|
WENDY [ part 8 ] I don't know about you, but being inside a plane reminds me of a sardine tin, the only trouble being that we don't have the key on the outside. The reason I'm so cranky is that I've been inside this tin, sorry plane, for over six hours now and there's only so much you can do, legally, in such a thing. It was a rush, but I managed to pack some clothing, I did try to ask Martha about this but she just shook her head. "No time to explain, just enough to get ready." Wendy remained in the living room watching the film while I did all the packing. The company had done us proud. A car picked us up from my house and drove us directly to the Airport; we waited in the VIP lounge for the flight and travelled to the gate by an oversized golf cart. The stewardess's, or cabin crew, welcomed us aboard and we were shown to our seats in the first class section, Wendy found that she was sitting by the window and took great delight in looking out of it. When the plane took off, however, she was holding tightly to my hands as the seat tilted back. I must admit that I was scared as well. My feelings weren't helped by the talk about emergency exits and life jackets either; I started to think about sitting with the black box - at least that was always found! We were lucky enough that the seats had small screens in them; Wendy watched some pop music thing, while I tried to sleep. But there were some other kids who I assumed were illegitimate as they kept shouting to the cabin crew 'Don't you know who our parents are?' as well as expecting service all the time. At one point a couple of these kids looked over the seat at Wendy, "Hey come on, we're going to wreck a toilet!" One boy said, but Wendy shook her head and held on to me, "Oh, so you're a goody two-shoes are you?" He asked her mockingly. "No, I know I'm loved enough by my daddy that he wants me with him!" Wendy said looking at me and smiling. Almost disgusted the leader shook his head, "Come on guys, she's no fun anyway!" And the mob in training turned away. I smiled at Wendy and kissed her head. The brats were rounded up and placed in their seats with a couple of burly bodyguards at either end of the aisle. The rest of the trip was uneventful, noisy but that was all. I was about the clime the walls when we landed in America, again Wendy held onto my hand again as the wheels touched down. We stayed in our seats until the plane was nearly empty, before getting out and disembarking. We thanked the stewardess's for their attentions and I was told that Wendy had been a lovely exception to their normal younger passengers, and from watching the brats being escorted away I could understand their feelings. When we entered the immigration area I saw a familiar figure standing behind one of the officers, she smiled at us and waved us over, while speaking to the officer, he looked at my passport and the one that Martha had supplied for Wendy, glanced back at Sonja - for it was her, and then passed us through to her. "Hello Sonja, this is my daughter Wendy. Wendy this is special agent Sonja Jones . . ." I paused for a moment, "I don't suppose you're any relation to Janet Jones and Amanda?" I asked her. She smiled, "Afraid not, actually I'm an orphan, so we were just handed out names on a rotational basis." "I'm sorry." I said not really knowing what to say about that. "I'm not, I've felt really at home since I was accepted there, if you know what I mean." Sonja said smiling then she turned to Wendy, "How do you do Wendy, I'm pleased to meet you." Wendy went to hold back but then smiled at Sonja, "Thank you. Are you a real FBI person, with a badge and gun and everything?" She asked. Sonja smiled and removed a flat wallet from her pocket and opened it up for Wendy to look at, she then opened her jacket to show Wendy a holster containing a pistol. "I can't take it out to show you, too many nervous people around here. Now if you'll follow me there's a plane ready for you." "But what about our luggage?" I asked slightly concerned. "Don't worry about that, it's been re-directed" Sonja re-assured me but I remembered an old advert for British Airways which was - breakfast in London, Lunch in New York, Luggage in Hong Kong! (this last having been added by hand). But I kept quiet. We were rushed to the small jet, there was one stewardess on the flight, the seats where spacious and there was only another family already seated. Abe Wilkinson introduced his wife Joyce and their 11 year old son, Jonathan. "You folks moving to . . . err … to" Abe asked uncertain as to what to say. "Oh no, just getting some relaxation, my daughter needs a change of scenery." I said smiling. "Is she spending time at the Hotel?" Joyce asked and then carried on speaking, "We've got Jonathan into their tennis group. We hear they