A Well-Lived Life 2 - Book 4 - Elyse
Chapter 1: This CAN NOT Be Happening!

Copyright © 2015-2023 Penguintopia Productions

Coming of Age Sex Story: Chapter 1: This CAN NOT Be Happening! - This is the continuation of the story told in "A Well-Lived Life 2", Book 3. If you haven't read the entire 10 book "A Well-Lived Life" and the first three books of "A Well-Lived Life 2" you'll have some difficulty following the story. This is a dialog driven story. The author was voted 'Author of the Year' and 'Best New Author' in the 2015 Clitorides Awards, and 'Author of the Year' in 2017.

Caution: This Coming of Age Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa   Ma/ft   Fa/Fa   Mult   Military   Workplace   Polygamy/Polyamory   First   Slow  

December 18, 1989, Chicago, Illinois

My head was spinning and I realized that I’d blacked out. I was on my side, on the floor of my office. My temples were pounding and I felt sick to my stomach. And I couldn’t move.

“Let’s get him to the couch,” I heard a soft voice say.

“We need one of the guys,” I heard another soft voice say.

A minute later, two sets of strong hands helped me from the floor to the couch and laid me flat on my back. Someone raised my legs and put throw pillows under my feet.

“Boss? Boss? You OK?” a male voice said.

“Somebody needs to call Al Barton at UofC hospital, Kara, and Jessica!” a female voice said.

“What happened?” the same male voice asked.

“He got shocking news,” a soft voice said.

I groaned and opened my eyes.

“Steve, just stay there,” Elyse said. “Kimmy went to call Doctor Barton and Jessica.”

“You knew?” I asked, coughing slightly.

“Karl talked to me first because he was afraid this would happen. He wanted one of us with you.”

“How long was I out?” I whispered.

“Maybe five minutes,” Elyse said.

“Elyse,” Kimmy said, coming back into the room, “I talked to Doctor Barton. He said that because Steve passed out, I should call 9-1-1. The paramedics are on their way. He’ll be waiting at the hospital with Jessica.”

“Hell no,” I croaked. “No paramedics. I’m fine.”

“Boss, listen to your doctor friend,” Terry said.

“Steve, please,” Kimmy pleaded.

I gave in. It wasn’t as if I was in any shape to fight them, or even stand up. A few minutes later the paramedics arrived and a few minutes after that, I was on a stretcher, with oxygen through a nasal cannula. They loaded me into the ambulance and less than five minutes later pulled up at the ER. The paramedics reversed the process, and rolled me inside.

“Twenty-six-year-old male; syncopal episode; five-minute LOC; BP 80 over 50; tachy at 110; good bilateral breath sounds; no reported medication; no reported or observed trauma.”

“I’ve got this one,” Doctor Barton said. “Doctor Torres, please assist. Doctor Adams, you may observe.”

The two doctors, a pair of nurses, the two paramedics, and my wife took me into ‘Trauma 2’ and everyone but my wife helped move me from the gurney to the treatment bed. They removed the nasal cannula and moved the gurney towards the door.

“Thanks, guys,” I said to the paramedics as they left, then turned my head. “Hi, Babe.”

“Quiet, Tiger,” she said firmly.

Doctor Torres listened to my chest, “Heart and breath sounds are normal.” She moved the stethoscope to my stomach. “Normal bowel sounds.”

“CBC, Chem-20, 12-lead,” Doctor Barton said. “And IV saline.”

“Satting at 99 on room air,” one of the nurses said, after attaching a pulse-oximeter to my finger.

“No oxygen,” Doctor Barton said.

The other nurse deftly inserted an IV needle into my arm and taped it down. She attached an IV bag of saline to the tube and started the drip.

“Pupils equal and reactive,” Doctor Torres said, after shining a light in my eyes.

A nurse unbuttoned my shirt and began attaching EKG leads. She hooked them up to the monitor and turned it on.

“How are you feeling, Steve?” Doctor Barton asked.

“Fine. You know how I react to shocks.”

