Justin Thyme

A note to my readers:

Once again, a number of you have caught my goofs! Thank you for paying attention. Tom should have used the land-line to call for a cab, but my brain was running much faster than my fingers can type and I goofed. It was in my plans, but how often our plans go awry. The same is true with him using the phone the next morning. I planned to say he activated an old phone after returning home and used it the next morning, but alas, again I was hurrying to much, and I didn't catch either goof when I proof-read. If I had an emoticon to insert here it would be bright red! Corrections have been made in the text in case I ever decide to do anything with the story at a later date. Thank you for being here for me! I promise to not rush to publish in the future, no matter how many are asking when it will come out. I guess I shall have to plagiarize the old wine commercial and I shall "publish no story before its time."

*****

The girls and I were sitting at a table over in the corner of the room. As late in the morning as it was on a normal work/school day the place was pretty quiet and we were able to get an area all to ourselves. Each of us had a cup of coffee in front of us, me with Steph and Rosemary on either side of me. On the other side Susie sat with a glass of orange juice in front of the empty chair next to her. Michael came in with a big grin on his face and sat down next to Susie, who promptly turned her face for a kiss. Michael is not the demonstrative type, but he leaned in and gave a quick peck, although you could tell he was somewhat uncomfortable doing so.

Our waitress walked over just then to take our orders and it embarrassed Michael to be caught kissing, much to Susie's amusement. Michael was the only one who needed to look at the menu, but after a moment he closed it and asked me, "What was it you had me order the first time we were here?"

"My favorite. The three cheese omelet with chili."

"Right! That's what I'll have, please." Our waitress collected our menus and made her way to the kitchen to place the orders and Michael turned to Susie. "Sorry, Little One, but I've had a change of plans for the day." He paused for a moment as his eyes took in something he hadn't noticed earlier. The knit shirt she was wearing was a little snug, and while she had on a bra it was a thin one and allowed her nipples to make an impression on the front of her shirt. Michael swallowed quickly and averted his eyes before going on to say, "That was Pete Fleming on the phone. He is coming down to pick me up, and we will be flying to Chicago sometime today. I told him I have to be back no later than Thursday evening."

Susie was obviously disappointed. "When do you have to leave? Can we still go up Mt. Lemmon?"

"I'm afraid not, Honey. Pete is in a real hurry about this for some reason or other. I would have preferred to wait until next week, but he had his IT guy call me the very first thing this morning. I told him I didn't think I would be able to be of help to them, and I accidentally said part of what the IT guy said to me, and Pete decided he needed to go out there, too. He's taking one of his vacation days and coming anyway. I don't know what's going on, but he's serious about it. I'll know in just a little bit what time he'll get here."

"You can still come over and hang out with us, Susie," Rosemary offered. "We're going to try to get a little sun, and maybe swim a little."

"Thanks. You'll have to run me by the house first, though. I didn't bring my suit."

Stephanie grinned at her and glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as she said, "We could all just go without. No tan lines, you know."

Susie's eyes got big and Michael blushed at the thought, and he was furious with himself as he felt a stirring in his groin at the very thought of Susie naked. "Get control of yourself, Michael! You shouldn't be thinking like that!" His mind paid no attention to him though, and the thought was firmly planted in his mind."

"Only if Mikey could join me," Susie responded while grasping his upper arm with both hands, and looking up at him. Fortunately for Michael he was spared further embarrassment by the return of their waitress with their orders. Everyone paid attention to their breakfasts as the waitress refilled coffee cups and withdrew.

"Hey, Rosemary, you looked good on TV last night," Susie said with a wink. "I recognized your hair in the front seat of Steph's car as we were leaving the house!"

Rosemary just shook her head. "I'm just glad he didn't have a chance to get closer before we got out of there! Poor Justin had to close the door on one reporter's foot to keep him out of the house, and I had a cameraman nearly climb the fence around the pool. Fortunately, he didn't have the camera turned on!"

