61: Stormy Weather

I sneezed, grabbed a tissue, and groaned. What a crappy way to wake up. It took about five seconds for Dani to have a glass of water and an aspirin for me. She held a hand to my forehead and shook her head.

"You still have a fever. I'll get some more tea," she said.

"You shouldn't be in here. I don't want anyone else getting sick."

"I volunteered and no one else is coming in." She flicked on one of our handhelds. "Kitchen, this is Nursemaid. Can you get me some of that Throat Coat tea? I think he's ready for chicken soup, too. Just knock."

"Yes, Nursemaid," a voice answered. I couldn't identify who she was. "Theresa brought some vitamins with instructions on how to administer a megadose. I'll bring that, too."

"Who's that?" I croaked.

"Renee. She volunteered to keep our kitchen running so everyone was tended to and we didn't have to stop production completely," Dani said. I was really creating problems for everyone.

Well, I wasn't the only problem. I was lying in bed in my room on the last day of the wettest July on record. It was Friday and I should have been shooting two Young Cooking episodes. We were already two days behind in shooting. Twice we'd lost half a day of shooting because of tornado warnings. Fortunately, the studio was one of the designated storm shelters on the ranch. But we'd lost power both days and had to close up shop. We had a cutting of hay rotting in the field. As soon as the ground firmed up enough to support the tractors, we'd be out raking and composting the entire cutting.

Then I got sick. I'd been fighting it all week, but when I woke up this morning, I had a fever and no voice. Production canceled. Another day of shooting lost. Lonnie was going crazy. Rhonda was going crazier. Sora was doubling up and doing four shows today. If I couldn't cook by Monday, Elaine was preparing to do four shows in a row. The only person who had been allowed in my room all week was Dani, and while I loved the girl intensely, I was also feeling abandoned by my hearthmates. I couldn't blame them. Usually we all sleep in one room—pretty much one big bed. Illness could whip through our entire casa overnight. The minute I said I was fighting something off, I was isolated.

Oh, poor me.

"Fifty?" Dani said at the door. "Really?"

"Don't worry. It's 5,000 IU per drop. But drop it right on his tongue so he doesn't lose any. Again tomorrow and then 10,000 a day for the duration. Theresa says we should have told her on Monday. He'd never have gotten sick," Renee said at the door.

"Thank you, Renee. You're a love," Dani said.

"Let me know if you want someone else to sleep with him. You know I'll volunteer to keep him warm at night," Renee laughed. Dani closed the door and brought the tray to the bed. She took her mask off.

"Shouldn't you keep that on so you don't get sick?"

"It's to protect those who come to the door, not me. I've been breathing your air all week. If I'm going to get it, I'll get it. We don't want it getting to anyone else," Dani said. She opened a small bottle and looked at the dropper. "Open up. You get ten drops of this on your tongue." I opened. The droplets were so small that I hardly felt them at all.

"What is it?"

"Vitamin D3. Theresa says. She hasn't been wrong about a homeopathic remedy yet." Well, that was true enough. She was the one who gave me my first jar of arnica cream when I was just fifteen. Just remembering applying that to the bare butts of Jennifer, Courtney, Samantha, and Rhonda was enough to cause a stirring beneath the sheets, no matter how fevered I was. I wasn't used to doing without for five days!

"Dani?" I gasped. I'd awakened to the unmistakable feeling of having my cock sucked. I was a little disoriented but I didn't feel feverish any more. It took me a minute to figure out who was beneath the sheets. "Dani, what are you doing down there?" My hands got tangled in the sheet trying to reach her. She lifted up, taking the sheet with her. She was so pretty.

"I think I'm giving you a blowjob. I'm not very good at it, but it can't be so bad you couldn't figure out what I was doing."

"But why, honey? You don't have to do that. I like just cuddling with you."

"I know, Brian. I like just cuddling with you, too. But you haven't had an orgasm for nearly a week and you've been hard all night. Just relax and let me do this for you. Then we can cuddle up and go back to sleep." She returned to her task and being the guy that I am, I lay back and just enjoyed it like she told me to. I was really happy to have Dani just to cuddle with and pet. I seldom had a hard on that lasted more than a few seconds with her. Hard all night? I glanced at my digital clock and it said 4:30.

