Author’s note — Sorry about the delay. My family’s computer went down for a while causing them to use my own computer. Thus I could not use it while I was at work, which is when I do most of my writing. Having said that, enjoy. The Case of the Pesky Cherry is solved in this installment. Vote high and vote often. Thank you for your consideration.
This is chapter 5 of a multi-chapter story. I recommend starting from the beginning if you have not already.
*****
Dec. ’08
Awareness crept slowly over Simon. It started as a muffled beeping sound that steadily grew louder and clearer. Feeling returned to his body, starting at his head and radiating downwards. A dull throbbing drew his attention to his left shoulder. ‘I wonder what that’s about?’ he thought.
His sensations expanded, prickling as if awakening from numbness. There was something in his hand. Both hands, he realized. He squeezed them lightly, trying to discover what they were. They were spongy and soft yet firm. His brain finally figured out they were hands. Someone, most likely two different someones, was holding his hands. ‘Why would anyone be holding my hands while I’m in bed?’ he thought. His brain had no answer, so filed it away for later consideration.
Simon partially opened his eyes. Darkness enveloped the room but for a dim, fluorescent light above his head. He fully opened his eyes only to find himself in a hospital room. Movement on his right side caught his attention. A head of reddish brown hair stirred next to him. It turned and Simon looked into the rapidly widening eyes of his sister, Cindy.
“Hey Cin,” he whispered hoarsely, “What’s going on?” Cindy stared at him, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. He was unprepared for what happened next.
“SIMON!!” Cindy practically jumped onto the bed to hug her brother. His left shoulder burned in protest. The body on his left side jerked awake when Cindy shrieked. Suddenly he was being crushed by his mother as well. They were both babbling, too rapid for Simon to understand it all.
“Whoa, whoa!” he grunted. “Mellow out already. I still need to breathe,” he gasped. They both climbed off of him, embarrassed by their exuberance. Neither released the hand they held. They both started speaking at the same time then stopped, tears straining their smiling faces.
“Sorry, honey,” Mary said, “We’re both just glad to see you awake.”
“What happened? Why am I in a hospital?” Mary and Cindy glanced at each other before Mary spoke again.
“We were afraid of that. The doctor said there might be some memory loss due to the high fever.”
“Will you just tell me?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Cindy asked.
“I was at Sasha’s talking about . . .” His brow furrowed in concentration, remembering the conversation. He decided they didn’t need to know the contents of or reason for the conversation, “. . . school stuff. Then Jodi was missing. I was driving . . .” Simon thought harder but could not recall anything more. “That’s it. Why? Was I in some kind of accident? Is Sasha okay?”
“Sasha’s fine but this is what we were told by the police.” Mary sat on the bed, cradling his left hand in her lap. “You threw yourself into a fight with four guys. Apparently, they tried to assault Jodi. One of them had a knife and stabbed you in the shoulder.” Mary pointed at his left shoulder.
“That explains the bandage,” Simon grimaced as his shoulder shifted, “and the pain, but why can’t I remember any of it?”
“Mom, I’m gonna go get the nurse since he’s awake.” Cindy interrupted. She leaned in and kissed her brother on the cheek, giving his hand a final squeeze.
“Okay, Cindy.” Mary hugged her daughter before she left. She turned back to Simon, “Your sister was terrified when she heard about what happened. Almost as much as I was.”
“Quit stalling.” Mary sighed, knowing he was right.
“After the fight, the paramedics said you passed out, probably from the exertion combined with blood loss. They brought you here to check your shoulder. Everything seemed fine at first, but you got a secondary infection in the wound.” Mary’s eyes started to tear up again. “Your temperature spiked up to 105 degrees. It stayed that high for a few hours before slowly falling. It rose and fell several times before it broke last night.”
Simon would have fallen over if he hadn’t already been lying down. Bits and pieces of that night came back to him, but not enough to fill it all in.
“How’s Jodi doing?”
“Jodi had some bruised ribs, a bloody nose, a black eye and a concussion. The police believe you saved her from gaining anything worse.” Simon sighed in relief, visibly relaxing.
Cindy reappeared with a nurse. She checked a few of his vitals and approved. “You’re looking much better now, Mr. Pendleton.” Turning to Mary, she said, “I’ll make sure the doctor stops by first thing when he arrives. In my opinion, he’ll probably discharge him within a few days.”
“Thank you for everything.” Mary hugged the nurse before she left.
