This is an explanatory chapter. There is little or no action, just dialogue and an attempt to fill in the gaps. If you've been reading primarily for the sex, I'll pick up with that in the next chapter. If you're not particularly interested in the story you can easily skip this chapter.
All characters are over 18.
Thanks to LarryInSeattle for editing.
Comments are welcomed and appreciated.
Enjoy.
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Instead of returning to their chairs, Donna's brothers turn and squeeze their way onto the ends of the couch. Gary at one end, leans forward and helps Julie off the floor. She settles back onto the couch. Terry at the other end, repeats the gestures with his sister. I'm left to push myself off the floor. My left knee catches before straightening with an audible pop.
"You okay doc?" Gary inquires, leaning forward to steady me by placing one hand on my back.
"Okay?" Terry begins to chuckle. "Way fucking beyond okay mother fucker. Jesus Christ on a hopped up pony. No offense Donna but I've never had my dick sucked like that before. I take back my earlier offense when you said no man eats pussy as good as another woman. No woman sucks dick as good as another dude."
"You mean 'well'," I offer, keeping my voice steady. "'No woman sucks dick as well', not 'as good' as another dude. And thank you for the compliment."
They all stare at me. I follow Donna's advice except I don't picture earmuffs, I picture a one-way mirror that is opaque until a light is switched on and then it becomes as clear as glass. I leave the light off and try to keep my face neutral. I fail. I smile and they all laugh, soft at first but escalating quickly to guffaws. I stand there, ignoring the pain from my abraded knees, understanding now all those knee pad jokes, and wait for them to control their laughter. And to realize there is no place for me to sit on the couch.
After a time, the laughter trails off to giggles and snorts. It is Gary, of course, who notices I'm still standing. He starts to get up.
"Hey doc, sit here. I'll pull a chair over."
I stop him with a gesture. I look at Julie.
"Scoot over babe," I asked. She understands.
She pushes her butt up and drops into a very surprised Gary's lap. She holds her feet up. I turn and sit and her feet and legs rest across my lap and Donna's. She turns to Gary with a smile, "I'm not too heavy for you am I, hon?"
He contents himself with a shake of his head. From the dazed blissful look on his face, shaking his head may be as much as he can manage. I feel a twinge of disquiet. I'm not jealous but I do worry that he may not be able to accept the limitations of the arrangement quite as easily as he thinks. I share a little of this with Julie. Her smile never fades. I sense she is not concerned. I wonder, for the first time, to what extent our thoughts are private.
"Mostly private, doc," Gary says, looking at me. Although I'm not looking at them I feel his siblings nodding behind my back as Gary continues.
"We can tell you are sharing something with Julie but not what. I suppose if we tried hard enough we could but if we tried you'd know we were trying and stop. Until Julie whacked her head I thought Terry and I where the only ones, except maybe other twins, who shared that sort of connection. It would appear I was more wrong than I realized." He paused and urged Julie to shift her weight to a more comfortable spot on his lap. "Turns out our parents could, now you, Julie. I don't know why it took a whack on the head for Donna to join the club." He paused again and looked at me. "Have you always been able to read people?"
I shake my head. "At least not that I was aware of," I add. "I mean most care providers have a degree of empathy, or they should. Sometimes it gets worn away in the grind but they have it. But I never experienced anything like this. In fact, I still don't quite believe it. It makes no scientific sense and underneath it all, I consider myself a scientist."
Gary nods.
"So, no I don't know what you and Julie were sharing but I can guess." He gives me a steady look. "I'm in awe of how lucky you are. I appreciate your understanding and willingness to include me. I won't pretend there isn't part of me that's not jealous, that part of each of us that's always wailing 'why not me'. Don't sweat it doc, I have no misconceptions in regards to the situation."
People lie to their doctor all the time. I have a very good bullshit detector. Even without any ESP voodoo shit I think he's letting the truth. Or, more accurately, he's telling me what he thinks is the truth.
Julie turns and kisses the side of his neck, accepting his answer.
We all jump when, from the end of the couch, Terry lets loose with a tremendously loud yawn.
"I'm too tired to join ya'll in a chorus of Kumbaya. Where the fuck we sleeping? Gary has a giant assed California king but I don't know if all five of us will fit. Besides, listening to Donna fart in her sleep is likely to be detrimental to our new found mutual admiration and fuck society."
Julie giggles as Donna turns to smack her brother in the chest.
"Be quiet," she snaps, though her chuckle gives lie to her supposed irritation. "Or you'll sleep by yourself out here on the couch."
As is often the case, Terry's yawn is contagious. One by one, we all find ourselves shuddering as we yawn.
"All I'm interested in is sleep. Sorry boys," Julie says as she gives Gary a quick kiss and rises from his lap. She holds her hand out to me and helps me off the couch. My knee pops again.
"Football, doc?" Terry asks, pushing himself off the couch.
"Figure skating," I reply, straight-faced. Once more the sibs stare at me while Julie laughs.
"It was hockey," she giggles as she climbs off the couch. "How the hell you imagine he could hide that dick in a pair of tights?"
"Good point," Terry concedes, kissing first Donna and Julie on the cheek and then heading toward the hallway. He pats me on the shoulder as he passes. "Night doc," he offers.
"Yeah, night doc," his brother adds, with another pat on my shoulder. He kisses Donna's cheek and gives Julie a quick hug, but no kiss, and follows his brother.
Donna takes each of us by the hand. "Let me show you to your room. You two haven't had a second to yourselves since you got here."