What am I doing, honey? Hell, I know what I'm doing. I'm letting Dani give me a blowjob. It has been a long week. I sure hope I'm well by Monday morning and can get back to the show. But Dani ... Shit! I'm going to come.

I awoke much later in the morning. I was lying half on top of Dani. She had her arm wrapped around me and was holding my face against her breast. My hand cupped her other breast. My left leg was between hers. She petted the back of my head and hummed. Her nipple was right by my lips, so I took it in my mouth as she held me there. Always her humming ... Like a lullaby ... Sleep.

"I think he's going to be better today. The worst is definitely past. He'll like this," Dani said at the door. I sat in bed watching her bare bottom as she talked to Renee. "It's probably time to send Angela or Dawn in to take his vitals."

"I'll let them know. Remember, just two drops today. Theresa says 10,000 IU a day for the next week. It will build up his immune system," Renee said.

"He'll drink the tea, but I think he'd like a cup of coffee. Any chance someone could make some?"

"Only about fifteen someones. That's the best sign yet."

Dani came to the bed and removed her hospital mask.

"Look at this!" she said as she scooted forward with the tray. "Scrambled egg sandwich with little bits of bacon in it. And watermelon! Aren't you a lucky boy?"

"Dani!" I laughed. "I'm not six. Did you really ask for coffee for me? I love you so much!"

"Yes, and I love you, too. Now take a big bite of your sandwich." She wouldn't let me hold my own sandwich but continued to feed me a bite at a time. She was giggling like a ten-year-old playing nurse.

"You must be going stir-crazy," I said. "You've been locked in this room with me for a week!"

"Is that what this kind of crazy is called?" she said with wide eyes, letting her head roll from side to side. "I was going to ask Nicki what it was called. I'm so glad I have a name for it!"

"Dani, you are the sweetest person I know. I love you."

"I love you, Brian. I'm so glad you are feeling better this morning. I'm going to get you all scrubbed up in the shower after breakfast and then Angela and Dawn will come in and say you can join the family again. I think you should still take another day off work, though. Your voice is still like gravel," Dani said.

I finished eating and drank the coffee that was delivered with a note that said, "Get well soon! I'm horny!" It was signed by all the other women in the casa. Shit! I showered with Dani. She made sure I was especially clean and didn't have any backed up fluids. After the first time, I'd given up and just let her have her way with me. And as we slept at night, my hand was either petting her breasts or cupped over her pussy—wherever she put it. But she hadn't let me reciprocate by giving her pleasure.

The entire nursing staff showed up—Angela, Dawn, Cathy, and Theresa. Theresa stayed over by the door and wore a hospital mask. She, of course, wanted to know if I'd been drinking orange or tomato juice each morning. I had. Dawn took my temperature and blood pressure. Angela looked in my mouth and throat. Cathy pulled the sheet off me so they could all see better. What?

"I don't think you're contagious anymore. I wouldn't go back to work tomorrow, though. You need to let your voice heal," Angela said.

"Does that mean I can rejoin the family?" I asked.

"I wouldn't breathe on the babies yet," Angela said. "Otherwise, come on downstairs when you're ready."

"Unless you'd like us to stay here and nurse you for a while," Dawn said suggestively.

"Tempting as it is to nurse on you, Dawn, I'd really like to see my family," I said. All three naked women looked good enough to nurse on.

"I think you should wear a gi so you don't frighten anyone," Dani laughed seeing my reaction.

There was a lot of stroking and petting, but no kisses when I finally went downstairs. It was just so good to reach out and touch my cónyuge and hug everyone. They all agreed, though, that I'd be taking one more day off. Rhonda said they'd give me the rest of the week with just one show a day, but next week, I'd have to do three a day. Fuck! I was thinking seriously about getting sick again.

"Rose, since I'm not taping today and I was laid up all weekend, I need to go into town. Would you like to go?" I asked about the middle of Monday morning. I was thrilled that I would be able to move back to the common room tonight. I just wanted to hold my cónyuge close to me.

"Sure, but you need to be back for your two o'clock meeting," Rose said.

"My what?"

"Your production schedule is completely out of whack," Rose said. "Sora is doing two shows this morning and two this afternoon with Elaine sandwiched between so the poor girl can breathe. As soon as they finish taping Chick Chat, you have to meet with your producers and staff to go over how to organize your return to the big time."

