Second That Emotion
by
Latikia
Copyright © 2006
Chapter 21
We spent the rest of the day in and out of bed, chasing and fleeing, giggling and squealing…the usual stuff that young lovers do. Izzy even convinced me to paddle her bottom again.
When we went down to eat dinner with Dad that night, the first words out of his mouth were, “Definitely not soundproof.” Izzy blushed a very bright shade of red. I just smiled and tried to look as innocent as I could.
“Your mother found out by accident. She came back home to look for a file she’d misplaced and heard the two of you upstairs. According to her description, one of you with a high pitched voice was very, very vocal.”
“Why didn’t either of you ever say anything?” I asked.
Dad shrugged.
“We talked it over and decided that since the two of you hadn’t gone nuts and started humping like bunnies we should stay out of it. We, well…your mother, figured that whatever had happened had been beneficial to both of you. Isabeau went back to being her sweet loveable old self, and you came out of your shell and started behaving with more confidence.”
“It was only that one time, Dad, and we didn’t have sex…exactly.”
Dad smiled at his little girl. “We’re getting into the realm of ‘too much information’.”
Izzy blushed even more. “Sorry.”
“Anyway, what I was trying to say, in my long winded and round about way, is the two of you don’t have to hide your feelings around me. But try to keep the physical stuff under wraps, huh? An old fart like me could see something he’s not supposed to and have a stroke.”
He couldn’t come right out and say it, but this was Dad’s way of telling us we had his blessing and Izzy knew it.
She went and climbed into his lap and hugged him tight, just like she used to when she was little.
“So tell me,” he asked, Izzy’s ear next to his lips “are you going with your brother when he goes back east?”
“Yes. I’ll get a new job; Ike’s already accepted an offer from the CIA.”
“Really? Doing what, if you don’t mind me asking?” he looked around Izzy to see me.
“Deputy to the Deputy Director of Internal Security. Fancy talk for assistant spy catcher.”
He whistled lowly. “Impressive. Aren’t you a little young for such a senior government job?”
“I thought so, but the DDIS, Dr. Wills, said it was a prerogative of his job to select his own successor.” I shrugged. “He picked me.”
“Well, at least you won’t have to spend a lot of time looking for work once you’re out of the Army. Have you given any thought to how the two of you are going to explain your living together to the rest of the world?”
Izzy frowned and looked over at me. I smiled reassuringly.
“What’s to explain? We’ll just be a young widower working for the government, living with his old maid sister and sharing a house to save on expenses. What could be more innocent?”
Izzy stuck her tongue out at me.
Dad laughed and hugged Izzy.
“I was thinking we should head back before my leave is up. It would give us time to find a place for Izzy to stay while I finish up at the hospital. Once she’s settled in we can have a change of address done, get her a new driver’s license, credit cards…that sort of thing.”
“You have a car, right?” she asked.
“Yeah, I don’t have much use for it right now so you can use it during the week for job hunting and what ever else you want to do, and come get me on the weekends. I’ve got about thirty thousand dollars in the bank, so we won’t be hurting while you find something you want to do and I start with the CIA.”
I paused, thinking hard for a moment.
“You know what, Izzy? I have no idea what kind of work you want to do. What was your degree in?”
“Primary Education. I taught grade school, before Richard made me stop.”
“Well, that should make things easier. There’s always a need for good teachers. I’ll bet there are plenty of openings in public or private schools for someone as smart and talented as you.”
Izzy beamed at me, soaking up the praise. “You ego booster.” She chided.
“Just returning the favor, sweetie.”
Dad groaned. “It’s getting to sickly sweet in here for me. I’m going to finish working on my case files for tomorrow.” He shifted Izzy off his lap and got up. “Just remember to take good care of each other. And don’t take anything for granted. Never assume that the other knows what you’re thinking. See you in the morning.”
Izzy kissed him and gave him a big hug. I stood up and approached them. When Izzy backed away I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around my Dad for the first time I could remember.
“Thank you. For everything.” I said. I was finally developing respect and admiration for the man…and even love.
“You’re welcome, son.” He smiled warmly at us both then headed off to his den.
Izzy and I stared at each other.
“I think tomorrow we should buy plane tickets and get packed. And there’s one other thing I want to do before we leave.”
“What?”
“You’ll see. But that’s for tomorrow. What should we do for the rest of the evening?”
She frowned for a moment, deep in thought and then smiled widely.
“We could get drunk and play naked in the snow!”
I snorted. “I think I’ve done enough of that for the rest of my life, thank you very much.”
“Aww…spoil sport! It’s a shame, ‘cause you look really sexy when you’re blue.” she said with a leer in her voice.
