Chapter 16

Bill and Kathy hesitantly approached the bed where Jill lay sleeping.

"What if she's afraid of me?" Bill whispered. "She started crying when she saw me, and tried to get out of my arms when I picked her up in the living room before, but she was so weak."

Kathy stopped and looked at her husband. "She probably will be, at least to some extent if it was as bad as Jeff said, but I still say, let her wake up in your arms. Let me do most of the talking, though; just reassure her. But don't act like you're expecting her to be afraid of you. Act like the loving husband that you are."

Both slipped their shoes off and got gingerly onto the bed. Kathy nodded to Bill and they each lay next to Jill as Bill took her gently into his arms. She even moved a little in her sleep to snuggle tighter against him, which opened Bill's emotions. He bit back tears and hugged her.

After a moment, "Jill. It's Kathy. You can wake up now. Everything is fine. Bill and I are here with you. You're safe now."

Kathy had to repeat it several times before Jill became fully aware, but just as she was awakening the door opened again and Linda walked in to sit beside Bill. Reaching over, she took her mother's hand and kissed it. Having been prompted by Diana, she said, "You're home now. We're all here. You're safe."

"You're healed, Baby," Bill whispered to her. "No more AIDS, no more upset stomach, no more drug withdrawal. No one will hurt you any more. I give you my word that bastard will never hurt you again."

Expressions chased themselves across Jill's face. She remembered Bill's promise to her father. Bill had never broken a promise to her — to anyone that she knew of. Then, "You give your word?" she repeated, half question, half statement — all desperate hope.

"My word," Bill quietly responded, but emphasizing.

There was quiet for a moment, then, "Oh, Bill. I've done some despicable things ... I'm so ashamed. I'm trash..." The tears began — and the memories.

"Hush," he said, lightly touching her lips. "You only did what you were forced to do by that animal who calls himself a man. You are my wife, just as you always were."

"But ... I ... I fucked them. They made me do things ... Oh, God, Bill," she sobbed. "How can you ever forgive me?"

"Hush," he said, his voice shaky. "There is nothing to forgive, Baby. Nothing. You haven't done anything wrong."

Kathy buried her face next to Jill's as they lay side-by-side, and talked quietly in her ear. "Hush. We know. We know," Kathy repeated. "Don't cry. We all love you. We're all in this together with you. You did nothing wrong. Your husband loves you. Linda loves you. I, your sister-wife, love you."

"Sister-wife?" Jill repeated, the sobs quieting for a moment, her voice a little curious now.

"Yes, we're both married to Bill. We — you and I — are sister-wives now. We share him and we love each other as sisters. Sister-wives."

The door opened again and Diana walked in carrying a tray. "Well, our sleeping beauty is awake," she said in a deliberately light and happy voice. "Now you two scat out of the way and let this hungry woman eat," she said. When they moved, Diana extended the legs on the tray and sat it across Jill's lap.

"Let's raise you up a bit," she said putting another pillow behind Jill's back, "so you can eat. I have it on good authority that you're hungry, and the food won't come back up like before."

As Diana uncovered the dishes, the smells triggered Jill's appetite. Before Jill could say anything, though, Diana continued with her bluster. "Don't even think about having stomach problems. You don't have them anymore. You can eat all you wish, and you're going to be extremely hungry until your weight comes back. We have mountains of food anytime you want it. Now here," Diana said handing Jill a glass, "this is fresh squeezed orange juice the girls made just for you. You'll get to meet them later, but they send their love."

Diana stood back to watch for a few seconds, then leaning forward, touched Jill's shoulder. "You were very sick when you got here, and didn't get to meet everyone. That can come later when you want it to. Just enjoy your family and know that the rest of us care for you as well. You're home. This is your home now, just as it is Bill, Kathy and Linda's. Just enjoy your family."

Jill stumbled out her thanks. Diana hugged everyone and left.

Jill took a tentative first bite and her taste buds seemed to almost explode with sensation. The taste of the food seemed magnified, somehow, the food better than anything she had ever tasted. Shortly she realized that she was eating much too fast, and forced herself to wait a moment, worried. Her stomach felt fine, though. She sat up straighter, careful to not upset the tray as she did so. I feel wonderful. What's happened? Ingles said I had AIDS."

The thought of her tormentor sent a surge of terror through her body as a cascade of memories assailed her. He will find me. I know he will. He'll make me go with him ... He said I could never get away from the conditioning.

"Jill... Jill." Kathy's insistent voice broke through her thoughts. Jill's mind slowly focused on the moment again. Realizing that Kathy had her hand on the tray to keep the food from spilling, Jill took a deep breath, but she couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes.