“And we’re going to get to the bottom of it. I’m going to call Ted Kulczycki and get the results of your stress test.”

“He didn’t do one,” I said. “He didn’t think it was necessary.”

“Well, it’s necessary now. I’ll have the Chief of Cardiology come down, and we’ll do a cardiac echo. Your EKG looks fine at this point, but I want to keep you on a monitor. You’re too old or too young, depending on how you look at it, to have these kinds of episodes without some kind of physiological cause. How much caffeine did you consume today?”

“A cup of tea at breakfast and two cups of coffee at the office.”

“Sugar?”

“Just carbohydrates and juice, no candy or anything like that. Breakfast was my usual - bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice, and tea.”

“Did you run this morning?”

“Yes. My usual three miles with one of my karate students.”

“Any chest pain or shortness of breath when you run?”

“No, never. Just the usual elevated heart rate and breathing from exercise.”

“Any tinnitus - ringing in your ears?”

“Since I was little, but it’s never bad and I more or less don’t notice it unless I think about it.”

“Hmm. Headaches?”

“Rarely. I take Anacin when that happens.”

“Did you take any today?”

“No. It’s probably been six months since the last headache.”

“Do you ever suffer from vertigo? Or motion sickness?”

“I had trouble reading in a car when I was younger. It would make me nauseated, so I quit doing it. It’s like getting dizzy when I stood up too quickly. As I said at Thanksgiving a year ago, I’m just careful if I’m lying down not to stand too quickly. As for vertigo, I do get dizzy when I look over the side of a tall building or a cliff.”

“But you used to skydive,” Jessica said from the corner where she was standing.

“Planes aren’t a problem,” I responded. “And, as I said, my vertigo has to do with looking over the side of a building or cliff or something. Looking out the door of a Cessna isn’t the same.”

“Alcohol and tobacco use?” he asked with a smile.

I smirked, “The ‘Dragon Lady’ over there limits my cigars and pipe smoking more than you do!”

“Dragon Lady?” Jessica laughed. “Really?”

“You heard me!” I said with a weak smile. “And alcohol is limited to a glass of wine with dinner, a couple of glasses of bourbon during Guys’ Nights and other social occasions.”

“Are you drinking enough water?”

“I think so. Probably four to six tall glasses a day.”

“OK, then. Doctor Torres, thank you. Let me know when those blood test results are back.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Doctor Torres said.

She left the room, followed by one of the two nurses. Jessica came to the side of the bed and took my hand.

“I assume Kimmy or Elyse told you what happened?”

“I didn’t talk to Kimmy. Doctor Barton did. I was busy when she called.”

“Karl called,” I sighed. “Nick was shot and they don’t think he’s going to make it.”

“Oh no!” she recoiled. “How? Why?”

I sighed, “I have no clue at all. Elyse might know more. I guess Karl talked to her before he talked to me. She and Kimmy came to my office just as the phone rang. If she’s here, I want to see her.”

“Doctor Barton?” Jessica queried.

He nodded, “Steve’s in no apparent danger at this time. But I want to solve the mystery of these severe syncopal episodes if we can. Nurse, there’s probably a large collection of beautiful young women in the waiting room. I suspect Kara and Elyse are both among them. Would you find them and bring them in, please?”

“Yes, Doctor!”

She left. Two minutes later she was back with Kara and Elyse.

“Snuggle Bear, are you OK?!” Kara asked, coming to the side of the bed.

“He’s fine, Kara,” Jessica said, taking her hand. “He passed out when Karl called him.”

“Elyse told me!” she said, a tear forming in her eye. “It’s horrible!”

“What do we know, Elyse?” I asked.

“Probably just what Karl told you. He didn’t know much, other than there had been a shooting incident. Two sailors were shot, but he doesn’t know any details other than that Nick was one of them and that they don’t think he’s going to make it. He called and asked for me, told me what had happened, and asked me to go to your office before the call was put through.”

“What exactly happened when you went to Steve’s office?” Doctor Barton asked.