She turned and slipped her arm around my waist.
“I’m sorry I punched you in the eye.”
“You didn’t mean it.”
“I’m really sorry I didn’t notice it sooner.”
“It was an accident. Nothing to forgive, nothing to be sorry for.”
“I love you, little brother.”
“I love you too, big sister.” I reached down and palmed one butt cheek. She squeaked and grinned at me.
“Race you upstairs. Loser licks the winner?” She pushed away from me and charged out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
I followed her out, turning off the lights as I went. I didn’t mind losing this game.
It was a much nicer dream I woke from than any I’d had in a very long time. Soft skin, warm skin, pressed against me and trembling. I thrust my hips and the trembling increased. I opened my eyes.
We lay in bed, spooned together beneath the blankets. Izzy pressed back, grinding her hips and ass into my groin, my morning erection slid between her tightly clenched thighs and rubbed the length of her moist lower lips.
I reached around and lay my hand over her breasts, thumb and pinky each pressing and rubbing a hard little nipple. I kissed then licked her graceful neck.
“Mmmmm…” she murmured dreamily and trembled even more.
I linked with my beautiful sister and added another small ember of my love to her inner ring.
“Oooooh…!” her entire body spasmed as a small orgasm rippled thru her.
“Good morning lover.” I whispered in her ear.
She leaned back, throwing her arm around my hip and slapped me on the ass.
“Ummm…you naughty boy. You make me feel so good.” she purred.
“As good as you make me feel?” I wondered aloud.
“I only wish I could make you feel this good.”
“Believe me, you do. Just having you next to me, the touch of your sweet body, the heat of your passion, and the intensity of your lust is more than any man deserves or could ask for.”
Izzy snorted and started laughing. “You sweet talking, silver tongued devil.” She wiggled her butt and squeezed mine.
“ ‘No one understood the perfume
of the dark magnolia of your womb.
No one knew that you tormented
A hummingbird of love between your teeth.
A thousand Persian ponies fell asleep
In the moonlit plaza of your forehead,
While through four nights I embraced
Your waist, enemy of the snow…’ ” I recited softly, the words rumbling in my chest. Lorca could be depressing as all get out at times, but he knew how to sweet talk a woman.
Izzy sighed and her pussy gushed over my still hard shaft.
“Are you trying to seduce me, little brother?”
“Every minute of every hour of every day, my love. How am I doing so far?”
“I’m seduced, I’m seduced.” she moaned.
I rolled her onto her back, slid on top, forced my legs between hers and thrust deep inside.
“Oh baby, yessss, yesss.”
Our mouths locked and tongues fought for domination as our hips slammed together, skin slapping skin.
Her legs lifted up almost vertical, giving me more room and freedom to move. I reached back and hooked her legs with my arms and brought them up over my shoulders, pinning her shoulders back and lifting her hips. I hammered harder, deeper and faster.
Izzy groaned and grunted into my mouth, her eyes shut tight and her hands clawing the muscles of my back.
I erupted, driving deep one last time and grinding mercilessly against and into her softness.
Her inner walls clamped down hard and milked the length of my shaft with hot, rippling urgency, clenching and releasing, clenching and releasing as she bucked and twisted against my exhausted frame.
Our lips relaxed and released one another. Tears ran down both our faces. I licked the shiny, salty liquid from her cheeks and kissed her nose.
“That’s how good you make me feel, lover.”
I eased her legs down off my shoulders. They wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me firmly within her. Izzy pulled me down and cried softly.
“I don’t deserve you.” she wept softly.
“No, you deserve better. But you’re stuck with me.”
Suddenly she started laughing. “Stuck on you…stuck by you.” Her entire body shook with laughter. “Oh, my sweet, darling boy…stick me again?”
We did manage to get out of bed an hour later. Fortunately we’d gotten up fairly early, so we made it downstairs in time to have breakfast with Dad before he had to leave. He just looked at us as we entered the kitchen, shook his head and smiled.
After Dad left for the office, Izzy and I showered and cleaned up the house then got in the car and headed off to the mall…the same one she’d taken me to when I was thirteen. It was larger now, with more upscale stores and a basement level with an indoor roller skating rink. We went to the travel agent and booked two first class tickets for the following day to D.C. then we went window shopping.
I stopped in front of a jewelry store and was looking at the pendants. I’d planned on getting Izzy a many times belated birthday gift and was hoping to find something she’d like, when I started getting an itching sensation inside the back of my head. I glanced over at Izzy and saw her staring sadly at a collection of rings.
I pulled her inside and we went to the main counter.
