Chapter 12

The girls happily pulled his arms to get him to his feet, then escorted him away, one supporting each arm. Frances watched, with a gleeful smile on her face.

When they were gone, Frances moved to find where her mother was, to give her a report at a distance, and thank her for the medications.

She found her mother was in the kitchen, so Frances stood by the door at a careful distance, to speak with her. She told her that all the patients were now in bed; that Carol and Holly were doing an excellent job of helping to nurse them; and that she herself was not showing severe symptoms as yet.

“I’ll regard myself as incubating the flu bug, Mum, and stay clear. Carol and Holly are liable to pick up the same bug later, but hopefully by then the patients will be much recovered and able to do the honours for them in turn.”

“Sounds like you are well organised, Frances. Are you sure you are coping with the large family you have amassed, dear?”

“I love it, Mum. I am senior wife in our family, and I am happy with the responsibility that entails. It is much as we started with Reg. The girls and I are the social tutors, and Reg is the academic tutor in return. The social side now happens to be coping with illness. Reg is not terribly with it, but he will file it all away in his head, for future reference. He had prepared himself for Prudence’s next migraine headache, and had all the treatment down pat in his brain.

I need to start advance planning for the next stage in our travels. Instead of being here for a few days, it will probably be at least a week – if you don’t mind, Mum?”

“You surely don’t think I or your father would object, girl? Of course you must stay as long as you need. Who have you still to visit?”

“Our plans were to go to Prudence’s family home next, and finish with Reg’s Mum, but the timetable is going to be shot. I am thinking of asking Prudence’s folks if we could bring Reg’s Mum to their house, and kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”

“Shouldn’t Prudence be doing the asking, Frances?”

“I expect you are right, Mum. Once she is capable of rational thought, I’ll speak to her about doing the asking. She will know what accommodation is available at their house.”

“Well, dear, if space is tight there, we could have everyone come here. Our next door neighbours are very nice, so we might be able to borrow one of their bedrooms to put up Prudence’s parents or Reg’s mother.

Let me know if that would suit better.”

“Okay, Mum. Now, I must get back to the patients, and see if we can get them to sleep. It makes recovery so much easier for them that way. See you anon.”

Frances headed back, and found her cousins lying relaxed on the sitting room soft chairs, smiles on their faces. Frances guessed why, but asked all the same.

“Girls, why the smiles? Nursing is not a happy task, especially for beginners.”

Carol told her, “Sorry, Frances, but putting your husband to bed was fun. He didn’t mind us taking off his outer clothes, but he got antsy when we started on his underwear.”

“What happened, then?”

“He came to the realisation – when we explained it to him – that either we took his underwear off, or he did it himself in our presence, which came to the same thing. At that point, he gave in to the inevitable, as he was too exhausted to resist. We stripped him for bed. Before he was in bed and covered, his prick was stiff and standing out. We think he liked us, or something.” She giggled at the memory.

Holly ended their story, “Anyway, he is in bed, covered up, with a drink on the bedside table for him. Job done, Frances, but he looks really exhausted.”

“The bed must be fairly full,” she replied. “As I recall, when you are hot and sweaty, you don’t want to be close to another hot body.”

Carol shrugged. “There’s only the three of them. The room has two double beds fixed together, so they should be fine. Prudence is still in the other room sleeping off her migraine, and you are here, in good condition, Frances.”

“So far, so far.” She pondered, “Do we have another bedroom free, or do I have to put up with three hot spouses in bed? - hot in the sense of sweaty, that is.” She smiled apologetically for the pun.

Holly volunteered, “There is one more bedroom, so you could use that, but if you are concerned, you could share with us. We are planning a rota through the night, keeping an eye on your family, and helping anyone who needs to get to the toilet, or needs another dose of medication. The packet said, ‘every four hours’, but I am not clear if that meant through the night as well.”

Frances gave as her opinion, “Probably not, but if someone gets up for the loo, you can ask if they want another capsule. I am hoping to sleep right through, as I have been awake for far too long today, and had a rough time with the flu victims as well as the drive over here. Are you girls okay with that plan?”

“Sure, Frances. This is much more exciting than just visiting Auntie Dolores and Uncle Paul. We are useful members of society for once.”

