Chapter 19: Bad News, Good News and Better News

Several weeks and trips to the doctor's office saw Tracy and Alex finally completing their recovery. It may sound simple but it was far from that. Daily sponge baths and dressing changes were the easy part. As soon as their casts were off they still were not supposed to do any heavy lifting which meant they would need assistance getting in and out of the bathtub. Being the stronger caregiver, I was responsible for getting them in and out. Once I got them individually into the tub they could wash themselves and then call for help getting out and dried off. My mischievous sister, on the other hand, said that she needed help bathing so I obliged her and washed her from top to toes. She was particularly interested in getting extra clean in certain spots so I made sure to concentrate on those areas resulting in her having a few orgasms in the process. I tossed around the idea of having Elizabeth come help with Alex's bath. It would have made for some very interesting possibilities.

Cathy enthusiastically volunteered to take most of the care of the baby: feeding, burping, diaper changes and bathing. I still don't understand how she could manage to change those smelly diapers. That was one job I gladly deferred to someone else. I did occasionally feed the little bindle of joy which was an experience in itself. Babies have the unique ability to spit up their food at the most inopportune times making a mess that needed to be cleaned up. We were quite fortunate that the little girl was able to sleep through the night so the rest of us could get to sleep also. The baby wasn't, however, all work and no play. Tracy, Alex and the baby would delightfully light up when Cathy would carry the girl to her mom and dad to play. I think those times are what helped my sister and her hubby maintain their sanity in a very stressful time. It warmed Cathy's and my hearts to see all that joy. Periodically I would notice Cathy giving the baby a longing look as if she were ready to have one of her own. Sometimes she would just stand there and look at the baby sleeping in her crib. Cathy then would let out a sigh and walk away. I wouldn't mind having one of them also but we just had too much on our plate at the time. Maybe after Tracy and Alex get back home we could consider it. We did, however, keep practicing the process of making one every chance we got.

With Tracy, Alex and the baby back home, our household could settle down to a certain degree of normalcy. So far our lives could only be called normal by stretching the definition almost to the breaking point. But I guess that is one of the things that made my life with Cathy so exciting. One day my sweet sister called to announce that my attorney wanted the four of us to meet him in his office. Cathy and I swung by Tracy's house the next morning and picked her and Alex up for the visit to the law office. When we got there he immediately ushered us into his office and told us that he had some good news. He told us that the kid who caused the wreck was sentenced to two years in prison and his father, the big wig car dealer, had settled out of court for a tidy sum in order to avoid bad publicity. My attorney then handed out some checks. There were checks for $50,000 each to Tracy and Alex, a check for $10,000 made out to me and finally a check for $10,000 made out to Cathy. He also further told Tracy and Alex that they were to go to the dealership and pick up two brand new cars to replace their totaled one. Everyone in the room had big smiles on their faces and the two girls were literally bouncing up and down with joy.

Just when you thought it was safe to get into the water.--Oops wrong story. Let's try that again.

With ma in her kerchief and me in my cap.--Oh good grief, close but no cigar. Once more Stepdad, and get it right this time:

Cathy and I had just awakened when there was a ringing sound coming from our bedside phone. I picked it up and said "Hello."

The voice on the other end said "Mr. Thomas, this is Loretta Williams with the department of social services. How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine. What can I do for you?" I answered.

"I have a girl here who insists that I call you to see if you can help her."

"Who would that be?" I asked.

"Her name is Sally Wilson."

"I know her. She is on the varsity cheering squad."

"That's right. She said you helped her once before and needs you again."

I then asked her to bring Sally by and we could talk. About an hour later they arrived ringing my doorbell. I answered the door and Sally pushed past Ms. Williams and threw her arms around me and started crying with her face buried in my chest. I waved for Ms. Williams to come in and I closed the door. I peeled Sally off my chest and we went to sit on the couch. Cathy came into the room and Sally rushed over to her and hugged her crying some more. Once we got Sally calmed down and seated Ms. Williams asked if she could talk with me privately. I escorted her to the master bedroom and closed the door.

She started out "Greg, I am so pleased to hear about you and Cathy getting married. I was not really surprised since I had seen the love in both of your eyes when I was here before."

"Loretta, I have known Cathy for more than ten years. Cathy has become my reason for living and I cannot even imagine being without her."