have a wonderful training routine." She added. "Oh really, is he interested in tennis?" I asked just to be sociable. "Well to tell you the truth, he's been a bit slack in his lessons, and we felt he needed the inspiration." Joyce said. "Do you know much about the town?" Abe asked me. "Nothing at all, it's just that a friend of mine has invited us both to visit her and we've taken her up on the offer." I said just then the stewardess arrived with a meal for us and soft drinks (or soda's I suppose I should say) for the children. The food was surprisingly quite good and was finished off in quick order, Wendy and Jonathan was shown a games console and started to play something I didn't recognise while Abe and Joyce sat with me and we talked. It seems that Abe was into real estate - or a realtor, as he called himself. And Joyce was into everything that there was, church functions, PTA you name it she was part of it. The trouble was they didn't seen to have enough time for their son, and he was looked after by a succession of tutors. I think that was where his main problems stemmed from, but I was too British to tell them that! A chime drew our attention to a light flashing and the stewardess came out and asked us to fasten our seat belts as there was some turbulence expected. Wendy came over to me and sat beside me holding my arm. The plane gave a shudder and there was a bang. The lights went out and then I felt my stomach drop as the plane went down. Then . . . ---- I couldn't see anything, people were moving my arms and legs I could feel them but for some reason I couldn't speak. I heard a woman speaking, "Well there's no problem there, he's healthy and the count is good." She was saying but then another female voice spoke up. "Doctor, there's a change to the heartbeat . . . I think he's awake!" "Mr. Argent? John? Don't worry there was a slight problem with the plane you were in, but everyone is fine, Wendy's perfectly alright, just asleep so you don't need to be concerned about her." Her voice started to fade away as I drifted off again, but at least I could relax, Wendy was okay. But I did hear something. "What the hell happened how did he . . ." ---- When I came to I was lying in a bed, a nurse sitting beside me smiled at me, "Hello John. Are you thirsty? I'm Mary." "Where's Wendy?" I croaked out - for some reason my throat was sore. Mary handed me a drink with a straw, I gratefully sucked on it and moistened my throat, and I repeated my question. Mary gave a comforting gesture, "She's in the next bed sleeping." I was told. I raised myself up and looked in the direction indicated. There on the bed sleeping peacefully was my daughter. I fell back - 'why was I so tired?' I wondered to myself but at the moment I couldn't do anything about it. Mary seemed to understand my feelings as she made me more comfortable. "Don't worry about anything at the moment, you're recovering from lack of oxygen, it was lucky that the pilot was able to get the plane down so quickly after the plane was hit." She said. "Hit, by what?" I asked but Mary shook her head "We haven't been told, but it was a surprise start to the Wilkinson's holiday, but they weren't as badly affected." Mary said but I started to drift off before she finished speaking. ---- A kiss on my cheek awoke me - sort of like sleeping beauty I suppose - and I found Amanda standing beside me. "Hello daddy John, are you feeling better?" She asked me and yes I had to admit that I did feel fine. "Is that Wendy, she looks pretty." Amanda said looking over at my daughter. "Yes, she does." I said and went to get up, only to stop when I realised that I wasn't even wearing a hospital gown, Amanda giggled at my predicament I just looked at her, "Young lady you will get me a gown to wear, preferably one that doesn't tie up at the back." I said gravely. "Yes daddy John." Amanda said and ran into another door that I hadn't noticed before. Coming out a few minutes later with a dressing gown which, when I put it on, came to just above my knees - but it was better than nothing. "Thank you." I said and put it on. I then moved my feet out of the bed and, pulling the gown around me, stepped out of the bed and moved to Wendy's bed. I reached out to her and gently stroked her hair. She sighed and turned, her eyes opening and seeing me. "Daddy! You're alright . . . I'm so glad. I didn't know what had happened but the nurse said you were okay and I was okay and . . . and I was so scared." Wendy said, before she noticed Amanda standing behind me, "Hello, who are you?" She asked. "I'm Amanda, remember we spoke on the telephone. How are you feeling?" Amanda asked. Wendy jumped out of the bed, she was dressed the same way I had been, and hugged Amanda, "I'm fine, but why are you here?" she asked. Amanda smiled, "Mummy