Saving Geri

All of her life, Geri was very much a girl enamored by romance. Growing up, her mother suspected that Geri was a bit idealistic about love and how commitment went. Geri, on the other hand, had a very deep secret: she didn't believe in love at all.

Geri went through life as a very good actress, giving performances worthy of several Oscars. She giggled at the appropriate times when her girlfriends would fall madly in love with this boy or that boy; she read all the teen magazines and pretended to swoon for this actor or that. She could even fake a starry-eyed expression when the most popular boy in the whole entire school asked her to the prom. Her mother had no idea, but Geri loathed the idea of being attached and of being in love.

Now why would a beautiful young girl be so opposed to such an idea, you might ask. The answer was quite plain: it was Geri's father that soured her on the thought of melding her life with a man. Geri's father was a golden child in the eyes of the community, but to his children, he was a ghost. When he was home, no one was allowed to hold a very deep conversation with him. He rarely showed true emotion. He was a paycheck with legs and a $800 overcoat. Or so that is what he told Geri's mother when he left. Geri was just 13 at the time, but she remembered that day as vividly as she would've had she taken a video of the events. After that, while Geri's mother did her best to go on with her life and remain strong, Geri always saw a hint of sadness and longing in her eyes.

By the time Geri reached college, she had all but given up on ever having a "normal" life. The word normal meaning a life with a husband, kids, bills, a white picket fence. She turned her energies to her studies instead, avoiding the "normal" college rites of passage such as losing her virginity and/or getting drunk until she passed out. She never went to bars, never went on dates. The boys on campus assumed she was a lesbian brainiac, and the women assumed she was a bitch. Both opinions were wrong, of course, but Geri did little to dispel them. She liked the way everyone sort of smiled that said "oh-you-poor-thing" smile yet kept their distance.

Geri graduated, as most true bookworms do, at the top of her college class. Her degree in biology suited her fine: she could spend weeks inside a laboratory and never speak to anyone. She was recruited by some of the top research facilities, and once hired, she busied herself about making sure her own little world was compact, convenient and quiet: a one-bedroom apartment near the facility with lots of conveniences nearby. All this worked for her for about six months. Then her world came crashing down.

The call woke her in the middle of the night.

"Geri Bersten?" A rather static-y voice queried over the phone.

Geri rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust to the time and to the caller. "Yes, I'm Geri. Can I help you?"

"This is Morovian County Hospital. Your mother has been admitted here. I think you should come right away ..."

"WHA?? What's wrong??"

"We really can't discuss it over the phone. Please, if you could come ..."

Geri hung up the phone before the woman could give her any details. Her mind was a blur of fear. She had to get a ticket. Had to get home. Geri dialed her boss, Aaron Ashcraft.

"Helllooo?" Aaron's voice was obviously sleepy.

"I'm sorry for waking you, Aaron. I don't even know what time it is. The hospital back home called and my Mom's been admitted ... I don't know what's wrong, but I ... I ..." Suddenly she felt herself break down.

"Hey ... hey ... it's okay. Give me a minute and I'll get dressed and be right there ..."

Before she could protest, Aaron had hung up the phone. Geri put her face into her hands and wept, great wracking sobs. Her mother has been the center of Geri's life since she was 13. Now, at 23, she didn't know what to do ... she didn't know if she was strong enough to go it alone. Now, at 23, she wished she had someone to hold her hand.

Aaron was a striking man of 30. He was Geri's boss only because his father owned the research facility, although Aaron himself was a brilliant scientist. He quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a cap and bounded for the door.

"Where are you going?" his mother asked, hearing the phone and the commotion had awakened her.

"Sorry, Mom. Geri's mom is really sick and she got a call from the hospital. I can tell she's scared and confused and needs a friend right now. I didn't mean to wake you. Tell Dad where I went and what's going on with Geri."

"Okay, son. Be careful."

Aaron ran out the door and jumped into his Jeep. He was not the typical "scientist" type: he liked being outdoors and he was very animated around people. He looked more like an athlete than the thinker he was. Within moments, he was standing at Geri's door. He rang the doorbell and listened as the room inside was shuffled about.

"Just a minute .."

More shuffling.

Then the door swung open. Geri stood in front of him, still in her robe and her flannel pajamas. Her green eyes were swollen from crying, her short auburn hair all disheveled from sleep. Aaron stepped into her apartment.