“Girls, you have an entire life ahead of you, of being useful members of society; don’t regard it as your sole aim in life. Life is to enjoy, as well as get by.”

Carol nudged her sister, “Well, we are aiming to enjoy a man, sometime, eh, Holly? Particularly if you can help us with that aim, Frances.”

“Not now, girls. I am too tired for banter. I need to check if that spare bedroom has a bed and bedclothes, so I can sack out and not be a nuisance to you.”

“It has both, France; a double bed. We made it up at Auntie’s suggestion, in case it was needed. The third on the left, coming from the stairs.”

“Fine. Thanks for your assistance, girls. I am off to collapse into the land of nod as soon as I get my head on the pillow.”

The twins woke her in the morning.

“Frances, time to wake up. It is nine o’clock.”

“Oh,” she said, and coughed. “I thought I’d feel fine after that sleep, but I’m feeling a bit hot and headachy, girls. I think the flu has caught up with me as well. How are you coping?”

“Not bad, Frances. We have been doing our nursing duty all night, turn about. The patients were able to get to the toilet each time, with the help of one of us. They got drinks as needed. None of them seemed to sleep very well, though – a lot of tossing and turning. Prudence has slept straight through, and presumably got to the toilet by herself, for we heard nothing from her room; no calls for help. We didn’t want to disturb her unless she asked for help.”

“Sounds fine, girls. No other bother, then? No sign of my parents?”

“No. They didn’t appear in the hallway when we were around, anyway. Reg ... was just Reg.” This was Holly speaking, but something in her voice alerted Frances.

“How do you mean, ‘was just Reg’?” Frances queried.

“Oh, when he was being helped to the toilet, he fondled my boobs,” she explained, slightly embarrassed but pleased at the same time. “Please don’t jump to complain to him about doing that. Frances. He probably thought he was with one of you girls.”

Frances sighed. “You are probably right, Holly. It would be an automatic reaction, as he knows we like him handling us. Reg always tries to do the right thing, so he was probably half-asleep.”

“Oh, he was, Frances. I was able to fondle his penis and balls in turn, on the way back to bed. Fair’s fair, you know. He just smiled. It was ... interesting.” Holly admitted.

“You girls are incorrigible,” Frances gently chided, “But I am not complaining. Can I have a drink, please?”

“Oh. Yes, of course. Carol, can you fetch the drink while I get Frances to the toilet and then back to bed?”

When both tasks had been accomplished, Holly told Frances, “We are still doing o.k., Frances. With our rota through the night, we each got enough sleep to do us, so we can deal with the day as well.”

“Lovely. Thanks, girls. Oh, would you go and see how Prudence is feeling? She should be on the road to recovery by now, as she has not asked you for more Migril; am I right?”

“Oh, yes. She hasn’t called for any more medication; that is right. Sure, we’ll deal with her needs right away. Try and get some rest, Frances. You deserve it.”

Holly went and knocked on Prudence’s bedroom door. “Are you awake, Prudence?”

“Yeah. Come in, it’s okay.”

Holly entered, and found Prudence sitting up in bed, but the curtains were still drawn.

“How are you feeling, Prudence? I’m Holly, by the way; Frances’ cousin.”

“Hi, Holly. I am on the mend, I think. Certainly, the symptoms are much diminished.”

“Good. All the rest of your family are in bed with flu, I’m afraid. Carol and I have been on nursing duty all night. Frances has finally come down with it and is off to bed as well.”

“Carol?”

“She’s my twin, so don’t think you are seeing double if she comes in!”

“How’s my Reg?” Prudence wanted to know.

“Not too bad, considering. He fondled my tits when I took him to the loo during the night. Frances said he must have thought I was one of you girls, but I was okay with it.”

“Huh!” Prudence exclaimed. “I wouldn’t be too sure. Reg is coming along in leaps and bounds in dealing with girls, so he may have just been trying his hand with you.”

Holly laughed at the idea. “If that is the case, I got my own back. He was naked, so I fondled his penis and ballsack in response. He stiffened up, I can tell you!”

“What stiffened? His body or his penis?”

