Chapter 9: Mary's joining

Month -5: Terry and Dolores returned to Georgetown, and went to the office of Mary Benjamin, the transplant coordinator. Mary and Terry had gotten to know another, when she had consulted on disaster medicine at the DIA National Medical Intelligence Center -- where Denise Stein had worked. The two became warm "friends with benefits", who liked and respected one another, and occasionally had friendly sex. They trusted one another completely, but for Terry, Mary was too sexually inhibited to marry. Mary did, in fact, want to marry him, but never said it in so many words, and Terry tended to be dense about such matters. She later had a brief marriage, and had twin children that remained with her.

Mary was still an occasional DIA consultant, so had been briefed on the Sa'arm threat. Army medical personnel, having learned she was aware of the secret, began to include her in contingency planning for a Sa'arm strike on Earth.

<<Ishmael, has Mary been tested?>>

<<Yes. Again, she is one that we have had trouble scoring. Our initial rules were that a candidate has to have some general leadership skills. She can be an excellent leader in very specific situations, but would be very shy when her role isn't confirmed by the organization around her. So, she has a provisional 6.4, even though her other subscores would take her well above that number.>>

<<What? Then how is it that you are giving low-level enlisted soldiers a 6.5 by default?>>

<<Is your term that we "grandfathered>> everyone already in the military?>>

<<Yes, but don't you understand that our military recognizes civilian roles that are counterparts? As a National Intelligence Officer, I can invoke the status of a major general.>>

Terry shook his head and muttered to himself, "Artificial stupidity."

Terry was aware that Mary knew Dolores, the two having first met when Dolores donated a kidney to her daughter. Dolores quickly recovered from the surgery, and supported Denise through her more complex recovery. Mary admired them both and mourned Denise's death. She had been a key part of bending the rules, when Denise died, in having Denise's reproductive system transplanted into her grandmother, strictly using Earth technology, and then using the specially allocated medtube to regenerate Dolores.

The two knocked and entered. Mary was at her desk, looking exhausted. While the surgeons might well show up in scrubs, Mary made a point of wearing a white coat over business clothing, conservative in cut since she routinely dealt with people in grief. Still, she was a striking if tiny woman. Many people first noticed her gleaming helmet of short but shining black hair, but then were captivated by her deep brown eyes. It really was hard to judge her figure under her clothing.

"Hi Mary! It's been too long." said Terry. "Do you have someone to cover for the rest of the day? Dolores and I want to talk to you about Confederacy stuff."

"I think I can get someone to cover. This is mysterious, especially with both of you involved -- although I think I can guess some." She made a call and arranged for someone to take the on-call transplant assignment. "Okay, I'm available now. I've never abandoned an assignment and I'm not starting now. It's really good, though, that it's a weekend--I'll tell you about that later. My children are staying with friends until Monday."

Dolores asked, "Want to change into something less severe? We might mix some pleasure with business. Or, you can come with us and we'll get something for you."

"Get something? You mean you have the clout to use a replicator?"

"Oh, I did get an expense account. We might stop by a shop. I'd like seeing you two model."

Raising an eyebrow, always an event with her eyes, Mary sniffed. "Yeah right. Terry, you aren't telling me something, but I'll go along."

Mary was surprised how they left Georgetown -- sneakily by helicopter, and going to DIA, where she had never been. The escorts said, "We have your permanent badge now, Miss Stein, and we have another Distinguished Visitor badge for your new guest." Mary had been around Washington and recognized some badges. She knew Terry had status, but not quite that high.

"Dolores, how did you suddenly get cleared all the way up?"

Terry said, "It'll make sense when we talk." They went to his office -- or, more correctly, his suite. Mary being no fool, she said "you're living out of here, aren't you, for security?"

"We're here to make you an offer, and it isn't a regular one."

"We?" said Mary. "Are you both sponsors?"

Dolores looked at her. "No, just Terry. But as he said, it's not a regular offer." She looked at Terry. "Should I keep talking?"

"Go ahead."