A sales clerk came up and smiled at us. “Can I help you find something?” she asked.
“Yes, I’d like to see how that ring looks on my girlfriend.” I said, pointing to a fancy gold dinner ring.
Izzy beamed and stood a little taller next to me. “Ike, you don’t have to…”
“Shush…when was the last time I got you a birthday present? You’re overdue.”
While Izzy tried on different rings I motioned for the clerk to join me off to one side and whispered in her ear. She smiled brightly, nodded and hurried off.
Izzy looked up and saw me watching her.
“They’re very nice, but I don’t really like any of them that much.”
“Well, the lady said she had something in the back that might be more to your liking, so let’s wait and see, huh?”
The woman returned quickly, a small velvet ring box in hand and set it on the counter in front of my sister. Izzy stared at the box.
“Go on, see if you like it.” I said.
She picked it up and opened the lid.
“Oh my…!”
I took the box from her and removed the two matched rings. Bright and golden, one a thin, a simple band, the other one slightly thicker with a three carat diamond set within the gold.
I put the diamond ring on first, lifting and turning her hand around so she could see how it looked. I kissed her palm. Then I slipped the simple band on after the first and leaned in close, kissing Izzy on the cheek.
“With this ring, I thee wed.” I said softly.
She looked at me with shock. She looked down at the rings then back up at me. She flung her arms around my neck and nearly choked me into unconsciousness.
“I do, I do, I do!” she cried.
I turned the pair of us towards the sales lady. “We’ll take them.” I said thru mangled vocal cords.
I gave her one of my rarely used credit cards and she wrote up the sale. Then she made sure the rings fit Izzy’s finger, making a small adjustment to the diamond ring.
Izzy and I continued on with our window-shopping spree. In all my life I’d never seen her so happy and bubbling with energy. She bounced and skipped, giggled and laughed and hugged me every chance she got.
And when we got back to the house, my sister molested me to within an inch of my life.
We did laundry and packed our stuff; my duffle and her two medium gym bags. We were sitting in the living room discussing politics of all things, when Dad got home.
He decided to take us out for a farewell dinner, so off we went.
We sat in the dining room of one of the nicest restaurants in town, sipping wine and enjoying the food. Izzy left us to powder her nose. We rose with her and I watched her retreating backside, a tiny smile on my lips.
“I’ve never seen either of you look so happy.” Dad said as we sat back down.
“I haven’t been this happy before.”
“The rings are very lovely. But do you think that was wise?” he asked.
“Maybe not, but it’s such a small thing. And it reassures her that I mean it when I say I love her and I want her with me.”
“Symbolism is a powerful tool.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Take good care of my little girl Ike.”
“Always.” We raised our glasses and toasted our girl.
I looked around, wondering what was taking Izzy so long in returning, and spotted her in the entryway, cornered by a well dressed man in his thirties. She was trying to get past him, but he kept blocking her.
“Excuse me Dad, be back in a moment.” I said getting to my feet.
I walked up behind the man, who was a few inches shorter than me, and clamped my hand around his neck. I directed him off to the side, tightening my grip as he struggled.
“Anything wrong, sweetie?” I asked Izzy.
Her features relaxed and the tension I’d seen there before melted away.
“Some men don’t understand the word ‘no’.”
I squeezed his neck tighter. “Friend, don’t harass my wife. You’ll live a lot longer.”
I linked with him and hit him with a dose of pain, panic and fear. The man shook all over and wet himself. I cut the link and shoved him away. He scurried off down the hall.
“Come on, darling. Dad’s waiting for us.”
Izzy took my arm and I walked her back to the table.
“You can be really scary at times, you know that?”
“Me? I’m a teddy bear.”
“More like a polar bear, pretending to be a teddy bear.” she chuckled.
I growled deep in my chest and gave her ass a surreptitious pat. Her chuckle turned into a giggle as she scooted past and into her chair.
Dad smiled fondly and raised his glass in my direction.
“To the happy couple: A long and joyous life together.”
Izzy grinned up at me and raised her glass.
Our flight left early and we’d have to be up and gone before Dad, so we said our goodbyes the night before. Izzy cried and hugged Dad. Dad cried and hugged us both. Later, Izzy and I hugged and cried until we fell asleep.
The flight back to D.C. was much better than the one out had been. For one thing, I had Izzy to keep me company. For another, we were in first class and I actually had some leg room. Izzy and I held hands and talked for a while. She lifted the armrest half an hour into the flight, snuggled up next to me and fell asleep leaning on my arm. I’ve never been on such a pleasant flight. Everyone was polite and friendly…I think I may have been broadcasting some of the happiness I was feeling.
