Chapter 54

Joe sat in front of his computer surfing from website to website trying to pass the time. He was uneasy that things were going on around him where he could not participate. Selena, along with Lucy and Jeromy were moving things into their respective dorms and new living quarters. While his future mother-in-law Betty was dusting, cleaning up and putting away the clean dishes, Scott was moving things up from their car to "move in" the guest room for a few weeks to help in nursing Joe back to health. After that Scott had said he was going to shovel last nights few inches of snow from the walk and back deck before joining his daughter and her friends in the move. Joe's plowing service had already done the driveway with Jeromy clearing the door areas so they could get in and out easily. All of these tasks were part of Joe's normal domain and putter. He was the doer, the facilitator, the 110 percenter who took charge and made things happen. Being hog-tied to the wheelchair had him frustrated. It wasn't his style. When he would oversee a project at Johnson Construction he usually told his staff and crew that he never expected anyone to work any harder than him. They were comforting words to everyone, except no one could work harder than Joe, putting in 12-15 hour days as a norm and having a step-in, zip-up coverall always at the handy to pitch in physically no matter how he was dressed.

He would curse his knee, then Juliette, then Juliette's son Michael for his predicament, even though he knew it was his own stupidity and hard head that got him this sentence. He really held no hard feelings, but in his anger they were easier to blame than himself.

"Gritting your teeth and trying to punch your fingers through the keyboard isn't going to help Joe. Why don't you take a pill and nap? When you wake up it will be all over and we'll all be here." Betty said as she stuck her head in the door to check on Joe.

"You read me like a book Betty. I can't stand this sitting still while there are things I should be helping with. I'm 10 days post-op and have had my knee exercised once. I know it's going to be slow and right now every joint in my body aches from inactivity. God damned arthritis rears its ugly head every second I'm not active."

"Well you haven't been using the exercise bars for much more than moving in and out of bed and going to the toilet. Your boredom is making you lazy. Come on, I'll exercise with you. Let's work out the stiffness and then put you down for a nap. Selena and Lucy should be back by 5 or 6. We have time to workout, eat, take a pill and let you sleep it off." Betty told him as she took charge.

Betty wheeled him into the living room where the a-frame was set up.

"Let me change into something I can move in and I'll be right back." She told him as she went to the guest room and quickly changed.

She came out in the Lycra second skin she wore a few days before, but she added an exercise tog over it that looked like a bathing suit. It did little to hide the shape of her figure, but was not see-through as it had been earlier.

She positioned the chair under the bar and locked the wheels.

"Come on Joe, let's get a good stretch, I won't let your leg fall out of the support." She assured him.

Joe reached up and took a grip on the bar and pulled himself straight up, but not off of the chair.

"Come on Joe, right out of the chair; let your arms stretch out and your spine straighten." She encouraged.

Joe's strong upper body had weakened but he still felt his butt leave the chair pad as Betty kept support for his leg. He let himself down to the chair and then repeated the pull. It was obviously painful, but each lift became easier and smoother until he completed five.

"Ohhhh, that feels good. Let me catch my breath and I'll do a few more. I wish I could stretch out my legs and loosen my hips."

'Here, let me take your good leg and lift it to stretch your hamstrings and then maybe you can try resistance against the wall." She suggested as she bent and took his good leg and lifted it."

"I'll rest it on my shoulder a bit and see how high we can get it." She said and she took the weight of his leg in her arms and bent to get her shoulder under it.

Joe held the handle grips tightly as she let him stretch and then she rotated it a bit to loosen his hip.

"Is that the movement you want in your hip?" She asked as he held on red faced and nodding.

Betty was strong for her size, much like Selena. She had bigger bones than her daughter, although still certainly petite. She let his leg down and moved to the other side of him.

"Want to try the other? If I take the whole channel on my shoulder I won't be able to get as high as the other, but I think you'll feel it in your hip." She said as Joe nodded.

The channel where his leg rested was weight hinged and meant to give him flexible support, but Betty could only lift it a foot or two but was still able to let him rotate his hip a bit. She finished the stretch and stood before putting her hands on her knees, bending to get some deep breaths.

"Wooo, that was a workout for ME too. But at least you got a good stretch." She said with a smile as she straightened up.

She bent to make sure he was positioned properly in the channel and looked Joe in the eye, her face red as a beet.

"I see you have no problem stretching the other leg." She said backing away noticing his full erection in his lounge pants.

"Oops, sorry Betty. That's hard to help around such an attractive woman. I was hoping you wouldn't notice." Joe said disgusted in himself.

"I guess that's flattery and a week ago I would have helped you do something about it, I swear." She said with sureness.

"As attractive as I obviously find you Betty, nothing would have happened then or NOW! You may have been desperate enough to abandon your morals, but NOT ME! Don't even talk like that. Do you know how disappointed your daughter would be if she heard you say that? Please don't think I would even entertain the idea." Joe insisted.

Betty stood back and struck a provocative pose.

"You're really not interested?" She said with a smile, trying to kid with Joe.

"Betty, I think I've told you before that I never made a habit a screwing around with married women, but if I was free, YOU I would make an exception for. But, I'm not free and neither are you. Nothing, however, stops me from looking when you wear such provocative clothes." Joe admitted.

