Princess Ch. 05

"I'm sure they'll be fine Dianne."

"I sure hope so."

Maddie

I was ready to go back and see Stevie when a nurse asked me if I was the aunt or the sister. I replied sister. She asked if I happened to have a copy of the medical insurance card for my father's insurance. She explained that Stevie was medically indigent and since he was under 22 years of age, our parent's insurance had to cover him. I produced the insurance card and she took all of the information from it. As I was waiting my cell rang. It was my mother. I debated answering and finally decided to answer.

"Hello?" I said shortly. I vowed not to cry.

"Hi hon." There was a pause. "How is he?" I was shocked. My mother actually asked how my brother was.

"He's very touch and go mom." I said as I started to cry. "They think they have his internal and cranial bleeding under control, but told us the next 36 hours or so are going to be very tricky."

I thought I heard her softly crying. "Thank you Maddie." She said as she hung up. Maybe there was a glimmer of hope after all. Mom seemed concerned at least. I doubted Dad even cared other than the fact it was going to cost him.

Stonemoore People's Bank

Robert Miller sat at his desk. As general manager of the bank he had complete say over all bank business. He had heard that Herb Sheppard's son had been critically injured in an accident that morning. Usually he had several couples over to his house every Friday night to play cards. He canceled this evening's game out of respect for Herb. He figured Herb would have taken the day off, but he hadn't. Herb didn't even seem to be all that distracted.

Robert knew Herb never talked about his son. He doted plenty on his daughter, oh how he'd like to see Herb and Dianne bring their daughter to the card games. She was hot. Now Elaine Mewes was telling him the Herb had asked about dropping his son from the company's insurance policy.

"I knew he didn't get along with his son very well, but I never expected him to be so cold about it."

"Maybe the kid's not in all that bad of shape?" she asked.

"You don't fly someone to St. Christopher's trauma center unless it's serious. St Mark's here in Stonemoore would suffice then."

The Boyd House

Jeff sat down with a strong 7&7 in his hand. Alison sat next to him with a glass of wine. Heather was a mixed bag of emotion. On one hand she had a nearly perfect score to show from her piano contest earlier. On the other hand, her piano coach and love prospect lay in a Denver hospital.

She hung up the phone for the up-teenth time that day after calling Brandi James.

"She says he's in the ICU but only Maddie, Shelby and his aunt have been back to see him. She said Shelby looked horrified when she came out. He's not doing to well I guess." Heather broke down crying. Ali held her daughter tight and comforted her.

Jeff took a pull from his drink and sighed. "The guy who was in the truck was .24 BAC. The coroner confirmed he was way past the legal limit. The D.A. is also looking at pursuing charges against Steven. Drag racing and vehicular assault among them."

"Didn't you say his car was struck first?"

"Yes, but evidence points to him and the DeSalle kid drag racing. The D.A. wants to make an example of someone and Steven is the only one alive. He might change his mind, besides with George James in his corner he won't even have a fine."

"Isn't it a conflict of interest for George to represent his future son in law?"

"If so, I'm sure he'll hook the kid up with Paul Simon. Paul could have got Hitler off."

Heather sobbed, "I just want to see him. I have so much I want to tell him. He's got to live."

"I'd rather ticket him than bury him. You know his father told dispatch to call someone who might give a shit this morning?"

Ali and Heather looked at him horrified. "Yeah, told us the kid wasn't his concern and to call someone who gives a shit. I just wish I could charge him with something."

"I think it's time for us to change banks. I'm going first thing Monday morning and moving our money to First Bank."

"Can I go up and see him tomorrow? He might like to know how well he taught me."

"We'll all go baby." said Jeff.

Maddie

Stevie was a mummy with tubes and wires coming out of him. Shelby cried as soon as she saw him, and Aunt Karen seemed to want to touch him. I was still mad at our parents. Mom and dad should be here, not everyone else. I was saddened by the fact that more people that only knew Stevie were here and his own parents weren't. I decided to let someone else come see him for a bit. Shelby stayed by him and I went out and asked of anyone else wanted to go in. Uncle Frank jumped at the opportunity and left the room. I told everyone not to worry, Uncle Frank wouldn't stay too long and then someone else could go.

