Chapter 17

Early the next morning I heard my bedroom door open. It is one of the few sounds that is guaranteed to wake me from even the deepest sleep. My eyes shot open and I was instantly wide awake. Even before it had fully opened, I’d worked out that there should be no-one in the house, Lyn had left and nobody was due this morning.

‘Black coffee, no sugar, right?’ I heard Petra say as she entered carrying said brew.

Seeing who it was relaxed me. A bit of clear thought reminded me that she still had a key. A quick look at my clock and her attire suggested that she was checking up on me on the way to work. Despite being startled awake, I liked that idea.

‘Please! So what do I owe this honour, and more to the point, can I expect it every morning?’ I asked grinning.

‘Just checking up on my favourite man and you of all people should know not to set your expectations so high.’ She said returning my grin.

She put the cup down and leaned over to give me a good morning kiss. I was only a little surprised at the intimacy as I’d become used to such greetings in hospital. With no one else around it quickly became more than just a greeting. Tongues became furiously involved and my hands began to roam her back as I pulled her closer. I was just about to start to move them to those firm orbs at her front when I came to my senses. I moved my hands away allowing Petra to pull back. She did, but not immediately, telling me that my actions were not entirely unwelcome.

She looked flustered yet still beautiful.

‘Sorry!’ I said

‘Don’t be, I’m not.’ She responded with a smile. ‘Though Lyn may be. Talking of who, where is she? Has she gone already?’

I was puzzled. ‘Lyn left yesterday, about an hour after you.’

‘But she was supposed to stay last night.’

‘Stay?’

‘Yes stay,’ Petra said as if talking to a moron. ‘We agreed that for the first week, one of us would always be with you. Obviously Lyn wanted to be first.’ Petra then blushed. ‘She wanted to show you how much you meant to her.’

I was more than a little confused. ‘Are you talking sex here?’

‘Yes,’ she answered softly.

‘Well that did happen.’ I said not willing to expand.

‘It did? So why didn’t she stay?’

‘Let’s just say that the post-coital talk didn’t match what went before it.’ I then thought back to what Petra had said earlier. ‘Wait! Did you just mean that you and Natasha planned to stay too? All night?’

‘Yes we did, though we have prepared your bedroom upstairs for us. I don’t know about Nat but I hoped I wouldn’t need it but that was going to be down to you ... and maybe Lyn too.’

Oh boy! That was something to dream about, sharing a bed with each of them. I shook my head. This wasn’t the time to think fantasies.

‘What did you talk about that made her leave? I hope you didn’t hurt her any more.’

‘Any more? When did I hurt her first?’

‘A few times apparently but worst is that she blames herself for your accident.’

‘How? Why? She wasn’t even there ... I don’t follow.’

‘She reckons that if she’d not dithered about and rang you earlier then you would have been with her that Saturday rather than out on your bike.’

Lyn had never even hinted at this before. I suddenly wondered if our lustful lovemaking the previous day had been nothing more than a quick fuck to salve her conscience. I didn’t know what to think.

‘David, I really should be getting to work. Will you be alright until lunchtime?’

‘Petra, I am not an invalid, close maybe but no more. I will be fine on my own. I really don’t need anyone mothering me.’ I looked and saw a touch of sadness so quickly added. ‘That doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate your help, nor does it mean that I’m stupid enough to turn down any help just because I don’t need it. So feel free to come as often as you want, although I’m not too sure I could survive if you stayed overnight.’

Her eyes lit up again melting my heart. ‘And why would that be?’ She asked with a giggle.

‘I’ve lusted after you for as long as I’ve known what lust is.’

‘Well maybe it’s time for us both to find out whether it was worth the wait.’

I daydreamed of just that for a few moments before reality kicked in. ‘I must be completely insane but I can’t ... at least not yet. I need to sort out what is happening with Lyn first. You’ve already told me that I’ve hurt her. I don’t want to do that again if I can help it. I hope you understand.’

I was surprised that she was smiling. ‘I understand completely. That is just one of the reasons that I love you. Now I need to get to work, you know what a monster my boss is.’ She said finishing with a giggle.

Another sweet kiss and she was gone, leaving me with my thoughts. The immediate one was her “I love you” statement. Was it said as if to a brother or a lover. I tried to analyse her tone but still wasn’t any of the wiser. Eventually I gave up. Petra hadn’t made a big deal out of it, so why should I?

