Anvil

She felt a reaction and looked up to see his eyes trying to open. She immediately stood and leaned over him to kiss his forehead.

"Shh, Andre. Everything is going to be fine. I'm here. Sleep. Get better," she whispered, then pressed her lips to his. She felt him moan, then sigh as the drugs pulled him back into sleep.

She pulled back in surprise. She hadn't meant to do that. She dropped herself back into the chair.

His reaction was circling around in her brain. He seemed to like it, but truthfully, he was high on medication, so she couldn't be sure what he was experiencing.

She knew her body was aching for another kiss. She sat further back in the chair as she looked at the sleeping man. Could she trust herself around him? Maybe she was a little overwhelmed with emotion at the moment. He didn't need that.

Cassandra sat with him for a while, just watching him sleep. Her eyes returned to his lips too often, so she finally stood and kissed his forehead once more before leaving the room.

She marched back to the nurse's station and smiled at the woman behind the counter. "When will I be able to take Andre home tomorrow?"

The nurse glanced at her screen. "The doctor will do a final examination in the morning, so I'd say you should probably be able to take him home by noon."

"Thank you." She left the hospital and waited for the bus to arrive. She'd take tomorrow as a sick day as she'd never taken one, so they owed her this, and she'd splurge on a taxi to get Andre home.

The bus finally arrived, and she got a seat next to the window. As they pulled away from the building, her eyes lifted to look for Andre's window as the memory of his soft lips slipped back into her thoughts.

Her body ached with need, and she squeezed her legs together as she tried to think of something else. Where her mind was taking her was so wrong!

As she got closer to her neighborhood, the bus stopped close to Andre's school, and a bunch of students piled on. The noise level on the bus went up considerably, but she knew she would get off shortly.

Most of them were talking about the car accident and the nude picture. She wanted to scream.

She stood to prepare to leave at the next stop and made her way to the door. She passed two young women staring at their cell phones and froze. There was the image of Andre, water pouring off his naked body. She missed her stop and jolted to ring the bell for the next.

"What site was that on?" she asked them, and they stared at her with knowing grins.

"It's all over the Internet now!" one gushed.

"This one is Reddit in the NSFW subreddit for big cocks!" the other whispered, and they burst into giggles.

Part of her wanted to strangle the bitches, but she contained her anger and looked at the screen to see the address she was talking about. The bus slowed and stopped, and she pushed the doors to step outside. As the bus pulled away, she pulled her cell out and typed in the address while she could remember it. Seconds later, the image was on her screen, and she froze once more.

She hated the creep who took the picture because he hurt Andre, and there was no forgiving that.

However, she couldn't help but admire how beautiful the shot was. The lighting and shadows, the composition, but mostly the timing of the image to capture the water striking Andre's body. How it splashed off and ran down over his chiseled muscles. He was... beautiful!

For the first time since they were kids, she saw her brother naked, and he was no longer a child. This was Andre, the fully grown adult, and his adult physique was... breathtaking. She realized she'd been standing on the sidewalk in one spot for a long time. Before she moved, she quickly saved the image to her cell's photo gallery. Again, while she hated the photographer for what he'd done, she was deeply affected by the photo and had to keep it.

She jolted as she realized she would be late for her college course if she didn't hurry. It would be difficult to concentrate tonight, but she owed it to herself and Andre to do well in the class.

She thought about that as she walked the block back to her building, but the image of Andre intruded in her thoughts the entire way.

Chapter 6

Andre woke in a strange place. His eyes panned around the room, and he saw strangers sleeping in beds beside and across from him. A hospital ward? Why was he here?

He tried to move, and the pain registered.

He stopped and did his best to relax as his right side screamed in protest from his attempt to shift on the bed. What happened?

A nurse walked into the ward and saw he was awake. She smiled and moved to the side of his bed. He noted she had strong-looking hands and toned arms for a woman in her... thirties. Pretty, in a mom-next-door way, she adjusted his pillow slightly.

"You're awake. Good. I'll let the doctor know. Are you in any pain?" she asked.

He tried to nod, but spikes of pain made him pinch his eyes closed.

"I'll take that as a yes," she sighed. "Let me get you something for that as well. Just rest. I'll be back."

