Suspicions

"OK. How?" He wasn't sure how to get her in there.

"Pick me up and carry me, be careful with my legs, they still hurt."

"Want me to call the nurse instead?"

"No, you can do it." Sandy glanced quickly at the room door which was partially open, then reached for the gown and tugged it over herself before pulling the sheets aside.

Jim carefully picked her up, she weighed just under 120 pounds so it was easy. It did feel good to hold her, he was really missing that part by then. He closed the door for her, after a few minutes she called out.

He started to pick her up, but she stopped him.

"You need to...wipe me, honey, I can't do it myself."

"I thought your left arm was OK?"

"It is although it is sore, but my ribs hurt so much I can barely reach back there."

Jim took some tissue, got it damp and cleaned her up, then he carried her back to the bed. Again she lay the gown aside. He tugged the covers over her naked body, then realized she was grinning at him.

"Honey, could you maybe...?" She tittered. The look on her face was one he had seen many times, Jim understood that, so he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Better close the door." She said. Jim shut the door, returned and sat down again.

"What if someone comes in?" He asked.

"They never do, not with the door closed, unless I buzz them." She smiled.

He made love to her with his hands, finally after some time he felt her body spasm.

"Thank you, honey. Sorry I can't...unless you were to slide up onto the bed and.." She looked down at the obvious bulge in his slacks with a grin.

"It's all right, I understand." He managed, trying to control himself. There was no way she could return the favor, not really. Not with one wrist in a cast and the other still very painful.

"What do you do when I am not here?" He asked her, already knowing.

"What? They don't?...Oh!" Sandy started laughing.

"You mean when I have to..potty? They wash me, they have to of course. The first couple of times were really embarrassing but now I guess I am used to it."

"I don't know if I could ever get used to that." He told her.

"I didn't think so either but Mike just used a wet towel on me that first time, it was really quick and it didn't bother me. Then when they give me a bath, they use little towels and things to cover me, and they just reach underneath when they do the...private areas."

Jim was nearly back to the house when he started to think about what she had said. Male nurses, cleaning her up after her toiletries? Washing her privates?

She sure did seem relaxed about that, but it wasn't something he liked very much.

"Just nurses, just a job." He told himself, managing to put it out of his mind.

+++

By the time Sandy was released, he had torn the front steps off of their porch and replaced it with a wide concrete ramp. Inside he had rearranged their furniture, creating a wider area for the wheelchair she would need to use.

The older lady named Jennifer that the agency sent out was nice, their insurance policy was very good so having someone there during the day was a real asset. It meant that he could go back to work normally.

Jennifer was there for the first few weeks, then one morning he was surprised when a young woman arrived.

"Hi! I'm Michelle, I am here to take care of your wife." She announced, breezing by him.

"Where is Jennifer?" Jim asked her.

"The agency assigned her to another patient that requires a registered nurse so they sent me here." She said.

"Oh. You aren't a nurse?" He asked her.

"No, I am a nurse's aide, I am in school and want to be someday."

The next day Michelle was an hour late, that caused Jim to be late to his own job. The next day after that was fine, then it was the weekend and Jim took care of Sandy.

Monday came and Michelle was over an hour late again.

"Sorry." She said as she came in, spotting his irritation. Jim took a close look at the woman, saw the dark eyes and red color and knew. The whiff of alcohol on her confirmed what he suspected.

He told her to go, which caused a bit of an argument, ending with her calling him a jerk as she left. Jim then called his office and took the rest of the day off.

He called the agency and reported his concerns, they apologized and told him they would send out someone else, but it would be the following day.

The next morning the doorbell rang, Jim was surprised to see a man in his late 30's standing there.

"Morning. I am Walter, I am from the agency."

Jim let the man in, just then Sandy came out of their bedroom. By then she could work the electric wheelchair fairly well but still could not walk.

She stopped and looked at the man standing there.

"Walt?" She finally said, a big smile crossing her face.

"Sandy? Well, I'll be darned."

"You two know each other?" Jim asked, surprised. Sandy appeared to be happy to see the man.

"Yes. Walt and I worked together back when we were in the Navy, he drove the delivery van that brought in supplies. What are you doing now, Walt?" She asked him.

