Chapter 543

0545 Hours – Security Headquarters

Tosha, knowing that no amount of makeup would hide her swollen and stitched-up lip, let alone do anything for the interesting color and the swelling of the left side of her face, wore only a trace of makeup to be Kei’s escort today. Dressed in a light blue blouse with straight leg gray pants and wearing two-inch heels, she stood before her mirror examining her face.

I love this detail, but now that the Colonel has married Kei and she has asked for me to be her escort, I’m gonna get ribbed about brown-nosing. Continuing to stare at her swollen face in the mirror, her thoughts went on. In addition, everyone will be thinking that I’m trying to kiss the Colonel’s butt to get out of trouble for kicking Mike’s ass so thoroughly. But, he pissed me off when he hit me in the mouth with my own baton, and I was determined that he was going to wear an ass whipping for his troubles. If I hadn’t managed to block the blow partially with my forearm, he would have knocked my teeth out with that ASP. Enough of the force got through, even with my forearm block, to split my lip and loosened two of my teeth, she thought as she pushed gently against the loose teeth with an index finger, seeing them move slightly. If I lose them, he’s going to get a real ass kicking.

Shrugging, she left her quarters and exited the building, got in the SUV she had been assigned for the day and left the parking lot to drive the few hundred yards to the Matthews’ driveway.

She had memorized all the material that Security had concerning the Matthews and their habits, and she was well aware of the location of every camera, but she never thought of them as she made her way up the driveway, a deep frown on her pretty face. She worried about her lopsided appearance, and smiling was out of the question with the way her lips and cheek were swollen despite her having iced her face over and over.

Jeff, sitting in the living room with some of his wives, leaned forward for a better view as Tosha’s vehicle made the first turn of the driveway. When the AI zoomed in and Tosha’s faced filled the screen, Jeff grimaced at the sight of her swollen lips and face, balling his fists until his knuckles turned white.

Diana, sitting in his lap, touched her lips to his for a moment. “She did put him in the hospital, Baby, and the lip will heal.”

“She sees Little One as soon as she gets here,” he said even as the small alien began flowing out of his collar. “My family will eat with Tosha when Little One has finished with her. We’ll just be a little later eating than usual.”

“No problem,” Diana returned, snapping a look at Arlene and Kayla, the two hurrying into the kitchen to tell the others. Soon, the whole family, including Kei and her mother were sitting in the living room waiting for Tosha.

Diana had briefed Aiko on what was going on, and she knew that they called Jeff “Sir” or “Colonel”, little of which she fully understood, but she did know that a Colonel was an authority figure. The deep frown on his face made her suspect that he had respect for the woman with the injured mouth and face.

Standing, Diana said, “I’ll go tell the others to go ahead and eat, and the rest of us will eat when Tosha has been healed.” She stopped to hug her husband and say, “I’m proud of you.” At his questioning look, she just smiled and went on her way. He’s always thinking of someone else. He doesn’t want her to be embarrassed with her swollen face, not to mention relieving her of the pain. He has made certain that no one will see her injuries and lip except our immediate family.

“I’ll meet her at the back door,” Kei said as she came to her feet.

“Good. Bring her in here and close the door. Everyone knows to stay out if it is closed. She doesn’t need an audience just now.”

A few minutes later, Kei walked in with a hesitant Tosha in tow.

The Prime came to his feet. “Trooper Arnold, I would introduce you, but I suppose you know just about everything there is to know about all of us. Welcome. Please come in and have a seat.”

That didn’t work out the way he had planned, because all the women, including Selina, immediately went to hug Tosha and make over her, most shedding tears. Aiko even touched her shoulder and said that she hoped she would be well soon.

When the melee had calmed and Tosha had finally managed to sit, “What do you take in your coffee?” a smiling Jennie asked as she stood by the serving cart.

“Oh, I’m...” Tosha slurred, but as she locked eyes with her Colonel who nodded almost imperceptibly, she said, “Uh, black is perfect.”

Jennie poured it and brought an orange cheesecake breakfast roll and a fork on a small plate without asking. “We’re all having a snack to tide us over until breakfast,” she said, making Tosha, who knew their routines like the back of her hand, wonder why breakfast would be late this morning.

The Prime cleared his throat as he spoke to the trooper. “Everyone else is eating, and we will be in a few minutes, but first, I want Little One to fix that lip.” He already had Little One sitting in his lap. Tosha had seen the little alien on training vids, and knew that she could heal, but had no first-hand knowledge of her.

