smile, "Must have slipped my mind." "And Grace said I was a little devil." "Well, you are." ------- As the helicopter flew over the town of Carp, people poured out to greet it. Millie and Bruce, as soon as they arrived, were brought to the front of the crowd that had gathered. As soon as the rotors stopped, the doors opened and Katharine was the first out. She had not liked the flight to the base, but emotions were taking over, then. This time was almost too much. She was glad to be on the ground, and out of that 'thing'. Two men pulled out the stretcher that Brian was on. People gasped when they saw him. He was tied down, with tubes and bottles hanging everywhere. He looked over to his mother and father, who came up to him, and smiled in a disoriented way. Jimmy appeared out of nowhere, and was at the stretcher at the same time his parents arrived. "Wow, look at those," Jimmy said, staring at Brian's casts. Katharine, answering Jimmy, but talking to Brian's parents, said, "His arm cast is from the wrist to the shoulder, to prevent movement. He broke it in two places. His right leg has just a lower cast, and he can bend his knee. He doesn't know it yet, but he will be thankful for that. His other leg wasn't so lucky. It was broken in two places. When it mends, he should be just fine. Millie looked at Bruce. Bruce voiced what Millie felt. In a low voice, he said, "I wonder how much this is going to cost?" William had walked up by then, only a few people had seen him. He leaned over Brian, looking at him. Katharine knew, in an instant, that this was the doctor she had heard about in the hospital. Jack had been talking to the pilots when he heard Bruce's question. He broke off his conversation and turned to Millie and Bruce. "Bruce? Millie? I don't think you need to concern yourselves about that right now. To tell you the truth, I don't know how the accounting office will handle this," he had a smile on his face, "He's a civilian, and they are not used to dealing with that. I'm not sure if they have a way of figuring out what it would cost. Don't worry; I'll let you know when I find out. It might take some time, though. Some parts of the military are not so speedy." "Well, we don't want to freeload," Bruce said, feeling his integrity was in question. "Bruce, we will work things out. I just don't want you to worry about it. You have other things to think about," he said, then looking over to Brian, "Like, how is he going to go to the bathroom." Jimmy laughed, so did Barbara, Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth, who were all standing there now. Brian wanted to laugh, but it hurt enough, just to breathe deeply. He had been warned and told, as much as it hurt, it was very good for him. He needed to work his chest. It helped in the healing of his broken ribs. Katharine took over at that point, "You must be the doctor I heard about, at the hospital. I don't know what kind of strings you pulled, but I've never seen someone discharged so fast in my life. They usually keep a patient long after they need to." William smiled. He had a down to earth personality that quickly came across. "I just told them a few things I knew. Such as Memco would be glad to take care of the patient care and costs, at this point," then he stopped, and smiled, "and that they were scheduled to have a surprise inspection by Doctor James Remfault in the next few days. He's a colleague of mine." He laughed, "They were stumbling over themselves on how they might transfer this boy into my care. I think they didn't want to try and explain his presence there." Jack laughed, looking at William, "And is there really going to be an inspection?" William shrugged his shoulders, "There could be. I will have my friend give them a call in any case. This boy will do much better here, anyway. It will also give me a little something to do." Then turning to Katharine, he said, "I am William Harrington, and you must be Katharine. I have heard many good things about you. Please carry on. We can talk, later." "Millie, we need to get him home," Katherine said, "and then I can show you how he can use the toilet, and how he needs to bathe." "What about these?" Millie said, pointing to the tubes and bottles. Smiling, Katharine said, "I'll be taking care of those, as well. I am assuming the doctor will be checking his progress. I'll be here for some time, now." Millie looked at this woman, she didn't know at all, with tears in her eyes. "I don't know how to thank you." Katherine looked at her children, who were still smiling at the idea they were going to be here for a while. "Thank my children; they were the ones who dragged me here." Her children giggled. The doctor said he would ask Jack how to find Brian, and would check on him in a bit, after Brian was settled in. Six men took hold of the special board Brian was on, and walked him home. It didn't take the six, but everyone wanted to help. Wanting the feeling themselves, of what it would be like to care for Brian. Once inside the house, the straps came off. Then they pulled out the board, laying him on his bed. Brian looked over to the other bed in the room, the one Jimmy usually slept in. "Jimmy? Did you spend the night here?" he asked, as Katharine was moving him. "No, it was her," Jimmy said. Brian looked over to where Jimmy pointed, but saw a boy, not a girl. "You're Barbara?" "Yes." The voice was a girl's. Millie broke in, "Brian, Barbara's father was down in the mine. He was my cousin." "Oh, so is he hurt too?" Millie realized Brian didn't know, he had been gone a long time. "No, Sweetheart, he's dead." Barbara's face went white and in a very determined voice said, "No, he's not! He's coming to get me." Katharine lost her composure, and took the girl in her arms. "No, he's not. I'm sorry. He's gone, Honey." The girl just sat there in Katharine's arms, silent, while Katharine stroked her head and back. It was silent for a moment, until Brian couldn't wait any longer. "Sorry, but I do need to go to the bathroom." This lightened up the mood, and everyone smiled. A few giggled. "Brian, I'm sorry. But just like at the hospital, you aren't going to have much dignity here. You have to have help with the whole process. Someone has to be with you." His face soured. This was probably the most embarrassing thing he could think of. At least all he had to do was pee. "He can't be moved to the toilet, so," Katharine brought out a small basin that was in an odd shape, and looked like it had a half of a lid on it. She then looked at her kids. "You can find something better to do," she told them. Jimmy stayed, and so did Barbara. To tell the truth, she looked much like a boy in her features. No one paid any attention to the fact that she was there, standing beside Jimmy. Katherine pulled down his sheet. That didn't bother him too much. It was just him, his mom, and his dad. The nice lady had seen all of him a few times already. Jimmy was there... and then he noticed Barbara, who was staring. There was nothing he could do, as Katharine took the basin, placed it underneath him, and directed his dick. It was the touch that set it off. He looked panicked, hoping no one would notice. When he looked at Barbara (who glanced up from where she had been staring, and looked into his eyes), he only turned a bit redder. His reaction, not knowing really where it had originated, was nothing new to Katharine. She was being clinical about it. "Now, as you notice, he is a normal young boy. My touch has embarrassed him. Don't worry about it. In a day or two, this will not happen again." That wilted Brian fast, "Two days?" Katharine smiled, "To get used to this. But, Brian, it will be more like close to a week, before you are able to get up and move. You will still need help, to move. That will continue until you have your casts off." "Ohhhhh," came a big sigh from him. Katherine then went through cleaning him afterward and how to remove the basin without spilling. As she turned to the bathroom, she caught sight of Barbara. Raising her eyebrows at her. "I guess you wanted to learn. As you may be here, you might need to do this yourself." Barbara felt placed on the spot, and all she could think to do was nod. "Then you can take this to the toilet, and dump it. It also needs to be rinsed, and then dump that as well. Then flush, and be sure to wash your hands afterwards. Leave the basin in the bathroom for next time, all right?" Barbara took the basin, holding it as far away from her as possible. As soon as she was out of the door, Katharine looked at Millie. The two women smiled at each other. The girl had obviously been curious, but now she was getting to see what that curiosity cost. Jimmy, on the other hand, wasn't so subtle. He whispered in Brian's ear, "I think she wanted to see your dick." "Shhhhhh" Brian whispered back, a little more loudly. When the others turned to look, Brian said, "Can I be covered up?" Millie was tucking in the covers when Barbara came back. She looked, and Jimmy couldn't help seeing the disappointed look on her face. He would have to tell Brian about that! Katharine, seeing Barbara had made it back quickly, went into the discussion of when he had to have a bowel movement. She spoke of the process of making sure he was clean, and how important it was. She also spoke of the need to look at the waste, and note if anything was out of the ordinary, as she would need to know. Turning to Barbara, she said, "That is a lot more involved. Maybe you should let his parents do that." Brian was blushing during this whole talk. Much to everyone's surprise, Barbara didn't seem phased. "Not much different than when I had to take care of my mom." Millie realized how little she knew of this girl. ------- All we could get in this town were three motel rooms. They were small, and two of them adjoined. They were set up with a double and single twin bed, in each room. We needed three rooms. Even with that, we needed one cot. Again, Richard and I had stayed out of the decision-making, leaving that to Robin and Katy. I hadn't been sure if I'd got the short end, or Richard had, in the end. Robin, Kristin, Daisy, and I were in the single unit with the cot. Everyone else ended up in the units that connected. It hadn't taken many brain cells to figure that no one would be using that cot. Robin had decided it was time to start seeing how much stamina I had, and maybe rebuild it. What I had worried might be a marathon ending with the hospital trip, was sweet, gentle and having me want more. I wondered if that wasn't part of Robin's plan. She was smart, and had known from day one, how to wrap me around her finger. Not that I had ever complained. It was just where I always wanted to be. Just as the day before, I slipped out of the room to make a phone call. I was hoping that, being in a different area, the phone lines were routed differently and that I'd be able to get through, finally. I could hardly believe my ears when the hospital operator answered the line. I told her who I was, and who I was looking for. The line rang and rang and rang. I looked at the time, and knew the answer. It was Sunday morning, and they must be at the chapel. Mildred would have insisted, as long as she could. I knew that, as it had come up several times while we were at the University. As I hung up the phone, I was working out the possibilities of when the service might be done. How long it would take to get back to the room? Would they go back immediately, or stroll through the garden? I was just going to have to try and try and try. At least now, I knew I'd get them, eventually. Walking back to the room, I saw two heads in the window of one of our other units, then the door opened, and out came Stephanie and Pamela in their night-dresses, running towards me. I glanced back to see if anyone else was around. Those dresses were about as transparent as you could get, especially with the morning sun shining right through them. As soon as they reached me, their arms flew around me. Stephanie felt my protrusion, and looked up, smiling. "Looks like you are better now?" I saw Robin in our window. She saw me with two girls in tow, walking back. "Did you get through?" Daisy asked, as soon as I stepped in. "To who?" Stephanie asked. "Daisy and Pamela's parents. Well, yes and no. I did get to the hospital, and that is good. They weren't answering though. I'm guessing that they were at a church service. It is Sunday." "Oh, yes. I guess so. I can't keep track of the days." Daisy said. Then she went to the nightstand. "I saw this last night," she said, pulling out a Gideon Bible. "Come here, Pamela. At least I can read a little bit to you." She placed it in her hand, upright, let it fall open, and placed her finger to a spot on the page. She was pointing to the Song of Solomon, chapter 1, verse 15, and started reading. We were entranced. "How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves." Kristin took hold of the book. I knew my sister had little knowledge about this, and was plainly shocked at those words, "Maybe we should turn the page," and she started reading. "Oh my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret place of the steep pathway, Let me see your form, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your form is lovely." She looked at me, "No wonder people like reading the Bible." I just was having a hard time, trying to keep a straight face. "It's not all like that," Daisy said a little defensively, "Here, let me read something else." She flipped the page and started, "You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes, With a single strand of your necklace." Daisy looked up at me, shrugged her shoulders in resignation, and read on. "How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of spices! "Your lips, my bride, drip honey; Honey and milk are under your tongue, And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. "A garden locked is my sister, my bride, A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up." Daisy closed the Bible and set it down. "I think that is enough for one day." I couldn't help but snicker. My sister's eyes were bugging out of her head. Stephanie wasn't much better. Just then we heard a knock on the door. Pamela ran to get it. Katy stepped in. "I thought I'd find you two here, what trouble have you been up to?" she said, with a gleam in her eye. "We were reading the Bible," I said, straight faced. "Mom, I don't think I've read about marrying your sister in there, before," Robin added. "What were you reading?" Daisy thumbed through, "Song of Solomon." Katy looked at me, "Your selection?" I held up my one hand, innocently, "I had nothing to do with it. Did I, Daisy?" Then with a smile on my face, I said, "I think it was divine intervention, she just opened, and pointed." Katy's face was not amused, as I thought it might be, and I wondered what part of their religion I had just trod over. "He's not kidding is he?" Katy asked Daisy. Daisy shook her head. As though the whole conversation never happened, Katy said, "Come on, Pamela and Stephanie. We need to get you dressed." As soon as they left, I took Robin, sat her on my lap and said, "Ok, please explain all of that?" "The verses? I don't know." "No, your mom's reaction." "Well, you were joking, but our religion believes just as you said. It was divine intervention. When Daisy opened the book and pointed, it was to something that needed to be seen." "Oh..." I was a bit stunned. ------- After breakfast, and before we got onto the road, I made the call to the hospital again. To go from one operator to another, to the hospital operator and then the room, takes time. Again it was ringing in the room, which I was glad for. A voice I didn't recognise answered it. "Hello?" "Hello." "I'm trying to reach Mildred or Robert. I guess the operator gave me the wrong room." "No, you have the right room; may I ask who is calling?" "Keith Patterson." "Oh, by all means. They are both here, who would you like to talk with?" I thought of a second, "Mildred." "Keith," she said, "It is so good of you to call." She sounded tired to me. Too much walking I assumed. "We heard that you were in a coma, what happened?" "I'll tell you that saga another time; let's just say I'm much better. Now about you? How are the tests going?" There was a pause. Her voice came back, sounding more strained. "We couldn't get hold of you." "No, this is the first time I've been able to get through, also." "We did find out you've left the University." "Yes, several days ago. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. I felt bad about taking your daughter without your knowledge." "Keith; she's as much your daughter, as ours, now." That choked me up. My brain was still working though, and I saw danger signs. "Mildred did they find something?" "Keith," she sobbed, "It's cancer." I had to lean on the wall of the phone booth. I felt like my legs were not going to hold me up. My eyes blurred from the tears that were forming. "How are they going to treat it?" I asked, knowing that the treatments weren't very good. "They can't. They told me it has spread too much." I was crying uncontrollably now. What had I done? She could have just died peacefully. Now she is in agony, knowing. "Keith. I want to see my girls; they say I have two weeks. Do you think that is possible?" I could hardly talk, but got out: "Yes. I'll make sure that happens." "I knew you could, Keith." "Yes." "Thank you. Call back when you know when we can expect you." I hung up, not knowing how to express my sorrow at having her go and find out she was dying. I looked at the three cars and was glad neither Daisy nor Pamela were in my car. I didn't know how I was going to face them. Wiping my face, I cursed the damned cast on my arm. Opening the door on the booth, I walked purposely to the car and got into the back, not wanting to look at the other cars. Robin was there to greet me. I fell into her arms crying. Kristin and Beth Ann, in the front seat, turned and stared. "What is wrong?" "Mildred is dying." Kristin looked at Beth Ann, and then started up the car. I felt it moving. She knew that Liz needed to know, and maybe could help. Mary and Richard, who were driving the other two cars, were surprised when Kristin just took off. They both figured that they would have heard from Keith. As they approached the school, they got the idea that all was well, and they'd be spending the day there. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, Kristin jumped out of one side, Beth Ann the other. They ran to the other cars. It was hard to explain why both cars needed to drive back down into town, to get something that they were sure they had forgotten. Richard picked up that there was a problem, quickly, Mary didn't. "But if Richard is going, why do I need to?" Beth Ann looked at Mary with a piercing glare, and bent into the car whispering to her "If you don't, I'll have a talk with your father about why you are going to Carp. Don't make me ask again." "Ok, ok. Jeeze, you would think..." Then Mary got a panicked look on her face, "I'll be following Richard, bye." Mary had a sorrowful expression on her face, as though the questions she had asked Beth Ann had done more damage. Robin had never seen me so distraught. I was having a problem controlling myself. They pulled me into the administration building, asking if Grace was in, and then pulled me into her office. To say she was shocked was an understatement. Beth Ann closed the door as Robin and Kristin set me down into a chair. Grace was looking at the three gals, but mainly at me. "Keith what is wrong?" "She's going to die," burying my face in my hands. Even the smacking of the cast against my head didn't register. "Who?" Grace asked becoming more alarmed. "Mildred," Robin answered. "That is Pamela and Daisy's mother. Grace sunk into her chair, "Oh, the poor children." "I did it to them. Why, why did I have to do it?" I said, crying. Grace looked at me, "What did you do?" Just then the door bust open with Liz and Jill running in. Liz stopped, looking at me, bent over crying. Beth Ann closed the door behind Jill. Grace again asked, "Keith, what did you do?" "I made her take tests. She didn't need to know, she would have died peacefully." "Who's dying" Liz asked. Kristin answered, "Mildred." "NO!" screamed Jill, her body shaking. Liz grabbed hold of her, and pulled her out of the room. "Keith, I know this is hard, but they could have found something that was curable. If you hadn't sent her for the tests and she died, you would have been worse off, wondering: 'Could this have been prevented'?" I looked up at Grace. What she said was true, but there was the other matter. "How am I going to tell her children? You saw how Jill took it. How am I going to do that? I can't stand to see them in pain, and I'm going to be the one who does that." Grace studied Keith; the depth of his feeling for those who were not his flesh and blood went far beyond what she had seen. Standing next to him was his wife, a mere child, and yet someone strong enough to be here. She admired them both. The door opened and Liz, with Jill wrapped in her arms, came back in. "Keith, look at me. Both of my parents are deceased. One went rapidly without warning. The other one we all knew was going to die. It may be selfish on my part, but I was glad to know my mom was going. I was able to spend time, saying goodbye. You may not like to look at it that way, but you have given the gift of time, for them to say goodbye." I sniffled and rubbed my nose, "Thank you, Grace." She let out a hint of a smile, "Maybe you're not such a scoundrel." That made me almost smile. Then Jill asked a question that I knew as soon as I heard it, was tearing her soul apart. "Keith? Are all of us from Carp going to die?" I opened my arms and she ran to them, letting me hold her, cuddle her, as she had never done before. "No, Sweetheart, no. The water shouldn't have caused this." I nuzzled my chin into the crook of her neck and whispered, "I want you around for a long time. You're not going anywhere." I felt the teardrops falling. Pulling back and looking at her face, I could see the relief, as the tension flowed out of her. I gave her another hug. "Grace, can we use this room, so I can tell Daisy and Pamela?" "Of course." "Could you be here, too?" I asked. She looked surprised, but nodded. I needed all the moral support I could get. ------- Chapter 51 Richard drove away from the school, with Mary following in her car. He was still wondering just what was going on, and why it was that Beth Ann and Kristin had run up to their cars. It had been obvious that some time was needed, but for what? Then he realized that he didn't know his way around well enough, to just drive off to someplace unknown. He spotted a familiar corner and smiled. He had stopped and purchased flowers for his mother and bride there, from a young boy. The flowers and the boy were long gone, but the memory made him smile. Turning around, they started back to the school. In the parking lot, Mary pulled up beside him, and they rolled down their windows. Everyone wanted to know what was going on, but as neither Richard nor Mary knew, it had been fairly easy to say 'nothing'. Other than they needed to wait. Kristin had gone out to wait in the parking lot, but their cars were already back. As she approached, the questions started. She shook her head and just said that they needed to come with her. Inside, I was waiting on pins and needles, not knowing what to say. How do you tell two girls, trusting in your care, that their mother is dying? They filed in, looking at us, wondering what was going on. They started to sit anywhere. Grace, fortunately, had thought to bring in more chairs. My brain hadn't been functioning properly. I sat on the edge of Grace's desk, looking at their questioning eyes. I was trying to slow my breathing down. I looked at how they were sitting, and realized that I needed to rearrange them. "Ok, everyone up. Now Robin, sit there. Stephanie and Mary sit beside her. Richard and Beth Ann sit behind them. Katy sit there. Kristin and Jill sit beside her. Liz sit behind them." They started moving. I noticed Grace looking at the procession, chairs being moved. Now all that were left standing were Pamela and Daisy. "Pamela, go sit on Robin's lap," she did so with glee, and no one thought a thing about it. "Daisy, go sit on Katy's lap," this was much more unusual, and they knew something was up. I was trying to clear my throat, but nothing was getting any easier. "Daisy, Pamela, I talked with your mother this morning." The room became painfully silent. "What did she say? They found something, didn't they?" Daisy asked. I was fighting back the tears at that point, but my voice gave away the telltale sign of pain. "Yes, they did." I saw Katy and Robin wrap their hands around the girls. "Dying?" Pamela said, her words not coming forth any more than that. Her face wracked with emotion. Her head bowed, and I knew tears were falling, even if I couldn't see them. At that point I wasn't the only one having a problem, my resistance gave up, and tears started. Grace reached over and touched my arm, allowing me to go on. "Yes, sweetheart, she is," I got out. "I'm sorry, so sorry to have put you through this." I didn't notice, but Daisy stood, walked over to me and placed her hands on my shoulders. "Thank you for finding out, and helping us." It stunned me, she was thanking me? I looked down into her face. She had a sad, but trusting look. "It would have been terrible to just have her die, and that's what would have happened, right?" "Yes." "Now she knows." I looked over to Pamela. Robin had her in a hug; Stephanie, Mary, Richard, and Beth Ann were touching her, comforting her. She was loved. If she had to loose a parent, at least she knew she had others around her who cared for her. Reaching out, Daisy came into my hug. "I will always be there for you." She started to cry. I led her back, and Katy pulled her into her lap. Hands surrounded her, loved her and cried with her. ------- Liz took everyone out for a walk, leaving me with Grace. "Keith," she said as soon as the door closed, "I've seen many terrible situations in my life, and this ranks up there with the worst. I don't know how that family has been able to survive, but those girls seem like gems." I tried to smile, "Yes, they are." "The way you thought that out, was nothing short of incredible. I watched you place the girls into a loving circle before they knew what was going on. You were protecting them. I don't see fathers taking that much care of their children, Keith you love them both. That is obvious." "Yeah, I do. They have wormed their way into my heart." Grace softly laughed at my choice of words. "Now, what else did you need?" "To use the phone. I need to set up some transportation." "Be my guest." She stayed. It didn't surprise me. I figured she wanted to see what I was planning. She got to hear my side of the conversation. I tried Carp directly, and that didn't work. I tried Nellis and I met with similar luck. Then I took a different approach. "Operator, I need Fort Collins. Yes, I'll hold." "Hello, I need to get in touch with the Commanding Officer's secretary." "No, I don't need to talk with him, only his secretary. This is Keith Patterson." "Yes, the one from Carp." I rolled my eyes. I saw Grace looking at me with a smile on her face. I figured while they transferred me, I'd explain. "They wouldn't let me near that place if I'd have said I wanted the CO, but as I just needed his secretary, they will put me through. My name helps, too," I smiled. "Yes, thank you," I said into the phone. "Hello," "Yes, Keith Patterson... yes, the one from Carp. Listen I need to get in touch with your CO." "I know. So let me tell you why. I need to get an urgent message to General Jack Huntington from Nellis Air Base." Grace moved closer trying to hear the other side of the conversation as I paused. Yes, he was there for the helicopter training. We both came up there. He is in Carp, right now. With the phone lines down, I am not able to reach him with the normal channels of communication... Thank you." Grace had a sly look on her face, "Urgent?" "It is, to me. She was also asking questions she didn't need to. It drives me crazy." She laughed, letting out tension. "Yes? Hello, my name is... ok, thank you. Yes, I need to get a message to Jack, down in Carp." "That will work just fine, he will be able to take care of this, I believe. The message is: 'Urgent. Need flight to Long Beach. Four persons. Will arrive in Carp in two days." When I hung up, Grace had to ask, "That was it? How in the world is he going to do anything with a message like that?" "I expect when we arrive, that there will be a plane waiting to take us to Long Beach, as soon as possible." "I didn't realize you had that much pull." "I don't, Jack does, and this is a 'Carp problem'." "Without knowing anything more than that, you'll be on a plane?" "Yes, Grace. There is one thing you are forgetting. He trusts me. Well," I smiled, "he also knows that the four people will be Pamela, Daisy, Robin, and myself." "I knew there was more to it," she stopped and looked, then her face softened a bit and a little smile crept on her face, "the scoundrel part, is back." I knew she was trying to lighten a heavy mood, and I appreciated it. "If he hasn't heard, he'll find out. In any case, we'll get down there quick," the catch came back into my voice, "She only has a short time left." ------- "Daddy, please," Sarah said, sitting on his knee, dressed in a frilly dress, "you're going that direction anyway." "How would you get back?" Patrick McCarran was perturbed. He knew he couldn't resist his daughter when she asked this way, and the worst was, she knew it. "Let me call Liz up, and find out. I've been dying to see Jill and talk with her. Daisy and Robin said she was so nice and about my age, too." "After six o'clock, and only a five minute call. I'll be timing it, so you'd better have your questions ready." Sarah squealed in delight, giving her father a hug and kiss on the cheek, "Thank you, Daddy." She got up, and ran off. Patrick smiled. It was very little, really. But having her still sit on his knee, hug and kiss him, meant the entire world to him. She would soon stop, just as Mary had. It was one of the things he missed most. Almost as if a part of their father-daughter bond had broken. Sarah ran to the phone and called Vivian, one of her confidants, now. "Vivian, you won't believe it!" "What?" "I talked my father into letting me go to see Liz and Jill." Vivian hesitated, "But that is the day after school is out, isn't it?" "Yes, next Saturday. I can't wait!" "How long will you stay? How are you coming back? What are you going to do?" "Vivian, you're doing it again," Sarah laughed. So did Vivian, she was always asking question after question. "I don't know," Sarah admitted, "I have to call tonight. My dad is only giving me five minutes to talk. Five minutes! How am I going to do it?" Both girls laughed. "Are you going to the game today?" "I was thinking about it, but I don't have as good of a reason as you do," Sarah teased. "How many times do I have to thank you?" Sarah laughed. She loved teasing Vivian about Scott. Sarah also told Vivian secrets about him. It perturbed Scott to no end, but he would always forgive her. He couldn't help himself around Vivian. He was in love. ------- Jack Huntington was in the communications car looking at the note that had just been handed him. He sighed, Keith now knew about Mildred. He was glad that he wasn't the one to need to tell them, especially the girls. This note though, was going to accelerate plans. The first person he saw was Jim, "Come on, we need to find Patrick and talk." "What is it, now?" "I just got a message from Keith. We now know when he's going to arrive." Patrick was easy to find. They ran into Jimmy and Kenneth. Those two had been running everywhere, and knew just where he was: 'out by the creek, at the north of town'. Jim took his Jeep to save time, and the two men found Patrick in meditation. "Keith will arrive in two days." Jack said, Patrick nodded, "The problem is, he wants to go to Long Beach as soon as possible." "Not hard to understand that. He holds Mildred and Robert's children in his hand. He cares about people very much." "The question is, when are we going to do the "hero's welcome" for the guys, in amidst all of this?" Jim and Patrick looked at each other. Jim said, "Everything is ready. The Mansion has been done for almost a week. The pool is done, and although the building isn't quite done, that is a minor thing. The landscaping won't happen until fall, now." The three men sat in silence for a few minutes. Then Patrick spoke. "When, during tragic events, we have something to hope for, to look towards, our spirit is raised; our humanity is able to carry on. This celebration for the two heroes in our midst is not only to celebrate them, but also to remember. We need to do this for ourselves, as well as to honor them. Daisy and Pamela need this, as well. They need to look forward to life, while death surrounds them." "Patrick, that was very well put. They will arrive sometime on Tuesday. I wish I knew when, and maybe they will call. If it's in the evening, we'll need to wait." "Yes, I agree. There are two other things I need to arrange, now." "Something we need to know about?" "The first is transportation; the second is about a mine." Both Jim and Patrick took Jack talking about 'a mine', to mean the one in Angle City. Jack was in the communications car a few minutes later. He sent the officer out for a break. His first call was to the number he had for Memco. They were very anxious to get a contract signed. With Keith coming and going, they wanted to be there to get things done as soon as possible. They would fly in on Tuesday morning, and wait for Keith and Richard to arrive. Next was transportation. This was going to be tricky, and would best be done on sight. When his communications officer returned a few minutes latter, he asked him to request transport. He needed to get to Nellis. As Jack made his way back to his office, two people asking if he'd heard about the celebration, stopped him. It was good to see the excitement in everyone. This town needed this, just as Patrick had said. Cynthia and Rebecca showed up as if on cue, just as the helicopter's sound echoed into the valley. Cynthia looked at Jack, who had his jacket on. "Going somewhere?" "To the base, to take care of some business." She sighed, Rebecca looked at her. Cynthia turned to her and said, "He'll be gone for most of the night. Probably crawl into bed in the wee hours of the morning." Jack shook his head; "I have a high mind to turn you over my knee, young lady." Cynthia reeled with laughter as Jack chased her out of his inner office. He caught her before she could get to the door and pulled her back in. Rebecca was watching intently. Jack pulled Cynthia down over his knee and gave her a sound swat, then four more in rapid succession. He pulled her up and kissed her. "That should keep you." Rebecca noticed Cynthia's face, flushed with excitement, not pain. Rebecca knew Cynthia wouldn't wait for Jack to come back. She, Rebecca, was going to benefit from this. Jack drove over to what was now becoming a regular landing pad for the helicopter. The machine touched down. Jack waited, and then ran under the whirling blades, opening the door, and jumping in. It was back into the air, before many people even saw it land. ------- As Jack landed at the base, there was a Jeep and a worried acting CO there, waiting for him. "Did I miss something? I heard it was urgent that you be picked up." The man was a bit frantic, Jack just played into it. He had had many early experiences like this, and the only thing that had cured him was being built up to take that large fall, right on your face. It made you keep your wits about you. "I am not here, and you haven't seen me." The man stammered, "I was afraid of something like this." "Oh? Something like what?" Jack said coolly. "There is nothing here, is there." "No, Sir. There is not." "You will be in your office at," Jack looked at his watch, "Seventeen hundred hours, won't you?" "Yes, Sir. I will be there." "Good, now I need a Jeep. There are several places on base I need to see." ------- The car ride had been very subdued. What had been a happy joyous day, yesterday, was just a dream. Looking forward to coming home, coming to Carp, was now filled with dread. In the silence, everyone was in their own world. Kristin, driving Keith's car looked down at the gas gauge, and noticed that it was near empty. It surprised her, knowing that she had driven so many miles without noticing anything. She signaled, and pulled into the first filling station that came into sight. One man and two boys started out the door, with the sight of Kristin, they came running. As the two other cars pulled up in back, it gave the men a work out. I opened my door as well. Any chance to stand was good. The boy pumping the ethyl took a look at my cast. "That don't make it easy to drive." "Sure don't, that's why I'm in the back. Don't let it happen to you." "How'd you do it?" "Fell off a building." The boy snickered, "Well, that wasn't to smart." It was the first time I could laugh that day, "No, but I didn't have a lot of choice." By then Beth Ann had walked around, and upon hearing the conversation, decided to 'help'. "A man was chasing him and was shooting at him, that's why he fell. Did he tell you the building was three stories high?" I looked with a pained expression, at Beth Ann. She returned my look with a smile. I had to remind the boy what he was doing, as he was staring at me. No need to waste any gas, it was all the way up to twenty-one cents a gallon. I remember as a kid, my dad buying it for seventeen cents. How things change. As the boy finished, he ran around to the hood, yelling, "Dad! That man in the cast fell off a three story building." He looked over, smiling at the boy. "Did you ask him his name? Maybe it's Clark Kent." The boy's eyes went wide, "Really?" "Bradley, how many times do I need to tell you? People will always try and pull your leg." The boy turned at looked at me as I had been listening, amused at the conversation. "What's your name, Sir?" I think he was half expecting me to say Clark Kent, but when I said, "Keith Patterson," his father rose up and hit his head on the car hood. He was walking over wiping his hands with the rag he'd used to check the oil, and then extended his hand. "Bradley, you need to shake this mans hand. He is a hero." "For falling off a building?" I laughed, so did everyone around me. "No, Son. He saved a whole town of people." The boy's eyes and face lit up. I could see the hero worship starting to show. "I was helped. Richard, over there, is a real hero. He was in the paper your dad must have seen, too." "Yeah, I read about him, he was in there too. Can't wait to tell my friends about who stopped in here. Don't get much excitement 'round here," the father said. "There was also a boy, about your age that helped as well." "What could he do?" The boy asked. "Well, he ran for help one time, saving Richard's life. Then the other time, he kept his head, you know, thinking. What he did, allowed Richard to get close enough to the man that was ready to hurt everyone." "Wow." "What he was doing; was thinking of others, and not just himself. You can do the same thing." "Yeah, but I'd never be a hero." "That boy doesn't think he's a hero either, but we think he is. I don't think of myself as a hero either, but others do. That is just what happens." As we got back into our cars, the man came up, and clumsily because of the cast, I rolled down my window. "Thanks for explaining that to my son. You know, you can say things to your kids; but when it comes from someone like you, it means a lot to them. I appreciate it." "Glad to be of help." As we pulled away, I looked at Robin. She voiced some of what I was starting to think. "I think our children will learn life just as we did. They might listen to you more, but I don't know. I never had a dad to tell me anything, but I had a lot of fathers in Carp." I looked at her, pulling her close into my arm (that damned cast). We grew up very differently, yet one constant thing both of us had, was knowing we were loved. I could only hope that that feeling carried over to Pamela and Daisy. ------- "Hello, is this Liz Patterson?" Came the timid voice. "Yes, it is. Who may I ask is calling?" Liz was a bit perplexed. Most of the girls that sounded this age on the phone were in the school where she taught. The only other ones were Robin and Daisy... "This is Sarah McCarran." "Sarah! What a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the honor of this call?" Sarah was fidgeting; her voice already had the telltale signs of uncertainty in it. Her father, Patrick, had told her five minutes. To make matters worse, he was there, listening, and counting time. "My father is going to a conference. I was wondering if we stopped in, on the way, if I could meet Jill." There, she got it out. "That sounds like it could be fun, when would this be?" "We'd be there on Saturday. My last day of school is Friday." "So you would be here when, on Saturday? Do you have any idea?" "I'm not sure," Sarah turned to her father, "When would we be there?" His reply was then told to Liz. "In the afternoon some time." "Oh. Jill is involved in a play. That might pose a problem." "A play? Is she one of the actresses?" "Yes," Liz beamed with pride, "she's great." "That would be so fun. Could we, I mean, would it be possible to go and see it?" Patrick was listening to the conversation, and was not sure what his daughter was now trying to plan. He had expected this not to work out. To his dismay it sounded like something might just happen. "Yes, I'm sure we could do that, but would that be all right with your father?" "I'd need to ask." Sarah had her confidence back. Liz had been easy to talk with. "Sarah?" Liz said getting her attention back. "Yes." "When does his conference start? I didn't know you liked that sort of thing." "I don't know, and no, I can't stand them. They're boring." Liz laughed. "Yes, I imagine they are," Then that made her think, "Sarah, are you going to the conference, just so you can meet Jill for a few hours? Is that what you were planning on doing after you stopped here?" "Ummmm." "Were you thinking that you wanted to stay while your dad was at the conference?" "Could I?" "We have a whole week of school to do; we won't be out, like you." "That would be all right with me." "You would have to go to class with Jill." Sarah tried to talk so her dad didn't hear, "Daisy said I should meet her, talk to her. You know, about Carp." "Well, that's where we are going after school gets out." "That's where I'm going for the summer. My parents said I could, 'cause Mary would be there." "Sounds like you have this all planned out." "I'm hoping so, that is why I wanted to talk to Jill." "Did Daisy tell you things?" "Yes." "Is your father there?" "Yes." "Let me talk to him." "But..." "Sarah, I think it would be fun to see you again, and I'm sure Daisy was right. We only had a short time to be together, and not in the best of circumstances. But if I remember right, my brother was quite taken by you." Sarah blushed at that, "A... a... a... a," she stammered out, hearing Liz laugh. "Then let me talk to your father and see if I can't work this out with him." "Oh, ok," Sarah said, relieved. "Dad, Liz wants to talk with you." This wasn't quite what Patrick had in mind. He had thought there was no way that Sarah could pull off all the details needed. Now it looked like his five minutes was a fleeting concept. He was being sucked into the middle. How did she do this to him? Then he almost laughed out loud. She did what he did; gently manipulate people to get what was wanted. He then wondered if she might end up in politics. His fatherly pride swelled, and the notion he had been manipulated was no longer important. A good five minutes after that, Patrick hung up the phone and looked at his daughter. She was all smiles. "Well don't just sit there. You'd better start looking at what you are going to pack. It looks like you will need two cases. One for our trip on Saturday; to last you a week. The second, the one that will be sent to Carp for the summer, so you'd better not forget anything. I can't guarantee that I'll be down there anytime soon." Patrick knew that was a lie, he'd have to check up on his daughter. If not for his own curiosity then because his wife would insist. Sarah ran over and just about knocked her father over with the big hug and kiss she gave him. "Thanks, Daddy!" "Don't forget to put something nice in. Saturday evening it looks like we will be going to a play." Sarah was already bouncing down the hall, but called back, "I won't forget. I love you, Daddy." He sat deeply into his chair. Yes she got her way, but it wasn't so bad. He had a daughter that loved him. That, above all, was the most important. He never had enough time to spend with them. Mary had suffered the most, with him being gone so much. Suddenly one day she had grown up, and he felt like she didn't need him. He didn't want that to happen with Sarah. Those hugs and kisses were what made him feel like a father. ------- Robert looked at his wife, lying in her bed asleep. His eyes felt like they had sunk into his head. They hurt from crying. He had no idea how he was going to carry on. The depth of his soul was in anguish. There, lying in the bed, weaker every day, was the only reason he had been able to go on, after so many set backs in his life. Now he was going to loose the one stable force he had. Not hearing the door open, Robert was surprised when he felt the hand touch his shoulder. "You need to get something to eat." Franklin said. The Chaplin may have been dressed in his clerical work clothing, but Robert thought of him on a first name basis, as more of a friend, than some priest. "I'm not hungry." "I know, but you still need to eat." "What's the use?" "Your two daughters will be here in a few days, isn't that right?" "Yes," Robert said with resignation. It took Franklin by surprise at how much he seemed to almost not care about them. This was something he would have to bring up in more conversations. If he remembered right they were still young, one nine or was that ten and the other only fourteen, maybe fifteen. "Come on Robert, she's asleep. Let's get something and then come back." Robert got up and walked out of the room. Franklin noticed his walk; his shoulders slumped, his feet almost shuffling. It was as if he was an old man. The cafeteria was pretty much empty when they arrived and Franklin directed Robert to a seat away from anyone else. "If I remember right, you have two daughters?" "Yes. Daisy and Pamela." "Which one had the surgery?" "Pamela." "Did you get to see her afterwards?" It was the first time in days he had seen Robert light up. "Yes, she was beautiful. She looked like the girl I always saw her as." "Sounds like you really love her." Robert's smile dropped. "I love them both." Then he looked down at his food and started eating. Franklin knew that window of opportunity was small, and had opened and closed so fast that he was left with more questions than answers. Maybe when they showed up, he would be able to catch a glimpse of what went on. He hoped it wasn't too late. ------- We were loading up into the cars again. The night had been quiet. We had driven all day long and everyone, especially the drivers, were tired. The mental fatigue also weighed heavily. At breakfast there again was no talking, and so I expected to see everyone just pile into the cars. "Why can't we?" "Because Robin doesn't drive." "Well she might as well learn." "You want to take your life into your hands while she does?" "I would." As I walked around the last car, I recognized Pamela's voice before I saw her standing there, along with Daisy and Katy. The two girls saw me and ran towards me. "We want to ride with you." "I tried to explain..." Katy started to say. "Why?" Came out before I even thought of what I was saying. I was not prepared for them to do this and it caught me off guard. Pamela looked like she was almost in tears, "Because we love you." I scooped her up with my good arm, and kissed her forehead. "I love you too. If you really want to sit with me, you can." Katy started to say something and then didn't, but the noise she made, pulled my attention up. I saw Daisy standing there looking very unsure. "Daisy, do you want to sit with me too?" Her face brightened with a smile, "Yes." "Where is Robin going to sit?" Katy asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "We'll have to ask her." Katy looked at me as though she had never considered that, "Yes, I guess that would be best." When she heard, Robin thought her mother must be out of her mind. That is until Katy whispered that she was trying to save me from being with the girls. She was thinking how hard it might be on me. Robin gave her mom a loving kiss. "I see your point, but Keith can say no. I think it might be good for him, he's been avoiding them." So as we drove off. Mary was driving my car, with the passenger seat empty. In the back seat, Pamela sat on one side and Daisy on the other. I was sandwiched in between them, and they were letting me know that I was wanted. Their hands wrapped around me, their heads pressed against my chest. Richard, Katy, Robin, and Stephanie were in his car. Beth Ann and Kristin were in Mary's car. It was a good way to start the day and I knew we would be changing places along the way. Richard and I had talked about it after breakfast. We would drive as far as we could tonight, possibly reaching Carp. I looked up as we I felt the car down shift. I caught Mary's eye in the rear view mirror. "Have a good nap?" She asked softly. I smiled, "Yes, I slept better than last night." Even though I was in a slightly uncomfortable position with my knees touching the back of the front seat. I was reclined, and with little back support. My neck was bent. I knew I'd pay for ending up in this position, but that was physical. The mental position I was in, was comforting. "Probably those two helped." 'Those two, ' Mary referred to were the sleeping beauties on each side of me. Pamela had adjusted herself so that my cast was out of her way, her head resting on my lap. Daisy had her arm around my front, her head resting against my chest. "I know they did. I wish I could understand it. I feel so responsible for what has happened." "Keith, you are down right stupid, sometimes. Don't you know that the reason everyone loves you is because you have such feelings? You care so deeply about everyone." "Is not stupid." I looked down to see Pamela wiping the slobber off her mouth. She smiled at me. "If she thinks so, save any love for her, and give it to me." I laughed, causing Daisy to wake. "Mary was just trying to get me to see that you still love me." Pamela got a hurt look in her eyes. "Why would I ever stop loving you?" I got choked up. "I pushed your mom and dad into a place they didn't want to go. Now they are in pain over what they know." I felt Daisy's arm around me tighten. "Keith, that is just stupid," Daisy said. "That's just what I said," Mary replied. Everyone laughed, including me. Daisy continued, "It would have been worse if we didn't know. Everyone would have thought it was the water, and it would have scared everyone in Carp half to death." "I guess I never thought about it that way." "Yep, stupid," Pamela said. I reached over with my good arm and started tickling her. "Stop! Stop!" she cried. "I'll pee my pants. I've got to go, bad." "Good timing, Pamela. We're stopping," Mary said. ------- With all of the arrangements to be made, Dora and Millie were up to their armpits with things to do. Dora had Jimmy helping her as much as possible. The heroes would be there tomorrow, and the Mansion needed to be spruced up. They were even making a banner. This left Brian in the care of Katharine. But she found she and her daughters, Elizabeth and Kristina, were getting excited about the prospect of seeing Keith return. Elizabeth and Kristina would run in and tell Katharine about some new thing that was happening, and would also tell her what Kenneth and Jimmy were up to. It seemed to Brian, who was listening the best he could, that the girls loved to spy on them. There were special decorations in the old storefronts that would be hung out, when they saw the heroes driving into town. Barbara, who had also stayed at the house, told Katharine she could go out and see, if she wanted to. She would be there, as Millie had given her directions to make lunch. By the third time her children came in, Katharine relented and went with them, promising to be back shortly. Brian was suddenly aware, as the door closed; how quiet it was. The only person now in the house with him, was Barbara. He had seen how she looked at him. His feelings were not so sorted out. The pain medication he was on made it hard for him to think as clearly, as always. She came up to him and for the first time looked him directly in the eyes. They were no more than a foot away from each other. She just stared at him. Normally he would have bolted, but he was stuck. "What do you want?" Brian finally asked. "Just to look at you." "Why?" Barbara smiled. It was the first time he had seen it. "Cause I think you're... well you're cute," she said, and ran from the room. Brian saw the blush on her face before she could get out of the room. Half smiling to himself, he started to get a bit sleepy. This girl thought he was cute. For some reason he couldn't explain to himself, that was a nice feeling. He was nicely floating away as he realized he needed to pee. That idea made him wake up. He couldn't call out and get help; the only one here was Barbara. He could hear Barbara in the kitchen and she was pouring water. He was trying to concentrate on his breathing. He couldn't squeeze his legs together. At least he had one arm not in a cast, but it had a needle and tube connected, so he couldn't reach and hold himself. It was a losing battle. If Katherine didn't come back soon he was going to pee the bed. To his relief he heard the door open and then a short conversation. "Is Brian alright? My mom wanted to know. There was more to see than she realized." "He's fine. I just checked on him before starting lunch." "Ok, she'll be back in a little bit, then." Brian heard the door close, and desperation set in. He knew he was going to have to do what he was dreading. "Barbara," he called out in a pained voice. She came running in, slamming into the doorframe as she flew around the corner. "What's wrong? I knew I shouldn't have left you!" Her hand was on Brian's forehead. Now he was embarrassed. She was starting to panic, thinking there was something terribly wrong. "What is it? Can you talk?" "I need," Brian started to say and then turned red. Barbara started to realize this wasn't a trauma. She started looking at him and realized what it must be. Her eyes got large. "Do... do you need to..." Brian nodded his head. At least now she seemed as embarrassed as he was. "I have to get the thing." She started to walk out of the room, and turned to see he was watching her. "I'll be right back." As she got to the bathroom, her hands were trembling. She was going to get to do it. She would not only see it up close, she'd have to hold it. Brian couldn't understand his feelings, or even why he was doing half the things he did any more. Barbara wasn't girlish, not like Elizabeth. She was straight, and there was no wiggle when she walked. In fact she walked more like... Richard. 'Oh God, ' he thought. 'She looks like a boy, and acts like a girl.' His thoughts were interrupted when she walked back in the room. As Barbara was walking back, she had decided the only way to do this was just how Katharine did. She walked up to him and pulled down the sheet. Brian's eyes flew open. Barbara pulled his legs apart slightly and pushed the basin up, in between them. The basin caught his balls and he grunted. Alarmed, she asked, "Did I hurt you?" Brian was glad he was on pain medication, it hurt and he knew he'd be screaming otherwise. She saw the water in his eyes. "What did I do?" Barbara pulled the basin back. She still didn't quite know what she'd done, but knew whatever it was, she had hurt him. "I'm sorry," she said with genuine empathy on her face. Brian was too far gone to care about that, "I've got to go." "Ok," She said and placed her hand over his dick, directing it. Brian had to close his eyes, trying to forget about everything, trying to relax enough to go, he let out an 'ohhhh' when the stream started. Barbara was surprised, first by what escaped his lips and then the sudden stream that shot into the basin. The initial blast was so strong; it splashed back and got on her hand. As the stream slowed down she could see it was not going to overflow, as she had feared from that first forceful pulse. As soon as the pressure was relived, Brian's brain started thinking and he realized Barbara hadn't moved her hands. He also realized what she was going to need to do. He always shook himself off, to get those last drops out. She saw he was done and started to move the basin. "Barbara." "Yes." "You didn't..." "What?" Brian was turning beet red, he could hardly get it out. "The rest needs to get out." "The rest?" she looked at him, completely puzzled, "How?" "I'll explain." Both of them jumped and if Barbara hadn't have been quick enough, the basin would have tipped over. Katharine had come back in, and neither one of them had heard her. What she had heard, made Katharine realize how much Barbara was interested in what she was doing. Her teaching mode went into automatic. "Boys are a bit differently equipped than girls, but I'm sure you know that." Barbara was feeling the heat from blushing so much. "He needed to go," she said defensively. "Ok, so now that you started it out, you need to finish it. Boys have a penis, think of it like a tube." Barbara hearing the word penis was having a hard time trying to think of it as a tube. "That tube has pee in it, and needs to come out." This confused Barbara, "But he just peed." Katharine smiled, "Yes, but there is still some in the tube and if you don't get it out, it will leak out and make a mess." She looked at Brian, "that is what you were trying to say." "Yes," Brian answered, still red being examined like this. "Oh, so what does he usually do?" "You are the one taking care of him." "I am?" "It looks like it to me." "What am I suppose to do then?" "If you had a tube and needed to get liquid out what would you do?" "I don't know, shake it maybe." Then Barbara giggled. "I guess that wouldn't work." "It does sometimes if he was standing." Katharine could see Barbara trying to imagine that. "The best way is to work it out." 'Oh, no, ' Brian thought. Katherine had taken his dick and from the base ran her hand up, stroking out the remains. His mother didn't do that, thank goodness. The idea of Barbara doing it was a bit too much. The feeling he got when Katharine did it was a bit too close to when he played with it. On top of everything, it had been days since he had been able to do anything like that. "So how do I do it?" Barbara asked in anticipation. "Take your hand; oh I see he splattered on you; that needs to be cleaned up." Katharine started towards the door, "I'll get a washcloth for you. "So what am I suppose to do?" "Grasp around his penis with your fingers," she said at the doorway Brain couldn't believe what was happening. It felt so good, he couldn't help it. Brian knew he was going to get large, any second now. The most he could do was stifle a groan. "Kind of squeeze gently, and move your hand up towards the tip," came from the other room As Barbara did, Brian's dick started to change, just as Katharine turned the water on in the bathroom. "Is it supposed to get bigger?" Barbara said, more to herself than anyone else. Katharine hadn't said how much to do it. She glanced at Brian's face. Something didn't look right, and she was afraid she was hurting him. "What's wrong?" Brian tried to say something, but as Barbara's fingers stroked down his shaft, all he let out was a moan. Barbara realized that he liked it, and so did she. She kept up the motion of squeezing the liquid out of his tube. Katharine was coming back into the room, and stopped stock still at the door. This girl, not any older than her daughter was... oh it had been much too long. All Katharine could do was silently watch and become aroused. It was too much for Brian. It had been to many days. This girl's touch was just right, and that stroke put him over the edge. "Ahhhhgggg!" Brain got out, as the first shot pulsed through him. Barbara was looking at her for help; she didn't quite know what to do. Her hand was still wrapped around his dick, not moving, but got coated from the first splash. Seeing Katharine, Barbara's eyes pleaded with her. "You got this far, keep on moving your hand." Barbara did and was rewarded by a sigh from Brian and more cum on her hands. "Well, it looks like there is more to clean up now." Barbara was trying to realize what she had done. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but knew it was very special. "Is this going to happen every time he has to pee?" "Probably only with you Barbara. It seems you excited him." The thought someone found her interesting was almost too much for her. She looked at Brian's face. She wanted to see what it was saying to her. She had always been good at 'reading' people who came to her. What she saw surprised her. There was contentment, but there was something more, something special, something she couldn't read. Katharine thought she had better turn this into a learning process also. It would make her conscience about watching, feel better. As she picked up Barbara's hand, she explained. "This is semen. It is what a boy makes." Katharine realized that she was rubbing Barbara's hand, and that goo was affecting her. She had to go on, to keep her mind focused. "When a boy gets excited, his penis gets hard. Then you saw what happened." It was the second time Katharine had said that, Barbara pulled her eyes from Brian's now softening dick and looked at her. "What do you mean excited?" Brian who had been feeling as though they were talking about him as though he wasn't even there was getting red all over again. "Barbara," Katharine smiled. "I'm sure there are places on your body that make you feel good." All of a sudden Barbara was bright red. Brian was all ears. "Well?" Katharine pressed, when Barbara didn't answer. "Yes," she said; her head down. "No need to be ashamed, everyone has those spots. They make us feel good." "Yeah, they sure do," Brian said, before he realized it. Barbara turned and looked at him, their eyes met and for the first time she fully understood what she had done, how it made him feel. Just like when she rubbed herself down there. Katharine saw the gaze, and needed to move things along. She really didn't want to explain to Millie or Dora what had happened, even if it was innocent enough. "I think it is time you cleaned him up," and handed the washcloth to Barbara. Taking it she wiped her hands first. "This is cold, maybe I should get some fresh water on it." "That's nice thinking." As Barbara scooted out of the room, Katharine looked appraisingly at Brian. "I'm surprised that you can discharge. You are still young." Even if Brian was embarrassed, what she said made Brian feel older. "I have, for a few months." "Then being in the hospital and then here with people always with you has been, well, let's say 'hard'?" Both of them laughed. It did make Brian feel a lot more comfortable though. "Yes, it sure has." "Then Barbara was a big help to you." Barbara stood outside the door. She heard the laughter and originally thought they were laughing at her, so she didn't want to come back in. Now she was listening intently. "Yes, she was, that felt so good." "I think she likes you." "Do you really think so?" "Brian, do you think she would have just done that, if she didn't?" "I'm not sure. I mean, I don't know if she knew what she was doing." "Well you might be right, but I do think she knew you liked it." "Did I make that much noise?" "Enough." "Oh, sorry." Katharine laughed, "Don't be. You two were learning." "You think she liked it?" "You want her to do that again, don't you?" Katherine said with raised eyebrows. "Oh, yes!" Brian said with a lot of enthusiasm "I think next time you might need to ask, but you also need to think about it. That feeling is tied very closely to love. You need to think about how you feel, and maybe talk." Then Katharine got up, and walked to the door. Barbara was, as Katharine predicted, standing there listening. Her face was bright red. "You still need to clean him up." Barbara sucked her breath in. "I hope you know you can come and talk to me at any time, all right?" Barbara nodded. "Barbara, I'll be here to talk with you anytime, and about anything. This kind of stuff, or," Katharine had wanted to say it for a day, "about your dad. Go on, I will finish up the lunch I heard you had started." "I didn't do much," Barbara answered, not responding about her father. Still in denial. Katharine knew how that could be. "I figured as much, now go on." Barbara peered around the corner, and caught Brian looking to the doorway. She blushed, and felt Katharine give her a little nudge. As Katharine went to the kitchen she wondered to herself, if that was her daughter, what would her feeling have been in this situation? The same? Understanding that experimentation is part of growing up, of learning? Or would she have pulled her daughter away, thinking she was too young to learn and experience? ------- Lunch had been uneventful. After two stops in between, each changing cars and drivers, they were looking for a place to eat dinner. There was a sign on the road, 'Sulfurdale 1 mile'. Right next to that road sign was another sign that read, 'Mildred's Home Cookin' 1 Mile'. We stopped. Richard and I got out. He was the only one who had driven this road, and had been looking at the map. "There's not much of anything between here and Carp. If we want to eat, I think we need to stop. I just hope it is good." We got back into the cars, and turned down the dusty road. Mildred's Home Cookin' was a small diner. The neon sign on the front was missing the M and the C, so it read, 'ildred's Home ookin'. The ten of us was quite a start to the two ladies working. That of course is a loose term as there wasn't another customer in sight. They stared at us and looked at each other. "Sit anywhere," one of them said. That was easier said than done. There were one square and two round tabletops. We pushed them together so we could somewhat sit in the same place. We were given menus, and I wondered why after the gal went down the list of what they were out of. It would have been much more effective just to tell us what they had, which turned out to be a selection of six items. Richard and I looked at each other. We somehow knew this was going to be akin to military rations. We ordered, and the conversations started. The first being, who was going to ride with whom. Mary and Beth Ann, the adventurous souls who ordered a salad, were served something that resembled greens. But given the amount of dressing on top, I think they were trying to cover a multitude of sins. Conversation turned to when we might arrive in Carp; we hadn't got very far into that when our food arrived. I noticed both Mary and Beth Ann had hardly touched their salads. Pamela had ordered soup and when she took her first bite she said, "This is nothing like Mom's." As soon as it was out of her mouth, she looked at her sister, and tears started streaming down both girls' faces. They were given hugs, but no one could comfort that kind of upcoming loss. There was no other discussion throughout the rest of the meal. We got up and left, each climbing into the car they had talked about, at the arrival. ------- For the kids in Carp, all of the excitement was like adrenaline. While the adults who were doing the work, and were wearing out, the kids were wired. Jimmy, along with Kenneth, had been in and out of Millie's house several times. So had Elizabeth and Kristina. Mainly it was to see Brian and Katharine. Barbara was there all the time, and Jimmy never got a chance to talk with Brian alone, but he wanted to. Elizabeth had told him they were alone this afternoon and Jimmy wanted to know if anything happened. That is when he got the bright idea of spending the night. It was one of those good ideas that backfired. Not only would Jimmy be spending the night, but Kenneth, Kristina, and Elizabeth had been invited. They talked about it over dinner, as they were all there. Dora and Millie cooked. Millie had invited Katharine to dinner. She was feeling guilty about all of the care Brian was receiving. As Jimmy ran home to gather his stuff for the night, Katharine's children ran down to the hotel to do the same. Dora and Katharine walked back together. "This is so nice, my children feel so at home here. I was a bit anxious about that. Their expectations were so high. We met Keith and Daisy and spent just a day with them, really. My children were so taken with them." "Carp has had many different faces. The underlying feeling of the people who live here has always been one of trust and love, though. You can see it everywhere." "Yes, Dora. I know what you mean. The first day I arrived I'm asked to go help people I don't know. It was almost an expectation, that doing so is why we're here." "In a way, I think it is. We all have our different parts, but as a group, we work well because everyone feels the same way." They reached a point on the road, where they would go on in different directions. Dora could see Jimmy already running down the lane towards her, and then to Millie's. "Have a good night's sleep. You look very tired," Katharine said. In a way she was glad to have the night to herself. She couldn't explain it, but the sight of Brian and Barbara had fueled a need long suppressed. She needed release and didn't need her children around to witness that. "I am. I'm sort of glad Jimmy will be over at Millie's. I just want to crawl into bed and have a good night's sleep." What Dora didn't say was that it was her pregnancy, as well as all the work that day that had made her so tired. "We will see you in the morning then." The two women separated, and Jimmy met up with Dora. "Got all my stuff," he said. "You behave, now." "Yes, Mother." "I am, until Katy gets home. Now be good. I don't want you causing any trouble." Jimmy snickered. They hugged, and she gave him a little kiss. He ran all the way to Brian's house. Maybe he could have a minute or two, before the others came. Opening up the door and letting himself in, as he had always done, Jimmy ran into Brian's room. Before Jimmy could ask the questions he had been dying to know, his Aunt Millie and Barbara walked into the bedroom. "I guess you're right," Barbara said, in a voice that sounded unenthusiastic. "The three boys are going to be in here, and the three girls out in the living room," Millie said. "How come everyone can't be in here?" Brian asked. Jimmy saw his eyes dart over to Barbara. "Brian, don't be silly. Everyone wouldn't fit. Plus the girls... this is best." There was a knock on the door. Millie got up to answer it, but Barbara stayed. Jimmy was beginning to feel like this was all set up, so he couldn't find out anything. Kenneth came running into the bedroom. "I get to sleep here!" he said, excitedly. ------- As the cars passed the first signs that everyone recognized, they knew they were close to home. Their somber mood from dinner lingered. Ever since dinner, Pamela and Daisy sat together. This portion of the drive, they were with Kristin and Mary. Mary signaled, and the three cars pulled over. Beth Ann, who was driving my car, got out. Katy, who had been driving the other car, got out as well. We saw them say a few words to each other, and then the three of them opened up my door. "Daisy asked where they were staying. I think they don't feel like they have a home." I got out and walked over to their car. "Daisy, Pamela, come on. We need to take a little walk." "What did we do?" Daisy asked as they got out and followed me. "You did nothing. I just want you to realize something. You remember how you said I was stupid?" They looked at each other, "Yes." "You said it because what seemed so simple for you to see was not for me. Now you are doing what I was." "We're being stupid?" Pamela asked. I smiled, "No, not stupid. You're just having a hard time thinking straight." "Oh." "Pamela, what did your parents do, before they left?" She looked at me, puzzled. I could understand. It did seem like such a long time ago. "They signed papers to make Robin and I guardians of you. Do you remember?" "Yes." "So, do you remember what that means?" "No." "We are your parents when they aren't with you." "But I'm not," Daisy said. I raised my eyebrows, "Would you want Robin to be your mother?" It was the first glimmer of a smile I'd seen from her all day. "No, I guess not, but she is anyway. I mean she says when we can and can't have you." I was shaking my head. "Yeah, and she said I couldn't have you while you were playing my dad," Pamela said in a disappointed voice. "Well the point here, is that you do have family. Maybe we aren't related to you, but we love you deeply. I hope you know that," I said. I looked at both of them, making sure to catch their eyes. "I love you both so much, it hurts." "I know," they both said at the same time. "So you may not be going to the home you are used to sleeping in, when we get to Carp tonight. But you will be in a home, and you will be surrounded by love." Pamela looked at her sister and then to me, "Can we sleep with you tonight, then?" I smiled at her. "We'll ask Robin if she can give me up for the night. But as she said, we will only sleep." She frowned, but then looked up at me, "That's ok, I guess. This morning in the car, was the best I've slept." I turned them around. As we walked back, I slapped Daisy on the butt. She looked at me surprised. "That goes for you, too." She tried to frown like her sister, but wasn't as successful at it before smiling. "I know." ------- It was a moonless night, and the only sign that we were that close to Carp, were the four lights on street corners that Carp had. I was in the front car, and as we turned the last bend, our lights fell onto the bridge. I was sure that I caught a glimpse of something to the south of the bridge, but thought the construction would have been completed by now. The dark storefronts looked haunting, and yet comforting. The hotel had a car in front of it, and I wondered who that could be, noticing the California license plates. The only sign of life were two horses that peered at us as we drove quietly up to Katy's house. Everyone got out quietly; we didn't want to wake up anyone. Katy was also interested to see where Dora and Jimmy would be sleeping. Richard and she went in first, the rest of us following. Mary had just shut the front door when we heard Dora scream in excitement. She came running out a minute later holding their hands. Stephanie, her daughter, ran to her and was scooped up with hugs and kisses. Then Dora spotted Pamela, and set Stephanie down. She held out her hands and pulled Pamela into an embrace, whispering things into her ear. The rest of us got hugs and introductions. Katy said with disappointment in her voice that Jimmy was over at Brian's for the night. Dora, hugging her daughter, told she wanted to hear about everything in the morning, but she was very tired and didn't want to forget anything. Then it was time for sleeping. Richard and Katy said that we could sort things out, took Dora by the hand and led her to the bedroom. Before we had it all sorted out, Dora was moaning. "Doesn't sound like she's sleeping," Stephanie said. Kristin looked at Stephanie, "Now I know why you are so loud." Everyone laughed. Robin set out blankets in the living room and told me to lie down. I did what I was told. Next Pamela and Daisy arrived in their nightshirts. Stephanie, Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann were peering out of Robin and Jimmy's old room to see what was going on. "I'm going to get ready," Robin said, and then with a gleam in her eye she added, "He needs to be undressed. I think you two can manage that." She left me with Pamela and Daisy, who were like wild cats on their prey. All I could do was lie back and enjoy the attention. It took a bit longer than necessary, Daisy starting it. As soon as she exposed a part of my skin, she kissed it. Pamela caught on, and started to do the same. I saw Robin had returned, the light from the bathroom shown through her short nightshirt, showing her thin legs, all the way up. As my eyes traveled to her face, I was greeted with her radiant smile. As I lifted my butt, my pants and underwear were pulled down together. Daisy quickly forgot them as my dick sprang into view. She sank her mouth onto it. "Daisy, I think you forgot my pants." The only response was not understandable. "Daisy," Robin said, "I said undress, not that." She pulled off of me, and sucked hard right to the end, making a popping noise. Then she looked up to Robin sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Especially with all of the noise coming from the other room." We all chuckled about that. There was little doubt that Dora was very happy to see Richard and Katy. She was also being rewarded for staying in Carp. Robin walked over the top of me. I could now see up her legs and although I already knew she wouldn't have any panties on, I looked anyway. I wasn't disappointed. Then she sat down on me, gently and in just the right position to impale herself on me. "Ohhhhh." Robin looked at the two girls, "You'd better start playing with yourselves, 'cause when I'm done with him, he won't get it up for a day." I turned my head from Pamela, knowing she might be embarrassed. Boy was I wrong. "You'd like to watch me?" she said. I looked over to her. She sat up and pulled everything off. I smiled at her. Daisy whispered into my ear. "Will you watch me, too?" I turned towards her, "I think you already know I will." We all fell asleep, almost an hour later. I asked Daisy and Pamela at least put back on their nightshirts. They did, but their panties lay on the floor. It was a moot point, as I was trapped with Robin already asleep on top of me. Pamela pulled a pillow over my cast, and lay as close to me as she could. Daisy on the other side, wrapped my arm around her, pressing my hand onto her breast. I looked over at her and we smiled, but sleep overtook everything else. ------- Chapter 52 Author's Note: The homecoming to Carp has many facets, with lots of stories being played out. Instead of the usual breaks to go from one location to another, you will find that the breaks in this chapter will be from one person's story to the next. I know that if you have read the past fifty-one chapters, you have become involved in each of their lives. This is the only way I could tell the story completely, so that no one was left out. Enjoy. ------- The men going off to the mines saw our cars first. They stopped and went back home, reporting the news to their wives. Soon, everyone in town knew we were in Katy's house, and they started to gather. Millie had to stop Jimmy from going in, when they arrived at Katy's house. Brian felt like the unluckiest person of them all. He was stuck in his house. It was no surprise that Barbara said she would stay with him. He hadn't minded that at all though. Jimmy was perturbed that he hadn't been able to talk to Brian at all; about what was going on. Now Katy's house was surrounded. And, like it or not, the simple talk of that many people made a good bit of noise. We slowly awoke, hearing the gathering assemblage outside. "What's that noise?" Pamela said looking at me. "People," I groaned, "I think they know we're here. I'd better get up and put some clothes on, before someone opens the door." I heard giggling, and looked over to see both Daisy and Robin looking at my state of undress. I got up, unceremoniously. They'd seen it all before, I thought. I headed for the bathroom, then decided I'd better get clothes, first. Everything was still in the cars. I was reduced to putting on yesterday's clothing from the piled heap on the floor. I grabbed them, and headed for the bathroom. When I got out, everyone else was up. Stephanie was about to peer out the window. "As soon as you do that Stephanie, everyone will know we are awake." She looked back at me, "What do you mean, everyone?" "Take a look." Stephanie peeked out the window, and then back at me. "The whole town is out there. Why?" "Heaven only knows." "They want to see Keith, the hero," Richard said. I looked over to him. "Don't you start; you're in this mess, too." "Only if you pull me in with you," he retorted. "All the way down," I laughed. "If I go, so do you." There was a knock on the door. We looked at each other. It was the end of what we'd had, and the beginning of something new. We could feel it. It was scary and exciting, all at once. ------- Jimmy couldn't wait. He'd been patient enough. It had been weeks since he'd seen his mother, and he wasn't about to wait any longer. As soon as he saw Stephanie peeking out of the window, he knew they were awake. Getting away from Millie was easier than he thought. She had started to talk about something, to someone. He didn't care. He wanted to see his mom. As soon as he got to the door, Patrick caught up to him. "You'd better knock, Son." He did, but there wasn't any answer. He'd had enough of waiting, and opened the door. It swung open, as Katy had been going for it. Instead of his mother, though, Jimmy's eyes were transfixed. He couldn't move, all he could do was stare. As soon as his mother saw him, Jimmy was wrapped in a tight embrace. He responded likewise, but his eyes were still transfixed, until his mother swung him around. There were many comments from the crowd about how wonderful that looked. Mother and son, in the doorframe; hugging and kissing, tears of joy rolling down their faces. In the corner of the room, leaning back against the wall as though something had pushed her there, was Pamela. Stephanie was right beside her. "Why did he have to do that?" Pamela said in a hurt voice. "Wow, yes. Did you see that?" Stephanie responded, not listening to what her friend had said. "It's just the same as it was. I don't know why I thought it would be any better." "I've never seen him look like that! It was something, wasn't it?" Pamela's lips started quivering, and then a tear started rolling down her cheek. Stephanie looked over to her friend, "What's wrong?" "Didn't you see?" "See what?" Stephanie said, thinking she'd just missed something. "Jimmy." Stephanie screwed up her face. "Of course I saw..." Interrupting, Pamela was still outraged, "He still thinks I look strange!" Holding her hand over her mouth to stop the laughter, Stephanie couldn't believe what Pamela had just said. 'Strange' was not the look Jimmy had had on his face, and Stephanie knew it. Pamela, on the other hand, didn't think the way he had looked at her was very funny at all. She stomped off, mad at both of them. ------- "I think you should get dressed, and come out," Patrick said, as he walked into the doorway. I went over and shook his hand. "We were so tired when we got in last night we just came right into the house. Everything is still in the cars. We need to unload them." Dora knew they should just leave most everything in the cars. They would end up in the Mansion, later. She jumped into the conversation. "Why don't I go out and get clothes for everyone. It would cause less of a commotion that way, and be quicker, besides." Everyone agreed that this was a great idea. It still took nearly an hour, just to get ready. Once again, we looked at each other. Daisy and Pamela were the most nervous about going out. This was not a joyous occasion for them. I looked around the room. "Beth Ann should go first, followed by Mary. I think that will confuse them the most." Patrick laughed, "Keith you always seem to have a way to make people think." "Then Stephanie, Kristin, Jimmy and Katy." I smiled at him and then said, "Richard, you get to go next." "You rat," he laughed back. "Between Richard and I will be Pamela and Daisy. Robin," I looked at her, "Will you follow up." She smiled at me, "Thank you. I like how you've surrounded Daisy and Pamela." "Ok, let's go out. Let's do it quickly, so they don't have time to react." "Keith," Patrick said, "You know you two are heroes, like it or not." I looked over to Richard and then back to Patrick, "We don't like it." Patrick just laughed. He opened the door and said, with a twinkle in his eye, "You might as well get it over with, then." We had lined up, and all of us walked out rapidly. Before Richard was through the door, the sound of people clapping filled the house. I was holding onto Pamela's shoulders, and felt her starting to shake. Leaning over, I told her to relax; she was so much more beautiful that way. She looked up at me. "I don't know about that. Jimmy was just staring at me earlier, trying to figure out what I was." I could feel the hurt in her voice. She was not over the trauma of being looked at harshly. It didn't sound at all like something Jimmy would do. I didn't think I could convince her of that, right then, so I tried a different tactic. "You know I love you. Be brave for me, then." She tilted her head back down. I heard a soft, "ok." Daisy and Pamela were very glad to be in the back of the line. They were hiding behind me, not wanting to be a spectacle. With Robin out, Patrick came out and in front of us. He quieted the moving sea of people in front, and then turned to us. "You caught us off guard, as we had expected to see you come in. We have a little celebration for our returning heroes." He motioned with his hands. We watched as a large platform wagon, pulled by two horses, arrived through the opening in the crowd. As it was pulling in front of us, I spotted someone. I could hardly believe my eyes. I pulled Daisy in front of me, and pointed. She looked to where I was pointing, and drew in a breath, in amazement. "You said..." "I can't believe it, either. I wonder why she's here." Daisy jabbed me in the side, "Because of you, silly." The wagon then blocked our view. Both Pamela and Robin wanted to know what we were looking at. Mary and Beth Ann came over. "What is this all about?" "Hay rides are traditional. They always have them." "No they aren't," Robin said, "he's just pulling your leg." "Again?" "Always," I said. Patrick was helping all of us onto the back of the wagon. Richard turned to me. "I didn't see Brian." "Or Millie. Something else is planned, I can just feel it," I groaned. "Yeah, I know what you mean," Richard said. "Some of the people have already disappeared. Something is happening. I would just like to have seen him." Daisy was impatient, and pulled me out of the line. She dragged me around the few people who were left. "Katharine! I can't believe you are here." Katherine smiled broadly. "Well, thank my children." Almost as if on command, they lined up. "Elizabeth!" I gave her a hug and whispered in her ear, "Mmmm, my! I think you've grown." She was blushing, and couldn't speak as I pulled away. "Kristin," I whispered into her ear as I hugged her, also, "Oh, what a delight you are, so beautiful." Just like her sister, she was blushing. Katharine was laughing. "Keith I'm glad you're married." "I'm not," Elizabeth said, to much laughter. Kenneth was a little shy. I smiled at him. "I don't like that thing," he said pointing to my cast. "I don't either," I said. I grabbed him with my good arm, and swung him around. He squealed with laughter. Daisy took hold of the girls and said, "You're coming with us." The two girls looked up to their mother. I'd heard what Daisy had said to them. "You too, Katharine. And this little squirt, too," I added, with a big smile at Kenneth. Kenneth just laughed as I swung him around. Daisy didn't wait for an answer; she pulled the girls with her to the wagon, and lifted them on. When I arrived right behind her, she had to take Kenneth from my arm, and put him up. He took off, running around in the hay. "Well, I might as well get on as well. You have taken my children," Katharine said with a laugh. As she got on, I could see Robin taking in the whole situation, I waved her over. "Katharine, I'd like to introduce my wife, Robin." Robin was blushing by the time Katharine was done with the visual inspection of her. "I have heard a good bit about you, from Daisy. It is hard to fathom that one so young could have such grace." If it was possible, Robin was blushing even more. I was smiling at her, as she was at a loss for words. She saw the smile on my face, and elbowed me in the side. I just laughed. So did Katharine. "I want to get to know you better. Anyone who can snag, keep, and have the faith to let loose a man like this, has got to be one incredible lady. I..." Katharine's voice faltered, "I had Keith pegged as quite a different sort of man, when I first met him." "You mean him getting a hotel room with a young girl, who wasn't his wife?" Robin asked, amused. "Well, yes. That's not what you normally see." "No, but this is far from a normal town." I was looking between the two wondering where this conversation was leading, when the jerk of the wagon stopped everyone's talking. "So, where are we going?" I asked Katharine. "I'm sworn to secrecy." "I figured as much. This hero stuff is a pain in the neck." "From what I understand, this town is not going to let up for a while," Katherine said. I groaned, and then quickly said, "What have you heard?" "There's... Oh no you don't," then turning to Robin, Katharine said, "How do you put up with this?" Robin was just about to answer, when Patrick turned around. He was up on the front board, seated with Jim, who was driving the horses. "I don't recognize at least one of you here," he said. Then he looked at Pamela, "And one of you has become so beautiful, I almost didn't recognize her." Pamela gasped and turned red, hiding her face. She was sitting next to Kristin up at the front. She was as far away from Jimmy and Stephanie as she could get, I noticed. "We are going to the south of the downtown, and will go through to the top. This is the reverse from when you came in last night, but will work quite well." Richard and I looked at each other. Robin touched my leg, and I looked at her, "You have been my hero, from the first day I saw you." It was my turn to blush. Katharine laughed. "I've got to hear about that," she said. Luckily, we turned the corner. Everyone stopped talking, mid-sentence. Hanging from the second story of the stores, were colorful banners. There were people on the balconies, and on the street. They were waving and cheering. I heard someone say "Wow!". It was breathtaking. My senses were overwhelmed. My eyes moistened. I couldn't believe what this town had done. Richard looked over to me. I could see that his eyes were also moist. It was so very touching. When the wagon pulled to a stop, my field of vision came back. I saw a pool of water just below the bridge, that hadn't been there before. As we got off of the wagon, the other townsfolk were walking up the main street to meet us. Patrick stayed on the wagon, giving him a stage. He waited until everyone had assembled. Richard leaned over to me. "I still don't see Brian," he whispered. "He'll show up," I smiled, "probably for some special award for you." Richard just rolled his eyes. "Long we have waited for this moment," Patrick started, "to honor the heroes that live in our midst. They might be reluctant to receive our praise, but everyone of us knows that without these two intervening, and risking their lives," he paused for greater effect, "we could all be dead. Everyone of us owes our lives to Keith and Richard." I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I was sure Richard was feeling the same way. I don't know how he was feeling, but I wanted to crawl into a crack. I didn't do the things I had done, so that I would get noticed. It was embarrassing to have all this fuss. "To honor such heroes is difficult. The idea struck us that from water we came to know these two, and water could have been our undoing. It has been the catalyst for what our lives hold onto. Now, each time we enjoy this life giving force, we can be reminded. And lest we ever forget our heroes..." Patrick made a grand wave of his hands. Two men pulled on ropes that held a covering, under the pool of water. As the sun struck it, the bronze plaque glowed. Patrick continued, "we need only to look at this plaque, an everlasting tribute to our undying affection for these two men." The townspeople erupted into applause. It was hard to be graciously accepting of this praise. It would have been so much easier to walk away from it. To stand there, smile, and accept how these people saw us, was hard. It was also what they had worked so hard to show us. I wasn't about to hurt their feelings, so I smiled. I shook everyone's hand, and wished it would all be over soon. It didn't help to have my wife looking at me with tears in her eyes, so proud of me. I saw Richard was having the same problem. Katy had grabbed his arm, holding onto him as if he were a treasure. Before we could disperse, Patrick announced to us that there was one more place to go. Richard must have looked more pained at the idea than I did as Patrick addressed him. "We knew that this is more than what you wanted, so we had this part public. The other part is a bit more private. I do hope you two realize how much these people hold you in their hearts." We both nodded. I caught up to Elizabeth as we were lining up to get back on the wagon. "So, where are we going now?" Before she could answer, Katharine pulled her away. "Hero or not, you are a little devil! You are just going to have to wait and find out." Elizabeth's eyes were wide, and I said, "I'm not really a little devil, I just want to know what is going on. Everyone, including your mom, is having fun keeping secrets from me." "Like birthdays," she said. I nodded, "Just like it." Pamela, getting on board, caught my eye. I was going to have to talk to her about being a bit more lady like. Then I caught Jimmy staring at her. She noticed it too, and frowned. She turned away. He just watched her walk up to the front. I think she had Jimmy all wrong, but I wondered if she could ever see that. I walked over to him, "So. What do you think of her?" "Dora said I was silly. I think she was right." I began to wonder if I'd been away too long. I'd never heard Jimmy say something so introspective. We were the last to get on. Across the back sat Jimmy, between his mom and I. Richard was on the other side of Katy, and then Katharine. To my left was Robin. Right before we began moving I asked Jimmy, figuring Richard, would want to hear. "We haven't seen Brian, is he with his mom?" "No," Jimmy said sorrowfully. Richard said, puzzled, "I thought he'd want to see us." "I know he'd like to see everyone, especially you." Everyone was looking at Jimmy, we couldn't understand this. "So why isn't he here?" Jimmy looked like a trapped rat. We took it that Brian was involved in some prank that got him into trouble. Jimmy realized we didn't know, and didn't know how to tell us. He started crying. "Jimmy, it's alright. Just tell us," I said. Katharine caught my words as she was sitting to the other side of Richard. She looked over, thinking I was now trying to pry our destination out of Jimmy. Then she saw Jimmy's expression, and looked back at me. "Something happened to Brian, and we are trying to figure out what," I said to her. Her face dropped, "You don't know?" Richard, Katy, and I, looked at each other. I shook my head, "No." "There was a mine accident in Angle City." "Oh, no!" "Brian fell down a shaft," Jimmy managed to get out. Everyone of us thought the same thing, no one survives a fall like that. Katharine saw Richard faint, slump over, and fall off the wagon. Katy gabbed hold of Jimmy, and was crying instantly. I yelled for them to stop, and jumped off, myself. That wasn't very smart, as my eyes were starting to water as well. I almost fell onto my cast. Robin was shocked so badly she just froze, unable to do anything. Katy and Jimmy moved, and she revived Richard. Jimmy began telling more of the story. Richard had to sit on the ground for a few minutes. It had been a terrible shock to his system. Even with the reality that Brian was safe, his body took time to come back to normal. Everyone was off off the wagon, surrounding us. I explained to Katharine and her children, how Brian had saved Richard's life. Explaining why the two of them were very close. I didn't think they needed to know how close. Patrick was looking shameful. "I'm sorry you weren't told," he said. "Everything has happened so fast. We didn't expect you in, until this afternoon, and weren't quite ready. Our surprise has put things into disarray." "Can we stop by and see Brian?" I asked. "I think that would be a great idea. Come on," Patrick called. "Everyone get back on." As Richard and I were getting back on I said, "Millie must have her hands full." Elizabeth overheard and piped in: "She isn't home. But I'm sure Barbara is taking good care of Brian." "Elizabeth, mind your manners," Katharine admonished her. "Yes, Mother," Elizabeth answered, with her head bowed That stopped us in mid-thought, puzzled by the name. "Who's Barbara?" ------- Barbara didn't know who the returning people were. All she knew was there was a lot of fuss around them. It had one very nice aspect. She was alone with Brian, again. This time she had been told, along with Brian, that it would be some time before anyone would be home again. It had sent a chill down her spine. She knew, or maybe had very high hopes, that he would need to go to the bathroom again. There was something about him that took over all of her senses. She couldn't understand it, but she wanted to be around him. She wanted him to like her. She'd never felt anything like that before. It was so strange to her, that she was almost ready to talk with that nice nurse lady, Katharine. Having no one to teach her the proper ladylike approach, Barbara only waited a few minutes after they had left, to walk into his room. This is where she wanted to be. It made her tingle all over, as she sat down on the edge of his bed. The smile she received from Brian, when she had come in, made her giddy. "I guess it is just you and me," she said. Brian was at a loss for words, what he wanted to say sounded so... 'Oh hell, ' he thought. "Are you going to take care of me?" "Of course I am," Barbara said, almost hurt. "did you want someone else?" "No!" Brian said, almost a bit too enthusiastically. Then, embarrassed at his response, he added, "I like having you here." Barbara brightened, "Really?" It was quiet in the room, neither one quite knowing what to say. Brian finally got up the nerve to ask something that had been bothering him, for the last day. "Did you have a boyfriend in Angle City?" Barbara looked at him as if he was half crazy. "Ewww. NO!" Brian was taken back. He had thought she liked him, or boys. Maybe he had been mistaken. She saw his face, and realized what she'd said. "There's no one in that town, that'd even look at me," then becoming embarrassed, herself, she said, "I don't know why you do." "Cause you're..." "What?" "Pretty." Barbara shook her head. "Naw, my dad didn't even say that." The memory of her father swept over her, and suddenly she was crying. Brian didn't know what had happened. Did he say something wrong? She had her head down, he could see the tears falling, and he felt more than helpless. He didn't know what to say, because he didn't know if it was something he'd said already. He couldn't move much at all. He was trapped. She turned her head to him, and said softly, "He's really not coming back, is he." Brian's heart ached, he started to cry. "No, he isn't. I'm so sorry. I wish I could wrap my arms around you, and give you a big hug." "Do you really?" "Yes. It hurts me to see you like this." "Can I hug you then?" She said, desperate for a touch. "Yes, I'd like that." Barbara walked around the bed, and snuggled into Brian's side. She draped her arm across his chest, and tucked her shoulder under his arm. "Mmm. I needed this. And you are just the one I wanted it from." Brian didn't know what to say. His mind was racing, though. First he was hoping Barbara didn't notice the large lump in the bed. Her touch was just too much, and as soon as she'd run her hand across his chest, he'd become hard. He was also wondering if this was a special bed. He smiled, thinking about Richard and his aunt Katy, on it. His thoughts just kept wondering, until he heard something different. Barbara was breathing differently. He realized she had fallen asleep. Asleep in his arms. It made him feel very good. Brian realized that he must have drifted off himself. That was not so unusual, now, with some of the medication he was taking. What woke him, was that urge to pee. Barbara was still in the same position, and he didn't want to disturb her. On the other hand, she might just do what had happened last time. That thought made him hard, and a bit more than uncomfortable. When he shifted, she woke. "Did I fall asleep?" she yawned. "Yes," Brian smiled. "Sorry." "I kind of liked it." She looked up at him, and smiled. Her arm was still around him, and she gave him a hug. Before he even said the words, he started to blush, "I need to go." She slapped his chest, saying, "You can't go anywhere." Then her eyes got big, "Oh, you mean..." and she looked down to his crotch, it was tenting a bit. "I'll get the thing," she said, and jumped off the bed. Before Brian knew it, she was back, pulling down the sheet. His dick was sticking straight up, at this point. When she grabbed hold of it, trying to aim it down, it wouldn't bend. "How come it's like this?" Brian looked at her, not saying anything for a moment. She looked over at him. "Because of you." She turned bright red. "Katharine said it's because you are excited." Brian just nodded. "About me? I don't look like much." "To me you do." Barbara's eyes started to water. "Brian! That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." "Well then, everyone else is stupid. Maybe the people in Angle City are all blind." She surprised Brian, as well as herself, when she reached up and kissed him. It was simple and short, but full of electricity. "I'm sorry," he said, breaking the moment. "I really have to go. It's almost hurting, now. I know you have to hold it, but that makes it feel so good it stays stiff. I need to have it relaxed a bit, or I'll never be able to go. So I have to shut my eyes and think of something other than you." Barbara smiled at him. The thought that he found her attractive, overwhelmed her. Right then, she'd do just about anything for him. "Ok," she simply said. It took a good deal of willpower on Brian's part, but the stream of piss started to flow. He was able to relax enough to drain his bladder. When he was done, Barbara stroked his dick twice, quickly. Just as Katharine had done. He was disappointed when she moved the basin away. "I'll be right back to clean you up." She disappeared into the bathroom, leaving him to wonder. In the bathroom, Barbara was getting nervous. She knew what she wanted to do. She had done it before, but that was almost an accident. She wanted to make sure he knew how much she wanted to be with him. She cursed herself for not asking Katharine more questions. Brian wondered what was taking so long. Then Barbara appeared, with a small towel in her hands. "I want to make sure your tube is clean," she said. Brian didn't think he could get much harder. His dick was pointing straight up, in anticipation. He'd lost his voice. Unable to say a word, he just nodded. ------- The wagon was moving slowly up the incline to where Millie's house was. Richard couldn't stand it any longer. He jumped off, and ran the rest of the way. Jimmy was about to jump down, too. "Jimmy, hold on," I said. "Richard needs a minute with Brian." Brian heard the front door open, but his balls were already starting to shoot their first batch. He couldn't have stopped if he'd wanted to. Frankly, in the state he was in, he didn't want to. Even if it was his own mother walking in. When Barbara heard the door though, she panicked. She slipped off the bed. As she fell, her hand, holding his dick moved along with her. As the first shot fired, it hit her straight in the face. To make maters worse, it surprised her so much, that she opened her mouth in shock. The second blast hit that mark. Richard came into the doorway, seeing that second blast coat her tongue. He stood stock still, watching what he thought was a boy, getting Brian off. His mind whirled. Did he cause Brian to act this way? Where was this Barbara they talked about, and who was this kid he didn't recognize? Barbara looked at this man who had just entered the room, and was horrified. She jumped up off of the floor, and ran into the bathroom, crying. She felt so guilty, and knew she'd be sent away. Her father had died, and now she would be sent to an orphanage. She fell to the bathroom floor, and sobbed. Brian hadn't heard or seen anything. His eyes had been shut in orgasmic bliss. Then he felt Barbara's hand suddenly disappear. Opening his eyes, he saw her run past... Richard! "Hi," Brian said, sheepishly. "Who was that?" Richard asked. "Barbara," the answer came out tentatively, as Brian now wondered what Richard would think of him. "That was a girl?" "Yeah. I know she kind of looks like a boy," then a little guiltily Brian added, "but she doesn't act like one." Richard smiled at him. "I think we'd better clean you up. The others are going to come in here." Brian's face looked a bit panicked. "No one else is here, are they?" "No, but there is a whole wagon full of people who will be coming in, any minute." With that said, Richard took the towel, and cleaned up the mess. Brian groaned a bit as Richard took hold of his dick. They smiled at each other. But were interrupted from saying anything, as the voices of several people could be heard coming in the front door. Richard pulled Brian's sheet up. "We'll talk about this later." It was then, that Richard examined Brian's injuries. "Looks like they did a good job. I'm glad you didn't..." Richard couldn't get out the words. "They took me by helicopter to the military base. It hurt so bad, until they put a needle in me. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't feel anything." Richard could see Brian didn't want to talk about the accident itself. In time, and maybe alone. But others were coming into the room, now. "How did they bring you back?" "By helicopter again. But I don't remember it so much. They gave me something, and I almost slept the whole time." "How'd they get you here?" "Carried me." "So you can be moved alright?" "Yeah. Katharine moves me around all the time." "Katharine?" "Yeah, she's the nurse lady from Redding." "I didn't know she was a nurse." "We're taking a hay ride someplace," Richard added. "They won't tell us where." Brian grinned, "I know." Richard laughed. "Well, you seem to be doing fine, I wonder if you could come with us?" "Yes, oh yes! I'd love to get out of here." "I'll ask." While others talked to Brian, Richard went to see Katharine. She thought it was a splendid idea. Then she asked about Barbara. "I think she's still in the bathroom." "Oh, is she alright?" "Probably not." "Maybe I should check on her." Richard wasn't sure what he should tell Katharine. So he let her find out what kind of condition Barbara might be in. Outside, Pamela was the only one still on the wagon. She was angry. She wanted to go see Brian. But what if he looked at her like that Jimmy boy did? It was worse than it had been, before. Boys had just ignored her. Now, Jimmy was staring all the time. If she wasn't so angry, she'd have been crying over it. To make matters worse; her best friend, Stephanie, was sitting next to him, talking with him. She knew Jimmy was staring at her, and Stephanie didn't say a word about it. Pamela was in such a bad mood that her own sister, Daisy, just left her there to sulk. Pamela didn't care. By this time, Katharine was called away. She had to make sure everything was ready to transport Brian outside. All she knew when she walked away from the door, was that Barbara was inside the bathroom, but wouldn't come out. Brian was brought out, much to everyone's happiness. But no one was more happy than he, himself. Just to be outside was nice. He had been placed in the center of the wagon. Everyone, except Richard, was on board. "I'll be right out," Richard called, as he went back into Millie's house. Walking over to the bathroom, he called out, "Barbara open that door this instant, or I will break it open, do you hear me?" Richard heard the lock slide, and then the door slowly opened. On the other side of the door was a girl. Richard was still trying hard to see the femininity in her. Her short haircut, clothing, and body shape in those clothes, all suggested she was a boy. Barbara's eyes were swollen from crying. "I... I didn't..." "There is no time for that. We are on a wagon outside, and you are coming with us. I'm not about to leave you behind." Barbara took his words to mean that she wasn't to be trusted. It hurt her to the core. Richard didn't trust her, but for a whole other reason. Until he could talk about this, he wasn't sure what was going on. He only knew that she was very frightened about what he'd seen. Richard didn't need her bolting, and then having to try and find her. He walked behind her out the door. Barbara looked and saw Katharine. Right now that seemed the safest place for her. She ran and sat close to Katherine, shuddering. As soon as Richard was on, the wagon started to move down the lane, and out of town. All of us who were not privy to where we were headed, looked at each other. As we got far enough out of town, Robin said, "The only thing that I know of, that is out here, is that scary old mansion." That brought a laugh out of Jimmy, who was still being held by Katy. She'd felt pretty bad about not being here for her son, her sister, and her nephew, when he had had his accident. Everyone turned to Jimmy. Those who knew, had a steely stare on him. Everyone else had anticipation in their eyes, hoping to get something out of him. He tucked his head into his mother's shoulder, not wanting to betray anything. Robin smiled. She knew how to get things out of her brother. She knew he'd been at the old mansion with Brian, when they were supposed to be some place else. Those two boys found it interesting, for some reason. "I'll bet they tore down that old pile of junk, and found it was a good place for a new mine." "No they didn't!" Jimmy said taking the bait. "Oh, yeah? What did they do then?" "They..." Jimmy was silenced by Katy's hand over his mouth. "Robin," she said, almost laughing; "Now you be nice. We can all just wait and see." "Darn," I said. Hearing Robin bait her brother, I was and hoping it would work. Everyone around who heard me, laughed. ------- Dora and Millie were starting to get worried. After the speech that Patrick gave the group, they were all supposed to come out here. Jack and Cynthia drove out quickly in the Jeep, to let everyone know they were all coming. But that was almost a half an hour ago, and they weren't here yet. Everything was ready. As others had gathered downtown, a small group of ladies had come directly out here, to get everything just right. They even had started preparing a lunch for the group. These women felt very privileged, as they would be among the few to see the reactions of Keith and Richard, upon seeing their gift. Jack had come outside, just as he had heard a plane approach. He smiled. 'What timing, ' he thought. Walking to his Jeep, he picked up a pair of binoculars. He spotted the Memco logo on the side of the plane, as it started coming in for a landing. Jack watched as it touched down, and taxied near to the other plane, at the end of what was now a dirt runway. With his binoculars, Jack could see the doctor, who had exited his plane. The doctor approached the newly arriving plane. As Jack was the only one who anticipated this arrival, it threw everyone else into wondering what was going on. He didn't know that everyone on the wagon had seen the plane come in, and this added to the confusion of what was happening. ------- Seeing the plane fly over, I thought that it must be the one to take Daisy and Pamela to Long Beach. I was saddened that I had no more time than this to see everyone. Some of the others must have had the same thoughts, as Pamela scooted up next to me, the closest she'd been to Jimmy since she'd arrived. There were tears in her eyes. "Is that for us?" "I don't know for sure," I looked over at Jimmy, to gauge his reaction. He looked as confused as everyone else about seeing its arrival. "I think we need to wait and see." She took my good arm, and wrapped it around her. I pulled her onto my lap, whispering in her ear that I loved her. The wagon started moving faster, and I wondered how that fit into this. They seemed anxious to get someplace. As we turned around the bend that opened up into the small valley, the wagon slowed again. Richard and I had seen that old monster of a building, one time. What stood before us now, was an incredible sight. The transformation was so dazzling, that no one could say a word. The pounding of the horse's hooves, and creaking of the wagon wheels, were all that filled the stunned silence. We pulled up to the front gate. We saw Jack, Cynthia, Dora, and Millie, on the front porch, past the stunning array of desert wildflowers. Jim, the mayor, came riding up on horseback. I noticed the smile on Patrick's face. Before we could get down, Jim jumped onto the wagon, and stood on the front seat. "On behalf of the people of Carp," Jim pulled out a paper, "We deed this property, and the house that stands on it, to Keith Patterson and Richard Thompson. Then with a large smile, he said, "We just hope that it convinces you to stay in our town." The other women (working in the kitchen), upon hearing the noise in front, had come out to see. Richard and I looked at each other. I don't think either one of us could quite believe it. Robin pulled at my arm, and I looked over to her. "I think he wants an answer," she said. I looked back to Richard. His expression was what I felt, as well. "I don't think we deserve something like this," I said. Patrick and Jim both laughed. "We knew that might be your answer. We've had a bit more help, to convince you. Maybe you should step inside." I looked at the people in our group on the wagon, to see who looked guilty. The only thing I saw, was complete and utter amusement. I couldn't blame them. The Mansion (as it was called) was, on the outside, fitting to be in one of the old rich neighborhoods in most cities. I began to get suspicious of what was inside. But curiosity got the best of me. I knew I had to go in and see. I jumped off the wagon, with a bit more discretion, this time. I looked back to Richard. "Well, come on. Like I said, if I go down, so do you." Richard laughed, "I didn't know I'd be pulled in so fast." He jumped down also, and then turned back to look at Barbara. She was scared stiff. She looked at him, and then back to the porch. He looked to where she was staring, and saw Millie. Then he looked back, and Barbara had disappeared. Richard was about to look for her, when I called to him to hurry up. Robin was by my side, and slipped her hand into mine, intertwining our fingers. I looked at her, and she was in wide-eyed, taking in what was a magical journey for her. I saw Richard looking around, and had to call him again. I saw him shrug his shoulders, and Katy interlocked arms with him, bringing him along with her. "What was that about?" I said, as he got next to me. "I'll tell you later," he replied. As we reached the porch, Richard looked at Dora. "So you knew about this, and didn't say a word?" Dora looked very nervously around as the others started to come up to the front. "I... I..." She stammered. "You are delightful," Richard said, and kissed her right on the lips. I had a hard time not laughing from the look on Millie's face, when he did that. Everyone was starting to crowd onto the porch, when Millie composed herself. She announced to Richard and me, "Open the doors to your house." We looked at each other. Neither one of us wanted to do the honor. Robin got impatient, and opened it for us. The heavy wooden doors smoothly glided open on their hinges. She started to say something, but her mouth was left hanging open, with nothing coming out. Her eyes widened, and she looked at her mother. Katy squeezed her way past me, and stood in the doorway, slightly pushing her daughter in. Her reaction was similar to Robin's. She looked to her sister, Millie, who was wearing a big smile. "How did you do all of this?" Katy asked, getting her voice back. Richard and I were more than curious now. Without waiting for an answer, we pushed them in so we could take a look. Richard and I saw an entry hall as opulent as the outside. I looked to my left, and just about cried out. I was not given the opportunity, as my sister did it for me. "Grandma's piano!" Kristin pushed passed us and sat down at it. She opened the keyboard, and ran her fingers up and down the keys. It filled the house with lush sounds, that transported my sister and me back many miles, and many years. I looked at her, a tear forming in my eye. She played the first measures of 'The Moonlight Sonata', much to my delight. Stopping, she waved me over. She moved over. She would play with her left hand. I, with my cast, I could only play with my right. When we were done, all that could fit, were tightly pressed into that room. The few that didn't fit, were in the doorways of the hall and library. Robin said, "How did you learn to play like that?" I looked at Kristin, and smiled. "It's a difficult piece to learn. Our mom was always in the kitchen when we practiced, so I learned one hand of it, Kristin the other. We did that with several pieces." "That's sneaky." "Yes, but I always liked the low notes, so it was easy to learn." "Keith, you were playing the high notes, weren't you?" Richard asked. "Umm, yes, I guess I was." Then I turned to Kristin, "So how did you learn the low notes?" She turned a bit red and answered, "I had to learn both, so I could get it right with you." I laughed, "So did I. No wonder Mom never found out. We did both learn it." Everyone had a good laugh. Robin leaned over and said, between us, "You too just wanted a reason to sit close together." I looked over to Kristin. Her expression told me Robin was as right about her, as she was about me. Kristin grabbed Robin, and I tickled her. Noticing for the first time, the other furnishing in the room, I exclaimed, "These are all from my grandmother's place." "Your mother had them shipped by train, to here," Millie said. "She knew! That rat." Kristin said. "She didn't tell me a word." "Come on, let's see what else is here." Then in a whisper, I said to Richard, "Why don't you ask your 'second wife' to give us a tour." He was shaking his head. He had a smile on his face, but he gave me a dirty look. He turned to Dora and said, "How about a tour, Dora." "Oh, I'd love to do that." She went on to describe and move us into the library. Then she took us to the living room, and the dining room, across the hall. There were my grandmother's furnishings, along with the long dining table she used for parties. They fit as if they were made for this room. We walked through, in utter awe of the magnificent structure. The realization that it was ours, just didn't quite sink in. The kitchen was enormous. Even with the four women working, it still had plenty of space to maneuver in. Jimmy had to show us the hand crank, that brought water up from the cistern, down below. Then we climbed up to the second story, using the back stairwell. The rooms on each side of the landing from the main staircase, were three on each side. The front center room made a U shape of bedrooms. In the back, on the one side, was the back stairwell. On the other side, the bathroom. Millie took over, trying to be practical. "We thought that Richard and Katy could be on one side, while Keith and Robin could be on the other." I couldn't help myself, "Oh, and I thought we would just trade off. Each week one of the families would sleep in Katy's old house." The look Millie gave me, was enough to make everyone laugh. She quickly saw that I was pulling her leg. By now, all the doors were being opened. Kristin exclaimed, "Grandma's bed!" "We didn't know what should go where," Dora said apologetically. "And how would you?" I replied, to put her at ease. "Robin and Katy will probably move everything ten times, before they like where things will be." I got evil glares from them, but this time Millie laughed. "No, I think that would be me. Katy just puts it down, and says that's it. Robin's just about the same." After the tour of the second floor, we went to the third. There were nine smaller bedrooms, with a sun porch on the back. I laughed when I saw it. "A sun porch, in the desert. I'm sure it was the thing all these houses had... but really." Most of the rooms were vacant, as Grandmother's house wasn't nearly as big as this one. I bent down to Stephanie and whispered, "Did you pick out a room yet?" Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head no. Then she looked up to me. Her smile started to radiate, as she thought about it. Kristin came over to me, "Keith? Is everyone going to fit in here?" Her eyes were gleaming at the prospect that we could be together again, as we had been, and wanted to be. "We will make it work." Patrick picked up those words. "Does that mean you will except our gift?" Richard and I, once again, looked at each other. "I think we need to talk about this," I said. Everyone's face fell. "Neither one of us did what we did for rewards, especially one this rich. We need to accept this on terms that make us feel comfortable. It is a bit overwhelming for me, and probably for Richard, too." Patrick and Jim smiled. "Oh, of course. We'll go downstairs." "Robin?" I called, while Richard called Katy. "You have to stay here, please." We listened to the rest descend the stairs, and then looked at each other. It was Richard who started the grins, and soon each one of us had one on our faces. "We can't, not accept." "Of course not." "Then why send them downstairs?" "Yes, are you trying to play games, again." "Me?" "Yes, you." "Robin, Katy," I said, "Have you ever been given anything so enormous?" They looked at each other, "No," they said in unison. "Neither have we. It's a bit overwhelming, but of course we are going to say yes. It's just I (and I think Richard feels the same way) want them to think we have thought long and hard about this. That we do want it, and appreciate it. If we just jumped at it when we first drove up, what would that say about our motivations?" "Keith is right," Richard continued. "We want the townspeople to know how much we appreciate what they did, which looks like a lot. We also want to give them back, as much as they are giving us. We just have to be a bit sneaky about it. So, just like us, they are obligated to take it." Robin and Katy hugged us. I told them to go down, but not say anything. "We want the suspense to hang on a bit longer." "You are playing games." "Just good ones," I said, and gave Robin a kiss. As soon as they started down the stairs, I looked over to Richard. "We are damn lucky." "Yes, we sure are." I tapped my fingers against the doorframe for a moment. "Have you seen how Jimmy looks at Pamela?" Richard laughed. "How could I have missed that? I think it's called puppy love." I smiled. "Yes, you could say that. The problem is that Pamela is used to the townspeople looking down at her. Jimmy's staring isn't being taken the right way. Stephanie has seen it, you can tell. I think that is why Jimmy and Stephanie are talking a lot. But Pamela isn't saying a word to either of them." "So you want to play matchmaker?" "No, I don't think I'd be very good at that. It's just that I'm concerned that Pamela will shy away from anyone who looks at her funny, and boys in love do that." "You're right about that. Let me think about it. Have you talked with Robin?" "When have I had time?" "I know what you mean." Just then we heard a creak on the stairs. I said in a loud voice, "Ok, lets go down, then." Little footsteps could be heard. I turned to Richard. "Who do you think that was?" "I don't know, but we'll probably know, soon. Now that we are talking problems, I walked into one." "I was going to ask who that was you brought out with you." "That was Barbara." "That was a girl?" "Yes, and what she was doing..." "Well?" "She was giving Brian a hand job." "Brian? He's kind of bedridden, isn't he?" "Keith." I smiled, "Yes, but that girl looks just like..." "You don't need to say it." "Maybe it is a good mix, part boy, part girl." "Don't make me feel any more guilty than I already do." "Richard. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I don't think I'd want to do it, but what is the difference between a couple of guys doing it, or a couple of girls?" "You don't think it is so bad. I mean what I did?" "Richard, you two have a deep bond. You shared that in love. What is so bad about that? Is it any worse that what I did with Stephanie?" "You mean little Stephanie?" "Yes, like I said." "Ok, I get the point. But now I walked in on the end of it." "Sexy?" "Shit, Keith!" Richard said. I laughed. "I didn't have time to think about that," Richard said. "I was stunned. There was cum all over her face, and in her mouth." "You'll be dreaming about it, later," I joked. "Ok, I know. So what happened?" "She took off to the bathroom." "Why was she there in the first place, do you know?" Richard shook his head. "Have no idea." "Probably tell a lot, if you knew. Maybe a preacher's daughter, you know how they can be." Richard laughed at that, "Keith, can you be serious for a minute." "I am serious. Just throwing in tidbits, to keep the conversation lively. She's probably scared you are going to tell someone. What did you say to Brian?" "I didn't have time to say much of anything. People were ready to come in, and he had to be cleaned up." "I'm not going to say anything about that." "Good! Don't. Let's go down now." ------- As soon as we had gone into the house, Jack took off. Every one of us was so taken by the Mansion, that the landing of the plane was a memory. Jack was in his Jeep as soon as we were out of sight, diving out to the far end of the small valley. "They arrived last night." Jack said, after the formalities of greetings were over. "Great, where are they now?" "In the Mansion, at the other end of this valley." "I noticed it as we flew in, who does it belong to?" "Keith and Richard." Several eyebrows rose, "Well, they are doing well for themselves." Jack chuckled, "The town just gave them the house, and this little valley to go along with it." "Gave it to them?" "Yes, as a thank you." "Thank you, what the hell did they do?" Two of the other Memco representatives laughed. "He's been out of the country for almost a year, so he doesn't know. We brought him along to get him acquainted with what we are doing stateside." The other one told him. "Richard and Keith saved this town, literally. Some guy had a vengeance on this town, and had some top-secret government stuff. He was ready to do the whole town in. Those two went after him. We have the news clippings back at the office. It wasn't too pretty, what happened to the guy." "Townspeople lynch him?" "No, he died of the stuff he was going to use to poison the people. It sounds bad. I'm sure, as you know, the newspapers water everything down. "The military closed off the town, and cleaned it up." "We're sure they got everything?" "Yes, we're sure." They turned back to Jack, "Our doctor is pretty impressed with the town. He's given us good solid reasons to locate, and set up a clinic here." "I think that is a great idea, but I still don't understand all the details." "This plane has a large table, and is a quiet, secluded place. We find sometimes, it is best." "So when can we get Keith and Richard out here?" "It will probably be just a bit, they've never seen the place. It was redone, and Keith's grandparent's furniture was added while they were away. I'm sure it is a bit overwhelming to them." "I can just imagine." "I'll go back, and wait until I can snag them away. Then I'll bring them out." Jack drove back with a smile on his face, it was really going to happen. He arrived to find Brian still on the wagon. One of the gals that had been working on lunch, was with him. Then there was that girl that looked more like a boy, standing near the back of the house, not looking like she wanted to be seen. "Have you seen anyone?" he called to Brian and the woman. "No." Jack had walked up the stairs, across the porch, and into the house when they started coming down. Patrick and Jim were leading. "Where are Richard and Keith?" "Still upstairs." Jim said. "Trying to save face," Patrick added. Jack looked puzzled. "They want to say yes to taking this," Patrick said, "but don't know how to. I'm sure they will come up with a way." "I think you're right," Jack said. All of them milled around, and talked a bit. The excitement was still electrifying. After several minutes, Elizabeth said, to no one in particular, "I'll see if they are about done." Before anyone could say another word, she was gone. Not more than a minute later, Katy and Robin walked out the front door. "Did you see Elizabeth?" They looked at each other, "No, why?" "She said she was going up there. But I'll bet she wanted to see something, and made that her excuse." "I'll bet she's in the library," her sister, Kristina, said. It seemed plausible enough. There was so much to see. Her mother was not happy about her daughter's behavior, though. The attention though was not on Elizabeth, but rather on Katy and Robin. They were bombarded with questions. The two looked at each other. "I think Keith and Richard set us up," Katy said. Robin couldn't help but start laughing. Katy joined in, and soon most everyone was laughing as well. We came down to the end of the laughter, and got suspicious glances from all of the women there. "Oh great, now what did we do?" I said. That set off more laughter. "Do we have an answer?" Patrick asked. "Yes, you do," Richard said, then looked to me for my nod of approval. "We think it would be best if we had the whole town together to accept this though." Jim and Patrick smiled. "That's a wonderful idea. We all knew that you were going to be overwhelmed by everything, so that's why the big celebration was downtown, and it's quiet out here. It's great to see you are getting into the spirit of being our heroes." "Now don't go to far. We said we'd except this, but that is it." "Now, don't worry," Patrick said. I looked at him, "I think you have told me that, before." Katy, Robin, and Millie erupted in laughter. Patrick looked at them, perturbed, but in the end smiled. "A town meeting then?" Jim said. "Great idea," Jack interjected. "Where have you been?" I said. "Waiting for you," Jack said. "We have a date. Another surprise for your homecoming." "But lunch is almost ready," one of the women said. "Don't worry, this won't take long." As he pulled us away, I could hear under his breath, "I don't think." When we got out of the house, I asked the obvious, "What is this all about?" Jack was trying to be evasive, still. "Why is Barbara hiding?" he said, pointing over to the edge of the building. "Is that where she is?" Richard asked, concerned. "I saw her there earlier, but..." Richard ran around the building, and caught up to her. "Barbara, stop." She had the look of flight in her eyes. "I need to talk with you and Brian, but I don't have time for that right now. I also don't need to wonder what is going on with you. Stay with Millie until I get back, do you understand." Richard saw in her eyes that he might as well ask her to walk over hot coals. "Barbara, you will just make things worse for yourself if you disappear. Do you understand? Stay with Millie." As they walked back to the front of the house, she wouldn't look at the wagon. Richard missed the tears in her eyes, as her head was down. She walked inside, and he came back to us, but as he passed, he saw Brian looking at him with a sad look in his eyes. "Ok," he said as he reached us, "let's go. This is getting strange." "What was all that about?" Jack asked, trying to keep the subject off where we were going. "Can you tell me about Barbara?" Richard said. "She came up from Angle City. She's a relative of Millie. Her dad was one of the miners who didn't make it." "What about her mother?" "I think she's gone as well. That's why she's here." "Oh, shit," Richard said. "What?" Jack asked. "I just placed a baby in the lions den, I think." "Did I miss something?" Jack asked. "Yes," I said, "but it doesn't make any difference. Richard just put a fragile person into a position of facing her worst nightmare." Jack looked over to Richard, "I knew you could get what you wanted, but..." "I didn't know. Maybe we should turn back." I patted his shoulder. "Richard," I said, now wanting to take his mind off of a problem he couldn't do much about anyway, right now, "look at that plane." We were now close enough to see the Memco emblem on the side. "Jack, what's going on?" "We're closing the deal," he said with a smile. "The project is a go." ------- Chapter 53 Richard and I looked at each other, then back to Jack. "What did you say?" "We just got word, late last week. The project has the green light to proceed." "I can't believe it. Keith, that means..." "We're here for good?" I finished his sentence with a smile. We were about 20 yards out, when Richard said, "Jack, who's going to look at the contracts?" He slowed down, and looked at us. "I never thought about that. When people have brought me things to sign, I guess it has been checked out many times before hand. It's different on the outside world. I need to watch for what I have become use to. I'm sorry; I guess that we will not be able to complete things." "Jack, don't worry. Nothing may be ready for signing, anyway. Quite often this is the hashing back and forth of ideas, to get the details down." I looked at Richard, and wondered how he could come up with that kind of insight. He saw my puzzled look. "While you were off playing with your rats in Utah, I was with my father, watching. I think he taught me more than he..." Richard paused, and smiled, "No. Somehow, I think he knew just what he was doing." We stopped in front of the plane, and made introductions. Then we went inside. Behind the cockpit, the plane had been converted into a large conference room. In the center was a table, with swiveling chairs placed around it. On the far end, leading to the back, was a drawing board. We were motioned to sit. The three of us were handed large packets of papers. They started right away on the test results. Jack and I were not as clear with what they were talking about, but I saw Richard nodding. When that presentation was done, I asked Richard to tell me what was said, in plain English. He tried. I got enough to know that the percentage of recoverable mineral was moderately high, and that was a very good thing. Beyond that I was a bit lost. But, I figured I didn't need to know. I turned to our presenters. "Ok. So, what I understand is that we have a claim that has good potential." "You hit that right on the mark. Now that we have gone over that, let's talk about what it will take to get the mineral extracted." Forty minutes of detailed, very well outlined material was thrust at us. From permits, to ground breaking, to buildings, to administration, to support and supplies, and mining staff requirements. Then we took a break. We got up and stretched, drank some water, then sat back down. "Now, look at the section of papers that have the blue cover. That is the report of the financial costs involved. Before we open it, let me tell you some preliminaries. The start-up costs are a bit higher than what might be considered normal. There is a reason for this. First of all, we are very excited about this mine, and want it to be up and running as soon as possible. There are some very good reasons for that, and I will go over those later. Our number crunchers took a look at the normal time and expense of bringing a mine to working order, and compared it to this accelerated way of bringing the project on line. There is a large incentive to do this. We have learned of a mine that is being developed in Africa. It takes so much longer to get anything done over there, that we have the advantage here," he smiled at us. "As well, we will be selling to our own government. With the added months of revenue we can realize, the added expense for the quick start-up of this mine is very justified. It will pay us back, quickly." We opened the blue cover, and I started looking at figures with a lot of zero's behind them. I'd seen a lot of this before, but then it hit me. Uncle Sam isn't picking up the tab here. Where is this money coming from? ------- Robin and Katy stood looking at the trail of dust the Jeep made toward the end of the valley, towards the planes. "What do you think that was all about?" "Maybe transportation for Pamela and Daisy?" That hit a sour note. "I didn't think about that, those poor girls." Walking over to Brian, who was laying on the wagon still, Katy said, "I bet you wish you could come inside." "Yes." "I think if we get a few people, we could do that." Brian smiled. It took two tries, and a few more people than originally planned. There were a few comments about how much Brian weighed. He laughed, and said it was cause he was 'dead weight', but at least he wasn't dead. They were at the porch, opening the door, when they heard, "Lunch is served," from inside. "I guess they will miss lunch," Katy said. As everyone arrived in the dining room, they found it had been laid out for a simple lunch. Even that, in this room, took on a refinement. A refinement that had not been seen in Carp, in any of these people's lives. The questions, and possible answers, as to what happened to Keith, Richard, and Jack; put a damper on the meal. Enough so, that no one noticed the little drama's being played out. Pamela was on one side of the room, with Elizabeth sitting next to her. Stephanie and Jimmy were on the other side. Brian was on the floor, in the opening between the living room and the dining room. Barbara was on the other side of the table, near Millie. That is, until after everyone had finished, and they were exploring more of the house. ------- Katy and Robin had come out of the kitchen, thanking the women once more for such a wonderful meal. They preserved some of the food, for the three men who had run off. The women went on about how wonderful the house was, the kitchen was, and especially how wonderful Keith and Richard were. It took Robin and Katy some time to break away. They were anxious to look at the house again, this time on their own. Walking to the front of the house and preparing to walk up the main staircase, they saw Millie. She was with a very sad looking Barbara, standing next to the front room. Millie motioned them in, and then whispered into Katy's ear, "I don't know what is wrong with her. She has been standing close to me, ever since she came into the house. She looks so sad. Any other day, she would have been as close to Brian as possible." "Do you think she has a crush on Brian, and he turned her down?" Robin asked. Millie rolled her eyes, "Robin, really." "She did just loose her father. Maybe that is just settling in. I know what I went through, when our brother died," Katy said. They were silent for a moment, each choked up. "I think that could be it. Maybe I could have Katharine talk to her, they seem to get along well," Millie said, thoughtfully. Barbara was at the point of running. She didn't know where, she didn't care, at that point. That man had sent her in here, and now she was being talked about. She heard her name in the conversation. Barbara wondered when she was going to be sent away. She would never even get to say goodbye to Brian. 'Why, oh why, ' she thought, 'is everything being taken away from me?' Watching Millie start to walk out of the room, Barbara started to follow. "Wait a minute, Barbara, someone will be right back." Barbara sat down, hard. She knew her legs were ready to go out from under her. Her life was over. Still, she wondered who that 'someone' was. Katherine was the last person Barbara expected to see walk in. "Let's go for a walk," Katharine said to Barbara. Standing, Barbara walked out of the room with Katharine. "There isn't much privacy here, come on," Katherine said. Katharine walked out the side kitchen door, and into the back yard. Looking around, she headed towards a tree and a bench, in the back corner. Sitting, Katharine patted the bench for Barbara to join her. ------- Pamela was starting to get suspicious about this girl, 'Elizabeth'. The last time Pamela had followed someone, it was two boys. She had ended up naked in some empty barracks. Now Elizabeth was pulling her into the recesses of this building. Elizabeth has seen the access hole in the back of a closet, and now was opening it. She pulled Pamela in with her. It was the access to the plumbing in the bathroom. There was a small amount of light leaking into the space. "We shouldn't," Pamela said. "Yes, we should, I need to talk with you." "About what?" "Jimmy." "Oh, no! Not you, too?" Pamela was ready to leave. Elizabeth smiled. "It's what I heard Keith saying. Pamela knew that this was her weakness. "What did he say?" "He said you were wrong about the way people look at you, but I'm not sure about what he meant. I didn't hear everything." "Yes, you can." "Can what?" Elizabeth said confused. Pamela was getting tired of this. "See why people laugh at me." "What would they do that for?" "'Cause of my face." Elizabeth looked at Pamela. She squinted her eyes, tilted her head, and rolled her tongue around in her mouth. "All I can see is that little line below your nose, to your lip. Did you fall and cut it?" "Stop it." "What?" "You're not being nice," Pamela said. Elizabeth stopped from saying anything more. A look of total confusion was on her face. "You don't know?" Pamela said, slowly. "Know what? Did someone cut you, or something terrible like that?" Pamela broke down, crying. Elizabeth knew she'd said something to upset Pamela, and wrapped her into her arms. Wiping her eyes, Pamela looked at Elizabeth, "Did you mean it?" "What?" "All you see is a little line?" Pamela said slowly to make sure she said it right. "Yes." "Thank you." "I don't understand." Pamela sniffled, "No, you don't," another sniffle, "I had an ugly face." "No!" "Yes." "Keith," Pamela smiled as she continued, "made it so I could have an operation." Elizabeth was starting to put two and two together. "Is this the first time you've been back, since the operation?" "Yes." Elizabeth laughed. "What's funny?" "You've never had a boy do silly things around you, have you?" "No, why would they?" "Because, you are pretty." Pamela was trying to understand what she was hearing, "Me?" "Yes, you. Didn't Keith tell you that?" Pamela smiled, "Yes, but... He's not like anyone else." "I think Jimmy is being one of those silly boys. I can tell you how to find out." Pamela was very interested; this was new and rather exciting, "How?" "It's simple. You just go up to him, and ask him anything. If he's silly, he won't be able to answer you." "What?" "It's true. For some reason, boys get all funny, when a girl they like talks to them. They can't talk back." "You aren't pulling my leg, are you?" "Ask my mom if you don't believe me," then Elizabeth smiled, "or ask Keith!" Pamela turned red, "I couldn't." "Then let's go find Jimmy. All you need to do is ask him if he's been upstairs." "But he has." "It doesn't make any difference. I'll bet he won't be able to answer you. He'll just stand there looking at you." "Really?" "Really." Elizabeth wasn't going to waste any more time. She took Pamela's hand, and led her out to find Jimmy. ------- I was more than happy to take a break. I think they could see we were going to be overloaded with the amount of information they were giving us. We set up a time, four hours from then, to reconvene. I had specific ideas about why I wanted to have that much time between then, and now, and I wondered if Richard didn't have similar ideas. As soon as we were driving away, I asked Jack, "Are the phones working?" "Yes. Two days ago, our one and only phone was working again." I laughed, "Richard?" I didn't need to say another word. "Jack, can you drive into town, and call my father? We need someone here, now." Slowing down a bit, Jack looked at us, "You mean now, as in today, as in four hours from now." "That's right." "Damn! You guys are sneaky!" We both laughed. "Can he do that?" "He will get someone here. Let me write down the number for you," Richard said. "Jack," I said, "one more thing. Transportation to Long Beach." "I'll tell you all about that, when I get back. I think I'd better get to the phone." Then he looked over to me, "Keith, things are being taken care of. Don't worry." Jack slowed down just enough to let us out, and then shot out of sight. We laughed. "You are the one who gets to get grilled this time, I have other business," Richard said. "Oh, thanks! What are you going to be doing?" "I saw Katharine and Barbara in the back yard, when we were driving up." "Go! If you find me alive when you come in, try and save me." Richard laughed, "I don't think you will have any problems." I wasn't so convinced, as he turned the corner. Robin and Katy met me, with their hands on their hips. ------- "Barbara," Katharine said, "I know things are hard, right now. Sometimes we just can't see an end to the tunnel, but do you know that we understand?" Barbara looked at her, how could she understand? "It was an accident." "Yes, it was. And we are all so very sorry." This was it, and Barbara knew it. "I wish I wouldn't have done it now. I thought it would be ok. I mean, we were alone." "Barbara what are you talking about? You didn't have anything to do with your father dying. Don't try and blame yourself! It will be harder." "My father?" "Yes. Oh, dear," Katharine wrapped her arms around Barbara, "it's alright, just let it out." Barbara pulled back, surprising Katharine. "This was about my father? You weren't telling me I had to leave?" "Leave, where would you go?" "The orphanage," Barbara said, hanging her head, finally letting the tears come out. "OH! Barbara! NO!" Katharine said, pulling her into a tight embrace. "How did you ever get that idea?" After Barbara settled down, she answered. "That man came in. I knew I'd be sent away." Katharine racked her brains, "Richard?" "I don't know, he came to see Brian." "That was Richard, but why do you think he would want you sent away?" "He saw me." Before Katharine got a chance to ask what he saw, Richard called out to them. Katharine felt Barbara tense up in her arms. "You stay here," Katharine said, and got up to meet Richard. "I think we need to talk," she said, as soon as she got close to him. Richard was hesitant, and asked, "What did she tell you?" "That she thinks you are sending her away to an orphanage." The look of shock on Richard's face, told her what she suspected. "I can only guess what she was doing when you found her, for her to have such a reaction." "Did she tell you?" "No, but I think I know." Richard lifted his eyebrows, "I think we need to go and talk to her then." Katharine and Richard walked back to Barbara. Katharine sat down on the bench, and Richard knelt in front of her. "Barbara," he said, "I'm sorry our first meeting was so strange." She looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on. "You see," Richard continued, "Brian is very special to me. I don't know if he told you. I bet he didn't, because he's shy about it. But he saved my life. When I saw you there, I... I was confused about what was going on." "Barbara, did you do that again?" Katharine asked, making her blush even more than she was already. "Again?" Richard asked. "Brian has to have help with his bodily functions. The first time she helped him out, she got more than she realized." Richard was amused now, thinking about this. "So, you were just helping him go pee, then." "Yes, he had to go," Barbara said, hoping it helped. "Then you helped him, a little more?" "I'm sorry." "Why?" Richard said, cutting her apology off. "Well, I'm not supposed to." "You're right young lady, you're not," Richard said harshly. Barbara expected such a reaction, but Katharine was taken back. "You are not supposed to feel, you are not supposed to do things that are good, and you are especially not supposed to show any love." Barbara was thoroughly confused now. "I don't understand." Richard took Barbara's hands. Brian was right, she might look like a boy, but her hands were soft, her voice was light, and her emotions were sensitive. "Tell me, Barbara, how much love did you see from your parents?" Barbara broke down crying again, Katharine put her arm around the girl. "My mom died, after being sick for a long time. I had to take care of her. After that, it was just me and my dad. He didn't like coming up here, so I never saw any other family." Richard sighed, "Can you think of a time before that? A happy time you can remember?" It became so silent, that noise coming from inside the house could be heard. "One time I remember." "When? What was going on?" Katharine asked intrigued. "It was the last time I came up to Carp. There was a get together. I think it was a birthday party," Barbara smiled. Richard could see the inner beauty of a faint sparkle, in her eyes. "What made it so special?" "I was around kids who played with me. I had so much fun." Suddenly Barbara's face went white. "What are you thinking?" "It was the last time we came up here. My parents had a fight, on the way back home. We never came back up here," her voice was sad. "Was that all you were thinking?" "No." "What else?" "I must have played with Brian." Richard and Katharine looked at each other, and had to repress a smile. She might not understand her feelings, but they took over, where Brian was concerned. As Richard could see it, this could lead to problems. "Barbara, I am going to ask you to do something very hard." "What?" "I want you to stay away from Brian." "Why?" Katharine asked, voicing Barbara's feeling. "Where are you staying?" Barbara hung her head. She suddenly knew the answer. "Millie's." "You know how you felt when you got caught. Your fear was enough to make you almost sick, wasn't it?" "How am I going to do that, he lives there too?" "It does make it hard, doesn't it?" "What are you thinking?" Katharine asked Richard. "Possibilities, there are always possibilities. Barbara, if Millie saw you doing what you did with Brian, what do you think would happen?" "I don't want to think about it." "Right. But think, if she even caught you kissing him..." "I'd never get to be alone with him." Richard and Katharine were nodding their heads. "You're right. That is why I said, 'you need to stay away, ' but I didn't say 'permanently'." "That will be very hard." "Yes, I think it will." "Richard?" they heard Katy call out the back of the house. "I need to go. We will talk, later. Right now, my head is filled with so many things, I can hardly think straight. But don't worry. Things will be better in the long run. I promise you." "Alright," Barbara said, with resignation. Then as he started to walk away, she asked, "Did he really save your life?" Richard smiled, "Yes, and in more ways than he knows." "What did he mean by that?" Barbara asked Katharine. "I'm not sure, but I'll bet you will find out." ------- I had been grilled and then fried. First it was, 'when were Pamela and Daisy going to leave'. When I didn't have an answer to that, I got narrowed eyes set upon me, and the 'just what were you doing' look. When I told them I couldn't say a word, without Richard here to defend me, it almost became comical. With so many people in the house, it was hard to have a private conversation. I whispered what Richard was doing in the back, and why. They understood, and I was taken back to the kitchen for my lunch. I didn't think that they were going to let me out of their sight. I was hungry, and the food was very good. I consumed it quickly. As soon as I was done, Katy determined they had talked enough. She put her head out the back door, and called for Richard. He came in with a little smile on his face, "I see you're alive." "Just barely." The kitchen was deserted. But with the back staircase at the far end of the open room, privacy was a fleeting thought. Just about then, Barbara and Katharine came in the back door. "Richard," I said, "If you don't eat now, you never will. Then we can all take a walk around the outside." I winked to them, not wanting any prying ears to hear anything more. They caught on, and nodded. As he ate, I walked into the dining room. My ears caught the end of Elizabeth's sentence: "he's in there." I went out into the hallway just in time to see Pamela, being led by Elizabeth, go into the music room. I wondered what was going on, and moved to the edge of the doorway. "Jimmy," I heard Pamela say, "Have you seen the upstairs?" There was dead silence. Then he ran right past me. I don't think he even saw me. Up the stairs he flew, out of sight. I heard the girls giggling. Poking my head around the door, I looked in now. I saw the two of them, smiles on their faces. I now knew who had been listening to my conversation. They hadn't seen me yet. "I told you." "Jimmy has never been like that." "It's because he likes you." Pamela blushed, and turned away from her friend, which is when she caught my eye. "I bet he'd do it again, want to go find him?" Pamela was just staring at me, unable to move. Elizabeth saw her stare, and quickly turned and saw me as well. Her smile drained from her face. "Pamela, it is one thing to know a boy likes you from the way he acts. It is another thing to tease him about it. I would think you would know how that feels. Maybe now you need to go and say something to Stephanie." She was just about in tears. I knew that would soon pass. She ran out of the room, leaving me with Elizabeth. "Now, little lady, shall we go into the library and have a chat?" Elizabeth was a bit more self-reliant, and marched in. That is, until I smacked her butt, on the way. She let out a little yelp, and I laughed. There was a single chair and a small love seat. She chose the chair. I reached for her hand, drew her up, and sat her next to me, on the love seat. "I don't know how you got back into the house. You know it isn't a good idea to listen in on other people's conversations. But this time," I smiled, "it worked out well. I'm glad to see Pamela feeling like she looks: beautiful." "Was she really ugly? That's what she told me." "That is why it worked for you to do what you did. You never saw her before, and she knew it. You had nothing to compare with." "You didn't answer me." "Does it make a difference?" "No, I guess not." "Elizabeth, Pamela had something that made her outside look strange. Almost every one of the kids she knew never played with her. That kind of hurt can take a long time to get over." "But she doesn't look that way, now." "No, but you saw how she was thinking about Jimmy. She couldn't believe he wasn't making fun of her, right." "Yeah, it didn't make any sense to me." "It would, if you grew up like she had. You helped her today. Thanks." Elizabeth smiled. "Are we going to be able to see you and Daisy, again?" I knew what she meant, but was trying to play dumb. "You're seeing me now." Elizabeth turned red, "No, silly." I wrapped my good arm around her, pulled her close to me, and whispered in her ear, "How much of me do you want to see?" The heat coming from her cheek, gave me a good clue of how red she was. I released her from my hold. "We just got back. It will take a while before things settle down." She smiled at me, "Then you want to?" "You need to get to know my wife, Robin, first." Her smile dropped, "I forgot about that." "Robin and Daisy are very good friends." "She knows?" I nodded. Our conversation got cut off, as Robin started looking for me. I heard my name being called. "I've got to go." Elizabeth reluctantly let go of my arm, her eyes full of longing, "Ok, but I want some more time like this." I smiled, "That, I can promise." As I walked out of the music room, through a window, I saw a cloud of dust coming up the road. It diverted my attention. I saw Jack pull up. Cynthia was outside, waiting for him. I smiled. He was going to ask a million questions of her. Robin saw me, as I walked into the hallway. "What were you doing?" I smiled, "Taking care of some business." Just then Elizabeth appeared around the door, and scurried down the hall. Robin looked at me, "Business?" I laughed, "She got through to Pamela that Jimmy wasn't making fun of her. That he was acting that way, because boys don't know how to behave around girls they like." "Jimmy? Pamela?" Robin blinked her eyes several times. "How come I didn't see it?" "You were looking at too many other things, and I was trying to avoid them." Robin let out a laugh, "You are never going to like this hero stuff, are you?" Then Robin smiled. It was warm, radiant, and full of love. "Maybe I need to talk with my little brother about girls," she said. "Yes. Warn him of how they can suck him in, with just a smile, and he'll never get away." That smile broadened, "I didn't think you wanted to?" "Robin, the best dream I could ever have, would be to spend every day of my life with you." She wrapped her arms around me, looking up with sparkling eyes. "I wish we were alone. I want to make love with you." I was quite sure she felt the rise in my pants. "Now, how am I going to walk around?" She giggled. "Maybe we could find a quiet place, and I could take care of that for you." Then she reached in front of me, and grabbed my dick, stroking it through my pants. "Ohhh," I uttered. I was ready to take her on the hall floor, at that point. But as luck would have it, Jack and Cynthia walked in the front door. "We weren't disturbing anything?" Cynthia asked, looking at my crotch, covered by Robin's hand. "Not any more," I got out, in a croaking voice. Both Jack and Cynthia laughed. Richard and Katy came out into the hallway. I took Robin's hand away from my crotch. I led her out the front door, motioning with my head for the others to follow. We walked down the steps, and out to the front gate. "If we look at the place, and act like we are talking about it, no one will think a thing about it. Even if they look out a window at us," I said. "What did he say?" Richard asked Jack. "He said you were darn lucky. There is one of the lawyers from the firm down in Las Vegas. Had a lot to do with a new hotel construction, and has contracts like you wouldn't believe. We figured it would take the man two hours, to get here. That is, as soon as he gets a hold of him," Jack stopped, and smiled. "He also said he was very proud of you." We all knew how special that was. Fathers seldom said things like that. We were silent for a moment, letting that statement settle. The gals started looking at each other. "Are we going to be let in on this, now?" Katy asked. Before Richard could respond, I said, "Look at that molding on the top of the house. Now, keep looking, and remember to look at the house. Because what you hear is going to make you want to scream and shout, and you can't." Robin, Katy, and Cynthia looked at me. Then they looked at Richard and Jack, to confirm what I had just said. "Look back at the house," I reminded them. "Ok, Richard. Your turn." He rolled his eyes, "Thanks." We could tell it was very hard; but they managed to keep themselves fairly under control, as Richard told them of why the plane was there, and the need for a corporate lawyer. "So, it is going to happen?" Katy asked. "It sure looks that way," Jack answered. "This is like a dream," Robin said. I reached over, and pinched her. "What was that for?" "So you'd know you were awake, married to me, and carrying my child." She broke into a big smile. "You're pregnant?" Cynthia asked. I laughed, "As horny as she is? It was bound to happen." Robin blushed. "So am I," Katy said. "Horny?" I got out, laughing hard. Katy turned bright red, "No! I meant pregnant." "Oh, God!" Jack said, "Maybe it's something in the water." We all laughed. ------- Daisy came out of the house, saw us, and came over. "I'm a bit concerned about Pamela." Robin and I looked at each other. "Why?" I asked. "She's been in a foul mood all day. I can understand, I'm having a hard time myself. Then all of a sudden she's all giddy. Is that normal? Is she going through something I don't understand?" "Yes, she's going through something. And yes, it would be hard for you to fully understand," I answered her, keeping a straight face. "What's going on?" Daisy asked me. "It is called finally understanding that you are now pretty, and that a boy likes you." Daisy looked at me like I was half crazy, then she thought about it. "Jimmy?" "Apparently so. I thought I'd go talk to my little brother." Daisy smiled, and there was a little gleam in her eye, "Can I come with you?" 'Poor Jimmy!' I thought. Cynthia needed to go back into town with Rebecca, and Jack was planning on taking them. Now seemed like a good time. Richard, Katy and I, continued our walk around the place. "Where is everyone going to sleep? I'm sure there are enough rooms, but who will go where?" Richard and I looked at each other. "I don't know about Richard, but as far as I'm concerned, you and Robin are the keepers of this house," I saw Richard nodding his head. "I'll sleep where Robin tells me to. Isn't that what happens now, anyway?" Katy and Richard laughed. "Katy my love, you and your daughter might as well start figuring this out. We have a sort of extended family, but you are the ones we have married. That makes you the ones to make the decisions around this house." "You make it sound like we are the masters of a kingdom." "No. How about mistresses, not masters," I said. "Very funny, Keith. You expect us to tell everyone else what they should be doing? Some of them are older than Robin, like your sister." "Katy, we didn't say be a slave driver. This is a big place, and lots of people will be living in it. It will need cleaning. Meals will need to be made, and clothing washed. Soon, there will be babies to be taken care of. There are as many jobs, as there are people. You and Robin need to run the show. You two are, indeed, the bosses of these two households." "I never thought about it like that." "Most likely the first thing, will be deciding who is going to sleep where." "How are we going to decide that?" "Maybe by asking everyone where they want to be?" "Yes, you are right. I'm just making this harder than it needs to be. I'll wait for Robin, and we can figure this out." "Good," Richard said. "'Cause Keith and I don't want to." Katy gave Richard a dirty look, and then smiled. "We have so much running through our heads with this mine," Richard went on, "that it's hard to keep track of everything." "I know. You do your stuff, and we'll do ours. Tonight we're sleeping out here, not all crammed into my old place." "I think I should go talk to Brian. It will be hard, as there are so many people milling around. I won't be able to say what I'd like to." "Maybe he could spend the night?" Richard smiled, "That might be very nice. Could you ask your sister?" As soon as Richard left, it hit me, "Darn it." "What?" "Jack said he was going to tell me about the transportation to Long Beach." "That is going to be about as sad as can be," Katy said. "I know. I hate the thought of it, but it would be worse to wait." "Yes, I know. Jack will be back soon." ------- It was easy to find Brian, he could hardly move. The problem was, he was also in the middle of a large traffic area. He was easily seen, and heard. It was a good precaution, but that also made having a private conversation out of the question. "Hi Brian," Richard said as soon as he entered the room. "Hi," he said, as his face lit up. "I'm sorry it has been so crazy around here." "Yeah. I know. How do you like the Mansion?" Richard laughed, "How could you not like this?" "There are so many things..." Brian stopped, realizing he was about to tell the secrets he and Jimmy had found. Richard knew Brian was holding back something, and he smiled. "We're going to spend the night here, tonight. I thought you might like to, as well." "That sounds like fun," Brian said. Then his face dropped, "I guess Barbara can't, though." "I don't think so. We'll talk later." "Richard," Brian looked at him, "I'm sorry." "Brian, why would you say that?" Looking around to see if anyone was close, he whispered, "She hasn't said a word to me, much less looked at me." "Brian there is a lot for you to find out. Tonight... Ok?" "Ok." Kenneth walked in then, stopping the conversation. "Where is everyone?" he asked. "Everyone like who, your mother?" Richard replied. Kenneth shrugged his shoulders, "No. Keith or Jimmy." "Jimmy is in a meeting. But the last time I saw Keith, he was outside." Kenneth didn't even question the idea of Jimmy being in a meeting. As soon as he heard where Keith was, he was out the door. That wasn't so true, for Brian. "Jimmy's in a meeting?" Richard laughed, "Well that is a nice way of putting it. Robin and Daisy are talking 'girls' to him." "Ohhhh." Brian groaned. "Don't worry, I'm sure they will talk to you, too." "That's what I'm afraid of." Richard and Brian laughed. That brought others into the room, ending any more real conversation between them. ------- When Jack got back to the mansion, Keith and Kenneth were outside playing a game of tag. Richard arrived moments later, along with Mary. "I hope you had a full tank. We need to go back into town," Richard said. "What for?" "Our cars and things. Otherwise, we are stuck out here." "Ok. Pile in." Kenneth wanted to go, and they had to wait while he found his mom and asked permission. They heard him yelling, in the house. Moments later, he came back out, panting. "I can go!" He sat between Richard and Keith on the back seat, with Mary and Jack in front. Jack pulled a tight 'U turn', and Kenneth squealed in delight. The trip into town only took two minutes, and soon they were in front of Katy's house. As Mary got out she said, "I was given a list of things to bring back. I'll be here a while, I think." "Do you need any help?" "No. It's just things from the bathroom and kitchen, this trip." "Ok, we'll see you back here," Richard said. "Jack," I asked, just before he got away this time, "what about the trip to Long Beach? Has that been set up? And if so, when? I haven't heard anything yet." Jack smiled, "Tomorrow we go get the plane. There will be a helicopter picking us up, in the morning." "What do you mean; get the plane?" "Just what it sounds like. We'll be flying a plane back here," then he drove off. I turned to Richard, "That sounds like something rather sneaky. Not Jack's typical fashion." "It does sound like he was pulling some strings, but I guess he could, in this case." "Yeah. I don't look forward to that trip. It is important for the girls, though." "How well I know." We got into our cars, and drove out to the Mansion. This time, knowing what to expect as we turned the corner where the valley opened up, it was still breathtaking. Pulling up in front, almost everyone was outside, waiting. "I said you might want help, unloading," Jack said. We had just unloaded the last of everything, when Mary drove up, with another car following her. Jack, Richard, and I, looked at each other. We walked quickly to the strange car. Mary got out and looked at us. "You know him?" she asked, as we passed her. "No," I said, "but we were expecting someone." "He drove into town, and someone pointed him out to me. He was asking to see you, Richard. Does everyone in town know everything that's going on?" "Ask Katy about that, but I think the short answer is: yes." I said, as we approached the other car. The man rolled down the window, "I'm looking for a Richard Thompson." "That would be me," Richard said, extending his hand through the window. "Do you have any idea how remote this place is? If it weren't for your father's call..." "I'm sure you are tired from your drive. Why don't you get out and stretch. We need to talk to you about what is going on, before we have out next meeting." He got out of the car. A small man, but in need of stretching. He reached his hands up, and twisted back and forth. "I think that is a very good idea. The negotiations I was part of, were dragging. This was a welcome change." Then he looked around, "but this is not quite what I expected. I was lead to believe it was some rather important contract matter." "Come with us," I said, trying to get him away from prying ears. As we walked towards the back of the house, I pointed out the two planes at the end of the valley. "Those two planes down there are from Memco." "The mining corporation?" "The very one." He smiled, "I'm starting to see the importance. Tell me about your involvement." We gave him a rundown of the place, the ore, its importance. Then we told him what Memco had said, so far. That, in all, took a bit of time. Jack looked at his watch. "We have about twenty minutes." When we emerged from the back of the building, everyone was standing in the front yard. Robin and Katy came forward. "Everyone wants to know what is going on. We didn't say anything, but it is getting on Daisy and Pamela's nerves. They think all this is about them." As much as we hadn't wanted to say anything, I couldn't let those two suffer anymore. I took hold of Jack and Richard, nodded to the attorney, and headed for the porch. I turned around to see the eager faces. Pamela, Daisy, Mary, Kristin, Beth Ann, Stephanie, Jimmy, Barbara, Katharine, Elizabeth, Kristina, Kenneth, and of course Robin, and Katy. Millie and Brian were the only two people missing, as she was inside with him. "What I am about to tell you, needs to be kept quiet. The reason is, we don't know all the answers yet. That is part of the reason this man is here with us. You know that the one plane is a doctor's plane. He works for a company that we are working with. That is what the other plane is doing here. If things work out well, then there can be a lot of celebrating. If not, well, I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. That is why we have not said anything. And that's why all of this, sounds like more confusion. Let me just say, when we know something firmly, we will let you know. Until then, pretend like nothing is happening. Can I count on you doing that?" Everyone nodded, Richard, Jack and I got into the Jeep. The lawyer got into his car, and we drove to the end of the valley, where the planes were. They were out of the planes, watching us all arrive. They were looking at the car, and then at us. As our attorney stepped out, I noticed one of the men shaking his head. Looking over to us, and catching my look, he said, "How in the hell did you get him, here?" "Our attorney?" "Yes. Joseph Murray," to which, Joseph turned his head, to see who was talking about him. "Benjamin! I haven't seen you in ages." We all looked at each other, as they carried on a conversation, getting reacquainted. Benjamin looked at me and said, "Not that we were going to give you a bad contract, but now we have to watch ourselves. Joseph is about as good as they come, in contract negotiations." Jack, Richard, and I, smiled. This was good. ------- The meeting hall was so full, that people were standing outside. Richard and I looked at each other, then to our 'family'. We walked in, and were ushered to the front. There were seats waiting for all of us, even Katharine and her children. Many people reached out and touched us. It was eerie. As though we had been placed on such a high pedestal, that there was no way down. It scared me to think of that, because the way you got down, was to fall. Richard and I had flipped a coin. I looked at it, just to make sure he didn't have one of those two-headed jobs. But he won, so I was the speaker tonight. I got up in front of the town. The hall was dark. These people worked for a living, and you could smell the sweat. The candles were the only illumination. They cast shadows in mysterious ways. It brought me back to the first day I drove into this town. How I was ready to bolt out of this place, fearing for my life. I looked over to my love, Robin. The smile on her face was still as bright as it was that night, maybe even more so, now. "Ladies and Gentlemen," I started. There was a murmur of ribbing going on, about me calling some of these men, 'gentlemen'. "I asked all of you to come here, to graciously thank you for the gifts that you have poured upon us. It is truly overwhelming, and heartfelt. As you know, Richard and I were indeed brought up in different circumstances than you, but with many of the same moral values. What you have seen as a heroic act on our part, was nothing more than what needed to be done at the time. It was how we were raised. And, I believe, how you were also raised. I held up my hand, to quiet the talking that was starting. "To say we have been brought to tears from your generosity is no exaggeration. As we were heading back to Carp, all of us wondered where we would be living. Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined this..." I smiled. "I saw that Mansion once, and although I never was inside, I could see the years had not been kind to that grand old lady. The care that was done to bring her back to life is amazing. I will be thanking each and every one of you who worked on it. My grandmother's furnishings added that special touch to everything. The ladies, who were out there cooking a marvelous lunch, can attest to the fact of the grand piano being one of the first things used. It filled our home with life. I can truly call this... 'Home'." This was what the townspeople had wanted to hear, and their eyes filled with tears. I thought this was a perfect time to make another impromptu announcement. "There is more life going to be filling that house," I took Robin's hand, and she took hold of her mother's. "I am pleased to announce to you that both Katy and Robin are pregnant." There was a round of applause, both women turning red. I led them back to sit down. I winked at Kristin, and took hold of Dora's hand. "In time," I whispered to them. Going back in front, I continued, "We have more to say, than just that big 'thank you'." "You goin' to tell us when we're gettin' better?" came from further back in the audience. That hit me between the eyes. I hadn't thought about that. As my brain was trying to get a hold of that, I thought, 'of course, that would be the highest priority on their thinking.' "Before I get onto that subject," I said quickly, thinking that we needed the positive before the negative, "let me tell you of another development." They were all ears, wondering what I was going to tell them. I held their attention through forty-five minutes of explanations. How their mine wasn't producing enough, though they already knew this. But still, it needed to be said. Why the Memco trucks had been there. The core testing. What the ore was and how important of a metal it was. Then came the dance, as I explained to them that the company, who owned the land, was Richard, Jack, and myself. I spoke of how we had made a tentative contract that would be drawn up and signed in several days, giving them rights as well. I could see most of them were surprised, a few disappointed, and most skeptical about the whole thing. This is where I needed my charm to work its magic. I took the income from the current mine. I told them how much, or little, it was worth. Then I told them our mine needed workers, and we didn't feel right hiring them. That got looks from everyone. "What you have now, is a co-operative. It has worked in this town, for a long time. We don't want to come in, and tear that apart. Let me tell you something, though. And I think you can believe it. The government wants this metal, and they know it is here. It was in some of the samples I took. That's how I found it. There, unfortunately, is no way of going back. You can not hide the idea that it is here. But it doesn't mean you need to change. From the figures we were given, your mine is worth about nine percent of what this one is going to be worth." I looked around to see if everyone grasped that. "Now, what we are proposing is this. We will give the co-operative, twelve percent of the new mine. In that way, you become part of the ownership of a new, and more profitable, mine. One that will not have the dangers your mine has, as it is a strip mine. There are no tunnels. You will do what you have always done, mining. The thing you will not have to do is the paperwork." Frank stood up, and rubbed his chin, "I lost my brother in the last accident. The one in Angle City. It didn't set well with me. Now, from what I can see, you are tellin' us that you have this new mine. We can have more than what our old mine is worth. And all we do is to come and do the same thing," then he smiled, "'cept the paperwork?" "Yes, Frank. That's just what I'm saying." "Sounds a bit too good to be true." "Ok, it is. There is one more part." I heard some disappointing sighs. That was a good sign as far as I was concerned. "The mine is larger than what all of you will be able to handle. I think we will need the Angle City miners, as well." Jim stood up, "As mayor, I think I can speak for everyone, when I say that this is just one of the best things this town has ever heard. Keith, you were not here when that latest accident happened, but it brings morale way down. When men are lost it is very hard on everyone, no matter if they are from the next town, or not. When there was talk that they probably couldn't afford to reopen, that news was devastating. We all knew if we had a major problem like they did, we would be in the same place." Frank stood back up, "Like it or not, Keith. I think you've have saved this town, once again." I sighed. I didn't like it being looked at like that. "I am concerned that all of you have placed me up so high, that what I have to tell you next will make you hate me. It's part of why I'm very uncomfortable with this hero status, you have placed Richard and me in," I said, with a lump in my throat. The room became still enough to hear the breathing of everyone. "All of you know that I went to Utah, to work on answers about the drug Rerexinal, that all of you were poisoned with. After setting up that program, I have given its administration to a well respected doctor in this field. He was at the base, taking care of us. He is a friend, a colleague, and very good at this type of work." I paused, not for them, but for me to get composed. "I think it may be a good time for the younger kids to leave, while I discuss the next part." "I want my son to know what is going on with us," one man said, near the back. Several others nodded. As I saw there was no movement, I went on. "Before this meeting, I called to find out if they had any additional information to give you. I'm going to tell you what we know, what we have found out, what we are looking for; and at this point, the outlook." "Most of you people have heard that the men were sterile from the drug. What we had found out, was that it affected the production of sperm. The boys who hadn't reached puberty were not affected. The outlook at this point is not good at reversing the effects. Although a lot more testing will be done, to rule out anything else." Then came the more embarrassing part, as though that wasn't bad enough. I had to say that the drug had a side effect for women, that hadn't been looked at before. "It caused the female test subjects, upon being taken off the drug, to increase their desire for sexual activity." That statement got a lot of gasps, chuckles, and one comment from the back. "So what you're saying Keith, is that our women are want'n more from us, and we can't deliver anything useful." I did not like to be placed into this position. "I don't know all about the traditions of this town, or the Mennonite religion. But, if you are saying that you have a woman that is desiring you, and only one reason to..." I thought back to my Sunday school days, "to become 'one in the flesh' with her... Well, I would hope that you might find other reasons, also." This gave way to releasing a lot of pent up anxiety. The laughter was strained, and we could hear it. "It is truly hard for me to fully understand what you men are going through. I also know I come here, as an outsider." My emotions welled up inside of me, and tears started to form. "With my wife pregnant, it may seem like I'm not as interested." I then said something I hadn't told Robin. "We don't know what the long term affects are. I don't want anything happening to my wife," I stopped, getting choked up, "or my baby... "I would not have left the research to anyone that couldn't do the job. And the man who is doing the work is, quite frankly, more qualified that I am. I didn't want any chances taken." "Keith," Frank stood up, saying, "no one blames you. We are darn frustrated. Hell, madder than a hornet's nest on a hot day. I want to lash out, but the enemy is gone. And we are left with what he did. My wife wanted a baby and now she can't have one. I don't know what to do, but I do know it ain't your fault." "Thank you, Frank. It is hard standing up here telling you this stuff. I was trained for the possibility to do this. I was to come into places the enemy had unleashed this kind of terror on and combat it, but my training didn't prepare me to tell people I cared for." Jim got up, and came to the front. "I don't know about the rest of you, but this has been a meeting filled with ups and downs. It is also one of the longest meetings in our history, and it is late. I think we should adjourn, and go home. Spend tomorrow, thinking about everything. Keith placed a proposal in front of our co-op, and we will need to have a meeting to vote on that. I'm sure that it would be helpful to have the vote, before the contract gets signed?" he asked, looking at me. I nodded. "Then let's have a mine meeting, tomorrow night." Then turning to me, he added, "I think it would be good if the three of you joined us. I'm sure there will be questions." With that, the people started to mill out. I had many people come up to me, shaking my hand. I noticed several of the younger ladies looking at me funny. Sheryl, I noticed, had a big smile on her face. I wondered what that was about. When we got into the car and I was able to finally sit. Robin put her arms around me, tears in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you were worried about me?" "I don't know if there is anything to worry about, but I want to know for sure. You didn't need to worry about something that might not be there." She lifted my face to hers, almost touching her lips. "So you can worry about me?" "It's my job to take care of you. Of course I'm going to want to protect you, and our child. You have brought me to life. I never want to lose you." She leaned forward, and pressed her lips against mine. Her tongue entered my mouth, and found mine. She teased it into her mouth and then sucked on it. As she broke off the kiss, she pulled me closer, and whispered into my ear, "I think that drug is affecting me again, I'm horny." I laughed, "With you, I'm not sure the drug had any affect." "Mmmm. You are my drug," she replied, "and I don't want to ever stop taking it." "Let's go home," I tried to get out, as she rubbed her hand over my crotch. ------- When we arrived, Mary's car was already there. My damned cast makes moving around, such as in and out of cars, a pain in the butt. We entered the house last. I didn't see or hear anyone downstairs. "There probably in their bedrooms." "They know what ones they are going to be in?" I asked. "Well, we did do things while you were in your meetings." I smiled, "I guess you would, so where is everyone going to be?" "On the second floor, Richard and Katy will be in one of the front corners, and we will be in other. Dora will be next to Katy and Richard. Jimmy will be next to her, with a bed for Brian, when he comes out to visit. Kristin will be next to us, and when Liz shows up, she'll take the last place." She saw my look, and added, "Jill may be in there, as well." "What about the room between Richard, Katy and us?" There was a wicked little gleam in her eyes, "We thought that might be the community room." "Maybe that drug is having an effect," I laughed. "So everyone else is on the third floor?" "There is Mary and Beth Ann, in one room; Stephanie, and for now Pamela, in another." "Aren't there plenty of rooms up there?" "Yes, but there aren't enough beds. They wanted to share, anyway." I was running down the names, "You didn't say anything about Daisy." "I thought she might stay with us until she goes to Long Beach. Is that alright?" "If you two wear me out too much, don't blame me." Robin giggled, "I'll try and remember that." "Does that mean she's up there, waiting." "Probably under the covers, with nothing on," Robin said, knowing how that would get to me. She watched the lump in my pants rise. "You are a temptress; you know that, don't you." "Me?" she said, trying to look as innocent as possible. I pulled her close, and kissed her, "Let's go to bed, Mrs. Patterson." Hand in hand, we walked up the staircase. ------- Richard and Katy stopped in to see Millie, Bruce, Brian, and Barbara. Millie caught them at the door, and stepped outside. "I don't know what to do." "What's wrong?" Katy asked. "This morning Barbara jumped at the idea of taking care of Brian while we were out. Tonight, I had to stay home, and miss the meeting. She wouldn't do it." "Millie," Katy said, "It sounds like you are using her for a babysitter." "No, that's not what I meant. I'm just concerned. First, I thought it was that she was starting to greave, but I'm wondering if Brian did something. You know if he needs to pee, he needs help, that is why I vetoed him spending the night tonight at your place. Anyway, he gets hard sometimes when it is being touched," Millie blushed, "He is, after all, a boy." "Now, I'm hurt." Richard mocked. Katy smacked his arm, "Be serious." "Millie, Katharine talked to her, I also talked with her. I know she is starting to realize her dad isn't coming back. She is seeing a life here that is different than the one she knew." Richard paused, trying to get the words right, "I didn't hear anything from her that suggested that she felt Brian had done anything wrong." Katy and Millie were looking at Richard. He had already talked this over with Katy, so he went on. "The thing she was in tears about today was thinking that she would be sent off to an orphanage." "Oh my dear God! Why would she ever think that?" Millie cried out. "Maybe she saw that happen. When she realized her father was gone, she panicked. I think it has taken quite a toll on her." "The poor Dear." "Millie," Katy said. "I know you have your hands full with Brian, and may for a time." "Probably for at least another month. What are you suggesting?" "We have a large house, and Stephanie is out there. Barbara is my relative too." "You want to take the girl?" "I thought it might be good for her." It was hard to read Millie's reaction. After a good minute, she said, "I don't want her to feel like she is being passed around. It has been hard, though. Brian needs a lot of attention, and so does she. I don't know if I have enough for both." "Then that settles that. I'll tell her." Katy said. "She can come out with us, tonight." "If you think that is best." "I think it would be," Richard said. ------- Chapter 54 I figured that, just like at the base barracks, I was going to be expected to do my duty. I would kiss everyone goodnight. Not that I wasn't looking forward to it. The fact was, I was looking forward to saying goodnight to each one of these lovely ladies. When Robin and I got to the second story landing, I held her hand tightly, and moved us to the back staircase. She looked at me, and then it dawned on her what I was thinking. "I'll wait down here. Just don't let them take advantage of you. Daisy and I are expecting you to be in good form, tonight." Then she smiled, warming my heart. I couldn't help but smile back at her. I gave her a little kiss. I didn't know who was in which room, so I just moved to the first door, and gently knocked. The first one was empty. The second one, on the other side of the hall was not. "May I come in, Ladies?" "Yes, and with haste, good Sir," was the reply from Mary I smiled, and slipped in. "Are you staying the night, good Sir?" Beth Ann asked, picking up from Mary the tone of conversation. "The Queen would off my head! Nay, I can stay but a stolen moment in time." "Come hither my love, tempest fugit." Mary said, as both gals patted the bed between them. I went over to the side Beth Ann was on, feeling it was the safest place to start. I leant down to give her a kiss. Her arms went around me, pulling me onto the bed. With one arm in a cast, and being bent over, I didn't have much of an advantage. I fell, and was rolled over to the center. So much for safe. Both girls were on me, kissing and undressing me. I laughed with them, and let them continue. Who was I kidding; I loved every minute of it. I didn't stop them, until it came to my underwear. They weren't pleased, but did understand. The last thing I said, as I was pulling away from them, was to Beth Ann. "I know you may have put it into the back of your head, but you need to make a call, tomorrow." The smile dropped from her face. "I know." "What call?" Mary asked. "To my mother," Beth Ann said, flatly. "Oh." "She'll be worried about you. She loves you very much, you know that." "Yes, I do." "Remember, the call is for her, not you." Standing at the foot of the bed, I asked, "Can I have my clothes back?" "Not after that. You just depressed Beth Ann. You don't deserve them," Mary shot back at me. She had this little evil grin on her face, which meant she was half kidding, half serious. I think the serious part was that I had ruined Beth Ann's evening. The kidding part, was holding my clothing ransom. Instead of going on about it, I shocked her. "I will accept my punishment, as befits a gentleman," I said, and headed for the door. I heard them giggling from behind the door. I'd have to retrieve my clothes before I went downstairs, but for now they could have a little fun. Moving to the next door, I pondered if I should knock. Before I decided, I heard a bump, and then a little yelp. Concerned, I opened the door. Two forms quickly moved on the bed. That movement, and the sound I had heard; was not one of pain, apparently. They poked their heads from under the covers, as I closed the door behind me. "I see you two have made up." Even in the dim light from a small oil lamp on the dresser, I could see Pamela blush. "We weren't fighting," Stephanie defended. "No, you were having a misunderstanding. Things are better now. But Stephanie, next time a friend of yours pushes you away; you might want to look at what could have caused it. You thought the way Jimmy was acting was rather funny, right?" "Well, it was. I just had to find out about it." "Even when you knew that Pamela was mad about what he was doing?" "But that was silly." "No, Stephanie, it wasn't silly. She didn't understand it. And you, of all people, her closest friend, couldn't even see why." "But how was I supposed to know?" Stephanie asked, dejected. "You might not have been able to. But you knew she was reacting to something. The problem was, there was something going on between Jimmy and Pamela. Instead of paying attention to your friend, you wanted to be part of what you saw as, 'fun'. At that point, you lost sight of your friend's feelings." Stephanie turned to Pamela, "I really am sorry. I never thought..." "It's ok. It seems silly, now," then Pamela looked at me, trying to set thoughts into words. "How come he never liked me, before?" "Do you mean, 'does he only like me cause I'm pretty'?" I queried "I'm not that pretty," she said, and then smiled, showing me how wrong that statement was, then said, "Yeah." I sat down on the bed, and took her hands. "Pamela, sometimes we let our eyes tell us what our mind should think." I saw the confusion on her face. I had to come up with an analogy she'd understand. "You know that old apple tree, near downtown?" I asked. "Yes," she answered, even more confused. "I'll bet those apples don't look very good. They're wrinkly, and kind of deformed." Both girls laughed. I had seen the tree setting fruit and could tell the outcome. "Now; let's say there were a few of those apples, that were just perfectly round, with bright shiny skins. Wouldn't they taste better?" "Of course," Pamela said, without hesitation. "So? You're sure? If I cored and peeled a wrinkly one, and a smooth one, could you taste the difference?" This time I could see both girls thinking. Stephanie said, "My mom makes pies with apples from that tree. They are really good." "You see, what is inside can be hidden, by what our eyes tell us. Jimmy is just a boy. It is hard for him not to be swayed by that. Even adults do that." "You didn't." "Pamela, when I was your age, I was like Stephanie. I had a friend who had a problem. His problem got better. But his mind never healed, from what he thought others saw in him. He never could see that, inside, he was the same apple. Just like everyone else." "What happened to him?" "The hurt got too much for him." "Oh," Pamela said, perhaps knowing where that was leading, and not wanting to ask. She, herself, knew how much pain others had inflicted on her. There was silence for a few moments. "So. Jimmy is just seeing what has always been there?" "I think Jimmy is seeing what he has missed, all along." "Keith!" Pamela blushed. "You didn't hear what he said to me." "What?" Pamela's eyes grew large, "what did he say?" "I can't tell you," frankly, I didn't know what it had been all about, "but he and Dora talked about you." "My mom?" Stephanie asked. "Yes." "Maybe I can ask her," Stephanie said. "Ok," Pamela said, enthusiastically. I smiled, thinking this was only the beginning. 'Poor Jimmy, ' I thought. "Now, I came in here to give you two a kiss goodnight." "Nothing more?" Stephanie pouted. "Nothing more." "Then how come you're dressed like that?" "You mean undressed, like this?" They giggled, "Yeah!" they both said. "Because I was attacked, next door. I barely made it out, alive." "Then we can attack you, too." "No you can't. Not tonight." "That's not fair." "I know." I gave each of the girls a kiss. They sat on my lap, put their arms around me, and kissed me like they never wanted me to leave. Pamela was first, and she was not very experienced. She was trying to thank me. What she lacked in technique was made up for in enthusiasm. I knew she could feel my hardness, when she started rocking her hips back and forth. When she got off of me, she looked down. Then she looked up into my eyes, smiling. Stephanie was next. I decided, next time, I was bringing Robin with me. I wanted her to witness what I was being put through. Stephanie took full advantage of the fact that I was already hard, as she positioned herself upon me. Pulling my head down to her eager mouth, her tongue wiggled into my mouth, as her body wiggled over mine. Having only my boxers and her panties between us, I had to stop her, so I wouldn't cum. "The two of you are just about as much as a man can take. Robin would not be very happy with me, if you two had your way with me." They were smiling, thinking how desirable they were. I left them, smiling myself. I headed for the stairs. Then I smiled even more, as I saw a bundle of clothing outside Mary and Beth Ann's door. I picked them up with my good hand, not even thinking of putting them back on. Looking down to my tented boxers, I thought, 'My sister is going to get a kick out of this.' ------- When Richard and Katy got Barbara into the car, she opened up. "Why did you take me away from him?" she accusingly asked Richard. Katy turned around to her, as Richard drove away from the house. "Now, let's get one thing straight," Katy said, in a calm and soothing voice. "First, if I would have been here when the accident happened, you would already be with me." Barbara blinked, "Why?" "You're my relative, too. Millie is my sister." "Oh. Then Jimmy's my..." "Second cousin, just like Brian. But I think you would have competition from Pamela," Richard smirked. "I'm not interested in him. I mean, I just wondered, that's all." "You mean Brian is the only one for you?" Richard pressed. "Yes, and you took me away! Why?" "I had to." Barbara dropped back into her seat. "What happened?" she asked, meekly. "You were not yourself. Everyone could see it. The only way you were happy, was being around Brian." "You told me..." she tapered off, "Was I that bad?" "You were worse. Now, you two are not glued together. That's better, for the time being. We tried to get Brian to spend the night, but Millie didn't want us to be bothered." "You did!" Barbara interrupted. "Yes. But then, we wouldn't have taken you, tonight," Richard finished, much to Barbara's displeasure. Katy reached over the seat, and took Barbara's hand "Barbara, we are trying to do what's best," Katy sighed, "You two were going at it a bit strong. That's not bad. But you need to make sure that the reason he wants you to be with him, is not just for some good feelings. He needs to make sure you don't want to be with him, just for someone to lean on, in a difficult time." Barbara sat there thinking about that, for almost the rest of the way out. "So," Barbara finally said, "if we are going to do stuff like that, it should be 'cause we love each other? Is that what you were trying to say?" "Yes, that's right." Barbara smiled, "That's easy, then. I love Brian." Katy and Richard looked at each other, and smiled. "How do you know?" Richard asked. "The way he makes me feel. The things he says to me. I feel important when I'm with him. It's not what I'm doing, it's what he says. He thinks that I am beautiful. No one has ever said that to me, before." "Not even your mother?" "I think," she said sadly, "maybe. But that wouldn't count, anyway." "Do you think he feels the same way about you?" Katy asked her. "Yes. I think... I hope... Richard did you talk to him?" Barbara's conviction went from positive to doubt. "It sounds like you're not sure. Probably, because neither of you have ever talked about that, have you?" "No," she sulked. "You have not had the normal way a relationship starts," Richard said, getting a sharp look and raised eyebrows from Katy, remembering how they were thrust together. "Maybe it's time to see if you really care about each other." "How?" "By spending time with each other, without worries." "What do you mean by that?" "At our house. You don't have to worry about what Millie might say. You can sit with Brian, hold his hand, and even give him a kiss if you want. No one will think a thing about it." "Really?" "Yes, really." "I wish he was with me now, then." Both adults laughed, as they pulled up in front of the mansion. Before they got out, Katy pondered, "Where are we going to have her sleep?" Richard got the message: 'she shouldn't be by herself'. "There's Jimmy's room..." Katy gave him a look, "Any other suggestions?" "You and your daughter placed everyone. I don't know." Katy smiled, "You'll use any excuse to get out of it." "But if he doesn't know..." Barbara started to say. Then she realized Katy had just been kidding him. "I know the perfect spot." "Where?" Katy just smiled, "Let's get out." She took hold of Barbara's hand. They walked into the house, and up the staircase. Richard was behind them. She led Barbara over to Kristin's room. "Kristin, are you still awake?" Katy said, as she opened the door slowly. "Of course I am," Kristen said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She had been hoping, when the door opened, that it would be her brother Keith. She was not expecting Katy. Katy walked in the doorway, bringing Barbara with her. Richard stood at the doorway, wondering how this was going to work. "Can I ask you a favor?" Kristin looked at Barbara, and then back to Katy, "What is it?" "We decided Barbara needed to start living here. But it wasn't very well thought out, as to where she should be sleeping. I was wondering, if tonight..." "Yes, she can." Kristin said, trying to be nice. She had been disappointed Keith had not come in, and that was hard to get over. Kristin understood, but it wasn't what she had wanted, so her voice showed it. Katy saw into what the problem might have been. Turning at the doorway, she said, "Keith loves you." Kristin smiled, "I know." Katy walked past and Richard, and closed the door. "Do you think that was ok?" he whispered to her. "Yes, Richard. It's fine," she whispered back. "Kristin sounded like she didn't want to have Barbara there," still keeping his voice low. "Come here," Katy said, as she pulled his arm, "I'll explain it all to you." ------- I had heard what Katy had said to Kristin, as I got to the bottom of the landing. They said a few things to each other, that I couldn't hear. Then Richard was being pulled into their room, and the door was shut. They hadn't seen me, so I didn't have to explain to them my state of undress. Or about my dick. It had decided to protrude through the fly, on my walk down the stairs. I headed over to Kristin's room. I was unable to put my member back in, because of the clothes and shoes in my hand. I was sure they had just said goodnight to her, so she was still awake. As kids, we had never let a closed door stand between us. I smiled. As we had gotten older, it was one of the problems that had led me to move away. Kristin trying to look at me and I, enjoying it more than I thought I should. Opening the door, I slipped in, and closed it. The low lamp light, was enough to show a good bit of the room. There, in the bed were two faces, staring at me. Kristin was one of them. Then it dawned on me who the other face was. Barbara! With a cast on one arm, my other hand full of clothing, it was hard to cover up. I turned red, as I was being studied. Neither one of them were looking at my face. They were looking at my crotch. It was a mix of feelings. Barbara was enough to make me wither, Kristin was enough to get me hard in an instant. Between the two, I stayed semi hard. "Ahhhh," I finally got out, as some sort of clever explanation to my state. Kristin burst out in almost hysterical laughter. "Come here, big brother." Barbara's eyes just about popped out of her head, and her mouth dropped open. "He's your brother?" "There are a lot of things you need to learn, if you are going to live here," Kristin said. I just looked at her. That may well have been true, but Kristin wasn't being very tactful. "Are you here to give me a goodnight kiss?" "Yes," I said, hoping that made everything look much better. It didn't, but I could try to fool myself. "Well then, come on over. I'm waiting," Kristin said. I walked quickly over, thinking I could do this without too much trouble. Kristin was not going to let me have just a little peck. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I had no way of stopping her. Her tongue invaded my mouth, and I lost all sense of reality. My Kristin was heaven. When she broke the kiss, she whispered, "Now, its Barbara's turn." I knew Barbara was a girl, but still... she looked... well she had that short hair, the... I looked up to her face. I could tell she needed a kiss. I leaned over my sister, and started to give her a little kiss. She must have been taking notes. She tried to mirror Kristin. She didn't know what she was doing, but when she was done, my impression had changed. She was a girl. "No wonder Brian loved having you around," I said. Barbara beamed. "Goodnight," I said as I went out the door. I realized at that point, that my dick was still hanging out, and was being watched. I sighed, and walked to my room. ------- As Katy pulled Richard into their bedroom, she said, "Can we talk about Barbara in the morning?" He started to say something as Katy's lips attacked him. When she was done kissing him, he would have done just about anything for her. "Well?" she asked. Shaking the euphoria she had just given him a bit, his brain started functioning again. He grinned. "Sure, but I do want to talk about it." "That's fine. We have other things to do, tonight." Richard looked around the room, smiling, "Yes. And I think one of the first, is to get Dora in here." "You're right. We didn't give her much of a welcome, last night." "Allright. It was intense, but short. You and I were both exhausted." "Go get her," Katy said, waving him out the door. She looked at the wall separating the two rooms, and wondered if a doorway could be cut into it. Richard came back in, holding Dora's hand, her face looked down to the floor. He looked over to Katy. "Dora? What's the problem?" "I'm sorry. I just didn't think you would want me with you, tonight." Katy took Dora's face, and tilted it up. The tears may well have dried, but there was still evidence that they'd been there. "Dora, you listen to me, and listen good," Richard said, in a voice that quickly grabbed her attention. "If I didn't want you, would I have asked you here?" "No." "If I didn't want you, would I have placed a baby in your belly?" The answer didn't come right away. "Do you think it may have been an accident?" Richard asked. "Maybe," Dora got out, weakly. "Put your hands in the air," Richard commanded. Dora did what he said. Before she could even think about it, he grabbed her nightdress. He pulled it up, off of her, leaving her naked. She shuddered when he touched her. Then she realized his hands were not harsh, but gentle. They were caressing. He pulled her arms down to her side, and slid his hands back up to her shoulders, then down her back. When he reached the swell of her butt, he reached around cupping her belly and pulling her to him. "This is where my child is going to be growing, inside of you," he softly said into her ear, "I want you to make sure you take care of yourself, protecting the gift you bear." Dora was in tears again, but these tears were emotions draining out of her. Richard molded his hands around her belly, outlining the shape that would be there. As he reached the top, his hands moved upwards, and cupped her breasts. "These will fill with milk, for my child. They may never have a chance to go down, as I plan to enjoy them, as well." Dora started to shudder, her mouth opened but nothing came out. Richard felt her body go limp, and he held her up. "She just fainted," Katy said. They carried her over to the bed, laying her out. They started kissing her, as she awoke. She had a big smile on her face. "Feel better, now?" Katy asked. Dora reached out her hands, and pulled both of them into a big hug. "Thank you for putting up with me." "Dora," Richard said sharply, "I do not want to hear that, again. Do I make myself clear? You are very wanted." Dora's eyes scanned Richard's face, "You don't know how good that makes me feel." "Now, Dora," Katy said, "I was thinking that we might want to put a doorway from this room, into the other." "Really, a door into this room?" "No, that is not what I said, I said a doorway. I didn't say anything about a door," she said, as Dora's eyes grew. "I also thought I'd ask you how much milk you had, with Stephanie?" "Lots!" "Good. You may need to help me wet nurse my child. I had enough for Robin, but just barely enough for Jimmy. I'm worried I may not have enough." "Especially with me around," Richard added. "Our babies come first," Katy said, placing a hand over her and then also Dora's breasts. "Well then, I'd better get my fill, now," Richard said, pulling Katy's arms away, and alternating kisses between Dora's and Katy's breasts. "Ohhh! I don't know if I'll be able to resist him, if he comes at me this way," Dora said. "That's the plan." Katy laughed. "If you suck us both dry, I'll lock you in a room with our babies. They will cry their heads off, 'cause they couldn't get a feed," Katy said, knowing he'd never do such a thing. They laughed, cuddled, and made love late into the night. ------- As I walked into my room, the two bodies on the bed never even stopped to look up. I shook my head, but smiled. I could feel my dick expanding. They had the sheet over the top of them, but that was it. The lamp showed through the sheet, giving shadows of the positions they were in. "Mind if I join in?" I asked. "If you don't get your clothes off in less than a minute, you'll be wishing you had," came a smart ass response from Daisy. I dropped the clothes out of my hand, quickly pulled down my boxers one handedly, and pulled back the sheet. Daisy looked up, and stopped, dead in her tracks. Robin looked over, and started to giggle. "Now you're going to have to pay up," Robin teased Daisy. "Boy, Keith. You must want this," she said rubbing her finger in between Robin's glistening nether lips. She had me there, I did want Robin. I walked forward. Daisy took hold of my dick, and guided it in. Robin moaned. As soon as Daisy had 'helped' me slide myself in, she placed her arms around my head, and started kissing me. I could taste Robin's juices on her lips, her teeth, and her tongue. It made me stroke faster. That made Robin's actions on Daisy's pussy more frantic. I felt Daisy start to lose it, first. That set Robin off. Her pulsating contractions around my dick felt so good, that I knew it would be soon for me, as well. What I didn't know, was that as soon as the girls had cum, they had agreed to change places. So I found myself, in mid stroke, being pulled away. I watched as they exchanged places. Now I was tasting Daisy in Robin's mouth, as soon as Robin had guided me into Daisy's channel. This was heaven, if ever I knew it. As their second cum was starting, mine was ready. I started before I felt Daisy contracting around me. It was glorious, as though she was massaging the cum out of me. I staggered from the intensity of feelings. I was trying to keep my balance, not wanting to fall, and land on my cast. I had hands on either side of me, guiding me to the bed. There, we (this time, slowly), brought each other to one more orgasm, before falling asleep. ------- As soon as I had closed the door, Barbara looked at Kristin, "He's really your brother?" "Yes," Kristin beamed, "he's great isn't he?" "I guess." "What do you mean, I guess. I saw how you were trying to kiss him." Barbara blushed. "It's just what you did. Besides," Barbara stopped, and then said, as if she was ashamed, "I've only kissed one other boy." Kristin's smile returned, "Bet it was Brian." Barbara's blush turned a shade redder. "It's allright. Everyone starts somewhere." "Who was your first?" Barbara asked. "My brother." "Really?" "Yes, but it wasn't much of anything, then. I just wanted to say I'd kissed a boy, but I couldn't think of anyone I'd liked to do it with, other than my brother. So I begged him to teach me." "It looks like you learned well." "What did you learn from your cousin?" "He's my second cousin," Barbara shot back, then smiled. "That it felt really, really good." "You're in love with him, aren't you?" Barbara's face fell, "Yeah." "What's wrong with that?" "I don't know if he loves me." "Sometimes it takes boys a lot longer, to figure that out." "That's no good." Kristin laughed, "You have a lot of time. What are you so down about?" "Yeah, a year." "A year? I don't quite understand." "One more year, and I'll be thirteen." "You're twelve?" Kristin was shocked, Barbara sure didn't look it. "I know, I look like a boy." "No, I'm sorry," Kristin took hold of her, and gave her a hug. She could feel the tears falling into her neck. Kristin pulled her back up enough to see her tear stained face. "You're really twelve?" "That's what my dad said: 'one more year, and you'll be married'." Kristin's mouth dropped open, and then it hit her. Robin went though the same thing. "Is that why you're trying to get so close to Brian?" "I don't know... I guess. But I wasn't really thinkin' that. He's..." Barbara looked at Kristin with her eyebrows crinkled. "He wouldn't just say those things to me, just to get me to..." "I don't think Brian is like that. But you need to be sure. You need to have no doubts in your mind." "That's why we have to just be around each other, like Katy said?" "Yes," Kristin said. There was silence, and then Kristin asked, "What did Brian say to you?" Barbara looked at Kristin, and smiled. "He said I was beautiful. He said the kids in Angle City musta been blind. Then, when I realized my dad really wasn't commin' back, he told me he hurt too. That he hated seeing me cry, and wished he could hug me." "That sounds pretty genuine, and very much like Brian." "You think he loves me then?" "Barbara!" She giggled, "I can try, can't I?" "Yes. But if you push, he'll run away from you." "How do you know?" "It happened to me." "Oh. I'm sorry." "It took him six years, and his fiancé, to make him realize he loved me." "That's so sad. Do you ever see him?" "Of course, we just did." "Your brother!" "Sometimes we fall in love. I couldn't help it, that it was my brother." "Maybe like what I feel about Brian?" Kristin smiled, "Who knows? But I can tell you one thing, for sure. You will scare him away, if you tell him you are twelve, and need to be married in a year." Barbara frowned. "Maybe your right, but I'm not happy about it." "I know. But what we need to do now, is go to sleep. I'm on kitchen duty in the morning, and now, so are you." "Ugggh. I don't like to get up early." "Neither do I, but someone has to make breakfast." "So we're always going to make breakfast?" "No, it is a rotating thing," Kristin laughed. "No one wanted to volunteer, 'cause no one wanted to get up early. So we all take turns." "I guess that's fair, who made these rules?" "Katy and Robin. They are kind of the heads of this large household. They are also very nice. When the rooms needed to be assigned, we all got to pick." Barbara was gone with explanations. "What are we going to make?" "I don't know what's in the kitchen yet. We'll see, in the morning. Are you a good cook?" "My dad and mom use to say so." "Good, maybe I'll be helping you then." "That would be funny." Kristin got up, and turned down the wick, then blew out the little flicker of flame. It was pitch black, and she hit the edge of the bed with her leg. "Oww!" Barbara put out her hand, touching Kristin. "Are you ok?" she asked. "Yes, just ran into the bed." Kristen got in, but Barbara didn't move much. She was right next to Kristin. They moved around, trying to find that comfortable spot. "It's ok to snuggle up next to me." "Good, it's been a long time. I use to do this with my mom. I miss that." "I'm sure you do," Kristen said. They drifted off to sleep. ------- The next morning I woke to the smell of banana bread baking. It reminded me of my childhood. Then I thought, 'I must be dreaming!' I had heard Kristin was cooking breakfast this morning. I love her, but cooking was never one of her strong points. I nudged the sleeping bodies on either side of me. I needed to get up and pee. Daisy hardly moved, Robin opened one eye, to look at me. "What's that smell?" "Banana bread, I think." "Mmm. Almost smells good enough to wake up for." "I need to get up and go." Robin's eyes flew open, "Go where?" I had to repress a laugh, looking at her panicked expression, "Go pee." "Oh," she said, as she dropped back onto the pillow. "I guess I need to climb over you." Robin just nodded. So I did. I rubbed my body, and my piss hard on, over her. She responded better to that, but just said, "Hurry back." Throwing on a pair of shorts, and a shirt (I knew I'd need them, to investigate the smell from downstairs), I went off to the bathroom. The smell, as I walked down the back stairs, was driving me crazy. It was being pulled up from the kitchen, filtering through the house. Kristin saw me, and had a big grin on her face. "I knew that would get you out of bed." "It always did when Mom made it. I didn't know you knew how to make it." "Mom gave me a bunch of her and grandma's recipes, all done up in a nice little book, as one of my graduation presents. Now, I'm glad she did," she looked over to Barbara, "I'm also glad I had help this morning. I had the recipe, but she knew what to do with it." "Oh you did, did you?" I said lunging at Barbara. She screamed in surprise, and tried to run around the kitchen table. I was too quick for her, and caught ahold of her. I'd started to get good at this, my cast was a useful holding device. With my other hand, I started to tickle her. I think at first she was terrified at what I was going to do, but then realized that this was all in fun, and let herself go. She was laughing so hard; she was having a hard time trying to catch her breath. Then, all of a sudden, she turned bright red. I got concerned, and let her go. She ran to the stairs not saying a word. As she turned, Kristin and I saw the problem. She had peed in her pants. "I think I'd better go help her," Kristin said, trying not to laugh, "You've done enough, already." "I just..." I started to say, feeling responsible for making Barbara embarrassed. Kristin laughed, "Not many girls don't do that at some time in their life. At least she did it from fun, and not getting so scared it happened." I was left in the kitchen to... well, I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing. Robin and Daisy were the next two down. "What was all the racket? I thought you were coming back?" "I was, but I had to check out the smell, first." "Food is the quickest way to a man's heart," I heard Katy say, as she, Richard and Dora entered. "That doesn't explain all the noise." "I was tickling Barbara." "And?" "And, I got carried away." "Keith! What on earth did you do to her?" I looked down at the floor, "I, ummm, well... I tickled her so much, she peed her pants." That set everyone off laughing. We stopped suddenly, as we heard someone else coming down the stairs. Thankfully, it was Mary and Beth Ann. When Barbara came back down, she could hardly look me in the eye from embarrassment. I took her by the hand and said, "Come on outside, with me." "Where are we going?" she asked, as we exited through the kitchen door, to the back yard. "We are going to talk." "I've talked to more people in the past few days, than I do in a month," she said to me. "Get used to it. We talk a lot around here. It's the way we understand each other. I understand that you are embarrassed, but every one of us in that kitchen has done something pretty embarrassing. Some, a lot more than what happened to you," Barbara looked at me, trying to figure out whether I was telling the truth or not. "Yes, we might laugh and think it is funny, but we are not laughing at you. We are laughing, because we know what it is like to be there. We know how; after some time goes by, what seemed so bad at the time, does look funny, later." "What did you do?" "What?" "What did you do, that you were so embarrassed about." "I have to choose one?" That brought a smile to her face. "Just one. I want to hear it." Somehow I knew the one I wanted to tell her. "I was in sixth grade. Greg, one of my best friends, found out that I liked this girl." "What was her name?" "Tami. He said he'd spread it all over school, and make me look like a fool. I had to play spin the bottle, and try and kiss her at the party, that night." I could tell from Barbara's face, she was enjoying this story. "So, what happened?" "I went, I played. But it never worked out. Tami was kissing everyone else but me. It was my turn, the last spin, and it landed on another girl. I was so mad I picked up the bottle, and threw it. Everyone looked at me, as it smashed against the basement wall. "Then Tami said, 'why'd you do that?' I answered her, without even thinking. ''Cause it was supposed to land on you. I'm supposed to kiss you!" Barbara was laughing now. "It is kind of funny, now. But back then, after I'd said that; I just wanted to find a hole, and jump into it. Everyone was laughing." Barbara grabbed my hand, and turned me around. "We can go back now. I get what you mean." Then she squeezed my hand. "Thanks for talking to me," then she smiled again, "and for telling me that story." We came back in, and there was an obvious difference in her. Kristin pulled me aside, and asked what I had said. I told her that I recalled a little story, and then smiled. She wanted to know if it was about her. I teased her for a few minutes. Then I relented, and said no, it was about me. After breakfast, I told Beth Ann it was time. She knew, but didn't want to face that call. I said I'd be waiting in the car. It was ten minutes later that she showed up, with Mary and Kristin in tow. I knew they were her moral support. It was a good decision on her part. We drove downtown, and I parked right in front of the phone, shielding it. I looked at Beth Ann, she was not ready to make this call. "Can I make a call first?" "Yes, go ahead. Who are you going to call? "The hospital." I picked up the phone, and made the call, getting the hospital operator. "I would like room 264B." "May I ask who is calling?" "Keith Patterson." "Right away, Sir. They have been expecting your call." I was transferred, and heard the phone ringing, and ringing, and ringing. I was just about to hang up, when I heard a soft, "Hello?" "Mildred? Is that you?" "Keith, it's so good to hear you." She sounded weak, it was breaking my heart. "Are you in Carp?" she asked. "Yes. We are going to get a plane today. We will be down with the girls, as soon as possible." "Keith, I can never thank you enough. You take care of my girls, now promise." Mary, Beth Ann, and Kristin were watching. I tried to wipe away the tears that were forming in my eyes. "I will. Mildred, do you know if your doctor is in the hospital?" "I think so. He was here, not too long ago." I told her we were all thinking about her, and that we would be down as soon as possible. As soon as I hung up, I held onto the phone. I took some deep, slow, breaths. "Did she sound bad?" Kristin asked. I nodded. "I need to get those girls down there. I think I'd better talk to the doctor, first." Picking up the phone, I got my operator to reach the hospital operator. As soon as she answered I said, "Hello, this is Keith Patterson." "Didn't you just call?" "Yes, but I was talking with Mildred. Now I need to talk with her doctor." "Let me find out where he is, hold on a moment." It took several moments. Still, I was glad he was there, and available. "Keith, good to hear from you. Understand you are coming down." "Yes. I think it is important to bring the girls down." "I understand." We talked about what was happening, and her decline. I asked about transporting her up here, and he told me of his concerns. I tried not to let that dampen anything. I was determined. I told him I'd let him know when we were arriving. Then I hung up. "What is the problem?" Jack said. None of us had seen him walk up, we were all to involved in the phone conversations. "I just got off the phone with the doctor in Long Beach. He thinks it would be a good idea to have someone with medical abilities, to be with Mildred. I understand she's going to need it." "What about Katharine?" he asked. "This is a hell of a lot to ask of someone." "Yes, I agree. But should you make her decision for her? Let her make it." He took hold of my shoulders. "Keith if I was in your shoes, I'd be just as wrapped up with emotions as you are. No one is saying this is easy, but try not to second guess what people are willing to do." I nodded. "When do we get the plane?" "That's why I walked over here. The helicopter will be here to pick us up, at twenty to ten." I looked at my watch. "Beth Ann?" I said. "I know you weren't looking forward to making this call, and I got you over here. You can still make it, but I need to go talk to Katharine, now." "No, I want you here. I'll do it later." "Allright, but later will come. You do need to do this, today." She sighed, "I know." ------- I found Katharine and her three children, down by the new pool. The children were near the bridge, and hadn't seen me yet. "That plaque sure glistens," she teased me as I walked up. I shook my head, but her words did make me smile. "If it were a bit warmer, I'd toss you in, for that comment." She smiled, "You wouldn't dare." "Try me, sometime." Looking me up and down, she said, "I might, but Robin might object." I laughed, and sat down beside her. "I thought you were more Jack's type." "A man in uniform is always good, but his wife. I can't place my finger on it, yet. Then there is the other gal who is always with them. What is going on there?" I realized that Katharine had been in town long enough to see a possible something between Jack and Rebecca. It looked like she hadn't had enough time to see what was going on between any of the rest of us as we had just arrived the day before. Instead of answering, I asked another question. "How long are you staying?" "Is your answer dependant on that?" I laughed, "Most definitely." "What if I told you that the doctor and I have been talking. You know he is planning on setting up a clinic, here." "You'd be interested in that?" "Keith, I've been carting my kids all around. Yes, they have seen what most kids read in books, but they have no stability. I have said it's good for them, and I know it has benefited them. But deep down, I knew it was me. I was running." "And?" "My kids dragged me here," she saw me smile. "I'm not kidding, Keith. They said you and Daisy were the best thing they could remember, in a long time. They told me they wanted to come, and couldn't wait till we were here." She looked around. "This is no place to look at. It doesn't have the attractions the kids have seen in many other places. But for the first time in a long time, they haven't asked me where we are going next. They want to be here. I think I may well have found a home." "This place can grow on you. It's the people that make Carp the town that it is." "Yes, I would have to agree," she said, and looked up at me with a big smile on her face. "Are you going to tell me, now?" "Tell you about what?" "Jack's ladies, and why you came here. You obviously wanted to say something to me." "You're too observant," I laughed. "Makes me a good nurse." I nodded. "That's why I came to see you." I looked down at the ground, nudging a little rock out of the way. "I wanted to ask you something. It is a big something. I want your answer to be the truth. Say 'no', if you want." Katharine's expression changed to serious. She looked over at her children, and then back to me. "What is it?" she asked. "I don't know how much you've heard, but Daisy's mother is in the Long Beach Naval Hospital. She went there to find out what was wrong with her," Katharine's brow was wrinkling, "She has pancreatic cancer. I just talked to the doctor. She has two weeks, at best." "Oh, God! Keith, that's awful! I'd heard about the woman, but didn't make the connection. Poor Daisy and little Pamela." She looked back to her children. "I know what it is like, for them to loose a parent." "I'm flying down with the girls, to see her. I want to bring her home. This is where she should be." "Keith," she interrupted me, "I'll do it." "What?" I said, taken completely off guard. "You were getting to the point of saying she will need care, a lot of it. I know that," I was nodding. "That type of work is not what I trained for, but I had a rotation at the hospital. I know enough. Plus," she smiled, "I have two other resources." "Two?" "The doctor, and Barbara." "Barbara?" "Her mother went through a long sickness, before she died. Barbara told me she was the one who took care of her." "So how long are we going to be away? Is there room for my children, or will they need to stay here?" My head was spinning. "You want to come with us?" "It would be best. I don't know enough about cancer. Getting information first hand, from those doctors, would be the best way for me to know what to expect." "Katharine, you are unbelievable. Thank you." "Keith, if it wasn't for you and Daisy, we wouldn't be here. Look at my children; they are my pride and joy. They love it here," then her smile turned into a grin. "So are you going to answer my other question?' "No," Katharine looked surprised, I grinned at her. "Not right now. We have a long flight. I may be able to fit everything in, there." "That much to tell?" "And much more," I laughed. We both stood. Her kids saw me, and came running. Elizabeth, the oldest, got there first. She gave me a hug, and a kiss on the lips. I looked over to her mother, who had a smirk on her face. "I told you they couldn't wait to get here." Kristina was next, and mirrored her sister. Kenneth was last. I bent down, he wrapped his arms around my neck. I picked him up, much to his delight. "We're walking back into town," Katharine announced. Kenneth didn't make any sign of wanting down, so I carried him most of the way, until he got too heavy for me. It would have been easier, with two good arms, to hold him. I caught up to Jack and Katharine, and asked about the plane. He said he wasn't sure of its size, but we would know soon. I was perturbed. When Katharine left, and we were alone, I asked him what this was all about. "Keith, you'll see. As soon as we get there." That was it. I looked at my watch. Nothing to stew about. We'd be on base in another twenty minutes. "Come on, Keith," Jack said, "We need to get to the helicopter pad." "So much for saying goodbye to Robin." He smiled, and I wondered what he had up his sleeve. At what had become the landing pad, Richard's car was waiting, along with Katy and Robin. I smiled when I saw her. "You didn't think you'd get away without a goodbye, did you?" "I didn't want to, just ask Jack." Robin looked over to him, and he was nodding. She drew me into a kiss that didn't make me want to do anything but take her to bed. I nibbled on her ear. "Oh, I love you," I whispered. "I can tell," she replied, with a big smile on her face. ------- As soon as we touched down, Jack got out, and started saying things to one of the men that were waiting for us. With the sound of the helicopter, we couldn't hear anything, until the Jeep had moved us away. The three of us were driven to an area of the base I hadn't been to, in a long time. Richard apparently knew what they were using this area for, and leaned over to me. "This is where they store the surplus equipment. I hear most is going to auction, now" We stopped by the end of a row of six hangers. Jack had one of the men open up the first one, and we stepped in. "I wanted you to see what is being auctioned off. Carp may be in need of some of this. I can tell you this is going for pennies on the dollar. In fact, to prove that point, I made sure we were here in time for one of the auctions." I was antsy. This was nice, but I wanted to get to the plane. I wanted to find out what we had. Jack saw me pacing. "Keith, the plane isn't ready to go yet, slow down." I stopped. "Ok, but I hope it's ready, soon." "Yes, not too long from now. Come on, the auction is going to start soon. I think it would be good for you to register. This is going to be a small one, but you'll get the idea of what happens." Richard and I looked at each other, and shrugged our shoulders. "Lead on," I said. We walked down two more hangers. There was a table set out in front, that hadn't been there before. Jack picked up the forms, and told us to fill them out. We did, and then were given a numbered tag. "What is this for?" "When you want to bid, you raise it, and the auctioneer recognizes your bid." I laughed, "Well I guess at some point this might become useful, but I didn't come here for this." We entered the hanger. It was empty. There were only a few chairs, a podium, and a plane. I looked over to Jack, and realized he wasn't there. "What's going on?" I asked Richard. He was amused, "It looks like they are auctioning off a plane. That one is the same size as the ones at Carp, right now." "Yes. It's a Lockheed Lodestar. Nice plane. We can't buy anything like that, now." "No, but maybe we will, at some point. And Jack wanted us to see what went on." "I guess. The timing is just not great." When we got up to the plane, we noticed a sign saying, Inspection of Auction goods: 9:30 to 10:30 Auction starts at: 10:30 "Where is everyone?" I got my answer, when three people walked from around the end of the plane. Two of them introduced themselves as the auctioneer, and his assistant. The third was a 'bidder' like us, we gathered from the numbered tag he had in his hand. Richard wanted to look inside, so we went in. The other man followed us. I was surprised. This was a transport plane, but not for troops. There were less, larger, and better quality seats. We looked at the cockpit. "I wish I knew how to fly one of these." Richard said. "It's not that much different. Easier up in the air, longer in take off and landing." "I didn't know you had flown these." "Once, but on the way up to Long Beach, I flew a bigger one. I wasn't thrilled about it, but my instructor was flying it. He didn't give me much choice. Like I said, up in the air, it's easier." Both Richard and I noticed the other man was looking around, and doing the strangest things. Looking at the seat cushions and tapping on the windows. When we walked out, Richard asked the Auctioneer for the flight log. Richard was still looking at it, when the auctioneer stood up to the podium, and called out. "The auction for item number 1994372, will begin in two minutes." I looked around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Richard looked up from the log, looked at the empty seats in front of the podium and got a funny smile on his face. He whispered to me, "Jack set this up." "What do you mean?" "To make it official, you have to have at least three in attendance of an auction. Its regulation. You noticed that other guy." "Yes. He's a strange one." "He knows nothing about planes, I'd bet." I was starting to put two and two together. I was ashamed at myself, for being a bit slow on the uptake, but my mind had been occupied with other thoughts. Now, I was wondering how we were going to afford a plane. These things were not cheap. Richard had a big grin on his face, when the final gavel hit. I looked over to him, "Did we really do this?" "Yes," Richard said, with great enthusiasm. "What do we do now?" "I guess, pay for the goods, and take the title" We saw Jack enter, and walked over to him. "Shall we take a drive?" he said. We walked out, and I noticed first off, that there was no driver this time. As soon as we were moving, we started in on him. He just smiled. "I would guess I need to take you to the bank, to pick up some money?" I nodded, "How is this going to work? I guess it would be smart, to put the plane in the company's name." "No, not right away. I can't be a part of this transaction. So it needs to stay in your name. That is part of the reason that we needed to do this now. As the company assimilates assets, as well as belongings that add value to the company, then it can be added along with everything else. I know that seems a bit shady, but that is what I was advised to do, by others who know." "Others?" Jack smiled, "Other base commanders." Richard and I just laughed out heads off. We arrived back on base, with a cashiers check. Jack told us where to go, and who to ask for. He would meet us, in about thirty minutes, back at the Jeep. The paperwork was daunting. I was asked about insurance. That led to a call. My insurance agent didn't handle things like that, but he referred me to someone who did. Once that was taken care of, I was the proud owner of a Lockheed Lodestar. Jack was waiting, and as we drove out to the plane I asked, "Who is going to fly this? I know how. But I can't, with this cast on." Jack looked over to Richard. "I've never done one this size," Richard said. "I guess Keith could talk me through it." "Oh great, we're going to crash, before I even get my new toy home." "Thanks a lot!" Richard retorted. "Jack, what about you?" "Never flown one of these. Wouldn't have a clue," he said, as we pulled up to it. I saw why he wasn't worried. Climbing into the plane, was my flight instructor, Jeff. He saw us, and stopped. "You are a little shit," I said to Jack. "Hey, I heard that Richard might need a little help," Jeff called down. "Glad you are up for the challenge," Richard called back, "but I don't know if flying back to Carp, is going to give me enough time." "I'm using this to take a flight down to Long Beach. I heard that might be where you are heading." Jeff said with a smile on his face. Richard and I looked at Jack. "You were pretty sure of yourself." He was still smiling when another Jeep drove up. 'What next, ' I wondered. Of all people, it was Sharin. "I hear there's some transportation going to Long Beach." "How many people know about this?" I asked. "Only one or two more, that's it," Jack said. I shrugged my shoulders, and waved my arm to get everyone on board. I could tell from the take off, Richard was flying. Not bad, but not as smooth as it should have been. Trial by error, that was the instructor's motto. I had only a chance to ask Sharin what she was doing with herself, when I noticed we were descending towards Carp, already. "My job is ending soon, along with everyone else's. I love it in Long Beach, and wanted to know what was there." "No man in the shadows?" I ask. She looked at me and smiled. "No, and none lurking, thanks to you." Jack who had been listening in, had to be told the story of the pilot and his demands. Jack had a few choice words, about guys like that. It made Sharin smile, to know she was supported. When we touched down, we hit hard, bounced, and pulled back up. Making a circle, we went in again. Not smooth, but we were on the ground. As we opened the door I heard Richard being guided about what had happened, and what to do to correct it. I also heard Jeff tell Richard to stay seated, as they were going to practice take offs and landings, a few more times. Jack, Sharin, and I exited. I latched the door, and hit it three times in the rhythm the instructor had taught us, long ago. He knew we were clear. As I backed up, the plane started to move. It didn't surprise me in the least, at this point, to see Jack's Jeep waiting there for us. I just looked at him, and shook my head. We drove over to the Mansion. Sharin's eyes just about popped, when Jack told her it belonged to Richard and me. When Robin saw Sharin, they hugged, and talked nonstop. I tried to give her a tour. She recognized everyone there, as they had been on one of the flights she had been on. Then I had the duty of telling Pam and Daisy to pack clothing for a night. Robin asked if she needed to, also. "I wouldn't go without you. I need you there," I said. Then I added, "Can you pack something for me, too?" She laughed, "Now I know why I'm needed." "You had better know that I need you for more than that." She looked at my face, took it in her hands, and kissed me. "Yes, I do." "I wouldn't have asked, but I need to get Beth Ann to call her mother, before we leave." "Go on, then." ------- We stood around Beth Ann, as she dialed the operator, and asked to be connected. "Mom," Beth Ann said, then paused, "Aunt!..." Beth Ann held the phone away, and we could hear the screaming on the other end. "Its Beth Ann! Hurry, it's Beth Ann. Did you hear me?" the screams got louder. "It's Beth Ann!" Beth Ann was looking at the phone, obviously wanting to hang up, she was already shaken by who answered. The voice stopped, and we couldn't hear anymore. Beth Ann could. Her face changed to disbelief at what she was hearing. Her mother had just told her aunt to go take a drink of whiskey, and settle down. Her mother's voice was sweet, but shaky. "Beth Ann, is that really you?" "Yes, Mom. I told you I'd call," then Beth Ann looked at us, worried. "My uncle isn't there, is he?" We moved in closer to her, for support. Beth Ann's mother started sobbing. "Why, why, why..." "Mom, it will be ok." "Oh, Beth Ann. No, it won't." Beth Ann paused before saying something. Her mother went on. "Your father's in jail for murder." The phone dropped out of Beth Ann's hand, as she fainted. Mary, standing to her right, caught her as she fell. ------- Chapter 55 I started to pick up the phone. Mary, still holding Beth Ann, said, "Let me have it." I was more than glad to hand it over, wondering what I would have said. "Hello." "Who is this?" "A friend of your daughter's. Beth Ann just fainted." "I can imagine," Beth Ann's mother said, in a frail voice. "It has been very hard on all of us." "We couldn't understand much from our side, what made her faint?" "He shot that good for nothing..." "Hold on," Mary said. Kristin and I took Beth Ann out of Mary's arms and sat her in the car seat. "Who shot who?" Mary asked. We turned to see Mary's expression sour, as she heard that Beth Ann's father had shot her Uncle, and killed him. "What did they charge him with?" "Manslaughter. They said they had to charge him," she started crying again, "He could be in jail for 5 years. We'd loose everything." "Do you have a lawyer?" Kristin and I looked at Mary asking the questions, keeping a cool air about herself. This was a side of Mary we had not seen before. "Just the public defender. We can't really afford a lawyer." "What is his name and phone number?" "I'll get it." "Kristin? Get me some paper, and a pencil," Mary said. "You'll find some in the glove compartment of the car," I said, holding onto Beth Ann. Mary wrote down the information and said that Beth Ann would call back later. Then she hung up. Beth Ann, sitting with her feet out of the car, awoke to me holding her hands. She was still in shock. "He's really in jail?" "Yes," Mary sympathized. "Did he..." Beth Ann didn't even want to ask, but had to. "Did he shoot my uncle?" Mary nodded. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have said anything," She put her head down to her knees, and covered her head with her hands. We could tell she was crying. She needed to get that out, but she also needed to stop blaming herself. As soon as the sobbing started to slow down, I reached into the car, and pulled her out, standing her up. She stepped into me, and wrapped her arms around me, as I was doing to her. She lay her head against my chest. Kristin and Mary circled around her, and we all hugged her. "Beth Ann," I said, "I know this is hard, and you want to blame yourself. Try and stop," I said. She looked up at me. "Stop, and think with me, for a moment." She nodded, thinking she knew what I was going to say. "Should I blame myself for what Hank did?" Her eyes turned to horror; this was not what she expected to hear, "NO, he was evil..." She started to see the connection, I went on. "There is no difference. We did not choose what these people did. We cannot be responsible for what others choose to do. The only thing we can do, is stand up for what we feel is right. You and I did that. Sometimes what comes out of it is not always nice. But it's not our fault. We didn't start what was going on, we tried to stop it." "But if I..." she lowered her head to my chest. "I've asked myself that, more times than you can imagine. The truth of the matter is, I couldn't have lived with myself, not saying something. And neither could you. I know that. And deep down inside, you know that too. It just hurts too much to think about it." She nodded against me. I was going to hate to leave her, but I needed to go to Long Beach. I could have asked myself why I pushed her into making the call now. But then, she might have made it while I was gone. It was good to be here for her, when she'd called. Another minute later, she asked if we could go. I drove. I was getting better at driving and shifting, with only one good hand. Thank goodness, I was the only car on the road. Beth Ann sat between Mary and Kristin, in the back seat. When we got back to what we jokingly referred to as, 'the mansion', Kristin and Mary took Beth Ann straight up to her room. I caught hold of Katy, Richard, and Robin, in the kitchen. I told them what had happened. Katy and Robin left us, to go see what they could do. "Keith," Richard said, "we were talking. Or I should say, wondering. I'm going to need to go down to Long Beach with you, aren't I?" I smiled slyly at him, "Yes, if you would." "Do I have a choice? You said it, yourself. You can't pilot the plane yourself. Jeff will be going down. But you'd have to fly back, and you can't." I nodded. "So. I was thinking that Katy and I should go." "Of course, I wish it was a honeymoon trip," I said, "and I still would like to do that." Richard smiled, "So would I." "You can sit up in the cockpit with Jeff on the way down. I would guess he will make you do most of the flying. Then on the way back, I'll sit up there with you. Just to help out." "Induction by fire." "Kind of the way I learned." ------- There were two more weeks of school left, for the children at Linden Hall Boarding school. One weekend of plays left to do. There was great excitement and sorrow to go along with it. Every day, two or three kids would come up to Jill. They would tell her that they would miss her. Some were people she never knew. But after they said something to her, she would realize that they were people in one of her classes. She had never gotten to know them. She decided to talk with Liz about it. "You know that you have touched a lot of lives around here," Liz said. "You are a hero at this school." "Don't remind me," she said. She hung her head again, and turned only a bit red, now. "You asked," Liz said. "One thing as a teacher, you'll realize later on down the road. What you may have done, has made an impact on someone. You may never see it. A lot of times, even the students may not recognize it, until later. It was something you said, an impression you left. It can change a life" "But," Jill protested, "you're a teacher." "Jill, you saved a life," Liz said. "Not only that, you taught these girls something. Something they may never forget." "What?" "How to see beyond their own needs. Risking, because it is the right thing to do. Then add to that, being humble in the face of glory. Trust me, they will not forget that." Jill stood there, speechless. Everything she could think to say, didn't make sense. She sighed. "It's embarrassing." "Yes, Jill. That's part of it, as well. And that's what makes you even more special to them. You don't expect, or even seem to want the adoration." "So I'm to be resigned to accept getting praise?" "I'm afraid so. What did my brother say about it?" At the mention of Keith's name, Jill's cheeks colored. "You did leave a little time to talk, didn't you?" Liz teased. Jill blushed heavily, and then realized Liz was trying to get her goat. Jill picked up a pillow, and smacked Liz with it. Soon, an all out pillow fight was going on, with screams and laughter. That was, until someone knocked at the door. Liz, trying to gain composure, opened the door. Tiffany and Vicky were standing there, with maybe ten wide-eyed girls, behind them. There was little denying what had been going on, as moments before the knock, one of the pillows had burst open. Feathers were still floating in the air. "Must we remind you girls," Tiffany said, trying to keep a straight face, "that there shall be no pillow fights on this floor." Everyone laughed so hard their sides' hurt. "I think," Liz said, "that we will make Sunday night a special party. A large pillow fight will be the main event." The girls in the hall cheered. "I'm going to have to get approval," then Liz winked, "but I don't think that that will be hard." "I'm sure it won't," a voice said, coming up the stairs. As soon as Grace's head appeared, the girls in the hall scattered. Grace ushered Vicky and Tiffany into Liz's room, and shut the door behind her. "Liz, I hope that's the only party you are planning." Liz stood there, befuddled. "There might be other plans for a party. If you continue, you might as well plan that one as well." "What other party?" Jill asked. "A going away party," Grace answered her. "We have to show, even in our sadness that she is leaving, that we are happy for her." Liz's eyes were filled with tears. "Grace," Liz said, but had a hard time saying anything else. "You had better prepare for this, I can see. No standing up and becoming tongue tied," Grace smiled. "Now, about this pillow fight." "It sounded like a fun idea," Jill said. Grace looked around, "I see you were trying out the preliminaries." Jill blushed. "It will only work, if everyone is able to get involved," Grace started. "Everyone? You mean Upper, and Lower, Halls?" "Teachers," then Grace smiled, "administers, too." Jill, Liz, Tiffany, and Vicki, laughed. "You just want to get a crack at us," Vicki said. "You're darn right I do!" "Is the support staff included, too?" Jill asked. Grace tipped her head, looking at Jill. Then a smile started on her face. "Mr. Smith?" Jill blushed again, but answered, "Yes." "I think he'd be too chicken to admit he'd like to be involved. But I'll bet you could talk him into it." "Where are we going to do this?" "We could use the meadow." "Except for the occasional 'horse pie'. That would be disgusting to step in." "The quad between Upper and Lower Hall?" "That's probably the best," Grace said. "Of course, there will have to be rules, to make sure no one gets hurt. Let's all think about it some more. We can set it all up, tomorrow, after classes. We need time to let everyone know. And to get," Grace looked over to Jill, "our grounds keeper to set it up for us." Grace started to leave, and then turned, "Oh, I almost forgot. The reason I came up here in the first place. The board approved my extra long vacation away from here, this summer." With that, she was out the door, leaving everyone looking at Liz. "Grace is going to come to Carp with us! She's going to help set up the school," Liz beamed with joy. Then she turned to Jill. "There is one more thing you need to start thinking about, as we leave here." "What's that?" "You may say you don't like being the hero, but when we go back to Carp, you will just be 'Jill'. The girl most of the towns people knew, from before. I think you have changed, and grown a lot. People here, see you much differently than those in Carp will. You may be disappointed in not having the notoriety you now have." Jill's brow wrinkled as she thought about that. The idea didn't suit her well. Here, she was free to explore herself. There, she was only her mother's daughter. The most disturbing part was that maybe she liked the adoration. She resolved to talk to Keith about that. ------- Sarah was fuming as she watched her mother pull down the long driveway, and out of sight. "I called up your friend's mother, and you'll be spending the afternoon with them," she had said, just before she walked out of the house. She had left Sarah no choice in the matter. It wasn't as though Sarah's mother hadn't done this a thousand times before, as she ran off to do this or that. This time it was Marcia, of all people. They had not said much to each other, in the past week. From what she had been told by Scott, Marcia had wriggled her way into his friend's life. Sarah remembered what he had said. He was as worried about Marcia, as he was for his friend. But when it came to the charms of women, men are stupid idiots. Twenty minutes latter, a car Sarah didn't recognize was pulling up into the long driveway. Then, out hopped Marcia. Only after Sarah had locked the door and walked to the car, did she realize this was Marcia's 'boyfriend's' car. "We just thought we might drive around a bit, before going home," Marcia said, sweetly. Sarah knew just exactly what Marcia was doing. She was showing off her boyfriend to all, with Sarah in tow. Sarah was stuck, but wasn't going to let Marcia know how much it irritated her. "That sounds so nice. I'll bet you would do anything for a boyfriend with a car," Sarah said back, just as sweetly. The verbal war was on. The poor boyfriend didn't have a clue as to what was going on, or how Marcia was playing him. She had him go to the swimming hole, the park, and then the drive in. They didn't stay long at any one place. Just long enough for Marcia to be seen. As he dropped them off, Sarah leaned back in, to retrieve her purse that she'd 'forgotten'. "You are very nice. Scott has told me a lot about you. Take care." As soon as she closed the door, Marcia asked, "What did you say to him?" "That it was very nice of him to drive us, why?" "Is that all?" "Do you want to phone him and ask? Really, Marcia! Do you think I'd try and steal him away from you?" "Well..." Sarah had let this go on long enough as far as she was concerned. "Marcia, I don't need to do this any longer." "Do what?" "Try and be at the top. You want it, it's yours. I don't care. I've found out that there are more important things in life." "I don't believe you." "You don't have to." The girls stared at each other. Marcia was not able to understand that grasping for the top, wasn't the most important thing in the world. Sarah knew Marcia would never truly understand. "We might as well go inside," Marcia said. "That's a good idea. Is your mom home?" "Always..." Marcia said, exasperated. "Well at least you can complain about that. Mine's never at home." "Must be nice." "No. Well, sometimes," Sarah laughed. "But most of the time, it's a pain." The girls had found something they could both commiserate about, without bringing up things that were personal to them. ------- Take off had been fine. In fact, it had been long enough ago, that I wasn't thinking about it. What I was thinking about right at the moment; was that Robin, Katy, and Sharin, had gone into the back. Pamela and Daisy were up front, sticking their heads in the cockpit. They were watching Richard and Jeff, who were keeping their minds occupied with how this plane was flown. That left me with Katharine, and the inevitable question she was going to ask. She didn't waste any time. Sliding across the seat, she looked me directly in the eyes. "Keith, I left my kids in Carp. Let me tell you, I have never... Let me say that one more time... NEVER, done that before. The folks, a couple of times, stayed with them; when we went off for an anniversary, but that was his parents. Since he died, I have never even let relatives have them overnight. This isn't some sort of breakthrough for me... well maybe it is... but... It's the people you have in that house. Dora, Kristin, Mary, Beth Ann, and that doll, Jimmy. Even Barbara. I trust my kids with them. I have not felt this secure in..." Katharine stopped. She bit her lip. I thought, perhaps, to stop from crying. "Since the accident," she continued. "I want to move to Carp, unless you can tell me why I shouldn't." I cleared my throat, "No pressure on my part, I guess." She laughed, "None whatsoever," then after a pause, said, "spill it." I had been thinking for some time, what to say. Now, I would find out whether it would all come out right. "Define to me what love is, and I can tell you how Carp works." Katharine smiled, "I have seen, and experienced, some of that love." "But love has many ways of showing itself." I knew the example I was going to use, right then. "You asked about Jack," I said. "Yes." "And his wife and the other gal, Rebecca." "Yes." "Rebecca has a daughter." "She does?" "She does. Her name is Jill. Right now, Jill is with my sister Liz, away from her mother." "Why?" "To help both of them heal. Maybe one of the reasons you have found a connection in Carp, is because there are a lot of people there, who know what it's like to have a loved one die." Katharine slowly nodded, "Like at the mine." "Yes. Rebecca was one of those. Her husband gave her something that can't easily be described, something most people don't talk about." "Something sexual?" "Right." "I know that feeling." I was surprised by Katharine's admission. "This was something that kept her feeling alive, as a person. After his death, she felt dead. As time went on, it got worse. It had its effects on Jill, until one day it came to a head." "Rebecca fell apart," Katharine said as a statement, not a question. I gathered she knew exactly what I was talking about. "Yes, she did. I saw it." "Not pretty, was it." "No. And it had damaging effects on Jill, at the same time." "She was there?" "She walked in on the aftermath." "Oh, the poor girl!" "Jack understood Rebecca, because his wife's needs were the same." "Jack is taking care of Rebecca's sexual needs, as well as his wife's?" I nodded. "Wow!" I could see the wheels turning in Katharine's mind, "His wife doesn't mind?" I couldn't help but smiling. "Oh, no! She helps, too! Doesn't she?" Katherine said. "Katharine, remember what I said about love in different forms." "She's... they are..." Katharine looked me in the eye suddenly, "They are not the only ones, are they?" I wasn't sure what she meant by that. Did she mean Jack, and more than one mate, or did she mean the female love? I remembered her reaction with Daisy, when we first met. "Did you ever feel like someone was going to take your husband away from you?" Katharine looked at me, then away, then back again, and then at the floor. "Once. It drove me crazy." "What did you fear the most?" "Is this answering my question, or delaying it?" "You are helping to answer your own question." "Fine," she said. "I wasn't sure if he loved me enough, at that point." I nodded, "Now, I want you to think about what you have felt like, while you have been in our home." "There is little question about that. I told you it's the first time I have left my children." "So you feel..." "Love." I could tell she was thinking about where she had seen it, and with whom. "Keith, thinking about it, there are many levels of love going on there. Are some of the girls..." "Does that idea bother you?" "Not with them. That sounds funny, doesn't it?" "No. You are seeing something that isn't what the rest of society might call 'normal'. But it works, because of the feelings that are present." "Yes, I guess that's it." "Now, let me tell you what is really going on." Katharine's eyes widened. "Robin," I smiled, "is one of the most loving people I know. She has accepted, deep down in her soul, that I love her. That I love her more than I love anyone else. I let her know that feeling is true, often." "That is so sweet, Keith." "Don't stop me, please. I have to get this out." "Ok." "Now. It wasn't that way, right at the start. In fact, she saw that I still loved someone else. That I had, for years." I could tell Katharine wanted to say something, but she resisted. "Robin wanted to make sure I would give her the love she wanted. She did not want be questioning things, later. So she made me confront my other love. The problem with all of that, was the other love was a forbidden love." "Kristin," Katharine couldn't help but say. "Yes, Kristin. Now comes the part that is really hard to explain." "Kristin loved you, too. And Robin didn't have a problem with that. You know Keith, they could pass for sisters." I almost laughed. "I guess you have pretty much figured out my subconscious." "If you think you are hiding your love for your sister," she smiled, "you're doing a bad job of it. Just the way you two look at each other, is enough to let the blind see." I did laugh. "Ok. Now, let me finish." "Sorry." "Robin made me get together with my sister, and talk about it. I wanted this meeting to happen when Robin was around. It was a very apprehensive meeting for all of us. Two women who loved me, whom I loved. Then throw in Katy." "Katy?" "She didn't approve of me, when we first met. Another long story. You can ask, and have a good laugh about it when she tells you." "I'll do that. Now," Katharine smiled, her eyes gleaming, "tell me the juicy details." "I think you are getting too much enjoyment, from my pain." "It doesn't look like it turned out so badly." At this point, Pamela and Daisy had come back from the cockpit, deciding to join us. They understood what our relationships were, so I just went on. "No, no it didn't. Ok, so I brought my sister to Carp. She ends up having a long private conversation with Robin." Katharine started laughing. I gave her a dirty look. "Yes, it was rather uncomfortable. Later that night, I found out what had transpired between the two of them. Robin knew that she would never have had a chance with me, if it had not been for Kristin. Robin was my Kristin, the one I could have. Robin also had other ideas. She didn't see the moral dilemma I was having, concerning incest. So, she encouraged Kristin to take what had been hers, all along." "How could she do that? She could loose you." "Robin, somehow (and I still don't know how) understood that if my heart was with Kristin, it could not be all hers." "That is pretty insightful, for her age." "Yes, it was in a way. What she found out, though, was that there was love. True, whole, and complete love... for her." "And Kristin, too?" "Yes. She found it was easier to accept that idea, because Kristin and she had found a love between themselves." Katharine looked at Pamela and Daisy, "They know all about this?" I nodded, "Not at first. But as situations cropped up, Robin found she didn't mind sharing the love she had found." Katharine's eyebrows rose, "Sharing?" "Robin and I have been good friends, from the time we were born," Daisy said, jumping into the conversation. "When you met us in Redding, Robin had instructed Keith to take care of me. In any way I needed." Katharine looked back and forth between us. "And he did?" "Oh, yes! He took very good care of me," "Robin doesn't mind?" "No. She knows Keith is hers. I do, too. I just get to borrow, on occasion." Katharine gave a little chuckle, "Now that's an interesting way to put it." "He won't do it with me," Pamela pouted. "Well, you are a bit young," Katharine heard herself saying. "No, I'm not. But he has kept on giving me excuses. Now, it's 'cause he's my guardian, but before that, it was 'cause he was in the hospital." Katharine was aghast, until she saw the grin on Pamela's face. "Oh, you." "Well, I did want to!" Pamela said. "Looks like you have quite a reputation. Where's the 'sign up sheet'?" "Katharine, I don't think we would fit together. But my say isn't what counts. Robin has the final say." "She has to approve who you can sleep with?" "In a way. Sometimes she sets it up, and I have little choice." "Is that a complaint I hear?" I smiled, "No, not at all." "So... You and Robin, and Kristin, and Daisy? Are there others?" "Yes, do you need to know?" "Yes. Professionally speaking, of course," she smiled. "Ok, but I warned you. Robin, Kristin, Liz, Daisy, Mary, Beth Ann, Stephanie." "You forgot my mom," I heard Robin's voice, in back of me. "She isn't a regular," I laughed. "Stephanie?" Katharine said a bit pained. "Keith didn't want to, but Stephanie can be very pushy when she wants something," Robin answered her. "So I don't have to lock my girls away from you?" Katharine said. She noticed the glance Daisy and I gave each other. "Ok," Katharine said, grabbing Daisy's and my hand, "what happened?" "It was my doing," Daisy said. "No. It started with Elizabeth and Kristina," I said, "They walked in." "I knew their curiosity would get them in trouble." Katherine muttered. "I showed them a bit of Keith's anatomy," Daisy said. I blushed. "No wonder they wanted to get to Carp," Katharine acknowledged. "What has happened, here?" "Nothing," I said. Katharine looked at me wondering if she should believe me. "Elizabeth said she would like to do something more," I said. "Now, that, I can believe." Katy who had not said a word yet, asked, "Katharine? It didn't seem to bother you about Keith and anyone. It even only slightly bothered you about someone as young as Stephanie. But when your daughters were involved, you seem to change focus." "You might, too; if you had lost your husband, and you could see the love from your children flying away." Daisy stood up, at Katy's direction. Katy slid in beside Katharine, and looked at her pain filled eyes. As softly as she could, under the noise of the plane, she told Katherine how the father of Robin had betrayed her. Then she told of how her bother became her husband, and was recently beaten to death. Katharine was visibly shaken by what Katy said to her. "How can you do it? How do you go on?" Katharine asked with desperation in her voice. "I was lucky. Keith wandered into town." "Keith?" "He fell in love with my daughter. I was pretty negative about the whole thing. Eventually, I had to admit to myself that what I was doing, was being envious of them. That happened the same time Richard stepped into town. Between the two of them, I didn't have a chance," Katy laughed. "Allright, you've got me. What did Richard do?" "Showed me love. I wasn't expecting it. Didn't even see it coming. He just gave it, and when I shoved him away, he hurt." Katy's eyes were filling with tears. "I never expected that from a man. He hurt... because of me." "Robin put her arm around her mom, "That's 'cause he cares so much." Sharin came out from the back. I didn't know what was back there. I'd never had the time to look. She broke into our conversation for a moment, telling us we would be landing in about twenty minutes. I had wanted to talk with her, as well. Now was as good of a time as any. Looking at Katharine, I said, "We'll talk more, there is much more to say," I paused, "on many fronts." Katherine nodded. I stood, and turned to Sharin, "I didn't get a chance to look at the back, mind showing me?" As I walked back, I was sure I heard Katharine ask if I did anything with her (meaning Sharin), as well. I could still hear Robin's giggling, as we closed the compartment door. ------- "Mom! How could you do such a thing?" Sarah stormed. "You've been over at her house a million times. Really, Sarah. I thought something had changed when you went away, but it seems you are back to your old self." Sarah glared at her mother for that statement. But she didn't loose control, not at that point. "I'll just have to talk to Dad, I guess. He, at least, listens to me." "Now you listen to me young lady, and listen good! We have put you into a fine school, brought you nice clothing, you have nice friends." "So you can dump me off at some ex friend's house, and not pay a bit of attention to me?" "What?" Sarah's mother stood stunned. "Marcia has always been your friend." "That's what you think, because you don't pay any attention, Mom! Can you think of the last time she called?" "It was... well right before... your... trip." Sarah's mother realized she had made a mistake. She never liked admitting such things. "Now, all you ever do, is talk to that 'Vivian' girl. Her parents aren't very high on the social list, you know." "Yes, I do happen to know. It is one of the reasons I happen to like her. Everything she says is true." "Sarah Jean, I don't like what you are trying to imply." "Never mind then, Mother. You wouldn't want to hear it," Sarah said, walking down the hall to her bedroom. "Wait till your father hears about this, just wait till he gets home," was called to Sarah. "I can't wait," Sarah said, under her breath. "Unfortunately, it will be two more days." At the end of the hall, just before going in to her room, Sarah picked up the phone. After a few rings, "Is Vivian there, please?" "No, I'm sorry she's at the park, but she should be home, soon. Shall I have her call?" "I'll call her back." Sarah went into her room, and dropped onto the bed. Her mind started to wander. It went to its favorite place, a town called Carp. Although she'd never been there, she had an imaginary town made up. The people in the town were real enough. Soon, she was asleep, dreaming of this magical place. ------- Laura knocked on the door. As soon as it was opened, she came in and plopped into a chair. Jill and Liz, the only ones in the room, looked at each other. They knew something was wrong. Laura never behaved this way. "Laura? What's wrong, sweetheart?" Liz asked. "Wouldn't have made any difference," she said disgustedly. "What wouldn't have made any difference?" Jill asked her. Laura looked up to Jill with a tear stained face. "If you would have stayed, or not." "Laura," Liz started, "you're not making any sense. What happened?" "My dad just got a letter, my doctor's moving." Jill knew what that meant, but Liz didn't. "I still don't understand," Liz said. "What does your doctor have..." "I need to be where he is, so he can take care of me. At least that's what my dad thinks. I bet there are plenty of doctors who could do what he does," then, angrily, she added, "My dad just wants to move me to a school wherever the doctor goes." "Maybe he is trying to tell you he loves you, by doing that," Liz offered. "Why doesn't he just say it?" Laura said, with venom in her voice. "I don't think he cares about me, but how it looks to others." "What are you saying?" "Never mind. You're going away, anyway," Laura hung her head, and started to cry again. Liz picked the girl up, and set her on the bed. "Jill, I think I'll be out for about an hour. You want to take care of her?" Then she winked at Jill. She left, and locked the door behind her. Jill didn't wait. She started to unbutton Laura's blouse. Momentarily, Laura tried to stop Jill's hands. Then she realized what Jill was doing. Looking Jill in the eyes, she let her arms fall to her sides. Laura drank in the sight of Jill undressing her. ------- "A number of us thought those other gals were pretty silly. To run out on a good job, just to see if they could find work in the private airline business," Sharin said. "Now, we know we were just as stupid as could be. They have the stewardess' jobs we all want, and our jobs are all ending. I don't have any idea what I'm going to do." "You didn't answer the question." I said. "Do you know how many times I've been asked that? 'What do you want to do?' "What I want is not to work. I want to settle down, have a family, and raise a bunch of kids. That just doesn't fit, so I have a hard time answering that question, allright?" Sharin glared at me. I smiled, "Well, finally you got mad enough to tell the truth." "What?" she said astonished. "You want to find a man who wants a wife and family." "Of course I do." "Do all of your friends?" "No," she stopped, and looked at me. Then said slowly, "They want to have fun, like we were." "You expected everyone to know what you would want, because it's obvious to you. Even though it was different from the others around you." Sharin sighed, "Why can't I find a guy like you?" I laughed. "Because, you want your own guy." "Yes, I do." "Sharin," I said, inspecting her enough for her to start blushing, "there is nothing wrong with you. When I talk to you, you are not some dumb blonde." "Why, thank you... I think." "What I'm wondering, is why you don't have a string of guys running after you?" "You mean a guy in every port?" I laughed, "Does sound more like a 'guy thing' to do, doesn't it." Sharin shrugged, "I knew a couple of gals that did that, but not me. You and your wife have seen some of my wild side, but deep down I'm pretty simple. I want a good man." Then she laughed, "We can do those things, together." "You mean drive him wild?" "Yes, and keep him mine." "There are a lot of guys who would like to be with a gal like you, Sharin." She raised her eyebrows, "Who?" I smiled at her, "Want me to find one for you?" "You mean set me up?" "Bad idea, I guess." She grabbed hold of my shirt, as I started to turn. There was a hunger in her eyes. "Keith, I meant it when I said I'd like a guy like you. Hell, I might even think of sharing you. But I don't think Robin would go for that, in the long run." I almost choked, trying to stifle a laugh. "If you thought a guy was good enough, then yes, I would want to meet him. You showed me the first time we met, what kind of person you were. You saw me as a person, worth more than I myself believed I was worth, at the time. I trust you." "Sharin," I looked into her eyes, "don't expect me to solve your problems," then I grinned. "But I'll take a look around." As I turned again, she started to slap, then grabbed my ass. "Good, 'cause if not, I'll be asking Robin if she might share." I looked back to see her smile. It was about as big as it could get. I was about to say something else, but we both felt the plane change directions. "We're going into the landing pattern," I said. She just nodded. ------- "Vivian, you know what they call girls like Marsha?" Vivian giggled, "I don't say words like that." Sarah rolled her eyes, "Not that. They call them 'mothers'." Vivian gasped, "You don't think?" "Yes, I do. I could practically see it. I'll bet Scott knows. I hope his friend is doing the right thing." "You mean," Vivian whispered, "using those things?" Sarah smiled, "They're called rubbers." "I know." Vivian said, but she hadn't, really. "Do you think he can get them?" "You have to get them from the druggist," Sarah started to say. "How do you know that!" Vivian said, surprised. "Ask Scott." "He... you?" "No, Vivian. We're more like brother and sister," Sarah laughed. Then she thought of Keith and Kristin, and laughed even harder. "Ok, I get the point." Vivian said over Sarah's laughter. "So why does he, and you, know," Vivian whispered," about rubbers?" "'Cause of his brother. He set Scott up, one time, to go ask for them. Scott didn't know what they were, and went right up to the counter and asked." Vivian was now laughing. "Don't you dare tell him I told you that story. He'll kill me," Sarah continued. "I bet he would. What happened? Tell me, please?" The girls laughed over poor Scott's embarrassment, for some time. Vivian got an education she'd wanted, besides. She had been a bit shy about asking her friend. "Vivian? Are you home alone?" "Of course. How else would I get to talk on the phone this long?" They both giggled. "So am I, or I probably wouldn't be able to be on the phone at all. My mom and I had a good fight over her sending me to Marcia's. I don't think she even had a meeting tonight, she just didn't want to be here with me." "That is so sad." "Yes, well I'm used to it. Can I ask you a question, then?" Sarah said, already knowing the answer. "Sure." "You didn't know anything about rubbers, did you?" "You knew?" "I guessed, by what you said. And you started whispering. If no one was there, I guessed it was 'cause you were embarrassed." "I think you know me too well." "Aren't you glad we're friends?" Sarah laughed. "Yes, very glad. I didn't mean that in a bad way. I meant you could see all the way inside of me." "No, not me. But I do know a couple of people who can. But back to the subject. You and Scott... I mean..." "No! Well he's touched my breasts once." "Really? Tell me all about it. Did you like it?" Sara said smiling. ------- I had told Jack to call down to Long Beach. He could do it through his military connections, faster and more conveniently. Now, as I looked out the window as we taxied to a stop, I wondered if that was a smart thing to do. Sitting just off the runway, were two military cars, and a motorcycle escort. 'That's a bit overdone, ' I thought. As everyone exited, I was the last of the passengers. Jeff called me forward. He pointed out the window, "You sure know how to travel in style," he grinned. I looked at him thinking of a witty reply, then something else hit me. "Jeff?" I asked. "What are you doing down here?" "I have a second uncle," he smiled. "If that isn't pressing my luck! He owns a few planes down here. He said to come down if I could. He wanted to talk. I have plenty of vacation time, and Jack told me you were on your way down. So, here I am. Why?" "We haven't talked in a while. I wanted to ask you a few questions." Jeff got an inquisitive look on his face. "Last time you said something like that, I was flying you up to..." "Michigan." "That's right. I forgot. I found out later, that the whole flight never took place." I laughed, "If I remember rightly, you had fun." "Well, yes, there was that." "Or her, if I remember." "Don't remind me. One of my more stupid moves. Starting liking a gal that you can never go back to." "Was she married or something?" "No, shit head. We weren't there, remember." "Oh, yeah. Sorry." "And you know me better than that. I'd never date a married gal. It's just not right." "So how about a drink later? Where are you staying?" He wrote down a name and phone number for me. "I'll let you get back to the post flight stuff," I said, "so we can get out of here. "Oh, and Richard," I added, "good landing." He smiled, "Thanks, you were right, Take offs and landings are the hard part. Jeff and I are going to do a bit more of them. I don't want to have a hard landing, with Mildred in the back." Then he smiled at me. "Plus the best part, Keith. Uncle Sam is buying the gas for this trip. So the practice time is as good as gold." I put my hand on Jeff's shoulder, "Thanks, Jeff." "Hey, this was fun! A much better way to get down here, anyway. Otherwise, I would have had to wait, and take a transport. And those 'Gooney Birds' are so darned noisy." I left the plane, noticing Pamela and Daisy's moods had suddenly gone downhill. The reality was settling in. "We're waiting for Richard," I told the two men at the car. I saw Sharin, standing around like she was wondering what to do with herself. "What now?" I asked her. "Now is the big step. Going to look at what this place has to offer." "So how am I supposed to get hold of you?" Sharin looked at me for a minute, and then it dawned on her, "Have you thought of someone?" I smiled, "Maybe," I teased. "I need to do a bit more investigation, first." "Who?" I shook my head. "Not even going to tell you. I don't want to say a word, until I know it is right." "But you had to say something." I laughed, "Just want you to keep on your toes." "Between you and your wife," she smiled, "you have a way of doing just that." Then she handed me a piece of paper, "Here's where I'll be. Just leave your number, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can." "We're here for just a day. If I call, get back to me quickly." Sharin pulled me into a full body hug, and kissed me on the lips. "Do call," she whispered into my ear. Then turned and walked away. I didn't want to stare at her walking away, but I also was afraid to turn around. My pants were tented. I knew Katharine, among others, would notice right away. "How do you do that?" I heard Jeff say, right next to me. "Honestly, Jeff, I have no idea." "I do." We both turned to see Robin. "He tells what he sees. What he knows a woman wants to hear. He also has fun doing it." Jeff looked at me, "Keith, you are so darn lucky. Mrs. Patterson? I can tell you are deeply in love with him." Robin smiled. "As much as he is with me. He's my whole world." Jeff just looked at us. I knew I'd found Sharin's match. I just had to ask him one important question. "We're ready to go," Robin interrupted my thoughts. "Ok," I said. "Oh, Jeff?" I called to him, as we started to move towards the cars, "That talk. I mean it. It's important." "Ok, Buddy. Give me a call." We were taken to the hospital, and dropped at the entrance. I'd seen enough of hospitals, but this wasn't for me. This was for Daisy and Pamela. Robin was holding Daisy's hand, and I had hold of Pamela's. Katy, Richard, and Katharine, were behind us, when we entered. Mildred's doctor was waiting for us. "We were notified you had arrived. Come with me." We walked down the large hallway, and then he stopped. "Should we take the stairs?" I knew elevators didn't bother any of us. We'd been in them plenty of times, at the other hospital. "No, we are fine with them." I explained to Katharine the problem they had encountered with Mildred and Robert, and why. "How is she going to get down then?" "Oh, we have a system, now," he smiled. "In a way, it was good. There hadn't been much thought about it. But; if we needed to get patients out, and the elevator couldn't be used, it would have been a bad scene. So, in a way, this was good for us." He led us down a dead end corridor. I was pleased to see that no guard was standing there. We all crammed into her room. Mildred was awake, anxiously waiting to see her daughters. Franklin was there. We introduced ourselves to him, as Mother and Daughters were hugging and kissing. Robert was not there. "He'll be back very soon," Franklin said. I could quickly tell that Franklin had been doing more than his share, with this family. Looking at him straight in the eyes, I said, "Did you get him to call?" Franklin averted his eyes. "It was something he knew he needed to do." I smiled, which Franklin caught. "Preacher, or politician?" Franklin smiled, "Whatever is needed." "Keith?" I heard, "Come here," Mildred called to me. I walked over to her bed. Her face looked puffy; her skin yellowed and almost translucent, her stomach was more distended. "Keith, I can't talk much, as I get tired, fast. So don't interrupt me." I nodded. "I can not thank you enough, for what you have done for my girls. I want you to promise me one thing," she paused, as everyone in the room quieted. "Promise me, in front of everyone here, that you will always look after my girls." I looked over to Robin, tears clouding my vision. I didn't want to say yes. That meant I had to say she would be dead soon. I couldn't say no. "Mildred," I choked. "I love these girls. I will always watch over them. No matter what goes on. I promise." There was a faint smile on her face. "Robin," Mildred said next. "I want the same from you. You took care of Pamela, when Keith couldn't. I knew she was in good hands. Promise me." "I promise." Robin said, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Keith," the doctor asked, "what about my request? Do you have someone up there that can take care of her?" "She's right here," I said, pulling Katharine over to me. "She's a nurse, and wanted to come and find out what to expect." "Very good. Now, I need everyone out for a bit." We went out into the corridor, and then into the main hall, where there was much more room. Robert was walking down the hall towards us when we exited. "Dad!" Pamela cried. Both girls ran over to him. He was embarrassed, and awkwardly greeted them. "Not much warmth there," Richard said to me. "Robert has so much guilt," Franklin said softly from behind us, "that it affects everything he does. He loves those two very much." "I'm sure that you have seen a different side of him than most. I can imagine it has been very good to have you here for them. Thank you," I said. "All part of the duty." "I can see you have gone beyond that, here. How are they dealing with what's happening?" I asked. "That is normally privileged information," Franklin responded. "You are not family. But from what I heard in the room just now, and from what I have been told, you qualify more than most immediate family members that I run into." "Not a position I asked for." "We rarely do." I looked into Franklin's eyes, and saw compassion. I wondered what makes a person get into a field like this, where you see so much suffering. "Is she ready?" I asked a bit more directly. "She has accepted it. She needed her girls. Now it is a matter of time." I nodded. "And Robert?" There wasn't an answer, just a slow shake of the head. The response didn't surprise me. Katharine came out with the doctor. She looked sad. Franklin took Robert, Daisy, and Pamela, back into the room. The doctor came over to me. "Why don't we go to my office?" Richard, Katy, Robin, Katharine, and myself, walked with the doctor to his office. After chairs were brought in, he sat down at his desk. "Keith, I told Katharine the full rundown. She is now familiar with what is going to happen. I am glad to see there is a doctor in town, now. There is nothing that can be done, except to make her comfortable. The doctor can get her the medication she will need for that." "What will it take to move her now?" "My signature. You can have it at anytime. I had a question of how you were going to transport her, but Katharine filled me in. She can sit up for a period of time. Mornings are best, so I'd suggest that. The flight might be too long for her to sit in one stretch. Had you thought of that?" Richard and I looked at each other. "No," I said. "What can be done?" "Some idiots might suggest two small hops, but then she'd have to spend the night somewhere strange. That would be worse than anything else, as far as I'm concerned. Is there room to lay her down?" "Yes, there is room. We would need to fix something up for her to lie on. What would be ideal?" Richard queried. "A hospital bed, but..." "Do the legs come off of those?" "Yes, but..." "Then we need one," I said as though I was ordering lunch. "There must be an extra somewhere." "Keith those things are expensive as all get out." I wasn't about to take no for an answer. "When she checked in, did anyone say a word about capping the expenses?" "No, but how am I going to justify this?" "They can have it back when we're done," I said with a smile. He laughed, "You know darn well they're not going to come and get it from Carp." "Yes, I do know that. We will find other uses for it, I'm sure." The doctor sighed. "When do you need it?" "This evening, if possible. We will need to secure it in the plane, before we leave in the morning." "I'll find something for you. You do know there are people who are not going to like you in this hospital, for making them work this late in the day." I gave a half smile. "I'll watch out for them, and stay away from hospitals as much as possible." "Now," he said looking at me. "Tell me about that cast? Is that really the only thing you have to show, for a three story fall?" "No," I said trying to let him think I'd taken his bait. "I have a six inch thick metal plate in my head." Robin looked at me in horror, her eyes widened, her mouth hanging open. Then she realized we were kidding each other. She was glad she was so stunned with what I had said, that she hadn't said anything, herself. The doctor just laughed. "How long do you have to have that on?" "Another four weeks," then I added, "Unless I can convince someone to cut it off, sooner." After leaving his office, I made a call, and left a message for Jeff. I wanted to see if he could advise us about securing that bed. Plus, it would give us a chance to talk. We walked back to Mildred's room. I went in, and found Mildred asleep. Daisy and Pamela were sitting on chairs, with blank expressions on their faces. They looked up at me. There was no way I could say anything that would make them feel better. I felt helpless. Holding out my arm, they both came. I hugged them as best I could, with my damned cast in the way. I pulled them towards the door. I wanted to talk to them, without waking Mildred. "Where is your dad?" "He went with that other man, to get something to eat. How can he just leave?" Daisy asked. "Daisy, your dad has been here. He's seen this from the start. He was here when she got the news. He's dealing with it, the only way he knows how to." "You mean he's drunk?" Pamela asked in her innocence. "No, not now. You have been waiting, wanting to see her. You can't think of leaving, right?" Both girls nodded. "If Robert had stayed here, by her side, never leaving, for the whole two weeks; what do you think would have happened to him?" They looked at each other. "Do you think your mom didn't tell him to go and eat?" This time they nodded. "She told us to go, too," Daisy said. "We just can't." "That's allright," I said. "The room next door is empty. Do you want me to see if you can spend the night in it?" "Yes," Daisy said, holding my arm tightly. "Was your dad going to bring you something to eat?" "No, 'cause the smell of food can make mom feel sick. I know we need to eat, but maybe after he comes back. I can't think of leaving her alone," Daisy said to me. "We all need to eat. Maybe after they get back, we can get something. Something other than hospital food." That brought a glimmer of a smile on both their faces. Pamela patted my cast. Walking back out into the hall, I noticed Richard was gone. Katy answered my question. "A nurse said there was a phone call for you. Jeff somebody was on the line. He went to talk to him." "That's the flight instructor. I'm hoping he has time to help Richard and I secure that bed in the plane." "So you'll just leave us here?" Katy asked. "I'm sure Jack asked for overnight accommodations, I just don't know about them. There is always overnight housing on a base this size. I think that's where Robert has been staying." Richard came back saying Jeff would be glad to give us a hand. A short time later, Robert and Franklin came back. I extracted the girls, and told them they had to eat. That we'd get them back, right afterwards. They reluctantly came with us. In the main lobby, I asked about transportation. Once they asked my name, many things happened at once. A man appeared, as if from nowhere, saying he was our driver. A maintenance man said he had a bed, and wanted to know where to deliver it. I was connected by phone, to a switchboard operator. I was given a number to call when we needed transportation, or anything else, during our stay. When I asked about housing, she said it had been taken care of, for the four of us. I looked, and there were five of us, not counting Daisy and Pamela. I decided not to make a big deal about it, with her. After getting off the phone, I said there had been a slight mix up. They didn't have the girls who were here to see their mom, on the housing roster. Would it be possible for them to stay in the adjoining empty room. After a few go arounds, they said they would see what they could do. I thanked them, and we left. "Where to, Sir?" I was asked. "Someplace good to eat, that doesn't take too long." He smiled, "Know just the place, Sir." The food was good. I was asked about the accommodations. All I could say, is that we had some. Richard took care of the tab, as I made a call for our ride. On the way back to the hospital, Daisy asked about the sleeping arrangements. I said we would find out, as soon as we went in. That was a subject that the nurses on the floor were not too keen about, as the morning crew were the ones that usually had to make up beds. As soon as Daisy and Pamela found out they could stay, they were hugging the nurses. The temperament changed, considerably. We looked in. Mildred was still sleeping. Robin and I gave hugs and kisses to the girls, and said we would see them in the morning. I was going to call for another ride, but noticed that the car was still outside. Looking, I found the driver, and we were taken over to our housing. He dropped us off. I had him wait a few minutes, as Richard and I needed to get out to the plane. We walked in. Robin, Katharine, and Katy, checked the place out. There were two bedrooms, both with double beds in them. "Where am I going to be?" Katharine asked me as she came out. "You did say you wanted to try me out," I said 'dead panned'. Her eyes widened, she looked back into the bedroom that Robin was in. Richard couldn't stand it, and started to laugh. Katharine gave me a dirty look. "Your sister mentioned to me that you liked to do things like this. I'm going to have to keep my guard up." "It will never work," Richard laughed. "He's had all of us caught up at one time or another." "Ok, smart-aleck. Where am I really sleeping?" "I don't know, to tell you the truth. I think they didn't count right. If we had the girls, I don't know what we would have done. But the look on your face..." I couldn't help but laugh. Robin and Katy came out of the rooms. "Where is Katharine sleeping?" Katy asked. "Don't ask," Katharine said. Robin looked at me and shook her head. "What should we do now?" "Call the number, and make them figure it out," I said, writing it down. "We have a bed to install." ------- Jeff was waiting for us. The bed, under its wrappings, was also waiting. "Nice of you to show up," he said. "We had a little problem with too many people, and not enough beds," I answered. "Never stopped you before," Jeff quipped back, with a big smile on his face. I was glad he didn't know how true that statement was, or he would have been laughing his head off. As we climbed into the plane to look things over, I started on Jeff. Richard just listened, staying out of the conversation. "What is it that you are looking for, down here?" "That's already happened," he smiled. "I have a job as soon as I can start. I will be doing a lot of things. Training, flying, and maintenance. I won't get bored, that's for sure." "That's good to hear," I said. "A lot of people are out looking for jobs, and can't find anything." "Yes, I know. I feel pretty lucky. I get to live in a good place, and do what I love. What could be better?" "A wife and kids?" I pressed. "If I was to find one like yours, Keith, I'd jump at that." "You mean a young one?" I asked, thinking this could be wrong. "No. One that obviously loves you. I think that is pretty hard to find." "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure, shoot." "Why didn't you ever go after Sharin?" He looked at me, hard. "You should know the answer to that. How could I? She was being taken advantage of by a 'fly boy'. How would it look, if after getting him out of the way, I stepped in?" "You do have a point, there. That wouldn't have looked too good. Would you have wanted to, I mean if the situation was different?" "Sure, Keith, who wouldn't. She's a looker, but I want a solid wife, not some stewardess." I smiled. "She's out of that, now. So there is no problem with that conflict. I think your perception of Sharin, is a bit off. I think you need to call her. I know she'd go out with you." "You think so?" ------- Chapter 56 As the car drove up, to pick us up from the airstrip, Jeff walked over to us. "Keith, I don't know how you're doing it." "What?" "One of the reasons I left command, and went into training, is that I couldn't take sending off reports of who died. I know why you're down here, but you don't get to write a report. You have to deal with the family. I couldn't do it." "Jeff, you have no idea how much pain he is in," Richard answered for me. "I think you are a good diversion. Without it he'd be going a bit crazy," then Richard looked over to me and smiled, "well, a bit more crazy than he normally is." I threw up my hands, and said, "Thanks a lot!" We all had a good laugh. "We'll be going back, tomorrow, but I'll stay in touch." "You'd better! I want to hear how Richard does, on the flight back," Jeff said. "And you'd trust him?" Richard retorted. "With my life. Say, why don't we go out? For old times sake." I looked over to Richard. "I saw a bar across from the hospital, I'll ask the driver if it's any good." Opening the car door, I got an answer. "Not any better, or worse, than any other one around. It's more than likely a lot cleaner, though. A lot of the hospital employees head there, after a shift." "Then lets go," I said. Five minutes later, we entered a full and lively bar. Most of the tables were taken. I spotted a couple leaving a table, and headed towards it, pulling the other two with me. As soon as I sat down, I spotted them. People moved, opening a line of sight into the corner. "Robert, and that other guy... Franklin, are here." "Robert? Franklin?" Jeff said. "Robert is Mildred's husband. The one we came down to get," Richard explained. "Franklin is the hospital Chaplin." Jeff looked across the room, but the number of people in the bar cut off his field of vision. "What the hell is he doing here? His wife is dying, and he's out at a bar?" I shook my head, "He has a drinking problem." "Oh, so that fuckin' priest is helping him along?" "Jeff, settle down," I said, "They're his problems." Then I raised my eyebrows at him, wanting to change the subject, "Besides, you have your own problems." He looked at me angrily, but trying to figure out what I was talking about. Richard started laughing. "Shit, Keith," Jeff said, "I thought you were trying to say I had a drinking problem." "No. You have, or are going to have, a woman problem." He got a little smile on his face. "What makes you think that's a problem?" Richard and I glanced at each other. "Do you know what happens to a guy that says he's ready to settle down?" Jeff dropped the smile and his eyes darted between us, "No, what?" "He gets mobbed by every desperate female out there," Richard said. "Did you ever know Thomas Miller? He worked with a C-45 maintenance crew." "Name sounds familiar, why?" "His father had a large farm; in Idaho, I think. He was going to start running it, as soon as he got out. He let out that he'd be expected to get married and start a family, when he got home." Richard said, shaking his head. "So what happened?" Jeff, now curious, asked. "There were over twenty regulars that came by to stop in, and see him, every day. The whole crew had enough food for lunch every single day, from what was brought to him by those gals. Then there was the mail." "Mail?" Jeff said, starting to get the picture. "It was as if someone had sent a telegram out," Richard smiled, "and probably someone in that crew did," Richard and I laughed. Jeff sat there silent. "Over fifty letters a week. Fifty! All from gals wanting to marry him, sight unseen." "I guess I'd better not call Sharin, then," Jeff resolved. "No, I think it would be best if you did. You want to be the one picking, not them." "Doesn't sound like I'm given much choice." "You do have choice, until word leaks out." Jeff looked between us. "You two are the only ones who know. I haven't told anyone else." "That's good, because as soon as a gal knows, it's all over!" Jeff looked down at the table, and was shaking his head. We couldn't stop laughing. Our laughter had caused Franklin to look over to our table, as he was leaving. Seeing us, he diverted, and came over. Jeff was obviously not over it. "So you're the priest that is helping that man get drunk while his wife is dying." His comment made all of us first look at Jeff, and then over to Robert. We couldn't see Robert, but we saw another drink heading his way. Before anyone else could respond, I did. "Jeff, unless you know what has transpired in the last weeks, you might want to reconsider your words." Franklin sat down in the empty chair at out table. "Sir," Franklin addressed Jeff, "That man is losing his wife. He is in the depths of despair, and does not know how he is going to carry on without her. For you to judge his actions so harshly, makes me wonder if you have ever loved anyone, with such depth." Jeff's mouth hung open. "It is true he is escaping and does use drinking as a crutch. Until he is ready, he cannot change. During this time, I don't think it would be wise to suggest it. He has so many other problems, that his drinking is trivial in comparison. Jeff looked between Richard and myself; looking for criticism for his earlier words. When he didn't find any his shoulders dropped. "You're right, of course. I have never dealt with personal issues well. My parents are both alive and I don't remember my grandparents' funerals." Franklin looked down at his hand, "Not married." Jeff looked at me, "Not yet," he said. Franklin smiled, "But looking?" We all laughed. "Well, yes. Keith is trying to set me up." "What happens when you don't agree? You know that will happen, don't you?" before Jeff could answer, Franklin went on, "The art of loving is to see the other person as they are, and accept them for that, anyway. Easy in words and difficult in practice." "I'll take your word," Jeff answered. "Do more than that," Franklin answered, pulling out a card. "Call me, when you can't figure out what's going on," then he smiled, "We can go and have a drink, and talk about it." Franklin nodded to us, stood, and walked out the door. "I'll talk to you guys later," Jeff said, as he too walked to the door. Richard and I looked at each other. "I guess it is time for us to go, as well. But we might let Jeff talk to Franklin, for a moment, without us stumbling on top of them." "Does make me wonder what is bothering Jeff to make him to blow up like that. He obviously wants to talk about it." "I don't know anything about his personal life. This was the first time I knew he had parents," I said with a smile. "You can be cruel." "Me? What about 'Thomas Miller' and that C-45 story?" I said. "It was the first name I could come up with." "Good thing he'd never been to your maintenance shed. He'd have recognized that name from the cases of supplies." "Well there was a Thomas somebody and I'm sure a Miller," Richard laughed. "Anyway, he bought it: hook, line, and sinker." "That he did," I grinned, "making my job that much easier." "What are you planning?" "I'm going to tell Sharin he wants to get married, and raise a family." Richard started laughing so hard, that I thought we'd be asked to leave. "I thought if she just mentioned it, you know, innocent like..." "Keith you are as bad as me. Let's call for our ride." "Maybe outside. I'd rather not have Robert see us, if possible. Rather not embarrass him." Richard nodded. We walked across the street to the hospital, making the call there. ------- It was almost an hour after Richard and I walked out the door that Katharine asked the question she had been thinking of, for quite some time. Katy and Robin both knew she had something on her mind, but hadn't pressed. They knew it would come out eventually, and it did. "Katy, your daughter is so young. Didn't it bother you, to let her get married?" "Let's sit down," Katy said. "Katharine, tell me what traditions your family has? What do you do at Christmas?" "Why do you ask a question like that?" "Did you ever think to yourself, as you grew up: 'I wonder why we do this?' Or: 'What do others do at Christmas? Do they eat the same foods, get trees?' "No," Katy continued, "It wasn't until you were older; when you went out on your own, when you married, when you saw other traditions... Then, you realized that everyone else doesn't do it the way you always did." Katharine was nodding, "Yes, but..." "Carp is a fairly closed community. The communities around us are similar to ours. So how would I know, as I was growing up, that others didn't marry at thirteen? And how would I know, when my daughter was at that age, that she shouldn't?" "Oh," Katharine said, realizing how true that was. "I grew up, seeing everyone marry at that age," Robin said. "I saw Daisy get married, and knew I was next. It was just what happened. I never thought it was bad. It just was." A look from her mother made her restate that. "Ok, I wasn't looking forward to it. But that was because I didn't like the options I had to choose from." Katharine laughed, "Until Keith showed up?" she queried. Robin burst into a stunning smile, "My knight in shining armor." Katharine couldn't help but be pulled into the enthusiasm of Robin. Also, her curiosity was getting the better of her. "Was it love at first sight?" Katherine asked. "As soon as he stepped out of the car." "Robin!" Katy laughed. "Well it was, he was..." Robin blushed. "Looks to me, like he still is," Katharine responded. Robin blushed a bit more. "Yes, he is. I love him more than anything. I knew it the second I laid my eyes on him. And when he kissed me the next day... Ohhh." "You didn't tell me he did that," Katy said, in an accusing tone, "but I always wondered what he'd done to you." "Just kissed me, Mom. Ask Jimmy or Brian." "They knew?" "They... snuck up on us." "Good thing I sent them up there, then. Who knows what he would have done." "MOM!" "Well..." "He was so confused; he wouldn't have done anything to me, other than that kiss. You should have been worried about me, not him. I was ready to do anything for him." Katy sighed, "You sound a bit too much like me, at that age." Turning to Katharine, Katy said, "I told you what happened to me, and that man. The only good thing that came of that was Robin. She has been the joy of my life." "Yes, I know how you feel," Katharine said. "I don't know what I would have done, without my kids forcing me to go on with life." "Katharine," Robin said, "I get the feeling you are terribly worried about your daughters, and what would happen to them if you stay in Carp." The pained expression Katharine had on her face, gave the answer. "What are you worried about? Them leaving you, or them finding others to love?" "But if they have to get married at thirteen..." "You haven't met Jill," Katy said. "Jill?" "Rebecca's daughter." "Rebecca? Wait... Keith said that name, before." "She is the other woman with Jack," Katy answered. "She has a child... Yes, I'm remembering what Keith told me," Katharine said, a grim look on her face. "She must be fairly young though." Robin grinned. "Jill is older than Daisy or me. She's fourteen." "Fourteen?" "Rebecca was twelve, to answer your next question." "Twelve? Oh, my! That is just a year older than my Elizabeth." "Yes, but we are getting sidetracked. Jill is not married," Katy said. "She's not?" "No. Rebecca bucked the tradition, and wouldn't let her get married." "What happened to her then? She didn't get pregnant, did she?" "No. She's with Keith's sister, Liz, now. Liz is a school teacher. She's the one that is going to start the school in Carp," Robin said. "I guess she knows what is going on here, too?" Robin gave a little smile. "Don't tell me she has a thing for her brother, too?" At that point, Katy and Robin started laughing. "What's so funny?" Katharine wanted to know. "It's funny, now. But wasn't, when it happened," Robin began. She told Katharine about their wedding night, and how Kristin set things up between Keith and Liz. Then the confusions, admissions; and Keith's returning home, distraught. "What could be funny about all of that?" "Nothing, but then later... I'm sure you heard we were all carted away to live on a base, while they cleaned up our town." "Yes, I still don't find anything amusing about that." "You might have, if you were in our barracks. We had real good times at night," Robin said with a smile. Katharine rolled her eyes. "The best though, was Cynthia, Jack's wife. She set up a little 'get together' for Keith and his sister, in a hangar." "A hangar?" "Yes, she had a bed set up in the center of it. They had quite a good time!" Robin grinned. "They made the bed fall apart." "And that doesn't bother you?" "Should it? My husband is happy, he makes others happy. He loves me so much, I feel like this is a dream at times." "But his sister?" "I guess some people might have a problem with that. We live in a small community. It isn't as though that hadn't happened, before. My mom was married to her brother. I didn't know, for a long time, what that relationship was. "Once I knew, it didn't change anything. Jimmy's my brother, all the same. I cried when my uncle/stepfather ended up in the hospital. He was family, to me. Why should I think it was strange?" "Robin, you have a unique way of looking at things. You are such an adult. At the same time, you have a simple childlike way of seeing things. It is good to talk with you, with both of you." "Are you still worried about Keith, and your girls?" "I'm starting to wonder if I should worry about 'poor Keith', around my girls." All of them laughed. "Well, it's true," Katharine continued. "If what he said was right, Elizabeth and Kristina are getting curious, and will go after him." "You know, they might find out what some of the other girls are doing, as well." "I don't know about that. I mean why do they do it?" "'Cause it is fun, and feels good," Robin answered. "It can take the 'edge' off." Then Robin smiled, "We can get that wonderful feeling, a lot more often than the guys can." "Don't remind me." "How long has it been?" Katy asked. "Since my husband died, two years ago." "Two years! Oh! I think I'd die," Robin said. Katharine shrugged her shoulders, "You get by." "You mean masturbate? But I bet you still get cranky. It's just not the same. I know," Katy said. "You... you've..." Katy smiled. "Yes. It is different than being with a man. They can give you things a woman can't. But a woman knows how you feel. They can make you respond in ways only someone with the same anatomy would know." Katharine was nodding, and said, as though she was speaking to herself, "Yes. I guess that would be right. I just..." "Afraid you would like it?" Robin asked. Katharine blushed. "No one can make you change who you are. I think you enjoyed your husband very much," Katy said. "Oh, dear God, yes." "You would never give up the enjoyment of a man. But that doesn't mean you wouldn't like women, too," Katy continued. "I think I'm too scared." Robin took Katharine's hand, and placed it against her breast. "Is this scary? Or is it exciting?" Robin could feel her nipple rise. Katharine was not trying to move her hand away, but her expression was scared. Removing her hand from on top of Katharine's, she placed it on Katharine's breast. "Just mirror me," Robin said, softly. Robin's hand moved around, cupping Katharine's breast. She pinched Katherine's hard nipple. Katharine was a statue. Not moving, not pulling away, but defiantly breathing harder. "Mirror me," Robin softly said again, moving her breast beneath Katharine's hand. Katharine looked into Robin's eyes, and moved her hand. She cupped Robin's breast, and rolled Robin's nipple between her thumb and finger. She gasped a little, when Robin moaned. "Now... Do what makes you feel good on yourself, to me," Robin said, and pushed forward. Katharine reached her other hand up, tentatively. It touched Robin's other breast, and was accepted. Katharine placed both hands, fingers extending up, and molded Robin's small globes. Closing her middle and ring fingers, she firmly captured Robin's nipple. Katharine pulled her palm away, and up. This stretched Robin's nipple and breast, up her body. Robin, upon feeling what Katharine was doing, mirrored her actions. As soon as Katharine had started pulling her nipples, Robin started to loose concentration. But she forced herself to focus on Katharine. As Robin started to pull Katharine's nipples up, Katharine's face turned to shock. She opened her mouth. Her hands went soft, and then limp, the further Robin pulled. Katy and Robin watched, as Katharine's body started to shake. It was little shudders at first; giving them a clue she'd had an orgasm. What they didn't know; was that this was just the start of an explosion that had been waiting to be set off, for a long, long, time. Robin was having a hard time just trying to hold on, as Katharine's body started to shake. Then Katherine fell, limp, back against the couch. Robin and Katy looked at each other, then back to Katharine. She was just lying there, and then slowly a smile started to appear. She looked up at them. "You were right. That was something my husband never got quite right. You could do it better, from how you could hold me, than I could ever do. That was what I knew all along it could feel like, if it was done right." Katharine smiled broadly, and then stopped. Her smile disappeared, from a feeling of guilt. Even still, she whispered to Robin, "You did it right." "I'll bet..." Katy started to say, and then stopped, as they heard a car drive up. Robin looked out the window, "It's the men," she smiled. "Oh, God," Katharine said, "I'm sure I look a mess. "They'll know," she looked panicked, "won't they?" "No," Katy lied, and then laughed. "Even if they did, so what? What difference do you think it would make to them?" "They'd... wouldn't they... I don't know. I've never been in a situation like this." "What situation are you in?" Katy asked. "You simply explored. That's all." We walked in the door, and I'm sure Richard got the same feeling I had. Something had been going on, and we'd walked into the middle of it. "So," I looked over to Richard, giving him a little smile, "what did you beauties do while we were gone." "Nothing," Katharine blurted out. I couldn't help but laugh. "Keith," Robin said, "that's not very nice." "No," I said, still laughing, "but you three should have seen yourselves. The word 'guilty' was written all over you. Personally, I don't care. Unless it was good and juicy, and you want to share the details," I teased Robin. "Not on your life," she said, pushing me onto the couch, and sitting in my lap. "I'd never tell you a thing. I want you to shut up and kiss me, instead." "My aren't we the horny one tonight" That was all I got out, as Robin's lips pressed into mine. Her tongue invaded, causing not only my mouth, but my dick to respond. When Robin let me up for air, I said, "I don't know what you were doing, but you can do that more often. I'm taking you to bed." Robin giggled, looked over to Katharine and said, "I told you he loves me." Robin stood. It was very obvious she had been over a hard object, as my pants were tented. Giving me her hand, she pulled me up, and kept hold of me. She pulled me into our room. I turned as we got to the door. "Guess this is goodnight," I said to the others. "That child," Katy said, shaking her head. "Is a mirror image of you, Sweetheart," Richard said. Katy gave him a growl, and he lunged at her. She laughed, darting away. Richard looked over to Katharine, "Where are you sleeping?" "We found that this couch is a hide-a-bed. So I'll be right here." "Maybe we should tell Keith. He's apt to walk out, to go to the bathroom," Richard said. Looking at the confusion on Katharine's face, he added, "He'd most likely walk out naked." "Oh." Katy was at the door. Katharine watched, as she just opened it, without knocking. She started to laugh, "Richard! You've got to see this," she paused. "Katharine, you too." Richard looked over to Katharine with raised eyebrows, while she blushed. "What are they doing?" Richard asked. "Robin was trying to get his clothes off," Katy said, "and it looks like they got stuck." Realizing it was funny, rather than sexual, Katharine moved to the door. Richard followed. There I was, on the floor. Robin had tried to pull my shirt off of me. But the cast made it near to impossible, unless you were careful. She wasn't. Now her hands were twisted in the fabric, and I was held prisoner by it. Katy didn't help. She had come over and was tickling me. I tried to resist, but Robin had told her my most sensitive places, and she went right for them. Soon I was rolling around, carrying Robin along with me. Robin cried for help. Katharine went to Robin's 'rescue'. Richard went after Katy. He slipped his hand under her blouse. As Katharine looked up, to see what Katy was making all the noise from, she saw Richard's head disappear under her skirt. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Katy groaned and her hands left me. Katharine wasn't sure what to do; her hands had been dangerously close to Robin's breasts. Now, somehow, they had managed to find there way to them. With the shirt wrapped around my arms and head, I couldn't maneuver, much less see but little glimpses. Suddenly Robin's head popped between the folds of fabric, and her mouth attacked me once again. Her body squirmed, her kisses were frantic. I wanted so badly to take her into my arms. I felt trapped, almost panicky. Katy's body rolled across my leg, and her moans were getting louder. Robin's insistent kisses, making me gasp for breath, along with the tightness of the material of my shirt, made me feel claustrophobic. I needed out. My left hand in the cast was good as dead, my right one flailed out. It stopped short as it ran into something, no someone. My mind tried to work this out. Katharine? Right next to Robin? Those sounds? That reaction from Robin? Damn, I wished I could see what was going on. I stopped. Somehow my mind needed to stop. I didn't know what was happening around me. I could hear myself breathing. I could feel the fabric around me. It was almost as if I could sense it. I nearly knew what was going on with it, where the folds were, how it had been tangled. I rolled to my left, and felt a weight pull away from me. Robin I guessed. My right arm moved close to my chest in a diagonal direction. Reaching down, pulling and turning; I was able to get the shirt, not off, but back on the way it had started. Now I could see. Richard and Katy were at each other, but that isn't what I wanted to see. I rolled over, and ended up right next to Robin. Katharine's hands were pulling Robin's breasts in a way I had never thought about. As Robin started to orgasm, Katharine realized I was watching. She froze. "Don't you dare stop now," I said to her. "You know what that would feel like!" Katharine nodded, turning bright red. But she started back the manipulations, much to Robin's relief. "AAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhh," Robin let out, arching her back. Then she dropped back down. Katharine sheepishly removed her hands, but didn't get far with them. Robin took hold of them, looking at her, saying. "Thanks, that was great." Turning as red as could be, Katharine wouldn't look up from the floor, and excused herself to the other room. "I think we may well have embarrassed the hell out of her," I said. "She's a big girl," Katy responded, "she just needs to figure out life isn't like it used to be for her, any longer. She has choices to make." ------- "Jill," Laura was asking, "why are we going down to the meadow, now. "Because I need to talk to Kevin Smith." "But you didn't ask anyone where he was, how do you know he's going to be there? Did he tell you?" "He didn't need to," Jill answered. "The older girls are out riding, this morning." Laura looked at her friend, puzzled. Jill saw the confusion. "Have you ever noticed how those small breasts move up and down, when the girls ride? I'm pretty sure Mr. Smith has," she said with a smile. "But, but, Jill!" "You haven't looked?" Laura turned red. "What is the difference if you look, or he does?" Jill asked. "'Cause I'm... well he's... I don't know. It just seems wrong." "To some of those girls," Jill reminded Laura, "how you might be looking at them, would be wrong too, you know." Laura wanting to get the subject off of her, asked, "Why do you need to see him?" "To ask if he'll come to the party." "The pillow fight?" Laura said in shock. "Yes. I'll bet there are a lot of girls who would love to get a shot at him." "Yeah, and I'd bet he'd love to get..." "Who have you been talking to?" Jill asked. "You have a pretty bad view of him." "Denise said he tried to look up her dress." Jill laughed, but Laura couldn't see what was so funny about that. "Do you have any idea what kind of girl Denise is?" "She's an eighth grader." "So am I, if you remember," Jill said. "If you want to know about some of the things Denise has done over the years, ask Betty and Sue. They will tell you enough that you will beg them to stop. It is more probable that Mr. Smith did not look, and she was angry at him." "Angry at who?" Kevin said, behind them. Both girls jumped at his voice. "Kevin!" Jill exclaimed, "You scared us!" He just smiled. "What are you two doing out here?" "Looking for you," Laura answered. "Jill said you'd be here 'cause the girls are out riding." "Laura," Jill said, in a tone that let her friend know she had said too much. "Well you found me," Kevin said with a smile, looking at Jill's discomfort. "There's going to be a pillow fight, tomorrow." "Yes. I saw the notice on my board, about setting something up for that." "It's for everyone," Jill said, hopefully. He didn't take the bait. "Yes. Upper and lower halls. I just don't know how they're going to get the bigger girls from beating some of the younger ones to pulp, especially the siblings." "They thought of that," Jill answered, to Laura's surprise. "I was in the room, when they were talking about it. The quad is going to be divided into four sections. Two for everyone. One for just the lower hall, and one for just the upper hall. The center will be a 'safe zone', too." "It sounds like so much fun!" Laura said, not able to contain her excitement. "We get to use the old pillows, I heard." "I didn't hear that. What 'old pillows'?" Jill asked. "Every pillow was replaced, this year. They were done month-by-month. They started with the eighth graders on down. Right before you came, they finished. I guess the old ones are still around," Laura smiled, "but they're pretty bad." Kevin sighed, "Yeah. That means there will most likely be a number of them that will break. And guess who gets to clean up the mess." "Kevin Smith," Jill said, "you are sounding like an old man." "Sometimes I feel old." "That's because you don't play enough," Jill smiled; this was the moment she wanted, "I want you to be part of the party." Kevin's eyes widened, "Me? In a pillow fight with all those girls?" He shook his head, "No, I don't think that would be very good." Jill was undaunted, "Why? Do you think they'd gang up on you, and you couldn't handle them?" Kevin knew Jill was taunting him, but he couldn't help himself. "That's probably exactly what would happen, Jill." "Or is it that Liz, Tiffany, and Vicky, might get better swings in at you?" Jill pressed on, knowing she was getting to him. "The Teachers and Administrators are going to be there. "Now hold on, I'm not going to let a few ladies think they can..." he stopped, and looked at Jill, shaking his head. "You..." Jill just smiled, and sweetly said, "Yes?" "I know you are not going to take no for an answer." "You're right!" "So I'm just going to tell you I'll think about it." Jill placed a beautiful pout on her face. "Fine, but I'll be after you." "Believe me, Jill. I don't doubt that for a minute." ------- I figured if I called early enough in the morning, I'd get Sharin. I had pulled the phone off of the stand in the hall. The cord was just long enough to get it inside the door. When I was done with the conversation, Robin started in on me. "You're setting them up? Didn't they work together all the time? Why didn't they get together then? Why did you tell her Jeff wanted to get married? Why did you tell her he wanted to have children?" "Stop!" I finally had to say, as I smiled. "Let me tell you about both their conversations." Richard had gone to the airport, saying he was going to meet Jeff there. I knew he was planning on doing some more take off and landing exercises, but he also wanted to stay away from the hospital. I couldn't blame him. Katharine had pretended to be asleep when we walked through the living room, but as soon as we were out the front door seeing him off, I heard the hide-a-bed squeak, and then the bathroom door close. "Katharine is up," I said to Robin and Katy. "Keith, don't you dare tease her. That's not what she needs, now. She's going to be embarrassed. She'll need a little tenderness, to figure out what she's gotten herself into." "Do I look like 'Mister Insensitive'?" I responded. "No, Keith," Katy said, "but she might want to avoid you. You just need to be aware of that, and not take it personally." "I'll try and remember that." They were right. Katharine said little to any one of us. She avoided any glances her way; through out packing up, breakfast, and all the way till we got to the hospital. I'd had enough. This needed to stop. "Katharine," I said, "The doctor said he needed to go over a few of the medications with you. Did you forget?" She looked at me, "I... I don't remember that." "Well, come on. I'm sure it will only take a minute," Yes, I'd lied to her. But she was getting herself ready to become the nurse, to a dying woman. And in a town, it looked to me, as if she was becoming unhappy with. She needed to face reality. I was going to force that, if I had to. "We'll meet you, up in the room, in just a few minutes," I said to Katy and Robin. They nodded, and got into the elevator. I had, by chance, taken a wrong turn. Like Robert, I'd found the chapel. Maybe not the best place to have the conversation I thought might erupt, but then again, maybe it was the best place. "Isn't his office the other way?" Katharine asked, as I led her down the hall. "Yes, but we're not going to his office," I intoned, as though we were going to meet him somewhere else. I drew her attention away from the sign on the wall. As soon as we were in the quiet room, I shut the door behind us. Katharine turned to me, her eyes showing the panic she felt. "Sit down," I said to her, extending my hand. She did as I asked, still keeping an eye on me. "Katharine," I smoothly said, "you are confused as can be. I can only guess that you felt things last night that frightened you. Not because they were bad, but because they started to unleash something you have had bottled up. Am I right?" "Keith, you have no idea." "I think I have a slight idea. You remember me mentioning Rebecca? The other gal who is always with Jack?" She nodded slightly, "Remember how I said she had exploded? She stripped naked in front of ten or so men, who were supposed to be giving sperm samples, for a sperm count," I could smile, now, thinking about that. "I can tell you those samples went flying... and not into the little cups." I could see a small smile on Katharine's face, imagining such a sight. "None of it was planned, but the build up was there, and she popped. You are there, too. And unlike her, you see it. It scares you." "Oh, God, Keith. You have no idea how much it scares me. I walked into this ideal town, and now... Now I'm scared to death." As gently as I could, I placed my hand on her knee, looked at her face, and softly said, "What are you afraid of?" She looked at me, scanning my face, then looked to the floor. "That I'll like what I was doing," she said, softly. I held in a laugh, but squeezed her knee, making her look at me. "I think it's is too late. You know you already liked it. I think you might have some notions, that it must be bad. Or, if you liked it, you couldn't like men." "How do you know these things, Keith?" "You are not the first person to feel like this." "I'd never done things like that with another woman, before last night." "Are you trying to make yourself feel better?" "Do you think I could?" "No." We were silent for a moment. "What did your husband do, that made it ok?" I asked. "Made what ok?" she asked, nervously. "Sexual things. Things that you otherwise would have never have done." "How did you know?" "You told me when I talked about Rebecca. You said you understood." "He loved me. I knew it, eventually. Then I was able to accept, when he told me what we did was good." "You came to like, and even to enjoy those things, didn't you?" "Yes," Katharine said, with sadness in her voice. "Now you come into a community, where there is love, and sexual freedom. But you are afraid of the acceptance. You don't know if anyone would find what you have come to like, acceptable. It scares you," I paused, as it was dawning on me. "It scares you, because you don't want to loose what you have found in Carp." Katharine's eyes pleaded with me, right before she dropped her face. I could tell that I had hit the right button. I took both of Katharine's hands in mine, raising them up under her chin, forcing her to look at me. "Tell me. Tell me what it is." "I... I can't." "You can, and you must. I continued, "I can't have you under the strain of having a woman we know is going to die, under your care, while you are destroying yourself inside," I said. "Worse yet, you could explode, like Rebecca did. Possibly, in front of your children." Katharine started crying. "Tell me." "I can't, you'll think..." "What? Did I not wonder if you would hate me, for what your children saw?" "I..." she looked up at me, while that sunk in. "You did have to put yourself out on a limb, didn't you?" "Yes. I did. Because it was important for you to know. Now tell me." Katharine dropped her head. I thought I was losing the battle. "I like to be tied up." I raised my eyebrows, "That's it?" "No," she said sarcastically, as though I should know better. "He used to blindfold me too. Then he'd pretend he was different people." I was getting the picture, "Safe, for you, but you were out of control." "Yes!" she said, as though she'd never thought about it that way. "Was one of the people he pretended to be, a woman?" I asked. "Yes." "That is why you felt so guilty. You really wanted that, but could never admit it." Katharine sighed, "He was all right with the make believe. I had him convinced he came up with that idea. He would have never let that happen." "What if you could have it now? What if I told you, you would be very accepted. That you could do that, without ever worrying about it?" Katharine looked into my eyes, trying to judge what I'd just said. "What would I have to give up?" I smiled, "Not much. Just your dignity, at times." That broke her. She smiled, finally. "You mean that, don't you? Do you do that with Robin?" Still holding onto her hands, I gave them a squeeze. "I never said it was me." Her eyes went wide. I went on, "There is a man, in uniform, that loves those games though." Then I pulled her closer to me, "So does his wife." "God, Keith. You are..." "... so wonderful that you would invite me to watch, sometime?" I felt her body tremble, "You would want to?" "You've already answered my question that you wouldn't mind. So yes, it will happen. You just won't know when. Isn't that part of the game?" I felt the tremble in her, again. I figured I'd better stop now, before things got carried away. I pulled her to her feet. "I think we'd better get upstairs. People will wonder what has happened to us." "Don't we need to see the doctor?" "No. I just needed an excuse." "Oh, Keith," she turned to me, giving me a big hug, "thank you." As we walked back, I couldn't help but steal glances at her. My mind was undressing her, restraining her. 'Hmmm. Would Robin like to get into such things?' I wondered. A thought came to me, about the other uses that hospital bed could be put to. The restraining bars on the sides could come in handy. I would have to have a nice long talk with Jack, as soon as we got back. ------- I almost broke out in laughter; when, down the hall, I saw Robin and Katy. Standing with their hands on their hips, their eyes were intent on me. When we got closer, Robin said, "The doctor is here, and has been waiting for you two." "We had some business to take care of, first," Katharine answered her, much to both Katy's and Robin's surprise. They looked at me, then to her. As she walked in, Robin asked, "What did you do?" "I didn't listen to you." She turned, and saw the smile on my face. Shaking her head, she said, "I'd better get a much more detailed explanation than that." My smile turned to a grin, "Oh, don't worry. It will 'tie you up' for hours. Now, we had better get in." By Mildred's bed were Pamela, Daisy, Robert and Franklin. The doctor and nurse were on the other side of the bed. When the four of us crowded in, the room became very small. "Katharine," the doctor said warmly, "we've just been waiting until you showed." He looked at me. This is what I'd been trying to avoid. It couldn't be and the gravity of the situation hit me full force. I was glad there was a wall behind me to hold me up while I was being forced to face reality. "I have signed off the paperwork for you. Katharine, the medications are all here as well. They should be sufficient. If not, your doctor can supplement them." "Doctor?" Mildred asked. "There is one in town now, Mildred. He's with that company that is helping with the new mine." Daisy explained to her. Robert looked at me, shocked. "Have we been gone that long? What's going on?" "There have been a number of things happening, while you have been away. You have lots to catch up on." "I guess I do," Robert said, a bit tiredly. "Well, it is time we moved you, Dear," the doctor said to Mildred. Then turning to us, "We will need all of you to move out, except you, Katharine. We need to have some room." I took one last look at the room. Stark white walls, no flowers, no cards. This woman had endured the last few weeks, learning she would die, in a sterile environment. Her only companionship; a husband that was barely hanging on to reality, himself. I turned, and walked into the door, blinded by the tears in my eyes. As soon as I got into the hallway, I walked down the corridor. I was almost to the stairs, when I realized that I was doing what Robert was doing: avoiding a situation that seemed too large to handle. I had promised to Mildred to be there for her girls. I turned, and walked back. They brought Mildred out on a type of gurney that is used in the field. With two on the front, and two on the back, they carried her down the stairs without much effort. At the base of the stairs, a wheelchair was waiting. Once situated in that, they brought her out to the front door. Mildred was talking to Franklin, as the doctor came over to me. "I know this isn't what any one of us wanted or expected to see. I think what you are doing now, is the best for her. This hospital is not where she needs to be," I nodded, and he continued, "I understand you have Dr. Jameson working on the research project, is that correct?" "Yes. I'm just there to look at the results, and see if there are any connections." "Keith, let me know if you find anything out." I looked at him. "I have a little knowledge about what some of those chemicals were designed for. Frankly, that stuff scares the shit out of me." "It scares me, too. I'll let you know if we find anything. My wife was exposed, just like everyone else. She's pregnant, and I want her around for a long time. I have lots of motivation" "The best type," he said with a smile. "Can I ask one more thing?" I said. "Sure, what?" "Can you give a call to Jack? You can do it through the base connections. Let him know we are going to be on our way, soon?" "Be glad to," The doctor said. We were in two cars on the way back. Robert, Mildred, Katharine, Daisy, and Pamela in one; with Katy, Robin, Franklin, and myself, in the other. It was Katy who asked the first question. "Is Robert going to make it?" "That is not the usual question," Franklin started to answer. "Usually people are asking about the patient," he paused, "but I think all of you are too pragmatic to question what the outcome of that is." "You are not answering the question," Katy pressed. Franklin smiled, "Robert is... a bit too much like myself, for me to be objective about. I have a hard time answering that question." "Fair enough," I said. "You have spent a lot of time with them. Above and beyond the call of duty. In Carp that would seem normal. But outside that town, it is not common. So from all of us, and especially their children: Thank you." "He loves them you know. He and I had many discussions. He just doesn't know what to do, how to say the right things. Mildred did that. He doesn't know what to do." "Just love them," Robin said. "It's not that simple for him. He sees himself as a person, because of what Mildred could do. With her... departing, he looks at himself as an empty shell. And his only prop is going to collapse." Katy sighed, Robin was looking out the window, but I caught the tears in her eyes. I didn't know what could be said. We rode the next two minutes in silence. The plane was waiting. Richard and Jeff were standing beside it as we drove up. Mildred was the first on the plane. She had a lot of help. I stood back, walking over to Jeff and Richard. I hadn't said a word, when Jeff's mouth dropped open. I turned to look at what he was staring at. There, just getting out of a car, was Sharin. "What's she doing here?" Jeff asked. "Probably that phone call Keith made, early this morning," Richard said, laughing. "I didn't say we would be here," I protested. "What did you tell her?" Jeff wanted to know. "Not much. That you thought she was a knock out. That you wanted to settle down, and have kids. You know, the usual." "You didn't," Jeff said nervously. Richard and I started laughing. I had indeed said just that. But now he thought we were just pulling his leg. Just as well. "Guess it would be the perfect time to ask her out," I said. "You mean it, you think she... I... ?" "If you don't ask her out, I'll bet she will ask you!" By then she was within hearing distance, and all conversation stopped. Her eyes sparkled, "Am I interrupting something?" she asked. "No," I said, "Jeff just mentioned that Richard and I needed to check the log, in the plane. Don't go away, I want to say goodbye." Richard and I walked away, with smiles on our faces, leaving a tongue-tied Jeff alone with Sharin. We got into the plane, and looked out the window. Robin wanted to know what we were doing. "Watching Jeff," Richard laughed. "What's so funny about that?" "He's trying to ask Sharin for a date. He's as shy as can be," I said. "So you just left him there?" Robin asked. "Yes, we did," I turned, and smiled to her. "Unless he does something real stupid, she already expects it, and is going to say yes." Robin smiled back at me, "So he's been set up from all angles, then." "Yep, he doesn't have much of a chance." Robin laughed, "Poor Jeff. Haven't you left him long enough?" "Yes, we need to say goodbye, want to come?" I asked Robin. "Sure, I'd love to." The three of us got out, and walked over to Jeff and Sharin. He had a big grin on his face. It was apparent he'd asked, and received a positive response. Little did he know the wheels he'd just set in motion. We gave hugs and handshakes, telling them they were always welcome in Carp. Then we turned to the plane. "Somehow, it just doesn't look so fun, anymore," Richard said. "You weren't at the hospital, Richard. That place was so sterile. It was no place for her. What is happening, we can not change. But at least we can give her comfort, and dignity. And she will have people around her, who love her." Richard and I walked through the plane, asking Katharine if she'd seen the bed in the back. She had. No one was in the mood to talk. Richard and I made our way to the cockpit. At least, our minds were going to be occupied during the trip. I watched as he went through the pre flight checklist. Jeff had done a good job with him. He almost knew this plane better than I did, now. I contacted the tower, and was told we had clearance. Richard taxied out, and then accelerated. The take off was smooth. He glanced over, to see me smiling at him. That's what he was looking for. We were a half an hour from Las Vegas, when Katharine came up front. "Smooth sailing for a bit?" she asked. "Don't see any problems, why?" I responded. "We need to move Mildred." I nodded, and then a devilish thought ran through my mind. I pulled her close to me, "You don't need any help with the restraints I suppose." She turned red, her lips pursed, eyes wide. I just grinned. "Seriously, though, she does need to be strapped in. So when we land, there will be no problems. After all, Richard is flying." Katharine looked over to him. "Don't worry," Richard said, "he's tries to 'get' everyone." She shook her head and left, still a little flushed. "What was that about?" Richard asked as soon as she had left. I laughed, "Just a bit of bad humor. It keeps my mind off of things. When I start thinking of Mildred, I want to cry. I don't need that up here. I have to concentrate on what you are doing with my plane." Richard laughed. "If they weren't moving Mildred now, I'd show you a thing or two that Jeff showed me this plane can do." "I'm afraid to ask," I smiled back. We made a circle around Carp, once. Richard got his bearings straight, and we headed in. He pulled up, before I needed to say anything. Jeff had taught him well, as to the differences in this plane, from what he was used to. "Shit," was all he said. "Not an easy runway. No markers and it's dirt. Come around again, and you'll be fine. Just start back further, to give yourself more room." The second time was not picture perfect, but very acceptable. I didn't worry what was happening in the back, and that was all that mattered. He taxied the plane around, and brought it along side of the doctor's plane. "Richard, you did good," I told him. "This was not easy, and we both know it. There was a lot of pressure on you to get this plane down smoothly, and you did just that. No one was keeping score, just remember that." "Thanks." I went to open the door in the side. When I had pushed it open, I realized we didn't have the nice stairs that were at the airport. It was then that I started to see the cloud of dust just behind the mansion. "Take a look out the windows," I called to everyone. As they came around the corner and down the runway, we could see horses and wagons, filled with what looked like the whole town. In front, was Jack's Jeep. By the time they arrived, Katharine had Mildred up, and they were going towards the front. I held the ladder, and yelled out that we needed a wagon, here. It was the sign of training. One of the men brought his wagon right up to the door's edge. His wagon was no more than three feet below the door. Others clambered up, and I stepped out of the way. Mildred was lowered down. The rest of our group exited. Richard was right behind me, saying he'd finished the post flight logs. We could come back and check the plane out, later. This was an important time. I had to agree. The processional turned, and went back into town. It was indeed, the entire town. The people on various wagons started singing, 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'. I don't think there was a dry eye anywhere. Pulling in front of their house, Mildred got concerned. It had been ages since they had been in it, she thought. It would be a mess. She entered, to find it clean beyond belief. On her bed, was a new quilt. She turned to some of the women, not knowing quite what to say. "Mildred, you taught most of us how to do this. It was fitting, please accept it." This, I thought, is what she needed. Not that damned sterile hospital. I backed my way out of the house. Daisy saw me, and came out to me. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Thank you for bringing my momma home." I held her, and let her cry in my arms. I joined her, letting my tears fall, also. ------- "Daddy's home!" Sarah shouted through the house, running for the door. Her mother, staring at the girl, shook her head. Patrick McCarran walked in, to have his daughter throw her arms around him. "It isn't going to help," her mother said. "You can't get out of it, this time." Sarah turned to her mother. "You should have seen her, telling me I was a 'no good' parent." Sarah's mother continued. "I didn't," Sarah cried. Patrick knew this was a time to stay out of things. He had on occasion tried to help, it didn't. So he let his wife and daughter say what they had bottled up while he'd been away. "I thought she'd changed. But she just ranted and raved about me setting up some time to spend with one of her long time friends." "Mother!" Sarah was indignant! How her mother twisted everything that had happened, around. "That isn't how it happened, and you know it." "See how she is, no respect." "If you were ever home, I might know you." Sarah said with the nastiness of her former self. "You seem to think all your parties and meetings are so much more important than I am." "I don't need to stand here and take this." Sarah wasn't finished. "You just treat me like I'm a nuisance. A pest, that has to be taken care of," the non-caring in her mother's eyes, sent Sarah over the top. "Yes! You are a horrid mother. Even that witch, Marcia, has a mother that stays home! At least she is paying some attention to her." "Patrick you had better do something with her this time or by God..." she didn't finish. She never had, the few times she'd said that. She stomped away, slamming doors as she retreated to the back of the house. Patrick sighed. "So much for a welcome home." Sarah wrapped her arms around him, "I'm sorry, Daddy." "It looks like I may have been gone too long." "Why does she have so many meetings? I'm just left alone, most of the time." Raising his eyebrows, "You are? How much has she been gone?" "Almost every day this week. A few days ago she didn't tell me, until she was walking out the door, that she'd made plans for me to be with an ex-friend. It was horrible." "Is that what you two had the fight about?" "Yes." They just sat there in silence. Sarah was hoping for good things. She could always tell when her dad was thinking. "Sarah, it is probably good you are going with me. It will be fun to see that play, just you and me." Sarah brightened, "You mean that?" He hugged her, "Yes. It is probably best that you will be spending time with your sister this summer, too. I'll be gone a lot of the time, campaigning." "You're not going to take that away from me?" Sarah said, realizing how far she had gone, this time. "No, Sweetheart. I think it would be good for everyone, right now. You being in Carp. It's the best place." Sarah smiled, "Thanks, Dad. I think you are right. I can't wait to get there." Patrick sent his daughter to pack, and get ready for bed. Then he went to his office. He had many things to consider. Sitting down in his chair, he sighed. This was not what he had expected, or wanted to face when he came home. The campaign trail was hard enough. On the other side of the coin there was Mary. The call he had received from her a day ago had been good. The subject matter hard, but her wisdom, courage, and the fight for justice was rewarding. It had made him proud to be her father. Sighing one more time, he set his mind to the present. First and foremost, was which private investigator to use? His wife's actions were something he'd seen before, but never so blatantly. In a campaign year, he couldn't have a stink. And she knew it. As he thumbed through a stack of business cards, he thought back to when his second wife had wanted to be in the spotlight. Wanting to go with him on the campaign trail. That was before Sarah. Things had changed after she was born. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to see the pattern of blame his wife had always placed on Sarah. From the difficult pregnancy, the breast-feeding problems, the toilet training. Every step of the way it had been a struggle. Sarah had always seemed to shine through the criticism, until the last few years. Things between mother and daughter had become ugly. Tonight, things were as bad as they were, before Sarah had met Keith, and the rest from Carp. Patrick started to realize he had been kidding himself, to think that Sarah's change would solve all the problems. The problem was not Sarah. Sadly, it was his wife. On top of that, he now had a sneaking suspicion that all those 'meetings' didn't take place. Holding a business card in his hand, he decided it would be best to call from his office. He would call in the morning, rather than from where someone could pick up the extension phone, and listen in. ------- Chapter 57 After I wiped my eyes, Daisy gave me a little kiss, and went back inside her house to be with her mother. I looked up to see Mary, Beth Ann, and Kristin, on the edge of one of the wagons. I had left Beth Ann with a problem that was not going to go away quickly. I walked over to the three of them, standing in front of Beth Ann and looking up into her eyes, "How are you doing?" "I should ask you that," she replied. I gave her a forced smile, "I am learning to live with it. Now you. What is going on?" Beth Ann gave Mary a hug. "Mary has been great. She called the attorney, and asked him all kinds of questions. Then she called her dad, and then the university." I was impressed. "Mary, what did you find out?" "Well for starters the attorney is new at his job. I don't think he knows how to get enough facts together. I called up my dad and he gave me some ideas that could help Beth Ann's dad. The first one was to get the reports from the university, and the police, on what happened out there. So I called, and they are sending the reports." "I'm..." "Shocked?" Mary timidly finished my sentence. "Shocked? No. Impressed," I said warmly to her. Reaching over and taking Mary's hand, I looked at her face. "You are very intelligent. It is good to see you using your resources and helping a friend." Mary blushed at the complement. Turning my attention back to Beth Ann, I asked, "Have you talked to your mother again?" She looked to Kristin and then shook her head. "Are you still feeling guilty?" She nodded and said, "Still, a bit." Robin, Katy, Katharine and her children came out of the house then. "Too many people in there," Katy said. I turned back to Mary and Beth Ann, "We'll talk again soon." Then I winked to Kristin, "You too," making her blush. ------- "What do you mean you're tired? I saw what you did," Jill said. "You are not giving me much slack here, are you?" Kevin Smith responded. "Not any. I want you to come and have some fun." "I still have some work to do." "I'll help." Kevin sighed, and looked over to Jill. Her hands were on her hips. She looked rather determined, and it made him start to laugh. "What's so funny?" Jill asked. "You! Why do you want me to be there?" Jill's glaze softened. She took Kevin's hand, which surprised him. She started to swing their hands back and forth. "I want the other girls to see who you really are. The one I know. Not the one that rumors are made of." Kevin stopped their hands from swinging, making Jill look at his face. "Jill, you know me better than most. I'm grateful for that, but I am torn between what I should and should not do. What I want and shouldn't do. What I feel, and what I know is the way it has to be. It is a constant struggle with me. If I stepped over that line," he gave Jill's hands a squeeze, "would I be any different than the man who attacked you?" Jill was dead set. She already knew this struggle he had. "You know there is a difference between taking something that isn't given, and taking something that is." Kevin's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what Jill had just said. She saw his complete confusion. "Kevin," she went on, "I'm sure you know that there is a bit of female stuff going on at this school." "Female stuff?" "Sex," Jill said plainly. Kevin gave a little smile, giving indication that indeed he knew. "A few girls, I'm sure, have been forced. But most are curious about what is going on with themselves. For many girls, you are the only male that they know." This did not set well with him. He knew some of the rumors that flew around this school. Grace had let him know some of the more notorious ones that had cropped up over the years, so they could be squashed. Still, if he were some 'role model', he thought he was a sad excuse for one. Jill saw his face cloud with sadness, and didn't understand what was going on inside that brain. "Kevin, what's wrong?" "Pretty sad that the male 'role model' these girls have, has such a reputation." Jill grabbed his hand once again and led him over to the fence. Her mind was thinking a mile a minute and she needed time to sort out what he had said. What she was given, was a diversion, and an answer. One of the girls, out riding, saw the two. She galloped over. Jill had climbed over the split rail fence into the meadow. Kevin started to back away upon the approach of the horse, but Jill reached out. Taking both his hands, she held him in place. "Hi, Jill, Mr. Smith," the girl said. "Hi. Are you getting some last minute riding in?" "Yes, we don't have any horses. There aren't any even close, so I can't ride all summer long. I miss it." "That's sad," Kevin said, suddenly entering the conversation. "Yeah," she said, turning towards Kevin. Then the girl brightened, "I can't wait for tonight. I've been going here every year and this is the first time anything like this has happened. It's so exciting." Then a little twinkle appeared in her eye, "Jill tells me you're going to be there too. Are you? Really?" "I, uhhh," Kevin stammered, shocked. "Of course he is," Jill answered for him. "You know he loves all the girls. How could he miss it?" The girl laughed, "Well, you'd better be prepared then. There are a group of us that are going to team up on you." She pulled her horse around, and rode off, still giggling. "Jill," Kevin said panicked, "she can't be serious. I can't go." Jill had been given the time she needed. She hoped that what she had said was the right thing. She knew that sometimes her frank words backfired on her. "Kevin, she was serious. Other people than me expect you to be there." "Why?" "I think there may be many reasons. Some want to know if you are really the person of the rumors. I'm sure a few of the girls wish you were. Some want to see that you aren't. For others you are a 'role model'. You haven't had it as bad as I, but you helped rescue Dorothy, too. "Kevin," she pulled at his hands, making him look her in the eye, "you are a good man. These girls need to know that. It has nothing to do with you finding their bodies interesting, so do some of my friends. This is about the person you are." Kevin was caught on a part of her sentence, "What do you mean some of your friends?" "Which is worse? That you, say, look at a girl, and wish she was undressed? Or, lets say that girl who was just here, looking at that same girl, feels the same way?" His shocked look made Jill laugh. "I just used her as an example, she doesn't. Well, I don't think so," Jill couldn't help but adding. Kevin had a hard time with the frankness of Jill's speech. Still the words were troublesome in what they implied. Pulling his hands away, from fear of her reaction, "Jill, you don't think it's bad that I look at girls like that? That I look at you like that? You know what happened, what I touched while helping Dorothy. You know it wasn't intentional; but, I enjoyed that touch, more than I can say." "Of course I know. Kevin you are a man. This is just part of the 'animal attraction'. It happens in every species. To say that all these girls with developing bodies didn't do something to you, would be a lie. Any man in their right mind is going to look." Kevin nodded. He knew Jill's words were true. "When you saw disaster happening, you let your fear of horses drop. When you saw Dorothy in peril, you placed yourself in harms way. You knew what that horse was capable of. You feared it and yet you didn't want one of these girls to suffer, did you?" "No." "That didn't take away any of your fear of the animal. I had to hold you, when my friend just rode up here, you wanted to back away." Kevin now understood why Jill had taken hold of his hands, holding him in place. "You are living with fears that paralyze you. Yet deep down; the real, true feelings, well up at times. Then we see this man who is, indeed, worthy of being a 'role model'." "Jill," Kevin started to say. She was shaking her head, "You yourself said, 'I will not take no for an answer'." Kevin smiled hoping this would be the one to get him out of it, "There's a bit of a problem." "Not the cast? I've seen you walk as good as before you had it on." "No, that's not it. Now that thing is just some extra weight. I don't let it stop me much, 'cept climbing ladders." "When what excuse are you trying to come up with?" Laughing, Kevin said, "I was expecting to weasel my way out of this. I didn't plan on going to it." "So?" "Jill, everyone is supposed to wear their pajamas." Jill caught on, and started to laugh. "So? What do you usually wear?" Jill queried. Kevin's blush was almost instantaneous. Jill laughed even harder. "You don't wear them, do you?" Kevin shook his head. "Probably don't even own any?" "No, haven't in years." "That makes it even better." "Jill! I can't go out there bare!" "No, silly," she laughed. "I'll find you a nice long nightshirt. You'll be dressed just like we are." Kevin's mouth dropped open. He couldn't believe what she was suggesting. "A nightshirt?" he said, with a pained expression. "Yes, it will be so much fun. Plus," Jill said with a twinkle in her eye, "it will give the girls a better advantage over you." "Jill!" "I'll have something for you at the administration building, in an hour. If it's not there, you are off the hook." Kevin's shoulders drooped. He had known Jill, of all people, could talk him into doing something he felt he shouldn't. "Ok," he said, resignedly. ------- I caught hold of Richard and pulled him aside. He was more than happy to have something else to occupy his mind. This was driving him crazy, for different reasons than it was for me, but still driving him crazy. "I need to talk with your father." "About?" "Beth Ann's father. They have no money, and from what Mary said, the attorney assigned to his case has no experience. Even if the situation there is in favor of him, he could run into a snag, and end up with years in jail. I think that would ruin Beth Ann." Richard looked at his watch, "he might still be in his office, want to try now?" "Sure, I just need to get Mary with us." "I'll get her," Richard said, moving back towards Mildred's house, "If you go in, you'll never get out." He was probably right. Mary came out, surprised. "What did you need?" she asked. "Some help from you. We need to make a call or two, and I need your expertise." "What kind of call?" Mary said, as Richard and I were walking towards downtown with her. "A call to Richard's father," I said, not answering her question. We got to the phone a couple of minutes later and Richard called, asking for him. His father was on another phone. Richard told the secretary who he was. She had recognized his voice from being in the office, recently. Getting the number, and said she'd pass the note along as soon as his father was done. After hanging up, Richard explained we would need to wait. That is when Mary asked her question again. "Mary, Richard's father is an attorney. Not the kind Beth Ann's father needs, but he should know an attorney who is, and with any luck, one close enough to do the job. I need to know he's going to get a fair shake. From what you said, he might not." "Keith," Her face showed the emotion her heart felt. "I'm just trying to help where I can, just as you have been doing." Fortunately the phone ran before she went on. Richard picked it up, and smiled. After saying hello, he handed the phone off to me. I told him what I was looking for. He wanted to talk to Mary. They chatted, and she told him a bit more than what I had heard. She then passed the phone back to me. "Keith, if she ever needs a job, send her my way. I could always use someone with brains like that." I looked at her and smiled. "I don't think I'll let her out of my sight," I said. She blushed at my words. He told me he'd make a few calls and find out something, but it might take a day or two. When I hung up, I looked at Mary. "You have not only impressed me, but Richard's father as well. You have a standing job offer if you ever want to leave here." She blushed again. "Now, here comes the hard part," I said. "What?" Mary inquired. "Do not say a word of this to Beth Ann. I don't want her hopes built up. If something comes up, then we can tell her, but not until we know something. You understand why, right?" Mary sighed, "Yes, but I wish I could. She needs some good news." "I know. That's why I am trying, along with you." We walked back to find Kristin looking for us. "Where did you three disappear to?" Kristin asked. I whispered something about Mary taking care of us, into Kristin's ear. It made her blush and look at Mary. Mary didn't get I was pulling Kristin's leg and bit right into it. "I didn't do much, really." "Well how much did you do?" Kristin wanted to know. "It was hardly anything, not compared to what Keith did." Now Kristin was looking at me. I was having a hard time trying to keep a straight face. I glanced over to Richard. I could see he had figured out what was going on. He, too, was having a hard time not laughing. "Don't look at me. Mary was very good at what she did." "I'll bet she was, but both of you? That's just not fair." "Kristin," Mary said, "What are you talking about?" At that point, I lost it and started laughing. Richard followed. "Oh, you!" Kristin said, realizing she'd been had. Katy, Barbara, and Dora, came out of Mildred's house. Barbara shadowing Katy. "I want to go see Brian," Richard said. The look of longing on Barbara's face was unmistakable. "Would you like to come with me Barbara?" Richard added. Barbara looked to Katy and then to Richard. "Can I?" "Yes, but only for a little time. I need to talk with Brian, too." Barbara blushed. "Send Bruce over, please. From what I've heard, it has been one or the other with him, all the time. They both need a break," Katy said. "I could have..." Barbara started to say and her voice turned inaudible. "Come on," Richard said, surprising Dora as he took her hand. "Why don't you come as well, Dora?" "Ok," Dora said, pleased to be included. Barbara looked back to Katy. I almost missed Katy's wink to her. "Well! I hope Brian has half the feelings for her, that she has for him, or God help us," I said as Richard, Dora, and Barbara were walking away. "What is that suppose to mean?" Katy asked. "She's already got the wedding planned, I think." "Keith!" then she laughed, and looked a bit sheepish, "I think you might be right though." "Does your sister know her boy is courting?" "Don't you dare say a word, I mean it. She'd be worse than I was." I couldn't suppress my smile, "Poor Brian." "Keith, you are a stinker, some times." "Anyway, you have Jimmy to worry about." "Jimmy?" "Never mind," I said, knowing I was getting to her. "Let me know." "So you can ruin his fun?" The stare she gave me, reminded me of an earlier time. I decided I was pressing my luck. "I'm surprised you haven't seen it. I noticed it right away." "Keith, out with it." "Pamela." Her face paled. "Katy, what is wrong?" She looked at me, "I don't know. He's just my little boy, I guess." "Who is scared to death of what he is starting to feel. Let him have his first love." "Are you trying to suggest I'd butt in?" I just laughed. "I think I should go find Robin and not answer a question like that." Jack drove up to Mildred's house. I had just walked away from Katy and was going to look for Robin. "Get in," he said. "Where are we going?" "There's a phone call for you. He'll be ringing back in a few minutes." I turned to Katy, "Tell Robin," she nodded. He drove me down and then we waited. I think he was curious to see who was calling. The phone rang and I picked it up. "Keith Patterson?" "Yes, may I ask who this is?" "Yes, you may. I am Theodore William Preston III," then he laughed. "Pretty fancy name, especially for these parts. I love it here, though." I was still confused as to who he was, where he lived, and why he was calling me. "I got a call from an old friend of mine, Jack Thompson." Things started to click. Richard's father had called him. "I moved out to Eugene, maybe four years ago, now. It was to be a sort of semi-retirement," he laughed again. "It has been anything, but that. The one good thing is, that my practice has attracted a few bright young lawyers. They will be taking over, so I can ease my way out to pasture." "Good for you. Eugene? Isn't that in about the middle of Oregon?" "Yes, and only little more than an hour's drive to the coast. Now listen. Jack said you needed some help. I read about you in the papers. You are quite a brave man. I can't imagine what kind of help I'd be for you." "It isn't for me. Before I go on, I can only guess that Richard's father called you because you are the right type of attorney?" "Criminal defense, and I'm glad to hear it isn't for you." "Let me tell you what happened." I let him know about Beth Ann's uncle. How is started, how it went on. And why she moved, to go to a school so far away. How he came to get her. What she had told me, about not wanting to go, and why. The confrontation I had with him, his stay in jail, and the escort home. Then I told him of the phone call Beth Ann made to her mother. How that the triggered the events, as I knew them, that led to the shooting. "So what you need is a good attorney, to keep this man out of jail." "I'm not going to play innocent. I know what he did was wrong. I also know that in small towns; people go free, or rot in jails, because of good or bad lawyers. It sometimes doesn't make much difference as to what they did, but what they can get a jury to believe." He laughed, "Keith, have you ever thought of being a lawyer?" "No thank you," I said, laughing along with him. "So what you are asking for is a fair shake." "Yes. I want a good lawyer to look at the case, and figure out what can be done. If the prosecutor is out for blood, then we need everything we can get. If they are glad that SOB is gone, then we can prepare a good case, and get him out quick." "Jack didn't tell me much, is this a capital case?" "Capital?" "Is it a murder case, is the prosecution seeking life?" "I understand that he was charged with manslaughter." "Good. That shows right off the bat, that the prosecutor isn't out for blood. Manslaughter cases are easier, therefore less costly." "That was my next question; do you have any idea of how much we are looking at?" "I charge $60 per hour. I'll be charging you $54 per hour, as you are a personal friend of Jack's. You can expect that it will be around $5800, total." I gulped, that would buy a very nice car. "Ok. Now one more thing." "Yes." "I have hired you, and no one but me should see any of these financial figures." "Understood." As soon as we were done with the information parts, I hung up. I sat down on the seat of the Jeep. "The lawyer?" Jack asked. "Yes." "Good one, I guess." "Someone Richard's father knows. I would assume he would only send someone very qualified my way." Jack nodded. "I heard you ask. It's going to cost a lot, isn't it?" "I know Robin would say yes, but God. It is a whole lot of money." "How much?" I told him, knowing he'd just heard what I said, and wouldn't repeat it. He didn't seem as shocked as I had been. He also didn't say much else about it. I just figured he was used to dealing with figures like that, much more than I was. ------- "I guess you haven't seen Brian while we were gone," Richard said to Barbara. "No. I was in the house the whole time, but Jimmy got to go," Barbara answered, looking at Dora with a disapproving look. "Oh?" Richard said, looking to Dora. "It had been some time and I know those two were always together. Jimmy also had been out to the Mansion with Brian, a number of times. He knew his way around without any problem. I'm sorry, but Barbara doesn't." "I'm sorry that the timing wasn't good, but I hope you saw our point," Richard said to Barbara. "Yes, I do, now. I just don't like it." "I'll bet Brian will be happy to see you." "Do you think so?" Enthusiasm starting to build. Richard smiled, "He'd be crazy not to." Dora's expression made Richard realize that they'd never told her parts of why she had been brought out to the Mansion in the first place. Barbara's smile dropped, "I'm not very pretty." There was an old wagon off the side of the road, it's wheels long missing. Richard detoured to it. Taking hold of Barbara's hand, he pulled her over. Sitting her on the back of the wagon, he knelt in front of her. "Barbara? All of us, at one time or another, don't think too much of ourselves. Am I ugly?" "No." "But at one time, I thought I was. Just because I thought it, didn't make it so. What made me ugly, was that I wouldn't let anyone around me. I would not let them get close to me. I pushed them away." "How?" "I was mean. I said things that made people stay away." "Oh." "You said you are not pretty, but that's not true. It is good to have someone in our lives that we can trust. That we know will tell us the truth." Her face saddened. "I know. You are thinking of your parents, aren't you?" Even with her head bent slightly down, Richard could see a tear fall. Dora was standing by him, and touched his shoulder. He looked at her. Dora had been caught up in what he was telling Barbara. She urged him to go on. She needed to hear this, as well. "Sometimes a parent is that person, but sometimes it's not. A lot of us think that our parents will always say things to make us feel good. So we start to not really trust them. So, for a lot of us, it ends up being someone else." "Who was yours?" Barbara wanted to know. So did Dora, but knew better than to ask. "Don't you say a word," Richard said, "Neither one of you." Knowing she was going to be privy to a secret, Barbara smiled slightly. "Ok, I won't." "For a long time I didn't have one. Now, looking back I think that was bad for me. Then at some point, I realized it was Keith. For the years I was in the service and knew him, he didn't back down from me when I was grouchy. He told me what I didn't want to hear, at times. And when it was important, he told me things I needed to hear." "And you trusted him?" "Yes. I somehow knew there was no reason he would lie to me. I could trust him." "That would be nice." "I think you may have someone like that already." Barbara looked long and hard at Richard, "You?" "No," Richard said, shaking his head. "Katy?" "No. We will tell you the truth, but you might not always believe it. We have hurt you. Taken you from what you wanted, so you might suspect our motivations." Barbara nodded, understanding what he had said. "Then?" "Katharine." Barbara brightened. "Yes, that could be true." "What you need to do, is start asking the questions you need answered." "I don't understand, like what questions?" "Why would a boy like me?" Barbara blushed. "You need to know. If you don't think that something is possible, then you couldn't know it was happening." "Oh. So Brian is..." Richard laughed, "I'm not about to answer that, and you know it." Barbara smiled, "I was just trying. Can we go now?" "Yes, but I want to have some time with him, too. Ok?" "I guess so," she giggled. As Richard, Barbara, and Dora, turned up the lane to Brian's house; Barbara stopped in her tracks. Then she hid behind Richard. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Those people," she glanced towards Brian's house. There was a mother and daughter, just walking up to the door of the house. "Richard turned to her, "Barbara, no one can hurt you. You are safe. You have to believe that." He took Barbara's hand, and pulled her on. He looked at those two. Both looked as dusty as could be. Richard looked around, and noticed no horse. If these two were from Angle city then they got a ride, or... He put away the notion that they would have walked here. Their appearance suggested it though. They had knocked on the door, but there had been no answer by the time the three reached the two females. Turning to them, Richard noticed the gaunt faces on both of them. They didn't look well. "Guess no one's home," the woman said. Then she spied Barbara. "Is that you, Barbara?" "Yes, Mrs. Blaney." Richard was racking his brain. He'd heard that name before. "I'm sure that they just can't come to the door right now. Someone must be home. Brian has to be taken care of." "That's why we're here." Mrs. Blaney said. "Oh?" Richard queried. "It was my boy that put him like he is," the woman looked down, "He can't repay, so that's why we're here. To do what we can." Richard could hardly believe his ears. Mother and daughter were saying they would be the equivalent of indentured servants. He knew Robert and Millie would never accept that. His thoughts were broken by Barbara. "She can't do that." Barbara's eyes were filled with distrust, looking at the girl. Richard guessed her to be close to Barbara's age. Maybe, in Barbara's eyes, she was competition. Richard needed to talk with Barbara alone about that, but then the name hit him. He turned pale. "Blaney? You said your name was Blaney?" The woman grabbed the edges of her dirty dress, and rubbed her fingers with them. She wouldn't look up. After fidgeting for almost a minute, she answered. "I know my husband was a bad man. He's paying the price," then she added, "so are we." "Right now, I think it would be best to figure out a different solution for you. I don't think that this family is going to be receptive to your offer." The woman looked at her daughter, and then to Richard. He saw her panicked expression. "I know you probably feel you need to, but..." She cut Richard off, "I have to." "Did you realize that the man your husband killed, was the brother of the woman who lived here?" It was obvious she didn't. She went into dry heaving. Richard grabbed hold of the girl, "When was the last time you ate?" She just looked at him with a blank expression. "Dora, take them down to Mildred's house. Get Keith to stay and talk with them. There is so much food down there, it will go to waste. They need to eat." Dora was nodding her head. She took the girls arm, and led her back down the path, her mother following. Richard and Barbara watched them walk away, until Bruce opened the door. "I thought I heard something. Why didn't you just come in?" "We were having a talk with a couple of gals." Bruce looked out the door. "That's Dora, but I don't recognize the other two." "No, you've probably never seen them before." Barbara got the hint, as she opened her mouth to say something, and Richard jabbed in her side. She was not to say a word. "How's Brian?" Richard asked. "Wishing he could go out and play. Damned shame." "Well, we were told to take over, and let you go down to be with your wife." Bruce smiled, "That might be a nice change. It was easier when you were here," he said to Barbara. "Well maybe we can arrange times for that," Richard said. Barbara's eyes widened. "Now get going." Bruce said 'thanks', again, and was out the door. "Did you mean that?" Barbara asked. "Yes. I did. But you need to trust us a lot more, and listen to what we say and ask of you." "I'll do anything." Richard smiled. "I want to talk to you, about those two who were just here." Barbara's smile dropped. "But first, I think there maybe someone you want to see." Barbara nodded. "I think you know where he is." She didn't need any more of an invitation. Turning, she headed to Brian's bedroom. What she didn't expect was the feeling that hit her, as soon as she saw him. Brian was looking at the door as she entered. He had heard Richard and Barbara talking in the living room. When Jimmy had come over yesterday, Brian had talked with him, about some of the confusing feelings he was having. Jimmy of course could hardly believe Brian got a hand job from Barbara, and more than once. It didn't help Brian's confusion when Jimmy paraded around the room waving his hard little dick at Brian, asking what Richard would think. Now Richard was outside the room, and Barbara was inside. He didn't know what she thought. The last time he'd been alone with her, she'd practically told him she loved him. Then, when they went out to the Mansion, she hardly said a word to him. Maybe he didn't understand what she meant, and had got it all confused. Maybe that is why she was here, to tell him she didn't want to see him again. That thought brought tears to his eyes. Barbara, seeing Brian there, was brought back to the last time she had been in that room with him. Suddenly, all the panic was there, and it overwhelmed her. She didn't know why but she couldn't move, she just stared at him. She saw tears in his eyes. 'Oh no, ' she thought, 'what have I done? I've ruined everything.' Ready to back out of the room, she felt someone behind her. Quickly, she turned to see Richard standing there, blocking the doorway. She was trapped. Her hysteria building, she began to shake. "I didn't hear any talking," Richard said. There was no response. Richard didn't like what he saw and felt in a way somewhat responsible. He took Barbara by her shoulders, and turned her around. He sat her down, near Brian's head. It surprised them both. "I want you to listen to me. Brian, Barbara likes you a lot, a whole lot." Brian glanced over to Barbara, and saw her turning red from embarrassment. "Barbara, my guess is that Brian is a bit confused. You had us there talking to you, he didn't." Barbara looked at Brian, and realized he didn't know what had been going on. Without even thinking, she wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a big hug. Brian was all smiles when she looked up at his face, and gave him a little kiss. "I need to look at something, for a bit," Richard said, but neither one was listening. Richard turned back to look at the bed. Brian was doing his best, with one free arm, to hold onto Barbara. Barbara was smothering him with kisses. Soon, Richard thought, she would notice the tent that had risen under Brian's sheets. ------- Dora remembered that Richard was going to send Bruce down to Mildred's, as well. She wondered what she should do with the two she had in tow. She also wasn't sure how Katy would react to the news of who these two were. Luckily, Mildred's house would not accommodate all that were present at one time. Throughout the day there were always people standing around, outside. She saw Kristin, Beth Ann, and Mary. She motioned them over, as she went towards the side of the house, with the two Blaney's. Some of the wagons were still there. That is where Dora headed. "Climb up and sit down," she said. Both mother and daughter did just as she had asked, without question. Kristin took a look at the two and inquired, "Who are these two ladies?" "I can go into a full explanation, with their help, but first we need two things," Dora paused, and then went on. "We need Keith out here, preferably without Robin." That raised eyebrows. "Just as importantly, we need food, they haven't eaten in some time." "I'll find Keith," Kristin said, and ran off. "We'll get some food, and something to drink as well," Beth Ann and Mary said. They were off as well. This left Dora time to get a thorough look at the two, and ask some questions. "Did you two walk up here?" "Wasn't any other way." "How long did it take?" "Started in the morning." "You've been walking all day?" "We stopped once, for a drink," the girl said at last. I had driven up with Jack in the Jeep, and Kristin ran out to get me. She looked around, making me wonder what on earth was going on. "Come on, quickly." "What's going on?" "Dora has some gals with her." I looked over to Jack, who was just as baffled as I was. Kristin pulled at me. "Hold on. I can't get out that fast, with this cast on." "Ok, just hurry." As I got around to the side of the house, Mary and Beth Ann came in back of me. I turned to see them, and the food and drinks they were carrying. "A party?" "No," Kristin said. The two I saw sitting on the wagon. A mother, and probably her daughter, paid no attention to me. As soon as the food was handed to them, they ate with ravenous appetites. Dora had to tell them twice, to slow down, or they'd get sick from eating so fast. Mary said she was going back for seconds for them, Beth Ann followed her. I looked over to Dora for an explanation. "They spent all day, walking from Angle City." I looked at her with a pained expression, wondering why anyone would do such a thing. "They came up here for a specific purpose. We found them outside Millie's house." I didn't want to seem rude, so I introduced myself to them. "My name is Keith Patterson." I saw the shocked look go between the two of them. Dora answered my questioning gaze, "This is Mrs. Blaney and her daughter." I remembered that name. Fred Blaney. The whole scene flashed in front of my eyes. The sheriff's lights in the rear view mirror, the notification of Bill's death, and turning around to find Katy at the morgue. "Why on earth are you up here?" I couldn't help but asking. "Because of my son." I looked blankly at Dora, I didn't know the connection. "It was her son that caused Brian's fall," Dora answered. "Fred is paying for what he done, my boy can't." I started to feel sick. "I was raised to pay your debts." "Isn't there something you could do in Angle City to help?" "Nothin' there for us," The woman said, "I don't think anyone cared that we left." I started to understand what she was saying. I was having a hard time with her presence here. But as I listened to her; it was not her, nor her daughter, who were the wrong doers. Her husband was the one who had killed. It was her son who had carried the hate. The mother was trying to do what she could, and no one wanted to see her. She was being outcast, because of what the males in her family had done. I looked at the girl. Hard to tell her age, maybe eleven. Her father was in jail, her brother dead, her mother and probably herself, shunned. How was this affecting her? The conversation stalled, as Mary and Beth Ann brought more food out to them. They ate again, everything that was offered. I began to wonder when the last time they had eaten was. I also knew that my reaction to these two had been hard enough. Katy or Millie, even Robin, would more than probably say things in a cruel unthinking manner. They needed to get away from here. "Come on," I said as soon as they finished eating. They dutifully got off the wagon, and followed me. "Kristin, tell Robin I'll be back soon." I started forming an idea, as we walked the three blocks to downtown. I figured I might catch Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca, together. I saw them looking in one of the shop windows. Jack had said something about Cynthia wanting to open a dress shop with Rebecca's help. We were no more than ten feet from them, when they noticed us. "Keith!" Cynthia said, "So good to see you. And who are these two?" Ignoring her, I asked Jack, "I need a house for a few nights. Could Rebecca's old place be in need of some dusting, cleaning, and the like?" Jack looked over to Rebecca, who shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see why not. Sounds like it could be beneficial all around." "That is what I am hoping for." "Can we get a lift?" I asked, "These two have been walking all day." They took that as a saying, and not the entire truth, but it did the trick. Jack soon had us deposited in front of Rebecca's house. I opened the door, and looked in. It had been some time since anyone had been in here. Dust was everywhere. My last memory of this place, was grabbing a stuffed toy off Jill's bed, to bring to that scared girl. "You will spend the night here," I looked at the girl and mother. "Do not stay up, cleaning this place. "What you need to do is get those dirty clothes off, and wash and hang them. I see that you have nothing else with you. You both need baths, as well. I will be by in the morning with some food. I expect to see both of you clean. Then, later, this place can get cleaned up. But in that order." I realized that I was giving orders, more military style, than human. I walked in and lit candles. I made sure the water was running. Finally, I lit a fire in the stove. "You have caused anxiety for a lot of us, by coming here. Thinking hard about it, I understand it was not your fault. Even though you are feeling the need to repay, you are being treated harshly. I can imagine why you left Angle City. I don't know what you expected up here. I don't know if what you have found here, is worse than what you had, or not." She stopped me. "Mr. Patterson." "Call me Keith." She shook her head, "Mr. Paterson. I didn't know what to do. What I have seen here, is people looking out for other's feelings. Even ours. That is more than my daughter and I have felt in a while." I saw her emotions overwhelming her and she excused herself. She walked to the bathroom, leaving me with the daughter. I needed to get back. But quite frankly, I didn't know what to say, other than goodbye. She had not said more than a few words. She walked around me and I realized she was at the front door. "Thank you," she said softly. I took hold of her hands, and looked into her dark brown eyes. They were full of sadness. "Tomorrow will be a better day. Take a bath, and get a good night's sleep." "I wish you cared, like you acted." That broke my heart. "Tomorrow, maybe you will find that I do." I saw the guarded hope on her face. The longing. Yet she had been so often disappointed, that even at her young age, cynicism had set in. That hurt me more than anything else. Walking back to Mildred's house, I was left with thoughts of how I'd jumped to accuse the mother, for the father's doings; the daughter, for the son's. I had not accused the Aunt, for Beth Ann's uncle's actions. I wondered what made the difference. I was very troubled by my reactions, and by what others did as well. Most importantly; what Katy, Millie, Bruce, Robin, Jimmy, and Brian were going to think, and say. ------- Kevin Smith reluctantly went to the administration building, hoping; just hoping there would be nothing for him. His worst fears were coming true. He walked up the steps, to see two girls there, waiting for him. Grace, of all people, was behind them. She had a smile on her face, that told of forbidden doom. "I'm glad you finally made it," she said to him, "we've been waiting. Come on." He was ushered into her office, a girl on each side of him, pulling him along. "Come along girls, he needs some privacy, to change," Grace said, with a smirk on her face. There on one of the chairs was a piece of clothing. Kevin groaned. He picked it up. It came above his knees. Too small he thought. There was a knock on the frosted glass and he jumped. Then he heard giggling. Kevin knew he'd never make it out alive. This was his worst nightmare coming true. Having little choice, he began taking off his clothes. Sliding on the nightshirt, he wondered. It was just the right size for him, only a bit short. Who, he thought, would wear a size that would fit him? He wasn't given much time to ponder that, as a second knock on the glass occurred. "Kevin?" Grace called, "Are you about done?" "Yes," he groaned. "Come on, then," she yelled in, "we can't start without everyone being there." Kevin walked over and opened the door. The two girls stood in shock. He turned red at their stares. He felt the hair on his legs, that no one in a long, long time, had seen. His cast was also very visible, something he had worked hard at concealing. "Now, girls! Come on! Let's help Mr. Smith to his place on the field." "My place?" Kevin asked. Grace had a smile that told him there was more to come. "Everyone has a starting place," then she laughed, "Jill picked yours." Kevin rolled his eyes, and groaned. The two girls giggled, grabbed hold of his hands, and started pulling him. He was very glad he had kept his briefs on. This was going to be a very 'hard' night, in many respects. ------- Sarah sat in her room, and cried. Only half of her bags were packed. It had taken forever to get that far. This was not fair. It had been so much easier before she had gone up to see her sister, at school. She didn't care so much, before. Now, what she wanted, looked out of reach. What she wanted, was a mother that tried to understand her, who wanted to be with her. When Marcia had talked about her mother wanting her to do so many family things; to go here and there with them, Marcia had been complaining. Sarah tried to sympathize. But in reality, it had sounded so nice. Sarah wanted to go away, far away. Yet she wanted to stay, wanted to try. It was so confusing. She wished her sister were here. She wished Keith were here. They had a way of making her see things... differently. Trying to get her mind off of the troubling fight she'd had with her mother, she started to pack more things. There, on top of her dresser, was a picture of their family. It was taken when Mary was still at home. That set off more tears. She didn't know when, but Sarah awoke. She found her father picking her up, off the floor and laying her in her bed. "Shhh, Sarah. Don't worry, it will be alright," Patrick said, softly. He pulled the covers over her, and she closed her eyes. Moving quietly out of her room, turning off the light and closing the door, he was saddened. It hurt him to see her tear stained face. She had obviously fallen asleep on the floor, crying. Anger started to arise in him. His children were his pride and joy. By the time Patrick was at the end of the hall, his anger was at full boil. His words were starting to form. Their polished, twisted cruelty was about to be unleashed. Words a politician could reduce anyone in his way, to mush with. He pushed open the door, but his wife was not in the room. It surprised him enough to unsettle him. He turned to the bathroom and looked in. There, on the floor, almost in the same position Sarah had been in, was his wife. Asleep, with a tear stained face. He was crushed. Defeated by his love for the women in his life. Walking back to the bedroom, he pulled down the bed, then came back to his wife. She wasn't a large woman by any means. But Patrick had had enough trouble with Sarah, to know better than to try and pick up his wife. He did wrap his arms around her, and in waking her, pulled her up to stand. She was dazed as to where she was. Just like Sarah, he shushed her. Holding her up, he led her to the bed. It had been a long time since she had let him undress her, but she was exhausted. The fight with Sarah had taken so much out of her. She hated to admit she was at fault about anything. Yet Sarah had changed so much, so recently. She was forced to admit she had not looked, not seen, not questioned. That in no way, to her mind, excused Sarah's actions. But she had started to feel a twinge of guilt. That, in itself, overwhelmed her with emotions long buried. She studied Patrick's face as he took his time, undoing her clothing. When she was naked, he pulled the covers over her. He knew she didn't like going to bed that way, but he was as exhausted as she was, almost. There was one part on his body that, despite how tired the rest of him felt, responded to her sight. Patrick saw her move her head, following him with her eyes. He removed his tie, hanging it up. Then emptied his pockets. He untied his shoes, and put them away. It wasn't helping. He always managed to catch a glint of her eye, looking. His knowing that she was watching him, that she lay naked under the sheets, had kept him hard. Pulling off his shirt, he undid his belt. Then he turned away from her, to drop his trousers. The routine wasn't so unusual, but it had been some time, since he had an erection before getting into bed. Walking over, trying to conceal the tent in his boxers, he turned off the light. As he walked back, he had decided to slide into bed the same way his wife was. He dropped his boxers, pulled back the sheets, and climbed in. She rolled up next to him and froze, realizing his state of undress. She was wondering what was going to happen, what he might expect. He was worried now, too. He hadn't expected her to come over to him. At her touch, his dick hardened to breaking point. He was worried that she would feel it, thinking he was trying to take advantage of her situation. He pulled back slightly. That action was not expected. Her emotions, once again, took hold of her. She started to cry. Patrick couldn't help himself and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her. His dick was pushed aside, as her leg came into contact with it. Both felt it, but neither commented. He just held her and rocked her. She cried herself to sleep. ------- Kevin Smith could hardly believe his eyes. There, as far as his eyes could see in the dim light, were girls. A few in legged pajamas, but most in nightgowns. Similar to what he had been conned into wearing. He noticed, as he walked closer, they were spread out. They were almost in a grid like fashion. He had marked off the quadrants, earlier in the day, but now saw flags of different colors at the break points. The center safe zone, was the most lit. The far corners, he noticed were dark. He worried about that. His two escorts brought him up to where Liz and Jill were standing. Both had big grins on their faces. "I could still leave," he said. "I doubt that," Liz remarked, "You'd have the girls chasing after you." "I don't stand a chance around either of you, do I?" "No, you don't," Jill said sweetly, then winked at him. "Here is your pillow. We are about to start. Grace has to show up, and make a speech, first." "Grace said you assigned spots for everyone Jill." "Not everyone, just the staff. To make it safer." He looked at Jill and sighed. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "You'll forget everything once my pillow hits your face." That made Kevin smile. "It'll never get that close." "Now you're getting into the spirit!" Jill exclaimed. She pulled him over, away from Liz, and towards one of the outer darker corners. There were four orange markers on the ground, in the farthest corner. Kevin started to bend over to pick one up, but the slight breeze on the back of his leg reminded him of his 'dress'. He stood back up quickly, to notice many girls looking towards him. He started to blush. "Those markers were put down so everyone would start out evenly spaced out," Jill explained. "What about the other two?" "I'm not sure, but was told to keep them there. Maybe someone thought you'd need extra space," she taunted him. Jill stopped, as the sight of Grace in her Jeep, entered the area. The illumination from the headlights was harsh to the eyes. Grace stood up and taking the mike, addressed the school. "We have never attempted anything like this before. As enthusiastic as I have seen all of you, maybe it should have been done long ago. We can all thank our dear friend, teacher, and companion, Liz Patterson for this." A deafening cheer arose. When it died down, Grace continued. "Most of you have been out here, looking this over. But let me just go over it once more. There are 'out of bounds' areas, and this will only work if everyone respects that. The red flags surround the Upper hall area. The blue surround the Lower hall area. The two purple areas that join them, are free for anyone to be in. The center orange area, is a safe zone. If anyone gets hurt, they need to get there. That is why you are standing on an orange marker. Pick it up if you need to get to the safe area. Hold the orange marker above your head. If anyone hits you along the way, they will have to deal with my wrath. Also, the area outside the field is a safe zone. I want this to be fun. I want everyone to have fun, and I want to be able to do this again. All of that depends on each and every one of your actions. Do I have your agreement?" There was a huge yell of YES. "Now, we have a special surprise. Two girls found out that our beloved Miss Elizabeth Patterson was leaving and wanted to come and say goodbye. They talked their parents into letting them coming for tonight's activities." Everyone saw two girls stand that had been sitting in the back of the Jeep. Even standing, the light from the Jeep masked who they were. "Sorry," Grace said, "I didn't realize the light made it so that you couldn't see. This is Dorothy and Susan." If the two girls had any doubts about showing up, those doubts were shattered by the applause they received. As Susan helped Dorothy down, and handed her her crutch, Grace went on. "Dorothy is still mending, and she has been placed right at the edge. She may want to get a swing or two in, but watch out for her, please." Kevin looked over to Jill, "She's not coming over here, is she?" Jill was smiling, "I hope so!" Kevin's fears were realized as they walked over, smiling. "Kevin!" Dorothy exclaimed. "I heard Jill was going to get you here." "She's hard to say no to." Dorothy moved closer to him, "Could you say no to me?" Kevin was glad he had the pillow in front of him. As she moved to her starting space, she was giggling and looking down to where his pillow was. He wondered how he was going to move it and if he didn't, he'd be without any defense. This was not a good position to be in. Grace came on the loudspeaker one last time. "The car horn is the signal to start. We have one half hour of fun. Make the best of it. When you hear the horn again, it signals the end." There was a moment of silent as everyone held their breath in anticipation. Kevin could feel the eyes of the girls around him, on him. He wondered how he had gotten into such a mess. The one benefit of this, was that his dick had settled down. The horn blast was quickly drowned out by cheers. Before Kevin had raised his pillow, he was smacked across the side, turning he saw Jill grinning at him. He was ready to get her as another smack, lighter this time. He turned to see that one came from Dorothy who looked very pleased with herself. Kevin knew she wouldn't last long, and so left Jill and turned to Dorothy, who shrieked as he advanced. Susan tried to get him, but that time he was ready, and swatted her pillow down. As she reached for it, he whacked her back end with his pillow. She raised up, eyes wide with surprise, until she saw her sister laughing at what had happened. That laughter changed, as Kevin turned towards Dorothy. "No!" she cried. "You got me first," Kevin teased. He found he was enjoying this. Dorothy held her pillow in front of her, her crutch held firmly under her arm. Kevin advanced one more step, not seeing the five girls coming up behind him. As soon as he swung, pillows hit him. Two at his legs, two in his mid section, and one in the chest. His balance was knocked off, and he started to fall. Fortunately, there were three pillows to land on. What he didn't remember, was he was wearing a nightgown. As he landed, it had shifted up, exposing the bottom of his underwear. He noticed all the girls had stopped, and were looking at him. "I'm not that fragile," he said, a bit embarrassed to have been blindsided like that. "It's not that," Dorothy said, with a gleam in her eye. "You're not used to wearing a dress." With that Kevin looked down and realized where their interest laid. "Oh! You girls are going to get it, now!" he said, jumping up as well as one can, with a cast on. He took hold of the three pillows. "Is the big bad wolf going to get us now?" Dorothy asked. "Look what big teeth he has," another girl said. "And what big eyes!" He chased them in one direction, then another, until there was a clearing around him, with Dorothy near the center of that. He turned suddenly to her. "Now I have you!" "You wouldn't!" "Yes I would," he smiled, and then laughed as the wolf idea stuck in his head. He growled and said, "I'm going to eat you up, Little Red Riding Hood." She looked nervously around. He glanced around as well, thinking the girls had grouped to get him, again. "Would you enjoy it?" she said quietly. Her words stunned him, the best he could do was play along. She was learning acting. Maybe that was all this was. He tried not to read anything more than that into it, but it was hard not to. "I think you know I would, don't you?" "You know that is why I came. I needed to get my best shot at you." "So I would come after you?" Dorothy couldn't help her smile, "I hoped." Kevin was thoroughly confused. This was a fantasy come true, but it was also so unexpected, that he couldn't believe the words he was hearing. Did she have any idea what she was saying? Before either one could say another word, the group closed in on them, some going after Kevin, some pulling Dorothy away. He saw, in the midst of pillows swinging, her eyes. Those same eyes that had looked at him as they pulled her from under him. After he had touched her, and after her hand brushed against his hardness. In his shame, she had looked at him with an expression he saw in his sleep. Once again he saw it. Then it went blank, as a pillow swung towards his face. He turned towards his attackers, looking at them finally and realizing that Liz and Jill were among them, both with big smiles on their faces. "Both of you will pay for that," he said swinging out. They both laughed and the pillows swung harder. Many of the girls had thought only a half of an hour was much to short of a time, but now, everyone was realizing that this was hard work. Many were sweating. Their nightshirts were clinging to their young bodies. Not more than twenty feet away from Kevin, Jill, and Liz, laughter erupted. Everyone turned to see a cloud of feathers fly up. "One pillow 'down'," a girl said. Many groaned at the pun. Kevin hadn't realized it, but as he was swinging, moving, chasing, he was now more in the center of the quadrant. He heard a scream, and he turned towards the noise but couldn't see. What he missed was a girl's thin nightshirt had been stepped on and ripped right off her. She didn't know anything better to do than hold the orange paper above her head and run towards the center, to safety. Another pillow burst five feet from Kevin, and then suddenly a girl ran right through the feathers, running right into him. He instinctively put his arms around the girl, preventing her from falling to the ground. He let go as she tried to wipe her face. The sweat from her body had plastered the feathers to her. Kevin reached down and gently wiped her face clean. She blinked a couple of times while trying to spit feathers from around her mouth. Looking down and then up at him, she realized who it was, and screamed. He then noticed everyone had stopped, around him. As the girl ran off, he noticed her bare backside. His mouth dropped open. He pointed after her, "Was she..." "It sure looked like it," Jill answered. "I think I need to go sit down for a moment." "Getting too rough?" "Yes!" Kevin said. He made his way back to the outskirts, and knowing there was a bench close, headed for that. As soon as he maneuvered his way to the edge, having fun with all those wanting to get a whack in, he saw that Dorothy was sitting there. Kevin thought better of that, but then he found some of the girls had moved away from him, and he was in plain sight of her. It would be difficult to do anything but sit down there, now. "May I join you?" Kevin asked. "Yes, please do," Dorothy smiled. She had a thin blanket around her, as the air was getting a chill to it. The girls on the field didn't notice it. But as she was sitting, the blanket was nice to have. They sat in silence for a moment. Kevin feeling like he was back in school, himself. "How is your cast?" "Not bad. Gets itchy every now and then. The doctor said that is a sign of healing," he laughed. "And you?" "I can sit," she giggled. "It's much better. Dorothy got up and rearranged her blanket, now having the effect of being a cloak with a hood over it. It wasn't lost on Kevin. She was playing the little red riding hood. It made him a bit nervous. You know..." Dorothy started to say. "Yes?" "We never finished our conversation." "Dorothy..." "I know you think I'm too young." Kevin couldn't believe what she had just said to him. What was going on? She continued before he could think of a response. "I just, well. It's hard not thinking about that day when you saved me." Kevin was red, partially from embarrassment. "My mind has removed all of the bad parts. I have a hard time even seeing the dogs now." "What do you see?" Kevin asked, he throat suddenly dry. Dorothy chuckled, "Jill, telling you to feel me." As Kevin turned a bit redder, she continued. "And you getting so embarrassed." "I was!" "I'm not that bad looking, am I?" "Oh, no! You look..." His mouth hung open realizing what he was telling her. "I thought you liked it. Thanks." "But I wasn't suppose to." "Why?" "Well I was there to help you." "If I was in your place, I would have looked at you." "Dorothy!" "You know I touched it." Kevin could feel the heat radiating from his face. He was sure people would look over from the glow. "We shouldn't talk about it." "Oh," Dorothy said. "Jill said in the hospital, that you were upset at what I might have thought about you, like you were bad for what you did. I also am too old to come back next year. So I may never see you again." She said the last part, with sorrow in her voice. Now, it was starting to make sense to Kevin, she was trying to put his mind at ease. That was expectable. "I didn't want you to think I'd done anything to take advantage of you." "Not at all," Dorothy hid her face, and added, "I kind of liked it. It felt very nice." There was a lull in the conversation. Dorothy had one more question to ask. "Kevin, it made me tingle when your hand rubbed into me, you know..." "Yes," he said, wishing his pillow was on his lap. "I felt the tingle again, when I rubbed up against your... and it was hard." She looked at him, stopping until he looked back at her. "Is that what happens when a man and woman touch?" ------- Chapter 58 A reader, keeping me honest, pointed out a mistake that I had made. Fred Blaney died. The older father and son, the son being a friend of FredÕs are the ones in jail. I messed up. Not the first time and probably not the last either. I appreciate that there are those out there, so in tune with the story to pick up details like that. He had been rereading the story and noticed it. As the next chapter is now out and continues with this thread, I felt it important to correct. It involves about three lines of text. You may want to reread this chapter before the next one, or if you donÕt, just know that Fred is dead. Jill emerged from the sea of girls engaged in the pillow fight, to find Kevin with a panicked look upon his face. Dorothy had a smile of conquest on her's. She sat down, on the far side of Dorothy, thrusting the two closer together. Leaning over, she looked Kevin in the eye. "Now tell me you would have missed this for the world." He didn't know what to say. He felt trapped at the moment. His desires were raging within him, his conscience in turmoil. "Dorothy!" Jill said, raising her eyebrows. "I believe you have been driving poor Kevin crazy. What did you tell him?" Dorothy didn't look at Jill, but at Kevin. She answered, as she had read in the romantic novel the girls passed around. "The truth, as I know my soul feels it." Jill suspected as much from Dorothy, especially after their last talk. This had been right before she talked her parents into letting her come to the school for this celebration. Jill wondered how much of that book (from the phrase she recognized Dorothy just repeat), were ideas she wanted to play out with Kevin. She could only be somewhat concerned. She knew Kevin would, and could, only let himself go so far. He would then pull back. Dorothy didn't know that. "Kevin? Do you remember what I said?" Jill mentioned. His head barely shook 'no', but his eyes showed confusion. "You can not hurt by taking what is given." Kevin's mouth dropped open. Dorothy laughed. "Can you walk me down to the meadow? I'd really love to see it again," Dorothy asked. "I'll tell your sister where you are," Jill winked, "after a bit." Dorothy stood, and held her hands out to Kevin. He looked over to Jill, wanting help. "Kevin, don't keep the lady wait. Just walk down to the meadow with her." Somehow, that made sense to him. Just walk down to the meadow. He could do that. Standing, he took hold of Dorothy's hand. Unfortunately, it was the one she had to use with her crutch. She smiled at him, as she let go of his hand. She tried to make light of it, but it crushed him. Realizing the problem, he bent over to pick the crutch up off of the ground. Jill and Dorothy looked at each other, not wanting to laugh. They knew he was trying to be gallant, but he was giving them a great show of his backside. As he handed her the wooden tool, he noticed the smile on her face, and smiled back. Tucking the crutch under her arm, she extended her other hand to him. He walked around her and took hold of it and they walked down the path, into the darkness. The only other one to pay any attention was Grace; whom, a minute later, showed up by Jill's side. "What was all that about?" "What?" Jill said, surprised by her presence. "Kevin and Dorothy walking off together." Jill was suddenly riddled with guilt. She could have just placed Kevin in jeopardy with his job. Grace watched Jill stammer for a bit. "I hope she doesn't take advantage of him," Grace said, "I'm not sure he could take it. He feels guilty enough, just looking at the girls." Jill looked at Grace, her mouth hanging open. Grace laughed at Jill's reaction. "You don't think I don't know about Kevin's interests?" Her smile warmed. "He has confessed to me several times; worried about himself. Frankly, Jill; it is the men we have employed at this school that don't say anything, that don't worry, that you have to watch for. I'm not so worried for Dorothy, as I am for Kevin. Go find them in about five minutes, will you?" Jill nodded her head, looking towards the way they had walked off. "The girls have about ten more minutes, it isn't until the pillow fight stops that people would realize they were missing." "I'll get them back in time," Jill said, understanding what Grace was implying. ------- Kevin Smith felt like a schoolboy, holding onto Dorothy's hand. Lightheaded, due to the rush of excitement from their touch. The going was slow. The crutch proved to be a bit more challenging to Dorothy, while holding Kevin's hand, but she was not about to let go. He had butterflies in his stomach, and was feeling tongue-tied. There was an age difference, but he thought it was more than just that. Maybe; because for once in a long, long time, he was with a female that was interested in him. Maybe it was because circumstances had placed them together, without him feeling that pain of rejection he'd always received before. "Are you embarrassed?" Dorothy asked, shattering the silence. "No. I was just thinking." "About me?" Dorothy said playfully. "Yes. I don't understand." "Don't understand what?" "Why you would want to be here." Kevin stopped, looking across the still meadow. The sliver of a moon was casting a slight glow. The grass that was just starting to catch the dew, and glimmered in the scant moonlight. "Don't you think it is beautiful? This place is so wonderful." "Yes... but I didn't mean here. I meant with me. You're more beautiful than this place, by far," he stammered out. Dorothy giggled. "I knew what you meant. If my father knew I was here alone with you, he'd die," she saw the panic on Kevin's face. "I want to be here, with you," she added, softly. He looked at her face. The beauty she possessed drew him. He was lost in her eyes, and knew it. She possessed him. He felt all of those dreams of her flooding his consciousness. "I'm old enough to..." "No, you're not," Dorothy interrupted him. "My father is in his late fifties. You saw him. You might look a bit like him," then she added, to hide her embarrassment, "but he's almost old enough to be your father." Then she got serious, "Kevin?" He swallowed hard, "Yes?" "What do I have to do, to get you to kiss me?" A line straight from the book. It tantalized her as she said the words. Somehow, the feelings inside of her were stronger now. Stronger than they had been when she had read them, or dreamed about saying them. "Uuuuhh," was all Kevin could get out, he was petrified. "Don't you want to?" Dorothy said hurt. "No, I mean yes," he stumbled on his words. "What's wrong then?" "The truth?" Kevin asked, knowing somehow this was the end. "Yes, the truth." "I'm scared." "Kevin, I haven't had a lot of practice. I'm sure you are a lot better than I am." Kevin tried to smile, but his stomach was in knots. "Don't count on it. I haven't kissed many girls. Dorothy," he said, resigned to get his feelings hurt once again, "I have never had much luck with dating. You and I are probably about equal in knowledge." She smiled radiantly, "Good, then we can both learn from each other," she said hopefully. "I... Dorothy, there is another problem." "What?" her face clouded. "Being older than you, and a man, I... Well, if I kissed you, I'm afraid I might go out of control." "You mean if we kissed, you'd rape me?" Kevin was shocked at her words. "I don't think I could ever hurt you, but I can almost guarantee that I'd want to do more than kiss. Dorothy? Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" Smiling, she said, "I'm glad you said that. I want you to always think of me that way." "How could I not?" "Even when we are old and gray, and have grandkids?" "What?" Kevin said stunned. "Kevin, please kiss me. I want more than that, too," giving away some of her intentions, "but I have to get you to kiss me, first." "Are you sure?" "Very sure. I'll just die, if you don't kiss me." Kevin leaned into her, tipping his head down. He tilted to the right at the same time she tilted to her left. Their noses collided and there was an embarrassed laugh between the two of them. He took his trembling hands, and placed them on each side of her smooth cheeks, causing her to smile. Tilting her head opposite his, he pulled her face forward, and their lips met. Jill knew it was time to find the pair. It was odd, now, to think of them that way. From behind a tree, she watched them in fascination. The man who was afraid, mostly of himself. The girl, who was in love with love. Jill watched as they kissed. Dorothy dropped her crutch, as she was obviously getting lost. She was holding onto, and being held, by Kevin. He looked silly in a woman's nightshirt, his cast showing. Still, obvious even in her vantage point, there was something there that was unmistakable: passion. After several minutes of uninterrupted kissing, Jill knew she had to break up their bliss. Making a throat clearing noise did the trick. Kevin stumbled, and fell backwards. He tried to let go of Dorothy, but she was holding on, and came down with him. As they were falling, Dorothy's eyes shot to Jill. As she landed on top of Kevin, Jill saw Dorothy's eyes suddenly get larger, and Kevin stammering. Jill rushed over, feeling guilty for causing their fall. She got there, with Dorothy rolling to her side. Both Jill and Dorothy saw the cause of her expression. Kevin's nightshirt was pulled up from the fall, and there was a pronounced tent in his boxers. As if that embarrassing situation couldn't get worse for him; as Dorothy started to pull away from him, his dick found the boxer's opening, and sprang forward, showing itself to the two girls. Jill had seen a few dicks, but was still surprised by its appearance. Dorothy had never seen one, and was staring, her mouth hanging open. "That really goes into me?" Dorothy said in disbelief, as Kevin was frantically trying to get the hard tool stuffed back into the unyielding flap. "A baby comes out of that same opening, Dorothy," Jill said, rather clinically. The ridiculousness of that statement sent them all laughing. Easing the embarrassment. "What are you doing down here?" Dorothy said, realizing that she had now lost any more opportunities with Kevin. "Grace wanted me to get you, before the party was over, and girls started noticing that the two of you were not around." "G... G... Grace," Kevin stammered. Jill smiled, "Yes, she told me to find you two, about five minutes after you left." "She saw us?" Dorothy said as stunned as Kevin. Jill talking to Kevin said, "Stop your worrying, Grace didn't have a problem with you walking down here with Dorothy. I think you should be worried more, about how hard your heart is going to break, when Dorothy has to leave." "Jill!" Dorothy exclaimed. Then glancing over to Kevin, she saw his embarrassment was taken away, and replaced with a sad look. Jill apparently had hit that right on target. He got up, and then extended his hand to assist Dorothy. Dorothy asked him as soon as she was up, and standing right next to him. "Are you going to be as sad as your face showed?" "Worse, I think." He was feeling the courage from that kiss, to say things he had never could have said, before. "You pulled my life into you, with that kiss." They stood there looking at each other, not knowing what to do. "Come on, before the horn sounds," Jill said. It was too late. As soon as they had taken several steps, its sound could be heard, as well as many disappointed cries. "This way," Jill said, turning the two around, "We'll go to the administration building." "Good idea," Kevin said. As they walked, Kevin and Dorothy exchanged glances. Soon, he had his hand down, offering it. She took it in her hand, and they both smiled. Everyone was still in the quad, when they reached the administration building. "Kevin? Go in and change, while I sit here with Dorothy," Jill said. As soon as the door shut, Dorothy, all smiles, and said, "Did you see that kiss? I've been kissed! And good!" Jill smiled, "Yes, I saw. I didn't think you two were going to end it." "I was hopping it wouldn't. Oh, Jill, what am I going to do now? Those books never spoke of the feelings I'm feeling now. I've fallen in love with a man my father would shoot, if he knew I wanted to see him. I won't be back here next year. It isn't fair." "To make matters worse; he's in love with you, too, isn't he?" Jill asked. "I kind of think so. He started talking to me. Like you do. You know, from the heart. If he's not, it wouldn't take but another kiss to have him fall that way." "Is that what you want?" "Oh God, Yes!" then Dorothy's shoulders fell. "Jill, I've been going to school here for eight years. I hardly remember the other two men that were here, before Kevin. For the last four years, I've watched him." "What about other boys your own age?" Jill asked, not knowing if this was Dorothy's first experience or not. "I've seen other boys, during the summer. Last summer, a couple of them even tried to kiss me," Dorothy rolled her eyes, giving the indication it didn't work out well. "They were never like my," she stopped short of saying, 'father', "I mean, Kevin." "You've been wanting this for a long time, then," Jill stated, already knowing the answer. "When I saw him with you, when you were rescuing me... Jill, I saw my 'knight in shining armor'," then Dorothy blushed, "When you told him to touch me, I thought I was going to die and go to heaven. If I hadn't been in so much pain, I would have attacked him, right then." "So now what are you going to do?" Jill asked. "I don't know. I don't even know how I'm going to write him." "That's easy, write me. I'll send the letter to him," Jill said. "You'd do that for me?" "Of course. Do I get to read what you write?" "Oh, you!" Both girls were laughing, when Kevin came out the door, dressed in his usual clothing. "What is so funny," he said, feeling self-conscious. "Nothing I'm sure a kiss won't take care of," Jill answered, "I'm walking back to the group. I'll tell Grace where you two are." "Do you think that's safe?" Kevin asked. "For me, or you?" Jill laughed. "I meant..." he looked over to Dorothy, realizing how much he had risked already, and how much he was willing to, "Oh, forget it. Go on." "I'm gone." Jill turned around, right before she was out of sight. The two were on the front steps, making out like two kids. Jill smiled. Maybe Kevin could grow out of his fear, as the two of them grew together. It might be good for both of them to be separated. Dorothy had it bad for him. It would give them both a chance to think. "Where are they?" Jill was asked by Dorothy's sister, Susan. Grace standing next to her. "On the front steps of the administration building." "You left them there?" Grace asked. Jill shrugged her shoulders. "I hope, for every ones sake; that they are behaving, then. The girls' father is going to be picking them up from there," Grace said. Jill turned around, and started running back, Susan right behind her. Susan's eyes were bugging out, when she saw them in a tight embrace. They could see the parking lot now, and no one was there. They slowed to a walk. "Their making out!" Susan whispered. "Yes, your sister is certainly smitten." "You mean she's finally acted on what she's been talking about, for years," Susan said, exasperated. "I think he feels the same way." "Really? Oh, I didn't expect this so soon." "What?" "Just wait and see." As the two got close, Kevin and Dorothy were suddenly aware of them. They pulled apart, trying to straighten up. Jill and Susan laughed at them, and they turned red. "You two have to be a lot more discrete. If anyone saw you, other than us... And what would Dad say?" Susan asked. Both Kevin and Dorothy nodded, knowing full well what might have happened. "Well," Jill asked Dorothy, "Did that do it?" "What?" Kevin wanted to know. "She said that if you weren't in love with her yet, one more kiss should do it," Jill explained. Susan dropped her jaw, and Dorothy was bright red. Kevin turned to her, "Did you really?" Dorothy nodded, not wanting to look him in the eyes from embarrassment. "It didn't need that one to do it. I was in love with you before the first one." Before Dorothy could say anything, lights shone onto the parking lot. "Damn, I'll bet that's Dad," Dorothy said. "Dorothy!" Kevin said. "I know, I just don't want to go," she said, looking into his eyes. He gave her a little squeeze. "It will be ok," he said, although he didn't feel that way. The car swung around, just as Grace came walking up. "I thought I saw car headlights," Grace said, as though nothing else might have occurred. Susan and Dorothy's father and mother got out of the car, and came walking up the short path. "Oh! Mom, Dad, it was so much fun!" Susan began. "Dorothy, what about you? You didn't over do it, did you?" "No, Mom. I just played for a bit, and then sat down and watched. Then," Dorothy stopped herself from saying Kevin, "Mr. Smith and I hobbled down the lane." "We were going to ask how you are doing?" the mother asked Mr. Smith. "Another two weeks, and they say I can have this terrible thing off." "We're so sorry," the mother began apologizing. "Think nothing of it. I would gladly rescue your daughter, anytime," he said with a laugh. "Well then, you'll have it off before the fourth of July," the father said. "If you don't have plans, we were thinking we would invite you out to our property." Dorothy felt like she was going to faint. Susan had a grin as wide as it could be. Now Jill knew what Susan was talking about, earlier. "It was Susan's idea, and a darn good one at that," their father explained. "I know we can never repay you, but you're always welcome. We usually have quite a party." "Yes, do come," Carol went on. "The party goes on for the whole weekend. You can stay right in the main house with us, if you have the time." "I'm sure we can let him go for a few days," Grace said, with a wink to Kevin. Kevin was just about to fall over. "You will come, won't you?" Dorothy said to him. "How I could say no?" Jill started to quietly snicker. "Oh, good! Then you'll accept our other little gift," Dorothy's mother said. Dorothy and Susan looked at their mother, wondering what that was. She hadn't mentioned a gift. Kevin was looking at Dorothy, "I don't think I could refuse anything, at this point." ------- Robin woke in Keith's arms. A wonderful place to be, so far as she was concerned. But something wasn't right, and she knew it. He was holding back something. She could feel it. As soon as he opened his eyes, smiling, kissing her, she knew she had to ask. "I want you to tell me what's troubling you?" "I don't think you do." "Why?" "I had a hard enough time with it. I don't know how to tell you, without making you angry. The problem is, that that anger will be misplaced." "I don't think I understand," Robin said, cocking her head, trying to figure out what in the world he was saying. "I still want you to tell me." "Ok. But you have to promise me two things, first." "Sure, what?" "First you will not leave this room, until I say you can." Robin looked at the door, "And second?" "You have to help me figure out how to tell the others." "Keith, what is it!" "Do you promise?" "Yes, now tell me." "I'm serious. No leaving the room. Do you need to use the bathroom first?" Robin frowned. "Yes," she said slowly, "I guess I'd better." That was a good pause, as I was still unsure what to say. I didn't have any idea how she would take the news. As soon as she came back in, her face was solemn. She'd been thinking. "Is there something wrong with the mine?" "No, Sweetheart." "Oh, good. Now what is it?" Robin said, jumping onto the bed next to me. "Please don't scream. I don't want anyone to run in here." I could see the panicked look appearing in her eyes. "Do you remember the man's name, who hit your uncle on the head?" Her brow crinkled. "Blanny, or something like that, I think." "Fred Blaney. Now Fred had a son," I paused, and took hold of her hand. "It was his son that led Brian to the mine shaft. That boy died in the fall." "Good." Robin said, with a fierceness I hadn't seen come from her before. "I was afraid of that. It's why I didn't know how to tell you." "What do you mean?" "Why is it good, that his son was so angry? That he wanted to hurt Brian, and died because of it?" "Because... Well," her voice softened, "I don't like seeing Brian hurt." "I don't think any of us do." "I guess I'm a terrible person, to think that way." "No, that was my reaction too. I guess it is just hard to understand." "So what brought this up? Did Brian tell Richard who it was?" "I don't think so. I'm not sure Brian remembers much of that. He might not have known, anyway." "So how do you know?" "Fred had a wife and daughter, also. They are very different type of people than what the two males in that family were." "How so?" "She was raised to repay a debt. Her husband is dead and what he did is over with. Her boy can't repay, now, and it isn't over with yet. So she feels she needs to take on this responsibility, herself." Robin was looking at me stunned. "What are they expecting to do?" "Take care of Brian, or something. I don't really know. They showed up." "What!" She yelled. "Robin. Try and be a bit more quiet?" She nodded. "They didn't know that the father and son had targeted the same family. The mother went into dry heaves when she found out. It seems that they weren't well liked, after those two incidences. No one paid them any heed in Angle City. They no longer had an income. They even found eating a very difficult thing to accomplish. So they walked up here." "Walked. You mean all the way here?" "Yes. They didn't know what else to do." "Mom's gonna..." "Yes, so is Millie. I don't know how to tell them. They seem like nice people." "But... but he killed my uncle." "Yes." I said, stopping her from saying anything more. "Now, this is how I had to look at it. If Beth Ann's aunt showed up, would you hate her?" "NO, of course not!" "But look at what her uncle did to Beth Ann." Robin was silent. Then some tears started to fall. She looked up at me. "But I want to hate someone for it." I knew that that was the thing I couldn't figure out. My dear, sweet Robin, had put it into words. I hugged her, as she cried. "I want you to meet them. I know it will be very hard at first, but I need you. I need your feelings so I can tell your mom and her sister." "Brian and Jimmy, too," she added. "Yes, them as well, but not all at the same time." Robin nodded. "Are you allright?" I asked. "Yes, can I leave my room now?" she gave me a small smile. "Yes, unless you want to..." "Is that all you think about?" then she gave me a little smile, to know she wasn't serious, "I think you had better save some of that for the others, don't you? I think your sister is one that has been waiting a long time. Maybe too long." "I think you just want to get her into our bed." Robin raised her eyebrows, "Well, maybe." I laughed. It was a good end to a difficult conversation, but one that wasn't over yet. ------- Patrick McCarran woke with his arm dead to the world. His wife was still next to him, sound asleep. He tried to move the dead weight that was presently under her head. The arm felt like an attachment that didn't really belong there. Reaching across with his other arm, he extracted it. Then, as gently as he could, he rolled out of bed. Putting a robe on, he turned to look at his wife, one last time. Her thin frame showed gentle curves underneath the top sheet. Her hair was a mess. He knew it was from a troubled sleep. It reminded him of better times, when her hair in disarray, was from 'activity', in that bed. Closing the bedroom door, he walked to his study. Sitting at his chair, he looked at the business card one last time, and placed it back in the file with the others. Then he went searching for another one. Finding it, he grabbed his phone. "Dan is that you?" "Patrick! It's been a long time. How's the wife and girls?" "Mary just graduated, she's wonderful. Sarah has been a handful, but recently has turned everything around." "Something to do with a trip to the University? That I read in the paper?" "You heard?" "I know the three of you were there. I know you and Keith Patterson are acquaintances. How did Sarah take his accident? She's pretty young to deal with things like that." "I'll tell you about it, when I see you." "Oh, you're coming my way?" "We'll be in Grand Junction tonight." Laughing, Dan said, "You didn't give me much notice." "I didn't know I needed to see you." "Something more serious, then. When?" "Would tomorrow morning be allright?" "That would be fine," then Dan chuckled. "You won't mess up my work schedule that way, just my golf game." "That, I'm not going to worry about. If I remember right, you always win when we play." "Patrick, is this for Sarah?" "No," Patrick paused as he put his head out of the door to look down the hall. "It is for Jane and myself." "I understand. Does she know you called me?" "No. I think we need this. I'll tell her. She has to agree, I know your rules." "Good, you're a friend. But the rules are there because they work. If she didn't want to be here..." "You've told me." "Have any idea what time?" "We are seeing a play Friday evening in Grand Junction." "The one at the girls school?" "Yes, you know about it?" "Been in the local papers. Sam and I saw it last weekend. You'll love it. The two main characters are intense to the point of making you feel their pain. I've never seen acting like it, from kids that age." "One of those is Jill. I've met her. She's one of the people Sarah wanted to see, as well as Liz Patterson, Keith's sister." "Boy, this is a small world. It will be great to see you. I'm going to have to get Sam out of the house for a few hours, so we can do some work. When she comes back, she'll be mad that I didn't tell her you two were coming, but that's life." "You know how to work through those things, I guess." "I don't have 'the perfect marriage'. But I can see when things are going a bit off, yes. It doesn't always prevent it. But having the tools to use, can make it so they don't become such big problems that they are insurmountable." "Ok. I'd better get off the phone, or you'll start charging me for this," Patrick laughed. "I already have the tab going," Dan jibed back. Patrick walked back down the hallway, feeling like a weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders. Dan (a marriage and family counselor) was a friend from high school. They had shared a lot of their sorrows and growing pains, together. Patrick trusted Dan. He felt comfortable about telling him anything. Both their wives had a good relationship together, and they had done a number of things together, over the years. Another very good plus was that no one would know. No one would see, or suspect, anything unusual. Even though Patrick hated to have to think that way, he knew that he had to. This was a campaign year. Knocking gently on Sarah's door, he opened it, to find her still in bed. Her eyes were fixed on him, as he entered. "Daddy, did I fall asleep in my clothes?" "Yes, Sweetheart. I found you on the floor, and put you to bed." Sarah smiled, "So that wasn't a dream. Thank you." "Sarah, I know this was going to be just the two of us, but I want Jane to come with us." "So you can see Dan and Sam?" Patrick raised his eyebrows at her. "Your voice carries. I can hear most of your conversations, when the house is quiet like this." "Still, you shouldn't listen." "But is that why?" "I thought it would be good for us to see some friends." There was an instant understanding between daughter and father. Nothing more needed to be said about that subject. "Is she going to see the play too?" "I didn't think about that. I'd better call, and see if I can get another ticket. It's time to get up. You need to finish packing. I'm sure you will want to call someone before you go, as well. I hear you've taken to the phone." "Dad!" "You do know that they only have one phone, in the entire town of Carp." "Stop it! No town is like that." Patrick laughed. Both were in good spirits, now. He'd let her find out what a small town like Carp, is really like. Calling the school, Patrick was directed to Grace. She got hold of the ticket chart, and there was one seat left. But, as they were assigned seats, that seat would not be with the other two. Patrick had little choice, and took it. At that point, it was a sold out show. The first in the history of the school. Now Patrick walked back to his bedroom. He found his wife up, and taking a shower. Opening up the storage unit near their bedroom, he pulled out two suitcases, and laid them on the bed. Then he started packing his. When she had finished her shower, she came out into the bedroom. She noticed the two cases. "I didn't think you'd be gone long," she said. He turned to her, walking over to stand right in front of her. "I'm not," he said, "it's just a few days. I want you to come with me." "But I..." "I need you to come with me." Patrick took her hand, and led her over to the bed. He sat on one edge of it, with her. "I called Dan this morning. I want us to see him." "Oh, that will be fun, I haven't seen Sam in ages." "Yes," Patrick said, taking her hand and looking into her eyes, "but I want us to see him." She looked down at her hands, "Oh." "I don't like what happened last night. This is not the way things should be. You and I... We are not as good as we should be together." She looked up at him. "Honey, I want us to try," he said to her. Her lips started quivering, her eyes filling with water. She grabbed hold of him, and held tightly, crying. After she had settled down, he had to ask. "I need to hear it. Will you go see Dan with me?" "Yes," she said softly. ------- I had Kristin and Robin in the car with me, along with a large plate of food. We drove up to Rebecca's old place. I noticed that the front porch had been swept, as I knocked. The woman who opened the door this morning, looked almost human, except for the thinness of her frame. Their lack of food was more revealing, now. The dust and dirt covering their decaying existence, had been removed. Kristin had seen them yesterday. I could tell, though; that the way they looked now, bothered her even more. It was easy to reduce someone's perceived worth, by their shabby outside appearance. Robin stared at the two. She put out her hands, with the food for them. I think it was pure shock. I had seen worse, yet had never known those people. Having contact with these two, made their predicament hard for me to take. "Robin, this is Mrs. Blaney and her daughter," I noticed them staring at the food offered. "Go ahead and eat. We have already done so. It is later than I expected, to get this over to you." Mrs. Blaney looked up to my face, "Thank you." I ushered us in, and to the table. There were four chairs, so I stood. "Now don't get upset," I said to Mrs. Blaney, as I watched her daughter ravenously eating. "I want to tell you who these two are. You didn't get any introductions, yesterday. Kristin is my sister. More than that, she's a very special part of my life and my future." Kristin looked over to me, and smiled. "Robin is my wife," I noticed the mother and daughter's eyes go from the food to Robin, assessing her. "Her mother is Katy. Katy and Bill were brother and sister, but they also became lovers. Robin's brother Jimmy, was Katy and Bill's child." "Bill? He was the one my husband done in?" Mrs Blaney asked remorsefully, not wanting to look up from her plate. "Yes," I answered. Mrs. Blaney looked up, there was a single tear running down a crease in her tired, old looking face, stricken with grief. "I'm so sorry for what my husband did to your family," Robin couldn't stand it any longer, and got up, moving towards the woman. I saw her cringe and pull back, waiting to be hit. Instead Robin wrapped her arms around the surprised woman. "I wanted to hate you. When Keith told me you were here, I was angry," Robin lowered her face. "I didn't expect to find this. You look like you haven't eaten in weeks. You walk up here from Angle City, to offer anything you can. I'm sorry for judging you like that. I was not raised to do that, to anyone." The girl said slowly as if she might not say her name right, "Robin." Robin looked at the girl. She saw a longing, an unspoken need. She took a step, and pulled the girl into her arms. The girl broke down, crying in great sobs. I had seen, and heard in the girl's voice last night, the need to be wanted. Needing to no longer be an outcast, for things she had no control over. Robin moved the girl, sat, and pulled the girl into her lap "You two will need to be here for a while. I'm still not sure what will happen. The two that will really determine your future in this town, are Bill's two sisters, Katy and Millie. It will be harder for them to accept you, than for Robin. I hope you understand that," I said to the mother. She sniffled looking at her daughter, still in Robin's embrace. "We have already received more than we could have ever expected." The girl, with tear streaked eyes, reached over and tugged on my sleeve. "You were right, last night. I'm starting to believe, again." I smiled at her. "You two have some work to do, today. I told you last night, that this place needed a good cleaning. I see that the porch has already had a sweeping. We'll stop by later, to see how things are going, and to bring more food." "That's just not right. We should be doin' more than cleaning this place, just cause you're allowing us to stay here. And your bringin' us food, too. We need to be doing stuff for that," Mrs. Blaney said, trying to retain some dignity. "Listen to me! If my brother made you do anything more than that, right now, I'd spank his bare bottom," Kristin said, to our surprise. It did make everyone laugh. "We'll get this figured out," I said. "In the mean time, you are our guests." "We came to repay a debt, not to be treated as guests." Mrs. Blaney said, still uncomfortable with the idea. Robin reached over, with the girl still in her lap, and took hold of the mother's hand. "You didn't hear what I said," Robin paused, "or know what I felt. Keith talked some sense into me, and I met you. We need to work on my mom and aunt, so they will accept you as well. Then you can do what you came for. Until then, nothing can be done." "She's got some brains, doesn't she?" Mrs. Blaney said to me. ------- "How did Robin hold out?" Richard asked me when we returned to the Mansion. "She gave both of them a hug, in the end." "I can only hope as much for Katy. But I know it is going to be harder for her." "Yes. Robin has set up something, already." "What are you two deep in thought about," Katy asked, coming out the back door, and seeing us at the corner of the house. "Wondering if you wanted to take a ride," I said, much to Richard's surprise. He sat, and listened to our interchange. "Oh, where?" Katy asked, and then added, "Anyplace fun?" "No, just the opposite. Someplace that is going to make you feel bad." I said it in such a tone, that she couldn't make out if I was joking or not. "Why would I want to do that? Haven't I seen enough of that, recently?" "Yes, you have." "I suppose you know all about this?" Katy turned the tables to Richard. "Katy?" I said, bringing her attention back to me. "None of us planned any of this." "What do you want me to do?" "Get Robin and Jimmy." "You're not going to tell me anything more than that?" I was shaking my head as I said, "No." Katy was used to my pranks, but there was no smile, nor a hint that one might come. She looked at me, then to her husband, then back to me again. "Fine," she said. "I'll get them." As soon as she went back inside, Richard started. "That was a bit hard on her, don't you think?" "Not as hard as it is going to be. She needs to be prepared. I don't know how best to do it. So I'm relying on Robin." "What did she say?" "For everyone to go to the grave." "Bill's?" Richard said in astonishment. "Yes." "Isn't that going to aggravate the problem? I don't see how..." He was cut short, with Jimmy running out the door. I just said, "There's a lot more." "More what?" Jimmy inquired. "None of your business, Buster," I said, and started chasing him around the yard with my hands out. It was a little comical, with me still in the cast. Robin and Katy, along with Barbara, Dora, and Stephanie, came out the door. "What's going on?" Stephanie asked. "Katy, Robin, Jimmy, Richard, and I, have an important appointment. Katy looked at me, "You didn't say anything about an appointment." "Hmmm. No, I guess I didn't." Her eyes narrowed. "I hope this won't take too long," I said. "I'm sorry, this trip is just for us." I walked over, and opened up the door of the car. Robin and Jimmy climbed into the front seat. Richard and Katy sat in the back. As soon as I started, Robin shifting for me, Katy asked again. "Are you going to tell me now, what is going on?" "First, we are going to see your father." I noticed the expression on Richard's face in the rear view mirror. "What aren't you telling me?" Katy demanded now. "Mom," Robin said, "just let it happen." Katy settled back into her seat, but I could see that this was not setting well with her. I was just hoping Robin knew what she was doing. We rode the rest of the way into town, in silence. When I turned down the last lane in town, I saw Katy sitting up, and looking out the window. She knew, at this point, where we were heading. In the short distance ahead, among the tombstones, stood Patrick Theisen. Katy drew a breath, and let out a long sigh. "What's wrong, Mom?" Jimmy asked. "Apparently we are going to see a grave. I can only guess as to whose," was her answer. I could feel the stare boring holes in the back of my head. Jimmy looked at Robin and me. I nodded to him. I pulled up, as close as I could. I was still wondering if this was such a good idea. Images of the funeral, Patrick's sudden appearance, and what Katy said to him that day. These were bouncing around in my head. "Are you going to turn off the car?" I heard Katy say. "Yes." "I would guess we are here for a reason," she continued. Her mood was already tense. I turned around in my seat. Damn this cast. "This is not fun. I told you already, it was not going to be. And this is only the start. I'm not going to make light of it, Katy. Your daughter already had to go through this. I did that, so she could help me to figure out how to help tell you. Now, it is time to get out of the car." I opened my door and exited, knowing that I needed to get out, while she was too stunned to ask any more questions. I noticed Richard had opened his door, and was getting out as well. The last one out was Katy. She was staring at both Robin, and myself. Jimmy was not paying much attention to what was going on between any of us. We walked over to where Patrick stood. The next time I looked, Katy had tears running down her face. We were silent for a few minutes. The breeze gently rustled the grass. "Bill was my only son," Patrick said, in a voice that told how he was trying to hold back his tears. "I wish I would have been able to know him. I wish I had not been such a damned fool." "Oh, Dad," Katy said, running over and hugging him. They wept for some time. Katy looked over to me and sniffled, "I still don't see what we are doing." "This is the start of a longer process of forgiveness, as your daughter put it to me." Katy looked at Robin. "Mom, we have someone that you need to meet." "Who?" Patrick interrupted, "Jimmy why don't you and I go and visit Mildred. I need to see her, and I understand you might like to see her daughter." Jimmy looked at him, not quite knowing what he was getting at. "I hear Pamela is there, with her mother," Patrick said more plainly. Jimmy just smiled. "Come on, then," Patrick said, and held out his hand. The two walked off towards the edge of downtown. As soon as they were away from hearing distance, I asked Richard a question Robin had asked me. "Did Brian tell you who the boy was, who led him to the mine?" "No. I'm not sure he remembers." "Why are you asking that, Keith? I think it's time I got some answers," Katy interjected. "You are right. I will tell you on one condition." "Now what?" "You have to promise to see someone you don't know." "Keith," Katy said, and then looking at Richard, "this isn't making sense. What is going on?" "Katy, you are not going to want to see this person. Yet it is important that you do. There is no point in me saying another word, unless you promise that you will see that person." Katy looked at Richard and asked him, more than me, "Will I be safe?" "Yes, Dear. I would not let anything harm you." "Ok, Keith. I promise. Now out with it." "You know that the man who put your brother here, is dead." "Yes, and I hope he rots in hell," Katy said with anger behind her voice. Robin looked at me. I shook my head slightly. "He had a son, who was filled with the same kind of hate." Katy looked at me, Robin, and then to Richard. She didn't want to ask, but as no one said anything she knew she must. "Was that what you were asking Richard about. It was that boy?" "Yes," I answered. "Oh, dear God." "There is a mother and daughter to that family as well." Another long silence. "Mom, they are different than the father, or the son," Robin said. "How would you know?" Katy asked, and then a shocked expression filled her face, "You've seen them?" "Yes," Robin said, nodding. "Where? When?" "Mom, you need to meet them, too." Katy was already shaking her head before the "no," came out. "Katy.You promised. I'm holding you to that," I said. Her eyes glared at me for the trap I'd laid for her. "Mom, you need to," Robin said. "He wasn't your brother," Katy said bitterly to her daughter. "No, Mom, he wasn't. He was the only father I knew, though." That stopped Katy dead in her tracks. Robin was the only one who could derail her mother. I had suspected it. I didn't know it would come to this level of intensity, but it had. Robin proved to know her mother better than any of us. "Mom, I wanted to hate them, too. But they didn't do anything. Please go and see them with me." Katy looked at me, holding my eyes as she spoke. "I don't like what you did here. It isn't right. But for my daughter, I will go and see them. When do we leave?" I looked down to the ground and back to her, "There is a bit more to the story. They are here in town. Let's go." Katy looked over to Richard, "Here? Where?" "At Rebecca's old place." "Am I the only one who doesn't know about this?" "No," I said, "Your sister doesn't know, either. Well, not yet." "Shit," Katy muttered under her breath. "Mom!" ------- When the door opened to Rebecca's old place, I was reminded of the films I had seen of the Hollywood sets. The house was a front. What was behind that scene, was a hollow empty shell. The stark contrast between the house, cleaned to a sparkle, and the females standing at the door; was enough to give anyone pain. I ushered us in, not wanting what could be an eruption, to be witnessed by anyone around. "Hello," Mrs. Blaney said, eyeing Katy. I'm sure she knew, from our previous conversations, that this would be one of the sisters. One in whom so much of her future plans lay. "Mrs. Blaney, and..." I realized at that point I had no idea the girl's name. I was instantly mad at myself, as I saw this as just another way that I was impersonalising them. "I'm sorry," I said to the girl, "I don't think I ever caught your name." "Julie," she replied, softly. "Mrs. Blaney and Julie," I started again. "This is Robin's mother, Katy," I made a gesture to Katy, pulling her into the center of the conversation. "Hello," Mrs. Blaney said, with an expression of worry and pain. "I'm sorry. This must be hard for you, like it is for me." We were all waiting, looking at Katy. Richard put his hand on her shoulder and she brushed it off. He looked at me, scared. I wasn't sure what to do. The next thing I knew, Robin had a hold of her mothers arm, and was pulling her out the door. As soon as they were out, it was slammed shut. But it might as well have been open. The sound traveled right through. "Mom, I don't know what has gotten into you. This is not how you raised me to be. I'm sad you are behaving this way." "Robin Louise, you have no idea what kind of pain it is, to have lost my bother." It was silent as we looked at each other. I noticed Mrs. Blaney with tears in her eyes. I thought, like it or not, she had lost her husband. "No, you don't think so?" Robin's voice coming through the door. "Think about this then. Cliff was never your husband, but he was my father. I had a murderer as a father. So, Mom, yes I think I know," her voice dissolved into tears. "Oh my God! Robin, I never..." I looked over to Julie, realizing Robin had voiced the position in life, Julie was in. Tears were streaming down her face. We waited, inside, for some time. I motioned us to go sit in the living room. I pulled two of the chairs from the kitchen table with us, for Richard and I to sit on. Robin opened the door and put her head in. Her swollen red eyes pained me. "Keith", she said, waving me out. As I stood, Richard looked at me. "I instigated this, I might as well pay for it," I said to him. "Keith," Mrs. Blaney said to me as I was walking to the door, "I'm sorry we've caused so much trouble." I turned, and tried a smile towards her. I couldn't say 'it was nothing'. We both would have known that was a lie. Katy was holding onto the railing, there was evidence that she had become sick. Her pail face told the rest of the story. "We'll leave and come back later," I said. "No, Keith. We should do this, now," Katy said. "Hold on, then," I said to her, shaking my head to Robin's questioning glance. Going back inside, I said, "Katy is taking this pretty hard. Understand, this has nothing to do with you two. This has to do with a lot of other things, as well." "Like Cliff?" Julie asked. "Did you ever meet him?" I asked curious. "Yes, but I tried to stay away when he was around. I didn't like him." "That shows you have a good nature about you." Julie smiled at me, whipping the tears from her face. I think that pleased her very much. "Mrs. Blaney? I think it would be best if we took Katy home." "I understand." "We'll come back later." I added, trying to ease the situation. "Alright." Richard and I walked out. He took one look at Katy, and rushed over to her. "Let's go." I said. "No, I want..." Katy started to say. "Not now," Richard firmly said to her. She looked up at him, and nodded. When we got to the house, they went to their room. Dora took over, with a cold towel for Katy's face. As soon as the activity slowed down, I took Robin into the back yard. We walked to the bench in the corner of the yard, and sat. "You might as well have not shut the door, we could hear everything. You were pretty mean to your mom." Robin looked at me, her eyes filling with tears. I continued, "Do you feel that way? You've never said anything." "I don't know what to tell you. I've never thought that much about it. Then these two show up. Suddenly I'm feeling things I've never felt before." "So somewhere back in your mind, you hurt. No one has made you think about that. So it sat there, until now?" I said, trying to figure it out. "Yes, something like that. You know my mom would have done the same to me." "Like mother, like daughter. Is that what you are trying to say?" I said, raising my eyebrows. "Well, it works in other places." "I think you are trying to change the subject." "No, well, maybe. She frightened me when she leaned over the rail and vomited." "Stress can do that." "It..." Robin looked at me with pain in her eyes, "It wouldn't hurt her baby, would it?" I smiled, "No. What we did last night was harder on your insides than what she just went through." Robin punched my arm, "It wasn't that good." "Oh?" "Ok, it was. But we weren't that active," she smiled at me. "But, really? It's ok?" "You may get what they call morning sickness. It's pretty common, and you will be throwing up." "Do you think that is what it was?" "Probably not. But it could have contributed. I don't know." "I think I should go and see her, to say I'm sorry," she said. "I think the two of you need to talk a lot more. It is best to talk about what you two were saying to each other. But not when the stakes are so high." "What do you mean?" Robin asked. "If one of you has to win, like you felt over with the Blaney's, then you aren't going to be as objective. You can't see her points, and she will misread yours." "Oh. Then we need to do it..." Robin paused as she was thinking, "down by the new pool?" she finished, with a smile on her face. "Now you're being mean to me." I started tickling her. She jumped up, laughing, and ran into the house. ------- It was mid afternoon. Patrick, his wife and daughter, drove into the parking lot of Linden Hall Boarding School. Grace had been expecting them for the last hour, and had been making everyone around her nervous. Liz had told her that Patrick was a very down to earth man, and not to worry. But worry she did. No one this important had ever visited the school before. When she saw the car pull up, she walked out of her office. She said Liz should be telephoned, as the guests were here. Jill was a bit nervous as well, for very different reasons. Sarah was going to be there, staying with them, for the last week of school. As soon as the call came in, Jill and Liz were out of their room. Others had been waiting and watching, as well. By the time they were down the path; Tiffany, Vicki, Laura, Sue, and Betty, were with them. Grace was the first to reach the car, just as the McCarran's exited, and were stretching. "Hello, I'm Grace Turcotte, the school administrator." "Hello, Mrs. Turcotte, or is that Miss?" Patrick said with a smile, setting her at ease. "It is Grace to most, except my students," she said, looking at Sarah. "You must be Sarah. I have heard quite a bit about you, from Liz." As if on cue, the throng arrived. Sarah smiled, seeing the friendly face of Liz, and wondered which one Jill was. She was answered quickly. Jill went to Patrick, and gave him a hug, as Liz was doing the same to Sarah. "I think we need some introductions, here," Patrick said. As they were lead across campus, Grace was trying to play tour guild. Jane looked over to her husband and said, "It feels like I have missed so much of your life." He took hold of her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. They continued down towards the meadow, and Grace told them of Jill's daring heroism. Sarah turned to her, "You're just like Keith." Jill shook her head, "No," she stated emphatically. "Keith knew what he was doing, what he was getting into. I just had things turn out right, by chance." Sarah laughed, "Yes, just like Keith. He doesn't like to take credit for anything, either." Liz started laughing, as Jill was blushing. "That's my brother your talking about," Liz said, "and I think you got it just about right." Jill kept on stealing glances at Sarah. Liz had not told her much. Just saying she would be coming. Liz didn't want to color her impression. Now, hearing that, she wondered what she knew of Keith. What did Keith think of her? A feeling of jealousy crept up, startling Jill. Soon it was time for Jill and Laura to get ready for the play. They left, taking Betty and Sue with them. Grace was apologizing that they couldn't all sit together. Sarah made it very clear that her mother and father would be sitting together. When she winked at her dad, when her mother wasn't looking, he knew she was doing this for them. It warmed his heart, how thoughtful his younger daughter was now becoming. It took only one trip, with several hands to carry Sarah's things, to Upper Hall. Liz joked with her about how much she had packed. Patrick laughed, and told Liz that the rest of her closet was packed, and had been sent to Carp. Everyone had a good laugh, except Sarah, who didn't think that was so funny. That is, until Liz related a story about her first year here and how much she had brought. As they walked back down to the parking lot, another car came in. Two girls got out, as soon as it stopped. Grace had a smile on her face. Liz looked at her. "Did anyone know the Johnson's were coming?" Liz asked. "No one but me. After talking with Carl and Carol, we decided it would be best, if this was a surprise all the way around. There was a bit of concern that if Jill or Laura knew, they would become very nervous," Grace answered. "I think that is putting it mildly. I'm glad they didn't know," Liz responded. "I think you have lost our guests, here," Tiffany said, looking at the confused look on the McCarran's faces. "Of course, you wouldn't have known," Liz said, as they met up with Dorothy and Susan. "Is Kevin, I mean Mr. Smith, around?" Susan asked for Dorothy. Grace had a smile on her face, she'd expected such a question, "No, he was sent home early." Dorothy's shoulders drooped. The sad look on her face was instantaneous, and more than Grace could stand. "Dorothy," she said, "He'll be back, later on this evening, I'm sure you two will get to see him." She brightened, "Thank you," she said, guarding against showing too much enthusiasm, "It would be nice to see him again." Carl and Carol Johnson, not so anxious to get out of the car as fast as the girls, walked up to the group. "Grace, you were right. As soon as they found out (or I should say, wormed it out of us), and as we weren't going home yet, they couldn't wait to get here. They did understand the reasoning, but still, it was hard to keep them away," the father said. "It is a bit early, yet. You haven't had dinner, have you?" Grace asked. "No. But they wouldn't wait. So we said we'd drop by, and then get something to eat." "We were about to do the same. Why don't we make a group of it?" Patrick said, "Grace, can you come with us, as our guest?" "Now, wait," Carl said, "if she comes, she should be our guest." "Allright. You get her, if we get these three," Patrick said, waving at Liz, Tiffany, and Vicki. Everyone laughed. Tiffany and Vicki were looking for a response from Grace. She waved her hands in the air. "Sure why not," Grace said. "I just need to alert some of the others that we will be leaving." Patrick walked into the administration building with Grace. "I think I should make a call, and get a table for us. Do you know who could accommodate us on such short notice?" "There is only one that I know of, that will have the room for certain. But I hate to suggest it, as it might be pricey." "Oh, that doesn't bother me," Patrick said, "I'm not buying your dinner." Grace laughed, "Liz said you were not at all like the politician types that some might conjer up in their heads." "I'll take that as a complement, then." Grace noticed that he did tell them who he was, in connection to the large party. When he hung up, he told her it did come in handy, to have such a title at times. Dinner was wonderful, the restaurant was ecstatic to have a dignitary at their place. Patrick agreed to have a photo with the owner, he noticed that the photographer was more press like and not part of the family business. Mentioning it, he was told it was indeed the local paper's photographer, but also a son in law. It would be placed prominently in the establishment. Carl joked that if he'd know who Patrick was, he'd let him take them all out. The McCarran's heard the full-blown version of the fire, wild horses, mad dogs, and Jill and Mr. Smith's rescue of Dorothy. Then they were told of how Jill and Laura ended up taking over Dorothy's and Susan's places in the play. Patrick noticed that Sarah had been silent during the whole story. He turned his daughter's head towards him, and noticed her eyes moist. She tried to shake her head, not wanting anything said, but Dorothy saw it. "It's ok now, Sarah. I think the play is better with them as leads anyway." Sarah turned to Dorothy, "I'm glad you can see it that way. I'm still having problems." Dorothy crinkled her brow, "Really, it is not a problem." "Dorothy," Liz said, "Sarah was referring to herself, I think. She still feels responsible about Keith's fall." They had a blank look on their faces, "Oh, I guess you were gone, when that happened." The rest of the dinner was spent talking about Keith. Dorothy and Susan tried to reassure Sarah it wasn't her fault. Dorothy especially. Then Dorothy related the story about how she had found out that Jill had had to start on a rabies vaccination. Everyone around the table shuddered about that. They had all heard horror stories of the painful procedure. Seeing it from another person's perspective, was helpful for Sarah, and she told Dorothy so. When they returned to the school, the parking lot was starting to fill. Waiting at the front of the administration building, was a Kevin Smith, unlike any of them had ever seen. He was in a suit. With the other events going on, he was very suspicious when Grace told him to get dressed up. After Dorothy and Susan's mother, Carol, said there would be a gift, he suspected that he was going to be dragged up in front of the stage. That is where Jill would be already, to give him some sort of hero's award. He wasn't looking forward to that, but he wasn't going to look like a fool, either. So he had dressed as well as he could. When he saw Dorothy step out of her car, in an evening dress, his heart danced. Her eyes met his, and the rest of what went on was trivial. Grace was up to him first, and asked him to go into the office with her. Then she pulled his arm, as he obviously didn't even hear her. "These are tickets for the play for the Johnson's, as well as your gift," Grace said. He looked at what Grace had given him, five tickets. "I'm going to see the play?" "Yes you are. And you'd best behave yourself. Quit staring." "But..." "Yes, Kevin, she is beautiful," then Grace shook her head. "Just pay attention to what else is around you, as well." He came out of the administration building, with a smile on his face. "This is one of the nicest gifts anyone has ever given me," Kevin said. "What did you give him?" Dorothy wanted to know. "A ticket to see the show with us." The girls looked at each other, and grinned. "If she puts her arm around you, I don't think she'll need her crutch," Carl said. Dorothy looked wide-eyed at Kevin. She couldn't believe what her father had just said. "I want the other side of him," Susan said and winked at Dorothy. It was quite a sight. Many girls at the school stopped to look. Mr. Smith with two girls on either side of him, and the girls' parents walking along side. Jane asked her daughter if she was really ok, with sitting by herself. Jane thought, as she was added at the last minute, she should be the one sitting by herself. Sarah wouldn't have it, and they went into the theater. Kevin found that the five of them were sitting in the same row in the center. Carl and Carol Johnson went in first, then Susan, Kevin, and Dorothy the last. Patrick and Jane had wonderful seats in the center, five rows back. Sarah, on the other hand, was off to the left in the eighth row. She was sitting on the aisle. That was going to suit her just fine. There was a family of four that came in, to fill up that row. Sarah got up and the mother escorted the boy and girl in first, and then the mother and father sat down. Sarah listened in to their conversation, as she had nothing better to do before the show. The boy and girl were not getting along. The girl, maybe eleven, couldn't wait for the play to begin. While the boy, who looked Sarah's age, wished he wasn't there. Suddenly the mother made the boy move, he ended up between the mother and father. Then he complained he couldn't see the stage. Sarah looked and he was right. The person in front of the boy was much taller than him. Another switch and suddenly the boy was next to Sarah. He turned to look who he was sitting next to. Sarah thought he wanted to find something else to complain about. But when he looked at Sarah, he just stared. ------- Chapter 59 "Timmy?" the father said, noticing Timmy was staring at the girl on the end of the row, "That's not polite." The boy looked away, and then started turning red at being caught. Sarah could only grin inwardly. "It's alright," she told him. He glanced over to her, and then put a little smile on his face. "I don't like plays. They're boring." "I hear this one isn't," Sarah replied, "so you might be surprised." "Well, you're a girl." "I'm glad you noticed. Is that what took you so long to figure out?" The boy blushed again. "I'm sorry, that wasn't nice of me either." "I deserved it. I was staring." Then, trying to keep up the conversation, he asked, "Which school do you go to?" "I don't live here. I live in Nevada." "Nevada? Why are you here then?" "To see the play," she teased. "I don't think it's that... You're pulling my leg, aren't you?" "Well, yes and no. I do live in Nevada, but my dad was going on a trip. I talked him into taking me along, 'till we got here, so I could see the play. I have a friend who's a teacher, here." "A friend who's a teacher?" he looked around, "So where's your dad?" "With my mom, who came at the last minute. They're sitting," Sarah pointed, "over there." "They can see better there." "I thought you didn't want to watch?" "Well, who knows. It could be interesting. It is an all-girls school," he said, blushing a bit. Sarah laughed as the lights went out. Across on the other side of the theater, Kevin Smith was having a hard time. Literally 'hard'. As he sat down into the nice cushioned seat, he knew he needed to adjust himself, or he'd be in pain. He sat there uncomfortably, tying to talk, without making his situation obvious. He was glad when the houselights went down. Immediately, he was reaching down to his crotch, and adjusting himself before the curtain rose, and everyone could see again. As he set his hands up on the armrests, Dorothy leaned over and asked, "Are you more comfortable now?" He was glad the lights were low, as he was bright red. She giggled, and took hold of his hand. This was a bold step for both of them. His heart was racing, as the first actresses stepped on stage. The lighting was perfect. One side of the stage was dark, with only a faint glow illuminating a solitary figure. The other side of the stage was awash in light. A bright and airy girl, was almost floating in the light. The two on stage, were Laura and Jill. "It's summer," both characters said at the same time. One spoke with doom in her voice, the other with excitement. The timing was perfect, and contrast between the two tones set the stage. It was something Dorothy and Susan had never been able to feel right about, but this was perfect. It sent chills up the spine. ------- Dorothy felt a tremor in Kevin's hand, and looked over to him. She saw her sister's hand, holding Kevin's other hand. Anger flared. As she looked up, she saw her mother, staring at the two girls. "Dorothy," her mother whispered, "don't be angry. You two asked them to take your parts." Swallowing hard, she realized her sister had just saved her. Looking into her sister's eyes, Susan winked at her sister. First with one eye, and then the other. It had been a signal of 'I love you', from long ago, in childhood. Dorothy squeezed Kevin's hand hard, trying not to cry. It took her a moment, but Dorothy signaled back to Susan, who smiled. Neither girl let go of Kevin's hands, but Susan's was just there. Dorothy's hand moved, caressed, and drove Kevin out of his skin. He was sure she had no idea the effect she was having on him. ------- Right before the intermission, Sarah put her hand on the armrest. Timmy's hand was there, and they came into contact. Looking over, as Timmy hadn't moved his hand, she noticed he was blushing. Sarah decided to leave her hand there, as well. As soon as the curtain came down (and before the house lights came up), she took hold, and gave his hand a little squeeze. There was no doubt that the performance tonight was top notch. The audience just stared at the curtain, waiting for something more. The moment was broken by the cry of a youngster. "Timmy," his father said, "are you alright? You look a bit flushed." "I'm fine Dad," he said, as Sarah stood, "but I think I need to stretch my legs." As Sarah walked towards the lobby, Timmy was following. She turned around, and caught him staring at her again. Smiling, she said, "I think you need to start being a lot nicer to your sister." "Why? She's a brat," he said defensively. "Maybe so. But that brat can tell you more things about girls, than you could find out any other way. Plus; when she gets a little older, and she starts liking guys, guess who she'll come to for advice?" "Me?" "Yep, you. How many years are there between you?" "Eighteen months." "You know, I'll bet there are already a few of her friends that think you're cute." "Yes, but they are as strange as she is." "That will change. You were that way too, I bet." "That's what my parents say to me all the time." "Well then, have you been paying attention to this play? There may be that one girl, one of your sister's friends, who would be just right for you. If you make her feel like she's nothing, now; what kind of a chance do you think you will have, when you realize how nice she really is?" "But how come I can talk to you, without getting, you know..." Sarah smiled, "Yes, I know. It's because I live in Nevada." He looked at her as if she were crazy. "If you do something real stupid," Sarah continued, "no one will find out, will they? You have nothing to loose. You know there isn't any way you could be my boyfriend, so you don't worry about it. You're free." "I guess that makes sense," then he grinned. "So, I don't have any chance?" Sarah burst out laughing, "Not on your life, though you are good looking. Even if you are a bit younger than me," she teased. He blushed deep red this time at the complement, and managed to say, "Too bad." "Yes, I know. I'm pretty good looking, too," Sarah laughed, seeing what kind of reaction that would get. Timmy turned even redder, showing that he thought she was. The lights flashed, and Sarah saw her parents making their way over to her. She grabbed Timmy's sleeve, to stop him from returning to his seat. She introduced him to them, making a flourish about her dad's job. Timmy was wide eyed, and said he needed to go sit down. He was embarrassed. "Sarah, I see you are having fun," her father said. Sarah's eyes twinkled, "Yes." "Are you trying to set him up with some girl, too?" her mother asked. "Oh? What did I miss?" Patrick questioned. Sarah shrugged her shoulders, "Just Scott and Vivian." "The Scott I know?" Patrick asked. "Yes, Father. And no, you don't know Vivian." "Scott's mother told me Sarah must have quite a knack for this. He seems to be quite taken with the young lady. Scott is a different person now. A bit more responsible," Jane said. Her face showed she was thinking of the words she had just said, and how they pertained to her daughter. Jane glanced at Sarah, wondering how she had grown up so fast. The lights flashed a second time, and the rest who were still in the lobby, hurried to their seats. As soon as Sarah sat down, Timmy's father leaned over. "Timmy says your father is a rather important man." Sarah didn't crack a smile, "He probably is. But to me, he's just a great dad." Timmy's eyes went wide, knowing how she put on such a show for him. She looked at him, and started to laugh. Timmy's father looked at his son, "Someday soon, you will find out how girls can wrap you around their fingers." As the lights went out, Sarah leaned over to whisper to Timmy, "I think you'd better start talking with your sister." "You may be right," he whispered back. ------- Kevin Smith had not gotten up during the intermission. He didn't think he could, without having 'something' show. Dorothy was getting to him. Susan and Dorothy stayed, but their parents had walked back to the lobby. Now, with the lights flashing a second time, he knew they would be out soon. So he excused himself. He knew, as he squeezed past Dorothy, that she could see the bulge in his pants. He cursed at himself for not having better control than that. Dorothy tugged at his arm. She whispered that she needed to go pee too, but couldn't without help, as she didn't have her crutch with her. Her parents, hearing this exchange, rolled their eyes. "You would think she'd have learned by now," the mother said to Susan. Kevin wasn't expecting to navigate, and hold someone up, in the dark. As she placed her arm around his shoulder. He reached around, holding her waist. As soon as he pushed the doors open, and they were into the empty lobby, Dorothy spoke. "I could be held by you, forever." "Don't wish for something you may change your mind about, later," Kevin answered her. Dorothy was hurt, and pulled away. "Are you trying to tell me something?" Kevin blinked, realizing how she took what he had said. "No, no! Dorothy, I guess I just don't want to get too hurt when you wake up, and realize it is only me you're with." Dorothy threw her arms around him, almost knocking him over. "I know who you are, and what I want," she said with no pretence of whispering. "Now kiss me," she added, looking up at him. He wasn't going to argue, he wasn't going to let it go, either. He gave her a sweet, but short kiss. He took hold of her, helping her to the lady's room. It dawned on both of them, that she needed his help, all the way in. "I think I should get your sister," Kevin said. "No, we're already missing some of the play. No one is going to be out here, just help me in." He looked around, just knowing someone was going to see him. "Come on," she said. They entered the lady's room. He had been in it many times for repairs; but for some reason, it now seemed to hold a special forbidden nature about it. He led her to the last of the two stalls. The stall doors were spring-loaded open, until someone shut and locked it. She moved into the stall, and turned around towards him. Looking at him, she unzipped her skirt. "I'd better go," Kevin stammered, his eyes wide. "You have to come back in, if you leave, now," Dorothy's eyes danced. "I can't tell you when I'm done, otherwise." Kevin's throat was dry. He just nodded, as her skirt fell to the floor. Her shirttails barely covering her panties. He knew he needed to get out of there, or all reason would be lost and he'd be caught doing things that would land him in jail. Opening the restroom's door slowly, Kevin was relieved no one was in the lobby. He crossed to the other side, and went into the men's room. Taking a deep breath, he let it out, slowly. He relaxed, as a long stream hit the urinal. As he shook himself, his dick started to firm up in his hands. The images of Dorothy's face, her young body, the skirt dropping... A shudder racked his body, and then four more. His face burnt with embarrassment as he realized he had just cum, into the urinal. It did have one redeeming factor. He could now walk with comfort. Walking across the lobby, he had a smile on his face. He was feeling much better, now. Kevin opened the door of the lady's room. "Dorothy, are you done?" "Is that you, Mr. Smith?" came a voice he did not expect. "Yes," A second reply, this time from Dorothy. It was not Dorothy who answered, first. He was petrified at being caught. "I'm here, ummm, I mean she needs..." Kevin was searching for what to say. "He needs to help me walk. I don't have my crutches with me," Dorothy said. "Is it ok if he comes in?" The girl giggled, "I guess so. Mr. Smith, I bet it feels funny, being in a girls bathroom, isn't it." "Well," he said moving in and trying to make this as quick as possible, "I've been in here lots of times, but only when no one else was here. The toilets get plugged, and the valves drip. It is strange, being in here now, with girls in it." There was another giggle from the girl, as Dorothy moved the door of the stall open. He reached in for her, and they bumped the stall. Another giggle. He placed his arm around her, and she leaned into him, smiling. He was already nervous, and tried to keep her attention focused. It didn't work well. He was maneuvering at the edge of the doorway. Dorothy pushed forward, and he lost his balance. He hit the frame of the stall hard. Suddenly; Dorothy was holding onto the frame, Kevin was falling out the door, and the stall door next to them flew open on it's springs. Kevin looked up at an astonished girl, her legs were slightly spread, and she was pulling her hand from between them. She quickly pulled her dress down, as Dorothy poked her head around the corner. Her pink panties were visible around her ankles, and Kevin couldn't help but look at them. He looked back into the girl's face. It was as red as his felt. "I'm sorry," Dorothy apologized, "I knocked him off balance." "I know it wasn't done on purpose." Kevin stood up, and took hold of Dorothy. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, and they started to walk out. He couldn't help himself, and stole one last glance into the stall. The girl had a smile on her face. "I won't say a word about this," she said, as Dorothy and Kevin reached the door. "Thank you, Lisa," Dorothy answered. Nothing else was said as they moved back to their seats. As soon as Kevin sat down, Dorothy and Susan took Kevin's hands, holding them to the end of the show. ------- As the houselights came back up, Sarah noticed Timmy whipping his eyes. She leaned over to him. "There has been someone, hasn't there?" she whispered. She saw him nod, if he said anything, it was downed out by the applause. She stood up, and offered him her hand. He just looked at it. She bent down, and took hold of his hand, and stood him up. Then she pulled him up the aisle, before it got crowded. Timmy looked back to see a smile on his father's face, and a bewildered look on both his mother's and sister's faces. Out through lobby, and into the courtyard, Sarah pulled him. She noticed two men. The card in their hat bands identified them as a reporter and his cameraman, the man from the restaurant. Fortunately they weren't looking Sarah's way. Sarah pulled Timmy, until they were in a recessed corner, away from the reporters' eyes. She sat him down on a bench that was there. "Timmy, you will never understand girls, completely. Just like we will never understand boys. I can only tell you one thing. If you tell the truth, knowing that you may get hurt, it will be the best thing you can do. You will always know you said what you felt, and what you meant to say." "But I already messed that up." Sarah shook her head, "No, not really," then she grinned, "Girls like it when they see a boy squirm, and apologize a lot." "I know," he said, with a little smile on his face. "My sister is sure that way." "If you like someone, that doesn't mean you will always do everything right. You need to admit when you are wrong, and be willing to say so. Any girl worth having around, will think you are wonderful for doing so." "Do you really think so?" he asked, with hope in his voice. "Timmy, I have learned a lot about love, in the last couple of months. More than I could have imagined." "Oh, you have a boyfriend?" "No, from a friend that was willing to risk his life, because he thought I was worthwhile." "Wow!" Sarah grinned at him, "Unfortunately, he's married." "Too bad," Timmy replied. "You don't mean that, do you?" Sarah said half laughing. "No, but I guess I still don't have a chance?" he grinned back at her. Sarah laughed while shaking her head, "No, but I'll let you know what your missing." She leaned in, and shocked Timmy with a little kiss. The look on his face was priceless. "Now, go make up with your sister. She can help you out, more than you realize." He was still speechless. That was, until his sister came running over. "I saw that! Timmy has a new girlfriend," she taunted. Sarah laughed at the blush showing on Timmy's face. "No," Sarah said to the girl, "but I bet you could help him get the girl he really likes." "Really?" she said with anticipation. "Who is it?" The parents came over, cutting that conversation short. "You disappeared," the father said. "Timmy was just..." the girl started. Sarah stared at the girl. "um... talking with us. He wants some help from me." the girl said, covering herself. The parents just looked at each other. "I need to go find my parents," Sarah said. "Thank you," Timmy said, with a smile on his face. "Be her friend, and you will have thanked me." Timmy looked at his sister, "I can try that," he said, noting his sister's growing smile. "It may not be that hard." Sarah walked through the sea of people. She saw the flash of the camera. It had never bothered her before. That was before her time at her sister's school. Those reporters were terrible. Following them, trying to take pictures, making her feel worse than she already did. Others were staying away also, but there was a large group, surrounding what must be her mother and father. Sarah heard her father calling her name, as well as Timmy's. She turned back around, just as he was catching up to her. He tripped, and fell into her arms. At the same time, the crowd had separated, to let them in. A flash went off, and Sarah looked at the cameraman, a smile on his face. "So much for your private life," Sarah said with disgust. "What do you mean?" Timmy wanted to know. "If they print that picture, you are going to be seen in the arms of 'the Congressman's daughter'." "So?" "Boy do you have a lot to learn. Have you ever heard of a word called 'jealousy'?" Timmy panicked, "You mean I have no chance with her, now?" "It means you may have to work harder, or," Sarah smiled a devilish little smile, "she will want you more." Timmy just stared, dumbfounded. "Come on," Sarah called, moving to the center of the crowd, where her father was talking. "I am on my way to a meeting with a few other congressmen. I cannot discuss what it is about at this time. What should be your center of attention is this school. You have, in your community, a marvelous school administrator. She is Grace Turcotte. She had the good sense to bring to the school, the Drama director, Mrs. Walker. It is Mrs. Walker, who is responsible for this moving production. By then Mrs. Walker was out front, and Grace pushed her into the limelight, knowing she would shine. "My dear audience," Mrs. Walker started. She went on, for the next ten minutes, of the virtues of the performing arts. Keeping the crowd highly amused. She added highlights of how this production came together. Including a lot of talk about Laura and Jill. Susan, Dorothy, and Kevin looked at each other, smiling at parts of what she said. While this was going on, Sarah cornered the photographer. She told him, with Timmy in awe, that he had no right to publish that photo. After she got done with her tirade, she then sweetly asked if she could have a copy of it, though. The photographer laughed, saying she had too much of her father in her. Timmy blushed, as he asked if he could have a copy of that picture, too. ------- Backstage, was quite another scene. The whispers had reached Laura and Jill. "Did you see them?" "I couldn't believe who was sitting between them." "I heard he was holding both their hands, can you believe that?" "Who," Jill finally asked. "Kevin Smith. He was sitting between Dorothy and Susan." Jill and Laura went white. "They were there?" Jill asked, not believing it. "She didn't say a word to me." "Oh," another girl said. The other girls were looking at each other. They knew how sensitive Jill and Laura had been, about taking over Dorothy and Susan's parts. "Maybe they didn't want to make you nervous," another girl ventured. Jill and Laura nodded, they knew that would have happened. Laura then said, "Was he really holding their hands?" The girls laughed, "You know Kevin," one of them said. Jill became defensive, "Yes, I do. He'd never, ever, take advantage of a girl." "Gee, Jill. We were just teasing. He did help save Dorothy," then the girl pushed Jill's arm, "with your help." "Sorry," Jill said, "It's just he gets a lot of that, undeserved," then she broke into a smile. "You don't need to tease me, either." That set the girls laughing. As soon as they were back into their regular clothing, they were running out the door. This time though, the girls were stopped, and escorted to the front by the head dresser. Soon, they saw the gathering of the audience. Then they heard the booming voice of Mrs. Walker. "Come on now, girls, show yourselves. These are the wonderful girls who made this production happen," Mrs. Walker exulted, "And here we have our two stars, Jill and Laura." Jill and Laura looked at each other, wondering what was going on when... Flash! Their picture was taken. Susan rushed over to them. Kevin, helping Dorothy, moved up to them next. The other girls were close at hand to hear any gossip. What they heard was somewhat disappointing; that is, in terms of juicy gossip. Susan excitedly told the group of girls, how their parents didn't tell them until that afternoon they would be seeing the show. She also explained the gift their mother gave Mr. Smith, and why. After the appraising glances to Mr. Smith and Dorothy's arm around him, Susan further explained that Dorothy was using Mr. Smith as a crutch, as hers was in the car. All of the girls gave Dorothy and Susan hugs, then left, save Jill and Laura. There was a lull in the conversation at that point. "I'm glad I didn't know you were out in the audience, tonight," Jill said. "Me too," Laura added. "Jill, Laura," Dorothy said, looking at her sister for confirmation, "I'm glad we got to see the finished play. You two did a better job than we would have." "No, we didn't," Laura jumped in. "Laura," Susan said, stopping Laura from going on. "You two felt that part, maybe understood that part, better than we could ever have." "That is true," Dorothy added to what her sister said, "You two, especially Jill, showed everyone how to feel their parts, but..." Dorothy looked Jill in the eyes, "you knew it, didn't you?" Jill had told Kevin some of her troubled past. He didn't think she would want to relive that again and so changed the subject, quite successfully. "Dorothy, I never asked. How long are you staying?" Dorothy looked into his deep rich brown eyes and got lost for a moment. Until her sister pinched her butt. "I," then looking at Susan, "We, never thought to ask. It was so exciting to come back and be able to see the play..." "And Kevin," Jill added with a grin. Susan started laughing, while both Kevin and Dorothy turned red. ------- It was early morning. The sun had just shown into the valley, waking the sounds. Beth Ann was a bit apprehensive about getting into the car with Keith. She had heard about Robin and Katy's experiences. He also had a bag of food with him. "Where are you taking me?" she wanted to know. "To drop this off. But, I also want you along, to phone your mother," I said. Well, it wasn't as bad as what Katy and Robin had been through, but still... She was not looking forward to this. The last phone call was so hard on her. "It will be much better, I promise," I tried to convince her. "Let's get Mary to go along, too." That did it. Beth Ann ran to get Mary, and the three of us drove into town. Beth Ann asked for the operator to connect the number, and listened for the ring: one, two... "Hello." "Hi, Mom, it's..." "Beth Ann! Oh! I've been waiting for a call." This did not sound like her mother of a few days ago "You sound so good, what happened?" Beth Ann asked. "As if you don't know. You give that man there a big kiss, from me." "Mom, you're not making any sense. What man?" "Beth Ann, don't tell me you know nothing about this," her mother said in a teasing voice. "Keith Patterson is just a doll to send that lawyer to us. I don't know how we're ever going to repay him." Beth Ann turned and looked at me with the widest eyes I think I've ever seen. She pulled the receiver away from her mouth. "Did you send a lawyer to see my mom?" she asked, in disbelief. "Well, I talked with one. I didn't know he was going to see her, yet," I said. Beth Ann dropped the phone, squealed, and hugged me tightly, crying. Mary picked up the receiver, still swinging by its cord. "Hello, this is Mary. I talked with you last time." "Hello, Mary. It sounds like Beth Ann is thanking Mr. Patterson right now." "Yes, she is. Your daughter didn't know any of this. Keith didn't want her to get her hopes up, before he found someone." "Well he found someone, allright. I just don't know how I'm going to repay him." "I think he's looking out for Beth Ann's happiness," Mary stated. "Here let me have that back," Beth Ann said. "Mom, I can't believe it, what did he say? Is daddy going to get free? What is happening?" "Now, Beth Ann. Slow down. These things take time. But, let me tell you what happened. I was over at the courthouse, getting this new lawyer appointed, late yesterday. Everyone knew his name. I mean everyone. I hate to even ask how much this is costing." Beth Ann turned and looked at me. "I have no idea, but now I'm very curious. I'll let you know." "I asked him, but he said that that was confidential information." Beth Ann's eyes narrowed on me, as I heard her say, "Don't worry, Mom. There are ways." Laughter filled the phone line. "Love you, Mom." There was a pause, and a catch in her voice, "I love you too, Beth Ann. I really do." Beth Ann's eyes started to fill with water, "I know, Mom. I know." On the way back to the Mansion, Beth Ann was grilling me. I told her what I could, to a point. Richard's father pointed this man out. He was a great criminal lawyer. When she asked how much it was costing, I told her that was not anything for her to worry about. I found out that was the wrong thing to say to a woman. She worried about everything, at that point. From how her mother would feel, to how Robin would be barefoot, because of this. We were out of town, but before the curve that opened up to the little valley, that housed the Mansion. I stopped the car, moved my damned cast out of the way, and grabbed Beth Ann. I pulled her to me. She was surprised as I kissed her lips, but soon melted into me. I could hear Mary tapping her fingers on the side of the car, letting us know she was still there. Bath Ann was blinking, when I let go of her. "Now listen to me, 'cause I only want to say this to you, once," even then, I knew this wasn't going to be the only time I'd say this. "I love you very much, Beth Ann. If anything happened to your father, that could have been prevented in some way, you would fall apart. I can't, and won't, let that happen. I'm able to do this, so let me. Let me do this, because I love you." This time it was her that smothered me with kisses. It was getting a bit painful, sitting there with a very hard erection trying to force its way out of my pants. "Let's get back now," I said, feeling I would take advantage of her at any moment, if I didn't get home. As we got out of the car, the lump in my pants was still evident. Both Mary and Beth snickered when they saw it. Then, they escorted me into the house. We walked by Barbara, who looked at me, and then my pants. Her face turned red. Mary called to Kristin, who came running. Barbara watched the three gals walk me upstairs, and into my room. I wondered what she thought of that, but just for a second. Their gentle caresses, as we were walking, kept my 'little brain' working overtime. "It has been long enough," Beth Ann said, as she started unbuttoning my shirt. "Yes, it sure has," Mary agreed, undoing my belt. Kristin didn't say a word. She just smiled, bent down, and started taking off my shoes. It looked as if I was going to be molested. Not that I was complaining. My strength was back. There just had been so many things going on, that we hadn't gotten to this. Apparently the gals were beyond ready. I found myself being led to the bed, laid on my back and left, to watch them undress each other. They took their time, seductively removing each piece of clothing. I was as hard as I could get, by the time they were done. They were purposely teasing me. Mary and Kristin at my toes, Beth Ann, at my hand (the one with no cast attached to it). They kissed and sucked on my digits. Mary and Kristin started to lick up my legs, spreading them, and applying a lot of attention to my inner thighs. Beth Ann climbed on the bed. My hand went after her, but she held me away. That is, until she got into position. Then she lowered her pussy onto my waiting, hungry mouth. Mary and Kristin were now lightly licking my balls and shaft, but they were still teasing me. Beth Ann tensed up, as I sucked on her clit, and I felt her juices flow onto my face. As soon as she relaxed, she got off, and was replaced by Mary. Then the whole process started up again. Kristin and Beth Ann, were back down at my toes. It was getting almost agonizing when their tongues gently touched my dick. After Mary had a good cum, Kristin climbed up. She had a smile that said, there was something more coming. As soon as she lowered her nether lips to my waiting mouth, my vision was again closed off. I expected Mary and Beth Ann to go back to my toes. Instead, I felt the bed depress, and knew someone else had climbed on it. I was hoping they would use their mouth on my aching dick. That didn't happen. What did, was even better, though. I felt legs straddle me. A hand grabbed my shaft, rubbing it into a warm, wet slit. I was so horny at that point, that I knew it wouldn't take long before I shot off. I tried to say something, but the only thing that came out, was unintelligible mumbling. Kristin liked the extra vibration, though. The feeling, sliding down onto my shaft, told me who it was. Beth Ann. She bottomed out, and held herself down on me. That was torture, but good torture. I was ready to explode, at any second. As she pulled up and started back down, Kristin went off, bringing my mind to my face for a moment. Another second of reprieve. As Kristin pulled off my face, Beth Ann's face came into view. She looked like a sexual beast, taking her mate. Looking into my eyes, she lowered herself to my face and kissed me. As she raised her pussy off my shaft and started down again, I went off. Mary saw it first. "He's cumming!" I heard Beth Ann whimper into my mouth, as she sank down onto my shaft. She held herself tight to me, as I pumped my cum into her. "I wanted it a bit longer than that," she said, in a pouting voice. "I'm sorry. You three got me so worked up. Kristin was on top of me, then you slid down onto me, it was too much. I knew it was you." I could feel her smiling, "You did?" "Mmmm. Yes. You feel very different, and I like it." She pulled back from my face, looking at me, "Give me a baby," she said suddenly. I gulped, "Now?" She rolled her eyes, "I think you could have already, if the time was right." I had to blush, it was true. I could feel what I had pumped into her leaking out around my softening dick. "Beth Ann, I would be honored." She saw the hesitation, "But what?" "Two things. Firstly, is that I need to know this isn't for what I am doing for your family." She nodded, "And secondly?" "I think it would be right to get Robin's approval." Beth Ann looked over to Kristin, who blushed. "Robin was there," Kristen said. "She helped. Although I, we, didn't know it was going to happen, then." Beth Ann nodded. I saw Mary nod too. 'Oh, no, ' I thought. There was a knock at the door. The girls started to grab clothing. "Who is it?" I asked. "Katy," came the reply. The gals relaxed. "Come on in," I said. She opened the door, and looked at us. "You have done it, now," she said, straight faced, to me. I was thinking about what I had done, taken her to the graveyard, to a house to see people she didn't want to see. Katy took pity on me, only letting me stew for a minute or so. "Barbara saw what you were up to. It was hard not to tell with the noise you four made." We looked at each other. I didn't think we'd made that much noise. "The sound travels quite well in this house," we all blushed at that. "Now she's all hot, and is trying anything to get me to bring Brian out here." We looked at each other, and started laughing. Katy came over and sat on the edge of the bed, where I still was. "I need to go back into town anyway, and finish what you started," Katy said to me. I looked at her, scanning her face. "Are you sure you're ready?" "Robin and I had a long, but good, 'mother and daughter' talk," Katy smiled, just a bit, "That's something we haven't done in a while. It was very helpful. Thanks for that." "I just..." She cut me off, putting her fingers to my mouth. "We got away, and talked down by the new pool," she laughed. "Aggggh," I let out, and grabbed hold of her, tickling her. She reached around and grabbed, of all things, my dick. I stopped tickling. She realized what she had in her hand, and laughed. "You're not such a hard man," she laughed, even though she felt the pulse and the expansion in her hand. "You'll soon find out, if you keep that up." There was a twinkle in Katy's eye, "Better not. I think I'd get pushed out of line." We all laughed, but when her hand left my crotch, my dick had revived. As Katy was walking towards the door, she turned to me. She put out her tongue, and licked off my juice, from her palm to the end of her middle finger. We all watched her. "Mmm! As good as I remember," then she waked out the door. Beth Ann didn't have any knowledge of us, and was completely dumbfounded. "You and her?" Beth Ann asked. "Before Richard, and after," Kristin said, matter of fact like. "I think it's kind of cute." "You would," Mary said, "He's your brother." The three gals broke up in hysterics. I didn't see what was so funny. ------- Patrick and Jane were sitting nervously in their chairs. They had left their daughter, Sarah, at the school with Liz. Now they were looking at the paneled walls, waiting. "Sorry," Dan said with a smile, looking up from his desk. "I know that the questionnaire that I had each of you fill out, may have seemed silly to you, but it tells me a lot." "Such as?" Patrick questioned. Dan looked at his long-time friend. "You're not to play 'politician', here. I get to ask the questions." All three laughed. The tension was evident, though. "Now, what brought this sudden need to see me, on?" "My daughter and I had a fight," Jane said. "I explained that on the questionnaire." "Yes, you did. But what people will write, and what they say, are sometimes different things altogether," Dan said. Then looking at Patrick, Dan asked, "Is that true? There was a fight that brought this on." "That was a start." "A start?" Jane said, surprised, "What else is there? You were only home a few minutes when that happened." "Been gone a lot, Patrick?" Dan asked. "Yes, it's a campaign year." "You said it was a start. Then you mean you felt there was more, but I sense that Jane doesn't understand. You need to tell her what else you felt, and why. Jane, you need to let him say what he feels, before saying how you feel about it. Allright?" he asked, and she nodded. "Ok, Patrick. You have the floor," Dan said. Everything had been easy, up to this point. Patrick didn't want to look at Jane as he spoke. He told about what Sarah had said to him. How she felt misunderstood, and not wanted. He tried to talk about how things had been, so long ago. He spoke of how they had changed, slowly and gradually. He had been confronted by Sarah, telling him that Jane had left her a lot, recently, contributing to the fight. When he was done, he glanced at his wife. She hadn't said anything, and he'd expected it. What he saw, he was unprepared for. There were tears streaming down Jane's face. Dan took a deep breath in. This was not going to be a 'two-hour, fix-it-up-good', session. "Jane," Dan said, "how do you want to respond to that?" "Damn you, Patrick! You waltz in, after having a grand time, and find the house you left a mess. Damn you! Yes, we had fun way back when. Do you know how long ago that was? Before Sarah was born! That's how long ago it was!" Jane cried out, "Do you think I like resenting my daughter, for how we've changed? Do you?" "Jane," Patrick said. "Let her finish, Patrick. Jane, go on." "If you're wondering 'did I find someone else', the answer is yes. Yes, I did. I found three, in fact. We play bridge together. They are a bit older, and their children gone. They know how I feel, Patrick. Until two nights ago, I didn't know how you felt, anymore. Those three ladies have helped me keep my sanity. Patty's husband had a heart attack. He's been in the hospital, and she's a mess. So, yes; I dropped everything, and ran out of the house, recently. I didn't know my daughter would be watching me." "Jane," Dan asked, as she had paused for time, "How is Patty's husband, now?" "He came home from the hospital. I got the call, and we got together to celebrate," Jane said, in a cheerier voice, and then it went sad again. "When I got home, Sarah just lit into me. It ruined a perfect time." "Patrick? You look a bit confused, now. Is that right?" Dan asked. "Yes," he nodded. "Ok. Let me see if I can put things together, here, and see if I can get it right. I want each of you to comment on what I say, about what you have said. Not about what the other one has said, for now." "Patrick, I hear you say that you love your daughter very much. You see her hurting. That brings up a lot of repressed anger, about what you see your marriage becoming. When your daughter said something to you that seemed out of place, you ran with that idea. Did I get that right?" "Sounds like I'm not very caring about my wife." "We'll get to that, later. Now, is that what you said?" "Yes, I think it was." "Jane, is that what you heard?" "No... well a bit. I didn't understand that he cared so much that it was hurting him, and that is why everything happened like this." "Ok. Now for Jane. What I heard, was this. You are mad at Patrick. You take care of Sarah. He gets to come in and play 'dad', while you do all the work, as mother. He has what you once had, and you have a hard time not faulting Sarah for that change You have found, from what you feel is desperation, some friends who seem to understand. Now, it looks like to you, those friends are going to be taken away." "Yes, that is just about it," Jane said. "Patrick? Is that what you heard?" Patrick looked Jane in her tear reddened eyes, "I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt like that," "Patrick," Dan interrupted, "You need to respond first, so we know. Is that what you heard her say?" "Not really. I was so caught up with her saying she resented Sarah, that I didn't hear how it fell together." "Do you now understand?" "Not completely." "Good," Dan said which surprised both Patrick and Jane. "What you said, Jane, was a multitude of things. If Patrick had understood everything you said, then you probably wouldn't have needed to be here in the first place. One of the problems, is that you two (like most married couples I see) built up a lot of misunderstandings and just stored it. Then when something hits (in your case, Sarah's fight with her mother), all the stuff you're holding a grudge about, comes to the surface. You each feel, at that point, justified at blaming the other for everything that is wrong." "But if I'd known..." Patrick started to say but didn't finish. "If you had known, you wouldn't be here. Communication is the hardest thing partners face. They assume the other will know what the other feels. I believe that is because, at one point, it was so. Wasn't it?" Dan asked not waiting for an answer. "Think about when you were courting each other. You would spend enormous amounts of time with each other. You would think about how the other one would like this, or that. You were very 'in tune' with each other, at that point. You didn't realize it, but you were learning about each other, and communicating very well. Does that make sense to you?" Patrick and Jane nodded. "Good. After you two courted; had a wonderful time, and were in sync with each other, you got married. After the 'honeymoon', so to speak, you both... Let me repeat that. Both of you didn't feel the need to court each other, any longer. You didn't realize that part of that courting, was communicating with each other in special, intimate ways. You two, as most married couples; think you somehow understand each other, the same way you did while courting. But at that time, you were spending a lot of time talking together." "So all of this is about talking to each other?" Jane asked a bit confused. "That is most of the problem. I'm not saying that it is easy to change where you are, right now. But let's look at what you two have said to me, and see if it doesn't make sense to you." "Ok," Patrick said, while Jane was nodding. "Jane, you said you didn't know that Patrick still cared so much. If he would have told you that, you would have known, right?" "Yes," she said slowly thinking about it. "But how would..." "We'll get to the how, later. We just need to realize that communication is a big problem, here." "Patrick, if you knew (or even if Sarah knew) your wife was seeing some friends, and that one of them was in need, would you have had any anxiety about that?" "Of course not, I just..." "Not yet," Dan cut him off. "Just about everything you have told me, points to a lack of communication. I'm not saying that if you talk with each other, everything will be like it was when you were courting. Sarah is a good example of that. She wasn't part of the picture then." "Mary was," Patrick asserted. "Good point. But was Mary, Jane's daughter?" "Well not biologically, but..." "Patrick, you are trying to place your ideas here, now. Mary wasn't a problem for Jane. I don't know why, and neither do you. I'm not sure if Jane could even say, right now. All we know, is that it wasn't. When Sarah came along, there was a problem. The real problem, is that you two may not have realized there was a problem. You may not have seen one, until it became something, as a sort of resentment in Jane's point of view. The real issue, though, is that when it became a problem: you two didn't talk about it." "I didn't know how to. He loves those kids so much," Jane said, almost in tears. "Do you hear your wife, Patrick? She didn't know how to. That is completely correct. Where would you learn to talk to your husband, about something that he loves so much, and that you are having a problem with?" Patrick and Jane looked at each other. Each was starting to realize that part of the fault in how they felt, was due to their own actions. "Believe it or not, our time is just about gone, and my wife will be showing back up. Then, I'll have hell to pay for not 'communicating' with her, about you two showing up." This made them all laugh. It was a much more relaxed laugh, this time. "Patrick, Jane, you have opened the door. Understand, just as I brought up Sarah, that you may know communicating is good. However, you still don't have the tools needed to tackle difficult issues like this one. We need to get together, the sooner the better. In the mean time, I need you to promise me one thing." "What?" both Jane and Patrick said. "If something that you two start talking about, is hurtful for one of you to talk about, you say that. Specifically you say: 'I'm sorry, but it hurts me to talk about that.' I don't want you to use that for anything that is merely uncomfortable, only those things that really hurt. But what I need you to promise, is that if it starts hurting, you say that. Just as importantly; the other one, hearing those words, has to stop that line of conversation. I know that is not easy, but that is very important for your continued health as a couple. Do you promise?" Looking at each other, Patrick held out his hand, Jane took it. "I do," Patrick said. Jane's lips started quivering, tears started to fall. "I do," she replied. Patrick leaned towards her, and they kissed. Jane felt like she had just renewed her wedding vows. She was drained. "I need to go make myself presentable," she said, and walked to the bathroom. Patrick looked at Dan. "So, we have a chance," he said more of an affirmation than a question. "No question about that. You two still love each other very much. Your relationship is just in need of a good kick in the pants," Dan said, with a smile. "Thanks for the kick," Patrick retorted. ------- As I started down the stairs, I saw Robin at the bottom, shaking her head. I thought I was in trouble. That was, until I moved a bit further down, and saw Katy. The two looked at each other and smiled. I knew I was in trouble, but of a different sort. "Have fun?" Robin asked. "I..." She started snickering. "As if I couldn't hear," then she blushed, "I guess we make that much noise, too. I didn't know everyone in the house could hear, though." "We could fix that," I offered. "Oh, no you don't," Katy inserted into our conversation, "We all want to know what's going on, around here." I looked over at her with a sly smile. "Just as long as your room has the same acoustical properties, I'm fine with that. By the way, where's Barbara?" "In the car, waiting." We laughed. "Poor Brian, does he even have a choice?" I asked. "Keith!" Robin said, "of course he does." I raised my eyebrows, "Well, he is a 'captive audience'." Robin looked over to Katy, "Richard did talk to them, didn't he. Brian likes Barbara, doesn't he?" Katy rolled her eyes, "Yes, Robin. Keith knows it. He's just pulling your chain." "Arrrggg," Robin let out, and chased me out the front door. I ran, and jumped (as fast as one can, with a cast) into the car, right next to a very surprised Barbara. "Help me!" I cried. Robin stopped at the door, and started laughing at the look on Barbara's face. "It's allright. We were just playing." "Oh. I didn't know, after what he just did." "Do you want to explain, or are you going to make me?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "After what you just pulled with me," Robin said, "you get to explain." Then she closed the door, and waited outside for Katy to show up. I turned to Barbara. She had a look of anticipation on her face. "Ok, I'll tell you anything I can, but only if you ask. I know you saw me with a lump in my pants. You were staring at it." Barbara turned beet red. "You saw me walk up the stairs, and into my bedroom with Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann. What do you want to know?" "Kristin said she loved you, you know, after you came into the room," Barbara said, in hushed breathy tones, "when you didn't have clothes on." I had forgotten about that. "Yes, she does. I love her, too." "But she's your sister." "So? I shouldn't love her?" "Well," Barbara was a loss for words. "In that way?" she got out. I smiled, "You mean, sexually?" Barbara cringed at my words. "Barbara, what did your mom or dad say to you, about sex?" She looked at the floor of the car. "I think you have a problem with what someone said. You are trying to figure it all out, because it seems very different to you, now. You are feeling things you understand to be sexual, and they don't fit with what you were told." Barbara raised her head and looked at me. "Is there someone who you can talk to about these things? Someone you can trust?" I asked. Barbara thought of Katharine. "Yes, I think so," she answered. "Good. Go and talk. Try and figure things out. I think me telling you anything else, will just confuse you more." "But you will tell me, later?" Barbara asked. I took her small hands in my hand, and looked her in the eye. "You are in a large family now. You can ask anyone, anything, at any time. My hope is that they will always answer you. Maybe not with something you want to hear. I didn't tell you what you wanted to hear, just now. I gave you a reason, though. Remember, that Katy wants you here. I know she does. You are in a family that loves you." Barbara's eyes welled up with water, and she hugged me. "Thank you," she whispered. Robin, Katy, and Richard opened up the doors, and climbed in the car. Robin and Katy looking at Barbara, with curiosity. They saw her watery eyes. They looked at me. "She's very happy to be in a family that loves her so very much," I responded. That satisfied them, and we took off. "Where are we going, first?" I asked. "To see the Blaney's. I should have been back, yesterday," Katy answered. "How much does Barbara know about this?" I asked. "She knows the Blaney's well. The daughter has not always been such a nice person to Barbara, it seems. She would tease Barbara about looking like a boy, and not a girl," Richard told me. I was a bit surprised at hearing that. "Brian doesn't seem to have any problems with how Barbara looks," I said and poked her in the side. She turned a nice shade of red. "That might be," Katy said, "but Barbara is concerned about Julie being around Brian." "You, Julie, and I," I said to Barbara, "are going to have a little talk." "That's what we figured," Robin grinned. "So! I was set up?" I said trying to sound disgusted. "Serves you right, don't you think?" Katy asked. I saw Richard smiling. "You can wipe that smile off your face, Richard," I laughed, "Ok, I deserved this one." Richard pulled up in front of Rebecca's old place. I had never seen the outside looking so nice. It was making me feel a bit guilty, and I was planning on telling them they couldn't clean any more, but I knew that wouldn't work. They had nothing else to do with their time. Katy knocked. Mrs. Blaney opened the door. I think she was surprised to see Katy. "Please, come in." We all went in. Barbara was the most hesitant. We hadn't sat down before Katy started. "Robin and I had a long talk. Much longer than what I'm sure you heard outside the door, yesterday. To tell you the truth, I am uncomfortable. I think that will pass, as I get to know you. I must admit that Robin is a pretty good judge of character," I noticed she was looking at me as she said that. I smiled. "So I'm conceding that my initial feelings were a reaction, and I'm willing to work at this." The older woman, in her only worn out dress, said, "I didn't know it would've caused so much pain. I guess I didn't understand so much. My husband's dead, but I suppose I don't feel for him what you felt for your brother." There was a sadness to what Mrs. Blaney said. A life filled with regrets. Maybe, with no seeable alternatives. I could see there was going to be a lot more talking, now. I thought to myself, that this would be a good time to talk with Julie and Barbara. I smiled, knowing that Richard would be left here to listen. He saw my smile, and had a questioning look on his face. "Julie," I said, "I need to have a chat with you." "Ok," she said. I looked over to Barbara, "Come on," I said. The girls looked at each other. They both knew this was not going to be fun. "I'm walking down to the pool," I said. "I hear it is a good place to talk." Robin and Katy were trying not to smile, but were having a hard time. Richard looked at me, realizing he was stuck, and now knowing what I'd been smiling about. He shook his head at me. We walked down the lane in silence. Barbara was on one side of me, Julie on the other. It was another half of a block before I said anything. "Julie," I said, "how many boyfriends have you had?" Barbara and Julie both looked at me. Neither one of them expected that question. "Well?" I asked when I didn't get a response. "None," came back a sullen response. Barbara started to giggle. "Barbara," I said in a tone that made her stop. I saw Julie stick her tongue out at Barbara. Grabbing hold of Barbara with my cast, and Julie with my hand I said, "I'll take both of you back, and give you a sound spanking, if you don't stop this right now!" They looked at me with wide eyes. They could tell, by my expression, that I wasn't joking. We walked the rest of the way in silence. As we approached the pool area, I noticed a new bench, and headed towards it. "You," I said to Barbara, "Sit here," pointing to one side of the bench. "And you," to Julie, "sit here," pointing to the other side. I think they expected me to sit in between them, but I didn't. I had seen a loose stump. I rolled it over, to make a seat for myself. I wanted to see these two, as they talked. "Barbara tells me that you have been mean to her," I said to Julie. I saw panic in her eyes. "I have a hard time believing you are like that." She relaxed a bit. "But I know Barbara isn't making that up. So, I'm wondering why you would say things to hurt someone else's feelings." I looked over to Barbara, "Tell me Barbara, have you ever said anything that purposely hurt someone's feelings?" I could tell neither girl liked being put on the spot and I was going to try and keep this as even as possible by going back and forth "Barbara?" I asked, "I guess I have, maybe." "Maybe?" "Ok, yes I have, but..." "It doesn't make any difference, why you thought it was ok to do," I quickly said. Barbara looked at me puzzled. "Now, Barbara, you have done what you say Julie has done. Are you a bad person?" "No, but I..." I shook my head stopping her. "Julie, you have said some mean things. Are you a bad person?" Julie lowered her head and didn't say anything. "Julie?" I saw Barbara watching her. "I guess I am. That's what people tell me. I'm just a nobody," Julie said, with her head still lowered. I could see Barbara's face, as she watched Julie drop tears down on her skirt. I think Barbara was ashamed at that point. "Barbara? Is that what you think of Julie?" Barbara looked at me. I don't think she wanted to answer that question. "Julie, look at me," her head came up slowly. "Barbara, Julie, I know a bit about each of you. I think each of you are worth knowing better. I think both of you are nice. I also think that each of you don't know much about the other. Not enough to make the kind of judgments you have made, at any rate. Now look at each other." I paused, "Go on." They looked, not directly at each other's face, but at least towards each other. "Now quick, close your eyes." I said and was surprised when both of them did. "Now Barbara say something you remember seeing that you liked about Julie. You can start thinking about that too, Julie, because you're next." The pause was long, long enough for Julie to try and open her eyes. I touched her and she squinted them shut again. "Her knees are nice. Mine are always banged up." Barbara said. The expression of surprise on Julie's face, was priceless. "Now, you, Julie. What is it that you thought about for Barbara?" "Her dress. I wish I had one as pretty as that." I could see Barbara frown. I had heard Barbara complain about having such old clothes. I think she might have been getting a glimpse of Julie's problems, and didn't like it. "Open your eyes now." This time they looked at each other's faces. "This dress isn't that nice," Barbara said. "It's better than any one I've ever had." "What about that pink one I saw you in once last year?" Barbara asked. Julie's lips started to quiver, her eyes filling with tears. "What's wrong? That dress was lovely," Barbara said, then looked over to me, wondering what she'd done. "What happened to the dress," I asked Julie. "My mom got it for me, for my birthday," Julie cried. "My dad said I didn't need it, and took it away. I never saw it again." That was too much for Barbara; she moved over on the bench and hugged Julie. "I'm sorry. That was so mean. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry", Barbara kept repeating. When Julie calmed down, I said, "Both you girls have had a rough time in life. It isn't fair. Julie, you had a father and brother who were not good and now are dead. Barbara, you watched your mother die and then your father. I think you have more in common than you realized. Maybe, in your hurting, you couldn't see that." They looked at each other, and then back to me. "I think it's time to walk back." As they got up, I noticed they stood by each other, not moving away. That was a very good sign. On the way back, I told Julie about Barbara's interest in Brian. I explained why she was afraid if she started doing anything, like care for him, what might happen. Julie stopped walking, took Barbara's hands and said, "Barbara, I don't want to do anything like that. Can you believe me?" "I hope so. I want to," Barbara said. "'cause I want Brian, forever." Julie's eyes grew, "You mean, you want to marry him?" "What's wrong with that?" Barbara asked. Julie withdrew inside herself again. I could see it. "Julie," I said, "What is wrong?" Then it hit me. "Is it because it is hard to imagine being married to anyone?" Julie looked at me, startled. "Not all men are like your father." "I know, you're not," Julie added. "Not all marriages are like your mom and dad's too. I think you will start seeing that, if you look." We started walking again, and ended back at the house. Robin, Katy, and Mrs. Blaney were still talking. Richard was glad to see me. I think Mrs. Blaney was surprised when Julie and Barbara sat down on the floor together, and started whispering to each other. "Richard," I said, not really wanting to get caught up in the conversation that looked like it had bored him, "lets take a little walk." He was ready. We made a show of kissing our wives, and then walked out. "That was pretty hard," Richard said. "What?" I asked, wanting him to elaborate. "I keep thinking of him, with the knife. Brian running for help." I stopped walking. "God, Richard. I'm sorry. I don't think I put that all together," I was racking my brains for why, "I guess, because I wasn't around when that took place. I was dealing with Katy and her kids at the time." "It's alright." "No, it's not. I'm sorry. Have you talked to Katy about it?" "She's been dealing with enough, herself." "So you haven't." "No." "You need to." "I know. I think I can, now. It looks like she sees the mother and daughter as different people, not like him." "Yes, I'd have to agree." Katy came out of the door, and yelled to us, "Time to get Millie." I looked at him, "Has anything been planned?" He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't think so." By then, Barbara was over to us, pulling Richard away. I had to smile about her enthusiasm, but was troubled that Millie wouldn't be prepared. It could end up we were in a hornets nest. I went back inside, and sat down on the sofa. Robin conveniently took Julie over to the kitchen. I wondered if that was planned. Mrs. Blaney looked at me for a moment. "What did you do?" "You mean with the girls?" She nodded, "Yes." "I got them to see that they weren't that much different, and that people say things they don't always mean." "Robin said you'd be doing somethin' like that. She thinks you're pretty special." "Your daughter has a hard time imagining a marriage where there is love between the husband and wife." I said to her, knowing it might hurt. "Don't know what to do about that." "Let her see there is something more than what she saw. Talk to her about what happened. You don't want her to do the same as you. She will, if she isn't pushed in another direction." "So, i should tell her I was a failure?" "No," I paused to think this one out. "Tell her why you married him in the first place. Then tell her what happened later, so her eyes are opened to possibilities you didn't see, at the time." "Oh, I guess that makes sense. What you're saying ain't gonna be easy, though." "No, but if you watched your daughter marry a loser, it would be worse." "You're dead right about that!" There was a knock on the door. As Robin answered, we could hear Millie, through the door. "I still don't know why you won't tell me who is staying at Rebecca's place." Katy nudged them in through the door. "Millie, Bruce," Katy said, "this is Mrs. Blaney, and her daughter, Julie." "Blaney," Millie said, with a questioning voice. Then with much more energy, when she remembered: "Blaney!" We saw her face turn white. "Fred Blaney!" she said hysterically, and fainted. ------- Chapter 60 Millie awoke, disoriented. Katy and Bruce were hovering over her. "Where am I?" she muttered. Then she bolted upright from the floor, into a sitting position. She looked at her sister. "Why the hell did you do this to me?" Everyone was taken aback. Katy, Bruce and Robin had never heard words like that out of her, before. "Help me up," Millie said to her husband, Bruce. "We can't stay here. The devil is at work here." Robin was wishing I was there. All I'd said was that I'd be right back as I'd walked out of the door. "Millie," Katy implored, "Don't go." She had never expected this kind of reaction. Katy was just starting to realize, that what she saw as 'mean things' that I did, had helped her prepare for this. "Why not? I don't know what's got into you," Millie spat out at her sister. Patrick and I slipped in, unnoticed. I put my hand up to stop him from entering into the conversation. "These," Millie pointed at the cringing Mrs. Blaney and her daughter Julie, "are the devil's friends." Before anyone could react, Robin ran over to Millie. She grabbed hold of Millie's arms, and pushed her down into the chair behind her. Shocked, Millie looked at Robin. "If you think that; then never, ever, speak to me again," Robin's face was red with rage. "Robin! Dear!" Millie said, shocked. "Don't ever call me that, again. You are no longer my aunt." Millie looked desperately to Katy, wanting an answer for Robin's sudden outburst. Katy knew where this was coming from, but she had spotted me and her father, so said nothing. Millie's eyes traveled to where Katy was looking, "Dad!" Millie cried out, "Help me!" Patrick held out his hand, "Yes, Millie. I think you need a good deal of help, right now. Let's take a walk. Robin, you had best be coming with us. Millie needs a good dose of reality, right now. It seems that you have started the ball rolling. I hope you are prepared to finish it." Robin was glaring at Millie with disgust, "I suppose." Bruce started to walk out with them, until Richard put his hand on Bruce's shoulder, holding him back. "What was that about?" Bruce asked when the door shut. "Bruce, I don't think Millie realized what she said. When she said these two were worthless, she was telling Robin she wasn't worth anything, either," Katy tried to explain. Bruce had a puzzled look on his face. Richard wanted him to get the who of the relationships, "Millie inferred that Julie here was evil, because of her father. Do you see that?" Bruce winced, looking at the girl, "I suppose that's what she did." "Tell me, who was Robin's father?" Richard pressed. Bruce's face fell. "I'm sure she didn't mean..." "Either it transfers, or it doesn't, Bruce. We don't get to pick and choose who we like, and don't want to like, when we make accusations," Richard explained. Mrs. Blaney looked around the room at Bruce, Katy, her daughter, and then to me. "I'm kinda seein' why people down in Angle City were actin' like they were," "Bruce," Katy said, "they walked all the way up here, 'cause they felt a need to repay a debt, and 'cause they were starving to death." "Because of what Fred did?" Bruce asked. Katy looked over to me. "Keith, thank you for making it so hard on me. I didn't realize what you were doing." Bruce couldn't figure out what was going on. "Bruce," Richard said, "Do you remember the night Fred died?" "Yes. Brian..." Bruce looked at Richard. "Fred stabbed you." "What?" Mrs. Blaney and Julie cried out. They had never heard that part of what had happened. Richard sat us all down, and told the story. I think it was good for him to retell it, and get it out in the open. When he got to the part of Brian being so brave, Julie said, "Now I see why Barbara wants to..." she turned red, and hid her face. The room was very quiet when Richard explained Fred coming at him, and the knife cutting into his arm. Richard told of himself tripping, Fred standing over him, and then the shot that saved Richard's life, and ended Fred's. It had been silent long enough, I figured. "There is more to the story. We don't need to leave it on such a bitter ending," I said, and looked at Richard. "Richard, do you want to tell the rest?" Richard let out a laugh, knowing what 'other part' I was talking about. When I looked over to Katy, her eyes grew. "Maybe I should tell it," I said. "Bruce, I don't think you know this part." "What is it?" he said, curious. "Keith, I don't think..." Katy said. "Katy, you might as well let him tell it now. If not now..." Richard threw up his hands. I went on to tell about Richard's attraction to Katy, when Richard was brought to Bruce's house. How I brought Katy there, later, and how they ended up in the same bed. Mrs. Blaney, and especially Julie, were looking between Katy and Richard. I told Bruce how I talked his wife into letting them stay in the same bed. That lightened up the mood considerably. We were all imagining the image I was portraying, and it was rather comical. "Did they ever thank you?" Bruce asked. "Oh, yes. Several times." "I don't think Millie knows anything about how she was set up, for that one," Bruce said, with a small smile on his face. "So," Bruce said, as he turned to Richard, "You don't have a problem with them?" Richard looked over and smiled, "You mean Mrs. Blaney and her daughter? No, no problems." "And I'm guessing that since you brought us here," Bruce said to Katy, "You don't, either?" "I did, at first. Robin was the one that talked to me about how I'd raised her." Bruce was nodding, "Irritating when kids tell their parents what they've said, isn't it." I just laughed. "You sound like that is from personal experience." "More than once. But nothing quite at this level. Robin does have a good head on her shoulders, though. However, I'm worried about Millie." "She's got a bit more to swallow," I said. "There is something you need to know, too." "Oh?" Bruce said. "It was Fred's son that was at the bottom of that pit, under Brian." "Oh, no!" Bruce said, sadly, looking at Mrs. Blaney and her daughter. "You lost a husband, and a son." Richard and I looked at each other, hearing the level of empathy coming from this man. "They came up to find you, to try and repay for what the boy did," I added. Bruce stood up, "You will not," he said firmly. Then his voice softened. "You have lost enough, already," he continued. "There is no need for you to lose your dignity, as well." "I think that went, already," Mrs. Blaney said. "My son..." she looked down, "I can't forgive him for what he done. But I can help pay back some of it." ------- Millie wasn't ten feet from Rebecca's old home when she started. "Why? Why on earth would Katy do such a thing?" She had been talking to Patrick, but he looked over to Robin, "Want to tell her why? Maybe you should tell Millie how you set up your mom to find out." Millie looked over to Robin wondering what was going on. "We met Grandpa, in the cemetery," Robin started. "At Bill's," Millie said. "Yes," Patrick said. "I wanted her to start feeling the emotions about it. But it was Keith, who tricked her into the meeting." "Why? What difference does it make? I wish they'd just go away." "Like me?" Robin said, with as much force as she did in the house. "Of course not, Robin. I don't understand what's gotten into you?" Millie said. "Did you help raise me, to think that it was all right to let people starve to death?" Robin started in on her. "No, but I..." Robin cut her off, "Do you think that because Daisy's husband turned out bad, she's bad too? Should she go away, too?" "Well, no. But..." "Then what about me. You know who my father was," Robin said, looking in Millie's eyes, and not letting go of them. "But that's different," Millie tried to say. "No! It's not. If Julie is so bad that she should starve to death, then so should I." "But Robin," Millie looked at her father for help. "Millie," he said, "You have to start by forgiving yourself. I know I had to. When Robin asked me to meet them, out in the cemetery, I found myself not wanting to go. I was there for twenty minutes before they arrived. Millie, I had to ask Bill to forgive me. I was mad at what he'd done, and I had blind-sided myself. I wasn't there for any of you. I couldn't forgive anyone else. In reality, I wanted to blame them, as much as anyone else. I didn't understand that what I needed to do was to take some responsibility for what I'd done. No, Millie. It wouldn't have stopped him, but it would have helped me. I sat there, in the cemetery, and asked Bill's forgiveness. I found that I no longer needed to hold a grudge." "Are you saying that I need to do that?" Millie asked. "Do you?" Patrick responded. "I think you know the answer to that already." "I hate it when you're right." ------- Robin walked back into the house, alone. "Bruce," she said, "Millie wants you to meet her." "Where?" "Down at the cemetery." He looked at each of us. "Wish me good luck." Robin gave him a hug, before he walked out the door. "Well, that went well," I said. "You can be a..." Katy started to say. I laughed. "I know," I said. Then turning to Mrs. Blaney, I said, "I've been thinking about something, and it's bothering me." "What?" She replied. "I've never heard you say your first name. You know, if I were you, I wouldn't want to be thought of as the wife of that man. He didn't do right by you, and you don't owe him anything." "Well, my first name is Annabelle." "Annabelle. That is such a pretty name," Robin said. "What was your name, before you got married?" "Theims.' "Annabelle Theims," I said. "Now that has a nice ring to it. It doesn't sound to me, like anyone who needs to be ashamed." "But my boy..." Annabelle said. "Yes, tell me about him. Did he listen to you? Did you teach him to behave like that?" "No," Annabelle said, lowering her face. "He was a good boy for so long. Then he started spending all his time with his dad. I wasn't to say nothin' to him. If I did, Fred would slap me. When Fred died, I tried. I really tried." "He slapped me," Julie said. "No!" cried Annabelle. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't want you hurt, too." "Annabelle," I said, reaching out and pulling her chin up, to look at me. "You have walked into a new community. You have a new life, now. A new life without hate. Take the name that says you are your own person, and not a part of your husband." "Do you think I can?" she looked at Richard, Katy, Robin, and me. All of our heads were nodding. "What about your sister?" "Millie will come around. She's the stubborn one of the family." That set Robin to laughing, and Katy to chasing her around the room. "You can, need, to do the same," I said to Julie. She looked up at me. "How?" "Just start calling yourself Julie Theims. Robin's last name was Katy's, not Cliff's." Julie looked over to Robin. "I like her a lot. I guess I could try." ------- Barbara was telling Brian what happened at the Mansion. "I couldn't understand it. His sister and two others were in the room. Robin was downstairs. There wasn't much need to guess what they were doing." Brian was thinking about the peep holes in the walls, and wondered if Jimmy had been using them yet. The thought of that started getting him hard. Then he thought, 'Barbara would be there, viewable through one of those peep holes!' He was rock hard. Barbara noticed it. "Yeah, it got to me, too," Barbara smiled, "Want me to help you?" "Can I..." Brian was blushing, "I mean you get to touch me. So I was..." "You want to touch me?" Barbara said, surprised. "Yes. I mean, if it's... ok. You know. If you want me to, or something." Brian said, very embarrassed. Barbara was suddenly self-conscious. The memories of being teased about looking like a boy flooded her brain. Poking rays of hope through that dark mist, was what Richard, Keith, Katharine, Julie, and now Brian, had said to her. "Are you sure you want to?" "Barbara," he said, reaching out for her hand, "you are beautiful." The blush that started in the center of her being, radiated out everywhere. She was sure Brian would let go of her hand, as even that felt hot to her. She had to drop his hand anyway, as she took hold of her blouse, and pulled it over her head. Brian stared at her small rose-colored nipples, and his mouth salivated for want. She fumbled at the zipper on her skirt, her hands nervous with excitement. The skirt dropped, and Barbara was now less clothed, than anyone had seen her in years. The boy, this boy, her love, Brian, showed on his face an awe that enveloped her, held her. Their eyes met. Their smiles beamed. Barbara screamed as the front door creaked, as it was being opened. That led to Katy running in, to see what was wrong. She saw, and started laughing. Barbara and Brian were bright red. "I'm sorry to laugh," Katy said, although it didn't sound too convincing. "Barbara, you should have known better. You should be glad it was me." Barbara and Brian were still in shock. "Come on Barbara; get your clothes back on. We can't go out like that." "We... we're going?" Barbara said, almost crying. "Yes. Richard and Keith will be along at any moment, to get Brian." "What are they going to do with me?" Brian asked. Katy rolled her eyes, "Boy you two lose your brains around each other. You're coming out to the Mansion." "I am!" "He is!" Brian and Barbara said at the same time. "Yes. Now, Barbara, get a move on. Unless you want to show Keith your underwear." Barbara turned bright red, and quickly dressed. Katy left a note on her sister's door, letting her know Brian was with us. We all piled into the Suburban. Brian fit, somewhat, in the far back. Barbara was holding onto him. Richard and Katy were in the front seat, Robin and I in the back. We all helped Barbara get Brian into the mansion. Then Robin and I went back to get Jimmy, and to see Mildred. ------- "Sarah," Jill finally said, "You're driving me crazy with your nonstop talking." Sarah went silent, and Jill wondered if how she said her words were a bit too harsh. Laura, Betty, and Sue, who were along with them on a walk in the meadow, also became quiet. So quiet they could hear the horses in the stable, thirty yards from them. "Betty and I need to do a bit of packing," Sue said. It was obviously not the truth, the way Betty looked surprised at her friend. "I think I'll help you," Laura said. "Are you sure you want to?" Jill asked. "Well," Laura blushed, "just for a bit. I'll be back." With that they were off, leaving Jill and Sarah together. "That was odd," Jill said. "I guess it was my fault," Sarah said. "You weren't talking that much," Jill said embarrassed. "No, not that. I said I wanted to talk with you." Jill stopped and looked at Sarah, "Oh? What about?" Sarah was nervous now. "I... ahhh. Liz told you what happened, didn't she?" Jill had a blank look on her face, then said, "You mean about Keith's accident." Sarah hadn't expected to have to tell this part, "Well, before that." Jill was slowly shaking her head, "I don't think so. All I know is that she went up there after we found out he fell. She didn't want to go, you know." "I had heard that. But she didn't tell you anything about what happened... to me?" Jill made her way over to the fence and sat down, "No. What happened?" "I was told it was important to talk to you. To hear from you, about love. To understand why it's ok for me to be in Carp." "Sarah," Jill said, "You're shivering. Who told you?" "Daisy." Jill looked at Sarah. She was shaking, but it was not from being cold. Her eyes were downcast. She was not the confident person Jill had seen, earlier. "Sarah, what happed to you?" Sarah's breathing became labored as she tried to get out the words. "That man. The one that made Keith fall, he... he attacked me." Jill was in shock, not knowing what to say. She wondered if Liz knew. Sarah went on, "Keith came to rescue me. That man used me as bait. I screamed. It's really my fault Jill. I still feel it. Keith almost died, because of me." "That man, that was Hank?" Jill asked still stunned. "I think so." Sarah said, her pulse slowing, slightly. "Sarah, what did Hank do to you?" "He ripped my top off, my bra too." Jill felt like she was going to be sick. She wished Liz was here, now. "Men can be so evil," Jill spat out. Sarah was taken back. This was not anything she expected to hear. "I thought... Why did you say that?" Sarah asked. Jill stopped the tirade in her mind, "Why? You don't know?" Sarah shook her head. Looking at Sarah, she realized that what Sarah had just said to her was difficult. Just as difficult as how she felt, needing to say what happened to her. "I was raped, Sarah." This was not at all what Sarah had expected to hear, she gasped for breath, images flashing in front of her. Words Hank had said. How she had been so close to having that happen to her. "Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!" Jill yelled. Her eyes blinked open, looking up at Jill, "What happened?" "You fainted." "Oh," Sarah said, putting her hand up to her head. Remembering what Jill had said. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd faint." "Jill," Sarah said, very puzzled, "I was overwhelmed. I don't understand." "I know. I guess we have had similar experiences," Jill said, thinking that is what Daisy had meant. Jill gave her hand to Sarah, and helped her up. "I guess. But Daisy said I should talk to you about love," Sarah said. Jill was silent. Sarah sighed, "I guess, if you don't want to talk about it..." "Sarah," Jill answered, "I just don't know what Daisy meant. Love is one of those hard things, for me." Nodding, Sarah realized, and put it into words. "You don't know the conversations Daisy and I had, so I guess that it was unfair of me. Jill, you know what my father does. I grew up in a world, where people smile at those they hate. I have never had a great loving relationship with my mom. Then I run into Keith and Robin. I didn't know that she was a relative of mine, until that trip." "I didn't know that either," Jill exclaimed. "Here is Keith, a man I hardly know, and he saves me. Me! And he almost dies from it. I'm told it's love." Sarah said, her voice cracking, "I've never been around anything like that, before." Jill smiled. Sarah went on, "Then I find myself drawn to Pamela. Jill, I hate to say this about myself, but I was pretty stuck up. If someone like Pamela had been at my school, I would have been one of the first to say something hurtful. I hate thinking that I did things like that." "I think we all do things we wish we hadn't." "I can't see you doing that," Sarah responded. "I have, but we were talking about you," Jill smiled. "Thanks a lot," Sarah retorted, and both girls laughed. Then Sarah got serious again. "Jill? I meant it, when I said I was taken with Pamela. I started helping her with her speech. It was frustrating and fun, at the same time. So I was around her a lot of the time. There was once, when I came in, and found that Stephanie and she were..." Jill couldn't help but laugh, "Stephanie is something, isn't she?" "Yes. I found out what they were doing, and I was kind of shocked. I had some conversations with Katy and Daisy about it. About the love they share, and how they express it. Then," Sarah looked at Jill, "we started talking about Keith." Jill had this knot building in her stomach, "What did they say?" "That Keith and Robin had a special type of love, and it extends beyond just themselves." Jill smiled, "Yes, they are wonderful." "Especially Keith?" Sarah prodded. Jill answered by blushing. "I thought so, too. Daisy said she'd been with Keith, and there were others. I was afraid..." Jill now knew what Daisy was talking about now and why she told Sarah to talk to her. "You thought you needed to have sex with him," Jill said rhetorically, "That was the way he would love you." "Yes," Sarah said, realizing those were indeed the emotions that had scared her. "Daisy was right," Jill said. "I was scared, scared of men. One had raped me; and, well, my mother was no help. I couldn't talk to her at all. Then, here comes Keith, and he is gentle. He was different from what I was trying to tell myself men were like. I was very confused. Did Daisy tell you what happened, when we got shipped off to the air force base?" "No." "Let me give you the real short version. Keith and Richard were in a set of Barracks, with seven females, and two boys. There was a lot of sex going on." "You knew about this?" Sarah asked, thinking this sounded very strange. "Yes. I was one of the seven." Sarah couldn't believe it, "But I thought you didn't like men!" "Sarah, settle down. Keith never did anything to me, especially anything to hurt me, ever. He knew I was hurting, and he had his sister talk to me." "That is Liz, right?" "Yes. She and I became close friends. I found, living there with them, that there was something I wanted. I felt I needed to have sex with Keith, to get it." "You didn't though?" "Sarah, I was so desperate that I..." Jill stopped for a moment. "They were all having fun, I could hear it. I walked in there, with nothing on. Completely nude." "Oh, no! What happened?" "Keith looked at me. He saw me. I even knew he liked me." "Yes," Sarah said, in anticipation. Jill laughed, "You're not supposed to be enjoying this so much." Sarah blushed, and Jill went on. "Liz took me back to my room." "That's it?" "No, but that's all that happened. Liz told me that Keith wouldn't have done anything with me. I wasn't ready, and he wasn't going to hurt me." "So you came here with Liz, then?" "Keith got that arranged. He could see we were good for each other, and fixed it so I could come here." "Wow." "Keith is pretty special." "You love him, too, don't you?" Sarah asked. This time, when asked, Jill could smile. "Don't you dare tell him." Sarah smiled. "So. You're not afraid of men, anymore?" "I don't know, really. I've been here, at this all girls' school... There is one man on campus, and he's a doll. When I get back home... Well, that will tell me. I'm so looking forward to going back. Yet, in a way, it scares me." Sarah was nodding her head, "Yes. I can understand. You know what I said, about how I was? When I got back home, and went back to school, it was a real problem." Betty, Sue, and Laura showed up right then, much to the disappointment of Jill and Sarah. "I want to hear about that. Promise?" Jill asked. "I promise," Sarah answered. ------- I was relatively quiet, as Robin and I drove up to Mildred's house. I got out, and hoped to hell I could get this cast off, soon. Inside, Daisy was cleaning up in the kitchen. When she saw us, she ran over, hugging us both at the same time. I looked, and saw tears on her face. Kissing her cheek, and giving her shoulders another squeeze, I asked where Jimmy was. Daisy rolled her eyes. "I think your grandpa must have primed him. When they came over, Jimmy went straight over to my sister, and started whispering in her ear. The next thing I saw, was them leaving, hand in hand. I looked over to Robin, who was having a problem not smiling. "Kids, these days," I said. Robin couldn't maintain her facade, and grinned. Daisy even smiled. Then I added, "It sounded like it bothered you. What's the problem?" "My mom is dying, and my sister's out, doing who knows what." I took Daisy's hand, and walked her over to their couch. Sitting down, I pulled Daisy onto my lap. Robin sat right next to us. Robin and I started massaging Daisy, and she leaned into me. The tears started flowing, as her tensions were being released. "Daisy, you are older, and understand what is coming. I don't know if Pamela fully realizes what this all means. Do you understand that?" "You mean, she doesn't know she's losing her mother?" "I'm sure Pamela knows her mother is dying, but she doesn't understand what she's losing. She can't see that her mother isn't going to be there, when she needs her, anymore. That just isn't working through, in her head. You are feeling the pain, all at once. You will learn to live with that, and go on. She will get that pain, in small doses, for a longer time. I don't know which one I would choose, but I don't think we have much of a choice." "Is that how Barbara did it? Not knowing what she was losing?" Robin asked. "I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. Otherwise, she'd be half crazy by now," I said. "That's how I'm feeling. It feels like I'm going out of my mind," Daisy said, wiping her nose. I thought for a moment and then asked, "Does Katharine stay here, around the clock?" "Of course not." "Why not? Don't you think she's concerned?" I asked. "Of course she is, but she can't be here all the time." "Or she'd go crazy?" I said, trying to get her to see. Daisy looked at me for a bit, and then said, "Is that why you told us not to be so hard on our dad, when he went off to get food in the hospital?" I nodded. "We all need a break, sometimes. Do you think you can really help your mom, feeling the way you are feeling?" "No, I guess you are right," she said. Then a tear fell down her cheek, "What if something happens, and I'm not there?" I had to think of another way for her to look at this. Robin intervened. "Should Keith stand by my side twenty four hours a day, for the rest of my pregnancy?" Robin asked Daisy. Daisy tilted her head, trying to figure that out. "Well, of course not." "But something could happen. What if it did and he wasn't there?" "That's different." "It is not. There is a baby growing inside of me, if something happened..." "Don't even say it!" Daisy cried. "Daisy," I said, "I think Robin is trying to get you to see that I could never know, if something was going to happen. I can't stop my life. But; as the time grows near to the point when something might happen, you can be sure I will not be going out of town!" "Right. You have to change, knowing something is going to happen," Daisy said. "But I don't stop living, myself. Do you think that is what you mother would want?" "Damn! I hate it when you make so much sense." I laughed, "Stick around. I say enough things that are just plain stupid, too." Looking over to Robin, I said, "Don't say a word." Daisy and Robin looked at each other, and smiled. I gave Daisy a hug, "Feel a little better?" "A lot. I need you two." "Daisy, we are always here for you," Robin said. I looked to Robin, winked at her, and then pulled Daisy close to me. I whispered into her ear, "Maybe what you need is a night with us." Daisy blushed and looked at Robin, "Could I?" Robin must have guessed what I whispered. "He's back to normal. Well, except for the cast," she said. Then she blushed when she added, "It would be fun." "I'll talk to Katharine, tomorrow morning, and see if I can arrange something." "Good. Now, that sister of yours. I wonder what evil things she's trying to get that saint, Jimmy, to do," I said in jest. Daisy and Robin were laughing, "Saint Jimmy?" Robin said, "You're talking about my brother?" Their ears must have been burning, because they showed up, stammering about where they had been. Daisy, Robin, and I let them go on a bit. Soon, we couldn't hold it, and started laughing. That brought Robert out of Mildred's room. "Will you keep it down," he said, sitting down in a chair. I hadn't seen him in days. The phrase 'death warmed over, ' came to mind. "Robert, is she awake?" I asked. He just nodded. "I'd," I looked over to Robin, who was nodding, "We'd like to see her." Robert's shoulders slumped. He barely moved his head in a nod. He was dead tired, and it showed. As Daisy got off my lap, I whispered to her, "Is he sleeping?" She shook her head. "Robert, why don't you take a walk for a few minutes? We won't go until you come back." He didn't say a word, but got up, and walked out the door. "He's been like that, since we got back," Daisy said. Robin and I walked into Mildred's room. It had the same odd odor that you get in hospitals, although the room was hers, in her own home. Pictures were on the walls. The quilt she had been given was on her bed. Mildred looked frail, but her eyes said she was still with us. She patted the bed, smiling. "It is good to see you," she said. "I'm worried about Robert. "You know," she took Robin's hand; "you two are still Pamela's guardian's." "Daisy is having a hard time, as well," I said, wanting to change the subject. "I know. I told her to see you," Mildred took my hand, this time, "Keith; she's been through an awful lot. Take good care of her. I know you will." I wondered if she saw any guilt on my face. I heard a little laugh from her, and looked at her face. "We've been having some good talks," Mildred said. "She told me how you took care of her, in Redding." I know I was blushing. "Robin, you are a gem, to allow that. Thank you." Robin smiled, "I love her, too." "Yes, I've heard. I guess I'm a bit old fashioned about that." "How are you doing?" I had to ask. "Katharine has been great, but I'm wearing out. Next week, I suppose," there was a tear in her eye, "I don't want to leave my children, but I don't have much choice." We could see she was getting tired, and her eyes were closing. "Keith?" she said, feeling my weight shift on the bed. "Yes?" "Promise to take care of my girls," her tears were flowing, "Love them." "Mildred," I said, my voice choking, "We will always be there for them." "We will always love them," Robin added to my sentiments. "I know. I just needed to hear it again," she said, as she drifted off to sleep. I didn't know how Robin felt, but I felt like a truck had just hit me. I was drained. It must have shown. "Now you know," Daisy said. "Talk with Katharine," Robin said. "I'll be checking, in the morning." Daisy smiled. "Checking what?" Pamela wanted to know. "We want her to come out to the Mansion," I said. Pamela got a sad look on her face, "What about me?" "Why not tonight?" Daisy said, "If it's alright." Pamela's face brightened, "Can I?" I leaned over, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. As I stood, she came up with me. I held her bottom with my hand, for support. Her face went into my shoulder, and I nuzzled her neck. Into her ear I whispered, "You should know I will always want you around." She pulled back, and smiled at me. Then she hugged me again. She whispered into my ear, "Even if I have a boyfriend?" "Pamela," I said so anyone could hear, "I'll love you forever and ever. You never have to question that. No matter what." I could feel her smiling, even though I couldn't see it. We waited for Robert to come back. When he did, he thanked me. I could tell he'd had a drink while he was out. I hoped he was able to talk with someone, as well. Just as Daisy needed it, so did Robert. We asked if it was all right to take Pamela for the night. His 'whatever' response was troubling to me. Robert went back into the bedroom, with Mildred. Robin took Jimmy and Pamela out to the car. I closed the door behind them. Daisy was standing next to me. She turned, surprised by my action. I didn't miss a beat. I took her into my arm (damned cast), and pulled her close. She melted as I kissed her, letting out a little moan. "Oh, I hate that you have to go. I'd like to keep you here, tonight," she said. "I don't think your mother would mind," I said, letting her know Mildred had told us of that conversation, "but your dad and Robin might not be in agreement." She pulled back, and smiled. "You'd better go, then. Before I drag you off to bed. But don't you worry. One way or another, I'm coming out there, too." I gave her another long kiss, and walked out the door, her hands not wanting to leave me. "That took a long time," Pamela said, as I got in. I looked over to her, and she had a grin on her face. "You will get yours, young lady." Her grin turned into a smile, "Tease," she said. I looked at Robin, and she just shook her head. When we arrived, Stephanie came running out. As soon as she saw Pamela, she squealed in delight, and pulled her out of the car. "You have competition," I said to Jimmy. He just smiled. "Nah, she's a girl." Robin and I looked at each other, and laughed. ------- "Jill," Liz said, "That was a bit short. You could have been nicer to Laura." "I'm sorry. I think she'll understand, but I just needed some more time with Sarah," she said. Then Jill's eyes narrowed on Liz, "How come you didn't tell me anything about what went on." "What do you mean?" "She almost got raped by Hank, and you didn't say a word to me." "Jill and Sarah. You two sit down," Liz said. "Jill, you know what others think of Kevin." "Yes." "You have a much different idea about him, don't you?" "Oh! Of course I do," Jill looked to Sarah, "He's the one man around here." "If all you know of Kevin, was what someone else had said; would you have been able to get close enough to find out who he really was?" Jill thought about that. Sarah was seeing the connection. "You didn't tell Jill anything about me, so she could find out and make her own decisions about me?" Sarah asked. "Yes. But I didn't figure you'd be talking about that kind of stuff, right off. I'm sorry, Jill," Liz said. "It's ok. I see your point; but still, it would have been nice to know. It came as a shock." "Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to Sarah about?" Liz asked. Jill laughed, "My, aren't we inquisitive?" "I just wondered," Liz said, trying to downplay her interest. "You know Laura is one of Jill's best friends, here at school." Sarah looked sad, "You could have let her stay. It's ok with me." Jill smiled, "Really? I'll get her." As Jill ran out the door, Liz looked at Sarah. "You seem a bit different, than you were at the University." Sarah was silent, for a few seconds. "That moment, when your brother turned, and made sure I was out of the way. I saw a gun pointing at him. He was concerned about me. In that second, my life changed, Liz." Liz was struck by the power those words held. A tear formed in her eye. It was shattered, by Jill and Laura barging in through the door. Jill looked at Liz and then Sarah and stopped. "We ruined something didn't we?" "Couldn't be helped," Liz answered. "Come on, now. Sarah has a story to tell, I hear." Sarah felt a bit embarrassed being put on the spotlight. As soon as they sat down, there was a knock on the door. Tiffany and Vicki came in. Sarah was introduced to Liz's friends and fellow teachers, who would be coming to Carp. Now it was time for what Sarah was starting to think of, as a performance. "Sarah, if you want to tell me later, that's fine," Jill said. "It's just kind of embarrassing," Sarah said. "I wasn't such a nice person, before." Everyone in the room looked at each other. "Sarah," Tiffany said, "Everyone in this room has some sort of connection to each other. Believe me; we have all had our share of doing downright stupid things." Everyone laughed. Then Sarah told about how she felt, as she went back to school. She told about what had happened at Lunch, and the problems with the group of friends she'd once had. She said they were no longer her friends. She explained how that was related to Vivian, how they had met, and the friendship they developed. She revealed how she had set up Vivian and Scott. When she was done, Liz said, "Now that sounds like a relative of Robin's, for sure." Jill laughed, and shook her head. Sarah smiled. Laura, Tiffany, and Vicki, wanted to know what Liz meant by that. Everyone started talking at that point, until it was time for Laura to leave, and the night rounds to be made. As soon as Jill and Sarah were alone, Sarah had a question for Jill. "You two sleep in the same bed." "Yes." "Are you two, I mean, is there..." Sarah didn't know how to say this politely. "What do you want to know?" Jill asked, knowing full well what Sarah was trying to ask. "Do you two do things, you know..." Jill smiled, "Yes, I do know. And yes, we do." "Is it because you don't like what a man did?" Sarah asked, trying to understand this. "Sarah, I don't know if I can explain how or why it started. But for us, it is the best way we know of, to show how much we love each other." Sarah was nodding her head, "Oh," she said. "You need to know that Liz wants a relationship with a man, and she wants a baby, too." Jill wasn't sure if she should say that the man whose baby she wanted was Keith, her brother. "What about you?" "Like I said before. I need to try and see what I think, when I get out of here. When I get back home," Jill said. Then she smiled, "I want to spend some time around Keith, I do know that." "Are you going to... ?" Sarah couldn't finish that. "I don't know what I'm going to do," then Jill smiled, "Whatever I do; I know Liz, Keith, Robin, and all the rest, will love me." "That would be nice. I go from being afraid, to feeling fine. At the play last night, I was sitting next to a boy. We started... Well, I guess it was flirting. I felt fine, but I think it might have been because there were so many people around. I think he was younger than me. As we started talking, I relaxed. It was so natural. After the play, we talked some more. I was my old playful self. Just for fun, I gave him a little kiss. After you two fell asleep, I was still awake. Something came over me, and I was frightened again." "I think you should talk to Liz about nibbling chocolate. I would bet she said you had gorged yourself, and it made you sick." "Jill, you're not making any sense, I didn't have any chocolate." "It's just a way of looking at something, not real chocolate." Liz came into her room then, finished with her rounds. Jill asked, "Can you tell Sarah about 'chocolate'? I think she got sick last night, from taking a big bite." Liz took hold of Sarah's hands and pulled her over to the bed, "Tell me about it, and I'll explain the 'chocolate' idea to you." ------- I walked into the music room, as that is where I had heard the laughter. There was Brian, on the floor, stretched out. Barbara was beside him. Pamela and Jimmy were on the couch. Stephanie was standing. I could see her, arms folded in front of her, and no smile on her face. I caught her eye, and motioned her over to me. "They're leaving me out," she said sadly. "Stephanie," I said, pulling her close to me, "They have found something special in each other. They need time to learn, and then you will be included again." "Fine," she said, disappointed. "I was thinking of taking a bath," I said to her, as I pulled her out of the room. "With this cast on, I need help in the tub." I saw her eyes glow with anticipation. "As you have nothing else going on, would you like to help me?" Instead of answering, she threw her arms around me, hugging me. "I take that as a 'yes'." She looked up at me and nodded, then said, "Are you going to help wash me, too?" I smiled, "I was hoping I could." She hugged me again. This time; she pulled herself to my body as closely as possible, standing on my feet, even. I walked into the kitchen with her like that. She was making mewing noises as we walked. Robin saw us walk in, and she smiled. "Stephanie is going to help me bathe," I said. Robin raised her eyebrows, "Help?" I grinned. Stephanie let go of me, and I told her to start a fire in the stove. Then I explained, while Stephanie walked outside to get the wood, what was going on with her friends. "Maybe she needs to sleep with us, tonight," Robin said. "Robin, would you like a bath tonight, as well?" I asked, as Stephanie walked back in. "Hmm. Maybe I should. You two will be nice and clean." "Looks like you are going to have to 'work' twice as hard tonight," I said to Stephanie. "Robin wants a bath as well." Stephanie's smile brightened, "Goodie!" "You do get a reward for all this work, too," Robin said. "You get to sleep with us, tonight." Stephanie couldn't contain her excitement, and jumped into Robin's lap, smothering her with kisses. I started the fire in the stove, for the hot water, as it looked like Stephanie and Robin were otherwise occupied. ------- Barbara, Brian, Jimmy, and Pamela, saw the exchange Stephanie and I had had. But they couldn't hear what we had said. All they knew is that Stephanie was gone, now. The two young couples were alone, and it felt exciting to them. The girls were giggling. Brian had been thinking, all afternoon. Well, when he wasn't thinking about how Barbara had looked without clothes on. "Jimmy," he whispered. Jimmy moved over to him, knowing that Brian didn't want the girls to hear. "I was thinking that Pamela and Barbara are about the same height we are." Jimmy looked at Brian, thinking he was going crazy, "So." "You know how we measured, under the house." Jimmy smiled, "Yes. Now I get it. You can't move around, but we could get the girls to do what we did, and figure out where that thing is." Brian nodded, smiling. "What are you whispering about?" Barbara asked. "We were thinking of a game to play," Jimmy quickly said. "Brian and I can't remember all of it, but it was fun." "How do you play?" Pamela asked. Brian and Jimmy looked at each other. "Well," Brian started, "you pick a spot in the house..." "And then you have to guess how far it is, from the outside walls," Jimmy added. "You measure by people," Brian inserted. "By people?" Barbara questioned. "Yes," Jimmy said, "Let's say we picked the piano. I'd say it was three people from the front, and two from the outside wall. To see if I'm right, Barbara; you and Pamela, lay down on the floor, and measure it out." The girls looked at each other, "This sounds like a boy's game." Brian and Jimmy looked at each other. "Well, Jimmy and I came up with it, and it was fun. But I can't do it," Brian said. That hit the sympathy of the girls, and they lay down. With a little instruction, they measured it out. The piano was two lengths from the front, and one and a half from the side. "So what now?" Barbara said. "Well that was simple, 'cause it was so close. We need to pick something further away, then we get to guess how far it is. The closest one wins," Jimmy said. "Wins what?" Pamela asked. The boys hadn't thought of that. Brian looked over to Barbara. "What if the winner gets to ask one of us, to do anything they say." Pamela looked at her with wide eyes, "Anything?" Barbara looked at Brian and nodded, "Yes, anything." Pamela looked, to Jimmy, a bit scared. He smiled sweetly at her, and she somehow knew he wouldn't ask for 'that'. "Ok," Pamela said. The boys were very much in favor. The bulge in their pants gave good indication of that. With everything settled, the game started. Jimmy had to guess at a point to start at. He chose the point where the back of the stairs went down. They all took their guesses as to how far and the girls started measuring the distance. It was not quite far enough and Jimmy and Brian's estimations were off. Pamela got it almost right on, and she won. They all converged back into the music room. "What are you going to ask for?" Barbara asked excitedly. Pamela wasn't so sure. She didn't want to go first, but didn't know what to do at this point. "What would you ask for?" she asked in return. Barbara blushed. "I don't want to say." Jimmy and Brian wanted to get on with the 'game', and he came up with an idea. "How about if you write it down? Then we can play four times, giving us each the chance to win. At the end, we have to open the note that has our name on it, and do whatever it says." That was safer for Pamela, intriguing for Barbara, and got the game going for the boys. "Ok," each of them said. Pamela found paper and pencil in the library. She wrote down her wish, and folded it. She wrote Jimmy's name on the front, and handed it to him. He found the flaw to his plan. He now wanted to open it, and see what she had written. The game, for him, was a bit less interesting. Brian prodded him, and using the last measurement, he moved the location, hoping it would be closer. This time it was in the living room, near the end of the staircase. They made their guesses, and the girls did the measurements. Brian won this time. Jimmy was as excited as he was, because now they had one of the measurements right. Barbara was excited, too. She ran to bring Brian the pencil and some paper. Brian was blushing as he folded up the paper, and wrote Barbara's name on it. Jimmy was all set to pick another place, when Barbara said, "You picked the last two, us girls should pick the next two." Jimmy looked over to Brian, and wondered how this had happened. There was little to do but give the girls what they wanted, so the boys agreed. Pamela picked the door from the library, to the hall. Without the idea that he was trying to get a placement, Jimmy could concentrate on the measurement. It worked. He won, this time. He ran into the library, but took his time writing his note. Pamela was a bit worried, as he gave it to her. His smile to her, though, made her feel special. Now it was Barbara's turn to pick, and she had yet to win. She picked the corner of the dining room table. Brian had the hardest time with this, as he couldn't actually see it. Fortunately, it didn't make any difference. The only one, who gave even a reasonable guess, was Barbara. She smiled when she figured out that the other three had just about guaranteed she would win, this time. As they measured it off, the boys won, too. It was the distance from the front, that they needed. Barbara and Pamela couldn't understand Jimmy's excitement, rushing in to tell Brian the news. For Brian, it was double pleasure. They got the coordinates, and he was going to get a note from Barbara. She handed it to him, her face flushed with excitement. The three were circled around Brian, wondering how to proceed next, when Mary and Beth Ann came down the stairs stopping in the hallway. "What's all the noise?" Beth Ann called out. "We were just playing a game," Jimmy answered. Beth Ann and Mary walked into the music room from where voice came from and stopped. "When did you get here?" Mary asked, referring to Brian and Pamela. "Give me a hug." She picked up Pamela. "It is good to see you. Tell me about your mom. Daisy's not out here, too, is she?" Beth Ann leaned down to Brian, "Hi, how's it going?" "I'm going nowhere," Brian said, as a wisecrack. "You should know better than to jest with a 'mobile' person," Beth Ann said, with a sparkle in her eye. She reached out, her fingers spread, slowly moving her hands towards his side. "No! Don't tickle me," Brian cried out. Beth Ann was laughing now, but was very surprised when Barbara pushed her over, away from Brian. Barbara was suddenly embarrassed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Beth Ann got very serious, "Barbara, you should know better than that. I have half a mind to send you to your room." Barbara looked at Brian, panicked. Then Beth Ann started to get up, "Of course the other half of my mind," she said, trying to keep serious, "thinks I should tickle you!" And with that, she ran after Barbara; who ran out of the room, screaming. They heard them run from the living room, to the dining room, down the hall, and back into the music room. They were laughing all the way. "Save me," Barbara panted out, as she ran in. "Oh, there's no one to save you," Beth Ann said, in an old witch's voice. "Damn it, I can't." Brian yelled out, his face full of anguish. Beth Ann stopped, knelt down at him. Suddenly she remembered hearing about Brian and Barbara. "Brian, it's ok. I'm sorry. It must be terrible watching people run around, when you are stuck lying there," Beth Ann said. There was a tear starting to fall from Brian's eye and Beth Ann reached over to wipe it away. She leaned in and kissed his cheek and once again said, "It's ok, Brian." Looking up, and seeing Barbara hovering over them, Beth Ann smiled at her and said, "He's all yours." Barbara broke into a smile. Kristin, Richard, and Katy came in from outside. "What was all the yelling?" Katy asked, "We could hear it, outside." "The big bad witch was chasing Barbara around," Beth Ann said, sheepishly. Kristin rolled her eyes, "Children," she said in an exasperating tone. Everyone laughed at that. "Where is Stephanie?" Katy asked. "Keith took her off somewhere," Jimmy answered. "Ok, let's go find them." Richard said. Brian, Pamela, Jimmy, and Barbara, knew that their private time together, was now over. They would have to figure out how to get together again, soon. There were the slips of paper each one had. They all looked at each other, as they helped Brian to the living room. "Don't read it," Pamela said to Jimmy. They all nodded in agreement. ------- With enough hot water in the tub, and Robin heating up more for her turn, Stephanie and I entered the bathroom. "You have to be careful of my cast, when you take off my shirt," I said. "I'm undressing you?" "Wouldn't you like to?" Stephanie's smile grew, "Yes, that would be fun." "Well then, we'd best start, or the water will get cold." That wasn't likely, soon. The steam was rolling off of the surface. I knelt down, and she started unbuttoning my shirt. I saw her start to blush. She had hardly seen any of my skin, yet. "Are you going to undress me then?" she asked, in a little girl's voice, that made me harder than I was before. "I'd enjoy that very much," I said in earnest. "Good," she replied, and sped up her process. I sat on the toilet, as she took off my shoes and socks. Then I stood for the pants. She had a hard time unbuttoning my pants. She slid her hands down in front of my crotch, feeling the lump there. "Ok. Enough of trying to drive me crazy," I said. She giggled. She unzipped, and pulled down my pants. I stepped out of them, and was left with my tented boxers. I saw her mouth move, and then she licked her lips, as she reached for the waistband. Pulling them down, the elastic stuck on my protrusion. She snaked her hand in, and grasped my dick, causing me to moan. "Do we still need the bath?" she whispered. My real brain was still functioning, somewhat. "Yes," I said. "We need to. And I get to undress you. So hurry up." She giggled, "Ok." Then she pulled my boxers off. "My turn," I said, as I stepped out of my last thread of clothing. My cast once again proved to be a problem. I ended up turning Stephanie around with her back to me, as I unbuttoned her blouse. It did give me the opportunity to run my hand over her skin in a delightful way as I slipped her top off. "I don't think I can get your shoes," I said. "Well, you'd best try, first," Stephanie responded, and jumped up to the toilet seat. It was not as hard as I suspected it would be. Soon, she was on the floor again, facing me. I pulled her close with my cast, and unzipped her skirt, letting it fall to the floor. She stepped back out of the material at her feet. I gazed at her figure, dressed only in her panties. Thin, without much shape, little rose colored nipples on small breasts. And her face. A smile a mile long, framed in curly blond hair. I let out a soft little whistle, and she blushed. That was a delight to see, as well. "Come here, and let me get that last piece off of you." As she stepped forward, I knelt down. Having her stand where I could get both my hands, even with my cast, on her panties felt good. Instead of pulling them down, I pulled them up, letting the crotch of her panties pull into her folds. I looked down to see Gods handiwork of female anatomy. She watched me looking at her, and blushed furiously. She also didn't say a word. She just let me enjoy myself. Then I slowly, gently, playfully, lowered her last garment to the floor. She put her hand on my shoulder to steady herself, and stepped out of them. "Shall we," I said, pointing to the water. Smiling, she nodded, and let me get in first. I stretched out; so that there was no way she could enter, without being in contact with me. That was a moot point, as she stepped in and straddled my legs. She sat, facing me. As I looked down into the water, her legs spread. Her pussy was open, and inviting. I looked up to her face, and she was smiling at me. I swallowed hard, "You're supposed to be here to help wash me, not to tease me with your charms." Stephanie laughed, "I'm not teasing. Teasing would be saying you could look, but not have. You can have anything you see." "Let's get clean, first," I said, wondering how long I was going to last. It seemed to me, every movement she made, rubbed herself up against me. Or, she rubbed me in some way. I was starting to loose control. Fortunately, the soap had seen most of my body. Robin popped in, "How's it going?" "She's driving me crazy!" I said. Stephanie giggled, "He asked me to do this." "It's true, I believe you did," Robin said to me. "You're next," I responded. Robin smiled, "I can't wait." "You won't have to wait long, cause I'm almost done. How hot is the water on the stove?" "Hot," Robin said. "Finish up, and I'll be right back." As soon as she was out the door, Stephanie had a pouting look on her face. "I wanted you longer." I knew she wasn't referring to the length of my dick, but it caused me to smile, anyway. "This, my dear, is just the beginning." Her face changed to a smile. She finished me up, just as Robin walked back in with a large pot of steaming water. Setting it down, she closed the door again. Stephanie and I got out and Robin poured the new hot water in. Then Robin started to undress. "Oh, no you don't," I said. "We get to do that." Robin smiled, and Stephanie and I worked fast. Each one of us trying to undo as much as we could. I was dried off by the two of them. Then I watched, as they slipped into the tub. Robin didn't need the help I did. This was just an excuse to touch and feel. I was encouraged to come closer, and Robin took hold of my dick. Stephanie stretched her neck, and kissed the end of it. Robin let go, and Stephanie took over. The end of my dick slipped into her mouth, as her hands wrapped around my shaft. It felt heavenly. I looked down into the water, and saw that Robin's hands were busy. Stephanie was pushed to the back of the tub, and I came with her. Robin pulled Stephanie's legs out, and over each side of the tub I was now at the back of the iron tub. Stephanie, with her head draped over the back of the tub, had sucked me back into her mouth. She was not really in the water now. Robin was supporting Stephanie's bottom. Stephanie's legs were to each side, and her pussy was in full open view. Robin leaned down, and her tongue slithered into the garden of delights before her. Stephanie moaned around my dick, and that did it. "I'm cumming," I said. Robin intensified her ministrations, and sucked in Stephanie's clit. We all heard, "I'll check here," as the door opened. I saw Robin's eyes widen, as I turned my head slowly. My cum was still pumping, and now was dripping out around Stephanie's lips. Barbara was standing, stunned, in the doorway. Pamela came up, right behind her, and looked in. "Found them!" she yelled. ------- Chapter 61 "Thanks a lot," Katy said to me, as she was the next to poke her head in. Pulling the still shocked Barbara out of the doorway, we heard Katy say, "Come on, some nice hot tea will be good." "Were they?" Barbara stammered. Pamela grinned at us, and then shut the door. "That was an interruption I could have done without," I said, noting my now wilted dick. "You?" Robin said, with half a smile on her face, "You two still owe me." I looked down at Stephanie, who wasn't at all bothered by the interruption. She was cleaning off her face in a manner that would have made me hard again, if not for wondering what Barbara thought of me this time. My track record with her was not going well. Looking into Robin's eyes, I said, "Don't worry, you'll be very well taken care of. Isn't that right, Stephanie?" "Mmmm, yes, after what she did," Stephanie replied. Robin blushed. "I'm going out to see what kind of damage I did, this time," I said, sliding my pants on. "Need help with your shirt?" Robin said, knowing I did. "Or were you planning on going out there without one?" "Very funny," I replied, as I handed her a towel, to dry her hands. Then I handed her my shirt. As she was buttoning it up for me, she said, "Now don't let them take advantage of you." I shook my head, as Robin and Stephanie giggled. ------- The stove was still hot, and the water well on it's way, when I walked in. Katy gave me a look that could kill. One reminiscent of when I first showed up in town. I tried to ignore it, and pulled out a chair at the table. The sound startled Barbara, and she jumped slightly. I pulled the chair around to face her. "Barbara," I said into deep pools of drawn away eyes, "I'm not about to try and deny what you saw." Her facial expression changed to a bit of curiosity. "First of all, I want you to ask yourself a question. Do you think anyone looked as if they were being forced to do anything they didn't want to do?" There was a slight smile, and a hint of a blush, when she shook her head "No". "Good. Because it is important to know that we were all there, because we wanted to be. Now, this may be a harder thing for you to understand. You know Robin and I are married." She nodded. "Our love goes beyond what many believe is normal. We share our love with others in a special way." "You mean sex?" were the first words out of Barbara's mouth. "Yes, Barbara. I know you know what some of those feelings are." Her eyes grew wide, and her face turned red. "You will find we keep few secrets, from each other, around here. I know what you and Brian have done." Barbara looked over to Katy, then back to me, but didn't say a word. "It is ok, Barbara. No one minds. Do you know why?" Barbara tilted her head, questioningly. "You love him, and we believe he loves you." As soon as I said that, her face lit up. She became animated. "Really?" I had to laugh. "Really what? We don't mind, or that he loves you?" I teased. She got a shy smile on her face, "That he really loves me." "I'm pretty sure of it. You know when you do those special things together; you sparkle together, don't you?" Her face was radiating heat from blushing, but she nodded slightly. I continued, "It makes you feel special... connected, loved, in a way nothing else could. Robin and I feel that way about each other. But, we feel that way about other special people, too." "Stephanie?" Barbara asked, then added, "And your sister?" Remembering how I walked into Kristin's bedroom, without a stitch of clothing on; and finding Barbara there, I said, "Yes." "Are you going to do that to me, too?" Barbara said, with a bit of fear in her voice. This was the root of the problem. "No, I'm not." I couldn't tell if there was relief or disappointment, on her face, at that point. I had to add the rest. "Barbara, it is a two way street. To work, both people have to want to do it, and it has to be the right thing to do." I could tell Barbara was starting to get confused. "You know I love Pamela." "Yes, she's told me everything you did..." then it dawned on her, "Did you two..." "No. She wanted to. Barbara, you just heard me say I loved her. It wasn't right. There were too many things happening, to make it right, so I didn't do anything. Just ask her. She wasn't very happy with me. Now, it looks like she may have found someone special." "Jimmy," Barbara said, acknowledging that. "She hasn't asked me to do those special things to her, since we got back. That tells me she may have just wanted to do them, because Stephanie was doing things. I didn't want to hurt her, or make her regret anything. This is supposed to be love." "So if she asked, later?" "Then we would see. Possibly so. Like I said, I love her." "What if I asked?" Barbara said blushing heavily again. "I'd say no." Barbara didn't like that answer. "Why not? 