Shayla and Andy

Shayla turned to look at Nurse Sarah for comfort when Sarah said, "Don't look to me for sympathy, Donna Sue Heart is my roommate, and Brady is my brother-in-law so I know exactly what you've been doing to your loving husband, Andy. Please have a seat and I'll let the doctor know you're waiting."

Shayla shamefully sat down with her face in her hands and she cried. What would she do now?

Thirty minutes later the emergency room doctor came down and informed Shayla that Andy had suffered broken bones to both legs and both arms and had multiple internal injuries all thankfully non-life threatening. In addition, though again not life threatening, Andy had second and third degree burning over his hands, back and some of his neck and head and would remain in quarantine for several days while they began healing. But he was, however, concerned with the severe head injury Andy had suffered in the accident. Therefore, he was keeping Andy sedated in an induced coma to allow the swelling to naturally reduce hopefully causing no permanent brain damage.

"Can I see him?" Shayla asked.

"Only through the glass observation room attached to the isolation room. You can have no direct physical contact due to the high risk of infection to his burns. I'm sorry." He said as he escorted her to the observation room. While walking to the observation room, Shayla thought back to the last time she had seen Andy before leaving for Cancun. It was that Thursday night a week ago and he had slept for the second night away from her on the couch.

Shayla was shocked to see him in isolation. If the doctor hadn't told her it was Andy she would not have known him. He was wrapped up like a mummy covered in bandages from head to toe with IV's attached to his neck and several tubes going down his throat. She stood watching the nurses monitoring Andy for roughly twenty minutes when she decided there was nothing she could do here and she needed to get a place to stay for the night. As she was leaving she overheard two nurses talking as they left the isolation room.

"Yeah, it's a crying shame. I heard his wife had left him for a week long 'vacation' from their marriage with some big dicked asshole she worked with." the younger one said.

"I heard the same thing and that she'd been having an adulterous affair with the guy for some four to six months to boot." the other said.

'Oh my God' Shayla thought, 'everyone does know.'

She was so shook up after realizing everyone knew of her adultery, she decided to go to the Hilton to get a room to stay at until she could arrange for other accommodations on Monday. When she got to the hotel she finally learned of the rest of Andy's planned revenge. Her joint credit cards didn't work having been reported as stolen. Neither did her debit card but that was because there were no funds in the account. Luckily she had a private credit/debit card to an account unknown to Andy to cover the bill, but she was mad as hell at Andy for leaving her penniless. It didn't even occur to her to think what she had left Andy with. A destroyed marriage, a cheating wife and a ruined reputation.

*****************************************

ANDY

(End of JPB's Andy)

I got a good night's sleep and at 8:10 in the morning I put my final action in play. Three men and a truck that had Acme Junk Removal painted on the side showed up and I gave them every last thing in the apartment. When Shayla got home she would find the apartment as bare as it was the first time we looked at it. All she would find was my ring and the note on the toilet seat.

At 12:10 I was on the road and headed south and west. My only regret was that I wouldn't be there to see the look on her face when she walked into the apartment and it all hit her.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As I drove away from the apartment, the finality of my actions hit me and I began to seriously feel the emotional pain at the loss of Shayla and our marriage. Unexpected tears blurred my vision and, as I was entering the interstate exchange and trying to merge, suddenly I heard a loud horn, screeching tires and then my car was flung around and around, flipping over several times until I finally blacked out from an intense physical pain like nothing I had ever felt before.

I slowly became aware of where I was several hours later when I awoke to the sounds of beeping monitors. Remembering nothing of how I came to be here in the hospital, I could not move and felt tied down to the bed I was in. My mouth was extremely dry and I tried to ask for some water, but could only grunt around the many tubes going down my throat. As I became more aware, I started to feel the pain of my injuries and the monitors alerted the duty nurse that I was awakening and in great pain, so she adjusted the IV to knock me out again. As I slowly began losing consciousness, I thought to myself 'Oh shit, just my luck, I didn't even make it out of town.'

