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THE TAPE SLAVES (mc, sci-fi, philosophy) - (4/&t) 

it was possible and, since it obviously was, why hadn't everyone been
altered in this way.

     The two boys were kissing now, lips locked in a wide
open-mouthed french kiss. Their tongues slurped against each other,
their hands moved over each other's bodies. The head of Joey's erect
cock pushed it's way past the top of his shorts. Kevin reached down
and began running his thumb and forefingers along the head. Joey ran
his own hand along Kevin's firm, strong legs, finally reaching up
through the bottom of his shorts to feel his balls. Kevin let his
legs spread wide to give Joey better access to his privates while he
reached his hand into his friend's pants and, after spreading the
lubrication oozing from the tip of his cock around the head with his
thumb, he slowly pulled the skin up and down, which caused Joey to
moan.
     "Mmmmm. That's fantastic. You sure know how to get me hard,
Kevin." Joey's hand snaked further up Kevin's pant leg and stroked
him, making his shorts tent up while a small spot of wetness appeared
in the front. "Are you gonna leave those on all day, or what?" he
asked.
     Kevin grinned at his school chum and, lifting his hips, he
pushed the shorts down over Joey's arm. Joey, now wearing Kevin's
shorts on one arm, reached up and began stroking Kevin's dick with
growing speed. Kevin lay back on the couch and closed his eyes as his
penis was pleasured. "Ooooh, I'm gonna cum soon," he murmured.
     Joey brought his head down and took Kevin's five inches all the
way into his mouth. Kevin ran his hands though Joey's brown hair as
his saliva covered cock was tended to by Joey's tongue and teeth.
Kevin's breathing grew deep and rapid now while Joey pulled the dick
deep down his throat. His body twitched and his balls contracted as
he shot a thick stream of semen down into his classmate's stomach.
Joey continued to suck and swallow, getting every drop into his mouth.
     As Kevin relaxed, Joey pulled his cock out of his mouth with a
wet sounding pop. Kevin's red, engorged penis lay twitching on his
stomach while Joey leaned over Kevin. Letting his mouth open over his
friend's, a big glob of Kevin's cum dripped from Joey's mouth into
the other boy's. They kissed deeply, spreading the white goo over
each other's lips and tongues.

     After a while, they finished between them the last of Kevin's
sperm and Joey sat up, pulling Kevin up with him. He pulled the front
of his shorts down, exposing his hard member. "OK, my turn!" Gina's
brother bent down and slurped and licked Joey's erection, spitting
and rubbing so as to cover it with a thick coating of his own saliva. 
     "You ready, yet?" Kevin asked, looking up into his friend's lust
clouded eyes.
     "Uh huh," the other grunted. Climbing off the couch to his
knees, Kevin grinned and turned over, letting his legs fall from the
couch. He faced into it, his knees resting wide apart on the rug.
     Joey followed his friend off the couch and placed his slick
penis against the opening to Kevin's ass. Swirling it around, he soon
spread a layer of moisture around the pucker. Kevin sighed. "Go
ahead, I'm ready," he said, lowering his head to the cushions.
     Joey slowly invaded Kevin's willing ass, pushing his head in an
inch or so, then pulling out. He repeated the maneuver, pushing
deeper and deeper with each thrust. Kevin's body shook. He groaned,
"Yeah, that's it. Deeper, put it all in."
     Joey pushed himself completely into Kevin's anus, then rocked
his hips, fucking his friend deeply up the ass. "You like this?" He
asked, pushing himself fully inside.
     Kevin grimaced and gave a cry,. "Nnnnnnph. You kidding? I love
it!" Joey reached under Kevin and held his shoulders while
alternately backing out and pulling himself deep within his buddy's
hole.
     The two fucked like rabbits for a few minutes, then Joey pushed
hard and came, shooting his seed deep inside Kevin. He pushed deep
into Gina's brother with each spasm, while he clutched the pillows
and buried his head into the cushions, muffing his screams.
     Both satisfied, for now, Joey pulled out and the boys lay on the
rug, kissing and feeling each other's pubic hairs. "You sure do have
a lot a hair down here," Kevin observed.

