Defying Gravity Ch. 03

2...

Looking deep into my eyes she reached up and cradled my scarred face in the soft palm of her hand. Instinct took over and I turned my face slightly and kissed the flesh between her thumb and first finger. Her voice was no more than a whisper.

"It's a kind face."

I raised my eyes and looked deep into Mom's bottomless green eyes.

"It's a nice face."

There was wonderment in her features.

"It's a beautiful face."

Mom moved silently on to her toes and kissed me softly on the lips. My mind went blank and my lips felt like lumps of dough. Just as she started to break and pull away I reacted by nipping at her lips with mine and then returning the kiss.

I heard a moan. Mom's hand slid up my face until her fingers were entwined in my hair. My kiss eased and then I was once more hungry. I fed greedily. I was hungry for the taste of the woman who now held me in her hands.

My hands were circled around Mom's waist. I started to trail my right hand up along her spine, feeling her skin beneath the material of her dress. My fingers caught on her bra strap and settled there. My other hand headed south and settled on the upper curve of her ass. Her butt was solid and exquisite. Mom's hand slipped from my face and covered the hand resting on her butt. She didn't make any attempt to move it.

Mom pulled my head down and then broke the kiss. I opened my eyes slowly. Mom was breathless, her chest heaving for control.

"I had the best time in a long, long time, Honey."

"Well, you have something to live up to next time."

"Next time," she repeated thoughtfully.

I looked at her for a second. Drawing her hand down my face she cradled my cheek. Leaning forward she kissed me softly on the lips. She tasted sweet, of strawberries and citrus.

"I love you Daniel."

"I love you too."

A soft smile appeared on her lips, drawing my eyes down and my mind into making wishes. Her soft touch on my chin brought me back.

"Just you remember who said it first. Good Night, Honey. Don't stay up too late" I watched her walk to the stairs where she paused for a second to look back over her shoulder.

"Have you any plans for Friday?

I nodded. I saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes. "I have a date."

3

"Danny, turn on your laptop. You're on You Tube!"

I had finished in the garage when I heard the screech of tyres out front and went to investigate. Becca was scrambling out of her Volkswagen Beetle; she tripped, stumbled and ran a few steps before regaining her balance. I heard a scream of laughter and realised that it was Becca laughing at herself. The instant she saw me she yelled that I was on You Tube.

"Becca, what are you going on about?"

"I'm talking about you, singing." I stared at her. "If you don't believe me then take a look for yourself."

Becca shoved her cell too close to my face. The image was blurred. The sound was distorted, but it was me. I knew the when and I knew the where. The words of the song started playing in my head.

"You're famous," Becca squealed.

"What's all the noise," Mom asked. Hearing the commotion she had walked around the side of the house. "Oh, it's you Becca. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Miss Kate," Becca was shouting with excitement. "Danny's on You Tube."

Mom took hold of Becca's cell and moved it to where she could clearly see the images. I was standing on the small stage at Breens. Becca could be seen behind her keyboard.

I watched them closely and then Mom's eyes moved to look directly at me. I felt as if she could see through me with the intensity of her stare. Her face softened and she smiled. I wondered if the awkwardness between us had gone.

It didn't. Even with Becca staying until after dinner Mom was distant. By the end of the evening the clip had multiplied into a dozen and there had been close on one hundred thousand hits.

The following Monday morning it was as if nothing had happened; breakfast was as it always had been. We chatted. Mom asked if I was working late. Then I headed off to school. Things changed that lunchtime. I sensed something when I caught several students who I had never met or spoken to before greet me as I headed to the cafeteria. The buzz in the room fell silent as I entered. I sought out a friendly face and found Becca sitting with her friends. The tale was crowded. I wanted space. I needed quiet. Turning away I headed to the music studio. Taking lunch into the studio was against regulations but there was a back room we sometimes used. I hadn't sat down before my cell started to vibrate. I checked the caller-ID before answering.

"Hey Jane," I answered.

"Danny."

"That would be me," I laughed. Jane did too.

"Danny, I need a favour. Can you come over to the hospital after school?" The question threw me.

"I can, but you'll have to give me more than that?"

