I found a parking spot, and we all piled out of the van. Riekie sort of knew her way around the hospital, and soon had us pointed toward the main hospital entrance. We checked in at the main information desk and Riekie made the enquiries. She showed her identification, and I heard the receptionist say, "Yes, Dr. Lloyd, Mr. Young is in Palliative Care. His wife is with him. There's no limit on the number of visitors or the length of their stay."
Riekie asked about day care for the children. The receptionist said there wasn't any because of the Christmas break, causing Riekie to roll her eyes skyward. People get sick everyday, regardless of holidays, and families still need to be with them. Young families often need temporary day care, so why wasn't there any today? The receptionist said it was OK to have children with the patients in Palliative Care, so day care wasn't even considered there. K.P. and D.J had latched onto me and wouldn't leave me anyway, so like it or not, they went with us to Ben's room. As we followed the receptionist's directions to the elevator, I asked Riekie. "Dr. Lloyd, not Dr. Scott-Lloyd or Dr. Scott?"
Riekie laughed. "The Scott-Lloyd is for family consumption, especially his, to let him know I am no longer a Scott, and to rub it in. I've been Hendrieka Maria Lloyd since I reached the age of majority, and I made sure he knew of the change. As soon as I legally could, I had my name legally changed. I promised you I would bear your name! I thought you knew already or had figured it out when I reminded you of the rest of my promise. I knew Carol Anne changed hers, but I guess she never knew about me for sure, because even with her I signed the coded one."
We were getting on the elevator as I told her. "You needn't worry about him any more. Did you get the message in September from your aunts about what happened the Friday before the funeral? I hoped you had changed your name, the hints were all there, but I had no way of checking for sure, and as recently as yesterday Carol Anne wasn't sure herself. Everything about us is out in the open with our families now. Even he knows all about us."
Diane was fairly quiet, listening to Riekie and me while we worked our way through the maze of hallways that made up this major Western hospital. She had the twins by the hand and their happy chatter kept her quite occupied.
Riekie sighed and said she got a message on her machine saying the family had divorced and shunned the old man, but didn't get the details; we could talk about that later. Then she became the professional physician and wanted to be brought up to date on Ben's condition. As we rode the elevator and walked the long hall to Palliative, I told her everything I knew. I told her that Ben's original prognosis appeared to be two years, but apparently he kept it to himself that that was the upper limit, until he talked to me when I convinced him to share this knowledge with Carol. I told her Ben and I started talking on the phone just after Dolly's funeral and had instantly become hard and fast friends. I told her Carol would have come home with me from the funeral, but owed Ben her friendship; she would stay with him until the end, and I agreed.
I told her Ben had been failing all fall, and about the increased meds and his growing pain and weakness. I said I wasn't sure what happened yesterday. Carol was so upset, we were only able to get the bare facts from her, but I understood he had been in incredible pain. After running some tests, the doctor had told Carol the cancer had spread like wildfire, he was in the terminal stages, and probably wouldn't last much past today, if that. That was when and why she called us all to her. She said Ben had been conscious when they brought him in, and he expressly asked her to call all of us even before his own sons.
At last we arrived at Palliative Care. We found out later we'd come the long way through the hospital -- the Unit had its own entrance. Riekie stopped at the nursing station, identified herself, and asked to see Ben's chart. The twins broke from Diane and clung to their mother, sensing something dramatic. Riekie waved Diane and me ahead while she spoke quietly with the twins. I heard her explaining why we were here. I looked back to see her hugging them as she talked. We steeled ourselves, held hands, and opened the door to his room. I scanned the room as we entered; Riekie and the twins were a little behind us. What I saw only took a split second to register.
The first thing I noticed was that this was not your typical hospital room. While it had all the modern equipment and monitors, it was a spacious, airy room done in soft warm colours. Besides the bed, there were easy chairs and a comfortable settee for visitors. A TV in the corner and a table with four chairs completed the room. A serious attempt had been made to make the room as comfortable as possible for the terminally ill and the family waiting for the inevitable. It seemed more like a hospital equipped motel room. There was even a small artificial Christmas tree complete with lights.
