
Message-ID: <52673asstr$1135354201@assm.asstr.org>
From: Henrie Timmers <devalk2001@sympatico.ca>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Thread-Index: AcYHq/gpcoZ46WusSi6XU1TTs58qYA==
Subject: {ASSM} Once More With Feelings - Chapter 30 NEW! {Night Hawk} (ff, mff, mFF, Time Travel, Rom)
Lines: 2699
Date: Fri, 23 Dec 2005 11:10:02 -0500
Path: not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

===================

"Once More With Feelings"

A novel by "the Night Hawk"
(C) 2004/2005 by Night Hawk


Chapter 30: And the World Turns - Again 

Friday morning, March 14, 1975

Something woke me.  I opened my eyes to see my Darling sound asleep
beside me, her hand just touching mine.  I heard a soft thwipp as the
leaves of the digital clock dropped to mark another minute, and I
lifted my head to see the display show 6:20.  The dim light showed
that the other bed contained only one of our roommates, and I assumed
the other was in the bathroom.  This reminded me that my bladder was
telling me something.

I carefully maneuvered myself over Wendy, trying not to disturb her,
but she still mumbled a little mmf as my movement rocked her on the
mattress.  Nude, I padded barefoot into the dim bathroom and came to a
surprised halt, as I took in the sight of Annette, sitting in the
bathtub with her back to the door.  She was scrunched up with her
knees beneath her chin, her arms wrapped around her legs, and she was
rocking slowly back and forth.

Slowly, I went to kneel beside the tub.  "Honey, you'll round off your
tailbone doing that," I said quietly.

Her head snapped up as she looked at me with a tear-streaked face and
terror in her eyes.  She had been so wrapped up in her own world she
hadn't even realized I was there.  I reached out with both arms, and
she grabbed desperately at me as if she were about to be sucked down
the drain, her tears wet on my bare shoulder.

After holding her tight and stroking her still-short hair for a few
minutes, I said quietly, "You worried about the tournament, Honey?"

I felt her nod tearily against my shoulder.  "I don't know if I can do
it, Patti!" she sniffled.  "This is the big one, and... and...  I don't..."
She paused, then it came out in a rush, "I'm so afraid I'll let you
all down!" she cried.

"But Honey, what makes this different from any other game day?  We've
done it before, we can do it again!"  I said with some puzzlement.

She pulled back to look into my eyes.  "Patti, this is your first year
at St Ursula's.  I've been on the volleyball team for four years, and
for three years, we weren't worth shit!  This year we won our first
game against the best team in the city, and then we kept winning and
winning; everybody expects us to keep winning, and now it's the last
day" Her tears ran afresh, and her lips quivered as she whispered,
"everybody..."

Everybody?

Oh!

I wiped away some of her tears with my thumb.  "She loves you!"  I
said quietly.  "And win or lose, she will still love you tonight!
Honey, no matter how serious people may take it, it's still a game,
not a cure for cancer or world peace.  We all love you, and no matter
what happens today, tonight we will still love you.  Hell,
girlfriend," I grinned, "this game won't amount to more than a
footnote in your biography!"

"My... my biography!" she squeaked incredulously.

"Oh you bet, girl!  You're gonna be in the history books, and they'll
probably name a school or something after you!  But it ain't gonna get
you out of track, no way!"  I stood, pulling her up with me.  "Come
on, there's someone out there who needs a kiss and a cuddle."

With an arm around her shoulders, I led her from the bathroom and
guided her over to where Mandy was just sitting up on the bed.
"Honey?" she asked tentatively as she saw Annette's tear-streaked
face.  "What's wrong?"

"I...  I..." she started.  

"It's okay," I interrupted, looking directly at Mandy, "it's just that
Annette was afraid of disappointing someone today, if things don't go
well." 

Her mouth formed an "O" of understanding as she jumped off the bed and
wrapped her arms around Annette.  "I love you, Honey," she whispered,
and Annette's tears started again, but this time they were happy
tears.  I stood beside them, a hand rubbing each of their backs, then
was hit from the side as Wendy wrapped her arms around Mandy and me.

"Group hug!" she exclaimed, then, "Why are you crying?" as she looked
at Annette.

"Annette was worried about the games today," I explained, "but now
it's happy tears."

"Oh good," she said as she snuggled to me.  "Anyway, it's just more
games, innit..."

I felt Annette's shoulders start to shake again, but she took her head
from Mandy's to look at me with a huge tear-streaked grin.  "Thank
you, Wendy, thank you Patti!" and leaned to kiss me on the cheek as
she hugged me with one arm.  She leaned back a bit and looked me in
the eye.  "Why is it that sometimes I feel you're my big sister?"

Now it was my turn to get a bit teary.  "Oh thank you Annette, that's
the nicest thing anybody's ever said to me!"  I said as I hugged her
back.

We stood for a few moments more, just sharing the feelings, when my
stomach let out a huge growl and broke us all up into peals of
laughter.  "Okay, breakfast!"  Annette giggled.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

By 7:30, the four of us were in the restaurant, where we found Dr.
Parker sipping on a cup of coffee while he looked over the morning
paper.

"What's up Doc?"  I asked.  "Trouble sleeping?"

"He probably had a hard time getting to sleep," quipped Wendy.

"Maybe something kept him up," added Mandy.

Annette and I laughed.  I thought Dr. Parker would be embarrassed by
these comments, but he was grinning from ear to ear.  "Well if it
isn't my eight favorite sights," he said," which started us all
laughing.

We pulled up chairs on both sides of him, as he explained that he had
been an early riser from his days in the military medical corp.  Then
he opened a notebook that I had seen with him yesterday.  I never
thought about it before, but now I saw that he had all kinds of notes
in it.  The waitress came and took our orders.  Figuring that we had
plenty of time to digest a good breakfast we ordered bacon, eggs, hash
browns, and lots of OJ.

"I'm not sure how much you'll remember when it's game time," he said,
"but here's some information you might find useful."

We looked at his notes while shoveling scrambled eggs into our mouths.
During the previous day's games, he had marked all the physical
attributes and weaknesses of our opponents today.  He had marked which
player was left handed or right handed, and which one favored a leg or
position.  "In physical agility," he said, "you outmatch nearly
everyone playing.  That also means that after the tournament, I want
all of you in for X-rays, and I want to see a lot of use of the
whirlpool.  You can't let your muscles go slack now."

"BC is tough, but they rely on brute strength instead of strategy and
finesse.  More of their spikes end up out of court than in.  Nova
Scotia's real strength is in just three players, who are all
left-handed.  Their opposition, so far, hasn't been watching and
doesn't know how to handle mollydukers, so they've been able to sneak
points in.  But," he continued, raising a finger to emphasize the
point, "as a result, they've been overworked.  Two of the three of
them are always on the court." 

I was impressed.  We had a coach who worked us hard, and we had a
doctor who was also an analyst.

"Mollydukers?"  Annette asked curiously.

"English slang," he smiled.  "A left-handed boxer.  A lot of
right-handers don't know how to handle them.  Now, Quebec is going to
be the team to beat," he continued.  "They're big and strong.  I'd
like to see the blood tests from their team.  I've never seen so much
muscle in any girls' team."

Jim Blake and Brett Faison came in about that time.  Jim swiped a
strip of bacon from my plate before pulling up a chair next to Wendy.
"Been scoping out the competition Doc?" he asked, craning his head to
look at the notebook. 

"Doctor Parker was just cluing us in as to what to expect today," said
Annette.  "Now it comes down to who we play and in what order."

"Personally I'd like to see you girls go against Quebec first," said
Brett.  

"I agree," said Jim.  "If you beat the tournament favorites first, it
will give you a psychological edge over the other two teams."

"I thought we were the tournament favorites," said Wendy, with a mock
pout.

Brett laughed and said we were still considered the underdogs, even
with our unbeaten streak and lopsided wins.

"We'll need more than a ten minute break between matches," I said.

"We'll rotate more," said Annette.

And that was the way the conversation went right up to the time the
rest of the team came down for breakfast.  Mandy and Annette took
groups of players aside, and while they ate, clued them in to what we
had learned.  Wendy and I stayed at the table, sandwiching Doc Parker
between us.  I was still hungry as a horse, so I started to pick bacon
off Jim's plate.  When he complained, I told him it was the penalty
for him taking food from the mouth of a youngster.  Wendy was munching
on a fresh croissant, liberally spread with butter and jam.  Okay, so
it wasn't the healthiest choice, but this girl, my lover and best
friend, had lost so much weight since I met her that I would hand feed
her chocolates.  I realized how much I had missed in my other life by
passing up rounded girls.  I missed some of the padding she used to
have.  Sure, her curves were filling in nicely, but I had fond
memories of cuddling a more Rubenesque Wendy.

Linda and Julie arrived and joined us.  Linda was positively glowing.
I'd have to ask Julie what her secret was.

Sister Elizabeth and Sister Gabe came and sat across from us with
Father Ed between them and Robert on the side of Sister Elizabeth.  He
seemed unconcerned as his daughter worked her way through the team a
group at a time.

"Pre-game jitters?" he asked Wendy and me.

"Nope," said Wendy.  "After all, it's just another game."

Doctor Parker laughed, Jim choked on his coffee, and Sister Gabe
stared at Wendy like she had grown two heads.

"I'm going to quote you on that," said Jim.

Robert chuckled and said, "Wendy has it right.  They're out there
playing their hearts out, and to them it has been just one game after
another, but they've never become mean spirited or taken it as
seriously as we adults have."

I arched an eyebrow at him.

"My apologies," he said.  "These young ladies have played seriously,
but it's us older adults who have been living vicariously through
their accomplishments.  We really should be ashamed we're thinking of
nothing but winning when they have already done so much for the
school, for the hospital ..."

"Not to mention enrollment," added Sister Elizabeth.   

"On that note, Sister," I said, "why can't we find out our marks now?"

Sister Elizabeth looked at me and raised her own eyebrows.  "I've told
you that you passed, Patricia, do you seek more glory?"

I could see Sister Gabe smirking, so I knew I had done well enough,
but added, "Oh no, Sister.  I just want to be sure I qualified to come
back next semester."

Everyone at the table started laughing.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The Goddess was smiling on us on this fine day.  The sun was shining
and the birds were singing, the ice on the Rideau Canal was melting,
and our first opponent for the final day of the tournament was Quebec!

They were big, and they were strong, but what they had sacrificed to
build muscle mass was agility and speed.  Not much, mind you - they
were very good - but we had an edge and used it to the fullest.  We
all ran laps at school between practices - sometimes it was part of
practice, and as I watched from the bench when I was rotated out, it
looked almost like a dance on the court.  It was not an easy victory.
25-16 on the first game, and we had substituted a lot!  But our
endurance won the second game with a 25-10 score.  All we needed was
to win two more matches and the title would be ours.  Only one other
team could take the title away from us, if they won both of their
matches, and then they would still have to beat us to win it.

For this last day of the tournament, only one net was up, just two
teams competing at a time, and the court was set up on the long side
to allow more spectators.  I don't know what the price of admission
was for this event, but I hope it all went to a worthy cause.

We watched and checked Doc Parker's notes as Nova Scotia whipped BC.
As the doctor had noted, it was the missteps BC made when one of the
Nova Scotia Three spiked left handed that won them the match in three
games.

We had a half hour of recovery time while the judges had the court
cleared and mopped, and then we were up against BC ourselves.  Having
just been beaten by Nova Scotia less than an hour before, they were
not in peak form either physically or mentally.  It didn't seem fair
that they should have to face us so quickly, but I suppose it wouldn't
have been very fair to Nova Scotia if they had to face Quebec so soon
either.

I had misgivings about plowing these girls under, but we couldn't
afford the luxury of going easy on them.  We needed to win, and the
faster we did it, the more rested we would be for our own final match.
They were still formidable opponents, but lacking in stamina.  Annette
grimaced as we served first.  I could tell she hated to do this as
much as I did.  We all did, but we also had not worked so hard, so
many hours, and practiced so much to dwell in pity for the team.  They
had made it to the big game, which meant that Vancouver had won their
Regional and Provincial cups.  They just weren't going to win the
National cup.  Proof of that came quickly when the volley was returned
and Annette nailed it for our first point.  Annette and Krissy made
most of the spike points in the first game with Mandy rounding out
most of the others.  I even scored two myself, when I just couldn't
volley to one of the seniors.  The first game ended 25-1.  The second
game was over even faster, as the seniors picked up momentum, and it
was a shutout for the Saints.

We watched and took notes ourselves as Quebec got their butts kicked
by the team from Nova Scotia.  Nova Scotia's biggest weakness was that
reliance on just three players, and in the break before the last game,
as we compared notes, we found we had all reached the same conclusion.
Nova Scotia would come into the last match tired from their victory
over Quebec, and our strategy was simple.  Keep the ball away from the
Big Three.

It was easier said than done.

When we took to the court, the entire auditorium went silent.  One of
these two teams would go home with the gold, the other with the
silver.  On the court were the best two teams in Canada for 1975, and
the '76 Olympics were just one year away.

The referee tossed the coin, and Nova Scotia won the serve.  Since we
had to volley the first ball after service, their support team set up
one of The Three.  Thank the Goddess for Dr. Parker.  He had noticed
what we had missed, and we were prepared for it because of his
astuteness.  Annette faked to her right, then slid back to her left,
blocking the spike perfectly on a high leap and sent the ball
careening back behind the forwards into soft territory.  But play
didn't end there.  Soft territory?  Yes, but weak?  No way.  They had
obviously worked on their teamwork as well, and the ball was caught
low but raised and volleyed forward for another spike.

