Once Upon a Fantasy Ch. 13-14

"I wish I could wake up like this every morning," I whispered in Kim's ear.

"You will ... you will. Just be patient."

"Valentine's Day seems like it's still months away."

"You're just a sex-crazed man with an over-active imagination," she said turning to me and holding me close.

How could I not be sex-crazed when her breasts were rubbing up against my chest and my hand was stroking and squeezing her magnificent ass? How could I not feel this way after she had lovingly taken me inside her and brought me to such a perfect conclusion? How could any normal male not rise to the occasion?

"I don't know how I'm going to be able to resist you when we are married. What do they call it? Priapism?"

"What's that?" she asked.

"Perpetual erection. That's what you'll cause me to have."

She laughed. "I don't think so. I think you'll get used to me and keep everything under control."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to you, Kim. I don't think that's possible. You are always going to be a fantasy ... my fantasy."

"You say the nicest things," she smiled, kissing me gently and taking my rising erection in her hand once more. "You should be rewarded for that."

And I was. She pulled me on top and I pushed steadily into her as she wrapped her legs around my thighs and drew me in as well. I wasn't in any hurry and she wasn't either. We made slow, rhythmic love, our lips laying light kisses on our faces and neck while now and then nibbling on an earlobe. It was another pathway to ecstasy and I wanted to explore all of them.

When we finished I knew we had both been satisfied and that was all that mattered to me. She was a larger-than-life woman that expressed her pleasure quite openly and that was my biggest reward when we were together.

Our lovemaking had been very conventional to this point. I was almost afraid to suggest anything more if she didn't want to. Perhaps she felt the same way. We had made love in the usual positions and we had indulged in oral sex, but nothing from behind or anything that wasn't in our bed. God knows I wasn't complaining, but I knew Kim had admitted to being very adventuresome in her youth and I wondered if she might be missing out on some things she would enjoy. I just didn't know how to bring the subject up ... or when.

I was sitting in her living room waiting for Kim to get ready for our regular Saturday night date. I picked up a magazine off the coffee table and realized it was a woman's magazine. I almost put it down when I noticed the banner across the top highlighting a feature article on how to "Spice up your sex life." I opened the magazine to the page indicated and scanned the article. On the second page it summarized the points it had made in the body of the story, and I quickly looked over them. One that caught my eye was "Be Spontaneous."

To me, being spontaneous meant taking advantage of the moment. An unplanned exploitation of being in the right place at the right time. I wondered how I could plan to be unplanned. I'd just have to bide my time until the opportunity presented itself.

As she entered the room I took in the beauty of the woman I had fallen deeply in love with. If it were possible, she seemed to become lovelier as each day passed. I knew in my mind that it was just my emotions coloring her image but still, I couldn't quite grasp that this incredible creature had fallen in love with me as well. Amazon seemed such a crude description of her. Viking goddess? Perhaps, yet there was a kindness and gentleness about her that belied that more powerful icon. I had to divert my eyes to bring myself back to the moment.

Whatever connection we had between us was partly physical and partly unspoken. She must have read my thoughts as she came into the living room and walked directly to me as I stood. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me deeply, catching me completely by surprise.

"That's for thinking about me the way you do," she said when the kiss ended.

"Is my lust that transparent?"

"It isn't lust alone, Norm. This is still all a big surprise, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Yes ... it is. Every time I see you my stomach clenches in excitement. I feel like the kid who got an A on his test when he knows damn well he only deserved a C. I keep thinking I'm going to be discovered at any moment."

She smiled, still holding me closely. "Don't you dare think that way. When I think about what I'm going to wear and how I want to look when I'm with you I get nervous and worry it to death. I want you to know how important it is to me to look good for you."

I shook my head and pulled her back in for another long, tender kiss.

"You've been worrying in vain then. I remember the first time we met here when I came to discuss Candy's vacation with you and Lou. You didn't know me and I didn't know you and yet when I saw you for the first time ... well ... as Lou will tell you, I couldn't take my eyes off you."

She laughed lightly again. "It's true and he did mention it after you'd left. But then, I was interested in you too. In the past few months you've made it very easy for me to get from then to now and feeling the way I do."

