Voices in the Darkness

The testimony was necessary but it was too scientific to be interesting. I was having a hard time concentrating on what Dr. Stevenson was saying. I had to fight the urge to "trip out" right there in the courtroom.

Mr. O'Connor was getting our expert to make a strong case that my coma was caused by the negligence of the anesthesiologist. But the most crucial testimony was yet to come in terms of proving pain and suffering.

"Have you reviewed the written transcript of Christine Velarde's deposition which was conducted last year?"

Dr. Stevenson replied: "Yes I reviewed it in great detail."

"May I approach the witness your honor?"

The judge granted my attorney's request: "You may proceed."

James O'Connor handed Dr. Stevenson a copy of the transcript and said: "Would you please read the response by Christine Velarde to a question regarding her ability to hear while she was comatose. It starts on page 104, line 12."

Dr. Stevenson reached into his suit and retrieved a pair of reading glasses. He found the passage and read it aloud: "I could hear voices. Sometimes they were hard to understand but other times they were clear. I could recognize certain voices from people I knew. I also learned to recognize the voices of some of the nurses who cared for me. I heard them speak to me and I remember it all."

"Is that possible Dr. Stevenson for a comatose patient to actually hear and remember what was being said?"

"There are hundreds of case studies which describe this phenomena. In many of them detailed memories of exact words were recalled and later confirmed by the parties who spoke them. And in Christine's case there is also external verification of her recollection of what was told to her during her first three months in coma."

"Could you tell the court about that?"

"Christine was living with, and romantically linked to Rick Winters prior to her surgery. She was able to recall virtually each of his visits to her at Southland Hospital and subsequently at the long term care facility. She described in detail what he told her. She remembered how at first he was sorry for having urged her to have the operation. Then she remembered how he started telling her that it was so difficult to make time to see her. And finally, just three months after her coma began he asked her, while at her bedside, if he could have her permission to have an affair with another women. Although her boyfriend had a slightly different recollection of those bedside visits he has confirmed the basic tone and content of those conversations."

Hearing Dr. Stevenson talk about my former boyfriend was not something I wanted to hear. It brought back terrible memories from the recesses of my mind. I started drifting off and remembering those days which I spent in darkness. I could still hear Rick's voice the day he dumped me............

"I'm sorry I'm so weak Chris. But life goes on and I don't think you're ever coming back to me. I have been so lonely without you and I miss you. But like I said, life goes on. I need to be honest with you babe. There is another woman who I started seeing, and I like her. She is pretty like you and she makes me feel good at night. So I wanted you to know about this relationship and not keep it a secret from you. I would like your permission to keep seeing her Chris. I know you can't speak so just say it your mind. Knowing you babe, you would want me to go on with my life and be happy. We both know you are never going to be right again after what happened."

I woke back up for a second and saw Mr. O'Connor questioning Dr. Stevenson. I needed some fresh air because my head was spinning. I felt like I just had to get out of there. I stood and tried to speak: "Your honor may I please be excused from............."

I could feel myself falling, but I was powerless to stop my rapid decent to the courtroom floor.

*

Chapter 12

I could hear Dr. Stevenson directing the bailiff to place his rolled up suit jacket beneath my head. I could also feel a cushion being placed under my feet. I had passed out right there in the courtroom. The combination of not eating any breakfast and being so nervous had made me feel light headed and then when I remembered the way Rick broke up with me, I became very emotional. I guess it was more than I could take.

I wasn't down on the floor long before I felt better but I was also very embarrassed. There were ten or more people standing around me, including Liz, trying to decide what to do. I looked up and said: "I'm so sorry."

Dr. Stevenson instructed me to remain still and he told me that the paramedics had been called and they would be on site in a few minutes.

"I'm okay Dr. Stevenson. Really, I'm all right now. Please let me get off the floor and sit in my chair."

The doctor and the bailiff helped me up and gently assisted me into the chair. The doctor told me that he wanted the paramedics to check my blood pressure before I tried to move further. The judge had called a recess and I could see the attorneys for the hospital eying my every movement. I was sure they were wondering if this was an act or real. They spoke to each other in hushed tones.