“Hey, ma?” Mary sat on the bed next to her son. Cindy sat on his right side. “How long have I been in here?”
Mary hesitated for a moment before replying. “Nine days. You were heavily sedated for the first 24 hours while you healed after surgery. Then the infection set in.”
“Damn.” He hadn’t realized the full extent of the situation. A thought struck him suddenly that chilled his spine. “Who else knows about all this?”
Again Mary paused. She didn’t want to tell him but he needed to know before he was overcome by the media. “It was a very public situation, honey. Every local news outlet in the area has run at least some of the story. We’ve had to change phone numbers twice just to get it to stop ringing.” Mary sighed, “You’re being praised as a hero.”
“Seriously? Son of a bitch!” Simon brought his hands up to cover his face. This was the last thing he wanted to happen. He felt like crying but controlled himself. Several deep breaths later, he felt better.
“So what now?” he asked.
“Now that we know you are ok, I think it’s about time Cindy and I went home.” Mary said.
“But Mom!” Cindy whined, her hand tightening around Simon’s, crushing it to her chest. Simon became uncomfortably aware of its location.
“Come on, Cindy. Simon is going to need some time to digest all of this. Besides,” Mary made a sniffing sound and screwed up her face, “I’m sure we’re both a little ripe. We could both use a shower and a good night’s rest.”
“I don’t want to go.” Cindy seemed to be on the verge of tears. The last week and a half had frayed her nerves with worry over her brother. She had nearly lost it when she thought he might die. Simon squeezed her hand, smiling at her.
“Go on home for a bit, Cin. I’m not going anywhere.” She hesitated for a moment then nodded. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and another yelp inducing hug.
Mary bent down and kissed her son on the forehead. “I’m very proud of you, son, but if you ever scare me like that again, I’ll kill you myself.” Her smile said she was joking but her eyes told him otherwise.
“Oh, by the way,” Mary turned after getting her coat on, “I’ll call Freddie. He’s been keeping your friends informed on your status. I hope you’ll be up for visitors tomorrow.” Mary waved one last time and left.
Simon lay back on his pillow, gazing at the ceiling. His brain seemed unable to process anything. Everything was a jumble in his head. He barely noticed when he fell asleep.
*****
“Good morning.” Simon recognized the nurse from the previous night as rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Feel like eating?” She chuckled when his growling stomach answered before he could. She checked a few of the monitors then said, “I’ll have someone bring in some food for you.”
Several minutes later, Simon felt like he had eaten a full buffet even though he left nearly half the food on the tray. The nurse popped back in to announce that he had visitors. Freddie, Derek, Sam, and Leslie surrounded his bed.
“It’s about time you got up, lazy ass.” Freddie clasped hands with Simon, relief clear on his face. “Here we are, trying to prepare for finals, and Simon’s lounging around, being waited on hand and foot.”
“Life sucks all over, Freddie,” interjected Leslie, who gave Simon a brief hug. “How’re you doing?”
“Recuperating. I’m hoping to see the doctor later today. He’ll let me know if and when I get to go home.”
“So is it true?” Derek blurted out.
“Dude, not cool.” Sam shook his head.
“Is what true?” Simon inquired.
“Any of it. All of it. I mean, you’re a hero, man.” Derek leaned forward eagerly. Simon winced when he said ‘hero’.
“You mean did I get in a fight? Yes.” Simon sighed, “There was nothing heroic about it though. I really don’t remember most of it.” Simon adjusted his gown to briefly display the gauze covered wound on his shoulder. “My mom said the doc said my high fever might affect my short term memory. I don’t remember much after leaving Sasha’s house.” Freddie cocked a surprised eyebrow at this.
“And what, may I ask, were you doing at Sasha’s house?” Freddie’s grin widened considerably.
“Nothing even remotely close to what is going through your head right now.” Simon returned the grin.
“That would require something to be there in the first place,” Derek said. Everyone laughed. It wasn’t often he got one in on Freddie. They bullshitted for a while longer before a knock came at the door. Everyone turned to see an exhausted Sasha standing in the doorway.
“Since you’ve got better looking company waiting, we’ll see ourselves out.” Freddie held up his hands, “No, no, don’t get up. We can find our own way.” Simon flipped him off but smiled. They left after a few shaken hands and a hug. Sasha remained in the doorway until they left.