"Why do you think I choose dancing as often as I do for our dates?"

"I know perfectly well you want me to rub my body up against you. It gets you warmed up for the rest of the night and I get the benefit of that."

"We could cut out the middle stuff and go right to bed if you'd like," I teased.

"Don't think that doesn't cross my mind," she murmured. "If you didn't have to work Saturday we could play two nights instead of one. And if I didn't have to go to work Monday, we could make it three nights. Then I wouldn't be as desperate when I saw you."

This was the moment and I hesitated before I took the chance.

"Come with me," I said, taking her hand and leading her upstairs.

"Where are you going?" she asked, following me without resistance.

"To our bedroom. I'm going to relieve both of us of that tension before we go out tonight."

I looked back as I pulled her into the bedroom and she was laughing.

"Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?"

"If you think I'm going to carefully undress you and make love to you right here and right now ... you're absolutely correct."

"Why Norman Tyler, I do believe you are horny," she giggled as she began to undress.

"And you, Kim Penny, are the cause of it."

"We were going to dinner, remember. Sooner or later you'll have to feed me." She was smiling at him as he lowered her onto the bed.

"I'm going to feed you right now, you lucky girl. Dinner will be a little late, though."

I entered her and she took me willingly, just as anxious as I was to express her desires. This was a more aggressive Kim and I sensed that she was responding to my unexpected decision to bring her to the bedroom and take her immediately. I took advantage of the moment to move behind her and engage her in doggy style. She didn't flinch or resist at all. In fact, she turned her head and smiled as I drove into her with some urgency.

We were lying on the bed catching our breath when she asked me, "Why did it take you so long to try something different?"

"I wasn't sure if you'd want me to. In fact, we've never discussed sex at all. We've just done it."

"Well, now's the time, lover. If you don't think I'm being too slutty ... you can have me any way you want me."

"I don't want to do anything that will cause you pain or humiliate you. I want our sex life to be nothing but pleasure for both of us."

She kissed me and smiled as she gazed into my eyes.

"I know. That's who you are, Norman. I suppose I have more experience than you do, but I'm just guessing at that."

"I'm not so sure about that. I was pretty wild when I was in college. Catching up on lost time as it were. I've tried a lot of different things."

"Like what?"

"Are you sure you want to hear this. You might not be so happy with me when I tell you."

"It's in the past, Norm. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I can't be offended because I've done almost everything myself."

"Then let's just leave it in the past. I'll trust you to tell me when you want to try something different ... just as I'll tell you."

It took us another half-hour to shower again and prepare to leave for the restaurant. Our reservation would be long gone but we would plead car trouble and hope for the best.

It was dark and a cold rain was falling, making the roads very slick as the temperature was hovering around freezing. It was exactly these conditions that made me grateful that I had chosen the all-wheel-drive Subaru for my primary vehicle.

The light had turned green and I began to advance through the intersection when out of the corner of my eye I saw a very large black pick-up sliding sideways into the intersection. I was in no-man's land at the time, unable to avoid the inevitable collision.

"Hang on, Kim," I yelled just before the impact.

I saw the look of fear on her face just as the truck hit my door and then my head slammed toward the windshield pillar. With the impact of the airbags I was knocked dizzy for a few moments. As I recovered my wits I looked over at Kim and she was conscious but also disoriented.

"Are you hurt?" I asked her, reaching for her hand.

"I don't think so. My shoulder is sore from the seat belt. I also got smacked in the face by the airbag I guess."

There was no way I could get out my side of the car since the front end of the jacked-up pickup was buried over a foot into it. I released my seatbelt and was about to help Kim with hers when I felt a stabbing pain in my left knee. It was the same knee that had been surgically repaired not that many months ago. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Kim, I've re-injured my knee. I can't get out of my door and I can't crawl across to your side. Call 911. We're going to need help to get me out of here."

I'll give her credit. She was cool under pressure. I don't know why I would think otherwise. Within seconds a police car arrived and then almost immediately another appeared. They checked the pickup and found the driver unconscious. He hadn't been wearing a seat belt and the truck didn't have airbags.