     As the boys continued to fondle each other, Gina finished the
book and set it down. She sat for a few minutes, digesting the
information that had been absorbed into her mind. Most of the
information was old news to her, but there were some interesting
angles on how it had been presented. People lived in groups or
circles, the book explained, ever widening out, like waves in a pond.
The inner circle was one's immediate family, just outside that was
one's friends and relatives, outside of that, the neighborhood,
church, then the community and so on. Of course the book has been
written before the taping of the human race, so it used the word
'community' in a far different context than the world knew it today.

     She watched her brother and his friend, feeling each other's
crotches to see who had the most pubic hair, and wondered if they
ever had the same feelings of alienation from the world that she
felt. Probably not, she decided. Her brother was a carefree and happy
soul, extroverted and friendly. He just meanders through life, she
thought, grinning and greeting the world with his arms wide open. He
had already included a lot of kids from high school in his sex
circle, both male and female, and embraced all with a warm, easygoing
sense of companionship. At times, she wished she was more like that
herself, but then her dark side would come back. What's the use of
other people, she'd say to him, they'll just hurt you. But he would
just grin, shrug his shoulders and say, "Sometimes. But not always."

     Their mother entered the room. "Joey," she said, "It's time for
you to go home now."
     The boys sat up and pulled their shorts back on. "OK Mrs.
Robinson. Hey Kevin, my mom's driving me to the mall tomorrow. Want
to come along?"
     Kevin grinned. "Cool!"
     "I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye Mrs. Robinson. Bye Gina."
     Gina was yanked out of her thoughts. "Later, Joey." Kevin walked
his friend to the front door then ran upstairs.
     "You wash up now, young man, dinner's almost done. Gina, would
you set the table?" She gave Gina that same nervous look she had seen
earlier.
     "Sure, mom. Is everything all right?"
     "Everything's fine, dear. Now set the table, please. Your father
will be home in a little bit."
     Gina got a sponge from the kitchen and proceeded to wipe down
the dining room table. After spreading a tablecloth and returning
from the kitchen with the plates, her younger sister, Lisa Robinson
entered with some silverware and began arranging it also. Lisa wore
nothing but knee high boots and a large, transparent, red wrap that
hung around her shoulders and hung down to her hips. She was naked
underneath it. Now thirteen and not yet five feet tall, she was
maturing into an exceptional beauty and she knew it. She had an
elfish face with those same wide, innocent eyes that Gina had at her
age plus a cute button nose and full, pouty lips. Her breasts had
grown some, but were still small, with tiny nipples that pointed
almost straight up. Her long red-black hair hung straight down almost
to her butt, her dark pussy hair was shaved into a little heart. She
oozed sex from every pore in her body. Even barefoot, her narrow hips
swished when she walked. In an age when everybody had multiple sex
partners, she was, incredibly, considered loose. Boys and girls
flocked to her and she gave her hot little body up to them with
complete abandon, fucking them in pairs, trios, the more the merrier.
She had over a thousand people in her sex circle, and the number was
growing by leaps and bounds. The people at the Community Center all
knew her by name and joked with her. "We ought to set up a Center at
your home. That would save you a lot of trips back and forth here." 
     Gina felt a familiar twinge of lust for her sister as they set
the table together. She has that effect on everybody, she thought. No
one could resist her charms, she had a sixth sense about what turned
people on and made full use of it. For some, she would be childlike
and submissive, for others an aggressive seductress, whatever the
occasion demanded. Knowing how to get whatever she wanted by using
her body, she relished the sense of power that was hers.
     When the table was set, Gina sat down in one of the chairs. Lisa
slithered over and sat on Gina's lap, facing away. Grinding her tiny
bottom into Gina's lap she cooed. "Been thinking about me, sis?"
     Gina, smelling her little sister's sweet, perfumed body, began
losing control of herself, She took a handful or long, soft hair and
held it to her nose, inhaling deeply, smelling the clean scent of
shampoo. She began to run her other hand along her sister's smooth,
perfect shoulders. Her nipples grew hard. "What are you doing
tonight, kiddo?" she asked.
     "Dance school." Lisa had talked mom and dad into ballet lessons,
she was pretty good at it. She purred like a kitten and spread her
legs apart. Gina lightly ran her fingertip around Lisa's perfect
pussy lips. She was getting hot.
     Suddenly, Lisa stood up, turned around and kissed her sister.
Pulling back, she said, "Tonight, sis. I'll be waiting." She skipped
out of the room, leaving Gina simmering from unfulfilled desire.
     "Shit!" she thought. "Fucking little tease!" That was Lisa's
way, to get someone's juices flowing, then pull back. She was a
fisherman of love, reel them in, give them a little line, then reel
in some more. There was no malice involved, she had simply learned
that it would make the inevitable mating that much more exciting. It
was also how she exerted control, using her body to wrap other people
around her little finger. Only with Kevin, who had deflowered her
almost three years ago, did she lose control. When they fucked, it
was always she who came first, begging for more. Kevin could last a
good couple of hours or so, but no one man could outlast Lisa. Maybe
that was why she ran from person to person so frantically. She was
looking for a replacement for her darling brother. Wondering if Lisa
ever felt those same dark feelings that she had, she was interrupted
by her mother bringing in bowls of food.

