Lana

Be forewarned, this story has elements of incest. It starts slow and simmers to a boil, it isn't as long as many of my works, there's only one chapter.

Any and all portrayed as having sex are 18 or older.

Lana

As with so many young people in the late sixties I married within a year of graduating high school, it wasn't questioned or frowned upon, it was what you did. We both had jobs, she worked in the kitchen of the hospital where I had begun working and learning in the maintenance department. We did okay, we were able to pay our bills, drive a decent used car and have enough left over for a pizza and some beer on Saturday night. We'd met in tenth grade and as was another custom of that time we waited until our wedding night to consummate our marriage.

My younger sister Lana never did like Brenda, said she was a flirt and would someday break my heart, when you're in love and horny one tends to ignore those things, which I did. We'd been married less than a year when my draft notice came, five months later I was checking in at Camron Bay, our goodbyes had been tearful and affectionate along with the usual promises of fidelity and to start a family when I was discharged.

While in country at least once a day someone would bring up Jody, the fictional character back in the states who's putting the moves on your gal and having his way with her while you're in the jungle having your ass shot at. Brenda never gave me any reason to suspect anything of the sort, letters every few weeks, my sister never saw her with anyone else, I came home feeling confident my bride was eager to see me, and she was. I found out six weeks after being home she was also pregnant, she tried saying it was mine which didn't fly considering she was at least ten weeks along. I guess absence really did make the heart grow fonder, for someone else.

I did what every red blooded boy would do back then, I filed for divorced, she was living with her new lover in less than a month, one of the very people my sister had warned me about. The time period was way before all these 50/50 laws and because I could prove infidelity, I didn't have to pay maintenance, or as they called it then, alimony. She went her way, I went mine and neither the twain shall meet, I moved to an adjoining state where I landed another entry level job with a hospital maintenance department. I dated some and had a couple of long-term girlfriends but considering what had happened before I just couldn't pull the trigger and make a final commitment to marriage.

Eventually I reached the point where I would pick up some gal in a bar if I needed to have my dick inside a pussy instead of having my hand wrapped around it in the shower. I didn't care if they were short, tall, thin, wide, cute, homely, the color of their skin or what nationality they were, my main criteria were if they had tits, a pussy, and were willing to fuck, then so be it. I never rode bareback although I wanted to several times, some protested saying they were on birth control, my thought was always, how do I know that for sure? The last thing I wanted or needed was an illegitimate child running around for me to support.

A few of the nurses at the hospital were known to be friendly in that way, they were also known to not keep their mouths shut, another thing I didn't need was gossip about banging the nurses. To use a British phrase, *I kept myself to myself*, oh sure I attended the picnics and hospital sponsored what-evers, but that was basically the extent of my existence. I kept in touch with my folks and would drive the five hours for holidays or family gatherings, Lana would always be there, not married but looking. I'd been at the Whitmere Hospital a bit over five years when Lana announced she was getting married.

I drove home for the engagement party and instantly did not like the guy, arrogant, brassy, ostentatious, narcissistic in my mind, everything was about him, I wondered what the hell Lana saw in him. Then I found out, Lana was an RN at the local hospital, he was a doctor, no more need be said. I went home for the wedding, she had wanted me to stand up with what's his face, I declined saying I didn't really know the guy, and I didn't, she was peeved but not pissed. I was now edging thirty and she was a few years younger when the wheels came off her marriage, as I suspected he was not the nice guy he portrayed himself to be. No one knew about the abuse, until she showed up with a bruised cheek and eye, previously he had kept his blows to her ribs and back, her stomach, places others wouldn't see.

Her supervisor took one look at her and knew what was happening, it took her nearly a day to convince Lana he would not stop until she filed charges, she too had been the victim of abuse, only hers had been at the hands of her lesbian lover. When the officers had taken her statement and dozens of photos they sent a patrol to their home, asswipe was stupid enough to resist arrest, one more charge he'd have to answer for. Lana moved in with our parents but felt like a kid all over again, it was all in her mind though, our folks basically made a place for her to sleep, eat and escape the pressures of life.