We got off the plane in D.C. and collected our bags, caught a cab and went straight to Walter Reed. We were going to need my car, which was still in the parking lot behind the hospital. I flashed my ID to the gate guard, telling him where we were headed and the cab dropped us off in front of the hospital lobby.
“Well, what do you think?” I asked Izzy as the cab pulled away.
“Very nice. So friendly and inviting. No wonder you love it here.” she said sarcastically.
We walked thru the entrance to the elevators, went down to the basement and out the back to the parking lot. I put our bags in the car.
It was just after four in the afternoon on Friday. I looked around. Most of the lot was empty.
“Izzy, we can do one of two things right now. We can go get a hotel room or we can go up and I’ll introduce you to the other inmates.”
Izzy looked a little uneasy and worried. “Uhmm…room first I think. We can come back tomorrow right?”
“Sure. Honey, what’s bothering you?”
She stood up straighter and patted my chest. “Room first. Then I’ll tell you. Okay?”
“Okay.”
We got in the car and drove out the main gate. I knew of a nice hotel just down the road, outside the fence line of the base. I registered and paid for two weeks in advance.
The room was nice and spacious, with a monster king-sized bed, and a small kitchen area. It even had a built in Jacuzzi tub of the living room. I brought our bags in and Izzy started bustling around unpacking.
“Izzy, talk to me, please? What’s bothering you?”
She stopped taking clothes out of the bags and sat down on the bed.
“I’m scared of your other girlfriends and I haven’t even met them. I’m jealous and I’m afraid they’ll take you from me.”
I sat down on the bed and held her close.
“No one, and I do mean no one, is more important to me than you. No one is going to take me from you and it isn’t possible for me to want anyone more than I want you. You are my life.” I drew her closer and kissed her lips, her cheeks, her eyelids. “I’m so very much in love with you.” I opened a link between us and let my love, all of my love, flow thru it.
“Dear God in heaven! It’s so warm!” she gasped and fainted.
I lifted her up and laid her out across the bed. I got up and continued putting her clothes in the closet and into the dresser while I waited for my sister to wake up. I was nearly finished when I noticed movement.
I sat next to her and watched while she woke up. She’s so angelic looking when she’s asleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she moaned.
“You know, if you keep passing out like that I’m not gonna get laid nearly as often as I should.”
I leaned down and kissed her.
“Would you like to go out or get something delivered and eat here?”
Izzy’s eyes sparkled and her grin got predatory. “Oh, I definitely want to eat here.”
I kissed her again. “You hot blooded little mink.”
I looked up the number of the Chinese place that delivered to the hospital and ordered five or six different things that I remembered from their menu and gave them the address of the hotel along with the room number.
While we waited for them to deliver, I filled the Jacuzzi and got the water temperature nice and hot. Izzy stripped down to her skin and got in the water and I was just coming back with a handful of towels when the door bell rang. I dropped the towels by the tub, grabbed my wallet and went to pay for the food.
Bringing the two bags of goodies back, I set them up around the edge of the tub, along with a selection of sauces and a choice of wooden chopsticks or plastic forks and spoons. I dashed off to the refrigerator and brought back ice in a bucket to chill the two bottles of Tsing-Tao I’d added to the order as an afterthought.
I stripped off my own clothes, turned on the radio, tuned it to an easy listening station and hopped into the tub.
We ate for a while, enjoying the hot water and just being together.
Once we’d had our fill of food and beer, I lifted Izzy up and sat her on my lap. I cupped her breasts and lightly tweaked her hard little nipples. She sighed happily and leaned back against me.
“Do you really think we don’t have sex enough?” she asked me.
“I was kidding, Izzy. Don’t start thinking we constantly have to make love. That’s not the only reason I love you.”
“What if I want more?”
“Baby, if you want more you just say the word and I’ll try and keep up, to the best of my limited abilities.”
“I don’t want you to get bored with me.”
“Not gonna happen.”
I rubbed one hand across her belly leaving the other cupped over her breast.
“Don’t you have any fantasies?”
“Sure. This is one. Sitting in a hot tub with my favorite sexy wet water nymph in my lap, how can you beat that?”
She laughed and wiggled her butt against my cock, wedging it between the cheeks of her ass.
“MMmmmm…I love how that feels.” She clenched her cheeks. “Does it bother you that I like getting spanked?”
I had to think about that.