                              Chapter 9
                            The Melt Down

"Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value from joy
you must have someone to divide it with."
     MARK TWAIN

"Come now my loyal subject, why do you look so sad? Have you
forgotten the penalty for being unhappy?"
     DR. DOOM, Fantastic Four Comic Book

     Tony Alverez fucked Wendy Graves.
     Wendy Graves sucked her brother Zach Grave's tool.
     Zach Graves pushed a second finger into Gloria Hobbes vagina.
     Gloria Hobbes pulled Matt Leher's slightly bent dick deeply into
her mouth.
     Matt Leher switched the vibrator on and ran it in and out of
Eddie Stanton's rectum.
     Eddie Stanton ran a feather over Betty Vine's pussy, causing her
bound body to squirm with laughter.
     Betty Vine lay on her back, her arms tied firmly to her sides,
while the wet, hot hole of Mary Young rubbed against her face.
     Mary Young alternately caressed and gently squeezed the balls of
Tony Alverez while she kissed his buttocks, laying down a motif red
lipstick marks.

     The party was in full swing. 

     A chorus of kids sat around them, cheering and providing a
running commentary. Suddenly, Betty Vine climaxed loudly. Her pussy
muscles contracted and her mouth formed a round 'O' shape. "Oh...
oh... oh yeah! Oh, I'm cumming!" Her arms bound tightly to her, she
kicked her legs, banging the soles of her feet on the rug. When she
settled down, a couple of kids came forward and carried her out of
the loop. Eddie Stanton and Mary Young moved together to relink the
chain.
     Eddie began using his devilish feather on Mary's eager body.
"One more down, seven left to go. Mary, I got your number, you're
mine!"
     "Why don't you put your feather where your mouth is, stud!" Mary
laughed back.

     This was a popular game at kids parties. Sort of a cross between
musical chairs and an orgy. As people orgasmed, they were removed
from the chain. The last one left was the winner. Or the loser,
depending on your point of view.

     One by one the kids dropped out of the chain. This chain had
been formed in alphabetical order. Several kids who had lost (or won)
early were either masturbating as they watched the game, or paired
off and screwed each other.

     Mary knew Eddie's skill with the feather. She tried to put him
out of her mind and concentrate on Tony in front of her. But she was
very ticklish and knew she wouldn't last long. Fortunately for Mary,
Eddie lasted even less. Kneeling, with his elbows on the rug, with
Matt's face between his legs, his anus was burning under the
ministrations of the vibrator. Knowing that he was close, Matt took
his cock in hand. Giving it a few swift strokes he pulled the tool
out of his ass and rubbed it back and forth on his balls, while
aiming the cock at his open mouth. That was all it took for Eddie who
came hard, cum spurting out his cock and covering Matt's tongue and
lips. Matt moved his head up and slurped every last drop of the milky
fluid from the tip. Eddie fell to his side when his prick stopped
pulsing and was dragged out of the chain. Matt moved up behind Mary
and set forth to repeat his performance.