I knew she was in the process of divorcing dipshit but didn't pay much attention to what was going on, I kept my nose to the grindstone and did my job. It was on a Saturday morning three weeks before Thanksgiving that the doorbell rang, I wasn't expecting anyone, I wondered who it might be, opening the door there stood Lana with a smile on her face.

"Hi junior, well, are you going to invite me in?"

My dads name was Harry, I was Harry Junior, everybody from home always called me junior, including Lana.

"Yes, yes, come in out of the cold. This is a nice surprise, what brings you here?"

"I'm moving to Whitmere, I have a position at the hospital and I start Monday. I thought I might be able to stay with you until I can settle in."

She was fidgety, she wasn't telling me the whole story.

"What's the rest Lana, you can't lie to me, we never could lie to each other. So what gives?"

Hanging her head she sniffled, "Now that the divorce is final I'm certain Devin has been following me around, when I went to the police they said with the restraining order no longer in effect there was nothing they could do to restrict him from being in a public place. I made the decision to find work elsewhere, when he found out I was leaving and wouldn't tell him where he slipped this note into my locker through the slats.

Handing it to me I opened it and my blood began to boil, *Bitch, I'll find you and when I do I'll beat your ass*.

"What did the cops say?"

"Nothing, it was printed on everyday paper and there wasn't a fingerprint on it, they have no way to prove it was him. Can I stay with you junior, at least for a little while?"

I didn't need to give it a moment's thought, of course she could, I'd be around her at the hospital and she'd be with me at night, if Devin was stupid enough to show up at my place he'd be doing so at his own peril. I detest men hitting women, if there's one thing dad pounded into we boy's heads it's that boys don't hit girls. Defending yourself is one thing but hitting them to show your stronger or can dominate them, not a chance, tough guys don't need to tell or show you how tough they are .... they simply live it, it's self-evident in everything they do. If you have to tell people how tough or smart you are ... you aren't.

Lana had very few clothes with her, mainly work attire and some casual stuff, she'd taken everything else to mom and dad's before she left figuring she'd be home for Thanksgiving if she needed more. With Lana being seventeen months younger than me we had hung around each other basically all our lives until adulthood. The next closest sibling to me was four years older, so it was Lana and me most of the time, we played together when we were little and hung together when we got older. Being so close in age and looks we were often mistaken as twins, which only increased the bond between us.

We had our own inside jokes and goofy secrets, we played and goofed around and had a mountain of brother/sister fun, we played dolls, trucks, cowboys and Indians, all the things normal kids do growing up. From early on in our teens our closeness seemed to be stronger, no not in a romantic way, just a closeness like best friends enjoy. We walked to and from school together, before boyfriend/girlfriends came along we'd go for pizza with the crowd, sporting events, whatever, but always with each other. Mother used to say we were like two peas in a pod.

Our closeness sort of dissipated when I met Brenda, oh sure we still hung out and did stuff together but with most of my attention toward Brenda, Lana sort of got put on the back burner. Here we stood ten years after I'd left home, me lonely and basically on my own, her devastated from the break up of her marriage, both of us seeing the other as a breath of fresh air in our otherwise crappy worlds. I brought her bags into the guest room, thankfully my home had an attached bath with the guest room, Lana would have all the privacy she wanted or needed.

I grabbed sheets from the hall closet and quickly made the bed while she put undies and other clothes away in the dresser and closet, I'd also grabbed fresh towels for her bathroom. We finished about the same time, me watching her a few minutes before she was finished.

"Junior you have no idea what this means to me, I didn't know where to go or what to do to be rid of him until I thought of you. With you at Whitmere I took a chance and contacted the HR office, you aren't supposed to use family members as a reference which I didn't, but when I let it slip that you worked there in maintenance she perked right up. Though the HR lady has been married for decades she said you have quite a following amongst the younger single nurses."

I gave here the *what are you talking about* look and smirked with a p-shhh kind of sound. I was not aware of anything she'd just mentioned, probably because I'd determined not to date within the hospital and therefore wasn't paying attention.

