Chapter 6

The two girls had been in bed for days suffering through the agonizing pain from all the young children that Susan had taken into her body. When the pain finally subsided enough for them to be able to get out of bed, both were drawn and haggard.

It was Jim Fletcher's opinion that had Colette not somehow been able to draw off half of the pain, Susan could not have survived. As it was, both girls had been delirious with pain for nearly forty-eight hours.

When they finally stumbled out of the little bedroom four days later, Jeff thought it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. The girls were each rubbing sleep from their eyes with one fist while they were holding each other tightly with the other hand. Both girls were, of course, naked.

Jeff got terry bath robes for both of them and insisted that they sit at the kitchen table while he prepared breakfast. When Sue protested that he didn't know how to cook, he just stuck out his tongue out at her. The fact was that although the omelettes he prepared were not up to her standard, they were really very good. Then Jeff just sat at the table with another cup of coffee while he watched the two girls eat. After four days with no food at all, the meal just evaporated.

"Thank you, beloved master," Susan said softly. "That was marvelous!" She smiled lovingly and added, "And, my darling, you even have my favorite flowers on the table. You're really so sweet!" She rose from the table and said, "And now it's time for my whipping."

Looking plaintive she continued, "Beloved sir, I know I must receive 200 lashes. However, I'm really not in such great shape yet, so could you apply fifty strokes each day for four consecutive days? I'm certain I can handle that."

"No," Jeff replied flatly. "I can't."

"Can't?" she protested. "What do you mean? 'Can't' means you're not able, and beloved master," she said squeezing one of his giant biceps, "you are certainly able."

Jeff just shook his head doggedly and continued, "There are now eight small children who would kill me if I touched you. Now admittedly they're small, but there are eight of them." Tears began to flow down his cheeks as he continued, "There are eight small children who will continue to live. They will continue to grow, all thanks to you. I checked early this morning and do you know what I learned? I found out that by today — just five days after your visit — at least half of them would already be dead. They really would. So, my darling slave, we'll have to think of something else."

Colette had been watching the exchange, saying nothing. Finally she said, "Mr. Collins, it was very hard for me to locate Susan." With a very cute little smile she continued, "And I just made it. I used the last twenty-five cents I had to telephone you. When you gave me permission to see Susan, I was planning on walking here because there was no more money for even a bus."

Then with a little grin she said, "It was so wonderfully neat, too. When Mr. Sloan drove up in that magnificent limousine, then came up to the desk and asked for Miss Dupuis, I almost fainted dead away. Sir, he knew I was trash, but he treated me like a lady. He was just so wonderful!" Then she frowned and asked, "But how could a girl as sweet and kind and good as Susan be a slave?"

Instead of answering, Jeff turned to Susan and said, "My darling slave, wouldn't you feel better if you had a shower? Maybe a swim?" Then he grinned and added, "And if you're really a very good and obedient slave, I might even give you a massage." Looking serious he added, "Darling, it will probably take me at least three hours to work the knots out of your muscles. You were in utter agony for days. How about it?"

Sue just grinned wryly knowing that Jeff wanted to talk to Colette alone. As she walked off she said blithely, "But darling master, if you want to talk with my sister alone, all you needed to do was say so." With that she waved gaily and headed for their bedroom swinging her hips as provocatively as she could.

When she was gone, Jeff just grinned wryly and shook his head. "I guess I really don't know why I even try. There's absolutely no way I can ever fool that woman."

Looking directly into Colette's emerald eyes he said, "Except for one thing. I'm counting on you to maintain the secret. You see, we're going to be married very soon — in a matter of weeks at most. In fact," he said with a little grin, "your appearance helps things. It takes care of one problem beautifully: Who will be Sue's maid of honor? Who better than her sister."

Shaking his head, Jeff continued, "And the only reason I can maintain this secret is, first, it's not a secret, and second, it's so far beyond her dreams, she has not even dared to hope. But, God, I adore that woman!"