True to my word, Uncle Frank reappeared five minutes later, and Pam went back. Uncle Frank seemed shaken. Don paled as Frank spoke. "I wasn't expecting him to look so bad. I knew the wreck fucked him up, but I wasn't prepared for what I saw." He started crying. "I just don't see how he's going to be able to pull through. I am so scared of losing him right now. God I love that kid. I sure wish Herb would have let him live with Karen and I"

I hugged him and so did Don. Soon Pam and Aunt Karen came out. Pam looked as bad as Uncle Frank had. She immediately held onto Don. "I'm not sure if you want to see that Donny."

"I owe it to him. He's been like a son to me. Are you coming Mike?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure I want to know how bad he is but I can't let him go on not knowing I am here for him."

Don, Mike and Zeke all went back for the final minutes of visiting hours.

I told Brandi that she could probably go too, but she wanted to wait until Heidi could go with her.

Every two hours they allowed us to go back and visit Steve. At nine that night they announced that visiting hours would cease until seven the next morning. Everyone except Shelby, Karen and I went to find a hotel near the hospital. We stayed in the waiting room in case there was a development. At ten, the nurse told us we could stay in Stevie's room until six. Just after ten my phone rang. It was my mother.

"Any news?" She was speaking in a whisper almost so I figures that she was avoiding letting my father know she was inquiring about Stevie.

"No, they're letting us visit him, but I don't think he knows we're even here. He's in bad shape mom."

I could hear her softly crying. "Please let me know if anything changes."

I.C.U. Nurses' Station

Emily Stratton was monitoring the screens that fed her the vitals of her six patients. She was one of four nurses monitoring vitals. Each nurse had six patients to watch over. She was keeping an eye particularly on the kid in bed 5. She kept seeing funny brainwave patterns as well as peculiar drops in his blood pressure. The third time it happened she called Dr. Hook, the attending physician to look.

He looked at the screens and then looked at the history printouts and decided to call Dr. Feinstein in to have a look at the E.E.G. He also called Dr. House up to see the other vitals.

"His BP indicates one of the internal bleeds is getting worse." Said Dr. Hook

"I am afraid he's too weak to withstand another operation," said Dr. House, "Lets up the coagulation agents a bit and see what happens over the next few hours."

Ten minutes later Nurse Jensen was injecting a vial into Steve's IV, as three women dozed nearby.

Maddie

Stevie and I were on the sandy Cabo San Lucas beach. I had just told him the news I had been holding back as a surprise. He reached into my bikini bottom and began rubbing my pussy. Soon we were both naked and fucking on the beach. His cock felt so good sliding in and out of my hungry hole. Just as I was about to cum I felt shaking through my body.

It was six in the morning and a nurse woke us and asked us to return to the waiting room. George, Heidi and Brandi were there already. Uncle Frank and the rest showed up half an hour later. We told them that nothing seemed to have changed in the night.

Don and Pam came in carrying breakfast burritos and coffee. We ate and talked about the night. Everyone had pretty much hit their pillow and died last night. Most of them had been up all night as well as all day. I was running on empty, and the burrito seemed to help.

At seven they allowed us to go into Stevie's room again. Heidi and Brandi came in with Shelby and I. She read the chart and got a concerned look on her face.

"What is it mom?" Shelby asked.

"I'm just a little concerned about the amount of clotting agents they are giving him. He must be bleeding and they're afraid to operate anymore."

Brandi stood by his bed and grasped his hand. I'm not sure anyone else heard her say "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." I went over and told her to stop beating herself over it. Heidi came back into the room and said she had confirmed what she had thought. She said the top doctors in the city were keeping an eye on things, and we shouldn't worry too much. Heidi, Brandi and I went back out and let Aunt Karen and Uncle Frank and George go back.

I had just sat down when my phone rang.

"How is he this morning?"

I filled mom in on the bleeding development, and she seemed pleased that the best doctors were on the case. I didn't bother asking if she was planning on coming up because I doubted she would. Calling and checking up were far enough out of her norm.

Charlotte and Amanda both called during the morning. Charlotte told me that some of our classmates were going to place a cross by the road for Tommy. Then she asked how I was doing. I told her I was scared for my brother, but she seemed more interested in talking about her grief over Tommy. After five minutes of that I made up an excuse to get off the phone.

Amanda asked more about Stevie than anything. But she seemed more concerned about scarring he might have afterword than much else. I think I jolted her when I told her that I was sure he'd rather have scars than be in a box. Then she seemed to realize how dire his situation was.

