by Lacey Black
After removing her lounge pants and panties, I start to slide the fresh shorts up her legs. Torture. Pure and simple. This is fucking torture. I try to clear my mind, focus on the fact that this is a patient, but then I get a glance of those long legs and perfect tits and my mind is right back in the gutter.
“Will,” I hear Carmen moan in a low raspy voice. She’s so quiet that I almost don’t hear her. I stop the slow progression of dressing her bottom half and look up at her. Her eyes are still closed, her hair is matted to her forehead, and her breathing is slightly labored, yet I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman.
“I’m right here, honey,” I respond after I rewet my lips.
“Don’t leave,” she whispers again, trying to turn.
I quickly pull her shorts the rest of the way up as she grasps for my hand. “I don’t want you to ever leave,” she mumbles as she starts to drift back off to sleep with her hand still clenching firmly to my left one.
“I won’t,” I confess as I lean forward and place a gentle kiss on her forehead. I push all of the wet hair back and just stare down at her face. I memorize every breath, every laugh line, every imperfection. The way her eyelashes flutter against her cheek. The way her breathing hitches every time I move. The way her nose flares out just a little bit with each breath. I memorize it all because if there ever comes a moment when she’s not in my life, I want to have enough memories to last for the rest of my life.
I wait several minutes until I know she’s good and asleep again before I pry my hand out of her grasp. I place the first cool washcloth behind her neck and place the second one on her forehead. I know I’m already going to be changing the sheets as soon as possible, so having them wet with something other than sweat doesn’t concern me right now. Getting her fever down is my main focus. She needs a cool shower.
I head into the living room and find Zach sitting on the couch. The video console is out, but it’s left off.
“How is she?” he asks as I step into the room.
“I need to get her fever down. A cool bath or shower is the best way to do it, but I don’t want to leave her in there by herself. She’s too weak to stand up and I’m afraid she’ll drown herself if I draw a bath.”
“Can you help her? I would do it, but that’s just gross,” Zach says making a horrified face.
My mind fills with images of a wet Carmen, all lathered up and sudsy. This may be my toughest job yet. “Yeah, I can do that. She’ll probably be pissed off, though,” I start. “Oh, sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. My mom says pissed sometimes, too,” Zach says with a laugh.
“Did you eat lunch?” I ask, noticing that it’s already after three.
“No, I was too freaked out about Mom.”
“Come on, let’s get you a sandwich or something and then I’ll work on getting that fever down some more,” I tell Zach.
“Okay,” he says as we both walk into the kitchen.
We make quick work of pulling bread and all the fixings out of the fridge for a sandwich. I skipped lunch myself with worry about Carmen. So, I quickly throw some mayo on a few slices of bread, give each one a squirt of mustard, and watch as Zach finishes making us each a ham and cheese sandwich. The fact that he didn’t correct me or balk at the mustard was a welcome surprise. So is the fact that we just completed a very domestic task together. Just a twelve-year-old and me.
We each inhale the sandwich and set out to complete our next tasks. Zach seems calmer now that I’m here, he’s eaten, and he knows his mom is going to be okay.
“Play some video games if you want. I’m going to clean up the bucket and get her ready for a shower,” I tell him as I head back into her room.
When the first job is complete, I start to prepare Carmen for a shower. “Come on, honey. We need to get you in the shower,” I say as I help her sit up.
Carmen mumbles incoherently and tries to flop back down on the bed. She’s shivering uncontrollably, but that’s just the fever talking. I finally get her upright and standing – somewhat – in front of me. Her eyes crack open just the slightest giving a glimpse of those beautiful eyes.
“Hey,” I say as I give her a warm smile.
“Will?” she whispers. “I’m so cold.”
“I know. That’s the fever. You’re not going to like me very much, but we’re going to get in the shower and try to cool you off a little more. Okay?”
“Together?”
“Yeah,” I respond with my voice, while down below responds a little as well. Bastard.
“Okay,” she mumbles as I steer her towards the bathroom across the hall.
Inside the bathroom, I gently set her down on the closed toilet lid. She sways just a little and I quickly have to steady her with both hands. God, I hope she doesn’t fall over and bust open her head. There’s just no room to maneuver in here, and if she falls, she’s either hitting the sink or the tub.
I quickly turn on the water, trying to find the right temperature for both of us. I know that the water needs to be lukewarm, and no matter what the temp, she’s going to feel like she’s freezing her ass off. Hell, I’m going to be freezing my ass off.
When the temperature is set, I decide to strip myself first. This way, I’m all set to get inside the shower when she’s ready. Naked. When we’re both naked. I make quick work of removing my uniform top and undershirt. I watch her head bob around a little bit as if her neck is unable to withstand the weight any longer. I quickly lose my boots, pants, and boxers and throw them in a pile in front of the locked door.
When I’m completely naked and my glasses are placed on the sink, I step in front of Carmen and start to remove the tank top I dressed her in, not that long ago. Her glassy eyes look up at me, trying to focus.
“Will?”
“Yeah, honey?” I reply as her tits bounce free from the shirt, drawing my attention away from her eyes.