“Hey Sasha.” Simon said. She stayed by the door. Her hair was mated and messy. It looked like she had not slept well these past few days. Her face was flushed and red, as if she had been crying recently. “Sasha?” he asked again, concern evident in his voice.
Suddenly, she burst into tears and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and cried into his chest. He hugged her, whispering soothing words to her and rubbing her back.
“It’s all my fault!” she blubbered.
“What!? No, it’s not!” Simon stated.
“Yes it is. If I hadn’t brought Jodi over to my place, you wouldn’t have found us there.” She tried to bury her head deeper into his chest. “She wouldn’t have run and been attacked. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt and nearly died.” She cried even harder.
“Hey, it’s okay.” He continued rubbing her back, trying to calm her again. “I don’t blame you for any of this and you shouldn’t either.” He lifted her head, looking into her eyes. The guilt and remorse he saw nearly broke his heart. Impulsively, he kissed her forehead.
“Everyone had a choice to make: Jodi could have stayed. I could have waited for her instead of walking in on you two. Although, I must say I don’t regret that choice at all.” He grinned and saw the corners of her lips twitch towards a smile. “The only ones who shoulder any of the blame are the guys who did this.”
Sasha finally calmed after a few more minutes. She felt so safe in Simon’s arms. She wanted to stay in them forever. She lifted her head and laughed. Simon looked down at the mess she made on his blanket and laughed as well.
“Thank you, Simon.” She looked him in the eye and kissed him, brushing his lips with her tongue. “You make it really hard for a girl not to fall for you.” Simon flushed in embarrassment. “Speaking of girls who have fallen for you,” Sasha climbed off of Simon, noting the now tenting sheets, “Jodi was planning on stopping by later today, if you’re up for it. She really misses you.”
“I miss her too,” his heart accelerated with the thought. “I’d love to see her.”
“Good. I’ll let her know later.” She bent over, giving Simon a wonderful view of her cleavage. “I must look a total mess.” she said, kissing his cheek. “I’m gonna shower and change before bringing Jodi here. We’ll see you later.”
“Behave this time,” he said with a grin. She rolled her eyes and walked out. Simon felt drained suddenly. He fell asleep before he comprehended he was tired.
*****
Simon had been in the middle of a wonderful dream. He knew both Sasha and Jodi were there, but most of the other details were lost, save one. The warm, wet sensation of having his dick sucked lingered. At first, Simon simply relaxed into it, enjoying it. It was when he realized he was awake that his enjoyment became concern.
His blankets were bunched down by his knees. Black hair cascaded around his abdomen, obscuring the face of the girl giving him such excellent head. He had no idea how long she had been here but he was too close to stop it. He moaned as his balls tightened, his hands reaching out to entwine his fingers in her hair. The hair did not obscure the fact that this person was wearing a very sexy cheerleading outfit.
“Oh shit!” It was all the warning he could give before he erupted into her mouth. She greedily swallowed his load. She sucked and licked it clean, making certain that she got every last bit of cum. Simon was only slightly upset when the head lifted, revealing the face beneath.
“Roxanne,” he said flatly.
“Afternoon, hero.” She wiped her chin and licked her hand, slurping up the last remaining drops of his stuff. “Mmmm, thank you for lunch.”
“What are you doing here?” Simon readjusted his clothing, pulling up and shoving the sheets underneath him.
“What? Can’t I visit my boyfriend in the hospital after he risked his life to save another girl?” Roxanne smiled sweetly, blinking her eyes innocently.
“Sure, except I’m not your boyfriend.”
“A mere technicality.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Besides, the nurses don’t know that.” She giggled, climbing onto his bed. She straddled his hips, lifting the front of her short skirt to reveal her uncovered shaven pussy. She sat down, slowly rotating her hips on his crotch.
“You told them you were my girlfriend?” He grabbed her hips but had no real strength to lift her off. Roxanne grabbed his wrists, keeping his hands locked on her hips.
“Not in so many words, but I think they made up what I left out.” She tilted her head back, exposing her neck and thrusting out her breasts. It was as if she knew exactly what to do to excite him. Though he just came, his cock rapidly regenerated. She moaned as it came into contact with her damp pussy lips through the sheets.
“Roxanne, please stop this.” Simon half moaned, half whined.
“Why? You enjoy this just as much as I do.” She leaned forward, her clit rubbing wonderfully on his covered cock. She licked his lips, moaning quietly. “And I do so enjoy this-s-s-s.”