"Have you made arrangements?"

Geri shook her head. "I've never done this before. I drove here from college, so I've never flown ..." Her voice trailed off in both desperation and embarrassment. She was having to be vulnerable in the presence of a man, and she suddenly didn't like it one bit.

"Then let me. Where is home again? And where is your computer?"

Geri told him where she was from, and led him to the space in the room that held her computer. Before she could protest, Aaron punched up some numbers and whipped out his credit card.

"There. Two tickets to Morovia. All we have to do is pick them up that the window when we get to the airport."

"Wait. What do you mean TWO tickets?"

Aaron turned to face Geri. He looked into those deep green eyes and saw such sadness and longing and fear.

"Two tickets because I'm going with you. You've never flown, you have no idea how bad it is with your mother AND, to top it off, you're my friend. So, I'm going to go and hold your hand and get you coffee and whatever else you nee...."

She cut him off, "What about the research?!"

"I told Mom to tell Dad what was going on. He will see to it that the team is supervised well until we can get back. But you need a friend, Geri, and I'm all you have. Now, we don't have much time, so let's get you packed."

Geri allowed Aaron to guide her back to her bedroom, and he helped her pack for the trip. He insisted that she get a nice hot shower while he loaded the Jeep, and then together they went back to his family estate to pick up some of his belongings.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother, Geri," Aaron's mother said. "I hope things will be alright .." She wrapped Geri in her arms and gave her a warm hug. "If there is anything we can do, please let us know. Working at the lab, you are family. I hope you know that"

"Thank you," Geri replied stiffly. She had never been in a place of such warmth before.

Aaron once again bounded down the staircase, this time holding a duffle bag.

"I'm ready and we'd better hurry if we're to make that flight!"

He took Geri's elbow and guided her back through the house and out into what was now the early morning light. Once in the Jeep, they made their way through the waking city to the airport. Geri looked at Aaron for the first time as a friend rather than as a boss or co-worker. She saw a very handsome man. She was amazed she had never seen that before.

At the airport, Aaron took over. He picked up the tickets, checked the bags and escorted Geri through the airport to their gate. He made sure she had some water and something to read. He sat next to her on the plane, not saying a word, but watching out of the corner of his eye to make sure that she was alright. He was careful to console her when the plane would lurch a bit – telling her it was just a bit of air turbulence and that they would be alright. Geri had never had that in her life, and right at that moment, she couldn't have been more grateful for anyone. Ever. She reached over and touched Aaron's hand, and his hand engulfed hers and held it in a warm cocoon.

Once the plane landed, Aaron found the bags and arranged for a rental car. Geri guided him through the streets of Morovia toward the hospital, and once there, it was she who raced inside ahead of him. Geri ran to the admittance desk and the clerk was an old classmate.

"Hey, Geri! How's everyth..."

"My mother's in here!"

"Oh ... don't panic. Let's find her for you ..." and the girl turned to the computer screen and began punching in information. "Aaahhh, yes. She's on the third floor. Room 327."

"Thank you!"

By this time, Aaron had parked the car and caught up with Geri, just as she was going up the hall to the elevators.

"Did you find her?"

"Yes, she's on the ... CARDIAC FLOOR!"

Geri broke down again in the elevator. Aaron put his arm gently around her.

"Geri, I know you're scared, but let's talk to the doctor first, okay? I'm right here with you."

At the third floor, the couple got off the elevator. Geri had her arms folded tightly, Aaron was gently guiding her through the building to Room 327, which happened to be a berth in the Intensive Care Unit.

The attending nurse stopped them.

"Excuse me, but only family allowed in here."

"Yes, ma'am," Aaron said softly. "This is Mrs. Bersten's daughter."

"Oh, yes. The doctor wanted to speak to you before you went in to see your mother. Let me page him. Would you please wait over there?"

By now, Geri was shaking uncontrollably. She knew this was bad. She just felt it in her bones. She sat down on the hard waiting room chair and rocked back and forth. Aaron rubbed her back and talked softly to her, trying to keep her from going insane. He didn't even know what to say for sure, but he just kept talking anyway.

"Miss Bersten? Geri?"