“Not bother, exactly. Izzy, I’m going to confess something here, and I hope you don’t take it the wrong way…but I think you have the most gorgeous, shapely, sexy, delectable and spankable ass in the entire world. I adore your ass. Looking at it makes me drool. Touching it gets me hard faster than just about anything I can imagine. Why do you think I like spooning with you so much? Why do you think I sat you on my lap? I love the feel of your ass against me.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh yeah. However, as much as I love your ass, it does bother me to spank you, for two reasons. First because I don’t want to hurt you and second because I really like the feeling of power I get when my hand is smacking your bottom. That scares the hell out of me.”
“Why does it scare you? Doesn’t it feel good?”
“Yes, it feels really good and I after a while I start to want more. I’m terrified that I’ll become like Ricky and want to hurt you not because you like it, but because I do.”
Izzy twisted around on my lap and put her arms around my neck.
“You really are a sweet, wonderful man.”
“I try to be…I want to be. But I know what I’m capable of, and I don’t need a taste for other people’s pain on top of that. Most especially not your pain. I couldn’t live with myself if that happened.”
She kissed me and pressed her tits into my chest, driving her hard nipples into my flesh.
“Okay, we’ll limit the spanking. Do you want to know what I fantasize about?”
“You mean besides spankings and girls?” I asked innocently.
She punched my arm. “Yes, beside those.”
“No…what?”
“My fantasies are all about being dominated by you.”
I ran my hand over her exposed hip and butt.
“I wouldn’t have thought you’d like that sort of thing…considering.”
“Only with you, baby. Ike, I love you and I trust you. I know you’re not going to hurt me so I feel safe turning control over to you.”
“You’re braver than I am.”
We sat in the water a little longer, while I played with Izzy’s butt and she ran her finger around my nipple.
“Ike, what’s your deepest, darkest sexual fantasy?”
I took a deep breath. “I’d be very uncomfortable telling you about that. I don’t want you to think I’m some kind of pervert.”
“You can tell me anything. I promise not to hold it against you.”
Another deep breath.
“Lately, when I’ve been spanking you, I’ve had fantasies about putting my cock in your ass.”
“You have?”
“Yeah.”
She grinned and pinched my nipple. “You naughty, naughty boy.” She pulled my head down and kissed me hard. “Me too.”
“Really?”
“Sure…you have to admit, that’s a pretty dominating thing to do.”
“I guess so.”
“Ike, its okay to have fantasies. But having them doesn’t mean you have to act them out. And you shouldn’t be afraid to share them with me. And you never know…I might even be willing to try one or two.”
“I guess I’m still kinda new to all this.”
“I know…in a way it’s really good for me, ‘cause I get to help you learn what you don’t know.”
“Are you trying to seduce me Mrs. Blacktower?”
Izzy shivered, giving my cock a thrill. “I love hearing you say that. And I love the rings too. Thank you so much, lover.”
“Anything for you, my little water nymph.” I held her in my arms and climbed out of the tub. We dried ourselves and each other off with the towels then I picked her up again and carried her to the bed.
“Domination time, little girl.” I growled. Izzy squealed and kicked her legs.
I tossed her on the bed, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to me. Her head hung just over the edge of the bed. I bent over and took hold of her ankles and pulled her legs up, holding both in one hand against my neck.
“Suck me!” I demanded. Her mouth opened wide and I dipped the head of my cock between her wide spread lips. While she sucked and licked my shaft, her hands cupped and fondled my balls, lightly caressing my inner thighs and rubbing my ass.
I pulled her legs to me then slapped her exposed butt, first one cheek and then the other.
She moaned, vigorously sucking up and down the length of my shaft. I started thrusting in and out of her mouth with long, slow strokes, lodging the head at the back of her throat as I grew harder. I smacked her bottom a few more times then started tracing my fingers around and between her swollen pussy lips.
Her hips began to twist and rock, trying to impale my fingers deep within her. I slipped one inside, rubbing her inner walls. I kept fucking her mouth with my cock, increasing the tempo of my thrusts, keeping time with her moans.
“So good, baby…sooo good.”
I pulled my finger out of her steamy depths and spread the slick juices around her exposed anal ring.
Her hands tightened on my ass and pulled me deeper into her mouth, trying to shove the head of my cock down her throat. Her tongue pressed the underside of my shaft and flexed along its length, making me weak in the knees.
“Oh, damn! Oh jeezzus…”
My finger went back into Izzy’s hot steamy tunnel and I searched around for the super sensitive cluster of nerves I knew was there. When I found it, her bottom went wild; her mouth and throat sucked cum thru my cock like a straw. I must have shot off six times and every single one went straight down her throat and into her belly.
My cock popped out of her mouth and she swallowed loudly, groaning and grunting as I finger fucked her, pulled out and smacked her ass then slid my fingers back inside.
Her body was twisting and turning, and she moaned loudly.