The second thing I saw was the patient. I had never met Ben, but he looked familiar even in his emaciated state. Diane noticed it too, and nudged me. Then it hit me! This man could have been my brother! Carol had never mentioned the resemblance. I wondered if Ben knew of it. I understood now why she had become so attached to him. They say every person has a double, and I was looking at mine, older, thin, and wasted as he was. Ben appeared to be sleeping, his face turned toward us, as we came into the room. The heart monitor quietly beeped a slow steady rhythm.
The last thing I focused on was Carol herself. She was sitting in a straight-back chair pulled up close to the bed, and was holding Ben's hand. She was the only other person present. She seemed to be dozing herself. Despite the worry and fear, she was beautiful -- her gorgeous hair fell in waves around her shoulders, and you could still see the wonderful glow of pregnancy. She wore a warm sweater that still managed to show off her lovely breasts, obviously braless, and her wool kilt fitted her hips nicely, the split at the wrap revealing an interesting amount of leg. The kilt was an excellent choice, as the wrap around design allowed her to adjust for her swelling tummy. She was only three months gone, but even sitting, she was showing.
I heard Diane gasp beside me, and as I looked at her, her eyes were fixed firmly on Carol. She whispered, "Even more beautiful in person."
Carol bolted at the sudden noise in the room. She didn't see Riekie and the kids as they hung back by the door, but she saw us. A wondrous smile lit up her tear stained face, she jumped to her feet and ran to us, arms outstretched, exclaiming, "Daaavvviiidd!! Muufffiiinn!!"
She ran into our arms, hugging and kissing frantically. She gave me one of her patented tongue-suck mind-wrenching kisses that seemed to suck my toes right up through my mouth, lasting a short lifetime. I felt my penis rising against her, and despite her slight tummy, she ground right back into me, moaning into my mouth. At last we broke from the kiss, and she immediately turned to Diane. "Muffin! Oh Muffin! You're lovelier and sexier than your pictures."
Carol and Diane stood looking at each other, holding hands for a few seconds, then melted together in a soul-searing kiss almost too erotic to watch. I felt a hand touch my arm. Riekie had moved up beside me. I slipped my arm around her as Carol and Diane got lost in their kiss. Riekie leaned into me her breathing fast as she watched this tableau then a small spasm rocketed through her. She breathed, "Hot! So HOT! I really gotta change my panties!" I laughed. Riekie hadn't changed a bit!
I felt a small hand clasp mine and looked down. K.P., her other hand holding D.J.'s, had taken my hand. She asked in the silence of the room, "Daddy? Why is Mommy Diane kissing Aunty Carol?"
I gave her the only answer possible. "Because they love each other very much, Kiddo, and they haven't seen each other in a long time. Do you remember when Mommy kissed Daddy, and she was so happy? It's the same thing."
The sound of voices drew the girls back from whatever heaven they'd flown off to. Diane and Riekie had shared a very passionate kiss, but what these two shared was more like one any one of the girls shared with me. Yes, it was passionate, but the love just flowed and surrounded them with a warm glow. As Carol's eyes focused, she saw Riekie, got a nod from Diane, stepped away from her, and went to her sister. She seemed tentative, nervous. Riekie held out her arms, and Carol flowed into her embrace. Riekie tilted her lips up to Carol in invitation, and they shared their first soul kiss in almost twenty years. Their kiss was as intense as what Carol had shared with Diane or me.
To me, this was the breakthrough -- Carol and Riekie had re-connected! All should be well in my world, now, I thought. Diane curled into my side where Riekie had been until she merged with Carol. I glanced down; her eyes were shining with love, a tear of happiness trickling down her cheek. Her breathing quickened and a spasm shot through her small body, too. "So HOT! So God damn HOT! Now I'm soaked!" So much like Carol! So much like Riekie! This little pixie princess seemed to bridge and blend their differences.
Carol and Riekie broke slowly from their kiss, murmuring endearments. Carol moved back to cuddle Diane, and Riekie moved to my free side as D.J. asked me, "Daddy, is Mommy happy to see Aunty Carol, too?"
"What do you think, Child of Mine?" I had absolutely no doubt these were my kids, and talked to them just as I would Rhiannon.
"Oh, yeah! I think they love each other a lot, Daddy! Yup!" Had Riekie been teaching these little devils her 'little-girl-speak'?
"You guys know that Aunty Carol has your baby brother in her tummy, don't you?"