'Cause I'm not pretty?" I laughed, "Barbara, did the kiss I gave to you say I didn't like it?" "What kiss?" Katy said, commenting for the first time. "When you put her into Kristin's room the other night, I didn't know, and walked in." "Oh," Katy said. "He didn't have clothes on," Barbara said, with much amusement. "I didn't expect anyone else in there; and, well, I was relieved of them earlier," I said. Katy rolled her eyes, obviously settled down from when I walked into the kitchen. "So why not then?" Barbara wanted to know. "Because love can be a very confusing thing. You and Brian are learning about it right now. It wouldn't be right for me to interfere. Now let's say the two of you have a wonderful relationship going on, and he's up and active. Then let's say you asked him if it was ok to share some love with me, and he said yes. Then you asked me again. Of course; just like I'd expect you to talk with Brian, I would talk with Robin, too. My answer could be different." "You mean you would? I mean, with me?" "Barbara, I'm not going to say yes or no to you. That is like asking Richard, if Brian loved you. You want to know things that can't be answered, yet. It could never happen with the situation you are in now, ok. You need to think about Brian." "Ok, it's just that nobody's loved me before." "And now, you are a bit overwhelmed," Katy interjected. Barbara nodded. "Talk to us, when you need to. As you see, we try never to hold anything back." "That's a lot different than my parents," Barbara said. I gave her a hug, "Now, listen. I think Brian would like to see you again." Then pulling a piece of folded paper from my pocket, I handed it to her. "I think you dropped this. It has your name on it." Barbara saw the paper, grabbed it out of my hand, and ran out the door. "What was that?" Katy asked. "Instructions, I believe." I said with a smile. Katy raised her eyebrows, "Instructions?" "I don't think Brian is so innocent," I laughed. "By the way, where are the two couples sleeping, tonight?" "Keith," Katy slapped my arm, "I can't believe you." "Oh, and who's bright idea was it, to search the house to look for us?" "Never mind that. Where do you think they should sleep, Mister Smarty Pants?" "There's plenty of space on the third floor. But the hard one is Brian. I think he should be in Kristin's room. She could sleep somewhere else, tonight," I said, with an evil smile. "You just want Kristin in your bed." "Mmmm, the thought never crossed my mind." Katy's eyes narrowed on me. "Wait a minute! Kristin's room is where Barbara was sleeping." "Oh, that must have slipped my mind." "I don't believe that for a minute! Not after you retelling how you set Richard and me up in bed." I laughed, "Guilty. I guess I'll be punished for that mistake the rest of my life," I needled her. "Ok, so it wasn't a mistake. But really, Keith; setting Barbara and Brian up in the same room?" "You didn't see the note," I said. "If not, they will most likely sneak it. What were they doing when you got them today?" Katy blushed, and that told me enough. "Are you thinking that you shouldn't encourage it?" I asked. "Maybe that's it," Katy said, reflectively. "Brian and Barbara are not any of my business, so I'm not butting in," I smiled, "any more than normal." Katy snorted. "Talk it out with Richard," I added. "Remember though, you did bring Brian out here. You know what that relationship is, and where it's going. You may be kidding yourself; if you don't think that that, in itself, isn't encouragement. You have to feel good about it, though. So talk with Richard." "Damn, I hate it when I see, what I've said and then done, are going in two different directions." ------- Daisy knocked on her parent's door lightly, and then opened it. "Dad," she whispered, "I'll be back in just a bit." There wasn't an answer. In fact, it sounded like both of them were asleep. Daisy wrote a note, left it on the table, and then walked downtown. Specifically, to the hotel. She knew just where she was going. The second floor. First room to the right. She knocked. Katharine answered. When she saw who it was, she became alarmed. "Is everything all right?" "Yes, don't worry." Katharine opened the door further, and Daisy stepped in. Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth were excited to see her. "Children!" exclaimed Katharine, as they started jumping on the beds. Daisy pondered, "What are they doing all day long, while you are with us?" "Keeping themselves occupied," Katherine said. "I hate to say it, but some of the logistics, like my children, aren't working out so well." "Why didn't you say something?" Daisy said, sitting on the bed "To you? Daisy, you have enough to handle." "I know. Keith told me I need to get away. I was losing my ability to do any good." "Smart man." "Yeah, I know," Daisy said, and then blushed. "So," Katharine said, as her children gathered around her, "what brings you here?" "Well... Now, I feel a bit guilty for coming." "Why?" "I was going to see if it was possible, for you to spend the night, but I guess not," Daisy said, downhearted. Katherine touched Daisy's knee, causing her to look up. "Daisy, I wouldn't be doing this, if it were just some job. You, Keith, this town; this is my town, now. You know I love it here. After I get the kids settled, I sometimes go for a stroll in the evening. It is so peaceful here. Maybe we could do that together. Now, if I could figure out something to do with my children, I'd do it in a minute." Daisy smiled. "Thanks, Katharine." She got up, and gave the girls a hug and kiss. Then she gave Kenneth a big bear hug, as she had seen Keith do, and then left. On her way back; she thought, and thought, and thought. By the time she arrived home, she had ideas. She was smiling, as she opened the door to her home. The reality of what was at home, quickly wiped the smile off her face. "Daisy!" Robert called out. "I need your help." She rushed into her parent's bedroom, to find her mother embarrassed. "I need help moving her," he said to Daisy. As they moved Mildred, Daisy saw the stain and realized why her mother was so embarrassed. "Be right back, Mom," Daisy said, as she walked out to the kitchen. The stove seemed to always be going. The fire had burnt down, but was still hot enough to warm some water. As Daisy walked back in, she grabbed towels. They got Mildred up, and pulled off her nightgown. Daisy tried as hard as she could, not to be distracted. But it was difficult. Giving her mother a sponge bath was strange enough. To deal with the folds of loose skin; its unhealthy color, and smell, was almost too much. As Daisy was doing that, Robert changed the sheets. Daisy noticed a pad under her mother's side. She wondered if this had happened before. Was this normal, should she tell Katharine? As soon as they got Mildred back in bed, Robert took the soiled sheets out. Daisy looked at her mother and started weeping. "Come here," Mildred motioned her daughter over, "I won't be here much longer, but don't cry. I want you to live, not die with me." "But Mom..." "No, Daisy. You have been saved. You have been here to help, and I couldn't ask for more. After I'm gone, live. Do as you think is right. Love your sister for me." Then she managed a little smile. "Have children," Mildred said. "They are god's gift to us. I don't know what I'd have done, without you two." Daisy nodded, and hugged her mom, tears flowing from her eyes. ------- "Bruce, do you really think this is the best thing to do?" Millie asked her husband. The two were sitting at their table, still drinking coffee. The cup that Patrick had used, was still sitting there, though he had left earlier. "Where do you think your head would have been, after your brother died, if you had no family around? Much less, had everyone hate you?" "So, when do we do this?" "The sooner the better, I think." Bruce answered. Millie nodded, then got up, moving towards the door. She turned back to Bruce. "Coming?" Bruce raised his eyebrows, "Now?" "Isn't that what you just said?" Bruce shrugged, and got up. He knew once Millie decided something, she was hard to sway. They walked out the door, and down the lane. No conversation took place, until they were ten steps from the door. Millie turned to Bruce, "This is right? Tell me it is." "Millie, you already know the answer to that." She proceeded to the door, and knocked. As the door opened, the woman behind it stepped back. Her daughter peered around the door. "May we come in, Annabelle?" Bruce asked. There was a gingerly nod of acceptance. Once in, Millie gave no excuses for her behavior. She just started as though nothing had happened, and everything was fine. "I don't suppose you have many things with you, so it will be easy to tidy up, and come along," Millie said. "Where are we going?" "To our home," Millie said, as though that was a question that didn't need to be asked. Before the shock that had shown on their faces turned to words, Bruce continued. "You will be staying in Brian's room. There's a large bed there, and Brian is out with Katy and Richard for the night. Tomorrow, we will figure out how to make this all work." Annabelle was nodding. Julie still had a look of disbelief on her face. Millie saw it and walked over to the girl. "I know this is pretty strange to you, moving from one place to the next. People saying they didn't want you around..." Millie paused. "Julie, everyone has things in their life, that makes them react a certain way. Because I said what I said has nothing to do with you. It has to do with me. You are the same person inside, no matter what others say about you. You just need to learn to know who you can trust... who is going to tell you the truth, and listen to those people. Then you can disregard the rantings of some old lady," Millie finished with a smile. Julie tried to smile, but she still had a question that bothered her, "What about Robin?" "Robin is pretty special. She was very mad at me, because of what I said to you. She has things inside her, that reacted, as well. We have had arguments before Julie, so don't think there is anything wrong." "Ok," Julie said. "I was asking, 'cause I like her." "I could tell. Now let's get your stuff together." A few minutes later, the four of them walked back to Millie and Bruce's house. ------- Cheryl had been stewing for the last day. She was sitting on Patrick's lap. Her husband, John Reimer, was sitting next to them. "What is going to happen to me?" she said. "What do you mean?" Patrick asked. "We all know John can't give me a child now. That stuff in the water took care of that. Keith hasn't been able to figure anything out. I'm going to start showing, not too long from now," Cheryl said, without the enthusiasm she'd had earlier when she had found she was pregnant. "Why are you worried now?" John wanted to know. "Look what happened to that woman from Angle City," she wrapped her arms around Patrick and buried her face into his chest. Her words were muffled, but still came out, "Am I going to be kicked out of Carp?" John looked distraught. Patrick, with his arms around Cheryl, rocked her gently. "No Cheryl," Patrick said, "I don't think that will happen at all. Look at what has happened with that woman. She came to the town where her husband and son hurt the family, and they have forgiven all. This is Carp. I'm sure my daughter's are pretty well aware of what is going on between you and me." "You think so?" Cheryl asked. Patrick looked over to John. "I don't want to move out. You don't want me to, do you?" John had a little smile on his face, "I don't." "I hope you know how I feel," Cheryl added. "Good, then we will make this work. Cheryl, I want you to stop worrying about it, alright?" "Maybe what she needs is a distraction," John said, "I think if you laid her on the bed and crawled on top of her, she might forget all her worries." "And where are you going to be?" Patrick asked, knowing the answer. "I'll be behind you, all the way," John said They all laughed, got up, and moved to the bedroom. ------- "What is the difference between now, and what happened at the base?" Richard asked. "I don't know?" Katy answered, "I guess that that just happened, and this was planned." "So, it was alright for your son to have sex with Robin, Kristin, and... Stephanie, too?" Richard pondered, rethinking about that, a smile on his face. "Ok, stop thinking about that." Katy said in mock anger. "So what you are saying is that this is no different? If that is so, why does it feel so different?" Richard didn't have an answer for that. They had been walking outside, and he led her over to the bench, in the far back. Sitting down, he pulled her onto his lap. "Maybe it's love?" Richard said. "What?" "Maybe that's the difference. You know Jimmy cares a lot for Robin. He was infatuated with Kristin, and we all know they are twins, just not the same age," Richard said laughing, "Stephanie... Well, that has always been there. But I know he thinks she's a bit pushy." "Ok, I can see that," Katy said. "With Pamela, you see love in Jimmy's eyes." "Oh, God! He's too young." "For what? Do you think he is capable of making babies yet? I hate to say it, but we don't even know if he can." Katy's face dropped, "I never thought about that! Oh, no! He'd be crushed." "There's not anything we can do about that now. There may not be anything to worry about. I haven't talked to Keith about it. He may not know yet. So let's not think about what may not be, all right?" "Ok," Katy said with a sigh. "Now back to the original question. Brian and Barbara are easier. Brian needs help. Barbara is more than qualified to give it to him," Richard said, with a smile. "Sometimes I think you're just a dirty old man," Katy smiled back. "I'm not that old!" Richard retorted. "Now: Pamela and Jimmy. I think I'd put them into the third floor. She was already in with Stephanie. I get the feeling Stephanie may not be in her room tonight." "Richard!" "Well, what did you tell me you saw in the bathroom?" Katy blushed. "If I remember right, that bedroom joins another room?" "Are you suggesting we put Jimmy there?" "Yes." "You know where they would end up..." "Yes, I do," Richard said, knowing Katy could feel the expanding lump in his pants. "I'm surprised you don't want them all in our room, to watch," Katy said. She felt Richard's dick jerk under her. Turning her face towards him, she kissed him, sucking in his tongue. Her thoughts of how horny she was getting as her pregnancy progressed, dissolved into moans of pleasure, when Richard reached up and ran his thumb across her nipple. ------- "Jack," Cynthia said, "I'm sure that all the plants at home are half dead. I should go back. I just don't want to." "I know. How about if the three of us fly down tomorrow? We could use the playroom one last time. You know we will need to disassemble it, before we put it on the market to sell." "Or," Cynthia said, with a twinkle in her eye, "We could hook Rebecca up in there, and show the people who come through how to have a bit of fun!" Jack laughed, "Do you think you'd like that, Dear?" he said to Rebecca. "To be on display, for all the men touring through the house? They just might take a lick, to see how tasty you are." Cynthia and Jack could see how excited Rebecca was becoming. Her scent was filling the room, and the bra that Rebecca fashioned for herself with cut outs for her nipples, showed them to be hard and erect. "The only problem is," Jack said, "We'd have every guy in town coming through the house. Word would get out quick about you, Rebecca." She blushed at the complement. "Plus," Jack went on, "Cynthia couldn't help but give demonstrations." Cynthia laughed, "You're probably right." Jack had a grin on his face. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out some leather cords. "I had these made... But," he smiled as he turned around, and showed the girls, "I think we need to see if they work. I think, with the ironwork on the bed, we can figure out something." "Time to undress, Rebecca," Cynthia said. "Go stand two feet from the window, and face me." Rebecca was breathing hard, as she walked over to the window. She turned away from it, and towards Cynthia, as she started to disrobe. Simple, at first. Her shoes came off. Then it was her blouse. Rebecca was becoming the perfect wanton sexual creature; all Cynthia had to do was touch her clothing, and that was the next thing Rebecca took off. Her skirt was next, leaving her in a bra, panties, garters, and stockings. Cynthia now walked from one side of the window to the other. This caused Rebecca to give anyone outside, looking up at that window, a wonderful profile view of her. Rebecca knew that this was unlikely. This was downtown, and everyone retired early in town. But the possibility gave her shivers of excitement. Still facing in profile to the window, Cynthia slid a chair over to Rebecca, and pointed to her stockings. Rebecca knew the chair was not for sitting in. She raised a leg up on the chair, giving the window a wonderful view of the stocking being pulled down. This was the scene that Katharine saw, as she went back to the hotel, after her little walk that evening. She stopped dead in her tracks, and watched. Katharine, being a nurse, had seen many females in all forms of dress. There was something about watching someone undress though, that was erotic. She had never thought of the female form, as something sexually enticing to her, but it was hard to deny her excitement in watching this display. As she watched the stockings come down, she waited to see what was next. She watched as the woman turned her back to the window. The hands reach behind her, unclasping the bra, and it slipping off. Not believing her eyes, Katharine watched as she turned around towards the window, showing her bared breasts. Rebecca had turned around, and was now looking out the window. Her nipples were hard with excitement, her panties soaked. As her eyes focused outside, she took a quick breath in. "Someone looking at you, Dear?" Cynthia asked. "Yes." "A man?" "No," Rebecca breathed out, "That nurse. The new woman with the kids." "The one staying in the hotel?" Jack asked. "Yes." "Is she still looking?" Cynthia wanted to know. "Uh huh," "Well then, she must be looking for a show, Rebecca. Let's give her one. By the way, her name is Katharine," Jack said. Rebecca shivered; her excitement showing. "Rub your tits. Pull at your nipples," Cynthia said. "But whatever you do, keep your eyes on her." Katharine had seen the woman. She knew little about her, though. She was always around Jack and his wife. Katharine knew from conversations with Keith, that there was something going on between the three of them. But this? Katharine saw the woman saying something, but she didn't turn from the window. The woman was looking at her. She had to have seen her, Katharine thought. They were only sixty feet from each other. A jolt ran through Katharine, as she watched the woman cup her breasts, and then toy with them. Her eyes never left Katherine's. The blinds of the tall windows were pulled back, startling Katharine. Then the woman moved, standing on something. A chair, she supposed. Now the woman was looking at Katharine through the top pane of the window. Her panties and garter belt showing. Katharine watched in amazement as the garter belt was lowered, and kicked away. Next came the panties. Katharine looked at the woman. She was completely nude, showing herself off in the window. Her pussy was hairless. Katharine couldn't look away; her eyes were glued to the display, and to the show that followed. As the curtains finally closed, Katharine realized she was breathing hard. She was as horny as she had ever been. She had just witnessed a rather attractive woman, masturbating for her. It was the first time she'd ever seen anything like it. Katharine was aware (as she walked towards the hotel), that she was very wet. She was also hoping her children would be sound asleep, when she returned. That thought was distressing to her. She knew that as soon as she opened the door, one of her children would wake. Katharine needed time to herself. She needed to do what that woman had just done. Katharine felt desperate. Maybe, she thought, the hotel has an extra room she could rent for the night. She'd never done anything like this before. On the other hand, she'd never seen... never been so... No one was at the desk. It was a hotel mostly run by the honor system. She saw two keys, indicating an open room. Walking around, she took them, and walked up to the second floor. Katharine trembled. The room was to the left of the farthest door. The one she knew that woman was in. It was exciting and scary, at the same time. In her rush, Katharine closed the door, making a loud sound. As soon as they closed the window shades, Jack and Cynthia went to hold Rebecca. She looked ready to fall, from her huge orgasm. Knowing she couldn't cry out, as she needed to, left Rebecca frustrated. Still, the whole event was incredibly exciting to her. Jack and Cynthia helped Rebecca down. Her legs felt like rubber. They brought her over to the bed, stretching her out. Both Jack and Cynthia had undressed, as they watched Rebecca perform in the window. Now they were ready for action. Cynthia climbed up over Rebecca's head, straddling her. She started to lower her pussy to Rebecca's waiting mouth. Jack got on the bed at the same time, climbing between Rebecca's spread legs. He lifted her legs, getting ready to plunge his dick into her very wet hole. The slam of the door in the next room caused all of them to jump. They looked at each other, knowing not one of them wanted to stop. But they knew that curiosity as to who had gone into the room next door, to them would eat at them. Cynthia was the first to jump off, and walk into the bathroom. Quietly, she pulled off the picture, and looked into the next room. She had to stifle a gasp. Turning, and looking at Jack and Rebecca, she said, "It's the woman, Katharine." "What's she doing?" Jack wanted to know. Cynthia turned back to the hole in the wall, "She's undressing. She's pulling at her tits, just like you did, Rebecca." "Rebecca, I think you need to interrupt her. Unlike the man we had you go tease, we want to watch, and see how much she will let happen." Cynthia turned around, a flush of excitement in her eyes. "Let's get you dressed, and quickly." Pulling together high cut panties, and bra with cut outs, Cynthia threw them to Rebecca to put on. Then there was a simple robe. A satin tie, that despite all efforts, would simply not stay tied. With that on, Rebecca found herself out in front of the door to the next room. Cynthia waved her on. Rebecca, shaking nervously and very excited, knocked. Jack had taken over watching, when Cynthia and Rebecca left, to get Rebecca ready. He watched as Katharine dropped her blouse and skirt. Her hands dug in hungrily between her legs. She stopped and shuddered, but softly. Jack knew she had just had a small orgasm. If that was all it took, she had to have been very excited. Katharine then turned, and even though the window shade was closed, he knew what she was doing. She stood in front of it, and then turned around, now facing him. She was duplicating what Rebecca had done. He watched as her hands went to her back, her bra loosened, and then was pulled off. Jack thought her breasts were beautiful, and wished he could reach out and touch them. She turned around, facing the closed window. He saw her hands traveling to her breasts. Rebecca's knock sounded. Jack then saw Katharine's head turn, her face showing distress. As she turned, he saw her extended nipples. Katharine slipped up her skirt, threw her blouse on, and buttoned a few of the buttons before opening the door. The step back Katharine made showed Jack her surprise, even if he couldn't see her face. Rebecca, excited beyond belief, stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Jack felt Cynthia next to him. "What's happening?" she asked. "Rebecca just shut the door. She's saying something, and she's moving around. That robe will be undone in minutes. No, wait. The tie is already loosening." "Tell me everything," Cynthia said, as she reached down between Jack's legs and took a hold of his dick. "Rebecca's robe is opening. Katharine is staring at her. The robe is dropping. Katharine must be asking a question about the bra." "Why?" "She's showing it to her, now she's taking it off. Ohhh." "What now?" "Rebecca's undoing Katharine's blouse. She's now trying on Rebecca's bra. Rebecca is pulling Katharine's nipples through it." "I want to see," Cynthia said. Jack didn't want to let go of the sight, but he knew it was only fair. "Tell me what you see now?" Jack said. "Did you give her the restraints?" "No. She has them?" "Mmmm. That is so wicked," Cynthia purred. "What's she doing with them?" "What do you think? She's got Katharine on the bed, she's tying her down. God! She must be horny to let that happen. She's got her hands tied to the top of the bed. Now Rebecca is pulling off Katharine's skirt," Cynthia laughed. "She's bare, now. Well maybe not 'bare'. She's got a good bush, there." "Don't even think about it," Jack said. "I'm not thinking I should shave her," Cynthia paused, "I was thinking you should." Jack groaned, as Cynthia knew he would. "Oh! You won't believe it, Rebecca's blindfolding Katharine. Jack, she's waving to us. She wants us to join her." ------- Kristin brought Barbara up to her bedroom. "We need to pull the top sheets down." "Why?" "Because I'm not sleeping here tonight," Kristin answered. "That makes no sense at all." "You're right. Now just help me." "Ok. Now what?" Barbara asked. Kristin already was looking through her things. She smiled as she pulled out a silky little nightgown. This was the one that had driven Keith crazy, her first night in Carp. "I think you should wear this, tonight," Kristin said, handing Barbara the small piece of material. Barbara opened it up and looked at it, then to Kristin. "I'm not going to be spending the night here, by the way," Kristin said, and then walked out of the room. Barbara looked at the door, trying to figure what was going on. The silky material felt nice. She smiled, wondering what it would feel like when she put it on. It was obviously for a grown up. That made her feel special. Barbara decided she could play dress up, for a minute, and try it on. Slipping out of her clothes, except for her panties, Barbara slipped the nightgown over her head. The material flowed over her body, making the young girl shiver with excitement. Her young nipples hardened. Barbara looked down; she could see the faint bumps standing out proudly. She felt like caressing them, when the door opened. Her hands instinctively wrapped themselves around herself, to hide what she had on. "Barbara," Richard said, with a bit of a smile on his face, "We need your help here." She went from a feeling of embarrassment, to astonishment. She saw Richard, Katy, and Keith, trying to get Brian into the room. Barbara immediately ran to the door, to help. As Brian entered the room, he was turned, and then was laid on the bed. "You are taking care of him, so it is your job during the night, as well," Richard said, trying to keep a straight face. "Barbara," Katy said, a bit more reasonably, "Don't rush. You have the rest of your life together. Only do what you feel is right." She noticed me staring at her, and although I saw her nipples harden under the material, she turned bright red. "Sorry, but is that my sister's nightgown?" I asked. Barbara nodded. I was shaking my head. "Ask her why she picked out that one. There's a reason," I smiled at her, "By the way, you look lovely in it." Barbara blushed again, but I saw the smile on her face. "Keith," Katy said, "Don't you have some other person to torment?" I just smiled, noticing Barbara was looking at me now. "I can think of a few. My sister is one of them. But first..." I walked over, and gave Barbara a little kiss. It was suppose to be on the cheek, but she turned, and kissed me on the lips. I just smiled at her, and whispered, "Have fun with that note." She was still blushing, as I walked out of the room. Katy clasped Barbara's hands in hers, and then hugged her. Whispering into her ear, "Don't rush. Brian will be here for you. If you push too hard, he may back off." As the two pulled away from each other, Katy saw Barbara look into her eyes, and nod. It was a small reassurance. Somehow, it made Katy feel better about leaving the two of them in the same room together, for the night Jimmy and Pamela were in the living room. There had been little question to anyone, where Barbara and Brian would end up. But these two were fidgeting with anticipation, thinking they would be next. When I came down, I asked Pamela to come with me. She got up and walked to me, but looked back to Jimmy, as we walked out the door. I took her hand. We walked, without a word between us, to the third floor. As soon as we were in her room, I turned her around to look at me. "Pamela, it is time to get ready for bed." Her face looked sad for a moment, "I thought..." "That you would be sleeping in the same room as Jimmy?" She blushed, dropping her head, but then nodded. "I didn't know you still needed nursing," I said, teasing her. "What?" She said, raising her head to look at me, "Oh. I guess so, but why does Barbara get to?" "Well, let's think about that. Who knows what to do with him? Who has been by his side more than anyone else but his mother? Who has taken care of sick people?" "Barbara," Pamela said disgustedly. Then she added, "Who loves Brian?" I smiled, "We all do. But not like her, right?" Pamela couldn't help but smile, "Yes. It's still not fair." "Where is your note?" I said, thinking she might have one as well. Pamela turned bright red, telling me she did have one. "What?" she said. "I'm guessing yours is from Jimmy?" "How did you know?" "Barbara dropped hers," I said. "What did it say?" Pamela asked in wild anticipation. "What does yours say?" "I... I don't know. We weren't supposed to read them until later." "Does Jimmy have one too?" Pamela blushed again, giving me the answer. "You could tell me what his note says," I said, trying not to laugh. Her eyes grew, and she shook her head. "Embarrassed?" Pamela nodded. "Hmmmm. This doesn't seem like the same girl that was so desperate to get in bed with me. If I remember right, you were so upset that I wouldn't do anything with you." I pulled her into a one-armed hug, "Pamela, I'm still your guardian. I love you with all my heart, and I want the best for you. You do know that, don't you?" I felt wetness on my shirt, and looked down to see her looking up at me, tears running down her face. "Pamela, I know we love each other very much. You have found a boy that is your own age, who is smitten by your beauty, inside and out. I was teasing you. You don't and shouldn't feel bad. I want you to be able to show love to others." I kissed her forehead, "I think you and Jimmy have a ways to go; to be in the same place that Barbara and Brian are in, now. They are slightly more mature, but it has come at a cost for them. Don't wish that on yourself. Enjoy what you are doing, now." "Does that mean you and I will never..." I laughed, "Pamela, never is a long time. Did you think that when you came back to Carp, you'd find Jimmy? I mean; Jimmy, the way you never knew him, before?" "No." "You know that I love you. I mean the deep-down, in-my-heart love that could hurt me?" "Yes," Pamela said softly. "You know I'd never hurt you." I smiled with a pang of guilt. I knew I wouldn't be her first. Somehow, I knew that all along. Even when I'd denied her originally. But the feeling was still there. "I know you would never try and hurt me. I don't think you could," she looked at me, "Angels just can't do that," I added. She broke into a radiant smile, "I'm not an angel." "With that smile? You could have fooled me!" She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. When she let go, I had one more thing to discuss with her. The 'not to rush' speech I had promised Katy I'd do. Pamela understood a lot more than Barbara, I was sure. But then, Pamela had waited for me. Then she had found someone else, so she could understand better. I was sure (as I'd heard the door open and close) Jimmy was getting the same from his mother, right now. Probably a lot stronger, poor kid. I think Katy expected the kids to figure it out, but was hoping that they wouldn't. She was surprised when I opened the door to the adjoining room, letting them know that they were right next to each other. As Katy gave me a dirty look, I smiled at her. I knew (after our conversation earlier) that I'd be berated for 'letting the cat out of the bag', as the expression goes. I walked over to Jimmy, and didn't try to whisper, "Jimmy, all I have to say is one word. Respect." He looked up at me, sitting on the bed, next to his mom. "Means she'll still love me, tomorrow?" I wasn't smiling, "That's right. If not, cast or no cast, I'll tan your bottom. I love her a lot." He looked at me wide eyed, "I'd never hurt her." Now I smiled, "Good, just make sure you listen to her, then." He was nodding, looking at the doorway between the two rooms, where Pamela stood. Katy got up, bent down and kissed Jimmy goodnight, and we walked out. "I think what you said probably did more good, than what I said to him," Katy told me. "No, don't you believe it. You are his mother. What you say is very important. He doesn't want to disappoint you, anymore than he does Pamela. I was just reinforcing the idea." Katy had a smirk on her face, trying not to laugh, "Cast or no cast?" "Well," I laughed, as we were heading down the stairs, "It got the message through. Pamela knows she doesn't need to do anything she doesn't feel is right. Boys are easily carried away, by beautiful girls, and their brain stops functioning." Katy was laughing, "Boy, Keith, that must happen to you a lot!" I chased her down the rest of the stairs, and onto the landing. My bedroom door opened. There stood Robin, Stephanie, Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann. Katy saw them, and she was in hysterics at that point. "See what I mean?" she got out. I walked to my bedroom, turned around, and stuck my tongue out at her as I closed the door. I could still hear her laughing. "What was that all about?" Robin wanted to know. Before I had a chance to answer, hands were all over me. I looked at Robin. She smiled, "They've had enough of waiting, so I hope you are ready." "Well, I'll try to be," I responded. My dick was responding as well. As they turned me around, towards the center of the room, I saw the mattress on the floor. The bed frame was against the wall. It reminded me of the barracks. Those memories, as well as the removal of my clothing, got me worked up more and more. ------- Katharine tried to scream. Cynthia's hand over her mouth was all that stopped the hotel from waking. Rebecca, shocked and ashamed, had run out of the room. Cynthia, angry, had also walked out, as soon as Katharine had realized screaming would bring everyone running in and see her in this state. This left Jack to mop up. He wasn't sure if that was such a good idea, but he was given little choice. For the first time since Cynthia and he had entered the room, he spoke. "Katharine, I think you know who this must be," he said, touching her head, and removing the blindfold. Her eyes blinked, adjusting to the light. "I'm so terribly sorry," Jack continued, "We thought, well can't you see..." She looked down over her spread out, restrained body. She could indeed see. There was no hair left down there. She was completely exposed, while Jack was sitting next to her was dressed in nothing more than thin silky boxers. Jack was unsure how to proceed. He thought it best to undo her feet first. Walking to the end of the bed, he looked up to say something. His eyes couldn't help but stop at her shaved pussy, the cause of her outburst. His eyes traveled up to her face. Katharine saw concern mixed with lust, on Jack's face. His eyes traveled up her body. She had thought Jack's rugged looks were very handsome. Now she was not so sure about the lifestyle he led. "Katharine, I thought..." Jack was starting to get embarrassed. As much as he tried, he was having a hard time not looking at those smooth pussy lips. As much as he willed, he couldn't keep his dick from expanding. "Katharine," he started again, "you were watching Rebecca with such interest, from the street." This time it was Katharine's turn to get embarrassed. Her eyes lowered from his face, and she saw the protrusion in Jack's boxers. His eyes traveled down to see what was causing hers to get so big. "Oh, God! Sorry," he said. "It would help if you untied me," Katharine said to him, still a bit shaken. "Yes, yes!" Jack had never felt so out of control. This was a situation he'd never been in before. He was still trying to figure out what went wrong. He had both feet undone, and now was going for her hands. He was still unsure if he should be ready to step back quickly, as soon as he released her. "I know this is embarrassing. It is, for the both of us," Jack said. Katharine snorted, "I don't see you laid out as some prize to take," And then with a sadness in her voice, "looking like a little girl." "Oh." It dawned on Jack. "The shaving," he said. "That's what set everything off?" "Jack," Katharine said, rubbing her now free wrists, "I don't have to tell you that I let myself be tied up. I wouldn't be surprised if you were watching." The look in his eyes told her he had been. She shook her head. "There's a difference between allowing myself to let go, and being taken advantage of." Jack was nodding, "You're right, and I am terribly sorry." Katharine could see the remorse in his face. Jack might have some strange bedfellows, but he seemed to be a genuine person. That was comforting. Jack then said, "I had no idea you would think of yourself as a little girl, shaved. Cynthia; and, as you know, Rebecca; love it," Jack lowered his eyes to the floor, "So do I." "Well what the hell am I to do, now? It's going to itch like hell. How do they stand it?" Jack nervously laughed. "Tell me," Katharine demanded. "They make sure that I rub my 'lotion' on them, daily," Jack said blushing. "Oh, hell. Sorry Jack, but..." "I know, and believe me, I'm very sorry. You are..." "Well it's good to know. Although, you might say that to any woman who is standing in front of you, nude." "I guess I should go," Jack said. "One thing first." "What?" "Where is it?" "What?" "The hole. There must be one." Jack looked at the wall. "Are they watching us now?" "Probably," Jack said. Katharine picked up her clothing. She was shaking her head. "I know you must have been very..." "Horny?" "Yes, when you came in. Now you're probably just mad." "Frustrated, is more like it." "I could send Rebecca back in, if you'd like," Jack offered as he walked to the door. "So you could watch?" "I guess it would be hard to trust me. That, Katharine, I'm very sorry about. Rebecca trusts me, or used to. It allowed her to do things she wanted, but couldn't on her own. Now I may have lost her, as well." Katharine sighed. She knew damned well that part of this whole mess was her own fault. Not all of it, but a part. Her own driving needs had placed her in this room, a place she didn't belong in. "Jack," Katharine said, as he was going out the door He stopped, "Yes?" "Send her back, but I want to watch you and Catharine walk out of the hotel." Jack smiled. "I'll be glad to. I know you are doing this for yourself, but thanks. It will help Rebecca as well. She loves to have someone control her, but safely. I'll tell you all about it sometime, if you're interested. I just hope she hasn't retreated. Not for my sake, but for hers." Katharine didn't have time to think, much less sit down on the bed. She heard the next door open, close, and open again. Then there was a timid knock on her door. When she opened it this time, a very demure Rebecca was on the other side. Before Rebecca was inside, Jack and Cynthia were in the hall. Jack was pulling Cynthia down the stairs. Katharine closed the door, and ran over to look out the window. As soon as she saw Jack and Cynthia in the street, she was satisfied. She noticed Jack went to the opposite side of the road, making it easier for her to watch them walk away. She also was aware, from the way she was being pulled along, Cynthia was not so agreeable about this. Katharine turned to Rebecca, who's robe was now untied and open. Her head was still down. "Rebecca, look at me," Katharine said. She could see Rebecca had cried. The puffiness was there, even if her face had been washed. Something many people may have missed, but not a nurse. Katharine couldn't help herself; her eyes scanned the opening of Rebecca's robe. Those bare pussy lips, Katharine had to admit, didn't look so childish on her. The hormones started kicking back in. Then she thought about what Jack had said. "Rebecca, remove that robe." Before Rebecca's hands touched her shoulders, Katharine saw her nipples harden behind the robe. What Jack had said, was apparently true. The next thing Katharine noticed was a smell. It took just a moment to figure out what it was. The powerful pheromones, Katharine knew, would have affected just about anyone. She smiled, especially someone like Jack. What a combination for him. Her mind was brought to the present, as the robe dropped to the floor. "Now, I have a need," Katharine said, looking to her newly shaven pussy. "You have a tongue..." "May I serve you?" Rebecca asked, in anticipation. Rebecca had been so upset when she left, she would have done just about anything to make up for whatever had gone wrong. She just wasn't sure what that was. Rebecca moved to the bed, lying down, her head in the middle, her legs dangling off. She said, "I'm ready," and then put her tongue up into the air. Katharine had hardly ever seen such an erotic sight. It might not be a dick (and she could use one of those), but it looked like it would be a lot of fun, all the same. She climbed onto the bed, lowered herself down, and sighed as contact was made. ------- Sarah set down the phone. Liz noted the puzzled look, and the crinkled brow. "Something wrong?" Liz asked. "No, well... No. It's just I've never heard my mother talk like that." "Like what?" Jill wanted to know. The expression came back on Sarah's face, "Happy? I don't know; it's hard to explain." "This is strange," Jill said, "My mother got happy when I left. You seem to be having the same thing happen to you." "Now hold on a moment," Liz said. "I know the two of you share some similarities. But let's talk about this. Parenting is hard work. There are a lot of responsibilities associated with it." "Well mine didn't seem to take those so seriously," Jill said. "Jill," Liz said in a voice so stern, both girls jumped, "I don't remember you telling me you didn't have anything to eat, or that you didn't have anything to wear." "No, but..." "How did you get taken care of? Your father died, your mother had to be two parents at that point, didn't she. She didn't have a choice, I'm sure it wasn't what she wanted. She took care of you, and what was left over was hers. I somehow don't think that was a lot. And she had no one to love her." Jill was in tears. She didn't try to say anything; she didn't know what to say. Liz went to the girl and held her. Letting her cry it out. "Now that we've established that your mothers did a lot for you," Liz said, looking over to Sarah who was vigorously nodding, as if she didn't want to be told, too, "Lets take a look at why your mothers would seem so happy to be without you." "But I thought?" Sarah started. "That they enjoyed being tied down, day after day, week after week, with no end in sight? Now here is the tricky part. They can only be free, only be happy, if they know you are safe. If they know someone else is taking care of the responsibility for them, then they can let go, for a bit." "So when Keith told my mom that I was going to go with you, to this school," Jill said, "Then she knew I'd be taken care of." "That's right. Her responsibilities stopped, she was free," Liz said. "It's not that she doesn't love you. It's not that she wants to be rid of you. It's that she needed some time off. Can you imagine going to school seven days a week, from morning till night, without a single vacation?" Both girls moaned, "No." 'School is fun, but you want a break, too. A child is much the same. Jill, didn't you say your mom was much different, before your dad died?" "Yes." "She had a way of letting him take over, at times. Sarah, I'm sure it is somewhat the same. Your dad is alive, but he's gone a lot, isn't he?" "Yes." "So she's both parents, all day and night, for long periods of time." Jill was curious, "How do you know all of this?" "A lot of girls here come from families like Sarah's. I've had to learn. Some of the girls get here, and they think their mothers don't love them any longer." "Because they're happy they're gone?" Sarah asked. "Something like that. The girls sometimes feel that they aren't wanted any longer." "Like I did," Jill said, sadly. Sarah looked at Jill, and wanted to cry. This had been a hard subject. But it was pretty much talked out. Liz thought the girls needed to change directions. Plus, she had work to do. "Jill why don't you show Sarah where Laura stays." Jill laughed, "That's a polite way of saying, get out, I need to do something," she explained to Sarah. The girls walked out the door, leaving Liz to her silence. She had all the 'end of school' grades to do, as well as thinking of everything she needed to accomplish before leaving. Liz didn't get far. She had her grade book open, and a stack of papers across the desk, when there was a knock on the door. Over the years, if it was quiet, Liz could identify a lot of the girl's knocks. Tiffany's and Vicki's as well. This was Sue. She got up, and opened the door. Sue and Betty were standing there. "Jill's not here," Liz said. "We know," Sue responded. "Come in girls," Liz was curious now. "What do you need?" Sue and Betty looked at each other. "Come, sit down." As soon as they sat, Sue started, "We don't know what we're going to do." "These are our last days, too," Betty said, with such sorrow, that it sounded like she would die. "Next year," Sue went on, after looking at Betty, "we won't be together." Liz knew how dependent Betty was towards Sue. Over the course of time, she had understood, Sue was just as dependent. In some ways, their relationship was good, in others, it was not. "Do you know what you are doing next year, Sue?" "No, but..." "Betty, how about you?" "I don't know." "Then how do you know?" Liz asked. "She lives in..." Sue started to say. Liz stopped her. "You don't live near here, either one of you. Yet you are here, because of some reason, right?" They looked at each other. "I think my parents might separate," Sue said. "So they will not love you? They will stop caring about your education? Sue, think about that." "Are you saying we could find a school together?" Betty asked, surprising Liz. "Why are you at a boarding school, Betty?" "My parents travel a lot for work. They're hardly ever home." "Is that going to change next year?" Betty tilted her head, "No. I'll be going to another boarding school." "And you, Sue. Why are you here?" Sue looked at the floor, she didn't want to answer that question, and she jumped to the next. "I guess I'll be going to a boarding school too." "I guess my next question would be, how much is it worth to you, to go to the same school. If it's a lot, then you may have to work at it," Liz said. "What do you mean, 'work at it'? Pay our own way?" "No, I don't think you could. There are reasons kids go to boarding schools. You've already answered the first part, you'll continue. Now the next question is harder. Why did your parents pick this school, and what are they thinking of, for the next one." "So we have to talk to our parents about it?" Betty asked. "Yes. It will not be easy. Like I said, it will be work. If it is worth it, then you will do it, if not..." Liz shrugged her shoulders. "Tell us what to do," Sue responded, Betty nodding her head in agreement. "Ok, my guess would be they wouldn't have picked this school, unless they were interested in giving you a very good education. One can hope that is the case," Liz laughed. "So, that means it narrows the field down." "What field?" Betty asked. "Of schools that would fit. If you ask Mrs. Randall in the office, she has a book. It gives names and descriptions of boarding schools across the country. She can show you where the high schools section is. If I remember, that book is marked with the ones that would match this one." "So we can pick?" Sue said excitedly. "No, you can work. Your parents may have gotten recommendations. They may not be the same." "Oh," Betty said disappointed. "It sounds to me like you girls don't care." "No! We want to." "Then get the book, write down all about the schools, there are probably a dozen or so. Then bring it back, and we can look it over." The girls were excited, and they hugged Liz. "You are the best teacher," Sue stopped, and looked Liz in the eyes, "the best 'substitute mother', we could ever have." Liz was still drying her eyes, after the girls left. She sighed and went back to work. ------- "Jill," Sarah asked, "where are we going?" Jill smiled, "shhh." She pulled Sarah between the building and some bushes. Her eyes flew open when Jill's hand went over her face. Jill had a panicked look on her face that Sarah felt. "Why did you scream?" Jill asked. Sarah didn't remember screaming. The hand over her mouth, restricting her oxygen was slowing her down. When Jill removed her hand, Sarah was still panicky. "Where are we?" Sarah said, in such a strange voice that it scared Jill. "Come here, I'll show you." Two more steps and they were out the other side, in back of the building. Sarah dropped to the ground, crying. "What's wrong?" Jill pleaded. "What can I do?" Placing her head in her hands, Sarah tried to make sense of what was happening to her. The startling revelation scared her. She tried hard to slow her breathing down further, almost to normal. "Jill." "Yes," Jill said anxiously. "When I was at the University, I was pulled into the bushes." "Oh, Sarah!" Jill said, dropping to the ground, throwing her arms around her. "I'm sorry." As Jill hugged her, she thought what it would be like to be pulled into a cave, like the one... Her mind stopped. It couldn't even imagine. It was too horrible. She wept for Sarah, schools and bushes were much too common. Sarah would be reminded constantly. Several minutes later, Sarah wanted to stand. "Where to now?" Sarah asked. "You still want to go?" "Got this far," she said. Then she looked at Jill, "No bushes, though." Jill smiled, "No." "Did I really scream?" Sarah asked as they started walking. "You don't remember?" Sarah shook her head. "No," she said, and then she paused. "That bothers me. I fainted, and don't remember. I screamed, and don't remember." ------- Chapter 62 I woke early. As much as I should have been worn out, the night's activities had enlivened my spirit. I was also curious. Quietly slipping on pants, I slowly opened the door. Looking back, I saw Robin's head raise up, her eyes peering quizzically at me. I pointed upwards, and grinned. She smiled back at me, and then dropped her head back down. In the hallway, I marked my steps, missing the known creaky areas in the flooring. Making my way up the stairs to the third floor; I stopped, and almost laughed out loud. There at the end of the hall, the place I was headed, Katy stood. She looked at me, first in surprise, and then in acknowledgment. A smile lit her face. I made my way over. She watched as I traversed several areas. As soon as I got to her, she whispered, "That was a strange way to walk over here." "Missing the boards that creak." "You already know where they are?" "Boyhood fantasies of being a spy, die hard," I replied with a grin. She shook her head, but chortled under her breath. "I guess you are here for the same reason I am," Katy whispered next. "The other side of the family. Are you going to be relieved, or disappointed, if they aren't in the bed together?" Her brow crinkled, as she turned her head towards me. I think I had asked a question she hadn't thought to ask herself. I wasn't waiting for an answer. Taking hold of the doorknob; I slowly, patiently, turned it. I pulled back on the knob, so that the latch wouldn't make a sound as it released. All this was in vain, as the door's hinges made a sudden creak. Katy and I froze in place, scarcely daring to breath. We listened, and there was no sound. Breathing a sigh of relief; I opened the door quickly, knowing that it would be the easiest, most silent way. We looked at each other. The bed was empty. Then a smile crept over our faces. We both had assumed Pamela would be here, but apparently it was the other way around. Creeping over to the next door; I slowly, painfully, went through the same procedure. This time we were in shock, that bed was empty, as well. Katy was ready to panic. "They may have been up early. We were," I said, to try and calm her. She nodded. We started down the hall, this time without regard to noise. Still, we didn't say a word to each other. At the bottom of the stairs, I pulled Katy back. She looked at me, wide eyed. I pointed to the door that was opening. Out of the bedroom that housed Barbara and Brian, Jimmy's head appeared. Then he (dressed only in his underwear), and Pamela (dressed in her panties), made their way towards the stairs. Hand in hand they tiptoed. That is, until they saw us. They stopped, stock-still. Eyes as wide as could be. Faces burning red. I motioned with my hand, to tell them to move along. Jimmy; still holding Pamela's hand, pulled her between us, and up the stairs. As Pamela passed me, I gave her bottom a gentle swat. She turned, and I smiled at her. Her posture relaxed, her face showing an impish grin. "We'll talk, later," I said with a smile, letting her know she had nothing to worry about. "I want to know what happened," Katy said to me, as soon as they were out of sight. "You're as bad as Richard," I said. "I hear he wanted to watch." Katy turned red, then stammered, "that's not what I meant!" I just laughed. ------- Jack came back into the hotel, smiled at Elizabeth walking sleepily down the hallway towards the bathroom, and entered his room. "Time to get up. The helicopter will be here in forty five minutes." Cynthia and Rebecca jumped out of bed. "Why didn't you tell us earlier? We'll never be ready," Cynthia complained. Jack looked at her, and she became silent. He was still upset with her, because of last night. The last time he had dressed her down, was when she decided to pop in on Richard and Keith, and found Robin there, as well. Cynthia did some things exceptionally well, but there were times when she went overboard, not understanding the problems. Jack's rush to get them out of town, was predicated on making sure Cynthia didn't see Katharine. Jack had been in the communications trailer, and had asked for transportation. Upon seeing Katharine walking towards Mildred's house, he had called back, and had made the request 'Urgent'. He knew both Katharine and Cynthia would be busy, and would not come into contact. There was a flurry of getting ready, in the hotel's only private bathroom. Jack just sat back and watched. He also thought. He wondered what people would think, if he left Cynthia at home. She would take care of the house, but he would be bringing Rebecca back with him, alone. "I'll be right back," Jack said, on his way out. On the way down the staircase, he saw Kenneth. The young boy was dropping a toy down the stairs; watching, as it bounced down. The young boy looked up at Jack, "I'm bored." "I'll be right back. I have an idea for you, so don't disappear." Kenneth lit up, "OK!" Jack chuckled to himself, as he got into his Jeep and drove down the street. He was thinking of when he had first flown in, and had given people rides in the helicopter. Kenneth would be a boy that would love such a thing. He wasn't sure about the boy's two sisters, but they would need to bring him down to the end of town, anyway. Hesitating just for a moment, Jack knocked. "Hello," Cheryl said. "Is Patrick here?" "No, he's down by the river," she said, pointing north. Jack drove down past the area of open lots, where houses had once stood, to the edge of the river. Patrick saw him arrive, and walked over. "What brings you out here?" "I have a question of logistics," Jack said. Patrick let out a deep laugh, "You, the military person, asking a man of the cloth about logistics?" Jack laughed, too, "This matter, though, is a bit delicate." Patrick stopped laughing, "How can I help?" "We are flying back to the base, today. The three of us." "Understood." "My wife, Cynthia, needs to stay there. She needs to get our house ready to sell. I think Rebecca would be best brought back, but is that going to be acceptable?" "I can see the dilemma," Patrick sighed. "There are a number of things that are going to show soon, that will challenge the thinking of this community. You bringing Rebecca back is not such a big problem. My guess is that you are asking: 'What will people think of her staying with you, alone, in your hotel room'." "Yes, that's a better way of saying it." Patrick thought this might just be the answer he'd been looking for. A test of tolerance, for the people of Carp. In his next sermon, he would bring up redemption, and the power of healing. His own daughter would be the star, there. Then he would move to love, and the rebuilding of this town. "Jack, I think you have already established that you have interests in the welfare of Rebecca. People have seen this, from the time you spent with us, at the base. You can not," he stressed, "forget her difficult nature. Nor how, being with you has changed that. To hide her now would be a step back, in the interests of both of you. And it might harm the welfare of Rebecca." "And none will raise an eyebrow?" Jack asked skeptically. "Oh, I do believe there will be many an eyebrow raised. Gossip is the devil's playground." Jack smiled, "Somehow, I get the idea I'm being set up." "It is the first of many new ideas, which this community is going to need to digest." "And if they don't?" "We'll all have to worry, at that point, Jack. Keith, Richard, even myself." Jack raised his eyebrows, and then nodded, his suspicions confirmed. "The sterile men are going to be hard pressed to provide children." "One of Cheryl's concerns," he sighed heavily. "She feels like she may be run out of town. You, at least, have business concerns here." "No one would do that, would they?" Jack asked concerned. "I don't believe so. I've been working hard on this issue. We can have morals based on doctrines that are man made, and see this town die. Or we can embrace the thought that God's creation is good, and the drive to create life, is God given. Therefore, we should not stand in the way of providing opportunities for this." Jack tried not to laugh, but he couldn't help himself. "Patrick, I do believe you. But, it is hard to accept. It's coming from a man, who may well be seen as justifying his actions." "You have a very good point. One I am troubled with. I don't have an answer for that, now, but God will provide. I'm sure of it." Jack heard the helicopter coming up the valley. That cut off any additional conversation. "I need to go. Thank you for your advice." Jack drove back to the hotel. Cynthia and Rebecca were waiting at the front. "Where were you off to?" Cynthia asked. "I was talking to Patrick. I heard the helicopter; it should be here in a minute." Then Jack walked inside the hotel. Kenneth was at the top of the stairs. "Can you get your sisters?" Jack asked the boy. Nodding, he ran off. Seconds later, he was back. "They're coming," Kenneth said. Kristina and Elizabeth showed, at the edge of the stairs. "We're taking off in a helicopter. I thought you might want to see it, and maybe even take a little ride," Jack said. Kenneth couldn't contain his excitement. He took hold of his sister's hands, and jumped up and down. They looked at him, and smiled. "I guess that would be ok. Kenneth looks like he's ready for it," Elizabeth said. They all laughed, and hurried down the stairs. Rebecca and Cynthia were in the Jeep, waiting, when Jack and the three youngsters came out. Jack got into the driver's seat, next to Cynthia. He told the kids to get into the back, with Rebecca. They saw the helicopter flying overhead, as Jack turned around. When they arrived at the landing pad, Jack asked the girls if they wanted to go up for a little flight with their brother. Elizabeth said she should, just to make sure he was safe. Kristina, not wanting to be left out, said she should go also: "Just because". Jack was amused by their antics. He ran the children to the helicopter, and made sure the kids were buckled in. Then he told the pilot to take them up, fly around the town a couple of times, and come back down. Jack ran back to the Jeep, and the helicopter took off. It didn't take very long, and they were back on the ground. Jack ran forward, opened the door, and unbuckled the children. Their wide eyes, and smiles, said enough. He ran them back out. Cynthia, Rebecca, and Jack (with their luggage), got on and flew off. As soon as they were gone, it felt like the children could breathe. "Wow! That was the best thing, ever!" Kenneth said. "It was something special," Elizabeth said, with a smile on her face, "I think we'd better walk back, now." They had just started to walk, when Kristina said, "There's Daisy!" She was out hanging up laundry on a line. She saw them, and waved. They came running. "We got to ride in that thing!" Kenneth blurted out, as soon as they arrived. Daisy laughed, "What thing, Kenneth?" "Up in the air," he said, pointing up. "The helicopter?" Daisy asked. "Yes, that's what it was," Kristin answered. Daisy noticed Elizabeth (the oldest, and the one normally correcting her younger siblings) had not said a word. She just had a smile on her face. "What did you see?" Daisy asked. Daisy noticed Elizabeth blushing. Kristina and Kenneth went on for some time, about what they had seen. Daisy told the younger ones to go get their mother, and tell her. She was inside. They ran off immediately, around the corner of the house. "Now, Elizabeth," Daisy said, "what happened?" "We flew over Keith's house. Kenneth and Kristina were on the other side of the helicopter, so they couldn't see it as well." "And..." Daisy said, knowing there was more. "Keith was outside. It looked like he..." "He what?" "He wasn't wearing anything," Elizabeth said, in a dreamy voice. "Outside?" Daisy asked laughing. "Well, that's what I saw," Elizabeth said, hurt. "Elizabeth! I'm not laughing at you. I'm wondering what he was doing outside, without anything on. You are sure?" Elizabeth nodded, turning red. "Oh, so you saw him close enough." Their conversation was cut short, as Katharine came out, with Kenneth and Kristina. "They went up in a helicopter," Katharine said, in disbelief. "One of the perks. A number of people went up, when Jack did it the first time around." "Jack," Katharine said, a bit suspicious of the motivation, "I should have known." Daisy picked up that there was something more in Katherine's words, than she said. They talked a little more, and then sent the children back to the hotel. "Did you have a problem with Jack?" Daisy asked, suddenly. Katharine looked away, not wanting to answer. "Katharine, Keith has told me a little. He didn't try and... Katharine!" Daisy could tell by the expression on Katherine's face that something had happened. "It wasn't all his fault," Katharine said, sadly. "Wait. Katharine... No, never mind. You're not staying in that room" Katharine's eyes grew wide in shock. "You know about that hole?" Daisy blushed. "Yes. Keith showed it to me, before the hotel opened. He put on a show." Daisy was bright red, now, and Katharine was laughing. It was good therapy for Katharine. She could see the fun, and not just the deception of it all. It was strange, though, talking to a fourteen year old about such a thing. But then, Daisy had been married. "I can just see that," Katharine laughed. The laughter died down. "Can you tell me what happened?" Daisy said. Katharine shook her head. "Did I tell you what Hank did?" Daisy said. She felt like she needed to share, to create a bond. Katharine bit her lip. She remembered that the reason they'd stayed, was that Keith had been injured. "My husband wanted to share me," Daisy said, with disgust, "with his brother." Katharine winced, but had to ask. "Daisy... How... What is the difference between that, and Keith?" "What do you mean?" "Aren't you 'shared', with him?" 'I guess you could look at it that way. It's not at all the same, though." "Please, tell me what the difference is." Katharine was seeing some similarities. Why did she feel it was all right, to be tied up by Rebecca, but not to have Cynthia or Jack there? "With Keith, it is fun. I want to be with him. I want to be with Robin. I love them. If I needed to stop, he would. I know it. I can feel it. With Hank, it was scaring me. He demanded. Told me what to do. I felt I was an object." "What if you were with Keith and Robin, and Kristin came in?" "Boy, are you wild," Daisy joked. Katharine blushed. Daisy laughed again, and went on. "It's happened. Even Keith has said 'no'. He had to, with Jill. She wanted things, for all the wrong reasons, and it would have hurt her. It is all right to say 'no', with them. No one gets hurt. I guess that's what has made me fall in love with them." Katharine was nodding. "Someone didn't ask, did they?" Daisy suddenly said. "No." "I'm sorry. I bet that hurt." "It was... disappointing," Katharine said, with a pained smile, "It also itches like anything." "Itches?" "They shaved me." "Really?" Daisy said, with awe. "Now don't you start! I look like my daughters." Daisy laughed, "I can think of one man who would love that! Mmmm, maybe two." "Oh God, Daisy!" Katharine moaned. She hoped Daisy didn't notice her hardened nipples pushing at her top. ------- Jill spotted Laura, and pulled Sarah along with her, to catch up. "Why the sad face?" Jill asked, "Today is the last of the tests. You should be happy." "I have another doctor's appointment, today. My last, here. "I get told where he's going. That means, where I'm going," Laura said, dejectedly. "Sarah," Jill explained, "Laura has a special doctor. The reason she is here, is because this is where his office has been. Now he's moving, and she thinks her father is going to move her to wherever the doctor goes." "I don't think, I know," Laura said. "That's just how my dad is." "I guess," Sarah thought out loud, "if your dad hadn't done that in the first place, you wouldn't be here, and you wouldn't have met Jill." Laura looked at Sarah. A small smile crept on her face. "I like you," Laura said, "Jill? Is she a 'special' friend, too?" Jill knew just to what Laura was referring, so did Sarah. Both girls blushed. "No, Laura. She's not." "Why not?" Laura asked, innocently. "Laura," Sarah said, "Jill and I just met. We know a lot about each other, and we know a lot of mutual friends. But the first time I saw you two, was on stage, Saturday night." Laura cocked her head, puzzled. "Laura, it is hard to explain. So try and figure this out. My dad was the uncle of the man that was Robin's father. Robin is married to Keith and Liz is Keith's sister." Laura was shaking her head. Jill was laughing. "I can't believe I got that all out!" Sarah laughed. "So you're related to Liz?" Laura wanted to know. "Only by marriage, and that is a pretty thin line as it is. Robin is my relative. I think I must be a second cousin, or something. I didn't even know about her, until recently." The first bell rang, giving the girls five minutes to get to class. Laura headed off in one direction, Jill and Sarah in another. "I'm surprised by your comment," Jill said. "What comment?" "When Laura asked if we were... you know." "Well, we aren't." "I know, but you didn't say, 'I don't like that stuff'. That's what I expected." Sarah blushed, "I... I," she stammered, "I guess I don't see anything bad about it. I mean, girls seem to like it. It's just that I..." "Sarah," Jill was laughing, "You don't have to explain." "Good!" The two girls got to the classroom. This was the boring part, for Sarah. Everyone was taking tests. At least she had a book to read. All of the students sat down in their chairs. Sarah sat in the back. The door opened, and Liz stepped in, motioning Sarah to come over. Jill had looked up, along with most of the class, to see who was at the door. Liz had a smile on her face, so this would be a pleasant diversion, not anything to worry about. Jill smiled at Liz. Sarah and Liz stepped out into the hallway, leaving the class to take their test. "I finished up with my last class, and don't have one this period. Want to ride a horse?" "I've never done that," Sarah replied. "Well, we need to get you on one, then. In Carp, they are the major form of transportation." Sarah laughed as they walked out of the building. "You make it sound like we are going back in time. My dad tried to pull my leg. He said there was only one telephone, in the whole town." "He was right, Sarah. And you are stepping back in time. These people have lived a sheltered life. Jill is very 'book smart', but when it comes to practical learning matters, she has a lot of catching up to do. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing bad about this town. In fact, quite the opposite. People care for each other, there. It is unlike anywhere you have ever been before. They approached the stable and Liz noticed Sarah tensing up, and knew she needed a distraction. "I'll show you how to saddle a horse. Then I will take you to where Jill jumped the fence, going after a runaway horse, complete with a girl on its back. She's one of the school's two heroes." "She is? She never said a word about it." Liz smiled, "No, she wouldn't. She's embarrassed about the whole thing. She probably saved the girls life, though." "Wow!" That's all it took. Sarah was interested in seeing the place. She was now ready to get on a horse. ------- Brian had been brought downstairs for breakfast and was set at the end. He still had to be prone, but he could be with everyone else. No one commented on the two, but it was as obvious as anything, that they were deeply in love. Barbara fed him, with all the caring one could pour into a task. When she dripped a spot of jam on his neck, she leaned in, and licked it off. The conversation stopped around the table, as they watched that happen. Barbara noticed, and turned bright red. She saw smiles on everyone's faces, though, and continued to feed him. After breakfast was over, everyone had their chores to do, everyone except Pamela, Brian, and Barbara. Pamela went to help Jimmy do his chores, and they returned shortly. Brian looked over to Jimmy and they nodded, agreeing to something both had been thinking about. "Pamela," Jimmy said. "Barbara, too," Brian added. "I was getting to her," Jimmy stated. "The game we played yesterday was really a way to find something." "What?" Pamela asked. "A secret place under the house. We don't know what it is, but it is there." Brian said. "How do you get to it?" Barbara wanted to know. "That is what we've been trying to figure out." Jimmy said, "That game told us where it is, in the house." "Where is it?" Pamela was bubbling with excitement. "We think the edge is here," Jimmy said, walking over to a spot in the dinning room. "Then it goes that way," he pointed, "right under the wall, and under the staircase." "Is this about the stupid treasure?" Barbara asked, rolling her eyes. "I'd heard about that for years, in Angle City: 'There's a big treasure in the old mansion, in Carp'." Jimmy and Brian looked at each other. "Barbara," Brian said, "We don't know if there is anything there. We just know that something is there, and it doesn't seem to open to anything. We want to find out what's down there." "So what do we do now?" Pamela wanted to know. "There must be a way into it," Brian stated. "A passage of some sort," Jimmy said looking over to Brian, "I hate to say it, but there was one in Cliff's house, that no one could see." Brian was nodding, sadly. Barbara didn't know anything about that, but could tell it was something important. She'd find out later, she thought. "I don't think it could be on the stairs. So let's look out in the hall first, then in the back of the hall. Next, I guess, in that funny little room under the stairs..." Brian said, wanting to turn his mind away from what Jimmy had just brought up. "The butler's closet," Jimmy said. Everyone looked at him. "Well, that's what I heard someone call it," Jimmy said, embarrassed. "Then," Brian went on. "We can finish, back in here." "What are we looking for?" Barbara wanted to know. Brain was once again forced to recall Cliff's actions, "A piece that moves when it shouldn't. It might turn, or pull, releasing the hidden door." With Barbara and Pamela on one leg each, and Jimmy under his shoulders, they moved Brian out into the hall. He watched as they went over each place. Brian was the checkpoint, to make sure they didn't miss a thing. Once again they moved Brian, this time to the back of the hall. Retrieving a chair from the dinning room, they scoured the wall. Still, they turned up nothing. It was then, that Keith came rushing into the house. Pamela saw him, as he bolted up the stairs. "Who was that?" Jimmy asked. "Keith," Pamela said, still in shock. "He didn't have any clothes on." A second later, Stephanie cam running in, laughing. She gave the four a glance, before running upstairs, as well. Jimmy said, "Well, I guess we know where she's been." The sound of his voice had a touch of disappointment in it. Which is how he felt. Then he noticed Pamela looking at him. A hurt look on her face. He then glanced at Brian and Barbara, and got the feeling he had just made a big mistake. Katy walked out of the kitchen, and into the hall. "We'll need to take the two of you back, at some point, I guess." "That's fine," Pamela said. Jimmy ran over to the back stairs and up them, two at a time. It was the first time he'd started to cry from what a girl had said. It was so embarrassing, that he didn't know what to do. Katy wasn't blind. The coincidence of Pamela's statement, and Jimmy's reaction, told her something was happening. "Brian," Katy said, "we need to find someone to help move you out to the car. Barbara, can you go outside, and see if Richard is there. Pamela and I will look upstairs." Brian and Barbara looked at each other. She shot out the door, not wanting to be part of the conversation it looked like someone was going to have. Katy knew that Richard was up in the attic and moved Pamela right up to the third floor. "Pamela," Katy said, "go in and pick up your things, all right? I see the ladder. I think Richard may be up in the attic." Pamela did as she was told. Opening the door to her room, she could see that the door to the adjoining room was open. Furthermore, she saw Jimmy lying on his bed. The sounds she heard, told her he was crying. She was confused with her feelings. Thoughts of, 'it serves him right', to, 'I hate to see him crying', battled within her. "Not sure if you want to go in?" Richard said softly, from behind her. Pamela jerked, surprised he was there. Richard looked in to see what Pamela was looking at. Taking her hand, Richard led Pamela into the room, and right into Jimmy's room. Pamela looked back, noticing Katy closing the door behind them. "Jimmy," his mother said. He looked up, and couldn't believe three people stood in his room. He buried his head again, not wanting to see any of them. "Might as well go away," Jimmy said, sniffling. "That's what she wants to do, anyway." Pamela now realized it was her words that caused Jimmy to run off and cry. She was embarrassed. "I didn't mean it, really," Pamela said. "Yes, you did. I heard it in your voice." "Like I heard in your voice, when you wondered what Stephanie was doing." Pamela shot back. Katy and Richard looked at each other. "Ok," Katy said, "Tell us what is going on, here." "We saw Keith run into the house, and then a minute later, Stephanie came running after him. Jimmy said he knew now, what she was doing. It made me mad." "Pamela," Richard said, "you need to come with me." He led her into her room, and shut the door between the two rooms. Richard knew Katy would be asking Jimmy what was going on. Pamela needed a refresher course. Richard was very glad, at this point, that he and Keith had had a good conversation about these four. "Pamela," Richard said as soon as they were seated on the bed. "I want you to think back to the barracks, can you do that?" "Yes, that's where I met Keith." "Yes, it is. He's very special to you, isn't he?" "Of course he is. He's... well, I'm his... I love him." "Do you think that shows? I mean, when you talk about him? Do you think others, know how you feel?" "I hope so." "So how's Jimmy supposed to feel? Is he second best? Is Keith always going to be first in your life? Keith won't have you, so you'll 'settle' for Jimmy?" "No! It's not like that at all." "Do you know... I mean, really know, that Jimmy knows that?" "I think so," Pamela said, unsure. "Pamela, do you think that Jimmy is still interested in Stephanie?" "I guess," she said unhappily. "So you know they liked each other, once." "Yes." "And Keith now has all of her attention," Richard said, and saw the smile, "Ok, not just Keith, but you know what I mean." "Yes." "Jimmy isn't interested in Stephanie much, anymore. I know that." "You do?" "Yes. But maybe, just for a moment, he saw her and thought, 'Is Pamela going to leave me, to be with Keith, too?'" The idea shocked Pamela. To think herself worthy of such desire was hard to accept. To see Jimmy hurt over that idea, was almost more than she could stand. "But it's different. I thought he..." "And he thought you..." Richard added. "You two were not really thinking, at all. That's when you got hurt." Pamela nodded. "There is one other thing Pamela. It sounds like he might have been showing remorse. You were showing jealousy. Remorse is hard to accept, and needs to be dealt with. Jealousy can be damaging and hurtful. I don't think you want to do that." She shook her head. "You two didn't talk a lot last night, did you?" Pamela blushed, looked at the floor, and shook her head. "Because of that, you have emotions that are very high. But you don't know what each other feels, so there is no ground under the cloud your on. If you fall off; nothing, such as knowing he loves you, stops the fall. You fall far enough to reach jealousy." She was looking at him, her face scrunched. "Can you say that, so I can understand?" Richard laughed, "I'll try, 'cause it's important. Let's say you first meet Jimmy, and he says he likes you. I know it didn't happen this way, but pretend with me, for a moment." Pamela nodded. "So you two meet, like each other, and find some nice quiet place to kiss. Now let's say he's a real good kisser, too." Richard almost started to laugh. Pamela, undoubtedly unknowingly, nodded her head when he had said Jimmy was a good kisser. Must run in the family, he thought. "Now you get done kissing, and you feel like you are almost floating on air. Then some girl walks by and he stares at her, his eyes following her every step. What happens to that cloud your on?" "It goes away, and I'm mad," she said. "Yep. You have no idea that the reason he was looking at her, was because she had broken his heart. He hopes she saw him with you, because you made him feel like a million dollars. No. You are thinking that he was just looking for the next pretty girl, to pull off into the corner, and kiss. All of those special feelings went right out the window." "But how would I know?" Pamela asked. "Ok, let's take that whole scene again. Jimmy sees you and he's smitten by your beauty." Pamela blushed, that sounded just like something Keith would say. "You realize you are feeling the same way about him. Now you start doing things together. Small things. Clean the dishes off the table, together. You take a walk, together. But instead of walking to find a quiet place to kiss, you talk. You tell each other how you feel. You find out that he thinks you are the most beautiful girl he's ever seen in his entire life." Pamela couldn't stop blushing. "This time, after he's been kissing you, and you are floating along, he sees that girl." "I don't care, 'cause he's mine." Richard chuckled, "You know what he feels about you, and you don't need to worry." 'But he hasn't told me." "You haven't told each other. He may not have felt anything when he saw Stephanie, if he felt you weren't going to leave him. You wouldn't have felt it was any big deal for him looking, or saying anything. She's just a friend." "So we are both to blame?" "Yes, and you know why, too." Pamela turned red again, but nodded. "You can say it," Richard prodded. "'Cause we were... you know. And we should have talked more." Richard took hold of Pamela's hands, "I hope the, 'you know', didn't go too far. The higher that cloud is, the more it could hurt both of you, each time something like this happens. It is important to have an understanding between you, before getting too close." "Keith told me the same thing, last night," Pamela said, and looked down. "We only touched." There was a moment of silence. "Can I go see Jimmy, now?" "I think he'd like that," Richard replied. ------- After lunch, Mildred was settled in for a nap. Daisy and Katharine walked outside, into the warm early summer air. "I don't think my dad's going to make it," Daisy said, suddenly. Katharine, never making judgments, asked, "Why do you day that?" "When he's with mom, he's all there. Attentive, thinking... the man she needs. When he's not, he can hardly stay away from the bottle. I think he tries hard not to get drunk, so if she needs him while we're here, he'd be there. After she's gone, what does he have to live for?" "You and your sister." "I don't think that's going to do it. He still blames himself for my marriage, as well as Pamela's not getting surgery. He doesn't see himself as a father any longer." "You're sure?" Katharine asked. Daisy nodded. This was something Katherine had suspicions about, but not as clearly as Daisy had just spelled out. Katharine knew Daisy would never say anything to Mildred, but she should know. She would want to know. The big question was, when could Katharine talk to her, alone. "Daisy, did you think of a way to go out to the Mansion?" Katharine said, changing the subject. Daisy got a sly grin on her face, "Yes." "Oh, how?" "Have the kids come out there with me." Katharine laughed, "To spend the night with you and Keith?" Daisy blushed, "No, I need time with him. Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann, could have a slumber party with them." "Did you ask if it would be all right?" Katharine asked, knowing she couldn't have. "I thought I would, when Pamela comes back." "Sounds like you are mighty anxious to get out there," Katharine said with a smile. Katharine secretly wished she had a way of taking care of her needs. It had been so very long ago. "I just... Well, yes I am. I need to be in a man's arms." Katharine laughed at Daisy's frankness, "Even if he only has one good one?" she teased back. "Even if he didn't have either available to me, I could hold him." "And Robin knows how much in love you are, with him?" Katharine asked, wondering. Daisy smiled, "Yep, she sure does. She told me I could borrow, anytime I want." "Borrow?" "Yes. He's Robin's. There's no doubt about that. He loves her," Daisy sighed, "so much. Robin's pretty special. She lets us borrow him." Katharine raised her eyebrows, "Us? How many are there?" "Just a few," then she giggled, "but I think you're too old for him." Katharine blushed, "That's not what I was asking!" Daisy's giggle turned into laughter. ------- Liz had just shown Sarah how to unsaddle her horse. They got everything back in its place, and left the barn. Walking down towards them was Jill. "Jill," Sarah demanded, "why didn't you tell me you were a hero?" "I didn't do much. People made a big deal out of it." Jill replied. "Saving someone's life is a big deal, Jill. I've been on the other end of that. I saw a gun pointed at the person saving me. It is a big deal." Jill didn't know what to say. She'd never thought of the other person's point of view, before. Dorothy had never said something like... No, wait, she thought. Dorothy did say that, just not so clearly. "I'm embarrassed by it all. I didn't do it to get attention. I did it 'cause I could, and 'cause it needed to be done." Sarah laughed, causing a curious look on Jill's face. "You sounded like Keith, there." Jill and Liz looked at each other, Liz started to laugh. "Not you, too," Jill said, rolling her eyes. The three walked up to Upper Hall. "Where's Laura?" Liz asked. "Her last doctor's appointment. Well, here, anyway." "That's right. We should go up to the office, and see when she's due back. I think she will be pretty sad, when she arrives." "That's a great idea. Maybe I can get Betty and Sue to come, too." "Where are they?" Sarah asked. Jill blushed, having heard just what Sue had planned for the two of them to do, that afternoon. "Oh, they do that, too?" Sarah asked. "It is an all girl's school, Sarah. Sometimes creativity helps," Liz answered; a smile on her face. Jill amusingly said, "Do you want to help me find them, after we know what time to show up?" Sarah thought for a second, not realizing Jill didn't expect a real response. "Sure, why not." Liz was trying hard not to laugh. They arrived at the administration building, and found out Laura's expected time back. Then Jill took Sarah to 'find' Sue and Betty. Jill knew just where they were. But she wondered if, and how, she could get Sarah there. "I think we might try one of the places. The only problem is, there are bushes around." "I've been thinking a lot about that. I've been in bushes since then," Sarah blushed. That came out all wrong. "I mean, that... Oh, never mind," she said when she saw Jill's smirk. "I don't think it was the bushes, but everything. The bushes, the school, and you pulling me." "Ok, if you're sure. But we can't have you screaming." "That, I can't figure out. I don't remember doing it." "Come on, then," Jill said. As they walked down the pathway, Jill wondered what reason Sarah had for finding them. Did she want to see? Was she curious? Jill had no answers, only questions. If Jill was right, if they were still there. Lots of if's. Jill's thoughts were interrupted. "Were does that path go to?" "To the waterfall." "And this one?" "To the waterfall, just a different way." Sarah smiled, "One where we can see, no doubt." Sarah was smart; Jill had to admit, as she smiled. "Yes, it is. That's why I said, no screaming." Sarah did fine, going through the bushes. Jill had to remind herself a few times, not to take Sarah's hand, and pull her along. Soon, they were up near the top of the waterfall. Its gentle mist was splashing on the rocks, nearby. "Wow, what a beautiful spot," Sarah whispered. She looked over the fall, and then pulled back to talk to Jill. "Did you see them?" "No," Sarah said. Jill frowned. The time it had taken them to get there, may have been enough for Betty and Sue to have left. "Let's move over there," Jill pointed. "But once we are looking down, you can't say a word. It will echo, and they will know we are here." Sarah's eyes were sparkling, this was fun. Secretly, she was very excited. From the first time she had stumbled in on Stephanie and Pamela, she had wanted to know what they did together. Now it looked as though she was going to find out. They moved down a few feet, held onto a tree at the edge, and looked down into the pool of water. Sue was just coming from behind the falls, water cascading down her trim body. Betty, they now noticed, was lying on the sand. She was directly below them. That was why Sarah had not seen them. Sarah watched, as Sue walked over to Betty. She stood right over her, legs apart, her feet beside Betty's shoulders. Sarah knew, that as Betty looked up, she was seeing Sue's... It was hard to imagine that Sue was showing her that. Stifling a gasp; Sarah gripped the tree harder, as she saw Sue kneel down and then sit, right on top of Betty's face. Jill was half watching Betty and Sue. But the real show, as far as she was concerned, was Sarah's facial expressions. Jill watched, as Sue tweaked Betty's nipples. Sue then threw her head back, in obvious enjoyment of what Betty was doing. Sarah froze, knowing for sure Sue could see them. She was so petrified of being found out, she didn't see Jill give Sue a little wave. Jill knew Sue would, and had, seen them. She also knew the two wouldn't mind, far from it. Sue, knowing there was an audience, smiled to herself. She saw Jill. She knew, from her limited vantage point, the other person must be Laura. Taking Betty's legs and pulling them up and apart, she gave the two looking down a clear view of Betty's inner most privates. Sarah was having a hard time breathing. The intimate pose Sue had just pulled Betty into, made Sarah feel she could reach right out and touch the girl. She didn't know if she wanted to, or if she should turn away. Sue's head, dropping down, between Betty's legs, cut the view. Sarah felt something... disappointment, envy, curiosity? She felt very confused. She also knew she was becoming aroused, her breath becoming heavy. It scared her, and at the same time, excited her. Jill could almost feel the confusion in Sarah. She knew it was time to end this. Taking a branch, Jill nudged it off the edge. It fell three feet from the entwined couple. Sue stood up. Betty was blinking her eyes, looking for what made the sound. Looking up, Sue said, "Hi, Jill." Sarah turned beet red, realizing Sue knew they were up there. "Why don't you and Laura come down?" "It's not Laura. Sarah's with me. Laura's at the doctor's office." Now Sue and Betty, (who weren't bothered by having Jill and Laura see them), blushed at their earlier actions. "We need you two to help us meet Laura, when she comes back from the doctor's. She's not going to be happy," Jill called down. "Ok. We'll see you, out just past the bridge, then." Jill thought it had been a short four weeks, but in that time, she had learned to control when she said things. Instead of blurting out the obvious and gaining attention, she now was able to cultivate her observations. They were as biting in their raw truthfulness, but so much more poignant in delivery. Smiling at her revelation, Jill and Sarah were almost to the bushes when she started. "I couldn't help but notice you're... well... obviously excited," Jill said. Sarah blushed. "I'm guessing from the way you were staring, you've never seen another female... down there." "No." "You know it's all right. It would be hard for anyone not to react. I mean, it was rather hot." Sarah blushed more, but nodded. "Did it make you curious, I mean for more?" Turning to Jill, Sarah said, "Are you trying to... seduce me?" Jill was suddenly taken back. She hadn't thought of her actions perceived in that manner. "No. I'm sorry. I just..." "You knew they would be here, and what they would be doing, didn't you? You wanted to expose me to this, why?" Suddenly the tables were turned on Jill. She was the one that felt exposed. Jill withdrew, examined, and came up with a starling revelation. "I wanted you to like me, to accept me," Jill said, after several seconds of silence. It was not at all what Sarah expected to hear. For reasons she couldn't explain to herself, she felt hurt. "I do like you. You and I, we... Unfortunately, we have a common bond. Neither one of us would like to have it, but we do. It isn't why I like you. That, I don't think I could help. It just cements our friendship," Sarah said. Jill nodded, "But I still..." "Like girls?" Sarah giggled. She could do that, now. "Yes," Jill blushed. "So does Pamela. And I wanted to go to Carp, because of her. To help her." "I guess you're right. Can you forgive me?" Jill asked. "On one condition," then Sarah blushed. "When I have some questions, I would like you to answer them for me." Jill grinned, "Deal." As they met up with Sue and Betty, Sue asked, "What took you so long? I expected you to be here before us." "We had to take care of something first," Sarah said. "She didn't mean that!" Jill added, after seeing Betty and Sue's reaction, "We needed to talk." Realizing what she had said, and how it sounded, Sarah blushed heavily. The four girls started to walk back towards the school buildings. Jill led them around a different way, avoiding the area between the buildings, and the bushes that lay there. As they waited, Grace came out. "Understand you are the welcoming party. It is hard when you have to say goodbye. Laura was a very shy girl, when she got here. Her condition kept her apart from a lot of people. Now, just as she has started to blossom, she has to start over. It is not good for her." "Maybe her father could leave her here," Jill said. "I suggested that. The last time I got a letter from her father, he didn't know where the doctor was going, but that would be where his daughter ended up. It didn't sound like there was much room for discussion." Jill sighed, "Maybe Laura was right about him." "Don't be so hard on him. We don't know all the answers. He said in his letter, it would be better for Laura to have a few less friends, than not to be here at all. I think he is very concerned for his daughter." With that, Grace walked off to her next duty; leaving Betty, Sue, Jill, and Sarah, in a very sad mood. Grace had suggested Laura's condition to be much worse than any of them realized. They didn't have long to wait in the parking lot. Prepared to say words of encouragement, the girls looked at each other in astonishment. Laura stepped out of the car, with a glint in her eye, and the start of a smile that wanted to burst forth. She saw Jill, and ran over to her. "Tell me the name of the town you live in," Laura blurted out. "Carp. Why?" Jill answered, stunned by Laura's behavior. A glow radiated from Laura. The smile, the eyes, were sparkling with life. "What is it Laura?" "That's where my doctor is going! He's moving to Carp!" ------- It was late in the afternoon. It took lot of convincing, but the four were able to stay out at the Mansion, together. They were gathered once again, in the dining room. "The only side we didn't check," Barbara said. "There is the butler's room," Jimmy added. "Let's start there." Pamela said. "You'll need to move me, so I can see in the doorway," Brian sighed. "But far enough away not to trip over you," Jimmy joked. "Very funny. Just wait 'till I get out of these casts," Brian retorted. "I can't wait," Barbara said, and then turned red. Everyone laughed, bringing Stephanie into the room. "So this is where you are. What are you doing?" Brian, Jimmy, Pamela, and Barbara, looked at each other. "Fine," Stephanie said. She looked at Jimmy and Pamela, very hurt, "Leave me out." Tears running down her face, she ran out the door. "I'd better talk with her," Pamela said, running out the door after her. With the amount of people moving about in the house, it was hard to listen to any telltale noises. Pamela hadn't heard the back or front doors, and people had been on the stairs. She started up to the second floor, and heard the slamming of a door. The kind of sound that would be made, by someone who was angry. Pamela continued to the third floor. Opening the door of the room Stephanie and she had used; she found Stephanie lying on a bed, face down, crying. Pamela sat on the bed, and stroked Stephanie's back. "Don't cry," Pamela said. "Why not? You've been hiding from me." "I know. Richard talked to me about it." "Richard?" Stephanie turned her head. "Why him?" "Long story. I'm sorry, really," Pamela hugged Stephanie. "I was jealous." "What? Jealous of what?" "You and Jimmy." Stephanie sat up. She scrunched up her face, squinted one eye, and looked at Pamela. "Did you get hit on the head? You're not making any sense." Pamela was still somber; "I knew it wouldn't make sense to you. You're pretty. Boys look at you." Stephanie just about fell of the bed, those words hit her hard. She got choked up, her eyes welling with tears. "Did you think I'd..." Stephanie managed to get out. Then she shook her head. "No," she demanded, "I had to force you to see Jimmy liked you." "I know. It doesn't make any sense." Pamela paused, "I've just never felt... like anyone could want me." "No. No. No," Stephanie said, "Didn't Keith tell you anything?" "He's different." Stephanie laughed, "Yes, he is. But what are you talking about?" "He loves me." Stephanie rolled her eyes, "Of course he does. What do you think Jimmy is trying to do? Just play games," then Stephanie whispered, "sex games?" "Stephanie!" Pamela blushed. "Well? Is that all you think he's doing?" "I guess not." Stephanie shook her head, "You don't know, do you?" Pamela hung her head, "Not really. Not like I should." Stephanie lifted up Pamela's head. Then she pushed Pamela down, and jumped on top of her, giggling. "Well, I love you," Stephanie said, then nibbled on Pamela's ear and whispered, "and I like to play sex games with you, too." Pamela was laughing and squirming under Stephanie, when Jimmy opened the door. His eyes grew like saucers. Pamela saw him, and blushed. Stephanie turned and saw him. She laughed. "Sorry Jimmy, I was just..." Stephanie started to say. "Uh huh," Jimmy said, a smile growing on his face. "You don't care?" Pamela asked, nervously. "No," then he turned bright red, "Especially if I could... If you'd let me watch." Stephanie laughed, and Pamela blushed as much as Jimmy was. "Maybe some other time," Stephanie said. "We were just, well, making up." "Uh huh. That's what it looked like," Jimmy laughed. Pamela threw a pillow at him. They all walked downstairs and back into the dinning room. Barbara was at the door of the Butler's closet, looking. "Jimmy, Brian, Barbara," Pamela said. "I want to have Stephanie know about this. If she can't know, then I need to go away and do something with her." Jimmy immediately knew he didn't want this. Barbara shrugged her shoulders, she didn't care. Jimmy looked to Brian. Brian rolled his eyes at the sad look Jimmy was giving him. "Geeze, Jimmy. You'd think you were in love, or something," Brian said. Pamela's eyes bugged out. When Jimmy said, "Yeah, I guess so," she nearly fainted. Brian and Jimmy filled Stephanie in on what was going on. She was excited. They pulled Brian over, so he could see into the doorway of the closet. Soon, they found that four of them in that enclosed space, was too much. Jimmy stayed in the closet. Barbara worked the front of the closet, and then around the door frame. Stephanie and Pamela looked at everything outside, on the wall. Brian tried to keep track of it all, making sure they didn't skip anything. "Jimmy, did you look under the cabinet? And how about pulling the drawers out, and looking behind them?" Brian said. "This wall has a lot of stuff on it. What are we looking for?" Stephanie asked. "Barbara, do those hinges look like anything special?" Frustration was starting to set in. "Why don't we take a break," Jimmy said. "I know I could use one. The dust behind these drawers is starting to make me sneeze." It couldn't have been better timing. Robin came through the door, from the kitchen. She smiled. "You look like you're playing some sort of game. It is good to see all five of you together." Looking at each other, they smiled. "I have some milk, and the cookies are almost out of the oven," Robin continued. "I think you can get Brian through the door without any problem." "No problem, Brian answered. "For warm cookies, I can squeeze into a lot tighter places." Robin laughed, "Well, don't hurt yourself." "I won't. I'm able to do a lot more. I can almost flip myself over, myself." "Really?" Barbara asked. "Yeah, I get so tired looking at the ceiling all day. The problem is, once over, I can't flip back." "Well it's a start," Jimmy added. "Have you asked Katharine about that?" Robin wanted to know. "You don't need to be hurting yourself, and have to stay in those things any longer than necessary." "I know. I have to ask her," Brian said, disheartened. "Brian," Robin laughed, "she may tell you to do that more. It could be good for you." Brian brightened, "Yeah, I guess it could." Robin headed back into the kitchen. The four children picked up Brian, and carried him in. Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann were there. They took a look at the procession, and laughed. "I don't know what you are doing in here," Kristin said, "We get the first batch." Barbara, feeling better about Kristin, looked her in the eye. "I have an invalid to nurse back to health, and he needs the first batch." Everyone rolled on the floor with laughter at that statement. After the second batch was consumed, Robin had to bat greedy hands away from the third, saying there were others that needed nourishment. Everyone thanked Robin for the goodies. Pamela, Jimmy, Barbara, and Stephanie, picked up Brian, and carried him back out to the dining room. "Where were we?" Stephanie asked Pamela. They each had to find the spot they had last examined, and proceeded. Stephanie decided they should look up high, so she got Pamela on her shoulders. Jimmy had gone through the top cupboards, and was starting on the bottom sections. As nothing was in them, he climbed in one side, and out the other. Barbara was trying to see if there was anything at the top of the doorway. She didn't want to get a chair, as Brian would have to be moved back. She was jumping up and down to reach. Then it happened. Jimmy exclaimed, "I found something strange!" Behind the face molding of the cabinet, there was a metal rod that moved. The excitement of Jimmy's words caused Stephanie to move quickly, and set Pamela off balance. Thinking she was going to fall, she grasped hold of the picture rail. It moved outward. Barbara had made one last jump. As she landed, the floor hinged away. Brian saw her horrified face, and heard the scream, as she dropped down out of sight. Stephanie was stuck, as was Pamela, for the moment. Jimmy didn't see what had happened, but heard. He was trying to wiggle out of his spot. Brian saw Cliff, dragging Barbara down the hidden hole. Even though a part of his mind knew that couldn't be true, the rest of his mind screamed in torment. As Pamela and Stephanie were straightening up and getting balanced again, so Pamela could get off Stephanie's shoulders, they saw Brain flip over. The thud of his leg and arm casts resounded across the floor. It was a sound so ominous, that it caused everyone in the house to come running. Barbara's scream stopped for a second. Brian grasped the edge of the opening and screamed in pain as he pulled with his arm, lunging himself forward. Keith and Richard grabbed each of Brian's legs, just as he was about to fall into the hole, himself. Barbara could be heard; whimpering, this time. ------- Chapter 63 Richard quickly moved to look into the black hole. "Barbara?" he asked, fearful of the reply. Richard glanced back at Brian. Jimmy was at the edge of the doorway, which was next to the edge of the hole. Pamela was next to Stephanie's shoulder, and she and Stephanie were with me, where Brian lay. Robin and Kristin came running in, to see Brian vomit. I looked at my sister. "Get Katharine," I said, throwing her my keys. Kristin gave one look back into the room, seeing Brian's muscles twitching, and Richard lowering himself into the unknown. She turned and ran into Katy, as she rushed down the stairs. "What's wrong?" Katy asked. Kristin shook her head, her eyes filled with tears, and headed out the front door. Katy looked in, and gave a little scream, at seeing Richards head drop out of sight. She saw Brian, and rushed to him. "Get some rags and water," Robin was telling Pamela and Stephanie. With Robin and Katy by Brian's side, I went to the hole. Looking at Jimmy, I saw that his face was still white. "Sit down before you fall," I said to Jimmy, and he did. "We don't have a flashlight, do we?" I looked around to see shaking heads. "Candles?" Richard called up from inside the hole. "Even one of the lanterns, if that's the best that can be done." Robin ran off to the kitchen, and was back, along with Stephanie and Pamela. She had two candles in one hand, matches were in her other. I lay on the floor. Robin lit one, and handed it to me. I lowered it into the hole, burning dusty cobwebs along the way. I saw Richard next to Barbara. He stood, reached up, and took the candle. Robin had the second one lit, and handed it to me. I, in turn, handed it to Richard. I was thinking that it was about time to get electricity into this house. As illumination filled the room, I saw a ladder attached to the edge of the wall. The access for this hidden chamber. As Richard looked for a place to set the candles, I asked Barbara if she was ok. She shook her head, 'no'. I turned to Katy and Robin, "I'm going down, too." They had heard me ask Barbara the question, and from my reaction, knew things were not good. I slid around on the floor, letting my feet drop into the hole, and find the ladder. I looked up to see Robin and Katy wide eyed, sure I was just going to fall in. "There's a ladder," I said, calming some of their fears. The next part was the hardest. I reached around with my good hand, underneath me, to grab one of the ladder rungs. I had to push myself back, hoping the ladder would hold, to clear my cast. Then it was step down one rung, lean forward; and grab with my one hand, the next rung down. Fortunately; it wasn't far down, and I quickly hit the ground. There was no time to look at the surroundings, my concentration was on Barbara. She was against the wall on the floor next to the ladder, twisted in a contorted fashion. "What hurts?" I asked. She winced. "I already asked," Richard said. I took her hand, and looked into her eyes. They were not dilated, but only frightened. That was a good sign. "This hurt?" She shook her head. I went over her hands, arms, shoulders, neck, and head. Her eyes grew wide, as I reached under her arms, and started feeling her ribs. I felt her, down one side and then the other, then down her back. I think she was surprised when I only touched the center of her front, and then probed into her belly. She didn't say anything hurt. As I took hold of her hips, she tensed up. Richard kissed her forehead, saying it was all right. I went to her knees. She winced again. Then I probed her ankles. She cried out in pain. We heard Brian call out to her. "He loves you," I said. She smiled at that, through her pain. "I don't think we should move you until Katharine gets here. Will that be all right?" She nodded. The pain showed on her face, her bravery was forced upon her. Sitting down next to her; with my back to the ladder, gave me a chance to look at the room we were in. It was about ten feet by fourteen, with many support columns. The amount of dust on the heavy cobwebs, suggested nothing alive was here, which was comforting. It was also rather cool, being a basement, so the likelihood of snakes was not great. Snakes liked warmth. On my right was a small table, where Richard had positioned one of the candles, and a chair. To our left there was another ladder going up. It looked to be just under the stairs. I noticed something on the ground, chrome and gleaming in the candle light, it looked very out of place. Getting up, I used my cast to push away the cobwebs. The first useful application I'd found for the damned thing! Walking over, I picked up a military issue flashlight. Richard saw what I had. "Where did that come from?" He asked. I walked over to the opening, "Jimmy?" I called up. He put his head over, into the hole. I showed him what I had in my hand. His face told me he knew. "Where did you get it?" "Jack lent it to us. He has a few." "How did it get down here?" Guilt was written all over his face. "We accidentally dropped it in a hole between the walls, and it went bouncing down." I knew we'd be having a discussion about this later. It did give the reason why it wouldn't turn on. The bulb was most likely broken. I handed it up to him. I heard Brian gasp. I shook my head at the trouble those two boys could get into. Taking the candle from the table, I looked at the rest of the room. On the far wall was a tattered cloth. As I touched it, the threads gave way, showing a passage behind it. I leaned down, letting the light flood the passage. Looking, I turned away. "What's there?" Richard asked. I shook my head, not wanting to say in front of Barbara. "You found something?" she said, in a weak voice. "A small passage, I think. It's blocked." Robin's head peered over the edge. "Brian wants to know what's going on. He can't stand it." "Tell him that we aren't moving anyone, until Katharine gets here, just for safety reasons." Then I leaned down, and kissed Barbara on the lips. She was sure surprised. I grabbed the chair, brought it to the opening, and climbed onto it. Motioning for Robin to lean down, I kissed her. The chair wobbled a bit under me, but I tried not to notice. "Give that to Brian. Tell him it's from Barbara." When I got off the chair, I saw Barbara smiling, as best she could. "Thank you," she said. ------- The tires started to lose their grip as Kristin rounded the corner, throwing dirt everywhere. She slowed down just a touch, but not much, as she headed into town. Both Daisy and Katharine ran outside, when they heard the car slide to a stop. As soon as the dust settled, Kristin stood on the cars doorframe. "Katharine! We've got an emergency! Please come quick!" Then Kristin got back into the car, waiting. Both Daisy and Katharine started to move. Katharine went inside the house, Daisy to the car. "Daisy," Katharine said, "You need to stay here with your mom. We'll let you know what is going on." Daisy stopped. She knew Katharine was right, but couldn't stand it. Katharine came out with a small bag, and they drove out of sight. "What's wrong?" Katharine wanted to know, as soon as Kristin took off rounding the corner fast. Kristin knew she'd be asked, and had been running through what she had seen. "Barbara fell through a hole in the floor, she's under the house. Brian tried to go after her. When I left, he was throwing up." "Ok, hold on. The house isn't off the ground that far. Was Barbara stuck?" "No, there's something down there. A basement I guess. I saw Richard drop down into it." That was a surprise to Katharine. "What did Brian do?" He can turn over, that's what he said. I think he tried to help." "Ohhhh, shit," Katharine said, mostly to herself. "I hope he didn't do any damage to himself. Maybe it just sounds worse than it is. A minute later, Kristin pulled up in front of the Mansion. They both ran inside. Katharine went to Brian first. "Barbara," he said. "I make the decisions here. This is not a time to be a hero," she said, shaking her head at him. "Now, tell me what hurts." He winced for the first time. "My arms and legs." "Sharp pain, or a constant dull pain?" "Constant." Katy and Robin were looking at him. He hadn't said anything about his pain. "Kristin, we need to get him to the hospital again. He needs to be x-rayed." When I heard the door slam, I got back on the chair, so I could hear the interchange. I couldn't see over the top of the floor, but knew my sister. She didn't say anything because she wasn't sure what to do. "Kristin?" I called to her. "Yes?" she said, coming over to the hole. "Call the base; tell them you need to get hold of Jack Huntington. Tell them there is a problem at Carp. He'll call you back. Then tell him what is going on. He can figure out what to do." "Ok, thanks." As she left again, Katharine came over to the hole. She looked at it. "This is a trap door," she said. "Yes", Richard answered, "The kids were looking for it. They didn't expect to find it quite this way." "Only candles I see," Katharine said, stating the obvious. "Yes," I said, "We didn't want to move Barbara. It looks like she came down wrong." "Then I will need to come down." Katharine sighed, "You don't know how I hate things like this." "There's a ladder on the side here," I pointed, "and we'll help you down." As soon as Katharine lowered her feet down, Richard and I took hold of them, and got them positioned onto the ladder. Katharine missed a rung on the ladder and came down two of them fast. Richard reached for her, steadied her, and found his hands holding her ass. He moved them quickly, but kept a hand on her the rest of her descent. "Well, that was a better way to go down into holes," Katharine said. I was sure she was blushing; but in the light, I couldn't be sure. She moved over to Barbara. I explained what I did, and where she felt pain. Katharine went right for the ankles; she twisted a bit this way and that. Barbara screamed in pain. Again, there was a cry from Brian. Katharine looked over to me. "He can't stand the thought of her in pain." She turned back to Barbara, "Looks like you have quite an admirer, there. I'm not trying to kill you. I know it feels like it, but I need to know if you might have anything broken." Barbara nodded. After Katharine touched Barbara's left ankle she then felt up the leg, but didn't move it. "That one's broken. We need to tell Kristin there are two to transport." "Should we move Barbara now?" I asked. "It won't make any difference, and it would help. I could examine her better, if I had more light." It was not an easy task. Katharine went up first. With Richard's help, again, I noticed. Richard and I lifted Barbara up, having to hold onto her, under her arms. Barbara held her arms up, as soon as we got to the ladder. It made it hard for us to hold onto her; but she was grabbed by Katharine, Robin, and Katy, as soon as we got her high enough. Richard had grabbed her around the waist, as we couldn't put any weight on her legs. They struggled with the awkward position, to try and raise her. I couldn't hold onto her with my cast. Finally, out of desperation (thinking they were going to lose her); I grabbed her, under her crotch, and pushed her up. Barbara gave a surprised yelp when I did that. But it happened fast, and she was raised, and gone. "That was an interesting move," Richard joked. I ignored his remark, knowing anything I said would be twisted around. I had no way to win that one, but thought I could have said the same about how he had 'helped' Katharine up the ladder. I changed the thought process. "Look what I found," I said, taking a candle, and walking over to the small passage. Just inside was a skeleton. "I see why you didn't want to tell Barbara about it. I wonder who it is?" Richard pondered. "I don't know, but it's been here long enough. It bothers me, wondering where this passage goes. Just don't let anyone else down here." "You mean Jimmy?" "That's exactly who I mean," I said, leaning into the passage, and looking closer. "I'll need to call the Sheriff. This person was shot in the head." ------- Kristin was waiting by the town's phone, when I arrived in Richard's car. She was surprised to see me. I told her of Katharine's assessment of Barbara, and the need to transport her as well. I said to tell Jack a helicopter would be best. Then said I was going over to Millie's, to tell her the good news. Kristin rolled her eyes. "I'll be back, to let you know how that goes. I have a phone call to make, before heading home." I left them, and drove to Millie's. She was outside, waiting. "What's going on? Cars have been racing through the town." "That was my sister. With this cast, I have to watch how I drive," I said, as I walked up to her porch. "Millie," I paused. Annabelle and Julie came out of the house. I was surprised, but pleased to see them there. "The kids were playing... Well it was more than that, I gathered. They were trying to find a hidden room." "That old hidden treasure story. Fred went on and on about that," Annabelle said. "They did find a room." All three gasped, "They did?" "Yes, but at a cost. There was a trap door. Barbara fell through and she's hurt." Their faces started to show pain. "Brian hurt himself, as well." "Oh, no! Not again! What happened?" Millie cried. I wasn't sure this was the time to let Millie know her son was in love. "Why don't you come out? I have a phone call to make, and then we will be heading back." She nodded. "You're coming too," Millie told Annabelle and Julie. ------- Kristin picked up the phone, as we pulled up. As I got out, I heard part of the conversation, and took the phone. "What is the problem?" "They are giving me a lot of flak over expenses. I'm not sure how I can justify flying out a helicopter, just to pick up the kids." "That's fine," I said. "Who makes that kind of decision?" "What are you going to pull now, Keith?" Jack asked warily. "Just tell them that a reporter might want a follow up story, on how a chemical caused our only medical person to leave town, and now the government is refusing medical care to the townspeople." "You know how to stir up a hornets nest, don't you?" "I try my best. Oh, and Jack? Have the helicopter land out at the Mansion, that's where they are." He snorted, "Leave me with the hard stuff. Thanks." "Would you rather sit next to Barbara, while she is in pain?" I asked, already knowing he hated seeing children in pain. Jack didn't bother to respond to that question. "I'll get it there as soon as possible," he said. I clicked the phone a couple of times, and got the operator back on line. "I need to get the Sheriff's station," I said to the surprise of those around me. ------- Jill, Sarah, and Laura, were at the dinner table together. Betty and Sue joined them. "Did you ask yet?" Sue wanted to know. "No. I haven't figured out the best way," Jill said. They were all lost in thought, when Tiffany sat down next to them. "The end of school gloom?" Tiffany asked. "We are trying to figure out how this is all going to work," Sarah responded. "What is going to work?" "Laura living in Carp," Jill said, as though that made perfect sense. Tiffany looked at the girls, and instantly felt their pain. They obviously didn't want to give up their friendship, and were trying desperately to find a way for this to work. She had felt the same way, when Liz told her that she was leaving and going to Carp. Tiffany remembered how that had made her feel, how desperate she'd been. She got choked up, not knowing what to say. "Maybe Liz can help," Tiffany managed. "I hope so," Jill said, oblivious to Tiffany's misunderstanding of the situation. "I'm not even sure where I'm going to end up, when I get home." This was the first any of them had heard of this, and all eyes were suddenly on Jill. "Well," Jill said, becoming self conscious of their stares, "I don't know if my mother will be there." "Where else would she be?" Laura asked, and then panic set in, "You mean you might have to move?" "No! Calm down Laura. If I don't live with my mother when I get back, I'll live with Keith, probably." That raised eyebrows, "Keith?" a few of them said. "Of course. I think that is where Liz is going to be. They are in the... Oh, you wouldn't know. There is this huge house, just outside of town. It has lots of bedrooms." "Oh," Sue said. The explanation didn't sound as exciting, as first they had thought. "I guess I should talk to Liz, as well. I'm starting to wonder where she is thinking of putting us," Tiffany said. "I think I'll see if I can find her." With that, Tiffany got up, and went out the door. "Why isn't Liz here?" Betty asked. "She had some things to do with Grace; she's been there all afternoon. Tiffany didn't give me enough time to swallow what I had in my mouth, or I'd have told her where she was," Jill said. ------- Jack knew he needed to go out to the base, to give the order to send out the helicopter. Hell was going to be raised about this. Sure enough that is what happened. Less than five minutes after he gave the order, and even before they left, he got the call. "Jack, just what the hell do you think you are doing? We are not a civilian transport company. I understand you have connections to this town, but we have protocol, and this isn't it. I'm about to call, and cancel your request for that helicopter, unless you can tell me why on God's good earth I shouldn't." "Sir, I understand your need to not make this look like we will just go out and help, whenever needed. We could not afford to. I was requested to let you know what would happen if that transport didn't show up." "Oh? And what could that be?" "That there would be a call to the news services, saying that the military chemicals that were unleashed on Carp, caused the only medically trained person in the area to leave. Now the military has turned its back on any medical situations arising in the town." There was silence on the phone. "They have us by the balls, don't they?" "Sir, I do believe that this situation is only temporary. They have a doctor that is looking to relocate into Carp. There is a search for a building for him, now." "Jack, this is your baby. Quite frankly I'm glad it's in your hands," he laughed. "I want to know how much it is costing for the last time we had a transport, and then this time. There are also medical costs involved. I want a report on my desk, in three days," there was a pause, and then he continued, in a bit gentler voice. "If we can show a cost effective situation... Sending one of those transportable buildings out there, so this wouldn't happen again..." Jack smiled, "I'll have that report to you, Sir." Hanging up the phone, Jack sat back in the chair. The interim CO said, "I hope that this is a rare case." Jack smiled. He knew that it would probably get worse. The war was over. The era of free spending was done. The accounting processes were going to take hold. He was glad he was going to be out of this and soon. "There is nothing simple about Carp," Jack said, "Unfortunately, you have to remind others of that, at times. I don't mind doing the report, as I hope it will get a structure out to Carp, to use as a medical building. Lord knows, that we have enough of those structures sitting on this base." "The ones out in section C9?" "Yes, those are the ones." He shook his head, "I drove out by there, and the place looks rather ominous. I understand that the whole town of Carp ended up there." "Yes, it did. Not a pleasant trip for them." Jack made a few calls, and started gathering information. But his first call was to make sure that the helicopter did take off. Once his calls were done, he went back home. ------- "What was that all about?" Millie wanted to know as soon as I hung up the phone. "Old bones and a murder. Sounds rather ghastly." "I found it in a passageway in the basement that Barbara dropped into. The Sheriff's Deputies aren't going to be out for a while. As they said, it's been there this long, a bit longer won't matter. I'm sure they'd love to look, as everyone seems to love this treasure idea. But, there's a fire that burnt three houses up in Caliente, and they are tied up for a while." "Is Barbara going to be ok?" Julie asked. "I'm sure she will be fine," I said, and rustled her hair before I realized I'd even done it. Worried at what she would think of that, I was about to apologize. Then I looked at her. She was smiling at me. I smiled back. We got into the cars, and drove back out to the Mansion. On the way, Millie started asking questions. "Now, how did this happen? Why would Barbara be jumping, right where Brian was?" "Did you know Brian could flip over?" I asked back. "He's done it twice; I told him not to," Millie rolled her eyes, "He never seems to listen to good advice." I tried hard not to laugh at that. "When Barbara fell down through the hole, he apparently flipped himself over. He pulled himself to the edge, and was ready to fall in, when Richard and I caught hold of him." Millie was in the front seat. I could see her expression. The gasps from the rear seat, told me Annabelle and Julie's reaction. "But he..." Millie just stared at me, her mouth hanging open, "he moved?" "That is why Katharine is concerned." "Why did he do such a stupid thing," Millie said, angrily. "Cause he lov..." Julie didn't finish, but she'd said too much, she already knew. Millie gasped, "He's in love... with Barbara? Oh, no. I've been having her..." She looked at me horrified, "Keith, you don't think they... I mean, they're too young." "Millie, do you know how old Barbara is?" I asked. Thinking, Millie's eyes grew wide, "She's twelve. I have no idea when she turns thirteen. But Brian is... She couldn't... How... I mean, who..." Millie went on with a series of half sentences. "I don't think you need to worry yourself at all. If it is my guess, Barbara is going to end up in a cast, as well. Annabelle and Julie may well need to take care of both of them, for a bit." "Well that's a relief," Barbara said. I don't know what got into me. I knew I shouldn't have said it, but there are times I just can't help myself. "Yes. You know, it is good to have two convalescing people close together. They work out quite well." "Keith! Bruce told me what you did, and how you set that up. You should be ashamed of yourself." "I'm not sure you would get Katy or Richard to agree with you," I laughed back. "Just the same, maybe it is high time to separate those two" "Isn't that what has been done? Barbara has been out at the Mansion." "Yes, and Brian..." I saw the wheels turning in her head. "Keith, this has been going on for some time, hasn't it? Is that why my sister took Barbara out with her?" "I think maybe you need to talk to your sister about this, after all. If Barbara is turning thirteen, then who is going to figure out who she will marry?" Millie was shaking her head at me, "Katy has told me you can be a needle in the side." I just smiled at her. ------- Mary, Beth Ann, and Dora, came running into the room. "What's happening?" Beth Ann said, panting. "Where have you been?" Robin asked, surprised they didn't know what was going on. They looked a bit guilty. "We were out at the end of the valley, looking around. We thought we heard a car, but it must have been the second car, leaving. It just drove off nice and slow, so we didn't think too much about it," Mary said. "That was Keith, after Kristin left, came back and left a second time. What on earth were you doing not to hear all that?" Katy asked. They looked at each other, but didn't say anything in response. None of them wanted to say they had been in the plane. Playing, making believe and acting childish... They were having fun. But now, it seemed so juvenile, compared to what had happened while they were gone. "We found an underground room," Jimmy said. "And it looks like Barbara has a broken leg. We're not sure what Brian did to himself," Katharine said. The three surveyed the room. The opening in the floor that they'd never seen before. Barbara, who lay on her back, had her hand reaching out holding Brian's. Katharine, Richard, Katy, Robin, Stephanie, Jimmy, Pamela, were all sitting on the floor, next to the two casualties. Dora went right over to Brian, and sat down next to him, kissing him on the cheek. "Where are Kristin and Keith?" Mary asked. "Kristin went to make a call, Keith needed to tell her there would be two. I don't know what is taking them so long to get back," Katy said. Mary walked over to Barbara. She sat down on the floor, put her hand to the girls face, and stroked it, "What happened?" "I was jumping up, and when I came down, the floor went out from under me." Beth Ann had walked over to the hole, "There's a room down there!" She looked back to Barbara in amazement. "You dropped into a room? That must have scared you half to death," Mary said. Barbara's face scrunched up. "I really didn't have time to think about it. When I landed, it hurt, and I fell on the ground," Barbara started to blush, "Then I heard Brian, and saw him." Before the rest of the story got told, we arrived. Millie was the first in the house. I was right behind her. She stopped in the doorway, and I almost ran into her. Kristin, Annabelle, and Julie, were right behind me. I looked in, to see what the problem was, and spotted it right away. No blood, vomit, or bones sticking out. It was Brian and Barbara, holding hands. I turned away from Millie, so she couldn't see the grin on my face. Kristin did, she was in the other car, and hadn't heard the conversation we had. "What is it?" Kristin asked. I turned around, "Brian and Barbara," I said in a sad voice. That was hard to do, considering I was ready to laugh at Millie's reaction. Then I put my hands together, and rolled my eyes. Annabelle and Julie had an amused look on their face. Kristin's eyes widened. She whispered, "In front of his mom?" I nodded, and pushed her into the room. "The helicopter will be arriving, soon. I told them to drop down out here, so it should be easy to get these two out," I said. "Good. Now, the next big question. Who is going with them?" Katharine asked. "I should," Millie said, without hesitation. She had moved to her son, and was starting to sit down. "That would seem logical, but then we need a second person to go, as well," I said. Millie turned to me, "Why? You don't think I can do it myself?" "No, I don't. You aren't going to, either," I said, in a very matter of fact voice. It stunned her into silence. I continued after a pause, "Now, you know why." "No, I don't. And you were a bit rude, if I do say so," Millie said, in a huff. "Millie," I said, in a warm and gentle voice, "I was being gentle, compared to how you would be treated in the hospital. You have no understanding how these people work. It would overwhelm you, and you would not be helpful to either Brian, or Barbara. I'm sure that is not what you want." She was wide eyed. She looked at Katharine, who nodded at her. "But he's my boy." "Yes, and I didn't say you shouldn't go. He is your boy. You just need someone to help, when they start to push." "I'll go," Mary said. I smiled, as everyone else looked at her. "Yes, that would be a good choice. You grew up seeing people push. I'll bet you know how to deal with it," I said, making her smile. "Well if I don't, I'll just call my dad," Mary said, with a grin. Everyone chuckled. Well, everyone except Barbara and Brian. It was strange to see the dichotomies of worry, laughter, and love, in the same room. I thought about the need for release from the tension that was building to a breaking point. Laughter was an easy way to accomplish it, and had nothing to do with not feeling the pain of the situation. Far from it. It was a way of dealing with it, and not going crazy. It was that same reaction I had when I saw Millie's expression seeing her son holding hands with Barbara. "Millie? Kristin is going to drive you back home, you'll need," I looked at Katharine for an answer, "one change of clothes." Katharine nodded. "You can hear the helicopter, as it comes up this valley. Don't be late. As soon as you hear it, head back, no matter what." "Ok," Millie said, giving a kiss to her son, before standing up. As soon as Kristin had her out the door, I told Mary to get clothes too. She headed up the stairs. "You know your mother saw you two holding hands," I said to Brian and Barbara. They looked a bit guilty. "She knows you two are in love," I sighed. "She's not too happy about it." "How did she find out?" Katy wanted to know. "The fall, the reason Brian is hurt. It was just a matter of time. She knows you know," I said, looking at Katy. "Oh, I guess this means a talk." I laughed, "That's what I told her she should do." "Thanks, Keith," Katy said, in a sarcastic voice. I looked at her, seeing her smile. I laughed. "You should have heard her chew me out, for putting you and Richard together. I guess Bruce told on me." Everyone laughed. Richard said, "Serves you right." Mary was back down the stairs, and started talking with Katherine about what needed to be done. We heard the sound of the helicopter in the distance. Richard and I went outside. It was the same one that flew into Angle City. We saw my car, as it turned into the valley. Richard walked out into the open area east of our house. He waved his arms, as the helicopter came close. It landed, and two men jumped out with a stretcher. As soon as they got to me, I yelled over the noise. I asked if they had a second one, pointing to the stretcher. They nodded. I pointed into the house, and they moved that direction. I went for the helicopter. I knew one of the pilots, and patted him on the shoulder. He looked at my cast, and shook his head. Richard had come into the open bay door. I pointed to the second stretcher, and we unfastened it, taking it with us. Inside, the men were working on Barbara, securing her for the flight. She looked frightened, as we walked in. As soon as I set the second stretcher down, Katharine and Richard took over with Brian. I went to Barbara. She didn't notice me, as so much was going on, until my hand caressed her face. "Barbara, we love you. We care for you. I would not have called these people, if they didn't know what they were doing. I know one of the pilots, and he's very good. This is the same helicopter that took Brian to the hospital. You are very safe. I wouldn't ever put you in harms way." I leaned down, and kissed her forehead. Robin was next to me, at that point. She gave Barbara a little kiss as well. "Barbara, you need to stop worrying. You need to heal, so you can take care of that man of yours." Barbara blushed; but through her pain, smiled. The men picked Barbara up, ready to take her out. "You have two more passengers. I'll send the first with her," I said, indicating Barbara. I could see their annoyed expressions, until I pulled Mary over. While I whispered in her ear, their expressions changed. Male hormones! I almost laughed at them. They had no idea who she was, just that she was beautiful. We watched from the window, as they ran under the whirling blades, and into the helicopter. The two men came back, checked the straps on Brian He was a bit more difficult to get secured with his casts. They picked him up, and got ready. Millie was a bit of a disappointment to them, I think. They were hoping for Kristin or Beth Ann, to be the other person going. We watched again, as they ran out. The helicopter's door closed, and soon they were in the air. It was quiet. No noise, no commotion. The adrenaline was waning. Jimmy was the first to break the silence. "How come I can't go down there?" he asked. Richard looked at me, "When are they coming?" "They? Who?" Katy and Robin asked at the same time. "The Sheriff's deputies," I answered. Then I explained, "There is a skeleton down there, and whoever it was, was shot. To answer you, Richard, they are busy. They will be here, as soon as they can. They said it wasn't high priority, as the skeleton isn't going anywhere." "Jimmy! You are not going down there," Katy said. "Mom!" Jimmy whined. ------- Jack got home, to find it quiet. He called, but no one answered. Sighing, he wondered if they couldn't hear him. Maybe they were outside, or perhaps they went somewhere. He was not pleased with that idea. He was still upset with his wife. The house, a typical style for that time, was a bit larger than most. It had four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a formal dinning room, a formal living room, a den (Jack used as an office), and then the extra bedroom. They had had that one added on. The contractor thought they were a bit crazy, insisting on using 2X8's in the walls and 2X12's in the ceiling. When they came up with the story about sound vibrations (Jack bringing an instrument home, and almost blowing out the windows in the living room with it), the contractor was convinced. No windows, one door, thick insulated walls and ceiling. Heavy wood floor. From the demonstration that Jack did, the contractor was convinced it was top secret. He didn't even ask, when they said they would paint and finish the room. This was the room that had 'toys' to be disassembled. The holes in the walls and ceiling, for the hooks and chains, had to be filled. Then the whole room had to be painted. This is also where he found Cynthia and Rebecca. As the room was soundproofed, they couldn't hear him arrive, until he was in the doorway. He didn't know how they had gotten into the positions they were in and locked in place. He shook his head, and smiled. He noticed they couldn't see him, as they had even put blindfolds on. They were alerted to his presence, though. He decided he would have a bit of fun. "As you see, Mrs. Trimble, this room would be very good for your little boy to practice his trumpet in," Jack said. He watched, as the two women grew frantic, twisting at the bonds they had put themselves into. As he stepped into the room, he kept up his little game. "Oh, my! Wait just a minute. There seems to be a mess in here. Let me see if I can take care of it." He looked around, and spotted something that took him a bit by surprise. On the floor, below his wife's upturned ass, was a paddle. "If you could wait just a moment, before coming in, Mrs. Trimble? Maybe look outside for a minute, while I put in order, what should have been done some time ago." With that Jack took the paddle, and smacked his wife's ass. She jolted in surprise. He was a bit surprised himself. She didn't scream into the gag. He also felt a certain sense of need, as he thought of Katharine. The charade of Mrs. Trimble went out of his mind, as he took to punishing his wife. Stroke after stroke the paddle landed on her ass; turning it from white, to pink, to red. His anger gone, he realized how far he'd gone with her. He pulled the gag from her mouth. Its material was soaked from her tears. She sobbed, as he undid her bonds. Dropping to the table, Cynthia curled into a fetal position. Jack was sick with what he had just done. Putting his arms around his wife, he held her while her body shook. As soon as Cynthia regained control of herself, she said, "I'll try and be better for you." "Shhh," he said, rocking her in his arms. Ten minutes later Jack got up. He went into the bathroom, and ran a warm bath. Then he went back, and helped Cynthia get off the table. He walked her into the bathroom. As he got her into the tub, she said, "Jack, it's all right. I know you got carried away. I didn't know how much I'd hurt Katharine. I don't think I know those things. Please forgive me." Jack was still very disturbed about how much anger he had released upon his wife. "Only if you can forgive me. Cynthia, that was not play, and I don't like what I did." "We both did things that weren't so good. Katharine will get over it, don't you think?" He sighed, "I think so." "Good. Don't worry. I'm a bit sore, but I'll get over this, too. I wanted this," Cynthia lowered her head, "I needed this, Jack. I was getting out of control." She looked back up to him, tears in her eyes, "You have always known how to take care of me. Please don't leave me." "Oh, Cynthia," Jack said, leaning down and taking her into his arms, "I don't ever plan on leaving you. I love you." Cynthia smiled, "Thank you," then she added, "There's someone in there, still tied up, that needs your special magic." "You're sure you're all right?" "Yes. A good long soak will help. Now go back to Rebecca, and take Mrs. Trimble's son in there with you," she said with a gleam in her eye. "You're terrible," Jack said, finally smiling "She'd like it. And that little dildo should be just about the size of Mrs. Trimble's son." "You're sure you're ok?" "Yes. It looks worse than it is, now go," Cynthia said. She knew that she was lying, and maybe he did, too. After talking with Rebecca that morning; really finding out what happened, and Katharine's fears, she started to understand her husband's anger towards her. Then, as he took them back here so quickly, she was worried. Would he leave her? Would he change his mind about living in Carp, because of her? She felt she needed to give herself to him, let him punish her, repent. She had no idea how much anger he had built up. She could hardly stand it, and felt she was going to pass out from the pain, when he stopped. The look of guilt on his face, made it acceptable. Both of them had gone overboard, and they both knew it. She knew, deep down; that Jack would never do it, again. She wondered if she knew how to not do what she'd done, again. She saw Jack pause as he was at the door, turning to look at her again. She smiled at him, and waved him on. Jack paused to regain his thoughts, before entering the room. Rebecca had been silent for some time. 'But, ' he then thought, 'she's gagged, too.' Standing back from the door, he talked across the doorway, knowing Rebecca would hear what he said. "Mrs.Trimble, go on down the hallway, and have another look at the bedrooms. I'll take your son in here, to show him the room, and its possibilities." As he stepped into the room, he played two voices. One was a nasally higher voice of a young lad, the other, was his own. Cynthia would have recognized it from party jokes he played. Rebecca had never heard him. She had no idea the two people she thought to be in the room, was only Jack. "Oh, my gosh! Who is that?" "Now, now, Son. Be quiet. You don't want your mother to come back, do you?" "No, Sir. Who is she? Wow, she's..." Jack could smell Rebecca's scent, as it filled the air. She was enjoying being on display. "Go ahead, Son, take a look. Hold on. I think I hear your mother calling, I'll be right back." Jack acted like he was leaving. When he got to the door, he slipped his shoes off. He slid back over, not making a sound. "I hope you don't mind, but I can't help myself," Jack said, acting like the boy. He used his pinky on her, barely touching her. Shivers ran up and down her body. "If you want me to stop, just say so," Jack continued, smiling, as he knew she couldn't say a word. He picked up the little dildo. "My friend Fred said he did this once, with Sally Thompson. He said it felt real good. I've only played with mine. But now, wait 'till Fred hears what I've done." With that he slid the dildo underneath Rebecca's opening, then again not getting it right, always missing its mark. Her body jerked, trying to keep the thing from entering her. Jack's internal thoughts were, 'Maybe I'm pushing this too far.' Turning, he shouted out towards the doorway in his own voice. "Just what do you think you're doing, young man?" Then, in the boy's voice, "Mom!" He noticed Rebecca tense up, as her odor wafted into the room, giving indication of her real thoughts. Jack couldn't keep the charade up any longer, and started to laugh. Even that didn't tell Rebecca the truth of the situation. Jack undid the blindfold, and restraints. Then he turned her around. She saw then, that they were the only two in the room. Jack was holding onto a small, boys sized, dildo. When he removed the gag, she had to ask. "It was only you?" "Yes, Darling, only me." Rebecca relaxed, "I thought that boy was going to..." "I thought I had gone too far, that's why I stopped. I think all of us have been getting carried away. We need to think about each other, better." Rebecca looked uncertain for a moment. "What did you do with Cynthia?" she asked. "I took my anger out on her," Jack said, remorsefully, "unlike what I have ever done before. She didn't deserve what I gave her." "I think she wanted it." "Maybe, but I didn't. I shouldn't have done what I did. I went too far, as well." Rebecca looked down at the floor. "Can you be that boy again, but this time with a bigger dick? You got me started, and I want to finish." Jack smiled, and in the boy's voice, said, "Look, Mom! Look at what I can do." ------- I decided that I should take Katharine back, along with Pamela. Jimmy, since he wasn't going to be allowed down into the hole, thought he should go with us. Pamela liked that idea, and Jimmy smiled. Stephanie said she was going as well. Annabelle and Julie didn't know quite what to do. Robin invited them to stay for dinner. I said I would leave a note for Bruce, to let him know he should ride out for dinner. Before we left, Katharine had a question for Kristin and Beth Ann. I saw them whispering, Kristin looked over at me and smiled. I knew that could be trouble, but I also knew she was as much a practical joker as I was, so I didn't pay too much attention to the whole thing. Katharine was smiling when she said she was ready to go. As soon as I pulled up to Mildred's house, Daisy was outside. She didn't even let Katharine get out of the car before asking question after question. As Katharine was answering Daisy's questions, I saw Pamela take Jimmy's hand and lead him inside. Stephanie, turned, looked at me, and smiled before following them. I thought it might be a good idea to say hello to Mildred, as well as check up on what the kids were up to. I knocked on the bedroom door and announced myself. Getting a response, I entered. "Mildred," I said sitting down on the edge of the bed, "how are you doing?" She shook her head slightly. "Next week, I think. I'm very tired, Keith." Knowing it was coming didn't make it any easier. I started to get tears in my eyes. I felt her hand on mine. "Don't," she said, "you've always been strong. I need you to be that, for me." I nodded. Her eyes closed and she went to sleep. I got up, and left the room, leaving the door open a crack. Walking over and peering into Pamela's room was a strange contrast. One room with death hanging over it, the other with budding life. Pamela and Jimmy were locked in a kiss, with Stephanie giving commentary. I turned and walked outside, where Katharine and Daisy were still talking. I caught just a part of their conversation. Richard's name was a part of that. They stopped talking as I approached, making me wonder what it was all about. "How's Mildred?" Katharine asked me. "Sleeping now." "I think I'll go in, and check on her, then be back out," Katharine said. I may be slow on the uptake, but I knew when something was happening. This was one of those times. "What is it, Daisy?" She looked a bit sheepish, "My sister got to go out and..." "You know you are welcome. What about your mom?" Her face started to smile, "Katharine is going to sleep over, tonight." "And her kids?" "They are coming with us." Now I was a bit confused, "Wasn't it Katharine, who was a bit upset about what her daughters did with us?" "They will be sleeping with Kristin and Beth Ann, tonight." "That's what that little thing was, before we left. I guess you have all your bases covered, and I'll just have to provide for you tonight." "Not just you, I need a bit of Robin's help as well." "I'm sure she will be pleased to provide, too. You need a night of relaxation." "That's what Katharine said to me. She told me I'd be a mess, if I didn't get away for just a bit." Katharine came back out about then. "Do you want to go and get your kids ready, or shall we?" "You know," Katharine said to me, "they'd rather have you tell them. Just swing by before you go back out." "So you can put the fear of God in them?" I said, jokingly. "Yes, something like that." I have a couple of phone calls to make, and a note to leave for Bruce, so it will be a bit." "That's fine. Daisy, grab me something to wear tonight." "Ok, will do." As we got into the car, Daisy said, "I think she just asked me to do that, to make sure we brought her kids by." I looked over and smiled at her, "Do you blame her?" We stopped in front of the hotel. Daisy went in to get Katharine's kids ready. I went to make phone calls. The first was to the base hospital. Fortunately I knew the number, and gave it to the operator to dial for me. "Hello, this is Keith Patterson. We had two children brought in from Carp. I was wondering about their status." That got me placed on hold. I repeated myself three times, before I ended up with Mary on the phone. "What's going on? Do you know anything yet?" I asked. "Keith, I'm glad I'm here. Millie is in pieces." "What's wrong?" I said alarmed. "With her?" "No, Brian." "I'm not sure. The last thing I was told, they were going to take off his casts." "All of them?" "Yes. Something about blood clots and straining himself." "Did they x-ray him?" "Yes, that was the first thing they did. Barbara has a broken foot. They are setting that now. She was very lucky they said." "That's good to hear." "Hold on, here's Millie." "Oh, Keith! My boy! They took him away." "Millie, calm down." "I'm trying." "They x-rayed Brian, didn't they?" "Yes. They put him, and then Barbara, in this little room. I couldn't be with him. Keith it was terrible." "Millie, I'm only going to say this once. I want you to listen to me, understand?" I said with as much force in my voice as I could. "Yes," she replied, somewhat shaken by my tone. "I told you that you were going to have a hard time with this. That is why I wanted Mary to be with you. You remember that?" "Yes." "Listen to her. She can help you. Let her do that, all right?" "Yes," she said, softly. "Keith, thank you." "You be there for your son. That is your job," I said. "Bruce is going to come out to the house, for dinner. When we're done, I'll bring him back, and we'll call." "That would be nice. I hope I can tell him good news." "I want to talk with Mary, again. Can you put her back on?" I told her how wonderful she was. How proud I was that she was there, and what I had told Millie about listening to her. I could tell she was aglow, in a blush. Especially when I said I would see about some 'special treatment', for her. When I was done, I got the operator back on the line, and got connected to base headquarters. It wasn't as hard as I expected, to get to the CO's office. Maybe Jack had said my name enough (not always pleasantly), that my name was recognized. I told them I needed to get hold of Jack. What happened then surprised me. "Operator we know you're on the line can you take down this number." I wondered how they knew. I was going to have to ask Richard about that one. Sure enough, she responded. I was soon listening to the phone ringing. "Jack Huntington's residence," I heard Rebecca answer. "Rebecca, this is Keith. Is Jack there?" "Yes, Sir," she giggled, "I'll get him for you." Then she let down her façade, "How are Brian and Barbara?" "They are doing ok. Thank you for asking." "I'm glad to hear that, I'll get Jack for you." Jack was back on the line, in a few seconds. "What now?" he asked, with a bit of sarcastic humor in his voice. I knew he must have heard from Rebecca that the kids were all right. "Millie and Mary came over with the kids. Millie is a basket case. I knew she would be, that's why Mary is with her." "Yes, I could see that." "Did you know that when we were all out at the base, Cynthia and Mary got together for some," I thought of the operator possibly listening, "sightseeing?" "I did hear. I was disappointed that I wasn't there to see myself," Jack said, with a smile in his voice. "I think it would be nice for Mary to have another journey, tonight. This hospital trip would be stressful for anyone. I think she needs to feel thanked." Jack laughed, "You think Cynthia knows how to do that?" "As long as she doesn't get carried away, yes. She was very good and thoughtful, last time, and they both had fun." As I hung up, Jack was thinking maybe this is just what they needed. It would be something to refocus on. I had more phone calls to make. The next one was to the doctor, to find out when he was coming back. When I got him on the line, his immediate question was if everything was all right. I filled him in on what had happened, and what the kids were doing. I then asked him about why they would take the casts off, if he didn't show re-breaks. "It is more than probably a precautionary measure, Keith. If I were to guess; I'd say what they will be doing, is giving him massages in the muscle area. The thought process of what to do about these matters, changes constantly. This is the current thought. Get those muscles working, make sure everything is fine, and then recast. My guess is that they will be ready to come home, tomorrow." "That's good to know. It would have been helpful if you could have been down here, as I remember you having the x-ray machine, on that flying office of yours." "I'll fly back down, in a day or two. I think it would be good for Katharine, to have me around, when Mildred goes. It is not an easy thing. I can also look at you. It may be time to take that cast off. That is, if you want it off," he said with a laugh. "Well," I said, trying hard not to laugh, "I have become quite attached to it. But my wife would like to see it off of me." "We don't want to disappoint her, then. Oh, Keith! I almost forgot. I have a special patient. Her father is on the Memco board, and wants me to continue caring for her. She's in school. I was under the impression that there would be a school there, next year. Am I right?" "Yes," I said, wondering where this was going. "She would need to be a 'border' then. Do you think that is possible? Can you check into that for me? Her Father is anxious to make arrangements." "I will pass that on, and let the women decide on how to handle it." He laughed, "Keith, you have figured out one of the great things in life. Women make most of the decisions." "With two sisters, I learned that at a young age," I laughed back. My last call was to the Sheriff's department. "Yes, Mr. Patterson," I heard, "let me transfer you." "Keith Patterson! What's this I hear about some bones? Letting the skeletons out of the closet?" It was the officer that had helped me nail the men that did Katy's brother in. I was glad to hear his voice. "We're living in the old Birk Mansion. That's where we found the skeleton." "I'll be damned. If anyone would have known that, they would have jumped in their car, and driven down on their off time. I'm sure I don't need to tell you the stories of hidden treasures." "No, you don't. I've heard them all, myself. I just don't want this to become another frenzy where we have people trying to break in." "I see your point. That house fire has turned into a bit more than that. They found a body under one of the houses. They think it was a transient. But, until we know; everything is in a bit of an uproar, here. It won't be until the morning, 'till we can get someone down there. Not a problem, I hope." "No. It's just good to have a time frame." I hung up, and noticed I had three faces looking up at me. Elizabeth smiled as she said, "Are we really going to sleep with you?" I had to clear my throat, "You mean, out at the house, with me?" She blushed, "Yes." "Yes, you are. Now, get in the car." They jumped for joy, and scrambled into the car, leaving a small suitcase for me to stow. Leaving them to sit in the car for a minute, I walked two shops over, and into Jack's office. There in the desk, as Jimmy had told me, were two flashlights. I left the old one out on the desk, and took a fresh one with me. I drove over to Millie's house, left Bruce a note, and then went to Mildred's house. Katharine must have heard the car. She was outside, by the time Daisy was walking up to the door. Opening the back door, she looked at her children, brimming with excitement. "Elizabeth and Kristina, I want you to behave," she gave the girls a stare, that only a mother can give. "Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, Mother," they both said, dampening their spirits. "Kenneth, you have fun, and don't get in the way. I'm sure Jimmy will be glad to show you around the place." About then; Stephanie, Jimmy, and Pamela, came out of the house. I noticed Jimmy's hand was holding Pamela's. They came up to the car, and Jimmy stammered, trying to say goodbye. Pamela just leaned over and gave him a little kiss, "Bye, Jimmy," she said in a dreamy voice. Kristina and Elizabeth had their mouths hanging open. After all, Elizabeth was eleven, and Kristina was the same age as Pamela. I looked over to Katharine, and chuckled. "Come on," Daisy said. "Let's go." Stephanie got into the back, with the others. Jimmy got into the front, with Daisy and myself. Then we headed off to the Mansion. On the way, I said to Daisy, "You get to tell Robin she has four more mouths to feed, for dinner." She smiled, and said, "She'll understand." We arrived, and everyone piled out. Apparently, Kristin had let Robin know we would be having extra people tonight. They were already prepared. As the girls ran upstairs, Jimmy and Kenneth took off in another direction. I'm sure their absence was attributed to them thinking they would be put to a task. Robin led me into the dinning room, with Daisy following. Katy and Richard were looking at the hole in the floor. Richard looked at me, and smiled. Robin and Katy looked at us. "Oh, no you two don't. You are not going back down there," Robin said. "But we have to," I answered. Katy rolled her eyes, "That boy spy stuff, Keith?" "No, we need to figure out what this room was used for, and if there is any treasure of any sort," I said. Even Richard had a hard time keeping a straight face. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say, Keith," Katy said to me. "Let's give this a moment of thought. You know what this place looked like, before it was fixed up. I never saw it, but I've heard the stories. People were sure this place had a treasure buried in it. Now we find a hidden room. What are people going to do? Do you really want all those people hanging around, staring in our windows? I called the Sheriff's office again, but they won't be out until morning. When I told them we were living in the Mansion; the officer said that if they had known, that there would have been off duty officers showing up, just to take a look." "Hmmm. I hate to admit it, but you do have a point. The kids opened up a 'Pandora's Box'." "We need to find out what this is all about, so that when the Sheriff's deputies get here, their report shows nothing at all, or everything. That way, people will know it's nothing special, and will leave us alone." "Go on, then, but if you get hurt," Robin said to me, "I'll throw you over a horse, and gallop you all the way to the hospital." "That's after I get done with you!" Daisy said with a stare, almost reminiscent of the one Katharine gave her kids. "I'll try and remember that," I said. "Same goes for you, Richard," Katy added. Richard went down first, and I handed him the flashlight. He looked at it, turned it on, and gave me a little smile. This time without much commotion, Katy handed down a lantern to Richard. It illuminated the room well, as he set it on the table. I went down, with a bit of help, this time. Walking over to the small passage, Richard shined the light in. It didn't penetrate far, as there was a heavy layer of cobwebs, obstructing the view past the head of the skeleton. I walked back to the hole in the floor. "Can I get a broom, down here?" I called up. Daisy handed me one, a minute later. Walking back to the skeleton, I used the broom, and brushed the layer of cobwebs away. Then we looked into the passage. Richard and I jumped back, in surprise. ------- Chapter 64 Richard and I looked at each other, and started to laugh from embarrassment. Behind that veil of cobwebs was another skeleton. This one, though, was looking our way. Its gun was propped on a chest. It was the gun that had made us jump. We looked back in, knowing now what to expect. It looked pretty obvious that this skeleton, facing our way; had shot the one in the passage we had seen before. What had happened to the one holding the gun? That person hadn't made it out alive, either. As we looked, Richard spotted the reason with the flashlight. It had two ribs broken, in its back. They were lying apart from where they should be. Richard followed possible lines, and we saw a hole in the sidewall of the small passage. It was not in quite the right position. We theorized about it for some time and came to the conclusion that there had been a third person. One behind and probably standing where we were right now. Shining the flashlight onto the wooden floor below us; we could see stains in the light fir wood flooring, under the layer of dust we were disturbing. "Blood, I'll bet," I said. "You could be right." "So one person is coming into the house, from wherever that passage leads. He's got the chest and a gun. Here, one person is either going out, or waiting. Maybe even trapped, with another person behind him. That trapped person gets shot, and the bullet goes through him. It goes into the second one, but doesn't kill the second one. The wounded person, in turn, shoots and kills the one in the passage, who had the chest." "Sounds like a good story. If we had any idea who they were, it would help." "That chest might just help. It could be the illustrious treasure." "Maybe, but why wouldn't the person out here take it?" Richard asked. "Mmm, I don't know. Maybe his wound was bad, and he went to find a doctor." "That could be. If they made it, though, he'd have come back. So if that happened, he died." "I'd love to get into that chest," I said with a smile. "So would I, but you know we can't. If we touch anything, it would be on the report. And we want that Sheriff's report as clean as can be." "Yeah, I know. The last thing we need is people sticking their heads through our windows." Richard laughed. "They'd get quite an eyeful, at times." "What are you two laughing about?" we heard Robin saying to us. I walked over to the opening, and grabbed the chair. As I started to stand on it, the back joints broke and I fell onto the wall. I caught myself; but Robin, seeing me fall, shrieked. This caused others to run into the room. I dusted myself off, and looked up at the five faces peering down at me. "The chair fell apart. Nothing more than that." "It still doesn't make me feel good," Robin said. "Aren't you done?" "Just about," Richard said. He looked at me with a grin, and added, "For now. But first we need to figure out how this trap door opened up." "We'll need Jimmy and Stephanie, for that," Katy said. "I'll go find them." Richard shined the flashlight up along the boards. The hinges for the trap door were hand made of brass, and unlike anything either one of us had ever seen before. Then there was the locking mechanism. As we followed it, we saw there was a trigger. There was another lever, as well. A sort of safety device. By the time we had found how it all worked, everyone was downstairs, on the main floor. Jimmy looked down at us, "How come you get to go down, and I don't?" "We'll talk about that later," I said. "Do you remember what happened just before this opened?" "Yes. I was in the cupboard, in the butler's pantry," the girls snickered, "Well, that's what it's called," Jimmy said, defensively. "I know it is Jimmy, go on, what happened?" "I found a metal rod, and moved it." "Can you do it again?" Richard called up to Jimmy. "Sure." "Ok, do it now, just once." We found that it was connected to the safety device. Now, where was the trigger? "Stephanie, what were you doing?" "I had Pamela on my shoulders." I started to laugh, "All of you were into this mischief, together." She grinned down at me, "Yes." Then her expression changed. "We didn't think anyone was going to get hurt." "I know. What was Pamela doing? Think hard. Right then, what happened?" "She started to loose her balance," Stephanie looked embarrassed. "I think I caused it." "Did she fall?" "No. She grabbed hold of that stuff up there," Stephanie said, pointing up towards a place I couldn't see. "It looks like she broke it, too," Kristin said, "It's away from the wall." "What?" I asked, not quite understanding her. "It's pulled away from the wall." Richard and I looked at each other. "Kristin, put Stephanie on your shoulders. See if it is really pulled away, or if it moves back." Richard and I could only hear the shuffling of feet, and then the exclamation. We also saw movement down below. "It moved back!" Stephanie exclaimed, "But now it's stuck." "Jimmy," I called up, "move that rod again." "Ok." Then he said, "Just did." "Stephanie, try again." "It moves!" "Well, we found out how to open the trap door. Now what? How in the world did they close it?" I asked. "Not from the top," Richard answered. "Dinner is just about ready," Katy said, with a smile, "I hate to tell you, but your spy games are up, for now." I looked at Richard, and he shrugged his shoulders. We had to take one last look into the passage. I knew that the chest intrigued Richard, as much as it did me. Eighteen inches long, fifteen wide, and eight high. Wooden on the outside. But we saw a glint of metal, as though it was lined. The leather straps were well rotted, and seemed gnawed. The only thing that was in good shape was the brass metal work. The corner braces and hinges, were all that we could see. The clasp was on the other side, away from us. Richard turned off the flashlight, and we moved over to the ladder. "I wonder where that other ladder goes." "Keith, you could get me into as much trouble, as Jimmy and Brian get each other in." I laughed, "Yeah, isn't it fun." He was still laughing, as he was extinguishing the lantern, while I was going up. ------- This time, when we got up, Robin and Katy escorted us to the bathroom. We were told to clean up. On the way, I asked if Bruce was here yet. He wasn't, but dinner was ready. By this time we all sat down, I was grateful to my grandmother, and her entertaining days. Sitting around one table, were fifteen people. There was an empty place for Bruce, when he showed up. The food had just been brought to the table, when there was a knock at the front door. Richard and I got up to answer it. Bruce was on the porch. "Well, this is a surprise," he said, in a cheery voice. "Bruce, we have some bad news for you," I said. "Come in, we just sat down to dinner." Looking at the two of us, his smile dropped, and he started to look worried. "What is it?" "The kids were out here, today," I started to say, as we walked him into the parlor, and towards the dinning room. "They found something that was quite startling." We had made it to the dining room. He stopped as soon as he saw the hole in the floor, his face turning white. Everyone was looking, and intently listening to our conversation. "Now, Bruce, don't panic," Richard said. "It looks worse than it is." "What happened?" he asked, his voice shaking. "There's a room down there. Barbara fell into it. It looks like she broke her foot. Brian was pretty distraught, seeing her fall." He was nodding, "I'll bet he was. It probably reminded him of Cliff's house." Everyone who knew, looked at each other. None of us had thought of that, before. But it would surely explain Brian's extreme anguish. "Bruce, did you know Brian has learned how to flip over?" Richard asked. "Millie told me he'd done it, yeah." "He flipped over when he saw her drop through the floor," I said. Seeing his nod, I went on. "He also managed somehow to pull himself over to the edge. He was ready to fall in, when Richard and I came running in." Bruce was shaking his head, "Just like Brian. I told Millie, but she wouldn't listen." Everyone was staring at Bruce. Katy was the one bold enough to ask. "What did you tell her?" "Anyone with half a brain could see that look in Barbara's eye," he said, "I told Millie that she should watch out for Barbara. She told me I was just plain daft. I've just learned it's best to not say anything more. That was nearly the first day they came up here." "I told her, and she believed me," I said. "But this time, it wasn't what Barbara was doing, but Brian. Maybe that's why she was so upset. She'd heard it before, and didn't listen." Bruce looked over to Katy, and said, "Well, she's your sister, so you'd know how she gets. Stubborn woman she is, at times." Katy gave a little smile, and told Bruce to come to the table. We ate. As the food settled our nerves, conversation started again. Hesitantly, at first, but then it grew. The kids were having an easier time releasing their anxiety over everything that had happened, today. With dinner finished, Bruce looked over to Annabelle and Julie. Then to Katy, he whispered, "I don't think it would be right, having them at the house, with Millie gone." "I don't think anyone would think a thing, Bruce," she softly said back. He shook his head, "No. I'm not so worried about others. It's me." Katy raised her eyebrows at him, and then said in a voice everyone could hear, "Can I show you what we've done, upstairs?" Bruce looked at her like she was crazy. "Come on, before you head back into town," Katy added. He stood with her, and they walked out of the room. Jimmy and the girls were starting to get restless in their seats. "Stay on the ground floor. Bruce is worried about what is going on. Katy just needs a bit of quiet time, to talk with him," Robin said. I thought it was very insightful of her, until later, when she told me she had overheard their conversation at the table. ------- "Bruce, what's this all about?" Katy asked when they reached the top of the stairs. "I'm sure you're not blind, Katy. You've seen me look at you, before. I don't know," Bruce said, looking around and not wanting to meet Katy's eyes. "With Brian laid up, Barbara there, and now Annabelle and Julie; we haven't had much time." Katy was starting to get the picture. "You mean, it's been a long time since you and Millie have been alone?" Bruce smiled, "That's a nice way of puttin' it, but yeah." "And you think that with everyone gone, then..." "Julie goes to bed, before we do. It would just be Annabelle and I. She ain't a bad look'n woman." Katy snorted, "Men are pretty much all alike, aren't they?" Bruce grinned and looked at Katy, "Yeah, I guess we are." His smile dropped, "Katy, I don't think it'd be right. Can they stay out here? I mean, 'til Millie gets home?" Katy was trying to figure where everyone was going to be sleeping. On the second floor there was Kristin, Daisy, Robin, Keith, Richard, Dora, and herself. On the third floor there was Beth Ann, and, wait... Kristin. Hmmm, it was confusing. Beth Ann, and Kristin, along with Kristina, and Elizabeth; could be in the one room, down here. So, on the third floor, there would be Jimmy, Kenneth, and Stephanie... Thats it. Maybe Kristina and Elizabeth will want to be with Stephanie. Either way... "Yes, Bruce, there's room. Do you want me to ask them to stay?" "Could you?" "No problem. Come on, let's get back down stairs." As soon as they got back down; Katy pushed Bruce, Robin, and me, out of the door. We went back downtown, to call the hospital. As soon as we left, Annabelle asked if they shouldn't have gone as well. "We are having a big slumber party here, tonight. That's why Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth are here, too. We thought it would be fun for you to join in, as well," Katy said. Julie was looking at her mother with pleading eyes, wanting her to agree. Annabelle looked at her daughter, and smiled. She couldn't deny her daughter a pleasure like this. It had been a few years since her daughter had had any sort of party. "I think my daughter is ready for the both of us. Thank you." "It is our pleasure. Now, everyone; as this is a slumber party, we need our nightwear on," Katy announced to all. There were squeals of laughter, and girls running up the stairs. "I'll show you where you'll be staying, and we'll get something for you to wear, as well," Katy said to Annabelle and Julie. ------- We stopped the car right in front of the phone. I told the operator the number, and got hold of the base hospital. This time, it was a bit easier to get hold of Millie. "Is Bruce there?" she asked, as soon as she knew I was on the line. "Of course he is, let me give him to you." Robin and I walked a few steps away, to give him a touch of privacy. It was much more than that, really. Robin and I were hand in hand, looking at the stars. Without the lights of a town, the sky was a deeper black, the stars a brighter white. It was always a bit magical. I sighed, and looked at my Robin. She wasn't looking at the stars, but at me. "I love you," she said. I smiled, "Love you, too. Always will." We were in our own little world. I don't know for how long, but the touch on my shoulder brought me back to Carp. Bruce was beside me. "Thought you'd want to talk with Millie," he said. "Yes," I replied, and ran over to the phone. "So, how are they?" I asked. "Barbara's in a cast. She'll have to have crutches. She can't put any weight on her foot for six weeks. She was in tears when she heard. I'll tell you about the rest of that, later. Brian, they believe, is fine. They'll recast him in the morning. As soon as he's dry, they said we could go. I don't know how we're going, though. Do you?" "I'll be working on that in the morning. Don't worry." "I'm not. Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca all stopped by. Did you call them?" "Millie," I laughed. "Jack was the one who got the helicopter." Sighing, Millie said, "I didn't believe you, when you said I couldn't handle this. Now I don't know how anyone does." "They get used to the chaos. You've never been around anything like that, and so you are overwhelmed. If you were there several times, you'd be just fine. I just hope you never see that place again." "You aren't the only one! Jack and Cynthia took Mary with them. They asked if I wanted to go as well, but I can't leave my boy." "You're right. You should be there. I think Mary is probably worn out, though. A good bed will do her wonders." "Yes, you are right. Thank you, and let everyone know what is going on." "I sure will." I hung up the phone, thinking about Jack inviting Millie over. I'm sure they knew she'd never accept, but it made it sound good. Then I thought of what she had said: 'she'll tell me the rest, later.' The rest of what? I was a bit concerned. We drove over, dropping Bruce off. Then we stopped by Mildred's. I knew Katharine would want to know what was going on. Hearing the car drive up; Pamela, her father Robert, and Katharine came out. We told them what was going on. They were grateful to know Brian and Barbara would be back, tomorrow. As we started back towards the car, Katharine came over to my side. She told me Mildred wanted to talk with me, but was asleep now. She said that when I dropped Daisy off, to plan on coming in. As I got into the car, Robin asked me what that was about. I told her what Katharine had said. Robin passed it off as nothing. I tried to do the same, but was a bit more bothered than she seemed to be. To get my mind off that, I told Robin what Millie had said, that I hadn't said before. Robin was in hysterics about Jack inviting Millie back to their place, with Mary. When we arrived, everyone rushed to the front door. They wanted to know what was going on. Robin and I were greeted by thirteen faces, all dressed in their sleepwear. I started laughing, as soon as I saw Richard. It was the wrong thing to do. I was told by Robin and Katy, that as soon as I was done telling them how Brian and Barbara were, I would be dressed similarly. When I asked where they got the long johns, with the button-up backsides, Richard told me not to ask. I sighed, and told them what Millie had said. Everyone was in a grand mood, knowing that Barbara and Brian would be home, tomorrow. Then I was promptly marched upstairs, to get into my costume for the evening. Robin's outfit, a slinky green nightgown, reminded me of one my sister had. It made me start to rise. She saw it, and smiled. "You are going to have to behave yourself. You don't want to corrupt our guests." "Me?" I asked. Robin just laughed, and opened the door. On the way out, she flipped up the back of her gown, showing me that she had no panties on. "Yes you," she giggled as she ran down the hall. I was right behind her, chasing her down the stairs. We ended up playing some silly board games that Katy had brought from Richard's house. I was having a problem concentrating on the games. The girls would move, and show me panties. I was beginning to wonder if this was being done on purpose. I looked over to Richard, at one point. Dora had just reached across the board, bending over towards him. Her nightgown was open in the front. He was being equally teased. He was having as 'hard' of a time trying not to let something come up, as I was. At that point I grabbed Robin, and pulled her on my lap. She let out a yelp. "If we don't retire to the bedroom very soon, I'm going to show everyone how they are making me hard," I whispered into her ear. She turned towards my face, and smiled sweetly, as though she had no clue of what I was talking about. I pinched her butt. She jumped, and then started to laugh. "I think poor Keith has had a long day, and is getting tired. I need to put him to bed." Katy chimed in, "You're right, it is getting late. I think it's time to turn in." I saw Annabelle and Julie look at each other; as Elizabeth, Stephanie, and Kristina got up together. "Stephanie," I called to her, as everyone was walking out of the room. She turned in surprise. I motioned for her to come over to me. I slid Robin off my lap. Stephanie smiled and sat right down, wiggling her butt into me. "Now, now. None of that, in front of our guests," I whispered into her ear. She just smiled at me, feeling the rise she had caused. "I have a favor to ask," I continued in a soft voice. "Oh, what's that?" Stephanie whispered back. "It's not what, it's who. Julie is her name. She feels about as out of place, right now, as Pamela always has. She may not have something outside that looks strange. But she still has scars about what her dad and brother did." "But that's silly. She didn't do it." "Stephanie, that's true. But think about how Pamela felt. Even after she came back to Carp, she was sure Jimmy was making fun of her." "You're right," she said. Then she smiled up at me, "But you always are." I pinched her on her butt, just like I had done to Robin. "So, what should I do?" she asked, with a grin on her face. "How would you feel about inviting her to sleep with you girls? You are all about the same age." "I think she's about Elizabeth's age. I guess that would be ok." "Good," I said, patting her, to get her to move. She did. She wiggled all over me, and gave me a kiss. Then she whispered in my ear to think about her. As she got up, I noticed her trying to look at my crotch. I, in turn, tried to swat her. She ran off, laughing. By the time Robin and I got to the second floor, Katy was coming down from the third. "Well, that's interesting," Katy said. "What's interesting?" Robin asked. "The four girls are all together in one room. Jimmy and Kenneth are in another, and Annabelle is by herself. I think she was happy to let her daughter go, for the night. It makes it more of a slumber party, for Julie." The bedroom door opened, and my sister stuck her head out. "You are going to make your rounds, giving us a kiss goodnight, aren't you? I don't think I could sleep, otherwise." "Is it safe?" I asked. "No," Beth Ann said from behind the door, "but you need to, anyway." I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was blushing. "Ok. But I need to start with the upstairs, first." Robin gave my hand a squeeze, and said, "Daisy and I will be waiting." Then she smiled a devilish smile, "If you're too long, we won't wait." I headed upstairs, trying to calm myself down. Mental pictures flashed into my mind of those two, 'not waiting'. I knew the girls would be in the room Stephanie had claimed as hers. I knocked, and heard the noise end, as I opened up the door. "Ready for a goodnight kiss?" I asked. I got a resounding 'yes' so I went in. Kristina and Elizabeth were on one of the beds, while Julie and Stephanie were on the other. Kristina got the first kiss. It was nice and short. She sighed. Elizabeth was ready for more. She put her hand around the back of my head, to try and hold me. I felt her tongue go across my lips. I could tell it was much too short for her, but I pulled away. Stephanie looked at me, with a smile in her face. But as she glanced over to Julie, I was wondering if she was going to try and put on a show, or to try not to shock her. She forced her tongue in, but just quickly, and that was it. She tried very hard to be good. I was proud of her. Julie watched all of this. I wasn't sure of what she was going to think, when I got to her. She smiled, and held out her arms, wanting me to hold her. I reached around her. She pulled herself in, and right to my face. She apparently wanted this kiss, as she went right for my lips. I let my arms around her loosen, trying to give her a signal. She didn't take it. I had to pull us apart. Her face was all smiles. Stephanie had a smirk on her face. She was no help at all. "Good night, girls." I went next door, and said goodnight to the boys. I gave Kenneth a big bear hug, and some tickles. I came down, and Kristin was waiting at the doorway. I went over, and she pulled me in. There on the bed, was Beth Ann. She was as red as a lobster, totally nude, with her legs spread. "We want our kisses someplace else," Kristin said, and led me between Beth Ann's legs, which were over the side of the bed. I got down on my knees, and kissed as requested, using a bit of tongue as well. Beth Ann grabbed one of the pillows, to muffle her scream, as her body went rigid. "My turn!" Kristin announced. Beth Ann just rolled over, as Kristin climbed on the bed, now devoid of clothing herself. She positioned herself the same as Beth Ann had been. "Kiss me good night, dear brother." I did, leaving the room only after I had also kissed their other lips, as well. When I entered my room, I saw the covers move quickly. Robin, looking over the top of them said, "I assume you didn't kiss the girls upstairs, the same way you did next door?" I just smiled. "Guess I took too long," I said. "Yes, you did," Daisy said, "I hope you didn't wear yourself out." "Not at all." "Good!" both Robin and Daisy said, jumping out from under the covers. They didn't have anything on, and got me the same way, in quick time. ------- "He is not!" Julie said wide-eyed. Stephanie nodding her head, said, "Yes, he is. Both of them." "Let's see if we can hear anything," Elizabeth said. "But..." Julie's resolve was waning. The desire to know if they were just pulling her leg, or if Keith was really in his room with both Robin and Daisy, was overwhelming. "Maybe he'll give us another lesson," Kristina said, turning red. "What kind of lesson?" Julie wanted to know. "How a man looked, you know, when he's excited," Kristina said in a dreamy voice, thinking about it. "He did not!" "It was really Daisy who showed it to us, but it was Keith's...thing." Elizabeth said. Stephanie was silent, smiling. She knew she probably shouldn't say what she had done with Keith. "Let's go, then," Julie said. "But we have to be real quiet, or my mom will hear us." Stephanie took forever opening the door. She made sure it didn't make too much noise. The girl's tiptoed down the hall, making only a few of the boards creak. Once on the stairwell, they felt they could breathe. As they got onto the second floor, the girls tiptoed to my door. Pressing their ears against it, they weren't disappointed. Stephanie smiled. Elizabeth and Kristina looked at each other, and smiled. Julie was shocked by what she heard, but it also made her have feelings she'd never had before, too. Daisy fell off the bed. The thump scared the girls. One of them bumped against the door, making a sound. They had no way of knowing that we had not heard them. Looking at each other, the girls quickly headed for the stairs. As soon as they got to the top, Elizabeth stopped. The other girls ran into her. There, in the doorway of her bedroom, was Annabelle. The girls looked at Julie, wide eyed, wondering what to do. No one moved, for a minute. Then, finally, Elizabeth walked to their room. Everyone kept in single file, right behind her. Annabelle never said a word to them. But she didn't need to, she just stared. That was enough! The girls climbed into their beds, not making a sound. After a while, Julie turned over to Stephanie. "They sounded like it was fun." Stephanie was perplexed, "Of course it is." "That's not what I remember, when I heard my mom and dad." ------- As Jack dropped Mary off in front of the hospital, she smiled at all of them. It had been a lot of fun. Part of it, was in remembering the hanger. To recreate that, Cynthia had set up a room. She prepared it with soft candlelight, sheeting cascading from the ceiling to floor, and a bed in the center. Mary had blushed when she first saw it, now knowing that Jack knew. As the evening progressed, though, Jack and Rebecca had been the lead in starting the action. It had been light, fun, and very enjoyable for them all. Just what the doctor ordered. Mary could go back, now, and handle what the morning might throw at her. She waved them goodbye, and walked into the hospital. Millie was up, and in the hall. Brian and Barbara, separated by a curtain, were still asleep. "It was quite a night," Millie said. "Barbara cried a lot. The nurses said it was some of the medication that made her that way." "What way? Crying?" Millie looked down, "She said a lot of things I'm sure she wouldn't have, otherwise." "Like what?" Mary was now very curious. "I had no idea how much she loves my son. He's just a boy." Mary smiled, "Yes, he is. But boys turn into men, at some point." Millie sighed, "I know. Barbara is also scared to death she's going to be sent away." "What? Why?" Mary said, alarmed. Millie shook her head. "I don't know why she thinks that. She must have seen it happen. She has no mother or father. 'Get out of line, and off you go.'" "That's terrible!" "Yes. Now she thinks that is what I'm going to do to her. She sounded terrified, last night. I'm afraid I may have caused some of this." "What are you going to do?" "I have to talk to her, but frankly, I don't know what I'm going to say." "You mean you don't want to say it is alright to be in love with your son?" Millie looked at Mary, "What would you do?" "I'd make her feel wanted, and to know she is never going to be sent away. She's family, right?" Mary asked. With a nod from Millie, Mary said, "Without that, she'll never be secure." "But..." "The one doesn't have to do with the other, does it?" "No, I guess it doesn't" "They have the casts to wrap on Brian. That will take a while. You will have time to talk with her." "Yes. Thanks, Mary. I couldn't have done this without you. I'm glad you got a good night's sleep. You deserved it." Mary tried not to smile, but failed. "It was a lot of fun And I did come back nice and relaxed." A nurse came out into the hallway, and told them that the children were waking. Mary went to Barbara, so that Millie didn't have to face her yet. ------- Liz had come in tired from working with Grace, last night. Jill had tossed and turned all night; wondering what would, or could, happen. As the morning sun poked its way into the window, Jill was awake. She wanted answers. Moving close to Liz, Jill snaked her arm under the covers. She started scratching Liz's back. Just lightly. Liz, waking, pushed back. As Jill's fingernails make red streaks and good feelings across Liz's back, Jill asked the obvious. "You awake?" "I am, now." "Good." Liz turned over, thinking Jill must be horny. Pulling the girl to her, she kissed her tenderly. Jill smiled. But to Liz's surprise, she pulled away. "We need to talk," Jill said. "Oh, what about?" "Carp." "Ok. What do you want to know," Liz teased. "It's a wonderful place, full of nice people." "Li-iz," Jill rolled her eyes, and laughed. "Not that. Do you know what is going to happen when we get there? Where are you going to stay? Where are Tiffany and Vicki going to be? Is Laura going to be able to come, and where is she going to stay." Then, after a little pause (as Liz pondered those questions), Jill asked in an unsure voice, "Where am I going to be?" Liz looked at the vulnerable girl, and pulled her into a tight embrace. Jill wept. "Do you think my mom will want me?" Jill said, through her tears. "Do I have to go live with her, and be away from you?" "Jill, honey," Liz said, kissing her on the forehead, nose, and then on her mouth, "I can't answer all those questions, yet. I think the first thing for me to do, is to call Keith, and find out what can be done. Alright?" Jill nodded, sighed, and held onto Liz for another minute. Then she got up. When Jill was in the bathroom, Liz called Carp. She knew she'd never get hold of Keith. But, she could leave a message, and ask him to call her. The woman who picked up the phone in Carp, said she'd put out the word, and Keith would call back. With that done, Liz could start her day. At breakfast, Jill was shocked. Her name was called, during mail call. She excitedly ran up to get her letter. When she saw the return address, her smile wouldn't stop. It was from Dorothy. She didn't know if she should open it, or just give it to Kevin. They hadn't really worked out those details. Dying with anticipation, Jill quickly finished her breakfast, and without saying so much as a word slipped away from everyone to find the only man on campus. Jill spotted Kevin on the far side of the meadow. She ran all the way to him, having to stop and catch her breath, by the time she reached him. "My, what's the rush?" Kevin asked. Jill able to get her voice, smiled at him, "If you knew, you would have been running towards me." With that, she pulled the letter out of her pocket. "I don't know if there is anything for me in there, but I didn't want to open it, without you." Kevin's mouth went suddenly dry, when he saw who it was from. Jill tore the top off the envelope, and pulled out two sheets of paper. Both folded separately. One had her name on the outside, one had Kevin's. Jill grinned. "I think this one's for you, but I'd love to read it." "We'll see," Kevin said, snatching the letter in anticipation. Soon both were lost in reading. Dear Jill, I can't tell you how much this means to me. The idea that I can write to Kevin, is heaven. You know he is going to be coming here, soon. I can't wait. I worry that my parents are going to see my joy at his arrival, and my devastation at his leaving. Any thoughts? I do hope you give him his letter as soon as possible. It would be very bad, to say the least, to have anyone else get hold of it. I trust you, though, or I could never have done this. I know that you are about done with school. My sister and I just finished with a private tutor, and took our exams. I'm glad it's over! Do you think Kevin will be traveling at all this summer? Maybe going to a town called Carp? If so (I know this might be asking too much), if that happened, do you think I could come for a visit? Jill, I don't know what to do with myself. All I do is think of him. Please help me. Love, Dorothy Dearest Kevin, I wish with all of my heart that I was there, but this letter will have to do. I hope you are looking forward to coming to the farm. I can't wait, I'm dying with anticipation. I need to see you, and have you hold me in your arms. I know you must worry about my parents. Please don't. My mother is, after all, seven years younger than my father. I will try and never do anything to jeopardize you. I hope that you feel as strongly as I do. I shall say what I feel in my heart. Kevin Smith, I love you. Please write me back. Give the letter to Jill, and she can mail it. I wish it didn't have to be this way. In time, it will not be. We can then openly express how we feel about each other. Until then, know that my heart aches for you. Love, Dorothy Kevin and Jill looked at each other, and without saying a word, handed each other their letters. "Do you love her?" Jill asked, after they were done. "Jill, how could I not? But she's so young." "Is that what you think when you look at all these girls?" Jill teased. Kevin blushed. "It's a different kind of looking, you know that." "Well, then?" "What am I suppose to do? Her parents would have me thrown in jail!" "You might be surprised at what people might do, Kevin. You did save her life." "Jill! You know it wasn't me who did that." "I don't think you could convince Dorothy about that," Jill grinned. "I just think her parents see you in a lofty place. When you go out for your visit, you might just get a feel about what they think. Some people think they should marry their daughters off as soon as possible, and others don't want that at all. Ask them what they see, as their daughter's future. That will let you know." "How did you get so wise, Jill?" "Me?" Jill laughed, "It's a lot easier to tell someone else what they should do, than to follow your own advice." Kevin laughed too, "That's for sure." "So, how fast do I need to write my letter, to send with yours?" Jill asked with a smile on her face. Kevin coughed, and looked at the ground, "I think you'd better get it done, tonight." ------- I could see one disadvantage of having a lot of kids up on the third floor. As soon as they were up and running around, everyone else was awakened, as well. Soon, we were all downstairs for breakfast. The girls couldn't help but notice that Daisy, Robin, and I, looked a bit tired. They were also wondering if, or when, Julie's mother was going to say something about last night. So they were unusually quiet, that morning. "I talked with the doctor, yesterday. He should be down in a day or two," I said, catching everyone's attention. "He said he thought he should be here for Mildred, and to check on Brian and Barbara." Then with a smile I added, "He's also going to check, and see if I can get my cast off." A cheer arose. Robin, sitting next to me, threw her arms around me. She kissed me lustily. She said, not trying to keep quiet about it, "I can't wait to have both of your arms around me, again." I smiled, as she gave me a squeeze. "The doctor also asked me a question that I thought I should bring up. He has a patient, a girl. Her father would like her to come down, and go to school here. I don't know what is wrong with her; but I do know that, other than the general doctoring he does, he specializes in respiratory problems." I stopped, getting a few blank looks. "Those are breathing difficulties. In mines there can be those problems, and that is why Memco likes him. He's able to monitor things for them. Now, to be able to keep the same doctor, she would need to move down here, to go to school. That means she would become a boarder." "Katy and Robin," I added, "tell me if you think that might work. Then I want the kids' input on this, as well. It would mean a kid that you'd never seen before, being here." That set off a discussion that lasted most of the morning. I hadn't expected it, but everyone thought that I meant for us to take in the boarder. As soon as the conversation started, it was clear that this was what the thinking was. It wasn't whether it was a good idea, but how it could work. Elizabeth pointed out that as it looked like they would be staying (a big grin on her face), they would be 'new', as well. Richard added that the children from Angle city would be coming up, also. It would be a good time to add someone, as there would be so many new faces, she wouldn't be singled out. As they were trying to figure which room she could have; I pointed out that Liz, Jill, Sarah, and two other teachers, would also be showing up. That resulted in pandemonium. Richard, trying to get some creative thought processes going, brought out a pen and paper. He listed the rooms and occupants: Second Floor Room 1: Kristin Room 2: Keith and Robin Room 3: Richard and Katy Room 4: Dora Third Floor Room 1: Stephanie and Pamela Room 2: Jimmy Room 3: Mary and Beth Ann Room 4: Room 5: Room 6: First there was a question of why Kristin and Dora had rooms by themselves. Then there was the talk of the babies on the way. That left the third floor, with five to six people showing up, and three rooms available. Annabelle hadn't said much, probably not feeling comfortable enough to do so. I asked her for her opinion. She said that it had surprised her, listening to all of us, at first. The easy thing would be to have some of them live in town. The house they had been in, when they first came into town was nice and clean. Then, as she listened, she became aware that no one wanted to be away from each other. It was an unusual concept for her. The closeness this large family had, seemed strange to her. Somehow, that made everyone glow. We all had smiles on our faces. This was a family, not all by blood, or even marriage; but a family, all the same. That also made us all the more determined to make this work. Then Beth Ann asked if the old stable out back, could be fixed up. I know I hadn't been in there. I looked to the most likely candidate, Jimmy. "Not me," then he looked sheepish. "We couldn't get the door open." All of us laughed at how much those two boys got into. We decided to take a look at the place, as it seemed like a reasonable prospect. As we approached, Richard and I looked at each other. We both knew, even before we reached it, this place couldn't be saved. Once holding carriages, horses, and drivers for the house, it had not weathered time well. Any windows that were once there had been broken out. The main doors were stuck shut by the lean of the building. The side door, the one Jimmy and Brian had tried, was jammed shut. From the looks of marks around the door, others had opened it. Richard and I pried it open. The structure moved when we did, causing everyone to run back a few feet. After giving it a few minutes to adjust, Richard and I went to investigate. There was a main room, with one open carriage still there. Three open stalls for horses lined one wall. The back had two rooms. The walls to those rooms had holes in them. We figured it was part of the search for the treasure. Noting the solid posts and beams, we knew this place wasn't going to fall down. That, by no means, suggested it was inhabitable. The two rooms had bunk beds built into the structure. The mattresses had long ago been pulled apart by animals. There were shelves on the other side of the room. The only thing that made you feel there was any consideration for the people employed here was that the doors to these two rooms had locks on them. We came out and pushed the outside door closed, causing the structure to move again. "There is a lot of usable lumber inside, that's about it." Richard said. "I'm surprised the place wasn't taken down already. Jimmy, if I catch you near this place..." I looked at him hard. "Not me. I don't want to end up like Brian, not bein' able to move." As everyone thought that idea was lost, they started to move back into the house. I pulled Robin back, and Richard did the same with Katy. A few looked back at us, but went inside anyway. Soon it was just the four of us. "What do you think?" Richard asked. "About what?" "Having a place out here. Maybe for just the four of us," I said with a smile. "Another house?" Katy asked. "Doesn't need to be a full house. That mansion is big enough for everyone, except for lack of sleeping space. The kitchen and dinning room are certainly adequate." "So all we'd need is a couple of bedrooms?" Robin asked. "How about bedrooms, bathrooms, and an office in between," I said. "Bedrooms would be best," Robin said. "I don't think it'd be right to have Kristin in there and us out here." "That does make a dilemma. Who would come out, and who would stay in," Katy pondered. "I guess Dora would come out. Keith, what about Liz?" she asked, then she got a big grin, "or Daisy?" "Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office; and the entrance closer to the house," I smiled, "so visitors can come and go." "Visitors?" Robin said with eyebrows raised. Katy laughed, "Robin, the walls aren't that thick. You had your fun with Daisy, too." Robin blushed. We all decided that it sounded like a workable solution. Walking back into the house, we told the others of the plans we had hatched. Everyone was excited. Excited or not, I pulled Richard out of the house, wanting him to drive me downtown. We had some phone calls to make. Robin came out, and suggested that Daisy needed to get back. The others all wanted to stay. As Daisy had said that Kristina, Elizabeth, and Kenneth, didn't have much to do, with their mom working; I thought that was fine. Robin got Daisy. Richard and I were already in the car. We all went into town. ------- When we pulled up to the house, Pamela was outside. She came over to chat with Robin. As asked, I went inside. Katharine was half expecting to see her children, but knew they would have a lot more fun out at the house, than stuck in the motel room. Robert was at work. Daisy went into the bedroom, to say hello to her mother. She came back out, saying her mother wanted to see me. I looked apprehensively towards her room, and then to Katharine and Daisy. "Go on, Keith," Katharine urged. I walked in. Knowing someone was dying, probably asking for favors you couldn't refuse didn't make me feel good. I knocked, and then entered. Mildred didn't look much different from last time; at the edge of death's door. "Keith," she breathed, and patted the covers. I walked over to her, and sat. "Robin, here?" "Yes." "Good. I want to talk with her, too, but first you." I could tell this was strenuous. But I let her talk, as I felt she needed to. "You and I know I don't have much time left. I need to make sure my children are taken care of." I started to say something, and she laid her hand on my leg, stopping me. "I don't think Robert will be their parent. I want you to take over. For Pamela, be a good father, for Daisy," she paused and smiled at me, "be a good lover. Give her a child. She wants one from you." I was dumbfounded. "Can you do it?" she asked. "Not on my own." I said, truthfully. She smiled again. "I thought so. That's why you are the one to do so. Time to get Robin." I walked out, still unclear in my mind what she had just asked me. Did she really say for me to give Daisy a baby? I got to the car, without being able to say if the front door had been open, or if I had even shut it on the way out. "Robin?" I said. "Mildred wants to talk with us." Pamela was looking at me funny. Did she know what her mother had just asked me? I had no clue. Robin got out, took my hand, and we walked back in. Robin sat down where I had been. I stood. "Robin, I asked Keith," Mildred started, "but he needs your approval." Robin looked at me, wondering what this was all about. "Daisy feels that Robert isn't going to be a parent to Pamela, after I go. Katharine told me last night. I hate to say it, but she's probably right. I want you two to take care of Pamela for me. She needs parents." Robin was in tears. She was shaking her head. I knew it wasn't to say 'no', but trying to deny the fact that Mildred would soon be gone. Mildred took Robin's hand. "I need to know." Robin stopped her tears, and held Mildred's hand. "If Robert can't," Robin said, as she started to cry, but then forced back the tears, "we will take over." Mildred smiled. "Thank you. There is one more thing." Robin swallowed, waiting for the next request that would pull at her emotions. "Daisy is in love with Keith, we all know it. She wants to have a child with him." This was easier for Robin to take. She was able to smile. "If I have to tie him down, she'll get at least one," Robin replied. "But I don't think that it's a problem, judging from last night." After promising to come back, to learn about the girls when they were babies, we walked outside. Richard was out of the car. Pamela, Daisy, and Katharine, were looking at us. "That wasn't very easy," I said to Katharine. "I know. There is no easy way of doing this. I thought it was important, though," Katharine responded. "I know." I gave Daisy and Pamela hugs and kisses, telling them I loved them. Somehow those words took on new meanings, at that point. I hugged them again. As we got into the car, Katharine told me that Liz had called. There was a note at the phone, for me to call back. That was our next stop. "What was that all about?" Richard asked, as we pulled away. "Daisy and Pamela were nervous about something." "Mildred doesn't think Robert will be able to care for Pamela, after she goes." "Pamela is old enough, isn't she?" Richard said, missing the point. "I get the impression that Mildred, as well as Daisy, think he might turn to the bottle. Worse this time, without her there." "Oh." "She wants us to become Pamela's parents," Robin added, "if that happens." We pulled up in front of the phone. Richard turned to us. "I guess you didn't have much choice but to say yes. But I think she knew you'd do it. If you want my vote, if I was in her shoes, I'd have done the same thing. You two are right to take care of Pamela. You love her as much as she loves you." "Thanks, Richard," I said, with a lump in my throat. ------- There on the post, just above the phone, was the note. It told me to call Liz, after two o'clock this afternoon. It added that she might try, at eleven fifteen. That was a word of warning to anyone hearing the phone ringing. If one of us wasn't around, they were not to answer it. Two was a long time to wait and wonder what Liz wanted. I'd have to try and be back at eleven. There were other things to occupy my mind, though. The first was a call to the base. Jack was in his office, getting the reports he had asked for, when I called. "Do you know when I'm here? I'm beginning to feel like you have spies in this place," Jack said with a laugh. "I take it last night went well." "Very, I'll tell you nothing about it, though. So what kind of trouble are you stirring up, now?" I didn't bite. "I was wondering what kind of clearance we would need to fly our plane onto the base? I didn't even try, when the kids were hurt. I know there has got to be a mile of red tape involved, but it would be helpful to have permission. It would be for getting them home, and for us to get you there, at times. When you retire, I'll bet you'd like to drop in." "Good question. I think there are angles, to clear a lot of that red tape. For one thing, that plane came from here. Let me check on a few things, and I'll call back," Jack said. Then he added, "I'd better call my communications man there, and let him know. Otherwise you'll be hanging around the phone, all day." "I hope it's not all day!" Jack laughed, "Check with him, in a bit." "Ok." One call down. Richard was looking at me. "So you want me to fly in there, where everyone can see what a choppy job I do of landings?" "I could have Daisy do it. We took a flight once and she took hold of the stick." "Keith, you are incorrigible," Richard said laughing. My next call was to the sheriff. They were on their way, and should be at the house at any time, now. Our next item of business was to leave a note. We left it at the house of the two men who had restored the windows, doors, and flooring, in our house. We took off back to the house, to wait for the sheriff. There were three that showed up. I thought it a bit much, until I found out who they were. Two of them were from the criminal investigation side of things. The third was from the coroner's office. After my comments, it was thought to be prudent to take care of this, so that no trouble arose. The expanded manpower now, could save a lot of trips down to Carp later. From their trunk, they pulled out a few boxes. They also had several large, battery powered lights. Richard helped, I did what I could. When the three men walked into the dining room, and saw the hole, they looked at each other. "People have been looking for something like this, for years." "It took a few inquisitive kids to find it," I interjected, making them smile. "So what have we got here? You said there was a body?" "A skeleton," Richard inserted. "After looking further, we found that there are two. We think there was a third." "Oh, why do you think that?" "Blood on the floor, and how the second one died," I said. "You haven't touched anything, have you?" "Just cobwebs. There's a small chest we've been dying to get into. But I know better than to stir up a lot of dust down there." They nodded and then laughed, "The treasure, or whatever it is. I'm surprised that you didn't take it. Most anyone would have." "We wanted your report to show what's there. If it's the treasure, everyone will know it was found. If not, then maybe people will let it go. We'd like to live here. We don't need for it to be an open house for treasure seekers." "I see your point. That's a strong motivation to let it lie. Lead the way." Richard went down first. I was helped down, and they asked how I did it, before. I told them: motivation. They laughed. After setting up the lights in the room, it was fully illuminated for the first time. This was no ordinary basement. The walls, under the layer of dust, were wallpapered in a lined print. The beams, and other woodwork, were stained and finished. The table that had the lamp on it was a desk. This was a room that had been often used; but for what, we had no idea. We soon had another person peering down into the hole. Katy had let a local reporter in. The sheriffs looked at each other and then to me. I shrugged my shoulders. "Might as well let the whole story out. Maybe it will stop all the speculation that's been going on for years," Richard said. It made a lot of sense to everyone. Willie, as one of the sheriffs called the reporter, was told his price of admission was to take all of the photos, so they didn't have to. Willie smiled and said that was fine. I led them over to the passageway. Shining their flashlights in, they too were startled. "Damn. That takes you by surprise, now doesn't it? So tell us what you were figuring here?" I let Richard explain the possible theory we had, and its possible outcomes. While Willie was using one flash bulb after the next, taking picture after picture. When he started to say something after burning his fingers from one of the hot bulbs, I tapped his shoulder and pointed up to the opening, where young faces peered down. "Not bad, want a job?" the coroner asked, with a smile from the theory Richard told. "We can check the records, but the ones who would really know, would be the old timers, from around here. They have the best information." The coroner put on a mask and said we should cover up. The best we had was handkerchiefs. I handed them upstairs, asking them to dampen them for us. He took the bones of the first one out, laying them on the floor, before boxing them up, after two photos were taken with the coroners direction. "This ones a woman, I'd bet. My guess would be Mrs. Birk. That gentleman," he said, nodding toward the skeleton with the chest, "who I'd guess to be a man, would probably be Mr. Birk. It would explain their sudden disappearance." "No one ever thought we'd find out what happened to those two," Willie said. "It will be interesting to see if we can find out who the third person was. I don't like the idea this was Mr. And Mrs. Birk, him shooting her," I said. The coroner lifted out the chest and handed it to one of the officers. The officer set it on the desk. Willie, it seemed, couldn't take enough photos of that find. The coroner again extracted the bones, laying them out, more photos, and then placed them in a box. "Male all right. The gun might tell us who the owner was, of that skeleton." "How did you make such a positive identification so quickly, from male and female?" I asked. He smiled. "Under them were fragments of clothing left behind. I don't think any man would be wearing something pink and flowery. Likewise, a woman wouldn't have been wearing a pinstriped suit." With the skeletons out of the way, they shined the light down the passage. It ended with apparently solid wood. "What the hell! That's a dead end, just a hiding place I'd guess. Let's take a look at the chest," the coroner said. "I know we're all anxious to see what's in there." Richard and I looked at each other. Obviously the sheriff's deputies weren't interested in where the passage went, or why. They were interested in what lay in the chest. I though it just as well for them to dwell on that, and to write their report that way. The chest was pulled up to the ground floor. We all got out of the basement. Katy found a sheet to protect the dining room table. The chest was then set there. Everyone had been hanging around, and peering down at times. Now, all were in the dining room. They were pressed along the walls, trying to get a glimpse of what that chest held. The six of us: Richard, the two sheriff's deputies, the coroner, Willie, and myself, were standing at the dining room table. There was a lock. One of the sheriffs went out to their car, and retrieved a bolt cutter, making light of that work. The clasp was not very cooperative, and a screwdriver was used to persuade it. The lid wouldn't budge. The screwdriver was mashing the brass, and that wasn't helping. We stepped back in frustration, each trying to think of a solution, while Willie took more pictures. "Why don't you get Larry to help?" Dora asked. "He's the one that worked on the doors, windows hinges, and pulls. If anyone round these parts can figure it out, it would be him." "Good idea, Dora," Richard said giving her a big smile. We sent Kristin and Dora downtown. After looking at my watch, I told Kristin to wait at the phone, Liz should be calling soon. Dora could go to the mine, find out where Larry was, and see if he could help. They were off, and we were waiting. ------- Chapter 65 The word 'antsy' came to mind, as I saw the girls trying to keep still. That chest might be interesting; but didn't hold the same interest for them as it did for Jimmy; or Kenneth for that matter.Willie took one more picture, and then rolled up his film. "Need to have a fresh roll, when we open that," he said to me, nodding at the chest. He noticed my interest in what he was doing. "How much film did you bring?" I asked. He smiled, "I always carry several rolls with me, never know what you are going to run into." "Ever take portraits?" I heard one of the sheriff's deputies snort, and Willie looked a bit displeased with that. But he answered. "Yes," looking over to the sheriff, but talking to me, he added, "I lost a lot of that business when the Mayor's wife didn't like one of the poses I did of her. She felt it a bit risqué." I turned to the deputy that had made the noise, "So, what's the scoop?" "Officially, we know nothing. The problem was we use the same lab Willie uses, to develop and print. Being a small area, it makes a lot of economic sense. He left that negative in the enlarger, by mistake." "I get the picture," I said, and then realized the bad pun I'd just made. "So, he does a good job?" The deputy smiled, "Yes, no problem with his work." I turned back to Willie, "Have you a roll that you could use, to shoot these lovely young ladies?" Willie smiled and said, "I think I do." Stephanie, Elizabeth, and Kristina were jumping for joy. I walked over to Julie. "Can he take your picture too?" I asked. Her eyes bulged and she looked towards her mother. "Annabelle, I think your daughter needs some pampering. Nothing wrong with that, is there?" I think she was in a state of shock. She just slowly nodded her head. I knelt down in front of Julie. "Now. I think you need to go up, and see if there is something to wear for the pictures." Her smile lit the room. Stephanie was already there, grabbing her hand. The girls ran upstairs. Everyone was amused with their reaction. Willie was about to go out to his car. I looked over to Jimmy and Kenneth, "He could take your pictures, too..." Both boys shook their heads. "Don't like the thought of getting dressed up?" Again, they shook their heads. The rest of us just laughed. Richard told them they'd better behave, then. No getting into mischief. They just look at each other, and smiled. "Where do you want the shoot to be?" Willie asked. "I was thinking of the music room. It has a lot of nice natural light in it." Stopping off to look at it, he came back several minutes later. He had a large, bulky looking, camera; and a solid looking tripod. I raised my eyebrows, and he just smiled. "Like I said. I try to be prepared." The sheriff's deputies, and coroner, were going to go back down. They wanted to clean up the area, so no decayed material would be left to make anyone sick, while we were all waiting. Katy, Robin, and Beth Ann, had all gone up to get the girls ready. I had supposed that with so much help, the girls would be ready quickly. Wrong again. I had to go up and tell them that time was running out. That got them moving. Soon, Elizabeth came down. Her blond hair had been braided. She wore a simple floor length dress that was dark blue. Against her light skin, she looked radiant. When I saw her, I smiled. That made her smile. I told her to keep that smile, because it made her look as beautiful as I knew she was. Elizabeth was almost done, when Kristina came down. I heard her on the stairs, and went to the foyer to meet her. I stopped. Again, my breath was taken away at the lovely image descending the stairs. Her brunette hair had been pulled back, and her angelic face glowed brightly. She wore a green dress that was Pamela's. I held out my hand, and asked if I could escort her. She grinned, curtsied, and took my hand. Stephanie came down next. Her blond hair had been done in a French braid. A cream colored blouse with lace trim, and black skirt, made her look much older than she was. I just stood there and stared, as she walked up to me. "I think I should dress like this more often," she said, "I can see you are excited." I looked down. I hadn't noticed that I had become hard, but the lump pressing against my jeans, was obvious. I held my hand out, and she took it. I twirled her around. Laughing, she ended up right next to me, pulling me down to her. "I love you," she said. I smiled at her, "I love you, too. Now, let's get your picture taken, so I can always look at you." She laughed, and ran into the music room. Richard came up to me, and asked what was taking so long for Larry to come out here. I didn't have any idea. I said they might have had to wait for a break point in work, to let him go. I'd never been in the mine, and had no idea of its size, or depth. Richard and I were still discussing this; when Katy, Robin, Beth Ann, and Julie, came down. We both took one look at Julie, then at each other. "Wow!" I said. Richard whistled, and I joined him. Julie was bright red from embarrassment. Annabelle came around the corner to see what the commotion was, and her mouth dropped open. I could see Julie's expression change to fear. My mind raced as to what to say. "Doesn't your daughter look just beautiful? God created such a lovely image, didn't he?" Annabelle didn't answer, and I looked at her face, to see tears running down them. We were all a bit concerned, then. Taking Annabelle by the hand, causing her to look at me, I said, "She looks lovely, doesn't she?" "My baby is grown up. She's a woman. I've missed it." Katy came over to Annabelle, and gave her a big hug. "No, she's not all grown up, yet. She will always need you. Robin still needs me. Your daughter is playing dress up, and giving you a glimpse as to how lovely she will become." Looking to her daughter, Annabelle said, "Oh, Honey, you look beautiful." Julie was able to finally smile, and smile she did. Again, like the others, I took her hand. She looked up at me, pulled me down to her, and whispered in my ear. "Now I know why they're in love with you. So am I." I just smiled at her and led her in, to get her picture taken. As soon as Julie was done, Willie had the girls do a few group shots. He was just posing the last shot, when we heard noises from outside. I looked out the front window, and saw my car pulling up. But in the distance, just coming around the bend, was a great crowd of people. Opening up the front door, I saw Kristin, Dora, and Larry walking up. I looked over them, and pointed back behind them. "Most of the whole town is coming out," Dora said. "As soon as they heard about a hidden room and a locked chest... Well, that did it." I yelled back inside, and one of the sheriff's deputies came running. He stopped at the edge of the doorway, looking out to where I pointed. "The town heard, and here they are. We are going to have to deal with this, now." "I'll get the others. Try to think of some ideas," he said, running back to the dining room. I looked at Richard, and then at Katy and Robin, who had also shown up. "Patrick?" I asked them, throwing out a suggestion. "Good idea. Jim, as well," Katy said. "That way you have the two most influential people in town, communicating to the crowd. We can't possibly let them all in." Turning my attention to Larry, the new guest, I said, "I'm glad you could come. We're going to have to wait to do anything, now. As we're waiting, I want to thank you for the incredible job you and your people have done, on this mansion." Larry blushed, "Why thank you. It was a labor of love. This sad old lady is now what she should have been, for so many years. A proud example to craftsmanship. Your furniture sets this place off nicely. I helped bring her back, but your family has brought her back to life." I could tell, as he talked, the passion that he had for his work. "After we get done with this show, I have some questions for you, if you don't mind hanging around for a bit?" I said. "No problem at all. It looks like they've closed the mine for the day, so there's no going back to work. And, as I was driven out, I'll need a ride back into town." The townspeople had started to gather, but stayed on the outside of the iron fence. I motioned them to come in. Soon, the front yard area was filled. Searching, I saw Jim and Patrick. They were trying to get closer, even before I had said anything. As everyone had arrived, I put my hands in the air, to get their attention. "Dear friends," I started. "First, let's give a little room to Patrick and Jim, so they can come up here. While that is happening, let me tell you what has been going on. I don't want you to feel you have been left out in the dark. But we weren't sure, ourselves. And we didn't want wild rumors starting. "Brian, Jimmy, Barbara, Pamela, and Stephanie; found an underground room." There was, as expected, a good bit of whispering from that revelation. "It came at quite a cost, though. Barbara fell through the floor, and has a broken foot. Brian also had some problems, and is going to have to be recast. You may have seen the helicopter yesterday. It was picking up the children. It took them, as well as Millie and Mary, to the Base Hospital." There were many questions as to Brian's health, who Barbara was, and how they were doing. I answered them. I also told the crowd that the group would all be back today. "Richard and I took a look around the room, while we were down there taking care of Barbara. At that point, I found something that startled me." "The treasure," a man yelled out from the back. "No. It was a skeleton." The whole front row of people backed up, slightly. "We then found a second skeleton, and a chest. We didn't want anyone to think there was something amiss. I mean, you people restored this place, and gave it to us. We didn't want you to think we'd just find a treasure, and hide it away. We also didn't want to open the speculation, that there was something more than this. My guess is that this is that famed treasure everyone has been searching for. Now, what is in that chest has yet to be seen." I saw a lot of heads nodding. I motioned for Jim and Patrick to come up on the porch with us. "The sheriff's deputies, and the coroner, are out here to deal with the skeletons. They will make sure that there is a report that is accurate as to what went on. We can't open the chest. That is why we needed Larry's help. "I'm going to ask Patrick and Jim, to be the eyes and ears, for all of you. They can come out and tell you what they see, and what has gone on. You can understand, that there is no way for all of you to come in and see." "Why can't you bring it out here?" one man asked. "Is it to big? Must be heavy with all that loot," another said. I held my hand up to quiet them. "It is not that big and not at all heavy," I said. "We can't risk opening it outside," the coroner said, helping me out. He'd been listening along. "There may be things inside, papers and such that could be easily damaged by the sunlight or wind. You need to remember, that this chest has been hiding away, for a long time now. We have to be very careful with what may be inside." "Maybe Jim and Patrick can take turns being inside. They can come out, so that you have a running story of what is going on," I offered. That seemed to be a good idea, as far as everyone was concerned. People still wanted to see the chest. In the end we decided that before doing anything more, we would bring it out, and let them see it. It might help them visualize what was going on. The two deputies brought it out. They held it up, and turned around. Everyone could get a look at it, from all angles. The coroner gave a description of it, and how they had cut the lock off. But, it still wouldn't open. Then it was brought back inside. I gave Patrick the task of staying outside, at this point. He shook his head at me, but smiled. "Why don't you tell them a story or two," I said in passing, "Like, how the town is going to be repopulated?" His eyes bulged. I laughed, and he did, too. "You are as mischievous as Jimmy and Brian," he said. ------- Millie saw Brian taken to get his casts put back on. Mary was there, right by her side. Millie knew there was no way out. She was going to have to talk with Barbara, whether she liked it or not. Mary didn't wait. She took Millie under the arm. Turning her around, Mary led her to the door of the room that held Barbara. Millie looked at Mary, who nodded. Millie took a deep breath, and went in. As much as Barbara worried what was going to happen to her, she was bored out of her mind. So she was relieved to see Millie enter the room. At least they could get it over with. "Hello, Barbara." "Hello, Millie. Did they take Brian for his casts?" Barbara said, in a formal manor. "Yes." "I'm sorry that he... That you went though all of this, because of me." Barbara looked away, and said, "I'm not worth it." That broke Millie's heart. "You are too Barbara. Don't you think otherwise! My son..." Millie took a deep breath. "I think my son feels as much for you, as you do for him. "I know you think I'm going to send you away. Barbara, you talked a lot in your sleep, last night. I'm having a hard time understanding everything you said to be true." Barbara was shocked. "What did I say?" she said, wishing Millie wouldn't answer that question. "Lots of things. I wouldn't have believed most of it, except from our talk yesterday. Is he really the one? How can you know? You're so young." "Does it make any difference?" Barbara said, sounding despondent. "Yes, it does. I know you think you're going to be sent away Barbara. That will never happen. I don't know how to convince you of that. But even if I hated you and I don't, Katy would take you in. We are your family, now. Nothing you can do will change that. Can you understand that?" "Not even me wanting Brian to be mine?" "You're so young." "How old were you?" "That's different." "How?" "Bruce is older." "So the man has to be older? Why is that?" "Brian is just a boy." "Not to me." "What is he to you, then? Tell me, I want to know." "Are you sure?" Millie closed her eyes, took a deep breath and wanted to say no, but said, "Yes." "He's sensitive. He makes me laugh and cry. When he looks into my eyes, I see hope. He hurts for me. I hurt for him. I don't feel pity coming from him, but understanding. Most of all, I feel love. Not just from him, but around him. Part of me, part of him... I don't know how to explain it." "When is your birthday, Barbara?" "In three months, why?" "And you'll be thirteen?" "Yes." "Brian can't support you. He's not old enough." Barbara's eyes started welling with tears. Millie continued, "Barbara..." Then Millie saw the shattered look in Barbara's eyes, and broke down in tears herself. Mary was standing outside the door. She looked in, upon hearing Millie crying. She was astounded to see Millie's head bent down, and Barbara stroking Millie's head. Mary pulled back, not wanting to intrude. Millie couldn't stand it. Here she was, bringing grief to this girl. A girl who'd had enough pain in her young life already. Yet it was Barbara, who was tending to her, as she cried. She composed herself, and spoke. "Barbara? When we get back, we shall have a family meeting. I want this to be out in the open. You and Brian deserve to know what we think. All right?" Barbara nodded, not too sure what to say at that point. She wasn't sure what Millie meant. The nurse, followed by Mary, walked in. "Brian is done, and waiting to dry. He asked if Barbara could see him. I said I thought it was a good idea. We need to see how she moves, and if the crutches are adjusted correctly." Although Barbara didn't like the idea of having to use crutches, the thought of seeing Brian made it worthwhile. They got her up. The nurse adjusted her crutches, and had her take a few steps. Mary and Millie walked close by, to catch her if she fell. Then Barbara took a few more steps. The nurse had Millie hold onto Barbara, as she adjusted one of the crutches once more. After another practice, they headed down the empty hall. The small sounds of the rubber feet on the crutches, and the occasional grunt, were all that was heard. The nurse needed to remind Barbara several times, to slow down. Brian could hear them coming down the hall. As soon as the door opened, he was greeted by a big smile from Barbara. As soon as she could make it over to the table he was laying on, she dropped the crutches to the floor. She threw her arms around him, and gave him a big hug. The nurses, trying hard not to laugh, had to break up the contact. "Barbara, the plaster needs to completely set. We don't want to have to redo all of this!" She looked sheepishly at them, "Sorry." Mary had been looking at Millie, who noticed her gaze. "What more do you want for your son, than that?" Mary asked. "We had a talk. It's not over, but it was a start. I think I need to talk with my sister. She's already gone through this, with Robin." "Yes. I hear she wasn't too keen on Keith, at first." Millie laughed, "That's a polite way of saying it!" ------- As Larry and Jim came into the house, with the rest of us, Willie snapped a picture. "Who is that?" Jim wanted to know. "A reporter and photographer. He's going to do a story on this. The hope is, that once his story comes out, it will be the end of all of this treasure seeking," Richard answered. When we got to the dining room, Larry forgot about the chest on the table, and went right to the opening. "Well! I'll be darned. We never even saw this. Look at this. The edges are beveled. The pattern in the boards are such, that even when we sanded the floor, the seam never showed. This is right fine work." He put his head down into the opening. "Fancy hinges," he said. "I'd like to get a closer look at how that all works." "Be my guest," I said. "But first, we have this chest to look at." Larry approached the chest. I saw Jim looking down the hole in the floor. I handed him a flashlight. Turning it on, then off again, he asked, "Barbara fell right through?" "Yes. She was jumping, when the triggers were tripped. She went right down. It was when she landed, that did her foot in." Larry was rubbing his chin. "Need my case. I put it in the trunk. Must have left it in the car. Too much excitement around here," he grinned. "Jim," I said. "Do you want to get it? You could hand it to Patrick, and then you can tell people about what you've seen so far." "Just as long as I get to come back in." I smiled. "Yes, you sure will." I handed him my keys to the trunk, and he went outside. We waited until Patrick showed up, with the case in his hand. "I think you could sell tickets. People would pay, they are so eager to find out what is in that chest," Patrick said, as he entered the room. Larry had laid the chest on its back, the clasp facing upwards. He asked for a couple of boards that were quickly fetched by Jimmy, from the back. "Supporting the chest," he said. "Don't want to mark the table." I appreciated that. He asked how much we wanted to preserve the chest, we shrugged our shoulders. Richard spoke up for us, "The chest means nothing to us, its contents are what people are wondering about. Do what is necessary. We know you will try and preserve as much as possible, that's why you are here." Larry smiled as if that was one of the nicest complements he could receive. Pulling a magnifier out of his bag; he examined the hinges, the clasp, and the separation area. Then, taking a small hammer, he tapped the chest at several points. He took a clean white rag, and with a screwdriver to push it close, he ran a line along the separation joint. Pulling it back, it was a deep reddish color. "You're the scientist, see if you agree." I didn't bother arguing with him about my title. I looked, and asked him what he thought. "Did you see any water marks, where this was?" "No." Larry scratched behind his ear. "No moisture?" "There was a skeleton, lying over the chest," Richard said. Larry nodded. "Could do it. Looks like cuprous oxide. More than likely an electrolytic formation. The bad news is that it caused a bond. It tightened the seam up, like they were glued. The good news is that what is inside will be very well preserved. We often have this problem down in the mine, if we don't watch out." "So what can you do?" Larry searched in his bag. He pulled out a three inch long, thin piece of metal. "This is my hand made chisel. I made it just for this kind of work, after the second time I had to open a box that was left in the mine for too long. If this doesn't get it open," Larry scratched the back of his head; "we'll have to cut it open. I don't like doing that. It will destroy the chest." Starting at the back, around the hinges, he used a rawhide mallet on the chisel. He gently tapped. Alternating from one side to the other, he worked around to the front. Then he started the process again, this time tapping a bit harder. When he got to the front, he hit the chisel much harder. Then he tapped more softly. He went from front to back. Setting the chest on its back, he asked me to hold onto the chest. Working at the corner, holding the chisel at a forty-five degree angle, he struck with a swift blow. I could feel something, but it didn't show on the outside. I did notice Larry smile, though. Having me hold the other side, he set up to strike the other side. This time the chisel gained an opening. We all held our breath in anticipation. "It's going to open, but this is just the start. I'd pour some cleaner around the joint to make it easier. But that might not be too good for what's inside. This is going to take a while. The good thing is, it will open without me cutting into it." Jim and Patrick changed places, so the townspeople knew what was going on. Larry wasn't kidding. It took him another hour, to have the top of the chest lift from the bottom. Once it was free, he oiled the hinges in the back, and worked it in. Looking up at me, he smiled. "It's time to open it up." We had him wait. We wanted both Patrick and Jim inside, for the unveiling. Willie was right there, camera ready. ------- Jack had impatiently called the communications officer, wondering why I hadn't called back. When he heard that the mine was closed; and from what the officer saw, everyone was heading out to that Mansion, Jack laughed. He imagined that word had gotten out about a treasure, and that I was up to my armpits with the townsfolk. Jack (still laughing) told the communications man he was going over to the hospital, and would check in later. Rebecca was waiting patiently in the Jeep. They drove over to the hospital, to see what was going on. Millie, Mary, Brian, and Barbara were glad to see them arrive. "Keith said he'd be working on how to get us home. I suppose you know?" Millie said. Jack explained to them what had been worked out. Then he explained what the communications officer had told him. Millie could believe it. That treasure had been on everyone's mind, for as long as she could remember. Brian was very disappointed not to be there for the 'treasure chest' opening. Barbara reached over, took his hand, and gave it a squeeze. Brian smiled. Then Barbara pulled her hand back, and looked at Millie with a panicked expression. Mary took Barbara's hand, and put it back into Brian's hand. "It's fine to show that you care about another person's feelings, isn't it Millie?" Millie was nodding, "Yes. It's fine. Don't worry, Barbara." Barbara turned to Brian, and beamed. Jack and Rebecca knew they had missed a part of what had just been said, but also knew this wasn't the time to bring it up. "Barbara, you have crutches?" Rebecca asked, seeing them by Brian's bed. "Yes," Barbara said, in a perturbed voice. "Six weeks I have to use them." "You should be grateful that you weren't hurt worse," Rebecca said. "But I was taking care of Brian. Now, Julie will." Millie could feel the pain in Barbara's words. Her frailty showed, being unsure of her worth, and Brian's feelings towards her. Millie noticed Mary staring at her, expecting Millie to say something. "I said we would talk, and we will. No need to get upset at things you don't know, Barbara, now is there?" "What do you mean, Mom?" Brian asked, not being privy to any of the earlier conversations. Millie tossed her hands up in the air, "Like you don't know that Barbara is madly in love with you?" Brian's eyes grew large, as he looked over to Barbara. Jack and Rebecca were taking this all in, wondering where it would lead. The two nurses in the room were having a hard time not laughing, thinking of these two kids in love. "Well, Son? You do know, don't you?" "Yes," Brian said, sheepishly. "And?" Millie pressed on. "And what?" Brian said trying to figure out what his mom was getting at. "And you love her, too," Millie said, frustrated that men (or boys, in this case) didn't want to express their feelings. Everyone in the room was quite surprised at her statement. Brian blushed. Barbara was looking at him, for acknowledgment. He nodded to her rapidly, wanting her to know it was true. "Well. Now that that is all out in the open; like I said, Barbara, we will all be talking about it," then Millie paused, "later." Mary saw Brian give Barbara's hand a squeeze. She knew she'd be talking to Katy about the whole thing. Hopefully, before Millie got to do so. As far as Mary was concerned, Brian and Barbara belonged together. ------- The flash of the camera stunned our eyes, for a second. When the 'white dot' faded, and we could see into the chest; I, for one, was disappointed. Yes, I knew the chest was too light to contain gold or silver, but there was that expectancy, anyway. The inside of the chest, just as Larry had suggested, was in pristine condition. It was lined in leather. There were several hand tied letters in it. These were carefully taken out, and set on the table. A pouch on the side of the chest held a long key. Larry took it out, examining it. Shaking his head, Larry said, "Never seen anything that this could have gone into." Larry picked up the chest, and looked at the outside. Then he looked inside. He took out a metal ruler, and measured the depth. He smiled. "This has a false bottom." We all watched, while he meticulously searched for the way in. His face, deep in concentration, suddenly changed to a little smile. We knew he had found it. One of the end sides slid up, and the bottom came out. It was the width and length of the inside of the chest, but less than one inch deep. The side unclasped, and the top came off. This time Willie didn't flash a picture off, right away. I looked over to him. He had a little grin on his face. "Didn't want to blind everyone, this time." Inside the tray, on velvet lining, were three pieces of jewelry. I looked over to the sheriff's deputy, as he was taking notes, to see what he thought. One necklace. White metal, with many small stones. One pair earrings. White metal, with some small stones. One bracelet. White metal, with many small stones. "That's not much of a description," I said. "Just the basic information," he replied. It was Patrick who surprised us, with a bit more knowledge on the subject, than any of us would have suspected. "I'd venture to say that they are made of platinum. It is still very bright, and hasn't tarnished, over the years." Jim and Larry concurred. It wasn't silver, and was unlikely to be gold. 'White gold' hadn't been used much, back then. "Those sparkle like diamonds," Patrick continued. "Plus, if that is platinum, it is unlikely they would have made it with anything less than diamonds." "Dad!" Katy exclaimed. "How do you know any of this?" Patrick chuckled. "Did you think I sat around, while I was away from Carp? Actually, one of the people that was in the church, was a jeweler. We had many long talks, and I learned as much from him, as he did from me. I also learned much about plumbing, from another chap." I picked up the necklace, and held it up to Katy. She blushed. "I couldn't wear anything like that," she said. Turning to Richard and noting the look on his face, I said, "I don't think Richard would agree with you." "Richard!" I laughed and others joined in. Setting the necklace back into the tray, I noticed one side was thicker than the other. Pointing this out to Larry, he removed the jewelry setting out onto the table. While Willie photographed it, Larry examined the tray. Pulling out a tucked in part of the fabric on the bottom, another key fell out. We looked at it, compared it to the other. Both were similar, the keys were about eight inches long, but they were keyed differently. I asked the inevitable, "Larry, do you think that those keys could be for something in this house?" "Not a chance," he said, "These were for something special. See these markings. I've seen them before, but can't place it. No, these were for a special lock, with this length. Nothing in this house would fit them." "A few pieces of jewelry, a couple of worthless keys, and some old letters. Pretty disappointing," one of the sheriff's deputies said. Richard spoke up, "The keys probably went to something, then. The jewelry is nice, but someone was willing to kill for what was in this chest. Why don't we see what those letters say." The first one was opened up. They were in a folded envelope, tied with string. It was pretty obvious what this was all about. I remembered hearing about the Birk's, and then reading more about them in the paper. He wasn't well liked, and had managed to get hold of five mines, controlling the whole area. Now we knew how. This was blackmail. The second envelope had a ferrotype picture. It showed (as the letter read) a man, with another woman, on a vacation. Willie said that made sense, as those were thought of as novelty things. There would have been, around vacation places, men taking pictures. The woman was not the man's wife, who was the principal financial backing of the family. There were four letters in all, each one different in evidence. But each one was damaging to the families, if any of the information would have become public, back in that day and age. I noticed Patrick looking at one, his expression sad. I asked. He knew the son of this man. The son had told Patrick about a scandal his father had been part of, and the man had shot himself through the head. The next letter that was opened was of a different means, but the same sort of blackmail, to the widow. The Birk's got what they wanted, as seen in the deeds to the mines, in another envelope. After seeing this evidence of dirty play; we could all understand why no one spent much time looking for the Birk's, when they disappeared. The coroner had the next surprise. He opened up a tissue, and laid out a pocket watch, chain, and fob. There was an oval locket on a chain, as well. "These were under the clothing, down in the basement. The locket tells us that the lady was Mrs. Birk. Now the pocket watch is a different matter. We thought it would be Mr. Birk, but apparently it was not. The initials don't match. That third person is likely him. Considering the blackmail letters, Mr. Birk wouldn't be opposed to killing someone. We don't need any of this, as we have everything down in the reports. With the pictures Willie took of the letters, we will see if this may be one of the people he was blackmailing. If not, we'll probably never know. It was too long ago." With the report done, all they needed to do was bring the bones to their car. I was surprised, as was everyone else, that they were ready to leave. "You're not taking this?" I said pointing to the contents of the box. He smiled, "Not unless you want to give it to us. As you found it and this is your house, I'm presuming?" I nodded to him, "Then it becomes your property." I looked over to Richard, and he nodded to me, knowing what I must be thinking. I turned to Jim and Patrick. "I think it would be best, if this jewelry was given to the town. Maybe there is a way we could sell it, and the money could be used for something." Jim was flabbergasted, Patrick was smiling. "You two are going to become 'the saints of the town', if you don't watch it." Richard and I were shaking our heads. "Just what we need," Richard said. "Maybe what we can do, is open up the old bank building, and display this stuff," Jim said. "That way everyone can see it. If I remember, there are a few cases in there that could be used." "Good idea," Patrick said. "Can we set up a town meeting tonight, and tell everyone what has gone on? Then we can run them through the bank," I said. "No light. That is the problem. I think we should tell them what we found, and tell them they can see it tomorrow. We just need to have someone responsible there, for people coming in to see it," Jim said. "I can do that," Robin said. A number of others volunteered as well. It made a lot of sense to Jim, to have our household do this. I suggested that Patrick and Jim tell everyone the news. Then, as they were doing that, the coroner could get the boxes out the back. There would be much less commotion, as some might be squeamish about the bones. That sounded like a good plan to all. I was glad that I wasn't the one who had to talk to everyone. We heard Jim and Patrick go out to the front. Richard helped the deputies carry things out the back. Fifteen minutes later, the people had started moving back to town. We said goodbye to Willie. He promised some proofs soon. It was over, and I was relieved. I then thought about Brian, Barbara, Millie, and Mary. Beth Ann said she'd go into town, and find out if Jack had called. That was great. Kristin pulled me aside, and said she needed to talk to me about her conversation with Liz. This day had too many things going on, and I was having a hard time trying to remember them all. "Ok, what did she say?" "She's bringing two other teachers with her." "Yes. I knew that." "Then there is Jill. She is concerned about what is going to happen with her when she comes back." I sighed, "Yes. I'd better call and talk with Jill. She needs to know what is going on with her mother. I hope she wants to stay here." Kristin smiled, "I think that's what everyone is hoping. Then there is a girl they want to bring with them too." "Another girl?" "I think Liz said you met her, Laura?" I laughed. "Laura. I think she had a big crush on Jill," I said. "So we've got this extra girl the doctor is talking about: Laura. I can see where this is leading. Maybe we need to rethink the building. I'd better talk to Richard." "You do remember Sarah is coming too. She's with Jill and Liz, now." I put my hand to my forehead, "Yes, I forgot. Not that I don't want her to come," I said with a grin. "We just need places for everyone." Richard, Katy, Robin, and I, got together, and talked. Then we got Dora and Kristin and asked them. We were all in agreement. It was time to talk with Larry. ------- Larry was in the basement. Jimmy and his small shadow Kenneth were right next to the opening. It looked smaller, half the size. Upon hearing us, Larry poked his head up. "It is just amazing. I can get it closed, and the boys say it just disappears. I can believe it. Look, I have one side closed, and you can't see where it is. The problem is how to close it, without being down here. My brother stayed out here, and we can't figure it out." Kenneth was leaning into the opening; I reached down and with my one hand, grabbed him around the waist. "We don't need you falling in," I said. "Your mom would shoot me." Kenneth smiled at me, threw his arms around my neck, and gave me a hug. "We can work on closing that later," Richard said, pulling Jimmy back from the hole as well. "There is something else we'd like to talk with you about, first." "That's right, you did say that earlier. We'll come up. Just give us a second." Once out of the basement, we led Larry (and his brother, along with Jimmy and Kenneth) out back. "Larry," I started, "we are looking at having more people staying with us, and this house just doesn't have enough sleeping space. We looked at the barn back here..." His eyes got wide, "You didn't go in there, did you?" "Yes," I said wondering what this was all about. "That place could have fallen in, right on top of you." I looked at the boys, "What did I tell you." Larry stopped, and looked at Jimmy and Kenneth in my arm. "You boy's best not go near that place! If it fell, you couldn't run fast enough. You understand me?" "Yes sir," they both said. "Our thought was to tear the place down," Richard said, "There looks to be some usable lumber there, but not a lot. We were thinking of building a new place." "That would be the best. I wouldn't be sad to see that place taken down. It's a disaster waiting to happen. So what were you thinking?" "Our kitchen is big, so is the dining room. We need more bed space. My sister is coming, with two other teachers, and who knows what that might bring. There is talk about two students coming, as well. Where my sister is now, they have housing. The teachers each have a separate room. The other girls share smaller, dorm style rooms. I was thinking that if we had two separate rooms (each with their own bathrooms), then two other open dorms and bathrooms, that would work well." "Two story?" Larry asked. Richard and I looked at each other. He shrugged his shoulders. "Any reason for one over the other?" I asked. "You've got plenty of land here. You could go on, forever. Thing is, you might want a place that looks good with the house," Larry's brother said. "So they match." I said, thinking out loud. "Right. Now my brother is the one that could tell you about building it." Larry smiled, "I can tell you about how to put the windows, doors, flooring, and decorative exterior parts, to make it look like it was always here." Katy called out the back, asking if we'd talked to Jack on the base yet. "Sounds like we might need to invite the two of you out for dinner, so we can talk more about this," Richard said. Larry's eyes lit up, "That would be right nice of you. I think we'd enjoy that very much." "Plan on it, then. We have a few things to do. Richard and I have to drive into town, and see what is going on with Millie at the hospital. I'll just make sure that its fine with Katy and Robin, for dinner. We will drive you back to town, and pick you up latter." Soon, we were driving back into town. Pulling up to the brothers' home, we dropped them off. Then we drove over to the communications car. "Jack was expecting you, some time ago. I told him I saw most of the townspeople heading out your way. So he knew you were a bit tied up. How did it go?" the communications officer said, as he came out upon seeing us. "It was rather disappointing in a way. That chest was important, 'cause it held blackmail information." "From what I understand, people have been searching for that treasure for years. All for that... Man, what a disappointment." "Yes. Did Jack say anything about us flying there?" "He did, let's see if I can get him on the line, and he can tell you, himself." Having a direct line, made it easy for the man. It took a bit, to track Jack down. But after a few minutes, he was on the line. "I hear you've been having fun," Jack laughed. "You could say that. We told everyone that you had taken the big chest, and they want to get hold of you," I replied. Jack couldn't stop laughing, "You are a devil, no matter what others say." "I don't think you will get anyone in town to believe you. Now, what about the plane?" "It's fine to bring it in. Just give me a time you're expected, and I'll call it in, to the tower. I'm working on a permanent ability to do this, but I got the ok pushed through, for now." "Richard, how soon can we take off?" "About an hour, at the most," Richard replied. I forwarded that to Jack. We hung up, and Richard and I got back into the car. "You think the Katy and Robin will want to go?" Richard asked. "If we asked, yes," I said. We drove to the Mansion. Katy and Robin were thrilled, Kristin and Dora said they'd watch over everyone, and get dinner going. We thanked them, with kisses, and drove out to the plane. With Richard and I going over the pre-flight checks, we were ready to go, about forty minutes after we had talked to Jack. After explaining everything that was going to happen, I climbed up in the cockpit with Richard. "You just love the idea of me flying in, to let all those fly boys see me land," he said. I grinned, "You always did have an inflated ego." "Let's get it over with, then," Richard said, and started the engines. The flight was pretty short. Once we were level, I yelled back, so Katy and Robin could take off their seat belts and come forward. They were in awe, much like the first time we flew. It wasn't more than a few minutes, before they had to go back, as Richard was starting to descend. I radioed in to the base. They were ready for us, letting us know which runway to approach. It was, even with Richard's anxiety, a smooth landing. We taxied the plane over to the edge, where we'd been told Jack was waiting for us. "About time you got here," Jack said with a smile. We noticed Rebecca was with him, but Cynthia wasn't. He noticed our glances. "Cynthia is staying here for the next week. She'll be getting the place packed up the rest of the way, and getting an agent to sell it. It's an important job, and I want to leave it in hands I can trust." We nodded, hearing in those words, that things were good between them again. After Katharine's comments, Jack's sudden departure and a few hints Patrick had said, things hadn't looked good, before. "Now, let me radio the hospital. There are a few people ready to get out of there." Jack went over to the jeep, radioed, and then told us they were on their way. Apparently as we landed, he'd contacted them. So, they were just waiting a final word. Less than five minutes later, an ambulance rolled up to the plane. Mary was the first out of the ambulance, and made a straight line for Katy, then Robin. Having had Mildred in there before, the plane was set up to take Brian, without any problem. Barbara was another issue. She didn't quite fit into the seat properly. I was watching this, and noted that Mary was making sure Barbara wouldn't fit into the seat. As a 'last resort' she suggested Barbara be laid out next to Brian. I wasn't the only one who had noticed this. I think the only one that didn't have a grin on their face, was Millie. But she acquiesced. Barbara looked at Mary as some sort of God for performing this miracle. Soon, the two invalids were together. Brian was laid out on the bed that was there, and was strapped in. Barbara was on her side, the straps holding both of them together. Robin got Millie to sit down then sat right next to her, trapping her. Robin started asking one question after the next. As Katy sat down, Mary sat right next to her. Millie, seeing she'd have to wait to talk with her sister, settled down. Little did she know that Mary was planning on talking Katy's ear off about what had happened. I let Jack take my spot in the cockpit, with Richard. Robin, seeing that I was free to sit with, looked at me wantonly. I shook my head, then leaned in and whispered that I needed to talk with Rebecca about Jill. Robin smiled, and gave me a little kiss. As soon as everyone was seated, we taxied out, and took off. Millie, deciding she couldn't talk to her sister, started getting Robin's point of view. She asked what she thought about marrying so young, not knowing what was going to happen. Robin, of course, was all smiles. She began by asking Millie to try and remember how she (Robin) had been feeling dread about her birthday approaching, until the man of her dreams had walked into her life. Mary gave Katy the low down, on what Millie and Barbara had both told her, as well as what she'd seen. Katy was as concerned as her sister about Brian, but was a bit more objective, as it wasn't her child. I didn't beat around the bush with Rebecca. I told her that soon Jill was coming home. I wanted to know, if she had her choice, what she'd like for her daughter. I thought Rebecca was going to burst into tears. "No one has been as sensitive to me, as you have been, after my husband died. Jack is good to me; but you take care of my daughter, and she is very special to me. I need what Jack can give me, but I can't have it with Jill here." "If Jill knew how much you loved her... if you knew how much she loved you... If she wanted to live someplace apart from you too, would you be happy?" "But I could see her? Not someplace far away, like now?" "No. In Carp." "Yes, yes. I might like that. I love her very much. I think my parenting can't go on, but my being her mother, will always be there." "I think it would be very good for Jill to see you happy. It would help her understand. I'm not sure she remembers much about how you were, when your husband was alive. One of the things you will need to help her see is that you were not happy, but that was not because of her. She will feel that way. She will feel she caused you to be unhappy for so long." "But it wasn't her," Rebecca said, grabbing my arm. "I know, but she will not know. And, she needs to see. You need to tell her. You will need to explain to her 'why'." "But she's just..." "She's a very grown up young lady, Rebecca. She's only a little girl, to you." Rebecca looked hard at me, "You haven't?" "The only thing I've done is to give her a kiss. If you must know, it was pretty nice. She's been at an all girls school. She's been sheltered, and I've been one of the few men that she has seen as a tie to, here. It will be hard for her to come back. She needs you to be honest with her. To listen and to help. If you can do that, you will become the mother she wants." Rebecca did cry, at that point. She stopped suddenly. In fact all conversation stopped, as everyone was taken by surprise. The plane hit a bit of turbulence, and it shook. As if by a plan, we all turned around to make sure Brian and Barbara were all right. Barbara was red faced as we were all staring. Brian, with his thin covering, couldn't conceal this hard on. Millie's face was priceless. I got up and walked back to them. My grin (which the others couldn't see, but Brian and Barbara could) told them I wasn't mad. I sat down next to them, and asked the most obvious question. "Been a few days, hasn't it, Brian?" Brian turned a brighter red. "Well," I pressed. "Yes." "If I could get you two alone, how long would it take Barbara?" Now, she was turning bright red. "Barbara, you have to understand Richard and I don't have any secrets. I know just what you two have done together. Now, how fast can you bring his pressure down?" Barbara looked at me in shock, then to Brian. Brian answered for her, "I think she could do it in just a few minutes. She's was really good when she did it before." I saw Barbara's eyes just about pop out of her head, when Brian said that. Her head whipped around, wondering what I was going to say. "Brian, you are very lucky then." I touched Barbara's arm. "Would you want to? You don't have to. There are other ways "You really would do that for me, I mean us?" Barbara said, in awe. "Yes. Brian already knows that answer though. I'll get everyone off the plane. We only have one car at the landing strip. I'll get them to take everyone back, and then come back for you two. You'll only have five minutes at the most." Brain and Barbara looked at each other. "I know that will be long enough," Brian said, as Barbara blushed again. I paid no attention to any questions I was getting, as I walked up to the cockpit. Especially from Millie. I leaned in, and Jack bent over to me. I asked him if he could get hold of the communications guy, from here. Jack didn't see that would be a problem. I asked him to get a message to Bruce that we'd be landing soon. He should be there, at the house. Jack thought that was a good idea, and tuned the radio, to reach Communications. Richard told me that they were going to be descending, in a minute or so. Then he grinned, as he told me to get back to my seat. As soon as I sat down, the different pitch of the plane could be felt. I was asked what was happening, and was glad to not have to explain what I said to Brian and Barbara, as yet. I went on for some time about the plane, and how it comes in for a landing. Then, just as there was a lull, I could tell Millie was ready to say something. I beat her to the punch. "I had Jack radio into Carp, Millie. Bruce should be out at the Mansion when we land. I know he'll be anxious to see you." Millie's eyes welled up with tears. "Look outside, you should start to recognize things now," I said, diverting any more questions. I did notice Robin giving me a sly look, and winking at me. I wondered just for a fleeting moment, if she might just give Barbara some real time instructions. I would love to get Robin's mouth around me, about now. I guess I was lost in that daydream a bit longer than I thought. The next thing I knew, the wheels had hit ground. They pulled the plane in, and as soon as we stopped, everyone was out of their seats. I told Katy how to open the door. Soon, the smell of Carp rolled into the plane. Noticing Millie was back where Brian and Barbara were, I pointed it to Katy. "You need to get her off the plane," I said, with a smile. "Her husband needs her, I understand." Katy smacked my arm, but laughed. "Ok, I'll get her off, but I want an explanation, later." "Don't worry." Looking up into the cockpit, I said, "Jack, I can help Richard with this. You need to take everyone out of here, then come back to get Brian, Barbara, Richard, and I," then I winked, "Take your time, though. I think they want a few minutes alone." Jack just shook his head, but left the cockpit to Richard and I. I watched Millie try to go back to the plane, three times. Katy pulled her back to the car, each time. She relented, and finally got into the car. As it drove off, I put my head into the back. "Richard and I are doing the post flight stuff, everyone else is gone. Now's your chance." "You're going to be here?" I heard Barbara ask. "Barbara, you can ask Brain if he will be bothered, but I already know the answer. You're wasting time. I could only get so much of it, for you two." I could tell Richard wanted to get the checklist done fast. "We can come back out and finish this, if you want to go and watch." Richard blushed, knowing what he was doing was so obvious. He just nodded. We quietly moved from the cockpit, out to the cabin, and then towards the back. Under the thin sheet over Brian, Barbara's head could be seen moving up and down. Brian saw us. He looked at Richard, and I felt out of place. I gave Richard a pat on the back and went back up front, then out the door. Even outside, as I saw the car coming back towards us, I could hear Brian's cry of relief. Then I heard Barbara's cry of discovery. I knew that Richard and Brian had a bit of explaining to do. It couldn't happen now, but it would. And would be important for her to know. I yelled in that he car was about to arrive. I helped Barbara to the car, as Jack and Richard worked at getting Brian out. I also noticed that Richard had a rather soggy handkerchief hanging out of his pocket. Richard saw me looking at it. He blushed. I just smiled, wondering who cleaned Brian up. "Barbara, there is a lot for you to learn yet. Not just about Brian, but about us. I think you know that, don't you?" "There's something special about Richard and Katy, you and Robin, but I don't know what it is. Is that what you mean?" "Yes. You will need to ask Brian... and Richard" "I know. They said that they needed to talk to me. It's nothing wrong is it? I could still marry him?" I smiled, "Yes, you sure can." As we drove up, everyone was waiting outside. I think Barbara was a bit overwhelmed by the hugs and kisses she received. Brian tried to act as though he didn't like the attention, but it was easy enough to see he did. With a few more hands, it was easy to pick up Brian, and bring him into the house. Barbara found out quickly, that crutches were difficult to maneuver on stairs. I think it surprised everyone, especially Barbara, when Millie reached over and helped her up. When we were all inside, Katy had Brian placed into the library. I thought that was a bit strange, until she announced that Barbara, Millie, Bruce, Robin, Richard, and myself, were all to join her there. Richard and I grabbed a few chairs, but the room was not designed to accommodate such a group, especially with one of the people taking up a good bit of floor space. Millie and Bruce sat in chairs on one side of the room, by Brian's head. Richard and Katy shared a chair, as did Robin and I. Barbara sat in a chair, between the four of us. "Millie," Katy started, "You said you wanted to get things out in the open. So here we are." I could see the shocked look on Millie's face. She didn't suspect that her sister would make this happen so fast, so unplanned. "Well, it has come to my attention that Barbara is in love with my son," Millie said. Bruce rolled his eyes, "I told you..." He was stopped by a piercing glance from Millie. "Millie," Katy admonished her sister, "no one is going to feel comfortable talking, if you glare at them. If you don't want to do this, say so." Looking at her sister long and hard, she started to let it all out. "You can talk easy; your daughter married someone who has been very good. You know yourself what happened to you, and how it affected your life. I don't want my son hurt." "Well of all the hypocritical things, Millie," Bruce said. "Do you want me to tell them how we got together?" Millie's eyes widened, she blushed, and her mouth fell open. The rest of us were rather amused at her discomfort. Of course it is much easier to do, not being on the receiving end of things. "I'd love to hear," Katy said with a twinkle in her eye. "But as Millie has never told me, in all these years, I think you'd better not." Richard cleared his throat. "Millie, you said Barbara is in love with Brian. I think the feeling is mutual. So it would be best said, that they are in love with each other. Now I think what you have a problem with, is Barbara is getting to the age of marriage. Is that right?" "How could they be married? Brian isn't old enough for that," Millie responded. "Millie, do you remember when I was thirteen?" Katy asked. Tears came to Millie's eyes, "Yes! See what I mean!" "No, I don't. I was taken care of by you. Do you think you failed me? I was pregnant. I needed a mother. I didn't have one, and my father had disappeared. I only had you to help me, Millie. Millie, I think you did a pretty good job." "What about my brother?" Millie said, letting out a big frustration in her life. I noticed Robin watching intently. I think this was a part of her life, she didn't know as much of, as she'd like to. "Millie, it happened. It may not have been the best of situations, but I was stuck, and you know it. I'd never give up Jimmy. And he was a product of that. So, everything was not all bad." "I may not have met her, if all that hadn't happened, as well," Richard said. "Millie," I said, and then paused, still trying to formulate the words in my head. Everyone turned to look at me in the silence. "I'm trying to figure out what you are having a problem with. Brian obviously can't support a wife. But you are, in a way, supporting both of them. So what would be the difference? You have suggested that Brian is too young. I'm guessing that you feel you are going to lose him, but lose him to what? "Barbara is not going to take her into her family, we are her family." Now was the tricky part. I fidgeted in my chair and Robin, who was sitting on me said, "Go ahead and say what's on your mind." "The biggest change that would happen, Millie, is that they would be having a sexual relationship. Well, at least one that would be out in the open," I added seeing the look of guilt on Millie's face. "Keith, I know you find having sex is just fine. You set my sister up. You've even managed to get Brian and Barbara lying on the same bed. I'm just not so free about those things as you are. I think a lot of us aren't." "So. Is that the real issue?" I asked, passing off the dig towards me. This was not the time to get into that. Bruce, God bless him, took charge. "Millie, if that is it, then you have yourself to blame. You can just wallow in your own feelings. No one else needs to suffer for that. I warned you, and you didn't listen to me. It is your own fault, if now, you think it is bad that you had Barbara touching him. I'm sure she liked it, and I can almost guarantee Brian did. "Now you want to go back to something before all of that, pretending it didn't happen? Just to ease you conscience? I won't stand for that." "But Bruce..." Bruce was shaking his head. "Brian, do you really love Barbara?" he asked. Brian nodded. "Barbara, do you really love Brian?" She nodded. "How much longer for the casts, Brian?" Bruce asked. "Four weeks." Bruce nodded. "You have four weeks of needing to be taken care of. Barbara is one of many people who will be doing that for you. When you get out of those casts, if you still feel love for her, you'd better start courting her. I want you to do this, 'proper like'. You two need to know each other a lot more than just sneaking around. I want this out in the open. As far as I'm concerned you two are 'Girlfriend and Boyfriend'. Is that what you'd like?" They both nodded vigorously. "Good," Bruce continued. "Then you will be treated as such. It wouldn't be quite right to let Brian's girlfriend sleep in the same room with him. Which is what would happen in our house. So, Barbara, you will need to stay out here. That also means that you can come and see him, anytime you'd like. After all, he is your boyfriend." "Barbara, it looks like you are still worried about something?" Katy said. "What about Julie?" That was answered by Julie. It seemed that we were so concentrated on what was going on in our circle; we hadn't noticed everyone else, eavesdropping, right around the corner in the music room. "Barbara, I've told my mom that I shouldn't help out with Brian. I can do lots of things, but it wouldn't be right to do that." "Julie!" Barbara exclaimed. "I love you. That is so nice of you. How can I ever thank you?" Julie gave a sly grin, "Find me someone as nice as Brian is to you, for me." Everyone, including Millie, laughed at that. "Millie, I know Bruce said what he wants, but you're my sister. I'm sorry, but you are as bull headed as me, at times. Are you comfortable with all of this?" Katy said. "Yes, I think what he said made sense. I just couldn't make sense of it all in my mind, and it was driving me crazy. It sounds like a good idea." Then she reached over Brian and took Barbara's hand. "I do want you to know I like you. If you two got married, I would be having a daughter-in-law that I already like." ------- Chapter 66 Katy wanted to show Millie the jewelry from the chest. Bruce went along to see it up close as well. I looked at Richard and smiled, taking Robin's hand, leaving him with Brian and Barbara. I made sure everyone was out of the music room as well, knowing they probably had things to talk about, now, as well as later. Lots of things. Not having a definite plan of where to go, I let my nose take me to the kitchen. What I saw was enough food being prepared to feed an army of people. "I thought we were just adding two extras," I said. "Brother," Kristin said, "Have you stopped to think how many of us there are? We figured that Millie and Bruce would be staying; we have Barbara and Brian too, as well as Annabelle and Julie. Then there are Katharine's kids, so we might as well get her out here too. With the ten of us, that will make twenty two." "I know there's enough china," Beth Ann added, "but twenty two isn't going to fit at one table, at least not with that hole in the floor." "How many will fit?" I asked. "Sixteen, but who isn't going to want to sit at the main table?" Beth Ann asked. "I don't think Brian is going to sit anywhere and Barbara wouldn't be comfortable there as well," I smiled. "How about all of the kids in here around the kitchen table. That's eight, but one wouldn't be at the table anyway. Then there would be fourteen out there." I offered. "That sounds good, plus we don't have to worry about being too close to that opening in the floor. It bugs me," Kristin said. "I know, as soon as we get Larry and his brother out here, we'll figure out a way of closing it up." I walked back out into the hallway with Robin right behind me. Clearing my throat, in an exaggerated manner, that got Stephanie and Jimmy turning around fast. They were at the edge of the music room, being nosy. Motioning for them to come to me, they did so, reluctantly. "You have a bad habit of spying," I said. "Brian can't be moved around, there aren't any places in the downstairs that are private and you two are being bad." "I'm sorry," Stephanie said and truly looked it. "I just want to know... How come Brian is interested in her?" Robin and I smiled. "I thought you might be more interested in why Jimmy is so interested in Pamela," I said. Both Jimmy and Stephanie blushed. "Well, you two did like each other." They both tried to explain themselves, but were not being very good at it. Starting to say something, they would become embarrassed and stop. Finally Stephanie said, "But Brian is different than Jimmy. I mean, Barbara doesn't look like a girl as much as she does a..." Her eyes grew wide. "Is that why he likes her, 'cause he likes boys?" I had to contain my laughter, but I couldn't stop my smile. "Stephanie, I think there are a lot of reasons," Robin said to her. "I think if you are so curious you should ask him. I think he might tell you. We all have been in the same room together, you know, showing love for each other. I'm sure he would tell you what he feels and it would be better than sneaking." "I know, and I think I will." "Now what about you Jimmy, why were you here?" Jimmy had a, 'I'd rather not say, ' look on his face. "Come on Jimmy," Robin said, "I know you two don't keep much secret between each other. So what is it?" "How come he gets to have a girlfriend?" Robin took her brother's hands, "What do you mean? I thought you and Pamela were." "But Brian's dad said they were and she could come over anytime and he was supposed to court her and everything was out in the open and..." "Ok Jimmy," I said. "We get the point. You want everyone to know Pamela is your girlfriend." He blushed and nodded. "So you can show her off?" He blushed a bit more. "Boy is he in love," Stephanie said. Robin and I laughed. "Yes I think you are right. Jimmy, I think that is wonderful," Robin said. "Now can you do something for me?" "What?" "Go and talk to Pamela's mom. Tell her how you feel about her daughter." "But she's sick." "I know. Jimmy, she's going to die. I think she'd like to know someone like you thinks her daughter is so special." Jimmy scratched behind his head. I recognized that action, puzzled, embarrassed, and wondering what to say, all at the same time. "I guess I could." "It would mean a lot to her mom and it would show Pamela how special you thought she was," Stephanie said. Jimmy smiled, "It would?" "Yes Jimmy," Stephanie continued. "I think it would make Pamela feel very special." "Ok, can I do it now?" We all laughed. ------- As to be expected, Jimmy wanted to come into town when we picked up everyone, especially because we were stopping by Pamela's. As we arrived, Jimmy jumped out of the car. Mary, who drove us in, was highly amused. Katharine came out and asked about her children. "We are holding them captive. The only way you can get them back is by having dinner with us," I said. "Oh, no! What am I to do," Katharine feigned distress, then laughed. "You drive a hard bargain, but I guess I have no choice." "What doesn't she have a choice about?" Daisy said as she walked up, hearing the tail end of what Katharine said. "She's being forced to have dinner with us," Mary said. Daisy looked at me with longing eyes, "You wouldn't have to force me." "I know sweetheart. What is Jimmy up to?" "He asked if my mom was awake, then he pulled Pamela in there with him. I have no idea what he's doing. It was the strangest thing." I chuckled, "He's asking Mildred if he can be Pamela's boyfriend." Daisy's eyes grew, "He's not!" "Yes he is." "Boy is that kid going to go far. Pamela is going to... I think I'd better have a talk with her. What a smoothie that Jimmy is." Daisy saw my grin and she nodded her head. "He got some coaching I bet." "Don't look at me, ask Robin and Stephanie. I was a simple bystander." Daisy looked at Katharine, "You're going out there, check out his story. I somehow don't believe a word of it." Katharine laughed. "I sure will. I'll bet it was all him too. You should see how he has my girls wrapped around his finger." Daisy blushed, thinking it wasn't so much me that did that, but her, or where the girl's fingers were wrapped. Luckily Mary, unknowingly, came to the rescue. "He's also got Kenneth thinking he's pretty special as well." Katharine smiled, "Well that's not all bad." I got out of the car, knowing I'd probably need to speak to Mildred about what Jimmy had said to her. Walking into the house, it surprised me to see Robert on the sofa. Then I remembered that the mine had closed early. We greeted each other briefly and I knocked on Mildred's bedroom door. Pamela answered, opened it wide and threw her arms around me. I smiled. I could see Mildred had a smile on her face as well. Jimmy looked rather pleased with himself. "Could I speak to Mildred, alone?" I asked. Then to Pamela, I said, "I think your sister wanted to talk to you, she's outside. Jimmy and Pamela scampered off, leaving me alone. "Thank you Keith." "Don't thank me. It was Robin's idea." "You two will be good parents. We need to talk. I'd like to tell you about the girls so you know. Can you and Robin come in the mornings? I'm best then." "Yes, we will be here tomorrow." "Good," Mildred smiled, "And Keith, bring Jimmy." I grinned, "I'll do that. He's a lucky boy." "She's a lucky girl." "I know Pamela as well as I know Jimmy. I think they fit together well." I noticed a tear in her eye. "I'll miss her wedding," Mildred said. I didn't know what to say, and then it struck me that Katy didn't have a mother. "I think I'll have Katy talk to her at that time. She didn't have a mother for her wedding and will know what to say." "Don't let her forget me, please." "Never. I know you will be in her heart always. Pamela may not want to show it, but she's having a very hard time with all of this. She doesn't want to accept it. It's too painful for her." "I know. Can you talk to her?" "I can try." "Thank you." I left feeling down. It was so incredibly sad to see her fading. As I walked out the door of the house, I looked over to the car. As far down as I felt, Jimmy was on the opposite end of the spectrum. I had to smile for his enthusiasm. It was good therapy for Pamela. "We need to get going," I said as I approached. Daisy looked into my eyes and her face clouded. "Robin and I will be coming back in the morning," I said, half answering her curiosity. "Mildred said for me to make sure Jimmy came with us. So say goodbye Jimmy, we need to be going." We were all a bit surprised when, for the first time in front of everyone; Jimmy turned to Pamela, pulled her close and kissed her on the lips. Smiling, he said goodbye to her and gave her one last kiss before climbing in the car. Katharine got in as well. I asked Daisy about dinner for them. She told me that everyone was taking turns bringing dinner to them. She hadn't cooked since she'd been back. Nodding, I rolled up the window, to keep the dust out, and headed over to pick up Larry and his brother. "That was quite a kiss Jimmy," Mary said. "She's my girlfriend," Jimmy said as though that explained everything. "Then your talk with Mildred went well?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "I guess," he said surprising me, "I can't court her yet. Mildred said I was too young. I have to wait till it was a year before we could marry before I could do that." I snorted, Katharine looked shocked, and Mary just smiled. "Keith," Katharine said, "I think you need to tell me a bit more about this town." "Now, or at a more private time?" "Alone, sometime. I have a few questions that have been bothering me." "You name the time," I said, not knowing what I was getting myself into. We had stopped in front of the house I'd directed Mary towards. Larry and his brother were outside waiting. Soon we were on our way out. "This is right nice of you. Larry and I don't get out much. We have projects that take most of our time after work." The rest of the ride out to the Mansion was learning the carpentry that Larry and his brother did. Their father was responsible for most of the cabinets in the downtown buildings. Larry and his brother had learned the trade, but there wasn't the call for them to do that full time, so they had to work in the mines. It got my mind to working. We arrived. Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth were surprised and delighted to see their mother. It meant for sure, they wouldn't have to go back to the motel soon. Their dancing was good to see, but also showed a strain on Katharine's face, as to what life she was subjecting her children to. 'They are welcome out here always. There's no reason for them to be in the hotel room by themselves," Richard said to her. "I can't impose like that." "I think you have it all wrong. Ask them how much time anyone of us has spent with them today. They have played all day with Stephanie and Jimmy. It is a benefit for all," Katy said. Katharine looked at her children and smiled. "Thank you for saying so. I'll keep that in mind." "Oh no you don't," I said. "Kenneth, what did you do today?" Kenneth rattled off half a dozen things he and Jimmy had done, then when Brian came back, Jimmy and Brian had told him stories. "Elizabeth, Kristina, what have you been doing today?" As they started telling the things they had done with Stephanie and Julie, Katharine put a stop to it. "Alright, you win. But I'm going to warn you..." We all laughed. Kristin came out of the kitchen and said dinner was ready. She told the kids where they would be eating. Richard and Bruce picked up Brian and took him into the kitchen. As Barbara started in, Katharine stopped her. "Let me take a look. Mmmm. They did a nice job. How long did they say it would be on?" "Six weeks," Barbara said in disgust. "I can't even get up and down the stairs." "If you'd like, I can show you tricks you can do with those crutches. After I teach you and you get a bit of practice, you will be able to go anywhere." Barbara smiled, "Really?" "This was what I did, when I was a nurse. I worked with people who had broken bones. I know just how to get your crutches to do what you want." "I want to be with Brian," Barbara said. Katharine laughed, "Alright, almost anything." Brian was on the floor and Barbara was sitting next to him. She wanted to feed him and she was told that was fine. The rest of us gathered around the table in the dining room. Katharine took one look at the hole in the floor and moved to the other end of the table. ------- As what had become a routine of late, Vicki, Tiffany, Sue, Betty, Jill, Laura, and Sarah were all at the dining table and waiting for Liz to show up. The end of school, coupled with her leaving, as a senior member of the staff, was taking its toll. But they were waiting as patiently as they could. The news had all reached them that a call from Carp had come in. Betty and Sue felt a bit left out in that matter. Wishing they could go to Carp like Laura might be, but knowing, as they had found out the day before, they would be attending the same school next fall, they were happy to be able to be together. They all watched as Liz came into the cafeteria, got her food and made her way over to their table. She set the tray down and slumped into the chair, obviously exhausted. Torn between wanting to let Liz have a moment of piece and finding out about the call, they looked at each other, wondering who should say something when. "Liz," Jill finally ventured, "we heard there was a call from Carp." Rolling her head back and then around, she looked at their eager eyes. Everyone wanted something from her it seemed and she was having a hard time dealing with it all. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Can you give me just a few minutes?" "Sure, Liz." Tiffany said. "Take your time. We know you have been working overtime trying to get things done." Liz turned, looked at Tiffany and smiled. "As soon as I eat something, I should be fine." "You haven't tasted it yet," Sarah said. She was still trying to get accustomed to the school's food. Everyone else thought she was making a joke and laughed. Liz ate and the others tried to make small talk amongst themselves. As soon as she was done, she said, "Let's go up to my room." The table was quickly cleared and soon everyone, sans Betty and Sue, were crowded into the room. "Kristin called," Liz started. There were a few disappointed sighs, mainly from Jill and Sarah. "She said that they were working on a way to have everyone live out at the mansion." "Where?" Jill asked, "It's not that big." "She said something about Keith talking to someone about adding space. She wasn't sure of all the details, but she wanted everyone to know they were welcome and wanted." "Why didn't Keith call?" Sarah asked. Liz, not knowing the importance to what she was about to say, said, "There was something going on about some hidden room and a chest." Jill gasped, "The treasure!" "What treasure?" Laura asked. Ignoring Laura, Jill asked, "Where did they find it, people have been looking for years. A lot of people, including myself, thought it was just a tall tale." "They have? It was a rather traumatic find, from what I guess," Liz said. "What happened?" Laura wanted to know, curious about this treasure. "I understand there is a new girl that has been living with them. Barbara. She was at Millie and Bruce's place for a bit, as she's related to Millie and Katy somehow. Her parents are both dead. She's taken a liking to Brian and it's reciprocal." "Good for him," Jill said thinking of Brian. "So Brian, who is in casts and can't move, Jimmy, Barbara, Pamela, and Stephanie were all together." Liz went on. Jill laughed, "That spells trouble right there." "Let me finish!" Liz said, rolling her eyes. "They tripped some levers and as Barbara was jumping, the floor opened up and she fell right through, down into a basement. Brian saw her drop out of sight and... Jill what's wrong?" Jill's chest was heaving, she felt like she was going to throw up. "Did Brian see her drop down?" Jill shakily asked. "Yes why?" Liz replied and then caught on. "Oh. Now it makes sense." "What? What happened?" Jill demanded to know. "Brian was lying on his back and flipped over. When Keith and Richard came in, he was about ready to fall down the hole. Somehow he'd pulled himself over to it." Jill was nodding. "Yes he'd have to." "Why? Wasn't he in casts? How could he move?" Tiffany wanted to know. Jill's' face was going through contortions as she was trying to get hold of her emotions. Everyone was looking at her, knowing she held the answer. Liz was the only person in the room that had a clue of that answer, but it was up to Jill to say something, not her. "Brian was taken too, down underground," Jill said in a monotone voice, tears filling her eyes. "He had to move, had to go get her. What a nightmare that must have been." The tone in Jill's voice made her words sound ominous. They could sense a fear that was in the back of Jill's mind, something she never wanted to face and felt Brian had. Vicki broke the silence, "What happened after that?" "Barbara broke her foot in the fall; they were concerned about Brian and flew them off to the Base hospital." "They're alright aren't they?" Jill wanted to know. "Kristin said they were fine." "What about the treasure?" Laura asked again. "Is that all you think about?" Jill asked, able to smile, just a touch. Laura gave an impish grin, "Yea." Everyone laughed. "I don't know anything about it," Liz said. "Is that all Kristin said?" Jill asked. Liz knew what she was getting at. "Yes. That was all, but I understand there is more," having talked with Kristin about Keith's need to call Jill directly. "I think that was about all she knew." "Oh," Jill said disappointed. Liz hated to not say more, but she wasn't sure when Keith could call back and didn't want to build Jill's hopes up. ------- Dinner was over, and Katharine's children were ganging up on their mother. They wanted to stay another night. No one was much help to her cause. Annabelle and Julie were going back with Millie, Bruce, and Brian. That left plenty of extra room. The suggestion came up that Katharine could also spend the night and her children took that idea and ran the gamut, until she relented and gave in. All that time, Richard and I were outside with Larry and his brother. We came up with a tentative plan, a two-story structure with a four bedrooms on each floor. One bedroom on each floor would have a separate bath; the other three would share one. Larry looked at his brother and said that they could bring something to look at in two days. We wanted to get on this as soon as possible, so that sounded good to us. In any case it was decided that the old structure needed to come down. Larry would organize some men. What we'd need to provide was lunch. We said that should be no problem. Both Richard and I knew, from the reaction we got earlier, the gals didn't like that hazard. To make lunch to get it taken down, was practically a given. With that taken care of, I was ready to take them home. Katharine said she needed a ride into town to pick up some things and she could drive us in. Richard was taking Brian, Millie, Bruce, Annabelle, and Julie. With the state Brian was in and the room he took, there wasn't room for Barbara to come along. They were sharing a long goodbye as we got into the car and headed out. Katharine, with directions, made it to the house to drop off Larry and his brother. It was then that I handed him an envelope. He looked at it and tried to hand it back. "You were very helpful today. You deserve this." "Only doing what I thought I could. More than happy to." "Larry, you missed work and that means pay. Above that, you made people in this town feel comfortable. I may be a hero in some eyes, but when it comes to treasure, people get wild. You helped calm that. Don't underestimate what you do." Larry blushed, "Thanks, but it is still not necessary." "Yes it is and don't feel you owe us anything when you are looking at what it costs to build that place. You need to make a living at what you love to do." Larry and his brother smiled at that, "We would rather be doing that." "Well, I know of another house you might just be asked to build as well." "Really?" Larry said. "Yes. First get me these plans and well talk more." I got back into the car and noticed Katharine was just looking at me. "You bring out the best in people, you know that?" I had to laugh, "You just haven't seen my bad side yet. I don't think I have this cast on because I was so well liked." Katharine laughed along with me, "You have a point there." We drove to the hotel. She needed to gather things. I said I needed to make a phone call. I needed to think before I picked up the phone. I was worried about Jill and her reaction. She was wanted, wanted very much. Would her mother, not thinking she needed to live with her any longer, do damage to Jill? I didn't know. I passed back and forth down the dusty sidewalk before picking up the phone. The operator connected me to the school. I recognized the voice immediately. "Grace, what are you doing there so late?" "Keith? Is that Keith Patterson, the one responsible for pulling my star teacher away from me and causing me to work these long hours," she said in mock anger. "As I live and breath, it is I," responding and making her laugh. "Mrs. Walker told me you were a ham. After the incident with hanging up on Daisy, I've learned the switchboard. I am assuming you called to talk to your sister and not me." "Liz always said you were the perceptive one," I replied. Grace laughed and I then heard some clicking, then ringing. "Hello," Liz answered. "Have I reached Miss Paterson's residence," I said in a high pitched voice. "Why yes you have. May I help you?" Liz answered, with a question in her voice. "Are you the same the darling that would be traveling to Carp soon," I said in the same voice, and then in my regular voice, added, "to see his brother?" "Keith! You..." I laughed. "Is Jill there? I thought I should talk with her about coming back." "No problems, are there?" "Not as far as I'm concerned, but I got the impression she was concerned and I want her to know what is going on, so she won't be anxious about anything." "Thank you Keith. She'd downstairs. I'll have Tiffany get her." ------- Jill had not wanted to hang around the room much longer and had pulled Laura out the door. In reality she was fraught with concern about returning to Carp and not hearing anything positive, she needed to have her mind occupied with something else. Down in the main room on the first floor, Jill immediately got Laura, Sue and Betty, who were down there as well, involved in a board game. The utter concentration Jill was giving the game scared the rest of them. They were having a hard time keeping up. It was no surprise then when Tiffany ran down and called out from the stairs that they didn't hear her. Tiffany smiled subtly. This was an opportunity she couldn't resist. In a very loud voice that stopped everyone, Tiffany said, "Jill, your boyfriend is on the phone." The whole room looked at Jill. She looked at Tiffany, quite perplexed as she thought, 'my boyfriend?' Tiffany repeated, "Jill, come quick. Your boyfriend, Keith, is on the phone." As soon as Jill heard it was Keith on the phone, she didn't think of another thing. As she jumped up she caught the edge of the board and the game pieces went flying. Everyone in the room was snickering as Jill ran as fast as she could, past Tiffany, and up the stairs two at a time. Bursting in the door, she practically grabbed the phone out of Liz's hand. "Keith, is that you?" Jill panted, out of breath from running up the stairs. "Yes Jill, catch your breath for heavens sakes." Jill fell into the chair by the phone, "I'm sorry," she started and then began to cry as her emotions swept over her. I wasn't sure I was ready for this task, but there was no way to stop now. "Jill," I said softly. "Yes," she said, sniffled, and then added, "I'm sorry for crying." "I know you are worried about coming back," I paused. "When you left here, it was rather traumatic." Jill had tried to compose herself. It wasn't working as well as she'd like and her voice was broken as she replied, "I just need. I want..." "Jill, I talked to your mother about your coming back." "You did?" "If you remember, she gave me the opportunity to take care of you." "Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten about that." She paused and then added, "What did she say?" "She wants to talk with you, tell you about herself. I think you will end up having the mother you'd like to, in the end, if you let it happen." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Jill, has your life been what you would call normal?" "Defiantly not, especially when you compare it to the girls around here." "But, you have found that you are indeed special, in spite, or because of that, haven't you?" "Keith, thank you for saying that." "Jill, when you come back, you are staying out here. I want you here. I hope you don't mind." "With you?" "Well," I chuckled, "You'll have to ask Robin about that, but here at the house." Jill laughed at my joking, "Keith!" "Then you'll come, live here with us? It is where Liz will be, as well as Laura, Tiffany, and Vicki." "Are you sure?" Jill said, wondering where everyone would fit. "Jill, let me make this very clear. You are very wanted." There was silence on the phone and I thought I might have gone too far. "Keith," Jill was crying, "I'm happy to know that. Yes, yes I want to be there with everyone. Tell me this is what my mother wants. I just don't understand." "Jill, you will when you start talking to her. I think you will find she isn't going to be thinking of you, or talking to you, like a little girl any longer." "What did you do to her?" Jill asked, amazed. I laughed, "Jill, when you listen to her, start to realize, I think you will understand. Life will be good for you. I believe that." "You're almost making me want to come back." "Good, I for one want to see you back." There was a sharp intake of air, I recognised it and knew she was blushing. "Keith, is there really going to be room for all of us?" "I hope so. Maybe not as soon as you arrive, but shortly after that. I don't have all the answers yet, but I'll know before you leave, so you'll know what to look forward to." "I'm already starting to look forward to it." We said a few other pleasantries to each other, made a time to call back, said we loved each other and hung up. Jill felt grand as she looked over at Liz. "I'm going home and it sounds good." Liz smiled, hugged Jill and said, "That's great, you'll need to tell me all about it, but first, I think you left everyone downstairs rather rapidly. They will wonder what happened to you." "Oh yes! We were playing a game," Jill said and ran out the door. She didn't remember how she left, the game spilling on the floor, or even the snickers from the other girls. That was Jill, the worried girl; she was now in a much different place. As Jill bounded down the stairs and into the room, the chatter stopped. Most of the girls were looking at this perfectly radiant girl, smile on her face, make her way over to Sue, Betty, Laura, and Tiffany. Tiffany had come over to the girls, helped them pick up the game and set it up as it were, or best as they could remember. "It looks like, from that glow on your face Jill, your boyfriend said the right thing." Tiffany poked fun at her. Jill remembered then Tiffany's comments and laughed, deciding to play along. "Yes he did, he's just a dream you know." Saying in a loud enough voice to carry then changing her tone to one of seriousness, she added, "It's just too bad he's married." Several girls gasp, and then realized it was all a joke when Tiffany started laughing. When the game was started again, Tiffany didn't leave. She was just as curious as the rest and wanted to know what Keith had said. ------- I hung up the phone and noticed Katharine there, close enough to hear my conversation. I wondered what part she'd heard, as it might have sounded a bit strange not knowing Jill and hearing half a conversation. "Are you ready?" I asked. "Yes, let me get the bags into the car." I thought it was odd that she hadn't done so before, waiting for me. A minute later she was driving us back out. As soon as we were out of town and before the curve, she pulled off and turned off the car. "I think we need to talk," Katharine said. "Ok," I replied, feeling a bit apprehensive, wondering what she had in mind. "Keith, someone would have to be blind not to see what was going on here." "I'm not sure I'm following you, could you be a bit more specific?" "Mildred and I have had many talks. She knows what is going on with Daisy. I guess Daisy has confided in her though. I want to know why?" "Daisy and me? Is that what you are talking about?" "Keith, I get the feeling it is more than just Daisy. I do want to know if you and Daisy were, how do I say this, together, before I met you? Was that all an act?" "No, that was not an act and no we had not been together before that." "But you did, I mean there, in the hotel?" "Before I answer that Katharine, I'd like to know why you are so interested. Then I'll tell you the truth." Katharine looked out the window and we sat in silence for a minute. "When my husband died, I felt my world had collapsed. I had three children at home and no husband." I felt the emotion of her words; the shock of that experience was still just as alive now as it was then. I let her go at her own pace telling me what she wanted to say. "Then, suddenly I had more money than I knew what to do with. It helped ease my mind about the future. It's also not any substitute for a husband. Money does not love you. Having a lot of money makes people love you, for all the wrong reasons. I think you know how I react to that." I did, remembering how she thought Daisy and I were after her money in Redding. "Keith, I've seen more love in this, I don't know what you'd call it, extended family, than I've seen in a lot of marriages. I think I want what these others have. But I don't know what all of it is, how it all works. That's what I want to know Keith." I wasn't sure how I was going to tell her I hadn't looked at her in that way; her daughters on the other hand might be possibilities in a few years. This of course might be a mute point after I tell her everything, so first things first. "I understand, at least I think I do. Let me first explain how this all came about..." I told her about driving into this town, falling for Robin. Then I decided to go all out and admit to her about Kristin. She didn't seem surprised. I then went on about Robin's feeling how Kristin was part of our life. I skipped over a few things, but told her more in detail about Daisy. That led into how Robin feels about 'sharing' me. This is when she stopped me, she didn't say anything, but put her and on my arm. I was thinking, 'oh no.' "Keith, It is more than Kristin and Daisy, isn't it?" I nodded. "I get the impression with Richard there is the same thing going on, but only with Dora." "Yes that is right." "Do you think..." 'Here is comes, ' I thought. "Richard might be interested..." "Richard!" She looked hurt. "Oh God, Katharine I'm sorry. Now I feel embarrassed." "Why?" "I thought, I mean..." She started a smile on her face realizing, "You thought this was about you." "Yes," I said feeling foolish. "Richard is a pretty nice guy too." Katharine smiled. "Katharine, he is very nice. I'm just a bit surprised." "That it's not you?" She teased. "No, that you would be interested." "You don't think I'd be interested in love? Especially the kind I see here?" "There is the sex too." Katharine laughed, "I don't seem that old, do I?" "Maybe I should explain some of those details." Her eyes got big, "Oh." "We've had some..." "Orgies?" Now my turn to look shocked. She laughed at me. "Yes as a matter of fact, orgies. They've involved just about everyone." "Everyone? Lets see, you and Robin, Kristin, Mary, Beth Ann, Richard and Katy, Dora. Oh yes and Daisy. Did I miss anyone?" "Yes a few." She looked at me puzzled and then I could see her face start to grasp the realization of possibilities, with who else lived there. "Jimmy?" I nodded. "Stephanie? Not little Stephanie." "I nodded again. "Keith, she's younger than Elizabeth!" "I didn't promote it," I said in defence. "But you didn't stop it either, did you?" "No. She's in love with me. I couldn't deny her." "I see," Katharine said with a sigh. "So what you're saying is that if I joined your little group, my daughters would then become subject to..." "No!" I cut her off. "You should know, no one does anything without consent. Robin has to give her ok, before anyone can do something with me. Each person has to want it for it to happen." "Then when you and Stephanie. I mean no one else jumped in..." "It is not a fuck fest. It is a love time. Yes someone else joined Stephanie, Robin did. She kissed her and made her feel special." "So my daughters wouldn't be expected to do anything?" "They couldn't, not with me, unless Robin said so. Then it would be only if and what they wanted to. The problem is they'd see. They'd know. It is hard to keep all that secret." "I see what you mean. If Richard wanted me and we got together, then they'd see that." "It would be more than that Katharine. If you and Richard got together, we'd want you out at the house. This isn't a convenience thing, it is loving. I don't like to be away from the people I love any more than I have to. Now, if you and your children came to live with us, then they would see, at some point, an orgy go on. There is no way to prevent that and you need to know that." "But there would be no force." "Never." Things started to click. "Katharine, are you asking this because of Jack?" She looked out the window for a bit and then turned to me. "Keith, I need love. I've been without for too long. Long enough to get myself into trouble. I got into trouble with Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca. I got scared. I felt forced." "They have a different way of doing things. It seems to work for them." "I hope you don't think badly of me, but Rebecca..." "The two of you?" She nodded. "And you felt good," I said as a statement, not a question. She nodded again. "It was just sex." "The orgies we have are sex, lots of it, but everyone in that room loves each other. They would never hurt. You heard me talking to Jill." "Yes, she's another one, isn't she?" "Jill was raped. She's had a difficult time. I don't know if you knew it, but she's Rebecca's child. But before your mind goes to far, what Rebecca does had nothing to go with Jill. She doesn't know anything about that side of her mother." Katharine was shocked at what I was saying. "Jill needed love, she was desperate for it. Desperate enough to come out during one of our orgies, nude, and offer herself to me." "What happened?" "She was taken back to bed. Katharine, she needed love then, without sex. She needed to know she was loved for herself, especially from males. Now don't get me wrong, she's lovely, beautiful in fact. I'd love to spend time in bed with her, but only if and when it is right." I noticed a tear drop from Katharine's eye and travel down her cheek. Reaching up, I brushed it off. Our eyes met. "Scared, aren't you?" I asked. She nodded. "I know I don't have to tell you that both your daughters like me, but that doesn't mean... Pamela was the same way; she was determined to do what Stephanie had done. She was doing it for all the wrong reasons. Robin and I were placed as her guardian. There were many other complications so it didn't happen for her and now, I think she's glad. She and Jimmy are quite taken with each other." "They're so young." "Yes, but in Carp, this is what they have known. It doesn't seem strange or out of place to them. It is only our looking in on what they have grown up with, wanting to change how they have always done things that would be out of place." "So you're saying my daughters are safe?" I chuckled. "Katharine, if you asked Daisy, she might be more worried about me, than your daughters. Then there is your son. You know I'm quite taken with him. I hope I have a son with as much spunk." Katharine laughed, "He thinks you are pretty special. It has been very good to have you around him. I appreciate that." She started the car, looked at me one more before starting off again. "Tell me one more thing Keith," "Anything I can." "How do I get Richard to notice me? I mean how do I go about this?" "I think it is the same for Richard as it is me. Approach him through Katy." "You mean Katy and I have to..." I smiled, thinking of that. She looked over, as I didn't answer right away and slapped my arm for the look on my face. "Keith, seriously." "Are you apposed to the idea?" I asked. "I said that Rebecca and I, but that was the first time," she said stammering. "Katharine, I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know who will." "Who, you need to tell someone else?" she sounded apprehensive. "Robin is my wife and her daughter." "Oh, yes I see, that makes sense." ------- Jack had seen Katharine come back to the hotel. He was hopping to talk to her, to try and explain. It still bothered him. Hearing the noise out in the hallway, he was surprised to see her going down the stairs, luggage in hand. This was not the right time, obviously. Waiting for a moment, he walked down and looked out the front window. Seeing her standing near Keith and his car, Jack turned and walked back upstairs. He could talk to Keith; maybe he would have a way to approach her. Jack felt the need to smooth things over, if only for his own conscious. Rebecca was waiting for him in the room. "What did she say? Is she coming over? Rebecca asked in anticipation. "I didn't get to talk with her. It looks like she's going out to the Mansion for the night." "Oh," Rebecca said in disappointment. "I hope she's not mad at what I did." "I don't think that is the case, if I remember, you two enjoyed yourself. It was Cynthia and myself who are to blame and I want to make it right." Rebecca smiled at him. "You know what I'd like?" "What?" he said, starting to undo his shirt. She stopped his undressing. "Take me out to where we're going to have a house and make love to me." Jack smiled. "First you need to be dressed, or is that undressed for the part." Rebecca gasp as he laid out what she could wear; what others might see, if they just looked, as they exited the hotel. It was unlikely, but the danger was there, and so was the excitement. ------- As soon as Katharine and I arrived, Elizabeth and Kristina were anxious about where their mother would be sleeping. I knew the reason for this as Stephanie had told me of the late night trip the girls had made down the stairs the night before to listen to Daisy, Robin, and myself. "Girls," I said, "bedtime isn't for a bit, unless you are ready now?" I knew that would do it, they stopped all talk of sleeping arrangements and made themselves scarce. This gave me the opportunity to disappear as well. Katharine saw me going and then saw me tug on Robin, to follow. I'm sure she was on pins and needles, wondering what I was going to say, what could happen. When I explained everything to Robin, she brought Kristin in, who brought Mary in, who then brought Beth Ann in. After a bit of discussion, Dora was brought in, and finally Katy. It was rather amusing in a way, as they had one by one just disappeared. In the end, sitting in the front room, were Richard and Katharine. Richard looked around, listened, and then said, "Where did everyone go?" "I'm not sure," Katharine said nervously. "You're shaking, what's wrong?" Katharine didn't want to look at Richard; she was afraid, maybe even a bit ashamed of the want she was feeling. Her reluctance of not talking, made him guess something was troubling her. Richard moved over and put his arm around her. "I'm sure it will be alright." Katharine looked up at him just as the others came into the room. "Well this looks cosy," Katy said. Katharine nearly jumped back, away from Richard, but to her surprise, Katy sat down, trapping her next to Richard. "I was just..." Katharine started to say. "We were thinking," Dora said as though changing the subject, "that the kids needed to get to bed soon. Then Kristin, Beth Ann, and Mary have a college game they wanted us to play." "That sounds like fun," I said, playing along. "Yes it does," Katharine said in relief. "Where am I going to sleep by the way?" "You want to know already?" I answered with a little grin. Katharine took the double meaning I had said, blushed, and shook her head. The first order of business was to find them all. Jimmy and Kenneth were in the kitchen looking for food. Stephanie, Elizabeth, Kristina, and Barbara were on the second floor, looking very guilty when we found them. All of them groaned about going to bed, until I told the girls I'd be in to kiss them goodnight. Katharine followed the girls up to see the bedroom. She could see how it was a bit small as Stephanie pointed out, having four girls in one room. When Kenneth and Jimmy entered the room next door, and Katharine could see them through the adjoining doorway, she was very surprised. Walking over into the next room, she saw the boy's room. She had more surprises in store, when Jimmy just dropped his pants and changed right in front of her, as though it was no big deal. It wasn't for him, but it was for her. Katharine went back over into the girl's room. They had all changed as well and were now on their beds. I knocked, heard giggles, opened the door and poked my head in. "Are you ready?" I said. I got a resounding, "Yes!" Katharine was amused at the girl's enthusiasm. I looked at Katharine standing there and wondered what she'd think of this, and what her daughters would do differently with her mother there. Stephanie wanted to be first, I kind of guessed why. She was showing off. Her hands wrapped around my neck, she pulled her body close to me and then I felt her legs wrap around my waist. She was being noisy as well. I felt her tongue, as it speared into my mouth. She was satisfied and let me go as soon as she felt the bulge in my pants. I was going to have to talk with her about that. Barbara was on the same bed as her, she already had her arms out for me. She pressed herself into me, just as Stephanie had, tilted her head to kiss me and then made contact. I saw her eyes pop open when she realized what that lump was she'd just pressed herself against. I didn't give her a chance to say anything. I kissed her quickly. As she pulled back, she looked down, then over to Stephanie, who had a grin on her face. Not wanting to turn around and let Katharine see my front, I moved myself over to the other bed quickly. Elizabeth wasn't to be outdone, or denied. She nearly knocked me over as she jumped into my lap, making me sit on the bed. She took hold of my face and pulled me forward for a kiss. I felt her lips open and her tongue lick across my lips. She pulled back with a devilish grin on her face. I glanced up at Katharine, as Elizabeth climbed off, only to be replaced with Kristina. Katharine's eyebrows were raised, looking at me, but she didn't say a word. Kristina was a bit more hesitant, that made it just that more special, and erotic. She took my hand and placed it on her side. Then she put her hands around my neck and wiggled her fingers into my hair, pulling me ever closer to her face. She had an angelic look on her face, until the point we were close enough together, our vision was just ours. Then she stuck her tongue out and back in quickly, gave an impish grin. Then kissed me. I opened my mouth and she followed suit. Soon I felt her tongue. "I think that's enough Kristina," we heard Katharine say. She pulled back from me and had a smile of satisfaction on her face. I was afraid to stand at that point. Katharine would have no doubt of my erect state that I was sure all the girls felt. Luckily for me, the boys ran in, diverting any attention from me. As Katharine looked over to them, I got up, and adjusted myself as best as I could. "Are you going to come in Keith?" Kenneth asked. I bent over, hiding my 'problem' and put out my movable arm, reaching out my hand in a grasping manner. "Of course I am, I love to get my hands on boys your size." I said in a crackling voice. Kenneth yelped, laughed, and the boys ran into the room with me right behind them. I hugged and tickled them both. Katharine tucked Kenneth in and we left. "That was quite a show. Done for my benefit?" Katharine asked. "I'd have to say so. They were a bit carried away tonight." "I didn't see you stop them, in fact, it looked like you enjoyed every moment of it. At least that's what your pants showed." I knew I looked guilty. Katharine laughed as we walked down the stairs. "I think I would have been shocked out of my mind, but you have been rather honest with me. Both how you feel and what my darling daughters have been up to. They do seem a bit more ready to learn that I ever thought they were." We were on the second floor landing. Katharine stopped me. "Tell me what's going on, what's this game?" "It's an ice breaker. That's about all I can say, cause to tell you the truth, that's all I know. I'm not sure what is cooked up, but just remember, you should feel free and love. Never pressure from any of us." Katharine nodded. I took her hand and led her down the stairs. Everyone was in the library. The chairs had been removed but it was still a tight fit. Kristin got up, once we were there and said in an official sounding voice, "Let the game begin!" ------- Chapter 67 I found it rather amusing. Kristin, Beth Ann, and Mary, were trying their best to make up this game from their imagination alone. It was loosely based on a typical college game though. It was not much of a game, but it had a purpose. This purpose was to get everyone naked. Most of the college games I'd seen were to get drunk. Similar idea, but this one had a better outcome. The only two people in the room, who didn't know what was going on, were Richard and Katharine. The real game, was to try and see how far we could take this, before they found out we were all in on this. Katy walked out. Just a few minutes later she came back with a Monopoly game board, tokens, and a set of dice. "Where are the deed cards, and the money?" I asked. "And the Chance, and Community Chest?" Richard added. "Oh," Kristin said quickly, "just give us a minute. We're going to come up with all of those. They will be special for this game, but we aren't going to use money." "Special?" Richard asked. "No money?" Katharine queried. "Whoever lands on the place first, gets it," Kristin explained. "That will make the game go faster." I looked over to Katharine. I think she was catching a clue, but she wasn't about to say a word. Beth Ann, Mary, and Kristin, ran into the next room. They had the game board in their hands. They were gone long enough for me to wonder if I should try and play something on the piano. Of course, that was a pretty silly thought, considering one arm was still in a cast. We chatted, mostly about what the gals were up to. When they came back in, with sly smiles on their faces, we knew something was up. Monopoly, apparently, had taken on a whole new meaning. The girls had made cards out of paper, for each of the properties. But instead of real estate, they represented everyone's clothing. There were nine of us. It was amusing to see what they had chosen. There are twenty-two properties, four rail lines, and two utilities, in a normal Monopoly game. We looked at what they had put around the board. Kristin had the first two purple blocks: her blouse, and then her skirt. Katy had the three light blue blocks: her blouse, skirt, and bra. Robin had the dark red. Again, hers was her blouse, skirt, and bra. Mary had the orange; with her blouse, skirt, and bra. Dora took the red; with the same order of blouse, skirt, and bra. Beth Ann was yellow; with her blouse, skirt, and bra. I looked over to see the reaction. I saw the green was Katharine; with her blouse, skirt, and bra on the block. She was as fascinated, as I think everyone else was. The utilities were designated to Kristin, who only had two spaces. The 'Electric Company' was her bra. 'Waterworks' was, appropriately, her panties. The four railroads had been divided up on opposite sides. Two went to Richards's shirt and pants, and two to mine. That left the two dark blue; Park Place, and Boardwalk. Park Place listed my underwear. Boardwalk, was Richard's underwear. I looked over to Kristin. She had a very satisfied smile on her face. We didn't get to see what the Chance or Community Chest cards were. I could only guess. "So, how do we play?" Richard asked, obviously interested. "We land on a property. But instead of buying it, we just get it," Kristin said. "And we give the articles of clothing, to whomever lands on it?" Katharine asked, with some trepidation. "Well," Mary interjected, "It can be played two ways. The buyer either gets the 'property' right away; or they have to wait until they get all of them, making a 'monopoly'. But then, the person looses everything all at once." "But it is a lot harder to get all the pieces, isn't it?" Katharine said. "Yes. Now of course, anyone can trade properties with another player, to try and get that Monopoly," Beth Ann added. "I see how that could work," Katharine said. It looked like we were going to play the 'wait until someone got a Monopoly'. It seemed to make Katharine at ease. Fortunately, she didn't ask about the other cards. We all chose tokens. There weren't enough, so we made some up. Richard rolled first. Things looked normal. We were all collecting 'property' the first time around. The second time around, Mary got the second purple, making it a 'monopoly'. "I guess that's fair. 'Cause if someone gets two railroads, the guys will have to strip," Kristin said. Of course, Kristin didn't need much encouragement in the first place. She took off her blouse and skirt, and dropped them in Mary's lap. "They belong to you, now," she said. As much as I loved looking at my sister, I was watching Katharine's reaction. The little smile on her face, told me a lot. I decided to stop worrying, and have fun with the game. Katy rolled, and landed on Chance. She was the first person to do so. We waited in anticipation, to see what these cards held. Katy picked up the card, and looked at it. Her eyes grew as she glanced at Kristin, who had made those cards up. "Well, what does it say?" I asked. "It says: 'Suck Keith's big toe... '" then she added, "'like it was his dick.'" I smiled, and put my foot across the board. Katy took my foot in her hands, and lowered her mouth to my toe. Her tongue came out, and she licked it. I had to try and suppress the ticklishness of it. Then Katy sucked it into her mouth. She was doing a good job, and making me hot. She could suck my toe, anytime. "That's enough," Kristin said. Katy looked up, with a big smile on her face. I think we were all wondering what those other cards held. We all went around the board another time. I was the lucky one that landed on Community Chest. Before any comments were made, I quickly picked up my card, and read it out loud. "Bearer is entitled to any chest in this community, for 'Hands on Inspection'." I couldn't help but laugh. I looked over to Robin, and winked. To my amazement Robin shook her head. Next, my eyes fell to Beth Ann. "Come here, Darling," I said to her. On her knees, she moved to me. My hands went under her shirt. Everyone could see my hands reach around her back, then her bra becoming free. There wasn't much imagination needed, to know where my hands went next. I found her nipples already rock hard. As soon as she moaned, Kristin said, "I think you've inspected enough." There were only four properties left on the board at this point: the two utilities, Park Place, and Boardwalk. One problem I saw, that Kristin hadn't anticipated, was that Katharine had one of her own pieces. Then I saw a solution to that. She had one of Richard's, and so did I. I didn't have any other of Katharine's pieces, but I wanted the blouse card she had, for Beth Ann. "Katharine? I'll make a trade with you." "What?" she asked. "I want two cards from you, for one that I have. That will give you a Monopoly." She scanned her cards, then mine, to see what I was talking about. Her eyes widened, as she realized which one she would be getting. With the two 'Richard' cards, he would be reduced to his underwear. She looked at me. I could see the hunger in her eyes, and knew I had her. "I want your skirt card, and Beth Ann's blouse card, for it." She swallowed hard, realizing what she was doing. Richard looked at me, as he figured out what I was trading. I had a hard time not breaking out into laugher. We made the trade. I then traded a card with Mary, getting a second of Katharine's cards. Then I said, "Richard, you have two cards that I want." They were Robin's, I didn't have the third, but that didn't matter. "It will cost you," he said. "Especially after what you traded to Katharine." "How about these two," I said, holding up her two cards. He had the third. "Yes, those will trade nicely." "I think it's time for me to roll," I said. As the dice landed, I glanced over to Katharine. She was staring at me, finally realizing what I had just done. I winked at her, and she blushed. Her turn was next. She handed the cards to Richard. He stood. He pulled off his shirt, and dropped his pants. "These are yours, now," he said, stepping over and dropping them into Katharine's lap. She looked up. She was just about eye level with his crotch. The effect wasn't lost on anyone in the room, especially Richard. The twitch inside his underwear was plainly seen. The start of his growth was unmistakable. He sat down quickly. He was a little embarrassed at that point, by what he had done in front of her. Dora wanted to trade with Mary, and then with Robin. Mary didn't care. But Robin wanted the railroad card (my card), as she had the other one. What Dora ended up with, was a Monopoly for Katy. Dora handed them to her. Katy smiled, got up, and did a nice slow strip. She was left in her panties, but there was an unmistakable wet spot showing. Dropping her clothes into Dora's lap, she said, "They're yours, now." Katy sat down, and as it was her turn now, looked over her holdings. The object of this game was to undress, not get paper. She offered Kristin the single Dora cards she had for one Mary card that would give Katy a monopoly. It wasn't a fair trade, but in this game that wasn't the point. Kristin handed it over and Katy gave Mary the cards. Mary's show was steamy. I think she wasn't the only one who had a wet spot on her panties when she finally sat down. She tossed her clothes over to Katy. "Here. I don't need these, any longer," she said with a smile. Richard was next, he picked up the monopoly he had, and handed them to Katharine. She glanced over to me. I winked at her again, trying to give her confidence. She stood, unbuttoned, and then unzipped. She dropped her skirt, kicking it behind her. The blouse still covered her, but made her look sexy as anything. Katharine then slowly started unbuttoning her blouse. I think she was being shy, but the effect was rather potent, and very titillating. She slipped her blouse off, and it fell to the floor behind her. It was plain to see her state of arousal. Her bra dropped to the floor, flung on top of her blouse. Everyone else might have been looking at her, but her eyes were on Richard. He didn't disappoint her. He licked his lips, seeing her hard nipples. I was thinking, 'She thought about this, and it was done on purpose.' Katharine turned around and bent over to pick up her clothes, giving us quite a view. I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who noticed she was smooth. Even with her panties still on, I could see that she had no hair down there. She turned back around and was beet red, but stepped over the board. Her skirt handed in his lap, the blouse across his legs, but the bra was draped over his head. "These are yours, now," she said. Richard couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. He looked over to Katy, who was smiling at him. As Katharine sat down, the game continued. It was two turns later when Richard rolled, and moved. But I don't think his mind, at that point, was on the board. That ended his turn. Robin handed me my cards. I stepped in front of her, and pulled my shirt off. Then I took her hands, and guided them to remove my pants. As I turned to sit down, everyone could see the tent in my boxers. Robin then rolled. For the first time for anyone, she landed on Go to Jail. Robin turned to Kristin, "How do I get out?" Kristin smiled, "You have two ways. Wait three turns, or..." "Or what?" "We shave your pussy clean." Katharine's eyes lit up, hearing this. She wanted to know the reaction. Robin laughed, "And who gets to do this?" "That is of your choosing. Whoever you choose; has to shave you." "I want Katharine to shave me," Robin said. I had a hard time not laughing. Katharine was in shock, I think. "You do? Why?" "Aren't you the nurse?" Robin asked as innocently as could be. "I figured you would know how to do it best." "That's not fair," Mary said. "Robin would have to strip." Kristin had a perplexed look on her face, as she tried to figure a way out of this one. "Maybe she has to do so at the end of the game," I suggested. "Yes, that sounds great," Mary said excitedly. I had my suspicions Mary wanted to land in jail also. Robin took pen and paper and wrote an IOU, for a shaving, and it bailed her out of jail. It was back to my turn. I traded my Beth Ann card to Kristin, for the Robin card she had. That gave me all three. I presented Robin with them. She looked at me, and batted her eyes. After dropping her skirt, she sat down on my lap, facing me. She pulled her top and bra off, wiggling into me the entire time. She was enjoying the tease as the hard protrusion rubbed at her. As soon as I couldn't stand it anymore, I pulled her mouth to mine, and kissed her. "I think you're turn is done, Brother," Kristin said. She picked up the die, and rolled. It handed on Boardwalk, Richard's underwear. Everyone looked at Kristin, to see what she was going to do. Dora had been thinking, all along. She had another idea up her sleeve. "Kristin, I'll give my card to you," she said, holding up the Beth Ann card that would give Kristen a monopoly, "if you open it up and let us bid on who gets that." "That sounds like fun. Ok," Kristin said. "First let's take care of business." Dora handed Kristin the card. Kristin presented Beth Ann the monopoly. Robin was still on my lap, but Beth Ann came over, and stood right in front of us. She took off her blouse, and then reached behind me to drop it, running her breasts across my head. She took off her bra and did the same, this time giving them a wiggle in my face. As her skirt came down, she turned around and stepped to each side of the fallen fabric. With her legs spread wide, she bent over and picked it up. When she sat back down, Robin said, "Thanks, you made him give me something firmer to ride." I blushed, while everyone else laughed. "Now, we aren't using money, so we need to use our clothing to outbid each other," Kristin said. "And no, Richard, you can't bid." We all laughed. Kristin got pen and paper for each of us. I don't know what anyone else was doing, but I pretended to write something, but folded up a blank piece of paper and gave it to her with my name on the outside. As soon as Kristin collected them all, she opened them up. As I was sitting next to her, I could see, every piece was blank, except one. She turned it over to look at the name, and then looked at me. "Don't you agree Keith, this is the winning bid?" "Yes. I agree." Katharine had written: panties. "Katharine, you've won." "What did she bid?" Richard wanted to know. "The same thing you are going to loose," Kristin replied. Katharine was bright red. Richard was looking like he had no idea what was going on. I was glad he was as clueless as I was, at times. That is, when it came to dealing with women. "It looks like you get each others underwear. I suggest you take what is yours, now," I said with a smile. Katharine looked at me in surprise. But I thought at this point, that she was very ready, and wasn't about to back down. Richard stood, and held out his hand for her. They stood right over the top of the game board. Both reaching for the other, they collided. "I think that's a great idea," Katy said. "Take them off at the same time. That was easier said than done. As they pulled down, they got closer and closer to each other until their heads, then necks, then bodies were touching. Richard couldn't deny enjoying the feeling of Katharine's breasts against his skin. Then one problem occurred. Richard was stiff. That was making it harder for Katherine to get his boxers off. "Katharine, you're just going to have to reach in and move it, or they'll never come down," Katy said. Katharine looked over to me. I nodded. This was the ok from Katy that Katherine needed. Leaving the waistband, Katharine's hands quickly moved inside. Richard gasped, as he felt her hands around his shaft. He wasn't going to be outdone. He reached inside and slid his hand down her pussy. His hands were feeling smooth skin all the way down. The sensations were too much for her, and her knees started to buckle. Richard had to try and hold her. His hand instinctively cupped the soft flesh between her legs with one hand, his other quickly reaching around, grabbing her ass. She leaned forward and rested her head into his body. This set him off balance. They came down, thankfully slowly, to the floor. "Wow! That looked like fun," I said, trying to make light of what just happened. Katharine was blushing. Richard looked over at me, and grinned. Then he looked at Katy and mouthed, 'is this ok?' She nodded, trying not to smile too much. His hand was trapped between Katharine's legs at this point. He couldn't help himself and wiggled them. This sent little shock waves through Katharine. At that point, she realized she had had an orgasm that literally took her off her feet. It had been so long, since she had been with a man, she hadn't recognized it. "Well," Kristin said, "Are you two going to get up? We do have a game to play." All of us laughed at that. The game was quickly losing our interest, as other things were taking over. Once straightened up, everyone was looking, as Katharine and Richard were the first to lose everything. Katharine felt a bit self-conscious, as she was shaven. "Is that what I'm going to look like?" Robin asked. "It will make me look like I'm 10 years old." She was still on me and felt my dick jerk at her comment. She looked into my eyes and said, "You like that idea, don't you?" I just smiled, she already knew the answer. Mary rolled and landed on Chance. She smiled as she picked up the card. Then her face lit up as she read it to us. "Go to jail." Then she cocked her head and asked, "Does this mean I get to be shaved too?" "It sure does," Kristin said, "Now write out an IOU, and put who you want to do the shaving on it also. Then give it to them. Robin, do that with yours, as well." Katharine watched, and knew Robin's would be coming to her. Katherine was shocked, when Mary handed hers to her, as well. Beth Ann rolled and landed on Water Works. "Damn. Just two short," Beth Ann said. That made all of us look at her. Beth Ann was blushing, as we realized she wanted to go to jail, too. "Beth Ann, no one had landed on that yet. The card is yours." I said. She picked it up and looked at Kristin with a smile. It was Kristin's panties card. Beth Ann simply handed it to her. Kristin stood. She was the only gal to have a bra still on, along with her panties. She took hold of the waistband in front and back, pulling the material into her crotch. Then she slowly lowered her panties. As soon as they dropped to her knees, she pulled them off, walked over to Beth Ann and held them in front of her face, inches from her nose. "They're yours, take them." Beth Ann grasped them quickly, blushing. I noticed Katharine was taking this all in, but didn't seem repulsed. Quite the opposite, she seemed intrigued by the interchange. It was her turn next. She rolled, and landed on COMMUNTIY CHEST. She hesitated to pick the card up. Katy did it for her, and read it out loud. "Choose the person three to your right, or left, and wiggle your chest in their face." Katy smiled, "Oh, that sounds like fun." Katharine counted it out. Kristin, or... Richard. A blush came over her and she didn't move. I moved over to her and whispered in her ear, "No one will say a word, if you want to pass. But I know Richard would enjoy it, and you would too. Look around you, no one is questioning you, they want you to be happy. You deserve that, don't you?" She nodded, and moved in front of Richard. I would have thought she'd just have his head between, them and wiggle them a bit. I guess she decided if she was going to let loose, she'd go all out. Starting with one of her breasts, she moved it all around his face, drawing it closer and closer to his lips. As soon as her nipple ran across them, his mouth started to part. She pulled back, but then started with her other breast. When she was ready to run her nipple across his lips, this time he was ready, as well as being driven out of his mind. His mouth opened and he sucked her nipple in. "Ohh," she said, in a high-pitched voice as her body jerked. "I think you're done," Kristin said, almost laughing. "Richard, you can let go now." Katharine pulled away. Richard had a grin on his face, as though he was a kid who had gotten away with something. Dora rolled, and ended up at free parking. Katy was on the railroad and said, "I need a five." We looked; she was trying to get into jail. All of us smiled. She rolled an eight and landed on Community Chest. Richard was looking forward to this, but then Katy grabbed the card and read it. "Go to jail." We all looked at Kristin. "How many of those cards are there?" I asked. She just gave me a coy little smile. As Katy wrote out her IOU, handing it to Katharine, Richard rolled. He landed on Park Place. I laughed. Mary said that was no fair. Katharine suggested it go up for auction. Richard was all for that. Again little papers were collected. I was curious as to what the turnout would be. Unlike Richard (whom we were all trying to get Katharine as involved with, as possible), I thought there might be some real bidding going on. Kristin gave the papers to Katharine, as she hadn't bid, saying she had no clothes. As she opened the first one up, her eyes bulged, and she looked at Mary. Her reaction, each time she opened a new paper, was priceless. She looked up at us, "I can't decide." Richard got up and as he moved over to her, said, "Well I didn't bid either. I'll help you." She started to look up at him. This time at almost eye level was his dick without the underwear. Her eyes didn't continue up. He responded, and started to harden. He was almost fully erect when Kristin said, "Richard! There will be plenty of time for that later; we want to know who won." Katharine blushed, as Richard sat down next to her, their bodies touching. Richard and Katherine looked through the bids. They pointed and whispered, causing more contact and a constant erection from Richard. Finally, there was a decision made. "It is a tie between Kristin and Robin. So both of you have to do what you said, on your bid," Richard said. "What were they?" Mary wanted to know. "You will see," Katharine said, "both involve things that will happen after they get shaved." "Why didn't I think of that?" Beth Ann said. I laughed and asked if I got to know what it was. I was told, "No." I would just have to wait. Robin and Kristin didn't need anyone prodding them. They got up, and with one on each side of me, pulled me up. Needless to say, I was tenting my boxers. As soon as they started to move them down, my dick popped out of the fly. "Well if you aren't going to cooperate," Kristin said, bending down and talking to my dick, "it will just take longer." Everyone laughed. Robin put her hands underneath my boxers and grabbed my shaft, wiggling it, much to the amusement of the others. Then she pulled it in and held it against me as Kristin quickly yanked my boxers down. Kristin slid my boxers out from under my feet. Robin, still holding my dick said, "You can have those, I'll take this." "You get that anytime you want," Kristin replied, trying her best to put a sad look on her face. Robin laughed. We sat back down, and it was Robin's turn. She rolled. Beth Ann and Dora moaned. "Now what Kristin? I've already been to jail once." Robin said. A smile crept on Kristin's face. "I'll be right back," she said, jumping up. "I have just the thing." Kristin ran up to the second floor. She did it so quickly (as she was in a hurry to get back), that even the creak of the stairs didn't give the young girls a chance to hide. They were caught red handed, up out of their bed, and not where they should have been. To top that off, Kristin caught a glimpse of Jimmy on the stairs, as he retreated to the third floor. "What are you girls doing?" Kristin said. They just stared at her. She realized, at that point, that all she had on was her bra. "I'm a girl, and so are you. Why are you staring, and not answering me? Stephanie, what are you doing?" "We were just..." she darted her eyes, trying to come up with something. "We thought we heard a noise." "Stephanie, you are not telling me the truth, and you know it," Kristin said, stepping forward. The girl turned red with embarrassment. Stephanie stepped back and hit the wall. Her hands, behind her back, dropped something to the floor. Kristin saw it, and shook her head. Stephanie was shaking, not wanting to look down. "All of you, upstairs. If I catch you down here again..." They didn't wait to hear the rest. All of the girls were running up to the third floor. Kristin walked over to where Stephanie had been standing, bent down and took hold of the dildo. Wiping it off with her hands, she almost laughed at the expression on Stephanie's face when she dropped it. She was going to have to talk with that girl. She had a very big smile on her face, when she returned downstairs, holding something behind her. "What was the noise?" I asked. "The girls. They were on the second floor, snooping." Katharine pulled her knees up, and hugged them. I could see hearing this bothered her, and I didn't want her to regress. Dora said it was probably her daughter who started it all, and Kristin acknowledged that. I got the picture where that might lead and wanted to put a stop to it. "I'm going up to have a talk with them." I stood, and everyone looked at me. I smiled and said, "It might be best to put something on, before I did that." It broke the tension, and they laughed. Robin handed me my pants. Kristin whispered that Jimmy had been in the stairwell, spying on the girls. I nodded, and walked upstairs. ------- Jimmy had seen Kristin. He stayed as long as he could. Seeing Kristin from the backside, as she talked to the girls, was mesmerizing. He also knew where it was heading, and that they would be sent upstairs. Jimmy crept up the stairs, trying to go unnoticed. Then all of a sudden the girls came running up, just as he had just reached their door. They saw him! They didn't stop, but kept on pushing him along with them. The force pushed Jimmy onto Elizabeth and Kristina's bed. He sat up, and stammered. "What are you doing in our room?" Elizabeth asked, and then added, "You can get off our bed, now." Jimmy got off the bed, but didn't want to, as he'd have to stand up. After seeing Kristin, in just a bra, he was rock hard. "Look at him!" Kristina said excitedly, pointing to his tented pajamas. "Jimmy," Barbara said, with awe in her voice, "What caused that?" "I ahhh..." "Did we do that to you?" Elizabeth asked with a sly smile on her face. Jimmy looked over to her, and swallowed hard. Stephanie had been able to get her breath back to normal, after the scare she'd gotten, dropping that dildo. With the playfulness she was known for, she said, "I thought only Pamela did that." Jimmy's eyes widened, Stephanie knew better than that. He looked over to her. She had a grin on her face that told him she was just playing games. "Are you going to show it to us?" Stephanie asked. "Or just tease us?" The other girls looked at Stephanie, not believing what they had just heard her say. Then they looked back to Jimmy, wondering if he was going to. I had heard Stephanie's last questions. I could tell by it, that they had not heard me walk to the door. Thinking that Jimmy was getting in over his head, and girls could do that to any guy, I opened the door. Five faces with fearful expressions, greeted me. "Jimmy, I think it's time you went to bed, don't you think?" He didn't answer, but darted out of the room, and into his. I walked over and closed the door. "How come you don't have your shirt on?" Kristina asked. "The same reason I don't have shoes and socks on," I replied, not answering the question. Kristina didn't let it go, "Is it the same reason Kristin just had her bra on? Did you see her?" Then Elizabeth asked something that she obviously had been thinking about. "Is my mom that way, too?" Kristina obviously hadn't thought of that. She turned her head fast, looking at her sister, to see if she was joking. "I didn't come up here, to tell you what was going on downstairs. I came up here, because of what you were doing." I sat down on the bed. Then I reached over, and pulled Kristina onto one leg. I had to wave Elizabeth to me (damned cast). With them sitting on my lap, their arms around my bare chest, I tried to explain. "Your mom is going through a difficult time, right now. Staying with Mildred all day is hard on her. Having you three in the hotel, is hard on her. Not having a husband is very hard on her. She wants to change that." "Are we moving again," Kristina asked, very sadly. "No, oh no, sweetheart. Your mother knows how much you love it here." "Is she going to stop seeing Mildred?" Elizabeth questioned. "No. It won't be too long before Mildred dies. Then it will be done." "I don't want her to die," Stephanie said, with tears starting. "None of us do. We don't have a choice. It will happen, and we need to understand that," I told her. I took a deep breath. This was not what I was expecting, when I came up here. "Your mom needs to feel good. She needs to know you are happy. We've talked her into having you out here every day." "Really?" Elizabeth said awe struck. "Yes. I'd like you to stay out here for good. But then, that comes to the other problem." "What's that?" Kristina asked. "Your mom needs time for herself. That means she can't worry about you. So," and I looked into each of the four girls eyes, "If you are supposed to be on the third floor, in bed, that is where you need to be. If she thinks you could be sneaking down the stairs, she can't relax. And then, she might as well be in the hotel with you for the night." "It was my fault," Stephanie said. I thought it was brave of her to admit, even though I already knew that. Smiling, I said, "It won't take long for your mom to start relaxing. Then you can go back to your sneaky ways, again." They all laughed. Kristina and Elizabeth pushed me back, and started covering me with kisses. Barbara's face appeared, and she joined in. Then I felt two hands on my legs, traveling up. That could only be one person, Stephanie. As much as I was enjoying it all, I put a stop to it. I had to, before Stephanie got too far up, and grabbed hold of the very prominent bulge in my pants. They all gave protests. I said I hadn't planned on being up here this long, and needed to get back. As I stood up, I said, "Stephanie, I need to talk with you. Alone." Her face drained of color. She just nodded, walking out the door with me. I took her across the hall, into another bedroom, and shut the door. "I know this is hard. Like I told the others, just give it a bit of time. But you need to slow down, with them." She looked at me with sorrowful eyes. I got down on my knees, and held out my hand and cast. She wrapped her arms around me. I nuzzled her neck. Then I kissed it, her ear, cheek, and then mouth. Her tongue entered my mouth immediately. I took her hands, and guided them to my crotch. My cast arm was of little help, except around the back of her, holding her close. My other hand though was trying to make up for it. I slipped it under her nightshirt and finding no panties, it went right between her legs. She was whimpering into my mouth, as my fingers went to work. Less than a minute later, I felt her muscles spasm around the finger I had inside of her. She broke off the kiss, and sighed. "That was so nice." "I'm sorry that it's been so long. I'll try and do better." "Oh, I don't think you could do better, but I'd like it more often," she said with a big smile. I reach around, and pinched her butt. "Now go back, and go to sleep. We have a game that you four interrupted." "I'm really sorry." "I know. When Katharine joins our family, then things will start to get back to normal. Barbara is learning too. Remember, you didn't just jump into all this. It took time. They need time, as well." "I know." "You and I will go spend some special time, alone. Then maybe it will calm you down." Her smile returned, "Really? Oh I'd love that." "It's a deal, then." I opened the door. Stephanie went into her bedroom, to be asked a million questions. I went back downstairs, knowing we wouldn't be disturbed again. ------- When I got downstairs, the shock of what Kristin had brought down for the second time in jail was over. The dildo was lying in the middle of the game board. I looked at it. I remembered how it came to be in Kristin's possession in the first place, from Cynthia as we left the base, and smiled. Kristin, pointing to the bulge in my pants, asked how that happened. Robin was right along with her, demanding her pants back. As I didn't move fast enough, they jumped up, and proceeded to strip them off of me. It was no use trying to hide my obvious hard on, so I told Katharine that the girls upstairs demanded the same from me. Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes bulged, as I started to laugh. "That's just plain mean, Keith," she said. But she smiled, as she could see the humor of my teasing her. I gave them an abridged version of what I told the girls. Then I went into my talk with Stephanie. Turning to Robin, I said, "I haven't been giving her enough attention, and she's suffering. I don't think she'd be pushing the girls so much, if she was satisfied." Robin nodded. I held my finger to her nose. "That took less than two minutes." "What did?" Katharine asked. "Smell," I said holding my finger out. She did, and her eyes widened as she realized what the smell was. "Don't worry. I didn't do it in front of your daughters. We were in the room across the hall." "Thank you," Katharine said softly. To change the subject, Kristin told me the game was over. Everyone agreed that they would be in jail at least once. And, judging from Robin's reaction, any of them could choose to go to jail a second time. They would be getting that same 'punishment'. They just weren't sure how to proceed. I asked if they all wrote out the IOU's. Then, who was going to shave them? Dora, Beth Ann, Kristin, and Katharine, hadn't actually landed in jail. Beth Ann and Kristin handed their IOU's to Katharine. Dora handed hers to Richard. Katharine was having a hard time finishing hers. Katy took Katharine's pen, wrote something on the paper, and folded it up. She handed it to Richard, for Katharine. Richard, to say the least, was flabbergasted. Katharine was crimson, but didn't say there was a mistake. The next question was: where. I suggested the kitchen table. They weren't sure, but we all walked to the kitchen to see. "How's this going to work?" Robin asked. I smiled, "Since you asked, take off your panties, and I'll show you." Robin smiled at me, and slid them off. I had her jump up onto the table, sitting with her legs dangling over the side. "Lay back, now." She did, and I motioned to Kristin. She took hold of Robin's other leg. Kristin mirrored me, and we pulled Robin's legs up and apart. Robin was as fully exposed as she could be. "Think you could do a nice close shave from this angle?" I asked Katharine. She just nodded, not wanting to betray her excitement with the tone of her voice. But her stare was obvious. 'That is not the look of a clinical nurse, ' I thought, with amusement. We let Robin relax, as water was being heated, and the other parts were assembled. The shaving soap, towels, scissors, and the safety razor, were gathered, with a few extra blades for the razor. Robin got back up on the table, with a towel underneath her. Kristin and I held her legs. Katharine, with the scissors, cut as close as she could. Then a warm wash cloth was laid it over the junction between her legs. Katherine whipped up the shaving soap, with the brush in a mug. With Robin's pussy soft and warm from the washcloth, Katharine brushed on the creamy lather. Robin was trying not to squirm, but the brush was tickling her. "Robin, don't you dare move like this when I have the razor in my hand," Katharine said seriously. "Don't worry," Robin replied. "That's the last place I'd want to have a cut." We all were rather interested, as Katharine took the first swipe with the razor. Although it had been a bit of a set up; Katharine, it seemed, knew just how do handle herself. She was quick, through, and very competent. As soon as Robin was washed clean, I said I should make an inspection, to see if Katharine did a good job. Katharine was taken back for a moment that is until she saw that it was all a joke. I took Robin's legs, draped them over my shoulders and dove in. Robin was squealing with laughter. I let go after a couple of minutes, and declared it a good job. Mary was next. As soon as she was done, she demanded to be checked, as well. I was more than happy to oblige. Katy was next. Richard and Dora took over as leg holders. Afterwards, Richard checked the job. It was well done. Beth Ann, Dora, and then Kristin; alternated with Richard and I, holding and checking. Last to get done was Katharine herself. She looked at me nervously. This was it. I smiled and whispered into her ear, that Richard couldn't be more interested. Katy had said it was ok. So, unless she wanted to back out now, tonight would seal things. She just nodded. I think she had been lonely too long. Katharine had been shaved only two days before. Getting on to the table, Katy and Dora held her legs. When Richard stepped between her legs, we saw him lick his lips. Katharine saw it too, and smiled. I took hold of Kristin's arm, and started to pull her towards the door. She looked at me. When I put my finger to my lips to silence her, she smiled. She touched Mary, who looked at us, as I pointed to the door. She pulled at Beth Ann, who saw we were leaving. Robin saw us moving, and smiled. She sidled past her mother, who paid no attention to her. As soon as we were down the hall, the girls stopped into the library. "We don't want Kenneth to see this in the morning," Kristin said to me. I peeked around the corner. They were picking the game and pieces up. I also noticed Robin had the dildo in her hand. She saw me looking at her, and smiled. "I won it, so I expect to have it." "Don't worry, you're going to get it, too," I responded. We tip-toed upstairs, trying not to make the stairs creak as we went. Once in Robin's and my room, we felt as though we could talk. "I was thinking that we should pull your bed in here, tonight, Kristin." She smiled, "Like on the base?" "What happened on the base?" Beth Ann wanted to know. "We all slept in the same room, with mattresses on the floor. Everyone was next to everyone else," Mary told her. "But we didn't get that much sleep," Robin giggled. I looked at Beth Ann, "How does that sound to you?" She broke into a smile, "Like a lot of fun." "Then we need to pull this bed apart, and be quiet about it." ------- Richard was fascinated. He was having a great time, shaving Katharine. He was also getting the feeling that he had been set up. But he still wasn't sure what was going on. He didn't want to overstep his bounds. As soon as he was done, he took a warm washcloth, and cleaned up any trace of the shaving soap. Standing up, he looked down to admire his handiwork. It was beautiful. "Aren't you going to check her?" Katy asked. Katharine couldn't believe what Katy had just asked Richard to do. She had seen him do that to his wife Katy, and even to Dora, but her? Richard looked around, to see if this was ok. It was then he realized that they were alone. "They left us," Richard said. The others looked around, and also realized that none of them had even noticed. Richard was looking at Katharine. "I'd love to check, if you'd like me to." This was the moment of truth. "Richard, I'd like that, and more. That is if you are interested in me... And if Katy... doesn't object." Katy saw Richard's dick jump, and become fully erect. She laughed. They looked at her. "Richard you already answered, with your dick! Look how hard it is," Katy replied. He blushed. Katharine got onto her elbows to see, and smiled. "As for me," Katy went on, "we wouldn't have played the game to set this all up, if I'd said 'no'." Richard suddenly realized that this had all been for him. Well, for him to notice Katharine. He knelt down and took Katharine's mind off of anything else. She was in heaven, and was orgasming almost instantaneously. "Let's go upstairs," Katy said, as she helped Katharine off the table. The four of them walked up to the second floor. They stopped and watched, as we were quietly pulling the mattress out of Kristin's room. "Looks like a good idea," Richard said. I looked over to him and smiled, "It does make things easier." Robin, Mary, and Beth Ann (who were waiting), went over to Richard's room. Within minutes, they had pulled the bed frame apart. They had the mattress on the floor; and were pulling the headboard, footboard, and rails, over to Dora's room. Richard had seen them working, and had Dora's mattress ready to go. Everyone gave everyone else hugs goodnight. Richard and I were fully hard. As we gave hugs, our hardons were pressing in. The gals were giggling about it. Katharine looked at me, thanked me, and then kissed me. I broke into a smile. We closed our bedroom doors. Sleep wasn't going to come to anyone, for another few hours. ------- I woke, not because I was rested, but because of the sound of the plane that flew overhead. Untangling my arm, and rubbing my eyes, I tried desperately to get them to focus. It had been a late night. As soon as I started to feel awake; another, more urgent plea from my body, came in. I needed to piss. I was greeted by several moans as I got up, disturbing the intertwined bodies of Kristin, Robin, Mary, and Beth Ann. Not being in the mood to do much but get to the bathroom, I opened and then quickly closed the door. I was wearing nothing. On the other side, stood four girls. I looked around, and found my jeans. I pulled them on, stumbling twice in doing so. When I opened the door the second time, the girls were trying to see around me. They were wide eyed in wonderment. "Where is everyone?" Barbara asked, as I slid out the door, not giving them much of a glimpse. "We looked in Kristin's room, the one I stayed in, but the mattress is gone." Then Stephanie added with a knowing smile, "And your bed frame is in there." "What happened to our mom?" Elizabeth asked. "She wasn't up on our floor, we checked all the rooms. Is she with Dora?" "Yes," I said, without a lie. I just didn't add that she wasn't in Dora's bedroom. "Did you hear the plane?" I asked, as I started to walk downstairs, getting them to follow me. "Is that what that noise was?" Kristina asked. "It sure was. That is the doctor. He's going to look at my cast. He'll look at yours, too, Barbara. He'll look at Brian's as well." "Can I go with him when he does that? Maybe he'll need help with Brian," Barbara asked. I smiled, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind." "Is he going to see Mildred?" Stephanie asked, with a sorrowful voice. "That is why he really came down. He wants to help your mom out." I said to Elizabeth and Kristina. "It is going to get difficult, I think." We got to the bathroom and I went in, "Now if you'll excuse me for a minute." They all had smiles and a slight blush. Stephanie winked at me. "I'll meet you in the kitchen, in just a minute," I said, shutting the door. I was still groggy, and yawning when I went through the kitchen door. The girls were looking in the cupboards. "Hungry?" I asked. "Starving," Jimmy said, poking his head out from the back door. "Where have you been, and where is Kenneth?" "He's outside. We were looking at the plane that flew over. It's at the end of the field. What's it doing here?" I gave him the abbreviated version of who it was, and why he was here. "So he'll be staying on the plane, and going in every day to see Mildred?" Jimmy asked. That was one bright kid. "No. You cannot go and see Pamela every day, at her house," I said. He frowned. "Some days, she will need to come out here." He realized what I'd said, and a smile grew on his face, as wide as it could go. "Jimmy, get Kenneth. Then let me see what we can do about breakfast. I started looking around, and realized I didn't know where anything was in this kitchen. That would have to change. But for now, these kids were hungry. That meant waking someone else up to cook. "Stephanie, you need to come with me. I'm not going to be the only one waking someone up, to cook breakfast." I saw the expectant look on the others faces. "And we don't need to wake everyone up yet. So just stay here." We climbed the stairs, and I pinched her butt three times on the way up. She cried foul each time, but got close enough for me to do it again. Once on the second floor, I opened our door. Stephanie looked at the pile of nude bodies, and then back at me. "I know you would have liked to join us. In time, Sweetheart." Leaning down, I kissed her. She wrapped her arms around me, and I stood up, holding onto her under her butt. She didn't let go of my lips, and soon her tongue had invaded my mouth. "He's still mine," I heard Robin say. Stephanie broke contact, and looked over to her. "It looks like you've been sharing." Robin snorted. "Yes, you could say that. Come here." Stephanie dropped from me, and went to Robin, kneeling. Robin pulled Stephanie's head down and whispered that she heard I'd been good to Stephanie, last night. Stephanie smiled, remembering. "Yes, he was. And he said he'd do a better job at it, from now on." "So what are you two doing up here?" Robin wanted to know. "We're all hungry." "I didn't know where anything was," I said, "and the girls were up here snooping again. Elizabeth and Kristina wanted to know where their mother was." "She's with Dora," Stephanie said. Robin laughed. "Well... She is," I defended myself. Stephanie looked at me, and then Robin. "She's with..." "Dora," I said. "And Richard?" Stephanie asked. "Ok. Him, too. But no one asked that, before." Stephanie rolled her eyes. Robin laughed again. Kristin was a bit harder to wake, but she got up, and went with Robin to the bathroom. She promised to come to the kitchen. If anything else, I knew we'd need a fire in the stove. I got Jimmy to get the wood, and had it burning in short time. When Robin and Kristin came in, they still looked half asleep, but were warmly welcomed. Biscuits were the first order of the day, and Robin set two of the girls to rolling and punching out circles. Kristin took the other two. They were cracking eggs, to scramble them. I knew when to step out of the way, and got Jimmy and Kenneth helping set the table. We had just come in from the dinning room into the kitchen, with a stack of plates and silverware; when Robin went flying out of the kitchen. I looked around to see what had happened. The biscuits were in the oven; the eggs were cooking on the stove, and it all smelled great. Everyone looked as surprised as I did. "Jimmy, you know how to set the table. Show Kenneth," I said, as I went to find Robin. As soon as I stepped out into the hall, I knew just were she was. I could hear it. I walked to the bathroom. The door hadn't had a chance to close as she had run in. Leaning over the toilet was Robin, in dry heaves. She didn't acknowledge my being there, and I stepped back out. I walked into the dining room, avoiding the kitchen and the million questions. Grabbing a glass, I walked back into the bathroom. I filled the glass from a pitcher beside the sink, Robin turned her head. "The eggs," she said. "The smell made me sick." I handed her the glass, and dampened a washcloth. I wiped her face. I knew, like it or not, I was going to have to disturb the other side of the family. I needed Katy here. "Be right back," I said. Walking gently up the stairs, I went over to Richard and Katy's room. I knocked gently. Not getting a response, I opened the door. I almost laughed. The scene in front of me was just about the same as our room had been. I had seen Katy, as well as Dora, a number of times. Although seeing them shaven, gave them new appeal. Katharine was stirringly interesting; probably more so with her head between Katy's wide stretched legs. Gently reaching in, I touched Katy on her shoulder. She squinted, much as I had, not wanting to open her eyes and recognize that it was morning. I touched her again. This time she did open her eyes, and looked up at me. "Robin threw up. She said the smell of the eggs made her sick," I whispered. Katy made a face, "Ugg. Morning sickness." As she moved, her legs came together, trapping Katharine's head. "Looks like that was fun," I said pointing to Katharine's position. "Hmmm," I heard from Katharine, as Katy let her loose. She looked at me, and then realized her position, and turned red. "Your children asked where you were," I said. The panic spread across her face, "What did you tell them?" "That you were with Dora." I said, pointing to Dora. Katharine looked over to where I was pointing, and started to laugh. "Robin has morning sickness," Katy said. "Oh, the poor dear. Where are my kids now?" Katharine said "Downstairs, in the kitchen." I replied. "Good. Then I can get dressed." Katy threw on a robe, and came back downstairs with me. Robin was still in the bathroom. "Mom..." Robin let out. Katy took hold of her. She knew, wanted, and was able to mother her child. I went back into the kitchen, and told them what happened. Kristin looked at me. I could tell that she was asking with her eyes, if that was going to happen to her as well. I had no clue, but maybe a call to our mom would be helpful. We ended up eating in shifts at the kitchen table. That is, all except Robin and myself. I took plain biscuits out to the front porch for her, with a cup of tea. I was out there with her, when the doctor came walking up. "Good morning," he said, in a chipper mood. "Morning sickness," I replied, in droll humor. ------- Patrick McCarran was just finishing his first round of campaign hits. It had gone better than planned, and he knew just exactly why. His wife, Jane, was there. Not only was she enthusiastic, but she was making him feel good about what he was doing. Also, now, she was where she wanted to be. The combination was as good out on the campaign trail, as it was in the bedroom. There was only one problem with the whole arrangement; Sarah, their daughter. It was the one nagging, guilt feeling both shared. They talked about it, and decided to call. Not to call Sarah, but rather to call Patrick's friend and counselor, Dan. With a few days free (before the next set of whirlwind dinners, and speeches), they flew down to spend a day with their friends This time it would be different. Dan's wife would know they were coming. She knew that after the McCarran's left (after that last visit, less than two weeks ago), that it was more professional in nature than just friendship. After all the years of being a counselor's wife, she knew when to say something, and when to keep quiet. This time, she was thrilled to know they were coming. But she was told that there would be a 'session', during their stay. As Jane and Patrick McCarran arrived in Grand Junction, Dan and Sam greeted them with hugs. After lunch, Sam made some excuse about seeing a sick friend, and left. Dan didn't waste time. "Come on back into my study." "It's about Sarah, this time," Patrick said, as they walked back. "Ok, tell me about her. What's going on? We didn't get a chance to talk about her last time. "I know she must have been affected by what happened at the university. But I only know about what the paper said, so I'm not sure what the real story is." "She was practically raped," Jane said. "What! How is she? What happened?" "It's a long story. The man you read about, Hank. He thought our Sarah was someone else. He dragged her into the bushes and ripped her top and bra off," Patrick started to explain. "He didn't get much further than that. The person he was looking for, Keith; showed up. Keith was looking for Sarah." "So this 'Hank; pushes Sarah away, and starts going after Keith?" "Not exactly. Keith pulled Sarah to safety. She saw that Hank had a gun in his hands. He was pointing it at Keith, telling Keith that he was going to die." "That would give most anyone a complex. How is Sarah dealing with it?" "Considering it all, she is doing very well. I think a lot of it has to do with the group of people Keith is surrounded by. There is a feeling of community with them. They take care of each other." "That is very good. But she came home with you. How did she do, going back to school?" "That is when I found out about the whole mess," Jane explained. "I got a call from the school. This experience changed her whole outlook on life. She stuck up for a girl that was being made fun of, and they have become fast friends." "Interesting, not at all what I would have expected. Have you any idea of how this transformation took place?" "Keith's friends," Patrick said. "His wife, sisters. Friends. They all seem to be part of this 'inner circle', that makes others that are around them do good. It is hard to explain. My other daughter is part of that group, and she has blossomed." "So what you are telling me is that Sarah had this horrible experience, and has come out of it better." "In a way, I'd have to agree," Jane said. "She's a much nicer person." "So then what is the problem? You said you wanted to talk about her." "Remember our problems, my wife's needs?" "Yes." "Everything is going well, better than well. It is like we are a team again. It feels so good," Patrick said, with Jane smiling, holding his hand. "Ok, go on." "But this can't continue, with Sarah. She's going to be away for some weeks with her sister, but what happens when she returns?" Dan rubbed his chin, and thought for a moment. "You said Mary was part of this group, along with Keith? Is she living in Carp too?" "Yes, to both questions. I haven't heard what she's doing, but she's happy. She hasn't asked for money, so I'm guessing she's supporting herself," Patrick answered. "And that is where Sarah is." "Well, not yet." Jane interrupted. "She's still here in Grand Junction, at the school. Keith's sister, Liz Paterson, and a girl named Jill (the actress you saw on stage); are going to take her there, as soon as school's out." Dan raised his eyebrows, and said, "I heard from our local rag that Liz Paterson was moving to Carp, to start a school." Patrick smiled, "Yes. I do know about that." "Could Mary take on a boarder?" "Why would she..." Jane started to say. "You mean have Sarah live with Mary?" "That is one possibility. You said she was a changed person and changed for the better. Isn't that what you, as parents, are supposed to do? Give your children what they need? Maybe this is what Sarah needs. I want you to be honest with yourselves, here. Think of how much time you have spent with Sarah in the past year. Then think about how it was, five years ago. My guess is that you have been spending less and less time with her. I'm sure, at her age that is what she wants. But it isn't always what she needs. It seems she has found what she needs, and you see it as being a positive influence on her life. Instead of thinking of yourselves as if you are abandoning her, think of it as giving her an opportunity. But the important thing is to ask. Is she having a good time with Liz? Would she learn from her? Could she get along with her sister? She would be the one to watch. That is a code word for discipline, for her. If it wouldn't, or couldn't be Mary, then could it be Keith and his wife? There are many questions to answer. But if they are positive, then you have given the best you can, for your daughter." Patrick was trying not to laugh about Keith's wife. Jane didn't know how young she was yet. "Maybe Keith and his wife would be good. You were at their wedding. Patrick, why the grin." "I think we need to take this one step at a time. Maybe we'll need to plan a trip to Carp. That could answer questions about where she could stay. First, we'd need to know what she'd want to do." "That's right. And I don't think you could ask her, now, as she's not there yet. Wait until she's been there for a bit, and then find out. But I think unless you hear from her before hand, my guess your problem is not a problem at all." ------- Chapter 68 "If you drive me back, we can take a look at that arm of yours," the doctor said. I didn't need to be asked twice. I jumped up, and got the keys to the car. Robin was very interested, and wanted to come as well. Before we got off the porch, Barbara crutched out, with Jimmy at her side. They didn't need to say a word, their eyes told me everything. I introduced them to the doctor. He took a look at Barbara's cast. "Nice bit of work. If you behave with it, you should have it healed up, and it'll be off in no time," he said. Then in a more serious tone, he added, "If you put too much weight on it, twist it, or get it soaking wet; you will end up wearing that thing a lot longer than you'd like." Barbara was wide eyed, and just nodded. I then told the doctor why they were eager to get to know him. He would be seeing two people they were interested in. He laughed, and said they were more than welcome to go with him to town. Barbara and Jimmy were very pleased and went back inside. Robin and I took the doctor back to the plane. On the way there, I asked about the girl who would be coming. "Nice girl. Timid. Although, in the past few months, she has opened up. More so than I've seen in all my time knowing her. I think she will do well here." "Do we get to know her name?" Robin asked. "Laura Taylor," he replied. I was suspicious, "Does she go to school at Linden Hall?" "Yes. I believe she does, why?" I laughed, "Well, scratch one name off the list." He looked at me, horrified, "You mean she's not welcome?" I was still laughing. "No. We know Laura. She asked to come, and you asked if a girl could come. We had no idea it was the same girl. We thought there were going to be two girls showing up." "Oh," he said, relieved, "I guess that would seem a bit funny." Because she was pregnant; Robin was made to stay outside of the plane, as precautionary measure, while the x-rays were taken. Then she came back in. After a few minutes the doctor came from the far back with two films. "Looks good, Keith. It's been four weeks, hasn't it? Usually takes six to get a good healing, but you are there. I think, if you want, I'll cut that cast off. Then you can just wrap it. That has two benefits. One is that your arm can start to breath again (Robin, there will be a lot of dead skin that will need to be washed off). Secondly, you can start to have some limited - and I do mean limited - movement with it. Not using your muscles while your bones heal doesn't do wonders for them. You can start to give them some mild exercise." I didn't get a chance to answer; Robin did it for me, "Yes! Cut it off." The doctor and I laughed at her enthusiasm. After it was cut off, my skin was rubbed and cleaned. Then they wrapped, unwrapped and re-wrapped it three times, until Robin got it right. "Now little lady, up on the table." Robin looked at me in surprise. "We need to check you out. To make sure everything is going well with the baby I understand you're carrying." That idea produced a smile. She hopped up onto the table. The doctor didn't say I needed to leave, so I didn't. I was curious as to what he was going to do. When he opened a long drawer at the base of the table, and pulled out strange looking metal bars, I asked him what those were for. "They're called 'stirrups'. They will hold her legs open for me, while I examine her." I saw a shocked expression on Robin's face. I don't think she had any idea he'd be looking there. She realized he would end up knowing everything about her. I watched in fascination, as he inserted the bars into the end of the table, one on each side. There was an upright, and then a holder of sorts. "You'll need to remove your underwear," the doctor said without much emotion. Robin looked at me, and I just nodded. She stood, reached under her dress, and pulled them down. Then she got back onto the end of the table. The doctor looked at her, and the stirrups. "I don't think this is going to work with your skirt on. Let me find a gown." "Don't bother," Robin said, "You're going to see everything anyway, aren't you?" The doctor blushed just a touch. "Well, yes." Robin stood, unzipped, and let the skirt fall to the floor. When she sat back down, she quivered slightly. "It's cold." The doctor looked at Robin, then at me, as he placed one leg up in the stirrup. "Well," he said, "this will make seeing everything, easier." Robin blushed at the remark of her being shaven. "I'm sure you will want to see the others, and they are the same way. I think they thought it would make your job easier," I said, trying to keep a straight face. He laughed. "Keith! You are very bad. You're making your young bride blush." "I know she's a bit younger than you're used to seeing," I said, trying to see how he felt about this. "Keith, I fly into many remote places around the country. This doesn't surprise me at all. It is part of the life processes, part of the culture. It's part of what works, here in this place. You don't need to explain to me. Delivering babies has got to be one of my biggest pleasures. One I had hoped my wife and I would have had. But, that was not to happen. She passed on, several years back. Now I get to live that joy, through others. It's not the same. But it's still very rewarding." As he placed Robin's other leg in the stirrup, I saw how open and exposed she was. Looking at her face, I could tell she was embarrassed about this. I couldn't hold eye contact, I had to glance down, and look again. When I glanced back up, she gestured me over. She whispered into my ear. "You have this look on your face that says you'd like to have me alone on this thing." I gasped, and pulled away from her. I blushed, but nodded. She looked down at my crotch, and smiled. I didn't need to look. I knew I was rock hard. Pulling out the strangest looking instrument, he greased it up. To my utter amazement, he gently worked it up into her vagina. Once in, he opened it, and her, up. With a light, he looked into her. I couldn't stand it. I had to get my head in there, as well. He explained to me what he was looking at, and for. Then he released it, and pulled it out. He then poked and probed her belly. "She seems 'fit as a horse', as they say. That's typical of girls that don't live in the city. Her body is responding well, and everything looks fine. I'll be checking on you monthly, from now on." Robin was pleased to know that things looked good. It was worth all of the embarrassment. After Robin dressed, we drove back to the Mansion. Everyone was in shock, to see me without a cast on. The girls were warned, by Robin, that I wasn't healed all the way. She told them that I would be, soon. They were also warned not to try anything that could hurt me. I think that was for my benefit, as well as theirs. Robin stayed. But Richard, Barbara, Jimmy, and Katharine, came with me to town. ------- From the moment Patrick and Jane had left to go back to the campaign trail, Dan had been trying to figure out a way to visit Sarah. He'd known her from birth. The bright precocious girl had always been as sweet as could be. Then as she turned towards her teens, things changed. After the first counseling session, he could see that some of Sarah's reaction had not been from the norms of 'body and mind' change. They were also from what was going on, in her house. 'Parents fool only themselves, ' he thought, 'if they think their children cannot see what is going on, under their noses.' This latest development with Sarah had piqued his interest, more than it normally would have. He couldn't understand how a child could go through such a trauma, and come out of it not only unscathed, but better. There had to be answers. Professionally, and personally, he wanted to know what the difference was. The ringing of the phone jarred Dan. "Dan, this is Patrick," Patrick said, causing Dan a bit of consternation over what he had thought, just moments before. "I need to ask you a favor." "Sure, what is it?" "Jane and I stopped on our way out of town, and got Sarah a little gift. I know. You're going to say it is because we feel guilty about not seeing her when we were in town. But anyway, there it is. We left it out at the airport, at the information desk." "Say no more. I'll be glad to pick it up, and take it to her," Dan said, with a smile on his face. "Dan, there's one more thing." "Sure," "Can you maybe talk to her? You know what I mean. I'd like to know that everything we saw with her is real." Dan smiled at having the parents' blessings; for this is what he wanted to do, anyway. "Patrick, I'd be glad to do that. To tell you the truth, I'm curious, myself." Patrick laughed. "Now that doesn't surprise me at all. Goodbye, my friend, and I'll talk to you soon." ------- When Jill's name was called for mail, she smiled. She knew it must be from Dorothy, and couldn't wait to open it, although that would have to be done in private. As she was walking out of the cafeteria, she told the others she needed to go down to the meadow. Liz, Laura, Sue, and Betty, all knew that the letter in Jill's hand was from Dorothy. They knew it had something in it, for Kevin. They just smiled. Sarah was a bit confused about the whole thing, but suddenly forgot all about Jill, and the letter. "Sarah!" Dan said, walking up the path with Grace. "Uncle Dan!" Sarah squeaked, and ran to greet him. "I know I should have come sooner, but I didn't know you were still here." Grace stood by for a moment, as the others came walking up to see what was going on. "This is Dan. I've known him forever. He and my parents are the best of friends, and he lives here. He's not really my uncle, but I've called him that all my life. Probably always will," Sarah gushed, "Dan, this is Liz, Jill, Laura, Sue, and Betty. I think you must have met Mrs. Turcotte." Dan laughed, "Yes, I did. Now Liz, you are Keith's sister, am I right." "Yes!" "And you will be leaving to go start a school in Carp, I understand? I'm sure the school here will miss you." "It won't be the same," Grace interjected, causing Liz to blush. "I recognize you two," Dan said to Jill and Laura. "You were the two I saw on stage." Jill and Laura looked at each other, and didn't quite know what to say. "Now, now. Don't be so modest. That was one of the best performances I've seen in this town. It was real quality acting." Sarah was laughing at the girls' embarrassment. "Dan is a 'Family Counselor'. He knows just how to get people riled up." Dan appraised Sarah. She was a perceptive one. At that comment, everyone had someplace to go, leaving Dan and Sarah alone on the path. "Your parents left a gift for you; I have it in my car." "Leaving so soon?" Sarah teased. "No, actually I thought we might want to take a walk. I hear there is a nice meadow." "Come on, I'll show you," Sarah said. Turning around, she took his hand, and led him down the path. "So they stopped by?" Sarah said. "Now you're here, they wanted you to check up on me?" Dan laughed, "Not quite, but close." Sarah cocked her head, wondering if they were having problems again. "You see, they told me what had happened to you, at the university." "Oh." "Sarah? I was curious, if you must know. Tell me how you are doing? What frightens you?" "Frightens me?" "Yes. Most girls who have gone through what you did, would be afraid of almost everyone. They would draw themselves into a shell. From what I understand, you didn't. I'd like to know why." "Ahh! So I'm a test subject," Sarah laughed. She didn't see Dan finding her quips amusing. He was apparently serious. "Ok. There has been one time if you must know, that I did something that I don't understand. If you could explain it to me, then I might feel better." "Good, what is it?" "Jill was going to show me something. She pulled me between two buildings. There were bushes around, and she says I screamed so loud, she thought I was going to wake the dead. I don't remember even making a noise." Dan was nodding his head. They stopped on the path, near the center of the meadow. There were a few stumps that were well used as seats. The two took advantage of them. "Sarah, tell me what you remember about the first part of the attack, at the university." "Do I have to?" "It is important, do you remember?" "Yes, to a point." "Ok. My guess is that I don't need to hear all of it, just the first part." "Ok. It started..." she said, and began to relate the experience to him. "That's enough. Sarah, now look at me," Dan said, handing her a handkerchief. "You were fine with telling me about it 'to a point', weren't you?" "Yes. Then it got bad, really fast, and then..." "You don't need to think about it any longer. Now, Sarah, I want you to think about this. When your friend pulled you into the bushes, it brought those memories back." "Yeah, I kind of figured that one out." "But then, as you know, the memories get bad. This is where your brain doesn't want to handle it, any longer. Your mind goes blank, not wanting to think about it. You scream, so you can get away from what has put you into this situation. Does that make sense?" "So it's... Hold on, I think I got it. It's like I faint, so I'm not thinking any longer. But my body is telling others to get me out?" "Yes, that's it." Sarah wrinkled up her forehead. "That means I go out of control. I don't like that very much." Dan smiled. "Sarah, you are far better (given the situation), than most others would be. And it will get better. Now that we've solved why that happens, let's talk about why you aren't in a rubber room from all of this, in the first place." Sarah had to laugh. 'Rubber room!' She was far from crazy. "What do you want me to say?" Dan was frustrated. Most people knew they felt good, but couldn't tell you what put them in that mood, verses another mood. If they could, they'd stay happy. "Let me ask you some questions, and see where we go. Is this all right with you? I don't want you to feel you have to talk to me about this." "It's ok. I don't mind." "I understand you saw the man who grabbed you, point a gun at Keith. How did you feel about that?" "You mean then, or when I fainted, or after that?" "You fainted?" "Yes, but only after I was safe." "No... Afterwards. When you realized everything that had gone on." Tears started to fill her eyes again. "I felt like I'd killed Keith. He'd sacrificed himself for me." "Yes. That is a typical response. But, I feel you don't see it that way any longer. What made you change?" "Keith's sisters and Daisy." "Daisy?" "She was Hank's wife." "You've met her?" Dan said, surprised. Patrick had never said anything like this had happened. "She's one of the group from Carp." "Hank was from Carp? I'm sorry; I don't know much of the story." Sarah looked down at the ground. "It's hard to feel sorry for yourself, when you're confronted with a person who feels worse than you. Daisy knew she'd killed Keith. She had called him, to take her away from her husband, and her husband came back to kill Keith. I was just a person who got in the way." "How did she deal with that?" "She knew Keith. Keith's sister knew. I had just met him a few days before. They said he got into this, because that's where he wanted to be. We had nothing to do with it." "And you believed that?" "When the sister of the man you saw fall off a building and lay (what I thought was dead) on the ground, tells you that this was his choice, what else can you think?" Sarah said. Then she paused and added, "Of course I didn't believe it. Deep down, I knew I'd helped kill a man. It was awful." "I'm still looking for answers, here," Dan said. "He didn't die, thank God," Sarah said. "It took a while, but he woke up from his coma. Robin, his wife, told me that day that he wanted to see me. Me! He could only see one person, and he chose me. Me, the one who put him in the hospital in the first place." "But you saw him." "I didn't have a lot of choice. I didn't want to, but I knew I had to. Keith was..." "What?" "I asked for forgiveness, and he wouldn't give it to me." This shocked Dan. "Why not?" "He said I didn't need it. To be forgiven, means you did something wrong. He told me I did nothing wrong, and that it was his choice. He saved me because I was worth it. I didn't feel like it, but he made me feel that way. Keith risked his life because I was worth saving. That was hard to think about." "Harder than causing his death?" Dan asked curious of the answer. "Yes, in a way. I felt I had to be a better person. I was worth someone dying over. That was pretty strange to think about." Dan nodded. That was the connection, the gift of self-worth. This conversation answered a lot of questions for Dan. He looked across the meadow. "Isn't that one of your friends?" Sarah looked to where Dan was gazing. "Yes. That's Jill and Kevin. He's the groundskeeper. Jill lives in Carp; she's here for... fun." "Sarah," Dan laughed. "You lie terribly." "I know, but I can't tell." "It's ok. I won't ask. Well, other than talking, she's not doing anything she shouldn't with that older man? Is she?" Sarah laughed, "Jill, oh no. Not her." Then just for fun, she added, "I'm sure you heard about those two though. Jill and Kevin were the ones who rescued Dorothy from the wild dogs." Dan looked at Sarah and smiled, she had grown up a lot from the last time he'd seen her. ------- Jill had found Kevin. He didn't want others to see them talking. With an inclination of his head he walked until he was in the meadow. It was an open place where he could see everyone, but no one could overhear. "I have a letter," Jill said with excitement. "Jill," Kevin said, "How am I supposed to go on with this? It drives me crazy. I can't say how I feel about someone. I... I'm trapped." This was not what Jill had expected, and it set her aback. She wasn't quite sure what to do. "Let me read it to you, if you don't want to look at it." Jill didn't let Kevin respond, she tore open the letter, and started to read. My dearest Kevin, It drives me crazy not to be around you. I know it is selfish of me. I want to be with you now... and forever. What drives me crazy with anger is that you are surrounded by girls that you might look at. Girls that you might want, like I want you. I'm sorry, Kevin. I know it's just my schoolgirl fantasy, but I want you to be all mine. Is that so bad?I've been trying to think of ways that I could be close to you. Then I think that maybe you don't want this as much as I do, and everything goes wild in my head. My sister says I'm daft. She told me that you love me, that she could see it.When we were together, that last time, I felt wonderful. But after I left, I felt torn apart. Did you feel that way?Kevin, I looked. I was nosey, and looked. My mother was a year older than I am now, when they got married. I know it's different, now. But what I'm trying to say; is that I miss you terribly, and I want you with me. I'll die if I can't have that.Please write. Tell me that you feel like I do. It seems like forever 'till the Fourth of July weekend, when you are coming out. Is there a way we can see each other, before then?Love, Dorothy Jill looked up at Kevin, after she read the letter. She couldn't believe what it had said. Dorothy was so bold. She was also, like Kevin, torn apart. "Kevin, you need to write her." "What am I going to say?" "What do you want to say?" "Want, and can, are two different things." "No. If there is anything I've learned; it's that 'can' is something that we will do, to get what we truly want. Tell me what you really want. Not what you think could happen." "Really want?" Kevin said. "Yes, tell me." "I want to marry Dorothy, have children with her, and live a long and happy life." Jill smiled, "Good, then do it." "What! I can't just do that. Her parents would kill me, if they knew I even thought like that." "How do you know?" "They just would." Jill was frustrated, not as much as she knew Kevin was, but close. She was going to have to do something about this. Jill didn't know what, but she'd do something. ------- After the doctor had seen Mildred, he waited for Katharine to come out of the room. "Tell me the differences in how she felt last week." Katharine was slowly shaking her head. "It has been the last four days, that have seen the most decline. She no longer wants to get out of bed. I make her at times, and she can do it. But I think that will stop, soon." "My guess is that it will be a week, at best. I read the little we know about this. The best you can do, is make her comfortable. I brought a supply of morphine, just for that purpose." He touched Katharine's shoulder, and looked into her eyes. "What you are doing is hard. It would be hard on anyone. You, though, know what's going on before they do. If there is anything I can help with, ask. No one can save her, but she can go out with some dignity." Katharine gave a little smile. "Thank you." Pamela was off with Jimmy. She didn't need to hear any of this, so I had told them to go. But I had told them to be back in ten minutes. Barbara was there with us, waiting to go to see Brian. With her foot in a cast, she didn't think it would be good to crutch it over there, by herself. I wanted Daisy to hear, so Katharine wouldn't have to say what she so dreaded to say. Barbara (with nowhere else to go) stayed with us, and heard, as well. I hadn't thought of how that would affect Barbara. Daisy was crying, hearing the end was so near. I heard a noise and looked to see Barbara's eyes pouring out tears, as well. "Daisy, it hurts so much! I'm sorry you have to have your mother die, like mine did." The two embraced, as I thought of how stupid I had been. Katharine and the doctor came out, and I asked him to give us just a minute or two. I walked to them, and away from Daisy and Barbara. Whispering, I explaining how they'd heard the conversation. Like an idiot, I hadn't thought that Barbara's mother had died of an illness. She was rather upset. "It's ok, Keith," Barbara said, apparently overhearing my conversation. "I would have felt like this, at one time or another, anyway." "I think it's good to have someone I can talk to," Daisy said. "I have one more stop," the doctor said. "Do you want to wash up your face, young lady?" he asked Barbara. "Yes, that would be nice." Daisy took her into the house, cleaned her up, and we were ready to go. "When your sister and Jimmy show up, tell them they're late. Have Jimmy run over to Brian's." Daisy nodded, but had a little smile on her face. I thought poor Jimmy was going to get a grilling from Pamela's big sister. On the way over; Barbara gave the doctor a rundown about how she was Brian's girlfriend, and that as soon as he was out of those casts, he could court her. I could tell the doctor was rather amused by the conversation. Brian was on his bed. Millie walked into the bedroom with the doctor and Barbara. Brian's face lit up, as soon as he saw Barbara. She felt elated, to get such a greeting. She dropped her crutches, leaned down, and kissed him. The doctor gave a little chuckle. Millie was embarrassed. I patted her arm, and led her out of the room. "He'll tell us all about what he thinks, when he's done," I told Millie. "But... Did you see what she did? Right in front of the doctor!" I nodded, "Yes, wasn't that nice. You'd think she loved him." Hmmm," Millie said, and busied herself in the kitchen. I almost couldn't stop myself from laughing. Five minutes later, Barbara hobbled to the edge of Brian's room. She had the bedpan in one hand, and a crutch in the other. She looked a bit self-conscious. "Millie, do you have a clean jar?" "Yes what do you..." she stopped, mid sentence, as soon as she saw what Barbara was holding. "The doctor wanted a sample of..." we could see she was struggling for the right word, "urine, to take back with him." "Oh. Well, yes, of course. Here, let me get one." Millie brought the jar, took the pan, and walked into the bathroom. I moved over to Barbara and whispered, "Did you collect that sample?" Barbara turned bright red, and didn't answer me. As soon as Millie handed her the sample (now in a jar, with a lid over it), Barbara went back into Brian's room. The doctor came out a few minutes later. He turned back and said, "Now, I'm going to be talking to your mom and Keith, about your progress for the next few minutes." I saw him wink into the room. He then turn towards Millie, and motioned us to go into the living room. "Brian is doing very well. The casts are very good. Brian said it was done at the air force base hospital. Well, they did an excellent job. Barbara told me about his 'escapade', and the recasts. I'm assuming they took x-rays?" "Yes, they did," Millie said, proud that she could remember anything of that journey. "Good. Then I won't take any more, for another couple of weeks. But when I get those, then I'll have something to compare, to see how he's healing. My guess is that he'll be out of the casts, before long." "They told me it would be another four weeks." "Yes, but they told you that at the base hospital, right?" Millie nodded. "That hospital does a great job. Those casts they redid are an example of that. But they see very few children. Kids tend to mend quicker than adults do. They just don't think about that. When you think that Brian could flip himself over..." the doctor chuckled. "That is something an adult probably couldn't do, in those casts. He's got good bones." Millie smiled. "I'm sure he's also 'willing himself' to get better, too. Some people don't believe that works, but I've seen it. If someone is motivated, they will heal themselves faster. I don't know how, but I've seen it." "What would make him want to do that?" Millie asked absentmindedly. "I think, that darling girl in there, is the motivation," the doctor said. Millie gasped, and I laughed. "Ok, you two," I called towards the bedroom, before getting up. "We've got to go, soon." We heard a giggle. Millie looked horrified. I think she was ready to jump up, and run in there. The thing that stopped her was the knock at the door. It was Jimmy, and he was panting. "Go in, and grab Barbara away from Brian," I told him. "Keith, you are terrible," Millie said. I just smiled at her. "Yeah, I know. Katy tells me that all the time." Millie couldn't help it. She laughed. "One of these days, when you have your own children; I'll be there, reminding you about all of this." Somehow, I didn't doubt that a bit. ------- Richard went out, just before dinner, and brought Katharine back home. She was exhausted. It had taken a lot out of her, telling Robert what the doctor had said. He didn't want to believe it. He refused to believe it. Daisy had to get involved. Pamela was crying. Robert ended up walking out the door. He hadn't come back, when Katharine had left. She had been a bit worried. Then she saw him, downtown, across from the hotel. It had been a terrible scene, and so draining for her, that she said she'd just like to go to bed. Katy took her to the back. I saw water being run into the bathroom from the kitchen by Dora. It was pretty obvious she was going to get a bath. I smiled at the idea of being part of the family that was being taken care of. We gathered up Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth. We told them their mom had had a really hard day, and they needed to be extra quiet, tonight. She needed a lot of sleep. The rest of the evening was subdued. We were all bothered by Mildred's short remaining time with us. Robert's reaction bothered us, too. I told Robin we needed to start going over, and talking to Mildred, as we had promised to do. She nodded, and started to tear up. None of us wanted this to happen. We had sent the kids up, and were just getting ready to go up to bed ourselves, when Katharine came down. She walked over to Richard, and stood in front of him. She was still unsure of her place. Richard wasn't sure what she was doing. Katy came up behind him, took hold of his arms and pulled them out. Katharine walked into them. Richard understood what he was supposed to do, and hugged her. She cried. As we walked upstairs, I remembered that the beds were still on the floor. I smiled at that. When we got to the second floor, Stephanie was waiting on the last step going to the third floor. I looked at her, wondering what she was doing. "You didn't give us our goodnight kisses. We can't get to sleep without them." I think everyone gave a little laugh. But Stephanie stood determined, in her desire to get me to come up. "Ok, here I am," I said holding out my hands. She ran to me. "Keith!" Robin said quickly. "Watch your arm." I did, and held it out, away from me. I picked Stephanie up in my good arm, and twirled her around. As I stopped, she looked up into my eyes. I leaned in and kissed her. Those little hands of hers intertwined her delicate fingers into my hair, never wanting to let go. I let her stay that way, locked to my lips. I could see past her, and walked to the stairs. She never let go, trusting that I wouldn't fall as I climbed the stairs. When we reached the top, I saw three girls at the edge of the bedroom door, their eyes wide with wonder. I finely broke contact with Stephanie's lips. "I need to put you down now," I whispered, "Tomorrow, I'll give you what I can't, tonight." That gave her a smile. She dropped to the floor, and walked past the other girls. I'm sure, even though I couldn't see it, that she had a smile of satisfaction on her face. "Come on, girls! I believe you wanted a kiss, good-night." "Do we get one like Stephanie?" Elizabeth boldly asked. "No, not at all," I said. I almost laughed at the disappointment on their faces. Then I added, "I won't be climbing the stairs." Elizabeth tilted her head, pursed her lips, and narrowed her eyes. She gave me one of those looks that only a girl can do. I responded by putting out my arms out to her, which she gladly embraced. It was funny, in a way. My arm had been in a cast. A heavy object to carry around, and be ever conscious about. Now I was free of it. Yet my arm felt weak. I was glad for the trade off. I had to be careful, but the touch of flesh against that skin, was so nice. The feeling was incredible. Her hands reached around my head, and she purred as our lips met. I turned around sitting on the bed. My thought was to get her to sit across my lap. But as we turned, and I started to sit, she wrapped her legs around my waist. I knew that there was no question that she could feel the large lump that Stephanie had given me. As soon as her tongue entered my mouth, she started rub herself against me. Breaking myself away from her lips, I whispered into her ear. "Honey, you are doing too much to me right now." As I pulled her away, I could see she had a questioning look in her eyes. That was good. I really didn't want her to understand how she was making me feel. Kristina was next, and tried to imitate her sister. Being smaller, she wasn't able to make the same type of bodily contact. I was thankful for that, although her kiss was just as demanding. Barbara wasn't so aggressive. I was pleased with that, although she did run her tongue across my lips. I whispered a bit to her, after the kiss. She was feeling a bit shy, as she was older. Yet, it seemed that Brian knew more than she did. I went in and hugged Jimmy and Kenneth goodnight, then walked through the girl's room again. "In the morning, just go all the way down to the first floor. Your mom is hopefully, going to sleep in," I told Elizabeth and Kristina. "Where is she sleeping?" Not wanting to answer that directly, I replied, "I didn't make the arrangements for her. Ask her that, tomorrow." That seemed to satisfy them. I closed the door and walked back downstairs. No one was out in the hallway, and I went into my bedroom. I found Mary, Beth Ann, Kristin, and Robin, all waiting for me. "That was quite a kiss Stephanie gave you," Kristin said. "It didn't stop, all the way up the stairs." "I want one of those," Beth Ann said. "So do I," Mary, Kristin, and Robin chimed in. I sighed. "Ok. But I might get tired walking up and down those stairs." That comment got me a pillow in the face. I retaliated, and soon a full-blown pillow fight was on. It was fun, but wore down fast. Then all of us started cuddling, and kissing, until we fell asleep. ------- Laura had been worried. Sarah and Jill had been off and on talking for the past day, without her. Jill had had a smile of satisfaction, when she came back from their little get together, and Laura couldn't stand it any longer. "What's going on between you two?" Laura said, as demandingly as she could, which wasn't very. Jill smiled, "Why?" Laura's lips turned down, "'Cause you're leaving me out. That's why." Jill's expression changed, she hadn't seen that she was doing that. "I'm sorry," she said, then pulled her along. "Come on. Let's go someplace, and I'll tell you." Laura was instantly happy. When they got out away from the school buildings, Jill started to explain. "Dorothy sent a letter to Kevin. They are dying to see each other, again. We were trying to figure out a way to do that." "So? What have you come up with?" "We're going to get Kevin to come to Carp for a visit. We were thinking that maybe he could help with setting things up for the new school, or something. I'm going to talk to Liz, to see if something such as that could be done." "But what about Dorothy?" Jill frowned, "We're not sure. I hope her parents might send her out. They thought the world of me, thinking I saved her. So, I was thinking that could work, somehow." "Well it won't do any good to just get one of them there," Laura said. "I know," Jill replied, exasperated. "It's hard to plan this out." "Let's go talk to Liz, then," Laura said, excited to be in the know. The two didn't need to look far, as Liz was looking for Laura. "I was just with Grace. She says she has a note from your father. You need to go to the administration building." Laura's shoulders drooped. "Ok," she said, unenthusiastically. "Liz," Jill started to ask. "Yes?" "I have a question to ask." "Well? Go ahead and ask. What is it?" "Well, I mean... Would it be helpful to have someone around for a bit, who knows about schools?" "Jill what are you trying to say? I'm going to be there, so is Tiffany and Vicky. Grace will be showing up in another week, after school gets pulled together here." "She is?" "Yes. So I think that is enough, don't you?" Liz said, almost amused. "No, I mean yes. But I meant about the buildings." "Oh," Liz said, as it finally was dawning upon her who Jill was talking about. "You mean Kevin." "Well, I was thinking that he might be a lot of help." Liz laughed, "Jill, you lie like a rug. That's not why you want him there. You're trying to set him up." Jill turned red from embarrassment. "So," Liz said amused, "Have you figured out how you'd get Dorothy there? Or is that already planned?" "No," Jill said, then realized she'd just given her motivation away. She looked at Liz who was laughing. "Well, not yet, anyway," Jill retorted. "I don't know how you'll do it, Jill. But knowing you, I'm sure there's a way. Kevin is more than welcome. I'm sure he could be helpful," Liz said, then she stopped, and thought. "Jill, there isn't a place for him there, permanently. You know that. You can't just bring everyone to Carp, forever." "Oh, no. He's going to her house on for the Forth of July, anyway. I just want them together before then." Liz shook her head and laughed. "I've got to go and make preparations for graduation tomorrow. Let me know more, as you think of it. Ok?" Jill smiled, "I sure will." Then Jill went up the path to find Laura. She was worried that the news would be bad. Laura was walking down the path, back to where she'd left Jill and Liz. She saw Jill and waved the note in her hand. Jill smiled. It was good news, for a change. "My parents are taking a road trip, and are coming to see me. It's sad, 'cause I can't go to Carp with you. But then I started thinking where we live!" Jill read the letter. "But we need to get hold of them." Jill said. This was too good to be true, and an opportunity not to miss. "You didn't read the other side. Their going to call me Saturday, to make sure everything is right to pick me up. That's when I can ask them." "But then, we'll have to call Dorothy. Do you know how much that will cost?" Laura shook her head. "I don't either, but I bet it's a lot. Maybe three dollars!" "How can we do that?" Laura cried, "That's a lot of money." "It is time to talk to Kevin. Come on." ------- Friday morning started at Linden Hall, with the traditional 'end of the year' breakfast. As far as Jill and Sarah were concerned, this was the best meal that they had eaten there. At ten, parents started arriving for the graduating eighth graders. The school was abuzz with excitement. Commencement took place on the grass, between Upper and Lower halls. Kevin and many others had been setting up the chairs, and a make-shift stage. He had been working since early that morning. The teachers had measured the girls, and were in the process of giving out the caps and gowns to the graduates. "This is very exciting," Sarah said. "It's much different than what's done at my school, which is practically nothing." "Jill?" Liz called. "What?" "You need to pick up your cap and gown." "What!" "Did you think I measured you for fun?" "I just thought you didn't want me to feel left out, in class," Jill responded. "Why wouldn't you graduate, Jill?" Sarah asked. "I've only been here for a month. This is the first real school I've ever been to," Jill tried to explain. Sarah's mouth was hanging open. "You're kidding me, right?" "Sarah," Liz tried to explain, "There has never been a real school in Carp. That doesn't mean the kids are stupid. On the contrary, Jill is as smart as can be. She passed all her tests to graduate. Now if she'll get over in line, she can get her cap and gown." As Jill moved over to the line, still not believing any of this was real. Sarah looked at Liz, stunned. "I thought my dad was joking, when he said there was only one phone in Carp. Are you going to tell me that's true, too?" Liz laughed. "Yes, Sarah. It's true. But don't worry. I think that will change, soon." "How's my sister going to stand it? How am I?" "Sarah, there are many other things to do in Carp. You will see. Plus, that is where Keith (my brother) is." Sarah broke into a big smile. "Ok. Well, there is one good thing about the place." They laughed about that. Kevin greeted Jill, standing in line, as he walked past. "Laura and I tried to find you, yesterday. I need to talk with you, today." "Sure what's up?" Jill's eyes got wide, and she shook her head very slightly. "Later... When I find Laura. Where are you going to be after all this?" "Resting. I'll probably be down by the barn in the meadow, when it's all over." "Ok. Laura, Sarah, and I, will find you." Kevin raised his eyebrows, but didn't say another word. Other girls were rushing around them. There was no way to say anything, without the possibility of being overheard. Parents were starting to fill up the front rows of chairs. Other students started lining up, filling the vast rows of chairs. Jill was watching it all. There was a tap on her shoulder. She looked, and no one was in front of her. She moved up to the table. "Jill Wheinstein." "Oh, you're Jill," the lady who she'd never seen before said. "I saw you in the play. You played your part just wonderfully." Jill could feel herself blush. "Thank you." She quickly took her cap and gown. As she walked away, she realized she'd thanked the lady for the complement. It was still just as embarrassing. But now she could take it, and not have to downplay the role she'd had. That was a big transformation, and she knew Keith had been a big help with that. Liz was waiting for her, and pulled her along. "Now slip that on. We need a couple of pictures. Your mother and Keith will want to see this." Jill stopped walking and Liz pulled back. Looking at Jill, Liz realized that Jill had tears in her eyes. "I wish my mom could see me." It had been the first true outpouring of emotion about her real mother, in a long, long time. Liz suddenly felt a bit guilty for assuming that role. The two embraced each other, Jill's eyes rolling out tears. She sniffled and said into Liz's ear, "I'm glad my other mom can be here, though." Liz radiated a smile that Jill could feel, without even having to see it. It was nearly eleven thirty when Grace stepped up to the podium. She was dressed in a black gown. Liz and the rest of the eighth grade teachers were there as well, along with some people Jill didn't recognize. Everyone was introduced on stage: the board members, and then the teachers. Grace gave a speech. Jill was embarrassed. It was a recap of the year, and a look towards the future. It seemed to Jill, that her name was mentioned more times than anyone else's. Jill was touted as someone who had brought to the school, something that each and every student was going to remember. Jill was just as nervous as the rest of the students. As they were called alphabetically, hers was the last name to be called. She walked up to get her diploma. The line moved slowly, as a photographer took a picture of each student. He had two cameras, and an assistant. But the flash bulbs had to cool just a little, before being tossed, and another one installed. As Jill walked up, Liz was there to greet her. Liz shook her hand, smiling, as she had done with ever other girl who had walked across the stage. Then Liz gave Jill a big hug. That made Jill feel very special. Jill shook the hands of the others, as she went across the stage. Grace, on the far side, had her diploma. The camera snapped, and the flash blinded her. Grace told her to stay. Now Jill was suddenly very nervous. She had no idea what was going on. That didn't last long, though. "We have one more graduation," Grace said, as she took the podium. "This one, like the others, means we will lose the smiling face that has graced our halls for years." "Go get Liz," Grace whispered to Jill. Jill broke into a smile, and ran across the stage. She pulled the surprised Liz towards Grace. "We send a special farewell to Liz Paterson. She has grown within the walls of this school, embracing everything it had to offer, giving in return a love that every one of us felt. She is graduating today with high honors. For next year she will start a new school. She is challenging herself, and those around her to do better things with their life. "Do not think that she is going off to ease. The town she goes to has never had a formal school, but the children there have been well educated. Jill standing here with her is a prime example. "So Liz," Grace's voice broke. Liz couldn't remember that ever happening before, "we will all miss you. This is a token of our love for you." Jill felt Liz squeeze her hand tight as two girls brought a large trunk out and set it next to Liz. "This is a small library of books, many of which you have introduced the school to. Others you have used in your classroom. Some will be new to you. This, we hope will remind you of the past, and help you look towards the future." People started clapping. The eighth graders stood, and soon everyone was on their feet, giving accolades to a teacher they would all miss. Liz with tears streaming grabbed hold of Grace and hugged her hard. She would miss the rock that had been her steady guide through many years. This was the end, or beginning. Depending on how you viewed it. The celebration was ready to start. Laura took Jill by the hand, "Can I stay with you?" "Sure, where do you want to go?" Laura looked at Jill like she was crazy, then realized Jill didn't know the traditions. "There's a party and barbecue down in the meadow." "Oh!" Jill said. Then she remembered Kevin's words about being down at the barn, when it was all through. She thought, 'he was going to be exhausted.' "Jill," Liz said, "You need to help me move this chest." "Liz," Grace said, coming closer to her, "You may want to take that up to your room, or open it up now." Liz got suspicious and unclasped the lid. There, on top of the books was an envelope. Liz took it and opened it up. Her eyes bulged. Three crisp fifty-dollar bills were inside. "We wanted to make traveling easier," Grace said. Liz was stunned beyond speech. Grace smiled, and took Liz's hand. "Come on; let's go down to the meadow. Girls, can you clasp up the trunk. I'm sure; now, it's safe to leave it there, for a while." ------- I received a letter that I had known would be showing up sooner or later. I needed to go back up to the university. I had to do a run down on tests they had been conducting. It had been too long, but I didn't want to leave Carp. Robin and I talked. She always was looking at the bright side of things. I could fly up, fly back, and only be gone for a few days. She knew I was worried about Mildred passing away, while I was gone. We talked with the doctor, and he told us that it would most likely be four to five days from now, unless things changed unexpectedly. Talking with Richard, he agreed. We could fly up and back without anyone else, now that I didn't have my cast on. I thought I would call back, in the later part of the afternoon. I half expected a call from my sister. I knew it was graduation day, and that signaled the end of school. It was time for her to come home. We had all left the Mansion, and went downtown. Barbara was over at Millie's. Katy had even extracted her sister from the house, letting Brain and Barbara have some time to themselves. The rest of us spent a lot of time around Mildred's house. Daisy told us that her dad looked a bit guilty, to her, when he came back in last night. Pamela wouldn't let go of him, and ended up sleeping in the bed with him. Daisy was mad at him, but sad at the same time. Robin and I spent most of our time with Mildred. We were getting a history lesson about her children: how the births went, first teeth, when they walked, and talked. If the reason we were learning all of this hadn't been so unpleasant, it would have been a lot of fun. Later in the afternoon, when Mildred was sleeping, I got the call from my sister. She was ecstatic! She went on and on about the whole day. First, she told me that Jill had graduated with her class. I felt proud for her. She told me they would be packing up, over the weekend. They were coming by train. I wondered about the route, not knowing where it went. The train they would get on in Grand Junction would take them up, almost to Salt Lake. There, they would take a train south, and end up in Carp. I mentally saw the picture of what she was talking about. I asked if they might be interested in flying down from Salt Lake, instead, as I'd be just north of there. She screamed with excitement, and told me that was a wonderful idea. Getting the train number, I told her I'd have information for her, in the train station. It would be at the Junction, waiting for them. That, to me, made the trip up to the university much more pleasant. I made a call up there, and told them of my plan of showing up tomorrow. Shelly was pleased to be able to see me again. Doctor Jameson threw out his usual comments about me not giving them time to clean up, and such. I just laughed. We waited until Robert got home from work. Katy had prepared dinner for them, and as he seemed much more at ease that evening, we left. ------- Kevin thought he was going to get a respite from the day's activities. But when he saw a shadow fall across his eyes, he knew better. Jill, Sarah, and Laura, were circling him. Their hands were on their hips. He knew he was in trouble. "What can I do for you young ladies?" "I need to make a call," Jill said, "for Laura." Kevin squinted, looking up at the girls. "So why are you telling me?" Jill looked at him, exasperated. Then she thought to herself, he had no idea the scheme they had been planning. "Ok, let me tell you what's going on." "That would be helpful." "Laura's parents are planning this trip to see Carp, along with taking her there. You know Laura is going to be going to school there, right?" "Yes, I think you told me that." "Good. So, they wrote her and told her they'd be picking her up, and driving down." "Ok," Kevin said, still trying to make sense out of all of this. "So Laura's parents live on the other side of where Dorothy lives. We were thinking, that if it would be ok with Dorothy's parents; she could come down and have a little trip to Carp, also." Kevin smiled, "And I'd then get to see Dorothy, when they picked up Laura. I like that idea." The girls smiled. "It gets better than that. I talked to Liz. She thinks that there might be a few things that you could help out with (you know, advising), on the new school in Carp. So you could come down there, too." Kevin was looking at the three girls, realizing the plans they had made. His throat was suddenly dry. "So what am I supposed to do?" Jill was a bit nervous about this next part. "It costs a good deal of money to make a call." Kevin broke into a big smile. "But if it works, it's all worth it, isn't it?" Sarah, Jill, and Laura, were jumping up and down. They were so excited. Kevin could hardly contain himself, as well. He would get to see Dorothy again! It was worth everything! At that point, he realized that if the letter she had wrote was indeed true, if she possessed the feelings towards him she'd written about (as he had been feeling towards her); then maybe, just maybe, it could work. Nothing else, could have given Kevin so much energy that day. Jumping up, he was led off to the administration building, to make the call. Jill had Dorothy's phone number. She handed it to Kevin, who read it off to the operator. Dorothy's mother answered the phone, and was very surprised to find Kevin Smith from the school, on the other end of the line. When he told her, he had three girls wanting to talk, she was highly amused that the girls had conned Kevin into placing a call for them. He handed the phone to Laura, who explained the situation. How she would be going to Carp. Where her parents lived and that they would be driving right by Dorothy's house. Then Laura said how it would be great to see Dorothy again. Laura even slipped in that Jill lived in Carp, and it would be nice for them to get together as well. Dorothy's mother thought it would be a splendid idea, but was a bit concerned that Susan might feel left out. Jill nodded to Laura to invite Susan, as well. Jill was very impressed how Laura embellished on that and said that Susan should come as well, as she stole Susan's part in the play from her. Susan's mother laughed about that. Kevin got back on the line, thanking them. He could hear Dorothy and Susan in the background. He desperately wanted to ask to talk to Dorothy, but didn't feel like he should. Dorothy, on the other side, hearing Kevin was on the phone; was on her knees in front of her mother, pleading to say hello to him. She relented, laughing at her daughter. "Kevin?" "Dorothy!" "Oh, it is you. Oh!" "I can't talk long, but ask your mom about the trip. Then know that Jill set this up." "She did what?" "Don't say a word, but I'll be taking a little trip to Carp, it seems." Dorothy had no clue what Kevin was talking about. She soon did. Her world would seem very bright, as she packed. As Kevin put the phone onto the receiver, he turned, and picked up Jill. He gave her a kiss on the forehead. He did the same with Sarah and Laura. "How can I ever thank you three?" he asked. "I think you just did," Jill replied. "Your face shows how much you appreciate what we did. That's why we did it." Kevin couldn't keep from smiling, the rest of the day. He fell asleep, with a full smile on his face. ------- Saturday was busy for Richard and I. We had a lot to look over, on the plane. We had also forgotten that this was the day the old barn was to come down. Larry, his brother, and three other men came out. We watched, after they had done the needed preparations. Two horses, with the yoke between them tied to a corner of the barn, was all it took. The horses started the process and once it started to teeter, the whole building shook, flexed and started to collapse. Jimmy, I noticed, was rather pale. I thought to myself, that he hadn't really believed that this barn was ready to fall down. Now, he saw how little it took. The entire building collapsed in seconds, leaving the roof on the ground. "We'll be pulling this apart. Then, as soon as we get the land cleared off, we can start to rebuild," Larry told me. "How long do you figure it will take to build?" Larry rubbed his chin, "Two weeks, I figure." "Two weeks?" I said amazed it could be put up that fast. "Well, if you need it sooner, we could probably do it." I laughed. "I know the gals would love it. But two weeks will be fine, I think." He looked at me, and smiled. "And I thought you knew about women, living with so many of them," Larry responded. "When are they showing up?" "I'm leaving today. I will be flying back with them, on Monday." "Well it won't be done 'for that, but the land will be cleared by Monday. This being Saturday we won't be working tomorrow. Clearing this is probably the hardest part, really." "You do what you feel is best, Larry. I trust you." That brought a very nice smile to his face. The rest of our time was spent of packing a few things, and saying our goodbyes. Then Richard and I were off to the end of the runway. Everyone lined up outside of the Mansion, waving us goodbye. ------- Jill and Sarah got out of the room fast, in the morning. Liz was going a bit crazy. Many years of spending time in one place, meant she had accumulated stuff. Some of it was usable, and were things she would want to take. Other things she would be giving away. Liz knew she should have started this process before now. But somehow, she never thought she had this much stuff. For Vicky and Tiffany, it was a much easier job. By mid-afternoon, they were ready to help Liz. Jill and Sarah met up with Laura. The three girls then met up with Betty and Sue. "Come on," Sue said, "I think this will be our last time." She led the girls out towards the waterfall. "Last time for what?" Sarah whispered to Jill. "For fun," Jill responded. Then she noticed Sarah's reaction, so added, "Don't worry. No one will make you do a thing." Sarah just nodded. Betty was the first to spot the cloth marker. "Oh shit," she said, "Someone else had the same idea, now where?" "This way," Laura said, with wild anticipation in her eyes. Jill smiled, as she was sure where Laura was heading. Jill wasn't disappointed. The trees surrounded by the ring of thorn bushes lay quiet. Sarah couldn't figure out the excitement, not knowing how they could possibly get to the center of this place. The rope was out, there was no fabric marker. It was theirs. Sue took out her piece of fabric and hung it. "I guess this will be the last time to use this," Sue said, sorrowfully. "Start that tradition in your new school," Jill said. Betty and Sue looked at each other, and smiled. "That's a good idea, thanks." Laura was the first to swing in, then Betty, then Sue. Jill looked at Sarah. "You don't have to come in with us." Sarah nodded. "Mostly we will be watching Sue and Betty," Jill smiled, "like last time." Sarah grinned, "Ok, but..." "Sarah, no one will force you. I couldn't be here if that happened." Sarah nodded again, knowing that was true. She took the rope, and swung in. Jill was last in. There was soft humus and leaves, making the floor. The space was good sized, for two. For five, it wasn't quite as spacious. Sitting down with their backs against the trees, their feet were touching. No one knew quite where to begin. It surprised everyone, including herself, when she came up with the idea that started everything. ------- Chapter 69 As we taxied, I saw an unmistakable car. Next to Anthony's hanger was his Rolls Royce. I smiled, and pointed it out to Richard. He steered us over. Leaving Richard to do the post flight checks, I opened the door and greeted my friend. "To what do we owe this honor?" I asked. "Honor?" he laughed, "I'd have made you walk. But Shelly wanted you back at the campus as soon as possible." I smiled, "Things are going well with you two, then." "I'm sure she'll want your address, to send the invitations. Not that I've asked yet, but I think she knows it's coming." "Good for you." "I see you're without your cast, when did that come off?" "Yesterday. I still have to have it wrapped, but I can move it just a bit. It's a lot nicer to have that damned thing off." "And your head?" I nodded, "No problems there, thank God." "Did you fly up with Richard?" "Yes. He should be out in a minute." "Tell him to leave the keys with my men in the hanger. They will go over it, and refuel it. I understand this is a short trip." "Yes. I want to get back. I'm not sure if you remember Mildred..." "She had her daughter here?" "Yes. She was here, also. Then Mildred was sent to Long Beach." "I do remember that, what happened with her?" "She has cancer, and is dying. The doctor says it won't be many more days. I have to be there." "Understood." I went back into the plane. Richard came out, and went into the hanger. A few minutes later, we were being driven to the university campus. "My sister, Liz, is going to be coming by train. She has to make a change about 40 or so miles south of here. I told her I'd pick her up on her way back down, and she could fly with me." "Sounds like a good plan. But you know there isn't a landing field anywhere near the train junction, there." "You know where I'm talking about?" "Yes. When's she getting in?" "Don't know yet. The stop in Carp (if you want to call it a stop that is) has a mail hook, and that's about it. I thought I'd be able to tell, when I got here." "I'll get someone to find out for you. I think you won't have much time on your hands," Anthony laughed. "Say, Richard? What are you going to be doing, while Keith is working his fingers to the bone?" "I'm just along for the ride. Well, let me rephrase that. I am the ride." "Ever played golf?" "No." "Want to learn?" Richard and I looked at each other. "Sure! Why not?" he said. We arrived at the university, and Anthony dropped me off. He took Richard with him. I'd been told that we'd be residing where we had been, before. I knew my way around, so that was no problem. The campus was very quiet. I had to remember that this was summer. A scaled down schedule was running. As I walked down the path, images started to hit me. The buildings seemed a bit closer together when I walked towards them. My eyes caught the sun's reflection on the edge of the buildings, and I was compelled to walk towards it. I saw the unmistakable graze of a bullet. I felt my pulse quicken, and my skin crawl. I needed to get out of there. I found myself running. I couldn't stop. This all seemed to fuel the images in my mind. Turning a corner, I slammed into a co-ed. "Down!" I yelled at her. As I turned back towards the path, Shelly was standing in the center of it. "Keith?" I ran towards her, and threw my arms around her. My chest was beating, and my breathing was uncontrollable. "Keith! Slow down! What's wrong?" I let go of her. I took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. Then another, and another, until I was in control again. It took me two full minutes. Finally, I could think clearly, and speak. "Do we have to get to the lab now, or do we have any time?" I asked her. "Keith, take all the time you need. What happened?" "Would you take a walk with me?" Shelly looked at me oddly. "Sure, what's this all about?" "Something that I had thought wasn't a problem. Come on. I need to 'get back on the horse', so to speak." She laughed at me, "You always did talk in riddles. So, where are we going?" "Back to my residence." I started walking, letting her catch up to me. "It's faster that way," she said, pointing. I nodded, but didn't change my course. A few minutes later, I had come around to the west side. It was the side from which Hank would have come. Shelly still didn't know what was going on. She figured that I wanted something from my temporary residence. I walked past it, and looked at the bush Sarah had come out of Then I looked at the bush I had dived into. Down the walk I stopped. I noted where I'd come out of the bushes. I had turned back. I remembered seeing Hank, and getting him to follow me. When I walked to where I knew the first shot had hit, I saw that a newly painted piece of siding was there. I ran my fingers across it. I looked at Shelly. I knew, at that moment, that she had figured out what I was doing. Our eyes met, but we didn't say a word to each other. I moved down the path. She stayed back, and watched at a distance. I wove back and forth. I zigzagged around the buildings. When I put my finger into a hole on the face the smooth granite exterior of what I now knew was the law building, she made a noise. She might not have liked being a participant to what I was doing, but I was glad she was there. Her presence made what I was doing, possible. When I got to the history building, I went over to the tree. Not knowing what else to do, I patted its trunk. I knew it was silly, in a way. But on the other hand, that tree had saved my life. I stayed there, the longest. I looked up at the building. Then at where I had probably landed. I had no recollection. After several minutes, I walked over to Shelly. I noticed the tears in her eyes. "Ready to do some work?" I said. She looked at me, blankly. "I needed to get this out of my system. I think I have, mostly. But I'll know for sure, later. I know you had no idea where I was going. You probably wouldn't have wanted to come with me. But I needed someone to come along. Thank you for keeping me sane through my little trip." She shook her head. "I don't know many who would want to have done that." "If you are talking about you... No, I can't imagine. As for me... I've heard of a few who needed to go back to some battlegrounds. They needed to see it in a different light. It helps to 'place the foot on the right path'. I don't need any more nightmares." "I guess you're right. Where'd you learn all that stuff?" I smiled. "Two sisters and a few psych classes." Shelly laughed. "Come on," she said, "the doctor will wonder where both of us are." "I could come up with some tales..." "Don't you dare! You'd probably get him to believe you, and that's all I need!" We both laughed, and walked towards the lab. It was a strange journey that I had just taken. But, somehow, I felt better for it. ------- Sarah knew she had this one down. She would be safe, and everyone would think it was fun. She started with the first question of the game. "Jill? What was the color of my blouse, the first time you met me?" Jill thought long and hard. But, truthfully, she couldn't remember. She ended up taking her blouse off. Sarah thought this was perfect. She'd just met all of these girls, so it was easy. As they went around, Laura and Sarah were the only two who ended up with their blouses still on. Jill was the next to ask, as she was the first to lose. Jill smiled sweetly at Sarah, and then turned to Sue. "What size shoe does Betty wear?" Sarah looked dismayed. The questions were supposed to be about the clothing, but... size? She had only considered color. Sarah had this sinking feeling that things were not going to go as well as she'd planned. Losing her shoes and socks was not so bad. When it came time for the bra questions, Sarah was amazed. Sue, the first to ask, turned to her. "How many colored bras does Betty own?" "How am I supposed to know that? Does anyone know? I mean other than Betty?" Sue gave her a little smile, "I know." "Ok. I'll just throw out a number. Six." "Off, by one!" Betty exclaimed, and then she blushed, "I have a set of those 'day of the week' type. One of them is white. But Sue got me a black bra last month, for my birthday. So now I have seven colored ones." Sarah rolled her eyes, but knew she lost. She struggled to take her bra off, without removing her blouse. Jill was watching, and started to laugh. "Ok, Jill. How many colored bras does Sue have?" "One," Jill said, knowing she'd most likely be wrong. "No! Two of them!" Sue laughed. In the end, everyone lost their bras. They also lost their skirts, on the next round of questions. The last question was about panties, and Sarah was a bit worried. The rest of the girls didn't care at all if they lost or not. Even Laura, when she 'lost' her bra, took off her blouse to remove it. Then she left it off. When it got to Sarah's turn, Sarah was a bit worried. Laura and Betty had both 'lost' and were now in the buff. "Sarah, Jill has a pair of panties that have a butterfly on them. Is it on the left, or the right?" "The blue ones?" Sarah asked. Then she realized that everyone must know she'd been looking at them, and blushed. "Yes, the blue ones," Laura said, amused. "They're on the right. We'll, I'd see them on the right. For the person wearing them, it would be reversed." Everyone laughed. "Sarah," Jill smiled, "You sounded like your father, there. That was well thought out, so that no one could confuse the issue. I think you don't want to lose yours." Blushing, Sarah just nodded. It was Sarah's turn. She had been trying to come up with a question she knew the answer for. Then she smiled. It was Jill's fault she knew this, in the first place. "Jill?" Sarah asked, "Sue has a pink pair. Do they have lace at the bottom, or not?" Everyone looked at Sarah. How did she know to ask a question like that? Sarah just smiled. "No, they don't," Jill said, although she was not sure, either way. Laughing, Sarah said, "You're wrong." "Sarah! How did you know that?" Sue asked. "I saw them, when Jill took me to the waterfall." Jill laughed. "You used my trying to embarrass you, against me. That's so funny!" Standing, Jill turned towards Sarah. She pulled her panties down to her knees. Then she got a devilish look on her face, and turned around, facing away from Sarah. Bending from the waist, she finished removing her panties. She gave them all, but especially Sarah, quite a show. Before Jill could ask, Sue stood up. "I can't stand it, doesn't make any difference what you ask, I'm taking them off!" The girls all watched, as Sue pulled the last piece of clothing from her body. With the exception of Sarah (who still had on her blouse, and panties); Sue, Betty, Laura, and Jill, were stark naked. The two 'couples' started to touch each other, then kiss. Sarah was treated to a sight. Betty and Sue knew that soon they would be leaving. They might never see their friends Jill and Laura again. Jill and Laura knew this was the case, as well. As the two couples moved, rolled, climbed on top, or were underneath; there was a lot of touching. Sarah was the bystander. She felt honored, as she saw the level of care they all felt towards each other. They displayed that care openly to each other, in her presence. On top of that, it was incredibly erotic for Sarah to watch. Jill, with her face inching ever closer to Laura's slit, suddenly flipped the small-framed girl over to the top. She pulled Laura's treasure down to her face. The look of bliss on Laura's face was unmistakable. Sarah's nipples already ached. She couldn't help but slide her fingers under the waistband of her panties, to caress her damp folds. As soon as she made contact with her clit, Sarah moaned. She closed her eyes, for just a moment. Then, embarrassed, she opened them. She looked, but noticed that no one was paying attention to her. They were in their own worlds, as well. Sarah's hand was now freely moving, as she watched Jill's tongue appear and disappear into Laura. As Laura leaned forward, hiding that view, she pulled at Jill's legs. Jill moved them up and apart, affording Sarah her first close up look at a girl's most intimate parts. It got better as Laura took hold of Jill's legs. She pulled them up and apart, really opening Jill up. Jill's lips separated, and Sarah saw Jill's opening: glistening, waiting. Laura lowered her face, blocking the view. It was a mixture of disappointment, and excitement, as she heard Jill's muffled cry of joy. Sarah realized she was having an orgasm. She was so wrapped up in the sights. Her body was responding on its own. Her body shook. She knew sounds were coming out of her mouth, but she was too far gone, even to recognize them. ------- Robin had told me of a few plans she had made, for while I was gone. I was sure she wanted to make sure I was going to miss her (as though that would ever be a problem!). She had gone into town, when Kristin went to pick up Katharine. Kristin dropped Robin off at her mom's old house, telling her that she'd meet her at Mildred's, in just a bit. Opening the door to the house felt a bit strange. No one lived here any longer. Yet, this was the house that she had always known. She had grown up in it. Many firsts had happened here. Now it was empty. The furniture was there, but there was no life present. These were feelings for which she was unprepared. Even at 13 years old, she had felt grown. She was married to her prince, and was carrying his child. So why was she feeling like a little child, right now? The pangs of wanting to be held and comforted by her mother were overwhelming. Stepping back out the door, she closed it. This was not the time. Turning, she walked down the path to Mildred's house. Kristin was next to the car, talking to Daisy. They were surprised to see Robin there, so soon. "I thought you'd at least be bringing something back with you," Kristin said. Robin pursed her lips, and then sighed, "I didn't want... I couldn't go in." "Tell Katharine where we'll be," Daisy said, grabbing Robin's arm. As Daisy walked Robin back to Robin's old house, Daisy explained some of her feelings. "Keith told me I have to go back into my house. I haven't wanted to. I couldn't figure out what was so important. Now, seeing you do the same thing, I could... I don't know... I guess that I feel the importance of doing it." They walked the rest of the way there in silence. Daisy opened the door, and peeked in. Then, getting a devilish grin, she jumped inside. She slammed the door shut, then ran to hide. Robin was stunned, as the door slammed in her face. She heard the laughter from within, and curiously opened the door. Daisy wasn't there. She stepped in, and looked around. "Daisy?" No answer. "Daisy?" A giggle. A little smile crept over Robin's face. She shut the front door, and went looking for her friend. As Robin moved around the two-bedroom house, Daisy was able to move a bit as well. She held her breath, as Robin peered into her old bedroom. As soon as Robin moved to Katy's room, Daisy stripped. She lay out on Robin's bed. The next time Robin glanced into the room, she was treated to quite a sight. "I'll get you for that!" "Yes, please do!" Daisy responded with a laugh. "Get me, right here," she added, spreading her legs. Robin pounced. The girls touched, felt, and kissed each other all over. They rolled around on the bed. Neither of the girls heard the front door, or Katharine's voice. Not, at least, the first time. Katharine was standing in the bedroom doorway, and exclaimed, "Oh my!" Daisy raised her head from between Robin's legs, and smiled at Katherine. There was little doubt of what was going on, as both girls were now in the buff. The glistening sheen on Daisy's face, told the complete story. Robin didn't hear Katharine, with Daisy's legs on each side of her head. Frustrated that Daisy stopped, she ran her tongue around Daisy's clit and then sucked it into her mouth. This sent Daisy into her third orgasm. With that accomplished, Robin moved Daisy's leg aside, to see why she had stopped. "Oh. Hi, Katharine," Robin said, as though what she was doing was an everyday affair. Just then Kristin poked her head around the doorframe. "What's taking you so long," she got out, before really seeing the sight in front of her. "And you didn't include me?" Kristin went on, trying to pout. But it was hard to remain serious, with the look on Katharine's face! ------- I had found out that evening, after Shelly had driven me out to Anthony's house, that Richard had spent the day learning the finer arts of golfing. That is, he spent a bit of time on the greens, and a good bit of time in 'the nineteenth hole', the clubhouse. Anthony and Richard were feeling no pain by the time we arrived. Shelly wasn't as amused as I was over the situation. She soon came around after the second glass of champagne was poured for her, though. We had a wonderful evening, chatting. When Richard and I got back to our residence at the university, he wondered about the testing. "There is a pattern that I'm beginning to see. I have to say I don't like it, but it definitely looks like a pattern. Tomorrow, I'll be lining up a series of tests for them. They will follow that idea. If those play out, then we have our first sets of results," I said. "And... You are being a bit vague, here." "It doesn't look good for the men of Carp." "Are they going to die?" Richard asked, with a tone that said he wasn't sure he wanted an answer. "No. But, permanent sterility looks probable." Richard shook his head, and was silent for a long time. I could tell from the look on his face that the fun of the evening had just vanished. He asked the question I knew was coming. "What about Brian?" "Richard, I have no idea. I wish I did. Jimmy, Brian, and the four other boys that live in Carp are in the same situation. As soon as we can get a hold of the testing results, then we can refine them, and have that answer. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it takes time to get results. Nothing has ever been done like this, we're all in uncharted territory." We went to bed that night, troubled. Richard was thinking of Brian, the boy who had saved his life. The boy who was now looking at Barbara as a mate. The boy that might never be able to have children. I went to sleep wondering if we ran concurrent tests, would it speed the process up? If the tests worked, if the process didn't need refining, if, if, if... Six young boy's futures were at stake! The weight of that, felt pretty heavy on me. ------- Robin never liked it when I wasn't around. Katy was feeling the same without Richard there. Dora and Kristin had talked about it, wondering how to brighten Katy and Robin's spirits. Beth Ann and Mary got into the discussion. When Katharine came home that evening, she was pulled into it as well. "Well, clinically speaking; one of the best ways to pull a person away from what they are thinking about is to give them something else to replace that. Of course, that only works if the replacement thoughts are stronger that what is troubling the person in the first place," Katharine said. Mary, thinking of what Cynthia had done for her said, "So... If we lit some candles, put on some music, got undressed, and danced around them... they would forget all about..." "Oh, God!" Beth Ann said, "I'd forget everything if that was going on. What do you think, Katharine?" Katharine blushed, "It probably would work. What about the children?" "We can put them to bed, first." Nodding, Katharine said, "That would be good." The rest of the evening, without raising suspicion, the gals arranged candles. Kristin, in the disguise of 'organization', pulled out a few records. Soon, it was time to put Kristina, Elizabeth, Barbara, Stephanie, Jimmy, and Kenneth down for the night. They were not being very cooperative. Kristin and Mary took charge of them, corralling them upstairs. With their nightshirts on, the girls protested about having to go to bed. Stephanie said that I was not there to give them a good night kiss. Kristin was getting frustrated, walked over and gave Stephanie a little peck. Stephanie had other ideas and pulled Kristin into an embrace, giving her a kiss with a little tongue. "Now 'that', was a kiss goodnight," Stephanie said, satisfied. Kristin was a bit surprised. Elizabeth, Kristina, and Barbara were more than surprised. Mary thought it was funny. She was about to laugh, when Stephanie looked at her. "I get a kiss from you, too, don't I?" "Sure, why not." Stephanie wrapped her hands around Mary's neck, and pulled her in for a kiss. Mary placed her hands on Stephanie's waist. As soon as the kiss started getting carried away, Mary started to tickle Stephanie. Stephanie broke away, laughing. "That was sneaky!" Mary laughed, "Yes, it was." Turning to Elizabeth, she said, "Do you want a kiss, too?" Elizabeth just looked at her, wide eyed. There was an answer there, though. Jimmy and Kenneth were standing in the doorway. "Yes," Jimmy answered. Then he blushed a bit, "Do I get a kiss from Kristin too?" "Of course you do, Jimmy. Come here." Jimmy ran to Kristin, they kissed. She had to control his hands and not give the other girls too much of a show. When they parted though, he had a very obvious tent in front of him. Mary was next, and none of the girls missed that it was pressing into Mary as they kissed. Kristin gave Kenneth a simple little kiss. His sister, Kristina asked if she could have one like that. Kristin smiled and did just that. Elizabeth followed suit. Mary followed Kristin around with Kenneth, Kristina, and then Elizabeth. Barbara was left. When Kristin gave her a kiss, she started to cry. Kristin gave a glance over at Mary. The two of them took her by the hand, and pulled her out the door. All three went into the room across the hall. "What's wrong?" Kristin asked concerned, "did I scare you?" Barbara was looking at the floor. "It just reminded me of my mom. I've been thinking about her, a lot. When I saw Daisy... Her mom is..." Tears started dripping from her face. Kristin led Barbara over to a lone chair. Sitting in it, she pulled the girl onto her lap. Wrapping her arms around Barbara, Kristin started to give her kisses all over her face. Mary joined in. She was kissing the other side of her face, and down her neck, as well. "Barbara, I know that you will have bad times. Just remember that we all love you. Anytime you are feeling low, let one of us know so we can be with you. That's what someone who loves you will do. And we all love you." Barbara looked up at Kristin, their eyes met. Kristin took Barbara's face into her hands, pulled her forward, and kissed her on the lips. Barbara was overwhelmed by the feelings of being wanted. Not just by her relatives, but also by this extended family. When Barbara felt Kristin's lips separate, she followed suit. It was different than with Brian, but it felt good. She jumped as she felt hands on her breasts. Looking, she realized it was Mary who had tweaked her hard nipples. "I'm sorry," Mary said, now embarrassed about what she did. "No... it... Well, it felt good. I was just surprised." They were all ready to continue, when Stephanie knocked, and then opened the door. "Is she ok?" Kristin answered, "Yes, she's fine." Standing Barbara up, she gave her a little wink. She then took Barbara's hand, and led her back to the bedroom. The others were waiting. Kristin and Mary flanked Barbara. "Barbara has been very emotional. You know her mother died. Now Daisy and Pamela are going through what she did. It is very hard for her. When I kissed her, it reminded her of what her mother used to do. I told her that we all loved her, and to tell us when she was feeling bad." Barbara felt very self-conscious about what Kristin was saying. Then everyone in the room, including Jimmy and Kenneth, surrounded her. They gave her a big group hug. It was almost too much for her. Tears were streaming down her face. Stephanie took her hand, moving her to the bed. The others moved towards their beds as well. Mary and Kristin headed towards the door, turning out the light on their way out. When they reached the first floor, everyone was waiting for them. "What took you so long?" "They didn't want to go to bed, did they?" "I'll bet it was Stephanie. She can be a rascal, at times." Kristin stopped them from going on. "It was Barbara." "Barbara?" "Yes. When I kissed her goodnight, she fell apart. Apparently, she's been going through a rough time. She's been seeing Daisy and Pamela dealing with what she had to deal with, with her own mom." "I remember Daisy and her, crying," Katharine said. "How is she?" "We talked a bit. Everyone else upstairs gave her a big hug. I think it astounded her, how many people care about her." "Everyone?" Katharine asked, "Even Kenneth?" "Even Kenneth," Mary said, with a smile on her face. "This family is good for my children," Katharine said. "I think it's good for everyone," Robin said. "It is," Kristin said, and then added, "Let's play a little music." She turned some music on, and with others, started lighting candles. They did it from the dining room towards the front of the house, where Katy and Robin were being kept occupied. By the time it was done, the first floor was bathed in a soft glow. Beth Ann was the first to start shedding clothes, but the others followed. Katy and Robin watched in amusement. "I think this has been planned," Katy finally said. "I believe your right, but I can't help myself," Robin said, and started to undress as well. "I'm not going to be called a party pooper," Katy mused, and followed suit. Soon the downstairs floor was filled with seven bare young women. Kristin didn't waste any time, and pulled Robin into a kiss. Beth Ann and Mary led the two of them into the dining room. They propped Robin onto the table, leaned her back, and spread her legs. "Mmmm! Looks like a good snack," Mary said. Katy watched her daughter being taken away. Dora, who latched onto one of Katy's nipples, interrupted her focus. Katharine took the other one. They then brought Katy into the music room, and lay her on the piano bench. ------- I was up and out, early. Firstly, I was hungry. Secondly; I wanted (while no one was around to see) to walk that path again, by myself, and see if it still bothered me. It was Sunday, and early. The only place that I knew would be open was the hospital. While not great food, when you're hungry, almost anything is eatable. When I walked in, one of the nurses recognized me. She asked how I was doing. Noticing my cast off, she asked about that. We chatted for a few minutes. I excused myself, knowing she was on duty. In the cafeteria, I grabbed a few things on a tray, and sat. The next thing I knew, my doctor came over. The nurse had told him I was here. He wanted to know everything that was going on. We had a pleasant conversation. He chuckled when I told him Robin was expecting. Done with my food and conversation, we parted. He made me promise to keep him informed, and to come and see him when I was up here. I told him I would. Back outside, I made my way to the path leading towards my housing. Pausing as I walked, I noticed things I hadn't the day before. The glint of sunlight was on newly planted shrubs. Freshly painted trim was on the directional boards. It was as if the campus was alive once again. I was at ease, and unprepared. I was taking in the big picture, now, as I turned that last corner. I saw the tree. It was in full foliage. One side was a bit misshapen. The height was what caught me off guard. I had never really understood where I had been, in perspective. Images started popping into my head of the rooftop. I wanted to turn and leave, but felt compelled to stay. I saw Hank. It was the first time since that night, that I'd seen an image of him. His eyes were burning with hate. Everything from that point on was hazy. It was as though I was in fog. Nothing was clear. Even the flashing lights on the police cars below were just a dull red pulse. The crowd that I knew had gathered was muffled. Then; out of it all, clear as crystal, I heard Robin. She was screaming. I didn't remember that from before. But it was real. As real, as if she had been standing right next to me. Suddenly, as if I'd been startled out of a dream, I was in the present. Standing. Looking around. No one in sight. I walked back to the apartment. Richard was up. He wondered where I'd gone. When I told him, he didn't think it was such a sane thing to do. I wasn't sure, yet, whether to agree with him or not. Picking up the phone, I got the operator to call Carp. Being Sunday morning, I knew that the downtown would have a number of people around. Church would start, not too long from now. It rang twice before it was answered. I smiled, it was Daisy. She told me about how Robin had been apprehensive about going into her old house. I understood the feeling. Daisy told me what she had done, and how she had gotten Robin to go in. I had to laugh. Then I asked if she could have Robin by the phone in the next ten minutes. Daisy thought she would be able to manage that. She laughed when I told her not to tell Robin I was going to call. Ten minutes is a long time to sit, and watch a clock move. I rang the operator once again, asking her to get Carp for me. Robin picked it up on the third ring. "Hello?" she said apprehensively. "Hi, Sweetheart!" "Keith!" Then to Daisy she said (but I heard), "You rat." I laughed. "How's it going? Are you coming back, tomorrow?" "Yes, I am. That's not why I'm calling, though." "Oh, good! Then what is it?" "I have a question. I don't think you'll like it. But I want to know, anyway." "Keith, you're scaring me." "I walked the path I took, that day." "Why!" Robin cried. "I needed to. I had to," I said. "But listen. I heard something. Flashing back on that night, I heard something that I hadn't heard before." There was a long pause before Robin answered softly, "What?" "You. Screaming. All of a sudden, everything else dimmed, and I heard you." I could hear Robin crying on the other end. That wasn't what I wanted. "Robin? I know this is as difficult for you, as it is for me." "No, you're right. You're there. I wish, right now, that I was too." "So do I," I sighed, "I missed you last night." There was silence from the other end. I was sorry I had called. "Keith?" Robin said, screwing up her courage. "Of course I screamed. I heard the shot. I started to see you fall. I knew you were dead." "Now, I know. The last thing that I heard was your voice. Don't ask me why, but for some reason, that's comforting. Robin, I love you." "I love you, too." "Good. Now let me tell you some good news." I told her about Anthony scheduling the pickup of the girls from the train. I also told her about my talk with the doctor, and his snickers about her being pregnant. She was in a much better mood when we hung up. It was still early. Anthony was picking up Richard after he dropped Shelly off, so they could 'play golf' again. I decided to go over to the lab. It would be quiet. Maybe I could see about getting rid of some of those 'ifs', in my brain. Walking into the building, I nodded at the guard at sitting at his desk. I walked up the stairs, pulling my key out along the way. I was none to quiet, but apparently that didn't seem to make any difference. As soon as I opened the door, I saw them. Shelly was on the desk, her skirt hiked up around her waist. I couldn't see her head, as Anthony was covering most of her. What I did see, was his head between her legs. I took a step back, wanting to disappear from this private moment. The door had other ideas. It made a very loud creaking noise, as soon as I moved it. Anthony's head shot up in surprise. I was now looking at both his shocked face, and Shelly's most intimate parts. I pulled the door the rest of the way shut. As I walked down the stairs, I heard a scrambling behind the closed door. There was a bench, right outside. I decided to sit on it. Anthony was down in a matter of two minutes. Before he had a chance, I said, "Look, I'm sorry. I wasn't exactly quiet, entering. But then, I thought you wouldn't hear me leave, either." "Shelly is mortified," Anthony said, and then broke into a grin. "That is, of course, part of the fun of it all, isn't it? The possibility of getting caught, I mean. It adds to the excitement of it all." I started laughing, thinking about when the sheriff pulled me over. Robin's face had just been coated with my cum. "Yes, I guess it is. I'm sure she thinks I'm going to tease her unmercifully." Anthony grinned, "She did say something like that." "I think I won't say a word, then. It will probably drive her crazy." "You are as devious as she said. It's one of the reasons she likes you so much." "I think I'll wait until the doctor shows up, so we'll arrive together." Anthony was laughing. "Remind me not to get on your bad side," he said. He left to get Richard. About ten minutes later, I saw the doctor. We walked up the stairs and through the doorway, together. ------- After the church service was over, Millie was harping on Patrick to have dinner with them. He relented, but said he needed to go visit Mildred first. Finding Katy (his other daughter), he pulled her along for a walk over to Mildred's. "What's wrong, Dad?" Katy asked, knowing that this was unusual. "Millie, your sister." Katy was amused, "And I always thought she was your favorite." "Katy!" He saw that she was grinning at him, and knew that he'd been had. "I just don't need her to go ballistic." "About which part? Her son wanting to marry Barbara, them having sex, or about your child with Sheryl?" Patrick stumbled. His mind was flipping back and forth. He'd heard about Brian and Barbara, but they were having sex? More urgent matters were pressuring him. "You know?" "Dad, do I look that stupid?" "No, but if you know..." "Then I must have been around, when Sheryl was a little girl, and sat on your lap. You know there were times after she got down, that I got up. I wondered for some time why she thought it was fun. You always had a hard lump in your pants and I didn't always find it comfortable." Patrick felt very guilty. "Dad? I don't think anyone could help the reaction you had, with what she was doing to you. I'm sure it hasn't stopped. We all know she has wanted a child. The only thing I can't figure out is John. How does he fit into all of this?" "We can discuss that, later," Patrick said. He was wondering how much he would end up having to reveal about what goes on behind those closed doors. "How much do you think Millie suspects? You seem to know everything." "You forget who lives with me." Patrick stopped and looked at her. His first thought was Richard, but then it dawned on him that Dora was part of that mix, and that the two of them had talked about this. "So then, Dora told you." "No. She just confirmed it. I'd already suspected. I'm sure Millie does, also. But I'd bet she doesn't feel she needs to face it. Well, not yet, anyway. She has Brian and Barbara to worry about. When Sheryl starts showing, it will not be something anyone can disguise." "I'm very worried about that." "Keith may have some answers, when he returns. I hope they are good ones. If there are possibilities John could be the father, then everything should be explainable, at least for you." Patrick nodded. They were at Mildred's, at that point. Daisy and Pamela were outside, and greeted them. Their dad was inside with their mom, so Patrick and Katy talked with them for a bit, until Robert came outside. Patrick then went in. It had been several days between visits. The contrast was stark. Mildred was gaunt; her eyes looked sunken into her head. Her skin was pale. Despite her physical appearance, she was alert. "Patrick," she said. He sat down on the edge of her bed, and took her hand. "It will be soon, now," she said. "Are you ready?" "I'll never be ready to leave my children. I'm not being given much of a choice." "I know." "I'm not scared, though. I think that's what you were asking." Patrick gave her hand a little squeeze. "I'm glad to hear that. Your faith is strong. Many people come upon insurmountable problems in life, and want to blame God." "That would be a belief in predestination. I don't see God telling us what we are going to do. She gave us choices. That's part of the Adam and Eve story, isn't it?" Patrick smiled. He was going to hate to lose someone who was such a thoughtful thinker. "I'm surprised you called God: 'She'." Mildred gave a small and rare smile, and a blush. "Well, I've always suspected so. Why else were women given the ability to give life?" Then she added, "As well as the ability to have multiple orgasms?" "Mildred!" Patrick said, surprised. Then he laughed, "You're a gem, you know? I suspect there may be a ray of truth in what you say, but don't tell anyone I said so." They talked a little more, but Mildred soon tired. Outside, Patrick shook Robert's hand, and gave Daisy and Pamela hugs. Katy and he then walked back. "When are Keith and Richard getting back?" Patrick asked. "Robin talked with Keith this morning. They'll be back, tomorrow," Katy replied. "Good, I don't think Mildred has more than a day or two left in her." "You know that Pamela and Daisy will be coming out to live with us? Mildred wanted Keith and Robin to take care of Pamela." "I had heard. Mildred will wait until he arrives to go, but I don't think it will be much longer than that." "It is just so sad," Katy said. "Yes, it is," Patrick agreed. They walked the rest of the way in silence. ------- Shelly was being driven out of her mind. I gave her a little smile, here and there. Nothing I didn't normally do, but today it meant a lot more to her. At one point, when the doctor walked next door, I escaped to the back. I hid behind some of the cages. She found me, and I pretended to be looking at something. Then I walked back out to the open area, where our desks were. "Why don't you just say something?" Shelly finally said in frustration. I smiled. Just then, the doctor walked back in. I couldn't help it. I started to laugh. "Did I miss something?" he asked. "Yes," I said, trying to control myself. "But I don't think it should be repeated." The doctor started to laugh, as Shelly turned red. "He is terrible, isn't he," Dr. Jameson said. "Worse than that," Shelly retorted, and went off to work in the back. It was good to have that bit of fun, as the work I was doing was driving me insane. More than once I worked out a series of tests, only to see discrepancies in the results. I left and walked around the building several times, to clear my head. By the time we needed to leave, I had only come up with two tests for them to run. I was livid that I hadn't done better. "Keith? It's all right. Don't worry so much about it. We'll get it, in time." "There is a boy that is going to be courting a young lady soon. How am I supposed to tell him that I have no idea if he can have children or not? I don't have time! This isn't theory! These are people I live with!" "You're right, Keith. We don't live around these people, and we don't have the ties to them like you do. I'm sure that is not helping your concentration level," Dr. Jameson said. Then he added, "Shelly also told me you were having some problems with what happened to you on the campus. I'm not sure you've been 'all here'." I looked over to Shelly, who was glancing at what I had written for them to test on. "Keith? The people in the town have not been drinking the tainted water now, for how long?" she asked, obviously trying to change the subject. I looked at her. "Test them now, and see the difference?" "I was wondering..." I jumped up from the chair and grabbed hold of her, giving her a big kiss. Still holding Shelly in my arms, I said, "Why didn't I think of that? It would help clarify a lot of the variables we're working with now." "Remind me not to come up with such startling ideas, Keith," Dr. Jameson laughed. I let go of Shelly and we both stammered. The doctor was still laughing, but said, "I'll get that in the works. We could use the trip, anyway. What kind of facilities do you have there?" "We have a doctor in town, now. I'll have you talk with him, and you can set it up." "Good. Shelly and I can work these tests out, and try and bring results down with us. Then you can work on the results we come up with." I was nodding, "That sounds good to me." We left the building. Anthony's Rolls was waiting for Shelly and me. We noticed, as soon as we were close, that Anthony wasn't driving. The diver greeted us. As soon as we had started, Shelly rolled up the glass separating the front driver's compartment from ours. "You've been taunting me all day long," she said. "I haven't done a thing," I said, feigning innocence. "Just how much did you see?" Shelly asked, disregarding my statement. "Do you mean 'how long was I there', or 'what did I see'?" Shelly narrowed her eyes at me. "Shelly," I laughed, "it looked like you two were having a lot of fun. I didn't stand there and watch. But why should it bother you so much?" "Anthony talked me into it. I knew better. People aren't supposed to be doing that..." "Outside of the locked door of their bedroom?" I said, finishing her sentence. "Well," Shelly said, starting to think. "Should I tell you some of the places Robin and I have..." Her eyes widened, "No! Robin would kill you." I snickered, "No she wouldn't. She'd tell you herself. There was the time in my car, when the sheriff pulled me over for erratic driving..." Shelly was laughing, now. "Keith, you're pulling my leg, now. That didn't happen." "When you come down; I'm sure Robin would love to tell you, in nauseating detail, the whole story." "I'll have to do that," Shelly said with glee. "And don't worry, I won't tell her what I saw." Shelly's face drooped, and I started to laugh. She started to pout, but ended up laughing with me. "I guess it was a little funny, even though it is still very embarrassing." I shook my head. "Just wait till you get down to Carp," I said. "Shelly, I have been put into so many embarrassing positions that I don't even think about it any longer." She smiled deviously at me. "I think we might have to do some long term testing down there, so that I have enough time to get the juicy details." As we pulled up into the driveway, she put her hand on my leg. "Keith? I know you were trying to make me feel better. Thanks." I raised my eyebrows. "Everything I said was the truth." She was still laughing when Anthony opened the door. I don't think she believed me, but it didn't matter. She was in a good mood, again. Over dinner, Anthony explained that he had called the school. He had talked with my sister, Liz. Then he admonished me for not telling him it would be four girls, not just my sister. I laughed as he said he was glad their bags were staying on the train. He would be picking them up at the train station, and would meet us at the airport. I asked him what car he was going to use. "The Rolls of course." I smiled, and asked if he'd told them what he would be driving. He smiled in return, and said it would be a surprise. He said it was one of the joys of owning the car. They had the only train out, and it left Grand Junction early. Anthony figured that he would be back to the airport by eleven in the morning. That suited us just fine. ------- Over the weekend most of the students had gone. Jill and Laura had shed many tears saying goodbye to Betty and Sue. Now, there were less than twenty students, and a number of teachers. Almost everyone would depart the following week, leaving a bare bones crew for a few weeks. Liz, Tiffany, and Vicki, had everything packed up in trunks. They were now living out of one small travel suitcase, each. Laura had packed most of her larger items in with Jill's things that were going to Carp. She had a suitcase for the trip with her parents. Jill had only brought a duffle bag from the base when they had left it. Now, that duffle bag was stuffed full, as well as a trunk she and Laura had filled. The girls had spent a lot of time talking to, and thanking, the teachers. The drama teacher was one they went to see several times. Jill was now down at the stable. She loved the horses. She also knew that fate had brought her there, the day Dorothy flew out the door and across the meadow, on a horse that Jill rode after. She was lost in that daydream, when Kevin Smith said 'Hi' to her. Jill nearly jumped out of her skin. "I didn't hear you come in! You scared me to death." Kevin laughed, "Now, I doubt that. It would take a lot more than that, young lady." Jill smiled, "I like you, too." "It's not going to be the same without the school hero around," Kevin teased. "That is one thing I'll be glad to get away from." "Did Liz tell you about the plaque they are putting in the center of the quad, memorializing you?" Jill panicked, "They wouldn't dare!" Kevin started laughing so hard. Jill picked up a heavy shovel, and chased him outside with it. "You should have seen your face!" "I'll get you," Jill said, but was laughing also, by now. They both stopped; panting, and still laughing. "Jill, I'm going to miss you more than you know," Kevin said. "I'll miss you too." "Not as much, I'm sure. You were the first person who really knew who I was, and stayed by me. You don't know how much that means to me." "Then do me one thing." "You name it." "Figure out a way to marry Dorothy." "You mean that, don't you?" "Yes, I do. You'll have a week here, then a week in Carp, with her. Three weeks after that, you'll be at her house. If you don't figure out a way by then, you'll miss the opportunity of your life. Don't miss it. You'll end up regretting it, the rest of your life, Kevin." "How will I ever be able to thank you?" Jill smiled, "Invite me to the wedding." "You've got a deal!" Kevin smiled. "I can't wait to visit Carp. I know this week is going to seem like forever." "Well, you get to see her, tomorrow." "I know. I just hope I don't make a fool out of myself." "You're thinking about that, now?" Jill said, sarcastically. Kevin growled and chased her back, laughing, to the stable. She put the shovel away, and they walked up to the dorms. "Grace and I will be taking the lot of you, and the mountain of luggage we know you'll have, to the train in the morning," Kevin said to Jill and Liz. "I'm glad," Liz replied. "I'll want to say one last goodbye..." She started to cry. Liz had spent many years here. This had become 'home', to her. As happy as she was to move to Carp, it didn't mean she liked leaving here. The others there echoed her feelings. The end of the evening was a touch of sadness, with the mix of excitement of a new adventure. The only one who didn't have ties to the school, and was simply anticipating the next stop, was Sarah. Though she could understand the feelings of the others. ------- Morning came early for everyone. Excitement was in the air as the girls pulled their last things together. Meeting down in the parking lot, they waited for Grace to arrive. Kevin had the trunks stored safely on the school's large flatbed truck. The only one that was up and there, waiting with them, was Laura. "Laura," Jill said for the 'unknownth' time, "Be sure Kevin doesn't make a fool out of himself, in front of your parents." "I know." "You have to watch out for Susan, too. She's liable to say something. We wouldn't want the plans changed. It would ruin everything." "What are you two scheming about?" Liz asked. "Jill thinks I don't know anything," Laura lamented. "I'm just trying to make sure," Jill protested. "Kevin will be just fine," Liz said, surprising the girls. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself." "Yes, Mother," Jill said, and then stuck out her tongue. Liz looked at Jill, and smiled. "That's better. Now play nice." The three laughed. Grace drove up a few minutes later. They said goodbye to Laura. But that was short, as she would be joining them in Carp, in a few days. Grace and Liz shared the front seat of her car. Tiffany, Vicky and Sarah slid into the back seat. Jill rode with Kevin, in the truck, to the train. "Now remember, no kissing her in front of Laura's parents." "Do you think I've lost my mind?" Jill grinned, "When it comes to Dorothy, yes!" Kevin snorted, but knew she was probably right. "Why don't you write her a letter, and slip it to her. It will drive her crazy, as she won't be able to read it until latter." "Jill, you are devious," Kevin smiled, "I like that. As soon as I get home, I'm going to do just that." They pulled up right behind Grace. Porters helped them unload everything. Then it was time for the goodbyes. Liz was weeping. Grace was trying her best, but it was too much. She broke down crying. This was something Kevin Smith had never seen before. Jill gave Kevin a big hug. He expected that; but when Vicky, Tiffany, and Liz did also, he was tearing up as well. The whistle blew, and they boarded for the first part of their journey. It was rather uneventful. All of them were silent, with different thoughts. Therefore it surprised them all, when after what had seemed such a short time, their stop was being called. As the train stopped, a porter grabbed their small travel cases. All Liz knew, was that Anthony had called, and had made arrangements. They had met, when I had been in the hospital. But other than his name, Jill didn't remember a thing about the man. They stood there, hoping that he would recognize them. "Liz Paterson?" A man said, dressed to the nines. "Yes?" "Is your party present?" he asked, although it was obvious. Liz looked around, "Yes, they are." "This way, then. Is there anything I can take?" "We can manage," Liz said. "Did Anthony send you?" "In a way, yes." He was a few steps ahead of them, making conversation difficult. As they walked off the platform and into the parking lot, his car was unmistakable. The girls had no idea, as they walked towards it, that it was their transportation. As he stopped in the back, drawing out his key, they just about fainted. "This is... Are you Anthony?" Liz asked. "At your service, Madam," he said with a smile. The only one who had ever been in such luxury (yet never in a Rolls), was Sarah. Liz, Vicky, Tiffany, and Jill, just stood there, dumbstruck. It worked to Anthony's favor, as it was much easier to collect the bags. Safely stowed, he opened the back door for them, and deployed the two jump seats from the back of the front seat. All of them climbed in, not truly believing what they were doing. Only once inside and seated, they were on their way. Only then, did they start to look at their surroundings. "How come you didn't tell me this car would be waiting?" Liz asked Anthony. He glanced back, "One of life's pleasures. This car is a luxury. I try and enjoy all I can from it." He did at that. On the drive, he listened to the comments they made, answered questions about this and that. They decided that any one of them could become accustomed to being driven around in this fine automobile. Anthony was very pleased. It was an expensive toy, but he loved to share it, and to have it enjoyed by others. As he pulled up to the airport, the plane was visible. So were Richard and I. Anthony didn't get to open the back door. He didn't even make it out of the front door. Liz jumped out. We ran towards each other and hugged. I was then pulled over to the others. Sarah looked at me, studying me for a moment. "I just got my cast off. I still have to be careful, but it's much better." She smiled and then embraced me. I said hello to Tiffany and Vicki, as they exited. Jill was the last to emerge from the Rolls. I looked at her and smiled, she returned my smile. Holding out my arms, she stepped forward, and let me give her a hug. "Nice to see you," I said. "We'll be home, soon." I felt her hug me just a little more as I said that. Then she released me, and looked up. "We were going to talk," Jill said. "We will. There is a lot that you have missed. But don't worry; we will have some time together." I shook Anthony's hand, smiling inwardly. He would soon discover the flight plan Richard and I had left him, for Carp. We'd also left a note, if he ever wanted to visit. We'd written that we'd love to see 'them', leaving an opening for him to bring Shelly, as well. Richard was stowing the bags, and I get everyone on board. We took off minutes later. ------- Larry had woken up everyone at the mansion with the noise he and the crew he had out there, were making. His brother was working one end of the old barn site, with three other men. Larry was working the other end. Lying off to the side, thirty feet from the original structure, were neat stacks of lumber. Saturday, after the barn had come down, they had removed the roof. Now the large timbers were being pulled away. Larry wanted most of the demolition work done by the end of the day. As noon approached, he wondered if he'd been too optimistic. What had been the front, was now gone. But the back, where the quarters had been, were taking a lot longer to dismantle. They were being as careful as possible, trying to salvage for reuse, everything they could. Katy and Robin came out with lunch for the men. Elizabeth, Kristina, and Barbara were helping them. Jimmy and Kenneth had been out there, observing, most of the morning. Food was a clear signal to the men that it was time to stop. After Larry ate, he explained what they were doing. Beth Ann, Mary, and Dora had wandered out, and listened to the explanations. Everyone was excited about the prospect of a big fire, from the waste that was being loaded up on a wagon. After lunch, the men went back, and the work continued. We landed shortly after two. Our cars, full, arrived by the time we taxied the plane next to the doctors. The ones that felt a bit out of place with the celebration were Tiffany and Vicky, but it was hard not to get caught up in the joyous mood. There was so much to talk about, get caught up on, that the conversations were nearly non-stop. I did, as we were driving back, point out where the men were working. I told them that that was the place where more bedrooms were going to be constructed. As we arrived at the Mansion, there was utter shock. Liz had heard about it but the enormity of the place, as well as grandma's furnishings, overwhelmed her. Jill also knew of the restoration project, but she never expected this. We took everyone on a tour. It was interrupted with so many sidetracked conversations, that by the time we were on the third floor, it was nearly four o'clock. I was called away by Jimmy, saying Larry was downstairs. He didn't say much to me. Only that he needed to show me something. I told Jimmy to tell Robin I'd be out back. I noticed, as we got closer, his brother was the only other one there. As we had driven by, there had been several others. "I sent everyone home," Larry said. "About quit'n time anyway." "So what did you want to show me?" I asked. Larry's brother pulled back the remains of what I recognized as one of the bunks. The splintered wood uprights revealed they were hollow. I wasn't sure what I was looking at. "See these ropes?" "Yes." "We found pulleys as well." I wasn't following, until Larry pointed at the remains of the bottom mattress. "This base to the bed is solid, 'cause it looks like it was a trap door." ------- Chapter 70 Richard and I looked to where Larry was pointing. "Did anyone else see this?" I asked. "No, I just noticed all of the parts and sort of put it together 'bout the time as the others were leaving." "Larry," Richard said, "I think we'd rather not have anyone know about this. It could cause another run of 'treasure seekers'." Larry nodded, "Know what you mean." He looked at the spot again, "Does kinda make you wonder where it goes, though." Richard glanced over to me. I think both of us were wondering the same, 'did he know what was down in the basement?' I wasn't sure what more to say. Richard didn't jump in, so I figured he was in the same place. I liked Larry, although there was something a bit different about him. I knew we had to build a trust, to keep this quiet. "Larry, you never married," I said, trying to fish for something else to talk about. He blushed, which was not the reaction I had expected. Then he stammered. "I never... I couldn't... It just wouldn't..." Larry's brother was walking up to us then. "What's got you, Larry?" "They asked why I never married." There was a look between the two brothers. Deciding I needed a few answers, before proceeding with Larry, I looked over to Richard. I gave him eye movements that he picked up on, thank God, and got the brother away for a moment. "Larry, I'm sorry if I upset you. Can we talk about what you found, tomorrow morning?" "Yeah," he said, and nodded, "Don't you worry none, I won't say a word." I nodded back at him. I was thinking that this man was more complex, all the time. Robin came out to see us. Well... more like to bring us back into the house. Everyone was standing out on the porch. I could tell, as she watched Larry and his brother ride off on their horses, that Sarah was having reality shock. "Yes," I said to her, "that is how most people get around, here." "I didn't believe my dad." I smiled. "When can I see Pamela?" "I think it's probably time to go get Katharine. Did you meet her kids?" Sarah gave me a concentrated look, "Two girls, and the young boy?" I smiled, "Yes. Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth." "I can tell you like them." "Yes, I do. We can go very soon, ok?" Sarah burst into a radiant smile, "Yes, I'd like that." Then she ran off upstairs, to get something. Kristin thought Liz, Vicki, and Tiffany should get a full tour of Carp. She wanted to play hostess. That would take longer than just going into town, so they commandeered Richard's vehicle, and took off. Jimmy wanted to go with Sarah and me. Jill, when she found out why Jimmy wanted to go, was flabbergasted. "He... Pamela?" "I did tell you things had changed." "But he's not old enough." "For what?" "Well... to marry." "You're right." Jill looked at me with a wrinkled brow. "I think the idea of 'courting a lady', came from Brian's parents." "What is going on?" Jill asked, totally confused. I couldn't help but laugh. "Did you meet Barbara?" "Yes. She's a bit of a tomboy, isn't she?" "Not really." "Well she looks more like a boy, than a girl." I nodded, "Brian kind of likes that, I think." Jill stared at me. Then finally said, "You mean..." "She is turning 13, soon." "Oh! But what do her parents thing about Brian? I mean, I haven't heard of that. You know; someone younger." "Both of her parents have died." Jill looked like she was about to cry. "Millie originally took her in, but then..." "Oh, no! They haven't? Did they get caught?" I knew Jill was trying to be serious. But it was funny, thinking about it. "Jill, didn't you hear about Brian's accident?" "Well..." I could tell she was thinking. "Both of his legs, and one of his arms, are in casts." Jill realized why I had started to laugh, and blushed. "Jill," I smiled, "you weren't on the wrong track. But thank God, Mildred didn't catch them!" Jill laughed, "Yes, I could just see that!" "So, Barbara is living out here, now. As soon as Brian is out of his casts, he is supposed to court her." "So Jimmy is just copying him?" "In a way, I guess. But he is pretty smitten. It took a lot to convince Pamela that Jimmy liked her. She couldn't understand why he was always looking at her." "She thought he was making fun of her, didn't she?" "Yes. You hit that one just right." "Sounds like they worked it out." "Want to come along and see?" I smiled, and then added, "I'll bet Daisy would love to see you, as well." "I think I will. Thanks." Sarah, Jimmy, Jill, and I, got into my car. We drove into town. The conversation was rather animated, as Jimmy was excited about seeing Pamela. He was non-stop-talking, all the way there. Sarah was interested in learning about this new place. Jill was surprised at how much had gone on, in her absence. As soon as we reached Mildred's house, Jimmy was out of the car in a flash. Jill laughed at his antics. Sarah was out as well, as soon as she heard Jimmy was looking for Pamela. That left Jill and I alone in the car, for a moment. "Is my mom at home?" "No, I wouldn't think so. Jill," I said taking her hand, "your mother is... How do I put this?" "What?" "She's living a somewhat different lifestyle than you ever knew." Jill got a strange look on her face, "Like what?" "I'll tell you about it, later. Here comes Daisy." Daisy opened the door, and pulled Jill out, giving her a big hug. "Oh! It is so good to see you!" Daisy exclaimed. "It feels really different to be back. This place has changed so much." "Not that much, just little things," Daisy said, and then she got an embarrassed look. "You know, Hank and I are not..." "Married any more? I hope not! After what he did to Keith." Jill suddenly became embarrassed, as I was standing right there. "I'm going to see what Sarah is doing," I said, and politely removed myself. I found them in the living room. Pamela and Jimmy were sitting on the couch together, holding hands. Sarah was sitting across from them, asking questions. Sarah saw me, and turned. "She's doing great. I don't think I needed to come," Sarah said to me. "Yes! Yes, you did," Pamela implored, "I need you here." "Jimmy, I want you to come and see Mildred with me for a minute." I said, leaving the girls to talk. He gave me a sour face, but got up. We walked over to Mildred's door, and I knocked. Katharine answered it, and smiled when she saw me. "I know she'd love to see you," Katharine said. Katharine walked out, leaving us to enter. The room was dimly lit, making the features of Mildred harder to distinguish. That was probably for the best. The smell itself reminded me of what I hated about hospitals. Mildred made an attempt to move her hand, as though to pat it on the bed. I sat down in a chair opposite the bed, pulling Jimmy along with me. "Mildred," I said, "how are you doing?" There was a bit of a smile, "Never felt better." "I have Jimmy with me. You know, when he's old enough, he wants to marry Pamela." "I wish I could see that. Jimmy I've known..." she had to pause, we waited, "you, from when you were born. You may not know it, but I was one of the first people your mom told..." another pause, "when she got pregnant. I always felt that was a great honor, to be trusted like that." In the innocence of youth and the concern of feelings, Jimmy blurted out, "I'd marry her now and then you could see it." I held back from saying anything. Mildred smiled. "Jimmy, you go get my daughter," she said. He bounced off the bed, and was out the door in a flash. I didn't know what was going on, but figured I'd find out pretty fast. Pamela was pulled in. I saw Sarah at the doorway, looking in. Katharine was behind her. "Darling," Mildred said to her daughter Pamela, "Jimmy wants to marry you." Turning bright red, Pamela just nodded. "He's a good boy. You are a good girl. You make it work, ok?" "Yes, Mother." "I won't be here much longer. I want you to listen, learn, and above all, love each other. Will you do that?" "I will," both Pamela and Jimmy said at the same time. Their eyes grew, as they looked at each other, realizing just what they had promised. "Pamela, Keith will let you know when it will be the right time to marry..." Mildred coughed. "Listen to him." "Momma," Pamela cried, "don't go... not yet." "Not yet," Mildred replied in a weak voice. I ushered Jimmy and Pamela out, noting Sarah's face, almost in tears, at the edge of the door. Daisy and Jill had just walked into the house. "Keith," I heard Mildred say, "my other daughter..." I thought she wanted to see her, so I told Daisy to come in. Jill followed, not knowing what lay in the room. I turned back to Mildred and sat back down in the chair. She started speaking as they came in. "Keith, take good care of them. I know Daisy will always be with you. Pamela... I think she will not remember me." I started to break down, crying. I couldn't help it. Daisy walked over to the edge of the bed. "Mom, we will all help her remember you." I looked up to see Daisy, with Jill right behind her. Jill was frightened. Mildred noticed her. "Is that you, Jill? My, I think you have grown up. You look like quite the woman, now." "Thank you Mrs..." Jill decided she didn't need to be so formal, "Mildred." Mildred started to talk, and it took a bit out of her. "I know I must look like a fright to you, Jill honey... "I'm dying, and there's nothing that can be done. I'm glad I got to see you, before I go. You never knew your mom, before you were born... "When your dad was young. She was alive, and vivacious. I'm not sure what's going on, now... "But she's now like she was before your dad died. She's happy... "Remember this, and not any of the bad times. Look at her, and see the difference. Try and tell my girls not to die with me. Can you try to do that?" Jill nodded, not knowing what else to do. I took Jill's hand, and led her out, leaving Daisy with her mom. "Keith, she's going to die," Jill said. It was a redundant statement; but one, for her, that needed to be said out loud, to make it real. "Yes. She is." Jill turned to me and hugged me tight, as if to save her. I started to think about what Mildred said to Jill, and wondered what changes her girls would see. Was that part of why she wanted Daisy and Pamela to be with us, and not stay with their father? I wasn't sure. That made me wonder where Robert was. "Katharine," I said, looking over Jill's shoulder. "Where is Robert?" She shrugged her shoulders. "He should be here by now. But I've heard he stops by the phone and makes a call, before coming back from work." I just nodded, not wanting to make a big deal about it. But I wondered who the hell would he be calling? Sarah was sitting on the sofa, by herself. Apparently, Jimmy had taken Pamela off, somewhere. I released Jill, and walked her over to sit with Sarah. "I'm staying here, tonight," Sarah said. "I want to talk with Pamela, and I can't with Jimmy here. She said she needed me, I believe her." I nodded, and told her I thought that would be fine. A woman showed up with her son. I recognized her from the day I first brought Kristin to town. She was bringing dinner. She saw Jill and dropped everything on a table, to give Jill a big hug. Sarah was amazed, as she learned of the dinners that arrived every night for the family. I sent Jill to find Jimmy, as we needed to leave. Daisy and Sarah talked about her staying the night. I don't know who was blushing more, Jill, Pamela, or Jimmy. "We need to get home. Come on," I said, not wanting to embarrass anyone more. Katharine, Jill, Jimmy, and I, started for the door. "How come Sarah's not coming?" Jimmy wanted to know. I pulled him out the door and said, "'Cause she wants to find out from Pamela all about you." Jimmy's eyes grew, as Jill started laughing. "Keith that was just mean," Jill laughed. Jimmy scrunched up his face, trying to look hurt. I picked him up with my good arm and flung him over my shoulder. I was glad I remembered which arm to be using, and which not to. I was going to have to be a lot more careful. Jimmy was yelling to get down, all the way to the car. Katharine had the door open, and I dropped him inside. On the way home, I explained to Jimmy that Sarah and Pamela had become friends at the hospital. Sarah had (as she herself admitted) become more concerned with Pamela's welfare, than with anyone before. It had been a changing point in her life. "Then she'll take time away from when I can see Pamela," Jimmy said, not very happy with it all. "On the contrary," Katharine said. "Jimmy, Sarah can be one of your best friends. She will know what Pamela is thinking, before you do. If you're on Sarah's good side, then you will get information that will make Pamela know how much you care about her." "Really?" Jimmy said, amazed. "Sure," I added, "Don't you remember how much Stephanie helped you two?" "Plus, Jimmy," Jill said with a smile, "with Sarah as an escort, you will get to spend much more time with Pamela." "Escort?" Jimmy asked, not knowing the word. The rest of us laughed. "Ask your mother about that," I said. I chuckled, inwardly. I knew Katy would thank me for that one. ------- Mary was only somewhat surprised that her sister was spending the night with Pamela. It was fine with her. Mary and Beth Ann were having a good time getting to know Liz better, as well as Vicki and Tiffany. They were all in the kitchen when I walked through the first floor. Dinner preparation was in full swing. "Kristin wasn't feeling very good. She's upstairs with Robin," Liz said. I left the kitchen, and bolted up the back stairs. I then slowed down, opening my bedroom door as gently as I could. Inside, Kristin was on the bed. Robin, sitting beside her, was holding a washcloth to Kristin's forehead. "Morning sickness, we think," Robin said as she saw me enter. "It is high time she went to see the doctor," I replied. Robin grinned, "You just want to see that special table again. Kristin, you should have seen him. Look, he's thinking about it, now! He's hard!" "Thanks!" I said, trying to act embarrassed. They laughed at me, told me to come closer, and then started rubbing the front of my pants. "Is this helping you, Kristin?" "Mmmm, yes. It's getting my mind off..." "Well, if you don't watch out, I'll be getting off." "Not in your pants!" Robin said, "We don't want to waste any of that." Robin patted me, and I knew it was time to go. As I walked out into the hall, Stephanie was there. She saw the bulge in my pants, and smiled. I held out my arms, and she ran towards me. "You promised me some special time," Stephanie whispered. I ran my hand down the back of her spine, seeing the hair on her stand up. She shivered from the goose bumps I'd just given her. "Maybe we can find some time after dinner." "Really?" she questioned, looking up at me with wishful eyes. "Just you and me, ok?" She broke into a smile. I tempered it. "You have to ask Robin for permission, though." She grinned, "I can do that, is she in your room?" I rolled my eyes, "Yes." Walking down the stairs, I tried to get my mind on other things. Mainly, to get the lump in my pants to go down. It didn't help that at that moment, Elizabeth came running up the stairs. She stopped two steps below me, her eyes riveted on my crotch. "Did you want something?" I asked. She took her time looking up at my face. Then, blushing furiously, she said, "Dinner is ready." She looked once more, and then darted around me, running the rest of the way up the stairs. ------- Near bedtime, I had Jill pull a nightgown out of Sarah's travel bag. I got a bit of flack from some of the girls, as the only one I took with me to deliver it was Stephanie. She, on the other hand, was ecstatic. I pulled her out of the house before she got carried away with glee. When we drove towards town I asked her if she knew why I wanted her along. She got a bit shy, "Is it about what you said earlier?" I smiled, reached over and touched her leg, "Yes, Sweetheart, it is. I thought that in the car, we could have some private time together." Her face brightened, and her smile lit up the car's interior. I went in, leaving Stephanie in the car. Sarah was thankful that I had brought the nightgown to her. Robert didn't say much more than hello to me. I could tell he was depressed. Daisy wanted to walk me out to the car. Daisy saw Stephanie in the car and raised her eyebrows at me. "She wanted some time with me. This seemed like the best solution." Daisy grinned, "I think that was nice, to drive her in, and then back home." "You're a little devil, you know that?" "I hope you always like my humor." "You know I will," I said taking hold of her around her waist. "I'm going to give that little girl something to compete with," Daisy said. With that, she pulled my head towards hers and kissed me. It didn't start slow; Daisy went for everything right from the beginning. Her mouth opened, and before I did, her tongue was forcing its way in. When I broke off, I was panting. Daisy had a very satisfied look on her face. "That should start you off," she said, trying to act serious. "Start me? If I don't calm down, I'm liable to rape that poor girl." Daisy laughed, "Be serious." "Daisy, don't underestimate yourself. I'm ready to pull you into this car, and have you right now. That was one hot kiss." "Stop it, now. You're getting me horny." "Good," I said. "Just think of me while you play with yourself." "Keith!" Daisy silently squealed. Then smiled, "You know I always do." "I think I'd better go now, before anything else happens." "Yeah, it probably is best, or Stephanie would lose out." I was shaking my head as I opened the car door. Stephanie was looking a bit perturbed at me. "That was a nice show," she said sarcastically. "Daisy wanted to make sure that I was ready for you, so there was no way I could change my mind." Stephanie looked at me quizzically. "It worked. I'm ready to pull those clothes off you, right here and now." Her eyes widened. "But I think I'll wait till we get out of town. How does that sound?" "Good. But we aren't driving too far, are we?" Stephanie asked with excitement "No. I don't want to wait any longer than necessary to have you in my arms." I drove out towards the Mansion. Outside of the sight of town, and before the bend that made us visible to the Mansion, I pulled over. I stepped out, and walked around, opening Stephanie's door. Typical of the desert, it was a nice evening, still. Though it would cool off, in the night. The ground was still warm, from being baked by the sun. Stephanie was surprised as I held out my hand for her to exit like a lady. When I opened the back door and pulled out a blanket, she smiled. I laid it out, and then pulled her close to me. Picking her up in my arms, I kissed her. Not like Daisy's kiss. I had time. I started slowly, building the anticipation. Either it worked, or Stephanie was simply ready. As soon as I set her down, and before I could react, she had her dress over her head. Standing before me in her panties, she looked divine. "Can I undress you?" She asked shyly. "It would be my pleasure," I said, kicking off my shoes and standing in the center of the blanket. ------- Robin met us at the door, "I hope you left a little of him for me." Stephanie giggled, "I think so." "Time for bed. Everyone else is already upstairs," Robin told her. "Ok," Stephanie replied, and ran up. Once she opened her bedroom door, all eyes were on her. "You were gone forever, what were you and Keith doing?" Elizabeth asked. Stephanie was still floating, and didn't think about who asked the question, she simply answered it. "We were loving each other." "No sir," Kristina said, indignantly. Taken back, Stephanie felt like her word was being questioned. "We did, too. Keith and I are lovers." Both Elizabeth and Kristina giggled, infuriating Stephanie. Barbara was listening with great interest to everything being said. Elizabeth stated, as she was superior, "I've seen and felt Keith's thing." "So did I," Kristina interjected. The challenge was on, and Stephanie was not to be undone. "Keith and I made love, and I can prove it." The girls said nothing, but looked at each other. Barbara couldn't stand it, "How?" she asked. Without answering, Stephanie whipped her dress over her head, pulled down her panties. She lay on the bed, and spread her legs. The other three girls were shocked by this action, but were also curious. Elizabeth got out of bed, and brought a candle close. Kristina followed her. Barbara, who was on the bed where Stephanie was, simply moved over to look. There was little question that Stephanie had told the truth. Her lips were still red, her opening, still slightly agape. The real evidence was the discharge that was still present. Elizabeth, Kristina, and Barbara were staring so intently, that Stephanie started to feel a bit self-conscious. As that happened, she also realized that she shouldn't have made such a big deal about this. I had asked her not to. It was one of the reasons that she and I were having special times, together. Pulling her legs closed, she wanted to cry. She was thinking that I would be so mad at her, that this would be the last time. "How come Keith doesn't do that with us?" Kristina asked in her young innocence. "Please don't say anything," Stephanie pleaded, "I shouldn't have showed you. Now he'll never do it with me again!" Stephanie started to curl up and cry. "Don't worry, Stephanie," Barbara said, knowing she had secrets, too. "None of us will tell. Will we?" Barbara looked at Elizabeth and Kristina for confirmation. They nodded and then said, "No." "Stephanie," Barbara asked, touching Stephanie's face. "Could you do one more thing, though? Remember, we're not going to say a word to anyone. We are sworn to secrecy." Stephanie looked at Elizabeth and Kristina, who were nodding as though this was a ritual. "What?" Stephanie asked. "Can you tell us all about it? You know, from start to finish?" Barbara asked with great excitement in her voice. Stephanie glanced at the other two. Their eyes were also filled with the excitement of this possibility. "You promise not to tell a soul?" The four girls put their hands together, and swore never to tell a soul, for as long as they lived. Jimmy, in the next room over was just as excited. He was still awake when Stephanie came into the room. He was glad Kenneth was sleeping, as he would have ruined things, making noise. Jimmy had peeked in, through the darkened doorway to see Stephanie spread out on the bed. He had wanted to go in and look, too, but knew better than to do it. Now he was going to hear about it. Pulling his dick out of his PJ's he was already stroking it, as Stephanie started to describe the event. Jimmy wasn't the only one. The girls had gotten into their beds. Every one of them had found their hands caressing between their legs, as Stephanie's descriptions became more vivid. ------- Daisy, Sarah, and Pamela, went into the girl's bedroom for the night. Pamela insisted that Sarah take her bed. She could sleep on the floor, between the beds. Sarah didn't want to put Pamela out of her bed, but relented. After all that; as soon as Sarah got into bed, Pamela hopped up on it. Lying down, she started chatting. Sarah was a bit surprised and looked over to Daisy, who had an amused expression on her face. "She used to do that with me, every night forever," Daisy said, then with a sad voice, added, "Until I got married." Sarah had a hard time thinking of a girl Daisy's age married, but then there was Robin. She sure seemed happy, but of course there was Keith. That brought a smile to Sarah's face, and Pamela wanted to know what brought it on. Sarah turned red, and had to do some fast thinking to make up a plausible reason. Robert, who had not said more than two words after he came home, put his head into the door and growled, "Keep it down in here, your mom needs her sleep." Sarah watched Pamela's face turn from smiles to almost tears. She wasn't sure if it was how her father talked to them, what was happening to her mother, or a combination of the two. Sarah gave Pamela a big hug, holding her tight. After that, the three whispered, stopping when they heard a creak. They would stop and then start again when they felt it was safe. Sarah didn't sleep well that night. Twice, while it was dark, she heard someone get up and go into the bathroom. Then, early in the morning as the beginnings of light started, Pamela climbed into bed with her. Pamela's body was cold, as she'd thrown her covers off during the night. Sarah cuddled with the girl, warming her, until Pamela fell back asleep. Sarah was almost asleep when she heard the door to Mildred's bedroom open, another trudge to the bathroom and back. She was awake enough this time to realize it was too short of a time, between walking in, and the flush of the toilet. It dawned on her that it must be a bedpan. Three times in one night. She nodded off, thinking that Robert must be very tired. He was working, and taking care of his wife. No wonder he was grumpy. Pamela woke up, and was embarrassed to find herself in the bed with Sarah. She didn't remember climbing in when she was cold. "Next time I sleep on the floor and you get the bed," Sarah teased her. Pamela was still blushing, her sister was laughing. Pamela jumped out of the bed and onto her sister's bed. A pillow fight ensued, but suddenly stopped when Robert put his head around the doorway. "Its better when Katharine is here," Pamela said. She then looked at her sister and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean it." "Do you remember what we're doing today?" Daisy asked her sister. Sarah watched Pamela's eyes tear. "Do we have to?" Pamela sorrowfully asked. "Yes, Pamela. We need to, for mom." "What are you doing?" Sarah asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. "Finding flowers," Daisy answered. "That sounds nice," Sarah said thinking it would brighten up Mildred's room. "It is not nice," Pamela whimpered. "We have to find where the best ones are, so we can pick them for her funeral." Sarah was stunned. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She had heard there were no relatives on either side; but that these girls had to think of their mother's death, before it even happened... It was too much for Sarah, and she broke down crying. ------- Katharine planned to go into town with me in the morning. Barbara wanted to go along. Then Liz, Vicki, and Tiffany said they wanted to go as well. The three of them were interested in the old downtown building that would be used for the temporary school. I thought that made a lot of sense. Barbara could 'watch' Brian, while Millie (and possibly the other school board members) showed them around. I also promised Jill I would look for her mother, today. It had slipped my mind, before. As we weren't in town, nor did we have phones, it was a bit more difficult. I had no idea if Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca were here, or in Las Vegas. I knew they were trying to sell their house. Then of course, Jack was ready to retire. His activities were slight, but he still had some duties at the base. When we got into the car, I noticed that Barbara was rather exited. More so than usual. She just kept looking at me, and smiling. I didn't think it had been that long, at first. Then again, I guess it had been a while since the two of them had gotten together. So I put it down as that. Dropping off Barbara, Liz, Vicki, and Tiffany, at Millie's first, seemed the logical thing to do. Millie was outside when we drove up, and got exited at meeting the new teachers. She was so excited, that she didn't give it any thought that she would be gone for hours, leaving Barbara and Brian alone. Then we drove over to Mildred's. I was surprised to find Sarah outside, alone. I got out of the car, and walked over to her. Katharine went inside. "What's wrong?" I asked, noting the sad look on her face. "Why does life have to be so cruel?" "Did you and Pamela not get along?" "Of course, but..." Tears started flowing. I sat down along side of her and put my arm around her. "What's wrong then?" "Daisy and Pamela went to find where the best flowers were growing." I looked at her not understanding what she was trying to tell me. "They need to know, so they can have funeral flowers." 'Oh, Sarah..." I hugged her tight, letting her tears flow. After a few minutes, I asked, "Are you ready to go, or do you want to stay until they return?" "I know I should stay and say goodbye, but I don't think I can. Is that bad of me?" "No, Sarah. This is a very hard thing on everyone. No one is prepared for the emotions this brings." "Then can we go?" "Yes, let's do that." I held her hand, as we went out to the car. She climbed in beside me, but only scooted over as much as she had to, to let me in. She obviously wanted to be close to me. I was sad that this was her first introduction to the people of Carp. "Sarah," I said, as I started out of town, "I hope you're not sorry you came." She grabbed my leg, causing me to accelerate. Then I pulled my foot off the pedal, and let the car coast. "No! I wanted to be here with you; well, and Pamela, of course." "I think you'd better have a long talk with your sister." She looked at me with pleading eyes, pulling her hand off my leg, "I'll be good. I promise." "Sarah, talk with her. Tell her what you are feeling," I said. I turned her head to look into her eyes, "Everything you're feeling." "Do I have to?" "You'll be surprised when you do, trust me." "You're sure?" "Yes. But Sarah, be prepared to look into what you want." "What?" "Just remember what I said. It will make sense, later, when you talk with your sister." "Ok." I drove the rest of the way to the Mansion. Sarah reluctantly went to find her sister. Stephanie wanted to talk with me, but Richard and I had Larry to talk to, first. Jill arrived at the front door. I had forgotten. She knew it as soon as she saw me. "Is there a reason you don't want me to get together with my mother?" Jill asked pointedly. "No, when I got to Sarah... Well, go talk to her, and find out what was going on with her. Then if you want to be mad at me forgetting, I'll understand." "What happened?" "Go talk with her. I think she's not been given a very good first glance at Carp." Jill, now very curious, left to find Sarah. Richard and I walked out back. Larry had the men working everywhere but at the place in question. He saw us, and walked over. As well as forgetting to find out about Rebecca, I hadn't talked to Patrick, either. I had no more answers about Larry than before. "Been working them in other places today. 'Nuff work to keep it going, but there will come a time. What we going to do then?" Larry asked. "Will they have it cleared today?" Richard asked. "Mostly. Tomorrow, for sure." "Then we need answers by the end of today," I said. "Be good," Larry said, nodding. "Foundation for the new place will be where?" Richard asked. "'Bout where the barn stood. Little longer and narrower, but about the same place." "We'll let you get back to work. Maybe after lunch you can come to the house, and we can talk about a few things," I said. Larry nodded, and our conversation was over. He picked up a few things, Richard and I walked back. "What do you have in mind?" Richard asked me. "First we need to talk with Patrick." "Then?" "Don't know." "Good plan," Richard laughed. "Thanks." ------- Jimmy was jumping at the idea of going into town. He was more than ready to see Pamela again. Sarah thought it best if she didn't return. Not yet, at any rate. Jill told me she was going, and I knew that wasn't a request. Jill may have understood that I had forgotten, with how Sarah felt, but she needed to see her mother. I understood, and just hoped she was in town. Richard also went with me. We dropped Jill and Jimmy off at Mildred's. Then we went looking for Patrick. We saw him on the main street, just going into the building that would be the school. He must have noticed my car, because he stepped back out, and waited for us. I pulled up and stopped. It was easy to park one of the only three cars in town. "I heard from Liz that you might be looking for me," Patrick said. "Yes, we are. We have some questions," I said. "Good, so do I." "Where can we talk, then?" Richard asked. Patrick looked around, "How about we drive to the north end of town." "Sure," I said, knowing there was no one out that way. I wondered what Patrick wanted to know. As soon as he got into the car and we started, I asked what I'd forgotten before, "Do you know where Rebecca is?" "No, haven't seen them," Patrick said, suggesting you don't see her without Cynthia and or Jack. "The helicopter has been here several times in the past few days, so they most likely are at the base." I nodded. I knew I'd hear from Jack about what was going on, later. Patrick pointed towards a spot. I drove to it, and we got out. Patrick walked in front of us, leading the way. He stopped, and gestured for us to sit. There were several places to choose from, none very comfortable, but better than the ground. "What did you want to know?" Patrick asked. "Tell us about Larry. He was terribly embarrassed when we asked if he'd been married." I could tell this was an uncomfortable subject for Patrick. "Larry and his brother are people no one talks about. Yes, they are nice enough. You never met their father, but he was very loved in this town. It is the very reason that he was so loved, that Larry and his brother have been... How do I say this?" "Accepted?" Richard queried. "That might be a good word for it. "You're being rather vague. That isn't your typical style with me," I pressed Patrick. Patrick sighed, "Larry and his brother don't care for girls." "With Mennonites that is unacceptable, I take it. It is with most people, but I'm still trying to figure out what it is they believe," Richard said. "Very. So instead of dealing with it, everyone ignores it. Larry and his brother don't say anything and they keep a low profile. No one says anything, and for better or worse, it has worked." "Are they the only ones?" I asked. Patrick's eyes darted. He was hiding something. "It's ok. You gave us enough information." "Why did you want to know?" Patrick asked, now concerned. "We want him to be on our side. I needed to know what was going on with him." Patrick relaxed, "Ok." "You wanted to ask me a question?" I said. "Did you find anything out at the university?" I paused, and then I sighed and said, "Nothing conclusive." He could read me, as well as I did him. "There was something that disturbed you though, what was it?" "Are you sure you want to know? It isn't proven yet." "Keith, tell me what you think?" "The men of this town are more than likely, permanently sterile." Patrick paled, "Everyone?" Richard was with me, and he said what I'd been thinking, "When is Sheryl due to show?" "You know," Patrick said, crestfallen. "With the way you're acting, yes." "I was hoping it wouldn't be an issue." "I think it will be. But Patrick, I don't have proof. Not yet, anyway. There's going to be more testing. They will be setting up a lab here to do it, soon. There is a real unknown that we are looking for as well, concerning how the kids were affected." "Oh, God! I never thought about that. Jimmy and Brian might never have children?" "Patrick, like I said, that is a big unknown. We don't have enough information yet. They were overlooked when the sperm samples were collected. That's because most of those boys are a bit too young to produce, but..." "They'll get tested now, though, is that right?" Patrick asked anxiously. "Yes. I'm as worried about them as you are." Patrick nodded. "I think our talk is over," Richard said, noting Jill walking out towards where we were. "Not over, but postponed," Patrick added, "I want to know what's going on. It will help me prepare my flock for the worst." "And help yourself justify what you are doing?" I suggested. "I thought you would be more sympathetic Keith." "Patrick, I am, I was just ribbing you. If anyone should be worrying, it would be me. There will be more than Robin showing up pregnant in the not too far future. And the other ones are not married. There can be no other explanation, unless we want to revive the virgin birth idea." Patrick was shaking his head, "Keith if you are going to stir up trouble, you shouldn't attack the morals of those around you, as well." "Are you sure?" Richard asked. "It might be good to get the people of this town to start looking at things in a different light. If Keith's lines of deductions are correct, then we have a town that will die out. If the people of this town allow that to happen, then Cliff did indeed exact his revenge." "So what do you suggest?" Patrick wanted to know. "You're the man of the cloth. I'll bet there are times when intervention was needed. I think this is a good time to revive that sort of idea." "I'm not sure the men of this town will go for a few virile men servicing their wives for procreation. I don't think that will fly." "Patrick, it did with Cheryl. But, there are only three or four that I can think of. No others would be in the age range to have missed out on bearing children, in the natural course of things. The others are older or..." "Young enough to already be in your flock?" Patrick needled me. "Ok, I deserved that one." Now we had to stop. Jill was getting close enough to hear us. Richard, Patrick, and I got into the car. I turned around, and picked up Jill. As soon as we dropped off Patrick, Jill started. "They are not here. Apparently; Jack, Cynthia, and my mom, are always together. Would you mind explaining that to me?" "No, Jill. I will not. That is for your mother to do, not me. I'll stop by the communications car, and see if they know when Jack will be returning." "I don't like this. Why won't you tell me anything? It isn't fair to me." "I'm sorry. I didn't know they would be gone. I'm not doing this on purpose, but you need to start building communications with your mother. That won't happen if you are told everything before hand, without her explanation along with it. I could tell you what I think, but it would be my version. That isn't what you need to hear." "Yeah, I know. But I've been antsy about this, and now I have to wait. It is driving me crazy." I pulled up, and stopped as close to the rail car as I could. Going inside, I asked if he had any word from Jack. "What me to get him on the radio? I understand he's at the base." "Sure, if it's not too much trouble." "Not at all. It will give me something to do. It gets pretty boring out here. All I can do to pass the time is listen in on other people's conversations. After a while that isn't fun." I watched as he patched a connection into Jack's office. "Here you are," he said handing me the earphones. "Jack, when are you coming back to Carp?" "Keith! Nice surprise. There are no problems, are there?" I could tell from his tone, we couldn't talk openly. "I need to talk with you about the last series of tests, and how they looked. Also; it's been determined that a follow up sample test, here in Carp, is in order. That way we can track the changes. I need to talk with you, in person, as soon as possible. We need to get things set up." "Ah, yes. I can see that as an urgent reason to return. I'll see how soon that can happen." "Thank you, ' then I added just for fun, "Sir." I handed the headphones back and they cut the communication. Before I walked out, the officer said, "That was a load of bull. He must have had some people in his office. How did you know?" I smiled, "I worked with him. His voice tone tells you a lot that his words don't." We were both laughing as I closed the door. "Well?" Jill asked as soon as I opened the car door. "I have no answer other than 'soon'. He wasn't at liberty to tell me what was going on. I talked to him, but there were people in his office. So we talked, but nothing was said straight out." "Men!" Jill said, exasperated. I drove down the street to the center of town. We all got out, and walked into the proposed school's building. Hearing voices, we found the group on the second floor. "Keith!" Liz exclaimed as she saw me. "Tell me you have an answer to this heat." "I don't have an answer to everything," I said, opening my arms out wide, and then smiling, "just most things." Richard, I noticed, was looking around. "Ask Richard though, it seems like he's thinking of something." "Well Richard, do you have any suggestions? We opened the windows, but this second floor is going to be unusable for classrooms if it stays this hot." "Swamp coolers, I think." "What?" "It is a type of cooling device. They had a few on the base. Great things. I'll look into it. Of course, you have to have electricity for a fan," Richard answered. "We have already talked about that," Millie stated. "There can be no modern teaching in candlelight. This building will get electricity, very soon." "I'll start asking questions then, and come up with some answers," Richard replied. We chatted about a few more things. I didn't want to get sucked into this, and neither did Richard. Jill would have stayed, but she needed to come with us. "Can you check on Brian on your way out?" Millie called, as we were walking down the stairs. "Sure, no problem," I called back. As we drove over to Millie's, I wondered about sending Jill in to see what was going on. But then, as I amused myself with that idea, I knew it wasn't a good thing to do. Richard should be the one to go in. I pulled up and stopped. "Richard, you want to do the honors?" He shook his head at me. I noticed, though, that he didn't slam the car door shut. He also knocked, very gently, before opening the door and going in. I was going to have to give him a hard time about that. Richard hadn't shut the front door either. So between both doors open, we heard the scream. It was pretty obvious to me, that it was one of surprise. Jill was about ready to get out. I held her back. "Richard needs to be alone with the two of them. He was the one that stumbled onto them in the first place." "It looks like he wanted to, with the way he snuck in," Jill observed. "He is concerned for them," I said. "You know he and Brian have a special bond." "Yeah. I remember, at the base." "I was thinking more about them saving each others lives." "Oh," Jill said, and started to blush. "The other was just a part of showing that, I think. You should understand that." Jill turned as red as I've ever seen her. "Liz told you?" "No, but you just did," I teased her, trying to tickle her, and lighten up things. "It is hard not to know something like that, Jill, when you are as close as we all are." "You don't care?" "Of course I care. I very much care for you, Jill. I want you to be happy. I could never be selfish with you. Don't you know that?" "Then you don't want me?" "Now, slow down! Jill, you are more than beautiful. You have to know I love you. I would hope you remember that kiss! I sure do." I saw the blush return. "Jill, have I pushed you, or anyone else?" "No." "I can't. You have to make that decision, not me. I will be here for you, if you ever want me." Richard came out. "Jill, can I ask you a favor?" Richard asked. "Sure, what?" "Can you stay with Brian for a bit?" Jill looked at me wide eyed. "What happened?" She asked. "There was a little problem. Barbara needs a bit of help, so she needs to leave." Jill walked with Richard back into the house. I wondered what kind of problem, but I knew I'd get the story later. Barbara came out of the house, and ran to the car. She jumped into the back seat, and pulled the door closed. She was crying. I turned around, feeling sorry for her. "What's wrong?" "Stephanie... She did it with you, how come I couldn't with..." "Stephanie?" I said abruptly. "Oh, no! She's going to kill me, now." Barbara dissolved into tears, and wouldn't hear anything more I had to say. Richard got into the car a few minutes later. "Barbara needs to see the doctor, I think," he said. I nodded. We rode silently towards the Mansion, and out to the end of the airstrip. I had no idea what the doctor did with all of his time. He would fly out on occasion, be gone a day or two, and then come back. He had, in his time here, purchased a horse. He seemed very comfortable riding it, as a means of transportation. Pulling up, I walked inside, leaving Richard with Barbara. The doctor had a number of files out on his desk. "Keith, you caught me in the middle of paper work. Thank you for saving me!" I laughed. "Actually, it's not that bad. I go out in the field, and do work. Then I put everything together, here. This is my home office. It has been the way I've worked for many years. It would be better to have a real office, and office help, but soon enough that will happen. Now, what brings you here?" "We have Barbara with us. I think she needs an exam." He wrinkled his brow, "Think she needs one? Keith could you be a bit more specific?" "I really can't. I don't know much more than that. Richard told me to drive out here. He's in the car with her, now." "Ok. Let me get rid of this stuff, while you bring her in." Barbara was still in the back shaking. I opened the back door, and Barbara cringed. "Barbara," I said in my smoothest voice, "we are trying to help you." "But he's going to look... down there. He's going to know." "Barbara, have you ever been to a doctor before?" She shook her head. Richard and I looked at each other. We hadn't thought of that. "Barbara would it be better if Katy was with you? Or Robin? Robin saw the doctor last week." "Robin," Barbara said timidly. "I'll go get her. You go in with Richard; I will only be a minute." As soon as Richard had her two steps from the car, I took off towards the Mansion at the other end of the landing strip. As I pulled up, Katy was out wondering what was going on. "Get Robin! Quick!" She ran inside, and Robin was out the door in a flash. She ran over to the car, and got in. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Barbara needs your help?" Robin's eyes widened, "What happened?" "I'm not sure, Richard said she needed to see the doctor, but she's never been to one before. She's scared to death. She needs a comforting hand." We were back to the plane by now, and Robin jumped out. She went in, and Richard came out. As he got into the car, I asked, "Can you explain to me what's going on?" ------- Jill was a bit shocked when she walked into Brian's bedroom. She wasn't prepared for the sights that confronted her. Barbara had obviously been naked, and she was now scrambling to dress. There was blood running down her inner thigh. Brian, as she knew, was laid out on the bed. He was immobilized by his casts. Seeing the active boy so constricted, was an instant shock in itself. But then there was his... He was bloody... there. Richard held out his hand for Barbara who, looking at the floor, took it. She walked out of the bedroom door, not looking back. Then they heard her running. Richard asked Jill if she could clean Brian up, as best as possible. She said she'd try. He thanked her and left. Brian was extremely embarrassed by everything. He turned his face as far away from Jill as he could, and shut his eyes as well. "I'll be right back," Jill told him. He heard water running, and soon she came back in. "Brian, look at me," Jill scolded him. He did, and she saw he'd been crying. Not wanting to hurt him any more, she started asking questions. "How did you get hurt?" "I didn't!" he cried. "Well then, where did the blood come from?" As soon as Jill said it, the revelation of what had happened hit her. "Oh my God, Brian! Did you..." His one movable arm and hand, trying it's best to cover himself, went to his face. He felt so ashamed. He couldn't help crying. Jill knew she wasn't helping the situation. She took the washcloth, and draped it over his dick. Then she started to massage his shoulders. "Brian, you know me. I've always been your friend. Remember when you and Jimmy got stuck in the old Miller place, and I helped you two get out? Did I ever say a word?" He peeked out, between his fingers. "Tell me about it, Brian. It sounds like you had a bad time. Maybe I can help." "Really?" He sniffled. "Now, start at the beginning. What happened?" He started off slowly, "Everyone showed up. Ok, not everyone, but you know what I mean. Then the next thing I know, mom is telling Barbara to take care of me. I couldn't believe it," Brian looked at Jill. "You know we're practically engaged, don't you?" "I heard that, yes." "So then Barbara comes in, and tells me what Stephanie showed them last night." "What did she do?" "Keith and her... You know, they," then he whispered, "did it." Jill smiled at Brian's embarrassment. "Barbara said that if Stephanie and Keith could do that, then we could, too." "That excited you, didn't it?" "Yes! I'm sorry Jill. I guess that's wrong." "No, Brian. I understand. What happened next?" "We got interrupted, twice. I think my mom was checking on us." Jill couldn't help but smile, "Don't you think she had good reason?" Brian blushed. "So then what happened?" "Barbara was almost desperate for some reason, by then. As soon as the door closed, she started taking off her clothes." Jill, who was still rubbing his shoulders, felt them droop. "I'm not... I can't do anything." "That must drive you crazy. I know it would me." Brain finally looked at Jill's face, "Thanks." She smiled at him, "So then what happened?" "She was, you know, naked. I was..." "Hard?" "Yeah. She climbed on top of me. It hurt at first. And it took a long time to find a way we could fit together." Jill was trying to imagine that. "Don't laugh," Brian said. "I'm not," Jill soothed. "She kind of got it into position, but then it hurt. She wouldn't stop, and it hurt more." Brian went silent, and Jill knew something was troubling him. "What is it Brian?" "It was like I was Cliff. Hurting someone, you know, down there. I started to get soft. She cried out. She pushed more, and harder. Then she screamed." Jill wrapped her arms around Brian's head. She held him, rocked him. "It will be alright Brian. It will." ------- Chapter 71 The doctor's back was to Richard and Barbara, and he was wiping off the exam table. As he turned around, the doctor smiled and motioned them to come forward. He looked down, nodding."Hop up little lady," the doctor said. "Your cast looks a bit worse for wear, and I can tell you're limping." Barbara stopped for a second and realized that her leg indeed was throbbing. She had run out from Brian's house, to the car. Now she realized it had not been the smartest of things to do. The doctor lifted her cast up, and caught sight of the blood on her inner thigh. Glancing over to Richard with a concerned look, Richard nodded. Fortunately for all, Robin came in the door. This gave Richard a way to leave. "Barbara has never been to the doctor," Robin said. "Ahh," he said, and then smiled. "Well, other than to get a cast on, right?" "That was different," Barbara said defensively. "You are quite right," he said. There was a slight pause, "You are not here for your cast, are you?" Barbara burst into tears. Robin went over and hugged Barbara. "He's a very nice person, and will help you," Robin said to Barbara. "But he'll know..." "Barbara," Robin said sharply, "the doctor can not say a word to anyone other than your parents. Now think who that is, right now. Katy and Richard. Isn't that right, Doctor?" "She is right Barbara. I am obligated to keep everything confidential. Anything you tell me stays right here. As Robin is here (who is Katy's daughter) and as Richard brought you here, I won't need to say a word of anything to anyone else. Do you understand?" Barbara's tears started to slow, and she nodded. "Now," Robin said, "tell us what happened?" "I wanted to do what Ste..." Barbara realized she was going to get Stephanie in trouble if she told that part. So she stopped, thinking of what she could say. "Wanted to do what?" Robin asked. Barbara shook her head, and then started again. "Brian and I were alone." The doctor raised his eyebrows. "I wanted to..." "Ok," Robin said, "I think we get the picture, but what happened?" "I don't know. It hurt, and then there was all this blood. I saw it and screamed," Barbara said, and lowered her head, "That's when Richard came in." "Barbara, I'm going to have to examine you down there. I know it is going to be embarrassing to you. Just try and remember that this is my job. I have done it hundreds of times, alright?" Barbara, with her head still down, just nodded. "Robin, can you help me with the gown?" The doctor asked, handing Robin the exam gown. Robin knew what he was asking, and nodded. He made himself busy around his desk, turning his back to them. "Barbara stand up," Robin said. Barbara did, and found Robin pulling her dress over her head. Robin noticed Barbara's blood stained panties. As she handed Barbara the gown to slip on, Robin reached and pulled the panties down. Barbara's eyes bugged out and she attempted to cover herself. Robin was too quick, and held Barbara's hands away. "Let's get this on all the way," Robin admonished the girl. Then she whispered, "Remember what you are here for. Would you rather have the doctor take them off?" Barbara, shook her head, still very embarrassed. "She's ready, now," Robin told the doctor. The doctor moved to the table, and Robin moved back. The doctor touched Robin's arm. "Stay," he said. Robin knew why, as he started pulling out the contraptions she'd had her legs placed in. Barbara was going to be going crazy at how exposed she would be in a few minutes. "Barbara, these are going to help me hold your legs apart, so I can do a better job. They are the same things I used on Robin, when I examined her." Barbara looked for confirmation and Robin nodded. This helped, knowing she wasn't the only one to be put into this position. As the doctor raised one leg, Barbara looked in surprise at Robin. Nodding, and taking hold of Barbara's hand, Robin calmed the girl. At every touch, Barbara jumped. With the gown on, she couldn't see anything the doctor was doing. Robin looked forward, and witnessed the doctor's finger probing inside Barbara's opening. Robin frowned when she saw the quantity of blood around the area. Robin felt a tight grip on her arm, and then heard Barbara say, "Ouch!" "I'm trying to be as careful as I can," the doctor said. Robin knew she needed to get Barbara's mind on something else. Leaning down, she whispered, "If Brian didn't have casts on, I'd bet he'd like to have you on this table." Barbara gasped, and turned to look at Robin. "You would like it, too, wouldn't you?" Robin continued, knowing she was getting to Barbara. Robin watched as Barbara swallowed hard, not wanting to answer. "Barbara, close your eyes and dream about that. Dream about when Brian is out of his casts." Robin saw Barbara's eyes close, open, close again, open for a shorter time, and then close. There was a slight smile that appeared on Barbara's face. "He loves you, doesn't he?" Robin whispered. Barbara's smile grew and she nodded. Unfortunately the doctor broke into Barbara's daydream. "Barbara it looks like you are menstruating. Is it your time in the cycle?" Barbara opened her eyes, the smile gone. She looked at Robin, her eyebrows crinkled. Robin restated, for the doctor. "When was your last period?" Still a blank look. "Barbara," Robin said, thinking Barbara wasn't familiar with the terms, "you know when you bleed down there each month..." "What!" Barbara said, shocked. Robin was startled, and looked at the doctor. "Barbara, how much do you know about your body and how it works?" The doctor asked. Barbara shook her head. Robin was troubled, but she filled the doctor in. "Her mother died a while ago." For the next twenty minutes, under Robin's constant push, the doctor uncomfortably did what he had never done in his career before. He gave the two young ladies a sexual education. Barbara and Robin looked at some charts, and learned what was inside their bodies, and how their bodies worked. After a bit of discussion, the doctor came up with the conclusion that Barbara had just started her 'monthlies', and didn't know it. Although Barbara was a bit old to be just starting, the doctor assured her there was nothing out of the ordinary about that. It was just as when babies get teeth, or girls start to develop breasts. Everyone is different. He went on to surmise that when her hymen broke, it sent a flow of blood all at once. It was a good and thorough explanation that made sense to Barbara. She was so relived, that she broke down crying. "I imagine Katy can follow through with how to keep herself clean?" the doctor asked Robin, as he pulled out a belt and long pad Barbara would soon be wearing. "Don't worry. We'll take care of her." The doctor nodded, and went to busy himself again. Robin set out to clean up and dress Barbara. Barbara had never seen such a thing as Robin was trying to put onto her. The belt was fine. The large wad that was suppose to go between her legs, and get attached to the front and back of the belt, was uncomfortable at best. She also knew everyone would be able to see it. They would know, and it further pushed her embarrassment over the whole issue. As she got down, Barbara was reminded of her foot. The uneven walk caused the doctor to turn around. "With everything else, I almost forgot about that. Sorry little lady, but you're not done. I need to x-ray your foot, and make sure you didn't damage anything." Barbara's spirits, which had been lifted, suddenly plummeted. She found herself crying, again. As Robin helped Barbara onto the table again, the doctor said, "Robin, Barbara may be having associations with what has occurred. Quite possibly, this is the result of her period. However, as we all see, her emotions are extreme. I think you may know what she is going through. Help her to understand that what she's feeling is normal." Barbara looked at Robin, feeling a bit strange that she was being talked about as though she wasn't there. As she saw Robin nodding, Barbara realized the doctor must know a lot about Robin. She would ask Robin about things, later. The doctor placed the lead cloth over Barbara. He made Robin exit the airplane, as a precaution because of her pregnancy, while he shot the x-ray. ------- Richard and I were waiting anxiously out in the car. Richard was becoming more and more concerned as the minutes ticked by. He was blaming himself for letting Barbara go over to Brians, unattended, knowing something would take place. Reason wasn't getting through to him. To tell the truth, the longer we waited in that hot car, the more irrational my thoughts about what happened started to become. I was lucky, at that point. I had no idea Stephanie and my rendezvous last night triggered this, or I'd have been in a worse shape. The sun baking the car only had one positive effect. Richard, with a bead of sweat running down his forehead, said, "I need to get hold of that swamp cooler information. It is hot out here." I had to agree with him. Thinking that would get our minds off the present situation, I asked him to explain how it worked. "From what I've seen, the concept is easy. It is comprised of a fan to force the air, and water to cool." "So? How does it all work?" "I know the water gets pumped up to the top and drips down, the air flowing through it is cooled. The two units I saw were very large. The fan was about six feet in diameter. I've heard of smaller ones; but I don't know how, or if, they would be different." "But the idea would be the..." I didn't finish. Richard and I saw movement at the plane door. We were over to Robin, as she exited. "Where's Barbara?" Richard said in a tense voice. "She's fine, don't worry." Richard and I looked at each other, "Fine! What took so long? Why isn't she with you? What's happening?" "Keith! Calm down. It looks like Barbara might have hurt her foot. The doctor is x-raying it, so I had to be outside." "She's really ok?" Richard said, almost shaking. Robin took his hand, "Yes. She's fine, but very embarrassed." "But the blood, there was a lot..." Richard pressed, knowing there was something wrong. "Richard, she has started her period. She's never had one before, and didn't know anything about it," Robin explained. Noting our expressions, she added, "Like I said, she's very embarrassed, so don't say a word." Then Robin's expression changed, "Do you understand? To a girl, this is very traumatic. Don't even whisper a thing, or I'll make sure you regret it." Richard and I looked at each other, then to Robin, nodding. We didn't really have an idea. Richard, not having sisters, knew he had no clue. I, with two sisters, still didn't understand. It was one of those secret things. Better to not say anything and be safe, than (as Robin had pointed out) be very sorry later, for mentioning it. The door opened, and the doctor stuck out his head, "Come on back in, Robin. Keith, Richard, we're almost done in here. I just took an x-ray. As soon as I develop it, I can let Barbara go. Well, I should rephrase that. If the x-ray looks good, she can go." Looking at the wooden stairs that had been constructed to use while the plane was here, the doctor commented, "Keith I think I'm going to need to use the back ramp. It's a pain in the neck to set up, but would be a lot better for people like Barbara in a cast." "Where is it?" I asked. "It's in the back of the plane. It's aluminum, so it is of light weight. It folds out, and bolts together. That's the part I hate." I laughed, "We'll take care of it for you, tomorrow." "Thanks," The doctor said, going back in. Robin went in, and we were left outside, to swelter. "How soon are you going to find out about that cooler?" I asked. "Very soon. I think the Mansion could use one, too." As the present trauma was past us; our normal functions started. That included my brain. "You know; that passage that Larry found probably goes to the house." "I had thought that, too," Richard said, then he looked at me, "What brought that up, all of a sudden?" "I was thinking. Could we use it to cool? Can we have the cooler in the basement? We know there are passages in the house. I think we need to get Jimmy to show us were they are. He and Brian have been through them." "Those two make me look like I was a saint, growing up. They get into more mischief..." "Yeah," I said, "I like them, too." Richard laughed. Then carried on the conversation, "So you're wondering if we couldn't use that passage as a way to get cool air to the addition?" "Makes sense to me. The basement is probably the coolest place in the whole house. Why not use that?" "Good point. When I ask about the coolers, I'll find out if there are any problems. In the mean time, we can just use that, as a reason to have that passage." "I like that. If we had it put there, it won't raise any suspicions." "Right," Richard laughed. "The last thing we need is people looking in our windows." Robin's appearance, without Barbara, sobered up our jovial attitude. "He wants to recast her. I'm afraid she's losing her sanity." "You go back inside," I said, "I know just the thing for her." "Come on, Richard," I called, walking back to the car. "What are you going to do?" Richard asked, enjoying the breeze as I sped away. "We're bringing Brian out to her." "Are you crazy?" Richard asked me. "Probably. Think about it, though. When Katy was here, and Cliff drove into town, you were at the base. Where did you want to be?" I didn't wait for him to answer, I just pressed on, "It was the same when he showed up, and Robin had to be whisked out of town. I wanted to be there for her. Now Brian knows there was a problem, and he can't be there for Barbara. With his casts, he's as stuck as we were." "Ok, I get it. What do we tell him, though? We're not supposed to know anything about what the real problem was." "Damn, you're right. We've got to think of something clever, and fast." ------- Brian had fallen asleep with Jill's gentle rocking. She knew he was in a deep sleep, as she had to move her hand from under his head with no reaction. This was the time to clean him. It needed to be done, plus, she was a bit curious. Gently removing the washcloth she had laid there, she smiled. It wasn't any larger than she thought it should be. He didn't have any hair yet. As had been apparent from the conversation, he was as active as she'd heard Jimmy to be at the base, when they all were in the barracks together. She was as soft as she could be, not wanting to wake him. After the general outside areas were cleaned, she realized she would have to touch him. Placing her hand as flat as it could be, she tried to just push his dick and balls to the side, out of the way. It didn't work as well as it should. Like it or not she had to cup his balls and move the sack from one side to the other, to get him clean. Jill was amazed at how soft and fluid it was. When she was done with that, her apprehension was gone. She wrapped her thumb and forefinger around Brian's dick, pulling to the side. As she moved it to the other side, Jill realized Brian's dick had grown between her fingers. Fascinated, she drew her finger down the front of his shaft. She almost let a giggle out, as it jumped. Brian made a noise. Jill suddenly became self-conscious about what she was doing, and quickly finished up. Still, by the time she was done, Brian's little dick was at full mast. It was some time before Richard and I burst through the door. Jill was very glad it had been long enough for Brian's erection to go down. He was still undressed, though. Richard went directly to Brian's room. Richard noticed, even with the thin cloth Jill had placed over the boy, that Brian was undressed. I went to Jill, who was sitting on the couch in the living room. I knew she'd be alarmed when we showed up. "Jill, everything is fine, but we want to take Brian back with us. Barbara is having a fit, 'cause on top of everything else, she has to get a new cast." Richard popped his head out of Brian's room, "He's asleep." "You put him to sleep?" I asked, surprised, "Jill, that is something. To be able to calm him to sleep..." I shook my head, hardly believing it. I got up, and held out my hand for her. We walked to Brian's room. Richard had a funny smile on his face. "Jill," he said. "Did you place that on him after he went to sleep? I don't think it would have been his choice of color." I looked to where Richard referred. I saw a pink and white, very feminine looking light weight towel covering him. Jill was crimson. I started to laugh as well, which woke Brian. Seeing us, he jolted awake. "Brian," Richard soothed, "She's fine. We're here to take you out to see her. That is unless you don't want to." "But I do!" "I think we'd better dress you then, don't you think?" I said, getting a jab in the side from Jill. It was now Brian's turn to blush and then a concerned look. "I didn't get cleaned up." "Yes you did, Brian," Jill said. "I'll wait outside while you get him dressed," she added quickly, and left the room. Richard and I gave each other a glance and little smile. I knew I'd rib her about that. Getting Brian into the car was getting easier, but it was never quick. I was getting impatient about how long everything was taking. As soon as I left a note on the door, letting Millie know we had Brian, we took off. I drove a bit slower, going back, but just a bit. We had to wait for the cloud of dust I had stirred up to die down, before we could open the car doors. The door of the plane opened, as we opened ours. Barbara looked, as Richard was getting out. "Is he really here?" she asked. Richard smiled, "Yes, but you'd better not hurry down here." She got a perturbed look on her face. As she moved forward, Robin joined her, handing her a crutch. Hobbling down the stairs, Barbara made her way over to the car. Robin motioned me up to the plane. "The doctor wants to talk with you." I walked in, and before he had a chance to say anything, I said, "Can we wait to talk, for just a bit. We brought Brian out with us, figuring Barbara needed to see him." He shook his head at me, "Go on, but be back. We have a few things to talk about." "That's fine. Oh, by the way, someone else needs to see you. She's had morning sickness." "Bring her out," he said. "I'll leave the table set up." "Ok," I replied on my way out. Barbara had climbed into the space with Brian, leaving little room for the four of us. I let Richard drive, Jill was in the center, and Robin was on my lap. It was very manageable, especially considering we only had several hundred yards to drive, to get back to the Mansion. There was a greeting party when we arrived. Most everyone there had seen my car zoom back and forth to the doctor's plane. Then there was the urgent call for Robin. Now they wanted answers. Richard saved Brian and Barbara from any more embarrassment by speaking up. "Barbara hurt her foot, and had to have a new cast put on," he said. This wasn't the horrific thing that everyone had expected, and very quickly they found other things to occupy their time. As Richard and I were getting Brain out, Barbara tugged on Richard's sleeve. He looked over to her. "Thank you," she said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I looked over at Richard, and noticed him blush. I didn't say a word, just smiled at him. After getting Brian into the house, we placed him in the library. Barbara crutched her way in, and sat down beside him, on the floor. "I think you two have a bit to talk about," Richard said. "We'll make sure no one disturbs you, alright?" They nodded, and Richard and I left. We told Robin to make sure no one went into the music room (the way to the library), so Barbara and Brian could have some time to talk. She said she would, then asked us what we were doing. "We need to have a talk with Larry," I said. ------- Richard and I were surprised how much was done. Larry saw us, and came over. "Gett'n done a bit faster than expected." "Looks like it," Richard said. "Larry, are these men from the mine?" I asked. "Nope. They don't like being in them tunnels. Those two, they're farmers, but like doing this for some extra cash. The other one, he's from Angle City. Don't know how he knows when I need help, but he's always showin' up at the right time." "Good," I said. "Larry, Richard is looking into a cooling system. He saw one at the base we worked on. They need something for the school, but then we got to thinking that we could use one out here, as well. So, the idea is, that we'll put it into the basement of the mansion. Then we thought we'd get some of the air over to the new place, from a tunnel underground." Larry started to smile, "I get it. You two are right smart. Them miners could dig a hole right quick. If I was to get the men to lay off next morning, I'll bet they would think you could have had that hole dug." "Thanks Larry. That would be good." Richard responded. "Come by after work," I said, "I have to get back out to the doctor's, but there is one more thing we'd like to talk about." "Ok," Larry said, "Not to be nosy, but someone got hurt?" "Barbara had some problems," Richard said, "She has a new cast on her foot." Larry shook his head, "Kids! They don't listen, do they?" ------- I took Kristin, and drove out to the plane. The doctor took one look at Kristin and said, "Got yourself into a bit of trouble?" Confused, Kristin answered, "No." Looking at me, the doctor said, "Oh. I thought Keith said there was someone with morning sickness. I just assumed..." Kristin blushed, "Yes, that was me." "Well then, do you want to tell me about it?" The doctor asked. "This is confidential, right?" I asked the doctor. "Oh, yes. Maybe you should step outside. You may be her brother, but..." Kristin howled with laughter. The doctor looked even more confused now, I just said, "I think I'd better stay." After the explanation, he said, "Not the first time I've seen a brother and sister. But then they were pretending to be married. What do the other people in town think about this?" "A few know, but most don't. There are some who are working on how to bring about the news." He got a little grin on his face, "Now this should be interesting." "Thanks for your vote of confidence." "Keith, if anyone can pull something like this off, it would be you. Seriously, though, it is a difficult thing for most people to accept. Personally, I don't care. If you all are happy, who am I to say what you can and can't do?" "Thanks," I said. "Now," the doctor said to Kristin, "let's get you up on the table." He looked at me and smiled, "I'm guessing you want to stay for this." I almost started to laugh. After the exam, he asked me about the testing of the males in Carp. I explained the idea behind it, and who was in charge of the program now. The doctor was glad to be a part of the loop. ------- When Kristin and I got back to the mansion, Robin was no longer guarding the entrance to the music room. I heard laughter from the library beyond, and it was Katy. Kristin and I walked in. Brain and Barbara were on the floor; Richard, Katy, and Robin, were sitting. They turned and looked at us. "Well?" Robin asked, "Did she like the table?" Kristin blushed. "She's doing just fine," I said. Trying to change the subject, I asked, "How's your cast, Barbara?" "The doctor said I'm lucky, and that I'd better start paying more attention. Otherwise, Brian will be out of his casts, and I'll still be in mine." "Good point," Katy said. "Now that you're here, Keith," Richard stated, "we need to get Brian home." "Are you coming with us?" I asked Barbara. She looked at me like I was crazy. Everyone else in the room laughed. Soon we had Brian loaded up, with Barbara along side of him. Richard and I were in the front seat. As we got downtown; we saw the doors were still open on the new, temporary, school site. Richard pulled over and stopped. "We'll be back in just a minute," Richard said to Brian and Barbara. As we got out of the car I said, "That looks like Larry's and his brother's horses." "Sure does," Richard replied. As we walked up to the second floor, we heard talking. Uncovered, behind many old boxes in the center of the open second floor, was a wooden screen. We walked over to it, as that was the focus of everyone's attention at the moment. The screen reached from the floor to about six feet high. It was as wide as it was tall. Above the screen was a ten-inch diameter pipe, going through the ceiling. "What is it," I said to Larry. That's when we were noticed. There were several question's directed to us, but Larry came back to the question I had asked him. "I remember my dad working on this," he said, and shook his head. "My brother doesn't remember what it's for, either." "It's in the way," Liz said. "If it's not needed, we want it removed." Larry's brother, who was on the other side of the screen, poked his head around. "Larry? I think we can remove these large panels, and save them." This obviously pleased Larry. I had seen it, before. He had a pride in his father's work. We watched as the two brothers loosened, and then pulled one of the large panels off. Larry laughed, "Now I remember what this was!" He was shaking his head. He told us the story of a man who came into town, selling Mr. Wimbledon this great heat extractor. It surrounded the stovepipe from downstairs. The idea was that the heat would transfer from the pipe and fill the upstairs with soft warm air. It arrived by train a week later. It took three days to install, and it never worked. Embarrassed, Mr. Wimbledon had their dad make this screen to cover it. "Why not remove it?" Mildred asked. Larry raised his eyebrows, "And admit you were conned?" We all laughed. "But it could be removed now, couldn't it?" Liz asked. "I'm sure," Larry's brother said, touching the sheet metal skin. It rippled and gave an eerie sound. I sneezed, from the disrupted dust. "We need to open the windows, and air this place out," I said. "You're right, it is stuffy in here," Millie said, then smiled at me, "as well as a bit dusty." As they were opening the windows in the front and back, Richard and I headed for the stairs. "We're bringing Brian back, but I guess you didn't know he was gone," Richard called out to Millie. "Oh! No, I didn't. I guess it's later than I realized" "Go on, Millie," Liz said, "We're going to leave, too." Millie walked down with us. Opening the door, she saw Barbara in the back with Brian. "Might have figured," Millie said with a little smile. "I guess there's no room for me, back here." "What was that noise?" Brian asked, "It was kind of spooky sounding." "What noise?" Richard asked as he was getting in. "We just heard it once, it had to have been upstairs," Barbara said. "Probably the sheet metal. There's a big piece of it on the second floor, and Larry's brother hit it. It sounded a bit strange." "Strange? It gave me the willies," Brian said. We arrived at Millie's house. Richard and I carried Brian in. To our surprise, Millie asked if Barbara could stay for dinner. Of course, Barbara was excited about the whole idea. Having sisters, I did know a thing or two. Given that Barbara was having her period, and she had nothing with her, she was not prepared. I cornered Richard, and told him. He'd have to let Millie know what was going on with Barbara, or we'd have to take her back with us. He gave me a pained expression. I smiled and said I'd keep Brian and Barbara occupied. Although I was in Brian's bedroom with the two, trying to distract them, I heard Millie out in the other room say, "Oh my!" "What's Richard doing?" Brian asked. "Probably telling Millie about how fast the demolition of the old barn is going. Tomorrow will be the last day of pulling stuff away. Then they can start building." It satisfied their curiosity. Richard came to the doorway. He still had a slight blush on his face. "Ready, Keith," he said. "Barbara, someone will come by later this evening to pick you up." She was still smiling as we left. "What did Millie say," I asked, still amused at how Richard was blushing about it. "That she'd take care of it. I got the impression Barbara is going to be put to work helping Millie with dinner. She didn't realize how late it was, and hadn't spent any time in the kitchen." "I guess Millie wants to train her son's wife well." Richard laughed, "I guess you could look at it that way." We passed Bruce walking home from the mine, and waved. As we passed downtown, going to Mildred's, I spotted Robert. He was looking around as if he didn't want to be seen, but wasn't doing a good job of it. As we passed him, I noticed he was near the phone. He would have had to purposely walk that way from the mine. Richard pulled up in front of Mildred's, and I got out. Daisy met me at the door. She looked sad. Katharine, I noticed, was on the couch. She looked worn out. Before I could say anything, Daisy answered my question. "Pamela's in with Mom. It's taken all day to get her in there. I know it's not fun, but she needs to." "Daisy, you are a wonder. I know your mom is proud of you. If she hasn't been able to say it, thank you." She looked at me, tears starting to form, and took hold of me. I looked over to Katharine, as Daisy was sobbing on my shirt. "Richard's outside. I know he'll want to see you." Katharine smiled just a touch, and started to get up. She fell back, looking at me again. "Robert's not home yet." "He's downtown," I said. "Go on. I'll be here." She got up, and walked wearily out the door. I took hold of Daisy, and walked her over to the couch. I sat down and pulled her into my lap. She snuggled up in almost a fetal position. I wrapped my arms around her, and just held her. We were like that for a good ten minutes. Mildred's bedroom door opened. Pamela came out, somberly. As soon as she saw me, she brightened and ran over. "I need him, too," Pamela said, trying to push her sister off my lap. I could tell this could end up in a struggle. "Just a minute," I told Pamela, and then said to Daisy, "She needs my attention now, but this should hold you." With that, I gave her a kiss that she came up gasping from. Even with everything that was going on in her world, she managed a smile, and slid off my lap. Pamela didn't give it a chance to cool. She was on my lap, arms around my neck, looking at me. "Do I get one, too?" she asked. "Not the same." She frowned, until I started kissing her. I began at the side of her neck, went around her ear, and across her forehead. Then I traced down the same path on the other side. She was mewing, and that's what I wanted. Pamela needed to relax, not to be turned on. It had worked. I felt her grasp around my neck loosen, and then her hands fall away. I held her, rocked her, and felt her fall asleep. Daisy had to take her from me. I was still without the full use of one of my arms. I couldn't carry Pamela, as I would have liked to. Daisy took her into their bedroom, laid her down, and then came back. "I guess she did need you," Daisy said. "She is asleep. I think she just doesn't want to think about it, so when she finally gets to sleep, it is hard to wake her." I just nodded. We heard some movement in Mildred's room and Daisy ran to the door. She motioned me over and then pulled me in. "Yes, Mom, he's here." I took hold of her hand, and her mouth twitched. She tried to say something, but I couldn't hear her. Leaning down, I noticed her eyes were half open. "Get some sleep. Robin and I will be back later on, to visit." I felt a slight tightening of her hand. Walking outside, even near sunset it seemed bright. I noticed Robert walking up the lane. Behind him, maybe a half a block back, was dinner. It was being carried by Sheryl and Patrick. I didn't wait. We needed to go home. No one was in the back seat, but Katharine was in the center of the front. She didn't mind at all when I got in. She just slid a little closer to Richard. We didn't say a word on the drive out to the mansion. Richard walked Katharine up to his room, as soon as we got home. Others heard us come in, but no one saw them. "Where's Richard?" Robin asked. Instead of directly answering her, I said, "I think your mom and Dora should go up to the bedroom." "Bad day?" "Near the last," I replied. "I told Mildred that we'd come over and talk, after dinner. We have to get Barbara, anyway." Robin nodded sadly, then asked, "Where is Barbara?" "With Brian. Millie asked her to stay for dinner," I said. Robin's eyes just about popped out. "I think she's trying to train Barbara on how to cook dinner for her son." Robin started laughing; "Now I've heard it all!" Katy and Dora went upstairs, after Robin told them where Katharine was. Beth Ann, Mary, Sarah, and Jill were in the kitchen cooking dinner. Kristin, Liz, Vicki, and Tiffany arrived soon after we did. The sound of their arrival brought the kids scampering down the stairs from the third floor. Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth looked at me, then around the room. Elizabeth asked, "Where's Mom?" "She's had a bad day." "Again?" Kristina asked. "Let's go talk," I said, leaving Jimmy and Stephanie to the other's care. Pulling Katharine's three into the library, I told them to sit down. They did, after I did. Elizabeth sat on my right, Kristina on my left, and Kenneth on my lap. I gave them a mild, but complete, idea of what their mother was having to deal with. To help someone be comfortable while they are dying is important. But it is so hard. "Then she's not going to have a job after that?" Kristin wanted to know. "I think she will find other things to do. I know she's going to be staying out here with us, and so are you. I think that is best." All three of them smiled. I caught movement at the corner of my eye as Kenneth said, "I want you to be my daddy." Right then their mother walked in. She looked at her son on my lap, and then to me. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Richard, Katy and Dora were behind her. "Mom!" all three of them said, and ran to her. "Kenneth? What did I just here you tell Keith?" He looked a bit shy, but said, "I wanted to call him daddy. I miss not having a daddy." Robin had also walked in by then. I looked over to her, and she smiled at me. "Kenneth that is a big request. What about you two?" Katharine asked her two daughters. They sort of blushed, and stammered. "Well?" Katharine asked again. "If we called him that, it would be kind of strange thinking of him as..." Elizabeth trailed of blushing even more. Katharine looked at her daughter, then over to Keith. She was startled when Robin broke her thoughts. "Elizabeth, Kristina, I think your mother wanted to know if you saw Keith as someone you could talk to, look up to, and love. Isn't that the idea of a father? Now Elizabeth, you obviously find Keith attractive. So do I," she said, smiling at the blushing girl. "You have to remember, though, that he's mine." "But Stephanie..." Elizabeth's tongue slipped... Then, horrified at what she had said, she ran out of the room. "Stephanie what?" Kenneth asked, perplexed at his sister's behavior. "I'm not sure," I said, knowing I needed to find out. "Kenneth," his mother said, "We'll talk about this again, ok?" Kenneth shrugged his shoulders, "Ok," he said, then ran off. "Kristina?" Katharine said, "Do you want to tell me what your sister was talking about?" Kristina was looking at the floor. "No," was her simple response. I took Kristina's hand, "I think we need to take a walk. It might take a while. Send Elizabeth out to get us, for dinner." Robin was grinning, "I'll find her. And I think I know just the place to send her out to." I walked out the front door as Robin went up to find Elizabeth, and probably to find Stephanie in her room, also. Kristina and I had not reached the front gate, when she started talking. "How come you do that with Stephanie, and not with us?" "Do what?" I said, still not knowing what had happened. "You mean when I took her out for a ride, last night?" Kristina looked up to me and rolled her eyes, as though I must be dense. Just then her sister, Elizabeth, came running out. "You didn't say anything, did you?" she panted. I may be a little slow at times, but I'm not dense. "You mean about what Stephanie said?" "Kristina!" I started to laugh. Elizabeth realized she had just given up the secret. "Girls," I said, "It's not as though I wasn't there. Do I need to get Stephanie down here, too? She'd end up telling me, but you can do it. What did she say we did?" "Everything," Kristina answered, still a bit disgusted. "Kristina!" Elizabeth said again. "She's jealous that Stephanie got to do that," Kristina said to me, in the 'one up on your sister' sort of thing. "Yes, why is that?" Elizabeth said accusingly. I turned to Elizabeth, got down on my knees, and looked her directly in her eyes. "Are you ready to give yourself to me? I mean that, kind of almost marry me. I'm talking forever here. Are you ready for that?" I didn't get an answer. "Pamela thought she was sure, but look at her now. Yes, she loves me; but not the way she loves Jimmy, that's for sure." "So Stephanie is like a wife of yours?" Elizabeth asked trying to figure this out. "Elizabeth, Kristina, I want you to listen and really pay attention here, 'cause this is important. What goes on in this house is different than most places. You have never seen anything else like it, so there is no way for you to compare. But you can look and see. We love each other, all of us. Sometimes that love needs to be expressed by talking. Like what we are doing now. Sometimes it needs to be in how we do things around each other. Sometimes it is touching." "I liked it when I touched you in Redding," Kristina said blushing. I grinned, "I liked that, too. It was surprising, but fun." "So you and Stephanie are in love, so you get to do those things?" Elizabeth asked, trying to understand. "It gets a bit more complicated. Stephanie loves me. I love her too. Robin is my wife. She is the one who says if I can do anything with somebody else. Robin has to feel comfortable, too. She can loan me out, so to speak. She's never going to give me away." "I can understand that. I wouldn't do that if I were her," Elizabeth said, and then blushed. "So Stephanie had to ask her?" I didn't directly answer that question, but said, "Robin was the one who convinced me. I wasn't sure. Stephanie was pretty determined, though" Elizabeth smiled, "Yeah, I think so." "Elizabeth, Kristina, it isn't all fun and games. She is part of my family. There is a sort of commitment there." "She can't marry you," Kristina said. "Well, no. Not legally." "I think her mom is like that too, isn't she?" Elizabeth queried, "But she is part of Richard's family. Is that right?" "Yes, it is. You are very observant. Dora is part of that family. She is like Richard's wife. But the way our laws are written, she cannot be his wife on paper. Different than Katy, but it is in their hearts." Elizabeth started to say something and then stopped. "What were you going to ask?" I asked her. "Is my mom... She's been spending time with them, sleeping in their rooms. What's going on?" "Are you asking if she is part of that family?" "Does that mean we would be, too? Would Richard be our dad?" Kristina asked. "It is not about ownership. I don't own Robin, or my sister, or Stephanie." Elizabeth's eyes were wide, "Your sister?" I sighed. That had slipped out. "Yes, my sister, but we'll talk about that another time. Dora wanted to be with Richard, but that didn't mean Stephanie had to be with her in that. Stephanie did have to be taken care of. That was Dora's number one concern. It is one of the benefits of being in this large family." "So..." Elizabeth said, thinking out loud, "Mom can be with Richard, and you can take care of us?" "Don't I already?" I said, knowing what she was really talking about. Elizabeth got a perturbed look on her face, "Not like that." "Are you ready to ask your mom if it would be alright? Then, of course, you'd have to ask Robin, too," I said, and waited as both their faces turned sour. "I also have a say in this, too, you know." That brightened them, "That's easy," Kristina said, "I already know you like us. Daisy said so." I smiled at them, but was thinking I'd turn Daisy over my knee for that. The picture of that thought, almost made me laugh. I caught Elizabeth glancing over to the house. Stephanie was on the porch. I waved her over to us. She came, apprehensively. When she finally made it to us, I said, "Stephanie, you are not in trouble. You didn't listen to me, though. What did you tell them last night?" "I... mmm..." Stephanie was looking at Elizabeth and Kristina. "Stephanie," I said, sharply. "I showed them," she blurted out. "Oh, God!" I said, thinking of the ramifications of that. Stephanie started crying, "I knew I was going to get in trouble." I took hold of her, and held her. "Stephanie, let me tell you what happened. Then you will understand why I didn't want you to say anything." She stopped her crying, and looked at me, not understanding what I was talking about. "Barbara saw, too, didn't she?" I asked. Stephanie's eyes got big as she started to realize what I meant. "Did she and Brian..." "Yes, and it wasn't very good. It wasn't like it should have been. Frankly, it was a disaster." "They were out here, though," Stephanie said trying to justify it. "Yes, after she saw the doctor." I thought Stephanie was going to pass out. She started to hyperventilate. The best thing I knew to prevent that was to kiss her, and stop her from breathing so fast. "What happened?" Elizabeth asked, very concerned. "Now, before you think the worst, it looked bad. In the end, there was nothing wrong. It just scared them both. I'm not going to say anything more. You need to ask Barbara about it. Just make sure," I looked at all of them, "that Jimmy and Kenneth aren't around, understand?" Stephanie was looking on the ground, "Do you still love me?" "Stephanie, I will always love you. That doesn't mean I might not get mad at you, sometimes," I said. I pulled her close to me and whispered into her ear, "Next time, if you play show and tell, I want to be there." She giggled back. "You're really not mad?" she asked, for confirmation. "Disappointed in what happened. I think when you talk to Barbara, and find out what happened; then think how you contributed to that, you won't be happy with yourself, either." ------- After dinner, Katharine wanted to go with us back to Mildred's. She wouldn't be any good, as tired as she was. It was her sense of duty that compelled her. Richard took her off to see the doctor, and get his opinion. As soon as they were gone, Robin and I drove into town. Our first stop was Mildred's. Daisy answered the door. "She'll be glad to see you. Katharine told us it would be soon. I don't think I believed her today, but now..." "Is she in pain?" Robin asked. Shaking her head, Daisy said, "No. Katharine told us what to do." I walked over to the bedroom door, and knocked. "Go on in," Daisy said. I opened the door and looked in. I expected to see Robert in the room. I turned back to Daisy, "Where's your dad?" "Getting drunk, probably," Daisy whispered unhappily. "Pamela?" Robin asked quietly. "She is still asleep." "Poor thing," I said, and then touched Daisy's cheek. "This hasn't been fair on you, either." Daisy pulled me into an embrace. Robin walked into Mildred's bedroom, while I held Daisy, and let her cry. By the time I entered the bedroom, Robin was talking to the now awake Mildred, about Pamela. I sat and listened as the two talked. Or I should say, Robin talked, and Mildred made a noise every so often. "Mildred," I said, "It is time we let you get some rest." "Yes, Keith. It is about time. Thank you for everything." We left, troubled. I had not been around anyone who was very close to dying that I knew. Robin had. Her uncle/stepfather. I'm not sure it helped. The pain of the inevitable was just on the outskirts of erupting. We drove over to Millie's, to pick up Barbara. With the car, it is easiest to drive through the downtown. It was west of all of the houses, and is a slightly longer route. We didn't draw as much attention that way, as this was only one of four cars now in town. I thought I saw Robert as we drove into the downtown, but then I thought that I must have been mistaken. Neither Barbara, nor Brian, were happy to see us. Millie and Bruce were, though. We got a run down on Barbara's cooking skills. There would be many more times to practice, Millie said, much to Barbara's delight. We chatted a little longer. Millie and Bruce had been over to see Mildred. We then got ready to go. Barbara, without much regard to who watched, gave Brian a steamy kiss. Millie pretended not to notice it. Back in the car, Robin asked Barbara if she kissed Brian like that, just to drive Brian's mom crazy. "I just couldn't help it," Barbara said. "I know someone else that was very much like you," I said, and got an elbow in the ribs. That caused me almost to miss seeing the man falling onto the road ahead of me. He picked himself up, and started walking again. He was just on the other side of the downtown block. As we got closer, my suspicions were confirmed. It was Robert, and he was drunk. Damn. I drove by him, knowing that I wouldn't have been very nice to him, had I stopped. Besides, he needed the walk. We arrived home to find everyone outside. I thought there was a problem, until I saw them looking into the sky. The stars were just beginning to glisten. Jimmy had seen the start of a meteor shower, and had called everyone to watch. We joined them on the porch. Jill turned to me and suddenly asked, "What's that noise?" I listened then knew. Even if it was still far off, the sound was unmistakable. "A helicopter," I said. "My mom?" she ventured. "More than likely all of them, I would think." She pulled at my arm, causing me to look at her. I saw the pleading in Jill's eyes. "Jill, you want to have a good talk with her, don't you? At this time of the evening, when she might well be very tired, things could be said that shouldn't." She sighed heavily. "Yeah, but..." "I know, but tomorrow will be much better. I'll take you to town with Katharine, ok?" She just nodded. I was hoping that it would be a good meeting. When they had last seen each other, things were not good between them. Both had changed. Would Jill fall back to being a little girl? Would Rebecca be hurtful? I wished I knew. ------- Daisy looked at her father walking into the house. There was little question of his state. Robert looked at his daughter's face. Even in his drunkenness, he felt shame. The pain had been too much, and he needed relief. Robert also knew that his 'relief' was his undoing. He was not a worthy father. Falling onto the couch, he cried himself to sleep. Dropping her shoulders, Daisy felt the weight of all that surrounded her. Unlike her father, she knew where she was needed. Walking into her mother's bedroom, she sat in the chair beside the bed, and watched her mother sleeping. Startling awake, Daisy saw the beginnings of dawn around the old curtains. As she tried to move, her stiff neck reminded her of where she had slept. That did not stop her. She was concerned. Her mother had not been sleeping well through the night. Panicked that she had died, Daisy pushed herself out of the chair, only to see her mother turn her head and look at her. "Awake," Mildred said. "Yes," Daisy said, her adrenalin rush subsiding. "Good, wanted to talk to you." Daisy noticed her mother had said a whole sentence without stopping. "About what?" Daisy asked. "In this town. People love you." "I know, Mom." "Enough to look the other way." "What do you mean?" "Love Keith like a wife." "Thank you, Mom." Mildred smiled, although it hurt. "Remind Pamela she's loved." Daisy didn't catch on to what was happening, "Of course." "I'm tired." "That's ok. Go to sleep." "Thank you, dear. Remember, I love you." As soon as Mildred shut her eyes, Daisy realized what had just happened. Reaching out, she took her mother's hand... and knew. Falling to her knees, Daisy buried her face into the bed covers, and cried. ------- Katharine was up as soon as the sun started peeking over into the valley. She knocked on my door, awaking everyone on the second floor. I opened the door, blurry eyed. "I need to go." I knew there was little way around that argument. This was most likely Mildred's last few days. Katherine, more than anyone else, knew it. "I'll have to get Jill up. She wanted to come with us." Throwing some clothes on, I trudged up to the third floor. I had no idea where everyone had decided to sleep, so it was a guess. I knew knocking would just wake everyone, so I'd have to peek in the doors. The first door had two females asleep. Not Jill. I could tell as the sheets during the hot night had been thrown off, and the nightshirts ridden up. What stopped me was that their panties were visible to my eyes. The two new teachers, Tiffany and Vicky. One pair was more like what Robin and Kristin were now wearing. Gifts from Cynthia, but a bit toned down from what I'd seen on her. The other had on a pair more like what Stephanie wore. They even looked a bit too small. Realizing what I was doing, I closed the door, before I was caught staring at them as they slept. The second room was empty. The third contained Jill and Liz. They were very close to each other. As I touched Jill's shoulder, she moaned and turned. Liz opened her eyes slightly, and saw me. Her eyes flew open. I pointed to Jill. Liz misunderstood, and just smiled at me. I rolled my eyes. Then I whispered, "Jill wanted to go downtown, and Katharine is ready." Jill rolled over towards me, and looked at me through sleepy eyes. "If you don't want to go until later, its fine," I said. She shook her head, and started to get up. The sheets started to fall away, then she grasped them. I did see some of her bare back, realizing her state of undress. "I'll wait outside," I said, "don't be long." "Keith, you're a devil," Liz said, and grinned at me. She put out her hands to me, and pulled me across Jill, to her. She gave me a long and sensuous kiss. As I pulled back, Liz was grinning. "You probably could taste her." "Liz!" Jill cried out, burying her face in the pillow. "Liz, just be good to her. She needs all our love." Jill blushed even more. I tried hard not to laugh, as I walked out the door. I forgot, as I pulled the door open, that this was the one that stuck slightly. Larry said he was going to fix it, but hadn't got to it yet. The noise caused movement across the hall. I wondered who would be out first. I should have known, but it still took me by surprise. Barbara came out. She looked at me, and ran towards the bathroom. Her cast being slid, but still thudding along. I thought, 'That is enough to wake up everyone else.' Barbara came out of the bathroom, looking at me a little sheepishly. Jill came out of her room about the same time, dressed. "Where are you going?" Barbara asked. "To Mildred's." Barbara's looked at me, and asked, "Can I come?" "This early?" "Millie said I should start learning to cook. She'll be making breakfast," Barbara said hopefully. "You don't have any time, other than to slip on a dress. We need to go now." Barbara nodded, and thumped into her room. Her hair was in disarray, but Barbara was ready in two minutes. She also had a little bag with her. I looked at her, knowing better than to ask what was in the bag. I wasn't supposed to know about her 'condition'. I did ask, "Where's your crutch? You know you're supposed to be using it." She gave me a sour look, "At the end of the hall." "Brian is going to be out of his casts before you are, if you keep this up." I held out my arm to support her, and we walked to the end of the hall. When we got to the second floor, Katharine was waiting, none too patiently. Looking at Barbara, Katharine said, "That's what the noise was. I couldn't figure it out. I almost thought you were dragging Jill out of bed." I noticed a slight blush on Jill's face. Thinking of her state of undress at that time, that would have been amusing. There was a mixture of emotions in the car. Katharine knew this might be the last day. If it was anything like yesterday, a long and hard day lay ahead for her. Jill was anxious, nervous, and a little scared to see her mother. She wanted it to happen, and at the same time, didn't want it. It was the unknown that bothered her, but she was determined. Barbara was the one full of enthusiasm. She was excited with the possibilities that lay before her. Millie's instruction in cooking, gave Barbara the idea she was accepted as Brian's mate. A position she wanted very much. I was still a bit groggy, and not looking forward to any of this. Mildred would be the hardest. I knew I'd have to go in. I would see Daisy and Pamela hurting, Robert in an unknown state, and Mildred hanging on. Then there would be Millie. I was the one that would need to explain why she was there at the crack of dawn. I just hoped everyone was agreeable. Jill was the biggest unknown, and would remain that way until things unfolded. I just hoped, for Jill's sake, that it went well. Lost in my thoughts, I realized when I pulled up in front of Mildred's house, that the car knew just where it was going. I hadn't given driving much thought. ------- Daisy felt a touch on her shoulder, and looked back. Her dad was standing behind her. His eyes looked almost as hollow as Mildred's had, for the past few weeks. Daisy just nodded, no words were needed. He gave his hand to his daughter, who stood. She watched her father take her place, pick her mother's hand up, and give it a little kiss. Daisy noticed the tear drop on Mildred's hand, as he placed her hand back down on the bed. She walked out, giving him some private time alone. Sitting on the couch, she felt numb. Nothing she knew could have prepared her for this. Her mother, the one who had given her life, was gone. Her sister coming out of their bedroom jarred Daisy's thoughts. "You didn't sleep with me last night?" Pamela asked, concerned. Daisy stood and took her sister's hand, leading her outside. The sun, now bright, made them squint as Daisy sat down in front of Pamela on a bench. "Pamela," Daisy stopped, she didn't know what to say, or how to say it. She said the first thing that popped into her mind. "We need to pick those flowers, now." As the realization took hold of what her sister was saying to her, Pamela started to cry. Her brain that could reason death, but heart that felt ripped in two were conflicting. She placed her hands over her face, and her body started to shake. I pulled up to the house, as Pamela fell on her knees and screamed, "Nooooo!" Katharine didn't wait for the car to stop. She was out of it, and to the girls. Jill was stunned at what she was seeing. She and I got out, as soon as I had stopped. Barbara fell back against the far door. It was almost as if Pamela's scream had pushed her there. Suddenly, her pain was as fresh as the tearing off of a scab, over a deep wound. She opened the door, and almost fell out. All of us were occupied consoling Pamela, and didn't see Barbara almost running away. Her mind and heart were also in disorder. She knew Pamela and Daisy needed comfort, she had thought she could give it to them. Now though, her mind flashed images, feelings, so fresh and alive. It brought back all those horrid moments when her mother died, and then her father. ------- Barbara tripped and fell twice, as she went. She had no idea where she was going. She just had to get away. Her head hurt so badly, she would do anything to make the pain stop. Not knowing how or why, she found herself on the second floor of the school building. Its large open room now empty, the open windows letting in light and the cool morning air. Barbara didn't notice these things. Her eyes blurred with tears, as she continued to run, straight into the large sheet metal frame that had been the folly of its owner. She bounced back, and didn't notice the eerie sound it created. She only knew it felt good. Continuing, she hit her head and fists against the metal, until she no longer could. Not until she fell to the floor in a heap, did she notice the pain in her foot. Outside, everyone had heard. The sound Barbara had created woke the town. People started to pour out of their houses, afraid. The sound, though, stopped almost as suddenly as it started. In this town, where everyone knew each other, there were questions shouted from house to house. I had been outside, holding Pamela, when the sound happened. Jim, from the next house up, asked about it. I recognized the sound, but couldn't place it. I then told of Mildred's passing. That information was soon relayed. Not more than fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on Mildred's front door. I got up to answer it, and stepped back as soon as I opened the door. "Daisy, Pamela, come here." Outside, the whole town was gathering, each person was holding a candle. Patrick Theisen came through the crowd, and gave each of the girls a hug. I first heard a hum, then a melody. They were singing, and it took me by surprise. "Swing low, sweet chariot..." I couldn't help my eyes from flowing. Millie came up to me, "You'll need to get the others here. They don't know." I nodded, sniffling, "I guess this messed up teaching breakfast." "What?" It cut through my fog, I could tell by her tone she had no idea what I was talking about. "Didn't Barbara show up at your house?" "No. Was she supposed to?" "Oh! No!" I exclaimed. Now I was in a panic. "I just left her in the car..." Millie turned to her husband, "Bruce we need to find Barbara, she's missing." That news spread through the people around, as they had heard our conversation. I heard my car door being opened. Someone said, "She's not in here." If possible, I felt a bit sicker to my stomach. Her parents had died, what was I thinking? Richard and Brian would kill me if anything happened to her. I turned to Daisy and Pamela. It was obvious they had heard, as well. "Go," Daisy said. Most of the men started a search, while the women stayed. Some went north, towards the old burnt section. It was fairly open and would be easy to spot her. Some went towards the river. That made me sick to think about. The rest of us went south, through most of the houses and downtown. One of the men shouted, causing the rest of us in earshot to run. "An open door," he said. I didn't wait; I rushed in the old downtown building. The others followed. Nothing on the first floor. Then I saw it on the staircase. Blood. I ran outside, and threw up. The others had seen where I had looked. They watched me as I returned, and walked up the stairs. At the top of the landing, the door was open. I walked in, and saw the crumpled heap lying at the base of the metal that had caused the noise. Running to her I paused to look. Her cast was red. Around it, her leg was swollen. I checked, turning her, to make sure she was breathing. She opened her swollen eyes, and I kissed them. "You're ok. I'll help you. Just wait, don't move," I said to her. Later, I realized how crazy most of my speech was. I turned towards the door and yelled, "She's here, I need help." Four men came running up the stairs, and burst into the room. "Barbara, they will carry you down, while I get the car." I ran back, and was out of breath when I got there. People wanted to know what was going on, did we find her, how was she? I wanted to get back to her. I yelled out that we found her, but she needed to see the doctor. As I climbed in the car, the other side opened. Millie got in. I looked at her, surprised. "I want to see what is happening," she said. I didn't bother responding. They had Barbara out, and waiting. As soon as I pulled up, the back door was opened. They gingerly placed her in. Millie got into the back with her, surprising me more. I took off, driving probably faster than safe, out to the doctor's airplane. ------- Jill watched me drive out of sight. She turned to see Daisy and Pamela looking at me driving away, as well. 'This is no time to talk with my mother, ' she thought. 'Hell! Something always happens.' "Daisy," Jill said, "can I start the stove. I'm sure something to drink would be good for you." "Yes, thank you," Daisy said, still turned to where I'd driven off. Jill came up behind her, "He'll be back, soon." "I know. I just need him," Daisy said, then turned to Jill and looked her in the eye, "What about you?" "Me?" "Do you need him, too?" ------- Chapter 72 Jill was glad there was an interruption from Patrick at that moment. She didn't want to answer Daisy's question. Patrick had corralled Robert, Daisy, and Pamela. Most likely to talk about the funeral. In the summer months, Jill analytically knew, they couldn't wait. It was too warm in the high desert. A body had to be buried the same day. Emotionally, that same thought made a hard lump in her throat, and brought tears to her eyes. Her mind, though, was drawn back to Daisy's question about Keith. He had stepped in for her, perhaps like her father would have. But then he wasn't a father figure to her. That kiss on stage at the school, told her that. She still had memories of that kiss, and what he had said after. Then there was Liz. In some of their play, she would act like Keith, and it was always a bit more interesting. Still, she didn't know. There was a part she couldn't get away from. He was a man. Her father had died, leaving her to grow up without him. Cliff had raped her, leaving her feeling like a prostitute. She knew in her heart that Keith had made inroads. He was special, and that scared her. There was always, in the back of her mind, a nagging question. How would Keith instill his mark on her, and then leave? Yet in all her doubts there was Robin, Kristin, Liz, Daisy, and even Stephanie. All of whom loved Keith, and trusted him. It was still too confusing to answer a question like the one Daisy had posed. ------- The doctor was out, watching my arrival. The honking of my horn, as well as the speed at which I drove, told him there was another emergency. Waiting for the dust to settle as I stopped, he walked down the steps to my car. When he saw Barbara in the back, then the state of her foot, he went into automatic. "Keith, lets get her inside now. I need to get that cast off, pronto." Millie was out of the car in a flash. She hadn't had any dealings with the doctor as yet. She looked at me, pained, as she noticed he wasn't being gentle. Urgency was his protocol at that point. I had to forget Millie's reaction and follow suit. With Millie behind us closing the doors, we had Barbara on the table in a few seconds. He didn't wait for preliminaries, either. Barbara saw him pull a saw out of a drawer, and fainted. He paid no attention to that, he was cutting at the plaster cast and soon had it off. "What happened," he demanded to know, "It's not just the cast. Her foot is obviously broken again, and this time the damage has caused bleeding. It is worse than before. Keith, what's going on?" I started to say something, and felt a lump in my throat that didn't allow me to talk. My eyes were starting to fill with water. I felt very responsible for what happened. "Mildred passed away this morning," Millie said, taking over. "Both of Barbara's parents have died. I think she got overwhelmed, and ending up doing what she shouldn't have." The doctor was nodding. "Tough thing on a kid. But if she doesn't stop this, she'll damage it to the point of no return. I just hope that hasn't already happened. I'm going to have to take another x-ray of her foot, and see what she did." As the doctor prepared Barbara for the x-ray, she woke and jolted in surprise. "Don't worry, Honey. We'll be here," Millie said, and looked over to the doctor, "but I'm sure we will need to step out while the x-ray is going on." Barbara looked over to us and nodded. It was obvious she was in pain. Millie pulled me out the door. "Keith, I know my sister took Barbara in because of Brian. I may be slow at times, but I'm not stupid. She needs to come back and live with us, now. I have a lot more time on my hands, and Barbara needs attention." I was a bit shocked, and must have looked it. "If those two end up getting married, then it is in my best interest to make sure Barbara is a suitable wife for my son. Agreed?" I nodded, not knowing quite what to say to that. I was also wondering what Richard would say about this. I didn't have long to think about that. Everyone in the Mansion had seen and heard me drive to the plane. Richard's car was filled with Katy, Robin, Dora, Kristin, Mary, and of course Richard, as it drove up. "What's going on now?" Robin asked, as she was the first out of the car. "Barbara," I said. Richard and Katy were running for the stairs. "Hold on," Millie said. "The doctor is taking an x-ray." While we waited, I retold the story. At first, everyone was very sad for Mildred and her family. As I continued, my eyes started to blur again. I was getting choked up, telling about Barbara going missing, and then finding her. "So she made that strange noise?" Mary asked. I nodded and then looked at Katy and Richard, "I hope you can forgive me. I should have been watching out for her better." "Nonsense," Katy said, "you were paying attention to Daisy and Pamela, as you should have." "She's right, Keith," Millie said. "Katy, I was just telling Keith that Barbara needs to come live with me now." Katy's mouth was hanging open. Richard glanced at me, with a little smile. "I guess we need to have a little talk, then," Katy said, as soon as she got her voice. ------- Katy, Richard, and Millie shooed me off. They could take care of Barbara. I was needed back with Daisy and Pamela. I took Robin, Mary, and Kristin with me to the Mansion. Kristin and Mary stayed. Stephanie, Jimmy, and Sarah stuffed themselves into the car with us. I was deep in thought. I knew that until Barbara said I was forgiven, I wouldn't feel so. No one else was talking either. As we pulled up to Mildred's house, we saw that the crowd of people had gone. The door was open to the house. Inside, were two women in the kitchen. Daisy and Pamela were in their bedroom with Jill. Patrick (with Larry and his brother) was in Mildred's bedroom, with Robert. They were placing Mildred in a non -descript wooden box. I walked into the bedroom with Robin. She looked into the open box, and touched Mildred. "Goodbye," she said. We walked back out, as Larry and his brother finished sealing the coffin. Sarah, Jimmy, and Stephanie, went into the girl's room. Stephanie went to her friend and hugged her. Pamela gave a limp hug back. Jimmy got the same response. Sarah noticed it as well. Robin and I were out in the living room looking into the girl's room. "Pamela," Sarah said, "I'm sorry. Tell me how you are feeling?" Pamela shook her head. "Please talk to me." Pamela shook her head again. "Can't... Hard." It sounded to me like the Pamela before her operation. The difficult speech was back. Sarah grabbed hold of Pamela, and hugged her. She cried for her. "I'm glad I'm here, then," I heard Sarah say. Robin went into the bedroom as soon as she saw Daisy among the others. She and Daisy hugged and wept. Jill came out of the cramped room, and motioned for me to follow her. She then walked outside. Before I could say anything, Jill asked, "What happened to Barbara?" "She hurt her foot again. She was upstairs at the new school when we found her. Her foot was bleeding in the cast." "I bet the doctor took the cast off, didn't he?" I nodded, thinking Jill was pretty bright. "I feel like I should have stayed with her," Jill said. "You have been taking care of Pamela and Daisy. I didn't have anything to do." "Jill, she was my responsibility." Looking at me, Jill said, "You're feeling guilty, aren't you?" Nodding, I said, "If anything more than a new cast has happened, I..." "You will need to realize what you have been telling everyone else. We're all humans, and make mistakes. You expected Sarah to forgive herself for almost getting you killed." "That's different." I implored. "No. It's different only to you. Everyone is allowed to be human, but Keith. You set yourself up with expectations you'd never give to anyone else. Listen to your own advice for a change." "I get the feeling you're either mad at me, or care a lot for me. I'm not sure which it is." "Maybe a little of both," Jill said back. I took hold of her hands and made her look into my eyes. "Jill, I love you, too. Don't worry, I'll get you to talk with your mom." "It's infuriating, you know." "Yes, I do. There seems to be obstacles at every turn, but none of this was planned. No one is trying to keep you apart." ------- The doctor opened the door of the plane and looked out. "Sounded like a party was going on," he said. "We sent everyone else away," Millie replied. "Even Keith?" "He and Robin need to be with their new charges," Katy said The doctor raised his eyebrows. "You don't know, I guess. Mildred told Keith and Robin they were to be Daisy and Pamela's parents. Well, Pamela's at least," Richard explained. "Isn't there a father?" "Yes, but even his wife wasn't sure about him. After the accident at the mine, he's never been the same. One never knows. This might be the thing to make Robert come back to reality," Millie added. "In any case," the doctor said, "Barbara needs company, and I need to develop the films." Richard, Katy, and Millie walked in. Barbara was lying down on the table. She looked over as the four walked in. The doctor continued to the back. Before any of them said a word, Barbara said, "I know it was stupid. I couldn't help it." "Barbara, we're not here to blame you," Richard said. "No, Honey. We're just concerned for you. Keith is very upset, because he wasn't paying attention to you," Millie said. Barbara looked beyond them, "He's not here?" "No," Katy said. "We had him go back to Pamela and Daisy." Barbara nodded, and said in a very sad voice, "That's where he should be. They need someone to talk to, someone to be with, and someone who can care for you." Katy, Millie, and Richard looked at each other. This was something, it seemed, that Barbara hadn't gotten when her mother died. The doctor came out from the back, shaking his head. "Barbara, you re-broke your foot. You are very lucky that the bleeding was superficial, and that it's not any worse than it is. But you are at square one. You are starting over," he said. He stopped, and looked at her directly, "This time, young lady, you are going to be off your foot completely for the first two weeks. No walking at all. Do I make myself clear?" "But what about..." Barbara started to say. "Someone is going to have to take care of you, just like they are taking care of Brian," the doctor said. Barbara blushed at that. "You're going to be staying with us, now," Millie said. As her eyes bugged out, Barbara looked to Katy and Richard for confirmation. They were smiling at her. "Don't worry. We'll all be around, and you'll get to see Brian all the time this way," Katy said. "You also don't have to worry about the stairs or being isolated at our place, as you won't be able to move." ------- Robin came out to find Jill and I still outside Mildred's house. "I can't believe she's gone," Robin said. Jill and I nodded. I reached out and pulled her into a hug. We then had to move out of the way as the men brought out the casket. We watched as they loaded it onto the back of the horse-drawn wagon, and took it downtown. Robert was with them, but didn't help. It was odd. I'd never seen a funeral before this year, and now this was the second in Carp that I'd seen. My mother had described my grandmother's funeral: the church, the fancy casket, and the pageantry. Here, a simple wooden box made a lot more sense. That was no longer Mildred. I'm sure it was economics that had produced such simplicity, but there was something calming about the rustic wood. I don't think I would have felt the same with polished furniture. Soon after they were gone, Daisy walked out, squinting and blinking from the sunlight. "Did my dad go, too?" Daisy asked. "Yes, he's gone," I said. Then I thought how apropos it seemed. I remembered that he looked more like a shell, than a man. His eyes were completely blank. Reaching out, both Robin and I took Daisy's hands, and led her back inside. I signaled with my head for Jill to follow. Walking into the girl's bedroom, I said, "I think a walk would do everyone some good." Daisy looked at her sister. Pamela got a pained look on her face, as though she knew just what Daisy was going to say. "Pamela, this is as good a time as any. We can't wait too long," Daisy said. "To do what?" Robin asked. "We told our mom we'd have flowers for her. She always loved flowers. The best ones are north of town," Daisy answered. "I think it's probably best for all of you to go. I'm sure the fresh air will help. I'll drive up in a bit, and pick you up. Ok?" I suggested. "I'll go with you," Robin said to Daisy and Pamela. "Me too," came from Jill, Sarah, Stephanie, and Jimmy. They all started to get up, and walk out. All, that is, except Pamela. I waved them on, and then sat down beside her. "I'm not your mom. I never can be. But I hope you know how much I love you. I always will." She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. I put my arms around her. "Too hard," she got out. Squeezing her tightly, I knew I needed to call the doctors, and ask them about her speech regression. After she settled down, she got up. I pinched her butt, and she turned towards me. "You're just as beautiful to me. Sorry, I couldn't help it." She couldn't help the smile that shone upon her face, even if it disappeared quickly. "Go on. The others are waiting. I'll be out to pick you up, soon." She turned, and put her hands behind herself, covering her butt. She glanced back at me with a bit of a grin, and then scampered out. That girl would always hold a special place in my heart. I believed she felt the same way. Waiting until I was sure they were gone, I drove to the communications car. I asked about Jack, wondering where he was. "One last visit, I believe. Then he'll be out for good. From what I could pick up, this one wasn't so pleasant. The new commander (a Major Michael Shoeman) is trying to get Commander Huntington to clear everything out, before he comes in. That way, our friend Huntington can be the bad guy and leave, while the new guy looks like roses. Commander Huntington knows what is going on, and is trying to stall as much as he can. It is a game of wills. Wouldn't want to be in his place, right now." "Probably still sleeping," I said. "Not anymore. He was just in here, asking about that strange noise this morning. I ended up hearing that the woman died. Strange way to announce it, but then this town has many strange customs," he said with a grin. "That's not normal. The sound was an accident. But I must say, it did the job. Do you know where Jack is now?" "Went up to see the property he's going to build on, I think." I thanked him as I went out the door. If that's where he was, most likely Cynthia and Rebecca were with him. Jill was going to see her mother, and not in the way I'd have liked it to happen. ------- Jill and Robin were holding Daisy's hands. Stephanie and Jimmy took hold of Pamela's hands, as soon as she came out. Sarah would have liked to be holding Pamela's hand as well, but she understood. She took hold of Jimmy's hand, much to his surprise and delight. He turned to her and smiled. When she returned the smile, he blushed and looked at the ground. Walking down the lane, everyone was silent. No one knew quite what to say. At the end of the block, Jill looked left, to her old house. She was shocked. "Who's that?" The rest glanced to where Jill was pointing. A young girl was outside, sweeping the front porch. "They're from Angle City," Robin said, not wanting to get into this right now, "Annabelle and Julie. They're helping Millie out." Jill pulled Daisy, and consequently Robin to a stop. "Are they your relatives? And why are they at my house?" Robin was a bit embarrassed, "I, uh... I think your mom said it was ok." "Then she's living with them," Jill reasoned, "and you didn't answer me. Are they your relatives?" Pamela and the others had stopped. They noticed that Daisy, Jill, and Robin had stopped. Daisy yelled to them, "Go on, we'll catch up in a minute." Robin let go of Daisy's hand and took Jill's, "Come on over here, and let's sit down." "Robin?" Jill said, looking worriedly at her house. "First of all, your mom isn't living in the house with them. But that's another story. The mother and daughter who are there, are trying to make a life for themselves again. When they walked into Carp, they were almost starving to death." This was shocking to Jill, and derailed thoughts of her mother. She looked back at her house, pained, "Where did they you say they came from?" "Angle City." "But... But that's just... They walked? Is everyone starving there?" Robin shook her head. "No, these two were outcast. The mother had no way to make money, and they couldn't get food. They were so desperate, they walked up here." "I didn't know it was so bad in Angle City," Jill said. "It isn't. Jill, the father of that girl was Fred Blaney." Jill's eyes flew open wide. "To make matters worse, Fred's son was the boy that tried to kill Brian. Brian ended in casts, but the boy died." Jill's mouth was opening and closing. Her mouth was dry, and she was trying to swallow. She finally got a hard swallow, and a full breath. "They're..." Jill looked horrified, "Why would Millie even want them around?" Robin grasped both of Jill's hands. "You look at me and tell me that because of what Hank did, Daisy should be thrown out of town?" "But that's different?" Jill said. Robin shook her head, "Jill, did you ever hate me?" "No! Why would I ever do that?" Robin took a deep breath, "For what my father did to you." Jill looked at Robin, her face grimacing. She'd never thought of Cliff as Robin's father, but she knew that was what Robin was referring to. "Jill," Robin said in a soothing voice, "I wanted to hate them. I reacted as well. These two had nothing to do with what happened. The mother came up to repay a debt, for what her son had done. She is a woman of great courage. She has dealt with a loss as big as any of ours." Jill nodded, trying to grasp it all. "It's really strange, though," she said. "Yes. When you meet them, though, you will see that they are good people." Jill wanted to get off that subject. She would be thinking about that some more, but the urgency was gone. "So, if my mother isn't living there, where is she living?" Robin pulled Jill up, grabbed Daisy's hand, and started walking again. "I think you should ask your mom about all that. Isn't that what Keith said?" "You two..." Jill looked over to Robin, "Have you been talking?" Daisy and Robin both let out a strained laugh. They got to the end of the houses, and went into the open area where houses had once stood, before the fire. There were two groups of people in the distance. They picked up their pace, and soon saw one group was Pamela, Stephanie, Sarah, and Jimmy. The other group was composed of three adults, to the left. "Looks like Jack's out there. I heard he's going to build a house," Daisy said. "And there's my mother," Jill added. ------- Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca had woken up groggy, after a short sleep. The strange sound that woke them, along with the lack of sleep, almost made them feel as if they were hung over. As they moved slowly that morning, they missed the activity outside the hotel. To raise everyone's spirits, including his own, Jack drove Cynthia and Rebecca out to the land where they would build their house. He was tired of the base and its demands. The past three days had been grueling. He needed to look forward to something in his future. The short time left to him, working for the Air Force, seemed to drag even more because of what lay ahead in his future. They were now standing on the spot. Dreaming, planning... Having fun again. Pamela, Jimmy, Sarah, and Stephanie wanted to be left alone. They had been quietly avoiding the adults to their right. Jack spotted them, but he was a keen observer of people. He could see they weren't interested in conversation. He watched them with amusement, as they tried to not be noticed. Cynthia and Rebecca were in their own world, planning and designing. They didn't notice a thing around them. Jack was wrapped up enough with watching the younger set, that he failed to see Robin, Daisy, and Jill approach. It startled the adults when Jill got close enough to say, "Hi, Mom." Rebecca whipped around to see her daughter. She was so startled, that she fell back into her old habits. "When did you arrive, and how did you get out here?" Rebecca said in a harsh voice. Jill was immediately taken aback. Didn't Keith say things were different? Even Mildred said so. Jill was speechless. "Not going to say a word? I thought things were changing for you," Rebecca said in an accusing tone. Before Jill could think of a thing to say, Jack lit into Rebecca. "You will not talk to your daughter that way!" he said. Flying out to where I saw the group, I pulled up in a cloud of dust fearing the worst. Jumping out of the car, I heard Jack go on. "Rebecca! Down on your knees, and beg forgiveness!" Jill looked at Jack in as much shock, as she had at her mother. I knew things hadn't gone well from the tone and wording of Jack's command. Rebecca looked at him, pleading silently not to have her do this. Jill watched as Jack raised his eyebrows. Her mom dropped to her knees. "Jill, Honey. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." When I got close, I put my hands on Jill's shoulders, causing her to jump and turn towards me. "Jill..." I got out. She fell into my arms. I pulled her into the car, shutting the door behind me. "Why are they doing that to my mom?" Jill cried. "Jill, stop," I said, in a harsh enough voice to cause her to blink. "Now I want you to look outside at your mom." Jill did. Jack was in front of her. It was obvious from the angle we were looking at, that her eyes were focused on Jack's crotch. Jill looked back at me. "Look at her breasts, and see how fast her breathing is, Jill." Jill glanced and saw the erect nipples of her mother. She was an excited woman. "Why?" Jill asked. "Jill, I don't understand all of it, but your mom likes to be controlled and even embarrassed at times. She likes to feel humiliated. It excites her," I said as took Jill's hand, causing her to look at me. "It has always been that way for her, Jill. Your dad gave her what she wanted and needed to feel special. When he died, she lost that. Now she's found it again." "But what about me? I don't want that." "Robin and I knew that. We've talked about it. I... We want you to stay with us." Jill gave me a little smile, "You do love me, don't you?" "More than what is good for you, I think," then I laughed. "According to my sister, I'd be a vat of melted chocolate, and you would drown in all the love I'd give you." She took my hands and looked at them. "You scare me." I took hold of her hands, and brought them up to my face, kissing each one. "I know. I'm sorry. I've tried to not push." "Oh, no! It's not that, Keith. You are as gentle as anyone I've known." "Than what is it?" Jill looked into my eyes, "I can't say. I'm not sure yet myself." I nodded. I knew her journey from where she was, would be long and hard. I just wished she could trust me more. Opening the car door, I helped Jill back out. "We need to go get the others," I said trying to excuse us. "What are all of you doing? Is there something going up by the river?" Jack asked. "We're picking flowers," Robin answered. The look given, meant they didn't understand. "They're for Mildred's funeral," I explained. Rebecca was visibly distraught, and started crying. Cynthia, bless her soul, comforted her. Jack nodded. Robin got Jill and Daisy into the car, while I continued talking to Jack. "Was the strange noise we heard the announcement?" Jack asked. "In a way. It was the release of anguish from Barbara, who has lost both her parents." "Hell of a release. I hope she's alright." "So do I," I said. Looking around, I noticed the gals in the car. They were waiting with the windows rolled down. "Got to go," I said. As I opened the car door, I turned to Rebecca, "Jill and you need to have a talk, a good talk. Soon, I hope. She'd been looking forward to seeing you." Before Rebecca had a chance to respond, I closed the door. Driving to where Daisy directed me, I stopped just in sight of the others who were already picking flowers. Daisy got out of the back. Robin squeezed my hand and then got out of the front, leaving Jill and I in the car. "Keith, thank you for saying that to my mom." I turned to her. She was in the back seat. "Jill, I didn't hear everything, but knew it wasn't good. It wasn't what you had wanted. You need to see your mom for who she is now. That may be hard for both of you. I'm not sure how that is going to work, but we'll figure out something." Jill reached up and touched my shoulder. "You're making it hard not to care for you." I smiled at her. "I hope so," I said. I wanted to continue with, 'you could care as much as I do, ' but didn't want to scare her any more than I probably already had. We just looked into each other's eyes. I didn't know what she was thinking, but I was wondering how someone so good, could deal with such pain. The moment was lost, by Robin opening up the back door. "I think we're done. There won't be any flowers left, if we let them pick any more." I thought that was an exaggeration, until they started loading the back up. Now we needed to fit everyone in. Jill got out, and there was much discussion. I wasn't a part of it, as I was the driver. Soon everyone piled in. In the back seat, Jimmy got in and scooted to the center. Pamela then got in on one side, Sarah on the other. Then Pamela got on Jimmy's lap. Jill got in next and the doors shut. In the front Daisy got in and scooted to the center, Robin came in next to her. Then there was a knock on my door. Stephanie was outside. I opened the door and she climbed in, onto my lap. I was a bit surprised, but she wiggled her little butt, settling into where she thought was the perfect place to sit. I looked over to Robin, who just smiled at me. When I got into town and started to turn onto Daisy and Pamela's street, I was told to drive downtown. In the meeting hall, preparations were underway. As I pulled up, women came out to see us. Thankfully they weren't paying attention to where Stephanie had been sitting, or the lump in my pants. They were unloading the flowers. As soon as I could comfortably move, I walked into the hall. Chairs were being set up, and women were arranging flowers in vases of all sorts. It made me realize all the work that went into the preparation. When Bill had died, I was both out of the area, and out of touch as to how things had happened. I just showed up, and it went on. Now I was seeing first hand the amount of work the women of this town expended, creating a proper funeral. I was moved to the side. Two men brought in large rolls of fabric, and took them to the front. As they laid them out, I was reminded Mildred had been a weaver. The lump in my throat grew as the exquisite design was displayed. ------- Jim, the mayor, walked into the meeting hall. He was handing out mail, such as it was in Carp. When he walked over to me and handed me a letter. I was surprised. "I'm sure you can get this to her," he said to me. I looked at the envelope, and then at the return address. It was from the lawyer's office, and was addressed to Beth Ann. I nodded numbly. Beth Ann had talked to her mom one other time, there had been one long letter that each had written. Neither of them had broached the subject of Carp, Beth Ann's living here, or even what she did. Everything had to do with Beth Ann's father. I knew from the last communication that this letter would arrive. In it, would be the court date. It was something Beth Ann had been dreading. Jim and I talked about nothing for a bit, and then he went on to deliver the rest of the mail. It had sort of fallen into his lap, this job. He had told me once, in jest, it was my entire fault that he had to work so hard. Mail in Carp was a rarity. Now, government checks arrived once a month, for every family that lived here. Seeing the mail system work prompted some to write. Soon, return mail arrived. Now at least five to ten letters arrived each week. I had laughed when he had told me this. Robin walked over to me and asked me whom the letter was from. When I showed her, she started shaking her head. She had a worried expression on her face. "Beth Ann is going to need support when she gets this. I know I want Kristin and Mary there. It doesn't look like you want to be there." She looked up into my face, "Only if I have to." "No, my sweet. I don't want you there feeling like you can't help. It's ok. You have a lot to deal with, here." "Yes, but so do you." Robin said. "I know. Sometimes diversions, even unpleasant ones, can be helpful. There are times I feel like it's overwhelming." "We're going to be here for some time. Why don't you go deliver that," Robin said, then gave me a hug. "Find out how Barbara is doing. I know that it's bugging you." I held her and said, "Thanks. First I'm going to say goodbye to Pamela and Daisy, so they know I'll be gone for a bit." Pamela hugged me, but didn't say a word. Daisy told me to go, but hurry back. I said I would. Driving down to the end of the downtown (as that was where it was easiest to turn around), I caught sight of Richard's car at Millie's house. It's easy to spot one of the few cars in town. Pulling up behind the car, I was greeted by Katy. She was walking to their car, to pull out a few more things for Barbara. "Barbara is inside, I'm sure that's who you want to see." "Yes, thank you. How is she?" Katy smiled, "It's a mixed blessing. She's now with Brian, but she's as stuck as he is. Her foot re-broke, and the doctor said she can't move for a few weeks." I nodded, thinking of the irony of it all. Then I wondered in Millie's place, where they were going to put Barbara. That thought was set aside when I walked into the open door, and saw her reclined on the couch. "Keith!" I rushed over, kneeled down, and gave her a hug. Then I looked down to her foot, surprised at the lack of a cast. "He couldn't recast it yet. The skin has to heal first. So he has this bandage thing..." "An 'ace' bandage?" "Yes, that's it," Barbara continued, "He said it would hold things in place, but I can't move. In fact at night I have to have my legs strapped down to a board, so I don't move," she said. She got a pained expression, "I'm just like Brian. How are we... ?" I touched her head, "Barbara, don't worry about that," I said. When she looked at me, I asked what I needed to ask. "Can you forgive me?" Barbara's forehead wrinkled, "For what?" "For not paying attention to you. I didn't even know you were gone," I said, choking up. "I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself, if anything had happened to you." I didn't hear any response from her, and looked up to see tears in her eyes. "You, and Robin, and Katy, and Richard, and Millie, and Bruce... How come I have such a big family here?" "You mean people who care a lot for you?" Barbara nodded. "Because we love you." "But... Millie and Katy are related, but you're not." "Barbara, does that mean I can't care for you? I do, a lot. It hurts me to know I put you in danger. If I had paying attention, you wouldn't be hurt. Again, I'm going to ask. Can you forgive me?" Barbara was shaking her head and that made me feel worse, until she spoke. "Keith, it was not your fault. You were where you needed to be. I needed someone like you when my... mom... died." She paused from that pain, and then held out her hand to me. "Pamela and Daisy are lucky," she said. "Tell you what; I'll forgive you, if you forgive me for taking you away from them." I looked at her. A little smile shone on my face. "You've got a deal," I said. Then I put a scowl on my face. "But you better not re-hurt your foot trying to get to Brian, understand?" Barbara laughed at that, but understood my concern. That felt good to her, like family. I felt one of my many weights lifting from me, seeing her in better spirits. As I got up, I noticed Millie and Katy were behind me. "Listening in?" I asked. "Yes," Katy said. "We told you that you shouldn't blame yourself." "He really did?" Barbara asked, as though she hadn't believed me. "Yes, he was very upset," Millie answered. Barbara reached out and touched my leg, "Sorry." "Nope, we forgave each other. It's all gone, now. Ok?" "Ok." "Millie," I said turning to her, "Where is Barbara going to sleep?" She looked at me, perturbed. "We haven't figured that out, yet." Katy took a step back out of her sister's eyesight, an amused expression on her face. "Well let's see, you have your bedroom. Then there's the other bedroom..." "Keith, if you think I should put Barbara and my son in the same room..." "What a great idea! What do you think, Katy?" Katy had a surprised 'don't get me involved' look. She also knew she was stuck. "Now, Millie," Katy said, trying to change things a bit, "You could put a bed out here, I suppose. Maybe we could take out the dining table, and make room." "Katy, you know I can't do that. Bruce's parents gave us that. He'd never stand for it." "Well?" I said rubbing my chin pretending to look around, "You can't do without the kitchen... If you took out the couch, maybe..." "You two are infuriating. Why on earth do you want Barbara and Brian in the same bed?" "Millie," I said shaking my head, "those two are at least as incapacitated, if not more so, than when you put Richard and Katy on that bed together. Nothing bad came of that." "Keith!" Katy exclaimed. "You talked me into that, Keith," Millie said, "It wasn't my doing." "Oh, now come on, Millie. What on earth could Brian do in his state? Or, for that matter, Barbara? She told me she has to have her legs strapped down. Neither one of them can move." "It's just not proper." "You're right, Millie," I said, "You don't have the room, and it's going to be a problem. I guess Barbara should come back out with us." "What?" Barbara cried. Katy had a grin, knowing I was pulling something. "Now hold on, Keith," Millie said. "Even if we have to put Barbara and Brian on the bed together (which I don't like the thought of), it would be better than having her out at your place." "I don't know whether to be insulted or not," I said. "You're the one who brought this up, so you get to help see if this can work. Come on, let's get her onto the bed." I looked over to Barbara, and gave her a wink. The three of us couldn't move Barbara. Not with my arm, that I had to still watch out for. Asking where Bruce and Richard were, I found out they had walked over to the cemetery. Then I was told it was custom for each person (male person, that is) to take at least one spade of dirt out, many taking much more. "Why didn't anyone tell me? I need to get down there." I said. "Keith, the immediate family doesn't participate in that. My dad explained it to me. This was a way for the men to express what they couldn't, otherwise. They are working out their pain, just like us women will be cooking for the family. Everyone in this town sees you as a parent to Pamela. You aren't supposed to be there. The family has enough to deal with," Millie said. I bit my lower lip, as water filled my eyes. Damn, this was hard. ------- My trip out to the Mansion was again postponed. I knew I didn't want to face Beth Ann with the letter I had. So any excuse was a good one. This, I thought, qualified. Back at the communications car I told the officer I needed to call the hospital in Utah. "To let them know of Mildred's death?" he inquired. "Yes, and to ask about problems with Pamela." "Oh!" he said surprised. "She's reverted. I want to know what to do about it, and find out if she needs to be seen." "Take me a few minutes." "No problem," I said, putting my hand in my pocket and touching the envelope I needed to deliver. Five minutes later, I was handed a phone. "Dr. Smithers here," I heard. I told him of Mildred's passing. He was very sorry to hear it, and said he would send the information along. Then I told him of Pamela's almost full recovery with her speech, which had been very clear. Then now, her reluctance to talk, and how she sounded as she had before the operation. "Keith, this sounds like trauma induced symptoms. I will ask a few colleagues. For now, have the local doctor take a look. He should check see if there is anything out of the ordinary. I know it may be hard, but my guess is that it is the trauma of her mother's death. She will come around. It will just take time." I thanked him. We talked about the upcoming testing down here briefly, then hung up. There was little for me to do now, except go out and face Beth Ann. When I drove up, Elizabeth and Kristina were outside and greeted me. They wanted to hang onto me. Almost everyone was gone, and they were a bit bored. I had to tell them what they didn't want to hear. I needed them to play with Kenneth for a bit, while I had a talk. Reluctantly, they did what I asked. Inside I found Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann in the kitchen fixing lunch. Liz, Tiffany, and Vicky were on a little walk. They were getting acquainted with the area. "Can you stop for a few minutes?" I asked. Kristin smiled at me, "For you, anything." I took a deep sigh and sat down at the kitchen table. I pulled the letter out discreetly and tucked it under my leg. "Beth Ann, come here," I said patting my knee. It was an unusual request. She looked at the other two, and then came and sat. They then saw the letter as I pulled it out. "This came in the mail today," I said, handing her the envelope and then wrapping my arms around her. Mary and Kristin came closer, as Beth Ann said, "It's from the attorney's office." She then looked at me and asked, "What would they be sending me?" "Open it up, and let's find out." Undoing the envelope with much more care than I would have, she then pulled out the letter and started to read it. We saw tears start to form. "What is it?" Kristin asked. "The trial date has been set. My dad's..." Beth Ann couldn't continue. "Can I see it?" I asked. She handed me the letter then put her hands to her face. I read it, and knew I needed to get Beth Ann to think clearly. She needed to be strong though this. "Beth Ann, you knew he was going to have to go to trial. Didn't you?" "Yes." "You know he has a very good lawyer, right?" "Yes." "Did you read that you need to be there?" Beth Ann uncovered her face and looked at me, "I do?" I nodded, "Yes, you do. Beth Ann, you will need to be strong. You will need to be there to help your father. You have to stand up for what is right." She looked into my eyes, "You'll be there... won't you?" "Yes, Sweetheart. I'll be taking you," I said. She wrapped her arms around me for security. "We'll be flying up. Robin, Mary, Kristin, and anyone else you want, will be joining you as well. You will be very supported, so you can support your dad." Beth Ann looked up to Mary and Kristin, "Thank you." They reached down and hugged her. ------- What was going to be a fun trip (as her parents had said), was turning into a problem. Laura's parents were always busy, one of the main reasons she had been in a boarding school in the first place. With a touch of guilt, they were leaving her for the summer, as well. They had said they would drive her down from Linden Hall Boarding School, to her new school in Carp. A day before they were to set off, an emergency came up. Laura was used to these emergencies causing her parents to not do as they had promised. The dilemma was that they had also promised Laura to pick up Dorothy and Susan along the route. It had been part of the scheme to get Dorothy and Kevin Smith together in Carp. Laura's parents, unknowing of the plot, had agreed to pick up the two girls. It was not far out of their way. Now it was not only a call to Laura to say plans had changed, but to the parents of these girls they didn't even know. The call to those parents had not gone as planned. Instead of backing out of their obligations, they ended up agreeing to stop by and have lunch. It had not gone at all as expected. Having to place business on hold for their child, was something they had never done before. Now Laura's father was paying the bill at the service station, for a new water pump. This delay in the trip had not been anticipated. It only fueled the parents' frustration. You would never know anything was wrong, as far as the girls were concerned. Dorothy and Susan had been packed and ready to go for days, before being picked up. They couldn't wait to get lunch over with, and be on the road. Dorothy anticipated arriving at Linden Hall with baited breath. She would get to see her Kevin. Even though they'd had no 'alone time', and it was only a few minutes while Laura's things were being stowed in the trunk, it had been heaven. Laura had been bubbling with excitement. She could hardly contain herself the first day. Her parents had had to get cross with her, to quiet her at bedtime. After breakfast, they had ventured out, only to have the car overheat. They had just spent the last four hours waiting for a part, and having the car repaired. While the parents stewed about their problems, the girls were having a grand time. Laura especially. She had a secret that she had promised to reveal today. As soon as they were back on the road, Laura pulled out a folded envelope from her little purse, and passed it to Dorothy. Dorothy looked down in her lap, trying not to draw any attention from the front seat. There, as she unfolded the envelope, was her name. It was written in cursive. The style was distinctive enough to tell her it came from Kevin. Dorothy bit her tongue, to not cry out in joy, but couldn't help but jerk her head. She looked, wide eyed, at Laura. "I had to wait. I promised," Laura whispered. Susan saw the envelope and grinned, knowing her sister would now be tormented. Dorothy would not being able to open it, until she was out of Laura's parents' sight. Dorothy carefully folded the envelope again, as though it was sacred, and placed it into her purse. 'Lunchtime, ' Dorothy thought, 'I can go into the restroom, and read it there.' As though she could read thoughts, Laura asked, "When are we stopping for lunch?" "Laura!" her mother said, "We need to make up lost time. We won't stop 'till about two. Then we'll drive on 'till night. We want to get you to Carp tomorrow, as planned. We know how excited you are to get there." Laura knew that had nothing to do with it. Her parents wanted to get on with their business. This time, it didn't upset her. She was thinking overtime. "Well, I hope we get a bathroom break before then." Her father responded, "If we must." "Dad! I'm not a boy." That made her father chuckle, "Yes, the way you girls have been giggling, it is noticeable." Dorothy touched Laura and mouthed, 'thank you, ' to her. Laura smiled. An hour later, as Dorothy tried to relax and not think of what was waiting in her purse, the girls got into a conversation. Mostly, it was about Carp. Suddenly Laura whispered to Dorothy, "Start crossing your legs back and forth." Dorothy did, but thought it a strange request. All of a sudden Laura said, "Dad, I think Dorothy needs you to stop." Realizing what Laura alluded to, Dorothy turned red and unfolded her legs, as the father looked back. He smiled at Dorothy's embarrassment. "I'll find the first place. Just hold on." Dorothy turned her red face to look at Laura, and found Laura smiling back. Dorothy almost gasped out loud when she realized Laura had just set up a perfect foil. "Act," Laura mouthed. As they slowed down, in sight of a service station, anticipation took hold. Dorothy was nearly bouncing in her seat. As they stopped, Laura jumped out. Dorothy took off like a shot towards the restroom. "Laura," her father called out from the car, "next time don't let the poor girl suffer so long. We could have stopped earlier." Laura had to try hard not to smile as she responded. Then she had to turn away from the car, when she saw Susan roll her eyes at her. Once inside, Dorothy closed and locked the door. As routine took over; Dorothy lifted her skirt, pulled down her panties, and sat on the toilet. Once sitting, she opened her purse and pulled out the envelope, once again unfolding it as a precious article. Using her fingernail, she slit the top and pulled out the letter, her hands trembling. My dearest Dorothy, I'm sorry to have made you wait to receive this. I was advised it would be best, for you will have a hard time containing yourself after you read this. Jill, with the help of Liz and Mrs. Turcotte, have taken steps to allow me vacation time this next week. I shall be departing by bus today, and transfer to train tomorrow. I will be arriving the following day in Carp. It was with Jill's convincing that anything can happen in Carp, that I look forward to being with you for days, not just moments. My heart longs for you See you soon, my love. Kevin Dorothy's heart was pounding so hard. With one hand holding the letter, the other slipped under her skirt. She let out a moan as her fingers parted her lips and slid into the moist flesh. "Are you almost done, Miss?" Susan called from outside the door, almost laughing. "Yes," Dorothy replied, not knowing if anyone else might hear her. "I'll be out in just a minute." She looked in the mirror, and realized how flushed she was. Splashing some water on her face, she exited. Susan held her sister at the doorframe. Holding her nose up in the air and sniffed. She did it for fun, but caught the unmistakable scent. Dorothy was bright red. "Good letter?" Susan asked. Dorothy pushed past her as she saw the attendant walking towards them. "They pulled around the corner to the shade," she heard him say as she walked in the opposite direction from him. As Dorothy reached the car, Laura got out. Dorothy slid in, and Laura got back in and closed the door. "Are you allright dear?" Laura's mother asked, "You look a bit flushed." "I'm just fine, thank you. It was a bit stuffy in there, that's all," Dorothy replied with her head down, remembering Laura's word: 'act'. Susan returned a few minutes later, her face also a bit flushed. "Terrible that they would let a public restroom become so stuffy," Laura's mother said. Susan knew better than to open her mouth at that point. They were on their way again. For the next half an hour, the 'women' discussed the unsavory nature of service station restrooms. Restrooms that were simply cleaned two or three times a day, and men and women used the same facilities. ------- Bringing everyone else downtown looked like it would be a challenge. Elizabeth solved it. She said that she, her brother, and her sister could ride in the far back. They didn't need seats. Mary, Kristin, Beth Ann, Liz, Tiffany, and Vicky were left. We could fit six in the seats, but that counted me. There were seven of us. I was surprised when everyone started piling in. Mary and Beth Ann got into the front. Kristin, Vicky, and Liz got into the back. Then Liz reached out and pulled Tiffany up and onto her lap. Tiffany was surprised, looked around at us to gauge our reactions, but didn't look like she was or wanted to get off. "Everyone in?" I said, looking at Liz. "Yes, now we're all in," she said, sticking her tongue out at me. Tiffany was blushing furiously at our exchange. I drove down to the meeting hall to find it decorated, but empty. I turned around and went to Mildred's. That was where everyone was. They were just finishing up eating lunch. I had figured, from past experience, not to eat at home. I would be expected to eat, and there would be plenty. Such was the case. As I was eating, I was filled in on what would be happening. Four thirty is when the service was, the graveside for the family was after that, then dinner. When the word 'family' came up, I knew that meant Robin and myself. However, I immediately looked around for the real family, for Robert. "We've seen him twice. Once down at the hall, then for enough time to get something to eat, here. The rest of the time, he's been gone," Daisy told me. I looked worried at her. She shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me," she said. Then with fierce determination on her face, she added, "he'd better not show up drunk to the funeral." The words were biting, and shocked me. A few minutes later, I realized she was displaying some of the anger that comes with grief. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle that, coming from Pamela. Especially if she directed it towards me. I sat down on the couch, and Pamela climbed into my lap. She put her arms around me, wanting comfort. Not realizing it, I started rocking her gently back and forth. After a bit, even with the noise around, I felt her arms drop. Looking down, I saw she was asleep. "Nice job," Robin whispered in my ear. "I always knew you excited the girls." I knew she was trying to make light of the situation, and I appreciated it. To think of the realities, was a bit too much at that point. I looked back at Robin, "You know they are so comfortable with me, I could just about do anything." Robin snorted. "Don't I know! Look what you did to me," she said, rubbing her belly. "Come here," I said putting out a hand and pulling her into a kiss. "I'm glad you trapped me into being your husband." "Trapped?" "How else could you put it? With your beauty, I didn't stand a chance." She beamed. She gave me another little kiss and walked off, exaggerating her wiggle. Then she looked back to make sure I noticed, as though I could have missed that! Daisy was the next to come. She sat down beside me and snuggled in. I looked across the room, and saw Jill staring. Sarah walked over to her, glanced at where Jill was looking, and said something to Jill. Blushing, Jill looked into my eyes and knew she'd been noticed. Turning her head to Sarah, the two started talking, occasionally glancing our way. I was very curious as to that conversation. I knew I'd never know what it was, just the subtle bits that might come from it. ------- The bell that rang on Sunday mornings sounded, marking the time to gather. Robin helped Pamela dress, while I drove out to the Mansion to get us appropriate attire. Daisy, Pamela, Robin, and I had made our way down to the hall before the announcement. Soon, everyone started filling up the place. We sat down front. I noted there were five chairs on the left side, where we were to sit. I tried to get the girls to sit with a space between them for their father, but Pamela wouldn't stop clinging to either Robin or I. She ended up sitting between us, with Daisy next to the open chair. As we were arranging ourselves I was not thinking very nice thoughts of Robert, who was not here for his daughters. I watched as everyone filed in. The place became packed to the point of standing room only. A few men jostled their way in, Robert among them. He walked down the narrow isle to the front and sat, not saying a word, nor even looking at his girls. His head was bent down and remained that way. I worried, as Daisy's comment came to mind, that he might be drunk. Patrick got up in front, standing to the side where the podium had been set. It was my first real look up to the front, and I realized I'd been avoiding it. The casket was in the center. A deep purple woven blanket was draped over it. The two large pieces hanging in the back were those that I'd seen the men bring in before. What had looked like an exquisite design before, paled as to now. The candles highlighted design elements I had missed before. Flowers filled the front in a semi circle, along with more candles, creating a very lovely, peaceful setting. Below the casket, on the floor, were several stacks of folded material. Those were the only things that looked a bit out of place to me. Patrick started, welcoming everyone to this somber occasion. We sang, he read a few bible verses, and then started on the eulogy. Patrick had just finished. We were set to sing another song, when Robert dropped out of his chair, falling to the floor. Daisy and Pamela jumped out of their chairs. Even over the excitement, Pamela's cry of "Daddy!" could be heard. The doctor (who was sitting in the back) came forward, and checked Robert. "He passed out. I think it might be good to get him outside, into fresh air." Two large men picked Robert up, and carried him outside. Daisy and Pamela followed. This stopped everything for several minutes. Robert walked back in, his head bowed, with Daisy and Pamela on each side of him. I moved over. They sat, and we continued with the service. I noted Pamela clinging to his hand, but just as it had been earlier today, the hand was limp. At this point in the service, people got up to say something about Mildred. I knew I needed to say something, and had been both thinking and dreading of doing so. Three ladies came up front. This was different. People usually stood where they were and said something. They were her fellow weavers. While one, holding a visibly shaking paper talked, the other two picked up the piles of material I had noted before. "Mildred knew there would come a day when her children would want something she had made. With much forethought, Mildred started creating. She wasn't able to finish the last two pieces. We did that for her, showing them to her just yesterday." There was a set for each girl. Pamela blushed when shown the baby blanket. But that was just the start. Mildred had pieces in the collection that no one else had seen before. There was cloth that had been spun very fine. It had been woven into shimmering fabrics, and made into clothing the girls could wear for a long, long time. The two hanging pieces were also for them. It was very quiet during this time. Pamela's and Daisy's crying could be heard as they touched what their mother had made for them. It was an undeniable statement of love that a mother had for her daughters. I had waited about as long as I could, or that Robin would let me. She poked me in the side, and I knew. I stood. Patrick, who had been pointing to people to keep the flow moving, motioned me up to the podium. This was not what I expected. I looked out at the sea of townspeople. It was late afternoon. I could still see faces, unlike the first day I arrived. The feeling was almost the same. I wanted to bolt. This was not something I felt comfortable doing. Then I looked at that front row. Robin, Pamela, and Daisy were looking at me. I began. "I don't have a life long relationship with anyone in this town. I only got to know Mildred through her daughters Pamela and Daisy. For me it has been a bittersweet time. I have felt responsible for letting Mildred know about her impending death. Mildred, though, told me she was grateful for the knowledge and thanked me. It gave her time to prepare, and to say goodbye to her daughters. Mildred told me that one of her two biggest concerns, was that her girls would forget her. Many of you have said some very special things about her. I ask you to keep those things in your heart, and share them with Pamela and Daisy as time passes. Help keep Mildred alive for them. Her second biggest concern was for her husband." I knew that was going to get some sort of response from Robert. His head bolted upright in surprise. "She knew how much he loved her. Mildred was concerned," I continued. "I think that is what I saw, that impressed me the most. She always paid attention to what others needed, far more than to anything she needed. I will miss her terribly." I walked over and sat down. Robin hugged me. I needed that. The pallbearers picked up the casket, and took it out to the waiting horse-drawn wagon. Robin and I, after a tug from Daisy, walked out with Robert and his two girls. The bell tolled. Everyone else came out, silently. Patrick got onto the wagon. Robert, Daisy, Pamela, Robin, and I walked behind it, to the cemetery. Unlike the graveside service with Bill's funeral, this one was private. It was a last time to say goodbye to the one that they had known as wife and mother. There was no service. Patrick talked to each one privately. I felt like an intruder. I would have felt a bit more comfortable next to the wagon, with the two men who had pulled the casket out. Pamela and Daisy had other ideas. While Patrick talked to Robert, each of the girls clung to Robin and me. After a bit, the men came over. They lowered the casket into the ground, and started shoveling the dirt on top. Daisy turned her face, not wanting to see. Pamela openly wept. That act with the dirt, became the real finality of it all. The girls didn't want to, couldn't, stay. Robert didn't want to leave. Patrick touched my arm, and told me to take them. He'd stay with Robert. Robin and I took the girls by the hand and walked them away, leading them back to their house. When we arrived, many people were there. Food was showing up. You would have thought it was a party, until people saw us. Talking stopped, movement slowed, the atmosphere became somber. I don't know how the girls handled it. The change made me feel depressed. Jill, Liz, Tiffany, Vicky, Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann showed up, but then took Daisy away. Sarah, Stephanie, Jimmy, Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth also showed up, taking Pamela away. Robin and I looked at each other, suddenly feeling alone in a room full of people. We fell into each other's arms, silently crying. We had not had the opportunity to release the buildup and the strain of the day. I was sure she was as wiped out as I was. We were wanting to go sit down. Better yet, to crawl into a corner and sleep sounded good. That wasn't going to happen. We were grabbed and pulled into the food line. Robin and I looked at each other with weary eyes, wondering how we were going to make it though the rest of the day. Dinner came and went. I never even remembered what I ate. The last of the women were cleaning up. I asked, and no one remembered seeing Robert. Although, with most of the townspeople mingling around, he may well have been present. After all, he had to eat. But now, he was not here. Not knowing a better way, I pulled Daisy and Pamela away, and brought them to the car. It was the only place I could think of to be private. "We will do what you would like, do you want to stay here for the night, or come out to the Mansion?" I asked. Pamela and Daisy looked at each other. "Dad?" Pamela forced out. "I don't know where he is. I'm sure he's with others who are helping him with his loss," I responded. "I don't know when he might be back." "I think Pamela would like to stay," Daisy said, not stating what she would like. Pamela slowly, sadly, shook her head. "Do you want to come out and be with us?" I asked Pamela, hugging her. She nodded. I looked to Daisy, who nodded also. "Let's get everyone, then." I was thinking, 'this is going to be interesting. There's no way to get everyone in.' When I talked it over with Richard, he agreed. We would need to make two trips. We left Pamela and Daisy to the last, just in case their dad showed up. Piling the first lot in, Richard and I drove our cars out. We unloaded them and returned. Richard then took everyone except Robin, Daisy, and Pamela. As we got in, Robin looked over to me and said quietly, "Mom said we should see Brian and Barbara." I nodded, knowing they could not be at the funeral. It must have been driving Barbara crazy. Looking into the back seat I said, "We're going to make a stop before heading out." "Who?" Daisy asked. "Brian and Barbara." I said as I drove off. "Good. I'd like to see them. It's sad they couldn't be there." Daisy continued. We pulled up. Millie, hearing us, peeked out the door. She saw Pamela and Daisy, and hurried out. "I'm glad you came. They have been driving me crazy." We walked in and looked around. Daisy asked, "Where are they?" Millie blushed, not daring to look at me, said, "In the bedroom." That brought a slight smile to both girls' faces. They walked into Brian's bedroom. Robin and I followed, standing in the doorway. Barbara had Pamela in a tight grasp and was releasing her tears. They'd had a shared experience. As Barbara had shared with me, she was crying for Pamela's pain. I looked over to Daisy and Brian, but my attention went right back to Pamela when Barbara said, "Talk." Pamela shook her head. "I understand," Barbara said. "I didn't want to say anything for almost two weeks. But then, I don't think anyone noticed." That got a long, deep, eye-to-eye contact from Pamela. After some time, I noticed Barbara's legs were secured to the board. I moved over to her head. I knelt down and asked her about it. She turned and smiled at me, then whispered. "If I can be with Brian, I don't care what I have to do." I couldn't help but smile back, and then said mischievously, "With the way you two are, maybe Brian will want to tie you up all the time." She looked puzzled, "Why?" "So you couldn't get away." She giggled, "That's silly, I never do anyway." Changing the subject, I said, "We'll be bringing Pamela over to see you. I think it would be good for the both of you." She nodded, "I think you may be right. Thank you." I tweaked her nose, "No problem, my little angel." She blushed and shook her head. "That's what Brian said." Her eyes lit, and she glanced over to him. Then slowly, she looked back at me. "I already love him." "I know." Robin pulled me away and said, "I hope you're not driving her crazy." "He's trying," Barbara said. "I figured as much." Robin replied. I glanced at the door and saw Millie smirking. I walked over to her. "Looks like nice accommodations." "Don't say a word," she said, "and you'd better not have given poor little Barbara any suggestions." "That's not what we were talking about, but now that you mention it..." "Keith..." Millie said though her teeth. I turned and smiled at her, "It's really easy to tease you." She shook her head, "I feel sorry for my sister, and don't know how Robin stands it." I wasn't about to answer a comment like that. It would just get me in deeper. When we got into the car, I glanced into the back seat to make sure they were ready. The two sisters were holding hands, sharing their feelings. I took a deep, but silent sigh, and drove home. ------- Dorothy, Laura, and Susan were ecstatic. Laura's parents, beat from the drive and car problems, had gotten the girls their own room for the night. The three were giggling, but trying their best to keep quiet. "Come on, Dorothy," Laura pleaded, "I brought it to you. The least you can do is show it to us." "Yeah," Susan her sister said, teasing, "Why won't you? Does it have kisses on it?" "No," Dorothy said, disgusted, "It doesn't." "Then let's see it." Dorothy knew she would wear down soon enough. She also had to keep them in good graces. She wasn't going to give up easy though. "Fine, look," she said, waving the letter in front of them. She wasn't fast enough. Her sister grabbed it out of her hand. There was the chase, with the eventual loss. They ended up with all three girls lying across the bed. Dorothy, in the center, read the letter to them. They laughed, threw pillows, and wondered what life in Carp was really like. Then they started to fall asleep, crawling into bed. Laura lay awake longer, wondering. What was it that Dorothy saw in a man? Was there something she was missing? She'd been in an all girl school for so long. Her life was devoid of men. When Keith had given her a hug, it had felt good, but strange. The only male contact she'd had was her father. She knew he loved her. But loving her, and wanting to be with her, were two separate things. She was very confused with it. Deciding she needed to talk to Jill about it, she drifted off to sleep. ------- Chapter 73 It was long after Keith had given hugs and kisses. Her sister was down on the second floor, and Pamela was alone. Well, not quite alone. The other girls had wanted her to be in the room with them. She didn't know Elizabeth and Kristina at all, but they were daughters of Katharine. Pamela knew Katherine well. Katharine had been at the house, helping and caring for Pamela's mother, right to the end. Sarah was there, sleeping on the floor next to the bed. Pamela was in the bed with Stephanie. Now, though, everyone was asleep. It was silent. In that silence, her mind played nasty tricks on her, setting the young girl to softly cry. Pamela might have missed the others, if there were any. But then she heard the creak on the floor, and it sounded not more than five feet from her. Her eyes widened, and she stopped breathing. She was clenched in fear, as the footsteps came closer to her, yet she had no voice to scream. As the covers were pulled down, she gasped when the form leaned over her. "I heard you crying." It was Jimmy. Her body relaxed, opening up the tears again. Gently, he climbed into the bed beside her, and hugged her tight. "I wish I could make it all go away. I hate to hear you cry." Pamela buried her head into his shoulder. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, and she wept. She felt safe once again as her emotions vented. The exhaustion of the day crept in, and soon she was asleep in his arms. Jimmy wasn't sure what to do, now. He'd heard 'his' Pamela crying. He'd felt the need to help, but now he was trapped. She was lying on top of him, and there was no way to go back to his bed. He lay awake, waiting for her to move. He knew that the other girls (Elizabeth, and Kristina) wouldn't understand. ------- Both Brian and Barbara were awake, although neither one spoke. Separately, they were listening. Each one knew that the other was still awake. From the sound of it, Bruce was asleep. Millie wasn't asleep yet, so they waited. Soon their waiting was rewarded. The soft sounds of gentle breathing could be heard from the next room. It was different than Brian had ever heard before, as his parent's bedroom door was always closed. Tonight, both doors lay open. Millie had looked in on them several times more than usual, owing to her being uncomfortable about having both children on the same bed. Barbara couldn't wait another second. Brian (with his ears straining for every sound of sleep) heard, before he felt, her hand. The soft touch made him want to moan in pleasure. He could not, and that was in itself agony. Her hand rubbed across his belly, and snaked down under the band of his underwear, onto his hard shaft. Brian couldn't help the sigh of pleasure that escaped his lips. They froze, listened, and heard nothing but soft breathing. Brian was frustrated that he couldn't move more. With both legs in casts, and his arm in one also, he was pretty immobilized. He did have one good arm, and with that he reached across his body to Barbara. His hand glided across her arm, and onto her body. Stretching his fingers, he was able to come into contact with a very hard nipple. She mewed very softly, and increased the stroking she was doing. Her other hand now traveling down her body, pretending it was Brian's, as it slid under her panties. Realization took hold afterwards. How would they clean up the mess? Brian, without being able to easily relieve himself had built up a load that now soaked his underwear and Barbara's hand. Barbara realized she could feel wetness dripping out of her, down her crack, towards the back of her panties. Whoever cleaned them up would no doubt know what happened. Turning and looking at each other, Barbara was afraid of the outcome. Brian, on the other hand, smiled at her. "I love you," he whispered. That melted her, and any anxiety was swept away. She smiled back at him. This is where she belonged. She knew she would stay by his side, forever. ------- Elizabeth was so startled, that she screamed his name, "Jimmy!" His eyes popped open, to see Elizabeth standing over him. His whole left side felt dead and he couldn't understand what was going on. That is, until Pamela's face appeared right next to his. She had a smile on her face. That didn't sink in, as much as what happened last night. He'd fallen asleep, and was now caught in bed with Pamela. Elizabeth's outburst woke everyone else in the room, as well. Now everyone was looking at the blushing boy. "Are you going to just lay there," Elizabeth said. Jimmy tried to move, but Pamela had been lying on him most of the night. It seemed that his leg and arm were asleep. Sarah was up. She threw back the covers, knowing it wouldn't look good to anyone else if they came in seeing the two like that. Jimmy tossed his unresponsive arm across himself, twisting his body at the same time. He wanted to roll over, so he could get to the edge of the bed and sit up. He rolled, but couldn't stop. He fell in an unflattering lump, onto the floor. Surprised, Sarah reached down to pick him up. Before her hand got there Pamela was at his side holding him. "Wrong?" Pamela asked, concerned. "My arm and leg's asleep." Pamela glared at the girls. Trying to justify herself, Sarah asked, "What was he doing in your bed?" Pamela was embarrassed to answer. Jimmy did. "I heard her crying." "I didn't hear her," Sarah said, and then looked for confirmation, "Elizabeth, Kristina, Stephanie, did you?" Pamela put an end to that. "Asleep," she said. The girls felt guilty. They had all fallen asleep, while Pamela lay there crying. "You heard her?" Elizabeth asked Jimmy. Jimmy blushed, "I was listening." ------- Mother and daughter showed up early, just as the others were waking. Bruce opened the door, and looked at Annabelle and Julie. He was surprised to see them. "Millie told us to come this morning. I guess we're a bit early," Annabelle said. "No, it's fine," Bruce returned, knowing that he'd catch hell if he did anything to make them feel rejected. Millie came to the door, and had the same surprised look on her face. "Did I make a mistake?" Annabelle questioned. "I thought you said there was a school board meeting today." "Oh my goodness! I forgot all about it. The new teachers are here," Mildred exclaimed. She headed for the bathroom calling back, "Annabelle, can you take care of Brian today? Bruce is going to be leaving in a few minutes himself, and we both need to get ready." "That's why I'm here." Millie stopped at the bathroom doorframe, blushing. "Annabelle, we have Barbara with us also," she said. Then needing to explain herself, she went on. "She hurt her foot again, and needs a lot of care." Annabelle looked around the living room for the girl, adding to Millie's embarrassment. "They are in Brian's room." Annabelle didn't say a word; but Millie didn't miss the look she gave her daughter, Julie, before heading that way. Millie couldn't dwell on it. She had to be at the meeting on time. Bruce interrupted their entrance into Brian's room, "Annabelle, I don't know what Millie's going to be doing today. Could you stay... Well, I mean, could you fix dinner? But of course, we'd want you to stay." Annabelle smiled, "Be delighted." Millie was out of the bathroom, and was almost ready. Bruce headed in. "I heard Bruce," Millie said to Annabelle. "He's right. I don't know what's happening. I'll probably be gone all day. I hate to just drop this on you." Julie laughed, "Don't worry, we've been going a bit crazy with not much to do." "Thank you. You're life savers," Millie said unthinking. She saw the cloud come over Annabelle's face, and it hit her. Annabelle wouldn't be here, if 'life saving' was in her family. "Sorry. Didn't think," Millie said. Annabelle just nodded. Bruce came out of the bathroom, grabbed his lunch, and kissed Millie. He yelled goodbye in the direction of Brian's room, and was out the door. Millie ran into Brian's bedroom, gave her son and Barbara a kiss on the cheek, and was out the door also. Now alone, Annabelle and Julie looked in. They saw Brian and Barbara on the bed, but didn't think all that much about it. That is until Brian spoke. "I need to go." "Ok. Come on Barbara, out you go," Annabelle said. "I can't," Barbara said. "Now come on," Annabelle said a bit irritated. She pulled back the blanket covering Barbara. Annabelle and her daughter just stared. "What is this?" Annabelle asked. "The doctor made me get strapped down, so I couldn't damage my foot again," Barbara said, embarrassed. Annabelle sighed, wondering what she was going to do now. "I've really got to go," Brian restated. "So do I," Barbara said blushing furiously. "Do you have a bedpan?" Annabelle asked Barbara. She nodded. "Julie get the bedpans and bring them in." As soon as Julie left, Annabelle made Barbara look the other way. She pulled down Brian's sheets. Her mouth dropped open. The stained underwear and crusty remains were evidence of what Brian had done during the night. Julie hurried back, not wanting to miss a thing. Her mother had a sheet up between Brian and Barbara. "Julie, you will need to pull Barbara's panties down. I know it's embarrassing; but just remember, it's more embarrassing to Barbara, who has to let you do this." Julie nodded, not wanting to look up. She pulled. Barbara's few strands of pubic hair had become stuck to her panties, from the juices she'd expelled last night. "Ouch!" Barbara cried out. "Julie!" Annabelle said. She looked across the sheet, and again was shocked. "Apparently there is no need for this," she added, and dropped the sheet between them. "Mom!" "Julie, I'll finish up here. You get some hot water. We need to bath them." "Here? In the bed? Next to each other?" "Go," Annabelle said losing her patience with the girl. As soon as Julie walked out the door, Annabelle looked at the two and shook her head. "If you two are bent on traveling down the road to destruction, I'm not going to stand in the way." "What do you mean?" Brian asked innocently. "Sex. It is obvious what you two did." "But... I thought that if you loved someone, you'd want to share..." Brian started but didn't know how to go on. Instead he looked over to Barbara. Julie had been back in a flash, but didn't walk into the bedroom. She figured that if she was sent out and came right back in, conversation would stop. So she stood outside, and listened. "Sharing, Brian, is not taking advantage of this young girl." "But..." "He didn't take advantage of me," Barbara said timidly. "If anything, I took advantage of him. Look at him, what could he do to me? I can move both of my arms." "Barbara, why on earth would you do such a thing? It's awful." Barbara scrunched up her face, thinking. It sure didn't feel awful. "I'm not sure what you mean." "Don't lie to me. It hurts. You can see Brian got what he wanted," Annabelle said pointing to the big stain mark in his underwear. "He got it and what did you get?" "Love. A warm feeling that he thinks I'm beautiful. A tingly feeling that makes me feel good," Barbara said, trying her best not to turn red. Then, she added as an afterthought, "Something I never saw my parents have." Annabelle was astounded. Never had she heard a woman (well, girl) talk about sex in this manor. It almost sounded like she'd had fun. The concept was too foreign to even contemplate. But that last statement made her feel cold inside. She stood and walked out, barely noticing her daughter on the other side of the wall. It shocked the girl to see her mother walk past her. She was obviously disobeying, yet her mother didn't say a word. Annabelle walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and started to cry. What had she shown her daughter? Richard had been right. He'd said she wouldn't want her daughter to do the same as she had. Barbara's words about her parents had stung her to the core. Brian and Barbara looked at each other. A good ten minutes had now gone by, since Brian's parents had left. They both still needed to relieve themselves. It was getting worse by the second. "Julie?" Barbara called. The girl looked timidly around the corner. She wasn't sure, after her mother's exit, what she'd find. "Please, come in," Barbara asked. Julie walked over to the bed. "I hate to ask this, but we are ready to pee in the bed. Help us." Julie looked at Barbara, wide-eyed. She'd heard the description given to her mom by Millie, about how to use the bedpan. "But Barbara..." "Just do it," Barbara replied. "I don't care." Barbara was easy; she'd already pulled her panties out of the way enough. Sliding the tray under, she was ready. When Julie got to Brian, her hands couldn't stop shaking. She wasn't sure what she needed to do. "Grab his underwear and pull it down," Barbara said, exasperated. She knew she couldn't let go without having Brian ready to pee, too. He'd loose it, just like she was ready to do. Just when Julie pulled Brian's underwear down, and saw his dick flap up, her mother reached in. "Like this," Annabelle said, showing Julie how it was done. Julie couldn't have taken her eyes off Brian's dick if she'd wanted to. It was the first time she'd ever seen one. The sound of their discharge was somehow electrifying to the girl. It was naughty, and she knew it. But, here she was. Not behind some building, but out in the open, and with her mother, seeing and hearing this. "Take these, and dump them. Be careful, they're very full," Annabelle said to Julie. Then turning to Brian, Annabelle said, "Sorry it took so long." Turning towards the door, she called out to Julie, "Get that water you were supposed to fetch, also." Annabelle looked down, not wanting to make eye contact. "I haven't been a very good mother. I don't really deserve a girl as good as Julie. Barbara, you said something that hurt." Barbara felt bad about someone saying such things about themselves. But then, what had she said to Annabelle? Barbara couldn't remember. "I'm sorry," Barbara felt compelled to say. "No, it hurt, 'cause you said the truth. Can't say I know much about love." Then Annabelle looked Barbara in the eye, "How am I going to teach my daughter 'bout it?" "That's easy!" Barbara said, "All of us can." Annabelle's face wrinkled, "Don't know..." Barbara winced, "I know. It's really hard to think about it. I'm still like that at times, but then I stop and think. I found out Keith was worried sick about me hurting my foot. Why should he be so upset, about me?" Annabelle looked at the girl, waiting for the answer that wasn't so obvious to her. "Love. He loves me. Did you know that Brian and Richard have saved each other's lives? It's love. You know why Millie wanted me here?" Barbara giggled and then added, "Don't you tell her, but I know. She loves me." "But you're..." Annabelle started to say. Brian cut her off. "I can't move, but that doesn't mean I don't have ears. I remember when you showed up. I heard all about it. You still think like the people in Angle City, not Carp. Remember what happened? Why would all those people do what they did? I think Robin stuck her neck out for you." "I still don't know why," Annabelle said through her tears. "Because we were taught that we should love," Brian said, as though it should be obvious. Annabelle looked to the door. Her daughter hadn't come back yet, and Annabelle had forgotten about her standing around the corner and listening, the last time. "What about you two?" Annabelle asked. "We're going to get married when I turn thirteen," Barbara said, proudly. "It doesn't make any difference that you... You know... Aren't clean?" Barbara and Brian looked at each other wondering what that meant. Annabelle saw the look of total confusion on their faces. "You won't be pure." "Pure?" Barbara said. "Yes... a virgin. 'Pure', for your husband. The sign that you've waited, kept yourself pure for him." "What difference does that make?" Brian asked. "Jimmy's mom wasn't, when she married Richard, and I know they love each other a lot." "It's... Well it's... It's just done," Annabelle said, not understanding why, but just knowing you should. "I love Brian. I love him with my heart and mind," Barbara said. "And your body, obviously," Annabelle said. "Yes. It is how I can show him how much my insides feel for him." Then Barbara grinned, "It's a lot of fun, too." Annabelle shook her head. These two must not really understand. She knew it wasn't fun. There was a bump on the wall and Annabelle turned towards the doorway. "You can come in, Julie." Her daughter walked in, embarrassed about being caught for a second time. Her mother looked and then felt the bowl of water Julie had in her hand. "It's cold by now," Annabelle said, letting Julie know that it was apparent she'd been listening for some time. Seeing her daughter squirm, she said, "Go get some hot water. This time, bring back soap and towels." "Ok, Mom," Julie said, and was out of the room in a flash. She did not want to stick around for any punishment that might happen. "Now, what are we going to do with you two?" Annabelle asked. "What do you mean?" Barbara responded. "You both need a good cleaning, but..." Barbara rolled her eyes, "I've taken care of Brian." "Bathed him?" Barbara blushed, "Yes." "That still leaves you. I don't think he's seen you in the same manner." Annabelle noticed the furious blush on Barbara's face. "Barbara!" Annabelle threw up her hands. "I guess it doesn't make a bit of difference then." Turning towards the door, she yelled out, "Julie! Hurry up with that." It took a little longer, signaling either that Julie was getting more clever or she wasn't right there listening. "Now, we don't need to spend all day on this," Annabelle said, "So, Julie. You are going to have to bathe Barbara, and I'll do Brian." Julie looked at her mother as though she'd gone out of her mind. "Here? Now? Together?" "Close your mouth, Julie. You are going to be the most embarrassed about the whole ordeal, I think." Her mother was right. The blouse was one thing, but she had to take off Barbara's bra as well. Then she had to unstrap Barbara's legs, to gently remove her panties. Trying to avert her eyes, she glanced over to what her mom was doing. The sight of Brian's dick stopped her cold. "Julie?" Barbara called to her. Julie shook her head slightly and timidly looked at Barbara. "You need to finish pulling them down. I know you just lost track of what you were doing." Julie's eyes opened wide. Barbara knew just where she'd been looking, but didn't sound mad, but... Not being able to help it, she glanced at her mother, who had a little smirk on her face, as though hearing it from Barbara was probably far worse than hearing it from her mother. Her mother was right. ------- The thump on the floor woke us up. I looked at Daisy in the middle, surrounded by everyone. We had pulled mattresses into the room, and there were bodies everywhere, all facing Daisy in the center. I reached out and touched her. She turned and looked at me. "That noise. I think I should check on my sister," Daisy said. "Daisy, I think Keith should check on her," Robin said, and then added, "It is his responsibility after all." Daisy scanned my face. I smiled at her, reached in, and kissed her. "I'll check and be back." Standing, I realized I would have had to get up very soon anyway. I needed to use the bathroom along the way. When I opened the door to the girls' room, I found everyone awake and surrounding the far bed. Jimmy was sitting on the bed, and Pamela was rubbing his leg. They turned around, and looked guilty. "His leg's asleep," Sarah said. I couldn't help the little smile, but stopped my laugh. "And how did he get to Pamela's bed, with a leg that's asleep?" Pamela, who was looking at me, turned bright red. I walked into the room and looked at the bed. There were three distinct depressions where bodies had been. I looked at Jimmy. He saw where I was looking, and was as red as Pamela. "I'll bet you were comforting your girlfriend, weren't you? Is that how your leg fell asleep?" "Yeah!" Jimmy said, a little too eager to agree. "Next time, don't fall out of bed in the morning. It woke everyone else in the house," I said, trying to keep a straight face. Sarah, Elizabeth, and Kristina were looking at me wide eyed. "Girls, did Jimmy do something that was bad?" then it struck me, "or are you jealous?" The look of guilt on their faces told me it was jealousy. "Maybe you need to talk with Jimmy some more. I'll bet you were giving him a hard time. I need to take Pamela down to her sister." I put out my hand for Pamela. Instead of taking it, she reached both arms up. I rolled my eyes at her, smiled, and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck. I supported her butt and walked out the door with her. As soon as I took the first step down the stairs, she wrapped her legs around me. I thought she was trying to hang on better. Then I felt her arms let go a bit, sliding down on me. The effect was, with each step, my crotch was knocking into her. By the time I was down the stairs, I was fully hard. "You are terrible," I said. "Now, when I get to the room, everyone is going to see." She smiled at me and said, "Yes." "You need to say more than that, or I'll just take you back upstairs." "Down again?" I shook my head. She frowned. "You like?" she asked, with insecurity in her voice. "Are you trying to ask if I still like you?" She nodded. "I don't think Jimmy wants me to answer that." "You do?" "Pamela, you will always be in my heart. Remember, there was a time you wanted me to make love to you. I was ready. I think you know I wouldn't have said I would, if I didn't want to. I still love you, and you still excite me, but now there is Jimmy. I won't, because it wouldn't be good for either one of you. But that doesn't mean that every time you sit on my lap, I won't get excited, 'cause I will. You are a sexy girl." She was beaming, "Thanks," she said. I was over in front of our door, now. She wiggled for me to let her down. I let go, but she wiggled more, sliding down me. I'd started to go soft while talking to her, but she revived me. As she dropped to the floor, she looked at the bulge she'd created. She smiled, turned, and opened the door. Taking my hand, she pulled me in with her. Daisy looked over. I saw her focus on her sister, then me, then my bulge. She looked up at my face, and almost started to laugh. I shook my head. "Don't even think of saying it," I said. She didn't say a word, but the laughter came. Pamela, seeing her sister in the middle of the room, ran and just about jumped on her. The two sisters hugged and kissed each other. The Daisy said soft words into Pamela's ears. I noticed her nodding, and then her eyes started to water. Pamela had a slight smile on her face though, so I knew it wasn't bad. That smile soon changed as Daisy continued whispering, but Pamela was nodding affirmation. The two looked at me, and Daisy said, "We need to go and see if our dad is home." I nodded, "We can go as soon as you want," I replied. They didn't wait for breakfast. As soon as they were dressed, the two were ready. Robin and I took them. ------- Robert woke early in the morning. His head was pounding, and he needed to get to the bathroom, quickly. Standing, still disoriented, he fell over the coffee table. The impact on his shin made him cry out. He then covered his mouth, trying not to wake the girls. He made it to the bathroom, but not the toilet. The evidence of over drinking spewed from his mouth, over the sink and onto the floor. He could hardly see from his puffy eyes. The cold water hitting his face did little to stir his consciousness. He could have fallen asleep right then and there. Forcing himself to look in on the girls (something he didn't remember doing last night, when he had come in), he peered into their room, to find it empty. That is how his entire life felt. He looked at his own bedroom and knew he couldn't face going in there. Trudging back to the sofa, he fell onto it. He slipped into an alcohol-induced sleep, again. ------- As we entered the house, the putrid smell of vomit hit us. Daisy wanted to pull Pamela back, out of their house, but it was too late. She had seen her father on the couch, asleep. She ran to him and put her small arms around him, crying. Robert woke, grunted at Pamela's impact on him and instinctively put an arm around her. Daisy was not so taken with emotion, saying in a disgusted voice, "Dad, are you still drunk?" Turning his head towards his other daughter, he squinted at the light coming in through the doorway. His actions told all of us what he didn't say. "Couldn't you wait, Dad? She hasn't been gone for a day, and you are drunk. It smells like you threw up in our house, too. How could you?" Daisy said from repressed anger. Pamela yelped as Robert pushed her away, and she landed on the floor. He stood, although his head was still pounding. His arm and then his finger extended, pointing, shaking, at his oldest daughter. "How dare you! Your mother was the life of this house. She was my life, and now that life been taken from me. She's dead, and there's nothing I can do. NOTHING!" he bellowed, and then added pitifully, "I should be dead too." Falling back onto the sofa, he put his hands to his face, and wept. Daisy and Pamela looked wide-eyed at each other, both shaking with fear. Their father had never acted this way before. Robin took my hand. I looked at her. "Take them out, and send my grandpa back." Taking Pamela and then Daisy by the hand, I led them out the door. Their eyes showed the shock they still felt at the words their father had used on them. Robert didn't acknowledge his daughters leaving, or Robin staying. He said nothing as she lit the stove. After a bit, she placed a cup of coffee into his hand. He was silent, still, and just took it. Robin walked towards the smell. When she got to the bathroom, her gag reflexes kicked in. All she could manage was to close the door. ------- It looked like I had disturbed something, when Patrick finally answered the door. I might have known what was going on, and given him a bad time about it, except for Pamela. She didn't need to know. "Baby yet?" Pamela asked Patrick as we were walking down the lane back to their house. I thought he was going to drop dead. He stammered and stuttered. He looked at me. I started to laugh, and shook my head. "I guess, Patrick; that if you are in the fold, you can see more clearly." "Keith, you have a witty way of making me feel both uncomfortable and relieved, at the same time. Pamela," Patrick said, "I don't know how you know; but yes, I think she is. Please don't say a word..." "Oh." "How did you know?" Patrick asked, almost afraid of the answer. "Mom." "Your mom knew?" "Yes." "Pamela, do you mind telling me what she said?" Patrick asked. "I don't think you are going to get much of a conversation from my sister," Daisy said. "She's not talking much." Patrick looked at Pamela, and realized she was saying one or two words, and that was it. He looked at me, worried. I shook my head. I knew he'd ask later. Now, in front of her, I didn't think was the best time. "I sat on the edge of her bed," Daisy continued. "I went in there at least three times a day you know. She told me she was going away, but I never thought..." There were tears in Daisy's words. "It's ok," I said. "Just when I think I'm ok, it hits me again, and I fall apart." Patrick stepped in, "Daisy, Pamela, you listen to me. Don't expect your feelings to just go away. You loved your mother, and she loved you. Very much so. You can't just stop that feeling. It hurts, and is going to hurt for a long, long time. When my wife died," Patrick stopped for a moment, "It was so hard, that I couldn't go on. Millie took over for me. You know, taking care of Bill and Katy." "Keith?" Pamela said. "Yes, like Keith and Robin are doing for you right now." "Patrick, she knew a lot of what went on in this town. She may have been in bed, but she still knew. I think she told me about what was going on with you, because she knew..." "What did she know?" Patrick asked, trying to draw it out of her. He was wondering if it had anything to help him deal with his feelings, his uncertainty of what was going to happen when people found out. "She knew I wanted to have Keith's baby. She said it was ok. She told me to look at you. She said that there was a plan. Not always one we think is right, but one that works." Patrick looked at Daisy. He'd had conversations with Mildred. There was something, a depth to her. Until now, he never really realized how deep. It made him sad that he had never spent enough time with her. Then a thought struck him. "Is that what she said to you, Pamela? Certainly you don't want to have Keith's baby." Pamela had a private grin on her face, but said, "Not same." Now this was frustrating, there was more, but Patrick knew he was not going to get that information easily. He was going to have to talk with Keith and find out what was going on with her. As they arrived at their house, Daisy opened the door. She was apprehensive this time. Robin came to the door. "He's asleep again." Daisy shook her head. "Keith, Robin, take them home," Patrick said. "I will stay with him, and talk with him. Daisy, Pamela, remember what I said about my wife. This isn't easy." They nodded, and we left. ------- The three school board members and the three teachers were at a makeshift table. Dora had been in charge of this meeting, and had been planning it for some time. They were very proud of the space they had created. Unfortunately, they had no idea what they were doing. Their enthusiasm was great, but practical matters were lacking. Vicky and Tiffany were having a hard time being polite; not understanding what life in Carp was like. Liz had to tell them several times what they said was out of line. It was stressful for all. The only benefit Liz could see in the short run was that Grace would arrive soon and help where she felt very inadequate. This was a big challenge and Liz wanted to do everything right. She just didn't know all the answers. "I think it is time for everyone to take a break. Let's take a walk around. Maybe that will help us," Liz suggested. "Good idea," Dora said, and added, "I think we need to stop for a few minutes." As they stood, Vicky was drawn to the center sheet metal object. She tapped it. The sound created sent shivers down every one of their spines. "That's what Barbara hit, isn't it?" Liz asked Millie. "Yes. She pushed herself all the way up these stairs, without her crutches and pounded on this with her fists, I think." "How is she doing now?" Vicky wanted to know. "She'll be ok, but she can't have a cast on, until her skin heals. It is good and bad. She gets to see my son all the time, but she can't do much about it," Millie said with a little grin. "We'll be able to get them school work they can do at home, so they don't fall behind. Don't you think, Tiffany?" "Oh, I'm sure of that." Janice, the third member of the board and Jim's (the mayor's) wife, said, "How are we going to put them in classes? I mean Brian is pretty smart. I don't know about Barbara, but I bet even though she's older, they are compatible." Janice blushed after she said that. Everyone in town knew Barbara's stake in Brian's future. Everyone except Tiffany and Vicky. Vicky said, "No need to be bothered by it. I'm sure we'll be testing, to make sure who fits where." Dora laughed, "I don't think that's what Janice was blushing about." Tiffany had to ask, "How old is Barbara?" "Almost 13." Millie answered. "Oh. Oh! Jill told me..." Tiffany said, thinking of how that came out. "Told you what?" Vicky wanted to know. "Girls get married at 13 in this town," Liz said straight faced. Vicky looked at Liz like she was crazy. She was pulling her leg. She was... No one was laughing. 'Oh, God, ' Vicky thought, and then she said, "You're kidding, right?" "How old do you think Robin is?" Liz answered. "Your brother married a thirteen year old?" "Yes, and you're living in their house." "Now, come on," Millie said, "You are just giving her a bad time. Vicky darling, it has just been our way. Nothing wrong with it. You like Robin alright, don't you?" "Well, yes, but..." Vicky was thinking of when she was thirteen. Then she thought of the girls at the school. Most of them graduated at thirteen. None of them were ready to marry, were they? What had Liz talked them into? "I think some fresh air could do some good," Janice said, noting the look on Vicky's face. As they walked downstairs, Janice asked Liz if Vicky was upset with them. "No, she just needs to wake up a bit. She's just been in one place, and needs to expand her outlook on life. She'll come around. I'm not worried at all. As the six stepped out of the building and onto the wooden sidewalk, the three teachers looked at the other buildings that comprised the downtown. It was indeed the largest building. They did have to be thankful for that. The car diving slowly down the street stopped all conversation. Soon it sped up, and then pulled to a stop in front of them. Out of the back, poured three girls, yelling Liz, Tiffany, and Vicky's names. "Laura! Susan! Dorothy!" Liz called out. "Oh! It's so good to see you. How was the trip? These are your parents, Laura?" "Liz," Tiffany was laughing, "are you going to let them answer any of your questions?" Laura's parents extracted themselves from the car, and were stretching. "Been a long drive?" Dora asked them. "We got up early this morning, to get here. We know how excited the girls have been to get here," Laura's father replied. He was looking around at the empty buildings. It was easy to tell the look of distain on his face. His car told of money. This was not a place, privileged enough for his daughter. Liz was not about to let him to change course, though. "This is going to be the school, for now," Liz said taking over the conversation. "There will be a new building, but we have to start before it will be completed. As you could hear, Tiffany and Vicky came here with me, from Laura's former school. These three ladies are the local school board." He politely put out his hand to greet them. "Now, I would imagine you would like to see where Laura will be staying," Liz continued. The parents looked at each other, now glad they had come to this retched little spot not even big enough to be on a map. They would have to talk to the doctor, and see about another place for their daughter. "Yes. I think that would be good. It's not far, is it?" "Yes, it is. We'll need to drive." "Liz, come with us!" Laura exuded. Liz looked at the others. "We don't need to go," Dora said. "We'll just go on without you, and put you in charge of everything." Liz laughed, "Don't you dare!" The girls climbed back into Laura's car. Liz sat up front, directing. As soon as they were in the car, Laura's father let his feelings known. "I'm not sure, looking at the area, that this is a place suited for my daughter." Liz knew it was coming. Still, she had a problem that he would say things of that nature, right in front of his daughter. Liz turned to look at him, but also caught Laura's expression in the back seat. Liz turned a little more, and shook her head at Laura. Addressing her father, Liz said, "I think you may want to reserve judgment, until you know all the facts about this town. There are some things that aren't so obvious, here." About then, they had turned the corner, and came into the little valley that held the Mansion. "That is where Laura would stay?" her mother asked, staring at the beautiful old building. "Yes," Liz said. They pulled up. Once again, the girls were out of the car in a flash. Liz got out and said, "Ladies, we will all go in together. Just calm down." As they walked up to the entrance, Laura's father asked, "Who owns this?" "It was a gift from the town; to my brother, Keith, as well as to Richard." "The two who saved the town?" Laura's mother asked, and then added, "I read all about it in the paper." "Yes. Then my brother got all of my aunt's furnishings. They work very well in this house. Please come in," Liz said, and then called out, "Jill, Laura's here." In the foyer, they stopped. To their left, the music room was entrancing. To their right the parlor was stunningly decorated. Laura's parents looked at each other. This was money, and they knew it. Jill was on the second floor, cleaning one of the bathrooms when she heard the call. Racing out of the bathroom, she grabbed the corner railing and headed down the stairs. Her feet, wet, lost their grip. She bounced down the stairs on her bottom, not stopping until she landed at everyone's feet. "She always did know how to make an entrance," Dorothy said. Embarrassment left, for the laughter Jill could no longer contain. Laura, afraid as she saw Jill falling, was now smiling. She threw her arms around her friend. "It is so good to see you," Laura said. "You too!" "Jill, you can pick yourself up off of the floor, now," Liz said. Standing, Jill realized her tailbone was a bit sore from bouncing down the stairs. "I don't think I'm going to do that again," Jill said, as she rubbed her butt. "Laura?" Liz questioned, looking at her then to her parents. "Oh. Jill, these are my parents," she said, turning Laura went on, "Mom and Dad, this is Jill. The one I owe everything to." They laughed. Jill turned red, embarrassed. "Jill, we have heard so much about you. Laura has gone on, for days." Liz nudged Jill and as she looked, Liz mouthed 'Keith'. Jill knew just what she meant. "Thank you. I think Laura is pretty special too. She made doing the play so much easier." "We would have loved to see it. But, as you know, business called and we just couldn't make it." Jill had heard Laura talk about her parents. Now, hearing the same sort of thing from their own mouths, Jill was sad. She thought of Keith showing up, and seeing the play. There was a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. "Let's take a little tour of the downstairs, then I'm sure you'd love to say hello to the doctor." "He's here?" "At the end of the airstrip," Liz said, pointing out through the window. By then the other girls showed up and got introduced. When the parents met Sarah, the congressman's daughter, they were hooked. As they walked into the kitchen, Laura's father caught up to Liz. "I think you were right. We looked at an old building and misjudged. You seem to have some nice things going on here. It would undoubtedly be good for our daughter to stay in Carp." Even though Liz had sort of set them up; she couldn't believe how the idea of money, not their child's welfare, was the great concern. She would be talking with Grace about how many people she had to deal with who thought that way, and how she stood it. Leaving the girls at the Mansion, Laura's parents drove over to the plane, to chat with the doctor. "Liz?" Laura asked as soon as her parents left, "Are they going to let me stay? Say you can make them. I can't go someplace else, I just couldn't!" "Laura, don't worry, it has already been done. You are staying." Laura ran and hugged Liz tightly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." "I'll bet Dorothy has a question," Susan taunted. "Oh, what's that?" As Dorothy stammered, Susan took over, "When is Kevin arriving?" "Who is Kevin?" the other girls wanted to know. Everyone listened as Susan and Jill told of Kevin Smith, his heroics, and how he was Dorothy's savior. Liz was amused by the version they were telling. It got more and more elaborate as it went on. Then Laura asked Jill about her horse. Jill averted eye contact with anyone. "I've seen him, and I brushed him out." "You mean you haven't ridden him?" Dorothy asked, stunned. "I haven't felt safe enough to." Not understanding, Dorothy and Susan pressed on. "Did he kick you?" "You're not suddenly afraid of horses, are you?" "No," Jill said as she got up, "I'm afraid to be alone," she said, running out of the room. Laura, Susan, and Dorothy looked at each other. Laura had a small glimpse into Jill, but didn't really understand what she had gone through. They looked to Liz, who was still standing at the doorway of the room they were in. "Did we say something wrong?" Laura asked. "No," Liz said. "Jill had some problems here, before she left and came to the school. When she was away, those problems didn't exist. Now she's back, and she's figuring out they are still with her. She just needs time to heal some of her problems." Then Liz smiled and added, "In the meantime, let's look in the kitchen, and you girls can help set up some lunch." "Already?" Susan asked. "Susan, have you seen how many people you have been introduced to? They all live here. Lunch will be for about fifteen. That takes a while to prepare." After setting things with the girls, Kristin and Mary came in, as it was their turn for 'Lunch Duty'. They were more than happy to have three more hands to help. Liz now went to search for Jill. ------- I had remembered that a diversion from reality was, at times, very helpful. Not a long term fix; but sometimes, like an aspirin, just to be able to kill the pain for a while. It could be a good thing. Robin was surprised when I drove a different direction, that wasn't towards home. I wound up and over the ridge that made the east side of the valley Carp sat in. Not too high, but just enough to know you had changed places. The girls in the back were holding onto each other, not paying much attention to anything. If they had; the drive, the length of time it took until I stopped, as well as the change of scenery, would have tipped them off. They were in a different world. When I pulled the car to a stop, they just got out. They were still on 'automatic'. It was then they noticed we were no longer in Carp. "Where are we?" Daisy asked, looking around at the machinery and trucks that littered the otherwise barren land. "This is our new mine, what do you think?" Pamela looked at me as though I was crazy. I picked her up and pointed to a truck. "See that logo? That truck belongs to Memco. I know you don't know who they are, but they own all this equipment. They are helping start a new mine here. It is why the doctor is here. He comes up here and checks on the men all the time." "No men." I smiled, "You're right. There are no men here, now. They have to wait for an inspection before they can continue. Probably next week, I hope. It takes a long time to get a mine to work," I said. Then I added the clincher, "You know, part of this mine is yours." "Mine?" Pamela questioned. "I own a portion of this mine, so do Richard and Jack. But the portion I own, is also owned by the people who are part of my family. You two are part of my family. So, in a way, you own it." Daisy was listening and trying to follow. "Keith, I'm not..." "You are too. Do you remember the papers that were signed in Utah? We, Robin and I, are your guardians," I said. I had to laugh. "Like it or not, you have to listen to Robin, when she bosses you around." I got serious again. "Daisy, you and Pamela are part of our family, even if a paper didn't say so. But it does, so like it or not, you are." Then I smiled at her, "Frankly, I wouldn't want it any other way. I didn't want to, but your mother asked me. You told me, if you remember, that I was perfect for the job. Daisy, Pamela, I love both of you." They were both crying. This was supposed to take their minds off things? Great job I was doing! After they settled down, Daisy looked across the flat land, "It doesn't look like any mine I've ever seen." "It's not a silver mine, that's why. This mine is going to make a lot more money than the silver mine did. It's why we are looking at schooling the kids from Angle City. We need the miners from there, as well as here, to work it. This is going to be a very big, and a lot safer, mine." Daisy looked to the ground. I knew something was bothering her. "What is wrong?" I asked her. She didn't answer. I motioned to Robin to walk Pamela away, so we could talk in private. "Daisy, what's wrong?" "I don't like those Angle City kids." That puzzled me, "Do you know any of them?" "One tried to kill Brian." "Yes, but his sister isn't that way. She's from Angle City, too." "They tried to starve her to death. See what I mean?" "How about Barbara?" That one stumped her. "Daisy, what would happen if the only thing people knew of Carp, was Hank? Would they think much of our town?" "You don't have to be so... Right" I laughed, turned her head up to mine and gave her a kiss. "You've talked enough with Robin to know that isn't true all the time." She grinned. "Now, on to more important things, like your talk with Patrick." I could see her trying to put that conversation together. "Keith, I..." "Think you need to keep practicing until we get it right. Robin thinks so, too," I said. Then for fun I added, "And you better listen to her, she is your guardian and she's likely to put you over her knee and spank you, if you don't listen." Daisy couldn't help but laugh at that. Robin brought Pamela back, hearing the laughter. "Funny?" Pamela asked. "Keith said if I don't behave, Robin will put me over her knee and spank me." Pamela got a silly grin on her face, and then said, "You like." We all laughed. This was what I had wanted. Diversion over we headed back home. "Who's that?" Robin asked. That got Daisy and Pamela's attention. They looked out front and saw the car parked in front of our house, also. "I have no idea," I answered. We got out, and found our answer as soon as we walked in. I saw Laura first, next to Jill. "Laura!" I said. She blushed, "Hello, Keith." Jill gave me an amused smile. I felt Robin poke me in my ribs. "Jill, would you do the honor of introducing everyone?" I said, knowing that was what Robin wanted. She obliged and introduced everyone, having to call Laura's parents just that, as she didn't know their names. They had unloaded the girls' things and were just ready to drive Liz back downtown before heading out. I walked out to the car with them. "What's with the long faces of the two girls you had with you?" Laura's father said in a joking manor. "It looked like someone died." "Their mother died, yesterday," I said without giving him any leeway. Laura's mother gasped, he looked pained, caught in his own stupidity. I didn't know them, but didn't feel any sympathy. They were a far cry from loving parents, from what I could see. Then it hit me what was wrong. They were leaving. Laura wouldn't see them 'till who knows when, and she didn't bother to come and say goodbye. That said it all, to me. I changed the subject to get them out of here as soon as I could. "Are you traveling to Las Vegas, today?" "Yes," he said, just as grateful the subject changed. "We should have been in Los Angeles, yesterday." "Let me tell you where to go then," I smiled and Liz almost started to laugh, but held it under control. "The maps can be deceiving. You wouldn't want to get lost out here, who knows where you would end up." "I really appreciate that," Laura's father said. I gave him directions. I would feel responsible if they did get lost. It also got them out of town all that much faster. As soon as they drove off, I went inside to find Laura. She was with Jill, that wasn't any surprise. Dorothy and Susan were also with them. All talk stopped as soon as I entered. "Laura, could I see you for a minute?" She looked at Jill like she was in trouble for something, but didn't know what yet. Jill looked at me. I nodded, and then she nodded to Laura. The girl got up and walked over to me. "First of all," I said so they all could hear, "I want to give you a big 'welcome' hug." Laura was light enough I didn't have to worry about my arm. I picked her up, and swung her around. Her legs knocked over three things in the process. I laughed as they fell. Setting her back down, she had a smile on her face. I put out my hand and she took it, as I walked out of that room, out the door and to the back of the house. I walked to the bench in back and sat, then patted it for her to sit. She surprised me by climbing on my lap. I looked at her, surprised. "Is it ok?" Laura said, suddenly worried. "It's very ok. I love it. I'm just a bit surprised. Tell me, Laura, you don't seem to have a very warm relationship with your parents." "They are nice people," Laura said, "But I'm away from them more than I'm with them. I don't really know them anymore. I don't think they know me any longer, either. I'm just an obligation." "That sounds lonely. I think they must love you. Why would they care so much about your health?" "So Daddy can look important." I decided to stay away from that issue, for the time being. "Laura. I don't know how to say this." "What?" she said looking up at me with clear big eyes. I smiled at her and gave her another hug. "I love Jill, I love her a lot." "But you're married!" I laughed, "Yes, I am. I didn't finish, though." "Oh, sorry." "I know that she loves you, and you love her." Laura blushed so much I could feel the heat from her face, even though she was looking down at that point. "Do you know what that means?" "No." "It means I love you, too. I will be giving you hugs. And, at night, kisses goodnight." She looked up at me, a longing on her face, "Really? Every night?" "Yes, every night. Sometimes twice." Her smile looked like it could have hurt, it was so wide. "You are..." I couldn't hear if she said anything else, her head and face were buried into my chest as she hugged me tight. ------- When Liz arrived back down at the new school site, the gals were outside still. Now though they were across the street. Liz said goodbye to Laura's parents and as they drove off, she was shaking her head. Then went to see what the others were doing. "Yes, a dress shop could work in this space," Dora was saying, "I've heard that we just might get one." "Really? Who would open it?" "Cynthia Huntington. You know, Jack from the base? That's his wife." "I don't know her at all. Do you think she would get the right things? We don't do much fancy dressing around here." Millie said. "I can tell you've got a lot accomplished while I was gone," Liz interrupted. They looked at her and laughed. "Without you," Dora surmised, "we were a bit lost. Now we need to make up for lost time." ------- Kevin Smith looked out the window, and wondered how this was going to work. Sitting next to him was Grace. In all his exuberance of initial feelings, he had never considered her being in Carp. Liz was no problem. Jill... Well, she set this up. But Grace? He worked with her, worked in a school full of young girls. Now he was going to Carp to meet one of those girls, even if she graduated and no longer went there. He was thinking either it would be Dorothy, or a job. Without a job, what good would that do? But (as Jill pointed out), without Dorothy, what would he do? Grace had purposely not made a big deal about leaving for the next two weeks, to be in Carp. She didn't want anyone to think they could ease off from their summer duties, while she was away. Now, as she sat with a silent travel partner, she thought of how his demeanor had changed once he found she was going. They had always enjoyed each other's company. She had stood up for him numerous times. 'What is going on, ' she wondered. Not one to let things fester, she took the bull by the horns. "Kevin, I don't expect to sit in silence this whole trip. We've been on the road not more than an hour, but you haven't said one word to me, yet." "I, uhh... Well..." Kevin stammered. "You'll have to do better than that. I know you too well. What is wrong? And don't say 'nothing', because we both know that isn't the truth. You were singing like a lark, until you found out that I was on this trip with you. Spill the beans." He shook his head, "I don't know if I can." "Still bothered by your feelings for Dorothy?" Kevin was at a loss, did she know? "Kevin you'll be seeing her on the fourth of July. I think you'd better get your feelings in order." "Grace," Kevin said, knowing he was going to have to face this with her. "What do you think?" "Oh, no! Don't try and get me to tell you what you should be thinking." "I'm not. I'm worried about my job." Now things made sense. Kevin couldn't open up to her. Even with all of the times she'd stood up for him, he still couldn't. He wasn't going to get over this, quickly, but they had a long trip ahead of them. "Tell me what is going on, Kevin." He sighed. It was going to happen, anyway. "Dorothy is coming to Carp." "She's doing what?" Grace said, reacting a bit more than she should have. Kevin looked back out the window. He had been so looking forward to this time, and now... Grace touched Kevin's arm. He didn't respond. "Kevin," she said. "What?" She could hear it in his voice. Kevin Smith was crying. Damn her. "Kevin, I'm sorry. It took me by surprise, that's all. Tell me about it. How is she getting to Carp?" she said. Then, as an afterthought she asked, "Does Liz know about this?" The response wasn't immediate. Grace had already come up with another way for him to tell her. She was feeling bad about how she snapped at him. "Kevin, you know that smoking isn't permitted on the school grounds." That was out of the blue, as far as he was concerned. "I don't smoke, and you know it," Kevin said defensibly. "You're right. But if I saw you down in town one day, smoking, I'd be surprised. Would it change anything? Is the rule 'never to smoke'?" "This isn't the same, and you know it." "Dorothy is no longer a student, you know." "She's still young. Young enough for people to talk and for me to lose my job. Where would I be, then?" "Kevin," Grace asked, thinking of what he just said, "This is more than just infatuation, isn't it?" Kevin nodded, not wanting to betray himself to her. "But Kevin, you two don't know each other that well. How many times could you have talked?" "We wrote," Kevin said sullenly. "You wrote?" Grace asked. Then it dawned on her and she knew the answer. "Those letters Jill got from Dorothy. That girl..." Grace's mind was whirling, "Kevin, Jill set this up, didn't she?" "Yes." "Oh, dear God. Kevin, turn around and look at me." Grace took hold of his clothing, and forced him to turn. She saw what she'd seen, only once before. When the horse had dropped on his leg, breaking it. There were tears in his eyes. It told her the amount of pain that Kevin was feeling right then. ------- Chapter 74 After the very embarrassing bath, Brian couldn't get his erection to go down. Three females were looking at it, and none of them were his mother or Katharine. Annabelle had gone into the bathroom to put things away. She had forced herself to do so, wanting to send her daughter instead. But then the haunting words of Barbara came back. She had left her daughter with the two naked children, in the bedroom. After all, it would be just a minute. She cursed herself as soon as she got into the bathroom, realizing that she had to pee. Listening to both Barbara and Brian go had fueled her need to go, also. The problem was that this gave more time to the three, to be alone. As soon as Annabelle was out of the room, Barbara said, "I could get your thing to go down." "How would you do that?" Julie asked innocently. Barbara grinned, "Like this." She reached over and took hold of Brian's dick, giving it a good stroke. Brian moaned in obvious pleasure. "Barbara!" "Shhh. Don't you want to see?" Julie didn't have to answer. Her head nodding and the longing look on her face, said it all. She was surprised at Barbara being so open with Brian. Barbara had told her that she had been scared, and didn't want Julie to try and take Brian away from her. Now, oh my! Now Barbara didn't seem to mind Julie watching. And Julie didn't mind watching at all. This was so... Brian knew it wasn't going to take long. Having Annabelle bathe him... That was the first time that had happened, and then to have Barbara and Julie watching! Julie's raw innocent as she had watched just pushed his feelings along. Brian couldn't get over Barbara letting Julie watch. Two girls, wow! Oh! He was getting close. Barbara felt it as Brian swelled in her fingers, "Julie, he's about ready." "For what?" "He's going to do it." "Do what?" "Right out the end." Julie couldn't help it; she leaned over where Barbara had pointed. Brian's thing was so intriguing. She was just so curious, she had to look closer. "Julie," Brian stammered, trying to get her to move. "He's ready, Julie," Barbara said, expecting her to move. The first blast splattered across Julie's nose. She gasped in surprise. While pulling her head away, the second pulse flew into her mouth. Shocked, she turned towards Barbara, and the third pulse hit her cheek. Annabelle stood in the doorway, watching. She couldn't manage to get a word out, though her mouth hung wide open. What had always been filthy to her, didn't seem so with the children before her. Annabelle almost fainted when she watched her daughter swallow Brian's fluid that had gone into her mouth. She watched as her daughter looked at Barbara and smiled. Then her daughter wiped a bit off of her cheek with her forefinger, and put her finger into her mouth. The turn of her head, as Julie was placing her finger into her mouth, caused her peripheral vision to see something she wasn't expecting. Julie turned all the way, and looked at her mother. Her finger was still stuck in her mouth, while her nose dripped a glob onto the back of her hand. Barbara looked as Julie turned, and knew there was trouble. Brian, spent, was relaxed. He was limp, and smiling. He missed the glances and didn't know anything was going on, until Annabelle spoke. ------- Dorothy and Susan watched Jill at lunch, not wanting to say too much. Her sudden outburst had been shocking. They had never seen Jill afraid. She was the one who helped save Dorothy, and had risked everything to do so. She had set up the pillow fight at the school, got Kevin involved, took over the play, and did it all with incredible style. Liz said something to them about Jill having a hard time here, but... What could have been that traumatic? Laura had been dying to see Jill for days. It had seemed like months. Now here they were, in Carp, her new home. She looked at Jill and was scared. The really confusing thing that didn't make any sense to her, was the little talk with Keith. Was he oblivious to what Jill was going through? She wanted to get Jill alone and talk, yet that seemed frightening at the same time. The worst of it was that Liz, Vicki, and Tiffany weren't there. They were at some meeting. Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann noticed the silence from that end of the table. This was not how it was when the three arrived. They had been excited to be here and see Jill. Something was wrong. Keith noticed it as well, and whispered to Robin. She hadn't noticed. She was paying attention to Daisy and Pamela, trying to gauge their thoughts. Daisy was trying not to think of the morning's events. Pamela had Jimmy by her side, and that helped with any bad thoughts that might pop into her head. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Katharine was home at lunch with her children. Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth were enjoying her presence again. Richard and Katy had grabbed a bite in the kitchen. They were going to see Brian and Barbara. Even with the range of emotions running around the table, lunch was a noisy affair with that many eating. Stephanie was one of the leaders of noise. She seemed oblivious to all that was around her. Her conversation was directed mostly to Sarah. Sarah was talkative as well. As lunch ended, Stephanie found she was on clean up detail, but brightened when she found Mary, Elizabeth, and Robin were also on the list. As soon as they were in the kitchen Stephanie's smile dropped. "What's wrong out there?" "What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked. "If I was on a trip, I'd be happy. Those new girls hardly said two words to each other." "You noticed," Mary said, "We thought you were too busy talking to notice anything." Stephanie put her hands on her hips, "I was just trying to make conversation so it wasn't so... stuffy in there." Mary laughed, "Well you did a good job." ------- Jimmy was a bit in heaven. Pamela felt that what he had done (when he came to her, and comforted her in the night) was very romantic. The extra attention she was paying to him was getting to be a bit much for the others. They finally left the two alone, after lunch. Smiling, she pulled Jimmy up to the third floor, and into the empty bedroom. As soon as the door shut, her lips were pressed onto his. Jimmy knew someone would show up, spoiling things for them. Then he got a wild idea in his head. "Come on," Jimmy said. Leading Pamela over to the far end and into a closet, he smiled. He opened the door after she closed it, confusing her, but they needed the light. Then Jimmy started to climb up the ladder that had been mounted on the wall. He pushed the top opening aside, and looked down to Pamela. "Come on," he whispered to her. She nodded, and he disappeared up through the ceiling. She looked out the door, then up the ladder, and started climbing. Once up, she was surprised at how large it looked. There were supports for the roof, but without walls, it impressed one as to how large the building actually was. "Big. Hot." Pamela said thinking this wasn't much fun. Then added, "Down now?" Jimmy smiled, "Come on." As he moved over to the place Brian and he had found, Jimmy realized Pamela had put more words together. She'd said four of them, almost at the same time. It made him feel very good. Pamela saw the opening and was surprised to see Jimmy drop his legs over the side, and then go down. She looked over and saw the whites of his eyes. "There's a ladder right there, climb down." Pamela didn't understand all of this, but she'd go anywhere with Jimmy. So she followed, climbing down to where he was. "There is a landing," he whispered. "Why quiet?" Jimmy pointed to the walls, "Others could hear." Pamela nodded. Then she pulled Jimmy into the kiss that she had wanted to continue. This time Jimmy responded as he wanted to, knowing they wouldn't be disturbed. His hands, that were around her head and back, and started traveling. As Jimmy's hands molded to her small nipples, she moaned. At that point, Jimmy was too far gone to care if the sound traveled. ------- Hauling their suitcases up the three flights of stairs, they set them down on the landing and breathed heavily. Jill was forcing herself to do this. She couldn't understand her feelings. Instead of wanting to be with these three; she'd just as soon have been by herself, closed up in a closet, with protective walls surrounding her. She knew it didn't make sense, so she pushed her herself, no matter how uncomfortable it was. These were her friends. "Let's look at which room to use, before we drag those any farther," Jill said. Everyone agreed whole-heartedly. Jill decided she should show them the whole floor, and started with the side that was already taken up by the younger boys and girls. Opening the door that led to Jimmy and Kenneth's room, she almost missed it. Normally she would have, but she knew no one was up here. Putting her hand up, she quieted the girls behind her. There it was again. And again. This time the others heard it. Jill and Laura look at each other. There was no mistaking that sound. The girls silently shuffled into the room. No one was there, and they looked at each other, wondering about the possibility that this place could be haunted. When they heard the muffled words, "oh... Jimmy," the girls had to cover their mouths to keep from laughing. Jill silently looked into the next room, expecting them to be there. They weren't. Puzzled, she then moved forward, stopping when a board creaked. Then she moved towards the walls, listening. She found it, and motioned the others over. Dorothy and Susan were entranced hearing little Pamela obviously enjoying herself. Those sounds also comforted Jill. It made her think of the school, of safety. Jill slipped her hand down Laura's back. She caressed the girl's butt. Laura's fears of how Jill had reacted, left her. She was in the right place. Sarah had walked up, to see where the other older girls had gone. With the door open, she stood in the frame and watched as Jill displayed affection to Laura. A noise made Sarah turn and then blush. Daisy was watching her. Daisy walked up to see what Sarah had been looking at. It was an amusing sight, seeing the four girls listening to a wall. Then, even Sarah and Daisy heard, as Pamela's exclamation proclaimed her orgasm. Daisy took Sarah's hand, and pulled her away. She led Sarah across the hall and back down the stairs to the second floor, and into one of the bedrooms. "Could you hear my sister the whole time?" "I can't believe you? That was your sister... With Jimmy, I guess." "Oh, I'm sure of it. What can't you believe? That Jimmy could be that good, or that my sister would want it?" "Daisy!" "Well?" Daisy said. Then she smiled mischievously, "I think you're jealous." "I am not!" "Are too." "Am not!" Sarah said, and picked up a pillow. Daisy saw her, and grabbed one as well. Soon they were pounding each other with the pillows, laughing, and continuing with their banter. It was a good way to get rid of the frustration each of them felt. It may have been for totally different reasons, but this was a good exercise. ------- Kristin and Robin had gone out with me to see Larry. "Very nice air passage that you had dug," Larry commented as some of his other workers came around. "Is that what that's for?" one of them asked. "Yes," I answered, "Richard is working on a system. He'll have a fan over in the main house. It's always cooler in the basement, so we decided to go underground with this. This will force nice cool air into the house." "Makes sense to me. Who knows, it might just catch on." The workers walked off, finishing the markers for the foundation. "Larry, I have to hand it to you. You knew just what to do," I said. "What are you too talking about?" Kristin asked. "That tunnel was under the barn. Our guess is that it runs into the basement that Barbara found." "You mean, dropped into." "Yes. I think it was a way of getting in and out of the house, unnoticed. With Larry's help, it is now a tunnel that we put in... as far as anyone else is concerned." "What difference does that make?" "There was no big treasure in that box that was found. We didn't want people to think there was anything left to see." "Good thinking. Thanks, Larry," Kristin said, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. I was amused to see him blush. ------- Richard and Katy arrived to find Annabelle and Julie at Millie's home. But then that made perfect sense, as Millie was down at the meeting with the teachers. What wasn't right, was the atmosphere. It was tense. Something was wrong. While Katy made light conversation, Richard walked in to find out what was going on. He found Brian and Barbara just as somber. "Ok. Tell me what is going on, Brian. No holding back." Brian told Richard what happened last night, and then this morning. Barbara was blushing the whole time, as Brian described in detail what Barbara had done, and how it had made him feel. After Brian was done, Richard turned to Barbara and tweaked her nose. "Barbara, it seems you love him very much, and he knows it." She turned a bit redder, but felt very happy inside as she shyly smiled. "I'll be back in a bit," Richard said They listened as he went out into the living room. He walked back in with Katy. Richard whispered a shorter version of what Brian had told him. Brian and Barbara could barely hear, but picked up most of what he was saying. They thought it interesting, the places he expanded upon. Then, leaving Katy there, Richard went back out to the living room. He asked Annabelle to take a walk with him. She was reluctant, but he insisted, and she went with him. As soon as the two walked out, Katy called to Julie. The girl came in, her head downcast. "We have a bit to talk about, it seems," Katy started. She noticed Julie shaking, and pulled her close. "First of all, I want to know if that was the most fun thing you have ever done? Secondly, did you like the taste?" Julie's eyes just about fell out, they were bugging out of her head so much. She couldn't believe what Katy had just asked her. "Well," Katy pressed on. "Brian told Richard you swallowed what was in your mouth, and then wiped some off of your cheek, and put that into your mouth as well. So I'd guess you liked it." Only unintelligible noises came out of Julie's mouth. "Julie, just tell me." Katy said as she took the girl and looked into her eyes. "You liked it, didn't you?" "Yes," Julie said then lowered her eyes. "Julie, look at me." Reluctantly Julie looked back up. "I like it, too." "From Brian?" Julie said again wide-eyed. "Hmmm," Katy said, thinking. "I'm not sure. Brian, have I tasted yours?" Now Barbara was looking at Katy equally wide eyed. Brian knew Katy was just goading the two, so he played along, forgetting what he was telling them at the same time. "Yes, I think so, but that was after Richard and I..." Brian just realized what he said and put his hand over his face to hide it. "Brian!" Barbara said, "You and Richard did what?" "Showed each other the love they felt for each other, Barbara. You do know how much they mean to each other, don't you? You know they saved each other's lives?" "Yes but they are two boys. I mean a boy, and a man. I... I don't know what I mean." Barbara looked at Brian, "You did that?" Brian still had his hand over his face, but Barbara could see the tears coming out of his eyes. Katy saw it as well, but for the time concentrated on Barbara. "Barbara, I know it may seem strange to you, but do you love Brian any less knowing that he expressed his love to Richard?" There was silence in the room for a couple of minutes. Everyone waiting for Barbara to answer. "I guess I know they are real close. I mean... really, really close. I just never thought Brian would... I think it kind of makes me feel like he doesn't love me as much." Brian uncovered his face to look at Barbara, he was shaking his head. Barbara went on, "Then of course... I let Julie watch and everything, today." "Yes, you did," Katy said. "Why?" "'Cause I wanted to... umm... I don't know..." "Share what you had, 'cause it was so good?" Katy asked. Barbara brightened, "Yes, something like that. I was afraid when she arrived, that she might try and take Brian from me. But then..." Barbara's face turned down, "well, I thought he couldn't be taken away." "Barbara, do you think Richard would take Brian away from you?" Barbara looked at Katy, "No. I guess that's silly, isn't it. He's married to you." Katy smiled, "Yes he is. But more importantly, it is silly. You should know by know how much you mean to Brian. Now you and Brian will need to talk about what happened, and how you two feel about it. Brian and Richard have a strong connection, but I know Richard would never do anything to come between you two, and I think you know that too. Don't you?" "Yes." "Now you also need to talk with Julie. It seems you decided to let her share some of the love you feel with Brian. Did you talk with Brian about that?" "No." "Don't you think he should have had a say in it? Maybe he isn't attracted to Julie." Barbara laughed, "I know better than that." The comment made Brian and Julie blush. "Then you also need to think about where that could lead, and how far you are willing to let it go." "You mean like Keith?" "Keith?" Katy asked. "You know... He's married to Robin, but then there are the others." "Others?" Julie asked, "What does that mean?" "Julie, I think you and I need to have a little talk," Katy said. "Barbara, Brian; are you two going to be ok here alone, for a bit?" "Yes," each one said. "I'd suggest, Brian, now that you opened up the can of worms; you tell Barbara all about what happened, and how you feel. You heard how she feels about you. Nothing has changed. She just needs to know everything." "Yes, I know." Katy leaned over and very softly whispered in Barbara's ear, "What he says to you may seem shocking, but remember, it is all in the name of love." Taking Julie's hand, Katy walked out of the house with the girl. "Now, let's start at the beginning. Ever kissed a boy?" "No." "How about a girl?" Julie looked a bit pained, "No." "You know most girls learn how to kiss, not from boys, but other girls who know how." "Really?" "Yes, of course. Would you want to, say, kiss a boy like Brian, and seem like you didn't know what you were doing?" "No! I'd just die." "That's what I thought. But let's say you could learn. None of the boys knew, and then you kissed one of them, and wow!" Julie laughed, "You are a lot easier to talk to than my mom. She'd never tell me anything like that." "So now, if Barbara was willing to teach you, would you do it?" Julie looked down and moved her foot back and forth, "Yeah, I guess so. Especially if I could kiss Brian, too." Katy laughed and said, "I think Barbara already knows that." "Yeah, I guess so. She's not... mad?" "No. She knows Brian loves her. Loves her enough for her to be number one on his list. The one he'll marry." "But then why would she... Why would he?" "Want to love you, too?" "I guess, yeah." "Julie, do you love your mom?" "Of course I do." "But you could love someone else, too, couldn't you?" "Sure, why not? Oh... Are you trying to say Brian could love Barbara and me?" "Do you think you could love Brian and Barbara?" "And Barbara?" "Yes, and Barbara." "I'm not sure I understand." "What would you think of Barbara, if she let you love Brian, like she does." "Oh my goodness! Really? You think she would? Oh, I'd..." "You'd love her?" "Yes, I guess I would. It would be... She'd be so special." "If you felt that way inside, how would you show it?" "I... She talked this morning about feeling so much love for Brian, that she wanted him to know it. But what could I do? We're both girls." Katy smiled. "If you really want to know, you'll need someone to teach you." "Could you?" This is not what Katy expected. "Julie, I don't think I should." "Why? Did Richard show Brian?" "Yes, but..." "Oh. They love each other." "No, Julie," Katy said, getting a bit confused about what to say. "Julie, I care a lot about you. If you knew what you were doing... If you, Barbara and Brian wanted to do something with Richard and I..." "Richard and you? Oh my! You mean you'd share Richard with Barbara and me?" "Julie, wait! Hold on. You are just thinking about sex. That's not right. You need to think about love. There is a big difference. Now let me think," Katy said, then smiled. "I know the perfect teacher for you. Someone I'll bet you love, and who would be just right." "Who?" "My daughter." "Robin!" "Yes, don't you think she'd be a good teacher?" "Yes, but..." Julie looked down to the ground. "But what?" "Do you think she would?" Katy smiled, "I think she'd be delighted. You, Julie, are a beauty. You must know Robin feels a kinship towards you." "What do you mean?" "Do you remember when you and your mother showed up? Who was it who stuck up for you? Who attacked anyone who thought badly about you? She and you have a past that mirrors something you both wish you didn't have. She knows how you feel. She's felt your pain, and wanted better for you. If that's not love, Julie, what is?" "But how do I... I mean I can't just go up and ask her." "Well, you could, but would you like me to set it up?" "Would you?" "Yes, I would," Katy said, satisfied about the outcome. "Now let's get back, before your mom and Richard do." "What are they talking about?" "I can only guess, and I don't think I should say. I could be all wrong. You'll find out soon enough." ------- Richard had walked outside with Annabelle, she went a little ways with him, but then stopped. She thought she was far enough away from the house. Richard took hold of her hand, and pulled her along. "Katy is with them. They are not alone," he said, letting her know he understood her fears. She let him lead her. She was surprised when they arrived in front of the house where she and her daughter were living. He opened the door and walked in, then turned and looked at her. "Coming in?" It was an improper thing to do. She knew it. But too many things this morning had been improper, and he wanted to talk to her about it. So she followed him in. Richard closed the door behind them. "Annabelle, you told me once that you didn't want your daughter to go off with a man, like you had." "Wait," Annabelle said, confused. "I thought we were going to talk about what Brian and Barbara were doing." "We will be, but first I want to know what you think about sex." Her face turned sour. "It's not nice, if that's what you mean." Richard had to turn his head so she wouldn't see he was about to laugh. Getting a hold of his emotions, he responded to her. "I think you are very wrong about that. I think you have seen only one picture and you refuse to look at any other picture. Annabelle, have you always been stubborn?" "What? I am not stubborn. My mother said so, but she was... Oh, God. Maybe she was right." "I'm not here to judge you. I just think it is just like a train. You have been on one line, going one direction for so long. You forget to look, and see that there is another set of tracks that may go a different direction." Annabelle was shaking her head, "I'm not understanding you." "Do you think you can trust me?" "I wouldn't be here in my house with you, alone, if I couldn't." Richard smiled, "All right. Now, I want you to do something that is not very pleasant." She looked at Richard suspiciously, "What?" "I want you to think back to when you lived with your mother. If she told you something that irritated you, that you thought she was all wrong about, what happened?" Annabelle's face wrinkled as she thought, taking away, her now, very pretty features. "You are asking something that is hard for me to remember." "Yes, I know. But I also think you know the answer. You are just wishing, and trying to find it not to be so." "So you think you know?" Richard grinned, "Of course, 'cause I did it too. Everyone does. It's not just you." "Oh. You're making me feel stupid." "I'm sorry," Richard said with a lot of feeling. He reached out and pulled her into a hug. "I didn't mean to do that." Annabelle was embarrassed and said, "It's ok." "Now you reacted to your mom and what she said. You just told me you were stubborn. We all are, to some extent. Annabelle, I know this is not a very nice question, but did you get married to spite your mom? Did you do it just because you could?" Annabelle started to cry, and Richard led her over to the couch to sit. He knew the answer from her reaction. She didn't need to verbalize it and didn't, but she was nodding. When he sat, it shocked him to find her sitting on his lap. She put her arms around him, and buried her face into his neck, continuing to cry. He rocked her for a bit, letting her get it out. "You couldn't say you were wrong, could you? You suffered with something bad, so that you wouldn't have to say you were wrong." Annabelle was confirming his statements with little sounds, and he went on. "Then it blew up with your husband, and what he did. You were forced to face what a terrible thing your marriage was. But that wasn't the worst of it, was it? It was your son, and what he did. He made you look like a failure and that is how you let yourself go, wasn't it? If it wasn't for your daughter, we all know where you would be, and so do you. Now, Annabelle, look at me." It took her a few minutes before the sobbing went down to an occasional sniffle and shaking. As she calmed to just sniffling, she looked up at him. "Annabelle, I shouldn't have to tell you, but I know you need to hear this anyway. We love you. I love you. You are a wonderful woman, with an equally wonderful daughter." Her eyes flooded with tears again. "Your biggest problem is your stubbornness. Keep looking at me and say to me, 'Richard I know you love me.'" She didn't, which didn't surprise him at all. "Come on, say it. I want to hear it. I want you to admit to me, that you know I care." She remained mute. "Annabelle, are you unsure that I love you? Or are you being stubborn?" "You," she said in between sniffles, "you can't love me." "Why do you think so? I know I do. I love you very much. The only thing I don't like so much, is that you are a very stubborn woman. That will have to change." She shook her head. "Oh, yes it will," Richard said. "I won't put up with it, and you will be made to look at just how stubborn you are. Not by just me, but Katy as well. She loves you too." "That's different." "Why?' "She's a woman." Richard smiled, "Yes, and I'm a dirty old man who would only say 'I love you' to haul you into the bedroom to make you do dirty terrible things, right?" Annabelle didn't answer, but she told him she thought he was just about right, by sliding off his lap. "What did you know about sex before you got married?" She shook her head. "You don't want to talk about it, or you didn't know anything?" "We shouldn't talk about such things." Richard took hold of Annabelle's hands, jerked her around, forcing her to look at him. "If you want to make me mad, keep on behaving this way. You will talk about it. You will learn and listen. You will grow up. If not for yourself, then for your daughter. Annabelle, you said you don't know much. That is not true in many ways. Many places in your life, you are very smart. When it comes to men, relationships, and sex; you are ignorant, and you are being bullheaded, and it is hurting your daughter. Just as it hurt you, that your mother wouldn't be reasonable with you. She told you one thing, and that was the way it was. You knew better and proved her wrong. You are trying to force your daughter to be just like you. Remember how you told me you didn't want that? I remember, so I'm not giving up. I'm not letting you do this. You will talk with me. You will talk about sex, whether you like it or not, do you understand?" "What can you do that will help my daughter? Talking to you about sex isn't going to do anything." "That is where you are dead wrong. It will help a lot, and as well as helping your daughter, it will help you. Now, back to my original question, did you know anything about sex before you got married?" "No. Satisfied?" "Annabelle, I'm not trying to embarrass you. I'm trying to make you see that like that railroad I talked about, you have only been on one track. One person told you what you know about sex. That someone was selfish, and the sex wasn't good. You can't imagine it could be good, 'cause you have never been on more than one track. You haven't wanted to talk with anyone about it, because you are so damned stubborn." "You're not being very nice to me," she sulked. "Yes I am. Annabelle, it pains me to think a beautiful woman like you doesn't know the pleasures your body is capable of." "Richard! You're being disgusting." "Why do you think that?" Richard had been around the Mennonites long enough to understand some of their thinking. "Do you really believe that God created you, beautiful as you are, with all of those feelings, just to deny them? Do you think the devil made your body, and not God? The devil might be able to corrupt your mind, but not your body." "You're confusing me now. It's still wrong, you're a married man." "Yes I am. I love my wife. I love her daughter. I love Dora and Katharine. I love Katharine's children. Annabelle, I love you, too. What is so wrong about that?" "Well it isn't right to talk about sex with a married man." Richard raised his eyebrows, "Says who? I want to know who said that." "The preacher." Richard couldn't help laughing, "Patrick?" "No, not him. Someone else, when I was younger." "Do you know why he would have said such a thing?" "So we wouldn't be having... you know." "Sex with married men?" "Yes." "And that is wrong?" "Of course it is, and stop grinning. You know it is." Richard wished they had the phone system in place, but it was still a ways away before that task would be completed. "Time to take a walk, then." "Where?" Annabelle said suspiciously. "To see Patrick. You seem to believe things from when you were young, but I think it is because someone told you them and you just believed them. You have no idea why, and you don't know the whole story behind what you were told. Now that you are older, you are still holding onto ideas that you don't know the 'whys' to. We are going to ask Patrick some questions. This will be good for both of us." "Both of us?" Richard didn't answer that, but challenged her, "You will listen to the preacher, won't you?" "You're putting me on the spot." "Yes I am. If you weren't so bull-headed, it wouldn't have to be done." "Now you're making me mad." "Good, maybe mad enough to listen to some reason." "Fine, let's go." Richard once again took Annabelle's hand, and led her out the door. "You don't need to hold my hand, I'm coming with you." Richard smiled, "I know, it just feels nice. I like walking with an attractive woman, and holding her hand." Annabelle snorted, "What will people think." "Nothing. Why should they?" Annabelle glanced at him, but couldn't come up with a reason. "This is where Patrick lives?" Annabelle asked, noticing who else lived here. "Yes," Richard said simply, and knocked. Cheryl opened the door looking pale. "Not feeling well?" Richard asked. "Ohhh, morning sickness. I think is what they call..." she ran off towards the bathroom. Annabelle looked in. The house was just about the same size she was in, a two bedroom. Both interior doors were open, and there was no sign of Patrick. "Cheryl," Richard called in, "are you all right?" "Been going on for the last two days," we heard Patrick say behind us. He wasn't alone. The doctor was with him. "Looks like you are busy then," I said to Patrick. "Nonsense," Patrick said waving his hands. "What can I do here?" "Not much you haven't done already," the doctor said, amused. Patrick stuttered a moment, then turned to Richard, "You came to see me?" "We wanted to ask some questions, but privately." "Be my guest," the doctor said. "I will see to an exam with Sheryl. That will take a bit of time." "Then let's go to my office," Patrick said. He led Richard and Annabelle to the north end of town. "This is your office?" Annabelle asked. "The wide open air, the beauty of God's creation," then Patrick grinned, "and no prying ears." Richard laughed. Annabelle nodded. "So what do you need?" Patrick asked, sitting on a large flat rock by the stream's edge. "Answers," Richard responded. Patrick laughed, "I hope not to some of the deep dark secrets of the world." "What is that supposed to mean?" Annabelle asked. Patrick raised his eyebrows, wondering about her testy nature. "Patrick, we have been talking about sex," Richard said. "Sex?" Patrick said, drawing the word out a bit, as though he was trying to understand them. "Annabelle has the idea that sex is a bad thing. I tried to say something different. What came up was some beliefs that she has, instilled on her at a young age. I think she doesn't understand why she does things, and thinks the way she does." Patrick was nodding, wondering how much hot water he was getting into. There was one question on his mind though. "Why are you so interested in all of this, Richard?" Annabelle smiled at the tables being turned on him. "Because I love her and her daughter, and I am here to help them. Katy would expect nothing less from me." Patrick rolled his eyes, "That does sound like my daughter, all right." Patrick looked at Annabelle, "Ok. You tell me. What is bad about sex?" She looked shocked. He was asking... He was a preacher. What was going on? "It's not right," she said. Patrick looked at Richard, then back to Annabelle. "What's not right?" Annabelle looked down at the water, lapping against the sand. "It's dirty. You shouldn't even talk about it. Richard's been making me talk. It's just not right. Now you..." "Richard, it is time for you to take a walk and leave us," Patrick said. Richard nodded, but knew he was going to stay close enough to walk her back. "Annabelle," Patrick said, "why do you think it is dirty? Who told you that?" "It just is." "No, it isn't. Something, or someone made you believe that. Now tell me." "Women aren't supposed to talk about that stuff." "Annabelle. I'm going to say this once, so listen very closely. You are a person, one that can come and talk to me about anything. I will always listen, and will always try and help. If you can't talk to me, then who? It is your responsibility to ask for help. If someone told you you were not to talk about it, they were very wrong. Who said you shouldn't talk about it?" "My mom," Annabelle said in a whisper, almost soft enough to be drowned out by the gentle noise of the water. "Did your mother tell you sex was dirty?" Annabelle shook her head. "Your husband?" Annabelle got a disgusted look on her face, but shook it again. "Then who?" "I did." "You?" Patrick said surprised. "Why?" "It isn't fun. It hurts, and there's blood. How can it be anything but dirty?" "Annabelle, I'm guessing here, but I'll lay odds that you have only had one partner. Right?" "Of course!" "If I could show you your husband basically lied to you, would you let me?" "What do you mean?" "Your husband made you think that was what lovemaking, sex, was all about. He lied. I'll bet he didn't know anything about making love." Annabelle was a bit nervous, "What are you trying to say?" "I want to show you it is different." "You can't! You're a preacher!" Patrick realized what she must be thinking. "Annabelle, hold on. I wasn't talking about me and you doing anything." "Oh," she said, red faced. "I want to show you. You won't have you do anything but use your eyes, and mind. You'll see what is there, and tell your mind what you see." It dawned on Annabelle what he was saying now. What he was suggesting. "You... You want me to watch someone else..." Annabelle couldn't finish. It was too embarrassing. "Yes. You have to see what you are unwilling to accept any other way. You are hurting yourself to keep on thinking what you think." "And my daughter," Annabelle added, thinking of what Richard would say. "Yes," Patrick said, a bit surprised by her admission, "hurting your daughter as well." Annabelle looked Patrick in the eye. "There isn't a way to do that though. I'm not going to look into someone's window. That wouldn't be right." "You are right. It would have to be someone who wouldn't mind," Patrick said, and smiled. Then he added, "Someone who loves you enough." "Oh! No, no, no. Not him. Not them. I couldn't look them in the eye if that happened." "Why, because they did something dirty? Or are you, all of a sudden, doubting yourself?" "You are doing what Richard did. Setting a trap for me. I don't like it." "We'll drop it for now. We've talked enough. But it will come up, again and again. You do have to face it, Annabelle. As you said, for your daughter." ------- Little did Annabelle know, but as Patrick talked to Richard, the trap was being set. Richard said little to Annabelle on the long walk back to Millie's house. When they got there, she turned and looked at Richard. "You have kept me away a long time. I hope that wasn't planned." "Not at all. Annabelle, I'll say it as many times as I need to. I love and care about you." She turned and opened the door, not wanting to show the embarrassed discomfort about having people feel about her. Inside, Barbara and Brian were snoozing. Julie and Katy were talking on the couch. It looked like a perfect setting, with nothing out of the ordinary. Julie looked up at her mother, and smiled. She was hoping things were better now. "Can I go and see Robin?" Julie asked. "It is proper to be invited," her mother returned. Katy patted Julie's leg, letting her know it was fine. "Ok," Julie said disappointedly. "It's time for us to go," Richard said. "Wait," Brian could be heard out of the bedroom. Richard smiled. He had hoped he could talk to Brian before they left. Walking into the bedroom, he knelt down by Brian. There was a big smile on Brian's face. "I haven't told you in a long time how much you mean to me." Richard smiled, "You saved my life, Brian. You will always be special to me." Barbara turned, yawned from waking, and smiled at Richard. "We had a good talk. I never knew things like he told me. I guess it makes sense. Hard to imagine some things," she said, then grinned. "Maybe you two will show me sometime." "Probably after your married," Richard said. Barbara shook her head, "No, before. I don't want him to have to hide anything from me. I love him too much." "Brian?" Richard asked letting the boy know there was a lot more questions behind that. "Yes, I told her. I also said no one did anything they didn't want to." "So you know about the girls doing things?" Barbara nodded, blushing. "And it isn't just me and Brian?" "You mean Dora?" she asked. "Yes," he said. Then, looking at Barbara, he got concerned, "Barbara I..." "You would?" She asked without him finishing. "Ummm." Richard was now blushing. "You're very pretty, but I couldn't do anything without Brian saying it was all right. You are his girl. He has to feel it's ok." "Oh," Barbara said trying to figure that out. "So you had to say it was ok for Dora?" "I guess so," Richard said. He looked at Brian and then smiled. "I think that was all Katy's doing, though, wasn't it." Brian grinned, "Yeah." Then his smile disappeared. "Richard I..." "Brian, this is not the time. No one can do a thing right now," Richard joked and thumped Brian's cast. "It is the future we talk about. You and your girl have lots of things to talk about and plan, before any of that fun stuff could happen. So don't dwell on it. I'm not going to." "Thanks." "By the way, I have a favor to ask you," Richard said. ------- Millie arrived home an hour later. Annabelle had not even thought of dinner yet. It was too early. Yet she was disappointed, hoping to have done so, hoping to have eaten a meal in a larger gathering than just her daughter and herself. Millie was home, not because the meeting was over, but because of a request. It had been asked so that she had no way to refuse it. "Annabelle," Millie said, seeing her disheartened look at the clock, "It is time to take a break. We are. Take a walk with your daughter. Get out of the house. I know how hard this job is. Now go. Then," Millie smiled as she added, "come back and help me with dinner." Annabelle smiled again. "All right. We'll be back after a bit." The thought of a long walk might have sounded good earlier in the day, but after Richard had dragged her around from one end of Carp to the other, a long walk didn't sound so appealing. "Mom," Julie asked, "Can we go to the spring?" Her mother looked at the girl, perturbed. She had heard Julie and Barbara's conversation with Brian. How Richard and he had walked up there one evening, to see Richard attacked, and Brian save his life. There was the even more horrifying story of how Brian had been dragged there, as bait, by a mad man. How Richard had saved him. She thought that story was probably stretched to make Richard look like a better hero. She didn't know there was a lot Brian had left out that was worse than what he said. When Brian had described the place, it sounded almost enchanting. A place Brian and Jimmy went to often, as you could see all of Carp from there. A place where the two boys saw Robin and Keith's first kiss. He also went into great and boring detail, as far as Annabelle was concerned, about how the new tanks came in by helicopter. Even if she hated to admit it, the stories had gotten to her as well. Her curiosity about the place was almost as much as her daughters. "I guess," Annabelle answered. "Thankfully it is not too long of a walk, and then we can sit and see the sights. That is, if Brian wasn't pulling your leg with tall stories." Julie smiled, "Thanks, Mom." Almost to their destination, the silence was interrupted by a car making its way down a dirt service road. The road went to the new mine, and was not more than twenty yards away from where the two were walking. It stopped at a point where they were parallel to each other. "Annabelle, Julie!" Robin called out as soon as she rolled down her window. "What are you two doing here?" "Walking up to the spring." Julie said. "A good place to sit and reflect. I've done that all my life," Robin returned. "I could use that," Annabelle said. "Annabelle, I hate to ask, but there are three new girls out at our house. Could I take Julie with me to meet them?" "We were just taking a short walk. We're having dinner with Millie," Annabelle said. "We'll bring her back for dinner. It shouldn't be long. Two of them are just here for a week, but one girl is going to be here for school. She knows Jill and that is it, but Jill is older. Julie is about her age and Julie, being relatively new, could make her feel a lot more comfortable." Julie looked at her mother, "Please?" "Oh, all right. I'll just go up alone." Julie smiled, "Maybe you need some time alone, Mom. I think I get on your nerves." Annabelle sighed, "Julie... Oh, go on and have fun. You deserve it." Julie ran to the car, jumped in, and I drove away. "Did I do good?" Julie asked. "Yes you did," I answered, "and I think you are about to be rewarded." Julie didn't understand until Robin slid over the seat into the back, took the girl by the face and kissed her. "Yes, she needs instruction," Robin informed me. ------- It was not more than fifteen yards up the slope. No need to turn back now. Annabelle walked up. She was expecting to find a place to sit, have a nice view, and then return. What she saw, she was totally unprepared for. There, in the shadows, were two figures. The feeling she had been set up, hadn't grasped her yet. She didn't recognize the two, as they were partially hidden. Annabelle felt like she had just stumbled onto something she knew she shouldn't see. There was one very good thing, her daughter wasn't with her. She felt conspicuous, she felt like running. But then they would hear her. She suddenly thought of what Brian had said, that you could see the whole town from here. She was trapped. Annabelle stepped behind a tree. Katy and Richard had, just as Brian said, a very good vantage point. They watched as mother and daughter got closer. Richard thought I had played it a little too close before picking Julie up. But it had worked and Annabelle had continued up. They had stepped into the shadows, knowing they could be seen, yet were masked. The water tank provided just the right shade for them and the large sand bed that had been laid was going to be put to good use. They needed to first of all, not show their faces. At least, not until it was too late. They also had to put on a performance that would be so compelling, it would draw Annabelle in, to the point she stopped thinking and just acted. Katy and Richard didn't think that was going to be any problem. Annabelle watched, surprised as the two came out from their hiding. They were still in shadows and not clear, but one thing was for certain, they were nude! Their backs were also to her, with a blanket in front of them, they laid it out upon the sand. The woman got down on her knees in front of the man. Annabelle knew this position well and was disgusted to see the woman take the man's dick into her mouth. But the next thing didn't happen. He didn't grab the woman's head. He didn't force it in, as far as it would go. He didn't satisfy himself, and push her away. What was going on? She moved her head out just a bit more to get a better look. The woman was licking the shaft, taking her time, making the man moan. Then, shockingly, she stood. Annabelle couldn't figure that out. He wasn't done. What she saw next caused her to move out just a bit more. The man was kissing the woman. Not on the mouth, not roughly. Gentle kisses... down, around, and then to the center of the woman's breast. Annabelle heard the woman's moans of pleasure, and it confused her. This was not right. Yet, in her own frame, there was a yearning that was hard to deny. As the man dropped to his knees, Annabelle almost cried out. He kissed his way down, and then went in between the woman's legs. He was kissing that filthy place. Part of her told her how vile this was. Yet the constant sound coming from the woman assaulted her ears, saying just the opposite was true. Annabelle moved just a bit further, to look just a little closer. Maybe she was confused at what he was doing, and she wanted to be sure. Annabelle jumped inside her skin, but stood stock still, as the two moved suddenly. Both moved to lie on the blanket. The man's face almost came into view, but that happened so fast, she couldn't get a good look. Before she realized it, she was looking at the backside of the woman. She was straddling the man. Her legs, no her... Annabelle couldn't even face saying it to herself. 'That part' was on the man's face. He didn't seem repulsed, almost the opposite. His hands traveled over the woman's body, caressing her. If things couldn't get stranger; the woman, under her own free will, bent down and took the man's shaft into her hand. Annabelle couldn't stop the sounds filling her. She also couldn't stop watching. She took one more step, as she watched the woman bend. The woman opened her mouth, and wrapped her tongue around the man's dick. Then she sucked it into her mouth. Annabelle's body was on fire. She was hearing, seeing, and feeling things that she never could have imagined. As that revelation hit her, she also realized she was no more than five feet from the two. She couldn't help what came out of her mouth. "Richard? Katy?" The man and woman stopped and looked up at Annabelle. Their bodies glistened with sweet sweat. Richard didn't speak. He just patted the edge of the blanket. Katy did, "You've seen us this far, might as well finish, and understand. This is true love Annabelle. We are showing it to you, because we care. But this is not an act. This is how we feel about each other. This is love." Richard and Katy didn't wait for a reply, or for her to move. They turned their attention towards each other and continued. Annabelle was caught, standing and watching. She was also caught within her mind. She stood for a bit, and then moved to where Richard had patted on the blanket. It was a very good view from that angle. ------- I took the long way around, and went back up to the new mine. "I need to look at these trucks," I lied, as I stepped out. "Take your time," Robin said. Julie was blushing and as soon as the door was shut. She asked, "He knows?" "Of course he does. We tell each other everything." Julie blushed again, and Robin laughed. "You know Keith likes girls, you are no exception. He is fond of you." "You mean he wants to..." Robin raised her eyebrows, "Julie! Keith never, ever, has pushed. I'm not sure he could. If you wanted him, you'd have to ask me. If I said it was ok, then we'd tell him. He does have a little say in the matter, but like I said, he finds girls attractive. But don't start thinking about that, you're not ready." "Oh." "Julie, if you do something before being ready, you can get hurt. No one wants to see you hurt." Julie brightened, seeing the concern for her. "Now, I hear you need to learn a few things," Robin said. "I need to learn everything." Robin laughed, "Slow down, you're starting to sound like Stephanie. Now first, let's work on kissing. Then..." As I walked back to the car after a good ten minutes, the windows were starting to steam up. I shook my head. That must be some kissing session, I thought. Just for fun I opened the back door. It was way beyond kissing. Both girls had their tops off, and they had their mouths attached to each other's nipples. I couldn't help myself. I stared. I also got instantly hard. Julie pulled back, allowing me a second to see the red puffy nipple Robin had been attached to. Her hands covered herself, as she moved to the other side of the car. Robin just looked up at me and smiled. "You could have knocked," she said lazily. "I didn't know your lessons would go so far in just ten minutes." "We took the advanced method of study," Robin giggled back. Then she looked at the trembling Julie. "Are you scared at what he saw of you, or what he saw us doing?" Robin asked Julie. She didn't answer. "Julie, if you don't think Keith liked it, look at his pants." Julie's eyes darted down to my tented pants. A small smile lit her face. She dropped her arms and pushed her chest out. I got just a bit harder. Robin rolled her eyes at Julie's actions, and said to me, "I told her you liked girls." "Only pretty ones," I said, and winked at Julie. She blushed quite nicely. "Now we need to get a move on," I said. "You do need to at least see Laura, Susan, and Dorothy before we take you back." I got in the car and we were on our way, as clothes were being put back on. ------- Robert understood, after Patrick left, why his girls hadn't spent the night. He struggled, trying to understand why Daisy had been so mad at him. He didn't have much recollection of the fury he dumped onto his children. Now for the last hours, he sat, alone. Sat in his empty home. It was devoid of life, even of his own. As time ticked slowly by, he started to realize that his girls were not going to return to him. He couldn't blame them. There was nothing here, calling them to return. At the same time, there was something calling him, though. Calling his name. As much as he hated it afterwards, there was little he was capable of doing to stop it. As the miners got off work, Robert heard the familiar bell ringing the end of the shift. He thought of those who had died in that mine. Robert knew staying in the house was getting to him, bringing him these dark thoughts. Outside was another terror. His friends would offer him drink. Something he couldn't refuse. As the winch from the mine came to its screeching halt for the day, Robert bolted from the chair. His body had a cold sweat, his mind relived the accident. He walked, trembling, out of the house and downtown. ------- Chapter 75 I looked at my watch, absentmindedly. Five forty-seven. I was sure that almost everyone in Carp set their watch by the time the train started blowing its horn at the bridge crossing, coming into town. The freight trains only rolled though twice a week, but they were like clockwork. The passenger/freight trains that passed by, mid-morning, weren't as exact. But they were close. It was these freight trains that picked up the ore from the mine, once a week, from what I gathered. It hooked up the cars here in Carp. The other times, they picked up cars from Angle City. I had been told, early on in my stay here, that it was the way the railroads were able to assure the two towns that no one was switching lots on them. Part of the old 'feud' idea. Once it got into place, it stuck. The time of day reminded me of how much time it took to get Julie out of the house. The mine closed at five, Bruce would be home, and I was hoping dinner wasn't on the table. I also hoped that Annabelle wasn't steamed at us for not getting back to her sooner. Before we had stopped, Annabelle was out on the front porch. Julie was out as soon as I came to a stop. She was non-stop talk. "The new girls are a lot of fun. Can I go out tomorrow? Their names are Laura, Dorothy, and Susan. Laura is going to be going to school here next year. She and Jill knew each other at the school where Liz worked. Liz is the new head teacher for our school now. I don't know where Jill was, 'cause she wasn't around when the other girls were there talking to me. But we had a lot of fun." "Julie!" Annabelle said when Julie took a breath long enough for her to speak. "Slow down. We have all evening to hear about it." Annabelle looked up at us, and shook her head. "She had a great time, and she's welcome anytime. But of course... tomorrow," Robin said with a smile. "That might be good. I have a few things to do," Annabelle replied. Julie looked at her mother with surprise. "What are you going to be doing?" I laughed, thinking that Julie didn't want to be excluded in any plans. "None of your business," Annabelle said. It was matter of fact, but not unpleasant. "Go on inside and wash up. Dinner is almost ready." Julie looked back at us, and Robin said, "We'll pick you up tomorrow." As soon as the door shut, Annabelle looked at us. "You two were in on Richard and Katy's plan," she stated. All of a sudden, we were a bit uncomfortable. We had only heard what we should do, and not much more than that. We hadn't seen Richard or Katy yet, and didn't know how it had gone. "I don't know whether to thank you, or be mad. It, this whole town, is nothing like I ever expected it to be. I'm not allowed to remain who I am." "No, Annabelle you are not," I said, thinking how broken this woman was when she walked into town. "You came here as a woman in need of help. We want to help you put yourself back together, as a better person. One that can feel good about life. Anything less wouldn't feel good to us." "Well, it doesn't feel good to me." I sighed. "No. I guess it wouldn't. I think that it hurts when we have to push past what we have known," She looked at me like I was talking a foreign language. "Annabelle," Robin said, "you know Pamela?" She waited for acknowledgement, and then went on, "Have you heard what happened to her, what she looked like before her surgery?" Annabelle shook her head. Robin went on to describe Pamela, in grotesque descriptions. Robin inferred as to how other's Pamela's age had looked upon her. I was wondering where Robin was going with this. That is about when she brought me into the picture. Not as a knight in shining armor to save the day, but as someone who knew of the pain Pamela had suffered. She went on to explain how I'd had to get over my pain about a friend who took his own life, so that I could go on and help Pamela. I was frankly amazed at how Robin put that into perspective. She later told me it was through talking with my mother that she came to those conclusions. "I know what you are getting at. I have to get over all my own stuff, to help my daughter." "Yes, Annabelle," Robin said, "but in doing that for your daughter, you will help yourself. You will be a better person." "You seem very sure of yourself, for one so young." Robin smiled, "Ask my mom what she thought about Keith when he first came into town. She didn't think as bad as you, but close." "Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I have a lot to think about, already." We left, going back home. As soon as we returned, our dinner was close to being ready. Pamela and Daisy were at the door, waiting for our return. "Can we go see our dad?" Daisy asked. "Dinner?" Pamela said. I nodded, that might be a good idea to bring him out for dinner, in a place that didn't remind him of anything. "Sure, let's go bring him back," I said. Driving back into town, we pulled up to their old house; memories of Mildred flooded my senses. This time, the girls waited for me to get out and walk up to the house with them. The door was just slightly ajar, but that wasn't surprising. I pushed open the door. It was dark inside. The smell of vomit wasn't as pungent, but it still lingered. It was the sign of a closed up house in the heat. "Robert?" I called out. No answer. We walked in, our eyes adjusting to the lack of light. No one was there. Daisy and Pamela looked into their bedroom and shook their heads at me. I held my nose and pushed the door open to look into the bathroom. It was a mess, but he wasn't there. I closed the door, tightly. There was one last place to look, his bedroom. That door was shut. I opened it and then closed it almost as quickly. He wasn't in there and the smell was still overpowering. It reminded me of hospitals, of death. That room needed a good cleaning, the windows opened, an airing out. But even in the quick opening, I could tell Robert hadn't stepped foot in the room. Probably not from the day it was closed, after they took Mildred out. It struck me that this morning he was wearing the same clothing. I would need to talk to Patrick about him again. Patrick knew about this better than anyone. Maybe there were ways of bringing him back. I just didn't know. Right now though, there were two girls that needed someone to care for them. The girls looked at me. "I'm sure someone is feeding him, otherwise he'd be here, right?" "Yeah," Daisy said, "I don't feel very good, though." "Daisy, Pamela, I want you to listen to me. Your dad pushed you away. He didn't mean to, but we all know he has a problem. That isn't your fault, and you should not feel bad. You are trying, and that's what counts. He'll get better. Remember what Patrick said about his wife. It takes time, just like it will for you." Pamela just held her arms up with such a sad look on her face. It broke my heart, and I picked her up. Daisy got on the other side, squishing Pamela between us. We hugged, staying that way for several minutes. Then we went home. ------- Richard and Katy had returned after we left with Julie. It had taken them a while to get back home, as they had needed to clean up. Clean up themselves, as well as the surrounding area. Their car had been parked down where Annabelle wouldn't see it and get suspicious. Now they were on a high from the wonderful sex they'd had, and also from the breakthrough that Annabelle seemed to have made. It was hard to deny what Annabelle had seen, and Katy noticed Annabelle had been breathing hard, as she was looking at them. When they returned though, the rush of getting dinner to the table set in. Everyone that was on the schedule was going full steam. The guests (Laura, Dorothy, and Susan) watched in amazement, as the volume of food was prepared. No one seemed to notice that one person who should have been with them was absent. Jill. That was until Liz, Tiffany, and Vicky came in. They were bushed from a long day of work. Not physically, but mentally drained. They wanted nothing more than to sit and relax for the evening. As the three started upstairs to clean up, Laura pulled at Liz. She pulled Liz into the library. This action, from the normally timid Laura, was enough to get Liz's attention. "What do you need?" Liz asked. "I need Jill back." "Where did she go?" Liz wondered. "I don't know. She's not the Jill I know." Liz was trying to decide what to do. She had talked with Jill. She had thought things were all right with her, that she'd just been taken off guard. Laura gave her the impression there was a lot more going on. Pamela, Daisy and I walked in the front door. I took a good whiff of the food, and said how good it smelled. I was hungry. The girls walked towards the kitchen, just as Liz came out of the library. "Keith, I need you," Liz said. I turned to look at her. Not knowing Laura was around the corner, and quipped, "Here, on the hard floor, and before dinner?" "Keith!" Liz said. I knew I was in trouble, when I saw Laura looking around the corner at me. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. "Oh. Sorry, Laura. I guess you didn't need to hear that kind of talk from me." Laura looked between Liz and me. "He's your brother," Laura finally got out. "We'll talk about what he said later, Laura," Liz said looking at me. I knew I was in deep shit over that. "Keith, we have a problem with Jill." Somehow I knew I was not going to be sitting down to dinner, as I wanted to do. "Where is she?" I asked. "Upstairs, in her room," Laura answered. "I'll get her," Liz said. I nodded, "I'll be in the car." Liz raised her eyebrows, but then nodded. She walked upstairs, leaving me with Laura. "Where are you going?" Laura asked. "I'm not sure yet." "I'm not invited, am I?" Looking down at this little waif of a girl that seemed so fragile, I leaned over and scooped her up. It surprised her, and she instinctively threw her arms around my neck. "Jill has had some bad times. Liz knows, and I know. But only a few other people do. It is not fair for me to make her tell you anything. She needs to do that on her own." Laura cried into my shoulder, "Why do you know and not me?" "Laura, I only know... I can't say. She didn't tell me though. I found out the hard way. Don't ask, please. Remember, I said that Jill loves you. She does, I know it. Remember how I asked about your parents? You told me a bit, but I bet there is more, isn't there. You just don't like to talk about the painful things. No one does. Have you told Jill all about it?" "No," she whimpered. "Is it because you don't love her very much?" "I love her..." Laura started off with fierce devotion, but then melted into tears. "I know you do. You don't want her to feel bad for you, right? She's the same way. It is hard to talk about. Don't feel like she's leaving you out. She's not." Laura looked up at me. "She loves you," I said again, and then smiled, "I can tell why. You're a pretty special girl." Laura blushed, and even more so when I kissed her forehead. I set her down and gave her little buns a pinch. She squealed and jumped away from me, then cocked her head and grinned before running off. I walked out to the car. I had just gotten in, when the back door opened. "Get in," Liz said. Her tone was not demanding, but was without question. It was one a mother might use when talking to her child, needing to make a point. I saw Jill climb in, and then scoot over as Liz got in beside her. Without saying a word, I drove off. I didn't know where to go, or what was going to happen. "Jill," Liz said, "tell me what is wrong?" "I don't know," Jill said in a despondent voice. Making a quick turn as I got into town, I started driving up the dirt service road. I could tell Jill didn't know where we were going. It was one of the things that had changed while she was away. I stopped, almost in the same place as I had earlier, when we had picked up Julie. Killing the engine, I put on the hand brake, and got out. Liz hadn't opened the door by the time I had walked around, so I opened it. She looked at me. I nodded and gave her my hand. She took it and got out. I leaned in to look at Jill. "Coming?" "Do I have a choice?" "Not really, but it wouldn't do you any good. Do you want me to pull you out and throw you over my shoulder?" I said with a grin on my face. I thought it was funny, but then I saw tears start. "Just like the man did the day they put us on the train." Oh shit. I wasn't doing so well this evening. "I'm sorry, Jill," I said as I sighed. "I didn't mean to make you think of that." "I know," she said and slid over to the door. I put out my hand and she took it. When she was out, I didn't let go. I held on as we walked up the short distance to the spring. "It is lovely up here," Liz said, looking over Carp. "What do you think, Jill?" "I always thought so. I used to come up here to think." "If you were Brian, how would you feel about this place?" I asked. Jill's face darkened. "Jill, Dorothy couldn't come back to school. Brian may have problems coming up to the spring. Liz couldn't go back to camp." I said. "What about you?" Jill asked. "I had to leave my home, thinking of what harm I might do if I stayed." "Oh. I guess you do know about leaving because of fear," Jill said. "Some things, Jill, are going to be easy. You rode a train and didn't have a problem, didn't you?" Liz said. "Yes. That's right. I did." "Some things are going to be hard. But there are some that don't make sense." "Like what?" Jill asked. "Your horse," Liz said. "Your horse?" I asked. "She hasn't been on it," Liz commented. "Ok, Jill. I have to say that that doesn't make sense. You love to ride." "I know. I just can't." Jill answered. "Jill, I've seen you ride. What are you talking about?" I asked. Jill didn't say anything. "Are you afraid of the horse?" I asked. I was thinking that I'd have to ask a lot of questions. Liz, it looked like, was ready for me to forge on with this line of questioning. "No." "You don't want Dorothy to see you on a horse?" "No, that's not it." "The horse still knows you, right?" "Of course." "Then what? What will the horse do?" "Make me alone." Liz and I looked at each other. "Make you alone?" Liz repeated. "I'll be alone if I'm on my horse." Now it made sense. That was her gripping fear. Being along. Vulnerable to being attacked. Something she didn't feel at the school, but did feel here in Carp... "Jill," I said pulling her close, into a tight hug, "we will never let you be alone, for as long as you need." Liz sandwiched her in. This reminded me of Pamela, not more than an hour ago. Liz said, "Jill, honey. Love, I can't always be with you. But Laura is here, and so is Keith. Let us be with you." "I'm still scared," Jill said shaking. "Jill, you asked about me. Do you know how scared I was when Robin told me I had to call my sister up? She said I had to. Robin made me bring her down here. I was so scared I was shaking. I thought I might pass out when I called up Kristin." "But you did." Jill said, "So it wasn't so bad then." "It was bad. I was a bundle of nerves. Kristin was so excited to see me that she ran to me as she was getting off of the train. I fell over; I was frightened. I could only do it, because of Robin. She gave me the strength." "Plus he wanted in Robin's..." Liz started to say. "Liz!" I said, thinking that was a totally outrageous thing for her to say. Apparently it worked. Jill giggled. "Well you did," Liz went on. "I..." "When did you?" Jill asked. "Jill! Oh, forget it," I said when I saw Jill smile at me. "The night Kristin got here." Jill looked at me in disbelief, "That same night?" "I had nothing to do with it. Kristin and Robin cooked up the whole thing." "Oh, dear brother," Liz rolled her eyes, and put her arm around Jill. "Don't we feel sorry for you?" "Ok, I'm glad you find such amusement in the pain I was going through." "Was it really that painful?" Jill asked. "Jill, I left my home, listening to Kristin crying. Liz told me she had to go to the doctors to calm down, and it was entirely my fault. Yes, it was very painful. I knew, or I thought I knew that I would hurt Kristin if I stayed. I loved her too much to do that. Yet, in leaving, I hurt both of us." "Then maybe some day I don't have to feel scared?" Jill asked. "I hope so. We are all here to help. I would do anything I could to help you," I said. "Don't say things like that," Jill told me. "Why?" I returned "It's confusing." Liz and I looked at each other. We were going to have to talk about this. At least we knew what the problem, this time, was about. We were sure there would be others. "Jill," Liz asked, "Are you feeling better? Do you know we will not let you be alone?" "Yes. I guess I didn't know myself what it was. That makes me mad." "That is what your family is for," Liz said. "We are here to help you." We knew there was little left to say. No one said a word. We just sort of walked to the car, together. This time, all of us sat in the front seat. ------- Grace had had enough. There had been little conversation during the rest of the day on the bus. Now, waiting for the train, and sitting together at dinner, the silence was stifling. Grace had also been thinking, hard and long. "How do you think it would make Dorothy feel, if she knew you didn't care enough to fight for what you wanted?" Grace asked. Kevin had been waiting all day for the barrage. He knew it was to come. This, though, was totally unexpected. "What?" "Kevin," Grace said, looking into his eyes and holding them. "You sound like a defeated man, a wimp. Not one that is in love. Not one that is willing to defend what he wants." "But Grace..." She shook her head. "I thought... Maybe I got it wrong. Do you love Dorothy?" "Of course I do." "Why aren't you showing it then?" "It isn't right for me to have fallen in love. I'm too old." Grace laughed, "You silly fool." Her outburst caused others to glance over to them then they turned their attentions back to their meals. Kevin turned red with embarrassment. She had a smile on her face, and was thinking of the first man she fell in love with... New York, he was twenty years her senior, but, ohhh... "Grace. I've never felt this way. I don't know what to do. I'm sorry if you're disappointed in me. I guess she will be, too." "Kevin," Grace said in a smooth voice, trying to grasp what he just said, "Come on, now. You've never felt love?" Kevin swallowed, "No. Well not with a girl, I mean female. I just never got along well with them that way. It was too embarrassing." "So, no dates to speak of." "No. When Dorothy and I kissed..." "Oh my! Kevin, you are... You may be older than her, but you're both just learning about love. Is that correct?" "Yes," Kevin said, hoping she wouldn't laugh at his lack of experience. "I think that is just about the best thing I could ever have heard. You two are just about made for each other." "Grace, you are full of surprises." She smiled at him. "Kevin, I've watched Dorothy for some time. She is a girl ready for life. One of the problems our school faces is being an all-girl's school. When the girls leave, they are not ready for the attentions men give them. They have no understanding. You and Dorothy are on a level playing field when it comes to that. One couldn't ask for anything better. I suspect Jill knew this about you, didn't she?" Kevin nodded. "That girl. It is hard to imagine one with her problems setting the two of you up," Grace said. "You mean because a man attacked her?" Kevin said in resigned anger. "She shared that with you?" Grace was surprised. "When you let her in my room, at the hospital. I was afraid of what she thought, of what Dorothy thought..." "And..." "She told me I wasn't that type of person, the type to take advantage. She said she knew it, and could see it. I wasn't sure she knew what she was talking about, but then she told me how she knew. I couldn't believe what she said. It was very personal. Jill told me I was much different, and that she would feel safe with me, anyplace." "Did she tell you why she wanted you two to come to Carp?" "Something about 'anything can happen there'. I'm not sure what that meant. I was just happy to be able to go and see Dorothy." "Do you remember meeting Keith, Liz's brother?" "Yes, how could anyone not remember when he flew in by helicopter?" Grace smiled, thinking about that visit. It had been marred by the rabid dogs, but even that had amusing parts. Such as the announcement of a kiss with Jill. "Do you know how old his wife is?" Kevin thought this an odd question. "No. She was at the school, I heard. But then, the lot of them came to see the play. My leg, at the time... Well, I didn't see any of them that night." "She's the age that girls, traditionally, get married in Carp." "Well?" Kevin asked as he took a sip of tea, knowing she was drawing this out at his expense. "She's thirteen." Kevin had a hard time not spitting his sip of tea out across the table. As soon as he swallowed, he said, "What?" a bit too loudly, causing people to stop and look towards their table again. "Now do you understand why Jill wanted you to be at Carp? No one will think it strange for the two of you to court. You, though, are your own worst enemy, Kevin." "What do you mean?" "Like I asked at the beginning of this conversation. How do you think it would make Dorothy feel, if she knew you didn't care enough to fight for what you wanted?" "But I do care." "Enough to show it, even if you would be ridiculed? Enough to stand up for what you want? How do you think you'll get what you want, if you don't? I'm assuming you do want to have Dorothy at your side?" "Oh, you have no idea." Grace smiled warmly at Kevin, reached across the table and took his hand. "Oh, yes. I think I do. This has not been easy for you. I know that. But it will get harder, before getting easier. My guess is that you may want to talk to Keith about it. He was not from Carp, yet married someone as young as Dorothy. You might want to know how he felt about it. How he did it." "Grace, thank you. You have always been a good friend." They fell back into silence. But this time, each one was thinking very positive thoughts. Tomorrow morning, they would be in Carp. It was a place filled with unlimited possibilities, it seemed. Kevin wondered if he really had what it took, to do what he wanted. He just wished he didn't still have his leg in a cast. At least it was a 'walking cast', now. Knowing just exactly what he'd been dreaming of, when he stepped off of the train and saw her. Maybe... ------- Dorothy, Susan, and Laura were on the porch waiting for our arrival. Dinner was over when we arrived home, apparently. "Wait here," Liz said. Both Jill and I did. We saw Liz walk up, talk to the girls, and then come off the porch. She went around to the back of the house. "I wonder how long we're supposed to wait," I said. "I don't know," Jill answered. Given the opportunity to be alone with her, I thought now was as good a time as any. "Jill, I wish I knew what made you uncomfortable with me. I'd change it if I could." She snorted, "No, you couldn't." "Then you know what it is?" "Sort of. Keith..." she turned and was suddenly looking into my eyes, sitting not more than a foot away. She broke eye contact and looked down. Saying what was on my mind (which might not have been the best thing to do, considering my record this evening), I said, "That looked like the blush of a girl in love." "Damn you!" Jill said. She slid across the seat, got out, and slammed the door behind her. 'This is just not my day. Liz is going to be pissed just a bit more at me now, ' I thought. As hungry as I was, I waited until Liz and the girls came back around, before getting out of the car and going in. "Liz," I called. "Oh, Keith. You didn't have to wait..." "Liz, we need to talk." "Go on in girls," Liz said as she walked over to me. "What now?" "I think you are going to be mad at me." Liz rolled her eyes, "What did you do now?" "I... Umm..." "What?" "I asked Jill what I was doing, that she was having a problem with." "Without me there," she said more accusingly than questioningly. "Sorry." "And she said?" "I couldn't change what I was doing." Liz's forehead wrinkled. "Then she looked at me, and sort of blushed," I said. There was a complete change of expression on my sister's face; her eyebrows were now raised, waiting for me to go on. "I said that looked like the blush of a girl in love." "You didn't!" "Yes. I feel real stupid. She said 'Damn you' and got out, slamming the door on me." "Keith, sometimes you are so dense." "What?" "She is in love with you. At least that's what I think. You aren't supposed to know. She felt safe without you knowing. You ruined that." "Oh, fuck." I said, grimacing. "Yeah. I'll talk with her." "Liz thanks. I owe you." "You sure do. How about giving me what I want for a change." "What... Oh. Liz! You're sure? I'm not so smart at times." She slapped my arm. "Do you think I'd pass up an opportunity I've wanted, since forever? If I have to tie you down..." she said. Then she got a wicked smile on her face, "Maybe all I need to do is get you into an aircraft hanger." I grinned and said, "That was a lot of fun. No, more than fun. It was the love I always wanted from you." "Keith... And you wonder, when you say things like that, why women fall in love with you?" We walked in arm in arm, not noticing the figure in the window on the third floor, looking down at us. Jill sighed as she watched. 'Damn him, ' she thought. 'Now he knows. Now it's just a matter of time before I get hurt... ' then she hung her head with the thought, 'before he leaves.' Jill, though, didn't have time to remain alone in her dark thoughts. Dorothy, Susan, and Laura were going to make sure she wasn't alone. That is what they understood from what Liz said was the problem. ------- Jimmy ended up in bed with Pamela, again. Others had heard her this time, but when he arrived at the doorway, they hadn't said a word. They listened intently, but all they heard was the crying stop and sleep settle in. In the morning, though, Stephanie poked his side. She made him get up, and go into his own bed. While he did, he noticed all the girls were awake and watching him. No one said a word. When he got into the other room, Kenneth was awake. He pointed at Jimmy, and grinned. Jimmy looked down to where Kenneth was pointing. Jimmy's usual morning woody was sticking outside the fly of his pajama bottoms. He groaned, and turned bright red. Now he knew why all the girls were staring at him. That started out the morning for Jimmy. He went out into the hall, and saw that the line to the bathroom was more than he was going to be able to outwait. Trudging down to the second floor, he was met by the same sight. The first floor bathroom wasn't any better. Walking outside, into the back yard, he pulled his dick out of the fly, and peed. Turning around, he saw his mother shaking her head at him, telling him to wash his hands. This was not the way to start a day. What was going to happen next? He came back into the house to smell pancakes cooking. The smell of food did wonders to his spirits, and everyone else's, it seemed. One by one, they made their way into the kitchen. Breakfast was the one meal that seemed to go on for hours. There were a number of different schedules, and the use of the bathroom in the morning bottlenecked everyone. Pamela wasn't shy with her admiration of Jimmy. As soon as she came downstairs, she marched over and sat down on his lap. She threw her arms around him, and gave him a toe-curling kiss. 'Well! Maybe this morning isn't so bad, after all, ' he thought. It almost seemed like it had been done on purpose. When I got down to breakfast, the seat that was open was directly across from Jill. I sat down and looked at her. She wouldn't return my gaze. I looked for Liz, and saw her coming in. Vicky and Tiffany were right behind her. Liz saw where I was sitting, where Jill was sitting, and walked right over to us. "Good morning, Jill," Liz said. There wasn't much of a response. I saw the look on Liz's face. Jill must have seen the change in my face, maybe she was looking at me and I didn't know it, but she turned to look at Liz. Taking Jill by the hand, she pulled Jill up out of her chair. She marched Jill out of the dining room, but just into the open living room next to it. The table was silent, now. The only sounds were coming from the kitchen, but even that quieted. We all heard the conversation. "Do you remember calling me your mother?" Liz said. "Yes," Jill replied, feeling strange that Liz would openly say such things. "I was also your teacher, your guardian, and your love." "Yes." "Now I'm going to have to be your disciplinarian. Jill, you are behaving like a little child, and I can not put up with it." Jill couldn't believe what she was hearing, what did Liz mean? "Come over here, Jill. Now bend over my lap." "No, please," Jill said, crying. "Jill..." Liz said in a voice that sounded sterner than I'd heard it in years. The next sound we heard was ten muffled spanks. Then there was no noise. We looked at each other in silence. Jill and Liz came walking back in. Jill was led back to her seat. She sat down. She showed no sign that the spanking had hurt. Then I thought of the sound. Liz had spanked her though her dress. The hurt was not physical. Jill looked at me. I could tell she had wiped tears away. "I'm sorry, Keith." I looked at her and sighed. "I'm sorry, too." Right then I thought of something just as crazy as they come. "Jill, would you do something with me?" She looked warily at Liz and then shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "I guess so." I walked around the table, put out my hand, and took hers. Walking with her into the music room, I stopped. I let go of her hand for just a moment, while turning on a record. I stepped to her, and looked her right in the eye. "Let's dance." Not giving her time to answer, much less think, I started. She had no idea where to step. She was more of a rag doll being lead around the room, and into the hall, than anything else. The one thing that changed though was her face. It was gradual. After the first song ended, and the second began, there was a smile appearing. By the end of the third song, her smile was complete. That was good, because my legs were ready to stop. I never cared for the next song on the record, anyway. The record was changed, and the music started again. I looked around. Just about everyone was watching us. I had been so fixated on Jill, I hadn't realized. Thinking I was going to need to dance again, I took a deep breath. Then I felt a tap on my back. I turned and saw Laura. I grinned at her. "Did you want to cut in?" She nodded timidly. I took Jill's hand and placed it into hers. Thinking I was done, I took a step back. Liz stepped in front of me. "Not so fast," she said. I looked her right in the eyes and said, "That is dictated by the music." She shook her head, "You just think you're funny." This time it wasn't just Jill and Laura, Liz and myself. Everyone seemed to pair off and dance. As we danced, Liz and I talked. "Keith, I'm sorry, I lost it with Jill. Last night in her room... she was so... I know I didn't hurt her, but..." "You hurt her by being disappointed in her. That hurt her the worst. Now she needs to bring herself back into your good graces." "But Keith..." "She has to. Not you. Just allow her to do so. There is something going on inside her. I'll bet she knows just what it is, but can't say it. You may have just been given the opportunity to find out what it is." "What are you talking about?" "Let her know why you are disappointed then she has a way of redemption. Tell her she is hiding a secret. A secret about me and it is hurting you two. She will get it out in the open, so she can redeem herself in your eyes." "How come you were doing everything wrong yesterday, and today you have all the answers?" "Don't ask me. If you wait around, I'll do more stupid things." Liz laughed, "Oh, I'm sure of it!" I pinched her butt, causing her to yelp. As soon as that song ended, Jill was in front of me again; but with Laura, as well as Dorothy, and Susan. Jill gave nodding signs to Dorothy. "Umm, Mr. Paterson..." "Please. Call me Keith," I said to her when it looked like she was having problems getting out the words. "Keith, then," Dorothy started. "Act," Laura said. A little smile came across Dorothy's lips. She straightened, and looked at me. "Mr. Keith Patterson," she said in a voice that was definitely not normal, "may I inquire when the train runs through this town?" I was glad I wasn't the only one to start laughing. Her sister was howling, holding her sides. I fortunately stopped before the others. I took her hand, and held it up as though I was perplexed by it. "My deah," I said in an accent I'd heard people in Boston use, the last time we'd been out there. I waved my free hand around. "I can't see why you trouble yourself with such incidentals. There are, as we now know, ruffians and infidels that board such contraptions." Now that the laughter had died down, people were waiting, looking to Dorothy to see what she would say back to me. Looking to Jill, who looked at me, shaking her head, she nodded back to Dorothy with steely eyes. I wondered what I'd just got myself into. She curtsied. As I still held her hand, it made it all the more genteel. "But, Sir," Dorothy said, matching my accent, "the man who owns my heart is upon that contrivance. If it does not stop, I shall be forced to throw myself in front of the next one, for where would I be without him?" I knew I had been outdone, but I wasn't going to give up. "Then, by all means... Pinafore, Winifred," I called to non existent persons, "Come fetch my cloak. Fair maiden, we shall halt the iron beast. We shall force it to cast out your love from within its belly." "Thank you, kind sir," Dorothy said. Or at least I think that is what she said. Everyone was laughing in hysterics at our round. She leaned into me, and kissed my cheek. I blushed from it. Then, looking at my watch, I announced, "The train should arrive about forty minutes from now. Who wants to go see this historic event?" As expected, just about everyone did. Richard and I looked at each other. We had more people out here than we had transportation. That was going to need to change very soon. ------- Jimmy, Pamela, Sarah, Stephanie and Daisy were the first people I brought into town. They wanted to see the train arrive, but before that, they wanted to see Brian and Barbara. I dropped them off in front of Millie's house. Richard brought Katy, Dora, Katharine, Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth into town. It was a little close, but Kristina sat on Katharine's lap and Kenneth sat on Katy's lap, and no one cared. Katharine wanted to ask Jack a question. She thought her children would like to see the downtown, as they practically lived there for a time. Katy and Dora stopped by to see Annabelle and Julie. We arrived back at the house, close to the same time, to take the second load. The others were just as anxious to go, so we left quickly. I had Robin, Kristin, Jill, Dorothy, Susan, and Laura with me. As we got in, I picked up Laura and sat her on Jill's lap. No one said a word about it, but there were a few glances my way. Richard had Liz, Tiffany, Vicky, Mary, and Beth Ann in his car. A total of twenty-three of us were going to gather, to greet the train. It took two very full trips, but we got everyone downtown. As we gathered, I was surprised to see a few others had joined. Annabelle had walked down with Katy. Millie and Janice (the other school board members) were also there. Liz reminded me that Grace was also on the train. I moved over to Millie and heard Richard asking the question I was about to. "Who is watching Brian and Barbara?" Millie looked over to Annabelle and answered, "Julie is watching them." Richard looked as surprised as one gets. I'm sure he wanted to ask more questions, but the whistle blew, and everyone started getting excited. Richard and I had to contain Kenneth, who was a little too excited. I looked to see where Jill, Laura, Dorothy, and Susan were. It looked like Dorothy was ready to hyperventilate. With Kenneth in tow, I maneuvered over to Katharine and said she might want to have a talk with Dorothy. She glanced over to the girl and quickly went over to her. The last thing we needed was a fainting spell. As the train slowed, we could see two figures poking their heads out from the car. The train came to a stop. The conductor opened the chain, and placed a step on the station's platform. I saw Kevin glance back at Grace. She smiled at him, and nodded. He stepped off the train, wishing he could leap to the platform. Jimmy and Pamela moved out of his way as he walked as quickly as he could, towards his intended target. Sweeping Dorothy into his arms, he hugged and twirled her. The surprised, yet very pleased expression was one everyone got to see on Dorothy's face. Then he set her down. As she looked up to him, he kissed her. I looked over to Grace and saw her chuckling. 'This, ' I thought, 'is going to be an interesting visit.' ------- Brian and Barbara looked at Julie. Neither one of them could believe what had just happened. Millie and Annabelle had walked out the door, along with Jimmy, Pamela, Daisy, Sarah, and Stephanie. "Julie," Brian said. "Please look at the clock, and tell me what time it is." As soon as Julie went to the kitchen, Barbara whispered, "Why?" "I want to know how long 'til the train arrives." Barbara's eyes grew, "Oh!" Julie came back with the time. Brian squinted, thinking hard. Then he announced, "About twenty minutes." "What's twenty minutes?" Julie asked. "Before anyone shows up," Brian said, satisfied. Barbara looked at her love and then slowly smiled. They had talked about this, among other things last night, while Brian's parents slept. "Julie, come over here," Barbara said, then suddenly said, "no, not this side, the other." Looking rather nervous, Julie looked down at Brian. "Julie, you know he's mine, don't you?" Nodding before answering, she said, "Yes Barbara. I'd never take him from you. I... I wouldn't do that." Barbara smiled, "I knew that, but I needed to hear it. Now would you like to kiss him?" "What!" Julie was very surprised. "Julie, ummm..." Barbara started to blush. "I know there aren't many boys around, and I thought you might be..." Barbara never got to finish before Julie jumped in. "Yes! Yes, I do!" Then she blushed, realizing her exuberance. "Ok, now what you do is..." Barbara stopped saying anything more as she saw Julie reach over, take hold of Brian's face, turn it slightly and pull her face in for a kiss. Brian didn't know what hit him. From their talk last night, Barbara told Brian, Julie had probably never kissed anyone before. He could tell, from the first contact of her lips that she knew just what she was doing. As she slipped her eager tongue past his lips, he was relishing every moment. As his body responded, and Barbara noticed his dick rising, she got jealous. "That's enough," Barbara pouted. Julie didn't want to, but the sound of Barbara made her. Looking over, Julie saw a very unhappy girl. "When did you learn to kiss... like that!" Barbara said accusingly. Julie dropped her head as tears started to flow. "Yesterday," she got out in broken speech. Brain was looking between the two girls. He couldn't figure out what was going on. Barbara had talked him into kissing Julie. She needed comforting, love, and the caring from them, she'd said. Now it looked like just the opposite was happening. "Barbara, I don't understand," Brian stated. "She's..." Barbara's face was turning red with anger. "She's been practicing! Who have you been doing that with?" Barbara demanded. Great tears were flowing now, as she sobbed. "Robin. Katy thought I should know. Now I..." Julie got up and ran out of the room. "Robin?" Barbara said, stunned. She looked over to Brian. "Did I just make a big mistake?" Brian winced, because he didn't want to say the truth, but did, "I think so." "Damn it," Barbara said to the surprise of Brian. "Julie?" Barbara called. There was no answer. "Julie, please. I need to talk to you." There was still no answer. Brian watched, unable to do anything as Barbara cried. ------- Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca were driving in the Jeep. They stopped at the train landing on their way to the north end of town. They met the new arrivals from the train as well as yesterdays arrivals, Dorothy, Susan, and Laura. I noticed that Rebecca and Jill conveniently stayed away from each other. I wasn't sure how, but I needed to show Jill that her mother was happy with this situation. Her mother needed to understand Jill was grown up and not a little girl. I did learn from Jack that they often went out to the north of town, where the vacant lots were. Being cramped into a hotel room, even if it was the largest room, was getting to them. Planning their new house was enough to keep them going. Plus, as Jack said to me in hushed tones, going out there was almost always a guarantee of great sex in the open air. Today they were going on a picnic. They took off, and Richard and I were left with the daunting task of getting everyone home. We found it was made easier, when quite a number of them said they wanted to do some things in town. Kristin wanted to take Liz, Tiffany, Vicky, and the newly arrived Grace, to see the town. The sights, Kristin had said in front of me, were to include the pool on their tour. The downtown and of course the old bank (holding the treasures from the hidden basement of the mansion) were also part of the tour. The three school board members also stayed, wanting to get acquainted with Grace. Jimmy and Pamela wanted to go back and see Brian and Barbara. They said they would find Kristin downtown later, for a ride home. As soon as Pamela was out of sight, Daisy said she wanted to go home and talk with her dad. I asked if she wanted me there. Shaking her head, she told me she wanted to do this alone, but would be back for the second ride out. She wasn't going to stay. I didn't like the sound of that. I told Robin about it. She said she'd talk with Daisy, and go with her to the house whether she liked it or not. I had to smile at the determination my wife had. She was always ready to protect her friend. We were going to have three full trips home. I let Richard take two of them and I took one, with Kevin, Dorothy, Susan, Jill, Laura, and Sarah. I told Kristin I'd leave the car downtown for her to use later. She didn't question how that would happen, only that it would. Once back at the mansion, the girls took Kevin on a grand tour of the place. I could tell he was very taken by its architecture. As I found out what he did, I thought he'd be interested in some of the parts the girls might have left out. He thought that the way they had contrived to bring water up from the cistern in the basement, to the kitchen, fascinating. Then I showed him the secret levers that opened the floor to the basement. It was then that Jill told me that he hadn't come to see me. I had to laugh, but agree. Kevin did ask if he could talk to me later that day, in private. I told him I would be glad to. I was wondering if I already knew what he wanted. I wasn't sure how to proceed with the sleeping arrangements. That was not usually my call. ------- Jimmy and Pamela, running all the way, arrived before anyone else. Jimmy walked in, thinking he might catch them in the act of something embarrassing. The house though, was quiet to the point of concern. They first noticed Julie, sitting on the couch. She looked up at them from having her head in her hands. It was obvious she'd been crying. Upon seeing them, Julie stated, "I'm going home now," and walked out the door. Jimmy and Pamela ran into the bedroom. "What happened?" Barbara started crying again. Brian said, "Robin," but Barbara's crying had got to him and his throat choked up, preventing him from saying anything more. "I'm going to get her," Jimmy said, and ran out of the house, leaving Pamela wondering what she should do. Looking at the two, she thought it best to clean them up and got a washcloth from the bathroom. Brian was easy, but she was still gently cleaning the tearstains off Barbara's face when Annabelle came into the house. Annabelle had seen Jimmy running down the road. When she arrived, she rushed into the bedroom thinking the worst. "What happened? I saw Jimmy running down the road..." Annabelle asked. There might not have been much communication, but Pamela was intuitive enough to understand some of what had gone on. "Hurt," Pamela said. "Hurt what?" Annabelle pressed on thinking she shouldn't have left. "Feelings." "Oh," Annabelle said looking at Brian and Barbara. She thought she hadn't seen her daughter and had to ask. "Where's Julie?" "Gone," Pamela said. Annabelle was getting frustrated, "Can't you say more than one word at a time?" "No, she can't," Brian said, defending Pamela. "She has a problem." "Oh," Annabelle sighed, feeling bad. "Brian, can you tell me what happened? Where's my daughter." "She went home?" "Why?" "Because of me," Brian said. Barbara looked, stunned, over at him. Annabelle saw the look. She knew she was in way over her head, again. The silence lengthened but neither side had anything new to ask or say. Fortunately Katy walked in with Jimmy. Annabelle looked at her, relieved. "Can you try and make sense of what went on here? I need to go home and talk with my daughter." "Annabelle," Katy said directly, "Don't talk with her yet. Just bring her back. That, in itself; will be hard enough I'll bet. She won't want to come." Then, turning to Barbara and Brian, she added, "Will she?" "No." Brian answered. As Annabelle walked out the door, she realized Katy had a lot of influence in her life. Richard too, for that matter. As she walked down the lane, she realized that when she was in their presence, life was just a lot more pleasant. She didn't understand it all, but knew that was how she felt. As she got to her house, Annabelle remembered Katy's words: Julie would not want to come. She entered, prepared for an argument. Julie was sitting in her room, curled up on the bed. "Julie, get up. Katy wants to talk with you." To her amazement her daughter did just what she'd asked. "Where is she?" Julie asked. "With Brian and Barbara. She said you might not want to go, but to bring you in any case." Julie frowned. The two people, who really knew what was going on, were Katy and Robin. She sighed, hoping Katy knew how to take away the pain she was feeling. Not saying a word, she just walked out the door. Annabelle shook her head, hardly believing that Julie would listen to Katy. ------- "It's a good thing your mother is with the school board, today," Katy said to Brian, after Annabelle walked out. "Now, do you mind telling me what happened?" "I told Julie she could kiss Brian." Katy raised her eyebrows, "Oh? Why would you let her kiss your boyfriend?" "I thought she needed to feel loved, too. Brian and I talked about it. Julie said this morning that she knew Brian was mine, and she would never try and take him away from me. But then she kissed him." "Barbara, now wait just a minute, here. Didn't you say she could?" "Yes, but not like that!" Katy stifled a laugh, "Like what?" "She... She knew what she was doing. I think she knew how to kiss a lot better than me." "Oh," Katy said, getting the picture. "You got jealous." "No I... Yes, I did. I couldn't help it." "Let's just wait until she comes back, then." "You think she will?" Barbara said hopefully. "Yes, she will." ------- Laura and Susan came in from outside, and went upstairs. Jill came in seconds later. I could tell something was wrong. "What's getting to you?" I asked casually. "I didn't think he'd be so..." "Affectionate?" Jill looked at me, perturbed. "Yes, maybe that. He's been so shy, but here..." "Jill, you need a diversion, and I need a hand. Want to help me?" "Do what?" she said skeptically. "I need to take the car back into town. I could walk back, but I think it would be good if I brought Katy's horse out here. It would be easier to feed, and everything." "So why do you need me?" Jill said knowing what I was going to say. "Well," I said trying to sound as convincing as possible. "It would be good to bring your horse out, as well." "I could do that at anytime." "Yes, but... well... It's been sometime since I've been on a horse." That was the truth, in a way. She didn't need to know I was very good in the saddle. My parents had ensured that I learned, along with music. My grandmother had wanted us to learn English riding. My mother, who had suffered through the riggers of training to look proper, put her foot down on that. But she did have us learn horsemanship. Jill laughed, "So, you don't want to help me riding my horse, it's the other way around." I cleared my throat, acting as embarrassed as I could. Having an amused smile on her face and feeling confident, she said, "I'll be glad to lead you back home, little boy." "Thanks for your vote of confidence," I said, knowing I had her; hook, line, and sinker. After telling Susan and Laura we'd be back soon with a couple of horses, Jill and I took off in the car. We left the car downtown, with the key in it. We got my horse first, at Katy's old house. I had Jill put on the saddle for me. Then I walked it over to get her horse. I could tell she was still a bit upset about others living in her house. She had the saddle on, and was ready in no time. "We aren't going to walk them out, so you're going to have to get on," she said to me. I stood on the nearest railing and pretended I was not very practiced in what I was doing. As soon as I dropped on, I used my foot away from Jill's sight to kick the horse. As expected, she took off. It surprised Jill and she was soon right after me. I purposely guided the horse up the slope towards the spring, knowing I'd have a very good vantage point from there. As we got very close, I let the horse slow a bit and Jill caught up. She reached over and pulled the reigns, making the horse stop at the edge of the flat area set out for the spring. "You scared me," Jill said out of breath. "I'm sorry. It just went as soon as I got on," I said. I looked down wondering what else to say. It came to me, "I wasn't afraid, Jill. I knew you'd help me." Knowing that would be embarrassing to her, I didn't look at her, but out over Carp. I wanted to see where Jack was parked. I saw what must be his Jeep. I smiled as it looked to be on the other side of the creek. That made sense as this side had more foliage. The other side had a nice sand bank. Realizing I couldn't keep up the charade much longer and the fact that she'd never believe a wild horse routine a second time. I needed to come clean. "Come on, let's go," I said and led off. This time she watched me with the horse, turning back and forth. Jill came up beside me. "You are infuriating. You didn't need any help, did you?" "No, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to be in your company, Jill. Also, you needed to get on your horse, and we both know it." "Fine, you tricked me. Feel good?" "No. That's why I just showed you I knew how to ride." We let the horses set the pace, and said nothing to each other for a bit. I pulled my reigns, turning my horse. My horse nudged her horse, turning them both. "What are you doing?" Jill asked. "Going down by the creek. You ever galloped in water?" "You probably know this can't be done, normally," she said. "Are you talking about the water being low enough, now; or that this has a sandy bed, because we're in high desert, unlike most stream beds." "You are a pain, you know that?" she said. Then she smiled at me, "I only have my horse in the water with someone else in back." She took off ahead of me. She knew the person behind got wet. I think she thought of it as payback. I was thinking of it as a way to get her upstream. She looked back at first, seeing the water spray hitting me. The second time she looked back, as I saw her head turn I pulled up onto the shore. I made my way to the other side of the greenery. I didn't want to make much noise, too close. Swinging back and following me, Jill was laughing. "Get a little wet?" I shook my head, but loved hearing her laugh. She didn't say a word as I let my horse continue to walk along the edge of the brush. Luckily, I caught a reflection from the Jeep's window and knew we were there. That's when I dismounted. Jill watched me and snorted. "Come on down," I said. "I have half a mind to leave you here," she returned. "We aren't out here by accident, Jill." Jill looked around, but couldn't see anything, or anyone. I hadn't thought of what she might be thinking about us being alone. "Jill, we aren't alone." She looked around again. I took her reigns and held her horse. "I was hoping, after all this time, you could trust me," I said as a last ditch attempt. She jumped down, "You can be pretty mean, saying things like that, you know." "Yes, I know. I just need you to see this. So be quiet, ok?" She looked at me warily, and said, "Ok." She had let go of the reigns. I tied the horses up and then motioned for her to follow me. I got to where we could hear an occasional voice. It was muffled, over the running water and foliage, so she still didn't know who it was. I urged her on, through the bushes, to where we could see. Jill suddenly heard something, and recognized the sound. It took her back to the time she brought Laura to the falls, to a place where they were overlooking Sue and Betty. Looking quickly over to Keith, she realized he wouldn't know about that. Still, the feeling swept over her. Like it or not, she started to get horny. As we got close enough, she pulled the last leaf from out of her way, and then dropped it. Pushing back at me, she caused me to fall backwards. She landed on top of me. "That's my mom!" she whispered through her teeth, not paying attention to the position we were in yet. ------- Chapter 76 Jill had just looked at me a moment. It was obvious that our position didn't register. Might have, given more than that moment, but that didn't happen. We heard the unmistakable sounds of passion. Even if it was her mother, she had to look. It was good and bad, all at the same time. Bad: She was lying on top of me, so I couldn't see. Good: On the other hand, she was lying on top of me! Jill, true to her nature, wasn't quiet. I heard both her commentary, and the sounds. I was having a hard time controlling myself. "Oh my! I didn't know they made underwear that looked like that. Where did Cynthia get that stuff? Keith? That isn't the one we had..." She blushed as soon as she asked me that, and didn't want to look at me. Then I saw her eyes sort of glaze over. Jill's voice trailed off, thinking about the dildo that Cynthia was holding and then slipping into Rebecca, her mother. It brought Jill's mind to the school. The games Liz and she played. Jill was gone. Her mother or not, Jill wasn't opposed to two women playing. I could hear Rebecca moaning, and was seeing Jill's transfixed face. Then it happened. Jill moved slightly, her legs spread over my left leg. I looked at her in shock. It didn't even seem to register to her, as to what she was doing. I then tried to look down to where her crotch was now making contact. My eyes got as far as her breasts. They were right there, in front of my face, two perfect treats that I could see from the gap in her blouse. I was a bit torn as to what to do, knowing that touching her without her consent was out of the question. Then I felt an undeniable feeling, she had started to hump my leg! I think I was completely forgotten, at that point. Well, almost. Jill was panting, and then she slowly moaned. If I was to guess, she'd just had a small orgasm. The panting resumed, then there was a sharp intake of breath. "That's Jack." I looked up to her face, seeing her eyes wide. She started talking, mostly to herself again. "He's... Oh God, Mom!" Jill had frozen in place, just staring. "How does she? Oh no, they're changing places. Mom, you can't... You just did. God, Mom, he's just using you. Why the hell are you smiling? God, Mom, you're grinning." I could see the conflict in Jill. Her voice was saying one thing, and her body was doing another. She started moving her crotch again, slowly. "Cynthia, how did you get there? Mom? Wow, you can get... ohhhh." I felt Jill push down firmly on my leg, working herself back and forth. She was using my leg harder and harder. It was so difficult to not reach up and grab her. But, to tell the truth, just watching her was incredible. Jill's breathing was ragged. My leg was starting to hurt. Then I started to see the shudders pass through her body. Her left hand lost its grip, and she was off balance. She flung it to one side, to try and grab hold of something. She came into contact with my face. I stifled the pain. I'm not sure she heard anything. Maybe it was the contact itself. I was suddenly looking eye to eye with Jill. Her body wouldn't stop. She looked horrified, ashamed, caught in the act. I grabbed her, wrapped my arms around her, and pulled her into a big hug. I know it was not what she wanted. I could feel the squirming of her body, along with the ripples of her fading orgasm. Then I felt the tears. I wasn't going to let that happen. I pushed her back up, off of me. Then I got up, and turned around. I looked for myself at the scene across the water. Now Jack was behind Cynthia, who was on all fours. Rebecca was on her back, underneath Cynthia. Rebecca's hands were busy. Her legs were spread wide apart in front of Cynthia's gaze. "It does look like they're enjoying themselves," I said. Jill said nothing. "Jack has a lot of stamina for a man his age," I joked. Still nothing. "You should see it when Cynthia masturbates, she's very vocal." "Keith!" she said a little too loud. Fortunately the party across the water was making a lot more noise, so they never heard her. "Are you trying to tell me you think there is something wrong with that?" "Her doing it in front of you?" Jill said, sounding a bit confused. "No. Masturbating, in the first place. You were damned embarrassed." Silence. "Jill, look..." I tried to say. "There's a big difference. You weren't doing it... using me," she almost cried. I took hold of her face, and turned her towards me. I guess I was getting a bit embarrassed now, cause I could feel my face flushing. "I... uh... I could have stopped you." I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Jill. I think I was using you there, not the other way around. I should have stopped you. I never thought..." "Would you shut up?" I did. Jill had never said anything like that to me, before. Jack broke our silence. He had obviously hit his peak. We both looked as his body thrust into, and he held onto, Cynthia. Then as quickly as he withdrew, Cynthia squatted above Rebecca's face. It was obvious what was happening, even if we couldn't see it. Slowly, ever so slowly, Cynthia inched herself down, until she made contact with Rebecca's face. I watched Jill's reaction, and saw her getting excited about the whole affair. She couldn't help it. I couldn't help it, either. Soon, we saw Cynthia build up, and go over the edge again and again. She fell away from Rebecca's mouth and tongue. Rebecca's face was coated. She smiled, contentedly. Jack got up. He had the dildo in his hand. He wiped any extra fluids he had around his dick, onto it. He stepped between Rebecca's legs, and slid the dildo into place. Then they stood and stretched. I thought, just then, that Jill was a young version of her mother. Beautiful, much more so than when I had seen Rebecca on the base. Of course, the situation there was much, much different. Jill slapped my arm as she saw my stare (as if she could read my thoughts). I just grinned foolishly. "Rebecca, you will only wear your skirt and blouse into town. No cleaning up, either," Jack said. Jill turned and looked at me. I pointed. I wanted her to see this. "And keep that between your legs until we get to the room. Then we'll make you glad you did." There was no denying the wanton lust in Rebecca's eyes. We saw her. Although we couldn't hear her say, "Yes. Thank you." We saw it. Her whole body responded. She slipped on her blouse, and then her skirt. I pulled at Jill, and she moved back with me. I stepped into the saddle, and Jill followed. I caught a glimpse of Jill's panties. The white material was darkened with dust. I saw just a flash, thank goodness. I didn't need to be caught staring, although that's just what I had been doing. The horses had had a good rest, and now I was running mine at full gallop, with Jill closing fast. "What's the hurry," she shouted as she caught up to me. "We need to catch them before they reach the bridge," I yelled back. The look on her face was priceless, but she kept up with me. As we got close to the bridge and the foliage tapered off, we slowed down. I had been thinking along the way of what to say to the questions Jill was going to raise. "Are we just going to ride up and say, 'Oh, and what were you three just doing?'" she asked. "No, I think you should tell your mom you are taking the horse out with you. It's a perfectly good reason to meet them." Jill opened her mouth, looking at me. Then slowly closed it, nodding. We had a straight shot to get to the bridge. Although they were going faster, the way was a bit longer for them. They also had to put their blankets away. We were on the other side of the road, near the pool, when we saw them start to cross the bridge. I turned my horse around. Jill followed, and we met them on this side of the bridge. It was pretty obvious that Rebecca was nervous. Jack was grinning. He knew I must have planned this, owing to the questions this morning. I got off my horse, and motioned for Jill to do the same. "Rebecca," I said, winking at Cynthia, "could we have a word with you?" Looking at Cynthia and Jack (who were no help), she had to say, "Sure." "Come on. Let's take a walk down to the pool. The horses need a drink, anyway." I could see Cynthia trying hard not to laugh, as Rebecca maneuvered stiffly out of the Jeep. She climbed over the side, as Jack and Cynthia sat and watched. I then remembered the dildo. It must want to slip out, and she was having a hard time keeping it in. I was in the center, between the horses. Jill was on one side, Rebecca (her mother), was on the other. As we got down to the bank of the pool, I thought, 'this is now or never.' "Jill, come over here," I asked. She walked around her horse. I met her to the other side, where her mother stood. "Watch," I bent and whispered in Jill's ear. To Rebecca, I said softly, "It almost looks like you're not wearing undergarments, Rebecca. Shall I ask Cynthia about that? I noticed the extra sway of your breasts. Maybe you don't have any panties on, either. Mmmm, I could check. I don't think Cynthia would mind if I do. Now, the thing that has me very curious is how you're walking kind of funny. Tell me, Rebecca, why is that?" She was just watching me. Her eyes followed me as I walked around her. Her breathing grew more and more rapid as I talked. It was very obvious that she had no bra on, as her nipples pushed against her blouse. I looked at Jill. Her eyes didn't even glance my way. She was staring at her mother. I walked to Jill's back, and leaned in close to her ear. "Jill, what do you see? A woman in pain? In fear? Or one, for reasons you don't understand, enjoying what she's doing?" Jill turned her head, and looked into my eyes. We were close enough that our noses touched. I turned back to Rebecca. "I want you to tell your daughter how much you love being in the company of Jack and Cynthia." She thought for just a second then said, "Oh, I do, Honey. They make me feel..." "Mom," Jill interrupted. "They make you do..." then she said what she feared, "They force you..." "Oh no, Honey. I want to do what they tell me to do. That isn't force. They love me. I love them. Jill, I know this isn't what you thought I was like. Your father and I..." Rebecca was lost in thought for a moment. Then she added, "Can't you be happy that I am happy?" "But what about me?" "Jill, I'm your mother. I know I haven't been a very good one in the past, but I always will be your mother. You are a grown up woman, now. I can see that. You have people who care for you, and love you. Liz, Kristin, Mary. And then there is Keith. He's been protecting you, and I'm sure he would do anything in the world for you." Jill blushed at that. "The main goal in life, as a mother," Rebecca said, "is to make sure her child grows up to be happy. Aren't you happy now, Jill?" Jill stopped her mind for just a moment, and thought on that one question. "Yes, Mom. I think I am." Rebecca smiled and held out her arms. The two embraced. I sighed. This was good to see. Very good. I saw Jill look up to her mother, and then to me, blushing. Jill, as she was that close, could see clearly the sheen on her mothers face. She knew just what it came from. Rebecca must have remembered what her face looked like, because she started to blush. I took hold of the horses' reins, and we started walking back up to the Jeep. "Mom," Jill said somewhat timidly. "Yes, Honey." "How come it doesn't fall out?" "What?" "The dildo." Rebecca's eyes popped wide open, "How did you know about that?" "Just answer the question, Rebecca," I said, derailing that explanation. "Muscle control, if you must know," Rebecca said, in full blush. We got back. Rebecca gingerly climbed back into the Jeep and they drove away. Jill looked at me for a bit, before saying anything. "I never would have believed you about my mom." "I know. You needed to see for yourself." ------- The doctor arrived at the Mansion, much to the surprise of many there. He was looking for Laura. She came down, with the other girls in tow. "Did you forget we were going to have an appointment?" Laura sighed. "Yes." "Well, come on, let's get it over with." ------- Jill and I were ready to head back out to the Mansion, when we saw Robin and Daisy walking down the lane towards us. "Keith, we can't find him." Daisy said, agitated. "Who?" "My dad." Jill and I glanced at each other. We dismounted, and we all walked back to Daisy's house. On our way there, Robin looked over to me. Her eyebrows raised, asking the question I'm sure she wanted to voice. I shook my head, put my arm around her, and whispered in her ear. "No, to answer your immediate question, we didn't. But I'll tell you what happened, later. It turned out very good." As soon as we tied up the horses, I looked at the house. The front door had been left open. "You didn't tell Pamela you couldn't find your dad, did you?" I got a dirty look from Daisy, telling me I didn't need to ask a question like that. I walked in. It didn't look much different from the last time. The smell from the bathroom was less, but still present. I started to open up the door to Mildred's bedroom, then turned and looked at the girls. "Did you look in here?" They shook their head. I saw the sadness in Daisy's eyes, saying she couldn't. I continued to open the door the rest of the way. No one had been in the room. If nothing else, Robert had to come here, to get clothes. Not a good sign. I wasn't sure that any of them should hear my conversation with Patrick. I didn't think Patrick would want them around, as he explained what he went through at the loss of his wife, and what to expect from Robert. It was my job though. I had told Mildred I would look after Daisy and Pamela, and I would. We walked back outside, this time closing the door. "You three go back out to the house. I'll be out a bit later. I have some people to talk to. Daisy, you might as well take your horse out there as well. I'll leave a note on the door so Robert will know where it's gone to. You know, he must have been around. The horses have been fed." Daisy answered, "We always take care of each others horses, doesn't mean anything." I didn't stop and ponder that one; it just seemed natural for Carp. Robin and Jill were walking towards the horses, but Daisy was standing still. She didn't want to go. "I have to find out where your dad is. Daisy, you know what kind of condition he could be in. Do you really want to see him that way?" It was a bit harsh, but she knew it was the truth as well. Robin and Jill, hearing me, had turned and walked back to her. She shook her head as Robin and Jill took her hands, leading her over to the horses. "I'll get a ride back with the others." Then as an after thought, I said, "Do you want to take the other horse out with you?" "No, Dad will need it," Daisy said, then added, "when he's better." She mounted her horse. As soon as Jill and Robin were in the saddle, the three rode off. I left a note about the horse and then went to find Patrick. Patrick wasn't hard to find. He was in what I now considered his home. He came out with me, and we took a little walk. I began by telling him that it didn't look as though Robert had been in his house. He understood. He also knew it wasn't a good sign. He steered me to the mine, and then to several other houses. He gave everyone the general idea we needed to know where Robert was. His girls needed to see their father. Patrick then told me we would know by dinnertime at the latest, where he was. Then we could get him together with his girls. I didn't quite understand the possible reluctance of telling us where he was. Patrick said that drinking was looked on by most, as the 'liquid of the devil'. Admitting that you might have it, and especially had given it to Robert... That it had caused him not to see his daughters... It would not fair well. It started to make sense to me. It also gave me an uneasy feeling about the multiple pregnancies that would soon be seen in town. That, though, was a conversation for another time. As I left, I was thinking of how it was all set up. After dinner, Robin and I would bring the girls over, and the five of us would meet up with Robert. After he spent time with his daughters, Patrick would talk to him. I would just wait to see how everything went. I would maybe be bringing the girls home, or maybe not. ------- Richard and Katy walked into Millie's house. They didn't bother knocking, as the front door was wide open. Hearing a lot of laughter coming from the bedroom, Richard and Katy looked at each other and smiled. Jimmy and Pamela, Barbara and Brian, as well as Julie, were in there. They were having a very good time. Richard and Katy saw Annabelle in the kitchen. She was enjoying hearing the laughter, as well. Leaving the bedroom alone, Katy and Richard walked over to the kitchen. "Annabelle, Katy and I were talking. We need to take you down to Angle City." Almost cutting herself with the knife that was in her hand as she chopped the vegetables, Annabelle turned to Richard, looking horrified. "What did we do?" then starting to shake, she added, "We can't go back." Richard slowly shook his head. "You did nothing wrong. Don't you know that you belong here, now?" Tears started to flow, and Richard stepped in, holding the woman in his arms. Katy stepped behind, and the two enveloped Annabelle. "You had a house in Angle City, didn't you?" Richard asked. "Not much of one, but yeah, we did." "My guess is a horse, as well?" "Couldn't feed it, so we gave it to the Miller's. They were the nicest of the lot." "Annabelle, what you had is still yours. You need to get what is yours. My guess is that Julie might have left things?" In tears again, Annabelle nodded. "Tomorrow morning then. We'll drive down. The four of us," Richard said. They were still surrounding Annabelle with their hands, arms, and love. "What about Brian and Barbara? They can't stay on their own," Annabelle asked. "Mmmmm," Katy said. "Maybe Robin or Katharine could come over." "Katharine," Annabelle said. "She's a nurse." Katy almost laughed, "Annabelle, Robin has seen Brian naked since the day he was born." Blushing, she said she needed to finish preparing for dinner to go into the oven. Richard, still chuckling about what Katy had said, walked into the bedroom. ------- The trip with Patrick hadn't taken very long, so I dropped by to see how the tour of Carp was going. Grace, Tiffany, Vicky, Liz, Kristin, Millie, Dora, and Janice were in the school building. There were sheets of paper out and each was busy writing. "I didn't realize school was already in session," I said interrupting them. Grace looked up at me, nonplussed. "Maybe you could help. We need someone who is immortalized in a public pool, to come up with some 'swimmingly' good ideas." As the laughter from the table died down, I was still shaking my head. "It is no wonder Jill was having such a problem with her reluctant shot into fame." Grace looked at me with an opened mouth, embarrassed that someone would think she would do such a thing. Liz, who knew better, had a grin on her face. Tiffany and Vicky were looking between the expressions of Grace and Liz trying to figure out what was going on. It was Millie, who had seen my terrible wit played on her a time or two, who spoke only seconds latter. "Keith, that was terrible! She's our guest." "Yes, and I do remember when I was a guest out there," I said and winked at Grace. She had her finger up, and was shaking it at me. I ducked out before any other comments were made. Kristin was out the door, and caught up to me as I got outside. "What are you doing?" she said. "Bored?" I asked. "It really isn't my cup of tea," she said then she smiled. "I'd rather be with you." "You do know how to sweet-talk me, you know." "Yes, always have, haven't I?" "Kristin," I said, and without thinking of where we were, rubbed her belly, "I'll always love you." She glowed, slipped her arm into mine, and asked, "So where are we going?" "Over to give Richard a bad time," I laughed. "You're incorrigible, you know that?" "Me?" I said trying to sound as innocent as possible. "Yes, you! Look at what you did to your baby sister!" Kristin said, laughing as she rubbed her belly. I stopped and she looked over to my shocked face. "Kristin, I thought..." "Keith, I was just kidding," then she saw the corners of my mouth smiling at her. She shook her head, "Grrrr. Like I said, you are incorrigible!" We walked the half of a block, chatting. Then suddenly, near the end of the block Kristin yanked my arm, stopping and turning me. "Have you been in the bank?" I raised my eyebrows, and then remembered. That's where the 'treasures' from the Mansion were placed. "No. I saw everything first hand, so I haven't bothered." "The inside is so quaint. It sort of looks like just what you'd picture from one of those old western novels." She pulled me over to look through the window. She was right. Inside it was just as you'd expect. A lobby area had a desk in the back. To one side, were three teller windows. Two working desks were behind that. In the far back was the safe, open and empty. The display items were set up in the three open teller window areas. From the outside, you knew the walls were solid brick, but inside there was fancy wood paneling throughout. The stiles and rails were not molded, as I had seen in the house in Boston, but were plain. They were much more fitting for the area. Still, it gave the sign of opulence and money. I was quite sure this was the Birks' doing. It was a show of power in the area. "I assume this is locked?" I asked. "Yes. Jim has the only key, I think. Right now, it isn't sitting on his key rack like most of the other keys to these empty buildings. He didn't want to be responsible for anything in that display, in case something came up missing." I looked in again. "Want to open a bank?" "What?" I laughed and said, "Just a wild thought." "No, what did you say?" " 'Want to open a bank', why?" "Could I?" "I don't have any idea," I said. I wrinkled my brow, thinking about it. "When Memco pays the miners," I said, "it will be with a check. They've had a heck of a time with the ones the government has sent. I think that Jack has had to take care of a lot of that. Maybe you could ask him about it, if you want to. I'm not sure that this town needs a bank. Maybe just a place to cash checks." Kristin smiled, "Sounds like it could be fun. You know I like to play with money." "I think there's a bit of work involved," I said playfully to her. We chatted a bit back and forth, walking towards Millie's house. Before we got there, we saw Katy and Annabelle walking up the hill, away from us. It looked like they were heading towards the spring. Kristin was about to call to her, but I stopped her. "I think they have things to talk about," I said. Kristin looked at me, "Annabelle and Richard?" I hadn't thought of that, and shrugging my shoulders, I said, "I don't know." The door was still open to the house, so we entered. "Is anyone here?" I called out, hearing them in the bedroom. Julie popped her head out the doorway. Her eyes lit up, and she came running to us. Kristin laughed as Julie almost knocked me over with a bear hug. "Are we going out to see the other girls?" Julie asked. "Well, I don't have a car here." Julie looked at me strangely, "What about the one down by the old mine? Someone said they thought that was yours." "I did have a car here. I think I forgot all about that one. It seems like such a long time ago, that I used it. But I didn't leave it down there. Let's go take a look." "Really! Ok, let's go," Julie said tugging at me. "Hold on. I do need to say 'hi' to everyone else." Julie, still holding onto me, dragged me into the bedroom. Richard had an amused look on his face, "Taking a little walk?" "I understand my old car might be in a place I didn't leave it." "Couldn't be because you ticked off that guy... Laferty, could it?" I rubbed my chin, thinking of that pain in the neck. The last time I had actually had to deal with him was when he came into town as the one in charge, after the chemical spill. It was typical of his behavior how he herded everyone into the trains. It wasn't the last of my dealings with him. We had sparred sharply with each other. Thinking about it more, it would be something he would do... a petty revenge. "Those guys were all suited, so there wouldn't be any prints, even if we checked. Shame, 'cause it would be fun to nail the guy for a prank like that." Richard just smiled. He knew my contempt for the guy. "Go on and take a look. You have the keys, right?" I shook my head. "I left them in the car. Why would I need to do otherwise, in this town?" "Well, if you were getting married... and there was a chemical disaster right after... and they evacuated the town... and..." "Ok, enough already," I said and laughed. "I'm taking Julie, or maybe it's the other way around," I said. Kristin and Richard couldn't help but laugh. We walked out the door, leaving Richard with Pamela, Jimmy, Barbara, and Brian. ------- I found my car and a note from Mike, the chemical technician that came for the clean up, of all people. It said how he appreciated the use of the car. I threw the note on the dash, and started the car. It was a bit sluggish, standing there for some time, but then it started up. Something wasn't right. I grabbed the note again, rereading it. I was thinking I should show it to Jack. It just didn't seem like something Mike would have written, or done. Kristin and Julie climbed in and I drove back to Millie's place. I noticed Kristin giving me a funny look. When we drove up, Julie excitedly got out and ran to the house. Kristin turned to me. "You know this car holds some fond memories." I nodded, smiling as I thought about that. "Maybe," Kristin went on, "Robin, you, and I could take a little drive, sometime." I was smiling broadly now, but before I could answer, Jimmy was out the door, running to the car. "We aren't going back yet, are we?" "Why do you say that? Didn't you come here with Richard?" "Yes, but Julie says she's going out..." I laughed, "Jimmy, she has some new friends. I think that this is all very strange and exciting for her. She's never had a lot of friends. You, on the other hand, haven't been able to spend much time with Brian, and you and he are the best of friends." "Like you and Richard?" "Yeah, I guess so. But I think you two are even closer." Jimmy turned red from embarrassment. "Jimmy, I didn't mean that. You two have known each other longer and have grown up with each other." "Oh," Jimmy said looking down, still embarrassed. As that faded, he reiterated, "So Pamela and I get to stay?" "As long as Richard and Katy are here, yes." "Good!" With that he ran back in, as quickly as he had come out. Kristin and I were still looking at each other, smiling as we walked into the house. Everyone was still in the bedroom, although Katy and Annabelle had not returned yet. I had to explain to Barbara and Brian (who were unhappy, as Kristin and Julie raced to the car) that Julie wasn't mad, or even upset with them. They thought she must be, for wanting to leave. But just like I explained to Jimmy, she hadn't had many friends, and now she was going crazy with the idea that other kids could like her. Barbara understood, as she knew Julie when both lived in Angle City. With Barbara's understanding, Brian was satisfied. I thought, as I walked out; how much those two cared for each other. Pamela came running up to me. Looking at me in the eyes, she said, "Sister." "Your sister is back home. Robin, Jill, and she rode their horses out to the house." "Dad?" Pamela questioned. "The plan is to get together with him tonight." She brightened, knowing she hadn't missed anything. Putting her arms up, I picked her up. She gave me a big hug and a little kiss. I let her down, and she scampered into the house. "Boy, Keith," Kristin said as we got into the car, "she's like your daughter." "Don't remind me," I said, pulling away and heading for home. Kristin turned in her seat towards me. Julie, I noticed, was listening intently to our conversation. "What's bothering you?" I cleared my throat before saying, "I didn't want to be in that position." "Of having her love you like she does?" "No... Well, you know I love that... it's just... I'd like her love, but not 'cause she has to have me be her guardian. Oh hell, I'm not making any sense." "Yes, you are," Julie said. "You don't want to think that the only reason she loves you is 'cause she has to." "Yes, something like that." "I understand," Julie went on. "It'd be easy for you to think that of me, too. I mean; look at all you, Robin, Katy, and Richard have done for me and my mom. If I told you I loved you, you'd think it was just 'cause of all the nice things you've done. Not 'cause it's hard not to love all of you." Kristin turned to the back seat, and smiled. She reached over and took Julie's hands. "I bet you do love Keith, don't you?" Julie blushed. "Want to know a secret?" Kristin asked. I looked at her like she was crazy. "I love him, too. Always have, always will." Julie giggled, "Of course you do, you're his sister." "Yes, I am. Tell me something," Kristin said, cocking her head, "who does Robin look like?" Julie crinkled her brow as she thought. Kristin saw the dawning in her eyes before Julie spoke. "She looks just like you! I've seen those pictures in the hall. Robin and you could have been twins." Julie then looked at me, studying my face. I stared out the windshield, not wanting to look back at her, but knowing she was looking at me. "Keith?" Julie said. I knew it was coming. I slowed the car to a stop, just before the last bend to our house. "Yes, Julie." "Can't marry your sister, can you?" "No, you can't do that legally." I was waiting for the next question. "Can you marry more than one, though?" That was not what I expected. "What do you mean?" "Well if she wasn't your sister, could you marry Robin and Kristin?" Kristin stepped in to save me. "Julie, here is how it works. The law says you can only be legally married to one other person. But there is another way to marry." "How else can you marry?" Julie said, very confused. "You probably don't know about this yet, but there is a thing called 'the separation of church and state'. It means that the two aren't supposed to get involved in each other's business. Or at least, that's the idea. Hasn't always worked. But the state says it will only recognize one legal wife, or husband. The church can, though, marry more than once. It can be recognized by the church and God, but not by the state. Does that make sense?" "What's the difference?" "Well," Kristin went on, "the marriage by the state is the one everyone recognizes. When Keith and Robin got married, her name changed to his. If I got married to him..." I noticed that Kristin was lost for a moment. I don't think I realized until that point, how much that might mean to her. I would have to talk to Robin about that. "Well, we have the same last name, so that doesn't count. Ok, let's say Jill and Keith got married by the church. She'd have to go to court, and get her last name changed to his, so they'd be the same. But still, she wouldn't have all the rights his legal wife has." "That's not good." "No, maybe not, but that's the way it is." "So, if Pamela and Jimmy got married, then Pamela and Keith could get married, too?" Now talk about confusing. Kristin and I looked at each other. She smiled at me, a little too devilishly for my comfort. "I don't know about that," Kristin answered Julie. "He's already married. But say when Barbara and Brian got married..." Kristin was holding in a laugh as she saw Julie's reaction. "Yes, Julie, you could marry Brian then. But you know, it would be like marrying both of them. Barbara would have the final say." "I know, but I'd do..." Julie couldn't finish, she was so red from embarrassment. "Julie, talk with Robin," I said. "I know about the last time you had a nice talk; until I interrupted, that is." Julie's blush didn't fade, but she nodded. Kristin looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Robin was teaching Julie the finer points of kissing," I explained. "Oh," Kristin turned to Julie. "She does kiss nice, doesn't she?" "You've..." "Kissed her? Yes, of course I have, many times." Kristin said making it sound like it was something that shouldn't have even been questioned. I continued to the house, but just before we got out, I said to Julie, "Talk with Robin before saying anything else to anyone, ok?" Julie nodded, and jumped out of the car, running for the house. "Well, that was an interesting discussion," I said. "I'd heard she was falling all over Brian, and Barbara didn't mind." "Ok, but please don't push," I said. "The only one I'm going to push is you, into bed, with me. It's been too long." "Ok, Ok. I'll make sweet love to you," I said. I couldn't help but smiling, "But you know I'll enjoy it as much as you." "Sweet talker." We weren't to the house yet, when Daisy came out. I knew what her question was going to be. "We have plans to get together, after dinner," I said "So you saw him?" "No. Patrick and I walked around and told everyone, so it would happen." Daisy wanted a better explanation, and I felt she deserved it. So I told her what Patrick had told me. That made sense to her, as she'd grown up with those values. I also told her that Pamela had asked the same question, but was satisfied, knowing she hadn't missed anything. I never made it inside. When Daisy and Kristin opened the door, Kevin Smith was on his way out. "Keith?" he said. "May I have a word with you?" "Sure." Daisy and Kristin looked at me. I raised my eyebrows, shrugged my shoulders, as I didn't know what this was about. I had my suspicions, but that was it. They closed the door behind them. "Shall we take a walk?" "Ok," Kevin said, suddenly sounding unsure of himself. "So, what's this all about?" "I'd like to ask you a personal question if I may." "Go ahead. I might not want to answer it, though," I joked. He just nodded. "How did you do it?" "I'm not following you." "You're older that Robin. Not quite the age span as Dorothy and I, but close. How do you manage?" "That's a pretty open question," I said. Then I thought of what he might be asking, what Jill had said. "Are you talking about what others might think?" "Yes. I mean I love Dorothy more than... well... anything. I've never felt this way before, and it kind of scares me, but I have to admit that the age difference..." "Bothers you as to what others might think. What they might say, or even do." "Yes. Yes, that's it. So how..." "It bothered me, as well. One time, early on, Robin caught me shying away from being seen with her. It made her mad. I had to explain my feelings. She didn't like it, but understood. The one thing that I was waiting for was for us to be married. I knew as soon as that happened, it wouldn't make a damned bit of difference what anyone thought. They couldn't take her away from me," I said. I stopped walking and looked at him, "You're afraid someone is going to take her away, and you will lose her." "Yes. I'm afraid of what her parents will think. I saw Robin's mother, but she grew up with this tradition, so you didn't have this problem." I laughed, "Oh, no. I had a bad problem. When I first came into town, Katy didn't like me at all. She was sure I was just 'after one thing', from her daughter." "Then what did you do? Weren't you afraid of losing her?" "Oh, yes. It was very bad. There was really only one thing I could do." "What! What is it?" "I showed Katy how much I loved Robin. I kept on showing her, until she couldn't deny the fact that we were in love, and nothing would ever stop that." "That's it?" "It isn't that easy, but yes, that's it. It isn't loving, like kissing; but taking care of her, her family, her future." "So I just need to show Dorothy's parents how much I love their daughter?" "And she needs to show them the same thing. It's harder than it may seem. They might get mad, they might be happy... It's never easy to predict what people will think." I saw him nodding, so I went on. "Kevin, if you love her..." "I do. I'd... Well, I'd marry her if I could." "And does she feel the same way?" "I think so." "Kevin you need to do more than think. You have to know. You two need to do more than just have fun while you're here. You need to talk. Be with each other. Then, as the week progresses, you need to ask. You need to be sure. At that point, if she is in love as much as you are, you have to decide if this is what you want, no matter what. If you have that much commitment, that much love towards each other; then, and only then, will you convince anyone else about it." "You make a seemingly impossible situation look possible. Thank you." "No, don't thank me. Kevin, what I've told you is a lot of hard work, but if you want it, then it's worth working for." He smiled and said pointedly, "Dorothy is worth dying for." ------- We were having dinner. Richard told us about taking Annabelle and Julie down to Angle City to get what they had, and bring it back up. We all thought it was a good idea. That brought up the whole Annabelle and Julie story for Kevin, Dorothy, Susan, Grace, Tiffany, and Vicki, who didn't know the history behind it all. They were all amazed at how we reacted to the whole situation. Grace held her glass up for a toast to a community of unconditional love. There were many glances and smiles going around, thinking about how much love there was in this house. As soon as dinner was over, Daisy and Pamela were by my side. I knew just what they wanted, and couldn't blame them for their impatience. Grabbing Robin, we left to go to Patrick's. As soon as we arrived, I wondered what was going on. Patrick was outside waiting for us, but he was alone. The girls didn't wait, they jumped out of the car and ran towards him. "Where's our dad?" Daisy asked. Patrick looked at me, and I knew he hadn't been found. He looked very sad at that point. I knew, holding onto Robin, that this wasn't going to be good. Getting down on his knees, Patrick took hold of the Daisy and Pamela's hands. "Girls, he's not here. I don't know why, and we are going to find out. I would have thought someone would at least have told me something. This is not like people in this town to do something like this, and it is troubling." "What can we do?" I asked. "At this point, with everyone home now, I think the best thing to do is go door to door. It will be faster if we split up," Patrick said. "Daisy, would you come with me?" She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "No one will be able to hide anything if one of you is right there," Patrick said, making sense of her going with him. She nodded, knowing that was probably true. Patrick laid out the route each of us would take, close enough to each other so if we found him, we could get the other. We would work from one side of the town to the other. As soon as Robin, Pamela, and I got to the second house, we knew this was going to take forever. Each person wanted to express their concern; some wanted to come help us. Everyone had something to say to Pamela. We were sure Daisy and Patrick were getting the same treatment. As we were more than half way done, I noticed Pamela was walking slower. "Honey," I said, "What's wrong?" "No one." "No one what?" "Seen him." "You're right." Then she added, "In days." "If he's with someone, no one else might have seen him. We've only checked half the houses, so there are a lot more." I could tell I hadn't convinced her. I didn't know what to say that might comfort her, right then. It was nearly nine by the time we ended up at Millie's house. The last three houses we visited had opened their doors not in the best of moods. They had gotten ready for bed, as they rose early. After seeing Pamela, as distraught as she was becoming, they were upset as well. Millie greeted us with open arms. Pamela and Daisy were a mess at this point. No one could remember seeing their father, for the last day or more. Bruce, Patrick and I stepped outside. "We have to take this as serious as it may be, at this point. With no one seeing him..." Patrick said in a hushed tone, setting the mood. "We'll need to check the mines," Bruce said. I wasn't quite clear of what they were talking about, or maybe I just didn't want to yet. "Can't do that till the morning though," Bruce added. "Wouldn't he need food?" I asked. They looked at me, realizing that I just wasn't on track. "Keith, we need to start looking for his body." My knees buckled from under me, and I found myself holding onto the porch rail. The sharp pain in my arm, from putting more pressure on it than it should have held; brought me back to reality. "He wouldn't," I implored. "Are you sure?" Patrick asked. I sat down on the porch and thought for a bit. "No," I said. "Isn't there any other place he might be?" Patrick and Bruce looked at each other I knew the answer was 'no', but I didn't want to give up yet. "We didn't look at... The spring, the cemetery..." "I heard Katy was up at the spring today, so that's out. Why don't you check out the cemetery? I'll get you a flashlight," Bruce said and went inside. "Keith, it wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened. I know it's not pleasant to think about. At least the girls are in a good home, with people who love them." "It's not the same." "No. No it's not, but sometimes we don't have the ability to make all the choices." Bruce came out with the flashlight. Daisy came out right after him, and looked at me holding the light. "I don't think you should come with me." "I didn't ask what you thought. It's my dad," Daisy said in a very testy voice. Sighing, I just nodded and we started walking. I took hold of her hand, wanting to add some sort of comfort. "Were are we going?" she asked. "To the cemetery." I felt her grip on my hand tighten. "He may be there, not wanting to leave her." "Oh, Keith," Daisy said releasing a torrent of tears. I was beginning to realize. She wasn't over grieving for her mother, and now she had to deal with this. I just hugged her and let her cry, until she was ready to release me. Continuing down the road, we got to the main street in town. I looked down the street, and saw a line of people. I couldn't make out what was happening or why. Daisy saw it as well, and grabbed hold of my arm, just about cutting off my circulation. She was shaking. I looked at her as her eyes filled again. Looking back at the gathering of people, I saw the candlelight. One first and then it went down the row. Soon the whole line of people had a lit candle in front of them. We watched as more joined. I was getting choked up, even if I didn't understand the significance of why they were there. Pulling her arm, I turned her away from the people and towards the darkness. At this point, I had to turn on the flashlight. Its broad beam lit the way. We made it into the cemetery, and Daisy pulled me to the site. Ten feet away we stopped, stock-still. My flashlight focused on a metal lunchbox. "Th-that's m-my d-dad's," she stuttered out. I was holding a shaking girl, trying to keep the flashlight steady. It wasn't working well. The soft sound of a somewhat familiar gospel tune was getting closer. I turned, and saw the line of people walking towards us, surrounding us. Anyone close enough, could see where my flashlight pointed. Yet not a one made a comment. They just kept on singing. I saw Jim and his wife. I handed Jim the flashlight, still pointing at the lunchbox and walked Daisy over to it. She just about crumbled to the ground, as we got there. I knelt on the ground next to her. Taking the lunch box in my hands, I opened it. Inside was a picture of Mildred, young and beautiful. Another picture, of Robert and her, all smiles. There was a woven cloth, that when I picked it up, Daisy gasped. I didn't understand the significance, but she obviously did. The last thing was a note. I'm sorry but I can't go on like this It isn't fair to my children Know that I always loved them and one day, with hope, they will be able to love me again Robert I looked at Daisy after reading the note, wanting to spare her. Wanting to protect her from this hurt. I knew there was no way to do it, as she took hold of the paper in my hand. As she read it, she let out a cry, "NOOOOOOO!!!" The next thing I knew, Patrick was by my side, helping me up. I then was able to help Daisy up. He took her hand, and they walked out of the gathering. They walked back towards town, and then up to Millie's. I walked numbly with the others, following, not quite knowing what to do. Patrick came to Millie's home, and took Daisy in. I stood with the others. Jim handed me the flashlight, and gave me a push to the door. I walked in, taking one look back at all of the concerned faces. It was late by the time we got home, yet everyone (except Kenneth) was still awake. They wanted to see how the Robert was, hoping for the best. Anticipation and excitement drained as we walked in the door, and got worse as the tale of what happened unfolded. It was a very sad night. I don't think any of us got much sleep that night. ------- Morning's light shines brightly, cheerfully, even if you are feeling as gloomy as the darkest of night. Jack came out to the Mansion in the morning. He was downtown, when the one and only phone rang. Shelly had called. She had asked questions about their impending trip to do field research. She was going to be calling back in the afternoon, sometime, so he was letting us know. This was great, I thought sarcastically. Jack's arrival woke the whole house. Others started stumbling down the stairs, one and two at a time. No one had been up early enough to start breakfast, so those who first ventured into the kitchen for coffee found the stove cold. I was rubbing my eyes, still trying to wake. Robin and Kristin came down the stairs, flanking Daisy. As soon as they were down, I moved over and gave Daisy a long hug and a little kiss. No words were necessary. Pamela came down a few minutes later, her eyes still red from crying. I scooped her up into my arms, and hugged her tight, although I felt no hug in return. Setting her down, she scampered over to her sister. I saw Stephanie, Elizabeth, Sarah, and Kristina on the second floor landing, looking down at us. I motioned for them to come down. They did, but slowly. Daisy and Pamela walked out the front door and the girls rushed to me. "She's not talking at all now." "Not even to Jimmy." "And he was with her all night." "I think she cried all night long." "She was crying every time I was awake." "We didn't know what to do." "Keith, is she going to be ok?" They stopped talking, looking to me for an answer, something to calm their fears. I wasn't sure what to say. "Girls, I think the worst of any situation is when you don't know the answers... when you only have questions in your mind. I don't have answers, but I have to hope that in the end, Pamela and Daisy will be all right. We just have to show them how much we love them, even when it doesn't look like they want us to. If they know they are loved, they will survive." Kristina looked up to me with very sad eyes, "Is their dad really dead?" It shook me, knowing what they had been through. Their dad suddenly dead. "Kristina, we don't know. We're going to be spending today looking for him. Right now, we have to hope." She just nodded, sadly. I was suddenly incredibly angry at Robert. How the hell could he do this? I walked out the door, knowing if I stayed in the house, I'd say something that I didn't think anyone wanted to hear. Outside, waiting in the car, were Pamela and Daisy. I took a deep breath, and walked to the car. Before I could open the door, just about everyone came out of the house. Robin and Katy walked forward. "Keith, this isn't for you to do, it is for us to do," Robin said to me. I leaned over the hood of the car, supporting myself, and started to cry. Then, thinking of the two in the car, I stopped myself. I looked up. I looked into the car, then at the rest of the people on the porch. "Richard, you and Kristin will need to get everyone into town. Robin, are you ready to go?" "I've been waiting. Mary and Katy are ready as well. We might as well take a full load." "Come on, then," I said. We all got in, Robin taking Pamela and placing the girl on her lap. When we arrived, the downtown looked a bit different than normal. In the building that would be the new school, there was a line of people going in and out. I pulled up close, and we got out. As soon as everyone saw Daisy and Pamela, there were hugs and kisses from everyone. I had to pull them away, as I could see this was overwhelming them. Inside, Jim was sitting at a table next to Jack. Behind them was one of the maps of Carp that was usually in the communications trailer. There was tracing paper, taped together, over the top of the map. On that tracing paper, areas of land had been blocked off with several names on each section. Jack broke away from the table and told me that there was a search going on, out as far as anyone thought Robert might have gone. I noticed as I looked back at the map, that there were sections marked. Some with names and some to have names added. The sections included: up and down the creek, around each of the old abandoned mines, and into the new mine. Richard showed up with the first of the group from the house. He came in, as curious as I had been. Katy came over to us as I explained what was happening. "We were going to Angle City today, but I think it would be best if we joined the search," Richard said. Jim overheard him and walked over to us, "Richard, I think it would be a good idea for you to go there. You could ask around, and make sure Robert didn't venture down that way." "Makes sense, I guess. You're sure?" Richard asked. "Yes. We've talked about it, but we weren't sure how to get anyone down there. We knew everyone would want to be up here, looking. So yes, Richard, it would be a very good idea. Especially by car. By the way, what were you going down there for, anyway?" Jim asked curiously. He told Jim about taking Annabelle and Julie down to get the rest of their belongings. Jim thought that was a great. Katy went off to get Annabelle and Julie, while Richard went back to get another load of people from the house. Kristen had arrived, and let off a group I saw as I walked outside. The rest of the group Richard had let off were in line, getting a place to do their searching. Kristen's group was sucked in as well. Everyone wanted to help. I looked back in and noticed Robin was sitting in the back corner, talking to Daisy and Pamela. Then all of a sudden a man pushed passed me into the room. "The mine's clear!" he shouted. There was a sudden cheer. Jack and I were looking at each other, waiting for an explanation. We knew it was good, but what did it mean? Jim was back at the table, sitting next to Jack. Jim turned to him. I walked over to hear the explanation. They had searched the mine. The hardest part was searching the bottom of the shaft. There was no body found. At least he hadn't killed himself there, as many had feared. ------- Katy walked first to Annabelle's house, but didn't find anyone there. Then she walked over to her sister's house. It was a bustle of activity. Bruce had been at the mine, volunteering to be one of the searchers. Millie was trying to get herself ready to go downtown, but every time she turned around, there was something preventing it. She was near the end of her rope. She heard Katy explain to Annabelle that they were told it was a good idea that they go down to Angle City, as they could ask about Robert there. Millie blew her top. "How am I supposed to do anything? I'm stuck and can't help. That's what I should be doing, and now I can't do anything but sit here all day long!" Katy looked at her sister a moment as she started ranting, and pulled her out of the house as she said the last of her words. "Millie! Didn't God give you a brain?" Katy asked her older sister. "Why don't you bring Brian and Barbara downtown? They're not contagious." "But..." "Haven't we brought Brian out to the house?" Millie suddenly looked a bit sheepish, "Yes, I guess you have. But where would we put them? I can't have them in the way?" "They're using the new school building, what about next door?" "That old bank?" "A 'safe' place, I would think," Katy said. "I think Keith is rubbing off on you. That was a bad joke." The two giggled. "Why don't you get the two ready? Annabelle can help you. Julie and I will figure out where to put them. When Richard gets back, we can grab a few people that can help transport them over." Millie was nodding her head, "Ok. I think that's the best idea I've heard all day." Katy took Julie's hand, and the two walked back downtown. It was a very active place. Millie was right. Barbara and Brian didn't need to be in the way, but needed to be close enough to be checked on, occasionally. Walking up the wooden sidewalk, Katy peered into the Bank. It looked like the perfect place. It was right next door, and best of all, it was clean. Clean, because of the 'treasure' (from under the Mansion) that was being shown off. I saw Katy come back in. I got up from the corner, where Robin and I had been doing our best to comfort Daisy and Pamela. Moving to where Katy was heading, we ended up at the table in front of Jim. "Jim," Katy said, "We need to open up the bank." He got a concerned look on his face. Several people around her heard her, and stopped to listen. "Why? Is there a problem in there?" Katy shook her head, "No. But Millie feels she needs to be down here as well, and I can't blame her. The problem is Barbara and Brian. They have to be laid out. They would be in the way, here, and it wouldn't be good to take them upstairs. I thought the best thing would be to house them next door. At least it's clean in there." Jack was nodding, "Not a bad idea. It's fine with me, but I don't like to leave it open, unattended. You know that." The next thing I knew; Robin, Daisy, and Pamela were next to me. "We can go there. I think it might be better for us, anyway," Daisy said quietly. No one in their right mind would have said a word to upset those two right now. Half of everyone I noticed had tears in their eyes, just hearing the pain in Daisy's voice. Jim just nodded, and handed me the key. I gave Katy the key and then knelt down. Pamela threw her arms around my neck. I cradled her little bottom in my arms as I stood. This was so different. The last time I had done this, walking down the stairs with her, she attempted to excite me. Now she needed my love to be strong, and simply there. Robin had hold of Daisy's hand. Along with Katy, we walked out of the building and down the sidewalk. ------- Richard was at the house counting the people left, when Kristen drove up. They decided it would be a tight squeeze, but everyone could get in on this trip. Kristen loaded up Grace, Kevin, Dorothy, Susan, Jill, and Laura. It might have been a tight squeeze in Keith's old car, except Jill pulled Laura on her lap. Seeing that, Kevin pulled Dorothy onto his lap. Now there was plenty of room, as well as some well-deserved ribbing about seating arrangements, as they drove away. Katharine, her three children, Sarah, and Stephanie got in with Richard. They were about to leave, when the doctor showed up on horseback. "I was looking for Laura," he said. "She just left, everyone is downtown," Richard replied. "Oh, what's going on? This business to be without a phone is driving me crazy. I feel rather isolated." "We are looking for Robert; Daisy and Pamela's father," Richard said, adding, "he's gone missing." "Missing?" Richard took a glance at the young crowd in his car, "Yes, we can't seem to find him right now." "Pamela thinks he's dead," Stephanie blurted out. "I see, well I guess it might behoove me to ride into town, then," the doctor said. "I do need to see Laura, anyway." "We'll see you there, then," Richard said. He drove away slowly, so as not to throw up much dust for the doctor to breathe. He arrived to see Kristin's carload in line, getting a place to search. It was interesting to see how easy it was, that strangers got sucked into the life of this town. Then, of course, Richard thought of those in Kristin's car. All of them had, in one way or another, been involved with the horse incident at Liz's school. They would know about the importance of a search. Katy had been watching. As soon as Richard pulled up, she left the bank and headed for him. "Richard, we need to get Brian and Barbara. We're going to put them into the bank, so Millie can be down here," Katy said. As Katy left, I knew I would need to help. Pamela was sitting on my lap and she wasn't very pleased when I said I needed to get up. Luckily for me, Jimmy ran in the door. Seeing his girl, he was ready to take my place in comforting her. It was a lot easier for me to hold Pamela on my lap than for Jimmy to do so. However, he didn't say a word about discomfort. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight to him. She started crying again. It flared my anger towards Robert, again. Richard and I, in our cars, along with two other men and Katy, set off to Millie's house. It took no time at all to get Brian and Barbara loaded up, and back downtown. With them in the cars though, the others had to walk back. Richard and I waited the few minutes for them to walk downtown. Then we unloaded Barbara and Brian into the bank, laying them onto the floor. With Robin there, along with Pamela, Jimmy, and Daisy; Millie was satisfied, and went next door to see how she could help. Richard, Katy, Annabelle, and Julie set off to Angle city. Richard said they would be driving slowly, and keeping their eyes peeled for anything unusual along the way. The first group came back. They were hot, tired, and thirsty. They had found nothing. They wanted to go out again to another section, but needed to take a break. Millie, seeing a need, did what she did best. She started gathering other ladies together, to start making food for all of the groups that would be showing up all day. Once she started that in motion, once she had purpose, she felt much better. I felt a bit useless. I had volunteered to go out and was flatly told no by both Jack and Jim. Walking back to the bank, I noticed Stephanie had made her way there as well. I sat down heavily in one of the chairs. Everyone stopped and looked at me. I shook my head, knowing that they thought I might have something to say. Wallowing in my thoughts, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I reached up to pat it, and was surprised it wasn't Robin's. I turned my head to see Daisy standing next to me. "Want to go and talk?" I asked. She nodded. "Robin too?" Daisy looked at Robin, and nodded slightly. "Will you be ok in here, alone?" I asked. I got a few disgusted looks from Brian, Barbara, and Stephanie. Jimmy nodded, and Pamela didn't even move on his lap. Walking out the door, I turned us down the street, away from downtown and towards the south. It unfortunately took us past the cemetery. As soon as Daisy recognized where we were, she broke down crying. "Why? Why did he do it?" Neither Robin, nor I, had answers for her. The best we could do was to hold her, and let her cry. ------- Brian and Barbara had been so cooped up, that even in the midst of this tragedy they were elated to get into new surroundings. Neither of them had ever been in the bank building. Jimmy, Pamela, and Stephanie had been in it briefly, but that was when the hoopla had surrounded the chest; when they found in the secret passage under the Mansion. Now, left alone, there was a bit of talk. "Pamela, we're really sorry," Barbara said. "I know what it's like." Pamela looked at Barbara, realizing Barbara did indeed know, as she no longer had any parents as well. Sliding off Jimmy's lap she got down onto her knees next to Barbara. Leaning over, Pamela gave Barbara a tight and long hug, bringing both girls to tears. Brian had his head turned towards the girls. It was hard to see them in tears, and he averted his gaze. Stephanie walked over to Pamela and Barbara, but tripped on the board holding Barbara's legs from moving. Brian and Jimmy saw her startled expression, as she tried to catch her balance, not wanting to fall on top of Barbara. Her outstretched hands grabbed hold of the wall as she stumbled towards it. She ended up on the floor, with a stunned expression. Brian said, from his floor vantage point, "Look at that!" ------- Chapter 77 I have had requests for a list of who is in the story. To tell the truth, I don't have a complete list. I just know them. I don't really understand how you would not live this story, like I do... Ok, maybe I do. So what I have decided to do, for now at least, is to make up this list. Hope it helps in remembering who is who. As this is an experiment, please feel free to leave comments as to what might make this better for you.The people, in order of mention, in this chapter: Richard: Keith's friend from the base. Married to Katy. Katy: Robin & Jimmy's mother. Married to Richard. Annabelle: From Angle City, Mother to Julie. Husband murdered Bill, her son died trying to kill Brian. Julie: Daughter of Annabelle Daisy: Was married to Hank. Is Robert and Mildred's daughter. Robin: Katy's daughter. Married to Keith. Pamela: Robert and Mildred's daughter. Jack: The Air Force base commander. Dan: From Angle City. Spokesperson at mine accident there. Kevin: Grounds person at the Linden Boarding School in Grand Junction, CO. Dorothy: Past student at Linden Boarding School. Hurt from runaway horse at the school. Was in the school play, but gave her part to Jill Susan: Past student at Linden Boarding School. Dorothy's sister. Was in the school play, but gave her part to Laura Bruce: Millie's husband. Millie: Katy's sister, Married to Bruce. Brian's mother. Jill: Rebecca's daughter. Went to Linden Boarding School to be with Liz. Liz: Keith's older sister. Keith: Married to Robin. Liz and Kristin's brother. Jimmy: Katy's son. Stephanie: Dora's daughter. Brian: Millie and Bruce's son. Barbara Both parent's deceased. Katy and Millie's second cousin. Cliff: Deceased. Robin's father. Tried to kill the townspeople off. Laura: Jill's friend from Linden Boarding School. Doctor: Works for Memco, Came from Grand Junction, CO. Shelly: From the University. Lab technician that is working on the Rerexinal (sterilization) problem. Patrick: Katy and Millie's father. The preacher in town. Jim: The mayor of Carp. Mildred: Deceased. Pamela and Daisy's mother. Katharine: Elizabeth, Kristina, & Kenneth's mother. A nurse. Met Keith and Daisy in Redding, CA. Tiffany: One of the young teachers from Linden Boarding School, here to teach at Carp. Vicky: One of the young teachers from Linden Boarding School, here to teach at Carp. Cynthia: Jack's wife. Sarah: Patrick (Congressmen's) daughter and Mary's sister. Keith saved from Hank at the university. Elizabeth: Katharine's daughter. Kristina and Kenneth's older sister. Kristina: Katharine's daughter. Elizabeth and Kenneth's younger sister. Vivian: New friend of Sarah's from her school. Scott: Sarah's long time friend. Richard and Katy had been driving for nearly ten minutes, and were wondering if they had made the wrong decision. Annabelle and Julie, in the back seat, had not said a word. After glancing at each other, Katy turned, ready to speak to them. She stopped, and watched what they were doing. Both mother and daughter were not staring blankly out of the windows, but were scanning. They were looking for something. It hit Katy hard, knowing what they were doing. She said her revelation out loud. "Richard, they are looking for Robert." Annabelle turned and looked at Katy. "Of course we are. Julie and I walked up this road. We know it very well. If he was along the road somewhere, we'd spot him." Annabelle turned back to the job at hand. Richard looked at Katy, who was ready to cry. He put his hand out to her and she grasped it, holding on tight. As the first house came into sight, Richard asked, "No sign of him, then? I don't know why he'd come down to Angle City, anyway." Then, after just a slight pause, he added, "Then again, I can't understand why he just up and left his girls." "They've got a good place to be," Annabelle said. "My Julie is better around your family than she ever was before. "I think that is one thing that bothers Keith a lot. He feels Robert may have thought Daisy and Pamela were better off with him. Therefore, Robert felt he wasn't needed any longer, and did himself in. Keith doesn't want to feel like he became more important to Daisy and Pamela than their father was to them." "Keith just doesn't understand," Julie said. "Understand what?" Katy asked. "Well?" Annabelle asked, when Julie didn't respond any more than by ducking her head. "That they love him." Katy laughed, and said, "Oh, no. Keith understands that completely. Both girls have made that quite clear. That is the problem. Robert saw the love his girls had for Keith, as the same as his fatherly love." "You mean Keith and..." Annabelle stammered. "And Daisy. Yes, with Robin's blessing. But not Pamela, no. She was never ready for that. He'd never hurt a girl. You should know that by now," Richard answered. Katy noticed Annabelle was glancing at her daughter, with this latest conversation. "Annabelle, you need to realize that your daughter is very bright. She sees the same things you do. Don't you, Julie?" Katy asked. Annabelle was now looking at her daughter, her eyebrows raised. "Well, you did have me watch Barbara and Brian when we gave them a bath, after they... Well... you know..." Julie said, defensively. Richard laughed, "I'll bet that was hard, Julie. Or was that Brian, who was hard?" "Richard!" Annabelle exclaimed. "Oh, come on now. We all know what happened," Katy said. "There are very few secrets around here." "There seems to me, to be quite a number of secrets," Annabelle said. Richard, by now, had pulled up into the center of town. Angle City was built in a semi-circle. With commerce dependant on the mine, the town's center was a small park that faced the mine's entrance. Annabelle had stopped her conversation, and any other, by the look on her face. "The mine isn't open!" Annabelle whispered. Richard stopped and got out, along with Katy. Annabelle and Julie stayed in the car, not wanting to get out unless they had to. Both mother and daughter were still unsure about the need to come back to Angle City. Annabelle's desire for her old things was not as great as the pain that had caused them to leave. And as they say: out of sight, out of mind. Her old things weren't staring her in the face, so she hadn't felt their loss. Julie wasn't quite so resolved. She wasn't old enough to have grown out of all of her memories. Julie felt the need for her 'comfort' things. She would have felt better, when Barbara had yelled at her, to run home to something... of hers. One of the townsfolk walked up. "You be from Carp? Think I remember you from the accident." "Yes, I am. But I was out of town when it happened." The man shook his head, looking towards the mine. "Ain't no use. Them inspectors went all over it. Never reopen, now." Richard was nodding. The man went on, saying, "Reckon you want to see Dan. Don't seem like it's of any use, though. Everyone'll be leave'n when the last check comes in." "Leaving? Why?" Katy asked. "Nothin' to do here. Have to eat. This place would be pretty much up and gone, if we wasn't wait'n for that money." Richard looked at Katy, and then said, "You know there's a new mine opening up in Carp." "Heard about it, but lot's of people just talk. We need to feed our families." This was not what Richard had expected to walk into. "I think I need to make a call first. Then, if you could point me to where Dan might be..." "Happy to take you there, don't have noth'n else doin'." Richard looked back to the car, realizing that he couldn't see inside. The sun was bright, and reflected off of the car, making the windows almost mirror like. He winked anyway, knowing Annabelle and Julie would see him. Then Richard and Katy followed the man to the phone. Just as in Carp, there was only one phone for the whole town. Richard called Carp. With all the activity in downtown Carp, it was picked up after just one ring. They didn't know where I was, but they knew where Jack was. Someone standing close by went to get him. "Jack, we have a problem." "Did you find him?" "Find? Oh, no. Not that. Another problem." "Just what we need. Now what?" Jack said, exasperatedly. "The mine here in Angle City is closed for good. The people here are planning on leaving when they get their last check. If something doesn't happen, we'll lose this town." "Damn! So... have any ideas?" "Sounds like they aren't sure there is a new mine. That is one problem. Of course the second, and bigger problem, is that they are waiting for the last check from the ore that was sent. It will be the last money that is coming in to them. They have to make money to live." "Good point. Let me see what I can do. Is there someone down there that I can get hold of? A mayor of the town, maybe?" "I'll be talking to the man that you may have talked to, when you were down here during the disaster. 'Dan' is his name." "Yes. I remember him. Good. Tell him we're working on it, and that we'll get back to him with some answers as soon as we can. First, I think we may need to get some people up here to see the new location. That might show them that it's real." "Good idea. I'll let him know." Richard hung up the phone, and realized there was a growing group of people gathering nearby. "I'm Dan. Heard you wanted to talk with me." "Yes. I want you to know that the new mine in Carp is real. We think it would be a good idea for some of you to come up and see it. It is big. We will need more miners than Carp has," Richard answered. Many of the men who had gathered, looked at each other. There were murmurs, but Richard couldn't make out anything. Women started arriving, making the crowd around Richard and Katy grow even more. Katy, knowing the importance of this, thought she should try to appeal to the women. She said loudly, "There is also going to be a real school in Carp this year. We have three teachers, and a building. They are working on setting everything up. We had expected the children from Angle City to go to school there too." "A school? Why?" one of the women called out. "When your husband sees the new mine, he'll understand that it is different. It is a much safer mine than what he has been in, but he'll need to learn some new ways of doing things. You teach your children many things, but they are growing up in a much different world than you did. This is nineteen forty-eight, and our country is changing so fast," Katy answered. "But we like our simple life, here," one man said. "And I like that in Carp, as well," Richard said. "But Keith and I came to Carp as outsiders. There are some others that will come in as outsiders, too. Some will be the people that will help run the mine. The doctor we have..." "Yes, we heard about that. I had heard we might get to see him, but that never happened. Do you know why?" a man asked. "No, I don't. He is there as part of the new mine. There are plans to set up a clinic for him. As workers in the mine, you and your families could see him. Think of the education he needed to become a doctor. One of your children could have that chance, if they went to school," Katy said. "But who tells them what they should teach? I don't want them to learn no 'devil things'," a woman said. Katy smiled, and said, "My son will be going to the school. My sister is on the school board. I know she wouldn't allow that. I would think that if your children were there, then some of you might want to be on the school board as well. The school board oversees what the school is doing." "Don't you need to be educated to do that?" one of the men asked. "What you need is a willingness to learn, and to want what is best for our children," Katy answered. Dan then put his hand up, silencing the growing noise as people started talking among themselves. "I think we need to see what is going on," he said, "as you suggested. There is the one other question that is even more important, unfortunately." "What is that?" Richard wanted to know. "Timing. Everything can look as good as anything, but if we can't eat until then..." "I understand that dilemma. We are working on that. We'll have answers about that, as well. There isn't any use in bringing you up to see what you could never have," Richard said. Dan was nodding as the phone rang. He picked it up, listened, and then handed it to Richard. Everyone paid attention to the one-sided conversation. "This is Richard." "Oh, yes. That sounds good. When?" "I'll relay that. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly." "Thank you." "Goodbye." All eyes were on Richard, now. "The company that is going to be managing the mine is sending down some people. They will tell you what is going on, when the mine should be open, and what you can expect. They told me they want you people to stick around, so I would guess they would make that work somehow," Richard told them. "When is this happening?" Dan asked. "In two days from now." "What about seeing the mine? You said something about that," Dan said. Richard wrinkled his brow, "I forgot to ask him about that, but we'll work it out. It is quite different from the mine here. I think it is important for you to see it." Dan was nodding his head. "We don't expect the payment from the ore for another four or five days," he said. "So, we'll all be here. I hate to get my hopes up. I know everyone else feels the same way. But we don't want to move. This is our home." "We'll figure something out, then," Richard said. He thought that was about all he could say. Katy and he walked over to his car. Whether anyone wanted to admit it or not, the hope that the town could stay intact was exciting. As in Carp, all these people had grown up here. They hated the thought of leaving. Richard had brought them hope, when they had felt none. "You heading back then?" Dan asked. "No," Richard said as he got into the car. "We have one more stop here before we head back up." It surprised everyone so much, that they were speechless. This man had never been here before, yet he had business here? They were all very curious. "How do we get to your place, Annabelle?" "Uh, down that road," Annabelle said, pointing. "Just go to the end. It's on the right." Richard drove very slowly, looking at the houses. He also noticed, in his rear view mirror, that the townspeople were following him. 'Maybe they thought of a few more questions, ' he thought. As soon as Richard pulled up, Julie was out of the car. The anticipation was just too much for her. Her need, to see what she had left, had been mounting ever since they had left Carp. Julie couldn't help herself. She had bottled up her loss for too long. By the time Annabelle, Richard and Katy were out of the car, Julie was in the house. Richard, Katy and Annabelle were almost to the house. The townspeople, seeing where Richard had stopped, hurried to find out what was going on. They were now at the edge of the property. Julie came out, as white as a ghost. "Mom!" Julie cried, "Everything's gone!" Julie crumpled to the ground, sobbing. Richard and Katy rushed over to Julie. Richard picked the girl up in his arms. Annabelle ran to the door of her house, and looked in. She then turned to see the people of Angle City. They were looking stunned. ------- Kevin, Dorothy, and Susan had been teamed up with Bruce (Millie's husband). As the mine had been examined, they closed it. Everyone was sent to look in other places. The assignment these four were given started at the southeast part of town. It was a relatively flat area. It needed to be, with Kevin in a cast. With Bruce as their navigator, they set off. They were walking just close enough together to carry on a conversation. "So," Bruce said to Kevin, "I understand you are courting Dorothy. How did you two meet?" Susan, Dorothy and Kevin looked at each other. What Bruce had asked was a simple question. As seen from the people of Carp's viewpoint, it was an everyday occurrence. It should have made them feel comfortable, but it didn't. It seemed this place was an oddity. No one should accept Kevin, the older man, courting such a young girl. Bruce was perturbed by the lack of response. He didn't want to be out here for the next couple of hours without conversation. "Well? Are you two embarrassed about it? Come on, Susan, is that right? There must be some juicy gossip," Bruce said amused. "Kevin helped save Dorothy's life," Susan said, grinning. "Dorothy was on a run-away horse..." Bruce was laughing inside. He'd heard this story, and decided to play with it. "Oh, yes. I did hear about that. Dorothy, you were surrounded by wild dogs. So, to get away, you broke Kevin's leg." "No!" Dorothy cried out, "He saved my life. I'd never hurt..." She realized Bruce was laughing, and turned red with embarrassment. "Jill did tell us the story, but I think there was a bit more to it than she told," Bruce said. "Did Jill say she was the one who caught up to Dorothy and fended off the dogs, before I got there?" Kevin asked. "No," Bruce said with a smile, "but that sounds like her. She must have missed that little detail." "Little! No one would have found me, if Jill hadn't known how to jump on a horse and ride so well," Dorothy said. "I owe her my life." "Well, I know you must be very special in Jill's life. She's never had friends like you before," Bruce told them. Susan had stopped and was looking at something. Pointing, she asked, "What is that?" Bruce looked, as Dorothy ran over to her sister to see. Kevin walked over a bit more slowly. Bruce sighed heavily. "That is the entrance to one of the old depleted mines." "It has bars on it. Do all of them have that?" Kevin asked. Never having been around mines, Kevin had no clue. "No, not all of them," Bruce said. "This opening is close to town, and might attract the children. So, long ago, it was barred. That isn't in our section, though, so let's get moving." Bruce wasn't quite fast enough. One of the other teams arrived at the mine's entrance. It was quite obvious that no one wanted to go near the place. "Maybe they found something," Susan said. "It sure looks like no one wants to go near it. They're all standing away from it," Dorothy added. Bruce was rubbing the back of his neck. "Come on, and I'll tell you about it." They walked away, looking back several times as Bruce started explaining. "How much do you know about what happened here? You came from the school Liz taught at, right?" "Yes," Dorothy said. "Liz was our best teacher." "Then you know she came here for her brothers wedding, but something happened..." "Oh! Yes. We read about it in the paper. There was something about chemicals," Susan said. "Well that is a nice way of putting it. One of those chemicals could have killed the whole town. The madman got in and out of Carp by way of that mine entrance, and some underground tunnels. He stored bad things there, too. No one in their right mind would want to go in there, I think. Even though everything has been cleaned up." "But they'll need to, right?" Kevin asked. "Yes. Most likely they will get Keith to do it." "Keith?" Dorothy asked. "I heard Jill was quite the hero out at the school," Bruce said, seemingly changing the subject. "Yes, but what does that..." "She saved you," Bruce said, and then smiled as he added, "along with Kevin, of course." Dorothy smiled as she said, "Yes, he... they did." "Now think what it would be like, not to save just one person, but a whole town. That is what Keith did. Sounds great, but how he did it was to go in where those chemicals were. He knew what they could do. He knew he'd die instantly if he even breathed a single breath of the chemicals. But he went anyway. I know why, but it doesn't make any difference. He knew what he was getting into. Now, everyone that lives here knows what those chemicals could do. And, it scares them. That's why he might have to go in. No one else will." "Makes me feel like what I did..." Kevin started to say. Bruce almost laughed, as he said, "No need to feel that way. Ask Keith, and he'll tell you it was the stupidest thing he's ever done." "Then why did he do it?" Susan asked. "For love." Dorothy turned to Kevin, "That's why you came after me, wasn't it?" Kevin turned bright red. "You were looking at my sister, before that time?" Susan asked Kevin. Bruce was laughing, "Come on, we're supposed to be searching." ------- "What do you think that is?" Jimmy said, looking past Stephanie to where Brian was now pointing. Barbara and Pamela looked up and over to the wall. There, behind one of the decorative squares that joined the rails and stiles, was a hole. A hole, obviously drilled there on purpose. Jimmy moved over to Stephanie. She was still on the floor, from where she'd landed after tripping over Barbara. Jimmy took the wooden square that was still in Stephanie's hand. There were two dowels in it. Jimmy looked, moved, and then placed the square back in place. It fit like a glove. With its slight overlap around the sides, you could never tell it could be taken off. "I wonder what that went to?" Brian said, the adventuring spirit in him coming out. Barbara got a panicked look on her face, and tried to scoot herself away from the wall, without much success. "What are you doing?" Stephanie asked her. "I don't want to fall down again." Brian reached over to her, barely making contact, "I'm sorry. I don't want you hurt any more, either." "Ok, you two. It's getting mushy in here," Daisy said, from the doorway, surprising the rest. "Now, what was this talk about falling?" I asked, from right behind Daisy. Jimmy, Brian, Barbara, Stephanie, and Pamela looked at each other. I sat down on the chair I had been in, less than a half an hour ago. "Now, do you want to tell me what is going on?" I asked. Before anyone had a chance to answer, the bank's door opened. "Keith, we need your help." I looked at Daisy. She had a mixture of tears and determination on her face. Not saying anything, she walked to the door with me. I looked back at Pamela. Tears were running down her face. She was shaking her head at me. I stopped, and went back to her. "I don't know what this is about. Please try and not get upset," I said. I gave her a hug and whispered in her ear, "I love you. Always have, always will." I released her, and went outside. Jack had his Jeep, and was waiting for me. Daisy and I climbed in. "Jack, what is this about?" I asked. "No one wants to go into the mine where Cliff had those chemicals. I knew you wouldn't have a problem. I'm sure you trust the people who cleaned up." "With my life. But of course, that is a redundant statement now, isn't it?" "Yes, it is," Jack answered. "You know when I was asked to come, without any explanation; it scared Pamela and Daisy half to death." Jack glanced back to Daisy and said, "Sorry." The search group was still at the mine entrance. One of the men had the key, and a flashlight. He handed them to me. They were a bit sheepish when Daisy walked up to the iron door with me, and we went inside. I looked around as we stepped in from the smaller opening, and came into the large central room. It was starkly different from the last time I was there. No shelves, much less shelves full of chemicals. No desk, and no blood stained bed. The place was devoid of any sign of life; or death, as I had seen it before. I walked up to the edges of each of the tunnel entrances. Daisy watched me kneel down, shine the flashlight, and study the ground. "What are you looking for?" she asked me. "Signs that the dust has been disturbed. It's been weeks since the men were in here removing everything. If anyone had walked down any of these tunnels, it would show." She continued watching until I got to the last one. "Keith, are we ever going to find my dad?" "Yes, Sweetheart, we will." I said, with a conviction I didn't feel. Then I added, "At least we know no one has been in here." We walked back outside and blinked, trying to get our eyes adjusted to the brightness. ------- Daisy and I met Robin at the edge of town. She was heading our way. "Jack told me you went into..." she couldn't get out the last of her sentence. As with all the others in town, she was still frightened about the chemicals. It was something I never thought about; but of course, I had worked with that sort of stuff for years. I knew what and when things were safe. Then I thought about Daisy. Her drive to know what happened with her father had dispelled any fear of this mine. I was worried about that. "Robin, it is safe in there. We wouldn't have been let back into town if everything wasn't cleaned up. You have to believe me. I was in no danger, and I knew it." "You're sure?" "Daisy, what did you see when you went into the main opening of the mine? Any shelves or furniture?" "No," Daisy responded, "There was just dirt. Robin, he's telling the truth. I went in there, too." "You did?" Daisy looked down to the ground, "I had to. I thought... Well, that maybe..." Robin pulled Daisy into a big hug. "Your sister is in the same boat as you. You need to tell her there wasn't anything there, ok?" I said. Daisy just nodded. The three of us walked back to the bank. As we got close, I stopped Daisy and Robin. I motioned for us to get down on our hands and knees, so they wouldn't see us in the window. As I got to the door, I reached up, and opened it quickly. Stephanie, Pamela, and Jimmy turned, staring wide eyed at the door. Jimmy said, "Ouch!" and started blowing on his fingers. All three of us were inside the bank now, and Robin closed the door behind us. "Now, are you going to tell me what is going on?" I asked. They looked at each other again. Turning to Daisy, I said, "Talk to your sister, while I sort this out." Then I looked at Jimmy, who was still rubbing his fingers. "Jimmy, come here." As he reluctantly walked over, Robin went over to Stephanie. Before I could say anything more to Jimmy, Laura came bounding in the door. Seeing me, she ran and threw her arms around me. To say the least, I was very surprised. "What's this all about?" I asked. "The doctor!" Laura said excitedly, "He said I was doing better, living here. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Then she pulled me down, and gave me a surprising kiss on the mouth. It surprised her just as much, I could tell. She turned bright red, and ran back out the door. I turned away from the door, and everyone was looking at me. Then, one by one, they started to laugh. Even Pamela couldn't help it. Seeing that, I ran over to her and scooped her up into my arms. "So, you think it's funny do you?" I said, and started to tickle her. She was laughing so hard I thought she might wet herself, and then I heard her speak. "Stop Keith!" I pulled her into a fierce hug, and sat down with her in my lap. I was crying and so was she. "Pamela, I know it hurts, not knowing what happed to your dad. It hurts me, too. Even more with you not talking." "Sorry," she said. I felt arms around us, and looked us to see Daisy enveloping her sister. I let her take Pamela. She slid Pamela onto her lap. The rest of us watched as the two sisters cried, expressing their love for each other, and the hurt for what they were feeling. Jim walked in, in the middle of this. No one acknowledged him, and he stood there for a moment, before walking over to me. "There's a phone call. Shelly, I believe, from the university." 'What timing, ' I thought. ------- The townspeople of Angle City saw that Annabelle and her daughter Julie were not only alive and well, they were looking better than they had in years. On top of that, they had arrived with people from Carp. Dan was the first to speak. "Do you know who this woman is?" he said. "Yes, Dan, we know. Katy is the sister of the husband that this woman's husband murdered," Richard answered. Annabelle and Julie dropped their mouths open at hearing such a statement. "Annabelle and Julie have been helping my sister with her son. He's the boy who fell in the shaft during the mine accident," Katy added. There were looks among the townspeople, but no one knew what to say about this. "Dan," Richard said, "did the mine inspectors say why the mine caved in?" Dan frowned, and said, "Yes. One of the miners set a charge in the wrong place. It blew a hole through the supporting foundation." Then he sort of talked to himself, saying, "'Course, now we know how bad some of those wood supports were. Moisture rotted a lot of them." "Now, a lot of people could say that man caused the death of the nine men that got trapped in there. But let's not dwell on that. I want you to answer me this. Was that man's wife responsible for what that man did? Should she be held accountable? If she had a daughter, do you think that that daughter should be outcast?" "But he..." one man started to say. "He what?" Katy demanded angrily. "Come here and tell me that this woman and her daughter did anything to kill my brother, or to make my sister's son fall." Katy looked around, challenging everyone with her eyes. "I think there is a lot of guilt, here. Let me tell you... When these two showed up in Carp, half starved, I wanted to hate them. It was my daughter who slapped some sense into me. She told me I didn't raise her to act that way, so I shouldn't, either. These two are very wonderful people, and we have fallen in love with them. You have lost two treasures from your town," Katy said, as she walked over to Annabelle and Julie, giving each a hug. "We came here to gather their belongings. The little they had left in life. I'm not sure Annabelle wanted much, but Julie had her life's treasures in that house. It has been taken away. Are you proud of what you have done?" Richard asked. The townspeople were looking at the ground, pretty ashamed of themselves. It was silent for a bit, until a little girl of about nine broke away from her mother, and walked up to Julie, handing her a doll. "This isn't mine," Julie said. "I know, but it's the only one I have. I have other things. You don't." That was the 'crack in the dam'. It broke open the flood of tears. Almost two hours later, with a car packed so full all four of them had to ride in the front seat; Annabelle, Julie, Richard, and Katy headed back up to Carp. Almost all the furniture, such as it had been, stayed. Katy persuaded Annabelle she would no longer need it. Carp was their home, now. ------- Robin met me outside, as I was talking on the phone to Shelly. They would be down in two days. While talking to her, I had Robin find the doctor. I knew he was still downtown. It would be good to make sure everything was ready, when they showed up. 'In a way, ' I thought as I talked with Shelly, 'it might be good to have this distraction. Robert has put a damper on everyone.' Robin brought the doctor over to me. I said my good-byes, and handed him the phone. I was glad that the university was paying for the cost of that call. I stood outside, trying to remember what I had been doing before the call, when Patrick came out the door looking for me. "We need to talk," Patrick said. I nodded, "Where, and alone?" Looking at Robin. "Over near the mine. People are everywhere. They've looked there, so no one should be there. And yes, Robin should come along with us." I popped my head into the hall, and told Jim where we were going. I wanted to make sure I could be found, if I was needed. The three of us walked across the footbridge, to the other side of the creek. In the opening, just past the spur track, we stopped and sat on some logs. Patrick didn't waste any time with preliminaries. "Keith, you were not raised in our traditions, so I wanted to give you an idea of why everyone sees this so importantly. You see, in our faith, we have learned that Jesus was the shepherd and we are his sheep. I'm not trying to insult you, but there is a powerful story in the scriptures about a shepherd. When losing one of his sheep, he leaves the rest of the flock and searches, until that one is found. It shows us that each and every one of us is equally important. That is why even Robert; with his drinking problem, and his abandonment of his children, is being searched for so diligently. It is to find Robert, which will benefit his daughters." "That scripture sounds somewhat familiar," I said. "I'm sure it does, it is used a lot. It is one of the good, pleasant, and easy to deal with ones. So it is taught in lots of church school classes. Others that are hard to deal with are often skipped over," Patrick replied. "So you are telling me this, because..." "It is not hard to see your anger towards Robert. It may well be deserved. But, is it a good thing to show to Pamela and Daisy? Do you want them to end up hating their father?" I sighed heavily. "No. I didn't realize," I said. I went silent for a minute. "Being a parent to them now, is very hard." "Keith," Patrick said, "one of the other things I saw is that you are taking this burden on yourself. That is also why I asked Robin to come along." I thought about what he said. My flare-ups being far beyond 'angry' at Robert. Then, this morning's comment from Robin... I looked over to her. "I'm responsible," I said, trying to justify myself. "Keith, we're all responsible for finding Robert," Patrick said. "I'm responsible for him leaving. Mildred..." I started to choke up. Robin wrapped her arms around me, "Honey, you aren't any more responsible for that, than Daisy is responsible for what Hank did. Isn't that what you told her?" I looked at her with a half smile. "It's a lot easier to give advice, than it is to take it." I said. Patrick howled with laughter. "Why do you think I became a preacher?" he finally asked. That got all of us laughing. I took Robin's hand, and gave it a squeeze. "You are going to need to remind me, I think. Please be gentle with me. I can't help myself wanting the best for those girls." She held my hand up and kissed it. "You're going to be a marvelous father." We walked back to see some of the groups returning. It was easy to see, by the look on their faces, that no one had found anything. As we walked up, the doctor was still on the phone talking about some details. We had been gone maybe ten minutes. No one in their right mind talks long-distance for that amount of time. It's just too expensive. That got my mind thinking about the calls I'd made from that phone, so I went to find Jim. I got derailed from that thought, though. It seemed that was happening to me all day long. My concentration level was practically nil. I was looking at the map, with its crossed out sections. They started at Carp, and extended out. The furthest ones were not checked off yet, but it was clear that most people were back from their search assignments. "What happens next?" I asked Jim, as he sat back down at the table in front of the map. "Next? You mean supposing we find nothing from the last sections?" Jim answered. "Yes. What do we do?" Jim slowly shook his head. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. This hasn't happened before. I don't know what to do." That was not the answer I wanted to hear. Robert couldn't have vanished. Again, breaking my thoughts, the doctor tapped my shoulder. "My ear is sore," he said to me with a grin. "Maybe you should see a doctor," I said drolly. ------- Richard pulled into Carp. Seeing the group of people downtown, he took a side street up and over to Rebecca's old home. Annabelle and Julie started unloading their things. "Mom, this isn't ours," Julie said. "Either is this," Annabelle said, holding up a quilt. Richard and Katy looked at each other, not saying a word, but their eyes spoke. It was acceptance, and even a little love that Annabelle and Julie were seeing. It was something they never expected from the people of Angle City. Maybe the healing would complete itself. There were more than half a dozen items, which turned out to have been slipped in among their stuff. Annabelle and Julie were dumfounded, wondering what to do with the obvious mistakes. That is, until they got to the bottom of the pile. Placed under everything, was an envelope with their names on it. Opening the envelope they found a paper card, folded, with this on the outside: Annabelle and Julie, Sometimes in our own self-righteous attitude, we have forgot. Forgot that there are people's lives, not just our feelings involved. Your visit, along with Richard and Katy's was hard. Hard for you two, we now know. Hard for us, having our eyes pried open to reality. Please except these gifts, knowing they can never undo the hurt, never make up for the pain, but at least acknowledge we were wrong. On the inside, when Annabelle opened it, she found the names of just about everyone in Angle City (including the children) written and scribbled on it. Annabelle was in tears when she handed it to Julie. Julie's reaction was the same, as she handed it off to Katy. Katy and Richard read it together. "That is very nice, Annabelle," Katy said, "but I hope you don't want to move back. We like having you here." "Stop it. You have done too many nice things for us, today," Annabelle said. "I don't think we can help ourselves," Richard said with a grin. Julie looked wide-eyed at Richard, and then at her mom. Julie was realizing what her mother had done. Flirting? Her mom? Julie saw it, knew it... It was just the same as what Barbara allowed her to do with Brian. But her mom? No, no it couldn't be. "Stop that, Richard," Annabelle said, playfully slapping his arm. "He does like to tease," Katy added. "Me? No, I think you are talking about Keith," Richard protested. "Yes, you," Annabelle said, and reached in to try and tickle Richard. "Mom!" Julie said, feeling confused, "If you're going to flirt, do it when I'm not around." Annabelle turned three shades of red. Richard looked equally embarrassed. Katy, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically. "And that's coming from 'little miss flirt', herself." Julie looked surprised. "Robin..." Katy barely got out when Julie practically jumped on Katy. "No!" Julie said, and then realizing what she was doing, ran into the house. Annabelle looked at the house where her daughter had just disappeared, and then back to Katy. "What did I miss?" "Your daughter is growing up. She's realizing boys are interesting." "Boys?" Annabelle asked. Derailing that discussion, Katy switched topics. "It seemed Julie was a bit upset with what she saw as 'flirting'." "I wasn't." "You weren't?" Richard said, sounding a bit hurt. "You're married." "You are right," Katy said with a smile, grabbing onto Richard's arm. "I'm sure he has no ability to love you. He couldn't," her smile turning into something a bit more devious, "could he?" "Katy!" Annabelle protested. "He kisses very nice, just watch." Katy pulled Richard around. Inches from Annabelle, she gave as much of a show as she had to that poor girl from Junction City, that they had run into along the road some time ago. Katy glanced over to Annabelle, knowing she would be looking, and winked at her. Annabelle didn't want to stare, but just as she couldn't pull her eyes off the two at the spring. She had to watch. Katy broke away, leaving no doubt there had been a lot of tongue action going on. Then, taking hold of Annabelle's hands, Kate pulled her pliant arms around each side of Richard. Taking his hands, Katy did the same to Annabelle. When Richard's hands were around Annabelle's back, Katy took hold of them, and pulled them across each other. This action pulled Annabelle and Richard closely together. "If I were you," Katy said in Annabelle's ear, "I'd take this opportunity, and see if his kiss is as good as it looked. I'm going in to talk with Julie." Julie wondered how Katy was taking her outburst. She watched from the window, curious as to what was going to happen. What she didn't expect was the kiss, it was so romantic, and then her mother? She was stunned with what she was seeing. This was beyond flirting. Julie made no move to disappear from the window when Katy walked into the house. As Katy closed the door, she asked, "Julie, are they kissing yet?" "No, but... Yes, now they are... Katy!" ------- I walked into the hall with Robin and Daisy and immediately pulled them over to the side, slightly out of sight. There, talking to Jack was Jimmy. He had Pamela in tow. We couldn't hear the conversation, but it was fairly evident that Pamela was along as 'the sympathy token'. Jimmy was after something. I felt bad for Jack. He had no idea how much he was being suckered. It's true that I'd fallen for the same thing. But it is a lot easier to see it, when it's happening to someone else. There was nodding and shaking of heads, and then the clincher. Jimmy put his arm around Pamela's shoulder, slightly turning her away. Jack obviously relented, because the two turned back towards him. Jack then pulled out a flashlight, and gave it to them. "Jimmy has that down pretty well," I said. "My sister. I can't believe it. What a pair of sneaks." "I wonder what they needed the flashlight for?" Robin asked. "I'm sure they are going back to the bank. I have the key, still. Let's get to the bottom of this," I said. Daisy took Robin's hand and pulled her out the door, with me behind them. She didn't try and hide our approach. Daisy just walked right into the bank, with Robin and I following. Locking the door, I turned to see Pamela, Jimmy, Barbara, Brian, and Stephanie watching us, wondering what was going to happen now. "Robin, Daisy, you might as well take a seat," I said, and proceeded to pull down the rolled up window shades. Although not dark, pulling the shades had darkened the room. "Why did you do that?" Brian asked, "We can't see very well, now. And Stephanie has tripped over Barbara already." "I don't think that should be a problem. Jimmy has a flashlight, don't you?" I replied. "Jimmy?" I said, when he didn't respond. "I have been in here a few times today, and I think it's time for that explanation. You were using a match earlier, and burnt your finger, didn't you. Now you have a flashlight. What are you doing?" "Well, we found something, and we wanted to know what it was," Jimmy said as fast as he could get the words out of his mouth. "What did you find?" Robin asked him. "A hole." "A hole?" Daisy repeated. "Yeah. It looked like it was put there on purpose, and we wanted to find out what's in it." "So," I said, amused, "you used a match to try and look down the hole, and burnt your fingers." "Yeah." "Good thing you didn't singe your eyebrows off. It's very easy to do," I said. "Have you done that?" Brian asked me. I laughed, and said, "Yes, once. It only takes once. Burning hair smells real bad. Plus, my mom was so mad at me! We were supposed to take family pictures the next day, and there I was, with half an eyebrow." Everyone laughed at that. "Well let's look at this hole then," I said. Stephanie walked over to the spot, and pulled the square off the paneling. There was the hole. Jimmy was right behind her, and shined the flashlight into it. "What do you see?" I asked. "Not much. Behind this wood that the hole's in, is this other wood." Jimmy was tapping on one of the actual panels at that point. "The four pieces kind of almost meet here. Maybe that's just how all of them are." There was obvious disappointment in his voice. He had thought they had found some secret. "Jimmy," his sister, Robin, said, "Not everything is going to be a great discovery." "Yeah, but this is a bank." "I bet all of them have holes, you just never looked," Daisy said. "Too bad. It would have been fun. At least something to keep our minds busy." That comment brought down the mood of everyone in the room. Daisy didn't mean to do it. But now she couldn't take back what she'd said. It was there. I opened up the shades, and unlocked the door. "Robin," I said as I was at the door, "your grandpa said something. Can we go find him? I think I need a better explanation." Then I turned and spoke to the others, saying, "Shouldn't take much time, then we'll be back." I had hoped that would work, so that no one would ask to come with us. It did, and Robin and I were outside moments later. "What did you want to know?" Robin asked as we walked away from the bank. "What I wanted was to be away from Daisy and Pamela," I said. "I know, they are so sad." "Robin, we need to do something. They will go crazy if there isn't some sort of distraction going on. You heard Daisy. She was looking forward for something to occupy her mind. Thinking is driving them crazy." "Did you have something in mind?" "No," I said. Robin got a very mischievous look on her face, and said, "Maybe what you need to do is give Daisy what she's been wanting." I looked at her blankly, trying to figure her out. "A baby," she said. "You mean..." "Yes. Pamela may need some tender care as well." "Robin," I said softly, "Are you suggesting..." "At the base, it happened every night. We've been in our house for how long? It's only happened once, outside of our bedroom." "You sound like you're a horny woman!" "Well... The stairs could be interesting. How about the piano bench?" "That is for my sister and I to find out," I retorted. "Then we can?" Robin said, almost giddy with excitement. "What about Katharine's children? And Jill, Tiffany, and Vicky. Not to mention Kevin, Dorothy, Susan, and Grace." Robin pouted. I hated that. "Let's see what we can do. But I can't promise, alright?" Robin's face lit up again. "I know you'll make it work," she said. I was afraid she'd see it that way. No pressure on my part! I did know it would be good for Daisy and Pamela, though. Jack called to me, and then came over to where Robin and I were standing. "The doctor and I were talking. The team coming down from the university will need some room to set up a lab. Have any suggestions?" Jack said. He was eyeing the building that was supposed to be the school, and now was being used for the search headquarters. "Not there, I can tell you. How about to the left? I've heard rumors that your wife wants to open a dress shop of sorts in there." Jack smiled, "She has talked..." then the smile left his face, "Do you think what they are doing is safe? "Jack," I laughed, "they're checking semen samples. You tell me!" "Oh god. If I tell Cynthia that's what will be going on there, she'll have to have that building." ------- "Richard!" Annabelle said as she pulled back. "This isn't right." "Katy thinks my kissing is alright," he said, knowing that wasn't what she was alluding to. "No, no! Richard, you're married." "Annabelle! You're right. What was I thinking?" Richard said, playing along. Then added, "Oh, that's right. I was told I should; and by my wife, no less." "Yes, she's just as bad," Annabelle said, still being serious. "Now wait just a minute," he teased. "I know you enjoyed watching us. She was very good up at the spring." "Richard!" she said, looking at his face for the fist time since the kiss. She saw his smile and knew he was teasing. "Oh! You're infuriating," she added, and turned to go into the house. "And you," Richard said, catching her arm turning her back towards him, "are quite lovely." She whimpered as his tongue entered her mouth. She knew she shouldn't. It was wrong, evil. But, oh! Did it ever feel nice. It had been so long since she had been in the arms of a man. One who cared, one who... She was lost in the feeling. Julie, with prompting from Katy, stepped out of the house. She watched for just a moment before she could speak. "Mom," Julie asked, bringing Annabelle back to the real world, "we should go downtown and see what's happening." Annabelle was crimson. Her daughter had just caught her... Part of her mind was saying, 'Wait, Julie wasn't bothered at all by what she just saw.' "Yes, Honey. We should," Annabelle answered, trying not to show her nervousness. As they got into the car, Julie sat in the front seat with Richard. She turned around, first looking at Katy, and then at her mom. "So... Does he kiss as good as Katy said he does?" "Julie!" Annabelle exclaimed, blushing again. "I don't think that is a proper question at all." "Oh," Julie said, crestfallen, "I just thought... I mean it looked like you were..." "You watched? Oh dear God!" Neither Julie nor Annabelle noticed that Richard wasn't driving downtown, but in the opposite direction. So wrapped up in what they were saying to each other, the change in elevation didn't register. "I think that Julie is wondering why you seemed to be embarrassed about something you obviously were enjoying," Katy said. "Maybe she's trying to figure out if being with a man is always a bad thing, as you make it out to be." Annabelle turned her attention to Katy. At that point, Richard took hold of Julie's hand and slid her across the bench seat. He opened the door and they got out. Julie was surprised at where they were. "Did Katy put you up to asking your mom those questions?" Richard wanted to know. "Well, sort of. But I did want to know." He rolled his eyes. "You know that what your mom was doing is something she has trouble with." "But... I mean isn't it like Brian and Barbara? Don't you... Well, aren't you showing your love to her, too?" "Would you like that?" he asked. Then an idea struck Richard, "If your mom was in a relationship with Katy and me, would you feel it would make it alright for you to do the same thing with Barbara and Brian?" Julie turned her head away, and didn't answer. "Well?" Richard pressed. "I want my mom to like me." "I understand," Richard said, and gave Julie a hug. "Let's go back to the car." "Ok," Julie said. As soon as Richard opened the door, conversation stopped. In fact, not a word was said on the rest of the trip downtown. As soon as Richard pulled to a stop, Annabelle got out. "Go on, Julie. We'll catch up," Katy said. Julie looked at Katy, who was still in the back seat. Then she looked at Richard, in the front seat. "Do I have to?" "Yes, you do. Brian and Barbara are in the bank," Richard said, pointing to it. "Ok, that will be a good place." As soon as the door shut, Richard asked, "So what did she say?" "She's not too happy with you." Richard took a deep breath, "I pushed too far." "No, I don't think that's it. I think she's not happy, because she wants what she's been taught is not right. You are challenging her, and she doesn't like that. She definitely liked what you did." "Oh," Richard said, raising his eyebrows. "Did you ever have a question about that?" Katy teased. "So what do we do with her?" "I think we're going to have to trap her," Katy said. "That doesn't sound very nice." "No. But you know, sometimes people will believe in something until they have to make a tough decision. Then, at that point, they will really be pressed to think about where their true values lie. Not in what someone else has told them, but in what they believe inside of themselves. You know, like when you and I were laying on the bed? Your arm was cut and I... Well you started talking, telling me about yourself. I saw myself in your story. It was then I chose to do something different. Do you remember?" Richard grinned as he said, "How could I forget that? I woke to find you in bed with me. Keith walked in and told your sister we should stay there. Then he shut the door on us. I was with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Do you think I could ever forget that day?" "Oh, Richard," Katy said, blushing. Robin stopped any other conversation by opening the door. "Are you two ever going to come out?" Robin asked. "We saw you pull up, and we're waiting to hear what happened down in Angle City." "That's right. Sorry, I'd almost forgot about all that," Richard said. ------- "Well that was fun for a while," Barbara said, trying to cheer up Brian and Jimmy. Neither boy was in the mood for being cheerful. They had found something. They could almost feel it. Then, just as sudden as the rise to adventure, came the fall into despair. Jimmy went and sat heavily on one of the chairs. Pamela came over and sat on his lap. Even that didn't get through to him. The one who was in the room, and who was not about to cater to the boys' petty feelings, was Stephanie. "Brian and Jimmy, I'm sorry we didn't find anything, but really... We aren't down here for adventure," Stephanie said, walking over to where Pamela was, "We are here because of Pamela's father." With that she took Pamela by the hand, and pulled her outside. Jimmy was looking at Brian, his face awash with embarrassment. "I think I'd better go talk to her," Jimmy said. "If you know what is good for you," Barbara said, "yes, that would be a very good idea." As Jimmy was walking out the door, he heard Brian saying, "I'm sorry, Barbara." 'This girl thing, ' Jimmy thought, 'is hard. Yet for some reason, it's all worth it.' As soon as he stepped out the door, Jimmy expected to see the girls. They had disappeared. It took him several minutes to find them. In the new school building he caught up with them. They were off in one corner, but not alone. Sarah, Elizabeth, and Kristina were there as well. They all turned and watched Jimmy approach. The closer he got, for some reason, the heavier his feet felt. He didn't like them all looking at him. "Pamela," he said, his voice coming out a bit cracked and unsure, "can I talk with you?" "I'm not sure she's in the mood to talk with you," Elizabeth said, rather smartly. Jimmy just looked at Elizabeth, not knowing what to do. "Jimmy," Stephanie asked, "is that a tear?" Pamela had been pushed long enough. She knew what she wanted to do, and that was to wipe away Jimmy's hurt. After all, he'd tried to do that so many times, with her. The adventure they thought they'd had was rather fun. She walked up to him, and with her small hands cupping his face, gave him a little kiss. The other girls watched the transformation. They were amazed at how this boy, scared and trembling, could turn almost radiant. Pamela's kiss was very much a power to him. Sarah was the only one who had seen anything like it before. She was reminded of her friends Vivian and Scott. It made her smile, and she wondered what ever was going on with them. ------- Julie ran into the bank building excitedly. "Where is everyone?" Julie asked seeing only Brian and Barbara on the floor. "Jimmy went after Pamela, who left with Stephanie," Barbara started to say. "And they left you alone? What if something happened?" Julie asked, amazed. "There was a little problem." Brain said. "What sort of problem?" Julie wanted to know. "A relationship problem," Barbara answered. "Must be going around," Julie answered. "Was what was wrong, with Jimmy, or was it Pamela?" "It was all of us, really," Brian answered. "Well, Jimmy and I." Julie looked at Brian, wanting a bit more information. "Stephanie fell against the wall. She tripped over me," Barbara started. "As she fell she grabbed hold of the wall, and a piece came off." Julie looked. She didn't see any damage to the wall. "It's that little square, see? That one," Brian pointed. Julie walked over to it. "If you pull on it, you can take it right off," Barbara said, as Julie bent over to look at it. Julie pulled, and sure enough, it was in her hand. "We thought there was a... Well, it was an adventure. See that hole?" Brian said. "Yes," Julie said. "It looks a bit strange. Why would a hole be drilled in back of a square that can come off a wall?" "That's what we thought. Jimmy got a flashlight, but he couldn't see anything." "Daisy said maybe all of them were like that," Barbara said. "Did anyone check the others?" Julie asked walking towards the front of the bank and pulling on one of the other squares. "No," Barbara said, "I think we were... Sad." Julie walked more on her way to the front, pulling at the squares that wouldn't budge. She was walking back when she stopped at one of the teller windows. "Did anyone poke into the hole to see if anything happened?" "No, we didn't do that either. Julie it's nothing," Barbara said. Brian and Barbara watched her pick up one of the two, odd, long keys on display. "Well, I'm going to just poke at it. Then I can say that it's nothing, too." "Go ahead. What will it hurt?" Brian said, wishing he could do the same. Julie walked over to the hole and poked the key in. "It's too big," she said. "Julie, like we said, it's..." "The other key is smaller. Maybe I can get it to go in." "Don't break it," Barbara said. Julie rolled her eyes, "Of course not." Exchanging keys, she walked back over. Pushing the key into the hole, she wiggled it around. Then it slipped between the junctions of the paneling. Twisting the key back and forth, there was a noise. The key had turned half way around. "It's stuck!" Julie said in a panic. "I can't get it out!" ------- Chapter 78 Julie turned around, panic-stricken. Stephanie, Pamela, and Jimmy had just walked back into the bank. She placed herself so that the key, now with only its handle showing, was hidden. "Julie!" Stephanie said, "How was your trip? Did you get your stuff? When did you get back? Come and give me a hug." Looking at Barbara and Brian, she was frozen in place. Exasperated, Stephanie walked over and gave Julie a hug. As her hand went around Julie, it hit the key. "What's that?" Stephanie asked. Then pulling Julie away, Stephanie's mouth hung open when she saw the end of the key sticking out. "I didn't mean to do it," Julie tried to explain. "It just got stuck, and now I can't get it back out." Jimmy was over to the wall in a flash. "I knew it! There was something there," he said. Then looking at Julie he asked, "What made you think of putting the key in?" "I was just seeing for myself. Barbara and Brian said there was an adventure, but it turned out to be nothing," she answered. She looked down and added, "I didn't want to be left out. I didn't have a flashlight, so I got one of the keys to kind of poke around. Now it got stuck. I'm real sorry. I didn't mean to do it." Jimmy took hold of the key, ignoring Julie's plea for forgiveness. He gave it a good jiggle. "It's in metal. I bet it's some sort of lock. Julie?" Jimmy said. He looked at her face for the first time and said, "Julie, why are you crying?" "'Cause I broke it." Jimmy laughed. Pamela, Stephanie, Barbara, and Brian soon joined in. "Stop it! Don't laugh at me. I didn't mean to..." "Julie," Brian said. She didn't look at him, but everyone stopped laughing. In the quiet, he said it again. "Julie, look at me." She did, reluctantly. "We were laughing, 'cause you took it all wrong. You found something important." "I did?" "Yes, you did. Now come here, and let me give you a kiss." Julie brightened at that. She got on her hands and knees, and leaned over Brian. They watched as he put his one good arm around her, pulling her into him. "Ok," Barbara said, after their noises started, "I think she knows, by now." Julie popped her head up and turned it to Barbara. Julie found Barbara smiling, and she relaxed. Things were going well, finally, in her life. ------- Dora came in with one of the groups that had been in the farthest out areas. She walked over to a chair, and dropped herself into it. Katy saw her come in, and went over to her. In a quiet voice Dora said, "I forgot how tired I was with Stephanie. This day has worn me out." Katy smiled and said, "I only experienced that about the last month with both Robin and Jimmy, so I'm hoping..." "You are lucky. I feel like I was dragged by a horse though town a few times. The only thing that sounds like fun is a nice bath and then climbing into bed." Katy had to stifle a laugh. "Don't let Richard hear that. He'll think climbing into bed with you might sound nice, as well." Dora slowly smiled, "Well, if that was the case, I'd stay awake." Daisy, Richard, Robin, and I broke up their conversation. We walked over to where Katy and Dora were sitting. "I think it would be a good idea to start shuttling everyone back to the Mansion," Richard said. "How many trips did it take to get everyone downtown?" Katy asked. Jack was walking by us as Katy asked that question. He stopped, with an amused expression on his face. He said, "Keith, Richard, have you considered a bus?" "A bus," I said looking at him, deadly serious. "Jack, that is a great idea." "I was only joking." "I don't know if we really need one; but what about getting the miners, as well as the kids, up and back from Angle City?" "That could be a great idea," Richard interjected. "Do you know where we might find any surplus buses, Jack?" "Shouldn't we find out if the people down in Angle City want to stick around?" Jack said. "I got the impression from Richard, that if they could find a reason, they wouldn't move. We might want to talk to the Memco representatives and see what they have up their sleeve. In the worst case, we'd have one for us," I said. "I'll see what I can do about getting something like that put up for auction," Jack said. "Let me give you a list of buses that should be on that list," Richard said. Jack raised his eyebrows at this. "I saw which ones had problems, and which didn't," Richard said. "We want a good one, not one that had a lot of maintenance issues." Jack laughed, "Only you, Richard, would have paid attention to that." Richard didn't dispel the idea. In reality, all the maintenance guys knew what was really good and what wasn't. They had all known that somewhere along the line, auctions were going to be held. Annabelle walked up as Jack walked away. He gathered Cynthia and Rebecca to him. Watching the three walk away, she turned and looked at Katy, moving close enough to whisper in her ear. "Are you going to tell me about that secret?" Annabelle asked Katy, but the others standing there heard, as well. "Only if you're a good girl," Katy said, and grinned. Richard and Dora exchanged glances. He could tell she wanted to know what was going on. ------- The mood at the mansion was rather somber when we all had returned. Daisy hadn't wanted to go back out. When I had asked her to try and tell me why, it became clear. Going out to the Mansion meant stopping the search for her father. I got the same impression from Pamela. It seemed that no one in the bank wanted to return home. I had to almost pull Jimmy out the door, before locking it. Dinner was well on its way. I told Robin I'd be back in a few minutes, and walked out the front door. Daisy came out before I was off the porch. "Are you going someplace?" "Yes, over to see the doctor," I said. Then, looking at her sad face, I added, "Would you like to come with me?" "Yes, if I could." "Tell Robin you're coming with me, so she won't worry." "All right," Daisy said, running back in. The sun was low in the sky, but we had another hour of sunlight, at least. As Daisy came back out, I took her hand and walked her around to the horses. She looked surprised. "I thought it might be a little more fun than the car," I said. A strained smile crept onto her face. I thought she needed a little laughter. "Of course, we could take my old car. I'm sure you heard some of the adventures Robin and I had in it." It wasn't a full laugh, but she was obviously amused as she thought about that. I turned her over toward the car. As I started towards the end of the landing strip, I slipped my hand down onto Daisy's leg. "Yes, this car does have a nice feel to it." That did bring a giggle. "Keith!" "You know how special you are to me, don't you?" "Yes." I leaned in and gave her a little kiss, just to keep that thought going. We had arrived, and both of us walked up to the plane. We knocked on the door. "Keith," the doctor said, and then eyed Daisy. "Nothing serious, I hope." "Not at all. I was attacked and kissed today, by Laura." The doctor laughed. "Yes, she was in a very good mood now, wasn't she?" "I think what you said, had something to do with that," I replied. "What's wrong with her," Daisy asked. "I'm not supposed to divulge information like that..." "She is living with us," I said. "Yes, it does put things into a peculiar situation. I would guess it would be prudent for you to know, Keith." I could tell by the way he said that, that he was willing to tell me, but was not so sure about Daisy. "If you told me, then I am at liberty..." "You, Keith, have taken no oaths. I, on the hand, am..." "Daisy, put your hands over your ears," I said with a smile, "so you can't hear." The doctor rolled his eyes. "I'll be telling everyone anyway. We don't keep secrets," I said. "Very well. I think I told you. I have been doing research all over the country. It has to do with a particular breathing disorder." I closed my eyes for a moment, not wanting to ask, but needing to. "Tuberculosis?" "No, Keith. I know that thought is scary. This one is a bit different. It is called asthma. If we pay close attention to it, Laura will be fine." "What is it then?" Daisy asked, not pretending any longer she wasn't listening. "We're not quite sure. We know what it does. And with Laura, I'm getting a handle on how to keep her safe." "What does it do?" I asked. "When it attacks, her lungs sort of close up. Keith, Daisy, take your hand and put it over your mouth and nose, tightly. Now try and breathe. That's what it does. If it's not kept in check, she could get so bad, that she couldn't get enough air," the doctor explained. "That sounds very serious. I'm guessing if it got that bad..." "Yes, Keith, we could lose her. It's the reason her father sends her to where I am. I know what to do, and how to keep her healthy." "She'll be living near or with a doctor the rest of her life, I guess." The doctor smiled and said, "Keith and Daisy, don't look so glum. As she told you, this high desert climate is going to be a very good thing for her. I am going to be working with her, to see what made the difference, and why. But things look very good for her. The other thing that doctors like myself, who have been working on this, have found is that children can sometimes outgrow it. When their bodies start to go into puberty..." "My mother didn't have many good things to say when I reached that stage in life," I joked. We all laughed. "It is one of the very good redeeming factors of that time of life. Things can happen. Laura is at the cusp of that. It may be coincidence that she is doing better here, or it could be she is outgrowing it." "Either way, it is good news," I said. "Yes," the doctor answered. He then raised his eyebrows and grinned. "I got a hug, but no kiss," he complained. I laughed. Daisy thought she needed to say more. "Laura got a bit overwhelmed. Keith has a way of doing that. I've never seen her turn so red after she realized what she'd done, though." The doctor was shaking his head, smiling all the while. "Say," he said, changing the subject, "did you know there was going to be a meteor shower tonight? We should be able to see it in the southern sky." "No. I hadn't heard that," I replied. "I was going to ride out of the valley, up close to the new mine area. Should have a great view from there." "When is this going to happen?" I asked. "Tonight, starting about eleven o'clock." "That late?" Daisy asked. The doctor smiled. "Yes. I thought I might bring a bed roll, and just sleep out there for the night." "Want some company?" I asked, my mind thinking of many possibilities. "I did sort of mention it, to see if anyone might be interested. It's a lot more fun watching Mother Nature's fireworks with others, than just by yourself." "Let me see who's interested," I said. Daisy and I left. On the way back to the house, she asked if I would be going. I slowed the car down. "Daisy, I was thinking that we might try and get some of our guests to go." She looked puzzled. I knew I was going to have to explain this. It wouldn't be the surprise it could have been. "Robin thought that you needed a bit of a diversion." "Diversion?" "She thought, well..." I was blushing. Daisy saw that, and got an amused look on her face. "What did Robin think?" Daisy asked, not letting me off the hook. "I should try and give you what you've been asking for." She took hold of my arm, and squeezed it hard. "You mean that, Keith? A baby?" "Do you still want that from me?" "You had better not be seriously asking me a question like that. Keith, if I could, I'd marry you." We were more than half way between the plane and the Mansion. I stopped the car completely. Daisy watched me doing this. "Moving cars and me sometimes don't get along," I said. Before she had time to think, much less react, my mouth was on hers. Ten minutes later, with the windows fogged up, Daisy pulled down her top. I rolled down the window as I heard tapping. Robin was standing outside. She looked inside the car, noting Daisy's disarray. "Starting early?" "I think it's this car," I said, trying to keep a straight face. "Robin," Daisy said, "thank you." "For?" "Keith." "She said she wished she could marry me," I said feeling the need to enter the conversation. "She'd better," Robin said. "I expect her to be as committed to our family as anyone else we have children with." "I wonder if Patrick would marry all of us..." I thought out loud. Daisy's eyes grew wide. Robin took my face and kissed me. "Honey, that's a great idea. Maybe it would solve the problems of the gals being pregnant without being married." "Are you serious?" Daisy said timidly. "Yes, I am," I replied. "So am I," Robin said. "You know it would be a church wedding, not a legal one. But the commitment would be just as strong." "Oh God. I'm going to cry." Robin walked over to the other side of the car and got in, sandwiching Daisy between us. "Don't cry too much, yet. I have to see what my grandpa thinks of this idea, and if he can do it." Daisy sniffled, saying, "I know, but just the idea... I love you two so much." ------- What I hadn't expected was the enthusiasm. Too many of them wanted to go watch the meteor showers. We needed to weed the number down. For one, I don't think the doctor wanted a party, just a group. The other, and more realistic thing was, that they would be spending the night. That meant they needed a bedroll. There were only so many available. At this process of finding out how many bedrolls we had, the word spread to some who had wanted to go, as to what was going on tonight at the Mansion. This made the suggestions I would need to make easier. There were our guests: Grace, Kevin, Dorothy, and Susan. They were excited about the idea. Then there were the two new teachers: Tiffany and Vicki. They were the next who almost forced me to pick them. They knew others would be talking about it, and they needed to have the first hand knowledge. There were only two bedrolls left. I wanted Laura to be one of them, as she might not be prepared for what we were going to be doing. Then I thought of Sarah. Then of course, there was Elizabeth and Kristina. I wasn't sure what to do with all of them. Maybe, with Katharine's family, we could do something with them as a group. So, with that line of thinking, Sarah was the choice. I thought I had it all worked out. Then Kenneth (whom I hadn't considered as a problem, as he went to bed early) got upset. He ran over, grabbed hold of my leg, and started to cry. I looked down and stroked his hair, comforting him. I wondered what to do now. Sarah walked over and picked up the boy, giving him a big hug. "You can take my place," she told him. I looked over at Daisy, who had talked to her, and I knew. Daisy was nodding to me, so I figured that it would be all right. Those who were going got their things together. The eight of them loaded up our two large cars, and went over to the doctor's plane, with Grace and Vicki driving. The doctor was ready to go when they arrived. The number that had shown up amused him. When Grace told him that more wanted to come, but there were only so many bedrolls, he laughed. Grace also did formal introductions. When she got to Laura, there was a slight pause. "I guess I don't need any introduction for her." Of course that brought a number of questions from Susan and Dorothy. Taking another look at Laura, he said he needed to get one thing. He went back into the plane. Coming out in a minute, he was carrying something wrapped up. Of course everyone was a bit curious as to what it might be. Everyone except Laura. Grace caught her frown, but didn't say anything. His horse was saddled, with saddlebags behind. Mounting his horse, he had them follow him. Up over the ridge they went, on the road that the doctor didn't use often, but the cars needed to. They saw the Memco trucks at the edge of the new mine. The doctor was familiar with this area. After all, this was why he was stationed here in the first place. They passed the mine, and came to the edge of the hills to the north. It was a place the doctor had come up to many times. The formation of the hills gave protection on three sides, leaving a full view of the southern sky. It was perfect for the viewing tonight. As the unloading of the cars took place, they made a very nice discovery. In the back of Richard's car was a nice stack of wood, taken from the old barn. They surmised that Richard and I had placed it there, when they were gathering their things. Soon a nice, cheery fire was dancing in the center. "Laura," the doctor called. "Can I see you over here for a moment?" Grace watched as Laura's shoulders fell. The girl didn't say a word, just walked over to where the doctor stood. He placed his arm around her shoulder and talked with her as they walked to the other side of his horse. A few minutes later she was back, smiling. ------- Daisy and Robin had talked it over. Almost as soon as the cars had pulled away, they set things in motion. Sarah was pulled outside with Daisy. Jill was taken upstairs with Robin. Liz saw this, and followed Jill and Robin. I pulled Richard aside, and then the two of us pulled Katharine out to the front porch. "Katharine," I said, "we have talked about your daughters before." "Yes, several times. Are you going to tell me something?" she said, raising her eyebrows. "Did they attack you?" "I'm trying to be serious. The reason I'm bringing this up..." "What Keith is getting at is that there is going to be an orgy tonight," Richard said. Katharine's mouth dropped open. I rolled my eyes. "What Richard meant is that some of the people here need some tender care." "Tender care? Sounds like as good an excuse as any," Katharine said. "Daisy and Pamela need a big dose of love," I said. "Oh. Yes, I guess that is probably true." "Katharine, the only ones I'm concerned with are your daughters. They have not been exposed to..." "Daisy told me she exposed you to them," Katharine quipped back. "Katharine!" I said. "Keith, I had to make this decision a while ago. When Richard and I... Well, the girls were curious as to where I was sleeping. I could have lied to them, but I don't like to lie to my children. What helped me along the way were our talks, Keith. Yes, they will see things girls that age don't see normally. As you said, though, they will see more than just sex. They will see love. I'm right about that, aren't I?" "Yes, Katharine, you are," Richard answered. "Keith, the only one my daughters are interested in (and I see it daily) is you. Now I have to trust you in what you have told me." "Told you?" I asked. "That you would not do anything with them, unless it would be right." "If you haven any doubts, ask Pamela," Richard said. She smiled, saying, "I have. She says you were a stinker. She still loves you, maybe even more, because of your decision." "Katharine, I won't lie to you. If I was alone and it had just been Pamela and I... Well, my easy decision would have been a very difficult one to make. Pamela knows I think she's sexy. I don't have any unfulfilled desires, so I can think with my larger brain." "Good," Katharine said. "Because I think you are going to have a hard time fending my girls off." We were just about to walk inside when Daisy and Sarah walked around the corner of the house. Sarah looked at me, and turned bright red. 'Well, ' I thought, 'at least she knows what is going to happen. It will be most interesting to see what Sarah thinks of her sister.' I walked into the house. I saw, and then heard, at the top of the second story landing, Robin, Jill, and Liz talking. I moved into the music room, where I saw Kristin. I was trying to avoid Jill's blush about seeing me, as Sarah had. Kristin smiled when she saw me. Walking over to the piano bench, she sat on it, facing the piano. Then she turned, and looked at me with a devilish smile. "Want to play? Robin told me this piano bench was ours." Now, I was the one blushing. Kristin laughed. "Starting without me?" I turned around to see Robin standing there, grinning. She walked up to me, and started undressing me. Kristin's hands snaked around from the back and helped, also. Soon I was standing in the music room, naked. "Well," I said, "it is only fair to return the favor. Don't you think so, Kristin?" "Yes, I do," she said, and helped me undress Robin. Then Robin and I proceeded to undress Kristin. We heard a gasp, and turned to see Stephanie looking in at us, her eyes wide. "I'll get her," I said, and went towards Stephanie. Shocked by not knowing what was going on, she ran back out, and started up the stairs. She made it to the fourth step, before I caught hold of her. She was laughing by this time, as her brain was registering what her eyes had seen. I put my head under her dress. Holding onto her ankles, I lifted her, throwing her over to my back. She screamed, of course, bring attention to what was going on. By the time I had her back into the music room, and we'd stripped her clothing off, Jimmy, Pamela, Mary, and Beth Ann had come to find out what the screaming was all about. Kristin helped Mary out of her clothing. Stephanie tried to do the same for Beth Ann. Then they all stopped, and watched. Robin was behind Jimmy, and I was behind Pamela. They were facing each other. Robin and I slowly undressed them. We removed first their shoes and socks, blouse and shirt, pants and skirt, and finally the panties and underwear. Pamela and Jimmy were practically panting. We heard a little noise. Jimmy and Pamela didn't register that anything was even around them. Robin and I looked over to see Katy, Jimmy's mother, in the doorway. I waited to make eye contact with her. "Want to take Robin's place?" I asked as softly as I could. She shook her head. I smiled at her, and then looked back to Robin. "Time to take over their hands," I said. From my peripheral vision I could see there was more of our household gathering. I could tell from the noise, that clothing was also being removed. I smiled and winked at Robin. With my hands on the outside of Pamela's, I reached out with our hands, and took hold of Jimmy's face. We pulled him forward, into a kiss with Pamela. Robin moved with him, her hands also guiding his. They were around Pamela's back, down to her butt, and then back up. One hand, moving around to the front, found one of Pamela's nipples. Pamela moaned into Jimmy's mouth. I started moving Pamela's hands. One went around Jimmy's neck, holding him into the kiss. The other caressed him down his chest, tickled his belly button, and then continued on down. I was a bit uncertain about when we reached Jimmy's dick. My hesitation didn't stop Pamela, who was obviously ready to proceed. She just kept going, and I had to catch her hand. I did so as she first made contact with Jimmy's manhood. Jimmy groaned into Pamela's mouth. Moments later, she did the same. I looked and saw that Robin had guided Jimmy's hand to the same region on her that I had with Pamela's hand, on him. Robin and I looked at each other and smiled. We both knew our hands were no longer needed. Gently, we moved ours away, and pulled back from the two lovers. Robin noticed and smiled at my hard dick, realizing that it had to have been poking Pamela. It was then that Robin and I realized the extent of our audience: everyone from the house. Half of them were undressed. Kristina and Elizabeth were openly staring at my protrusion. There was neither use nor need to hide it now. Robin and I, hand in hand, walked out. I took Daisy's hand, and pulled her with us. I wasn't surprised when most of the others followed us, leaving Pamela and Jimmy to themselves, or relatively so. Stephanie stayed, along with Elizabeth, Kristina, and Sarah. The latter three were still dressed. Robin and I stopped Daisy in the entrance between the living and dining room. We stripped off what little she still had on, turning and kissing every inch of her body. I knew, from the noises, Daisy, as well as others, was enjoying the attention. Moving her into the dining room, I helped Daisy sit on the edge of the table. Robin climbed on top of it. She pulled Daisy to her back. I took Daisy's legs and spread them. As Robin enjoyed first Daisy's mouth and then her breasts, I got down onto my knees. I dove in, eating Daisy to her first of two orgasms, by mouth. Then I stood. I lifted her legs up and against my chest. As I slid my now aching dick into her, Daisy moaned. Robin said, "Tell me what you want Keith to give you." The noise around us quieted just a bit, waiting to hear an answer. "Baby, I want Keith to give me a baby," Daisy panted. I heard a few surprised gasps, and several moans. But all in all, the sounds of kissing of flesh, was the most prevalent. Daisy's admission was obviously a turn on. There was this feeling in the back of my mind that I should have lasted longer, or that it should have been better. But the truth of the matter was that the idea of Daisy wanting my child was just too much for me. Before I knew it, I was pumping my seed into her. She felt my frantic thrusts, and moved her legs around me, pulling and trapping me inside of her. I leaned over, and took her into an embrace. My body was still spasming as I did so. I propped myself onto my arms, afterwards. I looked into her eyes, and smiled. "I hope it didn't work," I said. She looked concerned at me, until I added, "I like 'trying' too much." "Oh, you!" Daisy said, and started to kiss me all over my face. Our movements caused me to slip out of her, and Robin was right there. She had a pillow with her. I hadn't even noticed her leaving. She scooted Daisy onto the table, and placed the pillow under her butt. "This will keep as much of Keith inside of you, as possible," Robin said, smiling at Daisy. After my legs stopped feeling like rubber, I was able to look around at what was happening with everyone else. Walking into the living room, I saw Kristin, Beth Ann, and Mary were in a triangle on the floor, with heads between legs. Dora was also on the floor, with Katy sitting on her face. Katy was leaning back against one of the couches, and had one of Katharine's breasts in her mouth. Richard was behind Katharine, sliding his dick in and out of her. Liz was sitting on the other couch with Jill. Jill was still in her panties and an open blouse, and was nursing at Liz's bare breast. Liz caught my eye. She smiled and moved her head, beckoning me over. I moved, feeling my dick starting to swell as I made my way over. Before I got to Liz and Jill, Sarah came into the room. Still with her clothing on, but a bit messed up; she had obviously been playing with herself while watching Pamela and Jimmy. She stopped, and stared at me. My dick rose to full mast at her scrutiny. As she finally blinked, she looked up at my face. Her eyes were as big as they could get, as she added a full blush to her face. I walked over to her, and saw the fright in her eyes. "Sarah, Daisy talked with you about this before. No one will hurt you, certainly not me. Even though I think you know that I find you rather attractive," I said looking down my frame. Sarah's eyes followed my gaze. Her face shot back up when she realized where she was looking. "Sarah," I continued, "you need love, now. I don't think you are ready for any sex." "But Jimmy and Pamela..." "Yes?" I could tell Sarah was trying to figure a way out of what she had just brought up. It came in the form of a noise in the corner of the room. Sarah glanced, and then (just as she had done with me) openly stared. "Mary?" Sarah got out. She couldn't believe what she saw her sister doing. Mary looked up with a contented smile on her face. "I think maybe you need to talk with Daisy, again," I said, taking the stunned Sarah by the hand, and leading her into the dinning room. I don't know if that helped. Daisy was still lying on the dinning room table, her butt propped up. My darling wife was nibbling on Daisy's toes, and saying funny things to her. Daisy looked over at Sarah, and smiled. "I think I got what I've wanted," Daisy sighed contentedly. "What did you want?" Sarah asked curiously, but cautiously. "Keith's baby." Sarah turned and looked at me, her mouth hanging open. "Did you hear what Daisy said?" I asked. Sarah didn't answer. She was still stunned. "Sarah, think what Daisy said, before she told you 'my baby'. She said she'd got what she wanted. Not what I wanted to give her, or forced her to have or anything even remotely like that. This is what she wanted." Sarah swallowed hard. I reached out to her. At least she didn't pull away from me when I touched her. I turned her around to look at Daisy. "Talk to her about it," I said. I had to clear my thoughts. So I walked out into the hallway. Then I smiled and walked into the music room, to see if Jimmy and Pamela were still there. They were and the young couple were cuddling together, enjoying the afterglow of their love. It was also evident from the glistening juices that Jimmy was discharging a fair amount for his age. They also still had an audience. Elizabeth and Kristina were taking the whole scene in. But, feeling like distant observers, they also still had all their clothes on. Elizabeth jumped when I touched her shoulder. Her head whipped around. She smiled when she saw I was the one standing there. As soon as recognition took place, her eyes dropped to my crotch, and she unconsciously licked her lips. I noticed it of course, and my body responded. I could feel myself inflating once again. "You're a bit overdressed, you know." "You mean we can get undressed, too?" Kristina asked me. "Yes, no one will stop you. There is only one rule here." "What?" Elizabeth asked me. "You may not do anything to anyone that they don't want. Everyone follows that rule." "So... If I want you to take off my clothes," Kristina said as she blushed as bright a red as possible. "I could say no," I replied. Her face fell. Then I added, "But if you are asking," I smiled, "I'd love to do that." Kristina's smile was so big it looked like it might hurt. She ran over, and stood in front of me, waiting. "Does that go for me as well?" Elizabeth asked. "Will you undress me, too?" "I sure will, and both of you at the same time. It will take longer, and be much more fun that way." The girls were practically jumping up and down for joy. Then they stopped and looked very solemn. I turned to see where their gaze had gone. Katharine, their mother, was in the doorway. I turned back around to the girls, and smiled. "Kristina," I said reaching out and pulling her closer to me. "Let's take your blouse off first." Her eyes just about popped out of her head, hearing me say that. "Kristina and Elizabeth," I whispered. "How is your mom dressed?" There was a moment of thought. Then the expressions on the girls' faces changed, as realization took hold. When I felt it was safe, I reached out and started to unbutton Kristina's blouse. She looked into my eyes and smiled, knowing she was going to enjoy me doing this. Alternating between the two, I got them down to their panties. Then I told them to turn around. When they did, I pulled their panties down one right after the other, as quickly as I could. "Now, only turn around, if you want me to look at you," I said. Both of them didn't hesitate a second. They had impish grins on their faces, as they displayed their bodies to me. "You need to find Robin now, you two little teases. I can't do a thing more without her permission. I'm hers. She has to give the ok before I could say 'yes', to anything else." The sisters looked at each other, giggled, and ran off to find Robin. Before I could move, I felt arms around my neck, and then a kiss. "Thank you for being so gentle with my daughters. I know you said you would be. Seeing you, seeing them with you, I know they will be taught love. Thank you." I turned around and smiled. "Katharine, those two darlings..." "Have gotten into your heart. I can see it. Kenneth as well. I thank God every day that I listened to my children and came to this place. I have no doubt that this will be my home for the rest of my life. Between Richard and you..." I started to laugh. She looked at me, surprised. "Between Richard and me?" Realizing how I was making that out, Katharine blushed. "Keith!" "We've only done that once before," I said as seriously as I could. "You have? Oh... Who?" "Now would that be polite?" I joked. Katy came up and pulled Katharine to her. "What is he telling you now?" Katy asked. "He said someone was between Richard and him, once." "It was more than once, Keith. Shame on you." "Katy! Oh... It was you?" "Yes, Katharine," Katy said. "You know that old child's table that came from Richard's home? I just thought it might be the right height. So..." "Oh God..." Katharine got out. I paid attention to what Katy was doing, as I saw Katharine's body go into a shudder. Katy had her fingers pulling and twisting Katharine's nipples. Apparently that, along with the conversation, had set her off. As I started to leave the room, I leaned to Katy and whispered, "You might want to talk to your son. We'll be checking tomorrow, but if he's potent, he could get Pamela pregnant. He needs to know that." She nodded, and looked at the two still on the floor. By now, they were kissing and fondling again. Across the hall, I looked in and saw Jill and Liz. They were in different positions but still on the couch. Jill was now laying with Liz over her. I noticed Jill's blouse was now open in front. They both saw me as I approached. Reaching out, Liz took my hand and pulled me down to my knees. Jill was just watching, not saying a word to me. Liz took hold of Jill's blouse and pulled it open. I took a sharp breath at the beautiful breast in front of my eyes. "Keith, enjoy it," Liz said. My mouth was watering, but I looked into Jill's eyes. "I need to know you want this." Jill took a hand from behind me, grabbed my head, and forced my face onto her breast. I didn't need any more encouragement. As my mouth made contact, with my tongue swirling around her extended nipple, I heard Jill moan. ------- The meteor showers were to start within the next half hour. Kenneth, as excited as he was, was trying to stay awake. No one believed he'd see the whole show. Grace had not said a word when Kevin set his roll out, and Dorothy and Susan had set theirs on each side of his. Grace was having a great time with Kenneth. He had just taken to her, climbing on her lap. That feeling of mothering a young child was something she hadn't felt in years. It was very nice. As she had placed out her bedroll, Kenneth wanted his next to it. Vicky, Tiffany, and Laura had theirs together. The doctor had put his down in the space left open, between Vicki and Kenneth. Now, with all of them sitting around the fire, they told stories. A few of them were even true, but most were tales as 'tall' as they could make them. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. The doctor was looking at his watch. He stood, walked over to where Laura was, and put his hand out for her. "We need to check before the show starts." Sighing, Laura got up and walked over to the horse with him. Everyone there looked at each other; wondering what it was that the doctor was checking. They soon found out. "I'm sorry to have to do this to Laura, but there isn't enough light for me to see anywhere but by the fire." Holding a large tube in one hand, the doctor led Laura over to where they were standing near the fire. The 'tube' was a bit more complicated than that. It was metal with a glass section that showed in a cutout. At the bottom of the 'tube' was flexible rubber tubing. At the end of that was a cone shaped attachment. Everyone was fascinated as they watched Laura pick up the cone shaped piece, and put it to her mouth. The doctor held the metal tube upright, watching the glass section. Laura took a deep breath, and blew into the mouthpiece. A ball shape moved up into the glass section as Laura blew. She continued until her air ran out. She waited just a moment, and did the procedure again. Three times she did it. On the third, they heard the doctor comment. "Come on, Laura, try as hard as you can. Blow out hard." No one knew what they were looking at, but they couldn't miss that Laura was winded by the time she was done. "Laura..." the doctor started to say. "I know," she said, sounding very sad. "I think it is just the cold air, nothing to worry about. Well, except you shouldn't spend the night out in it." "Doctor," Tiffany interrupted, "can Laura stay for the meteor showers, and then go home?" He took a look at the tube again. It was obvious he was thinking. "Yes, I think that would be fine. But then she does need to go. I'm terribly sorry. I'll take her back." "On... On the horse?" Laura asked a bit unsteady. "You'd never get me on one of those things," Dorothy said. "Vicki and I can take her in, with one of the cars. That would leave five of you for the trip back." "We can fit," Grace said. "Tiffany! Vicki! I can't do that to you," Laura said almost in tears. "Laura," Vicki said. "We're out here for the show, not to spend the night. That was just an added bonus. It's fine. My back will appreciate a regular bed, anyway." "Look, LOOK!" Kenneth said, pointing to the sky. The show had started. They needed to move the cars to block the fire and stand on the other side of them. Now with the blackness of sky, they were in for a wonderful treat. The excitement was so great, that surprising everyone, Kenneth stayed awake for the whole show. Everyone was glad to get back around the fire. It was a bit chilly. Kenneth went to his bed and climbed in, saying he was cold. Within a minute, he was sound asleep. Laura didn't say a word as she rolled up her bed. Taking her things, she went to the car, and climbed in. "She's going to be ok, isn't she?" Susan asked in a choked up voice. "She's doing better here than she's ever been," the doctor assured them. "Carp looks to be a very good place for her. "I'm glad to hear that," Grace said. The others, from the boarding school, looked at her. They realized Grace must have known about Laura's condition. Grace must have had to monitor what Laura was going through, without any of them knowing it. Tiffany and Vicki gathered their things. They said their goodbyes, thanked the doctor, and got into the car. There was just a bit or reorganization before they drove away. Tiffany made Laura move up to the front seat, sitting between the two teachers. "Laura," Vicki said, "have you had this problem all your life?" "As long as I can remember. It used to be real bad. I was in the hospital a lot when I was young. Dr. Harrington made it so I could almost be normal." "He said something about this being a good place for you," Tiffany said. "That thing I have to blow into, it checks how good my lungs are. Or that's how it was explained to me. The better I can blow into that thing, the better I'm breathing. Yesterday, he told me I was doing great." "So tonight what happened?" Vicki asked. "Like he said, it's the cold air. It's never been good for me. I didn't think about it. When he told me I was doing so good... Well, I was hoping I was done with it all. It's no fun to be last at everything." "So this might just be a little thing," Tiffany said trying to sound upbeat. "I hope so. It's embarrassing, though. We'll be coming back when we should have been gone. I feel like when I was a little kid, and someone would wet their bed." "Laura, no one thinks of you that way. We all love you. I know Jill certainly does," Vicki said. Laura blushed, and didn't know what to say about that. "Ok, I need help now," Vicki said. "There are the mining trucks, so help me find the road down to Carp." They drove past it twice, making them all feel a bit on edge. Once found, they were into Carp within a minute. "I know it's not normal that anyone's up there in the middle of the night, but it would have been nice to have some sort of markers," Vicki said. "Tell Keith about it. He'll get it done," Laura said. Vicki and Tiffany looked at each other, and gave a little smile. "So you think Keith can do just about anything, then?" Tiffany asked. "He got Jill to come to the school when that was the best thing for her. Jill told me he saved this whole town from a bunch of bad chemicals," Laura said. Then she got quiet. "She told me he knew what they could do. He didn't run away like most people would have. I couldn't have done it. I'd be too afraid." "That's a good point, Laura. He's a good man," Vicki said. "Did you know he got Pamela some kind of surgery, so she'd look and talk better? He doesn't like it when people make fun of other people," Laura said. She looked at Vicki, who was wearing a grin. "I know he's not perfect. He got mad at Jill, but well... Jill's been hurt and well... I can see it. She loves him. He's got to be good if that can happen." "Laura," Tiffany said, "I think you are pretty smart to see all that." Laura felt very good hearing that. "Almost home. I wonder who will still be up?" Vicki said, noticing they were almost to the bend. "It's kind of late, probably... Look at all the lights on! I wonder what's going on?" Tiffany said. As they pulled up in front, through the music room window, the naked body of Kristin could be seen. "Maybe we should go in and see what's going on, first," Tiffany said to Laura. "Tiffany, don't you remember? I was there when Liz and Jill talked about Carp. I know what they are doing." "Are you sure?" Vicki asked. She herself wasn't so sure she wanted to go in. "Yes, I'm sure," Laura said. Laura was as much curious as she was scared. But since they had been in Carp, Jill and she had had no time alone. Between the introduction from Betty and Sue, Laura had developed a small but definitely there, appetite for sexual pleasure. She trusted Jill about her being safe, knowing if Jill felt that way, she could as well. "We might as well go in, then," Tiffany said, "Ready Vicki?" "As I'll ever be, I suppose." Vicki answered. Laura realized both Vicki and Tiffany were scared. For some reason, she thought that was funny. It was probably because they were older than she was. She couldn't help it. She started to giggle. "What's so funny?" Tiffany wanted to know. "You're acting scared." Laura answered. Both Vicki and Tiffany stammered. "Don't you remember what Liz said? You are safe. No one will do anything without permission. Don't you believe her?" Vicki got down on her knees in front of Laura, looking her in the eye. "I know it doesn't make sense at times, but when you've been hurt, it is hard to believe something like this wouldn't hurt you again." Laura was nodding and then said, "I know. I've been very shy, but I had to trust Jill. I would have lost her if I didn't. I didn't want to lose her, so I had to. But then, she's been through a lot worse, and she trusts." Tiffany was shaking her head. "You know, Laura, for someone as young as you are, you can see things it is hard for Vicki and me to see. Come on, let's go in." The front door opening was a bit of a shock to Mary and Beth Ann. They were standing in the hallway. When they saw who it was, they relaxed and pointed to the living room. Trying not to stare, Vicki, Tiffany, and Laura nodded and walked over to it. Laura dropped her jaw when she looked in. She saw Jill, stark naked in my arms, kissing me at one end of the couch. Vicki and Tiffany had a similar reaction. Liz was on the other side of the couch, also naked. Her arms and legs were spread apart, and her head was tilted back in obvious bliss. "Jill!" Laura got out, surprised at what she was doing. Jill's head popped up and looked around, then spotted Laura. "Come here," Jill called with a warm smile on her face. Liz looked up and saw Tiffany and Vicki. She got up and walked over to them. I looked over, and saw Laura timidly walking our way. My sister, her hips swaying, walked over to the only other two in the house who were still dressed. "Laura," Jill said, "it is time to give Keith a real kiss. I know you know how, but wow, it is different with him. You'll like it." "Do... Do I have to..." Laura was looking down at herself. "Laura," I said, "you will only take your clothes off, if you want to." Laura blushed and said, "I think I'd like that, but I don't want to..." "I wouldn't let you," I replied. "You wouldn't?" Laura sounded a bit hurt. "No, you have to ask Robin, she's my wife, after all." Laura looked at Jill for confirmation. Jill nodded, and Laura relaxed. Then, surprising me, she slipped out of her clothes. Jill, whose leg was draped over mine, felt me rise. "He thinks you look nice, Laura," Jill said. "How can you tell?" Laura asked. Jill pointed, and Laura's eyes popped open. "Wow!" Jill giggled, knowing I was blushing without even needing to look at me. As soon as Laura had the last piece of clothing off, she asked Jill "Is he really a good kisser?" "Mmm," Jill purred, "Very nice." ------- Lying awake in the bed, the one that had become 'their' bed, Jimmy snuggled up to Pamela. The night before had sealed their existence together. This is where he belonged; taking care of the girl he was in love with. Yet with all those feelings, he was still Jimmy, the boy that loved a bit of fun and adventure. It was that train of thought that made Jimmy sure that Brian was thinking the same thing as he was: 'How are we going to get back into the bank?' It was locked, and being a bank, there was no easy way in. It was not the same as they had found with some of the buildings, over the years. Jimmy thought time was of the essence. If any one else went in there, they might see the coat rack out of place, hiding the key that was stuck into the wall. It had worked to mask the key as Brian and Barbara had been taken out, but that was no guarantee that it would stay hidden, and this was their adventure. Over breakfast there was discussion about going into town. Pamela, Jimmy, and Stephanie said they wanted to go see Brian and Barbara. With Pamela's seemingly positive approach, it looked like that was a good thing for her, and the rest, to do. When they were told they could go with the others, downtown, that was a start. They would need to wait to see if any of them had ideas about getting back into the bank. Richard and Katy took Pamela, Jimmy, and Stephanie over to Millie's. I had brought Daisy downtown, along with Robin, Beth Ann, Mary, Sarah, and Katharine. The plan Robin and I had come up with was to talk to Patrick. Daisy was on an emotional roller coaster. I'm sure her sister wasn't much better, but I wanted to get one taken care of, and then work on the next. Not knowing where anyone was, the best place to start was downtown. I had just started down the street when a woman was waving her hands at me. I stopped. "Keith, there was a phone call for you. He'll call back in just a little while. He said it was very important." "Did they say who it was?" I asked. The woman looked at me like I should know who was calling me. "No, I thought you'd know." "Well, no. I haven't a clue. But I'll wait for them to call back." 'There goes my morning, ' I thought. "Who would be calling?" Robin asked. "Could be a number of people, Dr. Jameson from the university, most likely. It could also be Jeff; he might have done something right, for once..." I said, and laughed, then added, "Like asking Sharin to marry him." "Do you think so?" Mary asked. "She's such a nice lady." "Oh, I bet I know. It's probably someone from Memco. They are going down to Angle City tomorrow," I said. "I'm sorry to have to do this." After last night, the mood everyone felt was a close love for one another, so they couldn't help but agree it was just fine. I was thinking they were just curious to see who was calling. Mary, Beth Ann, and Sarah were probably going through phone withdrawal. Robin and Daisy never used the thing, except on rare occasions, so it was always a novelty to them to get calls. While we waited, I saw Jimmy, Stephanie, Pamela, and Julie, with Jim. He was walking over to the bank. I was curious as to what that was all about. "Jimmy," I called down the sidewalk, "What are you up to?" He stopped, and looked nervous. "We forgot to give Jack his flashlight back. The last time, we lost his," Jimmy yelled back to me. I laughed and said, "You mean the one you dropped, and it ended up under the Mansion?" He didn't find it as amusing as I did. I thought he was taking this flashlight business a bit too seriously. It was good though, that he was showing a bit of responsibility. I watched Jim open the door and the kids rush in. The phone rang and made me jump. I picked it up. The others with me were watching me. "Keith Patterson speaking." "Keith! Good, I'm glad they found you. This is Franklin, the Chaplin from the hospital in Long Beach. I'm a bit worried." "Worried? What's wrong?" "He hasn't shown up yet. I expected him two days ago." "I'm a bit confused here. Who were you expecting?" I asked. "Robert." As that sunk in, there was a pause. "Keith, don't tell me he didn't tell you he was coming down here." I was glad the post was there for me to hold onto. Looking over to Daisy, my eyes started to tear up. "No, he didn't tell anyone. We've been looking for..." "A body! Oh Jesus! Sorry Keith, sometimes those things slip out. He just left?" "The only thing we found was a lunch box filled with memento's, at Mildred's grave." "Damn him. I told him he needed to tell you and his girls. How are they doing?" "One of them is right here, wondering what is going on." I replied. "Daisy," I said after pulling the receiver away from my face, "your father is alive." She wasn't prepared for news like that, and dropped in a dead faint. Mary was close enough to grab her as she went down, so that she didn't hurt herself. The other girls rushed to Daisy while I talked. "Franklin, what was he doing coming down there?" "I don't like to talk about it, but my wife died suddenly. I lost everything that day. Robert and I had many talks about it. He called me from Carp when he went back up there, almost every evening. The last time he couldn't take it any longer. He was drunk, told me he'd yelled at his kids, making them scared of him." "Yes, he did." "I was sure he was about to do himself in," Franklin said. "That's what everyone thought happened." "There was a place I went to, down here. I told him I'd get him into it. He could get his life back in order." "Now that note he left in the lunch box makes sense. It said something about how much he loved his girls, and he hoped they could be proud of him one day," I said. "If that doesn't beat all. When he was down here, he didn't want to call Carp and tell anyone about Mildred's condition. I had to force him to do that. I should have known better. Darn it. I'm really sorry everyone had to go through all that." "So am I. The girls haven't taken it so well. For a few days, Pamela didn't speak." "Keith, that gets me back to the reason I called. He hasn't shown up. It doesn't take this many days to get from there to here. I was trying to figure out the train schedule from there." "Train schedule? The train doesn't regularly stop here." "Then how did he leave? He told me he'd be taking the train." "I have no idea. He didn't take his horse, and no one saw him in the town below us. I'm going to have to find out. This opens up another can of worms. Let me get your phone number. Between us, we'll figure this out." "Good. But, Keith, I've got to tell you, I'm worried. From our talks, I know Robert is pretty naïve as to what is outside his world of Carp. He can't have had much money with him. I don't like the odds." "We'll get working on this right away. I'll use everything I can, to find him." "Thanks, Keith. I know you are taking care of his girls. He said nothing but good things about you." That made the harsh thoughts I'd thought about him seem pretty nasty. I didn't like that about myself. "It is hard not to love those two," I said. Franklin laughed, "Keith, you are a good liar. I'm sure they hold a special place in your heart, but you have probably been cursing Robert for disappearing." "Now I can see why Robert talked to you," I said, laughing at myself. "You're a bit observant." "Let's talk later, as we find out things." I hung up the phone, and looked around. Mary and Beth Ann were the only two standing by me. "Where is everyone else?" I asked. "Daisy wanted to tell her sister the good news. We stayed, but Robin and Sarah wanted to go with her," Beth Ann said. I knew that made sense, but there was a lot more to the conversation than what I'd told Daisy. I sighed. "We know Robert didn't kill himself, but he's still missing. We don't know what happened to him." "Oh, no!" Mary exclaimed. "Daisy and Pamela will be crushed." We headed off towards Millie's house, only to see Daisy and the others on their way back to us. "We saw Pamela and Jimmy just at the edge of town," Daisy said. "My sister was crying as much as I was. Keith, I'm so glad my dad's alive. Where is he?" I sighed, and must have looked worried. "What's wrong?" Daisy asked. "Tell me." "Let's go find your sister." "Keith, what aren't you telling me? You're scaring me." "Daisy, we know your dad didn't kill himself. Just the opposite. He was going to get help. The problem is, he's hasn't arrived yet." I looked over to Daisy as we were walking. "There is a lot to explain. Let's get your sister. I will explain everything I know, to both of you at the same time. Ok?" "Can we walk a little faster, then?" We laughed, trying to break the tension that had built once again. We knocked, and found Millie home. "Is Pamela here?" I asked. "No, none of them are here. I can't believe it, but they were so excited. In the back of one of the old stores there was a wheel chair. They got Barbara into it. And Brian..." Millie laughed. "They rigged a wheel barrow type thing together and put him on top of it. I'm surprised you didn't see them." "So no one's here?" Daisy asked. "Just me. It's almost too quiet. I never thought I'd be saying that!" "Thanks, Millie," I said, pondering where those kids were. I wasn't the only one. "Where'd they go?" Daisy asked as we walked away. "I have no idea. Where were Jimmy and Pamela going after you talked to them?" I asked. "They sort of just disappeared." "Damn. They must have found some new adventure. The bank was a bust, plus it's locked up," I said. I looked at everyone, "Did anyone hear anything from them?" Slowly, everyone ended up shaking their heads. "They couldn't have gone far..." "Who couldn't have?" Jack asked as he approached us. "The kids. Pamela, Jimmy, Stephanie, Brain, Barbara, and Julie," I said, then added, "At least you got your flashlight back." "I didn't get it back. That's why I was heading over here." "But I saw Jimmy going into the bank to get it. Oh, geeze. That kid. He's as sneaky as I was. They are on some adventure again, with Barbara in a wheel chair and Brian on some sort of a wheel barrow." Jack couldn't help but laugh. "It would be funny, except I got a call. We know a lot more about Robert. We think he's alive." Jack got very serious at that point. "Let's go find them then. Pamela needs to know, right?" "Yes, that is why we were looking for them," I responded. I'd never seen Jack quite like this. Jack just took off, running back towards town. "He's acting a bit strange," Robin said. "A bit? For Jack, that is real strange. I think he has a problem with kids," I told her. The next thing we heard was Jack, in his Jeep, over the loudspeaker. "PAMELA, WE NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU. PLEASE COME DOWNTOWN." I looked at the others. "Pamela is going to die of fright if she hears that." "Let's cut him off," Robin said, "Daisy, you stay with Keith, and go downtown. Beth Ann and Mary, you head that way, Sarah and I are going to cut across this way." Soon everyone was running in different directions. Daisy and I got downtown, and walked up the sidewalk. We were wondering what to do next, when the bank's door opened. "Keith and Daisy, can you come in?" Julie said, looking white as a ghost. ------- Chapter 79 Daisy and I rushed into the bank, not even thinking why it was open or what Julie was doing there. The bank door closed behind us and I started to look around. I couldn't believe my eyes. There was Stephanie, Julie, Pamela, and Jimmy, along with Barbara and Brian. They were in hidden positions, so no one could see them from the outside. "What are you doing in here?" I asked. Pamela was obviously shaking and upset, but it wasn't from my question. We heard Jack's public address system going again. He was asking for Pamela. Her face showed the fear the rest of her body was demonstrating. Daisy went over to her and Pamela stopped shaking after Daisy whispered into her ear. No one moved from their hiding places, and I was getting mad. "I'll ask again, what are you doing in here?" I looked at Jimmy, "Jimmy, tell me now." His eyes were wide from the tone of my voice, he just pointed. I looked and saw something in the wall. I walked over to it. I looked back over to him. "Is this what I think it is?" I asked, thinking as soon as I said that, how stupid it sounded. "One of the keys we found," Jimmy said in a shaky voice. "Ok, all of you out of here. We need to talk to Pamela. And if you didn't hear, everyone is looking for you." There was a feeling of doom that fell over the room. Daisy got up, pulling her sister to a standing position. I added, after a moment's thought, "Just make sure the door doesn't lock, we'll need to get back in here, afterwards. All right?" Daisy walked over and opened the door, looking out. "Nobody's in sight. Hurry up." There was a rush. Pamela moved quickly to her sister's side. Stephanie wheeled Barbara out, while Jimmy and Julie maneuvered Brian out. Once outside, I got everyone to move, so that we weren't right in front of the bank. Jack was turning the corner, as we stopped at the next building. As Jack pulled up, I beat him to his question. "We found them, so now I can talk to Pamela and Daisy together. We're going into the school building. Can you tell the others we found them?" "Yes," Jack said. I could tell he wanted to say more. Most likely, he wanted to scold the kids for scaring them, or maybe him. I was going to ask Cynthia about that. "Come on," I said, opening the doors to the new school building. Without the people that had been in here the last time, the place felt huge. The downstairs floor, open and cavernous, worked well for the original dress shop that this building had once been. The last time I was in it, during the search for Robert, it didn't seem so... empty. "Wow! Look at this, Jimmy. When did they do all this?" Brian asked. I realized, as Jimmy answered him, how much Brian had missed out on, by being immobilized. Getting Julie to help me, I pulled several chairs into a circle. We got everyone seated. I took Pamela's hand. I sat, and pulled her onto my lap. Daisy sat to my left. Before anyone else had a chance, Robin ran into the building and sat on my right. Sarah was right behind her, but had to grab a chair to sit on. So did Jimmy. His sister took one of the ones set up. Once everyone was settled, I began. "Pamela, your sister told you that your dad is not dead. Am I right?" She nodded. "Now, let me tell you the whole conversation. Do you remember meeting the priest down at the hospital where your mother was, in Long Beach?" Pamela and Daisy looked at each other and nodded. "That man's name is Franklin. He told me that he went through some very bad times. His wife died suddenly at one point. Your dad and Franklin talked a lot, apparently. For some time, after your mom and dad came back here, your dad called Franklin often. He wanted to talk with him, still." "Is that where he's at?" Daisy asked. "I'm getting to that," I said. "Now, you remember how your dad was after your mom died? He started drinking, again. I'm sure you'll never forget when he yelled at you. Your dad was not happy with himself for doing that. He also knew he couldn't change who he was, by himself." "So he didn't want to kill himself, then," Pamela said. It was the first complete long sentence any of us had heard her speak, in some time. I was choked up. "No, Sweetie, he didn't want to do that." Daisy's expression changed, as a revelation took place. "That's what he meant in the note he left, isn't it?" "What note?" Pamela demanded. Daisy looked pained and said, "He left a note, Pamela. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but it sounded like he didn't want to live. I didn't want you to see it." I pulled Pamela tightly to me. "Pamela, your sister was just trying to protect you. Yes, that is what the note meant. He was going to get help. Franklin told your dad to let us know what he was doing. Obviously, he didn't tell anyone, he just left." "Not thinking of anyone but himself," Daisy said. "Daisy, I don't think he could do much more than that. I know it is very hard to think about," I said, remembering what Patrick has said to me, "but your father was trying to do what he could, at the time. He wanted to get better, because he truly loves you two." Daisy turned and looked me in the eyes, "Why did Franklin call?" "Your father told Franklin that he was coming down there, but he hasn't arrived." Pamela, not understanding the gravity of that statement, asked, "Why not? Where'd he go?" "That's the problem. We don't know. We know where he was going, but we don't even know how he planned to get all the way from here to there. Daisy, did your dad have any stashed money?" "Stashed?" Daisy asked, not understanding the question. "Hidden, like emergency money?" Daisy might have laughed, but this was no laughing matter. "No, I don't think so. We never had much money, just like everyone else." "Franklin is working from his end, with everyone he knows. We'll be working from this end, doing the same. Somewhere, someone knows where your dad is," I stated. "He's not dead is he?" Pamela asked. "Honey, I can't truthfully answer that question. My guess is, 'no'. We just don't know anything yet." Pamela wiggled off my lap, and walked away from us. I looked at Robin with tears forming in my eyes. I felt like I was the biggest failure, right then. Taking my hand, Robin said to me, "Keith, she knows you are doing all you can." "Keith," Daisy added. "We both do. It is just hard, not knowing anything. We lost our mom and..." Robin stood, walked over, and sat in Daisy's lap. The two embraced. Looking at the others sitting, I said, "Pamela is very fragile right now. Her world looks like it is falling apart, all over again. Be very patient with her. I know I don't have to tell you to love her." Jimmy started to stand. Robin took his hand, pulled him over, and started to whisper to him. As that was happening, Sarah got up and walked over to Pamela. I watched as Sarah spoke to her. Pamela shook her head, twice, but then took Sarah's outstretched hand. The two walked up the stairs to the second floor. "How come she went with Sarah?" Jimmy asked Robin. "Jimmy, you are in love with Pamela." "Of course I am, but that doesn't make sense." "If I was hurting; do you think Keith would do anything, and say anything, to make me feel better?" Robin asked Jimmy. "Of course he would." Jimmy answered. "Do you think I might know that?" Robin asked. Jimmy pondered, and then said, "I guess so, but..." "You are too close to her. She knows you would say anything you could just to make her feel better. That's not the same as understanding. You two are a bit young for that," Robin said. "Now don't give me that face, Jimmy. I'm that way too, at times." "Oh... But Sarah? What can she say?" Jimmy wanted to know. "Jimmy," I said, "do you have any idea what happened to Sarah at the university?" He was shaking his head, as he answered, "No." "I didn't think so. It is something to be told only when needed. More of a girl thing." "Oh." "Brian," I said, trying to make my point so that Jimmy might understand better. "Yes?" Brian answered. "Are there things you and Richard could talk about, that no one else would understand, not even Barbara?" Brian looked at Barbara, and turned a bit red. "Yes, I guess so." "Brian, there isn't anything to be embarrassed about. Barbara knows you love her very much. There are things that Richard and you experienced, that no one else has gone through. You two saved each other's lives. No one else knows quite how that feels. So, even though you and Barbara are about as close as could be, there is still something you and Richard share that is special." Barbara was smiling, and it was obvious that Brian was glad of that. "Yeah, I guess you're right," Brian said. "Jimmy, there is no reason to feel bad. You will never be everything to Pamela," I said. Then I smiled and said, "But, we all know you are 'just about everything' to her, already." Jimmy couldn't help but smile. Pamela and Sarah walked back down the stairs. Pamela moved to Jimmy, and held out her arms for him to hold her. He didn't waste a second. I walked over to Sarah, who still had wet eyes. "Can I thank you?" Sarah looked up at me, as I leaned in and kissed her forehead. Then, just for fun, I kissed her nose. Sometimes, I'm a bit dense, it seems. She tilted her head up a bit further. I glanced over to Robin, who had an amused expression on her face, and nodded to me. I gave Sarah a little kiss. She just smiled at me as I stepped back. Robin moved over to me, and whispered in my ear, "I think she liked that kiss." I didn't say anything, trying to think. I pulled Robin away from the others, so we could have a somewhat private conversation. Then, changing the subject, Robin asked, "Where was everyone?" I gave her a little smile and said, "They were on an adventure. Maybe it would be good to let them continue. I have some work to start, looking for Robert." "You aren't going to answer me?" Robin said, raising her eyebrows. "I'll show you later. They want this to be their adventure. I think that might be important, for the moment. Is that all right?" "You're being as sneaky as Jimmy," Robin laughed. "I'm used to him, so..." She started to tickle me, but it ended up in a kiss. As we separated, Robin looked over my shoulder. "Sarah is staring at us," Robin softly said into my ear. "I think she..." "Robin... Please... Don't." Moving so she could look me in the eye, she said, "What did I do?" "Sarah isn't staying here. She'll be going back. Would that be fair to her? What if things got out of hand, so to speak, and she got pregnant? I can't have her hurt." "You're right. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry," she said. Then she grinned trying to make it better (as if she needed to!), and added, "She does still look at you like..." "Stop it! I know she does." Robin laughed, "So you want me not to tease, 'cause you are tempted." "Ok, yes. It would be real easy to... But, what I said is still true. She won't be staying in Carp. She's here for the summer." "I won't say another word," Robin said, not sounding too sincere. "But don't be surprised if Jill asks you about her. They talk a lot, you know." Not wanting this conversation to go on any longer than it already had, I walked over to the group, pulling Robin by the hand. "Sarah, I need your help. Daisy, do you want to stay with your sister, or come with us?" "Where is Robin going to be?" Julie wanted to know. "With me. I figured your group had things to do without us," I answered, and winked at Julie. She turned a nice shade of pink. I turned to Daisy, wondering what her answer would be. I saw she was whispering with her sister. "I'll go with you for now, Keith." "All right, then. We're going to leave the rest of you. I'm sure you will be fine. The first place we're going is the communications railroad car, and then maybe to Jack's office. If you need anything, you can find us." I looked directly at Jimmy and added, "Don't do anything that could hurt anyone. Do I make myself clear?" He nodded, knowing just what I was talking about. Last time, Barbara and Brian had ended up hurt. The four of us walked out onto the main street. Robin grabbed hold of Daisy. "There's my grandpa. Come on." Daisy looked at Robin, wondering what had gotten into her. "We had a question for him, remember?" Daisy's eyes bugged out. She still looked a bit stunned, as Robin pulled her down the street. "What was that about?" Sarah wanted to know. "Didn't you hear? Robin wanted to know if her grandpa could do something." "You are infuriating, sometimes. You know, and just aren't telling me." "Sarah, tell me what you thought, when you saw your sister last night?" Sarah looked down at the sidewalk. "You knew what kinds of things happened here, Sarah. Daisy told you. You even saw evidence of Stephanie and Pamela, at the university." Sarah didn't look up as we walked on. "It was a lot harder to see in person, wasn't it?" "Yeah." "Were you able to stop seeing it as sex," I paused, "and see it as love, last night?" I barely caught her nod. "When?" I asked softly. She stopped, and so did I. In a whisper, she answered, "When I saw Jill with you." Oh, shit! ------- "Kevin?" Grace said. He was looking at the foundation the men had started for the new housing behind the mansion. As he looked up and then around, he realized that neither Dorothy nor Susan were in sight. Grace had quickly dispatched them, as she wanted to have a private word with him. "Yes?" Kevin said, hesitantly. "I was a bit surprised in the morning, to find both Dorothy and Susan sleeping next to you." He knew just what she meant. "It was a cold night," he said. Then he added, "If I remember right, Kenneth was scrunched up as close to you as possible, too." Grace smiled at that. She had thought that was nice. "I'm just a bit worried," she said. "Worried? It doesn't seem to be a problem in this town. You told me that." Grace almost laughed. "No, that isn't what I was talking about. Well... maybe it has something to do with it, though. It just seemed that Susan... Maybe it's just my imagination..." "Grace, hold on. You are more observant that most. Just what are you trying to say? Susan is interested in me?" Grace raised her eyebrows, and looked at him. "No," Kevin said pensively. "There... Why would she?" "I don't know. It could be something she sees in you what she never saw before. It might be she's a bit jealous. It could be the town; making what isn't quite acceptable in other places, all right. And so, she wants to join in. Kevin, I'm not sure. Like I said, I may be reading the signals all wrong." "Ok. There is a 'but', coming, I can sense it. So tell me what the down side of this conversation is." "You and I have worked together for too long. You know my methods. Ok, there is a 'but'," Grace smiled, and said. "Susan has the potential of interrupting, or even destroying what you and Dorothy have together. If I were you, I'd pay a lot of attention to the signs." "And then what? Wait for the disaster?" he said. "No, head it off. Or, at least try. Kevin, working on relationships is one of the hardest things you will ever do in your life. How did your talk with Keith go?" "Very well. He was a big help in getting me to see what he'd been through, and how I could do it, if I was willing to work for it." "Maybe if Susan becomes something of an issue, you could talk to him about it. There seems to be an abundance of young gals around him, at all times. He and Robin must have encountered issues." "Grace, thanks. Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you." She chuckled. "Now, tell me. What are they building, here?" she asked. "A sort of dormitory. You know, the house is a bit small for all these people, as it is. Not that anyone complains. But, from what I understand, there are a few expectant mothers in the house." "Oh? More than just Robin and Katy?" Grace asked. "Yes... I never really thought about it, but I've heard conversations. I was thinking there might be five, or so," Kevin said. "Five!" she exclaimed. Grace was amazed. She wondered how she'd missed all that. ------- Jack had just opened the door to exit the communications railroad car. Seeing me, he stopped. He went back inside, as Sarah and I walked up. "Well, that is a bit strange," I said to Sarah. Jack stepped back out, with a letter in his hand. "Jim gave this to me. He didn't know what to do with it." I looked at it. Sarah peered around me to see it, as well. It had the 'general delivery' address, as everyone else's had. But the name, to whom it was addressed, was rather surprising. "That's for my mom!" Sarah said. "Why would..." "Sarah, are your folks planning a visit?" I asked. "I guess they are. They always come and see me," she said, as though she didn't want them to treat her like a child. Sarah took the letter out of my hand, and looked at the return address. She had a perplexed look on her face. "This is from Marcia's mother." We looked at her for a bit of explanation. "Marcia was a friend from school. Well, an ex-friend, I guess. Anyway, I didn't know our moms knew each other that well. Then again, not long ago, I found out things about my mom I never knew before. I guess this means my parents are coming for a visit." "Jack," I said, "maybe we can find out?" He smiled and said, "Yes. I think that my communications officer would love something to do. He's getting pretty bored." "Good. There is one other thing..." "Yes?" he asked. Then he looked at Sarah and me and said, "You want to find Robert." "He told Franklin he was going down there by train." "Another job for Mike. He can find out when and where all the trains go. Do you have a time frame?" It was good to have had the military training. There was an expectation of a mission: a job to accomplish. Jack was gathering the needed information. That was the first step, to find the patterns of the trains. Until we knew that, nothing else could be done. I told him when we thought Robert had left. Sarah and I walked back outside. Daisy and Robin were walking towards us. I thought that they'd had a very short conversation. That didn't seem like it could be a good sign. "Patrick wants to talk with you and Richard," Robin said to me. "Oh?" I said. "You might say: 'it's a male thing'," Robin said. Then she smiled a bit, and added, "But I think he was unprepared, and didn't know what to say." Daisy laughed, "You should have seen him, Keith. I've never seen him flustered like that." "I hope you didn't enjoy his discomfort too much," I said. Robin and Daisy looked at each other. "Just what I thought," I said. "Poor man." They just giggled. "He is my grandpa, I have a right," Robin said. I just rolled my eyes. "Are you going to tell me what's going on, now?" Sarah asked. "Not until we know if your folks are showing up," I replied, diverting the answer to that. Sarah sighed, her look telling me that this was not over. Jack came out to ask Sarah a question about her father. I looked at Daisy, and saw her preoccupation with other thoughts. "Daisy, why don't you see what your sister is doing. We don't need any of them hurt," I said to her. Giving me a hug, she whispered into my ear, "You always know. I love you." Robin gave me a look, "When do we find out?" "Keith likes keeping secrets," Sarah stated. "Yes, he does," Robin said. Then she grinned, knowing why Sarah said that. "Most of them turn out pretty nice," Robin added. "Did I ever tell you about how I got my ring?" She held out her hand to show Sarah. Sarah took the bait, and wanted to know all the details. It was one of those times I didn't mind being talked about. It would keep Sarah's mind occupied for a while. The railroad communications' car door was still open. I noticed Jack standing half in and half out. He popped his head back our way, and motioned for me to come in. I did, and he shut the door behind me. "It's a good thing that letter arrived. We are due for a congressman and his wife to show up today, or possibly tomorrow." "Doesn't the guy know how to use a phone?" I said in mock disgust. Jack just laughed at me. "I'm sure they wanted to surprise their daughters. Or, more likely, they wanted to get a clear view of what was going on with Sarah," Jack said. "Probably so, but still..." The communications officer interrupted our general complaining. "Do you have any idea of the number of trains that run through the Las Vegas junction?" "Only pay attention to ones going west. They would be the only ones we're interested in," I said. "Good. That cuts it down considerably." "Now, where were we?" Jack asked. "Complaining about things we can't do anything about," I retorted. "Yes, that's true. Sometimes, it just feels good." The three of us in the train car laughed at that. There was a knock on the door, and Robin was standing there. "Find anything out?" "We're having visitors," I said. "When?" I heard Sarah say from behind Robin. "I'll be back later, to see what you've found out," I said to Jack as I walked out. He shook his head, and smiled at me. "Let's take a walk," I said. "Are you going to answer any of my questions?" Sarah asked. I laughed and replied, "Yes, Sarah. It looks like your parents are showing up. They'll be here either today or tomorrow. I guess this will be a 'wait and see' sort of thing." "Yeah. I don't know if it's better knowing, or just having them show up," Sarah said. Robin laughed. We looked at her. "It's a good thing they didn't show up last night," Robin said, grinning. "OH!" Sarah said, realizing what that would have been like. "Sarah, don't worry. I'm going to talk with your father. He knows how to use a phone, and could call. I'll tell him we need to make sure you've washed behind your ears, before he shows up." Sarah didn't think that comment was very funny, and made a face to show it. "Keith, I'm going to ask you a question. I want an answer this time." "I'll try. What?" I pointed us to the hall, and we entered. As I expected, it was empty. We took seats in the back corner. "How did you get Pamela to talk again?" For some reason, that hit me. I got a bit choked up. Thinking of what to say, I also noticed my eyes had teared up. "Well?" Sarah said impatiently. "Sarah, do you know we're her guardians?" "Guardians? I'm not sure what you mean." "Robin and I are her legally appointed parents, when her actual parents aren't around." "You and Robin? But... But Robin's only four years older than she is." "Yes, that is true. It came about in a rather odd way," I said. "More like Keith tricked the judge who signed the papers," Robin added in. "Now that, I believe," Sarah said with a grin. "Ok, ok. Now back to your question, Sarah. Pamela is... Damn these tears. She's become almost a real daughter to me. I care a whole lot for her." "I know you do," Sarah said. "I told her it hurt me, not to have her talking," I said. "That's it?" I shrugged my shoulders, and replied, "I said it at the right time. She could see my pain for her." "Oh. I think..." she began, and then fell silent. Robin and I passed her silence off, as we knew that she wished she could have been the one to get Pamela to talk. I started to get up. "Is it ok not to want to hurt, inside?" Sarah asked. I sat back down, and looked at her. "What do you mean?" Robin asked. "I still feel 'that man' is going to show up. I thought it had gone away. At the school, with Jill... Well, when she pulled me between the buildings and into some bushes, I screamed. But I don't remember screaming. A friend of the family helped me to understand that, but now it's back. I get scared. I don't like it, so I stopped wanting to feel. Now I'm wondering if Pamela couldn't tell that I care for her, 'cause I've stopped feeling too much. When we went up the stairs, she ended up doing most of the talking. Not me. I guess it was good for her, 'cause she seemed better. But it didn't make me feel too good." "Where was the friend you talked to?" I asked. "He lives near Grand Junction, why?" she said. Before I could say anything, her eyes got big. "No! Don't send me away! Please!" she exclaimed. "Sarah, don't worry," Robin said. "I know Keith likes having you around." Sarah stared at me, "Really?" "Do you need to ask that question?" I said. A little smile appeared, but she didn't say anything. "Sarah," I said, "there could be many reasons for your fear welling up. Have you talked with Jill or Liz about it?" "No." "Then do so," I stated. I stood, knowing I had some questions about what Sarah had said. I also knew that it wouldn't be until later, that they could be answered. "Shall we find out what Daisy is up to?" I asked. "She's with... Are you going to answer that question now?" Sarah asked me. "Yes, come on," I said. I smiled, and held out my hand to her. As she stood, I did the same for Robin. But, Robin's hand, I kept hold of. We walked over to the bank. Robin was very surprised when I opened the supposedly locked door. Pamela was on Daisy's lap. Everyone else was sitting. Well... Brian was on the floor, and Barbara was in the wheel chair, right next to him. "Why the glum looks?" I asked. "We've looked everywhere. We can't find where the other key goes," Jimmy answered. I started thinking about the complexity of the trigger system in the Mansion. Who ever had built that, knew just what they were doing. That trigger, and the room itself, were well hidden. Robin, along with Sarah, walked over to the wall where the one key was sticking out. "Is this one of the keys from the under the house that you found?" Robin asked. As soon as that question came out, Sarah wanted to know everything. She now heard the details of the game Jimmy and Brian played with the girls, to find out where the hidden room was. They told of how Barbara fell into the hole, and how Brian almost went in after her. Then they described the small chest that was found. Sarah excitedly looked at the chest and its contents, which were on display. Sarah picked up the one larger key. "Is the other like this," she asked. "No, it's smaller," Julie said. "And it's stuck," Barbara said. "Are you sure?" I asked. Jimmy jumped up, and went over to the key in the wall. "I tried it yesterday. It felt stuck." "Don't break it Jimmy," Brian said in a joking manor. Jimmy gave Brian a look that made me laugh. "Jimmy," I said, "Do you remember the triggers in the Mansion. I'll bet whoever put those in, also did this. So my guess is, that there is something a bit more complicated than just turning a lock." "That's what we were doing," Jimmy said, exasperatedly. "There isn't a place for the other key." "Maybe that key isn't for here." He looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. That thought had obviously never crossed his mind. Tugging to get the key out, didn't do a thing. Neither did turning it. I could tell his frustration was rising. "Aaarrrrgggg," he yelled, and slammed his hand against the end of the key. Turning to look at us, his eyes were wide with astonishment. He moved, and then we could all see. The key was now almost flush to the wall. "Did you break the lock, or..." I asked him. Now Pamela, Julie, and Stephanie approached, to get a closer look. Sarah wanted to move forward. I put out my hand, and stopped her. She looked back at me. I shook my head, slowly. "This is their adventure. Let them have their fun." "Can I try?" Stephanie asked Jimmy. Jimmy hesitated. I could tell he wanted to do it. "Let her," Pamela said. "Ok, go ahead," Jimmy relented. Stephanie turned it. The key was stiffly moving, but went a full circle. "You broke it," she pronounced. "Wait a minute," I said. "Stephanie, keep turning the key." "Why, it's not doing anything." "Stop being stubborn. I'll turn you over my knee, young lady." She knew I was joking, and stuck out her tongue at me, but she did turn the key again. "Now look at the bottom panel, to the right of the key," I said. Stephanie bent down and looked. "It's moved!" Pamela took over, but couldn't turn the key much. Jimmy was given the honor, and they watched as the panel moved back into the wall. Suddenly, there was a shriek. The three girls jumped back. The rest of us saw what looked like the remains of a few scorpions. They had fallen out of the opening. Then one of them moved across the floor. Barbara saw the little beast coming towards Brian and herself. She tried to back her wheel chair up, but it was already against the wall. Brian was not happy. He was stuck. He knew that normally the scorpion could give a very painful sting, but they were not deadly, as the stories in the books led people to believe. Still, the thought of it running over him, gave him the willies. Within a second, though, the coat rack came crashing down. It flattened the menacing creature. Julie was the deliverer. Her nostrils flared, her breathing was fast, and she was full of adrenaline. "Are you all right?" she asked Barbara and Brian. "Yes, thank you," Barbara said, embarrassed now. Walking over, I picked up the coat rack still being clutched by Julie. "You did a good job flattening that one," I joked. "It could have hurt them." I put my arm around Julie, and gave her a hug. I was turned towards Brian and Barbara, so no one else heard me speak. "I know she cares a lot about you two. Maybe later, you can figure a way to thank her." Then I winked at Barbara, and walked back to sit down. "What was that all about?" Robin asked. "I just said that they should come up with a way to thank Julie properly," I said. Sarah looked at me, and I saw her expression change as it dawned on her what I might be implying. Robin giggled, and Sarah blushed. "Keith, what do we do now? The key stopped turning," Jimmy said. "I might say put your hand in there, but maybe that's not a good idea. Is there a..." I looked around for something, anything that could be used. Barbara came up with the solution. She unscrewed the little metal hand brake off of her wheel chair. "How about this?" "Perfect, Barbara!" I said. She beamed. Jimmy ran over to her, took it, and then ran back. He started to poke it into the opening, then turned around and looked at me. "Jimmy, think. Ask your friends. What do you think you should do?" The discussion went on for about five minutes. The final thought was to clear out any other junk that might be in there (Translation: scorpions), then use the flashlight and see if they could see anything. It was a very good plan. Robin, Daisy, Sarah, and I told them so. Not surprisingly, Jimmy was elected as the one to check the opening for junk. He ran the metal rod around a few times. The only other things he picked up were several cobwebs. Looking into the crack around the panel with the flashlight proved to be almost useless. There was little room to see anything, and what they could see into was just a black void. "Will the panel move?" Daisy asked. "It did," Julie said. "Yes, back," I replied. "How about to one side?" That was tried with no success. After pleas, I reluctantly went over and looked at it. I wanted this to be their adventure, not mine. I placed my much larger hands flat on the panel, and gave it a feel. It felt solid in its position: front to back, side to side, top to... Wait. I stopped, and looked at the panel. Maybe it moved up, but how, or why? Just then I heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter. "We have to stop. I'm going to shut the shades. Jimmy, put the coat rack back over here. I'm going to get the key from Jim, and lock this place up. We will come back to this, later. This has me stumped for now, and we have guests." No one was very happy about this, especially Sarah. I went out, finding Jim. He was outside, to see who was flying in. I asked for the bank key from him, telling him I'd get it back to him in a few days, if that was all right. "We heard, 'through the grapevine', that Kristin might want to open the place up." "She and I did mention it." He smiled and said, "There were a lot of people running around that day. Someone overheard it. Keith, if it's possible, the building is hers. It was part of the Birks' estate, and we already gave you the biggest part of that." "Give it to her?" I queried. "Umm... Well, see, the idea was rather exciting to some people... and well," Jim was a bit embarrassed. "We had a town meeting, of sorts. You left, and we were all still around here, cleaning up. It was sort of an impromptu thing. I also wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anyone, so that everyone knew about the people coming from the university. It wouldn't be fun to have a surprise like the testing they'll be doing sprung on anyone. Then there was talk about a bank, I mean a real place to hold money. We haven't had that in a long time." "And..." "If she wants to open the bank, the building is hers." "Jim..." I started to say, not quite knowing how to approach this. "Keith, no one cares about the treasure you found in the house. In fact, everyone was darned happy about it. You should know the feelings of the folks around here. They'd give you guys more, if they could." "Jim, you can stop, already." He looked at my red face, and laughed. He told me I needed to start understanding I was one of the big heroes of the town. I didn't know what to say, or think, at that point. I did know my sister, though. That was the only push she'd need. She was going to open the bank. I shook my head, thinking of it all as I walked back. Everyone was outside, waiting for my return. They watched me lock the door. Then we moved to the north of town, where the helicopter would land. ------- The doctor was resting in his plane. The night before had been great, a wonderful show in the sky, as well as a lot of fun around the campfire. Sleeping on the ground, though... That was a bit rough for his aging body. He had dozed off a few times during the day, trying to catch up with the sleep he had lost. There was a sound from outside. Unlike most places he'd been, this place was so quiet he could hear approaching vehicles. It did have its advantages though. He was always ready, looking sharp. He considered it to be the way a doctor should appear. Opening the door to the knock, he recognized Cynthia and Rebecca. "Come in, Ladies. How may I help you today?" "Rebecca needs an exam to make sure everything is in order. She's pregnant." "Oh, I see. How many cycles have you missed?" Cynthia looked at Rebecca and then answered for her, "This last one is the first. That was two weeks ago." The doctor raised his eyebrows, looking over the top of his glasses at Cynthia. "You know, dear, there are times when a woman can miss." "Well... Unless that can happen from too much activity, shall we say, then she's pregnant." The doctor was a bit surprised at Cynthia's language. He was surprised as well; at the fact Rebecca hadn't said a single word as yet. He thought he should try and figure this out a bit more. By the time Cynthia and Rebecca left, he had confirmed she was indeed, most likely, pregnant. Cynthia had been very interested in what sort of symptoms Rebecca might have. He was also a bit amused about the questions of how much exercise, Rebecca could do. The first and only time the doctor heard Rebecca actually speak, was to the question about her previous pregnancy. It was something Cynthia couldn't answer. As they left, Cynthia pulled the doctor back in. She told him she couldn't have children. She had no clue what Rebecca was going through, but wanted to help. And then as a parting comment, she asked that he try not to look on them as bad people. As the door shut, and they drove away in the Jeep, the doctor wondered just what all that was about. He knew I would know, and probably would tell him all the details that were missing from that visit. Hearing the sound of the helicopter echo through the valley, he knew that it was a ways away. Thinking it was the people from Memco, he rode into town on his horse. He got to the site, before the helicopter was in sight. ------- I was surprised to see the doctor ride up. Robin and I walked over to him. "What brings you to town?" I asked. "I just thought," he said wryly, "that the people who employ me might just want to see me." "Memco?" Robin asked. "The very ones," he replied. "I forgot about them," I said. "We assumed it was the McCarrens." "Congressman McCarren?" "Yes. You did know that Sarah and Mary are his daughters." "You've got to be kidding?" "No." He laughed, "Whatever brought them out here?" "Sarah came out on the train with Jill and Liz..." "Funny, Keith," he said in a sarcastic tone, but was laughing all the same. "I'm related to them," Robin said, putting an end to all the fun I was having. "Well, then. That makes a lot more sense. I was prepared to hear Keith tell me they showed up because of him." Robin laughed, and I gave her a dirty look. We both knew how close to the truth that was. "Sarah is here because of Pamela, actually," I said. "That's right. I did read about them being at the university when you jumped off the building." He said it in jest. The doctor and I had fun throwing barbs at each other. Robin, though, took that one with an emotional punch. It was still a sensitive subject to her. "He did not!" Robin said with force that caused the others to turn. "Robin, he was just joking." She looked at me, and burst into tears. "I'm terribly sorry, Robin," the doctor said. "I had no idea how sensitive you were about that subject. Please do forgive me." "I thought I'd lost him... He told me he wasn't going to leave me, and then..." Robin looked up at the doctor. "You had no idea. I know Keith jokes about it, but I just can't." "I understand, Robin," the doctor said. "Both of you deal with something like that, very differently. Most people would." Robin nodded. The sight of the helicopter overhead still gave no clue as to its contents. Patrick came up from behind me, and put his hand on my shoulder. I was surprised, and turned to see him. "We have some talking to do, privately," he said. "Jack and Richard might want to be in on that discussion," I said. He nodded, and then looked at the lowering aircraft. "Memco?" "Or the McCarrens. We hear they are arriving as well, at some point." Much to Sarah's pleasure, it was the company members from Memco that had shown up, along with two people from Angle City. Those two were very pale, never having ridden in a helicopter before. I got swept up with the commotion, leaving the others behind. We stopped in to find Jack. He came along with us. Richard was easily found, as well. He'd heard the helicopter, along with everyone else, but it took him a bit longer to come around. I was going to ask him about that. Then I saw Katy and Annabelle talking, and I figured I knew where they'd been. To have a bit of a talk, we went into the new school building. Part of the reason was to show it off to the Angle City folks. We gathered a table and some chairs to bring with us, and headed upstairs. There was a general discussion. I was interested in it for the first half an hour. That is, until Richard thought it was a bit hot, and pulled open one of the casement windows. I looked at that. I thought of the cord, pulley, and counter-weight arrangement. I no longer was paying attention to the meeting, but of the possibilities I was seeing in my mind. Five minutes later, people stood up. I was brought back to the here and now. "Keith? It seems like you are preoccupied." "I'm very sorry. What was that?" "We're going out to the new mine." "I hope I don't hurt anyone's feelings, but I must beg off. One of the girls' parents my wife and I are caring for is..." "Keith, you don't need to explain. We don't really need you there. But, we would like to see you again before we go." "Richard will know where I am," I said. I leaned over and whispered to Richard, "The bank." He had a very surprised look on his face, as I turned and walked out of the room. They were waiting for me, outside of the school. "We couldn't get in, you have the only key," Daisy said. "I was a bit stuck. I'm here now, and I have an idea." That got them excited, but before we went in, I needed something. The only one I knew who might have anything similar to what I could picture in my mind was Larry. He was the man who was now building our extra housing. Walking over to his and his brother's house, the gang wanted to know what I had in mind. It was easier to think of than to express. When it came to Larry, it took a while for him to get the idea of what I wanted. We walked back to the bank. I had several pieces of thin metal in my hand. Larry had just handed them to me. I could tell, by looking, that these were hand made. He knew (I suppose, from our other times) that I would take care of his tools. I sent Jimmy around the corner first. He didn't come back for several minutes. "My grandpa saw me, and started talking to me. I couldn't get away." "Jimmy, it's fine. You should always talk to him, whenever you can," I told him. "I know, but... Well, I want to get back to our adventure," he said, and grinned. "Julie, your turn now." I said. She walked around the corner, and came right back. "The coast is clear." With everyone's help, Barbara and Brian were whisked in as soon as I unlocked the bank's door. As an afterthought, I locked the door again when we all got in. "Now, here's my thought. This panel felt like it wanted to move up, but I couldn't get any leverage. I was thinking it might have been like the windows that go up and down." "But that old cord is rotten, so it doesn't go up?" Brian asked. "Exactly. That means we have to lift the panel up, ourselves. That's why I got these tools." "Keith, you're so smart." I looked around, wondering who gave me the complement. It was Sarah. I was beginning to worry about the idea that she was starting to get attached to me. With Jimmy on one side, and myself on the other, we slipped the thin metal bars under the bottom edge of the panel. It moved just enough to let us know that it could, but that was it. We were stuck, once again. ------- Hearing the Jeep pass, I went outside. I knew that I would be wanted. Besides, a breath of fresh air would do me good. I was sure that I had the right idea. Hell, I knew it was more than that. I wanted to save the day, again. Isn't that why I pulled back on Sarah? This was their adventure. Daisy followed me out, and caught up to me. "Frustrating, isn't it?" "What? Not finding something, or knowing that what I was doing, was taking away from what they could be doing themselves?" "Keith, stop beating yourself up. If I remember right, they had to beg you to get you to come over and look at what they were working on, in the first place." I laughed, "Yeah, but I hate it when I'm not right." Daisy laughed with me. "So what is going on?" she asked, as we headed over to the north end of town. "I'm sure they are going. I just need to do my duty. I'll hear all about the visit, so I won't have missed anything." Daisy hung back as I shook hands. I knew things looked very good, with Angle City staying intact. The one thing I heard was a trip by everyone to come up and see the mine, and what Carp was now like. I thought that might be a pretty good idea. As soon as the helicopter took off, Jack and Richard wanted to talk. I asked them if we could do that later, maybe in the late afternoon. They agreed. Patrick, who was also there, said he figured he was going to get the same answer. I told him he was very intuitive. I said that he might want to come and hear all the details of this trip and then we could talk of other matters. That suited him well. As Daisy and I walked back to the bank, she quizzed me about Patrick, and other matters. I told her we were going to be talking about what Robin had asked Patrick earlier. I saw a smile grow on her face. When we entered the bank, everyone was in the place they were in when we left. It was as though they were waiting for us to return, before doing anything. As soon as the door shut, and we were in the confines of a building, it hit me. I looked at the bottom of my shoes quickly, saw nothing, and then grabbed Daisy's arm. "Look at the bottom of your shoes," I said. She did, and turned up her nose. We threw her shoes outside. She didn't have any nice things to say about the doctor's horse. From my comments earlier, Daisy pulled (or slid, as the case might be, due to her socks) me back over to the panel. She apparently wanted me to get right back into the mix of things, and to know I was wanted there. I bent down, looking at the panel closely. She leaned over, looking as well. I felt her legs brush up against me, and I couldn't resist. I reached around to try and tickle her, forgetting she was now in socks. She slipped, yelped, and came down. I felt one hand glance off my back. I looked up to see the other grasping for anything to hold onto. It was the key that her hand got hold of, but it didn't help. It came out, and she landed with a thump. She had a surprised expression and then started to laugh. Then she stopped, and pointed. I looked, and then asked, "Did anyone try and pull the key out, after it was turned?" Everyone shook their heads, even Brain and Barbara, who couldn't physically have touched it. I touched the panel. I didn't need to say a word to Jimmy, he was right there. We took the metal bars, still in place, and now the panel slid right up. Using the stopping bar Barbara had provided, I had Jimmy wedge it in place. This secured the panel up. With the flashlight now shining on the opening and cobwebs removed, we were looking at a solid metal door. It was about two feet wide and maybe one and one half feet high. On one end, was a keyhole. It was Sarah, who had broken out of her trance, that ran and got the other key. She handed it to me. I handed it to Pamela. She put it in, and tried to turn the lock. I told her to try again, and this time she got it. She didn't have the strength to pull the door open, though. Julie and Stephanie tugged at it. With lots of groaning, from both the girls and the metal, they pulled it open. "Bricks?" Julie said. I looked, and almost started laughing. Then the enormity of the 'bricks', stopped me. I stopped and counted, as the other discussion faded from my consciousness. Nine across and eleven high. There were ninety nine ingots sitting here. I reached in, and picked one up. Its dull black, oxidized surface, didn't suggest much. But I knew. The weight, surprisingly heavy for its size, told me this was it. Jimmy wanted to see one. As soon as I placed it in his hand, he dropped it on the floor. "That's heavy!" "Yes, Jimmy, they are." "What are they?" Julie asked. "Only some silver ingots," I said as simply as I could. The room went deathly still. "Keith..." Stephanie started to say. The unmistakable sound of another helicopter stopped her hesitant question. I looked over to Sarah. She dropped her shoulders, but asked anyway, "It isn't Memco again, is it?" "No, Sweetheart, they were going back to Las Vegas." I replaced the ingot, pushed the metal door shut, and locked it. Jimmy understood, and pulled the wedge out. We lowered the panel down, covering the door. Inserting the first key, the panel was screwed back tightly into place, and a final click was heard. The key came out, smooth as silk. Julie placed the cap panel back on, concealing the keyhole. We looked. We knew it was there, but it was invisible. 'What masters of deception, ' I thought. "We all know it is here, but we can not say a word," I said. I looked everyone in the eye. "This is what people do bad things to get their hands on," I said. "Until we can get it to a safe place, no one can know it exists. If anyone slips, it could put every one of us in danger. Do I make myself clear?" There was a slow nodding of heads. I wondered what in the world could be done with all that silver. It would be a mess, if anyone found out. The keys to the wall were in my hand. I handed Brian one, and Jimmy the other. "You remember what happened to the last owners of these keys? I think it was a case of greed." They looked at me wide-eyed. Sarah wanted to know, and Stephanie was glad to tell her a quick version of the gruesome details of the bodies we had found. Sarah looked at me, "You're giving them the keys?" "Sarah, think about it. Jimmy, Brian, Barbara, Pamela, and Stephanie found these keys originally. Now, with the help of Julie, they have found the second part of the treasure. By all accounts, it is theirs." "Theirs?" "Ours?" "Now don't be too hasty. I said by all accounts. That is what I think. But I don't know how all of this stuff works. In the mean time, the only thing that keeps this safe is that no one has any idea it even exists. Can you imagine what would happen if people found out? "Come on," I continued, "we need to get to the helicopter before it lands." I rolled up the shades again, and got several looks. I tried to explain that the building had to look as normal as possible. There was no reason we needed to draw attention to it. Thank goodness that made sense to them. Outside, I closed and locked the door. "I'll keep this key. That way, it takes all three of us to do anything." I think everyone was satisfied and happy that I was holding onto the door key. We walked once again to the north of downtown, and waited. Richard drove up, with Katy, Mary, Beth Ann, and Kristin. I smiled at them. Mary went over to her sister, and started talking. Brian was not thinking straight. He was imagining all that silver. It could start a life for Barbara and him. With the possibilities of that elation, also came the dread of having it taken away. What if someone found out? What if this wasn't the McCarrens, but more people from Angle City? They would want the treasure. Brian was starting to sweat. His wiggling around in nervousness ended up tipping him out of the wheelbarrow he was in. Those around him helped him back up and noticed his state. Fortunately for all those who didn't know the 'secret, ' they passed it off as his first adventure out of the house and he was a bit over excited. Richard looked at me. He said he remembered hearing that the McCarrens were arriving, so he thought it would be good to bring Mary out. There wasn't much else we could say, as the helicopter approached. I noted that it came in much more quickly. But then, the McCarrens were use to traveling, and wouldn't be white as sheets as the two from Angle City had been. Soon after they touched down, the helicopter took off. Patrick and Jane stood looking at the gathered welcoming committee. "I guess there isn't much of a way to make a surprise visit," Patrick joked. "Not on your life," I said, "So next time, pick up the phone." Patrick had a suppressed smile on his face, so I had to go on. "Mary was in a panic. She hasn't washed behind her ears in weeks." Patrick let out a laugh, and his wife realized I was just joking. "Of course, it helped that we received a piece of mail for you, here," I added. Patrick then did the introductions. I was impressed that he remembered everyone's name. The only one he stopped at was Julie. I would have let him stew a bit longer, but she politely introduced herself. She said she and her mother were originally from Angle City, but now were living here. We walked them over towards the hotel, by the way of the communications car. We could all see that Jane was puzzled by the letter, when she saw the return address. She didn't seem to want to open it, with everyone around. At the hotel, Patrick and Jane said they would like to freshen up a bit. They had flown in to Nellis Air Base, and helicoptered over without a break in their schedule. We planned on meeting them later, and told them they were having dinner out at the Mansion. Jane thought that sounded wonderful. ------- Jack had followed us up to the hotel. He, Richard, and I went to find Patrick (Robin's grandfather). He was at his favorite spot on the north edge of town. We sat and waited for Patrick to close his bible, and look over our way. "Your wife..." Patrick said to me. "I believe, how she put it, was that you were her grandfather, and she had a right." "Somehow that makes me sound old," Patrick said, and then laughed. Richard and Jack were looking at the two of us, wondering what was going on, this time. "We came up with a question for Patrick," I said. "Which is?" Jack wanted to know. "If the church was willing to marry more than one partner, together." "Do what?" Jack said in disbelief. "Robin is my legal wife. She's my wife by law. But the church is separated from the state. It is part of the constitution. It is really the sanctity of the church that gives a marriage value, in the first place. It is why the state has taken on the role of making it a legal entity," I replied. "You are making a good case," Patrick said to me. "So, Patrick," Richard said, "what do you think?" "What is being asked is a diversion from the normal traditions we have come to know," Patrick replied. I laughed. He looked at me, waiting. "Patrick, that is an answer that sounds almost practiced. The problem with you saying such a statement in this town is the tradition of marrying the girls off when they turn thirteen." "It is a mater of interpretation, Keith," Patrick answered. "Now hear me out. When I said it was a diversion from the normal traditions, I meant the 'normal traditions' that are here. I must admit that this town has its own set of peculiarities. It also has some great values. Yet, almost every place I've been to, you could say the same thing. What you are asking, is that the townspeople adopt a new tradition. One that stretches an area of comfortability." "Patrick," Richard ventured in, "didn't you tell Keith at one time, that it would be better to face an outlook that felt unfamiliar, than to have this town die?" "I'm not sure I used those words, Richard, but yes. I probably did say something like that. I'm not at all opposed to what Robin and Daisy proposed. As a man of the cloth, I must admit that it feels better to have a woman that is with child, married. And yes, Keith, the church is not bound by the laws of the state. So, in essence, it would seem beneficial in the eyes of the church. It is better for Daisy to be married to you, and to bear your children, than to be a mother without a husband." Jack stepped in at this point. "Patrick, I have heard you use the words 'beneficial', 'traditions', and 'values'; but I have not heard you say, 'this is what we should do.' So, tell me, what are the problems you see?" Patrick smiled. "Jack, you are an officer. You have a set of rules. You also know that those rules are useless if no one follows them. The only thing that makes those rules valid is that the rules are accepted. People under you, choose to follow that set of rules. Without that, you would have anarchy. In a way, the church is much the same. We have rules to live by, an order to go by, and a set of values. Unlike the military, where there would be physical penalties if you disobeyed the rules, the church has to exert its authority over others in a much more subtle way." I laughed. Patrick gave me an eyebrows-up, expecting an explanation, look. "I'm not sure telling people they will go to hell, and burn in the dark depths is subtle," I responded. Patrick sighed, and rolled his eyes. "You make it difficult, Keith. The point is; we have to convince the people, that this is the way to choose. It can never be forced." "So what you are saying," Richard queried, "is that the problem you see, is in persuading the townspeople that this is the right thing to do." "Exactly." "Patrick, how much is the testing going to affect the town's thinking on this subject?" I asked. He thought about it for a few minutes, and then answered. "Keith, it could be the breaking point, if it was approached correctly." "Then you will start approaching it?" Jack asked. "I have needed to do something. This is the best solution, I must admit, that has been forthcoming." "Very good," I said. "Now, Jack and Richard... Tell us about the Memco representatives, and how the Angle City people responded." ------- "So," Patrick said, as he was putting his suitcase away, "Who is the letter from?" "Do you remember Sarah's friend, Marcia?" "To tell the truth, no." "Well, they were good friends for years. I'm sure you would recognize her. She was at every birthday party I can remember Sarah having. Before we left home, Sarah told me that Marcia wasn't her friend any longer. I didn't know what happened. We weren't talking very well, at that point." Patrick looked at his wife, and smiled. Things had certainly changed for them, and all for the better. "Are you going to open it? I would guess it is important, if she sent it here." "Might as well." Jane opened the letter and started reading it. She was not more than a third of the way through, when she gasped, and tears started to flow. "What's wrong?" Patrick asked concerned. "Marcia's pregnant." ------- Chapter 80 Patrick watched his wife. Her tears were slowly falling from her face, as she read the rest of the letter. Soon, he would hear what else it had to say. His mind had been instantly troubled. This, after all, was a girl only Sarah's age. As thoughts bounced around in his mind, an image of Robin flashed within his brain. His relative... a girl the age of Sarah... and yet, she was married. She was (as he knew from the university hospital) pregnant, herself. No one here would consider it a problem. To them, it was just their way of life. He knew that being in the position of politician; he always looked at different sides. He weighed the evidence, and made conclusions that he hoped would be right. Patrick always found that when he came into this town, his notions of how things should work were pushed to the limits of his understanding. Robin's marriage had been the first of those 'notions' that were pushed. It was the time he'd spent with her and her family, after the wedding, which had convinced him. Not only was this a good union, but Keith and Robin had many captivating qualities. Qualities that many married couples, including he and his wife would desire, and seldom had. Still in all, this was not Robin. This was a friend of Sarah's, from their hometown, where marriage at thirteen was pretty much unthinkable. He knew the options for this girl. It meant devastating decisions on her and her family's part. Patrick had heard that there were operations that would extract the unborn baby. He'd also heard the horror stories, and knew the laws that prevented such operations. Yet still, they went on. It was, at the time, the only way to go on as though nothing had happened at all. The most common though, was for the girl to go 'visit a relative'. She would have the child, and give it up for adoption. Then she would return home. As Patrick thought of that, he knew of the sadness that brought. It was never hard to figure out why a girl suddenly left, and was gone for close to a year. The girl had to leave everything, knowing she'd be 'Labeled', as soon as she returned. To top that, a baby was growing inside of her. She knew she would have to give it away, never seeing the child at all. What utter turmoil. It did make him wonder why Jane was told about it. That, as he knew, was very rare. This sort of thing was hushed up. It was purported as to never have happened. Jane touched his arm, bringing him out of his gloomy thoughts. "Patrick, can you tell me more about this town?" "What do you want to know," he asked, surprised by her question. "In the letter, Marcia's mother had talked with Scott. Yes, the Scott we know, Sarah's friend. He was one of the 'good friends' of the boy that got Marcia pregnant," Jan said in disgust. "Scott's parents were rightfully concerned. He's been dating Vivian, who Sarah set him up with. Well, to make a long story short; Vivian told her that Sarah talked about the almost magical place, 'Carp', where she was going to spend the summer. As Vivian told it, it was a place where almost anything was possible." Patrick smiled, thinking about the choice of words. "Jane, come here," he said, sitting on the bed and patting his lap. She raised her eyebrows, but moved from the chair she was in, and sat down on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a squeeze. He wanted to use this as a diversion, to stop talking for just a moment, so that he could think. It also felt good to him, so it was beneficial in both ways. "Do you remember how surly our daughter was?" Jane could chuckle about that, now. "Yes, I remember." "The change that occurred to her was not from the attack at the university. That was just the catalyst. The people who live in this town caused the change. She learned a different way of thinking about things." "I have to admit that she does things differently, now. But I don't understand it at all. What could she be shown, in such a short time, that would make such an impact?" "Well, not to scare you... but if I were to guess, it would be Keith Patterson. He called her into the hospital room, after he woke from his coma. She was the only one outside of his immediate family that saw him." "Why did he do that?" Jane interrupted him, wanting to know. "He was concerned for her. He knew she'd be blaming herself for what happened." "But..." Jane was speechless for a moment. "He didn't even know her." "Jane! Think of the impact on our Sarah that that must have been. Here was a man, who she had just met. He risked his life to save her, gets badly hurt, and then wants to make sure she isn't feeling responsible for it." Jane looked at her husband and asked, "Is she in love with him?" He laughed, albeit nervously, "Jane, he's married, if you remember." "Yes, he is. To a girl no older than our daughter is," Jane said curtly. "Jane, may I suggest that you talk with Robin, before passing judgment. In her young lifetime, she has seen more than most. Her life has not been easy. "Oh?" "You know why she's a relative of mine, don't you?" "Oh..." "Cliff, that..." Patrick had to hold his tongue. "Don't say another word. I want to talk with Robin, myself. I have some questions for her." Patrick was a bit surprised. "What sort of questions?" "'Girl' questions. Right now, it is none of your business." ------- Shelly was at the university, packing up the last of the equipment to take to Carp with them. She was grateful they would be going by train. The equipment would be there the same time as they arrived. Doctor Smithers had been driving her crazy for the past two days. He didn't want to forget anything. This had to be perfect. Along with the equipment, he had a stack of research papers that he wanted Keith to go over with him. To Shelly's rescue, Anthony stopped by and took her to lunch. They had been officially dating for the past three weeks, spending almost every moment possible together. Anthony knew he had Keith's aunt to thank for that. When they had come out to see Keith in the hospital and stayed at the house, she had taken it upon herself to guide Anthony through the myriad of woman's feelings. It had given him the clues he needed to make smart choices. His business dealings with people had always worked on that premise. Those were not personal relationships, though, and he had always felt like a fish out of water when it came to the opposite sex. Now he had a small grasp at what he was doing. The responses Shelly gave him had so encouraged him, that in no time they had become an item. Over lunch, they began talking. "I hate the thought of you being away from me," Anthony said. Shelly smiled warmly at him, and touched his face. "I know you must. But you went away for a few days, last week." "Yes, and I thought of you constantly," Anthony replied, taking Shelly's hand and giving it a kiss. She blushed delicately. Anthony was such a perfect match, she thought, it scared her at times. It was that reason she reserved her true deep feelings for him. She was afraid that somehow she would be hurt. Here she was though, at lunch, and he was just perfect. He was saying things to her that made her heart melt. It was hard, at times, to keep composed. She found it difficult not to tell him how deeply she was in love with him. She knew, from others around the university, how reserved he usually was. He was trying hard, and she would have to let him take it at his own pace. The last thing she wanted to do was be so bold as to scare him off. After lunch, Anthony walked her back to the lab. At the door, he held her in his arms, and gave her a very nice kiss. It was stopped short, much to both their chagrins, when the doctor opened up the door. He couldn't help but grin as he said, "Hope I didn't interrupt anything." "Yes, you did," Anthony said, much to Shelly's surprise. "You're taking her away, as well." The doctor was at a loss for words, until Anthony laughed. "Loved the look on your face," Anthony said to the doctor. Then he said to Shelly, as he picked up her hand kissing it, "See you for dinner." "Yes," she said dreamily. As she walked in, and the door was closed, the doctor was looking at her. "Does he have any idea how much in love with him you are?" "Well..." Shelly turned red, not realizing how much it showed. Anthony on the other hand, floated down the stairs and out the door. He knew. Or, at least he thought that was a sign. He had a few calls to make. ------- I had filled up the car, bringing a number back to the house with me, but leaving the kids down at Millie's. As she'd had a quiet morning, she said she was glad to see them around. Now, sitting around in a circle in the library were Kristin, Robin, Katy, Richard, and myself. I could almost feel the presence of others listening outside the room. It was just a bit too quiet in the house. I didn't mind. What we were going to talk about wasn't a secret. I just wanted us in a place where we could focus, and not be distracted. "Jim told me they had another town meeting," I said, to start things off. Katy was the most surprised at this. "Why didn't we know about it? They always tell everyone..." Then she started thinking, and added, "Did it have something to do with us?" "It had something to do with a conversation Kristin and I had." "What?" Kristin wanted to know immediately. "You asked me about whether it was possible to open a bank." Her mouth dropped open. "What did they say?" Richard asked, amused how I had introduced this. "The idea of having a bank in this town, once again, was apparently very appealing to them," I answered. Then I turned to Kristin and said, "They were so excited about the idea that I was told if you wanted to do it, the town would give you the building." "They'd do what?" "Kristin," I said taking hold of her hand, "they will give you the building. That is not a reason to do it though. You need to want to. Have you given it any more thought?" Kristin looked at Robin and Katy, then to Richard and I. "Yes, but..." "But what," Robin asked her. "I think it would be really interesting, but I'm scared." Then she looked down at herself and said, "I'm pregnant, too." "So the answer is 'yes, you're interested'," Katy asserted. "But you want to know more about what it would be involved." Kristin was nodding. Robin added, "And you want to know if you can work around our baby you have growing inside you. Although I don't think that will ever be a problem in this town." Kristin broke into a big smile. "Thanks, Robin. How am I going to find out about running a bank?" "Richard?" I asked. "Have any ideas? Might your father have connections?" "I'm sure he would. It would be real easy to call..." Richard answered, giving me a rib, "if we had a phone out here." "I'm doing the best I can, so far. The phone company isn't very fast in moving." "Well then, let's go back into town. "We need to pick up the others at Millie's, anyway. We'll take two cars." ------- Jack couldn't believe his ears. He, along with Cynthia and Rebecca, were standing on the land on which they wanted to build their house. They were talking with Larry. "Larry, you're telling me you'll be done with the building you're doing for Keith and Richard in two weeks?" Larry smiled. "Jack, I said I could start on yours in two weeks. I'll have their structure up. The plumbing goes in after that. I don't do that. Then others will come in, and finish the walls. I'll be in last, to do the cabinets and doors." "Ok, that sounds better, but it sure seems fast to set up a structure." "Jack, you haven't been around these parts. Everyone will come out and help do that. Once I have everything ready, the place will go up, the roof on, and the siding done in two days." "Two days?" "Yep. Most of the work is the planning. That's the part I like best. My brother is the one who likes this rough carpentry work, so he gets everything pre cut. You'll have to come out." "Yes, I'd like to see that." Larry laughed. "If you come out, you'll be put to work." "Might be worth it, just to see it go up." "Now, these plans," Larry said, unrolling the large set, "I've never worked with anything like this, before." "Never? How are you doing Keith and Richard's place, then?" "They told me what they wanted, and I asked them the details I needed to know." Jack stood there, dumbfounded. Larry pressed on. "Now I kind of understand this one that says 'floor plan'." He scratched his head, looked at the plans again, and at the plot. He picked up the set, holding them out. Turning them this way and that, he brought it over to the Jeep's hood. With four rocks, he held the roll open. "I see the front door, here," Larry said, and with a stick marked a line. For the next hour Larry went back to the plans, and without use of a ruler, marked out the entire house. He described what and where everything was. Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca were fascinated. With his descriptions, and the lines, they were able to get a real picture of what their house would look like. Larry had worked from the entrance to the back of the house. He stood there, with a puzzled look on his face. "What is it?" Jack asked him. "This room. I don't understand what it is for. Can't see a purpose. Wouldn't be a good bedroom. Has no windows, and only one door. Says here on the plan, that the door is a heavy solid one too. What's it used for?" They had already known this room was going to be a problem. Talking for some time before they had come out here, they had come up with the perfect answer. Now was the time to try it out on Larry. "Cynthia is planning on opening a dress shop in town. Some of the garments are rather sensitive, and we wanted a good place to house them. Being on the interior with a good strong sealed door, everything would be protected." Larry tilted his head, "Makes sense I guess. But who's going to wear fancy stuff like that 'round here?" "Probably, no one. But if she imports it in, along with other garments, she can sell those dresses to other dress shops in the cities. That will make it so she doesn't have to sell her dresses for so much, in town." Larry was nodding and said, "Now that sounds like an idea. I'm sure the ladies will like that." This was very good. Jack had heard from Keith that if you convinced Larry of something, then the rest of the people working on the place would just go along with whatever he said. Jack might not have to explain the existence of a large, heavily built and insulated room, to anyone else. Its real use could be held as a secret, just for them. ------- Millie was bustling in the kitchen. She had enjoyed the quiet, but found the children to be an added excitement. Cookies seemed in order. She had started the stove to heat while they started a game. After the first game, and into the second, the smell of baking filled the rooms. No one could concentrate on the game, although they tried. Brian, now finding that he could get around (albeit with a lot of help), was starting to feel even more cooped up. Therefore, after the troop got a snack from Millie, he suggested they go out. Anywhere! He didn't want to stay inside. As soon as they were just far enough away, Brian found out one problem with not being at home. After the large glass of water he drank just before leaving, he had to pee. Jimmy found this amusing. Barbara, though, took a practical approach. She thought they could just stand him up, and hold onto him. With Jimmy on one side, and Pamela on the other, they steadied him. Julie was the one who Barbara allowed to 'do the deed'. Julie was a bit nervous, standing in front of Brian. She undid his button, unzipped his pants, and pulled them down before anyone could say a word. But after this happened, Brian was blushing. Jimmy grinned at his friend. "Julie, you could have just pulled it out. Boys don't pull down their pants, when they pee." Now it was time for Julie to blush. "She just wanted to get a better look at him," Stephanie said, coming up behind Brian, and giving him a goose. Brian jerked. Jimmy and Pamela tried to hold him steady. Julie in a panic, thinking he was going to fall, reached out and took hold of the first thing that presented itself. As soon as she had her hand around it, she realized his dick was in her hand. She looked up at him, shocked at what she'd done. He was looking at her, a smile on his face. Then she felt something else. It was growing! "Oh, jeeze," Jimmy said, trying to sound disgusted, but his grin grew to a full smile. "Now it's going to take him longer. Thanks, Stephanie and Julie." Stephanie just grinned. Julie missed Jimmy's smile, her eyes were looking elsewhere, as she asked, "What did I do?" Barbara, not in clear view of what had transpired also asked, "Yes, Jimmy, what did she do?" Jimmy turned to look at Barbara, and she caught his smile. "After Stephanie goosed Brian, Julie grabbed his dick... and well..." "Julie," Barbara said, "he can't go pee when he's hard. Let go of him, so he can soften up." Julie pulled back her hand quickly, as though she hadn't realized she was still holding him. Embarrassed, she said, "I didn't mean to... I just..." "Jimmy was just pulling your leg, Julie," Barbara said. Julie looked at Jimmy and saw him smiling as Barbara continued, "Just like you were pulling Brian's..." "How am I going to soften, if you keep this conversation going?" Brian asked. Everyone laughed, but didn't say another word. After several minutes, a flow of pee started, as well as a sigh from Brian. "It's been so long since I've stood and peed. It feels so nice," Brian said, and then looked quickly over to Barbara. "Not that I didn't like the help." Barbara grinned at him. Brian instinctively started to reach down to finish himself off. Barbara shook her head, and he stopped. "Julie," Barbara said, "it's time to finish him." "Finish? What do I do?" She explained to Julie, just as Katharine had explained it to her, the way to extract the last of Brian's pee from his dick. As expected, Brian rose to the occasion. "He's getting hard again," Julie said. "Yeah," Pamela answered, "and if you keep on doing that, you'll have more than pee coming out of there." Jimmy and Brian were a bit surprised that the normally shy Pamela would say such a thing, even if it was the truth. Stephanie howled in laughter. Barbara looked at Pamela and smiled, knowingly. Julie turned beat red, and slowed, but didn't take her hand away. The fun and games were stopped suddenly, by the approach of another person. Brian's pants were quickly raised. There was a sigh of relief, when they saw that it was Richard walking towards them. As he got closer, he saw them lowering Brian back down, and knew his eyes hadn't deceived him. Brian had been standing. He asked about it, and Jimmy went into great detail about the whole ordeal. Richard was giving Brian smiles at his good fortune, and trying not to look at Julie and embarrass her any more than he knew she would be. Richard told them all they needed to head back to Brian's house. On the way there, Brian asked if there was a way he and Barbara might come out to the Mansion. Answering and surprising Julie at the same time, he said he'd ask if they could make it a party. Annabelle and Julie were coming out to the Mansion, also. The excitement was spontaneous, and Richard could feel it. He just hoped Millie didn't have a problem with the idea. Upon arriving at Millie's, he noted Annabelle was already there, and was talking to Katy. Looking though the front door, he saw Millie in the kitchen. "Where are Keith and Robin?" "Jim came and got Keith. There was a phone call coming in for him," Katy answered. "Then, just a minute ago, Jane came. She got Robin, wanting to talk to her. ------- Patrick saw Jane pacing back and forth in the hotel room. He could tell by the expression on her face that she was thinking, and he knew better than to interrupt. Then suddenly she stopped, and looked out the window. "Is that Keith by the phone?" she asked her husband. Patrick went to the window, and looked down onto the street. "Yes, it is. He must be waiting for a call. It is unbelievable that they only have one phone in this town." Her husband was still talking, when she closed the door behind her. She knew he'd be surprised. She also knew he'd be watching out the window, and would see her talking to Keith. Jane was thankful that when she got to Keith, he was not on the phone yet. "You are Keith?" "Yes. Jane, isn't it?" She smiled warmly to him. Her husband was the one remembered, not her. "Yes, it is. I wanted to ask your wife a few questions, is she around?" "Up at Millie's," Keith turned and pointed. "At the end of the block turn left, up four houses on your right. You can't miss it. There will be a lot of people and kids around." "Thank you," Jane said, and started walking. Keith was right, she didn't miss it, but there wasn't the crowd he'd talked about. Robin was most agreeable to talk with her, and pointed in a direction away from everyone else. As they were walking, Robin thanked her for the wonderful wedding gift, and told her how much it had meant. It surprised Jane. She'd received the very nice thank you note from them, but in person, the feeling of gratitude was very present. She started to get the idea of what her husband was talking about. This town was a bit different than ones they campaigned in, or even had lived in. As they sat down, Jane knew she'd just have to come to the point. "I received a letter." "Yes, Sarah said something about that." "It was from a friend of Sarah's. Her mother wrote it." "I got the impression that she wasn't Sarah's friend any longer." "You don't know why, do you?" "No," Robin pondered. "My guess is that Keith might, though." "Doesn't it bother you that..." Jane wasn't quite sure how to put this. "He has girls, who are in love with him?" "Yes." Robin laughed. Surprising Jane. "Jane, if he wasn't so... Wonderful." Now Jane laughed. "I can tell you are deeply in love with him, aren't you?" "Yes, I am. Very much so," Robin said, rubbing her belly. That wasn't lost on Jane, who raised her eyebrows and looked Robin in the eye. "Are you pregnant?" "Yes..." Robin said dreamily. "But you're so young." Robin shrugged her shoulders and said, "My mom was my age, and she did a good job with me." Then Robin looked down and added, "And she didn't have my father to help." "What about the people in this town? Did you feel like an outcast?" Robin confused by what Jane was asking, or for what it sounded like she was asking. "You mean because my father was Cliff, and... No. No one in this town blames me for that." Jane got choked up. Patrick was right. Robin had gone through a lot. "I'm sorry Robin, that isn't what I meant. I hope I didn't upset you. I was asking if people were upset that you're only thirteen, and pregnant." Robin mulled that over, and started to crack a smile. "Patrick hasn't told you much about this town, has he?" "Not a lot. Why?" "I was supposed to get married when I turned thirteen. It's been a tradition of this town, for forever. So, being pregnant? No, no one would be upset, just the opposite. Everyone will be very happy about it. We haven't had any births in this town, in a long, long time." Jane was a bit stunned. "You were supposed to..." "I know, now, that most girls don't get married at thirteen. But we're out here in the middle of nowhere. This is just what happens. Nothing is wrong with it. In fact if it wasn't like that, I'd have missed my chance to have Keith." Jane laughed at that. But they were getting off the subject. "Robin what do you think would happen if a girl, your age, was pregnant and not married? Would she still be accepted?" Robin was dumbfounded. How did she know? Did Sarah say something to her parents? Sarah and Daisy talked a lot, but... "Who are we talking about?" Robin asked, needing to know. "Oh, it's not Sarah." Jane said, noting Robin suddenly getting tense. "It is Sarah's friend, Marcia." Robin relaxed and almost laughed, but kept it stifled. "I'm not sure, but I can tell you that people here are pretty accepting. They try their best to love. Why are you asking?" "Robin, the people in the town we live in... Well they can't be described the way you just did. Marcia can't stay home. It would ruin her. There is a problem though. Usually girls in her position are sent to a relative. Marcia has grandparents in Europe, but her parents don't have much of a clue as to where they are located, after the war. There is an aunt on the east coast, but her husband just came back with both legs amputated. She just couldn't help. The only other one is an uncle up in Canada. As Marcia's mother described her brother's wife, I can see why she is very reluctant to send her there. Marcia would be ready for a mental institution, afterwards. It was Sarah's friend, Vivian, who talked about this... how did she put it? Oh yes: 'that magical place called Carp'." Robin was amused at Carp being called magical. Then she put two and two together. "So she wrote you to find out if it was true, and if Marcia... that's her name?" Robin asked. Jane nodded. Robin continued, "Could come down here and live." "That was the question she asked." Robin was silent, and Jane didn't know if that was good or bad. "I see a possible problem." "What is that?" "I don't think there is a reason Marcia couldn't come down here." "Then what's the problem?" "Sarah being jealous." Jane's eyes popped open. "She's too young!" Robin laughed hysterically, much to Jane's embarrassment. "Mrs. McCarran, I think Sarah would be jealous that Marcia was staying here. I'm sorry," Robin said, still laughing and not sounding too convincing, "I know you are just caught up with the pregnancy thing. Sarah just loves it here, and she loves being with her sister as well." "Yes, well of course... And please call me Jane," Jane said, blushing with embarrassment. Robin being much more serious now, took Jane's hands. She looked into Jane's eyes. "Jane, I think Sarah is the one who would have to make the decision, here. It would be easy to find a family to take Marcia in, but it wouldn't help you to have your daughter angry at you, for doing this." "But..." Jane's mind was exploding with questions. One thought popped up too many times to ignore. "But what if Sarah wanted to stay?" "That would not be a problem, here. We have a new school opening. I can tell you she's welcome, and I know Mary would love to have her sister be so close. The only problem with that are you and Patrick. You may not be ready to let her go." As Robin and Jane walked back, Jane was a bit numb. A few months ago she harboured feelings of resentment for how Sarah tied her down. This summer, she was free from that. Now it could be more permanent. She didn't know how she felt. Before anything happened again, it was time to talk to her husband. ------- I had walked past Jane. She was heading back downtown, while I was on my way back to Millie's. I noticed the stunned look on her face, and wondered what kind of conversation had taken place with my wife. I met up with Robin after seeing her and calling her name, before we got to Millie's. "What was that all about? Jane looked a bit out of it," I said. "She has a lot going on. I'll tell you about it, when we're alone. I wouldn't want prying little ears to hear," Robin said as we walked up to the house. "Who was on the phone?" "Anthony. He wanted to know my aunt's phone number. I don't know it, but gave him my mother's number. It must be something important, for him to call around like that. He also asked about the landing strip. So my guess is that we're due a visit. He also asked me not to say a word." I grinned at her and added, "So you don't know a thing." Robin laughed. Katy and Richard wanted to know what was going on, but neither one of us could say much. Jimmy and Pamela were at our heels. "I haven't had a chance yet!" Richard said. "Go on," he added, shooing them away. Of course, Robin and I had to be told of Barbara and Brian wanting to come out with us. Millie, walking out to the porch, overheard that. "That just seems like such a burden on you. You don't need that on top of everyone else out there," Millie said. "Millie," Richard said, and motioned her closer. "They got Brian to stand today." Her eyes lit up, and Richard continued, "If we bring him out, I can run him over to the doctor's, to see what he thinks." "Oh, would you? I can tell the kids are all wound up about something. Just don't wear yourselves out. Bruce and I..." Robin interrupted, "Could have a nice quiet evening together for a change," then she got a mischievous smile on her face. "Who knows what might happen." "Robin! Oh my goodness," Millie said, fanning her flushed face. Katy was laughing at her sister. "Millie, for goodness sakes, Robin's pregnant." "Well, yes, but... to say it out loud." "For heaven's sake, Millie, this is nineteen forty eight. We're not in the stuffy thirty's any longer." Richard and I had had enough of this conversation. "I'll go tell them then," Richard said. He and I walked inside and out of the hot sun. ------- "We came down to see our daughters, and... What's wrong?" Patrick asked as soon as Jane had shut the door and looked at him. "I don't know how to handle it all. I could lose Sarah." "Lose Sarah? I'm not sure I follow you." "What if she wants to stay here? What if she needs to stay here? I feel like a complete idiot. I'm totally mixed up." Patrick looked at his wife, and knew he was in over his head. Walking over to his wife, he gently held out his arms, and she let him envelope her in a hug. "Do we need to make decisions today about all of this?" Patrick asked. "No, I guess not." "Then let's take a breather, and enjoy ourselves. That is part of why we came here." Patrick also had some thoughts he needed to pursue, before this subject was brought up again. ------- Without the use of a car, and not willing even to consider the horses; Kevin, Dorothy and Susan, were stuck. Grace didn't mind at all being at the Mansion. She found the books in the library, Keith's grandmother's books, to be quite a treasure. Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth were also looking for something to do, and set their sights on the newcomers. "Are you two going to get married?" Kristina asked Dorothy. "She's my sister!" Dorothy answered back, playfully. "Nooooo," Kristina said, rolling her eyes, "to Kevin." Dorothy grinned and said, "He has to ask first." Then, in a bit more serious voice, she said, "My parents also have to say its alright." "Kevin seems nice, to me," Elizabeth said. "Why wouldn't they?" "I'm a bit older than their daughter," Kevin answered. "That's for sure!" Kenneth snickered. "I'll get you for that!" Kevin said, and tried to chase Kenneth around. Kevin had no hope, with the cast that he wore. Laughing at the two males, Elizabeth looked over at Susan. "Do you think he'd be a good husband for your sister?" Susan grinned, and said, "Yes, he's great. I just love him." Kevin stopped, hearing that conversation. Kenneth, running around a table, came around full circle. He knocked into Kevin. They both lost their balance, falling to the floor. Dorothy and Susan rushed over to Kevin, helping him to his feet. He looked between Susan and Dorothy, and saw equal concern in their eyes. It was time to talk to Keith, he decided. "I think you stunned him," Elizabeth said to Kenneth. "No, I'm fine," Kevin answered. "Let's go out and get some fresh air, then," Dorothy said, taking his hand. ------- Both Richard's and my car were stuffed to the brim. Brian and Barbara took up a lot of room, leaving the space a bit cramped for the others. No one minded, and we weren't going all that far. As we got to the Mansion, we had a greeting party. Elizabeth and Kristina were very happy to see Julie and Barbara out here, and made a big fuss over them. It wasn't until they were on the porch, that Barbara realized Richard was driving off, and Brian was nowhere to be seen. "Where is Richard going with Brian?" Barbara asked. Everyone else stopped. They watched Richard's car, with Brian and Katy in it, driving away. "They are going out to the doctor's. When Millie heard he was standing," I said, looking around to those who had helped that happen, "she wanted him seen by the doctor. It may be a good thing, but I'm sure no one wants him to stay in those casts any longer than necessary." The thought of that had Barbara looking a bit pale. "Come on in," I said, "they will be back in no time at all." I didn't get in the door. Kevin must have been waiting for my return. He asked to talk with me again. He and I took a little walk. We were around the back of the house, looking over the new construction. The men working on that project had packed up for the day. It was hot, quiet, and clear enough to see all the way over to the plane. That was where Richard and Katy had taken Brian. Sitting down on the foundation's edge, I waited for Kevin to talk. It took a minute or two. "I'm having a problem that is a bit overwhelming, and I'm not sure what to do about it." "Oh?" I said, wondering how I became a counselor all of a sudden. The thought of that almost made me laugh. My mother would certainly be amused by the idea. "The ahh... more Dorothy and I talk, the better things are between us. Of course, that only means that when we leave here... I just don't like to think of that. I know it is going to be very painful. But, hold on, I'm losing track here. Dorothy and I are getting along better and better." "Ok, so what is the problem then?" I asked. "Her sister." "Getting jealous?" Kevin swallowed hard and cleared his throat. "No, it's more as if she's getting interested." I was almost sure of what he meant, but didn't want to assume anything. "Interested in what you two are talking about, or something else? Could you be a bit more specific?" Kevin looked over to me. I think he wanted to make sure I wasn't just laughing at him. "I'm getting the idea that Susan is... well she's interested in me," Kevin said, adding in the last part quickly. Then he added at a more normal speed, "I'm not the only one who's seen it, either." "Dorothy saw it?" "No! I haven't said a word to her." "Kevin, don't you think that if you, and then someone else has seen this; that the closest person to Susan, her sister, would have seen it as well?" "I hadn't thought about that. But anyway, I'm worried." "About?" "You should know. You have many young girls fawning over you. What if Robin became jealous and..." "And what?" Robin asked. It made both Kevin and I jump. Neither one of us had heard her approach. "Kevin is worried that Susan is making advances towards him," I told her. "Oh?" Robin replied looking at the now blushing Kevin. "He's worried that Dorothy will leave him over it, is that about the gist of it?" I think Kevin was a bit pained with my description, but he nodded. "He was also convinced that Dorothy didn't know a thing about it," I added. Robin let out a little giggle. "Kevin, if Dorothy's sister is doing that, believe me, Dorothy is very well aware of it," Robin stated. "Then I'm doomed," Kevin said remorsefully. "Kevin," Robin said, "I'll talk with Dorothy, and see what she thinks. You know us women can sometimes surprise you men." Robin walked off with Kevin just staring. "What did she mean by that?" Kevin asked me. "Robin runs my... well how do I say this? She encourages other girls to fall in love with me." "Is she crazy?" I laughed. "Kevin, she thinks I'm wonderful, and wants to share me." He looked at me with his mouth hanging open, for almost a full minute. "Share you? What is that supposed to mean?" Beth Ann, Mary, and Kristin came out of the house. They ran towards us, stopping our conversation. I half wondered if Robin didn't put them up to this. Kristin and Mary took each of my hands. Beth Ann wrapped her hands around me and gave me a very nice kiss. During it, I realized Kevin was in awe of what was going on here. I tried to turn to him, tell him something, but to no avail. The gals were pulling me inside, chatting the entire time. ------- The doctor had to help Richard carry Brian into the plane. On the way, the doctor was told about Brian standing. Brian added to the story, but only a little. "Well, I think it is high time we x-ray those bones of yours, and see how they're mending." Katy had to exit the plane when the x-rays were shot, but then came back in, while the doctor was developing the films. "Brian," Katy started, "have you thought about how you are going to court Barbara when you get your casts off?" Brian crinkled up his face. It had been an exciting prospect at the time. "I really don't know anything about it. What am I supposed to do?" Brian asked. "Courting is different for just about everyone, Brian," Richard answered before Katy had a chance. "Katy and I had a much different time of courting, than Robin and Keith did." Katy could see the perplexed look on Brian's face. "Brian, courting is a way of showing how you feel about a girl. It is a way of doing things, that will make her know you think she is special," Katy said, and looked over to Richard. "One of the first times I knew Richard had feelings for me, was when we were talking, and there was a misunderstanding. He was hurt, and started to cry. I had hurt him, I realized. For me, that told me how much I meant to him." Brian was still confused. So Richard jumped back in. "It is going to be different for you and Barbara, as it is for everyone. The one thing that is always common, Brian, is that you are showing the other person how much you love them. Say... If you knew she liked flowers, you could go down by the river, and pick some for her." Brian nodded, just as the doctor walked back in. He was holding the films. Clipping one into a lighted box on the wall, he started talking. "This is your left leg. Now see this little white line. It is barely visible now. I could show you the last film I took. It shows a distinct white line showing your break. It is healing very well and a little pressure on it, as in standing, wouldn't hurt it at all. But anything more than standing is too much, still. Do you understand?" "Yes, Sir," Brian answered formally. "The next one is your right leg. It is doing even better. That cast should be off in another week, I think." "Oh, WOW!" Brian said excitedly. The doctor let out a little laugh at Brian's enthusiasm. "The last one is your arm. This one is a bit of a problem." "What's wrong?" Richard asked for Brian. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong. The problem is that I haven't been paying close enough attention to how fast this boy is healing. The cast on his arm is over due to come off." The doctor turned away from looking at the film, and was now looking directly at Brian. "That is, if you want me to take it off?" Brian thought he'd heard right, but wasn't quite sure, until both Katy and Richard started to laugh. The doctor was laughing as well, which made it all seem real. He was going to have two arms to use! His first thought was wrapping them around Barbara. Removing of the cast was not a pleasant ordeal. The thick plaster was cut and broken apart. On the other 'hand', his arm was free. As soon as that happened, he got the shock of his life. His muscles, as the doctor described, had atrophied. Brian was very disappointed at his lack of muscle ability. "How am I supposed to hug Barbara?" Brian cried. Katy smiled at him, rubbing his shoulder. "Brian, I think she's going to be so excited she'll hardly notice, right away. Then she can help you with some exercises. Am I right, Doctor?" "You certainly are. I'm going to tell you what you need to do now with that arm. If you get your pretty little lady to help, all the better." That placed a positive atmosphere on the rest of the visit. Brian couldn't wait to get back to the Mansion. After the doctor and Richard loaded Brian in the car, the doctor asked Richard to come back in for a moment. They walked back into the plane, and Richard shut the door, looking down at Katy as she was closing the back hatch on Brian. He shrugged his shoulders, letting her know he had no idea why the doctor wanted to talk to him. "I'm a bit concerned about what I see of Brian, and what I saw of Barbara in her last visit. Not that it is any of my business you understand, but..." "I'm not sure I follow you," Richard said. "Brian, here, is obviously quite taken with Barbara. It looks like he's starting to build his world around that girl." "Yes, I think you have that right." "But you brought Barbara out here... Well let's say she was being inquisitive for her young age." Richard could hardly keep a straight face. "Yes, I think you have nailed that one." "But poor Brian. What is he going to think about her exploits?" Richard scratched his head for a moment, and then it hit him. "You're thinking that Barbara... That it couldn't have been with Brian?" The doctor turned pale. "She... He... But..." "You know the old saying: 'Where there's a will, there's a way'. I'm not sure of the mechanics of it; but yes, it was them. When I brought her out, it was after I found them in the room together." "This town is a bit odd, you know. No one seems to think that a bit strange? Two children that age." "Well, to tell the truth, I think Brian's mother would have a fit if she knew it had gone to that point. But even she knows there is a little something going on. Barbara is also almost thirteen. And yes, in this odd little town, that means she should get married." "Thirty years ago, when I was starting my practice, it was a lot more common for girls to marry that young. Now, it is a rarity. There is nothing wrong with it of course, medically speaking. It is what society thinks at the time, what is right and wrong." "I'd have to agree with you on that," Richard said. "Anyway," the doctor said with a smile, "unlike conventional thought, now-a-days, Brian isn't forcing himself on her. No one could think he's a threat to Barbara." They both laughed at that. ------- Jane and Patrick McCarran were being driven out to the Mansion, by Jack. Both had wondered what kind of structure could hold the amount of people that lived there. Jack didn't want to let on much, having gathered that they knew very little about the place. He only told them that it had been an old abandoned place that the townspeople fixed up, giving it to Keith and Richard for saving the town. The McCarran's looked at each other, and smiled. The old hotel they were staying in was pleasant and nice. But it lacked any modern conveniences. It was rustic. This 'Mansion', as everyone had referred to it, was more likely in worse shape. These people had no money, to speak of. A gift was from the heart, but may not have been practical. Jack smiled, knowing what must be going through their minds. He, too, had similar feelings at one time about this humble town. Now, though, he felt a certain pride. Pride about how this town worked, and the people who lived here. "Keith and Richard have a second structure that's being built in the back. There was an old barn that was a hazard and needed to be taken down. The man building it is going to build my house, as well." "You are planning on staying here, then?" Jane asked. She was surprised that someone of his standing would want to live in such a remote place. "Yes, we are. My wife fell in love with this place, almost as fast as I did. There is something special about Carp." Patrick laughed, and said, "You sound like Mary. She couldn't wait to get here." Jack was at the bend, and slowed down. "Now, remember, this was a gift from the town." He couldn't believe he kept a straight face saying that. Pressing his foot to the accelerator, he quickly went around the bend, allowing the Mansion to come into sight. He didn't hear a sound. He glanced back to see both of them, wide eyed, with their mouths hanging open. 'Just wait 'till they see the inside, ' Jack thought. As he pulled up to the front of the house, Patrick's hand came down on his shoulder. "That was just plain mean, but rather funny. You know you had us believing it was a run down old place. Now I can see why it is called 'the Mansion'." Surprising anyone in the place was very difficult. Mary and Sarah were told their parents were arriving. They rushed out to greet them. Robin and I followed. We were almost to the Jeep, when we saw Richard's car driving up. Greeting the McCarran's, we laughed hearing how Jack had led them on about this place. "Just wait 'til you see the inside," Robin said. "Keith's grandmother had such nice things, and they fit so wonderfully. He plays the piano, did you know?" "Robin!" I said, embarrassed at how she was going on. "Mom, you need to come in and see the place," Sarah said. Patrick surprised us when he said, "Jack, can you take me over to see the doctor?" He noted our expressions, so he added, "I wanted to ask him a question or two. Nothing about him being a doctor. Don't worry, I feel fine." The conversation with Robin, Jane, Sarah, and Mary started back up about the furnishings. Richard pulled up, and I was glad to do something other than listen to that stuff. "I need to help Richard get Brian out," I said. Jack threw me the keys to the Jeep, and said, "I'll help. You take Patrick out to the doctor's." I didn't say a word for a minute or two, until we were half-way there. "You've got me curious," I said. "If I remember right, the doctor was based up in Grand Junction, originally." "Yes, that is right." "Do you know how often he goes back?" "I have no idea. He flies in and out of here, often. But that is part of the reason he has this plane. He covers a number of mines for Memco," I said, as turned my head looking at Patrick for just a moment. "You want to go there?" "Yes. We have a friend there." I thought about that for just a moment, wondering. I slowed down just a touch, also, wanting to ask the question before we arrived. "Is that the counsellor Sarah talked to?" "She told you?" "She's been having a few problems, and she's not sure what to do about them. When I suggested she see him again, she thought I was trying to get rid of her. If you were flying up and back..." "I see your point. It does raise another issue, though." "Oh, what's that?" "Sarah's determination to stay here." "Yes," I said, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Jane asked me if Sarah was in love with you." I stammered a bit too long, I suppose. He laughed. "I thought as much. It is hard not to fall in love with your 'saviour'." "Robin figured it out first," I said in a weak defence. "Keith, you wanting her to go see someone, to help her, tells me all I need to know. You are looking out for my daughter, in the best way you know how. Now don't get me wrong. You are married to a girl the age of my daughter, and I know she's pretty. I just have to trust you'd never hurt her, and I do." We were close to the plane, and the doctor was standing outside, waiting for our arrival. The only thing I could say at that point was thanks. Patrick was open with his conversation with the doctor. In his position, everyone watched him. The last people who knew where he was were at Nellis Air Force Base. No one except a select few knew they had left, and had arrived at Carp. He was keeping his daughters safe from scrutiny. I was more than pleased he was looking out for that. It would be daunting, to try and keep ones activities in this town safe from a reporter. His question of whether the doctor was planning a trip to Grand Junction was greeted with laughter. After the first explanation, the idea that Patrick and his wife could travel without anyone knowing where they were, sounded like a great hoot. Patrick explained seriously that Jane had received a letter from a friend, and it was distressing her to no end. They had a family friend in Grand Junction, who was a counselor that would be of great help. The doctor understood the importance of keeping things like this away from the opposition in his campaign, and was more than agreeable to fly them up. In reality, it just shuffled his days slightly, but wouldn't disturb anything in the long run. Patrick then asked if their daughter, Sarah, would be welcome as well. She was. On the way back, Patrick took up our last conversation. "Keith, let me be very frank with you. My daughters mean the world to me. You risked your life to save one of them. I would be lying to myself, if I didn't say I was jealous of the feelings Sarah most probably has for you. Like I said before, though, I trust that you would never hurt either one of them." I felt guilty, and must have looked it. Patrick laughed at me. "Keith, I said 'hurt'. If I were you, I'm sure looking at those two beauties would stir something up. We are, after all, men." I did laugh at that! "Patrick, Robin is well aware of any of my feelings towards the gals that surround me. She has been a good guide for me, and she reaps the benefits." Patrick howled at that explanation. "Sweet little innocent Robin?" "Sweet and little, yes. Innocent... I think that one is long gone." When we got back to the Mansion, Jack was waiting. He took off as soon as we arrived. Patrick went to find Jane, Mary, and Sarah (who he'd seen out back looking at the new construction, as we had driven up). I went inside to find Robin. I saw her as soon as I stepped in the door. She was at the edge of the library, almost looking protectively at what it held inside. She motioned me over. There was Brian, on his back, working with his newly uncased arm. Barbara was over the top of him, her blouse unbuttoned. It was obvious that he was being given very good motivation to work those muscles, and reach his goal. I smiled, shaking my head. "Whose idea was this?" I asked. Barbara looked over at me, surprised. Robin just smiled. "Barbara came up with this idea. I had other ones." "I can just imagine," I said, thinking about how she reconditioned my arm after it came out of its cast. "Yes!" I heard Barbara cry out, "You got it." Then she turned bright red, as she realised what she'd just expressed. "Keep up the good work, Brian. Looks like you have a very appreciative instructor," I said. Brian looked over to me, and grinned. ------- Bruce commented to his wife, Millie, how quiet it was. They had just finished dinner, and she had started to clean up. "You wouldn't believe what Robin said to me, today." "Oh, what was that?" Bruce asked. Millie blushed, thinking about it. "Millie, she is married," Bruce said, noting the blush. "I'm well aware of that. She said that she was sure we could find something interesting to do, alone." Bruce didn't think he needed another word of encouragement. Standing, he moved over to Millie, who was standing at the sink. Wrapping his arms around her front, he pulled her close, and nuzzled his face into her neck, giving her shivers. "Bruce!" His hands traveled up, and cupped her large breasts. Giving them a gentle squeeze, he also started kissing her neck. "How am I supposed to wash the dishes... ?" She never got the whole sentence out. Bruce had been waiting for Millie's nipples to extend. He knew just how and where to please her. She could only let go, when she was alone with him. Now was that time, and he was taking advantage with every trick he knew. As soon as his toying got to the point where Millie was holding onto the counter, afraid her knees would buckle, Bruce stopped. He took her hand, and led her into the bedroom. ------- Jimmy had been able to get five minutes of time with Brian, alone. This was well after dinner, and Jane and Patrick McCarran had been driven back to the hotel. That was all he needed. Brian thought the idea was grand. Just knowing it could happen, made him hard. Jimmy now talked to Kristin, cementing the plan. There was a little pretending, for show, about where Brian and Barbara would sleep. The main floor was not a really good option. The third floor a bit much to get to, with Brian. Barbara had been in Kristin's room before. Frankly, Kristin spent little time in there now, so that was the designated room. To make matters more comical (for those paying any attention), it was determined that for safety, Julie should also stay in the room. So for those who wanted to live in the dark, there were two girls to keep each other safe. I could tell there was great interest in where people were sleeping, from Grace. I was wondering if this was brought out with the addition of Annabelle and Julie. That evening, Julie was the easy one to pass off. Annabelle was another matter. To suggest that she be in the room with Dora made little difference. One would have to have been blind, when Larry and another worker opened up the wall between Richard and Katy's room, and the one Dora was in. Of course it was done in the guise that it would be a nursery, in the future. But now, there was nothing separating the two rooms. I walked over to Grace, and slid up next to her. "Bothered by something?" I asked. "I understand there are several women in this household that are with child. I don't see the number of men to equal this out." "And you are wondering how this could happen?" "Frankly, yes! No one is showing. Not yet, anyway. So I'm left to wonder who they may be. But, I am curious about the details." "Shall we take a walk?" Grace smiled at me. She was looking for answers to questions that bothered her so. "Yes, shall we?" I slipped my arm through hers and winked at Robin as we made out way out of the living room, into the hall, and out the front door. It was a still and warm evening. The sky was a dark blue, but not quite dark enough to see the stars, yet. The moon looked cradled in a valley between two hills, in the distance. In all, it was a lovely evening out. I strolled with Grace around the back of the house, to the bench that had become a favorite place to talk. "Tell me what your biggest concern is, here?" I asked Grace. She studied me. I knew this was not what she had expected. "It is my understanding that Katy became pregnant, before marriage, and ended up raising Robin on her own. This is a hard thing to do for a woman. I worry about that. Where are the fathers?" "Grace, let me dispel your worry about those women's feelings about being abandoned. None of them do. They are very pleased with their choices. Each one of them asked to become pregnant." "You sound very sure about this Keith." "I am Grace. That should satisfy you. Somehow, I don't think it will. Let me be the first to warn you though, if you dig deeper, you may uncover things you might not want to know. I'm not suggesting they are bad things, though." "Great! How am I to respond to that?" "You are not. It is an unknown to you. Grace, you can look around this house. You can see the love, happiness, and life. What more can anyone want?" "When you put it that way, nothing. Keith, are you really that sure about the ones that are pregnant?" "Yes, without a doubt. It was not a mistake. Every one of them planned it. They talked about it, and made a decision. They knew what they wanted, and what they were doing. I watched it all happen. So yes, I know." "Then you know who the fathers are?" "Yes, Grace, I do." She sighed. "Ok. This doesn't answer enough questions, but satisfies me enough to not dig. At least, not now. You know I'll be back after the school is open." "I'd be surprised if Liz could keep you away!" Then I grinned at her and continued, "Although I know she wouldn't want to. She holds you in very high regard, you know." We came back in, to find most everyone had scattered off towards bed. Grace headed up the stairs, and I was lost in thought for a moment. Hearing movement, I opened my eyes to see Sarah walking towards me. She reached out, and hugged me tightly. "Thank you." "Sarah..." "You always seem to do the best for me." Then she looked up, into my eyes. Her hands took hold of my head, and she pulled me down into a little kiss. I could feel her blush as she released me. Then she ran up the stairs. I was staring off into space, my mind just a bit worried, when I caught sight of Jimmy pulling Pamela up the back steps. I just knew they were up to something, so I followed. In the back stairwell, I could hear them. They went up to the third floor. As soon as they were off the landing; I quickly, but quietly, took the stairs two at a time. It was dark in the hallway, and my eyes were adjusting, when I saw a movement of light under a doorway. The second time I saw it flash, I recognized it as a flashlight. That had to be Jimmy. And that was the borrowed flashlight, from Jack. I almost started to laugh at the crafty ways Jimmy could get into trouble. When the light showed no more, I walked over to the door, and slowly opened it. I could see the closet door open, and knew they had gone up into the attic. I shook my head, and headed that way. As I lifted my head up into the opening, the beam of light streaked across the attic. I froze, but then realised they were not there. Pamela and Jimmy had climbed down into one of the open passages. They had the benefit of the flashlight. I had good night vision, but it was almost pitch black in there. I made my way over as quickly as I could, to where I'd seen the light go. Feeling around, I found a wood ladder going down the wall. I scaled it down, and now was in total darkness. With my hands out, I felt my way along. I was hoping, as I walked, that the floor was going to be under me. As I turned a corner, I caught sight of the light, again. It lit up the narrow walkway I was in, enough to let me pass down it quickly. Jimmy and Pamela were down on another level. I had to think, as I climbed down that ladder. We were now on the second floor. I could see the flashlight now, around a corner. It was time to make myself known. I smiled. I thought I should, after going though all of this, have a bit of fun at the same time. I turned the corner, ready to scare the daylights out of the two, but was stopped in my tracks. There were Jimmy and Pamela, against the wall. It took me just a moment to figure out what was going on. They were peeping into a room! ------- Chapter 81 I emerged into the hallway on the third floor. Elizabeth saw me, as she was returning from the bathroom. She called me (or more accurately dragged me) into the service of tucking the girls into bed. Elizabeth and Kristina wanted kisses. Sarah watched, amused at my discomfort, at the kisses they gave me. Stephanie was next, and she poured her soul into it. Pamela on the other hand, was still as embarrassed as I was, about what we had just been doing. Now don't get me wrong. Those peep holes were well placed, and we got quite an eyeful. It was Jimmy who started things off. He couldn't help himself, after seeing Barbara and Julie attacking Brian. Jimmy had become a bit more aggressive than he should have been, and Pamela couldn't help but make noise. I had to shut her up and kissing was the best way I knew how. As Jimmy worked his mouth and hand over Pamela's body though, her kisses got a bit out of control. She felt my body respond to her. We didn't have time to say anything to one another. I think that was the real problem. After Pamela lost her balance and bumped into the wall, we high tailed it out of there. "Pamela," I whispered in her ear, "let's talk in the morning, ok?" I felt her nod, and smiled at her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. Then I moved to the last person in the room, Sarah. Sarah was now in a bed that had been brought in, and set in the center of the crowded room. She sat me down and climbed onto my lap, just as she had seen Elizabeth, Kristina, and Stephanie do. "I want the kind of kiss you were giving Stephanie," Sarah whispered to me. Leaning in to her, I whispered back, "I wasn't giving her that kiss. She was giving it to me." I pulled back to see a smile on her face. "Then I'll just have to do the same." She took hold of my head, and pulled me to her lips. As soon as we made contact, I knew I was in trouble. Sarah knew how to kiss, unlike the other girls in the room, who were learning still. I was sure there was little doubt in Sarah's mind that I was enjoying the kiss. Sitting on my lap, she couldn't help but feel my response poking up at her. When I broke the kiss off, her eyes showed a mixture of pleasure and... lust. I was going to have to talk with her sister about this. Sarah was obviously not innocent, but I knew I could hurt her by doing anything beyond a kiss. And that kiss was enough to make me want to do more. I went downstairs to find Robin, Daisy, Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann looking at me as though I needed to explain something. When I didn't say anything immediately, Robin asked, "And where have you been?" "Giving the girls a kiss goodnight." "It took that long?" Daisy asked with a smirk on her face. They let me stammer for a bit, before Robin said she could hear me shushing Pamela and Jimmy. I turned red and had to explain, as I knew I wasn't going to get out of this one. "I saw Jimmy and Pamela sneaking off, so I followed. Jimmy still had the flashlight, and they climbed up into the attic. Well, to make a long story short, they climbed down into the spaces that are between the walls. I caught up to them when they were on this floor." Kristin was shaking her head, "Darling, you want to tell us what else went on? I know Jimmy, and he didn't drag Pamela all that way just for a little privacy." I must have turned a slight bit red, because I could feel the heat on my face. "Ok, when I caught up with them, they were peaking through a hole in the wall." Robin and Daisy looked at each other and started to laugh. "Just like the hotel?" Robin asked. Thankfully for me, Beth Ann wanted to know all about that. I thought that Mary was strangely silent, until I remembered meeting her in the hall. Cynthia must have seen her when I was in that room with her... Hmmm. I looked at Mary and winked at her. She turned bright red. "Yes?" I said after hearing Robin say my name. "What room where they looking in at?" Robin wanted to know. "Brian, Barbara, and Julie's." Robin started to laugh and said, "Did they tell you, or did you look?" "I looked," I said, rather guiltily. "Was Julie... ," Mary started to ask. "Naked and straddling Brian's face? Yes," I replied and watched everyone look wide-eyed at me. "Barbara was... Well she was down on the other end and the two girls were facing each other." "You mean Brian and Barbara were..." Daisy couldn't get it out. "Yes. Daisy, they tried once before," I said. "Do they know what they are doing?" Beth Ann asked. "It looked like it to me," I replied, jokingly. "No," Beth Ann said seriously. "I mean..." "You do know they are practically engaged, don't you?" Robin answered Beth Ann. "It just seems they are... Well, so young." "I guess it might look like that," I said, thinking about it. "Beth Ann, you know both Barbara's parents are dead. Brian almost died. I think it may be almost a natural instinct with the two of them. You know, the need to keep life going. But Brian's not even old enough to have swimmers, so it really isn't an issue." Then with a devious look on my face, I said, "Now you, on the other hand..." I took Beth Ann into my arms, and kissed her, trying to give it as much passion as Sarah had given to me. It was apparently working, as I heard her start to whimper. Then I felt hands on me, pulling my clothes from me. ------- A ray of morning light made its way through a crack in the shade and hit my face, causing me to waken. I turned and peaked out from between my eyelids. Mary had her eyes open, and was watching me. I smiled, and she knew I was awake. I glanced, noting the others were still asleep on the mattresses scattered on the floor. Her hand touched my face. As I opened my eyes all the way, I kissed her hand. We kissed for a few minutes, our hands enjoying each other. "Mary, I need to talk to you about your sister," I said in a hushed tone. "Mmm, what do you want to know?" "Mary, she's falling in love with me." I felt her giggle, barely hearing it. "Don't tell me it's taken this long for you to figure that out." "Be serious. Mary, she wants more from me." "More?" "Yes. Last night when I was tucking the girls in..." "And how do you tuck them in, exactly?" I rolled my eyes and said, "They all want a kiss from me." Another nearly silent giggle. "Your sister climbed on my lap, and gave me a kiss as good as yours. And yours are very good. She knew I liked it, too." "You mean she could feel..." Mary reached down, and took hold of my semi hard dick. She stroked it a few times getting it to full attention. My mind was starting to go, as the blood rushed from my brain to my smaller 'head'. "I guess she liked it," Mary said. I took hold of Mary's hand, stopping her, not that I wanted to. I did need to talk, though, and I couldn't concentrate while she was doing that. "Mary, she isn't staying here, like I want you to. It wouldn't be fair, and I won't hurt her." Mary started to smile when I said I wanted her to stay. "Honey?" Robin said, leaning across me. "Yes," I said. "What if she doesn't go away?" I rolled over to face her. "Let's be serious." "I am. Mary, would you like to have your sister live here with us?" "Yeah, that would be nice." Mary said. "Robin, I don't think Patrick and Jane want to leave Sarah here." Robin just smiled, as though she knew something I hadn't a clue about. ------- There wasn't the usual knock. The door just swung open, and Sarah pulled Pamela into the room. It was only then that Sarah realized that most of the occupants, her sister included, were only partially dressed. I felt somewhat fortunate to be wearing a pair of boxers, at the time. After a moment of mouth-dropped, open staring, Sarah composed herself. "Pamela needs answers, so do we. She didn't sleep much last night." I looked over to Daisy then back to Pamela. "We'll go downtown, and find out what is going on. Ok?" Pamela just nodded. Daisy had gotten up. She walked over to her sister, giving her a big hug. That is when the tears started to flow. Mary pulled me from the bedroom, into the empty hallway. "Keith," she said, "you can only do so much. They are grieving, and it has nothing to do with what you have and haven't done. Don't take their emotions personally." I looked at her, impressed with her insight. Recognizing my appraisal, she smiled. "Psych 201. It's the first time I have been able to really use anything I learned in that class, and put it to a practical application." I laughed, and said, "Good for you. You know some of that may come in handy for when the children will be running around here, soon." "Am I going to be one of the care givers, or mothers, or both?" she asked. What a question. How in the world would I tell her father? How would her sister take that kind of news? "Mary, how would you tell your parents about that?" She instantly got a sad look on her face. "This place has been a dream. Here I could be who I wanted to be, without thinking of who I am. Does that make sense?" she asked. I nodded. I knew she didn't like the high profile of living in her father's limelight, needing always to worry about what she did and who might see her do it. She sighed heavily and went on, "This has been the first big stumbling block. What am I supposed to do when your sister (or sisters, I should say), as well as Daisy and Beth Ann, all are... It's not fair." I gave her a big hug. She was right, and I didn't know what to do. I was going to have to pull the other gals together, and find a solution. In the meantime... "Mary, I know it's not the same; but when you're in your safe time, we can practice a lot." She looked up at me and gave a little smile, "A whole lot?" "How about a 'Mary day'? I'll be all yours." "I might like that. All mine?" "To do whatever you wish." "Mmm," she said giving me a devilish look. "You are going to have to schedule it with Robin. Don't ask me." She laughed and chided me, "Chicken." "Yep, that's me." Then she hugged me tightly. I felt her head tip up. I bent mine down, and kissed her. We didn't hear a thing until Grace, standing at the last step from the third floor, cleared her throat. We pulled away from each other, blushing, but obviously excited about what we had just been doing. "Not one of them, I hope," Grace asked. I knew just what she was referring to, the gals who were pregnant. "No, not at all," I answered. Mary was watching the interchange, not knowing what we were talking about. She also knew better than to ask, then, at least. "Mary, your sister," I whispered to her. Then, turning my attentions to Grace, I said, "Come on downstairs, and I'll show you how our stove lights." We both knew she knew very well how it lit. It was just a polite way of saying 'I'll talk with you, but not here'. When Grace and I entered the empty kitchen, I turned and sat down at one of the chairs at the table. "Do you know what it is like being 'the congressmen's daughter'? Having everyone look, watch, and evaluate everything you do?" Grace had a troubled look on her face, "You mean like I was doing myself?" "Yes, but don't be so hard on yourself. When Mary is here, she doesn't have to think about any of that. She's able to be herself. Something she hasn't ever been able to do before." "So she's experimenting?" Grace asked. I nodded. "Dangerous subjects. Kissing married men is frowned upon by almost anyone." I laughed, and said, "You're right. Here, there is a difference." Graces raised eyebrows and her not saying anything gave me indication she wanted an explanation. "Carp is not 'other places', Grace. My marriage is a prime example of that. But there is more, a lot more. I know you only have a few days left, and want to get together with Liz as much as possible, but I want you to see some other things as well." "Like?" "I'll come by the school, and pull you away for a bit, here and there. You need breaks, anyway." "So you aren't going to tell me." "No. I think you need to see with your own eyes, as things happen. If I tell you, then you'll build your own frame of reality, based on what you have heard." Grace laughed. "If I didn't know better, Keith, I'd say you read that line out of a book." I was glad she didn't know better. I had read it. ------- Richard came out of his room while I was going back in. He looked a bit blurry eyed. I laughed at him, making comments about him needing to take a nap in his old age. He didn't seem to appreciate my humor. I also reminded him about the team coming down for the testing. That shot a load of adrenaline into his system, and he took off towards the bathroom. Going into my room, I asked Robin if she could get Julie, Barbara and Brian up. I didn't want to make eye contact with them yet. Robin gave me a little smile, and said she would. By the time I got downstairs again, it seemed that everyone was up. The doctor had been by, and Richard was just about to head out the door with Katharine, Dora, Katy, Grace, Kevin, Susan, and Dorothy. Richard said he'd be back for Brian and Barbara, soon. I ate, gathered Pamela, Daisy, Robin, Kristin, Beth Ann, Mary, and Sarah, and we left for town. When I pulled onto the downtown street, I was amazed. There were two wagons and many horses, hitched to the railings in front of the storefronts. After parking, we made our way down the street. In the building next to the school, the one Cynthia wanted to make into a dress shop, there was a whirlwind of activity. Some of the partitions that I had seen Larry working on for the school were in there, off to one side. Chairs were being brought down the street from the meeting hall. Brooms were stirring up dust, and windows were being cleaned. I saw Cynthia, Rebecca, Patrick, and Sheryl in there, among others. We continued to walk next door to the new school. In the front landing sat Katharine and the doctor, with a small table between them. There was a third chair. I was hoping it wasn't for me. As they looked up, Jim (the mayor) came past us, and sat down. "We're trying to coordinate the people getting tested. We don't want to miss anyone," Katharine explained. I nodded. "The others are upstairs, trying to stay away from all the noise," Katharine continued. "I'll talk with them, later," I said. "Right now, I have to get together with Jack. You haven't seen him, have you?" Jim looked over to me, "He was by when Cynthia and Rebecca showed up. My guess is he's either in his office, or at the rail car." "Thanks," I said, heading out the door. None of the party I had brought into town with me wanted to find something else to do. I think they knew what I was after, and wanted to be there for the girls. We didn't see Jack in his office, so we headed over to the rail car. All of us stopped and looked, as we got close. Jack was sitting outside, with his face in his hands. I could tell, looking at my wife as well as the others that I was going to have to walk the rest of the distance alone. "Want to tell me about it," I said in a neutral tone as my shadow fell on Jack. He looked up at me. "They found Robert." I felt like... Well, almost like when I fell off of that building. I sat down, not knowing if I could remain standing. Looking at my reaction, Jack was quick to say, "He's not dead, Keith." "God, you scared the shit out of me. Where is he?" "In a little town called Quartzite. We're still trying to figure it all out. Our best guess is that he jumped on the wrong train, and ended up in the wrong place. Then he got drunk." I was shaking my head, "Shit." "The Chaplin at the hospital only knows what is going on, because of Robert's insistence. Apparently, he's being 'reformed' by the Salvation Army, who took his sorry ass in. They paid the hospital bill, and have been caring for him." "Hospital?" I said louder, bringing the others towards us. I stood up, seeing the girls walking over, as Jack continued. "He was dead drunk when they found him. He didn't even know who he was for three days." "My dad?" Pamela asked. Nodding, I answered, "Yes, Honey. We know where he is, and he's alive." "But drunk." Daisy said. "Daisy," I said rather testily, "do you remember why your father left in the first place?" I saw tears well up in her eyes, and start down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Keith." I stood and hugged her. "I'm sorry, too. This has not been fun for anyone. The good news is that we know he's safe." She looked up to me and gave me a little smile. I kissed her tears. "Can we call?" Robin asked Jack. "Not yet. The Chaplin was not very happy with the response he got from the people who had Robert. He's driving there to get him, and bring him back. I told him how to get ahold of me. As he works at the naval hospital, they will patch him through to me from wherever he calls. It will take a couple hours, though, for him to get there." "Thank you, Uncle Jack, Sir," Pamela said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. We were all amused at how much Jack blushed from that. As we walked back to the downtown, I pulled Daisy to one side of me, and Pamela to the other. "Feeling better, now?" I asked. "Yes," Daisy said. "I will when I can hear my dad," Pamela said, "but it's nice to know he's ok." "I'll make sure that happens," I said. Pamela smiled at me. I realized that it was her first smile, since last night. "I know. You always take care of me." Feeling a bit embarrassed at that, I looked around and realized that we must have slowed down. Either that or the others had sped up, because Daisy, Pamela, and myself were by ourselves. "Pamela," I said, knowing this was as good a time as any, "about last night." Looking over to her sister, she realized Daisy already knew what had happened. Pamela dropped her head, looking at the ground. I let her be for a moment. "I'm kind of embarrassed, Pamela. I shouldn't have..." She looked up at me, surprised. "But I wanted you to! Brian had Barbara and Julie." My mouth dropped open and I heard Daisy laugh. "My horny little sister!" "Pamela..." my voice came out cracked. Starting again, I said, "Pamela, there is one thing you didn't consider." "What?" Her brow wrinkled and then she frowned as she asked, "You didn't want to?" I had to clear my throat and noted the amused expression on Daisy's face. "I think if you remember how my body responded, I enjoyed it very much." I said making Pamela smile. "It's Jimmy I worry about. He felt, for a while, that I stole Stephanie away from him." I let her think about that for a moment, before going on. "Pamela, you know that Robin has to say it is ok for me to be with anyone else. She is my wife, my chosen one. It has been her decision to share me," I said, and smiled. "Of course I like that decision, but it is hers to make, not mine to take. Does that make sense?" "Then I would have to ask Jimmy if it was ok to do anything with you?" Pamela asked. "Yes. Then, if he said ok, you'd have to ask Robin also." Pamela smiled and said, "That would be the easy one." "Pamela," Daisy said, expressing thoughts I had also. "Jimmy might say no. If he does, it's no. But he might say it's fine, if he can do the same." "What do you mean?" Pamela asked her sister. "He might want to do things with Stephanie, or... I don't know, maybe me." "You!" Pamela gasped. Daisy laughed. "I'm not too ugly." "But... But you're my sister." I couldn't help but laugh. Pamela looked at me, and I think she realized my relationship with my sisters. She burnt bright red, with embarrassment. We started to walk again. "So I have to share him, if I want to share, too?" Pamela asked. "Most probably," I answered. "Would that bother you?" Pamela didn't say anything for some time and we were at the edge of the sidewalk when she spoke. "I know he's done things before, but... He might find someone better than me." I laughed, drawing a sharp look from both Daisy and Pamela. Getting down on one knee, I looked her right in the eye. "I've talked with Jimmy on a few occasions. If you don't know how much you mean to him... "I think the two of you need to talk a bit, instead of just making out all the time," I concluded. Pamela pushed me, and I feigned falling to the ground. She laughed, and I'd made my point. "About time you showed up," Robin said, with a tiny smile on her face. "Everything straightened out?" "No," I said very seriously. The smile left Robin's face and then she started to shake her head, as Daisy couldn't help but laugh. "Well, it isn't," I persisted. "Pamela needs to have a good long talk with her man." "Her man?" Robin said incredulously. "That's my brother you're talking about." I turned to Pamela, grinning. She looked at me, and busted up laughing. I then had to explain to Robin what that was all about, and how Pamela had reacted with Daisy's comment about Jimmy possibly wanting to do something with her. Robin found it all very amusing, and added her comments to the situation as well. ------- Brian and Barbara had been deposited, along with Julie to 'watch' over them, at Millie's house. Everyone else from the Mansion had been shuttled downtown. Near the arrival time, the mine had shut down. Everyone started showing up at the platform. I could tell Kevin, Dorothy, and Susan thought this was quite a spectacle, having the whole town show up for a train. I took those three aside, then looked for Grace, and pulled her along. We passed Patrick and Jane McCarran on their way to the train and ended up in Jack's office, a nice quiet place. "I wanted to let you in on what is happening, so you don't end up embarrassing yourselves," I started off. Grace was the first to venture, "Well, I know for a small town, a train stopping means supplies. But I understand there are important people on board." Looking at me while she said that, she went on. "Or is this something to do with what you said this morning?" I nodded to her. "Let me tell you some of what you didn't read in the newspapers," I said. "This is going to be rather... distasteful, so Dorothy and Susan, you may want to sit down. "This starts a long time before I came to this town. There was a man that wanted vengeance against the town." "We read about that," Dorothy interjected. "Yes. Do you know who that man was?" They looked at each other; without a clue, they looked back at me, wanting the answer. "Before I tell you, I want you to remember what you know about the other people this involves. Above all, think before you react." "Cliff Johnson was the man's name. Katy's father Patrick is the one who chased him out of town." I held up my hand to stop comments. "Grace, let me finish. The reason he chased Cliff out of town, was because of what he did with Katy. I don't think I need to go into the sordid details about that, but Katy ended up pregnant." I noticed the look between Kevin and Dorothy. "The baby she produced is Robin, my wife. Now, Cliff felt like he should extract vengeance on this town and for years he let that burn in his brain. Then he stumbled upon the ultimate weapon for the town's destruction. "For years, he placed a chemical into the water system that ended up making the men sterile. Don't worry, Kevin," I said, seeing the horrified look on his face, "there are no traces of that chemical left in this town. Unfortunately, the damage had been done. If you think about it, there are no youngsters in this town. No children have been born for the last six years." "My God!" Susan exclaimed. "He was a mad man." "Yes, he was." I replied neutrally. We sat there in silence for a moment. "Can they reverse the chemical's action?" Grace asked. "We don't know. To tell you the truth, the evidence doesn't look promising. Without new blood, this town would have simply died off." "New blood," Grace commented and gave me a look. "The team that is coming down will be looking to see if there are any changes from the first samplings that were taken soon after the discovery that everyone had been drinking the tainted water, till now. If there are changes, it will be a very good sign. If not, we are still stabbing in the dark, to see if anything works." "You keep on saying we," Kevin said. "Do you have a part in this?" "I do. I worked for the government, finding ways to combat any chemical warfare an enemy could unleash on us. In war, though, it is not a long drawn out thing. No one has ever encountered something like this, before. We simply don't know what could happen." "So you worked making chemicals for war?" Dorothy asked wide-eyed. "No. I worked to stop what the others were doing. We worked with any information we could get our hands on about what they were developing, as well as what we were developing. The group I was in was ready at a moment's notice to fly into an area, and try to take care of just about any problem that arose. I worked with some of the most lethal chemicals..." "Like the one that caused the evacuation of this town?" Grace asked. "Yes. I knew how to handle it, although I had no protective gear with me. When I saw what it was, I knew just what I had to do. If I hadn't been here..." "Robin would be dead, wouldn't she?" Dorothy asked. I nodded, not wanting to say something and display my emotions about how much that whole episode affected me. "Keith," Grace said, feeling I wanted to move on, "what about the kids. Brian and Jimmy for instance." "We're not sure. Test indicators say they may not have as much of a problem. People aren't rats, though, and some things don't always translate. We're going to have to wait until they can produce, before we can test it." "Produce?" Susan asked. "How do they test?" Dorothy asked. I looked to Grace for direction, here. She shrugged her shoulders, and rolled her eyes. "The tests involve looking at sperm, so they have to collect and..." "How do they do that?" Susan asked, interrupting me and then turning red. "Susan, let's just say that the men have to give a sample. Then it is checked to see if anything is active or not. Remember that in this case, all the men who have lived here had nothing active." "So no one could have children. That is so sad," Dorothy said. We heard the train's whistle blow. I got up, and the others followed. "Remember what these people feel, and what is at stake for them. Many of them expect a miracle that may never happen. I am most likely going to be pressed into telling them bad news. Something I don't look forward to." As we left, Grace put her hand on my shoulder. "This troubles you more than you let on, doesn't it?" I nodded. As Kevin, Dorothy, and Susan walked out the door, Grace stopped and turned around to face me. "I now understand, being in this town and what it has gone through. Children would be welcome from just about any avenue," she said. Then she added, "It is a gift, as well as a responsibility." ------- Dr. Jameson and Shelly looked out the window of the train. They couldn't believe their eyes at the people waiting on the platform. "Maybe Keith had something to do about this," Dr. Jameson said, nervously. Shelly shook her head, remembering what some of the things I had told her. "No, I don't think so. These people are desperate for answers. We have our work cut out for us. I remember what Keith said. He dreaded telling the town he'd saved that the men had no hope of bearing children. We have been sitting in a lab, he was living with them." "Why do I feel set up?" "Dr. Jameson, I don't think that is what Keith wanted to do. My guess is that he wants everyone to see how much work is being done, that we do care about what has happened, and that we are trying our best." Dr. Jameson straightened up in his seat. "That, I can work on. Shelly, what would I do without you?" She smiled at him, and then laughed. "I don't think you want to have an answer to that question." "No, I probably don't," he said, laughing in return. The train came to a stop. The other two young women (undergraduate students who worked in the labs at the university) had also been staring out the window, as well as listening to the doctor's conversation with Shelly. They were there to help set up the equipment, and to help run routines, so that everything would be done as quickly as possible. From the talks between the doctor and Carp, and the doctor's knowledge of the town's main work, no other help was needed. True to their word, the townsmen took hold of the crates that were in the in the train's baggage car. They walked with them down the street, to the building that had been set up for this operation. Some of the ladies wanted to set up the newcomers in the hotel. That idea was quickly squashed, in favor of getting the lab set up. Their suitcases were carried off, and I had the dubious honor of making introductions. It was then I noticed the McCarran's were staying in the background, watching, but not involving themselves. Finding that unusual for Patrick to do, I was going to ask him why, but that would have to be later. As soon as Shelly spotted Beth Ann, she went over and took hold of her hand. "You'll be helping us, won't you?" Beth Ann looked a bit surprised. I laughed, and said I was sure they could have fun telling stories. Beth Ann blushed just a touch, and Shelly shook her head. "He never changes does he?" Beth Ann sighed, "No, he doesn't." Shelly rolled her eyes. "Keith, you've... Where did he go?" "I'm sure he didn't want to be harassed any longer by you," Dr. Jameson said with a smile, then added, "Plus, he was pulled away to look at our lab set up. Apparently there was one thing we didn't think about." "Oh, what is that?" Shelly asked, thinking of all the lists they had gone over. "How much electricity we'd need. These buildings were built before the time of using it anywhere near as much as what we do. None of us thought about it, so now we're going to be scrambling to see what we can come up with." "Well, this delays everything," Shelly said disappointedly. "Maybe not. We still have to go over the lists of people from the town that they have come up with. Adding our information to those lists, we have an easy way to look at quick comparisons. Then we need to see if they have come up with a way to coordinate the men showing up. If that hasn't been done, it will need to be." "It's been thought out, but we needed your input," Katharine said, walking up and hearing the end of the conversation. "I think it would be best if you saw the place now." "Sounds good to me. Katharine, isn't it?" Dr. Jameson asked. "Yes, it is." "Good, now is Dr. Harrington at the lab? I am anxious to meet him. Then we need to start Beth Ann on some things, as soon as we get set up." "Beth Ann?" Katharine said surprised. That started a conversation between Shelly and Katharine that spanned the length of time it took to walk to the new lab. "You didn't know she helped us in the lab?" Shelly asked. "No, she's been holding out," Katharine said shaking her head, but with a little smile on her face. "Well, Keith knew. In fact I think that is why she showed up..." Shelly started to tease and then went silent. "What's wrong?" Katharine wanted to know. "Beth Ann spent a lot of time working her tail off, while Keith was in the coma." "Brings up some painful memories, doesn't it." "You can't imagine." Katharine bit her lip, and then answered, "I think I can." Shelly's face saddened as she looked at Katharine. She knew things would come up and she'd hear the whole story. Working for hours, doing mundane stuff, would give her the chance for good conversation. ------- Jack was in the communications car, his thumbs pressing at his temples. The immediate answer from the base had not been as receptive to dropping a generator out here in Carp, as he might have expected. Or course there were reasons, good ones. That still didn't set well, with what they needed to do here. The worst of it was Jack knew Keith would be walking in the door any moment wanting to know when, not if, but when. There was a knock and the door opened. Jack didn't look up, as his head was starting to pound. He needed some aspirin. He wondered if the doctor had anything stronger. "Do we have an answer?" I asked. "Yes, and it isn't one you want to hear," Jack said. I smiled, which Jack didn't see. But the communications officer did, and raised his eyebrows at me, wondering why I wasn't upset. Richard and I had talked about the problem, and the fastest solution. There were two portable generators on the base, and one could be flown here. Richard had also told me the cost of those units, and the likelihood I'd get one. So I was prepared for that answer and had my way planned. "Jack," I said with a smile, "I think I need to have a little talk with Patrick McCarran." His head popped up and he said, "Oh, you are going to play dirty, are you?" My smile broadened. "Jack, you can't do that, you're still in. I, on the other hand..." Jack gave me a smile, and turned to the communications officer who was already thumbing through a notebook. "You didn't hear this conversation," Jack said to him. "What conversation? I'm too busy looking up... numbers," he said with his face in the book, but with an obvious grin. Patrick was easy to find, he was looking at the lab and already knew what problem we were facing. "Let me tell you some facts," I said, as though Patrick didn't know what was going on. Patrick laughed, knowing Keith was playing his angle. "Ok, Keith, what is it?" "The university team is down here with their lab. They are to do tests on the males, to see if any changes have occurred in the time since we first tested, to now." "Sounds like a very good plan. So what is wrong?" "Power. You've been here. Frankly, none of us really thought about how much electricity the lab needs." "So what do you need then?" "Nellis has two portable generators. If they flew us up one, we'd be set." "I'm just guessing, but there is a snag." "Yes. They don't want to part with it." "Keith, I'll need to make a call," Patrick said with a laugh. Then he continued, "I'd say you owe me, but as both my daughters are here... And by the way, I think I may need to talk to you about that soon." "Thank you, Sir." I said automatically, my mind on what he might want to talk to me about Sarah and Mary. "Keith, don't do that 'sir' business." I laughed. As we turned to walk down the street, I was surprised when he stopped at the phone and didn't go to the communication rail car. It was then that he told me that his presence in Carp was not something he wanted broadcasted. He wanted his daughters to remain in this safe environment, away from the public eye. I left him to make the call and continued to walk back to see Jack. He was waiting for me outside the car. "You may want to call and see when they are arriving with the generator," I said. Jack shook his head, and then told me what part of the hold up was. "There are a few generals who will be mighty upset with you. They have this party planned on base, in one of the hangers. I am supposed to be there, in fact." I laughed, but only slightly. Jack was going to get grilled over this. I had just gone over all those generals' heads. Not a way to make friends. "You need to get out of that job. How much time do you have left, anyway?" More of the story came out now. "This was a going away party for me. I have less than a month remaining." Now I felt bad. "Jack, I'm sorry." "Nah, don't think too much about it. Last year that party would have been very important to me. Now these people in Carp, my new home, are where my priorities are." Richard knocked and came in. I gave him a rundown on the situation. He was thinking, I could tell. "Jack," Richard said, "there is a truck mounted generator. I know it is a bit of over-kill, but it will put out more than the two portables they were going to use, combined. They can just drive it over to the hanger for your party. That way, they won't miss the portable one we're taking." Jack had a satisfied smile on his face, and was nodding. "What do you think, ten more minutes before I call? That will give them time to start getting mad." "Now who's the trouble maker?" I asked, laughing. ------- Richard and I showed up at the lab. I was pretty impressed at how they had organized things. Everything was now set up, waiting for power. The townspeople were going to get a close up view of some of the equipment. None of them would have any idea of what it was, but it looked good. Dr. Jameson came over to us. "What do you think? We set it up so that everyone who sees it will be impressed. I want them to know we are doing everything we can." "You will make your point in spades. Although you may need a person just to answer questions." "Already have one," Dr. Jameson said with glee, "Beth Ann." Beth Ann and Katharine came over. "Why didn't you tell me we had someone trained in what was going on?" Katharine said accusingly. I looked down for a moment, trying to get the right wording. Beth Ann must have taken it for embarrassment. "I had just started, a few days before he fell." I think everyone of us saw the swell of emotion in Beth Ann's eyes. "I worked so I didn't have to think," she said, and ran off. Now I was embarrassed. I cleared my throat, and Richard patted me on the back. "We have an answer about the electricity. They'll be flying a generator in. About ten minutes from now, we'll know when it will arrive," Richard said, getting us back on track. "Then we have a ten minute break?" Katharine asked. No one really answered, but Shelly must have known what the underlying question was. "Katharine, go on and find her." ------- Robin caught me outside. She took me by the arm and started walking me up the sidewalk. "A 'Mary day'?" Robin asked, as soon as we were away from possible prying ears. "I thought it might help." "For the short term, I think it will. Keith, it will not satisfy her for long, though. As soon as she sees us, I mean when we start to show, it will be torture for her. We may lose her if it gets too bad." "What can we do?" "I don't know. I need to ask my mom and see if she has any answers. When I was only four, Jimmy was born, but I remember hearing all the other women. Even though Jimmy was..." "I know what you are trying to say." "Even still, the women wanted to hold him... they wanted... I think it's instinct. Mary can't be fooled into thinking something else, when her body is wanting." "I think I already knew that. Talk with your mom. I hope she has some answers. Oh and by the way, Patrick McCarran said he wanted to talk with me about his daughters." Robin smiled in a way that told me she had an inkling about what this was all about. She didn't seem worried, so I let it go. "I also brought you this way so you could see this," Robin said. "What?" I asked. Robin pointed. Over by the bridge, sitting on the grass near the pool, were Pamela and Jimmy. "They're talking." "I can see that." "I can feel Mildred smiling. Keith, you are being a very good father to Pamela." ------- The generator ordeal brought up some other points that Jack had not considered, as he spent less than one day a week on the base. Money was being pulled in. Jack's replacement wasn't happy about the expense of flying us something that, if given time, could have shown up by truck or rail. "Jack, how were you going to get to the party?" I asked. "They would have flown me there." "And all of this is supposed to make sense?" I pressed on. "Somehow. It's all because it would have come out of different pockets. The idea that, from the start, the money is from one source; doesn't have any bearing. I hate to admit it, but I was caught up in that way of thinking, myself. "This does though show me that we'd better be very quick in making a list of things. We want to make sure they get onto the surplus listings, so we can get hold of them. My influence on the base is waning; as it should be, I suppose." Richard and I nodded, knowing we would have to get the school board in gear. Maybe Grace could help, even though she had only two days left, here. Four men with a wagon, Jack, Cynthia, Richard and I rode out to the landing strip and waited. Richard, knowing the size of the unit, thought that four of the miners could handle sliding it out of the back door of the plane and onto the wagon. They had brought several boards along with them. These proved to be very useful, as there was a height difference of almost two feet. Other than that, it was a smooth transition. Jack and Cynthia climbed into the plane, and it took off again towards the base. Just before they left, I told him good luck, and told Cynthia to behave herself. She just laughed. Richard drove Jack's Jeep back, going very slowly. That insured the wagon, following, would not jar anything with the electronics of the generator. We had to make sure that this worked. The wagon was pulled to the back of the building. This is where Richard took over. We had decided (and the four men were in complete agreement) that the generator should stay on the wagon, and not be moved. Richard took the heavy electrical cords and ran them into the building, taping up holes that were used to run the wires in from outside. Once that was done, the generator was started. Richard watched as the power meters leveled off and became constant. At this point, he told us we could start plugging into the power source. It took another twenty minutes to do so. We were continually checking to make sure we weren't overloading anything. Fortunately, it ran smoothly. Five hours after they arrived by train, the testing could begin. To make sure no one was missed, they started from the south end of town with the list of names. The way they worked from house to house, no one would be missed. Brian was on the first list. Richard went to the house, as that was the easiest thing to do, with the collection cup, a test tube, and stopper to keep it sterile on its way back to the lab. Bruce was already downtown, along with Millie. That left Barbara and Julie at the house with Brian. Richard knocked and then went in. "Brian," Richard said with a grin, "I told you earlier, so I hope you have some saved up." "He has to pee in that cup?" Barbara asked missing the subject at hand. "No, not pee," Brian told her. "Oh... OH! In there? Why?" she asked. Richard noticed Julie not saying a word. "Julie, do you remember what is going on?" She nodded. "Want to tell Barbara?" Richard asked. Julie shook her head, lowering it. "What's wrong?" Barbara asked, confused. "You remember about the chemicals that were dumped into the water. The ones Brian and I found." "Yes, but... It didn't affect Brian, did it? He can have children, can't he? He... We'll have a family, won't we?" Barbara was becoming hysterical. Richard took hold of her arms and forced her to be still. "Barbara, we don't know anything yet. When we tested last time, he couldn't really do anything. Now I'm not even sure what the use is, but they want to see if there is anything that might help." "I'll do anything I can to help. What can I do?" Barbara implored. "You, my dear lady," Richard said trying not to laugh, "can get the sample. If there is anything to get." "But how do I... ? Oh. Now?" "Yes, now would be a good time," Richard answered. "With you watching?" Barbara asked, as she turned red. "Remember, Barbara, we want the sample in the cup." She turned brighter red. "Barbara," Brian said and then lowered his eyes, his face twitching for a moment, "remember what I told you about Richard and I being very close." "Yes," Barbara said quietly. "I don't mind if he stays. He's seen me before." Julie's eyes widened, hearing this. "Come here, Julie," Richard said, walking towards the door. Then, turning back, he said, "We'll just be a minute or two, might as well get started." Barbara blushed again, but nodded. Richard walked with Julie into the living room and sat down. She started to sit across from him, but he patted the seat next to him. She moved over. In a quiet tone, he asked, "Julie, how much love do you feel for Keith?" "Why?" Julie asked suddenly embarrassed. "He made sure you and your mother..." "I know; he saved us." Richard smiled at her choice of words. "You know that Brian saved me. I saved him, also. So you know how much we feel for each other." "I guess more than I feel for Keith. If I saved him..." "Then what?" Julie burned with embarrassment, thinking Richard must know what she had been thinking. She bent her head down so he couldn't see her red face, but he took her chin, and made her look at him. "Now you know how Brian and I feel about each other. But just like you and Keith, Brian and I have our own lives. I love Brian. I know he loves me, as well. But that isn't as strong as what Brian feels for Barbara. And that is the way it should be." Julie couldn't contain her curiosity. "You and Brian... I mean you've..." "Have you and Barbara?" Julie realized what she was asking and knew it was probably rude. She couldn't ask such a thing without telling him the question he asked first. Julie nodded. "Is it so much stranger for two boys, than two girls?" Richard asked. Julie crinkled her forehead up, thinking. "I guess not, but it does seem strange. Does it seem strange for you, thinking about two girls?" Richard chuckled. "No, Julie. To tell you the truth, it's exciting to think about." Her eyes went wide, "Really?" "Really. Has Brian ever seen you two together?" Julie nodded. "And how did he respond?" A big smile appeared on her face. "He loved it." "See what I mean." "Could I see you and Brian... Oh, I'm sorry. That wasn't very nice to ask, was it?" "You're curious. It's alright, I don't mind. Now let's go back and see what's going on." "Ok," Julie said and then realized she didn't get an answer. For some reason, maybe it was what they were talking about, but she wanted to see Richard and Brian together. To see what they did. As Richard and Julie walked in, Barbara had her mouth on Brian, sucking him with all her might. "Barbara, remember, we need it in the cup," Richard said, startling Barbara. She pulled back, both red and exasperated. Brian was obviously enjoying what she had been doing. He had a big smile on his face and his dick was standing at attention. "He's..." Barbara started to say before Richard cut him off. "Very excited by you and what you do to him, but unlike a girl, he can't have that pleasurable feeling over and over again. Boys don't work that way." Barbara was embarrassed and mortified at the same time. "But then everyone will know. What are we going to do?" she asked, starting to cry. "Get the cup ready to catch it, Julie," Richard said, giving her a wink, "and don't miss a drop. There won't be much, but enough for the test. Now, Barbara, start sucking again and when you feel him start to swell, pull off and use your hand. Julie will move the cup in and get it." "But..." Barbara started to say. "Just do it, it will work this time." Trying not to think about Richard watching her, Barbara took Brian in her mouth and started to suck. Julie, unconsciously rubbing her legs together, held the cup, waiting. Richard watched as Brian closed his eyes, in obvious bliss. Julie almost forgot what she was supposed to be doing as she saw Richard put a finger in his mouth. It came out very wet with saliva. Then she watched as Richard moved over to Brian and reached under where Barbara was bouncing her head up and down, trying to make something happen. Barbara felt Richard move close to her, and opened her eyes. She saw his hand and felt Brian being moved up just a bit. Then Brian wiggled around. His eyes shot open, and his mouth tried to say something, but nothing came out. Julie and Barbara knew Richard was doing something, but didn't know what. All of a sudden, Barbara felt it, and she pulled her mouth off. "Julie!" Barbara screamed. Julie came out of her trance, and shoved the cup in place, and none too soon. Brain's whole body pulsed as he exploded into the cup. Not much in terms of volume, but there was great force behind him. Brian then went limp. "What did you do to him?" Barbara wanted to know. "Ask Brian. When he wakes up, he can tell you. In the mean time, I've got to get this off to the lab," Richard said, removing his hand from under Brian. Julie looked at Richard, realizing more than Barbara did about what must have happened, but not necessarily how. Watching Brian's strong reaction gave her the feeling Richard described to her about watching two girls. She was now... Julie thought of the right word she had heard Robin use. There it was: 'horny'. She was horny. Richard took the cup into the kitchen. He didn't want to lose any of what Brian had shot. He also didn't want to have Brian or Julie seeing him cleaning off his finger. After washing his hands; he poured the contents into the test tube, capped it, said goodbye, and left. Bruce was in, having waited his turn. There seemed to be a few that were quick about the whole ordeal, but most of the men were having a hard time giving a sample. Dr. Jameson and I had talked about this. There was some concern about this. Jim's wife, upon questions from Katharine, had said he took longer now than ever before. It could be partially to do with age, partially to do with knowing there was nothing alive there, or something unknown. The unknown was what bothered everyone. When Richard showed up, I gave him a few jabs about how long it took. He sheepishly and very quietly told me he was pressed into helping out. I told him I wanted to hear about that. He told me I really would, especially the talk he'd had with Julie. He left me to wonder about that, and had a great time knowing I was being driven crazy wanting to know what it was all about. ------- Katharine had her car downtown. Dr. Jameson told her to leave and get back to her kids, shortly before they closed the lab down for the evening. She brought Beth Ann back with her as well. It was shortly after they arrived, that Dr. Harrington rode up on his horse. Richard, Katy, Robin, and I were outside, welcoming the two home. "We may have a problem with Brian and Barbara. I wanted to talk with you about it," Dr. Harrington said. "Go ahead and talk," I said. Richard looked at the doctor. "Remember there are no secrets here. If it is something to do with the lab results, I'm sure Beth Ann and Katharine will know as well. So just say it." "Brian has swimmers. It looks like he is a normal active boy." Dr. Harrington said. "And when you say active..." Richard said. Katy caught on. "Richard it was about two weeks ago when you took Barbara in. She'd started her first... Oh my!" "She could be pregnant?" Robin asked. "Pregnant?" Beth Ann said, catching on. "How?" Katharine snorted. "You should know about that by now." Beth Ann blushed. "I meant, his legs are in casts." Then she remembered what I said last night, of what I saw. Beth Ann looked at me. "They've done it." Dr. Harrington cleared his throat. "It may be a little late for Barbara and Brian." He wrinkled his brow. "Noting some of the... customs... of this town. I was a bit worried about the possibilities of what Jimmy might be doing." "Jimmy!" Katy said. "But he's..." Robin started to say and then stopped. "I think we need to talk with him," I said. "You may need to bring Barbara out for me to take a look at her, after we get done with this testing. I've talked with you about this, but what about Brian's parents?" "She's my sister and I'll talk with her about this. In a way, it is my responsibility," Katy said. The doctor nodded, glad he didn't have to do it. He had the feeling Keith and Richard's household was a bit more progressive than that of the rest of the town. ------- There was great excitement around the dining table, except for Daisy and Pamela. They were unhappy that no call had come in about their father. Everyone else was taking about the testing, the generator, and the new people from the university. It was a lively conversation that continued past dinner, and into the evening. I was pressed into playing the piano, and tried to pretend I didn't want to. Knowing it was a game, I was egged on until I relented when Pamela said she would like to hear me play. Then I put in one condition. Kristin had to play two songs with me. Her smile broke before she could try to make believe she didn't want to, as I had. Starting with a simple song, the melody filled the house and those who hadn't heard the banter before, came down to listen to the music. By the time I finished the second little melody, the music room, as well as the adjacent library, was full. I called Kristin over and we played the piece that we'd done at Anthony's house when we were at the party there. It was fun and we pushed into each other, playing with the keyboard as well as each other. As soon as that song ended, I looked over to Kristin to see if she wanted to go on. She looked very tired suddenly. "We can finish up later, ok?" I said. She nodded and slipped off the bench. Walking out of the room. I worried about her. Half way through the next piece, I glanced back to the doorway leading to the hall. She was there with a glass of water in her hand. I smiled at her, as my fingers never missed a note. As my fingers started to tire, I looked over, thinking this would be the last one, and I would have to get Kristin to finish up. Glancing over, I saw her. My fingers stopped. She looked white as a ghost. "Kristin!" I called to her. She looked horrified at me, and ran down the hallway. I jumped from the piano bench, and heard it hit the floor as I was heading to the hallway. Robin and Beth Ann were in front of me, racing towards the bathroom. A shriek of horror came from Kristin and she stopped. Robin and Beth Ann grabbed hold of her, pulling her into the bathroom. I ran in, desperate to know what was going on. I stood at the doorframe, stunned. Kristin was slumped on the toilet. Blood was on her dress, and was running down the side of the toilet. Stephanie was the next to show up behind me, trying to look in. "What's wrong?" she asked. I turned to her, pushing her back and shutting the door to the bathroom behind me. Then I fell to my knees, and grabbed hold of her tightly, crying into her shoulder. ------- Chapter 82 Robin was on one side of me, Liz on the other. I didn't remember getting downtown, but there was the phone. I knew I had to call. It was my job, my responsibility. My eyes were cried out, but my heart still wept. I picked up the receiver, dialing O, and told the operator the long-ago-memorized number. The ringing went on and on, until the operator asked if she should end the call. I knew it would be answered, eventually. "Hello?" my mother answered in a tired voice, one that had been woken up in the middle of the night, having to get up to quiet the incessantly ringing phone in the hallway. "Mom," I got out. "Keith! What's wrong?" her tiredness vanished at the sound of my voice. She was my mother, and I was her child in that instant. "Kristin... Mom, she lost the baby." "Oh dear God! Keith, what happened?" I was numb, and pushed the hand piece to Liz. "Mom..." Liz said. "What happened?" "The doctor said she miscarried. Mom, we're scared." "Oh, Honey, how is she?" "The doctor gave her something. She's sleeping, now. He said she'll be out 'till the morning." "Do you want us to come down?" "Thanks, Mom. I don't know. We'll call back in the morning and let you know how she's doing, alright?" "That's fine. We'll be there if you need us." "Ok, hold on, Mom. Robin wants to say something," Liz said then handed the receiver to Robin. "Catharine... Mom?" "Yes, Honey?" "She'll be ok, won't she?" she said. Then Robin's voice cracked, as she voiced the fear that had been welling up inside her, "I... Will my baby be ok?" "Robin," Catharine said, gathering all the strength she could muster, "Kristin will be alright. I know it is hard, but sometimes these things happen. There is nothing wrong with you. Don't worry." "I only know of one person in town that this happened to. She..." "What happened Robin?" "She died." "Oh no, Honey. Kristin will be ok. It is very, very sad, but she'll live though it. You have a good doctor taking care of her, don't you?" "Yes, I guess so." "And the lady with the three children?" "Katharine." "She's a nurse, isn't she?" "Yes." "Kristin will be fine. She's going to be sore, but fine," Catharine paused. "Robin?" "Yes?" "Kristin's biggest problem will be feeling bad, like she's worthless." "I know that feeling." Those words caught Catharine off guard, and she had to pause for a second to refocus herself. "It is going to be hard. I know she was very excited. You and she would have had children at the same time. Now that is gone." "What can I do?" "Just be with her, let her cry. Then start getting her to laugh. I know you can do it, you are strong." "Thank you." "Robin, there is one more thing." "What is it?" "She may feel the reason this happened is because it was Keith's." "I know. Keith..." Before Catharine put down the phone in the hall, and before going back to her husband and explaining what had happened, she had a call to make. ------- Jack drove out to the Mansion. He'd waited for Keith, or anyone, to show up from their home and come downtown. Katharine and Beth Ann hadn't come down to the lab, even. Dr. Harrington, who might have known something, was up to his neck with work. Jack hadn't bothered to ask. Elizabeth, Kristina, Kenneth, Jimmy, Pamela, Julie, Stephanie, and Sarah were outside when he drove up. "They told us to go outside, and play," Kristina said. "I think we were making too much noise," Kenneth said, grinning. "That's unusual?" Jack said, thinking it was a joke they might understand. "No, everyone was up most of the night," Sarah said. "Really?" Jack said wondering why. "Something happened to Kristin, but no one's told us anything," Stephanie said. "She had blood on her." Jack didn't wait for any more small talk. He bounded up the walk, up the stairs, and knocked on the door. Mary answered, tired looking, with very red eyes. "What happened?" Jack asked her. Grace walked into the hallway, hearing the door open, and then the question. "Mary, I'll tell him what's going on." Mary, obviously relieved, ran upstairs. Grace, though affected by the tragedy, still was not as emotionally attached as the others were. She told Jack of the night's events. I had heard the Jeep. Even though I was exhausted, knew it was most likely Jack. It took me a while to get myself up, and to get something on. Mary had come into the room, and confirmed that it was Jack at the door. I went out and listened at the top of the stairs as Grace told him what had transpired, before walking down. As soon as he saw me, he rushed up the last few stairs. He gave me a very big, uncharacteristic, hug. We walked into the living room, and I dropped my tired body onto the sofa. Grace looked in at us, and then tried to make herself scarce. I told her to stay and sit with us. She didn't argue with me, which was good, as I didn't have the strength. "What brought you out?" I asked Jack. "I received a call from the Chaplin this morning," Jack said. Grace had a look, telling me she didn't follow what Jack had just said. "Did he bring back Pamela and Daisy's father?" I asked, knowing that would give her understanding as to what was going on. "Yes, but not until this morning," Jack said, exasperated. "They didn't want to give Robert up. As it turns out, they are able to receive money for the work they do. More people on the roll, more money in their coffers." "The girls will be happy," I said with little enthusiasm in my voice. "Would you like me to take them, so they can call? He'll be at the hospital in about a half an hour and it's a free call through the military channels." "I know Pamela is dying to talk with him. I'm sure Daisy wants to as well. Yes, Jack. That would be very nice. I just can't, right now." "I understand. Pamela's outside," he said. "I'll get Daisy," Grace said. "I assume she's in your room Keith?" I just nodded. Jack and I sat in the living room not saying a word to each other, until Grace came back down with Daisy. She walked over and took my hands, looking into my eyes. Then she bent down and kissed me, right on the mouth. "Keith, you are very much loved." Jack and Daisy walked out. I watched through the window as Daisy told her sister what they were doing. Pamela, not burdened with last night's events, was understandably excited. Soon, the Jeep had turned and headed back to town. I turned around to see Grace watching me. "Keith," she said and then paused. "Yes?" "Kristin's child..." "Yes it was, to answer your question. Oh God, what I did to her?" Grace watched his tear stained face. This was something she was not prepared for, in arriving at Carp. What they had done was a sin. Yet she had already known the answer. She knew it wasn't just his younger sister, but both of his sisters. Liz had spoken to her, claimed there was a man. Yet here in Carp, there was no such man. That is, no man other than Keith, her brother. She wasn't sure how to respond, what to say. Fortunately for her, a distraction presented itself. Katharine walked down the stairs and into the living room. She sat next to Keith and put her arm around him. "She's going to be fine, you know." I turned and looked at Katharine, attempting a smile. "She's awake, and you need to go see her." I must have looked like I didn't want to, which was the truth. I didn't want to face her. "Keith, she needs the man she's in love with, to be with her." Katharine said. I glanced quickly over to Grace and then back to Katharine. "I know." I got up and walked out of the room. I was wondering as I climbed the stairs, what Grace was going to ask Katherine. Most likely what she hesitated and wouldn't ask me. ------- Kevin, Dorothy, and Susan had known that in the morning, it was best to remove themselves from the house. So they were on an extended walk, with a packed lunch. It was slow going, with Kevin's leg, but no one was in a hurry. "Kevin, I'm not trying to take you away," Susan said suddenly, when the conversation came to a lull. "Take me away?" "From my sister." Kevin looked at Dorothy, and knew right away the two girls had had a conversation. Kevin cleared his throat, "Good. I think you know... I'm in love with Dorothy." Susan smiled, finally hearing the words from him, herself. "I know. We talked. But can I ask you to do something for me?" Kevin turned to look at Susan, and noticed she was blushing furiously. Then he looked at Dorothy. She had one of those smiles on her face, that told him he just might be in trouble. "What is it you'd like?" Kevin said, not wanting to give away anything. "Dorothy said I had to ask you if I wanted... Kevin, will you teach me to kiss, like you do with Dorothy?" Kevin just about fell over. Susan was a very good looking girl, much like her sister. She had just said that his love, her sister told her to ask such a thing. How could he say no to a request like that? Yet it also worried him. He knew how his feelings, as well as his hands, could get carried away with some of those kisses they'd been having recently. "Susan, I'd be delighted. But," he stressed, "on one condition." Susan was already smiling, "What? Anything!" "Dorothy has to be there." "Oh, poo!" Susan said, and then laughed. "She said the same thing." Kevin felt very good about that and his insistence on it as well. Dorothy knew just how much those kisses meant. "Can we start now?" Susan said, grinning. "Now? Let's have lunch first. I think I'll need my strength. Susan and Dorothy laughed at Kevin's comment, even though it was probably true. Dorothy wasn't about to let Susan have him for training purposes, exclusively. She knew she'd benefit, as Kevin would start to get flustered. He always did, at some point. Then she'd take over, and maybe bring him to a point he couldn't come back from. He'd been too much the gentleman. It was nearly the end of their trip, and she wanted... well... more! ------- Tiffany and Vicky got Jill and Laura out of the house, as well. They took a walk up to the spring. It was a place Jill had wanted to go. "Jill," Laura started, and then looked down at her feet. She had tried to build up the courage to ask the question she had had on her mind for the past week, but couldn't manage. "What is it, Laura?" Vicki asked, "Is there something bothering you?" Jill stopped, and looked at her friend, stopping the rest. "Laura, what is it?" Jill asked. "How come at school, you know, Linden... You were... different than you are here?" "What? Like what?" "Confident." There, she'd said it. But now, she wanted to take it back, as soon as the look ran across Jill's face. "Come on, let's get to a place we can sit," Tiffany said. "I may be able to answer that question for you." This surprised Laura, but not as much as it surprised Jill. As soon as they got to the spring, they found a place to sit. Tiffany found herself in the spotlight. "Laura, I want you to think about Sue and Betty. Tell me how you think they would act, when they were home? Would Sue be the same person in front of her parents, as she was around you?" "I guess not, but they... Well they didn't... I mean... they weren't heroes," Laura said, blushing. Vicki laughed, joined by Tiffany and Jill. "Laura," Tiffany continued, "she was a hero at the school for what she did. I don't think many people in this town know what happened with Jill." "Then I should tell them!" Laura persisted. "Please don't!" Jill retorted. "But why?" Laura pressed. "Laura," Tiffany said, "do you remember the play? Do you remember the emotion Jill was able to conjure up? I don't think coming home has been easy for her. She doesn't want to be noticed. Not yet at least." Jill had been looking at Tiffany and saw the slight smile as she said the last of that. Jill nodded to Tiffany, telling her she had got it right. Laura remembered Jill's emotions and started to get embarrassed at even bringing up the subject. But once out in the open, the others kept going with it, getting Laura to fully understand what was going on. Something, in the end, she appreciated. "Laura," Vicki said. "How many friends do you have at home?" Laura was surprised by the question. "None. I go there for a few weeks during the year. I spend all my time with my parents. It's the only time I see them." "So you don't know what it would be like, to be in Jill's place. Let me think. Oh, I've got it. People know you at Linden Hall. Or they think they do, right?" Vicki asked. "I guess so. They don't know me like Jill, or Sue, or Betty, or even you two. They know me from the play, but that's about it." "That's right. Now I want you to think about this. I want you to remember what you were like before the play, before you met Jill. How people knew you then. Can you do that?" "Yes, but I don't like to." "I know, but this is pretend. Now, what would happen if you did something special here, in this town, and everyone thought the world of you? They gave you a big party, and every person in town smiled and talked to you. It might feel pretty nice. You'd feel special, and rightly so. Now I want you to think about that, and that you then need to go back to Linden Hall. What do you think would happen?" Laura's face dropped as she thought. "I'd be nobody, like when I was there, before." Laura turned to Jill. "But you're not nobody. You're someone very special, at least to me." "She's special to a lot of people, Laura. Vicki and I think she's special. We know Liz thinks she's special. There is also no doubt that Keith thinks she's very special as well," Tiffany said with a little grin directed at Jill. Jill shook her head. She and Tiffany had a very good time finding ways of giving each other little jabs of embarrassment. ------- Anthony was more than a bit surprised by the forwardness of the request. It was asking a great deal and they knew it. He was also very pleased to be able to repay what he considered a great debt, and this was an easy way to do so. It would take him only three extra hours and a tank of avionic fuel. It was also something he'd feel very good about doing. He didn't ask questions about why; he only knew there was urgency. He felt the urgency as well. It had been two days he'd been in his home, feeling alone. He didn't want that to continue. The ring box in his hand, he hoped, would put an end to that empty feeling. It seemed right, felt right. Picking up his overnight bag, he placed the small ring box in the outside pocket. Walking outside into the bright sun, he climbed into his waiting car. Anthony had already worked up the flight plan, but now he had a new one with him. A change of plans, from a simple phone call. It had been cute. Keith's aunt was as scared of planes, just as he was of women. She'd talked him through his fears, as now he'd be doing with her. It was a very nice way to pay her back for all she'd done. He never questioned the urgent need to go to Carp. It was needed, and she knew from their last conversation, he'd be going. That was all he knew and right now, all he needed to know. It was an uneventful flight from take off to landing. Joey and Jeanette were waiting for him. As soon as he stepped out of the plane, Jeanette was running towards him. He was a bit taken back from the greeting. That was, until her voice showed strain, and her tears showed her distress. Ten minutes later, while the plane was being refueled, Anthony was able to piece together the story she was trying to tell him. He could understand the urgency, now. However, he was compelled to ask why them, and not Kristin's own parents. Anthony was told a very good reason, and also possibly learned when not to ask questions. Jeannette had miscarried twice. She knew the pain. He had a strong feeling there was something else, something almost stronger than that. It was the way she and her husband looked at each other, as she told him about Kristin. There was something more they weren't telling him. He had no clue about it, and wasn't going to ask. Walking around the plane, Anthony told them about this plane. He told them of its record, how it was maintained, and the laws regarding all of that. He then explained to them that he wasn't about to do anything stupid. There was a gal he wanted to propose to at the other end of this trip. That lightened the mood considerably and Jeanette just had to see the ring before they took off. Take off made both Joey and Jeanette's hands sore from the grip they had on the armrests. Once up at cruising altitude, even with the noise of the engine, it was a much more peaceful feeling. Ten minutes later, Jeannette started talking. She didn't stop until Anthony pointed Carp out to them, on their left, and the realization that they were going to land took hold. ------- There had been a bit of tension in the lab. Dr. Harrington had been in a little late. Just as they were opening up for the first batch of people, he told the others that neither Katharine nor Beth Ann would be in. After that announcement, with the understanding that everyone would have to work just a bit more, Dr. Harrington also told them not to say a word about Brian's good news as of yet. There had been no time for discussion, no explanation, just statements. It set the others on the edge of politeness. As noon came around, the lab stopped ushering people in. As the last donor left, Dr. Jameson called the others around. "We need some answers. I don't like being left in the dark, and I certainly don't like the prevailing attitude that has been hanging around this place. Would you please explain to us what is going on, Dr. Harrington. Dr. Harrington described his arrival at the Mansion, late last night. He spoke of the diagnosis, clean up, and sedation of Kristin. The room became silent. Shelly, as well as the two young lab assistants, were wiping their eyes. Even though at that point the others had forgotten about Brian, Dr. Herrington explained Katy's insistence on telling her sister the news. But considering last night, everyone understood, and nothing more was said on the subject. Lunch was quiet. Each was lost in their own thoughts. Shelly had wanted to go see Kristin, but knew that was not a possibility. The two gals that had come with them from the university knew of Kristin and her brother, Keith. It was the hope of getting to know the two of them better, that had persuaded them to volunteer and be part of this expedition. It was as shocking to them, to know that Kristin had become pregnant in the first place. Losing the child was just a bit much. Neither doctor had said a word about Kristin's husband. They were wrestling with a range of emotions; from sad, to curious. ------- Daisy and Pamela waited in wonder, hearing the transfer of phone communication lines to get connected to the naval hospital in Long Beach. Soon, Jack was taking with the Chaplin. After that, Pamela was given the phone. Jack had to prompt her. "Hi, Dad." "Hello, Honey. Are Keith and Robin taking good care of you?" "Yes. Everyone has been good to us. Keith always takes care of me." "I knew he would. I'm sorry about leaving. I didn't know what else to do." "When are you coming home?" "It will be some time. I have to learn how to live... I don't know how to go on without your mom. I'm sorry, but Franklin was in the same place I am in, when he lost his wife." "So you are going to become a... Chaplin?" Pamela asked, remembering the right word. Robert laughed at the idea of that. "No, Honey, I don't think so. I will be going to a place that will help me. I guess you might think of it like the hospital you went to. When you came out, you were just beautiful. When I come out, I hope to be able to feel alright." "Ok, Dad," Pamela said, with the innocence of her age. "Daisy wants to talk with you." As Pamela handed her sister the phone, Daisy asked Jack if he could take Pamela outside. Jack got the impression Daisy's conversation with her father was not going to be as pleasant, and that she wanted her sister away from the words she might say. He took Pamela by the hand, and led her out of the door as Daisy said hello to her father. The communications officer walked out a few seconds later. His eyes were wide, but he used the excuse that he needed to stretch his legs. Several more minutes passed before Daisy stuck her head out the door and asked how she was supposed to hang up. The communications officer hurried to the door, took the receiver out of her hand, and ended the call. Daisy was obviously still upset. Her actions showed it. "Don't worry, Daisy," Pamela told her sister. "Dad knows Keith is taking care of us. He'll come back when he can." Daisy bit her lip, so as to not explode inside, but tears still escaped her eyes. Picking up Pamela in her arms, she rocked the child. "General Huntington," came a request from the open door to the communication trailer. "Who's that?" Pamela asked as Jack went into the rail car. Daisy was able to smile at that question. "You know him as Jack, or even Uncle Jack, but that is his... military name," Daisy responded. "Oh." They waited several minutes for him to reappear. When he did, there had been some sort of transformation that had taken place. Jack was smiling, like he was keeping a secret. "Come on, girls. Let's take a walk down to the lab, before I bring you back to the Mansion." He didn't even wait for their reply, but set off. Daisy looked at her sister, shrugged her shoulders, and the two ran to catch up. As they got close, Daisy and Pamela were called to by several of the women. Jack turned to them and said not to mention what had happened to Kristin. They nodded and went to talk with the women. In a way, Jack was relived. He had to play a bit of a deception at this point. His face had dropped its smile as he walked past those waiting in line to give their samples. Shelly saw Jack first. "What brings you here?" "I need to talk with Dr. Jameson," Jack said in a serious tone. Shelly's eyes saddened as she was sure she knew what this was about. Dr. Jameson, hearing the exchange, finished up what he was doing and came over. "How can I help you?" "Could we step outside for just a minute?" Jack asked him. The doctor nodded, and the two of them left. Shelly, the two assistants, and Dr. Harrington watched. As soon as they were a few feet from others, Dr. Jameson told Jack that he knew about Kristin. Jack turned to him with an unexpected smile. "That isn't why I'm here. I would have figured you knew about that. I have some good news." "Well that would be welcome." "The problem is, you need to keep it a secret." "Oh?" "Anthony is flying down." "Well, that will make one of my crew very happy indeed." "I was thinking that, if possible, you might close a bit early today. I could take you out to the Mansion. You haven't seen it yet, have you?" The doctor was smiling. "So I'm to deceive the gals into a visit, and then Anthony will fly in?" "Yes, something such as that." "He is getting the hang of this wooing thing. I hear he's been coached." "Really?" Jack said amused. "I'll work it on my end. I think I'll have to get Dr. Harrington in on this, and then we will get them out there. Shelly is absolutely going to faint." ------- After Katharine proclaimed that Kristin was awake and she and Keith were talking, Richard took Katy for a drive. "I don't want to leave," Katy protested. "You need to get out of the house and I'm taking you," Richard said back to her. It wasn't the words so much as the way they were said. The tension was so thick, that anyone close enough could have cut it with a knife. No one wanted to come close. Especially as Richard threatened to pick Katy up and throw her over his shoulder, to take her out of the house. She went, but with protest. In the car, she asked where they were going. "To Millie's," he said. Katy glared at him, but didn't say a word. She knew he was right. She had to talk to her sister. She just wasn't in the frame of mind to do it, now. "I'm as much to blame if something happens as you are, you know," he said. Katy sighed and then said, "How am I going to talk and make any sense, when all I can think of is poor Kristin?" "I think you're right, let's talk this over first," Richard responded. He turned the car around and drove back past the Mansion and to the end of the air strip. Parking next to the plane, he turned off the engine. "Now you will be Millie and I'll be you," Richard said. "That's not fair." "You want me to be Millie?" Richard said, raising his eyebrows. "Yes and if I may say, you look like you've lost a little weight. It was about time." "You're not going to win points like that!" Richard said. He reached over and pulled Katy close to him. Their lips met. Richard thought, 'Katy would never do this with her sister, either, ' but he was wise enough not to verbalize that thought. ------- There were two households that had to be told that they needed to come back in the morning. In any other place, Dr. Jameson would have been looking at the angry faces, and hearing language that he cared not to repeat. In Carp, though, they were given the greatest respect. This was something that the team had a hard time dealing with. It was that utter hope, that these people were relying upon them, to save them. Dr. Harrington saddled his horse and rode off. Shelly was still a bit perplexed why they had closed up early. When Jack showed up, she knew something was up. "We thought all of you would like to see where Keith lives," Jack said offhandedly. Shelly smiled. "I've been trying to think of a way to get out there and see Kristin." The other two assistants let their curiosity take hold. They wanted to find out anything, or everything. Jack took his time driving through the town, doubling back at one point. Then he took them out to see where he was going to build his house. While it was interesting or even amusing, like the pool with the plaque memorializing Keith and Richard as the town's saviors, this was just wasting time. This was exactly what Jack was doing. He drove them out of town. Shelly was just about to ask where they were headed now, when they drove around the bend, and the Mansion came into view. "Oh my goodness!" "This is Keith's house?" Dr. Jameson said in disbelief. "Well, actually, Keith and Richard own it together," Jack responded, enjoying the reaction. "Wow!" both gals said from the back. "First we have to see the doctor's plane. I promised," Jack told them. "It won't take but a few minutes and then we'll come back and you can get the grand tour." As Jack drove out to the end of the strip, he saw Richard's car. It was a good thing that Dr. Harrington was already out there. It could have put a crinkle in the surprise. There were introductions. Then; as soon as Jack could, he nudged everyone save Richard and Katy, inside the doctor's plane. Shelly had to admit that it was incredible, but her thoughts were on the Mansion. Jack closed the outside door suddenly, and started talking in a loud voice. Dr Jameson followed, as well as Dr. Harrington. Inside the aluminum structure, it was almost deafening and the three gals didn't find this male stupidity at all funny. In a lull in their conversation, Shelly heard the sound of another aircraft. "What's that sound?" she demanded. The three men played innocent, but she wasn't about to be had. Walking over to the door, she opened it. She looked back. They could tell by her face, her utter disbelief at what she was seeing. As soon as she turned back to the door, her feet carried her out, and down the stairs. The others were right behind, running to catch up to her. Anthony hated this part. Well, at times like this he did. But, dutifully, he went through the check list as he shut down the plane. As soon as his door opened, Shelly was in his arms. Crying, laughing, and kissing him. Oh, that felt good! Jeanette and Joey extracted themselves from Anthony's plane. Richard and Katy took one look at them, and ran, giving them hugs and kisses. "We told Kristin and Keith we'd be there for them," Joey said, as though this was all his idea. Richard told the others they were taking Joey and Jeanette back to the Mansion. That was fine; they'd be over in a bit. Anthony still had to secure the plane for the evening. Katy was holding Jeanette's hand. "You are just what the doctor ordered." When they drove up to the large structure, some of the kids were outside, but no introductions were made. That would happen later. Katy and Richard marched them straight up to the second floor. Richard knocked and then opened the door a crack. "Kristin?" "She's waking up," Keith told him. "Did I hear a plane land?" Richard was smiling as he opened the door the rest of the way. "Yes, you did. And look who it brought?" Kristin looked over through squinted eyes and then they popped open. "Jeanette!" Kristin cried out. Katy gently pushed Joey and Jeanette in, and shut the door behind them. Richard looked at Katy and said, "Ready to go see your sister?" She sighed, but answered, "Yes, it has to be done." ------- Millie thought the whole rigmarole of getting Brian and Barbara out to the living room, just for a little chat, excessive. Once together, Katy had a case of dry mouth. Richard knew he'd have to start things off. "We have good news, and we have bad news." "Maybe we should hear the bad news first," Bruce said. "Unfortunately, that can't happen. You need to hear the good news first, to make any sense of the bad," Richard went on. Barbara and Brian looked at each other. They feared the worst, that Brian had been affected. That they'd never have children. Before the tears even got a chance to form, the news came. "We heard about the test results. Brian appears unaffected," Richard said. "Oh that's just glorious!" Millie exclaimed. "My boy," Bruce beamed, "you'll have children." Katy and Richard looked at each other, a bit guiltily. Brain and Barbara never saw it. They were too busy looking into each others eyes, smiling. But Millie saw it. "What's the bad news, then? Bruce?" she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I was done with kids anyway. Don't think my body could take it, now." "Millie, just stop," Katy said. Millie looked sharply at her sister. "We don't know a thing about Bruce, yet." "Then what is it?" Bruce asked. "Barbara and Brian have..." "Don't you think I know," Millie said surprising everyone. "I've seen them kissing and I wouldn't be surprised that my boy has touched where he shouldn't be touching." "Millie." Richard said. Then he stopped. It was so unlike him. She looked, studying his face. "Richard, what are you feeling so guilty about?" Millie asked. "Millie," Katy replied, "they have done a lot more than kissing. We've known about it. Not that we encouraged it so much, but we didn't stop it either." "What do you mean more?" Bruce asked as his wife was looking at her sister in shock. "There could be a chance that Barbara might be pregnant." Katy said, finally getting it out. Now it was Barbara and Brian who wanted to climb into the cracks of the floor. They couldn't even move from where they'd been placed. Millie and Bruce were staring at the two, wide-eyed. "How in the world could that even happen?" Bruce finally asked, in disbelief. No one answered him, and he looked at his sister in law, and then to Richard for an answer. Richard was feeling very uncomfortable at this point. He reached behind his neck to scratch and made a face from Bruce's next demand. "I'd like an answer." "Bruce," Richard said realizing he needed to do this. "It is physically possible, if that is what you are asking. The other part is, remember about two weeks ago? Barbara started having a monthly cycle. That was two weeks ago. She would be fertile now. No one thought about it. We didn't know Brian could..." "And when you brought them to your house..." Millie said eyeing her sister, "you just let them..." Her voice was at the verge of a shout, "You let my son make a child?" Katy was in tears, Richard felt very ashamed at that point. Millie was livid. "Mom," Brian said. "You stay out of it," Millie expelled. "No!" Brian yelled, slamming down his cast with such a thud it threatened to break the table it had been resting on. The room silenced. Brian, the always quiet boy, had just come alive. "I will marry her now, if that's what you want, Mom. I'll marry her when her belly is out so far she can't see her toes. I'll marry her after she has our baby. But I am going to marry her, no matter what!" Brian said with fierce determination. Then he returned to the Brian everyone knew. "I'd like your help with our baby, Mom. So please don't be too mad at us." "Oh Brian," Millie said weeping. She took her son's face and kissed it. "I wasn't ready for my child to grow up. How can you? You're not old enough to work." Brain cut his mom off. "We have money, Mom." "What?" Bruce said. "Where in the world could you have gotten any money?" Brain looked at Richard. "Go ahead, Brian." "We found the treasure." "What do you mean?" Millie asked. "The Birk's treasure. We found it!" Bruce and Millie looked at each other and then to Richard and Katy. "He's telling the truth," Richard said. "No one has been told because there's been no way to do anything about it. If word got out..." "I understand," Bruce said, remembering the fights, feuds, the pilfering at the Mansion. Then curiosity got the better of him. "How much is there?" "I don't know," Brian answered. "Keith told us we could count it." "Ninety nine bars of silver," Barbara answered. "Wow" Bruce said sinking into his chair. "Who found this, other than you and Keith?" Barbara answered. "It was Jimmy and Pamela, Stephanie, Julie, Brian, and me. Keith said we should split it equally. Well, except for Julie, she'll get a half share 'cause she wasn't there for the first find." "First find?" Bruce said trying to follow it all. "When we found the secret room under the Mansion," Brian answered. "Those keys were locks to the treasure." "What about Keith?" Millie asked. "What do you mean?" Brian asked. "How much does he get?" Millie restated. "He's not taking any of it. He said it belonged to us." Millie looked over to her sister, and felt the need to add insults where she could. She was still angry about the possibility that Barbara could be with child. "I do remember you thinking Keith was going to take what he wanted and disappear." Katy nodded, knowing where the jab was coming from. "Thanks for reminding me." Richard, able to collect his thoughts, put some reality back into the situation. "Millie, Bruce, we had to tell you this. Barbara and Brian need to be... protected. It may be she's not pregnant, but the possibility is there." Millie couldn't help but see the disappointment on Barbara's face when Richard said it was possible she might not be pregnant. The girl was set to have a child. What was she going to do? ------- After Jeanette and Joey had become accustomed to the semi darkness of the room, they had been amused at the idea of so many mattresses on the floor. Robin had joined us after hearing who had arrived. It was then Jeanette started telling her tale. Even with a first healthy child, the idea of something going wrong brought into play the entire stigma that one could believe. Their parents, who had practically disowned them, had gloated over that. The one thing that kept them sane, made them able to go on, was Sandra. Keith and Kristin looked at each other never believing for a minute that their mother could have, or would have acted that way. It just seemed so out of character. "Surprising what one finds out about one's parents, isn't it?" Joey asked. "Do your kids know about you?" Robin asked them. Joey cracked a smile, "Not yet. I'm sure one day it will come up. Then they will be as shocked as you are about how understanding your mom is. I'm sure that is why, well after the initial shock that is, she wasn't angry like you thought she'd be." "Then why didn't Mom come down?" Kristin asked. "I know what you are feeling, Kristin. I can understand better than anyone. Your mom was a big supporter, but she didn't know when I was going down the tubes, or what to do about it. Kristin, I know and you aren't going there. It's awful." There was silence for a few minutes, and then Jeanette stretched. "I need a glass of water, Robin. Come and show me where it is. I know Joey is just dying to tell anyone who'll listen some of his jokes." Outside the door, Robin looked at Jeanette. "Joey knew he was supposed to stay, didn't he," Robin said. "You are very observant. Yes, he did. I just hope he can come up with some jokes now. When you've been married... well, forever," Jeanette giggled and went on, "you just know each other." There was a touch of a smile on Robin's face. "Someday, I want Keith and I to be like that." "I don't have any doubt you will. Now what I need to know is..." Jeanette walked back into the room several minutes later. No one paid a bit of attention that she didn't look like she'd had any water. They were ready to have Joey stop trying to be a comedian. It was not his calling. "Keith, how hard was it to get Jill back on a horse?" Jeanette asked. Kristin and Keith looked at Jeanette in surprise. How in the world did she know about that? Kristin knew because Keith had told her, but few knew it. Robin. She had to have told her, but why? "Keith, are you going to answer me?" Jeanette asked. "She was reluctant, but as you most probably heard from Robin, she enjoyed herself after she got back on." "Oh, no. Don't gloss over that story. It was like pulling teeth. You even lied to her, forcing her to do it, didn't you? Then you knew how to make it fun, running up a creek bed and soaking you." I couldn't help but smile at that. It had been a good set up, all the way through. Best of all, Jill had let go and enjoyed herself. "What are you trying to get at?" I asked. "I'm not going to lie, but I am going to find ways to get Kristin to jump back onto that horse." "And ride Keith," Joey just had to add. Just then Liz was pushed in through the barely open doorway. She hadn't wanted to be there. Hadn't wanted to confront the reality. She'd been hiding on the third floor all day long. Robin had almost dragged her down to the second floor. Instead of coming in together, like Robin said she would, she'd been thrust in, by herself. Now as her eyes adjusted, she saw two people. 