Santa's Elf

"Oh, I don't know. I would hate to quit now. The kids on the remaining wards are expecting us over the next few weekends. I can't let them down."

"Maybe I should go with you."

"Reg, Sweetheart, no offense, but what could you do? I mean he is huge."

"I'm not...."

"I just called you Sweetheart, didn't I? I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, I'm just glad you didn't call me Asswipe."

"I am so going to get you for that, you shit," she screeched as she launched at him. "I demand two more hugs just for that."

"OK, here you go. Hug away. But what I was going to say is maybe if I am there he will behave."

"No, I can't rely on others to fight my battles. Just because I'm short doesn't mean I'm a pushover."

"I can attest to that," he teased. "You broke my elbow, after all, and you swear like a sailor!"

"Reg, you know I feel bad about the elbow. Will you ever forgive me?"

"I forgave you the moment I saw you in the ER. At that point I knew you were a good person."

"Thank you. Now I'm going to give you another hug for being so nice to me."

They rested there, arms around each other, just listening to the Christmas music on the radio and enjoying each other's company. Eventually she got up, did the dishes and they got ready for bed.

Once he was settled in, she came to him, crawled up on the bed and gave him a deep, long hug. He could feel her breasts rubbing up against his chest, something that felt very nice. "I could get used to this," he mused to himself.

"Thanks for listening to me. I really appreciate it. Do you do church? I didn't offer last weekend..."

"I go to Saint Mattress in the Springs every Sunday morning I can," he joked. "Seriously, I have my own beliefs that combine good things from Christianity as well from some ancient traditions. I do believe in the Golden Rule as the main basis for my beliefs. But don't let me stop you from going, if you want to."

"I go off and on, but I am not a strong Christian. I have seen a lot of hatred and hypocrisy in established religions, and don't even get me started on the priests. If you want let's just spend time setting up the tree tomorrow and drinking eggnog."

"Sounds like a plan. 'Nite Noelle."

"You too." With that she reached over and whispered, "If you keep being such a nice guy with the hugs, I might just steal a kiss. Think you can handle that?"

"Well, a quick one, maybe."

She bent down to him and hesitated an inch from his mouth before she lowered herself down and gave him a sweet, but short and chaste, kiss on the lips. "Thank you, Reg. That meant a lot to me." With that she stood up, turned off the light and slipped down the hall to her room.

It took both of them a long time to fall asleep. Reg kept thinking about the evening and how close they seemed to have gotten so quickly. And she was obviously fond of him. Still he did not want to over interpret the hugs and push things. A quick roll in the hay would ruin what could be a good thing.

Noelle kept thinking about him relaxing more, even hugging willingly, and she also thought about the kiss. Never had such a short, simple kiss had such potential and promise. "I think I may be falling for him," she thought. "I can't believe I am thinking this after just a week, but he could be the one. We'll see. Maybe another week together and we'll find those little things in each other that drive us nuts and we won't be able to wait until he leaves." With that somber note she drifted off to sleep.

-----

Reg woke with Noelle burrowing under the covers to get next to him.

"Brr, I'm cold," she whispered.

"OK, cuddle up."

"You be the outside spoon this time," she murmured.

"Uh, are you sure that is such a good idea?"

"Sure, it will keep me warmer. And don't worry if the little you wakes up. I'll consider it a compliment."

Almost by her suggesting it he got an erection right after he spooned around her. She wiggled her ass back towards him and settled down and soon her breathing was soft and regular. Reg had no idea of the time but he was still so tired that he dozed off in spite of his condition. When he woke up later, he found her hands wrapped around his splinted left arm, which was draped in front of her. His hand was brushed up against her breast, a situation that immediately caused him to get hard again.

"I have got to do something about this condition of mine," he thought. He remained still and just as he was drifting off again, he heard, "Psst. You awake?"

"Um-hmm."

"I thought so. This is so nice. I feel so comfortable with you."

"Yeah, it is nice. I think you have even gotten me to relax some with your touchy-feeliness, if I can call it that."

"Call it what you will, I like it too. Ready to get up and face the day?"

"Yes," he replied. "I'll do the coffee while you get dressed."