Andre felt his mind drift away until he heard heavy footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes again, and a man in a white coat stopped next to him and looked at the monitor connected to Andre. Then he used a small flashlight to check Andre's pupil reaction. He smiled as what he saw pleased him.

"Good morning, Mr. Marin. I'm Doctor Krastin. You had a nasty bump yesterday, but you don't seem any worse for wear aside from some bruising. No concussion. No broken bones or torn ligaments. You are remarkably fortunate, considering you were hit by a car. You're going to need to take it easy and just rest for a week or so to let your muscles heal." He looked at Andre's chart. "You'll be discharged today. You'll need someone to bring you home."

"Sister..." Andre whispered.

The doctor must have missed it, as he looked at Andre.

The nurse standing behind the doctor touched his elbow. "Mr. Marin's sister will pick him up."

"Ah, right. That's good." He turned his attention back to his patient. "You'll be in pain for the next little while, so I'll write you a script for painkillers. They're strong and addictive, so only take them as directed, and if you can, do your best to limit your intake as much as possible. Do you understand?"

Andre glanced at the man. "Yes."

Krastin nodded to himself. "Good. I'll set that up and get you signed out so your sister can take you home. Take care." He stood and left as the nurse moved closer.

"I'm going to bring your breakfast in a moment, but first, we'll get you cleaned up, okay?" the woman said to him kindly. She pressed a control on the bed, and the top of the mattress began to rise.

Andre glanced at her as sharp pains from the movement made him grit his teeth. She was going to clean him?

The nurse stopped the bed as she noticed his pain, then left the room. Andre's eyes flicked to the man in the bed across from him. He was likely in his sixties, and he was grinning back at him.

"Sponge bath is best part!" the man chuckled in a thick Slavic accent.

Andre frowned. He didn't want a bath from the nurse. He glanced to the doorway where she was returning with a small rolling cart. She stopped it next to his bed and pulled the privacy curtain around them.

"No..." Andre moaned as his bruises protested being moved.

The nurse gave him a small sympathetic glance, then proceeded with her preparations. "Mr. Marin, your sister will pick you up this morning, and you don't want her to smell you in this state. The bath will be quick, and you will smell much better and feel refreshed once it's done."

She didn't wait for his reply as she began. He squirmed as she touched him, but he picked up on her clinical and impersonal technique. She moved quickly and efficiently down his body.

She tried to be gentle over his bruises, but the pain almost overwhelmed him. His mind dragged him unwillingly into memories of Gloria's abuse and how he'd had to just endure it. She made him feel helpless. The nurse was making her way down his torso, getting closer to his groin, and he closed his eyes tight as the terrible memories returned. Involuntarily, he began to stiffen, and the throbbing sent additional spikes of pain through his head. He was so confused and humiliated.

The nurse glanced up in surprise at his face as she heard him moan softly. His jaw was clenched tight in pain. She rinsed her cloth once more, as she was determined to finish quickly. She pulled his sheet down to work from his waist down and froze as she saw he was painfully erect.

In her thirteen years of being a nurse, this certainly wasn't the first time a patient had become excited during a bath. But this time, she could tell he was suffering from her gentle touches to his bruised side. Normally, that would have overwhelmed any excitement the patient might feel, killing any chance of them having an erection. This patient was very stiff and very big.

Without a conscious decision to do so, she gently cleaned his cock and balls with her cloth. He gasped as this triggered his release. She caught his cum in the fabric, and when he was done, she looked up to see if he'd enjoyed it.

Instead, she saw he'd turned his face away in shame.

Suddenly, the nurse felt horrible about what she'd done. She didn't know why she'd done it. She'd never done it before.

Quickly straightening up his gown and the sheet, she opened the curtain. Glancing back at Andre in guilt, she saw a tear roll down his cheek. She barely contained her gasp as she stiffly marched from the room with her cart, avoiding the eyes of the other patients.

She was suddenly feeling very ill at what she'd just done and walked to the nurse's station to let them know she was taking the rest of the day off. Reaching the locker room, she stuffed the cum soiled wash cloth into her backpack. Shouldering it, she rushed out of the hospital.

She had some thinking to do.

-=-

Back in the ward, Andre listened to hear if the nurse who'd fled was coming back. When she didn't, he did his best to try to forget it ever happened. His skin crawled, and he desperately wanted a shower to clean her touch from his skin.