"Here, Mom," Linda said trying to distract her. "I've put some of your favorite jelly on the toast. Try it."

Absently, Jill took the toast from her daughter and took a bite. It was good, indeed. She couldn't remember food ever tasting this good.

But just as she thought she had her memory under control, Bill reached out to stroke her hair. With Ingles fresh on her mind, she flinched. She realized it a second after she had done it, and the look of anguish it caused her husband tore her heart, but she couldn't find words, and the terror grew again in her mind.

Bill withdrew his hand, looking shaken.

"Bill, I..." Jill tried to say while the terror of Ingles surged now that her system was totally free from the drugs and her mind was clear to remember. The memories showed on her face as she stared at her husband.

"I know," Bill said, as the look on her face felt like a knife in his heart. "I ... uh ... I understand," he stammered. Then, "Look, I've got some things to do. I'll leave you to eat. I'll be back..."

"Bill..." from Kathy.

"I'll be back in a little while," he finished, backing away, then quickly walked out of the room.

"Be back in a minute," Kathy said as she got up to follow Bill while Jill covered her face and cried.

Catching up with him in the sitting room just before he got to the outer door, "Bill. We talked about this..."

Bill spun around. "Hell, yes. I know what the problem is. My wife has been abused — Lord knows how — and raped. Repeatedly. I understand. But she flinched when I touched her. You saw the look on her face. Do you know how that makes me feel? Will she ever be the same Jill I married?"

Kathy grabbed him in a full frontal hug, pressing her breasts to him and embracing him tightly. "I'm sorry, but she just flinched. It will be all right. She just needs time."

Madison stayed tense. "It wasn't just the flinch. Don't deny you saw the look on her face," he said pushing Kathy back a little to look her in the eyes. "Baby, she has treated me so hatefully for the last year. I thought I had her back there for a little while, then she fucking flinched. Was that fear or hatred on her face?"

"Bill, she didn't flinch away for the same reasons that she did back in Saint Louis. She was ordered to do those things then. The fear is because of the rapes..."

"So how do you know that?" Bill asked. "Maybe Ingles' conditioning and instructions are still working. Maybe they always will be." Sighing, he took a couple of steps to sit on the couch. "Do you know how it makes me feel to realize that my wife has ... had men — I don't know how many — inside her body. Men who shot off in her — came in her, pumped their sperm into her? Yeah, I know that she was raped, and despite what women always seem to say about men not understanding some things that only women understand, well, maybe there are some things that men understand that women don't. The thought of another man coming inside my wife tears my guts out, whether you understand that or not."

"Bill, you're not holding her responsible..." Kathy said sitting down by him and taking his hand.

"Of course not," he vehemently answered. "Still, I can't get it off my mind, though. She said she fucked them. With the hypnosis driving her, I'm sure she did. That hurts, Kathy, despite the drugs and hypnosis. It hurts. I'm getting some vivid mental images of her doing that. Of them coming in her. It tears me up inside — then she flinches from me and gives me that look like she did back in Saint Louis. You have no idea how that makes me feel. Think about it. What if I flinched away when you touched me? How would you feel? Oh, fuck it. You don't understand. Hell, I guess I don't either. But there's still the year that she treated me like shit. Now she flinched just like she did back there when she was giving me hell — I guess per his instructions ... I just want to kill that bastard," he finished, whispering, his mind almost as screwed up as his wife's; his heart hurting.

Shaking his head, he leaned back and closed his eyes for a second. "Is she always going to be this way? Is she going to suddenly have that look on her face like she did a moment ago, then flinch from me? How in the hell can I ever make love to her if I'm expecting that? I'm not a fucking rapist, and it would seem like rape. I would be waiting for that flinch. Is she going to sleep with us, or am I assigned to another bed now?" he snarled."

Abruptly, he got up and walked out of the suite.

Kathy sat with tears forming in her eyes. Yesterday we were happy. Jill came back today and we were even happier. Now this. What am I going to do?

Bill had only walked a little way down the hall when Jeff stood up from one of the alcoves. One look at Bill's face and Jeff said, "We need to work out."

Bill stopped to stare at him. "Did anyone ever tell you that you can say the damndest things at the damndest times," he irritably responded. "I've got problems, Jeff. I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it. But I'm not in the mood."

"Yeah, you are," Jeff said grabbing him by an arm and spinning him around with an ease that just irritated the pilot more, then started them walking before Bill had quite regained his balance.

Bill snatched back and stopped. "Dammit, Jeff. I've got problems..."

"Yeah, and the two of us are going to work out, or you're going to have to whip my ass right here — right now."

