Chapter 70

The four of us slept comfortably, Riekie on one side, Diane on the other, and Carol curled up in my lap. I woke to the sound of someone entering the room. Bob grinned at me with that goofy smile I hadn't seen in years. "You never change, you just keep adding to your harem."

I grinned back. "Hey! When ya got it, ya got it! How ya doin', Bud?"

Just then two towheaded kids in their underwear ran up squealing, "Unca Bob! Unca Bob!" He reached down and scooped one into each arm. They showered him with sloppy kid kisses and happy hugs.

"Were they awake when you came in, Bob?"

"They were just getting out of bed. What're they doing here?"

"Riekie didn't have any one for them to stay with, and she has no plans to return to Winnipeg. She and the kids are coming home with us."

The kids squirmed to get down. "Want our Daddy!" They climbed on top of Diane and Riekie, who either faked it really well, or they actually stayed asleep, and two small sets of arms wrapped around my neck while I too got showered with wet kid kisses. How the three women slept through all the squirming and bouncing was beyond me.

Bob was nonplussed. "Daddy?"

"That's me, I'm told, Old Pal-Old Friend!" I laughed. The expression on Bob's face was priceless.

"Riekie told me these guys came out of a bottle. <Well, at least she told somebody besides Rick.> She didn't tell me she snuck off to Toronto to see you."

"She didn't sneak off to see me, although I think it might have been more fun making them that way. No, she's right. They did come out of a bottle as you so quaintly put it. She just didn't tell you who filled the bottle."

"You? When?"

"The year I went to college, when you talked me into meeting the girls again. Riekie conned me into donating to a sperm bank. I had no idea what she had planned for those donations. First I heard of it was this morning. They're great kids, though, although I can't say much for their taste in favourite uncles..." Bob made a face at me and we laughed.

Carol started to wake up, squirming a bit. Her short skirt had ridden up her luscious bare thighs, showing lots and lots of delicious leg. I had a bit of a woody, which grew as she squirmed in my lap and she felt it. She reached sleepily for a tender wake-up kiss. She moaned contentedly, and screwed her bottom onto my growing erection, revealing even more leg in the process. "Mmmmm! That feels nice! Gotta get some more of that..."

I tickled her and she jumped. "What'd you do that for? I was just gonna get comfy."

"In public, Love? You have two very awake small children and one very aware uncle watching your lascivious show."

Carol opened her eyes fully and met the curious stare of two very bright six year olds. She turned her head and saw Bob, then looked down and saw how far her skirt had risen, realizing from his angle, Bob probably saw more than just leg... She blushed beet red and scrambled to her feet, pushing her skirt down as she did. "Oh, Bob! I'm sorry! I'm so ashamed!"

Bob laughed, let on he hadn't seen up her skirt, and said. "What's to be ashamed of, Sis? I've seen more of you showing on the beach than what I just saw. No big deal. You still got great legs, though!"

"Why thank you, Robert." Carol blushed again then went to check on Ben. Seeming satisfied, she kissed him on the forehead. She came back to us, gave her brother a very sisterly kiss on the cheek, and asked when he got in. He told her he'd just got there about the time she woke up. Carol held out her hands to the kids. "C'mon you two, I bet ya hafta go, and ya need your faces washed — there's still pizza all over 'em." They scrambled from their nests in my wives laps and ran to Carol. She gave them each a hug then took them by the hands and led them into the bathroom.

The body on my left stretched lazily against me and pulled her arms tight around me, getting even more comfy. She turned and threw her leg over mine, snuggling in tighter; her long full pleated skirt rising over her stocking-clad thigh as she rubbed her knee on my crotch. "Mmmmm! Feels so ni-i-i-ice! Gotta get summa that! Mmmm, I haven't slept so well in years" Riekie started to rub my erection very suggestively with her knee. I leaned down and kissed the top of her curls. She turned her beautiful face up for a proper kiss, which I delivered very warmly, causing her knee to rub even more suggestively.

As I separated from that warm, sensuous kiss, I squeezed and said, "Look who's here!"