“He answered the phone, greeted Karl very happily, then gripped the handset until his knuckles turned white. He paled, moaned, and started to fall out of his chair. Kimmy and I grabbed him and helped him to the floor so he wouldn’t hit his head. Terry and Dave came to help us and we moved him to the couch. That’s when Kimmy called you and the paramedics.”

“Next time, call the paramedics first, please. Those two or three minutes can make all the difference in the world. I already told Kimmy that. Did you do anything to help him come to?”

“No. Just laid him on the couch and put two throw pillows under his feet.”

“That actually probably helped. That was a smart move.”

“That was Terry,” Elyse said.

A black doctor with graying hair came into the trauma room.

“Hi, Malik,” Doctor Barton said.

“Hi, Al. What do you have for me?”

“Doctor Adams’ husband had a repeat syncopal episode with a reported five-minute LOC. There’s a history of episodes going back to age fifteen. Also a history of vertigo and low blood pressure. Very active; runs several miles a day and practices karate four to six days a week. No known health issues. BP has stabilized, but was 80/50 when he came in, and he was tachy at 110. Nothing abnormal on the monitor.”

“Good morning, Jessica. Anything you can tell me?”

“No, Doctor Washington. It seems to be a response to external stress. Elyse,” she indicated with her head, “has known him since High School.”

“Miss?”

“I guess the same answer. It happens when he is severely stressed, usually from shocking news.”

“OK. We’ll get an echo and take it from there.”

“I’d like to admit him to your service for monitoring, and get a stress test done tomorrow.”

“Anything you say, Al!”

He extended his hand, “Doctor Malik Washington. So you’re his star pupil’s husband?”

I smiled, “Yes, Doctor. Steve Adams.”

“I’m going to listen to your heart and lungs. The technician will be in with the echo unit in a moment.”

He did his exam, listening to my chest, front and back, asking me to breathe at various points. He put the stethoscope to my neck and listened as well. He moved his hand to the inside of my right thigh, and then he felt my right ankle. Then did the same thing on the other side.

“Everything sounds good,” he said to Al. “Excellent arterial blood flow in the neck. Strong distal pulses.”

A technician wheeled in a cart that looked very much like the ultrasound unit that I’d seen used on my wives when they were pregnant. The technician spread the gel on my chest and was about to place the transducer when Doctor Washington took it from him.

“I’ll do this one myself, Jerry. Thanks.”

The tech nodded and stepped away. I couldn’t see the monitor clearly, but I could tell that he could see the beating of my heart. He adjusted the controls, pressed several buttons, and moved the trackball, all the while tilting and adjusting the transducer. About five minutes later he removed it.

“Nothing abnormal that I can see. I have the baseline for the stress test. Send him up when you’re ready. I’ll take him on my service.”

“Thanks, Malik. We’ll monitor him here for another hour or so and then send him up.”

“See you upstairs, Mr. Adams,” he said and left.

“Al, are you really going to make me stay here overnight?” I asked.

“Yes. And I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. You’re not signing out AMA. Do you hear me?”

I sighed, “Fine. Somebody needs to call Karl and get an update.”

“There’s a phone in the Chief Resident’s office,” Doctor Barton said. “He’s off today. Elyse or Kara may use that. I’ll make sure that the nurses know it’s OK.”

“Do you know his number?” Elyse asked me.

“Call the office. It’s in my Rolodex,” I said. “Keri can get it for you.”

Elyse nodded and left the room.

“Are you OK?” Kara asked. “Really OK?”

“He’s not in any danger, Kara,” Doctor Barton said. “I just want to find out why he’s so prone to these syncopal episodes - fainting spells. Maybe it’s psychosomatic, but I want to be sure.”

“Psychosomatic?” Kara asked. “So not real?”

“Oh, it’s very real, but if we can’t find a physical cause, then there very likely is a psychological and mental component to it. And, honestly, it could just be his body’s way of dealing with stress. If cardiology doesn’t find anything, we’ll look further - adrenal glands, that kind of thing. I’m tempted to get a CT scan.”

“A brain scan?” Kara asked.