"Yes, Daddy, Mommy told us, but we knew anyway." These youngsters with the Sight were always unnerving, largely because of their ingenuousness. I wasn't quite used to Rhiannon's ability yet, and now here it was in stereo.
"Well then, seeing as she's his Mommy, don't you think you should call her 'Mommy Carol' now?"
Two sets of blue eyes regarded me seriously, their blonde heads nodded simultaneously and in stereo, they said. "Good idea, Daddy."
Carol turned mystified eyes to me and asked, incredulously, "Daddy?"
I shrugged. "Not sure of all the gory details myself, My Love, but it seems," I leered at Riekie, "that certain donations I made to a sperm bank way back in 1968 got Riekie-jacked, and were used to manufacture these delicious looking young munchkins here. D'ya think they're big enough to eat yet, or should we fatten 'em up a bit on the farm?" I untangled from sweet curves, grabbed for two handfuls of six-year old and started tickling. The little dolls squealed in delight.
Carol raised her eyebrows, held a finger to her lips for quiet then giggled. "Riekie-jacked?"
Riekie, always fast, dropped into a character I hadn't heard in years. "Yup! Ca-rol Anne! Da-vid and Swe-et Prince filled the cups aalll up! Yup! They did! A-and they did-n't make a aw-ful mess neither! Nope! Sweet Pus-sy took 'em an' ate 'em all up! Yup! She did!" Riekie held up her hands and counted on her fingers like a child. "She ate Wuuunn... twoooo... thureee... fow-er... four! hel-pings be-fore she got aaalll fil-led up w-with munch-kin ba-bies! Yup! She did! Yup!"
Carol doubled over, giggling. Diane stared at Riekie in wondering surprise and then she giggled too. The kids giggled and giggled. They'd obviously heard their mother's routine before. I started to say something to Riekie as 'David the adult' when I heard what sounded like a croaking sound from the bed. I looked toward Ben. He was awake, a huge smile on his haggard face, and he was laughing!
Riekie instantly became the health care professional, and quickly moved to Ben's side. She checked the IV drip and made a slight adjustment. Carol started to apologize for the racket and carrying on. Ben wheezed when he laughed, but he seemed OK otherwise; just weak. He held up his hand and shook his head at her not to stop the fun.
Ben beckoned me closer, and as he slowly got his breath back, he spoke to me, his voice little more than a whisper. "You people have so much fun! You have just got to be David for all these beautiful women to be so happy!"
I clasped his frail hand between mine and smiled warmly at my friend. "Yessir! Guilty as charged! And you must be the inestimable Benjamin!"
Ben croaked a laugh. "Yessir! Also guilty as charged! It's a huge pleasure to finally meet you in person! Carol Anne said we resembled each other, but I had no idea how much! David, my dear, dear friend, thank you for coming! I see you have the whole family with you except Rhiannon and Jenny. Too bad you had to rush and couldn't bring them."
I choked back the sudden lump in my throat. "The pleasure's all mine, Benjamin, and been too long coming." I wished fervently we had more time to get to know each other, but Ben and I knew his time was short. We'd both known it, though unspoken of and un-admitted, for weeks.
D.J heard what Ben said about the kids at home. She tiptoed to the bed as children often do with sick people, and said very seriously. "Rhian-non and Jenny are here, Uncle Ben, are-n't they, K.P?"
K.P. nodded and said very much the real little girl, "Yup! They are!"
We all turned wondering eyes to the children. Riekie asked them, "Where are they, Dears? We can't see them."
K.P. pointed to her head, and D.J. pointed to her heart. Somehow, these little darlings were connected to their sisters thousands of miles away. I had little doubt that Mom and the rest of the family were having a similar conversation at home. I took a flyer, and told them. "Tell Rhiannon to tell Nanny we made it OK, and we're all together now."
A look of fierce concentration appeared on the faces of my new daughters. Soon they relaxed and smiled. K.P. (I was amazed at how quickly I learned to tell them apart!) said, "That was hard! We scared Jenny! She's still too little, but Rhian-non heard us, and she told Nanny. She says it's snowing! Clyde was barking! He's so funny!" She giggled like any little kid.
Riekie, startled, asked, her face losing its colour. "Clyde?"
