I wanted to get out of the hospital immediately to go home and rest and recover but Aunt Tammy insisted I was too weak to be on my own. She told me that Mom and Audrey were also recovering in different facilities and would be released as well. She said the Survey Service would put me up at a private apartment her on Kiawah Island, and send an orderly to look after me.
I made a face. "I don't need some orderly, Aunt Tammy."
"He's a very nice man, Shelly. Someone from the Service I can personally vouch for. You've gone through a traumatic experience. It would give me great peace of mind to know that you weren't alone during this trying time."
I nodded reluctantly. "All right."
"Good." Aunt Tammy touched her Pad. "You can come in now."
And then Half Commander Thomas Dolby Fisher stepped through the door.
"Hello, Shell."
*********
"T-tom," I stammered. Suddenly I felt quite helpless.
"I see you two know each other," said Aunt Tamara. "Well, I'll leave you to it."
I jumped in bed as the door slammed shut behind her, leaving me with-
Tom.
He still had the same gorgeous blue eyes. His hair had gotten a little darker, a little more browner, his face a little more lined. More mature, I thought, deciding I liked it. He looked so handsome in his black and dark blue Survey Service uniform.
Handsome, and
single
.
I remember it like it was a dream. Tom was divorced from Melissa. How had that happened? But here would be time for questions, later.
"How are you feeling, Shell?"
How was I feeling?
Fuck!
"A little disoriented, Tom."
"That's naturally, Shell," he said, smiling at me. He had me at that smile. At that moment, I would do anything for him.
Anything
.
"Tom, I'm sorry for what I said."
"What you said?"
"When I saw you last. The things I said about you-"
"Shell, you were under alien mind control. There's nothing to apologize for." Again, that handsome grin.
He reached out and started to gingerly stroke my hair. I felt like crying. "Tom! Don't come near me!"
"Why?"
I made a face. "I'm dirty... disgusting... tainted...." Tom probably knew everything I did. He must know how I had fucked the Revered One, been impregnated by it, and given birth to an alien child. He must know how I had fucked all those men, like a common whore.
And Audrey!
"Hey!" Tom grabbed my hand suddenly. "You are not tainted. Never say that. You're gorgeous."
"Tom-"
"You're
gorgeous
," he repeated firmly. His lips moved down over mine, giving them the lightest touch. I felt fireworks from head to toe.
"You... you're going to take care of me?" I said.
He nodded.
"Don't you have important things to do?"
"No, Shell. Nothing more important than you."
Oh my Goddess! Tom was still in love with me!
*********
I found myself living in a beautiful apartment with beach views. "Is this your bachelor pad, Tom?"
"I guess so, now that my divorce to Melissa is finalized," he said. Tom said he had joint custody of his five year old daughter Megan, though I didn't expect to see her in the few days I was here.
"Have you done much bacheloring here, Tom?"
"A little." Tom gave me an uneasy grin and I blushed. What right did I have to complain? I had certainly been fucking enough people and aliens over the past few weeks! If Tom didn't think I was untouchable, I had no right to complain about his life as a single man!
********
At first, everything was fine. Tom was so gentle and sweet. He was with me full time. He brought me breakfast in bed every morning, and cooked me lunch and dinner, and was with me all day. I immediately grew used to the security of having him around me. I asked how long he would be staying with me.
"Two weeks," he said.
Two fucking weeks? I thought maybe it would be two or three days!
"I have months of vacation saved up, Shell. My commander insists I use them or lose them."
He was so nice!
I should have really cherished my time with him.
Instead, I suffered from terrible nightmares. The first night I dreamed of Mom in one of those tentacles, being dragged underwater. "It's all right, dear. It's what I want," she said, as she was pulled under, to the sounds of my screams.
The second night I dreams of Alpha, bursting out of my cunt, fully grown, ripping my body nearly in half as he yelled, "Hello, Mother!"
The third night I dreamed that Audrey was being penetrated by the Revered One's penis. But instead of enjoying it, she was crying out in pain. "Shelly, Shelly, help me!" And all I did was stand there and laugh.
Audrey!
I woke up screaming. Tom was always there, holding me, hugging me, telling me it was going to be all right, that everything was going to be all right.
"It's not going to be all right! I did terrible, terrible things!" I cried.
"You did what you had to," said Tom. "You kept your family alive long enough to be rescued. You saved Audrey's life. You saved your mother's life. You saved many lives."
"But I also did terrible things," I said. "Tom, people died in there!"
Tom paused. "Your Aunt told me about what happened to her on Ramada.'
"She did?"
He nodded. "We spent several days together, before you woke up. We were sitting vigil outside your hospital room."
My jaw dropped open.
Tom sat days... waiting for me to wake up?
I so wanted to kiss him!
"We got to know one another. Your Aunt... she's an incredible woman, Shelly. But one with equally incredible guilt. She feels those lives that were lost were her fault."
"I know."
"You don't, not really. You Aunt was ordered to go in and attempt a rescue. She had no choice. You, Shelly, had even less choice than she did. I know it may feel, subjectively, that you were responsible for what you did, but you weren't. You weren't, and you have to believe that, Shelly, you simply have to!"
I stared into his fierce blue eyes, and felt the power of his calm masculinity, and I hugged him tightly.