Oil of Roses Ch. 30

* * * * *

Out of all of the children, although so many of them only qualified as 'children' by age, the most helpful Tattie had found was the one called 'Vashti'. They were sitting down together in the break room, her with a cup of tea, him with a coke, trying to ward off the exhaustion for just a little while longer so that they could get everyone seen to and settled in before Tattie left. She felt sure that within minutes of her leaving, Vashti would be face down, unconscious, on the bed he'd been assigned.

"(So, what's the story of the little boy who doesn't talk, 'Yuri' I think you called him?" she asked.

"(He was Dmitri's pet...a position he saved me from, for which I shall be eternally grateful.)"

"(Why doesn't he talk?)"

"(Did you see the scars on his throat, Tattie? Dmitri said he whined too much so he took him to the doctor and had his vocal cords removed. He will never speak again.)"

"(Do you remember this doctor's name by any chance?)"

"(Certainly, he was the only doctor we ever saw, a repulsive pig of a man named Albrecht.)"

"(So what happened to you, Vashti, after you were no longer Dmitri's pet?)"

"(I became his... personnel manager, I guess you'd say. Kept the children quiet, kept an eye on their health, saw to their training...)"

The look of horror and shock on Tatiana's face registered on the teenager.

"(Ms. Turov, before you go passing any judgment on me,)" he said, standing up,"(take into account my circumstances.)" The skinny boy dropped the cotton pants he was wearing and shucked off his shirt.

Tatiana's gasp echoed through the break room as she took in the mass of crisscrossing scars covering all of his back, his buttocks, and the backs of his legs down almost to the ankles.

"(This is what resisting Dmitri cost me and what Yuri saved me from more of... although how much more I really can't say.)" He pulled up his pants and turned, pulling his shirt back on."(The bastard almost broke me and when he told me what I was to do or else I would suffer the whip again...if I did as he asked, I could help these children. And I did!)" He looked at her with fierce pride shining through his unnoticed tears."(There are children here tonight who are alive because of what I taught them, how I helped them!)" He sat back down and pulled a pack of cigarettes out, and daring Tatiana to say anything about them pulled one out and lit it."(Save your judgment and your pity for those who deserve the one and need the other, Ms. Turov.)"

Tattie looked at him with a new understanding."(No Vashti, you're right... I am sorry I offended you, I am sorry I misjudged you. I apologize.)"

"(It is alright... I would judge me if I were in your shoes... it is easy to judge if you have never been a slave.)" He drew a lungful of smoke and held it a long time, eventually releasing it through his nostrils."(God, these weak American cigarettes! Even after I tear the filters off it is like smoking air. That may be the only thing I will miss about Dmitri and his men... they always had plenty of good, strong Russian cigarettes. They would make these pathetically wimpy American smokers turn green and vomit their guts out.)"

Tattie grinned at the boy."(Remind me not to recommend you for a job in advertising, Vashti...back to Yuri; do you think anything can be done for him? He shies away from anyone who tries to get close, even you children.)"

"(No... Dmitri almost broke me. He did break Yuri, broke him into a million pieces. He is not a person anymore; he is an animal, like a dog. I do not think there is anyone left in there to help. It would be kinder if these gangsters were to take him and shoot him. Either that or find someone who likes sex with little boys and doesn't mind one that is little better than a dog.)"

"(Vashti, sometimes your sense of compassion just overwhelms me.)"

"(Ms. Turov, compassion is a good thing so long as there is hope. For Yuri, there is no hope.)"

"(Is that the opinion of Vashti, the world-renowned psychologist and medical doctor?)"

The boy got up, crushing the hot coal of his cigarette on the tabletop with the ball of his thumb.

"(No, Ms. Turov, that is the opinion of Vashti, who has been a slave, sucking men's dicks...and doing other things... to stay alive since he was four years old. In this matter, I would trust my opinion over a doctor's or psychologist's.)"

* * * * *

A few minutes later, Tattie was in Nick's room.

"Nick, do you know of a doctor named Albrecht?"

"Uh, yeah... lost his license, works out of a shabby little apartment on the south side. Why?"

Tattie sat down in the chair by the bed.