They chatted for a few minutes while Tosha, taking tiny bites because of her swollen lips, ate the small breakfast roll as the other women also ate their snacks. Jeff just sat there and frowned, making Tosha worry that he was angry with her, despite what he had said.

When Tosha had finished, Jeff stood. “Come lie down on this couch and we’ll fix that lip,” he said, motioning. Turning to his daughter, “Arlene, would you please take more pictures of Trooper Arnold’s face? It’s a lot more swollen now than it was on the picture the Sergeant sent me yesterday afternoon, and I want a record of it.”

As Arlene began taking pictures of Tosha’s face from every angle, Jeff, unconsciously caressing Little One, walked to the other side of the room where he stood talking to Sergeant Higgins on the radio. “I’m having Arlene send you several pictures of Trooper Arnold’s face. Her mouth looks worse this morning due to all the swelling, and I want these pictures added to the investigation file.”

When the Sergeant acknowledged, Jeff signed off. Turning to his daughter, who was standing there waiting with her phone in hand, he nodded to her, saying simply, “Do it.”

Arlene pressed a button and the pictures were sent.

Walking back to Tosha, who was now lying on the couch obviously worrying, he smiled down at her. “Stop worrying, Trooper. You’re not in any trouble. I talked with the Sergeant as soon as you reported the incident, and he filled me in with the details. Why in the hell didn’t you kick this guy’s ass when he hit you the first time? Not to mention that you didn’t report it.” Then before she could answer, “Stop. You don’t have to answer that. I was just blowing off steam. Your personal business is your own. It just pisses me off when a man hits a woman, let alone when that woman is one of my people.”

As he sat on the edge of the couch still holding Little One, he continued, “What I’m about to say is not to be repeated, Trooper.”

“Yes, Sir,” she returned.

“If you had been the one who had been admitted to the hospital instead of him, he would never have stood trial – understood?” (Security’s medic had stitched her lip up which kept her from having to go to the base hospital to have it done.)

Tosha’s eyes got really big, and she had absolutely no doubt that he meant what he said. “Yes, Sir,” she shakily slurred as her eyes began to mist.

That was when Jeff noticed the huge bruise on her left forearm. “What in the hell caused that?” he asked.

“Uh, I blocked the ASP with my left forearm, Sir. Well, I blocked almost all of the blow. Some of it got me in the mouth.”

“He hit you in the mouth with an ASP?” he snarled.

“Yes, Sir. While I was spanking the woman, he must have gone in my closet and got my baton. I barely noticed him in time.”

Jeff just smiled at her, his demeanor becoming overly calm. “I understand,” he said, simply.

Diana and her sister-wives passed a glance, all but the newest knowing that the situation was far from over. After a moment, Jeff went quickly on. “I know that you have seen Little One on vids, right?”

“Yes, Sir,” Tosha replied as she stared at the little alien, only vaguely aware of the sudden tension in the room, and certainly not understanding it the way Jeff’s older wives did.

“She will heal your lips and mouth, and your arm. When she’s finished, all the swelling will be gone and there won’t be a trace of the cut on your lip. You will be asleep for a little while, but you’ll wake feeling refreshed and normal. So, do I have your permission to have Little One heal you?”

“Oh, uh ... yes, Sir,” she returned, wanting to kick herself for stammering in front of this man who made her go faint just to be near him, and now his hip was actually touching hers as he sat on the edge of the couch. Settle down, you idiot, she told herself, but she was worrying more about her excited nipples showing through her bra and top than about having the little being placed on her.

Jeff, having her injuries on his mind, thought that Tosha’s hesitation was because of Little One.

Indeed, her nipples were faintly visible through her bra and top, but Jeff didn’t notice because he was looking at her swollen lip and face while Kei and the other wives, being well aware of what his close presence did to a woman, most certainly did notice.

Then with a smile that made her heart go thump, and in that deep baritone voice of his, said, “I’ll be right here when you wake. Okay, here goes.”

The blue beams bathed Tosha’s face, and her eyes closed as he placed Little One on the front of her shoulder just above her left breast. The little alien instantly noticed that the young woman’s body chemistry was readying her for mating. Jeff, with his enhanced sense of smell, and accustomed to his harem’s change in intimate body odor when he caressed them, realized with a start that Tosha was responding to his presence. Trying to be nonchalant, he stood, then walked over to stare out the window while forcing himself to focus on his research before his stiffening cock could embarrass him.