I laughed. "Dad's Lab puppy. He named him after the old one. He's a lot like him, too!"
D.J. piped up. "Daddy? Who were those other people? I think I should know them, but I don't."
Before answering, I checked with Ben. "Hey, Bud! You up to listening while Carol Anne, Muffin and I bring Riekie and the kids up to date?" I turned back to D.J. "I'll tell you who those people are, Sweetie, but it's part of a long story."
Ben grinned and whispered. "I thought you'd never start! I fell asleep the other night and never did hear all the news. I'll try to stay awake now, but don't take too long, Ok? Carol Anne, did you get hold of Bob and Beth and the boys?"
Carol replied, "Yes, Dear. Beth will be over later. Robbie and Jamie were in earlier while you were sleeping. They've gone to finish some business then they'll be back. Bob is driving in from Vancouver, but there was a snow storm on the Trans Canada, so he might be delayed."
A nurse knocked on the door, and asked if we would like lunch brought to the room. Incredulous, I asked, "For all of us?"
"Yes, sir. It's part of the care package. We don't want visitors to feel they have to leave just to eat." She laughed and continued, "It's not restaurant fare, just regular hospital food, or you can order in from a selection of real restaurants, too, if you prefer. You have to pay for that, though."
I had two sets of small hands pulling at me. I knelt down while they whispered in my ear. I grinned.
"Do you order for us, or do we order ourselves?"
She smiled when she saw the munchkins whisper to me. "I can order for you, if you want, what would you like?"
"Could you get us an extra large Hawaiian Pizza with extra cheese? I seem to have had a special request."
Riekie scolded, "You've only known your kids for a couple hours, and already they have you wrapped around your finger so you're spoiling them!"
I laughed, "Ah, Mom! It's Christmas Eve in a strange town! Cut 'em some slack, eh?"
Two small voices piped up happily, "Yeah, Mom. Cut us some slack, eh?"
The pizza ordered, I casually parked on the foot of Ben's bed to begin our story. The three women sat on the settee, Riekie in the middle, with the other two cuddled up to her on either side. The kids climbed into Riekie and Diane's laps. They probably would have climbed onto Carol, too, but her tummy was prominent enough even at three months to preclude lap-sitting by kids.
I gathered my thoughts together, and asked the room in general, "Where do I start?"
The room chorused, "The beginning!"
"Ah, but which beginning? All the way back to June 1965, or more recently?"
Ben suggested, "Start with the funeral. There's older stuff that relates, but you can back up to it as needed."
"Ben, I knew I kept you around for something! OK, Benjamin, Carol Anne, Muffin, you know the drill. If there's something I miss or you feel should be added for clarification, speak up. Riekie, if you have a question, ask it when it pops up. OK?"
I started the story with Bob asking me to be him, which they all knew. I told about Friday when I left, and finding my ring in my old tool pouch. I even told about Diane's sudden sexuality that day. I told about the drive up, and how I'd relived the past twenty years right to that day. I mentioned Roy's revelation in July, that I had a good idea who the perpetrator had been, and that was one of the reasons I acceded to Bob's request.
I told about my arrival at the aunts' and our wonderful conversation. I revealed to Riekie the secret of their lost love, and about Paul and Kit. I spoke of my promise to make a Holy Quest to find Paul for them.
Riekie wasn't as surprised as I thought she would be. She said she'd listened closely to what Dad had surmised all those years ago, and had almost put two and two together herself, especially from little hints she gathered while she lived with Pie and Jo when she was at U of T. She was horrified at what her father had done to Jo, and finally learned why the family hated him so much. Before I got to the part at the house, I'd already built quite a case against her father, and as she had her own reasons to despise him, she muttered to herself constantly about 'that god damn son-of-a-bitch.' Riekie had always been freer with her use of profanity than Carol, especially under stress. Carol, under the same conditions, was more likely to use obscenity than profanity.
I told about Carol's and my first meeting after twenty years, and how it was like the first time, except maybe more intense. Carol interjected and said it was. I told of how Carol still bore her burden of guilt and shame, how much it hurt me to still see it after all those years, and of my vow to put some emotion in her eyes, even if it was anger. Riekie hugged Carol tightly on this, and all three cried. We both told of how we had held hands while Joanne kept that man busy as we walked to the house.
