Abby's Story Pt. 08: Caught

Abby shook her head in disbelief. "Ma, right outside the door? And you still didn't get caught?"

Ruth smiled and blushed. Some from the shame of remembering, some from the thrill of reliving.

"Wasn't even the closest we got to being found out." Ruth settled back. "Turns out being risky frisky and almost getting caught was part of Ray's kink."

Ma had left to sign for a parcel at the post office and then head into town for odds and ends. She took Pauline, the baby, with her, and Abby was walking the little'uns down the tracks. After a few months of sneaking around Ruth and Ray knew how to take advantage of the moment.

They were in Ruth's room in front of her vanity. She was on her knees on the padded bench stool she used when seated at it, bent forward, her hands gripping the wooden surface. Ray was behind her, hands gripping Ruth's hips, driving into her in a steady rhythm. They each watched the other in the reflection, moaning and gasping at each thrust. They'd been playing naughty peek-a-boo in the mirrors all morning and had built up a head of steam.

Ruth bit her lip and stared into Ray's heavy-lidded gaze. His lips curled into a snarl, a silent growl of need. She loved when he got like this, some lust-filled barbarian, sweaty and savage. She sighed and pushed back.

The floor outside Ruth's door creaked. Both of them froze and looked over their shoulders at the door.

A flicker of shadow under the threshold confirmed it, somebody was out there.

They held their breath. The angle had them caught midstroke, Ray leaning a little back, Ruth up on her knees preparing to meet him again. The pressure in her knees and thighs was starting to show. Sweat dripped down her thighs as they waited.

Tap. tap. tap. "Hey, Ruthie, you in there?" It was Abby.

What's she doing back? Ray mouthed. Ruth shrugged.

"Y-yes, must have dozed. Thought you took the little'uns for a walk?"

"I did, but Davie tripped over a rock. Bit of glass cut him so I brought us back to put some iodine on it."

While Abby talked Ray began resuming his previous activity, working himself in and out of Ruth, but slowly.

"What the fuck-" Ruth whispered over her shoulder at him. He smiled at her and moved a little faster.

"What was that, Ruthie?" Abby asked from the other side of the door.

"Nothing, Abbs, j-just trying to clear my head."

"Well, Ma left a note to get the wash down from the line. Wants you to fold upstairs stuff and me and Mary to fold downstairs."

Ray's flushed face hovered over Ruth's reflection. He smiled at her and worked in short, fast strokes. This was making Ruth both angry but also intensely hot. Fuck him! she thought, torn on whether she meant it in a good or bad way.

"All right, let me-oh-get myself to-together."

"Sure. You sound strange, sis, you sure you're okay?"

Ruth could see Ray was clearly having the time of his life. He watched Ruth wide-eyed in the mirror, her embarrassment spurring him on. She loved what he was doing to her; she hated the position he was putting her in. Her Animal was both furious and hungry.

"Y-yes, Abby. I'm fine. Maybe just a bit queasy."

Something in my guts, Ruth thought to herself, feeling both a bit upset and also intensely naughty.

"You need any bismuth? I can grab some from the cabinet and-"

"No!" Ruth exclaimed, clamping back against Ray. "No, Abby, I-I just need a moment."

Ray buried himself deep and began to swell, his face locked in a silent snarl. His seed splashed inside Ruth triggering her own shuddering orgasm.

"Oh, okay. I'll go down and start on the line. Be down in a minute?"

"YES!" Ruth answered, more to her trembling core than Abby.

Abby paused at the door. Inside the older siblings clung to each other and the vanity, breath held, shuddering and shaking together in climax. Ray's fingers dug into Ruth's hips. Her thighs shook around his erupting member. Abby's shadow disappearing from under the door as she left.

Ruth and Ray released each other, him from her hips, her from around his cock, gasping and shaking. Ray sat back on the bed while Ruth leaned against her vanity. After a moment's recovery she sat up and got off the stool, picking Ray's athletic shorts and jockeys up from the rug where they'd been left.

Panting, Ray smiled up at Ruth. "That was so fucking-"

"Stupid", Ruth finished his statement flinging his clothes at his chest.

She shrugged into her t-shirt and went to grab her shorts. Ray got dressed in silence, looking a bit like whipped pup.

"Ruth, I-", Ray began.

Ruth opened her door and looked out in the hall. All clear. She pointed at Ray's room across the hall.

"We'll talk about this later. Get."

Abby's mouth hung open in disbelief.

"No way. You're messing with me. While I was standing there?"

Ruth did the Scout salute again. "No lie. You got closer to anybody of busting us mid-act."

"I don't even remember that", Abby said, incredulous.

