Caleb 36 - Truth and Lies

Josh looked at Amanda, waiting for her to ask her question.

"Why did you lie?" asked Amanda. I was surprised by her accusatory tone until I looked at Josh. He was bristling at the question, wanting to defend his love. Amanda was sometimes cleverer than people gave her credit for.

"I was terrified that if Josh found out," said Louise, "he would leave me. I was so happy when he first told me that he loved me. I'd known from the moment I'd laid eyes on him that he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I was so scared that I had destroyed that. Josh and I have an unusual sex life - what with you guys, and we talk all the time about including others. The thought of him sticking his cock through the fence for Anne or Alan to suck him off makes me so horny.

"I didn't instigate sex with Keenan - either time - but I didn't stop him either. I might not have been able to stop him the first time, but I know I could have probably stopped him the second. I didn't, and I don't really know why. I do know that I never ever want to see him again, and that all I really want is for the man that I love, Josh, to hold me in his arms and tell me that he loves me, and that everything is going to be alright again."

I looked at Josh. His erection had subsided, and his tears had dried. He was staring at Louise, his mind in so much turmoil that I couldn't get a clear read of what he was going to say or do next.

"Josh?" I said quietly. He looked at me. "Do you have a question for Louise?" I asked him.

Josh pulled his hand carefully from Mary's, who had held it all through the questioning. Then he slid down the bed, climbing to his feet at the foot, before walking the two yards to where Louise was sat. As he approached, she looked up at him, her eyes still wet with tears.

"Louise," he said. "Will you marry me?"

The quartet of gasps from the girls and I was still not enough to drown out the sobbed "YES!!" that burst from Louise as she launched herself out of her chair and wrapped her arms around her lover. She clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder, and I quietly released her from the Compulsion. I felt both Mary and Amanda flowing love over the pair, and that time I did not quash it, letting them bask in the emotions as they held one another.

Finally, they separated, and then both looked at me.

"It was Jules' idea," I said quickly before either of them could get a word out. Josh released Louise and walked over to Jules, pulling her to her feet and into a hug, which Louise joined mere seconds later. They clung to the smaller girl for several minutes. Jules just relaxed into the hug and held onto the pair for as long as they needed.

"Thank you," they said together, finally releasing her. "Thank you all." Their gazes swept the room, finding each of us in turn.

Not long after that, Josh and Louise retired to their room to go and 'discuss' their engagement. Jules and the girls all joined me in bed and were settling down to sleep. As usual, Mary was on one side, Jules the other, with Amanda curled up behind Jules.

"You are a genius," I said to Jules.

"That's not quite the way I expected it to go," she said.

"Me neither," said Amanda. "I thought he would get so horny from her description of her 'rape' that he would jump her then and there."

"I think he almost did," I said. "Your question was masterful, too, Amanda. Did you see how he went into protection mode against you?"

She grinned. "I did. All in all, I think it worked out very well. Did you see his face when you offered her to join us?"

"That was mean," said Mary. "What would you have done if she had said yes?"

"She was never going to," I said. "I was one hundred percent sure of that. Otherwise, I would never have asked."

"You're all feeling particularly pleased with yourselves," sent Ness. "What gives?"

I sent her the memories of everything that had gone on. There was a short pause as she assimilated it all.

"Jules - you schemer!" she returned, eventually. "Nice Job. Caleb, don't forget it's Fiona's birthday on Wednesday. I can tell that she has already lost loads. She has had to get smaller pants for school."

"You haven't told her about the incentive?" I asked.

"Nope. She's got no idea. Although tonight was a close call."

"Why?" I asked.

"I was over there," she explained. "Fi, her mom, and I were all chatting in the living room. We kind of lost track of time. Fortunately, Fi had gone to the bathroom when ten o'clock hit."

I laughed out loud.

"I'll bet she was mortified," sent Jules.

"At first," Ness sent, "but she had to get over it quick before Fi returned. We just pretended nothing happened. She went to bed as soon as Fi came back. Then I came home."

"Well, at least it's good to know she's still off the cigarettes," I sent.

I felt Ness's amusement. "I'm going to sleep now," she sent. "I love you guys. Night!"