Michael grinned at them all. "I'm really glad nobody knows my last name down here! I've been able to act like a total stranger to the situation when people talk about it. I'll bet you get swarmed when you go back to school, there, buddy. You'll get just a little taste of fame, but don't worry; it'll wear off in a little while. I wish I could say the same for me."

I just shook my head resignedly. I had already thought about it. Unfortunately, I couldn't ditch school for the next three weeks. Anonymity had never been a problem for me, and I really didn't care to change, but it was what it was.

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Mary walked onto her floor at the hospital, only to be stopped by the charge nurse before she was able to check in. "Mary, ER is short-handed today, and we have some empty beds. Would you mind terribly working down there today?"

"I can do that. Anything I need to know before going?"

"No. Three of your patients went home, so you are the easiest one to release. Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem at all. It gives a little variety." Inside her heart was racing. She was going to work with Tom! "Settle down, Mary!" she told herself. "You are acting more like a kid than Stephanie!" The supervisor noted with a raised eyebrow the quickness and bounce in her step as she hurried off toward the elevator. It looked like Mary had something good happening in her life. She couldn't be happier for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Meechum looked up from behind the triage counter when Mary walked through the door. "Don't tell me you are coming down to help! I need to go out and buy a lotto ticket somewhere! My luck has definitely been looking up!"

Mary blushed and just nodded, while one of the other nurses on duty gave her a knowing smile. She glanced over at Tom and then back at Mary and knew at once why Dr. Meechum was in such a wonderful mood today.

Everything moved along steadily, with the two of them crossing paths infrequently, but with a quick smile at each other at every passing, until just a little after nine o'clock. The radio in triage suddenly sounded as an ambulance driver called in saying he was on the way with a badly injured little girl. He warned there would be multiple children coming in, some with very severe injuries, following a school bus/truck collision. The bus was carrying a Kindergarten class on a field trip. The number of injuries was unknown, but there was a large number.

Tom heard the radio and stepped into the hall. "Mary, let someone else take over what you are doing. I need you with me for this."

Mary was puzzled that he would ask her. "Why do you want me, Doctor? ER isn't my specialty."

"I know that, but the nurse I normally count on for this type of thing is one that is out today, and unless you don't think you can handle it I really need you today. I like your calming influence with children."

"Yes, Doctor." Professionalism is always reverted to in times of crisis. Swiftly those who were able to be moved from the department were relocated and the area prepared for the coming influx of patients.

First in the door, although sirens from other ambulances could be heard approaching, was a little blond girl who had been right at the point of impact where the truck had slammed into the side of the bus, spinning it around before the bus fell over on its side. The bus driver had missed a stop sign and drove through the intersection. The truck driver did all he could, but he clipped the bus right behind the rear wheels, impacting the last three rows of seats and spun the bus around before it turned onto its side.

An urgent call for pediatricians was sent out, but Tom and Mary both knew they would have to handle most of it themselves for the first little while before others could arrive. Mary was not a religious person, but she still breathed a short prayer for strength to handle the load.

Tom saw her white face, and saw her close her eyes in prayer. Quickly he stepped over to her and took her shoulders in his hands, focusing her attention on him as he said, "Stay with me. You can do this. Don't think, just do it. This is as close as you will ever come to what I did in Iraq, and some of it will not be pretty, nor will we have the time to follow all of the normal niceties of medicine as it is practiced here in the States. What we are going to do, though, is to save lives. Remember that. We are saving lives that can be saved."

Mary took a deep breath and nodded her head, and then moved beside the gurney that carried the unconscious little girl into a curtained off cubicle. Gently she started to remove the compress covering the side of the little girl's face when Tom stepped over. He took over, and quickly and not gently stripped off the bandage to see what lay beneath.

"We don't have time to be gentle. I hate it, but we are going to be covered up in moments here. What we have to do is stabilize them as quickly as we can, so they will still be with us later for further treatment. Understand? She can't feel it now anyway." Quickly he noted what the EMT's had done and with quick clipped words gave instructions for her care, and with a quick wave of his hand for Mary to follow moved out of the area to the next one where a screaming little boy with a compound fracture of the femur was waiting for him.