Annette didn't get close to it this time as another of The Three
hammered it down into what they thought was our weak zone.  Wendy.
The look of surprise on the player's face was priceless, as Wendy
lobbed the ball right to Annette, who took the moment to slam one home
herself, this time hitting an open spot on the floor.  This was
already shaping up to be a tough match.

The first game took much longer than anyone expected, and the score
reflected it.  If we had practiced, they had certainly done the same,
and like us, they had stamina.  We won the first game 25-19.  This was
the highest score against us the entire season!  We had played over 50
minutes on the first game, though to the credit of both teams, neither
received a foul for too many touches on the ball before volleying.

We had a ten-minute break, during which we all drank lightly, and then
Annette called for a huddle.

"This isn't going to be easy," she began.  "If we want to finish
undefeated for the season, we'll have to do something special in this
game."  She grinned widely.  "It's just as well we have an ace up our
sleeve!"

She really had everybody's attention now.

"You realize these girls haven't seen our real game!  Patti," she
said, pointing at me, "you and Wendy have been feeding the seniors to
make us look good, and the other juniors have been copying you.  That
stops, `cause if the scouts haven't seen us by now, it doesn't matter.
Patti, I want you up front, we need the power.  Wendy, Mandy, Jeannie,
I want you to feed all the shooters, make every shot count!"  She
looked around at all of us.  "We ready?  Okay, let's go put these
girls out of their misery!"

With a laugh and, "Go Saints!" we took our positions on the court.
Mandy and Wendy took up positions between and slightly behind Krissy,
Annette, and me.  Our first serve grazed the top of the net.  Any
closer and it would have fouled, and it was just right for one of the
Nova Scotia back row to lift and prep it for one of The Three, but it
came in just a bit too slow and a bit too high, and the next thing I
heard was Wendy calling the ball and then calling my name a second
later.  I had just enough time to turn and see Wendy jumping up under
the shot, literally putting it in my hands, and I turned and spiked it
to the open area I had seen her indicate with her eyes.  First point.

This game didn't go on as long as the first, but every point was
fought for, and with Wendy and Mandy dancing around the backcourt like
whirlwinds, we let them call the shots.  We played most of this game
on verbal cues from our teammates.  We had to rotate, and thanks to
team practice and a super team of girls, we could afford and enjoy
those few minutes on the bench, but when all was said and done, even
our team had its own powerhouse.  There are good athletes and great
athletes, and then you have the exceptional athletes.  Annette and
Krissy were exceptional.  Mandy and Wendy were great.  I was lucky.  I
also knew that one day Wendy would be as exceptional to the world as
she already was to me.

The game ran as fast as the sweat from our brows, and when the final
whistle blew on a point scored by Krissy, we ended up unbeaten with
the last game score of 25-11.  The auditorium erupted in cheers.  Not
for the victors, but for what many must have considered the match of
the year, if not the decade!  Linda and Julie passed out water bottles
and towels, and as we drank and wiped our heads, we walked across the
court to congratulate the team from Nova Scotia.  Unlike the usual
just swapping of handshakes and mumbled 'good game,' we actually
talked to them.  I heard Annette telling the captain of the team that
she regretted graduating this year, as she would have looked forward
to another match.  Both Annette and I were floored when Jenny, the
captain of the Nova Scotia team, said, "But we'll be playing together
next year instead of across from each other."

Annette's look of surprise must have clued Jenny in.  "They haven't
told you, have they?"  It wasn't really a question.  "The Olympic
selection committee decided this morning that eight of us graduating
seniors were going to be invited to join the Canadian Women's
Volleyball Team.  Your name was at the top of the list."

"Oh my God!"  Annette started bouncing in joy.  "Why... how... who knew
about this?" she asked.

"Why, I suppose I might have forgotten to mention it earlier," said
Sister Gabe, who had come to congratulate the Nova Scotia coach.  She
was smiling.  "I was going to tell you all about it at supper
tonight."

Annette looked around for her father, and I laughed.  I thanked Jenny
and moved on to mingle with the other players before we headed out to
shower and change.  The awards ceremony would start in an hour.

As we trudged to the locker room, we saw Linda, Julie, and their
needles along with Dr. Parker and some official looking guy in a suit.
Damn blood tests.

After parting with gallons of blood, we hit the showers.  We were too
tired to fool around.  Physical and mental exhaustion had set in.  The
last game had been played, the season was over, and most of us
realized we would never play this game again with this team.  It could
have led to some serious depression, but we were the Saints.  We had
beaten the odds, and we now had an unbroken string of wins that could
never be taken away from us.  Thirty-two matches and not beaten in a
single game.  Sports writers would be changing all their stat books
over the weekend.  I nudged Wendy as we rinsed off.  "Not bad
considering we never even intended to join eh?"

Wendy looked at me seriously and said, "Maybe it wasn't our choice,
Pete." 

Maybe Wendy was right.  Maybe nothing this time around would be my own
choice.  It seemed every time I thought of taking a direction in my
life, I had human guides to help me along, to guide me to where the
Goddess seemed to want me to go.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

After all this time of having refused to accept any trophy, the awards
ceremony seemed anti-climatic.  We were dressed in our best formal
uniforms - skirts, socks, blouses, and jackets.  Freshly scrubbed, and
no makeup, the only deviation was our "Saints" medallions attached to
their ribbons and pinned on our lapels.

The national anthem was played once the four final teams took to the
stage.  The team from Vancouver was awarded certificates and plaques
for each player and one for the school.  The Quebec team received a
small trophy, and all the players received bronze medals.  Nova Scotia
was presented with a large silver trophy that stood about four feet
tall, their players were presented with silver medals, and then I saw
our trophy.  Holy Shit!  Tom was going to have to build a special case
for just this one, as the one he had already built for the school
would never hold this monster!  It was easily taller than any of our
team members, our school name, probably engraved earlier on a brass
plaque that could be screwed on to any of the trophies, was fixed on
the wooden base which was about a foot square and a foot tall on its
own.  I don't know much about woods but I do know this wasn't cheap
particleboard.  The scrollwork alone must have taken hours, and the
brass statue was mounted with fancy claw-like brackets.  It was a
figure of a small winged angel, wearing an Olympic style toga, arms
reaching out and upward, holding a golden goblet.  Okay.  I'll admit
it.  I was impressed.

When the Governor General presented it to the team, complete with an
announcer reading the names of the players, Annette nodded and all us
girls finally got to step forward and accept a trophy, and with all
our hands, we raised it for the television cameras and to the applause
of the stadium.

Placing the trophy on the floor again, we bent our heads to have our
gold medals placed around our necks.  As the ceremony started to
close, we broke ranks, and in groups, we moved to the other teams to
shake hands and share hugs.  This was not scripted nor had it been
discussed, but I think we all felt the need to let the others know
they had played their best, and we respected them.

Then it was time for the pictures.  The tournament photographer did
the official team portraits.  Sister Gabe stood with us for the
official pictures, which would hang in the school and at the board of
education office.  We would all receive copies of these.  

The trophy was placed in the middle, as it was large enough to equal a
player.  Sister Gabe, as the coach, stood on the left of it and
Annette on the right as Team Captain.  The photographer lined the rest
of us up based on height, which made many of us not happy.  I wanted
to be next to Wendy, and I'm sure that Annette wanted Mandy to be
beside her.  Sometimes rules piss me off.

The official pictures over, Jim Blake had arranged for a top-notch
photographer to take more pictures.  He had been hired to cover the
two-day tournament for the London Free Press, and Jim had made sure
the paper had hired the best!  Brett hadn't needed anyone to cover for
CFPL-TV, the CBC had that well covered, and all the local stations
would get their footage from them.  This photographer was much more
open to how we wanted the pictures, and Wendy was soon beside me, as
Mandy was beside Annette.  We scrounged up six chairs and placed them
three on each side, and slightly ahead of the trophy.  By team
consensus, we insisted on the seating arrangement.  Sister Gabe
remained beside the trophy while we placed Sister Elizabeth on the
other side.  We anticipated - and rejected - the protests when we
placed Father Ed beside Sister Elizabeth and Robert Denure beside
Sister Gabe and then demanded that Jim and Brett take the outside
chairs.  I'll admit I was on a roll, and Annette let me arrange the
rest.  I asked for a small bleacher bench that I had them place in
front of the chairs.  Then I moved Dr. Parker, sandwiched by Linda and
Julie, behind Sister Elizabeth, Father Ed, and Jim.  The photographer
smiled at me as he saw what I was trying to do and started to help me
out.  Annette, Mandy, and Krissy stood behind Sister Gabe, Robert, and
Brett.  Annette was the one who insisted that Wendy and I take the
center seat of the bleacher bench and we turned our knees inward,
slightly apart so the trophy could be clearly seen.  Four more team
members joined Wendy and me on the bench, all of us sitting in a
demure, ladylike inward-pointing angle of 30 degrees.  The other four
members of our team stood proudly, two per side, beside our seated,
honored members.  

The photographer kept us there for nearly a roll of film, making small
adjustments as he went along.  When he was finally through, I went up
to thank him for his patience, and he explained that I had
inadvertently placed the group in a crescent formation, which was, as
he put it, a standard wedding formation, which made me chuckle.  What
he said next floored me.  "I saw no reason to say anything, and I
wasn't going to draw attention to it, but during the entire time, even
though the two of you were sitting at different angles, you and the
girl beside you were holding hands the entire time.  Since I know
neither of you were nervous, I figure you two must be very close."
The way he emphasized 'close,' I understood exactly what he didn't say
out loud.  I wasn't ashamed of my love for Wendy, and if it showed in
the pictures, then what better way for me to prove to her we were
meant to be together!

I turned back to the captive group, everyone still holding their pose,
expecting more pictures, and said, "This is the real team.  This is
the team from St. Ursula's.  This is Team London!  There are some
supporters missing, but this picture - the one I hope to see hanging
in the school - this is the one of our team.  Our team doctor, our
nurses, our public relations experts," I paused and looked at Robert,
"and the best morale booster any team could ever hope for!"  Annette,
who's hand had been on her father's shoulder during the photo session,
squeezed a bit harder and smiled at me.  I realized then, that while
Wendy and I might have been holding hands, the whole time Annette's
and Mandy's arms had been around each other's waists.

Our classmates and other supporters who had traveled with us from
London cheered from the sidelines!

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Wendy was worried that we would be flying home right away, but I
assured her that, with the late hour and not knowing if we were going
to be playing past the first elimination round, the return flights had
not been booked.  We would fly home in daylight, after another night
in Ottawa.  "Don't worry, Honey, you'll be able to watch the world fly
by again tomorrow."

We gathered all of our equipment and uniforms from the locker room,
and Robert conscripted a couple of Carleton U. weightlifters willing
to help some pretty girls carry it all out to the bus for us.

Once on the bus, a discussion ensued about what to eat for supper.
The grownups were talking about dining on prime rib at the Holiday Inn
- Father Ed discussing wines and red meat compatibility with Brett and
the nuns, while Bob and Jim were debating the merits of single-malt
scotch aged in different woods.

Annette's stomach was rumbling, and as I thought about it, mine was
pretty empty as well.  We had played two hard days worth and eaten
rather lightly.  

"We need protein," I said to her.

"Steak would be good," said Mandy.

"Two steaks would be better," said Wendy much to my surprise.

"Rare and hot, dripping with juices?" asked Linda with a grin.

"Something so good that you want to lick the plate?" added Julie.

"Ponderosa!" said Krissy.

"Yeah, that would be good," said Annette.  So we started chanting on
the bus getting the whole team going.

"Ponderosa, Ponderosa, Ponderosa..."  

We kept it up till Bob laughed, picked up the bus's two-way radio, and
asked for directions to the closest Ponderosa.

After a minute of garbled static from the radio, he switched his radio
to bus PA.

"At the request of the ladies who actually won the title, supper will
be served at the Ponderosa."

We all cheered, and after ten minutes of backtracking and switching
main roads, we could see the sign up ahead.  In 1975, the restaurant
chain called the "Ponderosa" was famous for serving up good steak in a
hurry.  It was all they served - nothing but steak.  They didn't even
have booths or waitresses.  You got in line, placed your order for
what cut of steak you wanted, and it was barbequed while you went
through the line.  Your only choice was fries or baked potato, and
they had a self-serve salad bar.  By the time you had your salad
loaded and your drink poured, your steak was ready.  They had a method
for preparing them that fast, and they were always done to perfection.

We were like a pack of wolves as we got out of the bus and ran for the
doors.  Bob must have had the dispatcher call ahead and warn them of
the incoming horde.  There was no line, and before the adults even
made it out of the bus, us girls were all lined up and ordering.
Annette ordered two rib-eye steaks, rare, passed on the potato and
double stacked her salad.  Mandy followed her lead, as did Wendy and I
and most of the rest of the team.  The only variations were some of
the girls only wanted one steak and did add fries or a baked potato.
Some of the girls had soft drinks, but Wendy and I had just plain
water.  I didn't want the taste of a good steak being ruined by a
sickly sweet soda.