As he moved, his injuries throbbed, and he realized the nurse had forgotten to bring him the pain meds.

His mind's internal dialog screamed at him that he deserved this and wasn't worthy of Cassandra.

He closed his eyes and prayed she would come to get him soon. He didn't like this place.

-=-

Cassandra was struggling with her rage as she rode the bus to the hospital. Her piece of shit bank manager had given her a hard time about taking the sick day. He'd kept her on the phone, asking her how she would make up the time she was stealing from the bank. She was proud that she'd been able to keep her voice steady as she listed off the times when he and others at the branch had extended their lunch period, arrived late, or not at all. At the same time, she was always on time or slightly early, took only the allotted hour for lunch, and had never missed a day. In the end, he grudgingly allowed her this one favor, and she'd had to thank him for it.

She didn't have much longer to go in her course, and the moment she graduated, she would apply for a better position to escape that toxic environment.

The hospital was coming up, so she pulled the cord to request a stop, then exited the bus just steps from the front door. She made her way inside and walked to the nurse's station she'd visited the day before. A doctor was speaking with the nurses behind the counter and glanced at her.

"Hello, I'm Cassandra Marin. I'm here to pick up my brother Andre," she said politely.

"Ah, I'm his physician, Doctor Krastin. Uh, we've met, yes?" he asked, and she nodded, so he continued. "I checked in on him this morning. He was in a lot of pain but has no serious injuries. Just a lot of bruising on his right side. He was very lucky. I've written a script for him for a powerful painkiller and have advised him it is highly addictive, so he should do his best to limit his use of it." He looked at Andre's chart. "He'll have been given his first dose this...." He frowned, then looked at the other nurses. "I'm not seeing a reference to Mr. Marin's first dose. Did Nurse Hall administer it?"

One of the ladies grimaced. "She wasn't feeling well and left early this morning," she confessed. "She mentioned nothing to us."

The doctor came around the counter, and Cassandra followed him down the hall to Andre's room. They went inside and over to his bedside. Andre looked up at them with glassy eyes.

"Mr. Marin, have you received any pain relief today? Any medication?" he asked quietly.

Andre's voice was barely a whisper. "... no..."

"I'm terribly sorry for that. I'll get you some immediately." Throwing an apologetic look at Cassandra, he rushed out of the room.

She moved closer to her brother and saw his eyes were tracking her. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

"... home..."

Tears sprung to her eyes. "Yes, I'm taking you home now. We'll get you home where you can rest in privacy. It's my turn to take care of you."

Andre's eyes were also filling with tears, but they dripped slowly down his cheeks. Cassandra grabbed a tissue and dabbed his face as the doctor returned with a small paper cup in his hand. He looked uncomfortable when he saw them crying. He moved next to the bed.

"I'm giving you two pills to start. Normally, you'll take only one and only when the pain becomes too much. They are potent," he explained as he poured a cup of water. He used the controls on the bed to raise Andre slowly to more easily swallow the pills. He sucked in some sharp breaths, so the doctor lifted the pill cup to his lips, and he took them into his mouth. Then he sipped the water and swallowed the pills.

Doctor Krastin looked at Cassandra. "How are you getting him home?"

She looked at him cautiously. "Taxi."

The man frowned. "I think that might be too much for him at this point. I'll arrange for an ambulance to take him.

"I-I can't afford--" Cassandra began.

"The Hospital will pick up the tab for this. We shouldn't have missed giving him the first dose. I insist," he said kindly. He pulled from his pocket the prescription he'd written for Andre and handed it to her.

"You can get this fulfilled in the pharmacy downstairs."

She took the paper from his hand and gave him a trembling smile.

"Why don't you get him the pills while I arrange for the ride home?" the doctor suggested, and she nodded. He left with a nod, then she turned back to Andre.

With a last smile at her brother, Cassandra rushed away to get the pills. The pharmacy wasn't busy, so she got the bottle of pills relatively quickly, but she fretted the entire time. She rushed back to Andre's side once she had them.

The process of getting Andre moved to a gurney, into an ambulance, and moved into her apartment was obviously agonizing for him, but he made no sounds of protest.

She folded open his bed in the apartment, and the burly paramedics gently placed Andre on it before leaving. Cassandra saw the journey had been too much for him, and Andre was unconscious. She went back to her bedroom and had a good cry. She'd failed him once more.