Carol got up and joined me on Ben's bed as we got to the next part. Diane and Riekie cuddled like they were listening to "The Shadow" on radio, the kids snuggled into their laps, spellbound. I started off by telling how Scott had said the trigger words that set me off and my ranting tantrum where I revealed what he'd done to Carol. Carol snuggled up to me through this whole part of the story. Carol got some laughs when she told how Scott had responded to almost literally being put on parade.
I told of how he had spanked Carol so brutally and how he told her he used her when he really didn't. Carol told, quite graphically of the spanking itself and how she fainted from the pain. She told of how that lie made her believe her body had betrayed her and how she believed she was a slut unworthy of us for almost twenty years. I told of how he admitted his lie to her and how he admitted he had my records altered. I told of Carol slapping him silly. Carol described how I had hit him when she revealed his attempt on Riekie. I noticed a shadow pass over Riekie's face at this. We told how we revealed our marriage to Scott, and his reaction of fear when he realized how deeply I felt the personal insult that he had messed with my wives.
We told everything, including telling him his rape of another was now known. I told of how Carol had divorced him from the family and shunned him. Carol got great delight out of telling how I literally kicked him out the door. At the end of this part, Carol told how she felt she'd been healed then she threw her arms around my neck, kissed me most tenderly, and declared with a joyous smile, "My Hero!"
Riekie and Diane hugged their charges tightly, then they actually applauded!
After we told about Scott's humiliation and confession, we told about Carol's 'ulterior' motive for coming East, namely to get me to make a baby with her for her and Ben. She and Diane told about getting Diane's permission and ultimately blessing for that enterprise. We told about Rhiannon's knowing of it in advance, and we told about the wild weekend that ended at the old barn and Carol's instant knowing she was pregnant. Riekie shared with Carol what she'd told Diane and me earlier, that she felt she was with us, making Carol very happy indeed. We dropped a bombshell on Riekie when we told her Carol was actually pregnant with two babies, fraternal twins, and that she knew when the second was conceived as well. We also told her we knew through Rhiannon that the first was a boy and the second was a girl. The twins then told us all that Rhiannon was right.
The pizza arrived, I paid for it and we took some time to eat lunch. The nurse brought us some cold drinks. Those kids could sure eat pizza! The nursing staff used this time to check Ben's IV and change his dressing. Before I went on with the story, we made sure the little ones used the bathroom. Once everyone had eaten, and the mess cleaned up, I resumed right after Carol's and my big weekend of making babies.
I didn't go into Ben's rapidly worsening illness, which Riekie already knew of, but I did tell her about Roy's investigation and that he'd found out independently about her father's duplicity with my records and that whole scandal still brewing. I told how Carol and I had revealed to Diane our whole story. Diane told of the effect it had on her. Carol and Diane told Riekie how they had fallen in love sight unseen, first realizing it at the time of the funeral.
I told of Diane's awakening sexuality as a 'My Girl', a woman of Wicca and the Old Ways. At this point, in order for her to understand the importance of Diane's awakening, I had to back up and tell Riekie about Diane's abuse at the hands of her step father. Riekie was like me -- if the man hadn't already been dead, he soon would have been, painfully and slowly. Diane offered some information here, but said it was now like it happened to another person or in another lifetime. In a sense, both were right.
I told about Patty and Roy's Thanksgiving visit and his revelation that Scott had disappeared, the MP's and Mounties hot on his tail. I also told them all, because I didn't think I had before, that Diane and I had revealed our whole story to Patty and Roy, and that as true friends, they were fully supportive of us, and felt they still owed me because I'd given up so much for them. Carol was moved by this news. She had always been leery of Patty, but hearing this, she warmed to her and wanted to meet her. Would the good news never stop? I hoped not.
I told about starting my search for both Diane's real father and Paul Koorstis, and how easy it had been to find her father just by pulling her file when I went to get her a replacement birth certificate. I told Riekie about Diane's reunion with him, and how he became a fixture at the farm on weekends and the kids' total acceptance of him. I told her of us breaking the news to Diane's dad about our multiple marriage and that Carol was pregnant with my twins and his total acceptance of that.