I spun her around and dropped her legs over my shoulders, got down on my knees and began licking and chewing on her inner lips. I removed my fingers from her vaginal tunnel and started pushing one thru her anal ring. When that finger was buried in her ass I inserted its neighbor into her pussy and began thrusting them both in and out together.
When her breathing and grunting became truly erratic, I pressed the tip of my tongue up under the fleshy hood and strummed it over and around her clit.
Her cries were loud and inarticulate as she clamped her thighs tightly around my head and thrashed for all she was worth. Hands came down and took hold of my hair, pushing my mouth harder against her clit while she bucked and ground her hips into my face.
Izzy’s orgasm was tremendous and powerful and very nearly snapped my neck. She cums like a train wreck.
As her body relaxed and I escaped from between her legs I heard her laughing.
“You’ve been playing possum, little brother. ‘Still kinda new’. There’s nothing you need to learn except the positions.”
I moved up between her legs and planted kisses along her belly.
“You inspire me, my beautiful bride.” She shivered all over while pulling me up to lay on top of her. She locked her lips on mine. I pulled back and rolled us into the center of the bed, with her draped on top of me. I clamped my hands firmly over her butt cheeks.
“Now, about this delicious ass of yours…”
We got up early Saturday morning. While Izzy showered I cleaned up the remains of our dinner, drained the Jacuzzi and tidied the place up. When Izzy came out and began drying her hair I went in and showered. We dressed together and as we were ready to leave I pulled her to me, kissing her long and hard. I linked and added another little ember to her inner ring.
“Mmmmmmm!” she moaned into my mouth, her tongue thrusting deep.
“Okay, let’s eat and go met the neighbors.”
We had breakfast in the restaurant next to the hotel then hopped in the car and drove to the hospital.
I wanted to get there before the residents had a chance to
leave for whatever weekend outing had been planned, which meant Izzy and I had
to arrive before
We arrived and were parked on the back lot by nine and were stepping off the elevator right about nine fifteen.
I rubbed Izzy’s back thru her coat as we started towards the ward.
“Relax, baby. Everything’s going to be fine.”
As soon as we set foot in the ward hallway I started broadcasting peacefulness, calm and compassion.
There was a loud squeal from the dayroom.
“He’s back! Ike’s back!” and Peggy came tearing out of the dayroom and running down the hall like a pint-sized track star.
My little brown-eyed, porcupine-haired bundle of energy jumped up, locking her arms around my neck and wrapping her legs around my hips. It was actually a pretty impressive jump for someone her size running full out.
Peg was smothering my face with kisses when she noticed I wasn’t alone. She stopped kissing me and looked over my shoulder.
“Uhmm…hi. I’m Peggy. You must be Ike’s sister.”
“Hello Peggy. I’m Izzy. Ike’s told me a lot about you.”
Peggy turned to me. “You never said she was so beautiful.” she said accusingly.
I smiled. “She is beautiful, isn’t she?”
Izzy grinned as Peggy peeked over my shoulder.
‘Why,’ I wondered, ‘was she acting so young?’
“I like your hair. I wish I could get mine to do that. It’s so cool!” Izzy said with enthusiasm, reaching out to touch Peggy’s spiky hair.
Peggy started wiggling so I let her down and she moved closer to Izzy. Tiny little Peggy standing in front of my much taller sister reminded me of a picture I saw once of a toy poodle standing next to a Great Dane.
There was a gentle tugging at the sleeve of my coat. I looked down and saw Lilly standing next to me. I smiled widely and pulled her close.
“I missed you.” I said, holding her tightly.
“We missed you too. This place is so depressing without you around.”
“Lilly, I want you to meet my sister, Izzy. Izzy, this is Lilly.”
Izzy smiled and waved her hand. “Hi. I’ve heard a lot about you too.”
Lilly smiled, shyly. “I guess the rescue was a success, huh?”
Izzy laughed. “Yeah, pretty much. Ike saved me, I defrosted him and here we are.”
Peggy looked confused. “Defrosted?”
Izzy gathered Peggy and Lilly up and they huddled together. I leaned back against the wall and watched my girls. Izzy was speaking intently, her hand waving around. Lilly looked back over her shoulder at me, her eyes wide, then turned back to listen to Izzy.
“He didn’t?” Peggy exclaimed, grinning broadly.
“Yup. Bare ass naked and rolling around in the snow.” I heard Izzy say.
“I wish I could have seen that.” Peggy said.
“You and me both.” Lilly said.
I was smiling to myself when the rest of the ward’s residents came trooping out into the hall.
