Chapter 16

Joyce Samuels walked to the room where relatives who were awaiting from surgeons the good news or bad news regarding their loved ones who were being operated on. She didn't have any problem finding her, Of the dozen or so waiting for the results. Her flaming red hair wasn't that hard to pick out in the crowd. She sat alone staring into space while the children of others were fighting over what television station they should be watching.

Erin didn't notice her until Joyce tapped her on the shoulder. Looking up, she found Joyce looking almost as young as herself. She wore a smart business suit, high heels and her dyed long straight blonde hair fell down her back. She was dressed to be noticed and she succeeded beyond what she set out to do.

Erin smiled, got up and hugged her. "Oh Joyce, you look fabulous."

"I might say the same about you," Joyce observed Erin in a silky wraparound dress with a matching belt, a matching ribbon in her hair and a small clutch purse in her hand. "When did Rick go in?"

"Just about a half hour ago," Erin replied.

"Why don't we go downstairs for some of the hospital's coffee?"

"Okay!" she gave off a slight smile, happy she'd have someone to spend the time with.

The hospital's dining room was nearly empty as the women found a booth away from everyone. Joyce had her coffee, Erin had a large container of Coca-Cola since the hospital didn't carry Dr. Pepper.

"I knew Rick's leg was bad when we had our brief affair," Joyce said.

Erin told her about their trip to Disneyworld and back. She told her how they ruined a bed that vibrated while making love and kept on feeding it many quarters. The machine couldn't take all the weight in one place, over three hundred pounds. It was built for smaller children to have a few rides, not for two adults fucking for hours. Joyce got a good laugh out of that one.

Erin related her oral job on Rick and how he almost crashed but made it to the rest stop just in time to empty himself into her mouth. Then her going to the men's room while forcing him to the women's.

"We checked out of one Georgia motel and within a mile we checked in another. I wanted to use the pool that the other didn't have but it ended up we found that vibrating bed and ruined it by fucking."

"Maxwell, bless his heart, can't go more than twice a night. But I love him, he's good to me, and says I'm a better lay than his previous wife."

"What happened to his first one?"

"She started hearing voices in her head, taking knives and hammer to their bed. He institutionalized her but when the doctors assured him that she'd never recover, he divorced her. Two years later we met and within two months we got married," Joyce revealed to Erin.

"What happened to number one?"

"She's been moved to wonderful facility in Arizona. We've visited her a few times since. It's costing him four thousand a month but he's rich enough to take care of her and me."

"Word of advice," Erin whispered. "Don't start hearing voices in your head."

Joyce leaned forward and whispered, "If I do, I won't tell anyone and that includes you."

Erin laughed. The first genuine laugh in ages for her.

They returned to the waiting room. The Hispanic woman with six little kids were gone and it wasn't as loud as before. Joyce reached up and turned the television off.

"A terrible thing on September eleventh," Joyce was somber.

"It was awful. I cried for those poor people."

"If there is any consolation, they will spend all of eternity in hell," Joyce said. "Purposely killing all those innocent people. God will send them into suffering in the Lake of Fire forever. It'll give them a long time to think what they did while they suffer from the heat of that place."

"Where did you learn all of this?"

"I went to church every Sunday until my mother died, Jill too."

"I've been to church but never heard any of this," Erin said.

"I liked going. I don't know why I stopped. Maxwell is not a religious man but he wouldn't mind me going on Sunday mornings. He just likes to sit back, watch some political shows and do the crosswords. He wouldn't even miss me."

"The churches in Longview are on our ass because how lewd I've become on stage at Shelly's. Rick doesn't blame them. He says they mostly practice what they preach but every single person on the city council including the mayor has seen my act and never complained. But when the church leaders got in a tizzy over my acts, they turned against us. He calls the council members a bunch of hypocrites but not the people from the churches."

"I know most of the council members," Joyce said. "Give them a few votes and they'd throw their grandmothers into the Red River. I don't know why they keep on getting re-elected. Why don't you run?"

"Not on your life..." Just then the surgeon appeared. Both stood up to get the news.

"It's a good thing you got him here when you did. He would be dead in a month. We were able to save eight inches of his thigh so he won't have any problems with a prosthetic leg. They've got ones that almost look like real thing. He's come through this in very good condition. He should be able to have visitors by tomorrow sometime. The gangrene was getting to the critical stage where we couldn't save him if he waited another month. We'll fit him with a new one as soon as the wound closes up."

"How long will that take?" Erin asked.

"In a week, he'll be able to make the trip home but we want to see him every two weeks until he has the prosthetic fitted. We estimate his leg will heal in six weeks. He'll be sore for a while."

"Do you have one that he can bend his knees like those hands can move its fingers?" Erin asked.

"Your talking about six thousand dollars, far beyond what we're permitted to spend. Unless you have the money, we can't do that."

"Ever here of Philip Mathison?"

"Of course, I even shook his hand once."

"I'm his baby daughter. Get the best you have and I'll make sure you get your money."

The doctor was surprised at this revelation. "You were Erin Mathison? The one who upstaged the Rolling Stones?"

"The very same. She's even better now. The Stones will never let her on the under card again. They used the rain as an excuse but old man Mick knew when he was beaten," Joyce affirmed.

"Thank you," Erin hugged the young surgeon tightly. The combination of her exotic perfume, her breasts against his chest and the tautness of her hug gave him a hard on. He pushed her away. Even in his surgical gear, His cock tented.

Joyce noticed his erection. "You got big in a hurry, doc. You're wife's not giving you enough?"

"None I'm afraid," he confessed. "After our honeymoon she turned frigid."

"Tell her to put out or get out," Joyce said, sternly. "There are plenty of women who'd die to get what you can give."