Ruth laid back a bit, musing. "Months we got lucky. We did so much stuff, in so many places. Outside, which was really cool, but also scary. Late night we skinny-dipped at the Pond. I sucked him once behind the little lot behind Max's Diner. But mostly here. And nobody caught us."

Ruth sighed. "But then I caught." She rubbed her tummy. "Right here."

It was cold out. Early winter was making itself known in frost and wind, but no snow yet. Ma wanted to heat the house up and get everyone a warm treat. She decided berry turnovers was the answer. She had blue, black, and mull berries taken out of the freezer. She had Abby and Mary roll out crust, while she and Ruth worked on the berries and rendered the syrup. They set packs of frozen berries in the stew pot to thaw and begin boiling. Ruth got out sugar, butter, corn starch and salt. Ma got light molasses and lemon juice from the fridge. They started simmering and mixing happily over the stove.

Then Ma popped the lid on the molasses.

The thick, sweet smell followed the heat from the stove straight up into Ruth's nostrils. And whatever it made her think of before, this time her response was like that time she discovered that dead raccoon in the tool shed in the August heat. Her throat turned sour, her guts spun, and the world swam. To this day she does not know how she made it into the downstairs washroom. But she did, dropped to her knees and immediately heaved lunch into the bowl.

Ruth was hanging onto the bowl dry heaving when Ma followed her into the washroom. Ma pulled her hair back and patted between her shoulder blades.

"Got a bug, Ruthie? You feverish?"

Ruth shook her head, retched, and clung onto the bowl.

From the dining room Ruth heard Mary ask, "What's gotten into her, Ma?"

Ma waved her away. "Well, we don't know-"

Ma's other hand stopped mid-pat. Ruth coughed, the silence more sickening than the nausea. Ma moved around and hunkered closer to Ruth so those outside would not hear.

"Did something--someone--get in you, Ruth Anne?" Ma looked into Ruth's watery green eyes.

Ruth's silence was even more of an admission than the tiny nod.

Ma sent her to her room to recover. Later Abby brought her a turnover. Fortunately whatever the ingredient had sparked did not hold true of the finished product. Ruth ate it alone in silence. Dread crept into her as the afternoon carried into evening. Ruth cried for a bit, but mostly stared at the ceiling and waited. Abby asked her through her door if she wanted supper and that Ma said she could have it in her room. Ruth declined. The shadows grew longer. Every time she began to drift of to sleep the image of Ma's disappointment would rise back up in her mind and deny rest. Ruth waited, she dreaded.

She knew in her heart, the game had ended.

Tap, tap.

"Ruthie, it's Ma and Pa, we're coming in", Ma opened the door and stepped in. Pa followed.

Pa took a seat on the vanity bench. Ma closed the door and then sat on Ruth's bed. Ruth sat up against the headboard, fear and shame boring a hole in her belly.

Pa looked at her, she could tell he was trying to push back his anger and disappointment. He was not succeeding.

"Ma told me you got the complication", Pa began, "the morning sickness."

Ruth nodded. "I think so."

Pa breathed in and out. "So this guy you hang out with in Centerville, he's been with you."

Ruth twisted her lips. "No, it's not Toby's-"

Ma reached out and patted Ruth's ankle. "I know you might not want to get this fella in trouble, but if he's been doing the deed, he needs to do the right-"

Ruth shook her head harder. "No, it can't be Toby's!"

Abby cocked her head. "Wait, you were running around with Ray while seeing Toby?"

"Yeah." Ruth blushed in shame.

"And you told me you and Toby would do it two, three times a night. Right?"

"When you're right, you're right, Abbs."

Abby was confused. "Then why could it not be his?"

Ruth sighed. "For the same reason I told Ma and Pa."

Ruth looked at Ma straight in the eye. "Because he can't have kids. He's infertile."

Me and Pa both looked confused.

Ruth took in a deep breath. "When he was twelve he got a bad fever. His, um, balls swelled like a muskmelon. They thought he was going to need surgery. The fever broke and he recovered, but he can't make seed after. Confirmed every couple years."

Ma shook her head. "So you weren't having relations?"

"No, Ma, I've been having relations since Kyle. Same with Toby. He couldn't have kids, but his parts still worked."

Pa wrung his hands. "Assuming this is true, did somebody else hurt you, do something against your will? If so, tell us who, we'll handle it."

Ruth shook her head. "Nothing like that."

Ma leaned in, "Ruthie, we're here for you, but we need to know who the father is."

Tears began to leak out of Ruth's eyes. She hugged her knees to herself and shook her head.

Pa tried to look Ruth in the eye, she looked away. "Ruth Ann, why can't you say? Is it somebody we know, a family friend? Or family from the other end of town?"

Ruth's face flushed bright and she shook her head again.

