Lyons Den Ch 14

Jenifer lifter her head and peeked at the bedside clock. Five-thirty glowed in neon green. She rolled over to look at her companions. Mary was snuggled against Daniel, his arm over her shoulders.

-'Aw. They look so good together.' Daniel seemed to be in love for the first time since she'd known him, and Mary seemed to be sexually adventurous. She hoped they'd be happy together for a long time. But she didn't belong here with them.

Quietly, Jenifer alighted from the communal bed and returned to the guest room where she dressed in clean clothes, and then left for the hospital. Visiting hours be dammed, no way would they keep her out. She wanted to be with her love, her husband, the father of her someday children.

The young guard at the hospital front desk didn't need much persuading to let her in, after telling him about her comatose husband in the ICU.

"I hope he gets well soon, Ms. Baxter," he said, handing her the visitor name tag.

She smiled, and said, "Thank you, and that's Mrs. Baxter," sending the message she wanted to be known as a happily married woman.

The hallways were practically empty. Half the lights were turned off. The ICU doors didn't open automatically. She pushed a wall plate that read 'Open', and the doors whirred apart. A grey haired nurse sat with her back to the door, tapping away on a computer keyboard.

As she approached Bruce's room, Jenifer thought it strange that his doorway was brightly lit, the light spilling out into the darkened hallway. As she drew closer, unmistakable female giggling quickened her steps. She turned in and stopped abruptly, shocked by the scene before her. Two young nurses held her nude husband on his side. His erect penis with the inserted catheter stuck out lewdly, the medical adhesive tape no longer able to secure it to his abdomen.

"What the fuck is going on in here!"

Smiles drained from the girls lips. The one holding Bruce on his side, said, "Who are you?"

"I'm his wife! Get your fucking hands off of him."

The young nurses seemed unable to move or talk until the grey haired nurse from the computer, disturbed by the commotion, interrupted.

"Please keep your voice down. Patients are sleeping. What seems to be the problem?"

Jenifer hissed, "These nurses were molesting my husband. He's naked and has a hard-on." Her voice cracked as tears welled up, "They were laughing about it."

The grey haired nurse glared at the girls. "Karen... Tameka... explain yourselves."

Tameka the bold, answered, "We were doing the 6:00am sponge bath and diaper change. He got an erection." She shrugged, and continued, "We did giggle, but no disrespect intended, he's a handsome man. Our usual patients are over 80-years old and wrinkled prunes. It was nice to work with a young man for a change, but nothing inappropriate was going on."

"Okay, you two can go. I'll finish up here."

"Yes, Ma'am."

They filed out of the room. On the way by, Tameka whispered to Jenifer, "Sorry. Your husband is a hottie," and winked.

The grey haired nurse went to work. "Mrs. Baxter, you hold him up while I slip the diaper under him."

Calmly, she said, "Call me Jenifer."

She assisted with pulling Bruce back up onto his side. "I'm sorry if I caused trouble. I didn't know what was going on."

"You can call me Cindy," said the nurse, washing Bruce's backside and placing a diaper under his buttocks. "Okay, lay him down."

When Bruce was on his back, Nurse Cindy reached under and pulled the diaper over his still erect penis.

"Is safe for him to have a hard-on with the catheter in him?"

"It'll go away on its own. You know how healthy, young men get erections in their sleep. This is no different. It has nothing to do with what the nurses were doing. They'd just started, hadn't even gotten to the sponge bath yet. But they're young, and were acting unprofessional. Sorry you had to see that."

"Well... I hope they're not in any real trouble."

"No. I'll talk to them, but I won't make an official report." She placed a plastic basin onto the bedside tray. "But since you're here, you can help give him his bath. Comatose patients get bathed at least once a day to keep their skin healthy and clean and it also aids in circulation. I'll show you how. Okay?"

Jenifer smiled. "I'd love to." She thought of bath times they'd shared in the past and fought back rising emotions.

After washing his back and explaining the procedure, they laid Bruce down. Nurse Cindy removed the heart monitor electrodes from his chest to allow Jenifer to wash, and then reattached them. Cindy checked the IV's and electrode connections. Next she replaced the dressing on his gunshot wound. The hole was neatly stitched, but there was a yellowish stain on the surrounding skin.

Jenifer pointed. "What's that?"

"Betadine, it's a disinfectant they spread on the skin to clean it before surgery to prevent infections. Go ahead and wash it off."