"I went on to school when I got out, and got a degree. This pays way better than driving a truck, I have been with the agency now for nearly a year." He said.

"You are a nurse now?"

"Yes, I could work in hospitals but I enjoy going out and meeting people. Most of the time I work geriatrics but staffing is short at the agency so they sent me out here." He told her.

"Well, it's good to see you, it's been a long time." She was still smiling happily.

Jim was looking back and forth at them with surprise.

"I have to go to work." He said to no one in particular.

"OK, Honey. Have a good day, Walt will take good care of me." She tipped her head up for a kiss, then Jim left for his job.

All day he was wondering, they sure had seemed friendly, in fact, Sandy had acted happy to see the man. It didn't help his thinking any that the guy was well built and not bad looking at all.

He was wondering if there had been more going on way back when they first started to date than he knew about. But she had never mentioned this guy, not that he could remember.

Everything appeared to be perfectly normal when he got home. Walt gathered up his gear, told Jim he would be back in the morning and waved at Sandy as he left.

"So who is that guy?" Jim asked her the moment he was gone.

"Just someone I knew way back, he was always nice. Funny, too."

"Funny?"

"Yes, he always flirted with all of the nurses on staff, we saw him nearly every day when he brought in supplies. I never dreamed he would go on to become a nurse."

"There sure seems to be a hell of a lot of male nurses around lately." Jim muttered sourly.

"The field is changing, lots of men find it rewarding. It's no big deal, just the way things are." Sandy picked up instantly on Jim's trace of irritation.

Jim prepared a meal, while they were eating he asked her.

"Did you ever go out with that guy?"

"Walt? Yes, a few times. I knew him long before I met you." She hesitated, looking at Jim carefully. She had already decided to tell her husband about Walt, now he had beaten her to the subject.

"You aren't jealous, are you?"

"No. Of course not." Jim lied.

"Honey, I dated quite a few men when I was young and single. Walt is just a nice guy and I liked him, but then I met you."

"I see. Well, I guess that doesn't matter then. I have to admit that having an old boyfriend for a nurse is a bit much, but after all, you weren't....?" He looked at her pointedly, the question hanging in the air.

Sandy flushed at that. She had been planning on telling Jim, waiting for the right moment.

"You did, didn't you? You and Walt were..lovers?"

"Yes." She said quietly, looking down.

Jim just looked at her.

"That was a long time ago, Honey. I was single, playing the field. You were dating too, so what?" She switched to defensive.

Jim couldn't help it, he did not like the idea of someone who had been with his wife now caring for her all day while he was at work.

Sandy saw that but didn't say anything, she wheeled herself into the living room as he washed and dried the dishes and put everything away.

That evening he lifted her into their bed, slid in beside her.

"We need to talk a little bit, honey." She told him.

"OK."

"We can ask the agency to send out someone else."

"No need, all he is going to do is be looking after you until you get on your feet again." Jim said, thinking he wanted to do exactly that.

Sandy hesitated, Jim didn't sound upset.

"You want to know about Walt, right?"

"Yes, I guess I do."

"He was just a nice guy, funny and we were young. He asked me out, we dated maybe a dozen times or so. One day we were out and he asked me to go with him to a motel, since we both lived on base back then. So I told him yes." She stopped and turned his way.

"Do you want to know about that part, too?" She asked.

Jim nodded. Sandy sighed and continued.

"He was gentle, we did all the...usual. It was fun and I liked being with him. For a short while I was thinking...maybe? After that, I didn't go out with anyone else until I..met you."

"You mean you were dating him then? The same time you were going out with me?

"Not really, we went out nearly every night for a couple of weeks, but then he was gone for about a month. I met you right after that. Walt didn't get back until...." She hesitated.

"Until when? Until after I was shipped out?"

"Yes. You and I..we never made any commitment, not really. So yes, I went out with him some more."

"You mean you were dating him again after you and I...You were sleeping with him?"

"Yes. But just a few times. I knew Walt really liked me but he wasn't the one. I told him when he asked me, because by then I realized I wanted to be with you, honey."

"Asked you? Asked you what?"

"Walt asked me to marry him." She told Jim flatly.

