The Lottery (18 page)

His mother had been like that, a party girl, reveling in the
money her family had, moving from man to man, until she contracted his father. Love
had bloomed between the two, and even though his father could have probably
made more money continuing to be contracted, he cared deeply for her and chose
to stay, in the bonds of marriage.

Karlyn had once said her parents were also married. It was quite
interesting considering few marriages occurred that they were both the result
of two committed relationships. Karlyn had grown in a family unit, and maybe
she would want to have that for herself as well one day. He could only hope.

Moving to the bathroom, he went into the corner shower on the
opposite wall from the tub. Glancing at the tub made his cock begin to thicken
slightly in remembrance of the night before, but he knew that he had to get
going and get ready for the day ahead of him instead of sliding back into bed
with Karlyn. Turning the water on cold, he slipped in and washed up quickly. As
he exited and dried off, he caught a glimpse of Karlyn through the slightly
open bathroom door. Her pink ass bent over the bed, trying to fix the sheets
was almost too much for him to bear.

The sight had him stirring again.
Would he ever have enough of her?
Turning away, he fought his need,
reminding himself he had to get to the hospital. He finished drying off and
began his morning rituals. Looking in the mirror, he saw her smile at him as he
brushed his teeth. She was still nude, and sauntered toward the shower as he
watched. Turning on the water, she entered and moaned as the hot water sluiced
down her body. His cock hardened as he watched her running the soapy cloth over
her body.

Dropping his toothbrush as he looked into the mirror, he told
himself to finish getting ready. Knowing full well he shouldn’t, he turned and
walked into the shower, while she had her back to him. Surprised, she turned
into his arms and accepted when he pressed against her for a kiss. Pulling her
further into his arms, he pushed her back against the shower wall and plunged
inside her in one swift motion. Karlyn gripped her legs around his waist to get
a better hold in the slippery shower, and matched each stroke with her hips. Slowly
loving her, his pace unhurried, he drove deep within her and moments later they
both came together.

Slipping her feet to the floor as he pulled from her body, she
kissed him and turned back to the warm water. Feeling her trembling body, he
couldn’t leave her standing there alone. He helped her wash her body as he laid
a series of playful bites along her neck and washed himself again and they
exited. Drying each other off, he felt his cock rise to life one more time.

“Don’t even think about it buddy. I am just too sore after last
night and again this morning, and we have somewhere we have to be. I know you
don’t want to face it, but we need to leave.”

“I know, I know.” He preferred to be lost within her than to
recall what faced him this morning. Fear gripped him in the gut as he dressed,
and he willed his strength to Bailey.

Chapter Fourteen

Stalking back and forth along the waiting room floor, Ethan did
not give Karlyn much opportunity to console him. She was sure she actually saw
spots in his path he had worn out after the first two hours. Eventually, he sat
and she held his hand, albeit briefly as he just could not stay still.

After five hours, Dr. Reding and Bailey’s surgeon, Dr. Akers
walked through the double doors and entered the waiting area, stopping abruptly
in front of Ethan. Karlyn stood, coming close to Ethan as she attempted to
determine what the hesitant look on the doctor’s face meant. Ambivalence was
hard to read, and she realized she had no clue.

Ethan turned slightly towards Karlyn, threading a hand through
hers and pulling her against his side. She could feel his heartbeat beating a
rapid staccato in his chest, and she rubbed her free hand along his back as she
rested her head on his shoulder awaiting the news.

Dr. Reding sighed deeply. “It wasn’t an easy surgery, Ethan. We
almost lost her three times on the table because of her weakened state, but I
think we got it all.”

He paled before he responded. “She will pull through?”

“Time will only tell, my boy. She has been through a lot today
and there will be no way to know how she will recover, there will be time and
physical therapy involved. All signs point to a positive outcome, though.”

“How long are we looking for a recovery?”