Instead of booths, the Ponderosa had these long wooden tables with
benches on each side.  I guess it was to give it an authentic western
bunkhouse dining room feel, but I knew that in a few years, this place
and others like it would start to serve other foods, and the benches
would be replaced by regular chairs and tables.  But now, we just slid
down the bench, pushing our trays along with us.  I don't think any of
the girls thought about who was paying for this meal.  In reality, we
never thought about who was paying the fare for any of the team meals.
At school our scholarships or tuitions paid for everything, but these
on-the-road expenses had to be paid by someone!  Other schools had
regular fundraisers, but we were a private school, and as such we were
prohibited from having them because we received no government
subsidies.  Thankfully, we didn't have to sell chocolate bars or
raffle tickets.  In a way, we sounded elitist, but nearly 25% of the
girls at the school were there on a scholarship of one kind or another
provided by private donations.  The thoughts left my brain as Linda
and Julie sat down across from us, smiles on their faces.  Wendy had
cut a chunk out of her steak big enough to choke a horse.   

"Slow down there, Wendy," said Julie.  "We're not in a race and nobody
is going to steal your food."

Wendy giggled and quietly said, "I wasn't going to stick it in my
mouth," she said.  "I just love sucking the juice out!"  With that,
she stuck a corner in her mouth, wrapped her beautiful lips around it,
and puckered as she sucked the juice out.  Linda and Julie both raised
their eyebrows as the meat shrunk in size.

Wendy licked her lips then popped the now much smaller piece of steak
into her mouth.

"My God," said Julie, looking at the two of us.  "I think I'm
jealous!"

Wendy just smiled at her, while I felt my face warm with a natural
blush.

I couldn't finish both my steaks and my salad, but I sure gave it a
try!  Finally I had to push my plate away.  Wendy managed to finish
hers, and as she drank the last of her water, she let loose with a
belch that I'm sure half the restaurant heard.  She turned crimson
with embarrassment, while our teammates broke out in laughter.  Linda
had a smile in her eyes, her lips pressed tightly but curved upward
trying to hide her amusement.  It was Julie who slightly raised and
loudly said, "Please excuse me."

There was more laughter in the restaurant, but in that one move, Julie
had proven to all the girls that she could be trusted in more ways
than with just medical information.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Robert made reservations for us to fly back to London early the next
morning.  He told us this as we had desert at the Holiday Inn.  While
most of us had expected to take in a movie or something after
returning to the hotel, we were greeted at the door with flowers and
stacks of telegrams and phone notes.

Sister Elizabeth had suggested we change into something comfortable
and then gather in the restaurant.  The staff at the Holiday Inn was
more than happy to close off a section just for the winning girls'
volleyball team.  Dr. Parker sat with Father Ed.  Father Ed finally
got his wine, while the doctor was nursing a gin and tonic.  Both had
declined the sweets the restaurant offered.  Linda and Julie nibbled
at a fruity sherbet; both had a glass of white wine in front of them.
The team members flanked them.  It was amazing how they could fit in
so easily with the adults, yet related so well to us teens.

Robert held court with the nuns.  On an official level, he was a
member of the St. Ursula's Board of Directors, and this was school
business.  Brett and Jim stood off to the side, beers in hand.  Sister
Elizabeth had coerced them into reading all of the telegrams and phone
messages to the team.  Private ones, like the message from Einstein,
had been distributed and disseminated before they started.  Brett
actually did most of the reading, using that finely honed television
announcer's voice.  We had letters of congratulations from the Mayor,
from the Premier of Ontario, the owner of the London Free Press and
from the General Manager of CFPL TV.  It was nice to hear it, but I
think our brains were past the need for praise.  More notes were read
from businesses in London and area, but most said the same thing.
Basic congratulations, etcetera, though there were some nice
businesses that offered us huge discounts on anything we, or our
parents, might want to buy, simply for having put such a bright light
on London.  

The best message, however, came from the head of the Toronto Sick
Children's Hospital, thanking us for all we had done.  They realized
that such publicity for the young patients could not be bought and
hoped that St. Ursula's would always keep the hospital in our hearts.
The message went on to say that, after the word of mouth and news
reports of our donations, new pledges and donations of both money and
hair had spread fast.  There were a number of schools now with a
volunteer hair donation program, and a few companies had matched the
money raised by the goodwill of the parents and Denure Transit, which
had been added to the money raised by the bet between the London Free
Press and CFPL after our Provincial Title win.  General Motors,
American Motors, and Ford were just three of the companies.  A special
care ward, dedicated to young cancer patients, had been renamed "The
St. Ursula's Saints Ward."  It made many of us brush back a tear and
renewed our conviction to continue helping those less fortunate than
ourselves.  

Though we were still too full to eat anything, most of the girls could
not resist a serving of the restaurant's specialty - a custard filled,
flaky pastry roll that looked like a horn with the end dipped in
chocolate.  We were still picking at the pastry when Brett read the
last announcement.  Sister Elizabeth stood up and informed us that as
of that moment, the school semester was over for us.  It had ended for
our schoolmates a few hours before, and she hoped the plane would land
on time for the graduation and award ceremonies.  By democratic vote,
our schoolmates had elected to hold off on the ceremony till after
lunch tomorrow so that we would be able to join ranks once more.  Many
of them had switched to later flights home for the two-week break.   

We anticipated being met at the airport by a cheering throng, and many
of us decided to pack before we went to bed.

One last order of business had to be taken care of before Sister Gabe
officially released the team from her supervision - The award for Most
Valuable Player.

Damn.  Picking one person would not be a job I wanted.  We had a great
team and it had been a team effort since day one.  Hmmm... who would I
choose to be MVP?  I looked around at the girls who had had given
their hearts and souls and time to make the Saints the team of the
year.  I couldn't decide.  

Sister Gabe stood up and in a voice that needed no microphone
announced that, while it had been a most difficult decision, she was
grateful for input she had received from our opponents and their
captains and coaches.  "While our own team would be fair in judging,"
she said, "only those who faced us would see our real MVP.  I feel
especially proud presenting this plaque to the one Saint who has shown
such team spirit and determination by her devotion and example.  I
have watched this young lady develop into a player of extraordinary
talent.  Mr. Blake and Mr. Faison were also in agreement with the
choice, and I want to express my thanks to Mr. Denure who arranged to
have the plaque engraved this afternoon.

"Hey, Bob," hollered Jim.  "Is there anybody anywhere you don't know
who doesn't owe you a favor?"  We all laughed at that.  Jim was right.
Bob - Robert Denure - was the man to see if you needed anything.  And
I mean anything.  If he couldn't supply it, somebody he knew could,
and that person was usually indebted to him for some previous favor
and would go out of their way to make sure it was done.  Annette's
father was one of the last astute, self-made millionaires who still
owned his own company, lock, stock, and barrel and gave of his time,
resources, and personal money to help others.  It reminded me again
that you couldn't buy respect - you had to earn it.  Bob Denure had
earned mine.

Sister Gabe waited patiently while the good-natured ribbing subsided.
"We've never had reason or cause to give out this award before,
because we never were contenders for any title, and selecting the
`Most Valuable Player' from a team that was lucky to win any games
seemed like it would be an insult to the recipient."  Sister Gabe
paused and nodded to Annette who joined her at the head of the table.

"As team captain, I have a few responsibilities," said Annette.
"Regretfully, up until this season, I never had a chance to carry most
of them out.  I was voted to be the captain of this team in my second
season with the Saints.  Krissy was there with me, as was Mandy," she
paused to smile warmly at both of them.  "Others have come and gone,
but until this year, my main responsibility was making excuses.  As
you all know, next semester is my last at St. Ursula's.  I wish I was
still going to be around to play once more with this team, but that
isn't possible.  However, you can bet I will be attending every game I
can next season, as a friend and former teammate!  But now, I have two
responsibilities to fulfill.  One is to present the MVP to the person
who led all of us the most by their example and inspiration.  The
other is to nominate the next team captain.  I sort of wish this was
an easy job, but it wasn't.  It was also complicated by the fact we
all know we had two new members who joined the team this season.  Both
are close and dear friends.  Skill without enthusiasm and dedication
means nothing.  The player whose name is on this MVP plaque represents
an unbridled enthusiasm that is contagious.  It is that quality I
think our opponents saw in this tournament."  Annette looked at Sister
Gabe who smiled.

"The St. Ursula's Saints Most Valuable Player was chosen by the best
volleyball players in the country," said Sister Gabe, "and the name
engraved on this plaque is that of Miss Wendy Miller!"

The cheers and whistles erupted as Wendy took my hand.  I gripped it
tightly as I saw the tears form in her eyes.  I hugged her and
whispered in her ear, "You really do deserve it, Babe.  Now go up
there and spread that sunshine around."  She paused just long enough
to give me a kiss.  Let Jim write that in his paper!

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

I noticed Sister Gabe looking at me as Wendy walked to the head of the
table.  If she expected to see disappointment or disillusionment in
me, she didn't know me as well as she thought.  I was happy for Wendy
and pleased as well.  Six months ago, Wendy hadn't even touched a
volleyball, but like everything else, Wendy took to it with a passion
once she decided she liked it.  She studied the rulebooks and
practiced every day.  Unlike me, she never lost her temper - well
mostly never - and her bubbly enthusiasm was contagious on the court.
With the practice and the weight loss, she had become extremely agile
on the court and never showed any favoritism.  She seemed to have a
mathematically intuitive mind that could predict an open spot on our
opponent's floor before they had even left it empty.  Jealous?  Hell
no.  That was my Sweetheart being honored!

The place got quiet as Wendy accepted her plaque.  Her eyes were
misted, and I was reminded of the poor Mennonite girl who had nearly
been carted away by her parents to be married off, and for whom we had
all fought to help win her emancipation.  Sister Gabe shook her hand;
Annette hugged her.  Slowly she turned to face the crowd.

"You realize what an oxymoron this award is, right?"  It wasn't really
a question.  "Without you, I am nothing."  Wendy paused for dramatic
effect then smiled.  "At least on the court," she said, which brought
about a lot of laughter and whistles.

"I do really appreciate the honor, but what made the Saints into the
team we are was teamwork.  Every one of us has put in hundreds of
hours playing and practicing.  We, the St. Ursula's Saints, as a team
made this happen.  We all know by now that the Olympic scouts have
been looking at a few of our teammates for the '76 Olympic games, but
I have to wonder if anyone would have looked at any of our players if
we hadn't worked so hard to become the undisputed champions of
Canadian Girls Volleyball as a team.  Mr. Blake has told us that the
season we've had will be in the history books forever.  Out of a
possible 96 matches to win the National title, we played the minimum,
only 64.  We have not had to play a third match, the tie breaker, to
win against any team.  We are totally undefeated in any single game.
Mr. Blake says that is a record that can never be broken.  Perhaps it
will be matched some time in the future, but we were the first!"  

The cheering took five minutes to settle down. 

"I am truly proud to be part of the team that set the standard, and
grateful for the opportunity to have played with the greatest team
ever!  Thank you."

Everyone got on their feet and gave her a standing ovation.  We all
felt special now after hearing Wendy's acceptance speech.

Annette took the head of the table again for her second duty.  "And
now for the naming of the new captain of the Saints."  Annette's eyes
scanned the room.  "It is customary for the graduating members of the
team to cast ballots for this position.  This year it didn't take
ballots.  In private discussions with the team members who will not be
in the 75/76 team, the vote was unanimous.  When I was voted captain,
I was just starting my second year at St. Ursula's.  I think I was
nominated because I had a bit of experience and no one else wanted the
job.  With two years of finishing close to last, no one ever
challenged me for the position.  I am grateful that, in my final year
as captain, I was part of the team that took home the National
Championship.  Therefore, it would not be precedent setting to
nominate a second year student as my replacement. I'm not sure a
devious mind is a quality that will help make for a great captain, but
we have laughed and played along with some of the wackier stunts we
pulled this year, and it did help to keep our competition on their
toes.  Yes, the graduating members have voted Patti Johnson as their
nomination for new captain for the Saints.  I would like to open the
floor to anyone who wants to challenge our selection."

I was shocked, surprised, and even a bit doubtful, but if the seniors
had nominated me, who was I to argue?  The place became very quiet and
I wondered what was going on in the minds of those players who would
be playing next year.

A light murmuring started in the room, which grew as whispers became
louder, and then some of the players who would be remaining stood and
started to clap.  Soon the entire team was on their feet applauding,
and the nuns and supporters joined them.  Jim was beaming from ear to
ear, and Brett was thumping the counter.  Bob was on his feet clapping
as loud as the rest of the team.  I felt my ears turn red.  All the
things I had screwed up in my first life were forgotten as I realized
that teamwork and respect for others paid off in big dividends.  I
waited till things quieted down a bit and then stood up myself.  I
walked forward to Annette who was holding a brand new uniform top with
the numbers `00' on the front and back.  On the back, my name was
above my new number.  I hugged Annette, and as I did, I lightly bit
her earlobe, causing her to blush and smile.

"Hey, Patti," someone hollered out, "Is that your future scoring
potential or your IQ?"  I poked a tongue at the corner of the room the
comment had come from, causing another wave of laughter.

"I thank the graduating seniors who nominated me," I started.  "I'm
not sure I would have nominated myself."  This got a good hearty laugh
from all around the room.  "On a serious note, my good friend,
Annette, made reference to some of the stunts I suggested during this
season.  While some of them seemed outrageous, and we know that some
opposing teams argued our use of them, that we used them and got away
with it proved something.  No matter how strange or off the wall those
suggestions were, not one player ever voiced a concern or disputed
them.  I believe it helped solidify us all as a team.  Not a loose
pack of individual players, but a team.  I am humbled and honored, and
I will attempt to follow Annette's footsteps in allowing the new team
to bond and grow.  We went from the bottom to the top and set a
standard getting here, and another after arriving, and I for one want
to be back here next year!"