"Okay." Jenifer gently dabbed the cloth against the stain. "It's not coming off."

"You can scrub harder. He won't feel a thing. Just don't pull against the stitches."

Gradually the stain disappeared. Jenifer noticed his nipple had hardened from the stimulation. The temptation to bend down and kiss it surged within her.

'Please come back to me.' Aloud she said, "He looks so much better. When will they decide to bring out of the coma?"

"He's scheduled for an MRI at 8:00. Then the doctor will know if the brain swelling is down enough."

She threw a switch that began inflating and deflating compression bags on Bruce's legs. "That keeps blood from pooling."

She patted Jenifer's arm on the way out. Pulling the door closed behind her, she said, "He's doing fine, Dear. Push the call button if you need anything."

After dragging a chair to the bedside, Jenifer sat down and entwined her fingers with Bruce's free hand. She rubbed her cheek against it and kissed it. What would she do if he never touched her again? How could she go on without him?

She gripped his wrist and brought the palm to her lips. His hand felt comforting, so she pressed it against her cheek and smiled. "Baby, I want you to touch me again, so much." She guided the hand down, the fingers dragging across her neck and down her chest, until the veiny hand covered her breast. She held it tight against her and swirled around. "Can you feel my nipple? You're making it hard. It wants you to play with it, pinch it, suck it. It wants to feed your babies." A weak sob escaped her lips.

Laying her head on the mattress, she lifted his arm and placed it across her shoulders. He was holding her in his sleep, like always. And like always, Jenifer fell asleep, too.

"Wake up, Jenifer." Nurse Cindy gently shook her. "Time for your husband's MRI."

"Oh... okay."

Orderlies wheeled the entire bed out of the room and down the hall.

Nurse Cindy said, "Why don't you get some breakfast. He'll be gone for at least an hour."

Jenifer followed her advice, and the signs down to the cafeteria. While she sipped coffee, her cell phone buzzed. The display read 'Dan'. "Hi, Dan."

"Hi, Jenifer. Where'd you go? We missed you this morning."

She smiled, and said, "You two looked so cute cuddled up, I didn't want to disturb you. I'm at the hospital. Bruce just went down for an MRI."

"We'll be there in about an hour to keep you company."

"You don't have to--"

"I know we don't have to. We want to. So, I'll call when we get there."

"Okay, thank you both." She hung up, sighed, and finished her breakfast burrito.

The wall clock showed twenty minutes had elapsed -- too soon to go back to the room. She wandered out into the hall and spotted a sign that said 'Chapel'. Feeling the need for divine intervention, Jenifer followed the arrows down to the first floor. The chapel door was open. A man in a black suit sat in the front row, and appeared to be praying. It was a small room with a just a podium and a few rows of chairs. There were no crosses or stained glass, in deference to all faiths. Jenifer sat in the back row and wondered what to do. How do you approach a god you don't know?

The man finished praying, stood, and turned around. He was tall and thin, austere in appearance. The suit seemed to hang loose on his shoulders, but when he smiled his face seemed to shine with friendliness. "Good morning. I'm Pastor Alex, the hospital chaplain. May I help you?"

Suddenly nervous, Jenifer stood and said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be in here."

"Why? Are you perfect? Because, the chapel is for sinners only."

His disarming smile put her somewhat at ease.

"No. I'm just not religious."

"Do you believe in God?"

"I've never really thought about it. But my husband comes from a very religious background. And I thought..." Jenifer's voice trailed off.

So Pastor Alex picked up the thought she was laying down. "Is your husband a patient here?"

"Yes."

"Would you like me to visit him?"

Emotions began to well up. In a tight voice, Jenifer looked at him, and confessed, "He's in a coma, and he got shot because he's married to me."

He motioned with his hand, "Please, sit and tell me what happened."

Tears began to flow. Her legs weakened, so she sat before she collapsed. Resting her elbows on her knees, she covered her face with her hands and cried. Between sobs, Jenifer said, "I'm sorry. I'm just so afraid my husband won't come back to me, or he'll hate me."

Sitting down beside her and rubbing her back, Pastor Alex said, "Tell me what happened. Why would he hate you?"

"This is confidential, right."

"Yes, this is just between you, me, and God."

Jenifer uncovered her eyes, stared at feet, and began slowly rocking. "My life has been so fucked up... I'm sorry... messed up for as long as I can remember. I don't know where to start."