The paramedics finally arrived and they checked me over. My blood pressure was in its normal range and they said I should get something to eat after I told them I hadn't eaten anything that morning. The doctor and the attorneys held a brief private conference and then the judge ordered the recess to continue for lunch and that the proceedings would resume at 1:30 in the afternoon.

Liz and I went back to the same room where we had been the day before during the lunch hour. It was private and the food had already been delivered.

Liz was concerned that I was falling apart and she instinctively wanted to protect and nurse me back to health. She didn't take her eyes off of me until I sat down. "Are you feeling better now Chris?"

"Yes Liz, I'm much better now."

"What made you faint back there in the courtroom?"

"Oh Liz, I just started remembering how awful it was while I was still in my coma. Then I remembered how Rick dumped me. These damn flashbacks and hallucinations I keep having are driving me crazy because they seem so real, and they happen without any warning."

Liz started to fix some food. She poured me a Coke and handed it to me. She knew that the high sugar content and caffeine in the soda would give me a boost of energy. "Chris, tell me again what you ever saw in Rick Winters. I never met him but I just cringe every time I hear his name. He has to be one of the most self absorbed jerks in the entire world."

"I was young and stupid back then. I let his good looks and money cloud my judgment. When I think about him now, I realize that I meant nothing to him at all. I was a disposable luxury, which when broken, he discarded like yesterday's trash."

Liz handed me a plate with some chips and a sandwich and she said: "You know Chris; fate is such a funny thing. If it wasn't for his total disregard for your wishes, not to have your boobs done, we would have never met. He forced you into doing it and created a situation which made you stop repressing your true sexuality. It was destiny that brought us together Chris."

"Please let's not talk about him any more. The only thing I want from him now is his settlement money."

Liz smiled at me when I mentioned Rick's settlement money. She said: "Let's have a party when he pays. We will invite the girls over and we can all get naked and play twister like we did before your surgery."

I was feeling much better after drinking the soda and eating some of the sandwich which Liz had given me. I started giggling as I replied: "That was so funny when Michelle and I ended up "69" after being all twisted up."

Liz was laughing and said: "I think you got all the pussy you could handle that afternoon."

"Well you guys tricked me; you told me that we needed to meet to go over the plan one final time before my surgery and that Nancy needed one additional small blood sample. You didn't bother to tell me that Michelle was going to bring her entire collection of sex toys to that meeting."

"Oh, did I forget that part?" Liz continued to laugh and was having fun.

I looked at Liz and asked: "Do you remember who started taking off her clothes first?"

"Oh that is easy Chris. I could have told you that without even being there. Jill is always the first to take her clothes off. She is such an exhibitionist."

This was indeed a pleasant memory for me. Liz was enjoying her sandwich so I spoke: "I remember watching her strip and begging us to play twister with her. I had never even played twister before let alone playing it naked. That was so much fun."

Liz tried to swallow before speaking. It was funny watching her as she pointed to her mouth which was still clearly full and preventing her from speaking. She finally washed it down with some soda and spoke: "Do you know what I remember most about that afternoon lover?"

"What was that Liz?"

"It was when Michelle convinced you to wear her strap-on dildo. It stuck straight out from the harness and was so big and hard. I remember you telling us that you wanted to use it on your boyfriend's rear hatch."

"Oh god, I remember that too. That would have been justice if we would have injected Rick with the paralysis drug and then video taped me making him into a sissy boy. I think he would have made such a good bitch too."

Liz was laughing hysterically at the thought of me deflowering Rick's ass. "I can picture it Chris, we would have him bent over his desk at his office and you would be wearing a dominatrix outfit, a mask, and the strap-on. You would be standing directly behind him. We would have two cameras so we could get his face in one shot and you fucking him in the other. Then we could broadcast the video on the internet. Do you think that would have helped his mortgage business?"