The rest of the morning was a blur as the two of them, working as a team, tended to some very badly hurt children. The morning coffee break was ignored, as was lunch. It was not until two o'clock things were settled down enough for them to catch their breath and even think about eating. Mary sagged wearily into a chair and picked up a cup of Coke that she felt almost too tired to drink. Looking at her scrubs she knew she could not go to the cafeteria and she settled for a pack of crackers from a vending machine that one of the CNA's got for her.

Tom plopped into a chair next to her and said, "Thanks. You did a great job today. I think you should consider a career in nursing." He gave her a wan smile. "Not funny, I know, but it was the best I could come up with. Now we get to go do what most people think the ER is for and cure a couple of colds and remove some splinters and stuff." He grimaced. "I can hear someone already who is here because they don't have insurance, so they don't have a regular doctor. They are going to be complaining because they have had to wait so long. You'd better change into a spare set of scrubs before going back out on the floor."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had nearly finished eating, and were just enjoying talking together when Michael's cell went off. He took a quick look at it and excused himself before answering. "Hi Pete. What's the good word? . . . One o'clock, same airport. Very good, Sir. I'll see you there." He thumbed off the phone and looked at Susie's sad face. "Sorry, Little One. I'm not leaving for good."

"I know. I just don't like the idea of you leaving at all. You've spoiled me." She stuck out her lower lip like a spoiled child teasingly. "Now, look what you've done! You've made my lip stick out, and you'll have to kiss it to make it go back in." She knew full well Michael did not like public displays, and it was just one more way of teasing him. The rest of us snickered at the look on Michael's face as he leaned in and gave her a little peck on the lips. "That's not good enough. It needs a real kiss to make it better. I think a hug would help, too."

Michael turned red, but he put his arms around Susie and leaned in to give her a short kiss, and Susie used the chance to press her breasts firmly against his chest, which of course inflamed his cock. His embarrassment only deepened as he released Susie to see our waitress standing next to him with the check.

Michael handed her his debit card as we all said, "Thanks," Michael looked at Susie and said, "If we hurry we could run up Mt. Lemmon and get some fudge before I go. Would you enjoy that?"

Susie leaned into him and hugged his arm, squishing one of her boobs against it in the process. "Could we really? I just want to be with you!"

Michael quickly signed the ticket after adding a nice tip and nodded. "I'll buy one piece of fudge for each day until Prom so you'll have something to remember me by." Susie's breast against his arm felt so soft, and then when she laid her head on his shoulder and he could feel her short blond hairs tickling his cheek, he felt just a little foretaste of what being married was all about. If they weren't in a restaurant, and others weren't around he would have put his arm around her and pulled her to him for fair, but . . . .

Steph, Rosemary, and I piled into Steph's car and pulled out of the parking lot just in front of Michael and Susie. We all rolled our windows down and waved back at them as we left to go home. Steph had asked me to drive, and I found out why just as soon as we were on the street and there was no one next to us. She did that bra thing, while looking at me out of the corner of her eye. "Keep your eyes on the road, Justin." The next thing I knew, another bra flew into the front from the back seat.

Susie was really glad Michael's Escalade had dual controls for the heat and AC. When Michael was busy watching traffic she turned her side down as cold as it would go, and then pointed the vents on her torso rather than her face, causing her nipples to contract and press against the fabric of her thin shirt. She had purposefully worn her thinnest bra, one that was more for show than anything, knowing she would not be showing it off, but because it was so thin it wouldn't hide her nipples. She knew they excited Michael, and she wanted to tease him as much as she could. If he wouldn't have sex with her before they married at least she was going to remind him of what he was missing.

She was cold, but she didn't let it stop her, but leaned toward him as they talked in such a way as to draw his eyes, but not seeming to be purposely doing so. Carefully she looked at him out of the corners of her eyes, not letting him know she knew he was looking at her breasts. He was so easy to tease, and she was especially pleased that she drew his eyes. So many times she had seen him look away or ignore other girls who were provocatively attired, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. In a way she felt badly about teasing him so, but at the same time it gave her such a thrill to know he found her not only attractive, but sexually exciting as well.