"Nick, I'm tired and I'm sick at heart... these children... God bless you for getting them out of there, but this Albrecht... at Dmitri's request he removed a boy's vocal cords because he 'whined too much'. I... I'd take it as a personal favor if..."

"If he stopped breathing sometime soon?" Nick asked, his voice sad.

"Yes... yes... but only after he's endured much pain."

"Consider it done... and thank you for all your help, Aunt Tattie. I don't know how we would've gotten through this without you. Anything you need, anything you want, you just ask."

"I will... now to go look in on the last few of my little darlin's and then I'm going to have one of your boy's drive me home... I'm afraid I'm a little too pooped to trust myself on the road."

"Good night then."

Tattie shuffled out of the room, weariness hanging on her body like chains.

"When did she get so old?" came Paula's voice from the shadows.

"She's not, normally... but with what she's been dealing with, I think maybe even you would show some age."

"Not fuckin' likely, bro."

* * * * *

Margo and Nicki lay in each others arms, coated in a light sheen of sweat.

"That was some short break," Margo exclaimed, a shiver running down her body as the air conditioning cooled her.

"Damn straight," Nicki said. "Christ... I just did a 'Harry' impersonation again, didn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah you did... down to tone of voice and cadence."

"So, now do we move on to the second question?"

"Ah yeah, the big one," Margo replied. "Incest, the hulking monster of a societal taboo... look, if the two of you were thinking of procreating, I might have some qualms. Although the chances aren't as high as some medical horror stories make them out, you would be running an increased risk of reinforcing any bad genetic traits you might have in your family line. But Harry's had a vasectomy-"

"Since when?"

"Since Angie-"

"Scabrous slut."

"Yes indeed, and so the offspring issue is not in question. Therefore, as far as I can see, you're two adults, well past the age of consent in your state of residence, who wish to engage in sexual relations with each other. The biological basis for the incest taboos not applying and the sociological reasons for them not applying, as you are adults and neither of you are coercing the other, so go forth and make love."

"But you've raised the whole 'two consenting adults' issue... what if Harry can't handle the idea, or worse yet simply isn't interested?"

"Let me tell you a story about what happened when he heard about you and Carol while Kelly was made to watch..."

* * * * *

"...so from that the 'hoodoo woman' gathers he is interested?"

"Yeah, that's what it looks like. Now I have no doubt he'd never initiate it on his own, for a multitude of reasons, but he's interested if she says he is.

"As to the issue of him handling the whole thing... well, you let the girls and me work on that."

Nicki slid her arms around her sister-in-law's body. "Margo, why are you doing this? Why are all of you doing this? Are you planning to arrange for every woman who wants to make love with Harry to have their shot?"

"No, silly woman, we're very damn selective about who makes love with our man! As I said, you're family, and as we've wasted very little time taking you as our lover, why should we keep you from being the lover of our fourth partner? That would just be wrong... criminally so, as tasty as you are, and as loveable in the non-sexual sense as well."

* * * * *

As there was no longer any threat, everyone moved out of the hotel and back to their respective homes. Margo, Carol and Kelly were back and forth to the hospital on a daily basis, but the commute was worth the chance to sleep in their own bed... even with the joys of the renovations going on in their house and yard.

Nicki settled in and looked for a job, unfortunately without much luck, putting the majority of her possessions in storage when they arrived from Atlanta and making regular trips to the hospital as well.

Eddy and Tamara went home and such was her faith in him, that they would find a home of their own, that she began packing up the apartment before they'd even fully unpacked from their stay at the hotel.

Once back from their sojourn at the hotel, Karen found that Patricia packing for a move was not quite the Patricia she was used to. Quite often Patricia-packing-for-a-move wanted nothing more than a quick supper, several screaming orgasms and a soft bed. As Karen saw the rapid progress of the packing, she had no problems with that at all.

Tattie moved back into her large, empty house... but she was planning on it not remaining empty for long.

* * * * *

"Nick, I want a favor," Tatiana Turov said, striding into his room as a woman on a mission.

"Aunt Tattie, you know you have but to name it and it will be yours," Nick said, putting down his book.

"I want Yuri and Vashti."