     Wendy loved her brother's cock. She loved everything about it,
the feel, the smell, the taste. When they had been kids they had
fought like cats and dogs. They still did, but now the fights had a
tendency to turn into terrific sessions of shattering sex. They'd
roll around on the floor, each trying to gain an advantage over the
other, until their mom told them to take it outside. Wendy loved it
when she pinned her brother to the ground and forced her hand between
his legs. He'd squirm and twist against her, until she would have him
laying there limp with exhaustion and panting with lust. Then she'd
pull off her pants and push his choice cock into her eager pussy,
sucking face with him until they both exploded in titanic climaxes.
Her thoughts were making her hot, always a fatal mistake in a chain.
Her pussy began to contract around Tony's long, thick organ and she
whimpered helplessly as the orgasms poured through her.

     Zach lay on his back and fingered Gloria's twat. He felt a large
hand wrap itself around his hard cock. It was Tony. Like a lot of
boys at school, Zach was a little overwhelmed by Tony's masculinity.
He was big and strong, had started shaving at 14 and was a letterman
in three sports. His manliness seemed to make his male sex partners
seem feminine in comparison. Tony was a nice guy to hang with, if you
liked machismo. In an earlier age, he would have been a classic case
of denial, overcompensating for his unconscious desires with a
swaggering attitude and an exaggerated hostility for homosexuality.
Tony took his ten inch stick and lay it alongside Zach's six incher.
Taking both their cocks in his large hand, he stroked them together
and ran his other hand over Zach's body, feeling the tensing muscles
in his arms and chest. Tony's big pole reminded him of his father's,
he thought. Zach felt an indescribable feeling wash through him, his
legs wrapped around each other, and his balls tightened, causing him
to splash stream after stream onto his stomach.

     Mary was pleased with the way her party was going. All the kids
here were included in each other's sex circles, she had made sure of
that. Most of the kids around here were really popular in school.
There were a few nerds and geeks here, too, but she found that they
often served up the best cock and pussy you could find. Not that she
hung with them in school or anything like that, but it was hard to
snub somebody once you'd had your brains fucked out by them. Like was
happening to her now. Matt flipped the vibrator to the highest
setting and plunged it into her pussy like a man possessed. He knew
he had to hurry, his own blood was beginning to boil. He brought his
head down to Mary's clit and sucked it into his mouth, flicking it
with his tongue. His temples were throbbing as he felt his orgasm
approaching. Mary was ready to come also. Matt squeezed his eyes shut
tightly and dumped a load of semen down Gloria's throat while Mary
grabbed his head and pressed it hard against her cunt and drenched
him with her own come juice.

     Now it was down to Tony Alverez and Gloria Hobbes. Tony lay on
his back with Gloria sucking and jacking him off like a complete
nympho. Tony flicked Gloria's clit with his tongue and fucked both
her pussy and her ass with his first two fingers. Finally Gloria, no
longer able to hold back her desire, came with a thunderous shout,
losing control of her body and splashing Tony's face with her nectar.
Tony raised both fists in the air in triumph as an ovation of yeahs
and applause filled the room. 

     Gloria slid off of her lover and crawled away to mope and
recover. A dozen kids came to Tony and, as one, settled down to give
him his reward. Tony felt his whole body being pleasured. People were
kissing his mouth, blowing hot, wet breaths into his ears, sucking
his nipples, running hands through his hairy chest. There was a girl
bouncing on his cock while two others humped themselves on his legs.
Every so often they switched places. He held a stone hard penis in
each hand while the owners rocked themselves back and forth. As they
came they moved forward to splash their cum onto his hairy torso.
Then a new dick would find its way into his free hand. Tony was on
fire! He felt his sperm rising up through his cock, preparing to
shoot it's way skyward. Sonya Stuart, the girl who happened to be
riding him at the time, pulled off of him and gave him a few swift
strokes. Tony's first burst of white flew two feet into the air and
fell over his head. His shot a half dozen more streams, landing all
over him and onto the eager bodies of the teenagers attacking his
hot, sexy body.