To the girl's surprise Jeff took both of her hands in his and looked at them. Colette's hands were very similar to Susan's with long, slim fingers and perfect skin. One after the other he lifted a hand, brought it to his mouth and tenderly kissed its back.

The girl was genuinely shocked. "But you can't do that, sir," she protested. "And this talk about me being Susan's sister is idiotic. The truth is, Mr. Collins, that while Susan is a golden angel with grace, charm and goodness, I'm dark, dirty and evil."

What followed stunned the girl. Jeff picked her up from her chair as if she was weightless, sat her across his lap and kissed her. As he did, he poured out the intense love he was already feeling for this terribly tortured girl who had just saved the love of his life.

The flow of the purest love and goodness from Jeff's lips just filled the girl's body. When she could take it no more, her nervous system shorted out and she went limp in his arms. He just cradled her in his arms and waited. As he held her he realized how much like Susan she was, even to the childlike way she cuddled against his body.

He could feel her recovering, but still he held her firmly. Finally he heard her mutter, "Mon Dieu! Monsieur, you're beyond belief!" Then she pulled away just far enough to be able to look into his eyes.

Before she could say another word, Jeff said softly, "That was Susan, too. Now, darling sister-in-law, do you think I can make Sue happy as her husband?"

"Ecstatically!" the girl exclaimed. "In fact, I'm still sitting on what Sue calls your telephone pole. She's hoping you'll split her in half with it. But yes, sir, I believe you can certainly make her happy. But why do you ask me?"

Instead of answering, he continued to pursue his line of questioning. "You love her very much, too, don't you?"

"I owe her my life," Colette replied simply. "I adore her."

Again Jeff took her hands and looked deeply into her eyes. "Honey, I've been talking to Jim Fletcher. He's one of the world's finest plastic surgeons. His specialty is removing scars. You, Colette Dupuis, represent his greatest challenge." Looking very serious he continued, "He has a new treatment in mind. It involves..." Jeff just shook his head and said, "I don't know exactly what it does involve, other than a great deal more pain for you. Can you take it? Do you want to?"

Then he smiled warmly and said, "There's a small incentive. First, I believe you when you tell me that Sue's happiness is very important to you. Second, I also believe that you think I can make her happy. The problem is, Colette, we need you to serve as maid of honor, but beyond that, it's Susan's ambition for you to be Miss France in the Nude Miss Universe contest. What it all adds up to is those scars have got to go. Okay?"

Tears were in the corners of her eyes as she said softly, "If these scars could be removed, I would be the happiest girl in the world. Maybe..." Then she looked at Jeff hard and asked, "Did Dr. Fletcher kiss me? When I was with Sue? Did he?"

"Yes, darling Colette, he did," Jeff replied. "Moreover, he told me that you are ... Never mind. What do you think of him?"

"He is ... very nice," she said. Jeff was certain she wanted to say more. But then she added, "He's a surgeon. He's a highly-educated man — a professional. The only woman who could possibly interest an incredible man like that would be a woman who graduated from a top university, and is a professional woman herself. A poor little immigrant who didn't even finish high school—"

"He was utterly delighted, Colette, when he kissed you and even though you were delirious, you murmured in French, 'Thank you sir. That was very good, ' referring to his kiss. And since you asked about a kiss, even in your tormented state, his kiss penetrated through your incredible pain. You felt it, didn't you? It was like a breath of life, wasn't it?"

To Jeff, though, the answer she'd previously given him was the one he was looking for. Clearly, this girl was madly in love with Jim, but at the same time certain that he would have nothing ever to do with her.

"It gave me the hope and courage I needed to continue to live," the girl said in a voice scarcely above a whisper.

At that point the door chimes rang. Jeff went off and came back with Jim Fletcher. Sitting down next to Colette — the girl blushed the instant he appeared — they had a cup of coffee. Jim asked Jeff to invite Susan to join them so they could all see what was about to happen. But then thinking better of it, he suggested that they all join Susan on the pool deck instead for reasons that would soon be clear.