Around ten, Chief Jefferson Boyd walked in, followed by his wife and daughter. His daughter was stunning. If Stevie wasn't so in love with Shelby, I think this girl would have him in a heartbeat. Although I think Brandi would definitely throw her hat in the fight too. It was easy to tell that Heather had been up most of the night crying. She walked up and embraced Brandi and they cried together for a few minutes.

I had never been formally introduced to the Boyds. As I was introduced I noticed Jefferson looking around expectantly. "No, they couldn't be bothered to come." I told him. Aunt Karen and Uncle Frank came over and met him as well.

"It's nice to see some of you care for him." He looked at me, "I don't have much respect for your folks at the moment, but I am glad to see all of you here supporting him. How is he?"

Heidi came over and filled him in. Alison was a part time nurse and understood everything Heidi said. "Sure doesn't sound too promising right now, but at least he has made it through the first 24 hours."

Herb and Dianne

Dianne sat in the passenger seat of the car while Herb got out and pumped the gas. They had been running around town looking at furniture. They planned on redecorating their front room and dining room.

Dianne looked at her watch and saw that it was past noon. She made sure Herb was occupied and hit her redial.

"How is he baby?" she asked her daughter.

"The doctors are talking about operating on him again. He is bleeding somewhere and they can't seem to get it to stop with drugs." Dianne knew that if they had to talk about operating, then it wasn't something they really wanted to do. She felt guilty for not being up there with her son and daughter, but her husband was being a big enough dick about what this might cost him. He had been angry enough when he found out that Maddie had invited Steven to stay in the house with her over Christmas, that he refused to fly her home for Valentine's Day. Who knew what he'd say if he found out that she was in Denver now and not at school.

She'd have to repay Heidi and George for flying her daughter home for this. She suddenly felt that she had missed her opportunity to say goodbye to her son. She couldn't help but start weeping. When Herb got in the car he asked, "What the fuck is your problem?"

Maddie

Don and Pam, bless their hearts, went out and picked up burgers and fries for everyone. The last we had heard, the main doctors were still debating whether or not they were going to operate on Stevie again.

As we ate we watched a movie that I hadn't seen before. It was called "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas." It was about a boy in Nazi Germany whose father became commandant at a death camp. The boy befriends a little Jewish boy who is in the camp. When the boy's mother finds out they are at an extermination camp she begins arguing a lot with her husband. When the son hears them fighting, he crawls into bed with his older sister and she comforts him.

It reminded me of all the things I had missed in Stevie's life. How I had never been there to comfort him. I wept as I watched. I just hoped that I would have a brother to comfort when all of this was done.

The final visiting period of the day came and we all took turns going in to see him. Shelby, Aunt Karen and I waited out in the waiting room since we knew we'd get to go back later. When visiting hours were over everyone left for their hotels and we went back into Stevie's room.

At the Hotel

Don and Pam Reed had a room, George, Heidi and Brandi James had a room, the Boyds had a room and Frank, Mike and Zeke shared a room. Everyone seemed to rest a little easier since Steven was closer to being out of the woods. Mike produced a bottle and he, Frank and Zeke got quite a nice buzz going before they went to sleep. Don and Pam just held each other and prayed for Steven. They both viewed him as a son. They were a bit more optimistic about his recovery.

Even Heidi seemed more relaxed. She viewed the fact that they hadn't decided to operate again as a positive sign. George didn't relish the idea of his daughter being devastated. Either one of them. He knew that should Shelby falter in her love for Steven, Brandi would go for it in a heart beat. Jefferson Boyd thought the same of his daughter.

120 miles to the south, Dianne lay in bed wide awake. Herb snored away next to her. She made up her mind that in the morning she'd go to church. As soon as church let out she was going to head to Denver whether Herb liked it or not.

Maddie

Warm tropical sun beats down on me as my lover, my soul mate, my brother Stevie runs his tongue over my engorged clit. He is eating my pussy like it's the last one he'll ever eat. He works his fingers in and out of my wet hole, brushing my g-spot every so often. He kisses his way up my body, stopping at my belly button, and working on up to my engorged breasts. He is getting ready to enter my pussy.