"Oh God, Joe. Nothing wrong with looking and I'm sorry if I teased you. I'm proud of my body, but it's all for one man now as it always has been." Betty told him.

"No one else? Ever?" Joe asked with a suspicious grin.

Betty blushed and turned away.

"Oh LORD, Betty. It's no big deal. Don't sweat it."

"It IS a big deal to Scott. It was before we were married, but I was engaged. I was just curious. It was one night, one guy and it did more good than harm in the long run, believe me." Betty said with her eyes welling up.

"Betty you keep that to yourself and Scott will never know. I can understand how you may have felt. We better change the subject." Joe insisted as he wanted to continue exercising.

"No, I want to talk about it. It was the one thing I probably should have admitted to in our counsel, and I couldn't do it. Ummmm,... it was only a week before the wedding. Scott and I had already slept together hundreds of times, but I had to know what another man was like. It was sort of like wanting to know if Scott was normal,... you know... talented."

"Betty, as long as he made you happy, fulfilled you."

"Joe, my lover knew what he wanted and took it. I was so afraid and frightened, but never protested. I still get goose bumps, but it makes me want Scott more, after I fantasize."

"Betty, please. This isn't something a son-in-law should hear, or even know. This is something to talk about with a close girlfriend or sister."

"Joe, I could never tell anyone about this until you came along. Men may not see how magnetic and sexy you are, but women can. I know what my daughter sees in you. You are the compassionate lover, the fulfiller. You understand. You don't need to hear anymore and I know my thoughts are safe with you. Thank you." Betty said as she came around to the front of the chair.

"I have an idea and I think you can do it. What if I let your left leg and foot on the floor and you grabbed the bar and stood totally up with all your weight on that? I'll be here to be sure you don't fall or weight bear on the right."

"I don't know Betty, but it sure would feel good to actually stand. Let me at least start it and see how it feels. I don't want to jeopardize anything." Joe said cautiously.

"Don't worry. I'm here and won't let anything happen. We can stop if we've bit off too much." She reassured him.

Joe kicked the left foot rest to the side and put his foot on the floor. He reached for the bar and pushed himself up straight in the chair with his left foot and butt bracing against the braked chair. As his fingers curled around the pull bar he straightened and his knuckles rolled over the bar to strengthen his grip. He grimaced in pain as his ass left the chair and his weight went to his left foot. Betty cautiously stayed near to be sure the right leg, in its splint and tray, was not compromised. As he got up and his right leg left the tray Betty quickly moved to pull the chair away from behind him. He was standing fully up with all his weight on his left leg.

"Are you steady?"

"YES, I'm totally comfortable and balanced" Joe said standing now with the bar at his upper chest level.

Betty knelt and hugged his right splinted leg as Joe rotated his hips to stretch.

"God Betty, it feels so good to stretch and move these muscles and joints. Rotate my right leg a bit."

Betty cautiously tried to do what he asked but she felt resistance.

"I think we're pressing our luck. I'm moving the chair back; make sure your grip is solid." She said as she moved the chair back and again she stayed with his leg as he began to sit.

She guided his leg into the tray as he slipped into the chair.

"Oooofff, THAT was GREAT!" Joe exclaimed with a big grin.

Betty patted his thigh in encouragement as she stood but quickly pulled her hand away when she saw he still had an erection.

"Good Lord Joe, have you no self-control?"

Joe just laughed and shook his head.

"Come on Betty. As hot as you look in that tight outfit, kneeling and grunting around me, I AM A MAN."

"We'll be sure to leave you and my daughter alone after they get back." She laughed.

"I'll be quite fine, thank you." Joe said embarrassed again.

Betty unlocked the wheels of the chair and wheeled Joe into the bedroom. Once the chair was secured she initialized the hydraulics of the chair and got Joe onto his hospital bed without a hitch. As she went to fill a water glass for Joe he got 2 vicodin from the bottle and gulped them down with the water she presented to him.

"Geez, my back and my joints all ache and I'm on fire underneath that splint, hot and itching. I start daily sessions with the therapist on Wednesday and I can't wait to start moving again." Joe complained as Betty pulled the sheet up for him.

Betty caressed his face and kissed his forehead.

"Sleep tight you flatterer. Those pills will knock the starch out of your... umm erection, and let you sleep. I'm sorry if I caused a problem." She chuckled.

Joe watched Betty leave the room admiring her bottom as she moved away. It was a little fuller than Selena's, but if he had that to look forward to after childbirth and 20 years he hoped he had a strong heart. He fantasized about making love to his wife for the next 20 years and still having her look like Betty does as he drifted away.

Meanwhile Betty went to the guest room anxious to get out of her leotard and workout tog. She combed closet and drawers for her sweatpants and top, but couldn't believe she hadn't packed any. She remembered washing a set for Selena and wondered if Joe was out enough yet to go in and borrow it from the folded clothes she had set on their bed.

She went to the door and heard the light buzz of Joe's snore and knew he was out. She pulled the straps off her shoulders and peeled out of the workout tog and anxiously hooked her fingers into the camisole top of her unitard body glove. She hadn't worn a panty and with her newly fully shorn pussy she had awakened new feelings. Standing nude she ran her hand through her sex and then squeezed and manipulated her breasts, her body free from its Lycra skin. She slipped on the sweat top, noticing it was slightly cropped and pulled the pants over her legs and saw they were hip hugging.