"Mary, you know that at my real age, I'd have no chance to go to space. Terry isn't that much younger, but, dammit, his guy plumbing kept working all along. Yes, he's taking concubines, but, other than in the formal sense, they will be the last thing in the world from slaves -- they will be his staff for a special mission. There will be opportunities to be retested and maybe become sponsor grade, but I'm guessing that will be less and less important with what we will do.

"We're going to be forming a research unit, one of several, which will try to confuse or hurt the Sa'arm like they've never suspected. It is understood we'll take your children, and they too will get maximum opportunities. Terry, want to tell her more about you have in mind for her? I'm not technical enough."

Terry looked at Mary. "Okay, Mary. You have a couple of skills we need. Above all, between your emergency medical and transplant experience, we know you can talk to very distressed people, calm them, and have them make decisions.

"I also know that with the transplant work, you've been digging more and more into immunochemistry. We're thinking that the Sa'arm just might communicate, in close groups, with some sort of chemical signaling. You know enough about that to do some preliminary investigations, and then be our contacts to the specialist neuroendocrinologists, immunologists, and related things. You have enough theoretical background to absorb a lot of material, very fast, from Confederacy teaching equipment.

Dolores spoke again. "Terry told me that you're close to sponsor score, but the main thing holding you back was putting out your own ideas, something that's often hard to do in the medical system. With this group, we desperately need your initiative and will make it welcome.

"I think I know you well enough that challenges really turn you on. You may never get this one again. I've also flirted with you enough to think other things turn you on, too."

She shifted, causing Terry to yell, "Dolores! Please don't start crossing your legs again at Mary. My heart may not take it!"

Dolores, originally from southern Virginia, called up her hometown accent. "Why goodness me, Terry honey, I'm just a southern lady. I wouldn't flash my legs and crotch at another lady." Her hands rose. "No, I'd just suggest that I, too, have a bosom." Her voice returned to normal. "A hot bosom. It even has tits in it."

Mary, who had been very intent, broke out laughing. Terry muttered, "When I'm wounded, don't leave me to the women. OK. Do you two juvenile delinquents need to get something out of your systems before we talk seriously? I'm here, I suppose, as a sex toy if needed ... yeah right."

Dolores spoke again. "Mary, please take off the white coat and put it away. Unless you have nothing under it, which I can see isn't the case, that's too kinky even for me."

With one voice, Terry and Dolores yelled, "Too kinky for you?"

Mary giggled and took off the coat. As soon as it was gone, Dolores opened her blouse, bent, and pulled Mary's face between her breasts. Terry could hear Mary's deep inhalation. "Oh hell. I'm just the sponsor. Got to take care of myself." He stood and walked behind Dolores, whose skirt was rising anyway as she bent. Thinking it was no time to be subtle; he ran his finger back and forth between Dolores' asscheeks ... and danced it over her puckered opening. She wiggled her hips.

Suddenly, Mary pulled back her head. "I love it, but I've got to say something first. Dolores, for all the flirting we've done, I've never actually been with a woman.

"I've been holding it in, but this morning was very rough -- getting donations from three family members killed in the same stupid accident. That's the thing that's been tearing at me in the job; so many of the deaths were from drunk drivers, or kids too young to be driving with friends, or even babies who died from some home accident. It's not only that the two of you are offering me the chance to lose myself, sensually, with people I like -- and you, Dolores, might even love -- but you're offering me a chance to do something meaningful that won't hit at me day by day by day in the same way. Sure, I know debriefing will be hard -- but it won't be all the time.

I thought about something that often comforts me:

Often, there is no "right answer;" doctors and nurses can only learn to accept the inevitable uncertainty, self-questioning, guilt, and feelings of helplessness that cases such as these" inflict" upon the care-giver—the "wounds" of practicing medicine. At the end the author says: "Now I'm no longer afraid of being hurt." He doesn't say "Now, I can no longer be hurt."

Jordan Grumet

"Today, it wasn't enough. To be utterly honest, I had wondered, from time to time, if I ended it, if my organs would be used. I'm burned out, but you're giving me new fuel for a new fire of life. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

The three held one another until Mary's tears stopped. Without words, Dolores picked up Mary, and, as Terry opened the bedroom door, followed him inside. They put her on the bed, and, stroking and kissing, very gently removed her clothes, and then theirs. Dolores was utterly focused, without any play but with great tenderness.

