by Nic Saint
Just then, the door to the room swung open, and a raging fury entered. He recognized Amy’s sister Jackie, and when she began to rain a torrent of furious blows on his back, pulling him off her sister, he woke up to the realization that perhaps he’d done something rash.
“Get off her, you maniac!” Jackie was screeching, hitting him with her tiny fists. “You rapist! You fucking freak! Get off my sister!”
Reluctantly, he rolled off Amy, who seemed dazed at this sudden interruption. She reached out for Brad. “Don’t go, honey. Don’t listen to that crazy sister of mine. She’s just jealous. You know how it is.”
Stunned, Jackie stared at her sister. “What the hell…”
Holding onto Brad, Amy threw Jackie a steely glance. “He’s my boyfriend. If you want one, go and get your own!”
“But… Amy…” Jackie muttered feebly.
Amy clasped her arms around Brad’s waist, holding onto him for dear life. “Don’t leave me, Brad. Don’t listen to my stupid sister. She wants you for her own but you’re mine—mine, you hear!”
And as if to prove her point, she spread her legs, showing her wet cunt. “Look what he did. He just came inside me. That’s right. He fucked the hell out of me!”
Flabbergasted, Jackie staggered back until she reached the wall, then plopped down on one of the chairs conveniently placed there for visitors.
Brad felt embarrassed and moved to cover Amy with the sheet. He now realized he’d allowed himself to get carried away. He stroked her head and turned to Jackie. “She’s not herself right now,” he explained. “She thinks… She seems to think she’s still eighteen and we’re still together.”
“You’re crazy,” gasped Jackie, eyes wide. “You’re both crazy!”
Brad had to admit the definition definitely applied to him. He felt ashamed now. He should have resisted the urges of his flesh, and not encourage Amy to fulfill her delusional desire.
He covered his crotch with his jeans and sat down next to her on the bed, holding her cheek in his hand. “Honey, you were in an accident. You’re not eighteen anymore, and neither am I.”
Amy giggled and sat up a little straighter. “I like this game. So what am I?”
“You’re twenty-eight now, same as me. You’re a computer expert,” he said gently. “And you just started a clothing store with your sister Jackie.”
“I like it. Playing store, huh? What else?” She clapped her hands, her tits wiggling seductively. It took every ounce of restraint not to reach out and caress her naked form so he took the hospital gown she’d shed and draped it over her, covering her up.
“We’ve both lived our lives, I guess, and have grown older and, perhaps, a little wiser.”
Her eyes were wide and questioning. “But we’re still together, right? Married? How many kids do we have? We always wanted to have twins, remember?”
He inclined his head, and became aware of soft sobs emanating from Jackie. “We did. Twins would have been great.”
Amy slung her hands around his neck, and snuggled up to him. “I like this game, Brad,” she murmured. “Still together after all these years, huh? All our dreams come true?”
He held her tight, then, hugging her close as the tears started to sting behind his eyes. “Yeah. All our dreams come true. Just the way we always wanted.”
Chapter 7
“I don’t think…” Amy sipped from the cup of tea one of the nurses had brought. She felt cheerful and as chipper as she’d ever felt. “I don’t think we should let this little tiff come between us, sis. I obviously misread the situation.”
“I guess you did,” her sister said wryly.
Brad had left, and now it was just her and Jackie.
“I’m sorry I attacked you like that. I know you would never dream of trying to steal Brad away from me.” She thrust out her hand. “Friends?”
Jackie shook it half-heartedly. “Friends,” she muttered.
Amy felt as if Jackie was behaving strangely. She didn’t know what it was about her twin, but she kept darting odd glances at her. Finally she couldn’t stand it anymore. She rubbed her nose. “Do I have something on my face, Jack? You keep looking at me all weird like.”
“No,” said Jackie in an odd, even tone. “No, you don’t have anything on your face. In fact you’ve never looked better. At least for someone who’s just been in an accident.”