Riekie opened her eyes completely and turned to where I indicated. She smiled warmly at Bob then noticed her own awesome display of leg as her knee continued its playful rubbing of my groin. She wasn't fazed a bit by Bob's presence as she greeted him. "Hi, Bobby! You always walk into a lady's boudoir unannounced? Been here long?"

Bob greeted Riekie warmly. "Hi yourself! Unannounced is the only way if ya wanna see the good stuff, and you're showin' some good stuff." Bob laughed, indicating the tantalizing bit of sensuous thigh exposed. "I just got in. The highway was a bitch coming through the Pass. They had it closed for a few hours to clear a small avalanche. I'm whooped. If I could get you three off the couch, I'd have a nap."

Riekie laughed. "Aw! Poor thing! Ya don't need the couch. If the twins are up, lie down on their bed." She looked closer and saw Bob's eyes were swollen and red from driving. She instantly switched to concerned sister. "You get yourself for a nap, now, Robert Scott! Doctor's orders." She stretched like a cat then grimaced. "Eeewww! I'm starting to smell! I gotta freshen up and get out of these yucky clothes. David would you be an absolute dear and get my overnight case and my small suitcase from the van?" She described the cases so I'd know which ones to bring. She said to bring the kids' small case in too, as they'd probably need fresh undies.

Riekie went to check on Ben. She checked his vital signs, changed his IV and checked the bag attached to his catheter. She was very professional, acting in some ways more like a nurse than a doctor. She was satisfied with what she found, and reported that the nurse had probably been in while we slept.

Diane had wakened by then, also showing a lot of leg, and asked me to bring her travel bag in too. Before letting me go, she gave me a sweet kiss. Then she saw Bob and bounced up to greet him with a hug and kiss. Bob volunteered to go to the van with me to fetch the girls' cases. As we were leaving, Carol came out of the bathroom with the kids, looking somewhat refreshed. The kids saw me, bounced over for a hug and asked where I was going. "Just out to the van to get some things for your mommies. Unca Bob and I will be right back."

Carol announced, "There's a small shower in the bathroom, if anyone feels the need." She gave us a coquettish grin. "I'm sorry it's very small, barely big enough for one person, and there aren't many towels." Diane and Riekie gave each other a disappointed look. "I don't think they usually have as large a group."

Riekie walked out to the nursing station with Bob and me. She asked if we could have some more towels, as most of us were from out-of-town and needed to freshen up. The nurse showed Riekie the linen closet and told her to help herself. Bob and I asked if there was a more direct route to the outside than we had come. The nurse explained the direct route and following her directions, we were soon standing outside in the cold December sun, looking for the van. Looking west, I could just make out the mountains, almost like a cloud bank on the horizon.

It turned out the parking lot we were in was indeed for Palliative Care. We could have walked straight in! I found the van easily enough, and soon had all the cases we'd been sent for. I also brought in the bags of Christmas presents from home. I thought of the small tree I'd noticed in Ben's room, and to make what could be his last day on earth as pleasant and homey as possible, I thought some real presents under that tree would be nice. So I'm a hopeless romantic! Get used to it!

While we went down to the parking lot and back, I filled Bob in on all the recent developments. He'd been in touch with Carol and Ben, so knew a lot of it. He'd been such a part of our lives for the last twenty years and had grown so close to Ben, as I had, that whenever there was news, Carol or Ben had contacted him and brought him up-to-date. He gave me a hug for finally standing up to his father and literally booting him out of the family. The only thing he hadn't heard was that Diane's father and Paul Koorstis were one and the same. I filled him in quickly on those details and also told him about Diane's new pregnancy and about Jo's. He was totally thunderstruck about that, but in typical Bob fashion, soon accepted it. By the time we got back to Ben's room, Bob was as up-to-speed as I could get him.

Because we were talking, Bob and I hadn't hurried. We weren't gone all that long, either, but Diane and Riekie claimed they were ready to send out a search party, not for us, but their luggage. Small shower or not, once they got their bags and had selected whatever they needed, they entered the bathroom together. Carol got delegated to finish dressing the kids, but as soon as that was done, she just had to join the other two in the bathroom! I'm not certain what went on in there, but whatever it was, there was a lot of happy squealing, and giggling, accompanied by some very loud moans.

