From Rags to Riches!

From Rags to Riches! Chapter 3

Hi everyone! I sincerely hope you are enjoying the story so far. The level of eroticism goes up quite a bit in this chapter and could be covered by the categories Romance or Incest / Taboo.

I would like to express my thanks to

DES67

who a graciously agreed to be my editor.

As the sun was setting the dark black Escalade pulled up to 2512 E. Monument Street in Colorado Springs. Jim Smith, Melissa Wayne, and Steve Summers all exited the vehicle and approached the small plain looking 1 story ranch style home that Jim had called home for the last 15 years. The lights were on and Jim was glad to see that his kids were home.

Jim walked in the front door and said, "Kids I'm home!" His daughter Heather came running into the room and threw her arms around her daddy and gave him a warm hug. Then Josh came strolling and said" Hey Pops what's up and who are these folks that are with you?"

Jim replied, "Kids I'd like you to have a seat in the living room we have some things to discuss".

Everyone moved into the living room and took a seat. Jim introduced his new friends / employees and then proceeded to relay the days events. Over the next half hour, he watched as his children's faces just stared in amazement and disbelief. He gave them a few minutes to digest everything he just told them and then asked if there any questions?

Heather inquired "Do you think we can really find someone to help mommy?" I replied, "I will do everything I can with these new resources to help your mother."

Josh asked about the new house and I told him that we would have to discuss it amongst ourselves. I did mention that this house was somewhat bigger, and it had a large amount of land and unless someone had an objection we would probably be moving there once we figured out how to best help their mother.

We discussed the details of the day's events for the next 2 hours. As things progressed the kids seemed to be getting a handle on everything and even were engaging Melissa and Steve. The only thing I didn't discuss with the kids was Abbi's proposal regarding my future relationship possibilities with Melissa. It was now going on 10:30 pm and I could tell everyone was getting tired. It was time to get ready for the bed.

I then remembered my guests. I asked Melissa and Steve if they were headed home? Melissa spoke up first and said "We are now with you 24-7 unless you specifically request us to leave. Our responsibilities dictate that we must be available to handle anything that comes up at a moments notice. Your now an unknown celebrity and once word gets around how much your worth, you'll need us both quite a bit for business and security reasons."

Steve also chimed in "Just so your aware I have set up a special detail outside in a vehicle nearby and they will be keeping an eye on things and then during the day each member your family will have a member of our security team nearby at all times, but they will do their best to remain incognito as not to seem overbearing. Furthermore, we'll be notifying the school district of our presence in relation to the kids."

I thanked them for everything and then I offered Melissa the spare bedroom and I apologized to Steve, but advised the only thing left was the couch. I even tried to offer my bed in case he didn't want the couch, but he wouldn't hear of it. He explained that the couch would be a better place from a security standpoint as well. We all headed off to bed...

The next day

At a about 4:30 am I was awakened by a soft nudge to my shoulder and looked up and Melissa was standing there with rather serious look on her face. I asked what was the matter? I just had a bad feeling my luck was turning for the worse again. I felt myself starting to shake and I felt really warm to the point of starting to sweat. With a feeling of overwhelming dread, I waited for Melissa to reply.

She looked like she was becoming very emotional and finally said "I have some troubling news! I've been contacted by the medical infirmary at Argent and their Chief Medical Officer had been getting updates from the hospital and had been advised that your wife had taken a turn for the worse, she had slipped into a coma overnight and her vital signs were showing signs of weakening. He also advised that he everything ready to go and is requesting an immediate transfer to Argent's state of the art medical facility. Also St. Francis is aware, and they are awaiting a call from you Jim to approve the transfer.

Sadly, Jim nodded his head requesting that Melissa get the hospital on the phone. In just a few minutes everything was in motion to get Abbi moved to Argent.