Jane was silent for a few moments. "You know that I'm on rotation in the burns unit at the hospital..." I knew that a boot was about to drop. "Well I was wondering if you'd come and talk to one of my patients."

"I don't know what good I can do," I answered finally.

"Danny, please think about it."

I assured her that I would and only when I agreed to meet her in the hospital cafeteria after school did she hang up. I made a call to Uncle Bob asking if I could start an hour later. I told him why and asked him to keep it to himself. The afternoon passed without drama and I found Jane already waiting for me when I arrived.

"Thanks for doing this," greeted Jane.

"I haven't agreed to do anything yet." I wasn't prepared to tell her that I was almost certain that I would.

Jane fell quiet and started me wondering how well she knew me.

"Tell me about this patient." Jane's face exploded just as I've seen Mom's do many, many times. Amy had suffered from burn injuries as I had after another stupid prank had gone stupidly wrong. Hearing her story brought back the pain and anger.

"What do you expect me to do?"

"I just want you to be yourself."

I started to shake my head. "Jane, give me a break here. You're a nurse. You know what to do, how to act."

Jane reached across the table.

"I'm sorry. I just thought...I don't know what I thought."

"You want me to talk to this girl?" I asked. Jane nodded. "What is she in to?"

"She's an Orioles fan."

Baseball; now that was a big oh no. I know nothing. Where most kids can reel off the batting averages of every player current and past I struggled knowing the names of which city went with each team.

"What else?"

"She saw the video from Friday night." My head jerked up. Jane didn't falter. "She recognised me at the end."

I now knew how two and two made four. The video showed Jane and Charlie standing at the front of the stage as they screamed, cheered and whooped for joy.

"When were you thinking of doing this?"

"The sooner the better." Jane looked at me for several seconds as she waited for an answer.

I had to leave to start my shift but assured Jane that I would call her with my answer the following day. Retrieving my bike from the staff bike rack on the south side of the hospital I easily slid on to the saddle and started riding through the parking lot.

Thoughts started tumbling through my mind. I wanted to talk things through with Mom. Work was a hit and miss affair. It was busy for the first couple of hours and then died off. There were no customers for the last half hour. As soon as Uncle Bob showed up we closed for the night, just leaving the automated, 24-hour pumps switched on. I cycled home with my thoughts arranged in my mind.

Mom was in the kitchen when I arrived home. Hearing the garage door she stepped out on to the deck as I turned the corner of the house. Immediately I noticed that she favoured her left leg.

"I've ordered Chinese," she said in greeting. "It's in the oven."

I nodded and looked at her. She was limping as she walked forward. I hurried up the steps to the deck.

"What happened to your leg?"

"I fell down stairs," she replied. "I'm ok."

"The hell you are," I answered fiercely. Mom had injured her knee, elbow, shoulder and her back. I slipped my hand around her waist as she limped back into the kitchen. She explained that she had slipped down the last five steps and landed in a heap on the hallway floor. She had hurt her butt, her shoulder and somehow had banged her knee on the way down. Mom insisted that I eat. We sat together. I didn't let her know that I noticed her wince as she sat at the table. I served the take-out. I suspected that we both had lost our appetites as we both went through the motions on auto-pilot. We didn't eat even half, so I put the containers in the refrigerator. They would nuke later, if we were hungry by then.

"OK, let me take a look." Mom looked at me and then started to gain her feet. She openly winced and I felt the sharp pain lancing through her body. There was no argument when I insisted that we head upstairs. I had a med kit in my room; Jane had helped me put together a compact but comprehensive kit that contained the things that I would most likely need had I taken a tumble. It was for just such emergencies but when I was out on the trail. Mom sat on the end of the bed. She was worryingly quiet.

"Mom," I started to say. "Let me see where you're hurt."

I was about to stop her from standing when she started to rise but stopped when her hands reached for the hem of her sweater. She tried to tug the sweater free from her waist but failed. Undeterred she unsnapped the button on her denims. Slipping her thumbs over the waist band she pushed them off her hips. They caught and settled at her hips, revealing the tops of her butt clothed in black silk. I would recollect that I became aware for the first time that Mom's underwear clung to her skin but my eyes were taking in the dark bruising spreading from her hip, across her back and upward beneath her sweater.

