Chapter 5: Caught With His Pants Down

Fall classes were about to start and Melanie had brought back a lot of paperwork for David. She had also hired a driver who would get them to the USC campus and back. Arturo Mendoza would reschedule the physical therapy sessions to the early mornings, evenings and weekends to work around David's classes.

David was feeling a little bit more optimistic by now since he had definitely regained feeling in his legs. It was spotty still, but a huge improvement. Also, he could set off twitches in his leg muscles although there was no real motor control yet. Still, it was an improvement and David was counting his blessings.

His initial expectation and fear that Melanie would soon tire of her commitment to his recovery had so far proved without basis. She had coordinated her classes with David's needs and she spent almost all of her free time with him or at least within calling distance. David was so used to her presence now that his initial resentment and reservation had faded almost completely.

Mornings started with Arturo waking him at 6:00 a.m. for a first round of exercises. For simplicity David then used the shower at the swimming pool, sitting in the exercise wheel chair. It was much easier than using the wheel chair accessible shower in the house. In the meantime, the nurse would arrive to look after his vital signs, after which he was ready for breakfast.

Like David, Melanie was a breakfast person who enjoyed a hearty meal to start the day. By the time David was ready, she had pancakes, an omelette or fried eggs with bacon ready for them, together with coffee brewed in the French way which they both preferred. By 8:30, they were ready for the day.

They spent most of the day on campus. David was mostly able to get to the lecture halls and seminar rooms by himself. A number of his class mates were also volunteering to help him, for example if ramps needed to be navigated. He was pretty self-sufficient in that way.

Lunch was invariably spent with Melanie who not only waited on him but also saw to it that he ate a balanced diet to prevent any weight gain that would impact negatively on his recovery. It was clear to everybody who saw her around David that she was absolutely committed to his well being.

The first rumors were already spreading over the celebrity websites about Melanie's dedication and her unassuming personality. Several "mutual friends" speaking on condition of anonymity labeled her as a "really nice girl", and the overall perception of her in the public eye underwent some change.

This change became even more pronounced when the district attorney indicted Don Brentano with four counts of rape, multiple cases of assault and obstruction of justice. At a press conference, the DA personally listed the charges and expanded on the severity of the accusations. It was going to be a high profile case.

The worst charge was the rape of Melanie, since she had been only fourteen. However, three more cases came to light from the video tapes in Brentano's collection, and one of those victims was Kylie Henson née McAdam. Everybody still remembered how she had alighted from Brentano's limo with glassy eyes and without panties, and this gave the case added credibility.

Many female students approached Melanie during classes and during lunch offering support, and even the most rabid Trojans supporters stopped harassing her. The changed perception of Melanie affected David too. He no longer felt that he had to explain himself for her being around him. This made him more relaxed in her presence, but it also changed the way he regarded her. This in turn brought about changes to their relationship that he would not have thought possible.

David had spent the day reviewing some of the materials from his junior year to bring himself back up to speed, and Melanie had studied at another desk going over the materials on which she needed to catch up. From time to time, she'd ask him questions, sometimes leading to short discussions. She was no dummy and the science material mostly came easy to her.

He'd also steal glances at her every so often. When staying at home, Melanie was not much of a clotheshorse. Usually, she wore knee-length cut-offs together with a T-shirt. This day, however, she'd chosen short shorts and a tank top, and David had liked what this outfit had revealed about her body. As often in the last weeks, he had sprouted some serious wood looking at her and imagining her wearing even less. A seductive smile for example.

David had not gone without regular sex for almost four years, ever since he became a star athlete, first in high school, and then with the Trojans. There had always been an outlet for his physical needs. Now, all he had was a casually dressed Melanie; a girl whom he knew to be shy – even scared – around men due to the abuse she had suffered. It made him even a little proud that she had no compunctions to be around him wearing so little. Sure, he was a cripple, but even wheel chair-bound, he could manhandle her any way he wanted. Not that he wanted. Yet, she showed no shyness around him, and that gave him an inexplicable thrill.

He could hear the upstairs shower going, and for a few moments he indulged in a mental image of Mel's tanned, petite body under the spray, glistening with moisture while she rubbed shower gel all over ... Jeez! Too late! His dick which he had unconsciously fondled during his little brain porn session was erupting into his hand. He tried to squeeze it to block the ejaculation, but it merely slowed things down.

What to do now? He was in the living room/study, and the Kleenex box was in his bedroom. His right hand was messy, and he could not roll the home wheelchair with just one hand. Yet he had to somehow. It took him all of five minutes using his left hand only to reach the safety of his bedroom and the tissue box. There was some mess in his briefs too, and he wiped for minutes to clean up.

"David, where are you? Are you all right?" Melanie's voice sounded from the living room, coming closer. "Are you... ?"

She was standing in the door staring at David who still had the front of his shorts down, and his hands full with tissue. How would he ever be able to live this down? His face felt on fire and he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

"Oh, shit!" Melanie whispered. "I never ... I completely forgot ... Oh, shit!"

He looked up, mortally embarrassed to see Melanie with a furious blush on her face.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I just barged in and ... Let me see if dinner is ready."

She practically ran from the room and David sat there with his face heated and feeling utterly humiliated. How could he face her again? How could she not be afraid of him now?