'Oh my God!' Liz thought, 'how'd they get here?' "Jeanette! Joey!" They held their arms out for Liz and she fell to the floor, letting them embrace her. She wept, letting out all of what she had been holding inside. Jeanette retold the story of her losing her second child, to Liz. When she was done, she took Kristin's hand and Liz's. "Now everyone else needs to leave," Jeanette said, "I need to talk with these two, alone." Everyone was Joey and I. We got up and walked out. Robin was on the other side of the door. I took and hugged her, then gave her a little kiss. "Time to eat something," Joey said. "By the way, what has Kristin had to eat today?" "Nothing," I answered. "Same with you?" Joey inquired. I nodded my response. "Come on then. This won't do. You two need to eat, whether you like it or not." Joey was a good cook, and even though I didn't feel like eating, my nose couldn't stop the idea that what he had stirring around in the skillet smelled very good. By the time he was done, my mouth was watering. Then he served up three plates. I looked at that in surprise. "Grab some silverware, Keith, and let's head back upstairs." Joey said and was out the door. I looked at Robin. She had a smile on her face and she told me not to forget the napkins. She walked hand in hand with me up the stairs. By the time I got there, Joey and Jeanette were both outside the room. I looked at them, a bit surprised. "Go on in and eat, Keith. Your food is getting cold," Jeanette said. I noticed Joey had a grin on his face. I also noticed Jeanette nodding, but it wasn't directed to me, but Robin. I figured that she was coming in the room with me also. She did. But then, as soon as the door shut, Robin did something totally unexpected. She started undressing me. There was urgency to her actions and soon I was stripped bare. Moving in front of me, she pulled me into a kiss and then whispered into my ear, "Get your strength back, Dear. Please eat everything in sight." With that, she slipped out the door. My eyes had become accustomed to the dim light and saw Kristin and Liz on the far side of the room. I was a bit apprehensive, approaching them, undressed as I was. That is, until I saw they were sans clothing as well. The only things they were wearing, were silly grins. "Jeanette made us do it," Liz said. "She said..." Kristin started to say, but then just stared at my crotch. Liz continued for her, although she wasn't looking at my face either, "She said we needed to know you still found us, well particularly Kristin, still beautiful. I think we already got that answer." "I think we should eat," I said, not knowing quite what else I should be doing. My sisters were stunning, each a bit different, but each sexy. It would have been a lie to say as soon as I saw them sitting there, nude, I didn't get an erection. There was no way to hide that fact. Liz licked her lips when I suggested eating. I couldn't quite understand, until I get close enough to them to sit down. I smelled it. Jeanette must have given them some alcohol. They were slightly inebriated! I couldn't help wondering what my aunt had in mind, as I was eating. Did she have any clue how my sisters would act? As I had sat down, each of them started giving me suggestive little poses. When I tried my best to ignore them, and it was hard, they became more outrageous in their displays. My dick had not been able to settle down from the time I saw them. Apparently, my two sisters were no better off than I was. But I couldn't take the initiative. I didn't want to hurt Kristin. Between the set up with Jeannette before I came in, and then seeing my 'stiff' reaction to their bodies, Kristin could no longer take it. Pulling my plate from me and almost tossing it to Liz, she pushed me backwards and swallowed my dick. "Oh God, Kristin!" I said, and then realized that if anyone was outside the door, they most likely heard me. Liz stood over me, slowly setting herself down, right on top of my face. As soon as I was close enough, I leaned up and licked. She didn't hesitate in moving herself for my full access to her as my mouth ravaged her. Kristin was working her best, trying to suck the life out of me. There in the back of my mind, though, was something that said not all was right. I tried to push it away, but it wouldn't go. So I paused, just for a second to listen. Kristin and Liz didn't understand as I pushed them off of me. They looked hurt that I would do so. I smiled at them. "There is something more important than this that needs to be done, right now," I said leaving them to wonder. I got up and walked over to the door, quietly opening it a crack. As I suspected, someone was right outside the door, my Robin. "Robin," I said. She turned and looked at me, surprised that I was there. "Come here, I want to ask you to do something for me." Her answer to the questions and requests was to throw the door open, give me a full body hug, and kiss, then lick my face. "Now go back and finish what was going on, while I take care of this, ok?" I smiled at her, feeling pretty good now. "Yes, Dear." I turned. She patted my butt, and then closed the door behind me. "What was that about?" Liz asked. "You'll be finding out, soon." "That's all you're going to tell us? You stopped me and that's it?" Kristin asked, pouting. "Didn't you hear Robin, she told me to finish, but this time..." Anyone who was outside the door, would have heard Kristin squeal with delight. ------- Dr. Jameson, Shelly, Anthony, and the two assistants had been driven over to the Mansion. Katharine met them, having heard from Richard and Katy they would be over. She showed them in. Passing though the music room and library, back out into the hallway and down it, past the back staircase and into the kitchen. Then into the dining room and finally into the living room, making it a full circle. They were suitably impressed, both with the house and its furnishings. Katharine sat, as she entered the living room, giving indication for the rest of them to sit as well. "I'm sorry that I let you down today," Katharine started to say. Dr. Jameson wouldn't hear it, telling her that she had volunteered her time and they were grateful to have any part of it. Shelly then asked about Kristin and how she was doing. Katharine gave her a short clinical description. Then she added that with the arrival of Kristin's aunt and uncle, things should be much better for her. It was then they heard a bump, and muffled noises from the second floor. Katharine tried to ignore it, but it was obvious the others were quite aware that something was going on in the house. They hadn't been invited to tour the rest of the house for reasons that seemed clear, now. Jack suggested they get back into town when what sounded like giggling noises could be heard. He could tell that the doctor was amused. Anthony and Shelly wanted time alone, and those noises weren't helping. It was the two gals from the university who didn't want to leave. They were entranced by the noises. Getting them out of the house wasn't as much of a problem once Jimmy, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth showed up with Sarah chasing them. They all stopped for a moment to say hello, politely. Then just as things got quiet, Sarah touched Elizabeth's arm. "You're 'it', now." The stampede that followed downed out any other noise in the house. "Whose are all those children?" Shelly asked. "Three of them are mine," Katharine answered and got up, causing the others to rise as well, "Jimmy is Katy's son, and Stephanie is Dora's daughter. They both live here. Then there is Sarah, the oldest of that lot. She is..." she looked at the two gals eating every word Katharine had been saying, "a sister of one of the older girls here. She's out for the summer." Katharine saw Anthony's smile. She was sure he knew just who Sarah was, and appreciated how she'd kept the information private. They hadn't realized it; but as Katharine had been talking, she, as well as they, had been moving. Soon they were at the front door. They said their goodbyes, and promised to see each other in the morning. Walking back to the Jeep, Jack noticed Robin on her horse, starting off to town. He thought that a bit odd. They didn't catch up to her, as she could ride at a full gallop, while they had to watch the amount of dust they threw up. Shelly looked back to Anthony's travel bag. She was wondering if he planned to take a room in the hotel himself, or share one with her. That thought sent shivers down her spine. The hotel would have been full, except that the McCarran's flew out earlier this morning. Shelly wished they hadn't left. It would have made the choice of where he would stay that much easier. Anthony asked about eating establishments, and was told there was just one, but he couldn't get better food anywhere. ------- Robin, full of vim when she left the Mansion, felt a bit timid as she knocked on the door. Bob Reimer opened the door and looked at Robin with a smile. "Are you here to see Cheryl or your grandfather?" he asked. "My grandpa." "Patrick," Bob yelled to the back of the house, "Robin's here." Then turning back to her, he asked, "Would you like to come in?" "No, thank you. I need to get back in a few minutes." Robin answered as politely as possible. She didn't know why, but this house was a troubling place for her. She thought it was Millie's attitude about Cheryl that she'd grown up with, but wasn't sure. Patrick came out, blinking his eyes. "You caught me reading, dear," Patrick said. Robin almost laughed. Anyone looking at Patrick could tell he'd been napping. "I have a serious question to ask you," Robin said, her eyes darting around. "Can we talk... privately." Patrick was intrigued; this was unlike Robin. "Yes, of course. Let me slip on my shoes." They were no more than ten feet from the house when Robin stopped him. "Keith sent me to ask this question," she said. "Alright," Patrick said, sensing whatever it was pretty serious. "He wants to know if you will marry Kristin, Liz, and him, together." Patrick raised his eyebrows, and said the first thing that came to his mind. "What about you, Sweetheart?" Robin broke into a radiant smile. "You already did that. He's mine already." "And this wouldn't bother you?" "I wouldn't be asking if it did. We've all talked about it, before." "So when does he propose this happening?" Robin looked down and kicked a pebble out, away from her shoe. Then she looked up at him and answered. "Tonight." "Tonight!" "Yes. He wants something simple. I know you have talked about marrying others together before. It could be more public later, but he wants it tonight, and I think it's a grand idea." "Oh, you do. Tell me why tonight is so important?" Robin's eyes started to swell with water. "He wants his sisters to know, that no matter what, he will be... He wants them with him. Good times and bad." "There's more to this story, isn't there?" "Kristin had a miscarriage last night." Patrick took hold of his granddaughter and hugged her for a long time, until he could get his emotions under control. "Go back and tell him I would be glad to do the honors." Robin reached up on her tiptoes and gave Patrick a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Grandpa." Jumping on her horse, she looked back as he was walking towards the house. She called out, "What time?" "I'll be there for dinner!" Robin laughed and rode off. ------- Anthony was nervous as they ate dinner. He didn't know where or when he should propose. It made him feel uncomfortable, not being in charge. Jeanette and he had had many calls and letters over that same idea. Unlike his business dealings, when he let go and let Shelly do as she wanted, it always turned out for the best. Even though that happened every time, it was still difficult to do. It went against everything business had taught him. Here he knew he needed to let go. He knew that presenting the ring, asking her the question, would be the biggest life changing event in his life. By the end of dinner, he knew he had to consult Jeanette again, one last time. He wanted this to be perfect. It was the moment that made him sweat, yet he was ready to get out there and find out, so he could do this right. It wouldn't have been so nerve wracking, but he noticed the look. One he hated to see on Shelly's face. Disappointment, when he booked a room for himself at the hotel. What was he supposed to do? As the group walked out of the restaurant, Jack, along with Cynthia and Rebecca at another table wished them a good night. Then Jack had smiled and thrown Anthony the keys to his Jeep. Dr Jameson and the other two gals didn't need to be told. They quickly walked away, so the two love birds could be by themselves. "It's a little cold, don't you think?" Anthony asked. Shelly smiled at him. "I seem to always be warm when you're around." "I think a little drive might be nice, don't you? Why don't we get a jacket?" Anthony's real reason for going to the hotel, was to pick up the ring. Shelly squeezed his hand and they walked to the hotel, each going to their separate rooms. Anthony was so nervous he dropped the box twice, before getting it into his jacket pocket. Shelly was already outside when he returned. Without saying a word, the two got into the Jeep. Anthony started it up and turned around, driving it down the street. "Do you know where you're going?" Shelly asked. She'd never been here before this trip and she was pretty sure he hadn't been here before. "I memorize roads very easily. When Jack drove us around today and when I flew in, I got a very good idea about where everything was," he replied. As they drove out of town, Shelly started to recognize the area. "We're not going to the Mansion are we?" Anthony gave her a grin, but didn't answer. ------- Patrick arrived in a buggy he had borrowed. With his arrival, some of the others that had been almost hiding out for the day, came down. He had expected dinner, and it hadn't even been started! Those on schedule to cook had to show up in the kitchen, like it or not. They did so, but they were almost an hour late that evening. When Liz, Kristin, and I made our way downstairs, a hush of dreaded anticipation filled the air. I couldn't tolerate it. It felt to me like when I'd been in the hospital. "I want everyone to start acting normal. We don't need anyone pussyfooting around us. It feels as bad as when I was in the hospital. It was awful then, and I don't want to see it now." Somehow that admonishment didn't seem to help the mood. I knew it was most likely because it came from me and not Kristin. Jeanette was trying her best to liven up the crowd, but with only limited success. It wasn't until Katy came downstairs and saw her father..." "Dad! What on earth are you doing here?" "I was asked, if you must know," he answered with a grin. Katy looked around for her daughter. The only one she could think of who might have asked. "Katy, could you do something special for me?" Patrick said, breaking Katy's train of thought. "Sure, Dad. What do you need?" "Come outside with me; I have it in the buggy." "Buggy!" The two walked out, but now there was much talking. Why did Patrick show up, and who invited him? Almost everyone waited for the two to come back inside. They did, each carrying a satchel. Katy's eyes showing surprise. "This way, Dad, all the way back to the kitchen. That's where the ironing gets done." It gave no hint and curiosity was contagious. The benefit, as far as I was concerned, was the household felt like they were back to normal. Everyone started filling the downstairs. I motioned Jeanette over to me and then said, "Can you take care of my two lovely ladies for a moment?" Jeanette didn't hesitate for a moment, taking my place, holding onto her nieces' hands. I walked to the back of the house and into the kitchen. Katy looked at me, still not believing what her father had told her. "Thank you, Patrick," I said to him. "I'm assuming you've asked." "No. I think somehow that sort of slipped my mind. I guess I'd better do that now." "Good idea, we're almost done here," Katy said to me, rolling her eyes. The other three in the kitchen, who were the cooks for the night, Mary, Dora, and Jill, watched the proceedings with interest. They were still not clear what was happening and between Katy and Patrick, they blocked any good view of what was being ironed. I knew there could have been better times, better places. Then I thought of how I'd asked Robin, and where. It didn't matter to her at all. It was I, asking, that was important. I was hoping the same was true here. Out in the living room, I found my three loves, Robin had joined them, and Jeanette was still there. I looked at Robin, silently asking permission one last time. She smiled at me, giving it without reservation. I took Kristin and Liz's hands away from Jeanette and without a moments notice, got down on my knee. It was a classic position and my two sisters looked at me and then to Robin, unsure of what was going on here. "Kristin, Elizabeth," I said. I didn't hear the door from the kitchen open. Nor did I see Patrick, Katy, and the other three enter the dining room, which was open to the living room where we were. "I would like to take your hands in marriage, if you would have me." There was instant silence. It was as if everyone was frozen. "When?" Liz ventured, with a waver in her voice. "Tonight," I replied, feeling a bit giddy after getting those first hard words out. "Keith! Don't you think you might want your parents here?" Jeanette asked. I turned to her and answered, "We can have a big ceremony another time. I want Kristin and Liz to know that I want them, for better or worse, in sickness or health, in the good times and the bad, from this day and every day forward. I want them to be assured that I would never leave them and I never want them to leave me." Liz and Kristin never really answered me, I realized later. Their kisses told me, though. I whispered that we could start at anytime. They stopped their kissing and looked around, noticing Patrick. "He's got a robe on, and that thing around his neck," Kristin said. "A stole," Patrick said. "It's white. Oh, I remember that. He didn't have the robe, but he wore that... stole... to your wedding." The vows were simple. There were no fancy dresses. No flowers. No pictures. What we did have, was a room filled with love. I did hear Grace tell Liz she was very happy for her. I was pleased about that. Kevin was nervously sitting between Susan and Dorothy. Susan had just commented on Keith having more than one wife. Daisy, Beth Ann, Mary and even Jill felt a pang of jealousy for Keith's sisters. They understood the symbolic nature of the pledge. The need for Keith to show Kristin, and even Liz, that they were wanted. It still didn't alleviate the feeling of wanting to be up there as well. Tiffany and Vicki were constantly looking at each other. Three wives? Sisters and Brother? The questions kept up, but there was one undeniable fact that each other knew. They could see it just looking at the other's blouse. They were excited beyond belief. Dora was giving Richard and Katy glances as she was between the two of them. Katharine was on the other side of Katy, and Annabelle was on the other side of Richard. Each of those wanted to have this happen as well. They wanted to belong. Not just in words, but action. This action, that told everyone else who was together for life. Julie wished Barbara and Brian could have been here. She was feeling alone right then. Keith could have comforted her, but he was taken, or better said, being taken. Stephanie wanted more than anything to run up and be a part of this, to be with Keith, too. She hadn't been asked and it hurt, but just a bit. Daisy, Beth Ann, Mary, and even Jill had that same look she knew her face shown. She was worried she'd be left out now. Jimmy and Pamela were in their own little world, dreaming they were up there. As Kristin, Liz and Keith said the vows, Pamela and Jimmy said them to each other, very quietly. Patrick had just pronounced them man and wives when Anthony and Shelly knocked on the front door. ------- Chapter 83 "Did we interrupt anything?" Anthony asked, noting everyone gathered in the house. "They just got married!" Kristina excitedly said, with all of the innocence and exuberance of her young age. "Who did?" Shelly asked. Katharine had quickly moved to her daughter, but that left Kenneth wide open to show he knew what was going on. Grace, forever the schoolmaster, ushered everyone upstairs. She left the stunned Anthony and Shelly; with Keith, Robin, Liz, and Kristin. "Keith, do you have any idea what you are doing?" Shelly asked him. "Yes, Shelly, I do. I am showing the women I love just how much I love them. Enough to commit my life to them." That was not the answer Shelly expected. She was expecting a defensive position, not an explanation that defied her upbringing. "Jeanette knew, didn't she?" Anthony asked, surprising everyone. "Yes she does," Liz answered. "How did you know?" "I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. It just seemed there was something she was holding back, when she was talking about Kristin," Anthony explained. As if hiding around the corner, and in fact she was, Jeanette came into the room. She took hold of Anthony's hand, and looked him in the eye. "I think we need to have another talk," Jeanette said. Shelly didn't know what to make of that. She suspected he was getting advice from someone, and wished she could thank that person. Shelly hadn't known it was Jeanette in which Anthony confided his private love matters. Now things seemed to be falling in place. However, it made Shelly wonder what other ideas Jeanette may have instilled in Anthony. "Shelly, are you an only child?" Kristin asked, bringing Shelly's attention back to the here and now. 'Yes, why do you ask?" "Then it would be impossible for you to understand. I'm sorry for that. Most brothers and sisters love each other, in one form or another. It is unusual for them to hate each other completely, although I know that can happen, too. But as much as two siblings could hate each other when they grow up together, day-to-day, just the opposite can also happen. They can fall in love. Love that is beyond the brother-sister love, to man and woman love." "I guess I can see that, but it is wrong." "Why is it wrong?" Liz asked her. "There are laws..." she started to say, realizing she was now on the defense. "But that doesn't answer the real question, does it? What makes it wrong?" Liz pressed on. "I don't know. I've never thought much about it before. I mean I don't have a brother, so it could never happen to me." No one said anything for a few minutes. The silence was not noticeable, as each was dwelling in their own thoughts. Anthony's return changed that. Shelly saw Anthony walking over to Keith, and then Anthony taking Keith's hand, and was shaking it. "Congratulations," he said, stunning Shelly. "It's ok with you?" she asked him. "Shelly, it makes them happy. Isn't that what we should aim for in life?" "That is true. But it's a bit confusing," Shelly had to admit. As if there hadn't been enough surprises for one night, Shelly was in for one more. She watched as Anthony, standing in front of her, dropped to one knee. He fumbled nervously, reaching into his coat pocket, pulling out a small box. "Shelly, we are in the presence of loved ones, and friends we have come to respect. I can think of no better place to ask the most important question of my life. Shelly," Anthony asked, as he gazed into her eyes, "will you marry me?" Anthony's fingers were trembling. He had to look, as he opened the box displaying a simple ring, with a round cut diamond. The answer was not immediate, and he hesitated looking back into her eyes. Was he wrong? Apprehension started taking a hold of him. Jeanette said it would be alright. She hadn't failed him before. What was wrong? Forcing himself to look back into Shelly's eyes, he saw tears. That wasn't comforting. "Do you want more than one wife too?" Shelly asked, her voice trembling. Anthony laughed, relieving some of his tension. "You've got to be kidding? I have a hard enough time letting go of the control I usually maintain, with just you in my life. How in the world could I do that with more than one?" Shelly saw the truth in that and started to smile. He had answered her question, purely and simply. But he went on, reaffirming her. "Shelly," Anthony said, stumbling over his words, "I don't know how Keith does it. I do know that as hard as it is to let loose of my control, you have been worth every bit of all the uneasiness on my part. Every time I let go, and let you in, I feel better and more complete. I want that feeling, each and every day of my life." In an unfettered response, Shelly dropped to her knees. She knocked him to the floor, and smothered him in kisses. "I guess her answer is 'yes'," I said, drolly. Shelly apparently heard me. She started saying 'yes, yes, yes', between each kiss. As they wore out, and embarrassment about how they had been displaying themselves set in, they stood. "I do expect that all of you will be at the wedding," Anthony said. "We wouldn't miss it," I replied. I noticed Shelly wouldn't look at me. She was still bothered. I needed to at least set one thing straight in her mind. Taking her hands together in one of mine, I raised her chin, forcing her to look at me. "Shelly; I couldn't have, and wouldn't have, done any of this without the ok from Robin. She allowed me to fully express my love, and I couldn't have done it without her blessing." Shelly's eyes darted to my young wife for confirmation. "I'll tell you all about it, if you want?" Robin said. Shelly nodded, as curiosity took hold. Anthony and Shelly left shortly after that. They received a goodbye hug and kiss from each of us, and Jeanette as well. Shelly was whispering something into Jeanette's ear, making both of them blush. As soon as the Jeep started off, I turned to Kristin and Liz. "I guess the honeymoon should take place," I said with a grin. Liz shook her head. "Not tonight," she said, puzzling me. "We are going to have our honeymoon, the three of us, in about two weeks from now." "Two weeks!" Liz grinned. "Yes, two weeks. And you'll be 'cut off ', days before." I raised my eyebrows to that, wanting a better explanation. "I just ended my period, knowing once again we hadn't timed things right," Liz said, perturbed. "Kristin and I have always been on the same schedule from when we first started having periods as kids. So, two weeks from now, we'll both be ready." Then with a wry grin, she added, "And very receptive." I looked at them and then at Robin. Robin was also wearing a grin. "Both your sisters will get pregnant at the same time. Won't that be something?" Robin said, adding fuel to my already active imagination. "Wow!" was all I could say. Then I noticed the smile glowing from Kristin. I took that as a very good sign. I added, "How soon did you say? I can't wait to make this happen." Kristin reached out and patted my tented pants, saying, "Whoa, Boy." She led me over and sat me down on the couch. Kristin and Liz then sat, one on each side of me. They started kissing and nibbling. Robin was in front of me. Using her hands, she was driving me crazy by rubbing her now just slightly protruding, pregnant belly in a seductive manor. "Oh God, two weeks is such a long time away!" My wives laughed at me. ------- Dan was sitting at his desk. He was staring blankly at his psychology diplomas on the wall of his home based office in Grand Junction. His friends, Patrick and Jane McCarran, had just left. To say the least, it had been an eye opening experience for all of them. There was an undeniable joy the couple was now sharing. That was very rewarding to see, and in such a short time. The questions about the girl Marcia, from their hometown, had disturbed him. Pregnancy at such a young age was always something that could have lingering effects. The mother's question about sending her daughter to a town she had only heard about, and didn't know a soul there, was very much out of the ordinary. Given the situation, though, it was a bit more understandable. That brought up Sarah. It was from Sarah's exuberance to her friends, which then transferred from Vivian to her boyfriend, Scott. Then it passed to his best friend, who was the boyfriend of Marcia. And finally, about Marcia's recollection of hearing about it. Each one of the kids had been fully informed about the 'problem', by their respective parents. That was why Carp had cropped up, and been considered, in the first place. Dan had to concede to Patrick and Jane, that Sarah's almost perfect recovery from her traumatic experience was due to the people who lived in Carp. He would have never believed it. Nothing in his training would have let him believe it, except that he had talked to Sarah, himself. If those same people from Carp could be, and were, willing to give help to Marcia; then she might just be in the place that would be ideal. When the idea was raised, that Sarah might also stay in Carp for the year and go to school there, Dan was a bit skeptical. He originally reaction was that Patrick and Jane were abandoning their daughter. He might have to rethink his earlier thoughts of how far Patrick and Jane had really come along with their relationship. Dan tactfully probed the motivations of each of them, to find out why they would consider this. Life for Patrick, with running his campaign to November, would be mind-boggling at best. It would leave him no time for his daughter, and little time for a wife who would once again be at home. With Sarah home; Jane would be, in essence, a widow. It would be no better, and after tasting what she had been missing for so long, she would probably be more resentful of the situation. Then there was Sarah herself. It was obvious that she loved Carp. She loved being in the large house, with lots of other people. They saw her taking responsibility when it was given to her. She spent many hours with both her sister, who she had missed during her college years, and Pamela. They described to Dan how Sarah would make Pamela, now fully talking, say words over and over, until she got the right intonation to the words she was using. Both had grown from the experience. Dan had two questions for them. They were unanswerable until they talked with Sarah. They were: what happens after the election in November, and how bad would she miss the others in school if she stayed in Carp? Patrick and Jane promised to talk, to listen, and to make an agreement that all of them could be happy with. ------- On the flight back to their home, Jane and Patrick, who were the only passengers, talked. The first order of business was to invite Marcia and her mother over for tea. They decided they would tell them what they could about Carp. They would talk about the willingness and accepting nature of the people who lived there. They also didn't want to be the end all of information to make that important of a decision. They would tell Marcia's mother she would have to travel to Carp with Marcia, to make sure it was the right place for her daughter. Jane then brought up Vivian. She was the friend Sarah had befriended, and who had become Scott's girlfriend, through a set up by Sarah. Jane explained to Patrick from the letter Jane had received, that it had been Vivian who had told Marcia's mother as much about Carp as Sarah had told the young girl. Jane wondered if there was a sort of dependency Vivian had on Sarah, as to how Sarah had been able to bring Vivian out of her shell. Especially at school. Jane wondered if Vivian might feel abandoned if Sarah stayed in Carp for the coming school year. And she was almost certain Sarah would. As ideas flew around, the possibility that Marcia's mother would be riding the train down to see Marcia on a regular basis was likely. Jane didn't know Vivian's parents; only having met her mother once; but she figured they most probably were not in the same financial placement as Marcia's parents. Perhaps at least once, Vivian could go along on a train trip and visit Sarah. With that somewhat settled, their thoughts turned to Sarah. How were they going to bring up the idea of staying in Carp? If Sarah didn't want to, though that seemed remote, would she feel like they were trying to abandon her? As Jane and Patrick thought about these questions, Jane's mind kept popping up with Robin. "Patrick," Jane said, "I think possibly the best solution would be to include one other person in this." "Mary?" Patrick said, thinking this was the obvious answer. "Ok, maybe two people." "Who would be the other?" "Robin." "Robin?" "She seems to know a lot about how Sarah is feeling. As you told me, she's seen hard times. Robin can temper things I would bet," Jane said. "I can almost guarantee it. That must have been some talk you two had." Jane smiled. "Yes it was. Now I might be on equal ground with you." Patrick smiled and knew when to keep his mouth shut. ------- "Dorothy?" her sister Susan whispered. "Yes? Aren't you asleep yet?" "After today? Are you kidding?" Dorothy giggled. It had been an interesting day. Kevin had become so flustered teaching Susan to kiss, and then Dorothy hadn't let him slow down. They had been away from everyone. They were alone, with no chance of being bothered, and all three knew it. When Dorothy had placed Kevin's hands on her breasts, both of them had thought they'd 'died and gone to heaven'. Of course, that only led the two to wanting more. Dorothy wasn't going to be denied. She worked Kevin up, and handed him back to Susan. Dorothy had to admit, that even though she had become jealous originally, now she was getting what she wanted. Then it had changed for her. She wanted to see how far she could push Kevin, to get him to open up. When she saw Kevin's hands move from around Susan's back towards her front, she knew Kevin was so wound up he had forgotten who he was with. She watched him mold his hands around Susan's breasts. It had been Susan, her own sister, who had held his hands onto her. Dorothy couldn't really blame her. She had put them into this position after all. She knew how wonderful that felt. Kevin was dutifully embarrassed when he realized his mistake, but Dorothy didn't give him time to apologize. She straddled his lap, and kissed him. She immediately placed his hands where she wanted them. At that point, she felt Kevin just give in. There was little pretending for this was exactly what she wanted him to do. She could tell he wanted it, as well. It was then that she got carried away. She was holding onto him, while kissing him. She leaned back. This caused her to fall onto her back, and he was on top of her. As she had been straddling him; now he was pressing into her. What she knew was that his hard dick, which she had seen by accident the night of the party at the school, was now pushing against her at just the right spot. She wanted it to go on. Her sister was the one to spoil everything. Susan had gotten excited. She was thinking it was an accident, and Dorothy might be hurt. When the very red faced Kevin pulled away, and tried desperately to stand, Dorothy's dagger eyes told Susan the truth. Susan felt very bad about the whole thing. It had flustered Kevin so much, that it ended all lessons for the day, leaving everyone a bit frustrated. Then there was this evening. The three knew something was going on that was a bit out of the ordinary. Kristin's tragedy had put speculation of who the father might be, into their minds. But a secret wedding? It was unheard of! It was so naughty, and yet there was nothing but love there. On top of that, Grace had congratulated them! Dorothy thought about Keith's real, or maybe best referred to as 'first wife', Robin. Robin had been all smiles, happy at the union. It didn't make a lot of sense. Then Susan had whispered to Kevin, which Dorothy had overheard, about Keith having more than one wife. "Dorothy, are you falling asleep, your eyes look a bit glazed over." "Just thinking about today." "I'm really sorry. You know I am, don't you?" "Yes, I know. Especially because it ended everything for you, too." "Hey, that's not fair. I really mean it. I didn't know that he was... I mean that you could feel..." Dorothy could feel the heat radiating off her sister's face. "How do you know? I didn't tell you." "I could see it. I mean his... Well, you know... It was pushing against his pants. Then your dress was up. Did you know he looked at your panties, too?" "Ohhhh," Dorothy moaned, "he did?" "Why do you think he stood and turned away? He saw me glance at him as he was doing it. He knew he'd been caught." Dorothy giggled and said, "He can look anytime he wants." "Dorothy!" Susan said. "Well, one day, he's going to be my husband. He'll soon be doing a lot more than looking." "Oh, stop it! You're driving me crazy." "Yeah, and what was that comment you gave him about having more than one wife?" Dorothy asked. "I was just playing," Susan said, not sounding very convincing. "Are you sure? I saw how you held his hands onto you." "Are you mad?" "No, but..." "I'm not going to take him from you. I couldn't do that. I couldn't. You believe me, don't you? Please say you do." "Yes, Susan. I do trust that you wouldn't take him from me," Dorothy said. She thought for just a moment and then added, "Susan, are you trying to get me to share him with you?' "You said I could kiss him," Susan said, in justification. "That isn't what I was asking and you know it." "I don't know," Susan confessed. "That sounds more like the truth." "I'm sorry." Dorothy reached over to her sister, to pat her back. Instead of her hand falling on Susan's back, Susan had rolled over just then. Dorothy's hand landed right on top of Susan's left breast. The two sisters froze. Well, almost froze. Susan's body couldn't help but to react to touch of any sort. Her nipple hardened under Dorothy's palm. Dorothy pulled her hand back, albeit slowly. Neither girl said a thing. Both their minds were going into overdrive, though. Then they fell asleep. ------- Bruce and Millie had been in their bedroom most of the day. Barbara and Brian, in Brian's room, were understandably worried. They worried about everything that had been told to them, and had been said about them, that day. "Will you really love me, forever?" Barbara asked. She was so unsure of where she stood, now. She could be pregnant, not married, and without parents. What was going to happen to her? She knew what Brian had said, but what would his parents allow him to do? "Barbara, how can I get you to believe me? I know I'm still young, but," Brian stopped to compose himself. "Barbara, I was kidnapped and raped. I almost died then. I had to grow up. Maybe that's why it doesn't scare me... Me loving you like I do, I mean." "You... you were raped?" "I didn't tell you, I guess. Cliff, he..." "Oh God. Brian. How did you..." Barbara dissolved into tears. Brian reached out and touched Barbara's face. "Do you hate me?" Brian asked. "No! Oh no. How could I," Barbara said, wiping her tears away. "But how could you stand it?" Brian took a deep breath and said, "Richard." Barbara looked at Brian for the longest time. She studied his face, not saying anything. That was, until she saw the tears start to form in his eyes. "Brian," she asked softly, "will you tell me the truth?" "I always have tried to." "Do you... Have you... Did you?" "Barbara, when that man hurt me," Brian shuddered just thinking of it, "I had to think of something else. I had to think of something better. Something I could stand." "I understand. When my mom died, I think I was the same way." "Jimmy told me about Richard and Dora. Well, about what he saw, anyway." "What did he see?" "Them... you know." "What?" Barbara said in breathless anticipation. "Having sex," Brian said, whispering it. "Wow!" "When Cliff... When he was really mean to me, I had to think of something, anything. Richard was a hero to me. So I started thinking of him. Maybe he could have rescued me. No, wait, I'm not making any sense. He did rescue me. But then, I had to think of something that would make my mind not think about that man. So I thought about Richard and Dora." "Brian?" "Yes?" "Did you..." "Think about me being Dora?" Barbara was silent. She didn't want to ask, but wanted to know. "I had to. It was what was happening to me. Then, a lot later, I wondered what it would be like. I'm sorry. Do you hate me?" "Don't be silly." "You don't?" "It makes a lot of sense, now. You love Richard, and he loves you. You two saved each other's lives. You and he have told me that. I just never knew how much feeling there was between you two." "I love you more," Brian said. "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Does Richard know that?" "Yes. He told me I'd better." "He did?" "Yes. Now let's talk about you and me," Brian said. They turned their heads to each other. Their eyes met, and their love shone. The room was quiet, but they didn't notice. They didn't hear, in that stillness, Millie and Bruce's bedroom door open. Nor did they hear Millie and Bruce stepping out. "I love you, Barbara. Like I said before, I've had to grow up with everything that's happened to me. I know I don't want to waste another day without knowing you aren't mine. If I had my way, we'd be married tonight. Tell me you feel this way too." "Brian, I am scared. I've lost everything in my life. When I was taken to Carp, the first thing I did was to see the man, not boy, but man, I wanted to spend my life with. How can that happen? I don't know. But now the feeling that I could lose what I wanted, like I've lost everything else, is strong. You have asked me to believe in you. If you were anyone else, Brian, I couldn't. For some reason, I trust you with everything I have. My heart belongs to you." Before the two could say another word to each other, Brian's parents stepped through the doorway. Brian and Barbara knew that if they had been there any time at all, they would have heard what each other had said. "Brian, you cannot marry Barbara," Bruce said with a straight face. Barbara and Brian were just about to look into each other's eyes. Their panic was swelling. They never got the chance. Millie whacked Bruce's arm, startling the two. "That wasn't funny at all, Bruce," Millie declared. "He meant to say, until she turns thirteen." "You mean it?" Brian got out. "Well you darn well better be prepared to make her a respectable woman," Millie said to her son. He gulped, "Yes, Mom." "Now, Barbara, there have to be a few changes around here." "Like what?" Barbara asked, afraid of the answer. "Until you two can afford it, we're assuming that you will be living here. That means this will become your room." Brian and Barbara looked at each other. This was just strange. "Brian," Bruce said to his son, "you'd better start thinking about all you need to do once those casts are off your legs. You'll need to start finding work," and then added, "as well as go to school." "You aren't mad?" Brian asked. "Yes we're mad," Millie answered. "But we're mad that you didn't wait. In the end, everyone can see you two belong together. It was just a matter of time. Now with what you two have done, that time is pushed forward a lot. It isn't going to be easy for you two. Plus, I wasn't expecting to be a grandmother so soon." Bruce picked up where Millie left off, "In the end, we understand. We are planning on helping you as much as we can, but making sure you understand the responsibilities you have brought upon yourselves also. Now if you really want to make us mad at you, do poorly in school. Barbara and Brian, we want you to have an education. We want our grandchild to have a chance in life." ------- The next morning started the last day of testing in town for the men. Shelly was deliriously floating, when she arrived that morning. The two intern's eyes popped out when they saw the ring. Dr. Smithers gave a knowing smile. He'd seen it coming for some time now, and was glad it had finally happened. Shelly was quite a wonderful woman and deserved this happiness. Anthony was planning on flying his fiancé home. That gave him the day to explore the town of Carp, or that is what he had planned on doing. His plans were derailed when Keith pulled his car along side Anthony, as he had just started walking in the downtown. "How much do you know about banking?" Keith asked Anthony as soon as he had rolled down his window. Anthony rolled his eyes and said jokingly, "Enough to make a modest living." "Good. Let me park the car. I have a job for you." Anthony was slightly amused by this, wondering what Keith had in mind. Keith pulled over right in front of the school. Anthony stared as people started piling out of the car. Liz, Tiffany, Vicky and Dora were the first out and walked right into the new school. Jimmy, Pamela, and Julie came bouncing out and ran off to see Brian and Barbara. Kristin, who had exited on the same side as Keith, stayed at his side, as they walked over to Anthony. "One building down," Keith said, pulling keys from his pocket. "This was a bank," Anthony said, noting the structure for the first time. "Yes it was," I said, looking over to Kristin. "I see," Anthony said, as we entered. "Let me guess, someone wants to open it back up." "We're looking at possibilities. There isn't a bank around here for miles. And, as you know, these people travel by horse. It is going to make paying wages from the mine..." Anthony cut me off by asking questions. A few we knew, some we figured out. I said I was going to find Jim. He would know the old timer's answers that I couldn't have known. Kristin said to check next door. Jim, being the mayor, and with his wife on the school board; he was most likely there. Without telling Jim much, I pulled him away. Jim was as excited about the conversation as could be. He knew everyone in town would be ecstatic about the bank reopening. Anthony picked this up, and went a bit further with that idea, pulling out why it was of such interest to the town. One thing that was hard for Jim was to promise not to say a word, until we knew what the outcome of all this would be. After Jim had gone, Anthony, Kristin, and I sat down in the old chairs. "You don't need a traditional bank. Not one like how a bank is run in today's world. You need a bank like they had, in the time this one would have been open. The only difference is that you would be exchanging cash for a check, instead of exchanging cash for silver. This town isn't going to use 'bank services'. So loans, accounts, and things of that nature are not needed. It makes life much easier for you, Kristin. On the other hand, that is how a bank makes its money. The question is: if all you are doing is cashing checks, how do you make any money?" "Anthony," Kristin said. "Jim talked about safety with their money. If the miners are making more money, they won't want to be hiding it under their mattresses, or wherever they do. What about those safety deposit boxes?" "Great idea. You can rent them. It takes two keys to get into them, so they are safe. People can then just stash, in private, what they want. It still saves you from being a regulated bank, and makes the town's people feel safe. I like that idea. Keith, what do you think?" "Know any banks closing up that want to dispose of some safety deposit boxes?" I asked Anthony. He smiled and said, "I'll poke around and see what I come up with," he said. Then turning towards Kristin, "In the mean time, you could see about getting the mining company..." "Memco," I inserted for him. "Right, Memco... to distribute the checks here at the bank. That would take a problem off their hands, letting you get paid for that, also. I would guess that this wouldn't be a full time job, and that you'd need more than one person in here at all times," Anthony said, and waited for our nods of acknowledgement, "But, I'm guessing that is all you are looking for, especially when I hear there will be a child along the way?" "Yes, as soon as we can, again," her face clouded. "I guess you heard what happened." "Yes, I did. Jeanette told me all about it. You know, Kristin, sometimes in life we hit against things that seem almost insurmountable. Blockages occur in our paths. A lot of people sit down in front of those walls, and wonder what they ever did to have that happen to them. There are a smaller section of people though, that will look at that wall and say there is a way around, over, or through that wall. Those people get places. They understand that life throws obstacles, and some are naturally going to land in our path. It is nothing personal; it is how life works. We, or in this case, you, have to choose. Am I going to sit there, or get up and find the will to go on?" "It sounds like," Kristin said, tentatively, "you have a lot of experience with this." Anthony's eyes showed a sudden sad wisdom. "Kristin, my parents were poor, very poor. The depression did them in. I watched them dwindle to nothing, and then die. The saddest part of that is that I saw the wall they sat in front of, and I was powerless to help. My parents would not move, would not try and see a way around the wall that had blocked them, immobilizing their life. That was the last parental teaching they did, and believe me, it was powerful. "Kristin, seeing that first hand changed my life in more ways than I can explain. Just like I tried to do, helping my parents see their wall, I can only tell you about this concept. For that is what it is, Kristin, a concept of looking at a problem. But don't kid yourself the wall isn't real. I cannot and Keith cannot make you get up from behind your wall. It has to be you. You have to understand that, and believe that you had nothing to do with its placement. "Kristin, the loss of your baby has to hurt a lot. More than I could ever imagine. Another baby will not take the hurt away. It is only realizing that you hit an obstacle that you had no control over, a wall. It can and does hurt, but you never want that wall to take control of you. If you do, you end up like my parents." Kristin, with tears in her eyes, said, "Thank you, Anthony. I know that must have been hard to share. I know you did it, because you thought it was important for me to hear. Only one person I know, knows just what I feel inside, Jeanette. I'll try to explain what you just said, and see what she did." "Kristin," I said, "the one thing Anthony left out is that you are supported and loved by everyone here." Anthony was nodding, "That is a difference, Kristin. My parents were struggling at a time when everyone else was as well. They did not have the loving people that surround you. You are very lucky in that respect." Then, as an added thought, Anthony said, "I think it is part of why I have such a hard time opening up to Shelly. The love that you people express is something very foreign to me. Yet, as uncomfortable as it has seemed, I find myself drawn to all of you. Jeanette has been more help than I could say. She has pushed me, and every time it has been to express my love, to open up that part." "It worked, didn't it?" Kristin asked. "Shelly is my fiancé because of that love. What more could I want?" Anthony replied. As we got up and headed for the door, Anthony stopped. I explained the items he was looking at, that had been found in the secret room under the Mansion. That led to another question. "Anthony, how does one transport and cash in silver bullion?" "I guess it depends on how much?" "Close to 100 bars," I said casually. He stopped and looked at me, wide eyed. "You found that lost treasure you mentioned?" "I didn't, but yes, it has been found." This was the first time Kristin had heard of this, as well. "Who found it? Why doesn't anyone else know?" she wanted to know. "Kristin, you don't know either. You have to promise me that. Right now it is only safe, because no one knows it has been found." "That is prudent, Keith," Anthony said, and then rubbed his chin. "There are all sorts of regulations that could surround that," he added. Then he smiled, "but if I were you, I might just send it to Memco to channel. There would probably be no red tape that way. They would just feed it into their system, and it would sort of disappear in their pipeline." "Good thinking," I said, pleased with that idea. ------- "Jill," Susan said in a hushed, hurried voice, "come here." Jill looked around the third floor hallway. No one was in sight, save Susan at the back stairs. "What do you want?" Jill asked. "To talk. Please," Susan said in a begging, but still hushed voice. Jill rolled her eyes and said, "Ok." Susan pulled her down the back stairs as fast as she could, and then out the back door. She didn't stop until they were past the new construction site, and behind the load of lumber that had been delivered early that morning. "What's this all about?" Jill asked breathlessly. Susan looked around, still nervous. Jill took Susan's hand, and sat her down on the end of a stack of beams. Stammering, it took almost a full minute for Susan to compose herself enough to say a complete sentence. "Did they really get married?" Jill crinkled her brow and asked, "Who?" "Keith and his sisters. I mean can he do that?" Jill looked at Susan for a moment. She wasn't dragged out here, just to be asked that question? No. There was something more, something unsaid in that question, but Jill couldn't figure out what it could be, at least not yet. "Did you see them get married?" Jill answered. "Yes, but..." "But what?" "Well, I mean... He has three wives. Isn't that illegal?" "Does it bother you? I mean, do you feel like Keith is a bad man, now?" "Oh no. Well, I mean Keith is nice and all," Susan said, blushing, "but I wouldn't want to be one of his wives, you know." "Oh and whose wife would you want to be?" Jill asked offhandedly. Susan's slight blush turned bright with embarrassment. This was it. "You brought me down here, Susan, and now you need to answer that question. It is the one you needed to have asked, isn't it?" Susan was biting her lower lip and then said, "I can't. It might hurt them, and I'd never hurt my sister. I couldn't." "Susan, let me tell you a little about how this family has sort of evolved. How it works. How it is really necessary to be this way to make it work. My dear friend, as close to a mother as could be, and..." Jill almost said lover, but then stopped herself. "Liz, who is now married to Keith told me this. She did so, because Keith and I..." Susan looked shocked. "Susan, don't act like such a prude. I know you've kissed Kevin." "Well, I had permission," Susan said before realizing that she'd just given something away. "Then you're on the right track to what I'm going to tell you." "What's that?" "Keith is legally married to Robin. She is his first wife, and his primary love. Really, it is the way it should be. "I think you would, as I would, feel less of him if he didn't love her beyond all others. So it was not Keith who has allowed the addition of Kristin and Liz into his life, but Robin. They are, as one might look at it, on a secondary wife level. They answer to her." Susan was very quick to pick up what Jill was talking about, and put that knowledge into her situation. "So you're saying that I have to subject myself to Dorothy. She would be... I guess she might be my... well not mother... master?" Jill wasn't about to put it into those terms. Robin was never like that. Jill couldn't see herself being, or doing, anything like her mother did. Jill also couldn't help but note Susan's visible excitement about what she had just said. Maybe she was something like her mother. Jill still didn't understand, but without a doubt, knew her mother enjoyed where she was. "If that is what it took, Susan. If you had to become almost a slave to your sister, would you do it?" Susan felt like she was going to pass out. No one had ever voiced such a thing to her. How did Jill know anything about this at all? Susan's mouth became dry, and she was sure no words would come out. Jill was completely amazed. She had seen this look on her mom's face, when Keith had tricked her into looking at her mother, with Jack and Cynthia. Thinking about it for just a split second, Jill said in a commanding voice (borrowed from hearing Jack talk), "Susan, you will answer me, now. Tell me if you want to be your sister's slave, so that you can be with Kevin." Susan whimpered. "Susan, answer me now." "Yes," Susan said. Then, once that was out, she went on, "I would do anything for my sister. Kevin is such a special man, which is why my sister loves him. I want to be a part of that." "Anything?" Jill probed, wondering if Susan had any idea where anything could lead. "Yes, anything." "Susan, I don't think you have any idea what that could lead to," Jill said in a compassionate voice. "I would do it." "Even if it was nasty?" Jill said, almost laughing. "What do you mean?" Susan said, not quite believing what Jill had just said. "Susan, you are talking about the love of two people and you want to get in there. What do you think Kevin and Dorothy are going to be doing," Then Jill grinned at her and added, "If they haven't, already?" Susan gulped. "No, they haven't." "Oh, Susan," Jill said rolling her eyes. "I know what it's all about," Susan said feeling like she was being talked down to. Ok," Jill said, feeling challenged. "Let's say Kevin and Dorothy have just made love, right in front of you." Susan gasped at the words, the image, Jill brought forth. "So lets say they shared with you, brought you there, and you would then need to take care of them afterwards. Do you love them enough to do that?" "What do you mean?" Susan said feeling a bit confused. "They would be a mess," Jill stated very matter of fact like. "You would need to clean them. Of course, the best way, would be with your mouth." Susan's mouth dropped open, as her eyes bulged out of her head. "I'm supposed to do what?" "Lick them clean," Jill said trying not to laugh, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. "You mean I'd be licking Kevin's..." "Dick?" Jill said. Susan nodded. "Yes, and getting all the juices off. Some of those would be Kevin's, but some of them would be your sister's, as well." Susan just nodded. "Then there is your sister. She'd be full of his juices." "And she wants me to..." "She might. It would be the ultimate submission for you, you know. That, in a way, it would be the 'everything' you said you were willing to do. Are you really willing to do that? Susan, you have to be sure. What you are saying, if you are sure, is that you are as committed as the others in that relationship." "So it would be like I was married. I think I understand, now. In a way, Dorothy would be my... well, for lack of a better word, husband. Someone I would need to respect and, well, obey. Then of course, there would also be Kevin." "Yes, that is a good way of understanding it," Jill said. Then Jill got the tables turned on her. "Jill, so you and Keith. If he was making love to Liz, would you clean her up?" Jill blushed. She now knew she'd already tasted Keith at one time, unknowingly until later, at the base when they had been taken there. Tasting Liz was never a problem. Now with the start of a relationship that she had begun with Keith, Jill knew full well the answer was yes. "Have you already?" Susan said, seeing Jill's wistful look. "Without knowing so," Jill replied. "What? When?" "That is privileged information," Jill said. "How can you... You know, taste someone without knowing?" Susan said excited about this revelation. "Susan, do you know what an artichoke tastes like?" Jill asked, knowing she'd heard of it but never even seen one herself. "No. What's that got to do with anything?" "So if I put an artichoke in some soup, especially if you'd never had the soup before, you wouldn't know it was there." "So you're saying... Oh my gosh!" "Susan, calm down, it was just a little taste." "A little taste? What did she, I mean..." Susan said, and then became a little more timid. "Did you like it?" "It isn't a question of whether I liked it or not. Susan, if there are three of you and two are women then what are you going to do?" Susan dropped her shoulders. She already knew the answer. "Anything Dorothy wanted me to," she said. Then Susan looked up at Jill expectantly, "Don't tell her... Please." ------- Patrick sat in his room, looking at the blank wall, pondering what he had done the night before. Was it the right thing to do? His gut feeling said yes, without a doubt. His intellect battled with him, though. Society said it was wrong. Many cultures outside of our Puritanical culture had very different views on this subject. Was it that much different from the town's tradition of girls marrying at thirteen? Outside of this town, it was seen as too young. But that tradition had been born at a time, and of a necessity, that might not exist any longer. In this time, in this town, wasn't the same holding true? If the town was going to remain together, wouldn't what seemed out of the ordinary, be the right thing to do? Patrick was troubled. He wondered if the only reason he found ways to justify all of this was his relationship with Cheryl. Would he, could he, take her as a wife? He already knew the answer that said he would if offered that place. So the question kept on raising its ugly head. Was he trying to bring justification for his own actions? He was so engrossed in thought he didn't notice Cheryl enter his room. She looked on, as his head and muscles twitched. She could tell he was in a mental struggle. He hadn't been very talkative since last night, when he came back from Keith and Richard's place. She felt it was high time that he started talking. Startled and jumping slightly, Patrick instinctively wrapped his arms around Cheryl. She had looked ready to fall off, after she had suddenly appeared on his lap. "Scare you?" "Yes, as a matter of fact." "You looked deep in thought, too deep. I thought I needed to rescue you." Cheryl giggled. Patrick grunted. "What happened out at Keith and Richard's?" Cheryl asked, "You've been different." "I married Keith and his sisters." Cheryl looked at him dumbfounded. "To each other?" she tentatively asked. "Yes." "How could you?" "They love each other..." Patrick had started to explain, or justify his actions. Then he realized the tone of Cheryl's question. She wanted to know the mechanics of how. "Cheryl, there are two forms of marriage." "Two?" "Yes. When you and Bob got married, you got a marriage license," Patrick started to say. "We did?" Patrick chuckled. "Well I hope so, or you aren't officially married." "You're kidding?" "Let me finish, so you understand. Ok?" "Ok, but I think I need to ask Bob if we did that. Would I have had to do anything? Ok, never mind. I'll ask him when he gets back." "Now that marriage license is what makes the union of two people legal. That is a law thing. Of course, the institution of marriage in the first place, belongs to the church. So that is why a pastor can perform weddings, and fill out the marriage certificate. Now I want you to think about this." "What?" Cheryl said fascinated with what Patrick was telling her. "You don't remember doing anything about a certificate, right?" "Yeah, that kind of bothers me, now." "Why? Do you feel less married? Would that piece of paper make you feel more married? Tell me, what it is that made you know you were married to Bob?" "We had a wedding, silly." "Right." Cheryl looked at Patrick, wondering why that seemed too simple. Where was the catch? Patrick wasn't saying anything. In fact, it looked like he wanted her to say something, but she didn't know what, so she ended up saying the first thing that popped into her head. "If you married Keith and his sisters, then they are as married as Bob and I?" "Yes, they are, at least in the sight of God." "But not by law, I mean not legally." "That's right." "That's why you asked what made me feel married, isn't it?" "Yes, it was. I'm still not too comfortable with the whole thing, yet." "Why not?" Patrick wasn't sure he should tell her. Apparently he didn't need to. "Is it because you feel the need to marry me?" Patrick stammered. Cheryl's face lit up, "It is, isn't it. You want to marry me." Before Patrick had a chance to answer, Bob walked in the front door. ------- "Do you know what they have planned?" Dr Smithers asked Dr. Harrington. "No, they said something about saying thank you for your work. That's about all I know." "They are planning a town wide dinner. How can they do that?" "In this town, it is not that hard. You know that there aren't that many folks, and with this nice weather..." "But we haven't done anything. We haven't answered any questions yet." "You are worried that you will be put on the spot and feel embarrassed," Dr. Harrington observed. "Frankly, yes." "Then get Keith up to speed, and let him be the spokesperson. He is still part of this project, isn't he?" Dr Smithers grinned. "Yes, he is. I like that." That is how I soon found myself in the lab that was now being dismantled. Dr. Smithers went through the tests that were done this time, and how they differed in technique from the last time. Interments had improved. He was able, because of the government involvement, to obtain anything he wanted. The two interns had been tracking the results and writing down the results. They had everything broken down into columns of raw information. Dr Smithers handed me the large volume of papers. "It is in your hands now, Keith. You seem to pull traits and suppositions out of this data that no one else sees." I was starting to get suspicious. "I know you too well. You don't hand out complements like that without some strings attached. What's going on?" Dr Harrington, who had been listening to us, laughed. "Keith does seem to follow things, doesn't he?" "A little too well, at times," Dr Smithers said. "Keith, there is a dinner tonight. A kind of 'thank you', from what we hear." I started to laugh, although this in reality was not a laughing matter. "You want me to take the heat." Dr. Smithers grimaced, and said, "I'm not sure I can deal with it as well as you would be able to." "Try living here," I replied. "I'd rather not." ------- Jimmy was sitting in the corner of Brian's room; sort of out of the way, sort of out of direct sight of Millie showing up and walking into the bedroom. On Jimmy's lap was Pamela. His arms were wrapped around her, embracing her. Julie, on the other hand, was sitting on the bed, their bed. "You're really going to get married?" Pamela asked for the umpteenth time. "I'd marry you," Jimmy said, finally getting his courage up enough to say so. "Jimmy, we can't, we're not old enough," Pamela said, without giving too much credence to his words. Pamela then felt the arms that had been holding her let loose. She looked back at Jimmy's face, and stopped. "I thought you'd want to," Jimmy said with words that came out sounding as dejected as he felt right then. It was something Pamela was not prepared for. She was the one who felt as though she had been unwanted. Jimmy was never like that. What would make him feel that way? In those split seconds she realized the astonishing answer. Me. Jimmy loves me so much it hurts him. Jimmy didn't know what hit him. First Pamela offhandedly dismissed him, and then her hands and mouth were all over his face. Kissing, caressing, loving. Nibbling up his ear lobe, Pamela stopped and whispered in his ear. "You need to ask me properly, so I can say yes to you. Not here, not now. You need to do it right. But when you do, you will know the answer is 'yes'." Barbara, Brian, and Julie had watched this whole episode. They didn't hear Pamela's whispers, but could tell by the expression on Jimmy's face that he was a very happy boy. Millie came home on one of their breaks from school planning, and walked into the room shortly thereafter. Jimmy, wanting to spend a little time alone with Pamela, made an excuse to see me. The two of them left, leaving Julie there. Jimmy didn't know, and hadn't stayed around long enough to find out, but Millie left about five minutes after she'd arrived. The two didn't see Millie, as they weren't on their way to see me. Jimmy had Pamela half way up to the spring, by the time Millie left. Now that it was just the three of them, Julie could ask the question that had been troubling her from the time they had arrived, and found out the news. "Is there..." Julie looked down, not wanting to look at either Brian or Barbara. She started over. "Is there anyway that I might be pregnant?" Julie asked. "No, Julie. You don't have to worry. Brian never... you know, he didn't put it in you." "Oh," Julie said, now feeling very foolish. Her sad expression showed more than embarrassment though. "Julie," Brian said, "were you... Well, did you want to be?" Barbara looked at Brian in surprise. Where on earth did he come up with that idea? "I kind of thought, maybe..." Julie started to say, but couldn't finish. Barbara turned her head quickly at Julie's response. "Julie, you can tell us. Don't be embarrassed." "I thought that maybe I could get married too, then," Julie said, and then ran out of the room and out of the house, leaving the front door open. Brian and Barbara looked at each other. "I think we need to talk with Richard and Katy," Brian said. "I don't have any idea what to do." "I think you're right," Barbara replied. ------- Julie ran up the hill, away from everything. She was confused and wanted to be alone. Tears were forming, and she was wiping them, but they still blurred her vision. It didn't matter that much, she knew where she was going. She had been there several times. The spring would be a quiet place to think. Pamela and Jimmy had most of their clothes off. They were laying on them, to give just a bit of comfort from the hard ground. Now with only their underwear on, the kisses had become more serious. Jimmy kissed downwards, and took Pamela's little nipple into his mouth and sucked. It drove Pamela crazy, and she reached down, snaking her petite hand down Jimmy's smooth chest to his underwear. Jimmy's eyes flew open as he felt Pamela's hand slide under the waistband, and grab hold of his dick. "Oh, Pamela," he said. "Jimmy, let's get these off," Pamela said excitedly. Both of them, fumbling with anticipation, ended up frustrated. Instead of some beautiful choreographed stripping, they ripped the last of their own clothing off. The twinkle in their eyes hadn't diminished though. Reaching out they touched, kissed and then lay down together, to explore. Jimmy was barely aware that a sound he heard wasn't that of Pamela, when he slid his finger between her legs, opening them up and causing her to moan. Then he was kicked in the side. He yelled out in pain. Pamela's eyes popped open, and she screamed. Julie screamed as well, as she fell over something that wasn't supposed to be there. Julie rolled over, quickly sat up, and her mouth fell open. "Jimmy, you're naked!" His hands instinctively covered himself. Pamela almost laughed out loud at his actions. "Jimmy," Pamela said playfully, now that she had recovered from the initial shock, reaching over and taking hold of one of his arms, giving it a tug, "there's no reason to hide." "But..." Jimmy started to protest. Pamela pulled again, and he let her. Jimmy swallowed hard, as he noticed Julie's intense stare at his crotch. As his hands were pulled away by Pamela, she smiled that he was as hard as a nail. "See what I have to play with Julie?" Pamela said with pride. She looked over to Julie and saw her in tears. "What's wrong, Julie? He won't hurt you." "I know; he's yours. Barbara has Brian. I have no one," she cried. "No! That's not true," Pamela said. "Barbara and Brian love you, Julie," then she added, "and so do we." "They're getting married, where does that leave me?" Jimmy almost wincing already, thinking that what he was going to say would come out all wrong, "I guess like Kristin or Liz." "Yes!" Pamela said, "You could marry, too." She reached out and hugged Julie, and then looked over to Jimmy, waving him into the hugging as well. Julie was enveloped in naked bodies, but more than that, love. She started crying. After several minutes, Julie calmed down. It was then that she noticed her left hand was trapped by Jimmy in his hug. It wouldn't have been so bad, except that she could feel the edge of his dick against her fingers. Trying to be sly, she moved her fingers. Jimmy felt what Julie was touching. He couldn't help but move away from her slightly, and then press back in. This effectively trapped her and pressed her hand directly against his hard and pulsing dick. Pamela, on the other side, put her hands up to Julie's face. She pulled Julie's head around, giving her a little kiss on the lips. Pamela had wanted to do that, ever since she and Jimmy had peeked into the room and saw Brian, Barbara, and Julie. Julie pulled back in surprise. She didn't know what to expect, but then felt bad that she'd stopped the kiss. It had felt nice. As she pulled back from Pamela, Pamela got a view of where Jimmy had trapped Julie's hand. Pamela wasn't jealous, in fact just the opposite. It had to have been because of what she saw through that little peephole. Pamela was turned on. "Someone is overdressed," Pamela said. "Uh huh," Jimmy said, not wanting to get in trouble, but definitely wanting to agree. He'd seen plenty of Julie through that little hole as well, and would have liked to have been in Brian's place. He knew how good that felt, having Stephanie there a time or two. "What are you talking about," Julie said nervously. "Julie," Pamela said, "We're naked, as I know you've noticed and are feeling right now, especially Jimmy's dick." Julie tried to extricate her hand, only causing it to rub against Jimmy, causing him to moan. "Julie, it's ok. I don't mind," Pamela said soothingly as she reached out to brush Julie's hair away from her face. Turning her head towards Pamela, Julie was offered lips to kiss again. Julie's eyes glanced over to Jimmy. He wasn't bothered, just as Brian hadn't been. Julie whimpered just a bit, as Pamela's tongue slid into her mouth. Julie felt Jimmy's hands unbuttoning her blouse. She gave in, as soon as he reached in and tweaked her nipple. In the afterglow, with Jimmy as well as Pamela's faces coated with her juices, Julie lay there letting guilt in. "I hope you two love me, now," Julie said. "Of course we do. That's a silly thing to say," Pamela answered. "Well Brian and Barbara..." "What?" Jimmy asked. "I'm sure they won't want me." Pamela and Jimmy laughed. "Stop it," Julie said becoming mad. "Julie," Pamela said, reaching out to her. Julie pulled her hand back. It hurt having them laugh at her. "Julie," Pamela said, softer, "we laughed, 'cause you must not understand." "Understand what?" "Didn't you ever wonder why Brian was so good for his young age? Or Jimmy, here?" Julie looked at Jimmy, noticing his dick twitching as she looked down there. "No, I guess I didn't." "So you think boys just know how to do all that?" Pamela pressed on. "So who taught them then? Is there a school?" Julie said, still a bit testy. "No, not a school," Pamela said keeping her words gentle, but she smiled as she just had to add, "but that's not a bad idea." "Julie," Jimmy said as Pamela paused. "I've learned about what to do with several different women. You know how Keith got married to his sisters?" "You're getting married to Robin?" Julie said wide-eyed. "No." Jimmy smiled at the thought. "I don't think she's interested. But we have... well sort of done things." "You have?" Julie's insatiable curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to know more. "You said several, who else?" "Julie," Pamela said, "it hasn't been a constant... you know..." "Sex thing?" "Yeah." Jimmy stepped in, "Julie, there has been Robin, Kristin, Dora, Stephanie, and of course the best, Pamela." "And now me. You get to add me to that list," Julie said back in her souring mood. "Yes, I guess I do, just like Brian," Jimmy said, trying to stay upbeat. "Yeah, I guess he has the two of us." "Two?" Pamela said not believing what she heard. "Julie, he's also been with a few." Julie raised her eyebrows and then just lifted her head enough to look at Pamela in the eye. "He has? Like who?" "Well other than Barbara and you, there was Katy, Dora, umm..." Jimmy didn't think he should mention Richard. "Katy! You mean Robin's mother?" "Yeah, we were in this big room together," Jimmy said, as the images came flooding back to him. As he was out of focus in the real world, he didn't see the shock on Julie's face, or the surprised look on Pamela's face. "Richard had just loaded up Katy, and then she sat down, right on Brian's face. Ever wonder why he was so good licking you?" Julie gulped, "Brian did that? He would have... I mean if Richard just..." then there was a real puzzled look on Julie's face. "How did you know he did that to me? Did he tell you about that?" "No, Julie, he didn't. Jimmy and I saw it," Pamela said. Then seeing the look on Julie's face, she continued, "I'm sorry, Julie. I guess we were spying. But I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. That's why I had to kiss you. I've wanted to. Then when I saw you and Barbara do it..." "You saw all of that? Where were you?" "In between the walls. There's a hole there." Recognition flashed on Julie's face. "You made that bump, didn't you?" Pamela nodded, sheepishly. "I was getting a bit carried away with Jimmy and Keith." "Keith! He saw me too?" Jimmy grinned, "Yes he did. I think he liked it, too." "Oh, no. How am I going to look at him now? He knows what I have done with them." "Julie, I bet if you asked, he would admit he thinks you're sexy," Pamela said. Julie shook her head although she wanted to believe what Pamela said was true. "He thinks I am. I'll tell you a secret." "What?" Julie asked, desperate to be included. "I asked Keith to make love to me." "You did! Oh God! Pamela!" "He was going to even." "He was? Really!" "Yes, but now he won't," Pamela pouted. "Why not? I mean if he was. I just can't believe this!" "I'm like his daughter, now. Plus, there's Jimmy" Jimmy who had been silent, just listening perked up. "Me?" "He knows you were upset with him about Stephanie." "Stephanie?" Julie asked. "Keith's made love to her," Pamela said, not too excited about it. "Then, he'd... I mean I could even..." Julie said amazed at the words coming out of her mouth. "It gets a bit complicated. How did you and Brian... you know?" Pamela asked. "Barbara said it was ok." "Right. So the same is true. You'd have to ask Robin." Julie looked at Pamela, "I'd have to ask Robin if I could, you know, with Keith?" Pamela nodded her head. "We all have had to." Jimmy touched Pamela's knee, causing her to look at him. "If you still wanted to, it would be ok with me. I think I know you love me enough to come back." Pamela lunged at Jimmy, knocking him on his back. Her tongue was in his mouth as soon as they connected. She broke it off a moment later, and panted. "Julie? Rub him, and get him real hard. I want it again." Julie quickly complied, placing her hand around Jimmy's shaft. It was difficult to see what was going on, as Pamela was moving around. It felt good though. Julie then realized Pamela's slit was right there, dancing. Moving Jimmy's dick she made contact, then again. Soon, Julie was rubbing Jimmy's dick up and down Pamela's slit, pausing to rub it around her opening, and then around her clit. All three were squirming like crazy. Jimmy couldn't take it any longer, and erupted as Julie was near Pamela's opening. Primal instinct took charge. Julie placed it into position, pulled her hand out, grabbed Pamela's hips and thrust her down as Jimmy pumped his seed into her. "Weren't you supposed to be careful?" another voice said. ------- Chapter 84 Pamela's head whipped around. Julie jumped back, and covered herself with her hands. Jimmy recognized the male voice right away, and wasn't worried at all. "Hi, Keith," Jimmy said. "Didn't your mom tell you to be careful?" I asked, noticing Jimmy's liquid running out of Pamela. She was now off of him, but her legs were still spread. Julie looked at Jimmy, now propped up on his arms, and then at Pamela. Neither one of them was bothered by Keith looking at their bodies. It was a big step, but Julie moved her hands away, wanting to display herself to Keith; to interest him even. "Careful? We thought we wouldn't be disturbed, sorry," Pamela answered. "Pamela, I never talked to you about Brian, did I?" "You mean about Barbara getting pregnant?" "Yes, I figured you'd know that by now. What I'm talking about is..." I turned to Julie and noticed her pose. I couldn't help but stare; she was a beauty. When my eyes reached her face, she was in a full blush, but smiling. "Keith, stop staring," Pamela said, admonishing me, and then she laughed. I cleared my throat and then said, "Julie, you'd better hear this too. "Just like Brian, Jimmy can make babies with the stuff that is running out of you, Pamela." All three kids looked between Pamela's open legs, seeing the pool of cum draining out. "It takes you having an egg ready. Barbara probably did, and that's why we think she's pregnant." "So... I'm pregnant?" Pamela said with a shocked look on her face. "Pamela, your body isn't ready yet. At least, we hope not. The problem is, you won't know right away when you could be ready. That goes for you as well, Julie. Until you start having your period, you won't know when it will happen." "But I have," Julie said. "When?" I asked, surprised by this. "Been a few months. But it stopped." "When did it do that?" I said, concerned something already happened to her. I wasn't sure if Brian might have fathered two children. "Before we came up here," Julie replied. "When you didn't have enough to eat," I said, not wanting to bring up that her brother's death or her father's life incarceration could have contributed to it as well. "That makes sense. Your body was starting to shut down and preserve itself. Have you started again?" "Not yet. Mom told me that if I stay with the same schedule, I should start next week." I nodded, remembering my sisters were on the same schedule. Annabelle and Julie most likely were, as well. "That means you could get pregnant. You need to be careful. Pamela, you have to be careful, as well. And Jimmy, this is your responsibility, also. No squirting into her." "But Brian did," Jimmy said. "Yes, he did. And we had no idea he could make a baby, or we would have told him not to. There is something else. Barbara is older, and bigger. She can have a baby grow inside of her. Julie, you are questionable. Pamela, it would hurt you. It could even kill you. You're simply not big enough to have a baby grow inside of you, yet. You have to be careful." Pamela looked at Jimmy. "I'll be very careful," he said. "I don't ever want to hurt you." Pamela smiled, but then frowned as she turned back to me. "How do we have to be careful? I don't want to die." "Pamela, there are lots of ways to still have fun. I'm not asking you to stop." "Oh, good!" Julie said, and then turned bright red. "Julie, a pretty girl like you should be careful what you say," I said to her. "Told you he liked girls," Pamela said to Julie, causing her to blush a little deeper. I winked at Julie, making her so red I thought she'd pass out any second. "Now you two girls... Well, Jimmy, you should hear and understand this as well. I'm going to tell you what you shouldn't do. When you learn that, you'll see it leaves a lot of areas open that you can do." ------- After I had talked to Millie outside her house; keeping her there, while Jimmy and Pamela talked to Brian and Barbara about Julie's feelings, the youngsters headed downtown with me. There was a note on my car to see Jack. I walked over to his office. I left the kids to find the others, so we could go home. "Hello, Jack," I said, as I opened the door, "got your message. What do you need?" "Paul from Memco called. Don't ask me who he is, because I don't remember. Anyway, they need to have a final meeting with us to set up the details. He said the mine should be ready in no more than four weeks." "Four weeks? I had no idea we were that close. Those guys fly in and out up on that ridge, without us even knowing about it. I've heard some trucks every so often... but four weeks? Are they sure?" "That's what he said. Now they want a meeting three days from now... Keith, why are you shaking your head?" "I'll be gone. Maybe you don't need me here, though." "What do you mean, 'You'll be gone'? Keith, you own the controlling interest in this mine. You have to be here." "Tomorrow I'm flying Beth Ann home." "Oh," Jack said, knowing full well, that the trial of her father was not a negotiable thing. "To tell you the truth, Beth Ann has been scared to death. She hasn't said a word about it for some time. She must realize the date is coming close, but she may well have blanked it out. I wasn't planning on saying anything to her. I know it will just upset her. So I figured we'd just get ready, have Mary pack some things for Beth Ann, and we'd just go." "Before she had time to think," Jack added. "Yep." "I'm sure you know that's how we handled the kids being sent off overseas." "Saw it happen on the base a lot. They'd know they were going, just not when. It kept the anxiety down to a tolerable level." "I'll call up Memco, and see what I can do. I really don't know what they want to go over. By the way, is Richard going with you?" "We haven't talked about it, but I'm not sure he'd want to. I was planning on asking, but now with a meeting with Memco, I think it'd be best if he stayed. I'm pretty sure he'll think so, as well." "Good. I'll need all the help I can get," Jack said with a smile. I somehow didn't think he was a push-over. A commander of a large military base didn't get to his position, by letting people run over him. ------- Richard, Katy, Robin and I got together before the dinner downtown, to have a talk. We had much to discuss. Brian, Barbara, Pamela, Jimmy and Julie, for starters. Then we added in Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth. They all had new ideas floating in their minds, and we were partially responsible for them. It was therefore our responsibility to make sure their thinking was well grounded. The next subject was the mine. Richard was just as surprised as I had been; that Memco would be ready. I knew that my father never talked about monetary things with his wife, and the same was most likely true in this town. My relationship with Katy, from the start, had been different. I told her, long before Richard had met her, that she should have a stake in the metal that I'd found. So the openness of our talks included money matters. The meeting that Memco had proposed led into the next item: Beth Ann. Over much discussion, we thought we should ask several of the others if they wanted to go with Robin and I. Richard and Katy should stay home. Richard was needed at the Memco meeting, and didn't want to go anyway. Katy felt she should stay, also. It was with great tact, that we had Richard drive downtown with Katharine, along with her three children, Beth Ann, and Sarah. Kristin took Mary's car, and drove Kevin, Dorothy, Susan, and Grace also. As soon as they had started off, I called everyone else into the dining room. "Tomorrow morning, Robin and I are taking Beth Ann to her parent's home. I know all of you know why we are going, so I don't need to talk about that. We have space to include a few others to be with us. It will be important for Beth Ann to have people she knows and trusts, to support her through this. What I need to know is who would be willing to go?" Robin and I looked at each other. We didn't expect everyone's hand to rise. It gave me a lump in my throat. It took me just a moment to speak again. "Jimmy, Pamela, and Julie, I'm sorry, but you cannot go. It wouldn't be fair to you. They wouldn't let you into the places others of us will be going. I know Beth Ann would love your thoughts, though," I said, and looked around at the others. "We don't have room for everyone else, and I don't know how I would ever choose." Mary walked over to me with tears in her eyes. "I have to go. I watched, and pushed her to say... to do... I feel a responsibility for this." "Mary, you will go, don't worry," Robin said to her. She smiled to us in return. "You are also going to pack her bags. She isn't going to know we're going, until the plane starts," I said. "It is important to remember that. Don't say a word to her," I looked around, knowing everyone else was listening to this conversation. "I mean that for everyone. Don't say a word. She's deathly afraid of going, and she needs to be strong for her parents." In the end, through a lot of talking and time, it was decided that Kristin, Liz, Mary, and Daisy would be going. I had my reservation about how wise it was to have Daisy going. She gave some of the strongest arguments for being there, though, so I had to let her. Kristin had come back. She stood at the edge of the living room, just listening. As we got ready to load up to go downtown, she asked me why I'd asked her to take a carload down, and not someone else. "Kristin, I already knew you'd want to go. Unless you had told me otherwise, your place was already there." She smiled and kissed me. ------- I was a bit tense during dinner. The only part that I found amusing was how many times Anthony sneaked up to the food table. He blushed, saying he'd never had such good food. I did have to agree. From the first time I stepped into this town, and they brought out a late dinner for me from what little leftovers they'd had, I had never had such delicious food. As I saw most people were done with their dinner. I got up and walked to the front. I wanted to get this over with, yet was not feeling at all prepared for how to say what needed to be said. "Can I have your attention, please," I said. The low roar of talking died down to a hush. "I know everyone is anxious to hear what is going on with the tests that have been taken." "Yes, we are," a man called out from the back. "I know this is difficult, but the results we were looking for take time to be processed. All we have now is a lot of information. What we wanted to do was to make comparisons; to find out what if anything, has changed. With hope it could lead us in a direction that we haven't been exploring, yet." "Well doesn't seem like you're doing much now," another man said. Dr. Smithers at that point stood up, and turned to the people. "I know most of you saw me on this trip. Many of you remember me from the base, when you were taken there. This sort of research is my specialty, not Keith's. He stepped down as project leader on this, and asked me to take over for him. The reason he did so, was because of all of you. He didn't feel as qualified as he felt he needed to be, and wanted to make sure you got the best. That doesn't mean he's not still a very much-needed part of our team, because he is. Keith is going to be the one who will be poring over the stack of paperwork, finding anything that we can work on. He is the best I've ever seen at doing that." Wanting to turn attention away from me, I said, "There is one positive thing that we learned immediately. The two boys who are still in town, Brian and Jimmy, have not been affected. There were two families with boys that moved. We will be contacting them to have further check ups, but I would guess their situation will be the same. They hadn't gone into puberty yet, and it looks like it was their saving grace." Applause rose. Some people moved to Katy, as well as Bruce and Millie, saying things to them. It had been the first positive outlook that anyone had given them. "Keith?" I looked up but couldn't identify the voice in the crowd of people. "Yes, did you have a question?" "That doctor fella said you could figure stuff out pretty darn good. So tell me, from what you've seen so far, how does it look?" This was the question I had been trying to avoid. "I'm going to tell you the truth, but you have to understand. This is only what I know, before looking at all of these new test results. We were stuck, and that's why we did these new tests. But to answer your question, right now, there... I don't want to say this," I said, tears starting to form. Jim, who was sitting in the row right in front of me, said, "Go ahead, Keith. We need to hear it." "Right now..." I sighed. "There doesn't look like there is much hope for any of you to produce." There was silence, as when I'd been to a funeral. Sadness enveloped everything. Through that stillness, a voice was heard, "Looks like Cliff may well have got his revenge, after all." Cheryl stood up suddenly and said, "No, he didn't. There will be new life in this town. It may not be in the fashion we grew up expecting, but the Lord has provided for us. We need to realize that, and except his gift." I looked at Patrick. He was stunned at what she'd just said. Most everyone wondered what she meant, but were speculating as conversation started again. The one I looked at next was Millie. I thought she was going to faint. Apparently she had figured out exactly what Cheryl was talking about. Thinking that we had got out of there alive, I was trapped in the car. I had Robin, Jill, Kevin, Dorothy, Susan, and Grace. Kevin asked, "How long do you think it will take to go though those test results? I saw that stack of papers!" "About three days, most likely, for the preliminary part. Then I have to start doing comparisons. That could take a couple of weeks," I replied. "What do you look for?" Dorothy asked. "Anything out of the ordinary. Something that is just a little different. At times it stares you in the face, and you wonder why you couldn't see it before. Other times it is so subtle, that it amazes you that you even recognized that it was there." "Sounds like detective work," Grace said with a smile. "In a way, I guess so." "What did that woman mean?" Susan suddenly said. "You know, after a man said something about Cliff getting his revenge." I'm sure my expression was a bit odd. Truth was I wasn't sure how to answer that question. I looked over to Robin and Jill, who were in the front seat with me. No help there. Robin had a satisfied smile on her face, knowing I'd have to answer that question. Jill was looking down, no doubt at the mention of Cliff. Now I knew why she had wanted to get in my car so quickly. "Keith," Susan pressed on thinking I may not have remembered who Cheryl was, "she said something about new life in the town, and God providing it. Did she mean you and Richard?" I cleared my throat and glanced into the back seat at Grace. "You have taught deductive thinking a bit too well, I believe." Grace smiled innocently, but raised her eyebrows, wanting me to answer the question. "That woman's name is Cheryl, and she has wanted a child for some time. Now she knows her husband can't give one to her." "Well that doesn't make sense then," Susan said interrupting me. "Cheryl is now pregnant," I said as casually as I could. "Not by you?" Grace blurted out, and then covered her mouth realizing what she'd just said in front of Dorothy and Susan. I snorted and said, "No, Grace. Not by me, or Richard. We aren't the only newly arrived men in town." "You mean she... with another man?" Susan said wide-eyed. "I believe with another love would be the more appropriate," Robin said. "Did she marry him?" Dorothy asked. "OH! Two husbands and one wife!" Susan exclaimed. "Susan, be quiet!" Dorothy said. "Yes, Dorothy," Susan replied. A subtle response lost to most, except Jill. "I'm not sure if they're married yet. If so, I wasn't invited to any ceremony," I said, ignoring Susan's outburst. "I think this trip has been quite educational," Grace said. "Grace," Kevin said in a tone that was a little on edge. "I saw you congratulate Keith, Kristin, and Liz on their unusual wedding." "Kevin," Grace said in a soft reassuring tone, "I know what I see and think. I was talking about what Dorothy, and especially Susan, has seen. Life here in Carp is not like that of anywhere else I've been. It would be tragic if they considered this to be normal behavior." "Grace, I know what can and can't happen. Well, outside of Carp that is," Dorothy said, trying to sound much older than her years. Susan was noticeably silent. ------- The next morning, I could feel the tension in the house. Everyone had been told not to say anything to Beth Ann. They tried to go out of their way not to say anything to her. It was difficult, and soon became an irritant. On the other hand, after I thought about it, it worked in my favor. "Beth Ann," I said, "this house is driving me crazy. Want to take a ride with me, and get out of here?" "Yes! It's driving me crazy too." As we headed out the door, I said, "Hold on, I'd better tell Robin I'm taking off." I met Richard, Robin, and Katy on the second floor. "You've got less than ten minutes to get Beth Ann packed. Get the luggage and people going out to the plane, we'll be inside." "How are you going to keep her out there?" Katy asked. "I don't know, but I'm sure something will come up," I replied. Katy took a swat at me, Richard laughed, and Robin shook her head. "Don't frustrate her," Robin said as I bounded down the stairs. I walked out the door, and saw Beth Ann still standing on the porch. "What was Robin's comment about?" she asked me. I just smiled and said we should get into the car, before anyone else showed up outside and wanted to join us. As soon as we got into my car, I added, "'Cause I want you all to myself." Beth Ann blushed, but didn't break the eye contact I held with her. I saw her turn in her lower lip, biting on it, and then she said, "I hope you're not kidding me." Starting the car, I put it in gear, and then took her hand. I turned the car around in a large circle. "Beth Ann, I would never, don't ever, want to leave you. I will be here for you, as long as you want me." I noticed a tear in her eye and then she sniffled. "Keith, I don't think you know how much that means to me." "Oh, I think I do. Now, let's go out to the plane. I need to check on a few things and then," I gave her a grin, "I'll check on some things of yours." She laughed, and was instantly in a good mood. Something I was going to help her keep, as long as I could. I parked, and we entered the back of the plane. I sort of pushed her in first. Richard and I had been out very early in the morning and went through the checklist, so it was all ready. Beth Ann turned around to me and asked, "What do you need to check?" "This," I said, placing my hands on her breasts. She laughed, backed up, turned around, and ran. There wasn't much room for her to go. I caught up with her next to the front seats. "Now I've got you!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around her waist. She sighed, and then said, "You've had me for some time." I kissed her deeply and then looking into those beautiful eyes, I asked, "Do you want to be in the same place Kristin and Liz are?" Her eyes grew large, as she understood what I was asking. "You mean, married to you?" "Yes. You know it's not legal, like Robin, but..." "I know it means as much to you." "Beth Ann. It isn't the life you have grown up believing you'd have one day. Robin shares me with many." "Keith, you're silly. It is what I've dreamed of. Being loved." I smiled. "Yes, you are right about that, I do love you," then I paused and added, "but you know I'm not the only one. You have many here that love you." "That's what makes it bearable, to share you!" she said mischievously. I started to tickle her, as well as kiss her. We first landed in the seats, and then on the floor. I had her blouse unbuttoned and was kissing down her front, when everyone else arrived. As soon as the back door opened, Beth Ann tensed. I didn't let go of her. When she heard familiar voices, as well as suggestive comments, she started giggling. "You set me up for this, didn't you?" "Well, yes," I said sheepishly, and then added, "but what I told you was true." Her face lit up, as a radiant smile grew. I called to the back of the plane. "Liz, is the back door secure?" "Aye, aye, Captain," she answered to gales of laughter. "What's going on?" Beth Ann asked. "We're taking a little ride. You get to sit up front, and watch the take off," I said. Beth Ann looked nervously to Mary. "Don't worry. It is a lot of fun. I've done it a lot of times." "Well, ok," Beth Ann said, sounding less than sure. This too, had been planned. It had been Mary's idea. If she was up front with me, then she couldn't ask so many questions. And, as also planned, she had been distracted. She hadn't seen the luggage come on board. Once we were up in the air, cruising, she would find out where we were heading. But by then, it would be too late. I sat Beth Ann down, and buckled her in. I made sure to caress as much of her as I could, in the process. She giggled at my antics. She watched with fascination as I went though the final checklist, checking everything off as the engines came to life. I glanced over quickly, and noticed her face was filled with a mixture of anticipation and fear as the engines revved up. Turning to the back, I yelled out, "Everyone in a seat, with their seatbelts on?" I got an affirmative. Moving the plane to the runway, I didn't wait for Beth Ann to make any comments. I heard a little whimper, as the ground moved past us in a quickening manner. When that moment of lift occurred, I heard her gasp. I knew she'd be alright. I couldn't pay any attention to her right now. If Richard had been here, co piloting, I would have had a lot less to do. Soon my eyes stopped needing to check and recheck the gauges, and I could glance over to Beth Ann. She was looking out the windows smiling. "Beautiful, isn't it?" I said. "Yes, it is. I just can't believe it all. One minute we're on the ground, and the next we're like a bird, flying in the sky. You just don't get the same feeling in the back." I felt her hand on my arm. I glanced over to her again. She was looking at me, smiling. I had to tear my eyes away from her. The way she had turned to look at me, with the front of her still unbuttoned blouse... Her breasts were there, just waiting for me. Damn, if only Richard were here. ------- There were many people on the platform, waiting for the train to arrive. Dr. Smithers and the two interns were there, with many boxes of equipment to be loaded. Kevin, Grace, Dorothy, and Susan were there with luggage, as well. Many others had come to send them off. One of them was Jill. She had been battling with herself all night long, wondering what to do. The train was due to arrive in less than fifteen minutes. "Kevin, can we talk before you go?" Jill boldly asked him. He smiled at Jill. "Of course we can." Then he realized she meant privately, as she started tugging at him. Kevin walking slowly with his cast, and said, as soon as they were out of hearing distance, "What's this all about?" "Susan." "Jill... I'm not sure what you're going to say, that I might not know already." Jill smiled. "Oh, I'd take a bet on that one." Kevin raised his eyebrows, wondering what this was about. They had made it down to the park and sat on the bench. It was within seeing distance of everyone, yet far enough away so that no one could hear a word they said. "Susan is 'dependant' on Dorothy," Jill said. Kevin blinked. This was not what he expected to hear. "What did you say?" "She needs Dorothy, and is in love with you. She wants to be with both of you, but I think there is more. She's almost desperate." "How do you know this?" "We talked." "And she told you she depends on Dorothy?" "No, but..." "Jill, you see things others don't. Now, tell me what you've seen." "Remember yesterday, after the town meeting? We were in the car, and Susan got excited." "Yes..." Kevin said, thinking about that interesting conversation. "Dorothy told her to be quiet." "Hmmm," Kevin said now thinking back about how Susan had responded. "There's one other thing that will tell you something. They loved the school, right?" "Yes," Kevin answered, wondering where that was leading. "But when Dorothy was hurt and couldn't come back..." "Susan wouldn't either," Kevin finished, knowing that truth. He looked at Jill and slowly shook his head. "What am I going to do?" Jill's mouth twisted into a wry grin. "Want two women?" "Jill!" "Susan would do anything for you or Dorothy. Think about it." "Jill..." He said, losing his resolve to fight, knowing she was most probably already seeing the rise in his pants. "Maybe you should first talk to Dorothy about this. I know you two are going to get married. If she can understand..." "What then? I'd have two wives?" "Kevin, you've seen it work here." "But I don't live here." "Are you trying to put up as many obstacles to say something can't work, as you did with Dorothy?" Kevin sighed. Jill's logic was too much for him. "Ok, Jill. Let's just say that Dorothy thinks it would be fine for the three of us to climb into bed together." Kevin had tried to shock her, but Jill just laughed at what he'd said, and it was he who turned red. "Then you bring Grace into this," Jill continued. "She already knows a lot of what is going on. It would be far from her to criticize the three of you. Grace, and I'm sure you'd agree, would just sort of lay out what she sees. The good and the bad." "How come Susan hasn't said anything?" "She's afraid of hurting either one of you." "So she'd rather be hurt?" Kevin said softly. "She made me promise not to tell Dorothy," Jill said, and then grinned. "She didn't say I couldn't tell you." "You can be devious." "Kevin, you are a dear friend, and I want the best for you." The whistle blew in the distance. "Time to get back," Kevin said. "I want you to write. Ask Dorothy to write, too. I'll be dying to find out what happens." As they started to walk back, Kevin asked once again, "You're sure about Susan?" "My mother is just like her. Yes, I'm very sure. She needs to be wanted. To be told what to do. If Dorothy doesn't believe it, have her ask Susan to do something strange in a commanding voice. Susan will do it." "Your mother?" "Yes. It was very hard for me to believe, until I saw it with my own eyes." "You don't..." "No," she said. Then she looked over to Kevin, and started to laugh, "So don't get any ideas!" Kevin was still laughing about that as they came up to everyone else at the train platform. ------- It had taken well over half the flight before Beth Ann figured out where we were heading. The first indication was when I switched to the second fuel tank. She realized then, that this was a long flight we were taking. When she took the flight plan out and looked at it, she saw the airport name. I wondered if she would recognize it. Airport names are not always something people know. It didn't take more than two questions, before she knew for sure. Instead of screaming, which is what I half expected, she fell silent. I glanced over to her several times. She had a sort of 'glazed over' look to her eyes, staring out into nothingness. Then I saw a tear drop down her cheek. "Beth Ann, you have to be there," I said. No response, only more tears. "When you were a little girl, your parents were there to pick you up and protect you. You needed them for comfort. Now the roles have reversed. You are no longer a little girl. Instead of them helping you, it will be the reverse. You are coming to help them." I heard a sniffle. We sat there in silence for a while. "Beth Ann, you didn't cause this." "I know," she said, softly enough that I almost missed it in the noise of the plane. "Are you sure?" "Keith, if I had..." I cut her off, mid-sentence. "You didn't start this, Beth Ann. You've suffered enough. You stopped it, but none of this is your fault." "But Keith, I could have..." Stopping her mid-sentence again, I asked what I knew would cut to the core, "Beth Ann, I'll let you think like that, if you can tell me this..." "What?" "Should I have left Daisy with Hank?" "No!" was her immediate response. I felt her turn her head to me and stare. "That wasn't very nice." "I know, but it's true. The similarities are startling." "Except..." "Your uncle is dead?" I said glancing over to her. She was shaking her head. "My dad didn't almost die, saving me from a monster." "That's what we're going for; to make sure nothing else happens to him. If it did, you wouldn't be able to live with yourself, and you know it. Beth Ann, as hard as this is going to be, you have to do this. You need to do this. It's important to understand that this is for you, as much as for your parents." ------- After the train was loaded with both the passengers and the luggage, it chugged its way out of sight. Tiffany noticed Jill's drooped shoulders, and went over to her. Jill said in a low voice, "I didn't think it would be this hard. They are very good friends. Now I wonder if I'll ever see them again." Tiffany gave Jill a big hug. "I know how you feel, Jill. We moved away from the school to follow Liz and a new job. We did so because Grace, who we trusted, said it would be good for us. But that meant leaving. It is hard to develop friendships, and then be separated." "Yeah." Tiffany looked at the small outline of the train and thought about who was on that train Jill was so distraught over. "Kevin meant a lot to you, didn't he?" Tiffany said hoping she knew the right one to pick. "He was a bridge." "A bridge?" Tiffany asked, not knowing what she alluded to. "A nibble of chocolate. One I could handle without ever wanting to smother in." "Like Keith?" Tiffany ventured, still not sure how that all worked. "Tiffany you are special, you know that?" Jill said, with a little grin. "I am?" "Yes, and I plan on showing you that, very soon," Jill said, smiling deviously. There were several other conversations going on as well, as everyone moved away from the platform. The other most interesting one was between Katy, Richard, Anthony, and Shelly. "Richard, let me know as soon as you talk to Keith. I don't know why I didn't think of this before," Anthony said. "Honey, I think you may have had a few other things on your mind," Shelly said. He looked at her and smiled. "Yes, I think you may be right." Katy was looking at her husband. "What's this all about? The bank?" she speculated. "No," Anthony said. "That is a different set of people. This is about Beth Ann's problems that Keith talked to me about. I know a conglomerate that is trying desperately to buy as many lumber yards as possible. They told me that there is a housing boom, now. This is the time to buy, and reap the profits. We have non-competing businesses. I tell them what I know, and they do the same for me. It might just be time for them to look into the lumberyard that's in that town." Katy was shaking her head. "So, is it business all the time?" "Katy," Anthony said with a smile, "that is the polite way of saying what is most likely to happen. The truth of the matter is that those people will try and dig up as much on the lumber mill, its owners and managers, to try and drive the price down. If there is a scandal that can lower a price and make a quick sale, then they will do it. I said we exchange information at times. I didn't say I liked the way they do business. Then, giving Katy a wink, he continued, "In this case, it may well work to Beth Ann's father's benefit to have a company snooping around like that. From what Keith said, the person running the lumberyard is... shall I say... not a nice person. It could bring to light things that will help." Shelly was shaking her head in amazement. "Now I know why you and Keith get along so well. You're both devious!" Anthony laughed, "Me?" "Yes, you. I think..." Shelly started to blush and then whispered something in Anthony's ear, becoming redder. Anthony was blushing as well, and stammered, "I think we should be heading out, soon." Katy and Richard looked at each other, and started to laugh. "It looks like Shelly knows how to de-rail his mind," Katy said. "Just don't let him lose all concentration while flying," Richard added. "In the plane?" Shelly said wide-eyed. "I hear Keith and Daisy..." "In my plane?" Anthony said laughing. "Daisy?" Shelly said with an unbelieving expression. "Doesn't he ever stop?" "You never talked to Robin, did you?" Katy asked. "No. It just seemed kind of a moot point. I mean, once I thought about it... I mean... his sisters. But Daisy?" "You should have talked with her before she went," Katy reiterated. Shelly looked at her. "There's more, isn't there?" "Yes." ------- Reedsport was a town of 1,100. It was the largest town for miles up and down the coast. That wasn't saying much. But as such, it had a landing strip, and one hanger. I was lucky. Our plane could land there. It also had the high school that Beth Ann had attended, but her hometown was five miles away. Looking on the maps, it didn't look like much of a drive. As the two taxis that we'd stuffed ourselves and the luggage into drove, I started getting the idea that these two towns were more than just a few miles apart. The dense forest swallowed up the light, and the pavement was wet. We also went through enough turns in the road to make even the calmest of us start to feel queasy. Then there was a break in the trees. The first thing noticeable was the lumberyard to the west. The houses were dwarfed by comparison, sitting to the east of highway 1. There was a break in the road, going right between the lumberyard and down to the bay. It was at that junction where the hotel and restaurant was. A dry good store, grocer, and service station made up the rest of the downtown. No church, I noticed. The gasp behind me made me glance to the lumber mill side. There was the obvious mill office, an imposing building that showed of no lack in materials. That was not what drew my attention. There was a small building on the other side of the gravel road with a police car in front of it. Winchester Bay was a town of a mere 300. Of course, compared to Carp, that was still very large. Not large enough to support a police station, though. "Is this a town?" I asked Beth Ann? "Of course it is," I got a short response back. "I mean an incorporated town." "How would I know?" "I saw a police car. Most larger towns don't have a police service so they rely on the county sheriff's department." Beth Ann sat sullenly. The taxi driver, not knowing the situation, piped in. "The lumber mill pays for the town to have police. I hear there's almost no crime in this town. 'Course there's that guy who done shot his wife's brother. Everyone's been talk'n bout that." "I'm sure they have, and this is his daughter," I said. The driver whipped his head around, and then turned back to the road. "Sorry, Miss. No harm intended. I just hear what everyone says, see." The car was quiet the rest of the way. Pulling up outside her house, Beth Ann froze. Her breathing was labored. Mary and Kristin, who were on each side of her, took her into their arms. I turned around and looked at her frightened face. "Beth Ann, we're all here for you. Every one of us wants to be here with you. Let us support you; for you need to be strong. Tell us your fears, and let us handle them. We all love you very much, never forget that." I caught the reflection of the front door to the house opening. Out stepped a lady that was obviously Beth Ann's mother. The resemblance was striking. Making her way to the car, I stepped out. I closed the taxi's front passenger side door behind me to greet her. "Hello," I said, "I'm Keith Patterson." Her eyes just about popped out of her head. "Is... is my..." She couldn't get it all out, and fell to her knees crying. Beth Ann at that point couldn't get out of the car fast enough. Kristin had to almost jump out, to avoid being climbed over. "Mom!" The two hugged and wept. After what felt like a small eternity, Beth Ann made introductions. 'Mom, ' as we were informed to call her, wanted us to come inside and have tea. "We just got into town, and need to check into our motel room," I said. "Well, do come back by two. The lawyer is arriving, then," 'Mom' said. Then she looked at me appraisingly and added, "But I assume you already knew that." "Mom, I'm sure he did. He tricked me this morning, telling me we were all taking a little ride. I didn't even know they had secretly stowed our luggage on board." There was a good laugh about that. "She never did like surprises," Mom said. I smiled. "Beth Ann, do you want to stay here while we check in?" "Beth Ann, you are staying with us... aren't you?" her mother said in an almost pleading and uncertain voice. Beth Ann nodded. I unloaded her luggage, and told them we'd be back very soon. ------- After the rest were shuttled back to the Mansion, Katy and Richard took Anthony and Shelly out to their plane. Katy, Shelly, and Anthony started to get out. Richard touched Anthony's arm to get his attention. "Let me show you the new mine." Closing the door, the men let the ladies step out. Before Shelly was all the way out the door, Anthony had a set of keys that he rattled. Shelly took them out of his hand, and smiled as the men got back in the car. As soon as the doors were closed, Richard left them. "I guess we could sit in the plane," Shelly offered. "That would be nice." Shelly took the keys and unlocked the doors. Katy thought it was interesting and commented that there were very few locked doors in Carp. Once inside, Katy was the first to speak. "Before you met Anthony, how long were you alone?" It was not the kind of thing Shelly had expected to hear, and it took her a moment to compose herself and answer. "Five years." Katy figured as much, from things she'd picked up in conversations. It played right into where she wanted to go. "If it wouldn't have been for my, well lets say pushy, Aunt Jeanette... Anthony could well have slipped through as well, leaving you where?" "Is this what Robin was going to say?" Shelly asked feeling a bit uncomfortable about answering that question. She knew full well where she'd have been; alone. "Not the same, but to the same point, I would guess. Shelly, look at all you had around you. A whole university of men, yet where were you in that? Now I want you to look at the contrast to this place. What choices, as a woman, would I have in a man?" "That doesn't sound very promising. You got lucky and found Richard, though," Shelly brightened. "Yes, through Keith. But think about how Robin would have seen life. What she would have expected, for her and her friends." Shelly was nodding. Small town life was harder than she could ever imagine. "I tried to raise my daughter to care for others. She learned that lesson well enough to throw it back in my face, several times," Katy mused. "She got Keith. She could have taken him, and held onto him, jealously. No one would have blamed her, really. He is a catch. That isn't Robin, though. She let others share in her good fortune." "Share. That's an interesting way of putting it." "That is the correct way. Shelly, everyone knows Keith is Robin's. He would forsake all others if she said so. She won't. She shares him, knowing it's good for all." "But... I just can't see sharing Anthony with anyone." "Oh, no. Not just anyone. Someone in love." "I still don't think I could." "Ok. Let's say you had a sister. Can you dream up one?" Shelly smiled, "Sure, but she's not as pretty as me." Katy laughed. "That's fine, 'cause she doesn't have the dates in school like you did. She didn't get asked to all the dances. She sat at home." "Now you're making me feel like the evil sister!" "Oh, no. You can't help it. Guys just go after you. But your sister is alone. Now you start feeling bad, 'cause all along you two were close. It is hard to share anything with her, and yes, you start feeling bad. She's never even had a proper kiss." "I guess I'm glad I was an only child then." "Shelly, come on, you can't let her fade away yet. I want you to think about your sister, living still at your parent's house, while you go off to college. You find Anthony there." "Ok, I don't like the sister part, but finding Anthony I like." "You come home for a weekend, bringing Anthony to meet your parents. Everything is very nice, except for one thing." "Let me guess, my sister wants my boyfriend." "Not exactly. Your sister can't say how she feels. She sees you so happy. You and your sister were so alike at one time, and now... What does she have? Do you remember hearing about the party Anthony had at his house when Keith arrived?" "Yes," Shelly said, disgusted. "You're going to bring up how he taught all those girls to dance, aren't you?" "Yes, and given the same opportunity, Anthony would do that with your sister. You would see... you couldn't help but see her falling in love with him." "You're making this sound so simple." "In a way it is, and again, it's not. I guess at some point, you'd have to make a choice." "This little scenario seems awful familiar, somehow. It's as though I've seen it before," Shelly said suddenly. Katy laughed as she thought about it. "I guess I conjured up what I thought was an original story, but it wasn't." "What do you mean?" "Dorothy, Kevin, and Susan." "Susan is... Oh! What is Dorothy going to do?" "I have no idea." "But they can't... Well, I guess they could. Ok, now back to Keith. How many are there then?" "About six or so." "Six!" "Tell me now; do you think any less of him?" "No. I just can't imagine how he does it." "Well, usually it isn't six all at once!" That got Shelly and Katy laughing so hard, they couldn't stop, even when Richard pulled his car up. Anthony looked at Richard, and then at his fiancée. "I guess that this is a good sign," Anthony said. "Either that, or you're in big trouble," Richard responded. Anthony laughed. Shelly and Katy got out and they hugged, saying their goodbyes. ------- It was only seven blocks from Beth Ann's parent's house to the hotel. I had watched the direction the cab drove, so we could walk. Not having a car was an inconvenience, but one we could live with. Bringing our luggage into the hotel, we shocked the poor desk clerk with something to do. I was the one paying, so my identification needed to be seen. Just for a bit of fun, I pulled out my military ID. It showed I was still active-duty. He looked at as though he'd seen plenty of them before, and wrote down my name without paying much attention to it. After all the attention I had received when people recognized who I was, I felt just a bit disappointed. On the other hand; after I thought about it, if no one knew who I was, all the better. We were here for Beth Ann and her folks, not for me. We took three of the five rooms in the place, the entire second floor. After placing our bags in the stark rooms, we went back down to the lobby. There, waiting for us, was the police officer. "Understand you brought Beth Ann home," he said. "Is this a business call," I asked back to him, "or are you just being friendly?" "You need to respect the law. And I'm it in these parts." I stroked my chin, as though I was contemplating what he had said. In reality, I saw him right then and there as a small version of Lt. Payne. Except, of course, without the wealthy parents backing him up. "If I remember right, an officer of the law's only job is to facilitate the execution of what the lawmakers have penned. It is for a judge to interpret the law. Did I get that wrong?" I asked innocently. His eyes narrowed. "You must be from a big town, Boy. Small towns work a bit different. I think you'll be finding that out, soon enough." "The town I live in is much smaller than this, but I think we do something unusual there. It is called justice." I could tell what I said surprised him. As with most people in law enforcement, he was not used to someone standing up to him. Just for a bit of fun I added, "I'm sure that you will be helping all you can, to vindicate and bring to justice the right people." He stood there for a moment, not saying a word. Then, as if a switch had just been turned on, he let out a spiel that might as well have been tape-recorded. I started wondering who had written it out for him to memorize. As soon as he left, I was expecting to get it from the gals. It didn't come from them. "Not the wisest thing to do, as soon as you set foot in town. That man may be a bit dense at times, but he has a lot of power behind him. Just be warned," the hotel clerk said. We walked out the door. The cabs had not hung around, but I hadn't told them to. I hadn't expected them to, either. It was only seven blocks to Beth Ann's, anyway. As we walked, I got the tongue lashing from the gals that I had expected in the hotel. I half listened as I looked at the surroundings. Well-maintained yards with an abundance of plants surrounding the houses lined the street. The warm ocean climate this area offered did wonders for these avid horticulturists. The roads off the highway were gravel, and not in as good as shape as one might have expected. I wondered if it could be due to the winters, or just the lack of money it took to maintain roads. "Keith," I heard, as my sister pushed at my arm, "are you listening at all to what we are saying?" I'm sure my face gave the answer, before I could even mutter a word. "Keith, I don't want you to get hurt," Robin said. Her tone, and the fact she used my first name instead of some endearing diminutive, told me to pay attention to her. Taking hold of her hands, I looked her in the eye. Before I could say anything, Daisy said something that really hit home. "Keith, if you got hurt, Beth Ann wouldn't be able to live with herself. It would have been better if we had never come here." I stopped the group and told them something I hadn't planned to. Hadn't wanted to. "I know you think I was acting on impulse back there, and yes, you may be right. I will be more careful. But I am not running into this without some prior planning. I have talked to the lawyer, and I do know a few things. There is one other thing that, since you've pushed me, I'll let you in on. You can't let anyone else know though, not even Beth Ann. I don't want her to conjure up anything. Understood? "Mary's father and I talked before he left, and unbeknownst to me, I had been made an employee of Uncle Sam. Part of his finagling me into that position is the research work I'm doing for Carp. The other part of it is because he and Jack felt very responsible for what happened at the university." I left out what type of position I was now classified under, or what would happen if someone were to try and harm me. They didn't 'need to know'. The only one who had an inkling of this was Mary. I saw her raise an eyebrow, looking my way. True to form, she said nothing. She would ask privately, knowing that I didn't say anything because I hadn't wanted to. "Well, that makes me feel better," Robin said. To change the subject, I said, "And yes, that means that I'll be getting a paycheck that I wasn't expecting. So..." Robin's eyes lit up. I continued, "We'll have to spend it before they decide they want it back!" That made everyone laugh, and we continued on to the house. The mood was definitely somber when we walked into the home Beth Ann had grown up in. Some of the realities of what was happening had undoubtedly been explained to Beth Ann. She looked as though she'd been crying. I wondered if her mother discounted what the lawyer was telling her because of what she knew this town to be like. Truth is sometimes slanted when what you have always seen shows you a life that is out of perspective. ------- Jim handed Katy a letter that was addressed to: 'The City of Carp'. She looked at it, and then at him. "I didn't know what to do with it," Jim said. "Then I saw the return address and I thought it was maybe someone Sarah might know. Her parents do live in Reno, don't they?" "Yes, I'll ask her about it. Looks like it got here pretty quick," Katy said noting the postmark. "Always does, running north and south where the rail lines go. If you're on that route, I've heard of letters making it in the same day," Jim said. Then he grinned. "Never seen one though." Katy looked at the envelope again. The postmark was from the train depot in Reno. Whoever sent it knew it would get here quicker. It couldn't be a guess. She shook her head. One day is all it took to arrive. Who had ever heard of getting mail in one day? What in the world could ever be that urgent? Tucking the letter in the pocket of her dress, she got back on her horse and rode to Millie's house. She wanted to see how her sister was doing with Brian and Barbara. Katy and Richard felt very responsible for the girl. Now that things were progressing, as it seemed, they were going to offer to take over Barbara's parental obligations as it came time for a wedding. Katy knocked on the door, but no one answered. She was puzzled at first and then a little smile crept on her face. Millie must be out, she thought. Richard seemed to have the knack of catching Brian and Barbara in some delicate moment. Maybe she would, this time. Opening the front door as quietly as she could, Katy snuck in. By the time she had looked thought the house, she was now disgusted that no one was home. But where did they go? Especially Brian. Katy walked out of the house, and was closing the front door when Jim startled her. "Are they going to be back, soon? I forgot that I was going to haul a few things." "I didn't know they'd left. Where'd they go?" "They took my wagon, and went out to see the doctor. Bruce told me that he wanted to look at Brian's legs again. I guess that Barbara got them all worked up, and Bruce came around seeing if he could borrow my wagon. I think he wanted to shut the girl up," he said. Then Jim grinned and added, 'I don't think I helped much by saying he could use it." Katy laughed thinking about how Bruce would have tried to shift responsibility, of not being able to go out, on someone else. Except this time, it had backfired on him. Getting back on her horse, she rode out to the Mansion. This time she took the route that cars and wagons would have taken, not wanting to miss her sister again. ------- The lawyer had shown up. We found out Beth Ann's mother's real name was Beatrice. She didn't look like a Beatrice to me. Beth Ann told me later that it was a family name, and she had always been thankful they had not continued that tradition. To me, things looked promising. The gloom and doom was still present, though. He took me aside at one point, and told me that he thought they just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I had to agree with him. It was shortly after he left that we heard the whistle blow at the yard. Didn't make any difference that this was a lumber mill, or in Carp, a silver mine, the sound of that whistle was about the same. I was nodding my head thinking about that, realizing that Beth Ann would have been very accustomed to that sound. We were told it was the end of the shift. Unlike the mine, the lumber mill had things going on almost around the clock. Most people worked during the day, though. Beatrice had insisted that we stay for dinner. I knew this was stretching her, with her meager income. We agreed, but only if we could return the favor. She reluctantly acquiesced. It was during the preparation of dinner, that I realized the status of Beth Ann's aunt. I mentioned this observation to Robin, who concurred with me. The woman had been invisible when we arrived. Now, even in the house, she said few words and was pulled back from all of us. The most obvious though was her keen avoidance of Beth Ann. Robin said something to Daisy who concurred. It brought the feeling to light: guilt. At that point, Daisy pulled Beth Ann, who'd been treated like a guest, into the kitchen. "Beth Ann can take over, now," Daisy announced. "I need to talk with her aunt." Both were startled by this, but did what they had been instructed. We watched as Daisy took the aunt out the front door. We could see, but not hear, as the two sat down on a swing that was tucked away in the vegetation on the front porch. As Beth Ann came out to set some things onto the dining table, she caught my eye and motioned me over. Taking my arm, she pulled me into the kitchen. "What was that all about?" Beth Ann asked. "Beth Ann! Is that any way to talk to Keith?" he mother admonished her. "It's fine, Beatrice. Daisy is going to figure out if what we were seeing was right," I responded. "Oh, and what is that?" Beatrice now wanted to know. "That your sister in law feels very guilty about everything that has happened." "I could've told you that," Beatrice said. "She blames herself for everything. I have tried talking to her, but..." "That's why it was Daisy," Beth Ann said, suddenly realizing. "Beth Ann," Beatrice said, "what on earth could that precious child say that I haven't?" "Mom, she's lived through it. Do you remember hearing about Keith? And about the man that shot at him." "Lord, yes. You sent me every newspaper clipping, I think." I was amused by this revelation. Beth Ann was blushing. "Mom, that man who shot at him was Daisy's husband." Luckily what Beatrice had in her hand at the time was not breakable. It did leave a little dent in the floor as it dropped out of her hand, though. "Beth Ann, she's so young!" "Maybe, Mom, but she knows exactly what is going on inside her head." A pot on the stove started to boil over, the wind-up timer rang, as well as the phone. For several minutes, Beth Ann and her mother were running around. I sat on a kitchen chair and watched, with a smile. As soon as things got organized again, Beth Ann came over to me. I noticed her mother was watching. She didn't say a word as Beth Ann sat on my knee, and looked at me. "I have to do what you did, don't I." "It would be good of you to do, but you can't just do it, Beth Ann. You have to feel that it is true. You must know that your aunt had no part in this and that she should never feel blame. Only then could you convince her of it." She nodded and got up. Taking off her apron, she walked out of the kitchen. Instead of asking where Beth Ann was heading, her mother looked at me and said, "Do you know how much she's in love with you?" I was almost glad I didn't have to answer that question. The scream that Beth Ann emitted made us run. ------- Chapter 85 Everyone in the house responded to Beth Ann's cry. As we got to the front door where she was standing, we saw what had caused her scream. I could hardly believe my eyes. Hearing about this sort of thing from down south never prepares one for a personal experience. There were five men and four women in the front yard. Although it was still daylight, three of them had torches. The group was walking towards the house. Standard military training forced me not to react, but to scan the situation. The three neighbors across the street were standing in their doorways. The cars, in which these people had arrived, were parked neatly. This had been planned. Then there was the surprise: the police car. It was just far enough away that, if not for the lights on top, I would have missed it. I glanced at the faces of the crowd that had gathered, and the policeman wasn't among them. At least that was a good sign. Not knowing what else to do, I pushed my way passed Mary and Kristen. Now on the porch, I glanced to my right. Daisy and Beth Ann's aunt were in a state of shock. "Go inside," I said. They didn't need any further instructions. They bolted for the door that was now in back of me. At the edge of the porch, I stopped. The gathered crowd stopped advancing as well, and was now about ten feet away. "Can I help you?" I asked in a level, even, voice. "Yeah, you could bring that little girl out here. She needs a good taste of medicine 'bout how life works," one of the men said. "I don't know who sent you," I said, trying to control my anger, "but I'd suggest you just go away at this point." They stood their ground, but a look of confusion was now on a few of their faces. I had talked to them in a way they had not expected. Now was time for action. I turned around briefly, and spoke back into the house. "I think it is time for everyone to come out." I cupped my hands around my mouth, so that the sound wouldn't travel and continued. "They need to see that there are many of us. Then they will back down." Robin and Kristin came out first, then Mary. Daisy, Beth Ann's mother, and her aunt were next. Finally, Beth Ann came out. There were eight of us, and nine of them. This was not what was expected. I could see it written on their faces. "I think it is time for you to go home, and think about why you were here. Look at the neighbors, wondering what got into you people. I'm not sure who sent you, but you are going to leave," I said, and took a step forward. Everyone behind me stepped forward as well. The group looked at each other, and turned. They had been defeated. "Mary! Quick, come with me," I said, grabbing hold of her hand. I looked back and yelled, "Kristin! License plate numbers!" Everyone was a bit surprised when I set off down the street. As luck would have it, the police officer was still there. He was in the end car, in a line of three. He was more than surprised when I placed Mary right in front of his car, preventing him from leaving. I walked over to his window and tapped on it. He rolled it down. "You can tell the lady to move. It is against the law to obstruct a law enforcement vehicle," he said to me. "Oh, I think you should arrest her," I said. Mary got a horrified look on her face. When I turned and winked at her, she knew I had something up my sleeve, so she stood her ground. I was grateful that she trusted me so much. "Now why on earth would you want me to arrest this young gal?" the officer said, now confused. "Then there would be a definite record of you being here. But of course, there might just be the question of why you allowed this mob to descend upon the house, and create a dangerous situation." He was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, looking straight ahead, and not answering me. That was fine. He had no good answer, and we all knew it. "I'm not sure of how you do things around here..." I said, getting his attention again, "but how do I get a report filled out about this?" He looked at me, shocked. "You're going to make a complaint?" "Yes, I sure am. I assume you may know who these people were? After all, this is a small community." He shook his head, "I was too far away to recognize anyone for sure." "No problem, we have their license plate numbers." "You can't be serious," he said. "Why not?" He opened his mouth to say something, and then wisely shut it. I could tell he was thinking. "You will need to come down to the station to fill out a form. But I'm on duty now, and no one else can assist you. It will need to be done tomorrow, between one and three." "That will be fine," I said. "Come, Mary, we don't want to detain the officer any longer." He left, squealing his tires, getting away from there as quickly as possible. Mary turned to me as we walked back and asked, "What kind of protection are you under?" I smiled at her as I said, "I figured you might know, but I also wanted you there. If any real problems arise, it would be very hard for anyone to question your character." She laughed. "So you used me?" I rolled my eyes. "Not as much as I'd like to." "Don't make idle promises," Mary said. I growled, "If the neighbors weren't watching (and I'm sure they are), I'd have you down on the ground, with my face buried between those beautiful legs of yours." "Stop it!" Mary said. I could tell she was blushing as I glanced over to her. I also saw her arousal poking through her blouse. "You didn't answer my question, either," Mary said changing the subject. "What one is that?" "What kind of protection are you under? I know my dad," she sighed, "at least there aren't officers around us, like at the university." "Only because I wouldn't permit it," I said. She looked at me with wide eyes, and saw the grin on my face. "Oh, you." Robin came running up to us. "What were you doing?" Robin asked. "Letting the officer know we knew he was there, and that we'd be filing a complaint." Robin looked at Mary, and said, "I guess he didn't like that." "No, he didn't." Robin took hold of my hand, and looked me in the eye. "You are being careful?" "Yes. You didn't see me run out the door when we saw all those people, did you? When they said they wanted to teach Beth Ann a lesson, you didn't see me react to the anger that was inside of me, did you? And you saw me get all of you to form a force, so that the others would back down, didn't you?" Robin sighed, "Yes, I did. It was just scary. Beth Ann is in her room, crying." "That is part of what they wanted. I need to go and talk to her." ------- Bruce had brought the wagon back to Larry, downtown. There wasn't going to be the need for it any longer. Bruce found out from Katy that Larry needed it back to haul some things he'd forgotten. As he rode back out to the mansion; Bruce, who hadn't wanted to spend the effort to take Brian out to the doctor's, was smiling. His son was out of his casts. It had been an eternity, it seemed. Even still, Brian had no leg muscles to speak of. As he thought about it, Bruce couldn't help but laugh out loud. The willingness of Barbara to massage Brian's legs to build up tone was contagious. Julie, who'd been with them, had jumped right in. She said she'd help as well. Bruce arrived at the Mansion, and Richard was outside waiting for him. "They kick you out?" Bruce asked. He was in a grand mood. "Not yet, but it was getting a bit too much. I still can't believe Katy rode out there and just barged into the plane." Bruce laughed. "Katy has always had a mind of her own." Then he winced at the words he'd just said. "Bruce, I know what you're getting at." "Yeah, but it didn't come out very good. I mean, if she and Cliff..." "Wouldn't have produced Robin?" Richard continued from where Bruce had left off. "Keith and I wouldn't have been needed here. Keith wouldn't have stayed in the town. The water would have been fine... "There is good and bad in everything. If we lived our lives fearing every outcome, judging only by what we knew at the moment, it would be a sad world." Nodding his head Bruce said, "You're right. If Katy wasn't like she is..." Richard laughed. "Remember, she's married to me." Bruce blushed, thinking that his secret desire for Katy had just been shown. "I..." he stammered. Richard laughed even harder. "It's ok, Bruce. Katy is a beauty. I might think you were dead, if you hadn't noticed." Bruce wanted to change the subject, fast. "Isn't it great that Brian's out of his casts?" "Yes, it is. A few weeks from now, he'll be on his feet again, even if he's a bit wobbly." "Then he needs to find some work," Bruce said. "After school?" Richard asked, concerned. "I told him that if he didn't get an education, it would be the biggest disappointment of our lives. But he needs to take responsibility for what he done." "Is it going to be hard for him to find a job?" "Recon so. Millie and me's been trying to think of anyone who might need a hand. There's the hotel, but that work would be off and on." "Does he have a horse?" "He's used mine, before. Why?" "Just wondering. Maybe the KRJ Company could use someone for running around." "Who's that?" Richard chuckled. "It stands for Keith, Richard, and Jack." "Oh. Well, Brian doesn't need a hand out." "I wasn't thinking of that. In fact, I'll be talking to Jack about it. If we could use him, I'd want Jack to hire him, not Keith or me." Bruce was nodding. "Makes sense. Hard to tell someone you're kind of related to, that he's not doing his job." "Yep. Jack would be a much more effective boss. I don't know if we need him, but we might. And it wouldn't be for a while, anyway. But that's ok. Brian's not going to be running anywhere for a while." "Don't count on it. The doctor was darn surprised at how fast he'd healed," Bruce said, then snorted. "But then, the doctor said he had the best of motivation." Richard waited, wanting the rest. "A very pretty fiancée. You should have seen Barbara turn red!" Bruce laughed. "We thought she was going to pass out." ------- "Jill, I know you know how to ride better than anyone I know. But, a night ride? I've never done that before. Are you sure we won't get lost?" Tiffany asked. Jill rolled her eyes. "It's just dusk, and these horses could find their way back home in pitch black. What do you think, Vicki, are you scared?" "I'm not scared," Tiffany said, trying to defend herself. Vicki laughed. "She knows just how to get to you, doesn't she?" "Let's go then," Tiffany said, almost pouting. Tiffany and Vicki were surprised when three horses were out front, saddled and waiting. They turned to Jill. "You were sure of yourself, weren't you?" Vicki said. "Yes. I couldn't think why you wouldn't want to go on a ride," Jill said, smiling. Jill hopped up onto her horse. "And the saddle bags?" Tiffany asked. Jill just sweetly smiled, and started her horse walking. She heard Tiffany say, "She can be infuriating at times." They soon joined her, and Jill sped up the pace to a nice trot. Riding to the end of the little valley that the Mansion sat in, they went past the doctor's plane. Up on the little hill, they came upon a trail. "You knew this was here?" Vicki asked Jill. "Of course," she said. Then there was that 'innocent smile' again. "I know where it leads to, too." With that, she took off, leaving the two gals to catch up to her. Jill slowed as she left the trail, allowing Vicki and Tiffany time to follow. The brush was a bit dense in places, but to Vicki and Tiffany, there seemed to be a trail of sorts that Jill was following. It just wasn't as clear as the one they had been on, before. Soon, they had crested another hill, and came down the other side. Jill made a big circle around, and as the gals followed, they were pleasantly surprised. A bowl shaped dirt area free of any of the shrub, presented itself. They dismounted and looked. The valley that Carp lay in was visible. The hills on the other side of Carp were almost at the same height. It made Tiffany and Vicki realize how far up they had gone without knowing it. Beyond those hills, the top of the sun still was showing, giving way to a magnificent sunset. "It is beautiful here!" Tiffany said. Jill nodded. "Jill, how did you ever find this place?" Vicki wanted to know. This was not the sort of place one stumbled upon. Jill had her back turned toward them. She was pulling a few things out of the saddlebags. "A dear friend showed it to me once." "Oh, really?" Tiffany said, thinking that this was something interesting that Jill was letting out. "He brought me up here a month before he died," Jill said, trying to fight back tears. This wasn't why she had brought them up here. "I'm sorry, Jill. I can tell he meant a lot to you," Tiffany said, regretful now for what she'd said before in such a teasing manner. "He taught me most of what I know." "Jill," Vicki said, "I'm surprised you could come here." Turning, Jill had a couple of blankets, which she laid out. Tiffany and Vicki watched her, and waited for a reply. "This is the first time. Another 'nibble of chocolate'," she said. Then she grinned and added, "With you having to follow me, and me teasing you... It made it so fun..." Tiffany laughed, "You like that 'chocolate room' idea Liz came up with, don't you?" "I love chocolate!" Jill exclaimed, setting all three of them to giggling. Then, turning towards the last of the sunset, Jill said, "Isn't that sun just a scorcher?" Of course it wasn't, although it was still pleasantly warm. Jill didn't wait, or want a reply. "I'm a bit hot, aren't you two?" Jill said, and proceeded to strip. The gals watched awe struck. As Jill wiggled out of her pants, she was now down to panties and a bra. She looked up at them. "Bet you're hot, now." She said it so innocently, that it could have come from a five year old. Vicki and Tiffany looked at each other and groaned. "Well, are you going to join me, or am I going to have to play by myself?" Jill asked with much less innocence in her voice. Clothing started flying at that point. Soon, all three of them were on the blankets, with Jill in between Tiffany and Vicki. She kissed one and then the other, on the lips. They looked at each other and attacked, pushing Jill flat on her back. Each girl took one of Jill's nipples into their mouths. Jill moaned and tried to move her hands, but her arms were pinned. Tiffany and Vicki had been twisted and turned by Jill enough. Now it was their turn, and Jill was going to get it... and good! ------- "Don't you think Larry and his brother could start on our house, now?" Cynthia asked. "Haven't we been over this enough?" Jack responded. "You have seen the addition Keith and Richard are doing. It's almost as big as a house. They are almost done. Things go quick around here." "I know, but I just want..." Cynthia started to say. Then Cynthia took Rebecca by the face, and pulled her down to her knees, facing Jack's crotch. Rebecca quickly complied, opening Jack's pants. Cynthia pushed Jack back onto the bed. His lower legs hung over the edge. After removing her panties, she straddled his face. "We'll make him wish he was in his own home, where he could scream," Cynthia said with a gleam in her eye. Jack heard her, and knew she was right. He'd love to be in his own home. Living in the hotel was tiresome. Rebecca moved from using her mouth on his dick, to straddling him. Cynthia heard Rebecca's moan and felt Jack's as Rebecca wriggled all the way down his shaft. "You're not helping," Cynthia said to Rebecca, but knew it was a lost cause. Rebecca had that glazed look in her eyes. It was with a certain amount of jealousy that Cynthia knew Rebecca's baby could shift things. Cynthia had never wanted children. That didn't make things any easier. It worried Cynthia constantly at this point. No one knew but them. Once the facts came out, though, what might change? ------- "Beth Ann?" I called into the dimly lit room. Her mother had shown me down the hall, and had opened the door. We heard her crying. I turned, nodded to her mother, and then walked in. "Beth Ann," I said softly, "turn over and look at me." She didn't, so I took a more direct approach, and gave her ass a little slap. Surprised, Beth Ann jumped and turned towards me. "Are you going to let them rule your life?" I asked. "But you don't know..." Beth Ann said, sounding so forlorn. "Oh, I know. The sight of a bully is the same here as it is anywhere." "Bully?" "Yes, that is just what it is. Beth Ann, do you remember how you felt when you got your uncle's letter? You didn't have much hope, did you? He forced you back into thinking how you are feeling now. Like there is no hope, and you don't have options. Did you go back with him?" "No but..." "Beth Ann," I said sternly, "You have no control over anyone's actions but your own. Don't blame yourself for anyone else's choices. Focus on what happened. Your uncle thought you would just go back with him, and you didn't. Those people out there thought you should just go with them, too, didn't they?" She nodded. "But you didn't. Do you know who is behind all of this?" "The lumber mill owner," Beth Ann answered. "He always gets his way. Always." "Am I going to have to put you over my knee and spank some sense into you?" I asked. Beth Ann's eyes grew, wondering if I was serious. "Beth Ann, he is not the law. He may have a lot of money, and money talks. I don't deny that. But there are a few things he hasn't counted on here, and he is acting just like a bully." "Like what?" "First of all, have you ever heard of something like you saw tonight going on?" She shook her head, as she was thinking, "No." "That is the sign of a desperate bully, Beth Ann. He's scared. My guess is that the lawyer I hired bothers him a whole lot. For one, my lawyer can't be bought off. Secondly, my lawyer isn't from around here, and doesn't need to play nice." "I'm not sure I understand." "The lawyer your father has won't back down. The mill owner has a lot to lose if your dad wins this. Other people might come forward with stories like yours, if your dad wins. The mill owner, the bully, could be ruined. And he knows it." "So that's why he sent those people over? One of them was my..." "Your what?" "Parent's of a friend I had." I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I just went on. "Beth Ann, even if they didn't see you, look at what they did. Is that what you want? Do you want those people to be able to control you? Because that is what they did, just by coming over." She grabbed hold of me, and held on. I pulled her to my lap and rocked her. Then she reached up, and kissed me on the lips. We both heard the gasp. By the way Beth Ann jumped from my lap; I knew it was her mother. "Come on," I heard Robin say, "I'll explain." The doorway was empty, but the door was still open, just as it had been when I entered. Apparently, we'd had an audience. Beth Ann was ready to get up, and get out of the room. My guess was to find her mother. "Wait for Robin to talk to her," I said. "What's she going to say?" "I have no idea, but she's my wife. It will sound better coming from her, no matter what it is." I started to pull her back onto my lap, but she resisted. "If you are going to be one of my wives, you will need to trust me," I whispered to her. She looked at me, almost ready to cry as she asked, "You still would..." "Beth Ann," I said, as I nuzzled into her and whispered, "I love you." She let me pull her onto my lap. I held her there, until I was feeling good enough to think an erection might be about to happen. I didn't want her to get the idea that sex was all I wanted from her. I suggested we go out. Standing her up, I stood, and then took her hand. We walked out into the living room, where everyone was waiting for us. "Be strong. Remember, everyone in this room loves you," I whispered to Beth Ann. Her aunt got up and came over, "Beth Ann, I'm so sorry..." Her tears started to pour out. Beth Ann took hold of her aunt's hands, and said what she had started to go outside to say. "It was not our fault. I have never, nor will I ever, blame you for any of this. Do you understand me?" Her aunt blinked several times, trying to clear the tears in her eyes. "But if I..." she started to say, and then looked at Daisy. "Beth Ann, you have some wonderful people around you." Smiling for the first time in a long while, Beth Ann said, "Yes, I do." I glanced at Robin, who was sitting next to Beth Ann's mother. She winked at me and I knew things must have gone well. I just wanted to know what was said. ------- On our walk back to the hotel, it could have been one of those magical nights. It was quiet enough to hear the waves of the ocean, see the fog as it started to roll in, and hear the foghorn in the distance. Above, the night sky was filled with a million stars. Yet there was a feeling that we were being watched. People were peering out their window shades. It was not a comforting feeling, for we didn't know if they were friends or foes. The night clerk (a different young man than we had met earlier) had a broad smile as we entered. "You sure know how to stir up trouble, don't you?" "I never knew abiding with the law was so much trouble," I said back. His smile left, and was replaced with a puzzled look. "I don't quite get what you mean." "There was a group of people who showed up at Beth Ann's parent's house. I asked them to leave. What problem is that?" "Beth Ann? She's here? I mean... in town?" Then he looked around, as though somehow someone just might hear him, and said in a whispering voice, "I don't think she's very safe, here." Robin had been holding my hand, and her grip tightened. Daisy took hold of my arm and squeezed it. "Do you think she'll be safe tonight?" I asked. ------- Mary understood why I was leaving her at Beth Ann's house. I had walked over to Beth Ann's, with Robin, Kristin, and Mary. Beth Ann had changed clothes with Mary. With Mary's coat and hood on, no one would be the wiser. We left and knew someone would be watching, and probably reporting. But unless they had binoculars (and I didn't think they had), they would assume the four that came, left again. That was the plan. We arrived at the hotel, and waited another ten minutes for the cab to show up. I kept us in the corner, away from the clerk's eyes. I also whispered that we should call Beth Ann, Mary. Then the four of us rode in the cab to the next town. Little was said in the cab to each other. It was in Reedsport that I felt safe to make calls. Even then, we didn't let the cabbie know what I was doing. We went into 'the' malt shop. It was the local, and only, hangout. It was one of two places that were still open in the evening. We arrived fifteen minutes before it closed. I exited out the back, went around the corner, and found the phone Beth Ann said would be there. My first call was to the lawyer. I told him of our run in with the policeman. He laughed, and said not to worry about him. He didn't laugh about the people on the lawn, or what the night clerk from the hotel said. My next call was to Congressman McCarran. He was not pleased to be awakened. His days were filled with exhausting interviews and speeches. When the opportunity came, he slept. This had been one of those times, and I had disturbed it. I told him, in detail, what was going on. He was silent on the phone for a moment. "I'll look into it, Keith," was all he said. Somehow, I wasn't very comforted by that. We had spent more time driving over than I had spent on the phone. Now we were set to drive back. It was an expensive trip for two phone calls, but Beth Ann was in better spirits away from her hometown. It was well worth the expense, and both those calls had been necessary. We made small talk about the malt shop. Now we knew why Beth Ann had said it was so good. The cabbie made comments along with us, so he was buying our story. I had the cab drive up to Beth Ann's house. I turned to Beth Ann and said, "Mary, go in and tell Beth Ann to come out. I think she'll be much safer in the hotel, tonight." She stared at me for a moment, and I thought she was going to blow it. But then there was just a touch of a smile on her face. "Yes, I think you're right. I'll send her out." She pulled the hood over her head and got out. We knew this cabbie wouldn't have a clue about who was who by sight. But we did know that neighbors would. It took several minutes but then Mary, with one of Beth Ann's coats on, came running to the cab. She had a small bag in her hand. I looked at it, and she leaned onto me. "My overnight bag." I nodded, thinking they were getting good at this. I learned later that it was all the deception at the university, getting in and out of the hospital, and avoiding the press, that made them think of things like that. We were taken and dropped off at the hotel. I noticed as soon as the girls went in and I was paying the fare that the police officer drove by. I figured he'd heard the whole story, or at least as much as the cabbie knew. ------- Katy and Richard stopped in front of Millie's house. They had Millie, Brian, and Barbara with them. Julie was along for the ride, as well. Bruce had ridden his horse back. He was there just a few moments later. Richard and Bruce steadied Brian on his crutches, and with their help, he 'walked' into his mother's home. His legs were like jelly. But it was good, mentally, for him to seem like he had done it. Millie and Katy took the wheelchair out of the back of the car. They unfolded it, and rolled it inside. The women looked around and saw Barbara and Julie at the bathroom door. "Girls!" Millie called. "I'm sure he doesn't want an audience. From now on, he can have a little privacy when he goes to the bathroom." This was something Barbara hadn't anticipated. She'd thought only of all the good things that would come with Brian getting his casts off. This was the first time that she had realized there would be some bad along with it. He wouldn't need to be taken care of... well... not like that, anymore. She didn't like the thought of that. Julie touched her shoulder, to make her move out of the doorway. Then Julie whispered into Barbara's ear, as though she could read her thoughts. "I think you'll get to see it... later," she said. Then she added, "But I won't." Barbara moved Julie off into Brian's room. She sat and pulled Julie next to her, so they could whisper to each other. "When Brian can walk, we can go places. And then..." Barbara giggled. "Then we can have some fun." "Keith told me I need to be careful, or I could get pregnant." "Oh," Barbara said. Barbara hadn't thought of that. She was now thinking that she had just spoiled a good idea. Julie, though, started to get a smile on her face, "Keith told us what else we could do, though." "Really! Like what?" "Well... He was talking to Pamela and Jimmy and me. He told Jimmy he could lick and kiss Pamela. You know, down there." "Yeah. That is really nice." "I know. I wonder..." "Brian did, once. I'm sure he... What were you thinking?" "Nothing." "Yes, you were. What?" "Just that Keith..." "I don't know. They're so much older." "They?" Julie asked, and then got the drift. "Richard?" Barbara blushed. "What would Brian say?" Julie asked. "Probably wouldn't mind. The two of them have... I mean they are close. Did you know they saved each other's lives?" "That would be wild! You with Richard and me with Keith. But then, Brian couldn't be left out. Where would he be? I guess it can't happen, though. But I don't understand it. I mean, Pamela said that she wanted Keith to... well you know. Jimmy doesn't care. Is that like Brian would be? I mean, you two are going to get married." "Keith and Richard are married." "I never thought about it that way. I guess so. What would Katy and Robin say if they knew?" The 'girl talking' ended abruptly, with the arrival of Brian. He rolled in, in his wheel chair. He couldn't get out of it, though. "Barbara, can you get him out of that chair? And if so, back into it, by yourself?" Bruce asked. "I'll try," Barbara said. She wanted to, but was unsure if she could. With Brian's help, getting him out of the chair, and rolling him onto the bed was fairly easy. It was getting him into the chair that was a problem. They solved it, by securing the chair so it couldn't move. That way, between Brian's help and Barbara's determination, he was able to get back into the chair. At least it could work, if need be. That was reassuring. Katy, Richard, and Julie left for the Mansion. Once in the car, Katy turned to Julie. "You are going to have to control yourself." "What do you mean?" Julie asked. "Wanting to rub Brian's legs." Julie blushed. "If I didn't know better," Richard said, trying not to laugh, "I'd say you have a serious crush on that boy." "But..." Julie stammered. Katy and Richard started to laugh. "Julie. We know, and it's ok with us. I know you've talked to Barbara. It's ok with her too, right?" "Yes, Brian too. I mean, I can't be his wife. Barbara is going to be that. I just..." "You just what?" Richard asked. "Want to be around them." "Is that all?" Katy asked. "I mean, I had a feeling," she giggled, "from what Pamela told me that you had a thing for Keith, too." Julie hid her face in her hands. It felt like her face was on fire, she was blushing so much. By the time they got home, Julie had composed herself. Katy and Richard hadn't asked her any more embarrassing questions. She ran to the third floor as soon as they were in the house. She wanted to tell the other girls all about what was going on. Katy and Richard retired as well. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day for Richard, with Memco representatives showing up. They were in the room by themselves, but they knew that wouldn't last for long. Undressing, Katy remembered. She reached into the pocket of the dress she had just removed, and groaned. Then she looked on the floor, and under the bed. "What are you looking for?" Richard asked. "Jim gave me a letter today. I put it in my pocket," she said, sounding very upset with herself. "Millie always said that Mom had told her to put a button on these pockets. I just never... Now I've lost it." "Who was it from?" "I don't know. That's why Jim gave it to me. The return address was from Reno, so he thought it might be for Sarah. It just had a 'general delivery' address." "We'd better find it, then. When did Jim give it to you?" Katy's shoulders dropped, "Right before I rode out to the doctor's plane. I got so excited about Brian's casts coming off, I forgot all about it." "Oh," Richard groaned. "Then it could have fallen out almost anywhere." "I know! What am I going to do?" "I guess the first thing will be to tell Sarah. Maybe she knew it was coming. I'm sure she'd help you look for it." "I hate to tell her, it makes me feel so stupid." Richard chuckled, "Now you're trying to keep up with Keith!" "Oh, you..." ------- "Do we really have to sleep in our own bed?" Kristin asked, batting her eyes at me. "You and Mary are sleeping together," I said, raising my eyebrows. "How you do that is your business. But remember, this is a hotel, and sound travels." "Spoilsport," she said, but grinned. Then she took Mary's hand. Pulling her into the room, she turned back and asked, "We don't have to get up early, do we?" I reached over to give her a swat. She jumped away, and laughed as she closed the door. "Are you two going to be just as bad?" I asked Daisy and Liz. They looked sheepishly at each other. Then I realized the two had never done anything together. Robin gave me an elbow in the ribs. "Come on," she said to Daisy, pulling her into Daisy and Liz's room. I stood there watching the door close, and then looked at Liz. She had a small smile on her face. "Does this mean I get you?" she asked. I wasn't sure what to do. But at that point, she wasn't taking no for an answer. She dragged me; well, ok, I went without much hesitation, into my room. Liz had her clothes off in a flash, and she was working on mine. As soon as my pants dropped she grabbed my underwear, and pulled them down also. Then she took hold of my dick, and caressed it. Pulling her up to her feet, I led her over to the bed. After laying her down, I climbed over the top of her, facing the opposite direction. She took hold of my dick once again, while I spread her legs. The feeling was building inside of me, when I heard the door open. Liz was coming down from the second orgasm I'd given her. Glancing up, I saw Robin. She was as naked as the day she was born. Her belly was just now showing the signs that she was with child. Just at that sight, I was ready to unload. She shook her head at me, almost sensing where I was. I moaned in frustration. Robin walked over to me and pulled me over, away from Liz. Liz didn't want to let go of my dick, and it came out with a popping noise. Robin took Liz's hand, and pulled the slightly dazed gal up off the bed. Liz looked back at me, as Robin walked her out the door. A minute later, as I was wondering what to do now, Robin walked back in. "What was all that about?" I asked. "Shh," she said, and then kissed me. "I was just priming, as I saw you were. Now they are together." Robin giggled. "And we'd better be as well. Daisy is good." "So is Liz, one minute more..." "I figured. I could see it in your eyes that you were ready." "That was after seeing you." Robin hugged me hard, as the feeling of utter joy enveloped her. "Come on, Husband. Make love to me." ------- Katy squinted though one eye. She looked at Sarah, who was dressed and ready to go. The light was barely shining through the windows. "What time is it?" "It's almost seven," Sarah said, "Come on and get up. I haven't been able to sleep, thinking of the lost letter you told me about." Katy groaned. She half realized that in their little valley, they were sheltered from the blast from the mine whistle. The miners would be at work by now. She looked and saw Richard turn over. He didn't want to get up, either. She opened both eyes, now. She looked at Sarah, and then yawned. "Ok. Give me ten minutes, and I'll be out." Sarah snorted, "Jimmy told me if you said that, you'd go back to sleep." "I'm going to have to give him a good sound spanking for telling you that," Katy said, yawning again. Sarah could tell she wasn't serious. She wondered if Katy would even remember why she wanted her to get up in the first place. "I've been thinking. We could start at the doctor's plane, and go backwards to Millie's house," Sarah rattled off. She was hit with a pillow from Dora, who was on a mattress nearer the door. "Maybe I should leave. But you are getting up, aren't you?" "Yes. If I don't, and you come back in, I think they would throw me out." Sarah was satisfied, and left. She went down to the kitchen. She was amused at how many people were in Katy and Richard's room. It was like a constant slumber party. Just like Keith's room. But she knew it was more than that. Keith had even married his sisters. And her sister spent the night in Keith's room, as well. There was this strange hunger that made her want to be in that room, also. Jill, who came into the kitchen, interrupted her thoughts. "Is the stove started yet?" "No. I just got down here myself." "No one thought of rearranging the schedule," Jill said, looking at the board. "It was Mary's job this morning, but she's with Keith." "Yeah, I know," Sarah said, with a bit more disappointment in her voice than she intended. "You like him, too?" Jill quizzed. "I just..." Sarah mumbled turning away. "You just what?" "Nothing." Jill laughed and said, "Same with me." Sarah turned back around, and looked at Jill. Then she said, "It's not fair." Jill smiled. "You're right." Shrugging her shoulders and sighing, Sarah walked over to the stove, and fed it some wood. Jill came up behind Sarah, and as she was bent over, gave her bottom a little smack. "Have you told him?" "I'm sure he knows." "That's not the same. I should know," Jill said. Jill thought about the talk Keith had had with her about Sarah. He did indeed know, but Sarah hadn't told him outright. Now Jill was wondering to herself why she was egging Sarah on. Keith had been concerned about not wanting to hurt Sarah. Maybe that was best... and yet... "Sarah, do you know how gentle he is?" "Are you just trying to frustrate me?" "I didn't mean it like that," Jill said and then smiled, remembering. "Then like what?" "He never wants to hurt. He's concerned he'll hurt you." "I'm big enough," Sarah said then turned beet red. Jill grinned and said, "I meant your head and heart." "Oh." That didn't make her blush diminish. Then she realized something. "Did he say something to you, or are you just making this up?" "He said something," Jill replied. "He's afraid that you'll be hurt. He's been avoiding placing you anywhere where things could happen." "So he does know." "You still haven't told him, not in words." "No. But what difference would it make. This is frustrating." "Sarah," Jill said, thinking of all the stories girls had told her at school, "did you ever have a boyfriend that cheated on you?" "One. He was a rat. I hate him." "Keith could never be yours. Not for you alone. If you fell in love with him, you might want him all to yourself. All that would do is hurt you, and the others," Jill said softly. Jill noticed Sarah's expression, and then asked, "You're in love with him already, aren't you?" Sarah didn't want to look at Jill, but needed to answer, "I think so." ------- It is always a wonderful feeling to awaken and look into my lover's eyes. Robin was smashed right next to me. From the looks of it, she had been, all night. I'm sure she needed to get up. I know I did. As I started to roll away, I realized why we were so close. We were stuck to each other like glue, but it wasn't glue. This was the unpleasant part of my strong ejaculation last night. It went everywhere, and now it felt like we were pulling our skin off to separate. As Robin winced from her breast trying to pull free, I'd had enough. 'She is light enough, ' I thought. It caught her by surprise when I wrapped my arms around her, and rolled the both of us out of bed. Holding onto her, I walked to the door. The bathroom was at the end of the hall. I just hoped the desk clerk didn't have a reason to walk up the stars at that moment. As we took up the entire second floor, I knew any other door opening wouldn't bother us. We made it to the bathroom without incident, and after closing the door, I sat down on the toilet. I had to reach under us to aim. "I need to go, too," she said. "It's ok, just go." "But..." "We have to have a bath anyway to get unstuck, so it doesn't matter." I could tell she was still a bit nervous about going on me. But her need took over. I felt the first drops of her warm liquid running between my legs. I was surprised at the sensation, and started to harden. She felt it, and her face broke out into a smile. "You tricked me; you wanted me to do this." "I didn't know it was..." Robin stopped my voice with her lips against mine. "Let's take that bath," she said. The tub was filled and I'd just turned off the water when we heard a knock. "Who's there?" Robin called out sweetly. "Kristin. I need to go." "The door's unlocked," Robin replied. Kristin rushed in, thankfully closing the door behind her, and sat down. It was then she realized there was more than just Robin in the room. As the splash of Kristin's pee hit the water, she stared at us. "We're stuck," I said. That set Kristin to laughing, as she could see the 'glue' that was binding us. She stood, and massaging her bare pussy lips said, "Need any help?" ------- Jill came along with Sarah and Katy to look for the lost letter. They started at the doctor's plane. Katy was embarrassed about showing up so early, although it was now after eight. The doctor was outside the plane when they drove up, though. He was pulling the wheel chocks out. "Need something?" he asked. "I lost a letter that was in my dress pocket, yesterday," Katy explained. "I cleaned up the whole place after you left. I can guarantee that it isn't in the plane." Then he frowned, "I guess it's a special letter?" "Unfortunately it hasn't been opened, so we don't know what's inside," Jill said. "Well I'm glad you caught me, I'm about ready to take off for the day." "Had a call from another mine?" Katy asked, wondering if someplace was in trouble. He smiled wryly, "Well, not exactly, but there is a group from Memco showing up today. I try and avoid them at all cost. They seem to think it's their business to stick their nose where it doesn't belong, so I try and avoid that little group." "Good thinking. Then we'll see you back, tomorrow?" "Yes, I like it here. I must say, they need to get a permanent location for me to be in. This plane works, but isn't adequate for what they expect me to do." Getting back into the car, Katy said, "I think I should tell Richard about what the doctor said. It sounds like this group isn't as friendly as the others have been." She stopped by the Mansion and told Richard. He was ready to go, and thought it might be good for Jack and him to do some thinking before the meeting. Katy then drove to Millie's. Of course, Millie had to remind Katy, as any older sister might, how she had told her time and time again what their mother had said. At the time, it was not helpful or welcome advice. They got ready to leave, after finding the letter was not there. Millie came out to the car. After Sarah and Jill got in, Millie stopped Katy. "Did you know what Dad was doing with Cheryl?" "Let me say it didn't surprise me. If you think about it, did it really surprise you? I knew how much she liked him when we were girls." "But it doesn't give him any excuse to... well... to take advantage." "Maybe you need to go talk with him about it, then. Isn't that what you would be telling me?" "It's not funny." "I didn't say it was, but you sure had a good time throwing advice to me about needing a button on my dress." "That's different." "No, it's not. It wasn't helpful, and you knew it. If that letter didn't mean anything, I wouldn't be driving all over and searching for it, and you know it." "I'm sorry." Katy was a bit taken back. Her sister rarely apologized for something like that. Was it that Millie was so upset with their father? Maybe it was the way she approached her sister this time. She wasn't sure. "Millie, go and talk to Dad. We know you are going to fester about this. Maybe he has some reasons that neither of us know," Katy said. Then she grinned as she added, "After you talk with him, let me know what he says." Millie snorted, "Now I know why you are pushing. You want to know, too. Ok, I'll talk. Or at least try to. I'm pretty mad at him." Katy got into the car, and started off. "That was... interesting," Jill said. "You heard." "The windows don't stop much sound." Katy stopped the car. "Now let me think. I got the letter from Jim. I rode over to Millie's first. I'm sure it was still in my pocket, then. We know it's not at home, or on the plane. So, it had to have fallen out in between. It has to be on the ground, someplace. I'm going to drive slowly the way I rode out. Each of you look out the windows, and see if you spot anything. If not, we're going to have to walk it and see if we can find that letter. ------- After our early morning bath, Robin went back to bed to rest. I went over to the little table, opened up my briefcase, and pulled out the stack of research papers. I would have liked a larger work area, but this would have to do. The light coming in the dirty window above the table was enough to see by, so I didn't need to disturb Robin with a lamp. Robin lazily watched me organize papers for almost an hour. I was satisfied at that point that I could start looking at the information. Leaving the papers in order, I thought this was a good distraction for my mind. I also made a note to myself that I would need to tell the front desk not to have anyone clean the room. The last thing I needed was to start that organizational process all over again. "That doesn't look like very much fun," Robin commented as I walked over to her. I shrugged my shoulders, "Right now it keeps my mind occupied, and that's not bad at all." "You worry too much," Robin said, and then yawned. "Only for the ones I love." She smiled, pulled me to her, and kissed me. I started to slide under the covers when there was a knock at the door. I groaned, got up, and opened it. I found Kristin standing there. "And what do you want?" I asked, wondering if she was just going to taunt us as she had in the bathroom, before leaving. "Oh," she said mischievously, then walked in. "Don't tell me I was disturbing anything." "Not yet, but I was coaxing him back into bed when you knocked," Robin said. "But... You came back to the room at least an hour ago." "He's been working on that pile of papers ever since," Robin explained. "Oh, you poor dear," Kristin said, sitting down on the bed and stroking Robin's hair. "He's been neglecting you." I wasn't going to put up with those shenanigans. I grabbed Kristin's ankles, flipping her to her back on the bed, and spread her legs apart. She was giggling the entire time. Placing my head under her dress, I got a whiff and pulled back out. "Well. Now I can see why she's so sorry for you. After our bath, she needs another one!" "Oh! Mary was being a good girl this morning?" Robin asked. "Very good," Kristin said, and then laughed. "Now the real reason I knocked is that we're all getting a bit hungry." "Robin, dear," I said, slipping my hand under the covers and tweaking her nipple, "I hate to say it, but it looks like you're going to have to get clothes on." "Do I have to?" she said, trying to give me her best pout. "No, I'll just eat you for breakfast," I replied, and dove under the covers. She laughed, pushing me away. It caused her to slide, and she jumped out the other side of the bed. I looked up, the blanket covering the top of my head. There she was, standing there, waiting for me to appreciate her body. I did, more than I could ever place into words. ------- Jack lifted his head and tilted it. Richard, sitting at the table in Jack's office, stopped talking and listened as well. "Sounds like they've arrived," Jack said. "A C-20," Richard returned, not to be outdone. Jack laughed. "Next you'll tell me the configuration of the plane." "Eight seats in the rear. All of them full on this flight. It's carrying only a partial tank of fuel, and the port side engine needs tuning." Jack stared at Richard for just a moment, taken in by his sincerity. Richard's face couldn't maintain it, as Jack looked so stunned. "You are getting as bad as Keith," Jack said. "I don't know if I should be proud of that, or insulted." Jack laughed and said, "Let's go and get this over with." "I'm sure it won't be that bad." Driving out to the landing strip, Jack and Richard looked at each other. "We did hear that plane, didn't we?" Jack asked. "I'm sure of it," Richard answered, perplexed. "It sounded like it was landing, so where is it?" Both of them looked up to the ridge and knew the answer. The plane must have landed up near the mine, and not down where they were. Jack drove his Jeep across the field and up over the ridge. It was faster than it would have been had they used the roads. There weren't eight men as Richard had joked, but four. Neither had seen the four men before. Introductions were made. Comments were made about the doctor not being there, and the like. It was a polite but reserved conversation. The six then adjourned into one of the three small buildings that Memco had placed at the mine. "I was expecting to see the three partners, today," one of the men said. "Do I have it wrong, or doesn't Keith Patterson have the majority share in your partnership?" "He does, but we weren't given much of a heads up for this meeting. He had prior obligations," Richard said. "Well, he'll need to learn to change his schedule." This was the hard nose tactics that Jack had hated in the military. He'd wanted out early because of it. Now, if possible, he wasn't going to let this continue. "I don't think that is how it works, gentlemen. If you have no more respect for the company who allows you to make a profit from us, then we need to re-look at our contract." There was dead silence in the room. The man who had started this intertwined his fingers. "Ok, so you're not going to roll over," he said. He cracked a smile as he added, "But we are here to talk about the contract, and your obligations regarding it." ------- The lawyer arrived shortly after Keith and the gals got to Beatrice's home. No one had disturbed them during the night, but it was obvious they hadn't rested well. Sitting in a large circle, the lawyer again pointed out the pros and cons of what this case held. The district attorney's office had gone after the murder charge, but that was going to be dropped to a manslaughter charge, the first day of the trial. No one else said a word, and kept their mouths shut later, as well. Beth Ann sat there, stunned, as the lawyer ran off the charges her father faced. He also told them of the possible time her father could spend in jail, if convicted. "It's not fair!" Beth Ann finally blurted out. The lawyer and I were both smiling at her. She didn't understand, nor did she particularly like the lawyer at that point, but she turned to me. "What's so funny?" "Beth Ann, I'm not smiling because anything is funny. I'm pleased." Total confusion showed in her eyes. "You're pleased my dad..." I cut her off. "No. I'm pleased because you're mad enough to want to fight." She felt drained, and sat down, only then realizing that she'd jumped out of the chair when she had become so excited. "Beth Ann," the lawyer said, "you can be the greatest witness we have. You can make what your father did justifiable. But if you cave in, if you are uncertain about what you feel, it would be the worse for your father." "So you... You made me see how much trouble he was in, to see how much I loved him?" "Oh, Honey," her mother said, "no one ever thought you didn't love him." "Beth Ann, do you remember when Lt. Payne said he was taking you out on a date?" She looked down, and her forehead crinkled as the rest of her face dropped. "Yes." "He wasn't as bad as what the prosecuting lawyer is going to be like. He will make you feel like it was your fault, like you did this on purpose, like you deserved to be treated that way. He will do all of that so that he can put your father in jail for a long time." "It's not fair." "In a way, you are right. But you also have to understand that at times there might be people who would say anything, even if it was a lie, just to get someone out of jail. The prosecutor is going to try and find out if you are that sort of person. Even if how he does it is pretty nasty." I got up and touched Beth Ann's shoulder. She looked up at me. Her eyes were filled with tears. "It is why we are all here with you. You will never be alone." "Beth Ann, I am here to tell you about what they are going to try. This isn't going to be nice, but if you know about it going in, then you will be prepared." That made some sense to her, and she nodded. I turned to the lawyer. "Would it help if any of the rest of us testified as well? Her roommate, or the people who were around when she got the letter from her uncle? I'd be willing, if it would help. He had a few choice words that he said to me, which might go a long way towards showing how he was behaving." After I said that, I glanced at Beth Ann's aunt. "I'm sorry; this must be awfully hard on you." She tried her best to smile. "I'm so mad at what he did; I hope he rots in hell. What hurts is hearing what it did to Beth Ann. I hate to see that she still has to go through this." I'm not sure anyone knew how to respond to that. Beth Ann's mother got up and walked over to us. She sighed, and then was interrupted by the sound of sirens. She looked towards the outside, "That's the fire siren. Something's burning." ------- It was agonizingly slow going. Carp was a clean little town. Yet, if you were searching, it seemed as though there were what looked like pieces of paper everywhere. At least in the downtown that was the case. A few of the items were actually papers. Some of them were reflections from windows that hit just right. Others were a few white flowers clustered together, or fibrous weeds that had bleached in the sun. All seemed to be tucked in corners, around the edges of buildings, or down the narrow corridors between a few of the buildings. Katy stopped for each one, and they investigated. It took about an hour to go the three blocks of the downtown. Past that, Jill and Sarah had a discussion as to how the wind would have blown the letter when it fell, and where it might have gone. That led the three on a wild maze in and out, around a few homes. Mostly, they were on foot, now. A gust of wind came up, but in a different direction than most. It curried a little dust path down towards the stream. They stopped and watched. Katy felt a lump in her throat. If it had landed in the water... "I'm sure it's stuck in a bush, somewhere," Sarah said optimistically. "Yes, it must be," Jill echoed the sentiment. "Come on, Katy, let's look some more." "You two are just humoring me. But thanks. I feel so bad about it." "It's ok. I'm sure we'll find it. Now look at that!" Sarah said, and ran off to something unseen. After weaving in and out all the way to the edge of town, they had to walk back to the car. Looking and re-looking at places that, at different angles, looked new. Katy was resigned to the fact that it was lost. She got into the car with the girls, and they started back home. At the bend, they had to stop once again and look at something Jill had spotted. Katy wondered if it wasn't getting to be like a man in the desert, seeing mirages. Sarah suggested they look just a bit further up, so they wouldn't have to stop again, at least not so soon. The only condolence Katy had was that Sarah and Jill were in good spirits about the ordeal, especially Sarah. The walk proved unfruitful. They were walking back when they heard the train whistle blow. As they got back to the car, they could see the train pulling into Carp. The strange thing was that it was slowing down. That meant it was stopping. Katy said what Jill knew as well. "It only does that if they're delivering something." "Let's go see what it is," Sarah said. Then she laughed. "If my school friends knew I was excited about seeing a train stop, I'd never hear the end of it. Living in Carp is a much different lifestyle than any of them have ever known." Then to the questioning eyes of Katy and Jill, she said, "But I love being here. It feels so much like 'home' should feel." Katy loved hearing that response, and it lifted her spirits. "Let's go and see what the train is bringing," she said. They jumped in the car. Katy turned it around, driving back downtown. As they approached the train landing, they could see strangers. Sarah's eyes were ready to pop out. "Oh... Oh... Oh," was all she could get out. ------- Chapter 86 As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone was heading for the door. Fire was not something to be taken lightly. Not with a wood mill on one side and the forest on the other. If anything got out of hand, it could wipe out the town, and more. This was not a time for politics, it was a time for action and we all knew it. So did everyone else. As the eight of us piled out of Beatrice's house, her neighbors were outside as well. "Downtown!" someone shouted and we took off running. We could hear the sound of the fire truck's sirens now. Daisy was keeping up with me, the others not far behind. We passed many of the housewives on our way. The smoke started to billow up into the sky, giving its general location. I had a sinking feeling I knew where the fire was. We were on a service road that served the backside of the businesses. I was glad that the service station was on the far end. Some people cut over to the highway there, while others of us went down further. We could see the spray of water hitting the hotel. Black smoke was more pronounced than any sign of flames, from our vantage point. I stopped, just to confirm it was the hotel that was on fire. Robin, who was two steps behind me, plowed into me. I fell, startled, but not hurt. As I got up, my eyes caught the sight of a back window on the second floor of the hotel. Two of them were open. But that wasn't what grabbed me. There was someone's head poking out of one of the windows. I pointed and then shouted, "Look! Someone's in there!" A couple of women behind me stopped, looked to where I was pointing, and then started screaming. That wasn't helpful at all. There was no way to get to him without a ladder. To top that off, the window was small. 'The bathroom window was that size, ' I thought as I quickly ran to the front of the hotel. People were scattered all over. Some knew what they were doing, some tried to help. Some knew to stay out of the way, until they could do something useful. A few were not being so helpful, but were self-importantly getting in the way. Scanning the situation as quickly as I could, I couldn't detect the captain of the firefighters. The next best thing was to get one of the uniformed firefighters. I gave his jacket a good pull, and he turned. His face told me he was not very happy with the way I got his attention. "There's a man on the second floor. He's at a small window in back. I don't think he can get out." That justified my tug, and he shouted out a few orders that brought two ladders off the trucks. Then he shouted at a couple of men who were sitting on the sidelines. When they stood, I felt dwarfed. These were lumberjacks. "They'll get him out," the fireman said, and turned back to his business. "There's a man stuck on the second floor. He's at the window around back, but it isn't big enough for him to get through," I repeated for them. The two lumberjacks grabbed the axes that were next to where they'd been sitting and walked with me. The four men carrying the two ladders followed. The women were still screaming when we returned. Robin, Beth Ann, Mary, and Beatrice were shouting up at the man, trying to calm him. The ladders were raised, one to each side of the window. The two lumberjacks climbed up. Even with two men stabilizing each ladder from its base, the ladder flexed with each step these huge men took. But the men took it in stride. One of the men leaned over and said something to the man inside. We saw the man nod, and move away from the window. The axes started their work at that point. I noticed how they swung the ax in a downward motion. It caused less vibration in the ladder. The old wood framed building was no match for their sharp axes. Within five minutes, they had pulled a large section of the exterior apart. The man appeared at the window again, talking to the men on the ladder. To the left of me, I saw a flash. I turned, and noted a newspaperman and a photographer. When I looked back to the window, the man was out of sight. I was thinking that this was going to be front-page news. The lumberjacks took swings at the supporting frame under the window. Three blows each, and it was gone. Both lumberjacks hooked their axes over the edge of the widow frame. It looked as though they just barely pulled, although I knew better. The window frame crashed to the ground. Now there was a good-sized opening. Both lumberjacks came down the ladders. One of the ladders was repositioned into the opening that they had just made. The ladder had just made contact, when the man appeared at the opening. He got onto the ladder, and almost slid down it before anyone had a chance to go up. We soon saw the reason for his quick escape. Smoke started pouring out from the opening, with fire soon licking at the edges of the wooden frame. I hadn't been able to make out who it was, but when he turned, I knew. It was the hotel clerk. ------- Katy turned to Sarah. Jill was looking at her as well. "You know who these two are?" Katy asked. "Marcia and her mother," Sarah replied; still in shock. "I guess we'd better go and greet them, don't you think?" Katy said. "You are the only one in town who they will know." "Yeah, I guess so," Sarah said, still in disbelief as to what she saw. Katy parked in front of the platform. Marcia was looking around, terrified at the surroundings she saw. Finally, she found a familiar face. "Sarah!" Marcia cried as she ran towards the car. Sarah got out as Marcia reached us. The girl, whom she had fought with because of status issues, grabbed hold of her. Katy and Jill exited the car as well. Everyone could see the hug surprised Sarah. Marcia's mother walked over. "Didn't you get our letter? I wondered if we should call, but we didn't have a number. It was a chance, but the timing was right and so we came." Sarah looked at Katy and they knew. The letter! Finding it was fairly irrelevant now. "I never saw a letter, I'm sure it will show up though," Sarah said. Jill and Katy looked at each other and smiled. This was Sarah's father showing through. "After all of the information we were getting and then your parent's nice chat with us... Well, we just had to come down and see if this would work out," Marcia's mother said. Sarah winced as she now remembered why they were down here. Marcia was pregnant. Instantly curiosity grabbed hold, but Sarah knew she'd never hear the real story with Marcia's mother around... She wondered if Marcia would even tell her anyway. It was worth a try though. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners," Sarah said. "Marcia and Mrs. Hallbeck, this is Katy and Jill." Then Sarah bit her tongue and went on, trying to make the best of things. "Marcia and I practically grew up together, from Kindergarten on. This, of course, is her mother. And this is Katy who is married to Richard. I'm sure you remember that he was in the newspaper about being one of the men who saved this town. Jill is a good friend of mine. Although she lives here, I met her at Linden Hall Boarding School." "Oh!" Marcia's mother said. "That school has quite a fine reputation. You must be a very good student." Marcia was now gauging this new girl. Jill smiled, almost to the point of laughing. "I have friends in high places. One of my best friends is married to Keith, the other man who saved this town. His sister worked there." "Oh, yes. Now I've made the connection. That is why the school here has such a good teaching staff. It was one of the compelling reasons we came down to see the town," Mrs. Hallbeck said. "I'm sorry to say that Liz, Keith's sister and the head teacher is away. The other two are here though and you could talk with them," Katy said. "That's a good idea," Sarah said. "You could take Mrs. Hallbeck to see Tiffany and Vicki, while I show Marcia around the town." "You call the teachers by their first names?" Mrs. Hallbeck said, raising her eyebrows. "We all live in the same very large residence," Katy answered for Sarah. "So while it might be inappropriate for most, they are almost like family to Sarah." Mrs. Hallbeck didn't make any further comment, but decided she was going to see about this. "I think Sarah had a good idea. Jill and Sarah can show your daughter the town while you talk with the teachers." Katy opened the back of the car and they stowed the Hallbeck's luggage. Then Mrs. Hallbeck got in, and Katy took off towards the Mansion. Marcia watched as her mother went out of sight. The girl who had been so full of fire, so full of herself, and so determined to climb over Sarah McCarran's status, socially; was now feeling rather timid. "Come on," Sarah said. "First we'll walk through the downtown." "Do you want me to find something else to do?" Jill asked. "It's ok Jill," Sarah answered. "I'm dying to find out all the details from Marcia, but I doubt she'll open up to me, right now." Marcia stared at these two. This was blatant honesty, something Marcia was unaccustomed to. She'd seen a little bit of this from Sarah, at the end of the school year. It had made her feel uncomfortable. Now she was curious. Why the sudden change? "Then let's go through downtown, and then up to the spring," Jill said and then winked at Sarah. As they started walking, Sarah thought, 'Jill is a good friend.' ------- Jack and Richard stumbled out of the office, and into Jack's Jeep. As they drove down the hill from the new mine, they were glancing at each other. "Why the hell wasn't Keith here to get some of this... ?" Jack asked. For some reason, that made Richard laugh. "What's so damned funny?" Jack wanted to know. "Thinking about it, Keith probably wouldn't have been as upset as we are." "You're probably right, although that doesn't make it any easier. How are we going to get all those miners up there every day? Why didn't we know that was our responsibility? I'm not even sure we're going to be able to do this." "Jack, they got to you. Remember what the doctor said? He doesn't like to be around these guys." "That doesn't make things any easier. They gave us three days to get everything together. You want to tell me why I shouldn't worry? You heard what we have to lose if we don't deliver." "Jack, slow down for a minute." Jack took his foot off the gas. That wasn't what Richard meant. He was talking about Jack's thoughts, not the speed at which he was driving. However, maybe at this point, both needed slowing. "Maybe you should just stop for a moment," Richard said, and Jack did so. "Look, Jack, you're just reacting, now. Tell me who that guy reminds you of?" Jack just looked at Richard like he was crazy. Then, all of a sudden, an image of a man flashed into his mind. "Shit," Jack said under his breath. "Who is it?" "My father." "He knew just how to get under your skin, didn't he?" "Damned right he did." "This guy isn't your father. He's just someone Memco sends out to do a little dirty work. He's effective, I'd have to say." "That's an understatement," Jack said, thinking about his father. "You have forgotten something. We have a secret weapon that this guy probably doesn't know about." "Oh? What the hell is that?" Jack said a bit testy. "My uncle. He's higher up the 'food chain' than this guy is. I'm planning on calling him, and finding out how much of this is real, and how much is 'smoke and mirrors'." Jack brightened up a bit. "You're right, I'd forgotten. My guess is that we may gain some time, but I saw what the contract said, just like you did. We need to make sure the miners are there. How are we going to do that?" Richard had been wracking his brain ever sense it was mentioned in the meeting. He wasn't sure. The miners who lived in Carp weren't the problem; it was the ones from Angle City. That was a fair trip up and back each day by horse, which was their transportation. "Maybe we should call Keith," Richard grinned. "After all, he is the major stockholder in the company. He should share our problems." Jack laughed. "Richard, I think that's a great idea. Make him worry as well." ------- The group of us from the house, including our lawyer as well as a few others, had gathered around the hotel clerk. He was kneeling on the ground, still a bit shaken from the experience. The two lumberjacks also had stayed there. The four with the ladders had taken them back around to the front. "What happened?" I asked. "I heard something upstairs. I knew you were all gone, so I went up to find out what the noise was," the clerk said. "As I got upstairs I would have sworn I saw room seven's door close. I was knocking on it, when room five's door blew open. Flames were shooting out." He started shaking, and Mary knelt down, placing her hands on his shoulders. He looked up into those beautiful eyes, and swallowed. Her presence did have a calming effect on him though, and he went on. "The stairway was almost instantly covered in flames. I knew I wasn't going to get down them. The smoke was getting thick and all of the doors were locked. I only had one option, the bathroom. I'm glad you saw me." "What's going on here?" We turned to see where the loud voice was coming from. The police officer was walking rapidly over to us. "You need to step away from this man. I understand he was in the building. I need to take a statement from him. From what we know this fire started on the second floor." Then the officer looked at me. "That is where you were staying, isn't it?" I thought about how the fire bursting out of room five, my room, could be twisted around in a small town like this. I'd had enough. "You are right. Is there any reason you need to stay here, or are you taking him across the street to your office to ask him questions?" The officer gave a short smile and said; "I think it would be best to have him in a quiet place, where he can think the events through." "Good," I said. "His lawyer and I will walk over there with you." "His lawyer?" the officer said in disbelief. "Yes. Here he is," I said to the astonishment of both my lawyer and the clerk. "And why do you think you are coming along with us?" the officer said, trying to exercise some sort of authority. "Because it is my belief that you will want to arrest me. I want to be right there, to make this easy for you." "Keith!" the lawyer said. "It sounds like to me that you are confessing as we speak." "Shall we go?" I said, not answering his question. I'd had quite enough of this. Whoever started this fire, and I was pretty sure it had been intentional, didn't know what they had gotten into. The papers that were most likely ash at this point were government property. Robin tugged on my arm as I started to go. Beth Ann had a look of horror in her eyes. It was Mary who had an inkling of what I was up to. She was calm. I leaned into Robin. "Don't worry. This is a set up. I'll be back soon." I whispered into her ear. "Talk with Mary." Robin looked at me, pained, but then looked at Mary. I could see Robin relax just a bit. As we walked to the road, there were several people that stopped and stared at us. "There he is. He's the one that started the fire." I turned and looked at the man who said that. I recognized him from the front lawn of Beatrice's home. "I remember you from last night." I said in return. I could tell he didn't like that. His proclamation caused murmuring from others and soon there was an open path to walk. The photographer stepped out and took a picture of us. I shook my head. That wouldn't look good if it was printed. Looking at the man, I said, "You had better check the facts before adding any caption to those photos." A wry smile shone on his face, "You telling me my job?" "No, looking out for it." As we walked past him, he still had a confused look from what I'd said. Traffic was non-existent, as the fire trucks had blocked the road. We walked across the two-lane highway. As soon as the four of us got into the police office, I wasn't surprised that there was another man waiting there. "Sir, this is the clerk that was in the hotel. This," the officer said with disdain, "is his lawyer." "Lawyer! Where did he come from? Son, you don't need a lawyer. You can't afford one in the first place, we all know that," the unknown man said. My lawyer stepped in. "Sir, you are harassing my client, and he is in no position to talk with you. May I suggest that you leave?" "You can suggest all you want, but let me tell you something. I pay for this police force in this here town, and I can be here if I darn well please." Now I knew who this was; the lumber mill owner. "May I make a call?" I asked the officer. He glanced at the mill owner and then said, "As long as it's local." "I'll call collect," I said, as I picked up the phone and dialed 'O'. Pulling my wallet out, I pulled the piece of paper that had the emergency phone number on it. I told the operator the number and that this would be a collect call. It was silent in the room as everyone listened to my side of the conversation. "Hello. This is Keith Patterson. "Yes. That is right. It looks like there was a deliberately set fire, and the papers I was working on have been destroyed. "Yes, I believe so. "In the police office. "He is." I then handed the phone to the officer, who took it tentatively. He listened for a moment and his eyes got as big as they could. He looked at the mill owner, as his mouth dropped open. "Yes, Sir. Not a problem, Sir. I will be here, Sir, you can count on that." The officer set the receiver down on the cradle. "Now what the hell was that all about?" the mill owner wanted to know. "The fire is now in the jurisdiction of the federal government. A plane is on its way here and there will be federal agents in town within the next two hours. As soon as the firemen have cooled down the building, I am to seal it off and not let anyone step inside." "They can't just waltz into this town like they own the place and start giving orders," the mill owner said, furious. "It looks as though they can. This man here," the office pointed at me, "is under some sort of protection from the government. He was working on classified information, that now looks like is burnt up. The federal investigators are going to be looking for answers." The mill owner turned a bit pale at this revelation. ------- The three girls were up at the spring, sitting on the smooth sand base near the tank. "I can't believe there is only one phone in this town," Marcia said. "It's no wonder my mom didn't have a phone number. How does anyone do anything around here?" Sarah laughed. "I didn't believe it either. My dad told me, but I thought he was just teasing me." Jill, who had discovered the convenience of having a phone in the room she shared with Liz at the school, now understood their point of view. Before going to the school, she wouldn't have understood why it would be important. She stayed silent, knowing she'd probably just embarrass herself if she said anything about that. There was an awkward silence between the girls. "Do you like it here, Sarah?" Marcia asked. "I love it. My dad and mom asked me if I wanted to stay and go to school here next year." Marcia couldn't believe her ears. The McCarran's had never said anything about that when they'd come over to the Hallbeck's house. "What did you say? You're staying, aren't you?" Marcia said almost desperately. "Marcia, one of the things that I had to learn about this town is that people here tell the truth. Even when it isn't nice. There isn't the backstabbing like what we knew in school. The people I live with will answer any question I ask them," Sarah said. Then, to make her point, she looked into Marcia's eyes and repeated herself. "Any question." Marcia knew just what Sarah was talking about. She glanced at the other girl and then said, "Anything?" "Yes, anything! Life here is very different than where we come from," Sarah said. "Take a look at this place. This is the spring. These tanks are all new, because of what happened in this town. Can you even imagine what would happen if you might have died because you took a drink of water?" "No," Marcia said. She was getting that uncomfortable feeling again. Sarah was talking about real stuff, things that had to do with feelings. It was hard for Marcia to open up... with anyone. Jill was getting a bit uncomfortable as well. Anytime that part of Carp's history was mentioned, it brought up memories that she would rather erase. "Maybe I should go," Jill said. "No, please stay," Sarah said. "I'm sorry. I know it's hard for you." Marcia didn't understand. "Did you know someone who died?" she asked. "No," Jill said simply. "Marcia, let's change the subject. She doesn't like to talk about it." "Ok," Marcia said, glancing at Jill and wondering what sort of secrets she hid. "Can I ask you a question?" Sarah said directing it to Marcia. "I guess..." she answered wondering what it might be. "What did your boyfriend say when he found out?" Marcia's lips started to quiver. Her mother had said Sarah would ask that question. She hadn't believed it, and now it had happened. "I'm sorry," Sarah said. "You don't have to tell me." "It wasn't very nice, was it?" Jill said. "I know the feeling, being treated like that." Marcia looked up at this girl she didn't know. Somehow her words gave her the courage to say what she'd held inside for so long. "First he couldn't believe it and that made me feel like dirt. That wasn't what he meant to do, I found out later. He wanted to be with me, but his parents wouldn't let him. As far as they are concerned, I'm bad for him now," Marcia said. She started to cry as she went on, "We can never be together. Our baby will never have a family." Jill and Sarah hugged Marcia, and let her cry. ------- "Mo-om!" Kenneth moaned, as his mother was pulling him away from the new construction in the back of the Mansion. "Don't you 'mom' me," Katharine said in a stern voice. "You know better than to be in there. You could get hurt." "But Jimmy..." Kenneth started to say, and then stopped. "Jimmy what?" Katharine asked accusingly. As soon as those words came out of her mouth, she thought about where she was headed with this conversation. Her son had friends; ones he trusted, and ones he liked. Moving around as they had done before coming to Carp had prevented any such relationships. Now her son was gaining that back, and she was just about to attack it. Kenneth knew he was in trouble. But the worst of it was, he just may have gotten Jimmy into trouble as well. His young eyes were starting to fill with tears. He wished Keith was around. Maybe he'd understand, and talk to his mom. The boy had never been spanked, but he feared even that might happen, today. Then, all of a sudden, his mother was steering him over to the bench at the back of the yard. She sat him down and looked into his teary eyes. "Kenneth," Katharine said with much compassion, "it scares me when you do these things. I don't ever want to see you get hurt." The boy could see tears welling in his mother's eyes. That hurt him more than anything else she could have done. "I know that you are growing up, and making friends," she went on. "I just don't know how to handle it all. Your father," she sniffled, "should have been here for these times." "Maybe you could ask Keith," Kenneth said timidly. Katharine sniffled again, but gave a wry little smile to her son. "You like him, don't you?" Kenneth broke into a big smile, "Yeah. He's nice, and so is his wife Robin and his girlfriend Daisy." "Girlfriend?" Katharine laughed, not being able to contain herself at her son's viewpoint. They had met Keith with Daisy, but found out about his wife Robin, later in that visit. It was no wonder that in his mind that is how this worked. "Well not like Stephanie and me. She's my girlfriend," he grinned, "even though she doesn't know it. But not like Jimmy and Pamela. They kiss! That's yucky." Katharine couldn't help herself, and gave her son a little kiss. "Mo-om!" They both giggled, knowing she was just teasing him. "Well, Keith is gone right now. Maybe I could talk to Richard," she said, wondering what response Kenneth would give. She was much more attached, in more ways than one, to Richard. Her children, though, loved Keith. In this odd living situation, where they were all together, it worked well. "Ok," Kenneth said, as though it wasn't a big deal. Katharine and Kenneth were walking into the house. She was thinking that her son was so much different in the way he thought than her daughters. She understood some of her daughter's quirks. Kenneth, on the other hand, often would remind her of her late husband, by some little pose or gesture. Sometimes, it was just the way he would say something. Those moments were precious to her. On the other hand, he had started recently to exhibit traits that she never understood in her husband. This latest behavior was a clear example. Her daughters would never have done this, yet Kenneth went with no fear. She needed help to understand the way boys thought. As she opened the back door into the kitchen, Kenneth looked up to his mother. "Jimmy's not going to get in trouble, is he?" he said, his voice quivering, showing the concern he had in having a friend mad at him. "No, Honey," she said, thinking that Jimmy was a stinker all on his own. Talking to Katy might be in order, to see how she managed. "We are going to talk about this again, though, after I talk with Richard. Ok?" Kenneth nodded, pleased that he hadn't gotten Jimmy in trouble. "And," Katharine stated, in a way to make sure Kenneth knew she meant business, "no going back in there." "Yes, Mom." ------- Richard and Jack were standing by the phone, in downtown Carp. They were frustrated. Richard's uncle was out of the office until tomorrow. Three times they had tried to call, but the operator couldn't get through to anyone at the hotel. They were racking their brains, thinking of how to get hold of Beth Ann's mother. Jack didn't have a clue as to what Beth Ann's last name was. Richard was sure he'd heard it, but for the life of him couldn't remember it, either. They attempted to get anyone to answer at the hotel where Keith had said they would be staying, one last time. After that they left in Jack's Jeep, to go to the Mansion. Someone must know Beth Ann's last name, and although they didn't want to feel embarrassed asking such a dumb question, they did want to get hold of Keith. Jack was driving into the small valley that held the Mansion. "Do you know when the new extension is going to be done?" Jack asked. "Larry said in another week, they will paint. Then it will be ready to move in." "Good. Cynthia has been bugging me about getting started on our house." Richard grinned. "She doesn't like the 'base housing' of Carp?" Jack laughed. "Never thought about it like that, but that's about it. Not much privacy." "Which one makes the most noise?" Richard asked. Jack started to answer and said, "Reb..." Then he looked at Richard, and shook his head. "You and Keith. I never get to let down my guard." Richard raised his eyebrows. "I thought that was only in the bedroom." Jack was still laughing as they stopped in front of the Mansion. Katy came out to great them. "How did it go?" She asked. Jack groaned. Richard said, "Don't ask," with a disgusted expression. "That bad?" "Do you know Beth Ann's last name? We need to get hold of Keith and let him enjoy our misery." "That doesn't sound good." "Frustrating is more like it. Now we know why the doctor left. I wish I would have gone with him," Jack said. Katy giggled. "I don't think Cynthia would have liked that at all." "I'm sure she wouldn't. She's getting used to me being around all the time," Jack said and then smiled. "So am I." "Are you completely frazzled?" Katy asked Richard. "Frustrated, but that's work," Richard replied. Then he took her into his arms and swung her around. "Why? Did you have something in mind?" "Katharine needs a bit of help." Jack started to chuckle. "Not that kind of help, Jack," Katy said with a grin. Jack gave just a touch of a blush, so she added, "this time." "What does she need?" Richard wanted to know. "She's feeling a bit overwhelmed with Kenneth. She didn't have the sort of problems with the girls, as she's having with him." "And Keith's not here," Richard added. "You know she..." Katy started to say. "Her kids love Keith. There are no two ways about it." Richard replied. "Ok, Kenneth asked for Keith. But he said you were fine too." "Well that's encouraging," Richard said, grinning at Katy. "Our child will be looking to you," Katy said, rubbing her belly. "Good thing everyone has had the good sense not to ask me," Jack said. "I know next to nothing about kids." "But Rebecca. I mean... she's..." Katy asked, concerned. "Yes, she is. We're still trying to figure out how that happened," Jack said. Katy shook her head, "Oh, you!" "Well, it was sort of a mistake. Cynthia can't have children. That was ok with me. I saw too much in England. Kids without parents; orphaned from a bomb dropping out of the sky. It tore me up inside." Jack was silent for a moment. Then he went on. "We just never thought about the fact that Rebecca could get pregnant." "You want this baby, don't you? You haven't made Rebecca..." "Katy, stop worrying. Cynthia and I have taken Rebecca into our lives. While this was unexpected," Jack smiled, "I think I might like it. If it's a boy, maybe he'll be mischievous like Jimmy and Brian." "You want that?" Katy asked. "He'd be like his father then," Jack admitted with a large smile. They laughed. "I'm a bit worried about Cynthia." "Why?" Richard asked. "You mean other than the house?" "She's feeling left out, isn't she," Katy said. Jack nodded. "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you," Katy said. "You found the letter?" Richard asked. "No, we met the ones who sent it," Katy answered. Jack and Richard looked at each other, perplexed. "The train stopped and let off Marcia and her mother," Katy explained. She noted the blank looks. "Marcia is Sarah's friend who happens to be pregnant." "Oh? She's here?" "Marcia is with Sarah and Jill right now. Her mother is with Vicki and Tiffany, learning all about the new school. I let Vicki drive them downtown, so she could see the school. I hope you don't mind." "It's your car, too," Richard replied. A quick run through, in the house, provided no answers to Beth Ann's last name. Richard talked briefly with Katharine, saying they would talk more, later that day. Then Jack and Richard got back into Jack's Jeep and drove back downtown. They passed Richard's car and waved at it, as it headed back to the Mansion. Richard was glad to see Vicki driving responsibly. He'd never seen her drive before. Jack pulled up in front of the phone, just as Jill, Sarah, and Marcia appeared from the hotel. "Did you see Vicki and Tiffany?" Jill asked. "We heard they were downtown with Marcia's mother." Richard chuckled, "Good introduction, Jill." Jill blushed. "Yes, they were here, but we just saw them driving back as we came," Jack answered. "Darn," Sarah said. "We wanted to show Marcia where we live." "We have a call to make, then I'll be taking Richard back out," Jack said. "You don't happen to know Beth Ann's last name, do you?" Richard asked, not expecting any better response than what he'd found at the Mansion. "Yes. Why?" Sarah answered. "You do?" Jack exclaimed. "We need to get hold of Keith, and no one is answering at the hotel," Richard started to explain. "You can't call her mother's house, 'cause you don't know her last name," Jill said, very amused. Marcia was watching this exchange. Jill and Sarah were talking to these adults... like equals. The adults were relating in the same way. This was not something she'd never seen before. Her parents talked this way at times, but not recently. No other place, though. "I'll get her mother on the line," Sarah said, then smiled, "but I want to say 'hi' to Keith, first." Richard laughed. "My, you drive a hard bargain." Sarah picked up the phone and looked at Richard. "What's the name of the town they're in?" Then she was startled. She held the receiver away, looking at it a moment. Placing it back to her head, she said, "Hello. The operator? Yes, this is Carp. I was about to make a call and we didn't hear the phone ring. Keith? Keith Patterson? Yes, I'll talk to him!" ------- The policeman didn't seem as upset as I expected him to be. The mill owner, on the other hand, had thrown a chair through the window before stomping off. I was thinking to myself, 'Once a bully... ' Now that the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, I wasn't going to feel particularly safe until those federal agents showed up. That mill owner was a wild card. I didn't want to be anywhere near him again. He was as big as those lumberjacks that had taken out the side of the hotel wall. The police officer, while a little smaller, was still an imposing man. I wasn't as frightened about him, though. The four of us walked back across the street again. Anyone not involved directly with getting the fire contained stared at us. I turned to the clerk, "If you need anything... You know where Beth Ann's house is?" The clerk brightened. "I sure do," then he blushed slightly. "We went through school together... That is, 'till she moved away." I was amused, wondering how many boys in this town had crushes on Beth Ann, and if she had any idea. While I had been talking to the clerk, the lawyer had gathered the others. We walked back to the house. Once inside, I told them what had happened inside the police office, and about my call. Robin looked at me, "You knew something was going to happen, didn't you?" "I was prepared," I answered tactfully. "I'd rather stay out of hospitals." I got the idea that was just the right thing to say to her. She hugged and kissed me, very passionately. When we broke apart, I noticed that both Beth Ann's mother and her aunt were blushing furiously. Apparently this sort of affection was never displayed in public, in their lives. I was going to ask Beth Ann about that. Once she had calmed down, Beatrice said that we had to spend the night there. Without a car and not knowing what other options we might have, we accepted. It was at that point that reality started settling in, at least for me. The research papers were not the only things lost. We had the clothes on our backs, and that was it. Somehow images of getting pulled out of Carp and put on a train with nothing more than this, came to mind. I laughed; realizing there was little one could do in situations like this. Kristin and Liz, Robin and Daisy, Beth Ann and Mary were all looking at me, as though I'd gone insane. "Doesn't it feel like we're back on the base?" I said. They did see why I might have laughed. Well, all except one person. "I wasn't there," Beth Ann said. "Good thing," Mary answered, making light of it. "We only had the clothes on our backs then, as well. The biggest problem was that we were stuck and couldn't leave. At least tomorrow, we can go buy some undergarments." "Mary!" Beatrice exclaimed, looking at me. My peripheral vision noticed a few rolled eyes, grins, and hands over mouths, suppressing laughter I could only guess. "He's married and she's pregnant. I hope by now he knows about such things," Mary retorted. Beatrice turned bright red and stammered. "Oh, Mom," Beth Ann said, "you're going to find out soon enough. If they can embarrass you, they will." "Can I make a call?" I asked, changing the subject. "Yes, you may," Beatrice answered, glad to be talking about other things. I picked up the phone, heard someone talking, and set it down again. Mary watched me do this. "I thought you were going to make a call?" she asked. "Someone was on the line." She looked at me, puzzled. "You don't know about party lines?" Beth Ann asked her. "No, what's a party line?" "There are six houses that share the same phone line," Beth Ann answered. "You're kidding me." "No, Mary, she's not," I said. "I'm sure, because of your father, you never had one. The university had its own system, and you shared a phone on each floor of the dorm, so I guess you've never heard of party lines, before." "Never," Mary said, shaking her head in disbelief. I picked up the phone again and smiled. "It's free," I said to Mary. She knew I was making fun of her, so she squinted her eyes, and shook her finger at me. We all laughed while I was dialing the operator. It is always a guess of who is going to pick up the phone in Carp. I heard the operator dial, but the phone didn't ring. I thought something must be wrong, until I head Sarah's voice on the line. "Sarah! It's great to hear you. Who else is there?" "Jack, Richard, Jill and my friend from home, Marcia. Jack and Richard wanted to talk to you. They tried the hotel, but no one answered. They came looking for someone that knew Beth Ann's last name, so they could call her mom's house. I was the only one who knew, but I told them I'd dial it, so I could talk to you," Sarah rattled off. I laughed. "Sarah, if you wanted to talk to me, are you going to let me talk to you?" I could feel the blush through the phone line. "Yes, Keith," was her response. "Marcia? Is that the girl who is pregnant?" "Yes. She and her mother arrived today." "I'm sorry we aren't there." "Keith!" Sarah said, and giggled. "You're married." "Sarah, behave yourself." "Do I have to?" "Yes you do, young lady. Now, you said Jill was there?" "Yes, she is." "Good. Let me talk to her. I'm sure whatever Jack and Richard wanted to tell me is boring." Sarah's golden laughter trailed off, and I heard another angel on the phone. "Hi, Keith. What did you want?" "To infuriate Jack and Richard!" I answered. Jill giggled. "Also, hearing your voice is nice, as well." "Keith!" I could tell she was blushing. I sighed. "I'd better talk to them now." "Alright. Oh, Keith?" "Yes?" "Make sure you talk to Beth Ann like you did me. It helped me a lot." "I love you, too. And thanks." Jack was on the phone a second later. "What are you saying? Both of them blushed like crazy." "You know me." "Yes, I do..." Jack said, and then came to the point. "We didn't have a very good meeting. That's why we were trying to call." "Trade you." "Trade me what?" "Days. Someone set the hotel we were staying at on fire." "Jeez, Keith. You sure know how to step from the frying pan, right into 'that fire'. What did you do, now?" "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I anticipated something like this." I heard a snort from Jack's side. "Ok, maybe not quite like this, but I was prepared." "Good to hear," Jack said. "Hold on, Richard wants the phone." "What's this about a fire?" Richard asked. "The hotel burnt. Most likely by the time it's out, there will be little left of it. They are just trying to save the businesses next door, at this point." "Probably affected the phone lines as well. We couldn't get through, and now there is a clicking noise. How is Beth Ann holding out?" "Goes back and forth... you know." "She's standing there, I take it." "You got that right, Richard." "I heard Jill tell you to talk to her. That was good advice. Take her out somewhere alone, so that you two can talk. She needs that." "Thanks for reminding me," I said, knowing he knew what I meant. "There is a lighthouse not very far from here. We can hear it as the fog rolls in. I'd love to see it." "Good idea. Now that I've helped you, you can help us." I laughed and said, "I knew there must be a catch. What do you need?" "Got any idea's on how we can get the miners up here each day from Angle City? Apparently, that is our responsibility. If we don't have enough workers for the mine, our profits go down accordingly." "Jack did mention that the meeting wasn't very fun." "You're right; we wished you would have joined us." "The first thing that pops into my head is the train. That doesn't sound very feasible, though." "You're right. Not to put any pressure, but we need an answer that works, in a short amount of time." "Thanks!" "Hold on," Richard said. Jack was back on the line, "Keith the train idea is along the right path, but we all know that won't work." "I know... Say, what did we come up with for the school kids?" "A bus," Jack said, sounding like he was stupid for not thinking about that. "I know you were going to check on the base about busses." "I did. I had three of them pulled aside for auction. You wouldn't believe how many were on the base. I couldn't believe it when I looked at the inventory. Two of them have had very little use, and the third was not used more than twice. I never set the date for the auction, so they're probably still sitting there, waiting. At least, I hope so. Keith, I've got to go and make a call to the base." "Ok, glad I could jog your memory. Now you know where to reach me." "No I don't. What's the number?" I got the number from Beatrice, and we said goodbye. ------- "What fire?" Jill demanded to know. "Someone set a fire in the hotel they were staying in. From what Keith said, it's pretty well gone." Marcia looked at Sarah and Jill. They looked a bit pale at the news. "Come on, girls, I think we'd better take you home," Richard said. "What's wrong?" Marcia asked Sarah as they started off in Jack's Jeep. Sarah bit her lip, trying not to cry. "Keith..." Richard turned around, as he had heard the question. "Marcia, is that right?" "Yes, Sir." Richard laughed. "Don't call me sir, please. It makes me feel as old as my dad!" The three girls snickered at that. Richard went on, "Marcia, Keith has done a lot for these two and neither one of them likes to see him in any sort of danger." This was news to Marcia. She pulled at Sarah's blouse. "What did he do for you?" Sarah turned to Marcia and blurted out, "He saved my life." Now it was Marcia who had the stunned expression on her face. "He did what?" "There was a man who tried to... Keith got me away from him, and the last thing I saw was the man pointing a gun at Keith," Sarah said. She wanted to tell Marcia for some unexplainable reason. She was forcing herself to say it, but she couldn't go on. Sarah started to shake, thinking of what happened after that. This was the first time Jill had seen Sarah like this. She realized that Sarah maybe had a 'chocolate room', too. Maybe for a different reason, but needing it all the same. Jill pulled Sarah into a hug. "It's ok, Sarah. He's fine. You know that." Marcia was wide eyed, looking at her friend. It was as though she had no idea who this person was. It scared her in a way, but there was something there she couldn't explain. She needed time to sort this out. That could only happen when she was alone, in quiet solitude. It didn't look like that would be possible, here. Over the course of the last few months, she'd realized the cost of not doing that, of not paying attention to her own feelings. She had figured out that without her 'quiet time', she would become agitated and blow up at others. With all of these new things going on around her, she wondered how she was going to manage. As Jack turned the corner into the small valley, Marcia got another surprise. Richard looked into the back seat, and said, "Marcia, this is where we live." ------- Vicki and Tiffany were in the library with Mrs. Hallbeck, Marcia's mother. The conversation had been very fruitful. Now, sipping tea, Mrs. Hallbeck was lost in her thoughts. She had arrived with fear and trepidation regarding her daughter's future. Her husband had been less than helpful, taking the opinion that his daughter was now 'tainted goods'. His thought was that Marcia had not much of a future. He left anything to be done to his wife's discretion. Now, in just the short time being in Carp, Mrs. Hallbeck was looking forward to having her daughter living here. This town had so many things to offer Marcia. It reminded Mrs. Hallbeck of the town she had grown up in. Yet, in a way, Carp was slightly better. Tiffany and Vicki; who were sitting in front of her now, had taken great effort to make sure she understood what they would be doing in the school. That, in itself, was enough for her to send her daughter here, pregnant or not. This was going to be as good of an education as Mrs. Hallbeck could have found anywhere. There was another surprising element that she hadn't expected, as well. These people were warm, open, and downright honest. Those attributes were things that would be a good influence for Marcia. She had watched her little girl turn from being sweet to a somewhat nasty social climber in her school environment. As much as she had wanted to throttle her daughter for some of her behavior, she knew deep down, where her daughter had learned it. That was the shame she felt. When her daughter became pregnant though, Mrs Hallbeck was forced to look at the problem head on. It wasn't very nice. Now there was one big hurdle to jump: Sarah. During her many talks with Marcia's friends, she had become acquainted with Vivian. At first, the status of the girl surprised Mrs. Hallbeck that Sarah had befriended her. She was taken aback by her own feelings of classing people. She was now ashamed at how those ideas must have rubbed off on her daughter. Vivian was a treat, though. Firstly, Vivian shared a side of Sarah that Mrs. Hallbeck had never known. It was a side that made her hope for her daughter. Then Vivian opened up the possibilities of Carp, bringing this town into the light. The only dark spot was Vivian's portrayal of Sara and Marcia's relationship at this point. Mrs. Hallbeck was stewing about that. There was a positive response when Marcia and Sarah saw each other. Mrs. Hallbeck was hoping, but hadn't wanted to be separated from her daughter as soon as they stepped off the train. Everything looked so good, here. This could be a very positive thing for her daughter. The thought that Sarah and Marcia could have a fight, poisoning her daughter to this town, made her heart ache. She was going to have to keep her fingers crossed and tread gently, finding out how things went, before saying anything. ------- The lawyer had us sit down. Once everyone had settled down, he said the last of what he needed to say. He had taken me aside before we were all seated, so I knew what was coming up. Purposely, I had Beth Ann seated between Mary and Kristin. I sat next to the lawyer, so I could look her straight in the eyes. "Beth Ann, tomorrow it will be time to visit your father." As soon as the lawyer said that, Beth Ann's tears started to flow. Beth Ann glanced at her mother and then at me. I smiled at her. "We are all with you, Beth Ann," I said to her. She nodded. "Beth Ann," the lawyer went on. "Tomorrow will be a very difficult day, but I think it will be very fruitful, as well. I can tell you, as I saw him this morning before I came here, that your father is anxious to see you. I can also tell you from years of experience that there is something you will not be expecting when you first see him. He is going to be embarrassed at where he is, and that you are seeing him this way." There was little left to say, and shortly the lawyer left. Beth Ann was quiet the rest of the afternoon. I told Robin about Jill and Richard's suggestion. She agreed with them, and told me to take a walk with her. I had been a bit worried about leaving everyone in the house without me, and for that matter taking Beth Ann alone. Robin pointed to the clock. It had been almost two hours that we'd been home. It was before that, that I'd heard the team would be in town. They would be looking at the fire, and who knows what else. At this point, we should all be safe. Those were my feelings. Beth Ann didn't share them quite the same way. She relented in the end, though, and went for a walk with me. Her mother had a lot to do with that. I would have been interested what she said, but knew better than to ask. When a mother whispers things into their daughter's ear while looking at you and the daughter blushes... Sometimes it is best to not ask questions. Our path, by way of design on my part, took us past the hotel. There was one firefighter on duty. The police car was in front of what had once been the town's hotel. What remained were a charred first floor and the unstable partial second story outside walls. The two buildings on either side had a bit of damage to their roof, but otherwise were unscathed. At least that was a blessing. "Keith, you could have been in there," Beth Ann said, shaking at the sight. "Not likely. This was done, not to kill us, but drive us out of town," I said as I pulled her along. "It is the act of a very aggressive bully. If he couldn't get his way one way, he'll go another route." "But Keith..." "Do you have any idea who owns the hotel?" "The lumber... How did you know that?" "He only destroyed what is his, making a big show. He did not place anyone in danger, other than the clerk, I might add. But I think he didn't expect that. Beth Ann, this is the work of a person who thinks they can do pretty much as they please and doesn't like it when someone comes along challenging that." "You make it sound so simple." "Like I said, a bully is a bully. They might do a few things differently, but they always follow the same pattern. It is pretty easy to follow if you know what you are looking for." "How do you know all this?" Beth Ann then got a little smile on her face, "Were you one once?" I laughed at that thought. "No, not even close. I was small when I was in grade school. I had bullies picking on me. My dad sat me down and taught me about them, after one of them gave me a black eye. He came by before school was out the next day and brought me to his car. I pointed out the two school bullies. He told me what to look for, and how they would react. My dad had it down pat. From then on, I watched and learned." I paused, thinking about that, and smiled. "What happened?" Beth Ann asked, noting my expression. "I set one up. He was the one that gave me a black eye. I knew just where the after school 'yard duty lady' was going to be. I knew, 'cause I'd made sure she was where she was right then. I then pissed that bully off. It wasn't hard to do. Then I ran for it. I stopped, looking like I was out of breath, right around the corner from the 'yard duty lady'. She was out of the bully's sight, but could hear everything. He threatened me, and started to punch me, when he found himself against the wall. He got expelled for three days for that one." "Bet he learned his lesson." "You or I would have, however that was another valuable lesson I learned. They don't like it when they look bad. They come back with a vengeance. It is why I asked for protection. He won't back down, unless forced. This is the force that will do it." "I'm glad to hear that," Beth Ann said. We were now on the single lane road that led out to the lighthouse. There were green rolling hills to our right, with clumps of trees scattered here and there. I couldn't yet see the lighthouse. Beth Ann told me as soon as we turned the corner in the road that I could see coming up, we'd be able to see it. Then she added that as soon as the fog started rolling in, we'd certainly be able to hear it. ------- Two federal arson investigators, a federal marshal, and three of his deputies were on a flight within twenty minutes after Keith had made his call. The two hours that was told to the police officer was a stretch. If everything had gone just according to plan, it would have been close. But the number of times that had happened in the past two years could be counted on one hand. The feds had gone over the information packets that had been given them. Some of it was obviously well done, and ready for deployment if needed. Other information was hastily put together. They knew the contact: Keith Patterson. There were copies of the news articles from the Carp incident, as well as the university incident. These were in addition to the fill-in information that the papers didn't have access to, or weren't about to print. There was a small rundown of the others that were in Patterson's company. Robin Patterson, his wife. Kristin and Liz Patterson, his sisters. Mary McCarran, the congressmen's daughter. Daisy Freedham, a friend and the ex-wife of the man who had shot at Keith. Then there was Beth Ann, the reason Keith Patterson and the rest of them were in this little seaside town. This information was well put together. It was easy to see for every one of them, the connection that was going on here. The congressman's daughter and his involvement with Keith Patterson... That, by itself, was enough to put some priority into the situation. Then, to top that, was the sticky situation with the chemicals that weren't supposed to exist, poisoning the town of Carp. Plus the fact that Keith was working on that problem. This is where the sketchy details came in. A fire that looked set... burnt up research papers that Keith had been working on... prior information that suggested a connection with the large lumber mill owner... That was about as much information as they received. They felt like they were walking into the unknown. Every one of them knew the first thing to do as soon as they got there was to contact Keith Patterson. As their plane landed, they were greeted by the local authorities from Reedsport. The locals had been alerted to their arrival. The locals' assessment of the police officer was that he was a competent man, but was swayed by the money and power that the mill owner had, in the town only a few miles away. Two cars were 'loaned' to the crew. The arson team loaded up their gear, and the two cars drove off. ------- Jed, as most of his friends called him, was downright livid. He made his father's actions at the police station look pale, in comparison. The young man, spoiled from birth and accustomed to getting his way, couldn't believe what was happening. That was his father's hotel in the first place. How dare they seal it off and send outside investigators in. A small amount of worry was squashed by the overwhelming desire to punish the man who was causing this problem. He rampaged through the house and then sat down, as though he was as calm as anything. Making a call, he found out there had been a conversation overheard on the telephone that Keith was going to take Beth Ann to the lighthouse. This was almost too perfect. When his father got to the house, after one of the housekeepers called him in a panic, he was appalled. Even in his anger, never had he destroyed parts of the family china. But there, in the formal dining room, were the remains of what had once been a set of fine English bone china. The man's rage got the better of him, and he set out to show his son who was boss, as he couldn't seem to do that with anyone else that day. No one was witness to what happened. The housekeeper and cook, afraid for their lives, drove away. The man found his son in the barn, and took out his anger. First he used his fists, then some rope. Lastly, while leaving, he used the handle of a pitchfork. This left his son with an anger that burnt even deeper. His body hurt from the beating. It had been a long time since his father had done something like that to him. As he got up, his right arm hurt like hell. He'd been out in the barn for a reason and now he was even more determined. In the tack room, behind a piece of wood, he unwrapped a rifle. He found driving to be a bit of a problem. His legs stung a bit, but it was his right arm that wouldn't respond as normal. It hurt so badly that he swore each time he needed to change gears. Passing the hotel, he saw a new car there. 'The fuck'n feds', he thought. Having a problem steering, he parked across the entrance of the one lane road to the lighthouse. Now it was on foot. Tucking the rifle under his coat, he walked. I was dusk, and the fog had started to pull in. He would have made the walk faster... Hell he would have just driven out there. But his father... He was now at the corner. He could just make out the lighthouse. Beth Ann and the man couldn't be seen, but he knew they were there. Then he saw movement. Pulling out his rifle, he looked through the scope and smiled. He was just about to pull the trigger when the foghorn blasted. ------- Chapter 87 Marcia felt like everyone was lying to her. Sarah was living in a Mansion! What had been described as a small desert town was thrown out the window. Her eyes were trying to take it all in. This house, as Sarah had said, was nothing of the sort. It was a Mansion with a capital M. She walked up the stairs and saw the magnificent front doors. Sarah and Jill were still joking about the place. Marcia, though, was in a state of shock. Was anything what it seemed? If this was where Sarah lived, where would she live? Probably in one of those run down homes in town. It dawned on her that she had been set up. Sarah was getting her back, and nothing had been real. That made so much more sense to Marcia than all that presumed honesty. As they walked into the entry, Marcia glanced to the right and saw a finely appointed living room. To the left... Oh! That piano! She'd seen one in a book that looked like that one. It was worth a fortune. Marcia felt her world caving in on her at that moment. Sarah, her ex-friend, was at the top of the world. She, the pregnant one, would be no more than some servant girl. How could her mother do this to her? Marcia's mother heard people come in the front door. She heard Sarah talking, so she got up, and saw her daughter in the entry. She called to her daughter, but got no response. Thinking that Marcia hadn't heard her, Mrs. Hallbeck moved into the music room and called again. "Marcia?" Her daughter turned and looked at her mother, with a face that made the woman recoil. "How... How could you do this to me?" "Marcia!" The girl bolted out the front door and ran down the path. Everyone standing there was stunned at Marcia's actions. "Sarah," Mrs. Hallbeck sadly asked, "did you two get into a fight? Vivian told me you two hadn't been getting along." Sarah, still looking out the front door said, "No. I have no idea why she did this." "Did what?" Katy asked, coming from the back of the house with Laura in tow. Jill turned to Katy and answered. "We just came in. Jack and Richard brought us out here, because Sarah wanted to show Marcia where we lived. Then her mother asked her a question... I don't really know what happened." "Sarah?" Katy queried, wondering if there was more. "We had a good talk up at the spring. It was like I was getting a friend back, but on better terms. You know, more honest," Sarah answered. Katy nodded. "Mrs. Hallbeck, lets have a chat." "But my daughter!" "Don't worry, she will be fine." Katy turned to Jill. "Can you take a horse and go get her in a bit? I'm sure she needs to cool down a bit first, though." Jill nodded, but wondered why Sarah hadn't been included in that request. She saw the reason, as Katy took Sarah's arm and pulled her along with her for that 'chat'. Laura gave Jill a longing look. Jill knew she wanted to be included. She also knew the time wasn't right. It was going to be hard on Laura. It had been hard on her enough, recently. Jill had spent some 'quality time' with Tiffany and Vicki and now this new girl was taking her time away from Laura. Jill took Laura's hand and walked her up to the third floor. Inside her bedroom the two sat on the bed. "Laura, do you remember when you thought I'd be leaving? Do you remember feeling that no one loved you?" "Yes, but I don't like to think about that." Jill smiled. "I know. I think that is how Marcia may be feeling right now. Especially about Sarah." Laura's eyes almost popped out. "They're..." "No," Jill almost laughed. "Not like us. But they were good friends for a long time, I think. Now Marcia is very confused. Laura, you remember when you were feeling like I would leave you after school was going to be out. Of course that was before you knew you were coming here. So remember before that. You felt you were going to be lost and it hurt." "Yeah, it did." "If Liz knew and talked to you about it, do you think it would have helped?" Laura nodded. "I'm sure it probably would have... Ok. I know what you're saying. You need to go out and talk with her... alone." "I'm sorry, Laura, but I think you know that if Liz came and wanted to talk to you about me, but had one of her dear friends, such as Tiffany, it would have been different." "Yes." "Laura?" "Yes?" "Can I have something before I go?" Laura looked up to see Jill's arms outstretched waiting for a hug. She wasn't sure if Jill needed that as much as she did, but she wasn't going to argue. As she folded into Jill's arms, Laura tilted her head up. She wanted the other part that came with the hug. ------- The fire investigators knew just where to stop. The sight of a freshly gutted building, along with the ash-laden water that was standing in pools, gave a clear indication to them of where to begin. The marshal and his team of three deputies were not so fortunate. The first house they stopped at was less than cooperative. The door was shut in the marshal's face. At the second house, the woman who opened the door looked around, as though someone might be watching her. Then she told them where Beth Ann lived, saying that was where everyone had gone. As he got back into the car, he was muttering about how people in small towns know everything that goes on, yet no one ever tells another about it. When they pulled up in front of the residence, they were greeted by a girl running out of the house. "My name is Robin; have you come to protect my husband?" There was a pleading in her eyes that said more than her words. The marshal looked at Robin and then back at his deputies, giving them a look that said 'don't you dare say a word.' He knew they would be thinking the same as he: 'She's too damned young to be anyone's wife.' He would have thought it impossible, but the picture they had been provided matched Robin's face. "Yes," he finally said. "We need to talk with him." "Good," she sighed in relief. "He shouldn't be too long. He went for a walk with Beth Ann. We thought you were going to arrive sooner." "He did what?" Turning the marshal pointed to the two men who were in the back seat. "Perimeter. Make sure it's secure." Turning back to Robin he asked, "I hope you know where they went." She smiled out of politeness, but there was now a strain in her voice, "Yes. Out to the lighthouse." "Oh." The man shook his head. "If they were going to make a movie, this couldn't get any better. How do I get there?" "Something's wrong, isn't it?" Robin said with anguish in her voice. She figured out that this man was very agitated, by this point. She'd never seen a movie before, but at least she'd heard of them before. "We like to be cautious. It has better outcomes that way." Beatrice came out and gave the two men directions. They got into the car and sped off. "You were being rather understated, boss," the deputy said. "Didn't you read the whole report? That little girl saw her husband fall from a three-story building and thought he'd been shot. She's also pregnant. I don't need to make her either miscarry, or become a widow. Not on my watch at least. There was no way in the world I was going to say what I felt back there." They pulled up to the road and found it blocked. Worse yet, the truck blocking the road had an advertising logo on the doors, proclaiming that the truck belonged to the mill. The hood was still warm, though. That was good sign. The marshal and deputy opened the trunk and pulled out rifles. The marshal gave a sigh, hoping they weren't too late. The two men started jogging down the single lane road. They could see a man, but he was too far off yet, for them to recognize what he was doing. Each of them scanned the surrounding area as they jogged, looking for a place to dive into, if necessary. The man never looked their way, though. As they got closer they saw a rifle in the man's hands. It was moving around. Looking at each other, the two ran a bit faster, understanding that the man was using a scope to narrow in on his victim. He lowered his rifle. The marshal and deputy were thankful, thinking that maybe they'd made a mistake. The two didn't slow, though, as they saw the rifle rise again. Now they were close enough and the marshal kneeled, looked through the scoop on his rifle, and just started to focus in on the man. The foghorn blasted. The marshal and the deputy saw the man fire, but there was something wrong. His arm moved wildly, as though he had never shot a rifle before. This was unlikely, though. Maybe the sound of that horn startled him, as much as it had them. The deputy yelled, but the sound didn't carry far enough. The man raised the rifle again, this time shouldering it on his left. Again this caused the deputy and the marshal to glance at each other. There was something definitely wrong. The marshal wasn't waiting this time. The blast of the foghorn didn't jar the marshal this time as he pulled the trigger, but as the man shot, he was thrown back again. The marshal's shot missed because of the man's movements. It did come close enough for the man to realize he had been fired upon. He turned on the officers. The man raised his rifle as the foghorn sounded. Then he fell as two shots, one from the marshal and the other from the deputy hit him. After the man went down, they raced up to him. His eyes were open, in a shocked expression. There was no life in him though. The marshal, at the bend in the road could now see the lighthouse. He made out two objects. Looking though his scope, he could see a man and a woman in conversation. They were sitting on a bench, at the front, overlooking the waves. The way they were turned, he couldn't make out their faces, but knew it must be the Keith and Beth Ann he was looking for. The foghorn blasted again. He could tell, as they covered their ears, that they might have missed what had just happened. The shots had been masked each time by that horn. ------- Kristina happily raced down the back stairs, flew down the hall, and slid on her stocking feet. She grabbed onto the doorknob before bursting into the library through its back door. Her eyes grew wide, as there sat a woman she didn't know and she was crying. Kristina's eyes darted to Sarah and then to Katy wondering what all this was about. Before anyone had a chance to say a word, Elizabeth came behind her. "Tag, you're it!" Elizabeth was off, down the hall. The tag had pushed Kristina into the room another foot. A place, right then, that she would have liked to have stepped out of rather than be pushed into. "Kristina," Katy called to her. "Y... es?" the young girl stammered out, knowing she must be in some sort of trouble for coming into the room so precipitately. "I'd like you to do me a favor," Katy went on. Kristina's eyes opened wide, again. That this wasn't what she was expecting and she was more than happy to do anything Katy wanted. "Sure. What can I do?" "This is Mrs. Hallbeck. Her daughter might come to live with us for a while. I'd like you to tell her why you're here." The girl cocked her head, not quite understanding the question. "Our mom drove us here." This made Sarah laugh, Kristina blush, and Mrs. Hallbeck to look up at the girl. "I know," Katy said to her in a smooth voice. "But tell her why you wanted to come here. I heard you drove your mother crazy." Kristina ducked her head with a shy smile on her face. "It was Keith and Daisy." Katy already knew that answer as well, but pressed on. "From what I hear, you only knew them for about one day. You had dinner with them and then drove your mom crazy to bring you here." Mrs. Hallbeck listened to this, thinking to herself, 'This is a strange tale.' "We were looking into their room. They asked us if we wanted to come in and look around. It was the biggest room we'd ever seen in a hotel and we've been in lots of them. We started playing a game and then our mom came to find us." "Sounds like fun," Sarah commented. Then turning to Katy, she asked, "Was that when he went to get Daisy?" Katy nodded, but wanted to keep the story on track. "Kristina, I'm sure you've had many people who played games with you. Why did you pester your mom so? What made Keith and Daisy different?" Scrunching up her face, Kristina put her fingers up to her temples. She was trying to look serious as she thought. The others looking at her though, had a hard time not laughing at the expression of the very young girl. Kristina threw her hands up and her face brightened, "They were fun, like us. Not like how adults talk to us. Daisy wanted to play games with us and then when my mom took her into the other room to talk with her, Keith asked us our names and said how they were like his name and his sister's." She took a big breath after that long-winded speech. "We fell in love with them." Then looking at Katy she asked, "How could you do anything different? Everyone is... I love everyone here and they love me." Then she added as she blushed heavily, "Especially Keith." Katy smiled. "Thank you, Kristina. That was said very nicely. Now, if I remember you are 'it'!" Kristina grinned and ran off. "You're right," Mrs. Hallbeck said. "Katy, I'm sure your daughter had a wonderful time growing up with such an insightful mother." Katy snorted. "Much the opposite. I learned by making too many mistakes." "Robin seems pretty level headed to me," Sarah said. Katy smiled, "Sarah, you didn't know her before Keith came into town. How one person can change someone so much..." She was lost in a moment, then smiling she said, "I guess I do know. Richard did it to me." "So you're suggesting that when my daughter finds a man..." "Oh, no. Someone, or even more than one, that will be special. Keith is married to Robin, but just ask Sarah how important he is to her." Mrs. Hallbeck looked at Sarah. The woman had heard from Sarah's parents that she had gone through some dramatic changes, but never went into them specifically. Curiosity had gotten the better of her. Now it looked as though that might be satisfied. "He saved my life," Sarah said, looking down to the floor. "But saving me almost killed him. He was in a coma, but when he woke, he told me..." her voice broke and a tear appeared on her skirt, falling from her face. She sniffed and went on, "He told me I was special enough to risk everything for. It was his choice and I couldn't blame myself." Mrs. Hallbeck's eyes were watering too. There was a lump in her throat that stopped her from saying anything for a moment. "Sarah, dear," she said, patting Sarah's knee, "we had no idea. How did you manage?" Sarah looked up to her friend's mother, "I was loved by everyone. That is what made me talk my father into letting me come here. All these people love me." "How am I going to get my daughter to see that?" "You can't," Katy answered. "All you can do is hope she feels it." ------- Blind rage pushed Marcia on, but she was a city girl. She had run far enough around the bend in the road that separated the valleys that held the Mansion and Carp, that she was alone. She felt lost, as well. The bright sunshine and her tears had blinded her eyes. Now as she looked around she stopped. There was no sound, other than a few birds and insects. She felt lost in more ways than one. Walking over to a scrubby tree, she sat under it, in its sparse shade. There, holding onto her knees, she started to sob. After what seemed an eternity, but was really less than ten minutes, Marcia heard horses coming her way. A deep shadow fell over her, stopping where she was sitting. She didn't want to look up, but did. The sun was shining down, and Marcia couldn't make out who was on the one horse. The second horse had nobody in the saddle. "That isn't a very comfortable place to sit," Jill said. "Ever ride a horse before?" Marcia sighed and got up. "No," she said. She was glad it was Jill and not Sarah who had found her here. Jill dismounted and walked over to Marcia. She took the girl's hand and led her over to the large animal. "Reach up there, and grab that knob. It's called the 'horn'." Marcia did, not knowing what to expect. Jill reached down and took hold of one of Marcia's legs and pulled it up, putting her foot in the stirrup. "Pull on the horn, push up on your foot and throw your leg over. That's all there is to it." Marcia looked around, wondering where everyone else was. Where were the kids that would run out and laugh at her? She could hear, in this still place, no one was around. Taking a deep breath, she did as Jill had instructed. To her shock, she landed on the saddle. "See, that was easy," Jill said. Marcia knew, as Jill mounted her horse, that Jill had done so with much more grace. Marcia was grateful that Jill had made no comment about it. "Now," Jill said as she grabbed hold of the reins on Marcia's horse, "just rock back and forth with the movement." Marcia was getting the hang of it, even enjoying it. She did not realize that she was not going towards the Mansion, until she saw the houses of Carp. She looked over to Jill. "Is this the way back? I didn't run that far, did I?" Jill laughed. "No you didn't run that far... yet in a way... I think... Yes, this could be the way back. Come on," she said, and gave Marcia's horse a slap. That prevented Marcia from asking what Jill meant, as she was now hanging onto the horse for dear life. As Jill slowed down, the horse that Marcia was on slowed as well. What Marcia didn't know was that she was on Jill's horse. The horse instinctively knew what her owner wanted. "We saw this when we came into town. It looks new," Marcia said, commenting on the pool of water created by the small damming of the creek. "It is new. See that shinny thing in the center?" "Yes, what is it?" "It's a memorial. A gift from the town." "For what?" "Our heroes, Keith and Richard." Marcia studied the girls face, trying to see any hint of deception, but saw only sorrow on her face. She remembered Sarah changing the subject at the spring suddenly. "Did someone die that you were close to? Is that why this makes you sad?" Jill shook her head. "No. If that... beast had done it, we'd have all died. Keith..." Jill got choked up. "It's ok," Marcia said. The feeling of honesty was there again, making her uncomfortable. "No it's not. It's just what he did was so unselfish. He says anyone would have done it. I don't believe him. Not anyone." "What did he do?" "He knew what those chemicals were and how deadly they were. He could have run and saved himself and maybe a few others. He ran after the man instead. Those chemicals were so bad that when the bottle broke, they evacuated the whole town! They took us all away." "Who did?" "The military." Marcia was shocked. Yes, she had read the newspaper article, but who believes any of that? This girl was telling her it really happened. "They packed up the whole town? I guess that was really bad. That's what makes you so sad, isn't it?" "No, that's not it. If anything, that was bad and good all at the same time. I was frightened out of my wits. Keith looked after me when I didn't want him to." "How?" "He got his sister to talk with me. We are... she's like my mom and my sister and... well you know," Jill said embarrassing herself. "I don't understand," Marcia said. Nothing Jill had said seemed... well, that bad. "Why were you so sad then?" Jill was silent for a minute, maybe two. She looked over the pool. Marcia watched as tears started running down Jill's face and realized she'd asked a question she shouldn't have. "That monster who tried to kill the town..." Jill said, pausing, Marcia nodded to her. "He raped me." Marcia almost fell off the horse. She grabbed the saddle horn for stability. Her mind couldn't fathom what Jill had just told her. In the back of her brain was the small voice of Sarah saying: 'If you ask, they will tell you anything. Yes, anything. Honesty is very common in this place.' ------- Beth Ann smiled, she leaned into me and I hugged her. I could feel her sigh. A sigh of contentment escaped her mouth. It felt good, although I knew it really was us sitting there overlooking a childhood place of fun. Quiet and alone, we were away from anyone asking questions. That had done as much good as I had by talking with her for the past little while. "The horn will start soon," she whispered to me. I looked out, seeing the wall of fog approaching the coastline. I nodded. Not that I knew, but I understood that she knew. "It's deafening." "Do you want to go?" She snuggled in closer. "No, not just yet." We had no warning. Both of us jumped and quickly covered our ears. I looked at her. "I didn't think it would be that loud." She laughed. "The sound has to carry out far enough for ships to hear, otherwise it would be useless. If we were in front of the horn we'd be deaf, the lighthouse shields us. The horn is around the side," she said pointing in the opposite direction from where we came from. The base of the lighthouse was big enough that we could see only a short distance around its perimeter. The bench we were on sat right in the front, overlooking the ocean. There was ten feet of grass in front of us, and then a small cliff dropped fifteen feet down to the shore. Our view had been excellent. While the fog layer was out away from the shore, we could see up and down the coast. I realized how relaxed I was and understood why this spot would be a favorite of Beth Ann's. The horn blasted again. I looked at her and asked, "Ready?" She looked mischievously at me, "No, but if you want..." I raised my eyebrows and grinned, "That horn bring back some good memories?" "I got my first kiss out here." It blasted again. My ears were starting to be annoyed at me. "Anything else?" "No! I was only twelve." As she said that, she thought of some of the girls in Carp and started laughing. "I guess I was a late bloomer." "No. Carp is a unique place. I think what bloomed with you, did just fine." "Mmmm, you say the nicest things. I do know of a place... I wonder if it's still there." "Oh?" She grinned and said, "A girl's secret hideout." I couldn't seem to get my hands to cover my ears fast enough. Damned horn. "You'd take me there?" "I remember at least one boy there once. He was one the girls trusted." "Thank you." "What?" "For your trust." "Silly." "Me?" "Yes. If you don't know you have my heart, as well as everything else... We'll wait for the next blast then go. We have to go that way and we'll need to run to get past the horn." It blasted and we ran. ------- Brian grinned at Barbara. His dad was at work and his mom, Millie, had just been called to a meeting of the school board. That meant the two of them were alone, for the first time since his casts had come off. They were both free. Free, that is, except for the annoying fact that Brian's leg muscles were still like mush. Brian looked at his love. "Take off your blouse... Please." She blushed, but nodded at his request. "There's not much to see. I'm flat." Brian's mouth watered as his eyes roamed her beauty. "They look wonderful. I like them just as they are." She giggled. "You're drooling. I'm going to get a washcloth." "No! Don't move. Yes, move... I mean, closer." Barbara did. She expected Brian to kiss her and he did, but not on her lips. She'd leaned in, her eyes closed. When she felt his breath on her nipple, she opened her eyes. The sensation of his mouth, his tongue... Oh, it was sooooo good. She let out a moan. She leaned into him just a bit more and started to lose her balance. Putting her hand down by instinct, she felt something very hard. She straightened, pulling his mouth from her. She looked down. He was hard, as hard as ever. But she was flat... Brian moaned in frustration. He'd been enjoying himself. When he looked at Barbara's hands as well as her eyes going after what was poking up from his crotch, it made him smile. Her hands frantically pulled at his pants and he helped her pull them down. She had not had that encumbrance there before. With his cast on, he couldn't wear pants. Barbara didn't want them in the way at all. She pulled his shoes off, then the pants completely off, throwing them across the floor. "I miss doing this," she said, now stroking his dick. "Uhhh," was all he could get out. He'd missed her hands on it as well and now the feeling was so nice... "Barbara," he forced himself to say, knowing if he didn't it would be all over for him in seconds. "What?" she mumbled not taking the head out of her mouth. "Do you have panties on?" She turned her head and looked at him in the eye, with a smile on her face. "Yes, but..." she wanted to tell him she'd take them off. "Will you get all the way undressed for me?" "Brian, that's a silly question. I'm pregnant and we're going to get married. I want you to know that everything I have, and that includes this... boyish body of mine, is yours." Brian swallowed hard. "I like that body of yours, just like it is." Barbara wiggled out of her skirt, making Brian stare in awe at how a woman can wiggle. She lay next to him, kissed his nose, and then looked into his eyes. "Can I ask you a question?" "Of course," Brian said, thinking that was silly considering what she had just told him about their relationship. Barbara hesitated, and Brian got the idea that this was not one of those 'simple questions'. ------- "I think I need to go over and talk with Keith now," the marshal said, rising up from the body. He glanced over to the lighthouse. "Where the devil did they go?" The deputy looked over. There was only the single lane road and it dead-ended at the lighthouse. They would have had to come this way. "I don't know. Maybe they saw us and... Could there be another road on the other side?" the deputy ventured. "I hate things like this," the marshal replied, and walked down the lane towards the lighthouse. He had his rifle in his hand. There was no reason to let down his guard. As he came closer, he could see a piece of missing plaster. It was on the opposite side of the lighthouse from the bench. He looked back to his deputy and then to the lighthouse. No one could be that far off. Was the man trying to warn, or scare them? It didn't make any sense. He'd seen the second shot and wondered where that went. As he walked to the side where he'd seen Keith and Beth Ann, the foghorn blasted again. It was noisy where he had been originally and even worse at the body site. This was intolerable. It was no wonder the two had left. But where did they go? He stood in front of the bench they had been on, for just a moment, looking at the fog rolling in. This place would be socked in, in less than an hour. Not good at all. He turned and started around the lighthouse. The horn blasted. After holding his ears, trying to get the ringing to cease; he gave up that idea, and walked around the opposite direction. He had no way of knowing that the only way to see the tracks of Keith and Beth Ann was to continue towards the foghorn. After a frustrating ten minutes, he left, baffled. The deputy had gathered the information from the body, but had waited for the marshal's return. "Go get the policeman," the marshal said. "We need him to take care of this." "We're not going to follow through?" the deputy asked surprised. "You familiar with fog?" The deputy looked out at the bank of fog, realizing it was a lot closer than when they had arrived. "It's coming in." "Yes, and I don't want to be in a place where I can't see. Now get going." As the deputy left, the marshal was left to wait. He was fuming that he'd lost Keith, again. He wondered where he'd gone, and hoped it was someplace safe. He was bothered as well with the aim of this man. The rhythmic blasts from the foghorn didn't improve his mood, either. Looking at the rifle, still laying on the ground, he saw the initials carved ornately in the stock. It had the look of a well used, and well taken care of firearm. The man was old enough that this could easily be his, and not a relative's. On one knee, the marshal started examining the body. He wanted some answers and he wasn't getting any, anywhere else. His face twisted when he opened the man's shirt and saw the bruising. This was not from the shots that killed him. Slitting open the shirt, on each sleeve, he looked particularly at the man's right arm. Picking it up, now with no muscle tension, showed a distinct break. He let the arm fall. This man had been beaten to the point of broken bones. The fog was now at the shoreline, thirty feet from where the body was, when the deputy and the police officer arrived. "He said there was a shooting," the policeman said. He then looked at the body on the ground. "Oh dear Jesus! Jed. Oh no, oh no." The officer paced back and forth, as though he'd had no training as to what to do. "I take it you know who this is?" the marshal asked. "He's the mill owner's son," the policeman said, knowing that most likely his job was over. "You called him Jed; this man's license says he is Thomas Jeremiah Trimball." "Yes that's him. He went by Jed," the officer said and took a deep breath. "I guess I'll need to call his father." "It's usual to do this in person," the marshal said surprised at the policeman's attitude. Shaking his head, the policeman said, "I'd rather die someplace else." "Afraid for your life?" "Having to tell him this? Yes." The marshal pondered that, and then asked, "He was beaten, and his arm was broken. Did Jed have many enemies?" The policeman snorted, "Let's just say he had a few friends. They were in this circle that couldn't be broken. His dad taught him the way to be as nasty as could be. There was little I could do about it." "Little? Or just chose to look the other way?" "When I first was hired, I was pretty green. I was also proud to be hired like this. The single officer of a town, it was a pretty nice job. What I found out as the years went by was that most everyone knew if the mill owner or his son did something, no one said a word." "So you stopped doing anything?" the marshal asked. "There was little I could do with them. They had a group of friends that backed them up. It was one person's word against another's. Darn frustrating. Most of the time the only way I ever knew anything had happened was from a few of the housewives that would send a note with some baked goods to the station. By then it was too late." The marshal and deputy looked at each other. They hadn't been in a town this closed mouthed in a long time. The policeman went on. After all, what use was there now? "That girl, Beth Ann. Her father really pissed off the son. He wanted Beth Ann as his next toy. Her father sent her away, so Jed couldn't get at her. Bet you didn't know that William, that's the mill owner's name, tried to put the father out of business. I think it was retaliation for getting in the way of what they did here." The marshal was interested in this. At least something was coming to light. "What business did he own?" "The service station. William was going to build a new one and put him out of business." "What happened?" "There is only one supplier of petrol for this part of the coast." The officer chucked, thinking about it. "There was a connection between the Uncle Beth Ann's father killed, and the supplier of fuel. They weren't going to support another station." The marshal saw the irony in that, and gave a little smile. "So what happened?" "William burned up a car, right across the street from the station. Of course the firemen had no idea who started it and put it out. Fire in this area is no matter to take lightly. Then, from what I hear, William then took it out on three of the women in town." "What do you mean, took it out on three of the women?" "Raped them, most likely. I heard it from a note. Like I said, no one says anything. If those women would have said a word, their husbands would have never worked again." This made the marshal fume. No man had a right to act that way. Turning to the deputy, the marshal said, "Go with the officer and bring the father back here. Don't say a word about what happened. I want to gauge his reaction and we don't need him losing control with you." To the police officer he added, "We have the keys to the truck. Why don't you move it out of sight and then when you come back, you can just drive all the way in here." The two men left and again the marshal was alone with the body. The fog was now slowly surrounding him and the infernal horn kept basting away. ------- Beth Ann was giddy. She was picking a twig out of the back of my hair. "I'm glad we had this time. Knowing that people have come to keep us safe makes me feel so much better," Beth Ann said. Her sense how someone could protect us was a bit askew, I knew. There was no reason to dispel that, though. No one had even come close to us while we'd been gone. She led us out to the highway, about a quarter mile from town. "Is there anyway to get into town without being on the road?" I asked. "Yeah, I guess... Oh! You don't want anyone to see us, and know where we are." "You're right. I'm just being cautious." "There's a little trail that may still be around, over on the other side," she said with a grin. "When we were kids, it's how we got to the secret hideout." "The hideout looked in pretty good shape, so I'd guess it's still being used. Maybe the trail is, too." It was and we made our way back to town. It led us onto the third residential road that paralleled the highway. "We're three blocks from home now," Beth Ann said. "This is where I'm starting to get nervous." "Why?" "When you see the parents of someone who was your friend in front of your house... it makes you wonder." I nodded, not knowing what to say about that subject yet. I figured the best thing to do was to get her mind off of it. "So is this the way you used to sneak back?" She giggled. "I never did that!" I raised my eyebrows and looked over to her. "Ok, maybe just once or twice." "Are you going to show me the way then?" Beth Ann laughed, and said, "I can, but I think it might be a little odd if we crouched down between people's trash cans and bushes, looking for anyone who might see us." "I don't know. It might be fun." "Come on, then." We weaved back and forth, around a few houses, and then down part of an alleyway. "Here it is," Beth Ann whispered. "I used to squeeze through this hole," she said, pointing at a small hole in the fence. "I think we'll have to use the back gate." She pulled the latch and I pulled the door open. As soon as we stepped into her back yard, bright flashlights were aimed into our faces. Beth Ann started to scream, and turned to run to the house. One of the people reached out for her. My first instinct was to protect her and I jumped towards the person. Beth Ann's screams alerted everyone inside, and soon the backyard floodlights brightened the area. Beatrice came running out, seeing her daughter on the ground, with a man bending over her. I was also sitting, with the second man pointing his pistol at me. This did not look good at all. "Stay back," the man shouted to Beatrice. "We're trying to assess the situation." "That's my daughter!" Beatrice said back, continuing to run out to where we were. The two men looked at each other. "This is Beth Ann?" one of the men asked. The other one, with a sinking sound in his voice, said, "Are you Keith Patterson?" I didn't have a chance to answer. Robin had thrown herself at me, kissing me. She then pulled back with a quizzical smile on her face. Hugging me, she whispered, "I know that taste. What have you been doing?" One of the men interrupted us. "The marshal didn't see you, I take it." "No, we were out at the lighthouse, but then we walked back," I answered. Robin said, "They went out to the lighthouse to find you." "I guess we must have left by then," Beth Ann said. She was glad it was dusk, as she started to blush. "I showed him a place I liked to go as a child." "Not the girls' hideout!" Beatrice exclaimed. "Mom! How do you know about that?" Beatrice chuckled and then in a soft voice so it wouldn't carry, she said, "All the women know about that place. It's one of the safe places in town. If memory serves me, only one boy you would have known knew about the place. That was a safety device and that boy was the most trusted boy your age." Beth Ann's mouth was open, not believing what her mother had just told her. Beatrice laughed at Beth Ann's expression. "Honey, remember I grew up in this town. That hideout now has a new set of girls being introduced to it," she said. Then Beatrice looked at me, "You, Sir, are one of very few men who even know of its existence." "I..." "I know Beth Ann trusts you with her life," Beatrice said to me, and looked at her daughter. "It's just too bad you're married." "Mom!" The two men were most probably feeling as uncomfortable as I was by now. The one that had been pointing his pistol at me gave me his hand to help me up. "Now that they have arrived, we should all go inside." ------- "I still don't know what is so urgent that we have to go out in this fog. It's getting dark, anyway. What can be this important?" the mill owner, William, said for the forth time. "We're almost there," the deputy said. The police officer was driving and doing his best to keep his mouth shut. As they passed the hotel, William noticed two men in it. This is where he'd expected to stop. "What's going on?" William demanded. "Where am I being taken? You can't just haul me off without reason. I demand to know what is going on. My lawyer is going to hear about this." When he'd finished his tirade, they turned onto the one lane road. The deputy was surprised at the fog that had started to encase the area. They hadn't needed to move the mill truck as far as they had, you couldn't see more than twenty feet ahead, now. "You realize your position in this town is over," William said to the police officer. "I will no longer be funding the town to have a policeman." "I'm aware that will happen," was his simple response. He knew there were going to be larger issues soon. The policeman drove up the road cautiously. He knew the marshal and a body was out here somewhere. It was almost impossible to tell how much further he went until he saw the waving hands of a man. Slowing down, the policeman pulled as close to the marshal as possible. "Now I guess I'm going to get some answers. They had better be good ones, or I'll see all of you in court over this," William said getting out of the car as soon as it had stopped. He walked up to the marshal. "I hope you're in charge here, neither of them would tell me a word. I..." Williams voice failed him as the marshal stepped out of the way. The car's headlights, filtering through the fog, cast an ominous glow over the body lying there. "Jed!" William cried as he rushed over to the body. The man fell onto his knees, putting his hands onto the cold body. He attempted to cover Jed's chest, as the shirt had been cut off. The marshal, deputy, and policeman watched the father's feeble attempts. They looked at each other. Each was wondering where the tears were, the show of grief, any sort of emotion. This man seemed to be consumed with hiding the body more than anything else. There was something else the marshal started to notice. It was an emotion, one that was starting to build. But it wasn't tears, and it wasn't grief. William was now almost shaking with rage. They had done this to his son and then purposely brought him out here to witness the dead body. He saw the boy's rifle laying not more than two feet away from him. The marshal, being observant and wondering what was going to happen, was still caught off guard. William, being a big man, had agilely grasped the rifle. He was now standing, pointing it at the three officers of the law. "You killed my son!" William yelled to them. "No, you killed him," the marshal said in a calm even voice, that even surprised his deputy. "NO!" William screamed, pointing the rifle at the marshal. The police officer jumped into the way, as William pulled the trigger. The only one not stunned was the marshal. He had unloaded the rifle and knew there was no danger from it. Frustrated, William swung it at the three. The deputy at this point had his gun out and pointed it at the rifle swinging man. "Drop it," the deputy said. William lunged at him, and then toppled to the ground. The deputy hadn't fired though. It had been the police officer using his club, which had taken the large man down. The frustration of all of the years of being used came out in that one blow. William struggled to get up, but found one of his legs not wanting to respond. He looked, incredulously, realizing the policeman had broken it. "You'll pay for that," William spat at the policeman as the deputy was cuffing him. "I'll be out tonight, and you'll be sorry you ever laid a hand on me." The marshal smiled. "I doubt that. This is a federal matter. There are no federal judges within 70 miles and none that are going to be coming here tonight. You won't be able to get bail set for a few days. First you need a cast and then you'll be transported to Eugene for trial. This is not something that you can use your power and money to keep quiet." William struggled in his cuffs. It would have been a possible threat, except that the man's leg wasn't going to let him go anywhere. As William realized the marshal was most probably right, he was infuriated. But knew he'd better keep his mouth shut. The marshal turned to the deputy, "He'll need to be taken to the hospital in Reedsport. I'll walk back into town and give a call to the sheriff's station, so they can take care of the father and son. You need to go in with them, and make sure it's taken care of properly." "I'll stay here as well," the policeman said. The marshal nodded. He was thinking that the man was trying, at last, to redeem what he had let go astray. Turning, the marshal walked down the lane, the fog enveloping him. The arson investigators had stopped going through the remains of the hotel, but were in their car writing notes when the marshal came up to them. Rapping on the window scared the living daylights out of them and amused the marshal to no end. He continued walking to the service station, after giving them a rundown on what had happened. There, outside, was a pay phone. The sheriff's deputies in Reedsport were stunned about the arrest of the mill owner and death of his son. They would be contacting the morgue and the ambulance. There would be a sheriff on the scene before either arrived, they promised. But it would take some time for anyone to show up, owing to the fog. Now, after all that, he was going to have to do the worst job. Face that young wife and tell her he had no idea where her husband was. Walking up to the house several blocks later, he was surprised by the lights. It almost sounded like there was a party going on. He couldn't understand. As he arrived and knocked on the door, one of the deputies answered. The man straightened when he saw his boss on the other side. "What is going on?" the marshal asked. "Sir, we were waiting for your arrival." "Come up with a better line next time," the marshal said, still very upset about losing Keith and Beth Ann. He made it in the door and was greeted. "Hello. You're the marshal. It is good to meet you. I understand you wanted to talk with me." He recognized the face from the picture. "Keith Patterson? How in the world did you slip past me? I saw you one moment and the next you were gone." I smiled, hearing we'd missed each other. "We... Beth Ann wanted to show me something. It was off to the other side of the lighthouse," I responded. "You weren't running away then?" the marshal asked. "Running away?" Beth Ann repeated as she walked up, listening to the conversation. "This is Beth Ann," I said to the marshal. "And this is the marshal who was sent to protect us. Although I hope his job is dull." "You didn't hear the gunshots then?" Everyone stopped talking; giving indication that although there was chitchat, everyone in the house was listening to our conversation. Robin ran up to me and threw her arms around my waist. Her face was white and her voice was shaky, "What shots?" "I think we'd better sit down," the marshal said. The marshal started to describe what he had seen, as he spoke of coming up the one lane road towards the lighthouse, Beth Ann snuggled close to me on one side, and Robin moved in, on the other. When he got to the part of shooting Jed, Beth Ann moved to my lap. As he told of bringing William out to see Jed, Beth Ann was clinging to me, shaking. "It'll be alright," I whispered to Beth Ann. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. The marshal had been watching. I had been nodding to him, so he went on, but he understood that what he was saying had been extremely disturbing to Beth Ann. As the marshal then described what happened to William, it was Bernice that jumped up. She ran over to the marshal and gave him a tight hug. He had a startled look on his face. Then looking over to me, he noticed that Beth Ann had slipped off my lap. Everything was different now, and he was still a bit confused as to why. ------- "You know," Marcia said as she dangled her feet into the stream, "I haven't done anything like this in years." Jill looked at the girl as she continued. "Sarah and I went to kindergarten together. We were five years old then and we became friends right away." "What happened then?" Marcia sighed, "I don't know. Power, I guess. Realizing you could be important, or feeling you needed to be." "And Sarah stayed friends with you all though that?" Jill asked not understanding. Marcia laughed. "She was as bad, if not worse, than I was." "Sarah?" "You never saw that?" "No. When I first met her, she wanted to talk to me about..." Jill stopped not wanting to go on. "About what?" "About me getting hurt by that monster." "Oh," Marcia said. It felt like whenever Marcia asked a question when there was hesitation; there was something that hurt, behind the pause. She wondered why Sarah would want to talk about that with Jill. Then something hit her like a ton of bricks. Pieces started falling into place. Her face paled. "Jill, did Sarah get... She said a man grabbed her. Oh God!" Marcia felt like she was about to vomit. "Marcia! No, she didn't. I think only because Keith saved her, because it probably would have happened. Having it almost happen isn't as bad, but it's close. You can ask her about it, if you want to hear what happened." Marcia's breathing was slowly returning to normal as Jill hugged the girl. "I don't think I could." "Why not?" Jill asked, turning Marcia so she could look at her face. "She hates me." Jill laughed. "Stop it!" Marcia demanded. "Marcia, is that why she talked Katy in taking your mother off, so she could talk to you? Is that why she told you all those things up at the spring? Is that part of the reason she told her parents she wants to stay here?" Marcia looked down to the ground, "I would hate her." "Why?" "She's always been on the top of the world. She has had everything. I've been trying to catch up to her for years." "You think that's important?" "You're going to tell me it's not." "I was going to say that is not the Sarah I know." The two girls looked at each other, pondering the words of the other. Jill came up with something. "Please don't laugh at me, but in Carp, there was never a school before." "Never? How did you... I mean you're not stupid. Sorry, that didn't come out right." "I know what you're trying to say. We learned things, but not in a school like most kids go to. After we could leave the air base that the military took us to when they evacuated the town, I went with Liz to the school where she was a teacher. She's the one that will be the head teacher at our new school. I was scared to be in a real school." "I bet." "Some things were unfamiliar to me and it made me feel stupid. I could name off the European countries, read Latin, or speak German with no problem; but I didn't even have a clue where Wyoming was, or how to play touch football. What I knew made me feel good. What I didn't made me feel real stupid. It was hard." "I guess it would be." "I think maybe that's what you're feeling. Some things here are not anything like what you have ever known before. To us, it is second nature. You feel... Maybe not stupid, but..." "Uncomfortable," Marcia finished. "Jill," she paused, "truth was not one of the things I ever counted on. Jill, I think it may be a while before I can believe Sarah." Jill was nodding. She was thinking back to how some of the girls reacted down at the stable, when she said that horses were the main transportation in Carp. "Marcia, that may be the hardest one. Let me tell you something, though. Everything she's said since you've arrived has been the truth. I trust her enough, that if my life depended on it, I would believe what she told me." Sighing, Marcia shoulders drooped, as she looked to the ground. "I guess it is easier for her, though. She still has the world ahead of her. I'm pregnant." "Just like me, and just like Sarah; you have had something happen that has changed your life. Sarah had people around her that cared so much for her it hurt. You can have that, too." "But I'm... I'm only fourteen and pregnant. Don't you understand?" Marcia implored. Jill held in a laugh, but her face couldn't stop the smile. "You haven't met Keith's wife Robin, yet. Or Daisy, for that matter." "No, but what has..." "Robin is thirteen." "Thirteen!" Marcia practically shouted she was so startled. "Yes, and she's pregnant." "Oh, my. He got her pregnant and had to marry her. I wish..." "Well, no. I don't think it worked quite that way. They are madly in love with each other." "And her mother didn't care?" "Her mother is Katy." "Katy? The Katy I met? She's not old..." Marcia looked at Jill. "How old was she when she had Robin?" "I think she was thirteen." "Is this some sort of tradition in that family?" Jill snorted, "Not necessarily the pregnancy thing; but getting married at thirteen has been a tradition in this town, ever sense it started being a town." "You're not kidding me are you? No, I guess not, you always tell the truth." "Marcia, don't make it sound like we don't have any fun around here. Yes, we pull someone's leg, telling a tale or two. It is all done in fun though, never for a vicious reason. But yes, I'm not kidding about getting married at thirteen." "Wow!" Then Marcia got a panicked look on her face. "Mom doesn't know about this, does she? She's not bringing me down here to get married to some guy? Tell me she's not!" "No. I doubt she knows. My mom wouldn't let me get married. I'm fourteen." "Why not?" "Do you really want to know?" "Hmmm, maybe not. Well not right now, at least. I think my head's full enough." "Yes, I think it might be. Ready to go back?" "I'm not sure. I made a big scene back there." "No one will care." "Are you sure?" "Yes. They are more concerned for you than anything else." "Me? They don't even know me." "I don't either, do I?" "No, but..." "No one told me to take you here. I just thought... Liz and I talked a lot when I was having bad days. It is good to talk with someone, sometimes. So I took you here." "I'm glad you did. Thank you, Jill." "Ok," Jill said feeling funny about getting praise for this. It reminded her of when she was at the school, and people saw her as a hero. Then she thought about what Keith had told her, and how it had helped. Riding back to the Mansion, Marcia decided she liked the feel of a horse. It was a good feeling being on such a strong animal, flowing with its stride. Almost like a dance in a small way. It didn't take as much time to get back as Marcia thought it would. But then her mind was very gloomy earlier, and now... Now it was much more settled, though she still didn't know what she was going to say to Sarah. As they approached the house, Jack was leaving in his Jeep, with Julie in the front seat. Richard had Katharine and her two daughters, Elizabeth and Kristina, along with her son Kenneth. When the two girls rode up, Richard told them they were headed downtown for a bit, but would return shortly. The two girls went into the house, and found it unusually quiet. There should have been possibly six others, even with everyone else who'd gone downtown, or to the coast with Keith. Jill and Marcia listened for any sound, but there was none. Puzzled, Jill walked to the back of the first floor and into the kitchen. Marcia was trying to take it all in. This place was simply amazing. The funny thing was that even Jill, who seemed pretty down to earth, didn't act as though the Mansion was that grand. There was a component in there she hadn't thought of. To all of them this was nice, but not necessary. None of these people had worked to gain the nice furnishings in the home, nor would they have. It wasn't a desire to impress that this house had been restored. It all left Marcia puzzled. Jill almost missed it and turned to look again. Through the back door window, she saw movement. What was strange about it was that the movement was in the new building. She watched, now with Marcia looking as well and saw it again. That was where everyone had gone. ------- Julie knocked, but then opened the door to Millie and Bruce's house. Millie was in the kitchen, hands full of pastry dough. "Come in, Julie, they're in the bedroom." Julie smiled and hurried in. She was glad Jack said he'd bring her here. As she entered the room, Barbara and Brian smiled at her. "Good, now I can go," Brian said. Julie was confused, "Go? Where? You can't go anywhere. You can't even walk." "That's why we needed you here," Barbara explained. "Millie said he couldn't go out in the wheelchair with just me. He wants to go see Jack. Richard said maybe he could get a job." Julie scratched her head, but then watched in amazement as Brian hoisted himself over to the edge of the bed. With the chair securely wedged and some help from Barbara, he was in the wheelchair. He grinned and said, "I'm ready." "Are you sure?" Barbara said, sounding serious. Then she broke into a smile and whispered so only Brian and Julie could hear, "Last time we went out, Julie had to help you pee." Julie blushed, remembering that. Brian smiled. "Yes, I remember," he joked back. "Why do you think I want to go now?" Julie blushed even more and Barbara gave him a poke in the ribs. "Ok then, mister smarty pants, let's go." Barbara said, trying to keep a straight face. "Where do you think you're going?" Millie asked when Barbara wheeled him out into the living room. "Down to see Jack. Richard told me they might want to hire me to do stuff for them." "So this is a job interview?" Millie said amused. "Yes it is," her son answered in a very serious voice. "Then you need to look like you are going on a job interview," Millie said, washing her hands. "Come on into the bathroom and let's get your hair looking good. Julie, look in his dresser. I think it's the third drawer down, for the shirt that is blue with gray stripes on it." "Mom!" "Don't you 'Mom' me. If you are applying for a job, you have to look like you want it. Now get moving." Julie came back with the shirt. Millie had already taken Brian's other shirt off. Barbara took the shirt from Julie and put it on Brian. Millie huffed a bit to herself, thinking it was her job to dress her son. As Barbara pulled his shirt around him, she squatted down. In his sitting position he had to move around a bit to 'help' her. "Brian, you didn't zip all the way," Barbara said. Before Millie could react, Barbara zipped him up. She grinned, thinking she'd love to zip it down and... Barbara looked up at him and winked. Then she felt him instantly rise, before her hand was away from his pants. Millie, still in shock at how Barbara just zipped him up, looked at her son's crotch. She saw the lump pushing against his trousers. Not wanting to embarrass anyone any further, Millie said, "Barbara, come with me." Barbara walked into Millie's bedroom, knowing she was in trouble. She could hear it in Millie's voice. As soon as the door was shut, Barbara started babbling. Millie couldn't stand it. "Barbara, stop." She did and looked ready to burst into tears. Millie knew she hadn't said anything yet to invoke such a reaction. Then she thought back at how easily upset she was, when she was newly pregnant with Brian. She took pity on the girl, not wanting to cause her any more anguish. "Barbara, I know you didn't mean any harm, but..." Millie had a hard lump in her throat even thinking about this, much less saying it. "Brian finds you... desirable. I think you might have felt the lump in his pants. I saw it. You're about to take him outside. He doesn't need to be embarrassed about his state." Barbara hadn't thought about that. She was grateful that that was all this was about. She'd gotten so worked up and couldn't understand it. Relived, Barbara tried to put on a smile. "Ok, thanks. You're right. I didn't think." "Now come on, and wipe your face. You're taking him for an interview. He needs to be thinking about that job," Millie said trying to be serious about this, "so give him a good smile when we walk out there." Barbara nodded. When she walked down the hall, and into the bathroom, she gave Brian a smile. He relaxed. It took another five minutes before his mother relented, and said he was ready. Brian was hoping he didn't have to do this everyday, before going to work. What a pain in the neck! The only redeeming factor was that as soon as the girls had maneuvered him down off the porch and were on the dirt road, they told him he looked very handsome. Richard was with Jack in his office. It was hardly ever used for military duties any longer. Most of the time, it was used for preparing a strategy for the mining business. When Barbara knocked on the door and Richard answered, he turned to Jack, trying to maintain a straight face. "I think your 'interview candidate' is here," Richard said. "My what?" Jack asked and then saw Brian rolling his way in. "I'll take the girls down to the river while you two talk. That's where Katharine said she was going." Jack rolled his eyes, "Fine, go ahead." "Come on girls, let's let the men talk," Richard said, and closed the door. Jack moved a chair and let Brian roll into the room a bit further. He wasn't quite sure what to say. Keith, Richard and he had talked about this. It was pretty much a given that the boy had the job, but Jack wasn't supposed to let him know that. So he went into the first line of questioning. "What makes you think that you can motivate yourself to do this job?" Jack asked. It was a standard line, but as soon as it came out of his mouth he saw the ridiculous nature of the question. Here was a young boy, just out of his casts; in a wheelchair pushing his way down for a job he wouldn't be able to do for another few weeks at the earliest. 'If the kid were any more motivated, he'd have my job!' Jack thought. Brian though, took the question seriously. "I have to think of my soon to be wife, and... and... and baby," he stumbled out wondering if Jack knew and what he might think. Then he said what he felt, with conviction, "I need to provide for them." Jack sighed. 'Three more questions, ' he said to himself and he'd tell him he has the job. Besides there was someplace else he was supposed to be, now. He hadn't expected Brian to show up. ------- Richard, Barbara, and Julie saw Cynthia and Rebecca going into one of the storefronts. Cynthia saw them as she went in and waved. As soon as Barbara and Julie saw Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth; they took off running, leaving Richard in the dust. The five were playing together, leaving Katharine alone on the bench. She was smiling at Richard when he arrived. "I used to do this with my children all the time. Take them to a place and tell them about it. Show them how the water flowed; talk with them about where it would come from and where it went. It was their living education." "Katharine, I think you have done an excellent job raising your kids. They are wonderful to be around." "We haven't talked about it. Katy is pregnant and so is Dora." "Katherine, we haven't talked about your commitment to me. I think that would come first, don't you?" "I guess we haven't. In my book, I wouldn't have been in your room if..." "You can say it." "If I didn't love you." "I have fallen in love with you, as well. I'm sorry we haven't talked about this sooner. Now, I'm like Keith. I'm not going to push myself on you. If you wanted another child..." As much as Richard didn't want to influence her decision, it was almost impossible for him not to have a grin as he thought of her, with his child. "That's a good way for me to not feel guilty," Katharine said with a smile. "Sorry," Richard said, wearing a silly grin. Then he turned serious. "Katharine, I won't tell you what to do. You have to want to have a child. Not for me, but for you too." Her eyes started to mist. "Thank you, Richard. Things in this town have turned my world upside down. Sometimes it is good to know I can just think about something for a moment." "Oh?" Katharine laughed. "You have no idea what it was like having my kids drive me crazy to come here. Then we all got sick along the way. Stopped at a crazy relative's house. If things weren't strange enough, as soon as I arrive, I'm down in the next town helping with a mine cave in. My kids are being taken care of by strangers and I'm flying off in a helicopter with a boy who should have died." Richard laughed as well, "Great town, isn't it! Did I ever tell you how it was, my first time?" Katharine got a mischievous look on her face and said, "You mean in Carp?" Richard showed a blank look on his face as he thought and then chuckled. "Yes. My first time in Carp." "No, want to tell me about it?" "Think they're ok?" Richard said glancing at the kids. "Taking me somewhere?" "It might be easier." "Yeah, they'll be fine." She said and then turned to the brood. "Don't go near the water, we'll be back soon. Kenneth, I mean it." Kenneth stomped his foot, but smiled. Richard took her hand and led her down the main street. "Keith had been seeing this gal off the base. We knew it had to be good, cause we'd never seen him like that before. So all of us were pestering him as to where he was going. He needed some help and couldn't do it himself, so he had to confide in me." "Oh, so you took advantage of him then," Katharine teased. "Not exactly. He wouldn't tell me anything. Just a piece, here and there. I knew he was doing it so no one could find out, but it was driving me crazy. We arrived and he had a place to stay, but made me sleep outside." "Why did he do that?" Richard grinned. "So Robin could visit him." "The little sneak. She came in the night?" "Boy did she ever..." "Oh? And they were noisy?" Richard blushed, thinking about how he looked in the window. Katharine saw his reaction and restated. "She wasn't noisy, you were nosy." "Well, he... I..." Richard paused. "It did make me realize what I'd lost. How I was hiding. I was jealous of what Keith and Robin had." They could have gone on, but Brian and Jack came out onto the street. Brian had the biggest grin a boy could have. He saw Richard and it was obvious he wanted to get out of that wheelchair. "I have a job!" Brian exclaimed. "I'm assuming you'd like to tell someone about that." Katharine said. "I sure do. Do you know where she is?" "Yes. Let's push you there." Richard was now pushing Brian back down to the park. Richard and Katharine were being told all about it. Looking back, Richard saw Jack duck into the storefront that Cynthia and Rebecca had gone into. As soon as Barbara saw them, she ran to them, causing the others to follow. They surrounded Brian, listening in awe about his job. Richard interrupted. "Why don't you take him down the rest of the way to the park. I want to ask Jack about a few things. We'll be back soon." "Ok," Barbara said, feeling a sense of pride and wanting to take care of her man. Richard took Katharine by the hand. "What's the rush?" she asked. "Jack went into where Cynthia and Rebecca were. Knowing those three, if we don't get there soon, who knows what we might walk into." ------- Chapter 88 Katharine and Richard walked towards the storefront. Janice, who was on the phone, called down the street to Richard, "Richard! Come here, quick! This call is for you. I had asked them to call back. I had almost hung up when I saw you. I wasn't sure how to get you, as I need to get set up for the next school board meeting." Richard ran to Janice, and was handed the receiver. He then learned it was his uncle on the other end of the line, calling him back from yesterday. They talked for a while, as Katharine made conversation with Janice. Richard thought he overheard that Janice was getting prepared for a school board meeting, so I wouldn't think she'd stay around long. As soon as he hung up, they both asked what that was all about. The two had picked up only bits and pieces of Richard's end of the conversation. "All about the new mine. I need to talk to Jack about it all. It is a relief, as we now have a few more days on our hands." His answer was vague, but Janice didn't care. As soon as she heard it was about the mine, it didn't interest her very much and she left with school board meetings on her mind. Walking back to the storefront, Richard went into a bit more detail about the conversation. That all stopped as they arrived in front of the building. Katharine was curious about these three. She knew what went on, but their relationship was different, somehow. She knew that Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca were together, as was Keith with many more, or Richard was with... Well, with her, too. But still, there was something she couldn't place. There had been the episode in the hotel. She didn't care to think about that, but they had acted as though there was a role to play. As they peered through the dirty windows, they could see the front of the store, but no one was in sight. Either they had left, or were in the back. Richard opened the door for them and they both froze. They heard a... moan. There it was again. Katharine and Richard looked at each other. Richard grinned, and put his finger to his lips, quieting her. As the next moan started, Richard timed the opening with the subsequent squeak as he opened the door. Katharine couldn't believe she was doing this. She didn't stop, though. Watching as Richard moved slowly to the back of the large room, she followed. Now the sounds were clearer. They were giving them a direction to head towards. A hallway led into the back. There was a door to the right that was partially open. Richard looked inside. Katharine saw his eyes widen, and she couldn't resist. She also poked her head around to see. There, on an old wooden table that was wobbling a bit, Jack was laying on his back. Clothing was scattered all over the floor. Sitting on Jack's head was Rebecca. She was moving back and forth. On his dick, riding it up and down was Cynthia. She had a 'glazed over' look and moaned once more. It was the same moan that they'd heard before. Looking back to Rebecca, it was obvious that she was feeling very good, as well. Then they saw the reason Rebecca's noises didn't travel. As an orgasm overtook her, she bent down. Cynthia tilted up and forward. Rebecca's mouth went over one of Cynthia's breasts. Both women were oblivious to the world around them, enjoying their feelings. Rebecca started to move away from Cynthia. Richard and Katharine saw Jack put his hand up between Rebecca's legs. As his head moved, his fingers moved, and we didn't need to see what he was doing. It was obvious from the look on Rebecca's face. She took hold of Cynthia's other breast and sucked it into her mouth. That didn't work. She let go a second later, and gasped for breath. Whatever Jack was doing, she loved it. With her head thrashing around, she was becoming much more vocal. That is, until her eyes locked onto the two standing in the doorway. Rebecca tried to move. She was out of breath, still gasping, so she couldn't say anything. Grabbing Cynthia, Rebecca turned Cynthia's head. Both were now looking at Richard and Katharine. Cynthia wasn't bothered by the audience and displayed a grin, bouncing up and down just a bit more. Rebecca was embarrassed though, and moved, shifting her weight. That made the table lose its balance. Its legs twisted, and then they folded. In a split second, the tabletop was now on the floor. The crashing sound was enormous in the empty store. Cynthia had stayed attached to Jack in the fall. Rebecca, on the other hand, had rolled off. She was now cowering on the floor. Jack saw Richard and Katharine in the doorway, but his eyes shifted to Rebecca. He quickly got up; disengaging from a now perturbed Cynthia. "Are you hurt?" Jack asked, getting on his knees and wrapping his arms around Rebecca. "Any splinters?" Rebecca said something... no one but Jack heard it. "I know Richard wouldn't care, and if you remember..." Jack's voice went to a whisper in her ear. Richard, Katharine and Cynthia watched as Rebecca start to shake. They were a bit concerned until Rebecca's laughter began to be heard. Jack stood and put out his hand to Rebecca. She took it, and was pulled up, facing Katharine and Richard. Jack moved over to Cynthia, and reached for her as well. Katharine was having a hard time not staring at Rebecca. She needed a tactic to take her mind off of... "Maybe next time when you do this," Katharine said, "you should make sure the front door is closed." Richard had a hard time trying to keep a straight face. He ended up biting the inside of his cheek to accomplish that feat. Cynthia got a devilish smile on her face. Rebecca's face was one of shock. Jack paled a bit. Katharine went on, "Maybe there is a back door? You might want to leave by it, 'cause the crowd outside is wondering who was making all the noise." Jack gulped. "How many are out there?" Just then, from the front, they heard, "Mom?" Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca started pulling their clothing on. Jack had the worst of it, as all Cynthia and Rebecca needed to do to become somewhat presentable was to pull their dresses over their heads. Jack had just pulled up his pants, but hadn't gotten them fastened, when Kristina came into the room. He stepped behind his two ladies. "I thought I heard something back here," Kristina said. Katharine and Richard tried their hardest not to laugh. "How many are outside?" Jack asked Kristina in a pained voice. "Outside? Mom? What's he talking about?" "There's no group of people outside?" Jack asked, now getting suspicious. "Brian, Barbara, Julie, Elizabeth, and Kenneth are all down at the park. Is that what you mean? Mom, Brian was kissing Barbara and Julie!" Cynthia, with a grin on her face, said, "I think we've just been had." "It sure looked like it to me," Richard said. Katharine poked his side. Her daughter was there now, after all. "What did you want?" Katharine asked her daughter, not wanting the conversation to digress any further. "Elizabeth..." Kristina looked at the others in the room and became quiet. She also saw two pairs of panties on the floor. "Mom? Whose are those?" she asked, pointing to the objects in question. "We're going to be opening a clothing store here. We need to see how things will work," Jack quickly answered, thinking he'd covered that quite well. "On the floor?" Kristina asked. Jack turned red. Katharine, used to embarrassing questions from her children, knew just how to handle the situation. "Kristina Lauren! Of course not. What do you think was going on? See that table? Do you think that it should be broken as well? It sounds like to me that you came in here to tattle on your sister. Now come with me, and let's see what this is all about." The other four in the room watched Katharine take Kristina out the door. They could hear the front door close as well. Looking at each other, Jack was the first to say anything. "I think I need lessons from Katharine. She handled that..." "You think our child is going to be a trouble maker?" Rebecca asked, putting her hand around Jack's waist. Jack laughed. "I know he is." "He?" Richard said, grinning. Richard also noticed that Cynthia was looking down. "Now what brought you in here? Not the noise," Jack said. "I wanted to tell you about my conversation with my uncle," Richard said. "Then I wanted to know when we're going." "Going? Going where?" Cynthia asked, now suddenly very interested in the conversation. "Richard and I are going to the base, to look at some auctions," Jack answered Cynthia. "Now, what did your uncle say?" Richard grinned, "Remember how you were feeling when we left the building up at the mine?" "Yeah." "The guy that was spouting off is about to have a real bad day. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't get sacked." "Really?" Jack said with a wide smile. That made his day almost perfect. "Apparently we have about ten days, not three, before the mine is to open. That's still a short time, but..." "So he was leading us on, like you suspected." "Oh, it gets worse," Richard said with a little smile. "The home office has heard about this tactic being used by this guy before. Well, what he didn't realize was that our contract was a bit different. The attorneys my dad put together for us employed the same sort of clause, but in reverse. If we had shown up with a crew in a couple of days, Memco would have had to pay for them. That would cost them a full day's worth of wages, for the entire crew. But there wouldn't have been any work. We're talking about six days worth of pay, for no work, for a full crew! My uncle was not very happy, to say the least. I won't repeat what he said about that guy. My guess is that he might have been waiting for the guy to slip up, and now he has." Jack laughed. "Well! That puts my mind at ease. I was wondering how in the world we were going to get everyone up here from Angle City in such sort notice. There is no way in the world to hold a legitimate auction on the base in a day. If I did anything that shady, I could stand to lose a lot more than I'm willing to gamble." "So we're going to the base, for..." "To find out what we want to put up for auction. It can't be done as secretly as the plane deal. That was a one-time thing. I'm not running the base anymore. In fact, the only reason I have any ties at all is because they don't want to get rid of me yet. There is some jockeying around by some of the commanders, and I was asked by the admiral to keep my name on the books, so they could keep the one they want in place there." "Ahhh, politics. I'm glad I'm out of there." "Lucky you. But it works for our benefit, now. We can scrounge around the base and select what we want." "Good thing I know the base." "Why do you think I want you along?" Jack laughed. "There are more than a few buildings, there, that I probably never set foot in." "I'm sure about that. Especially the underground bunker that was set up for the President, in case of a nuclear attack." "You're kidding," Jack said, his face going white. 'Keith's little research building was bad enough, ' he thought. Richard laughed hard. "Shit! I never know when you're pulling my leg," Jack complained. "I'm sure there's one around, somewhere. But my guess would be that it is at NTS." "Yeah," Jack said, knowing that would make sense. He didn't understand how Richard or Keith sucked him into their games so often. Richard was still chuckling as he left the building. Jack was telling Rebecca and Cynthia that there was no problem with the plane they had purchased, as they didn't understand what he had been talking about. That was being done as the three were getting the rest of the way dressed before they left. Richard went back down to the park to find Katharine and the kids. ------- "Beth Ann?" Robin whispered to her. "Where are we all going to sleep?" "I thought I'd take Keith to my room," she whispered back. Robin couldn't contain herself, and started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Mary wanted to know. Everyone else stopped to listen. There hadn't been enough laughter for a while. Robin blushed and said, "I was just wondering where we were all going to sleep." "Dear," Beatrice said, "You are the only married couple here. You could take my room." "Oh, no you don't," I said, stepping into the conversation. "We can just sleep all over the floor. We've all done it before, haven't we?" Beatrice was looking at the nods, and had a sort of stunned look on her face, seeing her daughter nod as well. "You mean in the same room. Boys and girls?" "Mom! Sometimes I can't believe you. What century did you grow up in?" "Beth Ann! That is no way to talk to your mother," Beatrice answered. I was looking at Robin. I could see she was fuming. Then the light went on in my head and leaned over to her. "Remind you of how your mom was?" Robin turned and looked at me, a shocked expression on her face. "Keith... I..." Robin dropped her shoulders in resignation, "yes, it does." "Does what?" Beth Ann wanted to know, hoping she had an ally to side against her mother. A few words... The right tone... Beth Ann was once again the schoolgirl battling her mother. Both mother and daughter had slipped right into those familiar trappings. "Beth Ann!" I said in a sharp voice that stopped all talk. "You are an adult! Start acting like one." "What is that supposed to mean?" her aunt asked me. "She has some things to explain to her mother. Maybe now is the right time," I said. I could see Beth Ann's head shaking. "Maybe she'd like Robin with her to talk this all out." Robin's eyes just about popped out. She looked at me as though I'd lost my mind. Maybe I had. "Go on," I said, shooing them out of the living room and into Beatrice's bedroom. I shut the door behind them and walked back into the living room. All eyes were on me. "Keith, what did you just do?" Daisy asked. I knew the others were feeling the same. Kristin, Liz, and Mary were nodding at that question. Beth Ann's aunt took it all in. "It sounds pretty important, whatever it is. I guess we'll all know the results pretty soon." "How does Beatrice handle shocking news?" I asked. There was a frown, then her eyes narrowed a bit, before she asked, "She's not pregnant, is she?" Instead of answering directly, I looked to my sisters. They rolled their eyes. Kristin was the one who answered. "No, she isn't. I can vouch for that." The aunt looked at Kristin, raising her eyebrows. "So could I," Mary said. "I think we'd know. Kristin is one of Beth Ann's best friends and I was her roommate in college." "Oh. Yes, I guess that..." The aunt was cut off with scream from the bedroom. I'd heard that kind of scream before, from my mother. ------- Jill and Marcia walked over to the new building behind the Mansion, where they'd seen others through the window. "What is this place? It looks new," Marcia asked. "We have too many people living here. And with the babies that will be showing up, it is going to be too much. So Keith and Richard had the old barn, that was in danger of falling down anyway, taken down and this built in its place. I've only been in it once," Jill responded. They opened up the front door and walked into a living room area with a staircase. It smelled of fresh paint. Walking down a hallway, they found that it led to three bedrooms and a bathroom. No one was on the first floor. With no furniture in the building yet, it was easy to hear the footsteps on the second floor, so they went up the stairs. "What's this?" Marcia asked, as they were walking out of the hall and into the living room. "I don't know," Jill answered looking a door with a lock on it. "It's very strange. There are very few locks in this town. No one locks anything." Marcia looked at her, and then walked into the living room, "No one? Not their houses, much less their bedroom doors?" Then realized there weren't doors on the bedrooms. "They do have doors at least, don't they?" "Of course they do. But why would they lock them?" Jill wondered. "Well, because... Well, it's just that... You know..." Marcia looked at Jill who was trying to understand what Marcia was trying to say. Marcia's shoulders drooped. "I guess this is one of those times you were talking about. I feel so stupid." Jill laughed. "No, that is just different. Has nothing to do with stupid... ness." Marcia and Jill laughed at how Jill couldn't figure out how to finish her sentence, and had just made up an ending. Walking up the stars, Jill looked back down towards the hall. She was going to ask Katy about the locked door. It was an odd thing. Stephanie saw them first and yelled, "Its Jill and that other girl!" Katy popped her head out of one of the doorways in the hall they were now in. Looking at Stephanie, she said, "That is Marcia. And you are being a bit rude, by yelling." "Sorry," Stephanie said and darted into one of the five bedrooms. Sarah came out and she looked at Marcia. She was wondering how things went. Marcia's mother also came out into the hallway. Before any of the girls were able to say a word, she started. "Marcia! Isn't this just great! Come take a look. They're going to set these up like dorm rooms!" Katy came out into the hallway as well, listening as the concerned mother went on in a cheery and hopeful voice. "Katy was explaining to me that Laura is also not from Carp. Yet she'll be staying here and attending school. Since you're having a baby, you will be taking up more room. You could have a room all by yourself. Come, Dear. Come take a look." "Mother," Marcia said in a cold tone that stopped everyone in their tracks. "I will not be staying in this place by myself." The mother's face crumbled, as she realized that everything was lost. "I want to be sure that I am in a place where both Jill and Sarah, my friends, are," Marcia said. Marcia turned and took hold of Jill's hand, and then she reached out for Sarah. Sarah ran the few steps, and not only took the offered hand, but hugged Marcia as well. Marcia's mother just about fainted at the turn of events. Katy, who was smiling, said, "We haven't figured out who is staying where, but I'm sure that we can set something like that up." "I'm sure that Sarah and Marcia have a bit of talking to do," Jill said, dropping Marcia's hand. "I have to show something to Laura as well." Laura appeared out of nowhere, and was right by Jill's side, smiling. "Where are we going?" Laura asked with a twinkle in her eye. "Horseback riding," Jill answered. Laura's said uncertainly, "I've never..." "I know," Jill said in a comforting manner. "If she could teach me how to get on a horse, she can teach you, too," Marcia said. "You rode a horse?" Marcia's mother asked her daughter. "Yes, Mother, I did. It's really fun. The horse just moved, and I moved with her." "You taught her to ride a horse?" Laura asked, hurt. Jill reached over and pinched Laura's butt, surprising her. "Yes, and now I'm going to teach you. But first, show me around here." Laura wasn't going to pass up that opportunity. She grabbed Jill's hand and led her into one of the rooms. "I guess we need to go, so we can get a room at the hotel," the older woman said, looking at her daughter. "Do I have to sleep there?" Marcia asked. "Where would..." her mother hadn't even thought that this could have been possible. "She's welcome to spend the night here," Katy said. "Well, not here... This place isn't finished yet, but in the main house." "Can I, Mom?" Marcia asked. "Of course you can," was the answer with a smile. "You are welcome, as well. We have lots of extra space right now. Seven of our people are out of town, now," Katy added. "I don't want to inconvenience you." Katy laughed. "Your daughter is going to stay with us for the next year and you are worried about spending the night?" "I guess it is silly of me," she said. Marcia and Sarah had disappeared into the study room, not hearing any of that part of the conversation. Sarah was showing Marcia the rooms as well. "It doesn't bother you," Marcia said to Sarah, "that Jill is taking that other girl..." "Laura," Sarah interjected. "Yes, Laura, off for a ride. I heard Jill say something to the... schoolteachers. I bet she told them where they were going. I saw Jill wink at them. I have the feeling that they'll meet them." "Why would I be bothered?" "Because you're not included..." Marcia noted Sarah's lack of concern. "You really have changed, haven't you?" "Marcia, I think..." Sarah started to say, but didn't get to finish. Katy and Marcia's mother walked into the room. "We need to get back to the house while there is a little light outside. We also need to bring your things into the house," Katy said. ------- Laura, being much lighter, was easy enough to almost throw into the saddle. As much as Jill tried to calm her, Laura was nervous about being on such a big animal. Jill walked the horse around in a circle. "Laura, you need to relax and not be so stiff. The horse knows you're uncomfortable. It bothers her." "It does?" Laura asked, never thinking of a horse as something that might have feelings. "Yes, now just go with the rocking motion." Jill led her around to the front of the house. Laura was a little better, but not much. "Laura, do you remember at the school, when you sat on top of my face?" Blushing so much she thought she'd pass out, Laura nodded, not thinking she could even answer that question. "I want you to think about how you started rocking back and forth." "Ohhh," escaped out of Laura's mouth, and then she said, "Why?" "That's the same kind of motion your body needs to use to ride a horse," Jill explained. "Does that mean I'm going to..." Jill giggled. "It happens sometimes, if you are in just the right spot. Why do you think us girls like to ride so much?" Laura burst out laughing. But, in the back of her mind, she was wondering if Jill was telling the truth. It did relax Laura enough that she started getting into the swaying motion of the horse as they walked around in the front of the Mansion. Katy came out the front door. "Jill, it's a bit late to take Laura out, I think. She's never ridden before, right?" Jill nodded. "Yes," Jill said, disappointed. "I'll have to take her another time." As Jill led Laura and the horse back around the house, Laura said to Jill, "I was hoping you were going to take me, and do something good." Jill chortled. "Maybe we can sneak into the 'new place', and see which bedroom you like the best." "Really?" Laura said wide-eyed. Jill didn't answer, but just smiled. She unbuckled the saddles, and put them into the tack room that was on the outside of the new dorm building. Then she sent the horses out into the little corral that had been set up. "Come on, we can get in from the back door," Jill said. Laura had goose bumps; she was so excited about being alone with Jill. ------- The type of scream was not definable. It was a scream. The deputy, who was, at that moment, out on the front porch, burst back into the house. "What's happening? Who's screaming?" he said with his hand on his gun, though it was still in its holster. "It is just Beth Ann and her mother in her bedroom," I said as calmly as I could. It didn't help. He made his way down the hall and opened the door before anyone could stop him. The rest of us, following, crowded into the hall. As soon as he opened the door and took a step in, he retreated. He looked back at me. At that point, I think he would have liked to have slipped into a crack, and disappear. Unfortunately for him, the only way out was filled with people. Beatrice came to the doorway. Everyone else started making their way out of the hallway. The look on her face was similar as to what I'd seen on Katy, when she met Julie and her mother. I was concerned for Beth Ann. I knew Robin could take care of herself. As the deputy scooted by me, he said, "Good luck." Everyone was out of the hallway, except the aunt and I, at that point. "Keith," Beatrice said to me. "I want you to come in here, and explain." "Explain what?" Beth Ann's aunt wanted to know. "Beatrice, why did you scream? Tell me what's wrong?" Beatrice put her hands on her hips. There had been tears in her eyes, but right then I saw a touch of anger flashing in them. "We will talk, later. Right now, Keith has some explaining to do." I knew I had to go in, but felt like I was the 'lamb being led to slaughter', at the moment. Inside the bedroom, Beth Ann was crying. Robin was consoling her, but gave me a dirty look. I knew I was in trouble, but my concern for Beth Ann overtook my own concerns. "Might as well sit," Beatrice said as she closed the door. I did, and she sat across from me. "Now Keith, tell me," Beatrice said, as she tapped her fingers together in an agitated manner. "What is the difference between you, who seem to be rich and can manipulate your way around situations, and the mill owner who runs this town? It looks to me like you are both taking the virtues of women at will." We heard a small gasp from the other side of the door. Beatrice quickly moved to it and found her sister in law on the other side. "You might as well come in," Beatrice said. Beth Ann's aunt came in, looking a bit sheepish. The door was closed again. As Beatrice sat down, she looked at me again. "Well, I'm waiting for an answer." "If I told you how things have worked so far, I'm not sure that you would either trust, or believe me. So what I have to say is listen to your daughter. Hear what she says." "She's in love with you," Beatrice said in return. "She doesn't understand what you can do." "She's in love with him?" the aunt repeated. "He's married! Oh no! My husband must have driven her to behave like this. Oh no, oh no, oh no..." She buried her face in her hands and cried. "Are you done?" Robin said. "Done?" Beatrice asked, surprised that the girl had stayed quiet so long. "Yes. Done. Let me ask you something. Did you ever consider that Beth Ann might be happy?" "Humph," Beatrice muttered. "Just what I thought. You are still feeling the guilt of not knowing what was going on. Instead of seeing that Beth Ann has gone beyond that hurt and is starting to heal, you want her to suffer more." "And how would you know anything about that. You're just a young girl. Because you married an older man?" Beatrice shot back. "My father was the man who tried to kill the entire town of Carp. He was the one the newspaper articles talked about," Robin seethed. "I think I know quite a bit about feeling 'the world crash down around me'." Beatrice and Beth Ann's aunt looked at this girl. They were shocked at the statement she had just made, and looked to Beth Ann for confirmation. It was there. Beatrice didn't know quite what to say at that moment. The aunt hadn't been in the room to hear the first part of the conversation, and so talked of things she had yet to find out about. "That still doesn't excuse Keith from encouraging Beth Ann into falling in love with him. The next thing you know he'd..." The aunt turned to her niece after seeing the look in Beatrice's face. "You have, haven't you? Oh Dear Lord." Beth Ann had had enough of this. She had been sitting there, with her mother talking about her almost as though she wasn't even in the room. What Robin had said about her own father, and how she had had to live with that, gave Beth Ann the courage she needed to burst out of her normal timid nature. "First of all, Keith wasn't my first man. I wish I could say he was, but I wasn't given a choice in that. It was stolen from me. But that wasn't love, it was hate. Keith never took anything from me, if you want to know. I gave him... I gave him my love." Beatrice looked at her daughter and shook her head. She knew Beth Ann simply didn't know anything about this sort of thing. Beth Ann was her little girl, no matter how old she was. "Mom, it wasn't that simple, either." "What do you mean?" "Keith is... His wife is Robin. He belongs to her. There is no question in anyone's mind about that." "This is confusing," Beth Ann's aunt said. "I had to ask Robin's permission," Beth Ann answered simply. "So, let me get this straight. You had to ask Robin, if you could have... I mean, make love, with her husband... and she said yes?" Beatrice asked. "Beatrice," Robin said. "I know my husband is a wonderful man. In our town, that is a rare thing. So the idea of sharing him isn't as strange of a thing for me to think of as it seems. Maybe you have a lot of good men here to choose from. We don't." "So this is common practice in your town?" Beatrice wanted to know. Robin cracked a little smile. "Well, no. But it just felt right. I love my husband. I also love Beth Ann, as well. There is no question she loves him, so it seemed right." Beatrice was shaking her head. Robin went on, "You know, he has the desire to make love much more than I need it." "So you farm him out," Beatrice said flatly. "Mom!" "Well, isn't that what she's doing?" "No," I said. "I love your daughter enough to marry her." "But, conveniently, you can't," The aunt said. "That's not true." Beth Ann said. "Yes it is. It's against the law. We all know that. Those Mormons tried doing that, and it was outlawed." the aunt retorted. Beth Ann looked directly at her, "If I can prove you wrong, will you come to the wedding?" "Enough of this! There isn't going to be a wedding," Beatrice said. "Mom," Beth Ann said, choked up. "I'd like you and Daddy there, too. It is important to me." Beatrice looked at her daughter. "You're serious, aren't you?" Beth Ann nodded. "I love him, and we can get married. He's asked me, too." ------- Brian was the star that night. Millie had made a special meal for them. It was an enjoyable evening, celebrating Brian's new job. Even though Brian was still in a wheelchair, he was able to get around the house. Now he was in the living room. "I'm proud of you, Son," Bruce said, as he placed his large hand on his son's shoulder. "Thanks, Dad," Brian beamed. "Now I can get married." Millie and Bruce looked at each other, not believing what their son had just said. "Brian. I think I said you had to court her first." "Court her? But I thought..." "Darling," Millie butted in, "You need to learn to do the things to make sure she knows how special she is to you." "Like what?" "Oh, a special dinner. Maybe just the two of you," Millie said. "I remember when your father took me..." Brian didn't hear another word his mother said. He was already thinking. He'd need to ask Richard about this. Maybe he could get his mom to let Barbara and he go together, downtown. They hadn't needed Julie like his mother had been sure they would, although it was nice to have her along. Brian's mind wandered a bit more until Barbara said something to him. "What?" "I don't think he heard a word I said," Millie said. "You've got your work cut out for you Barbara." He turned to Barbara and grinned at her, then winked. She blushed. ------- "It's darker in here," Laura whispered. "It sure is, but we don't need any light. Not for what I have in mind," Jill whispered back. Laura giggled. She had hoped that was why Jill wanted to take her someplace. "I don't think we should try the stairs. Let's use one of the rooms down here." "Ok, which one?" "Either one of these two; the doors face each other. I don't like the third one. The idea of that one, across from the door that is locked, bothers me." "Ok. I think I heard that Tiffany and Vicki will be taking these rooms," Laura said. "Oh! I must have missed hearing that when I was out with Marcia." "Was it a good talk?" "Yes, Laura, it was. Marcia was sure that Sarah was mad at her and would never want to talk to her again." "So it was just like me, wasn't it?" Laura asked. "Well, not exactly." "What was different?" "I didn't want to do 'this', with her," Jill said, taking Laura's face in her hands and kissing her. Laura gasped when Jill's hands left her face, and started exploring. In the room across the hall, Vicki looked at Tiffany and whispered, "What do we do now?" Vicki could barely make out the smile on Tiffany's face, "We have several options. We could make some noise, and scare them half to death." "Not a good idea." "We could wait until they are making noise, and sneak out." "Ok." "Or..." "Or what?" "We could wait until they were making noise, and then join them." "Tiffany!" Vicki said, almost out loud. "What?" "We can't." "Jill invited us to find her and Laura horseback riding. What do you think they would have been doing when we found them?" "But..." "If you remember, this is Jill," Tiffany whispered. "I know," Vicki whispered back, exasperated. "But Laura." "Weren't you around when we were talking about Carp and what happened here at the school?" "I guess." "We can just look in. Then, if you want to go, just pull me away." "They won't see us?" "Vicki, where do you think their heads will be?" Vicky groaned. There was a moan that came from the other side. "I think it's about time," Tiffany whispered into Vicki's ear. She also stroked one hand around and cupped Vicki's breast, while the other hand slid down her backside and grabbed her ass. "Maybe I should take our blanket." Vicki jumped. "Let's go." Jill had heard some noises. Vicki and Tiffany weren't as quiet as they thought they were. As soon as Jill recognized the voices, she smiled. She also distracted Laura everytime she heard something, so Laura heard nothing. Jill knew after just a minute that at some point the two would look in on them. Positioning Laura so that Jill could see the door, Jill started to get the girl turned on. What she hadn't expected was how ferociously Laura would return the favor. Jill was having a hard time concentrating. Both Jill and Laura had stripped naked. With Laura on the floor, legs spread wide and knees bent up, Jill had unencumbered access to Laura's treasures. She teased Laura with her fingers. She was also teasing her with the sight of Jill's own sweet treasure, just above Laura's head. It was Laura who moaned from Jill sinking a finger into her moist soft passage that Tiffany and Vicki had heard. The next moan was from Jill, though. Laura had grabbed Jill's hips, and had pulled her down to a hard, waiting tongue. It licked Jill from stem to stern. The second time Laura did that, Jill was panting. Laura had never done anything so aggressive before and it got to Jill. As Jill's eyes started to refocus, she saw the shapes in the door that she knew would show up. Jill smiled. She was showing her teeth that she knew, even in the dark of the room, would show to the two in the doorway. Then she took hold of Laura's bent knees. She pulled them up and out, and gave the two voyeurs a very 'close up' look at Laura, right before Jill licked the girl in the same manner as she had just received. Laura was trying to drive Jill crazy, but when Jill reciprocated, Laura let out a hungry moan. As Jill asked her, "Are you horny enough to try something new?" All Laura could do was to pant out a yes. "Even if Tiffany were to eat you out while I was sucking on your breasts?" Jill teased Laura. Jill teased Laura more than just with words. She licked and fingered her as well. "Oh, Oh, Ohhhhh!" Laura's body arched. Jill giggled. "You didn't answer me." "You know I think she's pretty," Laura said, in between trying to catch a breath. "Vicki too?" Jill asked, as she used her juices to slide a finger into Laura's ass. "Ahhh. Why are you doing this?" Laura begged. "You know I'd like to... Ahh, Ahhh, Ahhh! Jill!" "I think I might be able to fulfill that want, Laura," Jill said, as soon as she let go of Laura's clit. "How?" Laura asked, her head still swirling uncontrollably. "Tiffany, Vicki? Isn't it time you stopped just looking and came in?" Laura rose up suddenly, but as her head was right under Jill's crotch, she hit that and dropped back down, squirming out to see what was going on. Tiffany was more than ready and pushed Vicki into the room. Vicki was still battling the same sort of obstacles in her head that Tiffany had when Jill had approached her. A teacher shouldn't do this. Tiffany understood what Vicki was thinking. She also knew, as Vicki hadn't pulled away, that there was more want in being there than guilt. Vicki, now in the room, was embarrassed that she had been caught spying. Tiffany on the other hand came up right behind Vicki and cupped a breast, leaning into her. Whispering into Vicki's ear, Tiffany said, "It's time to undress." Tiffany also threw the blanket to Jill. When she caught it and realized what it was, she laughed. Vicki whimpered but couldn't, for some reason, move. Laura and Jill were now straining in the darkened room to watch as Tiffany undressed Vicki. Both Jill and Laura were frustrated with the lack of light. They were missing most of the show. Glancing at each other, Jill put out her hand. Laura took it and the two girls stood. Jill led them over to stand right in front of Vicki, getting a close up intimate view of the undressing. "My, aren't we wet," Tiffany huskily said as she cupped Vicki's panties just before sliding them off. It was the last of Vicki's clothes. Jill was prepared. She picked up Laura, from behind her back and under her armpits. She almost tossed her to Vicki, or at least it looked like it. The reaction was what Jill was after. Both Vicki and Laura reached for each other. Before they knew it, Laura's arms and legs were wrapped around Vicki and Vicki's arms were wrapped around Laura. "Now you two kiss," Jill said, trying not to giggle. She was rather pleased with herself, adding, "I'm going to take care of Tiffany's clothes." Vicki was shocked at what was going on and had turned to look at Jill and Tiffany. Jill had already started to pull Tiffany's top off. Vicki turned back to Laura and found lips immediately pressed against hers. For Laura, there was no reason to question what Jill had said. Jill always looked out for her, and besides, she had wanted to do this. It is difficult, Vicki found, when you are naked and your nipples harden into the other naked person, to pretend you are not aroused. Vicki also quickly found out that Laura was very practiced in the art of kissing. As Vicki heard Tiffany moan, she just let herself go. Her hands, which had been around Laura's back, now slid down and massaged Laura's little ass. With Vicki supporting her from below, Laura took her hands from around Vicki's neck and explored the breasts that had fascinated her for some time. Vicki moaned as Laura's thumbs and fore fingers massaged Vicki's extended nipples. Before she realized it, Vicki found that her hands had been moving almost on their own accord. As her fingers stretched in, Laura wiggled her bottom. Vicki's fingers, from the left and then the right hand, were given a treat of soft, wet, folds of flesh. It was too much and Vicki had long forgotten about any reluctance that she'd had before she entered the room. Vicki and Laura were also too far gone to realize that Jill and Tiffany were at each side of them until they felt their hands. The four now explored each other with hands and mouths, first in the standing position, but soon on the floor. ------- "Jimmy," Katy called, "go out and help Jill put away the horses. I know she must be taking her time, 'cause Laura doesn't know about that sort of stuff." Jimmy got a disgusted look in his eyes and dropped his shoulders, but said, "Yes, Mom." Five minutes later Katy found Jimmy still in the house. She just gave him a look. "I'm going right now," Jimmy said and ran out the back door not giving her a chance to say anything to him. The look was bad enough. He liked riding horses, but the clean up after; pulling off the saddle and a brush down was not something he liked at all. Jimmy didn't think the horses would need to be brushed as they hadn't even gone anyplace, but Jill and Laura hadn't come in yet like he'd hoped. He walked slowly around and then a smile crept onto his face. Maybe he'd sneak up and see if they were almost finished. If so he could just wait a minute or so, and then show up to 'help'. Moving quietly around the new dorm house, around the back, he was listening for sounds. He wanted to find out where they might be. His eyes first spotted them. The two horses Jill had used were in the corral. He was so startled to see them that his ears missed the first and the second, but not the third, little noise. By the time the forth noise happened, his brain was figuring out just what those noises were. He smiled and almost laughed out loud, thinking he'd have to thank his mom for sending him out to 'help'! Jimmy froze as he heard the back door slam on the Mansion, looking back around the corner he saw Pamela. She was walking his way, probably to find him. Moving so she could see him, he waved to get her attention and then quickly put his finger to his lips so she wouldn't say anything. Then he waved for her to come over. Pamela smiled; knowing something good must be going on. After looking back and forth as though someone might see her, she ran over to him. "What's happening?" she said softly. Instead of answering, he took her hand, and pulled her to where he'd heard the noises. By now it was very obvious what type of noises those were. The two looked at each other and stifled laughs. Jimmy also kissed her. Those noises made him think of things he'd like to be doing. Now, obviously, they needed to get closer. Jimmy wondered how they could get inside without being detected. The back door was the most obvious way in, but the immediate thought was how creaky sounding the doors were. The sounds from inside though were getting louder. 'If timed right, ' Jimmy thought, 'I just might be able to do it. Slowly he turned the doorknob. As the next moan was heard, he inched the door open. He smiled, knowing as well as his mom, that he would need to thank Larry for building such a nice door. It opened smoothly, and best of all, silently. Pamela and Jimmy tiptoed into the hallway. Again, Jimmy was thankful to Larry, who had done a wonderful job with the wooden floors. There was no creaking in them, as there was in the Mansion and they were polished as smooth as silk. One of the finishing touches Jimmy was glad had not been installed yet, were the interior doors. As they got to the doorway where the sound was coming from, they peered around the opening. Jimmy quickly put his hand over Pamela's mouth, as she gasped at the sight. On the floor, in a sort of square, were Tiffany, Jill, Vicki, and Laura. They were facing into the center. Their leg that was against the floor was extended out straight; the other one was bent up and away. This gave access to the next person in this square whose head rested on the straight leg. That head was very busy though, licking, lapping, sucking, and tonguing the pussy that was in front of them. Hands were fondling breasts, and pulling on nipples. Moaning was escaping from all the mouths. Vicki shuddered and then moaned, "Number four." Pamela and Jimmy looked at each other. Jill must be really good at that. Jill went off next. "Oh... Ohhhh, man! That was really good, Tiffany, and number four." Jimmy couldn't stand it any longer. His hands wrapped around Pamela, reaching for her little nipples. He found them to be very hard. She felt his hard dick pressing in against her. She could tell by the way he was breathing into her neck that if she reached down and took hold of it, he'd go off in his pants. Laura was the next; her whole body seemed to go into convulsions she shook so hard. Then she became limp, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Jill stopped her ministrations for a moment and looked at her friend. Then she giggled. "Laura, I think that was six for you!" Laura opened her closed eyes and sighed, "Vicki you are..." Laura's eyes caught the sight of Jimmy and Pamela at the door and she screamed. It was short, and not that loud, but it had the effect of startling the others. Jill, Vicki, and Tiffany jumped, looking around. They also saw Jimmy and Pamela standing in the doorway. Jill shook her head at them. Vicki and Tiffany were beet red. They grabbed their clothing, and ran out of the room, still stark naked. They ran right past the watchful eyes of Jimmy, who enjoyed the sight. "Jimmy, you shouldn't have been peeking," Jill said as she stood. "Pamela, what are you two doing here?" "Mom told me to come help you..." Jimmy stammered. He was looking at Laura. She, still weak from her orgasm, was lying on the floor. Her legs were still open wide, as was her mouth. "I don't think this is what she had in mind," Jill answered. Pamela walked into the room, pulling Jimmy with her. Both Jimmy and she were floating on the sweet scent of sex that was in the air. Pamela was walking towards Jill, but Jimmy stopped in front of Laura. Even in the dim light he could see her puffy nether lips. "Jimmy!" Jill said. "You're staring, and it's not fair." Pamela looked at where he was. "I agree, Jill." Thinking of what she had heard from Stephanie when the two of them had gone in and looked at Keith and Robin. She walked behind Jimmy, and grabbed hold of his pants. She yanked them down, along with his underwear. Laura, who was realizing how she was displayed, and where Jimmy was looking, suddenly forgot herself. There in front of her, not more than two feet away, was a real live dick! She was transfixed. Jill watched as Pamela reached around Jimmy, and took hold of his dick. Jill remembered the time she took hold of Keith's dick. The only one she had touched. Jill, seeing Laura lick her lips, smiled. Laura didn't have the problems Jill faced with men. "Pam..." Jimmy started to say, "I'm gonna..." He never got the rest out. Jill wasn't the only one surprised at the force behind his cum. The first blast hit Laura on her chest. The second one landed below her belly button and the string of it extended down to the cleft of her pussy. The rest hit the blanket, between her legs. Laura scooped some of his cum off her chest and her hand rubbed it across her hard nipple. Just that little action caused a small orgasm. As her body quivered, she kept her eyes open, not wanting to take them off that interesting sight in front of her. "Wow, Jimmy, you haven't done it that far..." Pamela blushed. "Well, in a while." Laura looked up at Jill. "What do I do now? It's kind of sticky." "I could..." Pamela started to offer. "Would you like Pamela to clean you up?" Jill asked, trying not to giggle at the offer, knowing Laura wouldn't understand. "How? The bathroom isn't working." Laura asked. "With her tongue," Jill answered simply. Laura looked at Pamela. "You'd lick it up?" Pamela nodded enthusiastically. "I like it." Looking back to Jill, Laura wanted guidance. Jill seemed to understand this. "I'm sure you'll like it. Pamela and Stephanie have been special friends for some time." Jill said. "Ok," Laura said. Pamela didn't wait for her to change her mind. She knelt down and licked a strand off in one long lick. It tickled Laura, but interested her as well. She took the hand that she'd touched his cum originally with and got some more. This time she tasted it. Jimmy groaned, seeing Laura do that. "I think you have a new admirer," Jill commented. Laura looked into Jimmy's eyes. "But he and Pamela..." Laura said. "Laura," Jill said, "what about Keith and Robin, Kristin, Liz, and a few others?" "Like you?" Jimmy asked. Jill was glad it was dark so they couldn't tell how much she was blushing. "Laura, I just was trying to say I think Jimmy finds you very attractive." "Me?" Knowing Jimmy wasn't going to volunteer any information, Pamela asked, "Well, Jimmy, do you think she's sexy?" "Pamela!" Laura said. "Yeah. She reminds me of you." ------- I thought things had gone from full boil to a simmer with Beth Ann's mother. We were setting up places for everyone to sleep. I guess I took the busy-ness of what was going on as acceptance of the situation. As some of the gals went into the bathroom to put on their nightgowns, Beatrice walked over to me. "It is time you and I talked... Alone," she said. I nodded, knowing I was not getting out of this one easily. She walked, and I followed her into the back of the house. There was a room where the door had been closed. She opened it, turned on the light and stepped in. I followed and she closed the door behind me. It was Beth Ann's father's room. There was little doubt about that. It was sort of an office away from work, but also his den. Pictures of guys on fishing and hunting trips scattered the walls. A four-point buck's head was mounted on the wall, protruding too far into the small room. The one chair, from the desk, was pushed over to me. I sat. Beatrice sat on top of the desk. It gave the woman a superior height advantage and I knew she had done this on purpose. "Tomorrow I am bringing my daughter to see my husband, in jail. He's there because of what her uncle did to her and how her father reacted. Now tell me, how am I supposed to face him? What am I to say? Guess what Dear? Our daughter, who you defended, is going to go live with a married man?" I looked up at her face. She wasn't bitter in her words, but there was sadness there. Before I could answer, though, there was a tiny knock at the door. Beatrice looked at the door like she wished it would just vanish. The knock happened again. She sighed and walked over to open the door. Daisy pushed her way in as soon as the door was opened. "How can I help you?" Beatrice asked in a strained, but polite voice. Daisy took hold of the door and closed it after she entered. "You can listen to me." I'm not sure who was stunned more, Beatrice or I. Daisy went on after a short pause. "I want to tell you why I'm here. To tell you why it was important for me to come and be here with Beth Ann." "Alright," Beatrice said. I could tell she was wishing that Daisy hadn't chosen this time to interrupt, to tell her whatever she was about to say, but she was too polite to shoo the girl away. "I was in trouble, recently. Big trouble. May I sit? I'm not sure if I can get though this, standing." I jumped up, and Daisy sat. Beatrice looked at me. I just looked back at Daisy. "My husband... I should say ex-husband now, but he still was, then... decided to move me up to his brother's home, out of state. I'd never been out of Carp, until we were taken away by train... but I'm getting off the subject. What I found out was he was planning on sharing me with his brother. The two of them would sort of own me. Do you understand? I was without any family. I had no money. I was traveling to someplace I didn't know anything about. And I was being told by my husband that I was going to be... well... a sex slave." Beatrice was pale, hearing this. I took her hand and led her over to the desk, where she sat. "I ran away the first chance I got. I knew I had to. We'd stopped in Redding, at a bus stop. I ran as fast as I could while he thought I was in the restroom. I was scared out of my mind, but do you know how I could do it? How could I run? How could I know something would happen to get me out of that mess?" Daisy was looking into Beatrice's eyes. Beatrice shook her head. "I knew, somehow, that Keith would do something." "He was in Redding?" Beatrice asked not understanding. "You're talking about the town in California." "No, he wasn't there. I didn't even know how to get hold of him." Beatrice looked at me. I could tell she was having a hard time believing this. "I remembered the name of the school his sister taught at, and fortunately the town's name, in Colorado. I got the operator to find the number and call. After some difficulty I got hold of his sister. She told me she'd get hold of Keith, and told me not to worry. She was able to get me a hotel room for the night, and she did it over the phone! I then locked myself into the room." "Where were you?" Beatrice asked me. "I was in Utah, at a university, at that time." I could start to see the dawn of recognition in Beatrice's face. I was where her daughter had been. She had some of this puzzle, but not all the pieces were fitting, yet. "Liz got hold of him. He flew his friend's plane to come and get me." Beatrice looked back to me. "You flew all the way to Redding to pick her up?" "Yes. It was the safest way." "But... Couldn't you have..." Beatrice was trying to come up with something. "Keith got there, just after my husband and his brother found me." Beatrice went pale again. "When it was over, Keith had to be seen by the doctor. He couldn't fly me back for another day. He..." Daisy's voice broke, "had bruises all over him." Beatrice had made the connection now. "Your husband came after you, didn't he?" she asked. "I don't think so. He came to..." Daisy started to sob. "Daisy, you don't need to think about it," I said. "But he almost did... Keith you could have died." Daisy wailed. After a minute of crying and trying to compose herself, Daisy looked up at Beatrice. "Beatrice, Keith loves me enough to do what he did. He loves your daughter that same way. I think maybe with the same amount of love your husband has for her." Daisy got up and walked out, not being able to control her emotions any longer. As the door shut, Beatrice let out a long sigh. Her forehead was wrinkled as she looked at me. "Do you want to say anything more?" She asked. I didn't think she was trying to be funny, but I hadn't said much of anything. "Daisy was right. I know it looks like I am taking advantage of her." I winced. "I could never do that. On top of that, I don't need to. My wife is a lovely, sexy gal. Daisy is, too. I don't have to go after Beth Ann to possess her. But I have fallen in love with her, I won't deny that. I am just fortunate that my wife..." "Accepts?" "No, I think the right word might be encourages that." "Encourages?" I rubbed my temples. "The gals think I'm special. I just do what needs be done. My parents taught me that. It wasn't right to leave Daisy to strangers. I had a friend who owed me a favor. I called it in, borrowing his plane. It was what I could do," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Your daughter was out of her mind when she heard her father was in jail. I just made some calls. Yes, I'm spending some money. But I'm doing it because it is important to me, and to those around us, to make sure Beth Ann is happy. She deserves that, like we all do." "And you don't think that entitles you to..." "This is a bit embarrassing to tell you this, but maybe it will help." "Please do." "I do not go after any other gal. Just like you heard before. If they want me, they have to ask Robin's permission first. Then Robin tells me about it, trying to see if I will do what both girls think is right." Beatrice blinked her eyes several times. "You're telling me that what my daughter said... She asked your wife if she... If you and her... Oh! I just can't believe that," Beatrice said, but I could tell by the tone of her voice, that she doubted what she said. "Beth Ann, Robin, or someone else?" "Beth Ann, Robin, or someone else what?" "How many do you want, to confirm what I said is true?" There was no knock this time. The door flew open. "Daisy told me you had cornered him again," Beth Ann said. There was no question that she was angry. I had only seen Beth Ann like this once before. It was just the other day, when the lawyer got her mad enough to want to defend her father, no matter what. "Beth Ann, I'm just trying to look out for you," Beatrice said. The look Beth Ann gave said more than the words she might have said. I was glad she stopped herself from lashing out at her mother at that point, about sending her up to be with her uncle. Beatrice knew though, without the words. She put her hands together and fidgeted. "I'm still very worried about you. You know that, don't you?" Beatrice asked, looking to Beth Ann for forgiveness. "Mom," Beth Ann said, the fire going out of her. "I think you are trying to see Keith as a bad person, because the only other men who have been after me have been bad. But it's not true." "How do you know?" Beatrice implored. Beth Ann took my hand, pulled me to the door and pushed me out, closing it behind her. I looked back, surprised, as the door closed in my face. ------- Beth Ann, on the other hand, didn't want to be any more embarrassed than she was going to be. "Let me tell you what kind of man he is, Mom. I'm not going to talk about him helping save a whole town. I'm not just talking about saving a, no... make that two girls and getting shot at, at the university. I'm not talking about being out with me today, and just by being with me, get shot at. None of that hero stuff that makes you think he's taking advantage of me because of it," Beth Ann said and sat down in the chair. "I'm going to tell you about a girl he got an operation for. I'm going to tell you about sending a girl to his sister's school, so she could heal. I'm going to tell you about how he dances and plays the piano. I'm going to tell you of a little boy named Kenneth who looks up to him like a father. I hope you have a lot of time, Mom, 'cause I'm going to talk for a long time." Beth Ann looked up from the floor. She knew her face was red. It was always like that when she talked about how Keith was. As her eyes went up to where her mother was sitting on the desk, Beth Ann stopped. Then she started laughing. "What's so funny?" Beatrice asked completely confused. "Was Keith sitting here?" "Yes, why?" "Mom, I can see your panties!" ------- Chapter 89 I was totally confused. One minute I'm on the hot seat and then, as Beth Ann and her mother come back into the living room, Beatrice won't even glance my way. As has happened so many times before when trying to understand women, I can't figure this one out. Conversation sort of stalled as the announcement was made, that Beatrice and Beth Ann's aunt are going to bed using Beatrice's room. The rest of us are going to have to figure out where we will be sleeping. Beatrice grabbed the hand of her very surprised sister-in-law and pulled her down the hall as she was asking Beatrice question after question. As soon as the bedroom door shut, all eyes were on me. I was glad that the two deputies who would be guarding the house were outside, checking the grounds, at the moment. I didn't really want them to see a grown man quivering at the stares from five women. The only one that didn't have a perturbed look on her face, but rather an almost smirk, was Beth Ann. "Keith, why was it so important to you to dump all that on Beth Ann's mother? Don't you think she's going though enough at this time?" Liz asked me. I ignored her question, not wanting to try and think why. It just seemed right at the time. Maybe it wasn't. "Beth Ann," I said, "I'm afraid to ask, but you're smiling and I didn't think you would be." Beth Ann chuckled, bringing attention away from me to her. As the others looked, they were just as puzzled. "Well..." Beth Ann started. "I sat down and started talking about you," she blushed just a touch, but went on. "After I was done, I looked up to my mom, who was sitting on the desk." "Yes?" I said thinking that was where she had been when I'd been pushed out the door. "Then it struck me as funny." Confusion, all over again. "What did?" "I could see right up her skirt, and saw her panties." I turned red. "She didn't think I could... Did she?" "You couldn't?" Beth Ann asked. "No!" Kristin and Mary started to laugh. "You told your mom, didn't you?" Kristin asked. "Yes..." Beth Ann said, now embarrassed. "She thinks I was looking up her skirt..." I put the palms of my hands up to my temple. "Now she really thinks I'm just a letch." "Oh, no she doesn't!" Beth Ann said. "She... Well she thinks you thought she was just trying to..." "What?" I asked. "Seduce you." Beth Ann got out and then blushed again. "She didn't!" Mary said. "Yeah, she did," Beth Ann said and then giggled, still embarrassed. "You should have seen how red she turned. I've never seen my mom like that before." "I think maybe I should straighten this out," I said, not wanting Beatrice to think I was looking up her dress. "Oh no you don't!" Beth Ann said quite definitively. "She was being..." Beth Ann seemed to be searching for the right word. "An ass," Robin suggested. Beth Ann laughed heartily. "Yes, that's it. She got a taste of her own medicine and frankly, she deserved it." I took hold of Beth Ann's hand and she looked at me. Her laughter stopped. "Don't you think you're being a bit hard on her? It may be your father, but it is her husband that is sitting in jail. I think this is all my fault and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you into telling her, yet. Now she's worried about you and on top of that, what I might have seen." Beth Ann sighed. "You're right, of course. But you're also wrong. She is having difficulties dealing with Dad being gone. I shouldn't have teased her so much." She dropped her head. "It just felt good to get her back." Then looking back up and into my eyes, she continued. "She did need to know about us though. I don't want to hide it. I love you." "I love you too." I said, looking into her eyes, letting her feel my words. Then I went on, "I am a bit worried about your father though. If this is how your mother reacted, how is your father going to react about me 'taking' his little girl?" "You let me handle my dad," Beth Ann said in a way that made me realize she saw herself being able to manipulate what she wanted from him. That could be so. I thought of Pamela and how hard it was to say 'no' to anything she asked of me. ------- The deputies had a very uneventful night guarding the house. That didn't surprise me. No one knew the mill owner was in jail, or that his son had been shot and killed. Today would be a different story. We woke to the smell of pancakes. Beatrice and her sister in law were busy in the kitchen, already feeding the appreciative deputies. Not a word was spoken about who slept where. Beatrice still couldn't look at me. I did look at her though. As I had first noticed her when we drove up, she was a more mature version of Beth Ann, but just as striking. After breakfast was over, the lawyer showed up. It was going to be time for a visit. I had to say something to Beatrice before we went. The problem was that I didn't know how to do it. Opportunity opened itself, without me doing a thing, and I seized it. The lawyer was talking to the other gals about what they could and couldn't do and what they could and couldn't say. Beth Ann and her aunt were outside with one of the deputies, opening up a shed they were antsy about. I took Beatrice by the hand, and pulled her into the kitchen before she knew what was going on. "I didn't see a thing," I said. "What? Oh, Oh!" she said, and turned bright red. "You look as red as I felt when Beth Ann told me. I am taller than her, so I think that is why she did and I couldn't. But..." "That is very nice of you to say." "Well, it's true. Beth Ann thought it was a bit of payback, but I didn't want you to think of me... Well, any worse than you already do." "It really disturbed me." "I know. I think I overstepped my bounds by forcing Beth Ann to tell you. I'm sorry." "It did come at a bad time, but I was talking about seeing me. No man, other than my husband has ever..." Beatrice blushed, again. "Oh." I was about to ask her another question. One that might have landed me in some more hot water, but I never got the chance. Robin came bounding in, and looked at the two of us. She grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the room. ------- Jill, Laura, Sarah, and Marcia all slept in the same room. Sated from their time in the new building, Laura behaved herself. Sarah was relieved, not wanting to explain that relationship to her friend, yet. But she was also a bit surprised at Laura's relaxed nature at bedtime. Sarah looked at Jill, raising her eyebrows at one point and got a smile that said, 'I'll tell you later.' In the morning, the four got up. With Sarah and Marcia heading out the door, the door across the hall opened. Kristina was coming out. Curious, Marcia glanced into the room and grabbed onto Sarah's arm. Then she pointed. Sarah rolled her eyes. There in the bed, on the opposite side of the room, was Pamela... and Jimmy. That might not have been so strange, except at the point the door was opened and Marcia looked in, they were kissing. Leading Marcia with her mouth still hanging open down the hall to the bathroom, Sarah said, "I'll explain later." "You knew?" "Yes, I know. And like I said, I'll explain later." Marcia looked at her friend, and then asked slowly, "Explain?" "It will take a while for the full explanation, and unless you hear it all, it won't make a lot of sense to you." "When were you going to tell me about... whatever is going on in there?" Sarah took a deep breath. "I don't know. I wish Keith were here. He'd know how to set all this straight." Marcia's mouth twitched with a grin. "Keith, hmmmm? Sounds like someone you're interested in." Sarah, still holding onto Marcia's hand, pulled her around so the two girls were facing each other. "He's the man who saved my life, and almost got killed doing it," Sarah's voice broke, "I owe him my life! And yes, I love him dearly." "Sorry, Sarah." Marcia said, feeling stupid. Sarah saw the pain in her friend's face. "I know. This is one of those times you feel like you don't know anything, isn't it?" Sarah asked. Marcia nodded. "I wasn't mad at you... It's just with Keith..." "Sarah..." Marcia didn't know if she should ask this, but did. "Isn't he married?" Laughter wasn't the response Marcia expected. "Come on, let's get cleaned up and have some breakfast. Then we can go and talk." ------- The Marshal met us just outside the building that held the jail. He shook hands with the lawyer. From the way they talked, it was obvious the two knew each other. Knowing we would all want to know what had happened, the Marshal led us inside. There a deputy escorted all of us to a room and closed the door, leaving us. There were chairs in the room and we sat. All of us, except the Marshal. "The mill owner, William, was transferred from the hospital to Eugene this morning. There he will get his opportunity to make a call or two. This is the time we have to be on the alert for any backlash for what has happened. There is no reason to worry about William himself. I don't think he will be able to post bail for a few days at least, if at all. The DA is having a field day with the amount of charges he's able to mount up on this guy. Bail won't be set for him until the full list is compiled, which likely will take a while." "That seems a bit odd," the lawyer commented. The Marshal smiled and said, "He pulled the trigger on a rifle he had no way of knowing was unloaded. He was aiming directly at me, at the time." The lawyer shook his head and said, "He'll be lucky if a judge will even hear the case to set bail, for that piece of idiocy." Beatrice was starting to understand what happened. William had been, in a way, set up. It was fitting he would fall for the same sort of game he played in the town. It was hard not to rejoice that the monster was finally going to get what he deserved. "Now this may put a new light on your case," the Marshal said. "Oh? How's that?" "I heard that William tried to put your client out of business. His reason for this was anger, because Beth Ann was taken away from his son's ability to control her." Beth Ann looked at her mother, shocked. "Mom! You never said anything to me about this!" "Beth Ann, we were trying to protect..." It hit me all of a sudden. The connection. "Beatrice, who owns the land the station is on?" "It's been in the family for two generations. We own it outright." "William couldn't get to you, either," I said. The Marshal was sharp and said what I couldn't. He also knew more about what went on than I did, so he was putting the puzzle together a little faster. "The police officer told me that William 'had his way' with some of the women in town. You weren't one of them, were you?" Beatrice shook her head, defiantly. She knew the stories, and felt that shame. But she couldn't be put into the same place the other women were in. She knew it, but never wanted to face what they'd had to go through. "Then he couldn't get to your daughter, through his son." "Mom," Beth Ann said. "What other women? Is he saying... Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick." Mary picked up the trashcan that was near the door, as Beth Ann was heading towards it. Beth Ann got half way out of the room, and was glad Mary had thrust the can in front of her. At that moment she was too distraught to be embarrassed as to what she'd just done. Mary took her to find a restroom, so she could clean her face. The Marshal went on, as though he'd seen this sort of thing many times before. As, indeed, he had. He turned to Beth Ann's aunt. "What I'd be interested in knowing is did William have any connection to your husband?" "Not that I know of." "It is my understanding that one of the reasons he failed in getting revenge on the family was that he was going to open another service station and put them out of business, but that he couldn't. That was because there is only one petrol supplier in this area and they wouldn't sell to another station in town." "How do you know all of this?" the lawyer asked. "You just came into town a day ago, and seem to know a lot more than I do about the inner working of this place!" "It's my job to know," the Marshal deadpanned, and then cracked a smile. "Of course, it helps to have a police officer who's seen everything going on and has felt powerless to stop it. When he suddenly spills his guts to you, it really helps." "Of all the luck." "I'd check on a connection... The petrol supplier would be supplying the mill, as well. If there is anything..." the Marshal suggested. "I'll get on that one." "I don't see the reason for that." Beatrice said. "You said William wasn't likely to get out. What is he going to do about our service station now?" "It's not about the station. If William saw any opportunity to get to Beth Ann's uncle, he could have said, or done, anything, as a way to hurt Beth Ann. That way, William might also get to you." Beatrice looked shocked, but no more than Beth Ann. She and Mary had slipped back in, and both had heard what the lawyer had said. Beth Ann walked over to her aunt and touched her shoulder. "In the desk, behind the top right-hand drawer." "What?" "Something is there. I never looked, but he hid something there. I saw him put something there, when he didn't know I was looking. It was after he..." the room was silent and Beth Ann took a big breath. "I think he thought I would just be in my room. But just before I went to college, I was getting so mad at him that I would follow him out to see what he did... after." "Ok, I'll look," the aunt said quickly, not wanting Beth Ann to even get to the point of suggesting what that man she had called 'her husband' had done to the poor girl. "We'll send someone up to get it, if that is alright with you," the lawyer said. "You think it's that important?" Beatrice asked, as her sister in law nodded. "If it has anything to do with Beth Ann, yes." ------- "Ok, spill the beans," Marcia said after she practically dragged Sarah out of the house. "What's going on with ahhh... Jimmy and Pamela. I got the names right, didn't I?" "Yes, you got the names right. You saw Pamela and Jimmy in the same bed," Sarah said, without revealing anything else. Marcia grabbed hold of Sarah's arm, causing her to stop. "They're not brother and sister. I can see that by their looks. Jimmy is in bed with a girl, in the girl's bedroom, and you act like it's not anything special. It's more than just odd and you know it. It also looked like they were kissing. So are you going to tell me what is going on?" Sarah sighed. She started walking again, slowly. She sighed once more, a little louder. Sarah was wondering what to say, how to say it. She wished Keith could be there to help her. He always knew what to do. The really big problem was that she didn't totally understand about Jimmy and Pamela. Jimmy's mother, Katy, did understand though. Leading Marcia over to the horse pen, they stopped at the fence. "Marcia, stay here. I need to get someone. I don't know how to answer your questions right, but I know who can." "Who's that?" "Just sit tight. I'll be right back," Sarah said, not answering the question. Sarah walked as calmly as she could away from Marcia and then turned the corner of the building. As soon as Marcia was out of sight, Sarah ran as fast as she could back to the Mansion. She saw Katy in the front room, but Marcia's mother was with her. Sarah didn't want to face both of them, having questions she didn't want to answer. Jill tapped Sarah's shoulder making her jump. "Who are you sneaking up on?" Jill whispered. "I need to talk with Katy and hopefully have her explain something to Marcia." Sarah whispered back. Jill peered around the corner where Sarah had been looking and saw two sets of legs. "Marcia's mother is with her and you don't want any questions." "You've got that right." "I'll see if I can help; go into the kitchen." Sarah gave Jill a hug. "Thanks!" Then she smiled, "I also want to know about Laura." Jill just smiled, but then nodded. Sarah went into the kitchen, wondering what Jill was going to do. She didn't know, but a minute later Katy came into the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face. "What's this all about? Jill said Keith left something in the kitchen for me to see." Sarah had a hard time not laughing at that. "Come on, out back," Sarah said and pulled on Katy's arm. As soon as she had Katy outside, closing the back door gently so as not to make a noise, she said, "I need a favor." "Ok, what do you need?" "Marcia saw Jimmy and Pamela in bed together this morning. She wants to know what's going on and I didn't know what to tell her." Katy blinked several times and took a deep breath. "Well, that is a big one all right. Sarah, how is Marcia? I mean, do you know what she's going to think about some of our strange ways?" "I think she needs a place to be, that she can trust the people she's around." "That didn't exactly answer my question." "I guess I'm not sure. That's why I needed help." "You were smart, then. I'll see what I can do, but I can't guarantee anything. Ok?" "Ok. She's out at the corral looking at the horses." "Oh, great!" "What? Is something wrong with that?" Katy just laughed as she started walking there. "No, Sarah, but I hope she doesn't get a show." "A show?" "Has Marcia been around horses?" "I don't think so, why? Is it important?" "Let's just see." They did see Marcia as they turned the corner, but she didn't turn around to look at them. Sarah thought that was strange, as it took longer to get Katy there than she expected it would. Marcia didn't even seem to notice them walking up to her. Katy put her finger to her lips, to keep Sarah from saying anything and then pointed into the corral. Sarah's eyes grew as wide as Marcia's were. A horse, obviously male, had mounted one of the females. "He's big, isn't he?" Katy said near Marcia's ear Marcia whipped around, turning beet red. "I..." "It's ok, Marcia. I still watch, sometimes. But when I was young," Katy smiled to let Marcia know it was not anything to worry about, "I watched all the time. I couldn't believe how big horse's dicks were." Marcia couldn't believe Katy just said dick. Her mother would never have said such a word. "Marcia, you're pregnant. Unless I got the story wrong, this wasn't an immaculate conception." Katy could see Marcia trying to figure out those words. Sarah started laughing. "She meant you had a boyfriend, Marcia," Sarah said, but the look she got from Katy gave her the idea just to listen to the rest of the conversation. "Oh!" the red returned to Marcia's face. Katy said, "It is different for girls who grow up in a big town and ones who live in the country like we do. I didn't really understand that, until I went to see where Liz taught. A lot of those girls had never been around any animals. Even though they had horses and went riding, the girls didn't care for the animals..." then, just for fun, Katy added, "or see them bred." Marcia looked at Sarah. This was one of those uncomfortable times. Katy saw the glance and was pretty sure she knew what it meant. "Marcia, girls grow up here seeing animals mate and these horses don't wait until it's dark, nor do they do it hidden in a barn. If the male finds a female in season, he mounts her, as you just saw." "So he knew?" "Animals do it to produce offspring. It is sort of different with them. You see they are driven by the force of nature to continue life. So when a female is ready, the male can, in the case of a horse, smell her. It doesn't make any difference is he's 25 and she's 4, he's her uncle or even her father. The urge to mate is there and that is all that maters." "25 and 4?" Marcia said not being able to get those ages out of her head. "Marcia, you really don't know anything about horses do you?" "No, not really," Marcia said feeling very stupid. "It's nothing to be ashamed about, but you have to ask. Just like dog or cat years, horse years are different, too. A 25-year-old horse is very old and would be like your grandpa. I doubt he could even get it up!" Marcia blushed again. "Does it bother you that I talk so frank?" "Yes... No... I like it, but it's just strange. My mother..." "Wouldn't ever tell you anything like this?" "That's right. She'd never have even said the word..." "Go ahead," Katy encouraged her. "Dick." "Maybe that is one of the reasons you got pregnant. Your mom never prepared you." "By talking about... sex?" Marcia asked, hardly believing that was possible. "By not being open and honest about what your body was telling you it wanted." "I could never talk to my mom about..." "How horny you were? How he made you feel? How you wanted to feel better and more each time? Like I said, these animals are different. They do it to have offspring and that's about it. People do it cause it feels good." Marcia's mouth was dry; all she could do was nod. "Sarah said you wanted to know about my son and Pamela." Marcia looked at Sarah. She couldn't believe Sarah had said something to Katy about it. She felt like crying, she was so embarrassed. "Marcia," Katy said touching the girls shoulder. "I'd think it was a bit odd as well, if I saw it for the first time." "You would?" "Of course I would. The idea that you didn't scream or run off to tell your mother says you figured there must be some story behind this. You wanted to know what was going on. Of course, maybe you were more curious than you were upset with the idea. Am I right?" Marcia wasn't sure, but it sort of sounded as though Katy was saying she was interested in seeing it, more than in thinking there was anything wrong with it. Didn't that make her a bad girl? This was confusing. A large plane flew overhead. It stopped the conversation as they watched it circle and then come in for a landing. The three walked to where they could see it pull up at the end of the valley. "That's the doctor. Your mother will want to go out and see him, I'm sure, along with you. Marcia, I think maybe it would be best if I got Pamela and Jimmy together and they could tell you what he was doing in her bed. It might make you see things a bit differently, especially hearing it from them. What do you think?" "I guess so," Marcia said, thinking it sounded rather strange. Then again, it wouldn't be as forward as Katy was with her talk, so maybe it would be better. "Let's go inside. I'm sure your mom heard the plane as well and Jill has told her who it belonged to. We'll take a trip out to it in the car." "You're not going to tell my mom anything, are you?" "About what? You seeing my son in bed with a girl, or the horses having a good old time in the pen?" Katy asked, but then couldn't keep a straight face any longer and started to laugh. "Marcia, don't worry so much," then she stopped laughing. "You will find that you are going to be treated like an adult here, not like some little kid." ------- George was sitting in the outer cell, waiting. He'd combed his hair, but that was about all he could do to make himself presentable to his wife. He hated her seeing him in the issued clothing that reduced his look to that of a criminal. Two of the guards last night had looked at him differently. There had been lots of murmuring. Rationally, he knew it wasn't anything to do with him. Irrationally, he knew it did and it was bad. George knew Beth Ann was there and was expecting to see him. The anxiety of that, along with everything else last night, had brought a tightening in his chest. He'd had that all night long, making him feel like he couldn't breathe. He couldn't do it. There wasn't anything that made him think he'd want her to see him this way. He'd cried, knowing he'd have to tell his wife not to let Beth Ann in. It was too much for him to take. The cell door opened and he stood. The guard walked him to the familiar visiting area. He went inside and sat at the table. Across from him were two chairs. As he waited for his wife and attorney to arrive, he concentrated on his breathing, trying to get it under control. The door opened and he glanced that way. He saw the attorney and the blond hair of his wife right behind him. George looked down at the table, trying once again to get his breathing under control. It felt like his heart was racing. The screech of the chairs being pulled back told George they were sitting. He felt the familiar hand of his wife reach out and touch him. It had been too long. It felt softer... George looked up and was mortified to see Beth Ann looking back at him. He gasped for air. He tried to stand, not knowing what to do. He couldn't breathe and then things started to get fuzzy. Beth Ann was rushed out by a female guard as two other guards came in. ------- The door opened to the room we were in and Beth Ann was standing there. Behind her was one of the correctional guards. Beth Ann was as white as a ghost. She was pulled in by quick acting Robin, and then surrounded by Mary, Kristin, Liz, and Daisy. They didn't say a word to her, just wrapping their arms around her and letting her be held. Beatrice and her sister in law watched in amazement, at the speed with which Beth Ann had been taken care of. I waked over to the equally surprised guard. "What happened?" "We got a code eleven. That's for an inmate down. My priority was to get the girl out. Beyond that I don't know what is going on." "Down? That is hurt, not wounded, I hope." "Oh, yes. If violence was involved, that would be code thirteen." "Would it be possible to find that out? I'm sure that everyone here will want to know." The guard looked at Beth Ann. She was now finally letting go of her emotions, and was sobbing. Her body was shaking in the pain she felt, but she was still being held and supported by her friends. "Yes," the guard said. I could see a bit of moisture in her eye. Beth Ann's emotions had affected her. "I'll let you know as soon as I can." "Thank you," I said. The guard closed the door and I looked over to Bernice. Robin was by her side. "She needs you now," Robin said. Beatrice looked up to the girl... well, woman, she supposed, "Are you sure? It looks like she's in good hands." "I'm sure," Robin said and held out her hand for her. "I know I wanted my mother when..." Robin bit her lower lip and pulled Beatrice up. Daisy and Mary stepped back. Beth Ann held out her hands to her mother, who rushed in to hold her daughter. Kristin and Liz backed away as well. After Beth Ann calmed down, she told us that she and the lawyer had walked in and sat down. She had taken her father's hand, and only then had he looked up. Then he got a real funny look on his face. He started gasping for breath, tried to stand, but fell over. The last thing she saw was that he lying on the floor when she was pulled away. "Sounds like he might have hyperventilated and passed out," Mary said. "You mean fainted?" Beatrice asked. "Yes," Mary responded. "That could be," I said. "Remember what you said about your husband. He wasn't going to want to have Beth Ann see him this way, even though he wanted desperately to see her? Maybe it was just too much for him." "I just thought..." Beatrice said. "I guess it wasn't a good idea to surprise him." "Mom, you didn't know," Beth Ann said, feeling better knowing it was something like that. "Don't blame yourself." Beatrice looked at her daughter. She'd grown up so much. Part of that, like this ability to forgive, she loved. Other parts, like her relationship with Keith, she couldn't stand. We sat in the room for more than an hour before anyone came in. That person was our lawyer. He was immediately hit with questions from each of us. As soon as we stopped asking and gave him a minute to talk he told us what had gone on. "The doctor was called in and determined it was an anxiety attack. Then the doctor gave him a shot to calm him down. After that he has been under observation." Then the lawyer turned to Beth Ann and said, "The guard who took you out asked me to apologize for not coming back, but she was pulled out to transfer a few female inmates to another facility and couldn't return." "Why did it take so long to come tell us this then?" I asked. "I have been told, although I never experienced this sort of thing myself, that under some types of drugs people start talking. I didn't want him to say anything that could be misconstrued and held against him later. It wouldn't be a prudent thing to do." "My dad's fine now?" Beth Ann asked. "He's asleep at the moment. I took the opportunity to slip out and tell you what is going on, but I need to get back. I know this upsets our schedule, but..." I broke in, "None of us have a schedule except you. Tell us what happens next." "The doctor said he's most likely going to be out for another hour and then will wake. If everything is fine at that point, then he can be seen." "We have another hour then. I think it will be good for us to get out of here and take a walk," I said. "But I don't..." Beatrice started to say. "Keith, that is a very good idea," the lawyer said. Then he looked at Beatrice. "You need..." He was stopped by Robin, who took his hand. "I know what to do. Leave her to me." The surprised lawyer shrugged his shoulders, got up, and walked out the door. I stood as well, and Beth Ann, Kristin, Liz, Mary, and Daisy stood with me. I took Beth Ann's aunts hand. She looked at her sister-in-law, sitting next to Robin and stood. I opened the door, and everyone walked out into the hall. I leaned back inside the room and to Robin said, "We'll be out on the front grass." She nodded to me and I closed the door. "He's rather sure of himself," Beatrice said. "Yes, he is." "So are you for that matter. This's my husband we're talking about." "Do you know that I'm pregnant?" Robin asked. Beatrice stared at Robin, wondering where in heavens name that came from. "How do you think I felt, being newly married and having my husband in a coma? I saw him fall off that building. I knew he was dead. "After I wasn't feeling so crazy... you know, out of my mind about what had happened... I started listening to his sister. I went to be with him. I didn't leave. I couldn't. Then my mother showed up. Remember when I said Beth Ann needed you? I knew exactly how it felt to feel so hopeless and needing my mom right then. Beth Ann still needs you now. She will, until she sees her dad is alright. "My mom got me out of the hospital. Got me to change my clothes, take a bath, and start to live again. You need to go out into the sunshine, walk, and understand that there is life again. Your daughter also needs to see you. You are her biggest role model." Beatrice took a deep breath and then sighed. Then without a word, she held out her hand. Before they reached the door, Beatrice said, "I still don't like the idea of Beth Ann with you two. It's just not right." "I know you don't. You must think I'm a horrid person." "No. No, I don't think that at all. You are a little wiser for your age than you should be. I'm sorry that your wisdom has come from such tragedy." As they walked down the hall, Robin said, "I guess we don't always have a choice in what gets thrown in front of us." "No, not always," Beatrice said. Then she glanced over at Robin. "I don't know too much about you, but I guess you don't believe in predestination then?" "Pre... what? What's that?" Beatrice laughed. "That answers my question right there, but predestination means that everything is planned out. So when things happen, good or bad, they were meant to." "Holy Moly. No! I don't think that's a part of our religion, but I'm a little unsure of it all. My grandpa is the town minister, but he was away all my life, until I got married." The two had walked the length of the hall and were at the front doors. Robin was opening them when Beatrice asked, "What religion is that?" "Mennonite." Beatrice was startled. She had known a couple of Mennonites. They were very conservative. Never, even in her imagination, could she think of the things that had transpired in her house the last day might be done by a Mennonite. Before Beatrice had a chance to say anything more to Robin, her sister in law came over. She pulled the two into the sunshine where everyone else was. ------- Marcia and her mother listened to Laura rattle on about the doctor. Laura had insisted that she come out when Katy mentioned they were seeing him. Mother and daughter were impressed about the doctor's work. That had been a concern for both of them. Out in this place, like most places that weren't in a city or good size town, medical care was sketchy at best. As soon as they pulled up, and the car had barely come to a stop, Laura was out. She let out a yell of excitement when she saw a woman that looked the same age as the doctor behind him. Katy watched, as she got out of the car, Laura running up and hugging the woman. The woman was smiling, hugging Laura back. Marcia and her mother waited for Katy to come around and then the three walked to the plane. "Laura, are you going to make introductions?" the woman asked. Laura blushed, knowing she shouldn't have needed to be prodded to do so. "This is Katy, she's married to Richard. He's one of the heroes." Laura said and blushed again. "This is Marcia and this is..." Laura realized she didn't know Marcia's mothers name. "Marcia's mother." They had a good snicker over that. Especially when the doctor said he was sure to get her name later. "Laura," Katy said, "you only did half the introductions. Who is this woman you seem to know?" "Oh, sorry, Katy. This is Mrs. Harrington. She's Doctor Bill's wife, but I get to call her Thelma," Laura said with glee. "I get to call him Bill, instead of William, too." The doctor now said about his wife, "She wanted to come down and see what kind of God forsaken place I was going to drag her to next." "I did not call this a God forsaken place. For heavens sake, Bill, you are going to get people thinking badly of me and I haven't even unpacked yet." "Oh, don't worry, we don't believe a word he says," Katy said with a little grin on her face. "What did Katharine say about him... Quack. I think that's the right word." William laughed. "Now I know better than that." "I've heard him say her name before. She's a nurse, isn't that right?" Thelma asked. "Yes, she is," Katy said. This bantering was normal for Laura to see, especially with adults she knew. Marcia on the other hand never saw this sort playfulness. Her parents were stuffy around important people like a doctor. But she did like the way Katy joked, saying something that could have been mean, but her tone of voice made sure that it wasn't. That wasn't something she was used to. It just sort of confirmed what Sarah and Jill had told her. The more she knew of this place, the more she liked it... or, more accurately, she needed it. Marcia's mother, on the other hand, was just a bit confused. Doctors were the esteemed people of their communities. They were some of the ones that set the standards others looked up to. Katy was a very down to earth person, even with the Mansion that they owned. She didn't understand the familiarity or comfortability between the two. She didn't have much time to dwell on this, as the doctor greeted her and her daughter, took them inside the plane At that point her mind was occupied with having to explain her daughter's condition. "It seems they will be occupied for a spell", Thelma said. "Katy, could I impose on you. I understand there is a hotel in town. Bill may think it is fine to sleep out here in the plane, but I'm not about to." Laura hadn't thought about it before, "He's been sleeping out here?" Thelma rustled Laura's hair. "Yes, he likes life a little more rustic than I do. When he flies into a place, he has his bedroom along with him. That suits him just fine, but it's also why I don't join him. These old bones aren't what they used to be." "Oh, you're not old," Laura said. Smiling, Thelma said, "What a sweet girl! Now talking about sweets, I have something for you." Thelma stepped into the plane. Katy and Laura heard a little shriek. They looked at each other. "Marcia must have been in a compromising position," Katy said. "Compromising?" Laura asked. "With her clothing undone." Laura started to giggle when Thelma came back out. A suitcase in one hand, a box Laura immediately recognised in the other. William was right behind her. "Laura, I'm not a dentist, so you best not eat those all in one sitting." "Don't worry," Laura said seriously, "I plan on sharing with my friends." "Friends?" Thelma said. "I should have brought more. You certainly changed from the girl I first met." Laura took the offered burgundy box with a white ribbon and then held Thelma's hand, walking with Katy to the car. William said, just before stepping back inside, "Katy if you can keep my wife occupied for another twenty minutes at least, I'd appreciate it. I don't need her scaring my patients half to death, again." "I'll do my best," Katy said returning his smile. Thelma grumbled, as she got into the car. "He loves to complain." "I haven't ever seen him so happy," Katy replied. "If I was to guess, it's because you're here." Sighing, Thelma said, "I've missed him, too. With the way things work out sometimes, though, I hate to get my hopes up. I had to wait to make sure this was going to be permanent before I came down to look at housing." Laura was bouncing around the back seat. "You mean you're going to move here, too?" "Of course, Laura." "Goody, goody, goody!" "Laura," Katy said as she was driving out of their little valley, "would you like to explain what you have in your hands?" Laura beamed. "This is the best candy in the world! It comes from Willsons. See it's right on the box." Katy glanced back at the box. "It sure does. Does the candy have a name?" Laura glanced up to Thelma. "Ummm... I'll remember." Katy glanced in the rear view mirror to see Laura's brow crinkled in concentration. "Oh yeah! Now I remember," then she giggled, "I know it by smell, but it's called Boston cream candy." "That name sounds familiar to me, but I'm not sure why," Katy said. "Maybe because Keith's grandmother lived there. But that doesn't sound right, somehow." As they drove into town, Laura was telling Thelma about Carp. Thelma was impressed how this girl, who, when she first met her, was quiet as could be and was now almost gregarious. Katy, on the other hand, was thinking of that candy's name. She was going to have to ask her sister. Candy wasn't one of those things that were very common in town and she couldn't understand why that name rang a bell. Katy pulled up in front of the hotel. Thelma looked at it. "Well, this looks interesting." "It's our only hotel, and until Keith and Richard came into town, it had been closed for... Well, as long or longer than most could remember." Thelma smiled. "Sounds like it has character then. I just hope the beds aren't as old as the building!" Katy laughed. "The beds are just fine." She was getting out of the car, and was glad, as she blushed thinking how she knew about the beds. It didn't take any time to get Thelma a room. She was amused that Katy just went behind the desk, and did the check in. "We just all sort of do what we need to, in this town," Katy responded. "Now that's squared away," Thelma said, as she set her suitcase into her room, "why don't you show me what else this town has to offer." "I think you might be disappointed," Laura said, sounding a little downcast. "We saw some of the best parts already." "You mean there's no theater? Laura, your talents are going to waste!" Katy started to laugh, as she understood now, that Thelma wasn't stodgy. She had a dry sense of humor. Laura already understood Thelma's teasing. "There is one; I could show it to you." Laura grabbed Thelma's arm. "They use one of the old mines. It's down real deep so we don't get disturbed. Come on." Katy saw Thelma stiffen and started to laugh. 'Laura must know something about Thelma and mines, ' Katy thought, and then said, "No wonder the two of you get along. You can't help but tease each other." Both Thelma and Laura smiled. "Come on," Katy said. "We can't go back yet, so why don't we take a walk around town. You can show Thelma the new park." "And the pool! In another week it should be warm enough to swim in," Laura said. "Laura, it's warm enough already," Katy said. "Not for me. I... I have to watch myself." It was the first time in a while Katy realized that Laura had said anything about how she was limited in her activities. She was going to need to talk to the doctor about that. She was wondering if it was conditioning that Laura acted upon, or something still she needed to pay attention to still. "Well, I want you to show me everything, Laura. And we can't do it standing here, lets get a move on," Thelma responded. She was accustomed to Laura's 'down' moods and had learned long ago to just move on and not let Laura dwell on them. ------- "This is the diner. It's great that they put it next to the hotel, isn't it! Then there is the big meeting hall," Laura said, bouncing ahead of Katy and Thelma. "She has changed more than I thought possible," Thelma said to Katy. "Bill said I'd never believe how much. I'm having a hard time, even seeing her with my own eyes." "How was she before? She's a little more outgoing now than when I first met her, but not a lot." "You met her after the play then. That really brought her out of her shell. I regrettably only saw it once. I had no idea she was one of the leads. I would have been there every night. But like the Laura I knew, she didn't say a word about it to me." "Didn't say what to you?" Laura said from behind the two women. "Laura!" Thelma said, "You scared me half to death sneaking up on us like that." Laura giggled. "We need to cross the street so I can show you the rest. Come on!" The three walked across and Laura pointed, "There's the bank. It has some old stuff from the Mansion on display. Then there's an empty store." Laura scampered down the wooden sidewalk, wishing they'd move a bit faster as well. "You know the other lead in that play lives here. Laura and her are very special friends," Katy asked. "I didn't know that. Now that makes a lot more sense." Thelma shook her head. "I was on a committee at the hospital and right when Bill was spending time in meetings with Memco, I was tied up with a hospital expansion plan. I can tell you that I'm glad to be out of that position. That is part of the reason I only could see the play once. I regretted not being able to see it over and over. It was so wonderful. Then when Bill told me he was moving, I knew Laura would be crushed. Her father had sent her to that school to be near Bill." Katy smiled. "She had a big surprise when she found out that she'd be moving to where her new friend lived." "Come on!" Laura urged. Katy and Thelma looked at each other and smiled, but picked up their pace. "This is where the school is going to be!" Laura said excitedly. "Going to be?" Thelma said looking through the window of the large two-story building. She saw a large open space. "The town has never had a formal school, before. This fall, we will," Katy said. Thelma stopped Katy by touching her arm. "The girl on stage with Laura never went to school before she got to Linden Hall?" "Not a formalized school, no. She was taught, though," Katy said, realizing after the words came out, they were defensive. "Well, someone was doing something right. That says a lot for this town, right there," Thelma said. Katy went from defence to pride of her town. "Who is going to be teaching? How is the school being set up? I imagine there is a school board?" Thelma went on. "We have three teachers, from Linden Hall, that will be teaching here," Katy started to answer. "One of them is Keith's sister," Laura butted in. "Oh, I remember her name from the newspaper. She was down here for his wedding when the whole place... Well, it makes sense she would be one of them. Laura, you are one lucky girl, you know that?" Laura smiled as wide as could be. "Yes, I do." She took hold of Thelma's hand. "Now, this next store," she said, pulling the woman along, "is going to be a clothing store. Cynthia and Rebecca are going to open it." "You seem to know everyone on a first name basis, here," Thelma commented. "I think that's cause we're a small town. Everyone knows everyone else and we have all pretty much grown up along side each other for a few generations, so it just comes natural," Kay explained. "That's fine with me. I get a little tired of the, 'Oh you're Doctor Harrington's wife.' As though he is only a title and I'm somehow an extension of that. First names are a lot more personal. To me, that makes people more motivated to work together." Katy nodded, thinking she liked this lady better, the more she knew about her. Cynthia and Rebecca saw people looking in the windows and came out. Dust covered their sweaty face. Introductions were made and then Laura was pulling them off to the next two empty stores. The three walked up past the downtown for another half block and then crossed the street to the park. When she stopped to take a look at that park, it always made her smile. Instead of the sandy dirt lot going down to the river, there was grass, trees, benches; a real park. "This is where the swimming area is. They dammed up the river and now we have a great place for fun," Laura said. Then pointing, she went on, "Look over there in the center." "That shiny thing? It looks like it's on the bottom of the pool, Laura. What is it?" Thelma asked, knowing that is just what Laura wanted her to do. "That is a..." "Thank you," Katy injected. Laura grinned at Katy and went on, without skipping a beat. "For Keith and Richard. They saved the town, you know. Keith's a big hero." "As well as Richard, I suppose," Thelma said, smiling at Laura's apparent crush that she had on Keith. They enjoyed the sight of the water for a couple of minutes, but not its peaceful sound. Laura never stopped. She pointed out the mine, the rail cars that were being filled with ore, and the military communications rail car. As they walked back to the hotel, past two other empty stores, Thelma commented, "It seems odd to have a military communications car in a town like this. They don't think there is going to be any more trouble, do they?" "Oh no," Katy said. "Cynthia, who you met; her husband is the base commander of Nellis Air base. What I understand is that he's retiring as soon as they let him, but until then, there has to be reliable communications to him." "Your phone system has problems?" Thelma asked. Katy smiled, trying not to laugh. "Laura, you didn't point out the one town phone." "Oh, it's over there on the post near the school," Laura said not quite understanding Katy had said that in jest. "One?" Thelma said, shocked. "You're telling me there is only one... for the whole town?" "Before Keith drove into town, none of these stores had anything in them. There was no need for more than one phone. Who would we have called?" Katy answered simply. "Well... I guess you have a point there. It just seems strange to me," Thelma answered. "Are we going back now?" Laura asked. Katy and Thelma looked at her, a little perturbed with her attitude right then. "I was supposed to have been seen two days ago, but Doctor Bill hadn't come back," Laura said, this time a bit more timidly. "You didn't say a word to me before," Katy said feeling bad. Laura shrugged her shoulders, "Couldn't do anything, with him gone." "Ok, let's go back, then." ------- The attorney came out to the lawn and told them someone was waiting to see Beatrice. It had been almost an hour, and everyone was happy with the news. Before Beatrice left us, Beth Ann made her promise to tell her father she was sorry for scaring him. We went into the room we had been waiting in and had just sat when an officer opened the door and asked for Beth Ann and her aunt to come with him. Beth Ann looked at me, scared. "Do you want me to come with you?" She nodded. We walked down the hall and into a larger room with desks. The officer led us over to one and then handed the phone to Beth Ann's aunt. She listened, her shoulders drooped, and then tears started. "No, I'm sure I locked everything up when I left," Beth Ann and I heard her say. We looked at each other. There was a great deal of sorrow in Beth Ann's face. "Yes, I understand. Do what you need to." There was a pause as the aunt listened again and then handed the phone to Beth Ann. Beth Ann described the desk, the drawer, and how he pulled it all the way out. It was behind, not in the drawer. She was animated for a moment talking, trying to get them to understand her. Then there was a mixture of emotions displayed on her face. "Yes, that's it," she said. We knew they had what Beth Ann had seen. As she hung up the phone, she put her arms out to me. I pulled her into an embrace, and sat on the edge of the desk. I rocked her in my arms. I could also almost feel the burning stare of Beth Ann's aunt. When Beth Ann was done having me hold her, she released her hug and I let her go. She turned to her aunt and I realized Beth Ann had felt the same thing I did. "He makes me feel safe when I need to feel safe. He makes me feel loved when I need that, too. Most of all, he makes me choose what I want. That act has made me grow up more than any other single item. How could I not want to be with him?" Obviously uncomfortable, her aunt did as most would and changed the subject. "Did they tell you about the house?" Beth Ann's eyes darkened. She slowly shook her head and said, "No." "They said it looked like someone was looking for something. The officers think they might have scared them off when they arrived, because the only room that they got to was..." her aunt paused. "It was your room. There isn't much left to save, they said." "That was very quick," I said. "It was our local sheriffs who were out at the house. I knew who they were. The other people..." "The officers working with the Marshal?" I asked. "Yes, they are on their way up to get whatever was found. I think the sheriff was a bit shocked with what they found." "Just like you," Beth Ann said softly. Her aunt just nodded. "They are going to board up the broken window in your room and seal the house. If anyone tries to get in again, they'll leave fresh prints. I just can't believe..." Beth Ann put out her hand and her aunt took hold of it, squeezing hard. "I'll never live in that house again. I can't." That statement could well have come from Beth Ann, but it came from her aunt. ------- Marcia was still talking to the doctor when Katy, Thelma, and Laura arrived. "I thought you'd be done by now," Thelma said. "She should have been but she keeps on asking questions." "Mom!" The doctor smiled at his wife. She knew just what to do. She'd encountered this many times before. Addressing the mother, Thelma said, "Katy and Laura were telling me about the new school. Is your daughter going to be enrolled?" "Yes, it is wonderful, isn't it? Such good teachers, as well." Thelma motioned for Marcia's mother to stand and then they walked out of the plane, leaving the doctor with Marcia. "Don't I need to be there?" Marcia's mother asked, once she realized what was happening. "Once she's living here, you won't be at her visits any longer," Katy said. "No, I suppose I won't. I never in my wildest thoughts ever imagined my daughter..." "She is going to stay, isn't she?" Laura asked. "I like her." That was good for her mother to hear. "Yes, dear, she'll be staying. Well, not now. We have to get her things together and then come back down." She looked up to Katy. "Is next week fine?" "I can't see why not." Katy answered. Laura sighed. "On your regular visits, how long does Bill spend looking at you each time?" Thelma asked Laura. "Five minutes," Laura said suddenly sullen. "That's what I thought, but you talk to him for at least fifteen." Laura got an impish little grin and said, "Well, that's what my dad's paying for." Thelma roared in laughter, "You're a little devil, you know that!" "Regular visits?" Marcia's mother asked, even though it was an impolite thing to do. "I have asthma. I was kinda born with it," Laura stated. "Asthma? Marcia had a friend once," the woman stopped and the color ran from her face. Then she asked urgently "You're going to be alright now, aren't you?" "Yes," Laura said, missing the drama. "Doctor Bill says he thinks it might even be better here, for me. This is the third place I've moved to, with him." "But you're not..." "My dad gets all strange and makes me go where he is." Marcia's mother nodded. She was at the funeral for Marcia's friend. She knew about how the girl couldn't breathe and no one she was with had known, until it was too late. She though about her own daughter, what she was going through was nothing compared to losing your child. Laura had brought that into focus for her. "I think your dad may be trying to love you the best way he knows how, Laura." Katy and Thelma nodded, thinking to themselves that was a very insightful thing to say. Marcia came out and Laura didn't let the door close before scampering into see the doctor. "What's she doing?" Marcia asked. "She has asthma," her mother answered. "Oh, God! No!" Marcia said in a panic. "Marcia, control yourself. It isn't like your friend. Laura's doing fine." Looking at the two women, her mother went on to explain why Marcia reacted the way she did. ------- Everyone at the Mansion was licking their fingers. Laura had given them all a little taste of the Boston cream candy. It was soft, nutty, and sort of like caramel fudge. And it was 'oh so good'. Laura even told Katy to hide it from her, as she knew she wouldn't be able to resist it and she did want to share some with the others. One little taste and everyone wanted more, but they were grateful to Laura for even sharing as much as she had. The box wasn't that big. There was talk about when the train would arrive. Marcia sat in silence during this talk. She was torn as to wanting to go back and talk to a few friends, and maybe even try and get a note to her boyfriend through Scott. But then there was the part that didn't want to go back. To hear even one of those friend say something mean would make her cry. Then there was her father. She didn't like thinking of how he was acting. Marcia's thoughts were disturbed by Jimmy, who had apparently asked her something. He was standing right in front of her, looking like he wanted an answer. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Marcia asked. Jimmy rolled his eyes, but then grinned at her. She couldn't help but grin back. "Did you want to see the view from the top of the hill? We're walking up there." "Hill... is it far?" "No, it's easy. Even Jill can do it," Jimmy teased. "I heard that, Jimmy!" He laughed, and wasn't worried as Jill came over to him. She did nothing more than try and tickle him. It was like they were a big family and they got along. Marcia really liked the feeling. "Ok, I'll go," Marcia said, and then she looked at her mom, "It's ok, isn't it?" "Sure, Honey, just don't be too long, alright?" "Come on, we're waiting outside," Jimmy said, and ran out to the front. Before Marcia got up, the front door could be heard closing. Marcia looked at Jill and said, "I hope he doesn't expect me to run up that hill." Jill was shaking her head, but laughing at the same time. Marcia looked around and didn't see Sarah, then thought she must be outside already. When she opened the door, she didn't see anyone. She turned and closed the door. As she turned back around, she saw Jimmy just outside the front gate. He was waving for her to come. Walking out to where he was, she saw him glance beyond the tree past the fence line. Pamela was standing there. "Mom said we should talk with you," Jimmy said. Marcia couldn't believe her ears. "She did?" "Yeah," Jimmy answered, blushing slightly. "She said you saw us this morning. Mom said we should walk up to the hill, and then we could talk without anyone bothering us." Marcia nodded. She was ready to start, but Jimmy didn't move. "Hear that?" he asked. "Someone's coming" Ten seconds later Jack's Jeep arrived. "Hi!" Jimmy greeted him. "Have you seen Brian today?" "Of course I have. But the big question is," Jack said with a devilish smile, "can you deliver this piece of mail?" Jimmy looked at the envelope in Jack's hand, catching the name. "We're supposed to be on a walk. Mom told us." "Oh, well then," Jack said. He'd already turned off the engine anticipating Jimmy's answer. "I'll deliver it myself. Is she inside?" "Yes," Jimmy answered, and then took off running to Pamela. Marcia looked at Jack and then at Jimmy and walked at a brisk pace to catch up. Jack shook his head and walked to the Mansion ------- Chapter 90 Jim knocked at the door. Katy quickly went to open it. It was rare, with as many people who lived in the house, to have someone knock at the door. "To what do we owe the honor of your presence?" Katy said over-formally, trying not to laugh. But, looking out past the door, she didn't see who she expected. "Mail delivery. I thought Jill would like this," Jim said, holding out the letter. Katy's face dropped. "That's it? Where's Richard? You've been gone a whole day!" Jim couldn't help himself and started laughing. "He said you'd go crazy if I showed up without him," he said. Then he whispered, "He's waiting for you. He said you'd know the place." Katy blushed, but nodded. "Would you like to come in?" she asked, but didn't mean it. They both knew that. "No, I think I'll be going. You seem to be... occupied." Katy shook her head, "You're as bad as he is." "You will get the letter to Jill before you take off, won't you?" Katy rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course. It's not as if I can run out of the house immediately." Jim just smiled and left. Katy walked back into the living room. "That was Jim. He was dropping this off for you, Jill," she handed Jill the letter. "He also told me I needed to go look at something." Katy then turned to Marsha's mother, "I'm sorry to leave you, but I'll be back in an hour or so." "Oh, don't worry about me. Marsha will be gone a while, anyway. I can amuse myself in the library for quite some time." "Thank you," Katy said, and hurried out the back door to get a horse. Jill just stood in place, looking at the return address. She was torn between being polite and staying with Marsha's mother, and wanting to run up to her room and read the letter. That problem was solved as Marsha's mother got up, and told Jill that she really wanted to look at a few of the books in the library. Jill ran up the back stairs to the third floor. Sliding down the hallway, she banged into the doorframe. She opened it, closed it behind her, and was ready to jump onto her bed but the sight of Sarah, sitting on her bed, stopped her. "I thought you'd be with Marsha," Jill said. "Katy told me it was best if Jimmy and Pamela did this alone. I'm kinda scared." "You think Marsha will be offended?" "Yes. Or maybe more confused than she already is. I think this would be a good place for her." "She has to decide that, Sarah." Sarah sighed deeply, and replied, "Yeah, I know. But I'm still worried." "Is it because you're worried about what she might think of you?" Jill asked. Sarah looked at Jill in utter amazement, for almost a full minute. "What made you ask me a question like that?" "Keith asked me something like that, when I was at the school, and was flopping back and forth about coming back home. Part of me wanted to get back home, and the other part didn't want to return." Sarah smiled. "I like Keith." "Like?" Jill teased. Sarah blushed, and quickly changed the subject. "Who's the letter from?" "Kevin Smith." "What are you waiting for? Open it!" Jill giggled, and opened the envelope. She pulled out the letter and started reading, not worrying about Sarah looking over her shoulder. Dear Jill, I am not sure how to begin? I feel I owe you so much. I have been such a lonely man, lost, and looking for what I knew I could never have. Then you fluttered into my life and showed me possibilities that I never knew existed. I am sure you know that Dorothy and I share a love that I never in my wildest dreams thought possible. On the train trip back to the school, Grace and I had a very good and long talk. She, as well, made me realize that I had options that I could not see. Between you, my dear sweet young lady, and her, I now believe that Dorothy and I can have a life together. Right now the only obstacle, and it is a big one, is Dorothy's father. I have no idea how he is going to react. While Grace talked to me, she made me realize how Dorothy and I look at each other now. Her parents would have to be blind not to see the love we share. So, I feel there is no way to even try and hide it when I go out to their place. I am worried. The last thing I would ever want to do, is hurt Dorothy. Making her choose between her parents and me would, I think, hurt her and her family terribly. I don't want it to come to that. I'm just not sure what to do, or how I shall handle myself. I guess part of the problem is that I don't, still, feel worthy of Dorothy. So I couldn't blame her father for wanting something better for her, than me. You have always had words that have made me think. Please write, and tell me something. Your friend, always, Kevin "Wow," Sarah said. "I wish I could talk to Dorothy," Jill said. "He puts a lot of faith in you, doesn't he? I bet that is kinda strange." "Yeah," Jill said. Then with a sly little smile she added, "Like you do with Keith." "Jill!" Sarah blushed, knowing it was true. Jill laughed. "So do I, Sarah. When I became the hero, of sorts, at the school, I couldn't stand it. He made me look at how I looked at him, as a hero. He twisted everything around, so I could see that people were looking at me, like I was looking at him. It made me understand better. Now, I guess that is happening again, but for both of us." "Like when I was talking to Marsha and thinking, 'if Keith were here' sort of thing" "Exactly. I do that too. It really isn't fair to him, you know." "Maybe, but I still want to know what he thinks. Maybe cause I know he will think of it in a different way than I do and I trust him. I guess that's what your friend Kevin is doing. He trusts you." Jill was nodding. "That's an easier way of looking at it. Trust." ------- Jimmy and Pamela were glancing at each other on the way up the hill. True, it wasn't much of a hill. It was maybe sixty feet to the top. It was, although, what separated the valley that the Mansion was in, from the larger valley that held Carp. When they got to the top, Jimmy sat down on a fallen tree trunk. Pamela sat on his lap from habit, now. Marsha looked at the two. They were a bit young, but she was maybe their age when she became interested in boys. She surely wasn't in bed with one at that age, though. Jimmy had been sort of prepped by his mom on a few things he needed to say. After that, his mom figured it was best to let things fly on their own. Soon enough, what was going on would be known. "Marsha, do you know that everyone in this town might have died?" Marsha was taken off guard. This wasn't what she expected to be hearing. "Yes. Sarah and Jill told me about some of it." "Did they tell you about Brian?" Jimmy asked, wondering how much she knew. "Brian? No, who is he?" Jimmy smiled. "He's my best friend." Jimmy's smile faded. "He was used..." Jimmy got choked up. "It wasn't nice." Jimmy paused to regain his voice. "He could have died, even if none of us did. I think it makes people see life differently, after something like that." Marsha thought of Jill and what she told her of what had happened to her. Being raped would definitely change what she thought about things. It was hard to imagine having your life threatened, as this whole town was. She was nodding, without even realizing it, as she was thinking. "Did Jill or Sarah, tell you about Pamela?" Jimmy asked. "Jimmy!" Pamela said. She wasn't sure she wanted this part brought up. "Not that I remember," Marsha said. She looked at Pamela more closely and noticed a scar on her face. It wasn't very noticeable unless you looked. "Does it have something to do with the cut you've got on your face?" Pamela blushed, and hid her face in Jimmy's chest. "The most beautiful girl I know has this little scar, 'cause she had surgery," Jimmy said proudly. Pamela looked up at him and couldn't resist. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled his head down for a very sensual kiss. Marsha couldn't believe that kids of this age knew anything about that sort of thing. She was a little more than uncomfortable. If this went on much longer, she was going to end up being made to feel horny, by a couple of kids! Well he'd brought it up, so Marsha thought she could ask. "What sort of surgery?" "I couldn't talk right. I had... It's called a 'clef pallet', I think," Pamela said. "Not many kids, including myself, spoke to Pamela. Our friend Stephanie did. She's the one who got Keith to notice her. Keith got the surgery for her." Marsha was confused. "What about your parents?" "My mom..." Pamela started, and then broke down crying. "She died," Jimmy finished. "Her dad is somewhere else. When he gets better, I think he'll return." "But..." "Keith and Robin are Pamela's guardians," Jimmy answered Marsha's next question, even if she hadn't got it out yet. Marsha shook her head, trying to get her brain clear. "Let me get this straight. Robin is thirteen, like me. She's your... Well, like your mother? Pamela, how old are you?" Pamela sat up straight. "Nine." Marsha blinked. "Nine?" "I know. Everyone thinks I'm too young to have sex, but it's so much fun," Pamela said. "Sex!" Marsha said, "What do... I mean I know about the... What do you do?" Jimmy was grinning. "How many details do you want to know?" "Oh, God," Marsha said. And she thought talking with Katy was hard. Here were two young kids, and she couldn't get anything to come out right. Pamela had pity on Marsha, knowing she was embarrassed. "We were at the military base, after they took us away from here. The place we stayed at was a bunch of bunk beds, in a few rooms. Together, we shared one bathroom. I think there were about twelve or so in the place we were. Jimmy's had... sixteen maybe. Everyone sort of saw... everything." "So is that when it started?" Pamela and Jimmy looked at each other. Jimmy took the lead. "We didn't start out with each other. Pamela kind of got... Well, a couple of boys wanted to see how far they could get with her. She got scared when they took her clothes, and wouldn't give them back. Then Keith showed up," Jimmy said. He looked at his love and smiled. "I sort of jumped into his arms. I never thought of myself as pretty. So I didn't know what happened to a boy, when a naked girl was in his arms," Pamela said, blushing. "I knew something was different, 'cause I felt some kind of lump that I'd never noticed before. Keith got kinda funny after that." Marsha's mouth was sort of dry, and she swallowed hard. "Funny like what?" "He set me down, holding me away from him. I looked at his pants to see what that lump was. He told me to get my clothes on," Pamela said, with a little giggle in her voice. "Later, I asked Stephanie about it and she told me that Keith thought I was very pretty. I think I fell in love with him right then and there." Marsha was a bit surprised by that statement. "Jimmy, doesn't that bother you?" "No. Not anymore. I was sort of upset when I thought I liked Stephanie and she was all googily for Keith. Then when Pamela said a few things, it made me feel like he was going to take her away from me. But I got a good talking to. Pamela loves me," Jimmy said, looking into Pamela's eyes. It was hard for Marsha to deny what she saw. It was the same look she and... Her heart ached, at that moment. "Now you've told about me, so do I get to tell about you?" Pamela asked Jimmy, with a twinkle in her eye. "I guess," Jimmy answered, realizing that it's much easier to tell stories about someone else than to have them told about you. "Now let me think... Was your first girl Keith's sister, or your sister?" Pamela said nonchalantly. "What!" Marsha exclaimed stunned. "Jimmy had some very good teachers. I've thanked them. He can eat me soooo good!" "What?" Marsha said, a second time, but felt like she'd run out of steam. This was not even real. His sister? His own sister? "Marsha, are you ok?" Jimmy asked. "You look a little pale." "Your own sister?" she managed to say. Jimmy blushed. "Yeah. She's..." "She's very pretty," Pamela said. "I know we have been going all around it, but we haven't answered yet what Jimmy was doing in my bed." Marsha nodded. "Pamela was having a hard time. Her mother had died and then her dad had disappeared. We didn't know if he..." "You can say it, Jimmy. It's ok. We know differently, now," Pamela said. "People thought he might have killed himself." "Why?" Marsha asked. "'Cause he loved my mom so much. He didn't know why he should live without her," Pamela answered. It brought tears to Marsha's eyes. It wrenched her emotions, thinking about someone who loved another person that much. "She was crying in her sleep and I heard her. So I went in, to comfort her," Jimmy said. "It looked like more than just comforting," Marsha said. "You two were kissing." "Yes, we were," Pamela said. "That was a while ago. Jimmy just started coming in and it's just been like that. We're in love, but know we have to be careful." "Why? 'Cause I saw you?" Marsha asked. Pamela and Jimmy looked at each other. Jimmy's mom didn't say anything about this. "No, 'cause Brian and Barbara are getting married," Jimmy said. Marsha scrunched up her face and shook her head, trying to figure all of this disjointed talk into some sense. "Didn't you say Brian was your age, Jimmy? How old are you?" "I'm going to be twelve, soon. Brian is already." "Ok, this isn't making any sense. If Brian is only twelve..." "Barbara's thirteen," Pamela said, as though that would answer her question. "Still doesn't make any sense." "Well, girls usually get married in this town when they turn thirteen," Jimmy said, as though that was common knowledge and he was talking to someone as dumb as a post. "They're in love. But I don't think his parents, well his mom, would have let them." "Let them get married? That sounds right," Marsha said. Then she remembered Jill telling her about girls getting married at thirteen in this town. Then again... Marsha started to think this was a joke. "So then, why would they be getting married?" "'Cause she got pregnant. That's why we have to be careful. Keith told us it could really hurt me inside if I got pregnant to young. So we do other stuff, now." "Let me get this straight," Marsha said. "Brian, who's twelve, and Barbara, who's thirteen, are going to get married 'cause she's pregnant. So now, you go and have all the sex you want, but don't do anything that could get you pregnant." "Yeah, that's right," Jimmy said. "I'd never do anything to hurt Pamela." Marsha started to snicker. "Ok, I think we can go back now." Pamela started to realize that Marsha thought they were joking and that might cause problems. "You aren't going to say anything to your mom, are you? Please don't, please!" Marsha looked at the girl, the sincerity in her voice and face made her drop back to the ground. "You are serious! Oh, God," Marsha said as she looked at the two. "You... You two have sex." Pamela and Jimmy both nodded their head. "Was everything you said the truth?" Marsha asked not sure if she really wanted that answer. "Yes," Pamela said softly. "Please don't say anything to your mom. I think Sarah would be very, very, angry." Marsha looked at Pamela, tears forming in her eyes. Then she looked at Jimmy. Jimmy said, "Sarah and Pamela are very close. Sarah helped Pamela speak right, again." "You're the... Oh... You're the girl Sarah told us about at school!" Marsha realized this was that 'important little girl' Sarah had said was so important when she'd got up on the picnic table seat and notified everyone she was different. "What did she say?" Jimmy asked. "I'm not going to say, but let me tell you, Pamela, Sarah thinks the world of you." Pamela's eyes brightened and she said, "Really?" Marsha nodded. She felt good, telling someone something like that. "Come on, we need to go back," Marsha said. "Did we answer your question right?" Jimmy asked. Marsha smiled at the two and said, "Yes, and no. You told me what was going on, but now I have a lot more questions. Those I can ask Sarah, though." "So you're going to stay?" Pamela asked. "Yes, I like it here. If I can't be home, and I can't, I think this is a good place." ------- Beth Ann's father was overwhelmed by the amount of things that had happened in the past two days. The lawyer went into brief detail about the hotel burning. He said even less about how Jed died; only that it involved a marshal. Then there was the clincher, Jed's father. The lawyer refrained from the use of many other words to describe that man, and simply said William was in jail, now. That, of course, needed more explanation. When he told how the marshal was threatened at gunpoint, the lawyer tried his best not to go into great detail and cause another anxiety attack. Somehow the thought of that jackass in the same jail issued clothing as what he had to wear made George smile. That brought him back to the looks he got last night. They started to make sense. He was somewhat relieved that he wasn't imagining things. When his wife had told him how sorry she was for sending Beth Ann in here and how badly their daughter felt, his heart went out to his daughter. It always had. He knew he hadn't been there as much as he could have been. Owning his own business, with its ups and downs, had taken its toll. Yet Beth Ann, his only child, was the love of his life. The reason they had sent her away was to protect her. It was also the reason he now sat in this jail. "I hate the thought of her seeing me like this." "Dear, she's already seen you. She doesn't care what clothes you're wearing, or even if you had shackles on. Her love for you doesn't see those things. She sees her father." He pondered what his wife said and then looked to the attorney. "Do I have time to see her?" "Yes, you do. She is a key witness and you have a right to see her, even if she wasn't your daughter." His face drained. "She's going to need to testify?" "Frankly, we don't know what's going to happen, now. With the new evidence that we just got..." "What evidence?" The attorney glanced at Beatrice and then answered. "Beth Ann remembered something that her uncle looked at, after he... you know. They have just retrieved it. We don't know what it contains, but it could change a lot of what we do." "So Beth Ann may not have to testify?" "Honey, why don't you talk to her? I think you might be surprised. She's matured a lot." "I'm sure she has... After that bastard got hold of her... and..." "Calm down. You scare me, like this," his wife said. "That isn't what has done it. If anything, from what I've been told, it would make her timid. She's got a sort of self-confidence in herself now. It's really good to see." Beatrice stood. "I'll go get her, all right?" He just nodded. The nervousness was coming back and he didn't like it. As soon as Beatrice closed the door, he looked at his attorney. "I'm feeling it again, just not as bad. Why is that?" "You probably still feel like you failed her and don't want to look into her eyes. My guess is that you think you'll see disappointment." "Well, wouldn't you? We send a gentle lamb to the lion's den. I'm frankly surprised she even wants to see me at all." "I think you underestimate the love your daughter has for you. I riled her up, because, if she had to take the stand, that's what the prosecuting attorney will try to do. You should have seen the furor she unleashed, defending you." "But what..." he didn't get to finish, as the door opened. Beth Ann came in, looked at the guard standing against the far wall, then to her father. "Daddy!" she cried, and ran to him. She threw her arms around him and cried into his chest. He wrapped his arms around his daughter. His love for her swept over him and he couldn't control his own tears. After several minutes of just being together, she looked up at him. "It will be ok, Daddy. I know it will." "Honey, just having you... you wanting to be here with me... That is the best gift a father could ever have." Beth Ann smiled at her dad and gave him another hug, before separating. She sat in a chair at the table. She reached out as he sat opposite her, and took his hand. "Mom said you were concerned about me testifying. You needn't be, Daddy. I have a lot of friends with me to help me through this. But most importantly, I'd be doing this for you. I know what happened, and when and where. There isn't any way they will get me confused about what went on." "Are you sure? I don't want to see you hurt any more." "I know, Daddy. That can't hurt me any longer. And like I said, I have friends who are there for me." "The ones you went with after college was over, because you didn't want to come home?" Beth Ann sighed. "Yes. I was very angry right then," she said, then paused, and then went on. "Dad, I took out my anger on Mom, because I was having problems. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair for me to do that to you two, just like it wasn't fair for me to have it happen to me." "Your mom said you've matured. I guess you have. My little girl is grown up." "Dad, I'll always be your 'little girl'," Beth Ann said, with a twinkle in her eye. It made him smile. She was right, too. It was time for the attorney to get into the conversation, at that point. He had Beth Ann explain to her father about Keith and his connections. "So, if I was a betting man, I'd say Keith might have known a lot more than he said. He might have set up things to happen. If they did, someone was going to pay dearly and did." Beth Ann had never considered that point of view. "You think Keith..." "Set up that son of a bitch," he looked at his daughter and blushed. Never having said a words like that in front of her before. "He deserves to fall into his own trap. I don't know Keith, but I'd lay odds on it." Beth Ann looked at the attorney. He shook his head. "I'm not going to speculate on that one, at all," the lawyer said. Beth Ann crossed her arms in front of her. "Well, I'm going to ask him, then." "Honey, no man is going to admit to that." "Then why'd he do it?" "To protect you. Does he love you?" "Dad!" she said, bushing. "You already answered both my questions." "You only asked one," Beth Ann protested. "The second one was just the same, only in reverse." "Well," Beth Ann said in a huff, "you're going to have to wait and get out of here before I'm going to tell you anything." Smiling, her dad reached out and took hold of her hand, saying, "That's my spunky 'little girl'." ------- The district attorney was not very happy at learning that there was new evidence. To top that off, even though the sheriff's department had collected it, he was going to have to wait to get his hands on it. This case had gotten out of hand. The high-powered attorney was daunting enough, but then to have a Federal Marshal show up and run their whole operation through the wringer... He'd just as soon pass this case off to someone... to anyone else. The only redeeming factor was that the new evidence was part of a larger case. The marshal was going to get hold of it first, before the defense attorney. No one knew exactly at what time the parcel actually arrived. It was kept very hush-hush. Not even those inside the force knew. All anyone knew was that the two officers that had been sent to get it were now back on duty. No one had seen them arrive. They were just back on patrol, taking another call, like nothing had even gone on. There were several radio communications to the two, without much response. The 'Brass' must have got wind of the situation and put out a force wide bulletin to knock it off. That may have quieted the radio communication, but it made all of the officers out on patrol a bit more curious as to what was going on. None of them had ever seen anything come in to the station before that they didn't know something about. 'It' had been with the marshal, for a full hour. Then he let the attorney see what it was. "I've been through the whole thing twice and have practically memorized it. You can take notes, but you can't remove it from this office. I imagine you'll want to use it. To do so at this point, you'll need to subpoena it, as evidence." The attorney raised his eyebrows. "That good?" "I'm not sure what kind of case they will have, after you get done," the marshal said. "Now I need to get the family back home, and set up security for them," the marshal continued. "I wouldn't be here, if it was just Beth Ann and her mom, although it might not be safe for them. Add Keith Patterson and Mary McCarran, though, and we have an explosive situation." "Good thing it's your job and not mine," the attorney said with a smile. "You know I'll get you for that one," the marshal said. ------- Katy was off her horse in a flash and ran into the house. She didn't see Richard right away, but she did see a trail of his clothing. Inside her bedroom, she found him stretched across her old bed. She couldn't get her clothes off fast enough. She jumped onto the bed to join him. "You did shut the door, didn't you?" Katy playfully slapped his chest. "Of course I did! I don't want to be disturbed for the next hour." He answered that request by pulling her up, leaning down and sucking one of her nipples into his mouth. "Ohhhh, that feels so good. Richard, no one's around. Make me scream!" Richard had never heard Katy ask anything like that before, but he was going to do his best. ------- Julie had been walking outside, toward Brian's, when she saw Katy arrive. She was close enough and her young eyes were good enough that when Katy opened the front door, she saw Richard's clothing on the floor. The smile Julie saw on Katy's face made her think about what might be going on in there. She hurried along to see Barbara and Brian. As soon as she told them, the two looked at each other and said in unison, yet in hushed voices, "Let's peek!" It was taking less time to get Brian into the wheelchair each time. They didn't realize it, but it wasn't just that Brian and Barbara were getting better; it was that Brian was getting his muscle strength back After many instructions, Millie let the threesome go. Millie remembered one last thing to tell them. She went back outside, but they were already out of sight. Shaking her head, she returned to the house. Barbara was building strong arms, by helping push Brian around. This time, Julie was helping as well and Brian was sure he was going to land on the ground, at any second. The two girls slowed when they got close to Katy's old house. "They'll be in Katy's room," Brian said. "How do you know?" Julie asked. "Because they always liked that room. Just ask Jimmy," Brian answered. As the three rolled Brian to the back of the house and looked at the back yard, it looked like getting Brian's wheelchair to the bedroom window was an impossible task. They weren't even sure at that point that they could even see anything. That was going to be the first thing Barbara and Julie were going to check out. The two started creeping along the back of the house. They stopped when they heard an unmistakable moan. There was no doubt that it came from Katy. Barbara and Julie looked back to Brian. He was smiling as wide as could be and urged them on with his hands. Another moan came, before they had even turned their heads around. Then, a third. The moaning was almost non-stop by the time the girls got to the window. Slowly, they peered over the windowsill. Brian could see their eyes grow wide. They could see! It was the scream that did it. After it had died down and the moaning started back up, Barbara looked over to Brian. She gasped. Julie turned and stared. Brian was standing; on his own. Well, almost. He had a hold on the edge of the house. Barbara swallowed hard, not being able to move. She saw him take a step. It was awkward, but he had done it! Without thinking where she was, Barbara called out, "Brian!" The moans ceased immediately, although Barbara and Julie didn't recognize that for a moment. They were caught up with what Brian was doing. Julie was suddenly surprised to find herself going off balance. She reached out and... Richard took her hand? She looked at him through the now opened window, her eyes just about popping out of her head. Richard saw Barbara next to her, but Barbara was still not looking at him. "What are you two doing here?" Richard asked, very annoyed. Julie still unable to get her mouth to work; pointed. At the same time, Barbara, hearing Richard's voice quickly turned around. Richard poked his head out to see what Barbara was so intently watching and saw Brian walking! "Brian!" Brian looked up, saw Richard and panicked. As he fell, Richard was pulling his head inside. He pulled his pants on, and ran out the front door. Katy had pulled her dress over her head as soon as Richard had jumped up and opened the window. As soon as Richard was running out of the room, she looked out of the window. She didn't quite understand what had happened. She saw Julie and Barbara on their way to help Brian, who was lying on the ground. His wheelchair was ten feet away from him. Still trying to figure out what happened, she saw Richard round the corner. He picked Brian up, and sternly told the girls they were coming with him. She saw them disappear around the corner. Then Barbara reappeared, to fetch Brian's wheelchair. Katy took a deep breath as she heard them enter the house. This was supposed to be their time alone, away from distractions. Figuring she needed to go out to the living room, she got off the bed. Richard got to the bedroom door before she did. He was still holding Brian in his arms. "He was walking," Richard said. "Walking?" Katy asked. The images of what she saw outside starting to make sense. "Brian, when did this happen?" Brian was sure they were in big trouble, and said in a sad voice, "Just did it." "Well, Millie needs to know about this," Katy responded. Richard had set Brian down in a chair; he looked up at her, panicked and exclaimed, "No! Please, Aunt Katy! Don't tell her we were peeking." Katy and Richard looked at each other and started laughing. Barbara, Julie, and Brian were looking at each other's pained faces. They didn't see anything funny in this. "Brian, Katy was talking about you being able to walk, not about your peeking at us." Brian turned red, and it got brighter as Richard continued, "You've already seen us before, anyway, Brian." "He has?" Julie said and then blushed. "You weren't making sounds like that," Brian whispered. Now it was time for Katy to blush. Richard just smiled. "No, Brian, and you three interrupted us," Richard said. "We're sorry. You can start over," Barbara said. She was trying to make things right, it just came out wrong. "Start over, so you can watch?" Richard asked, knowing he was teasing the poor girl. "You would?" Brian asked, wide-eyed. But there was a desire on his face he couldn't hide. That response wasn't what Richard had anticipated. He glanced over to Katy to see what she was thinking. She had a little smile on her face, telling him he had gotten into this and he could get himself out. Richard then looked over to Julie who had not said a word. She looked a bit nervous. He decided to use that. "That wouldn't work, because we'd be in the buff and all of you would have your clothes on." Katy poked Richard in the side, and gave him a 'what in the hell are you doing' look. Just as Brian answered, "I'd take mine off." Barbara giggled, "I'll bet you would, Brian." Then she blushed and added, "So would I." This wasn't what Richard expected either, and he looked at Katy. He knew he was going to have to say something quick. That's when Julie said, "I guess I'd need to, as well." That gave Richard the opportunity he needed. "No, Julie; I was just teasing. I don't think you want to do that. So let's just..." "You mean we can't?" Brian said. Beyond the hope that he'd expressed in his voice, it was obvious from the tent in his pants that Brian was looking forward to this. "Katy?" Richard implored. "I'm digging deeper every time I open my mouth. Help me, here." Katy put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. She turned to Julie. "How much have you done with these two?" she asked, motioning to Brian and Barbara. Julie blushed, and Barbara answered. "She's done a lot. She wants to be a part of our marriage." "Barbara!" Julie squeaked out. "Julie, I need you to use your brain here, and not your emotions. You were peeking in the window watching us. Richard jokingly asked if you wanted to watch us again. You said you'd take off your clothes. Does that sound like we are people who can be trusted with things?" "I guess so." "Do you think Barbara would say something like that to embarrass you?" Julie looked at Barbara and said, "No." "Ok. Last question about this. Are you embarrassed about loving Barbara and Brian?" Julie swallowed and looked at everyone in the room. She didn't like being put in the spotlight. "I guess it's sort of strange that I like Barbara," she said. Then she grinned. "But not Brian." "So it feels a little odd to you that you like someone of the same sex." "Yeah," Julie said. "But you do like, or is it love, her?" Julie looked at Barbara, "I think it's becoming love." Katy smiled. "That's good to hear. Julie, I think a lot of people might find it strange that two people of the same sex love each other. I don't have a lot of experience with this, but Richard told me that most guys think it's fine for two girls to love each other, but not two guys. To me that sounds kind of bad. I mean if they like the thought of seeing two girls do things together, don't they think that girls might be interested to see two guys..." Julie was looking at Richard and then to Brian. She wasn't listening to Katy any longer. "Do they love each other?" Julie asked. Her breathing was a bit faster and her top had two points poking out in the front. "Why would you think that?" Barbara asked before anyone else had a chance to react. "'Cause I remember Katy asking you questions about if you knew how special they were to each other. I just... I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." Julie now was on the verge of tears. "Julie," Brian said. "You are right. Richard and I do love each other." She looked at Brian, studying his face and then said slowly, "Like Barbara and I have..." Brian nodded and then he looked at Richard. "I hope that was ok to say." Richard was a bit uncomfortable with the age difference between them, but his love for the boy was unquestionable. He also didn't want to ever be in the way of any relationships. Barbara looked guilty as she jumped in and said, "I'd like to see." "Richard and I?" Brian asked, not believing what he'd just heard. Barbara turned bright red, but nodded. Richard was shocked, and wondered what Julie thought about all this, he looked over to her and noticed she was blushing and nodding at the same time. 'Holy shit!' he thought. His horniness returned with a vengeance at that point. Katy, who'd been watching him for what kind of reaction he might have to all of this, couldn't help but notice the reaction in his pants. They had been interrupted at a most inopportune time. She was sure she was pregnant, because this is what had happened to her with Robin and one of the main reasons she and her brother had ended up in the same bed. She couldn't get enough sex. What Richard had been doing to her was so... "If you are going to go, you'd better do it now," Katy said to the three, but she was looking at Richard hungrily. "Do we have to go?" Brian asked. "I thought if we got undressed..." He wasn't answered. Richard couldn't contain himself any longer and pulled Katy into a long, deep kiss. Brian, Barbara, and Julie looked at each other not knowing quite what to do. Then Brian shrugged his shoulders and started to unbutton his shirt. Julie watched him and then noticed Barbara had decided to follow suit. Katy was reaching down for Richard's pants, trying to unclasp them, and was frustrated. She had to break the kiss. When she did, she noticed that the three youngsters were completely undressed. She grinned at them. "Barbara, you might want to slip your dress back on and make sure the front door wasn't left open when you came in." Barbara's eyes widened. She nodded and grabbed her dress. Katy went back to her task at hand... Richard's pants. ------- Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth were driving their mother crazy. "Why don't you find something to do?" she asked them. "I want Keith to come home," Kenneth whined. "So do I," Elizabeth and Kristina said in unison, and smiled similarly. "It's not that bad," Katharine said. "You have Richard," Elizabeth said. "Elizabeth! Where do you come up with these things?" "Your bedroom is right below ours," Kristina answered. Katharine blushed, thinking of what her children might have heard. And it wasn't just one time, either. Time to get their minds thinking of something else. "The doctor came in and his wife was with him, I heard. Let's go find them, allright?" "Ok!" Kenneth said, just glad to be doing something. On the way down the stairs the four saw Jill, Sarah, and Laura. "We're going to see the doctor," Kenneth said. "Is there anything wrong?" Laura asked. "No," Katharine answered, "We just haven't talked with him since he came back. Besides, we need to get out and do something. Want to come along?" "I wouldn't mind going," Jill said, "But Sarah and Laura were already there." "Maybe we could ride over," Sarah said. "It's a short distance. What do you think, Laura?" "Don't you need to wait for Marsha to return?" Laura said in a panic. "Laura," Jill admonished her, "you remember the other night? You did just fine. I think it would be good for you." "But..." "Laura," Katharine said, "I think Jill and Sarah are right. It's the way most people get around in this town. What would happen if you didn't know how to ride, and you needed to get to the doctor quickly? I'm taking the car. Katy's not here, what would you do?" "I guess I'm learning," Laura said, but not very enthusiastically. "Laura, it's just a short ride, over and back. It will take longer to saddle the horses, than to ride there. They need a bit of exercise, too. They like to get out for a walk. You'll do just fine," Jill said. Laura sighed. "Ok." "We'll see you there," Katharine said and noticed her three children were already at the front door, waiting for her. When Katharine arrived at the plane, the doctor greeted her warmly. His wife smiled after her husband told her who Katharine was. She looked at Katharine's children and said, "You two have a lot to talk about; I'll take care of these three." Katharine was a bit surprised. As the doctor closed the door, he said, "She loves children. I think part of that is that we never had any ourselves. She adopts them whenever she can. Laura is like a granddaughter to her and if you don't watch it, your three will end up the same." "You sound like that could be a bad thing." He laughed, "Only to me. She likes to buy them gifts!" Katharine laughed along with him, and then said, "What did your wife mean when she said we had lots to talk about?" "Memco gave me the green light. I'm permanent here. That means that I need a clinic, not just this plane, to work out of. Want a job?" This was something Katharine had never considered. She had enough money and didn't need to work. Yet her days of moving from place to place with her children were over. This was feeling like home to her. That was the first time since her husband had died she could say that. A job... something to do. That might not be a bad thing. "What did you have in mind?" she asked. ------- Thelma had learned the children's names, what foods they liked, and what their favorite games were. That, in itself, took almost ten minutes. They kept on interrupting each other. She then pointed to the three horses arriving. "Laura! I didn't know you rode," Thelma said. As soon as Laura got close enough, she said, "I don't. This horse scares me half to death." "She's learning," Jill said. "Although I keep telling her that if the horse knows she's afraid, they will feel it." Thelma nodded, walked over to Laura and made her bend down. Then Thelma whispered something into Laura's ear. "Oh my gosh!" Laura said and turned bright red. Jill was smiling; she knew she'd find out later what was said. "We just rode over to say 'hi'. Then we're going back. It's best to learn by taking short steps," Jill said. "Sounds like you have a good instructor," Thelma said. Then thinking about what Katy had said, she looked at Jill a little closer. "You were the other girl on stage with Laura." "There were many of us on stage," Jill replied, not wanting to take anything away from Laura. "Oh, no. You two were the only ones up there. Occasionally there was some flies buzzing around, acting. But in reality, the whole show belonged to the two of you." Both Jill and Laura blushed at the compliment. "She's right, you know," Sarah said, knowing it would add to the blush. "It's time to head back; isn't it, Laura?" Jill said. "Yes," Laura said quickly. Thelma and Sarah laughed. "What play?" Elizabeth wanted to know; as Sarah, Jill, and Laura turned around. They heard Thelma say, "I'll tell you all about it." Sarah was laughing. Jill reached over and with her reigns slapped Sarah's horse's back flank, causing it to break into a full gallop. Now Jill was laughing, but she wasn't afraid. The horse would slow down very soon, as Sarah wasn't asking the horse to continue. ------- Jimmy, Pamela, and Marsha came into the Mansion through the back. Jimmy and Pamela took the back stairs up. Marsha went to look for her mother. She found her, asleep in a comfortable chair in the library, with a book in her lap. Marsha smiled, but didn't disturb her. She didn't hear any sounds downstairs, so she walked up to the third floor. She wanted to ask Sarah some of those questions she had that still bothered her. When she got into the empty room, she was disappointed that no one was around. Then she saw a letter. It was lying open... no one was around... so she sat on the bed and looked at it. Then after reading the first few lines, she picked it up. Marsha had just finished reading it, twice, when the door opened. Still holding the letter in her hands, she didn't know what to say. Jill looked at Sarah Sarah took hold of Laura and turned her around. "Did I show you the horses?" "We were just there," Laura said as she was being led down the hallway. She looked back to the bedroom and saw Jill look out of it, wink at her and then close the door. "They need to talk, don't they?" "Yes, they do." Laura looked at Sarah as they walked down the stairs. "She's a good friend." "Yes, I never realized how much. You know, when you're around someone all the time? You just don't realize how much they mean to you, until something happens. Then you have to stop and realize that you do like them. It isn't that you've been stuck, being around them." "Yeah, I guess I know what you mean," Laura said. She was glad Sarah liked Jill so much; as Laura thought Jill was the one being talked about. ------- "You know it isn't very nice to look at other people's things," Jill said softly. "I couldn't help it, I'm sorry. It was just laying there and I sat down... I just glanced..." Marsha said, but then had to ask, "Who's Kevin?" "Kevin is the groundskeeper at the school I went to for a little bit." Marsha looked at the letter, now back on the bed. She was sure she knew, but had to ask, "And Dorothy is a student?" "Was." Jill sighed. "Kevin is a very good and a very kind man." Then she smiled. "He just likes to look at girls." "But... Isn't that wrong?" "Why? Is he hurting anything or anyone, by looking? A flower is there, looking and smelling so pretty to attract the bee, so that the bee will pollinate it. But it also attracts us humans, who also want to smell its wonderful aroma." Marsha was silent, pondering that. Jill was thinking of what else she could say. She wasn't worried about Marsha reading a letter of hers. After all, she did leave it open and on the bed. That was her mistake. Jill was more worried about what Marsha though about what it said. "I guess in a way Kevin and Dorothy are like you and your boyfriend." Marsha cocked her head, "How so?" "'People' think they shouldn't be together. For them it is an age difference. How they feel about each other, those 'people' don't really care. Somehow, just like you said that it was wrong for them, is what makes those 'people' feel they have a right to tell others what they can and can't do." Marsha blinked, several times. "You mean, Mike and I..." Marsha started to cry. Jill put her arms around the girl, letting her let it out. "I just want to be with him... and our parents won't let us," Marsha sobbed. "Does he love you as much as you love him?" Jill asked. "I think so." "Marsha, you need to do more than think. You have to know, deep in your heart." "Have you loved anyone that much?" Marsha asked. Jill nodded. Marsha wanted to know who, but also knew it wasn't appropriate to ask. "How do I know?" "I'm not sure; it was different each time for me." "Each time?" Jill smiled. "Yes. There are three people I love very much. I know that sounds strange. I love them somewhat differently, but it is a deep love. I know each one of them would do anything for me." She looked at Marsha. "Is there someone you trust, that could talk to... Mike?" "I think. Sarah would know if I could." "Sarah knows about real love, she'll understand." "She's... Sarah?" "Marsha, Sarah loves Keith with every bone in her body." "But he's married." "Yes, he is. He also saved her life, but almost lost his own life in the process. How do you think that would make someone feel?" "I'm not sure. I don't think I ever want to be in that position. I'm not sure I could cope." "Sarah didn't cope well. She felt very responsible." "Yeah, I could see her feeling pretty bad. It would be awful." "When Keith got better, after his wife, he wanted to see Sarah." "Wow. Did she go and see him?" "If it were you, could you refuse?" "I guess not, but I wouldn't want to be there." Jill laughed, "I don't think Sarah did." Then Jill thought, 'I wouldn't go with Liz. I didn't want to be there, either.' "Keith is..." Jill was lost trying to find the right word. "Do you love him too?" Marsha asked after looking at Jill's face. Jill blushed. "Yes, but that's a different subject. We're talking about Sarah." Marsha laughed and Jill blushed a little more. "Keith told her she was special, so much so, he would do it all over again to save her." Marsha went week at the knees and sat down on the bed. After a moment, she looked up at Jill. "Now I'm understanding better why she came back to school, different." ------- "Keith," Beatrice said, "it seems like you have put these gals though some interesting situations." "Mom, it wasn't his fault that the newspapers were trying to get pictures of anyone they could," Then Beth Ann grinned. "It was kind of fun though, trying to outsmart them." "But a milk truck? Everyone knows this is the wrong time of day to be delivering," Beatrice responded. "That's true, but it's also why the truck was available to us," I said. "I'd still rather be in the nice comfortable car than the back of this truck. We don't even have proper seats, these upside down wire boxes are not comfortable at all you know," Beatrice continued to complain. The noise of the truck and the clinking of empty bottles in other racks drowned her out. The curvy road, as well as the smell of soured spilled milk, made every one of us in the back feel a bit queasy. I was very worried about Robin, who was starting to look green. "Can we pull over for a moment?" I yelled up to the front. "What's the problem?" came the response. "We're feeling sick, and I think my wife is about to..." The van swerved and came to a sudden stop. The back opened seconds later. The driver, who was the regular driver of the truck, scanned and then pulled Robin out, without any warning. "Any others?" he asked as soon as she was out. "I sure don't want to clean this truck out. Not even sure if I could get the smell out, and that would sure mess up my route tomorrow." All of us got out for a minute, to breathe the fresh air. The deputy, who was sitting in the other seat up front, came around. "I radioed them. They stopped, up ahead. As soon as we're ready I'll call them up, again. We're sure not going to be very hidden, if anyone sees us outside of this truck, though." He was right and we were all feeling a touch better, so we got back in. As the driver was shutting the door, he said, "Only one curve, then it's all straight into town." That was comforting. We felt the curve. It wasn't so bad, knowing it was the last one until we turned onto the side road leading to Beatrice's house. Several minutes later the truck slowed, turned, but then stopped. I was about to ask what was going on, when we felt the truck move again. This time it turned in a big circle, backed up, and then turned more. It came to a stop several seconds later, turned again and then took off quickly. "What the devil is going on?" I asked. "You were right!" the deputy said, amazed that I might know anything. "The marshal's car was surrounded as soon as he pulled up. He's trying to assess the situation, but he told us to get out of the area." I looked at Beatrice. "Where can we go? Is there a place we could hide out, so we wouldn't have to drive that road back?" I could tell she was thinking hard. She didn't want to go back over that road and get that 'sick to your stomach' feeling again, either. "There should be a road coming up," Beatrice started to say. "Slow down," I shouted up. "We're going to give you some directions." I motioned Beatrice to move up to the front where I was. She ended up having to sit on my lap. She shouted directions forward from memory, relying on the visuals being passed back. Eventually we slowed and came to a stop. The back was opened and we tumbled out. Frankly, I was glad we'd stopped. Between the bumps in the road and the fact Beatrice looked like an older version of her daughter, I was starting to get uncomfortable having her on my lap. I was sure she didn't notice though, there were too many other things going on. The first thing I saw, as soon as we were out of the van, was a large barn. The next, was a man heading out way. "We don't need no big dairy trying to get our milk," the man started to say and noticed all the people getting out of the back. "What in tarnation is going on?" "Sal, is your wife at home?" "Beatrice? Is that you?" "Yes, Sal. You remember Beth Ann, don't you?" "Oh my lord! Look at you, Girl! You done grown up." The man looked around at the group of people, and noticed the marshal's deputy. His gun belt put him out of place "You want to tell me what's going on, Beatrice?" "You probably don't know, being out here, but Jed was shot last night and he's dead. William is in jail. Not here, but in Eugene. We were on our way back home..." "In the back of a milk truck?" "The marshal arrived first and was mobbed by the townspeople. We were hiding in this thing." The man grinned. "I bet everyone was wait'n to throw a party, Beatrice. Let me get Ma, she'll want to bake a cake in honor of that rascal finally getting what he done deserve." As he went running towards their house, the deputy came over to Beatrice. "It looks like you picked the right location." Beatrice smiled. "William stole a piece of land from him. Legal they say, but it was stealing. Sal couldn't do anything about it. He didn't have the money to go to court and fight it. William knew it." "Sounds like William had many enemies." "He did, but a few close and powerful friends." "That won't help him now," the deputy answered. Out of the house glad screaming could be heard. Then a woman with a wooden spoon and lid came out, banging it, and creating enough noise to raise the dead. ------- The lawyer was in the district attorney's office. The man was looking over the documents the lawyer had brought in. He wasn't happy. "I know there has to be a trial, but you know how it's going to turn out. My suggestion is that we go to the judge now and get him released on his own recognizance," the lawyer said. "I figured you would come up with something like this. And right before the trial, damn it." "This wasn't my doing and you know it. I haven't been hiding a thing from you." "I know, I know," the district attorney said. "But you know how this makes me look. I'll look like a damned fool in the court room." "That's why I'm suggesting you let him out. At least you can save a little face," the lawyer said, hiding the smile on his face. ------- "I still don't know what happened? You want to explain this all to me again?" George asked. "With a murder case, especially in these parts, they have had a large flight potential. It has become policy that they don't grant bail and hold the accused until trial. It doesn't make much of a difference to them that you own a service station, have a wife and house. It's policy to them." "Ok, that's what I understood, but I haven't had the trial and I'm out." The lawyer smiled. "Your brother in law wasn't very smart. That's why." George fumed. The mention of that man still made his blood boil. "So what did the bastard do?" "Looks like he got hooked up with the wrong people. It looks very bad for him and that translated to good for you." "Well, he's dead, what can be any more bad than that?" "Not much if you think of it that way, but it involved others. That will be for another case that the marshal will be working on." "Beth Ann isn't going to have to testify for that as well is she?" her father asked in a pleading tone. "It would be very unlikely. It has less to do with her so much as what others were doing." "Good. I hate the thought of her having to even think about that, much less tell anyone about it." "I understand. Now remember, no one knows I'm bringing you home. It will be quite a surprise for all of them." ------- The marshal got out of his car as soon as the people had backup up a few feet. He looked around at all of the people there. "What are all of you doing here?" One woman stepped forward, looked back as though she might have been pushed into that position, or possibly to get encouragement. "We thought Beatrice and Beth Ann would be here." The marshal looked around, still not getting a good gauge on the people around him. "We have been trying to be cautious," he replied. "Cautious? What could happen to them with you around?" "Beth Ann and Keith Patterson were shot at yesterday," the marshal replied. There was a hushed murmur that ran through the crowd. One man called out, "That had to be Trimball's bunch. We're here to celebrate. Without Trimball, that damned mill owner, here, I don't think they can do a thing." Another woman called out, "Call Beatrice on that radio thing and tell her that Franny wants to apologize for not coming over sooner." There were several heads that were nodding. The marshal was starting to get the picture. These people had been afraid of this man and now they see him as gone. Calling to the deputy, the marshal told him to get the others on the radio. Then he turned to the crowd. "I need you to stand back. I need them to be able to go into the house. Then and only then will they decide what the next step will be. My job is to make sure that I keep them safe. If I can't guarantee that by your actions, then they will be moved out of town until further notice. Do I make myself clear on this matter?" There was a nod from several, but all started to move back to the other side of the street, giving them a clear road between. One thing they didn't do was go home. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to stay. It was ten minutes later when a car turned up the street. The marshal didn't recognize the car immediately and before anyone could say a word, he had his revolver out. The car stopped and the man got out. "What's going on?" The marshal shook his head as he lowered his revolver. "It's been one of 'those' days," he shouted back. "Come on." The two walked back to the car. "Has my wife had to suffer with this since I've been gone?" George wanted to know. The marshal looked into the car. He closed his eyes for a second, looked again, and then shook his head. He didn't know why he was surprised, but he was. "No, I'm not sure what's going on. We'll find out soon, though. Don't worry," the lawyer responded to George's question, "I think you will want to pull up into the garage. I'll get the deputy to open up the garage door, and move their car out," the marshal said. "What's going on?" George asked. "All these people across the street were in front of your house when we arrived. No, don't get out!" he told George who was putting his hand on the latch. "They said they want to give Beatrice and Beth Ann a big welcome. I'm just a bit concerned there are some in town that might not be so benevolent. The last thing I need is for them to know you're here as well." "Ok, we'll wait here for a minute," the lawyer said. "I don't like the idea of having to sneak back into my own house," George said. "I'll let your lawyer explain the value of that, right now," the marshal said and walked back to the house. It took several minutes to move cars around. All the while, the people across the street were wondering what that maneuvering was all about. Not more than a minute later, a milk truck rolled down the street. The people across the street were a bit surprised when the marshal didn't stop the truck. Instead it came right up to the house and stopped. Then everyone saw the back open and Beatrice step out. There was a loud cheer, an even louder thud as the metal clad door dimpled. Hands grabbed hold of Beatrice and she was lifted off the ground and back into the truck with one quick pull. The back of the van shut, but not before a second gunshot was fired. ------- Chapter 91 The second shot hit the driver's side window of the milk truck, shattering it and the front windshield, also. The women, who were the majority of those waiting, dropped to the ground shrieking in fright. The men among the group, who were waiting, were furious. Two of them saw where the second shot had come from. Without giving thought to being unarmed, they started running towards a pickup truck sitting not more than 30 yards from where they had been standing. The rest of the men there followed without a question. Their minds were blocked of reason at that point. They were bent on taking back what had been, piece by piece, taken from them. George, who had been told to wait in the house for his wife and daughter to return, had been watching when his wife had possibly been shot. As the second shot hit the van's front, he was already out the front door, and onto the grass. The deputy, who had been with George, was right behind him, yelling at him to take cover. The marshal quickly assessed the situation. There were many things going on and he saw his deputies at each situation: the unknown crowd, the shots fired, the sitting ducks in the milk truck, George out in the open... He went after the known threat, the pickup's shooting location. In the back of the pickup, a man was kneeling as it started moving. It pulled from the curb, as the men from the crowd were running towards it. The rifleman was pointing his rifle at the men, but as the pickup jerked forward, he lost his balance. The rifle went off, but the bullet hit the ground not more than five feet in back of the truck. The man in the back was now over the edge of the back tailgate. His rifle dropped onto the road, and he was hanging on for dear life. A bigger bump than usual in the gravel road threw him the rest of the way over the tailgate. He bounced once, as the pickup drove off. He was just starting to sit up, when the men descended upon him. As soon as the marshal got to them, he ordered them to back away. There, lying in the road, was a limp young man. His face was bloody and bruised, and his clothing torn. The marshal looked at the men's faces, and saw the hatred in their eyes. He was getting to understand the terror that the mill owner, and his cohorts, had placed upon this town. These men had 'snapped'. A deputy called to the marshal, he looked back up the road to see the milk truck open. "All clear in here, Sir. Apparently no injuries." That was a relief. He turned back to look at the man on the ground. "It looks like he took quite a fall off the back of that truck," the marshal said. The men looked at each other, suddenly realizing what they had done and the trouble they could be in. "Yes, it sure was a bad fall," one of the men ventured. As the marshal nodded, another man said, "His rifle's over here. We didn't touch it." "Good, we need the prints off of that. You men have any idea whose pickup that was?" "Of course, that was Henry's, but that was his son drivin'. I got a glance at him as he took off. The young man on the ground started to say something, but it was pretty incoherent, especially with his battered mouth. The marshal bent down, getting close to the man's face. He spoke, or tried to, again. The marshal shook his head and stood. "I can't understand a word he's saying and from the smell of it, he's been drinking." "Good thing, he's usually a good shot," another man said. "We'll get to the bottom of this soon, but first, I need to get him to the hospital." ------- "Mom," Marcia said, "I need to talk with Sarah before we go. "The train will be arriving in another hour I believe, so don't drag your feet." "Ok. Come on Sarah," Marcia said. She pulled Sarah out of the room and through to the back of the house and then out of the house altogether. Sarah was still nervous about Jimmy and Pamela's conversation with Marcia and what might have transpired. "Ok, out with it Sarah." "What?" Sarah responded nervously. "How many people have sex around here?" Her nerves just gave way and Sarah started laughing. She couldn't help herself. Thinking again of the question Marcia had asked just started her off again. It did have a couple of effects. Firstly, it was contagious, and Marcia couldn't help but start to laugh with her. Secondly, it relaxed Sarah. "I think almost everyone who's married," Sarah said trying to act seriously, "but there is that one couple and I'm not sure about them." "Sarah! You know what I mean. Jimmy and Pamela are having sex. I'm sure you knew it, didn't you?" "Yes, Marcia, I did. I'm sorry, but I was afraid." "Afraid?" Marcia said. "Is there something else in this town I need to know about? What are you afraid of?" "I was afraid you might not want to come live here." That was the one thing Marcia would have never considered. "Why?" "Well, you need to be someplace and Carp is a good town. It would help you to be here," Sarah said. Then she looked to the ground. "I also realized that we've been friends for a long time and I didn't really want to lose that." Marcia got choked up. "Sarah," she said and gave her a big hug, "that is the nicest thing I think you could have ever said to me. Especially when I know I've been a beast." Sarah chuckled. "So," Marcia asked again, "how many?" "I don't know," Sarah said truthfully. Then, just for fun, she added, "I've never counted." Marcia rolled her eyes. "Are you... Jill said you loved Keith to your very bones. I know he's married and I haven't even seen him, but..." "No, I'm still a virgin," Sarah said without the pride most girls might have in that statement. "You don't sound happy with that. Sarah, look at me and tell me what's happened. I'm sure I'd rather be in your place." Sarah sighed. "Sarah! Don't even think that way. My life is pretty much over." "No, it's not. What are you talking about?" "Mike. We can't see each other. What do you think is going to happen when my baby's born? Either I give it up, or I raise a child who will never have his father around." "I never thought about that," Sarah said, sadly. "Do you think Scott could talk with him? I can't. My parents would have a fit if I even tried. And his parents... Do you think he would?" "I'm sure Scott would. I've been writing a letter to Vivian. I could finish it, and add something for her to tell Scott. You could get the letter to Vivian, couldn't you?" "Yes, I think so." "Good, what do you want to know?" Marcia looked down to the ground, and kicked a little rock by her foot. She then looked back up at Sarah. "I need to know if he really loves me." "You don't know?" "He said so, but now..." Marcia said rubbing her belly, "This could change the way he feels about me. I have to know." "And you want Scott to ask him that?" "Kinda stupid, isn't it?" "Maybe Vivian would be better. It's easier to say something like that to a girl, I think, than to another guy." Marcia smiled, "Yeah, I think you may be right. You'll write it then?" "Yes. I'd better get going. I'm not the best letter writer in the world, but I'll finish it up, quick." ------- Katy had walked back with Barbara pushing Brian in his wheelchair to their house, leaving Julie with Richard. She wanted to tell her sister about Brian walking. It would be an exciting thing. Neither Brian nor Barbara wanted to slip and say what they were doing, when he stood and took those steps. Julie was with Richard, straightening the bedroom back up. "Richard?" she said and then blushed. "Yes?" "Can I ask you something?" "Alright," he said, sitting down on the bed and patting the place right next to him. She sat next to him, glad she didn't have to look in his eyes. As she sat, the mattress sagged and she sort of rolled right next to him. Their legs were touching. She cleared her throat nervously. "Julie, you can ask me anything you want. If I don't think I should answer your question, I'll tell you so. But I'd never make fun of you." "Thanks," she said. They sat in silence for another minute. "Richard, do you like Barbara, too?" He knew exactly why she was asking that question and started thinking about what had gone on in that room, less than an hour ago. Katy had been wild. She had rolled him over, and climbed on top of him. He noticed Julie lean forward to get a good look, as Katy slid down onto his dick. Her vocalization had gotten to everyone there and soon all three of the kids were on the bed, with Katy and Richard in the center. Barbara had helped Brian to the easiest side, and then climbed on with him. Julie had gone around and got onto the other side. Barbara had been so interested in seeing the union that she had scooted over, pushing at Brian. He was on his knees and took hold of her hips, maneuvering right behind her. Trying not to fall off the edge, he ended up pushing her over Richard, so that her legs were on one side of his chest, her hands falling onto Julie on the other side. Julie had been so taken up with what was going on, that it startled her to have hands on her shoulders, and then Barbara's face right in front of her. Julie started to kiss Barbara almost immediately. Brian, holding onto Barbara's hips was very aroused at the sights and sounds, and was as hard as ever. He rocked back and forth, and without even much thought slid into her warm waiting passage. Her groan of pleasure had stopped everyone, to see why Barbara was making such a noise. That just increased the excitement level of everyone, Katy in particular. Her movements, with her hands on Richard's waist, pulled the two of them together and Richard slid further into Katy. This had Richard bouncing on the bed. Both were moving slightly with each thrust. When Richard's head started bumping into Barbara's leg, and then started pushing at it, she lifted it. She spread a little wider and his head all of a sudden was between her legs. Richard was looking at Brian thrust into Barbara. That did it for him. He cried out in pleasure, as he released into Katy. Katy, hearing him, pounded down a few more times as Richard was shooting into her. That caused Richard to move enough to hit Brian's leg. Brian had been trying to hold on. It was difficult, with how Barbara was making him feel. Then, looking down and seeing Richard below him, was the final straw that sent him over. Grunting, Brian filled Barbara. Barbara had been feeling very naughty. She had felt Richard's head and had purposely put her leg over him. She wanted him to see just where Brian's dick was planted. That, in part, was a sort of insecure feeling she still felt. What she didn't count on was the other feeling. As soon as she knew that Richard could see what she had almost made him look at, she went into almost continuous orgasm. Barbara was holding onto Julie. Her hands on Julie were so strong, yet shaking, that it was all Julie could do to stay on the bed. When Barbara went limp, she slumped forward slightly, pressing her weight onto Julie, who then collapsed under her. Sandwiched, Julie was now between Richard's chest and Barbara. What Julie saw was a large glop drip out of Barbara, right into Richards open mouth. That could have been passed off as an accident. That is if Barbara hadn't realized she might be squishing Julie and sat up, effectively sitting right down on Richard's face. Barbara had initially jerked back up in surprise. Julie and Brian saw Richard's tongue reaching up for more of the nectar she was dripping. Katy saw it, but also felt his response as she still had his dick inside of her. When Brian said he thought Richard was trying to get his juices out, Katy had laughed and said, "Fair is fair." She pulled off of Richard, lay Brian down, and straddled his face. Julie, now with two dicks being presented high and hard to her, took the smaller and safer one, Brian's, in her mouth. With Katy, Barbara, and Brian gone, Julie was asking what Richard knew she might. It was one of the reasons Katy had taken the two, and left Julie with him. Richard, after this run through of events, looked over to the girl. "Julie, I will answer your question, but may I ask you a couple, too?" "I guess so." "Do you like Katy, too?" Julie blushed and turned her head away from his, but then nodded slightly. Richard smiled and wasn't really surprised at all. Katy had been very gentle with her soon after she had arrived in town. That thought was just the lead in question. "Julie, do you think that if I liked Barbara, you might not have a place?" Her immediate reaction surprised him. She turned and threw her arms around him, holding on for dear life, while sobbing into his chest. He stroked her back until she calmed down. He had suspected the answer. She just gave it in a surprising, non-verbal way. She was vulnerable and needed to know how she fit in. ------- "Just what the hell is going on in that town?" the dispatch officer asked when the marshal called for an ambulance and three sheriffs. "I think we have a situation that could easily get out of control. I need the cars on the street to keep everyone safe. Right now, with what just happened, vigilante justice could easily erupt. I'd rather keep this to an ambulance call, than that of the coroner." "That is going to put us short staffed over here, but I see your point. I'll have to run it by my supervisor." "If he says anything but yes, and I mean 'yes right now', he'll have to answer to people he'd rather not hear from," the marshal said a very direct manner. "Yes, Sir. I'll get on this right away," the dispatch officer said rather sullenly. The rest of us might have been in the living room, but we couldn't help but hear the conversation the marshal had on the phone in the kitchen. When he walked out, all our eyes were on him. "Ok. I'll be frank, here. If I had my druthers, I'd pull the lot of you out of here. Probably for the next two weeks," he said and looked at me. "I'm officially here to protect Keith Patterson and as an offshoot of that, Mary McCarran. So there isn't much justification to take the lot of you. If it came to it, all I could officially do is to remove them." Beatrice said, looking at Mary, "McCarran?" "Yes," the marshal replied, "as in the congressman. This is his daughter." George laughed. The first time any one of us had found anything funny since we'd arrived back here. He paid no attention to the stares; he just looked at his daughter and said. "Maybe I should take up betting." "What on earth are you talking about," his wife asked him, and then added, "And why would a comment like that make Beth Ann blush?" I wanted to know the answer to that myself. "Just an inside joke, honey," he replied. Then, to pacify her, he pulled her next to him. They went off balance and landed on the sofa. It looked as though the two were in a tight lovers embrace. Beatrice was a bit surprised and embarrassed. George, on the other hand, was enjoying the closeness of his wife; it didn't look like he was ready to let her go. "George!" He chuckled. "Maybe we should take a walk," I suggested and got a poke in the ribs from Beth Ann. "You're not going anywhere," the marshal said. "No one is, for the time being. We don't need another situation like we just had." Beatrice and George were sitting, now. She looked over to me and said, "Keith, I need to apologize to you. If we'd been in a regular car..." She was getting choked up and I didn't need her to continue, so I broke in, "Beatrice, I did what I thought was prudent. I know none of us had any idea something like this would happen." George snorted and I looked over to him. He was looking at his daughter, who was avoiding his glance. There was some story there. The phone rang, startling us. A deputy took the call, and then called for George's attorney. We were silent, trying to listen to this half of the conversation. The problem was there wasn't much talking going on at this end. Other than the customary greeting, the lawyer was silent for some time. And then... "I'm set to go, now. We can start tomorrow if that suits you." When he came out, he already knew he was going to be barraged by questions. He held up his hand to keep us at bay, while he sat. "That was the district attorney. He'd like jury selection tomorrow and the case in front of the judge the next day." We all knew that was fast, but didn't understand how fast. The marshal spoke, "What's the problem? No prosecutor I know of wants to get something like this pushed in front of a judge, especially when they know their case looks shaky." "There is something else, they are dropping the first degree charge down to a manslaughter charge," the lawyer said with a hint of a smile on his face. "What does all that mean?" Beth Ann demanded to know. "First degree is premeditated murder. It is the worst conviction someone could get. The jury, in a first degree conviction, can ask for the death penalty," the lawyer said. Before he could get anything else out, Beth Ann jumped into her father's lap, pulling him into a tight hug. Tears were rolling down her face. George had heard all of this before. He knew, from what the lawyer had told him, that conviction was extremely unlikely. George had already dealt with his emotions long ago, so he could be calm now. "Beth Ann," he soothed, "listen to what else he has to say." She looked up into her father's eyes. "But Dad!" then seeing the look he gave her, said, "I'm sorry, Daddy." He smiled. As she said to him, she would always be her little girl. The lawyer cleared his throat and then went on. "A manslaughter charge is a much lower form of crime." "Is the DA is trying to at least get some kind of conviction? Is he saying that even a lesser charge would be better than nothing? Is that the way they are thinking?" I asked. "Keith, you got it just about right. His case was shaky in the first place. I was constantly punching holes in the evidence he was sending me, and we're not even in trial yet. With the discovery that Beth Ann led us to, he has little left. I'm sure he got wind of what transpired today when we arrived. Sentiment could take over. A jury, if left to gather more community resentment against the mill owner and those around him, could turn over a verdict of 'Not guilty'." "Can you put that in plain English?" Daisy asked him. "Every day the district attorney waits, his case gets weaker." "Then why go to trial now?" Beatrice asked. "Why not wait?" "That is a good question. There are two answers to that. Firstly, I don't know that it will really make that much difference. The DA thinks so, but I don't. I am confident in what I can present, and how George will look in court. I'm not worried, like the DA is. Secondly, I know it would be better for this family, as with any family, not to have this hanging over their heads. It would be better to get this case over with." There was a knock at the door. One of the deputies went to answer it. George recognized the voice over the deputy that was outside. "Sir, that's my employee, can you let him in?" The young man walked in, dressed in his green 'service station' uniform. He had a hat in his hand and he was nervously tugging at it. His head was down, when he walked into the room. "Hello, Sir. I'm glad you're..." he raised his head, caught sight of Beth Ann, and stopped mid-sentence. He just stared at her. She smiled at him. "Hello, Bradley." "Hi... Beth... Ann." the young man stuttered, while blushing George rolled his eyes. Bradley had been infatuated with his daughter for years, but could never do a thing except get tongue-tied around her. He'd stopped being polite about it. "I'm sure you came to ask me something?" George said, breaking Bradley's trance. "Yes, Sir. You know I've been keeping the station open when I can." "Yes, and I very much appreciate that." "But I know that we're not taking in what we used to, so I've only been there part time." "That has been very kind of you," George replied, wondering where this was leading. "I had to close up for a few minutes and come over. I've been closing about this time each day, usually, but there's a line of cars. At least twenty of them are still there, Sir. I'm not even sure if we have enough gas in the storage tank for them all. They're waiting for me to come back. I told them I wasn't sure about staying open," he said, looking confused. "Sir, they even said they would pump their own gasoline. Have you ever heard of such a strange idea?" George laughed. "That is a bit odd. Who are all these people? Is it some sort of caravan?" "Oh, no. It is all the townspeople. It's almost like a party." Bradley looked down. "I was sort of scared, that's the real reason I came by." ------- "You can walk!" Millie said, grabbing Brian and swinging him around. "Well, aren't you full of surprises!" "Mom!" Brian said embarrassed. Barbara and Katy looked at each other and snickered. "What are you laughing about?" Millie looked at Barbara. "We all know why he's walking. He wants to get downtown and start working, so he can support his family." Now, it was Barbara's turn to blush, but she was secretly very pleased when she saw Brian nod in agreement to what his mother had just said. "I thought you might want him to be looked at by the doctor. You heard the doctor is back in town, didn't you?" Katy asked. "I heard the plane, and figured as much." "His wife is with him, this time." Millie smiled and walked into the kitchen. "Well, I'd best be making a pie then. Have to give her a proper greeting." Brian looked at his mother, and then at Katy. He was feeling a bit ornery. "I don't remember you making a pie for Keith." Both the older women laughed their heads off. "I should turn you over my knee for such a wise crack," Katy said laughing, "but not until the doctor says it's ok." "Did you drive into town?" Millie asked. "Yes. Richard and I did. Do you want us to pick you up when we head out?" "Won't be ready with a pie for well over an hour," Millie lamented. "How about some cookies?" Brian asked, and then grinned. "I know just the ones, too." Millie shook her head. "You're just saying that 'cause you like them so much." Brian grinned. "I'll help," Barbara said. "I need to know how to make what he likes." Millie looked at Katy with a pained expression. Katy just rolled her eyes. "We'll be back in a little while," Katy said and left. She wasn't going straight back to her old house though. She hadn't seen her father in a few days and wanted to see what he was up to. She knocked and the door was opened rather quickly. "Oh, Katy. It's you," Cheryl said softly, walking out the door and closing it behind her, instead of inviting her guest inside. "Where's my dad?" "He's asleep now." "Asleep?" "Yeah. He's down with something, has been for a few days." Katy was angry that she didn't know. "What are you doing now?" she asked in a short manner to Cheryl. "I though while he was asleep I'd just get out for a little walk. Why?" "You're coming with me," Katy answered and steered her towards her old house. Pushing open the front door, it slammed against the wall. It was only after Katy had taken three steps into the house that she realized Richard was sitting on the sofa with a girl who had been asleep in his arms. "What's bothering you?" Richard asked seeing the obvious frustration on Katy's face. "My dad's sick. We need to get the doctor." "I don't think..." Cheryl started to say, but stopped at the look Katy gave her. Richard was a little confused by her reaction. Julie, startled by the noise, was awake now. She stood up and stretched. Richard stood as well. "Now's as good a time as any. Let's go." "Go where?" Julie asked. Richard turned Julie around to look at him. He leaned down so they were face to face. "We're going to see the doctor and bring him back. Katy's dad is sick," Richard whispered to her. "Oh. Ok." "Are you coming with us?" Richard asked Cheryl. He got a confused look from her and a glare from Katy. "I guess I might as well," Cheryl said. Richard drove out to the doctor's plane, in a relatively silent car; Julie occasionally made a comment about something. When he parked, he turned to the back seat. "Julie, you've been here before. Show Cheryl up the stairs. She'll need to tell the doctor what has been happening." "You're not coming in?" Julie asked surprised. Richard smiled at her. "Not yet," he said, "We'll be along in a minute." He also took hold of Katy's arm, holding her in the car. When the two left, he gave a pull at her arm, as she had turned to watch them walk up the stairs and into the plane. "Katy, what is troubling you?" She looked at him, her eyes piercing. She was breathing a bit heavily, but she didn't say a word. Not for a full minute. Richard just looked. He was concerned, but was trying his best to be patient. Suddenly, Katy broke down, crying, "I don't know, Richard! I really don't know. I just snapped when Cheryl told me my dad had been ill for a few days." Richard was thinking, 'Keith is better at this sort of stuff than I am. He has two sisters.' Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement and glanced up. "They're coming out. Honey, everything will be all right." The car doors opened. "I understand there are a couple of people to be seen in town," the doctor said holding his black bag. "Julie, why don't you ride up front?" Richard turned back to see the doctor smile at him and nod in a reassuring way. As soon as the doors closed, Richard was driving back into town. He stopped and let the doctor, Katy, and Cheryl off at her house. Then drove back downtown and stopped in front of the town's phone. "Julie, why don't you run up to Millie's and tell her that the doctor will be coming over to see them in a bit." Julie smiled at him. "Ok." Then she gave him a hug. "You are almost as nice as Keith." Richard couldn't help but smile at that comment. Then he turned and walked over to the phone. As soon as the operator was on the line, he gave her his parent's phone number. After a lengthy greeting telling about the family, Richard said, "Mom, Katy's been acting very strange today. I'm not sure what to do." "Strangely?" Sandra asked. "Tell me what's been going on." "Her father's been sick for the last few days and she just found out. She almost attacked the gal who told her." "Is that it?" Sandra wanted to know. "I'm guessing there is more. Knowing you, you wouldn't call just about that one thing." "Well, she did say earlier that her pregnancy with Robin did make her..." "Yes?" Sandra said amused, thinking about her pregnancy. Richard was blushing, even if no one was there to see it. "Mom, she got a little..." "Aggressive in the bedroom?" "Mom!" Richard heard the laughter from the other end of the phone. "Son, it happens to a lot of women, when they are in the first stages of pregnancy. From what I know the hormones are going crazy. Then to top that off, a woman can often feel not very pretty, so they want to make sure their husbands love them." "She should know better," Richard said. "That may be so, Richard, but even your 'dear old mother' was like that." "Oh... Mom! I'm not sure I needed to know that." Sandra laughed again. "Richard we wouldn't have any children if people didn't..." "Ok, Mom. I'm getting the picture. Not that I ever wanted that one in my brain." "I'm sure of that," Sandra said very pleased with herself. Then seriously she added. "Richard, usually there is something underlying that is making Katy act that way. Just like I said, that women often don't feel pretty when they're pregnant. She may have some problems with her father that she needs to straighten out. Her body is making reactions that she might hold at bay, normally, but now are coming out for everyone to see." "Thanks, Mom. You always seem to know just what I need." "Like telling you about when I was pregnant with you?" Sandra teased. "Ok, maybe not everything," Richard groaned. ------- Vivian couldn't believe the phone call. Marcia had called her? She almost wished she hadn't been out. No, that wasn't true. She'd been out with Scott. She didn't think there was anyway to be more in love with a man. That's how she thought about him, her man. Life had surely changed for her after Sarah had walked into it. Her mother had given her the note. It was with mixed emotions that she had told her daughter to give the girl a call. High on the social ladder, Marcia had taken a big fall. Her mother once was pushing her daughter, Vivian, to emulate those popular girls. She was now concerned as to what they were doing to become so popular. She was very worried about Vivian and Scott. Her daughter was obviously head over heels in love. Would that cloud her better judgment? She wasn't convinced. Another talk was in order, she supposed. Running down the hall, Vivian picked up the phone and called the number. When she heard Marcia had a letter from Sarah, Vivian screamed so joyfully that her mother came into the hall to find out what was going on. "They just got back from Carp and Sarah gave her a letter for me!" she told her mom. "Can we go get it?" Her mother thought for a moment. Then a thought struck her. Maybe she could talk to Marcia's mother again. "That would be fine, dear. Make sure it's alright with Marcia's mother." A minute later Vivian was off the phone and jumping up and down in the kitchen. "Can we go now?" "Vivian! Settle down. It's a letter and it's not going anywhere for goodness sakes." She did, though, take off her apron as soon as she checked that the roast in the oven was doing fine. Going down the hall, with Vivian following her, she stopped and straightened her hair. She applied new lipstick, and straightened her dress in the full-length mirror. Picking up her purse, she looked at her daughter. "Are you ready?" Vivian laughed at the question. "Of course, Mom!" The drive over was short in mileage, but was a great distance, as far as status went. From the smaller three-bedroom ranch style tract house they lived in, they went to a custom constructed home with a sprawling lawn, which Marcia's parents owned. There was a gracious meeting at the front door and then Marcia took Vivian off to her bedroom, leaving the two women to talk. "Where's the letter?" Vivian asked excitedly. "Sarah said you'd be excited," Marcia said. "She gave it to me right in front of my mom at the train station. Sarah is such a polotition, just like her father. Even my mother said so. My mom was thinking that giving the letter was to pacify you, but it was so I could get to see you. "Well, you got to see her," Vivian said missing the importance of the last part of what Marcia said. Then with disappointment, added, "I don't think I could ever go on a trip like that." It brought back to Marcia how different the two girls' lives were. Marcia had never even considered the cost of the train trip. Vivian, on the other hand, somehow knew it was out of her reach. Sarah was the joining force between the two girls. Marcia was sure Sarah's father made more money than her father did. What was it about Vivian that Sarah saw? "Sarah and I had a lot of good talks," Marcia said as she sat on her bed. "I'm going to go live there for the next year." "You're so lucky," Vivian said immediately, then realizing why, she added, "I'm sorry. I mean that I wish I could... Oh, you know what I'm trying to say, don't you?" "Yes," Marcia said. "Carp is... Well it's a strange place." "Strange? Like what?" "People are so honest." "Oh," Vivian said and looked down. Marcia looked at the girl, realizing that was part of it. She was honest. "Vivian, you'd probably fit right in. I had a hard time with it." Not quite believing what she had just heard, Vivian looked into Marcia's eyes. Marcia was getting that uncomfortable feeling again. The one she got in Carp a lot. Getting up, she went to her dresser and got the letter from Sarah. Vivian clutched it in her hands, as though it was a special prize. "Open it!" Marcia said. "Now?" "Yes... Sarah wrote a part..." Marcia didn't know how to say it. She felt tears welling in her eyes. She blinked several times and noticed Vivian looking at her. "Just open it." Vivian carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. She read the first page, laughing in two places. When she got to the second page, she stopped and looked at Marcia, then kept on reading. Standing and walking up to Marcia, who was looking at the floor, she said, "I will make sure Scott gets hold of Mike. We will go someplace were we can be together. I will ask him for you. You need to know. I'd be dying, if I wasn't sure." "Thanks," Marcia said in a voice that betrayed how much emotion she was feeling right then. Both girls stood there for a moment not knowing quite what to do. Marcia closed her eyes, and fought back the one up-man-ship training school-ground politics had taught her and decided to try Sarah's approach. She opened her arms and found Vivian had been waiting for a signal. The two girls hugged. It felt good to Marcia, like Vivian was a real friend. "Vivian, I know you and Scott are real close, but don't end up like me." Vivian sat back down on the bed, Marcia followed. "He hasn't said anything, never pushed," Vivian said, "but my body sometimes wants him to... You know, go a little further." "Don't do it!" Marcia said. She was embarrassed, but knew she needed to continue and she said, "Once you start, you have a hard time stopping. Once you've given him the 'ok' sign, it's almost impossible to put up a 'stop' sign. I wanted Mike to... well, to want me. Then... well... look at what's happened to me." "That's why you aren't sure if he really loves you," Vivian said, not as a question, but a statement. Marcia winced at the open honesty of that. "I guess so. I guess I just have to know if he loves me, or if I was just willing and he took." ------- The two mothers saw their daughters go down the hall. Marcia's mother yearned that her daughter had the life Vivian still did. Vivian's mother was grateful that Vivian was a happy, healthy girl, even if they didn't have all the good things money could buy. "Do come in and sit. Some tea?" "I'd love some," she said. She didn't expect a maid to bring it out. The divergency of their lifestyles was almost too much. They poured and fiddled around with the cups for some time. "How was your trip to Carp?" "Oh, it was an eye opening experience. I wasn't sure what to expect, really. Other than that incident in the paper, who had ever heard about the place? It's a strange little town in many ways." "Oh? How so?" "The downtown is almost bare. The houses are what most would refer to as shacks, although they seem like they've stood for some time. They have one phone. One, I tell you, for the whole town! Imagine that." "Doesn't sound like a very good picture, the way you're telling about it." "There are some wonderful things though. You should see the house... Well, should I say house? It was a perfect little Mansion, stuck right out in the middle of nowhere. It sits in its own little valley. That is where my little Marcia will be staying. The school is very fine, as well. They have teachers from the prestigious private Linden Hall School, in Colorado. Of course, Sarah will be attending as well." "Then it's all set? That is where Marcia is going to be for the next year?" Marcia's mother suddenly realized how she'd been carrying on. This wasn't one of the socialite flitterers who would gossip about anything they could overhear. This was Vivian's mother, the mother of the girl who'd told her about Carp in the first place. The one who'd said there might be some problems between Sarah and her daughter. One of the few who knew her daughter was pregnant. "I'm sorry. I'm being dreadful. It is tough when you have to keep your guard up at all times." Vivian's mother looked sadly at the other mother, wondering how she'd react if her daughter was in the same position. Giving a sigh, she said, "It's all right." "No, it's not, really, but thank you for saying so. Sarah and Marcia didn't have the best of time together. No, let me say that again. Marcia didn't have an easy time of it. Sarah, bless her heart, was trying very hard. Sarah has many friends who care for her, as well as a nice place to stay and a good school. The best thing that Marcia will have is good people around her. I know she will be loved and taken care of." It was silent in the room for a moment. Then Marcia's mother felt she needed to say more. "I never wanted to lose my daughter and that is what I feel is happening. She'll never be the same. Even if she gave the child up and came back next year, it wouldn't be the same." She looked at Vivian's mother. "Her father doesn't want to talk about it much at all. He won't talk to Marcia. It's like..." It was silent for a few minutes. "I'm worried about Vivian," her mother said. "You don't need to be," Marcia said walking into the room after hearing that last statement. Vivian was right behind her. Her mother not to be daunted, continued, "Her boyfriend Scott is the same age as..." "Mike." "Thank you, Mike, but Vivian is a year younger." "You are?" Marcia asked. "Yes," Vivian answered feeling very embarrassed. "Scott knows?" "Yes." "Wow." "Can I finish?" "Sorry," both girls said. "I don't want Vivian to feel pressured. It would be easy to do. Then..." "She could end up like me," Marcia said flatly. Vivian's mother blushed. She hadn't meant quite to say that, but it was what she was thinking. Marcia went on, "Vivian and I have talked about it. I wouldn't worry as much about her. Vivian is using her brain." "And you didn't?" Marcia's mother asked her daughter. "I was becoming popular mother." "Marcia!" ------- After the four sheriff's cars arrived, they had their hands full. One was attending with the ambulance. Another was calling for a tow truck, to remove the milk truck, after pictures had been taken. The press had arrived and they were being held at bay as well. Another car was down at the service station, in the guise of directing traffic. In reality, they were making sure that everything went without a hitch. The last one had been busy taking information from a few of the men who had gone after the gunman. As things around the house quieted somewhat, two of the sheriff's deputies went to have a talk with the driver of the pickup. With the activity outside the house for the last hour or so, there had been at least something to keep us occupied. Now with the lawyer gone, the deputies in place, and the marshal back inside; it was monotonous. Beatrice pulled out two board games, to try and make everyone active. We groaned, but settled into two groups. The tokens and playing pieces had just been distributed, when we heard a shot. Everyone stopped and became silent. A second one rang out. "Do you have a basement?" the marshal asked. "Yes," Beatrice answered immediately. "Inside or outside entrance?" the marshal quickly asked. "It was outside, but I was building an inside one. There's just a ladder there." George answered. "Outside entrance locked?" "Yes," Beatrice answered after a look from George. "Ok, everyone, follow George and get down into the basement," the marshal said. "I'm going to find out what is going on." We filed through the kitchen and into the laundry room. George opened a closet. There was a ladder attached to the back wall with an open floor underneath. George went down into the black hole. We saw light flood the basement and the tinkling sound of the bead chain rattling against the bulb. Then George came back up and he blushed just a touch. "I think the women should go down the ladder first." "Dad!" His blush deepened. Beatrice took hold of her husbands arm and whispered something into his ear. He went practically crimson. The rest of us had little smiles on our face. Considering we'd missed hearing a third shot fired by this time, it was good to have a distraction. After all ten of us were down in the basement, there was literally no room for any of the deputies to join us. This was originally a cellar. Although there were shelves with a few rows of canned vegetables, fruits, and jams; now it also held the furnace. It was evident George had been doing work, turning this into a usable room. Wallboard framed the walls, but they were yet to be finished. There were two chairs, and four more folding ones were handed down to us by one of the deputies. That gave more than half of us a place to sit. George and I ended up sitting on top of some 2x12's, stacked along one of the walls, waiting to be turned into a staircase. Beatrice and Beth Ann wouldn't sit still. They had to make sure that everyone was comfortable. George got tired of this and pulled his wife onto his lap. He did not let her go, though she squirmed. She huffed, but settled down. Beth Ann had been next to her mother when that happened and was moving out of the way when the power went out. "How come it's so dark in here?" Beth Ann asked, her feet shuffling slowly. "My project down here covered the little windows," George said taking a deep sigh. "I haven't been around to fix that." I felt a leg next to me. Instinctively, even in the pitch black, I reached out. I no sooner did this, than Beth Ann was in my lap. It wasn't graceful. In fact one of her hands came down very close to my manhood and made me tense as well as gasp. "Sorry!" Beth Ann said. "It's ok. I'm glad I caught you." I said back. "What's going on over there?" Beatrice asked accusingly. "Mom!" "Honey, don't worry about it," George said. "Do you have any idea... Did she tell you?" Beatrice asked her husband. Without lights and even after our eyes adjusted, there was only a small dim shadow of a light coming down from the ladder area. The conversation was heard by all, in the stillness. George laughed. "Honey, she told me she'd tell me later, but I figured out that they love each other." "So she didn't tell you..." Bernice started to say. The lights flashed back on and we were all stunned by the brightness, blinking our eyes. Beth Ann stood, almost instantly. As soon as I could see more than a white dot, I looked over to George and Bernice. He had a sort of smile on his face, while she wore a frown. I closed my eyes for just a moment, wishing some things just wouldn't have happened the way they had. A deputy stuck his head down the hole. "Sorry about the lights. We were getting a bit concerned, so we pulled the fuse box, making it look like no one was here." "What's happening?" George asked. "You know the kid that drove the pick up." "Yeah, heard it was Henry's son, Jake," George said disgusted, but not surprised. "From what I know, Jake and his father Henry held up in their house and wouldn't come out when the sheriff's deputies came knocking. The next thing that happened is someone shot at something, but at this point, it's not too clear what. That was the first shot we heard. The second one was from the other sheriff at the scene, trying to give the one at the door cover to get out of there. I don't know if you heard all the others." George, who had stood, sat back down and asked, "Who was hurt?" "Believe it or not, no one." "No one?" I asked in disbelief. He smiled at us. "Seems Henry's father heard about what went on and came driving up. We didn't know the situation at first, that's when we killed the power here at the house. He was madder than a hornet's nest at his son and grandson. He yelled at them, stopping the gunfire and then walked right into the house. The next thing we knew, we saw the boy being booted out the front door. The kid landed on the walkway, skinning him up a touch. Then, believe it or not, Henry was being pulled out by his ear. If the shots hadn't been fired earlier, I think everyone would have been laughing at the sight." "Where are they now?" Beatrice asked. "In custody, and soon on their way to jail. The marshal is with them at this point. He's going in front of a judge as soon as he gets there to round up the rest of the mill owner and his son's cohorts." "He can do that?" George asked. "Yes, he can. He'll only be able to hold them for three days without anything else on them, but that will defuse any other problems in town. The safety of Mr. Patterson is his primary purpose of being here. As he's here in your house, anything that affronts that is a danger." "So, in three days they'll be out and be right back over here," Beatrice said. "Then what?" The deputy smiled. "Remember, the marshal is a federal employee. So his jurisdiction is in federal court. He can get a lower court to give him the power to arrest these people on conspiracy, but they will be going to a federal jail." He saw our confusion, and he added, "There isn't one around here. A plane will most likely take them to San Francisco, as I'm sure he'll want it in a different place than the mill owner is being held at. Once they get out, it could take them another two or three days to get back. Then again, if we find out there is a good connection between any of them and the mill owner, they may not get out 'till a trial comes up for them." "I never thought I'd see the day when those... men... would get what they deserved," Beatrice said. "Their day is over," the deputy said. "Now it's time to come on up." George didn't get a chance to say a word. Kristin was already at the ladder and on her way up. "George!" Beatrice said, and then she turned to the ladder. "Now I know why he wanted us to come down first. You don't need to look," she admonished her husband. Robin was next in line and she looked over to me, grinning. "Beatrice, he's a man. Looking is what they do. I can tell he appreciates what he has, but how would he know how lucky he is if he could never compare?" Beatrice's shoulders dropped. "Fine, look," she pouted. "Mom," Beth Ann said, laughing. "If you don't know how much Daddy loves you, having his eyes gouged out wouldn't help." "You're no help," Beatrice said. "You know where he's been," Beatrice's sister in law said. "How in the world could he not look, now that he's out?" "You're just hoping he looks at you," Beatrice shot back. Beth Ann, who was standing next to her aunt couldn't help but notice the blush, or her father's small smile. "Well, George, if you're bound and determined to look, at least I hope you look at me the longest." "I was hoping you and I would be the last ones to go up," George said. "Dad!" Beth Ann said, trying her best to sound disgusted. I took hold of Beth Ann's arm. She turned towards me. "You're next," I said and then winked, "and I'm coming up right after you." Beth Ann looked around. As she and her parents had been having the conversation, everyone else had gone up. It was just the five of us. Beth Ann climbed up. I went up next, trying not to look right up her skirt, but it was so very tempting. That left George, Beatrice, and her sister in law down in the basement. "Come on," I said, herding everyone back out into the living room. "They don't need an audience." "Did you see my aunt blush, when my mom said something about my dad looking at her?" Beth Ann asked. "Yes, why do you think I went up after you?" She smiled and that turned into a wide grin. "I thought it was so you could look up my dress." "I was very tempted, but with your parents watching me..." "Maybe we..." Beth Ann started to say but stopped. Everyone in the room stopped. The deputy held his hands up, signalling for us to crouch down. There the sound was, again. This time we could identify it. Everyone started to laugh, everyone except Beth Ann. ------- Richard went back to Cheryl's house. Cheryl was outside sitting when he drove up. "Your wife..." Cheryl said in a fairly unpleasant tone. "Is pregnant and has been acting a bit crazy today." "Oh," Cheryl said. "I guess that explains it." "Do you remember when she was pregnant with Robin?" Cheryl's brow wrinkled for a moment. "I was pretty young, but I do remember a few things. She was wild, but then her dad had taken off with her boyfriend." She looked up at Richard. "I think there may have been a lot going on with her that I never knew. I do remember Jimmy coming along. That wasn't too easy on her either, being her brother's." "You two may just have a few notes to compare. I think she's seen how the town can look at someone who's doing something... well, a bit out of the norm." "You do have a way of making things a bit understated. I'm not sure she'll want to talk with me for a while, though. She blames me for her dad being sick." "Cheryl, I don't think Katy knows what she's thinking. I'm sure she didn't mean anything she said to you. So don't take it personally, 'cause I think it was intended for someone else, she just doesn't know it yet." "What?" Richard smiled. "I didn't make any sense, did I?" "Not really." "Just don't let what Katy said to you ruin your day. She'll probably feel guilty for saying it, tomorrow." Cheryl smiled. "Thanks, Richard." "I'm going in..." Richard said. Cheryl understood the unasked question. She shook her head 'no'. She didn't want to face Katy right then. Richard opened the front door and saw Katy at the door of Patrick's bedroom. She turned, looking at him with an even face and then smiling when she saw it was him. Richard closed the door behind him, and then motioned for her to come over to him. "What's going on?" Richard asked in a whisper. "The doctor said it wasn't anything that wouldn't clear up in a few days, but I told him to make sure, so he's going over things again." "Ok. I have a question for the doctor before he's done." Katy looked at Richard questioningly. He didn't make any other comment and she got the feeling he wasn't going to be forthcoming with information. They moved to the doorway of the bedroom. The doctor looked at them. "All done, Katy, and the verdict is the same. A few days and he'll be good as new." "Is he contagious?" Richard asked. "Not at this point," the doctor answered. "Good," Richard said, and then looking at Katy, went on. "While I take Cheryl and the doctor over to Millie's, you are going to have a nice long talk with your dad." "About what?" she asked him. "The way you were acting when you found out he was under the weather." Richard took hold of Katy's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Your reaction was..." "What did she do?" Patrick asked. "She lit into Cheryl something fierce. If I was to guess," Richard said, thinking of what his mother had said, "I would say that this has to do more with you leaving and not coming back when she was pregnant with Robin than it has anything to do with Cheryl. Cheryl got the brunt of it this time, though." Once again looking at Katy, he said, "Talk it out. We're leaving." Katy was still looking at the front door, hearing Richard on the other side telling Cheryl she was going with them over to Millie's. "Come sit down," Patrick said. She turned to him, her eyes burning. "He just... I can't believe it!" "Did you think I was going to leave you again?" Patrick asked. "Did you hear what he said to me?" "It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life." "He's got some nerve. After this afternoon, too!" "Katy, tell me, is that what's wrong?" She stopped, and looked at her father. Suddenly, what he'd been saying registered in her mind and she burst out crying. "You aren't going to leave me this time, are you?" she said through her sobs. He held her, rocking her. "No, sweetheart. I'm not planning on going anywhere. I missed Robin. I missed Jimmy. I'm not going to miss this little guy." She looked up at her father and with a tear stained face, trying to smile, said, "Even if he's a little girl?" Katy felt his body shaking with laughter, even before the sound came out. ------- Beth Ann's aunt came up and entered the living room. No one said a word to her about the noises that we'd heard. I wasn't sure if she knew we could hear, because it was very quiet after that. We were also making a bit of noise. Beth Ann had insisted on that. She made us play the board games, just to make sure. Another half an hour later Beth Ann's parents arrived in the room. I was very aware of their presence as George was staring at me, then he'd glance at Beth Ann. I'm sure everyone in the room picked up on it. Daisy walked over to where he was sitting and without warning sat in his lap. "Beth Ann is very lucky to have you for a father," she said. She gave him a little hug, a kiss on the cheek and got up. She walked into the hallway. It was obvious that she was wiping tears from her eyes as she left. Then we heard Daisy open the bathroom door, and then the door closed. "What was that all about?" George asked. "Daisy lost her mother to a tragic illness. Her father couldn't handle it and ran away," Beth Ann answered him. George looked towards the hallway where Daisy had gone, then back to his daughter. He got up and walked over to me. "We need to go have a talk." The deputies were not pleased with the idea. The marshal was out of town; they were to keep us in the house. George said it was on the same property, so what was the difference. In the end he persuaded them. I didn't say much... how could I? We walked out back and entered the shed. It was dark outside now and all we had with us was a flashlight. George closed the door, set down the flashlight onto the bench and turned towards me. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, at that point. I was alone with a man who had killed another man for what he'd done to his little girl. ------- Chapter 92 Remember as you read this chapter that the setting is 1948. Things concerning laws and justice were different then, than now. "What do you want to talk to me about, Sir," I asked, knowing my voice was wavering. George's jaw moved back and forth, his eyes piercing into me as he thought about what to say. "Beth Ann! You come back here, right now. You don't belong in that shed," We both heard, as Beatrice called out to her daughter. "Looks like we're having a visitor," George said, not at all surprised. He walked over and opened the door. She was a bit surprised to see her dad at the door holding it open. "Might as well come in, you made it this far," he said to his daughter, who had paused as the door opened. She walked in, but not with any of the determination I had seen her show with her mother. He closed the door behind her. "Now that you finally made it out, I want to hear this from the both of you. Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?" "Daddy..." "Did I raise my little girl to... Well I don't know what you've been doing." I saw the fire start to rise in her eyes. "Sir, if I may..." George put his hand up, stopping me from saying anything else. He also never took his eyes off his daughter. "Well?" he said to her. Her chest was rising and falling from her deep breaths. It was almost like a storm rising and I was wondering when it was going to blow. "Daddy, you listen to me. I may be your little girl, but I'm a woman. I've graduated from college and I can make my own decisions at this point. You may be my father, but I'm not your..." "Yes?" he said more calmly than I expected. "I don't have to do as told." His face broke into a smile and then he started laughing. He had tears rolling down his face, he was laughing so much. "It's not funny, Daddy," Beth Ann said. "Stop laughing." "Honey, I'm not laughing at you," George said as he tried to calm down. Then he took hold of her hands and looked into her face. The look in his eyes had turned from the laughing tears, of a moment ago, to an introspective nature. "You just don't know how good that is for me to hear." Beth Ann and I looked at each other, very puzzled by that. George put his hands up to his mouth and then rubbed the stubble on his chin. Then he looked at us. "Look, you two. I don't really understand why you'd want to live like that, honey. I now know it's your choice and no one is pushing you around. To tell you the truth, that was the one thing I was the most worried about... with everything you've been through. You know... That you wouldn't be the girl you were before." He stopped and smiled at his daughter. "I can see you're still 'my girl'." Beth Ann put her hands on her hips. George looked at her, and cleared his throat to disguise his chuckle. "Yes, you're still 'my little girl', but you are a grown woman now. It is plainly obvious that you two care a lot for each other. I can't say I understand how your wife puts up with it, Keith. My wife tried to explain it to me, but it sounded like mush to me. I do know what she thinks about you two being together. I agree and disagree with her about this. Life ain't that simple. When you sit in a jail cell, after doing something because you couldn't protect your girl; then you have another girl sit on your lap and tell you that my girl is lucky to have me as a father, only to find out her dad sort of left her... Those kinds of things make you think about what is important in life." George was lost for a moment. Then he looked at me. "Beatrice said something about you asking Beth Ann to marry you. Is that right?" "Yes, I did." "Want to tell me how that works? The Mormons tried that. Polygamy is against the law as far as I know." "Legally marrying more than one wife is against the law. There is a difference between a legal wedding and what we'd be doing, which is a simple church wedding." "You mean the church marries you? I'm not sure I get that. I had a church wedding and I sure don't remember the preacher asking if this was my first or second wife. So you want to tell me what the difference is?" "Let me try to get you to understand this a little better. The reason we have marriages is because of what our religious upbringing has taught us to do. Correct?" "I guess that's true." "The churches sanctify marriage." "Sanctify?" "Think of it this way, the church makes us feel the union between a couple is holy." "Ok, I'll buy that." "The state, with its little certificate, sure doesn't do that." George laughed. "No, putting it that way, they sure don't." "That piece of paper does some things, legal things; but that is legal stuff and not a marriage. As I see it, a marriage is what the church is going to help us create. It makes us feel married. In a way, that is all we have. Pieces of paper can't make me love, a church doctrine can't make me love, only the feelings I have inside can make me love. In our town, we have a minister that will marry us, so we can feel good about the love we share together." "So let me get this straight, Keith. You are married to Robin. All legal like, but as you put it, also church and holy like. Now you're going to take my little girl and without the state getting involved, make that same holy union." Beth Ann got so excited hearing her dad say that, she threw her arms around him and answered for me. "Yes, Daddy. Yes!" He had a little smile on his face when she let him go. Looking into her eyes, all I could see was undying love for his daughter. The sparkle in her eyes was undeniable. "Your mother also said you wanted us to be at the wedding." Beth Ann looked at me and then across to her father. "Would you?" "I hope you don't think I'd miss one of the most important days of my life, next to my own wedding and your birth." "Oh, Daddy!" Beth Ann covered him in kisses. ------- "Richard," the doctor called, "can I speak to you a minute." "Sure, William," Richard answered, thinking this was about Patrick and how he'd talked to Katy. Then, to lighten the mood, he added, "Or do I get to call you Doctor Bill, too?" William laughed and winking once at Barbara, Brian, and Julie, he said, "Not unless you're one of my smaller patients. Come to think of it, you haven't been out to see me at all, so it's 'Doctor', to you." "Yes, Doctor." Richard shot back. "Come on outside," William said. They walked out of Millie's house and turned down the street. "I'm not sure how my wife is going to take what is going on in this town as easily as I do. She has lived in larger towns, and has never been with me to remote locations. That began when I started with Memco. I've seen it all, Richard, good and bad. Excepted practices in one location that would be considered crimes other places. After a while, you develop your own set of moralities. Mine happens to be: if everyone cares for each other, then that is the best law there is." "So what are you suggesting?" Richard asked. "I'd rather not have her find out by accident. That could cause a shock that she might not get over. Personally, I like this town and the people here. I'd like to stay. If my wife has another opinion, though, it could cause me a lot of problems." "From what you said, it might not be best to directly approach the issue, as well." "I think you are right." William sighed. "I'm not sure how to slide the idea towards her in a way that she can look at, examine, and then maybe even talk about without needing to feel threatened." Richard had immediately thought, why the hell does Keith always go away when this stuff emerges. Then came the thought of Patrick. He had to come up with some way of talking to the rest of the town. Maybe this would be a good introduction. "I think I know just the person," Richard said. "Oh?" "Patrick." William thought about that for a moment. He knew Cheryl was married to a man who had been affected by the chemical Rerexinal. The baby Cheryl was now carrying was most likely Patrick's. He was also a 'man of the cloth', an interesting combination. A smile came across his face, thinking of the book, The Scarlet Letter. This town was very different than that of the book, and of course Patrick was not a celibate priest in the Catholic Church, but... "Yes," William answered. "I can see that working. Could you ask for me?" "I would be glad to make that happen. I just hope Katy is in a talking mood when I get back there." "You were a little short with her." "After I left you three, I had Julie go over to Millie's place while I stayed downtown and called my mother for advice." William laughed and shook his head. "Well, I knew you were a smart one. There isn't anyone who knows better than another mother what is going on. I'm sure if she gave you some advice, then all is well." Richard nodded. He had always thought his mother had a lot of common sense and attributed his to the upbringing she gave him. They had turned and were walking back to Millie's. "Brian's fine?" Richard asked almost redundantly. He would have known, just by the mood when he walked in the door if there was anything wrong. "That child has more than nine lives if you ask me. I told him what to pay attention to, and not to over-do anything. Of course, I told his mother the same thing, but with that boy you have to keep an eye on him," William said with a bit of humor in his voice. Then he added, "You know, he told me about how you saved him. His love for you is considerable, and of course, understandable." Richard choked up a bit, and then said, "Did he tell you that he saved my life first?" William looked over to Richard, a little smile on his face. "No. I think that must have slipped his mind." Richard laughed. "I somehow doubt anyone would forget something like that. Brian knows I'd be dead now, if he hadn't run his little legs off and got someone to help. By the time they got to me I'd already been stabbed once." "Not very often someone can repay a debt like that by reciprocating in similar manner. It's no wonder you two are so close." The door opened before they got to the house. Millie was looking at the two of us. "What's he done now?" "Are you talking about me, or Brian?" Richard asked. Millie shook her head. "You two are incorrigible, you know that? I want to know what prompted him to get up and walk, and he won't tell me." "Millie," Richard said closing the door behind her so she was outside with us. "If he said that Barbara was bending over..." Coughing, "and he was taken by the sight. Do you think he'd want to tell you that's why he stood?" Millie's eyes just about popped out of her head, and her mouth dropped open. But before she could say a word, Richard started laughing. Then she turned beat red. "Richard!" William couldn't help but laugh as well, and then said, "I think she's right. You are incorrigible." "Millie, if you keep on insisting on knowing everything he does, one of these days he'll tell you something like that, and you will have to deal with it," Richard said. Her shoulders drooped and she looked sad. "He's not my little boy any longer." "No, but he'll always be your son and will always need you." Richard said. "Do you think so?" Millie asked. "I couldn't understand what Katy was doing today, so I called my mom. I still need her at times." Millie smiled at Richard, and then said, "I bet you were as much of a stinker as Brian is, weren't you?" "I was an angel!" Richard laughed. "The next time I see your mother, I'm going to ask her about that." "Did I tell you they were moving to Alaska?" Richard asked. Millie snorted and didn't bite. She turned around and went back into the house. "Brian couldn't ask for a better friend than you, Richard," William said. Richard was touched after hearing that. They gathered Julie and Cheryl then drove over to Cheryl's house. Richard got out with Cheryl. She looked at him. "I'm glad you're coming in with me," she said. Richard smiled, thinking he hoped things were much different inside than earlier. Cheryl made Richard go in first. Katy wasn't at the edge of the doorway. They walked over to Patrick's bedroom. He was awake, propped up at the head of the bed. Curled up at the end of the bed, Katy lay sleeping. "Richard," Patrick said, "I don't know exactly how you knew, but thank you." "My mother helped me. I called her." Patrick laughed internally, shaking the bed. Katy stirred and then looked at Richard through partially closed eyes. She stretched and then reached out for him, pulling him off balance and onto the bed for a hug. "Thank you for saying those things to me. I guess I needed to hear them." Richard just kissed her nose. Katy looked past Richard to the edge of the doorway, seeing Cheryl glancing in. Katy let go of Richard, who stood. Katy stood as well, walked over to Cheryl and pulled her into a hug. "I'm very sorry," Katy said. "I said some nasty things." "It's ok," Cheryl answered. Katy pulled back just enough to look Cheryl in the eye. She took Cheryl by the face as one might a little child, to hold their gaze. "No, it's not. You're a big part of my dad's life. I had no reason to think you'd do anything to harm him." Then she did something totally unexpected. She pulled Cheryl in and kissed her on the lips. As she pulled away, Katy said, "I hope you can forgive me." Richard and Patrick looked at each other a bit uncomfortably. Neither one wanting the other to know that that kiss had just made both their dicks firm up. Cheryl was still blinking from surprise. Katy turned to Richard, "Ready to go?" "I'll be out in just a minute. I need to ask your father something." "Oh?" Katy inquired. "A question the doctor had." "Oh. Nothing serious?" Katy asked. "Nothing to do with him, a question about the town," Richard answered. "Ok. I'll be out in the car then. Goodbye, Dad, Cheryl." "Isn't the doctor with you?" Patrick asked as soon as Katy had gone out the door. "Yes," Richard answered simply, then went on. "Let me tell you about his wife and what he asked me." Then he added, "Cheryl, stay. This concerns you, as well." ------- I stood in the kitchen the next morning, at the moment doing nothing but looking into the sink. Beth Ann's aunt was the only other one up at that point. We hadn't said much from the time I had entered. Sitting at the breakfast nook with a fresh cup of coffee she looked at me appraisingly. "Most men would think they'd died and gone to heaven, being in your place," she commented. There was little question of what she was referring to, although she hadn't come right out and said it. So I decided that two could play that game. "I think that I'm going to tell George one of the things he needs to do, down in the basement, is add insulation in the space before putting on a ceiling. Almost every sound can be heard upstairs. I'm not sure what he wants to do with the space down there, but some sounds can be very distracting." She was looking down into her coffee cup, when I stopped talking and glanced over to her. Even so, I could tell she was bright red. I didn't want to leave it like that. I wasn't trying to be mean. "You know it's not always fun and games. I didn't ask them to fall in love with me. I feel a big responsibility towards them." Looking up from her coffee, she asked, "Them?" I took a deep breath, and then moved over and sat down across from her. "Yes," I said, "them." "Daisy, too," she said as though she had figured it out. I didn't think there was any reason to bring my sisters into this. They already knew what I felt about them. I'd 'married' them after all. It was, though, something that most people would have a harder time accepting than what we were talking about, right now. "Yes," I said as I nodded, "Daisy." "I don't know why, but I can understand that one easier." I cocked my head, wondering about that. "She told me about her sister," a sly smile appearing on her face. It faded as soon as it had shown itself. "She also told me how you rescued her from her husband... and what happened." She stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, then added, "And the college." "Long talk," I said, not knowing what else to say. "It took a bit of time, as we were interrupted, but I got all of the story. I've learned to be a good listener. Something I should have been when Beth Ann lived with us." "You can't blame yourself for that. She may never have told you. At the time, you were doing what you thought was right." "Somehow I knew you'd say something like that." "Oh?" "Daisy also told me what you said to her, and to Sarah, about her husband attacking you. It fits with how you think." I shrugged my shoulders. "There are not many people who not just talk, but act that way. I only know a few," she said. My face twitched a smile. "Is George one of those?" She blushed. "Beatrice is aware, of course," I said. Getting her questioning glance, I added, "That you have feelings for him." "Feelings for who," Beth Ann said though a yawn. Her aunt's face flushed with embarrassment. "You're up!" I said not answering her question. I got up and gave her a hug and whispered in her ear, "I'll tell you later, my love." Beth Ann yawned again, as though she was still sleepy. Her aunt couldn't miss the hard nipples that weren't there before the hug, and now showed through her thin nightdress. I glanced from Beth Ann to her. It was obvious she didn't know what to think, or say. She didn't want what we'd just been talking about to go on, yet she was perturbed by her niece's reaction to me. Maybe I should start some breakfast," the aunt said wanting to busy herself. "I'll help," Beth Ann said in a cheery, very awake voice. I shook my head and walked out of the room. I wasn't into the hallway yet when I heard, "Beth Ann!" I couldn't help but smile. I knew the two of them were acting a bit out of character. Today was going to be rough on everyone. ------- Before everyone was ready, the marshal showed up. I was surprised to see him. It looked like he had not slept much during the night. He'd called the courthouse in Reedsport to find out the situation and found the news to be disturbing. Not only was the local paper there, but two larger papers had reporters and cameramen there, as well. I reminded the marshal that they were not after me, this time, but George. He acknowledged that, but still felt it prudent to take measures. We were going to do this somewhat in reverse of what we had done coming back here. To that end Beatrice called many of their friends who would support them. We arrived at the courthouse a few minutes after a small bus had driven up; three unassuming cars that arrived from different directions parked as innocently as anyone else arriving that morning. We were told to wait. I then noticed a fire truck. I looked over to the marshal. He just smiled. We watched as the people swarmed off the bus and into the court building. There was a pile up as the newsmen and their cameramen stopped the crowd. The bus had been filled with George and Beatrice supporters; they had fun having their pictures taken and news reporters swarming over them. Then we watched as firemen pushed everyone outside. The newsmen were not amused. I noticed a fire chief, maybe even the fire marshal, laying down the law. All of us were moving at this point in the commotion and all but one got into the building before we were noticed. It was Daisy who they caught on film. She turned on them, as the rest of us entered the building, and gave them such a tongue-lashing, one reporter backed away from her. Then she hit the clincher. She told them she was a minor and they had no authority to report on anything she said or to publish the pictures they took. With that she marched into the building. As she entered we gave her a round of applause, which she blushed at receiving. Two firemen, standing by the door, were also applauding; she looked up at the men and blushed even further. I just laughed. They told her that the newsmen were told they had caused a fire hazard and were banned from the hallways, but had the right to stand outside. It was standing room only in the courtroom. Until the judge came into the courtroom it was noisy, but then it turned quiet. The DA started on his case. George had been prepared for the onslaught. His friends, who had come to show their support, were astounded. The DA used the tactic of throwing mud against the wall and seeing how much of it could stick. He went through George's life, trying to point out anything that could or would look bad. It didn't make any difference if none of the things he presented had been anything more than someone's opinion or not. The tirade went on for two hours before it was handed over to the defense. The judge called for a fifteen-minute recess. When we reassembled, George's lawyer looked over to the DA and gave him a little smile. Later, talking about it, we realized he'd had a look of a lion that was ready to pounce. Taking on each and every point, the lawyer ripped apart every allegation as best as he could. He knew, though, that once a jury hears something damaging, it is hard to erase it from their mind. He wasn't worried so much about that. Nothing George had ever done was that bad. Then he hit the clincher to all of it. Every person that the DA had quoted was on the current list that the Federal marshal was to find and detain. The DA's shoulders dropped when that was announced. He knew right then that the case he had, had gone from bad to worse. There was only one person the DA could call that he might be able to trip up, to make any sort of case. It was a calculated risk, but as everything he had was falling apart, he figured there wasn't much to lose. Beth Ann was called to the stand. All small talk stopped and the room was deathly silent. It caught the attention of the jury, who duly noted this was going to a crucial part of the case. Beth Ann stood. She looked frightened at that moment. I stood, moved over to her and hugged her, whispering, "The DA is doing what your uncle tried to do with you. He is trying to intimidate you into doing what he wants. Your uncle is gone and this man can't do anything you don't want him to do. Remember what is at stake and tell the truth. That's all you need to do." "Thanks, Keith. I needed that." "We are all here for you," I said to her as she walked up front. The bailiff swore her in and she sat down. The DA went right in on the attack, hoping this would be the key. "Beth Ann, it is my understanding that you told your mother you had been abused by your uncle for years, but only after the fact. If this was so bad, such an awful thing that he was doing, why didn't you tell your parents? No, Beth Ann, I think we have a different story going on here. You had a fight about going back with him, after he'd taken time off work and driven out to get you. You wanted to stay with your boyfriend and came up with this ludicrous story so you could just do what you wanted to. That's the real story now isn't it?" George's lawyer objected, saying the DA was leading the witness. The judge asked the DA to restate the question, which he did, but it was going in the same direction. "I think you have your idea's wrong," Beth Ann said, almost seething at the DA. "When my mother asked me why I wouldn't come back with my uncle I told her to ask him why I wouldn't. I didn't tell her anything about it. What my uncle did to me was still too frightening. You saw the book he wrote stuff down in. You tell me what it says." The judge called the two lawyers up to the bench and asked them about this book. The DA didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. George's lawyer was more than pleased to let that information be entered into the court record. The DA tried unsuccessfully two other times to trip up Beth Ann. Her story was consistent, never wavering. Then her father's lawyer got to cross-examine her. "Beth Ann, tell us why you never said anything as these terrible acts were forced upon you?" "My uncle told me if I said anything I'd get sent back to my parent's home. Everyone would think of me as a..." Beth Ann looked at the judge who nodded to her and said "Go on." "He said everyone would consider me a slut." There were several gasps from people in the courtroom at her use of language. "Is that the wording he used?" the lawyer asked her. "Yes. He also said if I went back, Jed would have his way with me anytime he wanted and there wouldn't be much I could do about it." "You said Jed; now for clarification can you give the full name of that person?" "Thomas Jeremiah Trimball," Beth Ann said in distain. "Thank you, Beth Ann. Now was that a real threat your uncle gave you?" the lawyer asked, knowing the answer. "My parents sent me to my aunt and uncle's place, to get me away from him. He was trying really hard to..." Beth Ann's face scrunched up, not wanting to think about it. "So your parents were keeping you away from Thomas, or Jed as he was called, and your uncle used that against you. I have to ask, Beth Ann, are you sure that he was as bad as or worse than your uncle?" the lawyer asked. "I can answer that," came a voice from the back of the courtroom. "He got me pregnant." "Order!" Called the judge. "Order in the court." The lawyer gave that same predatory smile. "Can you answer the question, Beth Ann?" "Yes," she said. "That was my friend Tammy. She got pregnant and he... It was really bad for her. She's not the only one he did that sort of thing to. My parents were trying to protect me." "Thank you, Beth Ann, that is all," the lawyer said. "Now I'd like to introduce the little book that Beth Ann mentioned and talk about what it contains." They broke for lunch. The marshal had set up a room for them to assemble in, as the reporters were still outside waiting. The lawyer went over the points of this morning's proceedings and how it looked. He was very complimentary to Beth Ann and her time on the stand. George apologized to his daughter for putting her though all of this. Stealing my line, she told him that she'd do it all over, knowing she was doing it to help. The lawyer told her that the DA might call her up to the stand again, but wasn't certain. Things would sort themselves out in the afternoon. When they got back, George's lawyer called for a conference. He asked that the courtroom be cleared as what he was about to talk about happened when Beth Ann was a minor. The DA was torn on this issue, but came to the conclusion that public opinion wouldn't be so severe if they didn't hear what that booklet had in it, so he didn't object. Everyone was removed, except George, Beatrice, and Beth Ann. Those who were removed from the courtroom took on speculating about what was going on in there. Beth Ann's aunt heard some of the wild possibilities, so she set them straight. While she didn't know what the book contained, she knew the gist of what it was about and why we were out in the hall. It set the mood that the DA had hoped to prevent. As they called for the afternoon break, Beth Ann came out and practically fell into my arms. She was exhausted. We went back into the room the marshal had set up for us. "Beth Ann was brilliant!" the lawyer exclaimed. "I know that was a very difficult thing to do, but what you said on the stand was what lawyers like me dream of. You were clear and concise about everything. The DA couldn't get you to contradict anything you said. I know you weren't paying attention to him, but his case is so weak at this point... You were just marvelous!" "I think what he's trying to say is that you helped your dad a lot, today. This is why we came," I said to her. Beth Ann looked over at me and smiled. I could tell she was so tired she could have gone to sleep. It had been a very emotionally draining day, and it wasn't over yet. The lawyer left, saying he was going to check on something. He looked at me, raising his eyebrows. I nodded to him, and then he walked out the door. No one paid attention to our exchange, as there was a lot more drama going on inside the room. As Beth Ann was being fawned over, I looked over to George and Beatrice. They were sitting with their arms folded, almost like they were hugging themselves. I went over and sat next to them. "I know it must have been hard listening to all of that," I said. George looked at me with hollow eyes. "You have no idea. I try and protect my daughter and he..." he shook his head, dropping it. He was ashamed. "Keith, how much do you know?" Beatrice asked me. "Pretty much all of it, not the nitty gritty details, but everything she was put through," I responded. "And you still love her?" Beatrice asked. "Beatrice," I said, "I don't think I'd be much of a man if I would let someone like Beth Ann walk out of my life because of something that happened that she had no control over." I then turned so I was directly facing Beatrice, and could talk so only she and George could hear me. "Beatrice, you know we have talked. So tell me, if one day that mill owner had gotten hold of you somehow, would you have expected George to walk out on you?" Her face flushed and her eyes darted over to her husband. George's eyes grew wide, and he answered with what she needed to hear, "Honey, I hope you don't think I'd ever do that. I'm just as much a man as Keith is." Then his face softened and he took her hand. She looked at him as he went on, "I don't think I could go on without you in my life. No matter what happens, I always want you to be with me." Beatrice broke down crying. It was part of the area she grew up in that made her feel that way and there was never any reason to bring up the subject, before. Ideas like that just fester until at some point, such as now, they boiled over. Everyone was allowed into the courtroom after the recess. Our lawyer was already in place. As soon as the judge came in and we sat, I was called to the stand. Robin's grip on my arm tightened. I smiled at her. I walked up, was sworn in, and took the stand. "It is my understanding that you confronted Beth Ann's uncle at the university. Can you describe what happened?" "How much detail would you like?" I answered. The lawyer and I had talked about this before. It was his thought that I was outside the family and therefore could give a 'third party' view to the uncle's mindset. "Keith, I want the court to understand what happened. So, please, be as detailed as you need to be." "Objection!" the DA said. "What bearing does this have on the case?" George's lawyer explained that it would confirm, from another perspective, what the book had related. As the book had been introduced, he had an obligation to prove its integrity. The judge let me carry on. I did, in nauseating detail. It took more than an hour for me to go through it all. I had prepared. I amazed everyone when I reached inside my suit jacket, and pulled out notes that I had written down, not wanting to miss a single point. I started when Beth Ann first received the letter from her uncle and then went on to his threats to me, his arrests, and finally to his escorts all the way back to his home. I used the fact I had been in a wheel chair at the time, and I listed those who had witnessed it all. When I got done, the lawyer introduced into evidence the university police and sheriff's reports, confirming my statement. Now it was the DA's turn. "Mr. Patterson. It seems to me that you have taken a special interest in Beth Ann. Can you tell me about that?" "I'd be glad to. When I arrived at the university to do research for the Department of Defense, we were assigned a liaison from the university to be our guide. It was Beth Ann. We spent a considerable time around her. As she happened to be my sister's roommate as well, all of us became attached to her charm and wit." This was not something the DA had known, and he was mentally kicking himself for asking that question. "What you described, Mr. Patterson, about the parking lot confrontation with Beth Ann's uncle, could be described as setting the poor man up. I suggest that you riled him up to the point where he just lost control. Isn't that what you were after? Didn't you know that was exactly what he was going to do? Isn't that why you had all those people watching? Tell me, Mr. Patterson, didn't you set him up for a fall?" "The confrontation he and I had," I answered coolly, "could have gone many ways. If the intensions he had towards Beth Ann had been honorable, then our conversation would have been civil. Do you want me to repeat what he said to me? He told me in very plain terms, that to him, Beth Ann was a possession that was his to do with as he pleased. I, nor anyone who knew Beth Ann, wanted him near her. If you are suggesting that when I was sitting in a wheelchair, asking him questions, I was a big threat to him; I'd like a better formulated question, so I could answer you." The DA fumed. "No further questions." The court day was called by the judge and would start again tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM. As we shuffled out, our lawyer suggested something to us that we thought was highly amusing, well, given the circumstances. Liz, Kristin, Robin, and finally Daisy were to go out with the people towards the bus, but halfway across the walk make a break and run towards the cars. Daisy, they would know, but probably not bother with. Her break, along with the others would draw attention. Then Beatrice, George, and Beth Ann would slide out the opposite way to a waiting car. No one liked the idea of having to run away. On the other hand, no one liked the thought of being hounded by the press. That would leave Mary and myself, who would be brought out by the marshal. He said he was going to take care of that himself. It almost worked. The local paper went for the runners. The bigger two papers had seen tricks before and bade their time, yet were somewhat barred by the sea of people. All they managed to get were some pictures. Mary and I were led through the back of the building, through a few locked doors, and then down banks of filing cabinets. The marshal lifted a counter access flap and all of a sudden we were standing in the lobby of city hall. "This way," the marshal said. We walked out of the building and there was a car waiting for us. ------- Her mother was not a bit surprised. Vivian had been on the phone three times with her boyfriend, Scott. Some of what she'd felt was irritation, but she understood her daughter's desire. "Mom," Vivian said as she entered the kitchen. "Yes, dear?" "Can I go to Lincoln Park?" "Isn't that a bit far away? It's at least twelve blocks from here," she said. She stopped drying the dish at the sink, and turned and looked at her daughter. She noticed that Vivian had changed her clothes already. "Would you mind explaining what is going on?" Vivian took a deep breath. "There's a band that is going to play tonight, lots of people are coming to dance." Trying not to laugh, as she'd heard the announcements on the radio, "Dear, I think that Dad and I would like that music, not you." "I like it too," Vivian said defensibly and then admitted, "Scott's going to be there, as well." "Well, now that we are telling the truth, maybe your father and I should just go along." "Mom! We're going to be at the park!" Vivian sat down at the table. There was a moment of silence as she thought about the conversation they had had over at Marcia's. She looked at her mother. "It doesn't feel good when you say things like that to me. I'm not going to end up like Marcia." "Dear, every young girl feels that way. Marcia did. I would just bet on it." "Yes, she did, but there is something very different between her and me." "Oh? What is that?" "Scott and I have talked about it..." Vivian noticed the shocked look on her mother's face, so added, "About how Marcia and Mike ended up. It's not very good." "No, it isn't. Honey, this is something that makes me realize you are growing up. It is very scary. Can you understand that?" "Yeah." Building up her courage, Vivian said, "Can you remember that you taught me right from wrong, and... we talk. I don't think Marcia and her mother talk that much." Smiling, she looked at her daughter. It was that last statement. Yes, they did talk. Maybe not as much now, but still the line was open. It was better than she could say for a lot of the other mothers she talked to. "Two hours. It's almost seven, now. I want you home by nine." Vivian jumped up and hugged her mother. "Oh! You're just the best!" Scott was there, picking up Vivian, in less than five minutes. He rang the bell, greeted everyone politely, and was told: "Nine, no later." The two left within minutes. "You're sure he's going to be there?" Vivian asked as soon as they drove away. "Yes," Scott said, amused. "You said you had something to tell him from Marcia. He's going to be there, come hell or high water." "Scott!" He grinned, but only slightly, knowing she didn't like when he used words like hell. It didn't bother him at all that he had curbed the words he used to say. He was in love with her. This had been the longest relationship he'd ever been in and it had just gotten stronger over time. She was not boring; as he'd found the other girls he'd been with. Even the age difference seemed trivial. Scott glanced over and saw her looking at him. He pulled his eyes back to the road, with a big smile on his face. He'd found the words came very easily to him, now. They weren't forced or contrived; they felt real. "I love you, Vivian." She felt warm all over. She loved it when he told her that. "I love you, too." As they got close, Scott had to concentrate on his driving. There were cars and people everywhere. This was not quite what they had expected. On the other hand, it was a way that Mike had been able to get out of the house. It was one of those rare occasions. Now, on both Scott and Vivian's minds was how in the world were they ever going to find him. The solution presented itself quicker then they'd thought. Mike had been there for fifteen minutes, waiting. He watched the cars, knowing from which direction Scott would be arriving. As soon as he saw Scott's car, Mike kept his eye on it, moving through the people, until Scott was able to park. "If you got here on time," Mike said jokingly, "you'd have found a better spot to park." Then he saw Vivian and stopped. Scott almost laughed, but it wasn't really funny. Mike knew Vivian held something from Marcia. The look of anticipation, and fear, that Mike had on his face was something Scott had never seen before. "Mike, this is Vivian. Vivian, this is Mike." "Hi," Mike said, nervously. "Hi," Vivian returned, and then she turned to her boyfriend. "Scott, can Mike and I talk in your car for a bit?" Scott looked at her in disbelief. He hadn't expected this. "Uh, sure. I'll just..." "Give us twenty minutes, ok?" Vivian said in a pleading tone. He couldn't refuse anything she asked. He smiled. "Ok," he said. Back to feeling good, he looked at his watch, "Twenty minutes." Vivian shook her head, "Brat." He grinned and kissed her. Then he walked away into the crowd. Vivian got back into the car. Mike followed, taking the place where Scott had been. He was sweating, and was as nervous as he could be. "Marcia and I had a very good talk, yesterday." "You did? How is she?" "Unhappy." Vivian looked at Mike. She felt he was going to start crying any moment. "Mike. She asked me... She asked me to ask you something rather..." "What?" "You know she feels like her life is over?" "No, it's not!" Mike almost shouted. Then, in a trembling voice he added, "Mine is." Vivian studied his face. He looked older than Scott, yet they were the same age. "Is it because you love her so much?" Vivian ventured, not knowing how she was going to really ask him that question. "You have no idea. Do you know how hard it is to keep something like that bottled up? My dad thinks I should just forget her. My mother... God, I can't believe her. My dad, yeah. He's... money means more to him than anything, but my mother? She goes right along with him, as though she has no idea what Marcia is going through. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them!" he said, pounding his fists onto the steering wheel. Vivian reached over and touched Mike's arm. "She was afraid you might not love her any more." Mike buried his face into his hands. Vivian saw the tears escape and fall. It was hard for her to watch. "Mike, she loves you." "She does?" he said, sniffling. "Yes. She feels so miserable, just like you are." "I hate it. I don't even know what she's going to do." "She's going to Carp." Mike stopped, and looked at Vivian bewildered. "Carp? What's that?" Vivian smiled. "It's a town. Don't you remember about a chemical spill and they had to evacuate a whole town? It's down by Las Vegas." "Yeah, I kinda remember that, but Carp? What's there?" "Well, for one thing, Sarah is there." "Sarah! I thought..." Mike stopped and turned in his seat to face Vivian. "Please tell me what is going on." "Marcia just got back from Carp. She and her mother went down to visit it. I think it was my idea that made them think it was a place to look at, really." "Why Carp?" Mike interrupted. "Sarah knew people from there. She always talked about it, like it was this magical place, where anything could happen. So I thought..." "Sarah and Marcia were fighting, last I heard." "A lot can happen when... Mike, do you know Sarah?" "No. Well, I met her a time or two, but I know her better because Scott always used to talk about her. Last I heard, she'd changed a lot." Vivian nodded. "Sarah likes to say that she 'woke up'." "What does that mean?" "She had a near death experience. A man grabbed her." "Oh, God. She was ok, though, right?" "Only because another man, one from Carp, rescued her." "That's good." "He almost died, because of it." "Shit." Vivian cringed at the word, but didn't say anything. "It changed the way Sarah looked at things. Now Marcia is looking at things differently, too. I think it's what made the two get back together, as the good friends they once were." Mike nodded and then said, "So she's going to go down there to have our baby." "Yes," Vivian said. It was the way he had said 'our baby' that tore her up. "Everyone knows. It doesn't take a genus to figure it out. We were always together. Now she's nowhere in sight and I can't do anything. Some of my friends think I'm some kind of stud. They make me sick! I don't want to forget her, like my dad wants. Do you have any idea how much pressure he's putting on me? He came right out and told me that if I ever have anything to do with 'that girl'; I'll be taken out of the will, and cut off from any money. I couldn't go to college; I couldn't support a wife. I'm... screwed." There was a tap at the window. Scott was back. Vivian shook her head at him and then held up five fingers. He nodded and left. "Scott is in love with you," Mike said. Vivian brightened. "I know." "No, I mean really in love. I've never seen him like this before." "Is it the way you feel about Marcia?" "Yeah. I'm sick to my stomach all the time. I know if I got up one morning and said to my parents, 'I'm going out to find another girlfriend', that they would throw me a party. I feel so trapped." Then he looked at Vivian. "Don't tell Marcia that, please. I know she'd tell me to forget her. I can't." "Can you write to Sarah?" Mike crinkled up his forehead, "Yeah, but why would I do that?" Vivian laughed, thinking about what Sarah did. "'Cause she can give the letters to Marcia. Just like Sarah can write to Scott." Mike brightened. "Really! You think I could?" "Yeah," Vivian said, pleased with herself for thinking of that. "I think if you wanted to write Marcia something now, I could get it to her." Mike jumped out of the car, and then looked back in. "Quick, we need some paper!" Vivian giggled at how euphoric Mike was all of a sudden. Scott who had been waiting not far off came right over, seeing Mike get out of the car. "Where can we find some paper?" Mike asked. Scott looked at his friend as though he'd lost his mind. They were at a park. "Maybe one of the programs?" Vivian said. Mike was off in a full run, towards the music. "What were you two talking about?" Scott asked. "He seems like a different person." "I talked to Marcia yesterday. 'Cause they haven't been able to talk to each other, they have had a lot of unanswered questions." "And you answered them?" "Not all of them, but a lot. Mike's going to write her a note that I'm going to get to her." Scott raised his eyebrows. She saw it and started to laugh. "Sarah is going to start writing to you, soon." "Sarah?" "Not really, it will be Marcia, Sarah will be sending it, and so you can get it to Mike." Scott shook his head and said, "You are turning devious." "Still love me?" "You know I do." Vivian smiled, took hold of Scott's arm and laid her head into his shoulder as they walked. Yes, she did know. ------- Patrick had packed up several things into a bag. Cheryl sat silently in the dining room, watching him through the doorway. He had just started to feel better and now this. She was a bit concerned as he'd been silent all morning and didn't know what it all meant. Turning, he saw her sitting and watching him. He smiled, but his eyes didn't. They were sad. He brought the bag out and set it down on the table. Pulling out a chair, he sat down facing Cheryl. "I'm going to be gone for two days," Patrick said. Cheryl could feel the lump in her throat. It made it hard for her to say anything. She nodded, not knowing what else to do. Whether she had said any words or not, the tears that started forming in her eyes couldn't be concealed. She started to reach up, but Patrick stopped her and he wiped them away for her. "Cheryl, I'm not leaving. I'm just going off to think. What Richard said is how many people are going to feel. While most can't see it, I can see the change in you. Soon, everyone will know. They already know that your husband can't give you a child. I have been living here. No one is that stupid. I don't want what we have done to be shameful for the rest of our lives. I know you don't want that either. So I need a couple of days to be in solitude and think. It has always been the best way for me to work out problems." "Only two, right?" Cheryl asked, almost pleaded. Patrick smiled at her, this time with love. "Yes Cheryl, only two." Then he chuckled, "To tell you the truth, I can't stand any more than two days by myself." That made her smile. She got up and went into the kitchen. "What kind of food do you need?" He laughed, "I'm not going out into the middle of the desert. I don't think I'd make it." "Where are you going then?" "To a spot that I know. It's private. I will have a room and three meals a day." Cheryl didn't like the sound of it. Her brow wrinkled and her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "I've been using this place as a sort of retreat for years. If I told anyone where it was... It wouldn't be the same. It's not that far from here, and it's safe for me. Best of all, it is where no one can disturb me, so I think. That's what I need to do." He took her hand. "I know I'm still a bit under the weather, but this needs to be taken care of. I have the pills the doctor gave me and I'll be fine." "I don't like it. What if something happened to you? The doctor was just here. I know you're feeling better, but what if... Katy would kill me." Patrick sighed. She was right. If something happened, anything, so that he wasn't back in two days, Katy would never forgive Cheryl for letting him out of the door. "I am going to write down where I will be. I'll seal it into an envelope and give it to Jim, downtown, on my way. If I don't show up in two days, then you can find out where I've been. Will that do?" "I guess so. I still don't like it." He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. "Do you think I'd ever want to leave you, or not see our child? Do you think you mean that little to me?" Cheryl started to sniffle. They hardly ever talked about feelings like this. She was married after all. That didn't give way to the feelings she had developed for the man whose baby she had in her belly. She looked up, into his eyes and kissed him. "I love you," she said softly. Patrick moaned and repeated the words back to her. He meant them so very much. ------- "Don't you ever sleep?" I said to the lawyer, as I rubbed sleep-sand out of my eyes. He smiled at me and said, "No." I gestured him in. By now, everyone else had heard the doorbell, and they were emerging. "I need to talk with Beth Ann and George, right now," the lawyer said. I nodded, yawned and went to get them. The three ended up in George's bedroom, talking, while the rest of us got ready for the morning. When they came out, Beatrice took hold of her husband and led him into the bathroom. He came out seven minutes later, shaking his head as though a bucket of cold water had just been poured over it. Mary and Kristin took Beth Ann in next. We heard a scream, several seconds later. George almost had a smile on his face. Two deputies ran in from outside and were stopped by Beatrice. She pointed to her husband. "The water ran cold while I was in there," he said. The deputies were trying to hold back a smile. I couldn't contain it any longer and started to snicker. Everyone else stopped trying and laughed as well. Luckily we had all stopped by the time the door opened and Beth Ann came out. She didn't look very pleased. "I think everyone needs to use less hot water in the morning," she said and marched off into her bedroom. I was a bit surprised when the marshal didn't seem concerned about how we arrived at the courthouse today. As we pulled up, I understood why. Turning, he looked at me with a little smile. "You testified, yesterday. That was enough for me to get a blanket restraining order of twenty feet between you, Mary, and everyone with you; from anyone else, outside of the courthouse. Let's go before they put up too much of a stink. I'm sorry, but there is nothing much I can do about pictures being taken. We entered the hallway amidst flashes from cameras on both sides of us as well as questions being thrown at us. It was hard not to look at them, but that's exactly what they wanted, it would have been a better picture that way. Once we got inside, the noise stopped. We walked into the courtroom and sat, waiting for the judge. I pointed out that neither attorney was present. Watching the minutes go by, the back door opened, both attorneys entered, followed by the judge. We all stood and waited for him to take his seat. The judge then said, "I believe the defendant needs to talk with his attorney, so we will take a ten minute recess." Everyone in the courtroom, with the exception of the DA, George's lawyer, and the judge, were looking at each other, wondering what was going on. I saw George shaking his head. Beatrice was sitting right in front of me. I tapped her on her shoulder. She turned around and looked at me. "It's ok to go up there. I think he needs you." She got up, and walked forward, unsure. When she got to the rail and swinging doors, she looked back and I nodded to her. She went through and walked up to her husband. I could see the relieved look on George's face, when he realized she was there. A lot of discussion was going on. George was still shaking his head several times, but then he nodded. Beatrice came back, and all of us wanted to know what was going on. "Our lawyer hired a team. They found some things up at the house. He wants to bring them into the trial. The DA is trying to prevent it. Our lawyer is going to press for justifiable homicide. Without the new evidence, it will be harder. The DA is being an ass." "Mom!" Beth Ann said, never hearing a word like that out of her mother's mouth before. "Well, he is." "So what is going to happen?" I asked. "George doesn't want to back down, now. He wants the lawyer to press on as hard as he can." "Good for him," I said. The judge called the jury back in. George's lawyer stood. "I would like to introduce evidence..." "Objection. There has been no time for our office to see what is being brought into evidence..." the DA started to say. "Robert," the judge said, calling the DA by name. "We went all though this in my chambers. I'm not about to have this trial turned into a circus. You know where this came from, and you know the circumstances. I'm not interested if it weakens your case or not. It is viable evidence, so I am going to allow it." Then the judge looked at the DA and said, "If you think about asking for a miss-trial over this; remember, that in a new trial, it would be included from the first. I'm under the impression that it won't make any difference to your case. Now," the judge said, turning towards George and his lawyer, "please proceed." 'If looks could kill, ' I thought as I looked at the DA. He was smoldering. There were two pieces of evidence, verified at the scene by the local sheriffs department, that were brought in. One was a handgun. The other one was... restraints. There was a gasp in the courtroom when the lawyer said the second one. I looked at Beth Ann; she looked like she was ready to faint. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the aisle. Then I took her out into the hallway. Robin, Mary, and Daisy were close to the edge and followed me. They stopped at the doorway. Daisy was in-between them, holding the courtroom doors open. Setting her against the wall, holding her up, I said. "Take a deep breath and hold. Now, slowly release." Near the end of that exhale, her breath came out in sobs. Tears had started to roll down her face. After another breath, she wailed, "He was planning on tying me up." Then her stomach started spasming, and she had that look. The hallway was devoid of anything useful. I took hold of her hand, to pull her towards the exit. She didn't make it two steps. Right in front of Daisy and the open door, she vomited, and then sank to the floor. I heard the judge call for a recess. I realized that if I could hear him, they had heard us. Clean up was not very pleasant. No one could leave the courtroom without stepping on the mess, so they all stayed. The custodial staff was not pleased. Beth Ann was a mess, also. Mary and Robin took care of her. It felt like it took ages to get things back in order. When the court came back into session, Beth Ann was visibly not there. Mary and Robin decided she did not need to hear, or see, any more. So they kept her in the room that had been set up by the marshal the day before. What they didn't know was that her words and actions affected the jury, more than anything else had during the trial. I knew something was up because as George's lawyer started, it was almost as though he had stopped, when I pulled Beth Ann out the door. The lawyer explained, introducing a letter from the sheriff's department as evidence, that fingerprints on all the objects matched those of Beth Ann's uncle. It was that positive verification that had delayed things until this morning. Then he went on to touch points of the book, bringing into focus for the jury the correlation and premeditative nature of these instruments. The bondage devices had been brought to the university, hidden in the truck. The gun was specifically mentioned in reference to making sure no one got in his way. Then turning directly to the jury, George's lawyer said, "I want you to hear the definition of justifiable homicide. It is the justifiable killing of another because it is done out of self-defense, or the defense of another. I have just proven both of those causes existed when George drove up to his brother in law's house." "It sounds like, counselor," the judge said, "you are making closing arguments." The lawyer smiled, and replied, "Not quite yet, your Honor. I have one more person to call." The large man took the stand. As soon as the first question had been asked, everyone knew who he was. George bought his gasoline from the same distributor that his brother in law worked for. This was the distributor's owner. George's lawyer poked and prodded, until finally it came out. The truth about the comments, made by the men, about women who they saw. Yes they were usually sexual in nature. Yes they tended to be crude. No he didn't want to repeat any of them in public. The man dropped his shoulders and lowered his head, ashamed of what he answered next. Some of the crude comments had been about Beth Ann, by her uncle. There had also been numerous innuendoes he didn't want to repeat. Then he lifted his head and looked at George. "No one thought he was serious. I'm really, really sorry about it." The cross examination was quick and largely ineffective. All that could be done was to try and see how the man worked hard at his job. The DA knew his case was pretty much in a shambles, at this point. They broke for lunch. Beth Ann was embarrassed when everyone came into the room. They wouldn't let her go, telling her they understood. By the time lunch was over we knew the trial was pretty much over as well. The lawyer had told George he was certain the jury was on their side and he was calling for closing arguments. Unless you were on the jury, the closing arguments are simply a recap. They are easy to forget. That is especially true when you are looking at everyone in the courtroom. There is the bailiff, the stenographer, the DA, the judge, our attorney, and of course George. Then there are the forty or so of us sitting and listening. Every person there had some perspective on this, some of their faces gave away what they thought, and others had poker faces. I hadn't realized how gone I was, intent on catching each person's expression, until the scratching sound of chairs being moved caught my ear. I turned to see the jury exit. It was now in their hands. The lawyer walked over to us, George was right behind him. He told us that deliberations could be as short as an hour, although that was very rare, or they could take up to a full day. We had gone back into the room for what could be a long wait. The initial conversation had died down. I sat back in my chair, wishing I'd brought a book with me to read when the door opened. We were being called back into the courtroom. After we sat, the judge came in. We rose for that and then sat again. Then the jury came in. The jury handed a slip of paper to the judge. He read it and nodded. "George Winston. Please stand." "The jury has done something interesting here. I think they should be commended for their actions. While they have found you not guilty of the charges that district attorney's office initially and subsequently brought against you, they have found you guilty of justifiable homicide. "George, I would not be up here, sitting at this bench, if I believed in 'vigilante justice'. I do, though, understand a man who places his daughter into the hands of another, only to be betrayed. To have the trust and faith shattered in such unspeakable terms as these, goes beyond what our spirit is able to endure. "Given the findings that have been brought forward, I can only agree with the jury. You were protecting your life, as well as the life of your daughter. "It looks like you have already spent..." the judge looked through some paperwork, "32 days in jail, so far. Therefore, my sentence is 32 days of jail time, and one year of probation. You will need to register yourself with the probation department, before you leave today." With that, he struck his gavel down. George stood there, not knowing what to do. His lawyer turned to him with a smile on his face, and said loudly, "Don't you think you should go hug and kiss your wife? You're a free man." A cheer went up from the audience in attendance. Beatrice had made her way to George. The two hugged and kissed, as the lawyer had suggested. Then George looked for his daughter. He made his way to Beth Ann and took hold of her, hugging her tightly. Both father and daughter were crying. ------- We were back at George and Beatrice's house. People kept coming by one family after the next. For the sanity of the marshal, Mary and I were quietly escorted away, to the back of the house. We hid out in Beth Ann's room. It was fine with me. Somewhere, I had reached the point of overload. As an added protection, the marshal locked the bedroom door. Mary took full advantage of the situation of us being alone. "I haven't had a minute of your attention, in days," she pouted. I smiled and played the game, "Oh, you poor thing. Whatever can I do to make it up to you?" Her eyes brightened, and she leapt off the chair she was sitting on, throwing herself at me. I had been sitting on the edge of the bed, and now found myself on my back, with Mary on top of me. My hands went around her as her lips met mine. "Keith, I need you inside of me," Mary panted as soon as we broke from our kiss. "What happens if someone unlocks that door?" "I'll leave my skirt on, here..." I watched as she got off the bed and stood in front of me. She reached under and pulled her panties down. I saw them lying on the floor as she stepped out of them. Then she pulled her skirt up, bunching it around her waist. Oh what a sight! She looked at me very coy like and asked, "Interested?" She knew she didn't need to ask the question. The bulge in my pants already told her. I undid my pants and pulled them down, along with my underwear. She pushed me back down onto the bed and climbed on top of me. The moan she let out made me glad there were a lot of people in the house making noise. I just hoped it was enough to drown her out when she went off. I found out three minutes later. I wasn't nearly there yet and she nearly passed out. It had been too long for her I decided. There was a knock at the door and then the lock was being opened. I quickly pulled my pants up. Mary got off me and flipped her skirt down. Beth Ann slipped into the room. She closed the door and locked it again. She looked down at the floor, and started to laugh. "The poor deputy in the hall was as red as could be, when I said I wanted to come into my room. He suggested I knock first." Mary blushed and then saw Beth Ann pick up her panties from the floor. "Oh, God!" Mary said. Beth Ann just giggled. She was almost a different person. The weight had been lifted. "Not many people left. I'm glad. It's tiring," Beth Ann said. I beckoned Beth Ann to my lap, which she took. Then using the elastic, she shot Mary's panties to her. I kissed Beth Ann. She was as bad as Mary, pushing me to my back and climbing over on top of me. We weren't making much noise and heard the doorknob rattling. Stopping our kiss, Beth Ann turned to look at the door, but made no movement to get off of me. It wasn't the hallway door; it was the bathroom door that moved. No one thought of checking that. It connected to the bedroom next door. It opened and there were Beatrice, George, and Beth Ann's aunt. They saw us staring at them, wondering what was going on. No one said a word, but all three of them turned bright red. ------- Chapter 93 It was time to head home. The marshal was relieved that I would soon be in the air and on my way back to Carp. Beth Ann's parents did not share the same feelings for their daughter. Although none of the six of us had said a word about what happened the day before; Mary, Beth Ann, and I weren't surprised at the outcome. Beth Ann asked her aunt what she was going to do with herself. Her aunt had replied she'd be staying with her sister and brother-in-law. She was going to sell her house, move in with George and Beatrice, and help at the service station. She would help by doing the bookwork, and making over the counter sales. Beth Ann looked at me and then smiled slightly at the announcement. Her aunt didn't say a word, but everyone around her felt the blush she radiated. I wondered what was going to happen in the long run with those three. Beatrice made her daughter promise to keep in touch. She promised, and then added she'd let them know when the wedding was. I could tell that Beth Ann was full of spunk. As soon as she said it, she winked at her aunt, and told her she was expected to be there too. The marshal arranged for transportation and came along to the airport 'to ensure our safe exit'. He was doing his job. After the others who had been part of the 'in gang, ' conspiring with the mill owner, had been picked up; there had been no further incidents. As we were leaving, Beatrice commented on how the town was now almost as it had been, when she was growing up. I looked down the street and saw several people out in their front yards, talking with each other. That was a far cry from what we'd seen when we had first arrived. It amazed me how one man could have built up such terror in the small town. At the airport, I had to do the pre-flight check. While I did that, the gals said their goodbyes for the hundredth time. George came up to me. "You've done more for me than I could ever hope to pay for," he said. "Beth Ann is special," I said. "Not to just me, but to all of us who are around her. She loves you and I was in a position where I could help you. It's that simple. I don't want repayment. Beth Ann has no idea how much a lawyer like that costs and I don't want her to know. I don't need her to be feeling she owes me, either." George smiled at me. "We'll be at the wedding, you can count on that. I'm still trying to figure out how that works, having more than one wife," he said, shaking his head. I was thinking if he didn't know now, Beth Ann's aunt might just want him to find out. We boarded our plane. This time, Robin was with me in the cockpit. She smiled, watching me glance from dial to dial. I brought the engines' revs up, and taxied onto the runway. As soon as we were up in the air, she started to talk to me. ------- "You let my dad do what?" Katy said in disbelief. "I didn't have a lot of choice," Cheryl said almost ready to burst into tears. "How could he do that? He wasn't even well, and leaving you; oh, he makes me so mad!" Instead of tearing into her as Cheryl had expected, Katy had turned her anger towards her father. "I told him you'd never forgive me if anything happened to him." Katy looked at Cheryl, eyeing her wearily. "You still think I'm going to bite your head off, don't you?" She sighed. Cheryl was able to smile at the way Katy said that. "Well..." Katy took Cheryl's hand. Giving it a tug, she walked over to the sofa. As they sat, Katy reached, and took Cheryl's hand again, holding onto it. "Do you remember how close we used to be? You and I were like Robin and Daisy, or Brian and Jimmy." "Yeah. That seems such a long time ago," Cheryl replied. "Twelve years." Cheryl had been looking at her hand, being held. At that statement she looked up and tilted her head. "How do you know when?" "May fourth, nineteen-thirty-six." Cheryl felt her face flush. Her eyes widened, and then started to tear. No one remembers a date like that without... She'd remember the day her husband's brother died, was shot, for the rest of her life. "What did I do?" Cheryl had to ask, but didn't want to. "Turned your back on me, like most of the rest of the people in town. It's the date I knew I was pregnant with Jimmy." Cheryl grimaced. She wanted to pull her hand away, but realized Katy had too strong a grip on it. Katy went on. "I know, now, a lot of the attitude was not against me. It was what my brother had done. People knew he'd taken advantage of me. But back then, I didn't know. I thought it was me they hated." "Katy, I'm so sorry," Cheryl reached up with her free hand and wiped her nose. "I would have been married a month, at that time. I was so scared." Nodding, Katy understood. She'd been scared, too. Robin had it so much easier than she'd had. Robin's was more the way things should have been. Katy hadn't wanted to bring all this past up. Some of it was still a bit hurtful to her. She knew it would hurt Cheryl, as well. So she went off on to what she thought would be a more pleasant and teasing avenue. "When did you give up on my dad and look at John Reimer?" "Katy!" Katy rolled her eyes. "Everyone knew why you climbed on his lap and squirmed around. It's one thing for a little girl to do, but when you're twelve... I also saw the bulge in his pants. I didn't know until a bit later what that was. But when I found out, I knew you had to have felt it." Cheryl was positively red. "I'm just a bit surprised that John allowed it, now. How'd you get him to agree?" "I..." Cheryl was opening and closing her mouth, like a goldfish that was out of the water. "This has to be good," Katy said. As Katy thought of John, some of the things that were said flashed into her mind. Time's when they were kids and did things that kids do. Then there was the time at her wedding to Richard, when John's brother Bob was shot. Not wanting to ask directly, Katy asked indirectly. "I remember when we were kids... playing... learning. John and Bob..." "Stop!" Cheryl said. "Did you love Bob too?" Katy asked softly. Cheryl nodded, her head down. Katy let go of Cheryl's hand. Cheryl looked up, wondering why, only to see Katy getting up. Katy walked into Cheryl's bedroom and then returned with a hanky. Katy handed it to her. Cheryl gladly took it, blowing her nose. The two sat in the silence of Cheryl's house for several minutes. "Bob made John happy. John didn't know I knew about it. You're right; it started way back then. I saw it, just like you must have. Then after we got married, I don't think it happened again. Bob never wanted to get in the way. He was so sweet. I loved how much he cared for his brother." "I'm sorry I brought that up," Katy said. "It's alright." Then after a pause, Cheryl said, "You were right." "Right?" "John has always had a thing for..." "The same sex?" "Yeah." "Cheryl, if I remember right, you and I..." "Somehow, I knew you were going to bring that up. Especially after that little kiss you gave me yesterday." Cheryl looked at Katy and shook her head. "It wasn't very nice to do." Katy could feel that Cheryl was now teasing her. "I thought it was very nice," Katy said, trying to pout. "Your dad was so horny after you left! But he didn't have the strength. Not nice at all!" "Did you notice Richard?" Cheryl cracked a smile. "Yeah, couldn't miss that one. You were being a tease." Katy would have gladly followed that thinking along to see where it might lead, but then what Cheryl had said to her, hit her, hard. "My dad and John?" Cheryl looked at Katy wondering if she should answer that or not. "My dad... Does he like it?" "Are you offended... angry?" Cheryl had to know. Katy thought for just a moment and then realized the hypocrisy of her initial feelings. What that any different that Richard and Brian? She'd almost set that up, knowing the feeling between them existed. Had Cheryl done the same? "Cheryl, you knew that John liked it, but did you know about my dad?" "Not really." "But you set it up." "Yes." Katy looked at her. "Part of the deal? My dad got you, if John got him?" Cheryl's face flinched, making it look like she was trying to smile and not smile, at the same time. "That doesn't sound very nice, does it?" Katy sighed and thought for a moment. "I guess you could look at it like a sort of blackmail. It was really a choice, though, wasn't it? My dad knew. He could have stopped, right?" "Maybe," Cheryl answered. "Maybe?" "I had my clothes off at the time." Katy laughed. "So you were playing dirty?" "I really wanted him," Cheryl said. Then she added, "Always did, but you knew that." "But Dad did have a choice?" "Yes." "Cheryl, I don't think my dad could have ever have admitted that he wanted you, back then. I guess it is good that you two have been able to work out a way to make it happen." "So you aren't mad... about any of it?" "He's a big boy. If he wants to do that," Katy shrugged her shoulders, "who am I to complain. I know he'd do just about anything for you." Cheryl lit up, hearing that. "You know, part of the idea that Keith and Richard came up with was to have more than one wife. That way, the women getting pregnant would be married," Katy said. Cheryl nodded. It made sense in a way, but she wondered where this was going. "If Keith or Richard could have more than one wife... couldn't you have more than one husband?" Cheryl just about fell off of the sofa as she screeched, "What!" "Wouldn't you like to be married to the man you're going to have a child by?" Katy asked as though it was a normal everyday question. "But..." "You don't want to leave John, do you?" "No!" "Ok, then. The three of you live together, already. If you could say Patrick was your husband as well, and was also the child's father, wouldn't that be nice?" "Could I?" "When my dad gets back, I think we'll corner him and ask." Cheryl grinned. "I've always liked the way you think, Katy." ------- Jill had her feet in the water and was enjoying the coolness of the stream. Laura was glad to be off the horse. She still couldn't believe that Jill had talked her into getting on one of those huge animals again. It was better this time, but only slightly. "So," Jill said as soon as Laura's feet splashed the water, "which one did you like better, Jimmy or Pamela?" Laura blushed. They hadn't said much about that time in the new place. As far as she knew, not a one of them had set foot inside of there. Too many workers were in and out during the day, and the evenings had been busy as well. "Still waiting for an answer," Jill teased. "I'd never seen a boy..." "Get so excited about a pretty girl?" Jill finished. "You think that he thinks that I'm pretty?" Laura asked, showing how little confidence she had in herself. "Laura, that is about as silly of a question as I ever heard. Why do you think, while he was looking at you, he squirted? You do know that's what happens when a boy gets so excited he has an orgasm." The look on Laura's face told Jill that Laura hadn't really correlated the two actions. "That was really because of me?" Laura said in awe. "I can tell you liked that." Laura frowned and looked at Jill, "That doesn't mean I don't love you." "I know that, silly," Jill said, smiling and tussling Laura's hair. "Did it look like Pamela had any problems? If I remember right, she helped you with the mess." Laura smiled again. "Yeah, she did. She knew just where to... clean me." "Laura, you're..." "Fun?" Laura grinned, hoping it was the right thing to say. "Yes, fun. Now, shall we get back on the horses, or take a little dip in the stream?" "But..." Laura started to say, until she saw Jill start to unbutton her blouse. That's all the encouragement Laura needed. ------- "Bri..." Millie started to say as she bounded towards him. She stopped mid-word and mid-stride, remembering what the doctor had said. "Here, let me move a chair, so you can grab it if you need to." As Millie moved a chair closer to Brian, her heart was still pounding hard. It was going to take a few times for her to get used to seeing Brian up, walking. The doctor warned her not to help, unless he called for it, or looked like he was doing too much. From the edge of his bedroom door, where his mother had spotted him, Brian took a step out into the room. Millie was so proud of her son. He had a determined look on his face as he concentrated on his steps. She then looked at where her son kept his gaze. Millie dropped her shoulders and sighed. There in the corner, almost out of sight, sat Barbara. Feeling like she was going to cry, Millie walked out of her house. As she turned down the street, Katy was walking up. "Millie, what's wrong?" She didn't answer, she just held out her arms, knowing her sister would come to her for a hug. Katy did and as soon as Millie had wrapped her arms around her, a torrent of tears escaped. The sobbing slowed, and Millie was able to catch her breath. "My boy is gone," Millie said, very sorrowfully. Katy panicked. "No! Oh God, Millie, what happened? Let's sound an alarm! Everyone will help find him, come on!" Katy started pulling at Millie to get her to move. "Katy," Millie said pulling back at her. Katy stopped, turned back and looked at her sister. The sadness was very present, but there wasn't the panic Katy expected to see. "Tell me what's going on?" Katy asked. "Let's go inside, sit, and have a nice talk." Millie was already shaking her head, "No. Not in there." Katy looked at Millie's house, something that had always been a pride and joy for her sister. What was going on that she didn't want to be there? She figured the way Millie was acting; nothing was going to come from her. "Millie, sit over there for a minute. I'll be right back." "Katy... Don't," Millie said, but without the will to fight about it. She watched as Katy walked into her house. She was interested how Katy opened the door very slowly, closing it behind her with as much care. Did Katy know something she didn't, Millie wondered. Katy was surprised seeing Brian up on his feet. Although she knew he could do it, she'd never actually seen him. So when she saw him almost across the room from his bedroom, she smiled. Then she frowned, wondering what was going on. Brian was in here walking and his mother didn't want to see this? Did she want her son an invalid, someone who had to be taken care of? That was a very disturbing thought. Then she heard a voice. "Almost here! Come and get your prize." Katy, moving slowly and trying to stay out of Brian's eyesight, moved behind him. That's when she saw Barbara. He was very close to her. She had her legs apart and wasn't wearing any panties. Katy almost started to laugh, but then remembered her sister's reaction and her words. Suddenly, she understood all to well what Millie was feeling. Moving right behind Brian, Katy came into Barbara's view. Barbara's eyes widened and her legs slammed shut. Brian's body moved in such a way that Katy knew Brian didn't understand. She put out her hands to catch him. "Brian," Katy said and reached him as he lost his balance, "I think your prize is going to have to wait." "Katy!" "Brian, it is time to have Barbara take you for a walk." Looking over to Barbara, Katy continued to speak. "Barbara, go and get the wheelchair." "I just need to..." Barbara said as she got up, straightening her skirt. "Don't bother, Barbara. No one will know, except Brian," Katy said. Then she smiled at Barbara, "And me, of course." Barbara blushed, but ran off to Brian's bedroom. She came back with the wheelchair. Katy sat Brian in it, while Barbara held it still. "Now, out with you two. I will meet with you down by the swimming place, in about an hour." As Katy opened the door, letting Barbara push Brian out, Brian looked up at his aunt. "Why did my mom run out the door? Did she forget something?" "I'll tell you when I talk with you. Your mom was having a problem and didn't know what to do. That's why you two need to go. She and I need to have a long talk." Millie turned, hearing her front door open. She was surprised to see Katy, then Brian in the wheelchair with Barbara pushing it. As the three got close, Brian looked over to his mom. "I hope you start feeling better." With that they were off, down the road. "Where are they going?" Millie wanted to know. "Down to the park. Now, let's go into your house. We need to talk." The two women walked into Millie's house. Katy went into the kitchen and stoked up the fire in the stove. Then she set a kettle of water on the stove. As she walked back into the living room, she knew Millie had been just sitting there, watching her. That, in itself, gave Katy an idea of the level of Millie's distress. Her sister was always in the kitchen; it was where she felt... useful. "I had two more years than you did," Katy said as she sat down next to her sister. Millie blinked her eyes, as though that action would somehow make her understand what Katy was talking about. "But you are just as bad as I was, maybe worse," Katy said with a gentle smile on her face, showing she didn't mean any harm. "Can you be a little bit more clear," Millie said, "I'm not catching what you're talking about." "I'm sure you will have fun with this," Katy said looking at her sister with a slight grin. "Tell me how I reacted when Keith showed up in town." That broke through and Millie started to laugh just as hard as she had been crying. Katy was in pain watching her sister go from one extreme to the other. She wished her father were there. 'Why the hell did he decide to take off, now?' she thought. "Are you just going to laugh at me, or talk?" Katy asked, hoping that talking would bring her back. "Ok, if you really want me to..." Millie said, and then giggled again. "Do you remember when he left that first time? You knew Robin was smitten. You were over here ranting and raving about what he might have already done to your little girl. Shall I tell you the names you called him?" "Let's not go into that," Katy said, embarrassed as her sister brought up those things. "Then you had the idea of sending her over here. Remember I was having trouble with my back." "I remember. All of us are glad that's not a problem any longer, but you should have the doctor look at it now he's returned." "That's what Bruce said, but we're talking about you," Millie smiled, loving the open opportunity to grill her sister. After all, she had asked for it, hadn't she? "Robin was always a smart cookie. She was almost a pest the first day, looking out the door whenever any strange sound was heard. The next day I didn't know why you didn't send her, until I found out you did, but she didn't come by. Keith showed up that day and you caught them." Katy was nodding and Millie caught what her sister was trying to do. "It's not the same. Not at all." "Oh?" Katy said. "You're so sure about that? Let's see. I ended up in trauma and Keith took care of my kids as well as anyone could. That has no correlation with how Barbara has been taking care of Brian." "None," Millie said. "And of course there is that little part about Keith doing things to make life better in the midst of everything going on in my life. That certainly has no relationship to you needing to be away and Barbara taking care of things here at home, right?" "Just stop. She's taking my boy away," Millie said sourly. "Keith didn't do that to my Robin, so I guess you're right." Millie glared at her sister. Katy held her gaze. "Millie, I'm bringing all this up, not to make you mad, but to make you realize that I did it too. I didn't feel good about losing Robin." "But you didn't lose her." "You're right, and you're not going to lose Brian either. I had a lot more chance of losing Robin than you do Brian. Millie, where are they going to live?" "Here," Millie sulked. "And does Barbara know how to take care of a household?" "Pretty good, but you're right. You know how much I hate that." Katy was smiling, "Yeah, I do know. So, when I can rub your nose in it..." Millie looked at her sister and couldn't help but laugh. This time it was a more genuine, relaxed laugh. "You're still my little sister, you know." "Just like Brian will always be your little boy." "So if I know all that, why did I get all wigged out?" "Were they throwing their affection in your face?" "No, not at all. I saw Brian starting to walk. I thought it was great! Then I saw Barbara in the corner. Do I hate her for some reason?" "Maybe." "You were supposed to say no," Millie said unhappily. "Do you blame her for getting pregnant?" "She is older than he is. I mean what would Brian know about all that. She..." "Just stop right there. Millie, you couldn't be more wrong and I don't think you want to know any more than that. You want to think of your son as some sort of saint. We all know that isn't the truth, he's just like Jimmy." "Just what are you trying to say?" "That they are boys, and they are curious. There are girls around that are just as curious. Brian wasn't some innocent doe that 'the evil Barbara' got hold of." "If that's true, how come you seem to know all about it and I don't know anything about it?" "Because you don't want to." "What do you mean I don't want to?" Katy rolled her eyes. "Come on, Millie. When Cheryl stood up at the town meeting and said there were other ways, just after Keith told everyone in Carp that the men were sterile, you finally got what she's been doing with Dad." "You knew!" "Of course I knew. Millie, she was in love with Dad when she was a little girl. Don't tell me you don't remember her always climbing onto his lap." "How could I, or anyone else, forget about that? She was... So you knew what she was doing?" "Yes, I knew. I could see it. Millie, I hate to say it, but you just didn't want to see what was sitting right in front of you." "So I've been doing that with Brian too. Is that what you're saying?" "I think Brian was a bit more sneaky about what he did, but I bet if you would have looked, you would have seen." "You knew, though. How come you didn't tell me?" "You are probably going to get really mad at me for this. I guess I didn't tell you, 'cause I don't think it's bad." "And if you told me, I'd have put a stop to it, is that what you are saying?" "Yeah, I guess so." "So in a way, you are responsible for my son getting Barbara pregnant." They sat in silence for two full minutes. "Yes, you are right. I am somewhat responsible for that. So is anyone else that saw that Brian could do something like that. Millie, listen to me really good, 'cause you're not going to like what I'm going to tell you. You are just as responsible. Just because you chose not to want to think of your son as someone who would think sex was interesting, doesn't mean that lets you off the hook. You put blinders on, so you are just as responsible as any of the rest of us. There isn't anyone to point a finger at, here, so don't even think of starting. That isn't going to make you feel better. You have to realize your son enjoys Barbara." "You're getting as bad as Richard!" Katy couldn't help but smile. Richard had told her what he'd said to her sister when she demanded to know why he had started to walk. "No, Millie, it isn't bad. It's actually very good. When was the last time you and Bruce..." "Katy!" "Poor Bruce. You think he doesn't need to feel that sort of love from you?" "I don't think that..." Katy cut her off. "You are right, big sister. You are not thinking. God gave us these bodies, right? He made us male and female, right? Did the devil help God to make us? Do you think that?" "Oh, of course not. Don't be silly." "Right, so God gave you all those places that make you feel good and God also gave your husband all the places that make him feel good, as well. You need to get over your prudish behavior and start enjoying what God gave you." Katy got up, looked over to the kitchen and shook her head. As she walked into the kitchen, she said, "I'm taking Brian and Barbara out to the house with me, leaving you and Bruce alone tonight. I think you need it." "Katy!" "I think maybe you've needed it for too long," Katy said looking at her sister blush. Then she added, "Oh, by the way, I owe you a new kettle. This one I forgot about and it is rather toasted." ------- "I don't remember flying up this way," Robin said. "I was in the back though, but I think I'd have noticed seeing the coast for such a long time." I smiled over to her. "We were in sort of a rush to get up there, with someone who wasn't in a rush to be there at all." "That's true." "So we're taking the scenic route back down." "It is beautiful. I love the water." "Good reason to live in Carp!" I said. "Hey, it's not bad. We have a stream." Then Robin grinned at me, "And a nice pool." "Just wait 'till I get hold of you!" "Promises, promises!" Robin giggled. "So where are we heading?" "To San Francisco. You'll get to see the Golden Gate Bridge, then we'll fly over to Sacramento, and then up to Reno," I said. "San Francisco... I can't wait! I saw a picture of the bridge once." "It's quite something to see," I said, and then added, "if we see it. A lot of times fog covers it." "That would be a shame." Robin looked over at me and cocked her head. "You said Reno, but then didn't give any other towns. Are we stopping there?" I glanced her way and smiled. "Yes. I have a little business to do." "Business! Doing what?" Robin could see my grin. "Tell me!" she demanded. "We'll be seeing the McCarran's. But don't say a word to Mary." "Keith! I love you!" "I hope so! You are, after all, carrying my child." Robin unbuckled herself and got up. "Not a word to Mary," I said. She smiled at me. "I know. But I am going to tell them we're going to see San Francisco!" I patted her butt as she left. Kristin came up almost immediately to take Robin's place. I pointed to the seatbelts, which she put on. "You do know," Kristin said, "that even though you haven't given any of us much attention, there are going to be girls scrabbling for your body as soon as we get home." I glanced over to her, my eyebrows raised. "Sarah, I think, will be the worst of the lot. I worry about her. Then there is Jill." I looked over to Kristin and saw her grinning at me. "She's in love with you more than she's able to admit. You have been so gentle with her. You know how that makes Liz feel?" "Like you said, I haven't had time for anyone, so I don't remember how Liz feels," I said dryly. "Oh, you pest. You know what I mean." "Yes, I do. It's a lot easier to let someone take their time, when your needs are being taken care of otherwise. If it was just Jill and me, I'm not sure I could be as patient." "Horny old goat!" I had to laugh. "I'm not old. Nor, the last time I checked, a goat." "Ok, just plain horny." "Well, with beautiful women around me, like you..." Kristin radiated a smile I could feel without even looking. "Even with me pregnant?" My head whipped around looking at her, then reluctantly back forward. "You're sure?" "Not positive, but pretty sure, yes." Then she reached over and touched my arm. "Both Liz and I are very late." "Both?" I croaked out. Then as I thought about it, I started to smile. I'm sure Kristin could see that. It felt like my smile couldn't get any bigger. Kristin giggled at my expression. "I'm glad you're happy!" "When do we know for sure?" "Next month. If neither of us have our monthly, it's a done deal." "And both at the same time..." "Welllll," Kristin said in an exaggerated manner, "if you remember that night..." "As though I could forget!" "Liz and I figure that we will be due about four months after Robin has hers. That's good timing. She'll have all the attention she needs and then we'll get ours." "Wow." "You know, Beth Ann will want one too. After all, you're going to marry her as well. Don't think she'll let you off the hook." "I know." "Then there's Mary." "Mary! I thought we'd talked." "Keith, really! Do you think she can just watch all of us have babies and not want one?" "But her father... He'd kill me." "Probably," Kristin said with a laugh in her voice. "I somehow don't find that as amusing a thought as you do." "He wouldn't kill Robin." "Oh, great, so Robin lives," I said sarcastically. "No, dummy. Robin gets to tell him." I had to laugh at that idea. "And what does Robin say about this idea of yours?" "She knows it would be hard, but if it's what Mary really wants... and, of course, you too." "You're kidding me?" "What did you think we were doing while you were spending all your time with Beth Ann?" "Obviously you were scheming up ways to make my hair go gray." I was glad Kristin was buckled in, the way she was laughing. "Time for you to go into the back," I said. "Too much for you?" She said still laughing. "Time to tell the others we'll be coming into the Bay area in about twenty minutes. Everyone will want to be looking out the windows. I need Mary up here with me. She's been in planes before, and I will have a lot of radio communication going on." "Aye, aye, Captain," Kristin said, trying to salute me. As she left, I couldn't help myself and reached over to pinch her rear. Instead of jumping or saying anything, she backed up a bit and wiggled her pretty little ass at me. I slapped it playfully. Mary came up a few minutes later. "Understand you want me in the cockpit," she said, exaggerating the last word. Then she giggled at her own amusement. I groaned. Kristin was obviously right. I was a doomed man, but I didn't have time to think about that. We had other things to do and I knew they would derail that train of thought, at least for a while. "We're coming into the San Francisco Bay area. I can't remember how many military installations are around here, as well as airports, but the radio is going to be busy. Ever communicate with a tower before?" Mary was surprised. I needed her. Kristin obviously didn't tell her what for. "No... Well, once, but that was a long time ago. I've listened though." "Ok. Slip on the headset after you buckle in and listen. They will all be asking basically the same questions and I'll be giving them the same answers. After you see the pattern, let me know and you can take the next one. It's a good thing to know." She looked at me a bit nervously as she buckled up. "Mary, it will be fine. I'll be hearing everything you say. If there's something really wrong, I'll correct it, alright?" "Ok." I got a work out. Half of the Golden Gate was in fog, so I flew around so everyone had a nice view. Then we went into the bay, around Alcatraz and Treasure Island. Heading north a bit, I followed the inlet waterway towards the delta. The waterway went south, I continued east towards Sacramento. As soon as we passed the naval yard on Mare Island, radio communication slowed for several minutes until we got close to the Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base. By then Mary was doing all the communication. I was very proud of her and grateful as well. I could concentrate on flying while just half paying attention to the communications. As we flew over Vacaville the radio fell silent and all that lay within eyesight were green fields. "Mary, you don't have any idea how much easier my job of flying was, having you up here. Thanks!" I could hear in her response, that she was smiling. "I'm glad I could help. It was pretty strange at first." We talked through the events. I knew it had been exciting to her and she was bubbling with enthusiasm. She needed to get it all out, so I let her talk. Fifteen minutes later, after we'd just passed Davis, I told Mary that the radio would start up, again. We'd be flying into the areas where Mather field and McClellan field kept track of planes. I didn't know much about the air bases. I'd just seen them, as I had glanced at the maps. I knew we'd hear from them, though. Mary told me she'd handle it. She did, with ease. Soon, we were east of the Sacramento area. I told her we had another hour or so before we got to Reno and there wasn't much between here and there. She looked at me, wondering what I meant. I turned my head and grinned at her. "Mary, everyone needs a chance up here. I needed you up here when I needed help, as well." "So I was a paying visitor," she said. I laughed. "Yep. You paid your way; I think I'll keep you around." After she undid her seatbelt and moved out of her chair, she slid down close to me and said, "I hope you mean that for a long, long time." That statement set me to some serious thoughts, which were broken by the next occupant of the seat. Daisy slid in. She bucked up, before I had a chance to tell her to. "This plane isn't as nice as Anthony's little one," she said. "These two seats are too far apart to do what we did on that flight." I groaned and looked over to see her devilish grin. "Well," she continued. "No one on this flight would mind. In fact, I think they'd be jealous." "I'm sure you're right," I said, "and then where would we be? All of them would want to come up here and try the same thing. It wouldn't be as special that way." She laughed. "You're right; but you're trying to be good and it's not working very well. I see that lump in your pants." I shifted in my seat, not because I wanted to shield myself from her view. That was a lost cause. She was right and I was uncomfortable. "Would you like me to help?" she asked in an innocent voice. The question was far from innocent, though. "No. You would help me right out of my pants. I know you too well." Daisy giggled She drove me crazy for the rest of the trip. It was torture, the way she kept teasing me. It did make the end of the flight that day go just a bit faster though. I had purposely not wanted Mary up here with me, as I knew she would have listened into the communications and that would have given away some of the surprise waiting for her. After we touched down and things inside the plane were a bit quieter, Daisy gave me a strange look. "What have you cooked up?" "Some fun," I replied. She shook her head at me. "I should have known." ------- Brian and Barbara were very excited about coming out when Katy had picked them up at the swimming area. Now that Brian had some mobility, especially with Barbara on one side of him and Julie on the other, he could move around without worrying about a smooth path for the wheelchair. The first thing he wanted to see was the new living quarters that used to be where the old barn was. "Wow," Brian said as he walked in with his supporters on either side. As it was open, everyone else thought it was fair game to come in and do their bit of exploring as well. It had only a couple of 'touch up' places to be done, before it would be ready to move into. Everyone was understandably excited. Dora was standing at the stairwell. Her daughter, Stephanie, ran past her and up the stairs. Elizabeth and then Kristina were right on her tail. Jimmy and Pamela stayed with Brian. They were still amazed that he was walking and wondered how he was going to manage the stairs. Kenneth was always not far from Jimmy, especially while Keith was away. Katy had been finishing up a roast to put into the oven before she could make her way over. Jill and Laura came into the kitchen to 'help'. They did what they could, but it didn't take long for Katy to figure out that they were interested in having her over to the extension. Jill pulled Katy along and as soon as they were in the front entryway. There was a purpose for them to pull Katy there. Soon Katy found herself standing in the hallway of the first floor. Jill stopped and pointed. "It's locked," Jill said. "There is no other door that is locked, other than the bank, in this whole town." Katy could see that Jill was not just curious, although that was what she was trying for. This locked door made her nervous, scared even. "Jill, Keith had that lock put on. It is to keep everyone safe, for right now." Katy looked around to make sure no one could hear their conversation. Then, lowering her voice, she added, "There are only a few people who know what is behind that door." Jill wrinkled her brow, looking at Katy. "Do you know?" Jill asked. "Yes, I do. But it isn't right for me to say. For you, Keith needs to say it. You will understand, then." "That's not fair," Laura said. "Maybe not, but it is what has to be," Katy answered. "Well, at least I won't be staying there," Jill said pointing to the room across the hall from the locked door. "Who is going to be in that room?" Katy smiled. "That room is going to be... for guests." "Guests? Across from a creepy locked door?" Laura said. Katy smiled. "Oh, I think you might be surprised at how much use that room gets." Jill and Laura looked at each other and shook their heads. Jill was thinking that as soon as she saw Keith, she was going to pin him down. She wasn't going to move in, until then. There was just something about that door... and she couldn't quite place a finger on it. "It's no fair!" came the voice of Kenneth piercing down the stairs. Katy looked down the hallway and saw Dora on her way up. Katy knew things would be handled. She was looking back at Jill and Laura, to see if there were any more questions, when she saw Kenneth hit the bottom of the back stairs and bolt out the door at the end of the hallway. ------- There were three private cars waiting for us as we taxied up. As soon as I stopped, the questions started. Over the top of them came Mary's voice, "My dad!" I glanced out and saw that he had stepped out of one of the cars. His wife came out next. "Keith! You..." Mary said as she pushed up into the cockpit. Her mouth glued onto mine, giving me a kiss I wasn't going to forget. The fleeting thought of whether anyone could see into the cockpit from outside disappeared somewhere in the middle of that kiss. They were waiting outside, having retrieved the luggage out of the back. Next to the cars was very warm on the tarmac, so everyone had moved to the shade of the building next to us. When I was done with my flight log and stepped out of the plane, they moved to the cars, wanting to go as soon as possible. Patrick had hired a mechanic to do a check up on the engines while we were here. As soon as I was done, I could leave the plane in his hands. Patrick was laughing at how his daughter had been so surprised. Patrick's wife, Jane, looked at me with a little smile. After a moment, Patrick asked the inevitable question. How had the trial gone? That discussion went on for the rest of the drive and into their home, for what seemed like two hours after that. Mary interjected things into the conversation; the things that I had done, just to infuriate 'the powers that be'. "I know I've asked before," Patrick said somewhere in the conversation, "but are you sure you don't want to get into politics?" I laughed at the suggestion and Mary told her father that I'd do that over her dead body. We all got a good laugh out of that, but I noticed Kristin, smirking at Mary's possessiveness. After dinner, Jane asked what we thought of the idea of Sarah's friend Marcia coming to live in Carp. Liz spoke the most about Marcia's mother, as she showed her the school set up. Daisy had a good deal to say about Marcia and how she and Sarah had mended the bridges and looked like the close friends they were before. "That's good to know," Patrick said, looking at Mary, "She hasn't written much to us, so we don't know what's going on." "Ok, Dad. I get the hint!" "You know, it was Vivian's suggestion that Marcia look at Carp. Sarah has Vivian convinced Carp is full of magic. I think I should call her mother and tell her you're here. I know Vivian would just love to meet you all, if that's fine with you?" Then Jane put in the clincher, making sure not a one of us could say no. "Her parents are not very well to do, in fact just the opposite. I don't believe Vivian has ever left Reno." "Of course we'd be delighted to meet her. I've heard her talk about Vivian before," I said, speaking for all of us. Jane gave me that little smile again. Before anyone else could say another word, she was down the hall to make the call. We waited, although we couldn't hear the conversation. Jane came back with a smile on her face. "Vivian was so excited. She talked her mother into driving over, right now. She'll be here in about ten minutes." "I'd better shower then," I said, and was hit by three decorative pillows. I looked at everyone in surprise, as though I couldn't figure out what was wrong. "There is no way in the world we'll let you clean up, if we have to look like we've been traveling all day," Kristin said. Everyone laughed, including me. Patrick said, "Keith, let me take back that suggestion of politics. I can see you have a knack for disturbing even the littlest moments." There were several comments made, which I chose to ignore. Jane was right, thank goodness. Vivian and her mother arrived not more than ten minutes later. We sort of lined up down the hall. Patrick and Jane went down the line introducing us. When Vivian got to Robin, who was standing next to me, her mouth dropped open. "Sarah said you were..." Then Vivian looked over and up to me. "Wow," she said. Then looking back at Robin, she added, "You are so lucky." "Vivian!" her mother said, embarrassed about her daughter's actions. Robin snickered, "Oh, don't worry. He loves it." I figured that comment deserved 'fair play'. Vivian walked in front of me, holding out her hand to shake mine. I took it and brought it up, then gave a little kiss on the top of her first knuckles. Vivian swooned. I thought she was going to pass out. Robin was laughing. Vivian's mother was beside herself at the display her daughter gave. Patrick said I just loved a good audience, so not to be concerned. We had a good laugh. When we had settled into the living room, Vivian was talking to Daisy and Robin, away from her mother. Then I noticed Vivian pull an envelope out of her purse and hand it to Daisy. The way she did it told me there was something secretive going on. Right after that, Robin came into our conversation and asked that we should get hold of Marcia. I knew something was up, but played along. "Yes, maybe she's ready to go and we could just fly her down," I said. "Oh! I'd love to do that!" Vivian blurted out, and then blushed so much that she ran from the room. Her mother looked mortified. "Listen," I said, "none of us takes offence at her doing something like that. You should hear the things that come out of Robin's brother's mouth!" I said. Everyone from our group laughed. Patrick asked about the boy, trying to remember who he was. Then he got the correlation and told a story about Jimmy and Brian. I think that brought Vivian's mother back to reality, as we were all laughing about the boy's mischief. We weren't looking for perfection from her daughter and she didn't need to be anything she wasn't, for us to like her. As Vivian walked back into the room, timidly this time, I turned and took a good look at her. Jane had been right about the monetary diversity between Sarah's family and Vivian's family. I grabbed a chair, set it down next to me and patted the seat. Vivian looked at it and then at me. Her eyes grew wide, as though she was afraid. I patted the seat again and she, by duty, came and sat. "Sarah never told me how you two met," I said. Vivian looked down. "She didn't?" "No. I think there have just been too many other things going on. I do know she likes and misses you." That brought her head back up and even produced a smile on her face. "Really?" I smiled back. "Yes, really. If you don't believe me, just ask anyone. Sarah always talks about you. Now, how'd you two meet?" I heard Jane chuckle and looked over to her. She had that little smile. It was as though she knew something I didn't. "Ummm. Sarah always had lunch with her friends. She'd been gone for a while. Then, one day someone said something mean to me and she stood up for me." "Well that was a pretty nice thing to do," I said. "Keith, sometimes you are so dense," Mary said. "Thanks for blowing my image," I replied, grinning at her. Vivian watched the interplay between Sarah's older sister and myself. "Were you there?" Vivian asked Mary. Mary nodded and said, "Yes, I was. How much did she tell you?" "Tell her what?" Vivian's mother said, echoing my feelings. "About when Keith..." Mary started to say, but got choked up. She was right, I was a bit dense, but I did finally get it. "What they are talking about is when I lost my footing and fell," I said to Vivian's mother. "You did not just fall down!" Robin said with more power in her voice than I could have imagined. "I thought you were dead." I turned to my wife, "I'm sorry. I was just making light of it. What they're talking about is rather embarrassing." "What on earth are all of you talking about?" Vivian's mother said. Patrick cleared his throat. "Keith had a mad man come after him. It happened while we were on the university campus that his sister and my daughter were attending. Beth Ann was also going to school there. "Sarah got in the way, and she was..." Patrick had to stop. I'd never seen him this way. "She was used, to get at Keith," he continued. "Keith got my daughter to safety and then tried to get away himself. "The school sustained a number of bullet holes from that incident. Keith found himself trapped on top of a three-story high building, with no way out. He fell and the saving grace was a tree that broke his limbs, but saved his life. "My Sarah blamed herself and Keith wouldn't allow her to do that. It was a life changing experience for our daughter." There were several moments of silence. Vivian's mother looked at her daughter. "You knew all that?" "Yes, Mom. Do you think someone like Sarah would pay an ounce's worth of interest in someone like me, otherwise?" Vivian hadn't meant that to sound like it came out, but the words were painful to everyone who heard them. "Do you think Scott would miss you if you were gone for a few days?" Robin asked suddenly. "You know about Scott?" Vivian said, blushing. "Sarah and I are... Second cousins or something like that. We talk a lot," Robin replied. Vivian made a goofy expression by lowering one eyebrow, while the other one rose. "What did you mean by having him miss me for a few days?" "Maybe you could fly down to Carp with us," Robin said. Vivian's eyes grew so large, I feared for her sight. "Really?" "Vivian," her mother said in a tone that said 'no.' "I was thinking," Robin went on, pretending that Vivian's mother hadn't spoken, "that you could help out in the new school. I hear they need people to stack books and the like. What do you think, Liz? If she worked for four days, do you think she could pay for a train ticket back?" "Mom?" Vivian said. "Are you sure? I don't want my girl to be a bother." Patrick laughed at that. "You should see their house! Three stories tall and how many are living there now? Twenty or so?" "Twenty? In one house?" Vivian exclaimed. "Yes," I said, "and you'll get put on the work roster, just like everyone else." Vivian's mother laughed about that idea. "Well, it sounds like a good plan. When are you going?" "Really, Mom? I can?" "Vivian, don't be such a pest, or they'll change their minds. Robin asked, I said it was fine. You want to go, so there we are." "We're planning on leaving tomorrow, at about eleven." "Then maybe we need to get going. Vivian has some laundry to do," she said with a smile, adding, "and a room to clean up." "Mo-om!" ------- Elizabeth and Kristina were crying their eyes out. It seemed they had an almost endless supply. Two hours had gone by and it was starting to get dark. That is when one of the men who had been searching for their brother came in, shaking his head. His voice carried a bit too much. The girls heard that it wasn't going to be the dark, nor temperature that would be a problem, but the critters. Elizabeth, understanding that idea more than her younger sister, started convulsing. She didn't make it to the bathroom before vomiting down the hallway. Her sister, not wanting to leave Elizabeth's side, was tripped up by the sight and smell. She unloaded the contents of her stomach in the hallway, as well. Katharine was beside herself. She had wanted to be out looking for her youngest and was ending up taking care of the perpetrators instead. Now this! She lost her patience with them. Grabbing the two girls by the arms, she marched them into the bathroom. "Strip," she barked at them, "then into the tub, both of you." Katy came in behind Katharine and touched her on the shoulder. Katharine turned around and saw Katy's soft, concerned eyes. "I'll take care of the girls from here," Katy said. Katharine looked back at her girls who were in the empty tub, shaking. "I think you need to get the doctor for them," Katy added and pushed Katharine out the door, where she saw Dora already cleaning up the mess in the hall. "Here, let me," Katharine said. "No," Dora replied, "Katy gave you another job to do." Katharine walked outside. What she saw jarred her, and her tears finally started to flow. Flashlights, lanterns, mining helmets with the lights on, and even the headlights from Jack's Jeep could be seen dotting the landscape. It had been such a productive day for her, up until she came home. She had been looking forward to the future and things were falling nicely into place. She'd found a town, a home, people she loved, and now a job. Life had hit a high that she hadn't seen in years, with all of the combined things in her life falling into place. Now in one fell swoop it, everything had crashed down. She felt as though her life had been shattered, all over again. Sarah came out of the house and put her arm around Katharine's waist. "I told Katy I'd go with you. It looked like you needed company." Katharine sniffled, wiped her eyes and nose, and then said thanks. The two walked to Katy's car and got in. Sarah was surprised when Katharine started to go into town. "With his wife here, they're staying in the hotel," Katharine said. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." A minute later Sarah couldn't stand the silence. "We'll find him. He's going to be fine." "You sound so confident." Katharine said with a weary voice At the hotel, the doctor was outside. When he saw Katharine in the car, he briskly walked over to it. "Move over. You have no business driving." Katharine slid over, pushing into Sarah just a touch. William stepped into the car. "Tell me how the search is going. Then tell me why it took you so long to come and get me," he said. ------- Chapter 94 Katharine talked to William on the drive out while Sarah sat silent, listening. Katharine explained how Elizabeth and Kristina, trying to feel very grown up, weren't going to be sharing a room with their brother. This hadn't been talked about before and Kenneth was hurt. So much so that he had run out of the building. As she had found out what was going on from the girls, Kenneth disappeared. When they called for him in the main house, he didn't answer. A search of the grounds produced nothing. No one could find him. That is when Richard had some friends start looking outside the Mansion grounds. As Katy could see when she'd walked out onto the porch of the Mansion, those friends were many. As time passed, her daughters got more and more hysterical. William nodded, understanding. Sarah's job of being with Katharine was over. As they passed the Mansion, William stopped and she got out, but not before hugging Katharine. "He's going to be ok," Sarah said. "I can just feel it." Katharine's eyes started to fill. The compassion without need for compensation still overwhelmed her at times. She had never felt that with any of her relatives and this was coming from a girl half her age. As soon as Sarah closed the door, they drove in silence to the plane. It wasn't until Katharine and William were up to the door of the plane that they heard a muffled knocking. They looked at each other. William fumbled, dropping his keys in his rush to get the door open. The keys fell through the slats and ended up on the ground under the stairs. Katharine ran down the stairs and climbed under the structure to get them. She ran back up, her hands trembling as she handed them to William. In their nervousness, they were almost dropped again. This time, with much more care, William got the key into the lock and opened the door. Inside they could hear the tapping. "Kenneth!" Katharine called out. "Mom! I'm stuck," came back a muffled, desperate cry. "Keep talking son, so we can find you," William said. As Kenneth started apologizing and crying, they located him. He was in the storage space, under one of the exam tables. The door was stuck closed, as his shoelace had jammed it. It had been easy for William to pull the door open, but had been impossible for Kenneth, inside, to do so. As soon as he was out, he ran into his mother's arms and hugged her tightly around the neck. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he kept repeating. When he was cried out, he looked up at his mom. "I was so scared." "Everyone has been looking for you. We were all worried." More tears flowed out of the little boys eyes. He sniffled and asked, "Even Elizabeth and Kristina?" "Especially them, Kenneth. The reason we came to the doctor's plane was because they needed something to calm them down. They're in hysterics. When I left to get the doctor, they had just thrown up." "Ewww," Kenneth said. "Kenneth, how did you get in here?" William asked. "Ummm," Kenneth said suddenly looking very guilty. "Kenneth, the truth," Katharine said in a stern voice. "Ummm... Jimmy had told me about the vents..." William snorted. "That boy! Between him and Brian, it's a wonder the town's still standing. I've never known two kids to get into so much mischief. By the way, if this plane hadn't had those vents, you would have cooked in here. That is something to remember, young man." "We'd better get back and tell everyone he's fine," Katharine said. "Yes, that's a good idea. I don't think anything I have here will do half as much good for your daughters as seeing their brother," William said. When Katharine, William, and Kenneth entered the front door, screams of excitement rang throughout the house. Kristina and Elizabeth heard the exclamation as Katy had opened the bathroom door to find out what was going on. She had kept the girls in there, for a long soak in the tub, then towelling them dry in a drawn out process. Finally, she had finished by brushing their hair. As soon as the girls heard Kenneth's voice down the hallway, they squeezed past Katy and ran, full speed. "Kenneth!" They squealed in excitement. Before he could say a word, the boy was engulfed in hugs and kisses. It made him cry, which he was embarrassed at. It also made him very happy. Then he noticed. "You don't have any clothes on!" Kenneth said. To both girls, that statement was as if someone had just pulled the clothing off of them right then and there. They looked around, realized the situation, and screamed as they ran back down the hallway to the bathroom. All who were around and had witnessed the sight started laughing. It was good for Katharine, who was then able to let go of her anxiety. Richard came running in the door. "Is it true, Kenneth was found? Is he ok?" Richard saw the boy before anyone could answer him. Picking him up, he hugged him and swung him around in a circle. "You had us all very worried." "I'm sorry," Kenneth answered in a choked up voice. Just then another man opened the front door. "Everyone's heard the news and we're all glad he's safe and sound." Kenneth had a mortified look on his face, seeing someone he didn't know say something like that. Richard kneeled down in front of him. "Don't you know that people would be looking for you? There were about forty men out there, searching. No one could stand the thought of you being hurt." Kenneth couldn't handle it all and ran to his mom, clamping his arms around her legs and crying into her skirt. She looked down at her son. This had to have been the most traumatic thing that had ever happened to him. Reaching down, she stroked his hair. Elizabeth and Kristina appeared again, this time dressed. They pulled their brother's arms off of their mother. Hand in hand, smiling at him, they took him upstairs. "How are you doing?" William asked Katharine. She looked weary. Richard moved in front of her and extended his arms, into which she melted. William raised his eyebrows at the sight, and then saw Katy in the corner of his eyesight. She motioned him to come. He followed her into the kitchen. "You seemed concerned about the embrace Katharine and my husband were in," Katy said. "And you didn't," William replied. "No. I don't have any problems with it." He sat down at the kitchen table and took the cup of coffee she offered. After taking a sip, he set the cup down and looked back at her. "What do the kids think of all of this..." he waved his hands around, trying to get the right word. "Love?" Katy added with a smile on her face. William sighed and took another sip. "If I told you that Richard has given me more than I could ever have hoped for, I bet you might believe me," Katy said. "True." "And if I said that he had brought back to life, not just me, but another..." "I'd wonder why he was looking for something outside of you." Katy nodded. It was a fair thing to wonder. "But what if he wasn't and didn't look. The situation presented itself and just felt right?" "I'm not sure I follow that." "The day we got married, lots of things happened." William chuckled. "I've heard." "One of those things was that Dora's house burnt to the ground. She and her daughter Stephanie were suddenly homeless. We did what we could, what we wanted to do, what felt right." "On your wedding night?" William said, rather amused. Katy blushed a bit. "It wasn't as though that was going to be the first time." "Oh, well..." William said, blushing a bit himself. "Dora needed us, but there was more. A connection that was much more than need. It was love." Then to emphasize the point, Katy slowed her speech down. "William, we both love her." William who had been looking at his coffee, looked up into Katy's face. He wanted to discern if what she said meant what is sounded like. She nodded to him. "Oh. I see." Katy laughed and said, "I don't think your wife would let you." William was confused. "What?" "You said 'I see', but I don't think she'd let you watch." William blushed heavily. He tried to compose himself, but had to know one more thing. "And Katharine?" "You want to know if she watches?" Katy teased. "Stop that." Katy laughed, but then sat down across from William, looking at him. "I don't think that would be my place to say." William smiled, "No kiss and tell then, but what about Dora?" "Dora is ours. The way she feels is that she is proud when we acknowledge her like that." "Fair enough. I talked to Richard about... this sort of thing. I'd rather have my wife find out in a way she can deal with. He was going to ask Patrick..." "So that's why he left," Katy said. "Left? You mean Patrick's gone?" William was concerned. "I'm not sure if he was feeling well enough to go anywhere. And Katy, I hope what I said didn't mean to make him leave." Katy reached over and patted his hand, as he had done so many times he couldn't count. It was a simple gesture that would calm someone. "William, he went away to be alone so he could think. Meditate I guess is what you might call it." William was nodding. "Just as long as he doesn't stay away too long." "Two days is what he told Cheryl. If he's gone longer than that, she and I are going after him." "I'm sure he'll be back with that threat hanging over him!" William joked, feeling better about the situation around him. ------- The morning brought sunlight streaming in my eyes, as well as the smell of bacon and coffee. Robin, giving me a little kiss, greeted me. Then my head was turned and Kristin gave me a kiss. She moved and Liz took her place. Then Daisy, Beth Ann, and finally Mary. My eyes were open and I was fully awake when it ended. "Time to wake up, sleepy head," Liz said. All but Robin and I were dressed, as we found out. "You two looked so peaceful..." Beth Ann said. "Mom is cooking though, so you'd better get a move on." Mary grinned. "We said we'd come back and get you up." With that she looked down and wasn't disappointed. I was 'up'. After those kisses a dead man would have been up! Then Kristin took hold of the sheet and before I could react yanked it down. I didn't bother to cover up, but I thought it might be prudent to get out of the bed. Robin said we were going to shower and would be ready in a few minutes. There were general comments about not making too much noise and running out of hot water. Comments Robin and I ignored. We didn't really have time to let anything steam up, other than the hot water. Nor did I want to make Jane worry about Sarah staying with us. Robin and I joined the others while they were finishing breakfast. It was easier with the number that we had, to eat in shifts anyway, so I didn't feel bad at all that we were the last to arrive. As soon as we were all done, Jane announced that Marcia and her mother were arriving within the next twenty minutes. Twenty minutes can be a long time to sit around and wait. So we busied ourselves getting our bags packed. Robin called Vivian on the phone and talked to her. She was almost ready, but had one last important thing to do, see Scott. Marcia and her mother arrived as Robin and I were in the back, double-checking our room for any items that might have disappeared under the bed. Well that had been the original excuse anyway. When we heard the doorbell ring, we were on the floor, intertwined. The hard lump in my pants made itself known, as it pressed against her. "Ohhh," Robin whined. "I guess we need to get up and present ourselves." I smiled at her, pulling her back down, and kissing her. "No, we don't," I said between kisses. "We can just let them find us." Robin burst into giggles. "Oh, I can see that! Marcia and her mother opening the door seeing us in a worse state than we already are. What would they think?" I sighed. "I hope Sarah has told Marcia enough to make a wise decision about moving to Carp." Robin looked a bit worried. "I hope so, too. Maybe I should ask." "You could see how they got along. If I remember, they weren't on the best of terms, so I'm sure they talked, but..." "Ok, I'll try and ask." By the time we walked down the hallway, I saw who I presumed to be Marcia, talking with Mary, Kristin, and Daisy. I heard Liz talking about the new school in the living room, so I figured she must be with Marcia's mother. Marcia saw me and stopped mid sentence. Her mouth dropped open. I felt like a specimen being examined. "That's him!" Kristin giggled. "Yes." Robin then stepped out from behind me, as I had stopped. Marcia's eyes grew wider. "She's..." Marsha whispered loud enough for me to hear. I responded by finishing her sentence, "Beautiful," then just for fun added, "and sexy." Marcia blushed and whimpered softly. I chuckled and got a poke in the ribs from Robin. "I'm Keith, by the way," I said holding my hand out to her. "I know. You're just like Sarah described..." I rolled my eyes as Robin whispered into my ear, "Good thing she has a boyfriend." I turned to Robin and making a scowling face, yet smiling at the same time, said quietly, "Stop that! You're getting as bad as me." Robin giggled. I turned back to Marcia, "Why don't we take a walk. It looks like your mom is going to be busy for a while." Robin and several others glanced over, into the living room and then nodded. Sitting there were Sarah and Marcia's mothers as well as Liz and Beth Ann. Now I knew where she'd gone. "Daisy," I said, "weren't you going to get something, for our walk?" She looked at me like I was crazy, then it dawned on her what I was asking and gave me a little smile. I wasn't supposed to know about that! "Yes," she answered, "it will only take a second." "What's she getting?" Kristin asked. "Getting?" I said acting as though I knew nothing. "Men!" Kristin retorted, to which the others laughed. As soon as we saw Daisy coming back down the hall, Mary said into the living room, "Mom, we're going to take a walk around the block. We need to have a little exercise before we sit on the plane." "Alright dear, but don't be gone too long." I pushed Mary out the door before she had a chance to say anything more to her stepmother. I could tell she didn't like to be talked to as though she was a little child. We hadn't even got half way down the driveway when Mary could no longer contain herself. "Did you and Sarah talk?" "Yes," Marcia answered. She paused then added, "We talked about a lot of things. She's not the Sarah I grew up with." "Oh?" Daisy said out of curiosity. "What's different?" "First of all, he is," Marcia said, glancing at me. Daisy laughed and then said, "You're right, he sure is different!" "No! That's not what I meant," Marcia said, suddenly almost in tears. "I mean he's the one who changed her life." Robin took hold of Marcia's hand, stopping all of us. "She was just teasing and I bet you knew that. Do your moods swing around like that now, unlike how they used to?" Marcia looked into Robin's eyes and remembered what Sarah had told her. "You're pregnant too." Shaking her head as though someone so young... but then she had to look at herself. At least Robin was married. "Most of the time I'm fine, but then..." "Something happens and suddenly you're in tears, or laughing when no one else is," Robin said. "That's exactly how it is," Marcia said, glad someone understood, who she felt comfortable talking to. "I think I must be two months further along than you. Daisy is about in line with you, we think, and Kristin and Liz are only one month along," Robin said. "Wow. Sarah didn't tell me about everyone else." Marcia said and then eyed Mary, who she knew couldn't be. She got back a look and the same sort of feeling she'd had when she talked to Vivian; as though she was not happy about that. We started walking again, with my prodding. "Tell me, Marcia, what kinds of things did Sarah tell you about Carp," I asked. Marcia tried to repress a grin. She knew what I was asking about, but didn't want to answer that question yet. "I know there's going to be a very good school. I even saw the new building in back of the Mansion. You live in a very nice house." "Thank you. Did she tell you anything else?" "She took me down to the new pool and showed me the plaque. You know; the one under the water." Mary, Kristin, and Daisy laughed. "Just ask her, Keith," Mary said. "She's just like my sister and obviously is toying with you." "Ok," Marcia said feeling like she'd just been admonished. "Sarah told me about... well that..." Marcia hadn't realized it was going to be so hard to actually say the words. "Did you see it somehow, or did Sarah just tell you?" I asked trying to make it more comfortable. "It really happened, 'cause I saw Jimmy and Pamela in bed together," she said trying to be serious. It had the opposite effect on the others, including myself. The idea of those two... We were all laughing. Marcia couldn't help but join in. After we settled down she went on. "Jimmy and Pamela talked to me. It was very strange and I thought it was a joke at first, but then realized it was for real. Then Sarah talked to me." "And you still want to come live with us," I asked, just to make sure. "Keith, Sarah and I had long talks. There was a lot said, but in a nutshell, we were honest to each other. I don't remember the last time that had happened. It was scary, but at the same time, it felt good. I mean I asked Jill a question and she told me the truth." Marcia looked at us, realizing she may have said something she shouldn't have. "Don't worry Marcia. All of us know," Daisy said. "We talked about you too. It's strange to think you were married and just a year older than me. But you didn't have a baby..." Marcia blushed. "Sarah didn't tell you about that, did she," I said. A panic look crossed Marcia's face as she took what I said wrong. "Oh! You can't have children? No, no, that isn't right. Hold on," She shook her head, "What was it then?" "The men in the town don't have active sperm. You know what that is, right?" I said. "Keith, she's pregnant!" Kristin said, like I was dense. I looked over at my sister and rolled my eyes. "Yes, I do know. So how did Robin; and well, anyone, get pregnant then?" "The reason that the men of the town can't is because of some chemicals that were put into the water. They became sterile. Men like me or Richard, who came into town afterwards, weren't affected." "Oh," Marcia said. I could see the wheels turning in her brain. I said, "So I have several children on the way, Marcia, from several different women. Does that bother you?" "I think it was explained to me... well sort of. But to tell you the truth, it seemed a bit strange. Now after meeting you and..." "My harem?" I said in jest. Marcia smiled. "I like that. Ok, harem. I can see you all love each other. It will be interesting to watch." "Oh, I don't know if we'll let you watch," I said in a stern voice. Marcia turned bright red. "That's not what I meant!" We all laughed again. I knew we needed to head back, so I turned us around. Then I said to Daisy, "You have something for Marcia don't you?" "You are too observant. Yes, I do. Vivian gave it to me to give to you. We saw her yesterday." "What is it?" "A letter," Daisy replied. Without a second thought, Marcia ripped open the letter. As soon as she had opened it up, she stopped dead in her tracks. She swallowed hard and her eyes never left the page. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she said in disbelief, "It's from my boyfriend." ------- Everyone in the mansion had gathered in the living room. Katy, Richard, Katharine, Dora, Jill, Sarah, Elizabeth, Kristina, Jimmy, Pamela, Kenneth, Laura, Stephanie, and because they were there that morning, Brian and Barbara sat in as well. After everyone had settled into a place to sit, Richard got up. "Yesterday we had a bit of trouble. It stemmed over the new housing and who was sleeping where. For all of us, it got out of hand, so that is why I called this meeting. I'm not blaming anyone. If there is fault, it was Keith and I, for not thinking this out and saying something before. No one can claim a room. I want that understood. The ones who will make the decision as to who will be where are Keith, Robin, Katy, and I. Even though the place is going to be done today or tomorrow, no one will be able to move in, until Keith and Robin get back. Do I make myself clear?" There were many yeses, along with general grumbling. Richard knew it was an unpopular thing, but needed to be said. Laura put up her hand as if in school. "Yes, Laura." "Can we make suggestions?" Several snickers were heard and Richard tried to ignore them. "Yes, Laura, I think that might indeed be helpful. So what every one of us needs to do is write down who they'd like to be in the same room with. Understand that doesn't mean it can or will happen, it just means we will know." Richard paused and looking at the young Kristina, said, "Kristina, can you write?" She cocked her heard and pursed her lips, then said, "Yes, but I'm not too good with names." "I'll help her and Kenneth," their mother said. "Good," Richard said. He was glad the question hadn't embarrassed Kristina, who he thought was at that age where she might or might not have had that ability. Kenneth was a given. It wouldn't have done a lot of good to have a list that no one could have read. "When the rest get back, we'll have them do the same. That way when the four of us get together, it will be easier knowing where you might like to be." "Richard," Katy said, "I think it would be wise if there was a first and second choice, so we can fit together everyone the best way so everyone will be the happiest. Maybe even a third choice would be helpful." "Good idea. I don't want any hard feeling over who anyone says is their first, second, or third choice. So I'd better not hear anyone asking. Write that down and turn it into Katy or I and we'll keep them safe, so no one will know." There was a sigh of relief that Richard suggested that. For Laura, Jill was her only choice. She also knew that it might not be possible. If she couldn't be with her... well she wasn't sure if she wanted Jill or the others to know who she might pick. There was a quiet rush to get paper and pen. Brian and Barbara felt fortunate in a way; they didn't need to do this. On the other hand, it would be fun to be here all the time. Their night, last night... Jimmy and Pamela were sure fun to be with and the four of them had ended up in the same room together. Each of them watched the other young couple. All learned from the experience. Brian and Barbara had been surprised at the creative ways Jimmy and Pamela had found to pleasure each other without doing what had gotten Barbara pregnant. When the four were outside, Brian couldn't help but ask. "So, Pamela, what happens if they don't put you in with Jimmy?" Barbara shook her head and Pamela teased back, saying, "What makes you think he was on my list?" Jimmy turned pale. Pamela seeing his reaction pulled him to her. "I was just kidding, silly. You know you were my number one, two and three choice." Jimmy went from pale to grinning like a fool. "You put that down, too?" The four of them laughed. "I just can't wait till Keith and everyone gets back. I wish we knew. It seems like they've been gone forever." Jimmy said. The other three felt the same way. It was a sobering thought. Barbara wanted to liven up the conversation. "Did you know that Brian is going to start working, next week?" "He is?" Pamela asked. "Yeah. As long as he can move around he can do some things. It will just be for an hour a day, at first." "A real job," Jimmy said looking at his friend. There was a touch of something that went though the two boys as their eyes met, as though they had just lost something. "I've got to earn some money," Brian said. "We're going to get married." "Who's going to be the Best Man?" Pamela asked, grinning. Brian rolled his eyes. "As if you didn't know. My best friend." Jimmy smiled. It was always nice to hear things like that. "Barbara, who is going to be your... what do you call her?" "Maid of Honor," Pamela answered. Barbara swallowed hard. She didn't know how to answer. Pamela saw the pain in Barbara's face. "It's alright, Barbara. It doesn't have to be me," Pamela said politely, although she felt crushed. Then she thought for just a moment and knew who it must be. "It's Julie, isn't it?" Barbara nodded, not wanting to see the look of disappointment on Pamela's face. "I think that's a good choice. You two have known each other a long time and both of you have had some rough times. It would make her feel very special." "Really? You think it's ok?" Barbara asked, relieved. "Yeah," Pamela said, pleased with how she could feel about it. Then just for fun, she added, "Plus I won't have to ask you for my wedding!" Barbara laughed, but then said seriously, "It would be right for you to ask Stephanie." Pamela thought for a split second and knew Barbara was right. Stephanie had always been there for her. "You're right. I think you and I know we are special friends, we just have others who need to be in that place more than either one of us." Brian and Jimmy looked at each other with a sour expression. "It's getting a bit mushy around here," Jimmy said. "Yeah," Brian agreed. "If you weren't on crutches, I'd..." Barbara said. "So would I, and you're not," Pamela said to Jimmy. "You can kiss me anytime you want," Brian grinned. "That's not what I meant!" Barbara retorted. "Me neither, so don't get any... Ahhhh!" Pamela got out as Jimmy attacked her, then her cry was cut off with his lips on hers. Barbara looked at Brian and knew he wished so bad to be able to do just what Jimmy had done. She moved to him, took the crutches and placed them behind her, his arms around her now. "You're just going to have to pull me in, if you want me," Barbara said. Brian didn't waste any time. ------- Marcia talked her mother into going to the airport with us. Then she wormed her way into the car that had Vivian in it, leaving her mother in the car with Jane, Sarah's mother. Marcia wanted to thank Vivian and knew she'd get so emotional it would be hard to explain to her mother. "I know you were trying to be nice, and..." Marcia broke down crying. "I know I really don't deserve it from you, but thank you so much. You don't..." She had to pause as the lump in her throat made it impossible to talk. "You don't know how much pain I've been in not knowing if Mike even cared for me anymore." Vivian had a hard time with Marcia's emotional seesaw. Liz, who was also in the car, caught on and explained it to Vivian about the mood swings of pregnancy. Once she understood, it was easier to accept. It was still very strange to think of someone like Marcia being... well, so vulnerable, like her. Somehow, Sarah had been easier, and that didn't make any sense when she thought about the logic of it all. It was too confusing. She was simply glad everything had worked out. "Maybe, since you're one of the people who my parents think know about me being pregnant, you'll be able to come down and visit during the year. I know that I'll not be able to see any of my other friends." Marcia said. Vivian had already pushed the idea of making this trip more than once, as just a fantasy. Even this time was more than she could have ever hoped for. Then she caught the word 'other' that Marcia had used. 'Other friends'? Did Marcia consider her a friend? Vivian's thoughts were broken by their entrance into the airport. "Wow!" Marcia said. "Vivian, you're lucky." Vivian felt very lucky at that point. There was a plane. She'd be in a plane! Other than Sarah's family, she didn't know anyone who had been in one. To top that, Marcia was telling her just that. It made her swell with pride, a feeling she didn't quite understand, other than it felt good. There was a sudden rush to get bags stowed and 'goodbyes' said. Inside the plane, Vivian waved out the window, but didn't know if Marcia was waving as she couldn't be sure if she was seeing Marcia, or not. It was very exciting, until the plane build up speed and left the ground. Mary, an experienced flyer, saw Vivian turn pale. Removing her seat belt, Mary moved to the back of the plane and then retuned. It wasn't easy and everyone watched as she held onto one seat back at a time. No one said anything, either. Mary was not prone to do things without reason. Sitting abruptly in the seat next to Vivian, Mary thrust a small bag towards the surprised girl. "If you need to, use the bag. It's easier to clean up, that way." Vivian half attempted a smile. In any other circumstances, what Mary had just said could have been thought of as funny. Vivian wasn't feeling anything was very funny right then. "It will pass," Mary continued. "The first time my sister went up..." Now that caught Vivian's attention and Mary saw it. It was something that she could use to divert Vivian's mind from her stomach. So, Mary went into a lengthy, drawn out description of how Sarah at age five had begged her father into letting her go on a trip with him. By the time Mary was done with the tale; not only Vivian, but also everyone else around her were laughing so hard they were crying. "Feel better?" Mary asked. Vivian looked at the bag Mary had handed her, and blushed, as she nodded. ------- Jack drove out to the Mansion with Jim sitting beside him in the Jeep. Richard and Katy greeted them at the front door. Jack, amused as ever, said, "Jim tells me that there was a large delivery by train and he doesn't know what to do with it." "It was addressed to Keith and Kristin," Jim said trying to make it sound like he wasn't stupid. "What is it?" Katy asked. "It looks like a column of safety deposit boxes." Jim said. "Keith said something to me about that... I bet Anthony sent them, but I can't understand why he'd just send them. Let's take a look." Richard said. "But what are we going to do with them?" Jim asked. "They can't just sit there." "I think Larry is just about done on the house out back," Katy said. "Jack, why don't you go around and ask him if he could give us a hand. They belong in the bank building." Jack wondered why she was asking him, but then it struck him. Larry was almost done. That meant he could start on his house. Jack smiled at Katy. "Be back in a minute." "Bet it will be at least ten," Katy said. Then to answer the looks she got, she told them Larry was due to start Jack's house, after this project was done. It was nearly ten minutes later they heard Larry and Jack pull around. They were on Larry's wagon still talking. Jack threw Richard the keys to his Jeep as they passed. Richard and Katy just chuckled as they climbed in, along with Jim. It was an uneventful trip and soon they were all standing in front of the column of heavy looking safe deposit boxes. It took the four men about a half an hour to load, unload and maneuver the new addition in the bank into place. "I hope Kristin doesn't want these things moved," Jim said. "I hate to tell you this, but this won't be their final resting place. They won't need to move for a while, though," Richard answered. Richard noticed Katy looking around. He knew what she was doing and part of him wanted her to look, to see that she couldn't find where that hidden treasure was. The logical part of him knew if she did anything more than what she was doing now, it would draw attention that wouldn't be good. Those silver bars needed to be kept hidden. It was the safest way to make sure no publicity would arise. Taking Katy's hand, he gave it a squeeze, and she looked up at him. He shook his head 'no', slightly. Not enough to let Jim, Jack, or Larry see, but Katy knew what he meant. As they were walking out the door, Richard said, "I hear Brian's going to be starting soon." "Starting?" Jim asked. "We hired Brian to do some 'running' around for us," Jack answered. Jim and Larry looked at each other and started laughing. "You hired a boy that is at best in a wheel chair to do running around?" Larry said still laughing. "He has started to walk," Katy said a bit perturbed, even though she could see a bit of humor in it. "I'll be darned," Jim said. "That boy of yours and Brian are the fastest menders I've ever seen in my life. Course they get into more trouble than everyone else combined, as well." Katy snorted but didn't say anything, as it was true. She half expected to see the pictures of Brian and Jimmy in the school dictionary under the word mischievous. "Brian has a lot of incentive," Richard pointed out, "Barbara." Jim and Larry nodded. It became clear why he was getting the job. They'd heard about Barbara's 'condition.' Not much was kept a secret in this small town, even if no one talked about it in public. Larry especially knew that. Unlike he and his brother, the idea of having babies in this town was so appealing that, from what Larry had gathered, people were almost willing to accept them from anywhere. "I told him I'd have about an hours worth of work a day, for him now. He's going to be bored silly with it, as it's just filing stuff. He can sit most of the time though, so it should be easy on him," Jack said. Jim looked at Richard. "You're part of this company..." "So you're asking why I'm not dealing with Brian?" Richard finished the unasked question. "Well, yes." "We thought it would be best as both Keith and especially myself are too close to Brian. If he needed to be told something, it would be difficult." Jim was smiling, "Yeah, I can see that. No hard feelings build up that way." "That's what we hope for." There was a lull in the conversation and then Larry said, "Listen." Jack was the first to pick it up. "A plane, quick, let's get to the rail car and see who it is." Katy looked at him and then Richard. "Do you know something I don't? Is that Keith?" "Hoping is more like it. When was the last time you heard a plane in this valley?" Jack said, as they were on their way. Katy bit her lower lip, feeling the lump in her throat. Her eyes watered, but she soon was able to say, "I hope so; I've missed my Robin more than I would have believed." Richard reached out and took hold of her hand, giving her a smile. Jack opened the door to the rail car; on the other side was the officer, ready to come out. "I wondered if you were on your way. I got radio contact just a few minutes ago, Sir." "And? Who is it?" Katy asked in anticipation. "A woman named Mary was doing the communications," the officer said in a straight face, and then added with a grin, "I believe you know her. Mary McCarran." Richard grabbed hold of Katy and gave her a long kiss. When they broke, Jim said, "Kids nowadays." That made everyone erupt into laughter. The radio squawked again and Jack took over the headset. There wasn't much said on Jack's part as he was listening. When he pulled off the headset, he looked at Katy and Richard. "I'd suggest you get back home, they'll be landing in about five minutes at the most." "No problem," Richard said. "Mary also said that Sarah needs to be there. She has a friend arriving." Jack said. "Marcia's already coming down?" Katy said. "I thought it would be at least another week." "I don't know who it is, she didn't say," Jack said. "Well, let's get a move on then," Richard said. "Jack, do you want to drive us back out?" Jack smiled, "I guess that would be best as I didn't give you a lot of options coming into town." As they headed to the Jeep, the sound of the plane was much more noticeable. "I hope everyone hears it," Richard said, "so Sarah will be outside and we can just pick her up. It's going to land about the time we get out there I think." ------- Vivian had been looking out the window. Everything looked so small. It was a new and interesting perspective for her. In the past few months her world had been turned upside down. She had Sarah to thank for that. For some reason Sarah had the ability to show her what had been there, in her grasp all the time. Sarah hadn't told her she had to become what Sarah was at that school table, she needed to be herself and that was fine. But being herself had never been fine before that moment. Scott was another example of that. Sarah hadn't told her anything about him and she found out later that Sarah hadn't told Scott anything about her, either. It was a blind meeting on both sides. But WOW! Scott didn't care that she was two years younger than him. It was love at... well ok, she was scared to death and so worried she was about to faint. Then there were the braces. Vivian smiled remembering how she thought he would be repulsed, only to find out he liked them. She shivered, thinking how he ran his tongue over them as they French kissed. "Are you ok, Vivian?" Mary asked. Vivian popped out of her daydream. "Yes," she said feeling flushed. "Why?" "You moaned. I thought you were getting sick." 'Moaned!' Vivian's mind screamed. She turned bright red and stammered out, "No... I was just..." Mary chuckled, and said, "Thinking of Scott." Vivian just about died. She could feel her face burning with the heat of embarrassment. "Vivian," Mary continued, reaching over and taking Vivian's hand, "I'd think something was wrong if you weren't thinking of him." "Really?" "I know Scott. Remember, he's been my sister's friend forever. He's a dream, isn't he?" Vivian broke into a big smile. She couldn't contain it if she had tried. "Yeah, he is." "Sarah has told me about how you two got together," Mary said. Vivian's blush had just about receded, but after that statement, it came back in full force. "Not everything!" Mary laughed and then teased, "Oh? What would she not tell me? Anything juicy?" Vivian caught on she was being teased and shook her head. "You're as bad as Sarah!" "Where do you think she learned it from?" Vivian groaned. "I should have known better. She loves you something terrible, you know. She's always looked up to you and thinks more about you than her mother." Mary was suddenly choked up. She loved Sarah too, but her time away in college had separated the two like no other time in their lives. Mary had felt there must be some distance between them. She had thought that her stepmother, Sarah's mother, would be the most important role model in her life at that point. Maybe she hadn't spent enough time with her sister to know what had gone on with her during the past two years and vowed to herself to rectify that. "I love her as well. She doesn't remember, but as soon as I could, I fed her a bottle." "Wow. I wish I had a sister..." "You don't have any brothers or sisters?" "No. I don't know why my parents didn't have any more. I have a gazillion cousins though." "Gazillion? What kind of math are they teaching now a days?" Mary asked and then started laughing. Before Vivian could answer, Robin touched Mary's arm. "Keith needs you. He says we're going to be in range of Carp soon and he's sure the communications officer will pick him up." Mary felt proud she was called to do this. It felt like a long time for the others in the plane, after they had heard we were close to Carp. For Mary and myself, it felt like they were there in no time at all. Soon I was making the approach and pulled the plane in for a nice smooth landing. At the end of the runway waiting were Richard, Katy, and Sarah. Everyone else had wanted to come along, but Richard had taken their car and Katy had taken mine so they would have room for the returning people. As soon as the door was opened and the wooden stairs pushed up into place, everyone except Vivian and myself piled out. I had to finish up my post flight paperwork and Vivian was told to stay inside until the very last moment. As she saw me busy, she waited. Outside there were hugs and tears of joy to be back and to have us back. Sarah was initially caught up with the excitement, but knew something was up. Why did she get to go meet the returning group? Was Marcia on board and if so, why didn't she come out of the plane? Sarah knew I was still in the plane, but... She started to make her way over when I popped my head out. "Keith!" Sarah called, "Are you my surprise?" I stopped dead in my tracks, not knowing what to say next. The sudden rush of memories of how she wanted me came back. Worse than that, Vivian was right behind me. It would be hard not to notice the tone of voice Sarah had used. It wasn't from a girl, that voice sounded like a predator looking for a mate. Before I could say a word, my body was pushed out of the way; and Vivian, wide eyed, looked at Sarah. "Sarah!" Upon seeing Vivian, of all people, Sarah fainted. ------- I was standing in front of the townspeople. I still couldn't believe how fast the meeting had been called. After Sarah had fainted, everything seemed to go a mile a minute. There was simply no time to think, at least not about that incident. It bothered me what Sarah had said and, in reality, I knew it was because of how both girls had reacted. Now, though, there were other fish to fry. The auction that had been set up on the base was to be held in three days. Jack had told everyone how the auction took place on the base, as there had been a question about how that worked. Then Richard took over, describing items that had been earmarked to get into that auction, just so we could have a good chance of it. He further went into talking about how many other things had been added, because depending on how far we could stretch our money we'd like to get other things as well. Now I was up there as the 'friendly answer man'. I guess it was working, even if I felt a bit uncomfortable being the last person to speak. "Now let me get this straight," Jim called out from the back. "You're going to be spending all this money on things like a bus to carry the miners back and forth from Angle City; but as you said, that's your responsibility so it seems right. The thing that bugs me though is other money you'd be spending." "I'm not sure I understand what you are asking?" I replied. I hadn't really heard a question there. "Well it don't seem right to have another bus for the school kids, a back-up bus as you called it, but we all know those kids are going to be using it. Then there are those shelves that would be used in the library, the desks you talked about getting if you had the extra money. It just don't seem right that you three should be paying for all that. Sounds like you're ready to go broke over this." "Jim, as mayor, you know that Carp doesn't have any money itself. We need these things. Where would you suggest we come up with any money for this, on such a short notice?" I knew there wasn't a good answer to that. Jack, Richard, and myself had been talking about it all day. The two of them had talked about that issue while. I was up in Oregon with no answers. There was a general muttering, which was to be expected as others tried to come up with any solutions. Bruce put his hand up and waved for attention. "Have an idea?" I asked. "You know," Bruce said. "I got that money from the government. Haven't known quite what to do with it, so I'd be willing to put it into the pot. I think I'd feel a bit funny if I had this money sitting around doing nothin', while you spend yours so my kid can sit at a desk." I wasn't sure how to respond to that. The idea of asking the townspeople to kick in just hadn't occurred to us. These people didn't have any money. "Bruce, I think you're right," Jim said as he sort of took over. "Now, as mayor, I think I can say that we all know there are going to be some taxes showing up soon. They are designed to pay for this sort of thing, but we need the money now. So what I suggest is that we collect what anyone is willing to give. I'll write it down and that will go towards any collections of taxes in the future." Many people started to leave right then. I was a bit dismayed, thinking that Jim might have gone too far. Then I realized they were going to get their money. Three women came up to Jim and pulled out a hunk of cash. Apparently that was their 'safe' place to keep it. I shook my head in disbelief. Jim started writing down the names and amounts. Then he turned to Richard and pulling out a few keys, threw one to him. "I think it would be good to get a couple of those safety deposit boxes to store this in," Jim said. I looked at Richard, my eyebrows raised. This was the first I'd heard of this. "They came in today. We just stuffed them in the bank," Richard said to my visual question "Let me get Kristin," I said. "I'm sure she'll want to see them." Kristin was thrilled when she heard and pulled us along until Richard opened the door to the bank. "I can't believe it, they're real!" Kristin said as she touched the double column of safety deposit boxes. "Where are the keys?" I looked at Richard; his face was blank. "No keys?" I asked. "I think I'd better go ask Jim. He was there, when the train unloaded this." Richard exited, I think a bit embarrassed. With all that had gone on today, it didn't surprise me that no one thought about it. But of course that made me wonder, if we didn't have the keys, what would we do with the money? Waiting, Kristin sat on one of the desks and looked over at me. "Are you going to be a good customer?" I smiled, "Oh of course, probably your best." "Good," she said, "cause we have special treats for our best customer." I was ready to ask what those special treats were when she laid down on the desk, pulled her knees up and grabbed them with her hands and opened her legs to me. She was pantyless and had continued from that day we'd shaved all the females in the house to be smooth. "I hope I'm always your best customer if these are the treats," I said stepping to the edge of the desk and between her legs. "Mmmm, yes. I can guarantee it." The thought of unzipping my pants was very tempting. No one was on the streets; they were all at the meeting... The door opened and Richard came in. He stopped and looked at us. "I was only gone for three minutes!" Kristin giggled, "Well it wasn't long enough." "I've never heard you complain about how long he was before," Richard said. "Richard!" Kristin said while she picked up a wooden name holder and throwing it at him. It almost hit him, as both he and I were laughing at what he'd said. "Got the keys?" I asked. "Jim had also gotten a box, he forgot about. They are all in here." There were two bank keys along with two sets of keys for each of the boxes. We knew Kristin should have one. Richard and I looked at each other, and smiled. We knew just where to keep the other one safe. Kristin took the bank key and the box key and opened the first door. She pulled out the box and then opened a second one, pulling it out as well. The third one she opened, she set the remaining keys inside, and then locked that one up. As we walked back into the hall, there was a feeling of excitement that we could feel. Jack walked up to us with a sort of shocked look on his face. "None of these people have spent any of that money the government gave them. Not a dime." Not having a clue, I asked, "So how much did Uncle Sam dole out?" The base rate was one and a half a years worth of pay for the male. And then based on the average of three point two children, they got two hundred per child they didn't have, if they were less than 45." "Wow," Richard said. "I think Patrick McCarran had a lot to do with that. I think the average payout was about twenty two hundred." "And they had this stuffed in their purses?" I added. "And under the bed, in that special drawer, wherever." Jack finished. "Aren't there over fifty families in Carp?" Kristin asked. "I did claims for fifty four families," Jack replied. "That's over..." Jim yelled out, "Keith, Jack, Richard." We walked up to the front. There was a pile of money. It was going to take four, maybe five of those safety deposit boxes. "We have collected one hundred and nineteen thousand dollars. I think you can get that bus for the kids, the desks, and a lot more." Jim said with a huge smile on his face. ------- The shock of the meeting was starting to wear off as we got home. My first priority was Vivian and Sarah. I hadn't wanted to leave them alone, but the meeting was a priority I couldn't do anything about. I walked up to the third floor and was about to knock on Sarah's door when I heard giggling. I paused, listening and just about jumped out of my skin when I felt a tap on my back. Turning around I saw Mary. She grinned at me. "Listening?" she whispered. "No, I just..." I said in a hushed voice. I was feeling like a kid being caught doing something wrong and I hadn't done anything. I knew what caused it; it was the giggling. Mary took my hand and pulled me across the hall and into Stephanie and Pamela's room. After closing the door, none to softly behind her, she turned to me. "Keith, I think you are going to have to get over the idea that my sister is in love with you." "Mary..." "No, Keith. Listen, I am, Beth Ann is, Daisy is, why not Sarah?" ------- Vivian and Sarah had heard the door close. They hadn't heard anyone come upstairs so they were a bit worried of who it might be. Some of what they had been talking about was pretty private. So the two girls got up and as silently as they could, opened the door and went across the hall to listen. As they pressed their heads against the door, they heard Mary say, "You know she loves you, you have to know that." "Yes, I know," came the reply. Vivian's eyes were wide and she whispered softly, "Is that your sister and Keith?" Sarah nodded to her smiling. She was glad Keith knew. "And," Mary continued, "you love her, too, don't you." "Mary." "Well?" "Of course I do. There is a difference." Sarah's shoulders slumped, wondering what difference there was. "Don't tell me you think it's all that 'hero' stuff," Mary said. "No, I'm sure it wouldn't have lasted. Frankly, I can see she loves me more now than after I... well, got in the way." Mary laughed at Keith. "You just can't say it can you? You prevented Sarah from being raped and maybe more. Keith, we all know it." "I just..." "It's ok, Keith. I know. You wouldn't be who you are if you walked around boasting about it." "Thanks." "So if that's not it, what bothers you so much?" "Unlike the rest, Sarah isn't staying. She'll be going home." Sarah felt as though someone had just dumped a pile of bricks on top of her. She let out a scream of frustration, ran down the hall, and down the stairs. Vivian was so stunned that she was still standing in place, seconds later, when Mary pulled the door open. "Ohhh," I groaned, putting my hands up to my head. Mary looked at Vivian who pointed. Mary took off down the stairs after her sister, leaving me with Vivian. I took a deep breath and looked at her. "Not what you expected, is it?" I asked. Vivian shook her head. Robin came running up the stairs and down the hallway. She took hold of Vivian's hand and pulled her across the hall, back to Sarah's room. As she gently pushed Vivian into the room, Robin looked back at me and rolled her eyes. I felt like I'd just been punished. How in the world do women do that? Sarah's door closed. I was confidant Robin would be able to sort out Vivian a lot better than I could ever have done. So I went looking for Sarah. ------- Jill had been waiting, but not very patiently. She saw me walking down the stairs and locked arms with me. Foolishly, I assumed she knew where Sarah was, so I went where she led. We walked down, into, and through the kitchen; and then out the back door. She led me over to the new housing. It took me by surprise. "It looks finished!" "It is. Larry was out here today doing the last of the work. Richard told us we couldn't move in 'til you got back though." I noticed there was no excitement in her voice. Everyone had been excited before. Then I realized in the pause between our conversation, the place was dead silent. "Jill," I said as she tugged me down the center hallway. She stopped, let go of my arm, and then pointed. She hadn't said a word yet and I looked at her. Her lips were trembling and her eyes filled with tears. "Jill, what is it?" "The lock, why? Why is that thing here? What's hiding behind it?" she said starting in a trembling voice and getting worse with each word. I took her in my arms and hugged her tightly. I remember her letting me do that for the first time, at the base. She was in such a state of shock that she let me comfort her, even though I had been a dreaded male. I glanced at the door. For some reason that locked door was bringing up images to her that we frightening. All I could do is hope she trusted me enough at this point. "Jill honey," I said, and tipped her head up giving her a little kiss. "I was going to surprise everyone. I never expected you would be upset with it. I'm very sorry." "What's in there?" I sighed and pulled out my key ring. "Promise you won't tell?" I said trying to make light of it by raising my eyebrows up and down. It must have looked stupid, because she started to laugh. Unlocking the door, I reached in and turned on a light. Jill stood still, not wanting to get to close. I swung the door all the way open. She squinted, her face contorting trying to see something that wasn't there. "It's empty. Why lock and empty room?" I reached out for her hand. She paused and then let me take it. I pulled her into the room. "What's that?" she asked surprised. ------- "I understand," Vivian told Robin. "That doesn't make it any easier. If Scott..." Robin laughed. "Vivian, you and I aren't that much different you know. I never thought much would come to my life. Then there was Keith." Vivian couldn't resist smiling, "Kind of like Scott and me." "Tell me what you would think if you found out that Sarah had always been secretly in love with Scott." "No, I don't believe it!" "Vivian, settle down. I said think about it, I didn't say it was real." "Oh," Vivian said embarrassed. "Would you and Scott've gotten together if it wasn't for Sarah?" "No. I know I owe a lot to her for that." "Yes, I'm sure you do. Now let me say it again. Lets say in the middle of finding out your love for Scott, you find out she always loved him and he always loved her." "I'd just die!" "Now wait. I'm going to make this more complicated. He loves you as much, if not more. What would you do? How would you feel?" "I don't know..." Then Vivian looked at Robin. "I didn't think Sarah knew about Keith until..." "You're right, and we're not talking about Sarah and Keith here." "Keith and... There's someone else that loves him too?" Robin started laughing. She couldn't control herself. Her sides hurt by the time she was able to stop. "Sorry, Vivian. I wasn't laughing at you. Let me explain. I found out Keith had always had a secret love and I knew I would forever compete with her. I couldn't stand the thought of it. It would have driven me as crazy as you thinking about Scott and Sarah." "So what did you do?" "I made him confront her and get it out in the open." "I'm not sure I could have." "Vivian, I didn't want to. But if I hadn't, I would have lost him anyway. I just knew it." "So what happened?" "We fell in love." "Yeah, that's what Scott and I did." "No, the three of us." Vivian's eyes just about popped out of her head. While Robin thought, maybe I've gone too fast. ------- Mary caught up with Sarah outside the Mansion. She'd run down the stairs and bolted out the front door, leaving it open. That open door gave Mary the clue of where she'd gone and caught up to Sarah at the end of the path. "Stop, Sarah." "Why, what's the use." "Because you're hurting and I love you." "You're the only one." "That's not true and you know it." Sarah stopped, her adrenalin running out of her. She felt like she was going to drop on the ground. "The one I want to love me..." "Keith loves you more than he wants to ever say. Sarah, it scares him to say those things." Sarah looked up into her sister's eyes. "Sarah, I wish he would give me a baby. I wish he'd marry me." Mary's shoulders dropped. "I know what it is, what prevents him, and you should too." "What?" "Dad." Sarah paused, thinking about that. It made a lot of sense. She looked back into her sister's eyes and then taking a deep breath said, "I think we're going to have to do something about that." ------- Chapter 95 I took Jill's hand. She reluctantly walked with me into the room that had the locked door. Her other hand pointed as she asked again, a most obvious question. "What is it?" "Stairs," I answered. "Yes, I'm not stupid," she said with an edge to her voice. I felt the shiver run through her in the hand I was holding. "Where does it go?" "To the main house." She crinkled up her face. "Why?" "I thought it would be nice to make a quiet entrance at night." Jill looked at the stairs going down into the ground, her face still puzzled as she was thinking. Almost a minute later her face changed to a smile. Then she laughed. Now I had a puzzled look on my face. "When I first saw the locked door and was upset, Liz told me that the room across," Jill turned and pointed across the hall, "was going to be a 'guest' room. Now I know what kind of 'guest' she was talking about." I blushed a bit, which Jill thought was cute. "I told Liz," Jill went on in a softer voice, "that I didn't ever want to be in that room. I think I've changed my mind." I looked into her eyes and saw a touch of vulnerability. Taking her into my arms, I kissed her. She sighed when we released. "Why did you lock it then?" she asked. "A few reasons. First is Brian and Jimmy." Jill laughed at that so hard I thought she might wet herself. She knew full well that those two boys were a good enough reason all by itself. "Then there is Brian and you. I didn't want either of you to feel frightened by this tunnel under the ground. I guess I failed with that." "I'm sorry. I was worried... ok, a bit frightened, but it was more of the unknown." I nodded. "Then there are the other townspeople who might think there is some buried treasure under the house. I'm sure in their way of thinking, what other reason would we have for this tunnel. The only ones who know about this outside of you, are Richard and Larry. It was Larry's suggestion that we keep it quiet from anyone else in town. Not that we're hiding anything, but given that this is where the other things were found..." "That makes sense," Jill said. "Where does it go?" "Right to my bedroom," I said. Jill's eyes widened and I started to laugh. She smacked my arm. ------- Robin wished her mother was there, right then. She felt just the thirteen years old that she was, and no older or wiser. Vivian was holding her head in her hands as she sat. Robin couldn't tell for sure, but the way Vivian was sniffling, she was sure the girl was crying. Beth Ann opened the door and seeing Robin said, "There you are..." She stopped in mid-sentence as she saw Vivian crying. Walking in the rest of the way, she closed the door behind her. She sat on the bed, so that Vivian was in the middle. "What happened?" Beth Ann asked. "I think I said too much, too fast," Robin said. "I've ruined everything." Beth Ann shook her head at Robin, trying to let her know it would be ok. Then put her arm around Vivian. "Want to tell me about it?" Vivian looked up at Beth Ann. "Keith and her and..." Vivian looked like she was going to be ill. "They're..." "Yes?" Beth Ann asked in a level tone she'd learned from Keith. "You know..." Vivian said hoping someone else would say the words. "You mean they love each other?" Beth Ann asked. "Yes. No. I mean," Vivian said then turned her head to Robin. "Doesn't she know?" "That we love each other?" Robin asked, catching onto how Beth Ann was approaching this. Vivian took a deep breath. "No. Not about loving each other... being..." Vivian's head and eyes moved back and forth between Robin on one side and Beth Ann on the other. "I don't know what I mean," she eventually said. Beth Ann took hold of one of Vivian's hands. "Let me tell you about a man I met." Beth Ann smiled, thinking about that time, and then started. She told Vivian when the man came into the office at the university. Upon seeing her, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. It had been disconcerting at the time. Then, soon after that, she served as a guide, and took him and some others to a party. She watched as he taught a couple of the younger girls how to use the silverware, so they wouldn't be embarrassed. Then, later, he taught them to dance. Beth Ann talked about how his concern for others went into almost everything he did. She then explained how she couldn't help but fall in love with a man like that. Vivian agreed that he sounded wonderful. "For me, it didn't happen all at once. I was afraid of men." "Why?" Vivian asked. Robin interrupted. "Vivian, there is something you need to know. If you ask a question in this town, and especially in this house, you are most likely going to be told the brutally honest truth." Vivian glanced quickly at Beth Ann and blushed. "You don't need to answer that, I guess." "You 'guess'? Does that mean you are being polite, but wished you knew?" Beth Ann asked. Vivian blushed a bit more, but didn't know how to answer that. "Vivian, I was hurt by my Uncle. We flew up to Oregon for a trial, because of what happened." Scanning Beth Ann, Vivian was looking for some bodily injury. Beth Ann shook her head and in a calm voice that made Beth Ann realize it was over, she said, "My uncle raped me and my father killed him." Vivian's mouth dropped open and she gasped for air. Beth Ann went on, "Do you know how special it is to have a man know about what my uncle did, stand up to him, and all along show love to me? How could I not fall in love with a man like that?" Vivian was breathing hard, trying to take it in. Her face wincing when she said, "He raped..." "Yes and he controlled my life. It was horrid. It only got better when I moved out to go to college. My man was still in a wheel chair from a fall, when my uncle came to get me." Vivian nodded. "What did he do?" "He got my uncle arrested." "Wow. I can see how you would fall in love with him." "Vivian. You know who he is," Beth Ann said softly. Vivian's shoulders slumped, and her forehead crinkled, as she wearily said, "Not Keith?" "Yes, Vivian. Keith." ------- "Sarah!" Mary gasped. "You can't do that. Dad would kill us, not just you, but me as well. If I remember, I'm supposed to be watching out for you." Sarah's face became even more determined. "Then I'll do it without you. Forget I said anything." "Sarah... No," Mary said taking hold of her sister by the shoulders. "We do this together, or you don't do it. Do you understand me?" "Then you will help?" Mary sighed. "Sarah, your plan has lots of flaws in it. It isn't going to work." "I knew you'd say something like that." "What you need is a foolproof plan," Mary said. "I think the first thing to find out is what he's most afraid of, and see about how to go around that." Sarah grinned. Her sister was really going to help! Then it struck her and the smile on her face faded. "What about you? You said..." "Sarah," Mary said, rolling her eyes, "Why do you think I'm going along with this?" "Oh... OH!!" Sarah looked at her sister. That would be weird, but then no stranger than anything else around this house. She smiled. She sort of liked this type of strangeness. ------- Patrick opened the door and Cheryl didn't wait to let him all the way in before wrapping her arms around his body. "Patrick," she said, "I missed you." "I've only been gone..." his voice was cut off by her lips on his. Holding on to her, he stepped in and closed the door. Then the fog in his mind took over. She could tell he was in a trance and broke off the kiss, holding his hand and leading him to her bedroom. She sat him on the bed. He watched while she removed her clothes. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, or whether there was a slight bulge showing. In any case, the truth would soon be evident to the town. His first application would be to the doctor's wife. If she could see the benefits, and could understand the realities, then there was hope. He had spent every waking hour thinking about the situation. Now... well, soon... it was going to be time to act. That was the last rational thing Patrick thought before Cheryl took over. His body, mind, and soul became intertwined with hers. He loved what she could do, and she did it so well. Two hours later, he was sitting at the kitchen table. There was a knock on the door. He rose to open it, but Cheryl beat him to it. "Is Patrick back?" "Come on in, Millie." "How did you know I was back?" Patrick asked. "Brian told me when I went to pick him up from work. He saw you get off the train." "Brian's working?" "Only an hour a day right now. All he's doing is paperwork." Millie laughed. "He said it bored him out of his mind. 'It's worse than school, ' he told me. Until he can walk better, he has to do things like that. It also gives him an idea of what they do so when they need him to do more, he'll know what to do." "That sounds like a good plan. I just hope he doesn't get too bored and lose his job." "I don't think so. From what Jack told me and right in front of Brian," Millie snickered, "Barbara had walked with him down to work. She then gave him a goodbye kiss that made it uncomfortable for him to sit. I think he's properly motivated, all right." "Sounds like you've come to terms with your son and Barbara." "Dad, I don't like it. They are too young. What am I to do though? He's got to be responsible for what has happened and no one in their right mind could question their love for one another. So, I'm not going to be a 'stick in the mud.' Bruce told me to be happy for my son. I'm trying my best to see everything through their eyes." There was a pause and Millie looked into her father's eyes. She sighed and added, "Ok. So Katy also talked to me." Patrick smiled. He knew there had been more. Now he wondered how she was dealing with his situation. "Millie..." "It's ok, Dad. Katy and I talked about that. I mean, about you... as well," she sighed. "I think it would be easier to understand if I was in Cheryl's place. I have Brian." "And you never wanted more?" "Yes, but they never came..." Millie started to shake her head. "I never thought about that before. We had Brian, so I knew everything worked..." Millie sat down heavily. Her face was strained and there was a lot of sorrow in her voice. "I didn't even realize 'til just now. We could have had other children, if it hadn't been for Cliff." Millie looked up into Cheryl's eyes. "I'm sorry." Both women had tears in their eyes. Patrick knew he needed to wait and let them have their moment. A minute or two later, he took his daughter's hand, and she looked at him. "I'm going to be telling the townspeople about this." "Dad?" "Can't keep it a secret. Cheryl will start to show anytime, now. It is best if people know." "But, Dad..." "I'd like you to help me," Patrick told his daughter. "Me?" "Yes, you. You just said so, yourself. You didn't realize what the impact of what Cliff had done, would be on your own life. I think some of the others will see things that way, also. You could give them another viewpoint." Millie studied her father's face before answering. "You're scared, aren't you?" "Yes, sweetheart, I am." "I'm going to talk with Bruce. I need his support." "Thank you." ------- Katharine had been listening to the conversation between Beth Ann, Vivian, and Robin. She'd slipped into the room next door, knowing something was going on. She heard so many similarities in Beth Ann's acceptance, as to what she'd gone through, that it was startling. Not that she'd been physically raped, but her raw emotions were very close. It gave her a clearer idea why she had accepted this odd situation of living. After Vivian's sounds of desperation; her admitting what she hadn't wanted to admit, that Keith was the one Beth Ann had fallen for, Katharine stuck her head around the edge of the open doorframe that connected the two rooms. Vivian's head was down in her hands. Beth Ann saw Katharine first. Katharine motioned for her to come. When Beth Ann rose, Robin was surprised. When Beth Ann pointed, Robin turned her head, and she knew why. Robin also got up, in response to Katharine's motioning. The two walked into the other room. Katharine moved them to the door. Opening it without a sound, she got them to go out into the hall. "I'll try, now. Wish me luck," Katharine whispered. Then she closed the door behind her. Katharine knew a bit more than Beth Ann or Robin did about how to give comfort. Her nurse's training and experience had done that for her. Vivian was like any other trauma patient, right now. Katharine knew the girl's mind was hurting, as she was trying to process the new information that had been handed her. It was time to de-rail her thoughts and then get them back on the right track. It was the way she'd seen doctors explain the most horrid things to families and had seen those families pull together, instead of falling apart. Walking over to Vivian, Katharine reached out and took hold of the hands covering the girl's face. Vivian was reluctant to let go. "We need to take a walk," Katharine said. Vivian looked up, startled by the new voice. She looked to each side, and couldn't believe that both Robin and Beth Ann were gone. Numbly, she let Katharine pull her to her feet. Walking out into the hall, Katharine led Vivian down the back stairs. In the kitchen, Katharine's daughter Elizabeth was helping cut vegetables for dinner. "Elizabeth, come with me," Katharine said. Mary, Pamela, Jimmy, and Dora, who were also in the kitchen stopped and looked at Katharine, and then Vivian. No one said a word. Elizabeth knew from the tone of voice her mother had used, that it was not a request. There were no options. She was expected to follow. Outside, Katharine walked them to the horses. "Ever ridden bareback?" she asked Vivian. Vivian looked at the horses and then back to Katharine. "Obviously not. I guess this is a first for many things, today. Vivian, you can get on behind Elizabeth." Vivian couldn't believe it. What kind of place had she agreed to come to? How could Marcia be coming to live here? Did she have any idea? She was still wondering, when Katherine hoisted her onto the big animal. Elizabeth landed as light as a feather right in front of her. Vivian had seen people ride; but there were saddles and those things you held, to make the horse go. She watched as Katherine took hold of another horse and led the two horses to the gate. As soon as they were out and the gate locked up, Katherine mounted her horse. She slapped the flank of Vivian and Elizabeth's horse. Vivian just held on, afraid she'd fall. Half way across the small valley, the horse slowed a bit. Vivian looked up and was stunned at the sight of Katharine riding right next to her. They went to the other side of the valley, past the planes, to a grove of trees. Vivian was watching, now. She marveled at how Katharine got not only her horse, but also the one she and Elizabeth were on, to respond. When the two horses came to a stop, Katharine dismounted. She then helped her daughter and then Vivian to get down. Elizabeth grinned when she saw her mother pull out two carrots. She'd obviously snagged them on the way through the kitchen, but neither had seen her do it. Handing them to her daughter, Elizabeth gave the horses their treats. Taking Vivian's hand, Katharine led her over to a shaded trunk and sat down. Vivian followed suit. The two didn't say anything to each other as they watched Elizabeth. Very soon she was done and came to join them. As soon as she sat, Katharine turned to her daughter. "Elizabeth, you know both Keith and Richard have more than one partner. What do you think about that?" Vivian was dumbstruck. She couldn't believe Elizabeth would know such sordid details. She also couldn't believe Elizabeth's mother would ask her such a question. Elizabeth, not knowing Vivian's turmoil, giggled. She was sure her mother knew just what she thought. "Well?" Katherine pressed on. "Mom, you know I'm happy about it." This was not what Vivian had expected to hear. "What? How can you? It's... It's just..." Elizabeth had her head tilted; trying to figure out what Vivian was getting at. "I thought you had a boyfriend? Sarah said you did." "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" "Do you love him?" Elizabeth asked, wondering. Even with the turmoil surrounding everything else, she couldn't help but smile as she answered. "Of course I do. I love him more than anything in the world." Elizabeth still wasn't convinced. "Are you sure?" "Of course I'm sure. I wake up thinking about Scott. I go to bed thinking about him and if I don't get to talk to him during the day..." "You feel like you've missed something?" Katherine added for her. "Yes, that's exactly how I feel." "Would it make any difference if he was ugly?" Elizabeth asked. She'd seen a picture of Scott that Sarah had and knew he was handsome. Vivian looked down. "I think someone would have to ask him that question, about me." Katharine now got the notion of how Vivian was thinking and of what one of the major problem was. "Vivian, you don't see yourself as attractive, do you?" "I'm not, really," Vivian answered, her head still looking down. "Every one of us has our own set of problems that we deal with in life." Katharine looked at her daughter. "Elizabeth, honey, go see if the doctor is in the plane." Elizabeth knew what she was being asked to do. Disappear. She'd have loved to hear what was being said, but knew better than to disobey. She had figured out that something serious was going on and she didn't want to mess anything up. So off she went. Katharine turned back to Vivian after watching her daughter walk away. "Every one of us in that house has some sort of problem in our life. I think we're not unique in that. We have found a different way of dealing with things, though." "Problems? What could you have problems with?" Katherine smiled. "Vivian, I was married to a wonderful man. Had three beautiful children with him." "I don't think I understand?" Vivian asked. "He died in a terrible accident. My life was shattered. I was given a lot of money in compensation. The money is nice, but it is no substitute for the love that I lost." "I'm sorry," Vivian said. She had a hard time trying to think of anything more to say. "Vivian, do you have any idea how hard it is to have a lot of money and have everyone wanting it? My friends and relatives were crawling out of the woodwork, trying to be nice to me. All they wanted was my money. I ran away. I took my children and we left." "Where did you go?" "Everywhere. My children have seen a whole lot of things. A volcano, gigantic whales, ten-foot high walls of snow, trees higher than the sky and deserts as far as the eye can see. It was a good education for them." Vivian nodded. She'd never been outside of Reno before this. It would be really interesting to see all those places. "As much fun as that was, it was still 'running away, ' for me. It was both good and bad for my children. It was good that they saw all that, but they didn't have a home." "So you came down here on one of your trips?" "Not exactly. We met Keith and Daisy in Redding, California." "Not Keith, again," Vivian said exasperated. "He... romanced you, too?" Katherine laughed. "Oh, no and I think you've got it all wrong. The only one Keith ever romanced was Robin, but we can talk about that difference later. My children fell in love with him. He was there on a mission." "A mission?" "He was rescuing Daisy from a mean man. Keith got hurt helping her. If I remember right he was punched many times." "For helping someone?" "Daisy was running away from a bad situation and that man came after her. Keith got in the way, trying to protect her." "Your children saw how he protected her?" Vivian said, knowing she'd figured it out. "No, not at all. The more you know about Keith, the more you will understand that he doesn't like anyone to talk about things like that. He gets embarrassed about it. Keith and Daisy had to spend the night in a hotel. He'd flown in to get her and the doctor wouldn't let him fly back until the next day. It was at the hotel where my children, running wild, stumbled upon them." "Stumbled upon them? What were they doing?" Katherine laughed. "You sounded like me at that point. My kids saw the room they were staying in and sort of invited themselves inside. Daisy started playing games with them. I found them in the room and assumed they were a young couple, maybe on their honeymoon or something like that. When I found out Keith was married and he was in the hotel with some other woman, I was furious. I let him have it and then went after Daisy and let her have it. I had no idea what she had just been through and she fell apart. After I found out what had happened, and that Daisy and Robin, Keith's wife were the best of friends, I felt terrible. "I'll bet," Vivian let slip out and then turned red. Katherine just smiled and went on. "I had no idea how much influence Keith and Daisy had on my kids. We spent the next day together and then we both went our separate ways. It wasn't more than two days after that the kids started talking about going and seeing Keith and Daisy. I thought it would just pass, but it didn't. They constantly bugged me." "So you drove all the way out here, in the middle of nowhere, to see them?" Katherine snorted. It did seem like a silly thing to do. "Yes. I told you we had no real home and were sort of wandering. So I showed up. Keith wasn't here at the time. What I didn't expect was this town." "What do you mean? You thought they lived out by themselves?" "No. The day after I showed up, the mine collapsed in the town below, in Angle City. As soon as they heard, everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed to help. I'm a nurse and I ended up leaving my children with Katy's sister and drove down to help." Katherine was getting choked up thinking about that day. "Several of the men didn't make it. Millie's son, Brian, almost died that day. I ended up being flown out in a helicopter with him. I was at a military hospital with Brian while my children were here in Carp. I'd never left them since my husband died." "Wow. That must have been real hard." "Yes it was. I could have felt sorry for myself, except when I called to talk to my children, I got an understanding what it would be like to be Millie. Her only son was in the hospital and she had no way of knowing what was happening. I was her only contact. There are only a few words that can describe what that was all about." Katherine paused. Vivian wondered if she was supposed to guess, but she didn't know. "Vivian... what these people did, how Millie took in my children without any notice, how I felt like I needed to act; it's called compassion. It's called love. This is a different town than I've ever been in. I wanted to stay. My children feel the same way." "But what about Keith and Richard. I mean what they do? You said you were mad about what you thought about Daisy and Keith. I don't understand." "I know. It is hard when you have a love. Scott's his name, right?" "Yes." "You also said you didn't think you were pretty. Let me guess Vivian. You were never the popular one." "Been talking to Sarah?" "No. I recognize the signs." "The signs? What signs?" "The signs that show you believe that you aren't worthy." "I'm not sure I understand." "I'll bet Patrick could do a better job of explaining this to you, but I'm going to try. Can you remember first grade?" Vivian's lips twitched with a little smile. "Mrs. Prichard." "Do you remember the girls and boys in the class? Not what you remember about them now, but back then." "Not to much, we all sort of grew up together." "Ok, but tell me, can you remember sitting in groups? I'll bet the only groups for many years were the girls and those horrid boys." Vivian couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah. We'd call them stickwads behind their backs." "Stickwads?" Katharine said, amused. "I don't even remember what that was supposed to mean now." "So when did it change. When did you become the outcast? When did some girls become important?" Vivian didn't have to think. She knew exactly. She knew the day, the time, the incident. Katherine saw it on her face. "The friends you had grown up with were different. You lost a lot right then, didn't you? You were sure it was you. This didn't happen to anyone else. No one else felt like you. Am I right?" Vivian couldn't believe what she was hearing. "How do you know what went on in my life?" "Vivian, you are not the only one that happened to. Most everyone goes through that. Not always at the same time, not always the same way. But we try and make ourselves feel like we're the only one. Know why? It makes us feel better, 'cause we don't understand why it happens. It doesn't make any sense, and the only thing that makes sense is that we are the only one who's ever felt this. Vivian, I had my share. I know just what it's like." "But you're pretty." Katherine smiled. "Yes, Vivian, I am. But there is something you haven't let yourself believe." "What?" "You're beautiful, as well." Vivian was already shaking her head. Katherine reached out and held her head, stopping her. "Vivian, you let others tell you, you weren't worthy. You thought they were your friends, so you listened. Now you have to trust your friends and believe what they are saying. The problem is your first set of so-called friends hurt you. Now you have a hard time believing that this group wouldn't hurt as well. There is a big difference." "What?" "Age. How many years have passed? I'll bet back then, your feelings got hurt easily. You had a hard time separating a group of girls in a room as those you would like to be friends with and those you wouldn't. Now it's not so hard. Trust yourself first. Then trust a close friend who you know isn't going to hurt you. Then believe. I think you will start to see how beautiful you are." Somehow, what Katherine said made sense. She still had a nagging question about all of this. "What does all this have to do with Keith and Richard?" "Strange as it may seem, it makes all the difference in the world. If you trust, start being honest with yourself and with others... You will begin to see things around here in a different way." "So if I grew up here, I'd think it was ok? Is that what you're saying? It still just doesn't seem right." "If you let the gift of love surround you, you would begin to understand how these people love each other. That is what I'm saying. No one expects you to join in, Vivian. It's not that simple." "Oh." "Were you worried?" ------- "I lost my mother; I lost my father. You and the baby growing inside of me are my family now. Yes, I want this. I want it now." "You're sure?" "Brian, just think of it as a big birthday cake, if you want. It's a big party, isn't it? And it is my birthday, so let me decide." "The best thing to say in a situation like this, and you'd better get used to it," Bruce said, "is 'Yes dear'." "Bruce! You stay out of it," Millie said. Bruce grinned and said, "Yes dear." That made everyone in the room laugh. After they calmed down, Barbara still saw the worried look on Brian's face. "What's wrong?" she whispered. "I wish I could walk better. I need to go talk to Richard." Brian whispered back. "Could I get him for you?" Barbara asked. Brian's shoulders dropped. "Yeah, I guess. I don't want to be a bother." Barbara rolled her eyes. "If you think that is a bother, what about when I had to clean you and... Stop grinning. Ok, that did have its fun parts." "What are you two whispering about?" Millie asked. "And you told me to stay out of it," Bruce countered. Millie took a deep breath. This was going to be hard, thinking of these two youngsters as adults. "I need to go out to the Mansion," Barbara announced. "Now?" Millie asked, surprised. Barbara looked over to Brian, who nodded. "Yes, now." "I don't like it. You shouldn't be riding and walking that far... Bruce hook up the wagon. We can all take a trip out there. I wouldn't mind talking with my sister." "Yes dear," he said and then ran out the door so that she couldn't throw anything at him. He heard Brian and Barbara laughing as he closed the door and his wife telling them it wasn't that funny. ------- "Brian, what's this about? Barbara said you urgently wanted to talk with me," Richard said. Brian knew they were alone. Still he looked around. "Can I sell one of my silver bars? I need some money." Richard raised his eyebrows, "Whatever for?" "A wedding ring," Brian said softly. "I was talking with Jack in the office today. He said that on the base there is this store that has everything. It's where you and Keith got rings for Katy and Robin." "Yes," Richard said, and then made the connection. "We're going there tomorrow. You want to get one then, don't you?" "I knew I couldn't, but I just had to ask," Brian said, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. "Barbara wants to get married on her birthday. It's coming up so fast. I just..." "How are you doing with your walking?" "What?" "How far can you walk at one time?" "I walked from home to the office this morning." "And?" "I was tired after. I did it without any help, though. Why?" "It wouldn't be right for anyone else to pick something like that out. You would need to come along with us, so you could get it." Brian's mouth was open, and he was making some sort of noise, but words failed him. "Because the rest of the town gave us so much money to buy the things for the school; Richard, Jack, and I aren't going to go broke. So I can lend you the money. As soon as we can sell the silver, you can pay me back." "Really?" Brian said in awe. He knew he had to ask. Knew he wanted to do this, but didn't expect that it could happen. "I'm going to tell Katy and Robin. They'll need to come along with us. I'm sure Cynthia is going too." "Why?" Brian asked. "On top of the ring, Brian, you need to get her a dress. A wedding gift would be nice, as well. Katy and Robin will make sure you get the right size dress." Brian could only nod. He knew he was in way over his head. Richard put his finger to his lips, and quietly moved over to the door. Pulling the door open suddenly, Stephanie landed on the floor at his feet. Reaching down, Richard picked her up and set her down, right next to Brian. Richard could only guess, but he asked anyway. "Was this your own doing, or were you sent?" Stephanie, blushing for getting caught in the first place, turned bright red. "Do I need to put you over my knee?" Richard asked. Stephanie's lips started to quiver. She was about to burst into tears. Brian reached over and patted her leg. He couldn't believe how hard Richard was being on her. Looking up at Richard, he saw Richard wink at him. "Stephanie?" Richard said in a commanding voice. "It was Barbara. She couldn't stand not knowing why Brian wanted to talk to you." Brian couldn't believe it. Richard started laughing. He knew that's what it most likely was, but he had wanted to be sure. "Now, Stephanie, here's what you heard..." ------- Bruce and Millie had been brought in on the plan and were conveniently standing close when Stephanie told Barbara what she'd 'heard.' "He wanted to do what? That's what was so important?" Barbara was incensed. "What's the problem?" Millie asked innocently. "The whole reason Brian wanted to come out here was to see if he could go with Jack, Richard, and Keith to the auction. Jack had been talking about it and... Oh that makes me furious!" "Barbara, you have to understand. Brian has always been a determined boy. He stood up to his parents, if you remember, to defend his love for you," Bruce said, letting it sink in. Millie took up the line, right on cue: "Now he's just making sure that his job is important. He's doing this for you and his child, you know." Barbara was surprised. "I never thought about it like that. I guess you're right." Stephanie had to suppress a laugh. As she thought about it, what they had said was not a lie. It was just that Barbara was led to believe something other than the real reason Brian wanted to go. That reason still was going to be a surprise. After hearing from Robin, she knew how much that surprise was worth and there was no way on earth she was going to spoil it for Barbara. Of course the turn of events changed Richard's and my trip into a small production. Katy and Robin had to make sure everything was just right before they left. Richard and I just shook our heads in dismay. Bruce chided us, telling us we did this to ourselves. Brian was going to stay out at the Mansion, as we'd be flying out early. So that meant Barbara was staying as well. Millie said goodbye and called to her husband that it was time to go. Barbara and Brian looked at each other and smiled, expecting the 'yes dear' response. Bruce was smarter than that. Their house was going to be theirs for the night and he wasn't going to spoil this opportunity. "Coming dear," he said. Barbara and Brian's expression changed. "Expecting a different response?" Richard asked. "Yes," Brian said. "My dad was teasing me about how I should always say, 'Yes dear.'" "Brian!" Richard laughed. "Your dad wouldn't say that now." "Why?" Richard shook his head. "Katy, you want to explain this to him?" Katy was smiling, trying not to laugh. "Brian, you and Barbara aren't going to be home. Do you think your dad is going to do anything to upset your mom? He wants her to be 'in the mood' when they get home." Brian scrunched up his face. "My mom? That's disgusting!" Everyone in the room roared with laughter. ------- Julie was very happy that Brian and Barbara were staying out at the Mansion. She could sneak into their room and spend some time with them. Barbara and Julie were talking to each other and Richard saw it. She pointed it out to Katy. As arrangements were made for where Barbara and Brian would be sleeping, Julie heard her name in that mix. So did Vivian. Vivian had been listening to the whole conversation and couldn't believe Katy and Richard were putting Brian and Barbara in the same room. "Another thing I need to tell you about," Sarah said, as she noticed Vivian listening to the conversation. "Yes, I think so. How many strange things go on?" "Not strange, just different." "How can you be so... comfortable about it all?" "Come on, let's go and talk about it. I'll tell you all about Brian and Barbara. It will take all the rest of the evening, as it's a long story." Julie was oblivious to the secondary conversation taking place. She couldn't hear it all, though. Katy and Richard were talking to themselves at one point. She was hoping they weren't going to change their minds. Richard got up, walked over and held out her hand to Julie. Julie took it and he walked her up to the second floor, and then into the bedroom they had been talking about for Barbara and Brian to share, along with her. "I know you heard us. I also knew you'd like to be here," Richard said. Julie could only nod. "It wouldn't be right for something to happen to you," Richard paused, "that would end with you being pregnant." Julie's mouth went dry, and she tried to swallow. "So I'm going to send Jimmy and Pamela in here. They have to be careful, as well. You never know when a girl is ready to start... you know... when her body could have a child. Pamela is small; she needs to wait. You're not small, but you also need to wait. You know that, don't you?" Richard asked and waited for a nod from Julie. "Keith talked to Jimmy and Pamela about all the other joyful things that can be done." "Other things?" Julie said. Richard smiled. "Yes, like what happened with Katy, Brian, Barbara, and I. I'm sure you remember that." Julie blushed and nodded. It was one of her favorite memories. "Pamela and Jimmy will love to tell you what they do. They are..." Julie grinned and said, "Exhibitionists?" Richard laughed. "Yes, but where did you hear that word?" "Katy said it the other day... to them," Julie said through a chuckle. ------- Patrick went over to the hotel to see the doctor and his wife. He found them sitting in the lobby where there was a breeze. "Beautiful evening, isn't it?" Patrick said. "Yes, it is. The days right now are a bit hot for my taste, but the evenings are very delightful," Thelma said. "Why don't we take a walk, dear," William said. "Patrick, you will join us? I'm sure you could suggest an interesting route." It was a wonderful set up, even if Patrick and the doctor had not talked about it before hand. "Yes, that would be nice," Patrick agreed. Patrick thought, as they left the hotel, that a little history tour of the town might be in order. So the first thing he did, while there was still ample light, was to walk them up to the spring. It was beautiful seeing the colors in the sky crossing the valley and rushing over the hills. "Do you know the recent history of Carp?" "William has told me some of it. I saw the new tanks, so that, of course, jogged my memory. A mad man tried to kill off the whole town. Am I right?" "Yes, he did. But before that, he put a lethal chemical into the water supply; he was slowly poisoning the entire town." "Oh! That is just so horrid." "His plan was to slowly kill off the town in the cruelest way he could think of. In a way, he succeeded." "What is that?" Thelma looked at her husband. "We're in danger living here?" "No. No, dear. Everything has been cleaned up. It was in the water supply," William told her. "Then what did he do?" Thelma wanted to know. "The chemical he released, over time, caused the men in this town to become sterile. The town could no longer have children and it would just die out." "Oh! That man!" Thelma shook with rage. "He's dead, am I right?" "Yes dear. He is." "Good thing. I'd be liable to shake his head right off him if I got hold of him." There was a pause in the conversation as Thelma stomped around, letting off steam. "Those poor families. No children," she finally said, with her tears beginning to flow. "Mrs. Harrington, do you believe in miracles?" Patrick asked. William was a bit surprised. This was not an approach he thought Patrick would use. Miracles? That sounded a bit desperate. Maybe he should have talked to Patrick before and asked what he was planning on saying. A bit late to do that now. All he could do is hope for the best. "I'm a bit skeptical about that subject, Reverend," she answered politely. Patrick laughed. "Aren't we all? Let me tell you of what I would call a miracle and maybe you might agree. You have met Keith Patterson, am I right?" She smiled, "Oh yes. A very nice man, even if his wife is a bit young." William rolled his eyes and Thelma giggled. Patrick knew he was missing something. "There is only one year difference between Keith's and Robin's ages, and ours," William said. "I see," Patrick said with a grin. Patrick started them walking again, taking them in a large arc towards the old mine. They would be passing Cliff's old plot, then would go back into town. If it was needed for the conversation, it would be there. If not, it was a nice quiet place to walk and talk anyway. "Anyway," Thelma said, "you were talking about Keith." "He drove into this town for no reason whatsoever. He had a thing, it turned out, for someone who looked just like my granddaughter. His profession dealt with water. Robin stole his heart and the water problem intrigued him. You could call all of that coincidence, I call it a miracle." Thelma nodded and said, "I believe that is as close to a miracle as anything I've heard. Certainly we know it wasn't contrived in any way." "If it stopped right there, it would be a bittersweet story though," Patrick pressed on. "How so?" she asked. "The town stopped being poisoned, but now they knew. The town was doomed. Yes they could bring in other people, but the families here..." "That is so sad to think of. There is nothing that can be done?" she asked. "William what do you think?" "Keith, with a request from the government, started research into finding a cure. He used a universities medical teaching hospital. He turned everything over to someone who could devote even more time to the project," William said and shook his head. "They haven't been able to come up with anything. There is nothing wrong with the females, but males will never be able to reproduce." "I'm bringing this up," Patrick said, "because I am in a difficult position right now. I am the minister. I am the one people look to for guidance. I believe I have been guided, but there is another more sinister way that some people might view my actions." Thelma could see the strain on Patrick's face. The strain coursed through his whole body. "Patrick, what is it?" "I was gone from this town for almost thirteen years. I didn't see my granddaughter, Robin, until she was thirteen years old. It was a foolish thing to do, to be away from this town so long, but that is what happened. Before that time, my children had many of their friends over. One of my Katy's friends became infatuated with me. Now that is not why I left, if you are wondering," Patrick stopped, to get a confirming nod from Thelma before continuing. "When I came back, this young woman was married and was just dying to have children. This need was placing their marriage on the rocks. Of course, at that point, they had no idea that the reason was those darn chemicals. They didn't know that he would never be able to give her children. "When the news came out, Cheryl hatched a plan as soon as I came back into town." "Oh dear Lord, let me guess," Thelma said. "She wanted your child." "Yes." "Is she pretending that her husband had some sort of miracle, or is she divorcing her husband to be with you?" Thelma asked a bit cynically. This didn't look good, but Patrick pressed on. "Neither. Her husband knows all about it. He agreed that it was the best way." "You've got to be kidding me." "No. There was no way I was going to sneak behind his back. He knows that without children Cheryl would be miserable the rest of her life. He also knew she was in love with me when she was younger." "So everyone wins. Is that what you are saying?" "Everyone involved has agreed that this is a workable solution to a bad situation." Thelma turned to her husband. "You knew about this, didn't you?" "Yes dear. I did." "And you brought me here anyway." "Yes, I did." "Why?" "Because people do things in this town, because they care for each other in ways I've never seen before." "You can say that again. To crawl into another man's bed with his wife..." "Tell me, Thelma. If it wasn't you, but me who couldn't have given you children. If..." "I know what you are getting at. That is not a very fair thing to bring up." "Yes it is, dear. It is what every family in this town is going through. I know you can imagine what it must feel like to have Keith's, and Richard's wives having children while the rest cannot? Not just one or two, but everyone in this town would be watching that gift of life. And it would be something that they could never have!" Thelma's eyes teared up. The pain of not being able to bear children had been one of the biggest disappointments in her life. She had been forever grateful that her dear husband had stuck with her. Many men, she knew, would have found other more 'productive' wives. "But William... It seems so..." "Patrick, I think it would be helpful if my wife met Cheryl," William said, noting where they were walking. "Oh no. William, I couldn't." Patrick didn't say anything; he just moved them closer to the house. Thelma realized a bit too late where she was. Patrick opened the front door. "Cheryl, is John home?" "Yes." "The doctor and his wife have been out for a walk." "Well, bring them in," Cheryl said appearing near the door. "Do please come in." Thelma noticed the glow. She knew this woman was pregnant. "Oh dear God!" Cheryl looked at Patrick. "She knows." Patrick nodded. Reaching out, Cheryl took the woman's hand. "Come in. It looks like you could use some tea." ------- "It's going to happen?" Cynthia asked in anticipation. "How long will it take?" "We're going to have a room like at the old house, right?" Rebecca asked excitedly. "Yes, yes," Jack answered. "Don't worry." Then he got a devilish look on his face as he added, "Cynthia will be able to make you scream all she wants." Rebecca's eyes glowed as she said, "You too!" "Don't you worry. This room is a little bigger. I have plans for both of you," Jack said. "How soon?" Cynthia purred into Jack's ear. "Larry said two months, at the most. The biggest hold up will be supplies. We've already started on a list and what he had a few questions about, I have notes to talk to a friend on the base. By the way, Cynthia, you're going with me tomorrow." "What? Why didn't you tell me? I'm not ready. How long are we staying? Who will we be seeing?" Cynthia looked Jack in the eye. "Why didn't you tell me?" Jack laughed. "Cynthia, we're only going for the day. It is the auction I'm going for." "The auction," Cynthia said, let down. "You, Katy, and Robin have another thing to do." Cynthia groaned in frustration. "Are you going to tell me?" "Brian is coming with us as well." Jack rubbed his chin for a moment, as though he was in deep thought. "I do remember a time when you helped two young men out in the commissary when they were looking for rings." Cynthia squealed. "He's getting her a ring?" "From what I understand," Jack said in a monotone voice, trying to keep the level of excitement down. It wasn't working. "There is also a dress and wedding gift on the purchasing list, as well." Cynthia was dancing around the room. Shopping was her second all time favorite thing to do, right below having sex. Jack turned his attention to Rebecca. He knew she would feel left out and had anticipated it. "Rebecca, I have a job for you as well." "You do? Am I going too?" "Yes, you are. Your job isn't very exciting, but it is important." Just being included was good enough for her. "What do I get to do?" It was the way she said 'get to do, ' that made Jack smile. He looked over and winked at Cynthia. "Did you see the building where all of our furniture and boxes are being stored?" "No. I knew they were taken someplace, but..." "I realized that everything is a mess. None of those boxes got marked. When the truck picks them up and brings them to the new house, I don't think it would be a good idea if people started opening the boxes to see which room they went in. You know we'll have a lot of people to help." Rebecca's eyes grew big. She knew he was right. No one would give a second thought to opening the boxes. They might be in a state of shock, if they saw some of the 'toys.' She already knew what he was going to ask. "What I need you to do is mark all the boxes with which room they will go into. I have a sketch of the place that Larry drew for me. We'll just number the rooms and all you need to do is open the box, mark it with the room number and close it back up." Rebecca nodded. This wasn't going to be very exciting, but it was something. "There is one more thing," Jack said. "I can't remember how many attachment places we need for in the walls." Jack turned and looked at his wife, giving her a look that said, 'no'. "Cynthia, can you?" "No, I don't remember, either," Cynthia answered, wondering why he was asking. She was very sure he knew how many. "I have to make sure that Larry reinforces the walls in those places and so it's important. Any of the boxes you run across for that room..." Jack said, and chuckled, "I want you to inventory. Write down everything that is in each box on a separate sheet of paper." Cynthia now knew Rebecca's boring job was now going to have parts of excitement along the way. Cynthia knew that if it were she, she wouldn't be able to resist using some of those toys along the way. "Rebecca, it is going to be a hot job tomorrow, so I think I'd better dress you for the part," Cynthia said with a smile. "What kind of part are you talking about?" Jack asked with a laugh in his voice. "Oh, I was thinking it might be soooo hot looking in some of those boxes that she shouldn't be wearing panties!" Cynthia laughed. "Then again... Maybe you should start the day out with them. Then once we land, you could take them off and give them to Keith, for old times sake." Rebecca turned bright red, but the obvious excitement showed in her expression, and at the two hard points protruding beneath her blouse. ------- I took Richard and Kristin down with me the next morning to the bank. Richard opened the outside door with his key, and then locked us in. Kristin put her master key into one of the locks and I put the other key into the second lock of the safety deposit box. Following the same sequence, we pulled out all three of the boxes that were filled with cash. Richard and I looked at each other. "What are we going to do with all this cash?" Richard asked. As if on cue, Jack knocked on the window. Richard let him in, noticing the canvas bag in his hand. "I thought you might need something like this. We use them to seal up secure mail when it gets sent by train," Jack explained. "I picked it up when I was down at the communications car. I radioed in, letting the base know we'd be flying in this morning." We nodded and took to the task of pulling out the money from the boxes and layering it into the bag. It is surprising how heavy money is. When we were finished and went outside, Rebecca and Cynthia were waiting in the Jeep. "Rebecca is going to go over to where our house full of stuff is being stored," Jack explained. Then he smiled. "Complements of Uncle Sam, it's being housed in one of those empty hangers at the end of the airstrip." Kristin and I looked at each other and smiled. One of those hangers was where Liz and I had... Jack went on, "The boxes were packed without knowing where they would end up. Now that we have a house plan, she will mark all the boxes so it will make it easy to move in." Sounded like busy work to me, but she seemed very excited to do it. Cynthia added, "Some of those boxes we'd rather not have opened by people that might volunteer to help." She gave me a nudge in the ribs. I rolled my eyes. Now I knew the importance of this job. Separate the 'toys' out. Driving out to the Mansion, I had to explain this to Richard and Kristin who knew they had missed something. They thought it was hilarious and were still laughing when we arrived. The eight of us were up in the air shortly after that. Katy had told Barbara that Jack, Richard, and I had wanted her to come along and keep track of what each of them was doing, so we wouldn't overspend. It was a good excuse and was a small part of what Brian would be doing. That part of the day would only take about an hour's worth of his time. The rest of the time Brian would be in the capable hands of Katy, Robin, and Cynthia. Katy also snickered and told Barbara when her sister got mad about not being able to say goodbye, she could tell her that she gave him a goodbye kiss long enough for both of them. Instead of getting embarrassed about the kiss she had given her Brian, she just smiled. As soon as we landed, Jack took Brian out of the plane. Richard and I were doing our post flight checklist. Katy and Robin were ready to exit. That is when Cynthia announced that Rebecca had something for me. A token of other times on the base. I could only imagine as I turned my head around. Richard was looking at a red faced Rebecca. Katy and Robin had turned, and stood in the doorway, waiting. "Well," Cynthia said. Rebecca eyes were bulging knowing how many people were now looking at her. "What's going on in there?" we heard Brian ask. "Want more of an audience?" Cynthia asked with a little amusement in her voice. The thought of a delay on her part, would have Brian watching her, got Rebecca very motivated. She pulled up her dress and grabbed hold of her panties. She pulled them down with such haste I didn't even see if she was still shaved, as Cynthia had told me once that she was. Apparently, Cynthia thought the performance wasn't long enough, also. "That was a very poor show, Rebecca," Cynthia chided her. "I can see how disappointed Keith is." I wasn't, really. I was just curious. "For that, you are going to pick out one of the toys today and..." We could tell she was thinking and then a smile ran across her face. She walked up to Rebecca and whispered into her ear. Rebecca gasped. Cynthia nodded. Rebecca let her head drop, but already it was crimson. Then we saw the nod Cynthia was waiting for. "Now go and finish this part," Cynthia added. Rebecca walked up to me. "Keith, please accept this gift." I looked over to Robin, whose eyebrows were up. She was obviously rather amused by this. I took the panties and held them up. A French cut lacy number. Cynthia had educated me on this, but I had yet to be able to use that knowledge. There was no place for me to purchase anything like this, especially for someone the size of Robin. Richard had tried to ignore my holding of the article, looking down in a logbook. I pulled back the elastic, and shot it at him, hitting him in the face. "Keith!" he yelped. "That thing's wet." I started laughing, and turned to see who saw what I had done. Then I realized it was only Richard and I who were left in the plane. "About done in there?' Jack called through from the outside. ------- "Jimmy," Pamela whispered, "we're not supposed to be in here." "I know." "What are we doing?" "Jill took Keith in here. I saw the door open. The locked one!" "That's what we're doing here? We're here to look at a locked door?" "Shhhh," Jimmy answered. Then he grinned. "Maybe Jill and Laura will come back." Pamela blushed. "You'd like that." Jimmy was grinning more. "It looked so good." Pamela smiled. Maybe she'd have to talk to Jill... It was fun. Jimmy and Pamela were at the door. The only locked door. Jimmy pushed at it. There was a little click and the door swung open a crack. Jimmy and Pamela looked at each other and then into the dark room. Jimmy, taking hold of Pamela's hand, squeezed past the door, not opening it any more. The two walked in. "Stairs?" Pamela said as her eyes started to adjust. "Wonder where they go." "No you don't." They felt the flow of cool air coming up through the stairwell. The door behind them slammed shut and they were blanketed in darkness. "Jimmy?" "Don't move. It will be fine. Don't worry," Jimmy said trying to sound convincing. As their eyes became accustom to the darkness, they could see the edge of the door. Jimmy, still holding onto Pamela's hand, moved towards it. He smiled when his hand found the doorknob. The smile faded fast as the knob wouldn't turn. Panic set in and Jimmy was soon pounding on the door. His hands were sore and he dropped to the floor sobbing. "I'm sorry." "Someone will come looking for us," Pamela said, trying to keep her spirits up. "No they won't. Not here. I told them we were going to walk to town." Pamela breathed in slowly. She knew that if she got upset, her speech would revert. She didn't want to think about how bad this looked. "Pamela," Jimmy said. "Shhh." He stopped talking. In the stillness they could hear each other's breathing. She reached down and touched the top of his head. "I love you," she said. "Even when you do stupid things like this." Tears came to Jimmy. He was glad it was dark. He had hurt her and he knew it. He hadn't responded and Pamela wondered why. Her hand that was on top of his head moved around. She was going to make him look up at her, even if they couldn't see each other. But her hand touched a damp cheek. She realized he was crying. This was not the Jimmy she knew, who went off with Brian to do the craziest things anyone could imagine. It took her a few moments to realize she was the difference. It was still so strange to believe she was worthy of such care. "Jimmy, don't worry so much. We'll be fine." He didn't want to talk, didn't want his voice to betray him. Silence enveloped them. In that silence, they heard it. ------- Chapter 96 With the heads of the households gone for the day, everyone else seemed to get busy. Liz and Dora were talking about the school. Katherine had her three children out for a walk before it got too hot, taking Annabelle with them. Barbara, Julie, and Stephanie were talking about Barbara's wedding. Vivian and Sarah were in deep discussion again. Jimmy and Pamela had gone into town. Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann had also gone into town, to the bank, for some general cleaning of the place. Jill and Laura's duty was to prepare lunch. They knew what they were fixing and had everything set up. This gave them the time they had been looking for. At least an hour, the two of them figured. Sneaking over to the new housing, they knew they would be alone and undisturbed. The door had just closed behind them when they heard banging. Jill and Laura, who had just touched their hands together, held tight. Jill looked down the hallway, color draining from her face. She knew, just knew, where that sound was coming from. Laura could feel Jill trembling, shaking in fright. She glanced at Jill and couldn't believe the pale ghostly look on her face. Seconds later came the voices. Jill still couldn't connect them, but Laura did. "That's Jimmy!" Jill was breathing heavily, her mind flashing to what had happened to Brian. Laura felt the death grip on her hand go limp and then Jill crumpled to the floor. Laura was now in a panic, looking between Jill and down the hall. Jimmy's voice became higher pitched and Laura could hear the panic in it. Then what made her decision was the second voice. She knew instantly it was Pamela. Running down the hallway, she stopped in front of the locked door. Trembling, Laura knocked back. "Help us," Jimmy cried. "Jimmy?" Laura said, her voice shaky. "Yes, who's there?" "Laura. Jimmy, is Pamela with you?" "Yes," came a weaker voice. "Jimmy, I have a problem." "So do we, we can't get out." "Jill fainted," Laura said forcing herself to ignore his plea. "When?" Pamela asked. "When she heard you banging and yelling." "Will you come back?" Pamela pleaded. "Of course, Pamela. I just have to... I'll be right back." Julie ran down the hallway and stopped. Her hands trembling, she straightened Jill out, pulling her skirt down. Tears were flowing as she bounded through the back door. She didn't stop until she was in the Mansion. "Help!" she screamed with all the breath she could muster. A call of help, coming from the kitchen, brought immediate attention. Liz and Dora, who were in the front room, came running. Laura grabbed hold of Liz and tugged her out the door, running back to the new housing. Dora followed. As soon as the door was opened and Liz saw Jill on the floor, she lunged forward. Liz dropped to the floor and bent over Jill. Looking back at Laura, she was about to ask what happened. Laura was on the floor, her hands at her chest. Her stomach muscles pulling in air, and then trying to expel it. "Dora," Liz yelled, "get Laura to the doctor's. Take the car, the keys are in it. Now!" Dora picked up Laura, who felt like a rag doll in her hands, and ran with her to the car. Liz could hear it grind into gear and then pull away. Dora didn't know much of what she was doing in a car, but there was no time right now, to teach her. Liz scooped Jill up into her arms and walked outside with her. Vivian and Sarah were outside looking at the direction the car had gone. They caught sight of Liz and Jill and came running. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked. "What happened?" Vivian asked as well. "I don't know. Laura came into the house screaming and pulled me over here. Jill was on the floor when we got here. Laura had an attack, so Dora is taking her to the doctor." "Attack?" Vivian asked. "She has a breathing problem," Sarah explained. Jill's head started to move as she woke. Then her body stiffened causing Liz to set her down rapidly, as she was afraid of dropping her. Jill popped up, looking at Liz, Sarah, and Vivian. "Are they ok?" Jill asked suddenly. "Laura will be fine," Liz answered. "Laura? Oh no!" Jill said dissolving into tears. "Something happened to her too?" "Jill!" Liz practically shouted, "Stop." It startled not only Jill, but Vivian and Sarah as well. The suddenness of a forceful voice did do the trick though. "Jill, slowly, tell me what happened." Jill took a deep breath. Her head was hurting. "We went into the house and..." Liz broke in. "Who is we? You and Laura?" "Yes." "Ok, go on." Liz coaxed. "As soon as the door closed we heard the banging!" "What banging?" Liz asked alarmed. "Jimmy and poor Pamela," Jill said with pain in her voice. "They're fine now?" Jill looked up at Liz and knew from her expression she didn't know anything about it. Jill struggled to get up, but Liz held her down. "Where were they?" Liz asked. "In the... It sounded like behind the door." There was only one door that bothered Jill and Liz knew it. Things started to fit together. She looked up at Sarah. "I'll go look," Sarah said. "Are you sure you can?" Liz asked. Sarah swallowed hard. She knew what Liz was asking, without asking. "I'll take Vivian with me. I'll feel safe." "Safe?" Vivian asked as Sarah grabbed her hand. "What's wrong?" As they walked briskly to the new house, Sarah said, "After the attack, I got panicky at different times. Jill had it worse than me. I think that's why she fainted." As they opened the door, Vivian said, "She was there too?" "No, another thing happened to her. We'll talk about it later." ------- Pamela and Jimmy heard the door, several times. Mumbled voices, and then nothing. "What's happening?" Pamela asked, her grip on his hand tightening. "I don't know," Jimmy said. He was starting to feel better, almost like his usual self by now. He knew help would be there. That it was only a matter of time. He felt more in control now, not like several minutes ago. He had been in such a panic and knew it rubbed off on Pamela. She had panicked as well. "Don't worry, we'll be fine." Jimmy said. He was holding onto her hand and turned to face her. Letting go, he brought both hands up to her face; without light, he was being as gentle as possible, not wanting to poke her in the eye. It was the gentleness Jimmy exhibited that calmed Pamela more than anything else. When he tilted her head up and kissed her, she relaxed in his hands. He was the strong Jimmy she needed, once again. Standing in silence and holding each other didn't seem so bad, at that point. How many minutes that lasted, neither would have ventured to guess. They heard the back door open again and footsteps. The banging on the door was almost deafening as they had been straining for some time to hear anything. "Jimmy? Pamela?" Sarah called. "We're here," Jimmy called out. "Are you next to the door?" "Yes, the knob is stuck." "Maybe it's locked," Sarah said hopefully. Jimmy didn't want to feel stupid, but he reached out and felt the knob. "It's smooth... Wait, there seems to be something like a key hole on this side." "A key for both sides?" Sarah said as much to herself as anyone else. "I've seen that," Vivian said. Sarah was surprised. Vivian saw it and went on. "At the bank, where they have glass doors. Makes it so someone couldn't break the glass and open the door." Sarah was still looking at her surprised. "I talked to the guard when my mom dragged me down to the bank," Vivian said. "You're always amazing me," Sarah said with a smile. "I think it goes both ways," Vivian answered. Sarah nodded; they had been talking about many things over the past day. Liz and Jill were at the outside door of the Mansion. Liz called in, "Sarah, what's happening?" "They're stuck inside. It looks like it has a key lock for both sides." "What on earth were they doing... ?" Liz groaned in frustration. "Keith said one of the reasons he put that lock on was because of Jimmy and Brian." Jill said. "I guess it didn't work," Liz retorted, shaking her head. "Now what? Keith has the key and he's gone." "There's not another key?" Sarah asked. "Maybe, but if so, Richard probably has it." Liz answered. Jill knowing there was nothing to be afraid of, walked in and down the hall with Liz following her. The four of them stood in front of the door. "What can you two see?" Liz said towards the door. "Not much," Jimmy answered. There's only a little light that comes in from the bottom of the door." "Figures," Jill said. She got puzzled looks. "Larry does a very good job with doors." Thinking out loud, Liz said, "The door opens in, so the hinges are on that side. They have nothing to pull them out with..." "What's in the room?" Vivian asked. "A staircase," Jill answered. "Staircase?" Liz and Vivian said together. "Why don't they walk up it?" Liz said. Then she crinkled her brow, thinking that she didn't remember a locked door on the second floor... She didn't get to finish that thought as Jill said, "It doesn't go up, it goes down." "Down?" Sarah asked. "Where does it go to?" Liz asked. "I never got that question really answered," Jill said, and started to blush. Liz had a little smile on her face. "How do you know so much more about what's in this room than anyone else?" "I made Keith tell me," Jill answered, trying to keep her blush in check. "Maybe Larry could get them out," Sarah said hopefully. "Who's Larry?" Vivian asked. "The man who built this place," Liz answered. "Good idea, but he's down in Angle City today. Jack told me that. He was looking at some building supplies from the old mine that could be used for Jack's new house. He'll be gone all day." "Damn," Jill said. "Jill!" Sarah said and then laughed. "Can you see the stairs?" Jill asked Pamela and Jimmy. "I can make out where they are. Why?" "Keith told me they lead to a tunnel that goes to the Mansion. That's all I know. I don't know where it ends up, or how you get there." Jill said. Jimmy thought about it a minute. He and Brian had crawled around, between the walls of the Mansion. Brian had dropped the flashlight they had borrowed from Jack and they'd had to find their way in the dark. That was with Brian though. "Jimmy, can you do it?" Pamela asked softly. "Probably. I would with Brian." "Then I can do it too." "Are you sure?" "Jimmy." "Ok." Jimmy paused and then added. "I just never want you to get hurt." She smiled and said. "I know. You will always take care of me." "Yes, I will," Jimmy said with determination in his voice. To the door he said in a louder voice, "We can do it." "Maybe at the bottom of the stairs there are candles," Liz said thinking of anything to say to give them some hope. Jimmy couldn't understand why there would be, that would be a strange place for them, but he didn't want to say so. "Ok," was what Jimmy said out loud. "Someone will be here listening for you. We'll have people listening over at the Mansion too. So as soon as you can, knock on something so we know where you are," Liz said. With Jimmy in front, and Pamela holding onto his shirt, he walked into the middle of the room. He extended his arms and moved them back and forth. He touched the railing and said so. They walked cautiously around until they found the opening. "We're on our way down," Jimmy said, trying to not sound as shaky as he felt inside. Pamela took his hand and the two of them slowly descended the stairs into the utter darkness. One thing they noticed right away was the coolness. It was a slightly dampish cool. If it had been on better terms, it would have been a very welcome condition. Touching the bottom landing, they slid their feet out as far as possible, not wanting to let go of the railing. It was the only sure thing. "Hold on and let me reach out," Jimmy said. Pamela was trying not to let the images of Jimmy stepping off into a bottomless abyss fill her mind, but it was hard. They were barely touching at the end of their fingertips when Jimmy said, "A wall!" ------- I touched the plane down and taxied in. There was transportation waiting for us. The acting commanding officer was also there, in a Jeep with a driver. Jack knew it was foolish to come back and think he could get away from working out some sort of problem. He wished they'd get over all the politics and let him retire. The commander was a bit surprised by the outcome of things. He had expected to talk with Jack on the ride back. He ended up with Richard and I. We had not met the man. So, between Richard and I, we talked with him all the way over to the hangers where they were holding the auction. Jack had almost insisted it be worked that way. He didn't want to go into a lengthy explanation of why his household belongings were taking up an unused hanger on the base. It wasn't out of the ordinary, it was just that the less he had to explain, the better. That was their first stop. It took Jack just a few minutes to show Rebecca where the boxes were. Jack would be taken to the main office after Katy, Cynthia, Robin, and Brian were dropped off at the PX for shopping. Brian had this idea that shopping would be easy. Unlike some of the girls, Brian had never been to any kind of store. His mother had ordered things out of a catalog and several times a year gone to shop somewhere, but he had never been included. Now, as he stepped into the huge building, he was stunned to see the vast selection. His little heart dropped as Robin giggled in glee. He knew this was going to take forever. "Brian, how are you doing?" Katy asked him in a kind voice. "Ok." "You looked a little pale." Brian grimaced. "I never knew we'd have to look through so much stuff." Katy laughed. "Brian, you are here to look at a few specific things. Then you get to sit. We can't have you worn out." "Oh, good," Brian sighed with relief. "Now, first things first," Katy went on, "Remember what we talked about. We don't want to cause any commotion, so you are helping to make a decision for your older brother." Brian grinned, "Yeah, I know." Then he added, "I don't want to make anyone jealous." Robin overheard him and broke out laughing. The first place was the jewelry counter. The man behind it saw Cynthia and exuded kind words to her. She turned way from him towards Robin, Katy, and Brian, rolling her eyes. Then she made introductions. This set the stage for Brian to become involved in the choice. There were eight different choices. Robin and Katy saw the styles that Richard and I had purchased for them. Those two were obviously out. One had too large of a stone. Another one had a funny looking center stone, so Brian discounted that one as well. It was easily down to four. As Brian looked at them, he was overcome with emotion and his eyes started to fill with water. Thinking fast, he hid it by crying out. "Ouch. My leg! I need to get up for a minute." "Brian, what is wrong?" Katy said smothering him. Surrounded by her he was able to whisper his problem. "Ok then," Katy said straightening up. "I think a little walk will solve that." She turned to the surprised man behind the counter. "He had casts on both legs for some time and recently got them off. This has been his biggest outing yet." The man nodded sympathetically. Katy held his hand as they took a walk around several display tables. "Feeling better?" Katy asked as they were around one of the tables filled with shirts. "Katy, can I ask you a question?" "Of course. What is it?" "Is there enough money for two rings?" Puzzled, she stopped and looked at Brian. "Two?" Then it dawned on her. "Brian, are you talking about Julie?" He nodded his head. "Is she ready?" "Yes," Brian answered. Katy took a deep breath. This was going to get her into not just hot, but boiling water with her sister. "Alright. You just follow my lead. It would be a bit strange to get two rings. I'll think of something." Brian couldn't contain himself and threw his arms around her. "I love you," he said. "I love you too, Brian. Come on, let's go pick out some rings." When Brian sat back down, he looked and there were two rings that were similar, but different. That would work very well. He looked at the one that would go to Barbara. He had no idea what he should even look for. It was pretty and that was all that counted. He set it down onto the counter. "That's the one," Brian said. "Cynthia," Katy said, "how soon do you think we are going to be back?" "I'm not sure, why?" Cynthia answered. "I was thinking that Brian might want to look for his other brother. That wedding is going to happen soon as well, from what I understand." Robin and Cynthia looked at Brian in surprise. Under scrutiny he blushed. Fortunately the man behind the counter mistook the meaning of what was going on. "I'm sure you'd much rather be out playing ball than be in here having to do this. I occasionally see this, when the boys were over seas." Then the man grinned, "But two in one family at the same time. Your parents must be going crazy!" "You have no idea," Brian managed to get out. "I think this one," he said pointing to the other one he'd had his eye on. "I liked both of them, so this would be just right." "Well that was easy enough," Robin said. Then with a grin she added, "Now for dresses." Brian groaned, the man laughed, and all was well. "I assume," Cynthia said with a little smile, "we'll be looking for two dresses as well?" Brian nodded. "You start looking, I'm going to talk with Brian," Robin said. "Honey," Katy started to say. Robin shot her a look, took Brian's hand and led him off in the opposite direction. "Brian," Robin said, "does Barbara know what you're doing?" "It was going to be a surprise," he replied. "Some surprise. I think you may have wanted to talk with her about this." "You don't think she'll like the ring?" Robin rolled her eyes. "Brian, I was talking about the second ring and what that means." "Oh." "Getting married is a big step. Adding a third to that is... Well it can be difficult." Brian pulled at her hand, causing Robin to stop. He cocked his head and looked at her perplexed. "I thought you liked it." "Brian," Robin said, getting down on her knees in front of him, "of course I like it. I helped Keith in adding to our family. That doesn't mean there aren't times I wish I didn't have to share. I know that it will bother me that three months from now, Beth Ann will still look beautiful, and I'll be big and fat." Brian shook his head. "I'll bet Keith will love you just as much. Jimmy and I used to laugh at how he looked at you." Robin smiled. "That's a very nice thing to say. You will need to remember to say things like that to Barbara. She will feel that she's not worth looking at. Worse yet, you will have Julie to look at, too." "Oh. So I say things to her?" "And a lot more. Brian, your life has to be devoted to her. If you plan on adding Julie to your family, that means you have two people to devote your time to." "And work and go to school," Brian said. "Yes. It means there is little time left for you to get into mischief with Jimmy," Robin said in a sympathetic voice. What she could have said was that it was the end of his childhood. Brian thought for a moment before answering. "Keith and Richard do things together and have fun. Jimmy's been my friend forever and I think he always will be. Barbara... she makes me feel... alive inside." Robin grinned. That was good to hear. "Julie," Brian continued, "is exciting to me, but I know she is very important to Barbara. They need each other in ways I don't know how to explain." Then Brian grinned. "I just get the benefits." "Brian, that's terrible!" Robin said, laughing. "But it tells me Barbara will welcome Julie wearing a ring." "Yeah." "You do have two other major problems that you are going to have." "What?" "Your mom and dad are one of the biggest. Then there is Julie's mother." Brian's smile disappeared. "I thought we might be able to come out to the Mansion. With the new house..." "No, Brian. That would hurt your mom more than anything. You need to stay where you are. Millie wants to teach Barbara how to be a good wife to you. You would take that away from her and it isn't fair. Just because Annabelle is living at the Mansion, doesn't make it any easier." "I know, but what am I supposed to do?" "You talk with my mom and see if she has any answers. I sure don't. Come on. Let's get back. Who knows what they are looking at!" Katy and Cynthia had picked out three dresses. Brian looked at the dresses on a hanger and couldn't make heads or tails about how they'd look on a girl. Robin spotted a girl walking with her mother. She was close enough to Julie's size to work. Robin walked over and asked if she would help. They were the temporary base commander's wife and daughter, Robin was curtly told by the girl, as if that should make them the most important people around. The daughter was, without a doubt, stuck up. Sarah had told Robin how she was, but it was hard to imagine. Robin had never been around anyone like that. It didn't set well with her. Katy, Cynthia, and Brian moved closer to find out what Robin was doing. Putting her hands together and flexing her fingers, Robin said in an even tone, "My cousin was involved in a bad accident and had casts on both legs and one of his arms. He almost died from the ordeal. It was only a gift of God that he survived. Now he just recently got his casts off. In only the last week, he was able to walk again. He has a special girl in his life and there is an event coming up. He wanted to get the girl a dress. We're helping him, but he's not able to visualize it well, as he's never done anything like this before. I was asking you to help, but if you can't be bothered..." "She will certainly do it," the mother's voice said in a cracked voice. The girl only nodded, slightly, blushing. Cynthia turned to Katy and whispered, "Remind me never to get on your daughter's bad side. She has a way with words that'll take skin right off your hide." "Believe me, I know," Katy replied. Katy and Cynthia walked over with the dresses. The girl watched Brian move and got a lump in her throat. "The dressing rooms are over there," Cynthia pointed. "I can come back in the dresses so you don't have to move," the girl said. Her mother raised her eyebrows, looking at her daughter, surprised at the comment. "It's ok. Just takes me a bit longer to move, but it is good to walk," Brian said, knowing the comment was directed to him. "She must be a very special girl," the girl's mother said. Brian lit up, "She's... I couldn't ask for anyone better. She was with me every day while I was in my casts." Then with the exuberance of youth that no one thinks is true, he added, "I'm going to marry her." While the mother smiled at Brian's comment about marrying this special girl, her daughter blushed. She couldn't imagine staying with a boy like that. She also didn't know any boy that would feel that way about her. Now curiosity was taking over. Taking one of the dresses she headed off to the changing room, knowing it would take longer to change than it would for them to get there. In the mean time, the women started talking, finding out about each other. Cynthia laughed and said that the temporary base commander had no idea that she would show up with her husband. Then they started joking about their wifely roles, not knowing what the next day will bring. The girl came out, surprised to see her mother joking with one of the other women, as though she'd known her all her life. Then she noticed the boy. His eyes were as big as saucers. She twirled for him, enjoying the attention. "You like this one?" Brian nodded, blushing. He tried to say something. He felt he should, but nothing came out. The girl smiled, appreciating the obvious distraction she could cause. "I'll try on the next one." She was walking back in when she heard the girl with the sharp tongue say, "Brian, stop drooling." He laughed. "Robin, I wasn't drooling!" The girl came out the second time. This didn't get the same reaction. She wasn't surprised. As she zipped up the dress, she knew it wasn't as nice as the first. "Guess what?" The mother said to her daughter. "This is Cynthia Huntington; her husband is the base commander that is on leave." The girl stopped and looked at her mother. "I thought they were in Carp?" "Yes dear. Her husband is off with your father today and she came along." The girl turned to Robin with a shocked expression. "You... you're the Carp Robin?" "Jennifer Ann!" her mother said. Robin couldn't keep a straight face. "The Carp Robin? That sounds like some sort of bird that goes after fish." "No! No, I mean... You're married to Keith Patterson?" "Jennifer, how do you know about that?" "Mom! Everyone knows about Keith Patterson," the girl said and then blushed. Then she turned and almost ran back to the dressing room, very embarrassed at what she'd just said. "You do look a bit young to be married. I guess that is what my daughter was referring to." "I don't know," Robin said and then shrugged her shoulders. "I am young, but I know I found the perfect man." She winked at Brian and said, "I couldn't be happier." The third dress was modeled and Brian didn't get a very positive response from that one as well. "It looks like the first dress I tried on, is the one," Jennifer said and then blushed thinking of the reaction it got from the boy. Robin smiled and looked at Brian. "I think she's just saying that cause you couldn't keep from drooling." "I was not!" Brian said. "Is she your sister?" Jennifer asked. "No. Almost as bad, though, she's my cousin." Brian said grinning at Robin. "Just one more thing, now," Katy said. "I thought we were done," Brian said. "Oh, no. Remember the gift?" Katy replied. Brian sighed. "Yeah, I remember. Shopping is hard work." The gals all laughed. ------- Rebecca was sweaty. She'd gone through 27 boxes already. That was a lot, but it looked to her she was only a third of the way through. Worse yet, she hadn't run across any of the 'good' boxes. After she had checked off number 31 on her sheet and wrote the words on the box, she went and sat down on the couch, which was covered with a tarp. It had been in the living room of the old house. That was when she realized that as she had worked, she had been stacking boxes from one side to the other, so that now she was almost surrounded. A wall was on one side. To each side of that were walls of boxes she had constructed. Behind her was the rest of the furniture. After she felt rested she started again. At the fifth box she opened, she smiled. This was one of the boxes she'd been looking for. Not the most exciting of contents, perhaps. It contained attachment plates, hooks, some chain, and rope. Rebecca listed everything, as Jack had asked. She marked the box for the room it was to go into and then opened the next one. This time, she grinned. Lifting out each item, she laid them onto a white tarp she had set on the cement floor. Scanning the items, she noticed a few of them she'd never seen before. As she started to list them, she didn't want to place them into the box. Not yet. As she wrote down the vibrator that plugged into the wall, she had a twitch that said she wished there was a plug nearby. That one brought back stories. She had heard of Cynthia using this toy on Mary, in a hanger, here on base. Rebecca's panties would have been damp by now, if she'd had any on. She felt a little light headed, as the wave of sensual feelings flushed over her. She unzipped her skirt and it dropped to the floor. Taking a step back, her foot caught her skirt, and she abruptly sat down. Her legs fell apart, but that was no accident. She had, still in her hand, the vibrator. ------- William drove the car back, with Dora in the front seat. She was getting an impromptu driving lesson. Thelma had Laura's head resting on her lap in the back seat. Laura had insisted on going over to the new house, but she was overruled. Her strength wasn't back yet and it would take almost a day to return. The doctor was not about to take any chances. With Thelma on one side and himself on the other, they carried Laura into the house. Dora had opened the door; but as soon as the four entered the foyer, they were confronted with a sight that was confusing at best. Barbara, Julie, and Stephanie were all lying on the floor, with their heads pressed against it. "What on earth are you doing?" William asked. Barbara, the closest to them looked up briefly and said, "Listening." Then she put her head back down. It was such a simple answer, but one so funny, that William couldn't help but start laughing. It was contagious and soon everyone in the hall, in the living and dining rooms were also laughing. Sarah, and Vivian, who had been in the kitchen area, lying in the same position, came out. "What are you laughing about?" Sarah asked. "It just looked so funny. I asked Barbara what they were doing and she looked at me so seriously when she said, 'listening'. I just couldn't help it," William answered. If they would have been listening at that moment, they could have heard something. Jimmy and Pamela had come out of the little tunnel and stumbled into a room. This room had a little bit of light in it. So accustomed were they to the pitch black, that they were able to see the whole room without much problem. Jimmy knew exactly where he was. Being in silence so long, Jimmy whispered to Pamela, "This is the room that Barbara fell into." "Are you sure?" Pamela asked back in a hushed voice. "See the ladder on the wall? See the table?" "I could stand on it..." Pamela said and moved over to it. On top of the table were three hand-dipped, tapered candles that were common in Carp. Jimmy looked around as Pamela climbed up onto the table. There were no matches in sight. Although he did catch the sight of Pamela as she bent over, trying to stand up. Pamela was just about to reach up to knock on the flooring above them when she felt Jimmy's hands on the insides of her legs. At first she thought he was trying to steady her, but those hands kept moving upwards. "Jimmy," she giggled. Her soft skin had always been intoxicating to him. Now, in the dark, with the fear and doubt of being rescued all but over, his original desire in getting Pamela alone was overwhelming. He hadn't responded to her, so she turned to look at him. Facing him, her crotch was just about at his eyesight. "Jimmy," she whispered, but even in the dim light that filtered in, she could tell where his eyes were riveted. "Jimmy," she said a second time, "don't just stare." In his mind, he took that as a positive. He ventured forth and slid his hands up her legs and inside of her skirt, until he was cupping her warm sex. It had happened so fast that she could only take in a sharp breath, as she raised herself onto her toes in a sudden little jump. As she came back down, his hand pressed into her firmly, and his thumb rubbed up across her clit. "Ohhhhh," she moaned. With one hand just where he wanted it, he removed the other hand from under her skirt and tried to undo her zipper. It didn't work well one handed. She smiled at him and reached down, replacing his hand with hers. The sound of her zipper on her dress lowering was music to his ears. It was only when her skirt started to fall away, that he released his hand from her crotch. As she skirt pooled at her feet on the table, Jimmy's hands reached for the waistband of her panties, sliding them down her legs. As she stepped out of them, the table rocked slightly. Off-balanced, she put her foot down hard, making a sudden noise. On the floor above, Stephanie asked, "Did you hear that?" "I think I heard something," Sarah said. Laura, still in Thelma's hands on the couch watched as the others lay down on the floor, their ears to the floor. William walked out back, after hearing that Jill and Liz were still over at the new house, waiting and listening. Sarah turned to Laura and said, "I think they must be near. I could hear some things, but it is more like muffled noises. So they must still be in the tunnel." The others, listening, agreed with her. Soon their idea of the sounds they were hearing changed, and Vivian raised her head off the floor. She was beet red. "Sarah!" Vivian whispered loudly. Sarah was still listening. She looked over to her friend and couldn't contain her laughter. "What is going on?" Julie asked. "They're... They're..." Vivian sputtered. She looked at Sarah in unbelief. "Jimmy and Pamela?" "What are they doing?" Thelma asked, now very curious. Liz and Jill had just walked into the dining room with William right behind them. Liz looked at Vivian's red face, Sarah's grin, and the others in rapt attention, still listening at the floor. "Sarah," Liz said, paying no attention to Thelma's question, "where do you think they are?" "Over here I bet," Stephanie answered, in an excited tone. "I can hear them pretty good." Jill, sitting with Laura, raised her eyebrows. She got up, walked over, and then bent down to listen next to Stephanie. Jill popped back up with a little grin on her face that told Liz just what she suspected those two were doing under the house. "Do you remember that room under the house?" Liz asked Barbara. "How could I forget that?" Barbara said. "What was it that took to get it open?" Liz wanted to know. Stephanie stood. "Pamela was on my shoulders and she went off balance. She pulled the molding, up there," she said pointing up at the wall. "Then there is the latch in the butler's closet," Barbara said, "but watch out! The floor will open up, just by touching it." "Stephanie, up on my shoulders," Liz said. "Maybe it would be better on my shoulders," William said. Stephanie grinned and was hoisted up onto his shoulders. She then stood up and reached out. This time she was higher than Pamela had been, and she didn't lose her balance. Of course Stephanie had turned causing that, but she tried not to remember that part. "Done," Stephanie announced, pleased with herself as she felt the molding move. Jill was already in the butler's closet. Jimmy had shown her that secret sliding bar, so she went right to it. Jimmy and Pamela could hear movement above them, but Pamela was too far gone to care. When Jimmy heard the bar slide, he knew they needed to stop. His hand was grasped by Pamela. "No!" she cried out, "Just a little more. Please!" He couldn't deny her and sped up his ministrations, hoping she would finish in time. Wishful thinking! Her body started to shudder. It was a very powerful orgasm. The table she was now splayed across started to shake. She could almost sense that the house was collapsing around her, but she couldn't care less at that point. She was in heaven, with light streaming down on her and everything. She let out a long moan. Barbara, Julie, Stephanie, Jill, Liz, Vivian, Sarah, Dora, and William were looking down the now open hole. There, right in plain sight, was the table. And on it was Pamela, in ecstasy, bare and wiggling. Jimmy still was holding the candle that impaled her. He looked up at them with an impish grin. William was the first to start laughing. Pamela, hearing the voices so clearly, opened her eyes. They took a few seconds to focus. She closed her legs and placed her hands over her little breasts. Liz shook her head and then said, "When you two are done, the ladder is over here. I think you can climb up all by yourselves." "What is going on?" Thelma asked, still on the couch, keeping Laura still. Laura had a very good idea what had happened and she wanted to see. That was a strange thought. She wanted to see Jimmy and Pamela. There was that time... Pamela had licked her clean... but it wasn't just Pamela. Jimmy, when he shot all over her. She thought she'd better talk with Jill and maybe Liz about this. It was as confusing as it was exciting. William walked back over to his wife. "They knew they were safe and just let off a little steam," he said. "Let off a little... William! Don't tell me they were. Oh for heaven sakes, does everyone in this town..." William was just watching his wife, his eyebrows raised, waiting. Her admission didn't come out right away as Vivian's voice could be overheard. "Sarah, I can't believe this." Vivian was now away from the opening. Sarah was right next to her friend. "If it weren't for the outside world, you'd never think anything was strange." "With... kids having... doing that?" "Yes, Vivian. That's exactly what I mean. Did it look like they were having fun? Did it look like they were both enjoying that? Tell me you aren't the slightest bit jealous that they can do that here, while you and Scott can't?" "Sarah!" "Well?" "It's not the same," Vivian said. Sarah snorted. Liz realized something needed to be done. She herded everyone else into the kitchen. She came back and picked up Laura, bringing her out to the kitchen, also. Now all that were left in the room were Sarah, Vivian, Thelma, and William. "You're bothered by all of this too," Thelma said to Vivian. "Well it's just..." "What, Vivian? We've talked and talked. I'm still trying to figure out what the problem is. I think, like I said, you're jealous," Sarah said. "Well, I'm not jealous," Thelma said. Sarah scratched her head. "So you'd like to see these townspeople just die off. You're fine with that?" Thelma nervously fiddled with her fingers for a moment, and then said, "No. I think someone like Cheryl has been given an opportunity for something special in her life. The baby she can have is a gift. I don't think I have a problem with that." "So what is it then?" Vivian asked, wanting to know as much as Sarah and William. "Vivian, I think in my case, it may be very different than how you're feeling." "Oh?" "I couldn't have children. William could have left me. He didn't." Sarah put her hand on Thelma's knee. It stopped her difficult speech. "You are worried that in this place, William would father a child." Thelma lowered her head nodding on the way down. The tears falling could be heard in her voice. "Then he'd know what he'd been missing all his life and leave me." William took hold of his wife and hugged her tight. He couldn't believe, after all this time. After all these years, she still believed something like that. Sarah, even at her age, knew this was a time to leave them. She took hold of Vivian's arm and pulled her out towards the hallway. At the edge of the doorway, Sarah came to a clear realization. She turned back into the room and said, "Thelma, I don't think you saw Cheryl then. If you would have, you would have seen the love she has. She didn't stop loving her husband for giving her the ability to have the gift she always wanted. She may love more than one, but not one over the other. I thought you would have seen that." Sarah again started pulling Vivian, this time up the stairs. Vivian stopped her. "You are right, Sarah. Thelma is jealous. It is easier to see that in her than in me, but I know you're right." Sarah was shocked. "Sarah, if Scott came down here then you and he..." Sarah laughed. "Vivian, if Scott and I were ever going to be together it would have happened long before. You seem to have this delusion that everyone around here just falls into bed with one another. That just isn't true. Believe me. It takes work to make anything happen. I'm going to use you and Scott as an example, 'cause to tell you the truth, Vivian, that is just plain silly. Here's how it would have to work. So let's say I have fallen for Scott. I would have to come to you, first and tell you about it. You would have to agree to let me into the family. Then Scott would also have to agree. That doesn't sound too easy, now does it?" "No, I guess not." "You guess not? Vivian, wake up! How hard do you think it would be for me to come and say something like that to you? I'd have to build up my courage good and strong." "Is that what happened to Cheryl?" "Not the same, but close. Cheryl wanted Patrick and his baby, from when she was a girl. So she had to first convince Patrick, and I don't think that was so easy. Then she had to convince John, her husband. I know that must have been something, too." "I guess you're right." "You don't sound very convinced. Vivian, the only way that this works is because of love. These people love each other. They love enough to make this work; 'cause they know it is, in the end, good for everyone." "But what was that comment about outsiders?" "How much time have we spent on talking about this, Vivian? I'm... Well, I hope, I'm one of your best friends. I think you trust me, but this idea just blew you out of the water. If Carp could just not have outsiders, then it would be fine. I know that isn't possible. I just worry about it." "As you should," William said. He and his wife were standing at the door. They had been listening. Thelma said, "Sarah, I can hardly believe someone your age put my head in the right direction." Sarah smiled. "I think it's my father that taught me those traits." Thelma looked surprised, until William told her just who her father was. "What does he think about all of this?" Thelma wanted to know. "He doesn't have a clue. Not yet, anyway," Sarah said. "Who's planning on telling him?" William wanted to know. "Mary and I are working on it," Sarah said. "There is a lot to think through." ------- Cynthia had commandeered a vehicle as they arrived at the main office. She took Robin, Katy and Brian out to the auction area. They dropped Brian off with the men. He got excited about all the tools, the buses, even the school desks that he saw right off. This was not shopping! This was paradise! The gals had laughed and left him, after reminding him he had to take it easy. They stopped by the plane and dropped off their purchases. Then Cynthia drove them out to where Rebecca was. Katy and Robin knew something was up when Cynthia walked past the hanger she had stopped near, and continued to the next one. Putting her fingers to her lips, Cynthia quietly unlocked and opened the outside door. The three looked at each other. They were surprised that they could not see Rebecca. She had apparently stacked the boxes from the one side to the other and that made a wall that now was in front of them. They could hear that someone was there though. Robin pointed to a rope that was dangling down into the center of where Rebecca might be. It hadn't been there before. The end was tied off near the door where they were standing. Looking up, they could see where it had originally hung. Rebecca had obviously moved it. Robin and Katy were a bit puzzled by this. Cynthia was delighted, as everyone could see by her smile. As the three moved closer to the boxes, all they could hear was a sort of mumbling. Following Cynthia's lead, Katy and Robin inched apart boxes to see on the other side. Robin slapped her hand in front of her mouth to stifle the sound she knew was about to come out. Katy was having a similar problem. There in the center; between boxes on each side, the wall on one end and furniture piled on the other was Rebecca. She was stark naked and shaved clean. She had some sort of ball in her mouth and what looked like a cord around her head holding it in place. There was a blindfold, not on yet, but resting on her forehead. Her ankles and wrists had some sort of bands on them. They watched silently as Rebecca moved a table closer to her. She obviously had prepared for this. With small sections of rope she secured her legs to the table legs, spreading her legs open. It was then they saw her open up the table, in the center, where a leaf might be added to extend it. This was not her intention. She only opened it about an inch. Securing a dildo into the opening she closed it, to make it stay in place. With her legs apart, the dildo slid between her legs at crotch level. She moaned, but with the ball in her mouth, it came out as more of a grunt. She had the rope between one of the armbands, and knotted it to the other. Then she slipped the blindfold on and held her hands above her head. It was obvious to Katy and Robin, who had never seen anything like this before, that she wanted that rope to be taut. That would have been hard to do, considering the place Rebecca was in. She started moving her body back and forth, rubbing herself over the length of the dildo. Katy and Robin were in complete awe, watching this. They hadn't noticed Cynthia move back to the door. First she locked the door, and then she took hold of the rope. Ever so gently she pulled up the slack until Rebecca's arms were suddenly pulled up tight. Robin and Katy saw the difference in Rebecca and looked to Cynthia. They saw her not next to them, but by the door, tying the end of the rope securely. She put her finger to her lips again, making sure they wouldn't say anything. Motioning them to come with her, Cynthia moved around the edge of the boxes and into the center where Rebecca was now bound, gagged, and blindfolded. Rebecca squirmed not knowing who was there. Cynthia picked up the plug in vibrator. It was still wet with the sheen of Rebecca's moisture. Cynthia shook her head, but was smiling the whole time. She handed the vibrator to Robin. Robin was a bit surprised and didn't quite know what she was supposed to do with it. Cynthia then pulled away the dildo that had been secured in the table. As she did so, she racked it across Rebecca's clit. Rebecca moved herself up, away from the tool. Cynthia then handed Katy the dildo. Picking up a small box that had a cellophane window in it, Cynthia put it up to her mouth and talked through it, distorting her voice. "It looks like we found just what we want. Hold on a moment and we can see if she responds right." Cynthia put down the box, winked at Katy and Robin while she ran her fingernails down Rebecca's spine. Rebecca, not knowing what was going on, or who these people were was frantically moving. She knew it was in vain. She had done herself up, she could not escape, could not speak, could not see. Cynthia and Jack had taught her well. Cynthia walked to the other side of the building, and entered a small office. When she walked out just seconds later, she was unreeling a thick black extension cord. Pulling up the cord at the end of the device Robin had in her hand, she plugged it in. The vibrator sprang to life and Robin's hands opened in excitement. She quickly caught it before it hit the concrete floor. Now Robin was looking at this toy in her hand with renewed interest. Taking Robin by her hand, Cynthia led her over to Rebecca. She helped Robin suddenly slide it into Rebecca. There was a sharp noise that came past the ball gag. Using Robin's hand, Cynthia twisted the vibrator out. A sort of whimpering noise could be heard as it left Rebecca. Then Cynthia guided Robin's hand to slide the vibrator in between Rebecca's cheeks, twisting and turning it a bit on her rosebud. Robin could see a definite reaction to that. Cynthia then guided Katy under the table, right to where Rebecca's pussy was. Katy didn't need any instructions. Cynthia grinned at her as Katy started to tease Rebecca with the dildo. Now Cynthia climbed on top of the table. Her fingernails just barely touched Rebecca's breasts. Rebecca's hearing always was heightened when other senses were removed. She knew there was more than one, but didn't know much more than that. It was almost more frightening than exciting. She had been shaking, but knew she put herself into this position. It made her mad at herself. Then the sound of the vibrator came on. She'd know that sound anywhere. When it was shoved inside of her, the jolt was sudden and felt almost brutal. She was scared, but as it was pulled out, twisting and turning, she couldn't help the good feelings it gave her. Then it was probing her back hole. Then more noise and she was being teased with a dildo up front. Now her breasts felt on fire. She didn't know who these people were, but she was almost to the point of not caring. In a way, that frightened her more. She belonged to Jack and Cynthia. The thought of betrayal started to make her cry. Before the first tear could form, though, she felt something too familiar. It was the way her nipples were being held. Between the forefinger and the middle finger, with the thumb rubbing across the top. That was a signature move and only one person did that. She tried to say her name but it was impossible with the ball in her mouth. Knowing she was being taken by Cynthia allowed her to let go. Katy felt it first, and then Robin. Robin could tell the way Rebecca's body was pulsating, that this was a very powerful orgasm. She looked at the vibrator in her hand and wondered if that was part of the cause, or being tied up. She might have to ask her mom about this. Cynthia jumped off the table and stopped Katy and Robin's ministrations. This was the first time she spoke. "That was a very powerful one and I have to watch myself. Rebecca is pregnant and I don't want anything to happen to our baby." Rebecca was limp coming down from her euphoric orgasm when she heard Cynthia's words. To have Cynthia call the baby in her womb 'ours' was as powerful as anything that could have been said or done. The acceptance in front of others about the care of her body and the child growing inside her was almost too much for her to handle. Rebecca cried tears of joy. She had truly found her place. Robin ran over and undid the rope. The emotionally drained Rebecca slumped on the table. ------- "Dora," William called, "it would be good to have you drive us back to the plane now. It looks as though Laura is fine, although I told her I want to see her early this evening." "All right, let me see where Liz is," Dora replied. "Dora, I want you to practice driving. You need to see if you can remember what I taught you. I'm going to get on Keith and Richard's case about teaching everyone in this house how to drive." "Even me?" Jimmy said, as he'd been listening in on the conversation. "Jimmy, I think I should talk to your mother about restraints for you!" William quipped back. Jimmy's eyes grew big as saucers until William couldn't keep a straight face and Jimmy knew he was being teased. Jimmy knew he deserved it. He didn't mean to get into so much trouble; it just sort of found him. Liz and Annabelle walked into the room and Dora told them that the doctor wanted to have her drive them back. They were both a bit surprised. "I could hear that car almost as soon as she ground it into first gear. I walked outside and watched the car lunge forward each time she shifted. It was painful. She, as well as everyone else in this house, needs to know how to drive," William declared. "I'd have to agree," Liz said. "It has been long enough and I also want to do an exam on her. Shouldn't be a problem, but we don't want to have the thrust of a car complicating matters." Dora, Liz and Annabelle looked at each other. This was frightening, especially with what happened with Kristin. "Now look," William said, noting the tension in their faces, "it is precautionary. If I thought Dora had traumatized the baby, she'd still be at the plane. I just need to check and make sure everything is going well. It won't hurt her to have a driving lesson along the way." The tension eased with the exhalation of held breaths from the three women. Annabelle and Liz walked out to the car with Dora, William, and Thelma. After getting in, Dora rolled down the window. "You don't need to stay and watch me." Annabelle and Liz looked at each other and smiled, knowing Dora was nervous about getting it right. They walked back, but then stopped and watched from the porch. First gear was hard, but as Dora shifted into second, it was smooth. Turning to Annabelle, Liz said, "You will need to learn as well." "I... I don't think I could," Annabelle said, her voice showing the amount of doubt she felt. "Nonsense," Liz said and then with a smile, she added, "If my sister can learn to drive so could you." Annabelle grinned at that. Kristin was smart and Annabelle knew it, but the sisterly jab was funny. Dora had felt stupid. She may not have stalled right away; she did listen and put the clutch in before that. The second time she let it out she had her foot on the accelerator a bit heavily. She let the clutch out a bit fast, and it was only because of the car's weight that it didn't peel out. Once going, second gear was easy and third was a breeze. William told her she needed to just practice, practice, practice. Soon enough, the relationship between clutch and gas would be as natural as getting on a horse. Dora doubted that but didn't say so. When they stopped, Dora forgot to put in the clutch and stalled the car. She felt like an idiot. Thelma, knowing how it felt, described to Dora, her father's efforts at trying to teach her and her sister how to drive. Thelma, Dora was sure, added a lot of colorful description that may not have been the whole truth, but made a very good story. As soon as they entered the plane, William turned from being driving instructor, to doctor. Washing his hands, he had Dora sit onto one of the exam tables. As he turned around, he smiled. "Under the table next to you is where we found Kenneth. He reminds me of a 'Jimmy in training.'" "Don't tell his mother that, she'll die of fright!" Dora joked back. He took her temperature and blood pressure and then had her remove her clothing and slip on a gown. It was always nice to have his wife around. She knew how to handle the charts and he could just call things out to her. As soon as Dora had on her gown, he had her get on the scale. Then there was a test. She was given a little cup. "What do I do with this?" Dora asked. "Pee in it," William replied. "Very funny," Dora said and looked over to Thelma. "He's serious?" "Yes. You've never done that before?" "Oh course not." "We run a couple of tests. Your urine shows us several important things," William said. "But how do I get it in the cup?" Dora said and blushed. Thelma knew just what she was talking about. "Men don't have the same sort of problem, so they don't understand. I find it best to pull my lips apart and pay attention to the stream. The hardest part is stopping." Dora couldn't believe the frankness of the conversation, but it was rather helpful. She went into the lavatory and did her best. She dried the outside of the cup off, where it had splashed over and then her hands. Coming back out she knew her face was red from embarrassment. William took the sample, started one of the tests, and then turned around facing Dora. "Up on the table now, we need to do the exam." Thelma took hold of Dora's left hand and assisted her onto the tall exam table. Thelma couldn't resist as she looked and saw no wedding ring. Dora saw were she was looking and the two women's eyes met. "The day that Richard, Katy, Keith and Robin got married, we were running around like crazy. I was trying to get my daughter ready and had a pie in the oven. Then I was ironing our clothing. It was hectic. At first I blamed my daughter, but the truth is I don't know, it could well have been my fault," Dora said, starting to explain to Thelma. "What fault, what happened?" Thelma asked. "A fire started in the house. Everyone, of course, was at the wedding. No one saw the fire until it was too late. Everything I had, except my daughter, was gone." Thelma's eyes were tearing. "Some things don't make no difference. You can always get some more clothes. The few pictures of my husband, though..." Dora's eyes were watering as well. Thelma squeezed Dora's hand, feeling the pain of her loss. "He'd been gone for a few years. Mine accident. Wasn't always good, wasn't bad neither. I still missed being with someone. I don't know about other women, but I need the touch of another body next to me." "So what happened after the fire?" Thelma asked. "Richard came up to me on one side and Katy was on the other. They sort of held me up as I watched my house go up in flames. I kinda remember asking them what I was going to do now, and without a pause they told me I was moving in with them." Thelma gave a sharp glance towards her husband. He knew the story and with his eyes told Thelma to keep listening. She did. But she was a lot more suspicious now about motivations. "That seems a bit odd. Their wedding night and they offer for you to come stay with them?" Dora let out a forced laugh. "I thought so, too. They insisted and said I could help them out as well. They had Jimmy to still take care of. See Keith and Robin were s'posed to get married, but it ended up Richard and Katy did, too. So Stephanie and I went to their house. Richard and Keith went to Katy's bedroom. Keith and Robin were in Robin and Jimmy's old room, so that left us out in the living room." Thelma smiled just a touch. Ok, she thought, it is like Sarah said. These people are not falling in bed with each other. Dora did not see the change in Thelma. She was looking down at the floor telling this story. She went on. "That's when the problem occurred. There had been so much going on, I didn't even think." "What problem was that, dear?" "The noise," Dora said. Thelma not catching on immediately asked, "What noise?" "From the bedrooms." "Oh," Thelma said rather embarrassed she had asked. William, who had stayed out of the conversation so far, was rather amused. Being a man, he was also interested in hearing more of this story. It was getting interesting. His question brought a stern glance from his wife. "Dora, you know they had just got married. Why did that bother you? Were you concerned for your daughter and Jimmy?" Dora's free hand was crinkling the paper sheet on the exam table. Then she thought that this was silly. He's a doctor. "When I get... Well, when I heard them... It's natural for me to..." "Get excited?" William asked. Dora nodded and then realized as she had just thought about that night, her juices were starting to flow. She might as well get it over with, 'cause soon enough they will know anyway. "I have a problem." "What is it, dear?" Thelma asked, thinking that her husband's questions were a bit more than what they should have been. "When I get excited, I have these... juices..." Thelma squeezed Dora's hand again. "We all do, dear." Dora swallowed hard, and felt the trickle of her juice run down her crack and most probably soak into the paper on the exam table. "Mine are different. Mine have a strong scent," Dora got out. Thelma started to say something, but this time Dora stopped her by squeezing her hand. "You will soon find out, as this talk about Richard and Katy..." Dora didn't get done. She didn't need to. She could smell it and knew they would too. She didn't want to look at them. She was extremely embarrassed. William and Thelma glanced at each other. Their eyes were wide with surprise. This was not the scent they expected. William cleared his throat. "I think that we should finish up your exam. It won't take but a minute or two." As Dora was adjusted into position, Thelma had pulled out the parts for the stirrups and set them up. Now Dora was more embarrassed. As well as being spread full open, her scent was filling the inside of the plane. William though was being very mechanical about the exam at this point. Thelma looked on, with chart in hand. Dora had the impression that she had made them mad. They were... well different. "All finished," William said and helped Dora out of the stirrups. He grinned, as though he was suddenly his old self and said, "Now you can take another practice drive back." It still felt odd to her, almost as if they wanted her out of there. She wondered if she'd said something wrong. There was a definite rush to get her clothes back on and they both walked her to the door. "Now remember what I taught you about letting the clutch out nice and easy," William said in his friendly as ever voice. William gave her a hug. Thelma gave her one as well, adding a kiss on the cheek. Then Thelma turned Dora around, almost like she was being told to go away. Dora couldn't figure this out at all. She got to the car, and opened the door. She was about to get in when she thought of something. Turning back, she stopped and stared. William had his hand on Thelma's breast as he turned her around to go back inside. The next step into the plane, she saw his hand cup her ass. Dora almost burst out in laughter, but controlled herself. That smell, her smell, had gotten to them, and William had been right there at the source. As she got into the car and shut the door she thought, poor Thelma! ------- Annabelle caught her daughter looking into the opening in the floor. They had opened it, but no one knew how to close it up, so chairs had been placed around it, to stop anyone from falling in. Julie reddened as her mother's questioning gaze. "Want to talk about it?" Annabelle asked. The mother knew this talk would happen sometime. She was going to talk with her daughter, unlike what her mother had done to her. Julie nodded and the two walked out of the house. They took the same path that Jimmy and Pamela had when they took Marsha for her 'talk.' Soon the two were up on the top of the hill. They stood there for several minutes looking over the valley. It was not a lush green valley one might see somewhere else, but this was home for them and it looked lovely all the same. Julie turned to her mother and asked, "Mom, what do you do in Richard and Katy's room at night?" ------- Chapter 97 "What?" Annabelle stammered. This was not the sort of birds and bees talk she was expecting to have with her daughter. "Mom," Julie said, "there are enough sounds coming out of that room for me to guess what everyone is doing, but my question was..." "Honey, I don't think..." Annabelle was at a loss. "Mom, you and Dad didn't have much fun together. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. You should be happy. I know I am... now." "Julie, you have grown up seeing things you shouldn't have. Your father... He wasn't a very good man." "I'd rather not talk about him anymore. He and my brother aren't really something I like to even think about. It was always painful." "Oh, honey," Annabelle took hold of her daughter. Annabelle was crying. Crying for the trapped feeling she had been in with her husband, trapped in a town that saw her family as bad, trapped... with nowhere to turn. She didn't realize for a few moments, that her daughter wasn't crying. Holding onto her daughter's shoulders, she stepped back and looked. How her daughter had changed. How had she missed it? Julie saw grief, pain, and then a flash of worry on her mother's face. "It's easier if I don't think about it. I don't like the feelings I get when I do," Julie said. "If only I could do that," Annabelle replied. "Maybe if you didn't feel guilty about me, you could forget." Annabelle attempted a smile. She knew her daughter was trying to make her feel better. She couldn't get out of her mind the day they had set off, walking, to Carp. They left behind everything except for the clothes on their back, to face the unknown. That terrifying aspect was no worse than starving to death that she knew they had been facing. It was the desperate act of a mother. Annabelle had wrapped one last piece of dried bread and placed it in her pocket while her daughter had watched. Then the two had walked out the door. How could she ever forget that? "Mom?" "Yes?" "You're happy with Richard, aren't you? He's... He wouldn't hurt you?" Annabelle gasped. "No! Believe me, Julie, Richard is the kindest, most gentle man I've ever known." Julie smiled and her mother blushed. She did want to get back to original question though. "Then are you going to answer my question?" Julie asked. "What question?" Annabelle asked, not remembering with all that her mind had just been thinking about. "What you do in Richard's room at night." "Julie, I think that is rather personal and private." Julie was nodding. "I know. That's why I was asking." "Julie!" "You and I used to hang on to each other, and share everything. Now we do everything apart." "Julie," Annabelle said sadly, "I shouldn't have given you all those things to think about." "Mom, I got used to us being close. I miss that. We talked about... everything." Annabelle shrugged and sighed. Julie was right, they had. It was the family that she was in now, that eased her from where she had been, to where she now was. She hadn't thought about what Julie might be feeling. Guilt once again set in. "I'm sorry, dear. Once again, I'm not being a good mother." "I don't want you ever to say that again," Julie said in a demanding voice. "You gave me the last crumb of bread we had. You brought me here, when all hope was lost. You have always looked out for me." "Not since we got here." "Mom," Julie said in an exasperated tone, "you didn't need to. Everyone looks out for everyone else, here. I just miss our talks. Don't try and make something bigger out of it." "When did you get so smart?" Julie grinned at her mom. It was coming back; she could feel it. "Not so smart, Mom, just the common sense you gave me." Annabelle pushed Julie away and laughed. That was a downright silly thing for her daughter to say. "I'm still waiting, Mom." "Why do you want to know? It seems to me you've already figured out what is going on in there and I'm not about to give you details." Now Julie was laughing, "Ah, come on, Mom!" "Julie!" They were both laughing now. It was time for Julie to ask the real question she wanted to know, needed to know. "Mom?" Julie said. Annabelle stopped laughing at the tone of her daughter's voice. "There are a lot of girls in that room and only Richard..." Annabelle looked to the ground as she blushed. It was one thing for her to come to terms with some of the things she, herself, had done. It was quite another to let her daughter know. Julie saw her mothers blush, felt the hesitation. That told her a lot. "Mom," Julie said clearing her throat. "Would you be mad if Barbara and I..." Annabelle looked up, surprised at her daughter. Now it made sense. Julie was trying to find out if she was normal, or someone as deranged as her brother. "Honey, exploring is part of learning." "But what if I like it?" Annabelle snorted and smiled at her daughter. ------- I was flying back... well, I was sitting on the runway, waiting to take off. Richard was driving one of the buses back. He had left, right after the auction. He said he wanted to get on the road. We were making the other arrangements. It was something none of us had thought about. He was the only one who had a driver's license that allowed him to drive a bus. This was something that needed to be taken care of and as soon as possible. There was still money in my pocket. In fact, money was still left from what the townspeople of Carp had put together. This was also a very good thing, as we hadn't anticipated the quantities or sizes of what we would be purchasing. Richard, with his maintenance friends, came up with a quick solution right before he left. We rented a rail car. The base maintenance guys (on their time off, of course) would fill the rail car with our purchases, for some extra money. The rail car would show up on the base the next day and would be picked up two days afterwards. The rail car would reach Carp, going north, three days later. All we would need to do is unload it on our end, in time for the southbound train to pick it up after two days. That left the second bus that we had purchased still to be driven back to Carp. We had talked about the idea of loading it on a flat car and bringing it by train as well, but there was no good way for us to unload it on our end. Richard and I had talked about having someone learn, and take the test. Then, with Richard sitting in, they would drive the bus back. It would give that person a lot of behind the wheel practice. I got my 'go' from the tower and lifted off. I turned, changing my course, and headed towards Carp. It was a definitely different feel on the flight back. Jack was sitting up front with me. Rebecca and Cynthia were sitting together. They did not say much, but there was a glow around Rebecca that I hadn't seen before. Jack had noticed as well and didn't know what it was all about. Katy and Robin were also sitting together, whispering. This, I had always found, meant something was up. Usually, sooner or later, I would find out what it was. Brian was the vocal one of the bunch. He had worn his legs out. So, as much as he would have liked to run up and down the isle, he was forced to stay put. That didn't stop him from trying to engage anyone he could in conversation. He was on a high that just wasn't going to go away. My mind wandered back to when Richard and I had run into Cynthia at the PX. We had both picked up rings that day. I still remember the call that left Richard and I feeling the need to drive to Carp. We couldn't do anything that night, but look at those ring boxes sitting on the table. It was one of the most miserable nights of my life and I knew Richard felt the same way. Now, Robin was my gem. I wondered if she really knew how much she meant to me. I was going to have to do something special, so that she knew. "Keith?" "Yes?" "Are you going to daydream, or fly?" I glanced over at Jack, a smile spreading on my face. "Not sure yet." "Well, let me know when you figure it out." "Come on, you should be able to land this thing." "I'd rather not. I'm used to paved runways. By the way, is that the bus?" I laughed and told him he was spoiled. I looked down and told him I thought it was. We flew closer to get a good look. I was surprised at how far Richard had driven. Maybe I just hadn't realized how long everything else had taken. After doing a fly by over the top of the bus, I told Jack when we got to Carp he was going to learn and keep his hands on the controls, so he could feel the differences. He knew why I was doing it. He did need to learn, but I don't think it was one of his favorite things. I wondered about that and why he was in the Air Force. The safest place to be during the war he had thought. England had been hard on him; but he survived, unlike many of his friends over there. Upon coming back, he made it to commander of the base, in no time at all. As we flew up the valley, past Angle City and towards Carp, I said we should do a fly by of the mine. Jack thought that was a great idea. He yelled back what we were going to be doing and for everyone to look out the windows. I flew up, over the ridge and circled around twice. Once for those on the right and once for those on the left. As they had said, it was ready to go. I was glad we had the bus for the miners. I talked Jack through the landing procedures and made him take most of the control, even though he hadn't realized he was going to do that, until it was too late. Once we touched down, he told me I was a rat. I just laughed. We were met by Dora, to our surprise. She looked very pleased with herself, but was instantly disappointed that Richard wasn't with us. That set my mind in motion. "Dora, how did you like driving?" I asked. She grinned. "After I got the idea, I loved it!" "What would you think of becoming the school bus driver?" I presented. She, as well as everyone else, stopped and looked at me. "You're kidding me," she stammered. "No, I'm not. Would you be interested?" "Of course I would!" she said, and got so excited she could hardly stand still. As Dora settled down, we realized Brian was looking around, looking in the windows of the car, as though he'd lost something. "Brian, what's wrong?" Katy asked. He turned towards us, he looked so sad. "Barbara's not here." Robin saved his day. "Of course not. Dora, I bet she begged to come out with you didn't she?" "Begged is a nice word!" Dora said, laughing. "Katy and Robin had told Liz not to bring her out." Brian turned to them. "Why?" "You don't want her to see the dress, do you? It would ruin the surprise. I know you want to see her," Robin said, "but let me tell you. When Keith told me, on my wedding day, to go put a dress on and I found 'my' dress hiding in my closet..." Robin was lost in a daydream. The smile on her face convinced Brian it was going to be worth it. "Ok, but can we go now?" Brian asked. Everyone laughed, but they grabbed what they needed off the plane. We left the dresses on the plane. We knew that when we got back, Barbara would be waiting outside and there would be no way to hide them. Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca took their Jeep and drove back to the hotel. The rest of us piled into the car. I made Dora drive. She was nervous as anything, but did a good job for someone who was just learning. I was thinking that she would do just fine. The road to Angle City was a pretty much straight shot. One stop in Angle City, in the town square would do it. Then she'd drive up and let them off in town, right at the school. After much practice, she'd be ready to go on a field trip somewhere. Of course she'd have other adults who drove at that point, so there would be no worries. Barbara didn't disappoint us. She, as well as everyone else, was outside. You would have thought we'd been gone a week, not just one day. After being smothered with kisses, Brian pulled Barbara off of him. We were all standing there, amused. Then, after pulling a little box out of the car, made the difficult trip down to one knee. Some of us knew exactly what he was about to do and got a bit teary eyed. A few of us knew how much pain he endured, to kneel as he was. The rest just watched, wondering what was going on. Brian's arms were shaking, as he lifted the box in front of Barbara. "Barbara, will you marry me?" he said, opening the little box's lid, his voice shaking as if he didn't already know the answer. Barbara didn't answer and Brian looked up at her, wondering what was wrong. Jimmy stepped in and caught her as she fell faint. "Boy, Brian, you sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet," Jimmy quipped. That broke everyone into laughter. Katherine, still chuckling, took Barbara from Jimmy and brought her to the porch. She woke up as soon as she was laid down. Opening her eyes, she saw Brian; who had struggled to his feet, and up the steps to the porch. "My angel," she said and smiled. "She's not hurt?" Brian said very concerned. "No, Brian, just overwhelmed," Katherine replied with a smile. Brian was able to relax at that point. He looked around and spotted Julie, standing next to her mother. Julie had a sad look on her face and her mother had her hand wrapped around Julie's shoulder, almost like she was being comforted. It confused Brian. If Julie was worried about Barbara, why wasn't she over here finding out how she was? Jimmy and Pamela came over, interrupting Brian's thoughts. "Can I see it?" Pamela asked excitedly. Barbara grinned at her. "Not until I get to!" They laughed. Then Jimmy heard his name being called from inside the house. "I guess Keith saw it," Jimmy said. Pamela looked at Jimmy, worried. He smiled at her. "This is my doing, so..." He ran off into the house, before Pamela had a chance to say anything. He knew if she insisted she should go too, he'd never be able to say no to her. This love stuff was complicated. "Want to explain yourself?" I asked Jimmy as soon as he arrived. "Do I have a choice?" he asked back. "No, you don't. Now get down that ladder," I said. Jimmy looked at his mom, who was standing there as well. Katy wryly shook her head at her son. He swallowed hard and headed down the ladder. I followed him down. Striking a match, I lit a candle. Then holding it with two fingers at the top of the candle, I asked, "What is on this?" Jimmy's eyes grew big. He stammered. I heard giggling and looked up to see Pamela looking down at us. "I think that is me," she said. "Pamela!" Katy said. I looked at Jimmy, who even in the dim light was bright red. "You get to hold it, then," I said, making him take hold of the candle. Then looking up I said, "and no comments from you." "Ummph," Pamela snorted. "We'll be talking, later," I said to her. "You seem to have forgotten that I'm your guardian." "Oh," I got back in a timid reply. I moved the table over to the opening. Kneeling on it, I grabbed hold of the two sections of floor. I swung them up and locked them into place. Now Jimmy and I were in shadows. I got off the table, picked up one of the other candles and lit it off the one Jimmy had. Then we moved to the little tunnel. "Jimmy, now that we're alone, I want you to start talking. Tell me what you were doing?" ------- I opened the door and Jimmy scampered out. He went slithering past Jill, who was waiting on the other side. I didn't realize until later, but Jimmy took off with his candle. Jill, on the other hand, pushed me back into the room and closed the door. To say I was surprised was an understatement. I first thought she wanted some time alone with me, but I don't think that was the look in her eyes. Now we were in darkness. "Take me down there," she said very flatly. "Jill, are you sure?" "Yes. I won't get over this, until I see it's safe for myself." I took a deep breath and then relit my candle. I was going to let her hold it, but the way she was shaking, I thought that might not be a good idea. We walked down the stairs. As her eyes adjusted to the light, I felt her death grip on my arm loosen. Finally, she let go of me. "I didn't expect it to be finished," she said. "Larry is very thorough. He used the old barn siding to finish this. That way no one noticed any materials disappearing." "I never knew he was that sneaky," Jill said. "Now take me down the tunnel." I led and she followed, her hand holding a belt loop on the back of my pants. Soon we stepped out into the room she recognized. "That's it?" She asked. "How do you get in and out of here?" "Larry's working on it. This end isn't finished yet. He wanted the house to be done and his men working on another project before he started doing anything in here. He'll do that, himself." Jill was nodding her head. "Maybe he could do a secret door. He's good at doors." "We talked about that, but I didn't know what Brian would think of it." Jill touched my arm. "You're right. Keith, you do think of everyone's feelings. Sometimes we just get in the way of ourselves." Then she moved over to the table and looked at it. "You moved this, didn't you?" "Yes." She scooted it back to where it was. Then while she looked at me in the eye, she unzipped her skirt, letting it drop to the floor. "Did Liz tell you how we found Jimmy and Pamela?" The thought that I needed to get more candles slipped though my mind. It was soon replaced by the sight of Jill, completely bare, laying herself across the table. Jill whispered, "I couldn't get that image out of my mind. She looked so..." I cut her voice off, with my lips pressing against hers. ------- Katy had asked Annabelle to go with her when she took Brian and Barbara back home. They needed to go back. Frankly, Katy had been surprised that her sister hadn't come out as soon as the plane had landed. Julie had wanted to go along with them. To her surprise, Katy said no, without explanation. Annabelle had looked at her daughter and shrugged her shoulders. While it made Julie mad, she knew that she'd hear what was going on from her mom later anyway. So the four of them drove off. As they came into town, Katy didn't take the side street over to Millie's. When she reached the main street, she also didn't turn. She continued straight on and then crossed the bridge. Turning off the road, she drove up alongside the stream and then stopped. "Barbara, you and I need to go and have a talk," Katy said. Barbara looked at Katy, her eyes wide. She wondered what this was all about. She got out and looked back at Brian. Barbara was a bit puzzled. Brian didn't look surprised, he looked nervous. He must have known what Katy was going to talk to her about. Katy and Barbara walked off, and Annabelle turned around in the front seat. "I guess Katy didn't want to leave you alone." "No," Brian said, his voice cracking, "she told me I needed to talk with you." "Oh? What about?" "Your daughter." "Julie?" She said and thought how stupid that sounded. She only had one daughter. "Barbara and I like her a lot." "Yes, I know." "A whole lot." "And you've seen them together?" Annabelle said, suspecting she wasn't saying anything new, just filling in the blanks that her daughter left out from telling her. "Yes. The three of us..." Annabelle was surprised at that. Julie had said Barbara. Maybe because she was worried about what she would think of Barbara, but not Brian. She took hold of Brian's hand. "Brian, you are getting married to Barbara. Julie, I know loves you two, but..." "I want to marry Julie, too," Brian blurted out. "Brian!" She studied his face. He was dead serious. She shook her head. What had she gotten her daughter into? How could she, herself, go bed in Richard's room and tell her daughter 'no'? "Brian," Annabelle said. "Yes?" Brian answered in a hopeful voice. "She is not thirteen. I won't let her marry until then." "But if she wants to then, you will let her?" Annabelle sighed. "Let me talk with Barbara first." Brian nodded. He knew he was asking a lot. He knew he expected an answer right away, but Katy had warned him it might take time to get an answer and for him to be patient. "Annabelle?" "Yes, Brian?" "Can you honk the horn?" Annabelle laughed. "Don't tell me Katy knew about this?" "She helped me pick out the rings," he said. Annabelle was ready to hit the horn button, but stopped. "Rings? You bought Julie a ring?" Brian nodded. "Barbara didn't know you were getting her a ring though." "No, it was a surprise." "So she doesn't know you got a ring for my daughter?" "No. Katy told me I had to ask you first." Annabelle put her hands up to her head. "Oh, jeeze." She honked the horn. Barbara and Katy came back. Barbara was still puzzled. Nothing they talked about was that important. Opening the door, Barbara stopped. She could tell something had happened. Katy got in and looked back at the still open door. "Barbara, it would be easier if you got in," Katy told her. As soon as the door shut, Annabelle turned to look into Barbara's eyes. "My daughter and I had a very long talk..." ------- Jim came out to the Mansion riding his horse. "Where's Jill?" he asked Elizabeth and Kristina who were outside. They shrugged their shoulders. Jim got off his horse and went inside, calling Jill's name. Dora came out from the back of the house. "What's wrong, Jim?" "There is an urgent phone call for Jill. I need to make sure she gets to the phone as the woman will be calling back, soon." "Last time I saw her, she was going over to the new place. Come on, it will give me an excuse to go over and snoop," Dora said with a smile and glint in her eye. Jim laughed and then said, "I wouldn't think you'd need a reason to go over." "I don't, but the kids have been told not to go and you know what that means." "With the likes of Brian and Jimmy around?" Jim said, failing to keep a straight face. They kept on talking as they moved from the dining room where they had been standing, through the kitchen and out the back door. After crossing the yard, Jim opened the door of the new house. Dora and Jim had just stepped into the new house, when Jill and I stepped out of the locked room. "I understand Jill had a phone call," I said. Jim looked at Dora totally bewildered. "How did you know that?" Jill and I looked at each other. She started to giggle and I couldn't help but join her. We weren't about to say we were under the house, getting our clothes back on, when he came into the house. We had heard the conversation he had with Dora and rushed to get back over here. "Just perceptive, I guess," I said. Jill giggled all the more. Jim shook his head as Liz walked into the house. "What did I hear about a phone call?" Liz asked. "The woman said she'd be calling back and will ring," Jim looked at his watch, "in about ten minutes. Does everyone hear everything around here?" Jill nodded. "Yes," then she blushed. "I'll take you into town," I said. "Who's calling you?" Liz wanted to know. "I don't know," Jill said. "I'm going too," Liz said. "Sure, but let's go," I said. Then added, "Thanks for coming out and telling Jill." Jim smiled. "No problem. It's always interesting to come out here." Then he looked at Dora and smiled, "Would it be OK if Dora showed me around the new place?" I couldn't repress a smile when I replied, "Sure, go right ahead and snoop." I got out the front door before he could ask me how I knew Dora wanted to snoop around. Jill and Liz followed. As soon as we got into the car, Liz asked me why Jim looked so dumbfounded at what I had said. Jill told her all about it. It was a good distraction; because as soon as Jill was finished with the tale, a serious mood overtook the car as to who might be calling and why. Pulling up in front of the phone, we got out. We didn't wait long before the phone rang. Jill was very hesitant to pick it up. Liz took hold and answered. We listened intently. "Hello?" Liz said and then instantly said, "Grace! Yes, she's here, hold on." All seemed well from Liz, as Jill took hold of the phone. "This is Jill," she said. "I want to know just what you think you are doing," Grace said startling Jill. Grace's voice was not the pleasant tone she had expected. "Wh... what?" Jill stammered. We heard only what she said, and noted how her face paled. "Because of your little town, I have already lost three of my fine teachers and now it looks like I could lose my groundskeeper as well." "Kevin?" Jill said in disbelief. "What happened?" Liz was going crazy only hearing one side of the conversation. "What about Kevin? What's wrong?" she tried to ask Jill. Jill only shrugged, not knowing yet. "He went off and did something I couldn't believe he'd have the guts to do. Now I find it was you that made him do it." "Me? What did I do?" Jill asked, wondering how Kevin got himself into trouble and what she might have said to make Grace think so. "He asked Dorothy to marry him," Grace said not wanting to keep the suspense up any longer. "Ahhhhh!" Jill screamed in joy. Grace thought she might not hear for a week. She had not been able to pull the phone back quite quick enough, as Jill exclaimed her surprise into it. "What's going on?" Liz demanded to know. "Kevin asked Dorothy to marry him." "What did she say?" Liz asked. "What did she say?" Jill repeated the question to Grace. "She said 'yes'. You know he was visiting her... well, her family." Grace chuckled. "After a long talk with her father, when it became quite obvious the two were madly in love with each other, he asked her. Now I may be losing him." "No, that's not fair!" Jill said. "That's what I told him," Grace said amused at Jill's response. "Jill, I know she wants to be a teacher and she would be more than welcome here, but she needs the training. It would be at least three to four years before she'd be ready." "But can't you do something?" Jill said, trying to think of something. "Here, talk to Liz, maybe she knows something that could be done." Jill thrust the receiver to Liz. "Grace?" Liz asked. Grace laughed and then retold her lament. "I'm sure you will come up with something, Grace, you always do. It would be good for Dorothy, as well as any child she would have under her wing, to be at that school. It would also be the best for Kevin to be there. It is his home and that is because of you. You do know that, don't you?" Grace had a little catch in her throat, "Yeah, Liz. I know it would be good. I'm just not sure how I'm going to pull this one off." "If I remember, Grace, I came there scared as a lost kitten. And I was right out of school." Grace, embarrassed, quipped back, "It's hard to imagine you that way now." "Grace," Liz said. "Yes, I know, Liz. I just guided you though." "Give yourself credit, Grace. I will think about the whole matter and let you know what I can come up with." "Anything would help; so thanks." "If I got the gist of Jill's expressions, you blamed her for Kevin asking Dorothy?" Grace laughed. "Well, she did push him as no one else has ever been able to do." Liz and Grace talked and joked for another minute before hanging up. Jill was full of questions. Liz said it would be good to write to Dorothy and ask her what her plans are. "You have something up your sleeve, don't you?" Jill said. I was surprised Jill could read my sister so well. Liz gave a little smile, but didn't give away anything else. If I knew the determined look on Jill's face, my sister wouldn't last long with any secrets she might hold. "I think Laura might like to know," I said. Jill grabbed hold of me and gave me a kiss. As soon as she pulled back, she looked as shocked as I did. Liz was laughing hysterically. "What wedding proposals do to people," Liz said with another laugh. Jill was blushing very nicely. We got into the car and drove back to the Mansion. Jill took off out of the car, as soon as I stopped. "Poor Laura," Liz said. "If she is anywhere private, given Jill's reaction to you, Laura won't have a chance." "You think Laura would mind?" I asked. Liz laughed, "Not on your life." "But what you said is becoming a problem." "What?" "Privacy. It is one of the reasons Jimmy told me why he and Pamela ended up in that locked room. The reason Laura and Jill happened to be over there, and found them, was most probably the same. We have too many people climbing on top of each other." Liz looked at me and couldn't help but laugh. "Do you realize what you just said?" I thought about what I'd said, 'people climbing on top of each other' and groaned. "I wouldn't mind you climbing on me," Liz said. I grinned. "Kevin's proposal got to you, too?" She grinned back. "Yeah, I guess so." ------- Millie was a bit stunned, and her way of dealing with it was to cook. So she was in the kitchen. It was one thing to say Brian and Barbara were getting married, but... "Brian, how did you get money to buy that ring in the first place?" she asked. "Richard let me borrow it from him." "Now, Son, it isn't a good thing to borrow against what you are going to make. You can end up owing the person you work for much more than you want. There are stories of factory towns, where the people just worked their whole life, owing everything to the place where they worked. They never got ahead." "Dad. Barbara and I have money. We just can't get to it. So he lent it to me, to use now." Millie snorted, "Brian, how in the world do you two have money?" Brian looked at Barbara and swallowed hard. "All of us, I mean Barbara, Pamela, Jimmy, Stephanie, Julie, and me; we found the treasure." Bruce laughed and said, "Millie, did you forget about that? They told us about it." Millie blushed. "I guess I did." She sighed. "It's just..." Barbara stood up. She had her bottom lip tucked into her mouth, biting on it, and she was fighting back tears. "I'm not trying to take him away from you," she said, and ran out the front door. "Millie," Bruce said in a voice that said she'd better listen, "you go find that girl and have a good long talk with her. I don't want to see either one of you back in this house, until you've settled this once and for all." Millie was so startled by Bruce's vehemence, that she still had her apron on and a dishcloth in her hand as she left the house. Bruce looked at his son, who was also in a state of disbelief. "Son, there are times when you have to put your foot down. It ain't easy and it can get you into a lot of trouble. I know I'll be hearing about yelling at your mom for some time. That ain't the point. The point is she needs to get over the idea that she's losing you." Brian looked down. "She almost did... twice." It was the first time Brian had ever heard his father say 'shit.' ------- Buses aren't known for their subtleness, so when Richard pulled up next to the park, downtown, he had a crowd waiting and wondering. He gave them a smile and stretched. It had been a long and lonely drive. Several men were looking the bus over. Finally one of them had the nerve to ask. "What's this for?" "We purchased two of these. This one is for the mine. It will bring up the miners from Angle City and then collect anyone here that doesn't want to walk or take a horse out to the new mine." "So what's the other one for?" another man asked. "The school. Speaking of that, can some of you give a hand? There are some bookshelves in the back of the bus that got loaded on. They are part of the library." It didn't take anything more than that and Richard had more help than he needed. It seemed everyone was interested in the school and especially what was happening inside the building. He was going to have to tell that to Dora and Liz. Maybe they could give a few tours. The bookshelves were set in the part of the downstairs that had been designated for the library. They had to just set them against the wall, as Richard had no idea where they would eventually go. On top of that, there were stacks of books all over. Some had file cards on top of them, the kind Richard had seen in a library, but most didn't. Vivian had been working, apparently; but from the looks of it, she had a long way to go. Richard went back to the bus and made a large circle around the town. He went through the downtown and then back on the secondary street paralleling it, to get to the road that led out to the Mansion. He noticed two things that were a bit odd. Barbara and Millie were in the restaurant. It looked as though they were having dinner. Then as he passed Millie's house, Bruce and Brian were outside looking at the bus, Brian waved at him. Richard thought that Brian would have given the ring to Barbara and everyone would have been celebrating by now. It didn't make any sense. He might have stopped, but his tailbone was starting to really bother him and he needed to get home. The bus, noisily rumbling into the little valley the Mansion was in, got Richard a grand reception. Everyone was out to welcome him home. Katy didn't even let him get off the bus. As soon as he opened the door, she was up the steps and in his lap. Suddenly the pain in his backside fled from his thoughts, as her tongue entered his mouth. ------- It had been longer than Bruce could even remember, since Millie hadn't cooked him dinner. Some of the things were still on the counter that she'd been working on, before she left. He tried to make some semblance of a dinner for his son. Brian, Bruce realized, wasn't so worried about what was going on. He was eating his dinner, what there was of it, while Bruce was toying with his. Bruce's thoughts were pounding in his head. The worst of which was the statement that indeed, Brian had almost died twice, in the past year. Millie had every right to fear a loss, once again. He had discounted her feelings, because he simply hadn't seen the same thing. He was sure Millie would be paying him back for his behavior and he knew he deserved it, as hard as it was to take. After dinner, Bruce cleaned the kitchen. Brian watched in amazement as his father even started to clean up the living room. "Stop staring at me," Bruce said. "Just you wait. You'll know soon enough what it's like to be in the dog house." "Dog house?" "An expression. Dog houses are some small thing put outside, where if we had one, I might find myself sleeping tonight." Somehow, that was an amusing thought to Brian. He just couldn't see his father, a good-sized man, stuffed into this little place where a dog would sleep. Bruce turned and looked at his son. Brian stopped his snickering. His dad looked very sad, almost like he was ready to cry. "Brian, I made a bad decision tonight. I just hope it didn't spill over and mess anything up between you and Barbara." Before that settled into Brian's mind, the house started to rattle just a bit. Father and son walked outside, and saw a bus driving down the street. "Richard!" Brian said, forgetting his potential troubles for the moment. He waved as the bus drove by. After the bus turned the corner and started down the street away from them, Brian turned to his dad. "You don't think Mom will want Barbara to go away, do you?" Bruce looked, alarmed, at his son. "No, Brian. That's not what I meant and your mother would never do something like that." "Ok." "Come on inside," Bruce said, putting his arm around his son. ------- After dinner, Millie and Barbara had a long walk. In the restaurant they could talk about simple things, but both knew they were being watched. It was a very odd thing, having the two females show up for dinner, without the husband or son. Tongues would wag all over town about it, Millie was very sure. It was a good thing that the days were long and the sky was light far into the evening. For as soon as they had walked past the edge of town, past the graveyard, Millie started to talk. "Barbara, I want you to know that I know you are going to marry Brian. That doesn't make it any easier, at times." "Is that the sort of thing Katy talked about? Wondering what was going to happen to Robin?" "Yes, but Katy has two children. I have just one." "And I'm taking him from you." "Robin is also a girl. Katy and she compete." "I don't understand?" "They do the same things. Jimmy, on the other hand, is a boy. I'm not sure how to explain it." "Is it sort of like, you raised Brian the way you wish Bruce was?" Millie stopped walking. "What did you say?" Barbara didn't want to repeat herself. Millie had a very strong reaction to her words and she wasn't comfortable with that. "Barbara, tell me again." "I said..." "What? I'm not sure I heard you." "I said that Brian is what you wished Bruce was, or something like that." "That I raised him to be what I wanted my husband to be," Millie re-stated. "My goodness, I don't think I've ever thought about that before, but you may be right." "So maybe I'm not what you see as the perfect wife, for the perfect husband," Barbara said sadly. Millie started walking again. She didn't want to say how she felt about that. It maddened her, for yes, she sort of felt that way. Yet she knew she was dead wrong for even thinking those thoughts. ------- The next morning, Katy, Robin, Richard, and I were in the new house. We had the papers on which each of the kids had written down their roommate preferences. "How are we going to organize this?" Katy asked. "Let's look at the first person on the list and see if there is a match. If so, then we set those aside, as though they were in a room. Then we can work on the harder ones," I said. Robin picked up her brother's paper and read it. She started to laugh. "What is it?" Richard asked. "Guess who Jimmy has as his number one person?" Robin asked. "Pamela," Katy groaned. Robin laughed. "Yep, and she's the number two and three choices, as well." We were all chuckling. I shifted through the pile and found Pamela's. "Well, it looks like we have a match. Pamela wrote down the same thing." "Keith, you can't..." Katy said and stopped. "Mom, they already sleep together every night, now," Robin said. "But putting them into the same room? I mean what..." she looked at Richard for some sort of help. "Do you think it would encourage the others to do the same?" I asked. Katy nodded. "So that would be more, or less encouragement, than having them see him climbing in bed with her each night, and getting out of it in the morning as they do now?" Katy's shoulders drooped. "What have I created?" "Mom! You know what Jimmy created. Love." "Maybe we should just go on and look at the other ones and see how they match up," Richard said. "Good idea," I added. "Laura and Julie look like a good match." "Stephanie wants Pamela as first." "Well, Laura put Pamela as second. I wonder if Pamela knows she's so wanted?" "Elizabeth wanted Keith as first." "Very funny." "See honey, it's right here." "The little tramp! Who's her second choice?" "Daisy!" We all had a good laugh. "Third choice?" Robin blushed. "Me." I shook my head. "I'm going to have to have a talk with her." "Kristina wants her sister. I bet she'd be upset that she wasn't even on her sister's list." "Her sister didn't make a real list, so it doesn't count." "Here's Sarah's. Hmm, she has you on it too, Keith." "Damn her. She knows better." "She knows what she wants. She also has Jill and Mary on her list. Then she has written down below that she knows she should be with Marcia." "Well at least she was being somewhat reasonable, unlike Elizabeth." "Keith get over it, you're on a lot of these." "What? Like who?" "Oh, now look who's curious?" "Never mind." "You were on Laura's list, but you were number three." I looked at Katy in disbelief. She found the paper. "Jill is first, then Pamela, and finally you." I took the paper from her hand and looked at it. "She can't be serious." "Keith, sometimes you are so dense." "Thank you." "She sees what you have done for Jill. She admires you, as much as she can admire a man." "Ok, I'm dense. It makes sense, but I don't think without that paper I would have believed you." "I think we're going to have a problem with Kenneth." "Who does he have on his?" "Jimmy, then Elizabeth, and finally Kristina. I don't think Jimmy wants Kenneth to watch him with Pamela and neither of his sisters had him down. There was a problem with him and them already about this." "Yes, we remember all too well." "Maybe he should stay over at the Mansion?" "Why?" "Others will not be very happy about that." "That's the point," I said. "It will make him feel special when others complain. I'll bet that in the end, someone will want to have him stay with them." "Like his sisters." "Exactly." "Ok, so who have we got where?" "Tiffany and Vicky will be downstairs in the bedroom. That is, as soon as they get back." "Maybe Kristin and Liz can be there until then." "Good idea." I took out a piece of paper and a pen and started to jot down what I saw, while the other three looked on. Jill and Laura Stephanie and Elizabeth Sarah and Marsha (right now, Vivian) Pamela and Jimmy Julie and Kristina Katy had drawn in her breath when I wrote down Pamela and Jimmy together. They asked about Julie and Kristina together. "Katy," I said, "look at this list, who would you put Jimmy with?" "Why is there always more females than males?" she replied. "What about Kenneth?" "You mean like we have in our rooms, Mom?" Robin asked. Katy sighed. "I just don't think it's fair for them." "Ok, I understand that," Richard said. "So what would make it right?" "I'm not sure..." Katy said. "Let's go on to the others, and come back to this, later. Marcia is going to need more room when her baby comes, but Sarah isn't staying, so that will work well," I said. "And Julie and Kristina?" Robin asked, "That is a bit strange." "Not really. If Millie gets over the shock of her life, Julie will most likely end up at her house. That leaves Kristina," then I dragged out the last words, "all alone in her room." "Keith! That is just plain devious," Richard said, and then grinned. "I like it!" "You figure she'll drag her little brother over to be with her?" Katy asked. "I know she will. I think she would have put down his name, if not for her sister," I said. Both Katy and Robin were nodding. "For someone so dense at times, you are very observant," Katy said with a straight face. All four of us were laughing so hard, we didn't hear the back door open. "Can I come in?" Annabelle asked. "Yes, please do," Richard replied. She walked to where we were. It was rather strange in a way. Every one of us would almost always be using what would be considered the back entrance, while the front of the house, which faced to the other side, away from the Mansion, would hardly ever be used. "I know you are working on the plans for sleeping arrangements for everyone. I don't know what you had planed for my daughter, but..." "Annabelle," Richard stopped her, "it is our understanding she may end up at Millie's." Annabelle bit her lower lip. "I told Brian she couldn't do nothin' till she was thirteen." Robin asked her, "You mean marry, or did you mean anything at all?" Before she could answer, Katy said, "You're not ready for her to leave you, are you?" Annabelle burst into tears. "No, she's my baby. She's all I've got left." Katy quickly got up and hugged her. Richard was right there, and from the back hugged her as well. Robin and I joined each side, enveloping her in a hug. None of us said a word; we just let her cry it out. When she was done, Robin and I let go, Richard and Katy led Annabelle to the couch. "Robin," I said, "let's walk upstairs and figure out who should go into what room." She just nodded, knowing it would get us out of there. I picked up the list and we walked up the stairs. "Well, there goes a good plan," I said. "Keith," Robin said, perturbed by my statement. "I didn't mean there weren't good reasons. It's just that... What are we going to do now?" Robin took the list out of my hand and looked at it. "Stephanie will be with Julie and Elizabeth will be with Kristina," she said. "You're not going to make friends with Elizabeth that way! And what about Kenneth?" "I'll bet you..." she got this devilish look on her face. "No way am I betting with you, you don't play fair!" We laughed and tried to tickle each other for a few minutes. Our tickling turned to caressing, which turned to kissing and nibbling. "Robin, Keith," Katy yelled up the stairs, "don't mess the place up, yet." We heard laughter rolling up the stairs. Robin and I looked at each other. "Maybe it's time to go to our bed," I said. "At this time of the day?" I smiled and nodded. Robin giggled, took my hand and led me down the stairs. "Well," Richard said. "Are you going to tell us now who is in what room?" Robin and I looked at each other and grinned. "Did you even look in a room?" Katy asked. "It is so nice to see love like this," Annabelle said. "I never had it, 'til I came here." "That's part of why you're so scared for your daughter, isn't it?" Robin asked. Annabelle shook her head, but kept her eyes on Robin. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you have always known what troubled me." "Robin said that we should switch things so that Stephanie and Julie were together. That puts Elizabeth and Kristina together," I said, changing the subject. "You want to explain that?" Katy said. "I think Julie and Stephanie would get along great. And when Julie leaves, then Elizabeth can move in with Stephanie." "Ok, but if Elizabeth and Kristina are together, then how does Kenneth fit in?" Richard asked. "Oh, he doesn't. I think Keith didn't want him to, anyway. I think he wants to have him over with us," Robin said. Katy, Annabelle, and Richard were looking at me for an answer. "I didn't say that, although he is a cute little kid." Somehow they all thought my response was amusing. "Well he is. He..." "Face it honey," Robin said. "You love the little tyke." I sighed. "Ok, yeah, he's gotten under my skin." "Wait till Katherine hears about this," Richard said. I looked at him, worriedly. "Keith," Katy said, as though once again, I was dense, "she's going to love hearing that. She already knows Kenneth thinks the world of you." I could only smile at that. ------- It was mid morning and without each other knowing it, the new room assignments were being given out. No one knew exactly who they had been paired up with and of course this drove them all crazy. Each of the kids brought down their things from the third floor of the Mansion and placed them onto the second floor landing of the new place. As a result, everyone was scattered everywhere on around the property. Jim came riding out at the Mansion for the second time in two days. "You're making a habit of this Jim," Katy teased. "Both you and the doctor have mail, plus I'm out here to tell you there is a meeting tomorrow night." "Oh, what's this one about?" Katy asked. "Not quite sure. Patrick came by and said we needed to bring the flock together. He always calls the townspeople his flock. I guess it's just his way." Katy tensed up. She knew exactly what her father was talking about when he said 'bring the flock together.' She knew the subject and she knew it involved all of them out at the house. "Katy, you don't look so well." "The heat, I think. Thanks for the mail, Jim. I think I'd better get something to drink and lay down for a bit." "Good idea. I need to run anyway." Katy walked in the front door and knew she wasn't going to get far. The first thing she saw was a vase in the music room. Emptying the contents of her stomach into it, she then carried it to the bathroom at the end of the hall. She opened the door, entered and closed it, then slumped down to the floor. She was crying before the vase hit the floor and cracked. Two sets of eyes followed this strange event. As soon as the bathroom door closed, Elizabeth and Kristina ran to find their mother. Katherine came running from the kitchen and without bothering to knock, opened the bathroom door. She had visions of Kristin running through her head. Katy's leg was in the way of the door and Katherine had to nudge it out of the way. As soon as she was inside, she shut the door, keeping the prying eyes of her daughters out. "Katy... Katy, what's wrong?" Katharine said, taking hold of Katy's face and looking into her red, swollen, crying eyes. Katy didn't answer and Katherine pressed on. "Is it the baby?" This got a reaction. Katy shook her head. Katherine felt herself relax. Nothing would have been worse than that. She took a deep breath and almost gagged. Katherine looked and found the cracked vase, oozing liquid. A trained nurse or not, smells can get to anyone. Katherine had to hold her breath while she gingerly picked up the vase and dumped its contents into the toilet. "I'll be right back," she told Katy, and walked out the door. Her girls were standing there waiting. "What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked. "I'm not sure, but Katy said it wasn't the baby. Don't worry; I'll take care of her. Why don't you two go find Richard?" Given something to do, they scampered off. Katherine took the offensive smelling vase and quickly walked through the kitchen. She dropped it off the back porch, where it cracked open. Not giving it another thought, she went back in. She told Mary and Daisy, who had been with her preparing dinner, what she knew. Then, grabbing some towels, she went back into the bathroom. Katy, still in the same position, was still crying. "Time to tell me where it hurts," Katherine said. Katy shook her head, as she was holding it. "Katy, please. I want to help." How could she tell Katherine what was going on? She didn't even understand it, herself. One minute she's fine, the next she's reliving the scorn she felt from some in town. Katherine, not knowing what was going on with Katy, had her lay down. She cleaned Katy's face and then started to check her. Richard, along with Robin, Jimmy, Pamela, and myself arrived. There was no way possible for all of us to enter the bathroom. Richard went in and we stood outside the open door. Katy looked at her husband and then past him. Her eyes fell on her son and the tears flowed once again. Richard and I looked at each other. Not having a clue of what to do. Robin saw the look that her mother gave Jimmy, just before crying and wondered what he had done this time. "It's time for me and my mom to talk. Out with you," Robin said. "She'll be ok?" Richard asked, directing his question more to Katherine than to anyone else. Katherine shrugged as she got up. She then took Richard by the arm, pulling him out the door and closing it, leaving Robin and Katy alone. "I think something upset her and her system overloaded. She wasn't able to tell me anything. Maybe she can talk to Robin." I pulled Richard into the kitchen and did what my mother always did. I made him some tea. Sitting at the kitchen table, Richard looked up at me. "What could have happened?" "Let me think. Jimmy was under the house with Pamela while we were gone... She took Brian and Barbara over to her sister's, after sneaking him off to get him an engagement ring..." "Ok, I get it," Richard said. "But I haven't hit the best one. She's pregnant." "So you think that's it?" Richard said hopefully. "Yeah. From what Robin told me, Barbara has had her share of falling apart. What else could it be?" ------- "Bruce," Millie said, as soon as she walked in the door with Barbara, "I think you should take Barbara out and show her some of those constellations. The stars look very nice tonight." Bruce looked at his wife and couldn't believe what she'd just said. He expected her to be silent, be angry, be... well something. This was not right, so he had to ask, "What?" as thought he hadn't heard right. Barbara took hold of Bruce's arm and whispered, "I think she wants to get rid of us, so she can talk to Brian." Bruce looked at Barbara. "Oh." The two of them walked out of the house. "What has happened to my 'good little boy'?" Brian didn't know what to say, so instead of being serious as his mom was being, he said, "You introduced me to Jimmy." ------- Chapter 98 Millie closed her eyes for a second. 'Why, oh why, couldn't her son be serious for a moment?' Taking her son by the hand, she led him over to the sofa. "Brian, you have changed so much in the last half year. Sometimes I don't even recognize you any longer." Brian's mind flashed upon making some silly face or looking at his clothing and making some comment, but he knew his last comment about Jimmy was bad enough. He didn't want to push his luck. He just didn't know what to say. "Mom." "Yes, Brian." "I know you're afraid. After you and Barbara left, Dad and I talked. I reminded him you almost lost me twice this year, first with..." Brian closed his eyes and then said a name he thought he'd never be able to utter again, "Cliff and then with that boy." Looking at his mother with tears forming in his eyes, he finished with, "Barbara isn't going to take me away from you." Millie fought back her tears and had to wait for the lump in her throat to go away before she could talk. Some things about her son hadn't changed. He was as sensitive and thoughtful as could be. He had also said that man's name. Maybe he was healing and growing up. "I know, Brian. Barbara and I had a very long talk. I do like her, I hope you know that. Sometimes what I know in my heart and what my head tells me are two different things. I just want what's best for you." "I know, Mom." They sat in silence for a moment. "Mom." "Yes." "You said you had a long talk. Did Barbara say anything about Julie?" "Julie?" ------- When Elizabeth and Kristina had come into the new house and told them that Katy had run into the bathroom, just after throwing up, Kristin, Mary, and Beth Ann were crying. The girls had just been looking for Keith, but had walked in downstairs. The story set the three into agonizing for Katy. They were praying it was nothing like what Kristin had gone through. Sarah and Vivian had heard the three girls crying and tried to calm them. Sarah had then left Vivian there, saying she needed to get something. That 'something' was first hand information. She hated to see Kristin that way. Walking into the kitchen, Sarah wasn't noticed by Richard or myself as we were talking to each other. She went to the far corner, to where they had shelves that were used as a pantry and slid in beside them. That placed her right next to the wall of the bathroom. In any other case, Sarah would never have listened into a conversation, especially one like this. What she was hearing, though the wall, had troubled her more than she thought possible. As she came out of the corner, Richard and I were still in the kitchen. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. Sarah's eyes darted around the room. "I need to find my sister," she said and ran out the door. Any thoughts of Kristin were long gone at that point. Sarah heard Richard say to me, "Is something going around? If so, I sure don't want to catch it," as the door was closing behind her. Kristin, Beth Ann, and Mary, along with Vivian, were on their way over to the Mansion. Sarah ran to her sister and grabbed hold of her, tight. Kristin, misreading Sarah's actions, thought Katy must have lost her baby and broke down crying. "Sarah, what's wrong?" Mary asked her. Taking several deep breaths and exhaling slowly, as she had seen Laura do over and over again, she slowed herself down. "Mary, we need to call Dan." "Dan?" Mary asked, not coming up with anyone who fit that name. "Dan. Dad and Mom's friend from Grand Junction." Sarah said. Mary showed a sudden recognition on her face. "It isn't the baby?" Kristin asked. Sarah was shaking her head, as she said, "No." Then looking at Kristin. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry, you thought... No. No it's not that at all." "Sarah, what's this about calling Dan?" Mary wanted to know. "I'll tell you as we go to the telephone. Come on. Can you drive us into town?" Sarah said as she was tugging on her sister's arm. "Sure. Kristin, can you tell the others where we are going?" "Sure," Kristin said. "Would you like me to come with you?" Vivian asked. Sarah looked painfully at her friend. "I hope I don't offend you, but I need to talk with my sister." "Dan is a counselor," Mary said hoping that shed some understanding. As soon as Mary and Sarah got into the car, Mary started the engine and said, "Ok, what's this all about?" ------- Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca were at the building site with Larry and his brother, John. Larry had his workers set the foundation markers out previously in the morning. This part was something Larry had learned from another builder and was proud of. He had the plans in his hand and they were presently inside the foundation markers. "If you look at the sun now," Larry said, "you'll see where it's shining. The summer sunlight gets everything. That of course is why it gets so darn hot. Can't do much about that. Now, in the winter you want every ounce of light you can get. So think about the sun making an arc like this." Larry stretched out his hand, reaching across the sky. "Now if you look at the floor plan, all of these rooms will get the sun. I think a bank of windows along here will be the best in the living room." "What about the summer sun?" Jack asked. "Won't it beat in and make it so hot we can't stand to be in the room?" Larry looked at his brother and smiled. "Nope. We extend the roofline out and add slats. The lower angle of the winter sun will get through and the summer sun will be cut out by the roof." "Darn. Larry, you're smart. Where'd you learn all about that?" "Some guy named Frank something was traveling through here few years back. He made plans of buildings and he liked the desert. So he knew about this stuff. Told me a few things I could do. This was one I really liked. Put it to use on the back of my house, but the house's not turned right, so it works but not as good as it could. We're not going to put your house straight to the street. It's going to be set for the sun." "Sounds good to me," Jack said. Cynthia looked at the plans. "Where's the nursery? We need it close." "Oh, congratulations," Larry said. Cynthia smiled at him. "Thank you, but it's not me. I can't have children. Rebecca is pregnant." Larry and John looked at Rebecca, a bit surprised. She blushed under their gaze. Jack was starting to feel a bit hot as well. Cynthia didn't seem to notice. "I guess we could use this one. What do you think, Larry? It is close to the master bedroom." Larry looked at the plan, but wasn't quite sure what to say. "Larry," Cynthia said, "you don't need to play innocent with me. I know darn well you and your brother don't live alone in that house of yours because of convenience. Why do you have a problem with this?" Jack just about choked. John was now the one turning red. Larry cleared his throat. "It just sort of surprised me is all. I mean I can see some things that go on around here, but most people aren't so open about it." Cynthia smiled. "Larry, I'm not sure what it is, but something connected with Rebecca and me. I can't wait to see her belly grow," Then she laughed. "Her breasts too." Larry was bright red now. Cynthia continued, "When that baby comes, I have the feeling I'll be motherly. I never thought I could have ever said that and I don't know why, but it's strange and makes me feel great. I love it and I am pleased to let everyone know 'we' are having a baby." Rebecca gave Cynthia a big hug. Jack saw the glow Rebecca had. Something had happened at the base. He still didn't know what, but whatever it was had a very positive effect on his ladies. ------- Jill found Vivian in one of the still empty rooms upstairs in the new house, sitting on the floor. Kristin had suggested that Jill find her. She wasn't sure why but she had heard that Mary and Sarah had left, suddenly, in Mary's car. "What are you doing up here?" Jill asked, as she stepped into the room. "Thinking." "Want to be alone?" Jill asked in a sympathetic voice. Vivian dropped her shoulders, and then looked up to Jill. "Is Sarah always going to have problems?" Jill wrinkled her brow. "Problems?" "You know what happened to her at our school." Vivian asked. "Oh. Yes. No." "Yes. No what?" "Yes, I do know," Jill smiled, "about Sarah getting on the lunch table. And no, she won't always have problems." "Oh." "Is that why she left?" "She said she had to talk to their father's friend, Dan. Mary said he was a counselor. Yesterday, when Jimmy was behind the door, Liz said someone needed to talk to them and Sarah said we would. Liz asked if she could do it. I never knew it was so bad. I didn't know Sarah before. Well, I knew her, well, of her." "Vivian, you don't need to explain. I didn't know Sarah before either. She told me what she was like, so, although it's hard for me to think of her that way, it must have been difficult to be around her." Vivian snorted. "I could never be around her. She was too good." "How did you pick her as a friend then?" "Me? I had nothing to do with it. I couldn't talk to her." "So what happened?" Jill asked curiously. She knew herself how hard it had been at Liz's school to be an outsider. She wondered how others dealt with it. "I was being picked on at school. Nothing unusual, but then all of a sudden Sarah was there. At first I thought it was some sort of a cruel joke. I couldn't believe Sarah was talking to me. She even sat with me at lunch. It was after, that I found out." "About what happened to her?" "Yes. Jill, she said something happened to you. Worse though. How come Sarah is having problems and you don't?" "I think fainting is a problem," Jill answered pragmatically. "Sarah and I had similar things happen at the start of the attacks we had. From that point, they went in two different directions. I wouldn't want what happened to her as much as she wouldn't want what happened to me. I couldn't face knowing..." Jill's face clouded with emotion. "I'm sorry, Jill. I shouldn't have brought it up." "So you think that what happened yesterday troubled Sarah?" Jill asked, seemingly changing the subject. "We went in and walked down the hallway..." "To the place of doom. Oh..." Jill shook her head. "What do you mean the place of doom?" "When Sarah was at the school, I pulled her in-between some buildings. There were bushes in there and I was trying to duck away. You know, trying to hide. When I pulled Sarah into the confining place, she screamed bloody murder. She didn't even know she'd done it. Liz was very perceptive, thinking that Sarah might have a problem walking down a hall to something that made me faint." "She seemed fine. Maybe that was just to make me feel better." "Vivian, I'm not sure. That door being locked had bothered me. I made Keith tell me what was in there and I thought I was fine with that. When I heard Jimmy's voice behind that door, my mind flashed up thoughts I don't even want to bring up. That hasn't happened in a long time for me. Like I said, I had something bad happen to me, but I wouldn't trade that for feeling like I could have been responsible for someone dying, like Sarah." "What?" Vivian said startled. "Vivian, what do you know about Sarah?" "A man pulled her into some bushes and tried to..." "Rape her," Jill said knowing Vivian couldn't get the words out. Vivian nodded. "You know why she was attacked, don't you?" "I'm not sure if I do, but I don't remember. What she told me made me have nightmares for a few days. I sort of blanked it out." "She knew Keith and that man was after Keith. What that man did worked, kuz Keith came and saved her." "Good!" Vivian interrupted. "The last thing Sarah saw, shortly before she fainted, was that man pointing a gun at Keith. Saving Sarah put Keith into a death trap." Vivian couldn't say anything. Her throat was dry. She couldn't and didn't want to imagine. Jill, still standing, put her hand on Vivian's shoulder. "One thing I've learned, Vivian, is that these people, the ones in this house," Jill moved her hand around, trying to include the mansion in that statement, "are the best help anyone could have. I know they saved me. Keith helped when I didn't want it. Liz told me things about herself to help me; that she's only told one other person. Sarah is in good hands." "Then why is she calling this Dan person?" "I don't have any idea. He might know something about her family that makes it easier to talk about." "Yeah, I guess." "You feel left out." "Yeah, I suppose I do." Jill put out her hand, "Come on, let's go for a horse ride." "Ride?" Jill smiled. "Yeah ride. It's good for you." "Ok, but..." "Vivian, I won't let anything happen to you." ------- The water was running. The bath was being filled. That was about all anyone could tell that was happening in the bathroom. After the water stopped, Robin emerged, closing the door behind her. She looked at Jimmy and Pamela who were camped out in the hallway. "Go find Richard." "He's in the kitchen," Jimmy replied scrambling to his feet. As soon as he shot off, Pamela said, "I made him stay. It's our fault, isn't it?" Robin smiled and in a soothing voice, she said, "No, Pamela, it isn't." Pamela looked like she was ready to burst into tears. "Pamela, I wouldn't lie. It had nothing to do with you two." "I was so worried." "I can see that. Now go on and tell Jimmy. I just need Richard." "Ok!" Pamela said, her spirits brighter. Richard appeared and almost knocked over Pamela in the hallway. "Sorry," he called in passing. "Robin, what is it?" Robin stepped away from the door. "Slow down, first of all. Lower your voice to a whisper. Then go in and give your wife a bath. She needs all the love you can muster right now. I'll get some clothes and lay them out here. Keith and I will be ready when she is to go and see my grandpa." "Patrick?" "The only one I know," Robin said. "But..." "She's waiting for you. Don't let her talk, just make her relax. She needs you, Richard." Richard entered the bathroom. Katy looked over to him and then closed her eyes. He pulled off his shirt, kneeled down next to the tub and put his hands into the water to warm them up. ------- Mary looked at her sister as though she had gone stark raving mad. She had just asked Dan to cancel his appointments for the next day. There would be an airplane to pick him up and to bring him to Carp. Sarah had obviously gone off the deep end. Mary had tried to grab the phone out of her hand, to talk some sense, but Sarah had batted her hands away and hung up. "Sarah, you can't ask someone to do... that. What in the world is going to tell his clients? That's how he makes his money. Did you think about how you were going to pay for that? On top of it, how are you going to get Keith or Richard to fly up and get him? Do you have any idea how much it costs to fly a plane? Sarah, you need to call him back and tell him it can't be done." Even if Sarah looked calm and composed on the outside, her lips were quivering, giving indication of how much tension was inside her small frame. "Mary, you can do what you want. You graduated from college. You can stay here if you want. My whole life depends on what happens, so don't tell me about how much it costs. I don't want to hear about it." Sarah stomped off and got into Mary's car, slamming the door shut. Mary looked at her sister and shook her head. "Maybe you do need to see a shrink," Mary said, although no one was there to hear her. Her thoughts were, 'Is it good to let Dan know what is going on here though?' That was something Mary was very concerned about. Sarah might just jeopardize everything she wanted, by trying to help. As Mary got in the car, she could see Sarah's tear stained face. "I have to," Sarah said in anguish. "Keith saved me. I need him. He..." She started sobbing. "I understand, Sarah, I do. I just think you jumped into this the wrong way." Sarah was shaking her head before Mary stopped talking. "I talked with him at the school in Grand Junction." This was the first time Mary had heard of this, "Really?" "Yeah, Dad thought I was hiding my emotions. So he sent him over to the school to check on me." Mary smiled. "That does sound like Dad. Sarah, how are you going to talk Keith into flying up to Grand Junction though?" Sarah smiled for the first time. "I'm not. Robin is." "Robin?" "Yes Robin. She will make him go. That is after I talk with her." "Something about knowing things you shouldn't know, by listening through walls?" Mary asked. Sarah blushed. "Yes." Then she went on, "Doesn't matter. Robin knows how much is at stake for her mom, she will push Keith to do it." "You sound pretty sure of yourself." ------- To keep a distraction going, away from the Mansion, specifically the main bathroom downstairs, I had Beth Ann, Robin, Kristin, and Liz helping me place everyone's stuff they had brought up and placed into the hallway, into the appropriate bedrooms. As soon as this was done, we were ready to call them. The only three who weren't downstairs waiting were Jill, Vivian, and Sarah. Everyone else rushed upstairs to find who they were going to be with. I was just about to go downstairs when I felt arms wrap around me. I looked at saw Pamela, with tears in her eyes. I smiled at her. "Don't make a big deal about it. Because you have something others might want should make you proud, but not boastful. Understand?" She nodded. Then I bent down and whispered into her ear, "By the way, you were on three other people's lists as wanting you as their roommate." "Who?" she asked with wide-eyed amassment. "I can't tell you that. It wouldn't be fair. Pamela, you are admired. Just don't let it go to your head!" She giggled. "I love you, Keith." "Love you too, my little darling." As I turned back around, Elizabeth was there, hands on her hips. "Come on," I said to her, "we need to talk." Elizabeth was ready for a fight, not a calm talk, as I had suggested was going to happen. Two steps down; I turned and waited for her, putting out my hand, for hers. She couldn't resist and sighed in resignation, as she took it. We walked out the front door and around to the side, where the horses were. Walking to the far side of the pen, her hand still in mine, I stopped. "Elizabeth, I know you did not have your sister on your list. Neither one of you had your brother on your lists, even after he ran away, thinking you didn't care for him. This is a big step, not being with you two. He's very young and hurts easily." "But if he's not with us, why do we have to be together then?" Elizabeth asked. Then she paused. "Who is he with anyway?" I smiled. "He gets to stay in the Mansion." "What? Why?" "Kuz I want him near us." "But that's not..." Elizabeth looked at me strangely. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" I nodded. "You want us to feel jealous of him." I nodded again. She started to smile. "He's going to feel special. Keith, that is... I love you!" "I knew you cared about your brother." Elizabeth got a pained look in her eyes. "Of course I do. He's..." Her eyes started to water. "Mom used to call him the man of the house. After Dad..." She sniffled. "I love him." "I know you do. I also know you are growing up and need to be a girl, without your brother watching." This time she nodded. "You need to be with your sister, right now. These are not final arrangements and some things will change. We just don't know how soon. So go and get your sister riled up about where your brother is going to stay and make him feel special about not being with you two." "You're devious!" "Me? If I remember Miss devious, it was you that..." I started to chase her. She screamed and ran, but I think she knew just what she was doing, because she ran into a secluded corner to be caught. Picking her up, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me before I had a chance to do that to her. "Mmmm," she moaned and then broke off the kiss. "As good as I remember." "Yes, little Miss devious." Elizabeth giggled. "Mom knows I like you." "Yes, she does." That surprised Elizabeth, who thought she was telling me something new, that she'd told her mother. "You told her?" Elizabeth asked. "I told her just about everything that happened up in Redding." Elizabeth blushed. "Everything?" "Almost." Elizabeth grinned. "I bet I know the part you didn't tell her about." "Oh and do you want to describe to me what part that is?" Blushing again, Elizabeth shook her head. "I'd do that again, though." "I think I already knew that." She looked up at me with doe eyes. "I mean it. I love you, Keith." I sighed and her eyes had a hurt expression almost instantly appear. I reach into her and kissed her again, this time running my tongue across her lips. She pulled back in surprise at what I did. "Honey, you have to wait. You need to talk with Robin. You have to know. I'm not going to take you away from someone else." "But there isn't anyone else." I smiled. "That's what you think." "Who?" she demanded to know. "You don't know yet, but you will." I said not knowing, but I'd had the same sort of conversation with Pamela. "You..." I took her hand again and led her back to the house. Kristina was waiting there with a worried look. Elizabeth let go of my hand and took her sister's. "Come on, I've got something to tell you, you're not going to believe it." "Well, tell me!" "We have to find our brother first," Elizabeth said. ------- I stood there, opened mouthed. "Robin!" Not caring if anyone could hear outside our bedroom door. "How long will it take," she asked, avoiding my shock. "By the way, Liz is going." "Do I have any say in what I do?" Robin didn't bat her eyes at me. She took me into her arms, kissed me to the point where I couldn't think. Placed my hands on her belly and rubbed them on where our child was growing. Then she looked me in the eye. "My mom is important to me and I know she is to you. She needs help and Sarah knows this man can help her. Keith, she needs to be strong for this meeting. We need her to be that way. It is for all of us, but my mom needs this." I knew I'd been set up. It didn't make any difference. What Robin had said was true. I, we, would do anything for Katy. I hadn't seen her, after she came out of the bathroom. Robin made Richard take her to see her dad. They were still gone, but Robin had told me what this was about and how serious it was. "I need Mary with me as well," I said. "Oh?" Robin said raising her eyebrows. "She helped me communicate with the towers when we came home from Oregon. I can't take Richard and don't want to take Jack. Mary at least can help me on the flight." "That makes sense. I just thought you..." "Were trying to have someone who knew who we might be picking up?" "Now don't get smart!" I picked up my little cutie and set her on the bed, but didn't let go of her, then I pushed her down, with me following. She was giggling as I was doing this. As I moved my hands to her side, she was unprepared for my tickling. She screamed. The door flew open and Kristin, Liz, Sarah, Mary, Daisy, and Beth Ann rushed in. Then they stopped and looked very sheepish. Robin looked over to them and started laughing. I didn't let her up though. I started nibbling Robin's neck. "Keith, you're making too much noise." Daisy said, giggling and then covering Robin's mouth with her own. Robin was squirming, from my nibbling and Daisy's kissing. She finally pushed Daisy away and I let her up. Robin was panting, trying to catch her breath. "I take it she convinced you?" Sarah asked. "You," I said, turning and looking at Sarah, "are going to pay for this." "Oh goody!" Sarah said. I rolled my eyes as the others tried not to laugh. "Mary, you are coming with me." I said. "How come she gets to go and not me?" Sarah asked. "Told you, you were going to pay." I said and got a very hurt look from her. "As well as I need someone who can communicate, while I fly." "Oh," Sarah said, embarrassed. "Now get a move on. If I'm doing this, we need to leave soon." Mary and Liz headed out the bedroom door. I thought they were ready, but as soon as I stepped into the hall, saw them enter the bathroom at the end, shutting the door. "Kristin, you will need to drive Sarah back downtown, so she can call Dan again. Take Jill with you so she can call Grace at the school and let her know Liz is showing up. Tell Sarah to let Dan know we'll call from the school." "You know, you'll probably be picking up Tiffany and Vicky. I think they are at the school now," Beth Ann said. "I didn't know what their schedule was," I said "Liz knows for sure, but I thought they were going to visit each other's family and then go to see Grace. Liz joked with them about going back to school to learn something," Kristin said. "There is probably some truth to that. For both of them, Linden Hall was their first school. It is different to come into an old established school where you might not know everything, but there are systems in place. This is a new experience, where they are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed. If I know Grace, she will probably make them understand what gifted teachers they are, so they will come back with the confidence to do their job without question," I replied. Liz walked in the room. "How did you know how Grace worked?" I smiled. "We've talked... about you." "Oh you!" "Ready?" I asked her. "Yes." She sighed. "I wish I would have had a few days notice. I'd love to have had a list of questions for her." "Well, it will take about an hour and a half to fly it. You could make a list then," I said. "With you flying?" Liz said. I chased her down the hall and the stairs. She was laughing all the way out the front door. Mary was out looking at us and running down the stairs after us. "I guess they're gone," Robin said dryly. "Robin," Daisy said. As Robin turned she was hit with a pillow. ------- "This is beautiful," Vivian said. "Yes it is. Only a few people know about this place," Jill said. "Someone special show it to you?" "An old man, who taught me practically all I know," Jill thought about what she'd just said and blushed. "Well, not any of those things," she added looking at Vivian's raised eyebrows. Vivian laughed. "It is so fun to be able to talk with everyone like this. Sarah was the first one who ever said anything to me like that. I couldn't believe it." "Sarah and I have had a lot of talks." "She told me you were pretty special." "Really?" "Jill, really now. I've heard how smart you are." Vivian's smile left her. "Plus you two share something I know you wish you didn't. I guess you can talk about that, knowing what the other one went through unlike anyone else." "There is someone else," Jill said before she realized it. "Really?" "Me and my big mouth." "It's ok. I don't need to know. It's really none of my business." "Vivian, you are pretty special." "Thanks." "Now, tell me about Scott." Vivian giggled. "How much time do you have?" "Plenty. Then I want to hear about Mike." Vivian's giggles stopped. "Mike?" "He and Scott are friends, right?" "Yeah." "So why did he hurt Marcia?" "He didn't. He wouldn't." "But..." "I talked to him. Can you imagine what it would be like if no one would listen to you? Didn't want to hear what you said, or even what was going on in your brain? Mike's parents... Oh they make me so mad!" "Yes," Jill said sadly. "I do know how that feels." Vivian was surprised. "Who around here wouldn't listen?" "My mother." "Y... Your mother?" "Long and complicated story. Things are good with us now, but they didn't use to be," Jill said. "So Mike's parents were being dicks?" "Jill!" Vivian said shocked. Then she saw the humor in what Jill said and started to laugh. "Yeah, real... dicks." "So they won't let them be together." "No, but Sarah and I have a way to at least let them write to each other." "Oh? Sarah is so sneaky some times." Vivian was grinning. "Yeah, she is. Let me tell you what happened when I told Mike I could get a letter to Marcia." ------- Patrick was out at his favorite spot. He needed time to meditate. Glad his infection had cleared and he could be out, without being nagged. He knew Cheryl made him take care of himself, cause she loved him, but at times the mothering was a bit much. Now he needed that peace and quiet that the stream, boulders, and no other person around could offer. The visit from Katy and Richard had been totally unexpected. He could understand her fears. Normally able to separate himself from the issue at hand and deal with the subject objectively, he found he was having a problem with doing that now. He knew part of the problem was that he was so mixed up in the process that he was part of everything and just as vulnerable. In great tradition of believers who sought divine intervention, Patrick closed his eyes, opened his Bible and placed his finger to the page. He looked down, into the Old Testament and recognizing the passage before him, smiled. This was almost too good. His peace and quiet was shattered by the sound of a horse riding out towards him. The horse and rider stopped alongside Patrick's horse and as the rider dismounted Patrick was able to see who it was. "Millie." "We need to talk. I have a serious problem on my hands." "Come sit down. What is the problem?" "Brian wants to marry two girls." Patrick almost drew blood biting the inside of his cheek. It was the only way he could stop from laughing. He knew if he did though, Millie would stomp off mad. "Want to tell me how he came to want to marry both Barbara and Julie?" "You knew!" Millie accusingly shouted at him. "Who else would it be?" Millie's shoulders slumped in resignation. "How come I didn't see it? Bruce laughed when I told him. I'm so mad at him right now. He laughed! Can you believe it?" Patrick wasn't about to answer that question. "Millie, tell me what happened. Who told you about this?" "Brian did." "Brian... Very courageous of him." "Hmmm." Millie huffed. "Dad, what am I going to do? This just isn't right." Patrick took a deep breath. "Then I guess I'm surprised you are talking to me about it." "What do you mean?" "What kind of advice do you think a man, who has in all respects joined as a third party to a marriage, is going to be able to say?" "I didn't think about it that way." "You mean I'm not as bad as the rest." "Well, look at Katy. She's..." "Right now, in so much pain, she could hardly walk to the house to see me." "What? What happened? It's not the baby?" "No, as this meeting is coming up, she's reliving how people reacted to her the last time she was pregnant. You ask about this baby, but from what Katy told me she went though, I'm surprised she didn't have problems with that pregnancy. How much did you pay attention to her pregnancy with Jimmy?" "Oh." Millie looked down at her feet. Her sister had been the brunt of the scorn. She'd heard, even went along with some of it at first. It wasn't everyone, but those who had been vocal, were just that, vocal. "Millie, don't be so hard on yourself. You know how I behaved. I'm as guilty as the rest and told her so. I hoped that helped her see that people change. But now you thought your sister was pulling Brian along in her little group thing without a conscious thought, didn't you?" Millie didn't want to answer that. "I asked you for help with this, if you remember. A person, who was close to the situation and knew some of the feelings. Now what I find out is that it was fine for everyone to ruin their lives as long as it didn't interfere with yours. Now that has changed and you are up in arms. What do you think the rest of the town is going to feel? Are they going to have your attitude?" "No, Dad." Patrick looked at his daughter's face for more of an explanation. "I think some of them are going to be a lot worse." ------- We taxied in the Grand Junction airport. It had been a smooth and uneventful flight. Liz had thought of some things to ask Grace after all. After I shut down and opened the door, Liz looked out and then yelled at me, "Keith! You rat!" Mary and I had seen out the cockpit window Grace, along with Tiffany and Vicki, waiting for us. We expected some comment. Liz couldn't get out of the plane fast enough. I wasn't out of the cockpit yet when I saw her running, hugging, and kissing the three of them. As soon as Mary and I got out of the plane, Grace came over to me. "Your sister had some choice words about you." I smiled. "She wanted to surprise you, the tables got turned." "So what brought you up? I'm sure this isn't a social call," Grace asked, not beating around the bush. "We're here to pick up a man." "Oh?" "I think you have seen him. He came here and talked to Sarah. Friends of the McCarran's." "The family counselor. Yes, I remember him. Someone having a problem?" "Katy. She's reliving some very painful times. Sarah insisted I come and get him." Grace looked at me, not buying such a simple explanation. "Sarah called him up and asked him to cancel all his appointments tomorrow and that I was going to fly up and pick him up." Grace started to laugh. "You're serious. Oh my gosh! She really did that?" Mary, who'd been following Grace and my conversation, stepped in. "She sure did. She asked me to take her downtown so she could call him. I had no idea that she was going to say what she did. I almost had a heart attack!" Grace shook her head. "Between Jill and Sarah! Those two can spell trouble." "The girl's equivalent to Jimmy and Brian," I said. Liz rolled her eyes, "No one could ever be even close to those two boys." Grace drove us up to the school. I watched Liz as she took everything in, checking to see what was new along the way. She sighed as we entered the gates. "Feels like home?" I asked. Liz turned to me and smiled. "It was, for many years. Not any more, but so many memories. It does feel good to be here." When we arrived at the administration building, Liz and Grace went right into Grace's office. Grace's secretary directed Mary to a phone so she could call Dan. That left me with Tiffany and Vicki. "What have you two been doing?" I asked. Tiffany started with telling how the visit went with her family. It didn't sound like a lot of fun. Merciless teasing, putting each other down to try and build the other up. I knew why she had wanted to move away and questioned the sanity about going back for a visit. That was answered by Vicki. She told me what Tiffany couldn't. Her father was dying. They didn't know what it was, but some sort of lung problem. He was in the hospital and Tiffany knew the next time she'd be back for a visit, it would be for his funeral. I thought Tiffany's visit was bad. Vicki's was better, and then a lot worse. She could never go back. Everything had been going well and it had seemed like a welcome relief from Tiffany's family squabbles. Then Vicki's cousin came for a visit. One year older than Vicki, he had always looked at her in an uncomfortable way. Neither one could explain how it happened, but they found themselves alone in the barn with Vicki's cousin. He tried to make a game out of touching. They weren't interested. He became frustrated and started grabbing them, after he cornered them. Vicki screamed. Tiffany slapped him. He grabbed hold of Tiffany's blouse and tore it open. As three family members rushed in, they could see what looked like a little hicky at the edge of Tiffany's breast. The cousin screamed at them, yelled obscenities about how they were disgusting perverts. No one seemed to care at that point what Vicki's cousin had been doing. The two gals ran into the house, threw their things together and ran out. Vicki said she would never go back. I felt very sad for them and took a hand of theirs into mine. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." It surprised me, especially after the story I'd just heard to suddenly find them hugging me. I hugged them back, glad that they were on each side of me and not in front, as their bodies were cute enough to raise the dead. I thought I had got away with it. When they pulled back, both of them looked down and then back to my face. "Keith, thank you," Tiffany said. I was sure I would never understand women. "It is nice to know at least one of us is desirable. It is also good to not have you... grab us." Now I understood. Thank God they explained it to me though. "You two are more desirable than is good for you," I said with a laugh. They smiled big. "Even knowing Liz would shoot me if I did anything to hurt either one of you, I couldn't do it myself. What good would that do? There isn't much good in having lust, without love." The two looked at each other and grinned. Another mystery. Then Vicki said, "Let's show him the new construction." Inside the administration building, Mary was sitting and waiting for Dan to show up. He had called and canceled all of his appointments for tomorrow. Marry felt so guilty, until she was told that his appointments for the next day were a round of golf and lunch with several of his colleagues in town and was glad to have an excuse to get out of it. She laughed when he told her that on the golf course, it drove him crazy as they analyzed everything they did as they played the game. Inside the office, Grace was sitting at her desk, pondering what Liz had just said. "Intriguing." "I thought you might like it." "There is the school board." "Who could be shown the benefits of having the first pick of new teachers, as well as having staff that would pay, not cost the school." "Liz, you have always seen things differently than most. It is what will make you a great administrator. But, as I've said before, keep your foot in the door, don't let go like I did and forget to be in the classroom. It makes my job much more difficult not being in the thick of things any longer." "How long do you think Dorothy would take to prepare for her high school exams? Grace went to a file and, as though she had very recently looked at it, pulled Dorothy's transcript folder out. She placed it on the desk. Liz picked portions of them up and looked at them. "How long do you think?" Grace asked Liz reversing rolls. "A year of hard work. With Kevin as a distraction though..." "Something you don't know, her father contacted me. He's concerned about her future and so has told her that he won't allow her to get married until she has graduated high school." Liz grinned. "So I can imagine she might be very motivated." "I believe so," Grace said returning the smile. "You know though, there is one complication." "Oh? What is that?" "What Dorothy is doing, Susan will want to do as well." "And her transcript?" Liz said holding out her hand. "Don't be so smart," Grace said, tongue-in-cheek. She opened up the file cabinet and pulled Susan's file out, just as easily. "She's not quite the student her sister is." "No, she isn't interested in becoming a teacher either. I believe she's happy to be a homemaker, which of course is a job in itself." "Baby sitter for Kevin and Dorothy?" "My guess would be something like that." Grace said. "You know it wouldn't surprise me if that happened. I don't know what her parents would think. I try and put myself in their place. Liz, it's almost impossible to know. Dorothy told me a little. Kevin told me a lot. I never suspected Susan was like that. She was so subtle, or maybe years of doing what she did, made it look natural." "I got the idea that Dorothy is resigned to looking after her sister. No, let me rephrase that, because resigned isn't the right word. Dorothy loves her sister to pieces. I think she is just now realizing how dependant Susan has been on her. As much as it could be a burden, I don't think Dorothy sees it that way. She isn't a baby that needs care. She just needs... guidance. It may be that with Dorothy going after Susan, she would buckle down and work as hard as Dorothy has. Dorothy just never knew she needed to give her sister those pushes." "You could be right. Wouldn't hurt to try it." Outside Grace's office, Dan had shown up. "Mary, it is so good to see you," Dan said. Mary, noticing the secretary start to take interest in their conversation, said, "Likewise. Come on; let's take a walk. Keith is out here somewhere and I know he wants to meet you." As soon as the door closed on them, Dan smiled at her. "That was rather smooth, Mary. You have picked up your father's abilities to slide around people with grace." Mary grinned at the complement. "Now," Dan said as soon as they started walking, "what is this all about? Sarah sounded hysterical on the phone. That is almost a complete opposite from when I talked with her here. What has been going on?" "Dan, I have to ask. What I say is confidential, am I right?" "Absolutely, Mary." "Even concerning my parents?" "Ok, now you have me more than just curious, but the answer is yes. Even though that may be hard for me to be in that position, I am obligated to keep my mouth shut." Mary laughed. "Nicely put." "I think Sarah was overreacting, but with good reason. Let me tell you about a woman named Katy first, and then what happened to Sarah yesterday." "Katy," Dan interrupted. "That is the woman Sarah said she wanted me to talk to. Am I right?" "Yes." "Ok. Then don't tell me about her. I would rather come into a session with her, without someone else's outlook." "I guess that makes sense. Then do you want to hear about Sarah?" "Yes I do. I'll be talking with her, but as your sister, you have insights into her behavior that will guide me." "There are these two kids, Pamela and Jimmy. You can't tell any of this to my parents, right?" "Mary..." "Ok, it just makes me a little nervous." "Is there something going on that shouldn't be? Is anyone getting hurt, blackmailed, anything like that?" "No, of course not." "Then what's the problem?" Mary's mouth quivered in a smile. "Jimmy and Pamela are young." "Oh? How young?" "Ten and eleven, I think." "And what are these ten and eleven year olds doing? You know, Mary, exploration is pretty normal if that's what you're worried about." "No, but the story isn't about what they're doing. Well, it kind of is. See they wanted to be alone and got stuck, behind a locked door..." Quite a few minutes later Tiffany, Vicki, and I slowly walked up to Mary and a man, who must be Dan. The two were sitting on a bench half way between the administration building and Upper Hall. They were so deep in conversation that they didn't see us coming. "Mary," I said. Her head shot over to us, surprised that anyone was around. She jumped up. "Keith! You scared me. Keith, Vicki, Tiffany, this is Dan." Dan stood and we shook hands, first with Tiffany, and then Vicki. He took my hand last and said, "I've heard a lot of things about you." "I hope there were a few good things along with the bad," I said, embarrassed. Dan laughed. "You are just as described. Rather modest." We walked up to the administration building. Grace's office door was open and Liz was just chatting with her. The closed-door session was obviously over. Grace drove us back to the airport. Vicki and Tiffany pulled out their suitcases from the back of Grace's car. We loaded them into the plane and got ready for the trip back to Carp. ------- It was late afternoon when Larry rode out to the Mansion. He had a concerned look on his face. When Katherine came out the front door, he greeted her without the usual jokes he was known for. "What's troubling you, Larry?" she asked. "Jack asked me to come and get Keith, but he's gone, isn't he?" "Yes, we know he'll be back later. Something urgent?" "I think so. He didn't tell me, but there is this wood box that was delivered by the train. It wasn't the mail drop like usual, I know that, cause the train stopped." "I'd suggest Richard come down, but..." "I think that might be good. I've never seen Jack like this. We were out at the new property this morning and he was about as happy as a man gets. Now he wasn't about to leave the office. He even sent Brian, who can hardly walk, to come find me. I don't know what it's all about, but I don't like it." "Let me check on Richard. Hold on." Katherine walked back into the house, but as soon as she closed the door, she ran upstairs. She relayed the strange conversation to Richard. Katy answered for him. "He'll go." "Katy?" "You need to check this out. If it has Jack in such a panic, it needs to be taken care of." "I will stay with her," Katherine offered as she put her hand out and took Katy's. Richard didn't want to leave his wife. He couldn't believe the strong woman who he knew had been reduced to a quivering mass of nerves. The talk with Patrick had done a lot of good, but she was still weak, still unsure. What could he do if she said go. How could he say anything with Katherine, a wife in all respects as well and a nurse on top of that, there to take care of her. He let out a long sigh. "I'll go, but I'm not staying long." Katy smiled at him. "I'm not going to die. I'll be here when you get back." "I'm worried about you." "I know. I love you too." Richard ran down the stairs and out the door. "I'll drive down," he shouted to Larry as he was heading to the car. Larry, not knowing what was going on inside the Mansion or with Katy, took Richard's actions as reacting just as Jack had. Larry got on his horse and noticed that his hands were shaking. 'It would be ok, ' he tried to tell himself, but something told him there were problems inside that box. Richard arrived before Larry and as soon as he pulled his car to a stop, jumped out. Jack had seen Richard pull up and he was ready. "Close the door," Jack said, as though that might have been forgotten. "What's this about a box?" "It came from the university and is as heavy as can be. Did Keith tell you he was getting something?" "No." Richard answered. "Can you open it?" "Do you think we should?" "Yes" Larry walked in the door. Jack and Richard stopped talking and looked at him. "What is it?" Larry asked. "We don't know," Richard answered. "Well, you're going to open it, aren't you?" Larry wanted to know. "It's not addressed to me," Richard answered. Larry took a closer look at the box. "Not put together very well." "It's been jostled on a train, it even looks like some sort of label came off," Jack replied. "If I'd made it, it wouldn't look so bad," Larry retorted. Richard looked closer at the box itself. "Wouldn't think they'd put chemicals in something like this." Larry and Jack stepped back. "You're sure?" Jack asked, looking at the door. "No. There could be a better, inner box," Richard said, noting their actions. Larry was almost at the door. Jack was close. Richard shook his head. "You think if I thought there were any chemicals in this box, I'd be standing here? If they had put anything in this box, it would have had burnt on markers for safety." Larry and Jack looked at each other. "You were toying with us," Jack said. Richard smiled. "Maybe just a touch." "Ass..." Jack started to say, then glanced over to Larry and stopped. "Yeah, I'd agree," Larry said. All three laughed. "So what do you think is in it then?" Jack asked. "Haven't a clue," Richard answered. Larry looked at the box again. "I have a couple of tools that could pop that top right off." Jack looked at Richard and then answered. "Why don't you go get them then?" As soon as Larry left, Richard turned to Jack. "It isn't ours to open." "I know." "But you're going to anyway." "Yes." "And how do you justify that?" "Technically, I'm still the base commander. This package is coming from the university where Keith started research on a chemical that was on my base." "That is a load of shit, if I've ever heard it," Richard said, shaking his head. "It's the best I could come up with in short notice." "You're just like the kid with a quarter in his pants. You can't wait." "It's worse at Christmas time. Cynthia knows she can't put any presents out so I can see them." The conversation went on for several minutes more with neither one of them saying anything important. Larry arrived with several tools wrapped up in a cloth. Setting them on the table, Larry said, "I think we..." "Stop," Richard said. There was the distinct sound of a plane approaching. "I guess we don't need to open Keith's package after all," Richard said. "It will fit in the Jeep, or do you want to take it in the car?" Jack asked. "You're going to take it to him?" Richard asked. "Yes, and make him open it," Jack answered. "I'll need to come long then," Larry said. Both Jack and Richard looked at him and he continued, "So he can use my tools to open it." Richard started to pick up the box, but had to slide it to the edge of the table to get a handhold underneath it. "What on earth did they put in this thing?" ------- Chapter 99 In good Mennonite tradition, they use the King James Version of the bible. I wanted the reader of this story to be able to understand more of what was being said, rather than to try and figure out the archaic English language of the KJV. So I have used a more modern version. I expect a few people to become offended at my use of bible verses. Individual interpretation is what I believe to be a fundamental way God interacts with us. This is my interpretation of how these people would deal with this situation, at that time and place, given everything that has transpired previously in the story. It is also not the 'end all' defining interpretation. There was a point where I had to say; this is as good as I can make it. So, if you can, please just let go, sit back and enjoy the ride. ------- Jill and Laura were excited to see Vicki and Tiffany back. The two pulled them into the new house and started to show it off to them. "They will be talking for hours I bet," Liz said grinning. We were walking up to the Mansion and I could see Dan was taking in the place. "It was a thank you from the town," Mary said, "given to Keith and Richard." "The town gave Keith and Richard a house... no, let me rephrase that... a Mansion like this?" "Yes. They saved the town from death." Dan was looking at me. I added, "I didn't want them to do anything." Dan started laughing. "Obviously, the gift hasn't gone to your head. Now where is... Katy." I was about to answer when Richard's and Jack's cars came racing around the bend, into our little valley, and pulled up to us. We had to step back so as not to get covered in the dust cloud that followed them. Jack didn't wait as he jumped out of his Jeep. "Keith! We need your help!" I saw Richard and Larry get out of Richard's car. "What is going on? Richard, where's Katy?" "She's upstairs with Katherine." "Mary?" I turned and said, "Can you take Dan inside and get Katy?" "Sure. Come on, Dan." "Richard, why did you leave Katy?" "Jack," Richard answered. "As well as a box from the university that was just delivered by train." "A box?" I said, but didn't get to ask any other questions. "Keith!" Kenneth squealed, running out the front door. He didn't slow down as he jumped down the stairs, across the walkway, and then leaped up into my arms. "I get to stay in the house with you?" His sisters had done a great job. "Yes, you do," I answered, noting his mother standing in the doorframe, smiling. "Then you're going to read me stories at night, too?" I laughed. "Yes. Maybe not every night. I don't want you to get spoiled!" He giggled as I rustled his hair. Squirming down, he raced back to his mother. What a lot of energy. "Keith, thanks," Katherine called. "Thank your daughters," I said back. "They made him understand how special it was." I could see her raising her eyebrows as she smiled. I knew she'd be asking them about that. Turning back to Jack, Richard, and Larry, I said, "Now where's this box?" "In the back of the car," Richard answered. "You brought it out here? Do you know what's in it?" The three looked at each other. I could tell they had no clue. "Let me get Kristin and let's go back into town. Whatever it is, it needs to be safe. I think the bank is the best place for that." ------- As soon as Dan had walked into the entry, Sarah was there. They hugged as Katharine and Katy walked down the stairs. They were introduced. Then came the big question. Where could Dan and Katy talk? Sarah and Mary ended up taking two of the dining room chairs upstairs to Katy's bedroom, as that seemed the most private place anyone could think of. As Dan was ready to go up with Katy, he looked to where Katherine was standing in the front door frame, and then beyond her. Dan made a comment about the boy in my arms. As he and Katy walked up the stairs, she told him the story of why Kenneth was thanking me. As soon as they got into the room and closed the door, Dan took over. "Katy, have a seat." ------- Dinner was a bit late. Soon after, everyone at the new house wanted to go to bed. The rest of us laughed. Not knowing that we were going to have Tiffany and Vicki back, Kristin and Liz had moved some things over into the downstairs bedroom. I saw Kristin come upstairs. She grinned, saying that Liz was going to stay over there tonight, so she could catch up with Tiffany and Vicki. I read a long story to Kenneth. He didn't hear the end of it, as he was fast asleep. He was feeling rather pleased at being able to stay in the Mansion. Dan was spending the night in the room next to Kenneth. That had been where Stephanie, Pamela, Elizabeth, and Kristina had been. It had been a long day, and would be a busy day, tomorrow. Being the middle of summer, it was still downright hot in the evening. That left us not wanting to make a lot of skin-to-skin contact. Still, in our room, we had hand contact. Just the simple gesture to touch was enough to let each other know they were special. ------- The morning was filled with the logistics of having two houses needing to work together. Everyone was sure it would work out, eventually. That first morning, though, nothing was meshing very well. In a way, it was a blessing, as it took everyone's mind off the upcoming meeting. It was almost like breakfast had just been completed and then lunch was being served. I tried to separate myself, and get a moment away. It never worked. Someone kept on asking me questions. Worse yet, I couldn't pawn things off to Katy or Richard, as they were both talking with Dan this morning. Almost before I would have thought it possible, it was afternoon and time to start getting ready to head downtown. Only the adults were going and there was a good deal of squabbling from those who were not going. The only two who chose to stay, were Tiffany and Vicki. After their 'vacation, ' the two of them didn't need any headaches. William intercepted Richard and I as soon as we stopped our cars in front of the school, just half a block from the hall. Standing out in the bright sun, I squinted for a moment, wondering what the problem was. "Keith, Richard, I think we need to talk." "Now?" I asked looking at my watch. The meeting had been called for one o'clock. It was an unusual time, but we knew this was going to be a long meeting and Dan had wanted to stay for it. William nodded. We stepped out of the way of others who were heading towards the hall. Both Richard and I told our families to go in and save us seats. "Katherine was downtown earlier today and told me about what you received. I'd like to take a look at it." Richard and I nodded. If anything, we needed help. I walked into the meeting hall and felt the stares of many upon me. I tried not to let it bother me and got Kristin to follow me outside. "We need to get into the bank," I said. She gulped, but nodded and walked to it. I motioned for Richard and William to follow. Inside the bank was the box. "Pretty unassuming," William commented, "If you didn't know, you'd never suspect the damage that box could create." I lifted off the top. Inside was the paperboard blue covered box with the official government seal on the top. I lifted that lid, also. "The box is completely full?" William said, amazed. "Yes. I would guess that many people spent weeks just on this," Richard said. "We couldn't believe it when we opened it yesterday." Richard let a little smile run across his face and added, "After Keith showed up to open it of course." "The cover letter is all you need to see. That explains the rest, and why they sent it to me," I said to William, then looked over to Richard and shook my head. "I see," William said and reached in, pulling up the first page. After reading that, he picked up the second sheet. As soon as he was done with it, he spoke. "Keith, over two hundred types of tests were done. You can't fault them for their thoroughness." "No and of course it explains the raft of paperwork this box contains," I replied. "It does not bode well, though. Not even a glimmer of hope," William said. "That is the only reason they sent a copy of all the tests to me, to see if there was anything I could possibly connect. I've been working on the individual results, though. I doubt there will be anything more, but you know I'll be looking." William sighed. "There are the two good conclusions though and that should be brought out." "Boys like Brian weren't affected?" Richard asked. "Yes, as well as that it did nothing to the women. It was very specific in its target," I said. "Katy, Robin, and all the rest of the females don't have anything to worry about." "You don't sound as thrilled about that news as I would expect," William said. "I am, but right now we are looking at announcing this, at a time when we are also announcing our unusual life style. It would be easy to question motivations, on my part," I replied. "Let's go to the meeting and see how things turn out," William said with an enthusiasm I did not feel. Placing the box back together, we left with Kristin locking the door behind us. Walking into the hall, I felt those eyes upon us. This time it was a little more understandable. There were no spaces left. No one was standing outside, although there were people standing against the walls. The place was stuffed full and apparently waiting for us. It was also quiet. The children had been asked not to come to this meeting. That, of course, did not set well for all those in our household. Patrick got up and stood in front everyone. He started with a little prayer, asking for discernment and understanding. As soon as Patrick was done, Jim stood up, as mayor. There was a question thrown out as to why we needed a bus, and specifically why we needed those miners from Angle City to work the new mine. Richard stood up. "I can answer those questions for you. But first, I know that there have been some hard feelings in the past, about the people from Angle City. I have heard the stories. I witnessed Katy lose her brother-husband, from what was thought of as a raid on Carp. We now know better. We know who was behind that, and why. It wasn't more than a couple of guys that riled up some outsiders. I think that deep down, you knew that. If there was deep down hatred for those people, we wouldn't have stopped what we were doing and helped, when their mine collapsed. How many of you shed tears for those that lost their lives in that? "Now, the bus. Keith, Jack, and I purchased that bus. It is our responsibility to provide enough miners for the mine. You men here in Carp are not enough. We need the Angle City miners to be able to work the mine. So it was prudent for us to get that bus. It provides us with a way to get the worker here on time." "What about the other bus I heard about?" another man called out. "The other bus is for the school. It will be used to bring children up from Angle City. Now before you start asking why we need those children, let me tell you that the more children we have in our school, the more and better the teachers we can have. The children of Carp benefit from having the children of Angle City at our school. The challenge that we hadn't thought of was that we need drivers with a special license to drive the buses. I have one, but other people are going to need to be trained. Dora said she would be willing to learn, and as she is a school board member, it seems fitting. Others will need to join in." There was a general murmur. No one had considered that part. Of course, we hadn't either, so it was no surprise. One man put his hand up and Richard called out his name. "So if I's learn to drive that contraption, what's I get?" "Anyone who drives a bus would get paid for it. It doesn't matter whether it was for the mine, or the school." This was an interesting prospect that hadn't been thought of. These were new ideas to them. Richard said that if anyone was interested to contact him in the next few days. Jim stood back up and asked if there were any other questions. One man asked if we were going to give tours of the new house. Katy stood up and said we would do that, but the kids had just moved in. She said it might take a week before the dust settled. Everyone had a good laugh. Then someone asked about the markers out in the north part of town. Larry stood up proudly and said that he was building a house for Jack, there. After that, there were no more general questions. Patrick stood up and walked to the front. "I have something to say and it is not an easy thing to do. It will not be easy for you to hear. What I am about to say will change all of our lives, from this point on. I wish, in one way, that I didn't have to come to you in this way. God had given us a challenge and we need to find our way in life." As soon as he said that, he turned to me, saying, "Keith has something to share with you. Something that is not going to be easy for anyone to hear." I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Why didn't Patrick tell me he was going to do this? I stood and looked at the men. I think many of them knew, without being told. "Yesterday afternoon, the southbound train stopped, dropping a parcel. It was a wooden box that contained a copy of the entire two hundred eleven tests that were completed on the chemical known as Rerexinal. I was sent the copies, even though I have looked at each one individually, during the tests. I have been asked to see if there could be some sort of remote pattern. Something that could give us hope. Right now there is none that we can find and the research has ended." There was not a sound in the hall. I had little choice but to go on. "In the cover letter that I received, there were two positive signs. The first is that boys who had not passed into puberty were not affected in any way. Secondly, the chemical was specific, and did no damage to the female population." "So what you're say'n," one man spoke up, "is that our wives can have kids, we just can't give 'em any." "Yes, you are right," I said, not knowing what else to say. Patrick was by my side, and said, "Keith, you have said enough. They are just a bit stunned with the news. Don't expect a lot of questions." 'Stunned, ' I was thinking as I walked back to my chair. That was what he was after, and I just gave it to him. I hoped Patrick knew what the hell he was up to. Patrick took his place in front, again. "We have our choices before us now. The first choice is to let Cliff's vengeance take hold of Carp and let it destroy us. That was his evil plan. Is that what you are willing to give him?" There was a rustle of talking, but the general 'No' that was said in raised voices gave indication of the assembly's opinion. "If you really mean that, then something has to be done. We have no new children in this town. If we simply import them, then the town is again not ours and Cliff has extracted his revenge." Jim stood up, "Reverend, I don't want to interrupt, but I can see there are a lot of faces that look as confused as I am, right now. Seems to me you are saying that we need to have children in this town, our children. But Keith just told us, we can't." Patrick's brow wrinkled in deep thought. "Listen, my children. We are a family. Together. I was chosen by one to give new life." A woman stood up. Her face was pale and white. "You got Cheryl pregnant!" "I will not deny that. It is a fact that she is pregnant with my child." "How could you? It's a sin!" a shout came over the murmuring. "And tell me, what makes it a sin? I have given Cheryl and Bob a child, a gift from God. Where is the sin?" I looked, while this was being said, to where Cheryl and Bob were sitting. Cheryl was ready to burst into tears. Bob was holding her tight. This had to be very hard on both of them. "It says so right in the bible," a man stood up and said, thumping the bible he held in his hand. "Do you not know where the twelve tribes of Israel came from?" Patrick asked. "They were the offspring of Jacob. Is it not our understanding that God ordained these tribes and blessed them? Is that not what you know?" The man still standing, answered, "Yes it is, but..." Patrick cut him off. "Jacob conceived those twelve children from multiple wives and some concubines as well. There was not one wife and one husband producing twelve children that God smiled upon, it was multiple females." That man rubbed his beard as he sat, but another popped up. "Patrick, if that is so, then what about in the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus that talks about the sin of taking another's wife. It is the law to stone a man for that. You have committed that crime." "It is also in that passage you speak of, about selling your daughter into slavery, which was acceptable. Do you think those laws are for us, or were they written for a time and place that no longer exists? You know there are laws for us to have two kitchens and never to eat pork. I could go on, but those laws helped the people at the time. They were not written as laws to us," Patrick answered. The man looked around for someone else to help him. He sat down as another stood. "So what you're saying is that it's ok to share your wife with another man? Now let's leave that Old Testament stuff, and get to the new. Isn't that what we base our beliefs on, anyway?" Patrick continued, "What I am saying is that God has blessed those who have done what we, today, might consider wrong. I was bringing up an example from the Old Testament. But you are right. Let us consider the teachings of Jesus. He is, after all, descended from the twelve tribes of Israel that I spoke of." "He was God's son," the man said adamantly. "And from the womb of Mary. Part man, part divine. Isn't that what you believe?" Patrick shot back. "Now let us look at Matthew 19, verse 4," Patrick opened his bible marked with a well-worn bookmarker, made by his son when he had been a child. Running his finger down the bookmark, his eyes watered. This was not the time to dwell on his son. He forced himself to go on. Patrick read, "And He answered and said, 'Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, '" Patrick closed his book and added, "God created us so that we could have life. Male and Female." Another jumped up from his seat, bible open in his hand. "Patrick, then please explain this to me. I speak from Hebrews 13 verse 4, which states; Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. "Many," Patrick said, "including his own disciples, had problems with those Jesus kept company with. We know that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Yet she is named over and over again, talking, helping, and worshiping with Jesus. Who does not remember the story of her buying an expensive bottle of perfumed oil and washing Jesus's feet with it? Judas was the one who had problems with it. Why? Because he held the money and if that money was given to the common pot, he would have been able to use it as he wanted. Remember though, even then, Judas the traitor was not concerned nor did he try to condemn how she earned this money. You are looking at a time when men were worth something and women were worth less than the livestock. Some of the so-called laws that show up in the New Testament are suggestive of a time when equality was unheard of. They tried to show in that male oriented society, that love for each other would make us behave differently." A woman stood, the wife of the man still standing with the bible in his hand. "Do you talk about," she took the bible out of her husband's hand, flipped it open and then said, "First Corinthians?" Patrick smiled. He had been waiting for someone to bring up that letter to the Corinthians. He had this one marked with an equally tattered bookmark that Millie had made even longer ago. "Now where would you like me to begin? Chapter 7, Verse 1 would be good. It states: 'Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.' "Or how about verse 3: 'The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.' "Then again we could look at verse 25: 'Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.' "That of course needs to be followed up with verse 36; 'But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin'..." "Patrick!" came the cry from many women, cutting him off from finishing the verse. What they had cut Patrick off from saying, would have changed what they thought. But as so many bible verses get taken out of context, this was, as well. "What a bunch of bull," I said in a whisper that apparently carried far enough for Patrick to hear. "Keith, what did you say?" I turned red and wished I could crawl away at that point. Wasn't Patrick supposed to be on our side? "Keith," Patrick said, "I heard you and I want you to say it again, so everyone else can hear." I felt like I was in grammar school being punished by one of the teachers I hated. "Do I have to?" I asked hoping that what I had said didn't come out as a whine, but still that he might change his mind. "Yes, Keith, it is important. That's when it hit me. He was always setting things up. He was going to use what I said for some purpose. So I might as well get it over with. "I said that it was a bunch of bull." I heard many people gasp, once again. "I'm not saying I agree or disagree with you, Keith. As someone who didn't grow up as a Mennonite, as we did, I would like you to explain what you meant." 'Oh, great, ' I thought. 'I haven't been in Sunday school in years and I'm supposed to debate with these people about the bible?' "Patrick, what you were talking about before felt like God loving people. What I heard coming back to you, were laws about 'control' from the bible and a total misunderstanding from... what was his name who wrote to the Corinthians? "Paul?" Patrick said amused. "Yes. He didn't even think we should get married if I remember right. He expected the end of the world, the second coming, to happen in his lifetime." "You are right, Keith," Patrick answered. "So Paul gets it all wrong. He's thinking that the world is going to end, and we're all going up to heaven. Jesus said there's no one married in heaven, so why do it here. He completely got it wrong and we still have it in the bible. I wonder if that isn't to say: 'Hey people, this guy was a total moron, just like the lot of you.' Jesus had to constantly tell the disciples they had it all wrong. Paul was no better at getting it right. You have just as much a connection to God as he did. We all make mistakes when we try and push our own ideas onto someone else." I didn't realize how quiet it was until I stopped talking. Then I wondered if Mennonites believed in stoning, like that man suggested. "Keith, you have brought up some interesting points," Patrick said, breaking the silence and giving me a little smile. "The divinity of the bible has been a cornerstone that many have considered sacred and you just ripped that apart. Your logic in what you say is something that can be disputed, but it also has some valid points. We, like Paul, are not perfect. If every Christian of the time had taken his position, there would be no Christianity. They would never have brought forth children and they would have died off," Patrick said. He looked out, scanning the faces of the men, adding, "Is that what you would choose? Would you follow Paul in his misunderstanding and die off?" "I'm already dead and my wife is saddled with me. I'm not going to stand in her way a minute longer," a man said, after he stood and was walking to the back door. "Henry," a woman's voice wailed, "NO!" He was out the door before anyone could react. Then we heard the shot and saw the sickening splatter of blood hit the edge of the window. Men jumped up, shocked but paralyzed. William pushed down the center aisle. Katherine was right behind him. William was the first one out the door. Katharine went right behind him and then we saw her step back in. She leaned on the doorframe for support. Her face was white. She covered her mouth, and turned her head away from the scene in front of her. It looked like that ended the meeting in a way no one could have predicted. Some men shielded their wives; other men went out the door, supposedly to help, but leaving their wives. No one knew quite what to do. William came back in. His shirtsleeve was bloodied. He placed his arm around Katherine and walked her back down front. As soon as he sat Katherine back down, William turned to the expectant gathering. "Henry is no longer with us. He took his own life." There were many wails of sorrow. Patrick had prepared for what others would throw at him, but this was not expected. Not at all. I was on my feet like many others at that point. Looking over at Robin, Daisy, my sisters, Beth Ann, and Mary, I saw the pain in their eyes. I glanced over to the empty look in Katherine's eyes. Next to her chair were Dora, then Richard, and then Katy. They were all holding hands. Next to Katy the seat was empty; Dan had been in that chair. Scanning the room, I saw him. He was sitting next to the woman whose husband just committed suicide. I know this was not what he thought he was getting into, when he flew down with us. Dan motioned Patrick over to where he was and then sat Patrick down beside the distraught woman. Dan moved to the group of woman, whose husbands were outside, that had gathered together. They were crying loudly. "You brought this upon us!" A man said walking back into the hall, pointing at Patrick. "The devil is with you." Many were stunned by the man's confrontation of Patrick. Patrick stood and started to say something, but stopped with his mouth open. Dan stopped him from talking, as he walked up to Patrick with the just recently widowed woman. Dan put out his hand and everyone fell silent as she stood there. Dan, still holding onto the woman, motioned for Patrick to hold her other side. They walked up to the front and turned around. They kept holding her up and Dan nodded to her. There were sounds from outside, but no one inside made a peep. In a voice that was barely over a course whisper the wife said, "Henry was not right in the head. From the first time he heard that he could be sterile, he started to go crazy. I'm sure if some of you men think, you will remember. He came home in the middle of the day last week from the mine. This is not from what Patrick had said. This is not from what Keith said. The fault of this is not from Patrick or Keith, but from Cliff. He was the devil, not these two. I'm not sure if I agree with what Patrick is talking about, but my husband..." she stopped for a moment, crying. Everyone remained silent, waiting as she gathered herself, and continued. "He did this to himself. Cheryl's husband can have a baby to grow in his family. Cheryl is having a child. For them, this is what they wanted. What do I have now?" Several women and men stood up. One of the women was patted on the back, and said, "You have us. We," the woman waved her arms to include everyone, "are a family, all of us." Those standing stepped forward and took the woman in their arms, leading her back to their seats. After that, I was wondering what Patrick was going to do. I was surprised to see Cynthia stand up. "I cannot bear children," she said to all those who chose to hear her. "There is something wrong with me. So I know what the men in this town are feeling, right now. We have added to our family, with the addition of Rebecca. She is now pregnant," Cynthia said. She stopped for a moment, while the sounds of gasps could be heard. I could tell from where I was sitting that the other reason she had stopped was that tears had started forming in her eyes. "I never thought I could be a mother. I never expected to have motherly feelings. Unlike the men here, who only recently knew for sure why there were no children, I have known this pain for years." Jack moved up to his wife, supporting her, physically as well as emotionally. Rebecca stood to, but looked unsure until Cynthia opened her arm to her. Cynthia sniffled as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't think I'd want anyone to go through the feelings of helplessness, like I did. Seeing what has just happened, I know that at least one gave in to deep depression." Her posture changed, giving me the appearance there was a switch in her, as though going from vulnerability to strength. "It took me a while to understand that my accident was not God's will, just as what Cliff did to this town was not God's will. Just like me though, each of you have to make a decision. Are you going to let suspicion, hatred, jealousy, and divisiveness control your lives? Or are you going to let the love that surrounds and fills this town take it to a place which for years it has been denied? For me, my husband, and Rebecca, that decision has been made." With that Cynthia and Jack sat back down. I didn't have to wait to wonder what was going to happen next. Dan took center stage. "There are only a few who know me, here. I am an outsider to this community. So let me tell you about myself. I am a family and marriage counselor. I work in Junction City, Colorado. The reason I am here was a plea from a young girl. Sarah McCarran called me in a panic. Some of you know this, but many of you might not. She became the bait that was used to lure Keith at the University. She was greatly traumatized, as anyone would be, to know that her rescue by Keith caused his hospitalization and almost his death. So when she called, and without question demanded that I come down here, I came. "Frankly, I was surprised. I wondered what had happened. For when I talked to her after the incident, I was impressed at how she was dealing with such a trauma. She told me it was the love she had been surrounded with. Complete, accepting love. Love that made it impossible for her to feel guilt. I felt a sense of awe for a community that could do such a task. So I thought about her plea, and wondered what had gone wrong. "What I found out on my way down was that the cry for help was not for Sarah herself, but for Katy." Dan paused. All eyes shifted focus to Katy. She squirmed in the sudden presence of attention. I could tell he was a practiced speaker and that he had done this on purpose. "Katy knew what this meeting was all about. She knew what the possible outcomes could be. She had been at the receiving end of what happened if the town didn't like what happened. I'm sure many of you can remember how you felt when you found out that Katy was pregnant with her brother's child. Those feelings came back to her and overwhelmed her. It reached the point where she had what I would call a nervous breakdown. She was completely incapacitated. I am putting her on the spot now, only because we have talked. I think she can cope with what I have just said about her. I also said this to you, for you to understand the power that this community has over others. What you do, and say, can have lasting implications and effects." Dan paused again, looking over the people. I saw he was taking his time, making sure he had eye contact with as many people as possible. "I have also had many talks about other things as well. I know for a fact that this town would never have been the same without the addition of Jimmy in it." There was a general chuckle coming from several places in the room. "You need to consider what he has been able to bring to this town. If he would have not been brought to life, what would you have missed?" Before Dan had a chance to sit, Millie stood up. "I can not wait another minute. I was asked by my father to talk at this meeting. As someone who knew, eventually, what my father was doing with Cheryl. I have not always agreed with his choices. Yesterday my rehearsed talk went out the window, so to speak. Yesterday, I was confronted with my own hypocrisy." Millie looked over to her sister and she blinked as tears started to form. "My father told me what had happened to my sister. As Dan put it, her 'nervous breakdown'. I was confronted by what I had heard when she was with child, because of my own brother. My own pious attitude allowed those who said such things, who caused such pain for my sister, to continue unchallenged," Millie said. She turned and walked to Katy, saying, "Please, I beg you, forgive me." Katy stood and the two sisters embraced. I looked over to Robin and saw the surprised look on her face as I stood. "I have to add to what Dan said. Look at what Robin has brought to this town, as well. If it were not for Cliff, Robin would not have been created. If not for Robin, I know I would not have come back after the first day I stepped into this town. It was her, who stole my heart, that made me return. So out of bad, came good. Patrick, maybe you can help me here, but I think I remember something from the bible talking about... from evil, even good can spring forth. That is Robin. If you want to look at it this way, God took Robin and used her to stop the evil that had been unleashed on this town. I'm saying this because sometimes, even in the most unlikely situations, we have been given life. For all of you, the ideas that have been thrown out here today are as unorthodox as can be. They go against everything you have been brought up thinking and believing. "Then again, let me point out some things that you may not realize. Without Robin I would not have stayed. Jimmy, who was not wanted by some in this town, helped push me towards Robin. So without him, I still might not have stayed. All of those who brought food that first night helped persuade me to stay. And where was I suggested to stay at? No other place than Cliff's old house. Do you see a connection? I do. What we do here, in this town, connects to one another. There will be many children in our house. They will be part of this community in that, each one of you will be part of the responsible factor in how they grow and what principles they are taught. How Jimmy or Robin came into being did not become their downfall. Each one of you, as you acted and reacted to their lives, taught them. They have been taught well. Ultimately, their actions brought me here. I brought Richard here, and through that, we discovered Cliff's plan to destroy this town. "Each one of us, in our actions, has the ability to create or destroy life. It doesn't just happen at the conception stage. That is only one part of life. There are many who adopt children, as they are unable to have children themselves. For those parents, that child is theirs and how they got there is of little difference. To have the joy of parenthood is one of God's great gifts. I believe in all that is being said here. This is the main objective: to allow, without condemnation, the joy of a child being brought into this community. A community, that without reservations, I would wish my children to grown and learn from." After having talked myself out, I sat down. Robin couldn't contain herself and pulled me in for a kiss, which got some chuckling. Patrick came up to the center front. "I think that we have covered everything we could. This has been strenuous on each one of us. I ask that you go home and talk, pray, and try to find a way to give yourself peace with the situation that has been handed you. We may need another meeting, to get more ideas out into the open. It would be best if we did things openly and not hide anything. I know that as I say that, anyone of you could say that I have been sneaking around behind everyone's back, in what I have been doing. It has been difficult to come and talk to you. This not only involved myself, but two others. It wasn't until we knew for sure, with the doctor's help, that Cheryl was pregnant... It was at that point I felt it had become time to announce what was going on. If you feel strongly about the issues raised here, please come and talk to me about the need for another meeting. I want us to be a community, not a division of peoples, living in the same town." With that, Patrick gave a benediction. I could see some were hesitating as they walked out the door, but then both doors opened. It was soon evident that during the time Cynthia, Dan, Millie, and I had talked, a clean up had occurred. Dan elected to drive back with me to the Mansion. Everyone who had not been at the meeting was out waiting for us as soon as we stopped the car. As Robin got out of the front, Dan got in, having jumped out from the back. "Can we take a ride up to the new mine?" Dan asked. I knew he wasn't interested in the mine, but that was an excuse to talk. I could see Sarah looking in at the two of us, still in the car. She would not be pleased with us leaving, but that would have to be handled later. "Sure. Robin," I called out of the car trying to get her attention, "I'll be gone for a little bit." She smiled, nodded, and then was pulled along into the house. As soon as I had pulled away, I said, "You could care less about the mine, I would guess." He smiled and said, "You're quite right. It was an excuse, but I'd like to ask you some questions." "Fire away. I don't think, after that meeting, that there is much to hide," I said. Then I smiled, knowing he was watching me. "Plus, I heard from Mary that you can't repeat what you hear." Dan laughed. "One of the descriptions of you has been that you are crafty." "Is that good or bad?" I asked. "Could be either, but in the context I was given, it was good." "Well, that's a relief." "I'm sure you were worried, I could tell from the tone of your voice." I glanced over to him, and knew he'd be smiling. "I can see why Sarah called you. She trusts you and that trust was earned." "Keith, I don't think you could have possibly given me a better compliment, especially after my teasing of your character." "I knew it was teasing and the way you did it was in an easy and fun manner." "Ready?" Dan asked me. "As I'll ever be." "How is it that you want so many women? I, frankly, feel at times my hands are full with just one." "There is an assumption on your part that isn't true," I answered. "Oh, you have your hands full and I just don't see it?" "No. You assumed that I chose the women." Dan was silent for a moment. "You are telling me that the women in your life chose you?" "Every one of them." "Even Robin?" "Especially Robin." I could hear the smile in his tone. "Tell me about that. An eligible bachelor being pursued and subdued by a girl." "Did anyone tell you about the custom in this town?" "Custom?" "That is why you don't understand about Robin. It was expected that she marry at the age of thirteen. She was getting close to that date when I showed up." Dan couldn't help but laugh. "So you were it." "Now that sounds... I don't know." "You are right, sorry," he said, but it didn't sound like it. He was still laughing. "Robin found out why I was attracted to her. I had always had a thing for my sister, Kristin." Dan's eyebrows rose as he said, "They do look like they could be sisters." "Robin made me bring Kristin to Carp." "Oh. That took guts. I guess it wasn't all fun and games, was it?" "Not really. You know Katy, now. When I came into town, she was pretty bitter. She saw Robin falling for me. Katy was pretty sure that I'd take what I wanted and leave. It, in a way, was what happened with her and Cliff." "Understandable sentiment." "And hard to be romantic around." "You do lead an interesting life. So you are saying that the women, who you are with, have all chosen you." "Yes." "That just is a bit odd to me." "It gets worse if you really want to know." "Oh? Please do tell. I am a professional." Now I couldn't help but laugh. He did say it as a joke though, so I felt I could. "All of the women had to go through Robin. They had to ask her first, and she had to agree, or nothing would have happened." It left Dan speechless, for a full minute. Then he said, "It is sort of like that bible verse they talked about in the meeting where... hold on, let me get this right." To my surprise, he pulled out a bible. He stopped and looked up at my astonished expression. He grinned. "Patrick gave it to me when I asked him about the verses he was talking about today. He even marked this one. Yes, here it is," he said, as he leafed through to the first book of Corinthian's. "The husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does." "That pretty much sums it up," I said. ------- Janice, Jim's wife, and one of the three on the school board, had convinced Millie that they needed to go over to the school, right after the meeting was out. Millie hated to go, as she knew Brian and Barbara were waiting at home wondering what had happened at the meeting. Janice was insistent though, so she went. Walking up to the second floor, Janice sat down at one of the few tables. Millie sat across from her. "Millie. I can hardly believe it. Tell me this is not a dream. This is true." Taking a deep breath, Millie said, "Yes, it is true. What part are you having the hardest time with?" Janice looked around, to make sure that no one was in the open space where they were. She got up and closed the door that led to the staircase. Then she came back and sat down. Millie noticed that even after all of that, Janice still looked nervous. "I trust you'll tell no one about this." "If that is what you want," Millie said, "I promise. This is between you and me." "Jim and I have a very good marriage. You know that, don't you?" "Always thought you did," Millie said wondering where this was heading. "I'm of course disappointed that the younger men aren't able to have children. We had our one, and he was all we wanted. He's grown now, and living in Visalia." "Yes," Millie smiled. "Such a nice young man." "Jim has always been a good man. A good father, too." "Janice, what are you trying to say?" "Jim hasn't always been the best... how do I say this? He has always taken care of his needs... in the bedroom." "And hasn't taken care of yours," Millie said, understanding what Janice was trying to get out, but couldn't. "Yes," Janice said timidly. "So I was wondering... I guess I have dreamed about it, but never in my wildest dreams ever thought it could be reality." "What?" Millie said, getting a bit impatient. She wanted to get home. "Do you think Patrick would..." Millie started choking and coughing. She couldn't believe what Janice had just suggested. ------- Sarah grabbed hold of her sister before they were in the house. "This way," she said, steering Mary around to the back of the house. "Tell me what happened? I want to know everything." "No you don't," Mary said. Sarah's eyes started to water. "Do we have to move? Am I ever going to see Keith again? What about Marcia? She's planning on coming down in a few days. What do I tell her?" "Sarah, stop it!" Mary said, taking hold of Sarah's arms and shaking her. "But..." "Listen to me before you start going crazy." Sarah nodded. Mary was about to start talking, but saw Sarah turn her head. Mary looked to see Jill, Vivian, and Laura walking towards them. "It's crazy in there. No one can talk," Jill said. "Or listen," Vivian said. Jill saw the look Mary and Sarah shared. "Sorry. I know we just interrupted something, didn't we?" "How do you always know these things, Jill?" Laura asked. Jill shrugged her shoulders. "I guess if you want to stay, it's ok with me," Sarah said, not knowing what else to do. "Laura, remember in Liz's room. This is private. So anything said here..." "I remember. You trust me not to tell anyone else," Laura answered. "Thank you for trusting me, Sarah." Sarah smiled. That was such a nice thing to say. "Sarah, that goes for me, too," Vivian said. "Sit down, then," Mary said. "It was a long meeting and there were some pretty terrible things that happened. But some good happened, too. So let me start from when Keith had to tell the men they couldn't produce anything to make babies." Vivian and Laura's eyes grew wide. Mary wasn't going to hold back anything, it seemed. ------- When Robin had walked into the Mansion, along with the others, questions started flying. Robin didn't want to be any part of it. She needed some time alone. Some time to think. Maneuvering herself to the edge of the living room, she was ready to head for the stairs. That's when Jimmy caught her eye. He wasn't very far from her, so she reached out her hand. He reached back and then held her hand. Then she pulled him. He took hold of Pamela's hand and pulled her along, also. The three of them went out into the hall and quietly walked up the stairs. As soon as Robin closed the door of her bedroom, she took hold of Jimmy and hugged him tightly. Tears streamed down her face as she bawled. Jimmy looked at Pamela in confusion. "Robin," Pamela asked, "what happened? Why isn't Keith here?" Letting Jimmy out of the 'death grip hug, ' but still holding onto one of his hands, Robin sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Keith is talking with Dan. They'll be back." Then she squeezed Jimmy's hand. "I never thought about you... I mean how you might feel about growing up in our family. I guess I was always feeling sorry for myself, about my dad." Jimmy looked at his sister like she'd gone a bit crazy. "What are you talking about?" Robin sniffled once again, and then swallowed hard. She realized she was making a big mistake. "Oh, nothing. I think I'm just tired." Jimmy looked at Pamela, trying to get some help. He had no clue what was going on. "Does this have something to do with you being pregnant?" he asked. "Probably," Robin answered. "I know..." She looked at Jimmy again. He never knew what his mother had gone through. He was too young. By the time he was old enough, people had accepted the situation. She couldn't understand why, but she started crying again. Pamela took Robin's hand and led her over to her bed. Sitting Robin down, Pamela got on her knees and took Robin's shoes off. Then she laid Robin down and brushed the hair from her face. Through her pain, Robin smiled. "I used to do this with my mom," Pamela said. That set off another wave of tears. This was the first time, in a long time, that Pamela had said something about her mother. ------- Bruce, thinking that Millie was going home and would be telling Brian and Barbara all about the meeting, went off to the mine. They were pushing hard to get some of the last of the ore out, before they would be sending off the last rail car. This meeting had been a clog in their schedule, but everyone understood that when a meeting was called, it was important. Barbara had been watching out the window. She had long ago lost her patience. "Why didn't we get to go? I'm going to be thirteen soon and what they're talking about concerns me, too." Brian saw his fiancé pace back and forth. Somehow he knew that he needed to stay out of it. He didn't need to say, 'it involves both of us.' Those kinds of statements would just get him in trouble. Brian suppressed a smile as he realized how he knew this. It was because he'd seen his dad stick his foot into his own mouth a few too many times. "I see people! It must be done. I just hope your mom doesn't chat too much. I think she knows how much I," she turned to Brian, realizing what she had been saying all this time, "how much we want to know what happened." Brian just smiled. Barbara was overwhelmed with love for him. How could she have been so lucky? She ran over and had to resist jumping in his lap. She did sit in it though. "Give me a kiss?" she asked. "I gave you my heart; a kiss is always there for you." Barbara was so taken by his simple words. She kissed him briefly and then jumped off of him. He wondered what he'd done as she was pulling him to his feet. "Come on, before your mom gets home," she said. "What?" Brian said. He knew what she meant, but to wait until his mom was ready to walk in the door? Was she crazy? Barbara was insistent. "Come on!" Although surprised, he wasn't a dummy. He would never turn down an invitation like this. She guided him to their bedroom. Then like an animal, she stripped him of his clothing, pushed him onto the bed, and attacked him. ------- William and his wife, Thelma, were back in their hotel room. She had made him take off his shirt and was soaking it in cold water to remove the bloodstains. It was something over the years she had become accustomed to, although she had never known if there had been times that the blood had come from a suicide victim. "William, I'm sure glad I was given some time to digest this information. To get hit with it, like many of the people today were, would have been too much for me." "I know, sweetheart. I told Keith that. I didn't want to lose you." "Lose me? Ha! You're stuck with me for good." Then she pondered what he'd said. Several minutes later as they puttered around in the hotel room, Thelma said, "You were worried that I'd want to leave and you wanted to stay here, didn't you?" "Yes." "What makes this a different place than any of the others you have gone to?" "Well, it sure isn't the climate." "I could have told you that one. It's hot, dry, and a bit dusty for my taste. Junction City was much greener." "You just liked the shopping," William teased. "I'm not biting. So then what is it? I think you're trying to change the subject." "It is the people. I know you just saw some of the worst these people have to offer, but as you said, it was a shock you wouldn't have wanted to go through. Other than the one man who, as his wife said, was having real serious problems already; these people were willing to talk. I think that is what is so important. They didn't just close off from each other. Sure Keith and Richard have little harems. That is something I can say I've never seen anywhere else... Ok, I take that back." "Where? What have you seen? How come you never told me before?" William laughed at the rapid-fire questions. "There was a community where a couple of fathers... well the best way I could describe it was they swapped daughters." "What do you mean swapped daughters?" "Now hold on and listen to me if you want to hear. They were in a mining camp that was as far out as could be. There were five families in all. Two of the families had some sort of illness run through them. Far as I could tell, all the children had it, and then the two mothers got it. The kids came out alright, but both mothers ended up dying." "Oh that is so tragic. Couldn't you have done something?" "Yes. I'm sure I could, but I only saw them twice a year. When I got there they had buried the mothers two months before. I did a very good check on everyone in the camp and could never figure out why those two families were the only ones infected. After I made my report, the company sent me out one month later." "You're leading up to something; I can see it in your eyes." "The fathers were lonely and they had the oldest children. While everyone else, including them, had a couple of children that were eight or younger; these two men had teenaged daughters." "And they didn't want to commit incest," Thelma said, figuring out what was going on. William sighed. "Well one might think that, but none of them had any problems with that. The two men were more worried about their younger kids and what the other three families might say. So they swapped." "You never thought to tell me about this before?" "What would you have said?" She sighed. She knew what she probably would have said and why he never told her. "That's part of what you like here, isn't it?" Now William was a bit confused. "They listened to you and brought me in nice and gentle. Well maybe not so gentle, but with a lot of care. The goal of that Mansion, it seems to me, is to show love." "Yes, I would say you've got it." "I would have to agree. I like that idea as well." ------- Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca had taken a drive after the meeting. When Cynthia got up and spoke at the meeting, it was the first time Jack had fully understood what had taken place between the two women while at the base. It was a very good feeling. He'd always had a blanket stuffed in the back of the Jeep and now it came in handy. Jack had driven past where their new house would be built to a shady spot near the stream. They got out and spread the blanket. "We get to stay, don't we?" Rebecca said, showing the feelings she had been holding inside. Jack looked at her, reached out and touched her. He pulled her close, into a kiss. Then he answered, "Yes, my darling. We will stay. I believe some people are not going to like it. There may even be a family or two that might leave. Patrick told me that. Every time there has been a major upheaval, some leave. No one turned against us, demanding we leave. Patrick said if that sentiment was going to happen, that would have come out in the meeting. Now all we need to hope for is that we will be accepted as we have been." "I hope so," Rebecca said with a catch in her voice. "After my husband died, I never realized how far I'd slipped down into an existence where others didn't want to be near me. That included my own daughter. Now with you two, I have realized where I was in my life. I don't want to go back." "Don't you worry," Cynthia said. "If anyone gets out of hand, I'll tie them up." Rebecca started to smile and then laughed. "I could just see you doing that!" All of them were laughing, letting off pent up energy. ------- Millie was panting when she got home. She had practically run and, for her, that was a great deal more exercise than she was used to, but she didn't want to run into anyone else. Had the town gone crazy? One of her good friends asking if she thought it might be possible to get her father in bed! Although she swore she'd not tell a soul, she was going to have to say something to someone, she just didn't know who. Millie felt confused and her head felt like it would explode at any moment. She also needed to get back to her children. Child, that is, and Barbara. Boy and woman. 'Oh hell, ' she thought, she didn't know what to call them. Walking straight into Brian's room she sat down on the bed between the two of them. "Your dad's not home? Oh, that's right," Millie rambled. "He went to the mine. I'm sorry that I took so long. Someone needed to talk to me and I just couldn't get away. Now I know you two have been just dying to find out what went on. Come on up here with me." Barbara and Brian were still looking at his mother in shock. "Come on," Millie said and pulled the top sheet that was over the two children. It popped out of their hands and went sailing towards Millie. She didn't seem to notice at all that they were stark naked under that sheet. She just tuned back towards the door and patted the edge of the bed on either side of where she sat. "Mom," Brian managed to get out. "Yes, dear, I know. I should have been home long ago. Now come on before I have to start dinner. There is a lot to tell you. Don't dally." Brian and Barbara looked at each other in pained expressions. Brian knew he had to move first. Inching his way down the bed, he finally sat right next to his mother, sans clothing. As Millie didn't say a word, Barbara moved to the other side of her. "Good," Millie said, as though Barbara and Brian were always unclothed. "I'm not going into all the details, but let me tell you what basically happened and then you can ask me any questions. I think that would be the easiest." "Ok, Mom," Brian said, still in a state of shock. ------- I had planned on having a good talk with Pamela. After she told me about Robin, I said that we would need to talk later, instead. I found Robin in the kitchen, acting as though nothing had happened. I told her that I wanted her to fly with me, when I took Dan back. Now all I had to do was to find Dan. Finding Jill, Laura, and Vivian, they told me that Dan and Sarah were talking. I could wait, but only for a short time. There were no lights on this dirt runway and I wanted to be home before nightfall. Never intending to sneak up on Dan and Sarah, I wasn't expecting them to keep on talking as though they had no idea I was there. Dan was listening intently to what Sarah was not only saying, but also how she was saying it. Sarah had worked herself into believing she needed to tell Dan what she said, she had shut everything else off. I had no idea what I was walking into. "Sarah, you simply want me to believe that, but your eyes, your body, they tell a different story." "But I can't. I mustn't tell. I'm almost afraid to say it to myself." "Why is that, Sarah?" Sarah looked down to the ground and then back up into Dan's eyes. "I'm afraid that if I don't get it, I will die." "Figuratively or literally? Sarah, many things look ominous when we can only see one side and are not so bad once we see another person's perspective." "Literally," Sarah said as though what else Dan had said didn't register. "Really?" Dan said in surprise. Concerned, he asked, "Sarah are you hiding something that would put you into mortal danger?" Sarah again looked down but this time she talked with her head still down. "My heart will break so badly that I don't think I could ever survive." "Oh," Dan said. Sarah was waiting for more and so looked up, her head cocked. He was watching her and saw her expression change to shock. "Keith!" she yelled. Dan turned around and saw me. "I came to say that we need to leave soon. I can't land here after dark." Dan breathed deep and then sighed. He was at that breaking point with Sarah and now it was gone. It was one of those frustrating things about his job. At times his clients would be almost there, but the time was up, the next person would be showing up. Worse the next time together the walls had been placed right back up and sometimes stronger. "Keith," Dan said, "that will be fine. I just need a few minutes with Sarah." "No problem," I said and then after a small pause I added, "I hope I didn't..." "Mess things up?" Sarah said with a little force in her voice. It was enough to make me feel guilty. "Yes. Look, Sarah, I'm very sorry. I didn't know you two couldn't hear me when I walked toward you. I wasn't trying to listen in on anything. You have a right to privacy." I turned to go away and let them finish. Sarah called after me, "Keith, I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have jumped at you. Even though I wasn't there, what I heard about the meeting upset me." "Finish your talk with Dan; we'll have time to talk, ok?" I responded. Sarah gave me a little smile and nodded. I wasn't all the way back to the Mansion when Sarah came running up to me. She was panting when she asked, "Keith, do I get to go with you?" "Sarah, don't you need more time to talk to Dan?" "No, I just wanted to go with you." "I understand and I'm not doing this for any other reason than to help, but would it be ok if I said 'no'?" "How is that helping?" "Jimmy and Pamela told me that when Robin came home she sort of..." "Went a bit crazy? Was it about her mom?" "I think that had something to do with it. I thought if I took her with me, that maybe she could talk to Dan on the way." "Ok. I wish I could go, but I understand. It's important." "Thanks, Sarah," I said with a smile. "You are very special. You know that, don't you?" "I hope so!" I laughed and gave her a little kiss. I could tell she wanted to make it longer, but Dan was walking up and made a comment about Robin seeing us. I knew he was making a joke, but it caused Sarah to blush. Sarah ran off, as Dan walked up to me. "You know she has a crush on you." "Yes, I do. I'm also aware that giving her a little kiss doesn't help the situation." "I don't think that would hurt. Keith, if you stopped showing affection, I'm sure that would be more devastating to her." "Thanks, now, for another problem," I said. "Trying to get your money's worth?" I laughed, but wondered what kind of bill I might get. "After we dropped everyone off after the meeting and drove off to talk, Robin broke down. Her brother said she was babbling and wasn't making a lot of sense, but she was crying a lot." "You want me to talk with her?" "I thought if she came with us, it might be a good opportunity." "And the copilot is going to be?" "If I can get Richard, he would be my first choice." "Not Mary? It didn't look like you had a lot of use for a copilot, from what I could see." "I need someone up with me and after telling Sarah she couldn't come for the second time, I want to avoid taking her sister if I can." "Prudent thinking," he said smiling. "I'm ready whenever you are." "Let me find Richard and grab Robin. Then we'll be off." I found out that after talking with everyone downstairs when they came in, Richard and Katy had gone up to their room. That's where I found them. "I hope I'm not interrupting," I said. "Not yet, but we were getting there," Katy said. "Well, your clothes are still on," I said with a smirk. "Simple to rectify that situation," Richard answered. "I was thinking that you might want to take a little plane ride with me." "Not taking Mary?" Richard asked. "Sarah has asked twice now and the first time I took Mary because you needed to stay here, for very obvious reasons." "You don't think I still need him?" Katy asked. "I believe you will always need him," I said in my most earnest voice, "I just want to keep peace on my side, as well." "What about Robin? I bet she'd love to sit up there and it's not like you really need me." Richard said. "She's coming. I want her to have some time to talk with Dan, though." "What's wrong?" Katy asked concerned. "Not sure, but Jimmy and Pamela said she..." "She left. I saw them go with her, shortly after we got home," Katy said. "Jimmy said she was asking questions. I got the feeling that what was troubling you got to her. I just want her to be able to talk it out. With Dan knowing your side, it makes sense that he talk with her." "That's good thinking, Keith. Richard, when will you be back?" "I'm going with you apparently. When will we be back?" "It's going to be a fast trip, we're just going up, dropping him off, fueling, and coming back down. So three to three and a half hours. The sun sets later, now, but I don't want to be landing on a dark runway." "We can have a late dinner and plan on it when you return," Katy said getting off the bed. She gave Richard a little slap. "Come on, get going." "Thanks, Katy," I said. "For my little girl, I'll do just about anything," she said. "Really," I said, stroking my chin as though I had a beard there. "She did mention to me that there was this fantasy about you..." I didn't get it all out before I had to run out of the room, Katy chasing after me. Both of us were laughing. Just before going into the kitchen and pulling Robin away from her duty, I saw Mary. "Mary, can you do me a favor?" "Need a copilot?" she asked, smiling. "Not this time, sorry," I said. Her smile faded. "Your sister is already upset with me enough. I do need something else." She gave me a lecherous grin. "No, not that!" Mary was laughing, now. "What then?" she asked. "Take Sarah to town with you, and call up Dan's wife. Tell her we should get to the airport..." I looked at my watch, "between four thirty, and five." "Why am I taking Sarah?" Mary wanted to know. "Because I think she needs a sister to talk to." "You are too observant." "No. I'm sure that's not it. I walked into the middle of Dan and her talking and overheard some things I shouldn't have. I don't know what the context was, but she's having some problems. She was a bit upset that I ruined their talk." Mary frowned. "I'll talk with her." "You don't know what's going on with her, do you?" "Of course I do, Keith. I'm her sister." "I had sisters, but I never knew what was going on with them." Mary grinned and then snorted. "You can say that again!" she said. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." I walked into the kitchen, grabbed Robin around the waist, turned her around towards me and gave her a kiss. When she dropped the spoon out of her hand, I knew I had her full attention. Letting her go, I announced to the other three that Robin was going with me and I was sorry to take her away. None of them believed that I was sorry at all and I was chased around the kitchen, with them trying to snap towels at me. Robin ran over to the back door and opened it. I ran out, grabbing her and pulling her out along with me. As soon as we were out, I stuck my head back in, and then stuck my tongue out at them. They were all laughing hysterically at that point. "What is this all about?" Robin asked as I led her over to my car. "We're taking a plane ride," I answered simply. "Keith, I know you better than that. Why do you want me to go with you?" "To have a chance to talk with Dan." "Oh," she said, and looked at me for a moment. "Which one said something?" "Both of them." Dan and Richard were standing beside the car, waiting for us, when we walked around the corner from the back. It wasn't ten minutes later I was starting the engines of the plane, and was getting ready for take off. Richard was sitting up front with me. Robin and Dan were sitting in the passenger section already talking. An hour into the flight, the right engine sputtered and then abruptly stopped. ------- Chapter 100 "What's wrong?" Dan shouted excitedly. The plane started to shake as the one remaining engine pulled from the right side. "We lost an engine," Richard said. I was too busy looking at gauges, trying to figure out what went wrong to say a word. We could fly with just the one engine, although roughly. If anything happened to that engine, though, we would be going down fast. The phrase, 'lost an engine, ' was a term used by anyone in the cockpit. Robin, who had no real knowledge of planes until I stepped into her life, panicked. 'Lost an engine' to her, meant it had fallen off. Robin's anxiety fueled Dan's distrust of planes in the first place, something I didn't know about until later. Both of them where shouting out questions to us. Richard's attention was more towards the back, than the front. "Richard! Find a place for us to land, now!" I said in frustration. The plane was the least of my worries. Robin was becoming hysterical, but I had a job to do. Richard began looking out the window. Along the river that we had been following were rows and rows of crops. It took him a good minute and a half, and then he saw it. During that time I was losing altitude. "Keith! There it is! It's either a landing strip, or a dry road. Either way, it will work." I glanced over to where he was pointing and saw what he had found. I banked the plane and headed towards our landing strip. Having already dropped a lot of altitude in preparation for landing, we would be down in minutes. Richard already was turning to look in the back, when I said, "Richard, the radio." It was as though he had no idea what to do. Then, as soon as I said something, he was in gear. He got hold of a ham radio operator. Richard gave him our information and then told him we were making an emergency landing. As Richard started giving our coordinates, I flew into the small valley holding that nice smooth road. At that point, we lost radio contact with the ham operator. ------- Larry had been in talking to Jack in his office, downtown. As he walked outside, the phone was ringing. Larry ran to pick it up. "Hello?" "Did I reach someone in Carp?" "Yes, you did. This is Larry. Who were you looking for?" "I got a call from Mary and Sarah McCarran. They said my husband was being flown back home, and I should be at the airport. I have been here for an hour and haven't seen them. Another pilot asked the tower for me, but they haven't heard anything. I'm wondering if they left later than expected." "I'll check that for you, kuz I don't know. Mary has your phone number?" "Yes, but I'm out at the airport. Let me give you this number. I'll wait until I hear something." Larry gave assurances that a call would be returned in about ten minutes. He went back and saw Jack. "Just got a call from Dan's wife. Keith and Richard haven't arrived and she thought she got something wrong. She asked if Mary or Sarah could call her and tell her when they took off from here." "I'll run out, if you want." "Would you? That would be great. I have some material lists to put together. Someone is anxious to get their house built." Jack chuckled. "I don't know who that could be, but since I'm such a nice guy I'll go out for you." On his way out to the Mansion, Jack saw Patrick walking. "Want a ride?" "Depends on where you're heading," Patrick answered. Jack couldn't resist a line like that. "I'm not sure how to answer that. Are we talking physically, metaphysically, or spiritually?" "Touché," Patrick said with a smile. "I'm on my way out to the Mansion." "Glad to go. I should talk to Katy, anyway." ------- As soon as I got down on the ground and stopped the plane, I turned to Richard. I was ready to explode. I'm sure I would have, except I couldn't remember the last time I saw Richard cry. Not over something like this. "What the hell is wrong?" I still said in an agitated voice. "I don't know. All I could think about was Katy, Dora, Katharine. What would happen? I wasn't prepared. I'm sorry, Keith. I froze." I looked in back. Dan was white. Robin looked a little green and was ready to lose her lunch. Unbuckling as quickly as I could, I got into the back. I opened the door. It was close to the ground and had two simple flip down steps that Richard had made. "Robin, Dan, get outside and breathe some fresh air. It will help." A few minutes later, Richard was standing on a ladder we kept in the back, along with a set of tools. He had the engine compartment open. He turned as he heard me approach, saying, "Keith, I meant it. I'm sorry." "Richard, I've also been thinking about what you said. When I fell off the building, you wouldn't believe what went through my mind in those last seconds. No one questioned me about the need to feel human when I woke. I had a lot of time to think about my responses, my priorities, my reactions. For you, this was it. It only shows you're human, after all." "Am I supposed to thank you for that?" I laughed. "Of course you are. Now, back to work. What went wrong?" Richard shrugged and turned his attention to the engine. I went over to the back of the plane, where Dan and Robin were. Dan looked up and asked, "Can it be fixed?" "Richard's not sure what it is yet, but anything..." "Shit!" we heard Richard say. "Sounds like he found something. Let me go and find out." Richard was already walking towards me. He was shaking his head. "Found the problem?" "Yes," he said disgustedly. "I can't wait to look at the log books and see who installed the filter wrong. It's clogged up. A simple little part and it screwed up everything all because of an improper installation." "That's good to know. I'm glad it's nothing more serious." "Yeah. Now for the bad part. We need that part to fly the plane out of here." I turned and looked at the road where we had landed. Lifting off with just one engine would be tricky enough to do, if you had all the runway in the world. This bit of road was good enough to lift off with both engines, but that was the only way we would fly out of here. I also noticed the clouds over the horizon. They were not the normal puffy ones, just floating along. These were dark. That meant a storm was out there. It was also a ways off, and summer storms could dissipate as fast as they could be upon you. I wished for the former. Walking back to Robin and Dan, I said, "Ready for a walk?" "We're walking?" Robin asked. "Well, I'm not leaving without the love of my life," I said and grinned. "Have you any idea where we are?" Dan asked. "A good clue, yes. Richard is getting the map out. They're for flying, but it should help some." "What was wrong?" Robin asked, then added, "Were we going to die?" "No, Robin, far from it. One big advantage of these planes is that they have two engines. If one stops working we can still land with the other. The problem was some idiot put a part in wrong. Because of the reverse flow the part was never designed for, we need a replacement." "I'm guessing that it isn't going to be found at the local service station," Dan said. "Richard did make radio contact, didn't he? They do know we are ok?" "He let someone know we were having engine problems and making an emergency landing. The unfortunate thing is that in this little valley our radio can't reach out to anyone. So we can only hope. Once we get to a phone, we'll make a call." "So, for all anyone knows, we went down and no one knows anything more," Dan restated. "Yes," I replied. "Now you're sounding like the shrink." He smiled, the first since the engine developed a problem. "Not that I like to put a scare like this into my wife, nor in any of you or Richard's... mates... I was just thinking of other interesting aspects." "Care to explain that one to me?" I said. "It looks like we have a bit of a walk on our hands." ------- Jack felt as sick to his stomach, as everyone else did. He had just told a larger group than should have been there, after he had come from the communications car, what he had learned. There was a single report from a ham operator who picked up a call. The plane's identification was right. The only other information was that the plane was making an emergency landing. There had been no communications, since. Everyone from the Mansion was there. They stood in silence, not knowing what to say. Mary had the task of calling the airport and breaking the news to Dan's wife. It was not going to be easy, to say 'the plane went down and we don't know anything else.' Mary herself wasn't feeling all that well and her sister... She had just disappeared as soon as they were told. Jack asked Beth Ann where all the other people from town had heard about this. Beth Ann shook her head. "I suppose it might have been when Katherine went in to tell William and Thelma in the hotel. Word travels fast around here." It was painfully true. The signal blast went off at the mine and men started pouring out. Now everyone in town was showing up and they all were asking questions. Patrick knew that it was time to speak. He started to move people to the park, knowing that late in the afternoon, the inside of the hall would be too hot for anyone to be comfortable. Katharine walked up and waited for Mary to get off the phone. Mary sighed as she hung up. "I wish I had as much optimism as she does. She told me not to worry. 'Nothing to worry about, ' she said." "Come with me. Now start saying those words over and over, until you believe them, so you can convince your sister of the same," Katharine answered. "Where is Sarah?" "She's with William and Thelma. Jack just drove them out to the doctor's plane." "Why?" Mary cried, knowing that 'going to the plane' was where the doctor's office was. "It looks like she was running, without looking where she was going. She was across the street, running down the boardwalk. As we opened the hotel door, Sarah ran right smack into it. It knocked the wind out of her, but then she started crying hysterically about it being her fault. We tried to say it was an accident. This went on for a minute, but Sarah was getting worse. We couldn't figure out what was going on, until she said something about the plane. For some reason, she's blaming herself. They took her out to give her a shot, and settle her down." "She made Dan come here and made Keith fly. That's why," Mary said shaking her head. ------- Patrick stood before the people of Carp. This time there were more, as this gathering included children. Some of the last to arrive were Millie, Bruce, Barbara, and Brian in his wheelchair. Julie saw the last two arrive and went over to be with Barbara and Brian. Bruce forced himself not to grin. Millie's brow wrinkled as she looked worriedly upon her son. "This is not," Patrick began, trying to settle the crowd, "the meeting I was hoping for. So that no unfounded rumors start, this is what we know. Keith, Richard and Robin were flying with the man who talked at the meeting, Dan. They were taking him home. There was a call from the plane that a ham radio operator received. He confirmed that it was Keith and Richard's plane. He said they were making an emergency landing. Communication ended right after the part about an emergency landing, so that is all we know." There was an eerie sadness that overtook the place. Patrick realized people were waiting. Waiting for him to say something more, give the next part. "My dear friends, although we do not know anything more than that, we can hope that the landing went well and that there are reasons we do not know of, as to why we haven't heard anything. "It would be easy at this point, for some of you, to become judgmental. To say, that Keith and Richard brought this upon themselves." "No!" several cried out. Vicki and Tiffany were in a state of shock. They hadn't been at the meeting, didn't know some of the Mennonite traditions, and didn't understand. They ran up to the front, where Patrick was standing and turned to the people. Fueled by the vacation disasters that they had faced, both gals took their frustrations out on the crowd. "How could a single one of you possibly think that way? Do you believe in a God that turns his back upon his people? Is that Love?" Vicki said. Tiffany jumped in. "Look at what Keith and Richard have done in this town. Weren't they the ones who ran into danger, not away from it, saving all of you? Many of you they hadn't even met. Their care for what was right and wrong overtook their fear, even of death. You," Tiffany said pointing her finger while her arm shook with rage, "have the nerve to think of judging them?" "Vicki, Tiffany," Patrick said gently, "I think you made your point." The two turned and looked at him. Now that the rush of adrenalin had ebbed, they felt almost instantly exhausted and tears started to flow. Katy and Liz came and pulled the gals back. They were saying they were sorry, all the way. Patrick put up his hand and quieted the townspeople. "We are all feeling emotions that are strong. Let us use this time for realizing what we find in our hearts as important. Let our words to each other be sensitive and understanding; realizing that while everyone is asking God the same questions, we may not all hear the same answers. "If we know anything, or hear anything; we will post it by the phone. So check there." ------- I was amused. "So you think that given the fact that we might have died, people will rethink their ideas? Reminds me of the Tom Sawyer story." Robin looked at me and I could tell she had no idea what I was talking about. "It was a story by Mark Twain. In it there were they two boys that got into as much trouble as Jimmy and Brian." "Now that's hard to believe," Robin said. I smiled, but refrained from any further comment about them and went back to the story. "They took off and then... Let me think, it's been a while. I think someone found their raft, but not the boys. Everyone in the town thought they'd drowned. They had a service. People started saying the nicest things about the two boys; things that they had never said before. That is why I made the comment." "But the boys drowned?" Robin asked. Dan laughed and then said, "No. They showed up in town, to find everyone in the service. So they crawled up in the attic to find out what is going on. They ended up hearing all the people saying such nice things about them." Now Robin was giggling, and said, "That does sound like Jimmy and Brian." Dan had to stop to catch his breath, he was laughing so hard. As we started walking again, I had to ask, "Tell me something, Dan. I think it would be a lot easier for people to change their opinion of someone, after they are dead. After all, if they've died, they're not a problem any longer." "Well put. The difference here is that no one knows, yet it gives them the possibilities. The 'what if they died', and 'what if the last thing I did or said to them was... Is that what I want?' type of scenario." "So a good portion of it is guilt," Richard said. "You could look on it like that. Depends on how you look at guilt. If you were sure of what you were doing, had no doubts, would you feel guilty? That is different from someone trying to twist what you think and make you feel guilty about it. I don't see Patrick pulling everyone together and doing that. He just doesn't seem the type." "I think you're right. Grandpa wouldn't do that," Robin answered. "He is your grandfather. I forgot that," Dan said. "Not to change the subject; but Richard, where are we?" I asked. ------- Bruce wasn't laughing. He was standing in shocked silence. Millie had just asked Julie if she wanted to spend the night. Brian and Barbara were equally shocked, but their joy overshadowed that. Julie, who had not known of the knowledge or tension in Millie's understanding of the situation, was happily saying yes. As soon as Julie said yes, she turned and ran off to tell her mother where she'd be. "What did you just do?" Bruce asked. "Invited Julie over to spend the night. The kids like her around, so why not?" Millie replied. Bruce looked at his son and Barbara. Something was just a little strange here. "Brian, let me push you over to see grandpa for a minute," Bruce said and then gave a look to Barbara that told her to stay put. As soon as they were away from Millie, Bruce asked, "Brian, what is going on?" Brian looked around. There were too many people to talk out loud. He motioned to his dad to come closer so he could talk privately to him. Not wanting to hide anything from his father, he told him what happened when his mom walked into his bedroom that afternoon. This didn't help Bruce at all. If anything it made things worse. Something was going on, but what? "Bruce, where are you taking my grandson?" Patrick asked, pulling Bruce back to the present. "Oh! To see you, of course." Patrick laughed, but then stopped at the look on his son-in-law and grandson's faces. "It looks like I interrupted a serious conversation." "A confusing one, to say the least," Bruce answered. "I don't want to intrude, but if you want another ear..." "Patrick, Millie just asked Julie if she wanted to spend the night," Bruce said. "She did what?" Patrick asked in a hushed tone of disbelief, recalling the conversation he had with Millie over that. ------- With the slightly rolling hills and the tall corn that was planted, it was almost impossible to get an idea of where we were. In front of us, all we could see was that the road came to a T. We couldn't make out anything. By the time we arrived at the junction, we were in no better shape. Turn right, or left? Neither way gave any indication as to any benefit it might offer. In the end, we turned to the right, taking what looked like a path to the north. The reasoning was that we had come from the south and neither Richard nor I remembered seeing any habitations that way. It was not quite dusk, although it felt like it as the cloud cover had started mounting over us. I was glad we'd brought a tarp with us, but hoped we wouldn't have to use it. The prospects of finding a place were looking bleak. I tried my best to keep a conversation going, but, after a while, even that seemed absurd. We hadn't seen any life in the past hour. My only hope was that if we couldn't find something soon, as darkness fell we would see a light from somewhere. Something had to be out here, didn't it? "Keith, honey, I'm tired. Can we stop for just a bit?" Robin asked. "Sure. I think it might be a good idea," I said, knowing it was best to keep walking. I wasn't pregnant, though. Good ideas are often changed by the fact that you just can't know everything. We sat on the thin strip beside the road, as there was little else around. I felt the wind pick up a bit and the corn started to rustle. I was about to say something, but stopped as my wife turned and looked at me. As if Robin and I were alone, she started talking. "I just thought I was going to help. Then I realized that Jimmy never had the same feelings I did. He was younger. He had a dad. I caught myself before I made him feel guilty for something he didn't even know was there. It was really stupid of me." "What are you talking about?" I asked gently. "Mom was having problems, we all knew that. Part of that was how people reacted about her getting pregnant. I was around and I probably knew something was up, but I think that I transferred those feelings to my..." She looked over to Dan, who said to her, "You can call him anything you feel like. He was your stepfather and your uncle. You can even call him by his name if you want." "At one time I hated him. Using his name would have been as good as I could do. He was my stepfather, so I'm going to start calling him that. I never really knew him as an uncle. "So, I think I transferred a lot of those odd feelings I had, towards my stepfather. I'm sure some of it was fair, but I know some of it wasn't. I assumed that Jimmy felt the same as I did. Most of the things people were saying died down after he was born. They were completely gone by the time he could remember anything. So all he knew was that Bill was his dad." "And your anger about your stepfather flared up when you heard what happened to your mom?" I asked. "Good observation, Keith," Dan said. "I never got to know him, but I remember Robin's anger towards him," I said. "Robin, I see you and your mom as being very close. I wonder if there wasn't some feelings going on with your mom... almost resentment," Richard was saying. "I knew my mom wasn't happy. She loved me and she loved Jimmy, but I think there was always something that was under her skin. Now I'll bet it was how she was accepted, or not, because of him. It may be why she got so out of control and why I did what I did, as well." "That makes a lot of sense, Robin," Richard said. "Your mom almost exploded when we went over to see your grandpa. She let him know that by walking out on his son, he walked out on her as well, as well as his grandchildren. Patrick took it pretty well and I was amazed. Now I can see she was blowing off years of frustration." "You know," Dan said, "if there were more people like the lot of you around, I'd be out of business!" We all had a good laugh. "Robin, are you rested? The wind is picking up and I think we're in for a bit of weather." Robin looked up and acted as though she hadn't seen the sky all afternoon. "It's getting dark!" I gave her a hand and pulled her to her feet. We all started walking a little more briskly, even though we couldn't see a darn thing ahead of us. I looked back and saw the same thing. "Richard, I think this road is curving, nice and gently... look." He did and concurred. If we had been able to see the sun, the change in direction would have been more noticeable. In just a short distance we definitely knew, as the wind was now blowing towards us. "I smell smoke!" Richard said. All of us stopped and sniffed, but didn't catch a scent of anything. We walked some more and then I said I smelled it. Robin and Dan caught the scent, also. It was a good feeling. There was a house, somewhere out here. Now, just where was it? ------- Patrick was on his way to talk with Millie, when Jack drove up beside him. "I just came from dropping the doctor and his wife off, downtown," Jack said shaking his head. "Sarah... I just can't believe how much guilt she feels." "Oh? I didn't hear about that one. What happened?" "She figures it's all her fault that Keith, Robin, and Richard are... Well who knows?" "I'll go and talk with her tomorrow. Right now, I need to see Millie." Jack was shaking his head. "Right now you need to be down at the school. Second floor." "What is going on there?" "Not real sure, but I was told to go find you and bring you back, no matter what." Patrick took a deep breath. "I can't say I'm a lamb going into the lions den. I think I may have made the den myself and now I'm facing the music." "Come on, I'll give you a ride." "Jack, could you do me one favor?" "Sure, what is it?" Jack said and then smiled. "You want me to walk in first and make sure it's safe?" Patrick laughed, letting off a little anxiety. "No. I'm sure I'll be ok. Millie needs someone to talk with. I was going to, but since I can't, she needs her sister." "So you want me to go and get Katy?" "If you could." Jack was nodding, and said, "It might give her something to take her mind off of Richard. I know that is what Cynthia would be doing: driving herself crazy." "Thanks, Jack," Patrick said as they stopped and he got out. Walking into the school building, Patrick noticed that although it was getting dark, there was no light in the stairwell. He didn't need any, but it was odd. He walked up the steps and into the large room. There were four couples sitting in chairs. The men were looking down at the floor. The women were looking at Patrick. "Jack found you, we see." "Yes, he did. Now, can you tell me what this is all about?" Patrick asked. There was a moment of silence. Patrick watched as the women looked at each other. "Patrick, we think our husbands are almost at the edge, just like Henry was. None of us want to be in the same place his widow is, now. We need help and we don't know what to do. Our husbands won't talk to us, but we all know there is a big problem." Right then Patrick wished Dan had stayed. He nodded to the women. "The first thing I need is for you ladies to disappear for about an hour," Patrick said. They looked at each other. This was obviously not what they had expected. "I need to talk with the men, alone. Then I want you to come back," Patrick told the women. Then he smiled at them and added, "Of course, if you wanted to bring something to nibble on at that point, I wouldn't complain a bit." The women rolled their eyes at him, but were on the verge of a smile as they left. That was the first step. Now the men. "I can't begin to feel what you are feeling, right now," Patrick began. One of the men started to mutter something and Patrick cut him off. "But let me tell you something, gentlemen. Those wives of yours didn't haul your butts up here, for no good reason." Patrick's language startled the men. They looked up at him in astonishment as he kept on talking. "You think they give a darn if you can give them children?" "Cheryl did." "Yes, she did and I'll tell you that Dan was all for it. He didn't care. You might, he didn't. If you don't believe me, sit tight. I'll go get him if you need me to." The men looked at each other. No one wanted to be the one to say he didn't trust what Patrick was saying. "All right, then," Patrick said. "Now, here is the start of the questions. Which one of you wants a kid?" Two of the four men put up their hands. "Next question. How many of you think your wives want children?" All four hands went up. "Do you know that for sure?" Patrick asked. "Have you talked about it? Or did you just figure that's the way it is? When the ladies come back, I'll be asking the same questions, and I don't want a single one of you to say a word. It will be helpful to you to see what your wives think about this." "But they know we can't give them children. It isn't a fair question," one of the men said. "There are ways of asking fair questions. You leave that up to me and listen to the answers. After that, we'll work out some solutions. Two of you didn't raise your hands about wanting children. So if your wives said they didn't want them either, would you have any problem about not giving them children?" "No, but women always want children." Patrick laughed, albeit a bit bitterly. "No, that isn't always true," he said, and sighed. "Most do, but not all. It would be best to know, before you did anything rash." The men were looking down at the floor again. ------- Katy was rubbing her temples. 'Why does Millie need me now?' she thought. 'I have enough to worry about.' "Patrick asked me to ask you. He didn't tell me to pick you up and carry you to the car." She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Jack, sometimes..." As Jack was leaving, he saw Katy getting into her and Richard's car. Katy wasn't happy about it, but knew she needed to go. Her sister had been there for her. Well, most of the times. Millie's admission at the meeting was the first time Katy knew for sure what she had suspected. It had made her angry. On the same side, she saw that her sister never realized what it did to her. Part of that may have been Katy's own fault. Something she didn't want to admit. A few minutes later, she was in front of Bruce and Millie's house. As she stepped out of her car she could see a lot of movement, shadows, playing against the curtained window. 'That's odd, ' Katy thought. 'Brian can't have healed that fast.' When she knocked on the door, Bruce answered. When he saw Katy, he stepped outside with her. "I thought Patrick was coming over," he said. "You asked him to come over? Why?" "Your sister has been..." Bruce didn't get out the rest. Millie opened the door. "I thought I heard the door. Bruce, why didn't you invite my sister in?" All three entered the house and Katy saw who was making the shadows she had seen. "Julie! I didn't realize you were here." "Mom said it would be fine," Julie answered, suddenly wondering if Katy was here to take her home. "I've been distracted. I'm sure your mom would have told me," Katy said, reassuring the girl. Then it started dawning on Katy. She would have caught on almost instantly, but her mind wasn't running at full speed right then. Her mind tried to catch up. 'How did Julie get over here? What did Millie think about this? She was usually a bit more vocal about something like this. Must not be Bruce, as he doesn't seem to be in the doghouse. Brian? Did Brian talk his mom into letting her come over?' As if answering Katy's main question, Millie said, "I invited Julie over." "You did what?" Katy said in a tone she wished hadn't come out of her mouth. "I did what you would have done," Millie answered Katy. Katy's mouth dropped open. Brian, Barbara, and Julie stopped moving and looked. Bruce was the one who, now understanding a bit of what was going on, took action. "Millie and Katy, I think it's a fine time for you two to go take a walk up to the spring. A nice long walk. It's warm and still a bit light out," he said. As he nudged the two out the door, he added, "Take your time." "Dad, what's going on with Mom?" Brian asked. 'I'm not sure, Son. I think it may have something to do with her feeling guilty and wanting to be like your Aunt Katy, right now," Bruce answered. "Mom? Like Aunt Katy?" Brian said incredulously. "That sounds... weird." Bruce chuckled to himself. ------- "Not so fast," Patrick said. "If you want me to get John in here, I will. I'll even bring Cheryl along with him. He would verify everything I said, he was there when it happened." "When everything happened?" one of the men asked. "Everything," Patrick confirmed. "I'm not sure if I could do that." "Me neither." "Are you talking about performing while another guy looks on, or watching another guy with your wife?" Patrick asked. Through the last hour the men had become almost comfortable with the raw questions Patrick asked. Almost. Three of the men somewhat blushed. The forth one answered, "Both." Just then there was a knock at the door. Their wives had come back. Patrick had them seated and then handed each of the gals a piece of paper and pencil. "Write your name and then write yes or no on it." "Yes or no to what?" One of the gals asked, before Patrick could finish. "Yes, to 'yes, I would like to have a child', and no, to 'no, I don't want a child'," Patrick finished. "Oh. And we have to put our names down?" "The men didn't have paper. I made them raise their hands. This is only going to be read by me, so I want you to think about your answer. Don't think of what you think you should say, but of what you want to say," Patrick answered. The women wrote the information, folded it, and then gave it to Patrick. He stopped and smiled at one of the answers. "I didn't give, or think, of that option." "What option?" one of the men asked. "I asked if the women wanted to have a child. One wrote that she wanted a child, but if she became pregnant or not, wasn't as important." If one looked, it was easy to see which gal had written it, as she was smiling. The other three were looking at their husbands for some indication of what they though about that idea. "I think it is time to start talking. This discussion is going to be frank. I am going to use language that many of you will find offensive in mixed company. Let me remind you, ladies, that you brought me here. This is the fastest way I know, to get to the bottom of all of this," Patrick said. "So if I want a child and so does my husband then you're just going to..." The gal's husband started to laugh. "Ain't that simple. I have to agree, but then you have to do the work." The woman was getting mad. "I wasn't asking about the mechanics of it." "I wasn't either. You have to ask him and he has to want to." The women were all looking at Patrick. One of them asked the question all of them had on their mind. "You mean Cheryl asked you to..." Patrick smiled. "Yes, she did, in front of her husband. I know it is hard to believe, but I wasn't very convinced that it was a good idea for me to do it." "The little slut!" "Now, let's not talk that way," Patrick said to the gal who had just made that outburst. "I want you to think of something you wanted. Wanted so bad you would do almost anything to have it. That was Cheryl. She was desperate for a child and, as John told me, it was affecting their relationship. Do you think it would be better for Cheryl to have left John? Or maybe stayed with him, making his life miserable with guilt, because he couldn't give her a child? Or maybe you would prefer that she dig her own grave, with a sorrow so great that it would consume her? Cheryl sought out another option. That was to keep the husband that she loved and have a child. "Is that not like the one of you who, when I asked to write yes or no, came up with another option. It was something I hadn't thought of. We have been boxed in with the idea of one way being the right way to do something, to the point that it is very hard for all of us to think of another way. "I say all of us; because as I said, I had to be convinced. I know it is no great secret that Cheryl, as a girl, liked me. She grew up in between the time I left this town and came back. She married during this time. There's a large age difference, but for me, it was the guilt. I felt that if I did something, then it would seem that I had always wanted to do it. The times Cheryl used my lap, as a place to make me uncomfortable, was when my wife was still alive. Down deep I felt like I was cheating on her. The memories of his beloved wife brought tears to his eyes and made a lump in his throat so big, that he had to stop talking. No one said a word as they waited for him to continue. "So... Cheryl, as well as John, had to convince me that this is what they wanted. They did that; not by trickery, or sexual favors. That would have made Cheryl a slut, as was mentioned. It was done by love. John loved his wife so much that he hurt, not being able to give her what she desperately wanted. Cheryl, it seemed, had fallen in love with me as a girl. That had never diminished. So although she was married to a man she never wanted to replace, she was ready to have me father her child. She would have a man who she had always loved give her a child, and a man whom she loved and had married, to be by her side." "You make it sound... almost romantic," one of the women said. Patrick had a soft smile on his face. "At the time it didn't seem so. My mind was in turmoil, but then... After I knew this was what both of them wanted, that I could give them this gift and it would be so wonderfully received; then it did become love between the three of us. I am part of their lives. So you see, it is not something I take lightly. I could never just show up some night and do... well, create a life, without feeling responsibility." Patrick could see that there was a nod of acceptance in the eyes of the four couples. "All four of you ladies said that you would like to have a child in your home. Two of the men said they wanted them and two said they didn't care. Now that puts two of you at odds. This has nothing to do with the chemical, but something men and women have been dealing with for some time. So I suggest you two men set up a time. Each of you is to bring your wife to see me, so we can work those issues out. The other two; now here is where we have questions that need to be answered. You both want children." "But one of them said they could do something else. I guess adopt," one of the women said. "What makes you think that would be one of the women whose husband also wanted a child?" Patrick asked. "Oh!" the woman exclaimed. "Hmmm," one of the men, who had said 'no', said. "As I said, there are always more options than we first think of. The way we understand this is to talk about it. We can only do that if we are ready and willing to listen. Now, back to where I was. The two couples also need to talk. How would you feel about carrying a child that was not your husbands? If you did, how do you think your husband would feel about it? Could you men know that your wife wanted a child and you denied her having one? Could you give up the idea that you were the only one who could love your wife enough to give her a child? What is it worth to each of you? "Now I want each of you to close your eyes. I'm going to ask a question to the men," Patrick said. As they closed their eyes, Patrick touched the knees of the gals, who opened their eyes. He nodded to each one of them. They were now watching, as the men would answer. "The women brought me here as they feared for your lives. They did so because they love you and do not want you to leave them. After this talk, knowing there will be many more talks, do you think there's still a reason your wife should fear for your life? Nod 'yes', or shake 'no'." Three men shook their heads. One of the heads didn't move. All the women were watching him now. They watched as tears started rolling out of his closed eyes. He reached over and took his wife's hand holding so tight it looked as though he would break it. "Honey," he said, "I felt worthless. If you still love me... even if I can't give you the child I know you want, let me know how I can still love you." Patrick gestured to the other three couples, which were now looking at the one couple, to leave them. They got up and walked out, without saying a word. After they left, the woman said, "Patrick, how can I make him believe that if he died, so would I? I can't say I don't want a baby, he would know that is a lie. But he means more to me than a child." "I think you just told him. He is the one who has to understand, and to believe. It comes at a cost to him, though." "A cost?" the man asked. "For you to accept that she loves you more than her greatest desire means that you have to accept she is willing to give up more than you may be willing to accept. You have been brought up believing that love should be equal and that is a good thing to believe. But for her to give up so much makes you realize that you may need to give up things that you are unwilling to give up. This makes you unsure if your love for her is as strong as hers is for you. Once again, this makes you feel unworthy of her love." "I get what you're saying. If she loves me that much, then I should love her back and let her have someone else's child," he said very unhappily. "No, that isn't what I said. First you don't even know if she would want another man's child inside of her. You are convincing yourself of the worst, without even knowing if any of it is something that would even be wanted by her. For all you really know, she might get very mad at you for even suggesting such a thing." "But how else would she get a baby?" he asked incorrigibly. "She was the one who didn't answer 'yes or no'," Patrick said simply. The man who had held his head down from the time he had started crying, suddenly looked at his wife. "You... You would do that?" "I need my husband, my love, to help me raise our child. Without you, I wouldn't want a child. That is what scared me so much. If you did something to yourself, I wouldn't just lose you giving me a baby, but lose the man I would want to help me along the way." The man stood and reached out for his wife. "Patrick, I think it is time for my wife and I to go home. We have our future together to talk about." ------- There were a few raindrops, large ones, which had just come down on us. All four of us were wiping our eyes, when a big gust of wind blew from behind us. Robin's skirt flew up. She screeched and laughed at the same time. "Robin!" I said as my eyes caught what she had on, underneath her skirt. Dan's eyes were almost as wide as mine and I knew he'd seen what she had on under her skirt, as well. Robin wasn't looking at me, but at Dan as she smoothed her skirt down. With a little grin on her face, she asked, "Did you enjoy the show?" Dan stammered, turning red at being caught. I laughed. "She wears those things to get such a reaction, you know," I said. "I didn't know such things... well, were obtainable. I mean, of course I've heard of them. You would expect someplace like New York City or Paris of course, but here? Where on earth did you get them?" he asked. Robin was positively glowing. "Tell me your wife's size and I'll send you a pair." Dan was almost glowing red. Richard and I were laughing at his embarrassment. "I don't know," he answered lamely. "You don't know her size?" I asked jokingly. "That is something you should fix, and soon. How in the world are you supposed to help someone with a problem if you've never experienced the finer parts of a woman's tease?" Robin asked with a very innocent looking face. Dan shook his head and then laughed. "I can tell I need an education in this. Somehow I think the next decade, with people like you, Robin, will most likely be very interesting indeed." "Look!" Richard called out. "I can see the smoke." We all turned, our focus changed from the banter we were just exchanging to where Richard was pointing. From the walk we had been doing, there was a quick pick up in our pace. Things were getting more exciting, as we went. We could see, not far from us now, a harvested field. Soon we would be able to see for some distance. ------- Katy could hardly contain herself. Her sister made her want to pull her hair out. As soon as they set foot on the sand base that held the new water tanks, Katy started in. "What on earth do you think you are doing to those poor kids?" Millie blinked. "What do you mean? They... Brian... You... After the meeting Barbara and Brian were in their room without a stitch of clothes on. So I tried to be like you. That's what you..." Millie waved her arms around, "want, right?" "No!" Millie's mouth dropped. "No? You want us to condemn you, or something of the sort?" Katy bit her lower lip, slowing herself down. "Millie, have you never thought that there might be something in between the two extremes which you are suggesting your behavior needs to be? On top of that, you aren't behaving like I would." Millie followed Katy over to a well-used log and sat down. "I thought I was helping. Although to tell you the truth it was eating me alive. You wouldn't believe what Janice said to me." Then something clicked. "What do you mean you wouldn't behave like I was? You've invited Brian over many times and I know why." Katy smiled. "I did the inviting, but that was after the want was expressed. Did Brian or Barbara ever ask you if Julie could come over?" Millie frowned and said, "No." "There is a difference between finding something acceptable and allowing it to happen upon request. That is me. What you did was grit your teeth and push something you don't even know was wanted, to go on." "Oh, God. I did, didn't I?" Millie groaned. "My kids must think I'm out of my mind." Katy couldn't help but laugh. "Well I know your husband was wondering. He asked our dad to come over, I think." "He did?" "Yeah, but then some people needed him and I was sent instead." "Oh, great! Now, all the family thinks I'm crazy." The heartache swelled in Katy and her eyes blurred with tears. "No, not all, some of them aren't here." Millie reached over and gave her sister a hug. "They will be ok. Keith and Richard have been in worse places than in a plane." "I just can't help it," Katy cried. "I need Richard." "Katy?" "Yes?" "Why do you share him, then?" "Kuz he's so good." "Katy!" Millie said, startled. Almost as instantly, with embarrassment in her voice, she said, "Oh, you meant he's a good person." Even though Katy had been crying, what her sister had thought made her laugh. "Millie, get your mind out of the toilet," she said. Then just for fun, she had to add, "But he is damned good." Millie groaned. "Millie, you've had Bruce forever. You have never known what it's like to feel unloved. Dad chased off my first. I guess, looking back, that may well have been for the best. Then I got my brother. Not by choice, but in desperation. You haven't ever felt those things, so it is hard for you to understand what it's like to be without. I know. So when Dora was hurting, I wanted to take her in. When she was needy, I was willing to share. I knew her pain. I knew I wouldn't lose, but gain love in the process." "That is pretty mature thinking on your part. How'd you get so smart?" Millie asked. "Trial and error. I don't suggest it," Katy said with a grimace. "So now what do I do?" Millie asked. "I've made a fool of myself." Katy sighed. She had to smile just a touch. What an opening! Yet she couldn't, in good conscience, use it. "Millie, I think the first thing is that you have to do what you feel is right for you. But then you have to be sure you know what you believe and be ready to defend that. If you set up a wall that Brian is going to run into, be ready to tell him why that wall is there. He will want to tear it down. The real unfortunate thing is, now he will feel even better at going after those walls. You have given him mixed ideas." "Oh, great." "Do you know what you believe and why?" Katy asked. "Do you?" Millie questioned. "Yes. I think I've already explained it to you. I love. Richard loves. We love each other and we love others around us. They love us as well. It is a pretty simple concept for me Millie. If I see love, not like, not power, not manipulation, but love then it is good." Millie let out a sigh in a tone that said she wasn't convinced. "Millie, you think it is easy that I can say things like this about Brian and Barbara, because he's your child? What about Jimmy?" "Jimmy?" Millie said. "Do you ever look around?" Katy said, perturbed. "What do you mean? Oh, Jimmy and Pamela. So they are... Katy" Millie said accusingly. "You haven't..." "Millie, if Dad didn't say we were related I'd wonder sometimes. How in the world did Brian come along? Do you ever even think about sex?" "Katy!" "Well?" "That's none of your business." "Just what I thought. Poor Bruce." "Don't you 'Poor Bruce' me." "Why not? You think because you don't want to do something he should suffer? Why? Why is it that you can go off and knit with your friends? It's ok that he doesn't want to. You have friends that fill that desire. He can go and... well do whatever he does with his friends, and that's ok. You don't want to, and he gets his fix. Now when it comes to sex, he can only get it from you, and you tell him when he can and can't have it. Millie, that is 'control' and that sure as hell isn't love." They sat in silence for some time. "Millie, what did Janice say?" "Janice?" "You said she said something to you." "Oh, shit," Millie said, startling Katy, who never heard words like that out of her sister's mouth. "She asked if Dad might be willing to... Well... you know. She said Jim was fine, but..." Katy couldn't help but laugh. "You're not joking, are you?" "I wish I was." "Did everyone get this wrong? Does that sound like love to you?" "Not really." "I wouldn't say so. If they loved each other and wanted to... well, have sex, then they go for it. But what Janice was asking was a simple 'let's try you out in bed'." "Katy, that's disgusting." "Yes, you are right." "I'm right?" "Yes. You still don't get it. Millie, there isn't any love there. For any of this to work there has to be love." "Ok, fine. So you're saying that Jimmy and Pamela love each other?" Millie asked knowing she was going to stump her sister. "Yes, they do. And they know that if they did something like Brian and Barbara did, that led Barbara to get pregnant, then it could really hurt Pamela. She might just be old enough soon to get pregnant. We know Jimmy and Brian are close enough in age that if Brian can get a girl pregnant, so can Jimmy. Jimmy would never do anything to hurt Pamela, because he loves her, so we don't have to worry. They are not going to do that." "Holy... shit." "Millie, I know we weren't told anything. I'm sure Mom and Dad thought that was the best thing. Look what happened to me. I didn't know anything about anything. A guy told me what I was feeling was love for him. I ate it up. Mom and Dad failed to protect me. I had feelings running though my body I didn't know about. They never said anything about them, and someone else explained to me. He took advantage of me, because I didn't know better. My children aren't going to suffer that fate. They will know what love is, and how it should work." "You know Dad wouldn't have told me half the stuff you told me." "I know." "It doesn't make it any easier." "Yes, it does. You have more to think about." "That's easier?" "When you know why, yes." "I guess." "You ready to face your son?" "No, but it's getting cool." Katy snorted. "Cool? It's got to be 80 degrees, now. At least we're not having the thunderstorms like north of here." "Thunderstorms?" "Yeah, Jack told me that they couldn't go looking for the plane tonight, because of the weather." "Katy, they will be ok." Katy just nodded, hoping her sister was right, at least about this. ------- "Look!" I said as soon as we walked past the last row of corn stalks. There across the large field, to the northwest, was a farmhouse. Its chimney was sending out the smoke that we first smelled and then were able to see. It was a very good feeling. Dan was ready to start across the field but Richard stopped him. "Take a look at those rain clouds, they're moving fast and coming our way. We're going to be in a downpour quickly. I think it would be best to stay on the road." Robin and I were already opening the tarp that we had. We were under it none to soon. We crouched down as the rain started. It was pounding with the large drops like we'd seen before, but this time it wasn't just a sprinkle. Soon the road was wet and the drops splashed up in the standing water. Almost as soon as it had come, it was gone. Richard peeked out and then we rolled the tarp back over, channeling the water away from us. The dry ground soaked up the water. Within minutes it looked slightly damp, but nothing more than that. "Time to go," Richard said. "I don't want to get caught in something like that out in the field and I can almost guarantee that was not the last of the rain." We started making out way across the field. The remains of corn stalks were not easy to walk through, we discovered. The sun, although on its way down, was still there. But it was blocked by the clouds. They gave a darkening effect that hindered our travel. It took us at least ten minutes before we were halfway across. There was a small canal that looked like it ran down the center of the field. I was sure there must be bridges across this for the tractors to cross, but in the dim light, no one could make them out. I started testing the bank to make sure it wasn't going to crumble as we went down it. Robin grabbed hold of my arm. Her eyes were wide with fright. "Don't!" "What's wrong?" She was looking up, towards the uncut field, where the slope went up, and the way the storm clouds moved. "Don't you know about flash floods?" I raised my eyebrows and said, "No." Robin gave me an angry look. "Storms like this can make water shoot down canals like this so fast that you wouldn't know what happened. It would just be there and you couldn't get out of the way. We can't go down there." I looked to Dan who was nodding. I looked to Richard. He and I had grown up in a different part of the country and didn't know about this. Something I was going to have to find out more about. "Well then, I guess we're going to have to find a bridge, someone want to pick which way to go?" I said. After a bit of discussion we headed west, more towards the farmhouse. We didn't get very far when we saw a horse and rider coming our way from the farmhouse. We stopped and let them approach. Robin moved in back of me. "Stay where you are," we heard a girl call out to us. Then we saw the rifle in her hand. "What are you doing on our land?" "Taking an afternoon stroll," I answered back, thinking this ridiculous. "Keith," Dan said, "I don't think smart comments like that help, when someone is pointing a gun at you." "I doubt she can even fire the thing, I'm not that worried," I answered. As thought I had just challenged her, she answered me. "See that yellow stalk at the end of the row?" We turned and looked to where she pointed with the gun. As soon as our eyes spotted it, we heard the rifle fire, and we saw an ear of corn on that stalk explode. "My apologies. You are a darn good shot." "Darn good?" she laughed. "I'm the best round here for miles." "I believe you." "Now, who you got hiding behind you?" I smiled. This girl, even though a good shot, was not a threat. "Robin, come on out." "She don't look much older than me." "I don't know," I answered, "how old are you? And by the way, what's your name. I'm Keith. This is Robin, He's Dan, and the other one is Richard." "Other one?" I heard Richard say under his breath. "I'm Cassidy, and I'm eleven. Twelve in two months." "Well, Cassidy, the real reason that we're out here in the field is that we were trying to get to that farmhouse." "You were? Why?" "Did you hear a plane, about... oh maybe two hours ago, flying real low?" "No, can't say I did, but that don't mean nothin'. Why?" "We had engine problems and had to land on the road." "You ruin any crops?" "No, we ended up in a little valley," I pointed in the general direction where I thought we had come from. "Towards Jed's ranch. Got a big plane?" I nodded. She smiled, her white teeth glistening. "Jed's going to be mighty unhappy bout that. Momma's gonna love it." Then she looked at the canal. "You ain't getting across that here. You gotta go down to the bridge." "I told them that," Robin said, pleased with herself. "Where is it?" "I'll show you," she said. Turning her horse, she led the way. We could see the bridge after about five minutes. We were chatting back and forth. "There's another person coming," Richard said, when he noticed another horse on its way from the farmhouse. "Either my mom or my brother. Either way..." We kept moving towards the bridge. It was her mother. She wasn't very happy with Cassidy. After some introductions and an explanation of why we were there, she became more agreeable. When Cassidy told her where we had landed our plane, she was suddenly in a good mood. There were obviously some hard feelings between the two and any form of frustration that was going to be handed to that rancher was good news to this woman. By then we had reached the bridge and crossed it. There was no more than a little trickle in it by then, but I thought it might be prudent to not mention that fact. Another ten minutes and we were at the farmhouse. Cassidy and her mother unsaddled their horses and put let them out into the corral. We were standing on the porch waiting for them to return, when the next burst of rain came though. The two made a run for it. When they got onto the porch, they were soaked. Richard, I noted, was enjoying the view the mother's wet blouse offered. If she noticed, she didn't say a word. Cassidy noticed and looked at me to see what I was looking at. It was towards her, by then and not her mother. But we both knew where Richard had been looking. I winked at the girl and she blushed. Inside we met the rest of the family, as Cassidy was sent to heat water for some coffee. There were two other girls, ages six and nine, then one son, who was five. There was no mention of a man of the house. Dan asked and we found they didn't have a phone or a car. They went to town by horse, but had a tractor. So with the storm, there was no way to do anything tonight. There was a realization we were stuck here. The first question was dinner. No we hadn't eaten. It was a simple affair and near the end of the meal the question that was on my mind, came up. Where we were going to spend the night. This was a two-story house with three bedrooms upstairs, the bathroom, kitchen, living and dining room downstairs. Cassidy and her sister were going to be displaced, as they had two twin beds. The younger two still shared a bed. I offered to sleep out in the barn with my wife. I figured this was the easiest thing to do, and I wouldn't have to worry about any noise we might make. "She's your wife? I thought she was one of your daughters, or even a sister. Didn't my daughter say she was just thirteen?" I noticed Cassidy was listening very intently to our conversation at this point. Before I had a chance to respond, Robin did. "I am. We live in a little town where it has been the custom for the girls to marry when they turn thirteen for... well... as long as anyone can remember." "How long have you two been married?" Cassidy blurted out. "Cassidy!" her mother said sternly. "It's fine," Robin said. "We were married about three months ago." The mother was eyeing me. Robin noticed. "I couldn't have found a better husband if I'd had the whole world to choose from. He's a hero, you know?" "Oh?" the mother said with a bit of frost in her voice. "You were in the war?" "Oh, no. Not a war hero. He saved our town from a mad man." "Really?" Cassidy said with dreamy look in her eyes. "Cassidy, now really," her mother said. Ignoring her mother, she asked, "What did you do?" "He won't talk about it," Robin said with a grin on her face, knowing I'd already be uncomfortable with this conversation. "A man tried to kill off the whole town. Poison us. Keith and Richard found out about it and went after the man. It was real bad stuff. A bottle of it broke and the military came in took everyone out of the town." The mother blinked a few times. "Keith Patterson and Richard Thompson? That's who you two are?" "Mom, you know them?" "I read it in one of the old newspapers." Cassidy explained that they got old newspapers to use in the chicken pen. Before they ripped them up for use, they sometimes would read them. It kept them somewhat up to date. "Now I don't feel like making you and your wife sleep in the barn. The hay might be as soft a place as the beds, but it don't seem right." "We don't mind, really. And it would be a quiet place to be," I said, winking at the mother. She blushed, something that wasn't lost on Cassidy. The two girls pulled me out to the living room after dinner and sat me on the sofa. I'm sure they were planning on attacking me, but before they had a chance, their brother walked in and climbed up onto my lap. The girls cried to their mother, who shook her head at them. Robin looked at me and grinned. "Does he remind you of Kenneth?" Robin asked. "Sort of, yes," I replied. That of course made us tell them about Kenneth, Elizabeth, Kristina, and their mother. The boy in my lap nodded off and his mother took him in her arms, walking him upstairs. As soon as she was gone, both girls were in my lap, fighting for position. "Girls," Robin said, "he's mine and I don't mind you on his lap, but you have to behave." That settled them right down. I saw their mother at the edge of the stairway with an amused look on her face. She came back into the room and we talked a bit more. Then as soon as one of the girls yawned, she looked at the clock. "Well, then," she said. "Richard and Dan, you get the upstairs room to the left. I'll get some blankets and things for the barn." "I can take them out," Cassidy offered. "You and your sister need to get yourselves ready for bed, down here. With only one bathroom, I think it will take some time to get everyone through it." We waited for a break in the rain and ran for it. The barn was very nice. Because it was summer, there were no animals inside. Hay was up in the loft and down below on the main floor in a U shaped section, as well. Robin and I watched as the mother climbed up to the loft, pulled a bail over and cut the binding. As it tumbled down a ramp, the hay spilled over the floor. A second one came tumbling down. She asked if that was enough or if we'd need another. I looked at Robin; she nodded to me and I asked if another would be a problem. Laughter came floating down. She told us that Cassidy would be pitching this out to the horses in the morning. There was now a nice soft bed of hay for us. I pulled the blanket open as the mother climbed down. She looked at me. "Not many men would be makin' a bed, round here." I grinned. "I'm always glad to make a bed that I'll be sleeping in."She shook her head. "Still on your honeymoon I see." "I'm pregnant," Robin said proudly. The woman stopped at the door and turned when she heard that. "Already?" "Couldn't be helped, not as often as we... Well we... It was bound to happen," Robin finally got out. We went back inside, talked a bit more. Then went back out into the barn. At this point, as we were safe and sound with nothing else we could do about the plane, there was playfulness in Robin's eyes. "I seem to have lost my pajamas, Sir. Will I need to sleep in my clothing?" "If you do fair maiden, I will be sad indeed." "Then whatever will I do?" "Might I suggest you wear the clothing you were born with?" Robin grinned at me. "But, Sir, I might get cold. Will you promise to keep me warm throughout the night?" "And many nights to come, my lady." We quickly stripped and dove under the covers. There was no reason to hurry. So I took my time, first with a nibble of her ear. By the time I was down to Robin's belly button, she was squirming around. The wind was picking up and we heard some banging. I started to lift my head up, but Robin pulled me back down. The sound stopped, so I shrugged and continued my descent. She was as wet as could be by the time I got to her cute little pussy. The aroma, as I was trapped under the blanket, was as sweet as anything to me. As I took my first taste, Robin was already moaning. Two minutes later she had her first orgasm. They started and as she started to relax, the next one hit, sending her to another plateau. "Keith, please, I can't take it any more. If I feel any better, I'll know I'm in heaven and I'm not ready to go without you." I climbed up, poking my head out of the blanket, smiling. Robin noticed my glistening face and smiled, leaning in to kiss me. "You're as hot as I am," she said and threw off the blanket. The cold air hit me and before I could turn over on my front there was another sound, this time without the wind from outside. We saw a blur, rolling quickly down the ramp from the loft. As it landed between us, we realized who it was. Her legs and arms were splayed out. Her nightgown was up around her waist and she wore no panties. "Good evening, Cassidy," I said. "So nice of you to drop in." Robin reached over and punched me in the arm, but was grinning at what I'd said. Cassidy put her hands to her face and shook her head gently as though she was a bit stunned from the fall. Then she brushed the hair from her face. Her face was so bright from embarrassment; we could see the redness, even in the dim light. She looked first to Robin and then to me. Then her eyes dropped to my crotch. ------- Chapter 101 I think Robin knew just what I was about to do; start laughing. She smacked me on the arm again. This time as Cassidy saw her do that, she became very embarrassed at where she was and what she was looking at. Then she looked down at how she was exposed. I suddenly realized why Robin smacked me. This girl was primed for disaster. I pulled part of the blanket over my crotch. "Cassidy," I said, "you may want to pull that nightgown down, before you do anything else." She tried to back away, but as she was at the back of a ramp as it was, there was nowhere to go. Her feet just dug into the hay. Robin reached out and took hold of her arm. It was painfully obvious that she expected to be in a lot of trouble for this. "Cassidy," Robin said, still holding her hand, "here, let me help." Robin let go and started pulling at the edge of Cassidy's gown. Realizing what Robin was doing, the girl pulled the rest of the nightgown down. "Good." Robin giggled. "Now Keith can look at your eyes, instead of someplace else." "Ohhh," Cassidy got out in a stuttered breath. "You were watching us, weren't you?" Robin asked. Cassidy looked back and forth like a frightened rabbit. I reached out and she started to shake. "Do you think we're going to hurt you?" I asked. "Or tell your mom?" Robin added. "Because we're not." There was a big gulp of air and then Cassidy said, "You're not?" "No, we're not," I said. "We're not going to say a word. We're also not going to hurt you. I'm going to guess, but you haven't seen many men around here, have you?" Swallowing hard, Cassidy looked down at the hay. "No. Mom said..." Robin touched Cassidy's knee, causing the girl to look up at her. "You're starting to feel things, aren't you? You were looking at us and wondered why we look so happy with what we were doing, when what your mom said was so different. What you saw pushed you to the edge, in more ways than one and when you fell..." "You figured that this was it. This stuff hurt. Always did, 'cause that's what you'd been told. That's why you were so scared, wasn't it?" I said, as I took over from what Robin was saying. Cassidy looked at me. Then she looked at Robin, who was still completely bare and was not bothering to hide in the least. Cassidy's eyes slowly looked down Robin's frame. I could see Cassidy's breathing getting deeper. Robin laid back and rested herself on her elbows, and then she slowly moved her legs apart. Cassidy realized what Robin was doing and looked back into her face. "Cassidy, it's ok to look. I wouldn't have moved like this if it wasn't. I don't mind at all." Robin paused for a moment to gauge the girl's reaction. Cassidy was only one year younger, but in some ways, she was so very much younger. "This is one of the things Keith loves to nibble on," Robin said as she moved her right hand and took hold of her nipple. Wide eyed, Cassidy's mouth came open, but no sound came out. Robin went on, "Cassidy, have you ever run your fingers across your nipples? I know you don't have breasts yet, but you still have a nipple. I'll bet it gets sensitive now. I know mine felt good when I did that at your age." "It did?" Cassidy asked. It was better when she didn't have to talk about herself. "Sure, and it just got better as I got older. Then, when Keith came along... Oh my, it feels so much better when he uses his hand and his mouth... That is divine." "But you're not..." "Supposed to feel good about sex?" Robin finished her sentence. Cassidy nodded. I figured it was time to step in and try my best not to put a foot in my mouth. "I know this might be a sad subject, but what happened to your father?" Cassidy bit her lower lip. Tears formed in her eyes, and then started running down her cheeks. "He went off to war. Mom found out she was pregnant with my brother, right after he left." She sniffled and used her sleeve to wipe her nose. "He never..." Robin pulled Cassidy into a hug, holding her until she cried herself out. "It was after the funeral, not even two months later, that the first man came around. I don't know what happened, but I heard the screaming. There have been three men. After the second, my mom taught me how to use the rifle. The third one left in a wagon for the hospital." "You shot him?" I asked. "In the leg, on his way out. That's when Jed came down from his ranch. Mom and Jed got into it, something bad. He went storming off and Mom came back inside crying. Neither has said a word to each other since." "So your mom has said men are bad?" Robin asked. She still had her arm around Cassidy. "Yeah, in a way. She doesn't talk about it much." "My mom was like that," Robin said. "Really?" "Yeah. She was... well, married; I guess you'd call it. She was having bad feelings about things and didn't give me the idea men were good for much," Robin said, and then she smiled. "Then I found Keith." Cassidy looked at me and then down to the blanket covering my crotch. If she continued I knew it would start to respond and she'd be seeing movement. Knowing Robin, there would be show and tell time and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that. I didn't think Cassidy was either. "Cassidy," I said, pulling her eyes back up to my face, "what you are starting to feel is pretty natural. Your body is going through the changes from being a girl, to becoming a woman. It is a time when you can learn. It is also a time when, if you're not careful, you can get very hurt." "What do you mean?" "Robin," I said, bringing her into this, "think about what motivates all our lives around the house. What is the one thing that makes us able to work together?" She knew just where I was leading. "Cassidy, what he was trying to ask me and I knew just what he meant, was how we live." "Live?" Robin continued, "We live in a house that has many people in it. It's a big house, but there are many people there. So we live together, sharing many things," Robin said cryptically. "The one thing that makes everything work is love. That is, above everything else, the most important thing. If I love Keith, and I do," Robin giggled, "then I am never going to want to hurt him. Now that doesn't mean that I may not do something that could hurt, but I wouldn't do something to hurt him on purpose. Does that make sense?" "So if you were cooking a nice meal and let's say he didn't like..." Cassidy smiled for the first time since she fell down the shoot, "rutabagas, but you didn't know it, he might get mad, but..." she didn't know where to go from there. "You got most of that right," I said. "Here's where most people get it wrong. If she made that, then I could get angry. Would that be fair though? If she knew I didn't like it, then I could get mad, because she made it out of spite. There is no love in that. If she didn't know and I got resentful, then I am not showing her love. She made a wonderful meal so I could enjoy it. I should never get mad over something that I never told her about and she should never be 'expected to know.' Love is sometimes hard work when it comes to things like that, because we like to get mad at each other." "Like my sisters and brother," Cassidy said. "And your mom," Robin added. "You said your mom..." "Had a problem with men?" Robin asked thinking this was that Cassidy was trying to say. "Yes." "My mom didn't like Keith. She was sure that he was going to sweet talk me into giving him my... well, my virginity. Then, when he took what he wanted, he would leave." Cassidy looked at me, narrowing her eyes." Robin laughed. "Cassidy. It was never like that. The problem is that it could have been. I let my emotions and my needs take over. I would have given him whatever he wanted, never understanding at the time what I was giving, nor how much it would have hurt. My mother did, cuz it happened to her. I was the result of that." Cassidy tipped her head, trying to process that. Then she blinked several times. "You... Your mother wasn't married when she had you?" "No. That was part of why she had this bad feeling about men." Cassidy nodded. "I didn't know about why my mother was acting the way she was," Robin continued. "I just knew what my body was telling me. I wanted Keith. "So what am I supposed to do then?" Cassidy asked "You are to look at life, all of it, as how things can work when love is the best way to do anything," I said. "I'm not sure I understand." "If your sister came into the room and hit you, what would you do?" "I'd whack her back," Cassidy said immediately. Then she stopped and looked at us. "I get it. Wait. Why did she come in and hit me?" "That's the first question, isn't it? If she thought you did something you didn't; she would feel worse after hitting you, than if you hit her back, wouldn't she? What if you did do something that hurt her? Then you apologized and said you didn't know it was going to hurt her or you wouldn't have done it. Then you told her you wouldn't do it again... Well, how would that make her feel?" "Wow!" Cassidy said. Then she smiled. "That could be great!" "Yes, it could. Now you practice that with your family and then when it comes to men... Well, they won't know what is happening. You will be able to find out who the good ones are and who isn't worth your time. If they love, and they should love you very much before you ever allow..." I was saying but blushed. Cassidy grinned at me, saying, "I get it." "Good." Her brow wrinkled and then she looked at me. "You and Robin were... well, doing things and when I fell..." "What are you trying to say?" Robin asked. "You aren't covered up," she looked at me, "much now." "No," Robin said. "I even showed myself to you. I could tell you were dying to find out what was going on. Cassidy, we love. We try to always love. Sometimes that is hard to do, but we try. So I was giving you what I thought you wanted and maybe needed." Without looking at me, but starting to blush, Cassidy asked Robin, "Then why did Keith cover up?" "The same reason I told you you should cover up," Robin said. It took just a second for her to register that and she turned bright red. "But I'm just..." "A beautiful woman, emerging from a girl," I said. If she could have turned any brighter red, it would have happened. In the dim light it was impossible to tell. What I did see was the smile creep across her face. "Cassidy, it wouldn't have been fair to tempt you with something you couldn't and shouldn't have," I said. "We'll be gone in the morning. If you had your way, without thinking too much about it, you could never have been satisfied with the introduction we gave you. Then love would have been thrown out the window and the needs of your body would take over. That wouldn't be good for you and it wouldn't be a loving thing for us to do." "It's time for me to go, isn't it?" Cassidy said. "You are very wise," Robin said and then winked at her. "You know I'm going to be thinking about what you might be doing out here though." "We'd almost expect that," Robin said. "So what you need to do is explore your body and find out how to make it feel good. When you do that, some of the frustrating feelings you have can be taken care of. It will make it so you can think better." Cassidy looked into Robin's eyes. "Thank you, Robin," she said. Then she gave Robin a little kiss. She turned, looked at me, and added, "Thank you, Keith." She leaned in for a kiss. I gave a quick look and smile at Robin, and then leaned in for a kiss. Cassidy leaned into it as I moved back, making it linger a little longer. It also set her off balance and she fell on me. Robin looked on amused, as Cassidy was pushing herself off of me, while breathing heavily. Robin said, "You see how easy it is to 'fall'?" I rolled my eyes at Robin's play on words. "Yes," Cassidy said. "How am I going to make it?" "The first thing you need to do is get back into the house. The rain sounds like it stopped for the moment. We'll try and talk again tomorrow before we leave, ok?" Robin said. "OK," Cassidy responded. She stood, and ran to the door. Before we saw her open the barn door, there was a slamming of the screen door on the house. We all stopped breathing for a second. "The wind is picking up," I said. "Better get into the house before the rains starts again." Cassidy nodded, opened the door, and was gone. "That was not the wind," Robin said. "I know, but I think it made Cassidy feel better." "What if it was her mother?" "Her mother," I said and rubbed my chin. "I think there is something going on there that doesn't match up." "What do you mean?" "If it was her and my guess it was either her, or her sister. But if it was her mom, then why didn't she come in? If she heard any of us talking, why didn't she storm in; if, as Cassidy said, she hated men?" "Good question. Then you think it was her sister?" "We'll know, tomorrow. If it was her sister, then Cassidy will know all about it, as her sister will make her tell her what happened." Robin giggled. "Yeah, I would be asking if she'd seen it." "Seen it?" I said. Robin rolled her eyes and reached under the blanket, grabbing my dick. "It." "Oh," I said and then shut up as Robin played. ------- Katharine, William, and his wife, watched and listened to Mary and her sister. "Sarah, this is not your fault." "It is," Sarah said, her head buried in her hands. "I almost killed him once, now..." "Now we don't know anything, do we?" Mary asked. Sarah gave no answer, so Mary asked again. "Do we?" "No, but..." "There are no buts about it," Mary said. She took her sister's hands and pulled them towards her, causing the girl to fall off the examination table. It also caused Sarah to look into Mary's eyes, as she was startled by the action. "Sarah, you and I know what happened when Keith woke up from his coma. We know who he asked for and why. Are you not going to believe him? Are you not going to believe Daisy? Are you not going to believe Robin?" Sarah looked down. Mary let go of Sarah's hands and took hold of Sarah's face, turning to look at her. "If you can't believe that, then you need to leave Carp." Sarah gasped in shock. Her eyes were wide open, as open as her mouth. Mary wasn't done. "Sarah, if I had my way, I'd give you a sound spanking. You need to stop blaming yourself. You need to feel the pain of not knowing, as we all do, but it wasn't your fault. Do you understand me?" Sarah took a deep breath. "Yes." "Good. The best thing you could do now is to apologize to William, Thelma, and Katharine for your..." "Stupidity?" Sarah offered. Mary's frame relaxed. "Sarah, I love you too much to ever call you stupid. No, your forgetfulness. I think you forgot how much everyone loves you." Sarah burst into tears and hugged her sister. After she calmed down, she tried to make her apologies to William, Thelma, and Katherine. After hearing the conversation it was hard for them to listen to Sarah apologize, but Mary's expression and her nodding head told them it was important for Sarah to do, so they accepted it. They told her not to worry, as they too loved her and were very concerned also. As they were ready to leave, William caught Mary at the door of the plane. "Can you tell me, sometime, what went on when Keith woke up?" Mary smiled. "Yes. If you want to hear the best version, ask Robin." "You sound very sure that nothing is wrong," William surmised. "A feeling. I'm pretty good about those. Keith has also taught me not to worry about what I can't do anything about." "Are you going to watch Sarah tonight?" he asked as they walked down the stairs and went to the car. "Yes, there will be some special attention to her tonight," she said. She smiled and then added, "Possibly after I spank her." William laughed. "I think that would do you more good than her." "William," Thelma said, "I heard that!" "Now I'm due a spanking," he said under his breath. Mary was laughing when she got into the car, as she had heard him. Katharine dropped Mary and Sarah off at the Mansion and then took William and Thelma into town. "What now?" Sarah asked. "Now? Now you march up to your room and get a nightshirt. Tell Vivian you are sleeping with us tonight and then come back to Keith and Robin's bedroom." "Their room?" Sarah said in a weak voice. "It's where I sleep, too." "I know, but..." "But nothing, go on." Sarah jumped away, as Mary tried to slap Sarah's butt. Mary walked into the Mansion. Everyone was back from downtown, except for Katy. They asked about Sarah. Mary told them what happened and why. Then she also said she'd told Sarah she was going to sleep with them tonight. "Sleep?" Beth Ann said. "I think she's not going to sleep very well." "Oh?" Daisy said, mischievously, "What were you planning?" Beth Ann stammered, "That's not what I meant. I... Oh you!" Daisy laughed. "Sorry. I just can't think of anything bad. I have to laugh and joke. If I started with the bad, I'd be where Sarah was." "I know," Kristin said. "Maybe you were on the right track, Daisy. Maybe we need a distraction tonight, so none of us start thinking..." "Ok. So, are we going to surprise Sarah, then?" Daisy said. Mary giggled. "I know just the thing. Come on upstairs" ------- Vivian didn't like it, but was very understanding. She knew Keith held a very, very special place in Sarah's life and the thought that something might have happened... Couple that with what Jill had told her about Sarah, of how she thought she was responsible for his tragedy at the university... Vivian told Sarah it was fine, not to worry about it, and to have a good night. After Sarah left, Vivian felt alone. She hadn't realized how important it was to have people around her. She started thinking about Scott. The letter she'd received from him... She pulled it out and re-read it. It made her want to climb under the covers and... well, play with herself. She knew it wasn't going to make him happy with the letter she just sent him. He thought she was going to be back. Now, instead of her, he'd be getting a letter. The books were taking longer than anticipated and she wanted to get it done, or as much as she could. Vivian also wanted to see Marcia when she arrived. Those two things made it tolerable to not see Scott for another three days. Jill popped her head into the room. "Vivian, you want to come and sleep with us tonight?" "Sure," Vivian said. She was torn, thinking only moments before, that she was going to be alone and was getting herself prepared for the opportunity to play with herself. Now, she was going to have the company she had wanted. Yet now, she was frustrated at not having the release she had been anticipating, especially after reading Scott's letter once again. "Something wrong?" Jill asked. Vivian grinned. Jill was too intuitive. "No. I thought I was going to be alone, but I'd like to be with you two." "Leave your window open," Jill said. "We need all the air we can get, up here." As they left that room on their way to Jill and Laura's room, Jill said, "You thought you were going to have a nice private time to play with yourself, didn't you?" "Jill!" Vivian whispered as loud as she could. Jill laughed. "Do you think you're the only one who does that, or needs to?" That stopped Vivian. The answer was 'yes, ' that was exactly what she had thought. She hadn't considered that all the other girls might need to, as well. So she thought she might put Jill on the spot. "So when do you do that?" "Right before I go to sleep and sometimes when I wake up, especially if I've had a really nice dream. Then of course there is the middle of the day." Vivian groaned. Jill laughed and kept right on going. "Laura is just as bad as I am." Vivian would have turned around, but Jill said that last part as they stepped into Jill's room. "I'm just as bad about what?" Laura asked. "Vivian asked when I played with myself." "Oooo! Is she going to, too?" Laura asked. Vivian couldn't believe what she just heard. She looked at Jill with a pained expression. "Laura, Vivian is embarrassed about it, so let's not talk about this anymore." "You and her talk about that?" Vivian asked Jill. Jill sighed and patted her bed, then sat. Vivian came over and sat down on it as well. "Vivian," Jill said, "girls can love each other, as well." Vivian looked at Jill quizzically, not quite understanding what she was getting at. "I love Sarah as a best friend," Jill went on. "Laura, I love as something more." "Something more..." Vivian said and then the lights went on in her head. She scooted away from Jill just a bit and then asked, "But you said... you loved Keith." "Vivian, I do. Very much so. Let me ask you something. You love Scott, right?" "Oh yes!" "Did you stop loving your parents because of that?" "No. That's a stu... silly question. Why would I do that?" "No reason whatsoever. But you have lots of love, right. You can love more than one person at a time. Now the love you have for your parents is different from the love you have for Scott, but it is love all the same. The love you have for one parent, doesn't take away from the other, right? So if I wanted to love Keith and Laura and Liz, all at the same time, it is possible, don't you think?" "I guess." "Vivian, that doesn't mean I want to love you the same way." "Good." Jill grinned, saying, "Sarah said the same sort of thing." "You tried to... with Sarah?" "Vivian, do you think I tried to do anything with you? Would that have been love?" "No. I guess not. Sorry. It's just a bit strange, that's all." Vivian paused. "Sarah knows you like girls, too?" "Yes, she's saw some of our friends at the school Laura went to. I went there for a short time, too. They were having a bit of fun. She's very aware that Laura and I like each other. You don't see her shying away from us, do you?" "No, I guess not. So why?" "Why what?" Jill asked, knowing full well what Vivian was asking, but wanted her to say it. "Why do you want to do anything with another girl?" "Many reasons for me, but I guess the best I could say is that it feels good. There is an intimacy that is special. I know all about Laura's body and how to make her feel good. That can be fun. It's different being with Keith." "You've been with him, then," Vivian asked, stating the obvious. "His body is different and I'm exploring parts I don't have. It is exciting, but challenging at the same time. It is learning what makes him feel like I want him to. With Laura, I already know." Vivian was ready to change that subject, but she wanted to know just a little more. "Do you listen for each other then, at night I mean?" "When we play?" Jill asked. "Yes." "Sometimes, but if I make too much noise, Laura gets too carried away and has to get into my bed." "Somehow, I don't think I wanted that answer," Vivian said. "Vivian," Laura said, "I'm not going to climb into bed with you." "Oh," Vivian said. She wasn't sure if that felt like relief, or if it felt like when a boy put her down. Confusing. To get her mind off that, she looked at the room. "Should I drag the mattress in here?" "No. Why don't you use Laura's bed tonight," Jill said. "But where is she... Oh, never mind. I already know." Laura giggled, and jumped up on Jill's bed. ------- Katharine walked into her son's room. She didn't bother to close the door, as everything was warm on the second floor. Kenneth never got through a whole story anyway and once asleep, he wouldn't hear anyone in the hall. Tonight, instead of Keith, she was going to be reading him the story. He was already in bed. She sat down and picked up the book that was lying on the little table by the bed. "Where were you?" Katherine asked. "Did Keith go where Dad is?" Kenneth asked innocently. Katherine was so unprepared for the question that she couldn't help the tears that instantly started to flow. Fortunately for Katherine, Daisy had suspected something might be said. She was waiting and listening, at the doorway. She walked in and took the book from Katherine's hand. She looked Kenneth in the eye, and said, "No, not now. We think he'll be back, soon." "Ok," Kenneth said. "Now, show me where it was Keith stopped. I'm going to read to you tonight. Your mom needs to go see your sisters, now." Katherine stood and walked out of the room. She continued to walk to the end of the hall. She was half-way down the stairs when she realized what Daisy had done. She took a deep breath. 'Yes, ' she thought, 'I do need to make sure my girls are fine. Then I need to ask for help, too.' Vicki and Tiffany greeted Katherine when she entered the new house. She walked up the stairs, noting the warmth as she went up. As soon as she walked into the girl's room, she opened the window. Kristina was already halfway asleep and had a hard time trying to keep her eyes open. Elizabeth was still awake. Katherine kissed her younger daughter goodnight and the girl closed her eyes. "Did you just come to tuck us in?" Elizabeth asked. "I wanted to make sure you were fine. Your brother wondered..." Katherine stopped. She didn't need to add worry, if there was none. "Any worries?" Elizabeth grinned at her mother. "Mom, Keith is just fine. Nothing we can do now. They'll call in the morning." Katherine shook her head. Three children; and each one of them did things so differently, at times. Stephanie walked into the room saying, "If you want to know who's having problems, that would be Pamela." "Pamela?" Katherine asked. "Keith and Robin are her guardians," Stephanie said, not really understanding the importance of what she said. "Stephanie, you want to stay with Elizabeth tonight? Julie's not here, right?" Katherine said, not wanting to feel like she was abandoning her daughter. "Love to." Then Stephanie blushed. "It's kind of why I was in the hall. I didn't want to be alone. Pamela was rocking in her bed. Jimmy was trying, but I don't think he knows what to do. I don't either, and when I heard you talking..." "Thank you, Stephanie. You are a very good friend to Pamela." Stephanie was smiling as Katherine walked down the hall. Without introduction, Katherine walked in, sat down and scooped the girl into her arms. Katherine felt Pamela shudder. "Jimmy," Katherine said, "go over to the main house and get a glass of milk from the refrigerator." Jimmy looked down. He didn't have a stitch of clothing on. He stood up, standing away from Katherine, slightly embarrassed. "Go on," Katherine said. "No one will care. I think everyone around here has seen you naked anyway." With that Katherine reached over and gave Jimmy a pinch on the butt. He jumped and ran over to the door. He heard a little giggle from Pamela. He knew it was because he got his butt pinched. Jimmy turned around, and stuck his tongue out at her; but then his expression changed, and he looked like he was about ready to cry. They could hear him running down the stairs. "Pamela, that boy loves you more than anyone I've ever seen." Pamela sniffled as she said, "Yeah." "There is nothing wrong. Keith and Robin are ok." "Why haven't we heard anything, then?" "I don't know. It scares me, too," Katherine said. "You're scared?" Pamela asked, thinking that was strange for an adult to be scared. "I lost my husband. I don't want to lose Richard. I don't want my kids to lose Keith." "Oh. Yeah, I guess so. I don't want to lose another set of parents." Katherine closed her eyes for a moment forcing the tears away. "Pamela, maybe we haven't heard anything good, but we haven't heard anything bad, either. If there had been a crash, I'll bet that communications guy would have heard." Pamela didn't say anything and kept rocking in Katherine's arms. Jimmy came in with the milk. They hadn't heard him and knew, unlike when he had left, that he was walking softly so as to not disturb anyone. "Here's some milk," Jimmy said, holding out the glass. Pamela took it and drank a little. "Jimmy, that guy who lives in the railroad car, and talks on the radio? He didn't hear about a crash. So I guess they got down, ok," Pamela said. She took another drink and then handed him back the glass. "I'm tired. Can you hold me while I go to sleep?" Jimmy nodded. Tears were running down his cheeks. If there was one thing in the world that upset him, it was seeing Pamela hurting. Climbing into the bed, Jimmy lay down. Katherine let go of Pamela and got up. Pamela snuggled up next to him. "You're cold," she said and pulled him close. "Let me get you warm." Katherine had a little smile on her face. Pamela and Jimmy made her feel young. They gave her a lot of hope for her children. They were all special. She looked in and Kristina was still asleep. Elizabeth and Stephanie were on the same bed and were softly giggling. Walking outside, Katherine saw the lights of a car turning the bend in the road and coming their way. Katy was coming back. Katherine hurried into the Mansion. She needed to talk with Dora. Katy needed to get some special loving tonight. ------- After Kenneth had fallen asleep, Daisy eased off of the bed. She pulled the top sheet over him, and gave him a little kiss. "Sleep tight, young man. May your troubles always go away with just a smile and a kind word." Daisy turned around and saw Sarah in the doorway. They didn't say a word to each other. Daisy took Sarah's hand and led her next door. Inside; Mary, Kristin, Liz, and Beth Ann were there, waiting. Beth Ann and Kristin took Sarah's hands and led her into the middle of the room. Liz lifted Sarah's nightshirt off of her. Sarah closed her eyes. She felt a little embarrassed at being so exposed. As soon as she the nightshirt was over her head, hands started caressing her. Their hands were oiled. They felt warm, soft, and gentle. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see everyone else had removed their nightshirts as well. Daisy was standing in front of her and kissed her lips, but just for a moment. Then Daisy started to kiss down her body. Sarah was surprised she was responding. She thought back to when she saw Betty and Susan at the school with Jill. Sarah was surprised to feel her juices starting to flow. She wondered if someone was going to go between her legs, looking at her down there, and maybe more. She blushed heavily and then was brought right back as both of her nipples were being sucked on. Oh, that felt nice! Sarah's knee's started to weaken and the others perceived it. They lowered her down to the mattress-covered floor. That is when lips as well as hands caressed Sarah's body. She was starting to float away. Then her legs were spread open and a hand cupped her sex. She felt a jolt, but kept her eyes closed. She didn't want to know who. Fingers were now opening her. She was so wet down there that the fingers easily slipped along each side, caressing and driving her crazy. Then the hands left, but just as suddenly a harder, larger thing pressed against her right thigh. Kristin's voice, speaking low and trying to imitate Keith as well as she could, said, "Here is my lover, my divine child. Take my love." With that the hard object slid up, from under and stroked across Sarah's wet sex. As soon as it reached, and slid across her clit, Sarah's eyes popped open. She just had to look. Kristin was holding... a dick! The sight of it, along with the friction across her clit caused Sarah to begin a long and rather vocal orgasm. ------- Katy had just stepped into the room. When she had driven out to the Mansion, away from her sister, she'd had a few minutes of uninterrupted thought. She knew Robin and Keith's side of the family would be taking care of themselves. They would deal with this in their own way. The kids, everyone, would step in where needed. It was just what always happened. Then there was Dora, Katherine and Annabelle. Without giving much thought to herself, she knew Dora would be agonizing. Richard had given her hope, and a new life. As for Katherine, she had already lost one husband. Although Richard wasn't that to her, yet, it still was going to be difficult tonight. Annabelle was most unknown as how she was reacting. She'd lost so much already and was starting to believe. Starting to accept. Would she understand how everyone else was feeling, or would she see this as a person tragedy and drop back into barely and existence? Katy had no idea. She had never had to be like Millie, the head of the family. Her thoughts had been troubling her, all the way till when she stopped the car. Now she was in her room and everything she had thought was flipped upside down. There were candles glowing. Both Katherine, Annabelle and Dora were naked. Something just wasn't right. The women walked up to Katy and pulled her into the center of the room. As soon as Katy started to say something, Dora kissed her. The three undressed Katy and then from nowhere, there was a bowl of warm oil. They started to bathe Katy in it. The scent from the oil filled the room and made Katy relax beyond what everything everyone else was doing. She was just starting to let the tension of the day start to melt, when there came a cry. It startled all three of them. They jumped, turned, and ran out the door. Crossing the hallway, they burst into the room. Dora, who was the first to enter, saw everything. She stopped abruptly. Annabelle and Katherine, both trying to squeeze in. Katy pushed, wanting to go in as well. This caused Dora to lose her balance. In the confusion, all four fell into the room, on the floor. Sarah turned and gave them a post-orgasmic smile. There was general laughter. The four women picked themselves up, exited and closed the door behind them. As soon as they were in their room, they burst out in laughter. "That does give me an idea," Katherine said. "Annabelle lay Katy down." Katherine went to the dresser and in the top right drawer, pulled out a dildo. "You saw that too?" Dora asked when she saw what Katherine had in her hand. "Dora, I'm a trained health care professional," she 'deadpanned.' Katy, upon seeing what Katherine had in her hand, and hearing her comment started laughing once again. The other two couldn't help but join in. Laughter was the best release of tension they had been able to accomplish. That was, until Katherine started to use the dildo she held in her hand! ------- Millie had been able to work out a compromise, with herself, at least. After telling Julie to come over, she wasn't going to send her away with Katy. She also couldn't, in all good conscience, let her sleep in Brian's room. So all three kids were out in the living room. If something happened out there... well, she wasn't to blame. As Millie got ready for bed and slipped out of her clothes, Bruce was there. He had been waiting all evening for her to get into the bedroom. "Bruce!" she said as he cupped her breasts from behind. "The kids." Bruce tried to stifle a chuckle. His dick was already hardening and was pushing up between the cheeks of her ass. Millie turned around to face him. Fire was in her eyes. She saw the lust in his. 'Damn him, ' she thought. Ready to start berating him for what he was trying, she didn't get a word out. She had opened her mouth to speak, but as soon as she had, his mouth covered hers. She tried to push him away, tried to close her mouth. He was relentless. She knew if she didn't do something very soon, her body would take over and he would win. Bruce had expected Millie to fight. He also knew what she liked and he wanted to get there as quickly as he could. As soon as she accepted, then the struggle would be over. He was counting on the fact that as she struggled with him, she wouldn't realize that he was moving her closer to the bed. She made one last ditch effort to get away. She put her hands into his sides. He expected it and was surprised it hadn't happened earlier, but it was the perfect opportunity. He pushed her away, as she had hoped. But then she fell onto the bed and he was coming with her! Millie let out a little scream and then said excitedly, "Bruce!" as his mouth found her now bare breast. That scream was a bit louder than Millie realized. By the time Bruce had moved his mouth over to the other breast, their door was flung open. Barbara and Julie, with Brian between them, were at the door. Their eyes were wide, and their mouths hung open. Millie screamed and tried to cover herself, as well as push her husband off of her. Bruce looked over to the door. "Is there a reason you didn't knock?" he asked very slowly. No one answered his question. Brian finally said, "Mom, what are you doing?" "Me? Me!" Millie was astounded at the question. "What do you mean what am I doing?" Brian was hot from the blush that radiated from his body. "Brian?" he father asked. "Would you mind explaining yourself?" "She's my mom," Brian said in a sort of disgusted way, as though his mother was not, or could not have been a sexual creature. Bruce was a bit amused. "Are you suggesting, Brian, that your mother has never thought about sex?" "Bruce!" Millie said, not believing this conversation was taking place. "Yes," Brian answered. That answer caught Millie's attention. "How do you think you came along, then?" Bruce asked. "I don't know," Brian said honestly. "That was years ago. Before I was around." This time, Bruce knew better than to chuckle. "I think it is time to close the door and let your parents have a little privacy. Goodnight, children," Bruce said. They nodded and closed the door. Bruce turned back to his wife, knowing that the interruption was just what Millie could have hoped for. Although not quite in the manner it happened. It did destroy the mood and excitement he had been trying to build. When he looked at her face, he wasn't expecting to see the tears. "I'm sorry, dear. I know I was a little forward." "Do I really act like I'm... Well, like I'm some old dried up prune of a lady?" Bruce didn't know how to answer that. It was one of those questions that any answer he gave would be wrong. For once, he kept his mouth shut. That infuriated Millie. "Well, I'm not!" she said. Then she rolled Bruce off her. As he thought, 'well that is it.' He got the shock of his life. Millie climbed on top of him. Then she reached down and took hold of his manhood. "Come on, get that thing hard," she said. "I'm going to make you cry out and my son's going to realize that his old mother isn't so old!" Bruce wasn't sure where all of this was coming from. If it was because of the talk with Katy, he was going to have to thank her, over and over again. In any case, he was going to enjoy the evening, no matter why it was happening! As Millie rubbed his now very stiff dick back and forth across her slit, she was realizing how good that could feel and moaned. Then she lined him up and sank down onto him. 'Oh, that feels very good, too, ' she thought, then she said, "I like being on top." As she was having these thoughts, Bruce was in heaven. As she sank down, he let out a moan that he knew those kids could hear. He didn't purposely do it so that they could hear, but it just felt too good to keep quiet. This was what he had always dreamed of. Reaching up he took hold of the breasts that were above him. His wife moaned in appreciation and then she started moving in an up and down, back and forth motion. Out in the living room, after they had laid back down and before any of them had said a word to each other, they heard a moan. Then they heard a few more. Barbara giggled. "I guess they won't hear us, then," she said. "That's my mom," Brian said, still dismayed about what he had seen and was hearing now. "Is that what you think when you see Katy?" Julie asked, "'That's Jimmy's mom?'" "I guess not. Stupid of me. Still, it's strange," Brian reflected. "Well you can think about that later. Those noises are getting to me. Whether your mom and dad are making them or not, I want you in me," Barbara said, and then she got an evil grin on her face. "Maybe Brian needs a little more help tonight, Julie. What do you think? Want to wiggle your pussy in his face?" Julie didn't need any more encouragement. She pulled her panties off, lifted her nightgown and straddled Brian's face. Barbara had her panties off and was pulling Brian's PJ bottoms down when Julie made the first moan. "You started before me," Barbara accused. Julie grinned. "I'll trade places," she challenged. Barbara laughed. "Oh no you don't!" she said. She took hold of Brian's very firm dick and added, "The only place this goes right now is into me." Julie pouted. "Julie, you can use your mouth, but not when I need him." Julie smiled and said, "Thanks!" ------- In the morning, Robin and I woke up early. We slipped on our clothing and crept silently into the house and to the bathroom. I made sure that pesky back screen door didn't make any noise when we went through it, as it somehow had last night. I was done using the cold washcloth to 'bathe' with and was waiting for Robin to finish. I looked out the small window. The sky was as blue as anything and the only thing that suggested there had been rain the night before was a few puddles of water. Then a flash caught my eye and I moved my head to see what it was. On the outside of the barn, a door high up was opening. Cassidy's mother climbed down the ladder rungs that were attached to the outside of the barn's wall. I watched as she got to the bottom, wondering what she would have been doing up there, this early in the morning. Then I noticed her look down and push something further into her pocket. "Robin, I need to get something," I said. Before she had time to say a word to me, I was out the door. Before the mother made it back into the house, I found Cassidy stirring, but still in the living room. I went over to her and whispered into her ear. She turned bright red, and nodded. Then when I whispered again, her eyes filled with panic. I smiled and told her not to worry. That confirmed things. Her mother had been the one outside last night. She even knew Cassidy had misplaced her panties and had retrieved them. Why? That was the question of the morning. Well... that, and how we were going to get to a phone. When Robin and I had woken, there was a strange silence around us that got us moving. We were out of the bathroom before everyone else was scrabbling to get in. The little boy did as I would have at his age. He went outside, instead of waiting in line to use the bathroom. As soon as Dan got out of the bathroom, I pulled him outside. "Dan, there is something going on that is wrong." "What do you mean?" Dan said, looking back at the house. "Cassidy came and saw us last night." "Oh?" "Her father was in the war and died there. It looks like a few of the men around thought they should 'help the mother out, ' so to speak." "Shit." "The last one, Cassidy put into the hospital. Her mother had taught her to shoot, probably to defend herself. Cassidy isn't real clear on what was going on, but knew her mother was very upset, so she grabbed the rifle and shot the guy's leg." "Well at least she didn't put him out of his misery. I might have." "Maybe, but Cassidy didn't know the story." "I guess it would be a good thing to know, before shooting someone." I laughed. "I think so." "So you're telling me this, because..." Dan grinned. "You think I'm still on the clock?" I laughed again. "I haven't seen you punch out, yet." He shook his head. "So you'd like me to talk with the mom." "Yes. We had a good talk with Cassidy last night. Her mom heard some of it, but hasn't said a word." "You're sure?" "Yes." "Interesting. So what else do you know?" I smiled and said, "The shooting of someone he knew is what got her neighbor and her into a feud." "Mister nice guy? I never want to judge, so I'd have to meet him before I could guess if he was angry because he was next in line. There may be another explanation." "If you say so. You're the shrink." "I love that expression." We had made a little circle and were walking back to the house. Robin was on the porch, with Cassidy. "What were you two talking about?" Robin asked. I looked at Cassidy. "Your mom," I said. Her eyes grew. "Cassidy, who has the closest phone?" "Jed. But Mom would never tell you and she wouldn't even let you use a horse to go there." I wondered how to get around that. Cassidy's head jerked and her eyes focused behind me. "Maybe it don't make a difference anyway. That's Jed's truck and it looks like he's comin' this way. I'd better get Mom." She ran into the house and was back out before we could say anything to each other. She had a rifle in her hand. Her mom was right behind her, wiping her hands on her apron. "Cassidy," I said. "Go inside and finish up the breakfast. Take that gun with you. We won't need it out here." Cassidy looked at her mom, who nodded. As soon as Cassidy went in, her mother said, "Now you get to see the biggest ass around these parts." The truck came roaring to the front of the house and stopped. A man jumped out. "I don't know how you got that plane in the road, but..." "Jed, for once, use that pea brain of yours. How could I get a plane to land there?" They were glaring at each other. Robin and I looked at each other. I almost wanted to laugh, but somehow knew if I did, the lady that was right next to me would have hauled off and punched me. "Excuse me," I said. "That plane belongs to me." "I knew it! You did have something to do with it. Do you know it took me a half an hour to drive around that to get here?" "I wish you wouldn't have. In fact I'd just as soon as you go back now." "If you two would stop for just a minute," Robin said. "My husband could explain." That did stop Jed. He looked at Robin and then at me. "She's your wife?" "Jed, you numskull, this is Keith Patterson. Don't you remember reading in the newspaper about that town with the chemical spill? The military evacuated the whole town. Or don't you know how to read." "Woman, you know darn well I know how to read! We were in the same grade." I even saw Dan's mouth twitch with a smile. The three of us had figured out what was going on here within minutes and these two had no clue. "Jed," Dan said, "what grade was it, when she first hurt you?" Jed turned to Dan with a look of disbelief. I couldn't see the other party involved in this conversation, but I bet the expression was about the same. "No use talking about ancient history," Jed replied. "Jed?" The voice was not as harsh as it had been, before. "Marta, don't go stir'n up old stuff. I don't know what you've been telling these folks..." "Now, Jed, you just hold on one minute. I didn't say a word to them about you... Other than..." "He was a..." Her mother turned around, and sharply said, "Cassidy, not another word young lady. You said a bit too much, last night." Cassidy's face burnt bright red and she made a quick retreat into the house. "Now what is this that you think I said?" the woman, we now knew had the name of Marta, said. Jed shook his head slowly and sadly. Dan spoke up again. "Jed, I don't think she has any idea what it is. Tell her." Jed mumbled something. "If it's so damned important, spit it out, Jed." "Sixth grade at the softball diamond. You said whoever got a homerun got a kiss. I couldn't hit worth beans and I knew you knew that. I tried so hard, but struck out. My dad made me stay for the rest of the game. I had to watch you kiss Freddy Wilkins." Marta was dumbstruck. "You have been thinking about that stupid thing in sixth grade, all these years?" "Ninth grade you went to the dance with Jack Rodgers." "He was on the committee, he asked me before anyone else knew about the dance. What was I supposed to do?" "Tenth grade, I asked you." Marta's expression changed. Her voice wavered as she asked, "Jed those stories weren't true, were they?' It was silent. I glanced back at the house. Richard and Marta's kids were at the window. He put his hands up, silently asking me with a gesture, what was going on. I gave him a little shake of my head. The last thing we needed right then was more people out here, witnessing this. "Jed. You tell me the truth right now. I heard from your sister Missy that you tried... Jed, I didn't know anyone was around. You have to believe me. I couldn't say yes to you then. I didn't know how to say no to you. I know it didn't come out right, but..." Jed pulled back a sleeve and stuck it out, showing his wrist. There was a scar running across his wrist. "Oh God Jed! I couldn't believe the stories. I had to not believe them." "Why?' Jed asked. She didn't say anything. "Why Marta?" he asked again, in a more demanding voice. In an almost childlike voice she replied. "I had just learned I was pregnant." "But?" "I lost it two months later, Jed. Only three people knew. My parents, and Jeremy." "That's why you ended up marrying him," Jed said without question. The two just looked at each other, saddened by news neither one knew, from so long ago. As Marta's thoughts came to the present, she shook her head. "No wonder you hated me enough to..." She couldn't finish as Jed jumped in and said, "Marta, you just stop right there. I have never hated you." He paused then added, "I never could." She didn't understand what he was saying, so wrapped up in the problems she had. "Then tell me why you were over here, after Jimmy Walters tried to rape me?" Jed's face turned white as a sheet. Then the rage in him became visible enough that Dan took a step back from him. Jed was shaking. He turned towards his truck, and slammed his fist down onto the hood. The sound was loud enough to raise the dead. The dent, obvious. I once again looked back at the house and shook my head at Richard. The kids were all standing at the window, wide-eyed. They had no idea what was going on out here. Jed turned back and looked at Marta. "That son of a... Do you want to know what he told me? Don't make no difference, the lyin' sack of shit. Wait till I get my hands on him. His sister won't be able to recognize him in the morgue." "Now. Jed Hillsmith, you listen to me right now," Marta said with more force than any of us had seen. "You will not go off and do something stupid like that. You best be calm by the time you go vistin' Jimmy. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, ma'am." There was another long pause in the conversation while the two of them considered what had happened. "We're a couple of old fools, ain't we, Jed?" "You ain't old, Marta," Jed replied. She smiled. Then he cleared his throat, as though trying to get out something difficult. "You've always been the prettiest gal around these parts." Even in the rugged face of Jed, Marta could see the vulnerability Jed had just opened himself up to. He was waiting and looking as he had, back in tenth grade. Waiting for her to hurt him again. Why would he do that? "Jed?" "Yes?" "Would you like to come to dinner tonight?" The words were so unbelievable to him, that it took him a few seconds to recognize what she had asked. Then his weather worn face suddenly burst into a radiant smile. "Why, Marta, I would be delighted... no honored... uhh pleased..." Jed was stumbling over his words, trying desperately to say something right and looking the fool in doing so. He was like a kid, not knowing quite what to say. "Oh hell. I'd love to join you for dinner." Marta laughed. "Good. Six sharp." "Now that is settled," I said, "can we talk about getting to a phone?" ------- The adults were groggy and wakening to the noise on the first floor of the Mansion. It was obvious everyone from the new house was up and downstairs. It sounded like they were trying to make as much noise as possible. It wasn't true of course; but after going to bed late, and not sleeping well... Kenneth was the one who got them all going, upstairs. He walked into Richard's room dressed in rumpled PJ's. He found his mom, Katy, Annabelle, and Dora under various covers together. That was nothing unusual, nor were the mattresses being on the floor. That is the way he'd always seen things in that room, and that is just the way it was. What he hadn't seen before was an off-white, long round thing beside the bed. He picked it up as Katy was opening her eyes. When Kenneth saw Katy's eyes open, he thrust out his hand and said, "What's this?" Katy's eyes stayed wide open, recognizing what Kenneth held in his hands. She sat up, pulling the covers with her. Dora grumbled and pulled at the covers. Katherine opened her eyes, hearing her son speak. She also saw what he was holding, and bolted upright, drawing more complaints from Dora. "Kenneth, that is just a toy," Katy said diplomatically. He looked at it, turning it in his hand as though he was trying to figure that out. "Doesn't look like much of a toy to me," he said, and put it into Katy's open palm. Then he saw his mom was awake and moved to sit on her lap. Katy and Katherine looked at each other. "I guess it's time to get up," Katy said. She stood and walked to the window, not thinking it strange at all to be naked. She looked out, as though she was looking for something. "Let's get today started and go downtown," Katherine said, trying her best to sound upbeat. "We need to be there when they call." A tear ran down Katy's cheek and she unconsciously rubbed her belly. Dora had her eyes open and was watching Katy at the window. Tired or not, this was time to take care of one who had so wonderfully taken care of her, when she had desperately needed it. Getting up, Dora walked over to Katy. She turned Katy around and gave her a hug. "Come on. You and I need to use the bathroom," Dora said, walking Katy out of the room. Katherine looked at her son, who was still in her lap, and said, "Want to wake the others up?" Annabelle laughed at the thought of his form of waking someone up, and looked at Kenneth to see his answer. He grinned and nodded. They got up and Katherine at least knocked on the door before opening it and letting her son in. Before the door was all the way open, he was in and talking. By the time the door was fully open, Kenneth was in the middle of three girls, being tickled. His mother smiled, standing at the doorway. 'What a wonderful family, ' she thought. "Got to go!" Kenneth said in a panic, after laughing for several minutes. He was quickly standing and being propelled out the door. He ran down the hall to the bathroom. "Kenneth," Katherine called, "I think you need to use the one downstairs." "Mo-om!" The bathroom door opened and he was pulled in. Katherine shook her head, as she looked down the hall. 'Will my son ever learn?' she wondered. Then she felt hands on her. She turned and looked to see that Liz, Mary, and Beth Ann, had snuck up on her. They pulled her quickly into the center of the room and she got the same treatment her son had just received. No one realized how ticklish Katherine was, until she started screaming as she was laughing, the tears running down her face. Dora and Katy appeared at the door and looked in. They couldn't help but laugh at Katherine's predicament. Elizabeth and Kristina were pushing their way around the edge of the door, looking in also. They giggled at their mother. Dora grabbed Kristina and Katy grabbed Elizabeth and pulled them in. The girls were squirming and laughing already, even if they weren't being tickled yet. That lasted for another few minutes, until Kenneth showed back up. They let the girls escape. As soon as they heard all three children running down the hallway, everyone got up. Tiffany and Vicki were the next to look into the doorway. As Vicki gazed around, she said, "Now I know what we're missing." Liz threw a pillow towards the door. Vicki grinned. "Are you going to get dressed today? Everyone downstairs is ready to go." "Go?" Liz asked. "Downtown." A half an hour later, with everyone crammed tightly into all the cars available, they arrived downtown. It was almost comical seeing the back open and kids exiting, one after the next. It took forever, it seemed. Mary looked around and asked Katy, "Why are there so many people downtown?" "I don't know," she responded. Then she saw Jack. "I'm going to find out." Jack saw her and walked towards her. They met in the middle of the street. "We haven't heard..." Jack was cut off from saying anything more, by his communications officer, who flung open the door of the rail car, yelling, "Sir! Someone's on the radio!" Everyone on the street moved towards the rail car. Jack and Katy entered it. Sitting down and placing the headphones on, Jack started to speak into the microphone. When Katy saw his tense shoulders relax, she felt she was going to start crying. She could only hear Jack's questions, but no answers. She was going to have to wait. As soon as he pulled off the headphones and stood, he gave her a strong hug. "They are all fine. Let's go tell everyone." Katy stood beside Jack on the platform at the rear of the rail car. "I talked to a man who had received a short range radio call from Keith. Everything is fine. The reason we didn't hear anything until now is a series of events that you will understand, if you think back to when that storm came through and knocked out both the phone line and the antenna of this communications center. We had no way to get information out effectively. "Now this is what I was told. The plane had a problem. Although minor and easily fixed, it stopped one engine. They were at that point flying on one engine. As they had no idea why the other engine stopped, and they didn't want to take any chances. They landed on the closest flat area they could find. It was a road in a small valley. The hills around the valley cut communication as soon as they flew into it. They were also hindered by a storm that went through last night. Today they found a phone, but it wasn't working. The best they could do was use a short range radio to contact the man I talked to. Keith was very anxious to make sure that we knew everything was fine with them and not to worry about them." Jack looked out at the crowd of people and spotted Sarah. "Sarah, I believe you have a call to make. Dan's wife would like to know what is going on, I'm quite sure." Sarah grabbed hold of her sister's hand and the two went running to the phone. "I'm glad we found out before the southbound train arrived," Vivian said to Liz. "So am I. But why is that train's arrival a time placement?" "Marcia is arriving today." "Oh my gosh, you're right. I think everyone has forgotten about that!" While that conversation was taking place, Patrick was making his way to the platform, where Jack and Katy were. Patrick put his hands together and bowed his head. Everyone there did the same. Except for some of the kids that hadn't yet figured out the typical sign for starting a prayer. For those unfortunate souls, their mothers' quick hands brought them around. As soon as Patrick had finished giving thanks for the safety of all on the plane and said amen, he continued, "My dear friends, this is happy news. I know all of us were greatly disturbed, yesterday. It made many of us think and for me, to understand my mortality. The roller coaster of emotions through these past days, threatens to bring us to despair now. Understanding that, please keep your emotions in check. Think before acting and speaking. For as we know, it is easier to have not said, than to wish we hadn't said words to each other that caused pain." A man waved his hand and then spoke, saying, "Patrick, I've been talking to several of the men. I understand a few of them have... uhh... talked with you. I think since you're talking about misunderstandings; there may have been some big ones at the meeting the other day. Many of us men had the feeling that you were kind of opening up..." he looked around at the kids in the audience, "'shop', shall I say? Then I hear from these men that, that just isn't so. You, Keith, Richard... and I guess Jack are not out to..." his voice tailed off, and his face got very red. "No, we're not. You are right. The one message that didn't come across and I blame myself for that is there has to be love throughout the whole situation. This isn't about... an act. It is about caring, and about love." "I think most of us were pretty confused on that issue," the man said, "and what we got out of the last meeting didn't set right with us. With what I heard from the ones you talked to, they told a very different story. So now that I know for myself, I can think about it. Before, I couldn't consider it." "My friend, I thank you. I wish I could say that I could have known better about what, and how to say to you, what was so very difficult. May we all learn that we need to ask, and make sure we understand, before judging." Before any more discussion could take place, the communications officer came out of the door. "News?" Jack asked. The man smiled. "Well, tell us, then." "I just received another transmission. Richard has located the part he needed. They will be able to get it, fly Dan up to Junction City, and return before nightfall." There was a huge cheer. Katy couldn't help herself. She went up and hugged and kissed the cheeks of all three men on the platform. People were talking for some time, afterwards. Most of them had things they could have been doing, but it felt right, it felt good, to be together as a community right then. It was almost eleven before anyone realized just how long they had been there. The northbound train's whistle could be heard in the distance. A few minutes later it came rolling through town. If it didn't need to stop, and stopping was an unusual occurrence, it slowed just enough for the mailbag to be snagged on the hook and the other to be picked up. Jim went over and collected the bag. It rarely had much in it. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the bag. A few people had wandered over to where he stood on the platform. Opening the bag, he looked inside, reached in, turned the bag over and shook it. As if not wanting to come out until the very last minute, a letter dropped out. Stooping down, Jim picked up the letter and read to whom it was addressed. He swallowed hard and walked over to Katy, with the letter in hand. People stopped and watched him. Jim was always a pretty easygoing fellow. When something bothered him, it was obvious in his mannerisms. Katy noticed it, also. When he got closer to her, she didn't like it. "Katy, I think it would be best if you held onto this, until they return." Part of her didn't want to look at it. She had to, though. Turning the envelope over she saw it was addressed to: my daughter Pamela c/o Keith and Robin Patterson General Delivery Carp, NV. ------- Chapter 102 As soon as we landed in Junction City, Richard was with the mechanic he had called through the tower and contacted. Dan, Robin, and I went to the front of the terminal, letting Richard take care of the plane. "Damned lucky you found one of those associations. So the guy had three planes, you said?" the mechanic asked Richard, as he looked over the engines. "Yes," Richard replied. "One's in prime condition. The second is in restoration and the third is being used for parts. That's where we were able to scrounge the filter from. I'm glad you had two new ones to replace them, though." "Ain't no fun havin' an engine quit on you. No fun at all," the mechanic said. "About done?" I called from the edge of the plane. I, along with Robin, had been seeing Dan off. He wasn't going to bill for anything and I was not happy with that. He had done a lot for us. Dan then let me in on a little secret. He wasn't worried about his wife, as he knew what her reaction would be. Now that he was back, he would spend the rest of the evening, and on into the morning in bed. I could well believe that, with the greeting she had given him. There were tears, hugs that would threaten to break someone's back, and kisses. Lots of kisses. "Almost done," the mechanic said. "I'm just tryin' to make things last a little longer, to justify the price I'm gonna charge you guys." Richard and I were still laughing about that, when Robin showed up from the ladies room. We were ready to go and the mechanic was tightening up the engine cowling. As soon as we were in the air, Robin came to the cockpit. "No problems getting home, I hope?" "No problems. I watched as the mechanic checked everything over. He was very thorough and I was glad. As for the poor sucker who put that filter in backwards... He's going to be in deep shit," Richard answered. "I wish we would have called them, to let them know we would be there for dinner," Robin said. "Honey, they are going to know. Don't worry," I said. I didn't mention to her that I had made sure that the tower would radio Carp and let them know as soon as we were in the air. ------- The announcement was made that they were going downtown. The train would be arriving in about an hour. This set off a number of questions. The first answer, though, answered a multitude of them. Marcia would be arriving, and they would be picking her up. Sarah, Vivian, and Jill definitely wanted to go. Laura wanted to as well. Pamela and Jimmy said at the same time that they wanted to go, which made everyone else laugh. Before there was much more discussion, Kenneth said, "Someone's coming!" He had been looking out the window, not paying any attention to all the talk. Many of the kids rushed over to look out the window, to see who it was. "That's Bruce and Millie. They're in a wagon!" Stephanie said. "Looks like Brian, Barbara, and Julie are in the back," Jill said. Everyone filed out to the front porch and waited for them to arrive. "We were coming into town," Katy said. "We could have picked Julie up, then." "Yes, that's true, but you might have left early and you don't want to do that," Millie said. "Why's that?" Katy asked. "Jack got a radio transmission that came from the tower at Grand Junction. They should be landing in about..." Bruce looked at his watch, "twenty minutes from now." "Twenty minutes!" Katy screamed and ran into the house. They could hear her as she ran up the stairs, saying, "I've got to get ready!" "You'd think she was a newlywed," Millie joked. "Well, she is," Bruce said. "It hasn't even been six months." "Guess not. It just seems a lot longer," Millie postulated. Pamela and Jimmy were already over at the wagon talking to Brian, Barbara, and Julie. There was a lot of whispering going on. Millie looked back at the five and shook her head. Somehow, Jimmy and her son had dragged those girls into their mischievous behavior. Then she smiled, thinking about how her son had a hard time looking at her at breakfast. She felt justified, as she was making him feel as uncomfortable as he was doing to her. She wondered if he would learn a thing or two from this. "Can Brian and Barbara stay out here?" Jimmy asked. "I thought you were going to the train to meet Marcia?" Jill said to Jimmy and Pamela. "She'll be coming out here. We can greet her then, can't we?" Jill rolled her eyes. "Yes." "Let's ask Katy if it will be ok," Millie said. "Katy won't have a problem," Dora said. "If anything, having the kids distracted so they won't be listening will be a blessing." "Distracted?" Millie said and then realized why that might be a good thing and blushed. "Well then, let's get you off the wagon, Brian. Now remember, you don't have your wheelchair. If I find out that you've been trying anything," she gave him a very stern look, "and I do mean anything that could hurt you... Well let's just say you won't like what I come up with as punishment. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, Mother," Brian said. Katy came back out. She was in a dress and her hair was combed out. "Why don't we see how many we can get on this wagon," Bruce said, before Brian ever had a chance to get off the wagon. "I'm sure everyone will want to go out to the plane and I saw how you were crammed into the cars this morning." "That sounds like a great idea," Katy said. Jimmy and Pamela climbed up. Kristina, Elizabeth, and Kenneth got on. Then Laura, Jill, and Stephanie climbed on as well. "I think that's about as many as we can do," Bruce said as he watched them crowd in. The rest of them got into the cars, and waited for the sound of the plane to arrive. Bruce wasn't far off with his timing and soon they could hear the plane. A minute later, they saw it. The cars were started and shortly before the plane touched the earth, they were driving towards it. The moment the plane stopped on the far side of the valley, the only one not there yet was the wagon. It arrived before the door to the plane opened, though. Millie had heard a bit, but now she was face to face with what they called love. Not only did Katy give Richard a welcome home kiss that would put them into the bedroom for the rest of the evening, but so did Dora, and Katherine, and Annabelle! She was so shocked to see that display, so openly shown; that she missed Keith's group, and some of the ages of the girls who were kissing him. She was still watching Richard, who walked over to her son and gave him a long hug. The boy had tears in his eyes. She berated herself for not thinking how much Richard meant to him, and how he would be upset by all the news of yesterday. 'Maybe the distraction with Julie," Millie thought, 'was the best thing I could have done for him.' There was little time for long welcomes. They needed to get downtown. Trains waited for no one. Everyone piled in, where they had been. And with the addition of the three from the plane, they were off. ------- Marcia couldn't believe this was it. Her tears had long ago dried. Two women on the train had wanted to comfort her, but she wasn't ready for that. She needed to cry. Although there had been few options, she still wondered if she had made the best choice. The only consolation was Scott coming over to say goodbye to her. He had stuffed a letter in her pocket as they hugged goodbye, while her mother watched the two. Her mother had been there, watching and listening, the whole time she and Scott had talked. Marcia had to fight her shock when she felt Scott's hand slip into her pocket. It was rather intimate, but he whispered that it was from Mike as he pulled back from her. She almost died from excitement when she felt the envelope crinkle. She wanted to open the letter immediately, but knew she had to hide it from her parents. There had been no time to read it, after Scott had given it to her. By sheer luck her mother hadn't found the letter stuffed into the lining of the suitcase where, over the years, it had separated from the outside casing. It had been the last of the insults to her total lack of privacy, when her mother had gone through her luggage. Ever since she had found out she was pregnant; her parents had made it their duty to deny her any time to be alone, except her time of sleep. Her tears, therefore, were not due to being gone from her family; but about leaving where Mike lived, even if she hadn't been able to see him. Asking the porter of the car she was in, he had told her she could get into her luggage at the station, two stops away. There, they would be waiting for another train to pass and had a scheduled stop of twenty-three minutes. She should find him as soon as they called the station's name. She couldn't wait! Time slowed as soon as they passed the last stop before the one she wanted. She waited for the next one to be called. She was sure they must have some movie playing outside the train, while it wasn't moving at all. That thought, of something looking like it was moving while not doing so, made her giggle. What a silly thought! The station name was called and she got up. Finding the porter wasn't a difficult thing to do. He was a large man, yet there was nothing frightening about him. If Marcia had stopped to think about it, he would have reminded her of a large puppy, maybe. Big, friendly, and smiling; he was happy with his life and with what he did. She didn't leave his side, though, not wanting to miss her opportunity when the train stopped. He got off with her, and pulled the suitcase she described to him. Snapping open the locks, she opened the case just enough to put her hand into the side and extract the envelope. Closing the suitcase, she stood and realized he was standing there waiting for a tip. Marcia's face radiated in a blush, she had very little money with her and now some of it would be gone because of her desire to read a letter. The porter shook his head when he saw what she had pulled out and then her embarrassment. "Boyfriend?" he said. She blushed brighter, but nodded. "Your parent's don't know 'bout him, do they?" "They..." she started, but didn't know what to say. Pulling out his pocket watch and looking at the time, he said, "Miss, you need to find your seat now." "But..." Marcia started to protest, reaching for her small purse. He took her hand and shook his head. "Ma'am, please don't." Then he smiled as wide as she'd ever seen anyone smile. "Just you not be spread'n that I wouldn't take your's money, you hear?" Marcia's head was nodding furiously as she backed away. Then she turned and jumped up onto the train and was out of sight. She still heard the large man's laughter, behind her. Rushing back to her seat, she didn't wait and tore into the envelope. My dearest Marcia, I am so sorry that I can't give this to you in person. I know if that were possible, though, you might not be leaving. To know that I am responsible in making your life so miserable has caused me not to want to eat or sleep. Scott has been a great help in that matter. He keeps on reminding me that I need to be strong for you. To keep myself in good health as one day we will be together again. I cannot wait for that day, my love. While I hate that I have to deceive my parents, they have left me little choice. In that, Scott and I have come up with a plan that we believe will work and allow us to see you in Carp. I will write to you as soon as we are able to work out the details. His idea and our plans have kept my spirits up, even at the time of your leaving. For here, as close as you are, it is impossible for me to see you. In Carp, that may be possible, as my parents have no idea where you have gone, and the last thing my parents will do is talk with your parents. So your location is safe. Please write and have Sarah send the letter to Scott. I need to know that you are well and taking care of our baby. To me, Marcia, you are in my heart and shall always be. We will find a way to make our lives come together. I do wish my child to know his father, no matter what my parents wish. I am trying to be smart, though. It is hard, as I want to be with you now. Please know my love that I think of you always. My last thought of the day is of you, as my first thoughts in the morning, are also of you. Love, Mike Marcia cried all through the three times she read it. She was near the end of her third time when she jumped from the large hand that touched her shoulder. "Bad letter?" the porter asked. "You've been a cryin' for some time." "It's a perfect letter," Marcia said. "True love, that it?" Marcia sniffled and said, "Yeah. Our parents won't let us see each other and I'm being sent away." He shook his head. "I see parents here on the train. Don't know why God gave 'em babies. They got no more sense than a mule. You and your boy love each other?" "As much as I know how to." "You just remember that," he said. "Me and my wife's been married some thirty two years. Not always the best of times if yous know what I'm gett'n at," he said, and then grinned, "but we make up real good." Marcia looked at him. Her eyebrows raised. "You just keep on lovin' him and things work out for you. Seen it before." "Thank you," Marcia said. Another passenger walked by looking at the man. "Noth'n at all, Ma'am. Glad to help." Then he moved away. Marcia thought he acted embarrassed that someone would see him; or maybe hear him, and know he had feelings. It didn't seem possible. The porter was touching her shoulder again. She had apparently dozed off. The next stop was Carp! She remembered all the people whom she saw outside of her window, as the train slowed. Although she couldn't remember all of their names, some of them she knew. Her spirits lifted a bit when she saw Sarah... And there was Vivian! Jill, Jimmy and Pamela... Robin and Keith... That was about all the names she could come up with. The train came to a stop and she was at the stairs. The porter jumped off and held out his hand for her. He scanned the people waiting. "You're the only one getting' off in Carp? These all waitin' for you?" "Yes," Marcia said embarrassed. "You'll do just fine girl. You'n just remember your man now." "I could never forget him..." she smiled at the man, "or you. Thank you." Now it was his time to blush. He turned and started yelling at the boy to get that luggage off. "You aren't fooling me," Marcia said. "Your wife's a lucky gal." He turned around, looked at Marcia and laughed. "Wish she's around to hear you say it. Don't believe it herself, most times." "I think you just like 'making up' too much," Marcia said and winked at him. He blushed and stammered as Sarah and Vivian started giving Marcia a hug. He was shaking his head thinking that times like these, so startlingly different from the people who thought of him as a personal slave, made his job worthwhile. Marcia was getting 'hugged out.' She didn't see her luggage being loaded into one of the cars, but soon they were off to the Mansion. Bruce, not wanting to cram everyone in the cars, drove the wagon back out. Truth was, he would rather drive than do the chores Millie had waiting for him at home. Sarah, Vivian, Jill, and Laura took Marcia up to the new house, to show her the room she would share with Sarah. ------- After Barbara and Julie with Jimmy and Pamela helped Brian off the wagon and start walking, we said goodbye to Millie and Bruce. Then we went into the Mansion. Robin gave me a nudge and looked up the stairs. I was pretty sure what was going to happen. Katy, as well as Dora, Annabelle, and Katherine were going to be all over Richard. I was going to have a little party as well. I was very surprised when Katy came up to me, pulled Robin closer to us and then handed me a letter. I looked at it and went white. Robin grabbed it out of my hand as soon as she saw my expression change. "NO!" she cried, thrusting it back at me, as though it was burning her hands. Our reaction caused everyone to stop and stare. I sat down and pulled Pamela onto my lap. She snuggled back into me, using me for a safe place. Jimmy was on our right, Robin on our left. Daisy was sitting in a chair across from us. Stephanie was on the floor, her hands wrapped around Daisy's leg. No one had spoken a word as we walked into the library. The house was eerily quiet. I knew from the sounds I could hear, that there many were in the rooms near us. They were waiting, as well as we were, to find out what was in the envelope. Holding in front of Pamela, I had to open it, as her hands didn't want to touch it. Unfolding it, I read it aloud. My darling, Please know that it pains me to have to write this and not tell you in person how deeply sorry I am that I left you. I know my actions, the actions of a selfish man, caused you additional pain. I should have been a rock, someone you could have clung onto when your mother died. Instead, I was a sinking ship and the best I could do was to push you away and not pull you down with me. I hope someday, somehow, you are able to forgive me for that time. The reason for this letter is that I need to see you. I want your sister to bring you down to see me, as I need to talk with her, also. Please write back to me immediately and tell me how soon you can make the trip. I have checked with the trains. The train schedule and fare is enclosed. Your father, Robert "He couldn't," Robin said in a voice that sounded as though she was ready to get sick. I turned to my wife. "Yes he can. He is still her father." "He's going to take her away!" Jimmy cried and wrapped his arms around Pamela. I looked at Daisy, needing not to become as emotional as these too. Not yet, anyway. "Daisy, what do you think? You know your dad better than anyone else," I asked. She looked back at me, bewildered. "That doesn't sound anything like my dad. So I don't know what it means." Then as an idea hit her, she said, "Wait, how much money did he send?" I opened the envelope and pulled out the schedule along with the money, counting it. Then looked at the cost of the ticket. "I know what you are thinking, but..." "How much?" Robin demanded. "Enough for two tickets," I said, but immediately added, "That still doesn't tell us anything. Does he want you there with him as well, Daisy? He wrote this to Pamela, not you. So is he giving her a round trip ticket and thinks of you as on your own? Is he giving each of you a one-way ticket? Did he give enough for you two to get there and not think about sending you return money? We don't know, so there is no way to understand. Let's not try to get concerned about it." In a voice as sad and thin as any I'd heard come from her, Pamela asked, "So I have to train down there, with my sister?" "Yes and no, Pamela. He is still your father and you do need to see him, but I will take you down with your sister." Pamela took hold of my arms and wrapped them around her. "I'm going too," Jimmy said, still holding onto Pamela. Katy stepped into the room. "Jimmy, you will not be going." "Mom!" he said, letting go of Pamela and staring at his mother. "This is something that Pamela's family has to do. You do not belong there." "MOM!" "Jimmy," Katy said in a very firm voice. He took a big breath and his face turned red. He stood, looked back at Pamela. Tears were forming in his eyes. Stomping out of the room, we heard the front door open and then slam shut. "Mom, you could have been easier on him," Robin said. "He couldn't go," Katy said. "I know, Mom, but..." "How come?" Pamela asked. Katy came over and knelt in front of Pamela. Looking into her eyes, she said, "There is no way Jimmy can be objective, when he is around you. He loves you too much to always see that what you want may not be the best for you. He always wants to make you happy. No one knows what is going to happen with your father, but with Jimmy there, you might not see things as clearly. It could hurt you, in the long run, having him trying to be good to you." Pamela sighed and said, "I love him though." "We know you do," Katy said. Katy held out her hands and Pamela wiggled off my lap. Katy stood, holding onto Pamela. Then she whispered into Pamela's ear and then set her down. Pamela looked at me. There was a slight smile on her face. "Oh, I see what you mean. It wasn't very fun then, when he wouldn't... but I am sort of glad he didn't and made me wait." "It was very hard for Keith to do. Can you see Jimmy being able to do that?" Katy said. Pamela's face turned sad again. "No. I guess not." ------- When Bruce and Millie got home, Janice was waiting at their house. "No kids?" "They're out at the Mansion for the night," Bruce answered. "Can I talk with you," Janice said to Millie, but was glancing at Bruce, letting him know he wasn't part of this conversation. "Sure," Millie said, slightly uncomfortable. She was thinking back to their last, very strange, conversation. "I'll just..." Bruce started to say. Janice cut in, "How about we go inside, Millie. This should just take a minute. It will take longer than that to unhitch the horse, won't it?" "I'm sure it will," Bruce said. The two women walked inside and as soon as Millie closed the door, Janice was talking. "Please tell me that you didn't say a word of what I asked about last night, Millie, tell me you didn't!" Millie smiled warmly. "No... Oh, yes I did." "Oh no. Who? Please don't say your father. I would just die." "No, it was Katy." Janice sighed and dropped her shoulders. "Not quite as bad, I guess. You know out at the communications car this morning, after we heard the good news about Robin, Keith, and Richard, when there was talk; when people said about misunderstanding what was going on? I was one of those people. I took it all wrong and now I feel... well, I feel dirty. I can't imagine what you must think of me now. I'm sorry." Janice turned to go and Millie took her hand. "Janice, wait. We need to talk." Knowing she had little choice, Janice gave Millie a pained smile, but followed Millie over to the dining table. Millie started to sit, but then stood and went into the kitchen. She got the fire going and set a kettle of water on the stove. Then she came back and sat. "I've made no bones about not agreeing with what has been going on. I have felt my father was wrong. I didn't remember him ever teaching us to think the way he is behaving now. So, in a way, I have been very resentful that he's been dragging me through this. "Janice, we have all been learning, recently. If I was to think that you were bad in not really understanding, then I would, with all good conscience, have to blame myself as well. The fact is, none of us around here has been seeing things too clearly." The water on the stove started to make sputtering noises. Millie stood. "Coffee?" "I'd love some," Janice said, starting to feel much better. Millie fiddled in the kitchen for a minute placing the grounds in the pot, getting cups, a strainer. "Milk or sugar?" "No, just plain." "Easy enough." Millie came back to the table a few minutes later and set down two cups. "Now where was I... Oh." Millie looked at Janice, sitting across the table and made a decision. "You know Brian is marrying Barbara?" "I had heard, yes." "And why?" "Yes," Janice answered softly. "Brian has put a new wrinkle into the whole thing." "He doesn't want to marry her?" Janice asked in disbelief. "Oh, no! It's nothing like that. Those two..." "Then what?" "He wants to add another." "Another?" Janice asked confused. "Another in their marriage." "What!" "It seems that they have fallen in love with a third person and thinks it is just fine to do, as well as have her join in." "Her?" "Julie." Janice was silent. She was trying to imagine. She finally had to ask. "Julie and Barbara?" "I didn't ask and I'm not sure I would want to know." Janice knew she'd want to know. The idea was not repulsive, strange as it seemed to her, far from it. So she asked another question. "So what did you tell him?" "None of the right things." "Oh, Millie. I'm sorry. Did you two have a fight?" "No. Just like you, I was totally confused. Even though I didn't feel good about it, I was trying. I tried too hard and thrust them together by asking Julie to come and spend the night." "Oh my goodness! What happened? Did they..." "Slow down, Janice. Katy came over and talked to me. Apparently Brian couldn't believe what I had done and told Bruce, who told Patrick. He couldn't come over so Katy then got told. So, unlike you, what I did went all around my family." Janice looked a bit pained. "I'm sorry. I know how that must have felt." "Well, of course, the worst of it is having your younger sister tell you you've been a stupid moron." Janice laughed, "She didn't?" "Well, no," Millie admitted, "but it felt like it." "Did she take Julie home then?" "No. Julie spent the night, but instead of thrusting them into Brian's room like I might have, they all spent the night out on the living room floor." "Your bedroom door was open?" Millie cleared her throat and took a sip of the coffee, wincing, as it was a bit bitter. "Janice, we're going to keep everything we've said to each other in complete confidence." "Of course. Believe me; I don't want to end up the laughing stock of the town." "Ok." Millie looked at her coffee again and thought better than to drink it. "Bruce sometimes wants..." Janice smiled. "Of course he does. He's a man." "He gets a bit aggressive, and well... I apparently made noises." Janice giggled. Millie stopped, looking at her. "You don't have to enjoy this so much." "Sorry," Janice said with an unrepentant grin. "The next thing we know, the door is open and three children are looking at me." "Oh my!" "Then Bruce asked Brian, who was stammering, if he thought we didn't do anything... you know." "He didn't!" "Yes, he did. Worse yet, Brian said he couldn't imagine me doing anything like that." "Well I guess, he's your son..." "Janice, I'm not a dried prune, you know!" "I didn't say you were!" "Sorry, it just got to me. I was hurt I guess." "So what happened?" Millie blushed. "Bruce sent them out. Then he..." "The kids heard?" Millie's blush was full red, "I can't see how they couldn't. I guess I was making sure Brian knew I wasn't a prune." Bruce, who was standing outside for much longer than he wanted, was starting to need to go in. He needed the use of the bathroom. So it was at this point, that he made his entrance into the house. He did so with considerably more noise than usual. Janice got up. "I need to be off, now. I guess with no children around..." she winked at Millie, "you might have an interesting evening?" Millie scowled at Janice. "Did I miss something?" Bruce asked. "No," Millie answered. "Take care of your wife," Janice answered, with a smile. Then she walked out. "What was that all about?" Bruce asked as he headed towards the bathroom. "Nothing." 'Nothing, indeed!' Bruce thought, and then smiled. 'Take care of your wife? Not a bad idea. With the kids away we could try out the living room. I always wanted... ' ------- Jack had two rooms at the hotel, for looks, although it was rare that anyone used the second room or bed. Now he was wishing he had three. This was one of those times when he couldn't understand what was going on between Rebecca and Cynthia. They weren't talking to each other and he couldn't get anything out of either of them. If they had some soundproof walls, he could have taken care of this issue. A good spanking of each of them is probably what they needed, but their cries would bring inquiries that he didn't need. Rebecca was in the extra room; Cynthia was in their room. She was sitting, looking out of the window. Jack took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She didn't respond. She had to have heard him, and would know that the deep breath was one of his ways to show he was trying hard not to become too upset. Nothing. Not even a glance. "I'm going out," he said. "That figures," was all Cynthia said. "I'm not even going to ask again. I've already asked and haven't been told a thing. So you can just stew in your own juices. I'll be back when I'm back." Jack had reached the door and then turned to look at Cynthia, who was back looking out the window. "If you do anything at all to Rebecca..." "What?" came the curt reply. "It won't be fun, let me tell you. I don't know what's up, but if you keep on acting like a baby, I'm going to start treating you like one." With that said, he left. As Jack walked down the empty street towards the park, he wished he could talk to someone about this. The only ones who could understand were out at the Mansion. They, of course, would be celebrating the safe return of Robin, Keith, and Richard. He wasn't going to ruin that party. He smiled for just a moment, thinking that it might be fun to watch, though. Then his smile and mood went back down. Jack walked into the park, stepped over the string meant to keep people out and sat on one of the swings. He looked over to the slide. This was new playground equipment that had just been put into place. All of the kids had wanted to get on these things immediately, but the concrete needed to set. He wasn't going to swing, just sit. Looking up into the sky, he looked into the blackness. The twinkling of the stars, sitting on a swing... It was hard to feel down. As he sat and pondered, starting to realize that the reason he was hurting was because he loved both Cynthia and Rebecca. Their not getting along had caused pain for him. He got up, walked out of the park and back to the hotel. Knocking first on Rebecca's room, he waited for her to open the door. She didn't. He knocked again, this time harder. Then he tried the door. It was locked. "Rebecca," he called towards the door. "Open up, Honey." That did it. Jack heard the lock click, saw the door open, and then Rebecca was in his arms. Tears had been rolling down her face. As soon as she had released him from the hug, he took her hand and pulled her to his room. He could feel the reluctance, as they got closer. Jack just kept pulling her, opened the door and pulled her in. Then he closed the door behind them. "Cynthia, are you ready to talk?" he asked. Cynthia looked over to them and then went back to looking out the window. Jack moved over to the wardrobe, opened it, and pulled out a canvas bag with a leather strap running around and securing the top. A lock on it prevented its opening without destroying the bag; it was a security bag that Jack had acquired from the military and was originally used to transport sensitive items. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a key and unlocked the bag. Reaching inside the container, he took out two things. Then Jack swiftly moved over to Cynthia. She had been working hard at not paying attention to the two of them, so she was shocked when she felt a ball gag being latched to her. Cynthia's immediate reaction was to put her hands up, to try and get it away. Jack had anticipated this and was done with the gag, grabbed her hands and swiftly cuffed them. Pulling Cynthia up, he then threw her over his shoulder. Rebecca watched, wide eyed as this happened. She saw Jack toss Cynthia onto their bed. He pulled out some more things out of the bag. Soon Cynthia was strapped face down to the bed. Cuffs were on her ankles and wrists; those had been tied to the corners of the iron bed frame. Rebecca noted how docile Cynthia was during this. There was no fighting, as she might have done. "Do you remember when you found out where Keith lived and went visiting?" Jack asked. "Do you remember the kind of trouble that caused? I think it has been too long for you to understand what happens when you get out of line. I asked and you have refused to tell me what is going on. Now..." Rebecca cringed when she saw what Jack brought out next. He pulled Cynthia's dress up, exposing her bottom. Then went back into the bag, pulled out a pair of scissors and cut the small panties Cynthia had on, off of her. At this point her backside was completely exposed. "Watch and learn," Jack said to Rebecca. Rebecca forced herself to, as Jack took the small leather whip with multiple strands that had hard ball—ends and struck Cynthia. She saw Cynthia's body react. Jack gave Cynthia ten strokes. "Are you ready to tell me what is going on?" Jack asked Cynthia. This time she nodded, unable to speak with the ball gag in place. "Good," Jack said. Then he turned to Rebecca as he reached one last time into the bag. "Here, gently rub this into her tender cheeks; it will make the stinging go away for her." Handing the jar of ointment to Rebecca, Jack took the gag out of Cynthia's mouth. Rebecca was a bit surprised when he made no motion to remove the restraints though. Jack just knelt down and leaning over got close to Cynthia's face. Rebecca covered her hand with the salve and then started applying it. Jack glanced over to Rebecca and saw Cynthia moving a bit. He knew it wasn't because of the sting that might be there, Cynthia was used to that and knew the pain would go away within minutes, and then start to feel good. She for some reason didn't want anything to do with Rebecca. It was precisely why he left her restraints on. "Start talking," Jack said. "Tell her to stop," Cynthia said. "If she stops, I will start with another ten and keep on until you allow her to do this. Now, I'm only asking one more time, start talking." "She told me that there were a few ladies in town that might like your..." Cynthia's voice turned harsh as she said, "services." Jack was astounded. "That's it?" Cynthia was at a boiling point. "That's it? That's it?" She started crying angrily and then got out, "Do I really mean that little to you? You would just replace me like that?" "I think," Jack said, "I should have given you this treatment some time ago. You seem to have a screw loose somewhere and you are being an ass about things. Maybe if I was to smack that little ass of yours around, maybe you could start thinking again. "Cynthia, you are just being daft. Rebecca, come up here for a minute. You need to hear this, too. I walked out to the park this evening and then I just sat there. I realized that the reason you two arguing hurt me so much is that I love the both of you. Do you understand what I just said? I love you. When you fight like this, it hurts me. I don't like to feel that my two lovers are hurting each other. "Now, Rebecca, why did you tell Cynthia that there were ladies that might need... servicing?" Rebecca blushed and looked down to the floor. "Well?" Jack asked. "You made me feel so alive. You have given me more life than I have known in such a long time. With people realizing what is going on and us being accepted, well I just thought. I'm sorry. I didn't know saying what I said would hurt." Jack now looked into Cynthia's eyes. They were very moist. "Do you remember the interrogation room? Cynthia, I came in and out of where you were. You know the safe words. You know how to make me stop. You know what I was doing. I didn't try and hide anything from you, did I?" "No." "You know you could have stopped me, don't you?" Cynthia's eyes were leaking now. "Don't you?" Jack said softer. "Yes." "So why the difference now?" "If every woman wants a child from you, where do I fit in?" "You, my dear, fit into the center of everything I do." "You really mean that, Jack?" "I do." Jack glanced over. "Rebecca, that stuff is warming up and needs to be wiped up." Then he winked at Rebecca and put the ball gag on Cynthia again. "Here, let's help clean it up." He took Rebecca's hand and slid it down the crack of Cynthia's still red cheeks. The slipperiness of the salve caused Jack to smile and stop Rebecca's fingers over Cynthia's rosebud. Rebecca blushed as she felt Jack press his finger against one of hers, causing it to start to enter that back passage. Cynthia closed her eyes, trying not to let Jack get the better of her. She now understood why he put that gag back into her mouth. He was going to torture her, again. This time not with pain, but with pleasure. He also knew she was much more likely to get vocal with this. She struggled at her restraints, knowing Jack would have secured them well. She also wanted to give him encouragement. Jack was the only person she had ever known to keep her in line, and provide such delicious pleasure to her. As she thought of this, she began to cry. He did love her. He was showing it to her, the way she could understand, the way she needed to know. Jack didn't let Rebecca stay there, just pause. He nudged Rebecca's hand down further. As she touched Cynthia's wet opening, Jack let his hand on Rebecca's go, feeling her take over now. His hand went back up, retracing the path, until it reached that little rosebud. Now Cynthia was getting so much stimulation, she was bouncing as much as she could. The springs were squeaking and even with the gag, she was moaning around it enough to be heard in the room and possibly beyond. Rebecca and Jack looked at each other, smiled, and kissed as they brought Cynthia to the first of many orgasms that night. ------- Marcia had put her things away. This was a bit strange, having to share a room. She hadn't really thought of it. She'd always had her own room. Now she would be with Sarah. Vivian was there, too. There had been so much going on that no one had had any time to talk. They had even given her a bit more privacy than she wanted, right now. She wanted to talk with them. Walking downstairs, she saw them waiting. Sitting on the two sofas in the living area were Sarah, Vivian, and Jill. "How was the trip?" "Did you get everything put away?" "Are you tired?" All safe questions. They each asked Marcia one, but it was the tone that suggested they were being polite. "The trip was fine. I got everything put away without any problems. I just rode on a train is all, nothing tiring about that. Now ask me some real questions." Sarah stood. "That sounds like the Marcia I know. Come on over and sit with us." With Marcia seated, Vivian asked softly, "Did you see Scott?" Marcia jumped up. "Yes, be right back." With that, she ran up the stairs. She was back down in what seemed like two seconds. "Here. Let me read the letter from Mike that he gave to me." The girls were in a melancholy mood after hearing Mike go on about his love for Marcia in his letter to her. In stark contrast to that mood, they were also throwing out ideas of what Mike and Scott could be up to. Their ideas became more complicated and outlandish, with each invention. They were all having fun, enjoying just being together as friends. Barbara and Julie came in, with Brian between them. Pamela and Laura came in next, much to Jill's surprise, with Jimmy between them. Jimmy didn't need the help walking as Brian did, but he was enjoying the attention all the same. "What's so funny?" Pamela asked. She was still in shock over her father's letter and didn't realize these four hadn't been in the Mansion. They didn't know a thing about the letter or what it said. Marcia, Jill, Sarah, and Vivian all started talking at once. They were filling in each other's tales of what was happening and laughing the whole time. There was no way to piece together, from what they said, what was going on. After they talked themselves out, Jill asked what they were doing. "We're using the guest room tonight, as it's downstairs," Barbara said. "We're going to help them," Jimmy said. "We all need time together." "And you too?" Jill said to Laura. Laura turned bright red. "It's ok," Jill said softly, nodding and then she added, "but only if you want to." Laura's quick and almost imperceptible nod to Jill was well received. Jill winked at Laura, causing the girl to blush again. The six went down the hall. As soon as they were out of sight, Marcia had questions. "Ok. I know Pamela and Jimmy." She rolled her eyes, "Sarah sicced them on me last visit." Sarah just grinned. "I'm guessing that was Brian and so one of the others was Barbara. Jill, the one you were talking to is a... close friend, I take it. So who is the other one?" "You sure you're ready for all this?" Sarah asked. Marcia rolled her eyes at her friend. "I moved down here and I'll be here for a while. So I might as well know now." "Ok, here it is. That was Brian. The larger of the two girls was Barbara. The other one is Julie. Want me to keep this simple or do you want the full version?" Sarah asked. "Might as well give it to me, how much more strange can this town get?" Marcia asked. Sarah and Jill looked at each other and started to laugh. Marcia realized that the last time she thought something like that, she had found out. "Ok, here it is. Julie's brother was the one who tried to kill Brian. Instead, he ended up dying, himself. That is how Brian ended up in casts. Barbara ended up taking care of him," Sarah snickered. "Maybe a little too well and that is why she's pregnant. The boy who tried to kill Brian did it for revenge, because it was that boy's father who ended up dead because of Richard and Brian. So Annabelle, that's Julie's mother, came to Carp to try and make amends. Well, apparently, over a bit of time, Brian and Barbara have sort of..." "They have fallen in love with her," Jill said. "You've got to be kidding," Marcia said, and then looked at them. "No, I guess not." She sighed. "Does anything work normally around here?" "Jill, that doesn't explain Laura. You two are lovers," Vivian said. "They're what?" Marcia asked. "Laura and I have a special relationship together," Jill said to Marcia and rolled her eyes at Vivian. Vivian realized she had just stuck her foot in her mouth. "I was wondering about that myself, Jill," Sarah said. "Laura has taken a fancy to the two of them," Jill said. "I think it is wonderful that Laura, who has been afraid, is able to... I'm not sure of the right word... Explore, maybe." "Afraid?" Marcia asked. "Did she get hurt by a boy?" "No. She suffers from a breathing problem and has been sheltered a lot of her life. She's been left out of a lot of things, so she's afraid. Here, no one makes fun of her. No one is anything but concerned for her, but they're not babying her. She's been able to grow a lot," Jill said. "I guess that explains why they would all be going into the room together, but not be giggling or something like that. There was an almost somber mood. They must be taking her feeling pretty seriously. Jill, do you think you might lose her, then?" Vivian asked. Jill sighed. "I'm not sure how to answer that. I don't think losing would be the right word. If she never wanted to be as close to me as she is now, it would hurt. I think we will always be special to each other, though. There is just too much between us." Marcia was trying to take this in. "So if she... uhhh, joined up with Jimmy and Pamela." Marcia gulped. "Having... sex with them, you would," she winced. "You would go to bed with her too?" "Why not?" "Oh, God." Jill laughed. "Marcia, you have to remember that no one is going to make you do anything you don't want to do. That isn't going to stop us, though. And if I remember, you asked to be told this stuff." Marcia gave Jill a pained expression. "Ok, so I did. I just never thought..." Then, to change the subject, she asked, "Vivian, where are you sleeping?" "I had been sleeping in Sarah's room, but last night I was in with Jill. I could sleep there again, as Laura isn't going to be there tonight." "I'm not either," Jill said. "You're not?" Vivian said surprised. "Where are you going to be?" "Down here," Jill said. "Not with Jimmy and Brian?" Marcia asked. "No, of course not. With Tiffany and Vicki," Jill said with a grin. "Oh, no! I don't want to know!" Marcia said. They all laughed and walked upstairs. Vivian decided she could sleep on the floor, in Sarah's room. Then they thought they could pull a mattress into the room from Jill's room. ------- In the morning Kenneth looked at his mother puzzled. "Is something special going on today?" "Not that I know of, Honey, why?" Katherine replied. "Everyone seems so... happy this morning. You know... Almost glowing, like you say we get on Christmas morning." "Hmm, everyone?" she asked him, thinking it was probably true with her, considering what went on in their room last night. "Well, everyone except Elizabeth and Kristina," Kenneth teased and then stuck out his tongue at them. All three jumped up from their chairs at the dinning room table. Kenneth was already at the doorway when the others started going after him. Everyone else at the table could hear them. Kenneth was laughing and the girls were shouting threats. Katherine knew that once the girls caught him, the most they would do was to tickle him to the point of almost peeing his pants. They were very good to each other. The others at the table smiled at each other. "If Kenneth could see it..." Jill said and got a stiff poke from Tiffany under the table. "Yes?" Katherine said, highly amused by Jill's comment, the movement beside her and the stoppage of words. "Oh, nothing." Jill smiled. "Nothing!" Pamela said. "We could hardly sleep, for the noise." Everyone at the table started to laugh. All except for Tiffany and Vicki, who were turning very red from embarrassment. ------- Marion looked at the letter her sister had sent her last week. So much had changed. She had originally been rather fearful of her sister's visit. Then after she and three other women cornered Patrick, as well as their husbands in the school, even more changes had occurred. She wanted a child, at least one. She was now almost thirty, and was getting old. If it didn't happen soon... That was part of her husband's dilemma. Even if there had been a cure, everyone knew this stuff didn't happen overnight. How long would it have taken? Would they be able to have children if he could have been cured? That was a point that was no longer debated. There was no cure. Her husband could never give her a child. That didn't make her need feel any less strong. Fortunately for her, the three other women who had also pulled their husbands up to talk with Patrick had been getting together and talking, comparing notes. There had been such an instinct when all four had realized their husbands might just do themselves in that it had bonded the gals together. Marion was glad the prospect of her husband committing suicide was over. Having those three other women available to talk to had made what had been one of the most difficult things in her life, easier. Those chats reminded Marion that she wasn't the only one going through this, and also gave her insights on the problems the others were going through as well. In the past few days, Marion and her husband had talked about their relationship more than they had in the past 10 years of being married. They hadn't grown up in Carp and she hadn't married when she was thirteen like the girls of this town. Her husband had come to Carp because of his explosives training. The Army had trained him and then because of a careless man who didn't follow safety procedures, he'd lost three fingers from an explosion. That knocked him out of the military, even with specialized training. They had moved to Carp, right after the big disaster that was the cause of Daisy and Pamela's father's nightmares. They had been married less than a year when he was called into the service and they had waited to have children. She didn't want to be a widow with children to raise. That issue was part of why she had pulled her husband in to see Patrick. They waited for a time after they came to Carp, just to make sure they were settled. By then, though, they had been here long enough for the chemical to cause the damage. They tried for a child that could never happen. There had been lots of crying, and lots of blame thrown back and forth. As hard as it was during the past few days, though, the one thing they didn't do was give up. They might have gone to bed angry at each other, but in the morning, they continued to try and work things out. Yesterday afternoon was the last of the fight. She had gone out to the doctor and asked a simple question. The answer was a bit more complicated, but it could work. That answer was the tiebreaker. The one problem that her husband could not get over. He had concluded that he couldn't live with himself knowing that he was denying her having a child. That didn't allow him to consider that it was acceptable for another man to have his dick in his wife, making 'love' to her. In a nutshell she told her husband that the doctor had said that a sample could be collected, just like they had done for the sperm testing. That sample could be injected. Marion wasn't expecting the reaction she received as she triumphantly told the news. He broke down and wept. It was unlike she had ever seen him do. He cried for almost an hour. Then he was quiet. She was scared that maybe this was it, that maybe she'd just pushed him too far. She was in a panic. She didn't know if she should leave and get help, or if it was best to stay with him and not leave him alone for a moment. To busy herself, she started preparing lunch. She was so focused, so she wouldn't slip and cut herself with a knife or burn herself on the stove that Marion didn't hear him come up behind her. He grabbed her around the waist. She screamed in surprise and then blushed as he turned her around towards him. After a long hug, he stepped back. "Tell me who you want the father to be, and I'll go talk to him." Marion fainted. She came to, on their couch. Her husband, with a damp hand towel in his hand, had a very concerned look upon his face. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Yes, dear. You just surprised me so much." He nodded and then asked who it was going to be, again. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about that." "You hadn't?" he said surprised. Part of the problem, he realized, was if given the opportunity, he would have been thinking about the women he might like to... But that was not at all what she was thinking. She wanted a baby, not a sexual act. Suddenly his adamant idea that another man not enter her made him understand just how low he had sunk into his own depraved thoughts. He was glad she hadn't answered his stupid question. "Well, think about it. I guess every man has his good and bad qualities. Those things will help form our child. So be careful in your choosing." "Yes, dear," she had answered softly, realizing the decision was going to be totally up to her. Now, on top of that, her sister was showing up. Today! How in the world was she going to tell her? What was she going to think? Marion's head started to hurt with the questions running through her brain. One of the biggest questions was why was her sister showing up here, in the first place. It was true that she and her husband had lived here, as had a number of other people. The fact was, it was through her sister that they had found out about the job and had moved to Carp. Then, as so many had, her sister left as the water turned bad. Was the water quality change the reason her sister wanted to come back? She didn't think so. She'd heard stories about her sister from some of the other women in the town. If they were true, it might be the reason she was coming back. Her husband had died in the war. It had been two years, now, and she probably was ready to start over. Coming here, there could be problems. The best way Marion knew was to grab the bull by the horns, and hit this potential problem head on. First she needed to get hold of Patrick. She knew the house where he was staying and walked over, but no one was home. Not wanting to spend all afternoon chasing him down, she went back home. She wrote a note, and sealed it in an envelope. Then she went back and wedged it between the door and its frame, for him to find. Arriving back home, she started to clean. After all, the train would arrive in about an hour. She had just got the living room dusted when she heard a noise outside she didn't recognize. Walking out the front door, she saw a car, and her sister was driving it! Marion ran down the path out to the dusty street and waited anxiously for the door to open. Hugs, kisses, and tears ensued. They gathered luggage out of the trunk and made small talk about everything. Inside the talking continued. After almost an hour of the little things sisters asked upon seeing each other after some time, the larger issues begged to be asked, or told. ------- Mary cornered me on the third floor. After the move to the new house, no one was using the space and I was looking over the rooms. It was still rather warm. I had been thinking that, in the dead of summer, these rooms were hot even with the windows open. In the winter they would be some of the best rooms in the house. I was deep in thought when she snuck up on me. I was looking into the room that had been Pamela's. Mary gave me a little push, which surprised me. Then, as she stepped into the room, she closed the door behind us. "When do I get to be Mary and not the congressman's daughter," she asked. 'So much for the easy questions, ' I thought. "You're talking about last night." "Everyone but poor Mary gets Keith," she said in a sorrowful mood. I sighed. This was not going to be easy. "Mary. Tell me what to do? You know what would happen..." "If I got pregnant you mean? I'm somehow more important than the other women or girls around you? You can marry them, but Mary you can't?" What she said was a mouthful. It also hurt. "Let's take a look. There's Robin who I'm married too. Then my sisters. My parents already know about Kristin, Liz is just a matter of time, but I'm assuming that it will be easier in some ways. Pamela? Her mother gave us that blessing. Beth Ann..." "OK. Stop!" Mary shouted. "Everyone has their parent's approval. That's what you are trying to say." "I'm sorry if it sounded rather harsh." "So what you are also saying is that if Daddy says yes..." "Mary!" She smiled at me. "Well?" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "If he agreed, then you would give me what I wanted?" she asked. "Are you sure you could ask him?" "Do you remember talking to my dad?" "Yes," I said, wondering where this was leading. "Doesn't he do things a bit differently than most people you know?" I nodded, thinking about it. "I guess that is true." "No, I wouldn't go up to him and say, 'Guess what, Daddy, I want Keith's baby, want to give us your blessing?' No, he would fall over dead, if I did that." "So what are you going to do?" I asked. Mary just smiled and then said, "Now let's see. Your parents found out about Kristin after she was pregnant. Daisy after you rescued her. Beth Ann..." "Thank you for bringing up my hypocrisy." "Thank you for admitting it." "Anything else you want to grill me about?" I asked. It really was rather warm up on the third floor. Hot even. I was trying to convince myself it must be the temperature and not the conversation. "Yes, Sarah." "Sorry, Mary, she's too... young." Mary laughed. "Robin will get a good laugh out of that." Then Mary grinned. "So will Stephanie." I hung my head in defeat. "That isn't what I was talking about, though," Mary said. I looked up at her and she went on, "You did lead yourself into it nicely, though." "Thank you. So what is up with Sarah then?" "She fell apart and blamed herself when we heard the plane went down." "Oh. Jeez..." "Keith, it was bad. The doctor took her out and was about ready to put her on medication to calm her down." I shook my head. "What am I going to do with her?" "Give her a spanking," Mary said. I looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "What?" "Not one of those spankings," Mary said rather suggestively and then laughed at my reaction. "Not hard to hurt either. I threatened to spank her if she didn't straighten up and realize she wasn't to blame. She did. I think she may just need it." "Mary, I don't think I could." "Maybe just the suggestion is all you would need to do. She needs to know, Keith. She can't keep on falling apart like she did. It was scary." "I'll think of something." "Good, 'cause I love my little sister." I smiled. "I know you do." ------- Patrick was looking at the note. Cheryl read it over his shoulder. "Why so late at night?" she asked. "Most people round here are in bed by nine, going to the park at eight to talk?" "You shouldn't be reading this." "I know," Cheryl giggled. "That's what makes it fun!" Patrick growled and tried to catch her with his hand. She darted away, laughing. 'It was unusual, ' he thought. Then he wondered, 'What does she want to talk to me about enough, to probably sneak out of her house to do? Oh, I hope it isn't what I think it might be... ' As Cheryl and John were getting ready for bed, Patrick left. The giggle and kiss Cheryl gave him at the door was disturbing. Now he was feeling a bit frisky. He didn't need that, if Marion wanted him to give her a baby, without her husband's approval. He needed to think straight. The problem was, that he could still smell a bit of Cheryl's scent swirling around him. She had always known how to drive him crazy. Trying to concentrate on anything else, Patrick looked at the constellations in the sky. The stars were just starting to appear, but without any light other than the remaining light of the sun that had set, the stars shown through. Patrick was only two blocks from the park, so he expected to arrive before Marion had. But there, sitting on the bench overlooking the new pool, was a woman. He walked up to her and before she turned, she said, "Marion, you said you would be only five minutes." Then she turned and saw... "Patrick!" "Maureen?" Both of them looked around, but couldn't see Marion in the shadows. Marion's hand was over her mouth to hide her white teeth, as she was grinning about as wide as could be. "When did you arrive? Patrick asked. "Today. Marion told me we needed to walk down here, then she said she forgot something at home and would be right back." "She slipped a note in my door, asking to meet me here, tonight." "I think we've been set up." "Looks like it," Patrick said. He was looking down at his hands. "I heard about your husband." "It's been a long time, Pat." "Almost nobody calls me that, you know." "I always did." "I know." ------- Chapter 103 "When are you going to go?" Robin asked me. "Where is he going this time?" Sarah asked. "He just got back." I looked at her, remembering what Mary had told me. Before I could say anything, Robin answered. "He's taking Pamela down to Los Angeles, to her father." Sarah looked like she was going to be sick. "Why?" she said in a weak voice. "Why would you ever do that?" "You didn't know? Where were you when..." Robin started to ask. Then it dawned on her. "You were in the new house with Marcia." I took over. "Pamela got a letter from her father. He wants to see Pamela and her sister and asked for them to come see him." "But Keith!" "He is her father. I don't have a lot of choice." I answered a little more sharply than I had wanted to, but it bothered me as much as anyone else. Sarah got up and ran out of the room. Vivian and Marcia looked at each other. Vivian said, "You know Pamela's the reason she wanted to come to Carp in the first place, don't you?" "I didn't say I liked it. We have no idea what is going to happen, but I'm obligated to let him see his children," I said, and then sighed. "What's wrong with Sarah?" Jimmy asked as he walked in the room, Pamela holding his hand. "Where is she?" I asked Jimmy before the others would try to tell Pamela about it. "I saw her heading upstairs," Pamela said. Then sadly she added, "She looked like she was crying. I've been doing a lot of that." I picked up Pamela, and held her in my arms. Then whispered into her ear, "I'm not letting you go, my sweet. I don't want you to worry." I felt her tears hit my neck. Pulling her away from me, I kissed her left cheek, forehead, right cheek, and then her mouth. I didn't get much more than a fraction of a smile, so I leaned in and blew a raspberry on the side of her neck. She screamed and pushed away from me. As she ran, hiding behind Robin, I did see a small smile on her face. I winked at Robin and went to find Sarah. I had left all the doors open on the third floor, for ventilation. When I saw the far door, where Pamela had been, closed, I knew it was where Sarah had gone. Opening the door, I heard her sobbing. Closing the door behind me, I noticed she didn't even move her head. She didn't care who was there. "Sarah," I said with no response. ------- Cheryl knew something was wrong. Patrick hadn't come in to say anything to them, last night. He had gone into his room and closed the door. This morning, it was still closed. Determined to find out, she went over to the door. She was ready to knock, when he stepped out. Patrick had been troubled all night. Now, in the morning, he felt as though he hadn't really slept at all. He could read Cheryl's stare, he just didn't know what to say. In all of his adult life, there had only been two females who had made him wish... One of those had been the girl, now a woman, who was standing before him. The other was an equally untouchable woman at the time, whom he had been set up with, last night. "Tell me what's wrong?" Cheryl asked. When Patrick didn't answer, but only looked down, her concern grew. "He didn't shoot himself... Did he?" 'Shoot himself?' Patrick thought to himself. 'Oh, the note... The explanation of getting him to go to the park last night.' "No," Patrick answered, and then sighed. "Nothing like that." Cheryl took him by the hand and led him over to the kitchen table. Pushing him into a chair she sat on his lap, making him even more uncomfortable than he already was. "Tell me what's going on," she said, looking up at him with soft endearing eyes. He pushed her off his lap. "You're going to hate me." Cheryl was taken back. "Hate you? Why? What did you do?" Then a dawn of recognition swept across her face and then flushed. "You... Oh my God, Patrick! You had sex with her, didn't you?" Patrick was aghast. "No! No! You've got it all wrong!" Cheryl was livid and picked up the first thing in sight: a cast iron fry pan. She grabbed hold of it and flung it, striking Patrick on the side of his head. She saw his startled expression, and heard a sort of grunt. Then he slumped in the chair, and slipped off of it, and onto the floor. Cheryl screamed at the top of her lungs. Running over, she shook him, and got no response. Running out the front door, she was still screaming. A block away, William was with his wife. They heard someone screaming. Looking at each other with questions in their eyes, they wondered if they heard right? It sounded like a woman was screaming, "I've killed him!" Running towards the sound, they came in sight of Cheryl. William got hold of Cheryl, and gave her a little shake. "Where is he?" William asked, not caring who it was, at that time. "On the floor!" "On the floor, where?" he asked in a soothing voice. Instead of answering, she took hold of his hand and started running back to her house. William could just keep up with her, his wife was glad Carp wasn't very big. She could tell very quickly where they were heading, and could slow down to a fast walk. As they entered the house, Cheryl stopped. William, who had been pulled along, bumped into her. Then he peered in. Patrick was on the floor. He was sitting up, holding his head with his hands. It only took a second for Cheryl to figure out that she hadn't killed Patrick. She went over to him, and knelt on the floor. She was holding him and crying in only a moment. "What happened?" William asked. "I believe," Patrick answered in a slightly slurred speech, "that my head came in contact with a frying pan." William was surprised. He looked at Cheryl, who looked ready to burst into tears all over again. Martha came in at that point. "Martha, can you get Jack to come around here in his Jeep? We need to get Patrick out to the plane." She nodded and left. "Now, Cheryl, we need some tea. Start some water heating." Cheryl got up quickly and went to the kitchen, stoking the wood stove. William didn't need any tea, but he knew it would give her a purpose and she needed a distraction right then. He had planned the next two requests, if needed, as well. Cheryl had just got the kettle on the stove when Jack appeared in the open front door. He had been fortuitously flagged down as he drove past. He also had been looking for who had been screaming. "Hear you need my services. Your wife flagged me down," Jack said and then looked at Patrick who was still sitting on the floor. "You don't look so good." William rolled his eyes. Cheryl started sobbing. Jack looked at her and realized she was the one he'd heard. He had just stuck his foot in his mouth, big time. "How can I help?" Jack asked, trying to redeem himself. "Help me pull Patrick up and let's get him in your Jeep," William responded. The two men pulled Patrick to his feet and walked him outside. Cheryl came out with them, as she didn't know what else to do. "Cheryl, we don't need the water any longer. Shut down the stove and then come back out here," William said. She nodded and went back inside. "Almost like she can't think on her own," Jack observed. "She's in a state of shock. I need her out at the plane as well. I wish we had phones around here. I need Katherine out at the plane, also," William responded, as they sat Patrick in the back seat. William climbed into the back with Patrick. Cheryl came out and William told her to get into the front seat. "I'll be back in a while," William said to his wife. Then added, "You might want to shut their front door." No one said a word on the drive out. Jack pulled up to the Mansion. Elizabeth and Kristina were on the front porch. "Elizabeth," Jack shouted, "can you go ask your mom to come out to the plane? We needs her there." Elizabeth nodded and disappeared into the house. They drove the rest of the way out to the plane. Jack had to help William get Patrick out of the back and up the steps to the plane. As William opened the plane's door, he could see the car coming from the direction of the Mansion. Inside, William had Cheryl sit. He took Patrick to the x-ray machine. Katherine and Jill showed up. William was a bit surprised to see Jill there. "What's going on?" Katherine asked in a nurse's no nonsense way. In a low voice, William said, "Cheryl beaned Patrick with a frying pan." "I'll talk with Cheryl," Katherine said. "I think she's in a state of shock. I need to x-ray Patrick," William said. Katherine smiled and said, "You've got the best person right here, for that." Then she went out, leaving him with Jill. William looked at Jill, noticing her looking at Patrick. "He's got a concussion, doesn't he?" Interested, he asked, "How would you know?" Jill took the question as though it was asked of an intern, and he wanted to know why and how she'd come to the conclusion she had. "Reportedly struck on the head. Disoriented. Enlarged pupils," Jill responded. "Well, nurse Jill," he said amused, "what do we do now?" "I was told I should become a doctor, not a nurse," Jill said in a matter of fact way. "We x-ray his cranium to see if there is damage to the skull. Hairline fractures are the most common. I think I remember they are also sometimes hard to detect." "They are. We have a lot to discuss after this; but shall we tend to the patient now, Doctor?" Jill smiled, and couldn't help allowing a giggle to slip out. Then, straightening up, she tried to say, "Yes," in a dignified manner. William was already starting to laugh, and her 'yes' came out in a half-laugh, as well. The x-ray proved negative. The cause of his disorientation became clearer as the redness centered itself and bruising started to appear. Cheryl had caught his ear almost dead on. Jill and William talked about how equilibrium is largely an inner ear function. Katherine, on the other hand, had her hands full with Cheryl. ------- Vivian was down at the school. Today, she had help from both Sarah and Marcia in the sorting and stacking of books. She was typing out the last of the library cards while they were placing the books on the shelves. "How did you ever learn how to do this?" Marcia asked Vivian. "I've never really paid any attention to why books were where they were on the shelves." Vivian smiled slightly, "Well, I spent a lot of time in the library. Before I got to know Sarah, I'd never had much of a life." "Oh," Marcia said feeling rather guilty. "I'm sorry. We were real..." "Don't say it," Sarah said, and then she laughed. "This is a library." Vivian and Marcia laughed as well. "Well, it's true. Sometimes I look back and wonder who that was. I feel like I'm such a different person, now," Marcia reflected. "I think we all feel that way," Sarah said. Vivian nodded in agreement. "If I hadn't... Better to say: If Sarah hadn't started talking to me, I'm sure I would have been the same Vivian that I'd always been. It's strange to think that one action can cause such a change in someone's life." "I don't think it was just me," Sarah said, then affirmed her statement. "It wasn't just me." Vivian grinned, knowing that Sarah didn't like to be pointed out like this. So just for fun, she pressed the issue. "Oh yes it was. Who else was it that talked to me, and then sat down at my table and had lunch with me? Who was it that called me up on the phone just to talk, or set me up with Scott? It was you, Sarah." "Wait just a minute," Sarah said. "All I did was talk. If I remember right, you and Scott... Did you even talk to him?" Vivian blushed. Marcia, knowing the two were just teasing each other, laughed. "Yes, we talked," Vivian said. "See," Sarah said. "It was more than just me." "Like it was more than just Keith, for you?" Vivian needled Sarah. Sarah reacted much differently than Vivian or Marcia expected. Instead of Sarah's normal self-assuredness, she looked ready to cry. "That's different. He saved me." "Don't you think that maybe you saved me too?" Vivian said softly. Sarah looked at her friend, and then to Marcia who was nodding. "Sarah, you saved me, too. Well, in a way. Without you, where would I be now?" Marcia said. "Maybe not pregnant," Sarah said sourly. "If it wasn't trying to prove one thing with you, it would have been another. That had nothing to do with you. I've realized that it was how I looked at things. There is always someone at the top. If you are willing to do anything to get there, you're going to pay. Sarah, it wasn't you that got me this way, it was me... Well, me and Mike. But you know if you want to take responsibility about it, then you also have to take responsibility that Mike and I are together as well. He's the best thing that ever happened in my life. So, if it wasn't for you..." "That's enough!" Sarah said, "You two are going to twist anything you can, to try and make me responsible for your... I don't know what." Inside though, Sarah was realizing that she had done the same to Keith. Sarah also realized she was wearing a scowl on her face, while Vivian and Marcia were smiling at her. "Can we get back to putting these books away, I've had it with you two teasing me," Sarah said, trying desperately to keep the scowl on her face, but not succeeding very well. The three worked in relative silence, all thinking about this last conversation they'd had. The only sound was Vivian plunking away with two fingers at the typewriter and the books sliding into their respective places. "I'm done," Vivian said as she pulled the last 3 X 5 index card out of the typewriter. "We've got another stack of books to put up, but that's it," Sarah said. "Then you're going to leave?" Marcia asked. "I've been gone a few more days than I expected I would be. My parents want me to come home and I want to see Scott," Vivian said, and then sighed. "I'm going to miss it here. That's the hardest thing. Life outside this town is very different. There are things I never thought of before, things that shocked me when I found out about them. Funny how it seems like I've been here longer than just ten days. I wish I could come back," Vivian looked down at the floor and added, "but I don't know that that will be possible." "Why not?" Marcia asked, "There's more summer vacation." Vivian didn't look up. "We don't have much money, like you. My way was paid by me doing this work." Marcia looked at Vivian and then to Sarah for confirmation. She'd never thought about that before. "Maybe there will be more books... for the school... and they'll need you again." "I don't think so," Vivian said sadly. "This was my chance to see the outside world." "Ok, Vivian," Sarah said. "No time to get depressed. You never thought you'd ever get to come down here in the first place, now did you?" "No, but..." "No 'buts' about it," Sarah continued. "You just never know what is going to happen." At that point, Tiffany, Vicki, and Liz came into the building. "How is it going?" Liz asked. "We're almost done," Vivian said, in a sad voice. "Good!" Liz said. "Now, how are you at setting up the check-out system?" "That would take another few days. I'm supposed to go home." Liz smiled. "Yes, I know. You might have to come back to do it." Vivian's eyes widened. Tiffany and Vicki couldn't help but laugh. "We heard you girls talking as we were about to come in. I think we could use you again. That is, if you want to come back," Liz said, grinning. "I'd love it!" Vivian responded. "Now, tell me if you know why we would get this letter," Liz asked. "What letter?" Sarah wanted to know. "It's from a small Boy Scout troop in Reno. They want to know if we have a troop here, and if they could come for a visit." Sarah, Vivian, and Marcia looked at each other. Almost in unison, they said, "Scott and Mike!" ------- Bob came home from a day of training at the new mine. He thought he would surprise Cheryl, but he was the one surprised. No one was home. No meal was being prepared. Looking into the kitchen, he saw that not even the breakfast dishes were done. Then he saw the frying pan on the floor, near the table. Things were not adding up and he was starting to get worried. Looking outside, he saw no one around. Walking the two blocks to downtown, he saw the only sign of life: Jack was just walking into his office. Bob knocked at the door and then entered. Scratching his head, Bob asked, "You don't know why my wife might not be at home, do you?" Jack nodded, and replied, "Come on, they must still be out at the plane." "The plane?" Bob wondered out loud. Jack, leading the way to his Jeep, said, "Yes. If they're not back yet, I would guess they're still with the doctor." "The doctor! What happened? Not the baby?" "Oh, no," Jack chuckled. "Your wife, from what I could make out of it, has had a bit of a... pregnancy behavioral problem." "What are you talking about?" Bob demanded to know as Jack started driving. "She smacked Patrick up side the head with a fry pan." Bob put his hands to his head and said, "She didn't!" "Don't ask me why, but that's what I heard." Jack said, and then added, "I just hope it's not going around. Rebecca is a pretty strong woman." The image of Rebecca chasing after Jack with a frying pan was enough to make Bob laugh nervously. But it did lift the mood somewhat. When they arrived at the plane, Patrick was outside, sitting in a chair. Jill was beside him. Bob went over to him. "No permanent damage, I hope." "No," Patrick said, although he wasn't shaking his head as he might have, normally. "I am a bit stiff in the neck though, and my 'doctor, '" he said, rolling his eyes over towards Jill, "insists on watching me." "It's just prudent behavior. He can't watch out for himself... obviously." Jack and Bob had to repress their laughter at Jill's statement. "All kidding aside, Patrick; do you have any idea why she did this?" Patrick was silent for a minute. He then took a deep breath and exhaled just as slowly. "Jill, do you think these two fine men can watch over me for a minute?" "I suppose," she said to him, but was grinning at Jack and Bob. "I think they have enough sense to call if you need help." "Don't you worry! We will," Bob said. Jill walked up the stairs and into the plane. As soon as the door closed, Patrick started to talk. "Bob, do you know Marion?" "Yes." "You know she has a sister." "Yes... Oh." "Want to enlighten me?" Jack asked. Bob answered for Patrick. "There were two females in town that made it very clear they were smitten by Patrick. My wife Cheryl was one of them, although she was a girl at the time. The other one was Maureen, Marion's sister. Now, Maureen was still married, the last I heard." "Her husband died a while back," Patrick said. "So that note from Marion..." "Maureen is back in town and I was set up to meet her. I had no idea what I was walking into and her sister didn't tell her a thing about some of the... more current events around town." Bob was nodding. "So you told Cheryl and she whacked you." "Well, no. I never got that far. She got it in her head I went and had... well," Patrick answered nervously, "that I biblically 'knew' Marion." Jack had a hard time trying to keep the smile off his face as he asked, "Biblically knew?" Even he knew that term meant to have sex. "Well, she didn't say it so eloquently, but..." "A woman with a frying pan in her hand is no one to argue semantics with," Bob added. "I'm not sure you ever saw her temper, Patrick. When she was younger, and with you, I'm sure she was on her best behavior. She can be rather hot headed at times. It has always kept things... interesting," he said with a smile. "Maybe we should stick around while Patrick tells Cheryl the real reason. We might need the doctor again," Jack said in jest. "Not a bad idea at all, really," Bob said. "You're serious?" Jack said astounded. "But..." "Like I said, she has a pretty hot temper and Patrick is someone she has wanted for a long time. I knew, pretty much, that when he came back into town she was going to get her claws into him. I didn't think it would be that same day, but I knew it would happen." Bob shrugged his shoulders and then gave Patrick a sly smile. "It hasn't turned out so bad," he continued. "You can mark my words, though. Cheryl isn't going to want to share Patrick with Maureen. That's almost a sure thing." "Why do I get the feeling that this is going to spell trouble?" Jack asked. "Because it is," Patrick answered. ------- Robin and I brought Pamela, Jimmy, Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth down to the park. Jack had told us, as he'd stopped on his way back from the plane, that the new playground at the park was ready to use. Stephanie, Mary, and Kristin were coming down in another car. Liz had told us before leaving that she'd bring Sarah, Vivian, and Marcia over, after they saw what was going on at the school. I hadn't turned off the engine before the doors were opened. The kids were already heading towards the swings and slide. All but Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth had never seen any of these things before. They were so very excited. We knew the hardest thing to come would be trying to get them to share the time on the swings. As I walked over, Pamela was on one of the swings, with Jimmy pushing her. Kenneth was on the next one over, and Elizabeth was pushing him. Kristina was on the last one, looking at me like a lost kitten. I smiled at her, and she grinned back, watching me as I got behind her to push. To soon she was getting the hang of it and I didn't need to push at all. Elizabeth told me that Kristina knew how to swing, but liked help anyway. Of course she told me after the fact. Elizabeth was still helping Kenneth a bit. Jimmy wanted to push Pamela, just to keep a little contact with her I could see. Stephanie arrived and looked at the swings, then the slide that wasn't being used, she went for the slide. I started to walk over to her, but after the second time down, she ran over to the car. I must have been lost in my own thoughts, because after what seemed like just a few seconds, I felt a tap on my side. I looked and Stephanie was standing beside me. "Want to catch me at the end of the slide?" she asked very nicely. "Of course," I said. As she got to the top, she placed her feet to each side of the edge and pushed off to slide down fast. I almost didn't catch her and it had nothing to do with the speed as she came down. It was the fact that her skirt flipped up and she was bare underneath it. With her legs apart, I got quite a show. By the time I reacted and reached for her, I caught her arms to stop her. That also meant her feet came into contact with my legs and I fell. Having a hold on her arms, she followed right on top of me. Grinning like a fool, she wiggled herself on top of me. "I can tell you liked that." "Liked what?" Robin said looking down at us. I said incredulously, "She... She took off her panties and went down the slide!" Robin laughed so hard I thought she was going to pee. It was this point that Sarah, Vivian, and Marcia walked up. They looked at Stephanie and me, as we lay on the ground. I was still feeling very guilty about what I had done to Sarah. After nothing I'd said had worked, I'd taken Mary's advice. Turning Sarah over my knee, I'd given her a sound spanking. She had howled in shock and surprise. It surprised me that no one had come upstairs to see what was going on. By the time I was done, though, Sarah was quiet. She'd stood, and looked me in the eye. Then she thanked me, and walked out the door. I felt ashamed of what I'd done, yet from then on, she'd acted as though nothing had happened. When I had walked downstairs, no one had said a word to me either. It was as though what had happened, hadn't. The only way one could tell anything had transpired was that Sarah was back to her norm. Now she and her friends were looking with amused expressions at me, and Stephanie was grinning at them. "I surprised Keith, and he forgot to catch me at the end of the slide." Then turning to me, Stephanie continued, "Are you going to catch me this time?" "Me catch you?" I said, "I think that you've got it all wrong. You are trying to catch me!" Stephanie giggled, jumped off me and ran over to the ladder going up the slide. As I started to get up and brush myself off, I saw Sarah walk over to the back of the slide and get in line behind Stephanie. Stephanie looked back and down the ladder at Sarah, giving her a smile. I knew from the many times I had 'allowed' girls to go first, that Sarah could see up Stephanie's skirt, and knew there was nothing beneath it. Stephanie came down, once again displaying herself. I was ready. Marcia and Vivian were gasping at the sight the girl provided me. Marcia looked at Robin and asked, "Did you see what she did?" "Yes. That's why Keith landed on his back, the first time. He was as surprised as you are," Robin answered. "You don't care?" Marcia asked, scarcely believing it. "Not at all. That is just something Stephanie would do." While they were talking, I had picked up Stephanie, given her a little kiss, and moved her out of the way. Sarah was at the top of the slide. She came down and... I was on my back again! Sarah, over the top of me, was grinning as Stephanie had. When Sarah let out a little moan as she wiggled, I knew it was time to move her off of me. "Sarah!" Vivian and Marcia said together. "Don't tell me you..." Marcia asked. "Ok, I won't tell you," Sarah said, not being able to keep the smile of her face. She looked at Robin and winked. "Sarah!" Marcia said incredulously, "I can hardly believe you would... You let him see you!" "I'll talk to you about it, later," Sarah said to Marcia. Stephanie is much lighter than Sarah. I could lift Stephanie off me with ease. I couldn't do that with Sarah, until she wanted to help me. My choice was to roll her over, exposing her once again, or to wait. I chose to wait. Sarah leaned into me and looked me in the eyes, rotating her crotch over me at the same time. "Thanks for this," she said. I knew she could feel my hardness against her naked form. Then she lowered her eyes and said softly, "Thank you for 'putting me in my place', as well. I needed that. You've been the only person who has ever done that for me. You have no way of knowing how much I needed to know where my limits were. Thank you for caring so much about me." I was dumbfounded. I never would have associated what she said, with what I had done. Robin put her hand out to Sarah and helped her off me. I once again picked myself up and brushed myself off. "I think I'll go to the swings," I said. "It might be safer." Robin, Stephanie, and Sarah chuckled as I walked off. I heard Vivian ask Sarah to explain herself. I would have liked to have heard that explanation. But I knew it would be different, if I'd been there to listen. ------- Katherine had brought Cheryl out of the plane, with the others following. Jack, Bob, and Patrick were waiting. Patrick knew it was now or never. With a good audience, it was most probably safest, now. "She what?" Cheryl screamed as Patrick finished. "I'll..." "Do nothing," Bob said evenly, yet absolutely. Cheryl's eyes almost glowed. Patrick felt that she was like a tiger on the prowl. She was jealously guarding her kill against the other predators, that stood ready to come in and devour it at will. William, taking on a very doctor-like persona, told her quite frankly that if she didn't settle herself down; he was going to be forced to take her child's welfare in the best interest, and sedate her. Hearing that her outbursts might endanger her baby was the final straw, and she had a complete melt-down. Katherine whispered to William that she had told Cheryl the same thing, twice, with no effect. Jill had listened to the whole wild affair, from start to finish. Had it not been for Keith forcing her to see her mother's different lifestyle; she would not have been able to understand this. As it was, she now realized a lot more about their relationship. Walking over to Jack, she tugged at his sleeve and pulled him aside. "Jack, I was thinking," Jill said. "Have Cynthia and my mom had problems?" "Yes, just the other day... Wait, you may be on to something. Cynthia was almost as crazy as Cheryl is, but fortunately she was only giving me the silent treatment." The two walked back as Jack pondered how he was going to explain what had gone on. Jill was thinking on a different vein. "Cheryl, I think you need to talk with Cynthia and my mom about all of this," Jill said. Katherine and William stopped and looked at her. Bob and Patrick dropped their mouths open, realizing that this was a public announcement from Jill about what her mother was doing. Cheryl couldn't understand what Jill was talking about. "Why would they have any idea what I'm feeling?" she asked. Jill looked at Jack who knew he was way over his head, here. "Do you want me to explain, or do you want to?" Jill asked Jack. "Go right ahead," Jack said, wondering what she was going to say. "My mother is pregnant with Jack's baby. How do you think that has made Cynthia feel? I'm sure it was part of something she wanted, but she had to be jealous at some point. It is just how anyone would behave. I think they have gone through a lot and might have some ways for you to realize how much Patrick cares for you." Cheryl raised her eyebrows. She wasn't the only one. "That is an interesting idea, Jill. So I should ask your mother, 'Tell me how you handle it, when Jack's wife is mad that you have his baby in your belly?' Or is there a better way?" "I think that would work just fine," Jill responded. "I don't think I could do that," Cheryl said. "I figured as much," Jill said, "but you might be able to say: 'What problems have you two had? I'm going crazy about something and I don't know what to do.' Maybe something like that?" "How did you get so smart about people?" Patrick asked Jill. "Oh, no," she said, grinning. "It's just like Keith said. It's so much easier to see other's problems and how they should do something, than it ever is to see anything about yourself. One of the things he taught me was that instead of telling others what their problems were; you could ask questions. Then you could see if they could come up with ideas on their own. At that point, they could ask for any suggestions." Katherine laughed, and said, "I've seen him do that. Pretty sneaky, if you ask me." Jill shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it works," then she added: "sometimes." "Doctor, can I take my wife home now?" Bob asked. Nodding, he said, "Yes, I think with everyone around, she will be fine. Just remember not to upset her. The rise in her blood pressure isn't good for the baby." ------- Marion was sitting on the sofa. In chairs, sitting across from her, were her sister and her husband. Neither of them were very happy. Nothing was being said, and the silence was agonizing to Marion. She wished they would yell, but they didn't. After almost half an hour, the silence was broken. "How could you do that to your sister?" The smug look on her sister made Marion explode. "Me! You didn't see the look on her face when she saw him. Ask her the real reason she came back to Carp. Ask her if she really came here to see her sister. I know better. She wanted to see Patrick." Maureen turned bright red, as he turned from his wife to his sister-in-law. "Well, that does put another twist in the story; but you had no right to be meddling." "You're right about that. Maureen, I'm sorry. There have been so many things going on in town... and with us. I've been afraid of your visit. I thought... I guess it was stupid. I'm sorry. I know you came back to see us, too." "Afraid? What's been going on? I haven't heard anything. They didn't find more of those horrid chemicals, did they?" "No, no," he said shaking his head, "but those chemicals have done their damage. I can't give my wife a child." Maureen looked at her sister, and a wave of sadness rushed over her. "Oh, Marion. I'm so sorry. I know you've talked about it for so long." Marion felt the heat of her face flushing. "That is what I've been afraid to let you know." "I understand." "No, you don't. We've decided that I'm going to have a child." Maureen was very confused. "I thought you said..." "He can't." "But that would mean... Oh dear Lord! Marion! What on earth have you done?" Marion's husband took over. He could see his wife needed support. "She has done nothing yet. One of the men who can will donate..." He cleared his throat. "You're going to let another man... have a relationship with your wife! I just can't believe this." "Oh no. I didn't say they would be together at all, did I? Maureen, you need to stop jumping to conclusions. I said he was going to donate. The doctor can inject it. If, God willing, it works; we will have a child." Maureen had her mouth hanging open in disbelief. She finally said, "Is everyone in town doing this?" "I have no idea," Marion said. "It's not the sort of thing one announces." "I should hope not. I can't imagine Patrick going for that idea." Marion had been so tense, that when her sister said that, she lost control. She started to laugh uncontrollably. Maureen was angry, not seeing anything humorous in their conversation. Clearing his throat once again, he looked at his wife and shook his head. "Maureen, I think some more things need to be explained. I'm just not sure if we should be the ones tellin' you this. You sit tight. I'm going to take a walk. Shouldn't take more than ten minutes." He walked out the door. Maureen looked at her sister. "Who's he going to get and what more is there to say? I'm starting to wonder if I should have come for a visit, now." ------- Patrick, Bob, and Cheryl were home. Dinner was being cooked, but no one had said much to each other. There was a knock on the door. Bob got up and answered it, then called Patrick over. Bob listened to the two men. When Patrick looked at Bob, Bob nodded. As soon as the door was shut, Bob walked into the kitchen. Cheryl was watching him as he came over, turned a chair around to face the kitchen. Walking to where Cheryl stood, he took her around the waist and pulled her over to the chair. Sitting first, he then pulled her to his lap. "I don't think anyone would envy Patrick's job. Never really thought about it before, but I just heard a man pouring out his problems and asking for Patrick to help save a relationship." "Who was it?" Cheryl wanted to know. "Does it matter?" "It does to me." "What if I don't tell you?" "Then I'll know it was about Maureen." "I'm not sure how to answer you, 'cause you don't want to see anything any way but your way; and frankly, 'your way' is the wrong way." "That's what you think," Cheryl said struggling against Bob's arms to get off his lap. "You sit still, or I'll turn you over my knee and paddle your butt 'til it's raw. You've been nothing but a pain in the ass today and I'm fed up with it." Cheryl stopped trying to get away, but she wasn't about to give in. "So, what's so important that he has to go talk to them about, then?" "His wife talked him into letting her get pregnant. Let me just ask you if I would have said no? What if I was one of those..." Bob didn't want to continue. Cheryl and he weren't supposed to know about that meeting. "Cheryl, you have what you want. You are being a baby, now. Doesn't anyone else deserve happiness?" "So Patrick is going over to..." Cheryl said in a tone that let Bob know she was very unhappy about it. "That's not what I said. Marion and her husband had to tell Maureen about it and she thinks they have lost their mind. You know how we dreaded telling the rest of the town about what was going on with us. Maureen doesn't live here. What would happen if she left, knowing only a part of it and started spreading that gossip around?" "I don't know," Cheryl said, starting to realize there was more to this issue than just the jealousy she was feeling. "Nothing good could come of it. I can tell you that. Patrick is going to have his work cut out for him. Frankly, from the way I heard the conversation, even though Maureen likes Patrick, it might not be enough." Cheryl swallowed hard. "You mean she might leave and... and we could all be in trouble?" Bob wrinkled his forehead. "I'm not sure what kind of trouble you and I might be in. It wouldn't look good to a lot of people. It wouldn't be hard to know that with me not being able to father and you pregnant, that I wasn't the father. Everyone in town knows that. We might have some people show up from out of town telling us we were sinners, but that might be it for us. But of the three of us, Patrick would get it worst. He might be stripped of being a minister. I don't know, but it could happen. Now Keith, Richard, and Jack... They would really have the worst of it. If people came into town, and started noising around, there might be..." Bob didn't get to finish his sentence. Cheryl was off his lap and pulling at his arm, before he knew what was going on. "Come on, then! We'd better get over there," Cheryl said in a panic. "Hold on," Bob said cautiously. The last thing he wanted was to bring a frying pan wielding woman over to her perceived nemesis. Cheryl seemed to know just what he was thinking and rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to whack her, if you're worried about that." She pulled him again and they went out the front door. ------- Mary had pulled me into the library. "Is it true?" she asked. "Is what true?" "You gave her a spanking?" I cleared my throat, looking at the floor. "She said it was one of the most loving things anyone has ever done for her," Mary said. I looked up, surprised. "I didn't..." Mary laughed at my discomfort. "I said loving, not... sexy. Keith, when you are the congressmen's daughter, as well as having to be someone you don't always want to be, you can also 'get away with murder.' People will not say things to you, or tell you no. You are privileged beyond what is right. When you grow up with few limits, it becomes hard to understand what is reasonable. Some things get skewed in the wrong way. You have treated her with the utmost respect as a person." "I only..." "Loved her so much it hurt you. I can see it. Keith, you need to understand. She was begging for what she got. She needed it. No one has ever done what you did." Pulling me close to her and kissing me on the cheek, she added, "I don't think it will be something you will need to do often... maybe not ever again. But she needed reassurance and you gave it to her." "Thanks for telling me," I said. What Sarah said to me in the park was now believable. Mary grinned at me. "You know, of course, there is one outcome of this you didn't expect." I frowned at her, "Mary, I'm not spanking you." Mary laughed. She turned around and wiggled her very attractive rear at me, saying "No, that wasn't it at all, but it does sound interesting." She wiggled at me again. "All right. What is it, then," I said, trying not to think about her being naked, and over my knee. "Sarah is more in love with you than ever." I sighed, knowing she was probably right. I didn't know what I was going to do about it. Mary was trying her best to complicate that, asking how I could give her a child. If Mary succeeded in her plan, Sarah would not stop either. I knew it and it scared me. We were interrupted by the front door opening. Not that this was such a rare occurrence, but it was Jill who called for me. I looked at Mary and could tell she was as surprised as I was. "In here," I called. "Can you come out front?" "Be there in a minute," I said. Then I turned back to Mary. "Wonder what that's all about?" Mary and I walked out. Jill wasn't there. William and Katherine were. We walked over to them. "Did you want to talk with me?" I asked William. "Yes, but let's wait until Liz is here as well," he answered. "I'm going to find Kristin," Mary said, giving me a devilish grin that said I was going to be in trouble tonight. We didn't wait long for my sister. Jill pulled her out the front door as quickly as she could. "What's this all about?" Liz asked. "It's about Jill," William said. "I had a good talk with her, this afternoon. Then I talked with Katherine. We think it would be a good idea if Jill studied to be a doctor." ------- Patrick was escorted in. Maureen was sitting on the couch. Marion was in the kitchen. Patrick could feel the tension in the air, even with no words spoken. Both women looked a bit surprised at who had come in. "Marion, Maureen," Patrick said, trying to be at ease. "Nice of you to come. May I offer you some tea?" Marion asked. "Hello, Patrick," Maureen said, without any of the friendly tones of last night. "Tea would be nice," Patrick answered Marion. He sat down, close to Maureen. He looked into Maureen's eyes and realized just how difficult this was going to be. "Maureen, how much do you know about what has happened in Carp? Did you read the special newspaper report that was done?" Maureen was nervous, very nervous. This was not whom she expected to see. How in the world was she supposed to tell Patrick what they were thinking of doing? What would he think? It could ruin any chance she might have had with him. Her throat went dry and she tried to swallow. She knew she had to answer; but just then she didn't know if she could say a word. As if by magic there was a cup and saucer in front of her. Glancing up, she looked at her sister. Her sister was smiling. Smiling! Taking the cup of tea, Maureen realized how her hands were shaking. She took a sip and closed her eyes. The tea was just to her liking. Damn her sister. How could she get it just right? Why would she remember? Marion took another sip and realized Patrick was waiting for an answer. "Yes. I read them. Was that true?" "All of it and more. There is a lot that didn't get into the paper. Things that were too horrid to tell." Maureen's eyes widened. She'd never contemplated that. She glanced at her sister, wondering just what had gone on. "Do you remember Cliff Johnson?" Patrick asked. "I think I met him. That was a while ago" "Yes, it was." "Before you ran him off," Maureen said. She paused and looked into Patrick's eyes. "You never came back." Guilt flared up in Patrick's soul. "Did you know it was because of me that he tried to kill the town?" "No!" Nodding, Patrick said, "Yes. You read about why the water started tasting bad? You and many others left. Cliff wanted revenge. He was hell bent on killing the entire town." "But... but he died, he didn't get that stuff into the water. He's the only one who died," Maureen protested. "Maureen, he wanted the town to die. Many moved away. Those who didn't, like your sister... Well, it was going to be the end of them. No children, no new life. What happens if no new life comes about?" Maureen knew the answer, she just didn't want to say it. "Cliff had already worked out his revenge, before he tried to kill us all off. Only the town has now come together. We've decided that we don't want Cliff to win. He was the devil, Maureen. I will not have my town consumed by the devil." Stammering out her question, she asked, "Wh... what are you going to do?" Everyone jumped when there was a loud knock on the door. Before anyone could get to it, Cheryl opened the door and walked in, pulling Bob along with her. Maureen felt her body tighten. She hadn't seen Cheryl in years, but time hadn't allowed her to forget much. "Sorry to barge in like this," Cheryl said. "I'm not sure..." Patrick started to say. "Maureen," Cheryl went right on, as though Patrick hadn't said a word, "you need to hear the whole thing out. We're all in this together." Blinking, Maureen realized she'd never heard the impetuous girl ever say anything that was on the verge of panic. There was panic in Cheryl's voice. Patrick cleared his throat. "Cheryl, I think you've said enough for right now." "I'm listening," Maureen said, although she wasn't sure why. Cheryl and she had rarely said a civil word to each other. Patrick tried to get his mind back on track, before the interruption. "Maureen, I want you to think about this good and hard. Do you think that it is right to have Cliff win? If the answer is yes, I want to know why. If the answer is no, then tell me how you think his plan could be defeated?" Maureen knew as soon as she heard the questions that there was no way to say 'yes'. To say Cliff should win, would be saying her sister's family should die out. To say 'no'... "Patrick," Maureen said, "I'm not sure if that is a fair question." "Probably not. No one asked if it was fair, what Cliff did to everyone who lives here. Fair isn't part of what we have to work with. Nothing about this is fair. Fair would be that your sister's husband could give her a child, like he should be able to do. Fair would be that Cheryl's husband should be able to give her a child, also. We're not working with 'fair, ' and you're avoiding answering the question." "There isn't an answer and you know it. How could I possibly tell my sister she has to die barren? You know I can't do that." "If you don't affirm the idea that there is a way to change, then you are saying she should do what you say you can't." "But it's not right," Maureen questioned. "What is not right?" Patrick questioned her back. "Having someone else's child." Patrick frowned as best he could before answering, "I thought you might be happy with one of the other couple's choices, but I guess not." Maureen knew she was being led, but curiosity won, "What choice?" "They are going to adopt," Patrick shook his head, "but it won't be 'their' child." "Stop that, you know what I meant." Patrick's face hinted of a little smile, but it wasn't Maureen's reaction, it was an idea he just had. "Maureen, if you had a child, then got married again..." She hadn't conceived a child. But the idea of marrying, and of Patrick asking this type of question, had her all ears. "Yes?" "Wouldn't you expect your new husband to raise the child? Wouldn't you expect that what was 'yours, ' would become 'ours'?" "Ours?" Maureen asked feeling a bit light headed. "Your union wouldn't be the same if there was a separation in it, would it?" Patrick pressed on. He knew he was skating on thin ice. Cheryl looked ready to explode at any second. "No, I guess not, but what has..." Patrick cut her off. "Maureen, you mean to tell me that you would expect your husband to treat your child like it was his, even if it wasn't?" "Patrick!" she said when she realized how he'd twisted everything around. "It isn't the same and you know it." "Tell me what is different?" "It just is." "No, it's not. You want it to be, but that is because you are comfortable with one of those ideas. The other idea seems wrong, but you still haven't told me what is wrong with it." "Why are you doing this?" Maureen pleaded. "Because I care about you," Patrick said. Maureen felt her hands shaking again. She set the cold cup of tea with its saucer down on the coffee table. Looking into Patrick's eyes, she asked, "You do?" Out of the corner of his eye, Patrick saw Cheryl get up. Instinctively, he put his hands up, protecting his head. Bob could control his wife's hands, but not her mouth. So he picked her up, and placed her over his shoulder. Without ado, he walked out the front door with her. Maureen had been watching Patrick more than Cheryl, during this. She noticed, after Cheryl had been carried out and Patrick lowered his hands from his head, that there was a raised red lump around his ear. "What was that about?" Maureen said, glad to be rid of Cheryl. "That is the other part of this conversation. Cheryl is pregnant." ------- Vivian was packing as Jill was talking to them. Marcia and Sarah were asking enough questions to satisfy her, so she concentrated on getting everything into her suitcase. "A doctor! Doctor Jill," Sarah said and then giggled. "It takes a lot of time, so don't plan on calling me that for a while. I still have to finish school here, then college. But I'll be back and do my internship here. If everything works like William says, I'll take over his practice." Jill sat down on a bed and continued, "It just seems like a dream come true. My special friend taught me from medical books and said I should be a doctor. When Hank became the town's medic, he didn't want anything to do with me. I wasn't welcome. Now, looking back, I wonder if it was because he wasn't sure of what he was doing. I don't know. Back then, it hurt, and made me shy away. Then of course, Keith came along..." Sarah laughed, "I know. He made everything wonderful, didn't he?" "No. He scared me to death when I first met him. Unlike you, Sarah, he had to work with me to get me to even smile at him. It wasn't him, specifically, but men in general. Keith just worked gently with me." "So you have to wait 'til you go off to college?" Marcia asked. "No! That's what is so great. William and Katherine want me to come into the clinic and work with them." "What clinic?" Sarah asked. "The one that isn't here yet, but will be soon. William wanted Katherine to work full time with him. She doesn't want to work full time; she wants time with her kids. So she's going to work during the day. When her kids get out of school, so will I. I'll work in the office after school and she'll be with her kids. It will work great!" "Do you know enough to do that?" Vivian asked, finished with what she could pack. "They will schedule all the hard things in the mornings. I'll get the easy stuff, at first. I do know a lot; but when I learned, it was from books and from a person who knew a lot. I never have had the experience to be with people all the time. I know it will be hard." "Sounds like it," Marcia said. "Maybe I'll be there when your baby is born," Jill said. Marcia looked at Jill with sudden recognition of that possibility. "I guess you could be. I think I'd like that." ------- "I know it's logical," Katy said. "I just don't like it." She snuggled up next to Richard in their bed. "I like having you here." "It will only be one day. Two at the most." "Two! You didn't say anything about two days." "Two days of what?" Dora asked, hearing the words Katy said, instead of just whispers. She was on the other side of Richard and was snuggling just as close as Katy. "Two days of being with just you on that bus," Katy replied. Dora couldn't repress her smile. "Don't look so smug. I know what kind of training Richard has in mind and it doesn't involve using the brakes," Katy said. Even Richard had to laugh at that comment "It doesn't sound like you're terribly upset," Katherine said, after listening to the comments being tossed back and forth. She was on the other side of Katy and the bed was quite full. "No, other than I hate for him to go." "Well, we have to get the bus. It only makes sense to go now, as Keith is flying that direction anyway," Richard said. "Who's going to be his co-pilot for the rest of the trip? Daisy and Pamela are hardly qualified," Katherine asked. Richard grinned. "Jack set something up when he found out I was stopping by the base. He still has connections, and that's why we have to go tomorrow. There's some brass that need to get to Long Beach. Keith is going to take them and get paid in fuel for doing so. It's a good set up for everyone. Of course, I'm a little surprised the military is doing it. They tend to flush money down the toilet, not use it wisely." "What's a brass?" Dora asked. Richard smiled warmly at her. "Military term for those in high rank." "Oh. So, it's important people." "Well, they seem to think so. I can tell you that all of you are more important than any of those I've ever met," Richard said. He was rewarded by three females attacking him with kisses. ------- "Put me down!" Cheryl screamed for maybe the hundredth time. Bob hadn't cared that at least four people had looked out their front door as he walked down the street, with Cheryl slung over his shoulder. She'd been wailing all the way home and he was pretty sure that he might have some bruises on his back, from where she was hitting him. Once the front door was closed and they were in the bedroom, he gently tossed her on the bed. She scrambled to the floor and saw him in the doorway. "Let me out of here," she demanded. "You're not going anywhere, until you start behaving." Her eyes were as hard as he'd ever seen them, her voice undeniably harsh. "Fine. Then I'm going to make your life miserable. You'd better just get... Wait! Don't you shut that door on me!" Cheryl ran over to the bedroom door and tried it, but Bob, no small man, was on the other side, holding it tight. "You can't do this!" Cheryl screamed. "He's... You heard him talking with her! Damn you, Bob." It tore him up hearing her tirade, and then her crying. He knew deep down it was for the best. She would have said and done things that might have been irreparable. When the sobbing slowed he let go of the door, but didn't open it. He just silently moved away. Sitting on the sofa, facing the bedroom door, he waited. Ten minutes of silence was more than he could stand. She'd never given him the silent treatment. That was something he wasn't sure if he could take. The lashing out, he understood. 'Maybe she's asleep, ' he thought and walked over to the door. Turning the knob gently, he pushed the door open as quietly as possible. As soon as he looked in, his eyes grew wide. "Shit!" he cried when he saw the bedroom window open and his wife nowhere in sight. ------- Chapter 104 Cheryl didn't seem to notice the shocked look on Maureen's face when she barged in through the front door. Patrick looked astonished, and was very wary as well, but for a totally different reason. "Cheryl, what are you doing here?" "I've come to take you back to where you belong," Cheryl answered in an angry tone. Trying to keep things from erupting into something ugly, Patrick said softly, "Please, Cheryl, calm down. Remember what the doctor said?" Cheryl turned and took her eyes off of Maureen. She looked at Patrick. He jumped up as she started to collapse, catching her just before her head hit the coffee table. Maureen and Marion were on their feet as well. Marion's husband, who had been outside during this whole altercation, walked in to find his wife screaming. His sister in law seemed stunned and was looking down at Cheryl, who was lying on the floor. Patrick was at Cheryl's side. "What in the world happened?" he demanded to know. "Get your wagon ready," Patrick said. "Marion run down to the hotel and get the doctor. Now!" A good minute after Marion and her husband were out the door, Maureen asked in a broken voice, "She's... she's not..." "I don't know why she collapsed," Patrick said stroking the loose strands of hair away from Cheryl's face. "She's breathing." He paused and then added, "I just hope..." on the edge of tears, the only part of the sentence that got out was, "the baby." Maureen knelt down beside them and touched Patrick's hand that was against Cheryl's face. "I never meant to..." "Maureen," Patrick said, but never got to finish, as the doctor rushed in the open front door. "Is her breathing regular?" William asked as he crossed the room. Patrick nodded, not trusting his voice. He stood, letting William take his place beside Cheryl. Maureen took hold of Patrick's hand. Looking into his eyes, she saw fear she'd never seen before in him. Pulling him towards herself, she held him in a strong embrace. Marion cleared her throat. Maureen looked at her sister, annoyed. Maureen knew what her sister thought when she saw her hands wrapped around Patrick. She was comforting him. Well, ok, it did feel good. Very good, in fact. But still, that was not the reason, nor the intent of the hug. All that Patrick had just told her sort of evaporated, as though her anger was a distant memory. This just happened to have a very nice side benefit is all. Maureen was not going to let go, no matter what her sister thought. After getting the horse and wagon ready, Marion's husband stepped in behind his wife. He was ready to speak, when he too caught sight of Maureen. William looked up from his watch after taking Cheryl's pulse. He saw Patrick and Maureen and cleared his throat. "Patrick, we need to get her out to the plane, quickly. Her blood pressure is low, and I'm worried." Turning to the door, he saw Marion and her husband, Fred. "Have another horse?" When he got an affirmative response, he added, "Ride to the Mansion, and tell Katherine to get Jill. Have both of them meet me out at the plane. I want them there as soon as we arrive." Patrick had pulled away from Maureen, and helped the doctor lift and move Cheryl out to the wagon, as the doctor was talking. They draped her in the back, with her feet hanging over the back end. William pointed and said, "Sit back there with her and cradle her head. We don't need her falling out. Now do you know your blood type?" Patrick shook his head and answered, "No. They tried..." He was cut off by Maureen who said, "I do. Mine's O-negative. That's universal, isn't it?" "Yes, it is. Get in with me, I'll need you along." "You know your blood type?" Marion asked her sister. "Why on earth do you know that?" She didn't get an answer, as the doctor already had the wagon in motion. ------- "What happened this time?" Jill asked. Some of her adrenalin feeling was from the excitement of helping and having the doctor wanting her to be there. Another part of her, the empathetic part, knew that since they were called out to the plane again then something bad had happened. "I don't know," Katherine answered as she started up her car. "Fred just burst in the front door, yelled that you and I needed to get to the plane, and ran back outside. Knowing what could have happened between all those people, it is hard to tell. You know as well as I, that Cheryl was not very level headed when she left. Just look at what she did to Patrick." Jill winced, thinking about that. If Cheryl could get angry enough with Patrick, whom she adored, to smack him with a frying pan; then what could she do to that other woman? Luckily for Jill, she didn't have much time to dwell on that. The distance across the valley to the plane was short. When they arrived, there was a horse with grounded reins, but no one to be seen. As Katherine and Jill stepped out of the car, they saw the feet of a man on the other side of the plane. He was walking around it. They were distracted from that by the sound of a wagon being driven across the valley towards them. "That'll be the doctor." "What's wrong?" Katherine asked. Jill was nodding, wanting to know as well. "Something happened with Cheryl. I was outside. When I came in, my wife and Maureen were standing, but she was on the floor. Patrick told me to get the wagon ready, and the doctor told me to get you two. I don't know too much more than that," he said. It was frustrating, knowing just a piece of the puzzle. The three stood in silence. They watched as the wagon come closer and then stopped in front of them. William jumped out, and started shouting orders. He threw the keys to Jill, and told her to open the plane's door, turn on the generator, and then the lights. She was glad that he'd shown her where they were, last time. William and Patrick were getting Cheryl off the wagon. William took the opportunity to talk to Katherine. "Looks like she fainted. Her blood pressure is very low. We need to get some blood into her. Maureen's is O-negative. Ever run a transfusion line between two patients before?" "Once, in Red Cross training class. I used a... transfusion syringe for the procedure." "Then you know what you are doing. That's all there is to know." William answered, and explained to her where she would find the transfusion syringe they would need. Katherine was already up the stairs, as soon as he'd finished speaking. She wanted to get as much done as possible before they laid Cheryl on the table. Not knowing what else to do, Maureen had followed Katherine up the stairs. As soon as Katherine was in the operatory, she noticed her shadow. Jill was already inside, but now did not know what to do next. "Maureen... on the table. Jill, pull up her sleeve. It needs to be all the way up. If it can't go up that high, she'll need to remove her blouse." "I will not!" Maureen exclaimed. "Then cut the sleeve off," Katherine said in a monotone, no nonsense voice. "But this blouse... You can't cut it," Maureen protested. Katherine gave Jill a look, letting her know she was in charge of the situation, and there was no further discussion needed about the subject. "As soon as her arm is free, let me know. I'll give you some gauze soaked in antiseptic. You will need to scrub her arm. Six inches, up and down from her elbow. Then I have another solution to put on her. Now get a move on," Katherine said, not even looking to see if Jill had started or not. She was busy opening drawers and pulling out what she thought they might need. Jill unbuttoned the sleeve, but knew right away it was useless. The blouse was too form fitting. As she pulled the sleeve back down, she wondered if this was put on for Patrick's sake. Then she came back to the task at hand. Looking Maureen in the eye asked, "Sleeve cut off, or are you going to remove it?" Maureen looked a bit pale. This was her mother's blouse, and it was very special to her. She couldn't cut it. The idea of disrobing in front of these women... It had to be done. She quickly unbuttoned her blouse, and had it down. Jill was helping her, suddenly Jill felt Maureen try and pull the blouse back up. Jill was not going to put up with this. She had a job to do and didn't want the doctor to think less of her. Suddenly, Jill understood. Patrick and William were walking in with Cheryl. Patrick, who was walking backward, saw Maureen with her blouse down and her bra on display. He stopped, forgetting what he was doing. "Patrick! Move!" William called. "We need to get Cheryl on the table, and then you need to tell Bob he can come in." Patrick jerked as if awakened suddenly. Jill felt Maureen relax and saw her smile. Maureen was once again pulling off her blouse. "Bob's here?" Katherine asked William as he and Patrick were moving Cheryl to the table. "Yes. He rode up just after you went inside. That's what took us so long to get in. I had to explain what was going on, and then make him promise to stay outside until we got things set up. This plane is built for a couple of people, not a visitation ward. Maureen's sister's husband, I can never remember his name,... I told him to go home. We don't need any more people hanging about," William said, not very happy about the delay. "Jill, let's get this off," Maureen said at the same time William was talking to Katherine. Jill understood the feeling. She'd felt it before, at the base. The need to fit in, to feel special, wanted. Jill nodded more to herself, than to Maureen. She knew what it was like to want something so badly you would almost do anything to get it, even if it wasn't the right thing to do. The time in the barracks, Jill had caved in. She couldn't see how it could have hurt her. Thankfully for her, Liz had been there, helping. Pulling the blouse up, and not down, shocked Maureen. This isn't what Jill had been trying to do before and not what she wanted now. Patrick had... Well, he'd almost dropped Cheryl! She was going to... "Maureen, turn towards me," Jill said. "What?" "I said turn towards me. Now we..." Jill looked around and spotted a lab coat. "Here, this is just what we need." Maureen groaned as Jill took hold of the coat and brought it to her. This was going to ruin everything. Jill even held it open, cutting off the view between Patrick and herself. Damn that girl! "Now you can remove your top with a little privacy," Jill said softly. Maureen was furious, but there was little she could say. It wasn't proper to come out and say she wanted Patrick to look, even if it was just what she wanted. Giving a big sigh, Maureen pulled off her blouse, and allowed Jill to slip the coat onto her. Rolling up the coat's sleeve, Jill now was able to clean the woman's arm, getting it ready for the transfusion. When Jill turned around, she realized that everyone was waiting on her. At this point William took over. He first asked Patrick to help him move the two tables together. Jill and Patrick watched as William and Katherine set everything into motion. The two checked on the blood pressure of both donor and patient, and then inserted the hypodermic needles. William took hold of the syringe, and started the flow of blood. Patrick had to look away while they did that, but Jill watched every moment of it. She wanted to take in everything she could. It was almost a half an hour into the procedure that Cheryl slowly opened her eyes. Bill was at her head, and in an excited whisper said, "She's waking!" William moved over to Cheryl. "You gave us a scare, young lady," he said as a matter of course. Cheryl felt like she was in some sort of dream. Her eyes were open, but everything seemed still a bit fuzzy. She saw her husband. He said something, but she didn't hear what it was. Then the doctor looked at her. He was close. Something about being scared. It didn't make sense to her. Cheryl's head sort of fell to the right and there was... Maureen! She closed her eyes, and opened them back again. Then she blinked. William, after hearing the tale from Patrick and Bob, was sure Cheryl was anxiety prone right now. Seeing her head move, and then expression change on her face, William stepped in. He took hold of Cheryl's head and moved it back upright. She tried to fight, but had no strength to do so. "Cheryl. Now try and pay attention. Can you hear me?" William asked. She nodded. "You fainted. Do you remember that?" She shook her head, and then closed her eyes. That hurt. "You fainted, and Patrick was able to catch you as you fell. When I got there and took your pulse, it was weak. Do you understand that?" Cheryl's eyes moved. She wanted to see Patrick. When she caught sight of him, she smiled, and nodded gently. "We are giving you a direct transfusion. That means you are getting blood from another person, directly. It is the quickest way to make sure nothing more happens." The words were clear to Cheryl now and she looked into the doctor's eyes. For the first time she spoke. "Nothing more?" "You fainted. We don't know why. My first concern is you, but I have to tell you..." Cheryl understood, and tears started streaming before she could get the words, "My baby," out of her mouth. "Cheryl, don't get worked up. It is important for you to stay calm. Do you think you can do that?" Cheryl looked like she was working hard at concentrating. Her eyes moved to her side, to where Maureen was. "Cheryl, she volunteered to give you her blood," William said as gently as he could. Cheryl's eyes went wide in disbelief. "Cheryl," Patrick added, "when you fainted, Maureen was very concerned about your baby." "Is she awake?" Cheryl asked, although her words were somewhat slurred. It had taken all she had to respond. Her eyelids were closing whether she wanted them to or not. "Doctor!" Bob said watching his wife drop off. "Don't worry, Bob, she's doing fine. This is going to take some time. We have to go slow, so that Cheryl or Maureen don't have any problems. We might be here up to four hours." "Four hours!" Jill said. "I never realized it would take so long." "Jill, have you ever had too much to drink, all at once?" William asked. She looked sheepish and answered, "Yes." "How did it make you feel?" "Like I was bloated. It wasn't a very good feeling." "That's your stomach. Just think, if we pumped in a lot of liquid into Cheryl's veins all at once." "Doesn't sound good." "No, it wouldn't be. If we let a pint in slowly, her body has a chance to deal with this much. That is why we are checking the vitals on both of them. We can't pull more than that out of Maureen either." ------- Pamela talked to Jimmy, sitting next to her. She talked to Robin, across from her and sitting next to me. She wouldn't look, much less talk to me at dinner. She had heard we were going in the morning. She knew it would happen, knew I didn't have a real choice; but she made me feel like a real heel. At bedtime, Daisy went with me over to the new house to say goodnight. When I walked into her room and Pamela saw me, she turned away from me. I was about to say something, when Daisy tapped me on the shoulder. Turning to look at her, she took my arm and pulled me back. Whispering, Daisy said, "Go say goodnight to Elizabeth and Kristina. I know that might take a bit," She smiled evilly at me, and then added, "Pamela will be ready when you come back." I took her advice, thinking, 'If a sister can't do something, then who can?' Elizabeth and Kristina were waiting for me and grinned as soon as I stepped into their room. "Come sit here," Elizabeth said, patting a spot on her bed. Somehow I knew I was in trouble. I sat and she scooted herself onto my lap, wiggling her cute little ass. She knew she was going to get a reaction and my dick didn't disappoint her. As soon as she felt it come to life, she looked up at me with her innocent eyes. "Kiss me?" "I'm glad that's all you asked for; because that is a question I can say yes to." She grinned, closed her eyes, and tilted her head up towards mine. I somehow knew this was not going to be a quick peck on the cheek. Sometimes you just have to suffer through it. Ok, so there wasn't any suffering going on. I just didn't let it get out of hand. Kristina was out of her bed and on top of my lap as soon as her sister vacated the spot. She grinned as soon as she sat down. "My sister gets you all ready and I get to enjoy it," Kristina said. Then she giggled when I groaned at her statement. "Kiss me too?" I did before setting her off my lap and onto the bed. I was slowly getting to the threshold of my control. These two were dangerous. I was going to have to talk to Stephanie and find out who was teaching them. My pants were still tented when I peeked into Pamela's room. Jimmy had been in the room, in the bed, when I first looked in. Now he was missing. Pamela had been waiting for me. She looked into my face and then down to my crotch. I saw the grin appear on her face. "I see you had fun down the hall," she said. I was embarrassed, but if she would talk to me now, it was well worth it. "I think I'm going to have a talk with Stephanie. Those two know more than they should." "Why do you think it was Stephanie?" Pamela asked innocently. I groaned and she giggled at me. Then I asked, "Where's Jimmy?" This time there was no humor in her voice. She was serious when she answered me. "Daisy took him for a walk. She said we needed to talk." "Yes, we do. You know I don't have any choice but to take you to your father. I wish I didn't need to, but..." "I know," Pamela said sadly. "Pamela, I want you to know Robin and I love you dearly. We don't want to let you go." I took her and held her in my arms. She was starting to cry. I soon had water in my own eyes, ready to spill out. "If there is anything we can do to keep you, we will. I do feel you're my daughter and I love you in a way unlike I have ever loved anyone else." "I'm your first child?" Pamela asked. "I guess so. We didn't have you and you're not young enough for either of us to have had you, but that doesn't matter. I feel respon... No, that isn't the right word. I feel love. So much love that it would rip me up, to have you leave my life." "Then don't take me. Let me stay here," Pamela said in a determined voice. "Honey, you know I can't do that. For one, it is against the law. I just hope your dad, whatever he wants, is reasonable about it. I can't bear the thought of losing you." I sat with Pamela, rocking her on my lap until she fell asleep. As soon as I tucked her in, Jimmy put his head around the corner of the door. "Is she asleep?" Jimmy whispered. I nodded. He, very quietly, entered and after undressing, climbed onto the bed. I was amazed at how he worked not to disturb her. "It shows," I said softly. "Shows?" he quizzed. "Your love for her." Jimmy broke into a smile big enough to light the countryside. His smile faded as fast as it came and I knew he was going to ask a question. "You're going to bring her back with you, aren't you?" "Jimmy, I'm not going to lie to you. The answer to that question is that I don't know. That answer scares me as much as it does you. I don't want to lose her either. She'll come back if I have any say in it. Unfortunately, I'm not the last word." "Jimmy" Pamela said in a half asleep voice. He put his arm around her and she dropped her head back down on the pillow. I walked out the door and down the stairs, feeling no better than when I walked into the house. Daisy was outside, waiting for me. "Want to take a walk?" she asked. "I'd love to," I answered. We started walking towards the front of the Mansion, but then stopped. In the distance we could see the lights of Katherine's car coming our way. We walked to where the cars were usually parked and waited. Instead of stopping and parking near us, Katherine pulled up and Jill started to get out. Daisy and I ran over to the car. Inside were Katherine, Cheryl, Maureen, and William. I know I had my eyebrows raised, seeing Cheryl and Maureen sitting next to each other. "I'm taking them home," Katherine said hastily. I realized later, that she didn't want anyone to ask any questions about the two women. I did have one question though. "I thought you came out in a wagon. Where's that?" "Patrick is driving it back. Bob rode out as well and he's following Patrick. They'll be along any minute." Katherine answered. True to her word, we heard and then saw them go past us. "You're doing ok?" Daisy asked Cheryl. "Yes," she answered, and then got a very sad look on her face. "We won't know anything about the baby for the next few days though." "I bet he will be fine," Daisy said with such confidence that Cheryl smiled. "I hope so," Cheryl answered. "We've got to go and get these two in bed. It's been a rough day for both of them," Katherine said. I didn't need to be told twice. I pulled my head out of the car and closed the door. They drove off immediately. "Jill," I asked, "are you going to tell us what happened?" She took a big sigh, "Only if I can to do it just once. I'm pooped." Daisy and I readily agreed that if she told us, we would tell everyone else, so she didn't need to. Jill told us the background of what had happened and then all about the transfusion. We could tell she was the most excited about that part. The one thing she was told that apparently Cheryl didn't know was that if there was going to be a problem the baby would most likely abort in the next day. That was a very somber thought, knowing what it did to Kristin when that had happened. Jill also explained all the things William did. He had told Jill that he didn't expect any problems, but one couldn't always know for sure. Part of being a doctor was preparing for what you may never have to use. ------- The morning bustle was at full swing, but the tension could be felt. It looked to me that any excuse anyone could come up with to touch Pamela, or even just to look at her, they did. It was getting on Pamela's nerves, I could tell. "Richard," I said, "are you ready to go? I think we'll leave in about thirty minutes." That got everyone's attention, fast. Soon every person in the Mansion was downstairs. Kristin and Liz started what I saw was a well orchestrated event. Liz, Kristin, Mary, Beth Ann, Dora, Katy, Annabelle, Julie, Tiffany, Vicki, Jill, Sarah, Vivian, Marcia, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth had lined up. Each one said something to Pamela. When it was over, Pamela was a crying mess. Her sister, who had been standing by her wasn't much better off. The two who, I knew, would turn Pamela into a pool of tears hadn't yet spoken to her. Robin and Jimmy were waiting for a more intimate time. If there was any doubt she was loved, this should take care of that. Katy came up to me, "Keith, I'm going to drive Richard and Dora out to the plane." I looked at her in surprise. "I've been practicing," she said defensively. "It will also give Robin and Jimmy time to say what they want to Pamela and Daisy in private, while you drive them out. I can then drive Robin and Jimmy back with me." I gave her a little smile, which was about as much as I could muster, and nodded. Taking Robin by the hand, I called for Jimmy, Pamela, and Daisy. They came running after. Outside, beyond the dull roar of voices, I said it was time. We were all going to drive out to the plane. Jimmy got the look of hope in his eye, so I told him that his mom would be bringing he and Robin back, as she'd be driving Richard and Dora out. His shoulders drooped, but Pamela took his hand and led him over to the car. I didn't pack anything for any of us. I hadn't wanted to. That, in itself, was my way of trying to stay optimistic. As soon as the car started to move, Pamela said, "It felt like everyone was saying goodbye to me." I stopped the car, turned and looked at her in the back seat. She was being held by Jimmy. "I didn't see it that way and I don't think that's what anyone intended. They wanted you to know just how much they loved you and how much you mean to all of us," I said. "Isn't that what you felt, Daisy?" Daisy nodded. Robin began to talk at that point. I waited for a moment to drive. I knew when Robin started with Daisy and herself, when they were babies that this was going to take a while. When she got to Pamela's birth, there wasn't a dry eye in the car and I'm not sure I could have driven straight. I did sober up and start the car, when I became embarrassed about Robin talking about my time with Pamela on the base. Daisy was at least laughing at the point of Pamela, naked in my arms, wondering what was poking at her. For Robin, she was going over history and reminding Pamela and Daisy how much she had been part of their lives and how we all had become part of their lives. She ended with how she wasn't willing to let that end. We were at the plane and had been for a few minutes. Jimmy must have taken his clue from his sister and started telling Pamela what Dora had told him about him not being worthy of her. He said how he thought long and hard about that. Then he described in emotional detail that rarely comes from a man of any age, the first time he looked out the door of his house, when she returned from her surgery. Robin, Daisy, and I looked at each other and decided it was time to get out of the car, leaving Pamela and Jimmy to have some private time together. Katy, Richard and Dora arrived. As they stepped out of their car, Dora pointed to ours and then turned to say something to Katy. Robin, Daisy and I looked and had to stifle our laughter. The windows were steamed up in the back. Richard, Katy, and Dora walked over to us. "Well," Katy said, "I wonder what's going on in there." I raised my eyebrows at her, "He's your son. I'd be worried if I were you. They might not have their clothes on." Daisy and Robin were laughing their heads off as Katy reacted, ran over and pulled the car door open on the two. Pamela and Jimmy had been leaning against the door and almost fell to the ground. They were slightly embarrassed, but Katy was crimson. She turned to me and shook her head. "One of these days, buster." "Me?" I said innocently. While our playful interchange was going on, Daisy was explaining to Jimmy and her sister why Katy had pulled the door open so suddenly. Even they thought it was a bit funny. "Out here?" Jimmy asked. "With everyone around?" "Would that be different than the time at the base, or at your old house?" I asked him. "Well everyone was... doing something, too," Jimmy said in justification. In a strange sort of way, it did make sense. Richard and I were soon in the midst of the pre-flight checklist. Robin poked her head into the cockpit, as we were just about finished. "What am I going to do, not knowing what is going on?" she said. "It's going to drive me crazy." "Plan my wedding then," I said. She blinked and then said, "Your what?" "If I remember right, Beth Ann and I have a wedding to plan. Why don't the two of you figure out the details? Her folks need to be invited, so it has to be something more than what I did with Liz and Kristin." "You don't think your sisters will be upset with that?" Richard asked. "They know it had to be different with them. So no, I don't think so. What do you think, Robin?" "I'll ask and find out. Maybe including them in the planning might be good." "Don't make it too much of a fuss," I said. "Oh, and why not?" Robin asked me. "I don't want hers to be any more special than ours was," I replied. Robin broke into a big smile and said, "Keith, I don't ever think I'll forget that day." I had to laugh. Richard snickered as well. "Besides all of the strange things that went on," Robin said shooting a glance to Richard, "I got to marry my prince. Nothing could ever take away from that." I had to clear my throat. "I'm more in love with you today than I've ever been. I hope you know how special you are to me." "Just bring back our daughter," Robin said softly, but with conviction. I could only nod, not trusting my voice. Once in the air, Richard looked over to me. "Robin gave you quite an ultimatum." "I just wish I knew what was going on with Robert. No word and then a letter like that shows up. I haven't slept well since and that's part of why I pushed to go down there now. It's driving me crazy." Richard reached over and touched my shoulder. "I understand. If something like this happened to me, and I had to take Jimmy off to meet his father not knowing the outcome... In a way I'm fortunate. That can never happen. It would tear me up, though." It didn't take long to land at the base. There was a Jeep waiting for Richard and Dora. One of the guys he knew from maintenance was the driver. We said our good byes and they left. "What do we do now?" Daisy asked. "Wait for the person to show up," I said. The first to show up was the fuel truck. They filled up the plane and I felt good about that. It saved me a lot of money. Waiting, on the other hand, was driving me a bit crazy. None of these guys knew a thing about anyone flying out with me, although they joked about wanting to get off of the base for a bit. They were long gone when one of the hangers that was close to us opened its door just enough for a Jeep to get though. It raced up to our plane. A man and a woman got out quickly. The Jeep didn't wait around. The driver left as abruptly as he had arrived. The man and woman had already disappeared into our plane when I turned around to say something to them. 'What the hell is going on?' I thought to myself. Walking back into the plane, the two newcomers were standing just inside the door, almost like statues. The man turned and looked at me. I recognized him in an instant. Then it started fitting together. He wasn't supposed to be here and from pictures I'd seen, this was not his wife. The man spoke, slowly and quietly to me. "Keith, I didn't know there would be children on this flight. I thought we were going to be... well, alone." "General, don't worry about a thing. These two have more worries on their mind right now than you do. I don't think they will remember you two at all." Turning towards me the woman asked, "What could worry those two so much?" "Their father, who they haven't seen in some time, wrote them a letter and asked them to come see him. He felt it was important," I responded. "You don't have the tone of voice that says you agree with that." "Yes," the woman said, "you seem... almost bitter." "Those two lost their mother to cancer. Their father couldn't take her death and disappeared. No one had a clue what happened to him for some time." "You mean he abandoned his children?" the woman said in disbelief. "Now, after some time of no communication, he sends this letter. My wife and I have taken them under our wings. We've grown to love them..." The woman took hold of my hands. "You don't want to lose them and you're afraid that might happen. Douglas?" "There is little I can do. Keith, good luck. That's about all I can help with. Now, can we get this bird into the air?" "You two can fly, but I'm going back to chat with the girls." She said leaving me with the General. I pulled the outside door closed and secured it. We went into the cockpit and I went through the pre-flight checklist. Normally, I wouldn't have done this after a short stop, but I had just picked up... Boy, doesn't life get strange? We were up in the air within minutes of calling the tower and I adjusted my heading towards Long Beach. Occupied is a nice way of saying what was going on in the back of the plane. The General sitting next to me had said early on in the flight that his 'friend' had not been married, but adored children. I looked back at one point and could see Pamela laughing. Whatever was going on, it was good. They were being occupied, distracted to the point of forgetting the inevitable. Up front, we didn't talk all that much. I'm sure the General sitting next to me didn't want to try and explain what he was doing here. I'd seen the newspaper articles, as well as the military propaganda. This man was no stranger, yet I had never met him personally. There had been hints that he and his secretary were close, a bit too close. I didn't care. It was none of my business. Personally, I didn't want people in my affairs, so why should I pry into theirs? I had noticed that he was paying close attention to the gauges. About an hour into the flight he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. It had a set of coordinates. Looking at what I had on my flight plan and what he handed me, I roughly figured we'd be off course from the Long Beach Navel Station at least seven miles. He saw my puzzled look. I wasn't in the military any longer and didn't have to just accept orders without question. "Nellis is a small base and I know the commander well. Long Beach is a different story. It wouldn't look good for me to fly in, with a private plane." He didn't need to mention the passenger in the back; that was understood. "Keith, I understand you know one of the men at the field we'll be landing at," he went on. "He was your flight instructor." I looked truly surprised and he laughed. "You don't think that I could just get on any plane that landed and said they had room to fly me someplace, do you?" In reality, I had never thought about it, but he was right. "Men like you, Keith, never stay in the military. Although the military would be in much better shape if they did." "I'm not sure if I agree with that. Change doesn't come from the people down in the ranks," I responded. He chuckled, "Jack told me you were a bit outspoken." "You talked with him?" "One of several people. When you get into my position you need to be careful. There are people who regularly take care of these things, but when... Shall we say that prying eyes and wagging tongues need not be around, I must take care of those details myself." "I understand, sir." Laughter filled the cockpit. "Jack said you would. I know a few things about him and Cynthia. A bit odd if you ask me, but it takes all kinds. As long as the right ones match up, why should I care?" "I'm beginning to understand Jack and Cynthia's relationship a lot more, recently," I said. "Oh, want to elaborate?" After changing course, adding a bit of compensation for our conversation so far, I told him of Sarah. I didn't use her name, or who she was related to. The idea that she wanted, needed, almost forced me into disciplining her; was something I couldn't grasp at first. He let me talk. So I told him how she thanked me, afterwards, and how I couldn't believe it. Then I said her sister explained things to me. That was a bit harder to word right, without letting on any identities. "Sounds like you are doing what was needed: paying attention and following through. The one thing that tells me is that the stories I have heard about you, are true. Keith, it upset you to think you had hurt someone. That speaks greatly of you." I felt a bit uneasy getting a complement from him. Well, admittedly, I always felt uneasy about complements. Now what was it I had told Jill about that? The rest of the trip was just some small talk, until we got closer. He took over the controls as I was spending my time as copilot, talking to the tower. It was understandable. His voice was not one that could show up on the radio for anyone tuned in to hear. ------- "He said what?" Beth Ann asked, her eyes as wide as they could go. "He wants us to plan the wedding," Robin said and then teased, "Unless you don't want to." Beth Ann took a playful swat at Robin, missing her by a long shot. Robin turned, knowing everyone else in the bedroom had heard. "I think it would be fun to have everyone in on this." "You want your brother helping?" Liz said. Robin picked up a pillow and flung it at her, while saying, "Of course not!" Kristin and Mary burst into giggles, grabbing pillows as well. It looked like the perfect opportunity. Soon pillows were flying through the air and laughter brought the curious up to knock on the door. Not getting an answer; Jill, with Sarah, and Marcia right behind her, opened the door. The timing couldn't have been better. Jill got a pillow right in her face and Sarah and Marcia couldn't help but laugh. Kristin closed the door after seeing Jill turn and run after the two down the hall. Kristin acted like she was being benevolent, but in reality, she'd seen the loose pillow that was at the door edge and wanted the weapon. The game went on for a few more minutes, until the build up of heat made them stop. "It's hot in here," Kristin said shamelessly. She removed her blouse and tossed it. Then she looked around with a 'dare you to' look on her face and unzipped her skirt. "Little hussy," Beth Ann said behind Kristin By the time Kristin turned around to say something back to Beth Ann, she realized Beth Ann was wearing less than she was. Kristin laughed. Mary, Liz, and Robin were in competition to not be the last one with clothing on. There was a good deal of laughter at the beginning, but as each of them fully undressed, they quieted. There was soon a circle of five naked gals looking at each other. The smell of sexual excitement hung in the air. The question was how to start. ------- Without Keith, or her best friend Pamela, Stephanie was out of sorts. She might have talked to Jimmy, but he was curled up in his bed and wanted to be left alone. Elizabeth was playing cards with her sister. She didn't have the connection with Pamela that Stephanie did. There wasn't the sense of loss such as that which Stephanie was feeling right then. She'd just watched Marcia and Sarah being chased outside by Jill. Vivian had been on the porch laughing her head off, watching them. Stephanie smiled at that, knowing Vivian had to go home today and how those four were having a good time together. She needed Keith, but he wasn't there. Her mom wasn't either. Her mom was with Richard. Stephanie sighed. Then she started looking for her other comforter, Robin. Inside the main house, she heard some thumps on the floor and knew someone was in Robin's bedroom. If nothing else, they might know where she was. Stephanie walked up the stairs, down the hall, and opened the door. She didn't wait for protocol. Stepping into the room, she closed the door, and within seconds had her clothes on the floor. The five watched Stephanie in amazement. Not needing to think what to do, Stephanie simply acted on her need. She ran to Robin, and held her arms high, expecting to be picked up. Robin obliged, but was a bit surprised when Stephanie's arms and legs wrapped around her so tightly. It was only when Robin felt the drop of a tear hit her bare shoulder, that she knew something was wrong. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" "Pamela, Keith... even my mom is gone." Robin, initially, had been struggling with holding Stephanie. The girl was not much smaller than Robin herself. Robin and Stephanie were now surrounded. Each one of the others held onto a part of Stephanie. It was almost as if all the weight had been lifted. Robin wondered if Stephanie felt that same feeling. There were little kisses, as well. Then Stephanie turned her head, leaned forward and gave Robin a big kiss. The gentle touches that Stephanie had first received were becoming more and more aggressive. As soon as the sounds of appreciation had been voiced, hands were running wild. Stephanie knew not whose were all the hands on her anymore, but more than enough were. With her legs still wrapped around Robin, it left her wide open. The invitation was eagerly taken by someone behind her. Stephanie found herself being pulled away from Robin. Then they laid her down onto the mattresses that covered the floor. The gals hadn't said a word to each other, but all of them had the same thought. Make sure Stephanie forgets everything outside of this room. It started with gentle kisses. Kristin and Mary each took Stephanie's hands and started with her fingers. Liz and Beth Ann did the same with her feet, kissing her toes. Stephanie tried not to laugh, but the toe kissing was starting to tickle. That's when she felt Robin kiss her neck. Stephanie whimpered and everyone else smiled. Kristen and Mary progressed to the palms, and then the arms. Liz and Beth Ann were up to Stephanie's knees. Robin had kissed all around the girl's neck and then her ears. Stephanie's body shuddered. Both the sensuous ministrations and the anticipation were almost too much. Kristin couldn't hold back any longer and placed her lips over Stephanie's small but hard nipple. Gasping at just that and knowing there would be a lot more to come, Stephanie wondered if she could handle it all. Mary couldn't leave Kristin with all the fun and joined her, partaking of Stephanie's other breast. Robin was now kissing across her eyelids. It was almost a mental telepathy between Robin and Liz. For Beth Ann had opened Stephanie's legs and started kissing up the inside of her thigh. Liz quietly, and unseen by Stephanie, stood and walked over to the dresser. Robin smiled at Liz and turned Stephanie's head away from that viewpoint. Robin cupped one ear and whispered into the other as Liz opened the drawer. When Robin saw Liz returning, she started her kissing again, shielding Stephanie's eyes from anything that was going on around her. Beth Ann had found Stephanie's center and was joyfully making the girl squirm. As Stephanie built up from one small orgasm to the next, they increased in magnitude. After Stephanie's fourth, Liz touched Beth Ann and they moved back. Stephanie tried to lift her head to find out what was going on, but Robin prevented her from doing so. "Stephanie," Liz said as she moved to where Beth Ann had been. "Remember, Keith is always with you, for he is always with us." After saying that, Liz touched the dildo that she was holding to the very wet entrance. Stephanie wasn't sure what was going on at first, but then Liz slid the dildo across her clit. Stephanie recognized the shape, the form, and the feel of that toy. She moaned loudly. As Liz slid it back, and then ran circles around Stephanie's opening, the moaning became louder and more urgent. "In!" Stephanie cried. Liz complied and Robin clamped her lips to Stephanie's at the same time. They were all a bit startled when Stephanie arched herself up into the air. When Robin's mouth was pulled away, the others could hear the noise she had been muffling. Then, just as suddenly, Stephanie dropped. She'd passed out. "Wow!" Kristin said. "I'd like an orgasm like that." "Not on your life," Robin said to her. "Not until after your baby is born." "Well, I'm not pregnant," Beth Ann said. "Me neither," Mary chimed in. "Neither what?" Stephanie said in a sleepy, sated voice. ------- Richard was not surprised to find the bus in the maintenance yard. He had slipped a few dollars to one of his buddies to move the bus and hold onto it in a safe place until he returned. At the time, he had no idea he'd be returning with Dora. Rolling his eyes, Richard wasn't surprised at the reception. Everyone who worked there was out in the yard, and was making comments. Most were directed at Richard, but a few were about the gal that would put up with him. None of those guys had met Katy. They didn't know any differently than to assume that Dora was his wife. Richard didn't tell them otherwise, as he thought of her as such. Dora, realizing some of those comments were directed towards her as Richard's wife, was nervous. As Richard went on accepting the comments as true, she preened, openly accepting her role as his wife. It made her feel very warm and comfortable. It also started to make her a little wet. She was very concerned about that. She knew that her scent was potent. The guys laughed as they watched her pull at Richard's arm, getting him to the bus. "What's the hurry?" Richard asked. "I'm..." Richard had set her on the first stair of the bus. Before she could finish, he already knew. "Excited?" Dora blushed. "I like having them call you my wife, too." "You're trying to get me in trouble. The whole yard is going to smell me soon if you keep talking like that," Dora said in a weak voice. "You just stay here, I'll be back in a minute." "Don't worry, I'm not moving from here." Richard walked back to the group of men still in the yard. "She's a looker," one of them said. "And taken," Richard responded. They all laughed. "Found a couple of things," the sergeant said and winked at Richard, "Thought you might have left them here." They walked into one of the open building. Just then a boy on a bike rode into the yard, his bell ringing. He stopped in front of them, pulled out a small stack of the latest military propaganda sheets, and then he was off. "Who's that?" Richard asked. "The base commander's son. Rank has privilege they say. Gave his kid a job delivering these things." "Does it on his bike," Richard said more to himself than anyone else. "Yeah, that kid goes all over the base on that thing. It's a wonder he hasn't been run over yet. Least he's smart enough not to get on the landing strip." Richard was already thinking of Jimmy and Brian on bikes. Then he almost laughed as he thought of the trouble those two could get into that way. Richard was pulled back to the present with some questions about all the items strewn across the tabletop. To the untrained eye, it was a mess. To Richard, it was someone's attempt at disguising what was really there. Just as it took no more than twenty minutes to do the average job sent to them, it routinely took them two hours. No one outside of maintenance had a clue as to what went on inside that yard. These men were masters of deception as well as top flight mechanics. "Anything look like it might be yours?" Richard fought back a laugh, but couldn't stop the smile. They were offering him several things he wouldn't be able to get his hands on and they all knew it. No one would also miss anything, as this was a very well equipped yard. Not wanting to be greedy, Richard picked up of a couple of items. "Yes, I do remember these," he said. Wooden boxes appeared and were filled. Richard noted that the boxes contained a lot more than what he said he'd 'seen' before. Before he could say anything, each one of the men grabbed a box and quickly walked it over to the back of the bus. They opened the emergency back door and started to slide the boxes into the aisle between the seats. Each one of the men stepped away from the bus after loading their box, with a blush. Richard was the last one to push his box into the back. He then knew why the reaction had taken place. Even though Dora was in the front, her scent was strong even in the back. The sergeant said, "Richard, looks like you need to get on the road... fast." The rest of the men started laughing. Richard started to feel a tinge of embarrassment, but then it turned to pride. "What can I say, guys? She just can't get enough of me." Richard walked to the bus, smiling at the comments that statement brought forth. Inside, he started the bus up and drove it towards the front gate of the base. Richard stopped before they turned the last corner to the base entrance. "Why did you stop?" Dora asked. "I need to move these boxes out of plain sight. If they look inside, they are going to wonder what all this stuff is," Richard responded. "What is all this stuff?" "A sort of wedding present." "Wedding present?" Dora said with her face in disbelief. "Some of these things would take me six months to get a hold of and then I would have a hard time justifying spending the money," Richard said, and pointed to one item in a box just before pushing it under the seat, "We had three of them in the yard. Now they have two. We only used one, the whole time I was there." "And they just gave them to you?" "Well, more like 'long term' borrow." Dora didn't fully understand, but just nodded. She let Richard bend over and push the boxes under the seats by himself. When he said wedding presents, it got her going all over again. She could smell that the bus had that odor of her. Bending down would open things up and she knew Richard. They'd never even get off the base. He'd have her right there. When Richard stood, he made an exaggerated gesture of sniffing. "This bus may be older, but it sure smells good in here." Dora swatted at him, but he jumped back easily, laughing. "You need to get us off this base, before anything happens," she said. "If I'm a good boy and smuggle you off this base," Richard said, now sitting in the driver's seat and acting like a sneaky boy, "what do I get?" Dora giggled, sitting in the seat across the aisle from him. She got caught up in his antics and forgot where she was for a moment. Hiking her skirt, she spread her legs, and said, "This is what you get, little boy." Then the scent hit her. She threw down her skirt, only wafting more of the potent smell out. "Richard! You did that on purpose." He just grinned and drove around the corner and down to the gate. He had done so on purpose and Dora would soon find out why. The MP stopped Richard. He then walked around and waited for Richard to open the door. "You have the papers on this bus?" The MP said as he took a step up. The other MP at the gate looked over and saw his subordinate standing in the bus and looking terrified. Quickly closing the entrance gate, he rushed over, expecting trouble. Pulling the other man back from the bottom step and out of the way, the other MP asked, "What's the problem?" The first MP turned red in the face. The second wasn't amused and took three quick steps up onto the bus. It was then that Dora's scent hit him full force. He looked back out the door to the other MP and realized why the man hadn't moved. "Here's the papers," Richard said as though nothing was out of the ordinary. The MP standing in the bus was feeling a bit lightheaded at this point. He barely glanced at the papers. He moved his head in an automatic response across the interior of the bus and saw Dora. "Ma'am," he said and then exited hastily. The gate was opened and Richard drove off. "That, Richard, was just plain mean!" Dora said, but couldn't contain her laughter. ------- It was a different set of emotions that ran through the group waiting for the train. Everyone had wanted to come down, although Vivian's leaving was truly meaningful to only a few of the occupants of the Mansion. Vivian didn't live in Carp. She had her parents and boyfriend to go back to. She also had close friends here now. The redeeming factor was that she would be coming back during the summer, to spend some more time. Marcia had given her a very fat envelope filled with a long letter, for her to pass on to Scott, so that it could get to Mike. Marcia also made Vivian promise to find out what the boys were planning and what the 'Boy Scout idea' was all about. The thought that Marcia might actually get to see Mike was almost too much for her heart to handle. The whistle blew in the distance. Hugs and kisses ensued. By the time the train had pulled up to the platform, Vivian had gone through two hankies. Marcia yelled for joy when she saw who stepped off the train. Grabbing Vivian by the arm, she briskly walked her over to the large man. "This is my very dear friend. She's returning home. Can you make sure she's..." The man was smiling as soon as he saw Marcia and patted her head, causing her to stop, mid-sentence. "Don't you worry your pretty head none. I be watch'n her. Make sure she's doin' fine, and gets off the right stop." "I know you will," Marcia responded, smiling all the while. Then turning to Vivian, she said, "He's a great big teddy bear. I'm not sure I could have made it down here without his help." Vivian looked at the large man, surprised. She noticed his uneasiness, as well as his slight blush at Marcia's words. She was convinced. He was large, but gentle. Vivian's bags had been stowed. The whistle blew. Vivian gave a last hug to Sarah, Marcia, and Jill, and then jumped on the train. It started to jerk as soon as she took hold. She found a hand holding onto her. She was grateful, as the force of the starting train was more than she'd expected. It was the man. The large man, with a big smile on his face. "You best be comin' in. I'd lose my hide if anything happen to you." Vivian smiled and repressed a laugh, but listened to his sage words. She entered the railroad car and found a seat. ------- As soon as the train pulled away, Jill was over at Katherine's side. "You want to check on Cynthia," Katherine said not as a question, but in acknowledgment of Jill's need. "Yes. I've been dreading and anxious to find out how she is. Luckily, I've had Keith and then Vivian's leaving to occupy my mind this morning, but now..." "Let's go, then," Katherine said. Robin and Katy herded Katherine's children into the cars. Jimmy and Julie wanted to go see Brian and Barbara. Annabelle announced she wanted to talk with Millie. So that was a carload in itself. The others drove back to the Mansion. Julie wanted to know what her mother was going to talk to Millie about. Annabelle gave her daughter a look and didn't answer. Jimmy and Julie decided the best thing to do right then was to run all the way to Brian's house and get there before Julie's mother arrived. Katherine was trying to keep up with the fast pace of Jill's walking. "Slow down," Katherine finally said. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was walking so fast. I should think everything would be fine. No one came and got you." "No one came and got us," Katherine said, knowing it was the right thing to say as the smile appeared on Jill's face. Katherine wanted to see the smile, as the next thing she was about to say would make Jill's pace quicken again. "William told me he was planning on spending the night at Cheryl's house." "He..." Jill started to say. Katherine cut in, "He was there as a precaution. Nothing more." Still, Jill started walking faster. When they arrived, Patrick was outside, sitting on the porch with his bible in his hand. "Good morning, ladies," Patrick said as soon as they were close. "You seem to be in a good mood," Katherine said. "All is well?" Patrick nodded, but then sighed. "Cynthia is well. William checked her out this morning and then left. He said something about talking to Jack about telephones." "So why are you out here?" Jill asked without much tact. Patrick cleared his throat. "Well this is the difficult part." He looked at Katherine. "You know you dropped everyone off here last night. Maureen said she was feeling a bit queasy. William made her spend the night here as well." Jill's eyes grew wide. Katherine said, "Well that's an interesting change of events. So how did it go?" "Last night Cheryl was out like a light as soon as we got her into bed. This morning was a different story." "I'll bet," Jill said. Both Katherine and Patrick gave Jill a look. "Sorry," she responded. Patrick continued, "Right now they are in there talking." "Talking can be good," Katherine said. Patrick looked at her and shook his head. "Well at least they aren't throwing things at each other," Katherine said with a little smile. "They're talking about me," Patrick said remorsefully. "So you're scared," Jill said. "Yes, Jill, I am. ------- We landed without fanfare. No cars waiting, no secret mission. I was just another plane coming in for a landing. That suited me just fine. I knew it was a great relief to my passengers. I had taxied to the hanger that had a large sign for a flight school. That's where I knew my friend would be. After shutting down, I heard the door open. My passengers were gone as quickly as they had arrived. After entering everything I needed into the flight logs, I went into the back. Daisy and Pamela were waiting. There was no laughter or smiles on their faces, at this point. "Come on," I said in resignation to the inevitable. They got up, followed me out of the plane, and into the office attached to the hanger. "Keith!" I heard before I could see the face, but I knew that voice. All of a sudden Sharin had her arms wrapped around me. "It is so good to see you again. Look!" she said, holding out her left hand. That got the girls' attention. There, on her finger, was a nice sized diamond. "We haven't set a date yet, but we expect you to be there for the wedding. You will come, won't you?" Sharin bubbled on. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," I said. Then I added, "Just don't do it when Robin is going to deliver. That would be the world I couldn't miss." "Oh, you are soooo sweet," Sharin said, grinning. She turned to Pamela and Daisy. "It's Pamela, isn't it?" "Yes," Pamela answered simply. "My how beautiful you look. And who is this?" "That is her sister, Daisy. You didn't meet her?" I asked. "I don't think I ever did. I'm sure I would have remembered. So what brings you down our way?" "I have to take these two to the Saint Augustine monastery," I said. Sharin's brow wrinkled. "It's none of my business, but that seems like an odd place for two girls." "Their father is there." There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Sharin said something. "Do you have any idea how far away that is?" Shaking my head, I said, "No. I figured we'd just get a taxi and..." "Keith, it's at least eighteen miles away. That would cost you... a lot." I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't have a lot of choice." "Don't take us," Pamela said. Sharin looked at the girl and quickly got the idea not a one of us was exactly looking forward to this. "I'm putting a note on the door. We don't have any lessons scheduled this afternoon, anyway. I'll take you out there." "Sharin," I started to protest. "Look, Keith. That place is miles from anywhere. It's smack dab in the middle of an orange grove that goes on for miles. If a taxi dropped you off, it would take a long time to get one to come pick you up. I owe you, anyway. This is the least I can do." I sighed heavily. Daisy, Pamela, and I walked outside as Sharin closed up. "What does she owe you for?" Daisy asked. "Robin and I found out a few things that were giving her a hard time. Then I introduced her fiancé to her." Sharin was out the door, placing a note, before any more questions arose. "Luggage?" Sharin queried. "No. I am hoping we won't need any," I said. Sharin just nodded and showed us to her car. We climbed in and she took off. Long Beach was growing. It took us at least seven minutes to get to the edge of the houses and into the country. First were acres of fields. I knew what a few of the crops growing were, and told Daisy and Pamela. Then we drove into the groves of oranges. Large trees with bright green leaves, it was always a lovely sight. That is all we could see on either side of us and a straight road ahead. Breaking the silence, Sharin asked what I knew must have been eating at her. "When we took Pamela up to the university, her mother and father were with her. I remember he drank a bit." "He got drunk, you mean," Daisy said. "Wouldn't have been the first time, or the last." Sharin glanced over to me, a look of surprise on her face. Then she continued. "The mother was going for some tests as well. Then we flew everyone down here. What happened?" "She passed away," I said, feeling the emotions swell up inside of me. "Her husband came down here right after that." Sharin looked over to me again, this time longer than was good. She looked back to the road and had to jerk the car back into position. "You mean he just left his kids? Jesus, Keith." Then realizing what she'd just said glanced into the back seat. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." "It's ok," Pamela said. "We thought he'd died. He just disappeared," Daisy added. "I got a call a few days after he left." "And now you're taking them to him?" "Legally, he's still their father." "Her father," Daisy said. "Daisy, he's still your father, although no longer your guardian," I said. Then I had to explain that to Sharin, telling her that Daisy had already been married. "Wow," was all Sharin said under her breath. "So, like it or not, I'm obligated to take them to their father." "It sounds like no one likes it." "You're right," Pamela said. Sharin was correct about this place being in the middle of nowhere. It took almost forty minutes to drive the two lane roads out into what seemed the center of orange grove country. Suddenly, out of nowhere, we came upon an opening. Set back thirty feet from the road was a wall. It must have been ten feet high and went on forever. "The wall completely encloses the grounds," Sharin said as though she could read my mind. "They had an open house about two months ago. The grounds are absolutely beautiful." "An open house?" Pamela asked. "What's that?" "It's where they opened up the gates and let everyone come in to see the place." "They can't come in at other times?" Pamela asked again. "Oh, no. That was the first time anything like that had ever happened. They were looking for contributions. We heard they were in financial straits. I read about the farmers wanting to buy the land. They say it is a shame to have so much good farm land not in use." We arrived at a road that led into a small parking lot. There were four cars parked there. Two large gates broke up the solid wall. On each side were a few non-descript doors. After parking, we walked up to the gates. There was a buzzer and I pushed it. We waited. It took a few minutes before one of the side doors beside a vehicle gate opened. An imposing man stepped out. "May we help you?" he asked. "I am Keith Patterson and these are Pamela and Daisy..." "Robert's children!" he said, surprised. "I didn't know we were expecting them. They weren't on the schedule." "I thought it best, after the letter he wrote, to bring them down as soon as possible," I replied. He was nodding and I could tell he was thinking. "Well this is most unusual. We would have provided them transportation from the train, of course," he said, and then looked at me. "But it looks like you furnished your own transportation." Turning to the girls, he said, "Come on in with me." Pamela didn't move. Daisy gave her a little push. "Come on, we have to do this," she said. The two scampered in, as if wanting to get it all over with. The man quickly followed them. Before I realized what happened, the door closed. I looked at Sharin, unbelieving. I pounded on the door. No one answered. I ran to the gate, and pressed the buzzer over and over again. No one answered. Finally, I slumped to the ground and cried. Interesting information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_transfusion ------- Chapter 105 Vivian was almost home. Her trip had been pleasant, though introspective. She had been quiet and withdrawn part of the trip but talkative in other parts. There was a certain porter that made sure that she received the attention she needed, just when she needed it. Vivian always giggled when he spoke, as he always seemed to have something to say about Marcia. They had apparently made quite an impression on each other. Vivian couldn't wait to write Marcia and tell her about it. Well... she could wait. There were many 'more pressing things' that had to be done, first. Her parents would take up the rest of today. She would have to go over everything she had done to 'earn' her keep. That would be paramount to them. After satisfying that, she could tell them of the fun things she'd done. She knew that once that initial flurry of information was out, she could get on the phone and talk to Scott. It wouldn't be until the next day that she'd get to see him. She understood her parent's need for attention from her, and in all the past years, spending time with them was good. But now, she would rather spend her first time back home with Scott. This was something new, and she knew her parents would not understand. With these last few minutes of reflection, she started to see the outskirts of Reno. It would only be a few minutes before they stopped. As if confirming her own thoughts, the porter came by and said, "Best be getting ready, Miss Vivian. Stop is com'n up soon." "Why thank you, Kind Sir," she responded and caught the glimmer of a smile on his face as he turned from her. He was just as Marcia had whispered to her: as kind as could be. But he was so modest about it that any compliment would make him blush. As the train started to slow, Vivian's eyes were looking out the window. She wanted to see who would be at the station to pick her up. She thought it would be her father, but her mother might have come along, also. She could feel the knot of anticipation building in her. The train made a last jerk and came to a complete stop. The station, a white building, looked to be in three sections. It had a red tiled roof and was long. The platform was as long as the building, making it hard to see. People were scattered along the whole distance. Vivian knew her father though. He wouldn't be hard to spot. Most of the time she was embarrassed by the bright red shirts he wore. But now, it was nowhere to be seen. 'They knew I was coming, ' she thought. 'Where's my father?' Moving from her seat to the doorway, Vivian was troubled. As she started to step down, she looked out across the number of people there. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she lost her balance. A large hand reached out and took hold of her, helping her to steady herself. "Can't get you all the way here, then let you fall, now." Vivian laughed, turned, and jumped up the steps. She gave the large man a hug. When she pulled back, she saw his eyes were wide, but also moist. He was blushing furiously as well. "I saw my boyfriend waiting for me. I didn't know he'd be here. Thanks for catching me. I would have fallen." He just nodded, still not able to find his voice. Vivian turned again and ran to Scott. He picked her up and twirled her around as soon as they met. Then he kissed her. She was in heaven. When he pulled back, she said, "I've missed you, and those lips, so much." Then she pulled him into another kiss. Scott was surprised. Vivian had always been a bit self-conscious. He knew kissing her out here in public was pushing it, but now... Now she had kissed him, without even asking if her parents were around! As soon as that kiss ended, Vivian turned. She looked at the train and saw the large black man in the stairwell. She waved to him, blew him a kiss, and then laughed at his reaction. Scott wanted to know who that was, but he didn't have a chance to ask any questions. Vivian now wanted to know where her parents were and how he was able to talk them into letting him pick her up. "They called my house and asked me if I wanted to. They told me that as soon as you got home, they would monopolize the conversation and they said they knew we'd want to spend some time together." "They did not!" Vivian exclaimed in disbelief. Scott was nodding, "Yes they did." "My parents?" Scott shrugged his shoulders. "My mom says it's because they like me." Vivian laughed and then said, "Well, I know my mom does." "Just your mom?" Scott joked. "I kind of like you, too," she replied, putting her hand into his and giving it a squeeze. He laughed and she giggled at that comment. The kiss moments before had said there was a lot more than 'like' that she felt towards him. He couldn't have wanted more at the moment. She was so caught up with everything that she was blushing furiously when she had to turn back around. She finally remembered that she had luggage to collect. Scott and Vivian were each carrying a piece of luggage on their outside hands, while holding hands with each other. They laughed for no good reason, other than it felt so good to be together. "I have so many questions for you," Vivian said. "Same here. First, how's Marcia?" Vivian looked at him, a bit surprised that would be his first question. "If I don't ask now, I'll forget. Then Mike will pound me to within an inch of my life," Scott said to justify his question. "I'm not going to answer then," Vivian said. "What! Why?" Vivian couldn't contain herself and started laughing. She finally said, "I have something better for you to give to Mike. Marcia wrote him a very long letter." "Oh! He's going to love that. Mmmmm, I wonder what I could get for that?" Vivian let go of Scott's hand and punched him in the ribs. "Ow!" "Don't you play with his feelings," Vivian said. "What would you do if I wasn't around?" "You were gone and it drove me crazy," Scott answered. Vivian grabbed Scott's hand again. "Good." "Good?" "I always want to be able to drive you crazy." Scott squeezed her hand, and rolled his eyes. "You will, I just know it." Vivian was as happy as she'd ever been. Scott couldn't believe the change in her. She was... well... He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something different about her, and he liked it. He liked it a lot. ------- Richard had not driven more than ten miles from of the base. Past the stretch of nothing next to the base, past the housing, and now he was on the wide-open road. It was the first time he brought the bus up to 50mph, a good cruising speed. It was not a minute later when he heard a sound that wasn't good. He'd been teaching Dora, telling her what he was doing and why. This was one more lesson to learn: don't panic. He dutifully put on his signal, and pulled over to the side of the road. Then he said a few choice words under his breath. Realizing what he'd just done, he looked at Dora. "If something like this happens, don't do what I just did. We don't want our children to hear something like that." The words 'our children' combined with being called his wife on the base made Dora... Well they made her horny. She gave him one look and he knew he'd better get off the bus fast, or he'd very quickly forget about any noise there was. That was almost an hour ago. He had gotten onto his back, and wiggled underneath the bus. Very unpleasant things came to his mind, such as if those maintenance boys had bothered to look... That was, until he had got a good look at what was under the skirting of the bus. The item that had made the sound that had caused him to stop looked like it was placed there on purpose. It was something akin to the cans he'd seen people place behind a wedding couple's car. They would not quite be visible, until... As he looked further, he shook his head. It was set to do this when he got going fast enough. Its sole purpose, of course, was to make him look under the bus. There under the bus, wired into place, were six brand new bus tires. This was gold. Richard, of course, recanted all of the evil thoughts he had just sent to his former co-workers. He had never realized what friends he had and it brought tears to his eyes. After Richard unwired each tire, he pushed it out from under the bus. Dora lifted it up, and rolled it to the door as he had instructed her to do. After the last one was done, Richard crawled out from under the bus. "You're a mess," Dora said seductively. "Here, let me help you with that." She was in the process of removing his shirt when a car came down the road and stopped on the other side. The man rolled down his window as Richard and Dora walked to the front of the bus. "Need any help?" "No," Richard answered. "I'm teaching her how to drive and we took a break to stretch our legs." "Good luck then," called the man and drove off. "Come on," Richard said, "before anyone else stops. You need to help me get these inside. I'm going to pull and you will push. Between us, we'll get them up the stairs." Dora was still in a playful mood and didn't stop until she had pulled his shirt off completely, rubbing her hands all over his chest. Richard had to bat her hands away. He knew if she continued, he'd be taking her clothes off. It seemed like an easy idea, but Richard's body became gleaming with sweat by the time all six were in the bus. Stacked side by side, the six tires took almost half of the aisle. Dora and Richard sat down hard on their seats and let out huge sighs. "I thought you said this was going to be a fun trip," Dora said. She had a little smile on her face, to let Richard know she didn't mean harm with the words she said. "Oh, don't you worry, none. This trip has just begun, little lady." ------- Patrick heard the squeak of the door opening from his seat on the bench swing, and turned to see Maureen walk out. He had heard no shouting, no thrown objects; in fact, it had been a little too quiet in the house with Cheryl and Maureen in there. Maureen walked over and stood in front of him. Stopping she reached out her hands. He took them and stood as she pulled at his hands. He glanced over at Cheryl, wondering how she was taking this closeness. Her face didn't give anything away. He was led back into the house. Patrick was reminded that this was the way a lamb was led to the slaughter. Cheryl closed the door behind him. Patrick swallowed hard, wondering what was going to happen now. Maureen had him sit in the center of the sofa. Both women sat, one to either side of him. This was a much different scene than the one that had played out last evening. "We've been talking," Cheryl started. All Patrick could do was nod. "We came up with some decisions," Maureen said. "I haven't been thinking too straight, recently. William said that he was going to be monitoring me, but with my low blood pressure, my actions were understandable. I don't like that idea. I never wanted to hurt you." "Cheryl..." Patrick started to say. "Now that both of us are thinking better," Maureen interjected, "and..." looking over to Cheryl, "now that we have joined ourselves together; Cheryl and I came up with a plan." Patrick looked back and forth. Then he asked, "Joined yourselves? What sort of plan?" "Jill explained it to us," Maureen said. "A direct transfusion, like what Cheryl had, has joined us together. We are like the native Indians, blood brothers." She smiled, and continued, "Of course we're 'blood sisters, ' now." Patrick bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. He wondered how Jill ever came up with something like that. He was going to have to thank her, though. This would keep them from fighting with each other, at least for a while. "Now that we are joined to each other, we came up with a plan of how to keep you for ourselves," Cheryl said. "What?" Patrick asked as he felt himself being pressed into the sofa from each side. "You may have some demands placed on you now, from other women. We want you for ourselves," Maureen restated. "Demands?" Patrick asked and then it hit what they had said. "Both of you?" "Not equally. I get you more," Maureen said. "Cheryl already has Bob. She wants more children, though." "She gets you five days, then I get you for two," Cheryl said. "Do I get a say in this?" Patrick blurted out. "Wouldn't you like having both of us?" Cheryl asked, smiling in a way Patrick had never been able to resist. Patrick's jaw dropped. That was a silly question, but not any more ridiculous than the one he'd just asked. "I would have to be a fool not to want that," Patrick answered, trying to redeem himself. He did have one other question, but wasn't sure how to phrase it. "Is it going to be a regular pattern, and what about Bob? Does he approve of this?" Cheryl knew the real question behind the one asked. "Patrick, Bob will be happy with what I say can happen between all of us. You should know that by now. He wants me happy and I want him happy as well." "There is one more thing, Patrick," Maureen said, her hand touched his knee. He felt Cheryl do the same on the other side. Their hands were not still though. They were traveling up. "What is that?" Patrick crocked out while he still had a voice. "You are going to marry me. I will not have children without being married." Maureen said looking into Patrick's eyes. "And I want to have children." ------- "Why did they take them away from me?" I asked Sharin. "Where are they?" Not understanding the intent of the last question, she answered it in a logical manner. "If I remember, those doors go into the buildings. Only these large center gates open into the courtyard. So they are in one of the buildings right now." She looked at me, thinking that the explanation would be helpful. What she saw was anger. "He just took them away. No words. No goodbyes? Why? Why would he do that to me?" Sharin looked to the ground. She had no answer for the questions. In part she felt a little guilty for bringing them out. I was shaking from the anger I felt. "Damn him," I shouted in a voice that echoed off the wall. "I'm just glad you didn't jump in my car and try and ram the main gate." "Don't think I didn't want to," I said. Sharin's eyes grew big and I knew I had to say something more. "You had the keys though." "Keith! I'm glad you didn't. I saw how thick that gate is. My car would have been totaled and you'd be in the hospital." "Not a smart thing to do then." "No. Wait. They may not be answering the door, but they'll answer the telephone. Let's go down the road I'm sure we can find a telephone someplace." "Sharin, you go and try. I can't leave. I can't." I felt the anger induced adrenaline drain from me. "I just can't" She touched my shoulder and said, "I know. I'll be back as soon as I can." I nodded and watched her get into her car and then drive away. As soon as she was out of sight, I started walking to the end of the wall. I knew, or hoped that someplace one of the trees was close enough. There had to be a way over that wall. ------- "Straight down the hallway," the man said. Pamela was in front of Daisy, the large man behind her. Both girls would have rather had the man just tell them and leave, so Keith could be with them instead of being behind the man. The hall was narrow. It felt like they were in one of the mineshafts. One body wide and the large man, behind Daisy, took the entire width of the hall. Daisy was feeling a bit uncomfortable, and knew her sister wasn't happy about anything that was going on. "Turn at the first hallway to left and then we'll go right into the door at the end of the hall." 'Well at least we're almost there, ' Daisy thought. Pamela reached the massive wood door. It was the width of the hallway. She struggled with the knob, her sister's hands helped after a few seconds. The thick door finally yielded, opening to a simple room. There was a couch, two chairs, and a coffee table in between. A few paintings hung on the walls. It startled both Pamela and Daisy when the door slammed closed. They turned and looked behind them. "Where's Keith?" Daisy asked. "Who?" the man asked. "Oh you mean that man outside. Don't know, but probably went home by now." "He wouldn't have. What did you do to him?" Daisy shouted at the man. Then looking around and noticing he was standing in front of the only door, she said, "Let me out of here." "Now, now. We should just sit down here and wait for your father." "Daisy," Pamela cried, "I'm scared." Pamela grasped hold of Daisy's arm, as she felt the terror of when she'd been kidnapped at the hospital. Daisy could feel the trembling in her sister. With Pamela in tow, Daisy walked up to the man expecting him to move. He didn't. She then resorted to pushing at him. He was big and she did little to affect a change in his stance. Pamela started to wail now and that put Daisy over the top. Anger flashed up so fast in Daisy's mind, it was almost overwhelming. The anger came in the form of images of her ex-husband Hank and his brother. What they tried to do in Redding. How they wanted to keep her, hold her, force her. She kneed the man who was now in front of her. She made quick and hard contact. He looked at her for a split second as the pain registered. He then fell to his knees, crouching over in pain. The door behind the man opened and hit him in the head, just seconds later. As if to add insult to injury, the person on the other side kept trying to get in, slamming the door against the man's head. "Stop!" Daisy finally shouted. "What's going on in there? Why can't I open the door?" came the voice from the other side. "That... man," Daisy said in distain, "is on the floor blocking the door." "Mark? He's on the floor?" came the voice again. Then the door opened slowly, but was pushed with determined force to open. As soon as there was enough space to put a head through, one appeared. Looking down at the man on the floor, an astonished face looked back up at the two girls. "What happened to him? He looks to be in a lot of pain." Daisy felt just a tinge of guilt, but just a touch. Instead of answering that question, she had questions of her own. "Why are we being held... like prisoners? I want to leave and so does my sister." "Prisoners? Why would you think that?" "He tricked us into coming in here and then stood in front of the door, not letting us leave. We thought Keith was behind him, but Keith's still outside. I know he is." "Keith? Keith Patterson?" "Yes, why?" Daisy wanted to know. "Mark, get up. I need to get in the door." Mark moved a bit, but was still holding himself. The man opened the door enough to slip in. He looked at Mark and where his hands were. "I'm Franklin. I am the chaplain at the hospital where your mother was. Your father and I had many talks. That's why he came down here after your mother's death." Franklin sighed. "I can only say how sorry I am of her passing. She was a special lady. During that time, I got to know Keith as well. You say he's outside?" "Yes." Daisy said. Then looking at the man on the floor, she added, "He just shut Keith out." Pamela arms tightened around Daisy's arm once again. Daisy knew her sister felt the same as she did. This was the man that her father went to see. He's the one that their father left them for. He was not to be trusted either. Franklin sighed again. "That is not the way things should have happened. I know it sounds like I'm full of apologies, but we didn't mean to scare you. Now, just stay here a minute longer, let me see if I can find Keith and tell him what is going on. Don't worry. I'll be back in a few minutes." Daisy looked down at Mark. Franklin saw the look and said, "Mark, get up. I want you to report to Doctor Myers. Do not tarry and do not, under any circumstances talk to these two girls again. Do I make myself very clear, Mark?" All three of them watched Mark's head nod, although there was no verbal acknowledgment. The large man started to get to his feet, but kept his back to the girls. "Now, let me go find Keith." With that both men walked out the door. Daisy turned to Pamela and whispered into her ear. Pamela nodded slightly, and said softly, "No he's not, let's leave." After a little pause she added, "You made him drop down on the floor. How'd you do that?" "I... ummm." "I hit Jimmy there once, but that was by accident. I never thought it would do that." "Well, it does. I hope you never have to do that." ------- Franklin opened the door to the outside wall and looked out cautiously. He opened the door all the way and stepped out. Keith wasn't there. 'He wouldn't have just left, would he?' Franklin thought. 'What am I supposed to tell the girls now?' Closing the door, Franklin leaned against the hallway wall. This had turned into a fiasco. It had been a simple idea, a simple request. Nothing from that point on had gone right. Thinking about it, Franklin hurried back down the hall. Just as Franklin had, the Monsignor had heard of the girls' arrival, and had expressed a wish to see them. Franklin knew they were in no mood to see anyone. Worse yet, he was going to have to tell them Keith wasn't outside. Turning the corner, he looked down the hall, and saw the door closing. The robes of the Monsignor were distinctive. Franklin put a hand to his head, and pressed on his temples. This was just not a good day, all the way around. ------- Sharin was frantic. She'd never driven down these small country roads this fast in her life. It had taken her almost twenty minutes before she found a phone. It took another ten to get someone on the telephone who knew anything about the girls' arrival. She wasn't going to spend another twenty minutes getting back. Keith had to be told. He had to know what was going on. Flying through the last intersection, she knew she was close. Then she heard a siren come on. She looked in the rear view mirror and saw the flashing lights. She felt like her heart was in her throat. 'Shit, ' she thought as she slowed down and pulled over ------- The door opened just as Franklin was reaching for the doorknob. The Monsignor looked at him and said, "I thought that we agreed the girls were to remain in this room, as it would be private in this unused section." Franklin went pale. "Oh no." "Would you like to explain to me what is going on?" the Monsignor asked, opening the door the rest of the way, inviting Franklin in. Daisy placed her finger to her lips, and then took Pamela's hand. They stepped out of the little doorway further down the hallway, which had concealed them. It was Daisy's intension to wait until Franklin came back into the room where they had come from, and then to run back down the hallway that led to the outside. That was before the man with the funny long robes walked right past them and turned into the hallway they had just escaped. Now Franklin was with him as well and the door to the room wasn't closed. There was no way to get down the hall without being seen and Daisy knew they would be looking almost immediately. Grabbing hold of Pamela's hand she started running down the hall, in the opposite direction from where they had come from and into the unknown. The hall came to a junction and Daisy paused for a second. She heard her and her sister's names being called. 'Time to get out of this hallway, where we'll be seen, ' Daisy thought. They took a left and then a right. The hall dead-ended at a door. Daisy heard Franklin calling for them again. She turned the doorknob and opened it. ------- I was walking back. To say I was very frustrated would have been the understatement of the year. I was seething. I'd walked all the way down to the edge of the wall only to find a good twenty feet between the wall and the nearest orange tree. That in no way convinced me to stop, though. I wasn't willing to let go of those girls. Robert may well be Pamela's father, and I did have an obligation to bring her. This was intolerable though. If this was how Robert was going to act... Robin's plea for me to bring them back clouded any sort of rational thought process. 'Someone has to come in or out of those doors, ' I thought. 'I'll wait and go in, then twist Robert's head off.' Of course I wouldn't, couldn't really do that to Robert. But the image in my mind was good. It helped control the anger level to the point where I could function. Halfway from the corner to center gate, Sharin pulled over. "Keith, get in." "I'm not leaving." "Get in, so I can drive us down to the gate," she said, in as testy a voice as I had just used on her. A bit surprised I said, "Ok." I opened the door and saw the ticket lying on the seat. She saw it, and grabbed the paper. "You got a ticket," I said. "Yes I did." "Did you tell the officer what was going on? He could have helped," I said, wondering what she had been thinking. "Keith, damn it, listen to me for a minute." I was shocked she'd spoken to me like that. I'd never seen Sharin exerting herself before. I just nodded. "I got the ticket for speeding, 'cause I wanted to get back here before you did anything stupid." "Stupid?" I said, knowing full well that as soon as she left till when she pulled up next to me, most of my thoughts were not very rational. "I was coming back, after I talked with someone on the telephone." "You talked with someone! Great!" Then reality set in. "Why aren't the girls out here waiting then?" "Keith, slow down a minute. Let me tell you what I was told." I could feel my blood pressure rising again. "Fine, what did they say?" ------- Dora had been driving for the past hour. They would have been further along, but Richard made her pull over, stop, and then start. This had happened several times in seemingly random patterns. "Next time we stop, Dora, you will be pulling into the service station. Should be about six miles ahead." Dora was suddenly nervous. "Are you sure you want me to do that?" "It's part of the reason I've had you stop and start before. You'll be doing the same at the station. It's just the same as pulling off the road like you did before." "But what if I..." "Dora, you are going to do fine." And she did. The attendant was a bit surprised to see a bus pull into the station. "We can only give you twelve gallons," the boy said when Dora opened the bi-fold doors. Dora looked at Richard, who nodded. She said, "That's fine." "Ask him to wash all the windows," Richard said. Dora looked quickly at Richard and realized by the grin, that he was teasing. "Just the oil and water then," Richard said. He didn't need to, as the hood was being opened as he spoke. It went down just a minute later, with the boy coming around to the door. "That's the cleanest engine I think I've ever seen. Is it new?" Richard had to go and inspect it now. He opened up the hood and low and behold, it did look new. Richard checked. It wasn't new, but it also wasn't the engine that had come in the bus. He couldn't believe those guys. Dora excused herself while Richard paid. She came back from the restroom, relieved. Richard decided he should follow suit. Then they were soon back on the road. When Richard said she was going to pull over again, she was wondering why he was still doing this. "Up here just a touch. You'll know when." Dora smiled when she saw it. There was another road. She couldn't wait to let him know how special she felt, knowing what he was doing for her. "Turn to the right and drive down a bit," Richard said. She signaled, slowed, and turned. It was a bit harder than she expected, but she put all of her concentration into it. The road ended about a half a mile later. After she was completely stopped, she looked over to him. She had been prepared to say something to him. She couldn't get her mind to work properly. He was stark naked. "Thought you might want to change positions," Richard said with a glint in his eye. Dora's hand couldn't turn the key to 'off' fast enough. Before the engine had a chance to die, she was out of her seat. Not thinking about the gears or the clutch, the bus took a last jerk. Richard reached over and caught her. Then Dora pulled him out of his seat and into the aisle. The rubber floor was a bit cold, but the look in Dora's eyes told Richard, he wasn't going to remain cold very long. Dora had already had the rush of feelings back at the base. She had been dripping then. Now she could do something about it. She wasn't about to waste any time. With Richard on the floor, she knelt down between his legs and then lowered her head. Her mouth opened around his shaft and she couldn't help but smile, even though no one could see, as Richard groaned with pleasure. He let her play with him, until it was almost too much. He didn't want to unload in her mouth. Not yet. She was reluctant to let go, when he placed his hands on each side of her head and to push her away. "Dora, I want to be inside of you," Richard said telling her he wasn't done, but was just getting started. She pulled up, moved over him, and pulled up her skirt. Richard was mesmerized. She had shaven again! He could see this quite clearly as she was wearing no panties. He also was very well aware of her aroused state. When she had lifted her skirt, the enticing odor she produced washed over him. Taking his eyes off the object of desire, he glanced up to her face. "I had to take the panties off at the service station," Dora said, feeling she needed to explain. "At the base you got me so wet, they were soaked and starting to get uncomfortable." "What did you do with them?" Richard asked, curious. Dora blushed and then said, "I left them in the bathroom." "For someone to smell?" Richard said. It was funny, but also made his dick harden just a bit more. "You know the next person walking in there is going to come out horny." Dora blushed again and nodded slightly. Richard took Dora by the hips and guided her down onto him. She was wet and he slid right into her. She moaned in pleasure. Richard then released her hips and used his hands to undo the buttons on her blouse. It took a long time, as she was moving up and down on him. He got his hands inside her blouse and cupped her breasts. Even through the bra she was wearing, he felt her nipples. They were hard and she moaned at his touch. Richard frantically tugged at the bottom of her blouse to release it from her skirt. Then he pushed it off of her shoulders. Once it was lying on the floor of the aisle, he reached around her and unclasped her bra. Dora was now building to an orgasm. As soon as Richard's fingers tugged at her nipples, she started. She didn't stop until he had released inside of her. ------- It had been a good time, for a while. Annabelle, though, was just trying to get up her courage. So after what had seemed like a nice little visit, Annabelle had asked Millie to come and sit in the living room with her. Millie was sitting uncomfortably on the couch. Bruce was doing nothing. He was trying to look busy in the kitchen, but he just had to listen in on the rest of this conversation. Annabelle had just asked Millie if she knew what her son and Barbara were doing, and also doing with Julie, her daughter. The three were in Brian's room, waiting to hear this conversation out as well. They glanced at each other and touched hands, but not a one spoke. For each of them, though, it sounded as if their hearts were pounding so loudly that everyone in the house could hear them, too. "Well?" Annabelle asked. Millie cleared her throat. "You do know about Brian and Barbara. They'll be married, soon." "I do know," Annabelle said, not revealing anything more. There was a knock on the front door. Millie was so tense, she jumped. Bruce quickly said, "I'll get it!" He ran to the door. He wanted to shoo off whoever it was, and have them come back later. He couldn't wait to hear what his wife was going to say. Bruce opened the door to find Patrick and Maureen standing there. His face dropped. He knew there was no way he could get rid of Patrick. Patrick saw the expression on Bruce's face and almost laughed. It was almost as if he'd interrupted them... But he'd heard enough from his other daughter to know that was unlikely. "Would you like to come in?" Bruce asked out of duty. "Love to," Patrick answered. He started to enter and then said, "Oh, you have company." "It's fine, Dad," Millie said, relieved to have someone show up. She stood; ready to pull him in if necessary. "Oh, we mustn't stay, then. I just wanted to let you know first. We're getting married." Millie fell back on the couch in a dead faint. Luckily, Annabelle was there to catch her and guide her down. "You're what?" Bruce said. "I thought 'congratulations' might be in order," Patrick said, knowing full well it was going to come as quite a shock to them. He had warned Maureen that the reception at Millie's was going to be one of total disbelief. He didn't expect his daughter to faint, though. "Well, of course. Congratulations," Bruce said. "Come in." Millie was sitting upright. Annabelle was fanning her. "You're really getting married?" Millie said in disbelief. She stood, though wobbly, as it was proper. Maureen grabbed Patrick's hand, and said, "Yes, isn't it great!" Millie's mouth spoke before her brain engaged, "What about Cheryl?" "Don't worry about her," Maureen said. "We're planning on sharing him. I just get to marry him." Millie fell back onto the couch. She could hardly believe what had come out of her own mouth, much less what the response had been. "Sharing," Bruce said. "That sounds like something I've heard before." Millie gave him a sharp look. He ignored it. Now Millie was in a conundrum. If she protested about her father's behavior, how was she to explain Julie's existence in her son's life? Maybe she could just leave that subject alone. "Sharing," Annabelle said, much to Millie's dismay. "Patrick, how is that going to work?" "Lucky for me, I don't have a lot to say about the matter." "No say?" Millie asked, not being able to keep her mouth shut. "No one forces you to..." "Yes, Millie," Patrick said after there was a silent pause in the conversation. "You were going to say?" "Of all people," Millie retorted. "Quite right, daughter. It is high time I practiced what I preached, don't you agree?" "But this?" Patrick motioned for Annabelle to move over. He sat down on the couch next to his oldest daughter. Taking her hands, he looked her into her eyes. "Do you think I should stay single? Are you upset with me wanting, after all these years, to be happy again?" 'How could I say no?' Millie asked herself. She was old enough to remember him... To remember what he was like after her mother died. At one point she wondered if she was going to lose him as well. That is when she'd had to take over and care for her brother and baby sister. As the feelings settled in, she realized that what she was feeling was silly. It was jealousy. She had been there, taking care of everything. Now she was going to be replaced and that made her jealous. The silly part was that she hadn't been in the role of taking care of the family in years. So why would it bother her now? Millie looked up, realizing that she'd been staring at their joined hands. She also realized that no one was talking. They were all waiting for an answer from her. She looked at Maureen and saw a worried look on her face. 'She wants my approval, ' Millie thought. Taking a deep breath, Millie looked at her father. "There is something I just can't figure out." "What?" Patrick asked anxiously. "If you're the groom, who's going to marry you?" With that, the room became awash with laughter. ------- "I just can't believe that he just wants to talk to them," I said as Sharin was driving as fast as the law allowed, back to the station where she'd telephoned from. "If that were simply the case, why wouldn't I be allowed to come in? Daisy is considered an adult, so he has no right to keep her. I know she'd come out to find me... If she could. Now, what did they say again?" "Keith..." "Just tell me, one more time." "Ok. They said that there were some important things Robert needed to talk to the girls about. It was advised that there be no one influencing the girls, so they would be guests of the mission while Robert talked to them." "Guests my ass," I said, thinking back to the haunting words of me telling Jimmy he would influence Pamela by being here. "Keith!" Sharin admonished me. I looked out the window, not wanting to say what I really felt. Then I saw it. "Is that it?" I asked. "Where? Oh! I missed that one. How in the world? I was looking for a service station. Didn't think to look at any of the fruit stands. This would have saved me twenty minutes." Sharin paused, as she put the car in reverse and backed up. "I wouldn't have gotten a ticket either." "Do you have the telephone number?" "I called the operator. She looked it up for me." "Good," I said. "I want to talk with them." "Keith," Sharin said as I was getting out of the car, "don't say anything you'll regret." I nodded, but as I walked towards the telephone booth, I realized she was right. It wouldn't do me any good to be looked as the bad one here. Calling the operator, she looked up the number and then connected me. I cut the long introductory speech off. "I'm looking for two young ladies that were taken in there this afternoon." "I'm sorry, sir, but all people in the monastery have a right to their privacy. We can not discuss anything about anyone here, without prior authorization." "Did you hear what I said? Does the monastery now accept females?" "Of course not, sir." "Well, if you would have listened to me, I was asking about two young ladies... As in females. They should be easy to spot, I would think." "Sir, we do have two guests at the moment, but I cannot stress the fact that we do not discuss anyone's..." "Look here, my good man." I said trying my best to control my anger. "You may well not want to, but someone will be talking to the sheriff about a kidnapping if I don't have answers very quickly. You may not be aware of it, but one of those two girls is a legal adult. If she is being held..." "I will get someone who should be able to talk with you about this. Please stand by." Leaning against the glass enclosure, one part of me was ready to rip the hand piece out from the telephone. Another part of me was hopeful I might be getting somewhere. My hope was starting to wane after the first full minute of waiting. It was nearly two minutes before the same man came back on the line. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but one of our chaplains, Father Franklin, will be with you shortly. I do believe you know him." "Yes, I know him. Thank you," I said feeling a sense of relief sweep over me. He was someone I knew. I could get to the bottom of this mess and find out when I could get my girls back. "It will take a few more minutes as he was not in the main building. Can he call you back?" "Yes, I guess that would be fine. It will only take a few minutes though?" "I understand he is out on the grounds. We had to send someone to retrieve him. So it should only be a few more minutes, but I don't want to make you hold the line open." I gave him the phone number that was printed on the dial and hung up. Sharin had been out of the car, pacing. As soon as she saw me hang up, she was over to the booth. She was standing in front of it as soon as I opened the bi-fold door. "What did they say?" "They couldn't talk to me." Her eyes bulged as she blurted out, "That's it!" "No, I didn't accept that. I had to put a little pressure on them. Someone I know, who is in there, will be calling me back shortly." Sharin's tight shoulders relaxed as she said, "Good." Now Sharin was watching me pace. Waiting was never one of my strong suits. ------- As soon as Daisy and Pamela were out the door, they found themselves in a large courtyard. It was open, with no place to hide. Daisy turned and saw the large wooden gate at the front of the wall. She also saw the large wood beam that lay across, securing the door. She knew there was no hope of lifting that off and opening the door. Pamela tugged on her sleeve and then pointed. Almost directly in front of them was a church like building, but to the right of that, through an opening, was vegetation. The thought sprang into both their minds that this might be a way out. Looking around, they saw no one in sight. Running as fast as they could, they made it to the other side. Quickly passing through the opening, the girls turned the corner and rested, leaning their backs against the wall of a building. They had not even caught their breath, when they heard their names being called out. "Come on," Daisy said. The two girls ran into a small grove of trees. As soon as they were in the middle, Daisy recognized this as a meeting place. Benches were arranged around in a circle. She pulled her sister along to find someplace else. What Daisy found was a section of plantings, arranged for a sort of private retreat, in amongst a garden atmosphere. It would have been a great place to go think, but not as good a place to hide. After the third place, Daisy saw the pattern. She also stopped long enough to see that there was an entrance, and pathway. Walking to the pathway, she saw that it went in what looked like an arc. Thinking about it, she figured that this pathway encircled the perimeter of the monastery. It would make hiding difficult, but not impossible. There had to be someplace. As they came upon the seventh place, Pamela was too tired to go on. "Come on," Daisy said. "Can't," Pamela said standing in place, resisting her sister's tug. "Just over here. Then we'll rest. Come on." "Ok." Daisy led them to the back of the opening, through a selection of seven olive trees. There were seven red flowering plants on their left and seven white ones on their right. In the center were seven chairs, set in a circle. Behind the chairs, fanning across in a half circle were seven purple flowering plants. Behind them was a section of seven of the largest fern plants the girls had ever seen, beyond that were seven fir trees. It had the effect that the front half of the circle was diffused sight, while the back was completely enclosed. As they walked into the center, they were almost transfixed by the beauty surrounding them. They had no idea, but this was one of the most holy places in the garden. It was reserved for the Monsignor and for special occasions. Moving to the back, they crouched down, behind the ferns, and rested. It was a nice warm day. The flowers blooming created a soothing smell. The fir trees above them had a cozy, woodsy smell as well. The fir needles created a fairly soft blanket beneath them. Daisy was holding onto her sister, rocking her. Daisy felt Pamela's muscles relax, and then her breathing slowed. She realized that Pamela had fallen asleep. Daisy could hear some men calling their names. She could hear that they were getting closer. Then suddenly, the calls stopped. She couldn't imagine why, but it felt so peaceful here. Nice soft ground, pleasant smells, warmth... Daisy leaned back supporting herself against the tree in back of her. She also fell asleep. ------- It was almost ten minutes later when the telephone rang. "Hello," I said. "Keith, is that you?" "Yes, it is." "Daisy had said you were outside. I went to look and you weren't there." 'Damn, ' I thought, 'that had to be when I went around the corner to see if I could get over the wall.' I said to him, "We must have missed each other, because I never left. I wouldn't. The only reason I'm not in front now is because no one would answer the bell or my knocking. I had to telephone to get someone to talk with me." "I am sorry, Keith." "Franklin, I want to talk with Daisy." "Umm, that is a bit of a problem." "Why? You do know she is considered an adult." I heard Franklin sigh. "Keith, the girls felt like they were imprisoned and they ran off." "Ran off! You mean you don't know where they are?" "We are doing everything we can to find them Keith. They can't get out of the compound, so we know they are safe." "Safe? Franklin... I hate to sound disbelieving here, but it doesn't sound to me that they are safe." "What would you like me to say, Keith?" "What I want is to come in and get my girls." "Robert needs to talk with them." "To hell with Robert," I said in frustration, "if this is the best he can treat them, or me." "Keith," Franklin said impassionedly. "I can't lose them, Franklin," I said, my emotions overwhelming me. I started to cry. Franklin waited patiently. It was his job, his training. He waited until the person had let out enough emotion, so that they could once again hear what was being said. "Keith, I am sorry. I can not tell you about the conversation that needs to take place, only that it needs to." What he said to me just wasn't making sense. "It sounds like this isn't something anyone wants to do. Why then?" "Ok, Keith, I'll give you that." Franklin said, sighing. "You know how well Robert communicates. We had to talk him into talking with his daughters. You have to understand, we didn't want anything sprung on them at the last minute. He needed to talk, in person. Tell them about what he was doing. This is to help them prepare, Keith." "Prepare for what?" I asked feeling sick to my stomach. "That I cannot tell you. It would be a breach of my trust." "So I'm just not going to know anything?" I said bitterly. "I bring the girls down, as a... well, like a parent and this is it?" I felt myself losing control again. "I don't even get to say goodbye?" "Keith, please," Franklin tried to sooth me. "Let Robert talk with them. I promise you will get to talk with them afterwards. That you can count on. And as you said yourself, there is nothing to hold Daisy. She is an adult." "When?" "We didn't expect them arriving today, but Robert can talk with them today. [or "We didn't expect their arrival."] He is ready for it. We've been working with him." "Today?" I said hopefully. "There is one thing that might help speed the process along." "What?" "Like I said, they are hiding." "You want me to find them? I could, I'm sure of it." "I'm sure of it as well," Franklin said, an obvious smile could be heard, if not seen. "No, I'm sorry, but as you've been told before, they need no distraction. It would be helpful, though, if you gave us something. Something we could call out. Something that told them we'd talked to you." "Something that says: this isn't a trap?" "Exactly." I let out a big sigh. "I'm to have faith that it is not." "It is good, Keith, at times, to have some faith." "One question first." "Yes?" "Does that wall go around the whole perimeter? You said they were safe, but I saw a number of doors in the front, as well as that large gate." Franklin hadn't been in intelligence training. He didn't understand the intent of my question, so he answered it as asked. "Keith, the wall is solid all the way around. The only doorways are at the front. The one the girls came through leads down a hallway. That door is in an unused portion of the building, and that's why we had the girls in there. That front gate," Franklin said, laughing, "I couldn't get open to save me. It takes four men to lift the plank that secures the gate. They are safe within the walls." To me that said, there was only one way out for anyone, also. There was no way to remove the girls via a back door. If things went bad, I would just have to wait for the opportunity to get in. It also meant that the banging on the door I did, after I realized what had happened, was in vain. That didn't explain the doorbell that I rang. I was going to get an answer to that, even if it wasn't right now. "Ok, let me think for a minute. I need to come up with something." "Good. Take your time, Keith." My brain was trying to think of something, anything. Of course I wanted something with two meanings to it, but quite frankly, my brain wasn't working as well as it could be. ------- Katy had just come back from downtown. She'd called a few select people into the library: Robin, Jimmy, and Jill. Almost everyone else had snuck up into the hallway, just outside the music room, to listen. There was great anticipation about how Katy had gone around gathering those three. Now that everyone had assembled, Katy made an almost theatrical presentation of dropping her shoulders and putting on a very sad look upon her face. "Jill! How could you?" Katy said. Jill started to tremble. She knew Katy had been downtown and figured that she had run into Sheryl or Maureen. She blurted out, "Robin told me I should do something like that." "Robin!" her mother said and then couldn't keep her face straight any longer. "Jill," Robin asked, un-phased by her mother's antics, "what did you tell them?" "Just Maureen," Jill said. Jill knew by the big smile, that Katy wasn't mad at her. Now she could enjoy this. "I told her that because they had shared blood, they were bound to each other. Well, something like that. I just came up with it off the top of my head." Then Jill looked at Katy. "How did you know I'd said something like that to her?" "Robin, Jimmy, your grandfather is getting married." Robin's eyes just about popped out of her head. "He's what!" "To who?" Jimmy wanted to know. "Yes, who?" Robin added. "He's going to marry Maureen, but she and Cheryl are going to share him." "Grandpa?" Robin said, still having trouble with the idea. Katy cleared her throat, then said, "Robin, you, your brother, and I get your Grandpa's drive. Millie has my mom's." It took a few seconds for Robin to register what kind of 'drive' she was talking about. "Mom!" "Well, it's true," Katy said. "So, then it will be different with him," Robin said. "Different?" Katy asked, wondering what she was getting at. "You said they were going to sharing him, sounds rather possessive. We don't do that," Robin answered. Katy noticed Jill's eyebrows rise. "Jill, would you like to say what you think about that?" "You don't see yourself as possessive with Keith?" Jill asked Robin. "No," she said wrinkling her brow. "You do? How? Tell me what I do." "First of all, you're married to him," Jill said. Katy started to snicker. "What's funny about that?" Robin wanted to know. Then she turned to Jill. "Yes I am, but would he be here if I wasn't?" This time it was Jill who looked like she was thinking. "Robin, Jill was just showing some jealousy. That's why I started to laugh." "Jealousy!" Jill sputtered. "It's perfectly natural, Jill," Katy said, "and it doesn't have to be logical. Just as long as it shows up in places like this, it harms no one." "You're jealous?" Robin asked. "No!" Jill stammered. "Jill," Robin said, expecting more from her. Jill frowned and then said, "I don't know." "Jill," Jimmy said in the bad mood he was in, "I bet Mom wanted you to think about what you were saying. She's always trying to get me to do that. I hate it." Jill looked at Jimmy and gave him a little hug. Then she turned back to Katy and Robin. "Maybe, but I still don't like it. I'm going to have to think about this for a while." Robin touched her and smiled, letting Jill know she wasn't in the least upset. "In the meantime," Katy said, "you two cooked up a plan to stop the fighting over my father so well that now there's going to be a wedding." Jill and Robin looked at each other and couldn't help but grin. "Robin," Katy said, trying to be serious but not doing a good job of it, "Millie fainted when she heard the news." That sent Jill and Robin into giggles. The audience that was listening also started to laugh. Jimmy was the only one not laughing. Nothing seemed very funny to him. Not since this morning, when Keith took Pamela away. ------- Pamela was dreaming. She was back on the base, in the empty barracks. She saw Keith, heard what he said to her. 'It's all over. They won't hurt you any more.' Jolting as if her muscles spasmed, Pamela's eyes flew open. She heard the words over again. This time it wasn't a dream. Daisy felt Pamela stirring and was a little slower in opening her eyes. When she did, she took hold of her sister. "What are you doing?" "Listen." Daisy listened to the words being repeated, with the introduction that this message was from Keith. Then it was followed up with a plea to come out of hiding. Looking at her sister, Daisy knew Pamela wanted to go. "Pamela." "It is exactly what he said when we were alone, in the barracks of that airplane base." Daisy smiled at her sister in her choice of words, but had to ask one last thing, "You have to be sure." "I'm sure. No one else knew what he said to me." "Then they have talked to Keith. I guess he's here, probably waiting for us." Daisy said. She didn't want to frighten Pamela, but Daisy was still very wary about everything. She was still having images of Redding flash in her head. If Keith hadn't been there... Pamela pulled on Daisy to get her up and moving. The two walked out, onto the path, Daisy noted where the 'searchers' were on the path. Two men heard their noises and turned around. They were surprised to see the two girls, as they were very sure they had looked everywhere. "Where's Keith?" Daisy asked. "Keith?" one of the men said. Daisy felt that tightening in her stomach. She quickly was getting the feeling this was a trap. "I talked to him a few minutes ago," came a voice from behind them. Pamela and Daisy jumped, and then turned around to see the man who said he knew Keith. The chaplain. "We want to see him," Daisy said with as much determination in her voice as she could muster, but it sounded weak to her, as though she was ready to faint. 'I can't do that, ' Daisy thought. 'I have to be here for Pamela.' Franklin smiled warmly at them. "He said the same thing. I told him you'd get to see him very soon. First though, you have a meeting with your father. That is the reason you came down here, isn't it?" That is what Pamela heard, but Daisy only heard half of it. First she couldn't hear, and then everything started to lose color, turning gray. Then it all went black. ------- She heard voices before she opened her eyes. It was her father. She could recognize that voice anywhere. Pamela's as well. Daisy opened her eyes and then screamed. There was a man looking right into her face. "Honey, don't be afraid." She scooted back and fell off the cot she was on, landing on the floor. "Daisy!" she heard her sister say. Pamela helped her up. Daisy looked at the man who had spoken, and called her 'honey.' He sounded like her father... but he didn't look like him. The man chuckled. "Don't look much like I used to, do I?" Daisy wrinkled her brow. "Honey, it's just a bit of facial hair missing." 'A bit?' Daisy thought. She'd never in her life seen him without a full beard. Here was a clean-shaven man. The top of his head was combed and neat, but there was more. As Daisy studied him, she started to pick up on what was so radically different. His complexion was softer, and his eyes... they were bright! "Dad?" Daisy said hesitantly. "In the flesh." "I don't feel so good," Daisy responded. "I'm a shock to your system, I see," Robert said with a little nod, as though he'd told someone this might happen and they hadn't believed him. "Yes, Dad, but that's not why I'm feeling this way. It feels like something I ate didn't agree with me," Daisy responded. She sat down on the cot, her sister sitting down next to her. Daisy instinctively put her arm around Pamela, wondering what she thought about their dad. For once, Pamela's face was unreadable. "Did you have a good trip down?" Robert said. Daisy looked at him, not believing what he had just asked. "I'm sorry," Robert said, seeing the look and then repeated himself. "I'm sorry. Daisy, do you know how hard this is for me? I haven't seen you since..." "Why, Dad? You just left us," Daisy said, venting just a smidgen of her anger with the tone of her voice. Pamela looked at her sister. She had been in emotional upheaval ever since she'd seen her father. Daisy had fainted, men rushed to pick Daisy up and carry her here. She had just had to fend for herself, keeping up with them. Then her father had appeared. He looked different, but it was his voice. Then as soon as she had realized this was her father, her heart felt like it was being ripped into pieces. Her father, Jimmy, Keith, her sister, all had a part of it. Not knowing what to do, she stopped thinking. Now her sister was attacking their father. Robert put his hands in front of his face. Part of it was shame. Part was that he didn't want his girls to see him crying. But the most part was that he didn't want to have to say what he knew he must. "Robert," the gentle voice came from the corner of the room. Daisy and Pamela looked. There was that chaplain man. Robert didn't do anything. He just stood there. Daisy started to notice a bead of water forming on the base of the palm of one of his hands. She then realized he was crying. The chaplain stood and pulled a chair over, behind Robert. Taking hold of him, he guided Robert to sit. "Robert, it is time to tell them. They need and want to know." Robert took a deep breath. He didn't want to move his hands though. "Do you remember what you thought I had done to myself when I disappeared?" Robert asked. He didn't wait long for an answer, but went on. "I was ready to. I watched your mother, the love of my life, die. I felt dead myself at that point. Franklin, I think you know him," Robert moved his fingers slightly to indicate the man in the room. "he went though something similar. I knew at the time, that if I got to him, he might be able to stop me from..." Robert stopped. No one said a word. It was then that Daisy wondered where they were. No noise could be heard, beyond their breathing. The silence lingered for what seemed an eternity, but after about forty seconds, Robert went on. "When Franklin found me, I had almost killed myself from drinking. I know I don't need to tell either one of you I had a problem with that." Robert peeked out, between his fingers. What he saw was his two girls looking back at him. Not with hate, or disgust in their eyes, but concern. He lowered his hands. "Daisy and Pamela, I came here, because it was the only way I knew I could stay alive." Robert looked over to Franklin before continuing. "Now before I tell you anything more about what I am doing, I want to know about your life since I left." ------- Chapter 106 Daisy looked at Franklin before answering her father's question. Pamela caught her sister's glance and her eyes followed. Franklin smiled and said, "Robert, I don't really need to hear this, but you do. I'll be in the next room, until you need me." He left. As soon as the door closed, Daisy asked, "Why do we need him here anyway?" Robert sighed, looked down and then answered, "For me." There was an awkward moment of silence. Robert looked back up and then asked again, "What have you been doing in Carp? How is your life?" Daisy took over the conversation. "We have been staying with Keith and Robin. You had given them custody of Pamela and so it made sense she be with them when you... disappeared." That last part wasn't said nastily, but it had a bite to it. The reminder that he had abandoned his children. That wasn't going to happen again, though. Robert took a deep breath. "So you've been staying with them. That's good. Did they get the new place finished?" "Yes!" Pamela said with enthusiasm. "It's really nice. I have a room with..." Pamela stopped mid-sentence. She had almost said she was with Jimmy. Her eyes got big, as she realized. Her actions, though, told almost as much. Robert turned and looked at his oldest daughter. "Do Keith and Robin know?" "Know what, Dad?" Robert made a noise of disapproval in his throat, and then said, "Your mother and I did talk a lot. I know all about your plans with Keith." Daisy's blush rose immediately. She could only nod. "I imagine Pamela was about to say: 'Jimmy.'" Pamela's throat was dry, very dry. She couldn't have said anything if she'd tried. Daisy couldn't believe her ears. Her dad knew? A sadness swept over Robert and it showed on his face. His children didn't know him. Better put he knew, they didn't know what the person Robert had been like... before. He took his girls' hands and looked at them in their eyes. "I want to know, are you happy?" Daisy answered right away, "Yes! I'm happier than I've ever been in my life." Pamela may have been younger, but she understood what he was asking in that question. 'Are you happy without me?' The idea formed tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" Robert asked as he saw her tears. "Tell me? Are you unhappy with something?" "You," Pamela blurted out and then started crying uncontrollably. "Me?" Robert asked. "She may well be upset with a father that... Well, ran off," Daisy said. Her voice displayed the anger she harbored about her father's disappearance. Her protective feelings for her sister made those feeling flair up. "How would you like to lose not one, but both parents?" she said. Franklin had warned him about this. He'd also coached him as to how to deal with it. "I wouldn't like it. I understand why you hate me. I bet you didn't want to come down here. Keith made you, though, didn't he?" Daisy glared at her father. She was mad. Mad at what he'd done, but equally mad at what he'd just said, because it was the truth. "Daddy," Pamela implored, "why don't you come back?" Robert looked at his youngest. Franklin had said this would happen and he hadn't believed it. He needed help. Walking to the door, he opened it and called Franklin's name. The man re-entered the room. "You were right," Robert said to Franklin. "About?" "Pamela wanting me to come back." "What did you tell her?" "We didn't get that far." "So you are being 'chicken.'" "Nothing unusual," Daisy said. Franklin nodded his head. "This is what you expected, the hatred towards you," he said to Robert. "You know that's all I expected," Robert answered. Franklin turned to Daisy. "What makes you so angry at your father?" "Do you have any idea what he did? What we thought? What we found?" Daisy replied. Franklin kept his eyes on her. "Yes, I think so. When I found your father, he was near death's door." Daisy was taken back a bit. She hadn't heard that part of it. She knew he was alive. He'd ended up down here. But she'd heard none of the details. Seeing the startled look in her eyes, Franklin asked, "What did you find that bothered you so much?" Daisy swallowed hard, not wanting to think of those things. "Honey, what?" Robert asked. Daisy looked at her father, not quite believing that he wouldn't remember. What she saw was pain in his eyes. Pamela asked, "Was it the lunchbox?" Daisy's eyes started to fill with tears. "His lunchbox?" Franklin asked, curious why that held such meaning. "It was filled with... stuff," Pamela said. "Wedding picture, I think I heard." "Wedding... Robert!" Franklin said before thinking. He was surprised. "And a picture of Mom when she was young," Daisy said, her eyes trying to burn holes into her father, as she thought of how the contents of that lunchbox made her feel. It couldn't last as her eyes were blurring with the tears that were forming. She finished with harsh words of, "Then there was the fabric." Franklin saw Robert look away from his daughter when she said that. "What fabric?" Franklin asked. "It was a special weave, her trademark, and something she had always promised..." Daisy couldn't get out any more words. "She didn't show you?" Robert asked, surprised. Daisy looked at him as though he should have known. "No. I wasn't old enough. Then... then she couldn't." "I'm so sorry," Robert said putting out his hand to her. Daisy pulled away. Franklin felt the hurt both father and daughter were feeling right then. "Daisy," Franklin said, needing to finish this so they could move on, "was that all that was in the lunchbox?" "No, there was the note." "What note?" Pamela asked. She was hurt that no one told her about a note. Daisy looked at her sister and said, "Sorry. It was so hard for me to read it. I couldn't hurt you with it." Then, with trembling hands, she opened up her small purse. She drew out an envelope. Opening the envelope, she pulled out a folded piece of paper. She handed it to Franklin. "See for yourself what he left us with." Franklin opened up the paper and read it. I'm sorry but I can't go on like this It isn't fair to my children Know that I always loved them and one day, with hope, they will be able to love me again Robert Franklin looked at Daisy with great sadness in his eyes. "You didn't know that he was alive, did you?" She shook her head, tears falling from her face. "We didn't have children when my wife died," Franklin said, trying to let Daisy and Pamela know he cared. "Robert and I have had some similar things in our life, but not the same. My wife died suddenly, in an accident. I watched as it happened. It destroyed me, much like Robert felt when Mildred died." "That's the connection," Daisy said aloud, but to herself as much as anyone else. Daisy was starting to put things together in her mind. The pieces were starting to fall into place as to why her father had wanted to come down here. Pamela was in a very different place. The thought kept on coming back up to her: 'Are you happy without me?' "Why do you want to leave us?" Pamela asked. "Don't you love us any more?" "Honey," Robert said, reaching out and taking hold of her hand. At least she didn't pull away. "I love you as much as I ever have." "You didn't answer her first question," Daisy said accusingly. Robert looked over to Franklin. Franklin gave Robert a reassuring smile and nod. Taking a deep breath, Robert looked into Pamela's eyes. "Do you remember when we were at the university? When we went to that house and they had a party?" Pamela nodded. She was full of mixed emotions right then, or she might have smiled, thinking about Keith dancing with her that night. "Pamela," Robert paused, winced, and then looked at Franklin for reassurance, "do you remember how you found me? I was outside..." Her expression soured as Pamela remembered. Not so much at what he looked like, but what he said to her. "You remember, I can see it on your face," Robert went on. "Pamela, I'm sick." Pamela might as well have been slapped. Her eyes popped open, as her mouth did. Her face flushed. Pamela reverted. Her speech came out in single words. "You... die... Mom?" Robert pulled his daughter to himself, and embraced her. Tears were rolling down both their faces. "No, Honey, no! I'm not going to die," Robert said as he rubbed her back. "What's wrong then?" Daisy asked, somewhat worried at this point. She didn't like 'Robert' right then, but there was still love for her father. "I have a problem with alcohol. It makes me sick," Robert said still holding Pamela, but looking at Daisy. "Stop," Pamela said. "I'm trying. It hasn't been easy. You're scared and you aren't talking normal. If I told you to talk normal, could you?" "Don't." "Girls, right now if I got around some alcohol, I would be very tempted to drink it. That would make me sick all over again." Daisy looked at Franklin. "Did that happen to you, too?" He shook his head. "No, not like your dad. I wanted to kill the misery, and myself, at one point. But I don't have the problem he has." "Daisy, Pamela, I am going to ask you something I have no right to ask of you." "What?" Daisy asked curiously. "What?" Pamela asked dreading the question. "Can both of you love me enough to let go of me while I get better? Could you live in Carp, live with Keith?" Her words trembling, Daisy asked, "Let go of you?" "Daddy?" Pamela said, wanting him to answer that question also. "I would be in a place, sort of like this. Away from everything. Part of the plan, these people have, is that you have to let go of everything. In doing so, you can start all over again and rebuild your life. Daisy, I hope that if you look back, you can remember me a lot different than how I was after the mine accident. I want to be that person again." "You're not going to be our father any more?" Daisy asked, somewhat incensed at the idea. The fact she had been up to that point thinking he wasn't really her father any longer, didn't make a bit of difference. That was her choice to make, not his. "I will always be your father. I helped create you," Robert said. He was ready to continue when Franklin spoke. "Daisy, he's asking if you can let him get better." "What if I said no?" "There are many steps in this process. The first was to see if you were happy where you are living. He cannot feel like he has abandoned you, again, and still make this work. You answered that question. He also needs your support. He has to know you still care enough for him, to want him to get better. Daisy, if you say 'no', he can't go into the program. They won't allow it. They know he would fail and that is not what they want." "More?" Pamela asked. Franklin looked at Pamela, still in her father's embrace and then to Daisy. "She's asking if there is more than just that." "Yes, he has to talk with Keith." "Good," Daisy said. "Good?" Franklin asked. "Maybe Keith won't feel so guilty then." "Why would he feel guilty?" Franklin wanted to know. "Long story," Daisy said. "If you want to know, ask him." "I just might do that." ------- Most of the town had seen the lumber arrive on the train. It had been more, it seemed, than what Keith and Richard had received for their second house. Larry had posted the notice for the house-raising. When he had done so for Keith and Richard's place, the response was enormous. He didn't expect the same response for Jack's place. He was wrong. Not all the men from Carp could show up and Larry knew it. With the miners in training at the new mine, only those who were not at the mine that day could show up. What Larry hadn't expected was some of the men from Angle City showed up. They were miners who also were not in training that day. All of them, though, had been there when Jack had arrived, and had taken charge during the cave in, in their town's mine. From practice, Larry had directed the men to arrive downtown. It was easier than at the jobsite, where so much could be going on. This way, he could assess who was there and fit them to specific tasks. There were two problems Larry could see right off with the men who showed up from Angle City. The first was that he had no idea what they were good at. The second was that they had brought their children with them. One of the men saw Larry looking at the boys and girls running around. "Don't worry 'bout them. They heard 'bout a school and wanted to see." Thinking this would be a grand way of getting rid of one problem, Larry said, "The school is going to be right in there." He pointed to the large building in the center of the block. The children, hearing this, went scampering off. Some of them ran into the right building, but some of them saw movement in the store next door and ran in there. Three minutes later, Cynthia was herding four children out of what would be her new clothing store. One of the children was holding her hand, another was holding onto her dress. Liz was doing the same next door with five other children. Liz took one look at Cynthia and shook her head. "It was like these children had never seen a book before. If I hadn't been downstairs they probably would have undone all of Vivian's work," Liz said. Nodding, Cynthia replied, "This one said they came from Angle City with their father. The rest of them as well, I suppose, as I don't recognize any of them. They wanted to see the school." Liz looked over at the gathering of men. "They are here to help with your house, it looks like." "That's why my dad's here," one of the boys said. "He told me that the man who he's helping helped at the mine accident." Liz got a smile on her face. "Cynthia, it looks as though these children are a direct result of Jack. Guess what that means?" Cynthia looked at Liz perplexed and asked, "What?" "Come on and I'll show you." They all walked back into the school building. Liz had the children form a crescent two deep in the center of what was now the library. Then she had them sit. Pulling a chair over, she sat it at the opening and Cynthia was lead in. 'This is interesting, ' Cynthia thought. She had been through one year of college, but that had been a few years ago. She had never been on this side of the table, so to speak. As she thought, she was almost unaware that Liz had sat her in the chair. "Why don't you start with this one," Liz said. "Start?" Cynthia said and then realized Liz was holding a book out for her. Not knowing what else to do, Cynthia took the book. She glanced at the faces of the children and it was her undoing. She was about to say she couldn't, but then the anticipation on their faces got to her. "Ok," Cynthia said, "one book. Let's see, this one is called 'The Little Engine That Could.'" ------- I had been pacing back and forth, not able to sit in the car any longer and wait. Time had dragged on interminably. Still, I was keeping my eye out for any movement. As soon as I saw the door start to open, I was running. Sharin saw me and started to get out of the car where she had been sitting. As the door opened, a startled Franklin saw me right there. "I thought I might have to call out for you," he said. "Where are the girls?" I replied, frightened by what I might hear. Franklin smiled. "Don't worry, Keith. Come in and let me bring you to them." He saw a woman outside and asked, "Is she with you as well?" "Yes, she was our transportation out here." "She's welcome inside as well. Although you may not want her in the meeting with Robert and the girls." My heart sunk once again. If it was happy news he wouldn't have said this, I knew. My mouth was dry so I just nodded, then I waved to Sharin to come over. She walked over apprehensively, trying to gauge the situation. "I am Father Franklin," he said introducing himself. "This is Sharin," I said jumping into the introductions. "As I told Keith, you are welcome to come in. We have a room you can wait in and I'm sure would be more comfortable than being out here," Franklin said. "While Keith says goodbye to his girls," Sharin said sadly. "Nothing quite so dramatic," Franklin said, but continued with, "although I do expect it will be hard on all those involved." "Can't you say anything plainly?" I said in frustration. "It feels like I've been getting the run around, ever since Pamela got that letter from her father." "Come on then, let's bring this all out in the open. Robert and the girls are waiting," Franklin responded. We walked down the narrow hallway. Franklin turned down another hallway and opened the door. The three of us walked in. The room was plain, but had some furnishings. "This is where you can stay for the moment," Franklin said to Sharin. "We will be just down the hallway." "This will be fine," Sharin said as she looked at one of the paintings on the wall. To me she seemed a bit too calm, but I thought I might not have a good perspective on things right then, so I passed it off. He closed the door and then led me down the hallway again. This time, he stopped ten feet before a door at the end of the hall. There was a door on the left and one on the right. "The door in front of us leads to the courtyard," Franklin said. "The girls were originally in the room your friend is now. They made it all the way down here, out the door and got to the back of the property, without being detected." I had to smile. I could feel myself swelling with pride at the resourcefulness of Daisy and Pamela. Franklin went on, "Your message to say to the girls brought them out, but..." "But what?" I asked. "The older one was rather upset. Thinking it might well be a trap, she fainted." "Daisy? That doesn't sound at all like her," I responded. "The young one is speaking in one word sentences. Her sister seems to know just what she's trying to say, but..." "There is as much trauma going on with those two as I have been feeling then," I said. "Pamela couldn't talk properly for most of her life. After her surgery, she was coached. Her speech is almost perfect now, but she reverted after her mother died. It is never good when that sort of thing happens. I hope that whatever is going on is worth putting these two through it." "Let's go in and you can talk to them yourself," Franklin said, and then opened the door to our left. "Keith!" Daisy yelled as she jumped up and ran to the door. Pamela wiggled off her father's lap and came running also. Robert stood and walked over to me. I wasn't sure what I should, or was supposed to do. Frankly, there was little I could do, as Daisy and Pamela had wrapped themselves around me. I was trapped, at the moment. "Keith, it is good to see you again," Robert began, a bit rigid, as though this was much rehearsed. "My girls have told me they are happy living with you. You can't know what a relief that is. Come over and sit. We have a lot to talk about. Girls, let Keith go so he can sit." Reluctantly Daisy and Pamela unwrapped themselves from me, but each kept a hand in mine, leading me over to a sofa. I was seated in the center with each a girl on each side of me. Both Robert and Franklin watched this. I wasn't sure what they thought. All I knew right then was that it felt good. "Keith, when we were up at the university, you said you would get me help. Do you remember that?" Robert said. I did and nodded to him. Robert continued, "I didn't take you up on that. I should have, but, at the time, I couldn't. It almost killed me. You knew I had a problem; my kids had to suffer because of my problem. When..." Robert stopped and for the first time since I entered the room I saw wavering emotion. "When Mildred went to heaven, she took away the last part that was holding me together." I was seeing a different man in Robert than I had ever seen before. "Keith," Robert said looking straight at me, "I'm sick and need help. It has taken all this time just to be able to say that to my kids. I need to go to a place that can help me. I had to do three things first. One was to make sure my girls were happy where they were. They told me they were and seeing how they ran to you when you walked in, I saw it for myself. The second thing I had to do was ask them if they could let go of me so I could get better. I won't be able to see, write, or call them. I have to let them go and they have to let me go. It was a lot to ask of them. I know they have been mad at me and I understand that. I could only hope that they still loved me enough to want to see me not be sick." Robert looked at his two girls. "Mildred did a fine job with those girls. They are gems." He paused and no one said anything. Daisy and Pamela were squirming on either side of me. "You said there were three things?" I asked. Robert cleared his throat and then said, "Yes. The last is to ask you to keep my girls." I had a hard time swallowing. It felt like there was a huge lump in my throat. "Daisy said that maybe now you wouldn't feel guilty," Franklin said to me. "What is that all about?" "I can tell you," a voice said behind Franklin. Sharin was in the doorway. She didn't apologize for not staying in the room, or for coming into this one. She just walked over, sat herself down on the arm of the sofa and looked at Franklin. "He feels responsible for everything that happens. I was the stewardess in the plane that brought everyone up to the university where Pamela had her surgery and they started checking into things with Mildred. I was also on the plane that brought Mildred and Robert down to Long Beach." "Yes," Franklin said, trying to understand the importance of this. "I've been told Keith blamed himself that Mildred knew she was dying. He felt the family suffered because of him." "Keith?" Franklin asked, wanting validation on this. I sighed. "Yes, I guess I did. I was also told, very plainly, that it was better that they knew." "But you still felt guilt?" Franklin asked. "It was hard not to." "I fully understand," Franklin said. "When my wife died, she was there because she was bringing me lunch. I suffered for many years wishing she wouldn't have... Well, does that make sense? Would I really want her not to care enough about me, not to want to do that? It was one of her simple pleasures. How could I have denied her that, in fear that something might have happened?" Franklin stopped and wiped his eyes. "It doesn't make it easy, but there shouldn't be guilt." I turned my attention to Robert and said, "Robert, I'm afraid that I can't do this..." I felt hands gripping my legs on both sides. I felt the fingernails dig in almost instantly. I patted their hands on me, trying to get them to loosen the grip. "Let me finish," I said to Daisy and Pamela. "Robert, as I was saying, I can't do this alone. Robin is my wife and part of this." I saw the look of uncertainty in Robert's eyes. Going on, I said, "I can tell you what she told me before I left to come down here. She said I'd better be bringing them back with me." Franklin snorted. Robert's face brightened. Sharin said, "That sounds just like Robin." "Robert, I would be honored to step in while you are mending. I hope you find our parenting..." "Keith, like I had to tell my girls, Mildred and I talked a lot. I know pretty much what has been going on." Franklin was looking at Robert, surprised at that comment. I could tell not all was said to Father Franklin. ------- Cynthia stood up, after reading the second book. The children, who had moved from the chairs and were on the floor at her feet, looked at her with longing. "Just one more?" a girl asked. "I think she needs a few minute's break," Liz said. Cynthia looked across the room and saw Liz and Rebecca grinning. "Maybe Rebecca would like to take over," Cynthia said. She then saw the panicked look on Rebecca's face. It wasn't like she got when they were playing their games. This was a painful panic. "Well, maybe not. I enjoyed reading to you," Cynthia said quickly. "I just need to rest my voice for a few minutes." Liz walked over, but Rebecca stayed at the edge of the room. As Liz started talking to the children, Cynthia walked over to Rebecca. "What is the problem? I could see there was something wrong when I said you could read to them," Cynthia asked. Rebecca averted her eyes, looking down as she spoke. "I couldn't get the lines out right. I remember Bill laughing his head off one time when we were young. It brings up bad memories." "I understand," Cynthia said sympathizing. "Come and sit with me though. I have to do this one more time." Rebecca grinned again. "It looked like you were having fun." "Well, maybe a little," Cynthia admitted. They walked back to the center of the room. The girl who had asked for one more book got up and walked over to a shelf, pulling the largest book she could find. It fell in two and the girl was suddenly frightened that she had broken it. Liz walked over and picked it up off the floor, then took the other one from the girl's hand. "Don't worry, it wasn't one book, but two of the same size," Liz said with a little smile on her face. "It is also shorter than you expected. I know you were trying to get the largest book you could find, but this one is a primary reader and the print is larger than most. It has three short stories in it though, so I think you will find them fun." Liz handed one of the books to Cynthia and then the second to Rebecca. Holding the book with a tight grasp and not wanting to open it, Rebecca took on that frightened child look. Something Liz was comfortable dealing with. Liz first gave Rebecca 'the stare' and nervously Rebecca opened the book. Then standing behind the two women, Liz looked at the first story. "Cynthia is going to be the narrator and Rebecca is going to be Goldilocks." Liz said with some amusement. Rebecca stiffened. With unsteady hands, she turned the pages to the first story. Liz bent down and whispered into Rebecca's ear, "I'm sure you know this story, just make it up if you want." Rebecca's head turned and she looked at Liz with an astonished face as though she'd never considered doing anything of the sort. Then she nodded. Seeing Rebecca nod, Cynthia also relaxed and started the story. Liz walked away, seemingly busy with something to do, but in fact she was just out of eyesight. She wanted to hear what was going on. As Cynthia had talked to Rebecca, she had been talking to the children, who were enthralled with Cynthia. It might be a good match as reading to children was a good way for them to understand language. Eventually Liz pulled out a chair and sat. She was enjoying listening. Cynthia was using different voices and Rebecca was having no trouble at all, even with the third story, which she doubted Rebecca had ever heard before. Liz got up and walked over just as the story was ending. The children cried "No!" when they saw Liz. Cynthia grinned and looked at Rebecca, saying, "Well, I suppose we could read one more story. But then we positively have to go." The children cried for joy. Liz already had two books in hand. Rebecca opened it up and her face fell. She turned to Liz and whispered, "I don't know this story." Liz knew she must. It was Hansel and Gretel. She'd been told the Mennonites had originally come from Germany. "Just read it then, like you did the last story. I'm sure you didn't know that one," Liz replied in a whisper. Rebecca's eyes looked sad as she whispered back, "But I could read that one." "Cynthia is going to read this one to you, I need to talk with Rebecca alone for a moment," Liz told the children. Cynthia didn't know quite what was going on. She wanted to find out, but she was stuck. So she started the story. Liz walking out grabbed the first book and carried it. In the front Liz walked up the stairs. Rebecca didn't want to go up with her, but knew she must. Feeling she was in Mrs. Browns house again with the five other children her age that met there on Tuesday afternoons. She hated when she had to go into the back bedroom with Mrs. Brown alone. She knew the rest of the kids were laughing. Liz sat down at a desk. "Rebecca, please sit down." "Must I?" "No, but I wish you would." Rebecca sat. Liz opened the larger book and turned it to Rebecca. "Can you read me that page?" "Of course I can." "Please do then, out loud." Rebecca read, not stumbling over any words. While nothing was hard, it was obvious she was actually reading. "Now this one," Liz said. "I told you I don't know that story." "You have never heard of Hansel and Gretel?" Rebecca's face colored. "I think I know what the problem might be," Liz said, "but I'm not an expert on this sort of thing. Rebecca, I don't think it has anything to do with your reading." "You don't?" Rebecca said astonished. "What could it be then?" "I'd rather not guess and be wrong. Let me talk to someone who knows about these things. I guess you would like it if you could read stories like this?" There was a pleading in Rebecca's eyes now as she said, "Oh yes. You have no idea how frustrating it was to have Jill bring home all of those books. She was so excited and I couldn't even look at them." "Let's go down and rescue Cynthia. I bet she's done by now." "I'm not sure if rescuing is the right word. She was enjoying this." "That is good to hear, because I thought so, too. Do you think she might be willing to read for the students when school starts?" "I bet she'd just love to do that." "And if you could read as well?" Rebecca thoughtfully said, "That was so much fun." ------- The men who had showed up at the train platform couldn't believe that the load they now had on seven wagons was only half of the lumber. When they stopped and looked at the foundation, it was Larry's brother who walked them through the floor plan. When the men from Angle City were told that this house was to hold two families, as well as storage for a clothing store that would be coming into town, it started to make some sense. None of these men had ever, outside of the mansion, seen such a place. All the housing in that area was simple. There were twenty men, all together. All of them had done this sort of thing before. With Larry on one end of the house and his brother on the other things were going quickly. The men stopped for lunch. There were two framed walls up already. One of the men from Angle City walked over to Larry. "Worried about my kid," he said. "Was he one that went off to the school?" Larry asked. "Yes and she's a girl, not a boy." "Don't worry about her then," Larry said. The man looked at him like he was nuts. "Don't worry?" Larry smiled and said, "What you don't know is when the kids ran over to the school, I saw some of them go into the wrong place. The woman who brought them out and then followed them into the school was Cynthia Huntington. That is Jack's wife and they are who we are putting this house up for." The man smiled and was nodding his head. "Yes, now I see. But you didn't tell us." "Didn't really think about it. It really wouldn't have made any difference if it was Cynthia or someone else, they would have been taken care of." The smile left the man's face, as though he was suddenly in deep thought. "You know, I think we have some things to learn about this town. Angle City and Carp may be 'bout the same size, but some things are sure different. Helpin' each other out, without bein' ask'd, is one of them. Makes me kinda sad." "Who asked you to come up here?" Larry asked wondering. "Heard it was happenin' by the conductor. He saw the sign at the station." "But no one asked you and here you are." "Yeah, but Jack... Well, he..." "Helped when he could, just like what you are doing now." "I guess... just don't seem the same." Larry laughed and said, "Never does, just ask Keith or Richard." "That ain't a laughin' matter. Those boys did somethin' pretty heroic, while people in our town helped it happen." This was the first time Larry had heard anyone say anything like that. He was going to have a talk with Patrick as what he just heard. It sounded like there was an open wound of hurt, many of the people of Angle City were dealing with. ------- "Is it safe?" "Yes, no one's around." "I heard we'd be together for almost an hour." "Are you sure? It sounds like a trap." "Julie, settle down." "You heard what my mom asked yours. They know what we're doing." "You're not doing anything... yet. But I am." "Barbara!" "Yes, Brian, my love?" "What do I have to do to get you to continue?" Barbara laughed, Julie grinned at her, Brian just sighed as Barbara's hand went back to work. "It's harder to get out when it gets stiff." "I can't help that, you're just too..." "Yes?" "Sexy." "You say the nicest things. Julie, don't leave your panties out in the open. Move them over next to the wall." "What for?" "If Brian's dad walks in, do you want him to see them?" "No!" "I think Brian is talking too much." "What? I haven't said a word!" "Why don't you sit down and cover his face, so he can't talk." "That sounds like fun!" "I'll be down here trying to make him very talkative. I think you'll like it!" Both girls giggled. Brian smiled, though you couldn't see it as Julie's skirt was now covering his face. Outside the house Katy and Millie stood at the corner, silently listening. As soon as the noises inside became muffled, Katy took hold of her sister's arm and pulled her away. Katy could see Millie was becoming agitated. Not letting go of her sister until they were half way up to the spring, Katy said, "We are not going back, yet." "I just can't believe you would let them... Why? Just tell me why you find this sort of behavior acceptable?" "All the way up. Then we'll sit and I'll talk to you." "Fine, have it your way." Millie was fuming. She hated to walk in the first place. Uphill was the worst. "Now, sit," Katy told her. "I have a question. I'm not sure you know the answer, but I haven't got the nerve to ask Dad." This unsettled Millie. "What?" "What was Mom like? Do you remember her much?" If anything could derail Millie's train of thought, this was it. Her faced flushed with heat. Not from embarrassment, but in knowing that Katy had not asked that question in such a long time. Years before, Millie had not been prepared. She had still harbored feelings, similar to her father's. Katy's birth was the end of her mother's life. Her answer to a question like that had been short and hurtful. "What do you want to know?" "Was she like you?" "Me? What is that supposed to mean?" "You and I are pretty different, Millie. I think I'm like Dad, but not knowing..." "Maybe. I always thought I was a lot like Dad. Now I don't think so. Some of the things he's been doing... Yeah, I guess he's more like you." "That's a nice thing to say." "Katy, you let my son, his fiancée, and their friend have the house to themselves. You knew exactly what was going to happen, didn't you?" "Yes. Don't you try and preach to me. You knew it, too... and have, for some time." "But I..." "No buts about it. Now tell me, was Mom as prudish as you? Is that where you got it from?" "Prudish! How dare you call me, or my mother, prudish." "Your mother? I seem to share the same family lines. But I'm not about to let you sidestep the issue. When was the last time you made your husband howl with pleasure?" "Katy! That's disgusting." All Katy could do was laugh, snorting as she did. It made Millie turn red. "I think," Katy said when she could talk again, "that you like the idea of Brian and his little harem. It turns you on, in some perverted way." "Katy, don't you say another word." She didn't stop. "Does Bruce get as excited as you? I'll bet the two of you can't wait until they go to bed at night so you can... Well, whatever you two do." "You just love to torment me, don't you?" "The funny thing is that the kids don't really go to sleep as early as you think they do, any more. They stay up pretty late when they're out at our place." Katy watched as Millie's eyes dawned with the recognition of what that could mean. She also blushed so red Katy was sure she might just pass out. "Now that we've got that out of the way... the real issue is, why do you pretend?" "You do love to torture me, don't you?" "If you want to know the truth, Millie, this isn't all that much fun for me. It would be good for your son to know his parents thought sex was not from the devil though." "I've never said that!" "No, but you've just about acted that way. Think about what you've said. Not just to him, but to others when he could hear you?" "So I'm the bad mother, is that what you're saying?" "No, and don't be so hard on yourself. What you need, Millie, is to realize that all of us have parts that need working on. Do you have any idea what Keith does to me at times?" Millie broke out into a smile, thinking of that. "Probably serves you right." "Oh, don't think for a minute I don't give it back to him. We all keep each other honest. Who does that for you?" "No one, I suppose," Millie said looking downcast. "Let's get back and see what your son is doing to my adopted daughter." "And which one would that be?" Millie asked curious of what Katy was eluding to. "Barbara. You can't very well have her as your daughter and then marry your son, now can you?" This time Millie raised her eyebrows at Katy. "What is wrong now?" "Dad and I have had some talks about what goes on out at your house. He tore into me just like you did. He used your house as an example. I still don't know that I agree, but it is darn hard to deny the love there." Katy smiled. "But then... there is Keith and Kristin. They are a whole lot closer than Barbara and Brian when it comes to 'family lines'." "Still, she needs another side of the family to give her away." "Ok, you can give her away and we'll keep her." "Now wait just a minute! Both sisters were smiling and giving each other good-natured barbs on the walk back down from the spring. These talks took a lot out of both of them, but they worked at it, as one of the things neither one of them wanted was the separation their father had created when he left town. ------- Stephanie was the one who found Jimmy. Everyone had started looking for him, after realizing no one had seen him for some time. As soon as they had left the Mansion, Stephanie thought of the one place Jimmy might go. She walked into the 'butler's pantry' as Jimmy had told them it was called and opened up the bottom cupboard. It was the one that he had climbed into, finding one of the two release latches to the hidden room. He was there, curled up, and crying. Not saying a word to him, she reached out, put her arms on him, as they couldn't go around him, and lay her head next to his. "He'll bring them back," she said. "How do you know?" "Because he's Keith." "You're just in love with him." "Jimmy..." "There you are," Robin said, finding them. She had noticed quickly Stephanie was not with the others, looking, and wondered if she was still in the house. "Come on. Jimmy, out with you." Jimmy was in no mood to be told what to do. Especially not by his sister. "How would you like it if Keith was taken away from you?" "I was taken away, if you remember, when Cliff came into town." Stephanie looked at Robin wide-eyed. "You were?" "Yes. My mom didn't want him to try and take me away from her. So I was taken away, without much notice, to another town." Jimmy climbed out of the cabinet, and looked at his sister, then down to the floor. "Sorry, I forgot about that." "You know what I did?" Robin asked. Stephanie and Jimmy shook their heads. "I called Keith. I was so frightened, but knowing how much he loved me helped." Robin tilted her brother's chin up with her hand, so he'd look at her. "Let's go make a call." Jimmy's mouth quivered. Before his eyes started dropping tears, Robin had her arms around him. "I love you," she whispered into his ear. Stephanie couldn't let a good hug go and joined in. ------- Jill had been watching her friend Laura the whole day. From this morning Laura had seemed down and it had become worse as the day went on. Now, looking for the disappearing Jimmy, Laura was despondent. Getting Laura away from everyone else, Jill looked with concern into Laura's eyes. "Tell me what is getting you so down in the dumps." "Thinking about Jimmy." "It is sad for him," Jill sympathized. "Reminds me of when I thought you were leaving the school and I'd be going somewhere else," Laura said. "So you know just how Jimmy is feeling," Jill said. Laura nodded. Jill knew there was more. Laura, Jimmy, and Pamela had become close. Laura was a bit older, but never had the opportunities that Jimmy had in growing up. So as for their maturity, they were on a par. Pamela was someone Laura could relate to, on many levels. First and foremost were medical problems, and the stigmas that went along with them. Not that they talked in detail about any of that, it was simply understood. They just knew when something was a problem. So this was a compound problem. Laura's understanding of what Jimmy was feeling, as well as feeling some of those feelings herself. Wondering what she should do, Jill looked at the Mansion. The back door opened and out walked Robin. Jimmy and Stephanie were behind her. Jill walked over, taking hold of Laura's hand, and pulled her along. "Jimmy and I are going downtown to call and see if we can find anything out," Robin told Jill. "I'm not going?" Stephanie asked. "Another time. I need you to tell everyone to stop looking for him," Robin answered. "But couldn't... Jill do that?" Stephanie pleaded. "I would, but Laura and I need to go downtown as well," Jill said. Laura blinked and caught herself just before saying: We do? Stephanie's shoulders dropped, as did the smile on her face. "Ok," she said. Jill gave her a hug and whispered in her ear. When the hug was done, Stephanie had the smile back on her face. "Got to go tell everyone," Stephanie said and ran off. "What on earth did you say to her?" Robin asked. Jill just smiled, but then said, "Oh... nothing." Robin shook her head and then got into the car. Jimmy was trying to finagle himself in the front seat. Jill put a stop to that. She also told him he needed to talk with Laura about what she had been feeling. Jimmy gave Jill a strange look, shrugged his shoulders and climbed in the back. Laura had heard the interchange as well. "Thanks a lot," Laura said. "Talk to him. He needs to know things can come out for the best, even when they don't look so good at the time." "Oh!" Laura said. "I never thought about it like that. Sure, I can do that." Jill got into the front seat and Robin drove off. She was still rather new to this driving stuff. Her starting and stopping was a bit jerky. But, as Jimmy commented, it was much better than when she was first learning. ------- Jimmy was the one who caught Robin as she tripped. Not that she was going to fall, but she did lose her balance. Jill was on the other side of Robin and looked at Jimmy in surprise at his reaction. "She is pregnant," Jimmy said. He felt embarrassed and wanted to justify what he'd done. "Look at that board over there," he added. "It looks loose, too." "Ahh, Jimmy," Robin said, "you're my favorite brother." "I'm your only brother," Jimmy said, now getting perturbed at the comments. "I think it's sweet," Laura said. "He's going to be a good husband and a good father too." Laura meant it as a compliment, but it just reminded Jimmy of why there where downtown, in the first place: to make a call, to see if he would ever see his true love again. Robin noticed the change on Jimmy's face and stopped any further comments by going quickly to the phone. She picked up the receiver and asked the operator to help her find the telephone number. Robin knew the city, and had heard from Keith the name once or twice. When given the list from the operator, she was glad she remembered it. "Hello. 'Travels Flight School, ' this is Jeff, may I help you?" "This is Robin Patterson. I was looking for my husband, Keith." "Robin! This is Keith's friend, Jeff. We met on the flight down to Long Beach." "Oh, yes!" Robin grinned and continued, "When's the wedding?" "Not far off. You are invited and I expect Keith to be there. I haven't asked him formally, but I want him to be my best man." "He's not there?" "He arrived, if that's what you're asking. There was a note on the door from Sharin. She took him off someplace." "But that should have been..." "At least four hours ago," Jeff said, finishing where Robin had stopped. Robin had a sinking feeling. If things had gone well, he would be there. She turned and looked at her brother. Even just hearing half the conversation Jimmy knew things were not as expected. His eyes were tearing up and his nose started to run. His body then started to shake and his breath came as spasmodic gasps. Embarrassment was long gone. He felt lost. The two pairs of hands that took hold of him, guiding him to the bench nearby, didn't really register in his mind. He was losing a battle and didn't have any idea what to do. Laura and Jill watched as Jimmy gasped for breath and then fell over onto Jill. They were glad they had seated him. Laura watched, wide-eyed. Jill took hold of Jimmy's wrist, placing two fingers on it. After almost a minute she looked at Robin, who was anxiously looking at the situation. "He fainted." ------- Keith looked up at the sky; it was late in the afternoon. They had been taking a tour of the grounds and Franklin was showing them where Daisy and Pamela had been found. The place was lovely and the girls could, this time, enjoy their surroundings. Keith was worried about the flight back. If he didn't leave within the next hour, he'd have to stay the night. Neither Franklin nor Robert knew anything about flying, nor the problems associated with it. Franklin, though, was a reader of people and stopped the narration. "Keith, what's the problem?" "I was thinking about the timing. I can't fly in the dark." Keith said, then after a quick pause, he added, "Let me rephrase that. I can fly the plane in the dark, but Carp has no landing lights, I have to have enough light to land the plane." "So you need to leave," Robert said sadly. That statement sobered up the happy group. Everyone knew this would be the last time Daisy and Pamela would see their father in a long time. Robert continued, "It's not going to be easy, saying goodbye. Not now. Not in two hours from now. Not even tomorrow. Daisy, Pamela, you need to go and continue your life. I need to start rebuilding mine. Some day we can get together again. Some day I can hold my head up and be proud of who I am. Some day you might want to say you're proud that I'm your father. Right now, it just isn't who I am." Robert took hold of his girls and hugged them. All three of them were crying. After that we walked to the front and Franklin opened the door in the wall I had come in. Daisy hugged her father one last time. Pamela hugged him so tight; I knew her arms would be sore. I shook Robert's hand. "Love them, Keith," Robert said. "With all my heart," I replied. He nodded and said, "Mildred said you were the right choice." I looked down to the ground, but then felt a girl's hand in each of mine. It was time to go. We turned and started towards the car. When the monastery door closed, I felt the girls' hands tighten on mine. None of us said a word on the drive back. Once we arrived at the airport, Jeff was obviously waiting for us. As we got out of the car, Sharin said, "Honey, didn't you see my note?" "Yes, I did. But when I was in the office, Robin called," he replied. My attention perked up. It had the same affect on Daisy and Pamela. "Her brother fainted when I said Keith wasn't here. She made me promise to make him call, as soon as he got here." I looked at Pamela. Her grief stricken face told me I'd better make that call before anything else was said. Walking into the office, I picked up the telephone and then looked at Jeff. He looked at me; his arms raised, hands out, and the palm of his hands up in the air, as if to say: 'do you even need to ask?' As I was asking the operator to dial Carp, I noticed from the corner of my eye that Sharin and Daisy were bringing in Pamela. She looked limp. Between Jimmy and her father, Pamela was getting an emotional upheaval that she didn't need. I heard the ringing on the line and turned my attention to the telephone. ------- Robin was grateful that this was summer. The days were longer, as well as warmer. She had been sitting or walking around the telephone for more than an hour. Jill had come by twice, asking. Jimmy was at Millie's. Millie's was closer to the phone than the Mansion. It also had the distraction of his cousin, Brian. The last time Jill had been by she had told Robin Jimmy was on Laura's lap. Laura had pulled him there, was rocking him and whispering things into his ear. The tears were still off and on, but his breathing was normal. Robin couldn't stand it. She was starting to get mad. Excuses she had made to herself as to why Keith hadn't called were wearing thin. When the telephone rang, twenty minutes later, Robin jumped up from the wooden bench and grabbed the receiver. "Keith! Where have you been?" "Robin?" "Yes, it's me. Where have you been?" "Trying my best to keep sane," I replied. Robin grabbed hold of the pole that held the telephone. "Robert took our girls?" she asked weakly. "No. They are here with me now, but for hours I had no clue what was going on. I was outside and they were inside a monastery." "Oh. Sorry... This has been tough on everyone." "I know. Daisy fainted and Pamela started talking in one-word sentences. I heard about Jimmy." "They're with you though, right? They're coming back." "Yes. It's a long story, but we'll be leaving soon to fly home." "That is the best news I've heard. Is Daisy there?" "Yes. Daisy is right here. Make it quick though, this is Jeff's telephone." Daisy heard me say her name and came right over. I handed her the phone. I could tell she was listening. Her eyes grew big and she nodded, and then said "Ok. Bye. I love you, too." Daisy went over to her sister and gave her a big hug and then started whispering in her ear. I could wait to find out what Robin had said. Pamela was our fist concern. Daisy was taking care of that, I could tell. Jeff put his arm around my shoulder and walked me back outside. "Keith, would you be my best man?" "Best? You're getting married!" I looked for Sharin, but found that my statement had carried. She was presently getting hugs from Pamela and Daisy. "Sharin didn't tell me." "She was waiting for me to ask you. I mean, after all, you are the one who set us up." I laughed. That felt good after all that had happened today. "Well," Jeff said trying his best to look impatient, "you didn't answer me." "Of course, you knuckle-head. I'm honored." "I think Sharin has a special part to ask your wife to play as well, but she won't tell me. She said she has a letter to give you to take to her. It's sealed with that wax stuff, so even you won't be able to peek." I just smiled, knowing Robin would share it with me. After a round of congratulations, and hugs and goodbyes, we got into the plane. I was a bit surprised when Pamela sat down in the back without any squabble about being alone. We weren't in the air more than ten minutes, when Daisy said two things that took my attention away from flying the plane. Daisy leaned over and whispered the first, "Keith, Robin thinks I might be pregnant." Before shock set in, she said the second, "Do you remember the flight back from Redding? Do you remember what I did to you on that flight?" I did indeed remember. It was one of the best blowjobs I had ever received from her. After I had nodded that I remembered, she said that Robin had told her to try repeating it. ------- Chapter 107 I was taking the same route back as I had used to fly to Long Beach. We would be stopping at Nellis. Jack had told me he would be there, mopping up a few things. He would like a flight back. There was also a promise of another tank of fuel, as a 'thank you' for our discretion about the last passenger. Not that I'd had any time to see, or talk to anyone about him. It was a good thing that just this morning I had flown down here, as my concentration was not all there. After leveling the plane, Daisy began undoing my pants. She was insistent in her need to open my pants and pull out my dick. Of course, just the act of what she was about to do made me hard, thus making the extraction that much more difficult. Once out though and with her fingers wrapped around me, I did think of who was in the back. I glanced back to the opening. Pamela wasn't standing there, thank God. That would have been too much. Now I could relax and enjoy this. Whatever Pamela was doing, she wasn't up front right now. I somehow made myself believe it would stay that way, for the duration of Daisy's ministrations. Ok, I knew I was kidding myself, but it just felt better thinking that way. It could happen. I also had a lot more things to think about, like flying the plane while getting a blowjob. It had worked before, once with Daisy. Worked better than many of the times I had received them in the car. 'Now why could I fly a plane straight and had a problem driving a car?' I wondered silently. It was my last coherent thought. Daisy lowered her mouth, and I groaned. Little did I know that Daisy had told Pamela that she would hear me groan. At that point, it was safe for her to come in and watch, as I wouldn't look back from then on. Daisy knew me a little too well. The only thing I could do was to keep the plane going straight; beyond that, all my senses were between my legs. With the noise, Pamela couldn't hear anything, but she did see shadows of movement and knew something was going on. Moving into the doorway that separated the cockpit from the rest of the plane. She saw me in my seat, with her sister kneeling on her seat, as she bent over the center console. That wasn't enough. Pamela moved completely into the cockpit. She was just holding onto the edge of the opening, so as not to fall on top of me. I was oblivious to her. Pamela was now close enough that as her sister bobbed her head up and down, she could see my glistening shaft. The stress of the day had taken its toll on me. This effected how quickly I was responding to Daisy. Somehow, she understood and increased her efforts. As Daisy's warm fingers were tightly wrapped around my dick, her mouth engulfed the head. Her tongue started swirling around the tip. She started pumping me, and then sucking me in as fast as she could take me. I was having a very hard time at this point, trying to keep my eyes open. They would close, and I would force them, popping them open again. Then Daisy stopped. I looked down at her. She opened her mouth and ran her tongue around her lips. I looked back up and out the window, as that is where my attention should be. In a very sultry voice that carried through the noise of the plane, I heard Daisy say, "Keith, I need to taste your love. Please give it to me." I groaned. Somewhere in my mind, I wondered if Pamela would have heard that. Daisy dove back down onto me. I was lost. Within seconds, I gave her just what she had asked for. I was just done, and was in an orgasmic bliss; when the radio crackled to life. My attention jolted back into focus. All at once, I sat up straighter. Daisy had fortunately moved, or she might have been pushed off of me. I also noticed our visitor from in back, while I reached for the radio controls. It was Nellis Air Base. I was off course a tad. They had picked me up on their radar and were tracking me. Quickly making the correction, I started talking about how long it would be 'til touchdown. Daisy echoed my astonishment. We were within five minutes of landing. ------- Rebecca had never felt so embarrassed in her life. This wasn't sexual embarrassment. That she enjoyed. This was more like the 'getting caught doing something wrong as a child' type of embarrassment. Childhood was a part of life that, for her, was filled with painful memories. It was bad enough that Liz was there, but that was understandable. She was the one who wanted to have Rebecca see the doctor in the first place. It was Cynthia that made her feel ill at ease. Cynthia, of course, had driven them out to the doctor's plane. To be sitting in a chair, looking down the length of the inside compartment of the doctor's plane at letters on a chart, was humiliating. Everyone else could see them just fine. Rebecca was ready to cry before it was over. She didn't really understand what was going on. 'Cover one eye and read the letters. Now cover the other eye.' It felt like she was being treated like a child. The doctor moved a chair in front of Rebecca and sat in it. "Rebecca, you are a classic hyperopic case." "I'm what?" Rebecca questioned, her words sounding as shaky as she felt. William chuckled. "Rebecca, how many times do I need to tell you to relax? Hyperopic simply means you are far-sighted." He still saw the confused look on her face. "You have a problem seeing things that are close to you. That is why you couldn't read the book with the small print." Before Rebecca could respond, Cynthia asked, "So what do we do now?" "She needs corrective lenses. Glasses, Rebecca," William added when he noticed her 'lost look, ' again. "Glasses!" "The mine has a program," William went on, ignoring Rebecca's outburst, "where an optometrist makes the rounds. As this is a new mine, I'll give her a call and see if we can't get this town bumped up on the schedule. In the meantime..." William got up and walked over to one of the many cabinets. Opening one, he slid out a drawer. He rummaged inside of it, and grabbed something. Walking back, he said, "I know this isn't ideal, but these should work for now." Handing a pair of glasses to Rebecca, she took them. Cynthia grabbed them out of her hands and put them on Rebecca. Looking at Liz, Cynthia asked, "Do you have a book?" Liz shook her head, thinking, 'Why would I have a book here?' Cynthia looked around and saw a small pamphlet. She grabbed it and put it into Rebecca's hand. "Now read it," Cynthia said. "But..." Rebecca started to protest. "Rebecca," Cynthia came back in a very authoritative voice, "you will read this, out loud." Her hands trembling, Rebecca did as she was told. She opened up the paper and looked at it. She gasped and then looked up at Cynthia, whose face was out of focus. "I can see it! The words, I mean," Rebecca said with utter joy. ------- Patrick was on a long walk with Maureen. She had been gone from Carp for a long time. Her sister hadn't kept her up to date on the ins and outs of what had been going on. Patrick didn't bother trying to tell her that her sister didn't know all the information he knew, he just explained many of the changes. Most of what he told her was not first hand knowledge, as many changes had started taking place before he came back to town. Highlighting many different areas, Patrick kept most of the discussion on his family, as that is whom she would be marrying into. He felt it necessary for her to know, up front, what she was getting into. He did decide to leave out a few of the more intimate details; such as what he understood had gone on in the barracks at the base, when they had all been brought there. That was troubling enough to him, much less trying to get someone else to understand. There was no holding back, though, in what was going on with his daughters. With Millie, he focused on Brian. Katy... Well, Katy could stand by her own in her actions. Her daughter, for that matter, was just as mischievous. Maureen stopped Patrick and said, "It seems to me that you are trying very hard to show me that no one in your family will care if we get married, and you continue on with Cheryl. Is that what I'm hearing?" Patrick sputtered. Maureen smiled at him, knowing she'd hit it right on the mark. "Patrick, dear, you don't need to worry so. When I see your granddaughter Robin with Keith, I know what good stock there is in this family. My only worry is what she will think about having not only her mother having a child at the same time she does, but her grandfather's wife, as well." The thought of Maureen, pregnant with his child, made him swell... and it wasn't pride. Maureen noticed the visible reaction. "I think we can work on that, if you want," she said coyly. Patrick half thought to himself that it was very fortunate, that in his wish to have a very private conversation, he had taken Maureen to the other side of the bridge. They were now walking along the river, to a place Jack had said was good for some private conversations. Now, Patrick mused, it was going to be used for something else private. ------- As I taxied the plane over to the same place I had been at this morning, I expected to see Jack. Again, almost a repeat of the morning happened. The fuel truck appeared, filled the tank, and then left. This time the hanger door didn't open. It was a good five minutes later when I saw a young boy riding his bicycle up to where we were waiting. "Are you Keith Patterson?" the boy asked. "Yes, I am, and who might you be?" I replied. "Henry Jacobson Miller the Third," the answer came. I tried to repress my smile. "Well, Henry Jacobson Miller the Third, what brings you out here?" "My dad sent me out; he's still talking to Jack." The boy's eyes grew big, realizing he hadn't followed proper protocol for the military. Starting to shake, he quickly corrected himself. "My father, Commander Miller, is in conversation with General Huntington." "Commander?" I asked, my eyebrows raised, "And don't worry, I don't care for all those formal names either." The boy grinned, but blushed just a touch at getting caught. "No, he isn't. But its sounds good, doesn't it?" the boy answered, still trying to redeem himself. "Yes, I'd have to agree. So, your father is the one who took over Jack's command?" The boy grinned again at my informal usage of names. "Yeah." "How do you like it here?" "It's hot, but I get to ride my new bike a lot. That's fun. I even deliver stuff around the base, and get paid to do it!" Pamela and Daisy had appeared from the plane, using the small back door, as I had. Pamela walked up and looked at the bike. The boy was studying Pamela, Daisy and I noticed, as much as she was the bike. "Jimmy and Brian would like one of those, I bet. Just think of the trouble they could get into!" Pamela said, with a smile on her face. "I got mine at the PX. My dad had to order it," Henry said. "There are no others?" I asked. "Well, a smaller one," the boy admitted. "My dad didn't know which size was going to work best. I've been growing." Henry was boasting, there was little doubt about it. The problem for him was that it was all wasted, as Pamela didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to him. "A smaller one," I said. "It would be ok," Daisy said. I looked at her, wondering if she was really reading my mind. Daisy continued after she saw my questioning look, "Jimmy and Brian are already occupied with other things at the moment." She glanced at her sister and then rolled her eyes. "Now Kenneth, on the other hand..." "You do read minds, don't you?" Daisy beamed, and then said, "Only yours." "You two married?" the boy asked. "Not yet, but soon," I said. I thought Daisy was going to faint from my statement. The boy said, "Just like a girl." Pamela took hold of the boy's shirt and gave it a pull, almost knocking him off his bike. "Not all girls are like that." The boy looked at Pamela with very surprised eyes. Then he stammered about needing to get back. The next thing we knew, he was gone. Daisy looked at me and asked, "You mean that, Keith?" "Of course I do," I replied. "I want a girl who is just like that." Pamela and Daisy laughed and then talked about the poor boy who had no clue as to what he had stumbled upon. "What was that sudden outburst, Pamela? I thought you were going to punch his nose." "He was... trying to..." "Impress you?" I asked as she was having trouble getting the words right. "Yes. Disgusting," Pamela said. Daisy and I looked at each other and couldn't control ourselves. We were still laughing when Jack rode up. Pamela had long ago found our laughter amusing as well. "Jack," I said as he started to get out, "we need to run over to the PX." Sitting back down, he said, "Well, climb in, then. I think you'll all fit in the back seat. Soon we were at the PX. It had been some time since I had been there. I had to smile as I thought of the time Cynthia caught Richard and I looking at wedding rings. That seemed like such a long time ago and it really wasn't. It was just that so much had gone on in my life since the first time I set foot in Carp. Daisy and Pamela were in awe at the array of offerings. I pulled them along to see if the bike was still there. I somehow had my doubts. To my surprise, there were four bikes on display. Two adult bikes, a woman's and a man's, then two smaller ones in boy and girl models. There was space, once I looked closely enough, for two others in the same middle size as the boy we'd just met had. Those were out of stock. 'Henry Jacobson Miller the Third must not get to go into the PX very often, ' I thought. I picked up the small boy's bike, thinking how much Kenneth would like it. Jack looked at me with a bit of a smirk on his face, but then his expression changed. "Keith," he said, "how are you going to pay for that?" "My..." He was right. I'd closed my account out that was on base. "Jack..." "No problem," Jack said and then chuckled. "Good, 'cause I want to buy a few other things as well." That got a good laugh out of him, as well as something like, 'He deserved it.' He took the bike from me, as he didn't need to get anything this trip. When he mentioned ice cream, he has an instant friend in Pamela and the two of them went off together. Daisy was trying to pull me over to the clothing area, 'just to look.' I knew better, but didn't mind too much. We didn't have a lot of time, as daylight was something that waited for no one. We passed the jewelry counter. I stopped her, and pointed to a tray of plain gold bands. Then taking her hand, as she was a bit stunned, I led her over to the clothing she had wanted to see. As soon as we stopped Daisy said, "Keith, what are you thinking?" I had been thinking, as soon as they'd caught my eye. "That you might know, relative to yours, a finger size. I'd like it to fit." Her eyes narrowed as she said, "You know what I mean." "Well, Aunt Daisy, with the family reunion coming up, don't you think that Aunt Beth Ann would like a matching band to yours?" "Keith!" she let out in a somewhat controlled squeal. "Does that mean 'yes'?" I asked, amused. "Of course, you silly," Daisy answered, and then she got serious. "What about Mary? She's going to feel very left out, you know." "Yours and Beth Ann's wouldn't be fancy like Kristin and Liz's are," I protested. "That makes no difference. They're your sisters. It's expected. This will hurt her." "What about Sarah then?" "She's different, and she knows it. I know she wants you, too. But she knows she has to earn it. Mary is an equal to Beth Ann, or she has been to some extent. Like I said, it will hurt her." "Then what do you suggest?" I asked her. "Get Aunt Mary one, also," Daisy said as though it was the simplest solution of all. "Don't you think that she would sort of expect that with Beth Ann planning a wedding, and you also getting married to me, she would expect the same as well?" I said. "Yep, I 'expect' so." "Daisy!" "Are you afraid of her father?" Daisy asked, taunting me. "Yes, as a matter of fact." I thought that had settled it. Daisy saw her sister and the two were reunited. Pamela still had remnants of ice cream on her face. It was just pure reaction. Something my mother had done so many times. I didn't even realize I'd done it. "Keith, I'm not a little girl," Pamela said. My fingers were still wet from licking them and then using them to wipe the bit of ice cream off the side of her cheek. I blushed, but then put my fingers in my mouth. "Mmmm. Strawberry." "It is not and you know it," Pamela said, laughing and forgetting about my 'motherly' actions. "It was chocolate!" We left twenty minutes later with a dress for each of the girls, a bike, and three gold bands. The dresses I knew, Robin would say were almost necessary. I had learned something. The third gold band was something I was very unsure about, but Daisy had pushed it. I couldn't say much at all, at the counter, and Daisy knew it. Now we were heading back to the plane. In twenty minutes, we would be back in Carp. ------- After Cynthia and Rebecca dropped Liz off at the mansion, Cynthia smiled at Rebecca. "I think this calls for a celebration. I know just the place." "Celebration?" "Yes," Cynthia said, grinning. "I had hoped this would turn out well. So, I came prepared. Look under the seat." Rebecca put her hand down and felt along the floor, under where she was sitting. Her hand came into contact with a long rectangular box. She gasped and quickly looked at Cynthia. "I think this calls for a five-orgasm celebration, don't you?" "Oh, yes!" Rebecca sat back, box in hand, with a smile on her face. She was already thinking about all that could be done as she took the dildo out and ran her hands around it. When she saw they had turned and were going over the bridge, she grinned. This was one of her favorite places. Cynthia slowed down too soon and Rebecca looked to see what the problem was. There, close to the secluded place they had found, were two horses. Killing the engine and taking it out of gear, Cynthia let the Jeep roll along almost silently until it came to a stop, not more than ten yards from the horses. The animals watched the vehicle approach, but without the usual sounds, they were not startled in the least. They seemed more curious than anything else. Rebecca and Cynthia got out and walked over to the horses, stroking their muzzle. That is when they heard the voices. "Pat! Oh, God! I'll never walk again." "Part of the plan, my dear. This way I can have you anytime I want." "How much will you want?" "Oh, Maureen! I think I'm going to want you forever." "Good, 'cause you've got me, now. There ain't no backin' out." "Wouldn't want to. Honey, you are..." "Can we do it again, what did you call it, 'horsy style'?" "'Doggy style' and I think you wore me out." "Come on. Here, let me try this." Cynthia and Rebecca were so entranced, listening to the conversation, that the horses they were standing next to felt neglected. The horse, using his head, suddenly pushed Cynthia. She went flailing and stumbling into the small area where Patrick and Maureen were. Cynthia found herself in much the same position Maureen was, on all fours. The two women looked at each other, surprised at the awkwardness of the situation. Patrick, on the other hand, found it quite amusing. He was now, again, buried in Maureen, with his pants down around his knees. "Cynthia, meet Maureen," Patrick said as though they had just run into each other on the street, "I think you two know each other?" "Patrick!" Maureen said in a voice that said she could hardly believe he was being so blasé about the situation. Rebecca, who had rushed over but then stayed back after seeing the outcome of Cynthia's fall, couldn't help herself. She started laughing, alerting Patrick and Maureen to her presence. Mortified, Maureen said, "Who else is here? Did the whole town show up to watch?" She started to get up, but Patrick grabbed hold of her waist. "Now just relax a minute. Cynthia, what are you doing here?" Patrick asked, trying to soothe the predicament. Rebecca walked to where Cynthia was now standing. "We were just... What's wrong?" Rebecca asked as she saw Maureen's eyes widen. Patrick was trying to keep a straight face, but was losing the battle. "I think," Patrick said when there was no answer from Maureen, "she wonders what you are doing with the object that is in your hand." Rebecca, realizing she had the dildo in her hand, quickly put it behind her back. She was breathing heavily now. This was part of what she liked. She hadn't even realized she had, herself, put this into motion. Rebecca knew full well that having forgotten she had the dildo in hand; she had been most likely stroking it. She could feel her nipples harden and her juices start to flow. All she needed now was to be 'punished' with what she held behind her back. Those five orgasms would come very quickly. After a moment of thoughtful silence, Cynthia answered. "Maureen, I could ask the same question. What are you doing out here, an unmarried woman, with the town's preacher." Cynthia didn't need to add, 'with your skirt off, on all fours, and his dick buried to the hilt inside of you.' Maureen already knew what it must look like. Not wanting to be mean, Cynthia went on, "Just like you two, we came to play. I thought Jack had kept this place a secret." "I'm sorry, Cynthia," Patrick said. "Jack told me that this was a special place. Maureen and I started talking... Well it led to... You do know we're getting married, don't you?" "Yes, we heard. Everyone in town is talking about it," Cynthia said with a smile. "Can I get up and..." Maureen started to say. Patrick gave her a little swat on the rear. "No, no, no," Cynthia said. "You carry on. We'll find another place." "I can't... not after this," Maureen stared to say. "Do you need to borrow this to help?" Rebecca asked, holding out the dildo. Patrick was silently chuckling. It was causing his body to shake, which in turn stimulated an embarrassed Maureen. She couldn't help but stare. She'd never in her life seen one. She had heard about their existence, but to see it in person... Cynthia walked off, but then ran to the Jeep and back again, walking when in sight of the others. She took the dildo out of Rebecca's hand and placed it into the long square box. "Wash it off when you're done," Cynthia said with a wicked smile, as she set the box down in front of Maureen. She then took Rebecca's hand and pulled her away. "We have to go?" Rebecca asked in a young sounding voice. "Yes, I have plans for your body," Cynthia responded when they were at the Jeep. Rebecca, who was disappointed with Cynthia for leaving the dildo, now felt the rush once again. She was as primed and as ready as she could be! ------- Marcia sat in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth. She hugged her legs tightly up under her chin. She just sat there, rocking. Sarah quietly opened the door and slipped in, watching her friend. Something was up, and Sarah wasn't sure what it was. She thought to herself, 'If only Keith were here." Then she almost laughed at the thought. What would he know about Marcia? "Marcia?" Sarah called softly. "I'm fat." "No, you're not." "I will be when Mike sees me. He won't like me. I'll be fat." Sarah's mind was racing. She had no idea what to do, or say. "I'll get something, and show you it isn't so... hold on." Sarah didn't waste time trying to be quiet this time. She walked out the door, but as soon as she'd closed the door, she ran to the end of the hall, took the stairs down three at a time, and then was out the back door. Running across the yard and into the kitchen, she saw Katherine. "Come on, quick." Katherine pulled off her apron and was out the door following Sarah, leaving three very curious people in the kitchen. "What's this about?" Katherine asked as she tried to keep up with Sarah. "Do we need to get someone to the doctor?" Sarah was at the door of the new house. She paused, turning to face Katherine. Sarah realized the situation was being thought of as very extreme. "No. Sorry, Katherine," Sarah said, somewhat breathlessly. "I just... Marcia is in our room, and... Well, she was going on about how Mike, her boyfriend, would be here to see her, and all he's going to see, is fat, not her! And..." Katherine gave Sarah a very sympathetic smile and said, "Then it is an emergency. Lead the way." Sarah didn't run up the stairs, but she did walk in haste. When she made it down the hall and opened the door, Marcia was still in the same position. Katherine looked in over the top of Sarah's shoulder and then pushed Sarah into the room. As soon as Katherine was in, she closed the door. Sarah looked at Katherine, her eyebrows raised. "You should stay and listen," Katherine softly said to Sarah. "One day you will need to know this as well." Then Katherine walked over and sat down on the floor, next to Marcia. Sarah took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Marcia, I want to tell you a little story," Katherine started. "Once upon a time there was a woman and a man. They were married and she got pregnant." Marcia stopped rocking, looked up at Sarah and rolled her eyes. Katherine smiled when she saw this. "Everything was wonderful," Katherine continued. "They started looking at baby furniture. Even though they didn't have a separate room for the baby, they planned on a special place in their room. It was very exciting. That is until March 22nd." Katherine paused. She actually stopped, wanting what was about to happen. "What happened on March 22nd?" Marcia asked. Then she took a deep breath in, her eyes got big and she swallowed hard. "She didn't lose..." "Oh no, nothing so dramatic. But to her, at the time, it seemed just as bad." "What was it?" Sarah asked this time. "She had a doctor's appointment." "That's it?" Marcia asked in a disgusted tone, as though she'd been tricked. "That was just the beginning," Katherine said in an ominous voice. "For it was at the doctor's, the woman got onto the scale. She'd gained five pounds. To top it off, she noticed her husband looking at another woman on the way home." "That's terrible," Sarah said. "What a louse." "To make matters worse, that very night, her favorite nightgown was just a bit snug for comfort." "Awful!" "Then there was the clincher." "What happened?" Marcia asked. "Her husband fell asleep in the chair, reading a book. The woman went to bed alone and cried. After almost an hour of feeling sorry for herself, she fell asleep." "How terrible," Sarah said. "The next morning, the woman woke to the alarm. Her husband, in bed with her, got up and went into the bathroom as though nothing had happened the day before. The woman was stunned. After getting dressed, he ate two pieces of toast and drank a cup of coffee. Then he was on his way to work, after giving her a little kiss on the cheek." "Oh my goodness, what did she do?" "She did the most logical thing she could think of. She took the trolley to see her mother." "That was smart," Sarah said. Katherine laughed and then said, "One would think so, but when she told her mother the tale, her mother laughed." "Laughed! What a horrible thing to do," Sarah commented. "Sounds like something my mother might do," Marcia said. The conversation stalled for a moment as Katherine and Sarah took in the sad nature of Marcia's plight. "Well, now," Katherine started back up again, "you have to hear the rest of the story. After fuming for the next three days, Saturday came around. The woman's mother and father came over, took her out for lunch, and then a little shopping. She was exhausted by the time they brought her back to her little home." "Her husband didn't go?" Sarah asked. "You're a smart one, Sarah. No, he didn't and she found out why, as soon as she got home. There in the corner of their bedroom was the baby's new place. It was all set up. A new bassinet, a little changing table, and the mobile they loved, but..." Katherine sniffled, and the two girls looked at her, realizing there were tears dropping from her face. "That was you, wasn't it?" Marcia asked almost in a whisper. Katherine nodded. "He'd been working a few more hours each week. Plus, he'd worked though his lunches. I hadn't noticed how tired he'd been. He'd been saving all the extra money. The woman I saw him look at was the one who he'd ordered the furniture from. It was a surprise for me. He loved me so much." It set her tears flowing all over again. Sarah and Marcia wrapped their arms around Katherine, hugging her. After Katherine settled down, Marcia asked, "You think Mike will still love me, then?" Katherine looked into the girl's eyes and said, "I know what you're going through and sometimes what you think about seems so real. Think about this, do you think Mike has ever seen a pregnant woman before?" "Yes, his oldest sister." "So he's well aware of what is going to happen with your being pregnant." "I guess so." "Guess so? If it was his sister, I would think he'd pretty well know. I'll bet he's heard a lot about it." "You're probably right; she's the 'princess' of the family." "Add in that his parents don't want him to see you, and what's he going to do?" "See me," Marcia said with a smile starting to show on her face. "He knows what you will look like and he loves you just the same, if not more. Remember, Marcia, that when we see ourselves as fat and unattractive, we need to remember that the reason that man is with us is because he loves us and wants to be there. I think that you can put your Mike into that 'great guy' category." Marcia had a full smile on her face as she answered. "Yes, I think he is." ------- Jack, being my co pilot this leg of the trip, wasn't as exciting as Daisy being up here with me. She was in the back with her sister. Pamela, once back in the plane, started talking to her sister about the blowjob. Daisy had been ready. As soon as she tasted the cum that shot into her mouth, she was ready to rip her clothes off. The radio call from the tower was like a bucket of cold water on her. Pamela, watching her sister and the man who she admired above anyone else, was set on fire. If it had been anywhere else than the plane, she would have had her hand down into herself. She was so shaky, after watching them that she had to hold on, in the plane, and it prevented her from doing anything more than watch. The more they talked, the more both of them became horny. The two girls felt the plane pitch slightly, and start to circle. Pamela looked outside and couldn't believe it. Turning to her sister, she knew Daisy had already figured it out. They were home. ------- After the call, Robin and Katy had made Richard figure out the time Jack, the girls, and I would be home. After that amount of time passed, the two made Richard go to the communications car, to make sure the plane got to the base. Richard, after finding out it had landed, but hadn't taken off yet, waited. He wasn't about to go out to face the scorn of Robin and Katy. The only news they wanted to hear was good news. It was a long wait, but the news finally came that the plane was in the air. Richard drove back out to the mansion. Katy and Robin were, predictably, waiting for him. As soon as he opened the door, and even before he got all the way out of the car, he spoke. "They are on their way," he said. Looking at his watch, he continued with, "About 15 minutes and they'll be here." Katy ran to give her husband a great big kiss, while Robin said she'd tell Jimmy. Robin went inside, thinking she'd have to search for her brother. Instead, she saw him right away. He was in the music room, standing on a chair that had been pulled up to the grandfather clock. "Jimmy," she started to say. He pointed at the dial and then said, "It will be there, when they arrive." She walked over to him and gave him a swat on the butt. "Smart aleck. We have to leave sooner than that, if we want to be over there before the plane lands." Jumping off the chair and landing on the other side of his surprised sister, he grabbed her hand. "Come on then! Let's go!" She laughed and let herself be pulled outside. Outside, Richard and Katy let Jimmy drive them crazy. They understood his anxious behavior and watched as Robin teased him. Robin, already knowing Pamela and Daisy were coming back, wanted the details. Richard called the two of them to the car and then handed Robin the keys. She looked at him, surprised. "Your mom and I were talking. You have another four people to bring back," Richard said. "I think you'll need all the room you can get." It wasn't a long drive over to the end of the little valley where the plane would end up, after landing. Robin had become a better driver, but she was still a little rough about getting the clutch just right. They waited maybe five minutes before they could hear and then see the plane. Jimmy was literally jumping up and down in anticipation. Robin held onto him as the plane landed and then rolled up close to them. As soon as the propellers stopped, she let go and he ran to the lower back door. When it opened, Pamela was standing there, with Daisy right behind. Pamela saw Jimmy and jumped out, throwing her arms around him making him lose his balance and fall. The two were already kissing by the time they hit the ground. Daisy looked at Robin and they both started laughing. Daisy jumped over her sister and Jimmy. She ran over to Robin. The two hugged, having tears in their eyes. "Tell me what happened?" Robin said. "I've been dying to find out what has been going on." "It's a very long story," Daisy said wearily. Robin suddenly realized that in her desire to have Daisy back in Carp that something was given up. "Come on, let's see what Keith is up to," Robin said. Then she added, "I know it will be easier to talk, back at the Mansion." "Pamela, Jimmy? Where did they go?" Daisy said, as she realized she didn't need to step over them getting back into the plane. "I don't know, but they're around someplace. Come on," Robin said as she walked into the plane. Stopping at the back seats, Robin looked at the packages. She asked, "What's this stuff?" "A dress for Pamela and I," Daisy said suddenly self-conscious. "I can see that. I'd have expected Keith to do something like that. I was talking about..." "The bike?" "Yes." "It's for Kenneth." Robin laughed. "That boy already looks at Keith like a surrogate father, now he's going to be impossible." "You think it was a bad idea?" "No," Robin said, smiling. "I think Kenneth reminds Keith of what he was like when he was a little boy." Robin turned to the front of the plane and shouted, "Keith? You almost done?" "Yes, just another minute or two," came the reply. "Ok, we're going to take this stuff and put it in the back of the car." Robin grabbed the bike and rolled it, while Daisy took hold of the dresses and a small bag. "What's in that?" Robin wanted to know. "Rings." "Rings?" Robin asked with her eyebrows raised. "Can we talk about that later, too?" Daisy implored. "Yes," Robin said, "how about after a nice long bath?" "Oh, that sounds nice." "How did Keith get this bike in?" Robin asked as she tried to turn the tight corner and get it though the door of the plane. "Tip it up on the back wheel; I think he held it upright." "Ok... yes, that works." Robin and Daisy walked to the car and stopped in their tracks. They just stared; their mouths open in surprise. There in the back of the Suburban were Pamela and Jimmy. Their clothing, as well as a blanket, was under them. The large back area gave the two a good bit of room. Pamela looked up to her sister and Robin, but she didn't let go of Jimmy's dick that was in her mouth. Nor did she stop her hips flexing over the top of his mouth. "I guess they couldn't wait," Robin said when she got her voice back. Then she added as her mischievous side reappeared. "I guess this was a lot cleaner and softer than the dirt they were rolling around in when she jumped from the plane." Daisy was blushing when she said, "I think this was my fault. You suggested it anyway, so I guess you can take some of the blame. Pamela watched the whole thing from when Keith started to moan." "No wonder you're tired," Robin said, but wished she could have taken back the words when she saw the worried look Daisy flashed across her face. Trying to make light of what she just said, Robin continued, "I'm assuming you did that before you picked up Jack?" "Robin!" Daisy said and smacked her friend in the arm. She did have a smile on her face, though. "Finish up, we are going to be driving back soon and we need to put this back here," Robin said to Pamela and Jimmy. Pamela rose off Jimmy giving the tip a satisfying pop from the suction she'd been creating. "Can't we get that stuff later?" "You want to ride back to the house like that?" Robin asked. "Can I?" "Oh, for gosh sakes. Why not? Have fun!" Robin said half laughing. Then she closed the hatch. "I'll just leave the bike next to the plane. We can hold the dresses and bag on our laps," Robin told Daisy. Robin had just set the kickstand down when Jack and I walked out of the plane. I looked at the bike. Robin shook her head, which I initially took as disapproval. "We'll bring Kenneth out here later and get it," Robin said. Smiling, I said, "Ok, ready to go?" "Yep, but first," Robin said and then gave me kiss that heated me up. With her arms around my neck, she then said loud enough for Daisy to hear, "Thank you for bringing them back to where they belong." "We'll talk," I whispered. "That's what Daisy said," Robin whispered back. "Are we going to go anywhere, or stay here for a while," Jack said, trying to break us up. "Jealous?" I asked. "Darn right. I can't wait to get home. I just wish it was light enough to see what they have accomplished on my new home. I should have been here, but I had little choice about that." "If we drive you out there now, you could probably see it well enough," Robin said. "Robin, there is no way I'm going to take you away from Keith, Daisy, and Pamela right now. You are going back to the Mansion and I'm getting Richard to drive me back to the hotel. Some things are more important than seeing a house." Jack said with a smile, and then looked around. "Where is Pamela?" Daisy cleared her throat, and then said, "In the car already." Robin looked at me and grinned. I rolled my eyes and said, "Will we need to roll the windows down?' "Probably," Robin and Daisy said almost in unison. "What did I miss?" Jack said, confused. "Get in the car. I'm sure it will become obvious." Curious, he opened the back door. We were all quiet, waiting. He looked back at us and said, "Oh, jeez... Couldn't they wait?" We all laughed and climbed in. Daisy, Robin, and I sat in the front bench seat, with Jack by himself on the rear bench. Behind him, Pamela and Jimmy were still making noises. We rolled down our windows, and made some comments as I started to drive. It didn't deter them. In fact, at one point I hit a bump. Pamela came up for air and yelled up front, "Keith! Hit some more bumps, that felt good!" ------- I stopped Richard's car next to ours. Everyone was out waiting for us. They ran around the car, pulling doors open, even the back hatch. I looked out the open back to see Sarah, Marcia, and Kristin staring, wide eyed. The next thing I saw was Pamela, with Jimmy in tow. Their clothes were left in the car as they ran to the new house, naked as the day they were born. It would have been something to laugh at, but everyone was a bit too startled to say anything, until they were already out of sight. Liz, Beth Ann, and Mary pulled Daisy from the car after Robin had exited. Each of them gave her a long hug. Kristin came around and gave her one as well. Then Robin pulled them along, taking Daisy's hand. I heard something about giving Daisy a bath. It didn't take much to figure out that there was some girls sharing-time going on. I could stay out of the way for a while. Jack asked Richard for a ride and the two drove off. Katy took my hand, and with everyone else following brought me into the living room. "All right, Keith," Katy said. "We've all been on pins and needles wondering what happened." I looked to the sea of faces and got a bit choked up. Scanning the room, I looked into Katherine's eyes. There was an instant of communication and the expression on my face told her that some of what I was going to say was painful. "All three, or just Kenneth?" she asked. I glanced at Elizabeth and Kristina, not wanting to look at the disappointed face that I was sure was on Kenneth, right now. "All three, but only at a certain point." Katherine nodded. I told them what had happened; starting from the time Sharin drove us to the monastery. I had just finished telling them about Pamela and Daisy hiding. I was thinking that soon the three younger ones should leave while I talked about Robert, when Robin came into the room. I paused and saw her glance around the room. She mouthed 'Pamela' to me. I shook my head. "Don't you think you should make sure they don't..." Katy stood and said, "I'll go check on my son and," with a smile she added, "your daughter." "Good time to stand up and stretch, anyway," I said. Katherine caught my eye and I nodded. I saw her gather her not very happy children and take them out of the house. Kenneth, I knew was going to forgive me. I had a bike for him. That would wash away any misgivings. Elizabeth and Kristina... I wasn't so sure about them. Robin, I noticed, had disappeared. Sarah and Marcia walked up to me. "Is the next part bad?" Sarah asked. "Not so much bad, as very sad," I said, and then added, "Why?" "I wondered if I should take Marcia out as well." Marcia apparently hadn't known this was what Sarah was going to say. She turned red and gave her friend a look of disbelief. I took Marcia's chin and turned it to me with my hand, while saying to Sarah, "I think that Marcia is quite old enough to decide that. I have seen that she is able to take information and use it quite well." By the time I was through talking, Marcia was smiling. ------- Katy walked quietly into the new house. She tiptoed up the stairs. There was this nagging feeling flip-flopping in her mind. Was she sneaking up on them to watch, or because she wanted to know the truth as to what they had been doing. She wasn't sure that it wasn't a combination of the two. As she took her first step down the hall, she heard a cry from Pamela. She forgot about being quiet and ran the rest of the way, throwing open the door. What she saw completely confused her. She expected to see her son poking Pamela somewhere she didn't want. Her whole body was enraged, ready to scream. The adrenalin pumping into her system had nowhere to go. Pamela was being held in Jimmy's arms. They were clothed. Tears were streaming down her face and had been for some time, it looked like. Looking up at Katy, Pamela let out another cry and then said, "He's gone." She dissolved into tears again. The drop from her pumped-up high made Katy ready to collapse. She sat, before she fell over, onto the bed. She threw her arms around Jimmy and Pamela. When Katy felt as if she wasn't ready to pass out, she said, "Pamela, let me take you into the bathroom, and get your face cleaned up." Pamela didn't question. She was so drained; she couldn't protest anything. She stood, at Katy's urging, and let herself be led out of the room. Katy maneuvered Pamela in front of her at the doorway and turned back to her son. Whispering she said, "Get Robin and Daisy." He nodded and waited until they had shut the bathroom door. Then he ran all the way over to the Mansion. Jimmy ran into the living room and said in an agitated voice, "Where's Robin and Daisy?" "Jimmy, what's wrong?" I asked. "Pamela..." Jimmy couldn't get anything more out. He started crying. "Sarah," I said, "can you get them?" She nodded and left. "Jimmy? Is this about her dad?" I asked. He sniffled and nodded. I had just got through telling everyone that Robert was going to be completely out of touch for at least one year. They all had felt the girls' pain to some extent. This pushed their feelings to 'water in the eyes.' Daisy's hair was still wet when she and Robin came out to the living room. "Pamela has fallen apart and needs the two of you," I said. Robin and Daisy looked at Jimmy, their faces full of concern. "Come on, Jimmy," Robin said, "take us to your girl." ------- Richard let Jack off in front of the hotel. There was no reason for Richard to wait and he wanted to get back to the Mansion. Jack was anxious to get to his room as well. The smells and sounds from Pamela and Jimmy had driven him crazy. He lightly tapped at the door. Cynthia opened it a crack and then threw it open. She grabbed him and pulled him in. Jack was smiling; this was the sort of reception he loved to receive. As Cynthia closed the door behind him, Jack noticed Rebecca on the bed. She was sans clothing and stretched out as a lazy cat on a summer day. Rebecca's head languished, slowly turning and she smiled. "Did you leave anything for me?" Jack asked Cynthia, gesturing to Rebecca. Taking Jack's hands and dancing in front of him with much more energy than Rebecca was capable of, she replied, "Rebecca has been a very good girl today. I rewarded her." "A good girl?" Jack said amused. Rebecca was never 'bad, ' even at times when she tried so that she could be 'punished.' "Pray tell, what did she do? Then," Jack said with a grin, "tell me how you rewarded her." Cynthia smiled and instead of answering him, skipped over to the dresser. She pickup up two things, which she hid from him, and walked over to Rebecca. Holding them out to her, Jack saw a book... and a pair of glasses! "Now read for us dear," Cynthia said. Rebecca smiled, slipped on the glasses, opened the book and started to read. Cynthia glanced at Jack and knew he didn't understand the significance. "Rebecca, stop reading for a second," Cynthia said. Reaching to Rebecca, Cynthia took the glasses off, and then said, "Now continue reading." Rebecca looked down at the book and then back up at Cynthia, with tears in her eyes. "You know I can't do that," Rebecca said painfully. Cynthia extended her hand and ran it over Rebecca's cheek. "I know, dear, but Jack didn't." Rebecca blinked, clearing her eyes and looked over to Jack. "Why didn't you tell us?" he asked. "I didn't know. I just thought I was always stupid," Rebecca said bowing her head. "Now, now," Cynthia said. "That's no way to talk. Tell Jack what happened today at the school." Rebecca wiped her eyes, and then gave Cynthia a little grin. "Jack, you should have seen her; she loves reading to children!" "Not that!" Cynthia said embarrassed. "We read together." "Yes," Rebecca said, but teased further, "but that was after you had read them... six or seven stories I think." "I did not! It was only... I don't remember." "See, she loved it," Rebecca said smugly. "What were kids doing at the school?" "They were children that wanted to come up with their fathers to see the new school," Cynthia said. Jack felt like this was going to be like pulling teeth if he didn't say exactly what he wanted to hear. "Come up from where? Cynthia, can you tell me the whole story, or do I get it piecemeal, by asking the right questions?" "When Larry sent out word that he needed help for our house, people from Angle City heard about it from the train engineer. There were a number of men that showed up to help. Their kids wanted to come up as well, as they had been told about a school. Does that answer your questions?" Jack looked at her in surprise. Forgetting about the school, the kids, even the glasses, he asked, "How much of the house did they do? I can't believe people from Angle City came up." "I don't know. We didn't go out to the house. Darling," Cynthia said, "those men, from what I was told, were here as a sort of thank you for what you did when they had the mine cave in." "But I..." "Do you want to see the house? I think there's still enough light to make out what's happened," Cynthia said as she walked in front of him, draping her arms over his shoulders and snuggling in close. Then she whispered. "I bet we could have a bit of fun out there. Want me to describe what I did to Rebecca on the way?" Jack moaned. Cynthia took that as a yes. "Come on, Rebecca, you need a few clothes on, and I do mean a few," she said, giving Rebecca a wink. Rebecca was glad that it was dusk and the light was fading. The skirt was fine, even without panties on. Her blouse, one of Cynthia's, was another matter. It was designed to be worn with something over it, because of its sheerness, and certainly one would have expected the wearer to have a bra on. This was not the case. She wasn't bare, but it was close. Her nipples pushed hard against the fabric, making them known. As no one else was in the hotel, it was unlikely they would have run into anyone. But the thought was enough for Rebecca and she could feel the excitement run through her. She did love what Cynthia and Jack made her do. Once in the Jeep, Jack drove slowly so he could hear Cynthia. She was sitting next to him, with Rebecca in the back, but scooted forward in the center, so she could also hear what Cynthia was going to tell Jack. "We first ran into Patrick and Maureen out in our favorite spot. It wasn't nice that you told him about it. Maureen was so upset about being stumbled upon that I had to leave the dildo I was going to use on Rebecca to pacify her." Jack laughed, thinking about that. He and Patrick had had a few talks and he couldn't see Maureen going for that, but... "Then, as I didn't have any more toys with me, I brought Rebecca back to the hotel. I'm glad no one else is staying there now. I think they might well have heard a few things, right, Rebecca?" Jack glanced towards the back seat. Rebecca was blushing. "So then I made her strip for me, and then tied her down to the bed. I used the blindfold, but left off the gag. After Rebecca started making so much noise, I should have though." Cynthia joked. "First I used the peacock feather to heighten her senses." Jack noticed out of the corner of his eye, Cynthia using her fingertips to run up Rebecca's leg. "Then as this was a reward for her, I didn't prolong. It was just that she wasn't expecting that I start on the backside first. You know that smaller one we have? The one the size of Jimmy, I'd say." Jim chuckled, knowing Cynthia was doing this just to tease Rebecca. "Yes, I remember." "Well I lubricated it well and slid it right in. You should have seen the surprised look on her face. I didn't give her time to say a word though as I had another toy in my hand. She was already wet and it slid right in. You should have heard her moan and that was before I even touched her clit. As soon as I did that, she was raising off the bed!" "Sounds like your little show out with Patrick and Maureen got her going," Jack said. "I think so. I'd promised her five orgasms, but I knew they would happen so fast that it would be over too soon." "Oh," Jack said, noticing Cynthia's hand had disappeared under Rebecca's dress, "now don't hold me in suspense. Tell me what you did to her." "I pulled out the dildo. The one in front," Cynthia chuckled. "You should have heard her moan then! I had to shut her up, so I climbed up on the bed and lowered my dripping pussy onto her mouth." "How well did that work?" Jack asked, as if it was a real question. "Very well indeed. I think it gave her something else to think about. So this time, I slowly toyed with the dildo around her opening," Cynthia said. Jack could tell by her voice she was recounting the encounter with great pleasure. "What happened next," Jack said wanting her not to get lost in the feeling and forget to tell the story. "She bit my clit! So, I pushed the dildo into her. That's just what she wanted as she went right off." Even though Jack had been driving slowly, they were there. Conversation stopped as the Jeep's headlights shone on the structure. "Jack, look at all they did!" Cynthia said in excitement. He was stunned. There were few things that were done with this much efficiency in the military. The last time he had been out, the foundation had been laid. That was it. Now there was a floor and three outside walls. The fourth wall was still lying on the ground, but it looked complete. All three of them jumped out and ran to the structure, not being able to control their eagerness to look. Jack and Cynthia, who had read and understood the plans, were pointing and saying where things would be. Rebecca was standing, looking around, but tears were in her eyes. Jack noticed and moved up to her. "What's wrong?" "It doesn't seem real." Cynthia heard their conversation and looked at Jack, wondering what they should do. Jack gave Cynthia a wink and said to Rebecca, "Let's make it real then." Walking over to the Jeep, Jack turned off the engine and the lights. It took a minute for his eyes to readjust. He grabbed the blanket that was always in the Jeep, and then he walked back over to Rebecca. Cynthia had moved over to her as well. Taking Rebecca's hand he walked her over, with Cynthia following, to one of the framed walls. "This is the window of our living room. Look at the view," Jack said letting go of Rebecca's hand and making a sweeping motion. "We can see the river. Best of all, no one can see us." Reaching around Rebecca, he took her breasts in his hands, giving them a good feel and then squeezing her hard nipples. She moaned and then whimpered when his hands left her breasts. He moved to her buttons and started undoing them. "We, that is all three of us, will be here from the start. This isn't Cynthia's house. This isn't my house. This is our house, Rebecca." Her blouse was peeled away and she felt the zipper of her skirt come down. The button at the waist was undone, and the skirt fell to the floor. "Turn around, Rebecca, and look at your family." Rebecca turned and saw Jack and Cynthia standing side by side. She opened her arms and they hugged her. Jack grabbed the blanket and draped it over the bottom of the windowsill, then had Rebecca sit on it. Cynthia walked to the outside and leaned Rebecca over towards her. Rebecca felt like she was going to fall out, until she felt Jack grab hold of her legs. Cynthia held her under her arms and started kissing her. Jack raised and spread Rebecca's legs. She couldn't move her head to see what was going on, but then didn't need to when she felt Jack's dick make contact, then slide into her. Rebecca moaned deeply into Cynthia's mouth. Cynthia tried her best, as Rebecca was obviously enjoying every moment, but it was too hard to hold Rebecca up. "Jack, we need another position. This doesn't work well, on this side at least. From what I hear the other side is working just fine." Jack laughed, and said, "Yes I'd say so. This window is just about perfect height." Then he added, "Oh, by the way, Cynthia, very nice shave job you did on Rebecca. You know how I like it smooth." He lifted Rebecca back to a sitting position and then grabbed a couple of 2X8s, setting them about three feet from the window on the floor. "Rebecca, come here. Turn around and face the window. Ok, now bend over and hold onto the window frame." She did and he looked. "Perfect." She thought so too, as he slid back inside her. The whinny of a horse made Rebecca tense. Jack stopped his thrust, leaving himself buried inside her. "Who's there?" Cynthia called out. It was dusk, but on the later side. There was just a touch of light, but not quite enough to see clearly. "It's Larry. Is that you, Cynthia? Did I hear Jack?" "Yes, you did," Jack said. He gave a little thrust into Rebecca and said, "Rebecca is here as well." "Oh, sorry to disturb you. Everything happened so fast," Larry continued as they heard him step onto the flooring and walk towards their voices. "I thought I'd just come out and put my thoughts together for tomorrow. It's coming along nicely, don't you think?" "Larry," Cynthia started to say and then realized he was a lot closer than it looked a second ago. "Oh!" Larry said. "Now, Larry," Cynthia said. "Don't be embarrassed." "They're..." "Yes they are, now aren't they?" "You're just watching?" Cynthia couldn't help but laugh, then she said, "Not really, Larry. I join in." She could hear his gasp. She walked up to him and, in a whisper, said, "Is it any different than what you do?" "Mrs. Huntington." "Larry, really. My name is Cynthia. What you choose to do is your business." She noticed his eyes weren't looking at her. She followed them and saw he was looking at the junction where Jack was now sliding in and out of Rebecca in a rapid motion. Sliding up next to Larry and putting an arm around him, she whispered into his ear, again, "See something that you're going to try to imitate tonight with your brother?" "I think I should go," Larry said. Cynthia thought he was mad at her, for what she said. Her eyes dropped and saw the bulge in Larry's pants. "Larry, we understand," she said and pulled his head over, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "You know we like you a lot, or you would never have seen this." "Uh huh," Larry said with labored breath. "I'll see you in the morning." Larry moved as quickly as one could, in the little light offered. They heard the horse as it galloped off. "Come and help, Cynthia. She's ready. If we get her now, Larry might just hear her scream her release." ------- Pamela and Jimmy were in their room, along with Kristina, Elizabeth, Stephanie, Sarah, and Marcia. It was overcrowded, but no one was complaining. Each one of them wanted to be there for Pamela. She felt so loved that she was the first one asleep. Robin, Kristin, Liz, Mary, Beth Ann, and I were surrounding Daisy. We just weren't as drained as Pamela was, so we were talking. "I want to see what you got," Robin said. "He got something?" Kristin asked. "A dress for me and my sister," Daisy said. "Oh, that's so sweet," Beth Ann said. "I want to see them, too." "They're downstairs. Let me get them," Robin said. She jumped up and ran out the door. They waited until she returned. It took a bit longer than they expected it would. When she came into the room, her face was pensive. Robin handed Daisy the dresses, but then asked, "Keith, what are the three wedding bands for?" ------- Chapter 108 Thank God we were sitting on the floor at this point, as I would have fallen over after Robin asked me that question. Even with the mattresses we were on, it wouldn't have felt good. All eyes turned to me. I looked over to Daisy, who quickly looked at the floor. She remembered telling Robin there were rings and this is why Robin had looked for them. I looked at Robin and noticed the three rings on her little finger. She was not looking at me though, but at Daisy. "One's for her?" Robin asked. "If I remember right," I started to answer, "Beth Ann was supposed to start planning her wedding and..." I didn't get anything else out. Beth Ann smothered me with kisses. Then she started telling me the plans they had made. Liz, Kristin, Mary, and Robin all piped in. They had decided on a date and Beth Ann had written her parents and aunt to let them know. She was excited about the whole thing. It made everyone else around her vibrant as well. When all was told in that venue, Robin took one ring off her pinky and moved it to another finger, but then held up two rings. I knew I wasn't going to get out of this alive. "The second ring is for Daisy," I said. "It's about time," Robin said. She knocked me over and started kissing me, and then I felt a second set of lips. I saw Daisy's face, as I was turned towards her for a frontal attack of frenching. That was very nice; but when I felt hands undoing my pants, I knew everything was going to get better. A lot better. ------- Patrick had taken Maureen back to her sister's house. It was unthinkable, in Mennonite traditions, for the two to spend the night together before they were married. As Maureen opened the front door, saying goodnight to Patrick, her sister could swear she smelled sex on the two of them. She bit her tongue as Maureen walked into her bedroom. After all, she had set the two up. As soon as Maureen closed the bedroom door, she smiled. Patrick was going back to Cheryl's house, but he was too worn out for Cheryl tonight. Maureen's smile faded quickly and a look of shock came over her face. Out of her shawl fell a box, the box containing the dildo that she and Patrick had used earlier. She grabbed hold of it as it bounced on the bed. The last thing she needed was for it to fall to the floor and have her sister come to investigate the noise. As she held the toy in her hand, she could smell the sex on it. She took a deep breath, and reveled in the memory. She wondered if her sister had caught a whiff. Knowing that her sister would not have been bashful about asking, she decided that all was ok, for now. The cardboard box was chucked into the corner of the room. It was 'safe.' The dildo, on the other hand, needed to be handled discretely. So, for the moment, it was stuffed under her pillow. As she placed it there, she knew it was going to be used again that night. This time she was going to have to restrain herself. If she moved as she had when that thing was in Patrick's hand, the bed would be banging against the wall. Worse than that were the noises she had made. Never in a million years did she ever think she would be... well, like that. The feelings of him being in one place, with the dildo in the other... Maureen shivered, just at the thought. ------- "Brian?" "Yes, Sweetheart?" Barbara sighed and said again, "Brian?" "Yes?" "Yes, Sweetheart." Brian rolled his eyes, although in the dark, no one could have seen. "Yes, Sweetheart," he answered. He was rewarded with a long and passionate kiss. 'Ok, ' he thought, 'it isn't bad to say "sweetheart."' Outside in the hallway, Bruce and Millie could hear. Millie did the unexpected and reached over, grabbing Bruce. He almost let the kids know of their presence by the gasp he had to squelch. Surprised or not, his dick knew a good thing when it happened and expanded. She moved up close to him, not taking her hand away. Instead, she was massaging the lump in his pants. She whispered in his ear, "I think we'd better go to our room, before they come out and see us on the floor." Bruce had no idea what had prompted this, but he wasn't stupid enough to ask questions! He was going to enjoy every minute! He closed the bedroom door, as quietly as he could. As soon as the door 'clicked, ' Millie said, "You know they can hear us." "Probably." "Katy said they don't go to bed very early when they're out at the Mansion. She said they are most likely awake later than we think." Millie got the snap open and Bruce's zipper down. He was trying to make some semblance of intelligent conversation, although it was 'hard.' "She said that?" "Yes," Millie said as she pulled down his pants and underwear in one jerk. "Millie!" She smiled. Her sister wasn't going to call her a prude. She pushed Bruce backwards. He stumbled and tripped, as both his feet were caught in the waistband of his pants. Landing on the bed, he watched in utter amazement as she dropped to her knees and did something she hadn't done in a long, long time. "Oh, My, God!" Bruce said. It was loud enough that Barbara and Brian turned and looked at each other. "What do you think they're doing?" Brian asked. ------- Laura's soft footsteps padded into Jill's room on the first floor. Jill was glad to see Laura and the two cuddled on Jill's bed talking about nothing much at all until Laura fell asleep. It was then that Jill felt... well, she felt something, and she didn't know quite how to put her finger on it. She started thinking about the feeling she was having and when it had started. 'Bedtime, ' Jill thought. But that didn't make sense. 'What was different about this bedtime, over any other?' She knew the answer to that question but didn't want to feel self-centered. The answer was 'Pamela and Daisy.' Now that she had said it in her mind, she could open the possibilities. Almost immediately she saw the problem. 'Pamela is a child and I have grown out of that stage of life. Daisy is with the adults, as she should be. The big question is, where am I?' Her thoughts became jumbled. Finding the problem had brought up still more questions, but it also brought a sense of restfulness. Jill's mind was bouncing around more and more slowly, as her body started to nod off. 'Sarah and Marcia were upstairs. Why? Do I want to be over in the Mansion? Not really. Why did Laura come down here, and not stay up with Pamela? Why did she fall asleep so fast?' The last question Jill remembered thinking, was: 'Why hasn't Keith used that tunnel to come see me?' Jill didn't know it, but her tossing and turning had woken up Laura. While Jill thought those questions, she also verbalized them in whispers... even the last one. ------- Larry was out at the building site very early the next morning. He had a smile on his face that wouldn't quit. He'd come to get a good look at what needed to be done today. At least that is what he'd tried to tell himself. Truth be told, as soon as he got there, he walked right to the spot he'd stood last night. It was much different in the morning, and of course Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca weren't there. Larry found he couldn't help himself. He looked for anything that suggested their presence. Nothing. The thought that no one except he knew what had happened made him wonder if he and his brother, John, could do the same. Last night had been more fun than he could ever remember having. 'Maybe I could talk Johninto coming out here, tonight, ' Larry thought. 'We'd need to check on Jack's schedule though. Wouldn't want to interrupt... ' Larry grinned. He never thought he'd get so turned on by seeing a couple, coupling. 'It was Cynthia, and the way she talked to me, ' Larry knew. 'She knows what is going on with me. I think she said those things on purpose, just to get me going.' Knowing there was a 'real' reason for him to be out there, he took a good look at what needed to be accomplished today. He decided how he was going to break up the work teams. After that, he got onto his horse and rode back into town. Along the way, he realized he needed to tone down the smile on his face. He knew, though, that that was going to be a difficult thing to do. ------- I blinked my eyes open, trying to get them to focus in the light of the early morning. I was lying on my back. My head was turned to the left. As Robin's face came into my view, I smiled at her. She smiled back at me and I felt her moving her arm. Her hand appeared near her face. There, still on her pinky, was the last golden band. Listening very intently, I didn't hear any movement. I figured everyone else was asleep. We started whispering to each other. "Daisy made me get it." "Made you?" "Well, sort of, yes." "But you did. I can only guess who this is for." "I would say, in a minute, if it wasn't for her father." "Keith, what are you going to do now?" "I don't know. What do you think I should do? Say, 'Mary, I love you, will you marry me?'" Robin and I heard a gasp, and I turned my head. Just beyond a sleeping Daisy, was Mary. Her eyes were wide open. 'Holy shit, ' I thought and then motioned her over to us. Mary trembled, but did my bidding. She was scared to her core. Her face plainly showed how much she wanted to believe the words she had just heard me utter. Yet she knew how much there was to lose. Quietly, so as not to wake the others, she moved on all fours. As soon as she got close to me, Robin's hands took hold of her. Robin pulled Mary right over the top of me, and then between us. "What did you hear?" Robin said, still whispering. I heard the question Robin asked, but was still thinking about Mary's firm nipples, and the smell of her arousal when she was pulled over me. "All of it," Mary whispered back. "What do you feel about it," Robin asked. Mary's eyes darted from Robin to me and then back again. She swallowed, and closed her eyes as her body started to shake for a second. Opening her eyes, she looked at Robin. "I want him in the worst way. I would do anything to get this," she said as she tapped the ring on Robin's little finger. Robin looked past Mary to me. "I think you have your answer. Now how are you going to accomplish that?" "Robin, he can't," Mary said. This surprised Robin, until Mary went on, "I have to take care of my daddy." "How are you going to do that?" we heard Beth Ann say. "Is everyone awake?" I asked and looked around. Kristin, Liz, and Daisy nodded. "Open your eyes then," Robin said. "Keith just sort of, round about, proposed to Mary." I looked at Robin like she was crazy, but my vision was cut off by three heads starting to kiss my mouth and face. When my feelings came back into line, I stopped everyone and said, "I hate to say this, but we can't tell anyone. Do you understand?" "No," Daisy said. I narrowed my eyes at her. I had talked to her and she should understand. "You don't want my sister to find out, do you?" Mary said. "That is one part. The other is Marcia." "Oh," Daisy said. She was now realizing the problems that would arise, if someone outside of Carp heard of the situation. Feeling less than confident about this, I proceeded, "Mary said she has to make things work with her father. Until that happens, nothing can be said outside of our family. You need to be very careful. Mary's father has a career that could be ruined if things get out of hand." Everyone nodded a bit more soberly now. I didn't want to leave it at this point. "Beth Ann, when do you think your parent's are going to get the letter?" That brightened up everyone. They all started talking, once again, about Beth Ann's wedding. We were talking away until the breakfast bell rang. The bell was outside, the idea copied from the large farmhouses Richard had seen. It proved to be an effective way of getting everyone to show up. We generally never sat down to eat, all at the same time, unless there was something very important going on. It was just a matter of logistics. There were a lot of people in the house. To feed that many, it was simply easier for those cooking to not have everyone show up at exactly the same time. This was especially true at breakfast. I was the first one out. As I opened our bedroom door, I saw Katherine coming out from across the hall. She looked at me and smiled. "Boy do you have your work cut out for you today," she said. "Oh?" "Kenneth could have cared less about what was going on last night." I nodded, knowing full well what she was talking about. "Kristina and Elizabeth on the other hand, are ready to disown you." I raised my eyebrow, wanting a little more information on those two. "I could have tried to tell Kristina she was too young to hear what was being said, but you left me little to say to Elizabeth, when you let Stephanie stay and hear. They are both very upset with you." "It's probably going to get worse, too." "Oh?" Katharine chuckled, "What now? Are you going to have Julie undress and sit on your lap while my daughters watch?" We were at the edge of the landing, ready to go down the stairs and I almost lost my balance. I grabbed for the railing while I heard Katherine laughing at my reaction. As soon as I straightened myself up and was able to look at her, she said, "The way they are feeling right now, they wouldn't trust you not to do something like that. Keith, they are mad as anything. So what is going to make it worse?" "I picked up a present for Kenneth." "What did you get him? It's not his birthday." "A bike," I said offhandedly. We were walking down the stairs at that point and she grabbed my hand, stopping me. "You got him what?" "I saw it at the PX and couldn't help myself." Katherine was shaking her head. I wondered if she was mad at me. "You know he already idolizes you. Now it is going to be even worse," she said in mock anger. "How am I going to put up with a son who loves you and two daughters who are on the verge of poking your eyes out?" I winced at the remark about her two girls. "I guess I'll have to work on them," I said. "Good luck," she said in a laughing manner. Then she stopped me before we reached the bottom of the stairs. Her smile was gone. "Keith, I pretty well know everything that you have done with my girls and although I wouldn't have thought it possible to say before I moved here, I know that what you have done has been done with the utmost care. You care for them and I want you to know that I know that," Katherine took a deep breath before going on, "Please don't take away their..." she stopped once again, and I could see the seriousness of what she was saying to me in her eyes. "Not yet. Let them grow up just a little more before they decide. I know you'd never push, but they might want... before it is time." "You have my word, Katherine," I said solemnly. "Keith, I trust you implicitly. But just like a gal that needs to fend off a guy by doing other things, you may be placed into that position I'm afraid. Just do what you need, as long as it doesn't... well, you know." ------- I was sitting down at the table, drinking the last of my coffee when I heard a knock at the front door. There was little use in getting up, as I heard at least four pairs of feet running towards the door. Dr. Harrington came into the dining room moments later. "Keith! It's good to see you this bright and sunny morning. How are you?" "Doing very well, but I doubt this is a house call. What's on your mind?" "I'm out at the plane. I have a pile of paperwork to get done and I want to get it to the guys that flew in this morning." "Flew in?" "Up at the mine, it's flat enough there, and makes sense for them to do that. You really don't want them using your little airstrip. They asked me how I obtained the privilege. I laughed and told them doctors always get personal with their patients. They didn't know what to say and I wasn't going to let them off the hook. But, back to the point, they would like to see you, Richard, and Jack for a meeting this morning. They have some projections they want to go over." "Didn't we just do that?" "Keith, let me tell you a little secret," he said with a smile. "This is just the beginning. Big companies like Memco love to generate paper. They create a set of projections, and almost as fast as the ink has dried on the paper, the next set is being typed up. Get used to it." "I think it may be time for us to split up our jobs," I said, giving William a crafty smile. "Jack could attend these meetings, all by himself." Dr. Harrington couldn't contain his laughter. The doctor did tell me that Jack would be out to the Mansion in just a bit, but not before he checked on how his house construction was going. ------- Robin waved to Keith, Richard, and Jack as they drove away from the Mansion. She wasn't happy to see them go. Well, her husband, at least. She was feeling a little funny. Her mom said it was indigestion, breakfast probably and it happens with pregnancy. Not to worry. After she waved, her worries had no time to come to the surface. She heard a scream coming from the kitchen. Robin ran from the front of the house. Katherine was on her way down the stairs. Katy even heard it from outside, and was headed towards the back entrance. Inside the kitchen, Julie stood in the corner. Her eyes were bugging out, and her mouth hung open. Her arm was outstretched, with her finger pointing. On the floor, in front of the oven, was Dora. Robin looked at them both, and knew it was Julie who had screamed. She went over to Dora. Katherine came running in a second later. "What happened?" Katherine asked. "Just got here, I don't know," Robin answered. "Talk with Julie," Katherine said, pulling at Robin to get her to stand. "I'll check on Dora." Robin walked over, and put her arm around the terrified girl. "Come on," Robin said, leading her out of the kitchen. She was at the door leading to the dining room when Katy came in the back door. "Katherine is looking at Dora," Robin said. "They're at the stove." With that, Robin walked out pulling Julie with her. By this time, Pamela, Stephanie, Jimmy, Vicki and Tiffany were making their way towards the kitchen. "No need for everyone in there. Katherine and Katy have it handled," Robin said, hoping she was right. "Who screamed?" Jimmy wanted to know. Robin looked at Julie and asked, "Was that you?" Julie, still wide-eyed, just nodded. "Wow! I heard that on the third floor," Jimmy said. "What were you doing on the third floor?" Robin said sternly, but was rather amused knowing the reaction it might bring. "Nothing," Jimmy stammered. Vicki and Tiffany looked at Jimmy. "Nothing?" they asked in unison. Stephanie started to laugh, and said, "Jimmy, you're not going to get away with anything in school." Robin pulled on Tiffany's shirtsleeve to get her attention and whispered that she needed to talk with Julie. Tiffany quickly and efficiently got the others out of the house, without them knowing they were being diverted. Knowing that was happening, Robin appreciated Tiffany and Vicki's training. Once there was quiet in the house, Robin guided Julie over to the library. "Julie, tell me what happened," Robin said gently. ------- Katherine listened to Dora's breathing first, and then took her pulse. Before Katherine was ready to ask Katy to help roll Dora over, Dora started to move her head. "What happened?" Dora asked. "Why am I on the floor?" "You don't know?" Katy asked. "No... I was... I was heading outside and then I woke up here." "Sounds like you fainted," Katherine said. "Other than looking a bit pale, are you feeling all right?" Dora nodded. Katherine went on, "Did you feel fine this morning?" "I felt a bit funny, but that was it." "Before or after breakfast?" Katherine asked. "After. I felt fine when Richard was..." Dora started to say, but trailed off in though, leaving a smile on her face. "Yes, we remember," Katy said. "What did you eat?" "Katherine, why so many questions?" Dora asked. "Because I'm a nurse. Now, what did you eat?" Dora sighed as she tried to think. "I had some juice, cornmeal mush, and a piece of toast." "A little more specific, now. We had two juices on the table." "Orange." "What did you put on your mush?" "Milk, of course." Katy smiled and interjected, "Have you seen what Keith does to his? He puts butter and sugar on his." Dora made a sour face, but then said, "He must not be from around here." "She's feeling better," Katy said. "Maybe," Katherine said cautiously. "Toast, with what?" "Butter and that... apple jelly." "No coffee or anything else?" "I wish I could have coffee, but it has been upsetting my stomach. No, that was it." "All right. Let's get you up. Katy and I will help you stand." Katherine and Katy took Dora under the arms and helped stand her up. Dora still wasn't feeling quite right. They walked her out to the living room, and seated her on the sofa. Just then Julie slid on her stocking feet through the doorway, gripping the edge of the doorframe as she whipped around the corner. Her momentum didn't stop until she ran up to Katy. "What's wrong, now?" Katy asked Julie, noting her frightened expression. "Robin! She's on the floor!" ------- Jack was driving us back from a rather boring meeting. I was thinking that any one of us could have been there. All three of us didn't need to hear what we just endured. I was going to bring that up, volunteering either Richard or Jack to go to future meetings. I was sitting in the back seat, leaning forward to discuss this, when I saw Elizabeth outside the house. She was waving her arms furiously, trying to get our attention. As we got closer to the house she ran towards the Jeep. Jack had to slow down as she got close. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Mom and Katy took Dora and Robin to the doctor." Richard and I looked at Jack. "I'm on my way," Jack said. "I want to come," Elizabeth said. I reached over the side and scooped up the surprised girl. With my help she scrambled into the back seat with me. Jack turned, and drove off towards the doctor's plane. I looked at Elizabeth sitting here, her hands tightly in her lap. "Do you know what happened?" I asked, trying to fight down my emotions. She looked up at me. Before she answered, she saw the pain in my eyes. She swallowed, shook her head slightly and then answered. "I don't know. I was outside. I saw my mom get in the car and drive off. Pamela and Stephanie said Dora was in the kitchen, and Julie had screamed. That's all they knew. Vicki said there was a small problem, and that Katy and my mom took Robin and Dora to the doctor." "What about Julie?" "She's upstairs with her mom. I guess she didn't want to talk with anyone." "Vicki said it was just a small problem?" Elizabeth put her hand on my knee. I looked into her eyes. "She's going to be ok. I'm sorry for what I said." "What you said?" "I didn't say nice things about you last night. I'm sorry." We arrived at the plane. I took Elizabeth's hand and squeezed it. "Let's talk about that later, ok?" She nodded to me as I jumped out of the back seat. I started up the stairs and into the plane. ------- Maureen had wanted to wash the toy, but her sister hadn't left the house all morning. It was almost like she knew something. Maureen was sure she didn't make any noise during the night... well, she was pretty sure. The dildo was wiped dry, but that wasn't the same as a good washing. In desperation, Maureen boxed up the toy and placed it in her large purse. She then told her sister she was walking downtown. What she didn't expect was that her sister would insist on going with her. The dildo was already in her purse and there was little she could do now. The only hope she had was not to see Rebecca or Cynthia and to get back home with some integrity in place. Things just weren't going Maureen's way that morning. The first person they saw was Millie. She stopped to talk with the two. Midway through the conversation Millie stopped. Tilting her head, Millie's nose started twitching, and then sniffing. Maureen felt her face starting to flush. She was certain that Millie could smell what she had in her purse. Before anything was said, Maureen saw Patrick on his way into the new school. "Oh, there's Patrick!" Maureen said. "I..." Maureen's blush was misinterpreted as she had hoped it would be. "My father," Millie said in a tone that suggested that she wasn't ready to think of him marrying a woman that would take her long dead mother's place. "I'll see you two," Maureen said not wanting to have any further discussion. She was off down the street, but she did hear her sister start telling Millie about the amount of time they were spending together. Patrick had seen Maureen as he entered the front foyer of the school building. Instead of going inside, he paused and looked out the window. He smiled when he saw her walking quickly down the street towards him. Stepping out of the building as soon as she was next to the door, Patrick wanted to surprise Maureen. It did. She was so startled she threw her arms up. The contents of her purse spilled out across the wooden sidewalk. "Oh!" Maureen cried loudly, and dropped down on her knees to quickly gather her things. Patrick thought her reaction to spilling her purse a bit extreme. That was, until he caught sight of the box a good three feet from them. He couldn't help himself and started to chuckle. Maureen, now thoroughly embarrassed looked up at Patrick and was angry. "How dare you," she seethed. "Honey, I just..." "Think it's funny? Well you didn't have to wonder if your sister could smell it as you brought it in, or had to sneak it out of the house." Maureen might have gone on, but Liz walked out of the front of the school. "Patrick, I thought I saw you. Maureen, oh you poor dear, you spilled your purse. Here let me help." Maureen froze when she saw Liz reach down and pick up the rectangular box. Liz couldn't keep her lips from twitching, as she held in the laughter that wanted to burst out. As she handed the box to Maureen, she kept hold of her end of it for just a second. "You know, I've seen a couple of boxes just like this," Liz said. Maureen's eyes just about popped out. "Cynthia didn't happen to give this to you, did she?" Patrick, after the tongue lashing Maureen had just been giving him, wasn't about to say a word. Maureen's mouth opened, but nothing would come out. "Maureen, come now. You don't think that you are the only one... do you?" Maureen didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure exactly what Liz was referring to. Had Liz used one of these too? Did she have one? Liz was a schoolteacher! Breaking Maureen's thoughts, Patrick said, "You were on your way to see Cynthia, weren't you, dear?" When Maureen gave Patrick a look that he wasn't sure what it meant, he quickly turned to Liz, and continued to talk. "You know," Patrick said, reaching out to touch Maureen, hoping she'd accept his hand, "we're planning on getting married." "I had heard that," Liz replied. "Congratulations. I can see Maureen is quite a catch for you." That left Maureen to wonder more about Liz and what she meant from what she said. She was about ready to chew Patrick out for saying something about her going to see Cynthia, when things got that much worse for her. "Maureen! Patrick! So good to see you two." She didn't even need to look. Maureen knew the voice of Cynthia. "Patrick, are you here for the school orientation? I just finished. Come on, Maureen, you can let him go for just a bit. Let me show you the store I'm opening with Rebecca's help. She's over there right now. Come on," Cynthia said, pulling Maureen along. Patrick watched them walk down the street. As he turned to go into the school, he wondered if it was the religious teachings he may well have spouted, that made Maureen so obviously guilty about the toy she enjoyed so much. ------- "Keith, I assume Richard is right behind you?" William said. "Yes. What can you tell us?" I asked as Richard pushed me forward, into the plane. He smiled warmly and said, "Come on, you two. Sit down. The person who deserves all the credit is Katherine." Elizabeth had just walked in as William said this. I looked over to her and noticed she beamed with pride about her mother's praise. It was a good thing to see. "Well, are you going to tell us what is going on?" Richard asked impatiently. "The problem stems, it seems, from ripe fruit and the lack of refrigeration," William replied. Richard and I looked at each other blankly, trying to understand where we missed the explanation. "Turns out five people had orange juice this morning," Katherine said, not wanting to keep us in suspense as much as William was. "Two of those five are pregnant. The orange juice, it turns out, had started to ferment, and reacted unfavorably with Dora and Robin." "So they are all right?" Richard said anxiously. "Just fine. We've been giving them a lot of liquids, and well..." "What, Mom?" Elizabeth asked, wondering why her mother didn't finish her explanation. "I think they are using the bathroom," I said to Elizabeth. Elizabeth turned a nice shade of pink, while her mother winked at me. I saw Robin walk out from the back, first. She looked a little tired and gave me a silly grin. I took the few steps to get to her, picked her up off of her feet, and kissed her. "I'm not sure that's in the doctor's orders," I heard Katherine say. "Mo-om," Elizabeth retorted. Robin and I just laughed. We walked back to the front, where I sat and pulled Robin onto my lap. Dora came out next. Richard reacted just the same as I had, and started towards her. Then he stopped and looked back to Katherine and William. "What happened?" "She's quite capable of talking, Richard." He turned, and pulled Dora into a tight hug, but then pulled back. "I'm not hurting you?" he asked. "Don't be silly," Dora answered. "But your face." "When I fainted, I fell onto the front of the stove. The bruising didn't show up until we got here. It's a doozy, isn't it?" "I'll say. I just hope no one thinks I did that to you," Richard said as he stroked the hair away from in front of her face with a tender touch. "Not a chance in..." William stopped just short of finishing that. "The world," Katherine finished the sentence for him. "Right," William said, once again grateful to Katherine. William went on directing his attention to Richard and myself. "Robin and Dora, we know, from a little blood testing, were slightly anemic. Given the ripe orange juice and some, ahh," looking at Elizabeth he rephrased what he was about to say, "exercise, they went over the edge. It would be best for them to be eating more iron rich foods. Katherine said she would see to that. The thing that concerns me, though, is that you have a multitude of people living with you and there is not enough in the way of refrigeration space. One small refrigerator from Boston is not going to do the trick. Especially now that every day is just going to get hotter. What are you two going to do? Richard?" I turned to look at him and noticed the little smile. William must have picked up on it, too. ------- Maureen was ready to cry. Cynthia had pulled her into the shop where she would be alone with her and Rebecca. Just then, as if today was a bad dream, Maureen's sister Marion walked in. "Welcome," Cynthia said. "Looking for your sister? Maureen just came in. I was about to show her around while Patrick is off doing an orientation. Have you thought of helping at the school? We just finished with our own orientation. Rebecca and I are going to be readers. We're told it helps the children learn how to read." "You are?" Maureen said as surprised as her sister looked. "Yes. I had no idea I would even like doing something like that, but Liz talked us into reading yesterday and we just loved it!" "Reading," Marion said. "That wouldn't be for me..." "I'm sure they have lots of things to do," Cynthia said. "Maybe I'll ask," Marion said thoughtfully, and then turned her attention to her Maureen. "I saw you on your hands and knees and wanted to make sure you were okay." "I dropped everything out of my purse. It was just a mess," Maureen answered. "Oh, dear! I'll bet it was. Right in front of Patrick, too," Marion said. "Now, now, let's not dwell on that," Cynthia said as she guided Marion out the door. "I'm sure you want to go and talk to Liz about what you can do for our children, don't you?" "That is a good idea," Marion said and left, to Maureen's surprise. Cynthia turned back to Maureen with a little smile on her face. "Dumped everything out of your purse? I hope you didn't hurt the toy." "Oh no," Maureen said before she even realized what she was saying. Then she blushed heavily. ------- After Richard and I understood that there was little to worry about, that pregnancy changed a woman's chemistry in sometimes unpredictable ways, we felt better. There was the matter of making sure our food was being properly stored, though. Richard had some ideas about that. He wouldn't talk until he knew more. Knowing Richard, I just left it alone. He would tell me when he came up with the information or a solution. Richard, Dora, Elizabeth, Katherine, Robin, and I walked over to the cars. Jack was just placing the bike into the back of the Jeep. "What's that?" Elizabeth asked, not seeing it fully. "Something for you to get mad at me about, all over again," I said. She looked at me like I was slightly crazy, which could be the truth. "I think I'll ride back with Jack," Katherine said. "You can take Robin and my daughter in your car." Before I could protest, Richard and Dora were in the back seat, with Katherine in the front. Jack drove off, leaving us. I looked at Robin. She was no help. She had a 'you deserve this' look on her face. I sighed and opened up the car door. Robin and Elizabeth walked around to the other side. Robin opened the door and helped Elizabeth get in. Then she moved Elizabeth over to the center when she got in, so that all three of us were across the front bench seat. "Well," Elizabeth asked after I started the engine, "what was that?" "A bike," I said drolly. "A bike!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "It's small. Too small for you," I said. I noticed Robin leaning forward. Her head turned, looking at me. She had a grin on her face. "Who's it for, then?" Elizabeth wanted to know. Robin started laughing. Looking at Robin, Elizabeth asked, "What's so funny?" "Who lives with us, that would fit on a small bike?" Robin replied. I glanced, as there was not an immediate response. Then Elizabeth turned towards me. "It's not fair." "I know." I responded. Robin was being unusually silent. "He gets everything." "Not really." "Oh you make me mad!" "Turn right, really hard," Robin said. "What?" I asked. "Turn, now." We were pretty much idling along, so speed wasn't an issue. We'd only gone half way the length of the valley. I turned, wondering what Robin wanted me to do that for. "See those two trees. The large and the small ones that are over there, together?" Robin asked. "Yes." "Drive to them." I pressed on the accelerator, wanting to know what Robin had in mind. "Stop under the shade of the larger one," Robin said as we drew close. I followed her instructions and stopped, turning the engine off. I hoped Robin would talk to Elizabeth and give her... well, something. Instead Robin opened the door and got out. She turned, facing the door and stopped Elizabeth who was just following. "Keith, do you remember when you took Julie and me up to the new mine, so she could learn something?" Robin asked. I raised my eyebrows, but nodded at her. "Elizabeth needs some time with you, to learn how much you appreciate her." "Robin!" I said somewhat surprised. "I'll leave you two to work it out." With that Robin closed the door. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, when Elizabeth turned from the door Robin had just closed to look at me. "Julie learned to kiss and some other things from Robin," Elizabeth said blushing. Apparently there had been no secrets of that lesson. "Yes, Robin taught her that," I said evenly, trying to gauge the situation. "I know how to kiss. So what are you going to do with me?" It wasn't so much the sultry way Elizabeth had said those words. It was how, while talking, she had started to unbutton her blouse. That, as well as one leg moving up to expose her panties, made me unable to speak clearly. When Robin opened the door twenty minutes later, I think she did so for self-preservation. Robin couldn't have been that far away from the car. I was pretty sure she heard Elizabeth moan out her first orgasm through the slightly open window. I had taken my time, nibbling, licking, and softly touching. By her fifth, Elizabeth had screamed so loudly that Robin just had to investigate. I felt and heard the door open, but as my head was under a skirt, I couldn't see much. Not that I needed to. "Are you going to come out?" Robin asked. "No," Elizabeth panted. "Leave him there." "What did I ever do?" Robin asked then giggled. "Unleashed the..." I didn't get to say the rest. Elizabeth was sure it wasn't going to be good. Her legs came together, sending me off balance. I flipped her skirt up and took a deep breath. Then I smiled as I looked over to Robin. She leaned in and kissed me. Robin took a look at Elizabeth and said, "I hope this shows you just how much you mean to him. I hope you remember this the next time you think he's not being nice to you. He has a special place in his heart for you, your sister, and your brother." "Especially my brother," Elizabeth grinned. I was watching the interchange, fortunately knowing when to keep my mouth shut. Robin raised her eyebrows at Elizabeth and said, "I don't think he would be doing anything like this with Kenneth." That idea made Elizabeth roar with laughter. ------- It had been almost surreal. Maureen had been shown the shop where a new wall would be erected, the dressing rooms, and the storage rooms. All had been done, without another mention of the toy. It was almost as if it had never been brought up at all. They had made an almost full circle when Maureen saw a door that she didn't remember going into, but she could have been mistaken. "Where does that go?" Those innocent questions... "Where?" Cynthia asked. "That door. It's almost hidden. Did we go in there another way?" Maureen asked, now curious. "No, we didn't show you that room," Cynthia replied. "Are you going to? I've seen everything else, haven't I?" "Everything that is in the store, yes," Cynthia said. Then she turned to Rebecca, "Go and turn on the light, so we can see first." "Yes, Cynthia." she said in a servile manner that raised Maureen's eyebrows. Maureen thought their conversation a bit strange. It was different than before, in language and tone, but she didn't know exactly what the change was. "This is a special, private viewing room, for select clients," Cynthia started to explain. "For special," Maureen had started to say as they walked over to the door. Then she exclaimed, "There's a basement!" "Yes, there is," Cynthia said rather pleased that the idea threw Maureen off track. When the light came on below, Cynthia continued, "Come. Let's go down." Maureen walked down the stairs, in front of Cynthia. She wasn't all the way down, when she realized what this special room was. Then she knew what those 'select clients' were seeing. She tried to stop and turn, but Cynthia's hand rested on Maureen's shoulder. "Do you think either of us would ever hurt you?" Maureen swallowed hard. She wasn't really sure of the answer. Then her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. 'There's Rebecca... in... What is that?' Maureen wondered. ------- Robin, Elizabeth, and I got back to much excitement outside. As soon as I stopped the car, the circle that had formed, opened up. Kenneth came running out of the center as soon as I stepped out of the car. "Is that really for me?" he asked as he jumped up, expecting me to catch him. I looked over to Robin, who was trying not to laugh. Elizabeth was right next to Robin, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Yes, it's for you," I said to the boy in my arms. The next three people I saw were Katherine, Kristina, and Jimmy. They all wore very different expressions. Walking to the circle, with Kenneth still holding onto me, I somehow knew the bike would be in the center. "I want you all to hear this. When I was at the base, we saw a boy riding a bike. I thought it was a clever way for him to get around such a large area. Then I thought that it would be good to try it out in Carp. We were waiting for Jack at the time. When he arrived, I made him take us to the... well, it is like a large store that has everything. They had two adult sized bikes and one small one on display. This was the last small one they had, so I bought it. Normally, they are in a box and you have to put them together. There were no middle-sized bikes. I guess they had been very popular. I would have brought one back if I could have." "Well, that explains it," Jimmy said. Jimmy, at least, took my explanation for face value. The look on Kristina's face said she was still upset. The others; Stephanie, Pamela, Jill, Sarah, and Marcia, were there for curiosity sake more than anything else. "Keith, what are those things on the back," Stephanie asked. "They call them 'training wheels'. The idea is to help a new rider learn how to balance without falling over so much." "I had some of those," Marcia said. "You were lucky, then. I think they lost them after my sister used the bike I got," Sarah said. "I had to learn the hard way." As the other kids who had grown up in Carp and never ridden a bicycle before, they didn't understand. She noticed the blank look on their faces. "That means I fell a lot," Sarah explained. I had set Kenneth down, but he pulled at my arm. I looked at him. "Do I get to ride it?" he asked. "Yes, you do. Come on," I said picking him up and setting him on the seat. I hadn't noticed, but it made sense. This was a floor model, and they hadn't wanted it ridden. The training wheels were set so that the back tire didn't touch the ground! Kenneth's feet were pumping the pedals furiously, but he was 'going nowhere fast.' "Kenneth," I said, putting my hand on his leg to make him stop. "We need to adjust the wheels in the back." His shoulders drooped and his face fell. "Don't worry, it won't take long," I said. The expression changed almost instantaneously and he said, "Can we do it now?" "I'll need to get some tools and," I bent down whispering into his ear, "have to talk with Kristina. I think she's not happy with me." Kenneth looked over and saw his sister with his mom. He turned back to look at me. "Yeah, you're right," he said softly. "Can I get the tools?" Jimmy asked. I smiled at him and said, "Sure. I think we'll need three wrenches: a half inch, a five eights, and maybe a nine sixteenths." "Box or open end?" Jimmy asked me, deadpan. I stared at him, not believing what just came out of his mouth. "It's a combination set. How did you know that stuff?" Jimmy grinned and said, "How do you think Brian and me took apart so many things?" Everyone around us laughed at that. ------- Beth Ann, Daisy, Kristin, and Mary were not down in the front yard with us. At first they had gathered, when Katherine took Robin to the doctor. The four had sat in their own circle on the mattresses that covered the floor of their communal bedroom. Holding hands, they had prayed that nothing bad would happen to either Robin or her baby. That was something Daisy had grown up with, but the others had not. Daisy's mother believed in a God that was good. Hank had taken Daisy away from Carp and her family and then Daisy had watched as her mother had died. She had questioned a God that would allow that. It was Kristin who, after Daisy had gathered them together and suggested praying, had asked her about it. The answer was straightforward from someone who had thought about it, long and hard. Daisy said the bitterness towards Hank was gone, and the sorrow of her mother's passing was slowly fading. She could see reality. The God that her mother had always talked about did not control us. Yet, in those times of want, that was just what Daisy had expected. So she asked the other girls to talk to a being they had little knowledge of. To ask for things they had no right to ask. And lastly, the hardest part: to think that somehow their thoughts were heard, and that they made a difference. It felt awkward for Beth Ann, Mary, and Kristin at first. Listening to Daisy, it seemed reasonable after a time. Soon all of them were joining in with their thoughts. Daisy later told them that what they did was, in essence, to pray. Just as she and her mother had done. They were astounded that it was that simple. After a time of giving good thoughts towards Robin and the growing child within her came to an end, Beth Ann had a question for Daisy. "If you believe in God as you do, how can you be with us... You know." "My mom was one of the best people I ever knew," Daisy said and felt the lump in her throat form. She paused a moment, and then went on. "She told me that God created us, and that we have feelings, for reasons. We should pay attention to the one who created us, and enjoy what he has given us." "But the church says that we should have one husband and one wife," Kristin said. "I don't know about that. We didn't have a church while I grew up. I was taught about God from my mom," Daisy replied and then she added. "You know, I think I was taught about God from a lot of people. Maybe the 'church part' is what gets in the way of what you know about God. Sounds like the church has a lot of rules, to me." Mary was nodding her head and said, "I think you're right. I remember my mom taking me when I was young. All I remember was you shouldn't do this or that." "Doesn't sound like anything you grew up with, Daisy," Kristin remarked. "I wish my parent's grew up with ideas like yours," Mary said. Kristin, Beth Ann, and Daisy looked at her, wondering what was behind that statement. "It would be easier to tell my dad that I wanted to stay here and marry Keith," Mary responded to their looks. "Which is better to talk to, your dad or mom?" Kristin asked. She was thinking of when she had let it slip in the hospital and her mother overheard. If given the choice it would have been her mom, for her. "My dad," Mary said. "That's because he adores you," Beth Ann joked. Mary blushed and picked up a pillow, whacking Beth Ann with it. "Well, it's true," Beth Ann said, still laughing at Mary's attempt. "You should see him. Both you and your sister have him wrapped around your fingers." "You should talk!" Kristin said. Beth Ann's expression changed as she said, "That's different." "Beth Ann," Daisy said softly, "when you were a kid, did you know your dad would do anything in the world for you?" "Stop trying to cheer me up," Beth Ann said ruefully, but with a touch of a smile trying to peek out. "You saw him, of course he would. I have always been his angel." "Angel?" Mary laughed. "He never saw you running down the dorm hallway!" The pillow hit Mary straight on, stopping her from going into the sordid tale. Beth Ann had a second pillow swinging as soon as the first one dropped. "No fair!" Mary cried just before the second one hit. From that point, it digressed into a fully 'flung' pillow war, with lots of laughter. ------- Brian and Barbara had made it downtown. Brian had walked, pushing the wheelchair that his mother insisted they take, more than halfway there. He was glad at that point his mother had insisted. He was not completely worn out, but close enough. He sat in it for several minutes in that contemptuous contraption. He did not allow Barbara to push him. He was a young boy and it made him feel like an old man to have someone push him around. He knew it was pride, but it just felt wrong to be in it. After a few minutes Barbara started pushing him anyway. He didn't protest, knowing that it would take another ten minutes before he was ready to walk again. His strength was returning and the doctor said that walking was good for him. But the doctor said it was going to take a bit of time before he would be running again. The fight to get out of it is what had made him stand and walk in the first place. Now he could walk before the doctor thought he'd be able to. He was bound and determined to prove the doctor wrong about his need for this contraption. They had heard from Brian's mom that kids from Angle City had come up yesterday. They wanted to see if any of them were around, today. Barbara had been pretty much a loner, much as Julie had been down in Angle City, especially after her mother had died. Now, she wouldn't mind seeing those kids again. This time she had something she was proud of: her Brian. Brian was curious to see what kind of kids were from Angle City. He'd only met three of them in his life. Barbara and Julie were very special to him. The third one had tried to kill him. He didn't think that anyone else like that would be there, but there was a tinge of fear mixed with the excitement and the hopes of meeting some new kids. He wished Jimmy was around, so they could introduce the other kids with their brand of humor. When they finally arrived, there was a lot of activity in front of the school, a lot more than they expected. Downstairs, Tiffany had a table set up right in the doorway from the foyer. Three adults Brian didn't know were standing in front of it. There was one thing Brian was not going to do... be wheeled around in that thing. He parked it at the entrance and got out. Barbara knew he was being silly, but let him. She'd seen his determined pride and at times it worked for him. Tiffany saw Brian and Barbara and waved them over. Then called to them as they initially seemed reluctant. "Barbara, you might remember Mrs. Trandell," Tiffany said. The woman turned to face Brian and Barbara. "Barbara?" "Yes, Ma'am?" "Why, it's hard to believe it's you. My, you look like you've grown a foot." Barbara smiled. "And who is this young man with you?" Barbara beamed with pride. "He's my fiancé" The other two women turned to look at Barbara and the boy. "I'd heard that custom was still going on, here. You're almost thirteen aren't you?" "Yes, I am," Barbara said. Tiffany interjected at that point. "There is nothing to worry about. That custom is being questioned as to whether it should exist any longer. Your children will not be taught anything about it here, I can tell you." One of the women had a slight smile on her face, and asked, "You don't think it's appropriate, then?" "Personally, I can't imagine being married at thirteen," Tiffany said. She was still thinking about some of the stares she got from a few of the men who dropped their wives off that morning. The looks from other women didn't concern her. The ones from the men bothered her. "I was," another woman responded. "That was twelve years ago. I lost my husband in the last mine accident. If I'd have waited, where would I be?" That was a question to which Tiffany had no answer. Vickie quickly changed the subject. "Barbara, Mrs. Trandell has her baby with her. Right now her baby's being held by another mother while she was filling out these forms, but we'd like to take the parents that are here for today's registration through a tour. Would you mind..." "Watching a baby?" Barbara said gleefully. "That's no problem at all!" Mrs. Trandell took Barbara's hand and led her off. Brian could hear the woman say as they walked away, "You were always such a good girl. I remember when your mother..." ------- Before she knew what was happening, I grabbed hold of Kristina and threw her over my shoulder. Then I ran towards the house. She was screaming. Some of it was in surprise, some of it shock, and some (her words, at least) were because she was mad at me. I could hear Katherine laughing as I took the stairs up to the porch. "Better duck," I said as I opened the door. Kristina had tried to straighten up, but hearing the door and my warning, she scrunched down against my shoulder. I bounced exaggeratedly up the stairs. I figured she would either get the giggles from my silliness, or throw up all over my back. Taking her into my room, I closed the door behind us and saw recent evidence of a pillow fight. Then I grabbed hold of the edge of her dress as I let her slide down. Predictably, her dress went up. As I raised my hands, it went right off of her. She stood before me in her blouse, panties, socks and shoes. I could see the anticipation in her eyes drowning out the anger she had for me earlier. That eagerness, anticipation, was something I had seen when I went to kiss the girls goodnight. She, in a way, was worse than Elizabeth. A desire without understanding the power of her actions. I was going to have to take this cautiously. Without saying a word, I reached out and started undoing the buttons on her blouse. She didn't say a word to me. She just watched. I pushed her blouse off of her, my hands going around her back. My face looked over her shoulder. Then, as the blouse came free and floated to the floor, I kissed the nape of her neck. Shivers ran down her spine. I picked her up as I bent down, so that my face was at her belly. Taking a deep breath, I pressed my lips hard onto her tummy, and blew. She thrashed as the sensation hit her and her laughter filled the room. As soon as I ran out of air, I laid her down onto the mattresses. "You're mean," she said with a smile on her face. "I'm sorry," I said as I trailed a finger down her front. The goose bumps followed my finger, and she shivered again. "No you're not. You like doing this. I want to kiss you." "Ok," I said. I could tell that my affirmative response wasn't what she was expecting, but she wasn't going to let the opportunity pass by. She pushed at me and I rolled over to my back. Then she leaned on top of me and kissed me. I was wondering where I should stop this, when I felt her tongue at my lips. Then I heard the door open. Kristina pulled back. I could see the frustration in her eyes. I looked over to the door, expecting anyone but who was standing there. "Laura," I said. "Did you want something?" Laura's eyes were wide. Obviously she didn't expect to see what she walked in on. I thought with amusement that she might learn to knock from now on. "Laura?" I asked again. "I..." "Come on in, Laura. I was just showing Kristina that she was as special to me as she once thought, but had seemed to forget." "You..." "Laura, come over here," I said with a little more force. She walked in, closing the door behind her and sat down beside us. Never taking her eyes off of us. "You came to see me for something?" "Yes." I looked over to Kristina and rolled my eyes. She put her hand over her mouth to stop from giggling I could tell she was already in a much better mood. I pulled her close to me and whispered into Kristina's ear, "I think she's embarrassed about what she has to say. How about if we continue me showing you how much I love you at another time. Would that be all right?" "Ok," Kristina whispered back. Then quickly added, "As long as it happens soon." I nodded to her. She got up and dressed quickly. She left as soon as her dress slipped over her frame. I hadn't realized I was watching her dress, until she closed the door. I turned to Laura. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Laura was a bit more relaxed now, but was still troubled. I wasn't sure if that was because Kristina had just been in here, or because of what she wanted to say. Laura used her breathing techniques to slow herself down. She took six long slow breaths, exhaling them as slowly as she inhaled. I watched in amazement as I saw a calm come over her. She looked up at me and I asked, "Are you ready now?" She nodded. "Jill sort of talked while she was going to sleep last night. I don't think she knew I could hear." "Did it disturb you, what she said?" "No. I already knew, but I thought you should know." "Oh?" "She wondered why you hadn't used the tunnel to come and see her." ------- Chapter 109 Note: There is a point where Liz and Keith are talking, bringing up something that was said (Jill involved) earlier. For those interested, that comes from chapter 75. I have to warn you though. If you are like me, you will go there and then just continue reading until you get to the current chapter! ------- It had been two days since Maureen's legs had buckled from under her. The doctor said she'd be fine. The two people most worried were Rebecca and Cynthia. They had made sure food was there, as well as flowers. Jack had made sure that they did not have direct contact... yet. He had wanted to gauge the reaction from talking with Patrick. What the two had done infuriated Jack. Cynthia, once again, had stepped over the line. Luckily, Maureen hadn't broken her leg from the shock of seeing Rebecca holding an eight-inch vibrator; which was plugged in, and turned on! Marion was amused, as well as perturbed by the whole three-ring circus that had taken over her house. She could understand the fall, but not why her sister had gone down the stairs into that basement in the first place. Marion also knew why Patrick was at the house, constantly. She also knew that wherever Patrick stayed, Cheryl and Bob would, and did, show up. The one big puzzle was Cynthia and Rebecca's constant gifts. Maureen wouldn't say a word to her sister about it, when asked. Marion had, during the second day, asked several times. The timing, if it had to have happened, was almost as bad as it could be. Friday afternoon left the rest of the day for Patrick to attend to Maureen. Saturday, though, was Patrick's day to reflect and prepare for the Sunday service. He spent as much time as possible with Maureen, but he had to spend time in preparation. As planned, when he left, Cheryl would show up. Sunday morning had been an altogether frustrating time for Patrick, as he didn't feel fully prepared for the worship service. Now Monday morning rolled around. Maureen told Patrick, in no uncertain terms, that she was going to see the doctor. Although she didn't want to hurt anything, she was tired of being waited on. More than that, Maureen was tired of her sister's constant questions. At one point Maureen was ready to tell her sister off, but the thought of what might just slip out of her mouth kept her from doing so. As the morning dew vanished into the day's warmth, Patrick and Cheryl helped Maureen into Cheryl and Bob's wagon, for the ride out to see the doctor. ------- That morning brought excitement to Barbara and Brian also. Brian had been asked, because of his experience with filing in Jack's office, to set the enrollment forms for the school into order. Barbara was equally excited. She had enjoyed the time she spent holding and playing with Mrs. Trandell's baby. Being told that there was another mother coming up today with a baby, Barbara could hardly wait. Bruce had already gone to the mine, as the sun was just peeking its head over the top of the distant mountains. Millie made the two wait. She, too, had to go down to the school. She was in charge of looking over the enrollment list, and making sure everyone, who had children, had signed their child up. Millie tapped on the handrail of her home's porch, as the three set off. Brian glanced back at his mother and noticed her looking, as if to give an unspoken direction, at the wheelchair. Brian ignored his mother and started walking, albeit slower than normal. Millie raised her eyebrows and let out a sigh. 'Well if that is the way he wants it, ' she thought, 'he can wait 'til he needs it and has to make Barbara come back to get the chair.' As they got to the beginnings of the wooden sidewalk, Millie realized that her son was healing faster than she'd thought. He'd been walking slowly, but he never once stopped. A thought crossed her mind, remembering the doctor telling her some time ago, that Brian had a good incentive to heal fast. It made her smile. Barbara went looking for the baby as soon as they entered the school building. Millie and Brian went to find the completed enrollment forms. Millie knew everyone from Carp should have been there on Friday. She quickly scanned the stack, and found that two families hadn't been in yet. She told Brian that she was going to talk to Liz, and then go see the families. Liz would come over to the table where he was setting up, and explain just how she wanted the forms sorted. ------- When I told Robin about Laura's statement to me concerning Jill, Robin laughed. I didn't find it as funny as she did. Her amusement came in two parts. First was the idea of me needing a calendar to schedule all the women I needed to take care of. The second was part 'A' of Richard's plan for keeping food safer. I had, as yet, not been able to use the tunnel between the two houses. The Mansion end had no good way of gaining access. The trap door was simply not a viable option. Richard's first plan of keeping food at a cooler temperature was to use the basement for storage. The second part of his plan involved a large unused refrigerator from the base. He was going to check with his friends who were still there on its whereabouts, and condition. To use the basement meant having a way of conveniently getting into it. There was much talk about this during dinner, Saturday night. I realized later that the reason we needed to use the basement was never actually specified. We simply asked everyone for suggestions about how to get down there efficiently. Robin teased me unmercifully when she brought that point up, referring to how Jill must have taken the idea. I had noticed her, many times, giving me sly glances. Jill didn't know that Laura had told me anything. The best idea was to use the butler's room, somehow. After breakfast, I had said that the idea was going to be looked into further. When I opened the door to the small room, Kenneth and Jimmy were already in there. Jimmy had several tools in his hands. I shook my head. Jimmy had proved very useful with Kenneth's bike, adjusting the training wheels before I had been able to get back downstairs. Although Kenneth preferred me helping him learn, I could see Jimmy was enjoying being the 'big brother.' "Jimmy, you may know how to use those tools, but the first questions will be answered by finding where the floor joists are, under this room," I said. "You mean we can't take things apart?" Kenneth said, disappointedly. "Not yet. But you can help us do something else," I replied. The two boys, along with Richard, helped set up a barrier around where the trap door was. Then we tripped it, and let it drop. Kenneth's eyes grew as big as saucers seeing the seamless floor fall away. "Jimmy, I don't want anyone but Richard around here," I told him seriously. Nodding, Jimmy took Kenneth's hand. Kenneth didn't understand. This looked exciting to him. "Come on, Kenneth," Jimmy said. "Let me tell you about how Brian, Barbara, Stephanie, Pamela, and I found that trap door." "You found it?" Kenneth said mesmerized. "Yes. But in finding it, we had some problems," Jimmy said as the two boys walked out of the room. "Barbara fell down that hole!" ------- Barbara was sitting near the back of the building, on the first floor. She was in a secluded spot. She was in the main room, which was being used for the library, and for large gatherings. The open front area was where the registration tables were set up. In the back, behind the maze of shelves holding the library books, Barbara had found a nice quiet spot. She was rocking a sleeping baby in her arms and was very content. That was soon shattered by the arrival of two boys. They were a year older than Barbara and had come up at their parent's insistence to see this new school they would be attending in the fall. "Look who we found, Derek. If it isn't little Barb." Johnny said. "Yeah, Johnny, and look at that. She's got a baby." "How can that be? Barb isn't really a girl, just look at her," Johnny teased. "Leave me alone," Barbara said. She was trying her best not to let the taunts bother her. It was difficult, as these two had been whittling her self-esteem down for years. Just seeing the two brought up memories she'd like to have forgotten. "'Leave me alone, '" Derek said back in a sickly mimicking voice. "What'cha goin' do?" He laughed. Barbara pleaded. "Please, you'll wake her." "Oh," Johnny said exaggeratedly, "we wouldn't want to do that, would we?" Derek put out his hand in a gesture that looked like he was going to poke the baby, as he was saying, "No, we sure wouldn't." Derek felt his finger sting, at the same time as he saw something flash in front of him. Turning, he saw a boy there with a stick in his hand. Johnny turned to this new boy, as well as Derek, who was rubbing his throbbing finger. Brian swallowed hard. He might have a nice sturdy square yardstick in his hand, but he knew in the long run he was no match for these two brutes. "Look, Derek, someone who needs a lesson taught to him. What do you think, should we dunk his head in some muddy water?" "Na, let's do something worse," Derek said, still feeling the throb from his finger. "Don't!" Barbara said. "Shut up," Johnny said as the two boys advanced on Brian. Brian started to hold up the stick defensively, wondering what was going to happen. Then he smiled. "Is that a way to talk to a lady?" A voice came from behind them. The boys stopped and turned to the voice. There eyes grew wide and their mouths dropped open. Before them was... It was Tiffany and she'd seen how the boys had looked at her before, when they thought she didn't see them. It had irritated her, but then Liz had talked to her, and had given her a few ideas. One of them she was putting to use, now. "Seems to me, boys, that you have too much time on your hands," Tiffany continued. The boys still hadn't been able to get their brains functioning enough to make a sound come out of their mouths. "When school starts, we will need to change that, don't you think? Or maybe I could start now with some homework, before school starts!" "No!" Johnny said almost automatically. "I can see we have a problem with manners. From what I overheard, you have no idea how to talk to a lady," Tiffany said with her eyes motioning to Barbara. "You also have some difficulty addressing one of your new teachers." "You... re a teach... er?" Derek stammered out. Tiffany had a hard time keeping a smile off her face. These two boys might have liked playing the bully routine, but they were easy push-overs. "Yes. This isn't my first teaching job and I will not tolerate this type of language out of you two. Do I make myself clear?" Tiffany said, pausing, but not waiting for an answer. She wanted the punishment to be understood. "If you can't behave, we'll expel you. You will sit at home, while the others get to come here and..." Tiffany let the boy's imagination take over for just a moment, before bringing them back to reality, "be taught by Miss Nash, Mrs. Patterson, and myself." "You're the three teachers?" Johnny managed to get out. "Yes, we are." "Wow..." Derek said. "Is their anything we can do for you?" Johnny said. Barbara could hardly believe her ears. When Tiffany said they should apologize to her, she almost laughed. "Apologize?" Derek said almost painfully. "Yes, but only to Barbara. I think you and Brian squared things," Tiffany said. She hadn't seen exactly what had happened, but from the words spoken she was coming round the corner and saw Derek rubbing his hand, he and Johnny looking at Brian, and Brian with a yardstick in hand. "He hit me with a yard stick!" Derek protested. "And what were you doing to his fiancé?" Tiffany asked. The two boy's eyes darted between Brian and Barbara. "They're getting married?" Johnny asked. "It's one of the only reasons I know as to why Barbara would be his fiancée," Tiffany answered, without much tone, making the boys wonder if that was a joke or not. "Sorry, Barbara," Johnny said, about as quickly as he could. "Yeah, sorry," Derek added. Tiffany shook her head wanting to make the boys say more. Barbara, almost in shock over what they said, replied, "Thank you." Tiffany looked at Barbara and realized there was a lot more to this than she first thought. Later, she would have a talk with Barbara, but now... "Derek, time to shake hands with Brian." Derek groaned, but took the two steps over to Brian. Derek and Brian stood there for what seemed like several hours, each one not wanting to be the first to put out his hand. Derek shrugged his shoulders and started to move his arm. Brian moved his arm as well and the two met half way, shaking hands, eventually. Not being able to help himself, Derek pulled Brian's hand, setting him off balance. Seeing the sudden panic in Brian's eye, Derek pushed back, righting Brian. "What's wrong with him?" Johnny asked, seeing the exchange. The trick he pulled wasn't something out of the ordinary for a couple of kids to do, but it was obvious there had been a problem with Brian. "He's working on his muscles, still. He was in a cast, for a long time," Tiffany answered the boy simply, before anyone else could say anything. "Cast? What'd he do?" Derek turned and asked Tiffany, and not Brian. "He fell down a mine shaft in Angle City," Barbara said. Both boys' faces paled. Johnny said in a forced whisper, "He's the one that fell?" "You almost died," Derek said, now turning towards Brian again, as though Brian had never considered that idea before. Brian didn't like the attention and Tiffany could see it on his face. "Johnny and Derek, isn't it?" "Yes ma'am, or is it teacher, or... What am I suppose to say?" Johnny asked still looking like he was about to drool as he looked at her. "You may call me 'Miss Howe'." "Miss Howe," Johnny said almost reverently. "Yes, Johnny?" "Ahhh..." he turned red. "Maybe you two should find out what the other children from Angle City are doing, don't you think?" Tiffany asked, knowing full well that these two wouldn't do such a thing. Derek and Johnny nodded. Tiffany motioned for them to leave. They did with haste, but at the corner, paused to take one more look at Tiffany before running off. "Are you ok?" Tiffany asked Barbara? "Yes," she said somewhat embarrassed. Tiffany leaned down and whispered in Barbara's ear, "We'll talk about this later." Feeling Barbara nodding her head against her, Tiffany pulled back. They watched as Brian, very stiffly walked over to them. Before any other words were spoken, they started hearing Derek and Johnny's voices. It sounded like they were on the other side of the bookcases. "I hope that Brian kid doesn't say anything about us apologizing." "Don't think he will. Man, I can't imagine. You know they said he landed on top of..." "Don't remind me. I still think about that. You know, Sammy tried to get me to help him. That kid was crazy." "Yeah, and he's dead now. I can't believe Barbara is getting married." "We're older than she is." "That Brian kid, you know about him, don't you?" "Now I do. He fell down a mine..." "No, you idiot. Don't you listen to anything? He was one of them that helped save this town. He's like a hero here." "A hero, wow!" "Don't think I'd want to be one though." "Why not? They do special things for them hero people I hear. I bet he has it made." "Yeah, you think so? One of my dad's friends said he was right there when that Cliff man died. He was also the one that helped Sammy's dad get shot when he tried to kill some guy at the spring up here. That's why Sammy tried to kill him. If that's what it takes to be a hero, then 'no thanks.' I don't want it. "And Barbara got him? Doesn't make sense." "Maybe her dad had some money." "That's all you think about. You know, maybe Barbara looks different when she dresses like a girl." "That's all you think about." "I saw you looking at our new teacher." "You were too. You had a stiffy." "Did not!" "Did too, I saw your pants. I bet she saw it too. You're going to get in a lot of trouble." "Did not!" Brian, Barbara, and Tiffany, hearing the whole conversation were having a hard time not laughing at this point. "Boys," Tiffany said in an authoritative voice. It became very quiet on the other side. "Your voices carry in this room." They could hear some slapping and then what sounded like running. Now Barbara, Brian, and Tiffany laughed. The laughter died away quickly though. "Brian, Barbara," Tiffany said. "You two just heard a lot of things those two would never ever want anyone to know. The way you treat that knowledge will differentiate you from them." With that, Tiffany walked away, leaving Barbara and Brian to look at each other. ------- I left Richard as he was looking up at the joists under the Mansion. I had the flashlight with me, but thought that it would be a good idea to install some lights, as I moved though the tunnel. On the other side, Larry had done a wonderful job finishing that end. Climbing up the staircase, I came up into the empty room, the room right across from Jill's room. With the flashlight as the only illumination, the darkness of the room brought my senses to fullness. I paused and reflected about Jill, smiling about the person she has become. Turning the doorknob as quietly as the darkened room suggested, I heard the click, but then the door forced its way open towards me. I heard a gasp of surprise. Pulling the door the rest of the way open, I saw Jill, who must have been leaning against the door. Laura was across from her, in Jill's bedroom doorway. As Jill turned around to see what had happened to the door she had been leaning against, her eyes gave away more than she would have wanted, upon seeing me. "Keith!" I grabbed hold of her, and pulled her into the room with me. Then I closed the door, leaving a very surprised Laura on the other side. "Keith," Jill asked, "what are you doing?" The room was darker now for me, from the sudden blast of light when I opened the door. For Jill, it would have been almost pitch black. "This," I said and planted a kiss on her lips. She stiffened, but then let go and kissed me back. It didn't last long as Laura banged on the door. "What's going on in there?" We still couldn't see each other well, but we both laughed. I reached around Jill and gave her nice little ass a pinch, making her jump, before reaching over and turning the doorknob. Laura pushed the door open and then stood there looking at the two of us, our arms around each other. Laura started to blush. "Did you want to watch?" I asked, "Is that why you were knocking?" "Keith!" Jill said, knowing I was mercilessly teasing Laura. "I... I..." Laura got out, beginning to turn red. "I don't care if you watch, do you, Jill?" I added. Jill pinched my side. I was on a roll and couldn't stop myself. "Although, Laura, from what I hear, you don't need any help." Laura glowed bright red, and turned to run. "Maybe another time you can watch us." I'm not sure she heard all of what I said, as she was down the hall and trying to get out of the house. "That was just mean!" Jill said, but her voice didn't match her words. "She knows I'm teasing." "Are you sure?" "About the teasing... Well, I don't care if she wants to watch." "Keith, you are terrible." "I am? I always thought Robin spread the rumor that I was good." Jill groaned. Time to get serious again, I thought. I took Jill's face in my hands and tilted it up to my face. "Honey, I have neglected you and I'm sorry." She looked suddenly vulnerable to me. Not knowing what else to do I kissed her. She melted into me. This was not the typical 'Jill' reaction and I knew I was in trouble. She felt so good in my arms, but something was up and if I didn't act right I could end up hurting her. That was something I couldn't bear the thought of. I know someone must have been watching over me at that moment. We heard Richard calling for me. His voice sounding rather odd, as it echoed through the tunnel and up the stairs. Breaking the kiss, I looked into those beautiful eyes again and said, "I've got to go, but we'll talk again." Jill smiled. Well it was between a smile and a grin. Then she said, "Talk?" "Now who is... ouch!" I said as she pinched me again. "That's from Laura." We heard Richard call again. I tried to get her back, but she was one step ahead of me and had the door open before I could get to her. She blew me a kiss as she exited and closed the door behind her. I made my way down the stairs, hearing Richard call for a third time. "On my way," I yelled down the tunnel as I reached the bottom of the stairs. "It's about time," he responded. ------- It was one of the rare moments, when no one else was in the house. Maureen was on the sofa, stretched out. Marion was in the kitchen. "Honey," Marion said when she heard the bathroom door open. "Yes?" "I'm having a problem." "Oh, what sort of problem? Fred asked. "Well," Marion began, knowing she was going to shock her sister right off the sofa. "With my sister marrying Patrick, I guess he's out." "Out?" Maureen said, obviously listening to the conversation. "He would have been my first choice, but I assume you're going to have children." "Yes," Maureen said thinking that this was a strange conversation. "Well, it would seem a bit... Or maybe, it would be fine." "What would be fine, Honey?" Fred wanted to know. Marion turned to look her husband in the eye. "To have Patrick be the father of our child." Marion was right. Her sister fell off the sofa. "What!" Maureen cried out as she was falling. Maureen suddenly remembered that night, when she found out her brother in law was infertile, along with the rest of the males who had lived in Carp. She had been so caught up in her own little world that she'd forgotten about her sister. Suddenly the idea that Cheryl and her had come up with to take Patrick off the market didn't look quite so promising. She also realized, as she pushed to get back up, that her tailbone hurt. Marion and Fred saw the discomfort and came over to give her a hand. "If we both had children," Marion postulated, "from the same man, they would be..." "Incestuous," Maureen answered. Fred laughed and then said, "I'm not so sure about that, but it does have its share of problems." "There is Keith, or Richard," Marion said, knowing that this idea was going to be a lot less comfortable with her husband, though she knew it wouldn't bother Maureen. "You would want either of them to..." Fred said. Maureen looked at her brother in law and could see the pain of that idea. "I guess there is Jack," Marion said. "William is..." Fred laughed at the idea of him. "A bit too old for you?" "Yes, and I can't even think of any of the men that I saw up here from Angle City." "Why not?" Maureen wanted to know. She was trying her best to think of anyone better suited for the job than Patrick. "I don't know any of them. Would you do that?" "No, but then I wouldn't do..." "You just might," Fred said before Marion blew her top at her sister. "It's easy to say what you wouldn't do, if you don't really have to face that possibility." Then he turned and spoke to his wife. "It sounds like Patrick would be your first choice?" "Yes." "Marion!" Maureen said. "He is, but I don't get to decide." "You don't? Who does?" "In his case, I'd have to ask him to see if he would even consider it. Then, I'd have to ask both you and Cheryl. All three of you would have to say yes." "Well I can tell you right now..." Maureen said with a distressed voice, but stopped. Marion's eyes already were pouring tears. She turned and ran into her room. "Proud of yourself, Maureen?" Fred asked. "I... I was trying to say Cheryl was going to have the biggest problem with it. I couldn't say no to my sister, even if I wanted to. Now she hates me." Fred now had two crying women on his hands. He didn't even do a thing to create this problem, but he was going to have to solve it, it looked like. ------- Jim came out to the Mansion with a grin on his face. "What are you so pleased about?" Katherine asked him when she met him at the front door. "Don't think I can ever remember delivering so many letters to one place before." He handed Katherine four letters. "Come in, won't you?" "Have a few more to deliver. I'm taking my time though. The school board is meeting with the teachers this afternoon. If I have everything done, my wife will suck me into that; and frankly, I would rather keep my nose out of it." Jim went off and Katherine looked at the letters addressees. Now she knew why he was grinning. One of them was for her! Looking at the return address, she didn't want to open the letter. Katy came out to the front and looked at what Katherine was holding. "We got some mail?" "Yes," Katherine said flustered. Her voice carried her concern. "Let me see," Katy said taking the letters out of Katherine's hand. "One for Beth Ann... from her parents. One for Jill... Oh great! It's from Dorothy." Katherine smiled, looking at the square envelope. "She will be so excited. One for..." Katy looked at Katherine. Katherine knew it must be the one addressed to her and felt herself starting to be embarrassed. "Why would Jimmy be getting a letter?" "Jimmy?" Katherine said, just as confused. "Who is it from?" "The return address is the Boy Scout Troup #61, Reno, Nevada." Katherine started to laugh. "That one needs to go to Sarah and Marcia. But you have to tell them they can't open it. It isn't addressed to them." "Why would I..." Katy began. Then she realized, "Oh I like that. It will drive them crazy!" "Especially as Jimmy is downtown." Katy was laughing, until she looked at the last letter. "Katherine, this one's for you." "I know," she responded with an upset voice. "Who is it from?" "Relatives from Long Beach. When we were coming here, all of us got sick. I just had to stop and..." "They helped you, but wanted a lot in return. I remember you telling me about the problems you had with your money and your relatives." "Friends as well," Katherine said sadly. "Katy, you've never even asked." "Should I?" "No... I mean, you haven't asked. No one in this town has. This is the first place since I came into that money that no one has been trying to get hold of it." "So now they found you, and you're worried." "Very." "The letter won't hurt you. But if you want support and ideas, don't open it until we're all together." Katherine broke into a big smile. "I don't know why I don't think of things like that. Of course, isn't that what our family is for? Helping each other?" Katy was trying to suppress a grin. "What?" "Well..." Katy said, "Maybe with some sex along the way, as well." "Oh..." Katherine groaned. "I did ask for that one," then she laughed also. ------- Beth Ann tore open the envelope. Mary and Kristin were just as impatient, wanting to know what it said. Dear Beth Ann, We simply cannot wait to come see you! I can hardly believe my little girl is getting married. I feel a little left out of what is going on. Is there going to be a shower? What about the wedding dress? Keith got you a ring, didn't he? Are his parents coming to the wedding? I know I've asked a lot of questions, but don't worry about writing answers to them. By the time you get this letter, the three of us will be on our way. We haven't had a vacation in years. Isabella sold her house and told us that her gift for all that... I just don't even want to say his name, so we took her up on the offer. The service station is doing well and will continue to do so during our absence. Your dad has been reading the maps and thinks it will take about a week to get there. As soon as we get close to, Los Angeles I was just told, we'll give you a call. With all the love we can give, Beatrice, George, and Isabella "All three of them!" Mary said as soon as Beth Ann finished reading it to them. "Are you going to ask if they got one, or two, motel rooms on the trip down?" Kristin asked, trying not to laugh too hard. "Kristin!" Beth Ann said, "That's my parents... and aunt you're talking about." "I know," Kristin replied, before giggling some more. Trying to be serious, Beth Ann said, "I can't believe you would ask that sort of question." Kristin stopped her giggling and looked at Mary, before looking at Beth Ann. Mary wasn't smiling at that point either. "I'm sorry," Kristin started to apologize. Beth Ann cut her off, "You should be. We were all there, and there isn't a question in my mind." Beth Ann had her hands behind her back at that point, and was twisting her finger enough so that the pain would keep her from smiling. Even doing that, though, she was losing the battle. She let go of her fingers, as she said, "We all know they will be in one room." Kristin and Mary looked at Beth Ann in disbelief. "Knowing my dad, and what we heard from the basement," Beth Ann continued, "I wouldn't be surprised if they're sharing one bed." "Beth Ann!" Mary said. Kristin was already laughing again, and Beth Ann quickly followed suit. Mary gave in, and laughed with them. "Wait 'til Keith sees this," Mary said. "You think he'll want to?" Beth Ann asked. "I know Robin will, but..." "Are you crazy? I wish I had a letter like that to show him," Kristin answered. "You'll be in bed before the letter floats to the ground!" "Oh!" Beth Ann squealed in excitement, than asked, "Where is he?" ------- "We can't open it!" Sarah said. "That's not fair!" "It's not for Jimmy." Marcia said. "Well, it's addressed to him, so you have to wait," Katherine said, "That is, unless you wouldn't mind if we started opening up your mail when it came in, and we all read it." Sarah and Marcia looked at each other. Their faces showing disgust as they shook their heads 'no.' Katherine let them stew for a full minute before saying, "There is of course one other option." "What?" Marcia said immediately. "Bring the letter to Jimmy," Katherine said, almost laughing the answer out. "Come on," Sarah said. They ran out of the new house, towards the back, where the horses were. Katherine shook her head, and almost felt sorry for Jimmy. ------- Jill was sitting on her bed. She was in a state of shock and wondered why she hadn't thought of this before, but she hadn't. In her hand was the wedding invitation for Kevin and Dorothy. Somehow, Dorothy had convinced her parents to let her get married before graduating high school. That wasn't the really shocking thing, though. It was that she'd been asked to be in the wedding, along with Laura. The invitation also included one more person: Keith. Jill didn't, couldn't think about that right now. She knew, before she said a word to anyone, what she had to do. Getting up off the bed, she headed out to saddle up her horse. It didn't take long for her to ride downtown; at least it didn't seem like long. Jill's mind was in a whirl as to what to say, and ask. Finding Liz was not a problem. Jill knew Liz would be in the school building. Now getting her out to have a private conversation... That was another matter all together. "Liz," Jill said, while Tiffany, Vicki, Millie, Dora, and Janice looked on, "can I talk with you?" Liz looked at Jill and sighed. "I'm in a meeting. You know these three are the school board... but..." Liz thought Grace always had time for any of the girls at the school. Liz thought she would also need to follow that standard. She didn't want to seem like she was playing favorites, so this was going to have to turn into a standard practice, not an exception, to make that work. "It should only take a minute or two... But I need to talk... privately." Liz rolled her eyes, but had a tiny smile on her face. "Sure, Jill." Then Liz turned to the others, "I'll be gone for a couple of minutes. Don't you dare decide I can do any more, without me here to defend myself!" The others laughed at that statement, but Jill looked concerned. Liz took Jill's hand and led her out the door. "Now what is so important?" Liz asked as they walked down the wood planked sidewalk. After a pause Jill asked, "You were just teasing, weren't you? I didn't pull you away from something important, did I?" Liz smiled, and said, "Jill, I will always have time for you; and yes, I was just teasing." "Good," Jill said. They walked a bit more. They were almost to the park before Jill got to the point. "I got a letter." Liz raised her eyebrows and had a devious smile on her face. "From anyone we know?" "Dorothy's parents." "Her parents?" "A wedding invitation." "Oh my gosh! They did it! I'd love to hear that story." "They invited me." "That is what I expected." "To be in the wedding." "Oh, Jill! That's great!" "Laura, too." "Laura!" Liz said and then laughed. "I bet she was thrilled. I'm sure she never expected anything like that." "I haven't told her yet." Liz turned and looked Jill in the eyes. "Why not?" "There was one more person who was invited." "Oh?" Liz said now knowing why it was important to talk with her. "Keith," Jill said. "Keith?" The color ran from Jill's face. She realized by the tone of voice, that Liz had expected it to be her. She felt stupid for bringing this up now. "I'm sorry," Jill said on the edge of tears. "You expected it to be you. I'm stupid." Liz pulled Jill into an embrace. Right then she needed to comfort Jill, as well as get her emotions under control. They held each other for some time, waiting for their breathing and minds to return to normal. Pushing Jill out, at arms length, Liz looked at her. "You're bothered by the idea that they invited Keith." Jill grimaced and said, "Sort of." "What bothers you? Have you figured it out?" "I knew right away." "Are you going to tell me?" "I'm not sure if I'm ready to 'dive into the vat of chocolate, ' yet." Liz laughed, but then stopped at Jill's hurt expression. Liz put her arm around Jill, and turned her towards the playground, leading her right up to the seesaw. "Get on," Liz said. "Ok." Liz walked around and got onto the other side. They two were too tall for it, but by bending their legs, they could make it move a bit. "What's the difference this time, from... well, there have been two times out at the Mansion," Liz said, and then dramatically raising her eyebrows, continued with, "or has there been more?" "Liz!" Jill said, reaching and trying to swat Liz. "No, just the two." "I didn't hear you complain about those times." Jill couldn't contain her smile. "They were nice." "Ok, what's the difference?" "We'd be alone." "With Laura." "Like Laura could do anything to stop..." "So you're still scared." "I didn't think I would be, or should be... But..." "Ok, out with it," Liz said stopping the sea-saw. Jill looked down and didn't say a word. Liz watched her, waiting. Then she saw a tear. It dropped from Jill's down-turned face, and hit the board they were sitting on. "What do you fear?" Liz asked softly. "Every male in my life has gone." "Kevin?" "No, he doesn't count." "Tell me who counts, then." "My dad and Zachariah." Liz understood, two of the most important people in Jill's life. Both of them had also died. "Is it why you couldn't go with me to the University?" Liz asked, wondering when this started. "I think it started around then." "What started, your fear of him dying?" "My understanding of how much I loved him." "It took... You had to understand that you could lose him, to make you realize what you were starting to feel for him?" "Yes, I think that is it." Jill answered. Then looking at Liz with pleading eyes, she said, "I can't become too close. I'd just die if I did and then he..." Jill reached out and took hold on one of Jill's hands. She squeezed it. "I know, sweetheart. Let me think about this for a bit. I'm guessing that's why you came to talk to me in the first place." Jill blushed, "Yeah, I didn't know what to do, but figured you would." Liz smiled. Jill had a way of making her feel very special. ------- Jimmy felt cornered. Sarah had handed him a letter. A letter! He'd never received a letter in his life and he didn't really know what to do with it. In Brian's bedroom, He felt like the walls were closing in on him. Sarah and Marcia were demanding that the letter be opened. Pamela and Barbara were looking at him expectantly, excited at all the fuss. Brian, well at least he had one ally in the room. "Jimmy, why are you waiting?" Marcia asked. "It's not for you, we know it. It's from Mike," Marcia said, "but Katy told us we had to give it to you." "OK!" Jimmy said. "I'll open it." Turning the letter around, he looked at it. "Do you want me to?" Brian asked. "You know how?" Jimmy asked. Marcia and Sarah looked at each other and realized the hesitation wasn't meant to drive them crazy, though it was doing so. It was simply that Jimmy didn't know what to do. "I've had to open letters for Jack," Brian stated. "Fine, you do it." Jimmy said, tossing the envelope over to him. Marcia looked pained at the careless way Jimmy was handling the letter. Brian pulled up the back and slid his finger along the fold, ripping the top open. He pulled out the letter and then handed it to Jimmy, before Sarah's hand got hold of it. "Fine," she said, "read it out loud, Jimmy, who is it for?" Jimmy swallowed, feeling very much like he had felt when Tiffany had done an assessment test on him for school. He started to read, "Dear Boy Scout Troop..." "It doesn't!" Marcia said turning red. "Let me see," Sarah said, grabbing the letter out of Jimmy's hand. Sarah scanned the letter and then looked at Marcia. "It's not for you. I'm sorry." Marcia's face started to contort. She sat down on the bed, covered her face with her hands and started to cry. "Don't," Sarah said. "But... but..." Marcia blubbered. "Marcia," Sarah said in a tone that caused the girl to stop and look up at her, "that letter is to make sure there is a Boy Scout Troop here, so that the Troop in Reno can come visit. It was written by the scout leader." "Scout Leader?" Marcia said, after sniffling, but defiantly more interested. "Yes, the Scout Leader," Jimmy said looking at the letter. "James Wallin." Sarah and Marcia looked at each other and started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Barbara asked, confused at Marcia's flip-flop emotions. "James Wallin!" Marcia said and laughed even harder, tears running down her face once again, but for an obviously different reason. "He's... the..." Sarah was trying to say, between bursts of laughter. "He's the what?" Pamela asked. ------- Larry was shaking his head as he was looking at the new house he was building for Jack. Cynthia and Jack were just amazed at the progress. Rebecca knew houses went up this fast, with all of the help, but didn't understand the whole process, or why Larry looked disappointed. "The exterior plywood is something none of these guys knew how to handle," Larry said. "I'm sorry it is delaying the process." "Delaying?" Jack said. "You've got to be kidding! I've never seen a house go up so quick. The foundation, walls, roof. Just because the siding isn't all on... Larry, this is simply amazing and far more than what we ever expected." Larry smiled at the complement, but couldn't go as far as saying thanks. He wanted to have more of it done. It was a matter of pride with him. "Can we look inside?" Cynthia asked. "With the..." "Studs," Jack said, seeing what she was looking at, but didn't know the right word. "Studs," Cynthia grinned. "I like that word." Larry blushed. He'd used that term for years. Hearing Cynthia say it, the way she said it, put a very different meaning to the word. Cynthia continued, "We can really see what the rooms are going to be like. Richard drove up, stopped, and walked into the house. He noticed no one there had paid any attention to his arrival. That is, until he spoke. That stopped the four walking through the wall framing. As they looked at him, they appeared startled at his sudden arrival. He almost laughed at how absorbed they were in this house. "Looks good, Larry. This is a lot different than our new place," Richard said as he walked over to them. "This is where the kitchen is going to be," Rebecca said and then went on describing where the fixtures would be. "I'm sure you didn't come out to see what our kitchen would look like," Jack said causing Rebecca to blush. "No, but I would like to know what the room with the thick walls is going to be for," Richard said, as he looked at Cynthia. "Storing special garments," Larry answered, not catching the gaze that went on. "I can just imagine," Richard replied trying hard not to laugh. "So what did you need?" Larry asked. "When you would have time to come out to the Mansion? We have that one access staircase to add. I think we may have come up with a solution, but wanted to see what you thought." "How about after this tour, I ride out there?" Larry responded. ------- "Keith?" I turned and smiled, seeing my sister Liz. Robin had suggested I go look at the horses. Now I knew there must have been a reason. "Yes," I responded. "Did you want something?" Her eyes dropped to my crotch. I saw the smile brighten on her face. Then she looked up into my face. I was waiting. "Want to take a ride?" I wasn't sure at that point, whether she meant using the horses, or her. "Sure. I'd love to. How far do you think we should go?" Liz laughed, and then said, "You are as bad as I'm trying to be. Come on and get a couple of saddles." Soon we were on our way. I was just hoping it wasn't too far, because the sun would set soon. Crossing the valley, we were not too far away, yet we were away from everyone. Liz slowed and soon we were side by side. "Do you remember when you told Jill, that looked like the blush of a girl in love?" "Yes. If I remember you said to me, after telling me I was dense, 'She's in love with you. At least that's what I think. You aren't supposed to know. She felt safe without you knowing. You ruined that.'" I replied. "I know more of the story, now," Liz said. "OK," I responded not sure if this was good or bad. "You were invited to Kevin and Dorothy's wedding." I stopped my horse from the slow pace we were making, and looked at my sister as if she was losing her mind. "Jill got the letter, but didn't want to tell you." "About going or what?" I said still trying to figure out what was going on. "Keith... Ok. I guess I haven't been making any sense. Jill got the invitation, today. She said it was for the three of you." "Three?" "Laura." "Makes sense." "She was concerned... about being alone with you." "Not making sense, now. We've been alone before. Just this morning I..." "Keith!" Liz started to laugh. "Come back into focus and let me explain." "Sorry, it was fun. Laura got very embarrassed by it all." "Oh, now that puts it into perspective." "What?" "When I said she wouldn't be alone with you, that Laura would be there; she acted like that wouldn't do any good at all." I smiled and said, "Sorry." "You look like you're not sorry at all. Now be serious for a minute." I sighed and said, "OK." "Jill has had two very important male people in her life. Her father and the man who taught her so much that she excelled at Linden Hall." Liz paused. "I'm listening." "Both men have died." I swallowed, hard. "She's afraid if she lets you get too close, she'll lose you, too." "Are you sure that hasn't happened already?" I asked. "I think it may well have, dear brother, but she doesn't realize it." "Don't expect me to tell her." Liz gave me a warm smile. "No, that isn't what I had in mind." 'Oh no, ' I thought and said, "What have you cooked up?" "Here is what I want you to do." ------- Jimmy came over to Richard in the study. Richard had been sitting with Katy, Dora, and Katherine, listening to Kristin play on the piano. Surprising them all, Jimmy stood in front of Richard and said, "May I ask you a question?" This was not at all like Jimmy and it gained him the attention from both the study and music room. "Why certainly," Richard said, amused at Jimmy's mannerism. "Brian and I would like you to be our Boy Scout Leader." Richard looked at Katy, trying to gage this. "Jimmy," his mother said, "why did you pick Richard to ask?" Jimmy's shoulders dropped, his head cocked to the side and his forehead scrunched up. "Why wouldn't we? He's Brian's favorite," Jimmy said and then grinned, but continued, "you're married to him, so he's... well related to me I guess. Then there's Kenneth, when he gets old enough." "So you've thought this out, it sounds like," Richard said. "We had help," Jimmy admitted. "Anything to do with a letter that came today?" Katherine interjected. "Letter?" Richard said surprised. "I got a letter today," Jimmy said, rather proudly. "You did!" His mother said rather proud of her son, now knowing it was apparently for him and not Marcia. "From the Boy Scouts?" Richard asked, thinking of solicitation letter he had received when he was young and impressionable. "From a guy in Reno that Sarah and Marcia know," Jimmy answered. "What sort of guy?" Richard inquired. "He's the son of the gardener that works for Sarah's dad." The room erupted in laughter, leaving Jimmy to wonder what was so funny. Sarah and Marcia had laughed when they found out who it was. Jimmy knew he had a pretty good sense of humor, but he couldn't find anything funny in this. "Jimmy," Richard said trying not to laugh any more, "do you have the letter?" "Marcia has it," Jimmy said. "Jimmy," they heard Sarah call from the hallway. Katy was ready to start laughing again, but pushed her son. "Go on. I think she has something for you." Jimmy walked out of the study, through the music room and into the hall. He didn't understand anything that was going on. Sarah and Marcia were there, as though they knew he needed the letter. "Oh, thanks! Richard just asked if he could see it." "We know," Marcia replied. Jimmy wondered if he was becoming stupid. They had been listening, just as he would have been. Of course, they knew and that's why they called him. Taking hold of the letter, Jimmy ran back in, handing the letter to Richard. Katy looked over Richard's shoulder reading it. "So," Richard said, "they want to come for a visit." "Can we be Boy Scouts?" Jimmy begged. "Why do you think you want to do that?" Katy asked. She had not even heard of a Boy Scout before and didn't know what it was about. "See what they want to do when they're here? We get badges for doing stuff." Richard looked at the second page of the letter and read aloud, Camping, Geology, Horsemanship, Pioneering, and Music. They can be done, but how would they have known that? Sarah and Marcia had walked into the music room and they were looking into the study. Sarah spoke up, "Vivian would have told Scott." "You know about all of this Boy Scout stuff?" Katy asked Richard. "I was a Boy Scout when I was a kid. I bet in one of those boxes that haven't been opened, from my parent's house, is my old Boy Scout handbook." "Then you'll do it?" Jimmy asked. "I think I could, but I have one question for these girls," Richard said to Jimmy as he turned his gaze to Sarah and Marcia. "How are you going to get Vivian and Scott down here at the same time without their parents catching on?" It didn't take long for the girl's faces to turn bright red. ------- Patrick felt the uncomfortable feeling in the air, as soon as he had stepped into Fred and Marion's house. The knee Maureen came down hard on was healing, but she needed crutches for at least the next week. The problem was, the doctor only had, on hand, two pair. One was sized for someone no larger than Brian, and the other pair looked like they could have been used for ladders. The two that he usually had on hand were not there. One was in use and the other had had an unfortunate accident. A call was made and in record time, a pair would be shipped out via train. It would arrive in four days. Everyone was pleased that it could arrive that quickly, but it did mean Maureen was pretty much house bound for the next four days. Patrick had brought Maureen some flowers. Fred ended up taking them and putting them into a vase. "Maybe I can hook up a buggy and tomorrow we can take a ride," Patrick said after several minutes of nothing being said at all. "She wants to have your baby!" Maureen said, staring at her sister. "She what?" Patrick said, not being able to contain his surprise. "Marion! Stop this minute!" Fred shouted. Maureen and Patrick, who had been looking at each other after the strange exchange had just been made, turned quickly to look at Marion. In her shaking hands was the vase of flowers that Patrick had just brought. ------- My sister had asked if I wanted to play the piano with her. I had, but told her Liz had instructed me of another job I needed to do. When I whispered in Kristin's ear what it was, she smiled and told me to go. Getting Jill alone was a job in itself, but I managed. Well, with a little help from Liz, who saw what I was trying to do. After taking Jill outside, we were standing on the front porch. The stars had just started to show up in the sky. Kristin started a new song with a waltz melody. The tune filtered out through the windows to where we were. I took Jill's hand and started to sway to the music. Less than a minute later, we were dancing. "Do you know what happened up at Beth Ann's parent's house, while we were there?" I asked Jill as we slowly moved across the porch. "I know some things that happened," she answered. "Jill," I said as I held her close to me, "I was in danger at least four times. Shot at two of those times." I felt her tense up. It was part of why I wanted her dancing with me. The music, the rhythm would help calm her. "My love," I leaned in, whispering in her ear, "there was a big difference this time." She stopped and before her hands dropped away, I took hold of them. She looked into my eyes. "What? What could be so different that it wouldn't hurt?" "This time..." I was cut short. The downtown mine whistle blew. ------- Chapter 110 Katy was the first out the front door. She looked at Jill and me. "Jill, what was that?" Jill knew what she had asked, and answered, "Three short blasts." Almost as if on cue, we heard them again. "What is that for?" I asked. There hadn't been time before, but I knew that the mine whistle, after hours, was never a good sign. "It is the signal for an emergency meeting. Something has happened," Katy said. She then paused at the edge of the door and turned to look at me. "I don't think the kids should come with us." I nodded, but I could feel my stomach tighten into knots. We took the four cars downtown. As we had to round up and then tell Sarah, Marcia, Jimmy, Pamela, Kristina, Elizabeth, Julie, Laura, and Kenneth we were going, it took a while. I noticed Jill with Liz, almost as if she was sneaking into the car. I maneuvered around and came up behind her. "Jill," I said, which startled her, "I expected you to come with us." She relaxed, but then cocked her head and asked, "Why?" "As far as this town is concerned, and I would have to agree, you are a woman. You are not a child." A smile ran across Jill's face, but then her brow furrowed as she had another question for me. "Then what about Sarah and Marcia? Marcia's pregnant." "You are right. I have no idea what this is about, but I can't imagine that it has anything to do with them. I know Tiffany and Vicki decided to stay here, I'm sure they could use the help with the others. Can you think of the questions that are going to be asked?" Jill was nodding at what I was saying to her. By then, everyone was in the cars. I got in as well, and we headed downtown. ------- Patrick was pacing. 'This is it, ' he thought. He was kicking himself, as the last time he remembered doing something as rash as this was when he drove Katy's then boyfriend out of town. Now it felt like he had reacted with just as much of an impetuous spirit. He was just hoping that he could pull things together. Himself included. Moments later Maureen hobbled into the hall with the help of the doctor's wife. Thelma took one look at Patrick, and steered Maureen away from him. It would have been painfully obvious there was tension there, except that others were filling the hall, and everyone was on edge. Meetings like this were rare. Cheryl and her husband came in. Cheryl, not knowing what the meeting was for, started to go over to Maureen. Patrick called out to her, and then shook his head. That may have stopped her going over and talking to Maureen, but it now raised questions, lots of them. Patrick was waiting, and hoping we would show up from the Mansion soon. He didn't want to start anything without us there, and he really wanted to talk to us, before things started. He may have called the meeting, but he wasn't in charge of it. Jim, being the mayor of the town, had that dubious honor. We weren't the last to arrive, but close to it. Patrick saw the car lights. As we were the only ones outside of Jack who had cars, he knew we had arrived. Ready to walk out and talk to us, he was stopped. Everyone stopped talking and stared. Fred had walking in. Behind him was Marion. Marion's hands were in heavy white bandages that reached up to her elbows. When Maureen saw the state of her sister, she cried out, causing people to shift their gaze to Maureen and then back to Marion. Cheryl, witnessing this, knew something had happened between them; but couldn't fathom what it had been. Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca also saw this drama. Cynthia and Rebecca were instantly concerned, wondering if it had been what they had done. Both women looked at Jack for understanding. He didn't know, and felt frustrated, not wanting to be in a position like this. Patrick never made it outside. We had seen Marion, but couldn't tell what was going on with her arms. From our distance, it looked like some material was draped over them. William, who had ridden back downtown from the plane with Marion and Fred, waited outside the meeting hall. He caught up to us before we stepped inside. "I think this may well be the hornets nest that everyone was hoping to avoid," William said. I was hoping he didn't mean what I thought it could, so I had to ask, "Who called the meeting?" "Patrick. Did you see Marion?" "Yes. What did she have over her arms?" I asked, with everyone else from the Mansion now crowding around us to listen. "She cut herself rather badly. Not intentionally," William quickly added when he saw the concern instantly show on our faces. "Something caused this?" I asked, trying to grasp the significance of everything. "Apparently Marion and Maureen were having a... well, I guess an argument. From what I understand, Marion's nerves got to her and a vase that was in her hands shattered with the force she was pressing on it." I noticed we were the only ones on the street. We needed to get inside. At that point, even without knowing everything, I was glad there were not going to be seats for us up front. ------- Pamela started to shake with a fear that was welling up inside of her. She was on Jimmy's lap at the time and he felt it. Only moments after the 'adults' left, everyone else remained in the living room. "What's wrong?" Jimmy whispered to her. Pamela shook her head. Stephanie heard Jimmy though. She could see, from the way Pamela responded, that something was wrong. "Pamela, what is it?" Stephanie asked. This was not what Pamela wanted. Everyone was now looking at her. Tiffany and Vicki looked at each other. One of them was going to need to deal with this. Before they could do anything, Sarah walked over and got on her knees, facing Pamela. Taking Pamela's hands, Sarah looked at her in the eyes. "What is bothering you?" Sarah said softly. Pamela shook her head again. "Please," Jimmy said. His voice cracked in pain. Pamela looked like she was about to cry. If anyone could open up her feelings, it was Jimmy. "It's not about us, is it?" Pamela got out. "What is?" Sarah asked trying to figure out what Pamela was trying to ask. "The meeting." "No, I don't think anyone would have a meeting about all of us," Sarah responded. Pamela didn't look happy. "I meant about... me and my sister." The pain in Pamela's voice took Sarah's ability to speak. She found out in a second that she didn't need it. Stephanie was the first to respond. "Pamela! Keith wouldn't let them say anything bad about you." "Keith will make sure," Elizabeth said. "He will," Kristina added. "Yeah!" Kenneth chimed in. "You should know that, Pamela. He loves you," Julie said. "You can trust Keith," Laura said. "Jill does." "You know what they are saying is true," Jimmy said to her as he hugged her tight. Vicki and Tiffany had both wondered, as they watched this, why they were needed as the 'adult' people. These 'kids' took care of each other very well. Marcia was in the corner, almost unnoticed. She was crying. It was Tiffany who spotted her, and nudged Vicki to look over. Unneeded, they turned their attention to Marcia, wondering why she was crying. Tiffany and Vicki moved as slowly and quietly as they could, so as not to draw any attention. Sitting on the floor, on either side of Marcia, they looked at the girl. Touching Marcia's leg to get her attention, Vicki asked, "Why the tears?" "I've never seen anything like this," Marcia responded. "Like what? The meeting, everyone rushing out, Pamela?" Tiffany asked, trying to understand. "They care so much about her," Marcia said. "Yes, they do," Tiffany said, knowing now that Marcia was talking about Pamela. "No one in my family..." Marcia started, but then started crying again. Tiffany and Vicki made eye contact, and then nodded. "Some of us are outcasts," Vicki said. "We are not welcome in our home and the memories are painful. This can be home for us. Look at what it offers." "Did you talk to my mother? Is that how you know?" Marcia wanted to know. "Marcia," Tiffany said, "Vicki was talking about herself." Marcia's eyes widened. She swallowed hard, and then asked, "You're preg..." Vicki grinned, but if faded fast. "No, but there are other reasons." Marcia, trying to figure out what it could be, looked between Tiffany and Vicki, catching as their eyes met. She thought she knew why. Then surprising herself, Marcia said sympathetically. "I'm sorry." ------- "I can't believe Mom left us alone!" Brian said enthusiastically. "So," Barbara said in a soft voice, "what do you want to do?" "Talk," Brian said, shocking Barbara. "Talk?" Brian grinned and said, "Not what you thought I'd say?" "No," Barbara said somewhat disappointedly. "Richard asked me some questions today. I think I need some answers from you." Barbara still had trouble believing, now that they were alone, Brian didn't want to... "Questions? What sort of questions?" "What day is your birthday?" Barbara was a bit incensed. "The 23rd." "It's not that far off. It's really hot in August though." "Brian, get to the point." "With the baby and all... I don't want you to get overheated and faint at our wedding." Barbara's mouth dropped open. She couldn't speak. In her mind though, she was berating herself. Her man was talking about their wedding! "Uh huh..." was about all Barbara could manage to get out. "I was thinking..." Brian said, pausing for effect. "What do you think about having the wedding in the pool?" "At the pool! It is so lovely there. I think that would be... Brian, did you say in the pool?" He grinned and said, "Yeah." She didn't think he was serious, so she decided she'd play along as well. "Ok... I can't have a long dress, then. Is that all right with you? Mmm? What about flowers?" "I like shorter dresses," Brian said while making his eyebrows raise and fall rapidly. "And you could have one of those flower things around your head, couldn't you?" Barbara was ready to laugh with his eyebrow trick, but then he almost sounded serious, with the flower wreath. "How in the world would we do it, Brian?" "I think, other than the older people, everyone could just get in the water with us." "You... you're serious, aren't you? Did Richard put you up to this?" "No, yes... I mean, 'yes' I'm serious; and 'no, ' Richard didn't put me up to this." "You want to get married, in the water..." Barbara said, hardly believing the words out of her mouth. "You think it's silly, don't you?" "Well..." Barbara said, then couldn't help herself and started laughing. She stopped as soon as she saw Brian's face turn sorrowful. "Brian, is it important to you?" "I thought it would be nice. It would be a way to keep you cool in your wedding dress." He laughed suddenly, but then sniffled and went silent for a moment. "I guess I'm just being stupid." "No you're not. You're trying to care for me. That is very nice." "I also thought it would be... sort of fitting." "Fitting?" "Richard is planning on 'giving you away.' I mean for the wedding thing, you know." Barbara was silent and was looking down. Brian noticed a tear drop from her face. She hadn't thought about that. The realization that her father couldn't do that hit her with such an overwhelming feeling that it stunned her. ------- Jim opened the meeting with a welcome, and said it was good that everyone could be here. He felt a little ill at ease, as he wasn't exactly sure what this meeting was going to be about. Patrick had demanded it be called, though, and he couldn't say 'no' to that. So he did what he knew was best to do; he handed the meeting over to Patrick. Patrick stood and moved to the center of the hall, causing those in front to turn their chairs so they could see him. This also meant that we, near the back, were suddenly not so far away. "It has come to my attention that there is a sentiment in Angle City that Carp is a very special place. Many of you may not know it, but they feel responsible for having people from their town cause such havoc on our community. Yet we turned around and opened our arms to them. Many of them are dumbfounded at that generosity. Some simply don't feel worthy. "So I ask you, the people of Carp, what is it about this place that makes us special? Why were we not ready to blame Angle City for our woes, and let their town die? Why would we want to include them in our school? What is it?" People were looking at each other. Mostly, they were surprised at the questions Patrick was raising. Many were thinking, 'These questions needed to be answered in a special meeting?' I thought the questions odd myself. "Does anyone have a possible answer?" Patrick asked. A woman raised her hand, almost embarrassed to say anything. "'Cause we care about each other?" "Because you care about each other," Patrick restated. "You care about what happens when someone is ill, when someone is hurt, or hurting. You care when someone is happy, as well. Is that not another way of saying: 'I am caring for the poor, the downtrodden, thelame'?" "Like Jesus said," one man said in exuberance. "Yes, you have remembered," Patrick answered and then quoting from the bible, he continued, "'Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: or I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.'" "So what will happen to the people of Angle City?" another man asked. "We are not here to talk about Angle City, tonight, though I wanted that very visible symbol to be in your hearts. We are here to talk about the life and survival of Carp." The murmuring that had been going on suddenly stopped. What had felt a little lighthearted, turned suddenly serious. Patrick put his fingers to his temples and pressed, wishing for clarity. Taking up his bible, he opened it to Mark 12 verse 19 and started to read. "'Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.'" Setting down the bible, he looked, turning to catch the eyes of everyone in the room. "Which one does not remember that scripture?" I knew this was not being directed to us. I thought I might have heard it, but wasn't sure. I just hoped the others felt this wasn't directed to them as well, for it seemed quite plainly that Patrick said that question without expecting an answer. "The men in this town have had something die, leaving them with no seed," Patrick continued on. "We are a people of God. A people who have demonstrated time and time again that we care for others. Now, in one of our greatest deciding moments, we are faltering in what we have cherished as people. At this point, I am not asking, I am demanding that you listen." The bible was slammed down onto the chair. The sound reverberated throughout the hall. Patrick had been raising his voice a bit, and was now just short of a shout. "It is not by our choice we are here with this situation. It is our God given free will that leads us on though. What is happening, what I called this meeting for, is that expectations and greed have crept into our lives. Just because I am one of the few men in this town who possesses that seed, does not give..." Patrick stopped mid sentence, his face beet red. He glanced at me, and sat down heavily. No one said a word. It was so quiet. It was as if everyone was holding their breath. No one wanted to speak. ------- Brian had figured out long ago, what would bring Barbara out of the deepest slump. She was getting now, what she thought Brian would have wanted to do as soon as they were alone. He was giving her all the attention he could give her, making her forget everything. Her body arched as the third orgasm coursed through her body. As drained as she was, she mustered the strength to push Brian away. Her clit was becoming too sensitive. She needed a rest. "Brian," she moaned, "no more. Please. You're going to turn me into..." Barbara's eyelids, Brian could see, were closing. She'd stopped mid sentence. Brian watched her mouth sag open almost the same time her eyelids closed. She was asleep. He gently touched her face, gracing her cheek with the tips of her fingers. 'I'm going to have to remember that. I have to talk to Katy and Richard, maybe Katherine as well. She was so upset, ' Brian was thinking. 'It will come up over and over before the wedding. Maybe they will have ways to talk about it. I can't always... ' He grinned, laughing silently. 'Mom would have a fit if I did this to her every time Barbara became upset.' He got up and scratched behind his ear as he looked at the bed. Barbara was laid out, naked as the day she was born. He didn't want to disturb her, but when would everyone come home? Barbara, now pregnant, was difficult to rouse from slumber. ------- Sarah looked around and noticed Tiffany, Vicki, and Marcia were gone. She was surprised that she hadn't seen them leave. Sarah had wanted Tiffany and Vicki's help. She could see that Pamela needed some 'special' time. That meant separating Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth away from the others. She wasn't sure how to do this herself. Just then she heard Julie say, just a bit louder, "Sarah showed it to me. The full moon should be out tonight, too, Kristina. I know your sister would like to see those stars, but Kenneth probably would run around too much to take out and see them." "I would not!" Kenneth said indignity. Sarah had a hard time not allowing a smile to grace her face. Julie had just come up with the perfect foil. "Did you know there was a full moon tonight?" Sarah said suddenly, as though she hadn't heard a word of Julie's conversation. "Can I go see it?" Kristina asked. "I want to go!" Kenneth exclaimed. "Kenneth," Elizabeth said in her 'I'm the boss when Mom's not here' voice, "you're too young." "Nonsense, Elizabeth. I'll bet he can be a perfect gentleman." Sarah raised her eyebrows and continued. "If he's not, then he will be sent back in and have to look through the window at us enjoying the stars." That was just enough for Elizabeth. She didn't like Sarah taking over her authority, but the way she'd put it, Sarah had more teeth in what she could do. The four of them started for the door. Julie looked at them, and then gave Stephanie a wink. She got up and followed Sarah outside with Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth. "How did that just work out?" Jimmy asked, in awe that they were now alone. Laura and Stephanie looked at each other and grinned. "Girls have their ways," Stephanie said. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. "It means," Pamela said, "kiss me." Jimmy may well have been slow catching on what had just transpired, but he wasn't going to argue with a suggestion such as that. "I think," Stephanie said to Laura as Jimmy was kissing Pamela, "that we'd better move to the other house." "Good thinking," Laura said. It was getting warm... almost too warm for clothing. ------- It had been a good two full minutes of total silence. I had this hard lump in my throat. Patrick had looked at me before he sat down. Did he expect me to get up and say something? I hadn't an idea why, exactly, he'd called this 'special' meeting when we first sat down, but now there was a slight understanding. I hadn't meant to stand. I was getting uncomfortable sitting, so I sort of leaned forward when I was goosed. Now all eyes were on me. Great. While I was nervous as hell, my mind also told me I was going to 'git' who ever goosed me. "I am not a preacher, thank God." No one laughed. Shit, maybe that wasn't a good thing to say. "I do think I understand what Patrick is feeling right now, though. Maybe like a sheep out in the field with a broken leg, while buzzards are circling. Knowing there is little you can do, before they will start to feed on you." "No, Keith," Katherine said as she stood, "I think you have that wrong. It could be like that, but I think maybe it is... There is a fear of starving. The food is in plain sight and yet to get that food, you have to open the cupboard. You were told not to open the door all your life. There is the food, but opening that door scares the hell out of you." Several women gasp at Katherine's mention of the word 'hell.' "You're close, Katherine," Millie said, standing. I wanted to sit, but I got poked from behind when I made motions to do so. "I would say it a bit plainer than the two of you, though," Millie went on. "We're in a pickle. We either start thinking of doing things different than we've ever done before, or our town dies off. Problem is, we don't know how to act. We've been told not to open that door Katherine was talking about, 'cause if we do, we're going to be that sheep Keith was describing." Janice stood, shocking Millie. She said, "Some need to open that door, and don't... Well maybe we all need to. I don't need or want another child," Janice smiled. "I'm a bit too old for that. I do need to remember and understand what it would be like to want, and not have a chance, though. I need to understand that things are not the same for some in this town, as they were for me." Janice, Millie, Katherine and I were standing. Again there was a stifling silence. No one made a motion of wanting to become part of this conversation. Frankly, I think it was scaring the hell out of them. Cheryl stood. I could see her husband trying to not let her. I smiled at that. He had a lot to learn, if he was still trying that. "I don't think it is much of a secret. I'm carrying a child. We all know my dear-sweet-wonderful-husband, who I wouldn't trade for anything, couldn't give that to me. Patrick gave me that gift." There were some gasps. I couldn't imagine anyone hadn't figured that out yet. Maybe it was the unapologetic way she said it that caused the reaction. Cheryl went on, "This is what I think. Some people may believe that this is wrong and I will go to hell for it. But those people are not thinking clearly. Still, I am part of the problem as well; but I, at least," she grinned, "have a doctor's excuse for my irrational behavior. Needless to say, I have been a problem for Patrick." The room went silent again, as Patrick stood again. "Each one of you have had parts of it right. Keith, you had, in essence, what I have been feeling. Katherine, you placed a very good analogy of what the town needs to feel. Millie, you set those feelings into the first person. Janice, you gave a perspective that many of you may need to look at. Cheryl, you..." "Thank you," Cheryl said to him. It was simple, but anyone in the room could hear her saying, 'I love you, too, ' in that 'thank you.' "I called this meeting because things are getting out of hand. I apologize to all of you, as I was feeling out of control and desperate. I signaled for a meeting that..." "Was needed," I cut into Patrick apology. Patrick smiled at me. "If anyone needs to learn by example, of what a... larger family can be like, we need to look no further than to Keith and Richard's families." I was suddenly filled with a need to sit down. I also noticed a little gleam in Millie's eye. ------- "Barbara? Wake up, Sweetheart," Brian said. She wouldn't budge. She had smiled as he said her name. All three times! He had seen people, as he was looking outside. His parents would be home soon. He was desperate. "Brian, Barbara, we're home," Millie called as she opened the door. It was part of what Katy had told her. If she didn't want to see, she had to do things differently. Brian came out of his bedroom. "She's asleep, Mom." "Asleep? So early?" Millie turned to Bruce who had been right behind her and now was closing the door behind him. "I'm sure she is just like you were, if you remember. Tired all the time." "I guess I was," Millie said as she crossed the room towards her son. Brian didn't know what to do, or how to stop his mom. She peered in the room. Then she smiled at her son. "Looks like she's a blanket stealer." Brian thought he was saved, until she said, "Here, let me show you..." Barbara was a bit disoriented. She woke hearing voices. She also woke up hot. Making a noise, she threw the covers off of herself. She shook her head, and then looked at the doorway. Millie was looking in, with Brian right in front of her. Their expressions told Barbara something was very wrong. Looking down, at herself, she knew just what the problem was. "Ohhhh," Barbara groaned, wanting to cry. "Brian," Millie said, trying not to react. "What's wrong?" Bruce said, right behind Millie. Millie turned and saw her husband's eyes bulge. She pushed at him to step back. Then she took his hand, and pulled him away. Brian rushed over to Barbara and took hold of her hand, wanting desperately to comfort her. They heard the bedroom door close on his parent's room. They braced for the words that would travel through the thin walls. "Bruce!" Brian and Barbara turned to look towards the sound. That was not the tone of voice they had expected to hear. "Bruce... Oh Bruce!" Brian was trying not to think of his parents doing what it sounded like they were doing. Then it struck him funny, just thinking about it. He was able to turn to Barbara and, looking at her in the eye, said, "You know, you are to blame for that noise." "Me!" Barbara said. "If you hadn't looked so..." "Yes?" Brian thought of some of the words he's heard Katy and Richard say. "Delicious." Barbara laughed, but just once. Then a coy smile appeared on her face. "Did you mean that?" "Of course I did." "Then why don't you come and taste these?" Barbara asked, as she shook her small breasts. Brian didn't need to be asked twice. They could tell from the sounds now filling the house, that they weren't going to be interrupted for a while. ------- Vicki, Tiffany, and Marcia were sitting on the rail fence on other side of the new house, near the horses. With the moonlight, it was fairly bright. "Can I ask you a question?" Vicki said. "If I can ask one," Marcia said. "That's fair enough, go ahead." Vicki answered. "You said that this was... Tiffany said you were talking about yourself." "What do you want to know?" Tiffany asked. Marcia took a deep breath, before saying, "Are you two... I mean do you..." Vicki took pity on Marcia. "Are you trying to ask if we are lovers?" Marcia could only nod; her face was burning with embarrassment. "Are you asking because you are wondering if that is what I was talking about in the house?" Tiffany asked. "Is it?" "In a way, yes." Vicki said. "Marcia, what do you see when you look at Tiffany?" "She's beautiful. I wish I looked like her." "Do you?" Tiffany asked. "Did any of the girls you've known get breasts, big ones, before anyone else did?" Marcia cracked a smile, "Yes, Yolanda. Every guy looked at her and..." Marcia's smile left her face. She looked at Tiffany, making Tiffany feel almost uncomfortable. "That's what happened to you, isn't it. All the guys looked at you." "Yes, they did. It became unbearable. I didn't know what to do. So I ended up at an all girl's school. It is easy, when you can hide." "So why did you leave?" Marcia wanted to know. "Because of Liz," Tiffany said simply. "Liz! I thought she..." Marcia stopped and shook her head. "This is confusing." Vicki and Tiffany looked at each other and grinned. "Yes, I guess it is. Liz is an exceptional teacher," Tiffany said. "She's also beautiful and I was sure I was in love with her. That was all before the wedding, though." "Wedding?" "Between Keith and Robin." "It's confusing, again," Marcia said. "Just listen to her," Vicki said. "It will get better." Then added just for fun, "I hope!" Tiffany stuck out her tongue, and all three laughed. "When Liz came back to school, there was something very different about her. Have you ever known someone change, dramatically, and you couldn't understand why?" "Sarah," Marcia said. "Yes, Sarah would be it, for you," Tiffany nodded and continued. "I thought I'd lost something I had been dreaming of, with Liz. What I found, in the end, were possibilities I never knew existed." "Is that what I'm going to find?" Marcia asked. "That is part of my question to you, Marcia. I know that you came down here for the next year in school. You will have your baby before the school year is out. What are you planning on doing?" Vicki asked. "Planning..." Marcia said looking at the two teachers. "It looks like you will have many choices. You will need to be prepared," Tiffany said. "You mean, 'do I give up my baby, or keep it'?" "It sounds like, to me, when you say 'my baby'... that you have already made that decision. If you had said, the baby..." Tiffany said "This is Mike's baby. We're in love. How could I give our baby away?" Vicki reached out and touched Marcia's leg. "How much are you prepared to do, to keep your baby, then?" Vicki asked. "You mean, when my parents tell me I have to give my baby up or they'll disown me?" Vicki continued, "Marcia, that is part of it. Unfortunately, that isn't all of it." Marcia bit her lower lip, grimaced, and then took a deep breath. "What else do I have to look forward to?" Vicki took hold of Marcia's hand. Tiffany took hold of her other hand. "You want to keep your baby, but you know your parents aren't going to like that, not at all," Vicki said. "You will have a few things to consider at that point. Can you get your parents to let you stay here for the rest of your high schooling?" "When would Mike and I ever see each other?" Marcia cried out. "How much older is Mike than you?" Tiffany asked. "Two years." "So he has two years left in high school and you have four," Tiffany said. "Even if you went back after this year, you would have one year together before he went off to college." "Yeah," Marcia responded, depressingly. "If you could accelerate your high school, and graduate in three years, would that be a choice you would make?" Tiffany asked. "I could do that?" "Yes, you could. That is what we expect Jill to be doing," Tiffany said. "I could be just one year behind Mike..." Marcia said thoughtfully. Then she looked at Vicki and Tiffany and added, "I'd have to stay here to do that." ------- "What do you think is going to come from that meeting?" Richard asked me as we walked to our cars. I didn't have time to answer his question. One of the men came over to me. "What you got that we don't?" he asked. "I'm not sure." "Seems to be Patrick thinks so. You got lots of gals out at your house, but I don't think that's what he be talk'n about. So what is it?" "I think it might be different for everyone, but I'm not sure what he meant." The man looked at me in the eye and said, "My wife ain't hav'n no one else's kid, that's for sure." "Do you love her?" I asked. Richard stepped between us, diffusing the blow the man was ready to swing. After the man walked off, Richard and I looked at each other. Right before our women gathered around us, he said, "I don't think Patrick's meeting did a whole lot of good." ------- Everyone had sort of wandered off when we got home. I think it had been a confusing meeting, and the less said, the better. Somehow I didn't think it would be so easy, but I was willing to try. The next morning there was a knock on our door. Pamela opened it up and came in. She sat down next to her sister, and demanded an explanation of what happened last night. That started the day for us. Fortunately, the rest of the morning was rather non-eventful. Jim rode up on his horse in the afternoon, producing a letter and a grin. "Looks like the same one I brought out yesterday, but this one isn't addressed to Jill." Katy took the letter, looked at the address, and then opened it. Jim waited, expecting to hear about it. "Jill got a wedding invitation yesterday. They want her to be part of the wedding. This one is for the rest of us. We're all invited!" "Anyone we know?" Jim asked. "Oh, yes... sorry. Do you remember Kevin and Dorothy? Kevin had a cast on his leg." Jim smiled, saying, "The man who practically ran off the train and twirled that pretty girl around? I think everyone remembers that. None of us could figure out how he didn't fall down." "Pure love I believe, Jim." "You may well be right. Almost forgot this one. Addressed to Keith and Richard, I'll assume you know where you can find them," he said with a smile, before riding off. Katy took the letter, but looked again at the invitation. A smile crept on her face. Jill had mistaken the invitation she had. They had one for people who were to be in the wedding. That meant Keith had a part as well. As Katy walked into the house, she looked at the envelope. The return address was nothing she recognized, but it was from Memco. "Richard! Keith!" she called into the dining room. She, as well as most of the others, didn't want to go near the butler's closet while they were working in there. The thought of the floor falling open scared all of them. "What is it, Dear?" Keith called back, trying to sound like Richard. Katy laughed, and then said, "I have a letter, and I'm not about to go in there. You come out and get it." "Ok. Hold on a moment. We're almost..." Richard said. Katy heard Keith give a short scream, and then look out the door at her with a grin. "That was not funny," she said, but had a hard time not smiling. Those two, together, reminded her of Jimmy and Brian, only grown up. After retrieving the letter, Richard opened it. He scanned it and then smiled. "First installment is in the bank." "First installment?" Katy asked. "We have a source to transform the treasure into usable cash. It was Anthony's idea. As long as we do it in installments, there will be no questions," I explained. Richard took over, "Now we pull the money out of that account and divide it up for the kids." "They don't need any money," Katy said. "You're right. Brian might... Actually he's already spent some on a wedding ring," Richard said, smiling. "Katy, there's a lot of money, altogether. If it were in one account, it would draw attention. Plus, if we let it get big and then pulled it out, it would look strange. This way, it's in small chunks, and no one will notice," I said. "Anthony told you about this?" She asked. "Neither one of us knew how to do this. He deals with money all the time. It is good to know people who know about things you don't," Richard explained. "I'll have to say thanks. Probably the next time we see him is going to be at his wedding," Katy responded. "Let me think, that will be wedding number four this year." "Four?" "Anthony and Shelly, Barbara and Brian, Mike and Sharon, and then Kevin and Dorothy," Katy said as she held up the invitation. "We got another one today, for all the rest of us. It looks like, Keith, you were being asked to be in the wedding." "You forgot a few weddings," Robin said as she walked in the room, overhearing our conversation." "And who would that be?" Katy asked. Robin grinned and said, "They involve one groom, but there are two brides to be married." Robin then gave me a smile that said something was trouble, and went on, "Possibly three." Richard was grinning and asked, "Do we know this groom?" "Oh, I think you do," Robin answered. "Three?" Katy said, her eyebrows raised, as she looked at me. "How is Mary going to pull that off? And by the way, I was talking about four, outside of this household." "Heaven only knows," I answered truthfully. Then speaking more prophetically than I realized, I said, "It would be our luck that Patrick and his wife arrived for Beth Ann's wedding." ------- "Do you have a better idea?" Sarah asked her sister. "No, but that one doesn't seem very smart. I can see Dad trying to understand. Your mom? I think she'd just die." "Better than Barbara and Brian's wedding, don't you think?" Mary laughed and said; "I could just see them now. Arriving in a helicopter. Everyone turned to watch. Them running out and then getting placed up front, as they normally do. Then to realize here is a thirteen-year-old pregnant girl, marrying an eleven-year-old boy. Dad could keep his face straight, but..." "Mom would try her best to find an excuse to get back on that helicopter. I know, you're right," Sarah said. "It would be fun, though, just to watch their faces." "Sarah, she would have hold of your arm, dragging you to the helicopter along with them. That is the bigger problem for you." Sarah sighed, "Don't remind me. If this doesn't happen right, I'll have to leave. I don't ever want that to happen." "Ever?" Mary said. "Are you sure of that? Sarah, there is a lot you haven't seen." "I think you're talking about yourself, at my age. Do you know how many times Dad brought me along to some... convention thing? I have seen more people than I care to think about... Seen too many phony smiles. I lived that life for the last couple of years, and I hated it. I love these people." ------- Marcia walked into Tiffany and Vicki's bedroom, closing the door behind her. She'd been waiting and watching for the right time. This was it. "I have a question," Marcia said. "Well, go ahead and ask," Tiffany replied. "I know they... well... they stared at you, Tiffany. I don't know about you, Vicki, but why don't you like men?" "What makes you think we don't?" Tiffany answered. "Well, you..." "Yes?" Tiffany prodded. Marcia pondered that thought for a moment and then asked, "Which one?" Vicki and Tiffany looked at each other and burst out laughing. Then Vicki said, "I kind of like the looks of the picture you have of Mike." Marcia gasped, and then realized she'd just been had. "That wasn't funny," she said trying not to laugh too hard. Then she asked again, but in another way, "Are you too afraid? I would have thought Jill..." "Now that is just mean," Vicki said. Marcia wasn't sure how to take that. Vicki went on, "Yes, we're scared... and you bring up the one person who has more right to be scared than anyone in this family." "I'm sorry," Marcia said for the second time to them in two days. "You weren't trying to be mean, and we know it. You're also right," Tiffany said. ------- Both Maureen and Cheryl had assumed Patrick was with one of them. It wasn't until after lunch that they had talked and found out differently. The two started searching for him. They weren't worried. It was more like anger, although neither of the women conveyed that to the other. After the meeting, the night before, it felt petty to feel that possessing Patrick was their right. That didn't stop the feeling, though. Maureen had said something to give Cheryl the idea that they were thinking along the same lines. As they walked downtown, Cheryl saw Cynthia and Rebecca coming out of the store that would be the new dress shop. Cheryl knew, from a conversation she'd had with Maureen, what had caused Maureen's injury. She knew Maureen would be wary of the two, but it was what Jill had said to her that caused Cheryl to lead Maureen into a collision path. Maureen hadn't seen the two. She was surprised when Cheryl made some turns, leading them head on into Cynthia and Rebecca. Cynthia was as nervous as Maureen. Jack had warned his two ladies about doing anything as stupid as 'that' again. "Cynthia! Rebecca!" Cheryl said as though it was a complete surprise to see them. Cheryl then looked around. No one was in sight. "We need to talk," Cheryl said softly. Maureen was tense already, but that sounded like an invitation to disaster. "Not at the store," Cynthia said, knowing that could only lead to trouble. Maureen breathed a sigh of relief over that. "At my house. No one's there," Cheryl said. Then she added, "Come on." The four walked in silence to Cheryl's house. As soon as she closed the door, she waved her hand, knowing the questions were going to start. "When I smacked Patrick upside the head," Cheryl said, "I was taken out to the doctor's plane," She paused and then continued, "Jill was out there and said something to me that I am now just getting around to." "What?" Cynthia asked. They could see from the way that Cheryl started tidying up things, that she was having a hard time asking the question she had pulled all of them into her house to ask. "Cheryl, get on with it. What did Jill say?" Maureen said, getting frustrated. Sitting down, Cheryl said, "I was going crazy over the idea of Patrick and Maureen. Somehow that worked, as we figured a way to share him. Now..." Cheryl looked at Cynthia. "Jill said I should talk with you. Somehow you've found out how to cope with Rebecca having a child." Rebecca was shaking her head. The idea that her daughter would have thought of something like that... It made her sad in a way. It was almost as though she didn't know who her daughter was, anymore. "I'm not sure Jill has that completely correct. I still struggle with that idea," Cynthia said. "I know why, of course." "Why?" Maureen surprised herself as she asked. "Because... if I really, truly, believed Jack did love me as much as he says he does, I wouldn't have a reason in the world to worry. It is not that Jack may not love me enough; it is that I have a difficult time believing it. If I can't trust myself, how can I trust him?" ------- Patrick hadn't anticipated this part of the outcome of the meeting. He had Jim with him, and the two were riding out to the Mansion. Once again, Richard and I were pulled away from our work in the butler's closet. Jimmy had been a pest all morning long, what with wanting to help. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do, and he just didn't understand that. I had expected this, and Richard and I had come up with a plan to keep him busy. After the story Jimmy told Kenneth, about Barbara falling into the opening, Kenneth didn't want to come near. Curiosity had taken hold, about why Patrick and Jim had shown up. Richard and I saddled up horses so we could take a little ride, so that we could be away from prying ears. There wasn't a reason to go very far, just to the other side of little valley. We stopped under the same large tree that Robin had made me drive to with Elizabeth. "This must be important," Richard said. "There are two families that want to leave Carp," Patrick said. "I believe Keith had a chat with one of them last night, after the meeting." "I wouldn't call that a chat," I said, thinking about how the man wanted to take my head off. "The good news is that though they have been trying to muster others to follow, no one wants to go with them," Jim said. "Does that mean," Richard said as he tried to sort out the right words, "that the others in town accept what is going on?" "I can't say that last night's meeting was the best, or most thought out," Patrick said, "but it does seem that it had an affect." I shook my head, thinking it didn't seem like much of a meeting. Then again, I was already on one side of that thought process. Maybe it was hard to understand being on the fence, not knowing how to jump off. Then an idea hit. "Could it be that the meeting was the catalyst to those two families that want to leave? Was it their wanting to leave, and asking others to follow, that caused everyone else to have to decide what side of the fence they were on?" "Good point, Keith," Patrick said. "I'm sure it wasn't my fine speech. Whatever it took, I could tell a difference in the town, this afternoon." "That's very good," Richard commented. "Now, why this meeting?" "Part of the problem, and why those two families wanted others to join them, is that they have no money, per se, to leave Carp. Walking away with nothing but the shirts on their back is something they are prepared to do," Jim explained. "I stopped them today, but they are going to leave, tomorrow." "Outside of anything else, we want them to know that Carp is still the place they had always loved. If this situation is more than they can handle, so be it," Patrick said. "It is very important, for many reasons, that they leave with good feelings for the rest of us, not bad ones." "What Patrick left out, and we need to be realistic about, is this," Jim said. "We would like it if they kept their mouths shut about the decisions that have gone on, here in Carp." "How are their houses?" Richard asked. "One's better than the other," Jim answered. "Only because one spent more time on keeping things up. With the other, the man was a foreman at the mine." "What are you thinking?" I asked Richard. "Bruce and Millie may want to buy that house for Brian. Bruce could do that, where you or I couldn't," Richard stated. "I couldn't either, although I wouldn't mind having that house," Patrick said. "Once they leave town, what happens to the house is up to us," I said. "You also said something that makes me think about the mine ownership. Those two men are part of the mine collective, in town. The collective should buy them out." "The other house is run down and not worth a lot, but I'd like to see them get something for it," Jim said. "The best thing about that house is that she had a wonderful garden. I know it took a lot to get it that way, around here. She's going to miss that." "Could the school use that?" Patrick wondered. "Good idea," I said. "Millie can go around and look at the two houses. One for her son. But then the other she can talk to the gal, and tell her that the school would love to use that land for projects. She's on the school board, so it wouldn't look out of place." "The next big problem," Jim said. "Where is this money going to come from? Bruce and Millie don't have money like that, and the school doesn't need that house." "I have money for a house," Patrick said. It surprised us all. He asked us if we thought that all he did was to read and tell people what to do. We had a good laugh, and threw in a few jabs about if he got paid for every time he opened his mouth that he'd be very rich. Richard then said he would come up with the money for the other house. I wasn't surprised. Jim was, but he didn't say anything about why Richard would want another house. Jim asked about the idea of the cooperative buying the two men out, and how that would work. Richard explained, as he'd been looking over all the legal stuff with his father as we set the mine operation up, that it would be more time consuming than the houses. It was fairly simple though, if the men agreed to keep it that way. The worth of the mine, as it stands now would be evaluated; the Carp mining cooperative owned a percentage of that. That amount would be divided into how many members the cooperative had. It sounded like a logical approach. Patrick and Jim were pleased. They were worried that two disgruntled families could make Carp the talk of every conversation they had. If they left with regret, but not angry, Carp and its unique situation might well be kept intact. ------- As we rode back, I saw Jill standing by her horse. As soon as Jim and Patrick left, Jill mounted her horse. "Where are you going?" I asked. "We're going," she responded to me. I looked over at Richard, who had an amused expression on his face. He dismounted, knowing he wasn't included in the conversation. "Ok, where are we going?" I asked. Jill got a little smile on her face and then said, "For once, you have to follow me." With that she pulled at the horses reins. I heard Richard's laughter as I took off, trying to catch up with Jill. She was headed to the end of the valley, where Richard and I had just come from. Past the tree we were at, Jill had started up the hill. I could see, now, Jill was following a path. If you didn't know it was there, though, you would have missed it. We went over the top, and just to the other side. There, on the hillside, was a flat area. It was the place Jill had taken Tiffany and Vicki. Jill dismounted, tied her horse up, and then pulled out a blanket. I dismounted, but had been watching Jill. By the time I had my horse tied, the blanket was spread out. Jill spoke the first words since we left the Mansion. "Nothing can disturb us, here." I was looking out, across the larger valley floor that held Carp. Then I glanced down to Jill, who was on her back, propped up on her elbows. "Beautiful," I said. "Just beautiful." Then I grinned and added, "The scenery is nice, too." Jill blushed, and swatted my leg. Then pulled at it, wanting me down to her level. I complied. Her arms were around me, her lips pressed against me. It was very, very nice, but this was not like Jill. I stopped her, breaking off the kiss, when her hand traveled down and ran across the bulge in my pants. "Jill, I know that you now know how exciting this is to me," I said, letting her blush. "It is unlike you, though. What's going on?" "We've talked, you've kissed me. I can't stand it any longer. You get to be with... well anyone you want. I'm..." "Horny?" Jill blushed again, but nodded. It was understandable for her to feel that way. If it hadn't have been for the many situations that were out of our control, you would have thought I was leading Jill on, trying to drive her crazy. There was one thing bothering me, though. Yesterday, in the new house, when I pulled her into the locked room, she had looked different. A wanton look that was very much unlike Jill. She was now unbuttoning my shirt. This was 'Jill the aggressor.' "Jill, can I ask you something embarrassing?" It was almost as though what I said hadn't registered. She nodded, not stopping a moment from pulling my shirt away from me. "Jill," I said, and took hold of her hands, knowing that I had to have her attention. "When was your last cycle?" She looked at me, perturbed. I had stopped her. Then confusion crossed her face. "Your period, your monthly? When was it?" Jill understood what I was asking, now, and it did cause her to turn crimson. "Honey, do you remember?" "About two weeks ago. Why do you want to know that?" she asked, and then it dawned on her. "Oh! I could get pregnant!" Then timidly she said, "Thank you, Keith. I didn't think about that." "Jill, sweetheart, I wondered because you are acting... Well, you seemed like a woman in heat." "In heat!" Jill said her face flushing red. "Jill, it's a natural thing. But for some reason, you are just a bit strong this month." "Probably because you've been teasing me." I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her neck. "Sorry, I haven't meant to tease." "I need more of you." I wasn't sure how to approach this, but asked anyway. "You don't want to move into my bedroom, do you?" "I don't think I'm ready for that," Jill said honestly. "Good, I don't think you are either, but I can make more time for you and I to be together." "It doesn't just have to be you and I," she said. "Oh?" I answered amused. "Have anyone in mind?" "Liz, Tiffany, Vicki, Laura," she rattled off. I almost choked. "Liz is no problem. Tiffany and Vicki? I don't know about them. Do you think Laura would want to be in the room with me?" "You are daft at times, Keith. Laura would do just about anything for you. She, because of me, has a high impression of you," Jill said and then grinned. "She doesn't think you're too bad looking, either." "Jill." "Do you know that she's been with Jimmy and Pamela?" "What else have I missed by having half the household in another place?" "Maybe," Jill said as she rubbed her fingers across my nipple, "you should come over more often." I nodded, not trusting that my voice wouldn't crack. I leaned over and locked lips with her. It didn't take long before we were both without clothing. I just had to remember and think at a time when my 'small head' had all the blood, and my 'large head' wouldn't care. I couldn't slip in and shoot off. That would not be good for Jill. She did make me enter her, just for the feeling, but then we went into a 69, and neither one of us lasted long. As we lay there, contented, I said, "Just what the doctor ordered." "Yeah, I think so." I chuckled and said, "Better work on your schooling then. It will be easier when you can write your own prescriptions for that." "Don't you dare make me wait like that!" "Not to worry. I will always be around for you." "Oh, Keith!" she said and leaned over me, hugging me. I gave Jill two more orgasms before we left. Her face had a contented glow that I knew would be the talk of more than a few people when we got back home. ------- This time Robin was waiting with her horse. Thinking to myself, 'I've never been in the saddle this much in my life, ' the parallel to 'in the saddle, ' almost caused me to laugh out loud. She threw me a wet washcloth. "Wipe your face off, we have places to go." I looked over at Jill, and grinned. She was already blushing but as I suspected that glow was still there. Robin went on. "Richard told me what you two talked about with my grandpa and Jim. Katy's downtown and she needs to know so she can get over to Millie's before all hell breaks loose." "What's the problem?" I asked. "If Brian gets wind... and I'm sure he will... that a house is being bought for him; it won't make any difference about 'reality'." "Oh, I guess that could be a problem," I said. "Problem! Millie isn't ready to let her son leave the nest, even if he is getting married." "Good luck," Jill called to us. I tossed her the washcloth, and Robin and I trotted our horses into town. We were just about to turn onto the main street when we watched a car come across the bridge and drive past us. It stopped midway down the block. Robin and I looked at each other, and then rode closer. I could see the license plate holder was from a car dealership in Long Beach. A man and woman got out of the car and as we got closer, he called to us. "I'm looking for my aunt. Do you know where Katherine Montgomery is?" ------- Chapter 111 I could feel the bile start to come up. Robin looked like she was having the same reaction. I knew these were the relatives. Those pesky things in Katherine's life from which she had tried so desperately to get away. They even had the nerve to call her "aunt," when I knew they were only second cousins to her. As I started to answer, which took long enough for the couple to get impatient with me, I was forming some ideas in my head. Hoping they would work out. "Robin, why don't you tell Katherine her..." I paused a moment. Then I went on with, "I'm guessing you're her relatives? The ones who sent the letter?" "Yes, we are," the slightly balding, overweight man answered. I continued, "Oh, good. You see, we all knew about you coming, as letters in this town are a rare occurrence. I don't think she was expecting you today. She'll be a bit flustered and all, so I'll have Robin tell her while I show you around town." The man and wife looked at each other. They didn't know what else to do. There were hardly any stores open to ask directions, and no streets had signs. I knew as well as they did, there was little choice but to accept my offer. Robin looked over to me as if I'd lost my mind. I just winked at her and then leaned over to give her instructions. She nodded, and hid her smile well. I got off my horse as Robin trotted down the lane. She knew I was taking the couple inside the new school building so they couldn't see her. Robin needed Jack and his Jeep so she could get out to the Mansion, fast. I spent about as much time as I thought I could get away with, in the school building. Then we went next door to the bank. Kristin was there, and bristled when I made introductions. Positioning them in front of me to shake her hand, I first winked at her, and then shook my head. I didn't want her to say anything nasty to them. I knew my sister well enough to expect something like that. She was a bit standoffish, but was polite. I showed them the artifacts from the Mansion. That was the first indication of their true nature. When they heard me use the word Mansion, they expected that was where Katherine resided. Kristin looked a bit shocked when I laughed. Fortunately, the couple didn't see her. They looked a bit puzzled at my reaction, but I didn't go any further in an explanation. By now, I was hoping that they were back. I had thought of taking the relatives down to the river park; but Jack, Robin, and Katherine would have to drive right by there if they weren't back already. There could be problems with that. Kristin came up with the perfect solution, when she asked if I'd shown them the spring. "Thank you... but, a spring?" the woman asked, as though she'd had enough of a tour of the town. "Oh, this is no ordinary spring," I replied as I shooed them towards the door. Turning back, I winked at Kristin again and smiled. Then turned back and continued. "Did you read in the papers, how this town had a mad man in it?' By the time we had walked up to the spring, they had heard almost the whole story. I left myself out of a lot of the story and gave Richard and Brian extra credit. Many parts were embellished beyond what was reasonable to call the truth, but it was good enough for the woman to stop and ask if it was safe to go up there. When we arrived, I pointed them to look off towards the south, trying to get them to see a non-existent object. While they looked, I scanned the houses and saw Jack's jeep leaving. Katherine and Robin would be waiting for me to show up. "I don't see anything," the man said. "Don't you think Katherine would be ready to see us now? It has been... a while." "Yes, yes. You're right. I just get a bit caught up with the town's history," I said. "Her house isn't far from here, and it's all down hill." "Thank goodness for that," the woman said. I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to antagonize them. We arrived several minutes later, at Rebecca's old house. Robin was sitting outside. When she saw us, she jumped up and opened the front door. I could have just laughed. It was picture perfect. Robin opened the door just as Katherine swept hard. This caused a plume of dust to cover Robin completely. Robin was still coughing when we got to the porch, but I could tell it was an act. I wondered if the whole thing had been set up. Katherine was dressed for her part. The two looked into the house. No one had been in it for days. Although livable, it was not well kept. "Katherine, what happened?" She was about to speak when Elizabeth and Jill showed up on a horse. "Your chores are all done for today, but don't you forget about tomorrow," Jill said to Elizabeth. "I won't forget. Once was enough," Elizabeth called back, loud enough for all of us to hear. She was wearing a dress that I would have sworn belonged to Pamela. It was too big, for one thing; and dirty, for another. "Momma," Elizabeth said as she came in the door. She stopped as though she didn't expect anyone to be there. Jill must have set this one up. Acting class was definitely in session, today. "Elizabeth," Katherine said, dreading her daughter's arrival. "You remember my second cousins? We stopped in Long Beach, when I was sick." "Yes." Elizabeth said politely. Then her face dropped its smile. "Does that mean I can't go out to the mansion, tonight?" Elizabeth turned towards her mother and away from the cousins. She gave a wink to her mom, letting her know she was in on the plan. "Elizabeth! You will stay with your brother and sister. You know I have to work." "Work!" the couple said in unison. "But Katherine, you're loaded," the man said. "Everyone in the family knows that," the woman said. Katherine was ready to explode. I could just see it on her face, so I took over. "You mean her insurance money?" I said. "You know she took her kids all over the place for the past couple of years. Then she told me that every relative she ran into had their hand out. Now don't feel bad, because she was just like you. She figured there was an everlasting supply of money. It wasn't until the bank president..." I paused and looked at Katherine. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have said all of that." Katherine was looking at the floor. "It's all right, Keith. Everyone knows." "Well, we didn't know," the man said. "She's got a good job," Robin said. "She's a nurse again. The only one in town." "That, I believe," the woman said. "We like it here," Elizabeth piped in. "I have some friends." Not knowing exactly how to get out of the situation, her second cousins were at a loss for words. "It must have been a long drive here," I said as cheerfully as I could. "Were you going to spend some time in our town, or were you on your way to someplace else? There are more sights that Katherine could show you. I just got to some of the better ones, first." Thankfully, they had a somewhat functioning brain, as small as it might be. "We just wanted to thank Katherine in person. She was such a delight to have in our house..." he stammered. "We were heading up north of here, and I do want to cover as much ground as we can, before we need to stop for the night." I was glad that Elizabeth didn't ask where they were going, as I'm sure he wasn't smart enough to come up with a town's name, where they could be headed. "Elizabeth, you come walk with us," Katherine said. Everyone headed to the door. It was almost as though they didn't want to ask, but felt they must. "Your other two children?" Katherine was incensed that they came here to try and get money from her and didn't even have a clue what her children's names were. "Kristina and Kenneth?" "Yes," the woman said, relived Katherine had said the names of children she had no idea about. "They are," Katherine sighed, "being tutored for school. I've had them out for so long, they have to spend the whole summer catching up." "Oh, the poor dears," said the woman, not sounding like she was all that interested, as well as not realizing Kenneth wasn't old enough to be in school yet. As they reached the car, there were some goodbye hugs. None of it was genuine, but it didn't matter. Katherine was good to the end. "I hope you keep this to yourself. I'm really rather embarrassed about the whole mess," she said. They told her not to worry and drove away. We all walked down to the park and watched the dust from their car move away in the distance. Soon they were gone. "Keith, that was brilliant," Katherine said. "How ever did you think of it?" "I still remember Redding, and how livid you became thinking we were after... Then you told me how much you feared the relatives who were almost nasty in expectation of getting some of what you had." I looked at Katherine's daughter, wondering how much I could say. "Mom, did I do a good job?" Elizabeth asked as if on cue. "They won't be back looking for your money, will they?" All of us laughed, relieved that someone got it out in the open. "No, Honey," Katherine said with a smile, "I think that pretty well fixed it so none of our relatives will bug us again." "Good," Elizabeth said. "I like this family better." ------- Jim rode out with Jack today, to deliver the mail. A package was addressed to Richard. Everyone was instantly curious, of course, but Katy wouldn't open it. Not even though she'd seen Richard send off the order, some days ago. That kept everyone in suspense until he got home. Richard and I had spent the past hour with Katherine. After her relatives had left town, and we'd had a good laugh at getting them to believe the money was gone, she fell apart. Robin had taken Elizabeth back home and sent Richard back to Rebecca's old house, where we still were. He and I talked with her. I left after she started to calm down, sensing he wanted some private time with her. I got home to the bemoaning from everyone on the first floor about that unopened package. Richard and Katherine didn't show up for almost another hour. None of the kids even noticed Katherine's state. Katy saw her and got a big grin on her face, knowing Richard had taken care of Katherine, very well. She wasn't surprised when Katherine didn't come into the living room, but went upstairs. 'Probably to rest!' Katy thought, and then handed Richard the parcel, before anything else could be said. They were all after Richard. He relented, and opened the box. Richard looked at the sea of eyes, waiting for the treasures boxes like this could hold. He chuckled. "I hate to disappoint you, but all that's in here is clothing," he said. That obviously was not disappointing to the girls, until he continued, "There is only a set each, for Brian, Jimmy and myself." At that point, everyone in the room, save Richard and Katy, was confused. Richard pulled a shirt out, then another, and got to his. "This is my scout leader's shirt." Kristina, Elizabeth, Pamela, Stephanie, Laura, and Julie couldn't understand why Sarah and Marcia were so excited about Richard's shirt. Katy was having fun and even though Richard had explained that being a boy scout meant playing in the dirt, so to speak, she pulled the shirt from his hand. "I'll press this for you, so it will look nice." "Katy!" he called, but she was already in the kitchen. Richard just rolled his eyes. The girls giggled at him. "Maybe I should press Jimmy's shirt," Pamela said. "I'm sure he would rather you didn't," Richard told her. "Where is he, anyway?" "Out at the doctor's plane. He has been out there most of the day," Pamela said in an unhappy tone. "Really?" "He's cleaning the plane, inside." "He'll get to see lots of the medical equipment," Jill said getting into the conversation. "No," Pamela said. "He's inside the plane." "Oh, now I understand," Richard said. "He's down in the belly of the plane. He's small enough that he can move around. I hated doing that part. It always felt like I was going to get stuck." "Is the doctor going to pay him?" Pamela asked. Richard smiled at her and then asked her, "Why would you want to know?" Pamela blushed and was ready to say something when Katy called from the kitchen door. "Pamela, bring me his pants." Pamela looked at Richard, and the pants he was wearing. She was turning red and didn't know what to say at that point. Richard pulled out a pair of pants from the package and handed them to her. She took them, and then it dawned on her what Katy meant. Embarrassed as she could be, she ran off to the kitchen. "Do you know when they are coming down?" Marcia asked. "The other boy scout troop?" Richard asked, knowing full well, that that was indeed what she was asking. "Yes. When do I get to see Mike?" "I sent a letter asking what the best date would be. There are only a few things on our schedule that are going to take us out of town. Other than that, any time is fine. We're just waiting to hear." "What are we going out of town for?" Katy asked as she walked back in, with Pamela. "The two weddings. Oh, make that three. I almost forgot." "Three!" Elizabeth said, her eyes wide. "Who's getting married?" "I don't think you have met all of them. There is Anthony and Shelly. He was a very gracious host while we were up at the university. You can ask Pamela about dancing with Keith at his house. Then there is Jeff and Sharin. Jeff was Keith's flight instructor, and Sharin was a stewardess. Keith and I, but mostly Keith, sort of set them up. Finally, there is Kevin and Dorothy." "I remember them," Elizabeth said. "Your clothes are in the kitchen, go put them on. We want to see how they look," Katy said. "Now?" "Yes, now! Go on, " Katy replied like a caring mother, instead of a wife. Richard shook his head but walked into the kitchen. As soon as the door swung shut, Katy looked at the girls. "I don't know what's so special about these clothes, but Richard thinks there is, so tell him it looks good when he comes out." They waited for him to return, eyes glued to the kitchen door. "What's going on?" Dora asked as she walked in, seeing everyone looking at something she couldn't see. "We're waiting for..." Richard walked into the dining room. He heard a collective gasp from the gals in the living room staring at him. He got the feeling... No, he knew the feeling. It was as though he was in his dress uniform, for some special function at the base. There was a feeling of... Richard could never pinpoint that feeling. This felt almost the same, though what he was wearing was nothing close to his dress uniform. "Richard!" Katy said. "You look so handsome." He looked at her, and realized she would probably never have seen anyone dressed in anything better than this, in her life. This was 'dressy, ' to her. He then noticed Dora. She looked like she was ready to pass out. Now that was going a bit overboard, as far as he was concerned. "Dora," he said. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. "Did Keith get one of those uniforms?" Sarah asked, diverting his attention. Richard had to suppress a laugh, but shook his head all the same. "No, but if you think this is nice, find some way to get him to put his dress uniform on." "He has it here?" Sarah said breathlessly. "Sarah," Marcia said rolling her eyes at her friend. "If it was Mike, you'd be thinking differently," Sarah said back. "If it was Mike, I'd expect you not to get so..." Katy stopped the conversation and told all the girls to get their chores done. They scattered, leaving Dora, Katy, and Richard in the living room. There was a pause and Richard wondered if he should say something. Katy thought about Dora's reaction and wondered if she should kid her about it. Dora was thinking now nice that uniform was, but it might be better on the floor right now. None of them got a word out, as Jimmy came in the front door, looked at Richard, and said, "You got a uniform?" "There's one for you, and Brian," Richard replied. "Not until you get cleaned up, young man," Katy said to him. "Mo-om!" "Don't Mom me, young man. Get into the bathroom, take off those clothes, and give yourself a good washing. After that, we'll go see Brian." Jimmy didn't wait to say another word. He was in the bathroom in a flash. ------- Jill was down at the school. She'd left the Mansion before Jimmy got home. Now, sitting in a small circle with her were Tiffany, Vicki, and Liz. "How are we going to get Vivian down here at the same time as Scott?" Jill asked. "Unlike Marcia and Mike's parents, they talk to each other," Vicki said. This was confirmed by a nod from Jill. "What we have is a somewhat legitimate reason for Vivian to come down here. Scott is just helping Mike to get here, so he can see Marcia. What about the infamous scout master that they have?" Liz asked. "From what Sarah told me, he's a prankster among other things. He doesn't have much of a good opinion about rich people, but tends to like their kids and all they have. Talk about hypocrisy. Sarah figures he knows exactly why he's been asked to do this job. She also said he will be more at ease with Jimmy and Brian, as they are younger, than with Scott and Mike," Jill responded. "Do you know if Scott and Mike have told their parents where this scouting trip is?" Liz asked. "I would think so," Jill answered. "Why wouldn't they?" "Mike and Marcia's parent's might not be talking, but Scott and Mike's parent's may well be. I can guess that either Scott's parents don't know where Marcia ended up going, or Scott didn't tell his parents where the trip is. If he did tell, and his parent's knew, they might feel obligated to tell Mike's parents," Liz said. "That's pretty confusing," Vicki said with a smile. "What you're saying is that it is unlikely that Scott's parents know where he's going on this trip. That seems a bit odd don't you think?" "Jill, I think it's time for more answers. We need Sarah and Marcia in on this discussion. We'll continue tonight." ------- Maureen and Patrick showed up at Bruce and Millie's home. Millie had answered the door and had been surprised to see the two. Now the four of them were sitting in the living room, drinking tea. "I know this sounds a bit strange." Patrick explained to Millie, "It feels a bit awkward, but I need to tell you something." "What is it, Dad?" "Maureen and I have chosen out attendants we would like to be at our wedding," he replied. "Cheryl and Bob," Bruce said suddenly. Patrick looked shocked as he said, "Yes, how did you know?" "Dad! Let me say something here. Katy says I don't see anything, and I saw that coming a mile away," Millie said. "So you don't think Katy will have a problem with that either?" Maureen asked. Millie sighed and then answered, "Maureen, how much do you know about what goes on out at the Mansion?" "You mean about Keith and Richard having... multiple partners?" "Among other things, yes. Do you see Katy, who finds that ok, having problems with your choice of wedding attendants?" "I was concerned. I know when Pat left town... Well he's told me a lot of what his family had to do, because of his behavior. I didn't want either of you thinking that you..." "Deserved the right to be there?" "Yes. I guess that's it." "There are things that still pop up that make me mad about that time. My dad married us," Millie said to Maureen, gave a smile to Bruce, and then continued, "He married Katy. He even married Robin. Soon he'll be presiding over Brian and Barbara's wedding. That has been his roll in our family. I know how hard it was on him to lose my mom. I resented Katy almost as much as he did, for a time. I think I had it easier in a way. I had to take care of Katy. It's hard to hate a smiling baby who doesn't know that her life took her mother's life. I was thrust into being a mother. In that roll, I think I healed a lot faster than Dad did. "Yes, I was mad at him when he showed up in town. My anger towards him was over what he did to Katy and Bill, and how it affected me. He's my dad and what hurt the most was having him gone. So yes, I have problems with him, but I wouldn't ever want him to go away again. If he's happy and married again, he'll stay. "I guess that's my roundabout way of saying I'd be a lot happier sitting and looking on as my dad gets married, than to be part of the hoopla." "Thank you," Patrick mouthed to Millie. She noticed the tear that had made its way down his face and realized she'd never verbalized to him how she felt. She smiled and reached out, touching his knee. Bruce and Maureen looked on, understanding this was a father/daughter moment that needed silence. ------- Richard and Keith were at the new mine. Katy was in the library with her father and Maureen, where the same sort of questions were being asked. Katy had a similar outlook as her sister, but a very different way of expressing it. "Dad, you've got to be joking?" Katy said. Maureen's face flushed and Patrick stammered before Katy could go on. "You've been in their bed and she's carrying your baby." Patrick and Maureen looked at each other, slightly embarrassed about their reaction just a second ago and the outward nature of Katy's proclamations. "If you hadn't asked them, I'd be liable to take a fry pan to your head." At that point, the couple started to laugh and couldn't stop. Their laughter brought others into the room. One of them was Beth Ann. Katy looked at Beth Ann and saw a questioning look on her face. "Dad, have you set a date?" Katy asked, knowing that most of the time when a couple in the town decided to marry it happened soon. "A date?" Patrick said as he scratched his head. "When we're getting married," Maureen stated, as though he missed the point of the question. "No. I just thought we'd tell everyone, like usual, and then it would happen." Katy noticed the surprised look on Maureen's face and before she could say a word, Katy jumped in. "I think you might just want to think about that, and maybe talk to your future wife." Patrick looked to Maureen who was nodding. "I guess you're right," Patrick said. "Things have changed." With an amused expression, Katy added, "You might also consider that Beth Ann is planning her wedding also. It might not be such a good idea to pack too many weddings into one day. Look what happened last time that was done." Maureen, it seems, had not been told about the entire episode of the Robin, Keith, Katy, and Richard's wedding. She had tears rolling down her face as Robin, who had walked into the room at the time everyone else did, wove a wonderful tale about the days leading up to the wedding. Patrick took over at that point, talking about the switch of bride and groom. Katy butted in and things got somber as she talked about the aftermath. As Maureen was looking at Patrick, anyone with eyes could see Maureen wanted to see where the bullet had pierced his flesh. Others who hadn't been around at that time, like Beth Ann, were also staring at Patrick. Katy went beyond that part, and into the fire that destroyed Dora's house. Maureen pulled herself back, and started listening to the story. "Dora lost everything that night. Everything except her daughter, that is. That was when Richard and I took her in." "On your wedding night?" Maureen said, shocked. "Believe me, Maureen, it didn't stop anything." Maureen turned bright red as Katy said that. A quick glance at the others in the room and she saw that she was the only one who was embarrassed. "When is your wedding planned for?" Maureen asked Beth Ann, wanting to change subjects. "I'm hoping next week," Beth Ann replied. Maureen was perplexed. "Hoping?" "My parents and Aunt are coming down. They're going to call when they are in Los Angeles. I'll know more, then," Beth Ann explained. "That sounds very nice. I wish..." Patrick explained. "Marion and Maureen's parents are no longer with us. Her sister is acting like a mother, though." "Pat!" He laughed, and she started to chase him. "Doesn't matter how old you are, does it?" Robin mused. ------- The next morning was fairly uneventful, until the train stopped in town, that is. Jim came out with two letters. He was met by the entire female contingent of the household. Thinking that he would have a bit of fun, he read the one envelope. It was addressed to Richard. There was a lot of grumbling. Jim knew when he had better come up with the goods, and did a hasty retreat. He pulled out the second letter, and said that this one belonged to Sarah. That proclamation produced a lot of high-pitched noise to his ears, and produced Sarah. She appeared in front of him, before he could blink his eyes. "Sarah," Jim said as she reached for the letter, "take this other one in to Katy." "Ok," She said, knowing it would delay her opening her letter. When he handed the other letter to her, she glanced at it, and then looked up to him. He was grinning at her. Sarah turned and spoke to the others. "It's from the Boy Scout Troop!" she said. "One more thing," Jim said. "Yes, what is it?" Sarah asked, much happier now. "Keith had a delivery, two boxes. I think they might fit in the back of his car, with the gate open, but I'm not sure." "Really? What's in them?" Jill, who had been standing close, asked. "Have no idea. They don't weigh as much as a box that big suggests, though," Jim said. Then he added, "Don't forget to tell him." "We won't," Jill said. Sarah was already gone, he realized. ------- After getting Katy to promise that Richard would let them know after he read the letter, Sarah and Marcia went up to their room in the new house. As soon as they were in the room, Sarah handed her letter to Marcia. "We both know this is really for you," Sarah said. Marcia couldn't stop her shaking hands, as she pulled open the envelope. It dropped to the floor as Marcia unfolded the letter. Then both girls sat down on Marcia's bed. She decided that it would be best to read it out loud, so that Sarah could experience it as well. The two girls, who had been at odds with each other for the past couple of years, were fast friends once again. Dear Marcia, Scott and I sent off a letter today, along with this one, to the scout leader down there. Everything is set. We've been working our tails off raising enough money to make the trip. That was part of the deal. Now we have enough! The big question is, when. I can't wait. Scott has had to remind me time and time again that I need to act the part. If I'm too excited, my parents might get suspicious. I can't afford that to happen. So, the letter to the scout leader is the question of when we can make the trip. I don't know about you, but I can't wait! I long to see you. My heart is in pieces and I know that the only one who can pull it all together, is you. Love forever, Mike Marcia and Sarah looked at each other as soon as Marcia finished reading the letter and sighed. "I wish Richard was here," Marcia said. Sarah smiled at her friend and said, "If I were in your place, I don't think I could stand it." "Sarah, when I left home, I didn't know if I would ever see Mike again. I can't wait, but at the same time it scares me." "Talk with Robin. She found the love of her life and then he had to go back home. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, and almost like you, her mom didn't like him." "Keith?" "Sounds kinda funny, doesn't it. Things changed, all for the good, but it didn't start out that way. She told me some of it, but I know she would be a good one to talk with." "Thanks," Marcia said. ------- Richard and I got home, and didn't have a moments rest. As soon as we arrived, Sarah and Marcia took hold of him, and hauled him off to open his letter. He looked back at me, and I laughed at the expression on his face. Then Jill came out and told me that I had two boxes the train dropped off. "Want to come along?" I asked. "What's in them?" I smiled and said, "Bikes." She shook her head and then said, "I'm getting Jimmy, then. Hold on a minute." It took almost ten minutes and it was hot out in the sun. I was getting very impatient. Then the door opened, Jill and Jimmy came out. Jimmy was holding the canvas bag that had my tools in it. From his expression he'd been told to bring them, but not why. I almost laughed to see him with it. Robin and Pamela came out the door right after them, a curious expression on their faces. "Pamela, I think you might want to come along with us," I said. Her face lit up with a smile. She bounded down the steps, reaching Jimmy and then holding his hand. The trip to the train platform was filled with questions. I just smiled, not telling Jimmy and Pamela much. When we arrived, there were the two boxes. The word 'Schwinn' was on the sides. "Ssss... www... in?" Pamela tried to sound out. I said the word and told them it was the company's name. Jill, Jimmy and Pamela helped me load the two boxes into the back. They stuck quite far out, and Jimmy commented that they might fall on the way back home, if I wasn't careful driving. I told him he was probably right. We got in and they were a bit surprised when I didn't turn around, but continued down the street. "Where are we going, now?" Jill asked. "I'm going to see just how good Jimmy is at putting things together," I replied. That didn't answer her question, it just raised more questions. Jill, Pamela, and Jimmy asked several. By the time they stopped and waited for me to answer, we were in front of Brian's house. "Everyone out, we need to unload the boxes," I said. As predicted they didn't move, Jill, Pamela, and Jimmy just stared at me as though I'd lost my mind. "Come on. Let's get these unloaded," I said again. "You mean they're not for us?" Pamela asked. I turned to her and smiled, and then said, "Yes sweetheart, they're for you. I just wanted to see if Jimmy and Brian, who have a reputation for dismantling things, could put the bikes together." "Brian and me?" Jimmy said in disbelief. "You mean we get to do that?" "Yes," I said as I walked to the back. Jimmy and Pamela were out of the car in a flash. They didn't want to miss what else I was going to say. Jill stepped out, a bit bemused by the situation. Millie, Brian, and Barbara were now on the front porch, wondering what was going on. "Keith, what's in the boxes?" Millie asked me. "There are two bikes. I thought Brian and Jimmy could see if they could put things together..." "As well as they take things apart!" Pamela added and then started giggling, making it impossible for either Jimmy or Brian to get mad at the comment. "Well, that should keep them occupied," Millie commented as the first box was set on her porch. "Yes, it should." I said, while Jill and I pulled the second box out. As we set it down, I added, "I expect to see Jimmy and Pamela riding back out to the Mansion before dinner. That is in four and a half hours. Oh, by the way," I ripped open a large manila envelope, that was glued securely to the side of the box, "here are the instructions. I think you'll find them very thorough. There are good drawings that will guide you along the way." All four kids looked at me with a startled gaze. Jill said, "Jimmy, you make sure those bikes are put together right. I don't want to see Pamela have a fall." Jimmy looked at Pamela and just nodded. Millie was looking at me, shaking her head. She just knew I was teasing those poor kids. On the other hand, she understood that it would be a good learning lesson for them. She followed Jill and I back to the car. I rolled down the window, as she looked like she wanted to say something. "Who is going to teach them how to ride those things? You are coming back, aren't you?" "Millie, Kenneth has a small bike. Just about every one of the kids has been on it at one time or another. Pamela and Jimmy know just what to do." "You're not coming back?" she asked in shock. "If they're not back after I eat dinner..." I said and grinned. She shook her head, knowing she wasn't going to get a real answer out of me. ------- I was driving back, with Jill, when I got flagged down. When we stopped, Sally handed me a note for Mary to call her father, a number, and a time to call. Having tried to get hold of him before, I knew that this was the way it had to be. He would be available at that time, and not before. That time was about two hours from now. Jill was surprised when I didn't turn down the road towards the Mansion, but went over the bridge. "Where are we going?" she asked. "Out to a place that holds a few memories," I said. She looked around, trying to figure out where I was heading. When I stopped, I saw her eyebrows rise, as recognition took hold. It was understandable that it took a just a bit. Jill and I had arrived on horseback and from the other side of the creek, that first time. "No one's here, this time," I said as I opened the door. Jill stepped out on the other side and walked over to the place where she knew Jack, Cynthia, and her mother must have been. Then she looked across, trying to pick out where we had been hiding and watching. She was so entranced that she hadn't realized I wasn't there with her. That is until she let out a little scream. She then realized it was me on the other side, looking back at her. "You scared me half to death!" she said as she walked towards me. "I figured you wanted to know how well we were hidden." I replied. Jill was at the edge of the water and said, "Not well at all. I'm surprised they didn't see us. How deep is it here? Your pants are wet, I bet." "I think they were preoccupied," I said, answering her first thought. Then, for the second question, I added, "They're not wet at all; I took them off, along with my shoes and socks." Jill gulped, looked at the water, and then around. I was privileged to see her undo her skirt, and drop it to the ground. She stepped out of her shoes and pulled off her socks. Instead of carrying them over, as I did, she left her clothing there. As Jill walked up to me, I was transfixed. She smiled at me, pulled me down, and said, "Now, how was I looking at them?" I swallowed hard before answering. "I was under you like this." "Yes," Jill mouthed in a breathy voice, "and I was..." Her legs, bare this time straddled one of mine. She started humping me, just like before. This time, though, she knew just what she was doing. She was also looking into my eyes, and not across the water. I reached up and pulled her mouth to mine. ------- Robin was incensed. Katy was looking hard at me. I was still feeling pretty good from being with Jill, and so I didn't let their worries take hold. "They will be fine," I said. "That's my brother." "And my son." "Along with our... daughter," I said. "I'm well aware of that. If I said they'd taken a horse, would you be so out of sorts?" "That would be different," Katy said. I laughed, and then added, "Only in Carp." That did not improve their mood. I should have known better than to make such a comment. "Mom, you want to go pick them up with me?" Robin said and then turned to me, "Keys." I handed them to her, and resisted saying they were making a mistake. It was hard, but I just let them go. Mary and Beth Ann walked into the room as soon as they left. "Not one of your better days, Keith," Mary said. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." "Do you really think Brian and Jimmy can put a bike together?" Beth Ann asked. "Have you seen what those two can figure out? I don't doubt it at all. Now they are going to feel like no one trusts them. I don't think it was a good thing for Katy and Robin to do." "Why didn't you stop them, then?" "They have to learn, too," I replied. We heard the car pull back to the Mansion not more than ten minutes later. "Maybe they changed their minds," Mary said. I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what could have happened. Katy and Robin came in the door and looked straight at me. I was waiting to hear about it. "I can't believe it," Katy said. "They're on their way here," Robin added. "Jimmy and Pamela?" Beth Ann asked excitedly. "Yes!" Robin answered. I smiled, and knew that the extra charge I paid to have a few of the more difficult parts pre-assembled had been a good investment. Although they had put the bikes together a lot faster than I'd expected. 'Next time they will start from scratch, and see how they do, ' I thought. How everyone else heard it is beyond me. By the time Jimmy and Pamela rode up to the front gate; our whole household was standing on the front porch, waiting for them. Pamela and Jimmy were both red in the face and panting from the exertion. Katherine took over, playing nurse and scolding them for overdoing it. I heard Jimmy say he didn't want his mom to try and rescue him, again. Katy wouldn't look my direction, but Robin pulled at my arm. "You knew they could do it, didn't you?" "There was no question in my mind, though I didn't think they would be this fast. Those two can do just about anything they set their minds to," I said to her. "Just like you and Richard," she returned, grinning at me. "Mary and Sarah," I called out getting their attention. "Are you ready?" They came running over, along with Marcia. Robin wanted to come along as well. We got into the car and drove back downtown. Richard, Jack, and Jim had given up working with the telephone company. Presently they didn't see much profit in setting up a relay system in our town. So the three were looking at what other options they had. Everything took time. Something that was very frustrating to the doctor. It was a bit frustrating to us, out at the Mansion. We had to go into town, just to make or receive a telephone call, as we were doing now. Mary was the one who was the most familiar with talking to the operator and getting hold of her father. Of course as I thought about it, that is exactly what she would have been doing during her college years. Her first exchange was the common pleasantries anyone would expect. Then she was listening. Her eyes got big and she was nodding. "Ok, Dad. Here, talk to Sarah." Mary handed the phone to Sarah, and we didn't hear any of that conversation as Mary told us what her father said. Then Sarah hung up the phone, and looked at her sister. "Well, it solves one problem," Sarah said. "Yes, but this could create many more," Mary replied. Marcia shook her head back and forth rapidly as though she was trying to shake the cobwebs out. Then she said, "Can you talk to us, and tell us what's going on?" Mary smiled, realizing that her conversation with Sarah made a lot of sense to them, but no one else. Sarah started, "Dad and Mom are coming for a visit. They have a little break in the campaign stuff. I think they are feeling guilty." "Well put, Sarah. Guilty is exactly what Dad sounded like. They will be going by the house and then flying down here," Mary said. "The question they asked Sarah was..." Sarah took over, "If Vivian wanted to come down. I'd written them all about her visit, and how she had been asked to come back to do some more work, in one of my letters." I was almost afraid to ask. "When are they planning to show up?" "Next week," Mary said with a pained smile on her face. "The same time Beth Ann's parent's may well show up!" Robin said, realizing the problem. Sarah twisted her face, trying to think of how to add the next part. "There's more." "More?" I asked. "Richard got a letter from the Boy Scout troop," Sarah started to say. "You mean Mike, Scott, and their gullible friend," I retorted. Sarah blushed and looked down to the ground. "Yes, I guess you could say that." "So let me guess. They want to show up next week as well," I surmised. Sarah's head was nodding, as she was still looking down at the ground. "Holy Moly!" Mary said. "Sarah, you didn't tell me that! When Mom and Dad see Scott, and they have just brought Vivian down... Oh God." "You mean they can't come?" Marcia said. We all turned and looked at her. The tone of her voice suggested that she was almost to the stage of hyperventilating. "Marcia, calm down. There are always solutions to problems. Don't worry unless you know for sure there is something to worry about," I said. It didn't help. "But Mary just said... I won't get to see Mike!" Marcia started bawling, and although she was trying to say more, no one could understand a word of it. "Let's get back to the Mansion. I think we need to have a meeting, and figure out how this is going to work," I said. Mary and Sarah helped get Marcia into the car and I drove back. Marcia was crying the entire time. ------- Richard, Katy, Dora, Katherine, Robin, Kristin, Liz, Beth Ann, Mary, and I were sitting around the dining room table. There were two more to arrive. Although we could have been said to be working on plans, I'm not sure any of us had what we might be calling 'bright ideas.' Tiffany and Vicki opened up the outside kitchen door. We could hear it, because none of us were talking. Opening the door from the kitchen to the dining room, they were met by all eyes upon them. Behind them, Jill timidly looked in. "You're welcome, too," Robin said. She didn't exactly acknowledge her, but did walk into the room. Tiffany and Vicki took the two remaining seats at the table. I pushed back my chair and patted my legs. I also looked over to Robin, who rolled her eyes. She'd heard, from me, about our time down at the stream. She'd told me I'd better be careful. Robin wasn't jealous, she was concerned that Jill might get carried away and end up pregnant. Jill couldn't afford to do that, and go off to school to be a doctor. Now with everyone in place, I asked for ideas. Almost two hours later, and with everyone very tired, we had something to work with. A plan that could work. That is, if everyone who didn't know what we were doing would just cooperate with us. That was the scary and unpredictable part. It was the best we could come up with, though. ------- The next morning, Jill had Sarah and Marcia up on horses. Jill then stood back as I had worked my way around so Sarah and Marcia hadn't seen me. That is, until I was the one who mounted the third horse, not Jill. "Ready," I said. They just looked at me as though I had appeared from nowhere. "Come on, then," I continued as though their non-response was an every day occurrence. All I had to do, Jill had told me, was to start my horse. The two girls' horses would follow, without the girls needing to do a thing. That's exactly what happened. We went across the valley, up the ridge, and across to the edge of where the new mine was. Seeing that took their mind off of everything else, which was part of the plan. I wove them around so they could see the south part of Carp, and then took them down the hill to the spring. I had only been 'down' to the spring, twice before. It always had been something to go up to. Unless of course, you were above it, as we were at this time. "This is the spring!" Sarah said when she recognized where we were. Then her face became a bit puzzled. "Katy and Robin always talk about this place." "Oh?" I queried. "It is a place of great discussions," Sarah said. Then she broke into a big smile and added, "Except for the first time you were up here." "What happened the first time?" Marcia wanted to know. "That's when Keith kissed Robin." "We're here for the former," I said as the girls giggled. Marcia stopped giggling and looked at me sadly. "Is this about Mike?" she asked. "Yes it is. And it is about the plans we've made. You two need to be a part of this, to make it all work out," I answered. "Then they still get to come?" Sarah wanted to know. I took a deep breath, and then answered, "Yes." Sarah and Marcia looked at each other and hugged, tears rolling down their cheeks. Katherine and Katy had told me how important this was going to be to Marcia. I still wasn't sure why it was that I got to give them the news... all of it. "Now," I said after they had turned back towards me, "here are the details. Some of which you may not like. It's the only way we could see all of this working out." ------- After I left, Jill went down to the school with Tiffany, Vicki, and Liz. There had been seven kids waiting when they arrived. These were all kids from Angle City. They would come up while their fathers worked in the mine. At first, Liz was a bit perturbed the first day it happened. She then quickly realized that the kids had practically begged their parents to let them come up to Carp. The ones who would show up, sometimes only two and today the most, were willing to do just about any job the teachers could think of. They simply wanted to be there, and have something to do. Today the surprise wasn't the number, but who two of the boys were. There had been five standing at the door, but as the last one came in, he said something about the bullies that had come up with them. Liz knew just who he was talking about. She turned her head around quickly, and caught a glimpse of a head peering out from around the corner of the next building. Then she sent that boy inside the school. Liz walked out onto the wooden sidewalk, put her hands on her hips, and waited. Both heads popped out again. This time they stared, and then sheepishly came out from around the corner. "Come here, boys," Liz said. When they stood in front of her she asked, "Did you two ask to come up to Carp? Remember I can easily check your answer." The two boys gave a sideways glance at each other. "Yes," one of them said under his breath. Liz tried her best not to smile, although it wouldn't have made to much difference, as the boys were looking at the wood at their feet. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do. You are going to come in with me. I'm going to give you jobs to do, and you're going to do them." "But..." one of the boys started to say. Liz cut him off. "Now don't think I'm going to be nice about this. Everyone is going to think you two are in trouble." The boys looked at each other, and then to Liz. One boy ventured, "You can do that?" Liz smiled, and then her face turned very stern looking, "You bet I can." Then in a commanding voice she said, "Now move it, both of you." ------- "Larry assured me that these are the only two keys," Jack said as he held them up for Cynthia and Rebecca to see. They were standing in the doorway of the 'game room' of their new house. "Won't he and others be in here fixing the rest of the things?" Rebecca asked. "Not in this room. Remember, this is for the clothing store. It has these double thick walls for climate control. No one is going to set foot in this room, other than us, now that the door is on," Jack stated. "Does that mean we can get our 'toys'?" Cynthia asked with a twinkle in her eye. Jack smiled and said, "Do you remember how I had Rebecca separate the toys into boxes and label them? There was a purpose for that, other than to have her get horny." Rebecca blushed, thinking about what had happened that day. It had been a lot of fun, though. "When can we get them, then?" Cynthia pressed on. "You don't want to wait until the rest of the house is done, and get everything together?" Jack asked. "Larry said we should be ready to move in next week." "Jack!" Cynthia pouted. "I thought the electricity stuff wasn't going to work for a while," Rebecca said. "That has all changed. We'll have the proper electrical supply out here, next week. And it won't be the 'rigged up' one that Larry put together, either. All my work, trying to get them out here faster was in vain." "Then what happened?" Cynthia wanted to know. "Liz got Millie on the phone to them," Jack mused. "Millie?" Rebecca questioned. "Millie's on the school board, remember? Liz got her riled up about safety of the children and old wiring. Next thing I know, they're down in my office. I walk over to the trailer with them, and have the call made. I knew the exchange number by heart, by then. First Liz gets on the phone and tells them what they need, and how it's going to work. It was the same thing I've been telling them, but then Liz put Millie on the phone. I almost had to leave. I was ready to laugh my head off. I'd never heard Millie talk like that to anyone. Next thing I know, Millie is handing the phone back to me. The guy told me it would have been a lot easier to have just said yes to me. We have a date. Four trucks are going to be out to install new lines in town. With the old mine out of operation, there is enough for the school, our house, the Mansion, and the clinic. We hope to have the clinic up and running before they can install the new sub-station that will bring in more power to the town." "I still want the toys before then," Cynthia said. "We're leaving in the morning to get them," Jack said in a monotone voice. "The truck will be waiting for us to pack up." Rebecca and Cynthia took hold of Jack and made sure he knew he was appreciated. ------- "Sarah," I called, "hurry up. The train doesn't wait, and we need to get that letter in the bag," I yelled up the stairs in the new house. "Be right there," she called down. "We're outside, next to the car. Three minutes!" I heard a yelp from upstairs. I knew they would write forever if given the chance. I was about to walk out the door, when I thought of something and turned back. "Sarah," I called again. "It's not three minutes yet!" she said in a panic. "No, I have a question for you, though." Coming to the head of the stairs, she looked down at me and said, "What is it?" "Is there a way that you can send Scott something... in code?" "Scott? Yes, I guess so. The letters are always for Mike though. Marcia writes them, I just address them to Scott." "I know, but I wanted to send something to Scott. I wouldn't want anyone to know what it said, though." Sarah got a big grin on her face, but then it dropped. "We used to send messages with our Captain Midnight decoders. It was great fun. I still have mine and I'm sure Scott does too. The problem is, I have it at home... I mean, in Reno," Sarah said and smiled at me. "I want you to put in a line for Scott, in your handwriting, that he's going to get a letter. It will be in code, like you used to do. He'll find that decoder." "How are you going to..." I interrupted her after looking at my watch. "Your three minutes is up, and you need to write that sentence, get a move on, young lady!" She shook her head at me, but ran back down the hall, yelling to Marcia that the time was up. We arrived at the train platform, slipped the letter into the bag, and got it onto the hook. We had only five minutes to spare. That was cutting it a bit too closely, for me. "When will they get the letter?" Sarah asked. "In a couple of days, I would guess. There won't be enough time for them to send one back. Unless there is some sort of an emergency, we won't know any answers until we see them at the station," I replied. "What about the letter you want to sent to Scott?" Marcia asked curiously. "That is something that only Scott will know about," I said. "That's not fair!" Sarah said. I laughed and grabbed hold of her, trying to tickle her. "Stop! Stop!" she cried weakly. She was enjoying the attention, I could tell. ------- "That was very interesting, Liz. How did you know they wanted to help?" Jill asked. "When they told me they had wanted to come up here, and weren't expected to come up, I knew they wanted to be here. The rest was guessing on my part. No harm in trying," Liz replied. "But the way you came on, feisty as anything, making the other kids snicker. By the end of their time, you had the others vying for the jobs you were giving those two. I don't think any of them knew what had happened," Tiffany reflected. "Part of that was overhearing conversations. I pretty much knew I could count of the outcome. I'll bet you and Vicki could tell me something about each one of the kids that have come in to 'help' us," Liz said. "It has given us a good understanding of what we've got to work with, starting the school," Vicki added. "I doubt they know they are helping us in more ways than one." "Now, Jill," Liz said turning to discussion to something new. "You have been hovering all day. What did you want to say, that you've not?" "Are there really going to be a group of us on the accelerated high school program?" "Where did you hear that from? Liz asked and then raised her eyebrows, "And who is this group?" "Marcia, Daisy, Robin, Sarah, and myself," Jill said answering Liz's second question. "I'm not sure if..." Liz started to say, and then stopped. She looked at Jill and blinked, saying, "Sarah?" ------- I was helping Kenneth with his bike. With the other two arriving, he was even more determined to have those training wheels disappear. Jimmy had set them higher, making him balance just a bit more each day. He was getting pretty good, but would still rely on them. I told him that tomorrow they were coming off. Kenneth looked at me with a combination of fear and pride. As we walked in the Mansion, I asked him a question that I hoped would be confirmed. "Kenneth have you ever listened to the Captain Midnight show on the radio?" "Yes!" he replied, as his eyes lit up. "I thought it was fun, even if I didn't understand it all. My mom even sent away for one of those decoder pins. We were staying in one place for a while, and she knew where we were going after that, so she put down that address. I saw her send off the letter, but it took so long to get, I'd forgot all about it when it arrived. It was like my birthday!" "Do you have the pin, still?" I asked. Kenneth grinned, "Yep!" "How would you like to help me send a secret letter?" "Really?" he asked, with eyes as wide as they could get. "Yes. Just you and I would know what it said," I told him in a sneaky sort of voice. "That makes it all the more fun." He was pulling me up the stairs before I could get paper and a pen. I was laughing and told him we needed to have something to write on. He let go of me, but was as impatient as could be, to get up to his room to work on this 'spy stuff, ' as he started calling it. As we were climbing up the stairs, I asked him if he could write out the coding. He said he'd tried when he first got the pin, but wasn't very good and no one could read what he'd done. Then he'd gotten better. One of his cousins showed him how to do some of the harder parts, easier. They had sent notes back and forth while they visited. Then they went on another trip, the one that ended up with them meeting in Redding. I told him I'd like to see if he could write out some things. He pulled his suitcase out from under his bed and opened it. From the right side pocket, he pulled out the decoder pin. Then he laid down on the floor. I handed him the paper and pen and started. "D e a r, " then I had to wait as he turned the ring, looking up each letter to write them down in code. Next was: "S c o t t." I asked for the paper and the decoder. Even if I hadn't known what it said, it would be easy enough to decode. I told Kenneth he'd done a good job. He was very happy, asking if he was going to write the whole note. I smiled and on we went. The thought was that only Kenneth and I would know what the letter said, and I didn't think Kenneth would know what some of the words were, as I was spelling everything out. What I didn't know was that someone would be walking by outside the door, just at the appropriate time, and would hear us. When I spelled out 'c o n d o m, ' I saw Katherine's head through the now, slightly opened doorway. "Should I ask?" she wondered. "Mom!" Kenneth said, pulling the paper and decoder off the floor, as though that was going to help. "He's helping me write a spy letter, in code," I answered as I looked at her, a big grin on my face. "Oh! Then I didn't see anything, did I?" she asked. "No, not a thing," I answered and winked at her. She gave me a look at that said she'd be asking me all about this, when her son wasn't in the same room with me. ------- Marion looked over to her husband at the dining table, not wanting to make eye contact with her sister, Maureen, just yet. She waited until he took a large bite. "Honey, remember what you said about finding the right one? I've decided who to ask." Fred was trying to chew his food, so he could swallow and talk. Marion put in the clincher, "Unless you want to ask for me." Fred started to choke, and Maureen thumped him on the back. Getting up from the table, Fred ran to the bathroom. Maureen turned to her sister and said, "That was just plain mean, Marion." Before Marion could say anything, Fred came out of the bathroom. Standing at the doorframe, he asked, "Who is it?" ------- Chapter 112 Scott had opened the letter from Carp. It was the first one he'd opened, without Mike being there. It was, just as Sarah told him, in 'code.' He laughed at the very thought of it; but, as he looked, puzzlement came over him. This letter didn't look like Sarah's writing at all. Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out his decoder. He'd had to search for it, when Mike showed him what was on the bottom of the letter that had arrived yesterday. Now he had to go and make sense of this. It was much longer than the notes Sarah and he used to send each other, a few years back. The transcribing was tedious, and went faster when he wasn't paying attention to what was being said. So he concentrated on the individual letters. Scott only had twenty minutes before his mother would arrive home, and would want to check on him. The letter, decoder, and decoded letter would have to be put away by then. As soon as Scott finished, he read it. His face burned with embarrassment. How in the world was he going to buy condoms? Wasn't Keith old enough to do this? As he read, he understood that there was no place in Carp to purchase anything like that. It also suggested that the Boy Scout leader should get involved, citing the motto that a boy scout should always be 'prepared.' Scott laughed at that idea... His mind went immediately to Vivian, and his dick got stiff. He wished she could be in Carp the same time they were, but knew that was just wishful thinking. Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, with all of the fundraising and getting ready for the trip Mike and he had been doing, Scott had seen her just twice. The rest of the time was spent talking on the telephone with her. Two days from now, the Boy Scout Troop would be taking the train down on its adventure. Scott knew that he needed to see Vivian before he left. Even if they were just going to talk before hand, if he left without seeing her, he knew he'd go crazy. Scott was daydreaming about all of this, when he heard the front door open. He looked at the decoder and the two letters. The one he had decoded and written out could seal his fate. Panicked, Scott stuffed the letters between the mattresses, just before his mother opened his bedroom door. "Scott... Scott, you look a bit flushed. Are you feeling alright?" "Fine, Mom. I'm just a little nervous that I haven't packed everything I need." "Let me see the list," Scott's mother said. She looked over it, asking him about each item, one by one. There was a snag. He didn't have one of the items. "No wonder. You must have known something was amiss. Come on. Let's go downtown, before the stores close." "Mom!" "You have to be ready, and I have the time now, so we're going." Scott sighed, knowing it was a losing battle when his mom put her foot down. It wouldn't have been a problem at any other time, but this was when he could have seen Vivian. Now he'd have to make do with talking to her on the phone, later this evening. ------- From earlier times, Beth Ann's mother knew it wasn't a simple matter to call her daughter. The threesome got checked into a hotel in a small town called Riverside. The call was made, with a time given to call back. Now they were just waiting, back in the room. "What do you think Beth Ann will think?" "That her aunt is now her..." "Step-mother?" They all three laughed at that. "Seriously. What do you think she's going to say?" "My little angel is marrying a man who has more than one wife, and you wonder? Even if I weren't her father, I would know. Frankly, I bet she won't be surprised at all." "Oh? And why would that be?" "Did you see her expression when we came up from the basement, when they were all there?" Beatrice, and her sister in law, Wilma, blushed as they thought about what had gone on down there. That was just the beginning, where all of their feelings that had been so long suppressed surfaced. All three of them knew that it was because of Keith and his open relationships that had allowed them to express what they already knew existed. The room they had contained two beds, but only one would be used for more than suitcases. Time passed, and they went down to the pay telephone booth at the front of the motel. George was looking at his watch when the telephone rang. 'Right on time, ' he thought. Beatrice picked up the receiver, and answered. Even though she knew Beth Ann would be on the other end, she got excited. George and Wilma looked on in puzzlement, watching Beatrice's expression change. They were very worried and wanted to know what was going on, when she hung up the phone. "George, do you think we can do a bit of sightseeing another day?" "I suppose, but what's the problem?" he asked, and then he paused. He did not want to hear anything but a positive answer, but he needed to ask, "She is getting married, isn't she?" "Oh, yes. That hasn't changed. There are... let's say some complications, with the arrivals of others." "You are going to tell us more than that aren't you?" Wilma asked. "Of course. Let's go back to the room, and I'll explain." ------- Vivian stared at her mother. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Mom! I just got off the telephone with Scott. Why didn't you tell me before? I'll have to call him in the morning, so I can say goodbye!" "I would have thought you would have started that tonight. After all, he's leaving on that silly Scout trip, isn't he?" Vivian blushed and answered, "Yes." Her mother chuckled and replied, "I knew it was a silly trip." "Mom, I didn't mean that!" "Oh, of course not, Dear," Vivian's mother said, trying not to laugh too much. "Now you'll be gone at least a week. I know they said about four days of work. But last time, it turned into a week, and I fretted about your clothes. So this time, pack enough." Vivian went to her room and sat on the bed. She was shaking. Her mother didn't suspect anything... did she? Shaking her head, she knew her mother couldn't. The location of the scouting trip had been kept a secret by Mike and Scott, on the premise of teasing her. All of the parents had gone along with the idea. That is, after they had seen the boys work their tails off on the fund raising efforts. Mike had even picked Scott up for the scout meetings every week. Mike's parents were glad he was getting over 'that girl' and doing something in his life, beyond moping around the house. Vivian wasn't sure how this had transpired. 'Sarah?' she thought. 'Did Sarah talk her parents into bringing her down to Carp? Did they know anything that was going on?' Vivian wasn't sure if Scott knew she was going to be there. He made no hint of it on the phone. Was this a surprise, or did no one tell him, so he wouldn't do something stupid and ruin the whole trip? Vivian stopped herself and bust out laughing. It had been the last time when she and Sarah had been together that she'd had this same uncontrollable urge to ask question after question. The big problem this time was that there was no easy way to get any answers. Vivian knew that the only reason she didn't burst out and say something like, "That's where Scott is going to be!" was that she was in shock. It was a good thing she was being picked up in the morning. It didn't give her much time to open her mouth and say anything stupid. She sighed heavily, knowing now that she couldn't say a word to Scott when she called in the morning. She would have to tell him she was going on an unexpected trip, but not where. They would cry, say 'I love you, ' and talk about when they would see each other after their trips. It would be hard to not say anything, but Vivian knew if she did, the excitement wouldn't be able to be contained any longer. "Vivian." Vivian jumped, startled to see her mother at her bedroom door. "You need to stop daydreaming about that boy and pack!" Vivian knew her mother's words were teasing. She liked Scott. "Yes, Mother." ------- Katherine had a very amused expression on her face. We were out on a ride, just the two of us. I knew I was going to get grilled about the secret letter that Kenneth had written out. It may have been two days ago, but I knew it was coming, sooner or later. Now, after telling her what it was about, I thought she'd understand. All I got was this amused look. I think she let me stew for a bit, just for fun, because then she said, "Keith, didn't it occur to you that the doctor could order those?" The blank look that crossed my face made her burst out laughing. I joined in, realizing that I'd put that poor kid into peril, for no good reason. "Can he get them by the case?" I asked. Katherine laughed even harder, but answered, "I think they come by the box. How many do you need?" Thinking how she made me squirm, I turned the tables on her. "Well..." I drew out, "your daughters have been getting..." I stopped the teasing as I saw her face go pale. "Katherine," I said softly, "I was just teasing. Neither one of them is ready for anything like that. They haven't pressed me for it, even. Though you said, they might." She swallowed hard and looked deeply at me. "Katherine, we have done some oral things, but I gave you my word." She nodded and then asked, "Then who are they for?" "There are a few. I'm concerned about Julie, with Brian and Barbara for one. It would be hard to see them go at it and not want to do the same." "Yes, I can see that." "Then there is Pamela." "And Laura." "Yes, I guess you're right. Jimmy has been very good, but I can't expect them to act saintly forever." "Jimmy... Saintly? In the same sentence?" "You sound like my wife!" I said laughing. "Jimmy is pretty darn good... most of the time." "You're right about that. Most of the time," Katherine said with a big smile. "Stephanie is also in that group. I'm sure she's ready to start her periods and I've had to push her off a few times, just to be safe." "That makes sense. Now, Keith... You're really worried about others, too. I can see something more in your eyes that you haven't said." "Jill is one of them. She's been aggressive recently." Katherine raised an eyebrow, and a slight smile appeared. "So you like that enough to not want it to stop," she said. I groaned and tried to hide a smile. "She was ovulating, Katherine. It was like she was in heat, and she didn't stop to think at all." Katherine's smile never left. "Sounds like her mother." That put it into perfect perspective for me. "I think you're right, but for me to say something like that could be risking my life." Katherine nodded, with no smile this time. "I have heard there was a lot of tension between her mother and her. It is always hard to see how much you are like your parent, like it or not." "Sounds like you have personal experience on that," I replied. "Now don't try and change the subject. I think you have been reluctant to say someone's name to me." "Does everyone know everything that goes on in that house?" Katherine grinned and said, "No. But if you happen to be in the same room when your wife is telling her mother about three gold wedding bands..." "You're right. One of my biggest concerns is Mary. She isn't going to take a 'no, ' forever." "I can almost guarantee you on that. I believe you are missing someone else important, though." I wrinkled my forehead thinking. "Who?" I asked. "Keith, sometimes you are dense. Sarah. I know she's been after you." "Yes, she has. Mary is dangerous enough. Sarah is almost a guaranteed jail sentence." "You could never convince her of that, you know." "I'm afraid I do know. That is part of why I've been so secretive about all of this. If she finds out, then she's going to go after that idea. I just know it." "I think you could be right. But, Keith," Katherine reached out and touched me, looking... well, maybe motherly, "'if she finds out, ' isn't the right way of thinking. Not in this house. It is when she finds out. She will, and you need to be prepared for it." ------- Jack had not taken the idea seriously. Not until now. He was at a complete loss about what to do. Jack's life had been a military life: giving orders, and expecting people to fall into place. The military was a man's world, where there were few females; and he had never dealt with those few. Now, he intuitively knew that if he didn't do and say the right things, there would be consequences that he would regret. The problem was what were those right things? "Marion," he said. That's all it took. She ran off crying. Jack closed his eyes and sighed while shaking his head. He was not going to get out of this easily. Cynthia and Rebecca were waiting for him, back in the hotel. They immediately wanted to know what was wrong. Jack had thought he could keep it from them, maybe just for a bit. But apparently it showed on his face. "The first thing I am going to tell you is that you aren't allowed to get angry. Is that understood?" Cynthia looked at Rebecca, and then back to Jack, before asking, "What did you do?" "It isn't what I did. It is what I was asked." Cynthia rolled her eyes. "What were you asked then?" "Marion has been given permission from her husband to find a... donor so they can have a child." "Donor?" Rebecca asked, and then her face showed full recognition of what Jack meant. Cynthia's eyes were cold as steel. "What did you tell her?" "I just said her name," Jack answered, still puzzled about it, "and she ran off crying." Cynthia looked at him, and exasperatedly asked, "Did you say it in the tone you just used to answer my question?" "I don't know." Cynthia turned to face Rebecca. "Why do you think she asked Jack?" Rebecca smiled at that question. She knew Cynthia was jealous, and was just starting to accept Rebecca as the mother of Jack's children. Cynthia had progressed in that arena, from jealousy, to wanting to be a part of motherhood. So instead of becoming alarmed, even if she didn't want Jack to parent any other children than from her, she played along. "Do you want me to tell you how wonderful he is?" "Rebecca," Cynthia said shaking her head, "that is not what I was talking about." Jack was not enjoying being talked about as though he was not present. "How many options did she have?" he asked. "Well there is..." Cynthia wrinkled her brow as she thought. "I would have thought she might have picked Patrick," Rebecca said. "Maybe she couldn't." Cynthia was nodding and a predatory smile appeared. "You're right, Rebecca. Patrick would be a very good choice." "He's marrying her sister though," Rebecca said. "That's what makes it so perfect. The children would be some of the closest relatives, outside of..." "Keith's household," Jack interjected. All three laughed at that. Then Cynthia got back to business. "Now, Rebecca, how do we convince Marion that Patrick would be the best choice?" ------- Some of the kids had come up from Angle City, to 'help' get the school organized. They couldn't contain their curiosity, today. All of them had been given little jobs to do, before Tiffany, Vicki, and Liz took the group of older girls off to the far corner. The group of girls and the teachers could be seen, but no one could hear a thing. It was obvious that this was some sort of schooling. The girls had all seated themselves at desks, and the teachers were all up in front. Each of the teachers had talked, and hands were raised before any of the students talked. For the kids from Angle City, it was hard not to stare. This, they figured, was what school was going to be like. It was just how some of the books they had read, had described school. When Liz handed the girls papers and pencils, all 'work' from the Angle City children stopped. They weren't trying to be nosey, they were just very curious. Tiffany started by asking questions. Answers were being written down on the paper. At a pause, Liz said to the children now in front of her, "Doesn't look very interesting from here." The children jumped, and turned to find her standing between two bookcases, in back of them. They were terrified at being caught looking on. "I can see you are dying of curiosity as to what is going on over there. We didn't think it would be of such great interest," Liz said with a smile, letting the children know that they weren't in any sort of trouble. "These girls are all high school age. They are older than any of you children coming up from Angle City for schooling." One boy with a wrinkled brow asked, "So we have to go to high school, too?" "Yes you do, Timothy," Liz answered. The boy turned red with embarrassment, realizing the teacher already knew him by name. Liz continued, "These girls want to speed up their schooling, so we are doing some testing. The tests will tell us just how much they know. It will help us in planning out their year." "Are we going to be taking tests like this, too?" a girl asked, wide eyed. "Samantha," Liz answered, "the rest of the students will begin divided up into age groups. It is the easiest way, at the start. There are many children who are going to be at the school, and it will take some time to get everyone into the right place. I think it will surprise many of you who does well at some things." Timmy snickered and said under his breath, "It ain't gonna be Derek or Johnny." Liz heard this and said, "Timmy, you might just be surprised just how much those two boys know. Mischief takes a lot of creativity." Liz saw the disbelief on all the faces looking at her. "I didn't say they weren't trouble makers. I said they knew a lot more than you might think. People assume that if some kid gets into trouble they are stupid. It quite often is just the opposite. If I were you, I'd keep my eyes open, and see what happens to everyone as school progresses." "Miss Patterson," Tiffany called, "it is your turn." Liz smiled, and then said to the children, "If you can keep quiet, you can come closer and listen to the questions for a bit. You may find it rather boring, though." She knew they would all want to come. The children followed her over, and she asked them to sit on the floor just behind the regular students. They would be able to hear, but their facial expressions wouldn't be seen by any of the girls taking the tests. Also, when they wanted to leave, it wouldn't disturb anyone. Liz came up to the front and asked the first question that was on her sheet, but with a little extra. "List, in order, the Presidents of the United States, their birth place, their First Lady's name, and if they had any pets that resided in the White House." She was amused by the startled expressions of the children behind the test takers. The children couldn't see the twitches of smiles on the girl's faces. It was Vicki who almost gave it away. Her mouth was hanging open, not believing what a horrid, unfair question Liz had just asked. Tiffany had to poke her in the ribs, and then nodded at Vicki, to look at the Angle City children. Vicki groaned silently, and rolled her eyes at Liz, after she had looked over. "Next question," Liz said. "Miss Patterson," Robin implored, "I'm only half way done with that question." Liz shook her head. "Robin," she said. Robin was too quick with a comeback as she said, "You did want the pet's names as well, didn't you?" No one could contain themselves. Much to the dismay of the Angle City children, everyone else started laughing. Liz had to explain to them that she had played a joke on them, and that wasn't a real question at all. They were very much relieved, and were happy to laugh at Robin's silliness, as well. When it quieted down, Timmy put up his hand. "Timmy, did you have a question?" Liz asked. "How did they know that wasn't a real test question?" Sarah turned around and saw the boy who had his hand still in the air. "Timmy," she said, "We all know... Miss Patterson. This test is hard. It is not just on what we know, but also on what we don't know. The teachers need to find out just how smart we are. So they have to ask questions, beyond what they think we might know. There is a difference between asking a question about something you may not have learned yet, and one of nonsense. Asking the Presidents names is reasonable. It would have made all of us wonder about asking for the wife's names. When she asked about the pets, that is when we knew it was a joke. No one would expect us to know that!" "Thanks you, Sarah. That was a good explanation," Liz commented. "Now shall we get back to the test? The question is..." ------- Vivian was almost in tears. This was Vivian's last chance to call. She couldn't believe what she had just heard from Scott's mother. There was a Scout meeting! Scout meeting!! There were no real Scouts, and Vivian had to keep her mouth shut. Meeting! This was the only time she would have to talk to Scott. To tell him she was going. Scott wasn't going to be home, until after the time Vivian could call. Worse yet, she was being picked up early in the morning. Her frustration turned to tears, as she explained to Scott's mother that she was going on an unexpected little trip herself. She had wanted to say goodbye to Scott. Vivian could hear the sympathy, but there was little anyone could do at that point. There were promises that as soon as Scott came back he would call. His mother has been surprised about the meeting, and had no idea how long Scott would be gone. Vivian put the receiver back on top of the black desk phone that resided at the end of the hall. She felt her mother touching her shoulder. As Vivian turned, she was enveloped into a hug. "Mom," Vivian cried, "I don't even get to say goodbye!" "I know. I know. Scott will understand. The two of you will be gone at about the same time, though; and believe me, that is good. You will have your friends down in Carp that will keep your mind off of things. If you were here, and Scott was gone for the week, you would be just miserable." "Mom..." "You know I'm right. I was a young lady not that long ago. I remember these things. It's really a blessing that you are going on this trip." Vivian had been so thrown off guard when she had heard Scott wasn't at home that her response was genuine. Now, as the situation flooded her senses, she started to laugh. The reality was that she would see Scott the next day! Her mother took her laughter as a response to what she had just said. "Vivian! I'm not that old." This just made Vivian laugh harder as she tried to say, "I know, Mom. That's not what I'm laughing about." Her mother huffed but as soon as she turned to leave the hallway, there was a smile on her face. 'Once this trip starts, Viv will be just fine, ' she thought. 'Scott is such a good boy. I know if I was her, I'd be thinking of him all the time. With him leaving, this trip will do a world of good for her.' After her mother left, Vivian walked into her bedroom and sat down on her bed. Her laugher had stopped. 'What are Scott and Mike up to?' she wondered. ------- "I can't believe you are getting me involved in this," Mike said. "What if someone sees us?" "Sees what? We're not the ones buying them." Scott responded. He was trying hard to convince himself of what he said, also. It hadn't been as hard as Scott had imagined, talking the 'Scout Leader' into making sure they were prepared. He had thought it was one of the funniest things he'd heard. Now he was in the drugstore. They could see him at the counter, talking to the druggist. There were two boxes placed on the counter. Although Scott and Mike couldn't hear the conversation, from the gestures, they knew there was an explanation going on about each of the two types. One box was put away, under the counter. The man then walked over to the register. Money was exchanged and their 'Scout Leader' was on his way out the door with a crisp white bag in hand. Mike had the car running as he stepped in. As soon as the door closed, they were moving. "You two owe me 'big time, ' for this." "What happened?" Mike wanted to know. "I get the idea that if I would have wanted one, or maybe even a three pack, things would have gone differently. Asking for a dozen... What a mistake! I was grilled about sexual promiscuity, as soon as he looked at my hand and saw that I didn't have a wedding band on it. I had to lie my way out of that one. Then there was the explanation of them. Did you know there are lubricated rubbers?" Mike glanced at Scott. Both of them showed a slightly blank look. "Didn't think so. I didn't know either, but I've also only asked for one at a time and break that up between five different pharmacies so it looks like I am just being prudent." "I'm sure Keith will be very appreciative," Scott suggested. "He'd better be. I don't remember the last time I was that embarrassed. I'm glad I've never been in that place before. I don't think I could ever go back," he said. Then as an afterthought he added, "I suspect you want me to pack these as well." "Do you have any idea what my mom would do if she found even one?" Scott said. "I think my parents might be glad," Mike said with an edge in his voice. "They think it's great that I am forgetting Marcia, and going off to do other things." "I understand. That must be hard having parents like that. Scott you've had to lie to your parents about this whole thing as well. It just doesn't seem right." Scott grimaced. "I haven't really lied," he said, trying to justify himself. "We just didn't tell the whole truth." "Keep that up, and you'll end up a lawyer." All three of them laughed at that. Scott was let off first. When he got inside, his mother was waiting. "Call Vivian," she said. Scott raised his eyebrows. He had expected to have questions about what he had done, why a scout meeting in the morning, or why it hadn't taken very long. This wasn't like his mom, but he wasn't going to argue. He ran to the telephone before she changed her mind. Scott's fingers ran around the dial, the familiar clicking sound as he dialed Vivian's telephone number. "Hello, this is Scott. Is Vivian there?" A minute later Scott, set down the phone. He heard his mother calling him from the kitchen, but didn't respond. He wanted to be alone, right then. The feeling that he was going to start crying was imminent. 'She's gone on a trip?' he said to himself, as though he couldn't believe the truth of it. "Scott," his mother said, "come into the kitchen." Blinking, he hadn't realized his mother was right next to him, until she spoke. She took his hand and led him down the hallway. "Did she leave, already?" "You knew?" "She called shortly after you left. I guess this was something that came up all of a sudden. She didn't say anything to you about going on a trip at the same time you were going?" "No. I'm sure she would have told me," he said, totally bewildered. "Well, you were being pretty mean, not telling her where you were going." "We were just teasing. She knew that. Vivian's not like that. She wouldn't not tell me. If she knew, she might do the same and not tell me where, but she'd tell me she was going on a trip." "I know it is difficult now, son, but tomorrow when you leave things will seem different." ------- Cynthia and Rebecca went to call on Marion. When Marion opened the door to her house, it was obvious from her facial expression she wished she hadn't. Rebecca took the lead, saying, "Marion, I understand Jack was being a bit insensitive." Marion blinked. This was not at all what she expected to hear. "You know, this is so hard. I wish... but it doesn't make any difference. Wishing isn't going to change things." Cynthia nudged Rebecca to get her to talk again. "Marion," Rebecca started, "I hope you don't take this wrong, but we were a bit surprised that you asked Jack. Why didn't you ask Patrick?" Marion sighed and said, "You know I can't do that. He's marrying my sister." The expression in her voice was just what Cynthia wanted to hear, and she pounced. "You wish you could though, don't you. Is that what you were wishing?" "No, well yes. I mean no. I mean... I wish my husband could give me a child," Marion stammered out. "But he can't, and to tell the truth, your first choice would be Patrick," Cynthia pressed on. After a sigh, Marion said, "Cynthia, it doesn't make any difference. Patrick is out of the question. It looks like Jack is, too. I don't think Keith or Richard would be interested either," she said. She stopped letting the silence fill the room. "I think I need to be alone now, if you don't mind." As soon as they left, Rebecca looked over to Cynthia and said, "That didn't go very well." "You could say that," Cynthia said. She was troubled by Marion's last statements, and wondered if some of the women could feel so despondent about not being able to have children, that they might do something rash. "Rebecca, I think we need to go see the doctor." "Is something wrong?" Rebecca asked curiously "I think maybe there is. But not with me, if you're wondering. Should we take the Jeep, or go on horseback?" "Horseback. There will be a time, all too soon, when I won't be able to ride. Pregnant women just don't do well on a horse." Imagining Rebecca, with a big belly, trying to get up on a horse, made Cynthia laugh. ------- Jack drove out to the house, bringing with him three guests. To our surprise it was Patrick and Jane McCarran, along with Vivian. "We didn't hear a helicopter," I said puzzled, "and it isn't the right time for the train." Patrick smiled and said, "One of the perks of the office. There are a few private trains that run around the country. I happened to be at the right place, at the right time." "Oh?" I responded, knowing there was a lot more to this story. "Although it takes longer than flying, it is much more enjoyable. We could talk the whole way down. Vivian is quite a nice young lady. We know what Sarah saw in her," Patrick said. Vivian blushed and asked to go find Sarah. She was off in a flash, as soon as she was told that would be fine. Then that it was just Robin, Jack, Patrick, Jane, and myself. "When you're on the campaign trail the reporters are relentless," Patrick continued. "It is hard to even go out to dinner, without someone trying to talk to you. Helicopters, and that type of train, are some of the few ways to disappear. It has been hectic, and we needed a few days," Patrick said, and then looked at his wife. "A few days?" Robin asked. "Oh, now you don't worry," Jane said. "We don't want any fuss made over us. In fact, a bit of a rest is what we need." Then she smiled as she added, "Well, that, and to catch up on what our daughters have been up to." As if on cue, Sarah and Mary came running in through the back. "Mom! Dad!" ------- The doctor had his hand at his chin, scratching his face. He was seated at his desk in the plane. Across from him were Cynthia and Rebecca. They had come to see him, but this was one for his journal. "So," he summarized, "you are worried about Marion, and other women like her, if they can't be fulfilled by having a child." "Yes," Cynthia said. "I know that pain." The doctor nodded and then continued, "Your feeling though is that Jack shouldn't, how shall I say, participate in the..." the doctor was at a loss as how to tactfully say any of this, "program, in giving some of the women children?" "I know it sounds selfish, but to know that Jack fathered Marion's child would be painful to me. That seems out of place knowing that Rebecca is pregnant with his child. But believe me, even though Rebecca is part of what we see as a family, it was difficult." "I can understand that idea. Unfortunately I don't have answers for you. I have questions myself, and plan on finding out more information." "When will you know?" Cynthia asked. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. Because this whole matter only indirectly involves you, you may not hear anything more about what transpires, from me. I hope you understand that. My patient's confidentiality is paramount." Cynthia sighed and said, "I understand, even though I don't like it." The doctor laughed. As soon as Cynthia and Rebecca rode off, the doctor closed the door of the plane, and got on his own horse. The ride across the valley to the Mansion didn't take long, but it was long enough for him to get some ideas formulated. Dismounting, William started walking up the sidewalk. Out of the front door ran Sarah, Jill, Marcia, and Vivian. They stopped abruptly, and looked at him. Realizing that a doctor at a house might have been as unnerving to them as him seeing Vivian show up in town unexpectedly, William said, "Just a social call ladies. Very nice to see you again, Vivian." She blushed. The other girls laughed, and they were around the corner and out of sight in a moment. William continued to the door. I opened it before he could knock. He smiled, knowing it was hard to approach the house without someone seeing you coming. "I believe you saw Vivian," I said, having looked out the window and seeing the exchange of words. "Yes, so I presume the McCarran's have arrived." "Jack brought them out. They surprised us, as they arrived on a special train." "One way to keep prying eyes from knowing where you are going," William said. "You know a lot more about that than I do, I guess." "Some people at the top of Memco travel with me, as no one looks at the doctor's plane," William said, and grinned, "unless of course there has been a problem. Then the new people want to know everything. But for the most part, a vice president of the company can come and take a look at an operation, without many people knowing anything. It is handy for them, and keeps any expenses on my part unquestionable." I had to laugh, but then asked, "What brings you out here?" His smile left as he said, "I think you, Richard, Jack, Patrick and I, need to have a talk." "This doesn't sound good," I said. There was no humor left in my voice. "It is of concern, but not threatening. I have been asked questions, and need to find some answers... now." "When do you want to meet, then?" I asked. Jill had separated herself from the other girls and came into the room before an answer could be rendered. As there had been a brief silence, she asked, "Could I talk to you... Doctor Bill?" William rolled his eyes and said, "You, my dear young lady, have been talking too much with Laura." Jill just laughed, waiting for an answer. "I'll let you know. Soon, I hope," William said to me, with a slight smile on his face. "But right now, duty calls." William was led out of the entry we had been standing in by Jill, who was already asking him questions. I just shook my head and smiled. ------- Sarah had insisted that they go down to the school. Her father didn't think Vivian needed to go there the same day she arrived, but Sarah had ulterior motives her parents knew nothing about. Robin and I took the McCarrans, Vivian and Sarah downtown. Liz had heard about the train coming in, and expected Sarah to drag her parents down at any time. Frankly, she was surprised that it took this long. Robin and I, having a pretty good idea that this had been set up, came up with a reason not to stick around. "Vivian! It's so good to have you back," Liz said as soon as we walked in. "Walk around the corner and see what we've been doing. Vicki and Tiffany are waiting for you." Vivian took off. She'd been primed from Sarah that she needed to disappear, promising to hear about things afterwards. "Mr. and Mrs. McCarran," Liz started. "Pat and Jane... please, Liz." Liz smiled. "Very well. Pat and Jane. We have been doing many things in preparation for the school opening." "I can see," Jane stated. "It looks very organized." "Thank you. One of the programs that we're working on is an accelerated high school program. Three years instead of the traditional four. We did this at the request of the girls that will be attending." "Marcia being one of them?" Jane asked. "Yes. I think for her it is a matter of survival," Liz said. "Are things not going well with her?" Jane asked, concerned. "She is sure that her parents are going to press that she give up her child. At this point, she can't think of doing that. To tell you the truth, her child would be gladly received in this community, but no one here would ever consider suggesting such a thing. It is not their way. Frankly, they would be more accepting of her raising the child than for her giving it up." "So she is ready to do battle with her parents," Patrick added. "Not an easy undertaking. Was it her idea to accelerate her schooling?" "Not at all. The idea sort of evolved, but the seed came from Jill. The doctor is very interested in getting her into medical school." "Oh my!" Jane exclaimed. "So the concept of having all the students follow the same course came as a possibility. We did some initial testing of all the high school bound students, to see where we stood." Patrick had a slight smile on his face as he said, "All of them?" Then he looked at his daughter. Jane caught on and looked startled. "Sarah, you don't want to stay here, do you?" "What do the tests show?" Patrick asked, sidestepping his wife's question. Liz had wanted the question Jane asked, to come up though. "Sarah, your mother is looking for an answer, I believe." "I'll answer that question if I can ask one first." Patrick had to stifle his laughter, thinking how his daughter was twisting things around. "That is fine, as long as I get a good answer," Jane said. "Have you been enjoying being with Dad? This is what you liked, isn't it?" Sarah asked. "It has been so much fun," Jane started with great enthusiasm. "I can't believe how much I missed..." The smile left Jane's face and she turned to her daughter and continued, "Sarah, if you think you are less important than..." Sarah cut her off. "Mom, I'm ready to answer your question." "But I think it's based on..." Jane began to say. "Let her answer," Patrick said, cutting her off. Jane didn't look very happy. "Mom, Dad... this town, these people... Did you ever wonder why Mary would want to come to a small nothing of a town, after graduating from college? I know you think I would be giving up so many things by being here, but this is where I feel at home. I... I don't mean to say home isn't with you... But Mom, you have things that you love to be doing with Dad. That isn't going to stop until November. Why should you suffer, being held at home with me? Don't try and give me the old line, it's my duty. Mom, listen to me. I feel at home, here. I'm not sacrificing anything, being here. You don't have to sacrifice either. Is there something wrong with that?" Jane looked at her husband, hoping for some advice. What she saw was a smile on his face. She couldn't understand, until she noticed the look in his eyes. It was pride. He was proud of his daughter. "I think your father and I have a bit of talking to do about this," Jane said finally. "Now about those test scores," Patrick said in a much more joyful tone than his wife. "I have them over here, let me get them," Liz said, and walked away. "You could have warned us," her mother said. "And spoil the surprise?" Patrick answered. "Jane, we need more information. Sarah has expressed a desire, here, very eloquently I must add. I think we need to look at the options, before making any sort of decision." "Oh. Yes, I suppose so," Jane answered. "Here they are," Liz said as she hurried back. "If you'll look, Sarah scored very high in four of the six subjects, and somewhat high in one of the others." "The last one? What happened with that?" Patrick asked. "That was put in as a sort of test, just to see what we might find," Liz said, not really answering. "I see," Patrick said, now curious to what this might be. "What did you test on, then?" Jane asked outright, not being able to contain herself. "It was on discipline." "Discipline?" Sarah blurted out. "I don't remember any questions about that." "She had a problem with that?" Patrick said in a dead pan. "Dad!" "If we accelerate the schooling," Liz explained without commenting on Sarah's questions, "Those students will need to discipline themselves, to study." "Oh, that sort of discipline," Sarah said, wishing she could now just shrink out of sight. "She wasn't the only one who had problems in this area. In fact, only two were up to speed." "Who?" Sarah wanted to know. Liz smiled. "I can't tell you their names. That wouldn't be right. I can say that being pregnant can focus a person more, as well as looking to be a doctor." "Marcia and Jill!" "So what about the other, unmotivated, students?" Patrick asked. "Dad!" He just smiled. Sarah growled, knowing she'd been had. "I've been in contact with the administrator at my previous school, to come up with some ideas to work on that," Liz stated. Vivian, Tiffany, and Vicki made their presence known. Tiffany and Vicki were waiting in anticipation, to hear a decision. Vivian was clueless about what was going on. Liz changed the subject. "Where did my brother go off to?" ------- William had ridden downtown. He found Richard with Jack, working over some figures from the mine. He told them he wanted to have a talk with them, but later. They said that would be fine, not knowing what it could be about, but figuring it had something to do with the clinic. Finding Patrick was a bit harder. He was off meditating, and that meant several spots had to be checked. It was the third place, just above the spring, where William found him. Typically of Patrick, he wanted to know everything, up front. The doctor, though, was not about to give in. He said that everyone needed to be together for this. As William and Patrick made their way down, they saw me at Millie's house. William came over and told me that the time was right. I went in and told Robin I'd be in a meeting for a bit, and then left with them. We walked to Jack's office. Once inside, William said, "We have a potential problem." "Problem?" Patrick asked, wondering why he was just told now. "It was brought to my attention that some of the women in this town might well be looking for a surrogate male to father a child." Jack closed his eyes and wondered what sort of trouble Cynthia had stirred up now. "The problem that came my way was if a woman wasn't able to find a male, could she become despondent enough to do what some of the men have thought about?" "Cynthia asked that?" Jack said, stunned that his wife had been that sensitive to the thoughts of someone in that position. William tapped his fingers on the table and said, "There is no need to say who brought up the question. I would like to know if this is a possibility. Patrick, I think you would know better than any of us the answer to that." "If pressed for an answer right now, I'd have to say I don't believe so. The problem with that sort of statement is that, if you would have asked me if any of the men would have done so, I would have also said no. It is not within the way we were raised to think. The biggest problem with the five of us is that we are all male. To my understanding, there is a lot we don't know about the female way of thinking." William smiled, Richard and I let out a little laugh. Jack just nodded his head. William said, "Then I think first off, we need to figure out who would be looking for a donor, so we can monitor the situation. All five of us don't need to monitor, but we should know, so that something doesn't go awry." "Good plan," I said. Then looking over to Richard, I added, "Maybe Katherine would be a good go-between person for that job." "We can work on that," William said. "There is another issue that I need to bring up. I feel a bit funny doing so, as in all my years as a doctor, I have never had to speak about this sort of thing." "Oh?" Patrick said, intrigued. "Keith, if a woman from the town asked you to father a child with her, how do you think Robin would react?" William asked. "Mmmm. Probably the same way I might," I responded. "And that would be?" William pressed on. "It wouldn't seem right to do." "Richard, do you think the same?" "Yes, I think so," Richard responded. "Jack, I think you already know I have that answer." "I am a bit surprised they came and saw you," Jack responded, "but they were pretty clear on that issue." "Patrick, you are engaged, although you are having a child with Cheryl. So where does that leave you?" "Taken... by both," he said firmly. "I'm not sure they are very interested in sharing, if that is the question." "Gentlemen, the five of us are the only men that reside in Carp that are viable donors. Frankly, I'm not so sure I'm viable, any longer, and there is no way that any of us in good conscious would consider placing Brian or Jimmy into this mix, " William said getting a confirming nod from everyone. "Each one of you has admitted that you are not available. So what happens to those other women?" It was very quiet as we all thought about that. The burning question in my mind was the town meeting. We announced that we were in essence repopulating the town, but now it looked like that was only for a select group. "Damn," Patrick said, surprising us all with his outburst, "it'd be a lot easier if we were a bunch of cattle." I blinked my eyes and asked, "What?" Patrick let out a little laugh to relive his tension. "When I was in the Central Valley, I heard of the cattle men doing something to make sure the cows get pregnant." "Insemination," William said. "I've heard of that, and if I was a veterinarian I would know more." "So what happens?" Jack asked. "The idea is that they collect semen from the bulls, and inject it into the cow." I laughed, "With what," and then said the first thing that popped into my mind, "a turkey baster?" "Keith, you're not so far off. I'm sure that it could be done. One of the women here in town wanted to know how it could be done, without another man involved. She was concerned about her husband's reaction to having another man be with her, sexually. I'm not sure how the veterinarians are doing it, but my thought was some type of syringe, without the needle attached to the tip," William said. "Patrick, did you ever see it done?" "No. Frankly, the thought at the time seemed a bit strange. If I had known... Well, I would have gone out to see the process." "I don't see what good all that is. What's the use of having a way to get it in, without contact, if we have nothing to put in the syringe?" Jack asked. No one had an answer for that. The idea of the men from Angle City came up, but no one was sure how to find out if they would be candidates. We all left. We had few answers, and some very troublesome questions. ------- "Sarah," Vivian said when the two of them were finally alone, "tell me how you did this?" "Did what?" "Arranged for me to be here. I found out yesterday that I was coming down." Sarah grinned. "Good thing, 'cause I bet you couldn't have kept a secret." "Does Scott know?" "Not unless your mother told him." "No. She wasn't going to, because of that silliness of Mike and Scott not telling me where they were going." "Boy is he in for a big surprise." "It does make me a bit nervous." "Vivian, he's going to be thrilled that you're here!" "That's not what I mean! I know that! It's just..." "What?" "Well, some of the things that go on. He might get the idea..." "That you will want to have sex with him," Sarah finished the idea for her. "Yes." "Do you remember how shocked you were when you found out?" "Yes, but I'm a girl." Sarah snorted. "Yes you are. Do you remember about how I was told, before I even got here? No one does anything without complete consent. You have to say 'yes.' If you didn't, he would be in a world of trouble." "I know." "Then there isn't really a problem." Vivian didn't respond, and Sarah looked at her friends face. "Vivian, what's the problem?" "What if I might want to say yes?" Sarah laughed, thinking about how many times she would have said 'yes' to Keith. Vivian turned crimson. Sarah also knew the complications. "I can guarantee you that Richard and Keith will be talking to Mike and Scott. I'm sure it will be in different rooms, and with a different talk." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Marcia is already pregnant. Mike will probably get the, 'make sure she knows how much you love her' speech, and be told not to just be physical." Vivian blushed, but asked, "Then what about Scott, what will he get told?" "He will get the 'If you really care for her, spend time with her. Make sure you know how she feels. Having sex is great, but it carries a lot of burden. Look at Mike, ' speech." "You really think they will say that?" "In a lot more words, and better than I did, but yes. I have heard parts of it before. Vivian, you don't want to become pregnant." "You did? Why were you told?" Sarah flushed, but thought of a situation she could talk about, "It wasn't directed at me... Pamela and Jimmy." Vivian smiled, "Yes, I can see that happening." "Good, so don't worry about that sort of thing. You just need to make sure you have some smelling salts ready, as he's probably going to faint when he sees you," Sarah needled her friend. Vivian laughed, but was still worried about how Scott would react. ------- "Mom! Everything is packed." Scott said. "I just wanted to make sure." "What kind of Boy Scout would I be if I wasn't 'prepared' for the trip?" Scott's mother raised her eyebrows. "I do remember. It was just two days ago, that you had missed something on your list, young man." Scott groaned. "Are you finished, then?" "Yes," she said, rather pleased that everything was ready. "This is your first big trip. I just want to make sure everything is fine." "Mike should be here any minute." "I talked to his mother this morning. We are going to take the two of you down to the train station." Panic set in. Scott could see all the planning falling apart at the last moment. It would be disastrous. "But don't you have your church volunteer kitchen duty for the hobos?" "Scott, they are unfortunate souls who don't have a home or warm meals. You should think of volunteering sometime, just to see what it is like. But to answer your question, some people have dropped out of the program and we are shorthanded. I don't go in until later today, and then I'll work there all day tomorrow." "Oh," was all Scott could think to say. Normally he might have known all about this sort of thing, but his mind had been somewhere else, lately. "Let's get your pack in the car, so we're ready to leave. Your father said it would take fifteen minutes to get to the station." Scott was fretting the entire way there, and it showed. His mother had to repeat herself twice, and was becoming frustrated. "I know you think you're a big boy now. But, Scott, this is the first time I will be sending you away to do something like this. Don't ruin this for me." "I'm sorry, Mom." Mike was already at the station, along with his mother. The two boys looked at each other with pained expressions. This was not part of the plan. James showed up with only three minutes to spare. The train could be heard coming into the station. "This is your leader?" Mike's mother asked. "What took you so long?" Mike asked. "You won't believe this, but Dave and John were on a bike ride last evening. They found what they thought looked like a great jump for their bikes. Dave went first. Talk about 'the Boy Scout motto' going right out the window. They didn't bother to see what they would be landing on. It looked green and that's all they were concerned with. When Dave landed, he realized the mistake." "What happened?" Mike's mother asked. "He had landed in poison ivy, and had fallen right into the mess of it. John is highly allergic to the stuff, so as soon as Dave told him what it was, he took off on his bike." "Leaving his friend there?" Scott's mother asked, horrified. "He went to get help. There wasn't any way for John to help. Poor John was in such a rush that he hit the stairs of Dave's house so hard, that he flew right over the handlebars. He ended up spraining his ankle in the process. I was on the telephone all morning long. Those two can't come with us on our trip, so it is just the three of us." "Oh, the poor dears!" Scott's mother said. It was all Scott and Mike could do, not to laugh. There was no one named Dave or John, but the story sounded very convincing. "Let's get the tickets, and get our packs on board," James said. James went up to the window and paid. He had all the fund-raising money. Then he handed the boys their tickets. Mike's mother snatched it out of Mike's hand. "Now I get to see where you're going," she said with a laugh. "Mom!" Mike said. He tried to get it back, finally succeeding as the whistle blew. The boys grabbed their packs, and all five of them hurried over to the train. The packs safely secured, the scouts stepped onto the train. They had to grab hold, as it took its first jerk only a moment later. "Did you see where the boys are going?" Mike's mother smiled, saying, "Yes, I did. I remember something about the place, but can't place it." "What's the name of the town?" "Carp." ------- Chapter 113 Scott's mother, Janet, opened her mouth, but nothing would come out. Looking at the pain on Janet's face, Mike's mother said, "It is hard to see them grow up and do things on there own, isn't it? We're just glad he's gotten on with his life," and then added, "without her." That said enough to Janet. The unsaid, "We're glad that Marcia is out of his life," was almost too much. Scott knew where Marcia went. Mike must have as well, but his mother obviously didn't. This was planned. What hadn't been planned was Vivian. Scott didn't even know. Marcia was a nice girl. The way Mike's mother had just spoken, Janet wasn't going to say a word to her about this deception. She sighed, looked at her watch, and said something about having to go work at 'The Open Table.' "That is so good of you. I just don't seem to be able to find the time to do anything like that. I'm glad someone is helping those poor unfortunate souls." Janet couldn't get away from that woman fast enough. Mike had been over to the house many times, recently. He didn't share the 'attitude' Janet felt radiating from his mother. Getting into her car, Janet drove away. She didn't make it two blocks before she had to pull over and cry. Her baby was growing up. If Mike and her son planned something like this, so that Mike could see Marcia, what would happen down there? She wouldn't have worried, except Vivian was also there, now. What was she going to do? ------- "That was close," James said, watching the last view of the station, as the train pulled around a turn. "I was here early. I saw both of your moms show up with you two. It took me all that time to come up with that story. I knew your moms would never fall for the 'only three in a scout troop' business." "That was a heck of a story, how'd you think of it?" Mike asked. "Never mind," James said, knowing full well he'd pulled it from his past. "Do you think your mom saw where we were going?" Scott asked solemnly. "Doesn't make any difference," Mike said jubilantly. "She doesn't know where Marcia is." "My mom does," Scott said. "And they'll talk," James said. "This could get messy if that happens." "What you gentlemen lookin' so down about," came a booming voice from behind them. "You s'posed to be smilin', bein' on the train and all." "Just a bit worried about something, that's all," James said to the very large man. "Now where's you off to? You's a part of that Scout thing, am I right?" "We're taking a field trip," Scott answered. "To Carp." "Carp! Some of my favorite ladies gone there." "You know Vivian!" Scott said, recognizing the man now. He'd helped Vivian off the train when she came back from Carp. The man smiled as big as day, saying, "Yes'r, I do." "I'm her boyfriend." "You be takin' care of that lady, you hear. She's good as gold." "I know." "Do you know Marcia?" Mike asked with a slight quiver in his voice. The large man looked Mike up and down before he answered. "Are you the one she was crying about?" Mike looked like he'd been hit in the stomach, complete with tears starting to form in his eyes. The imposing man knew this boy was all right. "She done got you in her heart, I hope you knows that. If I's remember, you two cain't see one t'other." "They're not supposed to," James answered for Mike. "This whole trip was 'made up, ' so we could get them together." The big man laughed and gave Mike a slap on the back that made Mike's eyes get big. "You's got friends like that, ain't noth'n goin' to go bad. I coulds tell Marcia's love, like she be feelin', was powerful. Don' you be worrin' none. I's be back, after I make my rounds." ------- "Keith?" Robin asked. "Hmmm?" "How are we going to keep Patrick and Jane from seeing Scott? After they brought down Vivian, and they know those two are boyfriend girlfriend, they are going to feel responsible." I put my hand to my chin to think for a minute. "Didn't Richard say the boys were going to be down here earning badges?" "Well that was what the letter said, but do you think that was for real? We all know the real reason is to get Mike down here to see Marcia." "And Scott has no idea Vivian is here?" "That's right, but what has that got to do with anything?" "Just thinking out loud. It probably doesn't mean anything. If Vivian didn't know Scott was arriving, it would be fine, but she does. I think it would be a cold day in hell, if we could keep her from being at the train station." Robin giggled and said, "I think you're right. From what Sarah's told me..." "Back to the badges. Whether they were planning on doing things or not, I know two boys here, who expect to do things as a Boy Scout Troop. Mike and Scott came up with this plan. Would Katy let Jimmy get out of doing what he'd said he was going to do?" "No. She'd tell him he'd made an obligation and needed to fulfill it," Robin said. She looked at me and asked, "You have some reason for this, what is it?" "I was thinking that the boys might need to go on a camping trip to complete some badge work." Robin swallowed, and looked a little startled. "You mean send Brian, Jimmy, Mike and Scott out with Marcia and Vivian?" I shook my head and answered her, "No. I wouldn't 'send them out' with Marcia and Vivian... But, if those two happened to go out and find the boys..." "That's a very evil grin, Sir." "Sir?" Robin laughed and kissed me. "You know there are two other people who have to go with them." "There are?" "The Troop leaders," I said, and laughed. "Richard will love you for that." "Richard? I'm more worried about Katy." Robin laughed and told me that I should be. ------- Being 'stuck' in Riverside was not what Beth Ann's parents had expected. Thankfully, it had been only for an extra day. They certainly understood about keeping things 'looking right' for the outside world to see. Including their sister-in-law in their now extended family had been a trick in itself. The small community had ears and eyes. Now with all threats gone, there was a gossip mill that was endless. Fortunately for them, Wilma had been a staple in the house throughout George's trial. Now she was the bookkeeper for the business. George had even used the 'gossip train, ' to make sure everyone 'thought the right way.' Part of what was leaked out was true. Wilma was not ever going back to that house where her dead husband had raped Beth Ann. The bookkeeping job at the service station, along with Beth Ann moving out of the house, made the opening easy for all to accept. Wilma was now a permanent household fixture. George, Beatrice, and Wilma understood that complications had unexpectedly arisen. With them being on the road, there was no way to communicate that, until they had called. Yesterday they had spent part of the time wandering the downtown. In the evening they had gone to the historic 'Fox Theater.' There they learned in their wanderings, just ten years earlier, the theater had been the site to premier 'Gone with the Wind.' Riverside was pleasant, though on the warm side. They were a bit antsy to get to Carp. If George had his way, he would have had his two ladies out of bed at the crack of dawn, and would have driven to Carp before breakfast. At least, that's what he'd thought. He didn't have his way about it, though, and they had decided to wait until ten thirty before heading out. At the service station, the man looked at him, surprised. "You're going where?" "To Carp, it's in Nevada. "I know where it is. I've read all about the place in the paper," the service attendant said, a bit miffed. Then he added, "You know, to get there you're going across part of the Mojave Desert... in the summer." George had lived most of his life on the coast. The little he knew of deserts, he had learned from books. He got out of the car, wanting a more private conversation with this man. He didn't want to look naive in front of the ladies. Walking into the station with the attendant, he started asking questions. It was ten minutes, two quarts of oil later, that he promised to head down the street to the mercantile store for an ice chest, and a water jug. Then they would be off to the ice factory on the opposite side of town to fill up the chest. George had been filled with visions of the wrath of God. He fully expected to see skeletons along side the road while they traveled. At least the ice factory was something to which George could relate. With fishing out on the bay where he lived, ice was a common commodity. So when the man asked him cube, block, or cracked, George knew just what he was talking about. "Cracked," George replied. The man eyed the chest and asked. "One block?" "Just using it for ice. You think two will fit?" The man just smiled and nodded. "Then two. I don't want to run out." Grabbing two wooden handled ice hooks that were on the wall, the man walked into the cooler. George got only a glimpse of the slightly different design than the hooks he was used to seeing. These had a central handle and a cantilever design that brought the tongs together. Coming out just moments later, he was quite a sight. A cloud of cold fog swirled behind the ice man. He walked towards them, one block held neatly in place by the hook in each hand. George opened the insulated steel cooler. The man set the first block in, and then placed the second on top of it. A gentle push slid the block over, and it dropped into place, filling the chest. Wilma and Beatrice, watching all of this, were a bit surprised when the man pulled out a very scary looking ice pick from a leather sheath he wore at his waist. The women couldn't count the number of stabs the man made, but the results were amazing. The solid blocks had been turned into chunks and slivers. They left Riverside almost an hour and a half later than expected. Wilma and Beatrice were starting to get hungry, but after the way George had been acting neither one wanted to say a word. It was early afternoon when they stopped in Barstow for lunch. They hadn't seen skeletons, but a dust storm had made them pull off the road for almost twenty minutes. The oil sat in the trunk, thankfully unused. When they stopped and opened the car door they were hit with a blast of heat. It felt like they were in an oven, even though it was hot enough while driving standing still was miserable. It would probably have been worse if they had been in one of those fancy cars George had seen at his service station, with the 'air conditioning.' They would have been hit with an even more drastic change. At 110 degrees, it was more than miserable to those who lived on the temperate and humid coast. Eating a quick lunch at a roadside diner, George looked at the map on the wall, on their way out. Seeing how much road they had covered, and how far they needed to go, it was obvious that they would make it to Las Vegas for the night. Then, as George had wanted to do this morning, they would get up early and drive. As soon as they got back to the car, they realized their mistake. The windows had been left rolled up. Opening the doors let the stifling heat out, but the change seemed almost unperceivable. George got in and cursed as soon as he touched the steering wheel. "Here, Dear," Beatrice said, taking a piece of ice out of the cooler in the back seat and rubbing it on the wheel. "This should cool it off for you." The ice quickly melted, leaving a puddle of water on the floor. Wilma climbed into the front and as soon as she sat, she screamed. The vinyl felt like it had just burnt the skin behind her knees right off. She jumped out of the car. "Maybe we need some ice there too," Beatrice said. "Just get into the back seat, the sun wasn't shining there," George said. "As soon as we get going, things will get better." Beatrice climbed into the side she had gotten the ice from. Wilma got in on the other side. The ice chest was now between them. George stopped and filled the gas tank, and they were on their way. Between Riverside and Barstow they had seen one car about every ten minutes or so. Now heading out towards Las Vegas, cars were farther apart. By three o'clock it was sweltering, even going fifty miles an hour, with the windows down. Beatrice opened the ice chest and pulled a large piece of ice out. It had melted from its original shape. Now it was long, tapered, and smooth. She didn't realize what it looked like, or what it looked like she was doing, as she put it into her mouth. Wilma had her mouth hanging open, looking at what Beatrice had just done. She immediately opened the ice chest and searched, pulling out a piece of a similar shape. Unlike Bernice, she knew just what she was doing. She'd seen George looking at her in the rear view mirror. George had been looking in the rear view mirror. It was not because there were any cars on the road to watch out for, as he hadn't seen a single one in the past ten minutes. He was glancing at Wilma, who was in the right hand view of that mirror. It was the perspiration. Somehow it made her look even more desirable than normal. As he looked back this time, his eyes were glued. She had this long, round, icicle and she was sliding it in and out of her mouth. George's mouth went dry. She was looking right into his eyes, that is when he glanced up from her mouth. "George!" Beatrice's word made him jump his eyes back to the road. He pulled at the wheel, realizing he was completely in the oncoming lane. Luckily, there was not a car in sight. "Do we need to stop?" Beatrice asked, concerned. "I was just..." George started to say and got interrupted. "It was my fault, Beatrice." "Yours? Now how could it be yours?" "He was looking at me in the rear view mirror," Wilma said, a slight blush covering her face. Beatrice raised her eyebrows and had a little smile on her face. She cocked her head sideways, letting Wilma know she expected to hear more of an explanation. "After seeing you with that piece of ice, I just..." and Wilma showed Beatrice just what she did. "It's no wonder he almost drove us off the road!" "Well, I got the idea from you," Wilma said, defending herself. Beatrice was laughing now and said, "Hussy!" then flung the water that had gathered in her hand from the melting icicle, onto Wilma. "Me?" Wilma retaliated, with ice-cold water she had on her own fingers. This went back and forth a few times, until George said, "Hey, you two, you're getting me wet." Wilma and Beatrice looked at each other and started to laugh. They opened the ice chest and grabbed some small pieces. George knew something was up, but was a bit unprepared to have hands reach in front of him, on both sides, and slip ice down the front of his shirt. "Aaaaa!" George yelled. Pulling the car over to the side of the road, he got out. He opened his door with an evil smile on his face. He was going to show those ladies a thing or two. Yanking open the back drivers side door, he was met with a sight that stopped him in his tracks. Beatrice and Wilma, in their teasing and taunting of each other while spraying ice water back and forth, had unbuttoned their blouses. The water had made Beatrice's lacy bra almost transparent. The coolness had made her nipples stand up. George just stared. He didn't feel the blistering heat rising from the asphalt. He did feel something else rising, though. Both women saw it, too. Wilma said to her sister, "Look, Beatrice! Poor George is over heated. He's starting to swell," and then she burst out in laughter. Beatrice tried to not laugh, but she smiled at her husband. It made her feel very good she could still cause such a reaction in him. Quickly putting her head out of the car, she looking down the road and then asked him, "Like what you see?" Then she proceeded to take the rest of her blouse off. Her bra came next. Wilma quickly pulled a long piece of ice from the ice chest. With a mischievous smile, she slid the phallic shaped ice between Beatrice's breasts. Her startled sister jumped but then put on a satisfied look as a trickle of water ran down her belly. "Lord Almighty!" George said. Wilma got Beatrice to take hold of the ice. She opened her door and got out, pulling the ice chest along with her. After setting it onto the ground, she opened up the front door and put the ice chest onto the front seat. It was heavy, but she managed. Then going back to the rear seat, she got in, just far enough to take hold of Beatrice and pull her backwards. Now Beatrice was lying down on the back seat, using the ice to toy with her nipples. Wilma walked around to the other side of the car to where George was still mesmerized. Wilma almost laughed again, looking at his hunger. Instead she reached in, flipped up Beatrice's skirt, and then pulled down the woman's panties. Beatrice helped with the process, knowing it was driving her husband crazy. With the panties off, Wilma stepped out. She rubbed the hard lump in George's pants. Then she decided to take matters 'into her own hands, ' as it appeared that he was in a trance. George didn't even seem like he knew she was undoing his trousers. When they dropped to the ground, he didn't move. His boxers were next to come down. Slapping George on his fully exposed rear startled him. "Get in back and take care of your wife. I'm diving," Wilma said. George looked down and realized his dick was out for all the world to see. He glanced back and forth, realizing he hadn't seen or heard a car in some time. Soon, one would be along. He also heard the car door shut and engine start. Wilma looked back in the side mirror and saw George still standing there. She put the car in gear and very slowly started moving. That caught George's attention. He moved, tripping over his pants. He ended up diving headfirst into the car. Beatrice laughed with delight. George pulled the door closed, and grumbled. Then he gave a startled intake of breath. "Your hands are cold!" he said. "Here, put that someplace warm then," Beatrice replied. Wilma smiled as she heard Beatrice's sigh of pleasure. ------- "Don't you give me, 'I had a meeting.'" William looked at his wife. She was standing by the edge of the hotel room bed with her hands on her hips. She continued, "The mine has meetings and I can't remember the last time you went to one. You have a way of needing to fly someplace when you get wind of such a thing. So where were you?" William sighed. She was right. He wasn't going to get out of this alive, if he didn't cough up the truth. "I was at a meeting. I even called it." She looked skeptically at him. "Jack, Keith, Richard, Patrick, and I were all there." He could see her mind working. She was smart. It was one of the things he had always loved about her. 'If it had just been Jack, Keith, and Richard, the mine. Jack and Patrick, the town. The five of them... ' "The only five fertile men in town," She said. She looked at his reaction to her statement and knew she was right. "What happened?" "You can't say a word." She rolled her eyes, but didn't reply. He thought about how silly those words were. She'd heard things all her life that she couldn't talk about. "There are some women who want children and all of the eligible men have been told that one way or another, they are off the donor list. Cynthia came out to see me, which prompted the meeting. As someone who couldn't have children, she knows that pain. She was concerned. Given the fact one of the men killed himself, then maybe one of the women might think that way, also." "So what did you five decide?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. "Not much of anything. It's easy enough to get the woman pregnant without having to... well... you know." She chortled, and said as innocently as she could, "No, doctor, I have no idea. Please explain it to me." "Oh, I'll explain it," he answered, placing one hand around her, while the other one found her breast. She had no idea what had gotten into him, but as he slipped her clothes off, and then laid her back onto the bed, she wasn't about to complain. Much to her amusement, he did explain it to her. She liked it best when he pretended his dick was a syringe, and would fill her up. "You're not going to be moving the syringe back and forth like this, are you?" she panted. "No. Just in one time, and then it goes off." "This is much more fun. I wouldn't like it if you went off that fast." William couldn't help but laugh. ------- I had cornered Sarah and made her take a walk with me. Not that it was hard to do. She would have probably gone anywhere with me. What she didn't expect was when we ended up on the other side of the stable Mary was waiting for us. Sarah looked at me disappointedly. "I have to get the two of you to do something for me." "What?" they both asked at the same time. "The train will be arriving in..." I looked at my watch, "about an hour. We need your parents to be someplace that is nowhere near that train." "You don't want them to see the boys arrive," Sarah said grinning. "I don't want to have them see Vivian and Scott together in the same place. They did bring her down here. I think you had something to do with that." "Oh! I guess that wouldn't be so good," Sarah said, realizing how her parents might react to that. Mary got this little smile on her face and I knew something was up. "I need your keys, then," Mary said. "Oh?" "They've seen the spring, the mine, just about everyplace around here," she said. Then she grinned and added, "Even the pool." I shook my head, trying to act upset. I don't think it worked. "They haven't been to Angle City." Sarah and I looked at each other, wondering why they would want to. "Sometimes," Mary chided, "Dad is fascinated by all kinds of strange things. He will be interested in seeing the old mine that isn't functioning any more." "And his wife?" "Will go along. She always has." I looked at Sarah. She was deep in thought over this, I could tell. Then she started nodding her head. "So the four of you will take a little trip? That should be good." "We'll be back for dinner. What are you going to do with them?" Mary asked. "We have plans. They won't be around." "They won't?" Sarah asked, surprised. "I'm sure Marcia and Vivian will whisper to you about it at dinner. Just don't choke on your food." She looked at me a bit perturbed, but then said, "This is going to cost you." "Oh, really?" "Yes! And I want a very good kiss, as a down payment." I looked at Mary who didn't seem surprised by the request. "If I must." I know I shouldn't have led her on, but she asked for it. "Keith, she asked for a good kiss," Mary said, breaking us apart a few moments later, "not one that she'd have to change her undies from." Sarah turned crimson from what her sister had said. I couldn't help but let out a little laugh, but that was cut short, when Mary demanded a kiss too. ------- The train arrived on schedule. That is all I can say about 'being on schedule.' Trying to get Marcia and Vivian out of the bathroom was something I left to Robin. Sarah would have been more persuasive, possibly; but she was with her sister taking their parents down to see Angle City. Katy was driving Jimmy crazy, getting his scout uniform 'just right.' She had done the same thing to her 'big' boy, too. Luckily, we arrived before the train, but not by much. The only other person at the station was Jim. He was waiting for the mail to arrive. Richard and I chatted with him for a minute before we heard the whistle blow. We knew that meant the train was almost to the bridge, and we would see it moments later. Marcia let out a little scream of excitement as soon as she saw Mike's head poked outside of the train window, looking at us. As he got closer, close enough to actually make out faces, his eyes just about popped out of their sockets. He disappeared, and then Scott had his head out and was looking at Vivian. That lasted only seconds, as the train was pulling to a stop. Normally when a person or two got off, the train might have almost stopped, just slowing enough to get secure footing, and the bags dumped before it pulled away. This time the train was at a full stop. Three men were getting off to open a rail car, two cars back from the passenger section. Predictably, Mike was first off. He ran to Marcia and then stopped, hesitant, as he didn't want to hurt her. She didn't wait, and pulled him into a tight embrace, and then both started crying. Scott looked stunned as he walked over to Vivian. Two others got off the train. The Scout Leader was dressed the same as Richard. Last was a large black man who was unmistakably dressed in the Pacific Rail uniform. I could just make out his nametag, Homer. I remembered seeing him before. Richard, Robin, and I made our way around the two couples and over to the men. Jimmy and Brian, excited about the Scouts arriving, tagged along with us. Putting out his hand, the young man (maybe all of twenty), said, "I'm James." "Look there. True love, if'n there ever be any," we heard the large man say. "Now what's gott'n into the other one?" James looked at the Scott and Vivian. They were just looking at each other. He laughed, and said, "Scott didn't know she was going to be here. She left on a trip that came up all of a sudden. They didn't get a chance to say goodbye to each other. Now he finds out she's here." Conversation on our part stopped and we listened as Scott and Vivian talked. Mike and Marcia were whispering and holding each other tightly. "Why didn't you tell me?" Scott asked. "I didn't know I was coming here," Vivian said defensively, "and I tried. You told your mom you were going to a Scout meeting! Scout meeting my foot, what were you doing? I was so frustrated! I couldn't talk to you!" "We were..." Scott looked over to James. James picked up the conversation, "I had to pick up something. You know, Scouts have to 'be prepared.'" I think my face turned red at that point. I knew that Scott had been out with James, picking up condoms for me. I didn't know this caused Vivian not to be able to talk to Scott. Vivian was getting upset. Part of her fears about her, Carp, and Scott being all in the same place at the same time went into overload. "I thought you would be happy to see me," Vivian said, and started to cry. Scott looked around not knowing what to do. Vivian's outburst caused Mike and Marcia to come up for air and they looked at the two, wondering what was going on. Robin took hold of Scott and Vivian's arms and led them off the platform. "Oh," Jimmy shuddered, "did you see the look in my sister's eyes? I feel sorry for those two." The large man couldn't contain his laughter. Then he looked down at Jimmy and said, "You get that talk'n to from her, I reckon." Jimmy nodded. "More than once." "Jimmy!" I said. He grinned, and then added, "She's the best sister I have." Richard poked Jimmy in the side. "The only one, as well." "Them's be in good hands. My sister was good as gold. I be tellin' these boys that these ladies best be takin' care of. Looks like they be." I turned and looked at the man, as he was making his way back onto the train. "Homer," I called to him, "I have heard them talk about you. I don't know if you know it, but what you said to them made a difference." He looked at me and I got the impression that it was very hard for him to believe my words. There was a conflict as well, as he could understand there was no reason for me to say that if it wasn't the truth. As the train pulled away, we noticed Jim standing by three wooden crates. He also had the mailbag in his hand. "Keith, you want to get these now, or come back for them?" "Who are they for?" I asked, knowing I wasn't expecting anything. "They're addressed to Mrs. Beth Ann..." he looked up at me from reading the label and finished, "Patterson. I didn't think that was her last name." Before I could answer, Robin, Vivian and Scott arrived. I noticed right off the bat, that Vivian and Scott were holding hands. "They want to know what is going on," Robin said. "Going on?" Mike asked, noting Scott's expression. I turned back and addressed Jim. "We'll take care of those, later. Richard and I will come down and pick them up." Then, turning back to the two young couples who were waiting to hear something, I said, "There is a bit of a complication. The McCarran's brought Vivian down, and they are still here." Scott looked like he was ready to pass out. "First my mother, and now this!" he said. "Your mother?" Vivian asked. "I think she saw where we were going," Scott replied. "We can worry about the unknown, later," I said knowing it would be very easy to be sidetracked. "The McCarran's are leaving tomorrow, so..." "We get to go camping!" Jimmy said, jumping into the conversation. ------- "You're letting us go out to the house?" Cynthia said with a slight pout to her husband. "I know you didn't say it, but you've been keeping us away from there the last few days. I bet it's just about done. I wanted to make sure it was clean before the furniture arrived." "Sometimes, you're a little too smart for your own britches," Jack said as he turned the Jeep around in the street, heading out to their newly built place. He caught Rebecca's little smile, and thought about what he'd just said. "Did you get something new that you haven't shown me yet?" "Just a little... sample... for the store. They came in the mail, today. I thought it would be best to give it a trial run," Cynthia replied with a smile on her face. Jack smiled back, wondering what she had on under her dress, and if Rebecca matched. It did cause him to step harder on the gas. As Jack pulled up to their new house, Cynthia and Rebecca looked for anything new. There was no landscaping, but no house in Carp had landscaping. Something Cynthia thought should change. As soon as they opened the door, the change was impossible to miss. "Jack! The furniture! How did it get here? Is it all here?" Cynthia rattled off. She didn't wait for an answer, as she took Rebecca's hand and pulled her from room to room. Jack walked behind, smiling. It had taken a lot of finagling to get those two out of the way, when the train and the people arrived to move all of their things to the house. He had split it into two loads, so it could be moved without too much going on at the same time. The planning Rebecca had done, marking the boxes that had been in storage helped tremendously. It also kept prying eyes from opening boxes that where destined for their 'play' room. Now seeing the look on their faces, Jack knew his efforts were well spent. The last place they walked into was the master bedroom. There was a shriek of disbelief and Jack smiled to himself. Larry had pulled off a miracle with this room. No one but the two of them had known about it, until now. As soon as Jack stepped in, Cynthia and Rebecca, who had whispered to each other all along the tour, took Jack and pulled him to the bed. This was not the standard double, as they had in the hotel, and it wasn't mattresses on the floor as Keith and Richard had resorted to. This was a custom made bed. Cynthia and Rebecca were curious about its construction; but before they investigated that, they wanted to try it out. The two women had his shoes and shirt off, and were working on his pants when there was a knock on the front door. Cynthia and Rebecca looked at each other, then to Jack. None of them could remember if they had closed the front door. "I'll get it," Cynthia said, not very pleased about being interrupted. She at least still had her blouse on. She stopped at the doorframe, and turned back to tell them to wait for her. Rebecca had Jack's pants down to the floor, his dick was poking though the fly on his boxers, and it looked like Rebecca's mouth was ready to engulf it. Cynthia sighed, and heard a second knock. Turning to the hallway she walked briskly to the door. Whoever it was, was going to be sent away very quickly. She didn't expect the doctor's wife at the door, nor did she expect her to walk in, without being invited. As Thelma sat down on the couch, Cynthia heard a slight high-pitched noise filtering down the hall. "I know this might be a bad time," the woman said, as she looked in the direction the sound was coming from. "I will be quick about it, but we need to talk." "Talk?" Cynthia asked, totally confused. The sound from the hallway got a bit louder just then. Thelma didn't act like she heard it, although Cynthia knew there was no way in hell she couldn't and cursed to herself. Something wasn't right. Thelma seemed to take the furniture in stride, as though she'd been in the house before, and there was another unmistakable sound. "You talked with William this morning." "Yes..." "Did you know he had a meeting with all the eligible donors in town?" "No. He told me that he had questions, but that as I wasn't directly involved and that I probably wouldn't hear anything more about it. It was frustrating, but I understood about his need to keep things private." "That is very commendable Cynthia, but there is something that does involve us women, I think. The men had their meeting, and I think it is high time we had ours as well." "Meeting? What for?" "To talk about what the men are deciding. You don't think they should get to make decisions without our telling them what to do, do you?" Thelma said straight-faced. Cynthia couldn't tell if she was supposed to be serious, or if she should laugh. As soon as she saw the twinkle in Thelma's eye, Cynthia couldn't keep a straight face. "I think you're right. We do need to let them know what they should think." It was painfully obvious that the voice bouncing down the hallway was Rebecca and that she was near an orgasm. Standing Thelma said, "Shall we see you at seven? We can meet in front of the school. Now I should leave. You have things to do, I believe." Cynthia was stunned, as Thelma walked to the front door and left. Rebecca's cry made her come back to the present, and she ran down the hallway and into the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothing along the way. ------- It was lucky for Thelma that she knew exactly where to find her husband. William was looking at the site where the new clinic was being built. She would have liked to find him alone; but Jim was there, and the two were talking when she arrived. William looked at his wife, still on her horse and said to Jim, "It looks like my wife is expecting me. Something has probably come up." "Go on, then. We can talk later. If I needed you for something, I wouldn't want you chatting idly, while I was bleeding!" Jim said with a laugh. "Some people just don't know when to get hurt," William joked back. "When we have the clinic, they'll be coming to you," Jim said as William was walking away. "What sort of problem do I have, now?" William asked his wife. "One only you can take care of. But I think you need to hear about this in private. Let's go back to the hotel, so I can tell you." William took the reins, and walked the horse down to the next block, Main Street. He tied the horse up, as Thelma dismounted. Neither one had said a word to the other and they continued their silence until they were in their room, and the door was closed. "What's this about?" William asked, curious about his wife's statements. He wasn't prepared for her pushing him back onto the bed and then pawing at his pants, trying to get them open. She had, in a matter of moments from the door closing, turned from the doctor's 'proper wife, ' into a 'possessed woman.' Taking control of her hands, mainly for self-preservation, he asked, "What's gotten into you?" "I was out at Cynthia's," she said breathlessly. "Rebecca..." William chuckled. He had heard some rather interesting things, so he offered, "Was she noisy?" "Yes! And I was in the front room of the house!" "Where were they?" "In the back, I think. Did you know they have the furniture in the house, already?" "I did hear about it arriving. Jack was surprising them. How did it look?" "I don't know. I could hardly think straight." "The noise got to you, did it?" "Bill, get undressed. I'll show you just how much." ------- "How come Jill gets to take them out to their camping spot?" Marcia said. "I haven't even seen him for an hour, and you're making him leave!" "Marcia, Vivian! You two come with me. Now," I said. Robin, Katy, Mary, Tiffany, Liz, Richard, Katherine, and I had talked about this. We knew what the girls' reactions were going to be, and how I had to handle it. They were startled, to say the least, at how I had told them what to do. They did follow me, as I walked out the back door and across the yard to the bench. "Now sit. Let's talk about this, for a moment or two." Marcia and Vivian looked at me, none to happy, but they sat. "Mary and Sarah will be back with their parents at any time now. If you think it this makes you unhappy, just think what it would be like if the McCarran's saw Mike and Scott here? Vivian, you would be going home with them, and Marcia, I think we would have a lot of talking to do, to not get Jane to tell Mike's parents about this." "But it isn't fair," Marcia said unhappily. "Oh but it is," I said getting a surprised reaction from both girls. "Do you think this camping trip was thought of after the boys arrived?" Marcia and Vivian looked at each other, but neither ventured an opinion. "This was well planned, even down to the person who will know just exactly where the boys will be camping," I said. I let that sink in for a bit, and I could see smiles start to show on the girls' faces. "Jill knows this area very well, doesn't she," Vivian ventured. "Yes, she does," I replied. "Even when it starts getting dark, such as after the McCarran's go back to the hotel?" Marcia questioned. "I think she does. Maybe it is time we get back inside, so you can help them get on their way. They do need to set up camp." The two didn't wait. Rushing past me, they were inside before I was half way to the house. ------- It wasn't more than twenty minutes after Jill left that Patrick, Jane, Mary, and Sarah arrived at the mansion. We already had plans of having them to dinner and had made sure the table had already been set. It was done, on Mary and Sarah's instructions, so they had no way out. The other desired effect that Mary had worried about was that Jane couldn't see that we didn't want them around, as she might have thought with the impromptu trip to Angle City. Most of the dinner conversation was centered around their trip, which of course led to many side conversations, such as the new mine, and how its operation had saved Angle City from disappearing. Dora was a bus driver for the mine and would also be one for the school. They discussed the school and how many children would be attending, and the clinic and how soon it would be open. There were several subjects that were not talked about. I think several noticed that the McCarran's purposely avoided them. Marcia was one of them. Katherine and her children living here was another one. The only touchy subject that did get brought up, and I think that was simply because of the trip, was Annabelle and Julie. Sarah and Mary had obviously said a few things about what had happened with those two during their trip. Patrick and Jane's comments about how hard things must have been, and how wonderful it was to be included into a large family group, surprised their daughters. "You looked surprised," Patrick said to Sarah. "You do realize that I was cooped up with them on the base, for days, don't you? I know just how they take care of each other. They took care of Mary during that time. It's part of why it's ok with us to have you down here." Sarah looked at her sister and then tensed up. Her expression might have given away more than any one of us wanted. Mary knew this better than anyone, and had pinched Sarah under the table, hard. It stopped her expression of disbelief, and changed it to one of anger. "Sarah, we know Mary is your big sister and is looking out for you," Jane added, seeing the two look at each other, "but we know that being in a group like this can have influences on you. Your father has spent enough time to know that we have nothing to worry about." Kenneth was getting antsy, and the last thing Katherine wanted was for him to say a word about the Boy Scouts. When she stood up to take him out of the house, it broke up the dinner setting. Mary was pulling Jane over to the music room, trying to talk Kristin into playing the piano. Patrick took my arm and said, "Why don't we take a walk?" I nodded, knowing it wasn't really a request. Robin caught my glance as Patrick and I walked out the front door. He continued, off the porch, down the steps, and out the front gate. When we had gone about a hundred feet from the house, Patrick stopped and looked back at the house. "So what was the real reason for having Mary and Sarah take us on the trip today?" So much for pulling one over on him. ------- George, Beatrice, and Wilma stared as they drove onto 'the strip.' They could hardly believe the city limit sign that said there were over twenty thousand people in Las Vegas. "Look at this! Way out here in the middle of the desert... all these people," George said. "It's because gambling is legal, here," Wilma stated as though she knew more about this than she was prepared to let on. "Look at the hotels," Beatrice said, changing the subject. She read the sign as George drove by. "There's the Last Frontier, and it's three stories tall!" "Look at that," Wilma said in awe. "It has fifty rooms!" Beatrice continued reading as they went by the others. "El Cortez, Flamingo, El Rancho Vegas. George, let's stop at that one. It's a motel, so we can park outside our room." "El Rancho... Vegas?" he asked, reading the sign. "Yes, doesn't it look exciting?" Beatrice exclaimed. "They all have pools, too. I wish I had brought my swimming suit. Who knew it would be this hot," Wilma added "The Flamingo looked exciting," George said, and got dirty looks from both women. "El Rancho it is." Wilma laughed and said, "He listens, doesn't he?" Beatrice didn't get egged on. She was already on a different train of thought. As George pulled up, she said, "It does remind you of the trip, doesn't it? Almost like you're out in the middle of nowhere. Things can happen when it seems like no one is around." George stopped the car in front of the lobby. He was sure, or hoped, that his wife was talking about when Wilma ended up driving, while he was in the back seat. "This time, I don't have to drive," Wilma said, confirming George's hope. Beatrice batted at Wilma. "Get down. We don't want them to see you." Then she turned to George and continued in a sweet voice, "Dear? Do get just one room." George got out of the car. Though Beatrice could see, the car door was hiding him, he thought, as he adjusted himself. He just hoped the bulge in his pants wouldn't show too much, before he got up to the check-in desk. It didn't take long before George got back into the car and drove around to the side, and parked. "Here we are, ladies," he said. "George," Beatrice said as she got out "What is that box, sticking out of the window? Look, it's dripping." She looked at her husband and her forehead wrinkled. "Did you get a 'bargain room'?" George laughed as he as opening the trunk to get the luggage. He looked around the side of the car, and saw his wife still standing there. "I think you might want to look inside the room before passing judgment," George said, amused, as he tossed the room key to her. Beatrice gave a little shriek when she saw the key coming her way. She wasn't pleased. She picked it up off the asphalt, and huffed as she walked to the door. George had two of the three suitcases out of the back when he was surrounded, on both sides, with two very appreciative women. "Is that what they call 'air conditioning'?" his wife asked. "It feels just like home," Wilma said. "So nice and cool." "It does make you want to just take off your clothes, and jump into bed, now doesn't it?" Beatrice asked. George groaned. He was going to have a hard time walking, much less carrying the suitcases, now. Wilma and Beatrice looked down and saw the tent in his trousers, and giggled. "It's a good thing you two want to get into bed," George said, knowing he'd better get it out now as it looked like his mind was going to be thinking of other more enjoyable things quite soon. "We're getting up very early tomorrow morning. I don't want to drive in the heat, again." ------- Katy had teased me about taking Robin off with her. She was still trying to pout that I had sent Richard off for the evening with the Scouts. I tried to put on my best 'sad face, ' knowing that would get a reaction, and Robin would know that I would miss her company. Robin laughed and said it was just for a bit. They would be back. The two got into the car. Katy started it up, turned on the lights and put it into gear. When they were almost there, Katy had commented upon how I hadn't asked what they were doing. "I think he was still rattled," Robin answered. "Rattled?" Katy asked, and then said, "Here we are." Thelma was there, along with Maureen and Cynthia. Before Katy could open her door, she noticed the others coming to the car. They opened the back doors and got in! "I guess I'm driving someplace?" Katy asked. "Katy, you know this place better than any of us," Thelma said. "Take us to a place where we can get out and have a little talk without being disturbed." There were several places that flashed through Katy's head, and she chose one. It was across the bridge and up just beyond the top of the town. It was a little further than her father came for his meditating, and he did that on the Carp side of the stream, anyway. It took several minutes to get there, but when they did, even Robin was surprised. "Mom, why haven't you ever taken me here before?" Katy smiled at her daughter, and said, "When I was growing up, the houses extended far beyond where Cynthia's house is now. To get away, we would come up here. You had your special spots to get away, too." Maureen waved her hands, hushing everyone. They could see her sniffing. Then she whispered, "Do you smell it?" "What?" Cynthia asked softly. "Smoke." Robin looked around, but more slightly northeast from where they were and up on the hill. Then she chuckled. "What's so funny?" Katy asked. "It's the Scouts' campfire," Robin replied and pointed. "Boy Scouts?" Thelma asked, now in full voice. "My husband is the Scout Leader," Katy said, rolling her eyes. Thelma smiled, took her hand and patted it. "William was one of those as well. He loved doing it." "Do you think they can hear us?" Maureen asked. She was thinking about when Cynthia and Rebecca walked in on her and Patrick not that far from here. "Not with a fire going. Richard is probably still trying to get them to cook dinner," Robin joked. "Good," Thelma said. "Now, ladies, we have a problem on our hands." ------- Laura couldn't keep from laughing. She had been talking to Jill when Marsha and Vivian had cornered her in her bedroom. "They have gone back to the hotel," Marcia said, referring to the McCarran's departure almost an hour after dinner was over. "It's going to get dark soon, too," Vivian said. Jill just grinned. "Wouldn't make any difference, as soon as my horse knows where I'm going, even if I couldn't see the trail, it would take us there." Marcia's eyes grew big and she stuttered out, "You mean we're going after it gets dark?" Laura was looking out the window when Jill glanced at her. It was far from being dark yet, but then Laura remembered that Marcia and Vivian were 'city' girls. Some of their talks had reminded her just how little they knew about being out in the middle of nowhere. Laura smiled to herself at the thought. She had a larger perspective, even though she was younger. Carp might not have streetlights brightly glistening, but the stars and moon on a clear night like tonight was almost as good. "Doesn't look like it will be long before that happens. Don't you think they would like it better if you surprised them?" Jill said with a little tease in her voice. "We could?" Vivian asked. "Vivian, I've been up to that place so many times, I could walk there blindfolded. I took them in the easy way, cause they had a lot of stuff with them. There's a nice way to come in from the other side, and you're there before you realize it... or anyone else does, either." "Then we could listen in on them?" Marcia asked. Laura frowned and asked, "Why would you want to do that?" "I guess to make sure Mike was talking about me," Marcia admitted. "Laura, you know what she's feeling like, don't you," Jill said. Laura nodded. "You'll be coming along as well," Jill said, surprising Laura. "I am?" "Yes. We might as well start getting the horses ready," Jill said with a gleam in her eye. Laura groaned, and said, "Now I know why. You want me on a horse, again." Jill laughed and pushed them all out the bedroom door. The four walked down the hall and out the back door. Jill saddled the horses for all of them, as she could do it in one-tenth the time any of the others could. Soon they were up on their mounts, and riding through the gate. ------- Thelma had her mouth hanging open. Cynthia blinked in surprise. Katy had a little smirk on her face. It was Maureen that actually said something. "Robin!" was all she got out, before turning red. "I'm not sure I heard you correctly dear," Thelma said. "I just said that it would seem easiest, if we threw it all into a dish, and just swirled it around." Maureen looked like she was going to get sick. Robin looked at her after Katy had shifted her eyes that way. Robin sighed, realizing she would need to explain herself. "Cynthia, you said that you weren't sure it you could cope with Jack fathering a child to someone else. This way you'd never know. Thelma, you said you would be insecure, but again, you wouldn't know. Maureen, we could wait until you are married and grandpa has done the deed..." Robin said. She couldn't help herself, and snickered. Then straightened up and said, "Sorry, but I know my grandpa." "What's that supposed to mean?" Maureen asked. Katy looked at Maureen, shaking her head and wearing an expression that said, you shouldn't have asked. "You two have already," Robin stated simply. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pick on you. It's just grandpa," she grinned, "I like to give him a hard time." "So I noticed," Maureen said. "Back to where I was. Maureen, you have Cheryl to catch up with, but you're in the same boat as the others. If you had no way of knowing... Mom," Robin went on, "I didn't hear anything definite from you in the way of objections, but I'd bet you'd like it better if you didn't know." "What about you, Robin?" Thelma asked. "Don't you think it would be kind of hippo... hippa..." Robin stumbled on the word. "Hypocritical?" "Yes, hypocritical of me to allow Keith to be with more than just me, but deny a woman the gift I am carrying, because she doesn't fit into our little group?" "I think most people would understand," Thelma said, "but I do see your point." "So we would just..." Cynthia said thinking out loud. "Do something like what happened on the base?" "What happened on the base?" Maureen wanted to know. Thelma and Maureen learned about the sperm sample testing that took place, there, as well as in Carp, later. "So the men have already done this sort of thing," Thelma said. Katy smiled and said, "They did get some help." "Help?" Maureen asked. Cynthia rolled her eyes and said, "Robin and Katy helped their men get the samples." Then she chuckled and added, "I guess I would have, too." Maureen started to laugh, and then she blushed. "I was thinking about how embarrassing it would be. My sister out in the room while five men, along with their wives go into another room and add their contribution to the dish." By the time she was finished, she wasn't smiling. "It isn't really funny, is it?" "No. For those women, it's pretty demoralizing," Cynthia said. She and Thelma looked at each other, knowing that they knew about not having that choice. "You're right. I'll help William add to that dish," Thelma said. Cynthia nodded, knowing this was one of the hardest decisions she had ever made, "Jack, as well." Maureen looked like she was ready to burst into tears. No one said a word, waiting for her to express her feelings. After almost a full minute of silence, she said, "I want to say yes, but I don't know if this is all my decision to make. Cheryl and I have a connection to Patrick." "I'll talk to Cheryl with you, so she understands," Katy said. "What I think you said was yes, but you want Cheryl to agree?" Maureen nodded. Then looked at Katy and said, "Thank you." "Richard will participate," Katy said. Robin tried to be 'grown up' but couldn't quite pull it off. She laughed and said, "Frankly, I can't wait to help him. I had a lot of fun on the base getting that sample." Thelma couldn't help but join in Robin's laughter. "Now I know why Laura is opening up so much. Being around you has got to be non-stop fun." Robin looked at her mother, and the two had 'a moment, ' in the instant it took to make eye contact. The other women saw it happen. "Now, now, don't get melancholy on me. I was just trying to give you a compliment," Thelma said. "Guess we should head back to town," Maureen said. "Yes, as much fun as it's been talking with you, I want to get back to my new house," Cynthia added. "I'd like to come and see it, sometime soon," Thelma said. Cynthia stared, and then realization hit her, and she smiled. "You really didn't notice a thing this morning, did you?" "How could I, with all the noise going on." "Noise?" Maureen asked. "I thought they had completed the house." Robin and Katy were listening, knowing that there was more, and that it would be coming out soon. "That's not the kind of noise I was talking about," Thelma said. "Poor William, when I got back..." "Oh!" Maureen said. There was a pause in talk. In the stillness, they could just make out the male voices of the Scouts. "Sounds like Jimmy and Brian have gone to bed," Robin whispered. "It's no wonder, they were both up at the crack of dawn in anticipation," Katy whispered back. The five ladies silently moved towards the car, still listening to the muffled sounds. Just before they opened the car doors, there were a couple of high-pitched giggles. "Jill got them there," Robin said as she opened her door and got in. "Got who where?" Cynthia asked. Then she realized Robin was in the car, and she got in. Everyone else followed suit, wanting to know what was going on. Katy drove, amused at Robin's description of what had been planned out. After they arrived downtown, Maureen, Thelma, and Cynthia got out of the car. Cynthia had driven the Jeep downtown. Maureen was still at her sister's, just two blocks away. Thelma was at the hotel. They all said their goodbyes and wondered off. Katy drove to the end of the downtown, and turned around. She had just passed where she'd parked, right by the bank, when she pulled over and looked at her daughter. "Did you forget something?" Robin asked. "Almost. What did you mean when you said Keith was rattled?" The town's public phone started ringing. It was only because there had been the pause before Robin answered that they heard it. "Wonder who that could be?" Katy asked. "I'll get it and find out," Robin answered, already opening the door. Running to the phone she picked up the receiver and said, "Hello, you have reached Carp." "I am looking for my son, Scott," the woman on the other end of the phone said. ------- Chapter 114 Katy turned off the car's engine, and stepped out. She walked up to where Robin was talking on the town's telephone. With virtually no other sounds nearby, Katy could hear both sides of the conversation. "Scott?" Robin said back to the woman on the telephone. She racked her brain for a person who matched that name. Finally, she found a match. "I'm sorry; it just took me a minute to place the name. There was quite a commotion in our small town, when the Boy Scouts showed up today." Janet was a bit relieved to know that the boys where there, safe and sound, and people knew of their presence. That was a step in the right direction. "I would like to talk with him." Robin remembered the comment Scott gave about his parents. So she proceeded with caution. "I'm sorry, umm..." "Janet." "Janet... It would be very hard to get them, so you could talk. They are out camping tonight, with the other Scouts." "Camping?" "As I remember," Robin stated, "there are a few badges that they can earn while out camping." "You mean they are actually Boy Scouts?" Robin snorted, and then apologized. "I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you. When Scott saw Vivian, he just about passed out. I had to talk with the two of them." "I see. I'm sorry if this comes out wrong, but from the sound of your voice, you seem a bit young." Robin sighed, and then said, "Yes, some people might say so. I'm married and pregnant, though. While I might be younger than some think appropriate, it seems natural to me." "Oh?" "I know this call isn't to talk about me. You are probably worried about your son, as well as Vivian." Janet cleared her throat, and then said, "Yes. I know Scott and Mike must have planned this all out. They knew it was the only way for Mike to see Marcia," she paused, but Robin didn't say anything, so she went on. "There was no way anyone could know that Vivian was going to be there. I didn't even know where the boys were going. They worked that one out very well, saying it was to keep Vivian on her toes." There was silence for a moment and then Janet asked, "Did Vivian know that Scott and Mike were going to Carp?" "Janet, I don't want to deceive you. I believe she did. That doesn't mean she wasn't frightened." "Frightened? I don't understand that." "Have you let your husband know that Scott and Vivian are in the same town?" There was a guilty reply of, "No." "My guess is that's because you either don't want to believe Scott would do something like this because he's still your 'little boy'... or you're feeling guilty." "I can tell you are a bit more mature than your voice lets on," Janet said. "Have you had any conversations with Marcia's mother?" "Some, but about Marcia, per se. Why? Is there a problem?" "No. You let your son go off on an adventure, and it turns out to be much more than you bargained for." "You can say that again!" Robin smiled at that comment, and then said, "When Marcia needed a place to stay her mother brought her down here to see if it would work out. That suggestion came from Vivian. This has been a sort of 'special place' for Vivian, here. Her friend Sarah is here. Vivian has felt accepted for who she is. She was nervous about Scott coming down to her special place." "I can see that. For Vivian it has become a very special place. Scott said that she had never left her home town, before she went to Carp." "So she was worried about what Scott would think about Carp, when he came. It would be like taking your husband to a special place you went to every summer as a child, with all those memories, and worrying what your husband might think about the place." "Sounds like Vivian was in pain about Scott going down there." "I think she was. Then she found out she was coming here, also. From what I understand, her mother talked to the McCarran's and then told Vivian she was going in the morning." "It's no wonder she sounded so upset when she called and couldn't talk to Scott. I can see how, in my mind, I was making this trip, a 'little party' for those two. They are away from their parents... I have been imagining all sorts of things, and it may well have been almost the opposite." "When Scott got off the train, they started accusing each other of things." "Oh..." Janet said, sounding sad. "That's why I had a little talk with them." "So they are talking?" Robin laughed. "Yes, and I saw a kiss along the way as well." "That's what I'm afraid of." "Robin," Katy said, with her hand out waiting for the telephone. "Hello. This is Robin's mother, the young lady you were just talking with. My name is Katy, by the way. I have been following your conversation. Robin suggested you talk with Marcia's mother. I am going to suggest you do this, also. Marcia's mother had to make a very hard decision. She came down here to see what it would be like for her daughter to live with us. We were each strangers to the other, at first. It was an enlightening time for everyone. In the end, Marcia is here." "I think I'm getting the picture. If I talk to Mrs. Hallbeck then you think I will not be so worried. You know... I wanted to jump on the next train, and bring him back." "He was very worried you might actually do that." "You're saying there is a good reason I shouldn't?" Katy smiled. "I'm a parent of two and I know what you are feeling." "You let your daughter get married. May I ask how old she is? "You may ask, but I think that without understanding much more about life in this place, it would be confusing. Mrs. Hallbeck knows Robin. If you ask her she will tell you and then explain why it doesn't bother her." "It sounds like you think that Mrs. Hallbeck is going to clear up a lot of my questions." "I really think she will. Will you promise to talk with her?" "Do I have much of a choice?" "You could come down here. But I think that all that would do would be to hurt Scott," Katy said. "I'm more worried that he and Vivian might..." "Which is why you need to talk with Mrs. Hallbeck." "All right. I'll ring her up." "In person," Katy stressed. "At this time of night?" "Tell her what it's about. She will understand. If she called you about Marcia and wanted to talk, because of something Mike did, would you say it was too late at night to get together and talk?" "No, not at all. Thank you for that clarification." "Janet, I won't lie to you. Scott and Vivian will probably become very close on this trip. It may well seal their relationship together, or break it entirely. I think that is what you should be worrying about. My guess is that wasn't really the reason this call was made. You were concerned they would have sex." Janet gasped that Katy would use such a word, even if it was true. All of what she had just said was very true. "So what you are telling me is that if I talk to Mrs. Hallbeck, then I won't be worrying about Scott and Vivian running off to the barn... But then I should be worrying whether they are going to get emotionally scarred?" "We are mothers," Katy said empathetically. "We love to worry." Janet couldn't help but laugh at that. It was good that she could laugh now, as she hadn't had a smile on her face since the train left this morning. "Thank you, Katy, and tell your daughter thanks as well. My husband is going to kill me when he sees the bill for this call, but that will be weeks from now. I'm going to call Mrs. Hallbeck, and then go talk to her." There was a slight pause and then Janet added, "If I have more questions, can I call?" "Of course; but you were lucky to get us, this time. Robin and I were just coming back from a meeting. This is still the only phone in town. That is something that is going to change soon, my husband tells me, but I grew up this way. It doesn't seem odd to me. If you need to call, expect someone to answer. But be prepared to let it ring a long time. They will get a note to me, and I will call you back as soon as I can." Janet was a bit surprised by all of this, but answered simply, "Ok." Katy hung up the receiver, and then walked back to the car. Robin followed. They got in, and Katy started driving. Just when they were at the bend in the road leading to the small valley where the mansion was, Katy pulled over and stopped the car. "Now, no one is going to disturb us here. Tell me, what is Keith bothered about?" ------- There were three tents set up. One had Brian and Jimmy. One had Scott and Mike. The third had James and Richard. They would have liked to have been able to arrange them in a semi-circle, with the campfire in the center. But the place where Jill had brought them wasn't big enough for that. The tents were placed right next to each other on the larger side of the misshaped level area. The one redeeming factor was that the tent openings all faced outwards, so getting in and out would be no problem. The boys were gathering wood and rocks to build a campfire on the other side. The place they were at was big enough, but just barely. Richard was watching Brian. He could see the boy tire. Brian had been trying to keep up, but he wasn't near physically 100%, yet. Richard knew he'd catch hell if Brian over-exerted himself and regressed in his recovery. "Brian," Richard called. Brian looked over, after dropping the armful of twigs he had gathered, near where they were planning to build the fire. "What did you need?" "I have a question," Richard replied. James had been watching the activities, along with Richard. He liked this part of being a Boy Scout leader. With nothing else to do but observe, he had also noticed Brian tire, and had wondered about that. Richard patted the log between where James and he were sitting. Brian gave Richard half a smile, and sat, letting out a big sigh. Mike and Scott had walked up the slope to where the campsite. They were bringing rocks for the perimeter of the campfire. They'd had to walk almost to the river to get them. It was a long walk back up the slope to where they were camping, carrying a bundle of rocks in each hand. The two boys couldn't help but notice Brian, resting. After the next trip up, Mike had had enough. "How come he's not helping?" Richard answered for Brian, knowing it was from a lack of understanding, that the question had been raised. "He had casts on both legs, and one arm not that long ago. He hasn't built all his strength back up, yet." "Oh. You're the one Vivian talked about. Sorry..." Scott said, answering for Mike, but also expressing his feelings as well. He finally came up with the name. "Brian... I can't keep everyone's name straight." Mike pushed Scott and said, "You knew? And you didn't tell me? Now I feel like an idiot." By the time the fire was going, Richard felt Brian was sitting up straighter, and was not the slouched lump that had plopped down next to him, twenty minutes ago. "Let's get some food cooking," James said. "I'm starving!" "Good. You get to handle the instructions about cooking the meal, tonight," Richard said to his co-leader. "I'll be back in just a bit. If I'm not back, when the food's done, go ahead without me." "Where are you going?" Brian and Jimmy asked almost in unison. "To look at something that caught my eye. I want to make sure everything is all right," Richard responded. "You shouldn't go out by yourself," Scott said. Richard gave him a little smile and said, "You've been reading the handbook, I see. Normally, you'd be right. But in this case, I have to disagree. I will take along a flashlight, though." Not waiting for anyone else to comment, he picked up a flashlight, and headed down the hill towards the water. The four boys had been more interested getting the fire going and James had been looking through the pack for food, when Richard had seen the lights of what he was sure was Jack's Jeep. Those vehicles had narrowly set lights, and Jack's Jeep was the only one around. Richard wanted to know what was going on. He was doing a very unsuccessful job of trying to tell himself that he wasn't going there to 'sneak a peek.' "Does he do this sort of thing often?" Mike asked Jimmy. "I don't know. This is the first time we've done anything as Scouts." Scott and Mike looked at each other, and started laughing. "What's funny about that?" Jimmy wanted to know. "This is the first real thing we've done, too!" Scott said. "Yeah, we know. You just wanted to do this, 'cause Mike and Marcia couldn't get together any other way," Brian said. Brian's admission that they knew what was going on surprised the two older boys. "Well, I'm not getting to see her right now," Mike said sadly. Jimmy and Brian looked at each other, and smiled. The two older boys saw this, and looked at each other, trying not to laugh. Scott and Mike had the same thoughts: 'Those young boys are glad no girls are around to bother us.' Most of the conversation stopped as the boys worked at cooking. Brian and Jimmy had helped, some, in the kitchen. Scott had little experience, and Mike even less. Cooking... outside... without a sink, a stove, or a countertop... It was a challenge they found difficult, indeed. James may well have been a Scout Leader, but cooking was not a skill of which he had any great knowledge. It was 'the blind leading the blind.' Even the small metal can opener was a challenge. It was so much different than the 'grip and turn' style all of them had seen their mothers use. Scott tried to pick up the cast iron skillet that was over the fire, and said a few choice words about how hot the handle was. James wished Richard had been around to take the blame. To add insult to injury, Brian knew how to use a towel, as a 'hot pad.' When they were done cooking, and were sitting to eat their efforts, Scott said, "I think I'm going to appreciate my mom's cooking a lot more, from now on." "I didn't know it was this hard to cook," Mike said. "We have to help in the kitchen, at our house. It's a lot of work," Jimmy said. "I try and stay away from the stove and just set the table." "My mom is teaching Barbara to cook, so I hear things. That's how I knew about the towel for the hot frying pan handle." Scott and Mike didn't know who Barbara was, but assumed it was Brian's sister. "I think when we get back, I'm going to tell my mother what a great cook she is," James said. "I complain about the food at school, but now I know how much time is spent making good food." "Are you trying to say this isn't good?" Scott said with a grin. Everyone was laughing about that, when Richard showed up. "Where did you go?" Brian asked. "Down to the river. I thought I saw something," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Then I smelled the food on my way back up." "Jill said that you can see a lot from here. Maybe it was just a reflection," Jimmy offered, understanding from Richard's tone and actions, that he saw nothing. "We were down near the river, getting rocks," Mike said. "We didn't see anything strange." "You went that way," he said, and pointed northwest, "I walked over there," he added, pointing southwest. The boys were all looking at the two directions Richard had pointed. "Our way was a lot easier, it looks like," Scott said. Richard nodded, not wanting to dispel that idea. "That's probably why it took me so long to get back," he said. He sniffed, and added, "I think it smelled better when I was further away. Did you burn the food?" "No, it's not burnt, exactly," Mike said. "If you were here it might have been better. That's why you shouldn't have gone away, alone," Brian said. Richard grinned and answered, "You just wanted to get out of kitchen duty. By the way, I hope you left me some. Burnt or not, I'm hungry." "It's not burnt!" Jimmy said, trying hard to sound hurt. Then he grinned and added, "Just toasted." ------- Mary, Daisy, Kristin, Beth Ann, Katherine, and Dora had no idea where Katy and Robin had gone, nor about what they were doing. I had asked. Once I had asked, it made them as curious as I was. I heard several of them asking the others in our household. No one knew a thing! For this house, that was almost unheard of. When that was combined with Beth Ann's anxiety about her parents showing up, it was predictable that someone suggested a walk. Kenneth wanted to go along, but I wanted him here... with me. It was surprising that without Jimmy around, and then after Katy and Robin left, how quite the house seemed. Now I know that wasn't rational. Jimmy was over in 'the new house, ' most of the time. Robin and Katy weren't nearly as lively as they had been before their bellies started expanding. But rational or not, I wanted a distraction. Daisy, Beth Ann, and Katherine left for their walk. ------- "Did it feel like Keith was a bit tense?" Daisy asked. "Do you think it's me?" Beth Ann asked. "You?" Katherine questioned. "My parents are arriving," Beth Ann said. Daisy laughed and said, "I don't think that has anything to do with it. Beth Ann, he loves you. Don't you ever forget that." "She's right," Katherine added. "You can see it when he talks to you... and even when he talks about you." "Ok," Beth Ann said, smiling, "I give up. So then, what is it?" "Well, we know it isn't because Robin and Katy took off this evening. He tried to make that a big deal, but I think that was just a diversion," Katherine said. "Maybe they know." "Who?" "Robin and Katy." "I guess we could ask when they get back." "Why not now?" "And how would we do that?" Daisy pointed to the car, stopped in the road, which was just starting to appear as they walked around the bend. "I think they're not very far away." "Smarty pants." The three laughed, but started walking faster. Instead of coming closer, the car pulled off to the side and stopped. The lights went out. "Do you think they're having 'car problems'?" Beth Ann asked. "I hope not," Daisy said. "Robin and Katy know almost as much about cars as I do. Which is nothing." They continued their fast paced walk to the car. The two inside the car were just talking. Katherine came to the car, and knocked on the window. Katy opened the door and said, "You scared us half to death! Where did you come from?" The three looked at each other. "We were taking a walk. You didn't see us?" "Mom was a bit preoccupied," Robin said. "She was asking me about Keith." "You mean, like why he's been acting strange all evening?" Beth Ann said. "He has?" Robin asked, with a bit of sorrow in her voice. "Robin, this is the fourth time. What is he worried about?" Katy asked, now in no mood to be denied. ------- "Vivian," Marcia said, wishing she could ask privately, but on horses it was impossible, "what are we going to do when we get there?" They had gone though the heavy brush in single file, with no opportunity to talk. Now they were riding side by side. Jill and Laura were in front. Laura looked back, not feeling comfortable yet, in turning her body in the saddle. She looked back to Jill, waiting for her to answer, even though the question had been addressed to Vivian. Jill watched her friend contort her body, wanting to stay firmly seated while looking back, and had to repress a smile. She wanted Laura to gain confidence, and snickering certainly wouldn't help her. Vivian answered, "I don't know." Jill swung her legs around. Laura's eyes just about popped out, when she realized that Jill was now riding backwards on the horse. "If I remember, Marcia," Jill said as though the way she was sitting was as natural as any other way, "you two have a little catching up to do. I couldn't just take you out, and not bring Vivian, though." Jill did laugh at the expression on Vivian's face, so she added, "I think they might find talking to each other out here to be good, too." "Talking!" Laura said. Jill looked over to Laura and said, "Yes, Laura, talking. What would you think they would be doing?" Laura turned bright red, while Vivian and Marcia giggled. Laura turned a bit more confidently in her saddle this time, Jill was pleased to see. Laura then stuck her tongue out at the older girls. "Maybe they won't, but Marcia didn't get pregnant..." Laura stopped herself. "I'm sorry," she said as her face dropped into deep sadness, "that wasn't a nice thing to say." Marcia still wasn't accustomed to kindness. The biting remark Laura had started to make, was much more common where she came from. The sensitivity, and then the obviously sincere apology about making the remark, was overwhelming to her. Marcia blinked as her eyes started to fill with water. "Darn it," Marcia said. "What's wrong?" Vivian asked, seeing Marcia wipe her eyes. "I don't know. It seems I let things get to me." "It's probably because you're pregnant," Laura suggested. "How would you know about that?" Vivian wanted to know. Laura felt self-conscious at that point, and looked back and down at the saddle horn. "Laura has spent a lot of time at the doctors," Jill answered. "You have? Why?" Vivian asked. "I hate to go to the doctor." "Vivian, that's enough," Marcia said testily. Vivian looked at Marcia, shocked at her words. Jill stopped her horse, causing the other horses to stop as well. "We might as well get this out into the open." Jill said without rancor. "Laura has asthma. She doesn't like it, and I can't blame her a bit. She has to go to the doctor's, all the time. The one good thing I can say about it," she said as she saw Laura's apprehension, "is that her condition brought her to Carp. I'm glad about that." Laura couldn't help but smile as wide as possible at Jill's last statement. Vivian now understood, and felt badly that she had made a big deal about it. She looked over to Marcia, and wondered how she knew. She wasn't prepared to see the tears streaming down her friend's face. "Marcia, what's wrong?" Vivian asked. "I can't help it!" Marcia said. "Camellia was a friend from my church!" The other three girls looked at each other, trying to make sense of what Marcia was talking about. "Did she have asthma?" Laura asked. Marcia nodded, and her sobs grew worse. "I heard you at the doctor's plane. After your first visit you came out to where your mother and Liz were, and then I went in. You screamed. Is that when you found out I had asthma?" Laura asked. Rocking back and forth on the saddle, Marcia wasn't sobbing, but the tears were still flowed freely. She just nodded 'yes, ' to Laura's question. "She died, didn't she?" Laura asked. Marcia stopped, sucked in a breath, and looked up at Laura, wondering how she could ask such a question. "I know I could have. It's why my dad sends me to wherever this one doctor is. I like Doctor Bill a lot, but he isn't family. I haven't had a lot of choices in my life, but it's better than dying." "I went to her funeral," Marcia said on a sob. Then she nearly screamed, "She was only twelve years old!" "That's my age," Laura said. "I'm not going to die, Marcia." "I know. I asked the doctor about it. He said you were better, living here. I think you must be right. This pregnancy stuff isn't fun. I just act like a little baby, sometimes." "No one cares about that," Vivian said. "Mike might." "Not if he knows better," Laura said. Then she raised a fist, adding, "Otherwise, he might get punched." Jill, Vivian, and Marcia laughed. "Laura, you are very good to me," Marcia said. "Thank you." "Now..." Jill said, tossing a handkerchief to Marcia and breaking the solemnity, "clean up your face. Mike probably doesn't want to taste your salty tears when he kisses you." "Jill!" "You know he's going to," Vivian teased. "Scott will be doing the same," Marcia shot back. "I hope so!" Vivian said, and laughed. "In a minute we're going to need to be quiet. They can't hear us now, but as soon as we reach the top of that ridge, they can," Jill said. ------- "Just what do you mean, 'you have a surprise for me'?" Martha wanted to know. "We just ate, and now you're making me take a walk!" William rolled his eyes. "You know as well as I do that walking is good for you. Don't give me that 'I just ate' stuff. That was a half an hour ago. Now, we'll go down this street, second house on the right..." "Who lives here? It doesn't look like anyone's been here for a while. Just look at the state of the yard." Martha was a bit apprehensive as William walked up to the front door. "Are you sure about the address?" "Yes. Millie told me," he said. Then, instead of knocking on the door, he opened it. "William!" "Come on," William whispered, as though he was a kid trying to get away with something. "What are you doing?" William started laughing, seeing the horrified look upon his wife's face. "Showing you where we'll be living, until our own house gets built." Martha's mouth dropped open. William had never done anything like this, not in their whole life together. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" "Let's look at the house," William said, picking up a conveniently placed lantern, and lighting it. "I'll tell you as we look around." "Whose house is this anyway?" "That's a good question." "Now you're starting to make me angry." William laughed, but said, "You see, Millie bought the house. It was purchased under the auspice that it was for Brian, as he's getting married. Now, that sounds simple enough. But the person who paid for it wasn't really Bruce or Millie. It was Richard." "Ok, now you have confused me. Why would Richard buy this house? Why would he need one of these small houses out here, anyway?" "I'm not sure if you know, but there were two families that moved away. When the idea of fathering children by someone other than the husband was proposed, to bring children back to Carp, they could not accept that. Richard was one of those few fertile men. The disgruntled families wouldn't have taken a penny from him, under any circumstances. They were in need of cash, though, and so the idea was hatched that Richard would supply the money, and Millie would 'buy' it, for her son." "I guess that make sense." "Of course, all good plans have their Achilles' heel. Brian found out about it. He thinks the house is really going to be his." "Oh, the poor boy! What did Millie say?" "Nothing, apparently." "She let him believe it?" "Millie told Richard, hoping he would tell Brian about the reason." "That's rather sneaky." William smiled. "One would think so, but I think it sort of backfired." "How's that?" "Richard and Katy had apparently talked about it. You do know how close Richard and Brian are? They actually saved each others lives." "Yes, I do know that story." "Well, they plan on giving the house to Barbara and Brian, as a wedding gift." "They can't!" "Why not?" "Well... Well, they're too young." "Not for some things, apparently." "William!" Martha said, and smacked his shoulder. "This is not something Richard and Katy are doing without thought. You are right in that they are too young. They can't move into the house until they are a bit older. In the meantime, they are gifted with it. Richard, Katy, Bruce and Millie have plans to make this into a proper home for the couple. Brian and Barbara will work alongside them on the house, and learn about caring for the house, in the process." "I guess that makes good sense. They can't stay with Millie and Bruce forever, after all." "I'm sure they wouldn't want to." "Now, why are we here?" "You know Jack's house is finished," William said with a grin. "You did see a little of it... didn't you?" Martha growled at him. He ignored it, and went on. "Larry's next project is the clinic. Then, our house is next. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired of living in the hotel." "I always thought you liked sleeping on the plane," Martha teased. "Not when you're around! I want someplace that has a good bed!" "Is that all you think about?" "There is something more to life?" "William!" Martha said. She jumped as she felt him grab at her. ------- It was warm and totally unnecessary, but a campfire draws people just as honey draws flies. The fire was not large. They had stopped feeding it. Soon it would be just embers. Sitting on the ground, Mike and Scott were on one side, and Jimmy and Brian were on the other. Richard and James were between them. "Scott," Mike whispered. "What?" Scott whispered back. "We can't talk like I'd like to. Not with these kids around." "About what?" "Boy I'd love to be with Marcia, right now." Scott laughed. Jimmy and Brian looked over to them. "What's so funny?" Jimmy asked. "Nothin' you'd be interested in," Mike said. He saw the perturbed look on the young boys face, so he added, "It was about girls." Richard laughed, and James looked at him. It prompted James. "What was so funny about that?" James asked. "Boys their age think girls still have cooties." "Have what?" Jimmy asked. "Uhhh," James floundered. He was thinking about how to explain what 'cooties' were, if you didn't already know. "I think you boys might have it all wrong," Richard said. "Which boys are you talking about?" Brian wanted to know. "Scott and Mike." "You mean they like girls?" Mike said in disbelief. Richard cleared his throat, and no one said anything for a moment. "Just what I thought," Scott said. "Scott," Richard said, "those boys probably could teach you things about girls." Scott and Mike started laughing, trying to imagine that. James was a bit more introspective, being a good four years older than those two. He noted how Jimmy and Brian were nodding their heads in agreement to what Richard had just said. It helped him in his thoughts, as well. "Well, Brian," James said with a bit of humor in his voice, "what do you like best about girls?" Scott and Mike stopped their laughter; they wanted to hear this! So did Richard. Brian's brow crimped while he thought. Slowly, a smile appeared on his face. "I guess it's the way Barbara makes me feel. Like I'm the most special person in the world." Scott and Mike looked at each other, not believing what they had just heard. "Who's Barbara?" Scott asked. "She's my fiancée," Brian said. "Your... what?" James asked, looking more at Richard than at Brian, to see his reaction. "Fiancée... I... We..." Brian started, and then turned red. "She's also pregnant," Jimmy said. Mike, Scott, and James were too stunned to speak. Richard, up until now, had found this amusing. Now, he realized that there were problems along with the humor. "Barbara and Brian became very close while he was in a full-body-cast, healing. She was taking care of him. Unfortunately, no one looked closely enough at their budding relationship. They never told Brian that, at his age, he could... well... make babies." This made sense to the new arrivals, and they were all nodding. Richard went on. "I think it would also help you to understand a tradition that has been in place from this town's conception... umm... Poor choice of words. From the town's beginning. That tradition is that girls usually get married at the age of thirteen." "Thirteen?" Scott and Mike said, almost in unison. "You met Robin. She's Keith's wife. She is thirteen," Richard said. "She did look a bit young," James reflected. "Your wife looks..." "More my age?" James laughed, but nodded. "She happens to be Robin's mother." James opened his mouth, but it took a moment for him to get out, "You're kidding?" "No, I'm not. But, that is another subject. Barbara is turning thirteen, ahh..." Richard looked at Brian for confirmation, "next month?" Brian nodded. Mike wasn't paying much attention to their conversation at that point. They knew where his mind had wondered though, when he said, "I could marry Marcia here?" ------- "So, Mr. McCarran doesn't know exactly what is going on, but knows that something is not quite right." "Pretty much," Robin said. "No wonder Keith is upset," Katy responded. "What happens now?" Robin looked at her mom, questioningly. "Congressman McCarran is your... 'relative' of some sort..." "Oh, thanks, dump it on us!" "Robin," Daisy said, "I think you're taking this wrong. Don't you realize that you have the most pull on Patrick, outside of Sarah?" Robin frowned, "What about Mary?" "I think you might have even more than her, but don't let her know that," Katy said. "Why would that be?" Robin wanted to know. "Not that it sounds rational," Katherine answered, "but men have always been influenced by young girls. The older they get, the less influence they have. You are younger than Mary." Daisy added, "Just look at Keith with Katherine's daughters." Robin laughed at that, while Katherine just rolled her eyes. "But what am I supposed to do?" Robin asked. "I don't even know what the problem is." "Just 'be there'." "Where?" Robin wanted to know. "With Keith," Beth Ann said. Robin looked at Beth Ann. She tried to judge if Beth Ann had really thought about what she had just said. Beth Ann's parents were going to be arriving, and there was a marriage about to happen. Beth Ann looked into Robin's eyes and nodded. It was as though she knew just what was on Robin's mind. "Can we go home, then?" Robin asked. "Are you done with your walk?" Katy asked as she started up the car. "Yes. We'll ride back with you. The reason for the walk was to get out of the house. With you two back, Keith will be better," Beth Ann said. ------- Marcia had her hand over her mouth. Vivian was looking at her friend, wide eyed. Jill was glad that they were off of the horses, to try to sneak up on the boys. She was sure Marcia would have fallen, after hearing what Mike had just said. Laura started to say something, and Jill had to grab her arm quickly to get her attention, to shush her. Jill made a decision. She turned all of them around, and headed back to where they had tied the horses. As soon as they were there, it would be safe to talk. "Marcia!" Vivian said, doing her best not to scream. "He... He can't," Marcia said, her tears starting again. Jill shook her head. Laura was silently taking it all in. "Marcia, clean yourself up," Jill said giving her the handkerchief again. "This time we're going to make some noise when we arrive at their camp." "I think that might be a good idea," Laura said. Vivian nodded, still overcome at what Mike had said. Marcia was too far gone into her own world to pay any attention to what was going on around her. "Let's get back up on the horses and ride in," Jill said. Jill watched and noted Vivian was getting pretty good at mounting the horse. She turned to look at Laura and found her already in the saddle with a satisfied grin on her face. Jill stuck her tongue out at Laura and both of them giggled. Marcia needed help. She hadn't needed help at the stable, but she wasn't thinking well just now. Jill helped her up, told her to hang on, and then quickly jumped into her own saddle. Less than a minute later, the surprised boys, Scott, Mike, and James, heard the sound of horses. Then the boys saw them. "Marcia!" "Vivian!" Both boys jumped onto their feet, and began running. "Jimmy," Jill called, "come and take the reins." It was obvious that the boys, and the girls being helped down from their saddles, didn't have any 'horse sense, ' at all. "Where are you going?" Jimmy asked Jill as he saw her pull her reins. "I'll be back in a bit. I don't want us to go down the hill in the dark." "They're not spending the night?" Jimmy asked, as though it was a normal question that anyone might ask. Marcia, Mike, Vivian, and Scott stopped mid stride. Their heads whipping back to listen to Jill's answer. "Don't be silly, Jimmy. They can't. There isn't room," she said. Then she laughing at the expressions on the faces of the two couples as she added, "I was to bring them out here to talk, not to leave them." "Oh. Ok," Jimmy answered as if it were nothing. "Where are we going?" Laura whispered to Jill, as Jill passed by her, heading back to where they had come to this small plateau. Smiling, Jill whispered back, "Someplace special." At the ridgeline, instead of continuing the path they had taken, Jill turned north. She did not go far, but they were quickly beyond where the sight or sound of anything else could be heard. Jill pulled up on her reins. Laura looked directly in front of her, instead of side to side as she had been doing. There was a small flat clearing before her. "Do you know everyplace around here?" Laura wanted to know. "No," Jill said, smiling. "Just some of the good ones. Come on, get down." "You aren't going to help me?" Jill snorted, and then said, "I don't think you need any help." "I might," Laura said, trying to sound hurt. She was about to say something else when she saw Jill pull out a blanket from one of the saddlebags tied behind her saddle. Jill looked back, half expecting to see Laura still on her horse. Instead the little nymph was right next to her, pulling at the blanket. "Let me help you," Laura said. They laid the blanket out, and then Jill stepped behind Laura, and wrapped her arms around the younger girl. Jill whispered into her ear, "Let me help you now," giving her a shiver as she started to unbutton Laura's blouse. Laura whimpered when Jill reached inside and rubbed her fingers across her nipples. Jill unbuttoned Laura's jeans and started pulling the zipper down. Laura had to sit down. She was afraid her knees would buckle underneath her. Jill smiled at Laura. After the two had settled on the blanket, Laura took Jill's hand and guided it back to the zipper. Opening her eyes, Laura saw Jill looking at her. She was stretched out, with not a stitch on. It was only then Laura realized Jill was still fully clothed. "I need to help you, now," Laura said. "Help me what?" Jill asked. She was wondering which thought Laura might have picked up on, as Laura was gazing between those open legs. "Help you remove your clothes," Laura said, giggling. Jill let Laura do what she wanted; not realizing how much the removal of her own clothing was going to be a tease. As her panties dropped to the blanket, Jill took over. She picked Laura up and held the girl in her arms, kissing her. Then lying down with her, Jill started a journey with her mouth. When Jill got to Laura's nipples, she savored them. One then the other. Then to her surprise, she was on her back, with Laura as the aggressor. "What's gotten into you?" Jill asked as Laura attacked her. Pausing her nibbles, Laura looked up at Jill and said, "I think it was Marcia." Jill smiled and asked, "Marriage ideas? They always said those thoughts get people horny." "Who told you that?" "No one, but I remember overhearing it from some of the ladies in town. I think it's true, though." "Must be. I loved hearing Marcia talk about Mike." After that comment, Laura didn't say anything more. Neither did Jill. They both uttered several loud moans, though. Jill had to put her hand over Laura's mouth when the young girl came, though. She feared that otherwise everyone within the surrounding square mile would hear. After that orgasm, they were slowly, gently touching. Jill was stroking Laura's hair as she was sucking on Jill's nipple. "We haven't talked about this in a long time. I know you just enjoyed what we did... but what about others?" Laura stopped and looked up into Jill's eyes. "You know I love you." Jill smiled. "Yes, I do. But you didn't answer the question." "I like Jimmy, if that's what you mean." "I was thinking." "You mean about us?" Laura asked. "No," Jill answered, smiling. "You are special. I think no matter what, you always will be special to me." "And I think you are the same. Now what about Jimmy?" "I like what he can do. I think I'm more interested in him than I am in Tiffany or Vicky." "Laura, you were never given a choice, before. In an all girls school, you had no choices." "So you're saying it's not wrong?" "No. It isn't wrong. You are learning, just like I am." "Ok, then. I like Jimmy and Pamela," Laura said grinning. "I like men, too." "Keith, you mean." "All right, Miss. Yes, I like Keith." "How come you haven't moved over to the Mansion, then?" "I can't." "He won't let you?" Laura said in disbelief. "No," Jill smiled. "I think he might like that, but he's not going to say so. It's me. I'm still struggling. One of the reasons I love Keith is... "Laura! Don't you ever repeat that I said that." "What? Oh, that you love Keith?" "Yes." "Ok, I promise... Unless you make me really, really mad!" "You brat!" Jill said and laughed, then started to tickle Laura. "Stop! Stop! I'll pee if you don't!" They settled themselves down, and then Jill continued. "I love Keith because he's willing to let me set my own pace. I know it's easier for him to do that because he has lots of others to love as well. But it's still very special to me. I feel safe with him. Yet I know that there has to be more for me than that. I need to feel safe, period. I don't, yet." "Can I ask you a question?" "Yes, of course." "When we were at the school, you and Liz were in the same room." "I know what you're trying to say. Yes, it is true that our relationship has changed. She and I were growing, inside. We both had a lot of healing to do. Now she has Keith and is very happy with that. I don't feel sad about any of what we did, or about how things have changed. I think we both needed what happened at the school. Now both of us need different things. I still need her, but more as a mother." "Ok," Laura said, but then looked perplexed. "That's wrong?" "It seems odd to think that Liz is like a mother. You have a mother." "Yes I do. So do you. But, she isn't here for you right now, is she?" "No." "So you rely on others to take that roll." "Isn't that sad?" Laura said and then added, as she figured Jill didn't understand what she was talking about. "Isn't it sad that your mother isn't..." "It was, until I realized some things about my mother that I could never have known, without Keith showing me. My mother, if she were trying to mother me, would be doing an ok job. She is now doing what she feels is right. That is, she is letting others who want to mother me do so. So, in that way, she is being a very good mother. Did that make sense?" Laura thought for a minute and said, "Yes. I guess it's almost like Betty." "Betty?" "From school." "I only know one Betty, so I figured as much. Why would what I said be like Betty?" "She was adopted." "I didn't know that." "She told me that her adopted mother told her almost what you said. Her real mother let her adopted mother take care of her, because it was the best thing for her real mother to do." "I never thought of it like that, but I guess it's true." They were silent for a few moments. "Laura, look. See the full moon starting to rise? We need to get back to the camp, and get Vivian and Marcia. It's hard enough for me to ride in moonlight. I want to get back before the sunlight has faded entirely." ------- My mouth was dry. I was sitting in the music room with Patrick McCarran. He had left his wife Jane talking to William and Martha. They were talking about the house they were going to be moving into, after they left the hotel. When he had arrived, I was the only one downstairs. In a way that could have been looked upon as fortunate, but I felt a bit trapped. I knew he had come out to talk with me, again, about what was being hidden. Excusing myself, I walked down the center hall. I went back towards the kitchen to get water for us. Robin had been outside when the girls came back from their ride. There was no mistaking what Jill and Laura had been up to. They had a glow on their faces that wouldn't wash off. Marcia was a different story. She had the hidden look of someone who was distraught. Robin knew that look well. Pulling Vivian and Marcia into the house, they walked through the kitchen, the dining room, and into the living room. "Now sit," Robin told the two. "I thought you would be happy, right now," she said to Marcia. "He said he wanted to marry me," Marcia said, and then started to cry. Robin looked at Vivian and asked, "Can you explain this to me?" "We were going to sneak up on them. I don't know what they were talking about before, but we heard Mike say, 'I could marry Marcia here?' We didn't know what to do, but then we went back and got on the horses, and rode up to see them, so they could hear us coming." "You four talked though, didn't you?" Robin asked. Vivian smiled, and answered, "Yes we did. Richard got us blankets and we sort of sat away from the fire, where the rest of them were." "Did the four of you talk together?" "No. Marcia and Mike were talking, and Scott and I were talking," Vivian said. "Ok, Marcia. You need to tell me what's wrong. I was walking back down the hall from getting my water, when I saw Patrick at the edge of the music room doorway. As I got closer, I heard the last of the conversation. This was not what I needed. I led Patrick into the library, where our conversation or theirs couldn't be heard. We sat. "Do you want to tell me about this?" Patrick asked. "Which part do you want to know about?" I asked warily. He chuckled and then said, "I'm wondering how in the world Scott and Mike got down here. If my memory serves me right, Mike's parents didn't want any communication between him and Marcia." "You are right, his parents didn't. That has not stopped them writing." "And a visit? That took some planning." I smiled at that and said, "Yes it did." Knowing that wasn't going to satisfy him, I added, "They formed a Boy Scout Troop." He nodded, and in doing so, a small smile crossed his face. "They were ingenious! I'll have to give them that," Patrick said. Then he paused before adding, "There is the problem with Vivian, though, isn't there." Before I could answer, Robin said, "Not really." Patrick and I turned, and saw Robin with a frightened Marcia and Vivian being pulled into the library. Apparently they had heard our voices. With raised eyebrows, Patrick asked, "Would you care to explain that?" "I talked with Scott's mother," Robin said. "You did?" both girls exclaimed loudly, very much shocked. "Yes. Katy and I both did," Robin answered. "This is interesting; would you care to enlighten us about that conversation? I am guessing that you didn't place the call to her?" Patrick said. "No, she called," Robin started to answer. "Scott said he thought his mom saw where they were going," Vivian interrupted. "This is getting more interesting as it goes along," Patrick said. "Come and sit. I think this might take a while to sort out." Patrick hadn't noticed until then. As Marcia sat, she was shaking. "Marcia, are you feeling well?" "You... your... you're not... going... to... going to tell... M... Mi... Mike's parent's are you?" Patrick reached out, and patted Marcia's knee. "I'm not here to judge what's going on. My responsibility isn't really about you and Mike now is it?" Marcia looked at him and then realized he was looking for an answer. She shook her head, hoping that was the right answer. She wasn't sure. "If there is someone I'm responsible for, it would be Vivian," Patrick added. "Yes," Vivian said, with her head lowered. When she raised it and looked into his eyes, she had tears ready to spill out. "Please don't take me home," she pleaded. "He's not taking you anywhere," Robin said firmly. This earned an amused look from me, and an appraising look from Patrick. "You seem very sure of yourself, Robin," Patrick said. Ignoring Patrick's comment, she looked at Marcia and said, "I told Scott's mother to go and see your mother, Marcia." "You did?" Marcia said, her mouth dropping open. Robin went on, "Janet was concerned about you, Vivian. She asked if you knew that the boys were coming down here." Vivian couldn't say a word. Her throat felt very tight, so she nodded. "What did you tell her?" Patrick asked. "That I was pretty sure she did. Mike and Scott didn't know Vivian was coming down, though," Robin stated. "You didn't say a word to us," Patrick said to Vivian, and then pondered out loud, "I'm assuming Sarah knew as well?" Patrick saw the smile on Robin's face, and added, "She set this up, didn't she?" "Pat," Robin said as she moved over to him and then sat in his lap, remembering the conversation in the car, "my mom told Janet to go and see Marcia's mother tonight and talk with her." Patrick shook his head slightly. He knew the ploy; his daughters did this to him all the time. He couldn't resist Sarah or Mary and was having a hard time keeping things in perspective with Robin acting just like them. "I see. What did you think that would do?" "I was told of a talk Marcia and Vivian had. It was brought up in front of their mothers," Robin said, her eyes piercing Patrick. She paid no attention to the two red faced girls. Patrick noticed their heavy blushes, though. He knew he was treading on the very thin ice of diplomacy here. His wife could ask what he couldn't, right now. He looked over to me. "Robin," I asked, "What did Scott's mother say?" "If she had any other questions, could she call." "That was it?" Patrick said, surprised. "What would you expect her to say?" Robin asked. "I would think she would be concerned that... Well that Vivian... I mean..." Patrick said. He was trying to get the right words out. It was hard enough to talk about this with his wife, much less the group in front of him. "You're envisioning Sarah, aren't you?" Robin asked as she kind of bounced up and down on his legs. I had to stifle a chuckle at seeing this. I knew that if I had been in his position, I wouldn't be in any better shape. "Yes. I mean if... well." "Patrick," I said, "did you listen to what Robin said? Marcia's mother had talked with Vivian's mother. They know a lot about the problems you are trying to talk about. Don't you think that if they have problems, they would call?" He looked at me, sighed, and said, "I guess you're right. I'm just wound up a bit." "That's understandable," Robin said, as she moved herself off his lap and to the seat next to him. "Part of that is about something I overheard Marcia say in the other room," Patrick said. Marcia covered her face with her hands. "About Mike wanting to marry her?" Robin said. "Yes, that is a bit worrisome." "I hadn't gotten to the bottom of that, when we heard you talking. Patrick, the truth of the matter is, it can't happen yet." "It can't?" Marcia said, surprised. "But... you're married." Robin smiled and said, "Yes I am. But that is because my mother said I could. Even though it's a tradition in this town, the parents still have to give their blessings. Jill's mother wouldn't. That is why she didn't marry, like the rest of the girls, at thirteen." "So we can't marry," Marcia said sadly and then burst into tears. Vivian stood and took Marcia by the hand, leading her out. When they were gone, Robin said, "She's having a rough time with her emotions." "I can see that," Patrick said. "Was it wise to have Mike visit then?" "Patrick," I said, "I understand that her emotional swings have to do with her pregnancy. Now tell me, how much of a difference have you seen in Sarah in the past six months?" "Night and day, as if you don't already know." "You know what caused that. Now think of Marcia, and what she has been though recently. How much of a change do you think has occurred?" He thought for a moment and then said, "I think I see what you are getting at, Keith. Marcia's parents aren't looking at her changes, are they?" "No they're not. I don't think they are going to like the end results, either, because they still see their daughter as a 'little girl'." "She's going to keep the child, isn't she?" Robin answered, "I'm sure that is what she wants, now. If you ask me, I can't see how that would change." "Her parent's aren't going to be pleased. They will most likely blame you two," Patrick said. "We know," I said. "Mike's parents, though... His father isn't going to let go of the 'power strings, ' easily. Marcia is already in a place where she has to make decisions. None of them are pleasant, but she has to make them. Mike is going to be taunted by the riches of his own family. If his father is at home, anything like the way he is in business..." Patrick shook his head. "He's ruthless. It's how he made his money. My guess is that Mike will have to give up everything he has, if he wants to be with Marcia." We sat in silence for a minute. "This is what you have been hiding. Keith, Robin, I had hoped you could have trusted me more than this." "Will you always listen?" Robin asked. "Yes, of course," Patrick replied. "And try to understand... and not act, even if you don't always agree?" she pressed on. Patrick paused and then nodded. "I see your point. Without seeing your points... and I still don't know about Scott or Vivian's parents... I could act on my own behalf. If I did that, how could you trust me? Of course there is the matter of Sarah, and how I'd like to..." Robin started laughing and Patrick looked at her questioningly. "Mary said you couldn't ever do that. She persuaded Keith to, though." Patrick looked shocked and then looked at me. "You... you spanked her?" I was feeling rather guilty when I nodded. "I think it was worse on him than her, but she wailed like you wouldn't believe," Robin said. "All of us knew Keith wasn't hurting her. It was just the idea it was happening that was painful to her." "I'm sure that it was, and, Keith, I know how you must have felt. It's why I could never bring myself to spank her." "She was being a pill, but after that... She was completely different," Robin said. Patrick nodded. "A pill. You know people on the east coast don't use that expression, but she does get stubborn and uncontrollable. Spoiled, in a way. I suppose if I had done that long ago, she would have been the sweet thoughtful girl she is now, and wouldn't have gone through that spoiled brat stage." "I don't know," I said. "We got spankings on occasion, and my sisters had their bratty times... And Katy told me about Robin's..." She didn't let me finish. Picking up a cushion from one of the chairs, she swung it at me. Patrick laughed, and said he needed to get back to the hotel. As soon as Patrick had gone, Robin looked at me and started to giggle. "What's so funny?" "Patrick could see something was going on. Now he found it." "I guess you're right," I said. "Honey," she said as she wrapped her arms around me, "I think that this was very good." "Really? Why?" "He knows now that he has to stop and listen to everything, before coming to conclusions." "You did make that point, didn't you?" Robin pulled my head down for a kiss. Before her lips touched mine, she said, "Yes, I did." ------- Chapter 115 Richard groaned and then rolled over onto his back, remembering why he didn't like to camp. Then he chuckled, as the memory of the last time he had been in a tent came back to him. It had also been in Carp, but under much different circumstances. His tent had been outside of a house, while Keith slept inside. While they eventually had gotten some sleep that night, seeing and hearing Robin's visit to Keith woke Richard up as to what his life had become. He groaned again. "My sentiments, exactly," James said. Richard laughed and said, "I guess it's time to get up then. They have to get a fire going, to cook breakfast." "Couldn't we just..." James started to say, and then saw the look Richard gave him. "I guess not." "They need to learn what it is like, even if it kills us," Richard said and then grinned. "After breakfast, we'll head back. Then you and I might find something to eat." James grinned. "That sounds good," he said. The two leaders had a time trying to get the boys awake. Once up, Scott and Mike headed to get firewood while Jimmy and Brian prepared the fixings to make breakfast. It was easy, as they didn't need to get rocks for the fire ring. James found out that Richard was much better at instructing what needed to happen with the food preparation, and wished Richard had been there for dinner the night before. Once breakfast was done, and the cast iron skillets had been cleaned out with sand, they started packing up. Almost on cue, Jill showed up with the horses. She helped them pack up everything, and then led them down the trail. "I thought I was going to be early enough to wake you up," Jill remarked. "Do you know what time it is?" "No," Richard replied. "What time is it?" Jimmy wanted to know. "I left before breakfast was started, so I'd say it's probably about seven, now," Jill said. "Seven!" Brian exclaimed. "No wonder I'm tired." The four boys gave James and Richard dirty looks. "The sun was up! How could we know?" James said. Not much else was said on the way down, until they got to the valley floor. "Jill, can you take James to the Mansion with you?" Richard asked. "Sure I can. Where are you going?" she commented with a tiny wondering about this. "I'm taking Brian home. I also want to show Scott and Mike something." "We're not going back with Jill?" Mike said, dejectedly. He wanted to be with Marcia. "This won't take very long. I think you will understand when we get there, why I wanted to show it to you," Richard answered. When they got to the Mansion, Jill led Jimmy and James to the stable. The other four rode past. Scott and Mike weren't in the best of moods. This wasn't what this trip was supposed to be about. Mike and Marcia should have had lots of time together, and at every turn it seemed like that wasn't happening. Richard knew the two boys were going to resist, but he hoped when Brian got home things would change. As they approached, he smiled. Barbara had heard the horses, and was hoping it was Brian, even if it was early. She ran out on to the porch and looked, then waited impatiently as they got closer. Scott and Mike took a look around when their horses stopped. They realized they had not paid the slightest bit of attention to where they had gone. They looked at each other when they saw a girl run from the house where they had stopped. She helped Brian down, and then gave him a kiss that stunned the boys. Brian, after blushing, introduced his fiancée to Mike and Scott. "We've got to go, Brian," Richard said. "Be sure to tell your mother all about your camping experience." "I will," Brian said, and then hand in hand he and Barbara went into the house. "I had a hard time believing it, but there she was," Mike said. "Where are we going now?" Scott wanted to know as Richard had started maneuvering his, and the horse Brian had used, around. "Just down the street 'til it ends and to the left a bit," Richard answered. "I get the feeling he doesn't want us to know," Mike said. They arrived only minutes later. Scott and Mike glanced at each other, but dismounted. "A cemetery?" Scott asked. "I want you to look at the dates. Look how old the people were," Richard replied. "Start over here, with the older ones." Not knowing what else to do, the boys peered at the wooden markers. The dry desert air had kept the engraved notations fairly readable, even on the old ones. "He was only twenty," Mike said. "This one was nineteen," Scott said. "This one... she was only thirty. What's wrong with this town?" Mike wanted to know. "Nothing. Now look at the newer ones." Scott walked over to one that was easily read. "Mildred, beloved wife of Robert" he looked at the dates and then said, "She was only thirty-two." "That was Daisy and Pamela's mother," Richard said softly. Scott and Mike looked at him. They could tell there were tears in Richard's eyes, when he told them who Mildred was. Why had he brought them here? Mike glanced down to the row of markers he was standing by and noticed the 'end' date. "There are a whole lot here that died at the same time. What happened?" "This town grew up as a mining town. The silver mines around here go down deep into the earth. It is hazardous work, and if something goes wrong..." "That's what happened to these men?" Mike wanted to know. "Yes, Mike. They all died in a mining accident. The reason I brought you here was to show you why the tradition started." "Tradition?" Scott asked. "Of a girl marrying when she turns thirteen. You understand when you begin to see just how long many of the people lived." Both boys were somberly nodding their head. "Like most traditions, once in place, it stays. Now, with the modern mine that is over the ridge," Richard said, pointing, "there won't be the cave-ins like they had before. On top of that, medicine is far advanced over what they had. I bet in the fifties we'll even know more. People are going to live a lot longer, maybe even until their late seventies." "Then girls won't be getting married until they are old, maybe twenty?" Mike said. Richard smiled at Mike's idea of old. "I think it will change, because it isn't necessary any longer. There are a lot of differences, though, between girls who grow up here, and those who grow up in a city, like Vivian or Marcia have." "Sarah said they never had a school here," Scott said. "It is true," Richard answered. "But they have been taught. I was thinking of girls like Barbara. She may seem young to you. She might even seem not very sophisticated, but Barbara is very grown up." "Well, she's pregnant," Mike said and then blushed, realizing what came out of his mouth. "That's not what I had in mind," Richard said with a grin, letting Mike know he wasn't offended. The smile faded as he went on. "Barbara grew up a lot faster than most kids her age. She had to. A year ago, she was spending most of her waking time taking care of her mother, who was dying." "Shit," Mike said, angry with himself for his flippant remark "There was a cave in at the Angle City mine. That is the town below us, and it's where Barbara lived. Her father didn't make it out. "Jesus," Scott said, not being able to control himself. "Poor kid." ------- "What do you mean he took Mike and Scott away?" Marcia asked. She was incensed. "You didn't even come and tell us you were back. We found out when we saw Jimmy with Pamela!" "Why didn't you go with them?" Vivian asked James. "Richard said he wanted to show them something. I don't know what it was and besides, he asked me to stay here," he said feeling a bit embarrassed at the scrutiny of these girls. "Marcia, Vivian," Jill said. "Richard said he'd have them back soon. Don't worry." "But I hear there's going to be a wedding today. When are we going to get any time together?" Marcia asked, almost pleading. "It will happen. I promise," Jill said. As soon she got the words out, she remembered when she had wanted to see her mother and thought that Keith had been working at preventing it. "When you want something so bad, it is hard to keep perspective. I know from experience." Marcia looked at Jill and had to stop herself from asking. The last time she asked a question about something Jill had said, that sounded like Jill wasn't telling all, she had almost fallen off the horse she'd been on. There wasn't any way she was about to do that again. Pulling things in a different direction, Vivian asked, "James, what did you guys talk about after we left?" "Talk about being put on the spot!" "Well?" Marcia added. James looked at the two with a pained expression. "You know I have the feeling I'm going to get skinned alive." Jill laughed and then said, "They just want to know what Scott and Mike said about them." "What else would we want to know? Marcia asked. Jill looked at the ceiling. "I don't know." "Jill!" Vivian said. "Oh, you're just trying to... I don't know what." Then she started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Marcia wanted to know. "You don't need to ask James anything, come on." Vivian replied. "Why? Where are we going?" Marcia demanded to know. "Outside. I just saw Mike and Scott ride up." Vivian said. Marcia passed Vivian and was the first out the door. The two girls ran around the house to the far side where the stable was. Jill and James walked up behind them, as the two girls were asking question after question, without waiting for an answer. "Marcia, you are as bad as Sarah said Vivian is, about asking non-stop questions," Jill said. Vivian and Marcia turned and looked at her. "Sarah really said that?" Vivian said sounding hurt. Jill shook her head as she laughed. "Vivian, I overheard you two talking about it, once." "Oh." Jill then called out, "Richard, Keith wants you. Downstairs, in the main house." "I'll be there when the horses get brushed out," he replied. "I'll take care of the horses. Mike, Scott, you haven't seen much of the main house," Jill said. Then turning and winking to Vivian and Marcia, she went on, "Make sure they show you the third floor." "The third floor?" Mike asked. With a grin on his face, Richard said to him, "That floor isn't used much, now. No one will be there to disturb you." Mike blushed. It sank into what Jill has said she would do. Now that they had been around horses a bit. Each took one of Jill's arms and gave it a squeeze, whispering a 'thank you' to her. Mike, Marcia, Scott, and Vivian took off. Richard pulled the last saddle off. "You sure you want to take care of them? I could help." "I like being with the horses, and you will do more good helping Keith. Horses, at least, are easy to understand." "I'll stay and help, too," James said. Richard turned so only Jill could see him and gave her a little smirk. Then he started to walk out of the pen. "The third floor?" Jill gave him a little smile and then said, "No one will have to worry. If things get out of hand, everyone on the second floor will hear it." Richard walked away, still laughing about that. Jill was wondering why Richard had given her that peculiar look. "What can I do?" James said. "I've never been around horses." Jill blinked and asked, "Why'd you want to help me, then?" "Uh..." James stammered, "Just to get to know you better, I guess." She was a bit confused, but said, "Here take this brush, and start with Mina." "Mina?" "She's the tan and brown one." "Ok," James said. "It's nice here. You lived her all your life?" "Yes," Jill answered, then looked over to him. "No, no. Here, let me show you." Walking over, she stood next to him. She took the brush from his hand, and showed him how to work the coat. "See, it's easy," she said, and turned to look at him, to make sure he understood. James was looking... no, staring... at her. It made her feel uncomfortable and she quickly moved back to the horse she was working on. After a bit of silent working, James asked, "What are you going to do this fall?" "Go to school, what else?" Jill said, not understanding where these questions were heading. "Where?" "At the new school, here. I'm so excited." "I heard that's where Marcia is going to go, but..." Jill looked over to him. He was looking her over. Again it made her feel uncomfortable. "Didn't you graduate? I mean, you're going to college, aren't you?" James said, realizing he had just made a blunder. "Me?" James felt himself blush and had to ask, "Jill, how old are you?" "Fourteen." "Oh, jeeze." They heard some giggling from around the corner. "Kristina, Kenneth?" Jill called. The giggling stopped, and the two peeked around the corner. "Richard told us to," Kristina said. They started to giggle again, and then the sound of footsteps running away could be heard. "I'll never hear the end of it," James said. "What?" "You're fourteen!" "And?" "And I'm twenty-two." Jill stifled a laugh. "What's so funny?" James wanted to know. "You know how old Robin is?" "I think Jimmy said she was thirteen. Is she really?" "Yes, and Keith is twenty six." "Oh," James said. His head was spinning. "Then it would be ok?" "It would be, if I was interested." James' shoulders fell. "James, I was hurt. Really bad. I'm not ready for any guy to be in my life." "Who would want to hurt someone like you?" James asked. He saw the tears start to develop in her eyes and mentally kicked himself, realizing he had just hurt her as well. "I'm sorry," he said. "You didn't know, and it's not your fault, but thanks." They finished the horses, and walked back to the house not saying anything more to each other. ------- The cool air from the window unit of their hotel room had made sleeping in Las Vegas feel like they were back on the Oregon coast. It had been wonderful and the two women hadn't complained when Frank woke them up in the morning. All three were anxious to get on the road and see Beth Ann. They checked out at eight thirty, after a light breakfast. After checking with the attendant filling the tank at the service station, George was armed with the fastest, most direct route to Carp. Not that it was exactly direct. The three expected to see some change of scenery, but the high desert looked pretty much the same as they drove from the main road, off towards Elgin. "Why in the world would anyone want to live out here?" George raised his eyebrows as he glanced over to his wife. "The same reason you stayed in the same little town you grew up in, I suppose." Beatrice snorted. "I wasn't talking about Beth Ann." Wilma giggled, because they all knew she had been. Trying to ignore Wilma, Beatrice went on, "I mean in the first place. Someone had to decide to live out in this..." "I would think," George cut in, "that the people, who still live here, chose to do so. We may not understand, but if you carry that attitude, you might find yourself disowned by your daughter." "She would never!" Beatrice said, appalled. Then added, "I do know when to keep my mouth shut." George and Wilma couldn't help but laugh at that comment. Beatrice tried to look very hurt, but that just added to their laughter. She couldn't keep the act up, and soon joined them. With the multitude of trucks that had come in and out of Carp since Keith had first arrived, George didn't find the dirt roads Keith had had to travel over. The roads weren't paved, but at least they were graveled and graded. That was considerably better, and faster, than the old dirt roads. Elgin hadn't changed at all. It was still a spot on the map. Three main buildings and some run-down houses. George, Beatrice, and Wilma looked wide-eyed at the town, as they passed through. "I hope there is more to Carp than that," George said. "Didn't you remind me to keep my opinions of the town to myself?" his wife asked. George chuckled. "Yes, I did. In towns like this, it is important that women know their place." He got a light smack on the head from both women in the car and a few comments as well. It was all in good fun, though, and no one took it seriously. It was a euphoric feeling, being so close, after such a long drive. "It is sort of pretty," Wilma said after they had wound over the last ridge, to the part of the valley that opened up to the town of Carp in the distance. They were seeing it now as the reporter had, when he had taken pictures of the disastrous accident that had occurred when they had attempted to take the chemicals out of town on trucks. "Look at those old buildings. That is something you have to say about the dry desert air. On the coast, those buildings would never have survived," George said as they got closer. "There is the new bridge Beth Ann said they'd built. And look, there's the pool," Beatrice said. Then she giggled. "She told me there's a plaque in the water, thanking Keith and Richard, for what they did." "I'll bet they just love that," Wilma commented. "Beth Ann said they hate it," Beatrice replied. "I'll bet they do. If Richard is anything like Keith, they don't want the attention," George said. He stopped the car when they were just over the bridge. "Now I wonder where we should go?" he said. "Look down there," Wilma said, "It looks like something is open." They drove down the street, admiring the old buildings. "It's a restaurant! George, stop," Beatrice said. The three got out of the car, stretching from their drive, then entered the building. It was a sparse place and the only people inside were a couple at the counter paying their bill. "You can take a seat anywhere," the woman said to the threesome as she was handing change back to the man in front of her. "We were actually looking for directions," George said. The couple turned, and had a bemused smile on their faces. The man said, "It took you this long to figure out you were lost?" At that point the waitress busied herself, clearing tables. "Pat!" the woman next to him said and smacked his arm. Beatrice and Wilma thought it was funny and started giggling. "Not lost at all," George said, trying to maintain some dignity. "I was just joking; don't take what I said seriously. Now, where are you heading?" "We're here to see our daughter," Beatrice said. "She's staying with Keith Patterson," George added. The couple looked at each other and it made George wonder if they knew who Keith was. "Couldn't be... No," the man said. Then his face lit up. "Beth Ann?" "Yes, how did you know?" Beatrice asked. "She went to school with one of my daughters. We were looking to go out to the Mansion this morning, as well." "Mansion?" Wilma said startled. "Let me guess," Jane said. "No one told you of the accommodations they have." "Not really. I thought it must be a big place, considering the number of people..." They had walked outside and George looked around, and then asked, "Your car?" "We came by train." "Why don't you come with us then? It would be the easiest way to show us how to get there." "Fine idea. Jane..." Beatrice opened the back and then said, "The ladies can sit in back. You two can get us there." Once in and the car started, Wilma asked, "What's your daughters name?" "Mary." "Mary!" George's foot slipped off the clutch. The car jerked forward and the engine stalled. He looked at the man sitting next to him. "You're Patrick McCarran? I mean, Congressman McCarran? ------- He fell back into the chair behind him. The sting on his face, and the heat causing it to flush, were minor in comparison to the utter astonishment he felt. Looking at his wife, he realized that what had just come out of his mouth about his son's girlfriend had been very crude. Janet could see her husband open his mouth. She didn't want to hear another word from him at that point. "Don't say a word to me. Right now, I'm not in the mood to listen to you." Grabbing her purse off the kitchen counter, she stormed out of the house. She was glad that her keys were on top of the jumble inside of her purse. Getting into her car, she drove off, going no place in particular. His shoulders slumped in defeat. During the next hour of silence in the house, he thought and thought, and thought. There was a reason he had called Vivian a slut. There was a better reason his wife had slapped his face for saying it. The phone rang. He jumped up, running to grab it. "Hello!" "Your wife is over at our house right now. I thought you might like to know." It was Mr. Hallbeck. He appreciated knowing. There was a portion of guilt that was thrown on top, knowing where she was, though. His immediate thoughts of Marcia, their daughter, and what had happened to her, caused his reaction. He knew that unlike Mike and Marcia's parents, if Scott were to get Vivian pregnant there would be a hasty wedding. The thought of that filled his mind with dread, and so out slipped the description of Vivian in a most unkind way. He knew better. "She's all right, isn't she?" "After some tea, yes I think so. I decided the best thing I could do was to stay out of the way, after she started describing you in rather unpleasant terms." "She has every right to be mad at me. I said something that was..." "Maybe it would be best if you came and said that to her. Apologies, I've found, are better first hand." "Do you think she would listen?" "Don't ask me. I have been learning the hard way and not doing a very good job of it. Our daughter... She's away, and it is a constant source of problems between us." "I'll be over right away." "There is a driveway along the side and a back door into the kitchen. I'll be waiting for you there." "Thanks." As soon as he hung up the phone, he was out the door. It took not more than five minutes to arrive. The kitchen door opened as he was coming up the walkway. "If women can stick together and make points, so should men. After talking with you, I poked my head out and asked if they would like some more tea. It's almost done. We will go together. I plan on bringing my wife back in here while you talk to your wife." "You don't know how much I appreciate this." "We know Scott. He's a good kid. Helping his parents out is a good way for me to let out some of the guilt I have about how I raised my daughter. Sometimes I wish I wouldn't ever see her again. Then of course there are just as many times that I miss her very much. Come on, the tea's ready." The two men walked through the dining room and into the living room. Mrs. Hallbeck saw him first. Her eyes gave away that something was amiss. Janet turned to look, just as they came up to the couch she was sitting on. "Your tea. Darling. I need some help in the kitchen with a spill." "A spill?" "Yes," he said putting out his hand for her. "Come and help me." As the two walked away, they turned to see him sitting down in the chair that had just been vacated. "Janet, I am sorry," he said. "You had every right to slap some sense into me, for what I said." She was ready for a fight. Ready to be challenged. She was not ready to be told she was right. "I'm sorry I hit you," she said softly. "I know. I only wish I had known all the things Scott was up to. You had almost a day to let everything settle in, before telling me. It didn't feel good to get it dumped on me all at once. I reacted, and not well." "Our baby is growing up. What are we going to do?" "Go home and talk about it." She looked into his eyes and then couldn't help herself. She started to laugh. "What's so funny?" "Do you remember the last time we had a fight like this?" "It's been years." "Yes, and I thought I got pregnant when I went home to talk about it." Their laughter brought the Hallbeck's out. "Is everything ok?" "I believe so. We have a lot to talk about, but at least now we're talking," he said. Janet couldn't help but giggle at what he said, and then they both started to blush. ------- Cheryl and her husband Bob, with Maureen and Patrick, arrived at the Mansion. We were a bit surprised to see them. "Dad!" Katy said. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Patrick shook his head and then said, "It hasn't been that long since I was out here." "No, but I'm trying to think when, other than Sunday, you have been dressed up like that," Katy teased him. Patrick attempted a whisper, but wasn't trying too hard. "These two," he said, motioning to Cheryl and Maureen, "heard about a wedding." Katy laughed. "Grandpa!" Jimmy said. He ran halfway down the center hallway, and then slid on his stocking feet the rest of the way. Patrick caught the boy before he smacked into some unsuspecting soul. "Katy, do you let your son run around like this all the time?" Patrick said with a smile on his face. "Dad, I'm not about to answer a question like that. You're just trying to get under my skin." Patrick laughed and then winked at Jimmy, while he said, "Indeed." Robin came walking down the stairs, smiling as she saw the group in the foyer. Patrick looked up to see his granddaughter and then said to Katy, "She's starting to show, isn't she?" "You have been away too long," Katy replied with a twinkle in her eye. "I saw her last Sunday." "At home," Katy admitted, "she wears clothes she likes and they are getting a bit tight, so it shows her state a bit more." "Where is the bride?" Cheryl asked. "Bride?" Robin said. Then went on, "Oh! Beth Ann. We're waiting for her parents to show up, before we do anything. They should be here today, we just don't know when." "How about the groom?" Maureen asked. "He's in the basement with Richard. They've working on the finishing touches to a stairway that Larry installed." "Stairway? Basement?" Cheryl asked. "Dear, remember the treasure that the kids found and that trap door? So what are you doing with the basement, now?" "It is a very cool place down there and so we're going to be using it as a pantry," Katy said. "Smart thinking." "Grandpa, when are you getting married?" Jimmy asked. "In a few weeks, why do you ask?" "Is it going to be a big wedding, or a small one like this?" Maureen knelt down to Jimmy's height and said, "It will be a big one, with everyone in town showing up. Do you like weddings?" Jimmy grinned at her, and said, "I like the food." That brought everyone in the room to tears, laughing. When it quieted down, Jimmy then added, "It also makes me think about when Pamela and I can get married." All of a sudden Beth Ann, Mary, and Daisy came running down the stairs. Not stopping for courtesy, Beth Ann ran out the front door, while Mary and Daisy ran into the dining room. The surprised group then heard some stomping on the floor. Then they heard Mary yelling, "Keith, get up here, now! Beth Ann's parents are here!" Beth Ann was down to the front gate when everyone from the house heard the proclamation. They came from wherever they were, and started to file onto the porch. That drew the attention of the 'new house' residents. They came over as well, to see what was going on. I walked up the new stairs, grateful that they were now there. I went into the kitchen and washed my hands. As I came out onto the porch, a car was just pulling up. Wondering how in the world Beth Ann could hear the car that far off, it hit me that she would have been listening for it on the second floor. Her father owned a service station, and she probably knew exactly how her father's car sounded. Everyone was chatting excitedly as the car pulled up. Then the doors opened and the talking stopped. Beth Ann turned and looked right into my eyes. She was white as a sheet after she had seen Patrick and Jane get out of her parents' car. Katherine pushed past her daughters and ran down the path. She knew what was going to happen as soon as she saw Beth Ann's expression. Luckily, Jane was there already, and caught Beth Ann as she fainted. ------- Janet had a contented look on her face. Her husband had a few strands of her hair in his hand, and was absentmindedly twirling them. One benefit of having Scott out of the house for the weekend was they didn't have to worry about him showing up at a 'most inopportune time.' Neither had clothes on. The sheets of the bed they were lying on were a tangled mess. They were done 'making up, ' and now was the time for talking. It was easier to work out their problems, when they were as relaxed as they now both felt. "I felt a bit guilty about where you'd ended up, when I got the call," he said. "Oh, why's that?" "You know if Scott got Vivian pregnant, there would be a quick wedding." "It is strange how those two families have reacted to what their children did. When I talked to the woman on the phone in Carp, she told me that Marcia wants to keep her child." "Doesn't surprise me. I think that is one of the things her parents didn't count on. You said it was a Mennonite community, didn't you?" "Yes." "They are very family oriented, from what I know of them." "It's kind of funny. The woman in Carp insisted I go and talk with Marcia's mother about their experience down there. It was an interesting conversation. She saw some things that made her believe Marcia needed to be there. The feeling I got was that she was realizing she hadn't been there for her daughter when her daughter had needed her. Now that she has made a decision, I think she expects all her problems to be solved. I don't think that Marcia keeping her child is something she thinks could possibility happen." "You said you talked to a mother and daughter?" "Yes, the daughter first. Her name is Robin. She was rather smart. You know, 'common sense' smart." "Less and less of that around, now-a-days." "Robin is Vivian and Marcia's age." "Mmm." "And she's married." Janet looked at her husband for the reaction. "You're not surprised?" "That's part of the problem I was having, and my initial reaction. I know some Mennonites. It doesn't surprise me. Now, how that will affect Scott..." "Don't you think Vivian would have said... Oh!" "Oh what?" "Vivian didn't say much about the place to Scott at all, I'll bet." "Why do you say that?" "Robin said that Vivian was scared about Scott going there. It was her secret paradise." He let out a big sigh, and then said, "A girl with her dreams. Scott could try and make them come true." "Or shatter them." "I hadn't thought of that. If he reacted like I did..." "He is your son." "Well, hell." "Robin's mother told me this could be the 'make or break' of their relationship." "So either we get back a son who will mope around for months, or one that will want to get married." "Do you remember how old I was when we met?" Janet asked. "That's different." "A year younger than Vivian." "But I was only..." "Yes?" "Do you want them to get married?" "I want our son to be happy." "Yes, Dear, so do I. In time, that is. Now, for the next big question... Do we tell Vivian's parents what is going on?" ------- Beth Ann woke up in the library. Katherine was holding a damp towel to her forehead and was looking into her face as she opened her eyes. Her parents were also in the room, but no one else. She could hear voices, lots of them; but they were elsewhere in the house. "That was a bit of a scare," George said. "How do you feel?" Katherine asked. "Mom?" "Yes, Dear?" Beatrice said, who was on her knees, close to her daughter. In a whisper, Beth Ann asked, "Why were the McCarran's in your car?" "We had no idea who they were until we started driving. They said they were coming out here, so they'd show us the way." Overhearing the conversation, Wilma said, "They were the ones that we were staying an extra day away for, weren't they?" Beth Ann nodded. "You're fine?" Katherine asked. Beth Ann nodded again. "Then I'd better go find my kids and make sure they don't say anything they shouldn't." "Now what are we going to do?" Beth Ann asked. "Honey, there's no need to rush," Beatrice said, brushing a strand of hair away from her daughter's face. "We're here for you." "Thanks, Mom." "Is she doing ok?" Jane asked as she stepped into the music room, peering into the library. "She's feeling much better. It seems she's been anticipating our arrival to the point it overwhelmed her," Wilma answered. While Beth Ann had been tended to, Mary, Sarah, and I had talked to Jane and Patrick. They were obviously worried. We gave them a little run down of what had happened in their family, and in the town her parents lived in. Patrick knew some of it, but not all. They could understand, with all they had been through, that Beth Ann had been overly excited. ------- Robin helped Beatrice walk Beth Ann up to the second floor and then told Beth Ann to rest for just a bit. Beth Ann didn't want any of that, but her mother put her foot down and she acquiesced. As soon as they closed the bedroom door, Beatrice said, "You don't have bed frames, I see." Before Robin could answer there was a thump from the third floor. Robin, who couldn't help but smile, said, "No one falls out of bed that way." Beatrice gave her a pained expression, but then asked, "Who's on the third floor?" "I think I saw Mike, Scott, Marcia, and Vivian going up there earlier." The two were walking back down the stairs as Beatrice commented, "I think I remember Beth Ann saying something about a Marcia. Is she the girl who came to live with you because she's pregnant?" "Who's having a child?" Wilma wanted to know, overhearing the conversation as they came down. "Marcia," Robin said. And to answer Beatrice, "Yes, you have that right." Other than Wilma and George, Patrick McCarran, Jane, Richard, Katy, and I were still in the living room. Patrick spoke up, "Mike, Marcia's boyfriend and the father, as well as Scott, their friend, conspired to take a trip down here to see Marcia. Both parents have tried to break any involvement between the two." "I can see that worked well," Wilma said sarcastically. "On top of that, my daughter Sarah asked me to bring Vivian, Scott's girlfriend, down here for a visit. She's been hiding out, knowing I'm upset with her for doing that." Wilma started to laugh. Everyone turned to look at her. "She sounds like she is just like Mary," Wilma said. "Sounds like you're bothered about the whole thing," George said to Patrick. "I am responsible for bringing her down here, even if I had no idea Scott would be here," Patrick said. Jane said, "Scott's parents know, though." "They do?" Beatrice asked, surprised. "What do they say about it?" "I don't know," Patrick bemoaned. "The young man's mother called. Robin and I talked with her," Katy said. "She hasn't called back." "I don't see as there's much of a problem." George said. "Oh?" Patrick said, expecting more from that statement. "You got a lot of people around here. From what I've experienced, they love each other, as well as respect each other. If seeing that don't make those kids act responsible, nothin' will." "That's a good point," Jane said to her husband. "I think you should just drop the guilt, Dear." Patrick looked at his wife and smiled. "There is an election we're working on." "Not now. We're taking a break," Jane replied, "but I know what you're saying. Carp isn't on anyone's radar, though. No one knows Mary or Sarah live here. The way we came down, no one knows even that we're here." "Just as long as Vivian's parents don't make a ruckus then," Patrick added. "I think if there was a problem, we would have heard about it by now," Katy said, trying to smooth over things. "You may be right, but I think it's probably time to go and get out of your hair. You have a new set of company here. When we stop in Reno, I can judge the situation," Patrick said. Then he looked at Katy. "I assume if there was a problem and I called, Vivian could be put on a train?" She smiled at him, warmly, and answered, "We would arrange it. None of us want you to be in any sort of problem." Everyone could see his body relax a bit. ------- The two couples had gone up to the third floor, to look around. Before anything serious could happen, there had been the big deal with Beth Ann's parents arriving, and everyone went out to greet them. Then Beth Ann fainted. After a bit, Sarah and Jill had told them to go back upstairs. They were more than happy to do so. Marcia had pulled Mike into one of the rooms, leaving Vivian and Scott out in the hall. They looked at each other, having a much different relationship than Mike and Marcia. "Want to... ah..." Scott stammered out. "Ok." Scott's hand was trembling when he opened the door on the other side of the hall. They walked in and Vivian closed the door behind her. The room was spartan, as it wasn't being used. There was only a chair and a chest of drawers. Scott was somewhat glad the room didn't have a bed in it. He would have felt uncomfortable. Heck, he was feeling uncomfortable, as it was. It was not that he didn't desire Vivian more than he could express; it was that he loved her. He really loved her, in that he didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want to have happen what Marcia was going through. It would tear him apart. That was the logical side. The realistic side knew if there had been a bed there, he would have tried to get her onto it. "Guess I'll have to sit on your lap," Vivian said, breaking Scott out of his daydream. He looked at the lone chair. "Oh, yes. I guess so." Sitting, he wrapped his arms around Vivian as she lighted onto his lap. It felt good to both of them. Pulling her in close to him, he kissed the side of her neck. She felt goose bumps run down her spine and sighed. She turned to look into his eyes, to touch his lips. For her, the world stopped. She was floating, never being happier in her life. Scott had never felt the passion flow from Vivian, as that which he now received. It was almost overwhelming. He felt the desire to consume as much of her as he could get. His hands moved around her waist, and were now around her back. He was pulling her in, as close as possible. He savored the way she smelled and tasted. Yet, he wanted more. There was something driving him. Something he'd never quite felt before. It was unmistakable. It was animalistic. Even while his lips were connected to hers, he felt as well as heard the deep sound emanate from within himself. She was surprised by the sound Scott had made. That didn't stop their kissing, far from it. She could tell the sound spoke of his desire for her, and that was music to her ears. As his hands moved from the tight embrace he had pulled them into, she inched back but kept her hands around his neck. There was considerable heat being generated by the two and even in the warm room the rush of air that was pulled in between them now felt cool. She felt his hands move to her sides, then one venturing where she had longed for it to go. He was sliding it up towards her breast. His hand was tingling and although nervous, he couldn't stop himself. His need for his love overpowered all else. When his fingers touched the ridge of the bottom of her bra, he hesitated just for a split second. The thump jolted both of them apart. They looked at each other, blinking, as if they had been in a trance. "What was that?" Vivian whispered loudly. They then heard laughter. Scott took a deep breath. "Sounds like someone fell off a bed." As soon as he uttered those words, his face turned crimson, for his mind found himself on the bed with Vivian. Vivian giggled, mostly out of nervousness. Then she said, "I think we were getting out of control." Scott looked at his love with sad eyes. "I know I was. Sorry, I..." "I wanted it too." "You did?" "Scott..." There was a knock on the door and both groaned in frustration, as the moment had just been shattered. "Yes," Scott called out in a voice that let the person on the other side know they were not welcome. The door opened just a crack. "Scott, Vivian," Marcia's voice came in sounding very upset. "What's wrong, Marcia?" Vivian wanted to know. She had jumped off of Scott's lap and was already heading to the door. "Mike hurt himself." Scott was at the door almost as fast as Vivian was. He pulled it open and couldn't help but stare. Marcia's blouse was still open and although you couldn't see anything, it was evident her bra was no longer covering her breasts. Vivian gave Scott a dirty look and then asked, "Where is he?" "In the room," she said and pointed across the hall. Vivian reached the door first and opened it, only to stop dead in her tracks, just as Scott had a moment before. There was Mike, on the floor next to the bed. His pants were down to his ankles. She'd never seen a boy's underwear before. Scott pushed Vivian in, as she was blocking the door. He looked at Mike and then turned and rolled his eyes at his girlfriend. She gave him a weak smile. She had just been caught looking at Mike, in the same way she had been mad at the way that Scott had been looking at Marcia, just seconds before. "Mike, what's wrong?" Scott asked as he walked over to him. ------- I was driving Patrick McCarran back to our house after taking him downtown, so he could make a phone call. They had been invited to have dinner with us. With Katy's father, his fiancée and... umm, 'friend couple, ' along with Beth Ann's parents and aunt, it was going to be a big get together. If it weren't for the McCarran's, as well as Scott, Mike, Marcia, and Vivian, we might consider it a rehearsal dinner.We still weren't sure about the kids and the wedding. As if reading my last thoughts, Patrick asked, "Is Mike going to be all right?" I chuckled and answered, "The word I got from Katherine was that his pride was wounded more than anything else. I would almost bet my life that he is having a lot of attention being dolled out to him right now." "Not that it's any of my business," Patrick said with a grin, "but what is the purpose of getting the two of them together? My guess is that they will be almost even more broken hearted when he has to leave." "Patrick, I try not to second guess what the women I live with have up their sleeve. I just try and help out when I can." He laughed and then said, "You're a smart man, Keith." "I don't know much about Mike. He seems like a good kid." "Known his parents for some time. Don't always agree with them," Patrick smiled, "but then we all parent our own... ah, unique way." I laughed and said, "Always the politician." "He will be very tempted to give up everything and come to be with Marcia," Patrick said seriously. I gathered he was trying to tell me something, without coming right out and saying it. "He has another year in high school, am I right?" "I believe so." "Marcia is just starting, but will be out in three years... If Mike went to a two year college..." "His father would disown him." "If he married Marcia, would that change anything?" "No, I think his father would disown him for that, also." "Then I think it's going to be a decision he has to make. He can only choose good paths if he knows the options that await him." "It sounds like you would suggest he..." "Follows his heart? If there is one thing that Robin has showed me, it is to let love be the guiding reason to my actions. Not that I'm always that good at doing it, but I try." "Ok, now I'm going to play the devil's advocate. What would you suggest Mike do that he could get a degree in, in two years?" "Las Vegas has a mining school," I said offhandedly. "Mining?" Patrick said and then laughed. "Keith, you've got to be kidding." I turned the car around. We hadn't quiet got to the bend in the road bringing us into our little valley, so no one would wonder what was going on. "Where are we going now?" Patrick asked. "I think you might be confused as to what a mine does. To tell you the truth, so was I. Now that this one is running, and we're involved with it, I know how many things have to take place for the mine to work. It's not just miners." "I see," I smiled and said, "Not yet, but you will. You know Memco is a pretty big organization." "Yes, I would have to agree with you on that, but you are a contract facility, right?" "That is true, but we do have a little more pull in the company than most." "Oh, how is that?" "Richard's uncle is a company big shot." Patrick laughed. "So you have an ear that will listen." "It has worked well, so far," I said as I pulled up to the outskirts of the mine. "Do you see the buildings on the far side?" "Yes." "Administration is to the left. Right next to that is a small lab. They take and test samples, helping the mine run as efficiently as possible." "I see your point." "Do you have any idea what those guys make?" "You do, apparently." "More than what I was contracting out for my services in the military, and I thought I was making a killing. This is a wealthy venture." "So, you are saying that with a two year degree, Mike could support a wife?" "With some helpful words to get him a job around here... Well frankly anyplace Memco has a mine, yes." Patrick was thinking. I could tell from the expression on his face. I turned and drove back down, heading towards home. "Mike comes from a wealthy family." "He wouldn't have a lot of wealth in money if he did something like that." Patrick smiled at my choice of words. "When I started out, with my first wife, we lived in a small trailer. We were in love and those things didn't matter. Mary was conceived in that trailer. Soon after that, we moved into our first apartment. Mary doesn't remember that, as by the time she was three we were in our first house." He had stopped talking, but as I glanced over to him, I could tell he was still thinking about those times. I didn't know what had happened to his first wife. No one talked about it, and this didn't seem the time to bring it up. "Keith, I can't tell him any of this. His father would be furious." "I understand." "Now, if Mary were to bring up her father..." "Maybe you should spend a bit of time with her, reliving the past, before you leave." "Not a bad idea. I don't know what the plans are for after dinner, but I'd need her then. A helicopter is picking us up at ten twenty tomorrow morning." "Do you ride?" "A horse?" I snorted. "Yes." "Haven't in years." "Mary is getting pretty good at it. A nice little ride is relaxing. I've had some very good talks while on a horse." "That would solve one issue." "Oh?" "Jane wouldn't dare come along. She got bucked off of one as a kid and is afraid of them." "I'll suggest it at dinner." "Keith, you're a little devil." "I've been called worse." ------- Dinner was an amazing feat. There were so many that we filled the large dining table, the kitchen table, the coffee table, and a few other places. I had made sure that Mary was sitting at the same table as her parents. That had been quite an accomplishment in itself. When I casually said that it would be a great evening for a ride, Mary took the bait and agreed. I then pushed it one step further, saying she should take her parents out, as it was their last night. Jane, predictably, begged off, but only after Patrick had agreed it would be fun. I gave Mary a wink, and she smiled, knowing I'd set this up. James approached me after dinner. "I have something for you," he said. I looked at him, wondering what he was talking about. "You sent a letter to Scott?" I almost laughed, but said, "Yes, I did. You got them, then?" "Yes. It wasn't very fun, but now that I see this place I can well imagine what you'd have to go through to get something like them, here." A few people in the room were listening to our conversation, but didn't have clue of what we were talking about. I moved James outside, where we could have a little privacy. "Where do you have them? And by the way how much were they?" "They're in my pack. It's still on the back porch. I understand I'm sleeping on the third floor?" "If that's what you heard, it's probably true. I try and stay out of those details," I said with a grin. We walked over to the porch and he pulled out a wrinkled brown paper bag with a box in it. "The receipt is in there as well. I really can't remember how much it was. I just wanted to get out of the place as fast as possible," James said. "I hate to admit it, now, and I really do appreciate all you went though, but I was told the doctor could order them for me. I, of course, found this out only after I'd sent the letter." James let out a laugh. "Yes, I guess that wouldn't have worked. You couldn't call." I pulled out the receipt, looked at the amount and then reached into my pocket. I handed him a five. He looked at it and didn't know what to do. "Keep it. I know it was embarrassing. I would have been terrified to buy them at your age." "Well, ok, if you insist," he said, grinning. "Why don't you ask Katy which room you get? She's the one to ask." He adjusted his backpack, nodded, and then walked into the house. I had the paper bag in my hand when Pamela came running out the door. I smiled at her. She slowed down just long enough to give me a big smile, and a very short hug, then she ran off. Jimmy was out the door next, not more than a minute later. I stopped him. "Where are you off to?" I asked. He blushed and stammered. "Well?" "Jill and Sarah were going to take Elizabeth, Stephanie, Kristina, and Kenneth on a little walk. Tiffany and Vicki said they'd go too." "Whose idea was that?" I asked with a smile. Jimmy stood straight and said, "I didn't have anything to do with it!" "Did they tell you how long they were going to be gone?" He got a sheepish smile on his face. "Yes." "How long?" "No less than thirty minutes!" "A long time," I said, half joking. "Yes, but..." "I'm using it up?" "Yeah," he sort of wined. "I have something to make it up to you two." "You do? What?" "Come on, let's go find Pamela," I said. "She's going to be in our room." "Probably naked." Jimmy grinned at me, and then said as we were walking over, "I hope so." I shook my head. We walked in. Pamela had no idea I was with Jimmy. We walked up the stairs without saying a word. I couldn't help but stare when I looked in the room. She was indeed bare, and spread out for all the world to see. When she saw the both of us, she just smiled. No hint of modesty. I think she was enjoying my obvious problem with my eyes wanting to roam over her body. It was a difficult situation to be in, as a teacher/parent, but also as someone Pamela had wanted as a partner at one time. "Keith said he had something for us," Jimmy said. "What is it?" Pamela wanted to know. I sat down on the bed. "You know why you two can't do what Brian and Barbara did." "Yes, it would hurt Pamela," Jimmy said very seriously. "I have something that can make it so you can," I said to them. Pamela was suddenly in my lap. Her arms were around my neck, and she was looking into my eyes. "What is it?" she asked. I had to clear my throat. She then felt my problem. Her eyes glanced down, and she giggled. "Sorry," she said, but she didn't sound it at all. I moved her off of me, and then opened the bag. I reached in, tore open the box and pulled out a foil packet. "This prevents his stuff from getting inside of you," I said. They looked at me, and then the little square I was holding in disbelief. "I don't have a lot of these, so they will have to be for special times. This is going to be your experiment time, to see how it works, all right?" "What do I do with this?" Pamela said as she took it out of my hand and then looked at the junction between her legs. "Jimmy, it will work best if you're undressed," I said. As he was doing that, I continued, "Pamela open it up, it's what's inside that you use." "Oh," she said and pulled at the package. I had to help her get it started, but then she pulled it open. And pulled out the round rubber thing. She looked at it still very confused. It didn't take very long for me to explain what it did, and how it went on. I then left them to their own devices, knowing they would figure it out. I went down the stairs and walked out the rarely used front door to wait for Mary and Patrick to return. I was trying to get the images of Pamela out of my mind and thought that maybe it was time to show Stephanie one of these condoms. At the same time I went out the front door, Scott, Mike, Marcia, and Vivian walked in the back door. "Everyone went on a walk, let's go upstairs," Marcia whispered. As if they made a noise, someone would suddenly show up, the four crept up the stairs. They were half way down the hall, when there was a sudden noise. Before anyone thought, Mike had pushed the door open. There on the bed was Jimmy, and on top of him was Pamela. Both were as naked as the day they were born. All four weren't looking at the couple's faces. They were looking at the joined part of their bodies. Mike and Scott looked at each other. There was little question what that almost too large thing was covering Jimmy's dick as they had seen it just before it slid back into Pamela. Marcia had the grace to grab hold of the door and pull it closed, but then the four just sort of looked at each other, wondering what they should do now. They were already feeling frisky and that scene just made it worse. To make matters worse, Pamela opened the door, still naked, and looked at Marcia. "Do you guys know what to do with it, when we're done?" ------- Richard took hold of my arm as soon as Mary had driven off with her parents to take them back to the hotel. "Come on," he said. We walked around back. It was dusk and the shadow of the Mansion fell across our path. We continued out to the bench. I sat; Richard continued to stand. "I overheard our women talking," Richard said. "Our women?" "Well, Robin, Katy, Cynthia, Maureen, and Martha." "How is that 'our' women?" "They are the women of the men who have live sperm," Richard said without emotion. "Oh. So what did you hear?" "What would you think about all of us being sperm donors?" I heard two distinct gasps from the shadow of the house. "Come out," I said. Jill and Sarah walked out, and their eyes were still as large as anything. ------- Chapter 116 Pamela pulled Marcia into her room. Vivian, Scott, and Mike stumbled along into the room as well, not knowing what else to do. They didn't have the facts that Marcia had gained in her conversation with Jimmy and Pamela. While Marcia was a bit surprised, the other three were in shock. Pamela again asked, "What do we do with it?" "How did you get that?" Scott asked, knowing that Keith had asked him to purchase rubbers, but... "Keith gave it to us, so we would be safe," Jimmy said. Not paying the least bit of attention to the two couple's astonishment, Pamela asked, "Do I just pull it off?" "I think that would be the best," Mike ventured, as no one else said a word. In truth, neither boy had ever used one before and had no idea. Pamela, given the go ahead, jumped up on the bed. Her knees bent, and were next to Jimmy's head. She leaned over and took hold of his now limp dick. Looking up at them, she said, "His stuff is coming out from around the sides." Not getting any comment, she looked back down, grabbed hold of the rubber, and it slid right off. "You're a mess, Jimmy," she said with a little giggle in her voice. "Let me take care of that." Vivian and Marcia looked ready to faint when Pamela opened her mouth and engulfed his dick. It was now Mike and Scott's turn to gasp. Jimmy pulled at one of Pamela's knees. Her leg went over onto the other side of Jimmy's head, and then he pulled her pussy onto his face. The two couples looked at each other, embarrassed, and then backed out the door. Marcia pulled it shut, this time quietly turning the knob to close it completely. They walked down to the end of the hall, and into Marcia's bedroom. There they sat, without saying a word, for a good two minutes. The silence was broken, but not by them. The noise coming out of Jimmy and Pamela's room was something that was just too hard to ignore. At that point, nothing was being said. The sights and sounds had been too much for the young couples. Even if it might have been embarrassing in any other setting, touching and kissing started to take place. ------- Sarah and Jill walked to where Richard and I were standing. They looked a bit sheepish doing so. They told us it was just an accident that they overheard our conversation. The way the two were reacting, there was a very different understanding as to what they heard. Sarah was embarrassed about being 'caught' doing something wrong, but didn't quite understand what we had been talking about. Sarah's reaction was an add-on to her father's annoyance that she had misled him into bringing Vivian down here with him. Jill, on the other hand, I was sure, knew exactly what we had been talking about. She was giving me shy glances, with just a touch of a smile in them. I wasn't sure what to make out of that. Richard asked Sarah and Jill to promise not to say a word. I think they understood the importance of that, as they had seen my stunned look at what Richard had told me. I then told Sarah that her parents were leaving in the morning, and that she should spend some time with them. She gave me a little smile, saying she would. I told her that her father knew she'd been avoiding him, and if she wanted to be treaded like an adult she should take responsibility for her actions. I could see her seriously thinking about that. "Richard, you and I need to talk about this some more. I just don't know what to say or think about it, right now," I said. "Jill, I can tell, wants to talk. So why don't we pick up this conversation later." Sarah was looking at Jill and said, "You do?" I smiled at Sarah and told her, "Jill has this little thing she does when something is on her mind." "What?" Sarah wanted to know. "I won't tell you that." "I do?" Jill said, completely baffled. "You mean you don't want to talk to me?" I asked. "Well, yes, but... What do I do that you know?" "Nothing," I said while trying not to laugh too hard. "I just heard something from Kenneth..." Jill rolled her eyes. Sarah was shaking her head. Richard was laughing that I had pulled one over on both of them. "I do need to talk with my friends. They have been a little occupied, but you're right, Keith. I do need to take responsibility for what I did," Sarah said and went off towards the new house. "I need to do something, I'm sure," Richard said as he winked at us, and left. As soon as we were alone, I asked, "How did it make you feel?" "You're talking about James?" "Yes." "Strange." "Too much 'chocolate' all at once?" Jill thought for a moment, tilting her head as she did. I couldn't help but think that anyone would think she was beautiful. "I didn't think about it like that, Keith, but you may be partially right. I wasn't expecting anything like that, and it kind of threw me." "But... ? There's more, isn't there." "Well, there is no question that I like to have fun with girls. I love them, even. But that doesn't seem like 'a relationship' to me. Not like Betty and Sue had. A relationship, for me, feels like it should be with a man." "Ok..." I said, just to let her know I wanted her to continue. "There is only one who fits that position, and you know it. You weren't supposed to, but you do." "I can't say I'm sorry, 'cause I'm not. Jill, I love you, too. But you know that." "I still have problems." "I know, sweetheart. No one is pressing. You have all the time and love you need." She pulled me into a hug, which I gladly returned. I felt the wetness of tears on my neck, and remembered the frightened girl who wouldn't have wanted me to hug her, not so very long ago. Taking hold of her head, I turned it up and kissed her. I decided then that I wasn't going to tell her about the box of rubbers I had acquired. She needed to figure out a few things first. For that, I was going to get Liz involved. ------- Sarah wasn't feeling very good about herself at that moment. She had just been told by the man she loved that she wasn't being a responsible person. It hurt, even though she could see his point. Laura caught up to her, just as she was ready to head into the new house. "You look down. What's wrong?" Laura asked. "Nothing." "Fine." Sarah looked at Laura, and the hurt expression on her face. "Sorry, I was just told something that didn't make me feel very good, that's all." "Who did that?" "Keith." "Keith? Why?" "He was right. Now I have to try and change it." "What do you have to do?" "Well, first I have to go talk to Mike, Scott, Vivian, and Marcia." "I was looking for Jill, maybe they're together," Laura said. "No, they're in the house. Jill was just talking to Keith, around the corner." "Oh, what did she do?" Sarah laughed, but then said, "Nothing. She did have something she wanted to talk to Keith about, though." "Maybe I'll wait, then. Last time I walked into someone's conversation it was... strange." "Yes," Sarah said, "I know that feeling." Sarah left Laura at the doorway as she entered the new house. She was at the stairs when she heard Jimmy and Pamela. Her heart started to pound and her eyes got big, hoping Mike and Scott weren't hearing this. Running up the stairs, she went straight to her and Marcia's room. The door was closed, but not latched. Sarah pushed it open. ------- It was a special occasion. Rebecca didn't know the history, or its meaning, but went along. Jack and Cynthia pulled out the fine china for dinner. Then it was playtime. The central, thickly walled room in their house had been outfitted properly, perfectly. Rebecca was stripped down... the door was closed... Now, no one could hear them outside the room. "I received a new shipment today," Cynthia said as she clasped a leather strap around Rebecca's wrist. "The one with the dress?" "There were two boxes that showed up today." Jack was silent as his wife talked, and fitted Rebecca. He was just as anxious to see what had been obtained. He had been told a week ago to place four very secure eyebolts on the ceiling in a particular pattern. It had made him very curious. "What was in the second one?" Cynthia had finished with her wrist straps, and now had Rebecca raise her foot for the ankle straps. "You will see soon enough," Cynthia replied with a devilish smile. "Oh, I guess you won't see." She clasped the second ankle strap onto Rebecca's ankle, and then pulled out a blindfold. Jack was sure Rebecca was going to be secured, but was not sure just how. Then his wife pointed to a box in the corner and made motions for him to open it. Rebecca, once blindfolded, had little to do but listen. She could hear Jack walking. Something was set on the small table and opened. Jack gasped. 'Was that good... or bad, ' Rebecca wondered. She then felt Cynthia lightly drag her fingernails down Rebecca's chest and she shivered. There was paper being opened and then Jack walking. There was a sound like chain being moved. A chair moved to right behind her. She was expecting to be seated, but that didn't happen. 'What in the world was going on?' When Jack saw the picture on the cover of the instruction page, it took him by surprise. After he opened the booklet, he realized why Cynthia had made him get the chain out. He was glad they had already brought it from the other house. It had been easy to obtain on the base. Here, in Carp, it would have been much more difficult. He had to stand on the chair four times to secure the chain to the eyehooks in the ceiling. Then he and Cynthia attached the sling at the four corners. It was constructed of black leather. It was a simple design, really. But looking at it hanging there, Jack could see the possibilities. He grinned at his wife. Cynthia moved the chair over, climbed onto it and then slipped into the sling. Jack had to resist a groan that wanted to come out. This was going to be fun! She motioned him to remove the chair and then stand in front, where her legs were open wide. Jack quickly complied. Cynthia rose up and looked. Jack could see she was too high. She held up two fingers and he nodded. Jumping out of the sling, Cynthia almost lost her balance and ended up wrapping her arms around Rebecca. Jack moved the sling down two chain links. Cynthia said to Rebecca, "We're almost ready." Rebecca didn't have to wait much longer to find out what all the noise was. The thing that worried her the most was the sound of the chains. She was helped over to the chair, which she was prompted to reach out and touch. She felt a bit uneasy as she was guided to stand up on it, but both Jack and Cynthia were on each side of her. The leather sling was pulled forward and touched the back of her legs. She felt very odd, sitting down into 'something, ' from the chair. Then, all of a sudden, it was almost like she was in a hammock! She was floating, and swinging in the air. Cynthia then secured her wrist and ankle straps. She knew she must be a sight, as her legs were pulled widely apart. After the silence, Cynthia said, "Even though you are just starting to show your pregnancy, this will keep you comfortable for hours of playtime." Jack was now in front of Rebecca. His hard dick ready to 'play' as his wife said those words. He looked up and realized that in spite of the wickedly nasty streak she was displaying, there was a great deal of thought for Rebecca in this. He looked at Rebecca, cradled in the sling, and noticed a tear escaping from behind the blindfold she was wearing. She had been touched by Cynthia's words, as well. Instead of plowing into her as he might have, (which was so tempting a thought, as she looked very wet) Jack got down on his knees, and started teasing Rebecca with his tongue. Cynthia, who was behind Rebecca, reached around and started playing with her nipples. It didn't take long for Rebecca to start making noises. Jack stood and Rebecca made other noises, expressing her frustration because he was no longer playing with her pussy. She quickly changed tunes when he pulled the sling forward and she was impaled. Jack thought this was one of the best inventions, ever. He was now standing, while Cynthia pulled and released the sling, causing his dick to slide in and out. Rebecca was screaming in ecstasy when her orgasm finally reached her. Then she dropped back limply. Again Jack was amazed at the wonderful sling and how well it supported Rebecca. Cynthia revived Rebecca, and round two started. Jack couldn't hold back any longer on round three. As Cynthia was pulling back, Jack flexed. That popped his dick out of Rebecca's pussy and he shot his cum all over her front. Cynthia quickly moved in and lapped up the juices, making sure to get places Rebecca needed licking. By the time they were done. Rebecca was glad she had been bound into whatever it was. She felt limp as a noodle. It was only then that Cynthia took off the blindfold and let her see where she was. Curiosity took over and Rebecca marveled at what she was sitting in, and how she was displayed. As fascinating as it seemed, she was exhausted. Jack and Cynthia had to help her down, and walk her down the hall, holding her up until they reached the bed. As she rolled onto bed, she turned and said, "Next time, we put Cynthia in it." Jack was more than ready for that. ------- Brian and Barbara had been inseparable all day. When Julie had shown up with her mother, Annabelle, the three had disappeared for well over two hours, leaving the adults to talk. Millie commented on their absence to Bruce, at dinner. He just smiled, and then winked at Barbara. She turned red, but still grinned back at him. It wasn't until that evening, after dinner, that Brian rattled off to his parents what they had done on the camping trip. When he came to the part of the story where girls showed up, Barbara was still hurt. "Why didn't I get to go?" "Honey," Millie said, "you have Brian with you every day. Marcia hasn't seen Mike in months." "I guess so. But what about Vivian?" Bruce laughed and said, "Barbara, do you think that if they brought you up there, you would have left?" She stuck her tongue out at him, and they all had a good laugh. "So they left?" Bruce asked, with a slight smile on his face. "Bruce!" Millie said, astounded by what he said. "Mom, he was joking." "I hope so," Barbara said. Millie looked at Barbara, and knew she wasn't talking about what her husband had said. There was a bit of jealousy there, and she knew just the cure for that. "Barbara, I think we need to talk about the wedding. Keith set a trend by having a new dress. I was married in my Sunday best, as most of the gals here have been. I know you don't have many clothes, so we need to follow with Keith's new tradition, and get you a new dress. Have any ideas?" Barbara's eyes were having a hard time not leaking. She sniffled. "Brian and I talked a little about it." "Oh?" Millie said, a bit surprised that her son would even think about a dress. Barbara blushed, and Millie got the idea that maybe she didn't want to know what they had talked about. "Brian had this idea that we should get married in the water." "Water!" Millie looked at her son like he was half crazy. "Why in the world..." "'Cause water's special, with... with... with Richard saving my life," Brian said softly, feeling like he was ready to cry. ------- Jill had just left with Laura when Sarah showed up, pulling Mike and Scott along. "Talk to them," she said, and ran back to the new house. I was a bit bemused by the situation. Mike and Scott looked a bit sheepish. "Anything in particular you want to talk about?" I asked. The boys looked at each other. Mike said, "Not really." "Come on over here and let's not really talk then," I replied leading them over to the bench in the back corner of the lot. We sat. The two boys on the bench, I on a log. "Sarah didn't look happy. Any idea why not?" I asked. "Why did they get one?" Scott asked a bit angrily. "It might help to know who 'they' are, and what they got, Scott." "Jimmy and Pamela. You gave them... a rubber!" "Oh," I said. I was trying not to sound any more inelegant than I felt, right then. I might have been a bit slow, but I was eventually putting two and two together. "Richard talked to me about taking you two down to the cemetery. He also told me that you didn't really believe Brian, until you actually saw Barbara. Did you know that Brian and Jimmy are cousins, as well as best friends? Think about that for a moment. Now add to that the idea that this whole town was almost wiped off the face of the earth. A madman tried to kill everyone here. If you were faced with that, do you think that maybe, you would look at life a bit differently?" "Yeah." "But..." "But what, Mike?" "Pamela asked what she should do with it." I thought about that, and couldn't help but laugh. "Let me guess, she just opened the door and asked." The sheepish grin was back on the boys' faces. They nodded. "She did more than that," Scott ventured to say. "She walked out in the hall and pulled Marcia in." "Doesn't sound out of place," I said, knowing there must be more to the story. "She didn't have any clothes on!" Mike said, blushing. "She is rather pretty, isn't she," I said, making him blush a bit more. "Ok, I get the point. You saw what they had obviously done..." "It was more than that," Scott said making a face. "Really? Tell me about it," I said rather amused by their embarrassment. "She put his thing into her mouth!" "He pulled her leg over his head and, and... and" "Licked?" I asked. "Yes!" "Mike, I need to talk with you about that. If you haven't done that for Marcia..." I said shaking my head. "You do that?" "As often as I can! I like it and I can tell you..." "It did sound like Pamela liked it." "So, that was the kicker. You saw, then heard. Did Sarah walk in on you, getting out of control?" I asked Scott. He nodded. "I think we need to talk again, but now I'd better rescue Vivian." "That's it?" Mike said. "What did you expect?" "My dad would..." "Mike, I'm not your dad. You wouldn't be here if I was, now would you?" "No." "Ok. You and Marcia wanted to be together. I understand there is an urge to have some physical stuff going on between you two. It is important that you understand something here. If that's all there is between you two, physical stuff; then when you leave, what will she see in you? Do you want her to remember that the only things you two did were things that required a bed?" Mike turned bright red. "That's what you need to think about. If you want a future with her, maybe you should spend some time planning that future." As I walked away, I heard Mike tell Scott, "I think, in a way, he is harder than my dad. A lot more fair, though." ------- As I walked up the staircase, I was prepared to hear Sarah yelling at Marcia and Vivian. I had, in a way, set her up to be responsible for what was going on. With what had just happened, overreaction on her part could be very easily understood. When I reached the top of the stairs, I looked down the hall and right into their bedroom. I wasn't expecting to see Sarah curled up, on the floor. Nor Marcia and Vivian's pitiful faces looking back at me Running down the hallway, I knocked on Pamela and Jimmy's door. As I got to the doorframe of Marcia and Sarah's room, Pamela opened her door and stuck her head out. I turned towards her and said, "Go get Robin! NOW!" Pamela didn't give a moment's thought. I saw her; as I was turning back to Sarah, streak out of her room. She was still bare as the day she was born. Sarah was laying curled up in a fetal position. She was shaking. I looked at Vivian and Marcia, who looked back at me worriedly. "What happened?" I asked. I picked Sarah up off the floor and cradled her in my arms, then sat down on one of their beds. Vivian looked down to the floor. I think she wanted it to swallow her up. Marcia, on the other hand, had a better idea of what had happened, and how things worked around here. "She came running in and found us..." Marcia did blush nicely. "Then she pulled Mike and Scott out of the room. I thought she took them to you?" "She did, but what happened then." "She did? Where are they?" "Marcia, get back to Sarah." "She ran back in, looked at us, and started babbling. I can't really say what it was about." Vivian piped in at that point. "I heard words like 'Dad', 'Keith', and 'hurt.' I know she was mad at us." "Yeah, that's an understatement," Marcia said. "She was shaking she was so mad. Then she started crying, and fell to the floor and curled up. That's when you came up the stairs." I pulled Sarah up so that I could look at her. She had her eyes tightly closed. I know she didn't want to look at me. "Sarah," I said, calmly. No response. Taking hold of her face, I brought it up to mine and kissed her lips. Her eyes shot open when I didn't stop with a simple kiss. "Now stand up for me," I said. Sarah stood in front of me. I took hold of her hands and pulled them down, pulling her across my lap. I knew Marcia and Vivian were a bit shocked with the kiss I just gave Sarah, but I heard them gasp when I quickly yanked the back of Sarah's dress up, exposing her rear. I gave it a good smack and then let the dress drop. Sarah popped up off my lap and looked at me, astonished. "Do you feel better now?" I asked. She tilted her head, her brow crinkled as she thought for a moment. Then she said, "Yes, I guess I do." "Robin," I said, having seen her in the doorway watching, "Sarah needs to go talk to Mary." Robin stepped in and took Sarah's hand. The two walked out, not saying a word. I watched them go out of sight as they descended the stairs. Then I turned to Vivian and Marcia. "What do you think the problem is, here?" I asked. "You kissed her," Vivian said to me, unbelieving what she'd just seen. "And you spanked her. Why did you do that?" Marcia said. I chuckled. "Marcia, Mary and I have had many talks about this. One important one was just after dinner, before she went on the ride with her father. You have known Sarah for much of her life. Tell me how... privileged she was." "Very." After giving this a second of thought, I said, "Mary is older. She remembers before she went off to college. She got away with pretty much anything she wanted to. For Mary, it was real bad when her mother died. She told me she acted outrageously, and no one would stop her. With her father's position, no one would say a thing to her. For Mary, it was a hard problem when she went to college and people started treating her like everyone else. She acted spoiled, but people didn't pay attention to her, like they had before. It made her feel insecure and she withdrew a bit. That's when I met her. I paused before continuing, wanting what I'd said to sink in. "Mary told me I needed to spank Sarah. It was good for her. You've heard the expression: 'This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you?' That's how I feel when I have spanked Sarah. I hate it. I do it, because Sarah needs it. You heard her, when I asked. One little spank and she knew that everything was righted." "It really hurts you?" Vivian asked. "Yes. I hate hurting anyone I love, and it feels like I'm doing that, even though I know I need to." "You love her?" Vivian restated and then added, "You kissed her. I mean, really kissed her. Like Scott and I do." "I did. That bothers you, doesn't it." "Yes. You're married," Vivian said. "Did you see Robin?" "Yes." "She saw me kiss Sarah. Did it look like it bothered her?" Vivian looked at me for a few seconds and then said, "No, I guess it didn't." "Here is the secret," I said very seriously. "Robin knows that I love Robin. There is no question in her mind. When I do something like kissing Sarah, Robin knows I don't love her any less. Sarah, though, feels the love I have for her." "Robin doesn't get jealous?" Marcia asked. "I would." "Yes, you would. You and Mike are still trying to understand each other. Robin and I sort of got a jump-start on that." "How did you do that?" Vivian asked. I smiled and said, "That could take hours to tell, but right now, we're talking about you. Now, I know from what Mike and Scott said that you got quite an eyeful of Pamela and Jimmy. Before you ask, let me say that their situation is... understandable." "Understandable?" Vivian said. "I don't think my parents would find any of that understandable." "You are probably right, Vivian. Carp is not Reno. Your mother didn't fear for your life. Your father didn't watch your mother die. You weren't born with a disfigured face that made the other kids pick on you. That is Pamela's life." "She looks..." Vivian looked to Marcia for help. Marcia said, "I got the same thing, except I got it from Pamela and Jimmy. I thought they were joking at first. Most of the kids around here have grown up too fast. It's very sad in a way." "So now they get to do... whatever they want?" Vivian asked. "No. Ask Pamela how much she loves Jimmy, and then ask yourself if you have that much love for Scott. They will marry when they get older. No one questions that. It is a fact. Pamela..." I got choked up and had to stop to let the lump in my throat go away. "and her mother talked about her marrying Jimmy, before she died." Both girls blinked several times, trying to dry the tears that were trying to form. "Vivian," Marcia said, "I've watched them. I wish Mike and I were like them. They show each other so much love... It's wonderful." "Now," I said, "back to why I am here. How do you feel about what you were doing? Was it ok, or not?" "Yes," Marcia answered right away. "Probably not," Vivian said. I nodded my head. "I think you are both right... and wrong. Yes, Marcia, you and Mike are at a different place than Scott and Vivian. But, you were together with them. Vivian, you said probably not, so you aren't sure. To me, that means you wish you could say yes. Maybe the 'not' was your parents talking in your head. More than likely it was you, not sure of your relationship with Scott, yet. "No one is going to blame you about what you do here. You are held responsible for your actions, though. We treat people like adults. Marcia, you already know that. "You have opportunities here in Carp. If you close the door and have sex, no one is going to say a word, Vivian... Well, maybe Sarah will," I said with a slight smile. "Marcia knows the consequence for her actions. Is that something you are willing to risk? You have other ways to show each other how much you mean to each other. Jimmy and Pamela had the same problems at first. They didn't start out like they are now. There were some very rough parts. The biggest thing they had to learn was to talk with each other. If they hadn't spent time doing that, they wouldn't be were they are now." "So I need to talk with Scott? I do that in Reno all the time," Vivian said. "Do you? Do you talk with him when the stars are out in the sky? Do you talk with him at breakfast when he looks half asleep? Do you talk with him after you have been feeling grumpy? I'll bet you talk to him the same time each day. "When you rode out and talked with him around the campfire, where they were camping, wasn't that special?" Vivian smiled and said, "Yes, it was." Then she put her fingers to her mouth and started to bite her nails. I knew there was something else. "What is it you're embarrassed about?" Vivian looked at Marcia and tried to smile. "Do you want to ask me alone?" I asked. "NO! I mean... no. Sorry. It's just... no one talks about this... Well, not with a man." "You mean that you could never talk with your father about things like what you are trying to get out." "Yes. He would think I was terrible." "Is it about the way you're feeling, your desire for Scott and how you feel out of control?" I ventured. "How did you know?" Vivian asked, astonished. "You are not alone in feeling those things. You feel that way around Mike, don't you Marcia?" Marcia turned red, but nodded. "Robin is no older than Marcia," I said with a smile. "She lets me know what she wants." Vivian groaned. "There was a time when we had to be like you and Scott. We talked, held hands, loved each other by looking, or saying things. Those times are just as special to me as anything else. It is Robin I love, not just her body." Marcia snorted. I grinned. Vivian blushed. "Feel better?" I asked. "No," Vivian said truthfully. "Then go talk to Scott, I'm sure he's waiting for you. Tell him what you feel. I don't need to know, but he does." I stood and they did as well. "Thank you, Keith," Marcia said and then gave me a hug. ------- Robin couldn't find Mary. She had Sarah up in her room. She had planned to send Mary up there, too. "Is something wrong with my daughter?" Jane asked Robin when she saw her. Quickly thinking of what she could say, Robin answered, "I think dinner upset her a bit. But I think the real reason is that Keith told her she was hiding from her father." Katherine was walking through, and overheard. She said, "I'll go up and check on her." Robin couldn't say a word about the real problem, while standing in front of her mother. Patrick was right behind Katherine and also overheard. He chuckled. "It's about time someone put their foot down," he said. Jane looked at her husband and responded, "Is that because you couldn't?" "That's different," he said, now desperately wanting to change the subject. "Why did Pamela come running through the house with not a stitch on?" Robin giggled. "She knows no modesty. We've been trying. By the way, you don't know where Mary is, do you? Sarah needs to talk with her... I think she needs to talk about a way to talk with you." Patrick smiled at that, and then said, "Yes, I do know where she is. She's talking to Mike." "To Mike?" Jane questioned. "About what?" "She's giving him a history lesson, of sorts. Now it's time for us to be off. Our ride back to the hotel wants to go." "But what about Sarah?" Jane asked. "Jane, you don't think she's ever had an upset stomach before now? She's feeling guilty. Maybe Mary can talk with her and get her to talk with me." "And just what are you going to say?" Patrick McCarran wrinkled up his forehead, and in one of those rare moments, didn't have anything to say. Jane nodded her head. "Just what I thought. That's why you want to leave; I'll bet Beth Ann's parents aren't ready to go back to the hotel yet. If she wanted to talk, you wouldn't know what to say." "Jane!" She giggled and then added, poking him in the ribs just so he knew she was joking. "Maybe I could call one of your speech writers to come up with something." He growled at her and tried to grab her around the waist. When she quickly eluded his grasp and went out the front door, she was surprised to see George, Beatrice, and Wilma waiting by their car. ------- Katherine opened the door, and closed it gently. She saw Sarah lying on one of the mattresses, curled up. It was a classic position to be in when you didn't feel well. She went over, and sat next to the girl. "Where does it hurt?" Katherine asked. Katherine didn't expect to se the red eyes from crying. That was not symptoms of an upset stomach. "Robin said something you ate didn't agree with you. It's not that, is it? What's really wrong?" "I..." Sarah got out and then dissolved into tears. Katherine picked up the girl and held her in her arms. She was much bigger than her oldest daughter, but the comforting was the same: a slight rocking motion, and a hand rubbing up and down the back. Sarah stopped crying, but she made no movement to move from where she was. "I feel awful." "I can tell. What happened?" "I conned Dad into bringing Vivian down here with him. Now he's upset with me. I know why. It's 'cause he thinks without their parents around something could happen. Keith told me I wasn't being responsible. Then I went to talk with Vivian, Scott, Mike, and Marcia... and they were..." Sarah sniffled. "What were they doing?" Katherine asked, part of her dying to know the other part, yet dreading the answer. "They were kissing... and touching each other." "That's it?" Katherine asked, a bit surprised. "That's it!" "Sarah, calm down," Katherine said. "Now, first, tell me when your next period is coming up?" "What has that got to do with anything?" "Do you know?" "Not really." "Ok." Katherine took a deep breath and then sighed. "Sarah, I think you may have over-reacted." "Over-reacted? No, I don't think I did." "Oh? Let's think of it. Did they still have their clothes on?" "Of course!" Katherine knew that Sarah wasn't looking at anything in a rational manner, so she had to make a point. "You know, my two girls would do just about anything to jump into bed with Keith." Sarah looked at Katherine, her mouth hanging open. She could hardly believe what she had just heard. She knew Elizabeth and Kristina hung all over Keith, but this? "Sarah, my guess is that you may be well over the threshold of being out of control with your emotions. Something other than your rational mind is taking over. Plainly speaking, you aren't thinking very well. It's not just you that this happens to, so don't worry. It happens to lots of us. "When I was about your age, my mother told me that I would do some of the strangest things. She knew days before I seemed to know that I was going to start my period. That's why I asked that question. When I was a nurse, one of the women I worked with told me her daughter would come home crying, every day. It lasted almost a year and then it stopped almost as suddenly as it started. "You are just like I was at your age, Sarah. You don't seem to know what is going on with your body. If you realize that you are capable of... odd behavior, and when someone says you are acting out of the ordinary you pay attention, you might be better off." Sarah cocked her head and looked at Katherine. "So there's nothing wrong?" "Oh, no. I didn't say that. What I said is that you may well be overreacting to what is wrong. That's the difference. "It would be like if your mother buttered your toast every morning, and set jam out for you. Then one morning, she put jam on the toast. It might upset you, but normally what would you do?" "Ask why she did that." "Right. You wouldn't jump up and down, start crying, and end up in a ball." "Like I was now." "Do you think that what Vivian and Scott did was so bad?" "I don't know. I guess not." "Guess?" "Ok. No. I would have probably been doing the same thing, if I were in their shoes." "Feel any better?" "No." "No?" "Now they think I'm stupid." Katherine chuckled. "No, I bet they were concerned about you. Isn't that how you would feel about any of them if they did what you did?" Sarah sighed. "Yes, I guess so." "I heard Robin saying something about you wanting to talk with Mary. Was that true?" "Need to, I guess. I should talk to my parents. I can't have them mad at me. I have to stay here!" "I'll see if Mary is back. I'll send her up, then." "Back?" "She went to talk with Mike, last I heard." "About what?" "I don't have any idea." ------- Mike came back, oblivious to Marcia's anger. When Vivian and she had gone to find Mike and Scott, they had found only Scott. Mike had gone off with Mary. Beautiful Mary. Marcia knew, frankly, that she was jealous. "Come here! I want to talk with you!" Mike said, exuberantly. Marcia did not feel the joy he had. In fact she would have liked to punish him, but they had such little time together. It wasn't fair. "Come on!" Mike said, grabbing her hand. "What's the rush?" "I want..." Mike was having a problem getting out words. "Come on, while we can still see." "Fine," Marcia said. Scott and Vivian could see and hear how upset Marcia was. They looked at each other. Mike led her out, far beyond the house, and into the open valley. "You know what is over that ridge?" Mike said. "No, why should I care?" Mike stopped, as though he finely heard the acid in her words. "I thought you wanted me to be with you?" "I do! But you went off to talk with Mary, not be with me." Mike laughed. He couldn't help it, and it infuriated Marcia. She turned away from him and would have started to walk back to the house, except that he had wrapped his arms around her. "Stop that," she said. "No." "Stop." "Not until you listen to me." "Fine. What?" "Did you know that when Mary's father got married to Mary's mom, they lived in a little travel trailer?" Marcia turned around and looked at Mike, as though he'd lost his mind. "So what?" Mike smiled and took Marcia's hands, swinging them back and forth. "Look where he is now. He's a congressman." "Yeah. I know that." "If I didn't have all of my dad's money, we might have to live in a trailer," Mike said softly. With a crack in her voice, Marcia asked, "What did you say?" "While you finish high school, I could get a two year college degree. Mary said that Keith and Richard could get me a job with Memco. They're the company that runs the mine over that ridge. We might not have a lot of money at first, but..." Mike didn't get much further than that. His mouth was covered with Marcia's lips. "Do you really mean that?" Marcia said with tears streaming down her face. "Yes. I want to marry you. I want our son to have a father." "Even if she's our daughter?" Mike smiled. "Yes. I don't have all the answers, but this is what I'm going to work for. I think I can get my father to send me to college, and to pay for it, as long as he doesn't know what I'm going to do in the end." "Mike, you will lose your inheritance, won't you?" "Probably. If I stayed and did what they wanted, I'd lose my life and everything that means anything to me... you and our child," he said rubbing Marcia's belly. Marcia sniffled and then said, "I love you." "I love you, too. This year is going to be the hardest year of my life. You are going to have our baby, and I may not be here when that happens. When I go to college, my parents won't know where I am, most of the time. When I can, I will be here." "Keith told me we should talk." "He told me that, too. He's right. I know I love you, but there are parts of you I don't know, and I want to." "Can I tell Vivian and Scott?" Marcia queried. "Yes, but not until we can get Sarah with us, too. She was part of how we were able to come down here." "Jill, too. I hear she helped a lot." Mike smiled as he intertwined his fingers into hers, and started walking back to the house. ------- As I entered my bedroom that night, I was weary. I scanned the room, feeling something was different. "Where's Beth Ann?" I asked. Instead of answering, Robin and Kristin walked up to me. They guided me towards the center of the room, and the mattresses. Then with the help of Mary, Daisy, and Liz, they undressed me. "It's been a hard day, hasn't it?" Robin asked, sympathetically. "Yeah," I said agreeing with her. The five of them pulled me down and then started to massage my muscles. I started to moan, as I relaxed. "Are you going to tell me where Beth Ann is?" I asked again. Mary, who was up near my shoulder, bent down and whispered gently in my ear, "She's away from the big bad wolf, tonight." The next part she couldn't help but giggle as she got out, "Because tomorrow she knows that the wolf is going to eat her up." I let out a groan, but couldn't help but laugh. Robin, on the other side of me, leaned over to talk. As she did so, one of her hands brushed across my nipple. "Tonight, we're going to relax you and keep you ready for tomorrow." "Keep me ready?" I said and then let out a loud exhale as Liz ran her hand up the inside of my leg reaching, but not touching my balls. "In other words, you're going to torture me tonight." "Dear brother," Kristin answered, "would we do anything like that to you?" "Yes, and probably with glee." All five of them laughed, while I endured Daisy undressing over the top of me. She was the first of the five to do so. I was as hard as a bone, and I knew these temptresses were not going to give in. It was fun, in a frustrating sort of way. When I had yawned the third time, they decided that I needed my sleep, and cut off the foreplay. Then Mary nuzzled up to my ear and said, "I heard what you gave Jimmy and Pamela. I hope you have a few of those to use on me." I thought I was as hard as I could be. But hearing her say that, I groaned and felt myself grow just a bit more. "Mary, stop it! You're going to make him explode if you don't watch it," Robin said. Mary just giggled and then said, "Ok." ------- Katy had taken Beth Ann downtown with her, thinking that it would be good to talk with her mother on the eve of her wedding. That, and to get her out of the house so I couldn't find her. The hotel had three rooms taken. One was for the McCarran's and two were for Beth Ann's parents and her aunt. Neither Katy nor Beth Ann had any idea which room held her parents. They walked upstairs and Beth Ann knocked gently on the first door. "They can't be asleep yet, can they?" Katy asked. "No, I'm sure not," She said puzzled. Katy walked to another door and knocked. Then she waved Beth Ann over as she heard rustling noises inside. The door opened a crack and George poked his head out. "Beth Ann! What are you doing here?" Katy responded, "I thought she would like to spend her last night with her mother. You know, going over special times. I did that with Robin. My mother did it with me. Seems like a tradition that was good to carry on." George didn't know how to respond to that. When Beth Ann pushed at the door, it swung open. Inside were her mother and aunt. "No wonder no one answered at the other door, you were in here," Beth Ann said. Then teasingly she added, "Or were you just keeping the room for appearance sake? The look on her mother and aunts face was unmistakable. Beth Ann turned and looked at her red-faced father. "Thanks for bringing me down here, Katy," Beth Ann. "I seems we have lots to talk about. I'll just spend the night here." "Are you sure?" Katy asked. Beth Ann gave Katy a little smile and then leaned in and whispered into her ear, "Yes. I'm just fine. It's my parents who I'm worried about." Katy pulled back, after kissing Beth Ann's cheek. "You sound just like my daughter. We'll see you in the morning, then." With that Katy left. Beth Ann closed the door. She walked over to the chair and sat down, trying to hide her smile. The three 'adults' were wearing their bedtime clothing and it was just dark. "Now," Beth Ann said, "did this start down in the basement while we were out there, or has this been going on before then?" "You knew?" Beth Ann laughed. "Keith stopped us from talking when we came back up. We all knew what happened down there." If possible, her mother and aunt blushed a bit more. Her father spoke, trying to sound solemn, "Beth Ann, I did not do anything inappropriate with your aunt while... he was alive." That set Beth Ann into uncontrollable giggling. It was contagious, and all of them were soon laughing, relieved to rid themselves of the tension. "Does that mean, Dad," Beth Ann got out between her laughter, "that what you're doing is appropriate now? Or does that mean you wanted to, but didn't before this?" George felt the stares of his women on him. How a young woman could make a large grown man feel so small, he could never fathom. Beth Ann had been able to do that from birth, it seemed. Beth Ann looked at her father and saw the eyes of prey, caught between two hungry animals. 'Well, maybe I'm not that bad off, ' she thought, 'but I'm close.' George glanced over to his daughter and sighed, "I feel like a Mormon at a Baptist revival." The three women couldn't help but laugh at that. Then Beth Ann said, "I think you are more like Landgrave Philip of Hesse." Everyone stopped, turned, and stared at Beth Ann. "Who?" her father asked. "The man that Martin Luther... you do remember who he was? The protestant reformation? Ok, it was in one of my college classes. I got involved a bit more with the subject. Then I found some of the books Jill's old German friend had. They're in the library at the mansion. Jill helped me look over some of them as they're in German after all, and..." "Is there a point here, Dear?" her mother asked with a little smile, letting Beth Ann know she was rambling. "Marin Luther was a large part of the reformation, and translated the bible into German. He's looked up to by a lot of people. He wrote a letter stating that he couldn't forbid a man to marry several wives, as it didn't go against scripture. He gave the go ahead for Landgrave Philip of Hesse to marry a woman who he was having an affair with, as it would be better to do so than to continue to live in sin." "You remember all this, and those strange names?" her father asked. "If someone were to challenge me tomorrow, they would have to do better at outwitting my understanding," Beth Ann answered. "That's my girl!" George said with pride. ------- Stephanie had a grin on her face that wouldn't stop. She slipped into Jimmy and Pamela's room, wanting to share her adventures. Pamela and Jimmy were in the same bed. There was nothing unusual about that. Stephanie jumped up on the other bed and looked at the two. There was something different, but she couldn't place it. "You have a big smile on your face," Pamela said to her friend. "Elizabeth, Tiffany, Vicki, and I went searching today." "For what?" Jimmy asked. "Where the best flowers are. We're going to get up early, and pick them for the wedding. It's going to be our surprise. Do you want to come and help?" A wave of emotion flushed through Pamela, as uncontrollable as breathing itself. Jimmy felt it next to her. Stephanie could visibly see it and jumped off the bed to rush over. "What's wrong?" Jimmy and Stephanie said almost at the same time. The tears flowed, and Pamela was unable to speak for several minutes. The two hovered over her, not knowing what to do. Pamela took ragged breaths, and finally spoke, "It's not your fault. I just remembered... The last time I went to pick flowers, was..." She couldn't get it out, but both Stephanie and Jimmy knew. It was for her mother's funeral. Stephanie started crying. She wanted this to be fun, and it had turned out all wrong. She felt terrible. Wanting to run away, she turned, only to feel Jimmy's hand reach out and take hold of her arm. She looked back at him, and saw tears in his eyes too. Stephanie sniffled as she said, "I didn't mean to..." "I know," Pamela said, holding out her hand and taking Stephanie's. The three silently let their emotions calm down. Jimmy let go of Stephanie's arm, after a minute. Pamela gave Stephanie's hand a gentle squeeze and then let go. Stephanie sat down on the edge of the bed the two were in and asked, "What did you do this afternoon?" From the crying mood they had just been in, Stephanie didn't expect to hear the giggle Pamela let out. "What?" Stephanie asked excitedly, as she wanted to get this better mood out. "Tell me!" "Keith gave us something," Jimmy said. "Something, what was it?" "I don't know what it's called," Pamela answered. "Do you?" Stephanie asked Jimmy. "No, but you know we haven't been able to... well we can't do what Brian did." Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Jimmy, just say it." "I can't do anything to get Pamela pregnant." Stephanie's mouth was suddenly dry. She just nodded wondering just what they had done. "Keith gave us this thing, and we were able to..." "Make love," Pamela finished what Jimmy was having a hard time getting out. "You?" Stephanie said, "But..." "It goes over his dick, and makes it so his stuff can't get inside me," Pamela tried to explain. Stephanie cocked her head and closed one eye, which looked rather amusing to Jimmy and Pamela but they didn't say anything about it. "I don't see how that can work," Stephanie said. "Here. Let me show you," Pamela answered. Before he knew what was happening, Pamela had thrown back the covers and had pushed Jimmy onto his back. She gave a tug at his pajama bottoms. He looked at Pamela and shrugged as he saw that this was not up for discussion. He lifted and they came down. By the time Pamela had pulled his pajama bottoms off, Stephanie noted, Jimmy had gone from soft to hard. "Now," Pamela said and then took a look at Jimmy's willing tool. She giggled. "At least he's ready to show you!" "I can't help it," Jimmy said lamely. "It was this 'thing, ' in a pouch. Keith took it out. It's funny looking. I rolled it down, and it covered him up," Pamela said trying to think of something she could think of that might make sense. "It's like if I put a pie crust over it. A lot thinner, and you can see right through it, but do you get the idea? It covers it. Then he could go inside of me. Then, when he shot his stuff, it stayed inside that thing. It didn't get into me." Stephanie was breathing hard and nodded. Then she asked, "Does Keith have any more of those?" "I think so. He said they were special and he gave us one to practice with. It was a lot of fun, but we didn't know what to do with it, afterwards." Stephanie acted like she hadn't heard a word; she just said dreamily, "I've got to get him to use one of those with me." ------- Chapter 117 I was rubbing the sleep from my eyes and wondered who was banging on the front door. 'Didn't they know we never lock the door? Why were they banging and so early?' I thought. "Keith!" I opened my eyes to see Mary at the window. The light was silhouetting her body through her nightshirt. "Keith," she said again, "why is Jack, Rebecca, and I would guess Cynthia here? She must be the one at the door." I closed my eyes and let out a little groan, then answered, "She has something for Beth Ann." "Something?" Robin asked me as she suddenly sat up. I gave her a little grin. "You got her a dress, didn't you!" Robin said with a sparkle in her eye. I nodded. Mere moments later, I was alone in my room. All of the females had suddenly run out the door, down the stairs, and were talking to Cynthia. I could hear their voices. Katy, with Richard right behind her, poked her head into the room. "What's the ruckus?" "A surprise for Beth Ann. Maybe I'll see her now. Where is she?" Katy gave me a sly smile and answered, "Somewhere you couldn't get her." Richard started laughing. I rolled my eyes. Katy continued, seeing my expression. "She's with her folks." "Cynthia's going to be disappointed then." ------- Sarah woke early. She slipped out of bed, out of her room, and down the hall undetected. She had felt guilty last night, when she walked back into her room, where Vivian and Marcia were waiting for her. Her friends. She had been instrumental at getting them together with their boyfriends, and then she had flown off the handle when they got a little physical. She still didn't understand what went wrong. She was trying to sort out what Katherine had said to her. She'd had no time last night to think. Expecting the worst, after all she had made quite a scene, she walked into her room. She saw Mike and Scott were there as well. Waiting. She knew they were waiting for her. At that moment, she thought she was not going to make it to the bathroom in time to hurl. Jill had walked up right behind her. As she turned to bolt, Jill took her shoulders, and pushed her into the room. With Jill's arrival, everything changed. Marcia announced their engagement. After that exciting news, no one said a word about Sarah's earlier behavior. The talk of the evening was about Mike and Marcia. Sarah's thoughts about last night stopped when she reached the bottom of the stairs, Jill, Vicki, and Tiffany were there. It was almost like they had been waiting for her to show up. No one said a word, but Sarah knew she should follow them. The four walked out into the bright morning sunlight and stood at the fence around the stable. "Well, Sarah," Tiffany said, "sounds like you did quite a job getting Mike and Marcia together." Sarah turned a nice shade of pink. "From what Jill says," Vicki added, "they think you're more than fifty percent responsible for them being together." "Not all of that was fun," Sarah said, trying to draw off any attention. "You know," Jill said, "Vivian and Scott will blame you as well." "Blame me for what?" Sarah said. She was thinking, 'What did I do now?' "For getting them together," Jill said with a smile. "Thanks a lot," Sarah shot back. "This is just what I need this morning." Vicki and Tiffany were curious of what was going on. Jill sighed and then said, "I thought you had a good talk with your sister." "I did, but I'm very worried. What would happen if my parents..." Sarah had a hard time even saying the words. Her eyes started to fill. "I don't want to leave Carp. I can't!" ------- "Of all the..." Cynthia was saying to no one in particular. As they rode in the Jeep, Jack and Rebecca weren't even aware she was mumbling. "At least I didn't bring the dress with me," Cynthia shouted to Jack. "They'll be at the hotel and then you can grab her there, to get it fitted, so you'll be satisfied," Jack replied. The smile on his face told her that he thought she was being silly, but he was going along with it anyway. Cynthia knew Jack would never understand, but was glad he was helping. They stopped in front of the hotel. The car parked in front, with Oregon plates, told them all they needed to know. The three went in. Jack looked at the registration. "They have two rooms. I guess we'll have to knock on both," he said. "At the same time?" Rebecca asked. Jack laughed. "That would be funny, but no. One at a time. Let's go up." The knocking produced nothing, except a door opening, which they hadn't knocked on. "Hello." "Hi, Patrick... Jane," Cynthia said. "We're about to head to breakfast. I think I heard the others leave a while ago, probably doing the same. We had wanted to catch a ride out to the mansion," Jane said. "Sarah wants to talk with her father before we leave." "I'm running over to the restaurant then," Cynthia said. She was down the stairs in a flash. Jane looked down the hallway, towards the stairs. "She was in a rush." "There is a dress that she got for Beth Ann," Rebecca started to say. "It's a light pink with a burgundy sash. The sash matches one of Keith's ties..." Then she stopped suddenly, realizing what she was describing and to whom. "A dress?" Patrick said, not catching the importance of Keith's tie. Jack, jumping in, said, "You know these two are opening up a dress shop in town? It will be her first sale. I think she's a bit over-excited." "Jack!" they heard Cynthia call from the foyer, "their car's gone!" Jack rolled his eyes and Patrick couldn't help but laugh. Jane poked her husband in the side. "It's not funny. She's obviously upset. You had better be a lot more understanding than that when you talk with your daughter." "My daughter? You are going to be there, too." "I think," Jack said, not wanting to be in the middle of that conversation, "that we'd better go down and find out what's going on." The four walked down the stairs, expecting to see Cynthia there. Jack looked out the front window and saw his wife across the street, on the phone! When Jack and Rebecca opened the door, Cynthia saw them. She put her hand over the receiver and began yelling. "Get Patrick! It's for him!" Jack turned around to see that everyone had heard. They were all out the door now. Patrick was walking across the street. ------- George pulled up in front of Millie's house. "You're sure they won't mind us just stopping by?" "Mom. There aren't any phones in the houses. How else do you think people talk?" Wilma laughed, saying, "I just can't imagine." Then she turned red, realizing the double entendre of what she'd just said. "I mean, I can't imagine not having a phone." "But just stopping by to pick up their children?" "Mom! Sometimes I wonder about you. Brian and Barbara are getting married... I think at the end of this month. They are not children." "Well, they aren't adults. This town is a bit odd, if you ask me." That set Beth Ann in a fit of giggles. Even George couldn't keep a straight face. They were still laughing when Brian knocked on the passenger side window. Beth Ann opened the back door and got out. "How would you and Barbara like to go out to the Mansion with us?" He was still nodding his head as he pulled Beth Ann by the hand towards the house. Fortunately for her, his legs couldn't match his enthusiasm. He was still walking a bit slowly. Millie was in the kitchen and looked up. "Oh my! What are you doing here?" "I spent the night with my parents. Katy said I should talk with them." Millie put down the wooden spoon she had in her hand and wiped her eyes. "Katy didn't even know her mother. Her first husband was her brother and there wasn't a wedding for that. Richard and she got married at a moments notice. It is good to know she thought of something like that." "She told me about talking with her mother..." Beth Ann started to say. She was a bit puzzled now that she thought of it. Katy's mother had died at her birth. Millie knew what Katy probably had spoken about, and said,. "You know, Beth Ann, sometimes what we wanted to have happen -and believe if things were right, would have happened- is a lot more important than reality." Beth Ann nodded. "I guess you didn't stop by to talk to me," Millie said. "I thought you might like a little quiet." As if listening in, Barbara and Brian stepped out of their room, ready to go. Millie laughed. "I'm sure I'll get this done much quicker without them around." "Can we stop by and get Julie?" Brian asked. "Brian!" Millie said. "It would be fine, if it's alright with Annabelle," Beth Ann said. "She's coming over here," Barbara piped in. "Looks like you have it all planned, then," Beth Ann said with a smile. "By the way, Millie, whatever you're baking smells delightful." Millie beamed. "I'm glad you think so. I'll make sure you get a piece. It's for someone's wedding." "Oh!" "You didn't think I'd be arriving empty handed, now, did you?" "I... I didn't think..." Millie giggled at Beth Ann's attempt at saying the right thing and it coming out wrong. "Get going. You have a lot to do this morning." Beth Ann, Barbara, and Brian walked out of the house. "Is that your mom and dad?" Barbara asked as they walked up to the car. "Yes, and my aunt as well. Come on; get in the back seat with me." When they got in, Brain asked, "Where is Julie going to sit?" "Julie?" George asked. "Turn down the next street. It's two houses down," Beth Ann replied. ------- Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca waited; talking to Jane while Patrick was on the phone. They were curious as to who was calling and why. Patrick walked back after the called ended. His mood was no different. "Jane, let's go have breakfast. Then we can go out and have 'the talk, ' with Sarah." She waited, knowing there was more. He grinned, knowing it was driving her crazy. "That was Mark. We won't be leaving until one. He just landed a new contract, which is why he was down this way in the first place. Now, with the new contract, he has a few stops to make along the way home." Patrick shrugged his shoulders. "Who am I to complain, we're getting a free ride with no questions asked. It keeps my whereabouts a secret. This is especially true concerning my daughters, and more so in an election year." Jack looked at Cynthia, as he said, "Not till one. Then you'll have time for a long talk with your daughter." Patrick laughed. "Somehow I don't think it will be that long." "I think we'd better head out and catch Beth Ann, before something else happens," Cynthia said. "Have a good breakfast," Jack said as they headed for the Jeep. Turning around and heading out towards the Mansion, Jack said, "I'm glad we know, but it sure throws a monkey wrench into the day." As they turned the curve into the small valley, the three expected to see George's car in front of the Mansion. It was not there. Jack pulled up beside Richard and Keith's cars in front. "Where the hell are they?" Cynthia said in frustration as Jack stopped. "Where the hell is who?" Kenneth said, as he popped up from around Richard's car. Cynthia wished she had kept her mouth shut at that point. Jack gave her a look that told her what she already knew. "We thought Beth Ann and her parents would be here," Rebecca answered the boy. "I thought you were out here earlier," he replied, curiously. "We were," Jack said. "Right now we have no idea where they are." Kenneth suddenly smiled. "For a nickel I'll tell you." Jack laughed, "A nickel? Ok, deal." "Turn around," Kenneth said with a big grin on his face. Jack knew he'd been had. They turned and a car was just coming around the bend. "How'd you know it was going to be them?" Rebecca asked. "Only other people with a car," Kenneth answered. Jack laughed, reached into his pocket and gave the boy his well-deserved nickel. Rebecca and Cynthia joined Jack's laughter as they watched Kenneth, coin showing proudly, as he ran towards the house. ------- We were sitting in the living room, pondering. Robin, Daisy, Pamela, Stephanie, Elizabeth, and Kristina came in through the kitchen. "We got the flowers!" Kristina said excitedly. "Maybe they would be best in the basement. It's cool down there," Katherine said. "Here, let me help. Robin took one look at Beth Ann and asked, "What's wrong?" "My day is being ruined," she said and then broke down crying. Everyone had expected it, but it apparently took the arrival of the flowers to break the dam. "Robin," I said, "take Beth Ann into the library and tell her about your wedding day." "You think that's a good idea?" she asked. I grinned. "It did turn out, in the end, didn't it?" Robin gave me a smile that answered my question. "Can I hear about it as well?" Beatrice asked. "I'd like to hear, too," Wilma said. "You two take Beth Ann in the library with you. I have a question for Robin first," I said. Beth Ann looked back at Robin and I, as her mother and aunt walked out of the living room with her. "What did you want to tell me?" I asked her. She grinned and asked, "Was I that obvious?" "To me, yes," I said. "Mike, Scott, and James are leaving on the train today. That has the girls in a state. Did you know Mike talked to Marcia about getting married?" I gave her a little smile. "No, but it doesn't surprise me." "And you will find him a job?" Robin went on. I raised my eyebrows, although not surprised at that one. "Mary's suggestion," Robin told me. "Back to the subject at hand. If we see the train off, half of everyone will be downtown. Why don't we follow Brian's suggestion?" "And have it in the water, like he wants?" I had to ask just for fun. "Keith," Robin said in a tone that let me know I'd just over stepped my bounds, as my mother used to do. "You saw him go white when Barbara said that. He's embarrassed, thinking everyone thinks he's lost his mind. If I hear you say some wise crack like that again..." "Yes, dear." She punched me in the arm for that, but then couldn't help but laugh. "You set up the details for the wedding at the park. Let everyone know what is going on. We can have her down there with Cynthia, getting the dress. She won't know a thing," Robin said with a twinkle in her eye. "You like surprises as much as I do, don't you?" She winked at me and then ran out to talk with Beth Ann. Somehow, I had married 'the perfect woman.' How I'd managed it, I would never know. Everyone else in the room overheard our conversation. George told me he'd take care of getting his girl down to Cynthia's not-yet-opened dress shop. We should just tell him when to make her disappear. Richard said he'd take Brian, Barbara, Julie, Jimmy, Pamela, and Laura over to Millie's, so that she'd know what time the wedding was being held. One of them could go over to Patrick and let him know the change of plans. Mary was going to be in charge of getting Vicki, Tiffany, Jill, Kristin, and Liz downtown. Katherine would take Dora, Elizabeth, Kristina, Kenneth, and Daisy with her. Richard, on his second trip, would bring Katy, Robin, Sarah, and probably Patrick and Jane into town. I would be bringing, Marcia, Mike, Vivian, Scott, James, and Stephanie with me. Stephanie had been like a little leach on me all morning. It seemed like the perfect set up. Patrick and Jane would leave shortly after the train. It also solved the problem of what to do with Vivian, Scott, and James during our wedding. What could go wrong? ------- Sarah wasn't sure if she liked the idea that her parents had more time available this morning. It could mean a longer, more involved discussion. Something she was hoping to avoid. Her emotions were already out of whack. Adding to that, Marcia and Mike had started the day saying goodbye to each other. Their words tore at Sarah's heart. She was trying to remember Katherine's talk last evening, but all she could come up with is that she knew she was out of control. Trying to find Katherine was an ordeal she never expected. Everyone in the main house was running around, trying to get things done. 'The wedding, ' Sarah thought. 'How could I forget about that?' Sarah knew how she could forget. She was steeped in her own world, and her own problems. Her father and Keith... Both of whom were disappointed in her. Just the thought of that made Sarah want to cry. "Katherine!" Sarah said when she saw her down the hallway of the second floor. Katherine turned and smiled. "Yes?" "I..." Suddenly Sarah was embarrassed. "You what?" "I need to talk," Sarah said with such urgency in her voice Katherine knew something was serious. "One moment. I need to tell Dora something. Then I'll be with you. Alright?" Sarah sighed. "Yes." "Stay right there," Katherine said and went in the door she had been heading before Sarah called to her. Dora was in the bedroom. She looked up when Katherine came in and closed the door behind her. "What's the matter?" Dora asked. "Sarah is asking me for advice. Advice my daughters will be asking for in a few years. At least I hope it's a few years off," Katherine said. "I'm not ready for this. Parents get wise by practice. My daughters grow and I learn parenting along with them as we all grow. Sarah is older and is about to ask questions I am not sure how to answer." "When Katy, Richard, Robin, and Keith went off, they left Jimmy with me. I knew about girls, not boys." "What did you do?" "Knew he wasn't mine." "I don't understand that," Katherine said. "I bet you're feeling responsible about what you say to Sarah. In truth, you see more about what you're saying. She isn't your child. If something goes wrong, you aren't the parent." "That's a strange way of thinking, but I can see your point." "It came to me from talking with Jimmy. It was a hard lesson to learn, but I could see things better from his point of view. Much better than I could ever do with my own daughter." Katherine smiled. "Well, maybe this won't be so hard after all, then." Dora let out a little laugh, and then said, "Don't count on it. Your answers will be just as hard to say. The difference is that you will see the points better." "Thanks... I think!" Katherine said with a laugh. Then she added in a more serious tone. "Do you know about the schedule of people going and when?" "I know I'm going with you." "Yes, along with my children and Daisy. Could you round up my kids? I want to leave soon. It was decided that if everyone left at different times it would look better." "Look better?" "Keith expects Patrick and Jane to show up at anytime." Dora was nodding. "I understand. What about lunch, though?" "Daisy's fixing us a picnic." "Well, that sounds like fun. You go talk with Sarah. I'll get the kids together. We can meet in the kitchen." "Good idea." Katherine walked back out into the hallway. Sarah wasn't there and Katherine took a deep breath in as she closed her eyes for a moment. It was then she heard the unmistakable sound of the old toilet being flushed. She waited for the bathroom door to open. Sarah came out looking a bit pale. "Are you feeling alright?" Katherine asked. Sarah shook her head. Dora opened the bedroom door next to where Katherine was standing, walked down the hall and then down the stairs. Katherine and Sarah stood, not saying a word until Dora was down the stairs. "Come on, into the bedroom." Sarah walked over with Katherine. Inside, it wasn't much different than Keith's bedroom. There were only four mattresses on the floor though. "Take off your blouse," Katherine said. Sarah looked at her and blinked several times. "Take it off, and then lay down on the bed," Katherine said, not giving Sarah's astonished look any merit. "I'm going to give you a massage." "Oh," Sarah said, relived and embarrassed, once again. When Sarah was on the mattress, Katherine began rubbing her skin. "Part of what I did for my patients when I was a nurse was to massage areas that were giving them problems. Broken bones and casts can make you use muscles that you normally don't use and that can complicate things," Katherine told Sarah in a soothing voice. It did feel good, very good. Sarah started to relax. "Sarah, why are you so troubled about all of this? I think you know," Katherine said, and felt Sarah tense up. "Now I know you know." Sarah turned her head and looked at Katherine. "How?" "You tensed up when I said I think you know what is troubling you. If you didn't know, you wouldn't have reacted so quickly." Sarah turned her head down towards the mattress. "Well?" Katherine said, and then added. "You came to me for help. I can't do that if you won't tell me the real problem." Katherine lightened up, but didn't want to stop her massage completely. She just wanted Sarah to know she wasn't going to continue if there wasn't anything forthcoming. It was silent for almost a full minute, which doesn't seem that long unless you are waiting. "I'm scared." "About what?" "My dad will think I need to be with my mom." "She is your mom." "I need to be here, though." "Why is that so important?" Sarah didn't know if she could hold it in any longer. Suddenly she just blurted it out. "Keith." Katherine was glad Sarah was not looking at her face. The smile, as well as her shaking her head, would have been very disconcerting to the girl. Katherine composed herself. "You want him to..." "Yes." "I didn't finish." "Oh," Sarah said, very glad her red face couldn't be seen. Katherine thought of her own daughters and the way they were attracted to Keith. What was it, she wondered? "Sarah, can I ask you a question?" "I guess so." "Why Keith?" In a moment she said, "It isn't just because he saved my life... and almost gave up his own in doing so, if that's what you're thinking." "I didn't think of that, but are you're sure about that?" "It does enter into all of it. My sister says it has to. I couldn't just forget about something like that." "I suppose not. But then there is more? What is it?" There was a knock on the door. Then it opened and Mary stuck her head in. "Dad's here." "And Mom?" Mary rolled her eyes. "Yes." Then she snickered. "Maybe you should put your blouse on, before coming down." "Mary!" She closed the door. Katherine patted Sarah's back. "Time to get up. Sarah, your father loves you. Anyone can see that. I think you know that. Don't you?" "Yes." "Maybe you've blown this out of proportion. Probably because you have something you want so much, that the thought of losing it is so great, that you aren't thinking straight." Sarah sat up, her face scrunched up as she thought about what Katherine just said. As she put on her blouse, she said, "Maybe." "If you go down there and talk with your dad, thinking about all you could lose, will you act like the Sarah we all know?" Sarah dropped her shoulders. "No, probably not." "Do you think that would concern your father more than what you did, bringing Vivian, Mike, and Scott down here?" "Probably." "I know it would me. If Elizabeth acted very different from normal, I'd be worried." "But how do I stop thinking about it?" "What is your talk with your father about?" "Scott, Vivian, and Mike." "You have good reasons that they came down, don't you." "Yes, I do." "Does it have anything to do with Keith?" Sarah paused, and then said, "No." "You're right. So forget that part. The one has nothing to do with the other. If you tell your dad why you got them down here, do you think he'll realize you had good reasons?" "I hope so." "Sarah, it wasn't just you who came up with this plan, was it?" "No." "You can also explain that. You are part of the scheme, not the whole instigator." Sarah smiled. She realized it was her first smile of the day. "Thanks, Katherine." ------- Patrick and Jane were sitting in the library. He had a little twinkle in his eye as his young daughter walked in. There was a bit of amusement on his part about this whole thing. Sarah had been disciplined and he was about to enjoy the benefits. He knew all too well that he couldn't stand up to his daughters. Now, Sarah was about to apologize for her actions. It was something he had always dreamed might happen at some point. "Hi Sarah," her mother said. "Hi Mom," Sarah said in a reserved tone, and then turned to her father, "Hi Dad." Just then Mary slipped in, from the back door, and sat down in an empty chair. She didn't say a word to either parent. Instead, she looked at the main entrance to the room. Before Jane or Patrick could say a word, through the music room and into the library walked Mike, Scott, Marcia, and Vivian. Jane looked at Patrick, a bit surprised at the group now in the room. Marcia walked up in front of Patrick. "I have, for years, felt a step behind Sarah. Last year I decided I was going to do anything I could, to put myself ahead of that game. I would be on top of the social ladder. Things turned out differently than I ever expected. I got pregnant," Marcia said with tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. "Mike turned into the man of my dreams, but I know it could have been much different. I have been blessed to have him in my life. It is Sarah, though, that has changed more of my world around than anyone else could have. What she went though at the university..." Marcia shuddered. "I would never wish that on anyone. It changed her... No let me put that another way. It brought her back to the sweet girl I remember when we were children. Back when I was just as nice. I haven't been as nice to your daughter. She opened her arms to me when I knew everyone would turn away from me." Marcia couldn't go on and ran from the room sobbing. As Mike turned towards where Marcia had just gone, Mary placed her arm on his shoulder. "I'll get her," Mary said, and left. Mike nodded, and then took his place in front of Patrick. "Sir, I had a very good talk with your daughter, Mary. She shared with me how you started your married life. I want to say that I admire that. Furthermore, I know Mary couldn't have remembered all of those details. It opened my eyes to many things, Sir. My father is more interested in his money than he is in his son. I am saddened, but resigned to that fact. Your sharing was an unexpected kindness that I have not felt from my own family. He will never know where the seed of inspiration came from, but he will endure its toll. After talking with Mr. Patterson and Mr. Thompson, I have decided I will be entering college for a two-year business degree. They said they would help me secure a job after that. As soon as I can, I will marry Marcia. I want her as my wife. I want our child to know me as his father. Thank you, Sir, for your inspiration." With that, Mike walked out, to find Marcia. Mary was right around the corner with her and slipped back in just as Scott took his turn in the line up. Scott said, "I can't remember how long it has been since I first knocked on your door, asking if I could cut your grass," and then grinned. "We have been family friends for a long time. Your daughter has been... well it is hard to explain. She's like a sister at times, a friend most of the time, and quite often a rascal. But most of all, she has been a person I could trust with anything. The best thing she ever did for me was to collect on a debt, and set me up with Vivian. I don't know if she had any idea that she was bringing me the perfect dream or not, but your daughter..." Scott turned and winked at Sarah. "She's the cream of the crop." Sarah groaned at that corny saying. Scott walked out and Vivian moved forward. Unlike the others, she was timid in her approach. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was going on. I was scared," Vivian said as tears rolled down her checks. "I've never had friends that would care so much about me, before now." She stood there, not able to say another word. She sniffled and then walked out. Patrick and Jane looked at each other. This was not at all what they thought they would hear this morning. Mary scooted a chair in front and Sarah sat down, facing her parents. This was the only part of the plan that Sarah and Mary had rehearsed. Sarah had had no idea the others would come in. She was still in a state of shock over what had been said. Just then Katherine walked into the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt. I don't know if I'll see you before you go. Daisy and my children are going for a picnic." Jane and Patrick got up and said their goodbyes to Katherine. Then she left. Jane and Patrick took their seats again. Mary placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. Then she felt another on her other shoulder and looked to see Jill there. It gave her just that little extra bit of confidence she needed. "Mom and Dad." Sarah started, "I know you are disappointed in me right now." "No, honey. We're not disappointed," Jane immediately said. "It was my idea for Vivian to come down here," Sarah went on. "What about Scott and Mike?" Patrick asked, surprised she didn't include them. "This trip was their idea. We helped it along, but they were the ones that made it happen," Sarah answered. "We?" her mother asked. "Many of us had input," Mary said. "You heard what Marcia said, but there was a lot more to that story. Those two were ripped apart. My sister was the one who came up with the idea of how they could communicate. She couldn't stand to see her friend in pain." "I'd like to hear about this," Patrick said. Sarah described the letter writing scheme and how the letters were transferred. "That is rather clever," her father said. "And devious," he added. "Dad," Mary said, "I'm sure she has learned from the best. What is it they say about politicians?" Patrick chuckled. Jane was incensed. "Mary, how dare you talk to your father like that!" "Dear, Mary was just poking fun at me. Now, Sarah, let's get back to the real problem. Vivian." Kristin and Liz came into the room. "Mary, are you ready to go?" Kristin asked. "Go?" Jane asked. "We wanted to see Beth Ann's new dress. I heard Cynthia may have some more dresses in, as well." Kristin replied. Jane was amused, "Big shopping day, then." "In a town like this, something new is exciting," Liz said, drawing out the words to exaggerate the meanings, and causing everyone to laugh. "Can I come, too?" Jill asked as though it wasn't part of a plan already. "I'm sure you'll fit. Come on," Mary said. Then turning back, she added, "We'll be downtown, so I'll be there before you go. You said one o'clock, didn't you?" "Yes," Patrick answered with a smile. Now it was just Sarah and her parents. This is what she had feared, all along. Now, though, with all that had proceeded, she didn't feel as nervous. "Dad, I may well have made a big error planning out Vivian being here. I'm getting older and making choices. Some of them aren't so good, obviously. There are two ways to look at this," she said. Mary and her had gone over this a million times, but it scared her to say these next words all the same. "You could take me away from here. Make it so I was a child again, with no way to mess up. No responsibilities. I'm not sure that is possible, now though. Or you could see that even when I make mistakes, even big ones like this, there is a whole large group here that looks after one another. Keith and Richard took care of separating Mike and Scott from Vivian and Marcia the first night, knowing it was the most troublesome." Sarah bit her lower lip as she paused. "What came out of all of this is good. That is something that this... family... tries to make happen. They try and turn the bad into good, while we all learn. I have learned, a lot, from this. That wouldn't have happened if I was stuck at home." This was, in no way, the apology that Patrick had expected. However, in a way, it was much more. It was a sign of responsibility. There was something more in what she said, as well. "Sarah," Patrick said, "it sounds like you are worried that we will take you away from here if we don't like what you do. Stuck at home!" Patrick laughed. "I'm not sure when the last time I could say that has happened. You have a very active social life." Sarah looked down. She was embarrassed. 'Did it really come out that easily, that I don't want to leave here?' she thought. "Do you know how hard it is to see my daughter growing up?" Jane asked. "You went from a girl to a young woman overnight. I haven't had the chance to catch up with the changes. In a way it hurts, to know you want to be here. I understand you think I need to be with your dad, but I don't want to lose you, either. Even though I know it has to happen some day." Patrick said, "I think what your mom is trying to say is we still care a lot about what is going on with you. We want to be your parents, but it feels like we're not needed. I don't want that to come out wrong, because one of the reasons we feel comfortable with you being here is that you are surrounded by a lot of people who do care for you. This little circus of people was a good example of that. I could tell by your face that you didn't expect all of this. They were here for you; they were wanting to help you." "Does that mean you're going to let me stay?" "We didn't have any intentions of changing that," Patrick said. "For school, too?" Jane snorted. "Pushy, isn't she?" "She's your daughter," Patrick said. "True, but we all know who she takes after," Jane shot back. Sarah smiled at hearing them like this, but she had to ask, "It doesn't sound like I'm going to get an answer." "You might want to ask Liz if you're on the enrollment list," Patrick answered her. "Now you are just being mean," Jane said, playfully swatting at her husband. "We signed the papers yesterday. They have to get your records from your previous school." Sarah was so flustered that as she was hugging her parents she had to take big deep breaths. Her wide smile showed she was very pleased, though. ------- Beth Ann couldn't figure out what her parents were doing. They had asked her for a grand tour of the town, and its points of interest. After them asking about some of the more violent things that had happened, Beth Ann realized what they were doing. Or at least she though she had figured it out. "You're trying to distract me. You can't possibly be interested in where the old mine entrance was that Cliff had the chemicals," Beth Ann stated. She missed her aunt looking at her watch as her mother answered, "Yes, you are right." Then getting a nod from Wilma, she continued, "We just wanted to get your mind off of how the morning had turned out. There is one more place where we do need to stop, though." This piqued Beth Ann's curiosity, "Where is that?" "When Cynthia came out this morning, she told me some shipments had arrived, and wanted to show me a few things I might like." Then she gave a wink to her husband. Beth Ann was mortified. The first thing that popped into her mind was, 'Surly Cynthia wouldn't show her the stash of toys!' So she said, "I'm sure it's nothing much. Why don't we go back to the Mansion... Please?" Beatrice had no way of knowing the real reason Beth Ann looked so agitated, she thought it was a case of nerves. "Honey, just slow down. We have plenty of time. I'm sure Cynthia has something she will want to show you..." Beatrice then smiled as she added, "Maybe something for the wedding night." Wilma and Beatrice giggled. Beth Ann was turning red. George, with a flash of intelligence, said not a word. Before Beth Ann could protest any more, George stopped the car. Cynthia had been waiting for them. Rebecca, keeping an eye out for their car, had alerted her. She opened the door. "What a surprise!" Cynthia said. "Beth Ann, I have just the dress for you. Come in, let me show it to you." "Dress?" Beth Ann said in disbelief. Cynthia then realized what Beth Ann had been thinking, and had to work hard not to laugh. As she pulled Beth Ann into the store, she whispered into her ear. "You didn't think I'd try and corrupt your parents, did you?" Beth Ann swallowed hard and looked over to Cynthia. "The thought had crossed my mind." "I have something on my mind, that is much more important than 'fun and games', this morning," Cynthia said very business like. Then after a little chuckle, she whispered, "But after that, if you want..." "Do you and Keith learn from each other?" Beth Ann asked. Cynthia couldn't hold it in! She laughed so hard she thought she was going to wet herself. Beth Ann couldn't help but join in the laughter and it did lighten up her spirits. Rebecca and Cynthia had planned this out, very carefully. There were three dresses Beth Ann was going to try on. The last was the one that Keith had ordered for her. Just to add to the confusion, there was one for Beatrice and Wilma to try on as well. So Beth Ann went into the dressing room first. Cynthia told Beatrice, Wilma, and George what was happening, with the dresses, so they could play along as well. Beth Ann came out. They made her twirl around, but could tell she didn't care much for it. Wilma went in and changed into a stunning two-piece green silk suit. Beth Ann was taken by it and told her aunt how wonderful she looked. She couldn't keep up the complements, as she was being headed to the dressing room to change into the next dress. This one suited Beth Ann much better than the first, but it still was a bit older in taste than she would have liked. Her mother went to change into the dress that was there for her, as Beth Ann was examining the snappy lapel on suit coat Wilma still had on. Beatrice came out and Beth Ann didn't need to say a word. Her father whistled, causing Beatrice to blush. Beth Ann had never seen her mother wear anything so... Well... it was sexy, but not terribly revealing. Beatrice hadn't got the full look, as there was a small mirror in the dressing room. It wasn't until she had come out that she saw the full effect. By the time that had registered, her husband had whistled. She suddenly felt proud she could get such an uncommon reaction from him. "Mom!" Beth Ann exclaimed. Then, in a hushed whisper, she added, "Wow!" "It does make you look sexy, Beatrice," Wilma said. "I think George approves." "Ok, Beth Ann. You have one more to try," Cynthia said. "Nothing is going to top that one," Beth Ann said as she went off to see what Rebecca had just put in there to change into. The dress on the hanger didn't look much different than the other two. Beatrice could have said the same thing, looking at hers. Of course, that was before she draped it on her body. It wasn't what many would think of as a wedding dress. Katy and Robin's dresses weren't the traditional white gowns, either. That was just a bit too impractical for Carp. So Beth Ann didn't come to the conclusion anything was that much different, other than the material was a bit nicer. The small mirror didn't let her get a good look. They had no idea that Rebecca had taken the standard long mirror out, and had replaced it with the tiny mirror, so that they couldn't look at themselves before coming out. Beth Ann walked out, and stopped in front of the big mirror. She didn't get any further. She didn't hear her parent's gasp, or her aunt squeal with delight. She was awe struck. There was no doubt in her mind what this dress was for. It mirrored the ones that Katy and Robin had worn, only maybe a little more refined. She had made them put them on long ago, when she first came to Carp. She hadn't been there, and after all the stories, she had wanted to see as much of it as she could. Now, she was seeing "The Dress." It was of a similar style, but was just a bit different. Pale pink color, capped sleeves, a burgundy sash. "Just what I thought," Cynthia said. "Rebecca, bring me the pins. It needs to be taken in just a touch at the waist." Nothing would come out of Beth Ann's mouth. She tried to say she couldn't buy it. "Keith ordered this for you," Cynthia said. The next thing Beth Ann remembered was opening her eyes and seeing the concerned looks of her mother, father, and aunt as they watched her. "You fainted," her mother said, answering her unasked question. Beth Ann looked around. She was still in the dress shop. Her mother and aunt were back in their clothes. 'Was it a dream?' she thought. "Are you able to get up?" Cynthia asked from behind them. "We need to get the dress fitted before the wedding." "It's real?" Beatrice smiled at her daughter. "Yes, it's real. He's a sweetheart, isn't he?" Beth Ann's smile lit up the room. "Yes, he is." As Beatrice helped her daughter up and then over to where Cynthia was standing with Rebecca, she quietly talked with her daughter. "This is the second time in a couple of months that I've seen you faint. I can't remember during all your years growing up that you ever did that. Not once. There was only one time in my life that I had a few spells." "You did?" Beth Ann said, surprised with this information. "It was when I was just pregnant with you," Beatrice said, leaving the unasked question linger. Cynthia had her hands on Beth Ann, straightening the dress, and then pinning here and there. As Beth Ann was turned this way and that, she couldn't keep her eyes off of her mother. ------- Jimmy, Brian, Barbara, Pamela, Laura, and Julie were walking down from Brian's house to the train platform. They didn't want to be late. Millie and Bruce were planning to come down to the park, as soon as they heard the helicopter come in and then leave. Millie had been baking up a storm, and as she had been given the extra time, had come up with more goodies. I pulled up in front of the platform, seeing them coming down the street. Mike, Marcia, Scott, and Vivian didn't get out when James and I did. I could understand. Once out, it was the final step to going home. There had been many times I hadn't wanted to leave Carp, either. I put my head back into the open doorway. "When the others start arriving, you'll need to come out. They will want to say goodbye, and the train waits for no one." The two couples nodded silently to me. They had been very somber all morning, which for Mike and Marcia was perfectly understandable. Richard, Katy, Robin, and Kristin were already waiting there. "Where's Patrick, Jane, and Sarah?" I asked in general. "At the school. Sarah dragged her parents to it, as Liz, Vicki, and Tiffany were downtown already," Kristin answered. Katherine's car could be seen in the distance, over on the other side of the bridge. They were on their way. As Jimmy and Brian's group passed the school, Patrick, Jane, Sarah, Jill, Liz, Tiffany, and Vicki came out. They began moving, in mass, towards us. I watched for a moment at the animated gestures from their talking. I found them amusing. They hadn't gone very far when they stopped, right in front of Cynthia's new dress shop. When Patrick Thiesen touched my shoulder, I jumped. Turning and seeing who it was, I sighed. Cheryl and Maureen were with him and at the same time asked, "What's wrong?" Patrick saw where the crowd had gathered down the street and asked, "Is Beth Ann in there?" "I can only guess that she is," I answered. Patrick nodded, after hearing my answer, and then asked, "Keith, if you saw me with a fiddle in my hand, would you assume that I was going to a dance? That struck me as an odd question, until I remembered the time at Anthony's house. Mennonites were taught dancing was sinful. The fiddle represented the dress, just as in the same way that dancing represented the marriage. One isn't connected to the other just by association. People play music, women wear dresses. It was me who was jumping to conclusions. "I see your point." I said, and then cracking a smile I had to add, "But knowing you, Patrick, you would be dancing up a storm." Maureen gasped and then blushed when Cheryl laughed, realizing I was joking. "As we're talking about not knowing what is going on," I said to Patrick. "Maybe you can clear something up. Robin has been going crazy asking me who is going to marry you. I keep on telling her that it's 'who is going to perform the ceremony.' That just stirs it up even further." Patrick gave me a little grin. "I can tell you know, as I have confirmation. DO you remember the older couple that took Robin away when Cliff came into town?" "I do. We met at a diner, when I picked Robin up." I stopped and chuckled, thinking about that. "Their expression was priceless when Robin ran and jumped into my arms." "I'm sure it was," Patrick replied. "They lived in Carp for many years. Their son took up the calling and he is going to do the service." We heard the train whistle blow in the distance. That got everyone moving, and the 'good byes' starting. The biggest emotional outpouring was from Mike and Marcia. Everyone expected that. Following up that were Sarah and Vivian. When Vivian found out Sarah wouldn't be there next year for school, she fell apart. Sarah's mother stepped in, telling the girls that they would get to see each other over the year. This helped Vivian a bit. Scott, reminding Vivian how jealous the other freshmen girls would be, with her having an 'upper classman' for a boyfriend, made her smile. The train came, and stopped. Then it was off, after only minutes. After the train was out of sight, I thought out loud of something that hadn't occurred to me before. "How is Vivian getting home? She came down with the McCarrans." Katy answered. "I talked with Scott's parents. Vivian is going to have a surprise when she gets off the train in Reno." "Surprise?" I asked. "Her parents are going to be there to pick her up." Sarah was listening to this and said, "She's going to die of embarrassment. You should have told her." "If Vivian is going to play grown up games, she needs to start behaving as a grown up as well," Katy replied. "I think you set her up!" Sarah said and ran off. Katy looked at me; I shrugged my shoulders. "She knows Vivian and her parents a lot better than I do." "So, you think I may have stepped into it?" Katy asked. "What did Scott's parents say?" I asked. "They thought it was a good idea." "That is something Sarah needs to hear, then," I replied. Talking about needing to take care of things. I pulled Stephanie over to me. She hadn't strayed more than a few feet from me all day long. I knelt down and looked at her in the eyes. "Want to tell me what is going on? You have been shadowing me all day." I got a blank look from her. "You haven't left my side all day." A smile crept upon her face. She looked around and then leaned towards me to whisper into my ear. "I know you're getting married to Beth Ann today, but Pamela told me what you gave them. I hope you have more." I heard her say and then started feeling the heat from her face as she continued, "I'm hoping you are planning one for me." I picked her up and she laughed, hugging me tight. Robin walked over and asked what was going on. I leaned into her, and Stephanie could hear what I whispered as well, "She wants me to take her to bed and play." "Not on your wedding night," Robin whispered back. Stephanie in a very serious voice answered, "Oh no. I would never want to do that." Beth Ann walked over to me at that point. Her eyes were glancing to where Patrick and Jane were talking. "Are they ever going to leave," she said quietly. I looked at my watch. "Yes, in about ten minutes. By the way..." Beth Ann grinned. "I love it, and you." Katherine got everyone's attention. She suggested, as it was getting very hot, that we move over to the park. We would have some shade, there, she said. It was agreed that hers was a good idea, especially as we were going to be ending up there anyway. By the time we had all walked there, the sound of a helicopter could be heard. I was surprised we hadn't heard it sooner. Then again, it had come from over the ridge, not up the valley. There was the well-defined place where all of the helicopters had landed. With the dryness of the summer and all of the people in the park, not far away, that quickly proved to be a bad landing spot. Dust started to fly and the pilot pulled up. The helicopter then flew across the bridge to the other side of the stream and set down over there. Many said hasty good byes to Patrick and Jane. It didn't seem so out of place as the same thing had occurred with Mike, Scott, Vivian, and James's departure on the train. Everyone, who knew, was anxious for the wedding to take place. Robin, Sarah, Mary and I walked with them over the bridge. Robin and I gave the four a bit of space, letting them say their good byes. Then Patrick and Jane were off. Robin and I walked back and turned our attention to a very upset Kristina. "The flowers! They're at the house." I walked over to her, picking her up. Twirling her around, high above my head, I said, "Don't you worry. We'll go get them. Beth Ann has to get dressed, anyway." Kristina looked over to Beth Ann and then back to me. In a very confused voice she said, "She is dressed." Everyone who heard it laughed. I was left to explain the difference. Katherine took Daisy, Pamela, Stephanie, Elizabeth, and Kristina with her, as they were the ones who had picked the flowers. Robin had helped as well, but now she was pulling Beth Ann over to Cynthia's shop. Mary saw them and rushed to help. Patrick came up to me. "I understand that Beth Ann is going to have Mary stand with her." "I guess I should ask Richard then. Is that what you were getting at?" Patrick smiled. "Yes. This time, though, I don't think anyone is going to be switching places." I laughed about that and went off to ask Richard to be my best man. ------- The helicopter had swung over to look at the Mansion, as the pilot had gotten a glance of it when he flew into Carp. He had barely gone past the impressive home when the pilot shouted, "Is that the Carp mine?" "Yes," Patrick answered in a loud voice. He was surprised when the helicopter made a nice wide arc, swinging its way over the ridge, to the far side of the mine. It touched down moments later. Patrick and Jane were very amused to see a few of the big wigs from Memco there, waiting. "I think this contract signing was all a formality. The way things were set up, I would have had to do something stupid not to get it. I just wish I would have known. Although having impressive guests like you with me always helps my cause," Mark said to them with a grin. "This should only take ten minutes. You may want to get out though, as it gets very hot in here when it's not moving." Mark was right. When they opened the doors, twenty minutes later, it was very warm inside. "Now let's take a little flight, right over to where I picked you up. I'm sorry that I didn't know how close it was, or I would have come here first. This mine is so new that it doesn't show up on a map, anywhere," Mark said. Patrick smiled and said, "It doesn't show up, because of what they are mining here. The government wants to keep everything this mine produces for itself." "That's got to be a good contract!" Patrick patted Mark's back and said, "I think you did alright with the contract you just got." Mark smiled back, saying, "Yeah, I sure did. Let's get going." ------- Millie, Annabelle, and Bruce arrived on a wagon. In the wagon's bed was enough food to feed everyone. I couldn't figure out how she could have made all this. The truth was that she didn't. She did her part. Cheryl did some, Annabelle also did some... more came from our household, without me ever even knowing about it! Robin came back, bringing a tie with her. I didn't have a coat on; it was just too hot for that. The tie, though, would make things look more formal. Katherine drove up and the girls unloaded the back of the car. They quickly began decorating. It was a good thing that the flowers hadn't been brought any sooner. The temperature was climbing and it didn't look like the flowers would last a great deal longer. Our group had formed onto two sides, leaving a center aisle for Beth Ann. I knew that her father was planning on 'walking her down the aisle, ' there. Patrick got Richard and I in place. A few minutes later, I saw Mary walk down the aisle. She looked radiant. She came up and took her place. It took my breath away when I saw Beth Ann and her father start down the aisle. She glowed. The dress fit her perfectly. Her hair was silky, and shining in the sun. The flowers added just the right touch. It was her face, though, that made the whole. Her smile, her twinkling eyes, and the rose tone in her complexion made the picture complete. Before I was ready to stop looking, she was there, standing beside me. Patrick was eloquent but, thankfully, not long-winded. It is almost amusing that for all the planning, a wedding ceremony is over so fast. While most everyone was under some shade, we were by the bank of the river, in the full heat of the sun. It was hot. When he got to the part of kissing the bride, I was more than ready. A cheer went up when I kissed her. I made the most of it, as everyone was egging me on. ------- Patrick and Jane were looking out of their windows. Patrick was behind the pilot. Jane was on the other side. Seeing the crowd of people still at the park, Patrick tapped Mark's shoulder and pointed. Mark paused for a moment, as they came closer. Even at the distance they were at, Patrick could see the dress he had seen on Beth Ann. It was a distinctively colored pink, against what everyone else was wearing. The man standing next to her... That was a tie which was the same color as... 'Didn't Rebecca say that Keith had a matching tie? I wish I knew was going on?' Patrick was thinking. "Honey," Jane shouted over the noise of the helicopter, "what is it?" Patrick shook his head. He glanced down to see everyone pointing up to the sky. He yelled to Mark, saying, "Let's go!" "What were you looking at?" Jane yelled again, wanting to know. ------- Chapter 118 The train ride was far different going home, than it had been just a few days ago. Mike was silent; thinking, dreaming, and planning. Scott and Vivian were snuggled up next to each other. His affirmation to be there for her, at school, meant more than he knew. For someone who had felt like an outcast at school, until Sarah came along, this stood out even more. She had a man, her man, who would be by her side. It made her feel special to have him want her. His willingness to let everyone know it warmed her heart. She now thought she understood Marcia. Scott felt so special to her that she could see giving him everything. Knowing what happened to Marcia, she knew better. Knowing her parents, she also knew she was going to have a lot of explaining to do. Somewhere, sometime, something would come out about this trip to Carp. She just didn't want to explain it yet. James was bored. On the way down to the small town of Carp he had been able to talk to the newly minted scouts. Now they were in their own little world. Before he realized it, he was thinking about Carp as well. A strange little town. His troubling conversation with Jill stood out. He still couldn't get over the idea she was so young. The conductor, asking for tickets, rousted the four of them out of their daydreams. ------- Richard and I looked at each other. The 'oh shit' look was on both of our faces. Most everyone was looking and pointing to the helicopter. Then as suddenly as it appeared, it left. There wasn't a question of who was in it. The big question was, what did they see? I was trying very hard to remember what Patrick had told me about the fiddle. Would the McCarran's know this was a wedding? My thoughts were interrupted by Beth Ann wrapping her arms around me. She was shaking. "You don't need to worry about a thing, Honey," I said to her. Richard said in a loud enough voice to carry over everyone's murmurs. "We all know that was Patrick and Jane. No one has any idea why they were here, or what they just saw. There isn't any reason to think in the negative. Don't you think that if they thought something was wrong, they would have landed?" That was, indeed, something I hadn't thought of. If I had seen what I thought was a wedding, I would have landed and found out what was going on. What Richard said helped everyone. Beth Ann moved inches away and then kissed me. Everyone else started behaving like they would after a wedding. The festive atmosphere was coming back. Jack came up to me after Robin had pulled Beth Ann away from me. "Keith, I noticed that the helicopter came from over the ridge. It looks like they might have stopped at the mine. I'm going to go find out what was going on." "That's a good idea," I replied. "It was odd to have him show up. I can't stop thinking about what they saw. Or what they thought was going on." Jack gave me a practiced smile. "I know. I would worry, too, but it won't help anything." "You look and sound like the base commander know," I told him. "You know, Keith, you can be very mean," Jack said, grinning. Mary moved beside me and then tugged on my arm to get my attention. "I know you must be worried," she said, "but remember that was my father in there. Does he ever jump to conclusions?" She had a point. I said, "No. No, he doesn't." "If he saw something that he didn't understand, he will ask for an explanation." I was nodding. It did sound like something he would do and who better than his daughter to know that. "Keith, enjoy yourself and don't worry about it. If he starts asking questions, then we can work on answers." I smiled at her, and then gave her a kiss. "Save that for the bride," she said, grinning. "Well today at least!" Looking for Beth Ann was no problem at all. She was heading my way with a plate of food. She fed me little morsels while I told her what Mary had said. I looked across the large family and friends there, and then commented. "It seems like your parents are spending a lot of time talking to Patrick." Beth Ann's eyes widened and she looked around, spotting them. "Something wrong?" I asked. Beth Ann was concentrating on her plate of food a bit more than she should and just shook her head. ------- Jane gave up asking her husband about what he was looking at, over Carp, when she spotted the train. It was just above Caliente, so it must have stopped at that town for some time. It was almost impossible to hear anything in the helicopter. Conversation was nearly impossible, anyway. That was a very good thing as far as Patrick was concerned. He was mulling over many things. One of which was what he thought he saw. It was his practice not to jump to conclusions. He had seen too many of his colleagues do that, only to get burnt with reality. Still, where his daughters were concerned, it was hard not to react. Telling his wife anything would have made things difficult. He needed more information, and then he could act. It was logical, and prudent. Nothing during their visit felt out of place. In fact both girls seemed to be blossoming in Carp. He thought of his next potential problem. Vivian's parents, Scott's as well. Although from what Katy had told him, they shouldn't be a problem at all. It was better to get it first hand. That was going to be the first order of business when they arrived home. He hoped to get his wife sufficiently wrapped up in that affair, that she would not ask him about what he might have seen when they flew over Carp, right before leaving. The image still disturbed him, although he knew that things are often not what they look like on the surface. There was probably some explanation. His mind was probably just blowing things out of proportion. ------- Kristin and Liz had cornered me, and the two of them were talking my ear off. I caught on to why they were doing this. Robin had Beth Ann by the hand and was taking her off somewhere. My sisters were supposed to be a distraction. I smiled as they chatted. As soon as my new bride was out of sight, I said, "You can stop now. Beth Ann is gone." Kristin opened her mouth and then shut it. Liz looked at me, perturbed. "You knew?" I just shrugged my shoulders. "Wasn't that hard to figure out. What's going on?" "We're not sure. Robin just asked if we could keep you occupied," Kristin answered. "I know better ways," I said, raising my eyebrows at them. Both broke out in laughter. Liz said, "Beth Ann would have our hide. Robin would as well, for that matter." ------- Robin was leading Beth Ann by the hand. Once they stepped away from the park, Beth Ann questioned where they were going. Robin smiled, and then said, "It is a little wedding gift." The two walked on until they got to Cynthia's store. Beth Ann was surprised when Robin opened the door. She looked back to the park; sure she had seen Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca there minutes ago. Grabbing her hand, Robin pulled Beth Ann inside, and closed the door behind her. "Cynthia," Robin called. "Is that you, Robin?" came the answer from behind one of the partitions. Robin thought it a strange question. Who else would it be? "Yes, ' she replied. "Be out in just a moment. I'm looking for a dress... Oh here it is!" Cynthia rambled on. Robin started to look around, as they waited. The shop had been slowly transformed and was almost looking complete. It wouldn't take much before it was ready to open. Displays had been set up, although the racks had not been filled yet. Cynthia walked into the main showroom carrying a small satchel. It looked like deep red velvet and was secured with a gold cord, tied in a knot. "You brought Beth Ann!" Cynthia said, surprised. "Well here then," she continued with a big smile. "This is for you." "What is it?" Beth Ann asked when she was handed the heaver than it looked satchel. Robin answered, "It is to open and use tonight." Beth Ann's cheeks colored. She had an idea what it might contain, and would have asked, except for the knock on the front door. The three turned and Beth Ann gasped. "It's my parents!" "Yes. I thought it might be them, when you arrived," Cynthia said as she walked over to the door. "Robin!" Beth Ann said under her breath as she looked between Robin and the satchel. Trying not to laugh, but having a hard time, Robin said, "Beth Ann, they have no idea what's in there. Calm down." "Beth Ann, I didn't know you'd be here," George said when he saw his daughter. Then acting a bit unsure of himself, he asked, "Can I have a word with you... outside?" "Sure, Dad," Beth Ann replied and then thrusting the satchel into Robin's hands, she added, "Here, hold this for me." Robin was letting little laughing noises out as Beth Ann ran over to her father. George took Beth Ann's hand, and nodded to his wife, before walking out the door. The two walked past the school, the bank, and sat down on a bench across from the closed diner. "I know I don't need to ask for your permission, but I'd like your blessing," George said. Beth Ann was totally confused as to what her father was talking about. "We have seen, in the last few days, what this marriage has meant. Not just to you, but to everyone involved. It isn't just you and Keith that got married. You joined a larger family. One that loves one another." The simple words that formed such feelings, from her father, were unexpected. It made Beth Ann well up with happy tears. He went on, "Today, during the ceremony, I realized the importance of this. It was more for you than anyone else. It was Keith, showing everyone how important you were in his life." "Oh! Yes, Daddy, yes!" Beth Ann said, so happy he understood. "Ummm..." George started to go on, but the lump in his throat stopped him. Beth Ann looked into her father's eyes, wondering what he was having a hard time trying to say to her. Her eyes widened, as the dawn of realization took place. "You want to marry Wilma," she said, not in question, but as a statement. "Yes," he answered in a voice sounding more like that of a boy caught sneaking a cookie than the father of the young woman he was answering. Her gaze had not left her father's face. He wanted to look away, but dared not, as she looked into his eyes. Then she asked the question that erased all doubt about his daughter's apprehensions. "With all she's been though, is she ready?" ------- The train pulled to a stop at the Reno station. There was a sea of activity going on. For Vivian, nothing existed outside of two people there were standing waiting. She spotted them almost immediately. Her father was in his traditional red shirt. She didn't hear the goodbyes, or even see James and Mike leave the train. The images outside the window became blurry as her eyes filled with tears. She felt, almost, Scott's touch on her shoulder. His words didn't penetrate her ears. Scott didn't know what to do. Vivian had been... well everything. She was, there was no doubt, his dream girl. Now what had happened was a complete mystery to him. He saw both their parents standing there. In his understanding, if all four of them were there, things were ok. Mike and James had also seen the transformation and were just as confused. When they talked to her, she acted as though she hadn't heard a word. The two left the train and Scott saw them approach the two sets of parents. A porter walked by and looked at the situation. A girl in distress and a boy in complete confusion. He nodded, because it wasn't the first time he'd seen that. He'd leave them be for a minute or two, but like it or not, they'd have to exit soon. Vivian couldn't make her mind stop and put her head down, resting it in her hands. She wished everything would just go away. Her parents. What were they going to think of her now? In a moment she went from the feeling of being in love with the boy of her dreams, to the pain of feeling utter disappointment from her parents. She knew they would no longer see her as their innocent little girl. It was as though her childhood had been stripped from her. She felt shattered inside. ------- Scott and Vivian's parents listened as Mike described what he saw. The happy, funny, full of life girl was looking out the window, describing to them all the scenery. When they got to the station, everything changed. He wasn't even sure she heard them say anything to her, much less knew they had left the train. Scott's mother looked at Vivian's mother with very sad eyes and then whispered into her ear. Vivian's mother bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment to block out any tears. Pulling on the nearby red shirt, his wife said, "You get on that train. You sit down next to your daughter and you tell her that you want to have a long talk with her. You use every special name you have called her. You make sure she knows she's still your little girl. Do you understand me?" The tone of voice she used made him understand completely. If he failed, he was going to not only be sleeping in the doghouse, but also eating and bathing with the dog. He didn't understand why he was doing what he was doing, or the significance of it all, but he understood it was very important to his wife and his daughter. That was enough. Scott watched the interchange out the window, feeling helpless sitting across the seat from Vivian. He saw Vivian's father come to the train and looked over to see him enter the car. Scott saw him sit next to his daughter and then look Scott in the eye. "I'll take it from here. Your parents want to see you." Scott didn't want to leave, but knew he'd been dismissed. He walked off the train, with a heavy heart, wishing he could have known what to do, or say. As a father, he could feel the distress in his daughter. His brow wrinkled, wondering why his wife had sent him in here. She obviously knew what was going on, and he was about as clueless as the boy he had just sent away. Reaching over, he took Vivian's hand. Vivian jumped in her seat when she felt the unmistakable hand of her father. Her eyes turned to him. Even from the blurry, tear filled orbs; she could make out his red shirt. "Tadpole," he said, an expression he hadn't used in years "you're a bit too big to sit on my lap, but I still want to have a long talk with you, Little Bear." "Daddy," Vivian sniffled. "My precious Angel, don't cry. Come on, Pumpkin, take my hand and let's get off this train." Vivian's body was shaking and her voice matched as she asked, "Am... I... still... your... Little... Bear?" His heart was ready to break at that point, and tears were forming in his eyes. Feeling the pain of her question, he pulled her up and into a hug. "You will always be my Little Bear." ------- "Mom! Are you going to get that?" Beth Ann asked as soon as she saw the dress her mother had tried on, before Beth Ann realized she was getting a wedding dress that morning. Her mother, while Beth Ann and her father had been out talking, slipped back into the dress. It had been Cynthia's suggestion to just to try it on one more time. "Yes, she is," George answered, surprising Beth Ann and Beatrice. Beatrice wasn't expecting this. Cynthia had tempted her, and she was in such a good mood from the wedding... Even with the kiss her mother was giving her father, something more than she could ever remember happening in public before, Beth Ann still looked around before asking, "Where's Wilma?" "Back here," came a muffled reply. "I'll be out in just a minute... as soon as I can... got it!" With that the dressing room door opened and out walked Wilma. This was not the sharp business looking suit coat and skirt she had tried on this morning. This was... Wow! Beth Ann turned to Cynthia, who was smiling at George's reaction, and asked, "Where was this dress, this morning?" "I have a number of dresses that are still wrapped. Some won't ever go out on the floor of this shop," Cynthia said. "Where would someone in this town, wear a dress like that?" "So why do you have them?" Beth Ann asked a bit confused. "For parties," Cynthia answered, and seeing that this explanation didn't help, added, "private parties in Las Vegas where I will sell my more unusual items." Then she gave Beth Ann a wink. George got his voice back, well somewhat. "Wilma, that is... It makes you look..." Wilma blushed and said, "Thank you." "She does, doesn't she," Beatrice added. "Now, Cynthia, what can we use as a veil?" "Mom!" Beatrice turned at looked at her daughter. "I'm sorry. I thought as you came back in with your dad that you thought it was alright that she gets married." Everyone was now looking at Beth Ann, waiting for an answer. She ignored the stares, as hard as that was, and walked over to Wilma. "Are you ready for this?" "Beth Ann, Honey, I could ask you the same question, couldn't I?" Wilma answered her. After a pause, Beth Ann said, "I guess you could." Then with a big smile, she added, "If you're as happy as I am, then there's no problem at all!" ------- There were very few who actually knew what was going on. Most of the extended family were still eating, or lazing around. Cynthia had come up with a very nice hat that complimented the color of Wilma's dress. It had netting across the front of it and gave the symbol of a veil. Robin, Daisy, Mary and I were the ones outside of Beth Ann's family who watched as Patrick blessed their union. Patrick's fiancée and Cheryl were there watching from the sidelines with grand smiles on their faces as well. It was simple, yet memorable. Shortly after that George asked Beth Ann if we weren't leaving soon. Beth Ann laughed, seeing right through the question. We stayed while George, Beatrice, and Wilma left for their hotel room. ------- Something wasn't quite right. I hadn't seen Beth Ann in an hour. Robin and I were talking a walk through the streets of Carp, just talking. Not that I minded that. I loved to be with Robin. She had, though, insisted that this night I was supposed to be with Beth Ann. So why was I walking along, as though I had all the time in the world, with Robin? Robin walked up to her old house and opened the door. Then looking back at me, she winked and went inside, closing the door behind her. I opened the door, a bit surprised, and she wasn't in sight. I shook my head and let out a little laugh. Even with Beth Ann somewhere waiting for me, Robin wanted to play some games. The furniture was all there, just as we had left it. I scanned the living room, looked into the kitchen and then headed down the hall. I sort of figured where I might find her, so I purposely walked right past her and Jimmy's old room. I wanted to catch her off guard. Well, I guess we have been together long enough for her to realize my tactics. I looked into the bathroom and then into Katy's old room. That's where Robin got me. I was sure she wouldn't be there. Ok, if I had been a soldier it would be a bad scene. With this game, though, there were no losers. Robin had grabbed my arm and pulled me so that I was headed for the bed. I'm sure I could have resisted, but what would the point of that been? Jumping onto the bed, Robin started her attack of kisses. I was enjoying her ministrations, when a red satchel caught my eye. It was new in the room, I was very sure of that. "Robin, what's that?" I asked. As I had sort of raised my head to look at it, she nibbled on my ear. Then she looked over and grinned. "Do you really want to know?" she answered in a deep voice, I had never heard her use before. I groaned and answered, "Yes." That answer explains why, now, almost ten minutes later, I have leather straps around my wrists that are tied to the edges of the wrought iron headboard. The simple leather strap had a slit in it to make a lasso. After I saw the satisfaction on Robin's face, I examined the straps holding my wrists in place. They were a lot sturdier than they appeared, although I wasn't convinced yet if I should try to get free. This was a bit puzzling. I couldn't place where Robin had any fantasies about this, or frankly why we were acting on them now of all days. Maybe it was to show me that I belonged to her? I wasn't sure. I was about to ask, when there was a knock on the front door. Robin smiled at me and said, "Don't say a word." 'Don't say a word?' I thought. I was stripped naked on a bed, tied up, and someone was being let in the front door. 'What was I going to say? Help me?' I almost laughed at that thought. The next thing I knew, Beth Ann was being led into the room by Robin. Her eyes were wide when she saw me. She apparently had been told not to talk as well, as she didn't say a word. Robin took her time undressing Beth Ann in front of me. It was agonizing, but Beth Ann was having a hard time looking at my face, as my dick was bouncing in delight of what was happening. Robin was doing a very good job of making me as horny as I could get. As soon as Robin pulled Beth Ann's panties down, after stopping to smell her pussy along the way, she stood behind Beth Ann. There was no question of Beth Ann's state of arousal. Her nipples were standing up hard, and I could see a glint of moisture between her legs. Beth Ann gave no resistance when Robin pulled the girl's arms behind her. I looked at Robin as soon as I heard the unmistakable ratcheting sound. Robin had put handcuffs on Beth Ann. I saw in Beth Ann's face as her recognition took place, she was in the cuffs and this hadn't been pre-planned. Again, almost in anticipation of the questions, Robin spoke. "Here is the key," and held it out. It was in the middle of a red ribbon. "Now let me tie it someplace." Robin looked around the room, as if she were searching for a place. It might even have seemed like she was actually looking, except for the grin on her face. Her eyes stopped when they landed on my dick. "The perfect place. Here is the prize," Robin said and then giggled. She tied the ribbon around, with a bow. "One last thing," Robin said as she reached into the satchel. Beth Ann's eyes had followed Robin and she gasped when she saw where Robin was reaching. "You never did look at your gift," Robin told Beth Ann. Pulling out two sleep masks she fastened one on me, and then one on Beth Ann. "Liz, Kristin, Mary, Daisy and I came up with this idea," Robin said to Beth Ann and I. "Marriage is teamwork. It can be frustrating at times, because we just want to get the job done. If we work together, though, we can have fun along the way. Now I am going to leave you two to discover how to work together and have fun along the way." We couldn't see, but Beth Ann and I heard Robin leave the house. It was quiet for a moment. "What are we supposed to do now?" Beth Ann asked. "You know," I said, "I think Robin may have helped us by putting the masks on us." "What?" "We have to get free," I said, "but seeing your beauty can be very distracting." There was silence. Had I been able to see, I'm sure I would have seen a very big smile on Beth Ann's face. "Ok," she said, "we'll leave the masks on... for now. So what do you suggest?" "Well, my dick is getting soft," I started to say before I was cut off. "Keith! Don't you think we should get free first?" I had to laugh. It was just too funny. "Didn't Robin say we should have some fun along the way?" I answered and then paused for just a second. I didn't really want her to answer me. "Beth Ann," I said softly, "what I was trying to say was that I'm getting softer and you should be able to pull the ribbon off now, without any problems." "Oh," she answered, but I could tell she was blushing. "Maybe if you sat down on the bed, you could reach back and get it," I suggested. She tried, but in not being able to see, the bed was a different height than she suspected. As she sat, she went down further than she expected and fell backwards across me. Instinctively she rolled to her front and right on top of my dick. Its little brain felt her warm skin pressing against me and responded. "It's getting hard!" "I know," I replied. "I can't help myself when I'm around you." Beth Ann giggled, and then said, "Try. Think about your third grade teacher or something." "Miss Tremdel?" "Ohhh, I want to hear about that one," Beth Ann said as she felt my dick respond to my words. Beth Ann righted herself. I could feel her hands touching their way up my leg from behind her back. "Well you are going to get to the right spot, but you touching me like that has me harder than ever. I guess you are going to have to untie the bow." Hands behind your back don't want to work the same as they do when they are in front of you. That especially holds true to them working in unison with each other. It took a lot of tries for Beth Ann to get the bow untied and the ribbon off me. It was a good thing she got it untied when she did, as I was just about to go off from all the manipulation her hands were doing. "Make sure you don't drop it, or we'll have to take off the blindfolds," I said. "Somehow I knew you liked them on," Beth Ann said with a giggle in her voice. I think she knew how much her hands had done to me and I wondered if half of it was done on purpose, but that is part of the game, isn't it? "You will need to hand me the key," I said. "That might be hard." "Not as hard as some things." "Just you wait!" "I'm going to have to, after what your wife did to us." As soon as she said that, we both started to laugh. The laughter died down, and then I said in a gentle tone, "You are my wife now, also." I heard her whimper, and then felt the bed move as she scooted herself up the bed. She was in a sitting position with her legs off the side of the bed, her hands, obviously, behind her. I moved my arm, as much as it would move, away from her. She had to get very close to me that way. As soon as she touched my arm, she stopped. I moved my arm and my hand caressed her ass. She initially jumped, but then enjoyed the feeling. Laying my hand flat, I slid it under her and soon my fingers were feeling her moist treasure. "Is this part of getting the key?" she asked, almost panting. "Yes," I answered in a whisper. "I plan on getting many keys tonight." "You do?" she asked. "The most important one," I went on as though she hadn't said anything, "is the one to your heart." "Oh, Keith..." She sighed. "You already have that one." She slid forward and my hand slipped out, grazing along her rosebud. She whimpered but continued until I felt the ribbon that held the key. I took hold of it and moving the ribbon between my fingers located the key. "I have it. Now we need to get the key into the hole." "You're always trying that," Beth Ann said, snorted, and then laughed. It was easier said than done. My hand had limited movement, so Beth Ann had to do most of the maneuvering to get things in place. She wasn't comfortable and was urging me on. It took me three tries, but then we heard the click. All she needed was one hand out, and then she could bring her hands around to her front. She took the key out of my hand and undid the other half of the cuff. "That's much better," she said. "Now for you." I expected my hands to be free. She had other ideas about freeing something. My dick felt the warm surroundings of her mouth. I briefly wondered how she found it so accurately, and wondered if she had taken off her mask. Like I said, that was a brief thought. After all the rest of the touching, I was not too far from releasing. I'm sure she knew that as I was making a lot of noise, so she understood how much pleasure she was giving me. At first the bed sagging to my right didn't register. My mind was concentrating on what was happening around my dick. Then I felt a leg on one side of me, then the other. I had been straddled. I didn't have time to think of who it could be. The aroma told me, right before her pussy made contact with my mouth. 'I heard Robin leave, but now she was back. Did she just pretend to leave?' My thoughts were short and the answers didn't make a damned bit of difference. I had her sweet pussy to lick. Beth Ann had stopped for a moment. I was sure she was watching, but then I felt movement down there as well. As soon as my mind started to figure out what was going on, my dick was being encased by warmth, but this time it wasn't her mouth. Robin could tell by my movements that I was ready. She said, "Beth Ann, just stay on him till I can get my mouth down there." That sent me off and I thrust into Beth Ann, filling her. Then Robin moved and I could feel her mouth breathing down at the juncture between Beth Ann and myself. "Pull up quickly and I'm going to catch everything I can," Robin said. I was glad Robin's movements had pushed my blindfold up. Everything wasn't in full view, but I did get a good show. That is, until Beth Ann arched her back when she orgasmed and then fell over with Robin going after my cum. They eventually untied me, after a bit more teasing. Robin left, after a while, but all of us were rather worn out by the time that happened. Beth Ann was nestled into my arms when I asked her whose idea it was to have Robin join us. "I asked her to be with us," Beth Ann said. "Keith, I love you, but I know that it's Robin that lets me have this relationship with you. So I thought it was fitting to have her share in our night. I never want her to feel I would try to take you away, because she might not want to share with us. For me, that would be the worst thing that could happen in my life." ------- It had been three days since my wedding to Beth Ann. Two days, since Beth Ann's parents left. It was almost a relief when Jim came out to the house and said that there was a phone call. The shock, for me, was that it wasn't from Patrick or Jane. It was Vivian calling, and it was for Marcia! Word in the house, or houses, travels fast. Within minutes, Marcia and Sarah were looking expectantly at me. "You heard there was a call," I said, amused. "I thought it was strange as soon as I heard it," Sarah said. "Vivian always wants to talk to me, but then I realized it must be a message from Mike. When can we go?" I raised my eyebrows and tried, unsuccessfully, to not laugh. "I guess the full story didn't reach your ears. Vivian will be calling back when the phone rates change. So we'll be heading down to the phone after dinner." "After dinner!" Marcia groaned. She wore a pained expression on her face as Sarah pulled her away. Jim was still in the hallway when all of this occurred. He looked at me and said, "I don't know how you do it, livin' here with all these women. I have a hard enough time with one of them." "You say that too loudly, Jim," I replied, "and you're likely to be explaining that to the Missus." He looked at me, startled, and then saw the smile on my face. Shaking his head, as he went for the door, he retorted, "You had a couple of sisters, so I guess you had practice. I was an only child." "Practice," I said rolling the words off my tongue slowly. "I'm not sure I would call it that." He was laughing when the door closed behind him. And no sooner had the latch clicked than Kristin had her arms around me. I'm not sure where she came from, but she appeared. "Practice..." she said. "I like the sound of that. How about if we go upstairs and try a bit of practice." "You," I said reaching around and taking hold of her sides, "were eavesdropping." With that I started to tickle her. She quickly squirmed away from me, laughing as she did so, and started to head up the stairs. "Coming, dear brother?" "Not yet!" ------- There were several that wanted to go downtown after dinner. Robin told everyone it was going to be simply Marcia, Sarah, Beth Ann, and I who would be driving into town for the call. That was good news to Sarah and Marcia, and a bit of a surprise to Beth Ann and myself. We left shortly after clean up and headed into town. I drove past the phone, and then turned around, so I'd be on the same side of the street as it was. Not wanting to intrude on the phone conversation I parked by the bank, which was 20 or so feet away. We sat there, with the windows rolled down, talking until the phone rang. Beth Ann and I laughed at how fast Marcia and Sarah shot out of the car. The girls answered the phone and stayed there, so this was obviously the call they were waiting for. Beth Ann and I were talking and then she leaned over and gave me a kiss. It was nice and I tried to pull her in for another one, but she pulled back. I followed her eyes and saw Millie walking up the sidewalk. Millie stopped and said hello to Sarah, and then saw us sitting in the car. Beth Ann pulled out her lipstick from her purse and then dropped it. I saw it roll to the floorboard. I was watching Millie and Sarah and saw Sarah's eyes grow almost twice their size as Millie was walking towards us. I couldn't figure out what Millie might have said to her to cause such a reaction. When Millie walked up and looked into the window, Beth Ann was on her knees, bent down, with her head looking under the bench seat. "She dropped her lipstick," I said. "Oh that always gets me going. I can't stop until I have it back in my hand," Millie said. I rolled my eyes, and out of the corner noticed Sarah was beet red. What was going on with that conversation, I wondered. Millie talked for a few more minutes, saying nothing much. Beth Ann found her lipstick, just about the time Millie said she needed to head home. Coincidence? Marcia hung up the phone and Sarah pulled her along to the car. "Keith, I can't believe you!" Sarah said. "Right in front of Millie." Beth Ann and I looked at each other. I said, "What are you talking about?" "I saw you. You two kissed and then her head went down..." I started laughing. "You." Laugh. "You." I couldn't get any more out before another laugh. "You thought." More laughter. "You thought." This time it was contagious and Beth Ann started to snicker. "You thought Beth Ann was giving me head!" I was laughing so hard I was crying. "In front of Millie!" Poor Sarah was very, very red from embarrassment. "Well, what was she doing?" "I dropped my lipstick," Beth Ann said, knowing I couldn't speak. Sarah wasn't mollified. She turned to Marcia and said, before really talking notice of anything, "Did you see them?" All of us had wanted to know, and so turned to look at Marcia. It sobered my laughter. "Time to get into the car," I said. The girls got in. I turned around and asked, "Not good news from Mike?" "The call had nothing to do with Mike," Marcia said. "It didn't?" Sarah said, completely baffled. "Want to talk about it?" Beth Ann asked as I started the car. There was silence as I drove down the street. The silence continued as I made a left turn and crossed over the bridge, instead of heading towards the Mansion. On the other side, just a ways over, I pulled to the side and parked. "What happened?" I said after I had turned around in my seat. "Well, here's the condensed version. When Sarah's parents got home, he was worried about taking Vivian down to Carp, because Scott was there, so he called both sets of parents." "Oh boy!" I said. Marcia went on, "As we knew, Scott's parents already knew. What no one here knew was that Scott's mom had talked to Vivian's mother and they all knew about it, before Patrick called them. So for Sarah's dad it went very well." I could feel the tension in my shoulders start to subside. Beth Ann was looking at me and I gave her a reassuring smile. Without a pause, Marcia said, "So the outcome of all of that was both sets of parents showed up at the train station. Vivian was in hysterics. She knew her life was over." "Oh no. It's all my fault," Sarah said. I extended my arm over the back of the front seat, and pointed right at Sarah's face, so she had no way of avoiding me. "You say something like that again, and I'll turn you over my knee. Stop blaming yourself for everything that goes on." Sarah's eyes went big, but she nodded. "Marcia, please continue," I said. Marcia looked at me, and then Sarah. Sarah nodded to her. "The reason Vivian wanted to talk to me," Marcia said in an apologetic voice as she spoke more to Sarah than to Beth Ann or I, "was that she wondered..." Marcia's voice trailed off. "Wondered what?" Sarah asked softly. "What if felt like to me. When I felt my childhood disappear." It was silent in the car for a moment, and then Beth Ann asked, "What did you tell her?" I looked over at her. If anyone had had a childhood ripped from her, it had been Beth Ann. "My father stopped talking to me. My mother was concerned, but she wouldn't let me out of her sight. I had turned from their daughter into an embarrassment." "Oh!" Beth Ann said in an intake of air. Marcia and Sarah looked at her, because of her reaction. They were brought back to the realization of what Beth Ann been through. Fortunately for Beth Ann, she was over most of the problems that had trapped her. The death of her uncle had been a big part of her winning her own freedom. Her father being acquitted paved great inroads of healing as well. Beth Ann looked Marcia in the eye and said, "I'm grateful that my parents supported me. That is, after I told them. I guess I was scared they wouldn't, like yours. What happened with Vivian?" Marcia went on, "She told me that her mom and dad had sat her down for a long talk. One of the important parts that came up, that gave her mother a lot to be hopeful about, was a talk that happened before I came here." (Authors note, see Chapter 91.) "What was that about?" I asked. "Sarah had sent a letter to Vivian with me. Her mother brought her over to our house. So while Vivian and I talked in my bedroom... well, I guess what used to be my bedroom," Marcia said sadly. "Our parents talked. When we came back out, we overheard Vivian's mother say she didn't want her daughter to end up like me." "She said that?" Sarah asked. "Well, not those exact words, but the same thing," Marcia replied. "I told her that Vivian and I had talked about that sort of thing and she didn't need to worry. Vivian was using her head, while I had just been trying to be popular." "You said that? In front of your mom?" Sarah said in disbelief. "My mom was pretty upset with me, but yes, I said it." "What was the outcome of all of that?" Beth Ann asked Marcia. "Vivian has to be a lot more truthful about what is going on. That is hard, not knowing how your parents are going to react. I think Vivian is almost in shock at how her parents understood her." Then Marcia grinned and added, "It's almost like her parents were her age, once." We all had a good laugh about that. Marcia went on, "She can see Scott, but it will be a bit more monitored now. Both parents like each other, and can see how much Scott and Vivian mean to each other. They want to have them get married because it's the right thing to do, not because they have to. Of course, there is the other thing that probably helped smooth this along." "What's that?" Beth Ann asked. "Sarah, how much do you know about Scott's parents?" Marcia asked. "We've been family friends, why?" "Scott's parents met when they were in high school. She was fourteen and he was seventeen," Marcia replied. Realization washed over Sarah's face. "Vivian's thirteen and Scott's sixteen!" "I know," Marcia said. "It's romantic." Sarah sighed. I took hold of Beth Ann's hand, and gave it a squeeze. Then I turned and looked at Marcia. "How are you feeling about all of this?" She shook her head and said, "Happy and sad, all at the same time. I wish I wasn't here. Not that I don't love all of you... I just wish I could be with Mike. I wish we could have a real life, going to school together. I'm very sad about that, and how my parents reacted. Vivian has been given things I never had. I had money growing up. She has parents who love her." I turned back around to the driving position. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and started the car up. I wanted to drown out the sound of Marcia crying, and Sarah comforting. They needed each other, right then, not an audience. ------- "Mom?" Elizabeth asked as she and Katherine were sitting on the porch of the Mansion, watching the sky turn colors. "Yes, Honey?" "Are you going to marry Richard, like Keith married Beth Ann?" Richard was ready to open the door to the outside and sit down himself, with them, when he heard the question. Now he hesitated, waiting to hear the answer. "What made you ask that question?" "Well..." Elizabeth said, "I know you sleep in the room with him. You love him, don't you?" "Yes, Elizabeth. I do. I wouldn't be in the room with him at night if I didn't love him," she answered as though trying desperately to instill a sense of morals to a system that was questionable. Then she paused and looked into her daughter's eyes. "I'll never be able to replace your father, but I do love Richard." "I don't mind that. He's been gone a long time; I have a hard time remembering him... Mom, don't look so sad, Katy told me it was ok to feel that way." "She did?" "She didn't even know her mother, but her sister tells her there are things she does that are just like her mom. Katy told me I will always have part of my dad in me." Katherine smiled, her eyes gleaming from the moisture that was there. "Yes, you will." "So when you marry Richard..." "Yes?" Katherine was amused, knowing Elizabeth was trying to go someplace with this. "Do I have a choice of daddies?" Katherine blinked. This wasn't anything like what she thought Elizabeth was getting at. She was hurt that she might want to replace her own father. "What do you mean, Elizabeth?" "Can Keith be my daddy?" Elizabeth said in a mischievous voice. Katherine groaned inwardly. She had been seeing things in what Elizabeth was saying that weren't there. Elizabeth was playing games and she had taken everything seriously to the point of hurting. She gave her daughter a perturbed look, but couldn't help but crack a smile. Elizabeth was wearing a silly grin. Soon, mother and daughter were laughing. Richard decided that this was the time to open the door and walk out. He wanted in on the fun they were having. He also had a lot to talk about with Katy. ------- Robin asked me if I would go walking with her. The evening was warm, and the stars were out... But I knew Robin. There was something more to this, than a walk. We had walked past the new house and into the darkness. It took my eyes a minute or two to readjust. Then I saw, not that far ahead of us, two people. I turned to Robin. She had already anticipated and put a finger up to my mouth, quieting me. I cocked my head and gave her a stern look. She returned a coy smile, and pulled me along. It didn't take too many more steps before I could hear their voices. Katy and Richard were talking. Not wanting to eavesdrop, even if Robin had other ideas. I let ourselves be known. "Keith, Robin," Katy said softly, not at all surprised, "come closer." I let Robin walk just a step in front of me and then pinched her cute little ass. She jumped, turned around and threw her arms around me. Whispering into my ear, she said, "I love you," Well, what was I supposed to do then? I placed my arms under her butt and lifted her up, just a bit higher, then kissed her. One hand slipped just a bit during my holding her and ended up, coincidentally, between her legs. She moaned into my mouth as my fingers started to explore. Katy had moved next to us and said gently, "I thought we were going to talk, not have..." Robin turned and looked at her mother. "Yes?" "Sometimes, Robin!" Giggling, Robin slipped out of my arms, and then slipped my arm around her waist, holding it there. "I guess by the way you were reacting, Robin didn't tell you about meeting us here," Richard asked. "No, I don't know a thing," I replied. Then I added, "Although that seems to happen now and again." "I know the feeling. What's a man to do?" Richard hammed it up. "All right, you two," Katy said. "We need to figure out how to handle this." "Can you clue me in as to what we need to handle?" I asked. "Dora," Katy answered. "Dora? I haven't noticed anything different," I said as I thought about it. "No, and you wouldn't," Richard replied. "I overheard a conversation out on the porch between Elizabeth and Katherine. She was asking her mom when we, as in Katherine and I, were getting married." "Oh!" Robin said happily. "As nice as that would be, she isn't the first," Katy said. "Dora should marry Richard before Katherine does. Don't you agree?" Robin was nodding. I had little to say about the matter, as Robin was the one who allowed all of this to happen in the first place. "The problem is," Katy continued, "Dora is scared." "Scared?" I asked. "That doesn't seem possible. She loves both of you." "She's not scared of that," Richard affirmed. "Then what's the problem?" Robin wanted to know. "Keith, you have married a number of wives, but all of them have been from someplace else. They weren't from Carp," Katy said. "Dora would be the first one from Carp to marry into a multiple marriage." "But Keith will be marrying Daisy," Robin asserted. "Yes, but he hasn't, yet, has he. Dora would be the first," Katy pointed out. We stood in silence for a moment and then I asked, "What if she wasn't the first?" "You're going to marry Daisy, now? You just married Beth Ann," Richard said. I laughed, "Jealous?" "No! Frankly I don't know how you do it," Richard replied. "Robin takes care of the order. The gals rotate. I just keep them as happy as I can." Richard shook his head, with a smile on his face. I knew he wanted to say a few choice words, but didn't want Katy or Robin to get mad. "Why don't they get married at the same time?" Robin asked. "Mom, you and I almost did." "You mean have Dad marry Dora and Richard, Keith and Daisy, at the same time?" Katy said out loud as she was mulling it over in her head. "That might work," Richard said. "I'll bet it would make Dora feel better." "What if there was a third?" I asked. "A third?" Robin said almost in disbelief. "Who? Not Mary?" I laughed. "I'm still worried about when I'm going to hear from her father. I couldn't do something like that, even though I love Mary. But I wasn't thinking about me at all" "Who?" Katy wanted to know. "Jack and Rebecca." Katy and Robin broke into laughter. Richard and I looked at each other, not understanding what was so funny about that suggestion. "Keith," Katy said, "that would be just perfect. I know Rebecca would love the idea. I'll talk to Cynthia about it, and see what she thinks." "What about Jack?" Richard asked. Katy looked at her husband as though he was dense. Which, of course, right then he was. "Honey, Jack will go along with it, don't you think?" "Yes," Richard admitted, "I guess he will." "When are we going to have the wedding, Mom?" Robin asked. "Brian and Barbara will be getting married in three weeks. There is my dad's, and that is right after that, I was told. So it would have to be after that, or real soon," Katy replied. "There is one other thing you forgot," I said. "What's that?" Katy wanted to know. "Kevin and Susan's wedding. We have to fly up there for that, as it's close to Brian and Barbara's date," I said. "Why'd they have to pick a date like that," Robin griped. "Robin, dear, Susan's parents have a farm. This is the time of the year that the harvest has to come in. They have to have the wedding before school, so it has to be done between crops. They don't have a lot of choice, when it comes to timing." "Oh, I guess you're right," Robin lamented. "Let's go back. It's getting darker, and I'd rather not trip and fall," Katy said. "Then we can look at a calendar. It might make it easier to figure things out." ------- The next morning, Richard and I were walking downtown, trying to keep ourselves entertained. We couldn't help smiling, thinking of 'poor' Jack. Robin and Katy were in the new shop, talking with Cynthia, and, we supposed, Rebecca after that. Jimmy, Pamela and Stephanie had come along, stuffing themselves into the back, and were over visiting Brian and Barbara. The town phone started ringing. Richard and I weren't exactly close to it, but as we looked around, we were the only ones currently on the street. We ran for it, Richard reaching it just before me. "Hello?" he said, out of breath. "Liz?" I heard him say. "Tell whoever to call back in five minutes. She's in the school. I'll go get her." I ran over to the school and opened the ground level doors. "Is Liz down here?" I asked. "Upstairs," Tiffany called back. "Thanks," I said and went up the stairs. Opening those doors, I called out again. Liz appeared from around a wall. "What do you need, Handsome? Whatever it is I have it." "Yes, you do, but that's not why I'm here," I said raising and lowering my eyebrows in rapid succession, causing her to laugh. "You had a phone call," I said. "They're calling back in a few minutes." "Who called?" Liz asked as she walked down the stairs with me. "Richard took the call. I don't know who it was from," I said. "Hold on," Liz said to me and then opened the downstairs doors. "Tif, I have someone calling me, so I'll be out for a few minutes." "Fine," Tiffany responded and then added, "Are we getting phones in the school before we start this year?" "I hope so," I said overhearing the question. "I want a phone out at the Mansion as well." "It would be convenient," Tiffany responded. Liz pulled my arm and we walked out of the school and down the sidewalk to where Richard was still standing. "Who was on the phone?" Liz asked. "Grace," Richard said and then looked at his watch. "She should be calling in about two minutes from now." "Grace? I wonder what she could want... I can't imagine she's just checking up on me. It would be nice," Liz said with a smile, "but that wouldn't warrant a phone call." Liz then looked between Richard and I. "What are you two doing down here playing operator anyway?" Richard and I looked at each other and started laughing. "You want to tell her?" I asked. "She's your sister and wife. I think that is your job," Richard said. The phone rang and Richard looked at his watch. "It's Grace," Liz said. "She gets impatient." True enough it was Grace. Not wanting to butt into their conversation, and knowing it should have been enough time, Richard and I started to walk back to the dress shop. We entered to find Jack sitting on a chair. Cynthia and Rebecca were on their knees in front of him. Katy and Robin were looking at the situation, not knowing what was going on. I went over to Robin, and Richard followed suit making his way over to Katy. I escorted Robin out; Richard and Katy were right behind us. I continued to walk, across the street, to the park. "I don't know what happened," Katy said when we were seated at a picnic table. "Everything was going fine, until Jack came in," Robin said. I couldn't help but smile at that. "We didn't think it was funny," Robin said. "You two didn't pay attention to how Jack, Cynthia, and Rebecca work together," I replied. "What do you mean?" Katy asked. "I know they do some... well interesting things, but..." "I'm not sure how to say this," I began. "Jack is the head of that household. He makes the decisions and they... obey him." "They what?" Katy said in disbelief. "Listen to him," Richard said. "He's the master of the house. You disrupted that. It isn't working the same as it does in our house." "Well you can say that again," Katy replied. "Katy, I didn't say talking to Cynthia and Rebecca was the wrong thing to do. You just pushed the wrong place, when you thought you could tell Jack what he was going to do. I would guess, if you asked them, they would have turned things around, so that it was Jack's idea." Katy laughed, and then said, "So what you are saying is that they tell Jack what to do, just like we do, but in a different way." "Well," I said, "I'm not sure I like it put that way... but, yes." Robin moved over and pulled one of my legs over the bench so that I was straddling it. She did the same, except she was facing me and in effect almost glued to me. "You like what we do, and how we do it, don't you?" Robin teased. "Sweetheart, if I said no to you, would you listen to me?" "Of course!" "Then there is no problem, is there. You aren't demanding that I do things your way. You are suggesting. I just like you making those suggestions, so I let you." We looked across the table. Robin and I might have been having a verbal conversation, which I was sure they heard, but Richard and Katy were doing things a bit differently. We could only see over the tabletop, but there was obviously a lot of physical communication going on between those two. ------- Brian, Barbara, Julie, Pamela, Jimmy, and Stephanie were out taking a walk. Millie had suggested they go out, to get them from being underfoot, as they were being a bit noisy in the house. Their usual pace was just a bit slower than normal, owing to Brian still not being up to speed, but he was getting close. They decided, after walking north a block, to turn down the next street and head to the park. The girls, outnumbering the boys, had taken over the conversation and were talking about weddings. Not for anyone in particular, but weddings in general. "Barbara, what are you going to wear? Is Millie going to make you a dress?" Stephanie asked. "My mom?" Brian asked. Jimmy knew there was something wrong with what Brian just said by the look on the girl's faces. "Whose mom do you think should do it?" Stephanie said, her eyes in a piercing stare. "I... uh..." Brian stammered. He turned to Barbara, his mouth quivering. "I'm sorry. I just..." He sighed and looked sad, but said, "I'll ask if she can do that. It should be special." His eyes brightened as he added, "You are special." Barbara took hold of Brian's arm and gave it a squeeze. "Thanks. I'd love to have a special dress." Julie had taken great interest in this conversation. She was wondering about a dress as well. Her mom could make one... if she had the material. Pamela was very quiet. She was yanked back into her thoughts. No mother, no father to speak of. "What?" Pamela said startled, realizing someone had asked her something. Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I said when are you two getting married." "It's supposed to be on my birthday next year." "Supposed to be?" Julie restated. Pamela was ready to burst into tears. "If my father is..." She ran down the street with Jimmy right behind her. Julie and Stephanie were looking at each other. "I guess I said something wrong," Stephanie said as the group started walking again. "Stephanie," Barbara said, "it is very hard to think about your wedding and realize your parents aren't going to be there to see it." "But," Stephanie started. " I didn't mean..." "Brian knows I've had my share of crying fits," Barbara said and then turned to Brian. Stephanie and Julie watched as Brian blushed. This wasn't a reaction they would have expected at all. "You're blushing, Brian!" Julie said. Barbara chuckled. "He helps me calm down in a rather nice way." "Nice way!" Stephanie laughed. "Maybe I'll have to try that." All four of them started to giggle, but stopped when they saw Jimmy and Pamela at the corner of the school building. The two were holding hands, facing each other, but there seemed to be something else wrong than Stephanie's comment. Brian, Barbara, Stephanie, and Julie walked as quickly as Brian could manage to them. "I'm sorry," Stephanie said. "There's a problem with Kevin and Susan's wedding!" Pamela blurted out. ------- Chapter 119 "What did you say?" Barbara said in disbelief. Pamela looked past Jimmy to her friends. Julie, Stephanie, Barbara, and Brian were waiting for an answer. "You didn't let me finish. I said there was a problem; what I heard was they had to change the date of the wedding. Something about crops." "You just about made me pee my pants!" Stephanie said. "Kevin and Dorothy were perfect for each other. I thought... Well never mind. So they had to change the date, did you hear when?" "In five days." "Five days!" Jimmy said. "How are we going to get there?" "You're going?" Brian asked, his eyebrows raised. "I thought I was..." Jimmy said. Then he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." "If you go, then so am I," Pamela said. "You don't get to go to a wedding I'm not at!" They all laughed at that. ------- The call came in. It was later than I expected. It was enough to make me feel sick to my stomach. I knew once Patrick started questioning me, that I was going to have problems. Robin was holding me, somehow knowing that words were going to do little to calm my fears. Beth Ann was feeling guilty, thinking she had caused all of this. It was Mary though, who was level headed. She outlined a plan for the next thirty minutes. She and I would drive over the bridge, park, and sit watching the water splash. It would be calming and that was going to be needed before going to the phone. She would be there, supporting me, talking to her father. It sounded reasonable. Much more reasonable than many of the wild thoughts that had run through my head. I went into the bathroom and washed my face and then came out to find everyone on the porch, to wish us good luck. That didn't help me. Now I knew how Pamela felt, going to see her father. As though everyone was not wishing her well, but saying goodbye to her. Mary drove her car. That was probably best. She parked at the same spot I'd stopped with Beth Ann, Marcia, and Sarah. Not too far across the bridge, but just enough. We got out. The sound of the water, splashing along the rocks was hypnotic. It was a good suggestion. I saw Mary looking at a pendant watch. "I will keep track of the time. Your job is to relax and let your mind empty. If you fill it up with doubt, he will see right though that. Keith, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Just because others might not agree doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong. Listen to yourself, and the ones who love you, not what others may think." I smiled at her. She was a very good person to have around. I loved her dearly. Taking her suggestion, I sat on a rock that the water was swishing around and lost myself. It took a lot of energy to focus and drop all of the feelings out, but soon, all I could hear in my head was the water. It felt good. The car starting made me realize my eyes had been closed. I had no idea how long I'd been sitting there. Turning around, I was shocked to see Mary starting to pull away! Jumping up and running towards the car was fruitless. 'Why?' I thought. And just as importantly, 'I need to get to the phone!' I ran as fast as I could. As soon as I crossed the bridge and came onto the main street I saw Mary on the phone. I stopped, gasped for breath, and then walked the rest of the way. As most days in Carp, there was no one on the street. As I got close I could hear Mary talking. Unbelievably, she was laughing. In a slightly sarcastic tone, she said, "You are absolutely right, Dad. Beth Ann was marrying Keith! But she isn't his second wife. No, Dad, I think that was his fourth!" She let out a laugh. I was ready to faint. Then she added, "I'd marry him, too, if he'd ask me; but I don't think I'm next in line. I'd be... let's see would that be number six?" She was listening, so silent for a moment. Looking over to me, she winked. I'm sure I was as pale as could be. My life was over. I just knew it. I couldn't figure out why Mary was doing this. "Dad, why do you think I'm joking? You mean you wouldn't come to the wedding? I'm hurt!" I took a deep breath as I realized just what she was up to. She was telling the truth. The truth, in itself, was so far fetched that said in the right way, Patrick would think it all a joke. He would believe that he was blowing everything he thought he saw out of proportion. Only Mary could have pulled something like this off. "You know, Dad, you should come down and visit more often. Sarah misses you more than she's willing to say, but that doesn't mean she wants to be on the campaign trail with you. She hates that as much as I used to." As she was listening again, she mouthed, 'I'm sorry, ' to me. At that point I could smile back at her. I even blew a kiss to her. "Love you, too. Have Jane write a letter telling us what you're up to. We love getting letters." Another bit of silence and then, "Bye, Dad." As soon as Mary hung up the phone she started to slump. I stepped over and caught her. She felt like she had fainted, she was dead weight in my arms, but her eyes were watching me. She was physically drained. "Why didn't you tell us what you were going to do?" I asked as I pulled her over to the bench to set her down. "I wasn't sure I could pull it off," she said softly. ------- Mary and I arrived back at the Mansion and it was as though my eyes had been opened. I saw the worry written on every face. I had been so focused on my own perceived problem that I had missed everyone else's connection. Crowding into the living room, dining room, as well as the hall; everyone quieted down to hear the news. As much as it might have been fun any other time to play with what happened, I could see the pain on the faces of my extended family. I let out a long sigh and then looked at Mary, smiling at her. "I know all of you are worried. Many of us have been on pins and needles since the helicopter flew over during Beth Ann's and my wedding. Patrick saw what looked like a wedding going on. He couldn't figure it out, so he called. He wanted the facts. "I was planning on talking to Patrick, but his crazy and wildly intelligent daughter had better plans. She took over and told him everything. She told him that he did see a wedding." Every eye was on Mary at that point and I didn't pause at all. "She went on to tell him that it wasn't even my second wedding, but my fourth." Then I chuckled thinking about the next part. "She even told him that she would marry me as well, but that there was another before her, so she would be the sixth." "Mary! Are you crazy?" Sarah asked her sister. "Sarah, be patient and listen to the rest," I said. "I didn't hear what he said, but she asked if he wouldn't come to her wedding! Mary did what none of us could. She told her father the exact truth, in such a way that he couldn't believe such a 'far fetched tale'." It was silent in the house. Some looked stunned at the revelation, while others were mulling it over. The younger ones couldn't really understand the complexity of what had happened, but knew it was something important. I'm not sure who started it, but someone started to clap... then another, and another. Soon, everyone was applauding Mary. I could tell she was embarrassed. I didn't want her to hide away from this, though. I pulled her up, in front, with me. As everyone started to finally drift off, Robin, Kristin, Liz, Beth Ann, and Daisy surrounded Mary. As I was close to her, I was privy to the conversation. Robin took Mary's hands, and said, "Mary, tonight you are going to get a thank you from us. I don't think we can ever truly express how grateful we are, but we're going to try." I felt a tug on my arm and saw Stephanie there. I bent down, as she looked like she wanted to say something to me. "Do I get to help?" "Help?" I responded to her question. Stephanie smiled and said, "Thanking Mary." "If you want to," I told her. "But remember, this is for Mary, so don't expect anything from me tonight, ok?" "Ok, but I do get my night, don't I?" I chuckled and said, "Talk to Robin about that." She grinned smugly, and said, "That means you want to! Goody!" ------- "Mom?" Brian asked as they sat around the dinner table. Julie and Annabelle had joined them, so Brian thought this was as good of a time as any. "Yes, Dear?" Millie answered, knowing it would make Brian blush when she called him that in front of Barbara. He didn't blush, and she wondered just what was up. Brian felt like he had cotton in his mouth. I was very dry. "I want to make sure Barbara has a special dress for her wedding." Bruce thought he knew where this was coming from, so responded, "Brian, Keith has a lot more money than we do. I know Beth Ann had a special wedding dress, but..." "Dad, I thought maybe Mom could make one," Brian said getting the words out as fast as he could. "Me?" Millie asked, astonished. Barbara looked at Millie and then at Brian. She started to realize that there was a reason for his hesitation. It wasn't in his desire, but something that had to do with his mom. "You don't need to," Barbara heard herself saying. Millie looked at her future daughter-in-law, who was obviously in pain over this. "Barbara, I would love to... If I could... your wedding dress... I mean, if I tried..." Bruce took over, hoping that his words would come out right, and he wouldn't end up in the doghouse, "Barbara, what Millie is trying to say is that she is good at many things. She has been wonderful at getting the school off the ground. She's a great cook, as well. But when it comes to sewing..." "Oh. I didn't know. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Barbara said, trying to apologize for even bringing anything up. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. "Could I?" Annabelle asked very tentatively. "What?" Millie said a bit too hastily. It did not sound as though Millie was wanting to know what Annabelle could do, but more as if Millie was expecting Annabelle to say to Barbara how disappointed Annabelle was in Millie. Annabelle reeled and turned her face away from the table. "Millie!" Bruce said sharply. The table was silent as Millie said, "I was just trying to ask what Annabelle could do." "It didn't sound that way at all," her husband said. Then touching Annabelle's arm, he asked, "You didn't really say what you could do." Annabelle was upset. Millie's comment had shaken her, so the best she could do at the moment was to shake her head. Julie was disturbed, and didn't understand what her mom was feeling right then. She knew exactly what she would have meant. If her mom wasn't going to say it... "She could make Barbara's dress," Julie said proudly. "She sews beautifully. I wish she could get more cloth. I always loved it when she made clothes for me." Annabelle turned to her daughter, with tears in her eyes. It was one of the nicest things her daughter could have said. Trying to redeem herself, Millie said, "Is that true, Annabelle? You could make Barbara a wedding dress?" "If I had the material and thread. It would be nice if I could use someone's scissors. I only have a pair of embroidery scissors that I was able to keep." "I'm sure that would be no problem," Millie said. "Tomorrow, Barbara, you, and I will go down to Cynthia's. I understand she has some books with pictures of dresses in them. We can look and see if there is something. I haven't asked, but Cynthia may even be able to order fabric as well." Millie stopped herself, and looked at Annabelle. "I'm sorry. I was assuming. My mother did what I could never even think of. I couldn't even follow a pattern. She saw something, and made her own. I'm sure we can order one as well." "Order a pattern?" Annabelle asked. "You can do that?" Millie laughed, "I guess you are in my mother's league then. You make your own patterns." "I never knew there was another way to do it," Annabelle said. "I saw them in a large town we visited," Millie reminisced. "To tell the truth, I didn't know before that either. They had catalogs with pictures. You could get the pattern for the dress, in several different sizes. Quite amazing." "Maybe we can get some fabric and I'll make you a dress as well," Annabelle said to her daughter. "Does that mean I get to go to Cynthia's too?" Julie asked. "Oh my goodness, Julie," Millie said. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean not to include you. Of course you'll go with us." Then with a smile, she added, "We'll just leave the men home to... well do whatever men do!" The ladies had a good laugh, while Brian and Bruce looked at each other, trying to find something funny in that. ------- Sarah and Marcia were still in the music room when Kristin and Beth Ann came and got Mary. They guided her upstairs. Jimmy and Pamela were in the hallway, and watched the three climb the stairs. Then they heard Sarah say to Marcia, "I wish I could see what went on in there tonight." Marcia shook her head, saying humorously but with a slight sarcastic edge to it, "You would just like to listen?" "If that's all I wanted, I'd get everyone out of this room. It's right over their bedroom, and sound travels!" "You!" Marcia laughed. Jimmy looked at Pamela, and then said, "Do you want to see?" "How?" Pamela asked, not really answering Jimmy. "Remember when we looked in at Brian and Barbara?" Pamela blushed, remembering that. Jimmy and Pamela hadn't thought that if they could hear Sarah and Marcia's conversation, the two might be able to hear them as well. Jimmy and Pamela suddenly found two very interested girls by their side. "How did you see into the rooms, Jimmy?" Sarah asked. Jimmy gulped. "I... uh." "Jimmy and Brian found a secret passage," Pamela said proudly. Sarah grabbed Jimmy's hand and pulled him so he was forced to look at her. "You did? I mean, upstairs? Not those things you found under the house?" Marcia was caught up in this as well, and asked, "Can you show us?" Jimmy looked around as he was trying to come up with an answer. "It's pretty dirty, and very dark. When Brian and I found it, we had a flashlight. I don't want anyone to get hurt." "I have a flashlight," Marcia said. Jimmy's eyes got big. "You do?" "Yes. My parents sent it with me. I'm sure they thought I would need it for some reason. I haven't used it yet, so the batteries are fresh." "I'd have lots of places to use it," Jimmy said. Sarah shook her head, remembering the stories she'd heard about Jimmy and his escapades with Brian. "I'm sure you would," she said. "Then you'll take us?" Pamela asked, knowing Jimmy couldn't say no to her. "Yes, but we're going to catch hell about our dirty clothes," he replied. Sarah grinned. "No we won't. I'm on laundry duty, tomorrow." "Oh," Marcia groaned. "That means that I am, too." "Yep, so no one will know we made a mess of our clothing. Come on, Marcia, let's get your flashlight." After the two girls left, Jimmy looked at Pamela and asked, "How come you asked me? You know I can never say no to you." "'Cause I want to see, too," she replied. Then with an impish grin spreading across her face, she added, "It probably will make me... Do you think you could ask Keith for another one of those thingies?" "Thingies?" Jimmy asked. Then he was struck with just what 'thingie' she was talking about, and what he could do with it once it was surrounding his dick. Words failed him, so he nodded and practically ran up the stairs. As soon as he was at the bedroom door, Jimmy got nervous. He didn't have a chance to knock. His footsteps had made his presence known. When no one came in, or knocked, Daisy got up and opened the door. "Hi, Jimmy," she said. Then taking a look at him, she asked, "Is something wrong?" "Is Keith here?" Jimmy got out. "In here," I said. Jimmy walked in, and felt ill at ease. "Jimmy, what's wrong with you?" his sister asked. It felt like he was looking at everything in slow motion, as he turned and saw Robin, sitting next to Keith. "Did you want to talk to me?" I asked. Jimmy nodded. I got up. Jimmy was hardly ever out of place, but now it looked as though he had been placed in the middle of a pile of snakes, and didn't know what he was going to do to survive. I was curious as to what got him this way. Leading him back out the door, and into the hallway, I closed the door behind us. "Ok, Jimmy, now, what's wrong?" "Nothing." "Then why did you want to talk to me?" "I ummm. I..." "Has this anything to do with Pamela?" I asked, thinking that she was the only person that had ever got him tongue tied before. He nodded. "You need to do better than that," I said. "Do you have any more?" he suddenly asked. "Any more?" I restated, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "That thingie, so Pamela and I..." I tried not to laugh, and had to act like I was clearing my throat. "Jimmy, do you mean to ask if I have any more rubbers?" "Yeah," he said looking at me with pleading eyes. "Did Pamela suggest something?" He nodded very enthusiastically. I took him by the shoulders and looked at him. "I only have so many of them, so it needs to be for special times. Do you understand?" I asked and Jimmy nodded. "I'll get you one, but remember you can only use it once. It would be good to do something before, so you squirt first." He looked at me like I must be crazy. "Jimmy, if Pamela does things for you, you will squirt. Then you start doing things for her. You will get her ready. In that time, you will stiffen up again. When you go inside of her, after you put the rubber on, you won't be ready to squirt right off the bat. Both of you will enjoy it a lot better." I could see he was thinking about that, then he looked up at me and said, "Thanks, Keith." "I'll be out in a minute. Hold on." I went into the bedroom and opened my dresser drawer. From the box, I pulled out a square packet. I was being watched, apparently. "What are you doing?" Kristin asked me. I turned around, so that anyone who wanted to look could see what I had in my hand. Everyone was looking. "Keeping Pamela and Jimmy safe. That's what I'm doing." Daisy started to snicker and I could see it was going to be contagious. "Stop it," I said. "Jimmy was embarrassed enough when he came in here to ask me about it. If you are laughing when I walk out, he may not come and ask. We don't need Pamela getting pregnant." When I opened the door, and walked out to Jimmy, it was silent behind me. I gave him the packet and smiled to him, then pulled him into a hug. "Thanks for thinking and taking care of that precious girl." Jimmy sheepishly grinned, and then turned and ran down the hallway. I went back into the room and got hit with a pillow, which started another form of activity. A small pillow fight. Downstairs, Sarah and Marcia were back and waiting. "Where did you go?" Marcia asked. "We're ready." "They're not doing anything yet," Jimmy said. "How do you..." Sarah started to say and then thought. "You were up there listening, weren't you?" Pamela hadn't said anything yet, but now asked, "Did you get it?" "Get what?" Sarah asked. Jimmy nodded. "What did he get?" Marcia asked, curiosity getting the best of her. "A... What do you call them?" Pamela answered. "A rubber," Jimmy said. Marcia and Sarah's mouths hung open. They looked at each other. "Another one?" Sarah said. "I hope..." Then shut her mouth before she could finish with, 'Keith keeps one to use with me.' She went into her own little daydream. It was unfair. If she could have things her way, she would be up in that room, too. Keith could use one of those things, and they wouldn't have to worry. She was going to have to talk to her sister about that. Although this wasn't a good time, she at least knew that. Well, after talking with Marcia, she knew about her cycle and what it meant. Mary and her were on the same schedule and this was right in the middle. As Marcia had said, that was the fertile time. She should know. "Sarah?" Shaking her head, she said, "What?" and then noticed that the other three were down the hall. She hurried to catch up to them. They climbed the back staircase, to the third floor. In the empty room, in the closet, Sarah and Marcia watched as Jimmy climbed the ladder that was on the side. It had been painted and the two had never noticed that it was a ladder before. He pushed the access panel open and climbed up into the ceiling. Sarah was the last one up. Marcia turned on the flashlight, and shuddered at seeing the heavy dust filled cobwebs. "Jimmy!" He put his finger to his mouth to quiet Marcia. Then he said in a whisper, "From now on we have to use hand gestures, or whisper very quietly. If we talk normally, they will hear us." Marcia and Sarah nodded to him, but looked around in disgust. He whispered one more thing about making sure they had their hands and legs on solid wood, and then he started to scamper off. Marcia pointed the flashlight in his direction and noticed that the cobwebs were all missing. This was indeed a place he'd been through before. It was a bit harder for Marcia, carrying the flashlight, and crawling, but the light comforted her, so she made do. Jimmy had stopped and the three came up to where he was. He pointed down and then slipped over the edge. Marcia and Sarah jumped, thinking something was wrong, but Pamela reached over and took Marcia's flashlight, as though there was nothing to worry about. She handed it over the edge, and they saw Jimmy's hand take hold of it. With the light in the channel, the girls could see that this was a place between walls of bedrooms. Pamela went down next. Marcia and Sarah looked at each other. Marcia whispered, "Rochambeau." "What?" Sarah whispered back. "Paper, Rock, Scissors, you ninny. All the high schoolers call it that." Sarah knew from the tone of Marcia's voice she was teasing her, so she shot back, "Well, when they grow up and go to college they call it Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Whatever they called it, Marcia lost and went down next. Sarah wasn't sure she'd won when she realized she was the last one up there, by herself. Pamela was now holding the flashlight. She shined it around, so that the girls could see. The inside of the walls looked a bit strange. The lathe, seen from the backside, showed the plaster that had oozed between the joints. At this point they could at least stand upright, and there were boards to walk on. Jimmy again led them down the narrow corridor. Then he turned the corner, into another corridor. Five feet along, there was another ladder on the wall, he stopped and as they watched him, he pointed down. Pamela pointed the flashlight to where Jimmy was pointing and there was an opening. Jimmy climbed down (ref: Ch 34). Pamela handed the flashlight to Sarah, who was standing next to her. Then she went down the ladder, as Sarah shined the light into the hole. Marcia squeezed by Sarah, and went down before Sarah could say anything. Again, Sarah was the last to go down, and this time she was holding the flashlight. Not having any pockets on her dress, and seeing no better option, she wiped off the end and put it into her mouth so she could use both hands on the ladder. As soon as she got down, she pulled the flashlight out of her mouth. She noticed they all were looking at her, with Jimmy having the oddest look on his face. Jimmy got them as close together as they could be. He whispered as softly as he could. "This is the second floor." Marcia and Sarah could hardly contain their excitement. Jimmy seemed to know exactly where he was going, as the passage jogged to the left and then to the right. The girls were completely turned around. Jimmy stopped, and then pointed. Marcia, who once again was in control of the flashlight, was told to turn it off. It took what seemed like forever for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they did, Jimmy moved a little piece of metal. A light from a small hole in the wall could be seen. Marcia and Sarah were trying to get the first peek. Jimmy then opened up the second hole. Pamela looked through and then back to Jimmy with a grin. He knew nothing much was going on, yet. The sounds coming through the walls weren't right. They were still talking. After Marcia (who had gotten the first look) realized this, she let Sarah look. Sarah reached out, and tapped Marcia on the arm, and then pulled back to let her look. Jimmy knew things must have started. Pamela didn't let Jimmy take a turn, so he knew it was either her sister or Keith. Knowing it might be Keith didn't bother him, as Keith was the one who gave him the rubber that was now in his pocket. The thought of that, and its eventual use, made him smile. Marcia and Sarah were alternating quickly, so as not to miss a single thing. When Sarah gasped, Jimmy touched her. She quickly turned to look at him. The thin line of light coming from the room let her see Jimmy shaking his head. When she turned back to the peephole, Marcia was looking. Sarah sort of pushed her out of the way. 'Keith, ' Jimmy thought. 'It has to be Keith.' Pamela turned to Jimmy and put her arms out. He pulled her to him and started to kiss her. Marcia took the opportunity, and moved over to look through the second hole. Pamela turned and saw Sarah and Marcia glued to the show. She didn't mind. Keith was the biggest interest in the room for her, but she had seen him lots of times. Now that the sounds were filtering through the walls, she could recall the sights she'd seen many times before. She went back to kissing Jimmy. Sarah was drooling. She had seen Keith undress. Everything! She'd seen his dick! Mary was in the room, and got to see him first hand. It wasn't fair, or so she thought. She should be there as well. Her thoughts would have continued that idea a bit farther, but they were stopped cold when she saw Stephanie enter the room. Sarah looked over to Marcia. Wide eyed, Marcia was looking back at Sarah. Then both girls turned, to look back into the room. Sarah watched as Kristin helped Daisy out of her clothes. Robin was helping Beth Ann. Liz was helping Mary. Stephanie apparently needed no help whatsoever. She yanked her dress over her head and was bare under it. Once the others were done 'helping, ' Sarah watched as they changed partners and the undressed helped those who still had clothing on. Smiling, Sarah could see Stephanie's plan. She wasn't helping with the undressing. She was helping herself to Keith! That girl was smart. She was kissing and caressing him. Marcia had never seen anything like this in her life. She'd been told some of what had gone on around here, but it was like a school. There was a lot of difference between learning something from a book, and seeing it first hand. Knowing that Keith and six girls all slept in the same room was one thing. Seeing them pull clothing off each other and... and Keith. Seeing Keith naked! This was a big eye opener. Of course there was Stephanie as well. 'She is younger than me, ' Marcia thought. 'But look at... Oh my, she has her hand on his dick. She's kissing his... well I guess it's his nipple. She has more experience than I do.' Marcia was a bit startled when she pulled her focus away from Keith and Stephanie to find that Mary was laying on the mattress with Robin at her head, Kristin and Liz sitting on her hands, Daisy and Beth Ann on each leg. She was shocked when she realized that Daisy and Beth Ann were rubbing their crotches on Mary's leg. When she looked at Liz, who she could make out the front, Mary's hand was right at her pussy. Marcia gulped and then felt light headed when she saw both Kristin and Liz bend down and take Mary's breasts into their mouths. Her eyes averted from that to see Robin over the top of Mary's head, her pussy inches from Mary's face. Marcia put her hand over her mouth to keep from making any noise. Her insides were going topsy-turvy. Marcia waited for everything to stop. For Mary to cry out, turn her head, something, anything. She least expected to see Mary stretch out her tongue as Robin lowered herself. Marcia sucked in air, not realizing she had stopped breathing. 'What are they doing to her?' Marcia thought. Still, she couldn't take her eye off those in the room. Seeing movement, she looked to where Keith and Stephanie had been. Stephanie was on all fours and had crawled between Daisy and Beth Ann. Her head going right to Mary's pussy. Whether Marcia believed there was something awful going on in there or not, she couldn't deny the sounds of pleasure that were starting to come through the walls. She watched as Keith picked Stephanie up and set her down, to the side of Mary. He took Stephanie's place, but in a different position. Marcia realized Keith was about to fuck Mary! Her mouth went dry. This was only the second dick she'd ever seen. Mike and her had been in his car and things were not always the best, especially the view. It worked, obviously, but now... Now she was going to see how it worked. Marcia saw Keith turn, slightly, but Marcia wasn't looking at his face. Since she peeked through the wall, she was looking at his... it had one of those things on it! A rubber! 'How did I miss him putting that on? If only Daisy would move, ' she thought, 'I'd have a better view.' Marcia felt frustrated... and horny. She wanted to see it go in. She'd felt Mike slide into her, but this... this was unbelievable! It was the first time since she'd started looking that she glanced back into the corridor. With Sarah's eye glued onto the one hole, and hers covering the other, it was very dark indeed. That is what she wanted to know. As soon as she looked back into the hole, cutting any light leakage, her hand slipped down and under her dress. In any other situation, Marcia would have thought. She would never be doing what she was doing now. It was a combination of the hormones raging from her being pregnant, as well as the sights and sounds. She was lost in the moment. Keith had slid in; there was no mistaking it. His motions told her what he was doing, even if Daisy was blocking the juncture of Keith and Mary. Marcia had a hard time understanding Kristin, Liz, Robin, Beth Ann, and Daisy. They were all doing things with Mary. She was a woman, like they were! Then there was Stephanie. She was flittering around, from one to the next, kissing, caressing, sucking. It was unimaginable, but there in plain sight. The sounds from the room were escalating and Mary was moaning loudly, even with Robin over her. Then it happened. Keith shouted, "I'm cumming!" Several others made sounds of encouragement. Marcia realized she'd also made a noise and didn't know how loud it was until Jimmy whispered, "I think we'd better go, before they hear us." Sarah suddenly turned on the flashlight, bathing the corridor in light. Marcia was mortified. Her hand was still under her dress. That feeling lasted a mere second, for now her mouth was hanging open. Pamela was stark naked, her dress pooled at her feet. Jimmy, standing right next to her, had his pants down at his ankles and was in the process of pulling up his underwear. She was so caught up in what she saw, that she didn't hear the scream in the room, didn't see Sarah turn to look though the hole. Marcia only noticed something was wrong, when Jimmy practically jumped from his spot. She watched in slow motion as his hand reached out and caught the flashlight, right before it fell on the floor. "Sarah!" Jimmy whispered as loud as he dared. Marcia saw Sarah turn towards Jimmy. She looked ghostly white. ------- Sarah's demeanor had put a damper on Pamela and Jimmy. Now they were back in the new house, Jimmy and Pamela, Sarah and Marcia in their respective rooms. Marcia couldn't understand Sarah's sudden change. She thought over the evening and then a misguided revelation hit her. "Sarah," she said, "why did you want me to see in that room?" "What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, thinking that Marcia had been as, if not more, enthusiastic about following Jimmy on that ill-fated adventure. "You wanted me to see these girls... doing things together." Sarah looked at her friend in utter amazement. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Even in the fog clouding her mind, the incident at the school with Jill came back to her, when Jill took Sarah to see Betty and Sue 'playing' together. (ref: Ch 62) Knowing this could get out of hand very fast, Sarah gave Marcia an, "I'll be right back." Then she was out the door only adding to what Marcia saw as very odd behavior this evening. 'Right back' was actually several minutes later, when Jill and Sarah came back in. "Marcia," Jill said, "Sarah said you were a bit confused." "Sarah!" Marcia said embarrassed she had told anyone. Jill understood what Marcia was feeling, and so forged right ahead. "The reason she came and got me was that Sarah came to the same conclusion... with me, at one time. So let me try and help you sort this out." It was some time later that Marcia understood. Seeing her job was done, Jill left to go to bed. "Well, that solves my misunderstanding. So if that wasn't the problem, what happened?" Marcia asked. Marcia knew from the expression on Sarah's face, she didn't want to answer. Thinking about how Sarah looked as she dropped the flashlight, she asked, "Did something scare you, Sarah?" Sarah shook her head. "You were looking, after you turned on the flashlight. You saw something, didn't you?" Marcia demanded. After a full minute of silence, Sarah said, "You heard the scream." Marcia looked at her blankly. "You didn't hear it? Oh!" It dawned on Sarah. "You were looking at Jimmy and Pamela." Marcia blushed, but asked, "Who screamed?" "My sister." "What did they do to her?" Marcia insisted on knowing. Sarah shook her head. "It was nothing like that. When I looked in, Keith was on his knees, looking at his... well you know." "Yeah, and?" "That rubber thing. It didn't look right. It didn't look like when we saw it on Jimmy. Keith's stuff wasn't inside of it." Marcia understood exactly what Sarah was saying. "You mean it went in your sister?" Sarah nodded slightly, and answered, "I think so." ------- Jimmy, Pamela, Sarah, and Marcia could have jumped up and down while screaming between the walls and no one inside the room would have heard them. Everyone was looking between Mary and me, but mostly at Mary. They didn't see the panic that they expected. There was a concentrated look upon her face. She lifted up and rested on her elbows, looking into my face. "It may be a good thing you got that third wedding ring." "Mary..." I tried to say. "It's just about the perfect time in my cycle for me to get pregnant," Mary added, as though she was telling us what she'd had for breakfast. Thankfully Robin stepped in. "Mary, you know having a child can have a high cost for you. Are you sure you would want this?" Then she quickly added, "I hope you know that we want you." Mary looked around the room. Everyone's eyes met hers with love, and concern. Well all except Stephanie, who wasn't quite sure what had exactly happened. "I have been thinking about marrying Keith for a long time. What I told my father was the truth." She looked into my eyes and said, "I want to be your sixth wife." "Your father didn't believe you were telling him the truth," I reminded her. "You know how things have been staring you in the face for so long and you just can't see them?" Mary said to us. "I have been trying my hardest, wondering how I could make all of this work out." "Becoming pregnant doesn't seem like the right idea," Beth Ann said to her friend. Mary chuckled, "No, I guess it doesn't." She took a deep breath and continued, "Have you realized how protective my father is about Sarah and me?" Kristin nodded. "I didn't know your father was... well, who he was, until I saw him in Carp. All I knew was that your dad did something important. What an understatement!" "Robin, you said I would pay a price for this, but remember how you're related to me. No one has ever dug that up in my father's political career. If I have to hide away in Carp with the people I love, is that so bad?" ------- "Boy, that must have been some night," Richard joked when he saw me walk into the kitchen the next morning. I'm sure I looked as though I'd had little sleep. In fact that was the truth. "The rubber broke," I said. There was a bang of a pan hitting the stove, and then falling to the floor. Then a moment of complete silence in the kitchen. I saw Katy and Katherine run out of the kitchen, leaving Richard with his mouth hanging open. "So what are you planning on doing?" Richard asked. "Well, I'm going to marry her." Richard took a deep breath in, and then let it out slowly, as my father would have done; thinking that if he took a good breath, I could think better. "There may be more issues than that," Richard stated. "Just one." "One?" "Sarah." We were cut short with the back door opening. Vicki, Tiffany, Jill, and Laura walked in. "Where is everyone?" Vicki asked. Tiffany was looking at the chart on the wall. "Katy and Katherine were on breakfast duty," she said. "Is something wrong?" "They should be back down shortly," I replied. "Did she burn herself?" Jill asked, noting the fry pan on the floor. "They were startled," Richard answered. The group of females eyed us. "How come you're not telling us what happened?" Laura asked. Vicki and Tiffany put their hand over their mouths as they tried not to laugh. I got down on one knee and looked straight at Laura. "Sometimes you just don't know what to say. Do you remember when you knew your doctor was leaving, and you knew that meant moving to wherever he went? Did you know how to tell your friends?" Laura's eyes got big, and she stammered, "Someone has to leave?" I shook my head as I said, "No... well, we hope not." That set off questions from the other three. Luckily, I wasn't pressed to answer any of them, as Katy and Katherine came back into the kitchen. As all the attention shifted to them, I slid out the back door. Jimmy and Pamela were making their way over to the house. I was glad, as that left Marcia and Sarah, at the new house. I needed to talk with them, alone. Pamela hugged me as we passed each other. We didn't get two steps from each other before I suddenly turned around. "Jimmy?" Pamela and he stopped, turning back towards me, squinting in the morning light. "Yes?" Jimmy asked. "You didn't have any problems last night, did you?" Jimmy felt his face get hot, and thought, 'He must have heard us.' I started to feel sick to my stomach, seeing Jimmy's expression change. I had to ask. "Did it break?" "Break?" Jimmy asked, furiously trying to think what could have broken. He would have remembered a board break. "Did you use the rubber last night?" "Oh, that!" Jimmy said, very relived. Then he blushed as Pamela answered. "He made very good use of it. Thank you." I smiled at her cheekiness. That worry was gone. I started putting Jimmy's reaction into perspective. "You and I should have a talk about what else you were doing last night, though... Maybe after breakfast." They quickly got to the kitchen door, before I could say another word. I laughed. It was a good lift to my mind, before going in to talk with Mary's sister. I walked into the new house, up the stairs and down the hall, only to find an empty room. I sighed. I'd hoped to talk while things were fresh in my mind, and I had time. Today, I knew, was going to get busy. ------- Busy was the understatement of the past two days. With the imminent trip planed for Kevin and Dorothy's wedding, there was more than enough for everyone to do. The list of who got to go was the biggest on everyone's mind. Jill and I had to go, as we were to be part of the wedding party. Robin was going. Liz, Vicki, Tiffany all had to go, as they had taught at Linden Hall. Laura was the next in line, as she had gone to school there, as well as had taken over Susan's part in the play. That left a possible five spaces. Robin and I talked about it and the idea of talking Kristin, Beth Ann, Daisy, and Mary was brought up. I of course liked the idea. It would save a lot of problems. That is except for the last place. We decided to wait and not make that decision just yet. We had a couple of days before we left. That was the morning. By lunchtime, all who were going had started to pack for the trip. I was in the library, after lunch, when Stephanie came in and snuggled up onto my lap. I knew something was up, but decided to play along with the game. After all, it did have its rewards. "I was thinking..." "Not again!" I replied. She gave me a pouty face, as though she was hurt by my comment. I knew better. "I counted. You have one spot left on the plane. I think I should get to go." I raised my eyebrows and looked at her smiling face. "Oh you do, do you? And tell me why you think that?" "Well, 'cause you're taking your family with you and I belong in that." She had been thinking, and it caught me off guard. I got a lucky pause for a minute, when Kenneth came running in asking me about his bike. Halfway thought his litany, when he realized that I had been talking to Stephanie, he said, "I'm going to get Jimmy to help me. He likes getting his hands messy!" We could hear his laughter as he ran down the hall. "Well?" Stephanie asked. "You are right, in a way, Stephanie," I said and she beamed. "You're not the only one to be considered, though." "Who else... has the right?" "You said yourself, we are taking our family. Yet Pamela isn't included on that list, and she is Robin's and my responsibility." Stephanie's expression dropped. She knew I was right, and she had been so sure she'd thought of everything. "Sarah also met Kevin when she was at the school for the last week, so she knows him better than anyone else who isn't on the list," I added. "Stop. I get it. I'm not going." With that, she jumped off my lap and ran outside. I sighed. That wasn't fun. ------- That afternoon held a big surprise for us. Grace arrived on the train. As she had told no one that she was coming, no one was there to greet her. Picking up her suitcase, she walked off the platform and down the street. She thought she would surprise Liz at the school. Feeling a bit foolish, when she found the doors closed and locked. Grace considered her options. She didn't have a long time to think about them, as Brian, Barbara, and Julie came down the street. They stopped and looked at Grace. There was something familiar about her, but they couldn't place it. Grace, amused by their scrutiny, smiled at the three. "You don't know where Liz might be, do you?" Grace asked after a moment. "At home," Julie said. "Or that's where she was when Richard brought me and my mom over to Millie's." "Brought your mother and you," Grace corrected. "Yes, he did," Julie replied, "but didn't I just say that?" "You did, but not in correct English," Grace replied. Grace saw the confused look on Julie's face and silently thought that Liz had her work cut out for her, this next year. Then said, "I was going to surprise Liz, but I think the joke's on me. Millie... That's your mother, isn't it?" she directed to Brian. "Yes," he answered. "She's on the school board, if I remember correctly," Grace added. "Yes, my dad even said how good of a job she did with that," he said. Then he snickered, and added, "But she can't sew." "Brian!" Barbara said in a chastising voice. "Don't you talk about your mother like that. She's doing a fine job helping Annabelle." "That's my mom," Julie said to Grace. "She's making Barbara's wedding dress. I get one too. They ordered the fabric, and we picked the dress out of some books. It was fun." "It wasn't that fun getting measured!" Barbara said. "It was for me," Brian said, and then blushed as Grace looked at him quizzically. It took Grace until then to remember about the customs of this town, and particularly these two. As soon as that happened, she had names. "You're Brian and Barbara, aren't you." "Yes," they both said at the same time. "Now, Brian, why did you like getting measured? That seems a bit odd." "Not me! I liked Barbara getting measured," he answered. Before the next, obvious question could be asked, Julie piped in, "That's 'cause she was only dressed in her undies." Barbara turned bright red, and tried to swat at Julie. Grace was having a hard time not laughing. Brian, trying to stay out of the conversation, looked at the entrance to the school and saw Grace's suitcase. "You need to go out to the Mansion, don't you?" he asked. Grace was a bit embarrassed. "I thought Liz would be here." "I see Jack's Jeep. Let's go find him," Brian said. He then started down the street, not waiting for an answer. He had developed that habit of late, as he was still walking slowly. Grace kicked herself, mentally. 'Jack would have been just as good of an informant as the doctor was, and he had a Jeep.' Grace had wanted to keep things a surprise. She had been able to contact the doctor, thought Memco without anyone else knowing, and found out about the plane trip. That happened a day after the change of plans in the schedule of Kevin and Dorothy's wedding. ------- "MOM!" Robin screamed. Everyone within hearing, which was pretty much anyone in the house, came running. Robin was on the second floor, in the hallway. I was outside, but saw though the windows, that people inside were running. I ran into the house, to find out what was going on. "Robin screamed," Daisy said as she ran by, heading for the stairs. I passed her, taking the stairs two at a time. When I got there, Robin was on her knees. Her face showed the fear of something dreadful happening. Kristin was against the wall, near our bedroom door, white from fear. Dora was holding onto Robin's arm. Richard was standing behind her looking completely lost as to what to do. Daisy grabbed my arm and asked, "What's wrong?" "Robin," I said, "what's wrong?" She didn't answer in words, but she moved her arms to wrap around her belly. I felt like I was going to be sick. I kept seeing images of my sister, in the bathroom. Katy came up next and knelt right in front of her daughter, took Robin's face into her hands and said, "Tell me what's happening?" "I don't know, Mom. I'm scared!" Katherine walked up the stairs, and told her children to find something else to do. She also told Jimmy and Pamela the same thing. I hadn't realized how many people were behind me at that point. She walked over, and sat down on the floor next to Robin. Without saying a word, she felt Robin's forehead, and then took one of Robin's hands away from her belly. Looking at her watch, Katherine took Robin's pulse. After that, she said, "Robin, do you think you can stand?" Robin looked into my eyes. I could see the fear. She nodded to Katherine. Katy and Katherine helped her stand up, and then walked her into our bedroom. Before laying her down on one of the beds, Katherine and Katy removed her dress. Robin was the farthest along of anyone who was pregnant. She was showing, even if only slightly. Katherine, with her hands out flat, moved them across Robin's belly. When she was almost directly at the center, moving her hands up, Robin cried out again. "Mom!" "Was that it, Robin? Was that what you felt earlier?" Katherine asked. "Yes. Yes, what is it?" Katherine's face warmed with a smile. "That, Robin, was your baby. Did it feel like a fluttering sensation?" "How did you know?" "The timing is right. You are in your fourth month, aren't you?" "Yes. I think so," Robin answered Katherine. Then asked, "Mom, you had these feelings?" "Yes, dear." "So the baby's fine?" she asked, still concerned. "That feeling is your baby moving inside of you. He, or as Keith likes to say, she, has been moving all along the doctors think. Now it is starting to get big enough, so that you can feel it." Robin brought her hands down to her belly, and caressed it. Her whole face was bright with a smile now. She looked up at me. "Our baby." ------- Grace's arrival at the Mansion, twenty minutes after everyone had been told what Robin's scream had been about, caused an additional amount of commotion. During all of the hugs that were going around, Stephanie grabbed hold of my hand, and tugged on it. When I didn't move, she tugged harder. I touched Robin, so she'd look my way, pointed to Stephanie, rolled my eyes and then let myself be led out of the room. Stephanie pulled me into the Library. She sat me down in the same chair I had been in, earlier today, and then climbed onto my lap. "Keith, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know Grace was going to be here. You were trying to keep a surprise, and I was being selfish. Can you forgive me?" I smiled at her and didn't ruin her idea that I somehow knew Grace was showing up. "Sweetheart, it hurt to know that you wanted me to pick favorites. Don't you know how much I love you?" She pursed her lips and, on the brink of tears, nodded. Whispering into her ear, I said, "Now that you're not going, maybe I will have to spend a bit of time with you before we leave." She turned my face to hers. With eyes larger than life, and a smile so big it surely hurt, she pulled me into a kiss. I had to break it off, and even then, she sighed and said, "I love you." ------- Grace explained to Tiffany, and Vicki, as Liz drove them down to the school, that part of the excuse, to backtrack to Carp on her way to the wedding, was to look at the school structure. Liz had been reminded that Grace had promised to do that, before the state inspectors showed up. As she had gone though more inspections than she would like to think about, Grace knew just what they would look at. She knew the points that they liked to pick on, and others they left out (making everyone scratch their heads over the whys of it). Tiffany unlocked the door, and the four walked in. "A bit stuffy," Grace commented. "Is it always like this?" "When it's been closed up for a day or three," Liz answered. Grace nodded and then said, "When the inspection team arrives, and they come unannounced, make sure you have a way to delay them outside. Think of a plan now, so that it's in place. Stuffy will not be something they can downgrade you on, but it will factor into the image they have, overall." Walking into the downstairs, the library and a large 'group area, ' Grace was impressed. "This has come together very well. You may not know it, but by looking at those rows of books, you are better equipped than most schools your size. This is not Linden Hall, and you don't have the students we do, but what you have been able to assemble here is impressive." Grace turned to leave, what she was here for concerned the classrooms more than the public areas. "Fire extinguishers. One?" "There are two; the other is on the far wall." Vicki answered. "We had the fire inspector come down and tell us what we needed to do. Carp has had a problem with fires. This being a wood building, we didn't want to have any problems. The men installed a fire hose system as well. There's a connection on the first and on the second floors." Smiling, Grace commented, "That will win you brownie points. Make sure you tell them that the fire inspector was here, and gave you the ideas. Now let's get upstairs. I want to see how you're splitting up the classrooms." Liz smiled and asked, knowing the answer already, "They're going to be looking at furniture placement?" "No. I'm looking. In Liz," Grace directed her comment to Vicki and Tiffany, "I lost one of my most creative teachers. I want to at least steal some of her ideas, and bring them back with me!" ------- Jack had contacted Susan and Dorothy's parents for us. In fact that's what he had just finished doing, when Brian located him. There was a landing strip that was used by crop dusting airplanes, between his farm and their neighbors. Jack, using figures he'd obtained, told them how long the strip needed to be. It wasn't until the day we left that we knew that landing strip would work. Originally, we had heard it was too short. They had graded the extra five hundred feet that we needed to bring in a plane the size of a DC-3, and we were set to go. It took two carloads to get everyone over to the plane. Richard was roped into driving his car over with mine, to get everyone and their luggage. Richard and I complained about the amount of luggage that was being taken, but it fell on deaf ears. I think they knew the amount wasn't as bad as we were trying to make it. As soon as we stopped, everyone pitched in to help. That doesn't mean that unloading the car went any faster than if one person did the whole job. In the excitement of the trip, there was plenty of talk and little movement. Richard opened up the back of the plane, where the cargo hold was. Daisy was, unfortunately, the first to step in with her luggage in hand. I'm pretty sure it would have been different if the space hadn't been so empty, as it was now. She was almost a third of the way in before she stopped, looking and remembering. The last time she had been in the plane, her mother had been strapped into a hospital bed, as we had brought her home to die. (ref: Ch 57) Jill was in next. She walked up to Daisy, wondering why Daisy was still holding onto her suitcase. She missed the tightness of the grip Daisy had on the handle, but she didn't miss the tears falling, hitting the metal floor. Looking down, trying to see what Daisy was looking at; she saw the marks on the floor that the hospital bed had made. It was then Jill realized what Daisy 'saw' in that space. Dropping her suitcase, Jill pried Daisy's case out of her hand. Moving behind her, Jill turned Daisy, and marched her outside. Tiffany had her suitcase in hand, and looked at Jill, wondering if she should go in. Laura was starting at Jill and Daisy, wondering what was going on. "Keith," Jill said in a voice she projected so all could hear. "Daisy is having a bit of a problem. Seeing the space inside, empty, brought up some bad memories." A tremendous amount of empathy poured out from everyone. Vicki and Tiffany, who didn't know Mildred, had heard stories about her. Even Laura had heard about the flight to bring her back. Richard, who had flown that flight, walked over to Daisy and gave her a big bear hug. It was quiet as we loaded the rest of the plane. Richard secured the luggage in the cargo hold, as I got everyone seated, up front. Daisy, knowing she had brought the happy mood down, tried to make amends by telling a joke. The joke itself wasn't funny. Laura, not understanding the joke and taking the twist of words completely wrong, laughed and told her interpretation of the joke. That was more hilarious than the original joke. We all had a good laugh. Grace, Tiffany, Liz, and Vicki all wanted to sit in one of the facing seat sections. The four of them were still talking 'school.' Laura, I could tell, wanted to sit with Jill. Just for fun I said, "Laura, as the youngest one on the flight, you need to sit up front with me." In complete trust, she put out her hand, letting me lead her to the cockpit. I am sure she had no idea what she was getting into. As soon as I pulled her in though the entrance, her eyes just about popped out of her head. It was only then she realized Jill had followed up. Laura's eyes narrowed and her face got a determined look upon it. "You knew," she said to Jill, "that he was pulling my leg. This is where pilots fly the plane, not a place for me to sit. I'm not stupid." Jill and I looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. I wasn't getting Laura's wrath for pulling the joke. Oh, no! Jill was the recipient! Whether Laura was actually upset or not, our laughter was contagious, and she joined in. As soon as that happened, she relaxed and then started asking what all the dials were for. "When we are up in the air for the long stretch, after the stop for fueling, I'll bring you up here and you can see what they're for. On the ground they don't do much." "You mean when we're flying? You can't leave to get me!" I chuckled. "Laura, there's a reason there are two seats up here. I always have a second person up here." "Who's that?" "On this trip it will be Mary. She's helped me on a couple of flights before," I answered Laura. I also noticed Jill giving me a bit of a smile. "Laura, Mary is able to talk to the controller's towers, the people who keep track of who's in the sky. It keeps everyone safe when we fly." "Oh," Jill said. "She really does that?" "Yes, Jill," and then gave her a little smile back. "What did you think she would do up here?" Jill rolled her eyes at me, not knowing Laura saw that. I was sure Laura was going to get Jill to explain that. It made me almost burst out laughing. Jill and Laura went to sit together. Beth Ann and Kristin were already sitting, as well as Robin and Daisy. I put my hand out for Mary, who was standing there waiting. "I thought you were going to replace me for a moment," she said with a grin. "Mary, my dear," I replied, "there is no one who can replace you." She blushed and we entered the cockpit. The first leg of our journey was a lot more work for Mary than it was for me. As soon as we lifted out of the valley, and got radio communications, she was giving our headings. There was a short stop at the Las Vegas airport. I filed my flight plan, the plane was filled with fuel, and everyone took one last pit stop. Then we were in the air again. Our next stop was the newly lengthened airstrip next to the farm owned by Susan and Dorothy's parents. ------- Chapter 120 You will see many references to previous chapters in this chapter. I hope something sparks and interest and you look back, remembering what was taking place so many chapters ago. As always, thanks for your continued support in reading and emailing me. It does the heart good. JS I flew over the landing strip, to get a good look at where I'd be setting the plane down. The sound of the plane brought everyone out of the large house that was no more than a hundred and fifty yards from the north end of the strip. I could see where they had graded, extending the landing area. It now met the road on the north side and paralleled a road to the east side, a ditch separating the two. Beyond the east side road was an orchard. I didn't know my trees well enough to know what they were. The house, a large structure that rivaled the size of the Mansion in Carp, had a good size grassy area to the south. Extending from the property were rows of corn, which I knew by sight. The only disturbing thing was a shed at the north end of the strip. There was no room for error. I stopped this beast in the short runway, or that shed would be run over, damaging the plane. There was no way for me to contact them on the ground. An oversight I realized at this point. They used this strip for crop dusting and would communicate with the pilot, but I had no way of knowing how. Circling back around I came in at as slow an airspeed as possible, thanking the windsock on top of the shed that indicated that I had a bit of resistance coming at me. Mary, who normally talked to me as we landed, didn't say a word. The top of the corn stalks coming closer and closer beneath us. I saw the end row and let the wheels touch down within seconds. Only Mary, if she was looking, could see the sweat on my face as I pulled to a stop. The plane came to rest less than one hundred feet from the shed. I was shaken when I saw the tank, and realized the shed roof had hidden that from my view when I was flying over. One hundred feet further, and disaster could have happened. In a way I was glad I hadn't known, as I landed. Opening the door I saw Kevin with a tripod ladder in hand, walking towards the plane. It was a type I had seen in orchards, with a single pole on the backside. He set it up and I realized that with its design, it was able to get quite close to the doorway. As tall as it was, it was easy for everyone to get out. I had to fill out the log before I could leave, so I went back up to the cockpit as everyone else was exiting. Laura stuck her head in and asked what I was doing. She had been fascinated with the workings of the plane, when Mary had brought her up during the flight. I explained the paperwork I was doing. She was interested in that as well. She then kept me company while I finished. I told her as we were exiting, that if she wanted to learn more about planes and flying, all she had to do was ask. With a big smile on her face, she told me she was going to hold me to that. Kevin was still holding the ladder, for stability, when Laura and I descended. There had been hugs and introductions while I had been doing the paperwork, but now it happened all over again. Kevin shook my hand as soon as I got my feet on the ground. Laura was called over by Jill. I thought that was funny, until I realized she'd already met the parents, when they had come out to the school, and saw the play. (Ch 58) Susan and Dorothy gave me big hugs and little kisses on the cheek. Dorothy and Susan, holding my hands, pulled me over for introductions to their parents. The father was older than I would have expected, maybe late fifties. Either his time in the sun had aged him considerably, or there was a good span of years between him and his wife. "Daddy," Susan said, "this is Keith Patterson." We shook hands and I turned to Susan, saying, "And does he have a name, or should I just call him 'Dad'?" Susan blushed, her father chuckled, and Dorothy answered, "We call him Dad, but you might feel more comfortable calling him Carl." "Girls, introductions," I heard. Looking over I saw their mother holding Laura's hand and walking towards us. Susan did the introductions again. "Mom, this is Keith," then she snickered and said, "Keith this is 'Mom'." There was a pause, just long enough for us to wait, then Susan went on, "But you might want to call her Carol." There was a good laugh about that, especially as Susan had to explain to her mother what was so funny. The next question was where everyone was staying. Jill, Laura, Robin and myself were at the main house. We would take the last two empty rooms in the large house. There were two other homes where the others would be staying. The farmer next door, their house one hundred yards away. They could take four guests split up into two rooms. The other four in our party would be in a cabin. It was away from the main house and close to the migrant farm workers bunkrooms. It had been built originally for a foreman that oversaw the migrant workers. The way Carl spat out the word 'foreman' was enough to understand there were deep and hard feelings there. No one asked any questions regarding what had become of the foreman. Dorothy added a lighter touch to the place, saying when she and Susan were younger; they used the place for slumber parties. Carl quipped about it being the only way he could get a good night's sleep, with that many girls around! Mary and Beth Ann expressed interest in the neighbor's house. I was a bit surprised, as I had hoped to sneak out and join my ladies at night. As usual, I didn't have much say in the matter. Kristin, Mary, Daisy, and Beth Ann were going to the neighbors. Liz, Grace, Tiffany, and Vicki would stay in the cabin. Once decided, the luggage was brought out, divided up, and we were off to see where we would be spending the night. ------- Kristin, Beth Ann, Mary, and Daisy were driven over and the woman of the house gave them a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and even a little pinch on the other cheek. Carl, who had driven them over, and the man of the house unloaded the car. The house was noticeably smaller than Carl and Carol's house, although not small by most standards. "It's just the two of us now," Emily said sadly. "Their son didn't come back," Carl said. He didn't need to add, 'from the war.' It was an all too common occurrence. "Their daughter got married last spring to a man she met at a summer camp she attended. He's from Maine, and that's where they are living now." It didn't take much to see the sadness in their eyes. Their children were gone. ------- Carol took Grace, Liz, Tiffany, and Vicki over to the cottage. "This got a cleaning, as soon as we knew you were coming up," Carol said. "Now there are two bedrooms, although one is much smaller than the other. If you want, one of you can use the couch. Dorothy said there would be no problem, but we just weren't sure who would be using it and... well... we didn't want to embarrass anyone." Liz put her hand on Carol's arm as she said, "I'm sure we'll be just fine. There were times when the four of us were in one room at the school." She winked exaggeratedly towards Vicki and Tiffany, and then said, "You know... the administrator made us work like the devil." Grace shook her head and laughed. "You just want to get my goat, but it's not happening tonight. Not even your brother will get it." Carol left them, still chuckling at the good-natured bantering they were doing. It was good for her to see, as it told her a lot about the real nature behind the smiles you see when you sign your daughters up for school. These teachers loved their job, and the women they had worked for. It also explained in volumes why both daughters wanted to become teachers. ------- Susan showed Jill and Laura up to their room, while Dorothy and Kevin showed Robin and I up to ours. We were all up on the second floor. Each on the ends, while Dorothy and Susan's rooms were in-between. "Where are you staying?" I asked Kevin. Robin started to giggle at Kevin's blush as he answered, "Downstairs." "He means it was upstairs the first time he stayed here," Dorothy said with a wink. Kevin's blush grew. "After that first full day he was here, Mom moved his things downstairs." "She saw that fast?" I said, trying hard not to laugh. Dorothy took Kevin's hand into hers and answered, "Mom likes to say that he had 'that look.' The look where the world could stop, but he wouldn't notice. I hope he always does." "Looks like he still does, to me," Robin giggled. Kevin looked as uncomfortable as I had been at times when women talked about me. So I changed the subject to one I knew they couldn't resist. "Dorothy, did Robin tell you she felt the baby kick?" Dorothy's eyes grew wide. "You did? How did it feel? Tell me all about it." Then grabbing Robin's hand, she pulled her down the hall, yelling, "Susan! Guess what?" Kevin took a deep breath, and then said, "Thanks." ------- We were all back together for dinner. That was an interesting experience for all of us. The farmhands and migrant workers all ate first, outside. I had noticed the four picnic benches before, but now I knew what they were used for. Those men, women, and children could eat. All of us were introduced, but I couldn't tell you a single person's name. I did notice all of the men taking a longer than needed glance at the young women. That is most likely why I didn't remember anyone's names. I was too busy trying to hurry things along. As soon as they were done, we went inside and sat down at an enormous table. It was bigger than the one at the Mansion. Carol told us that other than the summertime, when the migrant workers more than doubled their staff, everyone ate inside. It made sense. After dinner, Carol shooed us out of the house to take a walk. Susan and Dorothy led the group as we strolled through the trees. It was a clear evening, and the sun was setting, creating beautiful patterns in the sky. Mary had a smile on her face and said, "I wonder how Katy and Richard are handling everything." "That's a strange question to ask," Robin said. "Not if you overheard something," Mary grinned. "What! What was it?" ------- Richard went to pick up Julie and Annabelle from Millie's, after they had spent a long day there. Both were excited about their day. Their smiles showed as soon as he was let in the front door. Millie was in the kitchen making dinner, and Barbara had just started setting the table. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except Brian wasn't in the room. He came out of his parent's bedroom a moment later. "I wish we had room to leave all that stuff where you're working on it," Brian said "What is going on?" Richard asked. Brian looked at Barbara, getting a nod from her, he replied, "Annabelle is making a wedding dress for Barbara." "One for me, too!" Julie exclaimed, not being able to control herself any longer. Richard raised his eyebrows. "A wedding dress?" "I'm getting married," Barbara said, as she set down the last plate. Richard snickered and then said, "Of course you are, but I just thought the dress might have come as a surprise to you, like it did for Robin and Katy." It was a good thing that Brian was turned so that Barbara couldn't see his face at the moment. He'd completely forgotten that hidden away at the Mansion, were two dresses. One was for Barbara and one for Julie. He had bought them at the same time he had purchased the rings. "Brian," Richard said quickly, seeing the boy ready to fall apart, "come outside and let me tell you what happened to Jimmy today." Richard looked around and continued, "I'm sure no one else would be as amused with his shenanigans." With that, Richard took hold of Brian's arm and led him out the front door. "You forgot, didn't you?" "Now what am I going to do?" Brian said. "Calm down, Brian. There is no harm done. If I remember right, you enjoyed the look of those dresses." Brian thought back, blushed, and then looking embarrassed said, "Yeah." (CH 96) "So there isn't going to be the surprise on the wedding day. It might have been hard, considering that Barbara doesn't have many clothes of her own. She doesn't seem like the type that would just let her wedding dress be a last minute thought." "How did you do it then?" "If you can remember, there was a lot of things going on. With enough confusion, normal thoughts such as 'what am I going to wear' don't always occur." "So what am I going to do with those dresses?" "Now you have some special gifts to give, whenever you want," Richard said with a smile. Then poking Brian in the side, added, "You just have to remember they're there." ------- Robin was in the hallway, just coming from the bathroom that was located in the center of the upstairs. She saw me and grinned. "I'll bet you didn't think we'd be all pulled apart like this," she said. "Pulled apart?" "You only have me tonight. Everyone else in different rooms," she replied. We heard a gasp and turned to see a red faced Susan, embarrassed about being caught listening in on our conversation. "Susan," I said, amused at the situation, "if you're going to listen in on other people's private conversations, you need to remember you might hear things you never dreamed of before." "But I have..." Susan started to respond and then looked like she was going to faint she got so red in the face. "Have you told Dorothy?" Robin asked pragmatically. "No," Susan responded. "Don't you remember what you said about what your mother saw in Kevin? And that was the first day he was here," Robin pressed on. "I know. My sister told me," Susan said. Robin was getting ready to say something in the pause Susan gave, but then she went on. "I didn't realize I was that obvious to them. Mom and Dad don't see it." "They wouldn't," I said. "For one, they would never look at that possibility." "No! We've got it planned." "Oh you do? How is it going to work out?" "Simple really. Dorothy and I are going to high school together. We'll be going back to Grand Junction. Linden Hall doesn't have a high school, but they are going to have one next year, so Dorothy and I will be in the public school for the first year." "That sounds interesting," Robin said. "I know that Liz has worked out something for us." "I know, Grace has been writing to our parents. We're going to get extra work, and credits, from Linden Hall this year as well. I don't really know how it all works, but my parents are concerned that it's going to be too much." Susan said. Then she grinned and went on, "My sister told Mom that even though she was going to be a newlywed, having me there to help with all of the chores will make life a lot easier. So not only are we going to be in the same school, but we'll be living in Kevin's house together." I looked at Robin. She had a gleam in her eye. That usually spelled trouble. "Come on honey," I said, "You have me all to yourself tonight." Then I chuckled and added, "Or is that, I have you all to myself tonight?" I pulled Robin away, to our room. Susan still had her mouth hanging open in disbelief at what I had just said, when I turned to close the door. ------- Sometimes I don't think I deserve all this... they like to call it attention. I'm not sure I would classify it that way. I was sitting at the breakfast table this morning, when it all started to transpire. Now breakfast, here, is done a bit differently than at our house where people show up all morning long. Here, there are three breakfasts served. The first is for the transient workers, who start out in the fields almost as soon as the sun peaks onto the land. Then a second is prepared for the full time farm hands. The third is for the family... or in this case, the family and the wedding guests. No matter, it's just as big as the other two breakfasts served. If you haven't been to a farm breakfast before, and I hadn't, it was something to experience. There were eggs, fried potatoes, pork chops, gravy, toast, bacon, and fruit. Of course it goes without saying there was fresh milk and butter, and homemade jams. It was a beautiful morning, and that meant it would be a hot afternoon; but this morning was something to enjoy. We had breakfast outside, on the picnic tables. The sky was robin's egg blue. [I think I've mostly seen it as robins egg blue, but I agree with the possessive.] The trees shading the tables were full with foliage, and a bird's nest was up in one of its branches. We were sitting there having an enjoyable time when Carol brought up the topic of the plane. "Keith, you must be doing very well to own a plane, especially one as large as that." As usual, I shrugged it off. "I got it for a song. It is good to have, though. Maybe, if you'd like, I can take you, Carl, Susan, Dorothy, and Kevin up to see your place from the sky. It is something special, from overhead." There must have been something in that delicious freshly pressed apple juice. Did I mention the juice? It was squeezed this morning. There had to be something, as I usually get away with changing the subject. This morning was different for some reason. "Keith just doesn't like to bring attention to himself. I'd take him up on that offer. From what I understand, he's quite the pilot." I glanced over to Grace, who had just said that. She was grinning at me. I knew something was up. "Really," Carl jumped in, "tell me, Keith, did you fly during the war?" "No," I replied, "never had the reason to. I was trained, but never used it." "Now he's being modest," Kristin added. "Trained is not a description. Everyone on his elite team knew how to fly, so that if something went wrong, any one could get them out." (CH 23) I looked over to my sister, annoyed. She was beaming. "Special team?" Carol gushed. "That sounds exciting." "Not really. Like I said, I was trained, but never used most of my skills." I heard Grace chuckle. I closed my eyes for a second, knowing I was in for it. Today was going to be 'my lucky day.' "As much as he likes to downplay his hero status, I do remember an incident at the school..." Grace played this for all it was worth. "If you remember, your daughter was surrounded by wild dogs." (CH 32) Carl answered as Grace paused, "Yes, we'll never forget that." I could tell that Grace was ready to go on and tease me a bit more. She didn't get the chance. My dear wife decided she should join in the festivities. "I'm sure you've heard about the chemicals that were hidden underground in Carp. Keith went running into a tunnel and found them. He was the only one who knew they were so very dangerous. It didn't stop him for a minute." (CH 13) Carol had a bemused look upon her face. "It looks like you have a lifelong admirer there." Robin wasn't daunted. "It goes beyond that. Did you know that he found the... well whatever the stuff is that they're digging up now. The mine that was in our little town wasn't going well. Now there is a new, safe, and good mine in its place. He saved our town more than once." (CH 4) Carl chuckled. "It looks like you have done quite a job there." "It doesn't stop there," Liz jumped in. "He helped start a school in Carp. There has never been a formal school in that town or the towns surrounding it." "I didn't have anything to do with that," I said but no one paid a bit of attention to me. (CH 27) "I'm not sure if that qualifies him for anything but a scoundrel," Grace butted in. "He took three of my teachers away." "Didn't that lead to you adding the upper grades and a teaching school on campus?" Dorothy asked. Grace fought hard not to smile, but it was plainly seen. "He's still a scoundrel." Everyone laughed and I quickly exited the table. Mary found me on the front porch, minutes later. "Did the conversation get too hot for you?" I rolled my eyes, knowing she was teasing me. "Yes," I responded. "Shouldn't you take the advice you gave Jill?" "Thanks a lot!" I said, and then had to laugh. "Yes I should, but it is easier said than done. Now, what about you? I'm sorry that we don't have any time together here." Mary, knowing what I was referring to, answered, "Of course I'm worried. It's easy to make quip comments. I wish I knew what would happen, but to tell the truth there is little I can do." I wasn't sure what she meant by that. "Mary, you do know I will always stand by you." She smiled. "I know. I just wish I knew if there was anything to worry about. I won't even have a clue for another two to three weeks." "Oh, I understand now. If you miss or not." "Yes. At that point, reality will hit me. I'm not sure if I will be happy or disappointed." ------- "Kevin, do you know what's in here?" I said, as I steered him towards the plane and the storage building. Without the extra people and the luggage it wouldn't take as long to stop the plane, but there wouldn't be that much difference. I was concerned about what they had in the shed at the end of the landing strip. After offering to take Carl, his wife, Dorothy, Susan, and Kevin up, I didn't want to take chances. Responding, Kevin said, "You could probably tell better than me. It's a bunch of chemicals. I've been trying to get him to stop using them." I looked at him, surprised. Kevin went on, "You know I take care of the grounds at the school. This isn't much different. It's just learning a set of timetables. When trees will bloom, how much to water. It's the fertilizer and sprays that get me. At the school we had to be careful with all the students. Some, like Laura, could have serious problems. I know how to use different things that are better for everyone around. Carl is having a hard time with my suggestions. It's frustrating. He wants my help. Hell, he needs my help. He's got two daughters and neither of them is going to run the farm after he can't." I looked at the larger tank. My suspicions were right. Diesel fuel. Not too far away were bags of ammonium nitrate. "Kevin, without looking at anything else, these two should never be together." He looked at the two and drew a blank. "The amount that is here, if ignited, would level the house across the street, along with everything in its path." Kevin paled. "Where else can this be stored? Either the diesel goes or the chemicals do. Personally, if I ran into something because the plane had a problem, I wouldn't want it to be the diesel." "I can see your point. Let me find out," Kevin said and went to find Carl. The two came back and Carl said, "I hear you two are ganging up on me now." I could tell from the tone of his voice he wasn't upset. So I said, "Yes, but for different reasons. He wants a safe place to raise his family when he moves here. Did you know that those chemicals you're putting on the crops leach into the ground? I bet you have well water here and so you eventually drink some of those chemicals. They aren't good for you." Carl scratched his head and looked at me, "You know this for a fact?" "It was my job for the past four years." Carl nodded his head. "Chemical warfare. I wondered if it wasn't something like that. No special force I knew had every man a trained pilot." "I was in a division that worked on what they might throw at us and how to defuse it," I responded, realizing how defensive it sounded. "So you were trained to go into hot zones, never knowing if any of you might make it out. Tough work. How'd your parents feel about it?" Carl asked. Kevin was looking at me, wide eyed at what he'd just learned. "They didn't know," I said. "Chicken to tell them, weren't you?" "Yes, I guess I was." Carl shook his head, sighed, and then said, "Ok, so you know more about this than anyone around here. Kevin said you think we should move the diesel tank." Although it would be the best, I didn't think in reality there was any way of doing so. This wasn't the base with the equipment and manpower to do such things. Carl, though, was used to getting things done. He called a few of his neighbor friends and two and a half hours later, with the use of a crane and flatbed truck, it was in a new location. Carl's only remark was that the petrol delivery company would be happy. I could tell something was bothering him though. After everyone else was gone and we were walking back the house, he slowed me down. "Keith, I never knew I was poisoning my family." "Carl, there was little to make you know that. The companies that sell that tell you of the results. You wanted better crops." "How is Kevin going to do it then? He's going to get more pressure than me in the years ahead." "Where I went to school, they had an agricultural school. I'll look into it and let you know. I understand that with the GI bill a lot of schools are offering correspondence classes. He may be able to take some classes and be ahead of things. Plus, Carl, he has me to ask if he was unsure about what he's doing with chemicals." "All three of them going to school!" Carl started to laugh. "I can just see that. 'Course it might be good for him to have something to do, while the girls are doing their homework." He looked at me and said, "If you could look into it, I would very much appreciate it." "No problem at all. Now let's get everyone ready for that flight." ------- Late afternoon signaled the arrival of relatives. Carl had one brother who was showing up in the morning. Carol had a brother and sister who lived close enough that they came over for dinner. I went over the plane, and made sure it would be ready for the flight back, so I missed the first carload to arrive. I was just walking towards the house when I saw a car pull up in the driveway. Two adults, and three children pile out. Kristin and Daisy came out to where I was. Taking my arms in theirs, they led me around to the front of the house. It had transformed. There were chairs set out in two rows. I didn't have to figure hard, to know that this was where they were going to have the ceremony. Dorothy introduced me to her aunt, uncle, and cousins. I sat down on the front porch steps. I was watching all the festivities taking place, when I recognized what had to be the second set of relatives. What I didn't see were the two girls that had sneaked out the screen door. "That's him," I heard Jill's voice say. When I turned to her voice, a girl about Kenneth's age jumped into my lap and looked up at me. "Emmy!" her sister said. "What? He'll protect me. Jill said he protects everyone." I heard Jill snicker and I knew I had to get her back for this. The outburst caused a group to gather. Carol looked at Jill, who was still hiding inside the door and laughed. Grace took the opportunity to needle me again. "Did you know that Keith stopped at the school, shortly after the incident Dorothy, Jill, and Kevin were involved in, with a group of helicopters. It was a sight that I don't think anyone will forget. He landed in the lower field. The sound of the helicopters flushed one of the wild dogs out into the field. Without even a second thought, Keith pulled out a rifle and shot it. That gave him the idea to use the helicopters to chase down the remaining dogs. What would have taken months was done in hours. It was simply amazing." (CH 34) I glanced at Grace, who looked back at me, with a very satisfied look upon her face. "That's not all he did," Liz added. "Because of the contact with the wild dog, Jill had to start rabies shots. Keith got a sample and had it tested in a military lab, so we would know right away. Luckily for Jill, she only endured that one shot." (CH 35) The girl in my lap looked up at me with wide eyes and said, "You really are a hero, aren't you." "Some people like to think of me that way. I just do what's needed," I replied. "Not many," Mary said, "would fly up to pick up a friend who was in need. He ended up being beaten by some bad people over that." (CH 21) I looked over to Daisy who had tears in her eyes. "Or protecting a friend from a man who had terrified her for years," Kristin said. (CH 44) I didn't need to look at Beth Ann. I heard her asking for a handkerchief. The sister of the girl who was on my lap asked, "Did you really fall off a three story building?" (CH 38) I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking of how I was going to get Jill back for this. "Yes," I said. "I don't really like to talk about it though." "Don't let him try and be modest," Mary said. "He was being chased and the man was shooting at him. He protected my sister and it almost cost him his life. After he came out of the coma he was in, he asked to talk to her. He wanted to make sure she was ok." I was ready to toss the girl off my lap and run away. This was getting a bit too much. I was derailed by the little munchkin tugging on my shirt. I looked down at her. "Jill said you brought her a stuffed animal when she was afraid." (CH 14) That brought tears to my eyes. Jill had never mentioned it to me, but somehow it had meant a lot to her. "Yes, I did. She was having a bad time," I replied. "Then he made it possible for Jill to come to the school with me," Liz said. "It changed both of our lives." (CH 17) "Keith has a way of doing that," Daisy said. "He got my sister a surgery she needed, and..." she paused before she was able to go on. "He helped my mom find out what was wrong with her. He took my sister and me down to see our dad, and then brought us back home. He's the most important person in our family." (CH 18, 104) "No, Daisy," Beth Ann said. "He's ours. Without him I don't know where I'd be. Without him getting a lawyer to defend my father." Beth Ann stuttered. "Keith was shot at for trying to help us. He flew us up so I could be with my parents. I don't know what I would do if he wasn't in our lives." (CH 57, 86, 84) "Isn't this supposed to be a celebration about Kevin and Dorothy?" I asked. "It's not supposed to be an 'embarrass Keith day, ' is it?" Most everyone knew the party was over. I noticed my ladies had conveniently disappeared after bringing up all of those topics. Robin picked up the girl from my lap and walked off with her. Carol had one more poke of fun. "Keith," she said with a good deal of humor in her voice, "with all that's been said, it seems your head might be mighty big. As best man, you're supposed to say some nice things about the groom at the toast; do you think you can lower yourself to do that?" I didn't get a chance to say a word. Grace stunned me by saying, "I was present when Keith had to tell Daisy and her sister that their mother was dying. It was a gut wrenching experience for those two girls. Keith was so companionate to those two. I have never seen such love enveloped upon anyone." (CH 50, 51) I watched as Grace took a deep breath before going on. "He may be a scoundrel, but I'm honestly pleased that I can call him a friend." "Keith," Carol said apologetically, "you know I was just teasing you." "I know, but it did have one good side effect." Carol looked at me, wanting me to tell her what it was. "Grace admitted that she likes me. I know it took a lot out of her to do so." Even Grace couldn't keep a straight face, and we all were laughing. ------- Dinner was a potluck affair. With all of the added people, there wasn't room at the tables outside and people were sitting anywhere they could. I was introduced to the preacher. I hadn't seen him arrive, but wasn't surprised. I'd been told that we were going to go through a rehearsal after our meal. I didn't understand the need for a rehearsal. I hadn't had one with any of my four wives. Once it started, I got the idea of why we were doing it. My weddings had been simple affairs. When the wedding party gathered, there were nine of us that needed to know when to walk down the aisle. The groom had it easy; he just walked in from the side with the preacher. First we had the little munchkin who had plopped herself down on my lap, earlier. She was the flower girl and it was hoped that she would drop petals along the aisle. Her mother wasn't sure she was going to make it all the way down the aisle by herself. I walked over to her. I bent down on one knee and looked at her. "Hi," I said. She blushed and then giggled. "Do you know how important your job is going to be tomorrow?" She looked puzzled and shook her head 'no.' "You are going to have this basket you're now holding. It will be full of flower petals. If you drop them along the aisle, then I'll know where I'm supposed to be going. If you don't go all the way down the aisle, dropping the flowers along the way, I might get lost." She giggled again and said, "That's silly. You just walk right down there. It's not far." "It isn't?" I asked. "It looks far to me." She put her hands on her hips and gave me a look like I was an idiot. She held up her hand and with great concentration pulled down her little pinky, showing me the remaining four digits quite plainly. She said, "I'm four and I'll show you." She marched down the aisle and then turned back, to look at me. "See, it's nothing." "I guess you'll do a better job at this than me," I said. Her sister, a junior bridesmaid, and the ring bearer were next. She looked at me and asked, "How did you do that? My mom has been working on her for the last week." "Luck," I said. "Plus, I'm not her mom." "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. "Time to go," I said with a smile. Next were Susan and Tim, a cousin of hers. She smiled at me and then, when they started to walk, she winked at me. I couldn't help but laugh. It was then time for Jill and I. We walked down with nice even steps. When we got to the front, Emmy was in the center right next to Kevin. I winked at her and she put her hands up. I picked her up and heard some people laughing in the back. Jill and I took our spots. Last was Dorothy, escorted by her father. She had a huge smile on her face The preacher went over the parts of the service. At one point I was to get the rings, from the ring bearer, and give them to Kevin. I could tell this was going to be a problem with my hands full, as they were, of little girl. Setting her down, I said, "How about if you go stand by Jill now?" I gave her butt a little swat and she jumped, and then ran over to Jill. Everyone laughed when she turned around and stuck her tongue out at me, but then giggled. There wasn't much left, before we were recessing out. As I took my arm and intertwined it with Jill, Emmy was there wanting up. I awkwardly bent down and she wrapped her arms around my neck. My free hand cupped her bottom and I stood. Then Jill, Emmy and I marched down the aisle. Robin and Emmy's mother were at the end, waiting for us. "Emmy," her mother said in a scolding voice. "Don't worry about him," Robin said. "He's used to having to be around lots of females." Then addressing me, she said, "Reminds you of Kenneth, doesn't she?" I grinned, "Yeah, the little whippersnapper." Robin laughed and then said, "And just like Kenneth, she knows just how to get to you." Jill giggled at that and I gave her 'the eye' before whispering, "I plan on getting you back for this afternoon." Jill made a big show of trying to get away, but I tightened my arm around hers, making it difficult. Emmy laughed at Jill's antics and Jill started to tickle the girl, whom I was still holding. There was no way possible to hold onto Jill and this squirming child in my hand. In the end, both were released and then ran off together giggling. Emmy's mother tried to apologize once again, saying she craved male attention. That led to finding out that Emmy's father died in the war. Robin and I were very sad to hear that. Robin told me I was to spend as much time with Emmy as possible. I replied I didn't think that would be a problem, as Emmy seemed to find me irresistible. Several around us laughed at that comment, letting us onto the idea that others had been listening in to our conversation. ------- With my attention on the rehearsal and Emmy, I missed an interchange that went on. Not that I might have seen it anyway. It was apparently a look. But it was a look that sent shivers down Vicki's spine. Tiffany had pulled Vicki over to me and said, "Keith, do you remember when you came to Grand Junction to bring that man down with you? You had Mary and Liz with you. We were at Linden Hall, after a very short vacation and came back down with you." I nodded and she went on, "You asked us about what we had been doing..." (Ch 98) The memory of Vicki's trouble with her cousin came to mind. I nodded as I looked at Vicki and noticed how frightened she looked. Tiffany continued, "One of the farm hands who came over tonight to watch reminded Vicki of her cousin. It was not just his short hair and brown eyes, but the way he seemed to be staring at her." I had mulled that conversation over in my mind many times. Part of it was the outcome with her parents. The other part was how Tiffany and Vicki had responded to me. It had felt very good. "Vicki," I said, "do you know the part that did the most damage when that happened?" "I'm not sure what you mean?" she responded. "Was your blouse being ripped the worst?" "No, I guess not," Vicki replied. "If I was to guess," I said, "the worst wasn't what your cousin did, but how your family treated you." I could tell that just thinking about it had brought tears to Vicki's eyes. She nodded, to answer me. "Vicki, do you think anyone of us would turn our back on you?" She immediately shook her head 'no.' "Good. Now think of who you are with. Tiffany, who loves you. Liz, who also loves you. And Grace. Now Tiffany may not think she could do much, but she is smart enough to run for help. Liz, well she would stand up to almost anyone at this point." I cracked a smile. "Then there's Grace, and heaven help someone who tries to harm you when she's around." Vicki shyly smiled at me and said, "Thanks, Keith." "Don't forget me! 'Cause that is who I'd expect Tiffany to come and get! If I knew someone was trying to harm either one of you..." Tiffany said, "Keith, thank you for making us all be part of helping each other. I know it would be easy to be the hero all the time. It's harder to make us see we can do it, too." "I'm not sure about that," I said. "I don't care too much about the hero stuff." Tiffany giggled. "Yes, we know. That's what makes you so adorable." Then they gave me a hug. Thoughts of 'me' and 'adorable' in the same sentence went out the window. I just enjoyed the moment. They left to talk with Grace and Liz as Robin, Kristin, Beth Ann, and Mary showed up, looking smug. I knew there was something brewing, but I didn't get a chance to find out what. Everyone seemed to be gravitating towards the cars. We got caught up in the flow. It was just turning dusk and so many of the older couples, as well as the ones with young children, were leaving to drive home. They didn't want to be out on the dark country roads at night. Robin, Kristin, Mary, Beth Ann, and I watched the exchange of suitcases in one car. Emmy, her sister, and mother had pulled out two small suitcases from the trunk of the car they had arrived in. That was exchanged for a suitcase being held by Kevin, but was obviously Dorothy's. I made comment, and was told that it was a tradition around here. Kevin wouldn't see Dorothy again, until she was walking down the aisle tomorrow. ------- I had wondered where Robin had disappeared to. We... that is Jill, Laura, Susan, Emmy, her sister and mother, Robin, and I... all ended up going upstairs at about the same time. Robin left our room and I thought she'd be back in a few minutes. I had looked out the door into the hall, several times, thinking there could have been a line into the bathroom. Robin wasn't in the hall. I had just looked again, when I heard a door open, so I looked out again. Emmy's sister, with pillow in hand, walked to Susan's room. I smiled, thinking that it would be fun for the two of them, but that didn't tell me a thing about where Robin was. As I was just about to close the door again, Robin came out of Dorothy's old room. What was the real surprise was that Emmy was with her. I dove for the bed and had just got under the covers when they walked in. I was shocked, but had enough sense to notice Emmy wasn't carrying a pillow. She wasn't planning to stay. That was a relief. I had enjoyed my time with Robin last night and wanted to continue tonight. Emmy jumped up on the bed and looked at me. "I'm glad you're not asleep." "Why is that?" I asked. "Cause I..." Suddenly Emmy was blushing. "She wants a kiss goodnight," Robin said with a little smirk. "You do?" I asked. She nodded. I put out my arms and she nearly dove into them. I had to move myself so she didn't land where it could have hurt me. She was oblivious to my body under the sheets. What she wanted was contact. Her arms and hands were touching as much of my arms and face as could be. It was almost like, as she laid her head down and sighed, that the touch of my skin was satisfying to her. She stayed in that position for more than a few minutes. Then just as suddenly, her head popped up and she was looking at me in the eyes. "Do I get my kiss now?" I nodded, took her head in my hands and started to kiss her. First her forehead, then each of her eyes, her nose, cheeks. Moving to her ear lob, I proceeded around her neck to the other ear. Then I kissed up her chin until I reached her mouth. That was just a peck. Then she giggled. "What's so funny?" Robin asked her. "My sister is going to be jellos." "Jellos?" Robin said. "Oh jealous! Why is she going to be that?" "'Cause I'm going to tell her how good he kisses," Emmy said and then blushed as she giggled again. Robin looked at me and smiled. "Ok, munchkin, I'm going to take you back to your mom." "You mean I don't get to sleep here?" Emmy said, trying to pout. It wasn't very successful as she was climbing off the bed as she was talking. "You heard your mom. Plus, I want him all to myself tonight," Robin answered. As the two walked out the door Emmy was saying, "That's not fair. You should share." I'm not sure what Robin said, but she was laughing. ------- The morning was sunny and bright, a perfect day for a wedding. I was lying in bed, not wanting to get up, even though there were signs of life in the kitchen below our room. Robin had come back into the room last night, after taking Emmy back to her mom, and had attacked me. She was still sleeping, like... Well like the baby that was growing inside of her. The slam of a door beneath our room woke Robin. She opened, closed, and then reopened her eyes, trying to focus on me. "Good morning," I said. She closed her eyes, not wanting to believe the sunshine coming through the window. "Are you sure it's morning already?" I smiled and said, "Yes, and I think the kitchen is in full swing. If we don't get up soon, we'll miss out on breakfast. My guess is that they've already started on the wedding food." "I'll miss it then," Robin said with a yawn. "No you won't!" I replied. "I've been around you, recently, when you haven't had enough food. It's not a pretty sight." That comment got her going and she tried to hit me with her pillow. I retaliated by tickling her and she shrieked. Apparently that was all that was needed. The door flung open and Emmy ran into the room, hoping onto the bed. "Emmy!" her mother cried, looking down the hall into our room. Robin and I were laughing so hard the bed was shaking. "I think I may be in trouble," Emmy said. Her mother looked at us, in dismay. Robin and I were still under the covers. "I'm so very sorry. It's just me and my daughters now and we don't close many doors," she said, blushing as she added, "I think I need to talk to Emmy about manners." "Emmy," Robin said, "I think it's time to go with your mom. We need to get up and dress so we can get some breakfast. We'll see you soon, ok?" "Ok, we're going to the kitchen now," Emmy said as she slipped off the bed. Her mother took Emmy's hand in one of hers, and closed the door with her other, but not before turning and mouthing 'sorry' to us. ------- With so many in the house, and the kitchen in full swing, eating was being done outside. Robin and I had a plateful of breakfast and were walking to find a seat, when I heard my name being called. I turned and saw Vicki, with Tiffany right behind, running towards me. "This looks good." Robin chuckled. "I did it! I did it! I did it!" Vicki squealed. "Great," I said, not knowing what else to say. Luckily Robin asked what I didn't want to, for fear of looking stupid. "What did you do?" "That man," Vicki started. "I told Keith about him yesterday. He gave me the willies. Well, last night he came knocking on the cabin door. Just like you told me to do Keith, I said what I wanted to, what I always wanted to be able to say, and guess what?" "What?" I asked. "He went away." What sounded rather simple to me was, by Vicki's expression, a milestone in her life. Vicki took hold of the plate in my hand and gave it to Tiffany. Then she kissed me. I'm pretty sure that my response didn't match up to my usual, but frankly I was in shock. "Thanks, Keith," she said and then bounced away. I looked at Tiffany, still holding my plate. She had a Cheshire cat grin. As I took back my plate, she said, "Do you want to give me any advice?" Robin spilled a bit of food off her plate, she was laughing so hard. This was turning out to be one of those very strange days. ------- People started arriving soon after breakfast was over. I watched as Kevin instructed two of Dorothy and Susan's cousins where to direct cars. They were using the landing strip. It was a logical choice, but the placement had two results. I noticed the cars slow down as they saw the plane. It also prevented any possibility of flying out before everyone left. That, in itself, had good and bad points. As the newcomers got out of their cars every single one of them walked by the plane, many of them touching the aluminum skin. I knew there would be many questions, and as no one seemed anything other than curious I went inside. I didn't want to answer the same question time and time again. Tour guide was not my favorite occupation. From the second floor I could see the seats filling up. Smiling as I felt arms wrapping around me, I took them into my hands and drew the body close. I could tell from the hands, the body making contact; but even before that, by the scent, that it was Robin. "Mmm, Dorothy... you feel so nice." "Keith!" Robin said, laughing. I couldn't help but laugh as well "That was just mean." I turned around and scooped her up into my arms, as I said, "You know, darling. I knew it was you. No one touches me like you do." Her face shone with her love to me, as she mewed in response. "You don't play fair," she said when I set her down. "You're right. I play for keeps, and I'm going to keep you forever." "See what I mean?" We were interrupted from our little time of kissing and saying silly things to each other by Vicki and Tiffany. I'm not really sure how long they had been there. Robin and I were both surprised when I noticed them in the doorway. They blushed nicely though. "We were told that Keith needs to get ready," Tiffany said. I couldn't help myself and replied, "Ready for what?" at the same time I reached up and pinched Robin's right nipple. There was a look from both girls that startled me. Hard to describe, as it was a mixture of want, passion, lust, and annoyance all rolled up into one. Vicki shook her head and, after tilting it, said, "Keith, you know better." "You mean I should know better," I joked. Tiffany looked at Robin and asked, "How do you put up with him?" Robin giggled and answered, "I do, 'cause he's so good in bed." Both girls groaned. "Didn't Liz warn you about us?" I asked. "Yes," both answered at the same time and then we all had a good laugh. "Seriously, Keith, you are supposed to be down there now." Vicki restated. "Now?" "I think it's to give Kevin support." "Oh! Well, in that case, I'd better change." Then I grinned and asked, "Want to help?" Vicki and Tiffany were already at the stairs before Robin could smack me on the arm. "You are teasing those two to death!" she laughed. "Don't you think they are enjoying it?" I asked. She smiled and answered, "Yes. I think they love it. But that's because it comes from you." "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. "Better get dressed," she said, leaving me to wonder what she meant. ------- As soon as I stepped onto the grass I saw this blur heading toward me. I had no choice when Emmy was in the air, but to catch her. She was giggling. In the distance, I saw Robin, Liz, Kristin, and Jill laughing. "You, my dear, need to show a bit more restraint," I said. "Why?" "What if I hadn't caught you?" I asked. "That's a silly thing to say." I could tell it was a losing battle, so I set her down. I took her hand and walked her over to where I saw Kevin. He was grinning at me. "I see Emmy found you," he said. Quickly changing the subject, I asked, "Have you seen Susan this morning?" "Of course not. She is hiding away along with Dorothy. Jill is the only one I've seen and she only teases me." "Well, you won't be getting any sympathy from me; I've been getting it all morning as well." "I thought you'd be used to it by now," Kevin said to me with a grin. I squeezed Emmy's hand to get her attention and then said to her, "Can you find Jill and tell her I want to say something to her?" Emmy grinned, nodded, and then shot off like a rocket. She had a lot of energy this morning. It was no wonder that she wasn't in her 'good' dress, yet. Looking back at Kevin, I said, "As we're alone I can ask. Is Susan going to be mouthing the vows as well?" Kevin paled by my question. "Well?" I asked, as he didn't respond. Then I let him off the hook a bit by saying, "She did tell Robin and I of the arrangements the three of you have at Grand Junction." "She did?" he said surprised. "Kevin, there are few secrets around our place. Jill let Robin and I in on what she thought of Susan's dependence on Dorothy. When we talked yesterday, I asked her if she had told you that she loves you." "You didn't... Yes, I guess you would. So what did she say?" "That there has been talk, and then she told us about the living arrangements. She didn't directly answer the question though." Kevin had his head slightly tilted and was rubbing his ear. "I guess she just might do something like that." "It feels like no one wants to bring this out in the open, but just kind of let happen what is going to happen. Kevin, I don't want to judge, but that seems a bit dangerous to me." "How so?" "There is a commitment you are taking today with Dorothy. If Susan is feeling like she is doing the same, don't you think that could lead to a lot of problems down the road if you don't say this is right or wrong? What happens if she tells you she's pregnant one day and you look at her like she must have lost her mind, and then to have her tell you she feels married to you just like her sister is. My feeling is you should set this straight, before the wedding takes place." "What you're saying makes sense, Keith, but what am I to do at this point? It would have been helpful to have figured out this before now." "I can't argue about that." I responded. Jill walked up, with Emmy. She looked at us and said, "You two don't look like you belong at a wedding. Where are the smiles?" "Kevin has a problem and I bet you are just the person who can help him with it. I'm going to take Emmy with me and we're going to find as much trouble as we can get into." Emmy looked at me with wide eyes and asked, "Are we really?" Jill shook her head and said to the girl, "He's pulling your leg. He's all dressed up and Robin would shoot him if he got dirty." "She sounds like my mom!" Emmy said. All of us laughed at that, and then I took her away, to leave Kevin and Jill to come up with solutions to problems. I didn't get too far, before Emmy's mother found us. "I should have known where to look. I hope she hasn't been a bother." "Not at all, in fact she was very helpful. I just hope she can be as helpful during the wedding, so I remember where to go." Emmy put her hands on her shapeless hips, looked at me, and then rolled her eyes. Her mother roared with laughter and then took her away to get dressed. ------- I hadn't seen it arrive, but there in the front on the right of the ceremony site was a small pump organ. The woman who had started to play looked to be in her early twenties. I knew she had to have great legs, because to keep the bellows full by using your feet, while playing, for an entire wedding march took a lot of muscles. The minister and Kevin entered from the right as soon as the organ had started. Emmy's mother was in the back with her, holding onto the basket with flower petals in it, until it was time. As soon as it was time (and don't ask me how anyone knew, for I surely didn't), Emmy was handed the basket. She started down the center row. Everyone thought it was very cute how she was laying an even carpet down. As soon as she was up front, she took a little detour, to the right side of Kevin, sprinkling flowers in a path. Then she turned and looked at me. "Can you find your way now?" Emmy asked. The congregation laughed. I blushed. Emmy's sister turned red. Her mother was ready to run off from embarrassment. The junior bridesmaid and the ring bearer were the next in line. I leaned over and said to Emmy's sister, "If you let her know that what she did had an affect on you, you give her power over you. Act like it didn't bother you in the least." She turned, smiled, and then the two walked down the aisle. After that it was Susan and her cousin. I looked at Jill, but her head was turned and I couldn't get eye-to-eye contact. I wouldn't know if anything had transpired before the wedding. Jill and I were next. We walked down, hand in hand and I gave hers a squeeze right before letting go. Then I walked with as much dignity as one can following a flower path set out by a four year old, to my place beside Kevin. The music changed, everyone got up from their seats and turned to see Dorothy and her father. She looked radiant. I glanced at Kevin and his smile said everything. As soon as they made it up to the front, Carl gave his daughter a kiss, wiped a tear from his eye and then went to sit down with his wife. As with most weddings the preparation is long and the actual service is very short. During the vows, I did notice Susan saying them along with Dorothy. I glanced at Jill and she gave me a smile. When asked for the rings, I looked over and saw the boy looking down on the ground. The pillow that had held them now only had loose ties. The ring bearer, the usher, Kevin and I looked frantically in the grass. The ring bearer found the first one. Emmy walked over, looking beyond where we were searching, to the circle under the tree where we were getting shade, and picked up the other ring. Handing it to me, she smiled and then whispered, "I want to stay here, next to you." I nodded to her and she smiled a mile wide. Pulling out a handkerchief, I wiped the rings off and then handed them to Kevin. The service began again. When it came time to kiss the bride, everyone cheered. The organ started up and the new couple walked down the aisle. I was next, but this time, instead of wanting up, Emmy took my left hand. Jill took my right and the three of us walked down. Emmy's mother and sister were waiting at the end of the line. Before the mother could say a word, her sister said, "It doesn't look like you followed the advice you gave me." The mother looked at her daughter. I chuckled and said, "I think she's trying to say that Emmy has me wrapped around her finger and she knows it." We had to step out of the way for the other two couples that were walking out and then before any further discussion could take place, we were being led over to stand in a receiving line. As none of the weddings at Carp had these, I wasn't sure of what I was getting into. Finding that I would be shaking everyone's hand pained me. I picked up Emmy and held onto her for a conversation piece, finding that much easier... Well for everyone but the females that I had brought! They found many ways to poke fun at me. Tiffany, Vicki, and Liz were in a line. When Liz got to me, I saw her eyes open wide as she looked beyond me. I turned to look at what had caught her attention. I watched as Kevin blushed and Tiffany moved to Dorothy. I heard Vicki say, "She's not going to upstage me," and then leaned in and gave Kevin a little kiss. "This has been quite a trip for those two," Liz said. ------- The party had been going on for some time when a group of musicians started tuning their instruments. Robin looked at me with a twinkle in her eye, said, "Dancing?" "Looks that way." Before they could start, Tiffany and Vicki were standing in front of me. "We want a dance from you." I looked over to Robin, who was trying not to laugh, but she answered them, "I'm sure he'd love it. He's going to be a very busy boy as soon as we begin. I'm sure Emmy wants to dance with him as well." Tiffany and Vicki got a good laugh out of that and went to sit down, waiting for their turn. Later in the afternoon Robin caught me looking at my watch. "Are you worn out?" she asked me. I smiled, and said, "Not yet, but I could be. I'm glad the band takes long breaks. I do need to be an alert pilot. I think we're going to have to spend the night at Grand Junction at this point. By the time we get there, we wouldn't be able to get to Carp until after dark." Her face saddened as she said, "I hadn't thought of that. Do we need to go now?" "No," I replied and then looked at my watch again, "but I think it would be good to get off the ground in about an hour. We do have the small problem of a few cars still on the runway." "I'll talk with Carl about that. You get to tell the others," Robin said to me while grinning. I tried to pinch her butt. She must have known I would try that, as she jumped away from me. Emmy came running up to me, there were tears in her eyes. "Mom says we have to go!" I picked up the girl and walked her back over to where her mother was standing. As we walked out to the car, I said, "Emmy, you know your mom loves you very much. I will be in your mind for some time, but it is your mom and your sister who are always with you." She hugged my neck and pulled back, waiting for me to give her a kiss. I smiled and kissed her nose and then went after the nap of her neck, nibbling. She started laughing and squirming in my arms. I set her down and she ran over to her mom. The two girls got into their car. The mother turned and looked at me. "Thank you. She misses her father very much." I nodded, not knowing what to say. Then it struck me, "Where do you live from here?" She pointed and said, "It's only about twenty miles from here. Why?" I looked at my watch and responded, "At about four thirty make sure Emmy's outside." "She's usually..." Then she got a big smile on her face. "Shall I have her looking at the clouds?" "That's a good idea." They drove off and Robin greeted me on the way back. "Did you break that little girl's heart?" she asked teasingly. "No, but I think she's going to get the biggest surprise of her life in about forty five minutes." "Oh?" "We'll be flying over their house, probably a lot lower than I would normally." Robin grinned, "You just want it so she never forgets you." "Me?" Robin laughed and said, "Yes, you. Now, come on. Kevin and Dorothy are ready to leave. They're saying goodbye to her parents." "What about Susan?" I asked. "Well she can't very well go on their honeymoon, now can she?" "No, but I can see it might upset her all the same." "It's only for one day, anyway." "One day? That's it?" "They're in the middle of harvesting. They can't leave for long." Then she turned and looked at me, saying, "It's more than I got." I stopped walking. I had tears in my eyes when she turned around to look at me. "Honey," Robin said as she took hold of my hands, "I was kidding. I have what I always wanted. A prince. The honeymoon has been everyday of my life since I met you." I laughed. "You can't get me to believe that! I do remember a few times I'm sure you'd love to forget." I started to get choked up. "Robin, I promise..." She pulled me close, and kissed me, stopping my words. Then she put a finger on my lips. "Hush. If you surprise me sometime, that will be fun. But, Keith, I meant what I said. I have everything I need with you." This time, I pulled her in for a kiss. "Ok, break it up!" we heard Grace say. I looked over to her and said, "Any particular reason?" "Yes, Kevin and Dorothy are asking for you!" she responded and then laughed. We walked over to their car. Kevin gave me a hug and thanked me for everything I did. Dorothy pulled me in and then kissed me on the cheek, then whispered, "You take care of Jill. Without her..." "I know," I whispered back. They left to our cheering. The area was now suddenly quiet, even though there were still plenty of people around. I looked at my watch and announced, "It is time that we get into the air." Carl said, "I was hoping that having the cars in the way would make it so I could keep you here a few more days." We all had a good laugh about that. Carol was called over to the ceremony site, being asked questions. Carl was going to move the two cars that were still on the landing strip. Jill, Laura, Kristin, Tiffany, Vicki, Liz, Grace, Robin, Beth Ann, and Daisy went to gather their belongings. I was left with Susan. "Susan," I said, "come walk out to the plane with me." "Ok." When no one was within hearing distance, I said, "As you mouthed the words today, how did that make you feel?" She looked forward, but her eyes got big realizing that she had been seen doing that. "Kevin was watching for it, too." "He was?" she stammered out. "No one got a chance to talk to you about that before the service, did they?" "Jill talked to me." "She did?" "She told me that I could say the words. I told her that I was planning on it, but she said it would be just practice." "Practice?" "Yes. I had to ask. I had to tell Dorothy I wanted to be part of their life... forever. Then I had to be prepared to give them everything I had. She was pretty descriptive of what 'everything' would be," Susan said as a blush came over her. "And so you practiced what you want." "Yes." "Susan, if it makes you happy and your sister and Kevin can be happy with this as well, then you have found what many never find. Good luck." We had arrived at the plane when she asked, "When is Jill going to ask you?" "When she's ready. Susan, I'm not sure if that is going to be anytime soon." "But she's in love with you!" "And I love her, as well. Susan, it isn't that simple. Jill was hurt and it takes time to heal. She's also looking at going away to school. If you couldn't go to the same school with your sister, if you weren't going to live with them, how right would it be to ask them to take you into their lives?" Her face scrunched up and then she said, "I'm glad I don't have to think about it." I laughed. We saw everyone walking towards the plane with their suitcases in hand. "You have to go, don't you?" Susan said. "Sad that you've been left here?" I said in reference to Dorothy and Kevin going off on their short honeymoon. She grinned, and then said, "It's not too bad. My sister told me she was going to tell me all about it." Susan and I were laughing as Jill came up to us. "What is so funny?" "Dorothy promised to tell her sister what happens tonight." Jill turned red, and then walked away. ------- After some quick goodbyes, we were up in the air. Carl had told me what to look for and I spotted the windmill, red barn, and house with the gray roof about six minutes after we left the ground. I lowered the plane to less than a hundred feet from the ground, knowing that anyone underneath would feel the plane, as it went over. I got the flash of people right in front of the house. Then we were passed the house, and I gained altitude. I looked at my watch again. "Is Grand Junction that far away? I know you don't like to fly at night," Mary said. "I have an appointment, and I can't be late." "An appointment? In Grand Junction?" "Hold on, I'm going to..." I said. I brought the engines to full throttle. It was much noisier, and got much worse gas mileage, but would get us to our destination on time. ------- One hour and forty-seven minutes later Mary was talking to the control tower in Grand Junction. We landed and pulled to a stop seventeen minutes later. I looked at my watch and unbuckled quickly. Mary was trying to get hers undone as fast, wondering what was going on. "Sit down everyone," I said. They did so, as I felt Mary behind me. I walked down the aisle and stopped. I looked at my watch once more. Six forty-four, just one more minute. "Keith, what's going on?" Grace asked. I didn't answer. ------- Chapter 121 Jack's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at his watch. A pained expression crossed his face, as he said into the phone, "What do you mean, just another hour? Cynthia, you told me this was a two-hour showing. I wanted to be back in Carp, in another hour." Jack sighed listening to his wife go on and on, about how much she had sold. The excitement in her voice was something he couldn't take away, but another hour? It meant changing plans on his end. "Ok, when you come back to the base..." Jack's mind was running as fast as it could, "drive out to hanger 26." Jack smiled at her comments. "Yes. I know what happened there. You told me in very vivid detail. Why do you think I picked that place?" (CH 16) He hung up the phone after saying some loving goodbyes, and then looked at his watch again. He didn't have a lot of time. Driving out across the base in one of the open Jeeps, he looked around. Jack was glad to be out of all of this mess. He had been asked to come back by the current base commander, but that was no surprise. He figured there would be at least half dozen times that this would happen. No one in his past position could know everything, or pass on that much information, in the small amount of time they had given the new commander. It had been a bit frustrating that Cynthia and Rebecca had seized the opportunity, and had come with him this time. His work had taken all of forty-five minutes. Then, of course he'd spent the last hour just BS-ing. Now his time schedule was off and he was going to try and redeem it. Pulling up in front of the massive and dormant hanger, he smiled. Pulling out the raft of keys he still had... no one had asked for them, so he'd never returned them. He opened the small regular sized door that was fitted into the huge sliding doors, which could open to let an aircraft inside. Stepping in and closing the small door behind him, he beheld a strangely familiar sight. It was not strange in nature, merely strange in how close it was to looking like the same sight that he'd seen, almost a year ago. Then, rows of boxes had been placed here, for storage. Walking down the left side main row, Jack headed to the only supply room in the building. He smiled as he started to think... Something caught his eye, through an opening between boxes, that was sitting in the open center of the building. Walking around a series of boxes, he came to that center and started laughing. There, in the center, with the sun shining down on it through the skylights, was a bed frame. One of its railings was on the floor at an angle and the mattress was askew. This was the exact place where Keith and Liz had gotten together! Cynthia's stories of this whole adventure grew each time she told it. Looking at the bed, in its misaligned state, he could see that at least some of that story was true. Turning, he looked across to where the supply room was. Just as Cynthia had said, the boxes obscured them from the 'line of sight, ' of the supply room. Now for the real question. Cynthia had told him how she had transformed the room. There had never been any mention of cleaning up the 'decorations' that had been appointed there. It was just like his wife to leave it and let someone else stumble upon something like that, so they could wonder what had transpired. As Jack swung open the door, a grin appeared on his face. It was all there. This was one of those rare moments when one of those mischievous things his wife did sometimes paid off. The office was perfect for what he had in mind. Looking at his watch, Jack was surprised to find how much time he'd spent looking around. Cynthia and Rebecca would arrive soon. 'How am I going to get them back here, ' he wondered. 'There is little time to be clever. Moving boxes to make a path would take too much time.' Jack then laughed out loud. It was Cynthia's own portrayal of Keith and Liz's beginning at the hanger that told him just what to do. Walking back to the door that the two would soon come through, Jack removed a shoe. He walked a few paces and then dropped the second shoe. Walking again towards the office, he was removing his shirt, to drop it on the floor, also. ------- Katy put her hands up to her head. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought. Running over to the butler's closet, she stopped, and then opened the door. "Richard," she called. There was no answer. No one but Keith or Richard had gone down the new stairs that Larry had installed. Things weren't finished, but the two men had been working when they could to do so. Until then, it was up to them to cart the food that was now being held in the cool room below, up and down. Walking to the edge of the stairs, she held on. There was no sort of rational reason for her fright, but ever since Barbara had fallen through the now disabled trap doors in the floor, she had been petrified of the place. "Richard!" she yelled. Hearing the distress in her voice Richard bounded up the stairs, noting how close she was to them. "Katy, what is it?" "Dora left! I can't believe I forgot. She had a school board meeting to go to, she told me. And then she left. Richard, can you believe I let her walk out the door? I don't know what has come over me. Why didn't I remember? I guess it was just the surprise that she had something to do, and..." "Katy, stop," Richard said in a calm even voice. She looked at him in dismay. Richard looked at his watch and then asked, "Where is the meeting?" "Hey!" Katherine said when she walked passed and saw Katy and Richard in the small room. Teasingly she asked, "Am I missing something?" Katy turned around and Katherine saw the look on her face. "I guess not. Katy, what's wrong?" "I let Dora go!" Katy wailed. Katherine looked at Richard for an explanation, as how Katy was acting and talking about didn't make one bit of sense to her. "Dora went to a school board meeting and I need to talk with her. Katy is not sure where she went, so we need to find her," Richard explained. Then looking at his watch, he added, "And fast!" "All right," Katherine said. "There are four places that make sense for her to have this meeting. Here is one of them, and we know she isn't here. The school is another. Then there is Millie's or Janice's." Richard was nodding. Then he took the next step. "The three of us can go into town. Katy, you can head over to Janice's place. Katherine, you can check the school, as well as the meeting hall. I'll head over to Millie's." "What do I do if I find her?" Katherine wanted to know. "You tell her that I need to see her, over at Millie's. She has to come, right away. It is urgent! If she doesn't want to, throw her over your shoulder. Bring her, kicking and screaming, if you need to." Katherine swallowed hard and looked at Richard. Then she said, "I'm not sure that would be good for her baby." Katy patted Katherine's shoulder. "I don't think he's being serious about throwing her over your shoulder. You tell her Richard said she needs to come and that it's urgent." Looking back and forth, she nodded, not knowing what else to do. She had no idea what could be this important. Whatever it was they were keeping it a secret. That, in itself, was a rarity for this household. Katherine was able to tell Sarah that they were going into town and would be back shortly, before she had to run to the waiting car. Richard drove into town. He was throwing dust up, such as she'd never seen him do before. At the first street in, he stopped. Katherine got out to walk down the next block to the school. As soon as she closed the door, Richard took off. Next, he dropped Katy off. He was almost to Millie's when he saw Dora's horse. Slowing down, Richard drove the rest of the way to the house at a more sedate speed. Once Richard pulled up, he realized there was a problem. How was he going to get Dora out of this house? Brian and Barbara were outside. They were excited that he was there. They came up to his car before he was able to open the door. "Don't like meetings?" Richard joked. "No!" both of them said in unison. Richard chuckled and then asked the question he needed to know. "Is Dora inside?" "Yes," Barbara answered. Then Brian looked down the road. "How come you're here, and Katy's walking this way? Did she ride into town?" "I dropped her off before I came here, Katherine too. I'm sure Katherine will be showing up," Richard looked down the street the other way, "and there she is." The front door opened and Millie stuck her head out, "Can you two keep it down... Oh hi, Richard. Sorry, but we're having a meeting." "I know, that's why I'm here," Richard replied. "You are? Dora didn't mention anything," Millie said, confused. "Say, is that Katy walking this way?" "Yes," Richard replied, knowing where Millie was looking. "Does she have something to say to the board as well?" Millie wondered. "No, I don't think so; and I don't, either," Richard replied. "But you just said..." "I said I was here because of your meeting." "Well this is a bit confusing," Millie said, just as Katy walked up to the porch. "What's confusing?" Katy asked her sister. "Your husband isn't making any sense," Millie replied. "Here comes Katherine," Katy said, ignoring Millie's statement. Turning to Richard, she asked, "Do you want her here as well, or should I take her someplace else?" "Take who where?" Millie asked. "Katy, you are always trying to confuse the situation." Richard was grinning at Brian and Barbara and making gestures and facial expressions to match Millie. They couldn't keep it in and started giggling. "What's so funny?" Millie demanded, not seeing what Richard had been doing. "I guess you found her," Katherine said as she walked up. "Am I going to get any answers?" Millie asked. By now, the front door had been opened. Dora and Janice were inside, and were peering out, watching the commotion. Richard turned to the door and said, "Dora would you please come here for a few moments. I need to ask you something important," he said. He looked at his watch, and his eyes got large. "Right now!" he added. ------- Patrick was down at the river, right at the edge of the park and the bridge. Maureen and Cheryl were with him. "What's wrong, Patrick?" Maureen asked. "You've been looking at your watch a lot." He smiled at the concern that showed, on the two women he loved. Glancing back at his watch, he said, "I can tell you, now. At this precise moment in time, there are three women from Carp being asked to marry." Patrick knew the questions would fly. He hadn't expected them to go on for several minutes before he could answer a single one of them. "Now that you are going to let me tell you, I will." Patrick said with a grin. "Keith is asking Daisy, Jack is asking Rebecca, and Richard is doing the same thing to Dora." Maureen and Cheryl clasped hands. They bounced around, in almost a dance like fashion. "If you're done," Patrick said, rather amused, "I will tell you why it was done this way." "Tell us!" Cheryl said excitedly. "As you know, both Keith and Richard have married more than one wife. There has been some concern about that. Not all of the women that have married are originally from Carp. There has been a concern that people might have problems with these ideas," Patrick explained. "That seems a bit daft, if you ask me," Maureen said. "Aren't all those women pregnant?" Patrick smiled as he answered, "Yes, they are. And they will be showing, soon. It doesn't have to make sense." His smile dropped and he became more serious. "Maureen you arrived after the big meeting, so a lot of this wouldn't make as much sense to you. A lot of the emotional storm stems from before the townspeople knew that the men could never produce children, or that the women who lived with Keith, Richard, and Jack were pregnant. That is out in the open, now. If you remember, Cheryl, there were problems in that meeting. Problems that surfaced even after that happened." (CH 99) Maureen knew exactly what they were talking about. She hadn't been here, nor had she lived through that meeting. But she'd heard the stories told and retold, many times, by her sister. There was little she could say about it. "I don't think any of us will forget when Henry..." Cheryl shuddered, not being able to continue. "That was a very sad moment in all our lives," Patrick stated. "He did what others felt like doing. Fortunately, his suicide spurred others into more positive actions and we didn't have any more tragedies like that." Wanting to not dwell on that, Maureen asked, "If they are asking at the same time, does that mean..." Maureen didn't get though, when Cheryl took over. "They're going to get married at the same time?" Patrick grinned. "Yes, they are. Three couples at once. The thought was, with that many marrying at once, no single one of the gals would be nervous about being first." Maureen looked at Cheryl and said, "Oh my gosh!" "What is it?" Cheryl wanted to know. "Jill!" Maureen said, Then she looked at Patrick, adding, "Does Jill know?" Patrick knew Maureen and Cheryl had a special place in their heart for Jill. She had been there during Cheryl's transfusion. She was the one who had gotten them to believe they were bound to each other, much like blood brothers. (CH 104) "She knows about her mother and Jack," Maureen said. "Remember what she told us?" "That's not what I'm thinking about," Cheryl answered. "It would make Jack her step-father." "Mmmm," Patrick noised. "That is a consideration I don't think anyone really thought of. Jill lives out at the Mansion." ------- No one got off the plane for another half an hour. As soon as Daisy had said 'yes' and had then tackled me with kisses, there were congratulations all around. Grace had called for a ride to the school, but when the 'ride' showed up, it was three cars. Knowing I couldn't fly to Carp until the morning, Grace had set things up for us to spend the night on campus. As soon as we had been dropped off, and the cars left, she told us of the arrangements. This would be the first time in her tenure, that any males had ever stayed overnight at the school. I looked over at Liz. She saw my gaze, and blushed. Robin poked me in the side. When I glanced over at her with my best 'innocent' face, she was grinning. Pulling out our suitcases, we climbed the steps to Upper Hall. Grace gave Liz the keys. The few girls who had remained over the summer were all in Lower Hall this year. This was news to Liz, as they had always stayed in Upper Hall when she had lived here. The change occurred this year because of plumbing repairs. They would have left the girls without running water for days and without toilets for almost a week. The repairs were now done, but there was no reason to move the girls a second time. After giving Liz, Tiffany, and Vicki big hugs; Grace went down the line and hugged everyone else, before leaving. She said she would be back in the morning, before we left. Liz opened the door, walked in, and turned on the light. "It's strange to be back," Tiffany said. "When it's so quiet," Vicki added. "I want to see your old room," Daisy said to Liz. Then turning to Vicki and Tiffany, "Yours, too," "Ok," Liz said. "Leave your luggage here and let's take the grand tour." When we got to Liz's room the first thing I saw was the bed. Tapping on Jill's shoulder, I said, "It looks like it would be rather cozy in there." She turned around, looked me straight in the eyes, and then put her arms around my neck. I was a bit surprised. When she pulled me forward and kissed me, I was downright shocked. "What was that for?" I asked. "A thank you for sending me to be with your sister," Jill replied. I smiled at her and then said, "Remind me to do more favors for you." "Break it up, you two," Robin said, grinning. Mary and Daisy had been whispering, then Daisy asked, "Are we going to pull some mattresses in here and all sleep together?" Vicki and Tiffany looked at each other and then the rest of us. "Don't look that way. If you don't know by now, that no one would make you do anything you didn't want to do," Kristin said to them, putting her hands on her hips as she smiled and taunted the two schoolteachers, "then I don't know if you'll ever learn." It was several minutes later when all the suitcases were finally brought up from the first level. Then, several mattresses and linens were pulled from other nearby rooms. "Well, this looks cozy," Kristin said. "Now, the big question is," Daisy said with a smirk, "who gets the bed?" Before anyone could say another word, I spoke up. "This is Liz's room; she gets to sleep on her bed," I paused as long as I could before adding, "with whoever she wants." Liz, who was standing next to me, turned and grinned at me. I whispered, "I think you better look at Jill, Tiffany, Vicki, and maybe even Laura before saying anything." Liz's eyes opened up a bit in surprise, but she nodded as she glanced. I saw her swallow hard and say under her breath, "Oh, shit." Knowing I placed Liz into this predicament, I said, "I think it would be fun, after we get ourselves ready for bed, to turn out the lights and... ummm... find our way to the right spot." Tiffany and Vicki were the only two who didn't laugh while agreeing to my suggestion. I knew they were nervous. I also knew that things would get better when the lights were off. Forty-five minutes later, I was the last one going into the bathroom. As soon as I was done, I turned out the bathroom light. I was plunged into sudden darkness. All the lights in the bedroom had been turned off and everyone was waiting for me to finish. In one sense that was good, as I wasn't wearing anything but a towel. As no one could see a thing, I dropped that 'garment' to the floor. Inching my way out of the bathroom, so I wouldn't run into anything, I felt the flooring change. I reached out to touch the doorframe that led into the bedroom. That, at least, had a slight bit of light from around the window's shade. Not enough to see anything clearly, but enough to see furniture shapes. Bodies on the floor were another issue all together. It was dark, and all I could make out was that maybe something, or I should say some'body, ' was there. "Keith!" I heard from Jill when I kicked into her. "Sorry," I replied. Then I heard giggling and a couple of hands slid up my legs. I jumped, reacting to the unknown. That caused me to bump into another body. "Just get down on your hands and knees," Kristin said. "It will be safer for all of us." It made sense at the time, so I did as she suggested. The reality was that as soon as I was down on the floor, I was attacked. Not that I was an unwilling victim, but there were hands coming at me from every direction and I didn't know who they belonged to. As soon as I got my bearings, I could identify almost every hand. Kristin, Beth Ann, Daisy, Robin, and... I reached back and took hold of a small hand that was traveling up my leg. I had caught her by surprise. When I turned around suddenly, she was right in front of my face. I leaned into her. "Laura, not now, please. Not here. Plus you need to ask Robin for permission. I think you know that already," I whispered in her ear. "Ok," I heard her whimper. I knew she was feeling scolded and I didn't want to leave her like that. So, when I pulled back, I tipped her face up and kissed her on the lips. As my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I could see the whites of her eyes as they grew. As I pulled away from her, the whiteness of her teeth told me she was smiling. She was happy, once again. Jill was next to Laura. I noticed a grin on Jill's face. I shook my head at her and she just grinned all the more. As I turned back to the others who were pawing at me, I thought Jill had nothing to lose. She had probably egged Laura along. Jill knew I would stop Laura, but now the girl was horny and Jill would benefit from that. Mary, Beth Ann, Kristin, Daisy, and my Robin pulled me over to the far side of the bed. This was where the mattresses had been placed on the floor. As I crawled along with them, I realized that Tiffany and Vicki must be up on the bed with Liz. Five women vying for my attention is nice but it can get to be a bit much, as well. I had just pushed all of them away from me, trying to reorganize and not shoot off too fast in the process, when there was a little yelp. The covers from the bed moved out towards us. I saw a foot land close by, and then a knee come down right beside my head. There were two thumps as a hand and then a body landed on my chest. Before anyone else could react, a light came on, blinding everyone. "Tiffany, are you alright?" Liz asked as she looked over the bed. Tiffany, lying over my body, didn't say a word. I could only guess what she was looking at, as her head must be only inches from my dick. That mere thought made it grow, just that much more. Of course, as my eyes adjusted to the light, I was looking right between Tiffany's legs. "Getting a good look?" Kristin asked. I wasn't exactly sure if that was directed towards me, or Tiffany, but I tore my eyes from the beautiful pussy in front of me, and looked up to the bed. Liz was ready to laugh as she looked down at me. Tiffany, stunned from her fall and then stunned by the sight presented to her, sat up. When Kristin asked her question, Tiffany didn't think about where she was, or what her actions would do. My field of view was cut off as Tiffany's pussy sat right down onto my face. Laura, by this time, was looking over the bed, and said, "Tiffany, did you ask permission?" It was the last thing Laura thought about. The sight of my dick took her attention away from anything else that was going on. Even without the question, Tiffany had felt something was wrong between her legs and when she looked down to find me there, she squirmed trying to get off of me. Her attempted retreat, as her legs slipped, did little to calm the situation. Liz snickered and turned off the light. I felt Tiffany's hands come down on my chest, I guess in an attempt to push herself off of me. Her right leg slipped on the loose sheet once more and her pussy ground across my chin, mouth, and then nose. It was at that point I took hold of her waist and held onto it, trying to get things under control. That didn't happen for another minute, as I felt a tremor run through her body. Then I felt her moisture drip onto my face. I knew she was embarrassed. I also know this wasn't planned. There are limits as to what I can handle. When a woman has an orgasm over the top of me, with her pussy right in my face, I'm going to react. My tongue, which had been behaving itself so far, went out to savor the nectar I now tasted. The sounds that she made after that gave everyone in the room a clear understanding that she had just enjoyed herself very much. I felt hands, afterwards. They pulled her up and back onto the bed. Robin was at my face, licking me. Beth Ann and Kristin had hold of my hands and were manipulating my fingers into their pussies. Daisy and Mary were using both hands and mouths on my dick and balls. I erupted very quickly. Then, being able to think once again, I took care of my ladies. One by one I tended to them, until they were all equally satisfied. We weren't the only ones making noises in the room, though. After Tiffany's cries of joy, there were no bars held... as the saying goes. ------- Rebecca hadn't been part of the fun that had happened in the hanger. When she and Cynthia got there and opened the door, she had been so amazed by the size of the building, that at first she missed the trail of clothing. Then Cynthia pointed Jack's shoe out to her. Cynthia turned to close the door. She locked it, as Rebecca saw the second shoe, and a sock. She was ready to go. The two had followed the trail, left by Jack, to the room. Hoping that everything was still as she had left it, Cynthia opened the door for Rebecca. Rebecca gasped when she looked in. She had stepped in and then, out of nowhere, Jack came into view. He was stark naked and was holding a small box in his hand. Jack knew Cynthia very well and had placed matches on top of the first candle to the right. True to form, that is exactly where Cynthia went. She started lighting them. She circled around the room. She illuminated the space using the candles she had left here, from the time she had spent here, from before. Rebecca stood stock-still. Jack smiled and softly said, "Rebecca, come here. I have a question for you." "Question?" "Yes, a question. But I need you to be beside me." Rebecca looked around, and saw Cynthia behind Jack motioning her to move. The place, decorated as it was, was overwhelming. Moving to Jack, she looked down, expecting to see his manhood. Her eyes, though, stopped when she saw a small box in his hands. "What's that?" It was fortunate that Cynthia had finished lighting the candles. She was approaching, as Jack got down on one knee. "Rebecca," Jack asked, as he opened the box, allowing the ring to glisten in the candlelight, "will you marry me?" Jack didn't get an answer. Cynthia reached out and grabbed Rebecca as she saw her faint. "I don't remember you doing that, when I asked you," Jack said petulantly. Cynthia rolled her eyes. "I wasn't pregnant when you sprung that question on me, either." "Sprung?" Cynthia grinned. "If I remember right, I was tied up at the time." "I just didn't want you to get away," Jack said. Cynthia wasn't waiting for protocol. She stripped, and then started undoing Rebecca's clothing as Rebecca awoke. "Do I get an answer?" Jack asked as he undid Rebecca's bra and then fondled her breasts. Rebecca looked at her two lovers and broke down into a river of tears. "Do you mean that?" she asked. "Yes. I want you to marry me. I want to know you are always going to be with us." "Yes, yes, yes!" That was the last words that any of them said, for some time. The only other noises that could be heard were primal sounds of pleasure. ------- It is in the morning light that reality rears its ugly head. I thought I was the first to wake up, having to relieve my bladder. As I got up, I saw Daisy was sitting on the floor, in front of the window. She had the shade over her head. She was obviously looking out the window and didn't want to open the shade. Wondering as to how long she had been awake, I maneuvered through the sea of bodies on the floor. It was summer. On the third floor, it was already quite warm in the room. In Carp it would have been stiflingly hot, even at this hour of the morning. The effect was similar though. There was a lot of flesh showing. I would have loved to linger and enjoy the view, but I had a more urgent matter to take care of. Living with sisters did teach me a few things. If you want to be quiet, or can't concentrate or see, sit down when you pee. As the pressure went away and I was able to gain use of my brain once again, I thought about Daisy. Deciding not to flush and wake everyone, I walked back into the room... and stopped. In my haste not to step on anyone on the floor, I hadn't paid any heed to the bed. There lay Tiffany, Vicki, and Liz in all their glory. I had tasted Tiffany last night, but it was in the darkness. When I heard a little giggle, I looked down to my left and saw Laura was watching my rapidly rising dick. There was little I could do about what she had seen at that point, but it did change my focus. I traveled around the bed to the other side, to get to Daisy. And yes, I did take full advantage of looking at the females on the bed at the various angles as I moved. Sitting down with my back against the wall, I pulled the curtain aside. "Want to take a walk?" I whispered to her. She glanced over and her eyebrows rose. She smiled, and then whispered back, "I'm sure the girls outside would just love that. Come on, let's go." "Well, you still have a sense of humor I can see. I was thinking of putting on some clothes." "That's no fun!" I stood and then put my hand out for her. She took it and stood. As soon as she did, her eyes took in the room. "You sure got an eye full this morning. Wow, look at those two," Daisy whispered a bit too loudly, as she pointed towards Tiffany and Vicki. Seeing my reaction, Daisy took hold of my rather stiff dick and gave it a squeeze. "I could just lead you around like this. Those girls on the grass would just love to see that." Vicki woke, blinked a couple of times and realized her state. She sat up and looked at me. Her eyes dropped. She started to cover herself, then she started to laugh, seeing what Daisy was holding in her hand. "That conversation wasn't a dream," Vicki said, waking everyone else up. Tiffany rolled over and looked me in the eye. Then she blushed and her eyes dropped as well. She became visibly red all over at that point. "What dream?" Liz asked. "Wasn't a dream," Vicki replied. "Daisy said something about leading Keith down to see the girls on the grass. Now I know what she was talking about." Of course, that got everyone looking. Daisy, rather proud of herself, started stroking me. Liz looked at Tiffany and then Vicki and commented, "You two seem rather comfortable letting Keith see you." "After what Tiffany did?" Vicki joked, causing Tiffany's face to turn a bit more red. "So that gives Tiffany just cause," Liz stated, not letting the topic fade, "but what about you?" "As Kristin so eloquently put it, if we haven't learned to trust him by now..." As this bantering was going on, I had pulled on my clothes from yesterday, and indicated for Daisy to do the same. I was just pulling up my pants when Robin asked what I was doing. "Daisy and I are taking a walk." "Can I..." Laura started to say. No one heard what she was going to say, as Jill pulled her down on the other side of the bed. I couldn't see. I wasn't going to get up from where I was sitting to put on my shoes, and look. Tiffany, who was on the bed, turned to look. She quickly turned back, blushing. "We're going down to the meadow," I said. I then smiled as I added, "'Cause it's the only place I know how to get to, without an escort." As Daisy and I walked out the front door of Upper Hall, there was a collective gasp from the girls on the lawn. I looked over at them and said, "If you hang around here, you will be able to see Tiffany, Vicki, and Liz." They looked puzzled and it dawned on me, so I said, "Miss Howe, Miss Nash, and Miss Patterson." At that point there were squeals of joy. Daisy and I headed down to the meadow. Before we reached the fencing, I asked, "What is bothering you?" "There are a number of things running through my head right now," Daisy responded. "Thoughts of my mother are the most sobering." I led her over to a spot where we could sit. "I never knew it would bother me. Keith, I was married to a man who tried to kill you. Now you have asked me to marry you." I could tell she wasn't expecting me to say anything. At least, not yet. She had more to tell me. "You know, in a way, it is funny. I'm pregnant, with your child, and I have thoughts like that. And thoughts about what the rest of the town going to say." "That one I can answer," I said. She looked surprised. "Oh?" "There was talk about how both Richard and I have more than one wife, but all of the others are not from Carp." "There was talk? Who was talking?" Daisy wanted to know. I grinned and said, "I'll get to that, hold on." "I was, earlier, if you don't remember," she said. "Believe me, I do. So... I wanted to marry you. Richard wanted to marry Dora, and Jack wanted to marry Rebecca." There was a sudden recognition on Daisy's face. Her eyes lit up and she stammered out, "You... I mean you all three asked at the same time? That's what all the clock watching was all about." I nodded, and affirmed, "At the same time. I just hope the other two said 'yes.'" "Keith!" Daisy said as she whacked me in the arm. "Of course they said yes. They have wanted this as much as I did." "I hope you like big weddings, 'cause we're all going to be married at the same time." Daisy grabbed my face and was ready to kiss me when we heard some giggling. I saw Daisy's eyes shift, and widen. She looked back at me as she let go. "Peeping Tom's," I whispered to her, "or would that be peeping... Tomasina's?" "I'm not sure... but they were sure peeping," Daisy whispered back. "Good, now follow my lead," I said feeling full of mischief. I pulled Daisy close to me and kissed her full on the mouth. We both heard gasps. "You go that way, I'm going this way," I said to Daisy as soon as I released her mouth. The two of us jumped up and ran in a circle cutting off the three girls who had snuck up on us. One of the girls was defiant and said, "You kissed her." Her expression told me she couldn't believe it when I replied, "Yes I did. She kisses very nicely." "But you're married!" Turning to Daisy, I winked at her as I asked, "Did you know that?" "Of course. Robin is my best friend. Who do you think I learned to kiss with?" That line of thinking I just had to run with. I turned to the girls and said, "And how do you know so much about kissing? Who, in this all girl's school, are you learning from?" I had to hand it to the defiant one. "Kevin Smith is a man," she said. I chuckled and then said, "Yes, he is. But he's only one, and he isn't here right now. He's on his honeymoon." "He got married?" one of the other girls cried out. "Yes. That is where Grace was. We brought her back." "Who did he marry?" the defiant one asked, this time with a very different tone in her voice. "Dorothy," I replied. I saw her shoulders drop in defeat. The other two girls were silently listening to our exchange. "He will be back when school starts," I said. Defiant looked up at me and said, "He will?" "Did he know you had a crush on him? You know, he thought a lot of girls didn't like him." "He's wrong," she said. "Maybe now that he's married and safe, you can tell him how much he means to you." "Is that what you were doing?" she asked. "Daisy is getting married to a wonderful man," I said and then winked at Daisy (who had a hard time not laughing). "She was having some problems, though. So I told my wife I was going to take a walk with her." The girl looked at Daisy and me. She was young enough to ask a question she shouldn't have. "What sort of problems?" "Daisy's mother died this year. Her father is away, as well." All three girls paled in shock when they heard that. "Now, do you think giving Daisy a kiss, one that my wife would know I'd do under the circumstances, is wrong?" That took them a bit of thought, but in the end they agreed it was fine. I told them Daisy and I weren't finished talking. They got the hint and left us. "You told me three concerns. Now first, you know your mother would be happy. I'm sure you talked with her about this. She talked with me about it." Daisy smiled. "Yes. She was wonderful. I miss her so much." I hugged her tight. "Your father knew, when he went into his rehabilitation program, that he was going to miss this. He wants to be there for you in a real way, not as the shell of a man he had become. I know that you want that for him, too." Daisy cried. "None of us could stop Hank. If he would have taken care of you, like you should have been cared for, we wouldn't be here. Don't waste any more time thinking about him. "You will be in our group. All of us will support you. No one knows exactly how the town might react. We hope that the three simultaneous weddings will solve that. "Is there anything more that is eating at you?" "What about Mary?" she asked. I smiled at her. "She and I have talked. We have at least another week before there is anything to think about." "Another week before her period," Daisy restated. "Yes, and if she has it, then there isn't a baby. If she doesn't, we still don't know for sure. We will need to wait, but we will be thinking about the possibilities." "So... no need to worry, now." "That's what I'm trying to tell you," I said with a half smile on my face. Daisy and I walked back, hand in hand, to Upper Hall. None of the girls paid any heed to us. They were swarming over Vicki, Liz, and Tiffany. Liz gave me a dirty look. I had to laugh; as it must have come out that I told the girls they were here. ------- We were getting on the plane, ready to go back to Carp, when Jill asked if she could sit up front. I thought it was an odd request, as Laura was with us. When Robin said she'd sit with Laura, I knew something was bothering Jill. We had been flying for a good ten minutes before Jill opened up. "Robin told me about the three proposals." "Yes, we thought it would solve a lot of problems," I replied. "I just wasn't ready. I'm not sure I will ever be," Jill stated. I wasn't sure what she was talking about, so I had to ask, "Jill, what aren't you ready for?" "A stepfather." "Oh," I said, so very eloquently. I felt pretty stupid at that point and had many thoughts running through my head. It was a good thing the sky was clear, and where we were going had virtually no traffic. Then a thought struck me. "Jill, do you think that you will be asked to go back and live with your mom?" "Of course." "That isn't going to happen." I could see with my peripheral vision that she had turned and was looking at me. "Why do you think that?" she wanted to know. "For one, I want you with me," I said with a grin. "Then, if you remember, it was Jack who told your mom that I would be the one taking care of you. Do you remember that?" (CH 17) "The day my mom apologized to me? Do you ever think I could forget that? But, Keith, that was for when my mom needed time away." "Jill, you are right. There are some things you may not know. When that happened, Robin and I talked. She asked me what was going to happen after you came back from the school with my sister. I told her I wanted you with us and she said good, 'cause that's where you belonged." I glanced over to her. Jill's eyes were wide, and leaking. As I turned back, she said, "She did? I mean you did?" "Jill, you are growing into a wonderful woman. Your mother is starting a new life. You and your mom need each other for some things, just not the way you used to. Maybe it is time to talk to her about your life. Does she know you plan on going to high school? Does she know you plan to complete those four years of study in just three years? Does she know you are going to become a doctor?" "I don't think so," Jill said rather sadly. "Then it is time to bring your mother back into your life. This time she will be your special friend, the one you should be able to count on for anything. Jill, if you can't build that relationship, why would either one of you want to be in the same house together? You've been apart. Both of you have changed and grown. Now is the time to celebrate with her. She's getting married! She is going to have a baby You should be proud that your mother is happy again. If you act like an adult, she will treat you like one." Jill didn't respond. She didn't need to, at least not to me. I could tell, as I looked over at her, that she was thinking. Time would reveal how things would turn out. ------- When I landed the plane at the mansion's airstrip, the only one to greet us was Katherine. We had left one of the cars there, by the plane, when we had left. Katherine had brought out the other. Unloading our suitcases, we made quick work of getting back to the mansion. Inside, everything was quiet. A bit too quiet. I turned to ask Katharine about it, but found her missing. I wasn't the only one who noticed this. "Where is everyone?" Mary asked. "I don't know. Kenneth, at least, should be running around," I said. That comment made someone giggle, and it wasn't any of us. Our heads turned towards the kitchen. We walked down the hallway and opened the kitchen door, only to see the back door out of the kitchen close. "It appears as though someone is trying to get us to follow," Robin said, with an amused tone. We walked out the back door, to find everyone there, with the addition of Jack, Cynthia, Rebecca, Patrick, Maureen, and Cheryl. "Congratulations!" they shouted. There were many hugs and kisses. I noticed Jill was avoiding her mother. There was nothing I could say, as I would probably have done the same. After talking with in the plane and gauging her reaction, Jill, for once, wanted to think before acting. After a bit, the three newly engaged couples, along with their primary wives, and Patrick, went into the living room. There we talked about how a service could be performed, and most importantly, a date. There were two weddings that needed to precede this one. Brian and Barbara's, and then Patrick and Maureen's. ------- Patrick was making his rounds the next day. Maureen was at his side, as wedding business was on the agenda. He was at Millie's, his other daughter's home. The six of them were in the living room. Bruce and Millie on the couch. Patrick was in one chair with Maureen sitting on the ottoman in front of him. Barbara was sitting on Brian's lap in another chair. Millie was fidgeting. Bruce who had heard of this preposterous idea before was looking at the couple, as though they were still crazy. Patrick was amused, mostly at how his daughter was reacting. Maureen didn't know what to make of this, but kept silent for now. "Barbara, what made you come up with the idea of the water?" Patrick wanted to know. "Brian came up with it. He said it was a good way to honor Richard," She said and then turned to give Brian a little kiss before adding, "plus he said he wanted to make sure I wasn't going to get overheated." "Ah, yes. Brian has always been a thoughtful one," Patrick said, as though he knew. "Now the big question is, how it could be done. Would everyone get into the water?" "Patrick!" Bruce said, "You can't be serious." Arching his eyes, Patrick looked at Bruce as he said, "If I remember right, you were baptized in that very stream." Turning back to the couple, he said, "Now, will everyone get into the water? Is that what you were thinking?" "I don't know," Brian said truthfully. "After you asked that, it does seem a bit strange. If everyone got in..." "There would be a lot of wet people," Millie said. It wasn't meant to be funny, but as soon as she said it they all started to laugh. After things had calmed down, Patrick said, "Maybe it would be best if it was just the wedding party." "If you're serious about this," Bruce said, "we're going to have to pull the wooden slats out and lower the water level. We can't have people floating away." "Good idea," Patrick said. "I'm not sure how that works, but can we make it so that it would be about two feet high?" "I think those boards are about a foot high, so it would be one, two, three, or how it is now at four feet high," Bruce answered. "Dad," Millie jumped in, "it can't be that high. Her dress would be ruined!" "Not if it was shorter like we saw some of those dresses in the pattern book," Barbara said. "Barbara!" Millie said in a shocked tone. "You can't walk around... showing your legs like that!" "Why not?" Barbara asked. Maureen stood. "Did those two show you books that had pictures like that in them?" Barbara was confused. "Cynthia and Rebecca?" "Yes," Maureen said, almost testy. "They showed us catalogs. There were lots of pictures," Barbara said, not knowing why everyone was making such a fuss. Maureen was angry at this type of deception. Something had to be done about this, or the children's lives would be scarred forever. Unnaturally for her, she walked out of Millie's house without saying goodbye. Patrick was as surprised by her action as anyone else. "What was that all about?" Bruce asked. "Don't you worry about her," Millie stated, wanting to smooth over everything. "I'm sure she is just feeling overwhelmed." Then smiling at her father, she added, "She is getting married soon and this conversation was about someone else's wedding, that is going to happen first, may have just thrown her off balance. Patrick rose from his chair. "Maybe I should..." "Dad, she'll be just fine," his daughter said. "You're sure?" he asked. Millie smiled, more inward than showing on her face. This was the first time she could ever remember her father feeling out of place and asking advice from her. It felt good, as though she had finally grown up in his eyes. Silly thought, but plainly true all the same. When there was a knock on the door, a minute later, everyone jumped. "Maybe she came back," Barbara said. "I know I do things and have to go back to where I was." Millie's mouth was twitching, as she tried not to smile at Barbara's comment. She was already up and ready to tell whomever it was to come in, when she saw her father half way to the door. She watched as he opened it and then stepped back. Annabelle and Julie were in the doorway. "Dad! Tell them to come in," Millie said. "Yes, of course," Patrick said, shaking himself from his daze. They walked in, and he walked out, looking up and down the street. There was no sign of Maureen. "Dad, she's fine," Millie said again to him. "Come back inside." He did, but wished he would have not. Bruce looked at Patrick with the same sentiment. The gals were talking about the dresses now and how they could be altered. Annabelle said it should be no problem; she was almost done with them and would just take the hem up. That brought up the idea of a dress for Millie. Annabelle offered and Millie gushed that she would love it, even before the offer was completely out of Annabelle's mouth. They had a good laugh, but decided it meant a trip to see the pattern books again. This time just for ideas, as there wouldn't be time to order a pattern and make a dress before the wedding. Patrick and Bruce were all for it, as they knew the ladies wouldn't want them along. ------- Cynthia looked up at the ceiling, thinking it might just fall in after the front door to the shop opened, and then was slammed shut. Rebecca looked out, from where she was, thinking that the glass might just have broken out, from the force. "You couldn't stop with me?" Maureen shouted at them. "You have to suck Barbara into your sinful ways?" Cynthia looked at Rebecca, completely baffled at this. Cynthia was known for going overboard, but she had no idea what Maureen was talking about. Maureen was incensed when she saw the look the two gave each other. "Don't try and make innocent with me," she fumed. "Barbara is talking about wearing a dress up to her knee... For her wedding!!!" "Her wedding?" Cynthia said in surprise. "You showed her books," Maureen accused. "Pattern books? Is that what you're talking about?" Rebecca answered as she tried to figure out what Maureen was so mad about. "I don't know what kind of books, but they showed dresses that were very, very short." Cynthia furrowed her brow. "Maureen, where did you live, before you came back to Carp?" "What has that got to do with anything?" she asked defensively. Cynthia didn't answer her. Instead she turned and walked across the open sales room to the other side where she picked up three magazines. Bringing them back, she handed them to Maureen. "There is Life and Look. If you don't know, they're nationwide magazines and have some great photographs in them. I keep up with a lot of what goes on in the world with these. Thumb through them and tell me what you see about what people are wearing." "Just look that this," Maureen said as she glanced at the cover of the July 6th issue of Look. "Wine Women and Words. How disgraceful. This is nothing but trash." "That issue has an article on how to adopt a baby," Cynthia said softly. The words, and how they were said, hit Maureen like a ton of bricks. She was well aware that Cynthia could never have children. In this town the sensitivity to that problem was very high. "Oh," she said. Then to try and make amends, she looked for a chair and added, "Maybe I should just have a look, then." There were several minutes of silence while Maureen opened the July 12th issue of Life. Its front cover had a caption of 'Small town girl.' Looking at the table of contents, she flipped to an article: 'Dame of Stark's daughter is wed.' After looking at the article, as well as the advertising along the way, Maureen set that one down. Not wanting to open the Look magazine yet, she flipped open the brand new August 9th issue to find two articles of interest. British weddings brighten the social season and FDR's granddaughter takes a husband. Maureen became so engrossed in the articles, that she didn't hear the shop door open, or the people enter. That was until a shadow fell across her. She looked up to see Barbara standing in front of her. Maureen's eyes widened as she realized Millie, Annabelle, and Julie were also there. Barbara had a puzzled look on her face, as she asked, "You left so you could look at these magazines?" Maureen put her hand out, and Barbara took hold of it. "No," Maureen said, but didn't know how to say why she had left so abruptly. Millie came up and asked, "You were bothered by the skirt length?" Maureen blushed, nodded, and answered, "Yes." Then she added, "It seems a bit silly now, doesn't it? Look at these styles. It makes me feel very sheltered." Maureen turned the magazine around to show a picture. Barbara looked at Cynthia and said, "I guess you didn't show her the other one." "What other one?" Maureen wanted to know. Barbara ran over to where Cynthia had picked up the magazines. Shuffling through them she picked one up and was grinning like a fool as she brought it back. Cynthia groaned. Rebecca was sure she knew the one Barbara had picked up and when she saw the cover, it was confirmed. "Barbara!" Maureen exclaimed when she saw it. "She's nude!" "Oh, really," Barbara scoffed. "They can't show a naked woman on the cover of a magazine. She has a bathing suit on." Maureen grabbed the magazine out of Barbara's hands. "July 19th. Just a week after the small town girl and they show this!" she said, in a manner that suggested something was wrong, but Maureen's eyes were betraying her speech as she studied the cover. Cynthia, wishing to change the subject, asked, "Were you looking for something, or someone?" "I'm just about done with Barbara and Julie's dresses and I said I'd make one for Millie, as things have changed." "Changed?" Rebecca entered into the conversation. "I'm going to be married in the stream," Barbara said. ------- We were downstairs in the school library. It was much cooler than the upstairs rooms, especially in the evening. Once the women had their men seated in the center of the library area, we heard the distinct click of a lock. "What was that?" I asked. Robin smiled and said, "Liz just locked us in, so we won't be disturbed." She also added, "The last people must be here, now." Richard and I looked at each other. Jack, Richard Patrick and I thought it was a wedding planning session. That sort of thing had become rather the norm, recently. It was no surprise that Cynthia and Rebecca went with Jack. Robin was with Daisy and me. Richard was with Katy and Dora. Patrick was a bit surprised that both Maureen and Cheryl showed up to escort him to the meeting. The doctor and his wife came around a set of bookshelves that hid the doorway. All of the men knew this was not the meeting they thought it was going to be. "This has to do with sharing our semen, doesn't it?" I asked. "Robin!" Katy said. "I didn't say a word," she defended herself. "You ladies didn't pick the right area to talk about this," Richard said. "When I was with the boy scouts, I overheard most of the conversation." (CH 114) "Do you mind telling me what is going on?" Patrick asked. "I'd like to know as well." Jack said. I waved my hands to the gals and said, "It's your show." I could tell they were a bit upset that we had upstaged them. Personally I didn't feel bad about that at all. I also thought that our friendly doctor hadn't said a word yet. I looked over to him. He caught my glance and gave me a bit of a smile. It told me there were no secrets in that household. After the males in the room got the female reasoning of what they would be comfortable with, it was our turn to speak. "I'm still mulling over some of my own thoughts about this, but in the mean time," Jack said to the doctor, "can you tell us how this would work? I mean what are the mechanics of it all? It just seems a bit odd to me." "The only way to get a random sample, as it looks like the ladies want, is to do this. The women who are looking to get pregnant would all need to show up. They would be in one place. Then we would be in another. We would need to... Um... extract our samples. Then they would be mixed and filled into the same number of syringes as we have ladies. Each one of them would then get an injection, so to speak. Now before you ask, there would be no needles on the syringes. We would use them solely as a convenience, as it would be easier to get the semen into the right place." "How many women are we talking about?" I asked. "Six," Patrick answered and then looked at the gals to see if they knew something he didn't. "With five of us and six women, would there be enough?" Jack asked. "More than enough to do the job, Jack," William answered. "I just had a funny thought," Richard said. We all looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "So say," Richard looked at Maureen, "your sister gets pregnant and the semen is from Keith. Now Keith has a kid with Daisy here." Daisy giggled and said, "I hope so." "What's so funny about that?" Maureen wanted to know. "When they grow up, if they fell in love," Richard looked at me and grinned mischievously as he went on, "it would be like falling in love with your own sister." Maureen gasped. Cynthia looked startled. Thelma looked at Richard and shook her head. "I thought that had already been done." He laughed. "Yes, that's what I found amusing, but at least they knew." "Richard," William said, "there has been a lot of research about inbreeding. Most of what we think we know is hogwash. I recently read an article about the Alaskan people. Many live in villages that have been closed off to outsiders for several generations. Inbreeding was, well just like here in Carp, a way to continue life. In those studies, there were no abnormalities found. What it boils down to is religious and political control more than fact." There was a pause in the conversation; until Patrick said what I think was on all of the male minds. "I believe I understand how you females feel about knowing that any of the males here fathered a child in another woman. Having that unknown factor is your way of making the situation bearable." Patrick looked around the room before continuing. "Knowing that I might have created life, but not knowing for sure, is almost the reverse of what you are feeling. I would be left to wonder. Left to watch the children growing up around me; thinking, isn't that one just like me? I'm not sure what to do with that feeling." "We need to think about this some more," I said. "The women have voiced their opinions and concerns. Now we need to think about this and see if there are ways to make this work. I know all of us are painfully aware of the situation that is in front of us. Maybe it would be best if, just as Patrick did, we open our feelings up so that both males and females can understand what is going on. We all have our way of looking at things, but solutions can be worked out best if everyone sees all the sides." "Well put, Keith," William said. "If anyone has specific questions about the mechanics, I will be glad to answer them. I know it is a touchy area and I am not used to talking about this openly, but I will for everyone's sake." ------- As we walked out of the school building I saw Jill and her horse. She dismounted as soon as she was in front of us. "Mom," Jill said, "we need to talk." Rebecca smiled, hearing Jill call her 'Mom' but she looked over to Jack. Jill saw the glance and said, "Mom, we need to talk... now. If my future stepfather doesn't agree then I guess I'll need to have a talk with him first." Everyone had stopped their conversations as Jill was talking. Jack, being called a future stepfather, looked a bit shocked. "Coming, Mother?" Jill said as she put out her hand. ------- Chapter 122 Rebecca was still trying to grasp the idea of what her daughter had said, when they sat down on a bench in the park. "Keith told me I needed to talk with you. I have avoided doing so, but it is eating me up inside," Jill said. "Honey, does this have to do with me getting married?" Rebecca asked. "Yes, Mom. I want you to know how I feel. I need to know what you are thinking. We need to talk about this. You are still my mother, even if I'm not living with you." "You could come and live with me, I think," Rebecca said, although she didn't know if it would be all right. "Mom, this is what I'm trying to tell you. I don't want to. I want to stay out with Keith, Robin, and the rest of everyone. I like being there. To me, that has become home. You don't live in our old house any more either. But Mom, I want us to be... well... better than we were. I'm torn, feeling I want to be with Keith and Robin as well as the rest of them, but I still need a mom." "Do you want me to be that for you?" Rebecca asked, uncertain about her position. Jill looked at her mom in shock. "Mom! How can you say that?" "I know that Liz looked after you while you were at that school. You came back very different." Jill knew this was true. Liz had been a sort of mother figure, at times. She was a lot more than that though, and those special times... like learning about the chocolate room... was what had changed her. She unconsciously smiled, thinking about some of the 'other' special times as well. "I can see from your smile," Rebecca said. "You are thinking about Liz." It hadn't been said in a nasty tone, as might have happened not that long ago. Jill wondered if there wasn't a touch of sadness in her voice. "Mom, Liz and I have shared some very special times together. She will always be in my heart. But she isn't my mother, you are. She held me as I cried on Mother's Day. It was the first time I had ever spent that day away from you. You held me when Daddy died. I still need you, but I don't need you in the same way as I used to need you, when I was a child. I think that may be good for both of us." Rebecca was surprised at Jill's last statement. "Why is that, Honey?" "Mom... you're pregnant. You're getting married. Your life is changing. Where do I fit in with all of those changes?" Jill asked and before Rebecca could try and answer her, she went on. "I don't want to fit in with that. I have seen how you, Jack, and Cynthia are. It works for you, I guess, but that isn't what I want. I don't need a stepfather. I have Keith and Richard to be father figures for me, when I need that. I appreciate how they listen to me. On top of that, you are going to have a child. I don't want to take time away from that." Rebecca was unsure of what to say, but she needed to ask, "What do you want, then?" Jill looked into her mother's eyes. This was the part she had dreaded saying the most, in all the planning she had done to get up the nerve to talk with her mother. "I want you to be the mom that is my very special friend. You know things about me that no one else knows. No one can ever take that away from us. I want you to be there for me, when I need you. Mom, what I don't need is for you to see me as your little girl who needs mothering. I've grown up. What I need is advice." ------- With weddings that are planned, there are logistics to work out. The biggest detail in Brian and Barbara's case was the stream. Richard and Bruce had gone downtown earlier in the day, to pull up the boards that were on the far end of the swimming area, which were used as a dam. Removing them would lower the water. This had to be done in stages, so the rush of water downstream wouldn't cause problems. Bruce and Richard decided it was time to go back and pull a second set of boards. The two men were surprised when Jimmy and Brian told them they had something else they needed to take care of, as they had been very fascinated by the force of the water when they saw the first boards pulled out. The four walked downtown, but when they got to the park, next to the pool, Jimmy and Brian went up towards the bridge, while Bruce and Richard continued over to the pool. As Richard and Bruce pulled the second board out, they saw a small board with a cord attached being pulled over the waterway. Echoing from under the bridge, Bruce and Richard heard Brian yelled out, "No!" Then they saw Jimmy jump into the water, and try to catch something. That 'something' was coming towards them, rapidly. Bruce nearly jumped over the side of the little board dam. Richard looked closer, and laughed. Kenneth and Kristina who were downtown with their mother, had ended up at the park. They went to the water's edge to see what was going on at the pool. They saw something that they couldn't understand and they both screamed their heads off. Floating down the stream was what looked like a very big fish. Richard had seen a shark before. He knew this was somewhat how they looked in the drawings that were in the school's encyclopedia, but it wasn't quite right. Richard reached out and picked up the object. It had, apparently, been attached to the board. The cord that was hooked in front still had a pull from the current rushing over the spillway. Richard looked up and saw the two boys looking from the bridge. He walked with it to the shore, with Bruce a few feet behind him. The 'shark' had been made out of bark and scrap lumber. It was crude, when you took a good look at it; but it made Richard realize how ingenuous those two were. Bruce, on the other hand, was furious at Brian and Jimmy for scaring Kenneth and Kristina. ------- Katherine had her mouth open; she couldn't believe how calm William was. They had failed their certification. Failed! As soon as the inspectors had driven off, William took Katherine by the hand and led her back into his office. "It looks to me that you are in a state of shock," William said. "I've never worked in a place that failed their inspection." "That is probably because you didn't know that this was... well sort of set up." Katherine looked suspiciously at William, as she said, "What do you mean, sort of set up? You knew you were going to fail? You wanted this?" "Have a seat, Katherine." She did and William continued, "Tell me, what is the one aggravating thing in this town that could cause medical problems?" Katherine thought about that. She wasn't sure what William was alluding to. "I'm not sure," She answered. "Do you remember when Barbara had a problem," William said as he cleared his throat, "with the onslaught of her period? Or how about when Cheryl smacked Patrick upside the head?" Katherine couldn't help but chuckle at that, now that it was well in the past. "The phone," she said. "You know Keith and Richard have been working their tails off trying to get the phone company to move. Jack has tried as well. We know the school needs a phone." "And so do we," Katherine said jumping in. "Yes. You probably don't realize, but the mine has been using radio communication, as there is no phone system out there. They are getting a bit frustrated. The radio communication doesn't cost much, but it's not a secure line. Everything confidential had to be put in writing and sent by mail. It is a slow process." "Is that why the clinic got built a little faster than you told me it would?" Katherine asked. William smiled. "I received word that it was going to be moved up in the schedule, but to know that there were political reasons surrounding it. I had little to do with us not passing. From what I understand, we had no chance at all." "So I worried for nothing." "Oh no, I wouldn't say that. Katherine, those poor inspectors know we should have passed with flying colors. As soon as we have a phone line in this clinic, they probably won't even show back up." "So..." Katherine said as she was mulling the idea in her head, "we passed, but failed at the same time." "Pretty much. Now, how much pressure do you think the phone company is going to get? Memco now has power behind their demands for phone lines." "I guess we all benefit from that." "Yes," William said, his eyes changed focus as he looked out his office door into the front. "It is a shame we can't use this place until the certificate shows up." "Do you know how long that is going to be?" Katherine asked. William grinned. "Knowing how much pressure Memco can put on another company, I'd give it less than three weeks." ------- The morning of Brian and Barbara's wedding started very early, and our house was a chaotic mess. Richard and I had the sense to pull Jimmy and Kenneth out of there. We found a refuge by busying ourselves with another task. We drove downtown, and took our time bringing the school bus back. It was the best way we could think to transport everyone at the same time. As the four of us from the Mansion returned, Katherine and Jill greeted us. I somehow knew that spelled trouble. Apparently there was one thing we forgot when we left. How much wood the fire could consume trying to heat all the hot water needed for everyone to have a bath that morning. We were put to work carrying more into the kitchen. One very nice benefit of all that burning wood was that the baking was ahead of schedule. It was a good thing that Richard and I were not put in charge of the sequence of events that had to happen in the kitchen. There had been a lot of planning that went into that. All the gals had been given tasks, in order of time to completion. When they were done, they started to clean up. I knew I would never have thought about how hot the kitchen was going to get. Anyone working in the kitchen needed a bath afterwards. At eleven thirty we were on the bus. The smell of the baked goods drove us crazy. Richard pulled the bus up, across the street from the park. Although Richard instinctively opened the bi-fold doors, no one moved. We were looking out the windows. Millie had been concerned that not many people would show up, as Brian was young and Barbara was with child. She was clearly dead wrong. Everyone from town was there, making us feel late! I even saw a few people I recognized from Angle City. As I got up and took Robin's hand to exit the bus, I thought that made sense. Barbara was from Angle City, and even if her father was a recluse, I had heard her mother had been well liked. Unlike Kevin and Dorothy's wedding, there were no chairs to sit on. Everyone stood, dressed in their Sunday best. We saw Jimmy and Brian pulling a wooden box over to one side before things were to get under way. Katy tensed up; hearing of the shenanigans the two had been up to with the pretend shark. Richard had the job of calming her down. After it was somewhat stable, Jimmy held onto it, while giving a hand to Brian as he got on top of it. Everyone could see Brian at that point. He was shaking a bit as he pulled out a piece of paper from his pants pocket. All except the few, and there are always a few, quieted down. "I know," Brian started, "that some of you have heard that Barbara and I are doing something strange." He grinned and then went on. "Not the getting married part!" That had a few people chuckling. "We are going to be standing in the water when we get married. I wanted everyone to know why. I am marrying Barbara today, but there is a man who..." Brian stopped as he was getting choked up. After a pause, he started again. "Richard saved my life. This water and the plaque here in this pool, remind me of the connection Barbara and I have to him. So while it may seem strange to some, it means a lot to me." It wasn't the most eloquent of speeches. He was only twelve. He had spoken from the heart, though, and that was what counted. In just the same way that the number of people who came shocked Millie, they all shocked us once again, by starting to remove their shoes and socks. Men were rolling up their pant legs, women were hiking up their dresses. Brian had not mentioned that only the wedding party was expecting to be in the water. Patrick, seeing the change in plans, took hold of Brian and Jimmy and pulled them to the far side of the pool. We all walked in, and soon the entire pool floor was filled with people. From the morning's incident, and because of talk of Dorothy and Kevin's wedding, an addition to the ceremony had been added. Kenneth and Kristina were asked to be in the wedding also. Brian and Jimmy's 'shark' had been turned into a useful tool after all. Once the top was pulled off, it became a good place for Kenneth to securely sit in the water. Kristina, older but still small, was not about to be 'helped' by some wooden raft. Katherine was a bit concerned; until Robin pointed out that Kristina would most likely model her actions as flower girl, after what had been done at Kevin and Dorothy's wedding, and she would end up in my arms. How Robin knew that was exactly where Kristina was going to head, as soon as she got down the aisle, dropping petals into the water along the way is still a mystery to me. I just knew that at one moment I was looking and waiting, the next I had a half wet girl in my arms and a rather smug looking Robin next to me. At least I wasn't part of the wedding party, this time. Julie and Barbara were in the back, with Julie ready to walk when I saw her turn and a startled expression fill her face. Liz, who was on the other side of me, used me as leverage to look to see where Julie was staring. I felt Liz drop back down as she snorted. Then as needing to explain herself, she explained, whispering in my ear making this a private conversation, "Julie just saw, what Tiffany described to me as the two Angle City bullies." I was a bit surprised and looked over to Liz. She went on, "I'll bet Barbara is almost ready to faint, seeing them here. From what Tiffany said, though, they can't figure out what they might have missed in Barbara. I think they are very curious. Now seeing Julie as the Maid of Honor, they have a lot to figure out." "So they aren't going to cause any trouble?" I whispered back, as that was my biggest concern. Liz smiled. "Not likely. They have been down at the school helping." "Helping?" "Tiffany says they drool all the time when she talks to them." I had to laugh. "I can believe that! They aren't the only ones." Liz poked me in the side and admonished, "Behave. Julie was almost down to the front where Patrick, Brian, and Jimmy were standing. She looked over to me and I gave her a big smile. She grinned. I saw her relax, and she walked the rest of the way. Looking to the back, I could see Richard. He bent down and gave Barbara a hug. The two then started to walk up front. It wasn't until then, when I saw it, that I could appreciate what Daisy had said to me about her father not being there for her wedding. This part, the giving away part, had to be the hardest for Barbara. I was glad Richard had such a good relationship with both of them at this point. He was the only one who could at least try and fill the shoes of the man who should have been there for her. When they got to the front, Richard took her veil, pulled it back and then gave her a kiss. I think everyone could see the tears running down Barbara's face as that happened. Richard took Barbara's hand and then placed it into Brian's hand. Richard then took his hand and wiped away her tears, gave her a kiss on the cheek again, and then took his place by Katy. As services go, there wasn't much different in this one. Learning from Kevin and Dorothy's wedding, the rings that Kenneth had were tied securely. No one wanted to go 'fishing' for them this time. Jimmy, at the appropriate time, pulled out his Boy Scout pocketknife with pride. Cutting the tie that held the rings in place, he handed them to Patrick. When everyone had entered the water, the slow movement of the wedding party walking up to the front had cause little disturbance to the water. Now, after the pronouncement of man and wife, Barbara was exuberant and took Brian along with her, practically running up the aisle. The waves that action caused splashed up onto people's clothing. In their excitement, they too jumped creating more splashing water. Soon everyone was running to the grass. Had it been a somber occasion, complaints might have been heard. There was, though, a good deal of laughter going on. Food appeared from everywhere. Kristin was on one side of me at this point, Robin on the other. "It does look a bit funny," Kristin said, "that everyone has left their clothing up." "Probably because it got wet," Robin replied. "I can't ever remember seeing anything like this before." I sort of smiled as we gazed around at the crowd. As we were silent, all three of us picked up different conversations. "Frank, don't you dare look at that woman's ankles again." "I wasn't looking!" "Don't you be telling fibs, I saw your eyes." "Lord gave them to me, what can I do?" "He gave them to you to appreciate me." "If you pull your skirt up a bit..." A purse was swung and the three of us snorted, trying not to laugh out loud. "Just look at those girls, surely their skirts are dry by now. They are keeping them up, showing parts of their legs that just isn't proper." "Well, look at the bride. How Millie ever let that happen is beyond me." "I'd have never believed it myself, if it hadn't been the magazines." "What are you talking about?" "Magazines? What are those?" "They are... Well like a cross between a newspaper and a book I guess. In the dress shop they had some." "Cynthia and Rebecca's store?" "Do they have that open yet?" "I don't think they could see enough to make it worth their time." "It's where the fabric for Barbara, Julie, Millie, and Annabelle's dresses came from." "Oh, well. Now that's different, if they can order fabric." "They also have a pattern book." "Do say?" "Wonder if she'd let us look." "It's Sunday, but if we just looked..." "Barbara, you look..." "Thank you. I didn't expect to see you two here." "Boys, don't crush your hats now. They're meant for your head, not mangling in your hands." "Yes, ma." "We came up, 'cause..." "Ma made us." "I did what? Barbara don't you listen to a word these two tell you." "I think it is very nice. Maybe they know what it means to me, to see them here. Not that I'd tell anyone to embarrass them about it." "Barbara, you are the sweetest girl. Well, now I guess that is woman. My boys should pay attention to that. Don't you think?" "Yes, Ma." "Frank!" Whack! "Ow!" "Isn't that the second time I've seen you do that? What is he doing?" "You'd never believe. His eyes can't seem to keep off the flesh that is being displayed." "Frank, have you been looking at woman's ankles? Here, let's leave poor Frank for a minute while I pull you over here. We're going to get Cynthia to open her store." "Are you mad? It's Sunday. We can't shop on a Sunday!" "Don't worry, we're not going to shop, just look. I think you'll understand a bit more." "Just look?" "Yes, only look." "Well, I guess that would be fine. I've wanted to see what was going on in there, but just couldn't get myself to go. A group of us will be better." "What do you think is in there?" Robin looked at me and grinned. I could almost tell what she was thinking. I felt sorry for Cynthia, almost. There had been several things that had run through Robin's head. Only one of which I had considered. I saw her walk over to her grandfather and was amused as I watched her captivate his entire perception. He didn't see the group of women surround Cynthia and Rebecca, or them leaving the park to walk up the street. I had to stop myself from laughing out when five minutes later Robin pulled Patrick over to us. "Have you seen Maureen?" Robin asked, a gleam in her eye. "I think I saw her," I replied, not giving anything away. "Now that I think of it, I haven't seen her in the past half hour. Where could she have gone?" Patrick asked, as though he just suddenly missed her. "Oh, I wouldn't worry," Kristin said with a chuckle. "She might just see something that could interest you later." "Kristin," Patrick said, "could you be a bit clearer? Do you know where my fiancee is?" With a straight face, Kristin replied, "With Cynthia, and a number of others... in the dress shop." Patrick looked horrified and took off in a full run. "Kristin," Robin said. "What's wrong with my dad?" Katy wanted to know, walking up to us and stopping her daughter from finishing. "He just found out that his fiancee is in Cynthia's dress shop." "On a Sunday?" Robin, Kristin, and I started laughing so hard that we couldn't tell Katy what was so amusing, for several minutes. ------- The door flew open. Its rattle startled everyone who was there. They stopped mid-stream and looked, as an out of breath Patrick stood in the doorway. "What is going on here?" he said as soon as he caught his breath. Cynthia, not fully understanding the question, said, "They wanted to see what was in the store. None of them, except Maureen had been in here." Rebecca quickly added, "Patrick, they are only looking. We know they can't purchase anything. It is Sunday after all." Once the confrontation had happened, the explanation given, Patrick found himself wondering what to do next. It was worse than he could have imagined. "Patrick, have you seen this magazine... Life? What do you think of the length of dresses? Is this appropriate now-a-days?" Glancing over to Maureen, he saw a look he had seen before. One he'd seen his granddaughter give to her husband on several occasions. The times he had seen it before, he thought it funny. That 'I'm interested in how you're going to get out of this one' look. Now that he was the recipient, it didn't feel so funny. "Come, sit down, Patrick," Maureen said, with a smile. "Then you can see what they are talking about and give your answer. ------- "Do you think Patrick saw?" Pamela asked. She had her arm though Jimmy's and had been at his side ever since the ceremony was over. "See what?" Brian and Barbara asked at the same time, causing them to look at each other and grin. "Julie." Barbara's eyes popped open, and then she stammered, "You saw?" "I was looking, wondering if she was going to." "She didn't say them out loud," Barbara said. "Her mouth moved, in time with yours," Pamela said. Then to Brian, she asked, "How long does she have to wait?" "Her mom says when she's thirteen." Pamela sighed and looked into Jimmy's eyes, "I wish I was thirteen." ------- I got through to Robin that she was being extra horny, so were all the rest of the gals. It happens at weddings I had explained. She smiled at me and asked me what the problem with that was. It was about then I pointed out Pamela. "Do you have any more of those things?" Robin asked me. "I think they are going to need one." "I have a few left. I hope the ones the doctor ordered for me come in soon, though." Robin giggled. "You just want to be able to get into Stephanie's pants." I tried to swat her bottom, but she darted away from me. "What was that about?" Richard asked seeing Robin laughing as she weaved her way through the festivities. "Looks like Jimmy is going to have a busy night," I answered. Richard scanned, saw the group, and answered, "It looks like it. How much does Laura do with them?" Surprised, I looked over to see her as an addition to the group. "I think I need to talk with Jill." In a change of topic, he asked right before I walked away, "Is everything set up with Bruce and Millie?" I nodded to him and went to find Jill. ------- There wasn't a good place to go and hide for a private conversation. After the wedding, people were everywhere downtown. Then as though a light went off in my head, I knew the perfect place. Getting the key to one of the few locked doors in Carp was tricky, but I hoped not too difficult. Jill thought it a bit strange to take a circumvented walk with me, but did so without too much fuss. When I pulled out the key and opened the door to the clinic, Jill's eyes just about popped out of her head. "How did you get the key?" she asked. "I asked for it," I answered with a little grin. "Oh you," she said, but entered quickly. I closed and locked the door behind me. She glanced, noticing that quickly, but her mind was filled more in looking at the clinic. There had been pieces she had missed, and it had been closed up after the inspection. He eyes were roaming to see what was new. I let her look and take in all she could. We moved from the waiting room and past the front desk, to the first of two rooms set up for patients. I noticed she didn't look into William's office. Maybe because a doctor's office was private, or more likely there wasn't anything fun in there. The x-ray room in the back wasn't of great interest either. The room we were standing in was. It had a table, much like what was on the plane, but on a grander scale. It gave me inspiration. As Jill opened cabinets and drawers, not touching, but looking, I hatched my plan. She was preoccupied and I carefully opened the drawer that mirrored the one on the plane. It held just what I wanted. Jill turned as she heard the clank of metal. "Keith! What are you doing?" "I thought, as we're in here," I said and gave her a smile. "Have you seen one of the women have an exam?" I had set the uprights and now placed the horizontal piece of the right stirrup in place. "Keith!" "You're not interested?" "In you giving me an exam? You don't know what you'd be doing." "Oh, I was thinking of doing it all by feel." Jill blushed very nicely. "But —" I could tell her resolve was going away rapidly. "Plus, it looks like this table is just about at the right height," I said as I moved directly at the end and gave a few pelvic thrusts to emphasize the meaning." That got a small moan from Jill. Then I pulled out the last stop. The doctor had told me, and the reason for giving me the key, was that the shipment had arrived. I put up my finger to signal one minute and walked out of the room. Running into the doctor's office, I grabbed the box from where he said it would be and was pulling it open as I walked back into the room where Jill stood. She saw, as I opened the box and pulled one of the square packets out, that I was very prepared. Playing the game, she asked, "Doctor, how do you want me?" "Ohhhh," I groaned at the double meaning of what she's just said. Apparently that was as much playing as she could manage, for the next moment she was pulling her clothes off. Buck naked and lying on the table, she looked at me. "Are you going to use those?" Jill asked, referring to the stirrups. "The first time I saw them I got hard. Yes I'm going to use them!" I'm not sure what Jill expected, but from her reaction, it wasn't for me to get down on my knees and use my mouth. "God, Keith! I feel so exposed." I thought that a bit amusing, but knew that this was not the time to say something wrong. So instead of responding, I dove in and used my tongue until she reached down to pull me into her as far as she could. When she slumped back in exhausted, satisfied, orgasmic bliss, I stood. Slipping on the rubber, I didn't wait. Jill arched her back and then looked at me with wide-open eyes as soon as I slid into her. Then she started to cry. "Jill, what's wrong?" I said, concerned. I felt myself softening, thinking I might have hurt her. "No!" she cried out. "Keep it hard." "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" "Keith, nothing is wrong." "Then the tears?" "I'm smothered in chocolate and it tastes soooo good." It was a good thing I had an idea of this 'chocolate' business, or I'd have been completely lost. The last statement, though, more in the way it was said than the words themselves, brought my friend back to life. Jill felt it and said, "Oh goody!" That did it. I took hold of her legs, which were on each side of me, and started sliding in and out. Jill began moaning almost instantly. I was getting a good rhythm with her and she looked at me, staring at her. "Bet you can't wait to get Robin in this thing." "Jill!" I cried out. I hadn't wanted to go off so fast, but the thought of Robin up there... I couldn't stop. After holding on to her legs, I staggered back. Only then did I realize that I had completely lost it. Jill had been a secondary partner at that point. I dropped to my knees and feasted on her. "Keith!" she cried out when she felt my mouth attack her. "Oh, OH!" She pushed me away, after the fourth orgasm. I stood and she had this contented look on her face. Her eyes looking at my face, then down my body. Her smile grew and then her body shook as she started to laugh. I looked at her questioningly. "It's still on you," she said. Looking down, there it was. Hanging and looking limp and wasted. Caught on the head with the reservoir full, it was ready to fall and make a mess any moment. I reached for it and pulled it off. "Someday, Keith." I looked at Jill in surprise. "It will be years. High school, and then college, first. When I come back, I will want it. Want your child," she said. "Only if you want," I replied, knowing that things can happen in that amount of time. "There will be no other man for me," Jill said in a statement as though it were engraved in stone. It probably didn't help that she was still in the stirrups and I couldn't help but stare. Wanting to change the subject, I brought up the one I had originally wanted to get Jill alone and talk about. I also helped her down, knowing I could concentrate better if such a vision of loveliness wasn't in front of my eyes. "Jill," I started and then chuckled, "I think you may well know that weddings can get people horny." That made her laugh. "Yes." "I was watching Pamela and Jimmy, thinking that they would need a rubber for tonight. The looks they were giving each other would give a dead man a hard dick." "I'm not sure it's just the wedding, but yes, I can see if they turned up the heat any more..." "That's the next point. Laura." "Laura?" "She wandered over to Jimmy and Pamela. I know some things have gone on between the three of them." "You hear a lot, don't you?" "It is my duty to do so." "Duty?" "In Pamela's case, yes. Of course there is my love for her that goes way beyond duty. For the rest, it is precautionary." "Sorry. Yes, I know how much Pamela means to you," Jill said and then wondered out loud, "Laura..." "She hasn't..." I tried to get out. "Hasn't?" Jill asked, not letting me off the hook. "Had a man, well boy inside her, has she?" "No. I'm sure of that." "Fear stopping her?" "Is that a whole box of those?" Jill said. When I nodded, she went on, "Maybe I should keep one for Laura, just in case." "I think that would be a good idea. You could help her." "Help her!" "Ask Robin about her first time." "With Kristin," Jill said as though in a day dream thinking about something she had been told before. Then snapping out of it, Jill looked at me. "You didn't mind?" I rolled my eyes. "Jill, let's think about that for just a moment. If Jimmy and Pamela were there with Laura, all of them would be in the buff. Now the biggest problem Jimmy would face, if you were there, would be not to shoot off too fast." "Keith!" "You don't think he thinks you're... well, 'sexy as anything'?" "Keith!" Jill said again, blushing heavily this time. "So," I said pretending not to notice, "if it were to happen, ask Pamela to suck Jimmy off and then get him hard again. That will work for everyone." "I can just see myself asking Pamela to do that!" "Jill, don't get so... old on me." "Old!" I laughed. "For one, I told Jimmy to do that sort of thing." "You did?" "You saw, and I'm sure felt, when I exploded. I meant to keep it going in you for a while longer. You said something and I couldn't help it. Guys are that way and the younger they are, the less control they have. It is important to Laura for her to have a good first time. You can make sure of that. Be there for her. I know she would want you there." "You're right. Maybe I need two of those." "Two?" I asked surprised. "Jealous?" "You mean one's for you?" Jill giggled. "No, silly. Didn't I just tell you that you are the only man for me? I could show it to Laura, so she'd understand." "Oh, ok." There was a devious smile that washed over Jill's face. "I might just need that dildo as well." I groaned. "I'll tell you all about it, if you give it to me." "Jill!" She laughed, knowing she was teasing me unmercifully. ------- A lot of people had left the park. By now it was mid afternoon and getting downright hot. The people who were still there were in the water, keeping their feet cool if nothing else. "There you are," Millie said as soon as Jill and I walked back onto the grass. "We've been waiting for you." "Waiting?" several others questioned. "Bruce hooked the wagon up and is ready to take the..." Millie almost slipped out the word 'kids' but recovered just in time, "newlyweds on a wagon ride. It's a shame, as Richard should be around for this too." "Where did he go?" I asked, looking around. Jill gave me a smile and said she was off to find Laura. Katy, who had been drawn into the conversation, said in disgust, "He said he had to look for something on the plane. He's known when their wedding was going to be." "Let's go out there and pick him up," I said winking to Katy. She smiled, thinking there must be a nice wedding present for Brian and Barbara on the plane. "I'll get Robin to go with us as well. I'm not going to be the only couple out there," I said. We said some goodbyes. Dora had already talked to Richard and was going to drive the bus back with everyone, so that was settled. Bruce took a gentle slow ride out. It was nice, but a bit hot out in the sun. None too soon we arrived at the plane. The stairs were in place and the upper door was open. We called for Richard, but he didn't answer. Everyone looked at me, but I just shrugged my shoulders. "Come on then," Katy said jumping off the wagon. "Let's go find out what this is all about." Katy went up the stairs first. Barbara and Brian were next. I got Robin in front of me, so I was the last. Robin figured out the reason I did that was to fondle her ass, which I did with joy. As soon as we stepped inside, Millie and Bruce pulled the stairs away. Robin noticed. "Why are they doing that?" "Doing what?" Barbara wanted to know. "Bruce and Millie just pulled the stairs away. Keith, what's going on?" I closed the outside door and latched it. Turning back around I said, "Take your seats everyone, the trip is about to begin." "Trip!" I heard from four voices. "Sit down," I said, gesturing my hands towards the seats. Richard came out from the cockpit and nodded to me that everything was ready. Brian and Barbara were excited about something happening. Robin and Katy sat reluctantly. This was staged so that Bruce could get the wagon and horses away from the plane before we started the engines. "Robin," I said, "do you remember at Kevin and Dorothy's wedding, you told me that I was to surprise you?" It took just a few moments then her face lit up. "What's going on?" Katy asked. "A honeymoon!" Robin exclaimed. ------- Even over the pestering, Richard and I didn't divulge where we were heading. Brian and Barbara could have cared less. The idea that they were going somewhere special, and not back to their parent's house for the night, was beyond their wildest dreams. Robin had been with me on this trip before and as soon as she saw the water, she was bouncing in her seat. "It's Long Beach isn't it?" she called up to the cockpit in anticipation. Before I could answer her, she asked the second question, "Are we going to see Sharin and Mike?" "Yes to both, now let Richard land this beast," I called back. "By the way, it's time to fasten those seat belts again." As soon as we had landed and taxied over to where Mike's uncle had his flying school, we could see the happy couple waiting for us. It was nice to be at a real airport, where they had metal stairs on wheels. The first thing that Barbara did when she stepped out the door was to put her nose up and smell. The ocean was something she had never experienced and the salty moist sensation was very different to her. There were hugs all around and a bit of explaining to do to Mike. He hadn't been told the whole story on the newlyweds. Our arrangements now made a lot of sense to him, as he hadn't understand why a newly wedded couple would want two other couples to share their honeymoon with them. Being young, it would be easier to slip by everyone's eyes this way and not make anyone embarrassed. The next question was transportation. Mike handed me a set of keys and said, "It's yours to borrow for the next few days. We'll be using our old car." "You got a new car?" I said as though that hadn't just been explained to me. "My car," Sharin said with a gleam in her eye. "I needed a bigger one than we had." After we gathered our suitcases, we walked to the parking lot. Sitting beside the car that Sharin had once driven Daisy, Pamela, and I to see their father, was a late model station wagon. "That's a good size car for you two. Sharin, you said you needed this?" Katy asked. "The doctor thinks I have twins." "Twins!" Robin cried out and then hugged Sharin. "Oh my gosh, when are you getting married?" Sharin blushed lovely and said, "We decided that we're going to wait till after they're born. My dad had surgery a few weeks ago and you know how long it takes to recover from that. I think he might be up and walking in a month. My mom said the doctor didn't think he could take a trip for another couple of months. By then I'll be like a balloon with twins in here. I don't want my wedding pictures to look like I'm a whale!" "Wedding pictures?" Barbara inquired. "You know, the pictures they took at your wedding?" Mike answered. "Mike, they have no tradition like that in Carp," I answered him as he looked at the totally confused newlyweds. "Oh," Mike said feeling a bit embarrassed. I grinned and added, "They do have some other interesting customs though." I grabbed Robin around the waist and she yelped. That gave everyone a good laugh. Sharin and Mike told us they would call us later, as they wanted to have dinner with us. Robin told them that sounded wonderful and we loaded up the station wagon. With our luggage in the back, we sat three across on the front two bench seats. I was driving, with Robin and Katy in the front. Richard sat in back with Barbara and Brian. Mike had left detailed driving instructions, and it only took seven minutes to get to our motel. Most of the building was a red brick. When I pulled into the front, so we could register, I noticed Katy looking back at Richard. "Looks like the one in Green River, doesn't it?" Katy said. (Ch 22) Richard grinned and replied, "Yeah, it does." Then turning to me, Richard said, "I hope these places don't have adjoining walls." "Why?" Barbara asked. Richard, Katy, Robin, and I started laughing. Robin, seeing the look Brian and Barbara gave each other, took it upon herself to explain. "They plan on making a lot of noise, and probably the headboard is going to bang into the wall." Barbara took a deep breath in and blushed. It grew a darker shade when Brian said, "I hope they don't either." Richard and I went in and registered. When asked why the third man didn't come in to sign, Richard was ready. "He had both legs and one arm in a cast not very long ago." Richard didn't get to explain anything else, as the clerk, pulled the book away, saying, "Well, that's alright then. No need in troubling him. We have three units that are on the end. Maybe he should use the last one. It would be the quietest." As we walked back to the car, Richard said, "Don't say a word." "Me?" "Yes you. You know I didn't lie." "No. No, you didn't. Just led him to believe..." "And Brian doesn't need to know his age would have been a problem. They need to enjoy themselves." "I know. I'm not that insensitive." Richard chuckled. "No, I don't think Katy has ever used that word to describe you." "You're asking me to be nice?" We reached the car and then drove down to the end of the fifteen-unit motel. Indeed it looked like it would be quiet. The only other cars parked were in the first three spots. There was a lot of room between us and anyone else. Before Brian could try, Richard already had their luggage in his hand and walked it over to the last unit. He unlocked the door and set the suitcases inside. Everyone wondered what was going on, but I told them to wait and see. Then he came back and winking to Katy, said, "Come on, Brian, let's escort your bride to her honeymoon cottage." Barbara grinned, having such attention heaped on her. She took both men's arms, and they led her way. Richard stopped at the door and let Brian help his wife inside. "Remember," Richard said with a smile, "we do have to come out for dinner." "Do we have to?" Barbara said with a small pout, and then cracked up laughing. "Yes, dear," Brian said, getting in on the act. "I think I'll need food to keep up my strength." When Richard came back to the car, he explained his actions. "I saw the curtain move in the managers unit. I think he was trying to be nosey." That statement, of course, led to discussing the problem of renting a room for Barbara and Brian, as a very young married couple. The four of us then took our suitcases to our two units, saying we would join up in two hours. There was little need to say what was going to happen during that time. It wasn't until Robin opened up our suitcase, almost two hours later, rushing to get dressed that she found an envelope on top of our clothes. As Robin hadn't packed, she thought it was for her, from me, and opened it. Smiling she turned to me and said, "Thanks for the card. That was sweet." I looked over to her in surprise, wondering what she was talking about. Then I saw the expression on her face change, rapidly. "What is it?" I asked. "It has to be from Cynthia and it's for you," she said a bit angrily. I took the letter from her and read it. Keith I think, if you have time, you will like this place. Brian and Barbara can't go and I think it would be best if Robin not try to get in. 1342 W. Main #C ask for Lois and tell her I sent you. She'll take care of you. I couldn't repress a grin and Robin hit my chest. She didn't think it was funny that she couldn't go anywhere I would go, especially where Lois would take care of me. That was until I explained to her what kind of shop that was, and Lois was the one Cynthia had ordered the panties I now had in my hand, shaking then in front of her. Robin was trying desperately not to smile, but failing miserably. In the end, she told me that if I had to leave her alone, that at least I could bring back something to make up for the time spent away (as this was our honeymoon.) I didn't think that would be a problem. We were out the door late, but no one was there to chastise us for not being on time. Almost as soon as I had the door locked, Richard opened his door with a silly grin on his face and said it would be a couple more minutes. Considering, I thought it might be a good idea to knock on Barbara and Brian's door. Robin said I shouldn't, but walked over to the door with me. As soon as I knocked, we could hear rustling. A minute later, Brian cracked the door open. "It's not time yet, is it?" he asked. "Past time, Brian," I said and then keeping a straight face, added, "What have you two been doing in there?" "Keith!" Robin said, giving me a little push. The push wasn't all that strong, but I was close to the step and as I tried to move, caught the edge of it. That set me off balance and the next thing I knew I was reaching out and came in contact with the door. It swung open, slamming against the wall. That startled Barbara who suddenly turned around in the doorway to the bathroom. She was stark naked. My mouth went dry as my eyes took in her form, settling quickly at the junction of her legs. Robin pulled me back and then saw exactly the same thing I did, but she was able to talk. "Brian," she said calmly, "it looks like Barbara needs to get cleaned up, spend a bit of time mopping up between her legs. She can't go out to eat with your stuff dripping out of her." Brian was looking at Robin with the largest eyes I'd ever seen him have. I couldn't see Barbara, but was sure she was so red she was ready to pass out. Robin simply took hold of the doorknob and as she was closing it, said, "Now remember that we're all out here waiting, so be sure to clean, not create another mess." After she closed the door, she opened it up almost immediately and added, "You're as bad as Jimmy you know." Brian, who felt like he was being scolded in the earlier part, realized Robin had been teasing him all along and now laughed at the situation. As we were standing close enough, we heard Brian say, "Barbara, let me clean you. It's my duty." Then we heard him laugh. It was the sort of laugh that made one realize there was a bit of mischief behind it. Robin and I walked away and as Richard and Katy came out, we told them to give Brian and Barbara five minutes and then they got to knock. ------- We took a walk down towards the harbor for dinner. I had called Mike from the motel and he told me the restaurant to meet them at. It was within walking distance, so that is what we did. "I thought there would be a beach," Katy said. "This is Long Beach isn't it?" I smiled and said, "Yes. I guess from the name, you expected to see a very long beach to look at. There is one, but then think about the name of the town where we live." She laughed. "You're right. I know they're around, but I've never actually seen a Carp." "Well, to tell the truth," I said, "this isn't Long Beach. This is San Pedro. Long Beach is just over there," I said pointing down the coastline. The airstrip we landed on, that Mike's uncle has his business at, is called Allen Field. Last year it was still under the control of the Navy and they now call it Terminal Island." Richard raised his eyebrows while glancing over to me. "You know a lot about this place. Mike told you a bit of history?" "They used that runway to test and outfit airplanes that were built around here. I got to see a few of them take off when I was learning to fly, as Mike was our instructor." I grinned while adding, "It helped he had family down here, so we flew around here as much as he could get away with." "You know this area then?" Robin asked. "No, it wasn't as glamorous as anyone wants to make it. We had our fun, but the Navy and Marines docked ships here and this place was something to stay away from most of the time. We couldn't afford to get into a fight that might erupt, and they did happen quite often," I replied. Then I added, "Now, the place where we're having dinner is different than any food you've ever had." "What is different about it?" Brian asked. "This is a seafood restaurant," I explained. "You may have had fish before, but this is a fishing port and what comes off the boats in the morning is what we'll be eating tonight. It is unlike anything you have ever tasted in your life. I hope you like it," I jested, "but don't love it too much!" "Why not?" Barbara asked. "Because the coast, like we're at now, is the only place you can get fresh fish. How in the world would we get fresh fish from the ocean in Carp?" I answered. "There's Sharin!" Robin said as she pointed. This stopped any further conversation about the food. That was until we got inside. Barbara's eyes just about popped out when she saw a tank with crabs in it. They were alive and moving around. She was moving back from the tank as he explained what they were, as though they would jump out and attack her. Brian, on the other hand, had his face pressed right up to the tank, curious as anything about these creatures. We were seated shortly and started looking at the menu. For Robin, Katy, Brian, and Barbara the food choices had to be described at least three times before they could make up their minds. In the end, everyone sampled everyone else's dishes as every one of us had ordered differently. It was a fun meal with lots of laughter. We said goodnight to Mike and Sharin, and then started back to the hotel. "What's that?" Brian asked, seeing the shimmering light off the coastline. Looking over to where Brian was pointing, we could see the moonlight casting its glow on a fog layer that was starting to come in. Neither Brian nor Barbara had seen fog before, so we explained to them how it was just like a cloud, except it was low and not high in the air. That was a good enough explanation for them and we watched it roll in, getting closer and closer to the shoreline. Turning and walking on, we were almost to the motel when the foghorn started. That lead to another explanation of what it did, and why. It also made me think of Beth Ann, and sitting out at the lighthouse with her. (Ch 87) Barbara practically pulled Brian into their room as soon as we got back. Richard, Katy, Robin and I just smiled at each other, as soon as the door slammed shut. Although we each had thoughts of doing the same, the extreme urgency wasn't as evident. As Katy and Richard opened their door, the four of us stopped and looked back to Barbara and Brian's unit. There had been a distinct sound of a moan making its presence known. "I'm glad you're between us and them," I said to Richard. Katy rolled her eyes at my comment and we saw Richard acting as though she was pulling him in much as Barbara had done to Brian. Robin and I were still laughing about that when we entered our room. Robin was aggressive, pushing me back until I felt the bed behind my legs. Then she pushed me down, onto it. I watched, from my prone position as she undressed. If that, in itself, wasn't enough to get me hard (and it was), she talked. Not about what she was doing, but what Jill had whispered to her. As she talked about being on the doctor's table, her legs up, her pussy open and ready for me... I was ready to shoot my load and I was still dressed! Luck for me, and for Robin, I was so horny that getting it up twice that night was not a problem. The first blast off, in her mouth, was almost a full minute. The second took much longer and satisfied her. I was in enough control that second time that when we started hearing the headboard's muffled banging from Richard and Katy's room, I started to keep tempo with it. Robin got into the act and we finished about the same time as they did. It had been a long day and sleep came readily to us. ------- Monday morning Robin was already awake and looking at me, when I woke. "At Kevin and Dorothy's wedding, we shared a room by ourselves," she said. I was still trying to get the sleep out of my eyes, so just grunted an affirmative to her. "This is much different." I was waiting for her to continue, but she didn't, so I asked, "How so?" "Our family is not around us." I smiled at her and said, "You miss everyone?" "Yes, I do. It's not just the sex," she said with a grin. "I know that 'cause last night was great, but I also didn't feel this way at Kevin and Dorothy's." "Maybe," I said trying to keep a straight face, "we should sleep with your mom, tonight." "Arrrrr," she yelled as she leapt on top of me. We wrestled around for a bit until I let her pin me down. She kissed me playfully, and I returned a kiss full of passion. She looked at me, her expression changing. My hands came from beside me and took hold of her shoulders, setting her upright on top of me. I molded my fingers to the contour of her body as they traveled down her front. When they got to her belly I stretched out my fingers encompassing her flesh from side to side. I was now holding onto the place where our baby was growing inside of her. Our eyes met and we looked at each other. The knock on the door startled us, as though we had been in a trance, and in one way we probably were. "Who's there?" I asked. "Housekeeping," Richard answered. "Good," I answered. "These sheets need changing!" Robin smacked me, Richard and Katy could be heard laughing. We got ourselves ready, and walked to breakfast. As there were six of us, and it was a Monday morning, we were placed around a nice large table. It was also away from everyone else. Robin explained to her mother how she had felt this morning. "I think I felt a little of that as well. We don't have as many in our room as you do," Katy said to her daughter, but was looking at me with a little grin on her face. I quickly turned the conversation someplace other than a grill Keith time. "Barbara, how do you think Julie is feeling with you two gone?" Barbara kind of scrunched her shoulders and then said, "She knew she wasn't going to be with us last night anyway." "Yes?" I said knowing there was a bit more to the story, the way she was acting. Blushing slightly, Barbara said, "I told her I'd tell her all about it. So now she's probably hoping I'm keeping a journal!" We all had a good laugh, but I saw Katy and Robin give each other the eye. If I didn't know better, Barbara was going to have a nice diary and pen by the end of the day. It was on our way back to the motel that I mentioned to Katy and Richard that we had someplace to go. I had asked Sharin about the beaches where we could swim and she had given me ideas of where we could go. From the way the women were talking, I could tell this was going to be a full day affair. First of all, Barbara didn't have a swimsuit of her own. I let Katy call Sharin to find out where to find those items. She handed me the phone after a long conversation to get directions. That was our first stop of the day. It took Robin and Katy a while to convince Barbara that showing that much skin was fine in a bathing suit. It was a bit smaller than ones she had borrowed, but as Katy explained to her, fashions change, just like the length of skirts do. There were two reasons that I chose the beach I did. First of all, getting to the other side of Long Beach would have taken us right past the Naval base and the hospital that Mildred had been in. This was a fun trip and I didn't want to have that reminder thrust on anyone. Secondly, it would be closer to where the shop Cynthia told me to go to was located. Although she had visited the shop twice, she had been driven there both times. The rest of her dealings were though the mail. Cynthia had no idea the size of the Los Angeles basin. Luckily she had told me the town it was located in, as she hadn't left that in her note. There was no reason to rush, so I drove around the Palos Verdes peninsula. It is an amazing bit of coastline. As we headed north, I stopped at Redondo Beach. I had thought of going a bit further up, but as soon as everyone saw the long stretch of sand, they wanted me to stop and get out. I did make it to a part where there were concessions and a lifeguard stand. After I parked the car, all of us got out. It was eleven by now and the sun was warm. The ocean breeze felt great, and the sound of the wave crashing beckoned to everyone. As we walked along, there were several stands, selling a multitude of goods. The largest of them slowed the gals down as they looked at everything. It was Richard who stopped and picked up a bottle. "What's that?" Katy asked him. The observant salesman was quick to move over to us and answer. "That is called Coppertone. It was used by the troops to prevent too much sun exposure. The best thing for a hot summer's day on the beach. I guarantee it will work." (Re: http://www.coppertone.ca/english/solar/sun_care_history/) "Hot?" Barbara said, not quite believing it. "Barbara," Richard said to her, "I know it doesn't feel as hot to you, from where you're from, but it is just as hot. The breeze off the ocean makes the difference. Have you ever been out in the sun and had a sunburn?" "Oh, that hurts," she replied. "It's easy to do on the beach. This should prevent it." "Oh it will," the salesman added, counting on a sale. While they were discussing the benefits of taking care of their skin, I was looking at some shell necklaces strung on hemp. They were pretty and inexpensive. I picked up three of them. Before we walked over to the register, Richard also picked up a plastic bucket and shovel. "What's that for?" Brian asked. "Don't you worry," Richard said with a grin, "you will find many uses for it on the beach." The six of us walked down the sand towards the water. Twenty feet away was the lifeguard tower. "This looks like a good spot," I said. "It will be easy to find you, as we can see the lifeguard and know where you will be." Then I pulled out the three necklaces and handed them to the gals. They smiled and loved them. Wanting to put them on right away. "There was a good reason I got these for you. First of all, it will add to your beauty," I said grinning. "More importantly, you need to take off your wedding rings, and put them on there." "Why?" Barbara cried out. "I just got married. I don't want to take it off." "Three big reasons. Suntan lotion is slippery. Cool water can make your fingers shrink. Sand is abrasive. You don't want to scratch up, or lose your rings. That's why it's important." Barbara gave me a perturbed look, but took off her ring and slid it onto the necklace. Then she let Brian put the necklace on her. After that they laid down their towels, Richard, Katy, and I left. The shop that we were heading for was in Torrance. It was a short drive and we got there in about ten minutes. Knocking on the door, we were asked who we were. When I gave my name, the door opened wide. "Hello, Keith. My name is Lois. I've been expecting you. Now who are your guests?" Introductions were made and we stepped from a fairly non-descript waiting room into what could be described as a show room. I heard Katy gasp. I know my eyes were bulging, taking in the sights. ------- Chapter 123 There is, after all, a sort of image one has about a place that sells this sort of thing. Given that there was no signage, no outside displays, and a locked door for a business, what is one to think? Behind the false front, given to look 'normal' for prying eyes that would peer in when the door opened, there was indeed a business! This was a wholesale outlet. As such there was a U shaped case that held the hard goods. On each side of that, there were racks. I hadn't expected to see so many clothes and that is what had originally caught my attention. As we got closer, though, the cases... Somehow I thought the dildo that Cynthia said was just about my size was novel. I think I spotted its original partner, among more than twenty others. Then there were the ones that plugged in. Next to those where something that looked like a girl could strap... I looked at Richard and then to Katy. She was looking closely at those now and even asked Lois about them. At the end of this display case were pieces I just knew Cynthia had in her collection. Handcuffs, wrist and ankle straps made of leather, chain and clips. I passed over the rest, as the selection seemed to become more torturous in nature. It amused me somewhat that after what looked like small clamps (that I didn't want to know where they might be used) were, the display turned to lotions and oils. "Now, Keith," Lois said after giving an explanation of strap on dildos and their many uses. Ok, I did listen in on the conversation while looking. Lois continued, "You have to let me show you this. I want you to tell Cynthia all about it. We just got a few in and she doesn't know we have them yet." With that build up, I wasn't expecting her to pull out what looked like an inch and a half diameter, ten inch long copper tube. "What's it for?" I asked naively. Richard and Katy walked up on each side of me, to see what I was now looking at. "This is a tube, of sorts, with special features," Lois said proudly, but then couldn't help but grin. I looked at Richard and he was looking back at me. I know I was thinking, 'this is a copper tube with one end closed. What's the big deal?' I imagine he was thinking the same. "What does it do?" thankfully Katy asked. Lois giggled, and then answered, "You, my dear, would get one of these oils and rub it all over your man's rod. Then you slip this tube over the end. Now you see how the open end flares out? It rests right at the base of him. The instructions say it works best if you shave at points of contact. It gives a better seal that way." "Seal?" I had to ask. "Now you see." Lois went on, "this top valve? It connects to a rubber hose. Oh," she giggled, "I just have to show you." With that, she produced a foot pump. A rubber hose connected to it and she attached it to the top of the tube she was holding. Then set the foot pump on the floor. "Keith, hold out your hand, flat." I did. Placing the tube on top of my hand, she said, "Now step on that." My foot pressed down on the pump, and I got quite a surprise. It didn't pump air, it created a vacuum. "Wow!" "Yes," Lois said with glee. "That is what we thought as well. They say that when used it can extend a man." Katy was catching on. "You mean that goes on a dick and sucks it bigger?" "That is the idea. No one here, of course, can try it out. We're all females," Lois said, trying to keep a straight face, but gave in and laughed. Then she went on, "The manufacturer says that after time, it will indeed help with both length and girth. It isn't an overnight success, it does take time, but they claim it is permanent. I saw the prototype just three months ago," Lori said and then had this glazed over look in her eyes for a moment. Then with a grin she added, "It did look like the company spokesman may well have used it." ------- By lunchtime, Annabelle was ready to strangle her daughter. The two were sitting at the table with Mary, Dora, Liz, Beth Ann, Jimmy and Pamela, finishing their lunch. "They won't be back for another day, so wipe that look off your face," Annabelle said. "I'm going outside," Julie said, as though she didn't hear her mother. As Julie started to stand, Annabelle said, "Sit down, young lady!" The tone in which her mother said the words startled Julie, and she sat. She wasn't startled enough to look at her mother. Julie looked down at the table. "Lord help me!" Annabelle said, throwing her arms up in the air. She looked around the table, noting the looks of interest. "I don't know what to do," she implored. "Do any of you have a suggestion?" "It might help, if we knew exactly what the problem was," Liz suggested. "Can't you see it on her face? Brian and Barbara are gone!" Annabelle stated. "I think we're all feeling a bit... I'm not sure of the right word. Sad doesn't sound quite right," Dora said. "Maybe lonely?" Beth Ann ventured. "Maybe," Dora answered. "Sounds a bit strange with all these people around, but I do feel like a part of me is missing." "Is that how you're feeling too?" Pamela asked. She had said the words softly, but as it was silent at the moment, everyone looked over to her. She wasn't looking at Jimmy, as many first thought she might be asking that question. She was looking at Annabelle. Now that eyes had turned to look at her, Annabelle couldn't take it. Jumping up from the table, she ran out of the dining room and up the stairs. "Did I just hurt my mom?" Julie asked ready to dissolve into tears. "No, sweetheart," Mary said as she put an arm around the girl. "We're all just missing them, and the feelings are a bit more than any of us expected." "I think part of it is that none of us were prepared for them to be gone. It just happened so fast. All I can say is that I'm glad they are only going to be away two days and not a week!" Beth Ann said. ------- It was hot in the sun. Barbara, Brian, and Robin ventured to the ocean several times, but none of them had ever been near water that was this big. It was intimidating. While they saw others jumping in the surf, not a one of them could get more than their feet wet. All three of them did find the bucket and shovel useful. After a short walk, they had come across four sand castles. It inspired them to make one as well. The only thing Barbara didn't like about that initial walk was how she had embarrassed herself. There on the beach was a boy's head, as though it had been severed and left. Barbara had screamed, pointed, and make Brian and Robin run with her over to the gruesome sight. To her dismay, she found the boy alive and well, but buried in the sand, from the neck down. When he realized what Barbara thought, the boy started laughing so hard that the sand covering his body started to fall apart. Brian and Robin had not said a word about the incident. It made Barbara feel a bit uncomfortable yet relieved, all at the same time. Reality was that both Brian and Robin knew that they could just as easily have made the same mistake. They walked back to where their towels had been laid out and took to making their own sand castle. Not knowing that you needed to use wet sand to make everything hold together, their first attempt was miserable. It was the questions from a boy no more than five, why they were trying to use dry sand that got Brian thinking. Soon they moved to a wetter location and their structure held shape. All of that hard 'work' made the three thirsty. Robin told Barbara and Brian she would go and see if they had something special, like a cola. Even at a nickel a bottle, it seemed all right to spend money frivolously like that, as it was their honeymoon. All went well, until Robin paid for the three drinks. The man said to her, "You might need some help there, kid. Maybe one of your parents could come and help you with them." Robin decided to let the comment go by the wayside, even if it bothered her. She grabbed all three bottles and walked back to rejoin Brian and Barbara. Within minutes, the incident was forgotten as the ice cold drink slid down her throat. ------- Katy, Richard and I were heading back to the beach. "I have a stop to make on the way back," I said. "Stop? Where to this time?" Katy asked as though there might be another one of Cynthia's hidden shops around here somewhere. "I saw a photography store on the way, with a big Eastman Kodak sign on the building. We've been missing taking a lot of pictures. When Mike asked Barbara about the wedding pictures, I realized just how much we'd missed," I responded. "You know how to take pictures?" Katy asked, and then she looked at her husband. "I bet you do too, don't you?" Richard grinned. "Sure I do. We took them all the time on base. Keith and I have had very different training on that, though." "Why?" Katy wanted to know. "I took pictures of broken stuff that came in. That was the easy stuff. I was also trained on repairing the cameras they had on some of the planes." "I didn't know you had that clearance," I said. Richard chortled. "I knew how to fix them, but better than that, I knew how to get the cameras out in the first place. Most of the time, they would have two people to do the job. One guy to get the camera out and another guy to fix it. Of course, I was trained for three weeks and used that knowledge twice while I was there." "What about you?" Katy asked me. "I took pictures of lab... tests," I said wishing that all those animals we'd worked with had survived. "I was photographing the work we did. That meant using cameras that fit onto the microscopes as well." Looking down the road, I added, "There it is." I pulled into a parking spot and the three of us got out of the car and entered the store. One couple was at the counter paying for some prints that they had made. I noticed, as the man looked though his collection, the ruffled paper edge. I had seen that look before. It wasn't standard, but did give an interesting look to the prints. When they left, the salesman came over to us. "How may I be of assistance?" "I'm looking for a box camera. I had a Boy Scout Brownie as a kid," I said. "You were a Boy Scout?" Richard asked looking at me. Then added, "Why didn't you say anything?" "And get stuck out camping with you six?" I replied. Katy broke up laughing. The poor salesman didn't know what to do. I went on, "I need a good camera to take pictures. An all around camera. What do you have?" "New, or used?" He asked and then went on before I could answer. "I have a very nice Brownie 620 that was hardly ever touched." "What's wrong with it?" Richard asked. The man sighed and said, "The only thing that is wrong, and frankly it is what made it so good in the first place, is that it was made in Germany." Katy looked at me and then Richard before she said, "I don't know if that would be good or not, but I might not chance it." To answer the man's obvious confusion on that statement, Richard said, "We live in a town that has many German descendants." The man nodded and then went on, down the counter. "Here is a Hawkeye, it just came out a few months ago." "Looks a bit odd. It's that plastic stuff," Katy added. I was a bit surprised that Katy had so many comments on what she was seeing. But maybe the plastic comment was because of what we'd just seen in the other store that was made out of plastic and she couldn't get her mind off of that. "Then here is a folding Brownie, the six-20," The man pulled out next and then the third one set onto the counter was a Reflex. I smiled when I saw it and picked it up. "I like this one." "Why?" Katy wanted to know. "You see the top and how it opens? You look down and it shows what you're going to take a picture of. Now, here's why I like it." I took five steps back, looked down into the camera that was chest level and pushed the button. Then I looked up and grinned. "I hope there wasn't any film in there." Katy was astonished. "You took a picture?" "Yes and it didn't look like I was taking one of you, did it?" "Now I know why you like it," Katy said. "It's sneaky, just like you." Then turning to her husband, she said, "I bet you want one as well." Richard grinned. "Do you have two of them?" Katy asked the man. He nodded and quickly pulled out a second box, thanking his good fortune. "We'll need film as well," I said. Richard was scratching the side of his face and then asked, "Can you get bulk film for this size?" "Why of course. A few of the artists and many of the newspapers around here buy in bulk. It is less expensive that way. It only works, though, if you have a darkroom. Are you planning on developing the film yourself?" "We could," Richard answered much to Katy and my surprise. I knew just what he was thinking about when he asked, "What is the difference between the chemicals used for x-ray film and this?" "If you're familiar with the process, you use a developer, a stop bath, and then a fix. The only difference is the developer." "Good," Richard said. "We will need the developer... is that in a powder form? I saw some jars that said developer on it. Then a tray..." I jumped in, "Twenty rolls of film and then a roll of bulk." The man was grinning. This was the best sale all week! "The developer comes in both powder and pre-mixed. Personally I like the powder, but we get requests for the pre-mix, so we keep it in stock. Looking around the store, my eyes fell on an enlarger. I was about to say something, but felt a tap on my arm and Richard shaking his head. I wasn't going to say anything, then, but hoped this wasn't about how much money he had just spent in the 'toy' shop. "I guess that will be it then," I said. We were back into the car in twenty minutes. The film nicely packaged to make sure it didn't get too hot. Before I drove away, I had to ask, "Richard, we need an enlarger to get prints." "Yes, but what you don't know is there are two in maintenance, still in their boxes. No one even opened them." "Jack just can't walk in and get something like that, now," I said. "No, but there are the auctions." "Somehow I think something might show up, unexpectedly?" Richard smiled. "I bet if we bid on a lot of old rusty tools, there might be a gem of a find in the lot." I just shook my head. Katy was looking between us trying to follow the conversation, but I'm not sure she understood all of what we weren't saying. We then headed back to the beach to find Robin, Barbara, and Brian. ------- When we got to the beach and parked, the first thing I did was pull out my camera. Katy laughed as soon as she saw it around my neck. "You're not going to tell Robin what's going on, are you?" "Of course not," I replied. "It would spoil all the fun. I'll get some of Barbara as well. I know Brian will appreciate them." "I'm sure he will." We found the three easily and I got a whole roll, eight pictures, before Robin asked what I was doing. It had been so easy, as they wanted to show us all around. Of course, we admired what was left of the sand castle they had made. It was past lunchtime and getting to be the hottest part of the day. Instead of Richard, Katy, and I changing, we decided to have a long lunch and then come back to the sand. Barbara, Brian, and Robin picked up their towels, bucket, and shovel. "I wonder what's good around here?" Richard asked. I noticed the twinkle in Robin's eye. She turned slightly, definitely going towards someplace. There was the little store where Robin had purchased her drinks. She pulled me up to the counter. "We were wondering where would be a good lunch place," Robin asked. "Maybe someplace that has fresh fish?" Robin had enjoyed the fish from the night before and wanted it again for lunch, even though we'd promised to take them back to the same place for dinner. "Josie's. That's the place you want. At this time of day you can probably get in. It's the local favorite, and as soon as you taste her food, you'll know why. It's two blocks north." "Thank you," Robin said sweetly, and then added as she pulled me out, "My husband loves to take me to lunch." "Husband!" I heard the man say in astonishment. Robin was laughing as we walked down the street. I could only imagine. On our way to lunch, the two blocks were long. They also were a slight change in scenery. Going from a rustic beach area to a built up area. The number of shops was the first indication, but then as we walked further, there was another transformation. The strip of shops lining a center street had parking for cars behind the east side of the shops. To the west was the beach. Between, this one lane road was a bicycle haven. It appeared to be the main mode of transportation. "I wonder if Carp is going to look like this sometime," Brian said. "All these shops?" Robin asked. "Shops?" Brian said a bit confused. "The bicycles. Look at them all!" "Robin," Katy said with a bit of humor in her voice, "you should know that Brian's eye wouldn't be looking at the shops." "Yes, Mother," Robin retorted and then dodged a playful swing from Katy. "Do you think a lot more people would ride bikes if they could?" Richard asked Brian. "Sure, why not? It's fun and you don't have to feed and brush out a bike," Brian replied. "A bike doesn't feel when you're sad either," Barbara pointed out. "I don't think one means the end of the other. Not in Carp. There are many places that horses can go that you'd never take a bike. But to ride over to school?" I said. "Oh!" Barbara said. "Now that sounds like fun." Just then a boy on a bike rode right past us. We saw him and his bike in the next block. He was looking despondently at the flat tire, but then rolled the bike down the road. "That is one of the problems of bikes," Richard said. "Don't listen to Richard," I said with a little laugh. "It can make a man out of you, learning to fix a flat." "That why I don't want a bike," Barbara stated. We looked at her, wondering what she was going to say next. "I don't want to become a man." It took the rest of us a moment or two to realize Barbara had caught us all in that joke. We had a good laugh. Brian started asking questions, though, and it was obvious he was interested in learning all about bike maintenance. Richard, having worked in the maintenance department on the base, was part of that, I was sure. ------- Lunch was as good as the man had claimed. It made us all a bit sleepy, as we overate. We had fun on the beach. With Richard and I there, everyone got into the water. The coolness of it revived us. We made sand castles and enjoyed rubbing the Coppertone on each other. By the time we headed back to the car, everyone realized how exhausting a day of play could be. I drove back in relative quietness. We got to the hotel and knew showers were in order. As soon as the door was closed on our motel room, Robin asked, "What did you get?" "Some film. I figure I'll be taking a lot of pictures..." Robin put her hands on her hips and glared at me. "Not the camera." I could tell when the time for teasing was over. This was it. I'm sure, because she couldn't go with us; she was a bit testy about the whole thing. "I only purchased a few things," I said. "You should have seen what Richard bought!" "I plan on it, but first..." "Ok, I left them in the trunk." "I knew there had to be something wrong. You!" I grinned and opened the door, escaping any other comments. A minute later, I had two bags in hand. "A few things?" Robin said, eyeing the bags. I reached into the bag and pulled out a baby doll in pink with red trim. "I hope it's your size. Try it on." Robin looked at the shear material with wide eyes. Then looked at me, and with a little grin, said, "Maybe I should go into the bathroom and come out in it." I nodded my head, knowing that visuals were part of the whole enjoyment. She ran in, pulling the door too, but not shutting it all the way. A minute later, I heard, "Keith, I think there's something wrong. Some of the seams aren't sewn together. It must be a defective one." I walked over and pushed the door open. On Robin the top came down long enough to completely cover her panties. It didn't make too much difference, as the material was fairly see-through. I was scanning, trying to see what was wrong. From my vantage point, everything looked very, very good. "Where's the problem?" I asked. Robin turned to face me and then pulled one of the cups apart. "Look, it's not connected here. Both sides are like that." Robin was still developing there, and so didn't fill it out as intended. "Robin, it's supposed to be that way. For show, and easy access. Did you notice the panties were the same way?" The look she gave me told me she didn't. She pulled up the hem of her top, pulled the waistband forward and looked down. Then she looked back up at me in full blush. "I guess this isn't to wear with company around." I grinned. "Depends on which company. I know Kristin would just love to see you in that." Robin didn't get to see what else I bought that night. We tried out how effectively to use those openings until we fell asleep. In Richard and Katy's room it was a bit different. After the shower, Katy threw some clothes on and went out the door. Richard was a bit puzzled until she came back in and said Brian and Barbara where coming over in a few minutes. Richard was ready to put some clothes on, when Katy stopped him and took hers off instead. When Katy and Richard heard the knock on the door, the only thing they were wearing was a towel. Richard answered the door. Barbara looked at him and said, "Oh! I thought you'd be ready for us." "Come in, Barbara," Katy yelled. "We're ready." Barbara blushed and then walked in. Brian was right behind her. Richard shut the door and locked it. "Did we over dress?" Brian asked with a grin on his face. Katy ignored the question and asked one of her own. "Do you know where we went, after we dropped you two and Robin off at the beach?" "Robin said it was to a toy store," Barbara said. "Did you get some things for the babies?" Katy was trying her hardest to keep a straight face. Richard lost the battle and roared with laughter. Brian and Barbara looked at each other, wondering what was so amusing about what she'd just said. After Richard calmed down, he said, "It wasn't that kind of toy store. It was a toy store for adults." It took almost a full minute in silence for the dawn of recognition start to show on the newlywed's faces. "It was a place that had..." Brain said, but didn't have the right words to finish. "Dildos," Katy offered. Barbara's eyes popped open wide, and then she said, "They did?" "Yes, Barbara," Richard answered. "Do you want to see what we got?" Katy added. This had been unrehearsed and Richard looked over to his wife, wondering where she was leading them too. "Can we?" Barbara answered in anticipation. Katy grinned and then said, turning her attention to her husband, "Yes. Richard, wouldn't you like to show off the little something I got for you?" Richard stammered and started to turn red. He wasn't sure which little thing Katy was referring to. She saw his blush and remembered her ambiguous reference could conjure up several items of interest. "The red leather one," Katy said, smiling sweetly. "Red..." Richard croaked out. "Yes. That would be a good one to show them I think," Katy answered playfully. Richard, after his initial shock at the suggestion, he rolled his eyes. He was not going to be the only one in that state, though. "If that is what you think I should wear, then you should put on the black number, don't you think?" That caught Katy unprepared and she answered tentatively, "Are you sure?" Richard just smiled. "Fine," Katy said briskly. "Come into the bathroom with me and we can change. Brian and Barbara, you are in for a treat. Just sit here and we'll be back." Brain and Barbara watched as Katy went though a few of the bags that were on the floor. They couldn't see much of what was in her hands, except it was black and there was a little red also. "What do you think it is?" Barbara whispered to Brian as soon as the bathroom door closed. "I don't know. It must be something good, though. You saw the expressions on their faces!" Barbara and Brain ginned at each other, then they leaned in for a kiss. That led to another, and yet another. They didn't stop until they heard a noise from the bathroom. "Richard!" Brian started to giggle. Barbara poked him in the side, but then giggled as well. They stopped as soon as they heard the door open. "You go first," Katy said. "Me? Whose idea was this?" Richard asked. The answer came from Richard jumping out the door. His hand swatting away Katy's as she tried to pinch his butt. Brain and Barbara's mouths dropped open. It was red, what there was of it! Just a small piece covering Richard in the front and then a line of material connecting. They could see his butt cheeks, so that it looked like he was bare except for his dick and balls. Richard was blushing from the scrutiny he was under. He turned and reached in, pulling Katy out, to be seen as well. Her apparel was black, and there was a lot more material than what Richard had on, but where it was placed was vastly different. The material she was wearing covered her middle. Starting from the top, it supported and lifted her breast, but didn't cover them at all. From there down, it pulled in, accentuating her small waist and making the flare of her hips seem more pronounced. Just below her hips there were cords that came down and attached to stockings. This was something neither Brian nor Barbara had ever seen before. It made Katy's legs look refined and so silky smooth. What caught their eye, though, was that there were no panties. She was dressed, sort of, but was showing everything! "Wow!" was all Brian could get out. Barbara, looking at Brian and then back to Katy, asked, "They don't have that in my size, do they?" That broke the tension and everyone laughed. "No, sweetheart," Richard answered, "they don't. It might not take long before you're big enough to fit into the small size though." "Really?" Barbara asked hopefully. Changing the subject, Katy asked, "Which do you like best, Richard's or my outfit?" She twirled around, showing herself off. Then looking over to Richard, she said, "Go on, turn around and let them see the whole thing." Richard shook his head at the double entendre his wife had just made. He turned in a full circle, letting them see him. Brian thought he was right, or almost. The red front panel was just about it. Those lines of material came around his backside and they could see a hint of a thin piece of material that ran down, but it was hidden in-between Richard's butt cheeks. Essentially he was bare. Katy saw the desire in both Barbara and Brian's eyes. The woman from the shop had told her that the right type of clothing could be more alluring than being in the buff. From the looks she was seeing, that statement held true. Both Barbara and Brian had seen Richard in the raw before, but this seemed to drive them a bit further. It was their looks, which drove Katy to walk over to the shopping bag, and pull out one more thing. "Katy?" Richard asked, unsure where any of this was going when he saw what was in her hand. "Is that a dildo?" Barbara asked. Before an answer came, Brian added to the question with, "What are those straps connecting to it?" A smile developed on Katy's face and she answered, "Yes Barbara this is a dildo. They come in many sizes and shapes. This one, you see, is rather plain and very smooth. It's about in between the size of Richard and Brian. Now, Brian, to answer your question..." Katy took the straps and stepped into them. "These straps sort of make up a thing that is very close to what Richard is wearing and the dildo..." "It makes you like a boy!" Barbara exclaimed, realizing what it would do. "Oh my. Does that mean you are going to... to... me?" She said with a trembling voice. Katy smiled warmly at Barbara and said, "No, that's not what I had in mind. I wasn't planning on using this on a girl." That took a moment for Barbara to process. Brian on the other hand caught on right away. He was looking between Richard and the dildo, obscenely sticking out in the front of Katy. Barbara, when she thought she might know, looked over and saw where Brian's eyes were traveling. "You're going to use that with Richard," Barbara stated. Then without thinking of how it might sound added, "I wish I could do that." Richard blushed. Brian turned to look at his wife, astounded at what she'd just said. Katy laughed her head off. "Barbara," Katy said, between laughs. "You want to use this on Richard?" Now Barbara blushed, realizing what she'd said. Even still, she couldn't help but look at the dildo and then to Richard. "I think she was talking about using it on Brian," Richard said in an attempt to bring things back around. It didn't work. Katy was on a roll. "So, Barbara, you want to use this on Richard and Brian?" "I..." was all Barbara got out. Her mouth was still hanging open. She really didn't know how to respond. She also didn't have the time. Katy had unhooked the harness and pulled it off. Before Barbara knew what was going on, Katy had pulled Barbara's dress over her head. Her panties and bra were off and now she was stepping into the harness. Katy pulled it up and adjusted the straps. Barbara looked down and saw a dick sticking out from the front of her. It was a very strange sight. She looked over to Brian and could tell he liked the look of it. There was a pronounced tent in the front of his pants. "Brian, you're overdressed," Katy said. That was quickly taken care of. Barbara thought she was going to get instructions about how to use this on Brian. That was only half right. "Barbara," she said quietly, "going into someone's back hole is very special. It is something that also has to be done right, or it can hurt the person. So, as Richard is bigger, let's have you practice on him." "What?" Richard said. "Come on, Honey," Katy said, as it was an everyday occurrence that she offered her husband's ass. "You can get on all fours. Now, Brian, I think you might want to see how this works, so get on your back and scoot right under Richard." Brian instantly saw the advantage to this, and was all for that idea. Richard gave his wife a pained expression thinking Katy was pushing a bit. Katy just smiled back and motioned for him to get into position. "Now," Katy said as she was rummaging through one of the bags, "unlike a girl's front hole, the back hole doesn't have any lubrication. That is something you have to add, especially when you are using a dildo. We got some stuff that they said would work great." Richard had complied and as soon as he did, Brian was under him. Katy had squirted out a blob of lubricant into her hand, and then took Barbara's hand and had her scoop some up. She then motioned to her to spread it over the dildo. Brian looked up, in between Richard's legs to see Barbara stroking the dildo, as though she were jacking it off. It made Brian, who was pretty hard already, as hard as he'd ever been. Katy then took the rest of the lubricant onto two fingers and started to massage it into Richard's back passage. As soon as Richard felt the cold goop, he tensed up and then relaxed. As he did, his head dropped and he saw Brian's very hard shaft. Katy was a very good instructor and Barbara a fast learner. Katy showed and taught Barbara the importance of cleaning the tool between uses. Now it was time for Brian to get the shaft. Both Brian and Barbara were very eager for this. Katy was a bit worried that in their horny state, they might forget how to take it slow. She also had some other motivation along the way. Richard was on his back, holding onto Barbara. The dildo stuck up into the air. Katy held onto Brian, as he squatted down, to get impaled. The lubricant was there, the control factors were there, but so were the sounds of frustration as Richard and Katy made them take it nice and slow. Soon, though, Barbara was in all the way. Brian was moaning. Katy let go of Brian, now, and he started to move up and down on the shaft. This gave Katy's hands freedom. She took hold of Richard's nice and hard dick, and rubbed it across Barbara's slit. She bounced up, impaling Brian suddenly. "Oh!" Brian said, "Do that again!" So Katy did, and Barbara gave the same reaction. It happened over and over as now Katy had pressed Richard's dick right into Barbara and as she came back down, his dick ran right up her slit and across her clit. Barbara would then rise back up. This became a rhythm of sorts. Katy had to apply a bit more pressure as Barbara became very moist, her juices flowing down her crack and onto Richard. There were a few more alternative positions that they tried, before they stopped from shear exhaustion; but every one of them had a smile on their faces, as Katy draped a blanket over the four of them. ------- Marcia was on her bed, trying to read a book. It wasn't working; she sighed. "Ok, that's the fifth time in a row," Sarah said. "What's wrong?" "They got married. They're younger than Mike and I. It's not fair. Plus, I haven't had a letter from him in four days. It's just not fair." "What's not fair?" Jill said sticking her head around the doorframe. "That Barbara and Brian are married and on their honeymoon having a great time," Sarah responded. "Oh, don't remind me of the honeymoon!" Marcia said. "Keith told me weddings make people horny," Jill said and then blushed. "What happened?" Sarah demanded. Knowing Sarah's feeling towards Keith, she didn't want to rub her the wrong way, so she said, "He tricked me into helping him get some of those... rubbers. He wanted to make sure Jimmy and Pamela were safe." "Oh!" Marcia cried out in frustration. "Now them, too. It's just not fair at all!" Jill cocked her head and asked, "What would happen..." Sarah knew that tone. "Yes, what, Jill. You have something in mind?" "Well. I was thinking..." "What?" Marcia wanted to know. "Sarah, there's no reason you can't go up to Reno and see your folks, is there?" "You mean when they are around," Sarah stated. "Of course. If you knew they were going to be home for a few days, you could go up and see them. Am I right?" "Yes, but why?" Jill chuckled. "You do like them, don't you?" Sarah looked at Jill perturbed. "Oh course I do, but they always come and see me." "I bet if you went up..." "Yes," Marcia said getting impatient. "Maybe you could have a little party. Vivian and Scott could be there," Jill said and then paused, making them wait, before adding, "Mike could come along as well." "That could be fun," Sarah said, thinking of the party. Marcia had mixed feelings. Sarah could see Mike, give him something directly, but... "Sarah," Jill asked slowly, "do you think you could bring a friend along, to your parent's house?" "Sure, there's plenty of space. I didn't know you..." Sarah's eyes bulged and her mouth flew open. "Marcia!" she screamed. "What!" "You could go with me. I could have a party, inviting some friends over and Mike could be invited." Marcia looked at Sarah in shock, before she stammered, "How could I do that?" "Do your parent's show up here? Do they even call? No. They write you. If you were gone from Carp for a few days, they wouldn't even know. If you were in... Sacramento, or Reno, no one would know except us." "What would your parents say? I don't think they would let me come." "Sarah," Jill asked, "if you wrote to your parents and asked them when they were going to be at the house, because you'd like to see some of your friends before school started, would they like the idea?" "Oh, I know they would." "And if you said you'd like to bring friend along, would that be a problem?" "No, unless they thought it was Marcia." "So, Marcia," Jill said, "it sounds like Sarah just needs to write and ask about coming up and seeing them. I know it would be fun for everyone. Unless they said specifically that you couldn't come up, then you can." "You are sneaky," Marcia said. "I like it!" ------- "Patrick," Maureen said, as they had just finished dinner at her sister's house. "Yes?" "How many more days do I need to wait?" Marion and her husband watched Patrick, to see if he caught on. "Wait?" He hadn't, at least not yet. "I thought the reason had now come and gone," Maureen stated. "Reason? What reason? What on earth are you talking about?" Patrick asked, a bit bewildered. "I think we need to take a walk. Maybe the fresh air will clear your mind." Patrick got up from the table. Maureen took his hand. He looked back as he was being lead out the front door to see Marion and Fred grinning at him. They weren't five steps away when Patrick asked, "Are you going to tell me?" "My sister has been driving me up a wall. This was the best I could come up with to get out," she said. Then smiling, she added, "It is something we do need to finalize anyway." "I'm sure it is, but you haven't told me much," Patrick lamented. "Our wedding." Patrick smiled. "Oh, that. I do have a best man." "A best man? Who? Now I need a maid of honor, but I haven't asked because I was a bit torn and didn't know what to do. You've trumped me and already asked. That's not fair. Who did you ask, anyhow?" "Was there a question?" Maureen snorted. "You have it easy. I have Cheryl and my sister to think about." "Why not both?" Patrick asked. "Both... I guess I do remember seeing larger weddings, but in Carp..." "There are traditions that don't need to be followed. Ask both." "I still need to decide which one stands next to me." "Who do you want it to be?" Patrick asked. "It should be Cheryl. We both know that. What will my sister think?" "If Cheryl and her husband are on either side of us? Not much. I think she will be thrilled to be asked." "I guess you're right. I never thought of it like that." "Of course that gives me a bit of a problem. You had your two choices handed to you." Maureen grinned. "You only had one. So now, who will it be?" "My choice is a bit more difficult. I don't want to look like I'm playing favorites." "Give me the possibilities and let's see if we can sort them." "There's Bruce, Keith, and Richard, They are the obvious choices, as they are my sons-in-law. Well sort of. Keith is a bit further down the chain, but you know what I mean." Maureen nodded, wanting him to go on. "There is of course Fred, as you are asking your sister." "You don't need to feel obligated. I'm not sure that he would care one way or the other." "Good to know that. Now of course I could throw in Brian or Jimmy." "Seriously?" "I did just marry Brian and Barbara." "I guess that is true. It does seem a bit odd though. The age difference is a bit much for me." "Jim is the only other person who comes to mind." "So there are four. Three of who have a relationship basis with you. You don't have your son. I'm sorry Patrick." "It's quite alright. I reconciled my peace with him a while back. Robin was the one who got me to do that." "Robin? That is a story I'd like to hear more about sometime." "She may be young, but she is as determined as..." "You can say it." "As her grandmother." "You should tell her. I think she'd like to know." "I will, and thank you." "If I'm having my sister, don't you think it should be a family member as well?" "I suppose it would be easier, but which one?" Maureen stopped their walk, by gently pulling on Patrick's hand. "Patrick, who have you known the longest? Who knew you from before and knows the changes you have made? I have my sister, who has been with me since my birth. Make it the one who has been in your life the longest." "Then Bruce it is." Then Patrick smiled. "You know that will solve another problem." "Another problem?" "Millie is going to have a small problem with Bob up there, and a large problem with Cheryl. She will have to keep her mouth shut, or at least try, with Bruce up there as well." "Good. That is settled. Now onto the date. You haven't told me and from what I understand it is going to be a big wedding." "I suppose it is. You will most likely start getting letters this week. When I got a final date with the pastor who will be officiating, it probably went out into the grapevine like gangbusters." "Did you think it might be wise to tell the bride when her wedding is going to be?" ------- We met Mike and Sharon the next day. They wanted to show us something. We all thought it must be about the upcoming baby. I noticed we were traveling close to the same way we had gone to the beach. This time we were just a bit north. I had my suspicions confirmed, as a number of planes had flown over, when we came to an airport in Torrance. Sitting at the edge of a row of hangers was a small building with Mike's name on it. Flight instructor. Opening soon. We got out and congratulated them on this new business. "Keith, the truth is that the other airport is going to be shut down in a short time. My uncle didn't care to start up again. He's going to retire, but he gave me the opportunity to come over here and start up. Sharin and I are going to be swamped, with the new baby and new business." I looked at Robin, Richard was looking at Katy. It was Barbara who said, "Just look at those four. You can do it." We had a good laugh at that. Then Richard said, "There's a place I need to stop at and I figured we might as well, before we get to the beach. It's not far from here I think." "A store?" Sharin asked. "A wholesaler. One of the women in Carp asked us to pick up a few things for her, to save on shipping costs." Richard replied, without saying any more than he had to. It took another ten minutes to drive to the location. Richard and Katy went in. I didn't know what Mike and Sharin would think, and besides, Barbara, Brian, and Robin couldn't go in. So it was just as well we stayed outside. Robin and I talked with Mike and Sharin about their new enterprise. I think they were so caught up in telling us their plans, that they didn't realize just how long Katy and Richard spent in the store. When they returned, Richard was carrying a taped up box. I thought that was a wise thing, as it would preclude any questions. Soon we were on our way to the beach. I noticed the route was again a bit different from the one we used last time. We ended up on a different section of beach than we had been to the day before. In little time we were parked and got out of the car. Brian tugged on Richard's arm. "Look at that!" Richard smiled. "That is a bicycle built for two. Do you remember the song?" He noticed a blank stare from everyone but me. "Ok, Keith, you are going to need to help me here. None of them have heard it before and I'm not sure if I remember it all." "You expect me to remember it?" I asked. "Only the parts I can't," Richard replied and chuckled. "How about the chorus. It's the only part I remember anyway. "Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer do! I'm half crazy, All for the love of you! It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage But you'll look sweet upon the seat Of a bicycle made for two." Robin and Katy had their hands on their hips as soon as we finished. "I want to know who this Daisy girl is?" Katy asked, and then the two started to laugh. "Well I thought it was sweet," Barbara said. "I didn't know either of you could sing," Mike said. "Who says we can?" I asked. Brian was still looking down the street, where the bike had gone. "You can rent those," Sharon said to him. "Maybe you'd like to take your girl on one?" Brian broke into a big smile and said, "I sure would!" "Come on then," Mike said, "They rent them at a service station just down the road." We walked, looking at the beach to the left of us. There was a bit more activity around this area. It wasn't hard to locate the bike rentals. A big sign alerted us, and of course the constant activity of bikes coming and going. "How do the cars make it in for service?" Richard asked. "I don't think they dare on the weekends. The owner probably doesn't mind. I think he makes more renting the bikes than selling the petrol," Mike responded. There weren't any tandem bikes available. The man had just rented the last one out, and none would be back for another hour. It would be two, before he would have four to rent to all of us. We put down our name and said we'd be back. With two hours before we could ride, the eight of us walked over to the sand and made our way to the water. The waves were much higher and Mike explained to Katy, Robin, Brian, and Barbara about the surfers they were seeing, riding the waves. After laying out our towels, the gals went to change into their suits. I pulled out the sunscreen and set it on top of one of the towels. "What's that?" Mike asked. "It's Coppertone," I answered. "I remember hearing about that on the radio." Mike said. Richard and I explained what it was for, but best of all how it needed to be applied. Mike liked the idea and said he'd be back in just a few minutes. Richard and I smiled, knowing he'd be back with a bottle of the stuff. As soon as the gals returned, the four men lathered up the gals with sunscreen. Sharin was surprised, but eager to try it out. She was a bit embarrassed when a moan escaped her lips. Her suit had a bit more skin showing than the conservative styles that the Mennonite community wore at the pool in Carp. After we were done with the sunscreen on the gals, we went off to change into our swimming trunks. As soon as we came back, I knew something was up. The gals wanted to apply suntan lotion to us. They started with our front. It must have been quite a conversation when we were changing. Soon after we were on our backs, Mike rose up at one point and said, "Sharin!" The four gals just laughed. After they were done, Katy asked as sweetly as she could, "Do you boys want to get up and take a walk?" After the application they gave us, not a one of us were ready to turn over. I think they had an amusing time, trying to act innocent. Mike turned and looked at Richard and I. "How do you put up with it?" We both chuckled and Richard said, "It has its ups and downs." Mike just groaned and added, "I think you encourage it!" "Every time I can," I said. It was shortly after that we got the gals into the water's edge. Sharin knew about how the waves would recede and then come back in. The other gals hadn't a clue. As they walked, looking at all the shells and filling the bucket up, they inched further and further out. Suddenly a wave came in and crashed, covering their knees. They screamed in surprise. Richard, Brian, and I went for them. As the water pulled out, the three lost their balance and fell into the water. We were there right as the next wave hit. Robin was sitting up and the wave hit and then went right over her head. I reached out and pulled her up, looking over to the other two, who weren't faring any better. Robin spit out a mouthful of water. "Yuck! I like the water in Carp better." Richard and I looked at each other. Neither one of us was going to comment on that statement. "It's so salty," Katy complained. "Yes," Richard said, "but if you learn to work with the waves, instead of fighting them, then you won't have any problems." "Why would we want to be in this salty water?" Barbara asked. "If you walk a little bit further out," Mike said, as he and Sharin walked out to us, "you will find the current doesn't push you around so much. Then you can also see why you want to be out here." Curiosity got the better of the gals, and anyway, they were soaked at this point. Brian and Barbara, the shortest of the group, were up to their armpits when Mike stopped walking. "Now, let the water clear and look down," Sharin said. Barbara jumped back as soon as she saw the fish. "They are all over, Barbara," Richard said, trying to calm her. "All over!" Barbara said in a panic. Katy rolled her eyes at her husband and walked over to Barbara. "Dear, look at them, they aren't interested in you." "Are you sure?" "Barbara," I said, "If someone twenty times your size came walking up to where you were playing, would you do anything to them?" Looking up into the sky, trying to imagine that, she turned and grinned, before saying, "No, I guess not." After that, we talked about the fish and discussed their colors. Robin had to admit that no stream she'd ever been in had fish that looked as pretty as these. As soon as we came out of the water, Sharin directed us to showers that were close to the road, so we could rinse off the saltwater. As soon as that was done, we dried off and more sunscreen had to be applied! All had gone well on the beach and time had come to gather our things. We wanted to be at the rental place early. That's when it happened. There were two surfers that we had just seen come in on the waves. They were far enough away from us that we couldn't see them very closely. We did notice them setting their boards into the sand. There were two other figures that stood and the four started walking towards us. It was Sharin who said under her breath, "Will you just look at those two." Mike, Richard, Brian, and I didn't need any encouragement. It was the first bikini I had ever seen on a real live person. Luckily for us, we were carrying our towels. I know I needed something to cover myself up with. As they passed, all four of them looked our way and smiled. "Look at those muscles," I heard Katy say and Robin agree. 