Virtual Reality Gaming Trilogy - Part 2
From Lust to Love 

Copyright (c) 2002, Bingain (M~F+, cons, rom, ScFi, oral)
 
(Chapters 10-12 of 12)

An HTML version of this story is available at 
http://www.asstr.org/~bingain/.

------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------

Tim woke up from his nap, after his passionate sex 
with Emma in his bed.  Emma wasn't in his bed.  He put 
on his underwear, and went to look for her.  He found 
her, busy in the kitchen, wearing a big tee shirt.  

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Learning how to fuck in the kitchen," Emma said.

Tim laughed.  He went in to the kitchen.  The counter 
top was filled up with meat, vegetables, seasonings, 
bowls, gadgets, and a recipe book.  "You're cooking?" 
Tim asked.

"No, I'm fucking with these damn things," Emma said, 
while measuring some seasonings. 

"Have you ever cooked before?" Tim said, standing 
behind her, watching in amusement.

"Yes," Emma said.  "I was a chef in my previous life."

Tim chuckled.  "Do you want me to help?" he asked.

"No," Emma said.  "But promise you'll eat anything I 
make."

"I promise," Tim said.

"Now, please get me that vinegar bottle," Emma said, 
after browsing through recipe book on the counter top.

"Where is it?" Tim said, and began searching.

"It's a big bottle," Emma said.  "Must be in the 
cabinet."

"This one?" Tim said, holding a gallon bottle of 
distilled vinegar in his hand.

"Yep, can you open it, please?"  Emma said, after a 
glace at the bottle.

"This is five-percent distilled, it's for cleaning," 
Tim said, smiling.  "What kind of vinegar does the 
cookbook say?"

"Fuck!" Emma said, looking at the bottle Tim was 
holding.  "Deb doesn't cook, does she?"

"No," Tim said, holding his laugh.

"Damn it," she said, and took a look at the book.  
"Gourmet garlic wine!  My goodness!  How many kinds of 
vinegar are there?" 

"Perhaps a dozen or so," Tim said.  "I'm going to buy 
it now."  He kissed the upset girl, went to the 
bedroom to put on his clothes, and went to the nearest 
grocery.

------------------------------------------------------

Tim had a little hard time swallowing the food Emma 
cooked.  He made up an endorsing expression every time 
he chewed or swallowed.  

"I'm very sorry," Emma said, after spitting a piece of 
chewed steak into the dish.

"Don't worry, baby," Tim said.  "You'll get better."

"Let's go," Emma said.  "I'll buy you a dinner."

"No," Tim said.  "They don't taste good, but are 
edible," Tim said.  "If you don't like it, eat me 
after I finish my meal."

Emma giggled.  "That I certainly will," she said.  
"I'll try to be better."

"Who cooks at home?" he asked.

"We have a part-time maid at home," Emma said.  "But, 
actually, dad and I seldom eat at home.  Do you cook?"

"Only breakfast and sandwiches," Tim said.  "I'm not 
much better than you or Deb."

Emma smiled, and said, "Okay.  That makes me feel a 
little better."  She took a deep breath, and put 
another piece of her steak into her mouth.

------------------------------------------------------

They finished cleaning the dishes, cookware, and 
gadgets before going to the couch and turning on the 
TV.

"I love this," Emma said, snuggling against Tim in the 
couch.  "If I had known it would make me feel so good, 
I'd have rented an apartment for myself a long, long 
time ago."

Tim lowered his head to kiss her.  "Are you staying 
tonight?" he asked after the kiss.

"Do you want me to?" she asked.  "Do you have my 
sleepwear?" 

"Why do you need sleepwear with me?" Tim asked, trying 
to look as innocent as possible.

"Because that's the bet you lost," Emma said, giggling.

"Well, well," Tim said.  "Well, well."

"Well, well," Emma said, giggling.  "Okay, just 
remember you still owe me the bet."

Tim smiled, and kissed her on the forehead.  "Will 
your dad be concerned if you stay out at night a lot?" 
he asked.

"No," she said.  "He stays out a lot himself.  Hmm, I 
have an idea."  She lifted her face to look at Tim.  
"Would you mind if I move more stuff over?  I know it 
will be a little tedious when you kick me out."

"You want to stay here whenever you're in town?" Tim 
asked.

"Well," Emma said, "then my dad can bring his women 
home without having to feel embarrassed."

"Oh," Tim said.  "So it's not what you really want."

"No," Emma said.  "You really believe you're a super 
fuck?"

"I thought so," Tim said.  "How bad am I?"

"Oh well," Emma said.  "Let's just say... You're 
unable to make me come more than half a dozen times 
before you come."

Tim laughed so hard he almost fell.  "And that's bad?" 
he said, stroking her shoulder.

"Actually," Emma said softly, "you're super.  So far 
you're the only guy who can make me come every time."

"And that's why you like me?" he said.

"No, wrong!" she said.  "I don't like you; I love you.  
And it's not because you can make me come.  That I can 
do myself.  It's your evil eyes, evil face, evil heart, 
and, of course, evil dick."  She giggled.

They talked, watched TV, and listened to music for 
another couple hours.  Then Tim went for his shower 
first, followed by Emma.

Tim knocked on the bathroom door while Emma was 
showering.  "Can I come in?" he shouted.

"It's not locked.  I knew you would want to fuck me in 
the shower."

Tim chuckled and went inside.  He dropped a piece of 
garment on the rack.  "My lost bet is on the rack," he 
said, and went out of the bathroom.  He went into the 
bedroom, stripped himself, and got into the bed.

A while later, Emma showed up at the door, wearing a 
turquoise silk chemise with string straps, which 
meagerly covered the matching panties.  She stuck a 
post with an arm on the doorframe, leered at him, and 
smiled lewdly.

"Bad boy, bad boy," she said.  "I was expecting a 
sleeping dress, and you bought me a fuck dress."

"Well," Tim said, smiling lasciviously at her, "if you 
don't like it, you can take it off."  

"Oh!" Emma said, and crept into the bed.  "You don't 
even want to do the dirty work.  Oh, oh! You don't 
even want to tease me.  How miserable!"

Tim pulled her to him, and kissed her vigorously.  
"How deep do you want me inside?  How much do you want 
from my big cock?" he whispered into her ear after the 
kiss.

"Oh, oh!" she whispered, panting.  "As deep as you can 
make it; as much as your big cock can fill me up."  
She began teasing him all over.

------------------------------------------------------

Alan came back on the Saturday before Annie's school 
started.  The old friends gathered at Tim's apartment.  
They ordered some pizza for their dinner.  

Annie was a little nervous to be with Emma at the 
beginning, but she eased off a while later, and began 
sharing girlish talks with the hostess. 

"How come I haven't seen Cyn for ages?" Tim asked 
Deborah.

"I don't know," Deborah said.  "She hasn't talked with 
me for a few months."

"She's been busy with her extremely possessive 
boyfriend," Annie said with a sigh.  "I saw her a 
couple of times and had talked with her briefly."

Jared, Julie's boyfriend, asked Tim, "How much is the 
apartment and how much did it cost you to furnish it?"

Except Julie, everyone bent in their seat laughing.  
Tim said to Alan, "I think we should set up a guide on 
the web."  He gave Jared the information while the 
girls were teasing Julie.

Alan drove Annie to Albany that night.  They left 
behind some packages which Alan's car couldn't 
accommodate, for Deborah and Emma to carry in their 
cars.  Emma and Deborah left on Sunday.

------------------------------------------------------

Tim's first class started on the following Tuesday.  
He took Applied Calculus and the second Accounting 
Principles course, leaving Economics, his last first 
year course, for the coming summer.  He went to school 
three evenings a week.

He got home late on Friday evening, after spending a 
long time at a client with his partner, diagnosing and 
fixing their hardware problems.  He saw the dining 
table was already set, and Emma was on the couch, 
reading her textbooks. 