Bob and I entertained the twins. There was a TV in the room, but we never turned it on. Riekie had packed some coloring books and small toys in her overnight case, and handed them out before she went for her shower. The kids helped us put the gifts under the tree, played and coloured a bit, but mostly they sat on Bob's and my laps, trading places occasionally, and listened as Bob and I talked. Bob never did get his nap as Riekie ordered. Now and then one of the little darlings would tiptoe over to Ben, hold his hand, and kiss him sweetly on the cheek. He smiled in his sleep each time.

I asked the twins if they understood what was happening and why we were here. They said Mommy had explained that Uncle Ben was going to be with the Goddess in a place where he wouldn't hurt anymore, and we were there to say goodbye. They knew when Ben went to the Goddess his body would stay behind. They seemed to understand the concept of death, extremely unusual in ones so young, but then I remembered Rhiannon the year before. These children of mine, so gifted with the Sight, seemed to have a better handle on the machinery of life and death than most adults. Their calm confidence that Ben was going to a better place reassured even skeptical old me.

In that short time I spent with the twins, I learned how much I truly loved these wonderful little creatures that Riekie had gone to so much trouble to bring into the world, and I began to truly appreciate the depth of that beautiful woman's love for me.

Ben slept through all the commotion in the bathroom. While the girls were 'refreshing' themselves a pretty redheaded nurse came in and checked Ben's condition. She made some notes on the chart, adjusted the IV a little, and grinned at the noises from the bathroom. One of the kids was holding Ben's hand when she first came in. She smiled warmly and gave the child a hug. I saw her take note of the gifts under the tree, too.

Just before she left, the nurse said, "Palliative Care is for families to spend time with a loved one near the end. We try to make it as close to home as possible in an institutional setting, but your family seems to have made this room totally home. You prove the old adage that 'home is where the heart is'. Times like this, sitting with a loved one at the end of their journey shouldn't always be a sad time. Life should be cherished, but also celebrated at times like this. I can tell from the number of you here that Mr.Young is loved and cherished by all of you, and that his life was a good one. I wish some of the other families could see your joy in life, even at the end of another's. My shift is almost over, and I'm off now until New Year's Eve to spend the Holiday with my family. I won't see you again, probably, but I just want you to know it has been a pleasure serving you and Mr. Young. Merry Christmas!"

Bob and I were deeply touched and thanked her for her heartfelt words. We wished her a Merry Christmas as well. She looked stunned when I added, "May the Goddess protect you."

But she stunned me even more when she returned a quiet, "And guide your spirit." As the door closed behind her.

The girls came out of the washroom a short time later. All three of them had a little extra glow that I recognized. Diane and Carol both had that almost otherworldly glow of pregnancy, but this was extra. I was happy for them, and had truly enjoyed my interlude with Bob and the twins, but felt a little disappointed at being left out of the girls' fun too.

They all looked wonderful. Carol wore the same kilt she had on earlier, but had changed sweaters. The one she wore now buttoned down the front and hugged her beautiful breasts deliciously, her nipples forming mouth-watering dents in the material. She'd left a few buttons undone, allowing an enticing view of soft curves. Diane also wore the same kilt as before, but her sweater had been changed for a flannel shirt that revealed soft curves and cleavage. She looked absolutely edible. The biggest change was in Riekie. Gone was the heavy wool and tweed look of before. She wore one of those cotton dresses I liked so much with a buttoned bodice, enough buttons open to show some delectably soft, ripe curves. The hem came to about four inches above her knee. She looked almost exactly as she had on a Christmas Eve exactly twenty years before.

All three were bare legged, and I knew without looking or asking that none of them had a single stitch on underneath. And they smelled wonderful! After our experience with Carol in September, I knew what that delectable perfume was, and reacted accordingly -- my penis stirred and became semi erect. There could be only one of them in actual 'heat', now, but this delicious scent seemed to emanate from all three, and seemed familiar. I remembered Carol's perfume from our first date, and recognized it as the attractant it was.