I hobbled to the phone and called Lyn. Betty answered and when I asked for Lyn she said that she’d fetch her. She came back a few minutes later and told me that she’d forgotten that Lyn had gone into work. To me it sounded as if Lyn didn’t want to speak to me. I ended the call with a request for Lyn to call me as soon as she could. Equally suspicious I thought after putting the phone down was Betty not asking me how I was.

I spent the morning looking around the house, well downstairs at least. I tried getting up the stairs but it was too painful, both doing it normally and by sitting on a step and going up backwards. What I could see was immaculate. In the living room there were colour coordinated cushions and similar “designer” items. I know I was in the room the day before but I’m a man, I really hadn’t noticed. No obvious changes had been made in the kitchen other than a new barstool had appeared. Fridge and cupboards were well stocked, even if it did include food I disliked. I wondered about the barstool, but soon found it brilliant as I could use it to take most of my weight whilst I worked with both hands free.

My next step would be to find a job. I’d been told that it would be at least a month, more likely two, before I could be on my feet unaided. That meant a desk job or waiting until I was fitter. I was already bored out of my mind so decided to look for the former. I knew that wouldn’t be easy, as I’d found out the first time I’d had to look, and I was more versatile then. The only other option was to move out of the area but again that would be very difficult until I was properly back on my feet.

I was in my downstairs bedroom, busy searching the internet, when I heard the front door open. A quick glance to the bottom right of my screen revealed that it was already lunchtime so I assumed that it was Petra.

I was partly right. It was Petra but she had Natasha with her. I hobbled into the front room and was greeted with another scorcher of a kiss from Petra. Natasha’s wasn’t far behind in temperature either. I loved this new greeting but I still hadn’t got used to it. The giggle from the pair confirmed that I looked as embarrassed as I felt.

‘Get used to it,’ Petra told me.

‘I don’t think that will be such a hard task.’ I answered. A quick thought came. Petra was no longer subservient to her cousin, at least around me. She led the conversation as much as she followed it.

‘Now, what’s this I hear about you upsetting Lyn?’ Natasha asked.

‘If I did then I’m not sure how.’

‘Of course you did. Lyn is upset, you are male, ergo it’s your fault.’ Natasha explained, trying hard to keep a straight face.

Although I didn’t like talking about intimate details with a third party, I decided to tell the pair exactly what happened with Lyn. It was only after some probing questions from Natasha, who else, that I mentioned that part about kids and marriage.

‘That’s it!’ Natasha stated triumphantly. ‘Whatever you said or however you said it, Lyn saw it as a proposal.’

‘But from what she’s said to us, why would that cause problems? I would have expected just the opposite.’ Petra asked.

‘I don’t know, but I intend to find out. We need to have a chat with Miss Redmond, after work I think.’

Happy that they had gotten to the root of the problem, the cousins set about making some lunch for the three of us whilst chatting away.

Another random thought arrived. Stephen Kenny had all the industry periodicals delivered to his office. All decent jobs were always advertised in them first. I asked Petra if she could bring me those that they had finished with.

‘Why?’ She asked.

‘Jobs. They are the best place to look and I’m going to need a job pretty soon.’

Natasha looked at me strangely, a mixture of nervousness and excitement. ‘You old job is still available... ‘ She started, paused to take a deep breath and continued. ‘We both know why you left; me! I hope that is no longer a problem... ‘ Again she paused, looking at me for confirmation.

‘I never really had a problem with you professionally. It was only outside of work or when you let the two cross over. I don’t know what happened to that particular Natasha. It seems that she has disappeared. I certainly hope so because I love her replacement.’

She smiled at me again. ‘Thank you. Well we never replaced out Special Projects Manager so the position is still vacant if you want it.’

I hesitated as I thought about the offer.

I did notice Petra touch her cousin on the arm. ‘Be honest Nat!’ She said.

A slight nod of acknowledgement from Natasha preceded her next words. ‘David, I want to assure you of two things. This offer is not made out of sympathy or even guilt, though I have both. The company has already benefited from some of your previous suggestions. Father has praised me for improvements that you made possible. So the offer is made for good commercial reasons.’

She sounded sincere enough so I believed her.