"I thought you were coming over on Saturday," he said 
after kissing her.

"I've rearranged my class schedule so I have the 
Friday afternoon free," Emma said.  "Then you can fuck 
me a couple more times a week."

Tim chuckled.  "Did you mean it for yourself?" he said 
teasingly.

"Oh well," Emma said, smiling.  "Does it matter?"

"Before or after dinner?" he asked.

Emma thought for a moment.  "Both," she said, and 
started reaching for his manhood.  She gave him a blow 
job as an appetizer.

------------------------------------------------------

"How's school?" Tim asked during the dinner.

"Very tough," Emma said.  "I've never taken so many 
classes before."

"How many are you taking?" he asked.

"Twenty two credits," she said.  "I've just declared 
my major in Business Administration, and I need to 
catch up dearly.  You know, I've been fooling around 
in the previous semesters."

"That's going to be pretty tough," Tim said.  "Why 
don't you do it a little slower?"

"Oh well," Emma said.  "The thought of you fucking 
other girls here during the week is just unbearable.  
If I can finish school faster, I can fuck you instead 
of them doing it."

Tim almost dropped his fork laughing.  He looked at 
Emma.  "Have you thought about transferring to UR?" he 
asked.

"Yes," Emma said, "but I won't.  I'll never graduate 
with you fucking me five times a night.  When the hell 
will I find time to study?"

"Goodness," Tim said.  "Have I ever been able to 
accomplish that?"

"You will soon," Emma said, giggling.

"How come I don't see an ashtray here?" he switched 
topics.

"I've quit," she said.

"Why?"

"You don't smoke."

"You can smoke."

"No," she said.  "The thought of other girls sucking 
your cock makes me feel so badly, I can't smoke."  She 
giggled.

"What about the thought of you sucking my cock?"

"Makes me so horny I can't smoke," she said, smiling 
and licking her lips.

"You look like you're in your first love," he said, 
smiling.

"It is," Emma said slowly.  "I've had more guys in the 
past than I can count, but I've actually never fallen 
in love before.  I don't feel all right, you know.  
I'm scared."

"I'm pretty convinced that I love you," Tim said 
slowly.

"Well," Emma said, trying to hide her smile, "you're 
not saying it in a natural way, so you are not 
convinced yet.  Say it again when you're absolutely 
sure."

"Can you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"Feel my love, or whatever you want to call it."

Emma thought for a moment.  "No," she said.  "I know 
you like me, I know you probably love me a little, I 
know I'm your girlfriend, but I can't tell how much 
I'm in your heart.  Can you?"

Tim thought for a while, "No," he said.  "But my 
feelings toward you grow day by day, hour by hour.  I 
don't know how big a heart I'll need if this keeps 
on."

"Well," Emma said, giggling, "keep them in your big 
cock instead."

------------------------------------------------------

"You seem to be doing a lot better in the kitchen 
now," Tim said, while they were relaxing on the couch 
after dinner.

"Well," Emma said lazily, "I'm gifted, and Annie also 
showed me a thing or two."

"I see.  So, how's Annie getting along with you 
girls?" Tim said.

"Not very well," Emma said.  "She can't stand Deb and 
me talking about sex all the time.  The more she can't 
stand it, the more we talk about it."  She laughed.

Tim fell off the couch laughing.  

"Well," Emma said, "we even pretended to do the 
lesbian thing in front of them, you know, at their 
apartment.  I think that big chicken was very turned 
on.  He tugged Annie into their room very fast.  Wait, 
maybe it was Annie tugging the big chicken."  

Tim laughed for a long while before he could talk.  
"You girls weren't actually doing it, were you?" he 
asked.

"Nah," Emma said.  She turned to look at Tim, and 
continued, "Forget about the threesome, you dirty 
pig."

"Threesome?"

Emma's face was a little pink.  "She told me you'd 
fucked her in the past," she said.

Tim gaped.  He couldn't say a word.

"Come on," Emma said, giggling.  "She's not going to 
do it with you again."

Tim gave her an embarrassed smile.

"Oh well," Emma said.  "If my brother were as sweet as 
you are, I probably would've let him fuck me, as 
well."  She giggled.

"Your brother?"

"Yeah," Emma said.  "Too bad he's just a slob who 
thinks he's a big gun."

"He tried?"

"Well," Emma said, with a little disgusting look on 
her face, "I told him I would tell everyone at school 
if he even tried touching me.  We went to the same 
school.  He was two years older and a grade higher.  I 
think he shit in his pants every time he thought about 
it."

Tim laughed for a while before he asked again, "So he 
never touched you again?"

"No," Emma said.  "But he tried something even worse.  
He persuaded his friends to fuck me instead."

"Goodness," Tim gaped.  "Did they?"

"Of course not," Emma giggled.  "Everyone he tried had 
fucked me before.  Why would they have to do it for 
him?"

Tim laughed so hard he almost fell onto the floor.  
"So what happened afterwards?" he asked.

"Oh well," Emma said.  "He finally learned how to fuck 
other people's sisters, so he left me alone.  But he 
got beaten badly by one of his friends when he 
attempted his little sister."  She paused for a while 
as she laughed. "Okay, okay, enough about my fag 
brother.  Let's talk about your big cock."

"What about my big cock?"

"Deb told me about her relationship with you," Emma 
said.  "Don't be shy! Don't be shy, big boy."  She 
laughed as she saw his facial expression.  "You know, 
we talk about everything.  I told her which guy was a 
good fuck and which one could be a potentially nice 
guy.  She's very careful about picking guys, good for 
her."

"She's actually always careful about picking guys, but 
everyone makes mistakes once in a while," Tim said.

"I'll watch out for her as well," Emma said.  "She's 
my friend and my boyfriend's beloved sis."  She smiled 
at him, then thought for a while.  "Will you feel bad 
if you don't get to fuck me tonight?"

"No," Tim said.  "I love it with you, but it's not the 
only thing I love.  Are you having your period?"

"Oh!" Emma said.  "Smart boy you are.  Don't worry, 
big boy, I can still make you come like there's no 
tomorrow.  Just tell me how many times you want it."  
She giggled. 

------------------------------------------------------

The next morning when Tim woke up, Emma was already up.  
He went to the kitchen, but didn't see her.  Then the 
front door opened and she came in. 

He went over and gave her a kiss.  "Morning, babe," he 
said.  "Where have you gone?"

"Laundry.  Where else?" Emma said.  "I couldn't find 
the super for a bloody fuck."

He held her in his arms and looked into her eyes.  
"Emma," he said.  "Do you know..."

Emma stopped him from continuing by cutting in. "No," 
she said, smiling slyly.

Tim pinched her ass, and said while she was giggling, 
"You don't look like my girlfriend; you look like my 
wife."

"Where's the ring?" 

"What ring?"

"Wedding ring."

"I don't have it."

"Then stop bullshitting," Emma said, smiling.  "You 
don't need it for fucking me.  Oh, my goodness, you 
really want to fuck me.  You're hard!"

------------------------------------------------------

Tim ran into Pam one evening at school.  He was going 
to his class, while she was leaving the building.

"Hey, Tim," Pam said.  "Long time no see!  How're you 
doing?"

"Hi, Pam," Tim said.  "I'm fine.  How about you?"

"I'm fine," Pam said, smiling.  "I've heard that 
Emma's busy traveling between Albany and here for 
you."

Tim smiled.  "So how's your designated driver friend?" 
he asked.

Pam giggled.  "Well, I take the bus now," she said.

"Oh."

"Well, Tim," Pam said, "I've got to go.  Don't want to 
miss the bus.  Tell Emma to call me, and give her a 
chance to see us."  She smiled slyly and waved at Tim 
while stepping away.

That night, Emma called Tim.  She was giggling as she 
talked.  "Pam called me," she said, "complaining about 
me monopolizing all the big cock guys."

