Admonition: This story has explicit descriptions of people 
engaging in careless and unprotected sexual activity in it, 
and shouldn't be accessed by minors.  Kids?  Try this stuff 
and you'll probably end up either in an AIDS ward waiting 
to die or in the maternity ward looking at your child 
before you graduate.  Don't rush into 'It' - it's not THAT 
much fun, and certainly not worth the risks around nowadays 
- I'm glad I'm married! :) 

Disclaimer: In any case, should this find its way into 
minors' hands, I cannot be held responsible - I DID warn 
them.

Copyright notice: I, the author of this tawdry pile of 
maudlin feelings masquerading as smut, hold all rights of 
reproduction to this work of prose.  Private copies for 
personal perusal and archives for NON-commercial 
distribution are permitted.

Plea for attention: The only reward ASS* authors can expect 
is the joy of sharing their creation with the rest of 
humanity.  But wait - how does that author KNOW if people 
are reading and enjoying his story?  Yep; if you like a 
story posted to alt.sex.stories.*, the fair thing to do is 
email the author and tell them so.  I promise that it'll 
make YOU feel good to send them kudos, after all, Mark 
Twain said, "The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to 
cheer someone else up."  As always you may contact me (and 
my wife Dancer) through my 'legacy' Deja News email 
account:         <empath69@my-deja.com>  
(Wow, I'm not just an author, now I'm an AGENT, too!  ;)

Author's Note: 'Kay, folks - here's another tale of Ted & 
Linda.  People mentioned they would be waiting with bated 
breath for more about this couple, and I've gotten a story 
idea that needs a framework, so...

-------


A Chance Happening
By Empath
Copyright, 2001
===============

"Ohhhhhhh."  Ted looked at the monitor, the display 
blurring for a second.  He reached his hand up to brush his 
hair back, only to feel his forehead burning.  'Damn, this 
isn't just a headache.'  He sat back and stretched, feeling 
small aches in his knees shoulders and back.  'Crap.  
Headache, high temperature, joint aches - I'm gonna get a 
fever.'

The man rested his head forward, temples held in his hands.  
'And who knows how long I've been passing this bug around 
here at work.  What does Pete say?  Cold bugs can sit in 
you and spread for a couple days before they give you 
symptoms; influenza can take a week before making itself 
known!'

"Hey, Ted - Harriet says you've got the February payroll 
audits for the Ohio office."

"Huh?  Oh yeah, Steve.  They're on the bottom shelf there; 
excuse me if I don't get them for you.  I think I'm sick."

Ted's coworker looked him over after grabbing the file 
folder.  "Yeah, you look tired and flushed."

"Shit.  Sorry if you catch anything from me, but I didn't 
know about it until a minute ago."

"No offense, but I hope it's the flu."  Steve patted his 
arm.  "Got the shot back in November - my own little Y2K 
vaccination!"

Ted laughed, and wished his colleague well, who 
reciprocated.  "Yeah, you get home and rest - a couple days 
sick leave should beat this; you try to hang on, you'll 
drag it out and feel shitty for a couple WEEKS.  And be 
grouchy to the rest of us.  Want me to tell the boss?"

Steve got a rueful grin.  "As much as I'd like to infect 
him, you'd better give him the news; I'll call in tomorrow 
morning whether I'll see you at all on Friday."

"Hey, you're welcome."  Steve left the cubicle giving Ted a 
wave.  The seated accountant saved his work, closed down 
his computer and grabbed the phone.  He got no response at 
the apartment.  "Oh, yeah - Lin's got a lunchtime meeting 
with her faculty advisor."  He dialed her beeper number and 
punched in his work number there.

Two minutes later, his phone rang.  "Hello."

"Hiya, love - what's up?"

"My temperature.  I think I'm coming down with something.  
Can you swing by and take me home?  After your meeting, of 
course."

"How'd you know-" 

Ted laughed evilly.  "Ahaha, the Shadow sees all and knows 
all!"

"Hon?  It's 'Who knows what evil lurks in the minds of men?  
The Shadow knows.'"

This rattled him.  "Oh.  So who knows all and sees all?"

He could almost see Linda shrugging as he listened to her 
response.  "I dunno.  God?  How'd you know really?"

"Ah, I spotted it on the calendar going out the door this 
morning.  So you finish your meeting, then come over and 
rescue me from work."

"Ted - it's okay, Dr. Rourke left for lunch just as you 
beeped me; we were making small talk for a while.  I'll 
come get you now."

