Simplicity (v2)

Welcome to Simplicity. This story of three couples is a work of fiction. Like all great fiction, it's based in fact. To those who might think they recognize themselves in the story, it's not you. To those who might think they know where to find Simplicity, it's not there. But it might be close by.

Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1, Scene 1

Seven years ago

Ten minutes asleep, no more, when the pager erupted again. Wondering what he had done to anger the trauma gods, Patterson slipped on his clogs and hurried to the emergency room.

Chaos in the ER. Two victims. According to the cop, a drunk strayed across the median.Head-on collision. The drunk guy was dead. The pair in the other car were here.

He looked around. Forty-something guy, brown hair matted with blood from a scalp lac, sitting up and talking. On the other side of the curtain, lots of activity. He eyed the cop.

"Driver side impact, door caved in." said the cop.

Patterson nodded. Pushed his way to the gurney. Saw the woman. Dirty blond hair, breathing tube in her mouth. Wedding ring. Brown-haired's wife, Patterson guessed.

He did a quick exam. Felt the crushed ribs on her left side.

"She's got a punctured lung and needs a chest tube."

Kat, the trauma nurse, simply nodded. No longer surprised by Patterson's diagnostic brilliance, she still marveled at it. Every other doc in the place needed blood tests, xrays and thirty minutes to figure stuff out. Patterson's brain was always ahead of the world.

By the time she returned with the chest tube setup, Patterson was back on the other side of curtain.

"Mr. Granger? My name's Patterson. We don't have much time. Your wife has severe internal bleeding and we need to operate immediately. Sign this consent for surgery."

Paul Granger stared blankly at the surgeon. He was thinking about their thirteen year old daughter, and how much she needed her mom.

"Erica. That's my wife."

The conversation ended abruptly as Kat shouted from the other side of the curtain.

"Her BP's dropping! We're gonna lose this lady!"

Patterson pulled on a pair of gloves. Splashed some antiseptic on the woman. Slipped the tube under the crease of her left breast, relieving the pressure from the punctured lung. The woman's blood pressure came up, but not enough. "Call the OR," he barked "and tell them we're doing a ruptured spleen right now." Ten seconds later, they rolled to the waiting elevator and disappeared.

Paul Granger wept.

As Kat cleaned and dressed his lacerations, she murmured to Paul, "Your wife has the best doc in the city. If anyone can save her, Patterson will."

Upstairs, Patterson was less sure. A red geyser erupted where Patterson's scalpel sliced into her belly.

"Keep pumping blood into her," he shouted to the anesthesiologist.

Pulverized spleen and lacerated left kidney. The kidney was broken but salvageable. The spleen went into the bucket. Finally told the scrub nurse to put some closing music on the CD player. Put the pieces back together while Jagger was wailing. As he pulled the bloodsoaked drapes off the woman, he took his first long look at his patient. Pretty lady, he thought to himself.

Patterson found Paul Granger in the ICU waiting room. He walked over to Paul, still using the same irritating shorthand he used when speaking to the staff.

"Bleeding stopped. With some luck and some help from the good Lord, she'll be here for a couple of weeks, and she'll come home fine."

He pressed a short-range pager into his Paul's right hand.

"The nurse'll beep you when she's tucked in and ready for visitors. Maybe an hour. If you haven't eaten, the restaurant'll open in five minutes."

Patterson vanished down the hall.

Still dazed, confused and a little angry,Granger wandered into the restaurant. Ordered scrambled eggs and four strips of bacon, extra crispy. Didn't think much of that guy's bedside manner. Cold fish, but then he seemed to know his stuff. That redheaded nurse—Katie? Kathy? Kat? --said as much.

Granger was staring out the window, taking a long pull at the coffee, when he noticed the rising sun. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a digital camera, and snapped a photo. He wasn't going to lose Erica, not now. Today, he mused, damn well better be the first day of the rest of their lives.

Chapter 1, Scene 2

Patterson finished up rounds and arrived home around 11 a.m.. Kat, who had just gotten out of the shower, has the hair dryer on when Pat came and kissed the back of her neck. Kat switched off the dryer.

"Long night for both of us."

She sniffed, wrinkling her nose.

"You need to follow me through the shower."

Pat agreed. He needed a shave as well. He stripped down and turned the hot water on high.