“Weeks, months? There is really no way to know until she wakes up
and we see if she suffered any negative reactions to this surgery.” Dr. Akers
spoke up. “As I told you before we began, photon surgery is the most
non-evasive, but we did not have that option with this particular tumor. There
was a risk we could have damaged some of her tissue in destroying the malignant
cells. The tissue graphs are in place and will hopefully begin to connect and
take over any damaged tissue. As you know, there is still much we don’t know
about the brain, and we can only hope what we have done will get her as close
to her old healthy self as possible. Once she wakes up and we can test her
motor control, memory, and reactions, we’ll know if it truly was a success.”

“How long before she wakes?”

“It should be at least a few hours before she is able to shrug
off the effects of the anesthesia, and she isn’t back into her room quite yet. Get
out of here for a while and get something to eat, enjoy some sunshine for a bit,
and by then she should be in recovery and you can visit her there.” Dr. Reding
leaned in and gave Ethan a hug and whispered close to the pair, “We did
everything possible, for her, for you, for your mother.”

Leaning back, Dr. Reding smiled at Ethan and then at Karlyn. “I’m
glad you have a friend here for you today. Someone your own age that can keep
up with you.” Squeezing his arm, she winked and the pair of doctors walked
away.

Karlyn watched the older woman walk away quizzically. “What was
that all about?”

“She, well…” he paused, seeming to weigh his words carefully. “She
was a friend and co-worker of my mother. She’s known me a long time.”

Karlyn immediately understood from the blunt tone of his voice
that Ethan did not want to talk about the subject. There were a lot of dark
patches in his past, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to make him relive all the
things he had been forced to do to survive. And today was not the day to drag
his past to the forefront. Not knowing what else to do, she changed the
subject.

“Ah, well, do you want to take her advice and grab a bite to eat
before we head to the recovery room? You didn’t eat much for breakfast as you
paced the living room, and it is well past lunch at this point. You need to
keep your strength up for Bailey.”

****

An ashen face peeked out of the bed linens, as Karlyn followed
Ethan into the room. In slumber, Bailey looked so much more youthful and
peaceful. Had it not been for the obvious lack of color and slight gauntness of
her cheeks, she would have looked like nothing more than Sleeping Beauty. The
gentle beep of the heart monitor was the only sound that filled the room. Bright
sunlight had finally cleared the past day of overcast sky, and some of that
light shone through the small windows across the room. Coupled with the
addition of the paintings and flowers, the room finally appeared warmer.

Ethan moved close to the window and stood within the shaft of
light. Closing his eyes, he rested his head against the window frame and allowed
the sunlight to cast over him for a couple of moments before returning to his
movements.

“Pacing the floor will not make her wake up any faster, Ethan,” she
called softly to him.

“No, but if I sit still, I may go mad.”

So that was the way it went for the rest of the day. Ethan walked
back and forth within the room, along the adjoining hallway, taking every
opportunity to get something for Karlyn in the gift shop or cafeteria, anything
that would keep him moving. As the nurses ushered the pair out, Ethan fought,
wanting to stay in case she awoke in the night, alone and afraid. The nurses
promised they would call if she awoke, and Ethan finally relented.

But it did not stop his pacing. Once home, he couldn’t rest. He
picked at the quick meal Karlyn made, barely eating enough to fill a toddler’s
stomach. Sitting down to read from his e-reader after dinner, he re-read the
same page five times before giving up and sitting it down.

At bedtime, Karlyn pulled him into the bed, hoping he could
finally find quiet. Instead he found himself inside of her, desperate in his
need for release. Release came and went, but could not help him sleep. Arising
continuously, he made love to her all night long, and into the early morning
hours. As dawn finally broke, they made love again, and at utter exhaustion, he
slept.

Three hours later, he arose, fear filling him at the thought he
had overslept and missed his sister’s awakening. Karlyn reassured him that he
had not, and the pair dressed in quiet, and walked back to the hospital. A
familiar crowd swarmed around Ethan, but what Karlyn had soon learned was the
norm, something he was quite used to, became a problem in view of his raw
nerves.

