More Than Friendship Material Pt. 03

Chapter 15

Liz woke up rested and refreshed, but the memory of her first kiss with Todd lingered. She occasionally had that dream. How sweet he had been while she was so upset and in the end, he'd kissed her sweetly. The sort of kiss that made girls want to melt into a guys arms and cock a leg up. Yeah...that kind of kiss. It hadn't even been porn star sloppy, just sweet, soft and just a hint of tongue. Thinking about it made her shiver and her nipples harden. "Wow....okay, cold shower for you missy." She grouched and did just that, gasping as the cold water dampened the heat she was feeling.

Teeth chattering, Liz rushed to get dressed, shaking the imagines of last night's dream and got herself together. It was early, but she wanted to get to the hospital with Todd's clothes and hoped that he would be coming home with her.

Keys, purse, phone, she skipped out and hurried to the hospital. She found him still sleeping and smiled, setting down his breakfast. The aroma of food almost instantly woke him up, which was no surprise. Although he loved his cereal, Todd was a foodie at heart. He mumbled something under his breath and groaned, stretching.

"Hey sleepy head."

He smiled sleepily at her and sniffed, "You're like the food fairy."

Liz giggled and kissed his forehead, scooting his loaded biscuit towards him. "You're going to get fat eating all this junk. I'm gonna have to watch you at home, the girls won't be looking twice if you get a gut." She teased.

He shot her a playful glare and dug into his breakfast, his hair a mess and smelling none too fresh. "When we get home, shower time for you big boy and then bed. I got your peas and movies and snacks. I'm sure the doc will send you home with some happy pills too..."

Kicking back in the hospital recliner, she took control of the remote as Todd ate. It was a good hour before the doctor came by while Todd dozed on and off. They watched music videos and when he slept, Liz flipped back and forth, bored out of her mind. She hated hospitals, but she wanted to be near him.

When the doctor finally marched in, she breathed a small sigh of relief. "Well young man, it looks like you will be free to go in the next hour or so. Give us time to get your paperwork together and a wheelchair brought up. Everything looks normal. You're now down to some swelling and I advise you to get as much rest as possible in the next week. "

The doctor scribbled on a pad as he spoke, "I'm going to give you some meds to take to help with the pain, but only a limited supply. Try not to take them unless you really need them. I suggest a bag of peas." He chuckled, "Trust me, you'll learn to love'em. But everything should be in fine working order. In about a week...no heavy lifting, straining or sexual activity until all the swelling is gone."

Todd groaned dramatically and Liz shot him a dirty look. The doc grinned, "The nurse will be up shortly. You're free to get dressed and we'll have you signed up soon."

Anxious to get out, he swung his legs carefully over the side of the bed and with the help of Liz, got dressed between laughs and giggles. The nurse had come in and taken out his IV, making the process easier, but moving was another matter. He was still sore and there was no way she was just going to just strip him of his stylish gown. So at first they stripped him to the waist and she thrust his head through the T-Shirt. "It's like dressing a baby," Liz teased, earning herself another playful glare. She laughed and with her help, he got his feet into the loose fitting cotton shorts she had brought him. Pulling them up to his knees, she then stood and averted her eyes so he could finish the task of covering himself up, leaning against her for support.

"Jesus, I should have taken out my anger on more than just Kevin's knee. Maybe kicked him in the nuts a few more times for good measure," he groaned and she gave him a bit of a side hug. Despite the discomfort, he found himself giggling along with her as they shuffled him to the wheelchair and he sat down very carefully, wincing and protecting himself as best as possible.

"All set?" She asked, making sure that they hadn't left anything behind.

"Lets blow this taco stand!" He told her, leaning his head back and bumping her torso. She ruffled his hair which needed a good wash and pushed him out of the room.

It took some doing, but in the end, Liz got Todd home without too many issues. In fact they spent a better part of the morning giggling and laughing as they teased each other. Finally home, she helped him shuffle to his room and eased him onto the bed. "I'm going to send everyone a message that we're home. I'll grab you a couple of drinks." She fussed over his pillows, handed him the remote to his TV and threw a light blanket over his bare legs. "There. Okay, I'll be back."

Smiling, she left him to get comfortable and heard him holler for peas. She giggled down the hallway, grinning as she went to fetch the peas.