The three went out and found Susan lazily powering back and forth in the pool. When Jeff called, she was out of the pool in an instant and striding towards them, utterly unconcerned about her nudity. Jim Fletcher grinned and whistled, causing Sue to take an incredibly sexy pinup pose for an instant, then grab a towel and casually dry her still-golden body.

Turning to Colette, Jim asked her to take off her robe. Her eyes flared for an instant but then she did as he asked. Holding her head up high she said, "The only parts of me that are not ruined are my hands, my feet, and my cunt." With a wry little grin she added, "I guess having to continue to masturbate kept my cunt covered, so it was protected. The rest of me is a complete mess."

But then with a cheerful look that might have been real she said, "But the scars don't show through a uniform, so I could still be your servant, Mr. Collins."

Susan was now really only seeing Colette's scars for the first time. "You poor thing!" she exclaimed. Then to Jeff she said, "Darling master, what can we do to have these scars removed? Colette was the most beautiful girl in our school, and she must be at least as gorgeous again."

Fletcher told her about a new process he had been experimenting with. Curiously, it was nothing more than the use of sandpaper, or rather sanding cloth which is the same thing except the backing is cloth rather than paper. As simple as it sounded, the object was to use the various grades of coarseness to sand off all of the dead scar tissue and try to find the growing skin under it all. He had a very large supply with him in several degrees of coarseness. After asking the girl to lay on her stomach he began to work on her back which was the worst scarred because, particularly for the younger girls, it was easier for them to whip. There were a number of places where he was almost certain all of the flesh had been taken off the girl's body leaving her rib bones exposed.

When he asked, Susan, who had initially cared for her in the school infirmary, just swallowed hard and nodded. Fletcher just continued to sand away at the awful-looking scar tissue. While he knew it was intensely painful to Colette, the girl didn't make a sound or move at all.

He showed Susan how to do it and the girl picked up the technique instantly. He and Jeff left them alone and returned to the house. As they left, the breeze across the pool deck was blowing Colette's granulated scar tissue across the roof like wood sanding dust.

It was the beginning of a period of very intensive work. After only a few hours, Colette sat up and while Susan worked on her mangled back she began to sand the terrible scars on her own legs. Between sessions with the sanding cloth, Susan introduced her to the pool, the exercise equipment, and the running track.

After only a week Susan received a call from the Children's Hospital. Now eight small children, well on the road to recovery, were about to be discharged but they very much wanted to see Susan before they left. When they learned Colette was living with Sue, they asked for her to come, too.

Arriving at the hospital, again Susan was taken to the ward where she'd first met the small children. This time the atmosphere was dramatically different. Even though they were not fully recovered, the children were exuberant. They swarmed around Susan who dropped to her knees so she could try to kiss all eight of the children at the same time. Finally she just lay on her back and let the kids climb all over her. This they loved, and loved it even more when, in response to their pleas, she stripped so they were climbing all over her magnificent golden body.

Finally exhausted from all the kissing, Susan was sprawled with her arms outstretched and said, "Hey! What about Colette? Doesn't she count?" Then with her face very serious she said, "My darlings, were it not for her, I wouldn't be here today. Would you welcome her, too?"

The oldest child, a beautiful girl with short dark hair and brilliant blue eyes named Caitlin Fitzpatrick, reached out both her hands toward Colette and said, "Welcome, Miss Dupuis. There are no words for us to adequately communicate our gratitude to you for saving the life of our savior, Susan Andrews." Then she smiled and said, "Would you undress, too? Then we can see how gorgeous you are, too. Your figure is exactly like Susan's."

"But I can't..." Colette protested.

"Do it, please, Colly," Susan asked while still on the floor. Pulling herself up to a sitting position she said, "Kids, maybe you can help."

