Chapter 4

"Well, it's looking good. Except for your amnesia, your symptoms went away after forty-eight hours, and they stayed away, which is very good indeed. You also seem to have no trouble with your cognitive functions, so there's no reason you can't go back to school on Monday," Alan said, tucking away his flashlight.

Dave felt Iris' hand squeeze his as the good news was delivered, causing his heart to quicken even more. In the three and a half days since his discharge from hospital, she had been the best nurse a boy could wish for. She seemed to instantly notice and react to any discomfort he was feeling, changed his pillows just when they were getting too warm, kept track of the medicines he had to take, and walked next to him during his mandatory bouts of movement, ready to support him in case a dizzy spell made him falter.

Between his raging hormones, her beauty and the nurse-patient dynamic, his poor heart hadn't stood a chance, and he was now harbouring a deep crush on her. He knew he wasn't supposed to feel that way about his aunt, but he thought his feelings were justifiable, and that made it easier. After all, he wasn't the first man to fall in love with his nurse, and Iris was an especially sweet, kind and stunningly beautiful nurse.

"You can thank my nurse for that, Dad," Dave answered.

Alan nodded. "She ought to be rewarded appropriately for sacrificing her holiday to look after you. I heard that diamonds are a girl's best friend."

Iris shrugged. "Not this girl's. If you really want to thank me I can give you the bank account numbers of about half a dozen worthy charities."

"Then how about cubic zirconium, Mother Theresa? Really, you act like you've taken a vow of poverty."

"If it must be ornamental, I wouldn't mind a watch. At least that has some functionality to it," Iris said exasperatedly.

"Your lips are moving but I hear your mother. She had no use for jewellery either."

A sad smile appeared on Iris' face. "That's what Dad said when I refused my first and only pair of earrings. He always says I'm a lot like Mom."

"He's right," Alan said.

"If you're a lot like Grandma, she must have been great," Dave said, hoping to make her sadness go away with a compliment.

"Thank you, David," Iris said, looking surprised and pleased at the same time.

Hearing his proper name had always sent shivers up Dave's spine because it usually meant that he was in trouble. But the way Iris said I sent the good kind of shivers up his spine. He had no idea why, but it made him feel manly. It made him want to grow up in a hurry and become as mature as she was.

"So where did everyone else go?" Alan asked, interrupting Dave's inner musings.

"Angie took Frank and Erica skating, and Bryan and Michelle, and Ed and Dahlia are double dating at the Manitoba Museum."

"Double dating?" Alan and Dave asked in unison.

Iris rolled her eyes. "Men ... so oblivious! Ed and Dahlia started fooling around pretty much immediately after she got here. I suspected it, but I didn't know for sure until last Tuesday, though. She confessed after I spotted the hickey on her neck when she was brushing her hair."

Dave felt like an icy fist was clenching his intestines together. Ed and Dahlia were free to express their feelings for each other, but he couldn't express his feelings for Iris. Kissing cousins were considered weird by some, but a lot of people were okay with it, too. A relationship between and nephew and his aunt, however, was another story.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about getting along with the in-laws if those kids ever get serious," Alan joked. "Anyway, I'm off to work again. Don't let Dave overexert himself, Iris. He may not be showing the symptoms of a concussion anymore, but he'll have to take it easy for a few months. This reminds me ... no aikido for at least three months."

"What? Why?" Dave asked indignantly.

"Because your brain gets shaken around by some of those throws."

"If I explain it to the sensei and the other students, I'm sure they'll let me skip the attacker part. If I only do the throwing, my brain won't get shaken around."

"Some aikido techniques also strain your ligaments, and the ones in your right arm don't need any additional strain for the time being. In fact, you might want to train and tighten up those in your right shoulder."

"Again, that's only true if I'm the attacker and the techniques are employed against me. If I'm the one doing the techniques there's no problem. Damn it, Dad. I know Mom put you up to this, but I've defused all your arguments. I know the sensei and the others won't mind taking turns attacking me."

Alan sighed, but the look in his eyes told Dave his words hadn't gone unheard. "Fine, but both your mother and I have to be there to hear Mr. Wallace consent to this, and you have to do the physical therapy first."

"Deal."

They shook hands on it.

Then Alan shivered and looked around. "Why is it so chilly in here?"

"You can save the environment by starting with yourself," Iris said. "I've noticed how warm it is in here. A few degrees less wouldn't matter much and you'll save on your energy bill."