     "OK Tony," Mary said, holding two bags closed and shaking them,
"First your prize." Tony reached into the bag and pulled out a card
and handed it to Mary, who glanced at it. "Drumroll, please... OK
Tony, you get.... nipple clamps!"
     "Damn," said Zach Graves. "I wanted the nipple clamps."
     Mary Young pulled an elastic cord with small alligator clips
attached to each end. Clipping each end onto one of Tony's erect
nipples, the cord stretched a bit, pulling Tony's furry pects
together.
     "Ouch! Mary watch out for the hairs."
     "Sorry. Now you may have the honors." Tony held one hand over
his eyes and pulled a slip of paper from the second bag. "'Arrange by
shoe size'", he announced. "'Ladies get a plus one size handicap.'"
     Kids began lining up and sorting themselves into the proper
order for this round. A few who had been in the kitchen came out to
join in the fun.

     The doorbell rang. Mary Young tapped her partners and pulled out
of the chain. "I'm out this round." Pulling a thin robe around
herself she went to open the door. Hannah and Irene stood there. She
invited them in.
     "Hannah! Welcome back, girl. Hey, it's about time you two got
here! You're missing all the good parts." 
     The girls burst into tears and threw themselves into Mary's
arms. "Oh Mary," Irene sobbed.
     "What's the matter?" By now people close by had stopped their
activities and were looking curiously at the trio.
     Hannah looked at Mary, her face a mask of horror, "It's Gina
Robinson. We were going to bring her along with us."
     "Gina?"

                    ------------------------------

     The family had finished dinner, and were enjoying the dessert
when Frank Robinson cleared his throat and tapped his glass with his
fork.
     "OK, family meeting, everyone." All eyes turned to him. He sat
there for a moment collecting his thoughts. "Um, well..." He paused
then went on again. "Kids, there's just no easy way to say this, so I
might as well give it to you straight. Your mother and I have decided
to split up."
     The room was deadly quiet for a long time. Gina felt a
strawberry flavored wave of nausea pass through her.
     Finally Kevin, who had, for once, lost his grin, asked the
inevitable question, "Why? Don't you love us anymore?"
     "No, no no! Don't ever think that! You kids are the most
precious things in our lives. Never doubt that for an instant!" He
held out his arms and gathered Kevin up, hugging him tightly. "I love
you all more than anything in the whole wide world. But you see son,
your mother and I..., well..., we just can't live together anymore."
     Kevin still looked worried, "I love you too, dad. But what's
going to happen?"
     "Well, for now I'm going to move out and get an apartment
downtown and Mindy and you kids'll stay here. I'll still see you kids
all the time, and you can come stay with me nights and weekends." He
looked tenderly into his son's face. "And we'll talk on the phone and
I'll still come to all your baseball games."
     Kevin's grin returned, a little weak. "You don't come to all my
games now."
     "Well then I'm gonna start!"
     Gina continued to sit there, numb. Lisa suddenly asked, "Does
this mean you'll be leaving each other's sex circle?" Gina jumped as
though she'd been slapped and stared at her little sister. "I mean,
if any of my friends found out that you guys petitioned for
dissolution, I'd never be able to show my face at school again."
     "No, of course not, Lisa. We just..."
     Gina grabbed her glass and threw it against the wall. It
shattered, leaving a dark stain on the wall and glass slivers raining
down onto the rug. "Lisa, you stupid bitch! Don't you get it? Mom and
dad are getting divorced! DIVORCED!" She grabbed her dessert plate
and flung it, frisbeee style. It left a glob of whipped cream and
strawberries on the wall next to the milk stain. She ran to the
doorway, turning to her family. "I hate you!" she screamed. "I hate
you all!"
     She ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. Locking the door,
she crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her. Sobbing, she
curled up and let her grief and misery pour out onto her pillow. She
lay there for a long, long time. Over and over the words of her
father kept replaying through her mind, till she could no longer
stand it. She felt like she was going insane, it was a terrible thing
to go mad and to know it, to be unable to prevent it. The blackness
closed in on you, driving out every good feeling you ever felt. And
the pain! The pain was a physical force, slicing through her, burning
her flesh like fire. No way to stop the pain, no way at all. No wait.
There was one way to stop the pain. An easy way. Gina slowly pulled
the covers from over her, then stood up. Walking across the room, she
stopped and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bright red
and her face wet from her tears. Her face was calm, though, dead
calm. She kissed her fingertips, pressed them to the reflection and
walked into the adjoining bathroom.