For five minutes I couldn't get a word in.  Some of the team members
were standing on their chairs cheering!  Everybody was going wild, and
I saw Jim frantically scribbling notes on his pad.  I guess my words
would be coming back to bite me in the ass come Monday.  When things
finally started to settle down, I continued.

"We have a unique advantage over other schools," I said.  "One that I
intend to take advantage of in the future.  Our pool of potential
talent is limited, and we will hold open tryouts in September hoping
to extend them.  But, for now I am going to ask all members of the
team who will be with us next year to join in regular practices right
through the next semester.  Sister Gabe already has a list of students
who want to try out for the team, and I will ask them to also join us
for these practices, and, I invite all the graduating seniors to join
us as well so they can teach their skills to the new junior members."

Again with the cheering.

"And I want to inform Mr. Blake right now, that if he publishes a word
about our strategy, he will no longer be riding on our team bus!"

Jim smiled and winked at me and made a motion of zipping his mouth.

"Of course I might be presumptuous in assuming we will still have a
team bus," I said with a smile at Robert Denure.  He nodded
enthusiastically.

"Finally," I said, "I would like to make a request of our coach and
our principal."  The place got very quiet in a hurry.  Sister
Elizabeth nodded for me to continue.

"Based on our record, and I am not referring to this season, but
instead all the seasons the Saints have played, I would ask that
Annette's jersey and number, 99, be retired.  Annette led the Saints
to their first ever National championship."

Sister Elizabeth didn't get a chance to answer, though I saw her smile
as the place went totally chaotic.  I hugged Annette once more, giving
a little bite to her other ear and made my way back to my lover.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"What's the idea of biting my Sweetheart?" asked Mandy when we were
back in our room.   

There had been an hour more of speeches and congratulations before we
finally called it a night and everyone was back in their rooms.  We
still had time to kill before lights out, but after all the
excitement, I think everyone just wanted to rest up and have some
quiet time.

"Well," I said with a smirk, "I had a hankering for something sweet,
and I figured it was better to nip her ears than to lift her top and
nibble on her cherries!"

"Aren't you in a committed relationship with Wendy?"  Mandy asked.

"I probably should be committed," I said, which caused Wendy to nudge
me in the ribs, "but I love Wendy.  However, we're young and curious,
and just because you love french fries doesn't mean you don't want to
have smashed potatoes once in a while!"

"Is that what I look like?" asked Annette in mock indignation.
"Mashed potatoes?"

"For lack of a better metaphor," I giggled.

Annette peeled off her top and started to toy with her nipples, which
were quite erect.

Wendy stripped to her panties and then pounced on Mandy.  "Personally
I love pistachio, but I sure don't mind a double scoop of butterscotch
ice cream," she said, as she took Mandy's top off and latched on to
one of Mandy's nipples.  Annette had an amused look on her face.

"I'll admit I got instantly wet when you nibbled my ear," she said.
"God, I can't believe I'm saying this.  I love Mandy, but when you bit
my lobe, all the sensations went right to my pussy.  I could have
melted on the spot!"  She said this as she removed my top.  Neither
Annette nor I had worn a bra since before Christmas.  There just
wasn't a need for it, and the fact we were tall, thin, and nearly flat
didn't bother either of us.  We accepted the fact that we were who we
were.  We didn't need approval from others to validate our own
confidence.  I teased her nipples without mercy as I went for her
throat, nibbling on the tender skin there.  Annette was especially
sensitive in the nape of her neck right up to her ear.  Her hands were
busy torturing my tits, and when I bit her lobe again, just before
inserting my tongue in her ear, she moaned.

I was going to go farther, and I'm sure from what I saw out of the
corner of my eye that Mandy and Wendy, who were locked in a passionate
tongue duel, were going to as well, when there was a knock on the
door.  Annette fell back on her bed, frustration evident in her face.


"Oh, damn!" she exclaimed.

Wendy sighed.  "It's not like we can pretend we're not here."

I got up and threw my robe on before answering the door.  It was
Linda, Julie, and Dr. Parker.  I checked to make sure they were alone
and then let them in.  Dr. Parker was carrying something behind his
back, as was Linda.  Julie lifted the "Do Not Disturb" sign from the
inside of the door, placed it on the outside, and locked the door
behind her.

Linda sniffed the air and asked if they had interrupted something
interesting.  Wendy sighed and said there had just been an orgy
starting.  Dr. Parker's eyes went wide, and I could almost hear the
wheels and gears churning in his mind.	

"Now, Doctor," I said.  "I'm not sure your heart would be up to
watching four, young, delicious, nubile girls getting it on with each
other."

He looked at each of us and then said, "What a way to go!" which got a
laugh from everybody.

As the medical team assigned to the Saints - Linda and Julie under
school contracts and Dr. Parker as a favor to Robert - they have
privileges few others do, including access to all the girls' rooms.

Linda explained that they had cornered Bob after everyone had left and
said it didn't feel right to celebrate such an important victory
without champagne, but that as medical personnel, they didn't think it
would look right for them to be ordering a bottle of bubbly to help
the old captain and the new captain celebrate in style.

Apparently Bob had no hang-ups about Annette having a drink but
understood that Sister Gabe and Sister Elizabeth might.  After
receiving assurances that we would be under medical supervision as we
celebrated, he had waited until Sister Gabe and Sister Elizabeth were
out of the room and had forked over some serious cash for two bottles
of the best the hotel had to offer.  Doc Parker produced them from
behind his back.  "Just out of the cooler," he said.

Linda brought her hands forward showing she was holding champagne
flutes between each of her fingers - seven of them.  Julie produced a
silver bucket filled with ice and explained that Father Ed was still
in the bar soaking up the free spirits offered by Jim and Brett as
they discussed sports.  I had never seen Father Ed drunk, but neither
had I ever seen him turn down a free drink.  I idly wondered who
confessed the confessor.

We got ourselves comfortable, my robe off once more.  Hell, every one
of the people in this room had seen me naked countless times.  Wendy,
who at one time had been the shyest of anyone I had ever met, sat
there in just her pretty panties with her legs crossed Yoga style on
the bed.  A wet spot was noticeable if you looked, and I noticed that
Doc Parker was looking!  

I thought about all these people who were such a strong factor in my
new life.  I adored Mike and Ann, who had turned into a real social
couple and were not anywhere as uptight as Einstein had told me they
were.  Father Ed, who was a trusted confidant and friend and a great
evening visitor when we were at the school, and Sister Gabe, who had
convinced Wendy and I to join the volleyball team in the first place
and who I had just learned so much about.  Sister Elizabeth was
without a doubt the best principal / school administrator I had ever
had.  She was open to reason and suggestions and stood by her students
without fail, though punished fairly when it was needed.  I remembered
her offering me tea in her fancy China cups and treating me like an
adult though I was only 14, and her gallant rush to help Wendy when
her parents wanted to whisk her away.  Then I looked at Linda and
Julie.  My two Florence Nightingales who had helped me learn what it
meant to be a woman, when everything I knew about women could have
been written on the back of a postage stamp.  They were the only ones,
outside of Wendy, who knew the real story behind Einstein and me.
Doctor Parker, who loved young girls but treated them like royalty,
and who spoke to me as an adult, not hesitating to call a spade a
spade.  I loved his direct approach to my `condition' and his calm
reassurance about my injuries.  Tom and Rita, who I had definitely
known in my former life, and were now so much happier.  They had a
good son, one they could be proud of, and though they might not
understand his relationship with me, they never questioned it, but
openly embraced being part of an extended family.  Robert Denure, his
daughter Annette, her lover Mandy, and my other friends on the team -
so many people in my life and so many more that I had met.  My life
and love was overflowing.  This is what living was all about!

I became aware that Wendy was gently stroking my arm as the popping of
a cork shattered my reverie.

"Earth calling Patti," said Annette.  When I looked at her I smiled -
a truly warm and loving smile.

"Where did you go?" she asked with a smile of her own.

"Just counting my blessings," I said.  "Thinking of my friends and how
lucky I am to have all of you."

In the most serious tone I had ever heard him use, Doc Parker said,
"Money comes and goes; fame is fleeting.  When all is said and done,
if you have friends you have more than you need.  Friends make the
rough road a bit smoother, the hill a little easier to climb, and when
you feel like life is throwing you too many curves, friends will be
with you to help catch the wild pitches."

"Amen," said Julie, giving Linda a hug and a kiss.

Dr. Parker rolled his eyes in mock disbelief.  "I'm the only
heterosexual still alive and I'm trapped in a room with hormone raged
lesbians!"

I laughed.  "But Doctor, you said you liked to look!"

He laughed with me and said, "That I do dear girl, and I thank you for
allowing me to do so.  It gives me inspiration for my other pursuits."

I didn't ask him what those other pursuits were.  If he wanted me to
know, he would tell me in time.  One lesson I had learned quite well
was to keep my nose out of other people's business.  The same way I
wanted them to keep their noses out of mine.

The doctor filled the glasses up with a bubbling golden potion, and
Linda and Julie helped pass them out.  I got the first toast in.

"This is to friends, lovers, and confidants.  Let us hold them near
and dear to our hearts.  Without them we would all be lonelier."  We
clinked glasses and took a sip.  It was good champagne.  I had only
had the cheap stuff in my other life; now I appreciated the
difference!

"And to the Goddess," said Wendy, "and whatever anomalies in time,
space, and fate allowed us all to find each other.  Let us remember
that without a guiding hand from her, life would be different."

Seven glasses clinked again. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Even a magnum of champagne doesn't last long when shared among seven
people, and I don't remember the two bottles being that large.  I do
remember feeling pretty good when Doctor Parker upturned the last
bottle into the silver bucket.  With a sigh he stood and wished us all
a good night, but he didn't get away unscathed.  Annette, Mandy,
Wendy, and I, the stuff that made up the good doctor's dreams, all
gave him big hugs.  Considering the four of us were all topless, this
was our special way of saying thanks to the good doctor.  Annette
kissed him chastely on the lips but let her hands slip under his to
push her little nubs into his chest.  Mandy gave him a kiss that was
not as chaste and really pushed her boobs into him.  I could see a
swelling in his pants as she did so and was determined to top that.  I
moved close and pressed my itty bitty titties hard into his chest as I
grabbed his ass with my hands and ground my panty-covered pussy
against his erection.  I would have continued but felt a tap on my
shoulder.  Wendy had her own ideas of how to thank the good doctor!

Grabbing his hands after removing the bucket he was holding with one
hand, she placed them both on each of her apple-sized tits.  I could
see her dark nipples, stiff and extended, and she moaned as he gently
kneaded them.  She nibbled on his neck while standing on her tiptoes,
and with her free hands slipped her panties off and tucked them into
the doctor's pants!  Then with a force that surprised us all she
ripped open his shirt and pressed her chest into his!  Gyrating around
in small circles she pressed her large, swollen nipples over the hair
on his chest while grinding her crotch against his, until we heard a
small groan and watched the doctor's knees kind of shake and his face
lose color.  Wendy finished him off with a kiss on the lips and then
backed away suddenly looking a bit embarrassed.

Doctor Parker's eyes were a bit glazed, and he had a smile that a
mortician would never be able to chisel off.  As he adjusted Wendy's
panties in his own pants, he said to her, "Young lady, you should
consider a career as a doctor.  You have a healing touch."

Wendy and I kissed Linda and Julie good night, and then we were back
to just us four.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

It was dark in the room except for a little light from the bathroom,
and aside from a few muffled moans coming from the other bed and from
Wendy, I heard nothing.  Of course, Wendy's thighs clamped around my
head made effective earmuffs.

I licked Wendy to another climax before her powerful thighs turned my
head into a pancake.  I had to literally pry her legs apart so I could
get my head free, kissing my way up her belly to her boobies.  I
thought I heard a familiar sound, but it didn't register with me till
Wendy shot up straight and turned on the light between the beds.

There was Annette, lying on her back, Mandy's mouth on her lower lips,
and the familiar sight and sound of the phallic-shaped vibrator
slipping in and out of her ass!  The ones we had bought in Toronto!

"Hey!" shouted Mandy, "a bit of privacy please!"

"Fu-u-c-c-c-c-k ... pr-i-i-i-v-a-a-a-A-aH-aH-SEEEEEE!" screamed Annette,
her knees going to her chest, as she barreled over the edge and
climaxed with moans and groans into a spectacular orgasm.

Mandy's face was flushed with excitement and embarrassment as her hand
kept twisting the plastic cock in Annette's ass.  She held it like a
weapon, a full grip on the base, her own face covered with Annette's
love juices.

Mandy, though a bit perturbed at the sudden onslaught of light and
discovery, continued to slowly pump the vibrator in and out with a
twisting motion, letting Annette ride her crest until, slowly, her
knees came down, splayed on the bed, exposing every square inch of her
body to us.  Her nipples were very erect, her chest and forehead still
sweaty and flushed as she turned to us with an impish grin.  Mandy
reached down with her free hand and turned the vibe off and grabbed a
tissue from the night stand, discreetly wrapping the toy in it to hide
traces of fecal matter.

"Mandy doesn't like anything bigger than my thumb in her butt,"
Annette said calmly, "but I love the feeling of being filled back
there."

Wendy giggled and said she also like a finger, sometimes two, in her
butt but also liked a full feeling up front.  Annette looked at her
and asked if we had a strap-on dildo.  I shook my head and explained I
had been using the vibrator on Wendy to prepare her for the day
Einstein was going to introduce her to a real cock!

"You're going to let a guy inside you?"  Mandy asked incredulously.

"No," said Wendy, "I'm going to fuck Patrick senseless."

"But I thought you were only into girls," said Annette.

