We're a Wonderful Wife Ch. 12

Twelve million dollars!

Glances were exchanged around the room; they were suddenly rich! And as they looked excitedly at each other, Lanh looked saddened, tears started welling up in her eyes. "What's the matter em yêu?" (sweetheart) asked Don.

"I've seen how money can tear families apart, you see it happen to lottery winners all the time," said Lanh as she fought back the tears.

Bao and Kim-ly knelt at Lanh's side while Don leaned over the back of her wheelchair and gently kissed her head. "That's what happens to dumb people who let the money rule their lives," said Bao.

"A good accountant can set up an investment account where your money gains safe interest, like an IRA, and you live off the interest leaving the cash in the bank for when you need it for emergencies," Kim-ly said. Then she whispered in Lanh's ear, "We could use that money for Operation Sue Lynn."

That settled it for Lanh. "Let's do this!"

An excited chatter rose through the room with Mai, Lanh, and Karole all asking for information from Ahnie, Bao, and Kim-ly at the same time, finally Ahnie said, "Ok, slow down people, I'll sit down with each of you and we'll go over your part of the settlement and you'll have non-disclosure agreements to sign before we advance."

"How about a reciprocal agreement from our friends in Fisk, Damon, Ramirez, & Fisk and Torgeson and Briggs Financial Consulting?" said Don. "I would hate to have a thousand charities and scam artists banging at our doors because those gentlemen happened to let it slip that we just received a large check."

"That seems fair to me," said Mai. "If they're going to take Karole and Lanh's money away for talking, it would only be fair that they would have to pay a penalty for talking too."

"Ok, everybody go away," said Lanh. "Karole needs a rest." Soon everyone had left except Lanh and Don, and Lanh turned to Don and said, "Come back in about fifteen minutes, please?" Don replied with a kiss, and he exited the curtained off area and waited nearby for his girls to finish.

"Stop," said Karole before Lanh could say a word. Lanh looked confused but Karole continued, "You were going to ask me why ah did it. Ah did it to save you, that's it, no other reason. Ah saw that ol' drunk slidin' aroun' an' ah knew he was gonna hurt someone. When ah saw him headin' at you and Mom ah knew what ah had to do." Karole looked at Lanh and saw the heart broken look on her face and said, "There wouldn't be nothing left for me if you were gone."

"I can never thank you enough," said Lanh, then she broke down in tears, "you... you're a mom, Krissy needs you, I'm not... not..."

"Stop," begged Karole as her tears came on, "we can't do this."

"Why not?" wept Lanh.

"Because neither one of us can wipe my nose."

"Stop making me laugh when I'm trying to cry," demanded Lanh.

Don, who had heard everything the two had said, stepped into the curtained off area with a box of tissues and dried eyes and wiped noses. "Ok you two, enough true confessions for one evening, Karole, you have a dozen nurses who want to use your body. Lanh, we have a dinner with the gang."

"Oh kay," groaned the two in unison.

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Don and Lanh joined their family not far away at Nordy's, a large Barbeque restaurant, even Danh and Krissy were there, they were in highchairs enjoying apple sauce as Mai and Sandy fed them. "Are we ready?" asked Don as he wheeled Lanh into the restaurant. Tam waved a roll of paper at Don showing that she was ready. "Ok, Dad, Sandy, Mai, Duong, if you want to gather round, this is an idea that Tam and I came up with a while ago and it was passed by a committee of the whole." Tam unrolled a sheet of paper which was a map of the farm.

"As you can see, this is the farm, down here on the southeast corner is the house, tractor shed, barn... up here on the northeast corner where the farm meets Buck Tanner Road used to be pasture but was left fallow a few decades ago and is now forested. Our plan is to clear a half-acre creating two lots..." Tam rolled out another map and it showed a pair of squares in the northeast corner. "Ok, this has been completed, RJ just finished clearing out both lots. If you notice that there's privacy tree lines and curved driveways for privacy. Being right there on Buck Tanner Road gives access to..."

"What is all this?" asked Ralph.

"Isn't it obvious? By July we will have two modular homes built back here, connected to utilities..."

"For what?" asked Duong.