Terry covered Mary's face with kisses and then pressed his lips to hers, his tongue exploring. Dolores ran her fingers over Mary's breasts, and breathed out hot breath over the crinkling nipples.

Mary gasped "Hard! Do me hard!" Terry plunged his tongue, and, without conscious thought, reached down and rubbed Mary's clit. Dolores pinched one nipple while biting at the other. Mary moaned loudly. Terry's hand slipped and he felt Mary oozing slippery sweetness, but he returned to her clit until her hips thrust at him as she screamed into a climax.

Dolores pushed Terry downwards, and spread Mary's legs. Knowing it was what Mary wanted, as Dolores opened Mary, he stabbed his cock deep, Mary needing it. He pumped hard and fast, losing his own control, spurting into Mary as his shout matched hers. Exhausted, Terry still pulled Mary to him, as Dolores cupped Mary's buttocks in her hands and brought Mary's crotch to her mouth. It didn't take long for Mary to reach her third climax, her first with a woman. The three collapsed together, intertwined, and slept in the innocence of piled puppies.

It wasn't exactly a lesbian initiation. It was simply three people reaching for one another, giving pleasure, and not terribly worrying about the plumbing involved.

They slept through the night, and awakened gently. Dolores teased Terry that she still hadn't been thoroughly filled by any of his fantasies, but that they had time. "I expect, Colonel Doctor Wagner, to receive at least more two of your climaxes today, in different parts of my body. Do I make myself clear? After all, your fantasies being fulfilled have only filled one of my female functional orifices so far, and I want to be fuller than the way I have been filled."

Mary spoke. "I think I'd like to join you. Could you fix it that I don't have to go back to Georgetown? From what I know of the program, my kids go with me. There are a few things at my apartment.

She covered her mouth in shock. "At my apartment are two cats. I'm not going without them. Is that a deal-breaker?

"No, cats are being allowed on a case-by-case basis, mostly when some really critical individual, such as my modest self, demands it. Misha is an orange tabby who goes with me, along with Mellors, my little black panther.

"We can have whatever you need taken care of, although you can't take much. If anything is on a computer or can be scanned, that's best -- we have no limits on digital storage. If you have any unique supplies, like spices, cooking equipment, hobby things -- we can program them into the replicator.

"But, Mary, I have to ask you something formally. I think you know the kind of personal and professional relationship I want, but the Confederacy formally knows only sponsors and concubines. I have to tell you that if you accept me as a sponsor, I have total power and you have no rights. Do you trust me enough to accept that I won't abuse them?

"Yes, Terry. I do."

"AI! Mary Benjamin, do you agree to be the concubine of Terry Wagner?"

"Yes!'

"AI! I, Terry Wagner, accept Mary Benjamin as my concubine." Group hugs followed. "Mary, we will have your kids collected. As I remember, it's Kevin, who's about 9, and Sheri, who's 12?" She agreed, and pointed out that the blue-point Siamese, Fido, was three, and the Russian Blue, Rasputin, was four.

Dolores and Terry shook their heads at "Fido".

Dolores asked, "Mary, do you have any health problems to fix in the medtube? Are there changes you'd like in your body?"

"I'm not aware of any health problems, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to let the medtube check. Nothing much appearance-wise, at least that occurs to me now. Get rid of all hair below the neck. I've heard there are some foot modifications that make high heels easier to wear for indefinite periods; I'd like that. I know, I know, I could just be taller, but I like the look of being small with ultra-high heels. Keep me at 5'1". I wouldn't mind having prettier lower legs.

"Speaking of being small, I'd like the maximum speed and strength enhancements that I can take. That's about it."

Terry said, "all right, let's get you in the tube. You'll get a communications implant.

A little later, they helped a somewhat sleepy Mary out of the tube, and put her into a warmed plush robe. As she woke up, as they had learned, she was ravenous. Brunch buffets seemed to work very well.

Terry started grinning. He picked up a gift-wrapped package. "Mary, love, I hope what's in this package reminds you of my giving you very much the same things, but in another life. May this be a happy start to a new one."