“Yes. To rule out a tumor or some other abnormality.”

Jessica giggled, “A scan of Steve’s head will very possibly turn up negative. For brain matter, that is!”

I smiled, “I guess I deserved that after the ‘Dragon Lady’ comment.”

“Dragon Lady?” Kara asked.

“I asked about tobacco use,” Doctor Barton chuckled. “And it appears that Jessica keeps him on a tight leash.”

“With soda, too,” I said.

“I’ve warned you about that. In fact, until we get to the bottom of this problem, I’d like you to avoid anything with added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, and absolutely stay away from anything with artificial sweeteners. There’s no general problem with those, but perhaps some chemical is responsible for your issues.”

“About the only thing I eat or drink with added sugar is the occasional soda Jess allows me to have. Otherwise, I mostly drink water or black coffee or straight tea. And I don’t eat much candy, really. What about carbohydrates?”

“They’re complex sugars, but given your energy expenditure, general health and fitness, and your weight, I don’t think you’re having any issues. We’ll see what the Chem-20 panel shows in terms of blood sugar.”

“Are you thinking diabetes, Doctor Barton?” Jessica asked.

“I’m thinking I don’t know what’s wrong so I’m checking everything,” he said. “The differential diagnosis at this point is, sadly, pretty much everything.”

The door opened and a nurse stuck her head in, “Doctor Adams? Multiple MVA coming in. The paramedics are five minutes out.”

“Thanks Rose,” Jessica said.

She kissed me on the forehead and went out to get ready.

“I’m going to go check on the trauma that’s coming in,” Doctor Barton said. “The nurse will move you to one of the treatment rooms until you go upstairs. I’ll check on you once the lab results are back.”

He left and it was just Kara and me in the trauma room.

“What about Bethany?” she asked quietly.

“I might sound coldhearted, but the Navy has protocols for things like this. They’ll take care of her one way or the other.”

“He’s going to die?” she asked.

I nodded soberly, “I’d say that’s what Karl was trying to tell me.”

“How can so many terrible things happen to that poor girl?” Kara asked.

“Hell if I know,” I sighed.

“Did you think about going to Guam?”

“I didn’t think about anything, Honey. I passed out. And by the time I was thinking about it, Al Barton had already taken charge. I have to let the Navy handle this just as I did when I let Red take care of Stephie.”

“She’s going to need you and Kathy. You’re still her best friend.”

“When she comes to me,” I said. “I’ll make sure she knows I’m there for her and Nicholas.”

“What will she do?” Kara asked.

“I have no idea, really.”

“I can’t imagine what I’d do if something like that happened to you!” she said, grasping my hand tightly.

“I’m fine, Honey,” I said.

“But you’re in a hospital bed, hooked up to monitors!”

Two orderlies and a nurse came into the room with a gurney.

“We need to move you, Mr. Adams,” the nurse said.

They helped me move to the gurney and the nurse unhooked the leads from the monitors. I was wheeled out just seconds before the paramedics burst through the receiving doors of the ER. Jessica and the rest of the staff sprang into action, while I was taken to ‘Treatment 3’. The monitors were hooked up again and the nurse said that she’d be back in a few minutes to check on me. Elyse came back into the room with a grim look.

“No more details,” she said. “He’s in the base hospital in extremely critical condition with two gunshot wounds. That’s all Karl knows.”

“Where was he shot?” I asked.

“Once in the chest,” she paused, “and once in the head. As Karl said before, he’s not expected to live.”

“Son of a mother-fucking bitch,” I swore. “This CAN NOT be happening! Who did it?”

“Wow, Snuggle Bear. I’ve never heard you actually swear like that.”

“If this isn’t a time, when would be? Did Karl find out who did it?”

“No. Just that it was on base.”

“On base? What the fuck?” I growled.

Doctor Torres and a nurse hurried into the room.

“Your blood pressure just spiked,” Doctor Torres said.

“It’s just the conversation,” I said, taking a couple of deep breaths and willing myself to relax.

“Ladies, if you’re going to excite him, we’ll have to send you out,” Doctor Torres said.

