Chapter 26: Mending

Friday, June 14, 1996, Sanford Maine

I knew that there were kids out there who would’ve been pissing and moaning, going all, ‘o’ poor me’ if they had found themselves in my situation. But even after nearly dying and having suffered a broken arm, two cracked ribs, and having received a head gash that had put me in a coma for a week. I still knew that I was the luckiest son of a bitch alive. I mean, there I was watching as my sister dueled tongues with CC while her hands rhythmically squeezed her sexy ass cheeks, which in her faded blue jeans looked extra tight. How lucky was that shit?

I had the love of two of the most beautiful women in the western hemisphere. I had my sister, Amber, by my side for life. I had no doubts about it; none, zero, zilch, nada, we were inseparable. She was loyal to me to a fault, and that was returned by me two-fold. There was nothing that I wouldn’t do for her. One of our best friends growing up, CC, who we had known for eleven years, was a part of us also. She had become our lover.

It still boggled my mind that those two had been fooling around with each other for over a year and that I had been utterly clueless about it. Well, to be honest, I had been pretty clueless about girls in general for a long time. I mean, my own sister had been in love with me for years, and I had never even had a clue that she felt anything of the sort! Plus, CC had said that she’d been crushing on me for quite a while as well. I know that I had certainly felt the same way about her for about the same amount of time. If someone had tried to tell me that before, I would have been incredulous.

It was only once I had noticed just how hot my baby sister was, back in April, that I had been put firmly on the path to losing my shyness with girls. When she had cornered me in my room on her fifteenth birthday and had convinced me to ‘practice’ making out with her, it had changed everything. It had taken all of a nanosecond for me to realize that I was ‘in love’ with her and that it wasn’t the typical brother-sister kind of love at all. It was the I love you ‘until death does us part’ kind.

That she felt the same way had turned both of our lives upside down, but in a good way, at least as far as we were concerned. I’m sure that our parents would have disagreed with that sentiment if they ever found out exactly what we were doing with each other. It came to me then, almost with some surprise, at just how much introspection I had been doing lately. I imagine that having practiced Martial Arts for so many years, and having heard the various Eastern philosophies so often, that it might have helped lead me into doing so.

I certainly wanted to achieve balance in my life, and I definitely had a set of goals. Most people would say that they wanted to achieve ‘happiness,’ but I believed that happiness was merely a side effect of balance. If you could run your life with an even outlook and realize that there would always be both good and bad outcomes, right or wrong answers, and both great sadness and great joy. Then finding a state of equilibrium would allow for greater contentment. Reality is never traveled along a flat plain but is filled with peaks and valleys.

To me, that meant balancing fun with work, responsibility with acting spontaneously, and with sometimes being carefree. Discipline and keeping one’s word were the keys to my personal philosophies. Without either of those, life would become meaningless chaos. Thinking about discipline made me think about the whole CC situation. I was super happy that she was back with us; I was ecstatic, really. I had to admit, though, the entire master-slave thing had thrown me for a loop; it came as a complete surprise.

I had felt pressured to answer her, and I certainly hadn’t wanted to push her away. Not when we were both so desperate to get her back. Amber would have definitely reintroduced me to ‘that rock’ again if I had. Still, it had come out of left field; I did not see that one coming at all. I knew that she liked being told what to do sexually, and I had to admit that part was super fun and really turned me on.

But if I was going to be honest with myself, telling a girl what to do when playing around in the bedroom (playing being the operative word there) was a vast difference from doing it for real in day-to-day life. I didn’t really like the thought of doing that. I definitely preferred the whole equal women thing. I couldn’t imagine for one second Amber ever allowing me to tell her what to do. She’d have my head on a spike so fast my head would spin. Literally, spinning on a spike.

Sure, when I thought about it, I realized that I could recall some instances where I had told my sister what to do and times that she had listened, but that wasn’t quite the same. She listened out of respect and out of a sense of co-operation, not because she was being subjugated. It was the same thing when I listened to her; it wasn’t like she controlled me, but I would still do things she asked me to do sometimes. I chuckled a bit to myself. That was more like all of the time. I found it very hard to say ‘no’ to Amber about anything.