"Iris, I like warm. I like it so much I plan to spend my retirement in the Caribbean, just like your grandparents. Now, I know that I'll save money on my energy bill. Before Angie and I started making the money we do now, we all wore sweaters inside. Nowadays, however, I want to be able to comfortably walk around the house in my underwear if the mood strikes me. Even in winter. I know it's selfish and bad for the environment, but when my balls shrink due to the cold my brain stops caring about the environment."

Iris scowled. "And you call yourself a scout."

"I don't mind bearing the cold in the outdoors, but my home is a different matter. However, I'm willing to compromise while you're here. You can lower the thermostat when I'm not home, as long as it's nice and toasty when I am."

"Fine!" Iris huffed. "It's too bad that money's corrupted you, though."

"Affluence inevitably brings the desire for comfort," Alan admitted. "But I resent the implication that it's corrupted me. I could be driving a Porsche to work every day, but instead I drive a Japanese compact with the smallest possible engine. My colleagues think it's because I have three kids, a mortgage on this house, and a student loan to pay off, but my parents' inheritance was enough to let me pay for the house in full, pay off my student loan, and still have about a hundred thousand tucked away for a rainy day. And do you see any incandescent light bulbs in this house? No, you don't!"

"I think she gets the point, Dad," Dave interjected, seeing Iris' chastened expression.

Alan seemed to realise that as well, and he softened his tone. "Listen, having people like you around is a good thing, no matter how annoying it might be sometimes. But don't accuse people of not caring about the environment just because they have money. Well, don't accuse everyone. You can accuse those oil barons living south of the border who fund neoconservative think tanks so they can come up with ways to cover up inconvenient truths and fool people into thinking that global warming has nothing to do with greenhouse emissions caused by human activity."

"You sound like their Vice-President," Dave remarked.

"Well, Gore's right. They might not be listening to him now, but sooner or later there will be no denying it."

Dave shrugged. "You're more optimistic than I am, Dad. Unless they somehow feel the effects, I don't think they'll change. It'll take a few big hurricanes hitting their southern coast in quick succession and flooding ... say ... New Orleans, to make them acknowledge global warming."

"An interesting point, but discussing it will have to wait for another time. I'm really late for work," Alan said, and hurried to the vestibule.

"So, what would like to do?" Iris asked after the interconnecting door to the garage had clicked shut. She looked at the TV. "There's nothing interesting on. Let's do something else."

She rose from the couch and extended her hand.

He took it and pulled himself up. Then he nodded to his shoulder. "Twister's out of the question."

A sly smile appeared on Iris' face. "What about checkers, with a twist?"

"Which rules and what twist?" Dave asked, intrigued.

"Straight checkers rules. The twist is that the loser of each match takes of an article of clothing."

Dave blinked. "Strip checkers?"

"Yes."

He frowned. Something didn't add up. She had rubbed ointment on his bruises, and had seen him in nothing but his boxers several times. He had a lot more to gain than she did.

"You don't want to see me naked?" Iris asked, and Dave realised that his thoughtful silence had been interpreted as reluctance.

"It's just that you've already seen most of me. I have a lot more to gain than you do." He shook his head. It only made sense if she wanted him to see her in her underwear.

"I can't believe you don't just say yes," Iris said incredulously.

"I'm waiting for the catch," Dave protested. "If there's no catch, the only explanation would be that you want me to see you naked. But that doesn't make any sense."

"Doesn't it?" Iris asked softly, locking her eyes with his. Then she closed the distance between them and covered his mouth with hers.

Dave tried to make sense of it for a split second, but his hormones blew away his ability to do so and he returned her kiss with increasing urgency, seeking to express his passion and feelings for her through his lips and tongue as he pulled her as close to him as possible.

The kiss broke and Dave opened his eyes; the sight of Iris' flushed face and happy smile made him feel as euphoric as he had felt after their first kiss.

He gasped as everything between Christmas and New Year's Eve came rushing back.

"What's wrong?" Iris asked worriedly.

"I remember," Dave said, feeling very sad and angry all of the sudden, and pushing her away. "I remember that you don't feel the same way about me as I feel about you. Is this all just a game to you?"

"It's no game. I'm in love with you too."

"Then why did you walk away?"

