There and Back Ch. 05

`There and Back - Chapter 5

"I was asked that a long time ago. In my world it is the name of the creator of everything and everyone. The supreme being. Anyway, the first two of my people were called Adam and Eve. So, the boy shall be Adam and the girl shall be Eve."

"Ad-am and E-ve. I like those names," Argari said weakly.

"Right now, you need to rest. Izabe, Osalet, can you feed the children until Argari can get some sleep?"

"Yes, as soon as they have finished their first feeding," Izabe said.

I nodded and went back to stroking the babies backs and speaking loving words to Argari.

"Pa-ul, I'm going to see The Healer," Izabe said quietly. "I must tell her about Argari birthing two. What did you call them?"

"Twins. They could be identical twins which means they would look exactly alike, or fraternal which means that they are born at the same time but one will look different from the other."

"Amazing! The Healer will want to know. If she's strong enough she may want to come and see them."

"Izabe, if she is that weak, tell her that we will bring them to her tomorrow."

"That's a good idea. I don't want to stress her too much. She may be coming to her end."

"Then you'll be The Healer?"

"Yes, with help from Argari."

Izabe left and Osalet and I cared for the new babies and Argari. She taught me how she made diapers from the sheets of woven plants.

"It's amazing, Pa-ul. Two. She must be so tired and sore. I know how I felt after one."

"I imagine so. I wonder if The Healer has a memory of this happening before."

We snuggled on the couch and waited for Izabe to return and for Argari to wake up. After a long period of silence, Osalet spoke.

"Pa-ul. I want to have more children. Is that OK?"

"As long as you have them with me."

"Oh, good because I didn't want to go looking for a different mate."

"A different mate? You could leave and go to a different mate?"

"Only if you agreed."

"I would never agree."

"Even if I found someone I wanted to mate with?"

"Osalet, I seem to remember you saying that our mating was forever. To me, forever, means until we die."

"Even if you found a new mate?"

"My understanding is that I may only take a mate if she is unmated and my other mates agree."

"Yes and if one of us wanted to find another mate, all would have to agree."

"Osalet, why are you asking about this? Have you already found someone that you want to mate with?"

"No. I was just wondering."

"In my world when two mate, it is supposed to be for life and if one of them begins to mate with another that is seen as the biggest betrayal that someone can commit."

"What is betrayal?"

"That is seen as the breaking of a great promise or a vow. Like the promise I made to be your mate when we made you a part of our family. Like I believe I have with Argari and Izabe."

"In my world, people need to get what is called a divorce. To be unmated. A divorce.... a divorce. Betrayal."

I felt dizzy and a falling sensation. I heard Osalet's panicked voice.

"Pa-ul? Pa-ul!?"

**********

"Paul? Paul!?"

I heard a beeping and people rushing around. I tried to speak but couldn't. Something was in my mouth and I could feel it down my throat. Someone kept repeating "He's awake! He's awake!". She sounded very excited.

Soon there was a woman in white and she was shining a light in my eyes.

"Mr. O'Dell, can you hear me?"

I nodded yes.

"Hang on a minute and we'll get that feeding tube out of your throat."

A few minutes later the blockage in my throat was out and I tried to speak. A noise came out but I wouldn't call it speech.

"Relax, Mr. O'Dell. It will take a while before your voice comes back. Here, suck on this ice chip. It will help."

A cold piece of ice was placed in my mouth and as it melted a soothing feeling flooded my throat. I tried again to speak.

"What?" the words were rough and grating. "Where?"

"OK, what. You were beaten so badly that you have been in a coma. Where is here at the Llewellyn Institute. Our specialty is the care of long term coma patients."

I was remembering now. I came home and found my wife. I grabbed the guy fucking her and he hit me.

"How long?"

"Just over two and a half years, Mr. O'Dell."

"Two?"

"And a half. Yes."

I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

**********

When I opened my eyes I was confused. My mates. My children. Which is real? I looked around and saw a nurse sitting in a chair. She was very pretty. Her name tag said "Elizabeth". She wore a reddish brown uniform.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Paul! How do you feel?"

"Awake."