There was a knock on the door. David just stared without answering, and the door opened slowly. It was Melanie again.

"Are you decent?" she whispered.

"Yeah," David croaked.

She stepped in, avoiding to look at him. "I'm sorry for barging in on you. I should have knocked."

"Sorryyouhadtoseethat," David mumbled. Melanie just nodded.

"Wanna talk?" she asked.

David shrugged feeling his face heat up again. "What's there to talk about? You caught me whacking off."

"Not exactly," she corrected with a trace of levity. "You looked about done."

"Look, I'm sorry. This must be disgusting for you, and I..."

"David, stop it! I'm not disgusted. I know that all guys do it. Girls, too. I just forgot that ... You know, I forgot that you must have ... needs? I mean, you're pretty much cooped up here with me, and you're never by yourself much. It must've been a while since you and Marsha, you know, did it, right?"

David just nodded, a little stunned by her rational view of the affair.

"I take it you and she did it often?"

David wagged his head. "Depending on my behavior," he admitted.

"One of those, huh?" Melanie asked sagely. "Not that I can claim much knowledge, but I was good friends with Jack Elwood. He was still dating Alice Cartwright then, and she was "one of those". Look, David. I'll knock and ask before I enter your room from now on. Will that be okay?"

David took a deep breath. "I guess."

She looked at him earnestly. "Can I help? I know it's my fault that you're in this situation. Should I... ?"

David's eyes flew open and he shook his head. To daydream about Melanie was one thing, but to use her guilt to coerce her was a horrible thought.

"Please, Melanie, don't go there. You don't have to do that, ever! I know you must hate guys after what you went through."

"Not really," she confessed. She squared her shoulders and looked straight at David. "I still imagine guys when I ... you know ... play."

Schwing! His erection was back and tenting his shorts obscenely. He tried to cover it with his hands and Melanie had a hand before her mouth, gasping softly.

"Wow! Did I cause that?"

He nodded miserably, feeling his face heated yet again. Melanie looked down at her casual clothing and made a face.

"Sorry for being such a tease. I just didn't think I'd be ... tempting for you?"

Now David made a face. "You're kidding right? Why do you think guys paid admission for those horrible teeny horror movies?" Her face fell immediately and David felt like an oaf. "Sorry, but it's true. You appearing in a bikini was worth the admission. For the rest of the flick, we'd cheer for the zombies."

She stared at him, mouth open. "No shit?"

"No shit. Back then I thought that you were a lousy actress, but a major cutie. I mean, all those movies you did were pure schlock, right? We'd watch them, but we'd laugh our asses off. The dialogue they gave you wasn't really meant to showcase your talent either. 'Oh Marc! Thank God you came in time!' Then again, when you stepped into a shower or made out with a guy, we'd shut up and watch."

Melanie shook her head. "God! I thought you were more mature!"

"Why would a mature guy watch Shadows Over The Swamp or Prom Night Predator?" he shot back. "I'd really like to see your new one though. Heart Of Glass? Everybody's been raving about it, but I never got the chance to see it."

This last sentence made good for all the blundering before. Melanie grew by at least two inches. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Heart Of Glass is the only one I can be proud of. It took me a lot to ... What the hell. It should still be running somewhere. What do you say? Let's call the driver and go to the movies together?"

"I'd like that," David answered truthfully.

The movie house was part of a second-tier mall, and the theatre was almost empty. Melanie had disguised herself considerably. She was wearing ratty jeans, a jeans jacket, and a knit cap, with fake glasses on her nose. She wheeled David into a designated space and sat next to him while they watched the trailers and commercials roll. They had huge diet sodas and a bucket of pop corn from which Melanie fed him. They were talking easily until the main feature started, but then they watched it silently.

Melanie's first scene did not come for almost twenty minutes, but then she appeared with a bang. Margaret Timmons, playing the high school vice principal, found her in a toilet stall, almost catatonic, bruised, and covered with self-inflicted cuts. From there, the story went on, gradually peeling away at the layers of secrecy that covered up an unspeakable case of child abuse. Through all this, Melanie gave a face to the pain, the humiliation, and the self-loathing of the young victim.

David flinched when he saw a life-like gash in Melanie's thigh. It was so real! Towards the end, Melanie's character Ellen met a nice boy, and she fell in love. His mother found out about Ellen's past and the young man was too scared to stand by his friend. Ellen almost went off the deep end again, but with the help of her teacher she caught herself. In the last scene however, she met her guy again, and he admitted to being shocked. He said he had reconsidered and asked Ellen how he could help her. Her response was simple, "For starters, gimme a hug!". The movie ended with the two youngsters hugging and Margaret Timmons watching them with a smile.

When the lights went on, David realized with a shock that he had been holding Melanie's hand during the latter half of the movie. Apparently, Melanie only became aware of it too, and she stared at David. She did not pull away her hand though.

People started to leave, but David and Melanie still sat as the credits rolled.

"Wow," David said quietly. "That was intense. I'm a bit awed."

Melanie blushed. "You liked it?"

David shook his head. "I can't say that I liked that whole thing, but I can see how you wanted that part. You were Ellen."

Melanie nodded sadly. "I was obsessed with that role. I did some extreme shit on the set. I thought the role would free me, you know? Get it all out. Didn't help much."

"Do you ... did you have the same sort of self image problems?"