"I'm into anything that feels good," said Wendy with a blush.  "I love
Pete, but how will I know if I like a cock inside me or not if I don't
try it?  I thought taking a guy in my mouth would be the last thing in
the world I'd ever do until I tried that."



"YOU SUCKED A COCK?" This came from both Annette and Mandy.

"Only after Pete showed me how," said Wendy with a smile.

Now it was my turn to get the look of disbelief.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Annette boiled the kettle in the room, and now we were sitting
drinking tea, all thoughts of sleep gone.  Both Annette and Mandy
wanted to know how, why, where, when, and whose cock we had sucked.

I put down my cup and tried to explain my idea of friendship.  

"Einstein is a really good and close friend," I said.  "You've seen
how he is with our parents, and with your dad," I said, looking at
Annette.  "You've seen how good he's been with the team and what he's
risked for us.  Hell, Annette, even you've said he's not like any guy
you've ever met."

"That's true," said Annette, "but couldn't you just be friends?"

I laughed.  I explained that I loved Wendy the same way she loved me,
but we shared a special pleasure when we had a chance to with
Einstein.  "Wouldn't you want your friends to feel as good as possible
when all you have to do is enjoy some quality intimate time with
them?"

"You can't justify letting some guy, even if it is Patrick, getting
his rocks off as a sign of friendship," said Annette.

"But what if we're getting our `rocks' off at the same time?" asked
Wendy.

Annette sighed, her shoulders slumped.  "Patti, you have totally
corrupted this girl."

Wendy laughed.  "Actually, it was my idea."

"So," said Mandy, "what does it feel like?"

For the next half hour Wendy explained all about how her curiosity
about male anatomy and Einstein's obvious physical discomfort with an
erection had started her quest on what happens with guys when they get
excited.  She explained how, at his invitation, she'd felt it through
his jeans and her wonder at how a guy could move around with something
that big and hard in his pants.  Then she told of how I had convinced
him to let her see what it looked like hard, and then her driving need
to touch it, which he allowed.  She told of the first time she had
gripped it and gotten his seed all over her face and hair and how
pleased she felt giving him that release - of tasting it out of
curiosity and finally taking it in her mouth and bringing him off
orally.  Annette and Mandy sat there, open-mouthed, as they took in
the abbreviated story.  Wendy was smart enough to leave Linda and
Julie out of the story.     

Mandy looked at me and asked, "And you just sat by and watched all
this?"

I laughed.  "Hell no!  I was helping!  There were the three of us, and
all three of us enjoyed a very pleasant diversion."

"And that's all it was?" asked Annette.  "A diversion?"

I sighed.  "Look, Annette.  You told me once that you didn't like
people judging you for your sexuality.  Yet that's exactly what you're
doing with Wendy and me.  Einstein is one of our closest friends.
He's proven to be a strong ally when we needed one, and that he will
go the distance when we need someone to do something without a lot of
questions.  Once in a while, when the mood strikes us, we play as a
threesome.  It doesn't mean I love Wendy any less.  What it means is I
can, we can, be closer friends with him than any other male because he
knows that no man will ever come between us.  He's happy with the
situation, we're happy with it, so I don't see a problem."

Annette thought about that for some time, finally coming to a
rationalization she could handle.  "I guess it's like the four of us
in a shower," she said.  "I guess some people would say we're four
orgy-inclined lesbians, but that's not the case.  We're just good
friends having a good time."

"Exactly!"  I said.

"I know I wouldn't mind seeing a real cock," mused Mandy, but was
quick to add that she'd probably gag if she put one in her mouth.  

"And I know that there's no way we could ask just any guy to show us
or let us touch his without him wanting more or thinking that he could
convert us," said Annette.

"That's why I feel so secure with Patrick," said Wendy.  "He knows us
for who we are and has never hinted at anything other than a very
close friendship.  He says he can concentrate on his school work and
ignore the cock teasers in school, because if he has a real need that
he can't satisfy himself, he has two good friends who will remind him
that he is a man who can satisfy a woman."

We headed for a late night shower, knowing we would be getting up
early in the morning.  On the way to the bathroom, Mandy wondered out
loud if Patrick would let her see his.  I expected Annette to blow up,
but she just giggled, saying, "Only if I'm there babe!"  

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

At 9:30 the next morning we boarded Air Canada flight 201 non-stop for
London.  Wendy again had the window seat, and it was a beautiful
spring-like day.  I was tired from the late-night talk and a huge
breakfast, so I just held Wendy's hand as she tried to spot all the
cities she had memorized from the airport lounge map.

Linda and Julie were chatting and smiling, and Doctor Parker smiled at
us then laid back and closed his eyes - but the smile didn't fade!
Annette and Mandy were deep in a conversation which I had a pretty
good idea was about Einstein.

As the plane, another DC-8, circled London waiting for clearance, I
could see the parking lot was overflowing, and there were hundreds of
people on the ground.  

"Our welcoming committee is waiting," I said to Annette.  There really
was no use in trying to talk to Wendy, as she had no interest in
anything going on inside the plane.

After a short delay, the door was opened and the stairs run up to
allow us to disembark.  I led Wendy up the aisle, carrying my travel
bag, and as I stepped onto the platform, I had a vision.  It wasn't
like a dream, or even a daydream, and I found it quite novel.  I saw
the terminal in front of me and several people at the foot of the
stairs, but in my mind's eye, I also saw Einstein.  He was working
hurriedly on something, I guessed so he could finish and come meet us.
Then I saw what he saw - an amplifier of some sort - and our hand
reached out as he leaned across it, picked up the power cord, and
plugged it into a power outlet at the back of the bench.

Our left hand was on the bare metal of the amplifier as I took a first
step down the stairs, and he turned on the switch.  There was a bang
as the unit exploded beneath our hand.  I stepped into space as
excruciating pain ran up our arm, and suddenly I was looking up at
blue sky and Wendy's concerned face.  A brass band was playing our
theme song as I thought, `there wasn't a band last time!'

I felt like someone punched their hand through my chest and was
squeezing my heart, as Julie's voice screamed, "DOCTOR PARKER!"

`Oh, damn!'  I thought, 'Not now, not this time...'  My vision was
fading around the edges as Wendy leaned close, and I managed to
whisper through the pain, "Einstein... shop... electricity..."

She looked away from me for a moment and screamed, "SISTER!" then back
at me.  All I could see now were her tear-filled eyes, and I tried to
smile.

"Love ya, Babe," I thought.

And then everything just... turned off.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Time, Time, Time,
See what's become of me
While I looked around
For my possibilities.

I was so hard to please.
Look around,
Leaves are brown,
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter. 

Hear the Salvation Army band. 
Down by the riverside's
Bound to be a better ride
Than what you've got planned. 

Carry your cup in your hand. 
And look around. 
Leaves are brown. 
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter. 

Hang on to your hopes, my friend. 
That's an easy thing to say,
But if your hopes should pass away
Simply pretend that you can build them again. 