I moved forward and took her hands in mine. "I can see that it hurts to move."

I dropped to my knees and tugged the legs of her denims until the waistband had fallen to her knees. Rising I eased her back. She sat without protest.

"I need to remove your sweater." I looked into her eyes. "OK?"

She tried to smile. I saw her wince as she raised her arms. Her left arm hung lower than her right. I grasped the hem of her sweater and pulled it up over her stomach, from the swell of her black lace encased breasts and finally along her arms. Her head appeared followed by a raven waterfall of hair.

Mom was beautiful but my eyes could only see the bruising. She lowered her left arm to rest it across her lap. It was not modesty but comfort that brought about the act. Her right arm was pushed down against the bed to give her support. I folded her sweater and placed it on the floor by her feet. I gave her a reassuring smile and then took hold of her right foot. Raising her leg I pulled the leg of her denims free. I repeated the same act with the other leg of her denims only even more gently.

Mom was now sitting on the end of my bed in only her bra and pants. It was the most beautiful and erotically fulfilling sight to behold. Her knees were apart and I could look along the flawless upsweep of her inner-thigh to her silk-clad pussy. My mind though was focussed. She was hurt. Mom was vulnerable. Sitting so close was the only person who had sat with me when I needed help.

I quickly look at the abrasions on her knee, shoulder and elbow. I could still see small fragments of gravel and dirt in the wounds. The wounds needed irrigating. I had several saline vials in the med kit and a dozen antiseptic wipes. First, I needed to get her into the shower.

"This will help ease the aches."

I reached down and help her rise to her feet. She immediately went to remove her pants. I stopped her as she was just hooking her thumb over the string running over her hips. I knew that there was no better chance to see her naked but not like this. I dashed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. When I turned around she was standing behind me. I knew that the moment she stepped under the cascade of water the pain would lance through every nerve cell in her body. I held her hand as she stepped under the shower. As she entered she slipped and started to fall. I stepped behind her and caught her around the waist. I felt her lean against me and took her weight in my arms.

I wasn't aware of the water as it ran down my face.

"Honey," Mom said, breaking me from my silence. "I think that you're supposed to get undressed before taking a shower."

I laughed. It was infectious but short lived.

"I'm starting to feel better; the hot water feels good but you'll have to help with washing me."

"OK," I replied quietly. "Let me just get out of these things." My clothes felt as if they weighed 50 lbs. I stepped out of the stall and quickly kicked off my sneakers, shirt and denims. I stepped back into the shower wearing a pair of shorts, made translucent by the water.

I stepped back under the hot shower. Putting my hand supportively on Mom's waist I reached around her and grabbed the soap and a face cloth. I soon had a good lather on the cloth. I started on Mom's good shoulder. She jumped at my touch but quickly settled back against me; reaching back with her right hand she placed her hand on my hip.

"Yell if I hurt you," I said.

"I'll do more than yell," Mom answered through gritted teeth. I felt her fingers grip the flesh at my hip.

Re-soaping the face cloth I moved down her back. Taking care as I washed the small of her back where the bruising started. I could see a darker line across the centre of the heaviest bruising. I knew that it was an impact wound. My hands moved down her left thigh and then her right. When I looked up I was inches from her butt and, just at that moment, I had the greatest urge to just lean forward and caress her silk-clad butt with my lips. I stood suddenly letting the hot water cascade across her back, rinsing away the soap.

"You missed a bit," said a quiet voice.

"Where?" I ask some really dumb-ass questions still.

"Well, see if you can figure it out," Mom replied. "You've done my back half; so that means that you have missed?"

"I guess that I missed a big bit."

"Hey, watch it mister." I was doing exactly that without bidding. "Are you calling me fat?"

"Mom, you are anything but!"

"You just remember that when I am fat." I wanted to laugh but didn't.

I re-soaped the face-cloth. When I raised my head I found her watching me with an intensity I had never seen before. Raising her right hand she placed it on my shoulder. I started washing her arm and then across her shoulder and chest, making sure that I kept clear of her breast, just grazing the upper slopes with trepidation. If Mom had any disappointment it didn't show in her eyes. I washed her stomach and then knelt down to wash her legs. I took care to wash her left knee. I could see that she had also had a crack on the lower part of her thigh and the bruising had spread through her knee.