"For you guys!" said Tam. "We're building you a retirement homes of your very own." Mai and Sandy collapsed into each other's arms, overcome with gratitude as Tam and Don explained the details of the homes, they were planning to build for their parents...

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Something enticed Karole to open her eyes, it was a smell... hickory smoke and pork... barbeque! "God that smells good," she rasped. She opened her eyes a little and there, on her bed table she saw a familiar white foam container - restaurant takeout. She closed her eyes and purred, "That smells like Nordy's."

"I didn't know if you preferred ribs or brisket, so I brought some of both," said a very sexy voice. That voice promised fun, mystery, and barbeque.

"If this is a form of seduction, I approve," said Karole in her raspy voice.

"Not a seduction, let's call this a bribe... Open wide..."

Without opening her eyes Karole opened her mouth and whoever it was that her eyes didn't focus on placed a morsel of the most delicious smoked brisket she ever tasted in her mouth. "Mmmm... you have a funny way of not seducing a person."

"I don't seduce," he said. "I had let myself get seduced and look where it got me."

Karole opened her eyes a little and was shocked to see the most handsome man she has ever spoken to, Lanh's brother Trung. She gasped a little bit and as he leaned forward with a piece of rib meat with sauce, she whimpered a little. How did a girl get so lucky? "Why are you here?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"That was the sweet sauce," said Trung as he moved the chair closer. He pulled off another chunk of meat from the rib and dipped it in a different cup of sauce, "This one is a bit spicy, open wide..."

"No, I... mmm... that's good!" Trung then held the water cup up so she could sip some water from the straw. When she was done drinking, she demanded an answer to her question, "Why are you here?"

"Promise you won't laugh?"

"Promise," nodded Karole.

"People look at me and they expect me to be some macho stud, but that's not me. Yeah, I play hockey, that's because I like skating and sports, and farming isn't exactly romantic... tonight Krissy crawled up on my lap, she just wanted me to hold her and it felt so good to just be kind to her, something that I wanted to do but never got the chance. Angela... she wanted something else; she wanted a macho stud that treated her... differently. When the opportunity came, she grabbed it and never said goodbye."

He looked so hurt, so broken, to Karole it looked like he was as busted up on the inside as she was on the outside and she suddenly felt an intense need to change the subject. "So... what happens when you mix the sweet sauce with the spicy?"

Trung grinned, "I don't know, let's try it."

A little while later the ICU nurse monitoring Karole heard laughter coming from her bed, a very handsome Asian man was standing by her head holding a rib bone for her so she could "Eat barbeque properly," which was giving them the opportunity to make a few jokes about Karole's love of "gnawing on a bone."

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"Hurry up before the water gets cold," called Lanh.

"I'm coming!" He had just put down Krissy and Danh, the little boogers were so tired from being handed from relative to relative that they fell asleep almost instantly. While he was putting the little ones to bed, Kim-ly had undressed Lanh, put the bags over her hand, abdomen, and leg injuries, and wheeled her into the shower.

"I'm waiting!" taunted Lanh.

Don quickly stripped and stepped into the bathroom, his erection leading the way. He wasn't sure his erection would get any relief but the chance to run his soapy hands over Lanh's body was worth whatever pain he may experience from blue balls. He pushed back the curtain from the walk-in shower, and she was there, in her chair smiling at him. She reached out and her good hand, her right hand, caressed his balls and tugged him closer. What was it that they used to say when he was in the Air Force? "When you have them by the balls, their hearts and minds will soon follow."

Their eyes met and she pulled him close, then she smiled, turned her head to look at the head of his cock. Her mouth opened and drew him in, her small hand closed around his length and began to stroke as her tongue slithered over his cock, sliding and slinking over the sensitive underside, coaxing him to orgasm. He placed a hand on her head and guided her mouth up and down, up and down... "Oh God Lanh, I love you so much!" he gasped as she redoubled her efforts. He was so close so fast! It's almost ...

Then he felt the breasts press against his back, a hand on his chest pulling him back... he saw another hand, more feminine and delicate join his in guiding Lanh's head. Time stopped as his orgasm started, a huge wave of explosive release washed over him as he felt her lips on his ear and Kim-ly's voice saying "I love you too..."