Walking to me and taking my arm she asked, "Where are you taking me for lunch, I'm starved."

"I was planning on sandwiches and chips at home, but if you want to eat out I'm game. How does a juicy burger with fries sound? There's a sports bar a few streets down that serves great comfort food, I personally love their corned beef on Rye with swiss cheese. It's like a Reuben without the kraut, which I cannot tolerate, why would I want to eat rotten cabbage?"

"I happen to like sauerkraut Junior, maybe I'll order a Reuben just to watch you squirm."

It was a chilly day with a few inches of snow on the ground but no wind to speak of, the sun was warm and bright. As we walked the six blocks she talked about how excited she was to be starting on Monday, how safe she now felt being five hours away from Devin and here with me, the entire time she had her arm through mine, just as she'd always done. It was like we walked back in time a decade or more, best friends sharing a moment together along with a delicious lunch and two glasses of beer.

That evening we ordered pizza and binge watched some series on Netflix that she'd been watching, I couldn't make heads nor tails of it so she went back and watched the first two episodes all over again just for me. I'm a fairly early riser and was up with breakfast started by the time she shuffled into the kitchen plunking her almost covered toosh on a chair, I say almost because she had apparently slept in an oversized tee which rode up when she sat down. Being the ever present smartass I had to comment.

"Nice panties sis, yellow with little butterflies, cute, are you still in seventh grade?"

Saying nothing she flipped me off with one hand while she sipped her coffee with the other. "For your information big brother, I prefer pretty cotton panties over thongs or any of the other designs that are uncomfortable as hell to wear. I have a few pair of silk that I wear on special occasions, otherwise it's cotton bikini's and boy shorts, I discovered boy shorts a while back and I like um. So, nosy, you'll just need to get used to seeing me in these."

As she tugged her shirt back into place she glared at me, "Why are you looking anyway, your my brother?"

I laughed and answered, "Yes and you're my sister, but I'm still a male and you're still a damned good looking woman. If you don't want me to see your undies wear something less revealing or be prepared for me to look and make wise ass remarks."

She laughed as she threw her toast at me and shook her shoulders making her breasts jiggle beneath her shirt. Yup, it was like we were sixteen all over again, and somehow that felt good. Sunday was my regular laundry day so after breakfast I brought the baskets into the laundry room and began sorting, when mine was done she followed suit with her clothes as we binged on some more of the series on Netflix.

She needed some toiletries so we spent a portion of the later afternoon shopping for what she needed and stocking up on groceries for two. My work day began at six and I was out the door about the time she was getting up for her seven o'clock shift the next day, she was coming into the living area as I was heading toward the door.

"Bye junior, will you have time to meet for lunch?"

I shrugged, "All depends on how the day goes, check your phone at break, I'll text."

The hospital had two boilers, one was always in use and the other on stand-by, while on stand-by we would do upgrades and regular maintenance, with the operating boiler scheduled to begin maintenance in a few weeks we needed to concentrate on the other. Which meant we worked until there was time to take a break, some days you worked through what would be a regular lunch time that everyone else enjoyed. I texted her about nine letting her know lunch was out but since I was putting in overtime I'd meet her in the cafeteria at four when she got off.

She was waiting as I walked into the cafeteria heading to her table, she was sitting with three others, when I got there she stood and hugged my neck, I gave her a squeeze and she kissed my cheek, I wasn't paying much attention to the others staring at us.

I was the first to slice through the thick layer of wonderment from the other gals, "How was your first day? Was it all you hoped it might be?"

Before she could answer a nurse named Ellie, whom had been after me for months interjected, "Do you two know each other? Is Harry your lover, is that why you moved here?"

The gleam in Lana's eyes took me back to high school when the two of us would carry things to an extreme just to put one over on somebody. Moving close to my side she turned my face to hers.

"I don't know sugar, am I your lover? Is that why I moved here and took this job?"

I couldn't hold it together any longer as I slapped her ass and then squeezed her ass cheek, "You're my smartass sister, don't go giving these people the wrong idea."