Tim choked.  "You do know how to get to me, don't 
you?" he said.

"No," Emma said, giggling, "I only know how to get you 
to come.  Anyway, do you mind hosting a gathering at 
your apartment on Friday evening?"

"Of course I don't mind," Tim said.  "But I may likely 
be late.  I tend to get more jobs on Thursday and 
Friday when I don't have classes."

"Too bad," Emma said.  "The orgy will likely be over 
by the time you come home."

Of course there was no orgy, not even any lap-dances, 
nor strip poker.  When Tim got home at around eight on 
Friday evening, he found noisy girl talks overwhelming 
everything.  The few guys there were quietly drinking 
beer most of the time.  A couple guys were old enough 
to buy liquor, and Emma had forced them to buy a huge 
supply for the party and beyond.

------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Tim took Emma to swim at a nearby 
health club he had joined earlier that week.  It was 
far less classy than the one Emma had taken him to 
before, but he felt more comfortable paying for her 
guest pass, instead of having her pay for him as a 
guest at her dad's club.  Tim, however, couldn't 
understand why he felt uneasy when the other swimmers 
kept on staring at his girlfriend all the time.

"You don't like me in this sexy swimwear, huh?" Emma 
asked Tim.

"No," Tim said.

"Oh! I get it now!" Emma said, glancing him.  "You'd 
rather I skinny-dip."

Tim smiled uneasily.  "Not here," he said.

"Oh! I see," Emma said.  "You don't like them watching 
me, huh?  You want it for your eyes only, huh?  You're 
jealous, huh?"

"No, no, no."

"Oh!" Emma said.  "Why don't you just say you're 
jealous to make me happy?"

"Okay," Tim said.  "I am."

"Emma smiled at him.  "Thank you for your generosity," 
she said.  "Should I reward you by blowing you now?"

"No," Tim said.  "Not here."

"Oh!" Emma said teasingly.  "You don't want to get 
them jealous?"

"No," Tim said.  "And stop it now.  You're getting me 
hard."

Emma laughed happily.  "Well," she said, "why don't we 
bet again?"

"No," Tim said.  "Tell me what you want, and I'll buy 
it.  No more betting."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure," Tim said.  "What do you want?"

"What about swimwear with leg coverings?  You can then 
keep my nice figure for your eyes only," she said, 
smiling.

"No," Tim said.  "I may like to see them drooling."

Emma giggled. "Maybe they'll drool more if I blow you 
now," she said.

"Okay," Tim said, smiling.

Emma's face got pink.  "You're a dirty pig," she said 
in mock disgust.  "Do you know that?"

"You started it first," Tim said, holding his laugh.

"Oh!" Emma said.  "Tell you what, big boy.  Next time, 
I'll do it."  She looked sternly into his eyes.  "I 
will!"

------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------

February 14th was a Sunday.  Tim made dinner 
reservations at a small restaurant for five thirty 
that evening.  He made it early, because he didn't 
want Emma to get back to Albany late at night.  He 
went to his dad's home in the afternoon for a while.  
He rushed back at around five.

Emma was waiting at his apartment, in a black dress 
with draped neckline and asymmetrical hem.  "Oh, 
goodness! Oh, no, my goodness," Emma cried with a 
bright smile and shining eyes when Tim gave her the 
roses.  She threw herself at Tim, and kissed him 
passionately.

"I'll get dressed very fast," Tim said after the kiss.

Emma was still staring at the roses in her hand.  "Oh! 
Goodness," she said.  "I'm giving you a blow job 
before we go."

"I don't think we have time for that," Tim said, 
smiling.  "Why don't you give me a double when we come 
back."

They had their Valentine's dinner at a fancy bistro.  
A jazz combo was playing softly in the background.  It 
was a delightful dinner.  The food was elegant and 
tasty, and the service was friendly and excellent.  

"I've never been here before," Emma said, while 
sipping her coffee.  "But I just love it.  I think I'd 
like to come here often.  How do you know of this 
place?"

"I asked some coworkers," Tim said.  "I love it here, 
too.  They don't have a dance floor, though."

"That's not important," Emma said.  "I'll do a 
striptease dance for you when we get home.  Don't tell 
me you're going to reject it."

"I may," Tim said, "unless I get to participate."

"No, no," Emma said, shaking her head while smiling.  
"That's called a floor show.  You cannot participate 
when it comes to strip dancing."

Tim chuckled.  "I guess I have to follow your line," 
he said.

------------------------------------------------------

As soon as they got home, Emma threw her arms around 
Tim's neck and leaned to kiss him.  Tim pushed her 
gently to stop her.

"I've got something to tell you first," Tim said to 
the eye-widened Emma.

"Good or bad?" Emma asked, looking nervously at Tim.

"I'm not sure if it's good or bad," Tim said.  He took 
a deep breath together with Emma, and then declared, 
"I love you, Emma."

"Oh, my goodness!" Emma cried.  She wrapped tightly 
around Tim and started weeping on his shoulder.  She 
stopped after a while and tilted her head back to look 
at him, her eyes were wet.  "I love you, Timmy.  
You're not going to believe how much I love you."  She 
wept again.

Tim held her tightly while she wept, and kissed her 
passionately when she had stopped weeping.

"Timmy," Emma cooed, "please make love to me before I 
do the strip dance.  I've never wanted you more than I 
do now.  I'm at the happiest moment of my life, and I 
just need a little more."

"Me too," Tim said.  "Happy, that is."  He carried 
Emma into the bedroom.

------------------------------------------------------

Deborah's birthday was on April 20th.  Since it was on 
a Tuesday, Deborah had moved her birthday party 
forward to the preceding Saturday. Tim told Emma not 
to travel to Rochester that weekend, and he would go 
there instead.

Tim took his parents' birthday gifts for Deborah, and 
went to Albany on Saturday.  He was a little surprised 
to find out Deborah had a new boyfriend, called Fred.  
He wasn't very nice looking, but he seemed to care for 
Deborah.  He was in his first year of graduate study 
in computer science.  Tim talked a lot with him on 
technical things, until the girls stopped the guys, 
and insisted they join in on their conversations.

They had the party at Deborah's apartment that evening.  
Alan couldn't attend, because he couldn't find a 
substitute for that shift.  Once again, there were 
many more girls than guys.  Tim wondered where all the 
guys had gone, or whether there were fewer guys going 
to college than girls.

------------------------------------------------------

Emma decided to stay at Albany during the summer, to 
speed up her duration of study.  Deborah did the same 
thing.  

Emma continued her arrangement of staying with Tim 
every weekend, and went crazy on her studies during 
the week.  Tim knew she studied very hard, so she 
could graduate as soon as possible.  Tim also knew 
that she made almost every decision, and did most 
things, for him.  Emma looked like she had changed 
into an entirely different person since she had been 
with Tim.  He, however, knew that Emma hadn't changed 
much; she had simply removed her camouflage, and 
showed him her real self.

------------------------------------------------------

Emma's birthday was on December 10th, which was a 
Friday.  She didn't want a birthday party, not a big 
one.  Deborah used her place to hold a small party for 
her and a few close friends.  Tim took a couple of 
hours off his work that day, so he could get there 
early enough.

Everyone Tim knew that lived in Albany were there: 
Alan, Annie, Fred, and, of course, Emma as well as 
Deborah.  Two other girls who were close friends of 
Emma's were also there.  They talked, ate, and drank.  
They also celebrated Alan's recent promotion to shift 
supervisor. 

After a while Fred suggested they play some game.  He 
suggested strip poker.  Of course, he was immediately 
voted down, with pokes from Deborah and the other 
girls.  They agreed on regular poker game, betting a 
quarter for a chip.  Deborah said she happened to have 
two decks of cards Fred bought her some time ago, 
during his other failed attempt for a strip poker game.  
She got the cards out, and they started playing the 
game.