I am brought rudely awake by a cacophony of alarms. Nurses and orderlies are running around Stevie's room unhooking things and pushing his bed. Shelby is screaming in the corner and my Aunt Karen looks white as a sheet. In a moment they have Stevie out of the room and are speeding up a corridor toward the operating room doors. Twenty minutes later we were in the waiting room with everyone from the hotels.

Soon a nurse came out and talked to us. "I'm sorry for not talking to you sooner, but things got a little hectic. About half an hour ago, Steven's blood pressure dropped dramatically, meaning that most likely one of the repaired bleeds inside him had come undone. At the same time his brain activity showed evidence of a blood clot. Dr. House and Dr. Brothers rushed him into surgery to fix the issues."

I looked at my phone and saw that it was only four in the morning. Heidi was doing her best to reassure us all that the surgery was a good thing. "It means they think he's stronger."

Around six, a doctor came out. "Sheppard family?"

We all stood and he asked us all to sit. He appeared to be in deep thought, "As you may know, we debated all day yesterday, and into the evening about whether or not to go back and operate on Steven some more to control a couple of bleeds. A couple of hours ago the bleed in his brain got worse and wed decided it was riskier to wait, than it was to operate. During the operation he suffered from a pulmonary embolism." He paused again and took a deep breath.

"I am sorry, but at that point there was nothing we could do. He's gone."

I felt numb and the room started spinning. The last thing I heard as I blacked out was Shelby scream.

The next couple of days were a blur. Aunt Karen and Uncle Frank stepped in to take care of things with the hospital. They arranged for Stevie's body to be transported back to Stonemoore to Carapace's Funeral Home. Vincenzo Carapace had been in the funeral business all of his life and there was no one I trusted more to treat Stevie with dignity.

I called mom and dad shortly after Stevie passed. Mom screamed. I heard dad ask her what was wrong, and she told him. "Good riddance," was what I heard him say. He got on the phone "Who is this?"

"It's me dad."

"Where are you and how did you know that boy was in a wreck?"

"I've been in Denver since they flew YOUR SON up there. I don't think I need to talk to you any more father." I said as I hung up.

Dad refused to pay anything towards Stevie's funeral. Mom managed to meet me one afternoon at Carapace's to slip me some money to help. She looked horrible.

"I have to help some. Your father can be as much of a jackass as he wants, but I miss Steven."

I lost it and unloaded on my mother. "If you miss him so damn much, where have you been his entire life? If you miss him so damn much, where have you been the past week? If you miss him so damn much, why have you pushed him away from you and allowed Herb to treat him as a second class citizen? We don't need your money mother. Between Aunt Karen and Uncle Frank, George and Heidi, and Jefferson and Alison Boyd and Charley and Helen Martinelli his funeral and burial plot are paid for. Don and Pam Reed bought his coffin, and Zeke Reed got his grave marker"

"We have all of the pall bearers in place and a reception afterword paid for by Kenny and Mike Calibrese, and Grandma and Grandpa Sheppard. It will be Thursday afternoon at one if you are indeed interested in coming."

She started sobbing uncontrollably. I almost felt bad for her. She looked so miserable but she had pushed Stevie away and I had warned her that she might want to say good bye. I walked off and went into the viewing room.

Vincenzo and his people had done a wonderful job on Stevie. His hair had been cut off for the surgeries, but they placed a wig on him and it looked like his real hair. As I sat in the back corner of the room, admiring all of the flower arrangements that surrounded his Candy Apple Blue coffin, that was a touch Don Reed insisted on, mom came in and walked up to the coffin and laid the most loving tender kiss on Stevie's forehead I had ever seen.

I could see the tears running down her face as she soothed his hair back. She was saying something to him, but I couldn't hear. Her sobbing got me to crying again and I buried my face in my hands. The feeling of loss was so great that it felt like a car parked on my chest.

I felt an arm go over my shoulder and I welcomed my mother's embrace. We hugged and cried. After a little while she looked at me and said, "I know you have at least one burning question. I'll answer it, but first I want to know what brought you around? What warmed you up to your brother?"

I told her about Byron Childress and how he lost his brother to gang violence. I told her how he wished he had been able to protect him and how I felt like I had missed so much time with my own brother. I told her how I had kind of forced my way back into his life; of course I left out the sex. She seemed to mull all of it over for a minute or two. Then I asked her, "So why do you and Herb hate him so much?"