"Because I didn't know how to cope with your confession. At first I though you liked me for my looks, like all the other guys. And I flirted with you to string you along and punish you. But when I heard that your feelings deepened when you found out about the things I do, I knew I'd been terribly unfair to you, and I couldn't face you right then. That's why I walked away." Iris choked out those last few words before she burst out in sobs.

"Is that why you made yourself as ugly as possible?" Dave asked after a flash of insight.

Iris nodded, and Dave quickly crossed the distance between them, engulfing her in a hug. He stroked her hair whilst he waited for her to calm down, and her sobs tapered off after while.

The she pulled away slightly and looked at him. "Dave?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like me to give you a late birthday present?"

He smiled. "You already gave me the best present imaginable just now."

"Thanks, but the present I'm thinking of is as much a present for you as it is for me. I've always been afraid of losing my virginity to someone who only cares about my looks. I know you're not like that, so ... will you be my first?"

"You want to—"

"Yes."

"With me?"

"With you."

"Right now?"

"We have a few hours until the others start coming back."

Dave's heart was positively racing. He really wanted to, be he was afraid he wouldn't be good enough.

She must have read his concern in his expression, because she reached up and stroked his cheeks with both hands. "We can teach each other."

Dave nodded, but there was one more thing on his mind. "I don't have any protection."

"I've been on the pill to regulate my period. The chance of failure is three tenths of a percent if it's used properly, and I do. Besides, my period starts in four days, so even if the pill weren't working properly I wouldn't be fertile right now. I've been planning this since New Year's Day, Dave. I love you. Please be my first."

The look of pure love in her eyes demolished his last reservations. "I never thought a girl as perfect as you would ask someone like me. If you're sure..."

"I'm very sure."

Dave swallowed, trying to think of a cool way to phrase his reply. Just before he thought he'd make a fool of himself, it came to him. "I'd be honoured."

He was pleased to note the effect of his carefully chosen words. Iris shot him a beaming smile and her eyes were more luminous than ever.

She took his hand. "Come, we'll start off by showering together."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I intend to do everything." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively as she stressed the last word. "You need to be nice and clean before I suck you off, and I'm sure you don't want to lick a dead fish either. You can't completely eliminate a vagina's odour, of course. In fact, doctors say you shouldn't. But I want to make it as pleasant for you as possible."

Dave smiled sheepishly as he allowed her to lead him to the master bathroom, but was glad that one of them had planned it out. "Good thinking."

Once in the bathroom, she gave him another toe-curling kiss before she started stripping him, taking great care with his upper body so she wouldn't hurt his stiff elbow and shoulder. Then she continued with his lower body, and Dave saw her eyes widen when she finally pulled off his boxers, revealing his throbbing erection.

"Wow! None of the boys at scout camp, who flashed the girls, had one this big. I don't think the boys' Scout Leader I saw naked had one this big either."

"A Scout Leader flashed you? I'm petty sure that can't be right."

"He didn't flash us. We spied on him when he was getting it on with his wife," Iris explained, grinning broadly. Then her attention turned back to his cock. "Can I touch it?"

"If you're serious about this, you'll have to sooner or later," he replied.

"You're right," she said, clearly emboldened by his reply and reached forward to grab his cock.

Her warm, soft hand felt like heaven, and Dave barely suppressed a moan of excitement.

"It's so thick!" Iris said, looking awed. "How thick is it?"

It took Dave a while to process the question, for his brain had stopped functioning properly when Iris grabbed his dick, but eventually managed to formulate a reply. "I'm not sure."

"Do you expect me to believe that?" Iris teased. "All boys measure their cocks."

"Yeah, but I don't know where Mom keeps her tape measure, so I don't know how thick it is. I know it's a little over six inches long, but that's it."

"Well, you're half again as long the boys I saw at camp. And you trim your pubes, too."

"In case a girl wanted a give me a blow job," Dave confessed. "She shouldn't have to get hair in her mouth."

"That's very thoughtful of you," she said as she released his cock, and proceeded to take off her own clothes.

"Wait," Dave said quickly. Iris had removed her sweater hastily and was unbuttoning her blouse quickly as well. "Could you do it slowly?"

Iris raised an eyebrow and began to sway in place. "You mean slowly and sensually, like this?"

"Yeah," he answered in a cracking voice, and he continued to watch her, enraptured, as she did a rather raw version of a strip tease. Still, even though her moves were unpolished, Dave found them no less arousing, and it did add an aura of sensual innocence to her.