Look around,
The grass is high,
The fields are ripe,
It's the springtime of my life.


~~~~~ // ~~~~~

I heard the voice as I floated.  

"Seven months."

I couldn't tell if the voice was male or female.  I wasn't even sure
that it came from outside my head or if I was hallucinating, till I
heard Einstein.

"What do you mean seven months?" he shouted.  At least I think he
shouted.

"Einstein?" 

"Peppermint?  Are you here too?"

"I think so.  Where the hell is here?  And where are you?"  I shouted
back.  

As I asked, lights - beautiful lights - started to twinkle on all
around me.  Colors I had never seen before, and brighter, more intense
than anything I had ever seen.  I tried to move, but I had no idea of
how I was suspended, I couldn't feel that I was touching anything,
anywhere.  I saw no ground or sky and had no idea which way was up or
down.

"Here, is not Hell."

That voice again.  "Einstein, can you hear that voice?"  I asked, half
afraid he would say no.

"Yeah, I hear it.  Who is it?"

"You're asking me???"

"I was rather hoping you would know," was his reply, which suddenly
seemed to turn very sad.

"We're dead again aren't we?"  I asked no one in particular; I could
feel Einstein was thinking the same thing.  I was beginning to
remember.  I had been here before.  This exact place.  Seven months
ago.  I started to cry, though I felt no tears.

"Patrick, why are you crying?"

At first I thought the voice was talking to Einstein, then I realized
the question was addressed to me.

"I don't want to die.  Not again, not now, not this time."

"Last time you were quite happy to be done with life.  You spent a
long time here explaining what was wrong with your life, until you
finally decided that maybe you could have done things differently." 

I remembered.  I remembered blaming the voice for my life and how it
would have been so much easier if I had been born a female, as less
would have been expected of me.  

"You thought it would be easier to be a girl?"  Einstein asked, and I
realized he could hear my thoughts.  If he could hear my thoughts... I
reached out, not exactly moving, but the first thing I felt was
Einstein's hand in mine.  "You must have thought it would have been
easier being a man than a woman," I said gently.

"What did you learn?"

"It's neither gender nor anything else that makes the difference," I
said.

"It's what we do with what we have," added Einstein.

"In seven months, both of you have managed to accomplish more good
than in the four decades you lived previously."

"Was it good?"  I asked.  "I broke more than a few rules, and I took a
few more liberties than perhaps I should have."

"Maybe it was unfair letting us know we had lived once before, giving
us an advantage over others," Einstein said.

"I also gave you many obstacles to overcome.  And I placed you in a
situation where you would see those you knew before."

Then the voice became even gentler.

"You both did very well.  Last time no one mourned your passing.

Images coalesced out of the light, and I knew we were looking at our
previous deaths - operating theaters, a still, sheet covered figure on
each of two tables, staff stripping off their gloves, as they talked
of the storm and their weekend plans.  Then the image shifted to a
graveyard, where a backhoe driven by a bored looking man with a
cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth lowered two
coffin-looking pine boxes into adjoining graves - plain, pauper
burials, the only onlooker an anonymous figure with a clipboard, who
wore gold crosses on his collar.  

It was ironic that in our previous lives, Einstein and I had never
met, yet we were buried side by side at the same time - city-owned
graves for those sad bodies no one had bothered to claim.

Take a look now. 

And the images changed to...

Two ambulances shrieking their individual paths through the city, then
the controlled panic of a hospital emergency room, where two teams of
doctors and nurses worked frantically on two side-by-side figures on
separate gurneys; near-simultaneous cries of "Clear!" and both bodies
convulsed under the shock of the defibrillators ...

Then...

A waiting room where Julie and Linda clung to Dr. Parker, who stood
staring at the emergency room door, and I wondered at the tears,
incongruous on his angry face.

He is angry because he is powerless to do anything.

Mike and Ann had Wendy sandwiched between them, rocking her, while
Robert held Annette and Mandy.  Sister Elizabeth Ann and Sister Gabe
were both on their knees, but while Sister Elizabeth was audibly
praying, Sister Gabe just stared numbly at her fingers, automatically
going through the motions of counting her rosary.  When I saw Father
Ed open a small case and reverently removed the purple stole, I knew
he was preparing to administer the sacrament called the "Anointing of
the Sick" - the Last Rites - and I realized that more than minutes had
passed.

"Yes.  As you measure time, nearly an hour has passed."

"They're still trying to save us," I said to Einstein.  "Imagine the
pressure on them with so many people rooting for us."  

"As for rules broken and liberties taken, they are not My rules.  I
gave you a free will and the right to use what you knew.  I am often
saddened by the rules people create to determine what is right and
wrong, invoking My name as if that makes them more reasonable."

"People are strange," I said, "though you already knew that."

"Yes."

"But why now," asked Einstein.

"Both of you wanted another chance.  I gave it to you."

"I don't remember that."

"I allowed you to remember who you had been before, but not our
discussions here.  I have that right, and I do not need more
evangelists speaking on My behalf."

"Why only seven months?"  Einstein persisted.  "Now we're leaving a
lot of very sad people behind.  Some may never recover."

"They say in your books that I created your world in seven days.
Seven months, seven years, seven decades - it does not matter.  Would
having more time make any difference?"

"Can you please take away the pain in the hearts of those who we've
come to love and who love us?"  I asked.  "I know you can do it."

The more they love you, the deeper the pain.  If I take away the pain,
they will have cared nothing for you.

Again, all the faces of our families and lovers and many friends as
they crowded the hallways and corridors of the hospital.  Wendy kept
getting pulled away from the emergency room door, and Ann clutched her
tight to her bosom.  Annette and Mandy were crying as well, still held
by Robert, who looked like he had lost a best friend.  Father Ed now
had on his purple stole, preparing himself for our Last Rights, though
his eyes were full of tears.  He was trying to comfort Tom, Rita,
Mike, Ann, and Wendy.

`Oh,' I thought, remembering that person I once was.  Would Wendy
recover from the loss of her lover and best friend?  Mike and Ann.
What would they do now?  How about Tom and Rita?  At least Mike and
Ann had Wendy now - Tom and Rita had no one.  I had promised Annette I
would always be her friend.  Would she be mad at me now?  Sister Gabe
had more trophies than she could have ever have wished for, and she
had such high hopes for me.

"She still does.  See?  She still prays for your recovery."

In my mind, another image of Sister Gabe and Sister Elizabeth on their
knees crying , their rosaries going through their fingers faster than
I could count.  

My own tears flowed again.  "I agree with Einstein, why only seven
months?"

It was not my plan.  Einstein, as you prefer to call her, was
electrocuted because of an attempted owner modification to the piece
of equipment she was working on.  The two of you are tied in more ways
than one, so when her heart took the shock, yours did as well.

I was confused, and then, as if in response to my unspoken question,
an image appeared to me.  Einstein sitting at a test bench, a large
Pioneer pre-amp in front of him.  I saw the repair tag taped to the
top of the unit.  "No Power" it read.  I saw him check the tamper
screws and saw they were intact, then I saw him plug in the cables to
the test speakers and from a working tuner.  What I saw next explained
it all to me.  

What Einstein hadn't seen - what I was seeing thanks to the vision -
was the fuse, or rather the lack thereof.  The owner of the unit had
replaced the safety fuse with a strip of copper wire which had shifted
during transport to the store.  Einstein, sitting on a metal stool,
with his hand on the unit reached for the power button.

I wanted to scream out at him, but realized I was seeing what had
happened and it was too late.  I did feel his hand in mine and it
squeezed tight as in the vision his hand flipped the switch.

I saw the electric arc as it jumped and coursed through his body, 110
volts of alternating current shot through him locking his hands into a
death grip while his body convulsed on the metal stool.  The unit
exploded and the shop breakers blew.  I watched in horror as his
lifeless body fell to the floor.

"So someone's stupidity ended our lives?"  Einstein asked.

"That is often the case."

"Pity it's not a democracy up here," I said.  "I sure would like to
have a vote on this."

"But it is," said the voice with a hint of amusement.  "You have
always had free will."

I was about to say something when the lights started to swirl and
converge into a pathway.  "Where are we going?"  I asked.

"Forward and onward!"

"Onward to where?"  I asked.  I would have stamped my foot if I'd been
standing on something.  Still, the only thing I could feel was
Einstein's hand in my own.

"The next level," said the voice calmly.

"Not back?" asked Einstein, clutching my hand tightly.

"You died," said the voice patiently.  "It is time to move on."  

As the voice spoke, the lights brightened even more, taking form, and
the pathway became clear.  I could see an entire universe forming
around us out of the mist. 

"Wait just a god damn minute," I shouted.  "We have lives to live.
People who we love."

"Peppermint," Einstein said anxiously, "you're swearing at the wrong
person!"

The mist engulfed the lights and the universe once more, then I felt
something solid under my feet.  I looked down to see my bare feet on
grass, and I brushed a fold from the simple sun dress I was wearing.
I looked at Einstein, wearing a loose, natural cotton shirt and summer
shorts - we were both barefooted like the Goddess.  He was still
holding my hand, and I smiled at him.  Then I took in our
surroundings.  The trees, the ducks on the lake - I recognized it
immediately.

"Fanshawe Park!" Einstein whispered.

"I thought you would be more comfortable talking someplace familiar to
both of you."

It was familiar, and it was strange.  The colors were brighter, the
grass softer, and the water crystal clear.  I heard birds overhead and
realized they were not the common birds we were used to.  Then I
realized there were no parking lots and no buildings.

"You generally do not pay attention to them so they are not important
in your memory," said the voice, reading my thoughts.

I watched in amazement as deer walked out from the woods and headed to
the lake to drink.  Rabbits and other small mammals scurried about,
scrounging for food, of which there seemed to be plenty.  I then
realized that the last time I heard the voice it had seemed to come
from behind us.  Both Einstein and I turned and watched in amazement
as the voice seemed to be coalescing, though yet formless.  Lights
swirled around and around as the shape took human form.  I felt I
should avert my eyes, but I was fascinated.

"Why would you not wish to look upon me?" asked the figure as it took
form.  "Are you afraid of Me?"

"I feel I should be," I said, "but I'm not.  Isn't it a sin to look at
you?"

"Another foolish idea conceived by those who wish to control their
followers and do so by saying I either have no image or portray an
image that is a means to their end, both trying to rule through fear.
There is no reason to fear me.  You are my children.   However, even
in this place, human eyes cannot see the real me.  To see Me as I
truly am, you must move on.  My appearance here is one of convenience,
which both of you will be comfortable with."

As I heard the words, a beautiful female appeared - long, curly brown
hair cascading over her shoulders, faded blue jeans slung low on curvy
hips, and a tie-dyed halter-top.  Her feet were bare, and she settled
onto the grass in a lotus position, though she seemed to slowly float
down instead of going through the normal physical act sitting always
seems to require.

"Goddess," said Einstein with reverence.

"It is how you have both referred to me these last few months."

"We have always been told we were created in your image," said
Einstein, obviously much more relaxed as he settled on the grass
across from the beautiful woman.

"Everything is created in my image.  For you to understand this, we
must move on."

"Nobody is going to believe we sat down with the Goddess, and that she
was wearing a halter top and blue jeans," I said to no one in
particular.

"Wendy would," said Einstein.

"Yes," the Goddess said.  "Wendy is of a pure heart, full of love.
She would believe you, and she would also understand."

Then with a simple gesture of Her hand, a blanket appeared on the
ground between us, and food appeared on the blanket.  Raw vegetables,
fruits, bread, cheese, and dips all magically appeared.  A bottle and
three silver goblets joined them.  The Goddess took the bottle and
filled the goblets.

"Will you share a meal with Me?" she asked, handing us both a goblet.


"Is this to be our Last Supper?"  I asked.

The Goddess laughed; a musical sound that made me feel totally at
ease.

"In this form, I can partake of food with you.  Do you understand why
I have placed no meat, fowl, or fish here?"

We looked around and saw the animals watching us.  "We understand," I
said.  "While this may look like our park, it isn't.  It's more
beautiful, and the animals are aware of our presence, yet they don't
fear us."

The Goddess smiled and held her goblet up.  "To awareness and
understanding."  

I smiled as well and touched my goblet to hers.  "To understanding and
compassion."

Einstein raised his goblet, and as the three touched, a sweet chime
seemed to echo across the lake.  "To compassion and awareness."

It was wine, and surely the best wine I had ever tasted.  While I was
not hungry, I did nibble on some bread and cheese and watched as the
animals came closer, curious as to what we three were doing in their
park.  I realized then, though we were just animals ourselves, people
had destroyed so much of nature, and we even took the rest for
granted.  We took what we wanted and wasted what we didn't use or
need.  We had taken a beautiful planet and turned it into a landfill.
I saw a tear roll down the cheek of the Goddess.

"Was it all a test?"  I asked.

"No, it was a gift."

Einstein obviously could still read my thoughts.  "And you're sad
because we squandered it."

"I gave it freely to do with as you wanted."

"But what we did was not what you had hoped," he amended.

"I gave each of you a free will.  Choices if you prefer.  Look at your
own lives.  In your previous life you chose to be bitter and angry.
You would have been returned eventually in another time to try again.
Everyone eventually returns once they understand their lives were of
their own design.  When you both arrived at the same time, both of you
so bitter and angry, blaming me for what your lives had been, I sent
you back, but to a time in your lives when you started making the
choices that made you so angry.  You both made me very happy with the
changes you made, not only with your own lives, but also to all those
whose lives you touched,  which is why you can now move on."

Einstein had been feeding rabbits that had come to him looking for
food.  I smiled till I felt something cold and wet nuzzle the back of
my neck.  I turned to see a deer looking at me.

"She likes apples," said the Goddess, handing me one.  As I took it
from her hand I felt calmness spread through me.  That moment of
contact allowed me to see more than I had ever hoped for.  I turned
and held the apple for the deer to eat.  I was surprised when she
nibbled, unconcerned, rather than just taking the apple and running
off with it.  With my other hand I was able to stroke her ear and her
neck, neither of us afraid of the other.

"We could remain here, in this place couldn't we?" asked Einstein.

"If that is your desire," said the Goddess.

"Our desire is to go back and complete what we started," I said,
giving the deer the last of the apple.

"But you died in that life," said the Goddess.  "It is highly unusual
for anyone to get even a second chance in the same lifetime; you have
already had your second chance, and now you are asking for a third."

"But not in these bodies," I added hopefully.  "Technically, we've
only had one chance in each life."  

"Unusual, but not impossible," added Einstein.  "You made the rules,
you can choose to ignore them without breaking them."

The Goddess laughed again.  "And which life would you want to go back
to?"

"The ones we just left," said Einstein and I in unison.  "Just the way
we were."

"You keep saying we CAN now move on," I said.  "What if we don't WANT
to move on?  You said we still had a free will; what if our will is to
go back and finish the lives we just left."

"Why would you want to?  Knowing you could be facing danger and
heartache and betrayal, why would you want to go back there, when you
could instead go to so many new and exciting places." 

"Because we were making a difference," I said.  "Not by preaching but
by example.  A waterfall doesn't begin as one," I continued, "it
starts by a small diversion of water which eventually grows as more
water continues to follow the same path."

"And you would do this to honor me?"

"Fuck!" was my thought to Einstein.  "This is the sixty-four thousand
dollar question."

The Goddess laughed at my thought.  "Either way, you win," she said.

"It would honor you," said Einstein, "but we would face the coming
years together, for those whose lives have changed because of our
differences and the difference we have made in their lives."

The Goddess began to change - fading back to an ethereal spirit of
brilliant light.

"I said you had choices," now as just a voice again.  "It is rare when