Pa's closed his eyes and breathed out. He opened his eyes and stood up. "Look at me Ruth Anne."

Ruth would not. Her guts squirmed in shame.

"Ruth. Look. At. Me." Pa raised his voice, stern and pointed.

Ma looked confused at Pa, she did not know what had changed Pa's tone. An icy blade slipped into Ruth's guts. She knew that look on Pa's face, she was got. Pa knew, he had figured it out. She raised her head and looked into her father's stony, dark eyes.

"Ruth, is the man you were with under this roof?"

Ma gasped and her head spun to face Ruth. Ruth did not answer, instead a sob hitched in her chest. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Her face burned in shame, her guts froze in fear.

Pa stepped up to the foot of the bed and leaned forward, imposing, undeniable.

"Ruth Anne Cafferty, answer me."

Ruth's mouth opened and her throat choked. "Y-yes."

She began to cry freely. Sobbing, trying to speak between sobs. "I'm, uhck, uhck, sorry, uhck, Pa-"

Ma looked back at Pa. "Now, Pa, don't do anything-"

Pa stomped on the floor. "I am going to kill that boy!"

"Pa, please, calm down-"

"My spawn forced himself on his sibling. What else can I do?"

Ruth looked up and shook her palms at Pa. "No, Pa, he didn't force me."

Pa's lip curled. "He took advantage, under my roof."

"No. Pa, no. Honest. I started it, I approached him."

Ma looked between them. Pa looked on the verge of fury, Ruth on the verge of hysteria.

Ma stood, putting herself between them. "Pa, listen to Ruth Anne. She's always been smart and gone after what she wanted."

This gave Pa pause. It was true, and why they had invested so much trust in Ruth.

"It's the truth, Pa, I wanted Ray. And when he lost the scholarship and Deb, well, you didn't see what it did to him. How hurt he was."

Pa's face began to soften. To the family it had seemed like Ray had bounced back from that night pretty darned fast.

"But I, um, comforted him. And gave him something to hold onto." Ruth's face burned in the admission. "But I also got what I wanted. I got to be a dumb teen for a bit longer, playing a stupid game. I liked it."

Pa sat back down. He seemed to be mulling it over.

Ma took this moment to interject. "But you and Ray are done, right Ruth? No more games."

Ruth nodded. "Yeah, no more games."

Abby held out her hands and shook her head. "So Ma and Pa knew and nobody else?"

"Yeah." Ruth picked at Abby's blanket.

"So, what happened."

"I lost it. A bit over two weeks later. Had awful cramps, passed it like a bad monthly."

Abby shrugged. "So it turned out all right, right?"

Ruth's face turned a bit sad. "Kind of. Kind of not. When I knew I had caught part of me wondered what the baby would look like. If it came out okay, would it be beautiful like Ray, or like me, or like the best of both of us? So when that was gone, it made me sad. I cried alone at night for a bit.

"I also broke up with Toby. I had been messing around with him and Ray. Ray knew about Toby, he didn't care. That was honest. But I cheated on Toby. Funny bit, if I told Toby I was screwing somebody back home he probably would have been cool with it. He always called himself sex forward, a post sexual revolution free thinker. But, thing is, I liked sneaking around. Cheating on him was part of that thrill. And after, I felt awful with myself.

"It was almost as bad as breaking it off with Ray.

"That hurt us both, but it hurt him worse. He had been using our game to run from feelings that had dredged up graduation night and after. I had been his escape. I broke his heart, and being the source of that pain made me hate myself for awhile. I told him it was just love, but, no. It had been something else: a lie we told ourselves. I still bear some guilt from that."

Abby pondered for a moment. "Whenever were together as a family it always seems Ray is looking at you."

"Yeah, he's still heartsick. At the reunion I took the pup tent so I wouldn't have to be in the same tent as Ray. Afraid if I was the poor guy wouldn't get any sleep. Or I'd be tempted to do something I shouldn't."

Abby sighed. "No worries, I was the one tempted to do the thing she shouldn't." Abby stopped. "Wait, so Pa forgave Ray?"

"No, forgave is not the right word. He warned Ray. Warned him if he ever touched me again he'd be exiled from this family forever. Thrown out, disowned, barred from having his name spoken."

"Ouch."

Ruth continued, "Then Pa gave him one chance to straighten up.

"So we returned to pre-peeping days. It was odd at first. Uneasy, like Ma and Pa were looking for us to slip, I was trying to go back to being a big sister, and Ray always looking about one second from saying something he'd regret. But we got past it. After awhile we were kind of normal again."

Abby rubbed her tummy. "So, I wasn't the original family fuckup. That award goes to you and Ray."

Ruth held up her fists in a mock cheer. "Yay, us."