Ellie chimed in again, "Coulda fooled me, you two act like you're glued at the hip. Two peas in a pod."

With that we both burst into laughter, when we settled down Lana explained that was what our mother had said since we were toddlers. With my arm around Lana I gave her a side hug, telling her I'd see her at the house and that I would start supper. Walking away the table sounded like a flock of magpies, non-stop talk, glad I'd made my exit when I did.

I had a seasoned rice dish on the stove and I was on the patio grilling chicken breasts in the brisk autumn air when Lana walked into the kitchen. She waved and went toward her room, five minutes later she was changed into jeans and a blouse. Taking my insulated flannel shirt off the peg and slipping it on she stepped out onto the patio and leaned against the wall with a silly grin on her face.

"You buddy boy are one hot commodity at that hospital and rightly so. Five foot ten, one eighty something, brown hair, neatly trimmed beard, a fit body and single, you could have the pick of the place for the asking."

I started chuckling at that point, "I'm sorry sis, I couldn't hold it together any longer at the cafeteria, if I could have composed myself longer we'd have had them convinced we were lovers living together."

She looked at me intently, "We are living together, it's really none of their business anyway."

I shut the grill down and put the breasts onto a platter as she opened the patio door for me, slapping my ass as I passed her.

"That's for in the cafeteria, you hit me hard, I don't mind playful, but not hard. The squeeze of my cheek really sent Audrey into a tither, she couldn't shut up about how her brother would never in a million years squeeze her butt. When Ellie asked if she'd like her brother to squeeze her butt she turned beet red, guess we had the answer."

Throughout that week and the next it was like a long overdue reunion, we laughed, we challenged each other, we disagreed without be disagreeable, we hugged and watched TV on the couch with her snuggled into my side, one might say we re-bonded if that doesn't seem to hokey. One Saturday while grocery shopping we got into a rather lengthy discussion about whether to get Kellogg's or Post Raisin Bran, an older lady finally said, *when you newlyweds figure it our move so the rest of us can shop*. We had a belly laugh over that in the car.

To us it was like we were best friends all over ten years or so later, she was the pretty girl on my arm and I was her protector just as it had been in high school. I had Thanksgiving off that year, Christmas would be my holiday to work, Lana had a four-day break over turkey day so we made plans to go home, when Lana called mother was excited. Both of us had to work a full day on Wednesday so we bugged out at 5AM Thanksgiving morning, the five to six hour drive would put us there late morning, enough time for Lana to help mom and me to listen to dad rant and rave about how badly his fantasy football team was doing this year. With my dad in his 70's I caught myself wondering, *why the hell would you care pa, have a few beers and watch the eff-ing game.

Lana drifted in and out of sleep the first half of the trip, I would gaze over at her and find myself thinking how pretty she was and how could Devin have been so stupid as to hurt her. Her hair was nearly the same color as mine, she had a pretty face, was five foot six with a lovely figure, I hadn't looked at her bra since high school but I figured she was about a 34C. Certainly nothing to sneeze at, we stopped for fuel and a potty break at the half way point, she waited in the car while I filled it, as soon as I was finished she got out, took my arm and walked in with me. I found it interesting that she didn't let go of my arm until we were at the ladies room, leaning to me she said softly.

"I'm gonna wait right here if I finish before you, don't you go anywhere without me if you're done first. Promise." I nodded.

Standing over a urinal staring at the blank wall my mind wandered. How long had he brutalized her for her to be so afraid? I wonder if the idiot will find out she's home for the weekend and show up, I was relatively sure he wouldn't, but then, you can't fix stupid, ignorance can be corrected with teaching, stupidity is a whole other creature. After washing my hands I made it into the narrow hall, I was leaning against the wall watching others go in and out for a few minutes when Lana appeared, she smiled and quickly had her arm entwined in mine as she steered us to the candy aisle.

"What are you doin sis, we're gonna eat in a few hours, you sure you wanna spoil your appetite?"

She ignored me as she picked out a candy bar, when I stood still she faced me, "It's my chocolate week, okay? So quit pissin and moanin, grab a candy bar and let's hit the road."