Chapter 7

Brigette Harrison leaned back against the sofa in the basement playroom of her home, her long svelte legs stretched out to rest on the coffee table. Seated next to her in the same position, and looking equally fit, was Steph MacGraw. Seated cross-legged on a beanbag chair across the table was Lindsay Martine. Finally, looking far too comfortable on her dad's La-Z-Boy was Mary Rossini.

Each of them had their cell phones out as they ogled the picture of Andre Marin with varying expressions.

"I had no idea this was hiding in plain sight between us all this time," Brigette said in wonder.

"Any idea why he was hiding?" Steph asked as she unconsciously slid a fingertip across her cell's screen.

"It was Henry who took the picture, wasn't it," Mary asserted.

Brigette shook her head. "No. He's useless with a camera. If it isn't a dick pic, he can't frame the subject at all."

The ladies burst into giggles, then they all went back to admiring the photo.

"This... this is a dick pic I wouldn't mind receiving," Steph sighed.

"The pic or the dick?" Lindsay quickly said.

Steph gave her an outraged look, but she couldn't hold it, so it became a coy smile. "I'm faithful to Rick, but for this, I might stray."

Another burst of squeals and giggles erupted. Once they calmed down, Steph got a pensive look in her eye. "Seriously, Rick is fun, but he's too much of a hothead. I wouldn't say he's Mr. Right. He's more of a Mr. Right-Now."

Brigette stared at the blonde next to her with wide eyes. She thought she was the only one thinking in those terms about her boyfriend. She felt relieved and offered her own opinion. "Right? I mean, we're in our senior year. We'll be going to college next. It's too soon to be thinking of a permanent relationship."

"Not happy with Henry?" Lindsay asked.

Brigette smiled. "Good for now, but not for good." Seeing Lindsay frown, she continued. "He's got a lot of growing up to do. He's so obsessed with basketball! He's not concentrating on anything else! I have to help him with most of his homework!"

"Marin gets perfect grades, yet he still maintains a body like this!" Mary purred, and the room went silent as they contemplated that.

"How does he do it?" Steph asked.

"How does he concentrate on anything with that music blaring in his ears?" Brigette asked, and the others looked at her. "He wears earbuds, but during class, he keeps one partially open. I heard his music. It's that death metal stuff. Loud, screaming guitars and grunting singers. I don't get it."

"That's playing during class? And he still hears the teachers asking him questions?" Lindsay asked in surprise. Brigette nodded.

"If he didn't dress and act so bizarrely, he'd be a contender," Steph mused.

More giggling ensued.

"Next question, is he dead or a cripple now?" Lindsay asked.

"What the fuck, Lindsay?" Brigette cried, and Steph made angry sounds too.

Lindsay held up her hands in defense. "Todd Weston hit him with his dad's corvette. You know how fast that idiot drives. The car's windshield and roof looked totaled. With that kind of damage, Marin could have been killed!"

Mary spoke up. "My Aunty Kate works as a nurse at the hospital, and she told me he's badly bruised, but that's it. He'll be back in school in a week!"

"Shit! He was lucky," Steph sighed in relief, and the others turned to face her. "What? It's not like I wanna date him! It would just be a shame for the world to lose such a magnificent specimen."

Her coy smile was back, and Brigette burst into laughter.

They shared a look, and she knew Steph was thinking the same thing. They had to think of a way to get to know Mr. Marin... more intimately.

-=-

"Now, get the hell out of my office."

Henry, Kevin, Rick, and Greg filed out of Mr. Garlin's small, windowless room. They'd just been read the riot act as their coach knew it was one of them who'd taken the picture of Marin. The others weren't willing to fink on Greg, so the coach would have to suspend all of them.

Luckily, the basketball team was heading for the US National Championship, and the coach wasn't willing to risk losing his star players or his chance to attend himself. He needed them, so he'd have to cover for them.

He wasn't happy about it, but he'd go along.

"I'm hungry. You?" Henry asked Rick calmly.

"I could eat," the man said with a grin, then looked at Greg and Kevin, who nodded.

"Mancini's Pizza?" Kevin suggested.

"My treat," Greg offered, and his friends nodded.

They drove over to the restaurant, Rick catching a ride with Henry, and settled into their favorite booth at the back.