The two men glared at each other for a few heartbeats, then Bill grinned in spite of himself, "Oh, fuck it. I guess we're going to work out. Let me change clothes..."

"No," Jeff responded as they started walking again.

"Damnit, Jeff. I've got on dress clothes..."

"So pull the shirt off. The pants will wash or go to the cleaners. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"I'm fine, Jeff."

"Sure you are," Jeff answered with an irritating grin on his face as he held the stairway door open. "Sure you are."

An hour later, Jeff had worked Bill until sweat flowed down his face and his knees were wobbling. The pilot now sat on a bench, his forearms on his thighs, leaning forward as he watched the small pool of accumulated sweat from his brow widen on the floor between his feet. The really irritating thing, Bill thought as Jeff handed him a coke, is that he has done everything I've done and barely broken a sweat. Fuck!

"Ready to talk about it now?" Jeff said as he sat across from Bill and crossed his legs.

"Ah, fuck. It's complicated," Bill complained.

Jeff took a sip of coke and leaned back, his grin getting bigger. "I've got nowhere to go and the rest of the day to get there. Let it rip."

I would get pissed, but I'm too fucking tired, Bill thought as he too leaned back.

Jeff tossed him a fresh towel, then took a sip of his drink, waiting.

Bill sat the coke down and wiped his face, then took both hands to vigorously rub the towel on his head to dry his short hair. Looping the towel over his neck, he picked up his coke, looked up at the patiently waiting Jeff, and sighed. "She treated me like shit for the last year or so," he started with a quiet voice. "I guess ever since she went to see this Ingles. With what you've told me, I guess he drugged her and hypnotized her into doing what he told her to do. Anyway, she just suddenly changed, wouldn't make love any more, treated me like shit, flinched away from me when I touched her like my hands were ... hell I don't know — filthy of something. She picked fights, left without telling me where she was going ... and it got worse. Well, I've told you some of it, already.

"Before I went in that bedroom, I thought I was prepared. I thought I could handle it, but I tried to comfort her in there, and she flinched from me again, just like she did back in Saint Louis. God, Jeff, I just keep seeing her with men. They fucked my wife, Jeff. She fucked them. I know she was driven by the drugs and hypnosis, but ... Jeff they came in my wife. She was a virgin when we married ... I can't explain how I feel. I could handle everything, though. I wanted to hold her and comfort her, but when I touched her, she fucking flinched from my touch. How the hell am I going to handle that? I thought I could, but it hit me hard."

Bill's hands were shaking as he glared at Jeff. "I'm not an asshole, Jeff. I don't hold her responsible. Hell, I hurt for her, but she can't flinch from me. That's what she did at home when she was deliberately making my life miserable. I just keep seeing some faceless slob fucking her and she's fucking him back." They sat looking at each other for a moment, then Bill sighed, "Fuck. You just don't understand."

They sat quietly again, both men thinking. Jeff finished his coke and absently threw the can in the trashcan that was sitting fifteen feet away; the can landed dead center. Fuck, Bill thought, Does he do everything perfectly?

Jeff broke into Bill's thoughts with, "I hope Diana will forgive me for this, but I'm going to tell you something. Something that only my wives and I know."

Bill didn't know what to say. "Uh, Jeff..."

"The process used to heal and enhance everyone here has an aspect that we didn't know about in the beginning. To make a long story short, Diana had broken her ankle in a way that couldn't be healed in any reasonable time, if ever, and worse, meant she faced a lifetime of pain. I used the process on her, and then Arlene, without telling either of them. I thought it would only heal injuries, and had no idea that it would do anything else. In particular, I didn't know that it would enhance them sexually, let alone that it would drive their sexual responsiveness off the chart. Worse, they had no idea what was happening to them, whatsoever. And I screwed up big-time. This almost destroyed my marriage and our family."

Jeff's voice hardened as he stared at Bill. "It started when some jackass who lived near us caught Arlene and her boyfriend fooling around sexually with each other, took pictures of them and threatened to show the pictures to me if she didn't fuck him. He pushed himself on her and she couldn't resist, both because of the threats and because her sexual responsiveness had been so increased due to the enhancements — she couldn't help herself. He raped her virginity from her, but Arlene thought it was her fault because the enhancements she didn't know about made her like it. Then he caught Diana and Arlene doing some silly things and used that to coerce them into letting him fuck them, and Diana had the same enhancement problem Arlene did. But it was more than that with Diana — I hadn't been treating her the way she wanted to be treated, while the jackass did. She wanted to be dominated, but I wouldn't do that, and Jackass was the first man in her life who sexually dominated her. So she responded to that, and I mean sexually. This was sort of true for Arlene too.