"Thanks, darling.  See you soon."  He smiled as he heard 
the sound of her kissing the receiver before hanging up.

           *           *           *           *

"Come on, Ted.  You're getting in bed right now - you look 
horrible."

He felt horrible.  The fever had taken hold while he was 
waiting in the lobby.  He was rather dizzy, and feeling 
weak.  Ted merely grunted in agreement and peeled off his 
suit jacket, hanging it on the bedroom door handle.  

Linda helped him undress and pulled the sheet over her 
fiance, who tried to blow a kiss at her with little 
success.  She sighed, her arms akimbo and a grin on her 
face.  "Why did I ever agree to marry such a helpless baby 
as you?"

"I don't know - because I fuck like a stallion?" Ted 
retorted, managing a smile.

She threw her head back and laughed.  "That's it - your 
wonderful sense of humor!"

"Hey!  Have some sympathy for the sick, here."

She reached down, tousled his hair, gave him a kiss on his 
burning forehead, and started.  "Damn, you are really 
feverish.  You just got yourself a nurse, bub."

"But your classes-"

"Will be fine; I'll check with my classmates for lecture 
notes.  I don't have any tests or labs this afternoon.  
You're really sick and need watching.  Now let me go get 
something to help you with that fever."  She left for the 
bathroom, not letting him see her frown or chew her lip.

           *           *           *           *

'Oh, shit!' Linda thought as she checked in on Ted - he was 
splayed across the bed, the sheets bunched up and stained 
with sweat.  Ted himself was beet-red...all over.  His face 
was a mask of misery, head lolling back and forth.  He 
groaned weakly.

She dashed into the bathroom, grabbed the pill bottle and 
drinking glass, and opened the medicine cabinet to rummage 
around for the thermometer.  Reading the dosage on the 
bottle, she grunted and recited the limits.  "'Do not 
exceed 2 tablets in any 8 to 12 hour period, or 3 tablets 
in a 24 hour period.'  Damn - this is his second pill in 
about as many hours!"

"Ted?  Come on, Ted, wake up."  He was still in some 
feverish dream.  Linda began to chew her lip again and her 
eyes moistened.  "Oh, god, Ted.  PLEASE wake up."  She 
shook his shoulder again, and gasped in relief as her lover 
came around.

"Hmmm...whhzzz?"  Ted regarded her muzzily, gritting his 
teeth as he became aware of the pain in his temples and 
face.

"Honey, you're getting worse - here, take another pill."  
She dropped the tablet into his open mouth, and raised him 
up to sip at the water.  He grunted after a second, trying 
to indicate that the pill was swallowed.

"Uh-uh, Ted.  You're sweating like Rush Limbaugh in the 
Boston Marathon - you need to replace that water; drink."  
It took him some time to empty the glass, and he gave a 
prodigious belch when they were done.  Linda almost laughed 
if he hadn't groaned and held his torso.  She hugged him 
instead.

"C'mon, love.  We need to take your temperature.  Lift your 
tongue for me."  Ted complied - growing up with a best 
friend who had always aspired to become a doctor had taught 
him to be a good patient.

Linda took the discarded compress and wiped his forehead.  
Even though it was warm, the damp cloth was still cooler 
than his blazing brow.  She checked her watch and drew the 
thermometer from his mouth and read it.  She gasped.

"Ted, we're taking you to the hospital - this is serious."

He opened his eyes to look at her.  "No...nno way...th-
they'd," he gulped, "ask embarr...arrassing questions."

"TED!  I just took your temperature - it's a hundred AND 
FOURTEEN with medication!"

His reply was forced out between gasping breaths.  "I'm 
NOT...go-going to a...hospit-pital over this!"

"Well, let me get Pete over here, at least; he's your 
friend - maybe that'll be better."

Ted didn't reply right away, and Linda worried if he'd 
heard her.  He soon rolled his head to face her, and nodded 
resignedly - he clearly didn't want to do this.

           *           *           *           *

Dr. Peter Jackson was still working nights as a resident, 
and was awake and in a pleasant mood when Linda called him.  
She asked him to stop by and check out his friend and her 
fiance, explaining that he had a heavy fever.  Pete assured 
her he would be there sooner than she would expect.

When he arrived, he gave Linda a friendly hug and went 
straight for the bedroom.  Pete looked on his old friend 
and blanched. "Jeez, what happened to him?"

"He called me at school - he felt tired and a little hot at 
work and wanted to take the rest of the day off to rest.  
I've stayed and checked on him - when he got this bad, I 
called you."