We all sent our love, and likewise, aided by Amanda's power, drifted off to sleep.

My Monday night Healing training was going to be different that week. When I pulled into the parking lot of the hospital I had been asked to meet him at, I spotted Jeevan standing beside his car, and pulled into the space next to him. He handed me a janitor's uniform.

"There is a bathroom just through the main entrance on the left," he told me. "Go change."

I followed his directions and then went back into the parking lot to throw my clothes into my truck. Then he led me in through another door and up a set of stairs.

"People here recognise me as a janitor," he said. "They will think the same of you."

We continued to climb the stairs.

"Are janitors not allowed to use elevators in this hospital?" I grumbled, and he laughed.

"Come, bhaiya," he exclaimed, "surely a young fit man like yourself can handle a few flights of stairs?"

I looked at him. He was far too happy. "You shared again today, didn't you?" I asked.

He grinned.

"And Meena?"

"Meena is finding the journey an interesting one," he said.

"I'm happy for you, my brother," I said, "and for my older sister too."

He placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you bhaiya," he said. "Without you, we would still be struggling with this." He turned and continued up the stairs. We climbed to the fifteenth floor.

"This is the children's ward," he said as we came out of the stairwell and onto the corridor. "There is a young lady here I would like you to meet."

We walked onto the ward as if we were meant to be there. Everyone just ignored us. A couple of nurses who had been standing in the middle of the corridor stepped aside to let us pass. We walked into a room where a young girl, aged about six, was sitting on a bed, playing on a handheld video game. She looked up as we entered.

"Mister Jay," she said happily as she saw Jeevan.

"Hey pretty girl," Jeevan said, waving to her. "We're here to fix the bathroom. This is my friend, Mister Kay."

She looked up at me and smiled shyly. "Hello," she said. "I'm Christina."

"Hi Christina," I said. "What are you playing?"

"Minecraft," she said, "but my battery is low. Will you plug it in for me? The nurses are too busy, and I can't reach."

"Surely," I said, and plugged the charger into the device. It was just about long enough for her to continue to play.

"Christina has a tumor in her brain," sent Jeevan. "They are not able to remove it because it is too deeply embedded and wrapped around her brainstem. She would die immediately. They are about to start another round of chemotherapy, which, with your help, is going to be a complete cure."

"What?" I sent. "I don't know how to cure a brain tumor."

"I'll guide you," he reassured me. "I don't have the power, and she doesn't have the time. Without our intervention, Christina will not see the end of the month."

"Where's your mommy?" asked Jeevan.

"She just went to get coffee," said Christina. "She'll be back in a minute."

"Okay," said Jeevan. "Mr. Kay and I are going to fix the toilet in your bathroom."

"Okay," said Christina going back to her game. We moved into the ensuite bathroom and closed the door.

"Now," he said softly. "Feel for her."

I reached out and found her mind with mine. She was such a bright presence - a cheerful and loving soul who had been tormented for months. Her memories and pain brought tears to my eyes. She didn't want this next round of chemo; it made her feel sick and horrible. She had heard the doctors telling her mother that it was unlikely to work, and that she probably only had weeks to live. They didn't think she had heard, let alone understood, the conversation. Strangely, she wasn't frightened of dying, but she was upset to be leaving her mommy. She knew that her mommy would be sad when she died, and she didn't like to think of that.

I felt Jeevan's hand on my shoulder.

"I know, bhaiya," he said quietly, "but you and I are going to save her. Don't cry for her; she is not yet lost."

I wiped my eyes and pulled myself together.

For the next thirty minutes, Jeevan carefully guided me through the process of destroying the tumor that was sapping the life out of that beautiful little girl. Since she was only a child, we had to be even more careful about protecting her other organs - especially since she had already been weakened by the poisons that had been pumped into her in previous rounds of chemotherapy.

Jeevan estimated it would take about two weeks for her to be completely cancer free, but he told me that the tumor would start shrinking within a few hours. By the next morning it would be almost ten percent smaller. By the time we were finished, I was sweating and breathing hard. My energy bar was down to about five percent and was glowing an ominous red colour.

"It is done," said Jeevan. "Sit and rest for a moment."