***

Hollie and Mary drank most of the bottle, so Hollie had crashed there in the spare room. She had to lift weights in the morning, but Mary had an early class so they decided to ride to campus together. Ben was still asleep when the girls left, stopping on the way at a Starbucks for a caffeine fix. As they doctored their coffee, Mary asked "Have you heard whether Todd is getting out today?"

"Not for sure," Hollie answered," but he thought so yesterday. Liz is picking him up and has the apartment set up for him for when he gets back. Todd made jokes about naughty nurse outfits, but you know her. I just told him I'd wear one if Liz did. We both knew she wasn't likely to play along."

"You gave her a choice? I'm so disappointed. Come on, we have a stop to make. Drink the coffee in the car."

Mary pulled Hollie out of the booth and ushered her back to the car. "I'll drive," she said.

Hollie handed over the keys and Mary sped away. Within a few minutes the girls pulled into the X-Mart parking lot and Mary hurried out of the car toward the door. "Come on, blondie."

Hollie knew Todd worked for the store, but had never actually been there. She was a little reluctant, expecting a seedy, cave like place. Instead, she was surprised to find a well-lit, clean store and Allen working the register. At 6:30 a.m., there wasn't anyone else around.

"Morning ladies," Allen said, giving them a brief nod. "Todd's not here."

"We know, Allen." Mary replied. "He's still in the hospital. Could you unlock the dressing room while I dig through the costumes. We're in a hurry." Mary rushed over to the fantasy wear, and Allen walked out from behind the counter to unlock the door.

Since Mary seemed to have things in hand for whatever she was doing, Hollie walked with Allen. "Thanks again for all you did the other night, " she told him. "You can't imagine how much I appreciate it."

"Glad to help," he said. "Wasn't right what they were doing."

"I also noticed that when you found us, you didn't stare. I appreciated that too, " Hollie said. "But I guess you get used to naked girls when you work at a place like this," she laughed nervously.

"That wasn't it. I was taught to respect women, and I wouldn't have wanted anyone staring at my mom or sisters that way. No man could get used to seeing you girls that way."

Hollie blushed at the compliment and she could swear the big man was blushing too. "Well, it's an honor and a pleasure to meet a real gentleman," she said standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek."

"Thank you, Ma'am, " Allen replied. "Since you're here I wanted to ask something. You remind me of someone..."

"Todd in girl form?" Hollie interjected.

"Uhh no, and that's hard to even picture. It was in your eyes. Do you have a brother in the military by chance."

"Yeah. He's a Navy corpsman stationed in Iraq. He's a medic for a tank battalion."

Allen's eyes glazed for second as he thought to himself. "Small world," he muttered. Just then, Mary arrived at the dressing room with some items in tow.

"Enough flirting you two. Hollie, into the dressing room STAT!"

The girls dressed hurriedly, but the garments seemed to fit as well as could be expected. Mary looked at their reflections in the mirror and nodded appreciatively. "This'll work." she said. Just as quickly, she started changing back into her regular clothes and Hollie followed suit.

"Mary, I am not wearing that for general viewing," Hollie said as they finished dressing and left the changing room. Mary took the costumes to Allen to ring up. "Todd usually gives us his employee discount," she told him. "I don't suppose you could give us the same benefit?"

"I get a lot of allowances being the only one here overnight," Allen answered. "I don't mind." He rung up the purchases and Mary paid.

"My treat," she said with a leer. She looked at her watch. "Fuck, we're late. See you Allen."

"Bye Allen," Hollie called as Mary rushed her out. Allen watched them leave with an odd expression on his face.

The X-Mart owner came in to work at 7:30 and relieved Allen. The somber vet was the best overnight guy he had ever hired. Nothing ever seemed to phase Allen, be it lot lizards, would-be robbers, or inclement weather. That is, nothing HAD ever seemed to phase him till this morning. Allen barely said anything, unless directly asked, but he was fantastic at following direction. Not so today, though. He had counted the drawer wrong, misfiled some of the videos, and simply failed to restock the counter's "impulse buy" crap.

Though his boss didn't know why, there was a reason Allen was off his game. Hollie, the little blonde friend of Todd's had seemed awfully familiar to him, and ever since he had met her the other night, he couldn't stop thinking of her. She was pretty and had been next to naked when they met, but that wasn't the reason. It had been her eyes, the eyes he had tried so hard to look at instead of the nudity, that were haunting him. Now Allen knew why.