Amy furrowed her brow and took another dainty sip from her tea. “Accident? What are you talking about? I haven’t been in an accident. I’d remember if I had.”
Suddenly, Jackie’s hand stole out and grabbed her arm. “That’s just the point, sis. You don’t remember, do you? I mean, you don’t remember anything from the last ten years.”
“Ten years? Of course I remember. I remember everything.” She jabbed a finger at her sister. “I remember you being mighty jealous when I told you Brad kissed me behind the bicycle stand.”
Jackie’s face flushed and Amy laughed.
“See? I remember everything. I even remember what I had for breakfast this morning. Honey pops. I remember because you told me I shouldn’t eat that junk. That I should take better care of myself and only eat that goop you like so much.” She wrinkled her nose. “Oatmeal. Yuk. How can eat that stuff is so beyond me.”
A sob sounded and when she looked up, her sister was crying—big, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. “Hey,” she said, worry lacing her voice. “What’s wrong, Jack? I’m sorry about the goop. If you like it, that’s fine. Or is it Brad? I know I shouldn’t keep rubbing him in your face. I know you saw him first.”
Jackie dabbed at her tears with the sleeve of her pullover. “It’s not that. It’s just that…” She shook her head despondently, then spirited a brave smile on her face. “Let’s wait and see what the doctor says, shall we?”
“Doctor? I’m not sick. Why should I see a doctor all of a sudden.”
“Just… trust me on this. You’re not well, honey. Not well at all.”
Suit yourself, Amy thought with a shrug. Her sister always was a worrywart. “I’ll see a doctor if that makes you feel better,” she conceded.
She sighed and leaned back against the pillow, only now seeing the room in all its starkness. “Hey, this isn’t my room, is it?” She glanced over at the window, surprised to find the airplane mobile she’d made in third grade gone.
“No, this isn’t your room, Ames. You’re in the hospital now,” her sister explained patiently. “You were in an accident and the ambulance brought you here.”
“Do you think Brad will come back soon?” Amy asked absentmindedly. She missed her boyfriend already.
“I’m… sure he’ll be back soon. He just had some errands to run.”
“School, huh? Did I miss much? Don’t want to miss the prom.”
“You didn’t miss a thing, sweetie. Don’t you worry about that.”
Suddenly something occurred to her. “If I’m in the hospital, where’s Mom and Dad? Shouldn’t they be here to take care of me?”
Jackie clasped a hand to her face, and once more broke into tears.
“Something I said?” inquired Amy.
Her sister merely shook her head, and rose from her perch on the bed. “I… Mom and Dad will be here soon, honey. I just need to step out for a bit now. I’ll be back, I promise.”
“Hey, if you see one of the nurses, tell them to bring me some honey pops. I suddenly have this incredible craving.” She grinned. “Must be all that nookie with Brad.”
Jackie nodded fiercely, then stumbled to the door and left without another word. Weird, Amy thought. Her sister was definitely acting weird today. She decided not to give her twin another thought. Brad had been here and he’d made love to her as if it were their first time all over again. Nothing could spoil her mood of quiet jubilation now. Absolutely nothing.
She rested back against the pillow, feeling a little tired. Perhaps her sister was right. Perhaps she had been in some kind of accident and needed to recover. But then why didn
’t she remember a thing? Her eyes drifted closed, and before long she was fast asleep, dreaming sweet dreams about Brad and how they’d get married soon and live together forever. And in a couple of years, just like he’d said, she and Jackie would open a store together and she’d have twins.
Yeah, she decided as reality blurred into a wispy cloud of dreams, life was pretty damn great…
Chapter 8
Brad walked down the street, a bag of groceries on his arm, when he passed by the spot where Amy had had her accident the day before. Cars were driving past, and as he raised his head to focus on the church where he’d kissed her before the fatal leap across the road, his lips tightened. Stupid. So stupid.
Pausing for a moment before he headed to his car, he noticed the store of the Remington sisters was closed. Jackie was probably still at the hospital, he reckoned, and Amy, thinking she was eighteen again, would probably not be back for a little while.