I started to rise; all the while I looked into her eyes knowing that at any moment I could glance at her pussy or breasts and that would be it. Mom placed her hands on my hips and stood with her eyes closed. Rivers of water cascaded down her face to fall on her breasts.

"Wait here whilst I get the towels."

We fell silent. The only sound was the rushing water from the shower. I stepped around her and went in search of fresh towels. Leaving a trail of splashes on the carpet I returned with two large bath towels and Mom's towelling bathrobe. I quickly stripped off my shorts and towelled myself dry; wrapping the towel around my waist. Then holding up the other towel I waited. As Mom stepped out she turned and I wrapped her in the soft fleece towel.

Unlike when I dried off I took extra care patting Mom dry, just pushing the towelling against her bruised skin. Pulling away the towel I grabbed her robe and slipped it over her shoulders.

"You missed a bit."

I frowned.

Mom laughed.

"I'm still wearing my bra and pants."

I pulled her robe off her shoulders and draped it over the towel rail. Slowly reaching forward I slipped my fingers under the strap of her bra. Mom coughed softly.

"It fastens at the front."

I started to reach around. "It'll be easier if I do it. You just help me off with it."

The shoulder straps fell loose and I slipped my fingers under each one and removed it without causing pain. I grabbed her robe and held it so that she could slip her arms into the sleeves. Taking the belt in my hands I tied it around her waist.

I guess that she was about to speak when I slipped my hands under the hem of the robe. I trailed along her outer thighs and then across her hips until I felt the silk beneath my fingers. Mom's skin was on fire. I slipped my fingers and thumbs under the waistband. The silk slid easily and I felt my thumbs caress the soft skin of Mom's butt. That single sense of touch was instantly burned into my mind. The pants slid down her legs and Mom casually stepped out of them. I picked them up and tossed them to lie on top of her bra in my laundry basket.

I dried her butt and her back. Mom coughed. I knew what it meant. Stepping forward I reach around her and placed my hands on the flat of her stomach. Slowly I moved upward to cradle her breast in my hands. Mom leaned back against me and I heard a soft moan. Mistakenly thinking that I was hurting her I released my hold.

"Did I hurt you?" I asked in reflex.

"No," she answered softly. "I feel much better thanks to you."

"Jane gave me some cream that will help with the bruising. If you get on the bed I'll put some on your shoulder and back."

Mom nodded.

We moved into the bedroom and Mom sat on the side of the bed facing the window. Retrieving the cream from the med kit that was spread across my desk I turned back to the bed and stood in mesmerised silence as I stared at Mom's naked back. When my back was turned she had unfastened the belt from around her waist and slipped her arms from the sleeves to reveal her naked shoulders and back to me.

"This will be cold."

Mom jumped when I gently touched her shoulder. The cream would ease the ache but also help in healing. Moving down I tended to the bruising on her back. Instinctively I moved forward and kissed the soft flesh between her shoulders.

"What was that for?"

"I remember someone telling me that it makes you better."

I sensed that she was smiling as memories, good ones I hoped, flooded back. You believe everything your Mom tells you as a kid. If she had told me that the moon was made of green cheese I would have believed her. Mom kissed me and my bandages every morning, noon and night as I lay in the hospital.

I moved off the bed and stepped around to face her. There was a look of amusement in her eyes as she lifted the robe and held it across her chest. The amusement didn't leave her face as she watched as I knelt down on the floor and moved the side of her robe away to reveal her left leg. I applied cream to the bruise on her thigh and then bent down and kissed her knee.

"I bumped my face too."

I slowly raised my head. Rising slowly I placed the cream on the bed. Mom was as still as a leopard. I leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Mom remained motionless.

"It wasn't there."

I kissed her nose.

"You're warmer but still pretty cool."

I shifted weight to my right knee. I let my lips linger as I kissed her jaw on her left side. I felt a shudder run through her body.

"Now you are colder."

I moved across her face and kissed her jaw on the right side of her face. Mom shuddered again only this time I felt it too.

"You are really cold."

I next kissed her chin, letting my lips linger as I tasted her flesh.

"Now, you are getting warmer."