It was almost two weeks later before the doctors would allow Andy to come out of the induced coma they kept him in so he could somewhat painlessly recover from the worst of his injuries. As he slowly began to sense his surroundings, he knew he was in a hospital and had been in an accident. Sadly, he also remembered why he was leaving the area and of the loss of Shayla and his marriage. At this realization, a single tear slid down his right cheek and was noticed by the nurse monitoring his awakening.

"Are you in pain, Andy" she asked with concern and compassion.

"No, not physically anyway." he answered. "How long have I been here?"

"Almost two weeks. You've been kept in an induced coma to allow your body to recover from some of the worst injuries from the accident." She continued checking his monitors. "You'll be in the almost full body cast for another month or more so your broken bones can also heal themselves."

Andy looked down at his body, "Holy shit! Is every bone in my body broken? I look like a fucking Egyptian mummy." Andy was startled by his crude language as this was not like him at all.

At this comment she smiled and said, "Your wife is outside waiting to see you."

"Not on your life!" he shouted in sudden intense anger. Realizing the nurse had no role in Shayla's cheating and did not deserve his anger, Andy quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, really I am, but I don't want to see her or any of her relatives again as long as I live."

His nurse then confessed, "I am sorry to say that most everyone here at the hospital is well aware of your marital problems. Your wife has been constantly coming around waiting for you to wake up so she can alternately kill you for clearing out your apartment and bank accounts, or love you to death for daring to survive the accident. In addition, a Mr. Maxwell Taylor wishes to see you for what he says are personal reasons." She made air quotes around 'personal reasons'.

With great anger Andy stated, "I do NOT under any circumstances want to see either my wife, Shayla, or her 'big dicked' lover, Max." then he added sheepishly, "Sorry about the language."

"Don't worry about it Andy. I'm Sarah McDuffy, Brady's sister-in-law." Nurse Sarah said.

"I thought you looked familiar. I've seen you at the shop several times. Nice to finally meet you Sarah, just wish it was under better circumstances." Andy sighed.

"Me too. I'm also roommates with Donna Sue Heart who works with Shayla and Max." Sarah hesitated, then continued, "Actually it was Donna Sue who told Shayla about how 'big' Max was and how great he was at using it. To her dismay, she feels that conversation started Shayla's interest in Max which led to her affair with him." Sarah told Andy. She could see by the look in Andy's eyes that this news both surprised and angered him. Sarah quickly continued, "In her defense, I must tell you she really didn't think Shayla would cheat on you with Max. That is until he dumped her six months ago and the two of them started dating behind your back."

Listening to Sarah's strong and immediate defense of her roommate, Andy could not help but be moved. For someone to elicit that degree of loyalty, they must genuinely be a good person. "I get the feeling that Donna Sue must have really cared for Max before this happened?" he asked Sarah.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure she was hoping he was going to propose the night he dumped her." She sadly replied. "It was quite a shock to her I assure you."

Andy thought for a time then said, "I don't hold Donna Sue to blame; heck, I don't really hold Max to blame so much, he just grabbed what Shayla freely offered. Shayla made her own decisions regarding our marriage vows, nobody forced her to do anything."

"Well you're more forgiving of Donna Sue's part in this tragedy, than she is of herself. She's ashamed she helped to destroy your marriage and that's why she couldn't bring herself to tell you about the cheaters."

"Just tell her Shayla made her own choices and not to worry about it. Besides, it sounds to me like Donna Sue lost just as much, if not more, than I did in all this mess." Andy replied.

As Sarah was about to leave she turned to him and said, "I have told her that this is all on Shayla, but she still blames herself. Oh, by the way, there is an Officer Conners who wants to talk to you. Something about some money he found. Do you want to see him?"

Having just woken up after weeks in a coma, Andy missed the obvious clue Sarah had let slip relating to his money belt. He answered Sarah, "Yes I do. I have nothing to hide from the police. I may have done some things that might get me in hot water in divorce court, but nothing illegal enough to involve the police." Andy smiled recalling his acts before the accident. 'Well' he thought ' I may have a slight problem for getting rid of Shayla's clothes, but they don't know about that, yet.'

