Chapter 31

Dave picked me up at the main doors in his Explorer. I was glad he'd brought me a jacket, as it was beginning to spit snow.

We stopped at the pharmacy to pick up my Darvocets and at the store to pick up a few things I needed.

When we got to the house, Dave handed me a bag. "I know you'll be bored hanging around the house for the next couple of days, so I picked out a few movies for you."

I looked into the bag, and sure enough, Dave had gotten some of my favorites: "Hellfighters", with John Wayne, and all three of John Ford's "Cavalry" movies.

I looked up at Dave. "Wow, Dave, I'm impressed and touched! Thank you so much!"

Dave grinned. " I was going to pick out a couple of comedies, but I decided that maybe getting you laughing wasn't such a great idea. Belly laughs and broken ribs really don't go well together."

"You're surely right there, Dave!" I replied. "Thanks again. I'd better get inside and let you get to the store. I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you've done for me. Tell Rita "thank you" as well, please."

"I will, John. Now, go get in there and rest. Your spare keys are in your duffle bag. I'll talk to you real soon."

"OK, Dave- I'll take it easy for a while."

"Oh yeah- Marian said to tell you not to even think of calling in today. She said there's nothing going on that can't wait until tomorrow or that she can't get taken care of. She'll call in the "unlikely" (her words) event that something does."

I laughed out loud- forgetting my ribs (which promptly made a bid for attention). "OK, OK- I know when I'm licked!"

I shook hands with Dave, grabbed my duffle bag, and went in the house. It was strangely quiet after the hustle and bustle of the hospital. I unpacked the stuff that needed to be unpacked, took my next round of Darvocets, stretched out in the recliner with "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" on the TV ... and promptly fell asleep.

The sound of the doorbell woke me with a start. I took a quick look at my watch and was surprised to find that I'd slept until 2:30 in the afternoon!

I struggled out of the recliner, straightened myself out with a groan, punched the TV off with the remote and limped stiffly to the door.

I looked through the window and was shocked to see nearly the last person I'd have expected- Sherry!

I opened the door and then the storm door.

"Wow, Sherry- I am surprised to see you here! Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Sherry smiled. " Hi John. Yeah- I have a good reason to be here (as well as an excuse)", she said with a wink. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

I smiled back. "Of course I shall! Welcome to my humble abode, Milady! Won't you step inside?"

Sherry essayed a little curtsey. "Why, thank you, Milord!"

I held the door open for her, and she stepped inside. I stepped back inside myself, closed the inside door, and turned around just in time to be enveloped in Sherry's arms.

"Ooofff!" I hugged her back in self-defense.

"Oh John, are you all right? You scared the heck out of me!"

I gave her a quick kiss. "I'm fine, Sherry. I'm sore here and there, mostly my ribs, but I'm fine! I'm supposed to stay off work for a day or two, is all."

Sherry relaxed her hug and leaned her head back a bit to look me in the eye. "You're telling me the truth?"

"Of course I am, Sherry!" I said calmly. "Tell me, what brings you here? I'd think Jerry would blow a gasket if he knew you were in my house!"

"He probably would, John, but I have a good reason to be here." She leaned over and picked up a bag she'd set on the floor. "This is for you."

I took the bag from her and looked inside. It was a very nice fruit basket and a card.

"Here, lets take this in the kitchen so I can set it down and you can tell me all about it." I helped Sherry take her coat off and hung it on the coat tree by the door.

I put my arm around her waist and guided her to the kitchen. I gave her a little grope along the way. That earned me a dirty look and a most gratifying squeal. Once there I set the bag on the counter and extracted the basket. It was full of very pretty fruit. Apples, oranges, pears, kiwis, etc. along with some small packages of different cheeses- it was an impressive assortment.

What's this all about, Sherry?"

"Read the card, John, then I'll explain it all."

I opened the envelope and took out the card. It had a picture of a fireman carrying a child on it.

I opened it and read "Thank you for helping us. Get well soon!"

It was signed "The Ladies of Park Village", followed by about a dozen names.

I looked up at Sherry after I read the card.

She smiled and said, "We printed the card with a program they had at the library. The Ladies from the senior housing get together at the library most mornings for coffee and to read the newspapers and gossip, and they got to talking about the "young fireman" that got hurt and decided to get you a card. They were going to get flowers as well, but decided that you'd enjoy a fruit and cheese basket more, so the took up a collection to buy one.

They were going to have someone drop it off at the fire station, but when I told them you were my neighbor, that asked me to drop it off here. I called your office and found out that you'd been released from the hospital, so I stopped by the store and bought this basket and came by here after I got home from work."

I was almost certainly blushing as I said, "That's one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me, Sherry. I'll really enjoy this!"

I put the card in the basket and turned back to Sherry. "Now, I want to know all about what's going on with you, young lady! How did Jerry take your announcement? How did you like your first day on the job? Would you like a cup of coffee? Enquiring minds want to know!", I finished with a smirky grin.

Sherry stuck her tongue out at me. "Well, to answer your questions in reverse order; I'd love a cup of coffee, I really enjoyed my first day at work, and Jerry wasn't one bit happy about my announcement, but I think he didn't see any way to stop me without being a total ass, so he gave in as gracefully as he could."

I put a filter and some coffee in the coffeemaker, filled it with water, and started it, then I grinned back at her. "Good! I'm glad it wasn't too unpleasant. I was really worried he'd get ugly! And you'd best be careful about that tongue! Were you planning on using it, or just waggling it about?"

Sherry affected to be confused. "Why suh", she said with a fake Southern accent, "whatevuh do you mean? Of course a lady like myself would nevuh dreahm of using her her tongue in any but the most genteel and propuh of ways!"

I was laughing and wincing at the same time. "Ok, OK- I give up Sherry! My ribs won't take much laughing!" I slipped into a fake Southern accent of my own. "Of coa'se, a gentleman such as myself would nevuh imply that a lady would do somethin' as common and outrageous as laying a hot French kiss on a man!"

"Why of coa'se you wa'nt!" Sherry grinned" And of coa'se you wa'nt a-thinkin' of somethin' else that ah might do with that tongue!"

I grinned back. "Of course not! Especially since there isn't a lot of time until you have to be home- and I wouldn't want to have to rush things", I said with a wink and dropping the accent. "Anyhow- you'd better not spend too much time in here alone with me."

Sherry looked a little disappointed. "I suppose you're right, but dammit, this is frustrating! I've gone all my life thinking that sex was just something to put up with. Then in two days I've had more and better sexual pleasure from your fingers and from your voice on the phone and my fingers than from over twenty years of marriage! I want more and it's all YOUR fault!" She glared at me, then relented and laughed. "What I want to know is when you're going to f-f-fuck me!" She was blushing furiously as she let the "f" word pop out.

I was a little shocked at the language. That didn't sound like I expected Sherry to sound- I guess she was pretty frustrated!

Sherry glared at me again. "It's not very funny ... well, OK I guess it is a little funny, but I'm serious!"

The coffee was ready, and I poured out two cups. "Cream, sugar?" I asked.

Sherry winked at me. "Just cream, and I love it when you call me Sugar."

I groaned. "Jeeeeze- I walked into that one! OK, cream it is", I said as I got the half and half out of the fridge.

I poured a slug into my cup and handed it to Sherry. "Let's go sit at the table and talk for a second", I said. She added some to her cup and took it over to the table. I set my cup down and pulled out a chair for her and seated her, then sat myself.

"That's something else I can't get over. You're so polite all the time. Almost courtly- I never had anyone do that for me". She sipped her coffee and smiled at me.