“Too late,” I smirked. “That happened YEARS ago. This is my wife Kara, and my girlfriend, Elyse. They can stay.”

“But, you’re married to Jessica!” Doctor Torres protested.

“He’s the one,” the nurse whispered.

“Those rumors are true?” Doctor Torres gasped.

“They aren’t rumors,” Kara said. “And Steve became agitated because of what happened to his good friend in Guam.”

“OK. Please let him relax. I need to talk to Doctor Barton about the blood chemistry results, and then we’ll get you upstairs to cardiology.”

“What did they show?” I asked.

“Doctor Barton will tell you,” Doctor Torres said.

“No, you’ll tell me,” I said firmly. “You have the results. What are they?”

“Everything is good across the board. Your blood sugar is a bit low, but your cholesterol numbers are fantastic.”

“Thanks, Doctor Torres,” I said.

They left the room and I closed my eyes and relaxed. Doctor Barton came in about twenty minutes later.

“Your blood work looks good. And despite your love of soft drinks, your blood sugar is actually a bit low. Nothing to worry about, but something to check at your regular exams. I’ll talk to Doctor Kulczycki so he can do a hemoglobin A1C panel in addition to the normal blood glucose levels we do during physicals. That will give us a 30-day view of your blood sugar levels.”

“Is Jess still busy?” I asked.

“They got the tougher case. Near amputation of an arm, crushed chest, and two broken ankles. She has two trauma surgeons with her and orthopedics. They’re trying to stabilize the patient so they can get him to surgery.”

“Damn,” I said.

“You wear a seatbelt, right?”

“Yes. Always. I won’t drive or ride in a car without one on. I never have.”

“He didn’t.”

“Wonderful,” I sighed.

“An orderly will come to take you upstairs. Doctor Torres will go with you and come back once you’re transferred to cardiology. I’ll come see you when my shift is over.”

“Thanks, Al,” I said.

December 19, 1989, Chicago, Illinois

“How do people sleep with all this crap connected to them,” I groused to Jessica at about 4:00am.

“Drugs,” she said deadpan. “Lots of drugs! It keeps them quiet and cooperative, too!”

“Ha, ha!” I said, equally deadpan.

Jessica got up from the chair and came to stand by the bed. She kissed my forehead as I’d done with my kids many times.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” I asked. “It seemed like every time I woke up you were awake, watching me.”

“Kara and I both slept a bit on the couch. We traded off. She’s in the ladies room right now.”

“I assume you didn’t hear anything more?”

“I’m sure Karl will let you know anything he finds out.”

“Where’s the rest of the family?”

“Veronica offered to work today so she’ll have the kids. Rich took your sister back to the dorms after they visited you. She wanted to stay, but only one person is allowed to be in the room overnight. I’m officially here as a doctor, so Kara is that one person.”

“I want to get out of here,” I said.

“You will, but not until after Doctor Washington does the stress test. Everything else looks good except your low blood pressure, but that’s family history, and is potentially the culprit. The CT they did yesterday afternoon showed nothing,” she said with a smirk.

“Nothing?” I asked.

“Empty! It’s a medical miracle!”

“Very funny. Hah, hah,” I deadpanned.

Kara came back in and stood next to Jessica at the side of the bed.

“How’s he doing?” she asked.

“Cranky about being in the hospital, like most healthy people,” Jessica said with a smile.

“Why don’t you get some more sleep, Snuggle Bear? Then you can have your test and we can get out of here.”

I nodded and closed my eyes and managed to get back to sleep. Later that morning, I had my stress test, which I passed with flying colors, and both Doctors Washington and Barton agreed that I should be released.

“Keep track of any dizzy spells, any light-headedness, anything like that,” Doctor Washington said. “Just write down what you were doing, and where you were. Also, keep a list of everything you eat and drink. I’d like you to stop smoking, even though it doesn’t seem to be a direct cause.”

“You and every other doctor,” I said. “I’ve cut way back.”

“So stop completely,” he said.

“Doc, I hear you. Message received. Loud and clear.”