"Okay, I'll let him know you're awake. I'll also let the doctors know you wish no other visitors ... at all?" Sarah phrased the last part as a question.

"Well Brady ..." Andy looked at Sarah who seemed to be waiting for more.

"Brady and????" Sarah prompted.

Andy could see the concern in Sarah's face and after some thought said, "Oh, okay, and Donna Sue. Let her know I'd like to talk to her." Andy relented. "I hope she knows just how good a friend you really are."

"Thank you Andy. I've hated to watch her condemning herself for months. She really is a good person, she just didn't use good sense describing her sexual escapades with Max to Shayla." Sarah stated the obvious.

"Yes, you're right, but it was still Shayla's and Max's decisions that ruined our marriage, not Donna Sue's." and at that Sarah left so Andy could rest.

Later that day Andy listened to Shayla arguing with hospital security outside his door about not being allowed to see her husband.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Sanderson, but I have strict orders to only allow two people, other than hospital staff, access to Mr. Sanderson's room and you, MADAM, are not one of them." The security guard stressed the 'MADAM' as he felt all cheaters were slutty whores, but since he could not call her a slut or a whore for fear of losing his job, he elevated her to the status of whore house 'madam'. Of course this implied reference was completely missed by Shayla as she had returned to her former attitude that Andy loved her too much to ever even consider leaving her.

"But I'm his WIFE!" she shouted.

"Could have fooled me." he replied sarcastically. "Besides, these orders come directly from Mr. Sanderson himself and the hospital is required to follow his wishes in this matter."

Finally, Shayla just walked away in tears.

The security guard stuck his head in to check on Andy and seeing him awake said "Sorry Andy. She just wouldn't leave quietly." and then he smiled at his own little joke and closed the door, shacking his head with a smile on his face and mumbling 'madam' to himself.

Andy was surprised at how everyone seemed to 'have his back' concerning how Shayla and Max had cuckolded him, and how they never used that term to describe the cheaters actions in Andy's presence so as not to embarrass him. Andy also learned that Max had even been arrested trying to enter his room while he was still under sedation. Why? It was anyone's guess as Max wouldn't say, but it was after he had been placed on a month long suspension from work for his 'affair with a married co-worker'. That Andy figured was the company's attempt to avoid a law suit from Andy for knowingly allowing the affair to happen on company time and property.

Later that evening Andy was visited by Officer Conners regarding the large amount of cash he had on him when the accident ended his journey out of town. He never asked how Officer Conners knew about the cash and just assumed he must have checked with his bank. Andy figured the cash was lost to the fire so there was no need to hide its existence now.

"Well, to be truthful Officer Conners I had removed all the cash from all our bank accounts and was moving it to another bank to be determined when I got to where I was going." Andy answered.

In a friendly tone Officer Conners said, "You can call me Roger. And just where was that going to be, Mr. Sanderson?"

"Andy, please. I'm not really sure, Roger, but at least two states away. Any town with a bank and a body shop would do." Andy answered.

"Applying for a divorce? Or just leaving?" Roger asked with a smile. He was already pretty sure of the answer.

"No ... No divorce, just relocating." Andy grinned, shaking his head from side to side.

"Well, as they were your bank accounts I guess you could remove the cash as you saw fit and move it to wherever you wanted. Of course your wife has made a complaint that she's entitled to at least 50% of that cash as she would be awarded that much in a divorce." Roger said with a grin.

"Yes, I see your point, Roger, but this isn't a divorce, and as you can see I have no money, no clothes, no tools and no car. I have nothing at all. It all burned up in the accident. Hell, I don't even have a loving wife anymore. I lost her six months ago to a 'big dicked' asshole she worked with." Andy replied with uncharacteristic anger.