That brought us up to ten days ago. I told Riekie about inviting the aunts to the farm to stay as long as they liked, and that I had fetched them home. Then I laid the bombshell on her. "Riekie, I wish you and Carol Anne could have been there last Friday night! I arrived with Pie and Jo earlier in the afternoon just ahead of a major snow storm. Muffin's dad didn't arrive until later, close to supper time. As a matter of fact, Dad and I had to rescue him from a snow bank.
"You should have seen what happened when he walked in the kitchen, and met Pie and Jo! It was priceless! I never heard or saw so much joy in my life!"
Riekie interrupted me. "Why would Muffin's (Riekie fell naturally into calling Diane 'Muffin', and I saw that person almost swoon when she did.) father cause such a stir with Tante Pie and Tante Jo, unless..."
"Yes, Riekie, Paul Curtis and Paul Koorstis are one and the same. I discovered it that first day. When I looked through Muffin's file, there was a court order for her name to be changed from Koorstis to Curtis. When I saw Paul later that day, I didn't reveal that I knew his sisters or any of his family except Muffin and her sister. I just told him I found a curious document that should have been sealed, and asked him to verify it for me. He didn't hesitate."
Riekie interrupted again. "Muffin? You're our cousin, eh? I guess that makes us kissing cousins, then." She lowered her face toward Diane in open invitation.
Diane snuggled even closer to Riekie, raised her own lips and kissed Riekie sweetly. As she broke from the tender kiss, Diane said, "I wouldn't have it any other way, Cuz! You can kiss any part of me you want..." Something magical seemed to pass between them on that exchange. Then Diane giggled.
After their playful interruption, I forged on. "Paul didn't care who knew about the name change. He had nothing to hide. His ex-wife, Muffin's mother, made him change the family name because she didn't like Koorstis, and wanted it anglicized. Apparently the phone company never did get it right in the pone book, and the name was always listed as Koortis, which is where she got the idea, and probably why the family couldn't find him. I had twigged to the similarities between Koorstis and Curtis earlier, especially when both of these supposedly different people had the same first name. I didn't mention Paul Curtis' name earlier, Riekie, because I didn't want to spoil the surprise for you. You might have clued into the similarity of the names and jumped to the right conclusion before I got to bomb you.
"This fall, as Muffin matured as a woman of Wicca and a 'My Girl' I kept noticing things about her that not only reminded me of you and Carol Anne, but things she did that were identical. These traits seemed more to be a family trait than just generalized Wiccan behavior. When I found that court order, and Paul verified it, all the pieces came together. After that, it was just a matter of timing to get Paul and your aunts together.
"I had to keep it secret to avoid even the smallest chance of an accidental slip. Paul and the girls, especially Pie, were sufficiently estranged originally, that the only way to reconcile them was by surprise. Paul himself told me if he'd known in advance, he would probably have ducked out. As it turned out, it was a happy tearful reunion, but it needed some help, too. Do you know how old those girls were when they first married Paul?"
"No, they never said, just that they were young like us."
"Oh, they were young, alright. Pie was fourteen when she was pregnant with Kit, and Jo was thirteen. Pie got jealous as only a fourteen-year old can, and at the same time was afraid if Jo consummated her marriage, she'd get pregnant too, at an even younger age. Pie, in a fit of terror and pique at Paul because he wanted to be with Jo, drove him out and cut their string. She didn't realize the irrevocability of what she'd done, but he did. He left and never looked back.
"That caused a problem when I tried to re-unite them, because they wouldn't sleep together without being married. Mom looked after that, but before they wed, Pie apologized for her behavior, and asked their forgiveness, which they gladly gave. So Paul and Pie and Jo are now married and living at the farm until they decide what to do with their respective houses. Their wedding night a week ago Friday sounded almost like us that New Years Eve. I'm afraid Muffin and I got caught up in it ourselves. Muffin had gone off the Pill the month before and we were trying to get pregnant anyway, and that night we did get her pregnant. The neat thing about that was, she knew when she was, just like Carol Anne and you. That was the final step in her becoming a fully realized woman of Wicca and a 'My Girl'." I stopped to catch my breath. I checked Ben. He was still awake and listening, a small smile on his face. Hearing it in person was a lot better than over the phone.
Riekie, still reeling from the news about Paul, laughed a little apprehensively, "Something tells me you have more bombs to drop."