“But you’re going to ignore it, aren’t you?”

“Malik, Jess is working on him,” Al said. “She’s got him to cut back on the crazy amount of pop he used to drink. And on the cigars and pipe. Let her deal with this issue.”

Doctor Washington and Jessica exchanged a look, and then he signed the discharge order. Everyone except my wives left, and they helped me dress. I tried to refuse the wheelchair ride out, but the 6’3” orderly they sent insisted. When we got outside, I got up, thanked him, and we walked towards Kara’s minivan.

“Let me guess, Doctor Barton requested that orderly?”

Jessica laughed, “Luck of the draw!”

I got into a seat in the middle row of the minivan, and the girls got into the front seats, with Kara driving. Once she pulled out into the street, she reached over and took Jessica’s hand.

“Now that’s just cruel,” I complained.

“Oh shush, Tiger! You’ll get plenty of loving from us. You know we always hold hands in the car!”

“But only for a few seconds, Jess,” Kara said. “I need both hands on the wheel.”

When we arrived home, I was greeted by my housemates, my kids, my dad, and some of our closest friends - the Jaegers, Jorge and Trish, and Kimmy. Stephanie was there with Rich, who seemed to be taking on the ‘boyfriend’ role in her life. I hoped that didn’t cause too much tension with Jorge, but they seemed reasonably comfortable around each other.

“Dada!” Jesse called out when I walked into the great room.

“Dada!” Matthew and Birgit both exclaimed.

I went over to where they were sitting with Veronica and picked up each of them in turn for a kiss, including Albert and Michael who were both lying on blankets on the floor.

“Dada, were you sick?” Jesse asked.

“Just a little. Aunt Jess and Doctor Al thought I needed to be checked out so I stayed at the hospital where Aunt Jess works last night.”

“You’re better now?”

“Yes, Jesse. Dada is fine. He was just very upset yesterday. Did they tell you about Nicholas’ dad? That he was hurt really bad?”

“Yes,” Jesse said sounding very sad. “He died. Nicholas doesn’t have a dada now.”

I turned and gave Elyse a hard look. She simply beckoned me to follow her. I nodded grimly and followed her to my study. Jessica, Kara, and Kimmy followed us in as well. I sagged into my chair and sighed deeply.

“How long have you known?” I asked.

“Since early this morning,” Elyse said. “I came to the hospital at 4:00am to tell Kara. Karl called me after a friend of his in Guam called him. I’m sorry you found out that way. I was going to ask you to call Karl.”

I took a deep breath and let it out. By all rights I should have been upset that Elyse had withheld information from me, but then again, I had been in the hospital, on monitors, and getting upset would only have prolonged my stay. Not to mention that there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it. Finding out ten hours later didn’t really matter.

I blew out one more long breath, “Motherfucker! Not you, sorry. The situation. I understand why you all did that. Do we know anything more about what happened?”

“Another sailor shot him and a second officer. It appears that the other officer was the target. Nick responded to the gunshots according to his yeoman.”

“Bethany... ?” I sighed.

“You said that the Navy would care for her,” Kara said.

“They will, in the short term. She’s going to need her friends and family after that. I assume someone told Kathy?”

“Yes. She had the same inclination you did - get on a plane. But that makes no sense. Kurt gently dissuaded her.”

“OK, let me make the call.”

I looked up Karl’s home number and dialed it. He answered almost immediately.

“Good morning, Commander,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Hi Steve. I’m guessing the girls told you?”

“Actually, Jesse did. What do you know?”

“They disconnected life support about 2:00am our time, at Bethany’s request. He died a few minutes later.”

“Shit. How is she?” I asked.

“I haven’t been able to speak to her. I’m only informed because I have a back-channel connection. There’s a guy I know there who’s in charge of personnel for the base. He’s kept me in the loop because he knew Nick worked for me.”

“What the hell happened?” I asked.

