Part 03: Infernos Dying Down
*Author's Note: Any and all persons engaging in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years of age.
*****
Chapter 1
Eric Greene pulled his van up to the Bender Police Department building and parked in the Handicapped parking slot.
He used to work here; he used to be a cop. Eric Greene had proudly worn his dark blue uniform, used to wear his badge, badge number 4844B921 with pride.
And his wife, Ann Greene used to look at him in his uniform, fling her long blonde hair back and declare she did love a man in uniform. More than once, they'd made love, her in lacy baby doll and him in his uniform.
Eric unlocked his wheelchair and rolled to the side door. He pressed the first button and the door of the van slid open. He pressed the second button and the lift folded out. Then he pushed himself onto the lift and lowered himself to the ground.
"Hey! Go park somewhere else; can't you read? That's for real handicapped people," Officer Steven Hebert yelled at Eric.
Eric looked over at his former colleague and smiled as he raised the lift, then slid the door of the van shut again.
"Kiss my ass, Hebert," Eric said, pushing his chair toward the front door of the building.
"Man, you're looking good," Steven said and bent and hugged the lawyer.
"So are you," Eric smiled, patting his friend on the back.
Eric wheeled into the building, greeted a few more former colleagues, then signed in and wheeled into the reception area.
He used to be a cop. Then, one night, he stopped at Jitters, a local coffee shop for coffee, walking in on a robbery in progress. The two would-be robbers opened fire; one bullet had lodged in his neck. But he had already drawn his own revolver and put a .357 slug into each robber's skull. They were both dead, he would be paralyzed from the chest down for the rest of his life, and the two employees of Jitters were still alive and unharmed.
He had lay in his hospital bed for weeks, overwhelmed with self-pity. Then he had lain in a bed at Ann's sister's house; their own house had burned down a month earlier, still overwhelmed with self-pity.
Jacy Kay, his sister in law had shared the news with them; she was once again pregnant. Eric had, of course, said congratulations, but had thought nothing of it. Until Ann lay next to him and sobbed that she wanted another baby.
"Well, Ann, I'll see what I can do," he snarled, self-pity oozing from every pore.
"Fuck you, won't even try?" Ann snarled in response.
She sat up in the bed and glared at him.
"I get it, I understand, you were shot," she screamed "But you're not the only one suffering, you ass hole! I'm suffering too! And so are Robbie and Sammy, remember them? Your sons? They're both walking around on egg shells, so God damned afraid if they do anything it'll hurt you."
She crawled out of the bed.
"Evie's too young to understand, but she's suffering too, Daddy and Jacy? They're suffering too. We're all suffering Eric, okay? We're all suffering here," Ann screamed and stormed out of the bedroom.
A few hours later, breath reeking of beer and marijuana, Ann crawled back into bed and hugged him.
"Baby, I am sorry," she sniffed. "It's just, God damn it, I miss my husband. I miss my man."
"I miss him too," Eric snapped.
"No, Eric, no you don't," Ann said.
She touched his head with a finger.
"He's somewhere in there," she said. "And if you really missed him, you'd go get him for me."
A few days later, Kenneth Kay, his father in law came to him, to help Eric put on his clothes for their twice weekly trip to the physical therapist Eric's insurance was paying for.
"Ann uh, Ann came and talked with us last night," Kenneth said, blushing hotly.
"Yeah?" Eric said, letting Kenneth do all of the work.
"She uh, she's saying she wants a baby," Kenneth said, grunting as he lifted Eric into the wheelchair.
"Yeah, told me that shit too," Eric spat as Kenneth pushed the wheelchair down the hall. "Told her..."
"Wants me to get her pregnant since you won't," Kenneth blurted out.
The two men were silent as Kenneth pushed Eric to the car, then lifted him and put him in the front seat of the sedan.
Joanne, Eric's physical therapist listened as Eric talked with her about his wife's desires.
"Well, Officer Greene, I'd say it's pretty damned near impossible," she said.
"See? I told..." Eric said.
"Since I can't even get you to push your own damned chair," Joanne snapped. "Really? Kenneth's got to pick you up? Put your fat ass into your chair, and push you up the ramp to get in here? And you think you're going to be able to get and maintain an erection? There ain't enough Viagra in the world, buddy."
She finished her therapy, and then pointed to his chair.
"It's right there, the wheels are locked, get in," she ordered.
Eric struggled and nearly fell off the table in his attempt. Joanne restrained him, but otherwise did not help him.
It took him almost ten minutes, but he did manage.
Then Joanne made Eric wheel himself to the waiting room, where Kenneth was flipping through an old Newsweek magazine.
"You know, there's all kinds of good magazines out there that aren't so blatantly left-wing," Kenneth commented.
"No, Mr. Kay, I'm not getting Parasols magazine," Joanne smiled.
"How about Reader's Digest then?" Kenneth asked.
Kenneth pushed Eric to the car, and was surprised when Eric assisted him in putting him into the front seat.
It was hard, often disappointing work, but Eric did slowly make progress.
"Go ahead," Eric said to Kenneth one morning as Kenneth drove them to Joanne's office.
"Go ahead what?" Kenneth asked as he pulled into the parking lot.
"Go ahead, Ann's really wanting a baby," Eric said.
"You sure? I mean, shit, you're making real good progress here," Kenneth asked.
"Her happiness is... Yeah, Kenneth, go ahead," Eric sighed.