"That's good."

"But I was in a coma. Why am I tired?"

"Sleep and being in a coma are two different things. Most people who come out of a coma sleep like a rock for several days. Let me get Doctor Thealer. She's been in charge of your case. She's also the one who has been dealing with your wife."

"My wife? I'm not divorced?"

"No. You should be but the court wouldn't allow it while you were in a coma."

"Court?"

"The doctor can tell you and afterwards I'll fill in any questions you might have."

She left the room and a few minutes later an older lady came in.

"Hi, Mr. O'Dell. I'm Doctor Thealer. Elizabeth tells me that you would like to get some answers to questions. I'll do all I can. Where would you like to start."

I thought for a moment and got things in order.

"Am I still married?"

"Yes. But not because your wife hasn't tried. When she filed, your advocates argued that you were in a coma because of your wife and her lovers actions. The judge determined that fairness demand that the marriage stay intact until you were out of the coma."

"Does she know?"

"We have not called her lawyer yet. We need to be sure that you are completely out of your coma and as soon as we're sure and the tests agree, we will notify her lawyer by registered mail."

That means this woman is on my side.

"What's next for me?"

"Well, you've been in a coma for twenty-seven months. Your muscle tone should not be very good. You should need rehab to build your strength back. Although, strangely, you do look very strong."

"I can't think of anything else to ask.... No wait. You said that the divorce was postponed because my advocates argued my case. Who are my advocates?"

"Well, I for one. I came to your side when I became your doctor. I became your advocate after I dealt with your wife and her lover. She is a bitch and he is a bully and a bastard."

"I don't really know him. I only met him long enough to get my ass kicked. Did anyone ever bring charges against him?"

"No. They claimed that you attacked him and then fell down the stairs running away."

"So, who else acted as my advocate?"

"The three nurses who watched over you. The same three women each took an eight hour shift. They saved your life on two different occasions. Twice after your wife visited, you developed a serious infection. We had no proof that she had anything to do with it. But I don't believe in coincidence."

"Who are the nurses?"

"You met the lead nurse, Elizabeth Chestnut. She'll be back in here in a bit. The afternoon and evening nurse was Rosaleta Azure. And the night nurse is Margarite Verde-Grande. Those three were a formidable combination. As a matter of fact, you might find that Elizabeth left so strong an impression on your wife that she didn't come back after she and Elizabeth had words."

"Wow."

"Exactly. I have to write some reports. So, I'll leave you in Nurse Chestnuts care. She is going to let you know what your rehab schedule is going to be."

"Thank you, Doctor."

She smiled and walked out as my nurse walked in.

"Hi Paul. Did Doctor Thealer answer all your questions?"

"All I could think of. But I have questions for you."

"Yes, we will take the catheter out."

"Catheter?"

"Yes you can now pee without having a tube in you. You were on a liquid diet so you didn't really poop at all."

I hadn't thought of it. I nodded and watched Elizabeth lift the sheet and then move my gown to the side, exposing my penis.

"I've been washing you for twenty-seven months so don't freak out because I'm touching your penis, OK?"

"OK."

"This is going to be uncomfortable. I'm sorry that's just the way it is."

She undid a clamp and I didn't feel anything until she began to pull the tube out. That stung something fierce. I flinched and let out a slight whimper.

"I'm sorry and no I won't kiss it and make it better."

"Fine, but now that we're done with that I have questions for you."

"OK. Shoot."

"Why did you advocate for me in my divorce hearing?"

"Because your wife is a bitch and, in my personal opinion, she tried to poison you twice. She also wanted to divorce you and claim almost all of your assets so she could marry that dickhead, Louis Kale. It was really obvious that he was after her for your money."

"My money? What money? I was a royal fuck up. I was young, fat and out of shape. I was entitled and the walking definition of sloth."

"I know. But you got better."

"No, I got my ass kicked into a coma."

"But you are a better man now."

"How do you know?"

"I know." She smiled an almost familiar smile. "Now let's talk about your rehab schedule. Your physical therapist is our favorite German torturer. His name is Heinrich Bruggaman.

**********

At about 5PM, Elizabeth walked in with another nurse.