As he stood by the window, his hands locked behind him, Diana glanced at Laura and winked. Laura came over to sit by her friend/sister-wife as the others chatted. “He has seventeen wives and still doesn’t have a clue,” Laura said with a quiet chuckle.

“Yeah, but I almost pity Tosha’s old boyfriend. He had better run fast and far.”

Diana couldn’t help but giggle, which caused Jeff to turn and look a question at her. “Just female things,” Diana said with a mostly straight face.

“Oh,” Jeff returned with a frown, glanced at Little One for a second before then returning his gaze to the view.

Less than thirty minutes later, the blue beams shut off and Jeff retrieved Little One. A little later, Tosha’s eyes fluttered a bit, then after a few seconds, opened. Comprehension came a few heartbeats after that as a tongue-tip tentatively traced her lips when she sat up.

“I have your stitches right here,” he said while holding them up for Tosha to see before he tossed them into a garbage can.

“My mouth feels ... normal,” she said, amazement in her voice as she tentatively bit her lip to test for soreness, finding none. “Is there a mirror...” she began just as a smiling Kayla handed her one.

“Well?” Jeff asked, amusement evident in his voice.

“It’s ... I mean ... I think my face looks better now than it did before that ass hit me. There is absolutely no scar. Thank you, Sir,” she managed as she locked eyes with her Commander. After handing the mirror back to Kayla and thanking her, Tosha continued, “Sir, I’m embarrassed that he even managed to hit me to begin with. I suppose I was preoccupied with spanking that bitch. He had been screaming about money for a plane ticket so he could go back home – probably to his Mama,” she groused. “Anyway, he had gone in the bedroom – to dress, I thought. I had just screamed out that he would never see another dime of my money as I put that whining bitch on her feet when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I barely got my arm up in time even to partially block the blow.

“Apparently, he had planned this. I had warned him what would happen if he ever hit me again. He swore that he had just lost his temper the other time and it would never happen again. I was stupid enough to believe him. Anyway, I took the baton away from him, threw it on the couch and ... engaged him. The guys are going to rib me something fierce about the busted lip, and I suspect that I’m going to find my name on the hand to hand recertification roster really soon, and justifiably so. I should never have taken my eyes off him.”

“And the woman?” the Prime prompted.

“Oh, she was screaming for me not to kill him, which pissed me off even more, but she couldn’t get to her clothes because we were between her and where her clothes were on the coffee table. While I was calling for a medic and an ambulance, she managed to get most of her clothes, but she was in too much of a hurry to dress just then and wound up running out the door naked while forgetting to pick up her bra.”

By then, Jeff’s wives were laughing and he was hard put not to join in.

“Uh, Colonel, how do I tell her, thank you?” she asked while nodding to Little One.

“I’ll tell her for you.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Turning to the others, “and I appreciate your all having delayed your breakfast while...”

“Little One,” Jeff prompted.

“Uh, while Little One fixed my lip, face and arm.” Then to Jeff, “Again, thank you, Sir.” After a hesitation, “Sir, I know that she lives mostly on your back. I mean, could I watch her do that?” she asked, embarrassed that she might have stepped across the line with her Colonel.

“Are you sure? She looks a bit ... odd when she transforms?”

“Yes, Sir. I really want to see it.”

After a quick mental communication between the two, Little One moved toward Jeff’s collar, which he held open, the front part of her body changing from a solid to a semi-liquid that flowed forward and into the opening. Within seconds, she was out of sight and soon spread out across the Prime’s back, her body almost a part of his.

“That is truly amazing – almost as amazing as her healing me. It’s one thing to know that she and Ship can heal – I know that from what I’ve read, and I’ve also talked to the guys who were on the team that went after Aiko, but it’s quite another thing for it to happen to me.”

Aiko, having heard, walked over. “Now you know how I feel. I was certain I was dying when Mr...” At Jeff’s frown, “Uh, Jeff picked me up at my husband’s house. I cannot even think of that evil place as being home, despite my having lived there for many years. Jeff placed me in that marvelous ... machine, I suppose I should say, and I lost consciousness. I was sure I was dying, but when I awakened, there was no pain, I could breathe freely and I was completely healed. I have hurt for many years. Even now, when I take a deep breath, there is an instant when I expect the pain, but it is not there. All because of you, Jeff.”