"Well Liz he might he might get some extra business in the "end"....... Do you get it?"

My partner smiled and said: "I get it lover. And since he was such a huge asshole I'm sure his "end" would have taken it all and then he would have begged for more."

Talking to Liz about that sex party was making me horny. I could hardly believe that I was thinking about sex at that moment and under those circumstances but I was. I looked at Liz and said: "You're so sexy."

Liz had worn a short black skirt and a pale lime green blouse to court. She had on her black leather flats and I could tell she wasn't wearing any pantyhose. Her legs were so beautifully tanned and smooth she didn't need to wear hose of any kind. She use to have to wear white pantyhose to work. She thought it was stupid because the pantyhose were designed to flatter a woman's visual appearance but her patients were comatose and never saw her legs. I think it was that dichotomy which made her dislike wearing hose. So it was always difficult for me to get her to wear them when we would go out somewhere fancy.

I noticed that Liz was fingering the third button from the top on her blouse. She had left the top two buttons open so that I could see her heart pendant, which hung from her neck. Her pendent was identical to the one I was wearing. We had given them to each other as a symbol of our love and affection for each other. But I was actually more interested in what she was going to do with that button. It was positioned directly over the center of her brassier.

She started to undo that button and she looked at me with a sly grin on her face. Then she undid another which allowed her blouse to fall open revealing her white sheer lace bra beneath. Then she pushed her chair back from the small table and started to raise her right leg. She grabbed her knee with both of her hands and interlocked her fingers. Liz raised her leg until she was able to place her shoe flat on the chair next to her butt. Her skirt had ridden up and I had an unobstructed view of her lace panty covered pussy.

Her ability to read my thoughts always amazed me. I was just thinking how sexy she looked and how horny I was feeling. "I looked at her and asked: "How did you know I was horny?"

She didn't answer rather she pulled the crotch on her panties to the side with her left hand and used her right to touch her clit which was already poking out from between her labia. Finally she said: "Come over to my side of the table lover."

I immediately got up and went around the table. There was an empty chair beside her and I sat next to her. I asked the obvious question: "Do we dare do it here Liz?"

Liz was already starting to feel her sexual energy grow from the combination of fingering her sensitive nub and the danger of getting caught. She said: "Pull your dress up lover and do what I'm doing. I want us to do it together."

It wasn't going to be quite as easy for me. I had on sheer pantyhose under my dress. I had to stand up and pull up my dress around my waist so I could pull my pantyhose hose and panties down to my knees while in the process of sitting back down. It is something that all girls learn how to do in order to use a toilet while being dressed up. Once seated, I was able to finish lowering my hose down around my ankles. I spread my knees wide apart while keeping my ankles locked together. My bare little pussy was so excited and wet.

I sensed I was already very lubricated so I dipped my finger into my well and used my slippery juice to make my finger slide over my swollen clit. It only took me a few seconds to feel the electricity start to flow from touching my magic button. I never took my eyes off of Liz. She had started first and she was rapidly approaching orgasm. Her moaning was becoming louder and I feared that maybe the bailiffs would hear us in their room which was adjacent to ours.

I put my fear of being heard or caught out of my mind. I was watching a beautiful sexy woman, whom I loved dearly, pleasure herself for my entertainment. I watched her use her thumb to rub her clit while shoving two fingers in and out of her gash. She leaned her head back which allowed her golden colored hair to hang straight down toward the floor. She arched her back as her orgasm started. She must have managed to remember that we were in a public room because she didn't yell out but rather she muttered: "I'm cuming lover."

I always enjoyed watching Liz orgasm. Normally it was because I was touching her so this was different. We had never done this in public before and now we were masturbating in the Orange County Courthouse right next to a bunch of bailiffs. I guess I'm still bi-sexual rather than strictly lesbian because the thought of the bailiffs catching me masturbating and then fucking me excited me so much. I had a mental image of them telling Liz and me to suck their big hard cocks. And of course we had to comply with their orders. After all, they are officers of the court. And then they had us get on our hands and knees and they fucked us from behind.