"Hi Paul, this is your second shift nurse, Rosaleta Azure."

Rosaleta was a dark skinned Latina with a blue uniform and blue eye shadow.

"Hello, Paul. Welcome back to the land of the living."

"Hello, Rosaleta. Let's start off by allowing me to thank you for your care and for your advocating for me in court. I appreciate it."

"It was a pleasure. Although I have to admit that it started off as a way to screw over your wife and her boyfriend. But after some time and caring for you, it became more. You know we nurses develop feelings for our patients. Kinda like mama bears."

"Well thank you, Mama Bear!"

"You are welcome. So, I see on the orders that you are supposed to start you PT tonight. Then you will be in the dungeon at 8AM, 1PM, and 6PM going forward."

"How long do I do this?"

"Until Dr. Thealer says you're strong enough to be discharged."

"OK. Take me to the dungeon."

"First you get dinner. You need to get used to solid food. You have been on a complete liquid diet for twenty-seven months. It will take a while for your lower intestinal track to go back to work. You can expect to have diarrhea for a few days. The first time you have a liquid bowel movement we'll get you a stool hardener."

"Wonderful."

"Hey, don't knock it. In case you haven't looked you are no longer the Pillsbury Doughboy. You are pretty ripped."

"What?"

"Lift the sheet and move your gown. I've already seen everything you've got so don't worry about me seeing your junk."

I gradually removed the sheet to one side and then I gathered up my gown and looked down to see a six-pack, no, it was a twelve pack. As I was looking at my stomach or lack thereof, I notice that I had my abs back. I had biceps and triceps and big, although not quite Popeye, forearms.

"Wow."

Rosaleta waggled her eyebrows and said, "Exactly. Wow!"

I quickly covered up and blushed. I blushed!

Rosaleta chuckled along with Elizabeth.

"Good night, Paul and welcome back," Elizabeth said on her way out.

"Good night."

Rosaleta returned with a wheel chair and I got off the bed and sat in the chair. I was expecting to be a lot weaker than I seemed to be. Rosaleta wheeled me out of the room and down to the elevator. In the elevator she pushed the bottom button on the panel.

The elevator dropped and all the while, Rosaleta hummed and tapped her fingers on the wheelchairs metal frame. When we reached our selected floor the doors opened and there was the corridor to the dungeon. I was rolled down the hall and through a set of automatic doors.

"Brugga! I've brought you fresh meat!"

Brugga?

"Hi! You must be Paul O'Dell. I'm Heinrich Bruggaman. They call me Brugga. Our job will be to get your strength and flexibility up to standards so we can release you onto an unsuspecting public."

"Wonderful! Let's go!"

"I'll see you in thirty minutes, Paul."

"OK, Rosaleta. Pray for me."

"I have been."

And she was gone leaving me with that little gem of an idea.

Over the next twenty minutes Brugga had me doing exercises that made me move around. The hardest one was one he called "Get Up, Get Down". I lay on my back on the floor and then had to stand up and then had to lay down on my stomach. I had to do that ten times and I thought I was going to keel over.

"That's all for tonight, Paul. I gotta say for a guy who was in a coma for twenty-seven months you are a lot stronger than I've ever experienced. I'll see you in the morning."

I walked to the entrance and there was Rosaleta and her wheelchair.

"Do I need to use the chair?"

"I have to wheel you into the room."

"Good."

I took off walking towards the elevator and pushed the 'Up' button. When the doors opened I allowed Rosaleta and her chair to enter first with a sweep of my arm. When we were one floor from our floor, I sat in the chair and when the doors opened Rosaleta rolled me to my room. When we got there I got into bed and looked at my nurse.

"How did you do?"

"Brugga said I was ahead of the curve. I'm kind of surprised myself. I thought for sure after spending 24/7 in bed, I wouldn't have a single muscle. I'm amazed."

"Well don't worry about it. Accept your good fortune and run with it. I've got some reports to do, why don't you watch TV and catch up on the world. I'll be back when Margarite gets here for the shift change."

"OK."