Since they bet on nothing material nor exciting, they 
talked and flirted more than paying attention to the 
game.  

"Why don't we have a side bet?" Tim asked Emma.

"Sure," Emma said.  "Let's bet your underwear."

"What are you offering?" Tim asked.

"Of course, my panties," Emma said, smiling.

"Nah," Tim said.  "That's only going to benefit Fred 
and Alan."

"Oh, that's true," Emma said, giggling.  "What do you 
want then?"

"You're going to buy me anything I want, agreed?" Tim 
said.

"Sure," Emma said.  "I know what you want, some 
intimate sleepwear for me."

"And," Tim said, while the people were laughing, "you 
don't want me to take off my underwear in front of my 
sister and Annie, do you?"

"Why not?" Emma said.  "And my dear friends may want 
to check you out, as well."

"No, no," Tim said, as they roared in laughter again.  
"Not while you're here."  

"Okay," Emma said.  "You're going to buy me anything, 
as well.  I won't want sexy attire.  I want you to be 
aware of that."

"Deal!" Tim said to Emma.  He looked at Fred.  "It's 
your turn to deal the cards."

Tim checked his cards, exchanged four of them, and 
folded his cards with a long sigh.  He looked at Emma, 
who was smiling happily.  "Not yet," Tim said.  "You 
may have to fold as well, then we'll compare."

Emma lost that game, and lost two dollars, but she had 
a pair.  

"I lost," Tim sighed.  "What do you want?"

"Hmm," Emma said, tilting her head to think what 
souvenir she wanted.

"Hey, Emma," Deborah said.  "I've got an idea."  She 
went over to Emma and whispered in her ear.  They 
giggled together.

"Okay," Emma said.  "You're going to buy me an 
engagement ring."

"I can't," Tim said.

"Oh well," Emma said, smiling slyly, "you had agreed 
to buy me anything I wanted."

"I can't," Tim repeated.  He took out an engagement 
ring, and said, "because I've already got it here."

Emma froze.  She looked at Tim, then looked at Deborah.  
"Damn, you guys set me up!" she shrieked, while the 
others were laughing.

"Oh!" Deborah said, acting innocently, "so I guess you 
don't want it, then."

"My goodness!" Emma cried out.  "Oh, oh! My goodness!  
Hell, don't throw it away!"  She darted to Tim and 
grabbed the ring.  "Oh, my!" she said, and gave it 
back to Tim.  "Put it on for me, you dirty pig!"

"Why am I going to put it on for you?" Tim said with a 
sly smile.

"Damn, my goodness!" Emma cried.  "Put it on for me, 
because you want to marry me and... Oh, my!  Do it now.  
Don't play with me!  I don't have the heart for it."

"Well," Tim said, smiling, "will you marry me?"

"Do I look like I'm going to refuse?" Emma said, 
staring at Tim, stomping her feet.  "Of course I 
will!"

Tim put the ring on her finger, and held her tightly 
for a kiss.

"Let's go now," Emma pulled Tim's hand and said, after 
the kiss.

"You're the birthday girl, you can't go now," Tim said.  
He then whispered in her ear, "I've booked a room but 
can't check in until midnight."

Emma sat down reluctantly.  The poker game was over.  
Everyone knew Emma wasn't in a mood for casual talks.  
They talked for another while, mostly teasing Emma 
about her behavior and manner.  Then Alan declared the 
party was over.  They kissed Emma in turn, then pushed 
her and Tim out.

"You're a deceitful dirty pig!" Emma said, staring at 
Tim, once they were outside.

"Then why would you take the ring?" Tim said, wrapping 
an arm around her waist while walking down.

"Oh, my!" Emma said, wrapping around him.  "Don't play 
with my heart! Play with my body instead, please."

"That I will," Tim said, kissing her hair.

"You're not going to sleep tonight, I assure you," 
Emma said, gripping his ass.

Although Tim had been eating very high cholesterol 
foods and consuming a lot of vitamins during that week, 
he still couldn't make it.  After his third 
ejaculation, his balls began hurting more and more 
when he came.  He was snoring when Emma was trying to 
get his dick to work for the sixth time that night.

------------------------------------------------------

It was a torture for the newly engaged couple to part 
for two weeks, but Tim insisted Emma should use her 
time to study for her examinations.  He knew his 
studies were easier, as he didn't take that many 
courses.  Tim saw Emma naked in his apartment when he 
came home on the Friday after her examinations.

"Come," Emma said, pulling Tim's hands.  "Pizza is in 
your bed."

Tim kissed her hair as he went into the bedroom with 
her.  "How was your exam?" he said.

"Oh, goodness!  Exam?" Emma breathed.  "Let's talk 
about exams tomorrow.  There are six slices of pizza 
for you.  You come once, you get a slice."  She pushed 
Tim into the bed and began stripping him.

When Tim passed out in the bed, the pizza box was 
empty, but he still couldn't make it.

------------------------------------------------------

"Let's start today's effort," Emma said.  They had 
just finished their breakfast and were sipping their 
coffee at the dining table on Saturday morning.   

"No," Tim said.  "Give me some time for rest.  I'm 
sore and... you know... it's still hurting."

Emma giggled.  "One hour break.  How's that?" she said.  
"And do you want pizza again for tonight, or Chinese 
food?"

"You're coming to my parents' house this evening," Tim 
said.  "Deb will be there as well."

"Your parents?" Emma said, staring at his eyes.

"Yes," Tim said.  "They want to see you."

"But..." Emma said.  "I haven't got my hair permed 
yet."

"You never had your hair permed, have you?" Tim said.

"I..." Emma stuttered.  "I don't have a decent dress."

"You don't need a decent dress," Tim said.  "They 
don't mind seeing you naked."

Emma chuckled, and said, "I... I haven't bought a gift 
yet."

"Are you scared?" Tim said, holding her hand, and 
smiling at her.

Emma took a breath.  "Yes," she said slowly, "I'm 
scared."

"You're worried that they may not like you?" 

Emma nodded her head slowly.

"They will like you," Tim said.  "Believe me.  Deb's 
also selling you to them."

"Please don't ask me to give you back the ring if they 
don't like me," Emma said slowly.

"I won't," Tim said, pulling her over and holding her 
close.  "It's yours, and I'm yours."

"Please ask Deb not to tell them I used to fuck like a 
whore," Emma said.

"She won't," Tim said.  "You know her.  She's your 
friend."

"Please tell them you love me," Emma said.

"I love you," Tim said.  "Don't you know it?"

Emma had a contented smile on her face.  "I know it," 
she said.  "I love you, Timmy.  Oh, oh, my goodness!  
I love you, Timmy!"

Tim went over and kissed her.  "Let's get dressed for 
the shopping," he said after kissing her.

------------------------------------------------------

Even a dog could tell Emma was very nervous the moment 
she went into the house of Tim's parents.  Apparently, 
Deborah had already told her parents quite a lot about 
Emma, as they didn't ask her questions like 'Where're 
you from', 'What do your parents do', and other easy 
to answer questions.  

Actually, it was worse, as they couldn't find much to 
talk about.  Eventually, Tim's dad threw out his 
favorite question.

"So, what're you going to do after school?" he asked 
Emma during the dinner.

"Well," Emma said in her most demure manner, "I think 
I will find a job here, a job in a company.  Actually 
any job, doesn't have to be a company."

Emma saw nobody was responding, so she continued, "I 
think I'll marry Tim, if he will take me."  She smiled 
at them.  Tim's dad was nodding, but no response other 
than that.  Emma went on, keeping her decorous smile, 
"I will give birth to Tim's kids."  She turned to 
Tim's dad.  "Do you like boys or girls more?"

Deborah giggled.  Everyone turned to look at her.  She 
had a little pink on her face, then said to Emma, "You 
don't ask dad.  Wrong person.  You should ask your 
husband."