Back in the shit, Allen had taken shrapnel to his leg. It was the injury that had sent him home with an honorable discharge. Normally, a leg wound wouldn't have been a big deal, but the metal this time had cut the femoral artery. Allen was a sniper, used to working alone and far from any assistance. When he had felt the impact and seen the blood spatter, he figured he was done for. Still, he radioed for assistance as per routine. He did not expect to get a response, especially from a marine tank battalion that just happened to be in the area. Allen was in the high hills, and the terrain was not conducive to armored cavalry, but there was a corpsman assigned to one of the tanks. The tanker's radioman told Allen he'd send the "doc" as soon as he could, but he'd have to come alone.

Allen was slipping into shock, but he gave his location and said he'd hold on as long as he could. He waited for agonizing minutes while putting pressure on the bleeding, but eventually faded into unconsciousness. Allen did not expect to wake up, and he said a prayer and his goodbyes to his distant family. But, Allen did wake up, and the first thing he could remember seeing was the eyes of David Skinner, Hollie's brother. Skinner had dodged enemy sniper fire to reach Allen's position and stemmed the bleeding. Allen couldn't stand for himself, as he had lost too much blood. Richardson had radioed in to request a helicopter retrieval, but had to carry Allen slowly but surely to the nearest flat ground. Without David Skinner, Allen's return to the states would have been draped in a flag, not a bandage. Now, he had been the first one on the scene to rescue Skinner's sister. Could things be that much of a coincidence?

***

Ben had class that morning, and caught up with Mary on campus afterward to share their traditional Wednesday cup of coffee in the quad. When he met her there, she handed him a bag. "What's this?" he asked.

"I can't get over there till later this afternoon, so I need you to run this to Liz at the apartment. She's supposed to be bringing Todd home this morning.

"OK. But again, what the hell is this? It doesn't weigh hardly anything."

"That's because it is hardly anything," Mary laughed.

"I don't want to know, do I?" Ben said cautiously.

"On the contrary my love. I bet you'd be very interested. But, for now, it's a secret. Just trust me."

"When you say that, it's usually a bad idea, but I'll take it over shortly. I want to see how Todd is anyway."

"Thanks baby. Tell Liz to follow the instructions inside. If she has questions, she can call me or Hollie."

Ben rubbed his forehead. "Now I know I'm scared."

With bag in hand, Ben made his way to his bike, his phone buzzing in his pocket. He smiled as he saw the text message from Liz as he left campus, telling him that she had Todd home from the hospital. Dude couldn't ask for anyone better to take care of him, outside of his mom or an actual nurse, Ben thought. She's the most organized, dependable person I know, and, knowing her, she'll keep all this love business on the back burner while he recuperates. Him, on the other hand...

The fall weather was perfect, and Ben was glad he had decided to take the motorcycle out. He loved the feeling of freedom and power it gave him. Thankfully, Mary wasn't the minivan type. She didn't know it yet, but he was already scoping out bikes for her. He got to pick the honeymoon location, and the tentative plan was a ride up through the northeast, maybe as far as Nova Scotia. The scenery should be beautiful, and they both loved the outdoors.

Outside Todd's place he heard Todd yelling for peas. That seemed an odd lunch choice, but to each their own. With a shrug, he knocked and was soon greeted by Liz's familiar voice. "Who iiiiis it?"

Ben let out a short laugh, "It's Ben, let me in or I'll huff and I'll puff..."

Liz laughed and opened the door, "I don't want to know about you blowing anything, OK?" She teased, her grin wide and eyes sparkling. "But you can do me a favor. Take this bag of peas to your friend in his room. He has to ice the boys down to keep the swelling at bay."

Ben winced on behalf of his buddy and handed Liz her package. "Mary wanted me to give you this. She said follow the directions and if you have questions, call her or Hollie."

Liz took the bag and weighed it with a finger, raising a curious eyebrow. "Um...okay, let me just get Todd his drink."

"I'll get it. Just read it or she'll kill me." Ben shut the door, moving around her and into the kitchen.

Liz set the bag on the coffee table and peered inside. Slipping her hand in, she pulled out a soft white, uniform? She frowned and unfolded it, seeing instantly the little red nurses patch on the tiny breast pocket. "Oh no," She whispered, "they didn't!"

Fumbling into her pocket, she pulled out her cell and shoved the uniform back into the bag before Ben could see. Hollie picked up, "Yo!"

"What am I supposed to do with this package?" Liz whispered.

Hollie laughed, "Did you not read the directions?"

"NO! Ben is right here. What's going on?"