“Both, I think. The only light was from inside the bathroom, so it was not enough to see clear.”

“Good for you, girl ... Holly. How old are you, Holly?”

“I’ll be eighteen in about ten days, as will Carol.”

“Pretty grown up, then. Virgin or not?”

“For good or ill, I am still a virgin, and I am pretty certain it is the same with Carol. She claims to be, and as we spend most of our time together, it is probably true. I have suggested to Frances that Reg might do the job for us, if that was fine with you girls.”

“Do the job?”

“Take my virginity. I want to be a full woman, but I am fussy about who will be allowed to do the deed. We were impressed with your Reg, based on your own assessments. You girls seem to rate him highly.”

“We love him, Holly. Allowing him to fuck you is another step entirely. I wouldn’t say yes unless the other girls agreed, unanimously. We regard Reg as a joint asset, so one ‘No’ would stop all access to him, Holly. Do you understand?”

“I see your point, and I am glad you feel that way. Unanimous or nothing, I get that. But you don’t object in principle?”

“No. We are used to sharing Reg, so a fraction more would not be much, as far as I am concerned. You are safe, I presume?”

“Safe? Oh, protected? Yes, we get the pill to regulate our monthlies, as they were a bit unpredictable, but it also functions as a birth control pill, thus two birds with one stone, so to speak.”

“Very wise precaution. None of the four of us wants to get pregnant until we graduate, due to the difficulties that babies bring, so that’s good way off. Hey, I must be feeling much better; I am talking a lot.”

“Perhaps you want to think about contact with your husband and family, Prudence? You would probably catch the flu from them if you get too close.”

Prudence misunderstood, thinking it was her parents that was meant.

“Ah, there is that; a little bit of a problem, Holly. My folks are next on our schedule for visiting, so we may have to reassess our timetable.”

“Timetable? How do you mean?”

“We are trying to visit the parents of all five of us by Christmas. This flu is going to knock things back. It takes about a week to get over the worst of the flu symptoms, and I am unclear about how long one remains infectious.”

Holly volunteered, “I’ll check it on my smart phone for you. Be right back; don’t go away!” She rushed off to get to her phone and google the subject.

She was back within five minutes.

“Pretty much, if you are over the symptoms, you are over the contagious period as well.”

“Ah, good,” Prudence said, her eyes closing and her brows furrowing in reaction as her headache resurfaced. “My migraine is not yet cleared away. Can I ask you for another Migril? I presume you have my pills to hand?”

“Yes. The bottle is in the bathroom. I’ll get you a complete pill, as you have not been taking halves since yesterday.”

There was a tap at the door, and Carol opened the door and stuck her head in. “Are we all decent?”

Holly retorted, “Prudence is decent, if that is what you mean. I can’t say the same for you or me.”

“Funny girl – not. I meant was it all right to come in?”

Prudence gestured, “Yes. Come in, Carol, and let me see you beside your sister. Are you completely identical?”

“Pretty much. Holly is a bit more bossy, being older, that is all.”

“Are you still at school?”

“Just left. Got our exam results last week; not too bad. Enough to get to university, we think, but neither of us is keen enough for that. We see ourselves as wives and mothers instead.”

Prudence took a closer look at Carol, trying to gauge her intentions.

“Carol, Holly, how enthusiastic are you about that plan?”

“Pretty much. Why do you ask that? Do you think we are wrong in our plans?”

“No, not that. For a moment I had a thought flitting through my mind, but it was a fleeting idea, without much substance. I had a memory of myself, a few months ago.”

“Do tell us, Prudence. We are fascinated by your group marriage and how it came about.”

“Later, girls. No, it was not that, directly. It was what happened when I asked to join the other girls and latch onto Reg as well. At that time it was officially a study group, which was developing into a love-in for everyone. I liked what I could see of that, and wanted in, but I was the outsider.”

“Not so good then, for you.”

“Tell me about it! I had to make my preference clear to all four of them, and I was not too sure what would happen. The other girls wanted to find a way for me to show my commitment to the group, and came up with several ideas.”

“Gosh. Talk about trial by ordeal! They didn’t make it easy for you, did they?”