Jim put his head in his hands and all the emotions of the last 24 overwhelmed him. For the next 10 minutes he sobbed uncontrollably. He finally started to settle down and he noticed that Melissa was holding him, and he realized that he was

NAKED

, and, in the confusion, he was sitting up with the sheets totally thrown off his body and he was completely exposed. Melissa was looking into his eyes with concern. She seemed totally unaware of his embarrassing situation. She was hugging him for all she was worth, and he was torn between sadness, confusion, and even was surprised as he started becoming aroused. (Little Jim had its own agenda!)

Jim turned his head toward Melissa and leaned in just a little. She bit her lip just a bit and leaned in herself. She

KISSED

him and with out realizing it Jim was kissing her back. He felt her tongue give a quick slip into his mouth and just that quick it was gone, and the kiss was over. They both looked at each other in surprise both finding themselves speechless for a few moments. Jim was suddenly overtaken by a wave of guilt and then he remembers what his wife had proposed the day before and now found himself seriously considering that very proposal. With his mind going in about 10 directions at once he felt almost helpless. Melissa sensing his inner struggle spoke up and said "Jim for the moment forget about what just happened, we can talk about that later. For now, let's get you and the Kids over to the Infirmary at Argent and we'll see what is going on with your wife."

Jim nodded his head and pushed aside his feelings and focused on the task at hand. He started getting dressed when Melissa whispered in his ear and said, "Nice equipment". Jim turned 3 shades of red and just smiled at her. They exited the bedroom and soon everyone else was being roused from their slumber, getting ready, and headed out to the black Escalade waiting outside.

Steve told everybody that they would be there in about 20 minutes. Jim and the kids were discussing this latest turn of events with regards to Abbi's health and were hoping something could be done to help her. Jim was praying that his would be ok. He drifted off into his mind with worry. Melissa interrupted Jim's thoughtfulness and suggested "Jim, I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but If you approve, I'd like to start making arrangements to have your belongings moved to your Uncle's house". Jim gave this some thought and then asked the kids what they thought. They asked if the house was nicer than their current one. Melissa assured them that it was. The Kids both indicated that this was probably a good idea with all things considered. Jim told Melissa to go ahead and get it taken care of. She replied that everything would be handled and not to worry about anything.

A few minutes later they were passing the world-famous

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

(Home to N.O.R.A.D. or the North American Aerospace Defense Command) just passed the end of that property line they turned into a paved driveway that passed through a wooded area and headed toward the nearby mountain. In a few minutes the woods opened into an open space and they were quickly approaching a heavily guarded gate. Beyond that Jim observed multiple large 1 and 2 story buildings. As the pulled up to the guard house at the gate, Steve presented all the appropriate credentials and was quickly proceeded on through the gate. As they entered the complex Jim noticed that everything was laid out in a campus style with special attention given to landscaping and modern architecture to make everything on the outside esthetically pleasing. Jim was really impressed with everything he saw. He commented to Melissa that someone really put a lot of time and thought into the layout of this complex. Melissa relayed that most of the planning came from his Uncle with the help an architectural firm.

They followed the signs that directed them to the infirmary. Steve parked close to the main entrance and everybody except Steve got out of the vehicle. Jim approached Steve and Steve indicated that he had some personal things to take care of and was more than comfortable leaving me here in this secure facility and if anything was needed to just call and he would come back right away.

The remaining members of Jim's party entered the building and were greeted at the front door by the facilities Chief Medical Officer. He introduced himself as Doctor Edward McCoy and asked us to follow him.

We walked through the building for several minutes, Jim noticed while it reminded him of a hospital, but also it kind of reminded me of a really nice hotel. At any rate they were led into a rather large room and Jim immediately noticed his wife in a large hospital bed and hooked to numerous machines. As he looked at the rest of the room, he noticed quite a few pieces of comfortable looking furniture and another attached room that appeared to be an on-suite bathroom. Jim was again impressed with the accommodations and this gave him a good feeling about his wife's new level of care.