I turned on TV and was amazed at how mindless and foolish TV shows had become. I finally just flipped back and forth between a couple of news channels. That was almost worse than the regular shows. The commercials were also foolish. So many companies selling makeup to girls, telling them they are not good enough if they didn't use their stuff.

I was actually getting depressed when I head a familiar voice.

"Hello, mate."

I turned my head and said, "Argari?"

"No. It's Margarite. I'm the night nurse. It's good to have you back."

"That voice. That accent. You sounded familiar."

"And well I should. I've been talking and reading to you for almost two years."

"Oh, of course. Hello, Margarite. First, thank you for your care. Second, thanks for speaking up for me at my divorce hearing."

"You are more than welcome, Paul. It just seemed like the right thing to do after all."

"After all what?"

"Well, you know. Your wife and her guy and the dreams."

"Dreams?"

"Oops."

"What's oops?"

Just then Rosaleta came into the room.

"Hi Paul. I see you've met Margarite."

"I have and she said something about dreams."

Looking at Margarite in shock, Rosaleta caught her breath and took a step back and clutched her blue uniform at its neck.

"Whoa there, Rosaleta. Relax."

She took a few breaths and sat in the chair in my room. Margarite still looked like she'd given up the biggest secret in the world. Maybe she had.

"I've had a feeling that something wasn't quite right since I woke up last night. Everyone I've met seemed to have a name I sort of recognized. And I'm stronger than I should be. I feel like I could get up and walk out right now."

The two women stared at each other for a moment and then Rosaleta spoke.

"Paul, something really weird has been going on. I think Elizabeth needs to be here. I don't suppose you're tired are you?"

"Nope. I'm as wide awake as I could be."

"I was hoping that the five of us could have a talk in the morning."

"Five? Let me guess, you two, Elizabeth and Dr. Thealer, and me?"

"Yes. I'm surprised you'd know that, but then again maybe not. It would really be better to talk about this after you've had some sleep."

"Or after the rest of you have had the chance to compare notes overnight?"

"No, but I will call the Doc and Elizabeth and tell them of this development."

"Rosaleta, is there going to be a big problem?"

"I don't know. Worst case, we all lose our licenses and get thrown into jail."

"Best case?"

"Everybody lives happily ever after?"

"Really? Now I am intrigued. I'd ask for a hint but I think if you gave me one that I'd be up all night thinking about it."

"Yeah, I could see that."

"Well, then I guess I'm going to wait. Margarite, can you take care of me without letting any more cats out of any bags?"

"Yes. I'd usually just sit in here and read to you from a book or tell you about my kids."

"I don't see any reason that you can't keep doing that. Except I might ask questions."

"Rosaleta, if he asks questions, try not to give away anything. In the morning we'll bring him up to date on everything."

"OK," she said sheepishly.

I lay back and listened as Rosaleta read to me from a fantasy story that she said her children liked. I listened as long as I could before sliding into a deep sleep.

**********

As it turned out I slept like a baby. I dreamed of soft duckies and bunnies; I think. When I woke up I was surprised to see my bed surrounded by four women. I rubbed my eyes and sat up.

"Good morning, ladies."

They all answered with a cheerful, yet cautious "Good morning".

"So, what's on the agenda for this morning? Bathroom? Breakfast? Therapy? Truth?"

"The truth will be told, Paul. But first you should use the bathroom and start up on your breakfast. Then I can start and tell you the truth while you eat or wait until afterwards."

"That sounds like a good plan. Brugga isn't going to come hunting me, is he?"

"He might," Dr. Thealer said with a smile.

I moved the covers off of me, exposing my morning erection. I didn't cover up, I figured they'd all seen it. I went into the bathroom and after bending my erection to my will, it softened enough so I could aim into the toilet bowl and relieve myself. When I was done, I washed my hands and went back to my bed.

"Do I have to eat in bed or can I sit in the chair?"

"I think you've spent enough time in bed. Go ahead and sit. Elizabeth, would you bring in enough chairs for all of us?"

"Yes, Doctor." Elizabeth answered professionally and left the room.