The Brake family burst out in laughter.  Emma's face 
was red.  She smiled embarrassingly, after a brief 
glare at Deborah.  Tim reached his hand under the 
table to hold Emma's hand.  Her hand was cold.

Tim's mom smiled at Emma.  "I'll love either a boy or 
a girl," she said.  "And you don't have to rush it.  
Just take your time."

Tim's dad turned to his wife.  "Well, isn't a boy a 
little better?  You know, Tim doesn't like baseball.  
If we have a grandson, I can talk baseball with him."

"I can talk baseball with you, Mr. Brake," Emma said.  
"I don't just... just... I mean, I don't just do other 
sports, I watch baseball as well.  My dad used to 
watch a lot of baseball, until... well, until he got 
hooked to other sports."

Tim's dad leaned forward into the table and looked at 
Emma's eyes nervously.  "Please tell me you're a 
Yank."

"I'm a Yankee fan," Emma said, smiling.  "I haven't 
watched them much lately, but Thomas O'Muchacho is 
still my all time favorite pitcher."

"He's the best ever!" Tim's dad said excitedly, 
gripping his fist.  

"No more baseball talk at the table," Tim's mom said, 
glaring at her husband.  She turned to smile at Emma, 
and said, "I hope you don't mind.  I have to stop him 
from talking baseball at the table, or we're not going 
to finish the meal until next year."

They finished the dinner in a much more casual manner 
and relaxing atmosphere.  They talked for a while in 
the sitting room before Tim and Emma left.

Emma heaved a sigh of relief when she was inside Tim's 
car.

Tim kissed her on the cheek.  "They like you," he said, 
and started the engine.

"Oh," Emma said weakly, "I hope so."

Tim pulled the car into the street and headed home.  
"They do," he said.  "I didn't know you watched 
baseball."

"I don't," Emma said.  "One of the guys I used to fuck 
was a big fan.  I learned all the names from him."  
She giggled at Tim.

Tim chuckled.  "What about your dad?" he asked.

"Well," Emma said, "he used to watch baseball, until a 
couple of years before my mom divorced him.  He found 
out having various women playing with his balls was 
more fulfilling than watching guys playing with those 
flying balls."

Tim almost choked.  "Well," he said.  "Outstanding 
performance."

"What reward do I get?" Emma leaned against the 
headrest and said weakly.

"Do you want a fuck right now?" Tim said, putting his 
right hand over her skirt and stroking her thigh.

"No," Emma said slowly.  "Rub my back and... Okay, rub 
me all over when we get home, then you can do whatever 
you like."

"I'll rub you over and over," Tim said.  "I still 
don't understand what makes you so nervous.  You can 
get along with most everyone very well."

Emma turned to look at Tim.  "I didn't have to worry 
or care about how others think of me," she said slowly, 
"but I do with your parents."

"You're going to marry me," Tim said.  "Not them."

"They are your parents," Emma said.  "I think I've got 
to read more about baseball from now on."

------------------------------------------------------

Both of them were having their school break during 
Christmas, but there was no break for Tim's work, 
although he had taken a couple of days off following 
Christmas.  He was going to take Emma to Lake Placid 
for a little out of town getaway.

Tim had a bad day on Monday.  He was late for work, 
due to the slow traffic; he had more than the usual 
number of jobs to handle; most of his jobs were 
troublesome and tedious; and he had a tire puncture on 
his way home, which took him quite a while to replace, 
using the spare tire.  He didn't feel well when he got 
back to his apartment.  

"You don't look all right," Emma said after the kiss.  
"What happened to you?"

Tim told her the story.

"Why don't you go take a hot shower first," she said.  
"Then we'll have dinner, and no sex for tonight."

"Okay," Tim said.  "Except for the no sex part." 

He went for the bathroom while Emma was giggling.  
"Shit!" he grunted, after checking the cabinet in the 
bathroom.

"What?" Emma said.  "You shit in your pants?"

"No," Tim said.  "Can't find the painkiller."

"Do you have a headache?"

"Yeah," Tim said.  "Damn it, no sex for tonight."

"Just a second," Emma said, giggling.  She gave Tim a 
couple of her pain killing pills a minute latter.  

"Where did you find them?"  Tim asked.

"In my handbag," Emma said.

"Why are you carrying painkiller, and not birth 
control pills?"

Emma giggled, and said, "Well, that too."

Tim looked at Emma.  "You have headaches as well?" he 
asked.

"Well," Emma said, "you just don't know how much 
pressure and how tough studying for those damn exams 
can be, without you fucking me."

Tim laughed, then looked at Emma.  "Do you mean you've 
been taking them for a while?" he asked.

"Yeah," Emma said.  "Well, not exactly.  I don't need 
them when you're fucking me, or intend to fuck me, or 
show any interest in fucking me, or after fucking me."

Tim almost choked laughing.  "Okay," he said.  "Have 
you seen the doctor?"

"Of course," Emma said.  "I had to blow him a couple 
of times before he would prescribe me with those damn 
painkillers, which I could simply buy from the drug 
store myself."

It took a while for Tim to recover from laughing.  "I 
think my headache is gone now," he said.

"Oh, oh," Emma said, smiling, "I know what you mean.  
Okay, since it's your bad day, I'll help you improve 
it.  I'll let you fuck me in the bathtub.  Remember, 
for only five times." 

------------------------------------------------------

"I'm very disappointed," Emma said when they were 
having dinner.  "Just once?  I gave you five chances."

"I'm saving them up for tonight in bed," Tim said.

"Oh, oh," Emma said.  "Six times for the target, plus 
four times I owe you, that's eighteen times.  Are you 
sure you can handle it?"

"That's eleven," Tim said.  "Not eighteen."

"Does it matter?" Emma said, winking.  "Can you handle 
either?"

Tim switched topics.  "So how's your day?" he asked.

"Bad, unless I'll get an eleven tonight," Emma said.  
"Why don't you ask about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Tim said.  "What about tomorrow?"

"Well," Emma said, "if today is bad for you, tomorrow 
is going to be worse."

"Why?"

"Because it's your turn tomorrow," Emma said lazily.  
"You're having dinner with my dad tomorrow.  Do you 
need to have your hair permed?"

"No," Tim said.  "I'm not scared."

"Really?"

"Really," he said.

"Oh well," Emma said.  "We'll see."

"Okay," he said.  "A little bit nervous, that's it."

It wasn't as easy as Tim had expected.  Mr. Jeff 
Watson, Emma's dad, didn't talk with him very much.  
Mr. Watson talked with his daughter most of the time, 
and explained to Tim that was because he hadn't seen 
her in quite a while.  They had dinner at a classy 
restaurant.  There were only the three of them at the 
table.  Emma's older brother wasn't there.  In fact, 
the only time when Mr. Watson displayed uneasiness was 
when Tim asked about his son.  He hadn't seen his son 
in almost a year, although they lived in the same city, 
and the son had been living on the dad's money.

Right after the main dishes were served, Mr. Watson 
started answering phone call after phone call.  Tim 
knew he counted for nothing in Mr. Watson's heart.  
Ten minutes after coffee was served, Mr. Watson 
excused himself for the evening, claiming he had some 
rather important matter to handle.  

"I'm sorry," Emma said with a sorrowful voice, the 
moment her dad was out of their sight, "but at least 
you get to know how my family works."

Tim patted her hand on the table.  "No matter what," 
he said, "your dad occupies some space in my heart."

"Don't reserve too much space for him," Emma said.  "I 
need more than you can allow for."

"Honey," Tim said softly, "you're not going to believe 
how much I love you."

"It's easy to say it," Emma said, smiling slyly at him.  
"How can you show it?  You can't even fuck me six 
times in a row.  You couldn't even use up the four 
times I owed you last night."

"I promise you I'll be able to show it to you," Tim 
said.  "Six times or otherwise."