I was perched on the closed toilet seat. It took about ten minutes before my breathing settled. I washed my face in the sink and dried off on paper towels.

"Can we persuade the doctors to delay the chemo and scan her instead?" I asked. "If they see the tumour shrinking, she might avoid the misery of another round."

"I did that while you were recovering," he said, smiling at me. "Her doctors and her mother are in the room with her just now. We will leave just after the doctors do."

We left the bathroom a few minutes later. Christina and her mother were sitting reading together when we emerged. Christina looked up and smiled. Her mother nodded at Jeevan.

"Did you fix the toilet?" she asked, and Jeevan nodded.

"Good as new," He said.

"They're not giving me medicine tomorrow," said Christina. She sounded happy.

"Really?" asked Jeevan.

"The doctors want another scan first," said her mother. She sounded bone weary.

"Maybe that's good news," said Jeevan. "Who knows?"

The mother smiled a hopeless smile, tears in her eyes.

"We'd better get back to work," said Jeevan. "Bye, Christina." He nodded to her mother, and we turned to leave her room.

"Mr. Kay?" said Christine suddenly.

I stopped and turned. "Yes?" I said.

"Thank you," she said solemnly.

I smiled at her. "It was nice to meet you," I said.

Jeevan allowed me to ride the elevator. When we exited, he led me into the hospital cafeteria.

"Dinner is on me," he said, grabbing a tray and piling food onto it.

As we sat, and I ate, that little girl's face hung in front of my vision.

"Are you sure we..." I began.

"I'm certain," Jeevan interrupted me. "By this time next week, all her symptoms will be gone, and by the week after, it will be as if the tumor never existed. You did a perfect job, bhaiya."

I looked at him for a moment. At first, I couldn't understand why his face was blurry, but then I realized that tears were streaming from my eyes. I didn't even understand why I was crying. I should have been happy. I had just saved the life of a little girl. But I couldn't help it. I covered my face with my hands, and I broke down.

I felt his arm around me, and he held me while I sobbed.

"It is okay," he said. "She will be fine. We will come back next week to see her. They will want her to stay for a while to monitor the tumour shrinking, so we will see her again."

I finally got myself under control. "I don't even know why I was crying," I finally managed.

"Relief, mostly," Jeevan replied. "When you first entered Christina's mind, you saw her suffering. She is an incredibly brave little girl. I saw your reaction to her thoughts on her own death - how she wasn't afraid but was sad for her mother. That brought tears to my eyes too. But then you took on the responsibility to save her, and there was a small part of you - a tiny part that you probably didn't even feel - that didn't think you could do it. You thought that you wouldn't be able to save her. But you did, bhaiya. You saved that little girl, and she will now be able to stay with her mother, and Mommy won't be sad anymore.

A thought occurred to me. -Why did she thank me?" I asked.

"Because she felt it," he said. "Sometimes that happens - particularly with children. She knows that you healed her. She may or may not tell anyone, but nobody will believe her.

I looked around the cafeteria. Nobody had noticed me bawling. I presumed that Jeevan had diverted attention from me. Then again, we were also in a hospital - a place where grief is even lonelier for being experienced amongst others.

"Eat," said Jeevan. "Another reason for your emotional state is that you are exhausted. You need to replenish."

We spent another half an hour in the cafeteria while I consumed the tray of food that Jeevan had selected for me. Then he walked me back to my truck.

"Keep the uniform," he said. "Next week we will go see Christina again. There may be someone else we can help too."

When I arrived home, Jules was sitting in the living room, absently watching the television, and doing something on her laptop.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Your room," she said. She looked up at me. "Are you okay? You look like you have been crying."

She dumped her laptop on the seat beside her and stood, coming over and putting her arms around me.

I smiled at her. "I have had a rather emotional evening," I said, "but yes, I am fine. Better than fine."

She looked up into my eyes. "Show me?"

I gave her the memory of my evening, from meeting Jeevan to arriving home. Her eyes glazed for a moment and then filled with tears. She pulled me tight against her.

"That is amazing," she said. "I'm so proud of you."

I heard a noise behind me, and looked around to find Louise standing in the doorway, naked.