So what was it about CC that made her different? Why couldn’t she just behave like that? The same way we did? Why couldn’t she just do the things that she agreed with and say, ‘Hell No’ to the things that she didn’t? I was thoroughly confused by her attitude. I knew that she wasn’t what they called an ‘Alpha,’ but being a ‘Beta’ didn’t make you a slave either.

One thing I was familiar with was sports, and as I’ve found with every team that I’d ever played on, there were always natural leaders. So, what obviously came with leaders was followers, but that didn’t make them submissives. The fact was, though, that not everyone can or could lead. If everyone tried to, then we’d never get anything done.

Maybe CC just needed to learn her own strengths. I didn’t see her as weak, even if I knew that she needed help. I could definitely see where she was vulnerable, and she clearly had some serious self-esteem issues. Could I help her to see her weaknesses as something to be able to admit to without letting her use them to devalue herself? I realized that I was in way over my head with all this master-slave stuff.

I figured that it would probably be a good idea to call Mrs. Sullivan soon. She was awesome at understanding things like that, and she did tell me to call for any reason. The more that I thought about it, the more that I just couldn’t see how being in a controlling relationship would help CC at all. Wouldn’t it just hurt her more?

I couldn’t wait until I could talk to Amber alone about all of this too. I certainly didn’t wanna fuck anything else up. I’d done enough of that over the past month. I couldn’t solve this stuff by myself either, that was for sure. I looked over at Amber and CC; they were still kissing, and it warmed my heart. Yeah, sure, you can think that it warmed my cock too, and you’d be right. I won’t lie. But the truth is that I was more thrilled that they were both there.

While watching the two of them, it struck me just how happy they were together as friends. That made me think about how happy I was to have them both in my life. It was an amazing bonus that we all loved each other, and I was determined all over again not to mess it up. I became even more resolved to seek out help in dealing with CC’s issues. It was way too important rather than for me to try tackling them on my own. I was a dumb male sometimes, especially when it came to girls and relationships, and I knew that I had much to learn. My intentions were always good, but as Amber had pointed out, the road to Hell was often paved that way.

I yawned; I was getting very sleepy. I hated feeling so low on energy. I must have been pretty stoned from the morphine, too, because my brain wouldn’t stop circulating with self-analytical thoughts. I was lost in my own world and was still trying to cope with the vast amount of information that had been pumped into my head since I had awoken. I had to deal with learning that I had been in a coma for a week, that I was severely injured, and that I had a broken arm. I had the grief of my family that I had dealt with, and believe it or not, that was very emotionally draining. Then to top it all off, I had my girlfriend back, but she claimed that she wanted to be my slave. I needed to let my brain rest; it was too much for me to absorb all at once.

Everywhere still hurt too, I realized, as I shifted my weight on the bed, but at least I felt light and fluffy from the drugs. It made me not care so much about the pain. I was feeling pretty tired, though, and I definitely felt like I needed a nap. I think that I was feeling a little overwhelmed by everything and needed some shutdown time.

“Butterfly, Peaches, I’m going to fall asleep for a bit, okay?” I mumbled as my eyes started to droop.

“Okay, Tiger! We’ll be right here if you need anything!” CC replied happily, her cheeks still flushed from making out with Amber.

“Sure thing, Bro. As long as you wake up again! We definitely need to talk later,” she said with a crooked grin.

I closed my eyes, and blissful darkness whisked me away.

I awoke with a start as the door opened with a ‘clang.’ I wiped my eyes blearily as I struggled to figure out where I was for a moment.

“Oh, hey, Hon! Sorry to wake you. I just need to check on your vitals, and I was going to give you some soft solids to eat. Aww, ain’t that sweet! Your sister and your girlfriend are cuddled up on the cot like two peas in a pod. You’re a very lucky boy, you know.

“I hope you’re good to those two; they certainly love you like the dickens, Hon. Especially your sister. I’ve been a nurse for eight years now, and I’ve never seen a sister as devoted to her big brother as she is,” Nurse Betty said to me with a look of curious wonderment on her face.