"How are you, sir?" an officer asked, leaning in the passenger side and shining a flashlight on me.

"Help the lady," I managed through the pain.

"Are you all right, ma'am?"

"I think so."

"Let's get you out of there then," he said with a confident voice.

He returned after having escorted Kim to his car, putting her in the back seat.

"What about you, sir?" he asked when he returned.

"I'm trapped. I've re-injured a knee that I had surgery on earlier this year. I'm going to need help getting out of here."

"Okay. The rescue truck is on its way. I'll get another ambulance too. Are you bleeding anywhere?"

"I don't think so. It was the impact on my leg that is causing me problems."

"Okay, sit tight. We'll get you out."

As soon as he left to return to his cruiser Kim returned and sat in her seat, taking my hand and holding it. She had a grim look about her, but otherwise seemed to be handling this fine.

"Don't worry, love. They'll get me out soon. I'll be okay, you'll see."

She had been crying I noticed.

"I was so scared. I saw that big truck and I thought it was going to crush us."

"It was my fault. I should have looked for something like that to happen."

By the time the ambulances had arrived, the young driver of the pick-up had regained consciousness and was being led gingerly into one of the vans by the paramedics. In the meantime, the rescue services guys were assessing how to get me out of the car while another pair of paramedics was trying to determine how badly injured my knee was.

I heard one of the rescue men ask a police officer, "Can you move that truck back. We'll try and get him out on the driver's side, even if we have to cut the door off."

The officer walked to the truck, climbed up into the cab and started the engine. He put it in gear and slowly backed it off my car. He was only able to move it about six feet before it shut down, but that was enough for the rescue crew to get at my door.

"You in pain, sir?" one of them asked.

"Yeah. My knee is killing me," I admitted.

As quick as that a paramedic reappeared.

"Are you allergic to anything?" he asked.

"No ... not that I know of."

"I'm going to give you a shot to ease the pain. It'll take a few seconds to take effect. In the meantime, the guys will try and get that door open."

I took the strength of two men with two pry-bars to convince themselves that the door wasn't going to budge.

"Okay, cut it off," one of them said.

They put some kind of insulation blanket over my legs and torso before they brought out an evil looking rotary saw. Somehow the window glass in the door had only been cracked and had stayed intact. It would shield my face from the sparks and small fragments they said.

They had taken Kim over to the ambulance for a proper examination and she stayed there while they cut me out of the car. It didn't take long before they had sawn through the hinges and were able to pull the door off. When it fell on the pavement, one of the rescue men looked at the other.

"Look at that, Hector. That door has a big steel bolt that runs right into the B pillar. No wonder we couldn't pry the door open. We got to remember that if we run into another one of these cars."

I knew the car was well built, but to hear these guys talk it was something special. This car was doomed but I'd be getting another to replace it.

I was beginning to feel dizzy and slightly nauseated and let the paramedic know.

"Okay, just breathe easy. The pain medication is kicking in. In a minute or two we'll get you out of there and off to the hospital."

They were extremely careful pulling me out of the car and I was grateful that the pain killer was working well. I was strapped to a gurney and whisked off to the hospital with Kim holding my hand the whole way. They took me to Sisters of Mercy General, a different hospital than I was in the first time. I was feeling drowsy, but thankfully the nausea had passed. Somewhere along the way I lost consciousness for a while, waking up in what I assumed was an examination room.

There was no sign of Kim, but I doubted that she would be far away. Once again I was hooked up to an IV drip and a monitor. I lay there for what seemed like a long time before a doctor entered the area and came to me.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Demby. I'm the resident orthopedic surgeon. I've had a preliminary look at your knee and noticed you've had fairly recent surgery on it. Can you tell me who the surgeon was?"

"Doctor Wyche."

"Ah ... good. You were in good hands," he smiled. "I've take some x-rays and I'm going to order an MRI as well. I want as much information as I can get before I consult with Doctor Wyche."

"Any idea what happened inside there?" I asked, hoping for good news.