Then, although speaking to the children, she was really speaking for Colette's benefit. "I know that you're used to suffering. You've each been living with your own agonizing pain for years. You're used to seeing people who are horribly disfigured. Well, I want Colette to undress so you can see how cruel people can sometimes be to other people. I'm sure you can take it, can't you?"

When all of the children, ranging in age from six to nine, solemnly nodded their heads, Colette shyly undressed. The reaction obtained from the children was unique in her experience. She was used to people reacting violently at the sight of her ugly scars.

Caitlin, though, knelt beside her and ever-so-gently ran her fingers over the horrible ridges of scar tissue. "How many times were you whipped?" she asked. "It must have been an awful lot to do this. Were you still conscious? Could you move?" It was clear that Caitlin was expressing interest, curiosity, and great sympathy as she looked into Colette's eyes. Then she said, "You have gorgeous green eyes, Miss Dupuis."

"Thank you, Caitlin," she said. "There were about 500 lashes. You asked if I was conscious? I was. Could I move? No."

Colette was kneeling with her back up straight and her weight resting back on her heels. With her head high she said, "Susan Andrews saved my life that day, kids, so I really do know how you feel about her. She let me kiss her and hold her tightly. Although she was supposed to give me five strokes with a whip, she gave me none at all. Anyway, for kissing me she was given twenty lashes."

Tears were flowing down Colette's cheek as she continued, "You see, she knew that for twenty lashes she would be sent to the infirmary. She didn't think I could take care of myself, and of course she was correct. With her own back bleeding from cuts all over it, she just concentrated on trying to help me!"

Now all of the children were gathered around Colette and one after the other they kissed her, concentrating on pouring out their love.

Then Caitlin, who was obviously the spokeswoman for the group, looked from one child to the next. In each case the child nodded. The girl knelt on the floor and extended her hands to both sides. The children, all dressed up in lovely party clothes, knelt in a circle around her and all joined hands.

Then Caitlin looked up and said, "Hi, God! It's me again ... Caitlin. And God, I have a couple of favors to ask. First, Miss Dupuis, here, is one of your finest creations. She's almost as good as Miss Andrews and we both know that's nearly impossible. But she really is. Miss Andrews must love her a lot because she suffered a lot to save Miss Dupuis's life.

"But then we know that Miss Dupuis just saved Susan's. No one — not even Sue — could survive the pain that she'd taken into her body from all of us. We don't know how she was able to do it. And we don't know how Colette was able to take some of the pain away from her, but she was able to do that, too. It saved Susan's life.

"Now, God, here is what I would like you to do: Please help Susan work on Colette. Let her make Colette's body as beautiful as it was and should be again. Give her a body that will match the beauty of her soul. Please, God?"

Then she looked around at each of the children asking an unspoken question. She seemed to be asking each child if he or she was certain. In each case, the answer was a definite yes. Susan and Colette had dressed again and were on their knees just watching the children.

Looking upward again, Caitlin continued, "God, there's just one more thing. Cats have nine lives. Well there are only eight of us, so Susan will have to make do with just eight. You see, God, what we want to do is to substitute for Susan if you ever want to take her life. Let's say there's a terrible automobile accident in which Susan will be killed. Instead of taking her, God, I want you to take me—"

"What?" Susan exclaimed. "Caitie, what are you saying?"

Ignoring Susan's outburst, the little girl just continued as if nothing had been said. " ... The next time you would take her life, take Elsa instead, followed by Billy, Jack, Kim, Sarah, George, and finally little Mary. Susan is an angel, God, who is really needed here on earth. We're offering our lives in place of hers. Please God? Will you take ours instead?"

After looking around the ring of children one more time she looked up and prayed, "And God, there's just one more thing. If you're not taking her suddenly — like an accident, or something — could we know a little in advance? You see, God, what I really want to do is to climb up on her bed where Susan is suffering, take her face in my hands and kiss her with all my love. Then I'll climb into a bed beside her and grip her hand while you take my life and restore hers." The girl's face beamed with joy as she exclaimed, "That will just be so neat!"