Jim approached his wife's bed and look down upon her. She appeared even more frail than he could remember, and she was very pale. Jim started to well up with tears and was feeling emotionally drained and very overwhelmed. Then he noticed his kids were right next to him as Heather latched onto his arm and was crying as well, Jim realized he needed to be strong for his kids and quickly wiped his and hugged both his kids and said, "I promise I will do everything my power to help your mother and make sure she will be OK".

Doctor McCoy pulled Jim aside and gave an update on his wife's condition "Jim I'm not going to bull shit you, your wife is very sick. We have her stabilized for now and are administering broad spectrum antibiotics to at least slow down whatever this is. I have ordered a full panel of blood tests, but at this point we are totally baffled by whatever this disease is."

Jim thanked the Doctor and asked him to keep him posted. Just as he was about to step away the Doctor said, "Jim I have an idea of how to help your wife."

Jim said, "Please anything you can do to help!"

The doctor caution him and said "First and foremost you should know that what I'm about to suggest is experimental and was only just approved by the F.D.A. (Food and Drug Administration) for human trials. It is also classified top secret by the U.S. Government. There is a mountain of paperwork involved and everyone in the room will need to sign an N.D.A. (non-disclosure agreement)." The Doctor continued saying "Once you all sign the N.D.A. I can go into more detail on the nature of the treatment.

Jim asked if the treatment was dangerous. The Doctor went on to explain "As with anything experimental there is some risk. However ever if the treatment fails it wouldn't really cause your wife any additional medical problems."

Jim thought for a few minutes and asked the kids what they thought? They both replied in earnest that we should give it a try!

Jim told the Doctor "Let's do this!"

The Doctor excused himself and said he would be right back with the necessary paperwork. While they waited the kids ran over to their father then gave him a big hug. Jim looked at Melissa and saw she had a few tears running down her face and she joined the rest in a group hug.

The Doctor returned quickly with several people in tow, they appeared to be administrative employees and the Doctor wasn't lying when he said there was a mountain of paperwork. Jim was almost frustrated after filling out paperwork for the next half hour and then everyone signed their N.D.A. and then it was all over.

Doctor McCoy then went into great detail about this experimental treatment, and this took another half hour. The reader's digest version was that Argent Technologies in cooperation with U.S. Dept. Of Defense had created the worlds first Nanotech or Nanites if you prefer. Specifically, these were microscopic robots that were controlled by an Artificial Intelligence or A.I. for short. There were several different types of Nanites -- Command: that directed the creation and job functions of the rest. Interface: Nanites the communicated directly with the A.I. and the patient providing vital information on the patient's status. Diagnostic: Nanites that collected data on all aspects of the patient's health and any potential health problems and symptoms. Workers: Nanites that provided repairs and specific treatment as needed. Finally, Factory: Nanites with the sole function of using the bodies waste materials to create any of the other Nanites as needed.

The Doctor explained further that once the Nanites completed their designated functions that they shut down and were discharged from the body through the usual waste processes performed by the body. The exception being Command, Interface, and Factory Nanites as their function was continuous. In addition, unless there was some unexpected problem with the Nanites, once injected in the patient they would remain in the body until the end of the patient's life and that could be extended for a yet to be determined amount of time. In the event there was problem a shut done code would be sent to the Nanites and they would then become inert and be flushed from the body. This was only after every attempt was made to correct the problem through the interface with the Nanites. All information was passed to and from the Nanites through the A.I. and then sent to central monitoring station here at the facility. Central monitoring was manned 24/7 and all relevant info was forwarded to the attending physician which in this case was Doctor McCoy.

Jim asked, "When they would administer the Nanites?"

The Doctor replied "We'll monitor your wife for 24 hours and by then the blood work should be back by then. Barring any unforeseen circumstances then we should be able to go forward sometime tomorrow."