‘And the other reason?’ Petra asked for me.

‘I want you there. I know you’ve discussed this with Petra but I want you to know how big a part you have had in my rehabilitation.’

Seeing that Natasha was starting to get emotional, I tried to head it off. ‘Thank you Natasha. I accept, though I’m not sure when I’ll be fit enough to start.’

Petra also noting her cousin’s sentimental feelings said. ‘Good that’s sorted. You will need to run that past uncle K. but I don’t foresee any problems.’

The rest of their visit was spent discussing details. Again I was treated to kisses before they left. For the first time, I felt real feeling in Natasha’s.

With nothing else to do, I gave a lot of thought into my life since the accident. I wasn’t sure if my relationship with Lyn had in fact changed but that with Petra and Natasha had done so beyond recognition. Would it have done so without the accident was the only question. From what I’d heard then maybe some defrosting would have occurred regardless but we’d never have reached the point where I regarded Natasha as a close friend. I really liked the new, improved version and after months of close watching, it appeared permanent.

I discovered a slight problem with the new layout. Bathing was going to be difficult to begin with. I really enjoyed a long soak in a hot bath but that was upstairs and my earlier efforts had shown it would be a week or so, at best, before that was an option. The downstairs bathroom only had a shower. A very awkward and painful attempt to use that proved difficult too. I’d ended up sitting in the cubicle, not the best position to get clean. Getting back up was a bugger too, in fact, I was sweating so much by the time I was upright that I needed another shower!! Crutches on wet tiles proved fun too. I decided that I’d just have to stink for a few days.

Natasha and Petra, both appeared to have used up all their sympathy whilst I was in hospital, for when they called in straight from work and I’d explained my struggles, all they’d done was laugh.

‘Maybe we should help hold him up next time,’ Petra said with a twinkle.

‘It would need one either side.’ I stated with a smirk.

‘In your dreams pervert.’ Laughed Natasha.

‘Has been for ten years,’ I joked.

‘Pervert!’ Natasha repeated.

They then prepared me some tea, despite my protests, before rushing out with a promise that one or both would be back later.

It was less than an hour when Petra let herself in.

‘We’ve just been to see Lyn.’ she opened with. ‘She tried to explain what happened. The events seem just as you said, though her interpretation differs. She believes that you actually proposed whilst you were having sex. I don’t understand why, but she thought that was ... crass, unfeeling, insensitive and other such things. I can only assume that she was too emotional to think straight and now too stubborn to admit it.’

‘Well Lyn has had a tendency to jump the gun and I can definitely vouch for a stubborn streak ‘

‘Anyway! She wants to keep away for a while, to give me and Natasha a chance at you,’ she held her hand up when she saw me about to speak, ‘her words, not mine.’

I slumped at that news. Even allowing for the fact that I’d already reached that conclusion, it still hurt. I could not deny that I had strong feelings for Lyn. Equally, I had to accept that we just didn’t seem compatible.

‘I’m sorry David.’

‘It’s not your fault. I seem to have this great ability to rub women up the wrong way.’ I said with more than a touch of self-pity.

‘Not true! You’ve never rubbed me up the wrong way.’ She then looked at me with a twinkle and a giggle. ‘Nor the right way ... yet!’

‘Give me time!’ I responded still feeling sorry for myself.

‘As long as it’s the right way, you can take all the time in the world.’

I looked at my friend and was just about to tell her to stop kidding, when I saw that she wasn’t. ‘You mean it don’t you?’ I asked incredulously. I was obviously aware of all the flirting, to say nothing of the kisses, but had assumed that they were playful.

‘I’m very serious and I wouldn’t be surprised if Nat isn’t too.’ Petra said smiling at the look on my face. ‘I told you before the accident that I wanted you to be my first man. That hasn’t changed one iota.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you can ask why. Because you wouldn’t do anything behind Lyn’s back. Because of what you did for Nat. Because of who you are. I need to know who I am, what I am. I trust you to do what’s best for me, not just you. Don’t get me wrong, I sincerely hope it’s best for us both.’

I was floored. I’d gone from feeling crap about Lyn to thinking about making love to Petra, in almost an instant. What did that make me? I no longer doubted Petra, about her desires or about what Lyn had said to her. Did I want to do something about it? Hell yes. Should I do something and if so when was the right time?