souls choose the hard way, but now you have to make a choice.  I might
suggest you look for cover as there is a storm brewing.  I will see
both of you very soon."

"Wait," I cried.  "I have so many questions."

"When you know which questions to ask, you will know the answers.
This is My promise to you.  The other questions you want answers to
are not for this place, My children.  Make your choices wisely and
know that I love you.  I always have, and I always will."

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

We were alone.  I could sense it, but we were still in the park, and
the animals took what food we offered as we watched the storm clouds
gather.

"Should we seek shelter?"  Einstein asked as a bolt of lightning hit
the lake much too close for comfort.

I smiled and kissed him.  "You goofball," I said.  "We can't die here.
Remember?  We're already dead."

Einstein smiled his understanding and we watched as the animals
scattered, then the blanket and food disappeared, as did our clothes.


I smiled at him, sitting there in his glory and then pounced on him,
planting kisses over every exposed inch of his body till we were
finally joined as one, making love on the grass in the park as the
rain pelted us, lightning lit up the sky, and thunder shook the ground
beneath us.  I was on top, riding him towards a glorious orgasm.  I
could feel his body tense as he reached his own climax, and as we
peaked together, we began to float.  The sensations were overpowering
as jets of his semen spurted inside of me, and in my own lingering
orgasm, a bolt of lightning struck us... and the pain hit like I've
never been hit before.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

My body spasmed, then fell back as I gasped in a great lungful of air
and coughed it out again.

I opened my eyes and looked at the doctor, who was standing there with
a shocked look on his face, the paddles high in his outstretched arms.

"Hey, Igor, enough with the lightning, already!" I rasped through a
dry throat, then closed my eyes again.

"Doctor, we have a pulse!" I heard two voices exclaim, and I smiled as
I lay there feeling my body start up.

"Pulse 70, BP 100 over 80," the voices continued, then a finger peeled
back an eyelid, and a bright light practically blinded that eye.

"Dammit, Patti, did you leave a wake up call?" Einstein called
peevishly.

"Yeah, but this is a bit overboard," I replied just as I heard a door
slam open and a familiar scream of joy, then a body jostled the hands
from my face and soft lips were pressed to mine.  I opened my eyes
properly this time, as I wrapped an arm around the familiar form.  "Hi
Honey, I'm home!"

Wendy looked down at me, relief evident on her teary face. "I knew you
wouldn't go," she said, "but they wouldn't believe me!"

"Not in a million years," I smiled at her.

"Get her out of here!" the doctor cried, trying to move her aside.

Einstein and I looked at the frustrated man, and we said in unison,
"No. She stays."

He just stared back and forth between us as I said to Wendy, "Honey,
why don't you go say hello to Patrick while Viktor here feels me up."

She moved aside and I smiled up at the doctor who now looked both
angry and embarrassed.  "Smile, Viktor!" I said in a horrible
mock-German accent. "You haf succeeded where so many before you haf
failed!"

His mouth goldfished a couple of times, then said, "My name isn't
Viktor!"

"It is now," I grinned, then looked at the other doctor.  "You can put
them down now, Igor."  He blinked as he realized he was still holding
the defibrillator paddles, and turned to place them carefully on the
machine.

Just as Viktor put his hand on my chest, the emergency room doors
again banged against their stops, and a furious-looking Dr. Parker
marched in, flanked by Linda and Julie.

"Why have you stopped?" he demanded angrily, then looked in stunned
surprise as I pushed myself up on one elbow.

"Lie down!" Viktor yelled, pushing on my shoulder.

He suddenly saw everyone in the room staring at him, and he pulled his
hand off me as if burned.  "Err, young lady, you've been very sick,
please lie down?"

"But I'm feeling much better now," I said calmly.  I turned to Dr.
Parker and gave him my best little-girl smile.  "Dr. Parker, this man
was going to feel me up!"

He closed his mouth, blinked a couple of times, opened his mouth to
speak but was interrupted by a voice from the other gurney.

"You think you got it bad?  I got someone feeling me up too, and it's
a man!"

Doc Parker closed his eyes for a moment, and I saw the worry and
tension just drain away.  When he opened them again, the familiar
smile was back.  He turned to Linda and Julie saying, "Nurse Linda, go
feel that young man up, Julie, you'd better go tell everybody they're
both okay."  He then grinned as he held up his hands and wiggled his
fingers at me.  "This one's mine!"

I closed my eyes and lay back on the gurney, still holding Wendy's
hand, as Dr. Parker and Viktor started exchanging high-speed gibberish
while they examined me.  Thirty seconds later, the doors banged open
again, and I heard Viktor say irritably "This is a turning into a
Goddamned circus!"  Raising his voice, he said "I will not have..."

I yanked hard on a fold of his white coat, forcing him to look at me,
and again, Einstein and I said in unison, "Yes you will!"  Releasing
him, I went on. "Mom and Dad need to see we're all right."

He stared at me for a moment longer, then looked toward the doors.
"Immediate family only!  Get..." he cut off and looked at me, swallowed,
and went on, "Ah, please request every one else to leave.  Everything
is under control here."

Moments later, Mom was dripping tears on me as she kissed all over my
face and hugged me tight. I put my free arm over her back and held her
to me, letting her calm, feeling her relax.  Not far away, I knew
Einstein was doing the same for Rita.

Finally, Ann stood back a bit and looked at me, her hand gently
smoothing the hair back from my forehead.  "You had us so worried
honey, are you okay?"

"Yes, Mom, we're okay, really, and I'm sorry you were so worried.  It
won't happen again," I added seriously.

"You two are very lucky, young lady," Victor said officiously.  "You
both arrived here in total cardiac arrest!"

I pushed up to a sitting position and swung my legs off the gurney as
I stripped the pulse sensor off my finger, noticing Einstein do the
same.  I looked at Viktor for a moment, then at Einstein as if
puzzled.

"He said we was dead, Patti." he explained, deadpan.

I looked back at Viktor. "We was - I mean, we were?"

He nodded, but I saw some uncertainty on his face.

"Do you remember what happened, honey?" Mom asked.

I saw I had everybody's attention as I said slowly, "Well, I was
walking off the plane and I slipped, and I guess I fell down the
stairs, `cause the next thing I know I'm here and Igor is doing his
best to light up my life," 

"Igor?" several voices asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, the guy with the electric iron thingies," I said, smiling and
giving him a little finger-wave.  "Thanks, Igor, you done good!"  Then
I held my arms out to Mike and he wrapped me up, holding me tight.
When he released me, I reached to brush the tears from his eyes.
"Love ya, Dad" I whispered, and he just nodded, not trusting his
voice.

I turned to Dr. Parker, "Umm, I don't want to be a bother..."

"But could we have some clothes?" Einstein finished for me.  All I was
wearing was my sensible white panties - and incongruously, one left
sock - while he was in his boxers.

"And can we go home now?" I asked, knowing the answer but wanting to
see the look on the doctors' faces.

Heads snapped around to look at us - Viktor looked positively
horrified, even Dr. Parker looked startled, while Einstein grinned
behind their backs.

"Err, Patti," Dr Parker began, "you had a nasty tumble out there, and
Patrick had at least a massive electrical shock, so I think we'd
better keep you overnight," - he glanced at Viktor - "maybe two..."

Einstein couldn't hold it any longer and burst out laughing.

"Oh, no!" Dr Parker groaned, "Suckered! Walked right into it!"

They `dressed' us in those disgusting hospital gowns, and as they were
putting us into wheelchairs, I remembered something.  "DARN!" I
exclaimed.

"What is it dear?" Mom asked.

"I just realized - its semester break, and I'm back in the hospital
again!"

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Robert Denure had already made arrangements for large private rooms
for both of us, but both Einstein and I insisted we be allowed to
share the same one.   This caused more than a few raised eyebrows, but
we were insistent, and they quickly switched us to the best
semi-private room available.  Seems that having been declared dead had
some advantages, and it was about then that I discovered we had been
rushed to University Hospital, barely a mile from St. Ursula's.

I knew what Ann was thinking, and in a way I couldn't blame her.  I
wasn't allowed to date till I was 16, but here I was, demanding to be
in the same room with a boy!

"I'm sorry, Mom," I said, "but jees, give us a break!  Really, you
have got to allow me to start dating!"

"Mrs. Johnson," said Father Ed, who I hadn't even seen come in, "there
is little opportunity for Patti to date at school, and I think we all
know who she wants to go out with if you give her permission."

"Who's that?" asked Einstein from the other side of the room.  "You
got somebody in mind, Patti?"

With a growl I grabbed my pillow and threw it at him, just missing
Wendy who was sitting between us.

"I'll even volunteer to chaperone," said my sweetheart.

Ann just shook her head.  "I'm outflanked, outgunned, and outnumbered.
I guess we can drop the age for dating, at least for Patrick."

"See how diplomacy can work for you, Patti-cake?" asked Dad.

"What about me?" Einstein asked Tom and Rita.

"Well, son, I guess we never thought about you dating," said Tom.

"You've been so busy with your studies and working and involved with
Patti and her team mates...  I suppose we've sort of assumed you had a
relationship already," added Rita.

"Come on, Mom," I said.  "I'm not asking for permission to do anything
wild or to go to parties, it's just that every once in a while Wendy
and I would like to see a movie and for some inexplicable reason, I
just want Patrick to be there with us."

An expression I couldn't interpret crossed her face, then she smiled
and said she understood, and since I was talking about Patrick she had
no problem with it.  She looked back at Mike before looking at me
again with a questioning look.  "But I thought you were ..."

"I will neither confirm nor deny rumors or speculation without some
shred of evidence, nor will I dignify that question with a response,"
I said smiling at my blushing Wendy.
 
Dad laughed.  "You know Patti-cake... You should consider going into
politics!"

We had a few more minutes of family time before Doctor Parker came in
to see us with Linda and Julie trailing behind.

"Good," he said.  "Everybody who I need is here.  Unless there is an
objection from any of the parents, I would like to take over the role
of primary physician for all of your children."

Ann, Mike, Tom, and Rita all nodded or voiced their consent, and
Doctor Parker said he would require signatures, but they could wait a
few days.  Linda assured him that she would get all medical records
from our own family doctors transferred over, and that she would pick
them up herself and deliver them.

"What's up, Doc?"  I asked. "You running low on patience?"

More than a few groaned at my pun, but I could see his real curiosity.
He knew Einstein and I had had simultaneous heart failure and
simultaneous recoveries.  Why... how could that happen?  I wondered just
how far doctor-patient confidentiality went, and if we could trust
him.

"Good," he said, "Because I've already started giving orders.  I have
two nuns who will tear my arms off if they can't see our patients
today, and a few of your teammates who will make short work of the
rest of me if they also can't spend a few minutes.  I'm limiting all
visits today to ten minutes, but I'm keeping at least one of these
nurses here for the duration to make sure nothing flares up.  Brett
Faison and Jim Blake both want to see that Patti is still fit and
healthy, and both have promised not to turn this into a miracle story
for the news.  They are only here as friends of the patients.  Mothers
and fathers can stay longer, but understand that I want these two to
get some rest.  I'm also allowing Wendy to spend the night here with
them, to help out the nurse on duty and because she is very close to
both of them.  Robert has arranged for a daybed to be brought up for
her.  Now, are there any questions before I go back to the ER and try
to downplay this with my colleagues?"

"Just, how?" asked Tom.

"And why?" added Mike.

"That's what I'm hoping to find out," said Doc Parker, looking at us.
"It appears these two have some unusual link or bond, something that
medical science has no easy answer for.  My advice is to learn to
accept it."  With that he left the room and Sister Elizabeth and
Sister Gabe entered.

"Thank God you are both all right," said Sister Elizabeth.  "We prayed
for both of you to survive, and it seems you have, and also surprised
the medical staff here with no evident effects from your ordeal."

"Many are calling it a miracle," added Sister Gabe.

"It's no miracle, Sister," I said.  "You told me that I had a destiny
to fulfill, and it seems that God agrees with you."

"Can I ask - did you see anything on the other side, Patti?" This was
from the highest-ranking nun in the city.

I looked at Einstein and he looked at me.  Could we tell what
happened?  How She appeared to us in female form dressed in jeans?
Doctor Parker had already told us he was trying to quell rumors of
miracles.

I sighed.  Then I saw Father Ed looking with a bit more than mild
curiosity, and it dawned on me he was feeling old and working very
hard not to doubt his faith.  The room grew extremely quiet, and with
one more look at Einstein, we said gently and in unison, "Close the
door, please."

If there had ever been a captive audience hanging on every word, it
was in that room.

I pressed the button to adjust the bed to a sitting position, knowing
Einstein beside me was doing the same.  Doc Parker was right - we did
need some rest - but these people deserved at least some of their
questions answered.  Einstein was worried, I could feel it.  He was
afraid Tom might blame Mike for the accident, but I soothed him.  "It
was an accident, love.  You could just as well blame Her for it" I
told him in our thoughts, and he smiled. 

"Father Ed," I said aloud, "where is the purple stole you were
preparing while we were in the emergency room?"

Father Ed blushed, and patted his swollen jacket pocket where he had
shoved the stole after the news of our recovery.

"Father," we said, "bless us that She might also bless you."

He stared at us, feeling the power of our words as Wendy backed her
chair up.  He then approached and placed his open palms on Einstein's
and my foreheads.  

We closed our eyes, Patrick and I, and we could feel each other's
thoughts.  We concentrated on our Holy meeting with the Goddess and
felt Her presence still inside of us.  We both focused on what we had
seen and felt, being careful not dwell on who we had been or our past
histories.

Father Ed's head tilted back as he felt some of the power of the
Blessing given us, and we saw the tension and worry lines ease from
his face, taking twenty years from his appearance.  He looked at each
of us and smiled, then reached and brought a small vial from his
breast pocket.  Wetting his thumb in the oil, he drew a cross on each
of our foreheads as he intoned, "In the name of the Mother, the Son
and the Holy Ghost..."

Sister Elizabeth gasped, and I reassured her, "That's how we saw Her,
Sister.

Patrick continued. "After all, She is all things to all people."

Father Ed turned to face the room, and everybody stared at his face as
he moved to the Sisters, Blessing each in turn.  We heard Sister
Elizabeth sigh and Sister Gabe murmur, "Oh, how beautiful!"

We smiled at our parents and beckoned them to us.  When they were
close, we gathered their hands in ours and kissed them, knowing they
would feel the power and the understanding of the Blessing.  When I
released their hands, Mom and Dad embraced me, telling me how much
they loved me.  We knew that they, and Tom and Rita - who had never
been church-goers - now knew there was a higher power, and of Her
love.

Then our parents were embracing, and Dad was saying, "I'm sorry, Tom,
we were in a hurry, and I was closing up when Patrick was..."

"It's okay, Mike, I know, it was an accident, I saw it."  He shook his
head in wonderment.  "I mean, I really saw it, just now.  Our kids are
fine, I know that, and that's all that matters."

Patrick beckoned Linda and Julie over.  I kept thinking what a
preposterous idea, but wasn't sure where the idea came from.  He told
Linda and Julie to hold hands with each other and to take one of our
hands then reached with his other hand for Wendy at the same time I
did.  We now had a full circle of the only people who knew the truth
about us, and I felt the energy start to move in the circle.  I
visualized it as a comet of light that shot through all of us in
ever-increasing speed, moving through me to Wendy to Patrick to Linda
to Julie and back through me again.  I gasped as the speed and
information flew ever faster, then suddenly stopped, leaving the name
`Jo-Lynn' echoing in my mind. 

Linda's eyes opened in shock and her mouth dropped open.  Julie looked
at her lover and smiled.  "Tomorrow we'll check, okay Honey?" 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Jo-Lynn Jackson, affectionately nicknamed JJ, was born, a healthy baby
girl on October 15, 1976, weighing in at 8 pounds 3 ounces, 21 inches
long at birth with slate blue eyes and a full head of hair which by
her first birthday had turned to a corn-silk blonde.  She had an
angelic look that remained for years.  Doctor Parker, who delivered
JJ, said it was the easiest delivery he had ever seen.  Linda never
suffered from morning sickness nor did she experience any discomfort
at any time during her pregnancy.  Her labor was minimal and JJ
arrived shortly after midnight, just a few hours after Linda's water