"Well," Hollie laughed, "the first order of business is to see if it fits. That's for your eyes only, missy. After that, read the directions, then if you have any more questions, we'll talk. Call me if you need me." Hollie hung up before Liz could get in another word. Sighing, Liz gingerly held the bag and walked back to her room.

Meanwhile, Ben took Todd his drink and peas. "Your order, sir," he called. "I'd ask for a tip, but who knows where yours has been."

"Ahh, Liz, what the hell happened to you!!! Still, that's just what I needed, " Todd answered. "IBC Root Beer and the Jolly Green Giant. Of course you'd be more familiar with Little Sprout."

"I've got your little sprout right here," Ben said with a grin. "So, still laying around pretending to be hurt I see."

"Oh yeah. This is the life. No heavy lifting, no exercise, no sex for a week."

"So, it's essentially the same as you're normally used to, just not as long a time between pieces of ass."

***

In her room, Liz pulled out the note inside and began reading it. Step 1: try on the garment. She muttered under her breath wondering what in the world the girls were up to. Making sure her door was locked, she quickly stripped and put on the little nurses outfit. She was happy that instead of buttons down the front, it had a zipper that zipped all the way up to the top, falling short at the breast line where her boobs were pushed high and threatened to spill out. It was short, tight and not like anything she would have thought to buy.

Carefully bending, she read the next bit. Step 2: Don't show anyone, it's a surprise! Step 3: Bring your makeup kit, the costume and yourself to Mary's place at 5:00. Step 4: No arguments, just be there!

Liz looked herself over in the mirror and sighed. It even came with a little cap and some white thigh highs. She didn't bother trying those on, quickly changing and putting things away before joining the boys. "Hey." She popped her head into the room. "Um, Ben, do you mind staying with Todd for a while later? I have to go see Mary at five, or at least that's what she tells me."

Todd let out a snort, "I don't need a sitter."

Liz ignored him and cast pleading eyes to Ben who melted. "OK, puppy dog eyes get me all the time. Sure. I'll sit with Mr. Macho."

She grinned and left the two to their chat.

***

At Mary and Ben's place, the wine flowed between the girls while Hollie planned out the final details. "OK, Mary, since now I know you are the mixing genius, I need a mash-up of these ." Hollie handed a jump drive to Mary, who quickly loaded the files onto her laptop. The music that started, sent Mary into fits of hysterical laughter.

"Oh, this is perfection," she gasped, wiping away a single tear from the corner of her eye.

"Thank you," Hollie said with a grin. "I thought so myself. Will that be a problem?"

"Nope. Shouldn't take any time at all. Just have to do a little change in playback speed on the second one."

"Fabulous. OK, I think I have all the particulars lined up. Nothing too difficult. Just follow me and it should be pretty easy."

"Can't wait. Liz hasn't called back. Do you think she's in, or has she made a run for the border?"

"With her, it's hard to say," Hollie answered, " but I've got faith in her." Mary continued fiddling with the files, while Hollie made a few last second notes. A couple of minutes after five, the doorbell rang.

The girls smiled wide, and shouted. "YAY!! She made it!!"

Liz really didn't know what to expect, but no sooner had she rung the doorbell, than her friends opened the door, pulling her inside. "We were beginning to worry!"

"I'm on time." Liz grumped playfully. "Now what's going on around here?" The two girls laughed, Liz setting down her things on the nearby coffee table. "I think you two have lost your minds. Are you on drugs? Been drinking?" Then she wagged a playful finger at Mary. "Does Ben know what you're doing? If this is a lesbian orgy, I'm leaving!"

Mary answered with a laugh. "No, Ben doesn't know, and the lesbian orgy is tomorrow. I do expect you there though."

Hollie piped up. "I need to look at your shoes. Ugh, Birkenstocks won't work. Take'em off. Mary, do you mind if I move the furniture out of the way?"

"Nope. Go for it. I've about got this finished. Oh, Liz. Take off your jeans and shirt and put this on." Mary threw her a t-shirt.'

"Ladies ladies, one thing at a time!" Liz laughed, shaking her head. Shaking the bag before setting it down, she added, "I thought I was supposed to wear this thing."

"All in good time," Hollie said, as she cleared everything from the center of the living room. "We have work to do first. You ready Mary?"

"Yep. Do you need this played now?"

"No. You have to walk before you run, ladies. Now, here are the tools of the trade." The little blonde dug into her backpack, and tossed plastic bags to her two friends. Liz looked at the bags cautiously, but Mary ripped hers open.