Simon silently admitted to himself that he enjoyed it as well. Roxanne seemed to be in constant need of release. If she had gotten to him before Jodi, who knows what would have happened.
Roxanne started pawing at his sheets, trying to pull them off of him. “Please . . . I can’t take it anymore! I need you . . . want you inside me!” Her voice was filled with a breathy desperation. Simon braced his arms on his sheets, despite the stab of pain from his shoulder. She growled in frustration, rubbing her engorged clit on the rough hospital fabric.
Her grinding quickly increased in pace. She pulled his head up to hers, mashing their lips together. She thrust her tongue into his mouth, shuddering as her orgasm overtook her. Simon simply held on until she collapsed onto him, exhausted but smiling.
“God I needed that,” she sighed, “but I still need more.” She propped herself up on her elbows, their faces mere inches apart. “You know, I haven’t gotten myself off since I heard you were in here. I was saving it for you, for when you woke up.”
She hoped he couldn’t tell that she had been just as worried as everyone else. Her developing feelings were so foreign to her that she had no idea what to do. She threw herself at him, hoping to satisfy or rid herself of them, but was constantly turned away.
One of Simon’s hands had drifted from her hip and roughly grabbed her ass. She sucked in her lower lip as he fondled her. His fingers brushed lightly against her outer lips. She rocked backwards, hoping to capture the invading digits within her. After teasing her for several seconds, he removed his hands from her body completely. Roxanne whimpered longingly.
“I think it’s time you left,” he said. His tone offered no argument. Like a scolded child, Roxanne climbed down off of him. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but Simon turned away from her. She ran from the room before he could see her tears.
*****
Jodi paced nervously outside Simon’s room. She wanted to see him, to run into and be embraced by her savior’s arms. But if she went in there and he rejected her for some reason, it would devastate her.
All her fears, all her anxieties were based on a simple fear of rejection. She hadn’t had sex with any guys because she was afraid they would leave her afterwards. Now this guy, this wonderfully amazing guy who probably saved her life, whirls in from another state and flips her head over heels in a matter of months. It more than a little freaked her out.
Sasha watched her best friend pace back and forth, casting furtive glances at his door. She never understood this part of Jodi. They had talked after she had gotten out of the hospital. Sasha had told Jodi what she and Simon had discussed in the kitchen before she took off. It relieved some of Jodi’s worries, while cropping up more.
Sasha couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed Jodi by the shoulders. “What is your problem? Go in there already.”
“I — I don’t know if I can,” Jodi stuttered. “I think . . . I think I . . .” She couldn’t finish it. She couldn’t say the words.
“All the more reason for you to get in there.” Sasha opened the door and pushed Jodi into the room.
*****
Simon tried to listen to the muted voices in the hall. It was simply something else to do rather than watch TV. Boredom had set in quickly after Roxanne left the room. He was hoping the doctor would arrive soon so he could go home.
The door to his room opened. Jodi, being shoved from behind, tromped partially into the room and stopped. Simon instantly sat up. Jodi’s hair was neatly brushed but it covered part of her face. Simon remembered that she had been punched in the face. The bruises on her face were mostly clear, only a sickly yellow color remained around her obscured eye.
“Hi,” she said.
Simon’s heart leapt into his throat. It felt like it had been years since he had last seen her. She radiated beauty, despite her apparent discomfort. All he wanted to do was hold her. ‘I wasn’t explicitly told not to walk,’ he thought.
Simon threw his covers off and swung his legs over the side. He felt a slight twinge in his left arm when he used it to push himself up. His feet touched the cold linoleum floor. Grabbing his I.V. stand, he walked to Jodi. She stood rooted to the spot. He stopped in front of her. His hand brushed her hair out of her face, brushing her cheek.
“Hi,” he said.
That was all it took. That one word and she melted into his arms. His arms crushed her to him as she sobbed. He kissed her hair until she tilted her head up. She noticed his own tears falling down his cheeks.
Passion, uncontrolled, flared within both of them. Their tears mingled as they viciously kissed each other, the saltiness mixing with saliva. Simon’s hands roamed down to her butt. He squeezed and lifted, despite his protesting shoulder. Jodi bounced up, wrapping her legs around his waist. She swore right then, she would never let him go.
Simon stumbled backwards. He stepped back until he was back by the bed and sat, never once breaking his connection with Jodi. Finally, the needs of the body outweighed the wants of the heart. Simon broke off to inhale deeply, as did Jodi. They looked into each other’s eyes.