said I could come over and see if daddy John was awake and ready for us." She said. I smiled because I had noticed something, and I gave a discrete cough. "Amanda, haven't you forgotten something?" I asked her She turned to me with a small smile on her lips. "Like what daddy John?" She asked. I sat down on the bed pulling her to me and over my lap, flipping over the skirt she was wearing to reveal bare flesh beneath. "Like . . . not . . . wearing . . . any . . . underwear?" I said, punctuating each word with a smack on her behind. I heard a squeak of alarm from Wendy who moved back into her bed. "But Wendy's not wearing anything and you haven't told her off!" Amanda said logically. "Because Wendy was put into bed like that, she couldn't make the choice." I said. But Wendy made a slight face, as if saying 'why should she get all the fun?' so I decided to act, "But you're right she shouldn't have got out of the bed!" And I cocked my finger at Wendy to join me. She got out of her bed and stood in front of me, "But daddy, you said yourself I had no clothes to wear so it's different." She said but I could see the smile on her face and the sparkling of her eyes. "That's no excuse is it young lady." I said and pulled her over my legs, I gave her six smacks, so that she didn't feel slighted by Amanda's punishment. "Now what do you say?" I asked her. She rubbed her backside and then she looked at me smiling, "Thank you daddy, I'll try to behave." She said and jumped back into her bed, pulling the sheets around her. Amanda just stared at her, "You mean you don't mind him hitting you like that?" She asked Wendy. Wendy shook her head, "Oh no, daddy loves me that's why he doesn't really like to hit me, I have to tell him its okay." She said Amanda looked at me, "I didn't hear her ask you. How did she?" She asked me. I smiled, "That's for me to know. But I'm beginning to understand my daughter now." I said looking at Wendy who just smiled back at me. Just then the door opened to admit a young woman wearing a pink and white costume, she seemed surprised to see me up and about. "Mr. Argent would you please return to bed." She said. I don't know why but I smiled at her and said, "Only if you'll join me." She looked at Amanda and Wendy and returned my smile. "I don't think I'd better. The doctor's on her way and she might not like it." She said - but she didn't refuse my advances! "Now if you'll hand me your dressing gown I'll hang it back up." And she held out her hand to me. I was conscious of three pairs of eyes on me as I undid the cord holding the gown close, I gave a mental shrug and took off the garment, leaving me naked in front of two pre-teenaged girls and this young lady, she licked her lips as she looked at me and smiled, "Mummy warned me of men like you." She said, "I must thank her one day!" She added with a smile. Amanda giggled at my expression and pointedly looked at my bed, I took the hint and got into the bed, the 'candy-striper' returned and tucked in the sheets, she then checked Wendy's sheets and arranged them as well. Just in time as the door opened and a white coated woman entered the room, she looked at me and nodded. "Ah, good you're both awake. You'll be happy to hear that we can't find any serious problems after your mishap and I think we'll be able to release you soon." She looked at Wendy. "Now I found you are still a virgin, I take it you wish to remain so while you're here?" Wendy looked at me confused and so I spoke up. "My daughter is rather naïve about such things, her mother kept her uninformed about such things." The doctor looked slightly bemused with my answer and looked through her notes again. "Oh! I see. Well it might be better if you wear this." And she handed Wendy a pendant. Wendy looked at it uncertain of what to do with it, but Amanda quickly went to her and placed the pendant on Wendy's neck, fastening it behind her. The doctor nodded and then turned to me, "That pendant tells everyone that Wendy cannot engage in sexual congress with anyone, it is her decision as to who can approach her. I hope you won't force her either." "I can assure you doctor I have no intention of forcing my daughter at all." I said. "I do understand Mr. Argent, but as you are a visitor here you should be aware that we are slightly un-inhibited about such matters, and many of our children are taught in sexual matters at an early age. All you should know is that if any of them are wearing the pendant it is a strict case of leave well alone." The doctor told me. "I think I'd better stay here then, before I make a mistake." I said. But the doctor shook her head, "You won't and anyway Amanda here will be able to help you as will her mother. There's nothing more I have to tell you except for one final thing. . . . Welcome to Ropeville." |