My look of mild disappointment at not being included in the fun in the bathroom didn't go unnoticed, either. The three of them came to me, and smothered me in a warm group hug with lots of tender kisses that soon had my semi now a full hard-on. Riekie spoke for them. "We're sorry, David. We shouldn't have excluded you, but Muffin and I... the tension between us hit the boiling point. We had to do something!" She grinned. "Besides, if you'd been with us, the screaming would probably have caused a panic at the desk."

"No apologies are needed, My Lovelies. I was a little disappointed, but the three of you sounded like you were having so much fun just being girls, I thought I'd be intruding. Besides, I had Bob and two other beautiful women to entertain. We had our own fun, and I enjoyed that just as much, I think. If I'd been with you, I wouldn't have been with them, and I'd be wondering what I was missing there. I can do a lot of things but being in two places at once isn't one of them."

Another nurse came in just then to check on Ben. She was new, and seemed surprised at the number of visitors and the general air of happiness in the room where a man lay dying. Like the nurse before her, though, she seemed to be pleasantly surprised. This nurse, like the one this morning, asked us if we wanted dinner sent up. This time we said that would be fine. Ben was still sleeping, but seemed a little restless. Either he was dreaming, or he was in pain. I thought probably both. After the nurse left with our dinner order, Riekie checked Ben's IV and made a small adjustment. He seemed to relax a little after that. I'm no expert, but I had been noticing all afternoon that the traces on the monitor seemed shallower and farther apart, as if he was winding down. The twins still took turns holding Ben's hand and whenever one of them was with him, he smiled in his sleep.

With a rattle of hot covers, the orderly delivered dinner. For hospital food, it was surprisingly good. They even served ice cream for the kids. As we finished eating, Ben's sons, Jamie and Robbie came in. Carol made introductions all around. I noticed the boys, in their early twenties, giving Diane and Riekie very appreciative glances. They were very nice young men, and obviously thought the world of Carol, treating her like a favourite older sister. They talked and laughed with us like old friends. Of course, they knew Bob and had met Riekie a couple times. They became instant hits with K.P. and J.D. If kids and pets accept strangers, it's a good sign they really are good people.

Ben woke from his long nap finally. The kids noticed first that he was awake and they both ran to the side of the bed to give him a kiss. He was very weak, and could hardly speak, but when he saw the boys, he motioned them to come over so he could talk to them. I heard him ask if all went well today, and did they get what was needed. They answered in the affirmative to both questions. The boys were obviously heartbroken that they were losing their father, but seemed to be taking this in stride. Jamie drew me aside and told me they'd seen their mother suffer a long painful death, and they didn't want to go through that again. If Ben passed quickly, as it seemed he would, then while sad at his loss, they would be glad of his release from pain.

A short time after the boys arrived, another person entered the room -- a striking redhead, almost Amazonian or Valkerian in proportion with a commanding bearing that I recognized. Without introduction, I knew instantly this must be Beth Richards, Priestess to the Goddess; her bearing was the same as Mom's. She might not be a High Priestess, but she certainly ranked, I thought. She was tall, heavily framed with a very full bosom. Her full red lips seemed to be fixed in a permanent smile. Imposing at first, she exuded warmth and friendliness.

Her gaze focused on the patient, ignoring everyone else, this impressive personage went straight to Ben's bedside. Seeing he was awake, she flashed him a dazzling smile. Ben smiled in return and they greeted each other warmly as she kissed him gently on the lips. I was standing nearby and heard Ben whisper to her, "Are you ready? Do you have everything you need?" Beth nodded in the affirmative and patted a large garment bag and a smaller travel bag she carried.

After she greeted Ben, Beth turned to Carol, who was close by with my other two girls, talking with Jamie and Robbie. Beth's eyes caught and centred on My Girls (Finally! All three together!). She stopped dead in mid-turn and sucked in her breath. I heard her gasp to herself. "Princesses! Lori was right!"