As she slipped out of bed he was again struck at how cute she was with her shapely, small body that had all the right curves. Once he was up and the coffee was brewing, he started a small breakfast for her. After eating they decided to go ahead and get the tree. She requested a small one, no more than three or four feet high.

"I don't have much room and only a few decorations. A small tree should do us just right."

After going to the Rotary Club Christmas tree lot and picking the perfect tree, they had hot apple cider and cinnamon buns before going home. Once in the apartment the tree was set up on an end table and while listening to and singing along with Christmas carols, they decorated the tree and the room. When Noelle went to the bathroom Reg got a small bunch of mistletoe that he had secretly purchased at the tree lot and stuck it up along the hallway entrance. When she came back, she stopped right next to it while admiring the decorations. Reg slipped over to her, put his good arm around her and bent down slowly, stopping close to her lips. Her eyes sparkled just as she closed them to accept his kiss.

This kiss was longer, softer and more sensuous than the one the night before. His tongue just barely teased her lips as she moaned in appreciation. After they came up for air she asked, "What was that for, not that I'm complaining?"

"There on the wall hangs a sprig of pagan symbolism that dates back hundreds if not thousands of years. Today we call it mistletoe and it is used to encourage a couple to kiss. With each kiss a wish is granted and a white berry is removed. Once all berries are gone, the magic will disappear." He plucked one off and gave it to her.

"Oh, Reg, how sweet. Thank you. Now by my guess we have another twenty or so berries to go. I'll look forward to my daily kiss and hope my wishes are granted."

For the rest of the day they talked, played a few board games and went for a nice walk in the city park. At bedtime they said their "good nights" with a hug and a soft, quick kiss.

-----

The next week sped by uneventfully. She went to work while he telecommuted, saw the orthopedist and, on two days, masturbated. Watching her in her night shirt or even just dressed up for work would get him horny to the point he couldn't wait for her to leave so he could take care of himself.

He also fixed the evening meals. He had never really liked to cook but he enjoyed helping Noelle and loved getting her appreciative remarks on the food. And every evening they finished off with removing one white berry from the mistletoe. By Friday evening she was exhausted but looking forward to the volunteer work the next day.

On Saturday evening after she came back it was clear she was not happy. Her steps were brisk and she even snapped at Reg when he asked her how things had gone.

"I just don't like that Santa. I think he is a real prick. He is always in my personal space. He doesn't touch me, but I feel like he is a bit of a predator. If this keeps up I'll have to turn down volunteering next year."

"But what about the next two weeks? How can you put up with him now?"

"I don't know, Reg, but I'll figure something out."

"Noelle, I think I should come with you next week. Maybe me just being there will make him back off, you think?"

"I don't know. He is a big guy and may not back off at all. He seems to be one of those guys who always win through intimidation and I doubt he'd be intimidated by you. Let me think about it."

"You do that, in the meantime have a glass of wine."

By the next morning she was in a better frame of mind but was still declining Reg's offer of help. They discussed it a few more times during the week as well with her not changing her mind at all. On Friday evening she requested that they not even talk about it. Instead they had some wine and talked about plans for the holiday. She wanted to go visit her parents who lived about a hundred miles away. They were recently retired and quite active and traveled extensively. Noelle hadn't seen them in over six months and missed them.

"Go ahead and visit them," he said. "I'll stay here and take care of myself. I'm getting better and I think it would be a good chance to see how well I do on my own. I might even try a night at my place."

"No effin' way. You are not moving back to your place just yet and I insist you come with me to Centerville. I want to show you where I grew up and meet my parents. If you are lucky, I might even let you kiss me at the same spot where Billy gave me my first kiss when I was fifteen."

"Boy, you sure were an early bloomer. Fifteen, huh?"

"Oh, like you never kissed in high school. Sure."

"I have to confess that Vanessa and I practiced long and often until she fell for the damn quarterback. I was crushed."

"You poor thing. I'll make you forget that bitch Vanessa in no time. Here, let's start right now. I want two berries tonight!" With that she leaned down to him and they enjoyed the warmth of mutual hugs and two long, sensual kisses.

"Vanessa, who?" he whispered after the second kiss. "OK, you win. I'll go to Centerville with you. When do we go?"