"Why not just take him to the hospital?"

Ted summoned the strength to reply to this.  "I...don't 
want...to b-bother them...with a sim-imple case of the flu.  
I'd prob...spread this bug to half...the people there!"

Pete placed his hand on Ted's brow, using a thumb to roll 
an eyelid back.  "Ted?  You've studied actuarial stuff, how 
many people DIE of influenza every year?  Even in this day 
and age, in the developed world?"  

He took his hand away and wiped the sweat off on his pants 
leg.  "You're in bad shape, bud."  He opened his bag, 
getting a thermometer and slipping a plastic sleeve over 
the end.  "Under the tongue, don't bite, you know the 
drill."  

Pete got out his stethoscope and got Ted to breathe as he 
checked the sick man's lungs.  He stopped when the 
thermometer started beeping repeatedly.  "Shit, one-twenty 
and still climbing - Lin, what's he been taking for this?"

She dashed and got her friend the bottle.  "I've given him 
the maximum dosage already!"  Pete looked at the pill 
information briefly.  "Over what period of time?"

"Only two hours - the last pill were about a half-hour 
ago."

"Damn - they'll both be in his system and still working; 
more won't do any good."  He tossed the bottle aside.  "Get 
his legs; we'll dump him in the tub to cool him down."  
Pete slipped his arms under his shoulders and hoisted his 
ailing friend clear of the bed.

The two quickly carried Ted into the bathroom, laying him 
in the bathtub and turning on the cold water.  Pete made 
the effort to turn on the hot water as well.  "Lukewarm 
water will be cold enough for him in this shape.  You got 
any frozen vegetables in the freezer you're willing to give 
up?  Stick a bag under his arm or between his legs?"  Linda 
just dashed off to the kitchen.  "Peas or hash browns would 
be best - something small and flexible!"

"Tell her to use the Brussels sprouts," Ted moaned from the 
tub.

Pete turned to look at his friend.  "I thought you hated 
sprouts?"  Ted merely looked expectantly at him.  Pete 
laughed.  "Okay, you're starting to get over this.  Let's 
have another look at you."

Linda came back with two bags of frozen vegetables and a 
sandwich bag filled with ice.  Pete placed them, put the 
thermometer back, and used a flashlight to check Ted's 
pupils.  "Right, you don't have any sinus congestion?  
Never had sniffles or a period of sneezing recently?"  Ted 
shook his head.  

Pete examined the man's throat and mouth.  "Ted, your lungs 
are clear, your sinuses aren't infected or congested, and 
there's no inflammation in your throat.  Whatever you have 
probably isn't flu - it doesn't look like something you'd 
pick up from the air."  He turned in his crouch to address 
the couple together.  "So you two tell me now what happened 
and why I shouldn't haul Ted off to University-Mercy right 
away?"

When neither person seemed willing to talk, Pete relaxed 
his expression.  "Don't be bashful - it's me, Dr. Pete!" he 
finished with a disarming grin.  "You're not smuggling bio-
warfare agents around inside you, are you, Ted?"  The trio 
laughed.  "C'mon, spill it - it can't be that bad, and 
it'll help me with treatment if I know what I'm up 
against."

"Oh, all right," Ted blurted, his speech distorted by the 
instrument under his tongue.  "I figured I caught the 'flu 
from last week.  You know the open-air concert we went to 
on Belle Isle Park with you and Bonnie?  Remember how Lin 
and I disappeared for about an hour?"  

"Uh, no.  Sorry."

"Never mind, we were more discreet than we thought," Linda 
interjected.  She was blushing.  "Well, I was feeling 
frisky, and led Ted into the trees..." She tailed off, 
chewing on a thumbnail distractedly.

"Ah - I see!  A little alfresco-" Pete was stopped by Ted 
grabbing his arm.  "Anyway, so you got underdressed and 
overexerted for a while outdoors.  It was rather warm that 
day, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't have...well, um," Lin was looking almost 
as flushed as Ted, who was actually looking a little 
better.  The thermometer beeped, and Pete checked the 
reading.  "One-twelve; we've beat off the worst.  Gimme 
that frozen stuff, Ted.  Lin, pull the plug for a sec and 
give him some more hot water, we don't want to shock him 
too much.

"Anyway, as I said, this probably isn't the flu or anything 
airborne."  Pete stared at the tiled floor for a second.  
"Hang on.  You have any infected cuts or scratches lately, 
Ted?  Even a bruise that took a while to heal?"  His friend 
shook his head doubtfully, and the doctor turned to look a 
Linda.  "Has he?  Maybe you saw something he didn't?"