I broke up the girl’s little huddle and introduced Izzy to everyone I knew. There were two new faces I didn’t recognize. I watched them closely, while Izzy and the girls made the rounds.
A man, about thirty five, six feet tall and husky, with black hair and balding on top and a young woman about my age, a little taller than Lilly and skinny with dead brown eyes and stringy long blond hair. Something about them bothered me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
They were ignoring each other. That’s what it was. They were each stand-offish with everyone else, but each of them was going out of their way to avoid being anywhere near the other. More of Dr. Wills’ people?
I linked with the pair of them…
She was calm, distant and cold inside. Curious and very cautious at the same time.
He, on the other hand, was intensely focused, his ambition very strong, struggling with a viciousness and temper that were easily as powerful as his feeling of duty.
I cut the link. They both might have good reason to be on the ward, but they didn’t feel right to me.
Izzy and the girls mobbed me, having finished meeting everyone.
“Ike, everyone’s going into D.C. to the museums. Can we go with them?” my sister said in a rush. Peggy and Lilly were looking up at me, bright smiling faces beaming.
“Of course we can go. I’d have to be crazy to turn down a chance to be seen in public with three beautiful women.”
The lot of us headed to the elevators, accompanied by the weekend nurse and two medtechs, and regrouped in the lobby, waiting for the bus that would take us into the city.
Izzy and Peggy hit it off wonderfully and were chattering away like schoolgirls. Lilly was still a little shy, but joined in the conversation from time to time.
We all scrambled onto the bus and found seats. The four of us ended up at the very back on a single long bench seat, Izzy and Peggy on my left, Lilly on my right.
I was feeling pretty damn good about how things were turning out, when Lilly pulled my head down towards her and spoke quietly in my ear.
“I want you to take my pain away. I can’t handle it anymore. Please?”
“You’re sure about this? Once it’s done I don’t know if I could undo it.”
“I’m sure. I want to stop hurting.”
“Alright. When do you want to do it?”
“Now.”
I lifted my head and took a deep breath. My mind was racing, full of doubt and concern.
I turned to Izzy and Peggy.
“Lilly’s going to need your help. She’s hurting more than she can take, so I’m going to stop it.”
I got up and knelt down facing the back seat.
“Peggy, would you go sit on her other side? I’d like you girls to hold her between you.”
Peggy bounced up and went to the other side, Izzy slid across and pressed up against Lilly. She put a hand on Lilly’s shoulder.
“Don’t be afraid. He’ll make you feel better.” Peggy pressed close and took Lilly’s arm and held it between her breasts.
I linked with Lilly and felt the daggers of her dual pain and agony lancing into my heart. I sucked air loudly between my teeth as I worked to separate the grinding misery from her other feelings.
“Concentrate, Lilly. Don’t think of anything but your children. I know it hurts, I can feel it with you, but you have to think only of them. Focus on them.”
Tear formed in her eyes and the pain massed within her, dark and formless, laced with streaks of loss, guilt, anger, hatred, fear, self loathing. Tears fell from my eyes as I struggled to keep her other emotions apart from this soul destroying mass of misery.
I reached deep inside and grasped the amoeba-like mass and pulled. It resisted and lashed back at me, trying to suck my emotions into it. I yanked at it again. It refused to budge.
The pain intensified and Lilly cried out.
“Hold her tight!” I said softly, tears blinding my eyes, her pain now as much my own as hers.
‘You can’t save her from ME.’
“The hell you say!” I snarled and opened the doors that held back my rage, that roaring furnace of fiery fury lashed out down the link and incinerated the dark mass to the root.
Sweat and tears poured off my cheeks. I cut the link and banked the fires back down, shutting the doors and locking them tight.
I gasped for air, wiped the sweat and tears from my face and sat down hard.
Izzy was stroking Lilly’s hair, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her upright. Peggy clutched Lilly’s arm tightly to her and buried her face against the other woman’s shoulder.
Lilly sat between them, her eyes rolled back in her head, her mouth hanging open, held upright only by the support of the two women on each side of her motionless body.
She suddenly sucked in a heaving breath and her eyes rolled back down. She blinked rapidly and closed her mouth, running her tongue around her dry lips.
I linked quickly and felt around carefully. Puzzlement, concern, amazement, relief.
“Lilly, tell me about your babies.” I asked.
“Babies? Oh…right, babies. I had two babies. They died.”
I felt sorrow and loss coming from her, but it was measured and controlled, not like the overpowering monster that had been there before. I let a small amount of love and compassion flow from me to her.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. I miss them very much.”
“I know you do.” I cut the link, with a satisfied sigh of relief.