The combination of that fantasy and my finger on my clit put me over the edge. It was a really nice orgasm. It was not to big and not to small, rather it was just right. It felt so good as my lower body spasmed and shook.

As I started to return to normal a terrible thought raced through my mind. What if I messed up my dress? I looked to Liz: "Oh darling, please hand me a tissue. I don't want to make a spot on my dress. I got really wet watching you."

Liz pulled a tissue out of her purse but rather than handing it to me she kneeled between my legs. She looked at my pussy and said: "You do look very wet lover."

Then she lowered her face and guided her tongue up my slit. She used her hands and spread my labia wide apart and increased the tempo and the force of her licking. I just knew we were going to be caught. I couldn't believe that she was eating my pussy. But I didn't want her to stop.

"That feels so good darling"

My lover found my clit and sucked it deep into her mouth. She knew I liked that and that it normally produced a quick orgasm. She sucked it and fingered my hole. I was lucky that my dress was up around my waist or I would have made a huge wet spot on it. Liz used her finger like a dildo and fucked me with increasing speed until she felt my pussy clamp down on her. I squeezed my thighs together as I orgasmed. I didn't want her to pull back until I had come back down from my personal high.

Liz cleaned me up and helped me look presentable. She kissed me and said: "I know you can do this Chris. Now let's go make these guys pay."

*

Chapter 13

Court was called back into session precisely at 1:30 PM Pacific time. The judge reminded Dr. Stevenson that he was still under oath. Then he instructed Mr. O'Connor to resume his questioning of the witness.

My attorney now had to convince the jury of the most contested portion of my allegations against the hospital. I claimed that I felt intense pain during my recovery from the breast surgery and from the surgical insertion of my feeding tube. I suffered this pain while I was in their care. I contended that they should have given me drugs for the pain but through their negligence they allowed me to suffer in agony. We also knew that the hospital had its own experts and that they would attempt to refute my claims.

"Doctor, is it your expert opinion that Christine Velarde felt and experienced pain during her coma?"

"I have examined the results from the many EEG's which were retained as part of Christine's hospital file. In addition, as I have previously stated, I read the complete deposition that was introduced into evidence earlier. I have also interviewed Christine for additional information which was not brought to light in her deposition. Based on the examination of the complete record I can say with absolute certainty that Christine felt pain. And based on the fact that her implants were placed beneath the pectoralis major, the pain must have been acute."

"Dr. Stevenson, you referred to the pectoralis major. Would you tell the jury in plain English what that is?"

"The pectoralis major is the large muscle in the chest. In women it lies directly beneath the breasts."

"Why would Christine's augmentation, which involved placing the implants beneath her chest muscle, be so painful?"

"In Christine's procedure a peri-areolar incision was made at the bottom of each of her nipples. That allowed Dr. Lyons to access the pectoralis major beneath each of her breasts. He then incised the muscles with a scalpel. The implant was placed in a sub-muscular pocket formed by the surgeon. Finally the muscles were stitched back together. As muscle tissue is first severed and then again when it knits itself back together there is a great deal of nerve activity which creates intense pain."

"What is normally done for a patient to deal with the pain caused by this type of procedure?"

"Very few patients would be able to cope with the acute pain produced from this type of procedure without being medicated. Therefore it is a standard practice to administer pain relief medications immediately after the surgery. And even with modern pain medications many patients still complain of unbearable pain for the first three or four days after a sub-muscular augmentation."

"Dr. Stevenson, was Christine Velarde ever given any pain medication while in the care of Southland Memorial Hospital?"

"No pain medication was ever given to her."

"Was there any mention of the withholding of pain medication in her file?"

"As Christine was taken into intensive care after her surgery she was connected to an electroencephalograph which recorded her brain activity. As I previously stated the injection of Ketamine which was administered in the operating room caused Christine's upper brain functions to cease. The initial EEG's showed only lower brain function and a decision was made not to give her any post operative pain medication."