broke.
JJ was a more than precocious child, she was born with a gift and
seemingly divine knowledge, as she often spoke to the angels around
her bed.  By age two, she was reading, and by age four, she could
write and speak in clear, concise sentences.
At the age of five, JJ took on the role of little mother to her new
baby brother Peter Patrick Jackson.
Dr. Parker was the only outsider to ever know who the `anonymous'
sperm donor was the children. He encouraged home schooling with a
liberal dose of language instruction, music lessons and fine arts.  At
the age of 15, JJ entered the University of Western Ontario and became
a full fledged professor at the age of 21, writing, and publishing her
final thesis on, "The Goddess and the need for faith."  Her graduation
present was the introduction to her father, at which she laughed as
she hugged him as her father for the first time, surprising us all
with the announcement she had known since she was two!
Her mothers and father and younger brother were understandably very
proud of Jo-Lynn, as were her two very special aunts.  Her future was
exciting and filled with adventure, but that is another story.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

It seemed to be all the answers anyone needed as they all took a seat.
Linda left the room, her face glowing with happiness, while the rest
seemed quite at ease sitting in contemplative silence.  When Dr.
Parker returned 15 minutes later, he just looked around the room
wondering if we had all gone into a trance.

He looked at me and nodded.  I knew he could feel something in the
air.  Something wonderful, but he was still a doctor, and I sighed and
said to Patrick, "Now he wants to check and see if we suffered any
brain damage."

Dr. Parker laughed and said that, yes, he was going to, but no exams.
He would just observe and listen to our verbal skills and throw some
numerical puzzles at us.

I rolled my eyes and said, "how about Pi?  I'm pretty sure that I have
it memorized to six decimals.  3.141592." 

Dr. Parker laughed and said it was impressive, but Patrick said Pi
even that far was child's play.  

"How about the formula for determining volume in a glass beaker?" he
asked, and answered.  "Volume equals Pi times the radius squared times
the height."

"Show off," I said with a smile.  "You know math isn't my favorite
subject."

"Hey," he said laughing.  "You started it with a piece of Pi!"

Dr. Parker apologized to the parents, the nuns, and Father Ed.  "I'm
sorry, but they do need to rest, and though I finally managed to get
most of the well wishers to wait another day, there are a few who I
said could come for ten minutes, and then they must leave as well.  I
also need to see about getting my patients some food."

Mom and Dad hugged me, kissed me, and said they'd be back later in the
evening.  Tom and Rita echoed the sentiment, and the four of them
decided to go home and change and then meet up for supper at The
Mandarin Garden, the new Chinese restaurant across from the White Oaks
mall. 

"Great," I said.  "We're stuck with hospital fare, and you guys are
going for real food."

"Not to worry, young lady," came a booming voice from the doorway, and
the smiling face of Robert Denure appeared.

Father Ed and the Sisters wished us well and said they would be back
tomorrow and left.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Bob came in with Annette and Mandy, followed by Jim and Brett.
"Things have quieted down in the ER," said Brett.  "Bob has been busy
persuading us to edit the film of the team's return at the airport to
cut out the section showing you collapsing, Patti," he said.

"Blackmailing is probably a better word for it," said Jim with a
smile.  "So, on a professional level, we're just verifying both of you
are okay.  Patrick's accident might be news on its own since it was a
work-related incident, but since the parents don't want to make an
issue out of it, and since he is still a minor, I can keep that out of
the paper.  As for Patti, the poor girl just stumbled after a major
tournament.  I see no reason to mention it at all.  The sad part is
that you and Wendy are missing the welcome home party at the school.
When the airport finally forced the fans off the tarmac, they all
headed over to the school."

Bob smiled.  "It's slowing down the end-of-semester ceremony, but
Sister Elizabeth said she would bring your honor awards here tomorrow.
However, in light of your concern about your marks," he said with a
smile, "I am authorized to tell you that both Wendy and Patti scored
over 90% in all their subjects.  That's something you can put in your
paper, Jim.  All the Saints scored with academic honors as well as
their athletic honors."

"It might make a nice footnote in Monday's edition," said Jim, "but
nearly the entire Saturday Sports Section is already taken with a
photo collage of the Saints as they won one game after another, and
their game statistics are included.  It's going to be a collector's
edition - you mark my words - so a slight stumble by the new captain
of the Saints hardly seems worth mentioning."

"I agree," said Brett.  "Why spoil perfectly good footage of a winning
team returning home by a slight stumble of an undernourished young
girl."

I laughed and reminded him that there were a lot of people at the
airport who had seen me more than stumble, and that in all likelihood,
many would wonder what had happened.

It was Jim who laughed now.  "That, Patti, is how legends are born.
There were about 200 people at the airport, and most of them wouldn't
have been able to clearly see what happened.  Many would have seen the
scramble as Doctor Parker started to work on you and seen the team
stop and huddle around you.  They would have seen the ambulance pull
up and take somebody away, but at that point, with the team not coming
down and greeting the crowd, many would have just wondered.  Out of a
city with 300,000 people, questions raised by that small group will be
quickly be overshadowed by stories about the sensational victory
itself and then by other news.  As Brett said, any questions asked of
the school will be directed to Sister Elizabeth who will answer with
vague references to a stumble by one of the players.  As for the
ambulance, that was just a safety measure, not uncommon in slips,
especially if there might be a head injury involved.  The only ones
who will know the truth are your teammates and those of us close to
the situation.  Since hospital policy is to deny requests for
information except from family members, I would say most people will
have easily forgotten about this by Monday.  Of course there will be
some hospital staff who will talk at home about a strange double
cardiac case where - even after all hope was virtually lost - both
patients, teenagers, awoke at the same time showing no signs of trauma
or any of the symptoms commonly associated with a massive cardiac
failure.  In time, it will become a myth retold by someone who has a
cousin married to a doctor or nurse who worked at a hospital, etc.  No
one will even know where the legend originated."    

"Okay," I laughed.  "I get it.  Now, about that food I heard
mentioned?  I'm hungry!"

Jim laughed and came over and gave me a hug, saying he was glad I'd be
sticking around.  He shook Patrick's hand and then gave Wendy a hug as
well.  "Life is interesting around you kids," he said.  "I hope we
continue to see each other, even though the volleyball season is
over."

"You bet," I said.  "We like you too.  Patrick will be running the
distance marathon for his school in the spring, and Wendy and I will
be running track with Annette and Mandy for St. Ursula's.  But I hope
we see more of each other outside of the sports pages as well."

Brett wished us well and said he would be seeing us soon, and he and
Jim left.  Wendy was looking at me curiously.

I turned my attention to Robert.  I waved around the room and said,
"and this was unnecessary, Sir.  We're both well covered by our
parent's health plans."

Bob smiled and it suddenly hit me.  Patrick had caught on first,
though, and said, "I understand, Patti.  If not for Mr. Denure pulling
strings, we'd be in intensive care, isolated from everybody, and when
we were released from there, we'd be in the Pediatric wing."

Now Wendy gave Patrick that curious look.

Bob shrugged and said, "What good is money if you can't spend it on
people you care about?"

My eyes misted for a moment, something Annette saw, and she came and
threw her arms around me.  "I am so glad that you guys are okay," she
said, her own eyes misting over.  "You've made me a better person, and
I need you to stick around for a long time and keep reminding me how
to continue to be one." 

I hugged her and gave her a not very chaste kiss, then told her that
she and Mandy were our closest friends, and we wouldn't0 leave them to
face the world alone.  I looked over and saw Mandy and Wendy standing
beside Patrick, holding his hands and stroking his arms.  "I think
we're destined to be together for a long time," I added.

Dr. Parker cleared his throat.  "If you two want to eat," he said, "I
need to make sure you can handle it."

While the good doctor was checking us over once again, this time
concentrating on our abdomens to see if they were tender, Robert used
the phone to call out for food.  You'd have thought everyone was
staying for lunch based on the quantity he ordered, but after checking
with Dr. Parker, he put his arms around Annette and Mandy and said
they would come back tomorrow.

"No you don't," I said.  "You aren't getting out of here without at
least a hug!"

Blushing, Robert came to my bedside and I threw my arms around him,
squeezed, and then gently kissed him on the cheek.  His blush got
brighter and he turned and shook Patrick's hand.  

Mandy gave Patrick a hug and a kiss and I saw a slight smile form on
Annette's lips.  When Mandy turned to me, Annette gave Patrick the
same treatment.  Wendy stood to say goodbye and was promptly kissed by
Mandy and Annette.  Robert gave her a big hug, also, asking her to
take care of us, causing Wendy to blush.  Dr. Parker escorted them out
saying he would return shortly.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Okay," I said to Wendy.  "You've got something working in that pretty
brain of yours.  I can smell the wood burning."

"You noticed it, too, Patti?" asked Patrick.

"I notice every emotion on my Sweetheart's face," I smiled, "and I can
tell she's wondering about something."

"So, Wendy," asked Patrick.  "Are you going to tell us?  We didn't
gain any magical powers while we were gone.  We can't read minds."

Wendy smiled and took both our hands.  "Maybe no one else noticed,"
she said, "but you two have changed.  You're no longer living in each
other's body wondering when things will change." 

A bomb could have been dropped and we wouldn't have moved.  Patrick
and I looked at each other, then back at Wendy.

"How do you figure that, Sweetheart?"

"You're not calling each other by your nicknames anymore."  Wendy
looked at me.  "You've been calling him Patrick since the two of you
came back," then she shifted her gaze to Patrick, "and you've been
calling her Patti."  A small tear trickled down her cheek, but it
wasn't a tear of pain.  "Now I know both of you are here for good."

I closed my eyes and gave a silent thank you to the Goddess.  As She
had said, I would find the answers when I needed them.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

A delivery man arrived around 2 o'clock; an hour after most people had
gone home.  Of those still in the room - Linda, Julie, Wendy, Patrick,
and myself - Doc Parker was the only one who didn't know the whole
story, and he had said as much.

The food came, freshly grilled, juicy thin strips of chicken breast on
croissants, enough to feed ten, and while it was being unpacked, Doc
Parker closed the door with the 'exam in process' sign hanging
outside.  That would prevent us from being interrupted.

"It doesn't make any sense," he started.  "I was at the plane,
remember?  I was the first one to examine you, and your heart had
stopped," he said looking at me.

"In the ambulance, the medics wanted to pronounce you dead, but
Wendy," he said looking at her, "demanded I keep trying.  She said she
knew you'd come back, even after I explained you would probably suffer
from brain damage even if you did survive, but she was adamant,
telling me to just believe her.  The last words I heard you say," he
said to me, "were `Einstein, shop, electricity,' and then you stopped
breathing."

"I think," I started to say when the doctor held up his hand.

"I've been a doctor for a lot of years, Patti," he said.  "I've seen
things that science can't explain.  I've seen soldiers whose
parachutes didn't open and walk away from a fall of over 5,000 feet
with barely a scratch on them.  Most times I could rationalize and
explain why with a combination of bullshit and physics, but this time
I can't.  I told the ER doctors you still had a faint pulse in the
ambulance so they would keep trying to resuscitate you, but even in
the ER, after that long, you should never have been able to just open
your eyes and speak, much less move your extremities instantly.  Your
memory should be clouded at best, and I would expect at least the need
for canes or wheelchairs for a long time.  Please do not patronize me
or try to con me.  I won't pass judgment, nor will I make either of
you the center of attention in the medical community, but I need to
know the truth, and what makes it so important to me is the fact that
everyone else in this room right now seems to know the story.  When we
wheeled you into the ER, and I saw Patrick being rushed in at the same
time, I knew there was more to this.  Now I have two qualified nurses
who haven't as much as questioned anything since your recovery, which
leads me to believe they know something I don't know.  I'd like to
know the whole story."

Keeping my face straight was the hard part.  "Can we eat first?"  I
asked. 

Everybody laughed, breaking the tension, but Doc Parker looked
satisfied, sure now that he'd get his answers.  There was a box of
fresh baked pastries and bottles of juice to go with the grilled
chicken breast croissants, and we all dug in with an appetite. 

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Sated, and feeling comfortable, I swung my legs over the edge of the
bed, something that I probably shouldn't do in front of others, based
on what the doctor had said, and walked over to sit on the armrest of
Wendy's chair.  She toyed with my exposed ass as I began to talk.

"Do you believe in God, Doctor?"

"I'm, ah, I guess, um..."

I shook my head.  "Relax Doc.  This isn't a test," I said with a
smile.  "It's a simple question to help establish where I should
start.  I'm not asking if you believe in religion, I'm simply asking
if you believe in a higher power."

"Yes," he said after some thought. 

"Okay then. About seven months ago, both Patrick and I died.  That was
in the year two thousand and three."

He sat silently throughout it all, and I didn't embellish the facts or
try to explain them.  I just told him the truth and figured either he
would think we were both insane or he would believe our story.

Sticking just to the facts, it took me less than 30 minutes to tell
our tale.  

Doctor Parker sat silently for another 20 minutes, just looking at us,
not saying a word, trying to absorb all he had heard, trying to make
sense of it all.  Finally he said, "I guess that explains it then.
Only the intervention of a higher power could have brought you back in
one piece without any complications."

I hadn't told him about the meeting with the Goddess and how it was
our choice to come back.  I figured just telling what the others knew
would be enough.  

Patrick spoke up for the first time.  "Helped, maybe," he said, "but
it was our decision to come back this time."

Four sets of eyes locked on to him.  I just rolled mine.

Patrick spent ten minutes talking about the meeting with the Goddess
and our lunch with her and our decision and how a storm had brewed up
right afterwards.  How he had thought to seek shelter from the storm
but instead we had ended up making love on the grass, and after our
orgasms we were hit with a lightning bolt that spiraled us back.  Then
he looked apprehensively at me, and I remembered how his previous life
had been ruined as a young pregnant girl.  "Honey, I've been on the
pill for months now, and besides, I don't think I could get pregnant
where we were!" 

"Oh!" he said, understanding.  "No birth, no death, no change!  But,
what I still don't understand, Patti, is why you felt it was better to
face the storm rather than seeking shelter as the Goddess had
suggested."

I smiled at him and moved to give him a kiss.  "Because, my love, it
was another test to make sure we were ready to return and face the
storm of life.  Seeking shelter would have shown we were afraid and
not fully willing to return.  The Goddess was giving us a final chance
to back down, but rather than seeking shelter, we passed the test
because we embraced the storm and made love in the middle of the worst
of it!"

"Why?" asked Wendy.  

"Because my Darling, Angel, Sweetheart," I said as I leaned over to
give her a deep soulful kiss.  "We love all of you too much to leave
you now."

The flood of Wendy's love and her beaming smile let me know we had
made the right decision.

~ The End ? ~

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!
The moderated story newsgroup you read my ramblings on, as
well as the ASSTR website, is run totally by volunteers.
From the authors to the editors and moderators, no one
receives a penny for their services. However, it does cost
money to keep the servers up and running and to that end, if
you enjoy what you read, how about considering a small
donation to help offset the costs?  It doesn't have to be
much, every dollar helps.  Here's the link:

http://www.asstr.org/donations.html

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <story-submit@asstr.org>|
| FAQ: <http://assm.asstr.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-admin@asstr.org> |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr.org>   Hosted by <http://www.asstr.org> |
|Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}|
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
20051223111002