Guiltily, he stared in through the dark display windows at the clothes on display. He knew how hard the twins had worked to open this store. His pop had told him everyone and his little brother had warned them they were fighting a losing battle, opening a store on Main Street where all others had failed.
People didn’t shop in town anymore, the convenience of the mall replacing the romance of strolling down Main Street, hand in hand with their loved ones.
Ban cars altogether, he thought, and people would be forced to shop closer to home once again, and local business would thrive. Small business owners like Amy and Jackie having a fair chance to compete with the big chain stores.
As he stared at the marquee displaying this was the place to buy the latest fashion, a voice called out from across the street. Turning to face its owner, he was surprised to find Sheriff Tucker jogging over to join him.
His heart sank. The sheriff and he had never been friends, and with the accident their relationship wasn’t likely to improve.
“Hey, Bill,” he said, holding out his hand in greeting.
“Brad,” the sheriff intoned gruffly, his expression none too friendly.
The lawman was a big guy, his rotundity prominently on display, as was his snowy white walrus mustache, the color matching his bushy brows.
“What’s up?”
“Wanna talk to you about what happened here yesterday.”
“The Remingtons file a complaint?”
Bill shook his head. “Nope. Driver did. Said this woman came storming out of nowhere like a bat outta hell and there was no way he could avoid her.”
“The driver file a complaint? What the hell for?”
“He’s afraid he’ll be sued for damages. Amy is still in the hospital. Doctors think she might have suffered amnesia.”
Brad thought back to what had happened in Amy’s hospital room the day before and his cock twitched at the recollection. “She sure has,” he commented. “Thinks she’s still a cheerleader at Jefferson High and I’m her boyfriend.”
The sheriff searched his face, his eyes narrowing. “Not thinking about taking advantage of the situation now are you, Fuller?”
“Not a chance.”
The sheriff grunted something, then took out pad and pencil. “Tell me what happened.”
In a few words Brad described the events that led up to the accident, taking care not to incriminate himself in the process.
“So you talked to her and then she ran across the road, is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s what happened.”
Bill looked skeptical. “What did you two talk about?”
“Oh, just this and that. Hadn’t seen each other in years. You know how it is.”
The other man eyed Brad sharply. “No, I don’t know how it is. Why don’t you tell me exactly what was said that upset her so.”
Brad’s jaw clenched. “She wasn’t upset, sheriff. We just talked like old friends, and she ran across the street because she had to get back to the store. In her hurry she didn’t look out and ran under that car.”
“Mh… Seems to me you told her something that made her lose her head, Amy Remington not being the kind of girl who’d run across the road without checking twice.”
“Well, she did.” He hitched up the bag of groceries. “That all, sheriff?”
“You’ve got nothing more to add to your statement, Brad? Nothing about what exactly transpired between you and Amy?”
Brad was fast losing patience with the arm of the law. “Nope. I said about all I’ve got to say on the subject.”
The sheriff tucked away his notepad and gave him a curt nod. “Thinking about staying in Buford for a while, are you?”
“Two weeks’ leave. You know the drill.”
“Yeah. I know the drill.” He suddenly stabbed his finger in Brad’s chest. “What I also know is that each time you’re in town shit happens, Fuller. Shit that pisses me off big time, like what happened to poor Amy Remington.” He brought his face close to Brad’s, his eyes shifting dangerously. “Pull another stunt like that? You might find yourself a guest of the county.”
Brad gave him a hard stare back, not budging an inch. “Is that right?”
“Yeah. That’s right. I’ve got a nice hard bench with your name written all over it, Fuller.”
“I’ll have to pay you a visit then, sheriff.”
The sheriff’s visage was coloring darkly purple now. “Anytime, asshole. Any. Time.”
Brad gave him a curt nod, lips thin and tight. “See you around, Tucker.”
“Can’t wait,” growled the sheriff, the veins in his temples throbbing dangerously.