------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------

Deborah would graduate after the spring semester.  She 
considered it a tiny achievement, completing the four 
year school in three years.  She considered it a much 
bigger achievement to have found a job with the 
hometown newspapers at Rochester, even though her 
first choice had been the New York Times, which didn't 
hire her.  She had decided to stay with her parents 
for a year before considering moving out.  It was 
primarily a financial decision.

Although Emma had been working very hard, she still 
would need to complete another two courses during the 
summer to graduate.  She had, however, been promised a 
job at a local bank.  She wasn't worried about living 
arrangements, as she knew she had a home waiting for 
her.

Tim still had six courses after the spring semester to 
finish for his AAS degree, which would take him 
another year.  It wasn't urgent for him, anyway.  He 
could take the time.  In fact, he suspected how much 
time he could spare for study when Emma moved to live 
with him after the summer.  He joked about this with 
Emma, and got severe punishment in return.

Annie would stay at Albany for both summer classes and 
a summer job.  She would, however, leave Alan behind, 
and come to stay with her family in Rochester for a 
week.  Deborah would be giving her a ride.  In fact 
the three girls would be coming together back to 
Rochester in two cars on Thursday afternoon, after 
Annie finished her last examination.

Tim would be having his last examination that evening, 
so he couldn't be home until rather late.  He told the 
girls he would take them to dinner on Friday evening.

------------------------------------------------------

Tim finished his examination and stepped out of the 
classroom, feeling very relaxed.  He took out his cell 
phone and switched it on to check if he had any 
messages.  He noticed Deborah had called him about 
ninety minutes ago.  He knew the girls were already in 
town, probably gathering in his apartment for some 
girl talks.  He returned the call.  

"Timmy!" Deborah cried into the phone.  "She had an 
accident!  We're at the Strong Memorial Emergency 
now."

Tim froze.  He knew it was Emma whom Deborah was 
referring.  "What happened!" he breathed into the 
phone.  "Is she all right?"

"She's all right," Deborah said.  Her voice had calmed 
down a little.  She continued, "They said she only 
sustained minor injuries.  Strong Memorial Hospital."

"I'm coming over now," Tim said, as he started running 
toward the parking lot.  Strong Memorial Hospital was 
part of the University of Rochester Medical Center.  
It provided a full range of medical health care 
services, and had a trauma center.

During his run to the parking lot and his drive to the 
hospital, Deborah had furnished Tim with what had 
happened.

When the two cars went into Rochester, the girls 
discussed, using their phones, and decided to buy some 
food to eat at Tim's apartment before they parted.  
Emma's car was hit from the side by a pickup truck, 
jumping a red light at an intersection.  Deborah was 
right behind Emma's car, and saw the accident.  She 
stopped her car and went to check Emma out, while 
Annie called in the emergency.  Emma was stuck inside 
her car by the airbags and seatbelt, but she was 
conscious and didn't seem to be hurt seriously.  The 
cops came to investigate the accident, and an 
ambulance took Emma to the emergency facility.  

Deborah believed the truck driver was speeding, in 
addition to driving through the red light.  She also 
believed the superb construction of Emma's fine 
European car had helped reduce the injury she had 
taken, as the left side fender of Emma's car bent 
almost into the engine.  Deborah and Annie gave the 
investigating cops their statements, and then rushed 
to the hospital.

"Where's Emma now?" Tim asked Deborah when he saw them 
in the lounge outside the Emergency Department.  He 
was panting and sweating, partly due to the weather, 
his rush, and partly due to his anxiety. 

"They took her to the upper floors to do some 
testing," Deborah said.  She and Annie both looked 
anxious and tired.  

"The doctor in the Emergency told us she was pretty 
fine, only some fractures and minor internal 
bleeding," Annie said.  "They said they were taking 
her up for MRI and CT."

"How long has she been up there?" Tim asked, and 
glanced at his watch.  It was around a quarter to nine.

"About thirty minutes," Annie said.

Tim knew there was nothing he could do at the moment.  
He rubbed his hands and looked through the glass panel 
of the ER door.

"Do you have her dad's number?" Deborah asked after a 
while.

Tim almost forgot about him.  "I don't know," he said, 
and began searching his pockets and his bag.  He 
remembered that Mr. Watson had given him his business 
card when they met.

Tim couldn't find the business card.  He called up the 
directory services for the home phone number of Emma's 
dad.  He then called the number, and sure enough, 
nobody answered the phone.  He left a voice message.

"I'll go get some food," Annie said.  It was apparent 
all three of them didn't have anything in their 
stomach for quite a while.  She gathered coins from 
them, and went looking for some light food.

Just as Annie returned, Deborah pointed at a guy 
coming out of the Emergency Department door and said, 
"It's him."  He looked like he was in his late 
thirties, wearing a green scrub uniform and a 
stethoscope hanging around his neck.  He saw Deborah 
and approached them.

"Miss Watson is staying overnight for observation and 
analysis of her examination results," he said to 
Deborah.  "Are there any family members of hers 
coming?"

"He's her fiancé," Deborah said, pointing at Tim.

"Hi," the doctor shook hands with Tim.  "I'm Doctor 
McCoy."

"Hi," Tim said.  "I'm Tim Brake.  How's she now?"

"She's fine and is resting in her room," Dr. McCoy 
said, then glanced at the two girls, lowered her voice, 
and said to Tim, "Can we talk?"

"How is she?" Tim asked.  His heart was throbbing 
wildly as he stepped away with Dr. McCoy.

"Well," Dr. McCoy said, "she only has some fractures 
and minor internal bleeding, nothing serious.  She had 
said that she had some bad headaches and double 
visions, which could be a result of the impact in the 
accident.  So we took her to do some neurological 
examinations, that's physical examination evaluating 
brain and spinal cord functions."

"And what are the results?" Tim asked nervously.

"Well," Dr. McCoy said, "we are having a neurosurgeon 
perform a more detailed examination tomorrow."  He 
paused for a while, and continued, "She has a tumor in 
her brain, but we're not sure what type until the 
neurosurgeon has finished his examination."

"Oh my goodness," Tim murmured.  He felt so limp he 
almost fell onto the floor.  "Is it serious?  Will she 
die?" Tim asked weakly.

"I don't know," Dr. McCoy said.  "It can be benign.  
But honestly, I can't give you more information at 
this point.  Mr. Brake, do you live with her?"

"Yeah, kind of," Tim said.  "She goes to SUNY Albany, 
but she comes back every weekend."

"Okay," Dr. McCoy said.  "We've scheduled the 
examinations for tomorrow morning at eight.  I believe 
our neurosurgeon would like to talk with you, 
regarding any signs or symptoms she has displayed."

"I'll be here," Tim said. 

Dr. McCoy patted Tim's shoulder.  "Don't get worried 
now," he said.  "As I said, it can be benign.  She's 
on the second floor now."  He checked the time, and 
told Tim, "I'll give you special permission to see 
her."

"Does she know it?" Tim asked.

"Yes," Dr. McCoy said.  "And she knows that it can be 
benign."

------------------------------------------------------

When Tim opened the door and stepped into her room on 
the second floor, Emma was looking at the window.  She 
didn't turn to see the visitors.

Tim and the two girls went over to her bed.  There 
were tears on Emma's pale face as she slowly turned to 
look at them.  They kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm sorry," Emma said to Tim.  "I told you I knew it 
would happen."

"Emma," Tim said, "you'll be fine."  He caressed her 
cheek.

They stayed for a while, before the nurse came into 
the room and suggested they let the patient have some 
rest, as she was going to go through a serious of 
extensive examinations the next morning.

It was after midnight when Emma's dad returned Tim's 
phone call.  Her dad was panicky.  Tim told him what 
had happened, and what would be going on the next 
morning.  Mr. Watson told Tim he would be there in the 
morning.