“I know Ms. Ross, and believe you me, I feel twice that way about her, about the both of them actually. I would gladly give my life for either of them,” I told her while looking at the two of them cuddled together.

They looked like sleeping angels. CC was being spooned by my sister, and they both looked so sweet and innocent with the way that they were lying together. I couldn’t help but smile. I truly would give my life for either of them, I thought to myself. I truly would.

“I believe you, Hon. I do believe that you really would. Well, before you can get me all misty-eyed, here’s some food for ya. Eat what ya can, and don’t worry if you can’t finish it all. Now, how’s your pain level? You managing okay?” she asked with a warm motherly smile.

“Yes, thank you, Ms. Ross. Dr. Rossenberg seemed to get the dosage set to the perfect amount. I know the pain is there, but I simply don’t care about it,” I replied with a quiet laugh.

“He’s an amazing man, that one. One of the best I’ve ever seen. Both for his skills as a brain surgeon and as a person. They broke the mold with him is the truth, and every Nurse in this hospital would just die to be able to work with him on a daily. I am blessed, to be sure. Like I said earlier, he really took a shine to you, Hon, and that is a good thing. Well, I gotta finish up my rounds. I’ll see you in the morning, Sweetie,” she said with a wink as she left the room.

I looked down at the table that she had slid over me. It was a neat contraption that had a large base with four wheels that rolled under the bed, thus putting the ‘tray’ part above my lap. Since that was my first time in a hospital as a patient, besides being born, that was. I had never seen its like before.

Mmm, chocolate pudding. Well, I knew what I was eating first. She had brought me a lot of food; all of it was dessert, though. There were another three puddings; two vanilla and one caramel. A big bowl of red jello. A frozen cup of ice cream, complete with a miniature wooden stick. A bowl of tapioca and a bowl of rice pudding. I didn’t think that I could eat that much sugary stuff. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved something sweet once in a while, but that much in one sitting would make me ill. Oh well, I was sure that the girls would eat some when they woke up later.

I was halfway through my second pudding when the girls started to stir. I smiled over at them as they stretched and rolled themselves into a sitting position, one on each side of the tiny cot. They fit on it together with zero room to spare.

“You two are the most gorgeous creatures to have ever woken up in this room, I guarantee that. I am extremely jealous of that cot!” I said with a smile.

“You’re nuts, Davey. But I love you anyway,” Amber said with a yawn.

“Well, if we’re the most gorgeous, then you’re definitely the most handsome!” CC replied with a grin.

“Ugh, I’m starving! How about you, Babe? Are you hungry? We should go and get some supper in the cafeteria,” Amber said to CC.

“Yeah, I’m super duper hungry, actually. I only had a small breakfast, and then I rushed here with my Mom. So a cafeteria supper sounds fine with me, plus I know exactly what I want for dessert!” CC said while eyeing me up and down like a piece of candy.

“Mmm, yeah! I can’t wait to see you eat him up for dessert, CC! That’ll be so damn hot!” Amber purred while coming up behind her and hugging her.

“Well, THAT will have to wait, ladies! I have a catheter down there at the moment! It does give me something to look forward to, though,” I said as I gave them both a playful leer.

They both gave me sexy kisses before heading off to find food while I turned on the TV and found some Cheers reruns to watch. I was still pretty tired, and I knew that it definitely wouldn’t be a late night for me. I figured I’d try and stay up until around nine before allowing myself to crash out. I didn’t want to get too much sleep where I found myself waking up at five in the morning because then I’d be bored out of my skull all alone. I chuckled to myself as I realized that I had come super close to having my skull bored out for real, man I cracked me up sometimes. So did large boulders, too, apparently. Okay, I was going a bit mad. I definitely needed more sleep later.

Two giggling girls barged back into the room about half an hour after they had gone to eat. I adored that sound. When Amber and CC got to giggling, like they often did, my heart swelled with affection for them. I associated that sound with happiness. It was a comfort noise, like the radio on in the background or birds chirping in the yard. For me, it was right up there with puppies, kittens, and babies, all things that made me smile and brought me joy. When my girls laughed and carried on, it made me feel like all was well in the world.