“Look on it from their point of view, girls. The three of them had decided to share Reg – unusual in itself, and her comes another interloper wanting to join them. How would you expect them to react? Welcome me with open arms? No way!

Instead, one of their plans was for me to get pregnant; to have Reg’s baby. That way, they reckoned I would remain committed to the family. That was true in itself, but I wanted a husband if I was going to have a baby, so I told them that Reg would have to marry me if I was going to have his baby. I could have lived with that.

They turned the idea down flat. They all wanted to be with him, and didn’t want one girl to lord it over them as his wife. In fact, they had by then recognised that none of them could be the wife, for that very reason.

So they changed me to a probationary status. I could take my part in fucking him, but I first had to get the same birth control implant that they had. Eventually they would decide whether I could fit in to the family group, from my actions and interactions with them. Any group marriage, as it turned into, requires all the partners to be at ease with the others, and I mean ALL. We all had to love each other, at a minimum. Jealousy and other such divisive emotions are a no-no in our marriage.

I passed their tests, happily, and then we started planning our life together. By that, I mean planning to have a life together, for ever. We aim for permanence. No short-termism at all.

Of course, part of the impetus was the realisation that with our looks, the chances of snaring another such lovely man was almost impossible. Guys like Reg don’t come along very often, girls, as I hope you realise by now. We expect to become O.A.P.s together, half a century from now.”

“Wow. You really do love him, all of you. I thought one or two loved him, and the others were along for the ride, but there is real commitment to Reg from all four, isn’t there?”

“Yes, girls, which is why I can’t give any guarantee of anything without the agreement of the other girls. We make a group decision, and I am fully on board with that, as one of Reg’s wives.”

Carol and Holly were open-mouthed as they listened.

“You are quite something, do you know that, Prudence? Not just you, but all of you Robertsons.” Prudence just shrugged, as she didn’t see it that way There was a pause in the discussion, then Carol asked, “What was your fleeting thought, Prudence? You seem to have dropped it.”

“Oh, yes. Thanks for reminding me. It was that just because we wives are putting off pregnancy until we graduate, doesn’t stop us having a baby in the family.”

“Pardon?”

“If we had a baby brought to us, we could cope with that, and learn the techniques of child-rearing together.”

“What brought that to your mind?”

“It was you girls, talking about being wives and mothers. It popped into my head then.”

“What?” exclaimed Holly. “You thinking what I think you are thinking?”

“And what are you thinking, Holly?”

“You are talking about us having babies for you to help rear!”

“Possibly. If you want to. And if Reg is agreeable to the idea.”

“You mean, Reg gets to fuck a baby into Carol and me? Both of us?”

“No. YOU get to choose whether Reg fucks a baby into you. That’s a big difference, Holly. Are you okay with the general idea, the basic concept?”

“Perhaps. I need to consult with Frances first. My cousin might not want me to have a baby with her husband.”

“True. And remember, it is just my thought. You have to speak with Freda and Erika, as well as Frances and Reg. Everyone has to be on board for anything to happen.”

“Ah ... on that, Prudence ... there is the matter of our virginity.”

“Oh, yes. I had forgotten you are Frances’ relatives. You had better speak to her first. You don’t want to get in her bad books, you know.”

“We know, Prudence. We spoke to Frances earlier, about losing our virginity.”

“You did? That was a wise precaution. Frances is a reliable adviser on many things. What did you want to know about your virginity, may I ask?”

Carol took up the reins. “We asked her if we could lose our virginity about now.”

“That seems very exact timing. What brings this about? A couple of horny boyfriends?”

“No. We don’t have boyfriends at the moment. We ave e a reputation for not giving out, you see. That is why we are still virgins.”

“So why the change of heart?”

“We saw how you girls react with Reg, so he must be a great guy, was our conclusion.”

“Yes, he is. Even with sharing, he is a lovely caring husband to us. So what?”

“So we asked Frances if we could get him to deal with our virginity. We wanted a good guy to do the deed, but Frances said she couldn’t give permission by herself. You all had to agree before such a thing could happen, even if Reg was okay with it.”

“I begin to see. Where does the ‘wives and mothers’ bit come in? Any plans in that direction?”