A pleasant baritone broke the silent scream inside Geri's head. She looked up and saw Dr. Horton coming toward her. Dr. Horton had been her doctor forever, and her mother's doctor before that. He had to be in his late 60's but he still practiced the same small town doctoring that he had all these years. His gentle blue eyes couldn't hide his pain, though, and now Geri all but knew what he was going to say.

"Geri, your mother suffered a major heart attack followed by a stroke. We've done what we could to keep her body going until you got here, because we didn't know her wishes for organ donation ..."

Geri's mind had already gone numb. Although she knew her mom was gone, the actual news hit her like a ton of bricks. Her knees buckled and she slumped heavily against Aaron. For once, she was very glad that someone was there to catch her.

"I will leave you two alone to discuss things. The nurse will page me if you have any questions or when you come to a decision."

Dr. Horton quietly left the tiny waiting room. Aaron turned Geri to him, and he felt her bury her face in his chest and sob. He wrapped his arms around her and just stood there, holding her. She felt his heart beat against her wet cheek, and she didn't feel revulsion. Geri felt relief. She sunk further into the shelter of Aaron's arms.

"Geri, we need to talk. We need to decide what to do. Is there someone you want me to call?"

"Call my father." She rummaged through her purse and found a yellowed, wrinkled piece of paper.

"Geri, I'm not going to do that. All your growing up, you handled things just you and your mom. He doesn't need to be in on this now, not during the most important decision you will ever make. You haven't talked a lot about your relationship with him, but what you haven't said told me more than what you have. Look at me .."

He tipped her face up so he could look into her eyes.

"I know you don't trust me. You don't trust much of anyone. But I'm here, and I'm gonna stay here until you tell me to leave."

He watched as emotions raced across her face like clouds across a windy sky. Finally, gratitude set in, and she began to get control of her thinking.

"Aaron, mom would want to help others. That's just who she is. Who she WAS."

Aaron nodded. "Then that's what we need to tell Dr. Horton so they can begin harvesting. But we need to get you in there to see her first."

He stood and stepped out of the room momentarily. Seconds later, he came back and took Geri's hand, pulling her to her feet.

"C'mon ... they've okayed for you to visit until Dr. Horton can get back up here."

Aaron escorted Geri into the Intensive Care berth. Her mother was lying on the bed, looking very peaceful, aside from the tangle of wires and tubing running helter-skelter out of her body. The only noise in the room was the beep and whir of monitors and machines.

Geri was riveted in her spot. With a gentle shove, Aaron uprooted her feet and she moved beside the bed, stroking her mother's hair.

"I'm here, Mama. Sorry I couldn't be here when you got sick."

Aaron felt he was being allowed to be a part of something terribly intimate. He had never seen this side of Geri, although he suspected that it existed within her. He watched as her tears fell against her mother's cheek, watched as she stroked her mother's hair. He watched as Geri said good-bye to her best friend.

Dr. Horton came in and put his arm on Aaron's shoulder, pulling him into the hall.

"Are you going to stay with Geri tonight? She seems rather detached and that worries me"

"She fell apart on me after you left the room, but yes, I had planned on staying with her as long as she needs someone."

Dr. Horton smiled a gentle, wise smile and held out his hand. He shook Aaron's hand warmly and handed him his card.

"Call me if she needs anything." Then he disappeared into the room. Moments later, Geri emerged, cheeks wet with tears.

"C'mon ...let me take you home." Aaron put his arm protectively around Geri.

"Miss Bersten? Miss Bernsten!!!" The nurse ran after them, wagging a bag. "here are your mother's personal belongings. What funeral home will you be using?"

"Oh, god. I don't know ..." Geri looked wildly from the nurse to Aaron and then back to the nurse. "I don't know if she had insurance ... I don't know ..."

"Just bill me," Aaron handed the nurse his card. "We will go to the funeral home now and make arrangements. I assume we have time .."

"You have until tomorrow .."

Aaron glanced at his watch. It was 1p.m. He guided Geri to the car and they made their way to the funeral home at the bottom of the hill. It was a nice place, with kind people, and they made arrangements for Geri's mom rather quickly. Then it was back to her mom's house.

As they pulled up the driveway, he noticed that the house was in dire need of a man's attentions. Several of the shudders hung by one screw, the yard was covered in litter and debris, the fence was down in a place or two. He helped Geri from the car and retrieved the baggage from the trunk, and the two stepped inside.