"Then start at the beginning."

Feeling compelled to be understood and to understand herself, she began with the childhood abuse. It felt like a weight lifted from her heart, as she told her life story from beginning to end. When she finished, Jenifer looked over at Pastor Alex to see his reaction, and was surprised to see tears.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm just saddened by what your life experience has been." Then his face brightened. He smiled at her, and said, "But your husband must love you very much. He stayed with you, even after he found out the truth. He willingly laid down his life for you. Jesus said, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends', or in this case, his wife. Whatever happens now, you can believe that he loved you dearly."

He stood and retrieved a box of tissues from the front. Handing her the box, he said, "I'll pray for you both. You can pray too. The Bible says, 'The Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us' if you are a believer."

Jenifer stood. "I appreciate your listening to my troubles and your prayers. I don't think I'm ready to face god."

"Well, He's there whenever you're ready. God bless you, Mrs.--?"

"Baxter. Thank you." After a brief hug, she hurried out, feeling lighter, with a renewal of spirit. The phone in her back pocket buzzed. She looked at the display, and answered, "Hi Daniel. I'll meet you in the lobby."

After a brief introduction to the security guard, Jenifer, Mary, and Daniel rode the elevator up to the ICU and waited in Bruce's empty room for his return. Jenifer filled them in on current events, leaving out the misunderstanding about the sponge bath. Daniel asked medical questions that Jenifer didn't have answers for, while Mary sat quietly subdued.

Jenifer noticed. "Is everything all right, Mary?"

She answered with a nod and a weak smile. "I'm okay. Just a little overwhelmed by everything."

Daniel clarified, "She's fine. What happened in bed last night has her, for lack of a better term, muddled up."

"Daniel!"

Reaching out and placing her hand on Mary's knee, Jenifer said, "I'm sorry if I intruded last night. I was being selfish and needy. You guy's helped me not to feel so alone. Thank you."

Mary's smile broadened. She patted Jenifer's hand, saying, "We're here for you, Sweetie."

At that moment the orderlies appeared with Bruce. "Would you please all step into the hall so we can get Mr. Baxter situated."

Jenifer first moved to the bedside, looked at Bruce's face, and asked, "How is he?"

"The doctor will be up in a little while to fill you in on his condition," he said, as they centered the bed in the room and closed the privacy curtain.

A heavy silence was broken by Daniel. "I'm going to the cafeteria to get some coffee. You ladies want anything?"

They said yes to coffee, and he walked away.

A shift change must have occurred, because a new nurse went into the room to hook up all the monitors. Mary held Jenifer's hand as they waited. The flat screen display above the door began to beep softly and show wavy signs of life.

"His BP and pulse look normal," observed Mary.

"He had a hard-on this morning. That's a good sign. Right?"

"Um... I would think so." Mary squeezed Jenifer's hand, supportively.

They reentered the room as soon as the hospital staff left. Mary sat in a chair by the window.

Jenifer stood next to the bed and held Bruce's hand. She brought it up to her cheek, and said, "I hope he forgives me."

"Stop saying that! This is not your fault."

"It feels like it is."

Daniel walked in with a tray of coffee and an assortment of danish pastries. "Who's hungry?"

The conversation stopped as they consumed snacks and beverages, until Daniel stood and looked closely at Bruce. "His color is good. He looks like he's sleeping peacefully. I wish I could say that."

"It's an awful thing to kill a man," offered Mary, "but he gave you no choice. You couldn't let him stab Jenifer." She stood up and put her arm around his waist. "You're a hero."

"You're my hero," said Jenifer, "standing on his other side and resting her head on his shoulder."

"I know I didn't have a choice. But I relive it every time I close my eyes."

No one had an answer to that, so they stood silently holding on to one another.

A dark haired and almond-skinned man wearing a white coat and a badge that said 'Doctor' strode into the room. "Mrs. Baxter?"

Jenifer raised her hand, "Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Doctor Kumar. I have the results of your husband's MRI. Would you like to speak privately?"

"No. These are my close friends. You can tell me here."

He opened a folder that was tucked under his arm and referred to the report. "Okay then. Well the good news is there is no brain swelling. I spoke with his attending physician, Doctor Jacobs. We'll stop the anesthetic and bring Mr. Baxter out of the coma early tomorrow."

"Oh! That's great news!"