Soon she returned with four folding chairs. After handing them out, everyone placed their chair, Elizabeth setting hers very close to me. An orderly knocked and then came in with my breakfast. It was a liquid.

"Sorry, Paul. You've got to stay on the liquid for a bit. But the breakfast shake this morning has some fiber in it. Your body will get used to dealing with it faster that way."

"I understand. So, who wants to go first?"

"Me," Doctor Thealer said. "The guys in the ED figured you had a 30% chance to make it. They had you stabilized, but you were really weak. I've been working on an experimental treatment for coma patients for a few years. I got your wife to sign off on the treatment by telling her that you have very little chance of coming out of the coma and would probably die within the week.

"She gladly signed off on the deal when I told her that she would receive $1500 as a fee in your name. The treatment consisted, to put it simply, of audio hypnosis. We know that on many occasions coma patients can hear people speaking to them or can hear music. So, I devised a way to hypnotize coma patients. We did EEG's to record any changes in the brain waves of those taking the treatment.

"You were very responsive. Your EEG showed that we were directly connecting to your subconscious. I decided to begin to create a world for you to live in and then over time slowly try to bring you closer to the real world and see if we could bring you out of the coma. It was a 24/7 project and these three women all volunteered to participate."

"Wait," I looked at Doctor Thealer. "You were The Healer."

That perked her up.

I looked at Rosaleta, "You were Osalet."

Then at Margarite, "You were Argari."

"That's what you called me when I came in last night! That's why I thought you knew and slipped up."

Finally, I looked at Elizabeth, "And you were Izabe."

"You all called me Pa-ul."

"That's amazing, Paul. What else do you remember?" Doctor Thealer asked.

"I remember waking up under the care of The Healer. She tried to feed me her breast milk and I freaked out."

The doctor blushed.

"Then I met Izabe and she saved me when I was attacked by a giant beast."

"Tell me about the beast."

"It was huge and had three hind legs and two front. Izabe screamed and warned me of the attack. I killed the beast with a pair of swords she had given me."

"Paul, at one point your wife came in and tried to pull out your feeding tube. Elizabeth came into the room and screamed for security."

"That's not exactly correct. I screamed "Paul!" and then called for security," Elizabeth corrected.

"So, I heard "Pa-ul! And I defended myself.... in my world."

"Elizabeth dropped your wife with one punch, straight to the jaw."

I looked at Elizabeth and she didn't blush at all. If anything, she sat tall and proud.

"That was when her boyfriend came in and pushed Elizabeth away and grabbed your wife and pulled her from the room."

"That was when we found out that she was using her boyfriend's last name instead of yours. Now she goes by Sue Kale."

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "The beasts in my world were called "ookal".

Dr. Thealer's eyes got big. "This is getting better and better. So far you have each of us in your coma world with similar names. Even your wife and her boyfriend. Please tell me more. I want to know everything."

"After the attack, Izabe, that was her name there, told me that we needed to become mates. I talked to her a lot about it and found that the process of being a mate is very different than here. There, a man, or a woman can take a mate if the other is not already mated. An unmated man or woman can take more mates if those are unmated and their current mate or mates agrees."

When I said that, the three nurses got fidgety. The doctor was leaning forward and for the first time I noticed that she was recording what was being said.

"So, we mated. Izabe got pregnant. She was training to be a healer and she said that she knew right away when she conceived. Later, I saved a girl from an attack by ruffians. I killed two but got wounded by their swords which were poisoned. The girl they were attacking ran away and the leader of the three ran away when his men were killed. His name was Glok."

"Glok? Really?" The doctor asked. "Ladies what was the name of the man who attacked Rosaleta in the parking lot?"

"John McGloklin!" Rosaleta answered immediately. "We talked about him here in the room afterwards."

"Oh, man! The girl he attacked was Osalet!"

"Wow!" The doctor said.

"Yeah, so Osalet ran back to the village and brought back The Healer. They healed me of the poison. It was a scratch so I didn't have to nurse very much."

The room went quiet for a long several seconds. Then the doctor spoke.