Jim let that sink in. While he had been gone, wishing he was with her and writing all of those long letters, she had been sleeping with Walt?

"I suppose that guy is a great lover?" He asked bitterly.

"I am not going to lie to you, Walt was the best of all...until I met you, that is."

"Of all? What do you mean by that? How many guys have you slept with, for Christ's sakes?"

"I don't know, honey. I never really thought about it, several I guess. Most of them were just once. Not very many men are really good, or there would be something about them that didn't click. I was just young and..experimenting, I guess."

"I see. What was so good about him?" Jim asked, already thinking he knew the answer.

She took a deep breath.

"Well. This is hard to say so I will just say it. He is big, and he was very...virile? Like..two, sometimes three times. You are the only other man I know that could.." She stopped at that.

"Bigger than me?" That came out before Jim could stop himself.

"Yea...a little bit, I guess." She confessed with a blush.

Jim did his best to not react but she knew what he was thinking.

"That stuff is not important, besides, I picked you after all. I liked Walt, I still like him but you are perfect."

"I was gone for a long time, when I was at sea was there anyone else...?"

"Yes, one other. That was before Walt got back. You and I..we hadn't settled on each other yet, and you never said you wanted to be with me. It was all of your letters that made me fall in love with you."

"You were sleeping with guys while I was gone?" He asked.

"I just told you!" She again sounded defensive.

"Not just Walt? So... whoever came along?" Jim's tone went nasty.

"Yes, Walt! And one other guy, he was a Doctor on staff and that was nothing, it was just one time."

"You never told me any of that." Jim said.

"You never asked me!" She came right back at him.

"You should have told me."

"Jim. You never asked me, and sometimes the way you act? I didn't want to upset you, I can't undo anything that happened. None of it matters, I am with you now."

"Well, I didn't! Not one time! I could have, but I didn't, I wanted to be with you!" Jim swung his feet out of bed, sat up.

"That's not fair, honey! We weren't..It wasn't until you started writing me that I..Besides, you did lick that...prostitute." Sandy appeared to be close to crying.

Jim ignored that comment.

"You slept with me before, I wondered why it was so easy. You say you weren't even in love with me yet but you did." Jim was getting angry now.

"Don't be that way, I am trying to be honest. I liked you and wanted to know what you were like." She now began to cry.

"I need some time." He told her, and went into the living room. He grabbed a blanket and lay down. He knew very well she was right, there had been no commitment, not really. He had felt that way but never told her, so what was she supposed to think?

He was thinking he needed to get up and go in there, take her into his arms and tell her he was sorry, but he dozed off.

Jim woke up to a knock on the door, realized it was morning.

It was Walt, of course. Jim let him in, went into the bedroom. He did see that Walt noticed the blankets on the couch and glanced at Jim.

But he didn't say anything.

Sandy was asleep, Jim dressed quietly and left for work. He still didn't like the idea of leaving them alone but there was nothing else to do. But she gave no outward signs that anything was going on, and after all, she had both legs and one arm still in casts, and was mostly confined to the wheelchair.

When he got home that evening he was surprised to see her sitting in her chair in the living room. Walt was sitting in the other chair, they were watching TV.

"I get the casts off tomorrow, honey. They will switch to braces." She told him.

"Great. I will be glad when everything gets back to normal."

He did notice that Walt appeared to be slightly nervous, he got up and left quickly.

"I will drive Sandy to the Doctor's tomorrow, they will pull the casts and check her out. She should be back to being able to care for herself in a week or two" He told Jim before he left.

Jim just nodded.

"You told him about our talk, didn't you?" He asked the moment they were alone.

"Yes. He said that he would try and send someone else but I told him no, he does a good job and I like him. Walt is just a nurse, it's a job to him." She said, her expression became stubborn.

"Swell." Jim muttered sourly, then went into the kitchen to make dinner. He went out to carry her in but she was already up, using the walker. She managed to make it all the way, and got herself sat down. She had been using it just a little bit but that was the first time she had covered any real distance that he had seen.

"It won't be long now, we worked on me getting around a little bit more today. They want me to see a physical therapist after the casts come off, too." She told him.

Later, in bed, she turned to him.