"But," he referred to the report once again, "there are indications of some damage to the temporal lobe. I'm afraid we won't know how it will affect him until he's conscious."

Jenifer's short-lived happiness receded to fear. "What does that mean?"

"Again, we won't really know until he's conscious. But the damaged area is involved with the senses of smell and sound, the processing of speech and vision, and plays a major role in the formation of long-term memory. Usually it's the memory that's affected the most."

Jenifer's lip started to tremble.

Dr. Kumar patted her shoulder. "Not to worry. The brain cells in this area are very resilient. They can reroute neural pathways to bypass the injury. I'm giving you the worst case scenario as a precaution. He'll probably be confused for only a few hours." Closing the folder, he said, "Get a good night's sleep tonight, and I'll see you in the morning."

"When will he be able to come home?"

"We'll see how he feels, before we decide."

He held out his hand and Jenifer shook it. "Thank you, Doctor."

After Dr. Kumar left the room, Daniel spoke first. "That's great news. They always tell you the worst possibility so you feel relieved when it's not so bad. Bruce will be fine." He hugged Jenifer sideways and kissed her hair. "You'll see, Jen. He'll be as good as new in no time."

"I hope so."

He looked at his watch. "I'm afraid I can't stay. I have an appointment in an hour." Speaking to Mary, he said, "I'll get the car and pick you up out front in ten minutes," and left the room.

"Wow, that was abrupt," said Jenifer, as she sat down.

Mary sat beside her, and said, "He told me on the way here that he hates hospitals. He hasn't been inside one since his wife died. When we pulled into the parking garage he said it brought back painful memories."

"It means a lot to me that he came anyway. He's a good man," said Jenifer, and then added, "most of the time."

They smiled knowingly at one another.

"Give us a call if you need anything."

"Us?" questioned Jenifer. "Are you guys an 'us', now?"

Mary thought a moment, and answered, "Yes, at least for now. I'm still unsettled about some things in our relationship, but... I'm in love with him."

"I see the way he looks at you. I've never seen him so hooked on someone."

Mary asked, "Even you?"

"Me? No, he was never in love with me. We've always just had friends-with-benefits relationship. But he gives great benefits, doesn't he?"

Blushing, Mary said, "Yes." She kissed Jenifer on the cheek, and stood to leave. "We'll be back tomorrow and be here when Bruce wakes up."

"Okay. Thank you for your understanding last night. I'll be going home tonight."

Standing halfway out the door, Mary paused and appeared to struggle with words, finally saying, "Well... it was my pleasure." She glanced at Jenifer, smiled, and left.

Two hours later, Jenifer couldn't stand the boredom of sitting and waiting any longer. Time would pass quicker if she kept busy. There was grocery shopping and housework to do. Mundane chores would at least take her mind off the uncertain future. So she left Bruce to fill the refrigerator with his favorite foods, to vacuum and dust every room, and clean the bathrooms. Mission accomplished. The day turned to night. The effort left her sweaty with sore muscles, but not sleepy.

'Maybe a hot shower would help me relax.'

It didn't. Her mind returned to Bruce. What was life going to be like after tomorrow?

Stepping out into their bedroom, Jenifer looked at the still rumpled sheets, smiled, and thought about the last time they made love. 'God, now I'm horny.' Bruce had always made her feel things no one ever had, wonderful things, but the best of these was the feeling of worth, worthy of love. He was the only man she ever truly loved and made love to. She thought about seeing him this morning in the hospital with an erection. Even under those circumstances, she felt a warm flush just thinking about his body. At least it still worked. He could still make love to her... if he still loved her.

Lying naked on the bed, Jenifer buried her face in Bruce's pillow and inhaled his scent, which only made her want him more. Rolling over with the pillow covering her face, she pictured him, while her hands wandered freely over her body the way his would. Very gentle at first. Teasing. Arousing.

Early in their love life, Bruce asked her to be still and let him explore. He said he wanted to discover what turned her on -- wanted to find the touches, kisses, and caresses so stimulating that she couldn't help but writhe in pleasure. Ground rule number1 -- no tickling. He found those ticklish spots early on and avoided them to keep the discovery tour on track. Over time, it developed into a game of sensual torture. How much pleasure could she endure without flinching, flexing, convulsing? Finally, when her desire peaked, when she craved his body beyond denial, she begged him to fill her.

Her fingers slipped between her thighs and came away soaked. 'Fuck, I want his cock. Now!'