                              Chapter 10
                           The Prescription

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
     DYLAN THOMAS

"There are many who dare not kill themselves for fear of what the
neighbors will say."
     CYRIL CONNOLLY

     Blackness.
     More blackness.
     Take a black handkerchief, drop it, and let it drift to the
floor in a pitch black room. It falls to the ground in a second or
so. Now take away the lights, the furniture, the rug, the doors, the
walls, the ceiling, the floor, the handkerchief, the seconds, and
just keep the drifting.
     Was that a touch of grey? Or red? 
     No, still black.
     Yup, just blackness.

     Gina opened her eyes. She was lying in a bed. Not her own. White
sheets, white blanket. White sleeves, running down to her elbows.
     Gina swallowed. Ouch, that hurt.
     She had her tonsils removed when she was 10. Swallowing hurt
that time, too. She'd woken up in the hospital, and... 
     Wait a minute. That was years ago.
     Gina had swallowed an entire bottle of aspirin, topping it off
with most of a bottle of children's cold medicine. She had then gone
back to bed and lay there, waiting for the end. Instead, she became
violently ill, puking up her guts all over the comforter. Her parents
heard the commotion and busted the door open to find her laying in
the bathroom. She remembered lying in the back seat of the car, her
father breaking every speeding law in the book, while her mother
cradled her head. The car squealed to a stop. A small, bright light
shined in her eyes on her while a number of people shouted at each
other and at her. Then she had been placed onto a bed on wheels and
rolled around outside. Or did the bed happen before the light? She
couldn't remember.
     Her eyes focused and she moved them back and forth, scanning the
room. A hospital room. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her
mother, sleeping, curled up in a chair. "Mom?" she said. Or tried to,
all that came out was a soft croak.
     Mindy heard her daughter's voice and opened her eyes, leaping up
from the chair before fully awakening. She put her hands on Gina's
arms and gazed down at her. Her mascara had run, making black blobs
below her eyes. She broke down crying and placed Gina's head in her
bosom and wailed, "Oh baby, you had us so worried! I thought we were
going to lose you. Are you all right?" She went on crying, gently
shaking the bed and Gina's tired body with each sob.
     "Mmmmooooommmmmm?" Gina's dry throat rasped again. Her mother
looked up. "Thhhhhiiiirrrrsssttttyyy." She said slowly, enunciating
each syllable. Her mother picked up a squeeze bottle with a flexible
straw from the night stand. Bending the straw and placing it in
Gina's mouth, she held it the teenager sipped the water and the pain
in her throat subsided a little.
     "They had to pump your stomach, Gina. The doctor said you'd have
a sore throat for a day or so but you'd be all right." Then suddenly
switching from joy to anger, as only a mother can do, she snapped.
"Don't you ever do this to us again, young lady! We can work this
out, I promise you."
     "Ssssoooorrrrrrrrrrrryyyy," was all that she could say.
     "I'm sorry too, baby." Mindy stroked her daughter's hair and
held her close for a few minutes. "I need to call your father. He's
home with Kevin and Lisa. You just rest, honey. I'll be back in a few
minutes." She reached into her pockets for some change. "I didn't
bring my purse. I guess I'll have to call collect." She left.

