The Bridge - Chapter Twenty-Seven - Christmas and Cramps
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This work is copy written by the author. All characters involved in sexual activity are eighteen years of age or older at the time of portrayal.
This work will, at times, contain instances of lesbian sex, pregnancy, interracial sex, chastity, group sex, Dominance and submission, tattoos and piercings, slavery, intrigue, action, romance and affection. There are also threats of violence and a fair amount of heroism and family love and fun.
I have put this into the Lesbian Sex category because it is where I seem to be getting the most hits. Also, that's where the sex is in this one. Your positive ratings and comments, positive or negative, are welcome and appreciated. If you have read this story from the beginning, I would like to thank you. I hope someone is enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
Chapter 27 - Christmas & Cramps
Saturday. Christmas Day. It would be the most hectic of our vacation days, and the one we took most seriously. I was up at five-thirty with the twins and Bertha was just fetching Ellie, to change her and bring her downstairs to feed her while she and Aggie get breakfast ready. Dr. Chu called to let us know that Toothy had arranged for room service in his suite, with the McKellys and the Chus, and that they would meet us at the hospital. He let me know he spoke to his friend, who is the Director of Social Services at CHOP, and they were ready for us. The target time was ten, and we would stay until two.
We had a ball dressing the kids up as elves. They paraded around the living room and kitchen like they were a big deal. Well, they are to me.
Three cars filled with adults and children left my house and arrived at CHOP at Nine-fifteen. We flooded in and checked in with administration, who was giving us six non-nursing volunteers, to guide us around and pave the way. At quarter to ten, Santa Claus arrived in one of two buses. And he was a big one. Guess who? His elves followed him around as he moved from patient to patient, room to room, floor to floor. Then he plopped down on a big, high-backed chair in the lobby and saw the ambulatory patients.
Peggy and Les followed him and helped the kids in the background, mostly collecting thank yous from grateful parents of CHOP kids. Harriet and Hilly, dressed to the hilt as Mrs. Claus and the Head Elf, were a big help, and went around announcing in the wards that Santa was coming. The kids from Second Street went around to the wards we couldn't get to, making sure that everyone had gifts, even if they didn't get to see Santa.
By the time two o'clock came around, it seemed to me that we were getting in the way more than helping. Kids have to be fed and medication has to be administered. We did our best to tend to the spirit. It would be up to the miracle makers at CHOP to tend to the body.
When our parade got back to the townhouse, everyone attacked the presents. The kids ran up to the family room, where there were gifts for everyone, and the adults adjourned to the tables in the living room, where the babies were rolling around in their great big portable play pen, off the kitchen. Each was immediately picked up by one of the girls and either tended to or passed around.
The servers worked around us, making sure they set up enough places for all the kids who would be served first. The place smelled very different from last night. Today is Italian. Bertha's green and red dinner in honor of the holiday. Spinach and mushroom lasagna with red gravy, Zucchini Ratatouille casserole, in red gravy, Eggplant Rollatinis, and good old Zucchini Spaghetti and Mushroom Meatballs. Everyone was salivating and a couple even tried to get a taste, but the only one to get a taste was Toothy. We had a large Ceaser Salad and Bertha kept the flat top going, if anyone wanted Shitake Mushroom Steaks on the grill. All the bread came from the bakery around the corner and it was incredible. Toothy remarked about how much he liked it and I made a note to myself to call and have an order or pastries and breads made up for Toothy and Cass to take home with them.
The girls all pitched in to serve the kids dinner, except us with the tiny ones. Duane had his son; I had his daughter, and Peggy had Ellie. We all put in a concerted effort, and by the time the kids were done eating, the babies were upstairs, in bed, Duanee with a bottle in his mouth. Aggie was leaving for the night with a friend, and I'm told it's a male friend. I don't ask, she's a big girl. When they decide they want to tell me about it, I'm here.
Becca took the train down from West Chester earlier and was now up minding the makeshift nursery that was my suite on the fourth floor. When I got downstairs, the Lawrences were just coming in the door for dinner. I wrapped myself around them and snatched away my little Monique. She had just finished eating and was half in the bag. So, Linnie and I trekked up all four flights and found her a place amongst Becca's charges.