She blushed for a moment and thought.  "No.  I don't 
remember anything wrong."

"I'll have to check you out to be on the safe side."  He 
looked over Ted's body, lifting his arms to examine 
armpits, and getting Linda to help him shift legs and pull 
aside underwear to check the groin.  "Clear so far, Ted.  
Can you roll over?"  

Ted managed with some help.  When Pete pulled down his 
patient's boxer shorts, he and Linda gasped when they saw a 
kidney bean-sized lump, livid purple and sickly green in 
color, just above Ted's butt crack.  "Shit, Ted - where'd 
this come from?"  He turned to Linda.  "You never noticed 
this?  Don't you couples wash each others' back?"

Linda looked aghast.  "No... Ted's an early riser and I-I 
like to sleep in."

"Dressing or undressing?  Scratch that, this would be 
covered by his boxers.  You never...eh, during-" Pete 
waggled his free hand as he examined the infected wound.

"Pete?" Ted groaned.  "When you make love, how often are 
you facing AWAY from your partner?"

"Good point - but *you* never felt anything?  This has to 
be at least a week old- Oh, never mind; I'm forgetting who 
I'm talking to."

"What are you talking about?"  Pete regarded the woman, 
noting her incomprehension.  "You haven't told her yet, 
Ted?  Lin, your fiance hasn't felt a thing on his back 
since he got scalded as a baby."

"Oh.  And exactly when were you going to let me know about 
this *trivial* little detail, dear?"

"After you got to know my mother better so you'd believe me 
when I said it was just an accident."  Linda's hand came up 
to her mouth.  

Pete rose and patted her on the shoulder, whispering "You 
know Mrs. Baker's a little...well, she's easily distracted?  
Apparently she went to answer the phone when running a bath 
for Ted and forgot to check it before putting him in.  She 
felt horrible about it, and has never so much as combed his 
hair since - didn't trust herself."

"I thought she was...distracted because of Ted's dad 
passing-"

"Guys?  The bathroom tile makes this an excellent 
eavesdropping position.  Lin?  My mom's always been a 
little bubble-headed; she just got worse when dad died.  
It's not the end of the world; she's not quite Alzheimer's 
potential yet.  Now can we get back to my back?"

Pete grabbed some gloves, antiseptic and a sterile metal 
probe from his bag.  "Right.  Let's get this lanced - Lin, 
grab some gauze pads, will you?"  He rubbed the inflamed 
area with a covered finger, and frowned.  "You've got 
something in here, pal."  He pinched the lump and worked it 
lightly under finger and thumb.  "It's BIG; I'd better cut 
it out."  

He dropped the unwrapped probe on the floor and reached 
into the bag for a scalpel.  "Now, normally I'd give you 
some anesthetic first, but that'd be a waste, wouldn't it?"  
Ted chuckled, and Lin managed to smile.  Pete cleaned the 
area he was about to cut, and poised with the blade over 
the lump.

She gritted her teeth, but the 'surgery' was over in a 
flash; one light stroke had the swollen skin splitting 
apart.  Pete grabbed some gauze and blotted up the blood 
and pus that oozed from the incision, then took some large 
tweezers.  A moment of fiddling in Ted's back produced a 
splinter of wood almost an inch long.

Linda groaned, making Ted nervous.  "What's wrong?  What is 
it?"

Pete took the rest of the gauze, cleaned the wound of 
infected fluid, placed a pair of suture strips over the 
small cut and bandaged the area.  "I don't think you 
fiancee is cut out for surgery, Ted - you had a big-ass 
splinter in your back; there was plenty of pus so it was 
there for a while."  He turned the sliver of wood in his 
fingers.  "Doesn't look like it's a splinter off of 
finished wood...more like a twig.  Oh, jeez - were you 
lying down when you and she," Pete coughed, "in the woods?"

Linda thought back to take her mind off the blood.  "Uh. 
Probably..."

           *           *           *           *

"Come on."

"Lin, we'll miss the concert."

"Honey, half of Detroit can hear the music; going back here 
a little ways will not make us miss out on anything."  She 
was tugging on his hand, leading him back from the crowded 
clearing.

"But why back here?"

"I want a little privacy with you - you know I'm not keen 
on crowds."

"All right; you're just being jealous - afraid the girl 
bands will tempt me away from you?"