"Let's go Christmas or the day after. I'll tell Mom and Dad. I'm sure they will be delighted to meet you. We can stay a few days, I'm sure. I'll stay in my old room and you can have the study right next door. And if you promise to be really quiet, I might just sneak in for my morning cuddle."

"I'm not so sure that would be a good idea. Your dad might not like his little girl sneaking around with some random guy."

"If I like some random guy then they will just have to get used to it. Besides, it might be fun to embarrass you in front of them. I'll text or call Mom soon and we can finalize our plans.

"For now it is off to bed. Sleep tight. Huggy?"

"Oh, if you insist. Sure. Sleep tight, Noelle."

-----

The next morning Noelle was obviously tense as she prepared to go to the hospital. She did not come to his bed for a cuddle and was very quick with breakfast.

"Reg, I'll let you know if anything weird happens, but I should be OK," she said, as she got ready to leave.

"I'll be thinking about you. Concentrate on the kids, they're what you're there for. That should help the day go by quickly."

"I hope so. See you around four or five." She reached up and he gave her a warm, long hug that made her feel stronger and more optimistic. She then took off with just a bit of spring in her step.

For the next two hours Reg just stewed and worried. Something told him the situation was probably worse than she let on. He worried that she might even be even at risk for some kind of workplace (volunteerplace?) sexual harassment. The more he thought about it, the more he worried. The more he worried the more his mind kept racing with all the things that could go wrong.

Finally around two thirty he called for a Lyft and went to the hospital. He introduced himself as 'Santa's elf's boyfriend' figuring that the full truth would be too difficult to explain. He was directed up to Four-East, the oncology or cancer ward, where Santa was visiting that day. When he arrived there were signs about infection control, when to wear gowns and masks and where to get dressed. He wondered how Santa and the elf would handle that, but the kids would certainly be happy to see them no matter what.

At the main nurses station he asked where Noelle and Santa were and was directed to a door labeled 'Infection Control Supplies.' Just as he got there, he heard through the door Noelle's distinctive voice firmly stating, "You can get your fucking hands off me right now. If you don't, you'll regret it."

"Oh come on, were just going to have a little fun now that our visits are done, nothing serious."

"No, and I mean it. Get your hands off me right now." That last statement was punctuated by a loud slap.

Reg charged into the room to see the world's biggest Santa raising his hand over Noelle. "Look, Asshole, don't touch her. She said 'No'. What part of that don't you understand?"

"Reg," she cried, "What are you doing here?"

"Hey you little shit. Get the fuck outta my way. This lady and I were just having a little talk."

"That's not what I heard. I know she slapped you. What was he doing to you, Sweetheart?"

"Oh, Reg," she cried, "You wouldn't believe what he was saying to me. Thank you so much for coming."

"Alright you little turdletto, this talk is over. Get movin'." With that the huge Santa started to leave the room until Reg stood in his way.

"You apologize to her and right now. I mean it."

"Oh, yeah. What're you gonna do about it?" With that the Santa grabbed Reg by the collar and pushed him back. Reg staggered back a couple of steps and then fell back, landing right on his bad elbow. Noelle screamed, jumped over to him and propped him up just as a nurse and the ward secretary came around the corner.

"What's going on? Who's screaming?"

"That asshole Santa was grabbing at me as we were getting out of the sterile garments. Reg here walked in, told him to stop and was pushed over. That guy is a real shit!" she yelled.

"CODE STRONG, FOUR-EAST. CODE STRONG, FOUR-EAST," came over the loud speakers and suddenly there were several men including nurses and service crew swarming the ward. They spied the escaping Santa and surrounded him. There were just too many for him to fight so he meekly said, "OK, I'll leave quietly, just let me go."

"Not so fast, Buddy. You wait right here. Security has been called and you will need to speak to the police as well." The crew of men escorted him down to the stairwell and out the door.

"Reg, are you OK? You look like you are in bad pain."

"I landed right on the same elbow and it hurts like hell, uh, excuse me, Ladies, sorry for the language. I think I broke it again. Any chance I can get to the ER again?"

"Well the hospital ER you went to a few weeks ago is here in this medical complex. I bet we could just wheel you over there right now. Here, can you get me a wheelchair big enough for Reg here? I'll bring it back once he is over there."