I laughed. "Just one, and depending on how you look at it, it could be nuclear. You see, that Friday night was Jo's true wedding night. We don't count the rape by your father as anything more than a horrible accident, meaning in her own mind and heart, which is where it counts, Jo was still a virgin, even at age sixty. Now, Diane and I can tell you, if you girls look even remotely like those two do at that age, then you're probably going to be making babies, or trying to, well into your nineties."
Diane spoke up. "He's not kidding, Riekie — they're beautiful, sexy creatures I know, I was their Witness, just like you were for David and Carol Anne, and they behaved just like David said she did. They may be in their sixties by the calendar, but physically, they're not much older than you or Carol Anne. It's absolutely amazing!"
Carol added her two cents' worth. "Yeah! I saw them when they gave me that ritual bath! Awesome!"
I continued after the interruptions. "Anyway, Riekie, what this boils down to, and I think you may have guessed it already -- just like her sister before her, Jo got pregnant on her first time. And just like Carol Anne, Muffin and you, she knew as soon as it happened."
Riekie was stunned. "You mean my spinster aunts are at the farm fucking like minks and Tante Jo is pregnant?"
"They're NOT spinsters, Hon. They retied the cut knot, hoping to get Paul back someday, but still married to each other. Mom tied them a brand new one for the three of them. In their minds, they were always married, so they're not spinsters. They're as married as us, and enjoying their marriage bed just like we did and plan to do again."
That completed my story, but I still had to answer D.J.'s question. I could see the kids were getting tired, and so did their mother. She said she was going to check something at the nursing station, and left the room. While she was gone, I asked the kids. "Have you figured out who those other people were with Rhiannon yet?"
D.J said, "Yes, Daddy, it was Grampa Paul and Oma Pie and Oma Jo."
I said, "That's close enough. Yes, they're at the farm looking after Rhiannon and Jenny while Mommy Diane and I are here with you."
Just then, Riekie came back into the room, followed by an orderly wheeling in a bed. She had him place it on the far side of the room. She turned to the kids and said, "C'mon you two, nap time."
The twins groaned and moaned, bravely trying to stifle their yawns, "Ah, Mommy, do we hafta?"
"You were up very early to come here, and now you can hardly stay awake. You can have a nap with Uncle Ben. I think he's about ready to go to sleep too."
"Ben smiled and whispered. Yes, I'm tired now. David's stories always tire me out. There's so much goes on in them."
I got up off the bed so Ben could stretch his legs out and have a nap. I was nervous of him maybe slipping away, but that's why we were there, really, to be with him when he did.
Ben drifted off to sleep. Riekie finished undressing the kids to their underwear and tucked them into the big hospital bed. Soon they were sleeping peacefully. I walked over to her and slid my arm around her waist as we watched our two darlings sleep. I whispered to her as she cuddled close. "We said someday we'd watch some of our own sleep. You've made me a very happy man today, despite the circumstances."
Riekie hummed her pleasure at my words, "Hmmmmm." She turned her lips upward for a kiss. I'd almost forgotten just how sweet it was to kiss this blonde beauty.
Diane and Carol had watched us happily. Diane knew our two at home and the one on the way got the same loving care these two now got, and Carol was waiting in eager anticipation of our twins being so loved. I was a little tired myself, as were the women. With Ben appearing to be sleeping fairly peacefully, and with the kids down for a nap, I thought it'd be Ok for us just to sit and relax for a while. I sat on the settee and sighed in comfort as the soft cushions took my weight.
A lithe body sat down next to me and Diane bumped me to the middle of the couch. The supple body of Riekie moved into my other side. The two of them cuddled up with an arm around my neck, then held their other arms out to Carol. She surveyed the seating arrangements and promptly lowered herself onto my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and she cooed in delight. "Oo-oo-oo. That's just what I need, David, just to have you hold me. I'm not so scared any more." She squirmed around a little and got comfy as she snuggled into my chest like a small child. The other two snuggled up with an arm each across Carol, and the other around me. Soon all three of them were asleep.
Given where we were, and why we there, I maybe shouldn't have felt so good, but damn it! Here I was, cuddled up with the three most beautiful women in the world, feeling like the King of the World! As I drifted into sleep myself, I couldn't help but think, "The King is back!"