Nick looked at her, his eyes trying to pierce her own and discern whether she had the slightest idea what she was asking for.

"Right now or do you have time for me to have them gift-wrapped," he quipped, buying himself time to figure out a way to talk her out of it.

"Niccolo Philouma, don't you get flippant with me! And don't be thinking, my dear boy," she said, softening, "that I don't know the handfuls of trouble I'm signing up for."

"Aunt Tattie, think... how will you get work done, how will you run your business when you have these two to take care of? And they're both going to need a lot of your attention, or you might as well not take them."

"I've been meaning to take on an apprentice for years, Nick... never did so because to me... to me I guess that would mean acknowledging I wasn't eternal... that I was going to end someday.

"This last week here... has been hard, harder on me than I dreamed possible. And it brought home to me that I'm not eternal... I'm not just going to die someday, off in the future. I'm going to die much sooner than I'd like to think. It's time I stopped evadin' that, denyin' it, and started livin' like I don't have all the time in the world." She pulled a chair up and sat beside him. "An apprentice... will carry on my name... my work... my style. These two boys... Nick, they're each so broken. If I can help heal them... give them lives... then they'll both be the bigger and better part of my legacy... the children I never had... my family name going on..." Her composure broke completely. "Nick," she sobbed, "please give me this chance... you know me... you know I'll do whatever it takes... give me a chance at my legacy."

"Tattie, it will happen," he said, stroking her hair as her head lay on the bed next to him. "You'll get your boys. Anything else you ever need, you know who to call."

"Thank you," she cried, holding on to his arm with both hands. "Thank you so much."

"Have you thought about getting help for raising them as well?"

"Y-y-yes... there's a teacher Margo knows... she's barely making it on what we pay educators in this state. I think I can make her an offer she can't refuse."

"Cute Tattie, real cute."

* * * * *

Harry was admiring the... interesting... floral arrangements he'd received from Antoinette and Mr. Antiquity. Both of them used the same alternative florist and the bouquets made of vinyl and leather, pvc, rubber, and chromed steel never failed to elicit comment from visitors. He thought back on the inherent sadness of Antoinette's card as she explained that she didn't go out much or she certainly would come by to give him some 'proper nursing'. He understood, intellectually at least, why she wouldn't go out in 'normal' society all that often.

"Harry? You mind if I come in?"

"Jessica? Of course not, it's good to see you! How are you doing?"

"Better than you apparently... heard what happened. I've kinda been waiting until you were, you know, really out of the woods before I came to see you."

Harry was looking at a person who seemed so different than the one he'd met at the Omni Hotel just a month or so earlier. She didn't come across as the overweight, insecure girl who'd nervously been fascinated by their antics at the hotel... she was a large young woman, more confident in her manner and bearing, poised and calm.

Of course it probably helped that she was in a hospital, not the middle of an orgy.

Much to Harry's surprise, she pulled a chair over and sat right by the bed, taking his hand in hers.

"I have to admit Harry... I've been a bit of a coward. Waited until I was pretty sure Kelly wouldn't be in here every hour of the day."

He smiled at her. "Still not easy, is it?"

She smiled back, a sad smile. "No... no it isn't. How's she doing?"

Harry looked hard at the young woman. "You really want the answer to that or do you want polite lies?"

Jessica appeared lost in thought for a moment, then heaved a sigh and said, "The truth, Harry, always the truth."

"She's okay... she misses you, we all do, but definitely not as much as she does," he smiled, "for understandable reasons. The girls decided to ask her to marry us."

He waited with trepidation for the storm of pain he was sure would come.

But although there was pain aplenty in Jessica's eyes for a moment, her face lit up in happiness. "I hope she wasn't stupid enough to say 'no'?"

"No, she very happily agreed... of course, you know me, last one to realize that's what she wanted... I actually took her protestations at face value."

"That's because you're a silly man, Harry. That Kelly was in love with all of you... a blind man could've seen it... anyone could see it, except you. Margo might have seen it... I'm still not sure if Carol saw all of it, but I know she knew about Kelly's feelings for you... and I'm pretty sure she knew how Kelly felt about her.