As one woman placed a firm hand on his butt, he stopped, grasping
the stranger’s wrist. Squeezing the woman’s flesh strongly in his hands, he
pulled her close so he could look at her eye to eye. He was angry at the world
in that moment, angry for his parents abandoning him, angry that his sister was
sick, angry at his place in the world, but more so, he was angry at the fact
this woman, and those like her, felt they were allowed to touch him in this
way.

Karlyn grasped his chin within her hands, and she turned his face
towards hers. As soon as he looked into her eyes, the anger that had rolled in
seemed to free itself. Closing his eyes and resting his head on her forehead,
he then looked back to the woman he was holding and released her arm.

The group that had collected around them stood stunned. Men were
property in their eyes, and most were probably expecting Karlyn to publicly
denounce his actions, and possibly punish him physically as they all stood
there and watched. They had all stepped back, giving the man and his mistress
room, but staying close enough to watch the drama unfurl. Rubbing her wrist,
his assailant stood glaring back and forth at them both, expecting an apology.

Apparently refusing to give them the satisfaction, she grasped
his hand, smiled at his aggressor without apology, and then pulled him through
the open-mouthed throng. She did not castigate him for protecting himself from
the advances of strangers, nor did she humiliate him in public as many
mistresses would.

Once inside the doors of the elevator, they were completely
alone.

“You should have punished me. I was wrong for grabbing her hand;
she was within her rights to touch me. Your reputation may suffer for this.”

“I disagree. She, or any other woman, has no right to openly
touch you on the street, especially when you are escorting me.” Pausing for a
moment, “Actually, she has no right whether I, or any other woman, is
accompanying you. One hundred years ago, when this was a male driven society,
women were not openly groped in public. It happened, yes, but it was considered
a crime. I don’t care how few of you there are, it is not fair. You were only
protecting your body, and I don’t care what people think of me for doing
nothing.”

He heard her intake of breath as he pulled her into his arms and
his lips descended on hers with a kiss that could have combusted them both.
Melting into her, he wrapped his tongue around hers, a dance within her warm
depths. Tasting the insides of her mouth, and once again forgetting where they
were, they continued to kiss the entire ride up the elevator, until a series of
sharp coughs when the car had stopped on the fifth floor made them realize
where they were. Blushing faces watched them disentangle, and they finished the
ride apart, but he was sure the sizzling heat that crackled between them could
be felt by every rider on the car.

As they finally arrived at their floor, the pair exited the car
and turned towards Bailey’s room. Karlyn could feel Ethan’s rigid body, as he
steeled himself before entering the door. He took a deep breath before pushing
open the door. Bright sunshine had finally found a foothold in through the
single window, and as they entered the room, they saw the light shining on a
sleeping Bailey.

Ethan moved to the side of the bed, sitting to check for any
signs of her awakening. Moving her limp hand into his, he shook her ever so
carefully, trying to see if she would open her eyes. No response came and his
face fell. Karlyn watched the scene take place, feeling his pain in her own
chest.

Hours passed, and Ethan began the same events of the day before. Pacing,
and checking his sister every few moments. While out to grab Karlyn a coffee
and get him a few moments to focus on something else, Karlyn noted that Bailey’s
fingers moved slightly. Moments later, Ethan returned to the news and rushed to
the bedside. Grasping Bailey’s hand in his, he felt her squeeze.

****

It was enough for him in that moment, and it calmed him to see
responsiveness of some kind from her limp form. Within hours, she was squeezing
his fingers regularly, and by the time the nurses kicked them from the room,
she had moved her head. Happiness and hope flooded his heart and he spent the
night sleeping in the arms of his woman, his first real night of good sleep. The
next morning he awoke early to stand vigil over his sister.

By the third morning after her surgery, Bailey finally opened her
eyes. Ecstatic, Ethan’s joy diminished slightly when they realized Bailey could
not speak. Once the doctors came in and used a system of her moving her eyelids
to respond to them, they realized that she had little use of the left side of
her body as well. But she was alive. And therapy would start immediately.