A few minutes later Santa's elf in her short, green dress and jingling bells pushed Reg over to the ER next door. There he had to wait again, but not as long as last time. The same surly nurse tried to prevent Noelle from going back with him but she put her foot down. "He got hurt defending me from a sexual pervert and I'm not leaving his side."

Once back in the exam room he was diagnosed with a full separation of the previous crack. "You'll need a pin to reattach the loose piece," the ER doc said. "I thought I told you to take it easy."

"My girlfriend here was being attacked by a pervert and I wasn't going to stand by. Fortunately, they got the guy, but not after he pushed me down and I hit the elbow again."

Noelle squeezed his right hand when he used the word 'girlfriend' and nodded at the doctor. "How soon can he get the surgery done?"

"Well, when did you last eat? If it has been more than six hours they could take you back right now. The OR crew is still here from a previous case and the ortho team is in house. Want me to set it up?"

"Yes, please," they both said in unison. Reg confirmed that his last food was at breakfast and anesthesia dropped by to examine him and clear him for surgery.

The hospital orthopedist reviewed the films and explained the situation. "The surgery for you will be real easy. A few minutes of sleepy time from the gas passer and we just clean off the skin and place a screw right through the skin into the loose piece and snug it up to the rest of the bone. We should be out of there in no more than thirty minutes. You'll need to spend the night but should be able to go home in the morning. Let's get you to sign the permit."

About an hour later the orthopedist came into the waiting room. "Everything went very well, no problems. He sailed through the anesthesia. The recovery room nurses will tell you his room number in a few minutes. Now, if you know him well, please try to keep him from falling on it again," he smiled.

Tears puddled up in her eyes. "I feel so guilty, I'm kinda responsible for both injuries." She went on to describe the circumstances of each fall and finally the surgeon said, "It seems that you aren't responsible, but he wants to protect you. Not many people have that kind of support from their SO's. You seem to have a nice guy, try to keep him, but keep him from falling, if you can," he teased.

"Thank you Doctor, I really appreciate your talking to me. I know you are busy, probably have a family to go home to. Tell them 'Thanks' from me, will you?"

-----

"Ma'am? Ma'am?"

The soft-spoken words stirred Reg from a sound sleep. He was vaguely aware of being in a bed with his arm in a sling. Next to him was the curled-up figure of Noelle still in her elf dress.

"Ma'am? I have to ask you to get out of the bed. There is a sleeper sofa right over there and we can't have you in the bed with the patient."

"I understand your concern and I understand rules, but please listen to me on this," she whispered back. "This man was saved me twice in the past few weeks. I will not leave him until I know he is doing well. So, you can tell the day shift that you have a rule breaker in room 317, but I am not leaving this bed right now. Sorry."

"That's alright. I understand. I had to try and if you decline, no problem. Just be careful not to fall out of the bed. This floor is very unforgiving."

"Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Once the nurse left the room Reg gave her a one-armed hug and drifted back to sleep. He woke up a couple of hours later feeling hungry. Noelle was apparently in the bathroom so he rang for the nurses. Breakfast was requested and was shared between them.

Around ten am the orthopedist came in. "The post-op x-ray looked great. You are again in a splint, but this one is molded to your shape and will be a lot more snug. You need to wear it twenty-four hours a day. Wrap it in Saran Wrap when you shower. You might need help with that, so she can do that for you. You already have an appointment this coming week with your clinic orthopedist and I want you to keep it. He's a good man and can easily take care of this. If you have any problems in the meantime, call me. Here's my card. Good luck.

"Oh, by the way, you have a nice lady there, I think she really cares about you. Take care." He left the room and Reg turned to see Noelle blushing beet red.

"So you care about me, huh? Then why do you keep throwing me down and hurting my elbow?" he teased.

"Now wait a damn minute! I didn't 'throw' you down in either case. I was just in the vicinity. Just see if I will help you with your shower!" she teased back.

"Well, if you don't help me with the shower, you will miss seeing the naked me. Your loss."

"Maybe I'll help after all," she responded. "It isn't every day I get to get a naked man in my shower. Maybe I'll need to get naked to keep my clothes dry, ya think?"