He stepped out of the shower a few minutes later. His boss had always told him that a shower and a shave were worth four hours of sleep. Hearing a familiar buzzing sound from the bedroom, he was happy for the rest.

Kat's robe was open as she lay near the edge if the bed. Her Hitachi Magic Wand was set on high, hard against her clit.

"Pussy's hungry...,"she purred.

Pat knelt by the side of the bed, pulling her butt to the very edge. He started in, licking her muscled inner thighs. Kat reached down with her free hand and pulled his head and mouth straight into her steaming cunt.

"You weren't paying attention. I just told you that my pussy is hungry and she wants it right now."

Pat thrust his tongue deep inside, drinking her juices and exploring every inch of the velvety surface.

Kat moaned, her pleasure increasing as the tip of Pat's tongue swirled upward and started to flick at her clit, now fully swollen. She writhed, her hips grinding into Pat's mouth. She wanted to cum.

Pat stood up, pushed a pillow under Kat's butt and pulled her feet up onto his shoulders. He dipped the tip of his 7" cock into her dripping pussy and then thrust hard—just the way she liked it—burying it so his balls slapped hard against her gorgeous ass. He teased her by pulling almost all the way out, letting the head of his cock slide up against her G-spot, and then began long deep strokes.

Kat began to meet every stroke with her own pelvic thrusts.

The nipples on Kat's 34Cs were eraser-hard. Pat pulled on them, first alternating and then together as Kat's pussy clamped down hard on his cock. Her breaths became quick and fair skin flushed deeply. She started to shake and scream.

"Ohhhh...fuuucccckkkk meeee OHHHHHH...,"she yelled.

Pat continued, pushing hard against her now quivering body, spasms of her climax rippling through his cock and balls. He was close too.

As her first orgasm subsided, Pat pulled out, slipped Kat out of her robe and flipped her over, her magnificent ass facing him. He pulled Kat roughly onto his cock and fucked her hard. Kat reached over for the Wand, flipped the switch back on, and held it hard against her clit while Pat pushed hard against her cervix. She felt her second orgasm build.

"I want to feel your cum explode inside me...NOW!" she screamed.

Kat pushed the vibe close to Pat's balls, which started to pulsate cum deep into her cunt. Feeling his juices flowing inside her, Kat started to shake and came again, harder and hotter than her first.

Pat held her by shoulders, pulling Kat hard onto his still rigid prick until she stopped quivering. Finally, he slipped out of her, crawled up onto the bed, and lay down beside her. He fell asleep stroking her clit.

Kat looked over at the surgeon beside her, knowing that marriage between two trauma professionals would never work. They were just too much alike, both married to their jobs. She sighed, and began quietly humming the old Simon and Garfunkel tune about fifty ways to leave your lover.

Chapter 2, Scene 1

Present day

"Pat, you have get rid of the trauma call! It's killing you and it's destroying our marriage!"

Patterson has just come home from another long Friday night on call. He didn't want to listen to Terri, his wife of five years, mostly because he knew she was right. Terri was, he reflected, just about always right. That's one of the reasons he proposed to her.

Terri knew him better than he knew himself, and was smart enough to look after both of them. A stunning California blonde with a 36D-24-35 figure, she had also been at the front of the line when the brains were given out: her undergraduate degree was in physics and she did the crossword puzzles in pen. She was the youngest lab director at the medical center,

Terri was also Kat's closest friend. Kat had introduced them after breaking off her affair with Pat, and Terri had fallen hard for the amazing surgeon. He was warm and funny. He had been, she reflected ruefully, a great lover. Past tense. The past few months were especially rough. Conversations had collapsed into paragraphs, then sentences. Sex had become mechanical or nonexistent. Mostly nonexistent.

Terri wasn't angry as much as she was scared. This man she loved, this man she married was spiraling into the ground. His brilliance, his clinical skill and his dedication had become the stuff of legend not only in the city where he practiced but throughout the southeast. As a result calling Pat had become the solution to just about everyone's problem. And Pat, bless him, couldn't bring himself to say no to any patient in need. It was one of the things Terri loved about him but something had to change.

Pat was in no shape to talk. He'd been at the hospital for almost 36 hours. He collapsed on the couch, put his feet up on the arm—she hated when he did that--and fell asleep within seconds. Terri sighed and threw a blanket over him. She scribbled a note saying she would be back in a few hours and headed to the fitness center. She needed to take her stress somewhere other than her home.