Harry and Hilly followed us up. They wanted to see the babies and stayed for a good long time with Becca. I think they'd had their fill of 'The Littles' for now. Nothing less than gravity got me back downstairs. The kids were flowing up the stairs to the family room, where "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" was playing, or in the big bedroom where they were all sleeping or playing on their tablets or, like my Georgie, just crashed out. It was a lot of day for one so little. Once they were situated, the adults flowed down from the family room.
As if she were the host, supposedly my job; Bertha guided everyone coming down from the family room, into the living room, to the long table. She would join us at the table and orchestrate dinner from there. The servers would do the work. It's important to me that she be sitting with us at dinner as often as possible. She is family, and I never want her to think for a minute that she is not a vital cog in the ever-spinning wheel that is my life.
For the adults, dinner was served family style, with serving dishes being passed around the table from diner to diner. The wine and beer were flowing like water. While this was going on it was very quiet. Until Toothy broke the silence.
"This lasagna is beyond the best I've ever tasted. We have some real fine cooks down at the house, but they don't cook up nothin' like this. And those mushrooms. Wow!"
"Kennett Square mushrooms. Best in the world. Right in our backyard." Bertha said.
"Holly," I asked. "Is that your department?"
"Yes, ma'am. We're sending mushrooms to Pittsburgh?"
"Of course. Once Cass starts cooking up some of Kennett's finest, we'll be shipping her 'shrooms every week." Everyone laughed. I was serious.
As we ate, everyone asked Bertha about the various dishes, which she told a history of, or her tips for the cooking of. I'm so used to her just being her, I sometimes forget how fascinating she can be, or how she can captivate a room. Mac got it. He was beaming. The servers had their eyes on her the whole time. If she looked their way, they were on top of her. Dinner went exceptionally well. And given the diversity of our guests, I give us high marks. And Bertha said to everyone as we stood and applauded another spectacular meal, "I'll stand on my feet and cook for twelve hours as long as I don't have to do no dishes." She didn't. Not during vacation, not once.
Dr. Chu said that he thought the kids were surprisingly quiet, but I told him not to be concerned. Giving Day always takes a lot out of the kids, and they are either sitting back watching the movie or asleep. He said he was just going to go up and check on his little Lily. Not five minutes later, he came down only to report that Lily, Georgia and Kimmie were all stuffed into a single sleeping bag and holding onto each other, fast asleep. And Georgie and Rory were zonked out next to each other. We got a lot of Ahhhh's and a few giggles. Then the stream of curious adults went up and down the stairs. I sat back and did my best to finish a bottle of red wine Lizzie and I had started.
Then, before you could say 'Jiminy Cricket,' everyone was gone; the kids to bed and the adults strolling down Walnut Street for ostensibly for the gals to prepare for tonight.
Everyone but Davante and his girl. Harley wasn't just any girl. She was an FBI agent who met Davante when they were working on the Peace Dunbar case together. I must have amazing self-control, because when she told us that, my jaw didn't drop. But I looked at Duane, and he did everything in his power not to look back. Herman cleared his throat when he heard it, and said his goodbyes, and walked Peggy right out of there and down to South Philly so she could prepare for tonight. It seemed there was a lot of foot shuffling. Duane was visibly angry at his brother for bringing a hornet into the bee's nest. But, once Lizzie left to get, and Holly went up to clean up and get dressed for tonight, Duane let his brother know that they have to talk, and they have to do it now. So, they excused themselves and Harley Tanner and I were alone... together.
She was really tall. Six feet and one-half inch she said. Make's Holly look like a shrimp. Very pretty, with dark curly hair she kept bunched up in the back. Mocha colored skin that had not one blemish. Everything about her was smart. She dressed smart, acted like smart people should, and seemed to live her life the way smart people do. I liked her, but a lot about her scared me. First of all, she's a fuckin' FBI special agent. Don't need one of those up my ass, I've got one halfway up my ass already in my man's brother. And second, she asks a lot of questions. A lot. We talked about her work and mine, mostly about my new companies. But I kept trying to steer the conversation to stories about the family, of which she had none but one sister.