I told them that I was feeling pretty swamped and that I probably wouldn’t be able to stay awake for much longer but insisted that they could watch TV and that it wouldn’t bother me in the least. The Night Nurse took that moment to come around checking on my vitals while introducing herself at the same time. She was younger than the other Nurses. Maybe that was why she was on the night shift. Who knows. She was super skinny, almost anorexic looking; I swear that I thought she had left the room when she turned sideways. She was very sweet, though, and she made sure that we knew to buzz if we needed anything.

After a couple of scorching goodnight kisses that left me panting and wishing that I was at home in my own bed, I passed out rather quickly. Lulled to sleep by the lullaby of the two loves of my life, sweetly giggling.

Saturday, June 15, 1996, Sanford Maine

I awoke feeling super sore and groggy, plus my mouth was pasty as Hell, and I could feel that it would almost hurt to swallow. Thank goodness that Amber had fetched more ice for me and put it in the bucket before I had fallen asleep. It was all melted, but I desperately needed a drink. My headache was very faint, and that was a very welcome surprise; I had been expecting to have a bad one for some reason.

I was looking over at Amber and CC and thinking about how sweet they looked all cuddled up again; when I was suddenly struck by a thought right out of the blue. My exam results should have been available on Friday! I wondered if my parents had called for them. Probably not, I figured, not with all the stress of me being in the hospital. Wondering if your kid passed his tests with good marks or not is not quite on the same level as wondering if he’d live through the week.

I guessed that I would most likely need to wait until Monday to find out what they all were. I wished fervently that I had indeed gotten a solid ‘B’ in history. I still really wanted the truck. I also needed to figure out with my folks exactly what I needed to do about the two exams that I had missed while I was in the coma. A bunch of things hit me all at once right at that moment. It was almost like an avalanche of crappy things had just decided to sweep down over my brain.

I actually groaned out loud as I realized that football was probably shot to Hell for me this year. I seriously doubted that any doctor would sign off on me getting tackled no matter how much he might have ‘taken a shine’ to me. Plus, there went my business idea for starting my own landscaping company with Amber. How the fuck could I push a lawnmower with a bloody broken arm!

No karate, no Jujitsu, no weights, no swimming ... I was getting hit by a wave of despair all of a sudden, and it threatened to overwhelm me. Tears welled up in my eyes as I had a private pity party for myself. Table for one in the corner, please. Serve me up a generous plate of feeling sorry for myself, and for dessert, I’d like a huge helping of why me, thanks.

The full weight of all the impending serious restrictions that were, unfortunately, going to be imposed on me became suffocating. I felt miserable. I guessed my head was more out of the loop than I had previously thought, especially since I only realized all of the obvious shit that morning. After about an hour of self-absorbed selfishness, I started trying to think positively, to snap out of it. Just like our Mom and Dad had always tried to tell us to do.

I decided that I needed to list off a positive for all of my negatives and to try and come up with creative solutions or ways to deal with the disappointments. The most obvious one, and it kinda trumped everything else, was that I was alive. Even if I was able to feel bad about what had happened to me, I should be grateful to be able to feel anything about anything in the first place. It was certainly better than not being able to feel anything at all. That thought got me on the right path.

I could work with the doctors; I was sure that they could help me figure out some sort of exercise regime that I could do. Even if I had to wait a few weeks to start it up. I could maybe do some calisthenics, even if it was only for one arm and my legs. That would be better than nothing. Okay, well, football was most likely out; I couldn’t see a way around it. I guess maybe if I healed fast enough, but practice started in August, and I knew that I had suffered a concussion. High schools were very cautious about letting their players play under such circumstances, no matter what the NFL did.

Karate didn’t matter. I could simply pick it up from where I had left off when I was healed. I was already a black belt, and I was too young to be awarded any Dans anyway. Jujitsu was pretty much the same thing, although I would stagnate and not learn anything new for a while. I could maybe still attend classes and just observe, though, in fact, that’s exactly what I’d do. Okay, so now I was starting to feel a bit better, and my outlook was improving.

So that left starting my own business. Hmm, could I mow a lawn with a cast? Definitely not today, obviously, but how about in a couple of weeks? I knew that Amber could. She’s one tough cookie, and her size never stopped her from doing physical stuff like that. Maybe CC would want to help too. In fact, it could even give her a much-needed boost of confidence if she was earning her own money. Hmmm, I really liked that idea.