The three women formed a group hug and they started crying together. Female bonding was beyond my understanding, so I stayed on the floor and composed myself, broadcasting calm and compassion at low levels to everyone on the bus.
By the time we arrived at the entrance to the
The weekend nurse, a first Lieutenant, announced that
everyone should meet back in front of the building in four hours for the return
trip. Everyone scattered, smaller groups
forming, some off to see the
Izzy, Peggy, Lilly and I decided to go into the Natural History Museum. We wandered the halls, seeing the dinosaur skeletons, bug collections and historical artifacts. After a while we left there and headed towards the far end of the Mall, on our way to the Lincoln Memorial.
Peggy grabbed my hand and together we started skipping down the street, the perfect image of a doting father on a weekend outing with his little daughter. Peggy laughed with delight, and Lilly and Izzy clapped their hands, cheering us on.
The two of us got about half a block down the street when we decided to stop and wait for the others to catch up. I lifted Peggy up and twirled her around. She wrapped her arms and legs around me and hugged me hard.
“I’m so glad you’re back.”
“Missed me, huh?”
“Yes. Lilly’s been really nice and tried hard to make me feel like part of the group, but she’s been having a hard time the past couple of days. Will she be better now?”
“I think so, squirt. She still remembers her children, but the pain isn’t so bad that she can’t deal with it now. I wasn’t sure she’d still remember them. I’m glad I didn’t take that from her.”
“I like your sister. She’s really sweet…and so beautiful. Are you sure you’re related to her?”
I laughed and gave her a squeeze.
“Izzy got brains and all the good looks. My brother got all the athletic ability and some brains. I got tall. There’s no fairness in the world.” I sighed sadly.
“You got
I smiled and kissed her lightly.
“Yeah, I’ve got you. Maybe there’s a little fairness after all.”
Lilly and Izzy were walking along, heads together, arms linked together and talking. Lilly looked up in my direction and blushed brightly. Izzy glanced up quickly and saw me holding Peggy and grinned. A predatory grin if I ever saw one.
“You’d better be careful Peggy. I think my big sister likes you.”
“Huh?”
“Izzy likes girls. She likes boys too, but she really likes girls and she told me she thinks you’re cute.”
Peggy blushed and buried her face against my neck.
“Does that scare you?”
“No.” she mumbled. “I think she’s very sexy. I’ve never felt that way about a girl before.”
“It’s okay. I understand. I happen to think you’re all very sexy. Guess that makes me a terrible horn-dog, huh?”
Peggy giggled. I patted her on the back and set her down. She ran over to the other girls and started bouncing up and down on her toes.
Izzy took Peggy’s and Lilly’s hand and the three of them started skipping down the sidewalk towards me, big grins on all three lovely faces.
I was bursting with happiness. The gray clouds that had been in the sky all morning broke apart and the sun shone down on all of us.
We moved across the street and saw the Wall, the Vietnam Memorial. I wandered among the statues of soldiers on patrol, admiring the detail and painful realism. For a moment I thought I should stop moving and join them in their eternal march. But the voices of my girls called me away. I lifted my hand in farewell and turned away.
We waited at the crosswalk for the light to change so we could go across to the Lincoln Memorial. As soon as the light changed, the girls stepped out ahead of the crowd.
I heard tires screeching and an engine gunned. I looked up and saw a small white two door car barreling down on us.
Once again time slowed to a crawl. But this time it was no dream.
‘No!’
The car was going to hit them. I saw the face thru the windshield and linked. I knew that face; I recognized those emotions…the unknown man from the ward.
‘You can’t save them from me. You can’t save any of them.’
I snarled and released my rage. “Just you fuckin’ watch me!”
I ran as hard and fast as I’ve ever run in my life, caught all three girls up in my arms and twisted around with all my strength and threw them back the way we’d come into the people behind me. I felt one of my cracked ribs snap as I strained to lift and move their combined weight.
Fuck it. Pain means nothing…I’d felt worse.
I held the link with the man in the car and glared as the car bore down on me.
“Die!” I hissed and unleashed the full force of my rage down the link and into the son of a bitch behind the wheel. His heart exploded from the pressure and heat, his blood boiled in his veins, all his major organs cooked and ruptured. His skin swelled and split. I felt his death and I gloried in it.
The car kept coming. I made a feeble effort to jump up out of the way, but it slammed into me and my back and shoulders crashed into the glass of the windshield. The small car hit a concrete pylon and came to an abrupt stop. I rolled over and off the roof, bounced over the trunk and came to a rest in a heap a few feet behind it.
I tried to get to my feet, but only managed to flop onto my back, my arms flung out. The sun flashed briefly in my eyes.
‘You can’t even save
yourself.’