"Not until just now, buddy!"  She elbowed Ted playfully in 
the ribs.  "I guess I'll just have to remind you why you 
proposed to me last week."  Linda stopped the two of them 
and pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss.

"Oh, so *that's* why you led me back here," Ted surmised 
when they broke off.  He embraced her and hugged her close 
as he initiated another long kiss.  That one ended when he 
felt her leg push between his to rub against his crotch.

They quickly cast about for a good spot to 'have a lie 
down,' and sat together in the lee of a large ash tree, 
kissing and fondling each other.

They remained partially dressed; Ted merely pulled his 
shirt up and his pants and boxers down, while Linda had to 
remove her shorts and panties completely.  After a little 
massaging of various pleasurable areas, they were ready.  
Linda sat on his supine lap and plunged his rampant manhood 
into her ready cleft.

They fucked gently at first, wary of passersby.  Her 
bouncing increased and Ted began thrusting against her when 
they realized they were secluded well from everyone else in 
the park.  

He reached up to grasp her breasts, toying at the hard 
nipples through the thin material of her T-shirt.  She held 
on to his arms for balance and ground her clit against his 
pubic bone with every down stroke.  Soon she was shaking 
with a minor orgasm.

After she recovered, Ted rolled them over, keeping his hard 
cock secure in the warm, wet embrace of her pussy.  Linda 
eased her legs up to link behind his knees and stretched up 
to kiss and nibble at his neck.

Ted plunged into her with long, slow strokes, almost 
letting the head pop past her slick labia before sinking 
deep and making his lover sigh.  The looked at one another 
and kissed, tongues tangling with each other.

Linda came twice more; her legs had slowly crept up Ted's 
back with time, and were linked behind the bottoms of his 
shoulder blades.  She was writhing, rolling her head 
around, her pussy clenching at his cock when he stiffened 
and thrust into her to the hilt.  The couple locked eyes at 
the moment of mutual orgasm and mashed their lips together, 
moaning into each other's mouths.

           *           *           *           *

"Wow."  He looked at Linda appraisingly.  "So, you got a 
sister?"  His forward remark was taken as the joke he 
intended, making her relax as she laughed.

"That's covered by Doctor-patient privilege, right?" Linda 
was still blushing furiously and hugging herself 
protectively.

Pete waved his hand.  "Relax, I never heard a thing.  The 
only way anyone - including Bonnie - will ever hear about 
this is if one of *you* talk about it!"

"Thanks, Pete."

"Weeeeell.  All things considered, that should explain how 
all this happened.  But I wonder why 'Mr. B. Prepared' here 
didn't put down a blanket or something?"

"Pete?  I didn't *have* one - it's hard to pack for stuff 
you don't plan on happening."  Ted had been helped up to 
sit on the edge of the tub, bathrobe around his body.  His 
fever was gone, though he was still terribly weak.  

"You did take one - Bon and I were sitting on it."

"Oh, sure. 'Hey guys, can you get off that?  Linda wants to 
take me into the woods to fuck like bunnies!'  I don't 
think so!"

"Hey, *I* would have let you have it."

"Yeah, but you'd want to WATCH!"

As their laughter eased, Pete admitted "Oh all right, 
you're off the hook this time."  He looked from his old 
friend to his new one.  "But to be on the safe side, I'd 
better examine your rump, too - don't want to have a repeat 
of this!"  Linda gave him a rude gesture while laughing.

"That woman you're crudely attempting to proposition will 
soon be my WIFE, pal!"  He opened his arms, and Linda 
walked to his embrace.  "But, honey?  He has got a point - 
how about you 'watch my back' from now on?"

Linda grinned.  "Certainly, but only if *you* do likewise!"

They laughed, and Pete scribbled on a tablet from his bag.  
"Here's a prescription for some antibiotics."  He handed 
the slip to Linda.  "And do I even have to mention about 
finishing it all?"  Ted shook his head.  "Okay, I'll need 
to take some blood just to be sure there's nothing weird 
hiding around on us."

"Shall I get him dressed; we'll drag him to the hospital 
together?"

"Why?"  Pete pulled a yellow plastic container marked with 
'biohazard' from his bag.  "Here, take the lid off," he 
said, handing it to Linda.

She looked inside and took out some vials and wrapped 
needles.  "You carry a complete blood kit inside a Sharps 
container in your *travelling* *bag*?  I know it's bigger 
than normal, but WHY?  This is Detroit, not rural 
wilderness!"

Pete shrugged and jerked his head toward Ted.  "Him - he's 
a bad influence, and I've hung around him a lot longer than 
is healthy!"