I would hate to pass up on an opportunity given to me by her Dad because of my accident. Which, in reality, meant because of the two asshole college guys. I resolved right then and there, at that very moment, that I was not going to let those pieces of shit ruin my summer or my possible business. As our Dad and Mom had said many times, there were always people out there in the world that were way worse off than we were.

I also had a secret weapon; well, multiple secret weapons really. I had people in my life who I could count on. People that I could ask for help and advice from. It was stupid of me to feel sorry for myself. I was blessed to have so many people who loved me and who would help me if I only reached out for it. I berated myself for my shitty attitude earlier and was glad that at least no one had witnessed my moment of weakness. I was more determined than ever to have the summer of my dreams, accident be damned.

I looked up at the door as it ‘clanged’ open, and I smiled happily to see my favorite Nurse.

“Good morning, Ms. Ross! My you look beautiful today!” I told her while giving her my best smile.

“Good morning, Hon, you silver-tongued devil you! How are you feeling?” she asked with a wide smile splitting her face.

“Morning, Davey, Ms. Ross,” Amber said as she yawned prettily and sat up.

“Morning, love,” Nurse Betty replied.

CC grunted and tried rolling over but almost fell off the cot because it was so small. It was a good thing that Amber caught her just as she started to tip. That had both my sister and me cracking up. I don’t think that Nurse Betty had seen it, or she probably would have been laughing too, so she just smiled at us both instead while looking at the readings on the machines.

“Wha-what?” CC mumbled as she sat up on the edge of the cot with her bed head looking adorable.

“Oh, Butterfly! I really wish that I could get out of this bed to kiss you right now! You look so bloody cute when you’re not awake!” I said while still chuckling a bit.

“Hmmm, well I could come to you ... I guess you’re worth it, Tiger,” she mumbled with a teasing smile as she stumbled over and planted a good morning kiss on my lips.

“Butterfly? Tiger? Well, aren’t you two just as sweet as key lime pie. You’re making me so jealous that I’m going to have to go home and smack my man upside the head for not being even half as darling as the three of you are with each other,” Nurse Betty said with a silly grin. “I would suggest that this would be a great time for you two girls to go and get yourselves a coffee from the caf. I need to take the ‘Tiger’ here, off the IV, and take the catheter out as well.”

“Oh! Will that hurt?” Amber asked, all concerned.

“Yeah, will it? It can’t be fun having a tube shoved in your privates!” CC said with a shudder.

“Nope, not a bit. I’ve inserted and removed thousands of these; it’s pretty simple, and I promise I won’t damage your boyfriend’s goods, Hon,” she said with a wink.

Both girls giggled at that, and CC blushed but looked at me with a sexily crooked grin.

“Good! I’d hate to have him get even more brain damage!” Amber said while sticking her tongue out at me.

“Oh, I just realized that you had said that you’ll be the one taking care of him most of the time, right?” Nurse Betty asked my sister.

“Yeah, the big lug here can’t tie his own shoelaces without me,” Amber replied with a laugh.

“Okay, how about you two go and grab a couple of coffees and then come right back? By the time you do that, I’ll be done with the IV and catheter and leads. Then I’ll show you both how to dress his ribs. He’ll probably want them wrapped all of the time until he starts to heal more. He won’t be able to do it solo, though, so he’ll need his two sweetie pies helping him. Your Mom said that she knows how to do one, but I remembered that you said that she works a lot, Hon,” Ms. Ross suggested with a smile.

“Am I allowed to have a coffee?” I must have looked like a wounded puppy when I asked because she started laughing while she patted my leg

“Well, after those doe eyes, I’d hate to say no! You looked just like my four-year-old does when he wants a cookie right before supper! Yes, you can have a coffee, Hon,” she giggled.

“I’ll get you one, Tiger! Three sugar and two creams. You might need a whole lotta coffee over the next few days; Amber did say how it helps you to get your brain back in working order,” she said as she started giggling too.