The children now gripped each others hands very tightly and all of them closed their eyes. Suddenly there was a soft golden glow over Caitlin's head that grew brighter, then started to expand around the circle until it covered all eight children. Then it grew brighter and brighter until it was almost as bright as the sun. Suddenly it began to shimmer in almost-stroboscopic fashion and finally exploded. The children were all knocked to the ground, unconscious. Sue and Colette were lightheaded as well.

Slowly the children began to regain consciousness. As they got up, Susan realized that the children had suddenly been transformed to perfect health. Each child, formerly recovering but still an invalid, was now a picture of health and beauty.

Caitlin came over to Susan and asked, "What happened? Didn't God hear us? We didn't want anything for ourselves, we just wanted to do something to try to thank you for saving all of our lives!"

"But Caitlin, that's exactly what God did do, my darling. He did hear you." Susan hugged the girl tightly and added, "Darling, I want you to know something. You see, I will never be able to have children of my own." As she said it tears came to her eyes but she tried to smile anyway. "So, you and your friends are now my children. I can't tell you how wonderful it makes me feel.

"But darling, do you know what God just did? When I was here before, he heard my prayers and allowed me take your pain into my body. Then he must have heard Colette's prayer that she be allowed to share the pain with me. Now look at yourself! Darling Caitlin, after that flash, God made you into an utterly perfect little girl. In just a couple of very short weeks you went from being a dying child to a picture of health. You're now a doll and you'll grow to be an incredible beauty. Why? What happened? Because, my darling, of what you and your friends just did. You prayed for Colette. Then you prayed to be permitted to sacrifice your lives, one at a time, to save mine! What did you ask God to give you? Absolutely nothing!"

At this point Susan could no longer continue. She just wrapped the lovely little girl in her arms, hugged her tightly and began to bawl. Then she felt the most remarkable sensation on her lips. It was such a surprise it caused her to open her eyes to see what was happening.

Caitlin was kissing her. Yet it was the most incredible kiss Susan had ever had. It was just the purest love, innocence, grace, and joy. The little girl was trying to convey how important Sue was to her. Now Sue started gently to work her lips on Caitlin's. Suddenly both women felt the most incredible sensation of joy and peace.

When they finally broke the kiss, Caitlin looked into Susan's lovely eyes and whispered, "Miss Andrews, I adore you! Really, I do."

"Caitie, I love you, too, so very much!" Susan whispered.

Then the two looked over to where Colette was entertaining the other children. She was teaching them simple words and phrases in French and the children loved it.

Now the party began in earnest. There was ice cream, cake, and a wide range of games most of which Colette created on the spot. When it was time to go, it had become clear to the children how much alike Susan and Colette truly were and what a wonderful person Colette was. They proved it by having a vote on who was the more perfect woman. After a lot of whispering and giggling, when the vote was taken it was a tie at four votes each. The children all giggled with merriment at their rigged outcome.

The leave-taking with the nurses back in the room was far more time consuming than anyone had expected. Each child insisted on hugging and kissing each of the girls. As this was going on, the nurses were noticing how incredibly perfect each child now was. As the two girls were going down to the main entrance where Steve was waiting for them, the chief nurse on the service asked about it.

Colette and Susan exchanged looks and then Colette replied, "Madam, it was the direct intervention of le Bon Dieu himself. Beyond that, you'll have to ask the children. But I'm sure that you'll agree, they're very healthy-looking children, n'est ce pas?

Following the visit to the hospital, progress on Colette's scars came astonishingly fast. Although the girls had said nothing to Jeff, even he noticed how quickly the girl was improving. One thing never changed, though, and that was Colette's incredible sense of humor. She was constantly after Susan to use a rotary sander, an orbital sander, a palm sander, a belt sander — anything to mechanize the process of sanding off her scar tissue.