By the time they arrived at the base of the mountain and Michael started up the drive to the top he wasn't hard, but a significant bulge was showing in the front of his shorts. Susie couldn't help but smile, knowing she was getting to him, but at the same time it was getting to her. Her panties were moist between her legs, and she kept rubbing her thighs together. The winding road going up the mountain was not the place for distracted driving, so Susie toned down the teasing for the time being, even turning up the temperature on the AC for the rest of the trip up. She had accomplished what she set out for, and she knew it was going to be chilly up on top, which was one reason she wore the outfit she did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I dropped the girls off at the house after breakfast and drove Steph's car over to Jim's store. I had a couple of ideas running around in my head and I wanted to see what Jim had available, or that he could order, for me to use. Without even thinking about it I pulled into an employee parking spot and started for the back door before reminding myself I don't work there any more. I walked around to the front of the building and entered through the front door. I was accosted, albeit all in fun, immediately as I stepped in the door. Harry and Tom were on duty in the showroom, and we went way back to before I was even in high school.

"Who do you think you are, coming in the front door like that?" Harry bellowed at me before the door had even closed behind me.

"Yeah," Tom called out. "Your kind come in the back door. What do you think you are, the gentry? Just because you find a veritable gold mine doesn't raise you up in society!" Tom grabbed my hand, but it devolved into a hug. "I'm proud for you, son. I don't know anyone that deserves it more than you."

Harry grabbed me in a big hug too. "The only thing that disappointed me is I didn't see your ugly mug on the TV. What were you doing hiding in your house, anyway?" He gave me a big slap on the back that about knocked me off my feet. "So what are you going to do with all of that ill-gained loot?"

"Well, knowing the way you run that adding machine over there I'll probably end up overpaying enough in here to have very little left." Tom cracked up laughing at Harry.

"Tell us what happened," Tom urged, and I knew he was interested because they really cared about me, not just looking for gossip. I also knew they would keep it to themselves, and being as good friends as they have been to me over the years I went ahead and told them the basics of the story. They already had most of it from the news, but I figured if I told them at least they would get it from the front end of the horst this time. That reporter sticking his foot in the door and harassing me still had me a little peeved. I hoped he was limping still from slamming the door on his foot.

Since there was no one else in the store at the moment I sat down with them and told them about finding the door, and then the skeletons, and then how Grandpa and I had found the chests. No mention was made of the other room, and of course we didn't even know yet what all was in there. I told them how I had asked Grandpa to call the railroad people so we could give them the gold back.

"You would do that." Harry interjected. "Your parents raised you right. Trust me, when you are my age you will look back and be glad you did it. That money might have been nice to have, but a good conscience sleeps a lot nicer. You are smart enough you'll never do without anyway."

I didn't want to be dishonest with them, but I didn't want to tell them everything either, so I just said, "Well, the railroad people were good about it, and they gave us a nice reward for turning the money back over to them. I also have an offer of an internship with the CEO each summer while I'm in school if I want it. I don't want you to think we didn't get anything."

Tom reached out and squeezed my shoulder and said, "By rights you ought to get something out of it. Legally you could have claimed half, but knowing you, and the way you were raised, I know you would never do that. That offer he gave you shows that the railroad guy recognized character. You can always teach smarts, but you can't teach character, except the way your folks did from the time you were young. I'm proud to have worked with you, Justin."

I was getting pretty embarrassed. It didn't seem to me like we had done anything unusual. I just tried to do what was right and to think of the other person. That Golden Rule has been around a long time now, and it always seemed a good way to live to me. The bell over the door clanged, breaking up our conversation, and I told Tom I was going to snoop around in the back for a bit and see if I could figure out what I needed. I knew what I had in mind, of course, but I also knew it didn't exist in the form I needed it, so it was going to take a little improvisation to make it work, if I was able to do so at all.