“Thanks, Butterfly,” I said gratefully; I really needed a coffee.

Amber and CC made their way out of the room, their giggling fading as they made their way down the hall. Nurse Betty took me off the intravenous and disconnected me from all of the machines. She explained that I would no longer be on morphine and that Dr. Rossenberg had prescribed Dilaudid; to be taken as needed only. I was not to take more than two tablets at a time and could only have a maximum of two every six hours. She said that I could take the first two at ten if I started to feel any pain.

She then told me calmly that she was going to remove the catheter as she lifted the blankets from me and raised my hospital gown up over my waist. I was mildly embarrassed at her seeing my cock, but that lasted for mere seconds. I figured that she had seen thousands of them as she had said and that she was just doing her job. I watched with interest as she washed the tip of my urethral opening and then inserted a syringe into a colored side tube which she then pulled back as it filled with liquid.

She explained to me that she was deflating the balloon that was inside my bladder, and then while telling me that, she smoothly pulled the whole tube out. It felt very strange, and it was a tiny bit uncomfortable, but it didn’t hurt.

“All done, Hon,” she said as she patted my cock with her latex-covered hand before she covered me up again with my gown.

“Umm, thanks?” I replied with a silly grin; it was weird that she had patted my cock like that, but oh well.

“Come, let’s get you walking some while we wait for your Darlings to get back. We need to make sure that you have complete motor functions before we can release you, Sweetie,” she said as she slipped an arm under my shoulders and helped me to sit up.

Pain lanced through my back ribs as I moved more than I had since I had woken up. I grimaced and forced myself to sit up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. I took a couple of shallow breaths, trying to keep from moving my ribs too much, and with Nurse Betty’s help, stood up on shaky legs. I felt like a newborn colt; my legs were so wobbly.

“Damn! I have never felt this weak in my life!” I grumped in frustration.

“It’s completely normal, Hon. You’ve been bedridden for eight days. It’ll take a little movement to get the blood flowing and to get your muscles stretched out. Here let me tie your gown up in the back unless you don’t mind everyone seeing your cute little tushie, and then we’ll take a walk down the hall,” she said with a giggle.

“Well, I don’t mind YOU seeing it; after all, you are the cutest Nurse in the whole darn place,” I said with a tight grin as I tried not to clench my face with the pain.

“Like I said before, you just get all the girls, I bet. Come on, I’ll put my arm around your waist, and we’ll go for a stroll and make all the other Nurses jealous,” she said with a laugh while placing her arm gently around my side.

I managed to walk down the hallway and back to my room easily enough. I felt weak as fuck, but I could walk on my own. My stamina had definitely taken a huge hit, though, and I knew that I had quite the battle to get back into the shape I had been in before. It would take a few months at the very least, I guessed. One thing that I was going to do, which would give me the best feeling that I’d had since waking up, I was going to hug and kiss my girls standing up.

They were ecstatic when they came back and saw me moving around. They shrieked with joy when I walked up to them and hugged them both before grabbing my steaming hot cup of Joe. I sighed, feeling immense pleasure as I gulped down my first coffee in eight days. They also got a big kick out of seeing Nurse Betty strip me to my waist so that she could show them how to wrap my ribcage using athlete wraps. The running commentary on my ‘muscular’ physique had me blushing red in embarrassment. I think that I would rather have had a catheter put back in and removed.

“There, we got him all wrapped up tighter than a duck’s ass underwater! Now, let’s undo it, and one of you girls can have a go,” Nurse Betty said with a chuckle.

I think that she was just getting her jollies at watching me squirm. To their laughing delight, they each took a turn doing their version of Boris Karloff’s The Mummy on me. When Ms. Ross finally pronounced them both capable of wrapping my ribs properly, I was both relieved and dreading what was coming down the line. I knew that it would soon be time to take my head bandages off.

Next, she showed me how to care for my cast properly. She explained and demonstrated how I could use pillows to make it easier to sleep with at night without having the weight dragging on me and making me too uncomfortable. She showed me how to tape a plastic bag over it tightly so that I could shower without having to worry about it dissolving. She also gave me a long skinny rod because, apparently, the worst part about having a cast was the eventual itching.