------------------------------------------------------

Tim and Mr. Watson showed up early at the hospital the 
next morning.  Tim had called in for a day off.  A 
doctor by the name of Dr. Schrichten said he was the 
neurosurgeon who was going to take care of Emma.  He 
asked about Mr. Watson's family medical history, and 
any symptoms Emma had shown in the past.

"For example," Dr. Schrichten said, "stroke, headache, 
nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, seizures, vision or 
hearing problems, numbness or weakness, things like 
that."

"She's been working very hard at school," Tim said.  
"She had headaches whenever she spent too much time in 
studying, but her doctor said that was due to the 
pressure.  She got tired more lately, as her final 
examinations were drawing near.  But she doesn't seem 
to have the other symptoms you talked about."

"I'll see," Dr. Schrichten said.  "It may take quite a 
while.  As a matter of fact, it's going to take at 
least a whole day, as the schedule of using the 
equipment is rather tight, and she will have to wait 
for her turn.  I'm going to run a complete medical 
history of her and your family."  He looked at Mr. 
Watson.

"Okay," the dad said.

"I've arranged for chest x-rays, that's to find out if 
the tumor cells have spread into other parts of her 
body.  She'll also have CT, MRI, magnetic resonance 
spectroscopy, and PET scan.  We may also do 
angiography and biopsy to determine her condition."

"Will she... Will she be okay?" Mr. Watson said.  He 
looked like he was very tired.

"I really can't tell, Mr. Watson," the doctor said.  
"Not until I have the results."  He paused for a 
little, and continued, "We'll see.  In fact, you can 
go home for now.  She's going to have a busy day today, 
and there's probably not much you can do at this 
moment."

"Okay," the dad said.  He seemed to be getting older 
by the minute.

"I'm staying," Tim said.  He turned to Mr. Watson and 
said, "I'll call you if anything happens."

"Thanks, Tim," Mr. Watson said.  He patted Tim's 
shoulder.  Tim saw wetness in his eyes.  Before the 
dad left the hospital, he gave Tim all his contacts: 
his cell phone number, his office phone number, his 
secretary's phone number, and even his partners' phone 
numbers.

Tim didn't get to see Emma much that day.  She was 
being moved to different locations all the time.  
Later that day, the neurosurgeon told Tim he was going 
to perform a stereotactic biopsy, which was to remove 
a small piece of tissue in Emma's brain with a thin 
needle.  He told Tim to go home, as Emma would be 
anesthetized for the biopsy, and she would be asleep 
afterwards, until the next morning.

------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Tim found Dr. Schrichten coming out 
of Emma's room when he got there.  He grabbed the 
doctor and asked him about the test results.

"She is diagnosed to have Glioblastoma Multiforme," 
the doctor said slowly.  "That's a type of brain tumor 
that forms from glial tissue of the brain.  It grows 
very quickly.  Unfortunately, it cannot be cured by 
surgery, because cells from the tumor infiltrate too 
far into the normal surrounding brain tissue.  In fact, 
prognosis is poor, especially since she's at a rather 
late stage."

Tim's heart began to sink, and he felt his eyes 
wetting.

Dr. Schrichten continued, "However, we can reduce the 
amount of tumor by surgery, and then treat her with 
radiation and chemotherapy."

"Is she going to live?" Tim asked.  He could barely 
hear his own voice.

The neurosurgeon looked away for a few seconds, then 
turned back and looked at Tim.  "There are always 
cases where patients survive through malignant cancer.  
There's always hope.  We'll do our best," he said, 
then paused and continued slowly, "The average is 
three months for her condition."

Tim pressed his arm on the wall to support himself.  
His legs were shaking so badly he could barely stand.  
He knew tears were flowing down his face, because his 
vision was blurred.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Schrichten said softly, "but don't 
give up.  There's always hope.  I personally give you 
my word I'll do my best."

"Thank... Thank... you," Tim struggled to get the 
words out of his mouth.

"I'll be doing a surgery on Monday afternoon to remove 
as much tumor as I can," the doctor said, "to reduce 
her pain as well as for the other treatments.  It may 
also prolong life, even though not all the tumor can 
be removed."

"The... The surgery is... is going to... I mean, it's 
safe?" Tim asked slowly.

"Mr. Brake," Dr. Schrichten said.  "This is one of the 
best cancer centers in the nation, and we have some of 
the best surgeons in the world.  No surgery can 
guarantee survival, but I have confidence."

The doctor paused for a while and went on slowly, "Of 
course, you may want to call her family in."

Tim sat on the floor for a few minutes after the 
doctor left him.  He then wiped his face and went into 
Emma's room.  She was staring at the ceiling.  The 
moment she saw Tim, her eyes and face were flooded 
with tears.

"I'm sorry," Emma said slowly.  "I know it hurts."

Tim went over, held Emma in his arms, and kissed tears 
off her face.  "You'll survive, Emma," he said softly, 
"because I love you."

"I love you too," Emma whispered, "and it hurts to 
know you love me.  It hurts to see you in pain."

"I'm not in pain," Tim whispered.  "You're in pain, 
and I... I'd rather I had the pain."

"Pain is nothing to me," she whimpered.

"It's nothing to me either," he said.  "Let's go 
through this together.  We'll live, for a long, long 
time together."

Emma started to sob in his arms.

------------------------------------------------------

Tim called up Mr. Watson, and told him about the sad 
news.  When he saw the dad later that morning, he 
could hardly believe his eyes.  The dad looked like he 
had grown older by a couple of decades.  The old man 
told his daughter he had called her mom, who was 
living in Michigan, and the mom was rushing over.  
After a while Tim excused himself to leave some family 
time for the dad and daughter.  He went outside and 
sat on the floor.

A while later, Mr. Watson came out.  Tears were all 
over his face.  He dropped and sat on the floor beside 
Tim.

"Mr. Watson?" Tim said after a brief silence.

The old man wiped his face and turned to look at Tim.

"Will I have your blessing?" Tim said slowly.  "I want 
to marry your daughter."

Mr. Watson stared at Tim.  His eyes were bulged and 
his mouth gaped.  "Are you serious?" he asked after a 
while.

"I'm serious, Mr. Watson," Tim said slowly.  "She 
loves me, and I love her.  I want her to live happily 
as Mrs. Brake and... If she goes, I believe she'll 
want to die as Mrs. Brake."

The old man continued to stare at Tim for another 
while.  "You have my blessing, son," he said.  "Call 
me dad from now on."

"Thanks, dad," Tim said, as Mr. Watson hugged him.  He 
then got up and went into Emma's room.  He told his 
fiancée he was going to marry her.

Once again, Emma's eyes and face were flooded with 
tears.  "No," Emma said as she wept, "I can't marry 
you."

Tim held her in his arms and kissed her tears.  "Do 
you know how much I love you?" he whispered.  "You're 
not going to believe it."

Emma didn't respond for a while.  Then she pushed his 
head up and looked into his tearful eyes.  "Do you 
know how much I love you?" she said.  "You can't 
believe it."  Tears began flowing down from the 
corners of her eyes again.

"I do," Tim said.  "As much as I love you."  He wiped 
the newly formed tears off her eyes and face, and 
continued, "And I love you as much as you love me.  
That's why we're getting married."

Emma looked at his eyes for a long time.  She wiped 
the tears off his eyes.  "I'll marry you," she said 
softly.

They heard a knock on the door, then her dad came into 
the room.  He was holding his cell phone in his hand.  
"What's your full name, son?" he asked.

"Timothy Gabriel Brake," Tim said.

"Timothy Gabriel Brake," Mr. Watson said into the 
phone.  "How old are you? And what's your birth date?" 
he asked Tim.

"Twenty one," Tim said, and told him his birth date.  

Mr. Watson repeated into the phone, then gestured at 
them and went out.  He came back inside a little later.  
"The judge is sending a clerk over first thing Monday 
morning," he said.  "He's waiving the waiting period.  
The hospital has a chapel and a chaplain."