"Who all do I have to meet with?"

"Jackie and Reese, your producers. Then there's your kitchen staff, Mary and the three goddesses. Angela, of course. She has to give input on what can be harvested. And Rhonda and Samantha. You need to be sharp."

"I suppose so. I guess that means we need to go soon."

"Cassie is getting ready to do the grocery shopping for the casa this week. We can ride with her."

We rode with Cassie in my car. The old Suburban was pretty much the casa's transportation and delivery wagon. Insurance was a bear with everyone in the casa listed as a driver.

"What's the errand, lover?" Cassie asked.

"Birthdays," I said. "Four this week."

"I thought it was just Danielle," Rose said.

"How could I prepare something for Danielle and not include Dorothy and Debbie?" I asked. "I need to do something for all three."

"I see the sense in that," Cassie said. "They spend most of their time with us in the big house anyway, even though they usually go back to the dorm to sleep."

"Usually?"

"They've hung around a lot this week while you and Dani were holed up doing who knows what," Rose laughed.

"And I'm not telling!" I said.

"Brian, anything the two of you do together is your choice, either in private or with the rest of us. Dani is a part of all of us. I can't imagine life without her. We've missed her this week as much as you," Rose said. "Now who else do you need a present for?"

"Just a card," I said. "For Pam. She's the youngest of the clan until you get to the babies and will be eighteen on Thursday. Her parents and brother are coming down for her birthday, so we need to alert everyone on the ranch that there will be no nudity Thursday night."

"So where first?" Cassie asked.

"That new kitchen store over on College Avenue," I said. "You can drop me there while you do the groceries. I'll sit at the coffee shop if I'm done before you are."

Of course, setting me loose in a kitchen store has predictable results. I was nowhere near done when Cassie and Rose got back. I wanted unique gifts for the three girls, not to just give them all the same thing. I'm sure they got plenty of that. I ended up with a nice set of spice grinders for Dorothy. She had really gotten into the herbs and spices we were able to grow in the garden and the back wall of the kitchen prep area was hung with drying herbs. I was a little nervous when I picked out Debbie's gift. I'd noticed that her set of knives was missing a cleaver. Every cook has his or her own preferred set of knives and if the whole clan had been observant when we met the girls, we'd all have been able to tell them apart in the kitchen. Knives was where they differed. Dorothy used Wusthoff knives and it was a beautiful, well cared-for stainless set. Dani had a set of Henckels that were carefully cleaned and individually wrapped in a chamois after each use. Debbie was hard on her knives. She approached cutting and chopping with—shall we say—vigor. She used Chicago Cutlery carbon steel knives and kept the edges honed to razor sharpness. The cleaver I got for her set would probably be sharpened a dozen times before she used it.

And that brought me to Danielle. I'd toured the entire store half a dozen times before I found the right gift. Then it was there. It was so obvious that I was surprised I hadn't seen it immediately. I made my purchases and we grabbed a bite to eat in the mall. It didn't take long to find a cute card for Pam. I knew what I would write in the card and chuckled about it. We barely got back in time for my meeting.

"I'll take care of the gifts," Rose said. "Are you sure you want to give Debbie a cleaver?" she laughed. I rolled my eyes and ran to the studio.

It was a tight fit to get all of us in Stall One. Rachel, sadly, had moved her architectural office to the guest room in their duplex. I knew they were crowded over there. With four adults and a baby in their little three-bedroom, taking up the guest room meant no one had a place to escape.

Offices.

We needed more offices. Where were we going to put Designed by Leonard? We'd already maximized what we could do with the old stalls. Laundry and utilities in Stall Six. The expanded kitchen pantry and what storage we had was in Stall Five. Stall Four was the production and editing room. We'd put a huge window into that room that looked out on the studio. It was soundproof and there were computers all over. I was going to have to move the three fireproof file cabinets that contained Heaven's photos and Nicki's poetry and writing. We needed the space.

Stall Three was no longer a guest room. It was a dressing room. We couldn't keep using the upstairs as a dressing room because we needed the space for people to sleep. There were fifty-six of us resident on the ranch. It was insane! We'd even cut a door from the new dressing room into the bathroom in Stall Two so stars didn't need to walk into the studio to get from the dressing room to the bathroom.