"Too early to tell. There's a fair amount of swelling and I want to go over the x-rays first. Just be patient and we'll get the proper information before we do anything." I nodded. There wasn't anything to do but wait for the verdict. I was upset and somewhat depressed that I would probably have to go through re-hab and physical therapy all over again. I wasn't mentally prepared for that at all.

They moved me to a semi-private room and I wasn't there ten minutes before Kim appeared. I got a loving kiss and a few tears from her, but I was so happy to see her that it actually cheered me up.

"Are you all right, Love?" I asked her again.

She nodded. "Yes. A bruise on my shoulder from the seatbelt, but nothing else."

"I'm glad. I would have been sick if something had happened to you due to my carelessness."

"It wasn't your fault, Norm. The policeman said so. They will want to talk to you tomorrow. Just tell them what happened. Don't take any blame for it. You didn't hit him. He hit you."

"Yeah ... I guess. I'm still trying to remember exactly what did happen. Maybe my head will be a little clearer tomorrow."

She kissed me again. "I've got to get home and let the girls know what's happened. I'll be back to see you tomorrow morning if they'll let me. I'm sure Candy will want to come too. I'll have her call Brandon and let him know you're all right."

"Thank you, Sweetheart. I love you," I said drowsily.

"Good night," she smiled for the first time. "I love you too. I'll see you tomorrow."

Chapter 14 The Good, The Bad, and The Unexpected

"I'm afraid the news isn't very good, Mr. Tyler," Dr. Demby began. "Most of the repair from your first accident has been undone by the second one. We are going to do our best to reconstruct the ligaments and tendons with some synthetic grafts, hoping that will give you some mobility in the knee. Luckily, there is no further sign of bone damage, so we won't need to do any knee replacement surgery yet. What we can't predict is how much mobility and flexibility you will retain. That will only come with rehabilitation and physical therapy."

"What do you think the end result will be?" I asked, wondering if I really wanted to know.

He sighed. "I suspect you will always have a limp and you will find it uncomfortable to walk for more than a few minutes. You can build up strength in those areas with careful exercise, but you will probably find there's a limit to how much you can tolerate."

"I've been exercising quite regularly to get fit. What will I still be able to do?"

"Non-impact exercises that work the cardio vascular system. Swimming is one of the best. You are in excellent condition currently. I'd certainly encourage you to keep at it," he smiled.

"When I walk, will I need a cane?"

"At first, yes, but unless you need to go some distance, I'd say you should be able to operate without one most of the time."

"I guess that's as good as I can expect. When do you plan on operating?"

"I'd like to schedule you for the day after tomorrow. That's Thursday."

"The sooner the better, I guess," I said, not feeling very enthusiastic about the future.

It was Wednesday afternoon, the day before my surgery, when I had an unexpected visitor.

"Hi, Norm."

"Andrea? This is a surprise. How are you?"

"I'm okay. I heard about your accident and I've been meaning to talk to you ... if you'll let me."

"I'm not going anywhere. Have a seat," I said, gesturing to the chairs against the wall.

"Thanks. Are you going to be all right? I mean, after the operation."

"Not sure. They think I might have a permanent limp and won't be doing any long distance hikes. They're going to be doing some tricky surgery and they aren't sure how it will turn out."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You've just got over that other accident and now this. It must be frustrating."

I shrugged. "I'll get by." I paused, looking carefully at my ex-wife. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Several things. I wanted you to know that I've been talking to Brandon each Sunday. He's doing well at college and I'm really happy for him. He stopped in to see me when he was home for Thanksgiving."

I nodded. "I knew he had."

"I wish I could say the same for Candy. She's still not talking to me. I feel very bad that I've let her down and I don't know what to do about it."

"I've tried to get her to give you a break," I said, "but I guess she isn't there yet. I'll keep trying, Andrea. I don't want her to cut you out of her life."

"Thank you, Norm. I really appreciate that."

We sat in silence for a few moments before Andrea spoke.

"I wanted to apologize once more for what I did to you and the family, Norm. I was selfish and stupid and I threw away something important for all the wrong reasons."

A quick thought invaded my head.