Emma smiled at her dad.  "Thanks, dad," she said.

"Do you need a dress?"  Mr. Watson said.

Emma let out a sigh and smiled at Tim.  "I've never 
imagined me getting married in a hospital," she said.

"I'll call a bridal dress shop to send someone in," Mr. 
Watson said.  "I'll call up a photographer."  He went 
outside again.

"Your dad loves you a lot, a lot," Tim said, stroking 
Emma's hair.

Emma thought for a while.  "Yes," she said, "he does."

They saw Deborah and Annie coming into the room, 
followed by Tim's dad and step-mom.  Tim gestured for 
his parents to go outside with him.

"I'm marrying her," Tim said, and told them the story.

His parents stared at him for what seemed like ages.  
"Are you sure about what you're doing?" his dad asked 
him.

"Yes," Tim said.

"Dad..." Deborah said from behind Tim.  He didn't know 
when she had come out of the room.  "Dad," Deborah 
continued, "if you and mom weren't married yet, and 
mom was inside this room, would you marry her?"

The dad looked at his wife's eyes.  He thought for a 
while and said, "Yes, I would."

Tim had never seen his step-mom smiling so sweetly 
before.  She wrapped her arms around her husband, and 
wept on his chest.

Tim then saw Mr. Watson coming toward him.  He 
introduced his family to his father-in-law-to-be.  

"Bridal shop is sending someone over now," Mr. Watson 
reported.  "The ceremony will be at ten on Monday in 
the chapel.  Photographer will be there.  What else do 
I need to arrange?"

"I'll be her maid of honor," Deborah said to Tim.  
"Alan will be your best man.  He's coming over 
tomorrow."

"What's her ring size?" Tim's mom said.  "We'll buy 
the wedding rings for you."

Tim knew a guy shouldn't shed tears in the public, but 
he couldn't help himself.

------------------------------------------------------

Tim had never seen Emma more beautiful than when she 
was smiling at him in the hospital chapel.  Compared 
to his bride, Susan was just like a kid when Tim 
attended his friend's wedding.

After officiating their marriage, the chaplain said to 
the newly wedded couple, "You have the best of my 
blessing."  He paused for a moment and continued with 
a smile, "It's not a formality, as it usually is.  
It's from here, and here."  He pointed at his chest, 
and then at the ceiling.

Of course, they weren't going to have their honeymoon 
after the wedding.  Emma was sent to the surgery room 
in the afternoon.  Tim and the company waited at the 
lounge, and occasionally wandered to the corridor 
outside the surgery room.

Tim called his boss while waiting.  He asked if he 
could get a three month unpaid leave, and told his 
boss the brief version of the story.

It took a long while for Tim to hear Philip's voice 
after his request.  "You know I can't keep a position 
open for that long, we're pretty tight on manpower.  
You know it."

"I know it," Tim said.  "I understand your situation, 
and I'm sorry about it.  I'll quit."

Philip talked after another long while.  "Tim," he 
said, "tell you what.  Call me when you can work again.  
If I have the vacancy for you, I'll work it back as if 
you had taken a no-pay leave."

Emma's operation lasted until late in the evening.  
Tim and his company sighed in relief when they saw Dr. 
Schrichten smiling at them in the corridor.  He told 
them to go home, as his patient wouldn't wake up for 
another eight hours or more.

------------------------------------------------------

Emma was discharged from the hospital three weeks 
later.  She would still have to go to the hospital 
regularly for radiation and chemotherapy.  Tim and his 
father-in-law had a rather heated discussion earlier 
that day.  Mr. Watson insisted he would arrange for 
visiting nurse services for his daughter at his 
apartment, but Tim preferred to take care of his wife 
himself.  Eventually, they settled that a visiting 
nurse would go there a couple of hours a day, to give 
some professional care to Emma.

Tim didn't have a reclining bed, but Deborah had 
bought him pillows and cushions of various sizes and 
shapes.  

"Timmy?" Emma said to her husband that night in the 
bed.

"Yes?"

"Why don't you fuck me now?" she said, smiling at him.  
"We haven't done the husband and wife thing yet."

"No," Tim said.  "We're not going to do it.  You're 
still in pain.  Don't tell me that you aren't."

"Timmy?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think the pain matters?" she said, still 
smiling.  "We probably don't have a lot of time left."

Tim thought for a moment.  "Wrong," he said.  "We 
probably have a long time to go.  And we're very 
husband and wife, with or without sex."

"Timmy?"

"Yeah?"

"You said you knew how much you loved me?"

"Yes, and yes I know."

"No, you don't," Emma said, smiling, "or you'd have 
known I wanted it. I need it, and I want you to do it 
now."

"Emma," Tim said, "let's wait for a day or two, okay?"

"Oh well," Emma said, smiling.  "Maybe you don't love 
me as much as you think you do."

Tim smiled at his wife.  "Raise a finger if it hurts, 
okay?" he said.

------------------------------------------------------

Emma had been getting weaker and weaker.  But she had 
also become more and more beautiful to Tim.  He 
couldn't understand why the fewer hairs she had on her 
head, the more attractive she appeared to him.  He 
couldn't understand why the more they stayed together, 
the more joyful he felt inside.  He prayed every hour 
for a miracle for his wife to live longer.

"It hurts," Emma said softly, snuggling against Tim in 
the couch, raising a long-stem red rose to her nose 
and sniffing.  It was the flower she loved the most, 
so whenever Tim went to the street, he always bought 
her one.

"Do you need the pill now?" Tim asked.

"No," Emma said slowly, "not that.  It hurts to know I 
can't be with you for longer.  It hurts to know you'll 
have the pain in your heart for a long time."

"Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know how joyful I've been?" Tim said.  "Do you 
know how blissful I am when I see you smile?  Do you 
know how much I enjoy being with you?  Do you know 
this is the happiest moment in my life?"

"I know," Emma said.  "Because you're stealing my 
lines."

Tim chuckled.  He kissed her on the forehead.  "Do you 
know how much I love you?" he said.  "You're not going 
to believe it."

"I know," Emma said, looking at his eyes, smiling.  
"As much as I love you.  You're stealing my line 
again."

"That's because we share the same mind," Tim said, 
stroking her shoulder.  "Tell me you're not happy."

"You know I can't," Emma said, smiling.  "Actually, I 
have never been happier than I am now.  Oh, my 
goodness!  Oh, mine!  You're not going to believe how 
happy I am."

"I can," Tim said, after kissing her on the lips, 
"because I'm as happy as you are."

Emma passed away that night in his arms, during her 
sleep.  Tim had never seen a more peaceful and 
contented smile on her face.

------------------------------------------------------

It had been more than an hour since the guests and 
families had left the cemetery.  Tim was watching the 
workers closing the grave of his beloved wife.  It was 
the 110th day since their marriage, and five days 
after Emma passed away.  Tim had never had more mixed 
feelings in his heart.  He felt grief, sadness, 
loneliness, pain, and, incredibly, joy, as well as 
peace inside him.  He knew his wife in the soil had 
the same feelings.

"I know she's still at the happiest moment of her 
life," Deborah said from behind Tim.  She was the only 
other person attending the funeral who was still there 
after the ceremony.

"I know," Tim said slowly.  "Thanks, Deb."

"Very few women have the privilege to live as happily 
as she did, and be loved so deeply.  I'm very glad for 
her," Deborah said.  "I'm also glad for you, Timmy.  
Very few men have a chance to feel the kind of huge 
love you received from her."

Tim turned around and smiled at his step-sister.

-----------------------------------------------------
- End -
-----------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------
Comments & Feedback
-----------------------------------------------------
If you have any comment, any feedback, or want to let 
me know how you feel about this story,  I appreciate 
you spending a little time telling me.

 
Bingain (bingain@yahoo.com)
August, 2002

http://storiesonline.net/library/author.php?id=1128
http://www.asstr.org/~bingain