     Gina lay there, staring at the ceiling. The memory of her
parent's announcement replayed itself in her mind a few more times.
Instead of the hurt and pain she had felt earlier, this time she just
felt numb, like it had all happened to someone else.
     "So your mom says you tried to kill yourself," she heard a voice
in the room say. There was a man in the next bed, behind a curtain.
He continued, his voice taking on a slight tone of derision, "After
eating a full meal, you take what, a few dozen aspirin and some cough
syrup? And you thought *that* would kill you? Extraordinary!"
     Gina closed her eyes tightly. The man continued, more
congenially. "You know, if you'd just thought about it rationally for
a minute, you'd have come up with any number of better ways. Don't
you have any drain cleaner under the sink? Or a knife or scissors?
Lie in the tub, snip, snip and fall asleep."
     Gina lay there, unable to keep from hearing his words. "Still, I
think you've made your point. There's no better way to punish a
parent than to threaten to take one of their children away, is there."
     That wasn't it at all, she thought. She just wanted to end the
pain she was feeling. The whole world had closed in on her, she
simply couldn't go on. She opened her mouth to tell him all these
things but all that came out was a unintelligible croak.
     "Oh well. Tomorrow's another day. G'night." Gina heard no more
from him. Almost immediately, her own fatigue caught up with her and
she slept, too.

     "Wake up Gina, it's time for breakfast." Gina opened her eyes
and sat up. A nurse set a tray of extremely unappetizing food in
front of her. "How's your throat feeling today?
     "Better," Gina replied softly. She could at least make words now.
     Taking a slip of paper from her pocket and setting it on the
tray, the nurse continued. "Your mom left a note for you." The nurse
went behind the curtains. "Wake up, Dr. Warren."
     The note explained that Mindy had been told by the nurse to go
home and come back in the morning. She would return about 10:00 AM
with her father and they could talk then, if Gina wanted. She loved
her daughter more than anything, and she had changed her mind. She
had decided not to divorce Frank. Just then, the nurse opened the
outside curtains and light flooded the room. Gina's spirits felt a
twinge of hope in the brightened space.
     The nurse continued, irritated, "Will you please wake up, Dr.
Warren. Here's your breakfast."
     "Good morning, nurse. My goodness, you're looking ugly today."
     "Doctor..." she started.
     "No really. I say to you, your exquisite beauty is matched only
by the delectable appeal of your haute, recovery ward cuisine. Are
you going to give me some coffee or not?"
     "Sorry, no coffee today. Here's some tea though."
     "Yeow!"
     "Oops, sorry." The nurse came back around the curtain and left,
muttering to Gina, "Doctors! Why do they always come to my floor?"
     Gina silently snickered, then slowly ate her pureed and
liquefied breakfast. Maybe mom and dad wouldn't get a divorce.
Feeling elated, she also felt guilty. Maybe the man had been right.
Maybe she'd used emotional blackmail to force her parents into
staying together.

     "Nurse, I'm finished." Dr. Warren shouted and called for the
nurse, but none showed. "Nurse! Oh crap. Um, excuse me there... Gina,
is it?... Can you help me for a second please?"
     "Fuck off," she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.
     He paused. "Yeah, I guess I deserved that. Hey kid. I'm sorry if
I was mean last night. Honest really, but I really do need some help.
My leg's broken and I can't stand up."
     Gina sighed and went to help him, if only to shut him up.
Slowly, she pushed her tray down the bed, pulled the covers off and
stood up. She was dressed in one of those hospital gowns with no back
to it. Holding onto the railing of her bed, she reached out and drew
back the curtain.
     A man lay in the bed with his leg in a cast, suspended in the
air by a rope on a pulley. "Could you put this tray on the table
there. Ah, thank you, that's better." Gina turned to return to her
bed. "Um, I don't mean to pry or anything, but if you'd like to talk