Geri's mom was everywhere in that house. Geri wandered aimlessly from room to room, looking at photos, putting on her mom's sweater, sniffing her clothes.

"Why don't you lie down?"

"I can't , Aaron ... I just can't"

"Lie down with me, Geri. I'll stay with you."

He led her into a bedroom that had a large queen sized bed. He turned down the covers and then took off his shoes, lying down against the cool sheets. He pulled her next to him and she turned, burying her head once again into his chest. She heaved sobs as he held her, stroking her hair and murmuring encouragements to her.

Suddenly, she turned her face to him and kissed him. It was a soft, tentative kiss that he didn't immediately return. He looked down into her deep green eyes, looking for silent confirmation that what just happened wasn't a fluke. He must have seen it because Aaron took Geri's face carefully into his strong hands and he kissed her. He kissed her hard and long and wet. His tongue danced in her mouth and she melted against him, kissing him back hungrily.

Aaron pulled back, both of them panting and beginning to sweat.

"Are you sure you want this? Now?"

"No, I'm not sure of anything, but I know that I don't hurt quite so much when you hold me. I don't trust men, Aaron, but for some reason, I trust you. I trust you very much. You are my best friend."

He took her face in his hands and kissed her over and over. He nibbled at her soft lips, tasted her mouth. His mouth slid down her jaw to her throat and he kissed her there. He breathed deeply the scent of her hair and of her fear. He held her tight against him.

"I want to touch you, Geri. I want to know you and make love with you"

She confirmed her desire by rising up away from him and taking off her shirt, followed by her bra. She lay back down next to Aaron and without saying a word, took his hand and placed it on her tit.

"oooh, god, baby," Aaron breathed heavily as he lowered his head to her nipple and sucked it gently into his mouth. He nibbled at her and licked her soft flesh. His mouth traveled, all hot and wet, down Geri's stomach to the top of her pants. Aaron watched her face for a stop sign as he unfastened her pants and drew them carefully over her hips, only to discard them over the side of the bed. They were followed closely by her panties.

Aaron coaxed Geri's knees open so he could see her pussy in it's full glory.

"Aaron stop!" He rose up and took her into his arms.

"Is there something wrong? Are you scared? Sad? What is it, baby? Tell me!"

"Okay, if you'll shut up a minute ..." She laughed. He always hated it when she teased him at work. "Aaron I have to tell you something."

"Okay, what? Do you not feel about me lik ..."

"SHUT UP! SHEESH! I'm trying to tell you that I'm a virgin!"

The blood rushed from Aaron's head to parts that had, until that moment, only been half aware of what was transpiring. He kissed Geri hard again, and then made another slow descent down her body, finally reaching her pleasure center.

Aaron parted Geri's legs then took his thumbs and parted her pussy lips. His warm breath made her gasp as he prepared to send her into orbit. His tongue hit her clit and it was as if she had been electrocuted. Her whole body went rigid, and a long, low rolling cry came out of her mouth.

"OOOHDDDEEEAARRRGGGGGOOODDDDD!!!!"

Aaron lifted his head briefly then inserted his finger carefully into her pussy. He didn't want to break her maidenhead this way, just wanted to find her G-spot. He finger fucked her gingerly as he licked and sucked her clit. Over and over she came on his finger, he felt her already-tight cunt tube squeeze his digit even tighter. He wondered if he would even be able to get his cock inside her.

Aaron slid up beside Geri. "Are you sure you want to ... I mean, now ... with me?"

Geri nodded almost imperceptibly. Aaron took off his shirt and pulled Geri close, allowing her to feel his skin against hers. She tentatively kissed his chest, all the while touching him lower and lower. Aaron sighed as Geri's hand reached the top of his jeans.

"It's okay, Geri. Touch me."

Geri opened his jeans and slid her hand inside. She had never seen nor touched a man before, and her body trembled against Aaron as she explored the mystery inside his jeans. Her hand found his cock, and it felt warm and hard in her hand. Aaron eased out of the bed and took his jeans off, his hard-on bobbing out in front of him. Geri gasped at it's size.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you, baby. I promise. Here, touch me again. Feel it in your hand .."

He lay back beside Geri and allowed her to explore his body thoroughly. She touched his cock and his balls; she felt the hair, the warmth, the weight. She kissed his tummy and then watched his body respond to her feather-light touches. She felt Aaron's breath quicken as she stroked his hard cock.