Chapter 2 Scene 2

Thirty minutes on the elliptical, thirty minutes with the weights and thirty minutes in the ring with her pink gloves and a sparring partner helped. Terri stripped down, rinsed off and headed for the sauna where she ran into Kat who was just stepping in as well. Now the chief nursing officer, Kat had also become a breast cancer survivor after her mastectomy and with plastic surgery reconstruction scars to show for it.

"How are you! You look terrific!" said Terri.

It was true, Kat was radiant. Her run-in with cancer seemed to have energized her. She was slimmer, trimmer and seemed happier than she had been in many years. Terri noticed that redheaded Kat was sporting a light tan, unmarred by lines. Kat's previously wild red bush was now shaved smooth.

"It's funny what a brush with cancer does to you," said Kat. "Rick and I make love every day, mostly because we have no clue what's going to happen tomorrow."

Terri gave her a sad, faraway look.

Kat continued, "Let's shower and get some lunch."

They converged at a neighborhood restaurant, a little Italian place with fresh inexpensive food.

"The past few months have been rough on both of us," said Terri.

Kat listened sympathetically.

"Pat's schedule got crazy after one of the other trauma surgeons moved out of state. The new guy is really talented but you know how Pat is—he worries about every patient until they leave the hospital and he's trying to coach the new guy."

Kat asked, "When's the last time the two of you had some time for each other?"

Terri sighed, "Months. Maybe a year. Things at work are so complicated that it's made our home time so complicated. Life seemed so much simpler when we got married. But that seems like a lifetime ago."

Lunch arrived—fresh salads decorated with cheeses and croutons—and the women ate quietly, each lost in thought. They finished with cappuccinos.

Kat sipped thoughtfully as Terri continued.

"Our lives ought to be perfect. We're healthy, we have great jobs, Pat gets a zillion letters from grateful patients and families. But we're not happy. You're radiant! You're happy, Rick's happy..."

Terri's voice trailed off.

Kat said,"We've known each other a long time, Terri. I introduced you to Pat. I was maid of honor at your wedding."

Terri nodded.

Kat continued, "You two are a big part of my life, It meant so much to me to have you there with Rick during my surgery and to have you there during my chemo."

Kat reached into her purse and extracted a plastic card.

Proffering it to Terri, Kat continued, "It's time. This might be the most valuable card in the world. You have some decisions to make. I'm forbidden to tell you any more about it. But if you really want to simplify your lives, if you are committed to doing whatever it takes to recapture the magic with Pat, you'll follow the instructions to the letter."

Terri was mystified. Kat drained her cup.

"This journey is about trust and friendship. You'll get to choose as Rick and I did. Think it over."

Kat headed off to begin her 3 p.m. shift.

Chapter 2, Scene 3

Terri drove home more confused than when she left. What the hell was Kat talking about? What was with the card? Pat was still sprawled on the couch.

She covered Pat with a soft throw from the back of the easy chair and watched him quietly. She knew that nothing would change unless she changed for both of them.

She walked into the den. Set her purse down and stared at it. Finally pulled out the card. On one side, a sunrise scene that was familiar but she couldn't quite place. On the other side was a single word, in script: Simplicity,.along with a telephone number and an instruction to select option 7. She dialed the number, only to get a recording to the effect that the number she had dialed was "not working". She hung up, redialed and got the same message. Nonplussed, she remembered Kat saying to follow the instructions to the letter. She dialed once more, got the "not working" message and pressed "7". She heard a click, two rings and a woman answered.

"Simplicity".

Terri began, her voice tentative.

"Hello? A friend gave me this card and told me to call."

"My name is Emily, and we're so glad you called. Let me verify your name and your home number as it came up on Caller ID."

Terri confirmed the information.

"Would you tell me who gave you the card?"

Terri named Kat.

Emily continued, "Our system shows that you have Kat's last card. I just need a little more information so we can courier your packet to you. Let me get your full names, address, email, phone contacts and occupations."

Terri started to give the information. As soon as she mentioned that her husband was a surgeon, she heard Emily gasp.

"Terri,does your husband go by 'Pat' and does he work at County General Hospital?"

Terri responded affirmatively.

"W-w-would you mind holding on for just a m-m-moment?" said Emily.

A few seconds later, another woman came on the line, her words vibrant and warm.