Brad gave the man of the law a salute and ambled off, feeling only slightly disturbed by the meeting. Tucker had never liked him much and hadn’t made a secret of it either. It was true that there had been some bar brawls in the past, when he’d stormed into town, but that was a long time ago. These days he just came to visit his dad and what few friends remained, and got the hell out of Buford as fast as he could, nothing of interest holding his attention.
This year that all had changed. The moment he heard Amy Remington had come back to Buford for good, and had opened a shop with her sister, he’d discovered a sudden yearning to head on home and catch a glimpse of his long lost love.
Well, he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. He’d caught a glimpse of her and a lot more. Now he wasn’t so sure if he was happy about it. For the second time his life had collided with that of the Remingtons and he’d left his mark on it. Hopefully this time the damage would only be temporary, but it could have been worse. Much, much worse.
For the same token, Amy might not be among them anymore now. The thought horrified him beyond belief. He decided with some reluctance that perhaps he should simply stay away from her from now on. It was obvious theirs was a union that was cursed from the start.
Jackie’s harsh words sounded in his ears once again. Yes, he’d brought Amy’s family nothing but trouble. Perhaps it was time to sever the ties once and for all.
Chapter 9
“What do you think, Mom? Should I call him or wait until he calls me?”
Amy giggled as she twirled around the room in her cheerleader outfit, her temporary sojourn at the hospital already forgotten.
“Honey, you better lie down,” her mother warned with a worried frown. “You know what the doctor said. You suffered a mild concussion and shouldn’t be up and about.”
“But I feel fine!” she exclaimed, showcasing her high kick.
Her mother clutched a hand to her heart. “I’d feel much better if you just took it easy, hon.”
She rolled her eyes and plunked down on the couch her mother had turned into a temporary sickbed, just like she used to when she was little and home with the flu. She flopped down and draped a hand across her brow. “I think I’ll let him call me this time. No need to come across all needy, right? Let him chase me for a change.” She noticed her mother looked quite miserable as she spoke these words. “What’s wrong, Mom? Don’t you like Brad any
more? I thought you said he was a fine boy?”
“As fine as they come,” repeated her mother words she’d frequently spoken before. “Only now’s not the time to think about boys, honey. You need to get well first.”
She groaned. “But I am well. In fact I’ve never felt better.”
“It’s the drugs,” murmured Mom. “Those painkillers you’re on make you feel all giddy. I know they had the same effect on your daddy before he—” she abruptly cut off her words and bit her lip, looking horrified.
“Before Daddy what?” asked Amy. She now wondered for the first time why she hadn’t seen her father yet. “Where is Daddy, anyway? He didn’t come to visit me at the hospital. Is he still at work?”
Mom’s lip trembled, and her face revealed a sadness Amy hadn’t seen there before. She also noticed wrinkles around Mom’s eyes that hadn’t been there. She looked so old all of a sudden. And her hair—didn’t she detect smudges of gray scattered along the dark brown? “Mom, you should really start painting your hair. I can see several gray strands.”
Mom stifled a sob. “Oh, honey…”
She sat up, properly worried now. “What’s wrong, Mom? Why are you crying? If it’s about my accident, I’m fine. I don’t even remember what happened. Jackie says I ran under a car but I find that hard to believe. I’d remember if I did a silly thing like that, wouldn’t I?”
Her eyes scanned the living room with a frown. More things were out of place, she felt. For instance she couldn’t remember them ever owning a fancy flat screen TV like the one perched near the window. “When did Daddy buy a new TV?” she muttered, and when her mother didn’t respond, she noticed to her horror how big, fat tears were rolling down her cheeks.
She quickly sprang up and kneeled at her mother’s feet. “Oh, Mom, don’t cry. Whatever it is, I’m sure we’ll work it out.”
Her mother reached down a trembling hand and placed it on her cheek. “Honey, don’t you remember anything? Not even…” She closed her eyes and shook her head, as if she herself didn’t want to recall the memory.