"I'm really going to get in trouble if this gets out. You ladies know that since my husband and son were killed in that car crash, that I've been continuing to nurse and sell the breast milk in the La Leche network. Remember last year when we had the cash flow problem and we had to begin to ration food to the coma patients? Well. I added my breast milk to Paul's diet. It was all liquid; I didn't think it was a big deal."

"It was a big deal, Doc," I insisted. "All of the women in that world had immense breasts and The Healer healed by nursing. So did Izabe and later Argari, who was also a healing intern."

More glances were exchanged between the nurses.

"OK. What's going on? You three keep looking at each other like you are on the verge of being busted for passing notes in school. You're hiding something pretty important; I think."

"Ladies, is something else going on?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah," Elizabeth said. "Oh boy, this is going to be bad."

"It's bad but it's not," Rosaleta added quickly. "I mean, it's bad but the outcome is wonderful."

"Yes! The outcome is really fantastic," Margarite said enthusiastically.

"All right, so tell me about this bad, wonderful, not so bad, fantastic thing," I asked.

"Yes, ladies, tell me too," Doctor Thealer said suspiciously.

"I went out and got drunk one evening about six months after Paul got here," Margarite started, "and I decided to stop in and see Rosaleta during her shift. I came in and she was sitting in the chair reading to Paul. She was reading a very erotic story."

The doctor shot a look at Rosaleta.

"Well, you always said it didn't matter what we read as long as the patient was hearing a voice," Rosaleta said looking at Dr. Thealer. "So, I was reading this hot story and I kind of noticed that Paul was reacting. He had a huge erection."

"Patients getting erections is not unusual," the doctor said.

"I know, but this one was different," Rosaleta said.

"How so?" Asked the doctor.

Rosaleta looked at Elizabeth and my day nurse blushed and answered.

"It was different because I had my hand wrapped around it," Elizabeth confessed.

"What!?" The doctor's arms flew into the air.

"I know, I know. When I was washing Paul that day, I really stopped to look at his equipment for the first time as a woman and not a nurse. If you haven't noticed Doctor, he has a beautiful penis. So, I was stroking him and Rosaleta was reading and one thing led to another and I dropped my pants and mounted him."

"You fucked Paul in his bed in MY hospital!?" The doctor was just shy of screaming.

"Yes."

"OK, what else happened?"

"I told Rosaleta that it was so good she should try it."

"So, I did," Rosaleta confessed.

Margarite then added, "And I was going to but I was too drunk. I fell asleep in Paul's bed and I fucked him in the morning."

"So that was how it started. We all began to fuck him during our shifts," Elizabeth said before everyone went silent.

After a few minutes of dead air, I had to ask.

"Was I any good?"

"Paul! This is serious," Dr. Thealer said. She was not happy.

"Is it more serious than feeding me breast milk on the sly? Look in the coma world, I ended up taking Izabe, Osalet and then finally Argari as mates. We had children. Izabe and I had a son and named him Jonah...."

Elizabeth fainted. Everyone scrambled to catch her before she hit the floor. They eased her down and I got out of bed and picked her up, setting her down on the bed. Doctor Thealer had left the room and came back with an ampule of smelling salts. Passing the small vial under Elizabeth's nose, the nurse came to.

"I'm sorry. My son."

"Let me guess," I said. "During the course of the past year you have all had babies because of having sex with me, right?"

They all nodded and the doc just sat back in her chair, shaking her head.

"And let me guess, I already know about Jonah," I said looking at Elizabeth. "But you have a son named, Michael?" I looked at Rosaleta.

"This is getting too freaky," Rosaleta said, hands to her mouth.

"And you, Margarite, you came to me last and you have twins. A boy named Adam and a girl named Eve."

"Oh shit. Pass me those salts. This too much."

"If I have things right, then while I was under the doctor's care, I was experimented on, fed breast milk as a supplement to my liquid diet, you three got yourselves knocked by raping me. Now I am still married to a bitch with a piece of shit for a boyfriend because you all got together and stopped the divorce. And to top it off, I am the father of four children all between a year and a year and a half old. I have no degree and no hopes for employment. How am I doing?"

"That sounds about right, Paul. And don't forget to add that you are rich," Elizabeth added.

