Ellen and Mark
Chapter 1
I had just graduated and turned 18 when it began. You should know I had absolutely no experience with this sort of thing before then, although I wasn't saving myself for marriage either. I just hadn't found that guy I wanted to share my first time with. I dated some but never did more than a kiss good night, well, a couple of times some very long and passionate kisses goodnight, but I wasn't ready for more. I didn't get many second dates as a result, but if that was all the guys were after I was okay with that. I guess I was acceptably attractive as I did get quite a few first dates but tried to be selective to keep the creeps away.
I was average height and had ash brunette hair that fell about a third down my back. I thought my hips were nice and I stayed fit by mostly watching my diet and swimming in our pool when the weather allowed. I wished my boobs were bigger, but they were nice enough as a C cup. I guess I was just your basic average 18-year-old.
Summer was to be spent doing nothing. I was to start college in August, having been accepted into the premed program at our regional university and looked forward to it. Mom and dad were to pick up my textbooks for the fall when they went to pick up my older brother Mark who was two years ahead of me. Mark was great, I loved him, and he was always there to protect me and keep me safe. That most girls considered him to be damned good looking and super nice was not lost on me, even I thought he was amazing with ripped muscles and a nice six pack along with strong shoulders and arms. Beyond that he doted on me and always had. We had been close all our lives and he was the perfect big brother. In fact, I think one of the reasons I had not shared my virginity yet was that none of the guys I dated measured up to him.
Mark was adopted by my folks when they learned they would never be able to have kids the biological way. Then a couple years later, apparently in a evening of naked frivolity I was conceived and against all odds went to term. Mark was always my brother, there was no "adoptive" to it. Neither of us even knew until mom and dad told him when I was about eight. Neither of us cared after that. I was his little sis, he was my big bro, and we were closer than any siblings I knew of.
My parents and I were sharing lunch when we got the call on a Friday, the day after I finished school. The day the folks were going to pick up Mark and my books in fact.
Mark had been in a wreck and was in the hospital, but the medical staff was quick to tell us that his injuries were not life threatening. We immediately jumped in the car and dad drove like a maniac the hour or so to the hospital.
Mark was being discharged as we arrived. He had broken one arm, severely sprained his other wrist, and gotten a heck of a black eye. All of his injuries were caused by the airbag going off, but it saved his life and we were all grateful. We wheeled my brother out as hospital policy required it, with him apologizing all the way about being hurt. Of course, we shushed that nonsense as we were all relieved that this was the extent of his injuries and that he was alive. The ride to the hospital was terrifying. The ride home was much happier, although poor Mark was in misery.
When we got to the van, I helped Mark in by letting him put his better arm, the one with only the sprain, around my shoulder as he stood. We almost fell anyway as he was pretty heavily medicated.
The hospital had given him some pretty stiff pain killers, and a prescription for more and he had trouble standing as a result. We got him into the van though and I sat beside him, occasionally helping him lift his left arm, the one in the cast, onto the arm rest as it tried to fall. The prescriptions were called in and dad picked them up through the drive though at the pharmacy. Pizza was ordered by phone when we got home and put Mark to bed and then mom, dad and I discussed the only real problem left.
Mom and dad had booked and paid for a week's vacation and their flight was that evening, in a few hours. Mom insisted on canceling to care for Mark, and dad tended to agree with her. I told them Mark was in good hands and I would be happy to care for him. How hard could it be? I already cooked for myself most of the time and its not like he could be too messy with no hands to use. The hospital had sent home everything I would need if I had to help him to the bathroom and bag up his arm and hand for the shower, but I was premed and figured I could handle all that. Plus the folks would just be a phone call away, and both had been looking forward to getting to the ocean for months. Mark overheard this and managed to come out and convince them that he would be okay and that they should go.
Reluctantly mom and dad agreed.
"Hey, mom and dad just left, are you hungry? There's pizza left," I asked Mark from his bedroom door as he rested on the bed that evening.
"Uh, sure, but uh... not sure how I could eat it right now." Mark replied with a soft smile as he lifted his hands.
"Oh, uh, I can help." I fixed Mark a plate, as well as a soda with a straw, and took it all on a breakfast tray back to his room. Once there I fed him bite by bite until he wanted no more and made sure he stayed hydrated by holding his drink while he sipped. It was nice taking care of him. I love Mark and wanted to do all I could to help him while he was down. I knew he would for me.
Once dinner was over, I took the tray away and refreshed the ice pack on his eye. As I was placing it on him I asked, "Anything else I can do for you?"
"Uh, kiss it and make it feel better?" he smiled.
This was one of the things I loved about my brother, even when he should be down, he tried to be cheerful and was always upbeat and thinking of others. Just exactly what a woman should want in a partner. He would make someone really lucky one day.
I leaned across the bed and kissed his unbruised cheek. "All better?" I grinned.
"Uh, that really helped. I wish I wasn't so banged up; I've been looking forward to seeing you all week, this isn't how I hoped our reunion would go."
"Oh? How did you think it would? I mean, if you weren't hurt?"
"Well, a hug, and then not letting you go until school started back," Mark smiled.
"Well I'm not going anywhere, lets take a rain check on the hug. I'd like that too. In the meantime, I get to take care of the best brother ever. Anything you need, call on me, okay?"
"Okay, uh, there is one thing, but I'm reluctant to ask."
"I said anything Mark. I'm your nurse until you get your hands back."
"Uh, I have to pee."
"Oh!" I exclaimed. "We have a bottle for that, you won't even have to get up," I replied as I reached in the supply box beside his bed to retrieve it. "Just give me a shout when you're done, and I will empty it and... You can't use your hands at all can you?"
"No, I hate to ask but..."
"It's okay, I just. well I didn't think this through, I guess. But its okay, I'm premed, I need to learn these things. So, what do I do?" I asked.