"After Margo and my little talk, I got to thinking that probably the only thing that was between Kelly and the happiness of sinking completely into your family was me... and that I really needed to be someone's 'one and only'. That maybe someday, when I'm older and I've spent some time healing some wounds inside by being the most important person in someone's life... if I'm lucky I might find a group of people like you again... have a second chance at that kind of happiness. But for now I need to be selfish and egotistical."

"It isn't being selfish or egotistical, sweetheart; it's just where you are and what you are right now. At least you're smart enough to have recognized where you're at and what you need... lots of people wander through life clueless.

"So how are you doing otherwise?"

"Oh, real good... Quan and I get along so well as roommates we decided to get a bigger place so there was a real couch in the living room instead of what used to be a couch but was really my bed. That lasted all of a week and a half... one of the girls we met at a club one night needed a place to stay, her parents had kicked her out. She works at a theater in the Parks, doesn't make a lot of money but pays her share of the rent and we get to see a lot of free movies. Well, anyway, Wendy, Quan and I are sitting around one weeknight, a couple of days ago, all of us off work, swiggin' down a big ol' bottle of cheap Sangria and watching "10 Things I Hate About You", and Wendy starts giving Quan a backrub, and then a little later Quan's giving Wendy a backrub, and then Wendy's giving me a backrub and I'm feeling something real odd in the crack of my ass while she's sitting on my hips."

"Oh no, you're kidding, she's a..."

"Oh yeah... seems 'Wendy' is really Wendell." She laughed. "She's not gay, well, 'she' is, but he's not... he just doesn't like facing the world as a guy... Quan knew it the first night we met her, she and Wendy both were shocked as hell I hadn't caught on. Hell, I just though she was a real skinny girl who always wore a bra!"

Harry was holding his side in laughter. "So... uh... after you... uh... figured it out... did you do anything... with... uh... the telltale boner?"

"No... not at first... seems Wendy finds me real attractive and had kind of elicited Quan's help in setting that evening up... she hadn't planned on her cock putting in an appearance, but evidently the binding process she uses had slipped in all the moving around and straddling of people and Wendy's erection had popped out and said 'howdy'."

"Oh... oh my... so... 'not at first', you said... so... something later?"

"We're working on it, we've had a few 'encounters', done some pretty heavy petting, I guess you'd call it... she was afraid, having heard some of my recent history, that I was a lesbian, or at least a strongly-leaning-that-way bisexual and was hoping that maybe if she kept appearing to be a girl I'd forget she wasn't one... not realizing that I didn't know she wasn't one to begin with! Oh, let me tell you, it was a comedy of errors that night... almost Shakespearean! She was crying, Quan was giggling at me, I was confused as hell... but anyway, things are working out. She's a sweet girl; we're looking at getting her a job with tech support at a local computer company... I mean, she's smart as they come, she just needs a work environ that doesn't mind certain... irregularities... about her and this place has a rep as being 'freak friendly'."

"Sounds like a nice girl... after things calm down some more, please bring her and Quan by the house some time. I know everyone would love to meet them. So you're really doin' okay? You don't need anything?"

Jessica looked at him and smiled. "Yeah Harry, I'm doing fine... I don't need anything and the only thing I want is something I can't have. But believe me; I'm so pleased that all of you are together. It'll just be a little while before I can stand to see Kelly that euphorically happy."

After they chatted a bit longer Jessica gave him a careful hug and a kiss to pass on to everyone, left their new address and phone number and said her good-byes.

She went to the parking garage and spent an hour sitting in her car crying.

* * * * *

When at last Margo deemed it safe for Nick to go home, his first impression upon entering his suite was that every balloon in the entire city had been bought and crammed into his rooms.

Once his eyes refocused and he adapted to the riot of colors, he realized that it wasn't every balloon; apparently it was only every balloon that bore some version of the sentiment "Welcome Home".

And as his eyes continued to make out order in the riotous chaos, he made out his beloved Randy, naked, with bright silver Mylar balloons tied to his cock and balls, sprawled across the sofa.

"Get the message, Nick?"

He laughed until it hurt, not a long stretch, then laughed some more as Randy led him to the bedroom, the two of them wading through the balloons as through a fog.

"You rearranged the place."