“Are we going to have sex?” she asks all mumbled and raspy.
“Not right now, sugar. Maybe later,” I say with a wink and the slight rise of the corner of my mouth.
“I like having sex with you,” she confesses breathlessly as I stand her up and remove her shorts. It’s painfully obvious how much my body is enjoying standing in close confines with a very naked Carmen, but I need to focus on the task at hand.
“I rather enjoy having sex with you, too,” I reply as I lead her shaking body toward the shower. “We’re gonna take a quick shower and try to get your temp to drop a little, okay?”
“Okay,” she mumbles again as we step under the spray.
The water is cold to me and instinctively, I want to crank up the heat. But, Carmen needs cooler water right now. The water hits her in the back and she lets out a little yelp in surprise and discomfort. I pull her closer to me as she tries to get away from the water spray. Her body is so hot, but she’s trying to burrow into me like she can’t get close enough. Sharing body heat with Carmen while naked in the shower isn’t exactly the worst thing in the world.
“No, no, no. You need to stay under the water and cool off.”
“It’s…too…cold…” she says, her teeth chattering together.
I don’t know how it’s possible, but I pull her body flush against mine further. With her pressed against me, she’s at least standing still under the water stray. I reach over and grab a washcloth and gently use it to rub around the back of her neck.
Carmen’s warm hands against the planes of the top of my chest startles me. I revel in the feel of her soft fingers as they glide effortlessly along my pecs, up and over my shoulders, and back down to my abs.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whispers as her fingers continue to explore my body, making my pecs jump with the slightest tickle.
“You’re beautiful. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” I confess as I stare deep into her glassy, brown eyes. “I’m gonna help you wash your hair, okay? Just stand still.”
Carmen drops her head back as if the effort to hold up her
head is too much. Using both of my hands, I let the water soak her hair, pushing it back and away from her forehead.
“That feels good,” she mumbles as I squirt a bit of shampoo in my palm. I lather up my hands and work my fingers against her scalp. Her moans of pleasure are almost my undoing. The proof is in my hard-on pressing against her stomach.
Without opening her eyes, Carmen’s fingers drop down and start to rub my shaft in long, fluid strokes. Fuck. “Baby, you need to stop doing that, okay? I need to focus on getting your fever down and with your hands on my dick, I can’t concentrate.”
“I love your dick,” she says as she sways a little. I know I’m on borrowed time here and need to get this shower wrapped up.
“My dick might love you a little, too,” I say with a smile as I rinse the suds from her long hair, her long fingers stroking me into painful delirium.
Grabbing the washcloth again, I soap it up in Carmen’s lavender soap and set out to wash the sweat and grime from her lush body. It’s torture. God’s evil way of telling me something. What? No clue, but I’ve clearly done something terrible to have to endure this kind of punishment. I make quick work at running the cloth over her entire body, all while she continues to hold on to my dick like it’s a life preserve.
“I love the way it feels. Your skin is so soft and you’re so hard all the time. I love the way it feels inside of me. I love the way it feels when we’re together, William. I love it almost as much as I love you,” she whispers moments before she sways and falls into my chest. I feel her legs starting to slip out from under her and know that the shower is over. I pull her snug against me and turn off the water. I’ll have to deal with her revelation later. Right now? I need to get my very sick woman back to bed.
After throwing open the curtain, I grab a towel from the rack and wrap it around her trembling body. She’s shivering from head to toe, teeth chattering so loud that I’m afraid Zach can hear them in the living room.
I gently lower her down to the toilet lid again and grab a second towel for myself. I really don’t want to carry her into her room with her son out there while we’re both wearing nothing but a towel. So, I quickly step into my pants and grab my undershirt. I leave my boxers and my top on the floor by the hamper to deal with later.
Once I’m covered and slide my glasses back on my face, I try to stand her up, but her legs aren’t functional any longer, so I pick her up like she weighs nothing. Hell, she practically doesn’t weigh anything. Carmen tucks her head against my chest under my chin and exhales. I feel her hot breath against me and it practically makes me go out of my ever-loving mind. I want to throw her over my shoulder and grunt. I’ve never been the Neanderthal type, but fuck if she doesn’t bring it out of me.
I maneuver around in the small bathroom until I’m able to open the door one-handed. I make sure that she’s completely covered as I step out into the hallway. Zach looks over, concern evident on his face.
“She’s okay, buddy. She’s just very tired and weak,” I tell him as I step across the hall and into her room.
Closing the door behind me, I set her down on her bed. Instead of placing her under the covers, I decide to change her sheets quickly. Stepping back out into the hallway, I find a second set of sheets in the little linen closet at the end of the hallway. Since Carmen is passed out on half the bed, I have to remove the sheets and get the new ones in place on the half she’s not occupying.
As I pull her hot body into my arms again to move her to the other side of the bed, I can’t help but revel in the feel of her against me. She feels so damn right. As if the missing piece of my soul just clicked into place.
I hold her tight in my arms as the realization slams into me with the force of a thousand bricks. I have no clue if she was serious or delirious from the fever when she told me she loved me, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am one-hundred percent in love with her. I have no clue when it happened, but I am so fucking in love with her that she steals my breath away with her mere presence. Her laughter, her smile, the way she snuggles up against me…God, I’m so far in love with her that I can’t even recall what my life was like before her.