"Well, I will be when I win the law suits I'm going to bring."

"Lawsuits!? Why? You're on top of the world." The doctor replied. "You can now dump your wife. She's been fucking her boyfriend for years. This state still allows adultery as grounds. You will only have to give up 20% of your net worth, which, as of this morning was a negative $32,000.00. Which is what you owe the hospital."

"Then how can I be rich?"

Elizabeth looked around. She knew something but didn't want to say it. My mind began to work over the possibilities as I walked to my bed, seemingly oblivious to all around me. I could dump Sue and the worst case would be alimony after I got a job, after I got trained, after I got out of the hospital. Bumping into the chair and then the bed got my attention back where it needed to be.

I got back in bed and lay down next to Elizabeth. In the course of the conversation, I'd come to realize that these three women were the women from my world. Their voices, their faces, their mannerisms all the same. The three of them put together didn't have the tits of one of my coma mates, but you can't have everything.

"In my coma world, we lived in one house. We had one giant bed. We loved each other. I put my life on the line for each of you there. I would like to get to know you better before I commit to anything. Doctor Thealer, how long do I have before you need to tell my wife?"

"I can probably stretch it out for another week."

"Good, that gives me a week to spend time with each of you."

"Paul, I would like you to meet your son," Elizabeth said.

"I'd like you to meet the twins as well," said Margarite.

"And Michael," Rosaleta added.

"In time. I want to know the three of you before you spring that trap on me and make me love my kids. Elizabeth, since this is your shift and you are already in my bed. We need to have a talk once the rest of the ladies leave the room."

"OK, mate."

"Mate? That's how it's going to be huh?"

"Pa-ul, I've loved you since before I kicked your wife's scrawny ass."

"Very well Izabe. Let's talk."

The Healer, Osalet, and Argari left the room and Izabe cuddled up to me. "Tell me more about.... things."

"Things?"

"For instance, Izabe was tremendously wise. Is Elizabeth?"

"I was top of my class all through high school, college, and I was the one all my friends came to for advice or help."

"Have you been married before?"

"No, I worked so hard I didn't even have steady boyfriends. Boys asked me out but it seemed that all did just to get a piece of ass, which they didn't get. I was a virgin when I had sex with you."

"Did you plan on getting pregnant?"

"No. To tell you the truth, I really don't know why I did it. I've seen male strippers and watched a porno here and there, but your penis was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. And when it got hard, I almost lost my mind. We didn't tell you.... but I masturbated myself while I did you with my other hand."

"What did you do when I came?"

Elizabeth blushed again and quietly said, "I ate it."

"So, tell me about my son," I asked to divert her embarrassment.

"Jonah, that is Jonah Paul, is going to be eighteen months old next week. He looks like his father. Same eyes, same hair color. Big penis and feet."

"I don't have big feet?"

"I'm sorry, Pa-ul. I like the sound of that, by the way, but you do have size fourteen feet."

"OK," I reluctantly admitted. "Wait! How do you know? I haven't had shoes on."

"Argari measured them. She kind of likes feet. But back to our son, he's got a small vocabulary. I read out loud to him every night and I'm always saying the names of things he seems interested in. He's always been a good baby. He never got his days and nights reversed."

"Neither did I when I was little."

"Like father like son. He has a very healthy appetite and he's already in two year old sized clothes."

We talked and talked for what seemed like the whole day. At one point, Dr. Thealer came in and saw us in bed.

"What's this?"

"I'm getting to know my first mate and she's telling me about our son."

"Does this mean that she may become your mate in this world?"

"It could happen. We haven't gotten to the 'popping the question' portion of our talk."

"But no talk of lawsuits yet?"

"Not yet, Doc."

I smiled at her and I think it relived some of the trepidation of what a lawsuit would do to her and the hospital.

We talked until the end of her shift when Rosaleta came on. Elizabeth didn't have any patients other than me, so she remained in bed with me. When Rosaleta came in, Elizabeth kissed me. It wasn't passionate, but it was loving and she held it for quite a bit of time. Then she got out of bed and as she passed Rosaleta, they shared a friendly kiss.

"He's all yours, love."