“This is purely scuttlebutt at the moment, but it appears a seaman was sleeping on guard duty and was confronted by his lieutenant. He shot the lieutenant; Nick, who was returning to his office, responded to the gunshot. The seaman shot Nick twice. The other officer is expected to live, and the seaman is in custody. NIS will investigate. And JAG will prosecute.”

“I don’t even know what to say,” I sighed.

“Me either. As soon as I hear about transport, I’ll let you know. Nick’s parents will be coming here from Arizona, along with his younger sister. You met them at the wedding. They’ll help make all the arrangements.”

Something dawned on me. Nick and Bethany’s house belonged to the Navy, not to them. And I was sure something would have to change there.

“Karl, Bethany and Nick live in base housing. How does that work?”

He sighed, “I will pull every string I can, but officially, she’ll have to move out within 60 days.”

“Everything you can, Commander,” I said firmly.

“Damn straight,” he agreed. “I’m sorry, Steve. I know how close you and Bethany are.”

“Thanks for telling me everything straight,” I said. “Let me know what I can do and when she’s going to be home.”

“You’ll be the second call I make. Kathy will be the first.”

“She’s here now,” I said. “Call me at any time.”

“I will. I’ll see you soon, I’m sure.”

“Thanks, Karl.”

“You’re welcome.”

We hung up and I leaned back in my chair and took a couple of deep breaths.

“Are you OK?” Jessica asked.

“Physically? Yes. Never better. Mentally? Surprisingly OK. Emotionally? Don’t even ask.”

“Good,” Elyse said.

“Good?” I asked.

“Yes. That’s how you SHOULD respond. You aren’t freaking out. You aren’t doing anything stupid like trying to book a flight to Guam. You’re letting the Navy handle things. ‘Old Steve’ would be running around like a chicken with its head cut off, flailing, lashing out, and otherwise being an idiot.”

“Oh, he’s still an idiot,” my sister said from the door to my office. “I heard the brain scan turned up nothing!”

“Hardy-har-har,” I replied. “Is that going to be the joke for now?”

Stephanie laughed, “No, the better one was that to scan your brain, they’d take you to a proctologist because you can’t seem to get your head out of your ass! That way you get a two-fer-one!”

“Who said THAT?” I asked.

“My ex!” she smirked.

“That man and I are going to have words!” I chuckled, knowing that Jorge actually had a reasonable point.

“So what was that about base housing?” Kimmy asked. “She’ll have to move?”

“Yes. Karl’s going to try to pull strings to let her stay longer, but she’ll need to find a place for herself and Nicholas.”

“Wow. That seems harsh,” she said.

I nodded, “Yes, but it makes sense. But that’s a small problem compared to everything else. Let’s go see our friends. And we’ll need to get some dinner.”

“I already ordered pizza from Connie’s,” Stephanie said. “They promised to deliver at 6:00pm.”

“Good idea,” I said. “Let’s go back to the great room.”

We went back to the great room and I took Kathy aside to talk to her.

“I hear your initial response was the same as mine.”

She nodded, “Kurt talked me out of it. I guess Doctor Barton told you in no uncertain terms that you weren’t going?”

“Yes, I only said it as ‘my first inclination’ and he shut me down hard, telling me I wasn’t going anywhere except to a room in the cardiology ward. Bethany is going to need a lot of help.”

Kathy nodded, “Including a place to live. Your dad pointed that out almost right away.”

“Another first inclination is for her to come here, but I think that would be bad for a host of reasons.”

“She should go home,” Kathy said. “I already called her parents. They talked to her once, but that was before Nick died. I didn’t tell them I knew that. I thought that should be left to Bethany.”

I nodded, “Yes, it should. This is so fucked up. I just can’t make any sense of it.”

“Because it makes no sense. None.”

“I know,” I sighed. “Nothing about the world makes any sense at all.”

“Sure it does, Steve. Your wives love you. Your kids love and adore you. Your friends love you. I love you.”

I smiled, “Does any of that REALLY make sense? Love isn’t logical or rational. It just is.”

“Kind of like the world, don’t you think?” she asked.

I nodded and agreed with her, “Kind of like the world.”

Chapter 2 »

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