'Muscles?' I thought and then realized I hadn't even glanced at the guys. "And lungs," Richard quipped back. "Great set of lungs." That broke the ice and we all had a good laugh. Sharin still couldn't believe that women would wear something like that in public. Barbara then explained to Sharin that a picture of a woman wearing an outfit just like that was on the cover of a magazine she had just seen. That conversation carried on until we were in front of the rental counter. The bikes were waiting and we were given a bit of instruction. Bicycles built for two worked a bit differently. All of us were new to this and took some slow experimental loops before we felt comfortable to go off on a ride. Mike took the lead, as he knew the area. The hour went much too fast and we were almost back when we saw a girl off her bike, sitting on the sidewalk. She looked to be crying. Brian steered over to her and the rest of us stopped. She had run over some glass riding to the beach and popped the tube in her tire. The worst of it was she was in her swimsuit and therefore had no money on her. Richard and Katy, Mike and Sharin, Robin and I listened and watched as best we could to this interchange. We couldn't hear everything, but a good bit on the conversation. Mike wanted to step in, but Richard held him back, telling him to let it play out. The next thing we knew, Barbara was off the bike and had claimed the front. The girl was getting on the back of the tandem bike. Brian was picking up the girl's bike and started rolling it down the street. Barbara circles around to us and says, "Brian is taking Sheri's bike to the service station. We're going to meet him there." Mike looked at us in disbelief, but started up again. Three blocks later we were off the bikes and turning them in. I saw Richard walk around the corner to the service bay at the station. He came back about the same time a worn out Brian trudged up with the girl's bike. "Don't sit down yet," Richard said to Brian. "You get to learn how to fix a flat." "Really?" Brian said with renewed energy. "See, I told you," Barbara said to the girl. "Wow, you are so lucky to have a boyfriend like that." Barbara grinned. "Yes I know I'm lucky. I'll let you in on a little secret though, he's my husband." The girl's eyes just about fell out of her head. "He's what?" "We got married three days ago. This is our honeymoon." The girl blinked and then started to laugh. "Oh, you had me there for a minute." "Had you there?" Barbara said, not understanding. Katy, who had been listening, said, "Barbara, she believes you were pulling her leg." Barbara looked at Katy and in a serious voice asked, "Why would I do that?" The girl looked between Barbara and Katy. She swallowed hard and then almost whispered, "She's telling the truth?" Katy nodded, and also observed that the girl didn't look well. She took her hand and led her over to a bench. There she explained some of the strange customs of Carp, but on top of that, how Barbara had to grow up so quickly and the hard life she had endured. The girl asked about Brian. Katy explained in an overview about his near death accident. It was all a bit overwhelming, but a lot more understandable to the girl, who wasn't much younger than Barbara. When Katy was done talking, she and the girl looked up to see Brian holding onto her bike and talking to Barbara. The girl got up from the bench and thanked Katy for the talk. Then she walked over to Barbara and took hold of her hand. "I have never met anyone like you before. I don't think I could have survived. You may not know it, but what that woman told me about you has probably has changed my life." Then she turned to Brian, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "You take care of this special woman of yours. I somehow know you will." Brian didn't know what to do. He was blushing from the kiss and so pushed the bike towards the girl. Richard stepped into the conversation, seeing that it had stalled. "He fixed the hole and it's good as new now." "Thank you," Sheri said and then embarrassedly added, "but I don't have any money." Richard grinned as she said, "Brian learned something new today that he will be using a lot, I'm sure. Plus if he asked for money from a pretty gal like you, who was in distress, I'd turn him over my knee." "You would?" the girl said astonished. Katy jumped in, as she had been listening to what her husband was saying, "Now that is pulling your leg, Sheri." The girl blushed. Then she got onto her bike, gave a hug to Brian and Barbara and rode off. "And that's just the way it is in Carp?" Mike said. "Yeah, I'd say so. Why do you think I never made it out alive?" I replied. "I thought it was because of me?" Robin said with a gleam in her eye. Sharin just roared with laughter. Shortly after that, we left to have dinner and then head to the airport. Like it or not, we needed to go back home. I wanted enough light to make it back home. ------- It would be hard to describe it as a quietness, in a plane making so much noise, but no one was talking on the trip back. The flight was short, and most of the time kept Richard and I busy. Air traffic was a lot more prevalent in the Los Angeles basin. As soon as we crossed a point, the radio went silent. That was until we got close to Las Vegas. I know I was thinking about the goodbyes at one point. Mike and Sharin kissing and hugging. Showing affection I'd never seen from Mike before. He told us as soon as they could, they would come for a visit, but that might be a while. Before the baby though. All of us felt a bit of excitement when I flew up the valley and into Carp. I circled the Mansion twice, thinking that it would give everyone a chance to come out and great us. The second time around Richard said to me, "Our cars aren't there. Wait, I see Jack's jeep coming around the bend." It was then that the radio cracked to life. Jack was on his radio in his Jeep. "Keith, we have a problem. Stay up in the air. Don't land." Interesting info: http://www.brownie-camera.com/ ------- Chapter 124 "Keith?" Richard said in a panic. I was just trying to hold on myself. I couldn't let myself go. I was wondering why the cars were missing, where everyone was, and why we were to stay up in the air. "Keith, did you hear me?" Jack asked. "I copy that," I replied, realizing that his first contact has stunned us into silence. "What's going on? Why didn't you contact us earlier?" "First, make a loop and head over parallel to the mine and the ridge, go due south from there. Now, to answer your question, there seems to be a problem with my antenna. I'm not able to get to the tower. I had to let you get close enough so I could contact you. The reason you're headed out that way is that Janet Miller has been missing for the last day and a half. She is one of the eight." "The eight?" Richard asked without thinking. "The eight that want but can't have, children," Jack replied sourly. I glanced at Richard and although neither one said it; I know both of us were thinking, 'Oh, shit.' Jack went on, "Everyone is out looking. We've done the valley up and down. The search team is west over that ridge. They've pretty much exhausted that area. This is the last section to search. Keith, can you do a low flyby of that area? You can do a search a lot faster than we could." I knew what he was asking. Flying low took some practice. It also could be the easiest way to spot someone. That area was desert and Saguaro cactus can look like a person in a plane from a distance. "Yes, Jack, I can. I wish I didn't have everyone else on board, but I can see why you ask me not to land. Landing, and taking off again would burn up a lot of fuel, and that is just a waste of money. I hate to ask the obvious, but has someone checked the trains?" I asked. "One of the first things we did. I have her husband with me and I'm on my way over there. The best I can do is to try and get to whatever you may see and check it out." "Richard," I said, "get Robin up here, then tell Brian and Barbara to look out one side and Katy to look out the other. If they see anything that doesn't look right, they should say something. They may not actually see a person, but anything that doesn't look like it belongs needs to be reported." "Got it," Richard said and went into the back. As I was turning and coming over the new mine, I thought, 'Richard was in maintenance. He knew a lot, but this is training he would have never received. I, on the other hand, was trained for the possibilities of a search and rescue mission.' Robin came up to the cockpit. I had her squish behind my seat and look out the window to my left. I explained to her what she would be looking for and to keep focused. I would be looking ahead, and Richard would look front and right. When I told her who we were looking for, Robin's eyes showed pain. "She gave up, didn't she?" "I don't know, sweetheart. We're going to find her. Don't worry." Richard came up and I had just passed the mine. That would be our center spot. We would arc out from there, going in a semi-circle Once I got my instrument bearings, I knew where I was and didn't need to look at landmarks. After the first time we had Jack follow a lead that turned up nothing, I flew over the place twice for better visuals. It was frustrating. Jack would see me turn and circle, as we got a better look. I'm sure his passenger was at the end of his wits. Katy saw something! We turned and looked at it. I got Jack on the radio and let him know where to look. Then we continued. It took him twenty minutes to call us back. That was a dead coyote. It was a very disturbing sign. "There's another one," Robin said. "Let's take a look," I responded. We circled. There just on the far side of a gully was a lump. "I'll call Jack." "Why?" She asked. "If it's another coyote we should wonder what's killing them." I called Jack and told him we spotted another one. He was one his way to see what they could find. It would be turning dusk soon. I was running low on fuel. I couldn't fly to get fuel and get back in time. We would soon have to end. I knew this. I think Richard had been looking at the gauges as well and knew it too. Robin could feel it, I was sure. "Keith," Jack came on the line, "this damned gully is in the way. Can you fly over and see if I can get across someplace?" I flew down the length. While it didn't look deep in some parts, that was a long way from where Jack was going. I had to tell him the bad news. I continued my loops out. They took longer, as the circle grew. "Keith, I think we're close, but we have to leave the Jeep and jump down into the gully to cross it. We'll be out of communication for a few minutes." "Make it fast. I'm getting low on fuel," I told Jack. He didn't respond. I'm sure he didn't want to. I was on one of the two last runs I thought I could make when Jack came on the radio. "Keith, get back now. You know where we are? We'll be heading in as soon as we can get her on the Jeep. She's breathing. That's all I can say." That's all I needed to hear. "Richard," I said as I flew over the top of where Jack's Jeep was, "as soon as we land, one of us needs to get to the doctor and let him know they're coming in." I landed hard and fast. Richard's car was at the end of the runway when we got there. Everyone wanted to say something. There was no time. I got out of the plane, leaving everyone else behind. Dora was there with the car and wanted a hug, I left that for Richard. Racing into town, I thought, 'Where is the doctor going to be?' My first guess would be the school. That was the previous place where they'd had a search party organized. That was the only good part to having gone though this ordeal before. I found William as well as Katherine and Jill there. They all piled in and we took off to catch up to Jim's Jeep on the way in. ------- Janet had been taken to the new medical building, along with her husband, William, Katherine and Jill. Outside, a large group had gathered, keeping vigil. The school building had been put back in order. In the back of the library, on the first floor, behind locked doors, sat ten people. "What are we going to do now?" I asked. "What options do we have?" Jack asked. "Richard, what do you think?" Patrick asked. Sighing, Richard looked at the others in the room. Katy, Robin, Cynthia, Cheryl, Maureen, and Thelma. They didn't seem to give him any indication of what they were thinking, so he said, "I don't feel like we have any options." All was silent for a moment. A banging on the front door startled us. Katy went to see who it was, and came back with William. We were all anxious to hear the news. "The worst is dehydration. Another night in the cold would have done her in. She is suffering from erythema solare," William looked and knew he lost everyone except me with those words. "In plain English, you would call it severe heat stroke. She looks like she has burns from the sun on her body. At this point she's stable. Katherine and Jill are monitoring her fluids. That is what will keep her body going. Most likely it will take three or four days to recuperate and then more than a month for her skin to heal." "How is..." Cynthia started to say, but William put his hand up and stopped her. "She is under sedation. If she wasn't, you would have heard her screaming from here. She will be in pain for some time. Beyond that, I can't tell you anything." There were nods of heads, and then it was silent again. William looked around. "I came here to see what decisions were being made; it looks like things haven't progressed very far." "No one can think about options," Robin said. "Options," William noted, "there are always some. Keith, what do you see?" "I don't see any. The only choice I see is to give those gals a baby." "Really? That is it?" William chided. "Well, what options are there?" Richard said. "We could swirl our stuff in a bowl or give it to them individually." "That is two options, now, isn't it?" William replied. "I guess," Jack said and looked around adding, "and I don't like it, but we could not do anything." "That is a third option," William acknowledged, "but given the head shaking, I would say that it is not a popular one." "What about if they left Carp?" Maureen asked. "It's only in Carp that we have this problem." "I can see your thinking, Maureen, but there is a problem with that," William stated. "Here in Carp, we have people who might be willing to do the impossible. The reason why is because of what happened in this town. Other than a place like Carp, where do you think that any one of these couples could get some other man to give up his semen to make a child? It's just not done." "I guess you're right," Cheryl said and then added, "I guess that throws out the idea of other people, like the men from Angle City." "That brings us back to a 'soup' bowl, or an individual," Jack said. "There was another option, although not popular," William said. Robin stood, getting everyone's attention. "I can't do that. I thought of something else as well. William, you said one other woman said she could adopt. If that's what she wants to do, and is not forced to do, that is fine. I can now feel my baby inside of me. How could I deny anyone else from that? I can't." Then she looked at all of the other women and asked, "Could you?" "Nothing like putting us on the spot," Katy said to her daughter. "I think we are in the middle of that spot and need to make our choice," Robin responded. "I don't think it would be fair to anyone to have someone outside of my marriage have my child," Richard said. "Now don't give me that look! What I mean is I don't think it would be wise. If there is always a guess as to who the father was, there can never be pride, blame, jealousy, all of those rotten things that could come up, if the child came from one known father." "That makes sense, Richard," Jack said. "So what do we do now?" Patrick asked. "First, are we all in agreement that the mixture, and letting these women have a child is what we are prepared to do?" William asked. He waited until everyone had nodded their head. "The thing we do is to get all the couples together. If we are mixing our sperm up, then on the contrast, we want them to be open and up front with what is going to happen. It will keep things in perspective for everyone." "It sounds like a very strange party," Maureen commented. "A party! I like that idea," Thelma said. "I could make a cake," Cheryl added. The conversation could have gone on for some time. William stood and we knew he needed to go back. There was another banging at the door. Katy again went to get it. Barbara appeared and looked at us with piercing eyes. "We may be young, but we are married. Brian is obviously capable. It hurts me that you didn't include us." Richard started to stand, but I put my hand on his shoulder. "This one is mine," I said to him and then got up. "Barbara, come on. Let's take a walk." "Ok," she said, a little less certain of herself now. Katy was still at the door, talking with Brian, who didn't make it any further than the door. I walked out, taking Brian and Barbara with me. As soon as we got to the park, I started to talk. "Barbara, you brought up a very good point." "I did?" "You said you were hurt, because you weren't included. There is a reason, and I think if you understand, you will know why we didn't include you two. It has nothing to do with you being newlyweds, it has to do with how old you are." "I'm old enough to get married," Barbara said as her feathers were ruffled once again. "Yes, you are," I said. "The problem isn't that any of us think you are children. I would think after this trip you might see we treated you no different." "There was that one store," Brian pointed out. "Good point," I said. "It is part of the problem. Let me try and make some sense of all of this to you. You know that I do special things with Stephanie, right?" "Yes," they both said. "I am also very careful. I can't let her get pregnant." "It would hurt her," Brian said seriously. "Jimmy told us Pamela has the same problem." "Well, yes. That is true, but there is another problem as well. It is called the law. Think about who I am married to." "Robin is not much older than me," Barbara said. "That is right," I said. "She is also the one I am legally married to. All the others I am married to through the church. Robin is young, but all the others are over eighteen. That is when the law says they are an adult." "Stephanie isn't an adult, so you'd get in trouble?" Brian asked. "That is right. The same is true if we let you add your sperm in with ours. You could father a child with an older woman." The realization of that made Brian's eyes just about pop out of his head. "That's... yuck!" "It could also cause a lot of problems. We don't need that, so that is why you can't be included. Does that make sense?" I asked Barbara more than Brian. "Yes," Barbara answered. "I may not like it, but it does." "Well, I'm glad," Brian said. I chucked. "I would be too, Brian." ------- I walked over to the medical building with Jack and Cynthia. The others went different directions, although I knew Patrick would show up here soon. Rebecca was there with the others, outside, keeping a vigil going. She saw the three of us and came over. Then she surprised me and pulled at my arm. We walked away from everyone and she stopped. "Keith, I know you've been looking after Jill," she said with an uncertainty in her voice. "I still care about her and don't want to see her hurt." I wasn't sure what she was alluding to, so I said, "We all know you care about her. She knows and that's the most important person to know. Why would you think she'd be hurt?" "This doctor talk. It sounds like some dream. I just can't see how..." "Rebecca, you can stop right there. I know you wouldn't want Jill to build her hopes up and then get them dashed. You are right, that would hurt. Listen to me. Jill can be a doctor. She is smart enough. We all know that. She now has the schooling, here in Carp, to get her into a university. The doctor has many friends and they can make sure that Jill gets where she needs to go. Rebecca, don't worry. This is not a dream. We all want to see Jill succeed." I looked into her eyes and saw tears. As I thought about it, there was never a hope for Jill, where Rebecca was in her life before. This might be one of those steps where she could let her daughter go, just a bit more, to grow. "Thank you, Keith. You have meant a lot to her, I know." We walked back. I checked inside. Katherine and Jill were going to spend the night there. William was in his office; I stepped in and closed the door behind me. "I didn't know you got the certificate for the building yet." He glanced up and smiled. "I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure I will." Then he winked at me and said, "Don't worry, it will be dated for today. I do have a little pull." "Little?" "This isn't asking for much. Do you have any idea what kind of stink I could make about this? The real reason we don't have the certificate is over the phone system in Carp. It's just political. I am not a politician, I'm a doctor." He grinned, knowing I was going to say something about those remarks, so he didn't give me time, he went right on, "Besides, I understand that the phone company will have trucks out here in two days to start installing the lines." "Are you sure about what field you work in?" I asked before making a hasty retreat, chuckling. I found Robin, Katy, and Richard, over at Millie's. They were getting a run down on the adventures of the coast. When I walked in, Barbara and Robin were talking about the fish they ate and how different it was from anything in the stream here. Bruce shook his head, then looked at Richard and I and said, "You two have spoiled Barbara to the point Brian is going to be a slave the rest of his life, working his fingers to the bone to provide such niceties." Millie just snorted. Katy said, "Bruce, who owns one of two houses that have a water heater in this town? Or what is that thing in the kitchen that most other houses don't have?" Millie and Brian were laughing. Bruce was trying to defend himself. "That device is so I could keep up with my electrical knowledge. Both of them are an important part of my job." "I agree," Millie said. "It is an important part of your job to get those things for me." "That's not what I meant!" Bruce said. Richard leaned over to Brian and said, "I hope you are watching this, because it is a classic example of why women always win." Then Richard said, "Ow!" as Katy took offense to his words. Barbara and Brian were just laughing to the shenanigans being played out. As we left, Millie came out to the porch and asked, "Is Janet going to make it?" "The doctor thinks so. He seemed rather positive." "I can't imagine," she said. Katy looked at her sister and said, "I can. Remember when Dad left. We didn't know he wasn't coming back, but then he was gone for so long. It wasn't a good time in my life." "Katy, you never... Did you ever think of that?" Millie asked. "Maybe not actually doing it, but wondering why I was alive? Yes." "I never knew," Millie responded, sadly. "No one did. I think that's part of the problem. Her husband probably didn't know she was that bad off. I'd bet he's blaming himself, though." Then Katy looked up at Richard and said, "Take me home. This has been a very long day." ------- Home was filled with mixed emotions. The joy of seeing the honeymooners home then shot to pieces by the rescue mission that had taken place. In our room, there were many hugs and kisses. After the day we had, there was a sense that tonight was for closeness and sleeping. All of us found the need to be close to each other, despite the warmth of the room, but Mary I found was extremely touchy as though she needed to be reassured. Thinking about it, she had seemed a bit clingy as soon as we arrived home. Looking over to Kristin, I glanced to Mary. She gave back a look as though she knew nothing. "Mary, what's wrong?" I asked. Tears erupted. Ten minutes later, when she had calmed down, I asked again. No outburst this time, but something different happened. She got up and pulled Kristin and Beth Ann up with her. Then she pulled them out of the room. "Mary, what's wrong?" Beth Ann asked as soon as the bedroom door was shut. "I... That woman. It really upset me." "I think it upset all of us," Kristin said. "Me more," Mary said. "Why would you say that?" Kristin asked. "She felt like she couldn't have... the one thing that she wanted. Look what it made her do? She went crazy." "Mary, do you feel like you're going crazy?" "For the last day, yes." ------- In Katy and Richard's room, Katy was being tended to. Richard had given Dora a clue as to what she'd said at Millie's. With Katherine gone for the evening, there were just the four of them. Dora told Annabelle that Katy needed some extra special time, and that is what they did for her. She opened the bedroom door to a room lit by candles. Dora had some oil that she had warmed, and the scent filled the room. Richard undressed Katy and then Annabelle led her over to the mattresses to lie down. Starting with the back, Dora and Annabelle massaged Katy. Richard looked on, and undressed himself slowly. When they turned her over, Katy was limp. Starting at the feet, the two women massaged their way up. They stayed away from her pussy and as their hands traveled up, she parted her legs and moaned in frustration. Dora looked at Richard and winked, then using her tongue, suggested what he could do for Katy. Annabelle and Dora had just reached Katy's breasts when Richard's tongue took a good swipe across Katy's pussy lips. She arched her back and moaned appreciatively. Richard teased Katy just a bit, but then sucked her clit into his mouth. Her back arched again, she shuttered, and then dropped. She was out for the rest of the night. Dora and Annabelle received kisses and some good natured groping, but were given assurances that tomorrow... ------- That following morning, the good news spread like wildfire. Janet was awake and alert. Although not out of the woods, every sign looked very promising. That started the plans for the party. None of the eight couples were told what, as it was going to be a surprise party. Cynthia and Cheryl decided it should be like a birthday party, as this was going to signify the possibilities of birth for all of the couples. When the northbound train arrived at noon, the mailbag contained quite a number of letters for Patrick and Maureen. When Maureen received them, she hunted down Patrick. In her sister's living room, they opened them. "Patrick!" Maureen exclaimed. "How many people are coming to our wedding?" "Well..." Patrick said, "I guess you're talking about people outside of Carp? You know everyone here will be at our wedding." Maureen rolled her eyes. Marion chuckled. Patrick tried to ignore the non-verbal comments. "My guess is that there will be about thirty. Could be as high as forty from out of town." "Forty! Where will they all stay?" "Mmmm. I never thought of that," Patrick said, rubbing his chin. "Never thought!" Maureen said, starting to lose her rational state. Patrick didn't see the danger signs and teased, "Maybe some of your family could stay out with Jack and Cynthia." "Patrick!" Maureen said sharply. She looked at him and then realized with his silly grin he'd been goading her. She jumped at him and started tickling him, knowing all the spots that would get him good. "Maureen!" her sister said, laughing. "You aren't married yet." Looking up, Maureen said, "And we won't be if he keeps on behaving like this." "I might suggest you tell her some better plans, Patrick," Fred said, breaking into the conversations he tried to stay out of. "Might be a wise thing to do," Patrick mused. Pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket, Patrick said, "There are two spots at..." Maureen pulled the paper out of Patrick's hands and looked at it. Then she looked at him and with a scowl on her face, said, "You have places for everyone to stay. There are more than forty spots here." Trying to look thoughtful, Patrick said, "My grandson, Jimmy, said that to be a good boy scout, one must be prepared." "Now Maureen," Marion said, "maybe you two should take a walk down by the stream. I think you, dear, need to cool off a bit." ------- Sarah had sent her letter off to her parents that morning, and was already dying to know what the answer would be. Marcia was trying her best to not build her hopes up, but that was hard to do. She desperately wanted to see Mike. "Do you think I should tell Mike yet?" Marcia asked Sarah. "Not on your life. It should be a surprise." Marcia looked at Sarah like she was crazy. "Not tell him!" "Can you imagine?" Sarah said. "He'll come over, cause I'm sure he'll think I'll have a letter for him from you. Instead of a letter, he gets the real thing!" Marcia had a smile on her face, but the look in her eyes told Sarah that Marcia was now in a daydream. Now after the build up, Sarah hoped everything worked out. She knew that with her father's schedule, there was always uncertainty. ------- The southbound train brought more surprises that day. The train stopped and two large boxes were unloaded. It was nearly suppertime when Brian and Barbara came riding out on new bicycles. Anyone who came out to see them had a wonderful explanation on how Brian assembled the bikes. It was obvious to the casual observer that Barbara was floating on a cloud. The biggest disappointment came with the explanation that Jimmy and Pamela couldn't go riding with them. It would get too dark soon. The next day was set up with the Pamela and Barbara planning a picnic lunch. Elizabeth and Kristina were bugging their mother, who relented. "Jimmy, Brian," Katherine said, getting the boys attention. "If I were to get two bikes for my girls, what would it cost for me to have you assemble them?" Jimmy and Brian looked at each other. They had no idea someone would pay to have them do something like that. "I'll tell you what," Katherine said, after seeing the stunned look on the boy's faces. "You can think it over and let me know in a day or two." After Brian and Barbara rode off, Katy took Katherine aside. "I'm not sure it was a good idea to offer to pay for something the boys could have done without that incentive." "Katy, I'm sorry if you think I've overstepped my place. I know I could get the bike fully assembled at the factory. It would cost me a good bit more and without Jimmy and Brian around, I would have ordered them that way for my girls. Those two boys know how to put the bicycles together, so why not let them make the extra money, instead of the factory?" Katy didn't have a good answer to that. "I guess I've never thought about it that way. Well, the truth of the matter is that I never had enough money, growing up, to afford such things. It sort of feels strange to have such luxuries and I suppose that is why I look at trying to cut costs." Katy looked at Katherine with a pained expression. "There is also the thought that I'm having a problem with my son growing up." Katherine smiled warmly. "Well, if there is any consolation there," she patted Katy's belly. "You're about to start all over again." "I know! Am I crazy?" Katherine laughed. "For Richard, most definitely!" ------- It was two days later, (the good doctor's estimation had been off by a day) when the phone company trucks rolled into town. There were four of them and there was a lot of excitement in the air. One large truck had a crane attachment on the back. It had a switching center loaded on it also. Jim found Patrick. Patrick found Bruce. Bruce found Jack, who said Richard and I should get involved with this as well. The line that had been laid, previously, terminated in the back of the unoccupied building that was between the restaurant and the hotel, and across from the bank. It had been a place that was determined at the time to be a good place, as no one was going to occupy the shop in the near future. Jim had no idea what that decision meant in the long run. In this case, there was a switchboard. It was to be set up in town. That meant for us to have service we needed to not only provide a space for the equipment, but have an operator as well. Some of this, I knew, was temporary. As soon as Memco heard about these shenanigans, and lack of round the clock service, there would be hell to pay. It wasn't these guys' fault. They were pawns who were being used. What the phone company, who had sent these poor souls out, didn't understand was that the phones would be set up and be operational, while the battle about priorities were changed. The one thing those guys were highly impressed with was that when the trenches had been dug and new water lines had been installed in town, phone and electric lines had been laid as well. The only lines they had to run were to the Mansion, the new mine, and the connections to the equipment. It sounded like a good bit of work to any of us, but considering, I guess it was a good bit less for them. Robin came downtown with me that evening. She wanted to stop in front of the one working phone in Carp. "It seems sad in a way," she said. "This was always the way we talked on the phone." "It will help the doctor, as well as the school," I said pragmatically. "I called you several times using this phone. It has such memories. Will the new ones sound the same?" "I'm sure they will. If not the same, better." Robin smiled, scooted over to me and put her arm around mine. "I don't know if I could have taken that. It was always so good to hear your voice, but I could tell you were far away from me. If you would have sounded close, I think I would have wanted you to come to me every night I talked to you." I returned her smile, as I said, "I wanted to be with you. The sound of your voice made me yearn with desire." Robin suddenly laughed. "You know Jimmy and Brian are going to talk and come up with crazy ideas. They don't even have to be together to get into mischief now, they will be able to do it over the phone!" "I'm not sure if it will be Brian and Jimmy. More likely Barbara and Pamela." "Are you trying to say that girls talk too much?" Robin asked. I wasn't going to answer that question. So I took the easy way out and kissed her. ------- William had, on the premise of helping Janet, arranged each of the other seven couples to meet at the clinic. The rest of us had arrived earlier and were hiding. It was a logistical nightmare for William, Katherine, and Jill to keep everyone on their toes until the last couple arrived. Janet, at that point, was being treated for her over exposure to the sun. Internally, she had recovered. Her mental situation still was in question. We all knew that this was a make or break deal for her. William had suggested that with everyone there, it could be a positive transition for her. Janet and her husband were in the room when William came in. Janet looked at her husband, who said, "I heard a number of voices. Did something happen?" William couldn't have been given a better way to line things up. "There are a few things that have been going on," William told them with a straight face. "I want both of you to come out to the front and find out for yourselves." "Doctor?" Janet questioned, as she looked at the bed she was on, and the fluids that were going into her arm. William smiled. "The bed rolls. Your husband and I will roll you out. Don't you worry; I think everyone who is out there has been by to see you in the first place, so it isn't anything to think about." With that he stooped, unlocked the wheels, and then started to roll the bed. Janet looked at her husband, but in reality, neither had much choice about what was going on. He took hold of the bed and helped steer it. When the bed with Janet arrived, they saw two other couples. Two more arrived from down the hallway a moment later. Katherine opened a door and led out two more couples. Jill opened up the front door, bringing in the last of the eight couples. They were looking at each other, wondering what was going on. Before anyone had a chance to voice that question. I opened William's office door and ten of us poured out, adding to the confusion. The chaotic atmosphere wasn't helped when Cynthia opened a cabinet and pulled out a cake, complete with eight candles on top. "You are wondering why everyone is here," I said and got many a nod in return. "In this room is the gathering of the eight couples in town who want children." I let that sink in for a moment before going on. "The rest of us are the fertile males, and their spouses." At that point I think you could have heard a pin drop. We had talked about this and knew that this point was going to be the most uncomfortable. Here is where William took over. "We have had talks, but nothing came of them. None of you knew about those talks. I'm sure all of you were left wondering what, if anything would happen. It is not an easy subject to talk discuss. Janet's reaction caused all of us to realize that we needed to take action. The result of that is our meeting tonight." Marion's husband, Fred, who was sitting to the left of Janet waved his left hand, while the other one was scratching the back of his neck. "What does all that mean?" William gave him a reassuring smile and continued, "The one problem we were having in donating was that we didn't want to be singled out as a parent to anyone. We have come up with a solution to that. So now, any one of you that feels that you want to go ahead and try to conceive, will be able to." Fred's brow wrinkled as he waved his hand again, before saying, "That sort of sounds like my wife doesn't get a choice in her..." "Donor?" William finished. "Yes. Is that right?" "You are right. No one will know who the donor is." "No one?" Marion asked, very surprised. "No one. Let me explain the details." It took another twenty minutes for William to work thought the mechanics and answer the questions. When each couple had a complete understanding of the process, Patrick took over. "I know that each one of us has been in turmoil over this. Unfortunately it took Janet to bring our focus into reality. There is a cake that Cheryl made. It has eight candles on it, to represent eight lives that could have their birth within the year." Patrick took a box of matches out of his pocket and handed them to Marion before continuing. "I think it would be nice for each one of you to light one of those candles, signifying a light of hope." Marion struck a match and lit a candle. She handed the box to Janet. Dropping the box as her hands were shaking so much, Janet said, "I don't feel worthy any more." It was Katy who walked over to Janet and picked up the box of matches. "I know just how you feel, Janet," Katy said, knowing that all eyes would be drawn to her with that statement. "It is good for you to look at all of us here. Not a one of us is here without sacrifice in our lives." Katy then took Janet's hand, placed a match in it and reached for a candle to bring to her. "It is God's grace that you are here with us today. Do not turn your back on the gift of life, yours and your child's." Janet felt a hand on her shoulder and knew it was her husband standing beside her, supporting her. With tears in her eyes she struck the match and lit the candle. In that moment she started to regain her life, as she planned for a new life in their shattered family. As she blew out the match, she looked up into her husband's face and saw the love she had not wanted to acknowledge, or accept, before. Three couples held the match together as they lit the candle. Two women handed the match to their spouse, who took the step in lighting the candle. Each couple had different needs and different ways of expressing this strange and yet exciting gift. As soon as all the candles were lit, Jill started singing happy birthday. Everyone joined in the song. When it came to the name, there was a pause of silence and then the song went on. I thought as this process went on, we should do this again, and maybe by then all the couples would have names to say. When the song ended, no one knew quite what to do. Jill giggled and blew out the candles. When everyone looked at her, she grinned and said, "Well I am the youngest here!" That silly statement broke everyone into laughter. The cake was served and complements flowed to Cheryl for such a wonderful treat. As everyone ate, William told the women they would need to come in, daily, from tomorrow on. He explained that the best way to tell the optimum time for conception was to take their temperature. "Couldn't I take Marion's temperature?" Fred asked. "It isn't a normal thermometer, Fred, and not to embarrass you... but this temperature isn't taken under the tongue." It took the men a moment to comprehend and then every one of them looked at William in shock. "Katherine will be supervising those visits," he said as to make what seemed a very personal and embarrassing component of all of this, more palatable. ------- Millie came out to the Mansion the next day. Of course Barbara and Brian were with her and they disappeared before she got to the front door. Katy met her in the living room, hearing she was here from the kitchen where she had been making bread. "Katy," Millie bemoaned, "how on earth are we ever going to have enough food for the crowd our father has showing up to his wedding?" You would have thought I would have learned by now, but I couldn't keep my mouth shut. "Millie, I do remember a lost traveler who wandered into this town not that long ago. He hadn't eaten and soon had more presented to him than he could have eaten in a week," I said. Ok, maybe that was stretching the truth just a touch. Millie looked at me perturbed, and said, "We can't be serving leftovers to our guests." "I got leftovers?" I said in dramatic shock. Katy had enough of my mischief, and told me to find someone else to annoy. I chuckled and took a hint, leaving them to discuss food strategies. With nothing else to occupy my time, I walked into the butler's closet. I lit a candle and placed a hurricane cover over it, before opening the narrow door that led down to the basement. We had learned the hard way that the updraft would blow out a candle pretty fast. If not when the door was opened, then possibly on the way down the small staircase. It was not a place to be left in the dark. The rows of shelves were stocked, and the refrigerator was humming along nicely. The installment of that had been a chore that Larry had engineered. It was lucky for us that the fall away floor was there. It finally served one good purpose. There was also never a lack of volunteers to stock the shelves. At least not this summer, as it was the coolest place in the house. I wondered idly if that would continue during the wintertime. I wasn't down here for an inventory check, though. That wasn't my job, it was Annabelle's. I had descended the stairs for another purpose altogether. Walking through the tunnel to the other side, I walked up the staircase in the new structure. Unlocking the door as quietly as I could, I then opened it sticking my head out. Jill was on her bed, talking to Laura. Laura, standing half way in the bedroom doorway saw the shift of Jill's eyes, her startled expression, and then her smile. I caught sight of Jill's smile and then Laura turning. I knew she would want to know what Jill was looking at. Just as quick, I pulled my head in and closed the door. Then I listened. "What were you looking at?" "Keith," Jill replied. There was a pause, and then in a questioning voice Laura said, "I don't see him." Jill laughed. I could tell she was in a good mood, as she taunted Laura, "I'll bet you don't see the Easter bunny, or even Santa Clause, do you?" "Jill!" I opened the door again, grateful for Larry's skill in workmanship, and slipped out into the hallway unnoticed by Laura. Jill saw me though and said, "I see him, and now, as I'm telling you he's here, you will too." Laura turned around and her eyes popped open wide. Then she caught on and put her hands on her hips. Her eyes narrowed. I knew something was going to happen, and I didn't want to be a part of it. In a theatric ghostly voice, I said, "I'm the ghost of Keith. The man who loves to tickle young girls." With that said, I lunged at the surprised Laura, catching her off guard. She shrieked and then started laughing. I do learn from my mistakes... well some of the time... and didn't get carried away. I didn't need to tickle her to the point of her peeing herself. I'd done that once and once was enough. So I let her believe she escaped. As she ran down the hallway, she turned and stuck her tongue out at me, giggled and then ran off. As soon as I came back into Jill's bedroom, Jill said, "You know she loves you." I looked at her questioningly. Jill smiled and then said, "No, not like I do." Then she added, "Just give her a couple years, though." I gave Jill a perturbed look. She just smiled, but then said, "I'm guessing you didn't travel the far desert to tickle fair maidens?" That was a great lead in, but I took a different and more direct approach. "No. I came to see if you were sleeping alone tonight." The dawn of what I was asking took a moment. Then she blushed at the directness of my question. Jill took the bull by the horns and asked a question to me. "Is there a reason I should?" "Promises could be made," I replied. She swallowed and then looked at me in the eyes. They were full of hope. Her hands were not waiting until tonight. They wrapped around me and pulled me forward, into a kiss. When I was let up for air, she said, "Promise, then." "Tonight, as the moon shines through your window, I shall see you my love." Jill swooned. I knew it was time to retreat, or else I wouldn't have the strength. As I placed the key into the lock, I heard Jill call to me. I opened the door and then looked back at her. My jaw dropped. Jill was standing and at her feet was her skirt. The tails of her blouse covered everything, but just barely. As my eyes started at her feet and continued up, they got to her face. Jill had a radiant smile. "Tonight," I croaked out, and closed the door. I knew that if I looked any longer, I would stay. That wasn't on the plan for this afternoon. The telephone installers were coming out. ------- In the late afternoon, the phone rang. It wasn't the first time. There had been several tests done. The whole system was being tested, from the phones to the operators who would be manning the switchboard. So far everything had gone as smoothly as could be expected. There were four operators being trained. Beth Ann, Mary, Annabelle, Robin, Daisy, and Dora had all applied. What they hadn't thought of was that other women of the town might want to do the job as well. It was Beth Ann and Daisy who were chosen from our household. I was the closest to the phone and picked it up. Of course, as it was a novelty, many came running to the sound of the bell. "The Mansion," I said in as low and gravelly a voice as I could manage. I heard a man laughing. It startled me, as I expected it to be Beth Ann or Daisy on the other end of the line. "Keith, I can tell you haven't lost your sense of humor." "Patrick?" I said in disbelief. "Oh, come now, Keith. You don't think I'm unaware of what is going on around Carp, do you?" I thought, 'Well, I hope not everything!' Patrick went on, "I got wind that the lines were being hooked up and people trained, so I took a chance. At any rate, I need to talk with my daughter." "Mary?" I asked. "No, Sarah. She sent us a letter." "Ok, I'll have her call you back." "Do nothing of the sort. I'll call back, just say when." "She's over in the other house. Give me five minutes." Patrick chuckled and then said, "I'd give you ten, as that's what it would take most people, but when Sarah hears the phone is for her, she'll be here in no time at all." "Then goodbye for the moment," I said, noting that things must be going well for Patrick's campaign. I hung up the phone and before I made it to the kitchen, Sarah was already on her way into the house. "I heard there was a phone call for me," Sarah said. It was done in more of an accusing tone. I shook my head in amazement that she had heard so quickly. I also realized that her sharp tone and short temper had been present off and on all day. I told her that it was her dad, and he'd be calling back. When Sarah wanted to know everything, there was little to tell other than it was concerning the letter she sent. Her mood suddenly changed and she was a bundle of nerves. The phone rang again and Sarah grabbed it. The conversation took three minutes at the most. As soon as she hung up, she looked at everyone who had gathered in the room. "I'm going to see my parents... tomorrow," she said in shocked disbelief. Jill, who had come over along with the rest of the house after hearing Sarah had received a call, asked, "What about Marcia?" "He said to bring my friend along. He never asked who it was," Sarah replied, still in a daze. Robin walked over to Sarah and took her by the arm, saying, "Don't you think we should pack a few things then? Come on, Jill, you can help. I think it would be nice if we told Marcia the good news as well." That did it. Sarah snapped out of it and looked around. "She's not here?" Jill said, "I'll bet she didn't want to be disappointed." I remember mood swings well. This was classic. Sarah went from a stunned, almost lifeless creature, to a girl who was practically bouncing off the walls. We just laughed as Robin and Jill led her away. Katy came up to me and said softly, "They are going to miss my father's wedding." I turned and looked at her. Then with as gentle a voice as I could muster, I asked, "Is it important for Sarah and Marcia to be there?" Katy looked at me and I could tell she was pondering the question. "No, I suppose it isn't. It was just an assumption on my part that everyone here would be there. Sarah needs to spend time with her parents. I can't blame her for wanting to do that." Then Katy smiled and added, "Of course, then there is Marcia." "Yes, there is. With her showing up, I can imagine there will be words." "Sarah reminds me of some other stinker who likes to cause trouble," Katy taunted. I frowned and trying to look as serious as I could, said, "Katy, I'm surprised that you would talk about your son like that." "Keith!" she said, then growled, "Oh you!" ------- Before noon, the next morning, the first car arrived. There were three couples that extracted themselves, stretching as soon as they exited the car. Robin was downtown and saw them arrive. She recognized the old car. It was the one that had taken her to safety when Cliff had arrived in town for the first time after being gone for so many years. She ran and said hello to the older couple that had been there to save her. She was introduced to their son, the minister, and his wife. The third couple she didn't recognize, but they knew her. "Robin! Oh my how you have grown. I think the last time we saw you was when you were two." The older woman looked into Robin's eyes and smiled. "You don't remember us, do you, dear? No, no... I suppose you wouldn't. I was one of your grandmother's best friends. When Katy was born..." The woman got a bit choked up thinking of the loss of her friend. "I was there and promised to help out. I did what I could. When you were born I continued, until we moved." Then, as though she just opened her eyes and looked at Robin, she said, "Goodness, are you... ?" Robin beamed and answered, "Yes, I am. I feel her moving around, now. It is a feeling that is so hard to describe." "Yes, it is dear. God gave women special feelings that men will never know." Then with a smile and twinkle in her eye, she said, "I've always thought God favored us." There was a clearing of the men's throats and the women laughed. Robin then said, "Let's find Patrick and Maureen, I know they will be delighted you're here." As they walked across the street of the downtown, the three couples stopped. Their eyes wide, looking in the old mercantile store. Robin noticed their look. "That is the new school. I'm sure when others arrive there will be tours of many of the changes in town." "I hope so," one of the men said. "I want to see those new water tanks up at the spring." "You would dear," his wife said sweetly. "I'd rather see the school. It looks like there is a well stocked library in there." The conversation could have gone on for some time, except Robin pointed out another car in the distance. Patrick showed up just before it arrived. Robin escaped, saying she would find and send Maureen downtown. Frankly, for Robin, the flood of memories the newly arrived guests were making her remember made her a bit nervous. She knew that with all the interest in the changes, the Mansion would be a stop. That visit and tour would need to be controlled. Maureen was easy to find. Dragging her downtown took both Robin and Maureen's sister. Maureen was nervous. Most all of the people showing up were Patrick's friends. Some of them knew Maureen as a young girl. She didn't want to face them and feel criticized. When Robin, Maureen, and Marion arrived downtown, there were now ten newly arrived quests. Robin was a bit amused that her brother, Jimmy, Pamela, Brian, and Barbara were also there. The amusing thing wasn't that they were there, but that they were trying to vie to play tour guide to the new arrivals. Patrick had a hard time not laughing at the antics. He told the four youngsters that they were to split up. Brian and Jimmy would show the men around, while Barbara and Pamela would show the women around the downtown. Each group thought that was a grand idea. Barbara and Pamela immediately took the women to Cynthia's dress store. The men groaned when they heard where the women were off to. Brian and Jimmy headed to the other end of town and took the men to the bank. ------- Cynthia and Rebecca were surprised when they heard the bell on the door and saw Pamela and Barbara leading six women into their store. The five women from out of town scattered, each looking at something different. Pulling garments out and ohhing and ahhing. Maureen looked at Cynthia and caught her eye, then looked at 'the door.' Cynthia followed Maureen's gaze and then looked back, nodding. As curious beings do, the women were looking everywhere. One exclaimed when she saw the tag, "Maureen, is this your dress?" That brought everyone over. Cynthia pulled it out of its covering and looked for an appropriate place to hang it, so that everyone could look. That place was the door that led to the basement. It had an over the door hanger. Cynthia hung the dress while Rebecca fluffed the skirt. As the women gave Maureen complements on the dress and how lovely she would look in it, the conversation started to turn to the dress shop itself. Primarily how it could survive in a town the size of Carp. Rebecca answered the question by handing the women a small six-page catalog. "A mail order business, how clever," one woman said. Cynthia smiled. "It makes it so that the store can be open for the women of Carp." As the women looked, they came to the last page, inside. There was a collective gasp. "You sell undergarments... Like these!" Rebecca was working hard to keep a straight face. This catalog was tame, comparatively speaking. Cynthia was not daunted. She had heard this before. The notion that women would come in separately, or order through the mail, but as a group deny what they did, was something she was used to. Some of her early parties had been spent breaking down these barriers. She'd spent enough time around the Mennonites that she knew some of the underlying issues. Looking at the youngest of the group, not knowing it was the minister's wife, Cynthia asked, "Do you not believe that your husband is the master of the house?" "Of course he is." "Did God create beauty for us to turn away from, or to enjoy fully?" Cynthia went questioned. "Well, yes," the minister's wife said looking for confirmation from the others, "we should look upon Gods creation with joy in our heart." Cynthia couldn't help but smile. "You are right, and how much joy do you think your husband, the master of your house, would get if you wore these items," Cynthia pointed to the lingerie in the catalog. Maureen couldn't help but snort. The other women looked at her. Maureen couldn't help herself and said, "If she wore one of those, she'd be with child within hours." The women put their hands to their mouths, in shock. All accept the minister's wife. "Maureen," she asked, "are you planning on wearing something like this, under your wedding dress?" "Of course I am." "Really?" one of the other women said as though it was totally undignified to do so. Rebecca stepped in to the conversation, "At Christmas, when you have a special gift to give, would you wrap it in old newsprint?" The question confused them, but the answer came back as 'no.' "Of course not. You would spend the time to wrap that gift in something special," Rebecca said. "Now let me ask you something. What gift can Maureen give to Patrick that is more special than herself? These garments are a gift wrap for him." Cynthia could see the wheels turning and knew that, as a few of the women were discreetly holding onto the catalogs, she would get orders from them. It was inevitable that the next thing happened. Three of the women had lived in Carp. As soon as Cynthia pulled Maureen's dress down, the question was raised. "That door goes down into a basement." "Yes, but we've been having problems," Cynthia replied. "Problems?" one of the women asked. "It is nice and cool down there. Rebecca, did Jim leave that last rat he killed? It was bigger than I've ever seen one." "Rats?" "I had thoughts of asking to see downstairs. No thank you." "Pamela, where's our next stop?" "But I like that cream blouse, I was thinking of trying it on." "Bring your husband back. I know he'll buy it for you." "Good idea. Guess we'll be back. Bye now." "So, where are we going now?" "To the school." ------- "So this is 'The Birk Treasure'?" "Many men risked their lives trying to find it and this is it. Those pieces of jewelry are worth something, but not the riches that the legend told of." "So what do you do all day long?" one of the men asked Kristin. "I'm not here all day. We're not a traditional bank. We distribute and cash the mine's checks. We also have a set of safety deposit boxes that most families use now. It's better than keeping their cash under their mattress." "The new mine! Brian and Jimmy, when do we get to see that?" "Don't forget the new water tanks." "Right. Are we going there next?" Jimmy and Brian looked at each other and smiled. Brian took over and said, "No, we're going to the school next. We can walk up to the spring, but we'd have to drive out to the mine." "The school it is, then." ------- As soon as the train left Carp, Marcia started to believe that this trip was reality. She had kept her hopes in check, thinking that at any moment reality would set in. Marcia was working hard to keep her mood swings to a manageable level. It was getting easier to take note, and realize what was controlling her. Not that knowing would make the feelings go away, but she wasn't apt to cry for no reason any longer. That didn't explain Sarah's behavior. She wasn't pregnant. Half way to Reno, Marcia got Sarah to sit with her in a quiet place. "Sarah, I'm sorry if you felt like you had to do this... for me." Sarah looked shocked. "What made you think that?" Marcia shrugged her shoulders, not knowing quite what to say. Sarah was contemplating Marcia's words now, instead of the initial reaction she had given. "I guess you might think I've been out of sorts." Marcia attempted to smile. Sarah ignored it and went on. "It is going to be a bit odd, you know." "Odd?" "I'm coming back into town to see friends. Think of it, Marcia. Who am I going to see? Vivian and Scott. Then Scott is bringing Mike and I'm bringing you. So there will be two couples... and me." "Oh," Marcia said, realizing something she'd never thought about. Sarah's ill temper was now understandable. This trip wasn't going to be all that fun for her. Sarah had been on the top of the social scale, and now she was coming back into her town to visit with two couples. She would be the odd person out. Not that long ago Marcia would have rejoiced in that idea. Now it didn't feel right. "I'm sorry," Marcia said. They rode in relative silence for the last fifteen miles. Marcia determined to find ways to make sure Sarah was included in everything that went on. Marcia knew she wouldn't be there, and would be able to see Mike if it weren't for Sarah's generosity. She had to repay her, somehow. Sarah stewed, wondering why it was upsetting her. She was going to have a great time seeing Vivian and teasing Scott. Of course there was the benefit of seeing her parents as well. Her father had sounded so pleased to be able to have a visit. So why the turmoil? Oh, sure, her parents were going to have a cow when they saw Marcia, but they wouldn't send her back. They couldn't, well not until the morning train anyway. By then it would be a moot point. There was something in the back of Sarah's mind and she couldn't get it to come forward. It disturbed her. The conductor announced the station, although Marcia and Sarah had been watching and knew it was coming before being told. As the train pulled to a stop, Sarah looked to see who was there to take them home. She didn't recognize anyone and started to frown. The girls got off the train and were awaiting their luggage when a young woman approached them. "Are you Sarah?" she asked. "Yes," Sarah said a bit apprehensively. The woman smiled and automatically put out her hand, then laughed and pulled it back. Then in a way to justify her presence and actions, she said, "I'm one of your parent's secretaries. My name is Joan. I take care of his social appointments." "He sent you?" Sarah said in a sort of angry, disappointed voice. "I'm sorry, Sarah. It is my fault, so I said I would come and pick you up. He told me you were arriving and I forgot to write it down. I'm new at this job and it is a bit overwhelming. Your parents are at a gathering, a sort of informal fund raising luncheon. They should be home in an hour." "Oh, don't worry about it," Sarah said in resignation. "I'm used to it." Joan said in a cheery voice, "Then let's get your bags and go home." As Joan picked up the two small suitcases the girls had, Marcia pulled on Sarah's arm, getting her to hang back. Marcia whispered, "Maybe this is good. Your parent's won't see me this way for a bit." Sarah cracked a smile, thinking of that. "Ok, I'll call Scott as soon as we get home. ------- Plans had been made. Scott, Mike, and Vivian were due to come over at four. Sarah's parents would not be home earlier than three thirty, according to Joan. It would give Mike and Marcia time, at least some, while Sarah was getting grilled over bringing her to town. Joan had no idea who Marcia was, but started to get the idea, after many phone calls, that something fishy was going on. She wanted to be out of the way as soon as she could and not get trapped into something that could jeopardize her job. Therefore Joan kept a watchful eye out the front window. As soon as the McCarran's car pulled up into the driveway, Joan was at the front door. She was gone like a flash. Jane had just hugged her daughter when Sarah pulled away from her. It was very odd to see Sarah run through the living room and into the hallway. Jane followed, wondering what was wrong. She saw the bathroom door close down the hall and shook her head. Patrick looked at his wife in the entrance to the hallway. "I haven't seen her do that since she was a little girl," he said. Jane turned and replied, "She hasn't been away from us for so long. Maybe in all the excitement she forgot to go," then with a smile added, "until she couldn't hold it." "Mom!" Jane stood outside the bathroom door and answered, "Yes dear, what do you need?" "There aren't any... supplies in this bathroom." Jane tried the door. If there wasn't toilet paper on the roll, she would have to bring it to Sarah, anyway. In her haste, Sarah hadn't locked the door. Jane looked around the door. The roll of toilet paper looked almost new. "Sarah, what supplies are you talking about?" "It's my time of the month." "You didn't realize? I'm surprised. You should have known. Mary always starts three days before you." Jane didn't see the shocked look that ran across Sarah's face. She dropped her head so her mother couldn't see and mumbled, "I guess I didn't pay any attention." ------- Chapter 125 Jane walked down the hall and into Sarah's bedroom. She had stopped needing monthly supplies herself, but Sarah had extras in her closet. Jane shook her head, thinking that Sarah must have packed her supplies out of the bathroom when she went to Carp. Opening the bedroom door, Jane was stunned to see Marcia standing there. She looked at the girl, as though she couldn't be there, thinking that maybe it was just her imagination. Marcia, after all, should be in Carp and not in Reno. Quickly opening the closet, Jane picked up a box off the floor and walked out of the bedroom. As she closed the door, she wondered, 'If I opened the door again, would Marcia still be there?' Reality hit Jane on the way down the hall. Sarah had once again pushed where she shouldn't have. It was no wonder her daughter was feeling like she was. Jane knew it was the stress of lying to her parents. She opened the door to the bathroom. Sarah was still sitting on the toilet. Jane saw Sarah look up, her face was pale, and then her eyes rolled back. Running to her, Jane caught Sarah just before she hit the floor. A cool washcloth on her face brought Sarah back around. "How are you feeling?" Jane asked her daughter. Sarah just stared blankly up at her mother, from the floor. "Can you get the pad in place and pull up your underwear?" Jane wanted to know. Sarah gave her mother a little nod. "Ok. I'm going to get Marcia and we'll walk you back to your room. I think you need a good rest." Jane stood, walked over to the door and then looked back at her daughter. She hadn't moved. "Sarah, I don't think Marcia wants to help me put the pad on you as well. Roll over on your back and get started." As soon as Jane saw her daughter move, she left the bathroom and went to get Marcia. Opening Sarah's bedroom door, she saw Marcia sitting on Sarah's bed; her hands in her lap, fidgeting. "I need your help, Marcia." Jane saw Marcia look up at her and saw the apprehension and fear in her eyes. "Sarah has started her monthly. That, combined with sneaking you up here, has taken a toll on her. She fainted in the bathroom. We need to help her in here, where she can take a little nap." Marcia opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Jane said, "We can talk about all of this later. Right now, Sarah needs our help." The two walked down the hall and Marcia got her voice back. "That's what you came into the room for, wasn't it?" "Yes. I'm surprised that Sarah didn't prepare better." "I don't have them now," Marcia said in a sorrowful voice. That caught Jane off guard, but she recovered as she reached for the doorknob. Smiling, Jane said, "That's one of the nice benefits about being pregnant, Marcia." With the door open, Marcia looked in. Sitting on the floor was Sarah. She was using her hands to balance herself. Jane took one side and Marcia the other. They picked Sarah up and walked her back to her bedroom. Sarah fell onto the bed and Jane simply pulled a cover over her. Then Jane and Marcia left, closing the door behind them. ------- "That took a while," Patrick said in a jovial mood. He turned around as the words left his mouth. The smile on his face was replaced with one of shock. "How did she get here?" "Patrick!" Jane admonished her husband. "You should know very well how she got here. Your darling daughter planned this. Now come on. Let's have a nice little talk." Marcia was not at all sure about having 'a nice little talk.' Sarah had been sure she could twist things around with her father, but she was in her room and in bed. "Where is Sarah, anyway?" Patrick asked as he moved over to sit in his favorite chair. "Not feeling very well. I think..." Jane started to say, but was cut off by the doorbell ringing. Jane had just sat down, but got up to answer the door. Walking to the entry, she was glad that no one could see the living room, where Marcia was sitting. Opening the front door, she expected to see a traveling sales person. None of their friends knew they were in town. What she didn't expect was Scott, Vivian, and Mike at the front door. "Hello, Mrs. McCarran," Scott said. The greeting was repeated by Vivian and Mike. Jane rolled her eyes and then said, "Come in. I guess you were all part of this plan." "Plan?" Mike said, looking confused. "Scott just told me when he picked me up that you and your husband were in town and were planning on seeing Sarah. I thought I might get a letter to her... just a bit quicker." Then he grinned. "It would be a surprise." Jane couldn't help but smile at the boy. "Come in. Come in. I'm sure there are going to be many surprises, today." She led then into the living room. Mike saw Marcia, sitting there... in the room. She was here. Sitting. Patrick, who was facing the opposite direction from the entry, heard a noise and asked his wife, "Who was at the door?" There was no answer and Patrick turned to look, to see if his wife had heard him. What he saw was Mike, standing beside Jane. The boy's mouth was hanging open, his eyes wide in surprise. Behind him were Scott and Vivian, with big grins on their faces. Patrick groaned inside, but said, "Mike, are you just going to stand there, or are you planning on giving Marcia a hug?" ------- The train that had taken Sarah and Marcia to Reno had also dropped off three more couples arriving for the wedding. The southbound train had deposited another four couples. Counting those that had arrived by car earlier in the day, there were twenty-two fresh faces in Carp. All but the Pastor's wife had lived in Carp at one time. It was part of the reason they were here a day early. The wedding gave them an excuse to see what had been happening, as the newspapers were known to exaggerate the truth. The downtown had been busy all day with all those newcomers looking in the hotel, restaurant, bank, school, and of course Cynthia's dress shop. As all these people had lived here, they were staying with old friends who still lived in Carp. Katy and Robin were a bit miffed that Richard and I had received a long box on the North bound train this morning and had disappeared with it. We weren't around them, so we had no idea that they were not thinking good thoughts about us. They were stuck, as Patrick's daughter and granddaughter, playing hostesses. Richard and I were having a grand time. Richard had struck a deal with some of the guys at the base. Seven hand woven fabrics had been sent, as future Christmas presents. What we received, in return, was an enlarger. It was unopened, and in its original box. William had just laughed at us when we brought the box into the clinic, grinning like young boys. "Well, it's a good thing the dark room is larger than needed. X-ray trays are big, but they built this room to handle two sets of trays at the same time. Last time I saw that done was at one of the university hospitals. A clinic this size couldn't ever take X-rays that fast." "It's just perfect for us," I said. "This side will hold the paper tray, enlarger, and developing trays. The other side we just need to fit in the smaller tray for our film developing." William chuckled and said, "You know after you get this set up, I'm going to have to pull out my camera. I've taken some nice pictures over the years and even though I develop the X-rays, I've never developed my own film and never had the opportunity to print the pictures. It will be interesting to see the process." "Keith and I will be taking pictures of Patrick's wedding. It'll get us a lot of practice. Who knows, we may even get a few good shots!" "Well," William said, "I'll let you two get on with it. I need to check on Janet." "How is she doing?" I asked. "Very good. I've found that people who live in small towns are hardy. It's not that everything is fine. Her skin will take a bit to recover, but it will. Inside, her system was thrown off and has to get back on schedule. She'll be one of the last to become pregnant. I can guess that she won't have a menstruation cycle for at least few months." Richard raised his eyebrows and asked, "It can take that long to readjust?" "Richard, I've known women who, simply because they stressed about this or that, didn't have a cycle. The reason I know about it in the first place is that most of them think they are pregnant. Of course that stress doesn't help them get back on track either. It is as complicated as the rest of a woman," William said with a grin, and then added. "And don't you dare tell anyone that I said that!" "Especially your wife," I replied. "You have that right! Now, I need to go work, unlike you two." As soon as he'd left, I said to Richard, "I like him. He's very down to earth. You couldn't ask for a better mentor to Jill than he is going to be." Richard's face was twitching with a smile. "Unless of course that tutor was you, but then he probably doesn't make middle of the night bedside calls." I just laughed knowing better than to take the bait, as Richard would have already thought of many ways to get me. We set up the enlarger, and then mixed up the powdered chemicals, pouring the liquid into amber glass jars. We closed the door and left after that. One of the things that I now remembered, as it had been some time since I had been in a dark room, is that you can easily lose track of time. Richard and I had spent three hours fiddling around in there. I can remember in college going into the college darkroom in the evening and when I walked out found it was morning. It's fun while you're in there, but sometimes there is hell to pay, afterwards. This time it didn't come because of a lack of sleep. Katy and Robin spotted and then cornered us. They were through playing tour guide. The problem was people wanted to see the Mansion. It didn't help their mood any when Richard and I talked about how we could have re-enactments. First there was the trap door opening trick, and then we could show them our bedrooms with the mattresses filling the floor. Although we were having a bit of fun, we did realize that there was a point when we should stop and that we might have gone a little past that point. "Richard," I said, "I think I'll go and talk with Patrick. He knows who's showing up. My guess is that the people who will be interested in the Mansion would be the people who lived here before. We don't want to give a tour of that place more than once." Robin and Katy were in full agreement about that. We were going to have to stage the place for a raft of visitors and once was about all any of us out there would be able to tolerate. Patrick and Maureen were easy to find. After all, they were the center of attention. Getting Patrick aside for a moment of private conversation took almost a half an hour. The end result was that he was convinced just about everyone would want to see it. The Mansion had been in the newspapers, and that notoriety would make everyone curious. He understood our need for privacy and desire to show the house only once. Having it tomorrow after everyone arrived would help. By tomorrow morning we would also have time to make a few changes, giving it that 'respectable' image that people wanted to see. ------- When it was time for Vivian, Scott, and Mike to go, Vivian went back into Sarah's bedroom to say goodbye. "I'm sorry you weren't feeling good. It's sad that you came up here, and then had to stay in bed." "Don't worry, I would have been out of place with you two couples," Sarah said trying to smile. "I'll bet Marcia didn't even know I was in here." Vivian grinned. "You should have seen your mom. I think she expected them to run off somewhere. Mike was being a gentleman. It was Marcia!" "I'm going to have to have a talk with her." "Now don't be too hard on her, m-o-m," Vivian said with a laugh. Sarah couldn't help but laugh. "You are good for me, Vivian. I miss talking with you." "I do, too. Are you going to come up for Thanksgiving and Christmas?" "I'm sure I will. I don't think my parents will let me stay down for those, unless they are someplace for Dad's work." "I hope not. I want to see you then." Scott poked his head in. "Viv, we've got to go." Sarah grinned. "Viv?" Vivian blushed. "He just started that." "Go on. You don't want to be late." "You're right. We're coming back tomorrow. Bye." Sarah heard the front door close. Now she knew her mother would be back to talk to her. The door opened, but it wasn't her mother who entered, it was her father. "Sarah," he said as he sat on the edge of her bed, "I know you have a lot of good intentions, but bringing Marcia here could be damaging to my career." She started to shake and couldn't control herself. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Then the tears started flowing. Patrick had seen the range of emotion from his daughters, but this was unlike anything he had experienced. He could tell she was totally out of control. Something had snapped and he was concerned, but didn't know what to do. Getting up he ran for the door and yelled out for his wife. It was close to two hours later, after a bath, some tea, and the threat of having the doctor come and take a look that Sarah was back to normal. Marcia felt as though all of this was her fault and Jane was playing interference between both girls. At one point Patrick said, "How does Keith put up with all the females at his house?" Jane gave him a look that told him it might be best for him to retire to his study for the time being. Sarah paddled in, wearing pajamas and slippers. She climbed into his lap. Even if she was a bit too big to be doing that, Patrick wouldn't have told her so for the world. He put his protective arms around his daughter and rocked her. "Daddy," Sarah asked after she was sure from the way Patrick was moving his legs must be asleep. "Yes?" "Can I call Mary?" "Your sister?" "Yes. I have a question to ask. I won't talk long." "Do you have..." Patrick started to say when he saw Jane's head appear around the corner of the door frame. "Just one question?" "Yes, Daddy." "Don't you 'Yes, Daddy' me. I know your tricks young lady," Patrick said sternly, but both knew he would cave in. "You know the number, don't you?" Sarah asked. Patrick looked at his wife, still there watching them, and he rolled his eyes. Jane smiled at him, knowing he was a softy. "You need to move." Sarah jumped off Patrick's lap. He realized, as he felt the blood rush back and the painful sensation that it caused, how he should have asked her to do that some time ago. Picking up the telephone, he called the operator, and gave her the number. Patrick listened to the surprised operator when William answered the phone, very business like. Being used to maneuvering situations, Patrick talked over the operator. "William, this is Patrick. My guess is that the switchboard is set to ring directly to you after hours?" "After hours!" The operator said. "Yes, who did you need to get hold of?" William answered "Sarah wanted to ask Mary a question." "I'll get her to call back." "That would be fine. Thank you." "My pleasure." "That was highly unusual," the operator said as soon as William set down the receiver. "Not if you'd ever been to..." Patrick caught himself before he identified the town's name. He knew that operators talked, but they also didn't have a lot of free time. They wouldn't go looking up the prefix and frankly he didn't know what it would show anyway. The less they knew of where, the better. He went on to explain. "Until a few days ago there was only one phone in the whole town." "Goodness, it sounds like one of those remote places I've heard of." "You might say that. Thank you for your help. Goodnight." As soon as he put down the receiver, Sarah asked, "What's happening?" "The line rang into William's home. Guess it makes sense," Patrick grinned, "as who would call at such a late hour, if it weren't an emergency?" "Daddy! You know it's not that late." Patrick chuckled and said, "Mary will call back, as soon as he lets her know we called." ------- William had been given a rudimentary training on the phone system. He walked the block and a half to where the switchboard was and called the Mansion. It was much easier than riding his horse out there. It was quite a surprise to everyone to have the phone ring. It shouldn't have done so at that hour. Nevertheless, it was picked up before the second ring. "Hello?" "Hello, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" William asked. "Elizabeth." "Elizabeth, this is Dr Harrington." She giggled and said, "I know. I can tell by your voice." Then after another giggle she added, "Bill." William smiled and then said with amusement in his voice, "I think I may need to have a talk with Laura! Bill indeed. I wasn't calling about my name, though. I was calling for Mary. Is she there?" "No, she went with all the others." "They left you to guard the house?" William asked in a deadpan voice. "What?" Elizabeth asked, confused. "You said, all the others were with Mary, so you must be alone." William could tell she wasn't alone as there was plenty of noise in the background. "No, just the women, well some of them, were the ones that went. My mom, Katy, Robin, Mary, Beth Ann, Dora..." "I get the idea," William said, not wanting to hear a complete listing. "Do you know where they went?" "No, hold on." He heard the receiver being set down, and now wondered if it was faster talking on the phone. Jill came on the line. "William? Elizabeth said you were asking a question she didn't know the answer to." "I just asked if she knew where the jugular vein was," he said in jest. "It's..." Jill started to answer and then realized he was pulling her leg. "William!" She heard him laugh, and then he asked the real question. "I was trying to find Mary." "She went with..." "I heard that she's with half the household, but where did they go? Patrick called." "He did? I thought he would be... Oh, Patrick McCarran." "Yes, sorry. Having two Patrick's is a bit confusing, isn't it? Sarah wanted to ask Mary a question. I guess it was important enough to call up about. The phone rang to me and I told him I'd have Mary call back. Now I can't seem to find her." "From what I heard, Cynthia talked with some of the women," Jill laughed, as she continued, "and of course all were in favor out here, of having a little party for Maureen on her last night before she gets married. Now that I think about it, Katy took some household things with her. Maybe they're going to the new house." "I've heard of such traditions as a last night as a single. Most of the time it has been for the men." "I don't know what Patrick might be doing. I know Keith and Richard are here, so probably not much." "Most likely for the better. So you say Cynthia had something to do with the disappearance of Mary." "I didn't... Oh you!" William laughed again. "Jill, it is always a pleasure to talk with you." "I don't know who likes to tease me more; you, or Keith." "I'm sure Keith has many more opportunities. Now I need to see if I can find Mary. Have a good night." Jill hung up the phone and wondered what Sarah needed to talk to Mary about. Even if it might well be family stuff, Jill felt a bit upset. She was the one who had talked Sarah into going up there with Marcia. She should get to talk to her. ------- William was frustrated. He had called what would soon be Patrick and Maureen's new home. Then he called Cynthia's home. Jack answered, but he hadn't been told where the women were. He called Cynthia's store, but got no answer. They could be anywhere. Reluctantly, William called Patrick McCarran back. Sarah answered the phone. "McCarran residence, Sarah speaking, how may I help you?" "Why, Sarah, how eloquently you answer the phone. I think you could give lessons down here." Sarah blushed, and then said, "It's cause of who my father is. My friends don't have to go through all of that. Is Mary there?" William sighed and then answered, "No. I'm sorry, Sarah. There was some sort of party that Cynthia planned for Maureen, tonight. Half of the Mansion is there... the females, that is; but none of the males know where they went." In any other circumstance it would have been funny, but Sarah was frustrated. "Have her call me in the morning. It's important. Please?" William could tell something was bothering Sarah a great deal. He wondered if life was not all she expected it to be, when she had arrived home. He knew from experience that people in politics led a stressful life and often that spilled over into their personal life. "Sarah, I will make sure she knows. That's all I can do." "Thank you, William." ------- Maureen had been nervous, but Cynthia played a great host. All the women had met over at Rebecca's old house. It would soon be Patrick and Maureen's new residence. In the past week everything had been taken out of the place and new paint had been applied. It was only now, three days later, that the smell of the oil based paints had dissipated to a bearable level. While Maureen was starting to have fun, watching as women hung window coverings, Rebecca was outside by herself. At a casual glance, one might have thought Rebecca was morning the loss of her home. This was not at all the case. What caused her consternation was the box she held in her hand. Larry had handed it to her a good twenty minutes before, when he and his brother showed up to move some of the furniture back in. The bedroom was the first priority. Rebecca could still hear his words like they were ringing in her ears. 'When my brother and I moved Jill's dresser out, there was a cut in the wall. We didn't think too much about it, till we came back for the bed. My brother was the one who noticed it. Do you recognize it?' She never answered Larry. Yes, she recognized it. Her late husband had made it when he was a young boy. He treasured that box. After his death, she hadn't been able to find it. Now here, years later, it was in her lap. ------- Jill was still upset with Sarah not calling, wanting to talk with her. She knew it didn't make a lot of sense. In the back of her mind she knew that what she was feeling had nothing to do with Sarah at all. It was Keith. Between last night and tonight at dinner, something was going on. He didn't have time to talk with her and she had felt almost trapped in the main house. Every time she tried to leave there was an excuse for her to say. He wasn't even here. That darn call from Sarah just set things off. Tiffany and Vicki came into the library where Jill was hiding out and looked at her. She gave them a look that should have suggested they not talk to her. She wasn't in the mood right now. "Jill, I don't know how to tell you this," Tiffany started to say. Vicky picked it right up and finished with, "there is a problem with your bedroom. Maybe you should..." "Vicky, maybe not. Look at her," Tiffany said. "Just what's wrong with my bedroom?" Jill demanded to know." "Maybe you should just have a look. I'm not sure if I could describe what happened." Panic started to set in. Jill jumped up and ran out of the house. She slipped as she flew through the open doorway of the new house, sliding down the hallway with dew laden feet. She expected smoke, or at least a group looking into her room. Still, she ran down the rest of the hallway, whipping around the corner of her doorway. I was sitting on her bed waiting for her. I smiled as I saw Jill's jaw drop. It was her bed. The one from her house. And her dresser, her mirror... The blanket. And her doll, perched up in the corner. The one I had brought to her on the train. "Keith?" Jill got out in a broken voice. "I hope we got it right." I said. "Your mom wanted this to be a surprise. You know the house was redone so Patrick and Maureen can live in it." "I'd heard," Jill said, her mind still spinning. "Does it look right?" "Keith!" she said, and jumped at me, knocking me over. The kisses started and then her hands. "It's perfect," she said. I know it may seem a bit stupid on my part, but I didn't expect this strong of a reaction. I wasn't prepared. I was going to have to stop her, probably ruining the mood, to get one of those little rubbers that would keep Jill safe if she kept up what she was doing. My last cognizant thought for a while was a hope that stopping for me to run over to the main house wouldn't destroy the mood. ------- After the modest furnishings had been brought back in, the women finished adding the sparkle to Patrick and Maureen's new house. When that was done, the two wagons and Jack's jeep, which Cynthia drove, took the women to the bank of the stream north of town. "Rebecca," Cynthia said softly, "you have been... I don't know how to describe it." "Is it 'cause your house isn't your house any longer?" Maureen asked. Looking up at Maureen, after hearing the distress in her voice, Rebecca shook her head. "No. That's not it. I'm fine being out of the house. It's this." "The box Larry gave you?" Robin asked. "How did you know?" Rebecca asked. Robin smiled. "I saw him give it to you. I figured it was something special, the way you looked at it." "Was my husband's," Rebecca said. "Why did Larry have it?" Katy asked. "Found it, when they pulled out the furniture. It was in Jill's room," Rebecca replied. "You haven't looked, have you?" Robin asked. "Robin," Katy said in a tone that suggested she was stepping over the line. Looking at her mother, Robin rolled her eyes. She was undaunted. "Maybe there is something in there for Jill." Rebecca jerked her head around and looked into Robin's face. "I never thought of that. I looked for this box after he... I couldn't find it." "I know this evening is supposed to be about me, but I've had about as much attention as one person can get. Rebecca, why don't you open the box and see what's inside," Maureen said. "Yes, Rebecca, we're all curious," another woman said. Rebecca looked around. The women could see the pain in her eyes. The stream was making a pleasant sound, the crickets could be heard, and for the next two minutes a dozen women were silent. They watched as Rebecca gradually relaxed her arms and let the box come into view. Setting it down, she slid the fitted top off. Reaching inside, Rebecca pulled out two envelopes. "This is addressed to Jill," Rebecca said, breaking the silence, and then looking at the other envelope, added, "and this one is for me." ------- After the lights had been turned out, Marcia turned on her side and whispered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come." "How many times do I have to tell you," Sarah whispered back. "This has nothing to do with you." "Sarah, I've known you all my life. Your monthlies have never been like this. You can't tell me that you feel this way because of that." Sarah sighed. "Marcia, this has nothing to do with you being here. It's not because of my monthly... well not really." "What do you mean, not really?" "That's not the reason I've been feeling sick." "Then what's wrong? Why didn't you tell your mom?" "Marcia, I can't. I have to talk to Mary first." "Are you sure it isn't because of me?" "Yes. Let me talk to Mary. She's supposed to call in the morning. I just hope that it will straighten everything out. Then I will feel a lot better." "I hope so." "You just say that, 'cause you want Mike to come back over." Sarah, as bad as she was still feeling, could just make out the glisten of Marcia's teeth as she grinned. "You want to know how many times he told me he loved me?" "I think you'll make me sick all over again." "Sarah!" Marcia whispered a bit too loud; she followed the words with a pillow flung at Sarah. Both girls giggled. Sarah's ending much sooner than Marcia's. It was good Marcia couldn't see the worried look on Sarah's face. Her wrinkled brow stayed until she fell asleep. ------- Jimmy, Pamela, Elizabeth, Kristina, Laura, and Julie were all over at the main house, when the women from Maureen's party came in. Katherine looked at her daughters and asked, "Why aren't you two in bed?" "They wouldn't let us," Elizabeth said as she saw Tiffany and Vicki walking out from the kitchen. Katherine looked dubiously at her child. "Two teachers wouldn't let you go to bed?" "Ummm, Katherine, we moved all the children over here." "Why would you..." "Jill saw her room, didn't she?" Robin said with a grin. Katy rolled her eyes towards Katherine. "Maybe you want to make sure it's safe for them to go back, Robin," Katherine said. Still with a grin on her face, she said, "I'd be glad to, but if I don't come back in..." "Maybe I should go with you," Kristin said, trying to act as it was a chore to do so. "I don't think that would help at all," Katy said. "Katherine, maybe you should go with my daughter." "You're no fun at all!" Robin said and then dodged a swing, as Katy tried to smack her butt. "Come on, Robin," Katherine said. "If my kids don't get a good night's sleep they're little rascals in the morning." Robin and Katherine walked out the back as the others went up to bed. "I wonder if he's still up," Robin asked. "Is that all you think about?" Katherine said. When she saw the blank look on Robin's face and then the dawn of recognition, Katherine had to add, "Me and my big mouth." "I was thinking about what kind of interesting sleeping position they might be in, but your idea is even better." As Robin reached for the door, she put her finger up to her mouth, and turned the knob gently. Robin was more correct than Katherine. Jill had worn me out. Robin and Katherine took in the sight. Robin, who knew what Jill's old room looked like, took in the sight. Katherine had a bit more clinical view of the situation. Laura had snuck over, just after Robin and Katherine left. She slid silently down the hallway in her stocking feet and peered around the doorway before anyone noticed. What woke me was Laura's gasp. I was opening my eyes as Laura pointed out the two, used, condoms on the floor. I smiled at Robin and wiggled my way out of Jill's arms. Robin noticed the contented look Jill had. Katherine had taken Laura by the shoulders and turned her around, leaving before I was out from under the covers. I'm sure she knew I had nothing on, as my clothes lay in a pile at the foot of the bed. As soon as I was dressed, Robin pulled me from the room and closed Jill's door. "Jill is not a heavy sleeper; you must have worn her out!" Robin whispered to me as she pulled me down the hallway. We weren't out the door before the kids were in. They didn't say a word, but all of them had little smiles on their faces. Pamela was the worst, with a bit of a giggle. I picked her up and kissed her at the base of her neck. She scrunched her shoulders up and giggled even more. "Kiss me goodnight," she said softly into my ear. "I'd be honored," I replied. Pulling Robin back down the hall, I climbed the stairs with Pamela still in my arms. It was a half an hour later when Katherine, Robin, and I walked back to the main house. "Those girls have you wrapped around their little finger," Katherine said to me. I smiled and answered, "Yes, and I love every minute of my time with them." We found Tiffany and Vicki in the kitchen when we walked in. "It's safe to go back," Tiffany asked with a coy smile on her face when she saw me. Looking astonished, I replied, "No! Don't let the kids go over there." It took just a second for their facial expressions to change into shock, and then into one of perturbed annoyance. "I think I'd better get upstairs... fast!" I said and headed for the door out to the dining room. Then I turned around and added, "You should have seen the look on your faces." Vicki was quick enough to come back at me with, "Just wait till you see the expressions on your face, when you develop that roll of film I shot with your camera." My jaw dropped. Robin and Katherine were laughing. Tiffany said, "I think he deserved that one." I had to smile and agree. "Yeah. Vicki you got me good." Robin was still chuckling as we walked up the stairs. "You know," I said to her, "that wasn't a bad idea. I'm developing my own film..." ------- The morning started off with a flurry of activity. It was this morning that all the visiting people were coming to have a tour of the Mansion and new building. We knew anyone who had seen it before would be shocked. There were an equal number who had never seen it. They had just heard. It wasn't of great concern to make sure there was no dust. The concern was that it looked 'normal' to everyone who wasn't from Carp. Richard and my bedrooms were the worst. Beds had to be pulled up to the third floor. On top of that, clothes had to be moved. Room assignments were selected, so that everyone had a spot that belonged to them. This was important to keep tongues from wagging. The new house had only one adjustment. Jimmy was 'moved' out of his room over to the main house. That left the new addition with only females residing there. It was easy, except for some of the feelings. No one was happy. Jill took all but Vicki and Tiffany from the new house out for a walk. It was the easiest way to make sure no questions could be asked. Kenneth, whose bedroom was in the main house, went with them as well. He was the most likely child to say something out of the blue, which would raise eyebrows. The only good thing about the intrusion was that everyone was showing up at once and then we would be done with it. Katy and Katherine were going a bit crazy, almost to the point of checking behind the ears for dirt! I was glad when I saw the wagons turn the bend in the road. We all came out to greet the visitors. It was obvious to tell which ones had seen the old lady in its former life. They stood in awe, their mouths hanging open. Patrick was with the group and came forward. "As you have heard, this was a gift from the town. Those of you, who knew of the dilapidated state this place was in, can appreciate the transformation. For us in Carp, it was the only truly fitting place that could possibly do as a thank you to the two men who saved us. They have graciously opened their house for us to view. Now I turn you over to our town heroes, Keith and Richard." Patrick turned as his hand gestured our way and I saw him give Richard and I a wink. He and I were going to have words later. Well, the reality was I would probably forget all about it after the wedding was over. Richard, of course, deferred to me and I was placed in the limelight. "To give you the best experience, as we knew there might be many questions, we are going to break you up into groups of four and each one of us will take a group. It will give everyone an opportunity to see the place in its full and outstanding beauty. So please come up in groups of four and we will begin." What I figured was that if I was stuck as spokesperson, then I would be the last to get a group... if there were enough groups. There were eight groups of people. Richard, Mary, Annabelle, and I were the adults left outside. We decided it would be best if we went in. Over at the new house Vicki, Tiffany, and Jill stood around waiting for the throngs to arrive. It would be a shorter tour there. We had thought about the nosiness, but not the disrespect. I felt like some people I saw going though were treating this like a museum and not someone's house. It was irritating. "Patrick, please don't ask us to do this again." "Keith, I'm sorry," Patrick said as he watched a woman pull a book off the shelf, just to look at it and then set it down somewhere else. Everyone had started on the first floor. There was a lot to take in, now they were on the second and third floors. I gave myself a false sense that it would all be over soon. As soon as the second group came down from the back stairs, instead of heading out the kitchen door over to the new house, they found me. "Keith," Daisy said almost apologetically, "they wanted to know..." "Where'd the treasure come from?" a man said. "We heard it was under the house. Guess no one ever thought to check there." "How'd you get down there, anyhow?" "Can you show us?" I'd had enough. I moved them into the dining room, into the corner by the butler's closet. "Right now you are standing on top of the trap door. It falls open into a twenty foot pit," I said and quickly asked, "Would you like to see a demonstration?" The group ran out of the dining room into the living room, where Patrick was standing. "Folks, I think that you are forgetting that this is someone's house. They opened it up, graciously, for you to see. I don't think that the idea of your interest in the lost treasure is something that sets well. You remember what this house looked like, holes punched in here and there. That trap door Keith mentioned is there and that is how the room was found, but it was found with the cost of a broken leg of a young lady. What was found down in that room was the contents you saw at the bank, along with two dead bodies. It was a gruesome find and not one anyone in this house likes to talk about. Please don't press your welcome." "I didn't want to see that, anyway," one woman said. "I'd much rather go see the new house that was added. I remember that old barn. I'm glad it's gone. Always looked like it was ready to fall over." Daisy took over from there, telling her group about how the old structure was pulled down, as she led them out the back door. I did notice that as they passed through the dining room everyone stayed far away from the corner that I'd had them stand in. The next group was just coming though when Patrick took over, telling them about to ask about the old barn and how it came down. He walked them towards the kitchen in the process. Patrick continued his shuttle of groups out the door. Once the last one was gone I could sigh in relief. "It seemed like a nice idea," Patrick said. "Don't worry, it will never happen again." "People can't help themselves I suppose," I said. "Who knows how I'd behave if I was in their shoes, but now I'm on the other side." Eventually, they all left. We were glad it was over. After gathering in the living room, we talked for a few minutes about questions that were raised. Most of them had to do with the building itself. There were only a few concerning where everyone slept. That was good to hear. After that it was time to get ready for the wedding. Only Jimmy had it rough over in the new house, as his things had been moved. In the main house, it was a nightmare. In the quick attempt to get our situation to look 'normal' everyone's things got jumbled. Richard and I decided it was best to go outside while the chaos went on. ------- We made it downtown with a bit, but not a lot, of time to spare. There were many things to get done, and as soon as we arrived, everyone scattered. Richard and I, while we didn't have anything specific to do before the wedding, were put in charge of making sure Brian and Jimmy didn't try any stunts for this wedding. Richard and I were probably not the best choice to make sure Brian and Jimmy didn't get into mischief. After all, they were almost younger versions of ourselves. We had our cameras with us and had stopped by the clinic to pick up some extra rolls of film that were being kept in the cool darkroom. Then we were going to head over to Millie's. At the clinic, we saw William. "Curiosity has me. What was the important call?" William asked. Richard and I looked at him blankly. "Important call?" I asked. "I got a call last night for Mary," William said. "It of course came into my house, and then I spent the next half an hour trying to track her down." "Who was calling Mary?" I asked. "Sarah. She said it was important and to make sure I had her call in the morning," William stated. "I talked to Jill last night and she said she'd make sure she told her." "Jill was a bit preoccupied last night," I said. William raised his eyebrows. Even though with William it might not have made a bit of difference, I instinctively said, "We worked on her room, without her knowledge, to transform it into the look of her old room. You know, her old house is now going to be Patrick and Maureen's. Last night she saw what we had done and was a bit overwhelmed." "Ahh, I guess that makes sense," William said. "Of course, this morning, we had a lot of work to do to get the houses ready for the hordes." "I get the feeling that didn't go off as expected." "Let's say I hope it never happens again. I'm glad it is over. There were too many who viewed the house as a museum of sorts and forgot it was someone's house." "Yes, I can see how that would be frustrating. No other inquiries?" William asked. I understood what he was asking, without directly asking. "No, we spent a lot of the morning preparing for that. Jill took the younger ones for a walk so they would be out of the way during the invasion." William smiled. "And unable to say anything embarrassing. Good thought. Now about Mary?" "I'll tell her to call as soon as I see her." ------- Jill had been so busy last night and this morning, it was easy to understand she had forgotten about the phone call from Sarah, even if phone calls were still an oddity. Now that everyone had been brought downtown, she had little to do. It was at that point the phone call was remembered. She went frantically looking for Mary, but couldn't find her. Laura, who she did find, was enlisted to help. Having looked in all of the obvious places, Jill started looking at the not so obvious. That is when she saw her mother sitting by herself at the far south edge of the park. She walked over and said, "Mom?" Rebecca looked up and over to her daughter. The words 'Mom' tugged at her heart as she held onto the box. "Jill," she said with a slightly shaky voice, "I have something for you." "What is it?" Jill asked, wondering if it had anything to do with the wooden box her mother seemed to be holding tightly. "Your father left something for you. Larry and his brother found it when they moved everything out of the house." The color drained from Jill's face. Her voice quivered as she said, "He left me something?" "Before I was married to your father, he made this box. It was his pride and joy," Rebecca said, trying to keep her voice even, "before you came along, that is. I tried to find it after he died, but it was nowhere to be found. He'd been keeping things in the box for you and me too. There was an envelope for me, and there's one for you." Rebecca held out the box. Tears were streaming down her face, as she said, "Jill, take it. I know he would have wanted you to have it." "Mom," Jill painfully said. "Take it. The envelope for you is inside." Jill took the wooden box from her mother's hands. She sniffled as her eyes took in the carving on the box. It was beautiful. Sitting down beside her mother, Jill opened the box and took out the envelope. "It's open," Jill said. "If it was anything like mine, he wasn't finished. Oh dear, I'm sorry," Rebecca said as she got up and practically ran away. Jill watched her mother go, understanding that she was most likely feeling even more than Jill could have, about the man who created this box. It was as if she was reliving the pain all over again. Jill closed the box, knowing she would be interrupted here. She needed to be in a place where she wouldn't be disturbed. A place where she could read, and talk to her father. ------- Maureen was getting her dress on in Cynthia's dress shop. It was something many wanted to see. Millie and Katy, Patrick's daughters were there, along with granddaughter Robin. Marian and Cheryl had roles to play in the wedding, as they were attendants, so of course they were there. Mary had tagged along. Her desire to get married was very obvious to Robin. "You know, you won't be able to have the big wedding that your parents as well as you might have dreamed of, growing up," Robin said to Mary as they waited. "I just want to marry the man I love," Mary responded. "You said that you would have to work on that. Have you figured out how to tell your father?" "No," Mary said sourly. "If he wasn't campaigning, it would be easier. His mind is focused on that and what I would be telling him would not go over very well. I don't want to wait. It's frustrating." Laura poked her head inside the door and saw Mary. She rushed in, interrupting Robin and Mary's conversation. "Jill's been looking for you. She said it's important." Mary rolled her eyes while looking at Robin, but said to Laura, "Ok, come on. Let's go find her and see what's so important." "She'll be glad I found you," Laura rattled on. "She's been looking everywhere. I said I'd help and then I looked in here after I looked..." "I get the idea!" Mary said laughing. ------- It wasn't Jimmy or Brian, but Kenneth who turned out to be the instigator this time. He'd talked his mother into walking to Millie's house, where all the wedding party men were going to meet. Richard and I had just arrived when we saw Kenneth look around the corner of Millie's house and wave us over. As we'd been over at the clinic, Kenneth had been there for a few minutes before us. As we walked over, he signaled to us to be quiet. We could tell why as soon as we got to the back of the house. Brian and Barbara's window was open slightly and the sound coming from inside gave little question of the activity going on. Richard and I glanced at Kenneth who had a big grin on his face. He whispered, "It sounds just like what goes on in your room." I always thought he was asleep. I guess there were times he wasn't. I would have to talk with his mom about that. I took his hand and led him back to the front of the house. As I turned the corner, I looked back noticing Richard wasn't right behind us. As Kenneth, who was in front of me, went around the corner, I saw Richard take a picture. He looked over at me and grinned. I shook my head, but had a grin on my face as well. I knew Richard wouldn't keep that a secret. He'd most likely get Brian interested in photography that way. As we got around to the front of the house, Richard was walking around the opposite direction. He had his hands on his camera rolling up the film. "How many?" I asked. "Many what?" Kenneth wanted to know. "Five," Richard answered with a grin. "I thought I should switch rolls so this one doesn't get confused with anything else." "Five what?" Kenneth asked." "Richard took five pictures," I answered simply, knowing Kenneth wouldn't understand. Or I hoped he wouldn't. "Really?" Kenneth answered. "Yes, do you want to see what it looks like in when you look in the viewfinder? Maybe I'll let you take a picture." "Wow, would you?" Kenneth asked excitedly. "Sure, let's find out where everyone is first." Richard knocked on the door. Jimmy answered it. Pamela was in the living room with him. "Where is everyone else?" Richard asked. "Barbara and Brian?" Jimmy tried to keep composed. Pamela turned red. "I thought Patrick, Bob and Bruce would be here," I said. "The minister person who does stuff just like grandpa came over and they went off someplace. Brian's dad told us to stay here," Jimmy said. Pamela looked at me and asked, "Do they really have things that you can put on making a girl like a boy?" "Want to show Kenneth how to load a roll of film?" I asked Richard quickly. "I think that would be very wise," Richard answered and walked the young boy out of the house. "Pamela, there is a right and wrong time to ask questions like that. Kenneth is still a bit young to hear thing like that. Please be a bit more thoughtful." "I'm sorry," she said looking like she was ready to burst into tears. "It's all right, just remember next time. Now to answer your question, yes." "How does it work?" Pamela asked. "Why?" Jimmy asked. I ended up explaining with my hands how the straps fit. Pamela liked that demonstration a lot. Then to answer Jimmy's question, I reminded him of what he had seen Richard and Brian do. I knew that Jimmy and Brian had explored as well, but didn't want to embarrass him. Then I explained that Barbara could do the same sort of thing. Jimmy thought for a minute and then looked at Pamela. I went on with the idea that two girls could use something like at as well. "You mean Pamela and Laura could..." Jimmy turned bright red, especially after Pamela smacked his arm. I grinned and looking at Pamela, said, "Yes, but they would have to figure out who was going to wear it." Without even thinking, Pamela said, "We couldn't switch?" ------- William had told Mary that there had been a call from her sister. That was the urgent message Jill was going to tell her. Mary hadn't made that call yet, because when Laura and Mary had gone to find Jill, she'd disappeared. Now instead of Jill and Laura looking for Mary, Laura and Mary were looking all over for Jill. The wedding was going to start in fifteen minutes and it was not like Jill to disappear. The wedding party and others who had been at Cynthia's dress shop walked over to the park. Mary explained to Robin what was going on. Cynthia overheard and said, "Where's Rebecca. I'll bet she gave Jill that box. I told her to wait until after the wedding. Sometimes she doesn't listen." "Cynthia," Katy responded, "it is easy to think logically when you have never been in the shoes of a person feeling those feelings. Rebecca probably felt like she had little choice." Robin walked over to Liz, who was standing with Tiffany and Vicki. "Liz, you haven't seen Jill, have you?" "I did," Kristina said overhearing the question. Kristina was on the swing, going back and forth. Robin walked up to her, Liz along side of her, as she asked the young girl, "Where did you see her?" "Walking down that way," Kristina responded, almost falling off the swing, as she pointed down to the opposite side of the downtown. "I'll take a walk and see if I can find her," Liz said. "Good, I understand from Mary she needs to call her sister and I want to find out what that's all about," Robin said. ------- Jill sat down. The ground was hard, but she hardly noticed it. Jill hadn't been here in some time. She reached out her hand and touched the grave marker. "I'm sorry, Daddy." There were a few minutes when nothing else happened. As almost everyone had migrated to the park, it was silent around her. Jill then took the box and opened it. Pulling out the envelope, she pulled the flap open. Inside were many small sheets of paper. She looked at the hand inked lettering, not paying attention to the words yet, but she was caught up in the beauty of the lettering. At the top of the first sheet, her eyes stopped. She looked at disbelief. It was the day she was born. A spark of light entered my life today Joy beyond anything I could have imagined One look at those beauteous eyes, the face, tiny hands My daughter. Oh how you make my heart sing Jill's eyes couldn't help but water. She wiped them, looking to the next page. She didn't recognize the date, but soon the words told her. It was the day she spoke her first words. The following, the day she took her first step. Jill laughed, in spite of her tears upon reading her father's description of her potty training. It broke her heart, reading the sadness in her father's words about the first day at school. She had come home and he knew he had been replaced as the man in shining armor, with all the answers to her many questions. Liz found her crying, still holding onto that sheet of paper. Jill took comfort in Liz's arms, letting Liz rock her back and forth. Then Jill started with the first page and let Liz read it. "He loved you from that first look." Jill sniffled. When Liz read the potty training one, she couldn't help her laughter. Jill joined in and took a bit of good-natured teasing. Almost reluctantly, Jill handed Liz the one she had just read when Liz found her. Liz read it over, several times. "Jill, a parent's feeling is nothing you are responsible for. You cannot blame yourself for growing up. There are always times, and as you read you will find more, where you grew beyond what your father was ready, or prepared to give up yet. Look at you and me. We have changed in how we are to each other. Do you remember that bus ride from the base to the school? How different are you now? I would not have wanted you to stay that same scared person. Your father is giving you a precious insight to his feelings, along with yours. Be happy that he was willing to share these tender moments with you. When he wrote them, Jill, he had no way of knowing he would never be able to tell you. These sheets contain his thoughts, written so beautifully. Treasure them, don't cry about them." ------- "Thank goodness you called," Jane said. "Sarah has been on edge all morning long. I don't need to tell you how upset she was last night that she couldn't get a hold of you. I haven't seen her get this bad before." "I don't know what you're talking about? Why is she upset?" Mary asked. "Well I'm a bit upset with you. It caught her completely off guard." "What did?" "Her monthly. You should have told her. Yours always starts a few days before." "She... She started?" Mary asked, her voice a bit shakier than she'd like. ------- Chapter 126 "Mom told you, didn't she?" Sarah asked her sister, but not waiting for an answer, she asked the more important question on her mind. "Did you?" "What?" Mary responded, still in shock. "Start," Sarah whispered into the phone. There was a clicking noise. Both girls had grown up using phones and with the knowledge that operators could listen into conversations. They knew that anything said was subject to getting out. It was part of living with a politician as a father that made them aware, and suspicious. "You will be home when?" Mary answered as though nothing before had been said, but feeling her throat tighten as she realized she called Carp home. "Tomorrow afternoon," Sarah answered. "I think it will be a good time to have a picnic, don't you?" "Just the two of us?" "Yes." "I love you." "You too." As soon as Mary hung up the phone, reality hit. ------- "There you are," I said to Jill and Liz. "The wedding is almost ready to start. Now all that's missing is Daisy and Mary." "Mary!" Jill said. "I forgot to tell her Sarah called." "William told her," I said. Then, seeing at her reaction, I added, "Don't worry about it. You had a lot of things going on. I'm sure it won't be the end of the world." "Well, I hope not," Liz said. "You haven't seen Mary or Daisy, have you?" I asked Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth as Katherine was trying to get them to stand with her. Elizabeth reported, "Tiffany told Mary that she could use the phone in the school, and to just tell the operator to charge the house, but I'm not sure what that means." "I'll go see if she's still there," Liz said to me, and then to Jill, she asked, "Will you be fine if I leave you with this guy?" Jill tried hard to repress a smile as she said, "I think he'll do." Trying to sound hurt, I responded, "Thanks." Her mouth smiled, but her eyes betrayed something was bothering her. "The wedding won't take too long. Afterwards, do you want to talk?" Jill looked away, and then into my eyes. "Yes, but not with you. Not yet." I had no idea what that meant, but I nodded. Richard was giving me signs that I needed to be in place. We were, after all, taking pictures of the wedding. A few minutes later, I glanced down the road towards the school and saw two people. I figured they were Mary, and Daisy. Not thinking that Liz should be with them. I went back to occupying my time as one of the unofficial photographers. I pulled Jill along with me. She didn't have a place to be, per se, so I ask her to help me. Robin, on the other hand, was near the front, along with Katy, Jimmy, Millie, and Brian. They were, after all, Patrick's relatives. They needed to be front and center. I hadn't been to church much, since the time I'd left for college, until Patrick had come back in town. So my reference points were from high school and from what I had heard from Patrick. This was slightly different. He was younger, but the ideals he presented seemed more ridged. It came across, as the male was the superior being, as God had made him, first. He said it followed that the female was subservient. My own understanding was that the Adam and Eve story was just that, a story. Not a hierarchy of dominance. In my own experience, males made very few big decisions, but we sure got ourselves in a lot of trouble by not paying attention to the females. It was not so much a dominant, subservient relationship, but rather a partnership. Even Jack and Cynthia, in all of their play, played equal rolls many times. Jill touched my arm. When I looked at her, she rolled her eyes. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing, but she saw my suppressed grin and smiled back at me. I took my last picture on that roll, of her smiling. She stuck her tongue out after she heard the camera click. I leaned over and whispered, "It's probably the best shot on the roll." She blushed, and I grinned at her. As the pastor went on, it was a good time for me to change film. I stepped back into the shade, pulling Jill with me. I wound the film back into its case and opened the camera. Pulling the film out, I handed it to her, telling her to hold it tight. Then I installed the next roll. "That loose flap," I said to Jill, "has a gum paste on it, like an envelope. Lick it and hold it in place." I heard a snort and looked over to her. She had turned and was facing me. Her tongue darted out and she seductively touched the paper tab with the tip of her tongue. Then her hand wrapped fully around the spindle of film and she held it tight. "Is this right?" she asked me innocently. I shook my head and looked back into the viewfinder, but found my concentration level had been severely compromised. When the second roll was done, I handed it to her and said, "Make this one feel just as good." She had the grace to blush. As soon as the newly married couple and their attendants were back down the aisle, I was done taking pictures of them. Richard and I agreed that at that point we would capture the guests. With the many people who were from out of town, it would make an interesting album. While I had been taking the pictures, I whispered what I was doing, so that Jill would understand the fundamentals of taking photographs. I finished a third roll and handed it to Jill with a smile. She tried to look surprised, but then couldn't help a little laugh. ------- Mary didn't know how she had arrived, but she knew the place. She'd heard many stories, yet she'd never walked up here by herself. The large water tanks had been concealed well. She paid no mind to the past history of the location. As she sat on the sandy base that had been set for the tanks, she looked out. It was just as Jimmy had described. You could see everywhere. It was a perfect vantage point. The day was starting to warm. Birds could be heard. Looking across the houses, Mary could see the downtown and almost make out the park. She knew the wedding was probably beginning. Knew that for Patrick and Maureen life was just starting. To her right was the hill that separated the town from the little valley where the Mansion sat. At any other time, there would have been a smile on Mary's face. It was truly beautiful. However, all she could think of at the moment was that all of it could be lost. Mary started to cry. Once started, she couldn't stop. ------- As soon as my fourth and final roll was in and ready, I was looking through my viewfinder again. After taking several shots, my eye set upon Liz, Daisy, Beth Ann, and Robin. They were sitting on a bench and the looks on their faces didn't match the mood of anyone else around. Pulling the camera strap from around my neck, I handed the camera to Jill and then adjusted the strap to her. "Now, let's see what you can do," I said. "There are four pictures left. Have fun with them." Her mouth was hanging open, trying to protest. I moved away from her before she could object. Looking back, she was rooted in the same spot with a terrified look on her face. I made a clicking motion with my fingers, so she would remember what she was supposed to do. She returned a scowl, but then looked down into the viewfinder. I wasn't worried at all. At least, not with the pictures she might take. "Why the long faces?" I asked as I walked up to Robin. Daisy and looked at Liz, who was looking down. Robin looked up at me. "Mary wasn't at the school and she didn't come back for the wedding. We're not sure where she went. Something must be wrong. She wouldn't just disappear like this. All I can think is that something bad happened up in Reno with Sarah and Marcia. We can't say anything to Jill, because she's going to think it is all her fault, as she's the one who came up with the idea." Robin said. "We need to find her, so we can help," Beth Ann said. "I know how much I wanted to push everyone away when my Uncle was... But what helped me was everyone around me. Mary needs us, even if she doesn't think so." The four of them stood and walked towards the street. Robin turned back and ran up to me. "Tell Grandpa I'll be back. Well, I hope." She ran back to catch up to the others and I was left with more questions than answers. ------- Jack, pulling Richard along with him, stopped in front of me. "Looks like we're next in line," Jack said. I was still thinking of Mary disappearing, but Richard caught on. "Jack," Richard said, "you might want to give Patrick at least a day or two to have a honeymoon before he goes back to work." "Work?" I asked, still in a fog. "Our triple wedding," Jack said as though he was talking to a five year old. "Oh," I replied. Jack and Richard grew a bit concerned. "Keith, what's wrong?" Richard asked. "Something is wrong, but I don't know what." "That makes about as much sense as..." Jack started to say before Richard cut him off. "Which one?" Richard asked and then guessed, "Jill?" "Something is going on there, but that's not the problem. Mary called home to talk with Sarah and no one has seen her since. Something's up." "Did you ask Katy if she knew anything, or Liz? By the way, where's your camera?" Richard asked. "Jill has it, and no, I haven't had the time to ask Katy. Liz knows she's missing, but Katy is a good idea," I replied. "Here," I said as I handed Richard three rolls of film." "I'm marking these," Richard said. "Who knows what he shot!" His comment made me smile. We were both amateurs. I just hoped something would turn out. ------- Sarah knew she would end up at the doctor's office if she didn't at least pretend nothing was bothering her. In the bathroom, after the phone call, she tried thinking of a number of things to get her mind off her sister. Nothing wanted to derail her thoughts. It was a pound on the bathroom door that jolted Sarah. "Sarah, you can't hide in there," her father said. At least that's what she thought he must have said. She had just been thinking about Keith and the university, when the loud knock on the door sounded. Her mind flashed back to when she woke, after fainting from seeing a gun pointed at Keith. The images hit her hard. "Sarah," her father said again, this time with impatience. "I'll be out in a minute," Sarah got out. Her flesh felt cold and she was shaking. She wondered if her voice had been shaking when she answered her dad. Taking a washcloth, she wiped her face, and took a deep breath. She wasn't ready to open the door, but knew she must. Her mother was on the other side of the door when Sarah opened it. "Are you all right?" Jane asked. "Your father said you didn't sound well." "I... I don't know what came over me, but..." The emotions welled up in Sarah and tears started to flow. Sarah didn't see Marcia at the end of the hall. As much as Sarah said it wasn't her fault, Marcia knew it was. That was until Sarah got her voice back. "What happened?" Jane wondered. "For some reason I remembered waking up in the bathroom." "You fell asleep?" Jane asked, astounded that Sarah could have done such a thing. "No. At the University. After I fainted. After that man..." Sarah stopped and shuddered. "Oh you poor baby!" Jane said pulling her daughter into a hug. "What made you think of that?" "I don't know. I wish I couldn't remember any of that." As Sarah was being led into the kitchen, she saw Marcia. There was a register of pain on her face. Ironically, Sarah thought, that although this was no way to avoid a trip to the doctor, Marcia wouldn't think it was about her any longer. When Patrick heard about the episode, he asked if he shouldn't make an appointment for her to see Dan. For most people, seeing a family councilor was an oddity. Seeing one that lived in another state was absurd. For a person in Patrick's position, it was prudent behavior. Sarah's trick in a way worked for her, as for most of the day she had to convince her parents that she was fine. In the end, they came to an agreement that if this reoccurred, she would see Dan. Marcia was enlisted to keep an eye on her as well. This, in a way, made Marcia feel her presence was at least somewhat welcome. Mike, Scott, and Vivian were the other distraction of the day. Little was said of Sarah's episode, while they were around. Patrick and Jane decided that the best solution for them was to ignore the teens and let them have the run of the house, as they were not to go outside. ------- Richard and I hadn't predicted Jack's eagerness. He was ready to get married to Rebecca as soon as possible. It had as yet, prevented me from getting away to find Katy. Patrick and Maureen's wedding had just ended and he was already planning. "Cynthia and I had a pretty traditional wedding," Jack was telling us. "Well, I guess traditional for a wedding on the base I was stationed at. I wasn't a commander then, but there had to be at least two hundred people there." "Did you know any of them?" Richard asked, surprised. Jack smiled, and said, "A few. Richard, you didn't get into my position at the base without inviting the right people to the right places. My wedding was just the same as any other event in that realm. This wedding of Patrick's, it was real. All those people who came knew one or both of them well. I liked that." I laughed and then said, "When three of us marry at the same time, I guess we'll have a lot of shared friends there." Then I went a bit serious, "Of course some people will be missing too." "Missing?" Jack asked. "My parents aren't going to be here for this one," I said. "Nor mine," Richard added. "I guess not. They don't know, I imagine." "About the unique living situations?" I asked, to clarify. "Nice way of saying it," Jack said as an answer. "I don't think my mother could get over an idea like that," Richard commented. "You might be surprised. Look at Beth Ann's parents," I tossed out. "I don't plan on calling my mom to find out," Richard answered. "If we're not having out of town guests, then we don't need to wait, like Patrick," Jack said enthusiastically. I shook my head and in jest said, "Jack, aren't you three in bed as it is? What's the rush?" Jack looked at me, aghast. "Keith, I want Rebecca to know she belongs. The wedding is the public symbol of what we have said in private. It means a lot to me, because I know it is something she feels insecure about." "I'm sorry Jack. I was teasing. I can tell, behind all the enthusiasm, there are real and meaningful reasons for you to want to get the process going," I said. "As soon as Patrick comes up for air, we can set a date. How does that sound?" Richard asked. "Up for air?" Jack laughed. "Somehow I'm not sure if I want to think about that." "Not to change the subject," Richard asked me, "but you were going to look for my wife?" I sighed and asked, "With all these people about, do you have any idea of where she might be?" Richard grinned and then said, "Yes. I just saw her walking down towards Cynthia's" "Then I'd better move fast. If she goes in there, I'm not following." Jack laughed and said, "He's learned a thing or two, I can see." ------- Brian, Barbara, Julie, Jimmy, Pamela, and Julie needed someplace to go. Downtown, with all the adults, was just a bit too much for them. So they discreetly moved away, as though going to Brian's house. The spring was in the same direction, sort of. As soon as the six got out of eyesight, they headed uphill quickly, to the spring. As soon as they reached the top, they were surprised to see Mary asleep on the sand. They were talking about what to do, when their voices woke Mary up. She was a bit startled, as well as disoriented. It took several minutes before she got her bearings, but as soon as that happened, the questions started. "Did you miss the wedding?" Barbara asked. "Ohhhh," Mary groaned into her hands. "What's wrong?" Julie asked. "I heard Robin was looking for you." "Probably not just Robin then," Pamela said. "Yeah," Jimmy piped in. "If my sister has anything to do with it, half the town will be looking." "I'd better find them then," Mary said in resignation. "You won't tell them we're up here, will you?" Laura asked. Mary was so wrapped up in her problems that didn't even ask why they were there. She just looked at them with a blank stare. They watched her straighten her clothes, finger comb her hair, wipe her face and then walk down the path that they had just taken. It took them just a moment after that to form a circle, trying to act as nothing had just happened. ------- Robin walked up just as I was asking her mother if she had seen Mary. Before I could ask any more questions, Robin gave me a kiss and then took Katy away. I was left without any answers, once again. Richard walked up to me with a bit of a smile on his face. "Difficult life, isn't it?" "Funny," I replied sarcastically. "I found Jill and the camera," Richard said. "Oh?" "They're in the darkroom by now." "They?" "Jill and your camera. I just thought you might want to know." I shook my head, but started walking towards the clinic. Walking anywhere downtown took time. Many people had spilled from the park into the main street. Every five steps I took, I had to say something to someone. At the next street I took a left, leaving the downtown. The extra two-block detour would probably save me a lot of time. Richard had told Jill to wait, but she was thinking that she'd waited just about long enough. A dark room, even with the door open, is not a place to stand around and wait. She had resolved to leave just as I opened the door to the clinic. "Oh!" she said, as she saw me walk down the hall. "Not expecting me?" "Richard just told me to wait." I smiled. She looked nervous. "Sorry, Jill, I don't have time for any 'fun time' right now," I whispered, knowing there were more important things on her mind than my glib comments. I took her hand and pulled her to me, giving her a big hug. "You said you needed to talk to someone. Why don't you go and do that now." She pulled back and I tilted her head up. I did not expect to see tears. "Jill..." Her mouth opened and then a moment later, she got out, "My dad left a letter for me." I pulled her back into an embrace, holding her until I felt her relax. "Jill, go and talk with my sister then. That's who you're going to, right?" She nodded. "I love you, and my sister does too." I pushed her towards the door and gave her hand one last squeeze. Before I left the clinic, I decided I should look at the film and pick up my camera. Stepping into the darkroom, I saw nine rolls sitting on the counter. It puzzled me as Richard and I said we'd shoot four rolls each. I picked them up. Written on the bands of four of them was Richard's name. Another four had my name on them. The last roll had 'special' written on it. I almost laughed out loud, thinking about Richard taking pictures through Brian's window. Not thinking of the time, I started looking at the set up. We were going to be developing the nine rolls one right after the other... Time has a way of flying when you're in a darkroom. ------- Robin looked at her mother. She had wanted to ask her a question or two, but things got all turned around. "My brother!" Robin said. "I've got better things to do than look for him. Why don't you make him walk home?" "Robin," Katy said, sympathetically, "don't be so... So much like me when I was pregnant!" "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means that for the next month if you're anything like me, and it sure looks like you are, you can be as non-understanding as a person can get." "Me? Non-understanding? Mom!" "Does it sound like the Robin who loves her bother to say he could just walk home?" "But I'm... and he's..." Robin said, stamping her foot. Then she stopped and looked at her mom. "You were like that?" "I shouldn't say this, but I'm sure my sister would tell you plenty of stories." "Ohhh, maybe I will," Robin said with a smile on her face. "Good, now go over to her house. Jimmy's probably with Brian." "I think you just tricked me." ------- Robin was almost to Millie's when she saw Mary walking down the hill. She was stunned and the first thing that came to mind was, 'What was she doing up at the spring?' Breaking into a run, Robin closed the gap and wrapped her arms around Mary. "You disappeared. Where have you been? You missed the wedding," Robin said in rapid succession. "I'm sorry I missed it," Mary said. "Was it beautiful?" "Yes. You know it's funny seeing your grandfather getting married." Robin started to carry on. She caught herself and asked, "Mary, you left after the call." "I know. I'm sorry. It was overwhelming." With dread, Robin asked, "Sarah's not coming back to Carp, is she?" Mary looked at her as though she must be crazy. "Of course she is." "It's Marcia, isn't it. Marcia's not coming back?" Robin asked as something not possible. "Robin, of course she's coming back. You know she can't stay at her home. Where else would she be?" "Then what is it?" "I need to talk to Sarah," Mary said definitively, but then added in a forlorn voice. "She and I have to talk about what we can do." "Mary," Robin said, and would have gone on except for the interruption. "Robin," Millie called, "did you see Brian?" Mary rolled her eyes and without saying a word, pointed up the hill. "Oh, of all the..." Millie said. "I bet he was with Jimmy, wasn't he?" At that same moment, Katy, Beth Ann, Daisy, Katherine, Kristin, and Dora showed up. "You found her!" Beth Ann said. Surrounding Mary, they lead her back downtown. ------- It was a tense evening in our room. Robin, Beth Ann, and Kristin had tried to talk with Mary. She wouldn't open up. Anytime one of them asked what the problem was she would just start crying. We usually slept together in a mass of bodies. Further apart at the beginning of the night, due to the heat, and closer together by morning. Mary was on the outskirts of the group and wasn't touching anyone. We all had worried looks, but nothing, it seemed, could be done. She had been adamant that she was going to talk with Sarah, before anyone else knew anything. In the morning, when I woke, I looked over and she was gone. "She left before it was light," Beth Ann whispered to me. "Do you know where she went?" Robin asked, apparently awake as well. "She's outside, sitting by herself," Daisy replied. "I looked when I heard the front door open." "Is everyone awake?" I asked and then thought, "Daisy, how'd you hear the front door?" I received noises from Kristin and Liz. Daisy then replied, "I didn't say I heard it from here. I walked down the hallway," she replied. Daisy then looked me in the eye and said, "Do you remember when we stopped at Liz's old school on the way back from Kevin and Dorothy's wedding?" For a moment, the concern about Mary slipped my mind as those memories flooded my senses. I smiled. "I'm not talking about when Tiffany sat on your face." "How do you..." I started to protest. "Keith," Robin said and as I looked at her she was rolling her eyes. "Ok, so maybe I was," I replied. "I was referring to," Daisy explained, "the morning after." "When you were looking out the window, worried about the future." "I don't know why Mary isn't trusting us. What could be so bad?" Beth Ann wanted to know. Beth Ann had a point. For her, life had been hell. We had stuck through thick and thin with her. None of us could think of why Mary was acting this way. ------- As soon as Sarah was on the train back to Carp with Marcia, she opened up. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, but as you saw, it was too much for me to handle. I didn't want to make you think about it while you were with Mike." "Sarah, I'm sorry, but you're not making much sense." "Sorry," Sarah mumbled. "I guess this weekend didn't turn out quite as planned." Marcia looked at Sarah and in a heartfelt tone, she said, "Sarah, I'm not sure what's going on with you, but I can't tell you how much these visits with Mike have meant to me. It makes me feel so guilty..." Sarah started to respond, but Marcia shook her head to stop her. "Sarah, I know I'm changing. I'm not talking about the baby. I'm talking about how I think. That is because of you. What makes me feel guilty is that if things had been different, I would have..." Marcia looked down and Sarah let her have a minute of silence before she asked, "How did you forgive me?" "I guess to answer that question I'm going to have to borrow something Keith told me." "What's that?" "I can't forgive something that didn't need forgiving." "Sarah," Marcia said in an exasperated tone. "Ok, so he said it better than I just did, but think about it for a minute. If what you were doing was so bad, then where was I? Marcia, I'd rather not think about how I was. How could I blame you for something that happened during that time, when I'd rather not think about how I behaved? It would be rather hipp.oh.kr..." "Hypocritical?" "Yes, that's it." "If you say so." "I do." "Now, are you going to tell me in English what happened to you?" "I got my monthly." "Yes, I know, but..." "My sister didn't." "But I thought your mom said... Oh. OH! No wonder you needed to talk to her. What did she say?" "We couldn't talk." "What? She called you." "The operator was listening. They do that some times. It's something we learned from dad. If you want to say something important, that no one else can't know about, do it in person." "So you don't know anything. No wonder you were going crazy. What are you going to tell... This is about what you saw in Keith's room that night, when we were in the wall looking into their room, isn't it?" Sarah nodded. Marcia was silent for just a moment before adding, "Sarah, this isn't good, is it?" ------- It was time for us to pick up Sarah and Marcia. Richard and I said we'd ride along, as we needed to develop the film from the wedding. That's when we looked around and realized Mary wasn't downstairs, which seemed odd, as she'd just been here. "She's in her car," Jimmy said as he looked out the window. "Now she's banging on the steering wheel." "I'll find out," I said and walked out the door. As I walked up, I could see Mary shaking in rage. I didn't knock at the window, opting to open the door, instead. It startled her, as she hadn't been paying any attention of what was going on around her. "It won't start," she said. "Turn the key," I said. "I said it won't start," she replied testily. Reaching over I turned the key. There was a clicking noise. "See, I told you." "Now that I heard, which is what I needed to know," I replied as kindly as I could, given her attitude, "I can tell you what's wrong." "Oh," she had the grace to say somewhat sheepishly. Then asked, "What's wrong then?" "The battery's dead. It's been too long since you've driven the car. I don't have cables..." "Cables?" "Jumper cables," I replied and got a blank stare back. "They're cables that go from one car to another so you can use the power of the running car to start the one with the dead battery." "Oh, that makes sense. But you don't have them," she said almost sensibly and then almost blew up, saying, "Damn it!" "There is another way to get a car started," I said. "What?" Mary immediately wanted to know. "Push start it. Have you ever done that?" I asked. "I've never had a dead battery before," she replied. I walked around to the back of her car and looked at the nice heavy chromed bumper. It was close enough to the height of my car it should work. Then I walked back to the open car door. "When the others get out here, Richard and I will push your car out into the open. You'll need to steer it back, just like you would back up, ok?" "Then what happens?" "Richard will get into his car, with everyone who is coming downtown, and I'll get into this car," I started to say. "I want to..." Mary started to protest. "Mary, you can have me start your car for you, or you can wait here. First of all, you don't know how to do it, and secondly, you are in no shape to drive." She didn't say a word to me... she just looked. Her eyes were filled with such pain, it made me want to cry for her. "I'm going to get them out here, so we can leave," I said wanting to break eye contact. The front door opened as soon as I tried to turn the knob. Everyone was standing there, waiting. "What happened?" Robin asked. "Her car wouldn't start. The battery is dead. Richard, you and I need to push her car out and then I think you can drive behind it and get it up to speed, so it can start." "She knows how to do that?" Richard asked. "No. I'm going to be in her car, driving." I could see the raised eyebrows, but no one said anything. We walked out and Robin, Katy, Beth Ann, Kristin, and Jill got into Richard's car. Others wanted to come, but it wasn't going to work well, so they had to stay home. Pamela and Jimmy said they could ride their bikes, but they wanted Laura and Julie to go with them and they didn't have bikes. They were still discussing things when we left. With nice flat smooth ground, pushing Mary's car wasn't hard. Richard and I knew, though, as heavy as her car was, it would take a lot to get it up to speed if we manually pushed it. It could have worked if she knew how to pop the clutch and get it to run, but she didn't. Richard, pushing it with his car, would be a lot easier. Richard got into his car and I walked over to Mary's. She had the grace to move over before I arrived. I slid in and closed the door. Then I started explaining what was going to happen. "Richard will come right in back of us and touch bumpers. You will feel that. I'll have the clutch in, but the brake on. As soon as he makes contact, I'll take my foot off the brake. Then he'll start to push this car. We talked and he'll get us up to 20 miles per hour. That's when he'll step on the brake so he's away from us. At that speed, I'll have the car in second and let the clutch out. The car will then start right up." "That sounds easy," Mary said. "I could have done it." I just nodded, and then watched her jump in her seat, when Richard touched the bumpers together. There is a different feel to a car, having the engine silent and someone pushing you. I could see Mary's tension build. She was watching the speedometer rise and she knew it would be happening soon. I think she was preparing for the worst. As soon as Richard braked; I gently, but quickly, let the clutch out. The engine roared to life. There was an initial slowing, and almost pause, before we took off as though nothing had happened. We had been traveling the straightest path, which was down our little valley. Now we needed to turn around and head into town. "Sorry, Keith. I don't think I could have done that," Mary said. "I'm sorry too, Mary, I wish you would let us know what is going on. It hurts." "I have to talk with Sarah. I promised her." "Well, I'm glad she's almost here, then." "So am I." "Now, when we stop, I'm going to leave the car running. It'll take a bit of time to charge the battery." Those were the last words we spoke, before we arrived at the train platform. ------- You might have wondered if the only person who got off the train was Marcia. The only telltale sign that Sarah had arrived as well was that Mary was also missing and there was a cloud of dust from behind her departing car. Thankfully Marcia knew that Sarah would disappear with Mary, so she wasn't shocked. What she didn't know is that none of us knew what was going on with Mary. After waving at Marcia, Richard and I went down to the clinic. We needed to work on the negatives. I knew that concentrating on that would be the best thing I could do at the moment. As Jill started asking Marcia how the trip went, things unraveled fast. As soon as she told of Sarah starting her monthly, Marcia's tone was different. She explained how she thought it was all her fault that Sarah was feeling so sick and it wasn't until the train ride back to Carp that she found out the real reason was because Sarah didn't think Mary had started. Katy, with a shaking hand, handed Kristin the car keys. Then she took Robin's hand and walked away. "What's wrong with Katy?" Marcia asked. "I think she needed to talk with Robin," Beth Ann said, trying to make it sound as normal as possible. ------- "What are we going to do?" Katy wondered. "Let's go ask William about it," Robin said. Katy gave her daughter's hand a squeeze, and looked over at her. "Robin, sometimes you are the smartest person. That is a very good idea. Come on." ------- I was ready to close the darkroom door when the sound of the outside door opening caught my attention. "Someone came in," I said to Richard. "I'll see who it is and be right back," I just pulled the darkroom door almost closed when I heard William asking, "All right ladies, now we're in a private place. Can you tell me what this is all about?" "How do you know if you're pregnant?" Robin asked. "Dear, I think..." William started to say. "She isn't talking about herself," Katy stated. "Jill once said something about a rabbit dying, as if that meant something, but I'm not sure what." I was in the hallway moving towards them. Everything sort of fell into place. They saw me as I put my hand against the wall to steady myself. Robin's eyes bulged when she saw me. "Mary?" I said in a questioning voice. The doctor shuttled Katy, Robin, and me into an exam room and closed the door, giving us even more privacy. Then he started. "We don't use the rabbit method any longer. That was found to work almost 20 years ago. It's almost funny that the expression, 'the rabbit died' has to do with pregnancy. To complete that test, every rabbit died." "But if she didn't start her monthly," Robin stated. "That is only an indicator. Did you know that up to twenty five percent of women have bleeding during their first three months? Not starting is just as indeterminable." "Then how do we tell?" I asked, "And how soon?" "The first thing to find out, but you might have asked already, is, was it close to the right time for her to conceive in the first place?" "I remember that night. She said it was," Robin said. "From what you told Daisy and I, it happened right in between her cycle." "Keith, you should have been a lot more careful," William scolded. "The prophylactic broke," I said, not feeling up to defending myself. He nodded a bit more sympathetically. "It can happen. Now, back to your question. At six weeks there is a thickening in the cervix. The problem is that I haven't been Mary's doctor long enough to know what 'normal' is for her, so I couldn't tell if there was a change. At eight weeks the cervix shows signs of a bluish discoloration. That is a definite telltale sign." "You mean we have to wait for another month to be sure?" Robin asked. "I know you might think, as outstanding as modern medicine is today, that we would have better methods. They are being worked on, but in reality, the human chorionic gonadotropin levels which get elevated and can cause a rabbit, as well as a rat, or mouse to indicate the signs of pregnancy isn't as accurate as it could be. We now know there are other factors at work. In addition, it takes a control animal numerous days, after the injection of urine into the animal, and then the sacrifice of that animal to do the test. In reality, if Keith had his test rats around, we might be able to do this test, but that is not possible." "Keith, did you understand any of that?" Katy asked me. "Yes, and in easy to understand language, it means we wait." "You wait. I want to see Mary," William said. "I need to get an understanding where she is now, so that I can see the changes, if they occur." "That's a problem. She hasn't told us, yet," Robin said. ------- I was better at controlling my outward actions than Robin. She was pacing the floor. "Where are they?" she asked for the tenth time. There wasn't a real answer to the question. After trying to answer it twice, I caught on. Jill, bless her soul, had had enough. She had left fifteen minutes ago, and had just come back into the room. "Robin, come on," Jill said. "Come where?" she asked as though there must have been a conversation going on that she missed. "You are coming with me," Jill said holding out her hand. Robin took it and looked back at me as Jill led her though the dining room, through the kitchen, and out the back door. "Have any idea what Jill has up her sleeve?" I asked. "None whatsoever," Daisy answered. "Whatever it is, it is better than Robin stewing." Curiosity got the better of me and I poked my head out the back door a few minutes later. What I caught was a glimpse of Robin and Jill, on horses, heading down the valley. Kristin leaned over me, looking, but she missed seeing them. "See anything?" she asked. "Jill took her on a horse ride," I answered. "Must be to Jill's favorite place up on the hill," Daisy said. I turned around to find that Beth Ann and Liz had also followed me into the kitchen. "That will take her mind off of Mary for a bit," I said, "How about the rest of us?" ------- Mary drove and drove. Sarah was beginning to get a bit worried. She glanced over at the fuel gage, wondering if they would run out. It was better concentrating on things like that, for Sarah, than to look at her sister. The blank stare on Mary's face was something she'd never seen before. Almost as if she had changed her mind, Mary slowed and made a U-turn, heading the car back towards Carp. It took another half an hour before Sarah saw anything that looked like the place where she lived now. Sarah could just make out the bridge when Mary turned off the road and drove across the dry desert ground. Sarah knew the river was in the direction they were now heading, and she hoped that is where they were going. When Mary pulled up to a stop, she instinctively turned her car off. As soon as the engine stopped, Mary wanted to hit her head into the steering wheel. If the car didn't start again, they would have a very long walk. Mary had wished coming here would have been on better terms. She'd seen this place when they had flown over, and rode out to it on horseback many weeks back. "This place is... Wow!" Sarah said, her words echoing off the deep canyon wall where the creek now ran though. Mary's face showed the sadness as she said, "I'd hoped to bring Keith here." They hadn't said a word to each other in the car, each waiting until they had stopped to have this discussion. "You didn't start, did you?" "I told Keith I didn't care. That it would be fine." "You told him?" "When it first happened," Mary said. Then she looked at here sister and said, "You don't know about that." Sarah bent her head, looking at the gravel beneath her feet. "I actually do know about it." "Who told you?" Mary wanted to know. "Robin did, didn't she?" "Ummm, no. I sort of..." "What?" "Jimmy and Brian found some space between the walls." "Oh," Mary groaned. "Don't tell me." "Pamela, Jimmy, Marcia, and I," Sarah went on. "You were spying on us?" Sarah blushed. "You sneak." Defensively Sarah said, "How come Stephanie got to be there?" The ridiculousness of the conversation overwhelmed Mary and she started to laugh. She laughed as hard as she cried up at the spring, tears and all. Sarah couldn't help but get caught up in it, but even still she worried about her sister's reaction. Eventually the tears that had formed from her laughing turned to tears of sadness. "What am I going to do, Sarah?" ------- Robin recognized, as soon as they started up the path, where Jill was taking her. It was Jill's little 'get a way' and had been for a long time. Robin hadn't been up here and didn't understand why. As soon as they reached the crest, Jill slowed. She loved the sight. Robin took it in as well. You could see for some distance. What Robin spotted was Mary's car. It was a bit north of where she and the other gals had been, when they had got together to talk about the whole sperm sharing idea. As Jill moved them forward, Robin kept her eye on where Mary's car was parked. She'd never been there. It felt a bit strange to her to suddenly see two places near where she lived, where she'd never been. Jill brought the horses to the small flat area where she'd brought the boy scouts. The remnants of their campfire were still evident with the ring of stones. After Robin dismounted, Jill took the horse's reigns. She led them to a spot she had always used to tie her horse to. There was a silent moment when Robin thought she heard someone talking, but it was too quick to tell. When Jill came back, she placed her hand on Robin's shoulder as they looked out into the valley. "There it is, again," Robin said in the stillness. "What?" Jill asked. "I heard talking. Listen." The horses made intermittent noises, preventing hearing almost anything. "Can we move them?" Robin asked. "Who?" "The horses. They're blocking the sound." Jill rolled her eyes, but decided to play along. After all Jill was doing this to take Robin's mind off of things. "Sure. I'll move them back over the ridge," she said. Then she smiled and added, "I remember riding up here with Marcia and Vivian. We were sneaking up on the boys, so we left the horses and walked up. Just as we started over the ridge, Marcia heard Mike say he wanted to marry her." "I remember hearing about that. If I remember, you had to put your hand over their mouths, to keep them from screaming." Jill laughed and replied, "I did. It took several minutes to calm Marcia down. Then we got back on the horses and rode in, so the boys would hear us. It will take me just a minute or two and I'll be back." Holding Robin's horse by the reins, she knew her horse would follow. As soon as Jill was out of sight, Robin was surrounded in silence. It was broken a moment later when she heard, "Sarah, Dad could be ruined. I wish I was dead." Jill had just crested the ridge when she saw Robin start to run, trip, and fall down the hill. ------- Chapter 127 Robin screamed! Jimmy took two steps back and dropped the damp towel he'd been holding to his sister's hot forehead. He ran out of the room, yelling, "She's screaming again!" Katy rushed into the room and saw that Robin was awake! She ran to her daughter's side, and took hold of her hand. "It broke!" Katy said with profound relief. Robin weakly looked at her mother and brother, and then around the room. Without realizing it, she grabbed hold of her tummy with her free hand. "What's wrong," Katy asked, thinking that Robin might be sick to her stomach. Robin didn't answer. Her eyes, wide open, continued to looked around the room, as though she was missing something. "Robin, what's wrong?" Katy asked again. "Why am I here?" Robin forced herself to ask out loud. "You've been down with a fever for two days. There was talk about takin' you up to the hospital if you didn't get better." "I was worried sick," Jimmy said. "You should've seen yourself twitch'n around. This is the second time you've let out a scream loud enough to raise the dead. Sometimes yer shakin' was real bad, and I had to hold you from fall'n onto the floor." He didn't mention the times she would smile, or chuckle. It was just too strange. A head poked into the doorway and started to ask, "Did she wake?" One look at him and Robin fainted. ------- Robin batted the smelling salts away. She blinked her eyes several times to get them to focus on the man standing in front of her. Robin screamed and he flinched back. "Robin, what's got'n into you?" he asked. She pulled at the sheets of the bed and scooted to the other side. She didn't answer him, for to tell the truth, she didn't know the reason. There was just something not right. Nothing was right. He shook his head and walked out of the room. Robin heard him say, "She seems to be ok. She can scream. That's for sure." "Thanks for coming over," Robin heard her mother say. Katy came into the room and saw her daughter hunched into the corner, the sheets scrunched up around her. Shaking her head, Katy sat down on the edge of the bed. "Your fever is down and everything looks like you're just fine." "Mom," Robin said somewhat apprehensively, "what happened?" "You took a fall. You weren't paying attention. I was told you probably weren't feeling good already and that's why you lost your balance." "Oh. I don't really remember. I have these ... I don't know Mom." "I hope this doesn't have anything to do with your birthday coming up in a couple of months." "Birthday?" ------- Robin dozed off and slept until morning. She got up and had breakfast as though nothing much had happened, although Katy could see there was something not right. She couldn't place it, but Robin kept glancing at everything, as though it was all out of place. She was going to have to talk to someone about Robin's condition. Jill had heard Robin was better and came to see her. "You're dressed!" Jill said. "I can't stay in bed all day," Robin replied and then whispered, "I need to get out of here for a bit. Ask if you can walk with me. Let's find Daisy." Jill replied, "Robin, do you think you could take a walk with me? I want to see Daisy." As if on cue, or more likely half listening in, Katy rounded the corner and looked into the bedroom. "Did you want to ask me something?" "I'm going to find Daisy, so we can have lunch together. I wondered if I could take Robin with me," Jill said. "Robin, do you feel up to it?" "Yes," Robin replied and then added, "we don't run around like Jimmy and Brian do." Katy laughed at that idea. "No. I suppose not." Then in a more stern voice, she added, "Don't you dare do anything more than walk there. Understand?" "Yes, Mother." Jill took Robin's hand and the two went out the front door moments later. As they walked, Robin said, "Thank you, Jill." ------- The three girls were sitting at the kitchen table. Robin bit her lip and then said, "You're my best friends, right?" Daisy and Jill looked at each other, rolling their eyes, before answering, "Yes." Robin said, "I can only remember a few things, but it's all fuzzy. Most of what I remembered yesterday is gone. It's like it was dream, you know how you wake up and try to think about it, but then you can't tell anyone about it because it's all gone? I think Jimmy said I screamed before I woke up. Do you think I'm going loony?" Daisy grinned. "You? You had a terrible fever. It does strange things. I'm sure you'll get over it." "I remember..." Then taking hold of her belly again, Robin continued, "Something doesn't feel right. I guess it's from being sick, but it's really strange." "Your mom said you should go outside and get some sun, but not until we make sure your temperature's normal." "Then take it." Daisy grabbed a glass thermometer off the table and wiped it with alcohol to sterilize it. Then she shook the mercury down and had Robin say 'Ahh, ' as she inserted it under her tongue. ------- Katy was getting a bit worried. She saw Robin walk over to the sink and fill a glass with water. There seemed to be a startled look on Robin's face before she dumped the water out. At least she didn't drink it. Robin had stopped touching her belly at random times. That at least was improvement. Katy chalked it up to her upcoming birthday. It felt like everything was chaotic. Home life was not the same. Katy felt like Robin's upcoming birthday was making her feel a bit overwhelmed herself. Today, though, Robin insisted she would make her corn muffins for dinner. There was no stopping her, even if she couldn't explain why she felt compelled to make them. "She should be cooking. Soon enough..." "Don't you start again," Katy said. "It's tradition! And you, of all people, know it." "Jimmy, go to your room and see what Robin is doing, while we talk." Jimmy walked into his room and closed the door, as though it would muffle the noise. He already knew what his sister would be doing. Robin would have a pillow over her head. Tapping Robin's shoulder, he waited until she looked up at him. Then he pointed to the window. At least that got a smile out of her. The yelling had increased to the point that they knew no one could hear them climb out. "Do all married people fight?" Jimmy asked his sister. "I don't think so. Jimmy, it's very scary. Mom..." "I know." ------- In the middle of the afternoon Jimmy and Brian raced into the house. "There's a car coming!" Jimmy said. "We can see the dust from..." Brian started to say but trailed off. Robin looked at her mother and the two of them laughed. When Robin and Katy were alone, things between mother and daughter were good. It was when others were around that Katy became a different person. Robin had never quite understood why she was feeling like this. Of course, Jimmy and Brian were acting very normal. Obviously they had been someplace they weren't supposed to be, but that led them to see the car arriving. Katy and Robin got ready to go downtown as Brian and Jimmy ran off to tell Brian's mom. By the time the car arrived, most of the women had assembled in the old downtown, the kids were already there. Robin was overwhelmed with feelings when she saw the car. Something in her mind tugged at her, and she made her way to the front of everyone. Katy protectively moved behind her. The car stopped and a man opened the door. As soon as he stepped out Robin said, "Wow!" The man standing was ... Robin was in a daze. Then she felt her mother pulling at her and pushing her back. Robin was suddenly cut off from her view of him. "What are you doing here?" Robin heard her mother say to the man. When he replied that his name was Keith Patterson, something in Robin tugged hard at her heart. She couldn't place it. Was it part of that dream? She was almost sure of it. It felt so far away, almost ghostly at this point. As he talked, Robin peaked around her mother. She felt her mouth go dry. Robin thought the man must be thirsty. He had to be very thirsty to ask for a glass of water. Robin saw him sniff it. She remembered doing the same thing. Why? She didn't know. The reaction was the same. He didn't want to drink it. Then he was moving sort of funny. It had a familiar look to it. Robin laughed when her brother said, "I think Mr. Patterson has to piss." "I have been driving all day without stopping," the entrancing man said. Robin was very intent on the conversation at that point, as the women tried to figure out where he could use a bathroom. "Couldn't he use the old Johnson place?" Robin asked her mother, somehow knowing that was the perfect place. Before Katy could answer, another woman said that was a very good idea, as no one lived there. "Then I get to show him where it is," Robin said, with her insides feeling like mush. Katy turned to look at her daughter and would have just said no, but was taken back at the forwardness that Robin just exhibited. Instead, Katy said, loud enough for Keith to hear, "I've told you about men." There was a fire that Robin couldn't understand when for the first time in her life she defended her actions, saying, "I thought of the place, I should show him where it is. Jimmy can come, too," she added as a consolation as she saw her mother's eyes burn. "Be quick about it," Katy answered. Then throwing the fear of God into it, she added, "'Cause if I have to tell your pa about it, you'll get a sound whipp'n girl." Smacking Jimmy as she ran, Robin didn't wait for any other discussion. She was around to the passenger side of the car and was working the handle. Jimmy heard her say he'd be left behind if he didn't start moving, and he was over on her side of the car in a flash. As soon as Jimmy and Robin were inside the car, Robin looked out to see the man still standing there, talking. Her heart was sinking for a moment, thinking that something was wrong. "Robin look at this," she heard Jimmy say, bringing her to what he was doing. "Stop!" Robin said, but then couldn't help herself. A car was something special and this one had knobs they'd never seen before. The man ... Keith, Robin reminded herself ... opened the door and looked in just as Jimmy and Robin were bouncing on the seat cushions. He smiled and she felt like she must look like a little girl in his eyes. The moment passed quickly when he said, "Which way do I drive?" Robin was grateful that he had to start the car, before she needed to respond. When he had talked to her, she felt a lump forming in her throat. When he looked at her again, waiting for a response, she said, "Straight. Then take a left at the end. It's up at the top of the hill." As soon as she pointed where he needed to take a left, he looked over to her. It was obvious that he didn't need anyone to show him. The house sat by itself at the top of a slight rise. Calling it a hill was a misnomer. Pulling the car to a stop in front of the house, Jimmy was out of the car in a second. Robin didn't want to leave. Keith on the other hand had a pressing urgency with his full bladder. He got out as soon as the engine stopped. Robin slid out and closed the door, then looked at Keith. He was... "The door is locked." Robin and Jimmy looked at each other and smiled. The two ran around back and slid in through a large window that opened. They unlocked the front door moments later. "Jimmy" Robin whispered into his ear, "leave, or I'm telling Mom about when you and Brian put worms in Stephanie's hair." Keith could see the two siblings look at each other. Robin's eyes giving a stare that made Jimmy back down. He went out the front door leaving Robin with Keith. "This way," she said feeling a bit more timid, now that she was alone with him. There were no doors inside the place and as Robin walked him into the bathroom, she was overcome with a desire she couldn't place. Robin stayed and Keith felt a bit uncomfortable. He tried to turn away, as he was now desperate to relieve himself, but she moved into his view again. Not knowing what else to do, Keith asked, "Are you waiting for me to show it to you?" She couldn't answer in words, so she just nodded her head. Keith didn't have a lot of choice, as he'd pee in his pants if he didn't get relief soon. Robin's mouth opened in awe as she watched him unzip. As his dick was pulled out her eyes bulged. "Wow," Robin managed. Keith looked over and realizing he may have made a mistake, asked, "Haven't you seen one before?" "Just Jimmy's, and he's not that big." "What about your dad?" "He's not my real dad, and I've never..." Robin said, the thought making her sick. Keith felt bad bringing up such a thing, so he said the first thing that came to his mind, "So, how old are you, Robin?" Her first thought was 'Why doesn't he know' which was quickly followed by, 'Why would he know that?' She looked at his face and had a hard time with that lump in her throat again. When it subsided, she answered him. "Thirteen, in two months." She saw the look he gave her. It was like in the car when she was bouncing on the seat. It didn't help that her instant reaction was to pout. "I knew you'd think I was just a little kid." "Actually, Robin, I thought you were younger than you are. I'm glad you a little older than I thought." Robin couldn't help but smile. Somehow his words made her radiate and the smile that was shown was part of the total feeling. "Really?" she asked. Just as soon as that reaction came, an opposite but equally strong reaction hit. "I guess I just look like a little kid to you then." Robin waited for the inevitable, yet somewhere she had this feeling it wasn't going to happen. Not wanting to face why he would do this, he just acted. "Do you know what happens to guys when they get excited about seeing pretty girls? This." Keith had turned to face Robin straight on. Her eyes had been on his face, until he started turning. Then she couldn't help herself. She was desperate to see him. It was hard, sticking straight out from him. Her eyes couldn't have become larger, taking in the sight, if she had wanted them to. Then what he had said finally slipped into her brain and made her smile. ------- Jimmy was used to being quiet and sneaky. He came into the Johnson house and saw the back of Robin, and Keith's face. Something was going on. Something very interesting! And he wanted to know what it was. It was his inquisitive nature that caused him to falter and in turn to make a noise. Robin turned, and a blush started to form. Then a rage came upon her, as she saw her brother. Jimmy looked at his sister and said what he needed to say. "I saw the miners returning." Not wanting to stick around, Jimmy turned and ran out. Robin followed, but then stopped, turned, and smiled. She caught up to her brother at the bottom of the road. "Jimmy, you don't say a word." "A word?" Robin rolled her eyes. "You were with me all the time, and we walked slowly back to the house. If mom knew I ran, she'd have a fit." "What's with that guy? Yer actin' funny around him." "Jimmy, not a word." "Ok. But you've got to make a lot of muffins tonight then." Robin laughed, but asked the question. "Why?" This time Jimmy rolled his eyes. "You know you make the best corn muffins in town." Robin smiled at her brother. There were times when he was a pain in the neck. There were other times, like this one, when she loved him a lot. ------- Trying to please her brother, Robin made a double batch of her corn muffins. Three of them ate like pigs. Robin was more nervous than hungry. Katy passed it off as trying to catch up, after being sick. Even with Robin not eating as much as the others, they only had one muffin left after dinner. Throughout dinner, Katy explained to Bill about this man who drove into town. He'd already heard about a meeting that night. Robin noticed that her mother left out the part that she and Jimmy helped him. Jimmy and Robin cleaned up and then the four went downtown to the meeting hall. It was dusk, and that meant that in the hall it would be dark. Candles would need to be lit. That was the job of the kids in the town. Robin wanted to see him arrive, but knew she'd be lighting candles. When the time came, she maneuvered to light the ones in the back. She saw him come in. He was blinking, trying to get accustomed to the darkness. Robin saw him turn and look right into her eyes. She couldn't help but smile. Just looking at him made her feel good all over. Keith got up in front and started talking. Robin tried to concentrate, but found it hard to do. She would go into a daydream. It was almost as if... " ... water?" Keith said, pulling Robin back to the present. There were people asking him a lot of questions. Robin couldn't understand it all. From what she heard, he wanted to help. Why wouldn't they want that? Robin couldn't understand how him fixing the water had turned to talking about food, but it had. She shook her head, thinking she hadn't been paying enough attention. Then one of her neighbors asked if he'd eaten. Robin's heart melted. She sighed when he looked kind of embarrassed, and answered with a "No." Before Robin thought, she said, "We have a corn muffin." Her mother turned, gave her a look, and then said, "Honey, that's just one little thing." Robin felt crushed. She wanted to help. She needed to. She had to, even if she couldn't explain why. Yet soon everyone was offering what they had to him. He was saying 'yes and no' to so many things. He had to! No one could eat everything that had been offered. Robin sunk backwards. Then he turned and told Katy that he'd like that muffin. Before Katy could turn around, Robin was heading for the door. Katy just shook her head, watching her daughter. Robin was in line, with everyone else who had brought leftovers from their homes. She walked up to the table Keith was sitting at and set down the muffin she brought. "Thank you," he said, as though he'd had a frog in his throat. Everyone laughed and it made Robin feel stupid. Then in the midst of the laughter, he looked up at her and winked. Robin understood right then that he'd had a lump in his throat, just like she'd had twice today. Her face flushed. Anyone paying attention would have thought it was from embarrassment. Robin, looking at Keith, knew differently. ------- Robin woke many times during the night. There was this dream that would start, then something in it would wake her up. As soon as she was awake, she couldn't remember anything that she had dreamed. It was frustrating. ------- When the light of day broke across the window, she looked over at her brother. She thought of what happened to him in the mornings and wondered if Keith had the same thing happen to him. She thought about when he showed her his 'thing'. It was very stiff. She knew from Daisy that's what happens when a man wanted sex. It made Robin feel grown up, that she had caused that reaction in Keith. Thinking about this, made her want to sneak a peek. As she was awake, Robin got up and started a fire in the stove. It warmed the house, heated the water, and could cook breakfast; all at the same time. Katy stumbled out of her room and looked at her daughter, then shook her head and went into the bathroom. Jimmy was stuck with clean up, because Robin had started breakfast. He wasn't pleased. Robin was very pleased and darted out the door before anyone could say a word to her. She had to be careful not to be seen, as she made her way up to the old Johnson's place. Robin looked into the bedroom window and then lost her foothold. She looked again, then ducked out of sight when she saw Keith move. When she looked again, he'd moved some more. Then she heard him call her name. She was frightened about getting caught, but his voice didn't sound harsh at all. She looked back though the window and saw him motioning her to come in. While Jill, Daisy, and she had shared their versions of mischief, and, although they were nothing the likes of Brian and Jimmy, she had never been in a position like this. It was unheard of. She was a girl ... and he was a man. She knew that all too well. But how? Then there was that feeling that she couldn't understand. She couldn't understand the compelling nature of her feet to somehow move. It was as though they had a mind of their own. But maybe it was not just her feet, but her whole body. It was just her mind that was not in agreement. As this tumbled though her consciousness, Robin slipped into the house through the window she and Jimmy had used the day before. She then came into the bedroom where Keith was. "What are you doing?" he asked. Robin looked down, embarrassed that she had been caught, but answered truthfully. "I wanted to see if you were up." If that hadn't been embarrassing enough for her, he took it the wrong way and replied, "Well, I'm awake." She was beet red and stayed looking at the floor, gathering her courage to say, "Are you hard in the mornings, like you were yesterday?" Keith was stunned, to say the least. It was almost as someone else was speaking for him when he responded, "Did you want to see me?" Robin had been holding her breath, in anticipation. After that question, all she could do was whisper, "Yes." Keith looked out the window for someone to pop their head up. He was scared, and yet ... So he asked, "Is your brother outside? You looked around before coming in." The question settled Robin, not understanding the motive for it. "My mom is coming up, with some bread and jam for you." Robin saw the panic in his eyes and knew he was worried about her being there. Both of them could be in a lot of trouble. "She will knock at the front door and won't look in the windows." Realizing what she just said, Robin again turned red with embarrassment. Keith on the other hand had been told what he needed to know. The way Robin acted touched him. He reached out, took hold of her and tickled. Robin squealed, somewhat in surprise, but mostly from pure pleasure. His touch was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She knew that. Yet it felt like he belonged touching her. She wondered if this was the 'love at first sight, ' of which she'd heard people talk. She had no clue. All she knew was there was a feeling inside that felt ... right. She was disappointed when he stopped, but then watched as he got out of bed. Her eyes were glued to the tent formed in the front of his boxers. She followed him like a puppy dog, into the bathroom. Knowing she was right behind him, he stopped pretending that he was the only one interested in this. When he dropped his boxers, she gasped. He smiled as he saw the hunger in her eyes. "How did you know boys are hard in the morning?" "We only have two bedrooms in our place, so I see my brother every morning," "So then, why did you want to see me?" Stumbling over her words and turning red again, she said, "'Cause you're ... Well ... I mean it's different. And you're not my brother." There was something else but she did not know what it was. She knew he must be fooling with her when he asked, "So, did you just want to look at it?" She knew it because his voice sounded kinda funny. It was like as though he was almost begging, but worried too. Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. Robin's eyes got very large and she looked frantically around for a place to hide. Then ran to the back and climbed out through the window. She plastered herself against the building, as if to become part of it. Waiting until the door was opened and Keith was talking to her mother, Robin moved away from the house. She walked in a big arc, and came up the lane to the front door. Katy looked out the open door when she heard the sound of gravel. She saw Robin walking up and frowned at her daughter. Keith ignored the look, and asked about where the water came from. "I could show him," Robin volunteered. "Robin, you'd just be in the way," her mother replied. "Are there signs to it, so I can drive there?" Keith asked. "No," Katy replied. "Then I'd rather have someone show me than get lost and spend half my day trying to find out where I am." "I don't have anything else to do," Robin said, having to bite the inside of her cheek so that she wouldn't smile. Katy looked between Keith and her daughter. She frowned once again, and then sighed. "Robin, you best behave yourself, and don't you worry, I'll be ask'n Keith if you were trouble. If you is, you'll be talk'n to pa about it, understand?" Robin lowered her head as if in defeat and nodded. In reality, she didn't want her mother to see the pleased look upon her face. Her head rose up in time to catch Keith looking at her mother walk away. It might have been fine in other situations, but the sun could be seen showing through her dress, framing her silhouette. Robin was suddenly hurt and did what she would have done to her brother. She punched Keith in his side. It didn't hurt, but it sure got his attention. "She's a very lovely woman," he said, earning a glare, until he finished with, "Now I know where you get your good looks from." Robin couldn't help but smile. Almost a second later, she let out a sigh and disappeared again. She watched from a safe spot, as Keith looked around for her. She almost laughed at the confused look on his face. Just then Bruce arrived and started talking to him. She knew it was going to be a while, as Bruce was carrying some tools. Robin sat down to wait. Robin looked at the house Keith was in and started trembling. The force to be with Keith was tremendous. She understood part of it. She was to get married in two months. That would account for why she wanted to be around him. There was more. Something had come over her. Something she didn't understand at all. Was she in love? Already? This was nothing like Daisy had described. What frightened her was the power of the feelings. She felt herself resisting, because all of a sudden she wanted to do things she'd never thought of before. Yet in the struggle, she succumbed. Every time, it was glorious. Maybe she had hit her head harder than her mother thought! That idea made Robin almost laugh out loud. She tried to still her mind. It was a very difficult thing to do. It had been a good twenty minutes when she saw Bruce leave. She waited until the coast was clear and then went back in through the back window. Surprised to see Robin entering the house again, he explained, "I need to take a shower," and then moved into the bathroom. She followed him. Understanding that she needed to be with him. When he turned and saw her there, he gave her a gentle smile. "It's not really fair for me," he teased, knowing it wouldn't go anywhere. "You've seen my thing twice and now I'm going to take everything off." Keith knew that would scare her out of the house. She might be curious, but this would be a lot more. So he was very surprised when she responded, "What do you want me to do?" He pushed, knowing this had to stop. "Why don't you undress, the same time as I do?" She blinked, surprised at his words. With her overwhelming desire for him, her thoughts didn't go to fright, as Keith had suspected they would, but understanding. "You want to see me?" Keith didn't know how things had turned out quite like they had, but maybe he hadn't been truthful to himself. He gazed at Robin and answered. "Very much so. You're a beautiful girl, Robin." Those were words she needed to hear, and yet they caused her to flush so much she thought she'd pass out. "Ok," she simply said and kicked off her shoes. Keith followed suit, always the step behind her. He was going to let her decide when enough was enough. Well, that his big head thought. His little head became known very soon, tenting his trousers. Robin could tell she excited him. Even with her small breasts, her nipples told him the same story as she slowly took of her blouse. Several women's voices outside caused both of them to jump. Keith reached down and grabbed his clothing. Robin didn't even see him stand back up. She was so frightened that, with clothes in hand, she quickly got to the window and climbed though. Robin was shaking and couldn't stop. She heard the shower turn on. She forced herself to dress, even though she was still breathing hard, and her heart was beating so fast that she thought she'd pass out. Then she made her way down the rise, and started around like she had when her mother had arrived. Daisy was at the bottom of the road. Robin knew she must have walked with her mother and the other women, but wasn't going up to help. Daisy, on the other hand, had watched the direction from which Robin had come. "What were you doing?" Daisy asked. Robin looked at her friend and decided not to answer such a question. Instead she asked one of her own. "How do you know when you're in love?" Daisy's eyes popped open. "Robin!" "What?" "What were you doing?" "What's that got to do with my question," Robin said defensively. "He hasn't even been here a day." Robin looked at Daisy, trying to gather up the courage to ask. "Robin, what is with you? Tell me, please." "Everything feels ... I'm not sure how to say it. Good, right, perfect. It's almost like I'm in a dream. Is that what love is? I've never felt like this." "I wouldn't know," Daisy said sadly. "But you..." Robin started to say and then looked at her friend. They had never talked about her marriage. It happened, just like all girls at age thirteen. Daisy suddenly asked, "Robin, are you happy?" Robin without thinking answered, "Yes." "Were you yesterday?" "Not until Keith showed up," Robin answered with a little grin. Daisy rolled her eyes, and then said, "I think that may be love." Robin was looking up at the house. "What are you doing now?" Daisy asked. Turning to look at her friend, she answered, "I'm going to show Keith where the water comes from." Daisy couldn't keep a straight face as she asked, "Need any help?" Robin playfully smacked Daisy's arm. "Not on your life!" and then added, "I'd better get back up there." Katy watched her daughter walk up the lane towards the house, glad that she'd left and was just returning. When Keith opened the door, it was obvious he'd taken a quick shower. His hair was still damp. Robin, staying away from the women, found a rock to sit on. They were still talking to him about cleaning the place up, so he'd have a nice place to stay. Robin saw him look over to her and thought he looked so handsome. She had to look down, as she was sure everyone would see the way she looked at him. "Is my guide ready?" Keith said to her. She jumped, landing on her feet, hearing him call to her. Instead of betraying herself, by uttering any words, she got into his car. ------- "Not that I mind," Keith said with a smile, "but is this place as easy to get to as the house?" Robin gave him a smile, but shook her head. She still wasn't sure of her voice. She had to speak a moment later, to give directions, but they soon were done when the road ended. Robin wanted to take his hand, but knew she shouldn't. That was a man's job to do, wasn't it? She'd already been more forward than any girl she'd ever known had ever been, and she didn't want to press her luck. It didn't take long before they were up at the spring. She knew the reason he was here was to look at the place, but she had been hoping he would look more at her than the mossy ground the water came out of. When he scooped some water in his hand and tasted it, Robin cringed inside. "We don't like to drink the stuff, unless we boil it first. It still tastes bad though." "Can you keep a secret?" Keith said with a smile. "I have so far, haven't I?" Robin responded. Keith nodded, knowing full well what kind of trouble he could be in if she hadn't. That wasn't what was on his mind at the moment though. "Come, take a taste." Robin was apprehensive, but wanted very much for him to like her, and she did what he asked. She filled her hands with water, and she tasted it, as he had. "I didn't know it was this good!" "That's the way it's supposed to taste. Soon it will be like that in all the houses." "Wow!" "I've really seen all I need to see here, but we don't have leave if you don't want to." "No!" Robin practically shouted. Then stunned by her forwardness added, "Well, I mean, it's so nice looking up here. I don't mind if we stay longer." She watched Keith smile at her and that overwhelming feeling came over her. The feeling was added to, when he spoke. "The thing that makes it so pretty up here is you, Robin." Robin couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She watched as he moved over to a rock and sat on it. She wanted to be close to him and moved over, thinking she could sit by him. He grabbed her and started to tickle her, just like he had in the bedroom that morning. It felt so wonderful to have his hands on her, but at the same time she was laughing so hard she had to make him stop. "Stop! Stop!" "I'll stop on one condition," Keith said. "Anything! Anything! Just name it," she said to him and then wondered why he got this funny look on his face. He smiled again at her and said, "I want to kiss you, non-stop, for four minutes." There was something important about this. She knew it. Was it part of that dream, or something her mother had told her? Maybe it was something Daisy had said. She didn't know. So Robin asked, "Are you sure?" "Very sure," he answered and then showed her his watch to track the time. Robin didn't know what to expect. She'd kissed her mom at night, her brother, and aunt also. She'd never kissed a real boy ... well man. He brought his face closer and their lips touched. They were kissing and it felt good! She leaned in, pressing her lips together with his. It was similar, and yet not at all like the kissing she'd done before. Then something happened. Something she didn't expect. His lips parted and she felt his tongue run across her lips. She jolted back in surprise. After all the signs Robin had been giving him, he was an amused that she'd pulled back. "What happened?" he asked. "Nobody has ever done that to me before. It felt like there was electricity going through me." "Did it feel good or bad?" Not wanting to think too much, she answered what her body told her. "Good I guess," Robin started to blush as she added, "but ... I'd have to try again to make sure." She was glad to see the smile on Keith's face. He looked at his watch again and then they touched lips. When he started to open his mouth, she mirrored his actions. Things were warming up within her when he broke off the kiss. She was confused, especially when he looked at his watch again. "Oh darn, not quite four minutes. I guess we'll have to start over." Her smile radiated, and she giggled, knowing he liked it as much as she did. Trying his approach, she went to tickle him. She knew he purposely went off balance, but she followed him to the ground and knew it was truly a game when he let her pin him down. Robin looked down at him and was consumed with a feeling. She realized it was love when he pulled her down and started to kiss her again. As she was on top of him, she felt his hands move around her sides and across her back. She liked the feeling of being held by him. His hands didn't stay still. They moved down her back. She had to hold her reaction when his hands slid over her butt. On the one hand she knew she shouldn't let him do that, on the other hand she knew that it felt right. His hands felt like they belonged there. What she didn't expect, was the sound of giggling. She and Keith looked into each other's eyes and then quickly rolled away from each other. Sitting on rocks not ten feet from them, were Jimmy and Brian, their cousin. Robin jumped up, furious. "How dare you sneak up on us! Just wait until Mom hears what you've been up to." The smile on Jimmy's face told her that she might have made a big mistake. "Just wait till Mom hears what you've been doing," he said rather smugly. Then Jimmy and Brian looked at each other and started singing, "Robin and Keith, sittin' in a tree, K I S S I N G..." Robin looked at Keith, not knowing what to do. He looked frightened. She knew she'd be in a whole lot of trouble if they told on her. "Ok, guys. You've had your fun. Now come here," Keith said. Brian and Jimmy stopped singing and looked nervously at each other. "Look boys," Keith went on, "you could get Robin into a lot of trouble. You know if you do that, you'll also get me in trouble. They'd probably make me leave and not come back, and you don't want that." Brian cocked his head and asked, "Why not?" When they had a taste of water coming out of the spring, they had the same reaction as Robin. This was definitely something they wanted in their house. Keith then asked why they had come up here. Jimmy, felling comfortable talking to Keith now, said, "Mom wanted to see what you were doing." This is where he started to falter with his speech, "And ... well ... if Robin was ok." Robin walked around, watching and listening as Keith told the two boys what they could say, so no one would think much of it. That satisfied the boys. When Keith told Jimmy he and Brian could go and tell his mom what we were doing, it took them a minute to catch the hint. Then the boys looked at Robin and giggled, but left. Leaning against a tree, Robin looked over to Keith. He had that same sort of expression on his face when she had said she'd do anything. Only this time it was worse. "Keith," Robin said softly. "Keith," she said again, when he didn't respond. Much louder, she said, "Boy, for someone who wanted to get rid of my brother and cousin, you're not very responsive." He still had that look in his eyes when he said, "Robin?" "Yes," she said worriedly. "I think we need to talk." She closed her eyes, trying not to cry. Her head felt like it was going to explode. She said, "Shit! I knew this was going to happen!" She covered her mouth not believing a word like that had come out of it. She felt him touch her and opened her eyes, seeing him close. "Hold on there a minute. I need to ask you a question. Then I think I need to tell you something." "You mean you're not getting rid of me?" Robin said in a trembling voice. Even her words didn't make sense to her, but that was what her mind was trying to tell her was happening. "Let me ask the question. I'm getting more confused by the second," Keith said and waited for Robin to nod. "Now, we just met yesterday." Robin's mouth was dry. 'Was it really just yesterday?' she wondered. Looking at him, she realized he was waiting for an answer. Not knowing what else to say, she said, "Yeah." "It seems like you've been throwing yourself at me." Noting the hurt look on Robin's face, Keith quickly added, "Now don't get me wrong, I haven't been pushing you away. You're not thirteen yet, so what's the deal?" Robin was not happy with that whole line that ended in a question. She sourly said, "Like you don't know." "Maybe I'm stupid, but I don't know." Robin looked at him. She was feeling things that were too strange for words. He did just drive into town ... and yet, it seemed as though she'd known him for ... He was ... well her savior. Maybe he didn't know that, and she did. She thought maybe she'd just explain. Maybe it would make sense to him. "As you've seen," Robin finally said, "this town is a hole. It's not that bad, I guess, but have you seen any boys my age? No. Everyone is twenty years older or four years younger than me. That leaves me out. I ain't marrying someone as old as my mom, although I think that's what she has in mind. I know my step dad does. Or there's someone as young as my brother, yuck. That's just ... well I don't know how to say it. As you know, nobody comes down that road. You're the first person that wasn't related to someone here to drive here, in three years." He thought she was going on a bit much, so joked back, "Oh, so I'm a better than your brother's friends, or your mom's friends? Great!" "I didn't mean it like that!" Robin thankfully catching the fun he'd added. "It's more like I've been looking at my choices and they don't look good. Then all of a sudden this angel appears." Keith looked around, as though he was looking for something. When he saw Robin looking right at him, he said, "Now, I don't think I'm an angel." "I do," she said with conviction, but blushed at her own words. "Ok," Keith said a bit nervously, then asked a question that had been bothering him. "But you act as though you don't have any time left. Are you dying or something?" Robin frowned at that thought. "No..." she responded, and then added, as if he may have somehow missed the point, "but I'm almost thirteen." Keith waited for her to say something more. She didn't and he had to ask, "And so?" Robin rolled her eyes, thinking, 'I know he's smart, but right now I feel like I'm talking to my brother.' "So that's when girls get married." Robin saw the incredulous look on Keith's face. It was the last thing she expected to see, and then she had this strange idea that came out of nowhere. "Isn't that when all girls get married?' "No." "Oh," Robin said. She was at a loss of what to say next. She looked at Keith, realizing he was stunned. She couldn't leave the conversation hanging, so she just said what she felt. "Well, it is, here ... and there's nothing I can do about that. I have less than two months to choose, or my mom chooses for me." Keith's face flushed and he stammered out, "You're kidding me!" "I wish I was. Now do you see why you're an angel to me?" Robin said. She was seeing him as that now. More so than what she had told him. There was this mystical presence in her mind of a man, and he was somehow it. She went on explaining, "You're smart, and really good looking, and I think..." Something stopped her. She knew what it was. Doubt. She shuttered, "Or ... or I thought you liked me." Robin put her head down, knowing her world would be crushed if things didn't work out. Her eyes filled with water. Keith reacted to the pain in her words and took her head in his hands. "Robin. Remember I said I had a question for you? You answered it, although the answer was more than I expected. I also wanted to tell you something? "Yes," Robin whispered. "I moved out of my house when I was 20," Keith said, as he started to tell her the story he felt compelled to tell. "I went away to college. There was a college close to our house that I had been attending, but I had to move away." "Why?" Robin asked. Keith looked into Robin's eyes and saw something he didn't expect to see. It turned his story, which he felt he needed to say to her, into something much more. He opened himself up, as he'd never done before. "Because of my sister Kristin. She was thirteen at the time." "Almost like me," Robin said, getting a funny feeling in the pit of her being. "Yes. In fact very much like you, but I'll get to that." Keith took a deep breath and then went on. "When Kristin was born, I cared for her. I climbed in her playpen and tried to make her laugh. When she was older, I'd play games with her." Keith, Robin could see was almost in a daydream as he spoke. "My mother told me she didn't understand me. When I was starting junior high, she was in kindergarten. I wanted to walk her to school. She was so wonderful. Every year she grew, she just became more special. "Then things started to change," Keith said with sadness in his voice. "It was me. I had changed." He looked at Robin, not believing what was coming out of his mouth. It was, as though, once started he couldn't stop. "I started thinking of her as more than a sister." Keith waited for Robin to recoil in disgust. Instead of doing what he had expected, she moved her arm around him and then wiped a tear from his face. Robin had felt that tug inside of her again. Every time it had happened, she'd fought it. Every time it had persisted and won out. Every time it had been a good thing. This time she hadn't fought. She knew something was important. Something good. Something she needed to know. "What happened?" Robin asked him. "I fell in love with her. My own sister! I..." Keith's voice started to falter, but he regained it when Robin gave him a squeeze. "I couldn't hurt her, and I knew if I stayed I would. That's why I left." By the time he had got that out, Keith was crying openly. He had never told a soul, and he didn't understand why he'd just told Robin. There was this odd feeling Robin was having. Almost like she'd been here before. She, of course, knew she'd been up where the water came from many times. No. This was different. It was this image floating around that she'd had this talk, with this man, before. Was it part of that illusive odd dream? She had no idea, as she couldn't remember any of it now. It was an odd dream, almost a memory. Still, this was the strangest feeling she'd ever had. It was as if she knew what to say, but had no clue why. "Where is your sister now?" "She's going to school, up in Utah." "Utah..." "One state over," Keith said hoping that Robin was trying to place its location. Robin knew where Utah was. She'd just had one of those feelings again. Utah was important, but why? As odd as that, she knew the words that were going to come out of her mouth. They were shocking. She never would have said them, if she didn't feel compelled to do so. "Keith," she said looking into his eyes. "Yes." "Bring your sister here. I need to meet her. It's very important that I do." "It is?" he said, his voice shaking. "Yes. I don't want to be a poor second choice." Keith was stunned at her words. She could see the pain in his eyes. It made her doubt herself. Just for the moment, though. He took hold of her and kissed her. When he let go, there was that feeling back again. The feeling she belonged. He knew that if they stayed any longer, there would be more questions. He had nothing to tell, about the water, as yet. So what took so long? He didn't want to answer those types of questions. Robin and Keith walked down the hill and got into his car before driving back to the old Johnson house. Bruce was waiting there and watched as the two as they exited the car. "Keith, I need to show you a few things that were changed," Bruce said and then added, "Robin, I think you best be heading home, if you know what's good for you." There wasn't much of a question in Bruce's mind as to the look Keith and his niece gave each other. Even though Brian and Jimmy said nothing much was going on when they saw the two, something had transpired. Katy had Robin busy the rest of the evening, to the point of exhaustion. Robin fell asleep, but that night, for the first time in many nights, she had a smile on her face. ------- Robin woke with a start, just as the light was just coming over the ridge. She looked over and said, "I just had the strangest dream." THE END Or is it just the beginning? I know many who see the last lines of this chapter are going to stare at them in disbelief. Even though I said it was going to be ending, no one believed it. Believe me, it was very planned. It took a long time to get to this place, but at chapter 80 I knew that Mary's pregnancy was going to be the crux. The stopping point. It took 47 more chapters to clean up a lot of loose ends and to get her into the position (ok, now that sounds funny) that I wanted her in. I have spent over six and a half years writing out this story. It is time for me to move on to other stories that run around in my mind. There are many to thank, far to many. All those who emailed me, you kept me going for all this time. If you think that it doesn't make any difference to an author if you write to them or not, take it from me. If I hadn't received so much encouragement, you would never have seen this story come to life as it has. There are those who worked on the list of names. Those over the time who have helped in the editing process. Some have come and gone over time. The last three, TeNderLoin, John, and Terry have helped make this story more than what I could have done and a big thanks goes out to them. The person most responsible for helping make this story ramble on and on ... Who has been with me from about the fifth or so chapter is John Wales. He and I tossed ideas back and forth for over six years. He kept me honest, and helped me when I wanted to just scrap the whole thing. We rarely saw eye to eye on everything. I think that is what worked well, not that it was always easy, but it was fruitful. He helped me see what the reader would, many times. If you haven't, look up some of his stories on SOL. Have we seen the last of Carp? Do you think I would have ended it like I did, if I wanted to close off that town? I need a break from them, but at some point, I'm sure you will see some Carponians show up in another story. I may have written THE END, but in reality, this is a much needed stopping place for me. ------- Chapter 128 "That's stupid! A dream?" Jimmy said. "Go To Your Room," Katy said to him through clenched teeth. Jimmy's eyes were wide as saucers. "Go!" she yelled. He jumped from his chair, knocking it over, and ran. Not outside and over to the new housing, but up the staircase. The whole family had been gathered in the living room and it was deathly silent right then. I stood and said, "I'm going to go talk with him." Katy's eyes flashed at me. I looked right back at her, raising my eyebrows, almost daring her to say a word. Richard reached out and touched her arm. He didn't want either one of us to say something at that point that we might want to take back. I walked up to the third story and into the bedroom with the open door. Jimmy was sitting on the floor in front of the closet door that had the access to the attic. His knees were pulled up with his arms tightly around them. I could tell he was crying. "Jimmy," I said. Getting no response I sat down next to him. "We all know it's kinda silly." "Why'd mom..." "She's still very worried and scared. We all are." "So am I," Jimmy said as though no one would believe that now. "I know. Until the doctor knows for sure that both Robin and the baby are ok, we're all on pins and needles." He sniffled. After a pause he asked, "How come she thought this was all a dream?" "I don't know. The brain does funny things sometimes. I bet in some of your dreams you fly. Why do you do that? You can't fly for real." "It's just ... I don't like it." "I don't think she did, either. Her telling me about Hank still being the town doctor..." "I think that's a nightmare, not a dream," Jimmy said, feeling a bit better about things. He looked over at me and asked, "How come you didn't have..." Then, embarrassed, he stopped. I knew what he was talking about. Or at least I hoped I did. "You mean when I fell off the building?" He started to shake a bit, but nodded as he looked down. That got me thinking. I looked over at him and realized I'd been thinking about that for a little longer than I'd realized. He had the expression that he'd said something very wrong. "Just thinking of the right answer. Well, hopefully the right answer. You know sometimes when you daydream, you know, looking out the window when your mom is saying something you don't want to pay attention to?" He tried really hard not to grin at that, but lost the battle. He did nod, though. "She might be talking for a few minutes, but in that time you could be off flying on a dragon in a far away place. Dreamtime doesn't always take up the same time as real time. Does that make sense to you?" "You mean I could dream about running around in this house and when I came in the front door I could look at the grandfather clock and it could say ... one and then when I left it might say ... three, but that dream could be only..." Jimmy stopped as he pondered. "Five minutes," I said to finish his thought. "Exactly. People say we dream all the time, but we don't remember them. Robin must have had that dream right before she woke up, so she remembered it and told me and your mom about it." Jimmy was nodding his head as he was trying to understand what I was saying. I went on. "To answer your question, there were parts I remembered when I was in a coma. The doctor is not sure it was really a coma that Robin was in. Maybe to explain it better, she just got knocked out for a couple of days. I don't understand the difference, but there must be one. Anyway, I remember my doctor at the hospital wanting to know what I remembered. The problem was I didn't have any time to tell him. There was so much going on and now, I don't really remember any of it." "Too bad," Jimmy said. "Probably pretty good. I'm not sure I would want to remember all of that. I know Robin wishes she didn't remember her dream." I didn't think it was wise to tell him about what I did remember and how I walked through the University campus. I guess that wasn't really a dream though, even if it felt like it now. "I guess not. How long do you think I have to stay up here?" "You mean in what used to be your bedroom?" Jimmy looked startled and looked around as though he had no idea where he was, or how he got there. I just watched for a moment in amusement. "I think you can come back down with me," I offered. Before he could answer we heard a timid knock on the open door. "Can I come in?" Pamela said. "Of course," I answered. She walked in, looked at Jimmy who was still on the floor, and sat down right next to him. Then she put her arms around him and hugged him tight. "Should I leave you two?" I asked, half jesting. Pamela looked at me and rolled her eyes, with an impish grin on her face. "Katy told me to find you. She wants to go back down to the clinic." "Ok," I said, she knew I hadn't wanted to leave in the first place. "She said to get Jimmy." "Are you coming too?" I asked. Jimmy was looking between Pamela and me, trying to figure out what was going on. "I want to, but nobody said I could," Pamela replied sounding pitiful. "I think Jimmy may need all the help he can get." Pamela looked at Jimmy and realized he didn't know what was going on. I told him, "You're going with us to see your sister." ------- Katherine and Jill were at the front when we arrived. Everyone had wanted to come and see Robin, but the doctor had warned us against having too many visitors, until she felt better. It was Katy, Richard, Jimmy, Pamela, and I this time. I noticed right away that Jill and Katherine were in exceptionally good moods. Jill couldn't hold back any longer and said, excitedly, "We heard the baby's heartbeat!" "You did!" I exclaimed and before I knew what I was doing, I scooped Jill into my arms and kissed her good. As I set her down, her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open, in surprise. "Good thing I didn't tell you," Katherine said in a joking tone. I looked over to her and gave her a look that made her blush, and then turned back to Jill. I think she knew I was about to apologize and as Katy told me later, Jill didn't want me to belittle that kiss I gave her. Jill took my hand and pulled me, with the rest following, down the hall to Robin's room. The doctor looked up as we entered the room. "Good thing she wasn't in need of rest," he said with a smile. "You do know how to make an entrance." I wondered if he looked out and saw, or if he was talking about the general noise we were making. I didn't want to ask. What I did want to do was give Robin an equally good hug and kiss. I walked over to her and I put my arms around Robin, then to be on the safe side, I looked up at the doctor. "If I stop you now," he retorted, "Robin would probably give me a good tongue lashing." Then he laughed and added, "Don't worry, Keith, just be careful of the back of her head." In what seemed like just seconds, I felt a tapping on my back and then Katy was saying, "We did come to talk to her as well." I released Robin from the kiss we were sharing, turned around and grinned at them. Jimmy and Pamela said 'hi' to Robin one after the other. It was obvious in the tone of voice they used, that they were having a hard time with their emotions. Both had been at the doorway to the room, just to look, while Robin was out. That had taken a lot out of them. Awake, Robin could see and talk back. I'm not sure they were prepared for how it made them feel. Taking hold of her hands, the two gave them squeezes. We saw tears forming in Jimmy and Pamela's eyes. No one outside of Jill, Katherine, William, Katy and I had been allowed in the room, even if many had looked in through the doorway. This was the first anyone else had seen her since she woke up. Then the doctor told us about the nice strong heartbeat he was able to hear from the baby and the mother's tests had all gone well so far. The best news was that he thought if everything continued to be well, she could go home with us in two or three days. That was great news! Apparently Robin had plenty of time to lie there and think, while we'd been shooed off to eat lunch. Before William had draped the stethoscope around his neck, she asked a question that made him stop and listen. "Mom, do you remember when I made those corn muffins?" Katy cracked a smile, "Yes, I do." "I made a double batch that day, why?" "Well, if I remember, we were all pretty hungry that night ... except you." "And there was one muffin left. Only one. Did I know then, that I needed that muffin?" I must have had a pretty amused look on my face, because William asked, "Well, Keith? What do you think?" "I don't think the muffin did anything. She could have handed me a rock and I would have taken it, thanking her for it." That set everyone in the room laughing. "You know, honey," Katy said between laughs, "I think he's right." When the laughter died down, Robin asked, "Then why did I dream all of that? It seemed so real. It was like I was pushed back in time, living it all over again, but almost remembered the outcome of things before they happened." No one said anything for a moment, until William said, "Robin, there have been many people who have lived their lives trying to figure out dreams and their meanings. You could go crazy trying to figure it all out. I'm not sure you ever would. If I was to guess, I would say that your fall and the trauma to your head jumbled up memories and you were sorting them out." Robin looked perturbed, as she said, "I guess that's better than anything I would come up with." ------- "Are you sure you heard right? Robin might go home?" Millie said a bit perturbed. "I planned on making a pie and bringing it over to the clinic tonight." "You can still make one," Brian said with a gleam in his eye, even if he wasn't sure he'd heard everything correctly. "And what would Barbara say about that?" "Yummy!" Brian responded, and then laughed. Millie stopped what she was doing in the kitchen, dusting her hands off on a towel. "Has she seen the doctor? I know I wasn't that big with you. What's she been eating? They say that it's..." Bruce called out, "Millie, if you want the boy to answer, you have to stop talking." "Just you be quiet. I'm just concerned, is all." "Nosy is more like it," Bruce replied before running out of the house laughing as she tried to snap him with the towel. As soon as the door closed and his mother had turned to look back, Brian said, "Yes, Mom, we went and saw the doctor. Well, we saw Jill first. Did you know she's been working there?" "Yes, dear, she's learning all she can about ... what do they call that ... ob ... obst..." "Obstetrics?" Brian asked. "Yes! Oh, you know that word?" "Mo-om..." Brian said rolling his eyes. It didn't make much difference that he was married to Barbara now. His mother still treated him like a little kid at times. Embarrassed about that word, and all it entailed, Millie asked, "What did the doctor say, then?" Brian gulped. He was still trying to fathom the idea himself. Barbara and he hadn't told anyone yet. This was as good a time as any. In a voice that sounded of disbelief, he said, "The doctor said there might be twins." ------- Rebecca and Cynthia were stewing. Jack had been tending to work for the past two days, from sun-up to sun-down. The worst of it was that he had been too exhausted, when he had climbed into bed last night. The two knew it was because the mine was set to open, soon. With Keith at the clinic, Jack and Richard were trying to get everything finalized. Still, they didn't want a repeat 'non' performance tonight. They needed some play time. Cynthia had become used to Jack being around, and available. It hadn't always been so when he worked at the base. She liked this life much better, and when Jack wasn't around, she got cranky. Rebecca, as she was showing, felt the urge more than her normal high need. She had several needs going on at the same time. The need to be comforted and told she was still desirable, even if she'd started to look pregnant. The other was much more complex, and Rebecca didn't really understand how much it had affected her. Jill was at the clinic, taking care of Robin. It is one thing to talk about your child growing up. It is quite another seeing it. All in all, everything around them was putting the ladies on edge. "Maybe..." Cynthia said with an evil grin. "Do you remember the leather swing?" "How could I forget that?" Replied Rebecca. "Maybe we need to get Jack in that." "Oh!" "We could tease him until he couldn't take it any longer and then release him." "Release him?" Rebecca queried. A wide grin appeared on Cynthia's face. "He'd be so needy at that point, he'd chase us all over the house!" "Every room, oh, I like that idea. You get the kitchen, though. I don't think I can get on the countertop any more." Cynthia laughed. "Then you get the chair in front of the window in the living room." "That place always reminds me of when we came out here before the house was finished..." "I know. That's why I said you could have that place. Your face ... when he's licking you," Cynthia said with a grin on her face. "Damn, you're making me leak!" "Now, how are we going to lure him into the play room?" ------- The news that Robin was awake and doing well, spread like wildfire. When she had been brought in through the town to the clinic, it felt like the whole town had come out to see the procession. I didn't remember much of it, other than lots of people around. I was numb and had this ache that said, 'this is what Robin has gone through with you.' I do remember the doctor talking sternly to Jill. Later I knew the guilt she felt for bringing Robin to the area she fell from. Jill stayed round the clock with me, waiting for Robin to wake. It was the best medicine the doctor could have ordered for Jill. Katherine came back to the room and said, "Katy, we have a little problem." "What is it?" Katy asked, not wanting to take any time away from her daughter. "Outside..." "Ok, I'll step outside and talk with you." "No. The problem is outside." Jill, Robin, and I had tried not to pay attention to the conversation. I know that Pamela and Jimmy weren't. That statement made us glance over, wondering what was going on. "What kind of problem?" Katy asked cautiously. "It must have been Dora. Richard had to go to the mine, didn't he?" Katherine speculated. "Yes, but what did Dora do?" "Brought the bus from the Mansion. Everyone is outside." "Everyone? All of us asked at the same time. ------- Even though the initial idea was to stay on the bus, it was much too hot to do that. At lunchtime, when Katy and I had come back and told of Robin waking, it created a need. That apparently grew when Katy, Jimmy, Pamela, and I left to go back to the clinic. Kristin was the one who instigated the trip. She couldn't stand it any longer. Liz, and Beth Ann were right there with her. Annabelle was the one who suggested the bus. That got Dora 'on board' so to speak. Marcia, Laura, Stephanie, Julie, Elizabeth, Kristina, Kenneth, Tiffany, and Vicki were already heading out the door, expecting it to happen. And it did. No one really thought it out, nor did anyone think anything about Mary and Sarah not saying a word about going. Even though they were the last on board, they came. It was the overwhelming desire for everyone else to see Robin, which propelled them to come to the clinic. Once there, and off the bus, indecision set in. No one knew what to do. The simple noise of that size group of people talking, though, could be heard inside the clinic. Katherine looked out the window and came back to tell Katy. I knew the doctor was going to have a problem with this. I gave Robin a wink, touched Katy's arm and rolled my eyes, then went out to see what was going on. At least no one had come into the clinic yet. William was up front, though. He saw me and shook his head. "I had no idea," I said, "but in a way I can't blame them. If you'd told me that I couldn't be here, I'd still have shown up." "Keith," he said, knowing what I had said was true. "I can't let that many people in to see her. It's not good for her." I took a deep breath, knowing what his answer was going to be, before he'd said it. William had come in and basically tossed Katy and I out, for lunch at least. "William, these people are her family. What can we do?" I implored. He sighed, knowing that he was going to have to come up with something. "I know you're not going to like this, but Keith, she just woke. I can't have her going backwards." "I know," I said, reassuring him. "You know I want the best for her." I paused. "If you tell me there isn't any way for them to see her, I'll go out and tell them that. They may not like it, but they'll understand." His face dropped, as though he was very tired. I knew this was hard on him. He didn't like being the one saying 'no' to those outside. "William," I said with a touch of hope in my voice. "Is there anyway five of them could see her?" "Just five?" "Kristin, Liz, Beth Ann, Daisy, and Mary." He looked at me long and hard for a moment, before he ask, "Why those five?" I thought he probably knew the answer already, but said to confirm it, "The best answer I can say is they are the closest to immediate family." Somehow that struck him funny and his mouth twitched with a smile. "Keith, I would think Katy and Jimmy fill that role pretty well." Then he added, "You know Patrick will be along shortly. As well as family, he's the pastor. That gives him an in when others don't. Ok, I know what you're saying. Kristin and Liz. I heard Patrick gave the three of you a ceremony. Then there's Beth Ann. That was pretty public." I knew just what he was referring to. Luckily he didn't dwell on that one. "Katherine told me that Daisy is next in line, and both of us know she's pregnant." I waited, and he let me stew for a moment. "Keith, Mary?" I think he saw, from the look on my face, how troubled I was about that one. There was no easy answer to Mary. I wish there was. Fortunately, for me, he didn't wait around to see if I was going to come up with an answer for him. "I can let them in, one at a time. It takes time away from you and Katy, though. I don't think Jimmy or Pamela want to be in there much longer anyway." "Maybe Pamela," I said. "Oh?" "Remember, Robin is Pamela's guardian. I don't think she could face losing another mother." "Yes," he said softly, 'I think you may be right. But with each new person, Robin will be stressed a bit more. One at a time and no more than five minutes each. Then Robin will need another hour of rest before you and Katy can go back to see her." "I'll go talk to Katy, and then go out and tell them the bad news." ------- Maureen had been to three places before she found Patrick. "I've been looking for you for the past hour!" "Have you?" "Yes! It's all over town, Robin woke up." Patrick jumped up from sitting. His bible, papers, and pen went flying. He took a mad dash to catch his bible, but his notebook landed in the stream. Patrick cried out in frustration as he fished the water-laden papers out. His pen couldn't be found. "I came out here, a place of total solitude that one no one would think to come to, so I could try and get something done. Sunday is in two days and I need to have a sermon. I couldn't concentrate. So here I am, and my granddaughter wakes!" he said, and then screamed in frustration, again. "Sorry Maureen." He shook his head and dropped his shoulders. "It feels like I'm being a failure." When she had finally found Patrick, Maureen was ready to bit his head off. Now, seeing him beat himself up, for not being in town, she took pity on him. "I know this has been hard on you. Come on, and let's go back. Maybe after you talk to her, you'll be able to write a good sermon." Patrick reached up and took a hand that was holding the reins. Looking up into her eyes, he gave her a smile. "I know you're trying to cheer me up. I love you, too, and thank you." The two rode back into town, making small talk along the way. As they turned up the street where the clinic was, both pulled their horses to a stop. Then they looked at each other. ------- I was outside, talking with the group. Those that couldn't see Robin were understandably upset. They could understand the reasoning though. Well, the older ones did. Stephanie, Laura, Elizabeth, Kristina, Kenneth," I called. Laura was old enough to understand, but I wanted her there to be a buffer. When they gathered around me, I got down on my knees so that I'd be more at their level. Then I said, "I know every one of you wants to see Robin and you're upset." "How come Pamela got to see her?" Kristina said. "Kristina!" her older sister exclaimed. "Elizabeth, don't scold her. Kristina asked a very good question. Pamela is about the same age as you are. There is a big difference." Stephanie remembered asking me about going to Kevin and Dorothy's wedding, and the answer I gave her. So she piped up, saying, "I know. Robin is like a mother to her." "She's not old enough," Laura replied. "You're right Laura, but so is Stephanie. Robin and I are Pamela's guardians. That means we are her parents, when her real parents aren't around. "Now, I want you to realize that you're not being picked on, 'cause you're young. That's not it. Robin can only have so many people see her. To let those five in was a push. The doctor didn't like the idea and after they are done, he told me that Robin has to rest for an hour before I can go in and see her again." With a better understanding they weren't being singled out, I stood and gave Laura a little smile and mouthed 'thank you' to her. She blushed. I turned as I saw movement to my right and noticed Patrick and Maureen securing their horses. I waved them over. "Looks like a crowd has gathered," Patrick said. "Well, your timing is perfect. Why don't you go in and see Robin. I know she'll be thrilled to see you." Patrick shook my hand, and then pulling me into a hug, he walked inside the clinic. "Keith," Maureen said to me as soon as the clinic door had closed, "you couldn't have said better words. When I told Patrick, Robin had woken up, he was furious at himself for going off to have some meditative time." "So," I said with a grin, "when I told him, his timing was perfect..." "I can tell life is much better with you. Last time I saw you, the expression 'death warmed over' comes to mind." "They heard the baby's heartbeat!" "What!" many said. I was suddenly surrounded. I realized that in telling everyone who could and couldn't come in to see Robin, I'd forgotten that bit of information. Now I was being peppered with questions. Maureen was highly amused by this, but I noticed her expression change and followed her stare. Coming out of the clinic was her sister. ------- Kristin vied for the first visit. She could have played every game in the book, and I think was willing to. Each of the others knew that Kristin and Robin held a special bond and just let her go without much ado. When Kristin saw Robin, she cried. "Don't ever do that again. I don't think I could survive if something happened to you. You're as much a part of my life as Keith is." Jill, who had been instructed to monitor the situation, realized the doctors concern. This outpouring had to be stressful to Robin. As soon as Kristin's time was up, Jill took Robin's blood pressure and was surprised to see it just as good as it was before Kristin had come in. "How is that possible?" Jill voiced. "What Kristin said was nothing I didn't already know, Jill." Jill nodded, knowing that was very true. Next in was Daisy. Again there was a lot of sharing, and crying. Daisy asked about the dream. Robin was a bit reluctant to talk about it. "I guess it would be like me dreaming about when Robert took me away and I ended up in Redding, but unlike your dream, all of that would have been a nightmare." Robin was trying really hard to be serious, but her face twitched as she thought of something. "Even when Keith took you to the hotel?" Daisy looked at her friend with a perturbed expression. "Well, no. But when that was happening, it was like it was a dream already!" Robin laughed, but quickly realized that laughing wasn't a good idea. All too soon, Jill had to tell them their five minutes was up. Again she took Robin's blood pressure. "I know this is going to be fine, but the doctor wanted me to do it and write it on your chart. I don't want him to think I know more than him or don't know how to do my job." "Are you getting paid for this?" Robin asked, interested in how Jill had phrased this as being her job. "Not in money, I guess. But he keeps track of how much I work here. I guess it's for when I go and learn to be a doctor." "I think you should ask. It's good to know that what you're doing, even if you like what you do, is being counted for something." The third in was Beth Ann. She didn't have any exuberant words. She just took Robin's hand, looked into her eyes, and then leaned down and gave her a kiss. Then she sat down on the bed and caressed Robin's skin. Jill could see that this was a very personal way of showing how much love Beth Ann felt for Robin. Jill, again, took Robin's blood pressure as soon as Beth Ann's time was up. Liz came in next. She sat down on the bed, but didn't take Robin's hand. "When I heard that they brought you in here, and what happened to you, I thought, 'how could she do this to us?' I know you didn't know that, but I'm sorry." "Liz..." Robin started to say. "Robin, if you don't think I should say I'm sorry about that, then maybe you don't realize how much you mean to all of us. You may be married to Keith, but you're why we're here. We all need you." With that statement, Liz broke down crying. Robin did too. Jill was right behind them, but she had her job to focus on, and so it was easier for her to pull herself back. Liz and Robin talked about small things after that, but making sure there was physical contact between the two, until the five minutes were up. Then Liz kissed Robin, before going. Jill saw Robin whisper something in Liz's ear and Liz nod. Jill was placing the blood pressure cuff on Robin, when Robin asked, "After your done with that, please get William. I need to ask him a question." "I'll run and do that, as I'm supposed to be in here while anyone else is here." "Jill, Mary's not coming in, until after I see William." "That's what you told Liz, isn't it." "Yes." "Ok, I'll go get him." William came back in with Jill. "What's this about?" William asked Robin. "First look at my blood pressure readings." He did, and Robin went on, "They look good, don't they?" "Better than I expected," William replied. "Can I ask you a favor then?" "What would that be?" "Mary still needs to come in, but I want Sarah and Keith too, at the same time." "That's a big request. Can I ask why?" "Keith needs to know what I'm saying to Mary, and so does Sarah." "This sounds like it's rather important. I'm not sure that it would be good for you to get worked up. Maybe you should do this tomorrow?" As soon as William saw the determined look on Robin's face, he knew it was a losing battle. Then came the words. "William, part of why I need to talk to them, is why I'm here, now. If need be, I'll walk outside to talk with them." "Jill, go find Keith and bring him in here for me." As soon as Jill left the room, William took Robin's hand. "Robin, I need to do what is best for you. That is what a doctor does. If I thought it was necessary, I would tie you down to the bed so you couldn't do anything rash, like go outside." Then William gave a sigh and continued, saying, "You make it difficult. I know what is good for your body, but I also know if your head is troubled, it's not good for you either. Can we make a deal?" "What sort of a deal?" Robin wanted to know. "I'll let them in, to talk, and both Jill and I will monitor you. If you look like your body is being stressed, then out they go. Understand?" "William, this is going to be a stressful conversation. I think you got that idea. How do you know if it is just mind stress, or body stress?" "It's why I'm a doctor, and you're not." Robin attempted a smile, and then asked, "Jill's here to learn the difference, isn't she?" "Yes, she is." William then said, "Jill, you can come in now." Jill and I walked in. We had heard the last few statements. It made Jill feel good, but still a bit apprehensive, as she didn't know what it all pertained to. I was curious myself. Jill had told me Robin wanted me, along with Mary and Sarah together. "Keith," Robin said to me, "Bring in Mary and Sarah. I want to see both, not just one of them." "Can I ask why?" "Can you just do this for me?" How was I going to say no to that? I nodded and went out. Something made me think that the two of them were not going to want to come in, together. Mary knew it was her turn. Sarah? I didn't know about that." As soon as I left, Robin looked at Jill and said, "You are going to hear things that will make you want to stop paying attention to me. Remember, you and the doctor are here to keep me from doing something stupid." "What are you planning on doing?" Jill asked. "Talk." "Talk?" "Have your conversations with your mother always been stress free?" Robin asked Jill. "Now they're better, but I know what you mean. I'll try," Jill said. Then looking to William, Jill asked, "You'll keep me on task, won't you?" "I'll do my best. Your job is to learn and that comes in many different forms." "It sounds like they're coming," Robin said. Robin, Jill, and William stopped to listening to the conversation. "I'd rather not see her right now," Sarah said. "It's not the same as it was with you." "Except that she asked for you." "Why?" "I don't know." "At least Daisy told me why you wanted to see me." Mary, who hadn't said anything up to this point, said in a testy voice, "Sarah, not everything needs to be about you." Jill and William looked at each other. There was not another word said until I brought Mary and Sarah into the room. Hesitation stopped Mary at the door. I guided the two in. Knowing that Robin, Jill, and William must have heard part of our conversation, I wondered what Robin might know that I didn't. Robin didn't waste time. She started with, "I can only imagine, given the last four in, that there has been little thought of anything but wanting me to wake." "Of course!" Mary said. "What else would we be thinking of?" Sarah asked. Robin sighed and then paused. I wondered if she picked up that habit from me. I knew I did that when I was trying to get the right words to say. "Jill," Robin said, surprising Jill that she was being brought into the conversation. "I heard that you felt guilty about bringing me up the hill. What you did had no part in me falling." "But..." "No, Jill. I fell because, stupidly, I started to run down the hill." There was a shocked second of silence and then I had to ask, "Why?" Robin didn't answer me, Mary did. "You heard us, didn't you?" With a very sad expression, Robin replied, "What you said hurt me so much I couldn't control myself. I ... I wanted to get to you. I wanted to shake you silly. Mary..." Robin started to cry. "Don't you know how much we love you?" William tapped Jill on the shoulder, startling the girl. She immediately pulled the cuff tight and took Robin's blood pressure. It was, predictably higher than it should be. William ushered Mary, Sarah, and I out of the room. Leading us down the hall and into his office. "Stay here, I need to check on Robin and I'll be back," William said and then closed the door. Sometimes I'm a bit slow on the uptake, but I was piecing things together. Sarah's call, when she was up in Reno ... Mary becoming withdrawn ... Sarah and Mary going off to talk, as soon as Sarah came back... I played dirty. Taking a chair, I pulled Sarah into my lap and wrapped my arms around her. Once I felt a little of her tension start to release, I asked, "Sarah, what happened up in Reno that was so bad?" Her head whipped around so that she looked me right in the eyes. I knew as soon as I had eye contact, that it wasn't something that happened to her, per se. Still Sarah had trouble saying any words. "Nothing bad happened to Sarah, Keith," Mary said. "What happened was normal. It's what didn't happen with me..." I was still drawing a blank, and my face must have shown it. "Keith, Sarah started her period, up in Reno. I've always started mine..." Mary couldn't get the rest out. She was bawling her eyes out. Three minutes later, when William opened the door, she was no better. William looked at the three of us, wondering what was going on. "William, Mary missed her period," I said to him. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. Being a doctor, this was nothing new. Knowing the family connection, William knew there were implications that weren't good. "Let me get something for her to calm her nerves," William said and closed the door again. "Robin heard that, didn't she?" I asked. Mary nodded, but also said in-between sobs, "What I said, almost killed her!" "No, Mary," I said. "Yes. Yes I did," Mary said with conviction. "She must have heard..." Mary collapsed off her chair, landing on her knees, and curled up into a ball. The doctor came in, looked at Mary and sent us out, telling us to go back to Robin's room. Sarah stopped me in the hallway. "Keith," Sarah said in a trembling voice. Her face was filled with dread as she added, "My sister told me that she wished she was dead. Don't ... Don't let that happen." Sarah grabbed hold of me and hung on for dear life. I realized that in my, as well as everyone else's anguish about Robin, we hadn't seen anyone else's problems. This was a real big one. ------- Robin had that one time of anxiety, when the doctor sent Mary, Sarah, and I out. The rest of the time she did fine. Well enough, in fact, that the doctor relented on his hour rest and let Katy back in to see her daughter. I on the other hand had Sarah clinging to me. Once everything was out in the open, she could show what she'd been bottling up inside. I'm sure Mary was worse, but I didn't see her. Katherine was tending to her. William stepped out of the room they had placed Mary in and motioned me to follow him. Sarah held onto me, so she came along. We walked into the third room. "If things keep up like this, I'm going to need to outfit that last room," William said. "Now Sarah, you hop up on the table, here." Sarah was as surprised as I was that he asked her to do something. She let go of me, but stayed as close to me as she could. I made it easy and moved over next to her. She took hold of my hand." Looking over at us, William didn't comment. He took the stethoscope from around his neck and slipped it and his hand into the front of Sarah's blouse. Sarah jerked and I could tell from the look on her face it was because that thing can be cold. Then he went around to her back, pulled out the tail of her blouse and slid the stethoscope up her back. "Breath deep," William said and then after a pause, "now release." Opening a drawer, he pulled out a thermometer and shook the mercury down. Then opened a jar of alcohol and wiped it. Then turning to Sarah, he asked with a smile, "I guess you want this under your tongue." Sarah looked at him, and then it dawned on her where else the thermometer might go. She turned very red. "That hasn't happened in years," she mumbled. William looked at me and winked as he placed the thermometer and told her to close her mouth. He looked at his watch and then to me. "Keith, Sarah is in shock. Not as severe as seeing ... well, as Robin would have been when you fell of the building, but still ... Her body isn't equipped to handle this level of stress." Looking back at Sarah, he said, "What did you do when Keith was shot at?" Then he waved his hands, saying, "Don't try and answer. Think about it. What got you though that? Something made a very bad situation tolerable." I knew the answer to that, but I think William wanted Sarah to think about it. With the thermometer in place, that's all she could do at the moment. It was very good thinking on his part and I wondered how many times he had needed to use that technique. William wrote down some things in what I guessed was Sarah's chart and then took the thermometer out. He was looking at the reading as Sarah started. "I couldn't say anything, Mary made me promise. At the university I didn't do anything. It was Robin and Daisy originally, but everyone..." Sarah paused and looked at William and I. Then she frowned. "Everyone knew what was going on, cause I told everyone how I felt." "You're right, Sarah." "But this is different." I asked, "How is it different?" "Because I felt like I made you ... you know..." "Get hurt?" "Yeah," Sarah said softly. "Sarah, don't you think I'd get hurt if I didn't know about this?" The stunned expression on her face told me she hadn't thought of that. I didn't want her to feel the guilt, though. This was Mary's doing. "Sarah, don't you dare. You said yourself, Mary told you not to say anything. You were trapped. I remember hearing that Liz did the same thing to Jill." "She did?" Sarah said, as though it made her feelings better. "Yes. Ask Jill about when Liz found out I was in the coma, and she didn't want anyone to know. Ask her how it made her feel." "I'll try to. Sometimes when you ask Jill a question, the answer isn't something you always want to hear." William couldn't hold a straight face. Sarah saw it and smiled herself. "I think Sarah needs a few people in here to help her feel loved," I said. "I couldn't agree with you more," William concurred. "I'll go outside and see if Pamela and Laura are available for that task." Sarah took hold of my hand, and then reached out for William as well. As soon as she had hold of both of us, she said, "Thank you." I left and went down the hall, to go outside and find Pamela and Laura. I hopped they were still there. There were a lot of thoughts running around my mind at that point. As I passed by William's office, the door was still closed. I stopped and knocked. Katherine opened the door a crack and peered out. "Keith," she said softly, "I think Mary's calmed down now." She might have been, but I wasn't. I think it surprised Katherine when I pushed the door open and stepped in. Mary was sitting in one of the chairs in front of William's desk. "Stand Mary," I said very directly. She stood. Thinking what I was going to do brought tears to my eyes. "You told me that this was going to help your sister. You told me you didn't think you'd ever need it. Mary, I hate to do this..." I sat down abruptly, pulled Mary over my lap, and gave her three sound spanks. "Keith!" Katherine said in a stunned voice. I pulled Mary back up to a standing position, along with myself. Looking at her in the eye, I said, "I feel hurt that you couldn't tell me." With that I walked out the door, closing it behind me. Then I leaned against the wall as tears started to fall. I didn't hear the door open, or Mary and Katherine walk up to me. "Keith," Mary said. "I know what you did hurt you more than me. I'm scared, Keith. What I did could ruin everything for everyone that I love. I didn't know what to do when Sarah called. I panicked. I never wanted to hurt you. I wanted to protect you. All of you." I pulled Mary into a big hug. "Let all of us help. Never try and do something like this on your own. That's what your family is for." "Thanks, Keith. I forgot and you spanked that right back into me. Thank you for doing to me, what I told you Sarah needed." "You spanked Sarah..." Katherine said as it was starting to dawn on her what we were talking about. "She was ... and then..." "Katherine, I told Keith that when you grow up as privileged as we did, and there was no one to say 'no' to us, it wasn't helpful. Sarah was crossing boundaries and didn't know where the line was she crossed. I ... I did that, too. I forgot to let those who love me, help me. I hurt everyone, and ... Keith there's no way to deny it, I put Robin here." "You are going to have to talk to Robin about that. I'm not going to say anything about it. It is between the two of you to resolve." "I know and I'll talk with her," Mary said with her head hanging down. "Now I need to find two girls," I said and went out to the lobby and then out the front door. ------- Finding Pamela and Laura wasn't as hard as I had thought it might be. Everyone was waiting to go back, after Mary and Sarah were done talking. In fact, everyone was on the bus. There was, after all, a five-minute time limit. As soon as I saw the bus full, I ran around to the door and stepped in. That is when the questions started. "What's happening?" "Why did Mary get more than five minutes?" "How come Sarah got to go and none of the rest of us did?" "Are they done? The bus is hot!" I put up my hands waving them, in an attempt to get the talking stopped. "There were issues I didn't know about. Robin did. Mary and Sarah did. Yes, with the doctor and Jill in the room, it took more than five minutes. When I get back, we will sit down and talk about all of this, so that everyone understands. Ok?" There was a bit of mumbling, but all in all, there was a consensus of nodding heads. "Now, I need Pamela and Laura up here." The two got up, out of their seats and looked at each other. "Girls, there's not a problem with you two. I just need to talk with you." With that, the two followed me out of the bus. Once the three of us were clear, I leaned back in and said, "Dora, you can go back now. The rest of us will wait for Katy and Richard to bring the two cars back for us." Dora, not knowing there was anything strange about what I had just said, nodded. Closing the bi-fold doors to the bus, she then started the bus. Laura, Pamela, and I saw the startled expressions on the rest in the bus, as it started back to the Mansion. "What are we going to do?" Pamela asked. "You two are going to help Sarah. She needs lots of tender care and I thought of the two of you, first." "You did?" Laura asked. "Yes, I did. Now let's go find her." Opening the exam room door, I was greeted to the sight of Jill. I smiled warmly to her. "William sent me in here. I'm glad he did," Jill said to me. Hearing Jill's voice, Laura pushed open the door a bit more and maneuvered around me. I helped Pamela in and then giving Jill a wink, closed the door on them. I was a bit surprised to see William right behind me. "As my office is still occupied, let's use this last room." "Ok." I thought I knew just what he was about to say. As soon as he closed the door William turned and looked at me. "Keith, I know this may not be the best of time to bring it up..." "It broke." "Broke?" "Yeah. We were using one." William scratched the back of his neck, before asking, "What are you talking about? You can't break those things, really. Maybe rub it raw." "The condom. Mary. Preg ... Raw! What are you talking about?" "You may not realize it, but Robin isn't the only person I see during a day." "Well no, I mean, sure you..." "Keith, from what I can tell, one of the ladies on our birthday list, is ovulating." I put my hands up to my head and shook it. William went on. "The five of us need to get together tonight, after dinner." "Tonight?" "Yes, tonight. Tomorrow morning I have to fly out. I am on duty for more than Carp. Plus, I have to restock. I'll be gone just during the day, as I plan on being back for dinner. ------- I was a bit surprised that William wasn't at the clinic when Katy, Richard, Katherine and I arrived. Of course, we came as soon as we were done eating dinner. We needed to bring dinner to Jill, who had stayed with Robin. William showed up with his wife, Thelma. He set out to get things prepared, while Thelma tidied the lobby. The next to arrive was Patrick, Cheryl, and Maureen. I gave Patrick a bad time about needing both of them to help. He asked me how I got out of the house alive, without bringing them all down with me. I did have to admit that there had been an abundance of volunteers for the job, but none as qualified as Robin. I'm not sure he wanted to hear how 'qualified' his granddaughter was, as he didn't probe further. Jack, along with Rebecca and Cynthia, were the last to arrive. They got some good-natured ribbing from the rest. I was in with Robin at that point. Jill popped her head in the door, after eating, and I motioned her in. "I hadn't thought about it before, but do you think it might stress Robin if she does some hand exercises?" I asked very seriously. "Hand exercises?" Jill repeated. "Maybe you should stay and monitor the situation." I went on. "What sort of exercises? Does William know you're going to do this?" I was having a hard time trying to keep a straight face, but went on. "Yes, he does. In fact, he told me it needed to be done tonight." "Tonight ... Keith!" Jill said as she turned a nice shade of pink. Robin, who had been watching this whole interchange without saying a word, spoke up. "Jill, it might be best if you stayed and helped me." "Helped you?" Jill said, not quite believing what she heard. "Yes, I might tire out and then you would need to take over. You are in training and you should know how important his contribution is." "But..." "Jill," Robin said a little more firmly. "You and Keith are not strangers in bed. You know he's mine and I'm glad to share to those who are loved by us. You know that Keith holds a special place in his heart for you, but so do I. There is something that needs to go forward with you, and us." "What's that?" Jill asked a bit guiltily. "Your time with him has been just the two of you. While Keith has been with almost all of the rest alone at times, every one of them has also been part of the group. You, Jill, are the exception to that. Not only is it really not fair to the rest of us, but I want to see what you do with him." "Robin!" Jill said. Then a bit more seriously, she answered, "I know it's been selfish of me. I'm not sure how I fit in with the rest of you. I'll be going away to college in three years. What happens then?" "Don't you think that is why Keith has been so concerned about protecting you, to make sure you don't get pregnant? He knows how much becoming a doctor means to you. We all do. While I'm not planning on going to college, I think Daisy might be." "Really?" "Yes. Now, when I get home and am rested up, I expect you in our room. You don't have to move in there, but I do want you to be part of the group. I want you to experience the love we share. I think it would be good for you. Talk to Liz." "Ok, I'll do that," Jill replied. "Now, as for today," Robin said. "I think Keith thought I was going to help him out." Then with a big grin on her face, she continued with, "I'm just going to watch and make sure you do a good job." "You're serious, aren't you?" Jill asked. Robin nodded. Jill looked at me and saw the very big smile on my face. She took a deep breath and sighed. Katherine knocked on the door and I opened it. She handed me a cup and said, "Fill it up." Then she noticed Jill in the room. "She's going to monitor the situation," I said. "Jill's going to..." "Yes, while Robin watches." Katherine was already turning red when she closed the door. She opened it back up a crack and said, "When you're done, bring it to William's office." I have no idea how the others managed. With Robin giving suggestions and Jill getting visibly excited, it didn't take me long before I was ready to shoot. Jill, now make sure you get it into the cup, not your mouth," Robin said to her. "That's no fun!" Jill replied as soon as she pulled away from me. Jill must have been more prepared than I realized. I was trying to say I was ready and hadn't noticed that the cup was already in position. The force of the first blast hit the back of the cup and splashed up onto Jill's hand. She yelped in surprise. The rest went were it was needed. "Come here with that," Robin instructed. Jill moved next to Robin with the cup, thinking she wanted to see how much I had contributed. Robin didn't pay any attention to the cup. She was after Jill's other hand. The cup almost dropped when Robin's tongue reached out and lapped across Jill's cum coated fingers. After the initial shock, Jill said, "Leave some for me!" "You can get a nice taste from the source. I need to lay in bed still. So give me the rest." Jill acquiesced, and then after prodding from Robin took me into her mouth sucking any remnants out. Needless to say I started to firm up. "Should we try for a second batch?" Robin said. Jill laughed and answered, "And put the rest to shame?" We were still chuckling over that as Jill took the cup to William's office. She came back a minute later, red faced. "I was the only girl there." "And how did your offering compare?" "I don't know! I handed it to William and ran back here." Robin and I smiled at each other, not wanting to laugh and make Jill feel more embarrassed than she already was feeling. I gave Jill a big hug, which she gladly accepted. Katy knocked and then came in. "Keith, that was just plain mean!" The smile gave away she didn't feel that way at all. "Mom, we had no idea. Katherine was a bit hasty in her instructions." "Yes," Katy replied, "I heard about that, too." "So," I said, "As you seem to know all that is going on, what happens now?" "Now we leave." "Leave?" Robin said. "Well not you, yet," Katy replied. "Maureen is going to stop by her sister's house and tell her everything's ready. William suggested that it would be a lot more comfortable is everyone was gone." "That makes sense," I said. "Who's staying with Robin tonight?" "I know you'd like to, Keith," Jill said, "But it's going to be Katherine." Katy touched Jill on the arm and motioned her out into the hall, leaving Robin and I alone. As soon as the door closed, Robin said, "I heard you spanked Mary." I looked down. "Keith, she needed it. Probably a lot more than you gave her. Now, as I've been just sitting here all day long, I've had time to think. We need to get the wedding of you, and Daisy, Richard and Dora, and Jack and Rebecca going. It needs to happen very soon. Maybe it can be done this next week." I looked at Robin warily. "There's nothing wrong, is there?" Robin smiled and said, "Not with me, other than being an idiot and trying to run down a steep hill." "Then why the rush, not that I don't want to marry her." "Because we need to be ready for Mary." "Robin..." There was a knock on the door, so it cut our conversation. I gave her a long kiss and said we'd talk about this more. She agreed, but told me to make sure the plans for the triple wedding were happening. I said I would. Richard, Katy, and I left with Jill this time, leaving Katherine. Jack, Rebecca, and Cynthia had already gone. Patrick, Maureen, and Cheryl had been the first out the door, to tell Marion and her husband to go to the clinic. William and Thelma waited for their arrival. ------- Several people stopped and watched while a car drove into town, slowly. No one recognized the two passengers. They came to a stop in front of the hotel. There's a fine line between being curious and downright staring. The few women who were downtown that morning crossed that line. Jack, Rebecca, and Cynthia, had been walking back downtown from the clinic. Jack had needed a pile of papers from his office for meeting in the morning, so they had left the Jeep there. As the couple got out of their car, Cynthia prodded Rebecca to greet them. "Hello, welcome to our little town." "This is Carp, am I right?" the woman said. "There aren't a lot of signs," the man added. "You got it right, you're in Carp. If I might ask, what brings you here? We don't get many visitors, especially in the evening." "I would think not," the man said. "It's a bit off the beaten path." "Its..." the woman started and then blushed as though her explanation was silly. "Go on, tell her. We drove all this way." "I know. There was a woman, with two girls and a boy that happened to drop into the restaurant I worked in. They were on their way here." "Has to be Katherine." Rebecca said as soon as she made the connection. "You're not the waitress from Solvang, are you?" "Yes!" The woman said and with that one name, the others came to her. "Katherine, Elizabeth, Kristina, and Kenneth. They won my heart over that first day." "Everyone knows the story of how you took care of them when they all got sick," Rebecca said and then snickered. "Kenneth said you were like an angel to him." With a big smile, the woman said, "He's such a doll." "He still talks about the sweets you bought for him," Rebecca said with a laugh. Then she asked, "You pulled up in front of the hotel, you're planning to stay the night, aren't you?" "At least the night," the man said. "It's quite a drive here." "I can check you in then, its rather informal around here. Then I'll show you to the clinic." "Clinic?" "Where Katherine will be. I know she'll be delighted to see you." The man said, "Is Keith around?" Rebecca noticed the woman's blush. The man retorted, "Come on with it now. We both know that's who you really wanted to see." Rebecca was having a hard time not breaking out in laughter. Instead she changed the subject. "Well, the first thing we need to do is get you two checked in. Any luggage?" ------- The operator dialed the numbers she had been given. It ran twice before being picked up. "The health clinic, how may I help you?" "I was hoping to catch you, knowing that you are the only person that can be reached when the switchboard is turned off for the evening. I understand that you are going to be up in my neck of the woods for a little business." There was no mention of his name, but his voice told William who was on the other end of the line. William also realized that his name hadn't even been used. Anonymity, apparently, was in high priority and so he played along. "Yes, I'll be there tomorrow. Just up for the day, though." "Good. I will meet you at the airport. Just me and don't let anyone know, I need this to be a surprise." ------- Chapter 129 Two family gatherings, within two days of each other. And each as different as could be. Yesterday there was optimism, even with the unknowns, of Robin's awakening. This time, not everyone knew why the meeting was called. The collective household started assembling when Jill, Katy, Richard, and I got back from the clinic. Marcia was outside the new housing, apparently waiting for me to arrive. "Keith?" she called. I looked over and saw her standing near the door. I waved, to let her know I'd heard her. Instead of saying anything else, she motioned for me to come over. Then she opened the door and went inside. "Be there in a minute," I told Richard, as we closed the car doors. "Marcia wanted me for some reason." "Ok, but everyone will be waiting, so whatever it is, don't take too long. I'm not going to let anything start without you there." I nodded. He'd given me a pretty disappointed look when he'd found out about Mary's 'condition.' Opening the door to the new place, I realized everyone was at the main house. 'Why did Marcia ask me to come here?' I thought. The only answer I could come up with was that she had something she needed to tell me about Mary. Maybe something she'd overheard. I'd just stepped in, when I heard from the upstairs, "Sarah, just wait a minute." Bounding up the stairs and running to the last room. The door was open and when I got to the end of the hall I could see Sarah and Marcia on their respective beds, looking at each other. Without looking at me, Marcia said, "Keith, Sarah is scared out of her mind." Sarah didn't turn either, as she spoke. "He's going to take me away." "Who?" I asked. "Dad." "Sarah," I started to say, and was glad for the interruption. I really had no answer for her at that point. "Mary's of age. Dad may be furious with her, but he really can't force her to do anything she doesn't want. I'm the one who will get the brunt of everything." It's hard to say any comforting words, when what has just been said is most likely the truth. There was a long, painful lull in the conversation. "I just want to be with the people I love. The people who really know me." With that Sarah turned and looked directly into my eyes, and continued with, "Is that so wrong to want?" I shook my head, as I said, "No, Sarah. It is the right thing to want." "But," Sarah started to say. This time I cut her off. "Sarah, I don't have the answers. That is why we called the meeting. All of us want what is best. Not only for Mary, but you, and the rest of us. Let's go." I held out my hand for her. She looked at me with such sadness in her eyes, but took my hand. I pulled her up and into an embrace. She cried. Taking her face, I tilted it up and kissed her forehead. Holding out my other hand for Marcia, I said to her, "Thank you. Sarah has a good friend in you." We walked back over to the house, coming in from the kitchen. The dinning room table had been pushed against the wall and the chairs lined up. Everyone was seated in the living room and adjacent dining room, with the younger ones sitting on the floor. There was light chit-chat going on, until we showed up. The last three to be there, other than Robin and Katherine who couldn't. Tiffany moved over to me and asked if the younger ones should be here for this. I told her that I thought they did, but thanked her for the thought. I knew that I was the one who needed to start things off, so I said, "About a month ago, there was an accident." That got a look of confusion on Laura, Elizabeth, Kristina, Kenneth, Pamela, and Jimmy's faces. "Not the sort of accident you are thinking of. This one involved two people that were having ... um..." I glanced over at Tiffany. She had her eyebrows raised and a little smile on her face. I was wondering, 'How do I get myself in these situations?' "Well, let's just say, in a nutshell, Mary is pregnant and it wasn't planned." I don't think Kenneth had any idea what the ramifications of that statement were. He was looking around at everyone else though, because it seemed important. Going on, because no one else looked like they were going to jump into the conversation anytime soon. "There are some problems that we, as a family, need to think about. I can tell you that Mary is very upset. She has been holding her fears in, as she didn't want to place everyone else in jeopardy." Dora stood and tilted her head before speaking. "Keith, maybe I don't understand, but what sort of problems? I mean, I'm pregnant and uh ... not married." "That will change soon, Dora," I said smiling at her. "I know it's easy to forget, and many of you may not even understand what problems there are, but Mary is a congressman's daughter. The first big problem is that if people outside Carp found out, Patrick could lose his election." "Mary," Vicky said, "did you want ... I mean, I guess I'm trying to ask ... I know you would have the baby, but are you happy about it?" Mary bit her bottom lip. She didn't like the focus to be on her, but knew it was going to be. She sighed, twice, before spilling out some of what she had been holding in. "Of course I will have the baby. There's no question about that. I couldn't do anything other than that. Happy? No, I'm not. But let me finish. I would be happy if things were different. The idea that I'm having Keith's child is ... well ... it could be everything I wanted. The big problem is my father. Even in Carp the fact he's my father makes it so I can't be like Dora. Just like Keith said, if someone found out, it could ruin my father. How could I be happy knowing that? Unfortunately, I also know that my father's ruin would come at a steep price for everyone in Carp. If word got out, this place would be like the campus, or up when we were going to Beth Ann's father's trial. There would be reporters all over town, taking pictures, talking to everyone. That would be bad enough, but think of everything that could happen. Dora, people wouldn't understand your relationship with Richard. It could get really ugly." I noticed Marcia's hands over her face. I think she was starting to realize the implications. "There is another problem or two that can go along with this." I said. "The first is Sarah." Everyone turned to look at her and I had to go on before anyone started forming ideas that weren't true. "When Patrick finds out, Sarah could well be in jeopardy of being taken away from us." Pamela rapidly stomped her feet on the floor, shouting, "Why? I like her here!" "Pamela, we all do." "I could get taken away too," Marcia added. Sarah looked at her friend, and her mouth dropped open. Looking at me, Sarah said, "Keith!" "It's not as likely, but it's possible. We just have to make sure it doesn't happen. Now is the time to think and plan. I believe we all know there is no way to hide Mary from her parents for the next nine months. So here are the questions. How do we tell them and secondly, how do we keep Mary safe from prying eyes and ears? I want us all to think about it, talk about it, and come up with something good. We want Mary safe and happy. We want Sarah and Marcia to stay with us. We don't want problems. I know you're tired, so am I. Tonight is not a time for answers. It is a time to mull over the questions. Tomorrow we'll get back together and talk as a group." Everyone got up to go to bed, although I had my share of people wanting to say something to me. Jill was the first. "Tell me it's going to work out." "Jill, we're all going to make it happen," I said looking her in the eyes. "I know, I just needed to hear it from you." Sarah grabbed me next. "Keith, I know I was being self centered, but Marcia needs to be here more than I do." "Sarah, what I said was true. I think the only reason Marcia's parents would take her away is if reporters came to town. We just have to make sure that doesn't happen." "How?" "We'll work on it." "Promise?" "Sarah!" Marcia said to her friend and pulled her away. Tiffany and Vicki came up next. "There wouldn't be a problem with the school, would there?" "Not that I could think of. This is a problem with who Mary's father is." "That must be awful to have that hanging over you all the time," Tiffany said. "Sort of like being a hero at a school and everyone reminding you of it," I replied. I knew it sounded like a smart-ass comment, so I placed it in perspective. "After being placed on the pedestal, you wonder what you're going to do that will make you fall off. As much as you hate being up there, you still worry about being on the ground again." "It sounds like you talked to Jill about that sort of thing," Vicki said. "You had it worse, and placed on a higher pedestal than she did. I guess you know something about what Mary is feeling then." "Mary has lived with it all her life. I haven't. It is new to me and I was an adult when I got thrust up into the spotlights. Mary resents how it has made her life. Even in Carp, she's not free to do as she wishes without complications." I stopped Richard and Katy before they went upstairs. "Robin asked me to do something." "She thought you hadn't done enough?" Richard asked. "Richard," Katy chided him, "you're not helping." Then to me she asked, "What did she ask?" "She wants the plans of Dora's, Rebbecca's, and Daisy's wedding to be put on fast forward." Richard blinked and he sort of stammered out, "Why?" I sighed and then said, "Because Daisy needs to be next, before Mary." My voice carried further than I realized. Four came running back down the staircase, their eyes wide. ------- When Katy and Richard got into their room, Dora was there already. They noticed tears in her eyes. "Dora, what's wrong?" Katy asked. "It's overwhelming me." "What is?" Richard wanted to know. "Keith and Mary..." Richard was shaking his head, but stopped when he saw 'the stare' from Katy. Dora missed that and after a pause she went on, "There is also the wedding. Is it going to happen now?" "Yes, did you miss..." Katy started to say and then answered her own question. "Oh, you were over getting everyone down, next door. Keith told us Robin wanted this wedding to happen soon, because Daisy needs to get married before Mary can." "But I thought..." Dora started to say, but wasn't sure what to say. "Dora, I know. It's confusing. None of us know what is going to happen. We all love what we have become and it looks like it could all fall apart. I don't think so, but it has everyone a bit tense. Even Richard is being a dick to his best friend." Dora looked at Richard, who looked rather uncomfortable at Katy's assessment. Then as her hormone filled body flipped, she started to giggle. It was so out of character that Katy and Richard just stared. When she could talk, Dora said, "I thought Richard only did that with Brian." It took Richard and Katy a bit of time to recall what had been said, and to put it into context. Richard then started to blush, while Katy joined Dora in laughing. After the laughter died down, Dora looked into Richard's eyes and asked forgiveness. She hadn't wanted to be mean. "I think," Katy said, "Richard needs to do a bit of that." Richard looked at her with raised eyebrows. Katy went right on, saying, "To the person that brought Richard to this town in the first place." That was a humbling though, and Richard realized Katy was right. He didn't say a word, but walked out the door and across the hall. ------- Daisy answered the door and then called for me. I walked over to see Richard at the doorway. A bit surprised, as he hadn't come in. After all, we still had clothes on! Thinking something must be up, I went out into the hall with him. "Care to take a walk?" he asked. I noticed Katy and Dora at the doorway to their bedroom. "Sure," I said, then turning back to my bedroom I started to say something. "I'll tell them," Daisy said and closed the door. We walked down the stairs and out the front door. Neither one of us said a word until we were past the front gate. I looked up and knew I would never get tired of seeing the stars like this. Where the sky is so dark and the stars light up the sky in numbers that can't be seen in lighted areas, like the base I had spent years at. Richard broke my reflections. "Keith, I've been told I've been a dick to you." "I'd say I believe you, but I don't," I replied. Richard pondered that. Then said, "You don't think I was told, or that I believe it?" I had to chuckle. "Oh, I have no doubt you were told. Katy is just like her daughter." "Isn't that backwards?" "Maybe, but you know what I mean. They tell it like they see it. Keeps us honest." "So I was told." "Richard, I know there is a lot at stake. I don't take any of this lightly and frankly, I wish none of us were in this position. I think more of this is my fault than I want to take on. I was told on several occasions that Mary was going to want a baby, and it was going to be problematic. Not just who her father is, but that Mary wasn't going to ever be happy with not being able to be normal." Richard looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I knew why. "Ok, normal for us." "That's better," Richard replied, "now, go on." "If the rubber broke now, or sometime one wasn't used, it would have eventually ended up with the same results. I'm now realizing that all the signs were there that this was going to happen. So there is good reason for me to feel guilty about it. I didn't plan, didn't want to take what everyone around me said, seriously." "You weren't alone in that," Richard said softly. "Yeah, you're right; we were all playing with fire, 'cause none of us wanted to deal with the real issue. Now it's been thrust on us and everyone is involved. Instead of just Robin and my family, you and Katy have a lot to lose too. I know it. Not that your comments haven't hurt a bit, but I understand where they are coming from. Remember, I saw you dish them out on the base pretty often." "That's pretty disturbing. Katy changed my world and now it looks like I'm reverting to the ass I was." "Don't be so hard on yourself. Richard, look around. We have everything we could want. That is something people will want to take away from us. This probably is one of the biggest challenges we've been faced with," I said, but just had to add, "but not the most deadly." "I'm not sure that that's very funny, Keith, but I know what you mean. Ok, now what the hell are we going to do?" "I wish I knew. Something will happen. I know it. Everyone here wants an answer as much as you and I do. Every one of us is connected to making it happen. We're all here because we want to be with each other, and each one of us doesn't want to lose what we have. Together, we will come up with something. We have to." "I know. Thanks, Keith." "No, thank Katy." Richard smiled. "I think I will." We were both chuckling about that, when we headed back up the stairs. ------- As the morning light streaked across the sky, Brian and Barbara were under a thin sheet. As warm as it was, they didn't need anything on them, but as neither wore a thing to bed. The sheet felt like a prudent thing to do. They had shocked his parents one too many times already. "Brian?" Barbara whispered into his ear, causing him to shiver. "Yes?" he whispered back. "Are you working this morning?" "No. Why?" "I'm..." "Yes?" "Katy told me this could happen..." "What?" Brian said in almost a normal voice. He was a bit scared that something was wrong. Barbara blushed. The way Brian tended to her, loved her. It was everything she had ever hoped for in life, but never thought she could get. "I'm..." "What?" Brian implored, becoming more concerned. "Extra horny," Barbara got out in a rush. It took a second for Brian to process what she'd just said. He expected her to say many things, but that wasn't one of them. Then his face lit up with a smile. The smile left his face as she added, "There's a problem, though." "What is it?" "I'm having a hard time not making noises." Brian's mouth twitched with a smile, knowing that was true. "You're just too good to me, and I like it so much." Not knowing what else to say, he did as most guys do and responded with, "Um, Ok." "Do you think, after Bruce goes to work, you and I could visit our house?" Brian's mind was going into overload. She was suggesting going to someplace private ... so that they could make noise! They had been working on the house, little by little, and there was a lot to do. There wasn't much in there as Richard and Bruce had got them to, what seemed practically, dismantle the house. Maybe they could take some blankets. The raw floor would be rather hard. Could they get a few blankets out of the house without his mother seeing them? He didn't want to answer her, what they were going to be used for. Should he have something to put over the window? He knew that there were times people might look in. He had done that. Especially in a house that was vacant, and might have odd noises coming from it. What about after. If... "Brian," Barbara whispered and then nibbled his ear. She could tell from his expression he'd been thinking of it. He always got a look on his face while thinking hard about something. It was just one of those qualities she loved about him. "What?" Brian got out. When Barbara nibbled on his ear, he just about lost all possible ability to talk. She'd learned this recently and thought it rather amusing. "Maybe we could get Julie to come with us and help." "Help?" Brian feebly said. Barbara giggled and then the two froze. They had just heard Brian's parent's bedroom door open. ------- "Bill," Thelma said, "something is bothering you, I can tell." He rubbed his eyes and replied, "I think it's going to be a long plane ride, but no matter what, I'll be home for dinner." "And you're not going to tell me anything more than that?" William sighed and then said, "Not now." Unfortunately, for Thelma, the possibilities of what was bothering him were almost endless. He was rarely like this, but when these moods came it spelled trouble. She watched him as he dressed and then saddled his horse. She had to smile at that. William had told her how much it helped to ride the horse, feel the sway, and get movement into the body, before being buckled in the seat of the plane. Thelma hung out the morning's wash while waiting. As soon as she heard his plane pull out of the valley, she put the laundry down. She wanted to find some answers. ------- When Jack showed up in the morning to pick up Richard, I was there waiting for him as well. "Oh? You're going to grace us with your presence today?" Jack said in a humorous tone. Then added, "I hear Robin is doing great." "We have a detour before you and Richard head to the mine," I replied. Jack looked at Richard and shook his head. "No," Richard said, answering the unasked question. "He never tells the whole story at once." "Well ... as I'm driving, do I get to know where we're going?" "To find Patrick," I replied. Jack took off as soon as we climbed into the Jeep, but then slowed down and looked over at me. I knew he was waiting for further explanation. "Robin told me to get the weddings planned." Jack nodded, then said, "Patrick agreed to do the weddings, so what are we talking to him about this time?" "A date, really," Richard added. "From what I've seen of every other wedding, that's about all we get to do." Jack was chuckling about that, as he continued out towards his house. He knew Patrick liked a spot beyond, near the river. It was just a matter of looking for his horse, when they got close. ------- "Jill, Katy, and how are you today, Robin?" Thelma said as she greeted the three in the room at the clinic. "I'm feeling fine, but that bully won't let me go until he gets back," Robin answered. Thelma couldn't help but laugh and then added, "Dear, I think he will want you out of here as soon as he's back. I can tell, with that attitude, you're much better." Robin tried to look hurt, Katy on the other hand said, "Yep, you could always tell when she was getting better. She became a pain in the..." Katy had to dodge Robin's hand as it tried to swat her. Jill was having a hard time not laughing at all the antics. So she asked, "Thelma, what brings you down here?" "I'm trying to get information." Thelma answered. Then her brow wrinkled and she said, "I thought Keith would be here." "Well, if he's doing what he should be," Robin said with a twinkle in her eye, "he's talking with grandpa." "That's what Richard said they were doing," Katy confirmed. "Well, it's none of my business, but I would like to find out why my husband was so worried this morning." "For you to be concerned, I guess it's something unusual?" Katy asked. "Yes, that's why it's driving me a bit crazy. Last time he left, not telling me what was going on, we ended up here. I can always tell when there's something up. He has a hard time keeping things from me," Thelma said with a satisfied smile. "You're worried that you might move?" Jill said with a bit of a tremor in her voice. "No, Jill. I didn't mean to scare you. It could mean a lot of things," Thelma said in a soothing voice. "One of which would be those outlying mine tours he has to take twice a year. I don't like him being gone for that amount of time." Then as she pondered that for a moment, she added, "Maybe that's it. He loved the adventure years ago, but just like me he's getting older." "I wonder if he'd want me to go with him?" Jill said, mostly to herself. Thelma grinned. "I'm sure he'd love it, although I can't imagine him asking you to go. It would cause quite a stir with you showing up." Puzzled, Jill asked, "Why?" Katy and Robin, listening, were trying hard not to grin. "Jill," Thelma said, trying not to sound patronizing, "the initial reaction would be to assume..." "Oh!" Jill said when she understood where Thelma was going with the conversation. Jill was blushing, Katy was laughing. Robin was trying hard not to. Not that she didn't want to, but she was still a bit tender. Robin didn't want to tell anyone, in case they made her stay at the clinic longer. When the laughter died down, Thelma took Jill by the hand and said, "Jill, honey, you are just so special. You know that, don't you?" Thelma gave Jill 'the eye, ' until Jill nodded. "Now, I think I'll make my way up to the mine in a bit. I just have this nagging suspicion, and it won't go away until I find out what Bill didn't want to tell me." When Thelma and Jill had left the room, Robin asked, "Mom, Keith's planning on coming here after he talks with grandpa, isn't he?" "I'm sure he is. He didn't tell me otherwise. Although, he's with Jack and Richard..." "Mom," Robin said with a pained expression, "don't make me laugh!" "Still tender?" Robin sighed and said, "Yes." "Well then. Did you hear the one about the Mennonite and the Baptist?" "What's a Baptist?" "Oh dear Lord! Don't let your grandpa hear you say that. He'll know what a misguided upbringing you had." "I..." Robin started to say in defense, then saw the smile on her mother's face. "Mom," she growled. Katy grinned at her daughter, and then her facial expression changed. "Robin," she said as Katy stroked Robin's face, "you had me so worried." While Robin could deal with the outpouring of feeling from her friends, it was much different when those same sort of words came from her own mother. The two had a long awaited crying session. When it was over, both felt much better. ------- The idea was formed from a conversation overheard between Sarah and Marcia. Pamela had wanted to talk with Sarah, when she stopped at their doorway and listened. Pamela ran off and told her thoughts to her sister Daisy. Thinking about who should be told about this idea next, Daisy saw Dora walk out of the kitchen. 'She's on the school board, ' Daisy thought and talked to Dora about the forming and expanding idea. Dora then took a horse and rode downtown to talk with Liz, Tiffany, and Vicki. The four of them came out of the school in time to see Katherine with her friends driving off in the direction of the Mansion. "Must be picking up her kids," Dora said. "If they found out those two had driven into town and they didn't get to see them, I'm sure Katherine would have to move to another state!" Liz, Tiffany and Vicki looked at each other and couldn't help laughing. ------- "You know, Katherine, when you told me you were heading to Carp with your three children ... because of a man and woman you had met up in Redding, I had to look up those two places in the atlas. I couldn't even find Carp and had to locate it before I could place the two. Do you have any idea how far apart they are?" Katherine smiled, and then said, "Well, yes, as I've been to both places." The man cleared his throat and then said, "I hate to say it, but after what you told us of your first day, I don't think I would have stayed." Katherine watched with some amusement as her friend smacked her new husband in the arm. "Well?" he said trying to defend himself. "It is a pretty strange introduction to a town." Butting into the conversation that was going downhill, Katherine said, "I've shown you the downtown and the new school, the pool..." "Don't forget the plaque," her friend grinned. Katherine smiled back. "How about we go out to the Mansion?" The newlyweds looked at each other and then said in unison, "The Mansion?" Katherine ginned and then said, "That's its nickname. It was a present that the town gave to Keith and Richard." "Well, I guess we'd better see it then." "If I didn't bring you out there, I think my children would disown me!" The three laughed at that and then climbed into Katherine's car. "Are we going to see Keith," and with a poke in the side, he added, "and Richard?" "I'm sure you'll get to see them at some point. As I spent the night in the clinic, I'm not sure what their schedule is for the day." "You're not too tired, are you? We're not keeping you from catching up on your sleep?" Katherine smiled, then answered, "No. I was there just in case. Robin had a cord she could pull and it would have rung a bell, alerting me. I was in the next room and slept almost all night. It's not the same as being in your own bed, but it's nothing like being in a hospital where the nurses are working through the night. I was a safety measure." The newlyweds looked at each other and Katherine could almost sense the question. "Go ahead and ask." "Robin looks rather young." "She is young, but in a mining town where men have a history of dying young, these people have a different sort of value system than most places. Every community has its own peculiarities. Look at Solvang. How many towns have houses and businesses that look like they belong in another country? Even the dress people wear there is unique to that town." "I guess that sort of makes sense," he said not sounding terribly convinced. "Let me tell you a story about one of the families that live here. There is a boy named Brian. He is one of the town heroes as well. He saved a man's life who was trying to be killed by another man. That other man was shot and died." "Some story." "Not even close to being done," Katherine said with a smile. "Now the son of the dead man tried to kill Brian." "That happened here?" "In the town below, the day I arrived. That boy died, but Brian ended up with both legs broken as well as one of his arms broken." "Holy..." "Ouch!" Katherine smiled at the antics of the two. Then went on with her story. "Now one of the miners who didn't make it up," she had to pause, as the emotions of that day swept over her, "had a daughter, Barbara. We found out that Barbara's mother had died a year earlier." "How sad," the woman said. "Barbara needed to be taken in. Brian needed help. The two made a perfect match." "I could see that. If she was taking care of him, it would kind of give her something to focus on." "Yes," Katherine said with a big smile as she thought about where Barbara's eyes had focused on. "It ended up that they fell in love." "I've heard of things like that happening." "When you think about it, this whole town is somewhat like that. Everyone here could have died. It is what a mad man attempted to do. When something like that happens, you look at life a bit differently than you might otherwise." The man looked at Katherine for a moment, and then said, "You weren't here when that happened, were you?" "No. Everything was cleaned up by the time I got here." He pressed on, "But you stayed." "Ask my children about that." He was going to say something else, but they had just come around the bend and the Mansion came into view. It did to them as it had done to everyone else that saw it for the first time. Conversation completely stopped. ------- Brian and Barbara had been frustrated all morning long. Any attempt for them to sneak away, especially with an armful of blankets, was thwarted. Millie had them doing this and that. It was almost as if she knew, and was trying everything in her power to make sure they couldn't have any time alone. At the time Brian was ready to confront his mother and tell her just what the newlywed couple wanted to do, even if he wasn't sure he could do it, there was a knock on the door. Barbara came out of the bedroom just in time to see Millie leaving, telling them she wasn't sure how long this would take. They froze, not believing what had happened, had actually happened. There was almost an expectancy that Millie would open the door back up and start laughing, telling them they weren't ever going to get away. That feeling left quite quickly though and the two almost fell into clockwork, knowing that time was of the essence. They needed to get away as soon as they could. Having been prepared for the right moment, it didn't take the two more than four minutes before they were out the door, blankets in hand. Minutes later, when they arrived at the house, Brian was glad he had dissuaded Richard from removing the front door. It would need replacing, but Brian had suggested that Larry be the one to take it down, as he would install the new one. Without a front door, it would have complicated things. There were no interior doors. Being a one bedroom place, there hadn't been need of them. Millie thought it odd. She could understand no bedroom door, but the lack of a bathroom door was not something she could have tolerated. It seemed logical that Barbara went to the bedroom with the blankets. When Brian had secured the front door, as best he could, he could see her through the doorway, trying to get a sheet to stay put, over the window. He was riveted to the sight of her body moving. She turned to look at him, as though she knew he'd been staring at her. Her impish grin made him move forward, until he was right next to her. No words were spoken. He took the sheet from her hand and pulled a couple of thumb tacks out of his pocket. Securing the sheet over the window, he turned back, expecting a kiss. Barbara took that small opportunity and pulled her dress over her head. When Brian looked back to her, she was standing in her blouse and panties. She thought he might follow suit, and surprised her when he took the two steps to her and kissed her. Then still attached at the mouth, started unbuttoning her blouse. She wasn't going to complain at all. She loved his hands on her. ------- I was cornered in the clinic. Jill took one look at the six standing at the doorway of Robin's room, and told me to go someplace else for a meeting. I had to laugh as Robin waved her hands dismissing me as well. Not wanting to leave the building, I walked them out to the waiting room. "What's this about?" I asked. "It started, I understand, with an overheard conversation. It was passed, person to person," Liz paused. "Dora brought the idea to us and we got the rest of the school board involved." "Now wait," I said. "I know what can and can't happen. Patrick would never jeopardize the school, no matter what..." "Keith, stop talking and listen," Millie told me. "Ok," I said none too patiently. "Last night you said there were two things that were real problems. One, telling Mary and Sarah's parents ... well, I don't know how that can be done. The other problem is what we think we have a solution for." "That problem was?" I said, wanting to get clarification. "How to keep things..." Liz started to say Tiffany took over, "contained." "Contained?" I asked, wanting further explanation. "Making it so what goes on in this town is kept quiet." Millie said. I was a bit surprised at her statement. It must have shown on my face. "Keith," Vicki said, "as we started talking about this to Millie and Janice they realized more problems than we did, if newspaper reporters showed up in town. Millie first thought of Brian and Barbara, and how they might be given a very bad time." I nodded, not having considered that one. They were just right for each other as far as anyone in this town was concerned. Vicki went on. "Then there are the women that are having children, that ... well ... you're part..." "I get the idea," I said. "Yes, I could see how that could affect them as well. It could cause all sorts of problems." Then thinking for a second, I added, "So now we know this is a larger issue than just Mary, Sarah, or even Marcia. Did you come up with anything helpful?" ------- Katherine, along with her three children and the newlyweds, had taken a picnic and driven out to be under some trees by the stream. The newlyweds had been speechless when the Mansion came into view. Understandably, Elizabeth, Kristina, and especially Kenneth were ecstatic to see what they considered the best waitress in the world, in Carp. It had taken some time to settle her children down, before they could take off in the car. Now the questions started and they went back and forth a mile a minute. He had many questions about the Mansion, the new place in back, and how it all worked with that many people in the combined houses. The girls wanted to know all about how the two met, the wedding, and what they were going to do now. Kenneth, who usurped the best spot, on their waitress's lap, said, "You could work here in Carp at the restaurant." They all had a good laugh over that comment. That of course took the questions to schooling, jobs ... and of course, children. Before any of them could believe it, the sun was starting towards its downward descent. Katherine looked at her watch and couldn't believe it was closing in on four o'clock. "I hope you were planning on spending another night," Katherine said. "Another night?" Elizabeth exclaimed. "You mean they were here last night and you didn't tell us?" "Honey, where was I last night?" The newlyweds were rather perplexed that Elizabeth took so long to answer. "Oh, that's right, you were with Robin." "They wouldn't have missed you?" "With that size house?" Katherine joked, then added, "The girls sleep over in the new house, but Kenneth sleeps over with us. He likes Keith to read him bedtime stories." Luckily the mention of my name brought up questions of actually seeing me. Elizabeth and Kristina went into nauseating detail about their dream man, Keith. The waitress and her husband were having a grand time, seeing how Katherine's was embarrassed over her daughter's infatuation. ------- Thelma was not happy. She still had no answers. No one from the mine knew anything. She'd seen Richard and Jack up there. They knew nothing about the doctor's non-communicative status. Although both thought it was amusing, neither was going to say a word to Thelma. In the end, she came back to the clinic in a last ditch attempt to corner me. Robin and I heard her come into the clinic and Robin gave me a little rundown on this morning's conversation, just before Thelma poked her head in the doorway. "Keith, I'm glad you're here!" "Would you expect less?" I replied tongue in cheek. "With you, no ... although I do understand you were planning your wedding this morning, instead of being with your bride." "Only after my insistence," Robin interjected. I was thinking that Thelma had quite a sense of humor. "Well, then," Thelma said, "maybe you won't mind if I steal him away for a few moments?" "Not at all," Robin replied. "Just leave him intact after you get done." Thelma looked at Robin for a second and then the laughter rolled out. "Girl, you have an ... interesting mind." I was pulled into William's office. Thelma closed the door and indicated for me to sit. She sat in William's chair and then got right to the heart of things. "Long ago, William and I had marital problems. I don't need to go into those, but the end result is that we keep no secrets between us. I think you already know that, with the whole sperm mixing issue." I nodded and she went on. "So this morning I could tell something was bothering him. He wouldn't tell me what it was. That hasn't happened in ... well, I can't recall. Now, that doesn't mean he tells me my Christmas gifts early. He didn't even tell me about Carp for some time. Those things were positive and that makes a difference. He knows I won't ever be upset by him not telling me. This is what has me worried. Why wouldn't he tell me? I have been everywhere I know to ask questions and no one knows a thing. I am guessing you don't either?" "I can honestly say 'no, ' I have no idea. I can tell it is bothering you a lot. When is he due back?" "He told me he'd be back for dinner. I know he won't fly in the dark, and couldn't land here anyway, so that tells me he's not spending the night. Before dinner, though leaves," she looked at her wristwatch, "less than 2 hours." "When he arrives, would you like me to talk with him?" Thelma stopped herself from answering and thought about that for a minute. "Yes, Keith, I think I would. I'm sure you might explain to him my feelings, so when he arrives home he knows the lion's den he's stepping into." My mouth twitched as I tried to hold a smile from my face. ------- Mary was in, talking to Robin when I got back to her room. I was a bit surprised, as I hadn't heard the door. 'Maybe, ' I thought, 'the doctor's office is a bit more soundproof than I realized.' Mary looked at me and shook her head. "My sister ... I just had to get away." "You're not suggesting..." That brought a smile to her face. "No, not this time. When I left, Kristin and Pamela were..." "What?" I wondered. "Making Sarah slow down." "Really? I thought Laura might be good at that." "Laura?" Mary said, looking over to Robin for confirmation. "He means how she needs to slow down and breathe," Robin replied. "Oh." "What did you mean?" I asked. Mary seemed flustered, as she said, "Kristin has just been helping the two, that's all." I found this amusing and thought I should find out more, but not through Mary. "Now that that's out of the way, Keith, go on," Robin said. "Oh, you two need to talk?" "No, you two do," Robin replied. I knew she was right, on several fronts. I'd been sort of avoiding this. Of course that's what I had told Richard last night and look where it had gotten to. "Ok, where shall we go?" "Up to the spring," replied Mary. ------- Millie arrived to an empty house. She was a bit perturbed that there wasn't a note to say where the two kids ... She had to stop thinking of them as kids, but it was very hard to do. She realized, at that point, how she'd been treating them this morning. Not that they had complained. Maybe that was part of it. Going over those boundaries is pretty easy when no one says a word. She was going to have to explain that to them. It was going to take a group effort for all to make this whole thing work. Stepping out of the house, she saw Mary and me walking up the road. "Have you seen Brian and Barbara?" Millie asked. "No," I replied. "Missing again?" "Keith," Millie growled. "What about the new place? Did they have work there to do?" Mary asked. "I don't think so," Millie replied. "Richard or Bruce is usually with them for that." "Well, you know Brian," I couldn't help but say. Millie thought we were well enough away when she headed over to the new place. She had this sinking feeling they might just be there. 'They might not be kids anymore;' she thought, 'but they still need parenting. Barbara needs a lot more instruction in the kitchen and Brian ... Well, who am I kidding? Bruce can't teach him how to treat a woman right. He needs to learn that from me as well.' She was deep in thought all the way over, on how she should be the one to mold those two lives into what she thought was proper. Shaking her head, when she arrived, she knew she should have been over more. They said that all of them had been doing things, but from the yard, it looked like no one had been around for a year! Looking at the front door, she sighed. 'That has to go, ' she thought. Almost at the same time that Millie tried the door, Barbara wailed through an orgasm. Thinking the worst, Millie frantically pushed at the door, it finally gave way and she almost stumbled in. Luckily the doorknob held her upright. Millie was glad at that point no sound was coming out of her. There was plenty Barbara was making and from the sight she got, looking right into the bedroom, she could understand why. Closing the door, she stood in front of the house. Millie now couldn't see Barbara, although the sounds were still there. She couldn't see, nor feel, and she wished her ears would stop as well. She felt numb inside. It seemed that her 'little' boy needed no instruction at all in making Barbara happy. When Millie got home, she did the only thing she knew would help her. She got onto a horse and rode out to see Katy. As much as she hated to admit it, there were some things Katy knew a lot more about than she did. ------- Frankly, after sitting and looking at each other a minute, I knew one of us had to start this. Mary must have felt as uncomfortable about it as I did. "So, did you have something on your mind?" I asked in a bad attempt to add just a little lightness to the conversation. "I'm going to have to tell him." "I'll be right there with you," I said, knowing I didn't want to be there, but would. "No, it has to be me. Alone, with just my dad. It's the only way I can see it working." My forehead furrowed as I looked at her. This didn't really seem like a good idea. "There is no way I want Sarah there. She can't control herself, I understand. She really wants to be here. It has been a constant thing on her mind. Remember when Scott and Mike came down, along with Vivian? What seemed like such a good idea came back to bite her. She was paralyzed with fear that she'd have to leave." "I wondered about that. Mary, from what I understand, Marcia and her were real good friends, then sort of parted. Now it's good again, but..." "Keith," Mary said rolling her eyes. "It isn't Marcia, although I can tell you she's glad to have that friendship back. It isn't me, although we've been having some real good sister bonding times." "Ok, then what?" "It's you, dummy." "Why does that answer trouble me?" "For the same reason it bothered you, about me. I'm trouble." I winced at that. "Mary, you are many things. Trouble is not one of the things I think of, when I see you. Smart, resourceful, lovely, funny..." "You can stop now," she said blushing. "You and I know I'm not easy." She closed her eyes, shaking her head while saying, "I can't believe I just said that." "Yes, Mary, I do know what you mean. I remember you talking about going to Carp with us, after college. The place where you could be free. It hasn't worked out quite that way. You know it is just as hard on us, seeing where you wish you could be, as it is on you. We all love and therefore hurt for you." I could tell she was choked up. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. The best thing I knew to do at the moment was to grab hold of her and hug her for as long as she wanted me to. ------- Katy was a bit surprised when her sister showed up in the kitchen. Dinner preparation was starting and Katy was part of that. Stephanie, Daisy, Jill, and Jimmy were part of the crew that evening as well. Katherine had been on the schedule as well, but with the guests that showed up, Daisy took her place. "I need to talk with you," Millie said as she dropped into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "Privately?" Katy asked, knowing she really needed to be there helping. Millie looked around, and then said, "Does it make any difference? It seems everyone knows what everyone does in this house." Katy grabbed the bag of potatoes she was going to work on, and brought them over to the table. "Sometimes it helps to get other's ideas. We don't always know something someone else might have knowledge about. So what's wrong?" "Brian and Barbara." The kitchen noise quieted noticeably. "What about them?" "I'm having problems not wanting to treat them like kids." "Why don't you do like we do here and treat everyone like an adult?" Stephanie asked. Millie raised her eyebrows at the girl. "You get treated like an adult?" Millie asked and then probed further, "So if you wanted to eat only desert, no one would stop you?" Stephanie shook her head, looking like she was disappointed at what had just been said. On an adult it might have worked. On Stephanie, it was rather amusing. "Adults don't go around eating things like that. That's what a little kid would do. When I want to do something that is out of the ordinary, I'm expected to have reasons. I'm treated like an adult and expected to behave like one, too." Then she grinned and added, "Sometimes I'm like a kid, though." Millie looked at her sister and asked, "How do you handle that?" "Well, for here it's survival. None of the mothers are around at all times. It's much easier to expect that they behave with a level of behavior that suggests they are responsible for what they do. Whenever they step over the line, they hear about it. That's the same with any of us, though." "Sounds a little too easy." "Sounds like you're still worried that Brian isn't going to need you." "He doesn't! You should have seen what..." Millie stopped as she realized what she almost said. The blush that followed her abrupt stop was almost as bad. "You walked in on them?" Katy asked. "I ... They ... She was..." "Sounds like they were having a lot of fun," Jill said with a smile. She liked hearing about Brian healing in ways she knew she needed to. Then out of curiosity more than anything else, she asked, "Were they making a lot of noise?" "Jill!" Millie gasped out. "Well?" Katy reiterated, "Is that how you found them?" "I wasn't trying to find them. Well yes I was, but not for that reason. I just ... and it was..." Millie stammered out. "Jill," Katy said, pushing out her chair and patting her knee. It struck her as funny, but tried not to laugh as she went to sit on Katy's knee. Jill looked at Katy, wondering what she was doing now. "Would it be easy to explain how much Liz means to you?" Jill swallowed and was glad Katy hadn't said Keith, but this one was almost as hard. "She means the world to me. Millie, you know what Cliff did, don't you?" Uncomfortably Millie nodded. "Liz helped me heal in a way that could only happen by being with her. It was special and I can never thank her enough for what she was able to give to me." "Jill, what about your mother?" Katy then asked. Jill almost laughed, and the smile couldn't help but show on her face. This, frankly, confused Millie. "Millie, I'm sure you remember my mom. You have to remember what she was like with my..." Jill had to pause before going on, "my dad. I'm sure you remember her after he died. I think that's what everyone thinks about when they think of my mom. You know ... different. If you think, she's now like she was when my dad was alive. My mom and I have not had the best of relationships. I'm sure Brian and you have always been much closer than my mom and me, but Millie, I still need my mom." "You do?" "Yes. We get together and talk about stuff." Millie was mulling that around in her head as Jill got up and went back to her work. Daisy pulled out a chair next to Millie and touched her shoulder. "Millie, I know it's hard to think about, but Barbara needs Brian much more than she can ever put into words. My mom prepared us, by telling me to love Keith. She told Pamela to let Keith and Robin become her parents. I don't think Barbara ever had that. Even with what my mom did, I find I just need Keith's arms around me. It is nothing that you can provide to her. She needs the love that makes her feel safe, and that comes from Brian." Taking Millie's hand and giving it a squeeze, Daisy went on. "Don't confuse that with not needing you. She lost her parents. I need Robin sometimes as much as Pamela does." "Robin?" "She's a parent to Pamela and if you haven't seen it, you haven't looked. Sometimes it's just being with her, explaining something to Pamela. Just being with a mother. I need that sometimes and I'm sure Barbara does, too. Don't worry about it and don't work too hard at it. Just be yourself. That's all they will want." "Feel better?" Katy asked. "I'm not sure. That's a lot to think about. I can see why everyone talks about everything here. I got a lot of different viewpoints." "It does keep you honest," Katy said. "An observation from experience?" "Lots of it!" Katy and Millie smiled at each other as the rest of the cooks kept themselves busy. ------- "I would swear that was the doctor's plane," I said to Mary. "Don't you swear around me!" I rolled my eyes. "Why would he land up by the mine? I don't like the idea of that. Maybe Thelma was right." "About?" "She said he was holding back something this morning when he left. She didn't like it and hasn't been able to find out anything. Now he landed his plane at the mine. It just doesn't sound good." "Are you going to find out?" she asked, knowing I would. "Yes. I told Thelma I'd talk with him, before she ripped him apart." "She didn't say that!" "Close to it. She was mad. They don't hold secrets." "I know. I'm sorry." "Mary, we will all work this out. This isn't just a problem with you. You're just a part." "A part? Keith..." "I'll explain it too you tonight, ok?" "Promise?" "Promise." ------- I had watched Mary start to walk down the hill, and knew I could easily watch her walk until I couldn't see her any longer. She was beautiful. I did have a 'job' to do though, so I walked up the other way. It would have been almost as easy to walk down and get my car to drive up to the mine, but I might have run into Thelma, and I didn't want to do that yet. On the ridge I could see what looked like Jack's Jeep driving away from the mine, then lost it going into the valley that the Mansion sat in. I was hoping that the doctor wasn't on the Jeep, or I would have done a lot of walking for no good reason. As I got closer, I knew it was indeed the doctor's plane. It had the same Memco logo on it as all the others, but there were enough differences that I could tell. The closer I got, I could see the mine was closing down for the evening. The office had its lights on, so that is where I headed. As soon as I opened the door, I knew I'd made a big mistake. He looked as surprised as I did. ------- Richard told Jack not to stick around. He wouldn't be able to do anything, and it was probably better not to be right in the heat of things. Jack wasn't sure if he should argue that point or not, but Richard wasn't taking no for an answer. So Jack dropped Richard off and left for home. Taking a few breaths, Richard was glad there was a work schedule. He knew just where Katy should be. Walking though the back door and into the kitchen he saw her. "I'm sorry, but I need to take her," Richard said pulling Katy along with him. "Do I get to know why?" she asked. "Did Millie do something?" Stephanie asked. "Not about Millie and no, you don't. Come on, now," he said pulling harder. Katy looked back surprised as she went through the back doorway. "Come on, in the car." "Richard, you're scaring me." "Get in, and I'll tell you." Katy got in, for no other reason than she wanted an explanation. "We need to find Mary and Keith." "Why?" "The doctor landed up at the mine. Patrick was on board." With that he drove off towards town. As it was summer, the car windows had been down and Kristin along with Pamela were on the front porch. Hearing the conversation, they went to find Sarah. ------- I had the same feeling that swept over me when my father found out Kristin was pregnant and I got stuck, alone, in the room with him. Just like my father, Patrick hadn't said a word to me. It would have been difficult having a real conversation. This was an open office and people came in and out. "I think we need to take a walk," he said, assessing the situation. I nodded and we left the building. Realizing that I would need to lead, unless told a specific direction, I headed North West. It would bring us to the top end of the valley the Mansion was in. Nothing was said for some time. I realized he was waiting until it was impossible for anyone to hear our conversation. This was not a good sign at all. "Keith, you know how I work. I gather facts and then place them into workable arenas. It keeps things in order. I know what is going on and I feel comfortable. No, let me rephrase that. I feel like I know what is happening around me." "Ok," I said simply. I wasn't going to give him anything I didn't need to. Maybe I was just blowing things out of proportion. This could have something to do with an entirely different matter than Mary. If so and I said something I'd never be forgiven. "When facts don't add up, I start to wonder if those facts are truthful. It makes it easier to spot, when you work this way." "Makes sense." "Good. Now, Keith, I'm sure you know Sarah brought Marcia up with her to see us." "Yes. Maybe not one of her better choices, but understandable." "Oh? Care to explain that one to me?" Good! This was about Marcia. Maybe he was being very careful about the election and needed things like this to stop. I could understand that. "I think that Sarah is trying to rebuild her relationship with Marcia. From what I've heard, the two of them, along with a few others held the top status in the school's social hierarchy. Sarah has said that she was the top dog and Marcia agrees. It was this status thing that pulled that friendship apart. They both got into a rat race, never thinking about where it would end. For Marcia, it was devastating. I think, with Sarah, there are a couple of things that caused her behavior. First it was trying to get back a friendship that went awry. Second and probably more compelling is that she feels some guilt." "Guilt?" "If Marcia and she had been the friends they should have been, Marcia wouldn't have ended up pregnant." "Well, that is always a good theory, but you and I know that once the fruit has been tasted..." "It doesn't make a difference to Sarah. She doesn't know that ... taste." "You know that for a fact?" Patrick said, stopping to look at me. "I believe I would have heard, yes." ------- Katy didn't know what to say. It took Richard a moment before his voice returned. "He did what!" "Thelma said she wanted him to talk with the doctor." Mary replied. "Why? What's wrong? Tell me." "Get in, we need to get up to the mine," Richard said. As soon as the door was closed, Mary slid across the seat as Richard flipped a u-turn. Katy turned to the back seat and looking at Mary, she said as gently as she could, "Your father was on that plane." Mary slumped into the seat, her head falling to the side as she passed out. ------- "I think the Mansion is a little more this way, isn't it?" Patrick asked. "Yes." He started walking and I followed. As soon as he crested the ridge and we saw the structures, he again turned to look at me. "I called and talked with Mary. After the last time we were here, there was something strange going on. She had quite a tall tale woven around multiple marriages and Beth Ann being number ... was that three or four?" Patrick didn't wait for an answer. "Keith, as unbelievable as it all sounded, she was telling me the truth, wasn't she?" ------- Chapter 130 I was very sure my face showed much more than I wanted it to, but I had been completely thrown off track. Sadly, I realized that Patrick was, after all, a politician. He had used his well-polished mannerisms to set me up. He had let me drop my defenses, then dropped the bomb, knowing it would get a reaction. "Well, are you going to answer me?" Patrick asked, after a moment lapsed. At least I knew what to do with that question. "No, I'm not." I could tell from his surprised expression this was not the answer he expected. I also knew he would not let that be the final word, so without prompting, I went on. "I was told that Mary wanted to talk to you. For me to usurp that would be an unforgivable offense." He regarded me for a moment. I'm sure trying to choose his words. "Keith, I'm a bit surprised at that. You're not the head, the cornerstone, the..." I wasn't going to take the bait, at least this time. "I have the feeling you have talked with Dan, your friend and a family counselor a time or two on situations that may have come up along the way. So it is a surprise that to hear you suggest that I would, or should, pull the feet out from under Mary after she expressed a desire to tell you some important things that are going on in her life." There might have been a glimmer of a smile for that one, but it was gone as soon as it started. Patrick nodded, as a simple acceptance of what I had just said. "Well, then, I guess it's a good time to find my daughter and see what she wishes to tell me." Originally, I had wanted to walk as far away from anything as possible. From where we had stopped and the question asked, we were further from the roadway than down to the end of the small valley the Mansion was in. I suggested we follow my original course, as it would be easier to walk. Had I know that Richard, Katy, and Mary were driving up to meet us, I would have done things differently. By the time we had started down, the slight slope at the end of the valley, the three of them had driven up and were looking for us at the mine. ------- Martha was stark raving mad. She couldn't believe what her husband had done. William had only seen her this upset, once in all their married years. That one other time had taught him well and he didn't try and stop anything she was about to do. She didn't understand the politics of his job. At that point, he wasn't about to try and explain he'd had little choice in this matter. Mounting a horse, Martha gave him one more look and then rode off. He knew, from the direction she was heading, the Mansion was going to get a visitor very soon. He half gave the notion of calling and letting them know, but just as quick gave that idea up. As Martha rounded the corner, heading out to the small valley that held the Mansion, she started to let her horse slow. Thinking of what she was going to say was hard when she was fuming with anger. How would it be received? More importantly, who was she going to tell? Laura bounced out the back steps. She'd seen Martha ride up and wanted to greet her. Jill came out, due to Laura's exuberance, to see what was going on. Martha had dismounted by the time the two arrived next to the horse. Laura, now much more comfortable with the large animals, snuck around to surprise Martha. "Hi!" Laura said as she jumped around the front under the horse's neck. Jill had thought this would be funny, and had just stood back to watch. Then she was concerned when, after Laura had said 'hi, ' she backed up, hit the horse, and fell down. Then she looked over to Jill. Rushing over, Jill got to Laura at the same time Martha was giving Laura a hand up. "Why are you so ... mad?" Laura got out after trying to figure out Martha's expression. "My husband!" "Oh! He not coming back tonight?" Laura asked. "No. That's not it, he's already here." "He's back?" Jill asked. "Where's the plane?" Jill knew it hadn't landed in the field here. "He landed up at the mine. He brought back..." Martha stopped herself. These were not the two who needed to know and she didn't want information to be passed second hand. "That's why," Jill replied. "Why?" Martha wondered. "Richard picked up Katy and Kristin is in with Sarah and Pamela." Laura looked between Jill and Thelma. "Why don't I know what's going on?" Laura asked. Thelma smiled at Laura, as her anxiety left her. "Jill knows too much for her own good, sometimes," Thelma said, winking at Jill. "I think you're right!" Laura said, and then jumped away as Jill tried to grab her. Laura knew those movements and she wasn't about to be caught and tickled. Thelma grabbed Jill's attention and asked, "Sarah..." "Knows nothing, and I think that's on purpose." "Nothing about what?" Laura said impatiently. "I think it's time," Jill said as she grabbed hold of Laura's hands, and swung her around in a circle, "that you and I need to go for a ride." Laura looked at Thelma for help, as she replied, "What did I do?" Thelma laughed and said, "You, my dear, asked too many questions!" "Where are we going?" Laura said, in resignation. She'd learned a long time ago that it was pointless to argue with Jill. "We're riding into town with Thelma," Jill intoned. Laura caught the surprised look on Thelma's face, and that made the idea of getting on a horse just a bit better. "Are we going now?" Laura wanted to know, feeling left out enough. "As soon as I can saddle up. You're going to have to learn how to put a saddle on a horse, one of these days," Jill said rather seriously. "Jill! I can't even reach over the smallest horse, how could I get a saddle on one of those beasts!" Looking over to Thelma, Jill remarked, "Sounds like she expects to be taken care of in her old age." "Old! I'm not ... old ... Oh, you!" Laura said, and chased Jill to the stable. ------- "Where is Mom going?" Brian asked. It had been a bit strange that his mom had made such a wonderful dinner and then left before they ate. Bruce cleared his throat and said, "She just had a few things to do. Now come and sit, both of you." Brian and Barbara looked at each other, wondering what had happened, this time. The two sat. Bruce cleared his throat two more times before beginning. "The new job at the mine has a benefit that we never had with our old co-op." "What is it?" Brian wanted to know. "Something called paid vacation," Bruce answered. "They pay you to take a vacation?" Brian said in wonder. "Well, yes." "When are you going to take it?" Barbara asked, and then added, "Where are you going to go?" "You're going somewhere?" Brian asked, a bit startled. "No, we're not going somewhere, and as to when ... I have to talk with Richard." "Richard pays for your vacation?" Brian said trying to understand this new idea. Bruce shook his head, then said, "No. Now let me explain. Everyone at the mine is going to get vacation. We have so many people who need to take vacation time, but we can't let too many take time off at the same time. So the idea was that we'd better start now. Problem is, this is new to everyone. No one wanted to take it right away." "It's going to be a while before you take your vacation then?" Barbara asked. "I hope it's not when the baby is due." Bruce had to smile at that. "Barbara, if you think I could keep Millie away, when you're about to have your baby..." Barbara grinned. It was a silly thought. "Then when are you taking it?" Brian asked. "Well, as soon as Richard has some time." Barbara and Brian looked at each other. Something wasn't adding up. "You and Richard are doing something together? What about mom?" Brian wanted to know. "Yes Richard and I will be doing something together. When I take my vacation, you will go to school, but there won't be any working for you that week." "Why?" Barbara and Brian said at the same time. Bruce scratched the side of his neck, which had all of a sudden become sweaty. "Your house needs some attention. You two, Richard and I will be working on it. Hopefully soon." "We've been working on it as much as possible. You said the roof wasn't going to leak this winter..." Brian said, trying to make sense of what his dad was talking about. "There's one room that ... um ... needs to be ... sort of finished, before the rest. And we need to get Larry to replace the front door." "Why the front door?" Barbara asked. "There's nothing inside." Then she grinned and added, "Plus there's no kids like Brian and Jimmy snooping around." Bruce started coughing and had to get a drink of water. He came back to the table and sat down again. "What room do you think needs to be done?" Brian asked. Brian couldn't see the need for the kitchen yet, maybe the bathroom? His mom might have said something like that. "The bedroom," Bruce answered in a monotone. It was suddenly very quiet in the house. Brian and Barbara looked at each other and knew that the creak they had heard in their new house, while they had been making love to one another, must have been the front door. ------- Lights were on, scattered across the mine. The office had provided nothing. The doctor's plane was locked up. No one there had seen anything, or anyone, since the last shift left. Neither Keith nor Patrick were there. Had they seen each other, or not? "This is frustrating," Richard said. "You can say that again," Katy added. Mary was silent. She wasn't sure if seeing her father here would be a good thing or not. Seeing him at all, right now, didn't seem like such a good thing. Richard sighed, and then said, "We came up the road from town. Patrick's not here, so that leaves only one other place to go." Mary realized where that place was, and who was there. "Oh Dear Lord! If Sarah sees dad, she'll die of fright!" With that Mary grabbed hold of both Richard and Katy and pulled them to the car. ------- I could see someone leaving. Two, maybe three, on horseback. I wasn't sure from the distance we were from the Mansion. It took another ten minutes to walk across the valley floor to the Mansion. There was no way for Patrick to know the significance of the music I was hearing. Someone was playing the piano. Even though it was good, there were little mistakes, so I know it wasn't a record being played. This was one of my favorites. A piece Kristin and I practiced often. "Something puzzling you?" Patrick asked as we got closer. "Someone is playing the piano with my sister. It's a piece I know well. The only problem is, no one in the house, except Kristin and I know how to play." "Someone visiting?" Patrick suggested. "There are no cars, or horses out front. If so, they walked out here and we both know that would be a foolish thing to do." This time I did see a smile on Patrick's face. We had just taken a long walk, and I was sure he didn't get the exercise that I did, during the course of most days. It was my curiosity that motioned for him to be quiet as we approached the front of the house. Even with the windows closed and shades drawn, the sound traveled out. Patrick watched with some amusement as I opened the front door slowly. He stood at the doorway as I entered the hallway and then turned to look into the music room. My mouth opened, but nothing would come out. Then tears started. The piece ended. The two on the bench looked up. Their eyes grew wide. "Keith!" "You're not supposed to see this!" "Don't worry, you two," my sister said. "Dad!" Sarah then said. "What's going on here?" Patrick asked. "We're practicing," Pamela answered. "It was going to be a surprise for Keith's birthday." While Pamela explained how I had just ruined my present, Sarah had walked into the hallway where we were standing. She looked at her father and starting with a firm voice, "If you do anything that takes Marcia away from here I'll never speak to you again!" she ended, sounding almost hysterical. At that point she ran down the hall, into the kitchen, and by the sounds of the screen door slamming, out of the Mansion. Pamela looked like she was ready to cry. "Don't ... want ... Sarah ... gone," she gasped out, in the broken pattern that I hadn't heard in a long time. Pamela then fled the same path as Sarah. My sister, bless her soul, acted as nothing unusual had just occurred and asked, "Does Mary know you're here?" Patrick stopped looking down the empty hallway and turned his attention to Kristin. "No, well, I don't think she does. In this town, though, one never knows who knows what." Then Patrick gestured to me to follow him and we walked back outside. "I'm not at all sure how to take my daughter's little outburst there. It seems like there are problems and she was expecting me. What to enlighten me on what is going on?" I was careful, this time, to choose my words. "Did Sarah know you were here, now? No. Does she have strong feelings about something? I think you already know the answer to that. Can I say much more? Not until you talk with your other daughter. After you talk with Mary, other discussions will take place, I can guarantee that." I could tell he didn't like my explanation. Kristin peeked out the still open front door and watched him pace. Then she looked at me. I motioned for her to close the door and bless her soul, she did. "I'm a bit more worried, right now, about Sarah," Patrick said suddenly. "She's obviously upset. She has to know what is going on around here. Beth Ann was right out there in the open, for goodness sakes." I needed to divert his attention, so asked, "Do you remember who drove into town the day before you left?" I could almost see the gears turning, the process shifting, remembering that time. "Beth Ann's parents ... and her aunt, if I'm right." "Yes you are. The three of them drove down from Oregon," I said and left it there for him to figure out. His brow started to wrinkle. He sighed several times. Then spoke. "They knew, didn't they?" "It is what they drove down here to see," I replied. "I'm assuming Mary is not here?" "If she was, I'm sure she would have been out by now." "This is very frustrating." ------- Jill took the time riding back into town to think. Although unsaid, Mary's father must have flown into town with the doctor. She'd heard stories about how Patrick traveled places in ways that got him away from prying eyes. So the thought of him showing up, was not out of place. It bothered her that it was being held as a secret. To her, that meant no one here knew he was coming. With all of the discussion in the past few days, it was either a good, or a very bad time for him to arrive. In any case, there was only one thing she knew to do. Get the school board together. The first place Laura and Jill stopped, after waving goodbye to Thelma was Millie's house. They were greeted by Barbara, who looked a bit embarrassed. "Sorry," Jill said after realizing what time it was, "we didn't mean to intrude on dinner." Barbara closed the front door and stood out on the porch with the two. "It's not that," Barbara said in a whisper. "We haven't even eaten yet." "Something is bothering you," Laura said. "I can see it plain as day." Barbara looked down, because she knew she was going to turn red as she stammered out, "Millie caught us and Bruce had to tell us about it." Jill remembered the conversation between Millie and Katy that afternoon. "Yes she did. I guess she got quite an eyeful, from what I heard." Barbara looked up at Jill with wide eyes, as she said, "You heard?" "Millie came out and talked to Katy about it. I don't think Millie knew what to do. She has a problem with knowing how to act around you two. I mean you are married and pregnant, but she still can't get it through her head that you might just want to..." "Bruce said that he and Brian had to get the bedroom finished at our new house." Laura who was listening to the two, piped in, "You're moving out?" Jill answered that question, "No, I don't think Millie is ready for that." "I'm not either," Barbara said. "I think I'm not going to know what to do when the baby comes." Jill smiled, "I think nature takes care of a lot of that." "Then why fix up the bedroom?" Laura persisted. "So they can go and make noise," Jill replied. Both Laura and Barbara blushed, but Barbara didn't deny Jill's statement. After that conversation had run its course, Jill got to why they were there. "I gather that Millie is not home?" "No, she cooked a nice dinner and then left," Barbara replied. "I need to find her. Can I come in and ask Bruce if he knows where she is?" "Oh, of course. Sorry, forgive me," Barbara replied. Bruce said she was due back in about five minutes. Jill said that it was important for her to meet at the school. The sooner the better. Then Jill took Laura and they went off to gather the other two school board members. ------- Everyone in this house had a stake in what was happening, or going to happen. It was a little too quiet around here. I was pretty sure that everyone in the houses were peering through the windows and shaking in their shoes. It was in that silence that we heard the back door open. "Just let me be by myself," I heard Robin say a bit testy. "You need someone to talk to," Daisy replied. As if to make matters worse, Patrick said to me, "Well, as we're waiting for my daughter to show up, I might as well talk with Robin. It seems she needs an ear." He didn't wait for a reply, and started walking towards the back of the house. I quickly caught up with him. As soon as we turned the corner, though, Patrick stopped. There sitting on the bench was Robin and Daisy. Robin's knees were pulled up and her hands were wrapped around them. Her head was down, but she was the one talking. "Everyone is going to hate me. This is my fault." "No one hates you." "Maybe I'm just like my father. He tried to kill the town one way. Now ... look what I started!" "Robin, you can't think that way." "Patrick is going to. He'll tell me I'm just like..." Daisy pulled Robin into a hug, as she cried. I tapped Patrick on the shoulder and motioned him to follow me. We walked in silence until we were back in front of the Mansion. "Keith, there are a lot of people pretty upset. Robin, good Lord Keith! What in the world am I supposed to think? What is adding up, sure doesn't look good, I can tell you that." "I think," I said, "that your wait is about over." Patrick raised his eyebrows. I pointed over to the horizon. "That is a car coming from the mine on a service road that ends up here. There is only one person who I can think of that would be over that way, heading here." "It's about time. From Sarah, to Pamela, and then Robin, I'm not sure what to think. My daughter had better have something very important to tell me, and then don't think I've forgotten. We will be talking." "I expect it." ------- Bruce had to make Millie sit down and eat. He used words that had come out of her mouth many times before. "You need to eat, so you can think clearly." They had dinner, but she rushed through it and then was out the door, heading to the school. The rest of the board, all two of them, were already there. Along with Liz, Tiffany, and Vicki. "We need to hammer out the details," Liz said. "If there is anything I know from my being around Patrick, the more details you can give him, the better. So now that we're in agreement this could happen. How do we see the particulars working?" Dora shook her head back and forth, rapidly, as if to clear her mind. Then said, "I think you lost me." Liz grinned. "Sorry. I'll try and be Patrick and start asking questions. Then we can see if we have answers to them." "That sounds like a good idea," Millie said. "Ok, here it goes," Liz started. "How are you going to fund this project?" Tiffany shot her hand up, looking like she was at school. Blushed and then pulled it down. "Yes, Tiffany?" Liz said amused. "Doesn't the school get money from the state for each child that we have enrolled in school?" "Yes we do!" Dora answered. "That wouldn't cover the rest of their expenses," Janice said. "Wouldn't their parents pay for that, just like at Linden Hall?" Vicki asked. "Most likely," Liz answered, "but we need to have the framework down. Asking questions, and not having answers, is not going to set well with Patrick." "We can't possibly know all the answers to that," Janice said. "You're right. We make a framework of what could happen. That doesn't mean what we decide to tell Patrick, tonight, is set in stone. I think he would know that. We do have to have that framework, though. It shows him that we are serious and that it is possible to do." "It is possible, isn't it." Tiffany stated as she looked around to get affirmative nods from everyone else. "This is rather exciting," Millie said. "It's almost like when we started the school in the first place." "Yes, it is," Dora added. "Now, Liz, how do we turn what we just said into words good enough for Patrick? And what's his next question? I think we'd better be quick about this." ------- When the car stopped in front of the Mansion, Richard, Katy, and Mary got out. Richard had left the car running. Mary, instead of walking over, got into the driver's seat and closed the door. Richard and Katy walked over. "Good evening, Patrick. I believe your daughter is waiting for you," Katy said. With that she continued down the path and towards the front door. Patrick looked a bit startled, and glanced over to me. I shrugged my shoulders and then said, "You did say you wanted to talk with her." I knew that as much as I wanted to be there, respecting Mary's wishes was more important. I hadn't told Patrick a word, because of what she wanted. Now, per her insistence, the two of them would be alone when he found out. Patrick didn't like not being the one in control. I'm sure Mary knew this, and was hopefully using that to throw him off just enough for her to tell him what she needed to say. I walked over to the car with him. As he got into the passenger side, I walked around to whisper into Mary's ear. As soon as he'd closed the door, they were off. "I'm worried," I said to Richard, as I walked back. "We all are." "What if she gets mad? You know how, if someone ruffles your feathers, you hit them with everything you have. Patrick can be very..." "Katy told me that she thought Mary was more concerned for your safety." "What?" I asked, startled by that statement. "Patrick may well be angry. If they are alone, he can't try and take that anger out on you," Richard told me. Then a thought struck him. "Do you remember when you needed to talk with Patrick, and Mary took you off to get your thoughts together?" "Very well. She drove off leaving me, then told him everything..." "She did, and it took him this long to figure things out. Keith, he didn't get where he is without being smart. We both know that. Mary knows how he thinks, and if anyone can, she will get his thoughts in line with the way we want." Robin walked out the front door and looked around, before saying, "Is he gone?" There was something wrong. She didn't sound ... well, like she had minutes ago back on the bench. "He's with Mary," I replied. She ran down the steps and over to me. Richard walked back inside, leaving the two of us to talk. "I hope I helped," she said. "Helped?" I asked. "Remember when Katherine's relatives came into town, and how you made them believe something because of a bit of acting?" I couldn't think of anything to say, I just stared at her. "Daisy and I came up with that about an hour ago, when we heard he was here. Ok, some of it was how it made me feel and we talked about it. Then we came up with the idea of getting Patrick to hear it, you understand, how I was kind of feeling, in a way that he would know, without me having to tell him. It was good to say it all, knowing he was listening, without having him be able to question me." "How did you know he was listening?" I wanted to know. "Stephanie was in on it too." "Why doesn't that surprise me?" "Stephanie was at the new house, and could see you two. If you hadn't come over, she was ready to pull you over, but then she gave Daisy a signal. So then Daisy touched my leg and I knew when to start." "That sounds a bit sneaky." "Jimmy and Brian don't always get to do all the sneaky things. Girls like it, too." I could have continued on that line of thought for some time, but got back to the meat of her monologue. "Do you really feel like you're doing what your father did to this town?" "Ummm, well, not exactly. That was giving the feelings a bit more ... punch. That's something I learned about from Laura and Jill, when they were on stage. How to take a point and make it more important." "So what is the 'not exactly' part, then?" I asked. "Do I feel that most all of this may well have started because of me? Yes." Robin put her hands up to stop me from talking. Then went on, "Keith, some of the things that have happened here in Carp probably would have happened, anyway. I had nothing to do with them. When you think about it, the only reason we're in this position is because Mary is pregnant. She got that way because I allowed all of this to happen, am I right?" "Robin," I started to say. "Am I right? If I would have said 'stop, ' what would you have done? Would you have married your sisters, or Beth Ann? I am the one that let it happen. So it is my doing." "You're right, and you're wrong." "Wrong? How can I be wrong if I'm right?" "It took more than just you to make this happen. So yes, you told me it was ok. That meant that you knew I'd like it. So it was me, too. Then, there is Kristin, as she was the first. She had to say yes, also." "As if she would have said, 'NO!' You know that as well as I do." "You're right. But she did agree, and became part of 'us.' She took on that responsibility and you know she did. Each and every one of them did. You are not any more responsible for this than anyone else." Robin let out a long and loud sigh. "You know, you're making it hard for me to wallow in self pity." "I'm not trying to make light of this. Right now, all I can think of is what is going on between Mary and Patrick. Each of us has a lot at stake." ------- "Don't you think you've gone far enough?" Patrick asked his daughter. "Just a little further," she replied. "Something special out here?" "No ... well, other than a beautiful night." "So why are you driving this far? We could have talked..." Mary cut her father off. "I'm driving this far out, so you can't just walk back. You have to stay here, and we have to talk, until I'm ready to drive you back." Patrick was a bit stunned with his daughter's statement. She glanced over at him and then said, "You don't remember telling me those same words?" His brow wrinkled as he thought. "About Sarah's age. Your mother ... I had..." "You'd started dating." Patrick sighed, and then spoke, "You were a bit like Sarah was. I knew what was eating at you, unlike what had been bothering Sarah. I took you out, far enough away from everything that you couldn't get away. We had to sit and talk it out." "And we did." "Yes, we did. That changed us. You became a better girl to be around." "And you talked to me, and became a better father. You let me know what was going on, so I wasn't surprised. We understood each other better." "That was a good talk," Patrick said, reflecting. "So now you are turning the tables." "I didn't want to hear what you were telling me. I was stubbornly insisting that what I thought was the right way. You listened to me yell and scream, and then I started talking with you. I had to, but just as much, I needed to. I was beginning to realize I could lose you, too." There were many thoughts that bounced around Patrick's head, but the one he voiced was, "You think I might want to yell and scream?" "Yes." That was not the answer Patrick wanted to hear, but feared it was the one she would say. Mary pulled off the road and drove over to a sandy spot near the creek. Then she turned off the engine. Patrick was suddenly aware at how remote, and how quiet, it was out here. The babbling of the stream was the only thing making any noise. The sky was starting to darken. If he would have looked, there was the first star of the night making its presence known. His thoughts turned to why he was here, but more importantly at the moment, what his daughter needed to tell him. "Daddy, I want to marry Keith." Her upfront statement had caught him by surprise and before even thinking out his thoughts, he said, "Polygamy is still frowned upon, I believe," "Not if done the right way." "You mean hiding." "No. There are two forms of a union. One the state grants and the other the church sanctifies. A church does not give the legal rights to a marriage, the state does. The church, though, is the one that brought the idea of marriage to fruition. It is what gives a marriage the values people hold." "Technically speaking, I suppose you are correct," Patrick said, wanting more information before he did any real commenting. "Keith married Robin, both in the church and filed that marriage with the courthouse. It is a legal union. That is important to remember, because Robin is not a legal adult by age. The rest of us are." "Rest of you?" Patrick said a bit dismayed. "Dad, I know that you figured out that you saw Beth Ann getting married to Keith. She doesn't have the piece of paper from the state, but she does have one from the church." "Robin doesn't have any problem with this?" he asked. "Not at all. We all respect Robin a whole lot. But believe me when I tell you, nothing could have happened without Robin saying so." "That's what she was talking about," he said, more to himself. "You talked with Robin?" "No I overheard her. She was predicting that I was going to be furious about everything and that I would liken her to her father. That child has some serious blows against her self-esteem that she may never get over. Now, let's get back to the matter at hand. Mary, I know this must sound very romantic to you ... for some reason I can't fathom ... but did you think what it might do to me if anyone ever found out about this?" "Yes, Dad, I did. Let me turn that question around though. Have you ever thought about how you, being at such a pubic level, would make it so your children could never do what others never had to think about?" "More times that you could possibly know. Every choice has its costs. Think of Pastor Stanford that lived near us when your mother was alive. Do you remember him? He had two daughters, one a year older than you. Everyone looked at his family. They should be perfect. If not, something was wrong with him. His wife was scrutinized by all the other women, and everyone looked at those children to see how they behaved. That was the closest person, outside of someone in high public office, that I had seen where everyone looked at the whole family with interest, just waiting to see them do something wrong." This was not something Mary expected to encounter. She really never thought her father had considered how his position in office affected them. She let out a sigh and then said, "The girl's name was Samantha and she was just nine months older than me." Patrick looked at her daughter and saw the gleam in her eye, knowing that the contrast between one year and only nine months would have made a difference when the two girls were younger. Now she was just jabbing him with incidentals. "One of our common friends helped her learn how to kiss. Oh, Daddy, stop looking at me like that. What she did was set Samantha up with a boy who taught her. Can you imagine? She was seventeen and hadn't even kissed a boy! It wasn't something she could do because of her father's job. She was just to suffer during the time when she lived there. Then what do you think would have happened, when she went to college, and had no idea what to do around a boy? Probably be home alone every night worried sick, or be taken advantage of." This time Patrick sighed. "Yes, there are some drawbacks that can be pretty undesirable." "There is a big difference you're making seeing Samantha and I on the same level, though." "Oh, and what would that be?" "When Samantha went off to college, she went to Pennsylvania. I know for a fact it wasn't because it was the best school for her major, as she told her parents." "Then why did she go there?" "Because she wouldn't be 'under the looking glass' any longer. No one knew her, there, and no one would care what her father did. That isn't true with me, is it?" Patrick didn't want to answer that question. He knew the truth, and having his daughter explain how it affected Samantha, he could only guess Mary wanted to 'run away' as well. Not that he could blame her. It was tough being scrutinized for everything you did. He signed up for this. Mary didn't, and yes, unlike Samantha, Mary lived with it beyond moving away. "Yes, you are right about that. Would you have me give up my career?" "No," Mary said. There was silence between them for a moment. Mary started the conversation again, "I didn't answer you correctly, before. I guess I hadn't thought of it in those terms." Patrick looked questioningly to her. "I do, in essence want to hide away. Not because of Keith, entirely, but because it is the only way I can be Mary, and not 'Congressman McCarren's daughter.'" Patrick nodded his head. "I understand that. I'm sure that in part is what Sarah likes about being here as well. I really don't think that in the long run it could work." "I know, and that is another discussion." Then Mary took a deep breath and went on, "I'm sure you think that I was not right in my thinking you would want to scream, as I told you I wanted to marry Keith." "Mary, it isn't something I would want for you. Scream about it? No. I would think you would know me better than that." "I do. That wasn't it." Patrick swallowed hard, and waited. This was the point Mary had dreaded telling her father. There was no way to back out now. So, even though she was starting to shake, she knew she had to get the words out. "I'm pregnant." Patrick wasn't stupid. There were enough signs to suggest something like this could have happened. Hearing the words made it undeniable though. Mary was right. He wanted to scream. He also wanted to rip Keith's arms off. "Just what the hell was he thinking?" Patrick said, just under a scream. Now that the words were out, the reaction from her father was easier to deal with. "That is the other reason for driving you this far out. You can't do anything stupid," she told him. "Keith is the only one that can do something stupid? Mary..." Patrick fumed. "I know I may have to say this more than once for you to believe it, but what makes you think Keith was the one who pushed for, or wanted, this?" Patrick's mouth dropped open, and for once in a very long time, he didn't know what to say. ------- Brian and Barbara wanted to take a walk, after the dinner dishes were done, as much as Bruce wanted them too. It had been a rather uncomfortable evening so far. They walked downtown and then over to the park. Taking off their shoes, the two got their feet wet in the pool. Reminiscing started about the day they had married and how everyone had waded into the pool to join them. After many kisses, the couple walked over to the swings. Brian pushed Barbara and they talked about how different it would be when the baby came. With dry feet, they put on their shoes and were ready to continue down the street. They stopped to see headlights approaching the bridge. Both were curious as to who was driving into town, and so they both walked towards the bridge. The car slowed, and then stopped. Barbara was a bit disappointed to see Mary driving Richard's car. Brian on the other hand recognized the passenger as Mary's father. The rushed meeting of the school board made sense to him, now. In Brian's innocence, he asked, "How come what you do makes others act funny?" Patrick was rather amused by this. After the talk he and his daughter had just had, a little levity in the conversation could be helpful. So he told Mary to stop the car. Then the four of them walked back over to the park and sat down. "Now tell me what you mean by acting funny, young man?" Patrick asked. "Well..." Brain started to say as he gathered his thoughts. "Barbara and I were just talking about when we got married. You know we're married don't you? We kind of had to 'cause I got her pregnant, not that I didn't want to marry her, I did, but it kind of..." "I get the idea," Patrick said, "and yes, I do think Sarah told me something about you two." "Good!" Brian said, relieved. "You know I don't know much about what goes on outside of Carp. There have been," and he started counting on his fingers, "one ... two ... three ... Three times I've been outside of Carp. Well, I'm not counting Angle City, 'cause it's just down the road." "Three?" Barbara questioned, much to Patrick's amusement. "Once when we were taken to the base, right after Keith, Robin, Richard, and Katy all got married. You were there, too, weren't you?" Brian asked Patrick. "Yes, I was. Now on with your story." "What other times?" Barbara insisted to know. "The second time..." Brian stopped for a moment as he tried to get his emotions under control, "was when they took me in a helicopter to the hospital." "Sorry, Brian," Barbara said, wishing she wouldn't have made him think of that. "The third time," Brian said with a big grin starting to show on his face, "was on our honeymoon." "You two left Carp and had a honeymoon?" Patrick said very surprised. "Yes. It was wonderful," Barbara gushed out. "It was on that trip that I realized other places aren't like Carp," Brian reflected. "Oh, and how is that?" Patrick wanted to know. "We're too young to get married, outside of Carp. I know that. Richard and Keith flew us down to that place with the long beach." "Long Beach?" Patrick asked. "Yes, It was a wonderful surprise," Barbara added. "Just the six of us." "It had to be the six of us," Brian said. "I remember how Richard and Keith went in to get our rooms. Barbara and I couldn't have had a honeymoon without the others along to do everything for us. People don't act the same as they do here. It's really sad." There was a little pause when no one said anything. Then Brian looked right into Patrick's eyes and asked, "Are you going to change how we do things here?" "Why would you think that?" Patrick wanted to know. "Well ... I've heard people talking about this important man who could make everything we know change. Is that you?" "I'm afraid it might be. Although I don't know about changing everything you do in Carp. My concern is for my daughters," Patrick answered. Brian scratched his head and then said, "I thought I heard something about reporters like up at the university. I don't know what that was about, but it had Richard worried." Patrick looked at his daughter and gave a sigh. "Brian, I don't know anything about reporters, but there will be lots of talks between Keith and I. How that affects everyone else is still too soon to tell. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it." "If you say so. I guess you'd know," Brian replied. "Dad, I think we might want to get back now," Mary said. "Good idea." After saying their goodbye's Mary and Patrick started back to the Mansion. "Brian was right, wasn't he?" Patrick said. "If someone found out you were pregnant, I'm sure there would be a flock of reporters. My adversaries would make sure of it." "Something the Reverend's daughter never had to consider after she left. Her actions couldn't have destroyed a town," Mary replied. "I think destroying a town is an exaggeration." Patrick would have gone on, but Mary cut him off. "You need to know a lot more of what goes on, before coming to that conclusion." "How much more? I'm not even sure what to ask." "That is why you need to talk with Keith ... and Richard. I'm still not sure I believe you're safe with Keith, alone," Mary said as she slowed the car down to a stop. "So, the only reason I get the inside information about the town's secrets is because you are pregnant?" "Yes." "That isn't the answer I wanted to hear." "I know, but it's the truth. I said I was going to start telling you that, and you were going to treat me as an adult, capable of making my own decisions." "I think you may well have got the best end of that bargain." "Don't be so sure." "We still haven't talked about your sister." "To answer the question you are dying to ask, and haven't ... yes." "Yes, what?" "Yes, she knows I'm pregnant. Yes, she knows what is going on. Yes, she is sure that you are going to take her away ... because you can. Yes, it scares her to death. For the last yes: Yes, she is still a virgin." "Keith told me that as well, and that he would have known. Does everyone know what everyone else does in their bedrooms around here?" "No. "I know it is hard to understand, because the idea of a few people having a relationship together brings up the idea of something that just isn't true. Not here, at least. In our made up family at the Mansion, we know each other well. We talk openly. We get hurt. We cry. We forgive. We laugh. We love. Every one of us is responsible to the other. "What you have seen, since you got here, has been a reaction of my being pregnant. It is not because I am pregnant, but what my being your daughter could do to every one of the people in Carp. I am ... not Robin, Keith, Richard, or any of the others ... I am the one who could cause everyone else's dreams to shatter." "And I am to blame for that." "You could be, but you don't have to be." "Dropping out of politics..." "Is not what I am suggesting. You need to have a lot more talks." "Keith said we would be talking, after you talked with me. I guess he predicted there would be a next step." "Dad, you're doing it again." "What did I do?" "Yes, there was going to be a next step. I am old enough and can make my own decisions. We've established that. I don't want to hurt you, but I am having this child. There are no discussions about that. Now that we have that established, there needs to be further talks. You said in a presumptuous way that you still had control over what I was going to do. I know it is going to take your mind a bit of getting used to, but I am going to tell you when you say something like that, again." "I guess we had better get to the Mansion, then." Mary's reply was to get the car moving again. They went around the bend and both were a bit disappointed not to see anyone waiting for them. "Isn't that Jack's Jeep?" Patrick asked. "Yes, it is, but I'm not sure why he's here." "Maybe that's why no one is out here to see us," Patrick said. "I suppose." As Mary turned off the engine, they stepped out. It was quiet outside, but that was broken by a shriek from Sarah. Patrick and Mary took off running towards the back of the house. As they turned the corner, Patrick stopped and Mary ran into him, pushing them both into plain sight. ------- Everyone knew Patrick's arrival was going to be hard on Sarah. She, ultimately, had the most to lose. The emotional drop, after unloading on her father, made her go to sleep for a bit. Everyone was glad of that. When she woke, though, it was worse. The rants were enough to drive everyone out of the extra house. Marcia later ventured back in, only to come back out, ten minutes later, crying and telling of Sarah's packing. Pamela, stricken with pain that her friend would leave, went marching over to the house. I walked outside, waiting to pick up Pamela when she came running out. It didn't last that long. Sarah, in her hysteria, threw a gift her father had given her. It unfortunately made contact with the window and I saw the glass shatter to the ground. That was it, as far as I was concerned. Racing into the house, I bound up the stair two at a time, then ran down the hallway. Sarah was still wide eyed, looking at the broken window. Pamela had her mouth hanging open, looking at her friend. I picked up Sarah, and threw her over my shoulder. She was in such a state, that she didn't even resist, until we were downstairs and almost to the door. "Put me down!" "No, and you'd better duck, or you'll hit your head," I yelled. No one had heard Mary and Patrick's arrival, because they had heard the glass break. They were looking out the back of the Mansion. I looked up to see many faces peering out of windows. I curtly waved them off, and saw heads disappear. Sarah didn't need an audience. At that point she was whimpering. Most likely, because of me yelling at her. When I set her down, I sat quickly. Then I pulled her over my knee. It was then she got the idea of what was going to happen and screamed. "Sarah, you are being uncontrollable. No one should ever tolerate the level of behavior you're showing." "My dad's going to take me away!" She half screamed out as she struggled. "The way you're behaving, he should," I said. As her head turned to look at me, my hand came down. "One," I counted. "No!" "Two," I said as the second one made contact. When I got to five, Sarah was wracked in a wailing sobs. I couldn't go on, nor did I want to. I picked her up, off my lap. She sat down and threw her arms around me, burying her head into my chest, as she cried. It was then when I saw Mary and Patrick watching. They walked over to me. I noticed Robin, Richard, and Jack come out the back door of the Mansion. When Patrick and Mary were close, he asked, "Do you really think I should take Sarah back with me?" Sarah's head shot up and she looked, startled at her father. "No, not at all. I think it would be best if she stayed here," I replied. Now Sarah was looking at me. "Even though..." he said, leaving me to explain. "This is the second time I've had to do this to her. The first time, she told me after that she deserved it. I hope she looks back on this, and says the same thing. If she is going to be treated like the rest, and that is why she likes being here, then she can't revert to a..." "I get the picture," Patrick replied. "Sarah either makes the choice of behaving like everyone else is expected to, or she pays for it. Although for the amount of sound she made, she's able to sit." Mary answered, "Dad, it's not the physical pain, as much as it is knowing you're in that place because a person who loves you has to do what they don't want to do. Sarah knows Keith hates to spank her, and yet he will, when she becomes such a disappointment. Am I right, Sarah?" Sarah wouldn't look up, and said in a downcast voice, "Yes." Patrick was troubled by this. Not the spanking, per say, but the idea of Keith giving her the spanking. He was the one who got Mary pregnant. Yet he was also the one who could give Sarah what Patrick couldn't: discipline. As a trained politician, he changed the subject. "Sarah, I think we have things to talk about, but there are many other conversations I need to have before that takes place," Patrick said. "Keith, you said we would talk. I think this is a good time to do that." I lifted Sarah off my lap, and moved her to her sister. Then I turned to Patrick, saying, "You're right. You'll be going with Jack and I'll be riding with Richard." Patrick looked around, confused about what I was talking about. He saw the two, along with Robin and Katy. The four had come close, but now walked up. "Hello, Patrick," Robin said demurely. "It is good to see you again, Patrick," Katy added before Patrick could say anything to her daughter, "although I wish we knew you were coming. I don't have anything special in the house to cook. How long are you staying?" "I'm not sure. Some things are not turning out exactly as I thought they might," Patrick replied, obviously not comfortable with everything. "Let's go," Jack said. "It's better to get this part done, now." "This part?" Patrick said. "How many..." He wasn't getting the answers he was accustomed to. Keith, Richard, and Jack had headed towards the cars. He had to catch up to them. As soon as all four had turned the corner from the backyard, everyone was looking at Mary. "How did he take the news?" Katy asked. ------- "Do I get to know where we're going?" Patrick asked Jack as soon as they started driving. "We're going to the clinic. The doctor should be there, that is if Martha didn't kill him." "His wife," Patrick said more to himself, putting a name to the person. "From what I heard, she wasn't amused that he didn't tell her you had made him take you here. I think he'll be using our guest room for the next month." "Why would she be so upset? My arrival has nothing to do with her," Patrick stated. "Your not understanding what is at risk is what makes you so dangerous. That is why this next meeting was called." Patrick sat back into the seat and pondered that. 'Dangerous' was not a word usually described to him. Yet there was Robin, Brian, and even his own two daughters that looked at what was going on in a larger sense. A sense he didn't understand. This meeting might well be a good thing to clear up the situation. He needed facts, and in this town, he had little to go on. The lights were on in the clinic. That was a good sign, as the two cars pulled up. Martha opened the door, and the look she gave Patrick told him to watch his step around her until things smoothed out. Once the four got inside, Martha locked the door. William was seated in the waiting room and gestured for the others to join him. "Patrick, my guess is that you have no idea why you're here, or what you're about to be told," William began. "Other than there is something larger than I know about ... and this might let me in on that ... no," Patrick replied. William continued, "Everyone in this room knows about Mary's impending pregnancy. The fact that you are her father complicates the issue. I'm assuming that Mary has told you she wants to keep the child, and she also wants to stay here in Carp." "She has made her wishes known, yes," Patrick said as he stared at me. "Patrick," Jack said, "I know this has got to be very hard on you, but whether or not Mary was marrying Keith, or someone else ... and lived in this town, we would have problems." Patrick's eyes left me as he turned his attention to Jack. "Brian said something of the sort, but frankly I couldn't make heads or tails out of what he was trying to tell me." William took over, "Patrick, Cliff poisoned this town, and made the males sterile. You simply cannot refute the evidence of that. The tragic outcome is that there is a lack of children in this town. To make matters worse, there are a few women who have felt, for lack of a better word, useless. And their husbands feel even more useless. What would you say to a woman who wants a child, but that she cannot have one? What would you say to her husband, who cannot provide a child for her?" "I can understand that is a very troubling situation," Patrick replied. "I'm still not sure how it relates to my daughter." "Maybe if you stopped thinking of your daughter as being the only one, connected to you, that could be affected by this ... maybe then you would see it better," Martha accused. "I will admit that Mary's attraction to Keith, and the idea that there was something more to the gathering I witnessed with Beth Ann, was what brought me here. I was then derailed by the fact of Mary's pregnancy when I arrived. I don't know what else is going on in this town, as everyone seems to be very good at keeping secrets. So, please, enlighten me!" Patrick said in exasperation. There was a knock on the door, an insistent knock. Martha opened the door and in stepped Cynthia, along with Rebecca. Jack looked at the two of them, and rolled his eyes. "We thought," Cynthia said with a little smile on her face, "after listening through the door, that this was the perfect time to make our entrance." "Dear," Jack said. "No," Patrick interrupted and with a wave of his hand he continued with, "go on, Cynthia." "Patrick, I know what it's like to be barren ... to never have what you grow up believing you should have ... to not feel like a complete woman because of it ... to wonder why a man would want your damaged self. It is, Patrick, one of the most devastating feelings that I've ever faced. For me, it was a more gradual understanding and resignation to the fact my body had betrayed me. For the women of Carp, they were robbed of this. For the men ... their husbands ... I can't imagine." It was one thing for Patrick to read reports of the problems in Carp. To witness the devastation in a very personal manner was an emotional upheaval. Rebecca then spoke. "Carp has known ups and downs. From mining prosperity, to cave ins that caused many to die. In it all, the people of Carp have banded together. We are a loosely knit family that pulls together when the worst has been thrown at us. It is the reason Carp is still alive. "That doesn't mean that each one of us doesn't feel pain or loss. My husband died in a mine cave in. I became a different, and not so nice, person. While people pulled back, they didn't shun me. I came out of that. I was brought back into the group, as though I had never left. The sterile men of fertile wives were harder hit over what Cliff did, than most of us knew. One man decided his wife was better of without him, and took his own life. Another woman decided she couldn't go on, and tried to do the same. Fortunately, she was found, and has recovered. What had to happen was a way for those affected the most to be taken care of." William picked up the conversation at that point. "Patrick, it is difficult to fathom what you might do, if placed in situations that look impossible. I'm a doctor, and I am charged with keeping people healthy. What could I do for a group of couples who wanted children, who needed children, to keep their love and lives intact?" "I have no idea," Patrick replied, but then added, "but I'm sure you came up with something. What was it?" "The idea was not mine. In fact it was not anyone in this room who came up with it. An idea started, possibly almost as a joke. A wishful thought. That idea had merit, though. It was also full of problems." "The idea?" Patrick pressed. "Sperm donation." Patrick looked at the doctor, not sure if he had heard correctly. "The process isn't that hard," William stated. "Well something had to be hard," Patrick said and then looked horrified at the women in the room. "I'm very sorry, ladies. I shouldn't have said that." Martha couldn't help a slight grin appear on her face. Cynthia and Rebecca looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. "For your information, Patrick, it is done rather clinically. Everyone involved thought that would be the best way," William informed. "Everyone involved? Does the couple know who the donor is?" Patrick asked. Richard spoke for the first time, "Patrick, if you'll stop to think of the possible donors, it is a relatively small list." They were all silent for a moment, and then Patrick softly nodded his head. "Keith, of course. You, Richard, Jack?" There was a confirming nod. "William?" Another confirmation. "What about Patrick Theisen?" "There are five of us who live here that were not affected by what Cliff did." William said. "That made us a desirable commodity. It also created a lot of problems." "I can imagine," Patrick said. "If you were one of the five that could give life, what would your wife say to you?" Richard asked. "Somehow I don't think it would be very positive. Her attitude, I believe, would be possessive." "Mine was," Cynthia said. "I had to change. In a way it strengthened our marriage." "So you let Jack..." "Participate," Cynthia answered. "Patrick," William said jumping back into the conversation. "No one was exactly thrilled with the idea that we would knowingly create life in another, without the commitment that usually accompanies that. What we all came up with, was a mixture of our..." "So each one of you ... gave ... together?" "Yes, Patrick," Richard answered. "Each one of us made a contribution. Our wives agreed it was the best way to take care of a not so wonderful problem. So it was mixed together and dispensed into the woman." "That's quite an undertaking," Patrick surmised, "but I'm still not sure how it relates to my problems with my daughter's." "The problem is not with your daughters," Jack answered, "but is rather in who you are. What do you think would happen if your opposition got hold of any of this information? Whether Mary is here, or she moves to some other place, it could easily come out that she spent time in Carp. If her pregnancy were discovered, there would be reporters. You know this, as well as I do. "Now tell me what kind of damage you think could be caused if reporters started snooping around Carp? There are six couples hoping to get pregnant, soon. Those men can't have children, and yet their wives are going to be with child. Or take Brian and Barbara. How do you think reporters would view two thirteen year old kids, who are married and having a child?" "I'm getting the picture," Patrick said, "not that I like any of it. But I'm starting to understand the risks that having my daughters here have caused." "I think if either of your daughter's heard you say it that way, they would not be very pleased," I said. "You're a fine one to talk, Keith," Patrick said. "None of this would have been an issue if..." I cut him off. "I know that your daughter told you otherwise. Even if it is hard for you to believe." Jack butted in, knowing that once I had spoken Patrick was going to attack. "Patrick, I know what Keith and Mary have done isn't easy for you, but what has happened is done. You can work on what you personally feel, at another time. At this point we need to plan what is going to happen from here on out." "Oh?" Patrick said skeptically, "What do you think should happen?" Jack smiled and Patrick realized he'd fallen into the same sort of trap he set for Keith. It didn't set well that the tactics he used were being used against him. He also knew that the reason he hadn't seen it coming was that his judgment was being clouded by the personal nature of what was involved. "For that," Richard said, "we're moving from here to the school." "The school?" Patrick said a bit surprised. As everyone stood, William walked over to Patrick. "I'm sure you may well have more questions that can be answered about Mary in a more discreet setting. I do have to tell you, though, that she is an adult. So I can only say so much." "You're not coming with us?" Patrick asked. "I think Keith and Richard will be taking you." "Why do I feel like a lamb being led to slaughter?" Patrick asked. "Because this is personal to you ... more so than probably anything else ever before, concerning this town. Maybe you need to reflect on that. Every decision others have made have had as much impact on the outcome of this town as what you feel is being thrust upon you." "That isn't very comforting," Patrick stated. "Doctors don't always dispense comfort. At times, they have to bring their patients a dose of reality, to help them in choosing the best path in their life." ------- "What do you think is taking them so long?" Millie asked. "If I had any idea we'd be here this long..." Janice voiced. "At least Cynthia told us where they were when she headed over to the clinic," Dora said. "We need to keep positive," Liz repeated for at least the tenth time. "When they show up, if it feels like Patrick is keeping us from something ... anything more important that this ... we might as well just go home now." Millie sighed and said, "I know, and you're right. It's just hard waiting and wondering how things are going to turn out." "Is that the door?" Vicki asked. Cynthia had told me to make sure I made the door opening or closing loud enough to give the gals upstairs time to get in place. Patrick turned to me and asked, "A signal?" I smiled. "Yes." It had been the first thing he had said to me, after we left the clinic. I had been wary that he would light into me. On the other hand, the information that had been dumped upon him at the clinic was emotionally charged. If he thought this was going to be round two, he may well have been spending his energy on trying to do a better job at reacting. Richard led the way upstairs. He opened the door and walked in. Patrick turned and looked at me before entering. "We still have things to talk about. You and I." I just nodded, knowing that it would happen one way or another. At least he had told me and would most likely be upfront about the whole thing. Inside, there were two tables pushed together with chairs set around three sides. On the fourth was a roll-a-way blackboard. Dora came over. "Welcome, Patrick. I think you know that Millie, Janice, and I are the school board. Of course you know Liz, along with Vicki and Tiffany, the teachers of Carp Unified School." I could see the surprised look on Patrick's face. This was not at all what he expected, and part of the plan. Millie stood, as soon as all of us got seated. "We brought you here tonight, Patrick, to see what you thought of our idea in a rather unique expansion plan for our school." Patrick extended his hand in a gesture for her to continue. "Our school has a very unusual make-up. The children here have had no experience with a traditional school. When we couple that with three very qualified teachers, formerly from a private school, it gives us advantages. If you then add in Carp, and the nature of this town and the people, then we find ourselves in a position where we can offer something that no one else could do as well." "What would that be?" Patrick asked, knowing he should. "Simply put, to give a private place to girls who need special care. To be more specific on the type of girl, we have one here already. Her name is Marcia." "So girls who..." Patrick stopped to choose his words, "have fallen out of grace within their own families?" "In a way ... yes. The families of Carp are in no way going to judge these girls. They will be welcomed, just as Marcia has been welcomed. You know that we have a very modern clinic for their medical attention, and the school is top notch." "What about housing these girls? Marcia is out with the rest of this..." Patrick looked over to me as he said, "clan. I can't see having many more there." "I will turn that question over to Liz," Millie said and sat down as Liz stood. "No. That is not at all what we were considering. While there might be one or two that would be better situated in a home environment, that would be on a case-by-case situation. The thought was to have the girls in a dorm situation, much like what we had at Linden Hall. It has several advantages. The first is that we already have a space available to do that." "Really? Where would that be?" Patrick asked. "We would convert the hotel into a dorm. The next door restaurant would become the cafeteria for the students, as it is directly across the street. It is ideal." Janice stood and added, "I was the one who suggested those two locations, as my husband has told me the hotel needs a bit of work, and we don't really get visitors often enough to warrant it being open. The same holds true for the restaurant." Patrick was nodding his head as he thought. Conversation paused, as it looked like he would want to say something. Frankly, everyone wanted to know what he was thinking, so they could go from there. "The hotel benefits, but as there is no real owner ... from what I gather ... it would be the school that actually benefits. The restaurant benefits, as they have a steady clientele. I can also see the school benefiting, as they have more students, and therefore collect more state revenue. People in the town would be employed by virtue of being caretakers of both the girls and the property. I can see the benefits to all of this. The one question I yet haven't heard answered, yet, is where are you going to find these girls? It isn't something that most parents talk about." Liz smiled and then spoke "Patrick, do you remember what happened in Marcia's case? It was a call, a letter, and information passed along. Marcia, in not having a suitable family to go to, is not an exception to the rule. I asked Grace, the administrator of Linden Hall, about possible requests that the school has had. She told me she has at least twelve to fifteen per year. It was her suggestion that if we moved forward with this plan, that we contact several schools that share the 'Linden Halls' reputation, and suggest an alternative. Grace knew of no boarding school that took girls that were pregnant." "That places a different light on things. It sounds as though it is feasible and easy to implement. I'm wondering as to what part did I need to be in on this. I know that you must know of my daughter's condition, but she is a college graduate. So, why don't you get to the point now." "The one stumbling block that we have, and this is where Mary comes up in the equation," Dora took over, "is that of publicity. These girls can't feel safe, if there is the possibility of prying eyes. We eventually need a 'safe' place for these girls to live." Patrick sat back in his chair and studied the people around him. "Interesting concept. Can I ask whose idea this was in the first place?" "From what I understand," Dora answered, "it was a response to an overheard conversation by Laura, who then told Jill her thoughts. Jill added to them, and then told me. I, of course, brought that idea to the school board. Then we brought in the teachers, to see if there was a possibility of something like this working." "So Keith had no part in this," Patrick asked. "He had no idea of this, until it was well underway. He had other issues to worry about ... number one, was you," Liz answered. "Spoken like a true sister, but I would guess that it is probably accurate, as well." There was a pause and it was one that no one really wanted to jump in. Patrick wasn't done, though. "As much as I would like to strangle Keith, right now, I got an ultimatum from Mary. She would separate herself from the family, if I did him any harm. That doesn't mean I am happy ... far from it! On the other hand, I need to protect myself and Mary from becoming targets. As she has so poignantly told me, she's an adult and can do as she pleases. She told me what would please her the most, and that included staying in Carp. I'm sure you know this, and came up with this plan as a viable solution to make it workable. "I commend you on that front. It is not only clever, but viable for the whole community. Your one concern of safety from outside 'information gatherers' is warranted. If you had come up with this idea and presented it to me, even without my concerns for my daughter, I would be understanding of this. Part of that is my own experience with the press, and also going though the process with Marcia and her parents." At this point, Patrick turned and looked at Richard. "Do you know what percentage of the mining output the military purchases?" "I believe it is well over ninety percent. The other ten is being purchased by aeronautic companies for research and development," Richard answered. "I would have assumed so. Therefore it should be easy enough to set up special protocols for this town, where such a viable resource is being mined." "Protocols?" Janice asked. "A simplistic way of saying check points. How the train stops, for instance. There is no way to completely seal off the town, without making Carp like a prison. I don't think that is what anyone would want. I remember all too well the reactions of these people when we were taken to the base by train. "There are simple and effective ways of hiding important information in plain sight. Although if you think of most of the day-to-day operations of this school, the girls who would be at risk of publicity would be going back and forth across the main street. The way it is set up, the only way to gather information ... or capture it on film ... would be to be on the street itself. As Carp has but two access roads that lead into town, it would be easy to isolate them. "That leaves the train, and that is time predictable. I don't think it would take much to slide in a piece of legislation in Nevada law to allow Carp to regulate traffic in and out of its township. Governor Molson isn't paying a lot of attention to what is happening in his own state, right now. He's still trying to downplay any involvement in the Carp chemical fiasco, as well as trying to campaign against me." "That is very good to hear," Millie said. "Patrick, can I ask one more question?" Tiffany pleaded and then went right on. "What is going to happen with Sarah?" ------- Chapter 131 Sarah knew she was going to hear about this. That is, if she was still here when the telephone bill came in. She had timed it, and knew there was about a six to seven minute stretch when no one would be within hearing distance. Having made plenty of calls, even long distance ones, Sarah wasn't daunted by the two operators she had to go through to get the call placed. As she listened to the phone making its familiar tone, signaling it was ringing at the other end, Sarah gave a silent prayer that he would be home. "Sherman residence." "Hello, Mrs. Sherman. Is Scott there? I'm calling long distance," Sarah said, skipping the customary pleasantries of addressing herself. "Oh my goodness! Yes, he's here, let me get him," came the reply, rattled about a long distance call. Thankfully Sarah heard the receiver set down and the call to Scott being yelled as she walked down the hall. Her name was not recognizable by the time it was used. Moments later Scott picked up the phone. "Hello. S..." "Scott," Sarah said cutting him off. "Do you remember the decoder ring?" Not being able to help himself, he chucked, then said, "Yes I do. That last use was one for the books." "You remember why it was used. People listen, just like they read," Sarah said. Scott was a bright boy and got the message. "I understand. So why the call?" Sarah took a deep breath and then asked, "Scott, can you do me a favor?" "You called me long distance..." then, skeptically he asked, "what kind of favor?" "I need you to deliver a note. Answer me yes or no. Will you do it?" If this had been the Sarah he knew a year ago, he would have said 'no, ' but it wasn't. The Sarah he was talking to now had grown up well beyond her years. "I hope I don't regret this, but, yes. Oh, and you owe me," he added just for fun. "That's fine," Sarah answered. "Now, do you have a paper and pencil?" She heard Scott ask his mother for a pencil. "Hold on a second, there's paper but the pencil is broken," Scott reported. A moment later he said, "Got it. Now what?" "Just write this down, and don't interrupt me. Dad is here Need you here Can you come in the morning? There is a train that leaves at 8:05 If you can, bring M's mother with you. I need you. "That's the message," Sarah said. "You know who M is, so you can fill that in." Scott did know that 'M' was Marcia. "Do I get to know what this is all about?" "I'll send you a letter and explain. Got to go. You need to get that to her tonight." "You are asking a lot." "I'll owe you a lot. Maybe I'll write that girlfriend of yours a nice letter." "Maybe I should see a letter like that, first." "Scott, I'm sorry, but I do have to go." "My mom said the same thing. Bye." Scott hung up the phone and looked at his mother, who was standing at the end of the hall. "Honey, what did she want? She wasn't her usual pleasant self on the phone." "I'm not sure, but there must be something going on. You know her father has to be careful about what he does." "Yes, I know. Those poor kids have had to grow up under a magnifier. Everyone looks at what they do." "That's why she didn't say who she was. I got the feeling that she didn't want the operators, who she figured were listening in, to know anything. I have a note she wanted to get to her mom. It doesn't make any sense to me." "Well, let me see it." Scott handed her the note he'd written. "Well, if I was to guess, Patrick had his daughter call so his voice wouldn't be identified. He must want his wife down there with him, and this was the easiest way. I've talked with her a time or two. Election years are especially hard. Let me get my purse." "Your purse?" "I'm not letting you walk over to their house at this time of night, so I might as well drive you there." ------- Dinner had not been exactly comfortable. Patrick wanted to do nothing more than to get to the hotel room, where he could have a bit of peace and quiet. He got that, but in the quietness, nagging questions pestered his mind. Sarah being on the top of the heap. What he was going to do with his daughter, he didn't know. It felt like he was not going to win, no matter what choice he took. There was half a notion to call his wife, but he then thought better of it. First of all, the lines weren't secure. He could hardly afford to have a conversation of this magnitude listened in on. He also didn't know what to say about Mary. In the end, Patrick went to bed early, and had a fitful night's sleep. The morning came with a knock on his door. Patrick realized how poorly he'd slept as he moved his neck and felt the stiffness. The knock came a second time. "Hold on a moment," he responded. In his robe, Patrick answered the door. He was a bit surprised to see the other Patrick. "I assumed you might have several question for me. I wasn't trying to avoid you, yesterday; but in self defense, thought it might be best to let everything settle in." "That may, or may not have been the wisest option. With time, one can develop more and better crafted words to say." "'Tis true, but I'd rather have the true meaning of the words be spoken, than irrational rants of rage. Those, I have learned, can hurt much more." "You speak of your daughter and granddaughter's wedding?" "The thought crossed my mind." "Let me dress. Then we shall talk." "I'll be down at the park." Closing the door, Patrick shook his head. He might not understand why the man of God had permitted these multiple marriages, but he would be a worthy opponent to talk to about them. As he picked up his watch off the nightstand, he stopped in surprise. It was only six-thirty in the morning! ------- After a long and sometimes confusing conversation, Patrick left the stream at the far end of town, and the reverend to his morning devotions. Mounting the horse that had been loaned to him, he started his way back to town. The only house, and it was in the distance, was that of Jack and Cynthia. As he got closer, Cynthia and Rebecca were outside, waving him down. "We got a call about twenty minutes ago. Jack left, telling us to make sure that you went over to the Mansion, and not back downtown." "Nothing more than that?" Patrick asked, wishing for a better explanation. Then also asked, "How did you know I was out this way?" Rebecca answered, "I'm an early riser. I'm the one who gets breakfast started, so I usually see Patrick ... I mean the other Patrick ... well the ... you know which Patrick I'm talking about ... on his way out. Today I saw you along with him." Patrick nodded, at least that made sense. Cynthia continued, "I don't know any more than that, sorry. Jack just told us that, as he ran out the door. He was in a big hurry to get somewhere." "I guess, then, the only thing for me to do is head on over and see what is going on." Patrick left, feeling an uneasiness in his stomach. Sarah was prone to rash behavior. The broken window in her bedroom yesterday was just a reminder of how overwhelmed she could get. At that point, he was hoping that she hadn't done anything even more foolish. The thought, though, got him to spur his horse to a gallop. ------- Katy looked a bit disappointed as she said, "Jill, I'm not sure that was the wisest decision. I'm assuming you can find them if it came to that?" "Yes, I could, but I think it is for the best. The worst is going to be telling him." Katy looked out the front window and remarked, "Well, no time like the present. From the looks of it, you may need to help Patrick with his horse. I get the impression he knows how to ride, but not much else. That horse looks like it could use a brushing out." Jill had turned to look also. She saw the truth in what Katy was saying, but replied, "I just think you want me away from the house." "The thought never crossed my mind," Katy said in a manner suggesting otherwise. Jill went out and greeted Patrick, took the reins and led the horse, with Patrick still on board, around to the stable. "Thank you for the help, Jill." "You may not feel so obliged to thank me, when you find out what I've done." "Oh? Do pray tell, what have you done?" As she helped Patrick off the horse, she said, "I sent Sarah and Marcia out for a nice long ride, and a picnic lunch, with my horse and one who follows. They will be away for about three or possibly four hours." Surprised at this, Patrick asked, "May I ask why you did this?" This was the hard part. One often knows how they feel. To express that, and make sense of their feelings is often the most difficult of endeavors. "I..." Jill had to stop and check her emotions. The pause caused Patrick to look at her, and notice the distress on her face. "I have a problem with men," Jill got out. Patrick said nothing, letting her tell the story she felt she needed to. "As they have always been in my life, men have been people of power. My father influenced me, taught me, stood by me." Jill took several breaths before she could go on. "Then he died and left me." Patrick exhaled. This was a bit more involved than he expected. "Cliff took hold of me, and took what he wanted from me. He felt powerful treating me as nothing." Jill paused again, regaining her stature. "Power and men go hand in hand. From what I've experienced, it often times has been one sided. Decisions made without regard to what a female thinks." Then with more determination in her voice, she added, "That, Patrick, is wrong." As he brought her into the subject, Patrick responded. "What about Keith, then?" "Keith knows his place." Surprised at that statement and how the words sounded to him, Patrick said, "Really? Please tell me about it." "Not a single person is perfect who lives here. We all make our share of mistakes. Keith acknowledges his and does not try to hide from that. He, along with Richard, could be considered the people in charge, but they are not. They don't want to be. Keith likes it when others come and ask for his opinion, but he doesn't force his will on anyone else." Patrick pondered this for a moment, before asking, "Let's say Beth Ann were to say, ''I want to go to work down at the ... clinic, and I don't want to have children.'" Jill started to laugh, cutting his words off. "That sounds a bit more like me, Patrick," Jill said and then sighed. "Keith figured out that I am in love with him. Did he want to bring me into ... whatever you might want to call it. No. He knows I need to go to medical school. I can't do that being married to him, or having children with him. At least not until I came back here to live. "He also knows that he could lose me because of that. His primary concern in that is making sure I am doing what I should be with my life. Anything less and I would never be happy. He couldn't live with that. So, if Beth Ann was unhappy..." "Ok, I get the point you are trying to make. Now, back to my daughter." "Why did I help them disappear?" "Yes." "Because I don't trust you." "That's what a lot of this is about, isn't it," Patrick said. "The people who are trusted know what is going on, and those that aren't trusted don't." It was obvious to Jill in the way Patrick had just spoken, he didn't like the idea of what he just said. "I think there is a bit more to it, than that." "Please, enlighten me." "There is the trust factor. No question about that. There is also ... I'm not sure how to say it. Patrick, you know the difference between a preacher and a law man, right? If you tell a preacher something, maybe something that wasn't good, he wouldn't tell anyone else. You do that with a law man and you'd go to jail. Where do you fit in?" Patrick didn't like that at all. In fact it was too close to how some of the conversation with Katy's father went earlier this morning. "I am family," he said stubbornly. "Yes, that's true. Because of that, we ... collectively ... have had to trust you. Well, to a point, I guess. Patrick, you could take everything I have away from me. Think about how hard it would be for me to trust a person ... a man ... who has that much power. You are Sarah and Mary's family, but you are not mine. So how do I know I can trust you?" Patrick's brow wrinkled as he thought of an appropriate answer. "Jill, I am asked to make decisions that affect others all the time. At a point, I suppose you might think that I would get so used to it, that I don't think about the consequences of those decisions. In part that may be true, though I hate to admit it. On the other hand, I don't think that has been the case in my dealings with Carp." "Because your daughters are here," Jill stated, rather than asked. "I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that was a strong influence. There is another component, though. If you remember, I was here for Keith and Robin's wedding." Jill looked into Patrick's eyes and then down. "I don't really remember a lot about that time. It's all sort of a blur." Patrick felt a lump in his throat and waited for it to go away. "Yes, I know about that." Jill looked up at him in surprise. He raised his eyebrows to meet hers. "Well," he responded, "maybe not everything." Jill blushed. "I was referring to ... well ... what Cliff..." "I know," Jill said so he didn't need to say anything more. "Jill, when I was confined on the base with everyone from this town, Carp became a real place with real people. People I had talked to, and eaten meals with. People who were not asking me for anything, but were just having conversations about what was going on around them. A much different experience than the ones I have most of the time. It is because of that, Jill, I have tried to do my best for this town." He saw the way Jill was regarding him. In her shoes, he would have done the same thing, he supposed. A large part of what Jill had done was out of fear, and to try to protect. Patrick was realizing that he had a large task ahead of him. He needed to build trust. Not just from his daughters, but with everyone who lived in this house. It was the only way, it seemed, that he would then be seen as a person they could confide in without hiding anything. "Jill," he asked as something in the back of his mind nudged him, "is there a reason you sent Sarah and Marcia away till after lunch? Yesterday, I was carted around from one meeting to another. Today, I heard that Jack drove off quickly and I didn't see one of the cars here. My guess is that Keith isn't here, either. Is there something planned that I don't know about, yet?" "I don't know of any plans. Sarah said she wished she didn't have to talk with you until the afternoon. I had thought of getting them away from you for my own reasons, so the two ideas just sort of went together." Patrick nodded and then went on. "Jill, yesterday I listened to the school board and the teachers. They laid out a plan for expanding the school, in a very unique way. I understand part of that idea was yours." Jill looked away, nervously. She couldn't tell if he liked the idea, from the inflections in his words. That thought was easier to take than the praise it could have been. "Jill," he went on, seeing her discomfort, "I thought the idea had a lot of merit. Of course, having Marcia being a family friend helps me understand the issues a bit more clearly. Thank you for your part in that." She started to open her mouth and then closed it. It would have been simple to protest her value of input. To say others had done their part as well. "Keith told me," she said, "that if I want to give complements, I must also be receptive to them. He, of course, is not fair in the way he doles them out. It is still hard to accept them, but thank you." "Can I ask you a question, Jill?" "Umm. Yes, I guess so." "From our conversation," Patrick pressed on, not dwelling on Jill's apprehension, "you know exactly what kind of life my oldest has been leading. You said yourself, that you are in love with Keith. I on the other hand have a very hard time with how he has behaved. To me he has been sneaking around, behind my back. You talked about trust, but think of what I'm seeing. How am I to trust him?" Jill's brow furrowed as she thought of how she could answer that question. There was silence for a couple of minutes between the two of them. The sounds of people talking could be heard in muffled tones from where they stood. The horse's hooves made impatient implications that they were not done. Finally, Jill spoke. "I can only tell you of my experience. When we were at the base I was devastated, really out of my mind, over what had happened to me. My mother had pushed me away, not understanding anything that was going on with me. Worse yet, she basically handed me over to a man, Keith. Men, in my mind at that point, were a slight bit better than slugs ... but not by much. So it came as a surprise when he thrust his sister and I together. "Liz was a Godsend. She was just what I needed at the time, and Keith knew it. That didn't mean my fear stopped instantly, or that the worthlessness that I felt went away. One nigh..." Jill looked Patrick straight in the eye and said, "Patrick I can't continue this story without revealing parts that others have trusted me with. So I have to trust that you will hold this information with as much care as possible." Patrick nodded and replied, "Thank you, Jill." "In one of the rooms there was ... a 'get together', you could say. It was a gathering of those who wanted to be together, and show their love for one another." "Without clothing I take it," Patrick said evenly. Jill nodded and then went on. "I could hear them, and my heart ached to have the love they shared. The desire to be wanted was screaming from inside of me. As frightened as I felt, I went to join them." "He didn't," Patrick said with heat in his voice. "Patrick, just stop right there! You listen to me without that kind of interruption, or don't ask me any more questions." "Ok, continue," Patrick replied, trying to sound convincing. "I walked into the room without a stitch of clothing on. Keith saw me. Now I know that any male would have looked, but at that point I wanted Keith to look. He could have taken me. It is what I was asking for, and what I felt I needed." "But he didn't?" Patrick voiced, knowing that is what she was going to say. "No. He had Liz take me out of the room, and back to my bedroom. Later, he told me that I wasn't ready, and he wouldn't take what I didn't know I was giving." "So he thought my daughter knew what she was giving?" "Patrick, I know you and Mary went out and talked. My guess is that you already know the answer to that question, you just don't like it." "Jill, you are right about that. I don't like it." Spending a moment to pose herself, Jill said, "That statement, Patrick, is what brings me back to why I sent Sarah and Marcia off. "You see everything, as it revolves around a man. Keith is to blame, because he is a man. Mary, being a female, doesn't count." After a big sigh, Patrick started to walk back to the house. He paused, and looked back at Jill. "It is not easy having your world turned upside down. You, Jill, should know that. People are expecting me to change and accept things that are against what I was brought up with. It may not be easy for you to trust me, Jill. It is not easy for me to understand any of this, either." "Thank you, Patrick." Surprised, he responded, "For what?" "That, I believe, was as honest a statement from your heart as I've ever known you to say." As Patrick stopped to open the door to the back of the Mansion, he realized Jill had told him about some of the lifestyle that must be going on. An orgy had taken place at the base, and it probably wasn't the only time that it had happened. Frustration set in, as he also realized that Jill had entrusted him with that knowledge. If he used it to find out if Sarah knew about this sort of thing, it would prove to Jill he couldn't be trusted. Talk about a double-edged sword! ------- Jack, Richard, and I were up at the spring. We had the vantage point to see the whole town, although that is not what we were worried about. If Patrick hadn't got the message, he might show up downtown and we wanted to know that. We weren't worried he would come looking for us. "Sometimes, Keith," Richard said, "I'd like to paddle Sarah. Jack, stop it. You know I didn't mean it like that at all. We don't play the games you do." "Rebecca might like to teach you," Jack said. "Sorry. This is so frustrating that it's just easier to joke about something." "I understand. I get like that. So does Richard. Maybe it's fortunate we don't get like that at the same time. Jack, is there any way to know if they got onto the train?" "Short of calling them at their houses, no. If Patrick's wife didn't answer, it wouldn't mean she was on the train. It would just mean she wasn't home. Marcia's mother is a different story. If the father answered we could get an answer, but calling might raise a lot of questions we don't need. No. I think we're going to have to wait for the train to arrive." "Then what?" Richard asked. "I still don't understand how letting two more people know about what goes on helps anything." "I'm sure Sarah was trying to protect us. You do remember when she called Dan up and then made me fly up and get him?" "The return trip is something I'd like to forget," Richard said, "but yes, I see your point. She's prone to call for reinforcements. There is a big difference between Dan, who has an obligation to keep his mouth shut, and Sarah and Marcia's mothers. This could get ugly." "Maybe you should fly up and pick Dan up," Jack said with an amused smile on his face. "If Robin wouldn't kill me for even suggesting such a thing, I might agree with you," I replied. "We're getting nowhere," Richard said. A slight rustle of leave danced on the slope as a hot gust of wind blew up the valley. Jack noticed the doodling in the sand I was doing. "Keith, what's your idea? I've noticed you almost always doodle when you have some sort of plan." "We need to drive up to Caliente." "I see it, we can board the train and..." Jack started to say. "No. We get them off the train, there," I replied. "I'm not sure what we would need to do that for? What difference would it make?" Richard asked. "We need to take both cars, along with Mary," I said. "It's a good thing we have my car and Mary drove the other to the clinic. That way we don't need to go back to the Mansion." Jack and Richard just looked at me, as though I'd just lost my mind. ------- It was quiet around the Mansion. That was an oddity Patrick didn't notice, as he wasn't used to the normal amount of sound so many people could create in one house. There was, of course, a reason for this. The few that hadn't 'disappeared' for the day were basically hiding. Stephanie was one who had decided to stay, and Robin was with her over at the new house. They had heard the conversation between Patrick and Jill. The stable was on the far side of the house, and they had been upstairs looking out the window when he had arrived. They had opened the window to listen, which had made it all possible. "It's time for me to do lunch duty," Stephanie said. "I'm not sure there's anyone around to eat," Robin replied, not wanting to go over to the main house. "Sure there is. You and I. Jill and your mom. Beth Ann and Annabelle are down stocking things in the pantry. Then don't forget Patrick." "Thanks for reminding me." "Robin, I'm not stupid. I know everyone's gone 'cause they don't want to be around. Keith I can really understand. I heard Marcia and Sarah talking about if it was safe for him to be around Patrick. I don't want him hurt again." "Neither do I." "Then there is Sarah and Mary. I know both of them wanted to get away. I'm sure they felt like Daisy and Pamela did when they had to go visit our dad." Robin stopped walking, turned, sat down on the bed, and looked Stephanie in the eyes. "Thanks for that piece of information. Daisy was having a bit of a problem last night about this. I'm sure it brought up memories that weren't pleasant. Did Pamela have any problems that you know about ... and why isn't it bothering you?" Stephanie looked down at the floor. Then tilted her head as she thought. As her head rose, she had an undiscerning look to her face. "I guess 'cause I'm not pregnant with his baby," she said. Then with an impish grin on her face, added, "Yet!" With that, Stephanie turned and ran down the stairs. Robin shook her head, then followed Stephanie's trail. What Stephanie had said did hold merit though. She, herself, had enough crazy thoughts. The fall and coming to, and thinking that all of this was a dream, was proof enough. She would need to tell the others of Stephanie's insight. Taking care of one another was more important than ever. As Robin entered the house she was surprised to find Patrick at the kitchen table, with Stephanie holding court. "I have a father now, with Richard. Then, of course, I also have Keith," Stephanie was saying as Robin opened the door. "Before, I didn't have that. Of course I love it! So if you told me it was wrong, 'cause of how they are in the same bedroom, does that make it wrong? I like it. My mom is happy. I'm happy. What is wrong with that? If you go and do whatever people are worried about, then I would be unhappy. My mom would be unhappy. That is what I see as 'wrong' ... not where my mom is sleeping." Patrick looked over at Robin, and then back to Stephanie. "There can be problems with what happens, where people sleep," he said in a manner that irked Stephanie. "You are talking about when they have sex. Patrick, we grew up in a town that has single boards for walls. There is little about sex that a girl my age doesn't know." Patrick was looking at Robin, red faced, hoping she would save him. "Stephanie," Robin said, "I think that Beth Ann is helping you with lunch, I'm sure she's forgot what time it is. Can you run down in the basement and get her? I believe that is where she and Annabelle are. Oh, also tell them what you told me about Daisy and Pamela. I think they'd like to know." "Glad to. You know I like going down there," Stephanie replied and scooted off. "Thank you for saving me. That girl is..." "Quite remarkable for her age. If you remember, it was her house that burnt to the ground the day I got married." The surprised look on Patrick's face said he didn't remember that. Robin went on, "I think it would be good to find my mom. Do you want to come with me, or stay and wait for Stephanie to show up?" "I think I'll come with you. It's probably a lot safer." Robin wasn't so sure of that. They found Katy in the music room with Jill, who excused herself as soon as they entered. "Mom," Robin started, "Stephanie was telling Patrick a few things about how kids in this town know a bit more than what he might be used to. I was thinking about what you told me you did with Marcia, at the horse corral." Patrick was confused and asked, "The horse corral?" Katy tried to hide her smile, and then entered into the conversation, "One of the fillies was in season, and our stallion mounted her. Marcia got quite an eyeful. She'd never seen anything like that before. We grew up seeing that sort of thing. It happens. It's part of life. She came from a city where she had no idea about such things. It shocked her, 'cause she was unprepared for it to be out in the open. I had to explain that animals don't go hiding, because they haven't been shamed into thinking it's wrong." "Are you suggesting," Patrick answered, "that if I would have grown up around animals, that I might consider what has been going on in this house as ... well ... normal?" "Normal?" Katy said. "No. Although I'm sure you wouldn't have been so shocked. You live in an isolated world, almost the same as we do. We don't have a lot of people from the outside world telling us how they think we should live. You are protected from the outside world, so that people can't harm you." "Maybe," Robin interjected, "you're on one side of the river and we're on the other. Most people, maybe, are in that river, but we're not. We're different." "Good analogy, Robin," Patrick said. "Analogy?" Patrick smiled at Robin's question. "It is the comparison of two things that are different, but hold some similar values." "Like comparing Jimmy and Brian's mischievousness to Keith and Richard's ... resourcefulness?" "That, Robin, was spoken like a true politician," Patrick answered, "and yes, you are right." There was a pause where neither Robin nor Katy wanted to venture opening up any more new territory. Patrick on the other hand was dwelling on the recent conversations. "From your explanation, and Stephanie's vivid story, am I to gather that Marcia is well aware of what transpires in the bedrooms?" he asked. Katy took charge and didn't hesitate answering, "Yes and before you ask, so does Sarah." Patrick's shoulders slumped as though a very heavy weight had just dropped upon them. "If you lived here, Patrick," Robin said, "you would find that Stephanie's description of the walls and how the noise that travels is accurate. No one would have to go into any explanation. It is just as the horses outside. Part of nature, but not one you are used to." "It never bothered you?" Patrick asked. "Do I," Robin started, but then got choked up from a rush of emotions flooding her hormonal filled pregnant body. She started again. "Do I seem ... bad to you?" Patrick flashed back to the conversation he heard between Robin and Daisy. There wasn't much of a choice in his answer if he didn't want to destroy her self-image. So he chose his words carefully. "Robin, although you have been though many obstacles in your life, I don't believe the word 'bad' would be one I could ever think of using, to describe you." Katy responded before her daughter could, with, "That, Patrick, sounded very much like it came from a politician." "Guilty," Patrick responded. Robin wasn't done. She felt a compelling need, so pressed the issue. "Patrick, if I'm not bad in what I do, then am I wrong?" As much as Patrick felt like he was being pressed into a corner, he couldn't have an aide take over. There wasn't a correct way to defer the answer. This was, in a part, family. He just wasn't used to being dragged over the coals, so to speak, by a thirteen year old. "I'm not sure how to answer that question, Robin. I guess in reality," as Patrick thought about it, "I don't know what you have done that would be right or wrong." Robin's body started shaking, and her eyes filled with tears. She practically yelled, "I started it all!" and then ran out of the room. Katy was not amused by her daughter's actions, as she was left to explain. After Patrick looked at the doorway, he turned to look at Katy who was at that point watching out the window at Annabelle riding off. Turning her attention back to Patrick, she said, "I expect you want an explanation to that outburst." "It might help my understanding of what is going on." "Let's go into the library, where we can sit." Katy said. ------- "I could shoot my sister," Mary said. "Remember, Mary, she has much more to lose than you do. You are an adult and can do as you want. Even if it hurt your father, you have that choice. Your sister doesn't. She can be taken away, and there is nothing that can be done. Think of what it would be like for her to be not only pulled away from here, probably never allowed to return until she was eighteen, but also showing up at school when everyone knows she's not going to be there. Her fears are much more than you realize." "You're right, Keith. I'm so wrapped up in what is going on with me, you, and my dad; that it is hard to realize how much more my sister has to lose. All of us are struggling with this. I know my choice; Sarah doesn't get to make hers. Still ... what am I going to say to my mother? Worse yet, what if Marcia's mother is there?" I was glad at that point Richard was driving the other car. We hadn't been able to come up with a valid reason for Jack to come with us, and in any case, he might be able to steer Patrick away from any questions of where we were until we returned. Richard and I also had talked before picking up Mary. He would drive, and I would talk with her. We lapsed into silence for a few miles. "Maybe Sarah wasn't so far off, asking Marcia's mother to come along," I ventured. "How can you say that?" "You are, at least, of age ... but Marcia isn't. Her mother has gone through it all, I imagine. Rage, denial, and so on. Want to add anymore reactions?" "Hate." "Really?" "Just as everyone sees Patrick destroying what we have, I could destroy his campaign." "I don't think I've thought about it that way, before, but I guess you are right." "None of us saw that. We saw his power towards us, and hoped he wouldn't use it. Just as he told me, without realizing it, the power I have. I think it scares him just as much." "So you think your ... she's your stepmother, isn't she?" "Yes." "You think she may hate you?" "From what Sarah has told me, part of how she talked them into letting her stay was that her mother loved being on the campaign trail. Sarah's birth made that stop. Now she's able to be there, where she wants to be. I could take that away." "I think you might be right." "That isn't a happy thought, Keith." "There, you are wrong." "Oh?" "I would try and make that idea obvious to her." "Keith, getting her mad at me isn't the best of ideas." "Mary, calm down a minute. If she sees what she could lose, and how staying in Carp is the best thing for you and your sister; then she has everything to gain, doesn't she? The way that is accomplished is to let everything go along as planned, so that it's all kept quiet. The school expansion is a big part of that, as it secures the town from prying eyes." "It sounds a bit underhanded, Keith. Almost like I'm blackmailing her." "I guess it could be, if done in the wrong way. If it were Sarah, I wouldn't suggest such a tactic. She might go at it, and the outcome would look like they were being blackmailed. Mary, you are pregnant. So there are choices that have to be made. You have told your father of your choice, correct?" "Yes." "So, now they have choices to make, based on what you have told them. What do you think their first choice, their instinctive choice, would be with Sarah?" "To take her away, back to Reno." "Right. So, what you are doing is giving your step-mother an alternative way of thinking. Giving her an option that she might not have thought of, and wouldn't even know about. If you can show her the benefit of that option, do you see it as blackmail?" "No, I guess it is in how it's done, isn't it?" "Yes. If you demand that she not take Sarah, you are blackmailing her. That is something you couldn't do." "No, I couldn't." "So, you are leaving the choice up to the people who have to make that choice ... but, you are giving them options." Mary nodded her head. "I guess if the two of them are on the train, then my step-mother can't blow up at me so awfully. Plus, the idea of the school and its sanctuary would be welcome to Marcia's mother." "If you can make them see how it is the best choice for all, when you arrive, Patrick won't have a chance with his wife." "Keith, I think you like that a bit too much." "Me? You think I like the idea of having women gang up on a poor defenseless man? You've got to be kidding!" Mary gave me a look that suggested that I should keep my mouth shut. So I did. ------- "You did what?" Marcia exploded. The two girls had been on the small trail for almost twenty minutes before Sarah told Marcia about the phone call. Going on, as though Marcia hadn't just raised her voice, she said, "I'm hopeful my mom will be there when we get back. I can't guarantee yours will be." "Sarah!" Marcia said as she twisted in her saddle and then almost fell off the horse. "Why did you need to bring my mother into this? Now she's going to know everything." At that point Marcia slumped over the front of the horse and started crying. "What if she takes me away?" Marcia cried out. "Marcia," Sarah said in a slightly annoyed tone, "you are pregnant if you don't remember. You are not going back home." Marcia looked over at Sarah. "I, on the other hand, am most likely leaving. My father doesn't trust me anymore, and my mother is going to hate me. I'll be going back to a school I'd rather not be at. Shall I go on?" "No, Sarah. I think you are right in your own thinking. It could be an awful experience. You're wrong about me not being taken away, too. If you remember, it was Vivian who told my mother about this place. How wonderful it was. How I would be taken care of. What is she going to think, now? I do have another option of where I was going to go." "You do?" Sarah asked, a bit startled. "There is a relative. Her husband came back from the war without either of his legs." "What? Where does she live?" "In Maine, practically across the world from here. I think that was my father's first choice of where to send me, as it would be as far away from him as possible." "Your mom wanted you closer, doesn't she?" Sarah said with a little hope. "Maybe, but the reason I heard was that he was in pretty bad shape and didn't want to live. They live out in the middle of nowhere. Her children were born in the one room house there." "In the house?" "Yes. From what I heard, she had them all by herself." "How many children did she have?" "That's where it got confusing. My mother said she was pregnant four times, but my father said they have two children." Sarah got a strange feeling and then said, "Maybe two of them..." "Stop. I don't want to think about that. Sarah, I can't go to Maine. I have to stay here." "I know you do, and it's not just because we have a good medical office, is it?" "No, but that makes me and my mom feel good." "It's not because we have a really good school here, either." "No, but I'm glad we do. Remember I can graduate early, because of it." "It's because you will be able to be with the father of your child, soon, isn't it?" "Sarah," Marcia said and then let out a long sigh. To get Marcia's mind on something else, Sarah said, "I'm riding Jill's horse, if you didn't recognize it. You're riding the other one Jill likes to take out. Mina, I think. Jill told me how to get to her place." "Her place?" "You remember? Where she brought the boy scouts to, and then brought you and Vivian?" "Yes, I remember that," Marcia said, with a bit of melancholy in her voice. "Other than some wonderful memories," Sarah said as she looked over to Marcia, "we can see across the valley. We'll be able to see the train come in." "Then we can hope your mother is on it?" "Yes," Sarah said. "I hope with all my heart she's on it. By the time we see it, we can get downtown to meet it." "Without running into your father, I hope." Sarah looked at Marcia with a horrified expression, and then said, "I hope so, too." ------- Daisy, Pamela, Julie, and Jimmy had descended on Bruce and Millie's house, supposedly to be with Brian and Barbara. Bruce had already left for work, but Millie wasn't so lucky. She tried to get them to find other things to do by giving them a list of tasks to do, if they were going to hang around. To her surprise, they just started working together. Millie didn't realize that doing the work was a better option than being out at the Mansion, at the moment. When it got close to lunchtime, Millie decided that she would need to feed the group. They were actually doing a lot of work she had put off, and the house was looking very good. She called them to take a break, and that lunch would be ready, soon. The six moved into the living room and sat on the floor. They were talking about everything, when Brian started to described taking time off from work so they could make improvements to Brian and Barbara's house. That got them talking about the vacation time from the mine. At that point the whole story unraveled, and they were giggling. Fortunately, Millie couldn't hear their conversation. The sudden opening of the door made everyone jump. They were equally surprised to see Bruce walk in. "Bruce! What's wrong?" Millie said in a worried voice. "Nothing, really. Just need to take care of a thing or two," he said as he purposely walked through the house to their bedroom. Millie followed, wondering what was going on. The six were silent, out in the living room, wondering the same thing. "The old mine key?" they heard Millie ask. "Are you planning on going there? Is it safe?" "Yep," Bruce answered. With that, he walked back out the door. Millie stood there, looking at the now closed door, perplexed. She'd seen Jim on horseback waiting. Something strange was going on. Soon enough, she'd find out. She was very sure of that. ------- Jack drove up to the Mansion in his Jeep. Usually someone was out to greet him. Today there was no such response. Katy did open the door as soon as he stepped upon the porch. She looked a bit surprised to see him there. "I need Patrick," Jack said. Walking into the foyer and stepping behind Katy, Patrick said, "Did I hear my name?" "Yes. I was asked to get you. Bruce and Jim wanted to show you something," Jack answered. Patrick looked at Katy. He wasn't sure if going off to the unknown was any better than staying in the Mansion. He kept on hearing more and more things that made his head spin. "Lunch..." Patrick said, not knowing what else to say. "That can wait," Katy answered. Jack filled in, "I don't think this is going to take long. I'll have you right back out here." Normally, Patrick was escorted. Drivers took him everywhere. This was different. Everything in this town was different. Patrick didn't know what to expect at any given turn. It was unsettling. He liked order. Facts. And a place of retreat, when needed. Looking between Katy and Jack, he shook his head. Then he raised his arms in a sign of defeat. "Sure, why not." Jack and Patrick headed downtown. Then they made a turn and ended up at the old mine entrance. Jim and Bruce were there, waiting for them. Patrick decided to take the bull by the horns, so to speak. "I understand you wanted to show me something?" "Yes," Bruce said, "right over here." The four walked single file, with Bruce in the lead, then Jack, Patrick, and Jim. Patrick hadn't ever seen the old mine, and was taken by the ruggedness of it. They headed into a small structure. Patrick knew something was wrong when his footing moved from under him. Before he could voice anything, fear gripped him. They were falling! The disorientation lasted just momentarily, before realization took hold. "An elevator," Patrick said. "Yes," Bruce answered, giving nothing more. It moved at a pace much slower than those elevators in the tall buildings of New York. This, though, was open cage with half height walls. The hewn rock was exposed on all sides, and was visible for the first twenty or so feet. Lights marked its decent in equal spacing, dimly illuminating the darkness between. Patrick looked up, seeing the top of the shaft and the cable that held them in place. The opening was getting smaller. He dared not look down. He didn't want to know if the floor was solid, or perforated. He didn't think he could bear seeing what could appear as a bottomless pit. As his eyes started to adjust to the darkness, Patrick noticed passages that went off in different directions. The air was growing hotter, as well, and the moisture started to make him feel a little more uncomfortable than he already was. "How far are we descending?" Patrick asked, hoping they would say something palatable. "Level 34," Jim answered. "Where are we now?" They passed a passage and as Jim said, "Level 28," Patrick made out a sign saying that as well. The elevator lurched to a stop, causing Patrick to reach out and grip on an upright beam in fear. "Robert was the supervisor the day this area collapsed," Bruce said. "A charge blew into a void that caused the supports to fail. There were 4 fatalities from the blast, but the dust it created made things unseeable. I'll make the story short, Patrick. The miners were frantic. Cave-ins are deadly. No one knew what was going on at that point. "As protocol stated, Robert started the rescue operation, staying topside to supervise. Two men donned the equipment for the rescue and took the elevator, this elevator, down. The cabling snapped and two more miners were lost. Robert had not only to work at getting everyone else out safely with a temporary lift, but also tell the six wives of the miners they had died." Patrick felt the lump in his throat get to the point he couldn't say a word. Bruce went on, "The mining commission absolved him of any wrong doing. It was an accident. The blast (the cable breaking was determined to have been from the initial blast, itself) was no-one's fault. Try to make your mind truly understand that. You were the supervisor, the one in charge. You were the one who had to face the women, one by one, and tell them they were widows." Still Patrick couldn't speak. "We all knew when he turned to the bottle. It dulled more than his pain. Every one of us understood. There was talk, of course. One tries to make believe that in the same position they would do better. Frankly, I was never sure. He had a wife that he loved more than anything, and two wonderful children." The connection was made, and Patrick got out, "Daisy and Pamela." "You know what happened to his wife, Mildred?" Bruce asked. Patrick closed his eyes and nodded, not trusting his voice. He remembered talking with Mildred on several occasions. She was quite a woman. Bruce continued with, "And the day after the funeral?" There was a pause as Patrick tried to remember. In a questioning voice he said, "He asked Keith and Robin to take care of his kids, didn't he?" "It does get a bit complicated. When Mildred was in the hospital, Keith and Robin became guardians to Pamela. Daisy, because she had been married, didn't need that sort of legal stuff. That was supposed to be while she was getting better. Her husband needed to be with her, and Pamela was recovering from her surgery." "You're right, it is complicated," Patrick voiced. "They all returned to Carp ... but for Mildred, it was so she could die in peace," Bruce stated. "The day after the funeral, no one could find Robert. He had said many times, he was only able to live because of her. Everyone thought the worst, and there was a search party. We looked everywhere, hoping to find him alive, but knowing the chances were good that he was dead. "It was days later that the Chaplin from the Naval hospital called looking for Robert. He was expecting him, but Robert hadn't shown up. It was only then that we knew what had happened to Robert." "That must have been devastating to Pamela and Daisy," Patrick acknowledged. "It was," Bruce agreed, "but not anything like the letter that was sent to Pamela, weeks later." "A letter?" Patrick asked, not knowing if he wanted to hear this. "Robert wanted Pamela to come to Long Beach, where he was, and asked Daisy to bring her," Robert said, leaving it up in the air. "But ... Pamela and Daisy are here," Patrick replied. "Yes, they are," Bruce responded and then went on with the point he was trying to make. "Think how Pamela must have felt. Her mother had just died, her father ran off. She was being taken care of by people who loved her, and didn't want her to go. Keith took the girls down to their father. It was difficult on everyone, but the person that felt the most pain, was Pamela." "I'm sure she did," Patrick said and then asked, "I remember at the University there was a time when she reverted and didn't want to talk. I only know that because Sarah had been working with her to speak correctly. Did that happen again?" "Yes, it did." Patrick felt the lift move again, thankfully up this time. As soon as they stepped off, the brightness of the light made them shield their eyes. Bruce asked, "Patrick, I think there are a lot of places that you could put Sarah into the story of Pamela. She fears the possibility of being taken away from here." Patrick appraised the man before him, then asked, "And your role in this is... ?" Bruce looked down. "I heard that Pamela and Daisy are having a difficult time with everything that is going on. Maybe you have a hard time seeing the correlation, but they don't. So my ... involvement ... is Barbara." Patrick raised his eyebrows as he asked, "Barbara?" "Maybe you don't know much about Barbara, but I think my wife and I learned, the hard way, about dealing with how she was feeling inside. Her parents are gone and we took her in. She was sure we were going to send her away, several times. That feeling is powerful and overwhelming. "Personally, I don't believe we ever truly knew how consuming that feeling was, at the time. I don't doubt that her and my son's little romance was furthered by that feeling. Not confronting that problem, and getting Barbara to know she was safe and wanted, and that she couldn't do anything to make us not love her; caused problems we are still dealing with. Keith always said that you look at the facts, and then make decisions. I'm just trying to give you another idea to look at." With that done, Jack drove Patrick out in the Jeep. It was a silent ride until they were to the bend that would take them into the valley that held the Mansion. "Slow down," Patrick said. Jack stopped completely. Jack was part of what went on in this town, but not a part of the Mansion. So Patrick, while looking out over the landscape, felt safer talking his feelings out loud. "Jill talked with me about her fears. While she made some good points, she was totally wrong with one assumption." Jack was about to ask what that was, but Patrick had only paused momentarily before continuing. "I could never make a decision of this magnitude, without my wife's knowledge or input. Even if the only thing I did about all this mess was to pull Sarah home, my wife would be stuck taking care of a surly teenager. There is no way in hell I would do that to my wife. "Sarah's first comment to me when I arrived, yesterday, was to tell me that if I did anything that caused Marcia to be taken away, she'd never speak to me again. Now I highly doubt that, but I do believe that Sarah could well revert to being a total brat." At that point Patrick turned to Jack. "How do I get my wife down here?" Not wanting to reveal anything yet, Jack replied, "Don't you think it might be easier to go back and see her?" "No," Patrick said with some heat in his voice. "I don't want to leave until I resolve this issue." "Let me think about that. I'm sure something creative can be done," Jack said. "In the meantime, I told Katy that you would be back for lunch. If I don't get you back there, soon, she'll have my head!" "Somehow I don't think it would be that dramatic, but don't tarry on a solution. I'm sure you have come up with transportation for many people without others knowing it." Jack didn't say anything but Patrick noted him nodding his head. Jack just wished Keith and Richard would get back soon ... hopefully, before the train arrived. ------- Richard and I hadn't anticipated how difficult it might be to find the two women on board the train ... if they were there, and if it was both or just one of them. I had met both of them on several occasions. Mary of course knew them by sight. Richard had met them once. We arrived twenty minutes before the train and started talking with the agent. We explained the situation ... well, the situation that we had come up with, that would make it plausible for them to let us on the train to look for those two. That turned out to be an interesting discussion. There was a lot more to trains and how they worked than I had realized. He was a wealth of information. Firstly, there would be four passenger cars. The car closest to the front would be the fullest and the number of occupants decreased as it went back. That was helpful information, when there were three of us, and four cars to search. Mary was going to go in the front, Richard in the next, and I would go through the last two. The last piece of information that he gave, and we hadn't even considered, was luggage. It we found the ladies quickly, their luggage could be pulled. Otherwise it would end up in Carp, even if they weren't. Of course, we couldn't tell the agent that it wasn't an issue. As the train pulled in, each of us was in place. As the conductors were opening up the chained gates to the stairways, we were ready to board. Mary had a difficult time. The agent was correct. Every seat was taken and she had to go down the aisle looking back and forth, knowing that her stepmother wouldn't be thinking of getting off at this stop. She also knew time was of the essence. Richard found less seats occupied, but took double takes at several ladies. It was nerve racking for him, as he didn't want to make a mistake. When I boarded the third car I scanned it. Only females needed further inspection. With less than half the seats filled, I moved quickly. In the last car, I went through in half the time, not seeing them. I turned back and almost missed the surprised glance. It wasn't me who found them, they found me. The two were sitting near the back, in the least occupied car. They had scarves over their heads and didn't look anything like I remembered. It was then that I was ready to kick myself. Of course, they didn't want to be recognized. "Keith? Is that you?" I was asked in hush tones. "Yes, we need to get you off the train." Jane moved without hesitation. She was accustomed to oddities that would add a sense of security. Her partner on the trip hesitated, and then followed. As the three of us stepped off, I could see Richard and Mary looking down my way. They were hoping I found what they had not. The three of us walked away from the train towards the cars, taking the long way to get there. Richard and Mary didn't walk right to us, but joined us after walking around the station on the reverse side to how we had gone. It was part of the plan. We did not want to look coordinated. Once the train had pulled away from the station, the questions started. "Our luggage is still on the train!" "Don't worry, it will arrive at Carp, we're just going to be bringing you there by car." "Is there a problem at Carp? It's been a long time since I've had a note arrive at my house like that," Jane said. I didn't answer. Opening up the car door, I said, "Mary needs to talk with you before you arrive." "Mary?" Jane said and then looking in the car she realized her stepdaughter was sitting in the driver's seat. "Mary!" "Come on," I said, trying to help them in. Mary started the car, which helped them move. As soon as Jane got in, I closed the passenger door, then the back door as well. Both women looked at me through the side windows, in surprise, when Mary pulled away. I just waved at them. Then I walked over to the other car, and got in. Richard was ready to go. ------- Sarah and Marcia got to the platform just as the train was pulling away. No one was there. The two girls looked at each other in shock. Sarah knew her mother would come. She had too! Sarah felt like she was going to pass out. Her mother wouldn't do this to her. Sarah started looking down the track as though another train would magically appear. The only thing that shook the girls up more was Jim showing up to grab the mailbag. Jack was with him. Jack stopped where the girls were, pointed to the end of the platform and asked, "Whose luggage?" It took a second for the girls to see what they had completely missed. "That's my mom's!" Marcia said. "Are you sure?" Sarah asked. Marcia rolled her eyes. "See that silly ribbon. It was on a Christmas present, maybe five years ago. She says it's so she can find her luggage faster than anyone else." "If that's hers, maybe my mom's is the other one?" Sarah said with a lot of doubt in her voice. "Well," Jack interrupted, "that explains everything. Good." "Explains what?" Marcia asked. "Good! How is this good?" Sarah demanded to know. As Jack walked over to pick up the two pieces of luggage, he responded, "It tells me they were on the train and now they're not." The girls looked at each other, their mouths hanging open. Sarah looked at Jack and asked, "How is that good?" "As we speak," Jack said, "Keith and Richard are in one car heading back, and Mary, along with your two mothers are in another car." Sarah and Marcia looked back to each other, their eyes filled with pain. "I'm not sure that is what I would call 'good, '" Marcia said. "Neither would I," Sarah added. "Just what did you expect, Sarah? Didn't you make the call?" Jack asked. ------- Lunch conversation was pretty much non-existent. Patrick understood that less an a third of the people who were usually at the house were there. He also knew he was the cause of this. Stephanie got up and walked into the kitchen to clear her plate when the silence was broken. "Patrick," Robin started, "I've been thinking. Do you remember when you brought Vivian down here, only to find that Mike and Scott showed up the next day?" "Yes, I do. One of Sarah's many times she ... What brought that up?" he queried. "You had a conversation with Keith and I, concerning Marcia and Mike. I asked you if you would always listen, and try to understand ... and not act, even if you don't always agree?" Patrick furrowed his brow. Robin pressed on, saying, "You told me you saw my point, even if it took you a while to do that. I'm still counting on you keeping your word." ------- We were less than half way back to Carp, when Mary pulled over. Richard pulled up behind her, hoping there weren't car problems. Or worse. Richard and I looked at each other, surprised when Mrs. Hallbeck got out of the car, and walked back to ours. She opened up my door, looked at me, and sighed. "Keith, I think it would be best if you got in the back seat with me." I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say at that moment, but knew I had my mouth open. She took pity on my, I guess, as she finished with, "It would be easier to talk that way." As soon as the seating arrangements had been changed, we were back on the road. "I assume," Mrs. Hallbeck said, "that if Richard is here, and driving, he knows everything that is going on?" "Yes," I replied. "Good. Now enough shenanigans, just what the hell is going on?" Fortunately, I had just enough time to catch my mind up to what was happening, so I was able to ask a rather intelligent question back to her. "What are you concerned about the most?" The question took her by surprise, and she pondered that for a moment before answering. "Marcia is in Carp because of a very bad choice. Now from what I hear, there are things going on that could make her see what she did as not only acceptable, but..." "Normal?" I offered. "Yes, and your cavalier statements don't reduce my fears." "'Normal' is not what I would describe what is going on in Carp. In reality, nothing in Carp is reality. It is a place that is outside what people, most anywhere, would call 'normal'." "Is that why you moved there, so you could do ... whatever you wanted?" "No. Carp is like it is, because of its history. It's a mining town where men can die any day that they went down to work. The graveyard is a good example of how young many of those men have been. "Carp has also been isolated. It has a train that runs through it, but other than picking up ore, and the mailbag, it only stops if there is a larger delivery. You've seen how remote Carp is. Without outside influences, the town has remained a close-knit group. "I understand some of that history, but I'm not sure you got to answering me." "You want to know if Marcia is safe; or if, in our living arrangement, we haven't lost sight of reality." "That is a fair statement. Can you answer that?" "I sat and watched a woman die. Robin and I became the guardian for her daughter: Pamela." I had to stop and allow myself time for my emotions to drop down. "We talked about Pamela. She told Robin and I what she was going to miss, what she hoped for her daughter, what she dreamed of, and how she trusted us with her." I was in tears at that point, reliving those painful talks. I turned to look at Mrs. Hallbeck in the eye as I said, "What do you hope for, in your daughter's life? Do you know where you see her, in her future?" Mrs. Hallbeck hadn't expected the tables to be turned, or the understanding that a mother could feel about 'losing' her child. Yet there was undeniable proof that it had happened. Then, of course, there were those last two questions. "I have demanded you be honest with me and I could tell from the pain in your voice that you have been. So I can't very well expect that of you without doing the same. The answer is, Keith, I have been trying to get Marcia's pregnancy dealt with. What happens beyond that has not been on my mind." "I think, if you ask, you might find that has been one of the largest concerns on your daughter's mind." Even knowing that what I had just said was not very nice, I didn't continue. She didn't ask any more questions. We sat in silence for another few minutes, before Richard pulled over again. As Mrs. Hallbeck and I had been in deep thought, we both looked up to see Mary had pulled off the road again. Mrs. Hallbeck got out and walked up. We saw her get into that car. I waited until we saw it start off again, before I jumped out and then got into the front seat again, before we pulled out to follow. "Interesting conversation," Richard noted. "By the way, does she have a first name?" "Not that I know of. I think formality is part of how she sees herself. Now, back to the conversation, I think that Mrs. Hallbeck doesn't want reality, but she is having it tossed at her, much like Marcia getting pregnant in the first place." "That could be a problem," Richard noted. "I'm not sure about that. The solution with the school, and hiding girls out here in Carp, works well with her thinking. She will have a much harder time when Marcia tells her she isn't going to give up her child. That conversation won't happen until after the baby arrives, though." "You're sure about that?" "Yes. Your wife was one, of many, who have had talks with her." ------- As Mary was driving into the valley that led them to Carp, Richard passed her. She was a bit surprised at that, but then realized they hadn't talked about where they would be stopping. Richard was now in the lead, and she just needed to follow. It had been silent in the car for the last fifteen minutes. No one commented on Richard moving to the lead. Mary wasn't sure what was on her stepmother's or Marcia's mother's mind. Each had said what they wanted. Heated at times. When Marcia's mother had gone to talk with Keith, Mary and her stepmother had a bit more in depth conversation. It was then Mary had explained her alternative solution. Mary was a bit surprised when Richard pulled up in front of the school. But then as she thought about it, the school was a neutral place. It would be easy enough to get Patrick there, if he wasn't already. She hadn't seen Jack down at the end of the street take off towards the Mansion as soon as they started across the bridge. I jumped out of the car and ran into the building. Richard, Mary, Jane, and Mrs. Hallbeck came in to see me shake my head, and then motion, 'upstairs.' We all walked up, not saying a word to each other. It was there where we found Sarah and Marcia. Sitting in a chair, Marcia had her head was down, and was crying. In front of her, kneeling, was Sarah. Her arms were around her friend. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone take you away. I will probably have to go, but you will stay. You need to. It's important. I'll make sure. Don't cry. Please, Marcia..." The litany went on as we walked up. "Sarah," Jane said. "I think we need a little mother-daughter talk." Sarah turned around, her eyes bulging, a lump in her throat making it impossible to say a word. No one missed the tight squeeze between the girls' hands as they separated. "I think that is in order as well, Marcia." The talk was short lived as not more than two minutes later the door could be heard downstairs and Patrick's voice heard. "My Wife!" The sound of rapid footsteps preceded the opening of the door. He looked in, as though he didn't believe his eyes. Then he saw Marcia's mother and winced. "Patrick," Jane said, breaking the growing tension, "I think we have a lot to talk about." "Yes, dear." Robin walked up to me, and slipped her arm though mine. I hadn't seen her come in, but it felt good to have her there. Looking over to Richard, Katy was there with him, as well. "Do you need some private time?" I asked. "No, they do not," Mary answered. "This involves everyone here as well as almost everyone in this town. A decision of this magnitude is not going to be some backroom deal," Mary finished looking determinedly at her father. Patrick was weighing his response to her, when his wife answered. "I believe you are right. Come on, let's make a circle and talk this out." Turning to us, Jane said, "That includes you four as well. Come on." Mary sat to my right, next to Richard and Katy. Robin was to my left, with Sarah and Marcia next to her. Marcia's mother was sitting next to her daughter. Patrick and Jane sat between Mrs. Hallbeck and Katy. "Where shall we begin?" Patrick said, naturally taking over. "I want to hear the details of the school expansion idea," Mrs. Hallbeck said. Katy and Robin knew a lot more about this than anyone else, so they explained the idea, and how it was going to work. They also spoke of the one place where they wanted Patrick to help. "Then, I believe," Jane spoke up, as conversation stopped, "that you need to introduce that piece of legislation." "You do?" Patrick asked, a bit surprised by her forwardness. "Even if our daughter wasn't here. We know the pain of the Hallbeck's decision. If a place was offered like this, I think they are underestimating themselves. It would fill to capacity in no time." "And of these other ... indiscretions?" Patrick probed. "If you are talking about your daughter's pregnancy as in indiscretions, may I suggest you think of better terminology. Patrick, how many times did we talk with Dan about Sarah. What did he say about her recovery from the University incident? How she came out mentally better than she went in, because of the people here." June stood and started pacing as she continued, "Do you think Mary's pregnancy doesn't bother me? Yes, it does. We had quite a talk on the drive down here." "What?" Patrick interrupted in disbelief. "Dad didn't know you were coming," Sarah said. "That message ... Sarah, you called Scott ... by yourself?" Sarah nodded as she was looking down, then said, "I needed you, Mom." June's eyes gave away how touched she was hearing those words. As much as everything else had changed, hearing her daughter say she still needed her, was music to her ears. June took a deep breath and went on, "As I was saying, Mary and I talked. She told me she talked with you, as well. Patrick, like it or not, she is able to make those decisions. She is asking for you to keep loving her. Did you know that?" Frankly, that question took Patrick by surprise. In reality, no, he had never heard that in the conversations he'd had with his daughter. He turned to look her in the eye and saw the pain he had missed. "Mary," Patrick said as his voice gave away feelings he could usually suppress, "you could never do anything that would take my love away from you. Don't you know that?" "Daddy," she said, crying. The two held each other, then chairs were adjusted to allow them to sit together, holding hands. "Now," Jane said, "about Sarah." "Yes?" Sarah squeaked out. "How much does staying in Carp mean to you?" "Everything," Sarah immediately answered. Then she stopped herself, looked over to her friend and rephrased her reply. "I want to stay here, but it means more to me to make sure Marcia is here." "Why?" Mrs. Hallbeck wanted to know. Sarah looked down to the floor again as she spoke. "Do you remember when I told you what happened to me? How that man grabbed hold of me?" Mrs. Hallbeck answered quickly, "Yes," not wanting Sarah to continue. Hearing that story once was enough. "I changed! I became a better person because of all the love these people have shown me, here. I want that for Marcia. She needs it now, more than I do. So if I had a choice, I'd try and make it so she could stay, even if I had to go." "Sarah, darling," her mother said, "You're not going anywhere." ------- On the day they were leaving, Patrick and Jane got Robin, Mary and myself together. Patrick was unusually quiet. "Neither one of us completely understands how all this works, and maybe it's because we really don't want to. That doesn't mean that there is any way in the world we are going to miss our daughter's wedding. So, Mary, I know it may be hard for you, although in this town it might not be as big of a problem for a pregnant woman to be walking down the aisle, you need to wait until after the election." There were tears flowing from Mary's eyes. All she could do was nod. Patrick looked at me and sighed in resignation. Then he said, "Keith, you can't be more family, now, so I hope you stop holding secrets from us." "I will try my best, but it is easier when you're around, and I know that's going to become increasingly difficult in the next few months." "That is true. This is probably the last time I will be going through an election though." "Not if I have anything to say about it," Jane said. "Those voters just need to keep a good man like you in office." Patrick smiled at his wife and ruefully said, "That is something to consider, but there is the one unknown that could crop up that would make me not run." Jane was surprised at this, and asked, "What is that, dear?" "By the time I would start my next election process, Marcia and Mike could become husband and wife. Mike's father isn't going to be happy, and it's my fault that it's going to happen in that time frame." "Your fault? What did you do?" Jane asked. "Let's talk about that on the plane. Now, Mary, the school board should receive a letter in no more than two months. It will be the go ahead for the rest of the project, as the extra town security will be in place. My suggestion would be that they implement, right after that. Pregnancies don't happen conveniently during summer break." "Dad!" Mary said. Jane pulled him towards the plane, as she rolled her eyes. ------- "What happens now?" Robin asked. "Now," I said, "we plan for our future. The one big obstacle, the stumbling block to our dreams and Mary and Sarah's life, has been lifted. They can feel free, here, knowing who their parents aren't going to change their life. How does it feel, Mary?" "Like I want to marry you and have your baby!" Mary replied as she wrapped her hands around me, giving me a sound kiss. "Let's see," Robin said. "You married me, your two sisters, then Beth Ann. Daisy is next. Mary can't be 'til after the beginning of November. Who's after that?" "Funny," I replied. "Jill has a long way to go," Mary said. "Stephanie doesn't know it, but she'd have to wait till she's eighteen and I'm not going to tell her." "You two are just soooo funny," I added. "Well," Robin interjected, "there is Tiffany or Vicki, maybe both!" "Robin," I painfully said. "If he waits long enough," Mary started, and then had to dodge me as I reached out to grab hold of her. "There is Elizabeth and Kristina!" "Enough!" I said. "One you left out," Robin said. "Who?" Mary and I said at the same time. "Your sister." I think Mary and I groaned at the same time as well. I didn't say anything more, but Mary did. "I think you're right, but I hope you're wrong." Trying to change the subject, I said, "Other than a few gals who you think will throw themselves at me ... Ouch! Why did both of you just hit me? I'm serious. Ouch! Ok, ok, but what else could happen, now? We have our dream." No one commented. It did look like Mary and Robin were deep in thought. What I believed to be looking at our future was shattered, a moment later. "Robert could come back, and want Pamela back home," Robin said. ------- Chapter 132 I knew it would take her by surprise. Me showing up at her high school. We had met early in June. This was September, the third week of classes. School had started just two days before the three-day holiday, making sense only to those in the school district. I knew she would be nervous seeing me there. I was after all, thirteen years her senior. I also knew that only two of her friends had been told about me. As I parked in the front of the school, arriving a good twenty minutes before the school let out, I could see the next graduating class had already started with its announcement. Even though it wouldn't be until June of next year, the banner read "CLASS OF 2011 RULES" Being Thursday, it was an early day. I heard the bell ring and looked at my watch. Their system was off by two minutes. It was 1:32pm. Hordes of males were trying to get away as fast as they could. Females, who didn't want to look as anxious, walked at a fast pace. Then the rest of the student body sauntered out. I spotted her right away. I think she did as well. We had that sort of attraction to each other. The look on her face was priceless. She stopped dead in her place, and one of her friends ran into her. Two others looked at her, then to where she was staring. I could tell there was conversation. I'd have like to been listening in on that. Kim made her way over to my car. By then, there was only one of her friends that apparently had insisted on meeting me. "John! I mean, it's nice and all, but what are you doing here?" I couldn't help but grin. "You look so good, I couldn't help myself." Her friend groaned. Kim rolled her eyes. "Going to introduce me?" I asked, and then said, "I have a surprise for you, that's why I'm here." "What!" Kim said. Then, flustered, answered, "This is Briana, I've told you about her." As I was out of the car, leaning against it at the time, I took a step forward and reached out with my hand. She put hers out, thinking I would shake it or something. I could tell she wasn't sure. I took it, brought it up to my lips and kissed her hand. "Yes," I said in a deep throaty voice, "you have told me many things about her." Briana turned bright red, and I couldn't help but start laughing. Kim slapped me on the arm. "Behave!" "If I must, dear." "Umm, I think I need to go," Briana said quickly, and almost ran off. Kim watched her go, and then turned to me. "Thanks." I was still chuckling. "Now," Kim went on, "what's the surprise, and it better be good cause my friends are going to grill me tomorrow." I was shaking my head when I responded, "I seriously doubt that." "You don't know my friends." "Well, you know, that's true ... but I know something you don't, about that." "What?" I knew I was keeping her in suspense. I also knew if I didn't give her something soon, I would regret it. "Let's go for a drive and I'll explain." She took a deep breath and then walked around to get into my car. As soon as we were set and I had pulled away from the curb I started telling her a story. "When I was fifteen. Mmmm. Same age as you are. Anyway, I was in Ms. Wren's English class." "You remember your teacher's name? I mean ... one of them from High School? God, I have six teachers this year. Last year, because of changes, I think I had ten different teachers. Maybe," she said with a gleam in her eye, "you went to one of those one room schools, so had the same teacher from Kindergarten through high school." I had to laugh, and could have said something quite embarrassing to her, but had to keep the suspense up. "Well, if you would have seen Ms. Wren, like I ... or any high school boy saw her ... you'd understand." "Ok, so was she ugly, or like seriously cute." "To me and my friends, beyond seriously cute. There was little she would ask, that any one of us wouldn't jump to do." "Disgusting," Kim said with a cute little smile on her face. "You know better that that." "Not going to say another word, but I do remember in that story where Tiffany had those two bullies eating out of her hand. Now, I want to hear this ... connection between this hot teacher and why you came to school to pick me up?" "As a matter of fact, there is a strong connection. One that seems almost destined to have happened." "Oh, really. John, sometimes you lay it on a little thick." "Hear me out." "Fine, I'll play along. So ... go on." "We had to write a term paper. It was a big project that counted for half our grade that semester." "Wow, that's harsh. What did you have to write on?" "We got to pick the subject. Of course none of us could think of anything to write any more than a half of a page on." "But you..." "I know. Let me finish." "Fine!" she said sarcastically, then pinched my arm. I looked over at her and she had this shit eaten grin. I shook my head and looked back to the road. "So at the dinner table the next night I was complaining about not having anything interesting to write about. I knew if I didn't like it, the paper would never get done. Then my father got up from the table, and goes into the study. That's what we always called it, cause it was where my dad had a lot of books. He would go in and 'study' by falling asleep in his chair. Anyway he came back to the table. He hands me a newspaper article. It was dated April 19, 1962, from the Las Vegas Sun." "I know that article," Kim said then slapped her hand over her mouth. I smiled, and then said as I looked straight ahead, "I'm sure you do. Now that was just what I wanted. UFO sighting. I mean who doesn't want to find out more about that?" "Me." I had to laugh at that. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It is more of a guy thing. Anyway I was so stoked. That very night I started looking up everything I could. The internet wasn't as good as it is now, but I got a lot of information. There was one big error that I made, though." "What?" "When I started searching for information, I put in UFO and Nevada, cause that's where there the UFO had been sited. If I had read the whole newspaper article, and not just glanced at it enough to think I knew all about it, I would have expanded my search. If I read the towns that the article listed, I would have narrowed my search in Nevada. My mistake and they were major mistakes ... but, that was how I found Carp, Nevada." I glanced over to Kim and she was staring at me, with her mouth hanging open, in stunned silence. I didn't say a word, waiting for her to respond. It took another two blocks. She was so startled that she missed the fact that I had just taken the freeway on ramp. "You stumbled onto Carp by accident?" "Complete accident. I wanted to know more about what had happened. I knew something was up, 'cause there were stories about the government basically closing up the town. So I figured I'd hit the jackpot. I was going to have a kick ass term paper. So, without knowing who to get any information from, I wrote to the only organization I could think of." "Organization?" "Yeah, I mean every town had them. So I wrote to the Boy Scouts." Kim started laughing. She looked over to me and saw my expression and laughed even harder. "You've got to be kidding?" "Well, no, but I didn't know what else to do." I said, knowing it sounded a bit pathetic. "So then what happened?" Kim said with a giggle in her voice. "I got a letter back. It was from a woman named Robin." Kim stopped giggling. She sat up straight and looked at me seriously. "You got a letter from Robin?" "Kim, where did we meet? I mean, originally. Where was it, the first time you sent me a note?" There was a pause and then she answered. "On that adult site ... and yes, it was four years ago ... and yes, I was eleven at the time and had no business looking at that stuff. It's my mom's fault." "Oh, I have to hear this one." I said, knowing a lot more of the real story than Kim did. "She knows nothing about computers. Well I guess not 'nothing'. She can turn it on and she gets on her email and the web. Does she know about the history the web browser makes? Not a clue. So, you know, it's like near Christmas, and..." "You little sneak! You were trying to see what she was looking at. Wait 'till I tell her!" "Don't you dare," Kim said in a threatening tone that I found amusing. "Anyway I found something better that year. She'd gone on this site, and she hadn't logged off ... probably 'cause she didn't think she needed to. There's this story called 'Robin' that she'd been reading. I guess I hadn't been paying much attention to what she was looking at before the holidays came around. She was up to chapter 116. I couldn't believe it. I mean, really, 116 chapters? What the hell kind of story it that? I figured, as this was a sex site, it was an X rated Harlequin novel on steroids." That's when I noticed the change in her voice. "I started reading it. I saw that chapter 117 had just been posted, and knew I couldn't read that one until my mom got to it, cause it would have shown up as having been read. But ... so I started. God, those first chapters! I mean I was only eleven and I could have put together better sentences. You know it's funny. In school they tell you that you need to make sure you communicate properly. That's why writing structure is so important. "Well, hell. Those words might not have been the best, but the emotions you created ... I started to cry reading about it. That first afternoon I read seven chapters and would have read more, but mom came home. "Every day, I would wait until mom would leave to go somewhere, and then I'd log on. It took me two weeks to catch up to where she was. Then I hit the brick wall. She'd read chapter 117 by then, and so did I. It took another month before the next chapter came out. And those fucking endings! That's what made me write long emails to you instead of the 'nice chapter' stuff I'd been doing before that. I was so mad. How could you leave me hanging like that, and for so long?" "It wasn't always my fault," I said softly. She stopped her long-winded dialog. It was as though she woke up, noticing for the first time where we were. "John, where are we going? This is nowhere near either of our houses." "Another... " I waited until we passed the next sign. "Another four exits." "That's ... who are we picking up? Is this your surprise? Oh my God, John, don't tell me it's someone from Carp!" "Don't get so dramatic," I replied, trying to keep her calm. "Who is it then?" "As soon as we park I'll tell you. Right now I need to pay attention to my driving. People act crazy around airports." Kim didn't talk, but I expected more animation than she was showing me. She could fidget more than anyone I had ever known. I glanced over several times at her. She looked lost in her own little world. ------- Kim may not have continued verbally with her story, but she was thinking about it. She'd fallen in love with the man, before she'd even met him. The second day of reading, she started sending emails. He wrote back, and addressed her like an adult. For the first time in her life, she'd been treated like an equal. The feeling was good, very good. The emails then turned from the story site to their personal addresses. After two years into writing back and forth, she knew she had to tell him the truth. It was summer, and over a two-day period she cried almost constantly. Her mother had asked her what was going on so many times she lost count. Then she did it. She told him everything and sent it. That night she cried herself to sleep. The next day her mother woke her up, before going to work. Kim remembered that morning. She felt like she didn't want to go on living. Then her mother told her she hadn't closed down her email and there was a message. That shocked Kim awake. When her mother asked who John was, Kim was out of the bed and down the hall, leaving her mother in a pile of discarded bedding. The subject line read: I knew Quickly pulling up the message it said: 'I'm flattered, and the only way I'll ever get mad is if you stop talking to me, so write back.' "Kim?" she had heard her mother call as she walked down the hall. Closing the browser, she called back, "Computer's all yours." Then she ran into the bathroom and started the shower. She did not want to talk, or answer questions, from her mother. How could she explain her feelings, now, from how she felt last night? At thirteen, she knew her mother wouldn't understand how conversing with a man twice her age made her feel like a woman, and not the little girl everyone else saw. It was a full two years later that she had faced the next mental battle. He wanted to meet her. Not that she didn't, she did, desperately. She wanted to see his face, hear his voice. As frightening as that concept was, she'd been completely out of her mind as how she was going to react, once she saw him. It wasn't him, she hadn't trusted herself. The meeting was at the local mall, and as luck would have it, her mother offered to go shopping that day. It hadn't been until she was walking towards the food court (their meeting place) wondering how to get rid of her mother for a bit, that her mother asked her if she thought she'd know him right away. Her mother had known she was going to meet a guy! And yes, as she scanned the court and her eyes met his, she knew. ------- I parked in the long term parking at the airport. Yes it was a bit more expensive than the offsite lots, but the added expense, verses the many more questions, simply wasn't worth it. "Is short term full?" Kim asked. "Could be," I replied and then added, "There's a parking space, and the shuttle is coming. We'll need to hurry." Kim was a bit rattled as I quickly pulled into the parking spot. By simple reaction to what I had done, she was out the door, not wanting to miss the shuttle. She was initially so distracted by looking for where the shuttle was, that she missed me opening the trunk. It was hard to miss the carry on suitcases, though. "What's that?" she asked, as though she couldn't believe what I was rolling behind me. "This one is yours I believe. See it has a pink ribbon on it." "Mine? Ok, John, what the hell is going on?" As though it should be apparent, I said, "Obviously we're taking a trip." That didn't set well. Of course, I didn't expect it to. "John," she growled at me. "Tell me what the hell is going on. You know I can't go anywhere. I have school, tomorrow." In a voice that didn't match hers at all, I said easily, "Your mom's taking care of that, so don't worry. That's why I said your friends won't be able to grill you tomorrow." "You had this planned?" "Yes, hence the suitcases..." Kim stopped walking. At this point I could tell she was seriously pissed at me. Her expression was almost comical, although to have even smiled would have been a very bad move on my part. So I relented. "We need to get on the shuttle, then as soon as we're seated, I'll give you the tickets and you can see what this is all about, ok?" Kim took a deep breath as though she was contemplating her next move. I really didn't want to pick her up and carry her to the shuttle, but I would have. I didn't relish missing the flight. "No mystery, no games, no 'I'll tell you later' shit. John, the truth. I'll get on the shuttle, but you'd better come clean and tell me everything." Then she made a noise I'm not sure I ever wanted to hear again, before saying, "I have no idea how you talked my mother into this." It was one of those times when I had to count my blessings. Afternoon flights are popular and the shuttle was pretty full. As we were the last to board Kim and I were seated separately. We couldn't talk in the five minutes it took to get to the drop off. As soon as we were on the sidewalk, my suitcase in my hand, hers in her hand, I gave her two tickets. She looked at the first one and then at me with wide eyes, "We're going to Vegas?" "Look at the next ticket, sweetheart." She did and I could see she was puzzled. It was a bit different and took longer to figure out. The destination town was not someplace she would have expected. It was a stretch in her memory to remember the connection, but I thought she would. I watched as recognition took hold. She dropped her suitcase and threw her arms around me. "Carp! We're going to Carp! Oh my God, John, I can't believe it! Carp!" Then she grabbed her suitcase, my hand and pulling at me, saying, "Come on!" ------- It wasn't until we were in the security line that she looked at me with panic. "What's in my case? Do I have liquids? Who packed my stuff? You didn't ... did you? Oh my God, what did you do?" "Didn't you wonder why your case was so light? The only thing you have in there is one string bikini. A very small one at that." "Don't you joke like that. That's not funny, John. What's in there?" "No idea. Your mom packed for you." "Oh, God." "She did tell me you have your cosmetics and in the front pocket you will find a plastic zip lock with all the liquids you need to pull out separately." "I can't believe this. You have to tell me what you told her. How did she ever pack for me? What am I going to tell her? This is too confusing." "You'd rather not go?" I teased. Not answering that question, as though I thought she would! She asked, "What's it like there?" "Desert. Being September, it should be pretty nice, temperature wise. I have never been there, myself." Kim turned to face me and looked into my eyes. "How did you write the story, then?" "Letters." "You have letters? I mean like that's ... that's how you wrote the story? Lots of letters, then ... from Robin?" She asked almost in awe, not believing what she just found out. "Yes. She told me the story. Well not all of it. I got parts and pieces from of the other sources, as well. Keith wrote to me a few times. Barbara wrote. Pamela," I smiled. "She and Jimmy are something else." Then I paused to see the effect. "Jill wrote, as well." I thought Kim was going to faint. Before she could react, as we had been holding up the line, I turned her around and got her to move. ------- We were seated, waiting for the call to board the plane when she brought up the subject again. "You have letters from Jill? "Doctor Jill." Kim laughed. "Ok, Doctor Jill." "You know the linage, but do you want me to recite it?" There was a questioning wrinkled brow looking back at me, telling me she hadn't understood what I had just asked. "Doctor Jill is turning seventy-five on Saturday. We'll be there for her birthday party." "Oh," Kim said as though she was ready to pass out. "So will her daughter, Laura. I understand she was named after her long time friend that I wrote about." "She'll be there, too?" Kim said in a shocked tone. "So will Laura's daughter." That did it. Kim fainted. I had expected it, which is why I had us seated before I told her this news. It was also why I had my arm around her. No one around us knew what had happened. I pulled Kim close to me and let her wake. It only took a minute before her eyes looked up into mine. "I know you are Jill's great granddaughter. Your mother told me, after you wrote me that painful email two years ago, explaining to me who you really were. She wrote me that night, so I knew everything she knew, before I wrote back to you." "Oh, Jeeze ... She knew?" I smiled, and then said, "Your mother knows a lot more about computers than you realize. I think she set you up." "Set me up?" "To find the story I was writing. She told me she never thought we'd fall in love, but she wanted you to know the history ... her family history ... one that would be a bit strange telling your daughter about. So when I started writing it, she knew about it. I think her mother told her parts of the family were writing me, giving me parts and pieces. So she knew where to find it on the web." "This is unbelievable." "You're not mad at me, are you?" "At you? Now why would that be? You knew all about this and didn't tell me a thing. My mother told you things about me and you never let on. No, there would be no reason why I could be upset." "Kim, there are reasons I never told you." "Like what?" she said in a testy voice. "We're not in Carp." "Oh, there's a good explanation." I sighed, knowing I wasn't sure this was going to come out right. "Girls don't get married at age thirteen, any longer." "No, they ... what?" "At sixteen, they can. That's three months from now, isn't it?" Kim's eyes were ready to pop out of her head. She started to open her mouth, but no sound came out. I wasn't going to wait for her to say anything. "After writing this story, I thought it appropriate to ask the person who started all of this ... well, for her permission. It just felt right." Kim's mouth closed and she swallowed hard, then stuttered out, " Per ... perm ... permission?" "I know, kind of old fashioned, and you'd traditionally ask the father, but..." "You ... you're really going to ask Robin if you can..." "Your mom wondered when I was going to get around to it. I think she wanted it to happen last year." "Oh ... shit. I can't believe her." "You weren't supposed to know. It's always been a surprise. I kind of blew that one." "You planned this all out?" Kim asked, this time with tears starting to form in her eyes. "Yeah. Jill told me in her last email that if I was going to do what I had suggested, that it should be soon." "I haven't talked to my great grandmother is a few months. Why did she say that?" I looked down, not wanting Kim to see the tears that were forming in my eyes now. "You know that the last few chapters had been far and few between." "Yes," she said tentatively. "I could never ask, but did you go to the funeral?" "Keith?" It took me a moment before I could get my voice back and answer, "Yes." "Yes, we did. I wish I would have known. I wish you could have been there with me. I was a mess." "I wish I could have been, too. Jill did tell me about it. The aneurysm in his brain ... they believe it was sitting there, waiting, all this time. Jill told me that the fall at the University probably was the cause of it, but there wasn't anything anyone could have done. He lived a long time with something like that waiting to strike." "It was so sad. Robin. I've only seen her though your writing. She was so much older, and looked frail that day." "It's why Jill told me to do this, now. She said Robin doesn't want to go on. She can't live without Keith. There is no will to continue. Jill said it was just a matter of time." "That's why the chapters took so long these last couple of years, isn't it?" "Yes. There isn't any more to write, as I was just piecing together what was being told to me. With Robin not continuing, her story is over." "That is so sad." "When we get back, I will be writing the last chapter of Robin." Kim sighed, and put her face next to mine, sort of rubbing her cheek against mine. "I guess I never wanted it to end." "You and I will be starting our own story ... together." Pulling back and taking my face in her hands. There were tears in her eyes. She said, "You, John Smith, are not going to do any of those stupid stunts Keith pulled, do you understand me? I want you around, forever." ------- Our train stop was at Caliente. I would have liked to have been able to tell you how it looked from the train as we passed Carp. The little mail drop towns weren't announced. Air travel isn't what it once was. Being herded and basically treated like cattle, doesn't hold any romantic inclinations. The train is a different story. Things are less rushed. The sway of the cars can bring a nostalgic moment in anyone. Kim was keeping me occupied in a fashion that suggested I should have booked a train ride all the way down. Except for the amount of extra time it would have taken, I might have. Her lip lock on me didn't allow much thinking beyond making sure I was not undressing her in public. That was hard enough! We were greeted by Laura. Kim took one look at her grandmother, and left me with the bags. Kim squealed in delight the entire distance, until she could wrap her arms around her grandmother. As we got into the car, Kim looked in the front seat and said, "Hello, mother." "Hello, Michelle," I also said. "How was your trip down?" "Good, as you should know." Kim looked at me, perturbed. "If you wouldn't have been so preoccupied, you might have recognized her. Although I did look and didn't see her, she must have been wearing some kind of disguise. She was on the same flight, and train as us." Thinking of the train ride, and how preoccupied Kim had been, she turned bright red. "Shall we head on down to Carp?" Laura asked. "I can't wait," I replied. "John," Laura said, "don't get your hopes up. Carp is not the place you wrote about. Not anymore." ------- Although I'd heard about it, seeing the place was very sad. There was no downtown. No old wood buildings. No school, hotel, dress shop, bank. It was simply a level area. My eyes started to water. I had spent so much time thinking and writing about this place. It made my heart ache. "Stop," Kim said just after we passed over the bridge. At least that fortified structure was still there. I looked over to her. She wasn't looking outside. She was looking at me. Without turning to her mom or grandmother, she asked, "Is the plaque still there?" Laura chuckled and then answered, "Yes, although it doesn't gleam like I was told it did when it was installed." "I think we need to see it." Michelle looked back at us. I turned my head, embarrassed about how I was feeling. "Good idea," Michelle responded. Laura pulled up, stopped, and we got out. What once was the park had reverted back to the dirt of the desert floor. The only indication of its existence was the swing set structure. No chains, or seats remained though. I hadn't realized that the three women didn't follow me as I walked down to the stream. The concrete floor that was the pool showed years of water running over it. The end uprights had worn, but if you knew, you could see where slats could have been placed to raise the water height. Being the far end of summer and before any rains would swell the rivers, there wasn't much more than a shallow bed of water in the center. It was then I noticed I was alone. Shrugging my shoulders, I proceeded to take off my shoes and socks. Then I walked to where a deep brown oxidized plaque was imbedded into the concrete. I have no idea how long I was there, lost in the moment. In the back of my mind I heard the splash of feet walking towards me. I felt Kim's soft tender hands reach around me and intertwine in mine. "It's time to come back." "I wish I could stay here ... But here doesn't exist any longer." Kim felt my body shake and tears drop into her fingers. I slowly stopped. Then I turned and took her into my arms. I'd had no idea how much this was going to affect me. We walked back, retrieved our socks and shoes. Then walked on to where Michelle and Laura were standing. "What happened?" I asked. I wanted to know the truth, not what had been printed in the newspapers. ------- We sat in the car, with the windows rolled down. Laura spoke, while we listened. "Mines don't last forever. With Memco's technology it had a good and very prosperous twenty-three years. Deaths were so far and few between and we had a good doctor, my mom. So like other towns, things changed cause everyone was going to live longer. One of those changes from what you wrote about, is when a girl got married. The sixties were what put an end to the school. With the advent of 'the pill', there were fewer and fewer girls needing to be placed. "With no real jobs, and those who had retired getting on in years, it was inevitable that the town would die off. "The one moment that defined the end was the fire of 1972. It had been an unusually wet winter, and then just the opposite the following summer, with scorching heat. A downed power line was attributed to the cause. It started in the valley and the winds caused the destruction. Angle City and Carp were devastated. "No one was killed, but there was nothing left. The water tanks didn't even survive. The only thing that was brought in, that says this is Carp, is the post office that was replaced." In the pause after that, I asked, "Where did Keith and Robin, Kristin, Liz, Daisy, Mary, Beth Ann, Jill, Stephanie, Richard, Katy, Dora, Katherine, Annabelle, Pamela, Jimmy, Brian, Barbara, Laura, Julie, Kristina, Elizabeth," my shoulders slumped, "did I miss anyone? Where did they all go?" Laura smiled. "John, that was quite a list you rattled off and it tells me your connection to these people is stronger than I think any of them had any idea of. Now, Jill, as you know, is my mother." I looked at Kim and answered, "Yes, I had heard that." "She did indeed go to college. When she came back, she mentored under..." "William," I added. Laura smiled warmly. "Yes, William. She also moved in with Keith and his ... group. I came along nine and a half months after she arrived back here. It was a very good thing that the mine was so prosperous. Keith ended up having nine children from seven different wives." I counted up in my head and something wasn't adding up. "Seven?" "You knew and wrote about five of them. The sixth, as you know, was Jill. Now, the seventh ... Stephanie went away for two years. She was sixteen and had graduated high school. She arrived back on her eighteenth birthday. She told Keith she was now legal, she'd seen the world, and what she wanted for her birthday present was a gold band like the others had." "I'll be damned," I said, and laughed thinking of her doing such a thing. "I know I didn't answer your question, John. When the fire destroyed everything they had, there was no reason to stay. No one had insurance on anything, no one thought about something like that, here. So they were left with a pile of money in the bank, and no place to go." "And?" I asked wanting to know. "Impetuous, isn't he?" Laura asked Kim. "Yes, and I love him for it." Laura just shook her head, but continued, "They had an invitation. A place that many of them had been to before. So they took a long train ride and went up the Oregon coast." "Oh! Oh. Oh my. Beth Ann's parents?" "They had retired by then, and had purchased property. It's an idea place." "So everyone's still together. It's still the same?" I wanted to know. "John, let's go meet the others," Laura said. I knew if the answer had been a simple yes, that's what I would have got. How could that be? Did I build up a fairytale that simply wasn't true and refused to see the truth? "John," I heard Kim say, "slow your breathing down." I placed my hand over my mouth and realized, as I was forced to breathe through my nose that I had been hyperventilating. By the time I had worked to slow myself down, I realized we were moving. Looking out the window, I tried to place where we might be going. I had always thought I knew the town. I'd been writing about where everything was for over twelve years. That was the landscape of a town from over fifty years ago, though. However, some things don't change. "We're heading to where the Mansion was," I said. Kim looked at me with pain in her eyes. "I wish I could have seen it," Then after a moment I added, "The place I would have wanted to see, would be the basement." "The basement?" Kim and her mother said in unison. Laura snorted, then said, "Just like a man." "The treasure thing," Michelle added. Kim was watching me and shook her head when her mother said that. Michelle saw Kim do that and then thought of another scene down there and started to ask, "Which one? Pamela or ... Oh my God! John! That's my grandmother." Kim was seriously upset. The rest of us in the car were laughing so hard tears were pouring out our eyes. "Sorry," I said, still laughing. "Yeah, right," I got in response. Feeling I needed to redeem myself, I said, "Ok, if you must know. The first thing that popped in my head was the description of Pamela and Jimmy. Pamela on the table and Jimmy with the candle." "Oh, God!" Laura said. "I remember hearing about that. Jimmy had just got Pamela off when the trap doors opened. Pamela, with her eyes closed tight, felt the warmth of the light hitting her and thought that it was the best orgasm that could have ever happened." "You're a pervert," Kim said. "It's your family," I responded. She stuck her tongue out at me. "Mmmm, you're giving me ideas." "Stop it! Mom!" "I think it's a little late for that, Kim," Michelle said. ------- Unlike the town area, where it looked as though it had been bulldozed level, there were still a few remnants. The iron fence could still be seen in parts. The concrete walkway led to a smooth place where the Mansion had once stood. Now, in its place, there were four pop up shades, set in a big square. There were coolers, tables, chairs, and people ... more than I had expected, at this point. As soon as we exited the car, the people got into what was essentially a receiving line. Laura went first. She knew everyone, and greeted them as family she hadn't seen in a while. Michelle was next and I could tell she'd met some, but not all who were there. Kim clung onto me and we went down the line together. Something had to have been said, because as well as telling me who they were, they gave me their age as well. "I'm Beth Ann. I'm eighty-one now. My parents passed away six years ago, but they told me if I ever saw you, to thank you for how you wrote about the trial." "I'm Kristin. Unfortunately I'm eighty-one as well. I always thought you would be fun to..." "Kristin! You know, older sisters still have to try and keep their younger sisters in line. I'm Liz, by the way, and turned eighty-nine this year. Simply unbelievable. Thank you." "For?" I asked. "Writing ... and that part about what happened to me. What went on. When I read it in your story ... It brought tears to my eyes. Powerful. It was good to see. I was able to let it go, completely." "She gets that way," I heard as my hand was being pulled by the next in line. "I'm Stephanie and I'm only sixty-eight." Then she winked at me. I had shaken the hands of everyone else. Stephanie wasn't going to have that. She gave me a hug and groaned in my ear. "Still horny after all these years?" I just had to ask. "Always. Maybe your little Kim might let you sneak off for a bit. I could show you a few things..." "Don't listen to her," The next in line said. "She was always worse than me. I'm Daisy, and" "The same age as Robin. Somehow in my mind, you should be Kim's age." With a little smirk, Daisy said, "Boys and their fantasies. Kim, what do you think? Want to share?" "Stop that, Daisy. I can't say she got worse as she got older, 'cause she was always that way. I'm Pamela by the way and I'm sixty-nine. Love that number!" I took hold of both her hands. She knew what I was doing as I looked at her. "I can see what Jimmy saw, when he looked at you," I said to her. "Oh, my!" Pamela replied. Then to Kim she said, "You'd better keep this one under lock and key. He's dangerous." Kim elbowed me in my side and responded, "Yes, I know." Pamela gave my hands a squeeze and as she let them go, said, "I know Jimmy will be sorry he couldn't be here, today. He would have liked you." "I'm Sarah. Normally I'd never tell anyone my age, but as you already know how old everyone else is, you would know I'm seventy-four." She blushed when I winked at her. "Stay away from my little sister," came a warning from the next in line. "Mary!" "That's me, and just like Beth Ann and Kristin, I'm eighty-one. Damn that sounds old, now doesn't it?" "Stop being melancholy." Before the introduction from that voice happened, I heard Kim say, "G-ma!" Jill chuckled and told me, "Kim could never get out great grandmother when she was small, so I became 'G-ma' to her. You have to be John. I know we've written back and forth. I'm sure you feel like you know me as much as I know you. John, I probably know you better. You got a short period in each of our lives. I've heard just about everything about you from my granddaughter." "Mom!" Kim said hearing this interchange. Jill just laughed and then said, "I know you will want to chat with everyone here, but the real person who you came to see is sitting here next to me. ------- I bent down on my knees in front of the chair where Robin was sitting. Gone was the young girl, turned woman, that I had spent the past thirteen years writing about. Robin looked old. Not in age, so much. Daisy and Jill were basically the same age. There was a tired look in her eyes. I understood as I gazed into those eyes, what Jill had written to me about. She took hold of my hands and said, "John, it is very good to finally meet the man who took all of our parts and pieces of history, and wove it together. I have always been proud that you thought what we were doing, was worth writing about." "Robin," I started to say and got choked up. I looked back into those eyes that now seemed warm and understanding. "It has been an honor. You ... all of you ... shared moments, feelings, times in your life where no one gets to see. You shared things that happened to each of you, that no one gets to know about. I got it first hand, and put it together as best as I could." Then I smiled. "You know, people blamed me about some of the chapter endings being 'cliff-hangers'. They had no idea it was one of you who had left me in the lurch." Robin gave me a wide smile and responded, "You know, that was my brother's idea." "Why doesn't that surprise me? Jimmy never stopped being the prankster, did he?" "No, he didn't." Then Robin's smile dropped from her face. "He's not here, cause he doesn't want to see me." "What? What happened?" "Keith. I'm going to die." I had for a moment thought she had called me Keith by mistake. Then I realized she was answering me the truth of her undoing. The name. The man. How many times can people be told something, and not believe it is really the truth; until it is thrust in their faces, and the truth cannot be denied. Robin struggled, but stood. "Come, John, let's take a walk," Robin said. "You too, Kim." She pointed to where the back door of the Mansion once was. Walked the now invisible path to the back door of the 'new' building. Gestured where the horse corral was, and then walked over to where three chairs had been placed. "This is where the bench was. I think you remember there were quite a few important talks that happened here." "I remember reading about them," Kim said. "Come, sit." Kim and I sat, facing where the Mansion would have been, where the bench had been. Robin sat across from us. I remember writing about Keith sitting on a log in the same place on several occasions. Before Robin got a chance to go on, I wanted to get something out, so it would be done. "Robin, I wanted to ask ... It felt right, as you were one who started everything. As you, and everyone in the story I was privileged to write, has influenced me, ummm." There was an amused smile on Robin's face as she said, "Yes, John?" "I would be honored if you would give me your blessing to ask Kim to marry me." Robin glanced at Kim and then back at me. "I can see this isn't a surprise to her." "It was going to be, but I had a hard time getting her to understand why I picked her up from school, had her luggage, and tickets to go on a trip, without a good explanation." Turning her attention back to Kim, Robin said, "I can see you haven't learned to trust your man yet." Kim's mouth dropped open and Robin laughed. "You two make me feel young, as I talk with you. John, let me ask you one question. What was the one thing that you saw during your writing that you could describe as the essence of what went on between all of us?" "Robin, there is no question in my mind what that would be. It is love. It was love from the start. Right from when Keith saw you in that candle-filled meeting hall. It was love that made you tell him to bring Kristin down so you two could meet. Love was there in each decision that happened. When things looked like they would fall completely apart..." "Like at the University," Kim added. "It was love from everyone, including Keith's parents that kept everything afloat. There were many times when I was writing down what had happened and thought to myself, 'I remember something like this happening to ... well, one of my friends, parent's friend, whoever ... and it didn't have the love like everyone here showed. The outcome was always different than what I was writing." "It wasn't always easy," Robin said. "I ... Well, I could say I know, but I really don't." "That, John, was a wise thing to say. Reading how we did it is, of course, a filtered version. It shows the end results. We told you about some of the painful places we went through to get there, but you didn't hear about the petty disagreements." "You had those? Kim asked. "Oh, yes," Robin said, as she chuckled. "Kim, they didn't stay with us. Those arguments didn't turn to resentment because..." "Of love," Kim finished. "Very true. So John, to be able to answer your question, I have one of my own." "Yes?" "Do you plan on letting love guide you in your life, knowing that Kim will change from the person she is now, to the person she will become, as she grows in her own right as part of the connection to you?" "I will," I answered without hesitation. Robin turned and got the attention of Kim who was staring wide-eyed at me. "Kim, will you love John always ... when he is right, as well as when he is wrong, knowing that your love is where his strength comes from, as you understand that your love will conquer all of the obstacles that get thrown in the path you two are choosing?" It took Kim a moment longer to respond. She reached over and took my hand, and then said, "I will." Robin cleared her throat, and we embarrassingly looked back at her, because we had been lost in each other's eyes. With a grin on her face, she said, "If I was a preacher like my grandfather I'd declare you married. I think you two just said some pretty important vows to each other. It is with pleasure, John, that I give you two my blessing." If there had been any doubt that this was the Robin I had written about, she erased that possibility by adding, "Now I want to know, Kim, are you going to let others join in?" As Kim was starting to show a prominent blush, Robin just had to add, "Just wondering, as the age difference between you two is the same as it was with Keith and I." We hadn't paid any attention to where anyone else was for the past few moments. Lost in own little world. Jill and Daisy had apparently wandered over to see what all this important stuff was. "Robin," Jill said, "not everyone is as crazy as we were." "It's not the same, now, as it was when we were young, either," Daisy added. Robin turned her head towards the two and replied, "I'm not sure about the crazy part. How many fifteen year olds look into a man's eyes almost twice her age and get lost? That's crazy ... but damned good stuff. And yes, it would be harder to explain, but not impossible. Turning back to us, she went on, "The fifties were interesting. We were able to keep things quiet in town because of Patrick's connection and the school we had. Lots of things were hidden in the fifties, mostly because people wanted to believe something that simply wasn't true. Then we hit the sixties. What a radical change that was. The school became almost non-existent by the end of that decade. All of our kids had grown up, too. Think of some of the problems you wrote about. Brian and Barbara were ... Barbara was twenty-four in 1960. All those kids, from the families who needed help; well, they turned into teenagers in the sixties. Who pays attention to thing like that? A number of women getting pregnant, when their husbands are infertile, is news. Teenagers aren't. The later sixties also brought us something that made everything easy, when we moved to Oregon." "What's that?" Kim asked. "The commune. Living together in an extended family unit was a popular concept. Many young, and some older people, were doing it. So that idea wasn't completely unknown. When we showed up in Oregon, no one took notice. We were just another hippie group." I was nodding my head, and said, "Yeah, I can see that. I'm glad it worked out that way." "The eighties almost reverted back to the fifties in how lots of stuff went on, people didn't want to see or hear about anything bad. For us, it was a difficult time, trying to maintain who we were. We were also growing older, and our kids were leaving. There wasn't anything to keep them where we were. I think that was the hardest of times ... for me at least." Jill and Daisy had moved over and each had their hands on Robin's shoulders. She had stopped talking and as I glanced at Kim, we both knew something had happened and she needed a moment. Robin looked back to us and said, "Kim, have you dated much?" "No." "Why?" She looked at me, then back to Robin, "I found him." Robin grinned. "Your friends tell you about their dates?" Kim closed her eyes and groaned. Then said, "Yes." "Not too good, I take it." "No, boys just want to..." "You haven't done anything like that with John?" Kim was instantly in a full blush. "Well?" Robin pressed on. "Yes," Kim squeaked out. "Kim," Robin said in a manner that only a grandmother can do. "Tell me the differences between what your friends tell you boys are trying to do on dates with your friends, and what you have done with John?" "Well, he ... well, they ... he ... they... " She sputtered out, then paused and said, "I love him." "That is as obvious as what we saw in Robin, when she looked at Keith," Jill said. "John," Robin turned her attention to me, "how does Kim kiss?" I chuckled, Kim poked me in the side. She didn't think it was funny. So I said what was on my mind. "When we were on the train, to get here, Kim started kissing me. I didn't even know the train was moving. I also had to remind myself we were in public, and not to try and remove any clothing." By the time I was done saying that, Kim was bright red. "Well, Kim, let me see here," Robin said as though she was deep in thought. "You haven't dated, yet you kiss him into oblivion. Where, pray tell, did you learn to do that? Not one of your girl friends, was it? I'll bet John would like to know that piece of information." "Robin," Jill said, "I think you might be embarrassing my great granddaughter a little too much." Kim felt like she needed to respond, "Why would he want to know that? So he can... " Then she turned to me. "Do you want one of my girlfriends, too?" I held my hands up and said, "Hold on. I didn't say a thing." "Like you needed to," Kim retorted. "Now look what you did," Daisy said to Robin. "Kim, I could never do that. You know how much I have taken this story to heart. You know what we just said to each other. Kim, you hold that key. Not me. If I remember right, Keith didn't have much choice, either." Robin chuckled and said, "Like he didn't want to." "That's just what I mean!" Kim said. "Are you going to try and be just like Keith?" Then she looked at me, demanding an answer. I took a deep breath in exhaled in a staggered manner. Looking into her eyes, as mine glistened with moisture, I replied, "I can't." She clasped her hands to her mouth in shocked horror of what she had made me say. Jill, the mindful one of tormented inner feelings, asked in a soft voice, "John, what makes it so you can't?" "I no longer have a sister." Kim felt she needed to fill in what I hadn't. "His parents and younger sister died in a plane crash when he was in high school. He was supposed to be with them, but..." "I know how that feels," Daisy said, "to have your world pulled out from under you. I can't imagine how you wrote those parts where Keith and Richard's plane had engine problems. That must have been hell." I gave her a little smile, then said, "The difference was I knew the outcome for that one, and it wasn't deadly. I could work it out in my mind. I think it helped, writing that. Gave me an understanding of hope. "Daisy, now that we brought all this unpleasantness about family up, can you tell me about your father? What happened?" "My dad came back to Carp a different man. I was younger, about nine I think, when the cave in happened. So my memories of him before he started drinking, to after he stopped, are mostly a jumbled collection. Stories I've heard, parts of a memory, pictures. He came back a happy, whole man. We were glad he was back. Happy he had changed. I think he saw, as soon as we knew it, too; that he was and always would be our dad, but he was no longer our parent." "How does that work?" Kim wanted to know. "He was the one who helped create us. We were part of who he was. How we looked, acted, he was and would always be a part. Who took care of us, who we looked to for guidance, who could comfort us ... that had changed. We needed that desperately when our mom died and he disappeared. Not one took the whole role of parent for us. We had many in our extended family. I think, in a way, that was easier for him to accept. If Keith would have been his sole replacement for Pamela, he would have felt jealous." "Is he... " I started to ask. "No, John," Daisy replied. "He passed away several years ago. At the time, he was living in Visalia. He lived a pretty good life, and we saw him often. Our relationship was good. Not the same as most fathers could have been, but he was there ... I don't know who looked more proud and happy the day he walked Pamela down the aisle to marry Jimmy. John, my dad was a good man. He was also an alcoholic. That took him away from us. The only thing I can say, and I thanked Father Franklin many times about it, was that we got him back." Sarah wondered over and said, "This group looks a bit too serious." "Well, as we've been talking about the past, I can't help but ask you a few questions," I said. "No, I didn't marry him," Sarah said with a sadness in her eyes. "I wanted to. He wouldn't let me." "What?" Robin said. "You told me ... Now come on. Tell me the truth." "You remember when Jill and I went off to college. Daisy couldn't go that year." "Yes, she'd managed to get herself knocked up," Robin said disgusted. "Robin! You were the one... " Daisy started only to see the grin on Robin's face. "Oh, you!" "So, you went off to college with Jill." "Keith told me I had to date. He said there was no way I could come back without doing that." "He didn't!" Robin said. "Yes he did. I found out later, why." "Why? And why didn't you ever tell me?" Robin said. "Keith knew I'd find someone. I think I knew it, too. That's why I didn't want to date anyone. I didn't want to replace my savior." "James is a pretty special guy, Sarah," Jill said. "Yeah, who'd have thought that the guy, who showed up as the scout leader with Mick and Scott that year, would end up my husband." "I could have told you how nice he was," Jill said. "G-ma!" Jill rolled her eyes and then addressed Kim. "Did you miss when he was trying to hit on me? I was clueless at the time, it's all written down. Go back and re-read it. When I told him I couldn't be interested, that I'd been hurt. He couldn't understand why someone would want to hurt me. He didn't know me. Kim, that tells you a lot about a person. He was gentle, as well as funny ... and silly enough to get caught up in a Mike and Scott scheme." "I would guess James was a perfect choice in regards to wanting to come back and visit Carp as well. He knew how special this place could be," I said to Sarah. "Yes. He's been wonderful." Robin pressed, "Sarah, why didn't Keith want you back here with us? I know he loved you." "I know that, too. Believe me, I know. He didn't tell me in so many words, but I knew what it was." "What?" Robin asked. "My sister. Unlike Kristin and Liz, who he grew up with, and both had feelings for him and liked each other a lot, Mary and I are stepsisters. We didn't spend as much time together as either one of us would have liked. Part of that was the age difference. Mary would have had a problem with me being there with everyone else, and especially seeing me there with Keith. She is a strong person and I love her, but there was this little part of insecurity that she couldn't get rid of. I didn't see any of this, then, but as I grew, changed, fell in love, and could think rationally around Keith... " Sarah said with a big grin, "I started to understand why Keith did what he did. I could grow out of my desire for him, better than Mary could let me into your group." "I feel sad about that," Robin expressed. "Don't. I'm happy." Then Sarah turned to Kim and I and asked, "Well, now that you are the perfect match that we've waited three generations for..." "Sarah!" Daisy and Jill said together. "What?" Sarah replied very innocently. "I just asked if they were going to keep the tradition alive." "Sarah," Jill said sternly. Sarah just laughed and asked, "Well, are you?" "I don't think Kim likes the idea of sharing me," I replied. "And you like it a little too much," Kim said heatedly. "Answers the question, doesn't it," Jill said to Robin. "Yes. Sadly, it does," Robin said with tiredness once again in her voice. Kim looked like she was going to burst into tears at any minute. Another car pulled up defusing the possibility of anything more being said at the moment. "Who could that be?" Sarah asked innocently. "Not sure," Daisy said with as much conviction in her voice. Something sneaky was going on. We watched as the back doors opened at the same time. Then the figures stood. "Mom!" I heard Robin exclaim. 'Katy and Richard', went through my head, as we all moved towards the car and they walked towards us. Robin, for the frailness she had been exhibiting, moved with surprising agility. I looked over to Jill, "Doctors orders?" She smiled at me, with a twinkle in her eye, then whispered, "My job is to keep my patients healthy." I looked over to Robin and Katy in an embrace. Everyone else had come around them as well. I took a step back. "Feels a bit strange, doesn't it?" I heard Richard say to me. It was easy to determine his voice, being the only other male there. "That is the understatement of the year," I replied. "We were on a little vacation and got a call from Jill that there was a gathering here. Jill said it was important. How is she?" Richard asked, indicating to Robin. "Meeting her for the first time today, I'm not sure I qualify to give any comparison, but I can tell you that when we got here, she looked very tired." "She doesn't feel like she has any reason to go on," Richard stated. "I remember writing about several times when that could have been the feeling." "Oh?" He asked, wanting me to continue with that. "The first one was the gathering of everyone around Keith, when he was in the coma." "Maybe not a good image, considering that fall is ultimately what did him in." "Then there was the fall Robin had, and then when she woke thought everything that had happened was a dream." "Yes, I do remember that. Katy was just about out of her mind, thinking she would..." "Robin lost a child, didn't she?" I asked, not really wanting to know the answer. "Her only one. Mildred, or Millie as everyone called her was the love of Robin's life. I'm sure you know who she was named after. Millie was in the Bay Area during the Loma Prieta earthquake. She would have been forty ... yes, forty. I remember the birthday party. Anyway that earthquake was very destructive. She was down there with a friend. They had been to the Palace of Fine Arts that day. We guess they were driving back, which placed them in the marina district. That area was hit hard. An apartment on the corner of Divisadero and Jefferson collapsed. All three stories came down at once. They were at the wrong place, at the wrong time." "Grandchildren?" I asked, my voice sounding like the emotions I was feeling. "Millie never married. None of us could ever understand why." "So without her husband, or her daughter, Robin feels alone." "Hard to think that way, considering everyone who is around her," Richard stated. "I understand that. My parents and sister died, and I was left. My aunt took me in, but I remember when I was in college a few years later, I would go to a mall, just to be around people. I didn't want to be by myself. The feeling of people being around, though, didn't help. I was lost for some time. If I wouldn't have been young, going to school, having things pushing me, who knows where I would have been." Richard nodded. He didn't like thinking back to time before Carp ... the time when he'd lost his childhood friend. That had been a time of utter despair, when no one seemed to be able to break in to him. "Any suggestions?" Richard asked. The first thing that popped into my head made my mouth twitch with a smile. It was ridiculous. "Ok," Richard said, "now you have to give that thought up. What was it?" "An orgy." I said with as straight of a face as I could muster. Richard laughed loud and hard, causing everyone to look our direction. Katy made her way over to us. "You must be John. It is such a pleasure to finally meet you. Did anyone tell you about the readings?" "Readings?" I said sounding a bit confused. "Well, as you know, each of us played a part in sending you information. Not a one of us collaborated with the others on it. I'm sure it was a jumbled mess trying to wade through everything." "I do remember once I posted a chapter and then had to sort of back track, fitting everything together. The readers found it a bit confusing. Other than that, it was sort of fun fitting the all the parts of everyone's lives together. Of course I like jigsaw puzzles, so that probably explains it. Now, tell me what you were saying about readings. I don't get that?" "When you posted a chapter, we would print it off and then sit around in a big circle and read it. As most of us were there, we would take our own parts to read, and one of us would play the narrator. It was an experience that I don't think any other family could ever have. There were the funny parts. We even thought about playing that adapted monopoly game again. And there were the very sad parts. Those we would become melancholy about. "You, John, brought our history, our beginning, to life. I can't say thank you, enough." Turning to Richard, Katy then said, "Now, what got you laughing so hard?" He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you really want to know?" Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear. She looked over to me with her eyes wide, but also an amused expression on her face. ------- There was dinner. Simple, but good. I was wondering how I was going to talk with everyone, enough to feel satisfied. Realizing that I never would left me sad. Kim, who had initially stuck to my side like glue, hadn't been near me for the past couple of hours. I hadn't even been sitting with her during dinner. Now she came up to me with a perplexed look on her face. "John, it's getting late ... I know we brought clothing and all, but where are we staying? I mean, there's nothing here." "Do you remember reading about William taking a group out to watch the meteor showers?" "Yes," Kim answered with an instant smile on her face. "Kenneth didn't think he could go and then stayed up for the whole thing. Grace was there, too." "Yes. They slept under the stars." I said and left it at that. It took a moment, but then Kim took hold of my arm. "We ... we're sleeping here? I mean out here? How?" "I understand the boys are sleeping on that side of the valley and ... Ouch!" "Don't start that." I took her shoulders and turned her around. "Have you paid any attention to what happened after dinner?" The outside of the pop up shelters now had walls on them. "We're sleeping in there?" Kim asked. I rolled my eyes. Luckily, she didn't see that. "No, outside. That is for ... other things, I believe." "Other things?" My mouth twitched with a smile. "Do you think your mother wants to you see me change my clothes in front of you?" "John, sometimes you're a real pain in the ass." Kim left me, probably to find her mother and get the truth. Little did she know that I was telling her the truth. Maybe it's all in the delivery. One never knows. I looked back over to the walls surrounding the shelters. They were basically tents at this point, but who put the wall sections up? I hadn't helped and it would have taken Richard much longer than the time lapse from when I noticed them not being there, to being in place. Not that one of two of the other women there couldn't have helped, but ... it just wasn't adding up. Then it dawned on me. The driver. With all the excitement of Katy and Richard showing up, no one had paid any heed as to how they did it. Were they really that well off to have a driver? I had no idea. Somehow it just didn't fit. The people I wrote about, and now met ... even if they had money, wouldn't flaunt it. I was going to find out, when Kim came running back over to me. "Why didn't you tell me you were telling me the truth?" she said and then as not expecting me to answer such a ridiculous question, she went on. "They brought wood with them and we're going to have a fire! They even brought marshmallows! I can't believe how much of a kid my G-ma is!" Kim was definitely on an emotional high. "That's great. I didn't get all the details. I'm sure you checked, we do have sleeping bags to use?" That earned another smack to my arm. I was going to have bruises if I kept up my teasing. As dusk approached, and the fire was started, everyone was lulled into a calm. Tomorrow would be Jill's birthday. I knew there was some sort of celebration planned. Tonight, was just a family being with each other. Jill said, as soon as there was a small bed of coals in the fire, "It's marshmallow time. Pamela, can you get them and the sticks. That is if you remember where they are?" There were a few snickers and I was told Pamela was a sucker for toasted marshmallow and as soon as Jill had told everyone she had them, Pamela was right there, wanting to know exactly when we were having them. So Pamela got up, trying to act as dignified as she could, but her face showed the anticipation she felt. It was funny to see. Then she disappeared into the tent. There was no question about the squeal of excitement we heard. Everyone looked at Jill, who was smiling. We all figured she had just played some sort of prank on Pamela. Moments later Pamela came out, marshmallows and sticks in hand. She was shaking her head and we all sort of laughed. At that point everyone was getting into the act of getting a white ball of fluff and skewering it, so we could roast, or burn it, in the fire. No one noticed the curtain wall move. I have to say he was quick. On moment I saw him at the edge of the tent, and the next he was by Robin. "Jimmy!" Robin cried out and her chair started to tip over as she struggled to jump out of her chair. Now things started to fall into place. I was also thinking that he must have learned well from Keith on how to make an entrance. Marshmallows were forgotten for a while. A half hour later, we were happily stuffing our face with roasted white goo. Jimmy was sitting next to Robin, and the two of them were holding hands. Robin's eyes looked more contented then than I had seen them all day. The fire started to die down, and that was fine with everyone. I didn't know where my suitcase ended up, so I went looking for it. Opening a flap up of the tent wall, I started to step in, then stopped. Beth Ann looked up, smiled, and said, "Come in." She, as well as Mary, were placing candles along one edge of a tarp. The center of that tarp held a number of sleeping bags, all unzipped and opened. "You gave Richard an excellent suggestion, by the way," Mary said. "I think Robin really needs something like this," Beth Ann agreed. It is one thing to think about the age of girls, well young women, I was writing about in the story, but ... Ok, I just wasn't sure I wanted a visual of that. "I was looking for my things," I said as though I needed an excuse to be there. "We set Kim, Michelle, and your stuff out that way," Beth Ann said. Mary was chuckling as she said, "We didn't think any of you wanted to be with us ... but ... I know Stephanie..." Beth Ann and Mary were laughing out loud as I made a hasty retreat. I ran into Kim as soon as I turned around. "Where's our stuff?" she asked. "Not in there," I said quickly. Apparently she didn't believe me, pulled the flap back, looked inside and then her head pulled back. Her eyes were wide when she looked back to me. "Are they ... John, that looked like ... You wrote about that happening. Oh God." "They put our stuff around this way, come on," I said, knowing walking would be better than just standing there. Kim looked at the tarp laid out. On it were three sleeping bags and three suitcases. "My mother is sleeping with us?" Kim said as soon as she recognized the other case. "Well, I'm not sure I would have put it that way, but... " I had to dodge Kim's arm as she tried to smack me. "They said she would probably want to be out here, and not in there." "I think you're right," We heard Michelle say. Kim jumped in surprise. Michelle gave me an appraising glance. My guess was that she had found out who suggested the nighttime activity. I could tell there was a little indecision on Michelle's part, as to where she should put her sleeping bag. Kim didn't have that problem. She laid hers directly in the center, forcing the issue at hand. Turning to her mother, Kim said, "You can't push us together, have me read the story, let John bring me here, and then have the nerve to not let us sleep next to each other. Really, Mother." We had no idea there was an audience, but as soon as Kim finished, several people were clapping. Robin called out, "You three have a good night." "I'm sure they will," Jimmy said. Pamela added, "No question in my mind." Michelle and Kim looked at each other, a bit embarrassed, but also in question. "What did Pamela mean by that?" Michelle asked. ------- It didn't take long to find out. The soft glow of candles' light could be seen, as they were lit. I hadn't paid enough attention. As I thought about it, I was sure it was done intentionally. The candles were on the far side, behind everyone in there. As with any tent, walls are paper-thin and the candles' light gave a show on those walls as undressing, and caressing started. Those walls don't stop any sound either. I don't know how Michelle was holding out, but Kim had never zipped her sleeping bag up and now both hands were inside my bag, and making me want to climb into her bag. What broke the proverbial camel's back was an exclamation from Robin. "Kristin! You still have one of those?" I looked and I'm sure by the movement of hands that had been on me Kim looked over as well. I'm sure Michelle was right there along with us. In the reflected glow cast by candles' light, we saw a pair of hands, and what looked suspiciously like a dildo being held up for all to see. The, "Oh, it's just like I remembered," comment from Robin a moment later pretty much confirmed that. "Sorry, Michelle, but... " I said as I moved out of my spot and snuggled into the bag with Kim. We heard rustling that sounded like Michelle was retrieving something from her suitcase. Then she replied, "I won't say a word, as long as you don't either." It was dark enough not to really be able to see each other clearly, but Kim and I still turned our faces towards each other, wondering what she meant by that. Then we heard a buzzing noise and a low sigh. I kissed Kim, keeping her mouth occupied, so she couldn't say a word. ------- Mornings, outside, come early. There aren't any shades to pull down, and in the desert the sun just feels brighter. I groaned. I wasn't the only one. I don't think any of us got much sleep. I started to get up. My bladder told me that it was important to do so. Looking down, at myself, I realized I wasn't wearing anything. Glancing over, I saw Michelle looking at me, one eyebrow raised, and a rather amused expression on her face. 'Oh hell, ' I thought. Kim scrunched down into the bag, trying to shut off the light and effectively exposing the rest of me. Thinking of the times Keith had been in that same sort of position, I realized I hadn't done him justice as to how he tried to maintain his dignity. I stood, knowing that my morning wood was displayed in all its glory and walked to a place, any place, where I could find to relieve myself. Walking back, I had no doubt that Michelle had woken Kim up, so that my arrival was met by both of them looking at me. I had intended to act as though it didn't bother me in the least. I dare you to walk, stark naked, up to two women ... both of whom are watching you with interest ... and not react. I had a full hard-on by the time I got back to the sleeping bags. I started to climb back into Kim's when she turned to her mother and said, "Don't you have something ... anything ... to do?" "No, I thought I might just watch and critique. It sounded like you might need a few lessons, judging from last night." Kim turned bright red. I just smiled and replied, "Well, practice makes perfect." With that I grabbed Kim around the waist and rolled her on top of me. She looked at me, very surprised, then over to her mother. "Just don't take any... " was all Kim got out. My mouth found something to take her mind off everything else. Michelle got up and left. Quickly, I might add. "I can't believe you did that to me!" Kim said. "You could have stopped me." "Yeah, right. You found that spot! You know it drives me crazy. I couldn't have stopped you and you knew it." "I'd say I'm sorry, but you'd know better. Want to get up?" "No, but I need to. Even if you just got me horny all over again. You already relieved yourself. I'm ready to explode." ------- The only one that was up and outside the tent was Jimmy. He was standing in-between two tables in what looked like the makings for breakfast. As I hadn't talked with him yet, I walked over. I was a bit surprised when I saw two of those Coleman ovens sitting on top of a camping stove. He was mixing up a batch of what looked like cornbread. Then I noticed the muffin tins. He whispered, "I could never make mine as good as Robin's." He handed me a few things and I was put to work. We didn't say much to each other. I know he was trying to keep things as quiet as possible. When the coffee started to brew we had most everything else done, and the second batch of muffins were in the oven. Jimmy took the coffee carafe and smiled at me. Then, with the lid off, he walked over to the tent and walked in. It might have been two minutes later, but I don't know if it took even that long. He walked out with a satisfied look on his face. Almost immediately, I heard, "Jimmy, that wasn't very nice." "They're addicted, you know," he told me straight faced, then broke into that mischievous smile I expected from him. He and I went back to work getting everything done. It would be buffet style. As he pulled out the second batch of muffins, I saw him dump them into a cloth-covered basket. Then he took one out and set it aside. Turning towards me, as he saw me watching him, Jimmy said, "I made these, this morning, because I needed to. John, you know as much about our story as anyone. It's representational. You know it might not have been the first spark, but it fueled the fire that grew between Keith and my sister. She needs to move on from reliving that. I'm not ready for her to leave us. If all she sees in that her life is a hole that she's being sucked into, we'll all lose her. I came here because mom told me I had to. She told me I was being like Jill, when Keith was in his coma. Not wanting to face reality. She can be..." "A mother?" I placed into his sentence. He gave me a smile and went on, "Yeah, a mother. She doesn't want to lose Robin either." "Have you told her that?" I asked. "Told her?" "Yes. Remember when she woke after she fell down that hill? I remember writing about how her family, the ones here, came and talked with her. Told her they were scared." Jimmy looked at me for a long time before saying anything. "We lived what you wrote. We sent you a bunch of our thoughts. Not all of it happened the way you wrote it, but most of it was pretty close. I never thought about how it could get that way, 'til now. You entered into our lives, didn't you?" "Pretty much." "So now what?" "You want me to tell you what to do?" I asked incredulously. "Well, yeah. You think I want to take the blame if it doesn't work?" Then Jimmy stopped smiling. "Seriously. You wrote about all of us, albeit when we were younger than now, but inside we haven't changed all that much. How would you see writing this out?" "No pressure, I see." "None. Come on, Richard told me last night was because of your idea, and it was perfect. I haven't seen my sister feeling so wonderful ... glowing, really ... in a long time. It was perfect. Now, what pops into your head?" "Love." "Love? That's it?" "Isn't that enough? You said it. She can't be reliving the past, and I need to stop. To do that, to not be selfish and want to continue getting information to write this story, I need to love her enough to stop, right?" "Makes sense." "You need to love her enough that she feels it." "I think she does." "Sounds like what Marcia said about Mike, when Sarah asked if Mike loved her." "Funny. You know they had three kids, and are now grandparents." "No, but that's great. Jimmy, can you love her enough to let her go, if that's what she has to do?" He looked at me and started crying. Right before I hugged him, he said, "I don't know." ------- Unedited End Notes: I know that many of you are not going to be happy with this chapter. Especially the last line. What I said was very true. I can not go on with this story, and Robin has to be left in peace. Does that mean that you will not hear anything more of Carp? Really? Do you think that Stephanie will keep her mouth shut? She may well want to write to John and tell him about her two years, after high school and before she came back to Carp and Keith. Just go back and read how Stephanie may well be older, but still just as much of a tease as she always was. Or how about some of the other kids, and grand kids. There are always possibilities. These are shorter, more manageable stories. Then, of course, there is John and Kim's relationship. So, instead of morning what you have lost, look to the future and the possibilities there. Isn't that what everyone in Carp would have wanted? The whole story was based on one concept. Love. If you don't like the idea of this story ending, try and live out the concept that was presented here. Try and make love the one guiding factor in your life. Try and make a little Carp around you and see what happens. ------- The End ------- Posted: 2001-05-22 Last Modified: 2010-11-14 / 06:57:35 pm ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------