"Terri, my name is Erica and we've never met. I was a patient of Pat's a long time ago. Knowing your husband and knowing that you got your card from Kat, I'm certain that Pat knows absolutely nothing about this call."

Terri said nothing for a moment, and only then whispered, "Yes."

Erica went on. "Tell me what happened and why Kat gave you the card. Leave nothing out. Please. It's important."

Terri told her story. Erica remained quiet.

When Terri had finished, Erica took a deep breath.

"You were right to call instead of asking Pat. Monday, you'll get an envelope by courier. Please read it, think it over, and let's figure out how to get the two of you to join us. Knowing him, it might be easier to just keep him in the dark and let us explain when you get here. So I know, have you two ever been to a nude beach?"

Terri was taken aback by the question, but something in Erica's voice made her tell the truth. Yes, they had been to Haulover Beach, just north of Miami a couple of years back. Liked it, too. Told her so.

Erica said, "Although we've never met, I hope you'll trust me. Read what's in the packet, and call us back."

Amy came back on the line, and Terri started to ask questions.

Amy broke in, "Please, Mrs. Patterson, wait for the courier. It'll make much more sense. It always does. Call us back. You have the number."

Terri went back out to the living room. Her day had gone from strange to stranger. What had Kat gotten her into, who was Erica, and what was Simplicity? The search engines came up dry. Whatever this "Simplicity" was about, it was pretty far off the grid. Shaking her head, she went back out to the living room. Pat was still fast asleep.

Chapter 3, Scene 1

This Saturday, early morning

Pat took overnight call again the following Friday night, and this time the trauma gods smiled—he had gotten five hours of sleep. He was behind, but not exhausted. As he pulled into the driveway at 8:30 a.m., he was surprised to see Terri in a beach hat and summer dress. She smiled and waved.

As Pat shut down his car, Terri said, "Pat, we're going away tonight. I already spoke to your partner and he's happy that you're getting some R and R. I packed bags for both of us. There's coffee in a travel cup. We're taking my car. Just get in the passenger seat and let's go. Yes, your pager reaches where we're going. I checked."

Pat started to ask questions, but thought better of it.

"Okay, honey. You're driving."

Pat clambered into the passenger seat of the big SUV. Terri had set the GPS. He dozed off as Pat drove north, past the outlet mall. He woke when the engine shut down, 90 minutes and as many miles later. The day had brightened into a clear blue sky.

Pat asked, "Where are we?"

Terri replied, "At a resort called 'Simplicity', and we have to go in and register. All you have to do is show them your driver's license and sign your name. In fact, my rules are that you not say anything for the next 15 minutes."

"Terri, what's goi..."

He stopped in midsentence. Kat, wearing only sandals, a hat and her smile, walked up to the passenger window, leaned in.

"Welcome to Simplicity!".

Terri turned to her husband.

"Sweetie, be quiet, get your license and follow me."

Chapter 3, Scene 2

The woman at the registration desk introduced herself as Beverly. She had to introduce herself, since wasn't wearing a name tag-- she was as naked as Kat--took their information and handed Terri a map of the property and shiny brass keys on two plastic bracelets.

Kat had followed them in.

"You won't need the map, Terri, just follow my yellow golf cart. Your condo is adjacent to ours."

As Terri and Pat got back in their SUV, Pat started to speak. Terri shushed him.

"You have another six minutes. Not a word until we're in the room."

They followed Kat down a tree-lined road that opened onto a large complex of pools, tennis courts and a clubhouse ringed by three condominium buildings. Pat gestured to a building. They pulled into the parking space matching their unit, Red-105.

Kat pointed Terri to their rental.

"We own 107. But with such a pretty morning, we're all out poolside. Come join us when you get settled."

Terri opened the hatch of the SUV and unloaded two small suitcases. Pat remained silent, processing the scene. Half a dozen couples, all nude, were strolling about. Terri called to him.

"Honey, come on inside and get unpacked."

Unpacking didn't take long. Terri had her toiletries, two large tubes of sunscreen, a little black dress, and a pair of sandals. Pat opened his suitcase, finding his Dopp kit, a collared shirt, linen slacks and loafers.

Pat finally spoke.

"Well, I guess you pack light going to a nude resort."

Terri laughed.

"That's what Kat said, too. We're here because both of us think you need a break. What I told you was true--the pager reaches out here. Only you won't have a belt to wear it on. Now ditch the clothes, grab a couple of towels and let's head for the pool."