"Honey?" She whispered.

Jim knew what she wanted, so he reached out for her.

"You really are the best lover I ever knew. I love you so much, honey." She whispered in his ear after.

"So are you." He whispered back. Then there was a flash of irritation as he thought about that.

She could have said that differently, it put the thoughts right back into his mind.

+++

Sandy was asleep when Walt arrived the next morning. He nodded to Jim, came in and set his things down. Jim noticed he had some small exercise equipment with him.

"We want to work Sandy's legs a bit today after they remove the casts, and I can show you how to help her build up her strength. Her wrist is healing well also, she is using all her fingers now. It won't be very long before I get reassigned."

"Good. I've noticed real improvement." Jim nodded.

"Sandy told me, you know?" He added.

"Told you what?"

"That she had mentioned to you she and I dated some way back."

"Oh. Yes, I know all about that. It's not a problem, Sandy and I are married now." He said.

"I just want you to know that you are one lucky son of a bitch, that is a special lady. I would have married her myself, and I asked her but she fell in love with you instead. My bad fucking luck." He looked directly at Jim for a reaction.

Jim managed to keep a straight face.

"Not a problem. You will find someone yourself one day." Jim told him, thinking how lame that sounded the instant he said it.

Then feeling his face flush in irritation, he left quickly for work.

Sandy had the casts off and was moving around pretty good now, Jim was hoping to get rid of Walt soon. Nothing out of line had happened at all that he could tell but he certainly didn't like the guy being around all day, since they had been intimate.

That evening in bed he noticed her legs were very smooth, she had shaved them. He commented on how nice they felt, the skin was very soft even though they still felt thin for lack of use for what was now well over a couple of months.

"Walt shaved them for me, I was getting all hairy." She said.

"Walt? When did he do that?"

"During my bath." She looked at him.

"Walt was in there while you were taking a bath?" Jim asked.

"Just for a moment, to help me in and out, I don't dare fall or anything like that. He really is a lot of help, honey."

"I can just fucking imagine!" Jim said, rolling over away from her. Now he knew that Walt had been in there when she was nude, that pissed him off.

"I used a towel to cover myself getting in and out, and when he shaved my legs, Jim. I only wanted them to be nice for you."

Jim didn't answer.

Sandy just sighed and rolled over herself.

+++

Still bothered by all of the situation, Jim found himself unable to concentrate at work, so he told his secretary to take all of the calls and give him a list the next day.

"Hope you get to feeling better." She told him as he left.

He pulled into his driveway, headed for the door when he got an idea. Instead of just going in, he walked around the side of the house, looked in through the kitchen window. From that vantage point he knew he could see most of the living room.

Walt was sitting on the end of the couch, he could see Sandy from her shoulders down. She was lying on her stomach, Walt had a bottle of what looked to be baby oil or lotion of some kind and was rubbing her legs.

She had on what appeared to be her robe, her legs were bare all the way up to her behind, the bottom of the robe was tucked between her butt cheeks.

Jim stood there and watched as Walt rubbed her legs, over and over. His fingers were reaching nearly all the way to the bottom of her fanny. He had a big smile on his face, and was saying something to her but Jim couldn't hear the words.

As he watched, Walt reached for a small towel and wiped his hands, then his fingers drifted higher, reaching to the edge of the robe.

It looked like Walt was rubbing her behind, and he heard Sandy giggle at something he said.

The hand was going back and forth, Jim could not really see that since Walt's back was partially in the way but it appeared to be...intimate?

Jim's face flushed, he was suddenly furious.

In a rage, he went around to the front door, walked in. Walt was just turning to look up when he belted him. He tried to turn his head away to avoid the blow but didn't make it.

The man went down onto the floor, Sandy turned and looked at Jim in shock.

"No! Don't!" She yelled at him.

"I figured this bull shit would be going on!" Jim yelled at her.

"He was just rubbing out my legs, they hurt!" She turned to get up, but her legs gave out and she fell back onto the couch.

Walt managed to roll over onto his back.

"What the fuck?" He reached up to rub his head.

"You were getting too fucking friendly with my wife!" Jim was still angry, his fists clenched. Walt scooted backwards, away from him.