Jim thanked the Doctor for everything he is doing and said if he needed anything at all to aid in his wife's treatment that all he had to do was ask.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing while they all kept vigil over Abbi. Around noon a young man in a kitchen uniform appeared and pushed a cart in the room and said lunch is served! He then excused himself and stepped out. Jim looked at Melissa and said, "Did you do this?" She just nodded with a big smile and I thanked her. I hadn't realized that I was hungry. But then I remember we hadn't even eaten breakfast.

We all grabbed a plate and dug in. I was impressed everything was very good, while not being overly fancy. The menu consisted several different kinds of cold sandwiches, chef salad, and soup. While being a simple meal everything was quite delicious. We settled in for the afternoon and I felt very good about how things were going and much better with a full belly!

As the afternoon passed into early evening, I awoke realizing at some point I must have nodded off. I looked around and noticed the kids were snuggled up together and fast asleep on one the couches in the room. I looked over at Melissa and she was looking at me with a smile and a sparkle in her eye and said she thought I looked very cute when I was asleep. I blushed furiously and smiled back.

Melissa then revealed that supper would be arriving shortly. In just a few minutes another kitchen attendant showed up with a cart of food and then promptly left the room. We spent the next half hour or so feeding on a gourmet meal and the food was excellent.

Melissa said "Once everyone is done eating, I will take you all, across the hall where we have been assigned a large suite that was designed to accommodate the families of any patients being treated at this facility. These are fully functional residences you'll be able to do all the things you would normally do at home, i.e., bathe, sleep, relax, eat, etc. There is maid service daily and they can take any laundry you might have. There is also a wide variety of amenities available in the rooms and on this campus. Including video games consoles for the kids, a wide variety of movies, and a just about every card / board game known to man. On the campus there is a fully equipped gym, a library, and movie theatre." She added that many employees lived on or near the campus and spent many long hours working on various projects to explain why such amenities were available at a place of business and at no charge to anyone authorized to be on the grounds.

A little while later everyone was finished with their meal and was ready to see their suites. Melissa led them across the hall. They stepped through a doorway into a large room that served as a living room and kitchen. Jim was surprised by what filled the room. He noticed the kitchen was fully equipped with stainless steel commercial grade appliances, a large double door fridge that could almost be a walk-in, beside the fridge was a large walk-in pantry, to the other side of the fridge was a full-size oven / range with all-natural gas burners and a built-in grilling area. Moving on to the living room area Jim noticed there was a wide variety of comfortable looking furniture including a dining room table, several recliners and recliner couches all a semicircle facing a 75-inch flat screen TV with just about every TV channel and movie service known to man. Jim was very impressed indeed.

On either side of the room was doorway leading to bedrooms 2 on each side/ Melissa explained that the kids were to the left and they each had their own room and she and their father would be using the 2 rooms on the right. She continued by saying that all the bedrooms were identical, and everyone should go check them out.

Jim walked into his room and was pleasantly surprised at what he saw. The room had a very comfortable feel to it, and he noticed a very large and probably custom-built bed that was much larger than king size. He also noticed what appeared to an antique roll top desk equipped with just about everything a person needs to do any kind of paperwork, personal or business related, in addition more comfortable furniture and what appeared to be a 60-inch flat screen TV. He noticed what appeared to be a walk-in closet and he was surprised that the hangers and dresser drawers contained some his clothing as well as unfamiliar clothes that appeared to be his size. Jim moved from there into the on-suite bathroom and he was blown away. This room was about 3 times bigger than his bathroom at home and was equipped with a large walk-in shower with multiple shower heads including one that simulated falling rain, also beside the shower was a full-size whirlpool bathtub that could accommodate probably 4-5 people, also the there was a set of double vanity sinks, a fancy looking toilet, and right beside it was what I could guess was a bidet. There also appeared to be a small linen closet with extra towels, wash cloths, and bedding as well. Another thing he noticed that all the normal things you would find in a bathroom were already provided - tooth brushes, toothpaste, razors, deodorant, basic medications, and beauty aids.