Jules released me. "Go show them," she said.

Louise walked over to me and took my hand. She turned and led me from the living room, down the hall and into my bedroom.

Josh and the twins were in there, unsurprisingly all naked. I guessed that he and Louise had been thanking the twins for their part in the reconciliation. Judging by the state of the bed - and the smell of the room - the 'thanking' had been going on for some time.

It was my turn.

I wasn't really in the mood for a wild orgy just then. Mary caught my eye. She had heard my thought, and at first was worried that I was angry that they had been playing while I had been out. Then she realized that it was something else.

"Louise," she said. "Stop a moment."

Louise looked surprised, but did as she was asked. I sensed what they had planned, and it had been a no-holes-barred extravaganza. They had pretty much worn Josh out, but he still had lingering thoughts of at least showing his gratitude.

I felt a conversation between Jules and Mary flash by. Then I saw Mary and Amanda's eyes first glaze, and then fill with tears. Then I saw the same happen in both Louise and Josh's eyes as the twins passed the memory on.

"Louise," said Amanda. "Change of plan."

Louise looked at Amanda, a questioning look on her face.

"Don't fuck him," said Amanda. "Love him."

Louise turned back to me and stepped close, her green eyes, still damp with unshed tears from the memory, gazing up into mine. "Would that be okay?" she asked. "Can I make love to you?"

I glanced across at Josh to see his reaction to that question. One of the things Louise had said the previous night was that she had never made love to Keenan, how would he react to her wanting to make love to me.

"We both love you," he said. "Let her show you."

Louise drew me down for a kiss, capturing my lips with hers and holding me close. The kiss was soft and gentle, and I felt a depth of emotion I had never felt from her before. I felt other hands on me as the twins closed in and began to remove my clothing. By the time Louise released me from the kiss, I was as naked as she.

I felt fingers on my chin and my head was turned away from Louise. Mary captured my mouth with hers. She, too, kissed me softly and slowly, holding me gently to her. She wasn't using her powers, and yet I could feel the love pouring from her. Mary released me from the kiss and led me toward the bed, encouraging me to lie down on it.

Once again, my head was turned, and I received an identical kiss from Amanda. She couldn't quite suppress her need, but it was still full of love, and I felt it without her using her powers. That made it even more special.

I felt someone climbing onto the bed, from the foot, and moving over me. By the time Amanda had broken our kiss, Louise was on top of me, her hands on the bed on either side of my head, her face over mine.

She sat astride me, her breasts pressed against my chest and her pussy lips caressing my very-erect manhood.

She kissed me again, keeping her eyes open and gazing into mine as she slowly rubbed herself against me, her pussy lips sliding up and down my shaft, coating it with her fluids. My own precum was leaking out and lubricating the head as it rubbed between her and I.

She continued to softly rub against me while we kissed. There was no urgency in her movement, and I was in no hurry to move on either. It felt both incredibly intimate and loving. Louise didn't have power, but I could feel her love for me - almost as much as I had felt from the twins. I was amazed at the amount of love she must have held for Josh, knowing that it far surpassed what she felt for me.

Finally, she broke the kiss and slid her body up mine. I felt a hand on my cock, and, as she moved down again, I was guided into her.

Louise moved slowly, taking me all the way inside her. After a moment's pause, she slid off me until I was almost all the way out before moving back down to engulf me once again. Each time she pulled off, she clenched her pussy, gripping me in a velvet vice. I could feel every ridge and bump of her clenched channel as it slid against my sensitive head. All the time she was doing that, she was gazing at me, projecting her love and mesmerizing me with her beautiful green eyes.,

She captured my lips in another soft kiss as she continued the slow movement. It's difficult to describe what she was doing to me. I might've called it teasing, except I was slowly starting to build toward my climax. It was the most unselfish I had ever seen her during sex. It was all about me - not my climax, but me. Her entire focus was on making me feel how much she loved me. The sex, whilst amazing, was almost incidental. We could have been just kissing or even just holding hands; it wouldn't have mattered.

Once again, I marvelled at the amount of love she must have felt for Josh. I was not jealous that she had more love for him than for me; I was simply amazed at the amount of love she was capable of.