Nothing. That’s what my life was like before her. Before Carmen? I had no life. I merely existed.
This? This is heaven. She has quickly become my life. I love her so completely with everything I have. And Zach? The chocolate fudge icing on the fucking chocolate cake.
I settle her down on top of the clean sheets and gently stroke her forehead and the sides of her face. She’s still hot, but doesn’t appear as miserable as before. I make quick work at finishing the bedding, throw a lightweight t-shirt over the top of her, and grab the hairbrush I find on the dresser. If having Avery as a little sister has taught me anything, it’s that women are crazy about their hair. And I don’t want Carmen going to sleep with wet, tangled hair. So, I set out and do something I’ve never done before outside of Brooklyn, and that’s brush a woman’s hair. It’s wet and full of tangles, but I gently hold small groups of silky, wet strands and carefully pick through the knots.
When her hair is brushed through as best I can, I head back out to check on Zach. He’s right where I left him – playing video games in the living room.
“How is she?” he asks tentatively.
“She’s gonna be just fine. If it’s okay with you, I’m going to hang around for a while and keep an eye on her. We gotta be careful that her fever doesn’t spike anymore, okay?”
“Okay,” Zach says will a bit of excitement. “Can we play my basketball game? And maybe order a pizza?”
“Sure. When do you go to your dad’s?” I ask.
“Tomorrow around three. He’s supposed to pick me up when he’s done with a lunch meeting. Then we’re gonna go have burgers and fries and watch the ball drop on TV at home.” I can tell Zach is excited about the prospect of spending some one on one time with his father.
“Sounds like fun. When do you come back to your mom’s house?”
“Sunday night. Will Mom be better by then?”
“I’m sure she will. I have to work on Friday the second and then over the weekend, but I’ll be around to check on her.”
“Thanks, Will,” he says as he hands me a controller for the gaming system. It appears that I’m in for a long few days.
*****
At three-thirty, there’s a hard knock on the door. Zach practically sprints from the kitchen table to the front door. About a half hour ago, I made him sit down and have a snack with me just to get him away from the front window. He’d been pacing and checking the driveway for the better part of twenty minutes.
“Dad!” Zach hollers as he throws open the door.
I watch from the kitchen entryway as Zach’s father walks in the house. I finally get my first glimpse at the man who was once married to Carmen. He’s actually shorter than I would have thought. Though he’s probably a smidgen taller than Carmen, he’s a couple of inches shorter than me. He carries himself as if he demands respect everywhere he goes. He comes off arrogant and self-important just by the way he stands, but that’s probably the decade or so that he’s put in as a high profile lawyer. He sports a very stylish cut of his black hair – probably a cut he gets regularly at a salon – and has dark eyes that look almost black.
“Who’s this?” Nick asks Zach from his position by the door.
“This is Will,” Zach says with excitement. “He’s Mom’s friend that got me the ball and tickets to see the Belters that I told you about,” Zach says with pride.
“Will Stevens,” I say, stepping from the doorway of the kitchen and extending my hand towards Nick.
He gives me the once-over before placing his hand firmly in my own. “Nick Raymond,” he says. And as if to reiterate his position in the family, he adds, “Zach’s father.”
Okay, so this is how this is gonna go. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to a pissing match with Nick, but apparently he’s all about pointing out his status and making sure I�
�m in my place…which is behind him somewhere.
“A friend of Carmen’s?” he asks with the raise of an eyebrow. You can practically hear the open-ended question he left hanging between us.
“Yep. I work with her,” I respond, not giving him any more information.
“I’m ready to go, Dad,” Zach says as he throws on his coat.
“Alright, let’s go then,” he responds. Nick gives me one last glance over his shoulder as he steers his son out the door.
But, before they can get completely outside, Zach turns around and runs back into the living room. “Thank you so much for helping with Mom,” he says with a smile.
I return the hug and give him a quick smile. “No problem, buddy. Have a great time with your dad.”
“Thanks, Will!” he exclaims as he runs out the door, closing it securely behind him.
The entire house is enveloped in quiet. It’s eerie how fast a place can go from full of life to lifeless in a matter of moments. Is this what Carmen goes through on the weekends Zach is off with his father?
I head back to Carmen’s room to check on her. I find her sleeping again in the same place I left her almost two hours ago. I ended up sleeping on the couch last night. I couldn’t leave Zach there by himself all night, taking care of his mom to make sure she received her medicine every couple of hours. Of course, I didn’t want to leave him to take care of himself or prepare his own meals either. Then, there’s the fact that something could have happened to Carmen and he would have been there alone to deal with it. No, it was much better that I stayed with them last night.
Zach and I ordered a pizza for supper and played some video games. We ultimately ended the night by watching some gory zombie apocalypse show on television before I sent him off to bed – his pick, not mine.
I had checked on Carmen off and on all day, but as soon as Zach was off with his dad, I took the opportunity to snuggle in next to her. She was still hot, but the fever was holding steady around 101 degrees.