"Hey - you're putting this stuff to use; therefore the 
preparation was useful.  The defense smugly rests!"  Ted 
already had the robe's short sleeve eased back and the 
rubber band tied around his upper arm.  

Pete checked the tension, palpated a vein in the crook of 
the elbow and watched Linda look away.  "Sorry, Lin.  Oh!  
You want to get my cell phone from my coat?"  She 
gratefully got off the toilet and left the room.

When she returned, Ted was adjusting the fit of the rolled 
gauze bandage and Pete was scribbling some notes on the 
vial's label.  "That was quick."

Pete shrugged.  "I don't need a lot of tests."  He took the 
phone and hit a speed-dial number.

"Ah, is Jackie Evans in?"  He waited.  "Jackie, darling!  
How's that bod of yours?  Oh, okay - keeping okay.  Yeah, 
Jackie?  Got another favor to ask you..."

Pete suddenly looked uncomfortable. "No, not another AIDS 
test for 'a friend' - that was only once and you swore 
you'd never tell anyone!  And NO, not another pregnancy 
test; my current is knowledgeable enough to check herself!

"Jackie- Jackie - I need a tox screen on a friend - YES, a 
real friend; you remember Ted?  Say hi to her, Ted."  He 
passed the phone.

"Hi, Jackie.  Yes, it's my blood - unknown infection; had a 
horrible fever just a little while ago.  Yeah, I'm not 
covering for him.  Thanks, Jackie."

"There, satisfied?  Yes I *am* getting more respectable 
with age.  So can you dash by Ted's place and pick this up?  
Yeah, he still hasn't moved.  No real rush on the tests - 
he's okay now.  You can stick the results in my cubbyhole.  
Thanks, love.  You're a saint - I'll make it up to you next 
month.  Kisses!" and Pete hung up.

Linda was staring at him, eyes smoldering, arms crossed, 
foot tapping.  "Okay, WHO is this 'Jackie' woman?  Why does 
she know Ted?  What is your past with her?  How exactly are 
you going to 'make it up to her' next month?  And why then 
did you tell me only a couple of days ago how serious you 
felt about my DEAR friend Bonnie?  One whom I'd gladly kill 
for?"

Pete looked at her in puzzlement.  Then he figured out the 
misunderstanding.  "Oh, you haven't met her yet and Ted's 
never told you about her!"

Linda wasn't calming down.  "Obviously not."

Ted put a weak hand on his fiancee's arm.  "Lin, darling?  
Jacqueline Evans is pushing sixty; her husband was Pete's 
pre-med advisor!  She practically runs the lab department 
at University-Mercy.  Pete and the Evans became good 
friends - he still takes them out to dinner once a month."

Pete smiled and added "And buying her desert is my way of 
repaying Jackie for doing me the occasional favor like 
this.  But I'm willing to let you see for yourself when she 
gets here - she knows Ted because we've been the closest of 
friends for...well, ever.  She knows her way here because 
Ted's had this apartment since HE was a college freshman; I 
roomed with him for a semester or two."

"But there's only one bedroom."  Linda seemed mollified, 
and this incongruity distracted her from malice.

"I had the fold-out couch - I did say only one or two 
terms."  

"Oh, I'm sorry Pete!"  She hugged her lover's friend, and 
her friend's lover.  "I'm just-"

"Really protective of your friends, I know.  Ted admires it 
in you, and crows about it all the time.  I'd like to think 
we're friends."  He gave her a crooked grin.

"As long as you treat Bonnie fairly..." she granted, 
playfully poking him in the chest.

Fin

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

Author's Postscript: I know - you Detroit natives are 
pissed with me now.  "We don't let concerts happen in Belle 
Isle Park, and there's no trees there!"  Folks?  Chill; I'm 
a Canuck who's never been inside the state of Michigan!:)  

And those who care (all one of you, who will be getting 
this through a snail-mail care package; love you, Dancer:), 
this story was inspired by yours truly coming down with the 
'flu.  It's been rather weird; I came down with a heavy 
fever that made me wish for death for six hours, then left 
me in the middle of the night, taking every symptom (even 
the muscle ache and tiredness) along with it, leaving me 
bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 12am!  And I never had a 
cough or sniffles until a couple of days *after* the fever. 
<raspy, tired sigh>

Anyway, be happy it inspired something *interesting* for 
Ted & Linda - everything seemed to be drifting toward a 
'happily ever after' at the end of 'Chance2.txt'...