"Yes, I figured that was the case." getting formal again, Roger said, "Well, Mr. Sanderson, as I have determined that no law has been broken in your removal of cash from your named bank accounts, I release you from custody. I recommend that when you are released from the hospital you should speak with the hospital administrator to reclaim your 'personal property' currently 'deposited' in his office safe. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Thank you Officer Conners." Andy replied just as formally and wondered what 'personal property' he had 'deposited' in the hospital administrator's safe.

Roger continued in an informal manner, "Also, once your divorce," he paused looking directly at Andy as he said, "and I assume you'll be getting divorced now?" Andy nodded. "Well, after your divorce is final, I'd suggest you have your lawyer look into suing the trucking company because their driver, who caused the accident that destroyed all your property and almost killed you in the process, was legally drunk. I'm fairly sure a seven figure settlement is not out of the question."

As Roger left Andy's room he stopped at the door, looked at Andy and winked at him with a smile on his face. Andy now knew that his cash had not burned up in the fire and he'd be alright financially when he left the hospital. Once everything settled down from the divorce, he'd have to see a lawyer about suing the trucking company for the accident. It didn't even cross his mind at how easily he had decided he was going to divorce Shayla. It was as if his mind had been made up for him, the decision to seek divorce obvious.

After Roger left Andy's room, Andy contacted his boss Brady to see if he could recommend a good divorce attorney and have him begin a divorce action against Shayla and Max citing adultery as the cause. Brady said he would take care of everything and informed Andy that at the time of the accident he was still carried on the company health insurance so most of his current medical bills will be covered. Andy thanked him and assured him that he would be returning to work as soon as the doctors released him as fit for duty.

While he was talking to Brady, hospital security allowed a shy young lady to enter his room. Andy glanced up at her as she sheepishly came to sit by his bedside waiting for his conversation to be completed. Andy realized that this must be Donna Sue, so he ended his call with Brady and turned to look at her with what he hoped was a friendly face.

"Donna Sue I presume?" asked Andy.

"Yes, I'm so sorry that ..." she started when Andy interrupted her obviously prepared speech.

"No need to be sorry, you did nothing but normal woman's office gossip. Shayla took that gossip and acted on it for her own pleasure irregardless of the consequences to our marriage or how her actions hurt anyone else. For at least four months that she admitted to, she went behind my back and carried on an adulterous relationship with Max making me their unknowing cuckold. You didn't do that, she... no They did that together. Then, not only were they not satisfied with just secretly cuckolding me, they had to humiliate me further by letting everyone know they had cuckolded me with their joint 'vacation' to Cancun. I do not hold you responsible for any of that ... only the two cheaters."

With tears running down her face, Donna Sue hugged Andy, being careful of his injuries and whispered into his ear, "You don't know how much your forgiveness means to me. I have cried myself to sleep many times over my role in destroying your marriage."

"Donna Sue, look at me." and she looked into Andy's eyes as he continued, "Shayla, and only Shayla, destroyed our marriage. I don't even blame Max that much, even though the asshole chose to fuck a married woman, which on its own is despicable behavior. He was responding to what was freely offered to him by Shayla, who was supposed to be my wife, not his whore." Andy replied. "Go on and live your life, Donna Sue. Think nothing more about this train wreck of a marriage. It's destruction was not your fault."

Donna Sue smiled for the first time in a long time and felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her soul. "Thank you, Andy. Thank you so much." and as she turned to leave she stopped and pulled an envelope from her purse. She hesitated and started to put it back in her purse and leave when Andy noticed it and asked what it was.

"Andy, it's a letter from Max. He tried to leave it in your room, but got caught trying to get in and spent two nights in jail. He heard I was coming to see you and asked me to give it to you when I was finished with our business. Andy, he really isn't that bad a person, but I'm sure he'll understand if you'd rather not receive it."

Andy thought about it for a while and finally decided that if Donna Sue, who had suffered and lost as much or more than he in this mess, was willing to deliver a letter from Max then the least he could do was take the letter. "No, come on and give it to me. I don't guarantee I'll read it, but for you, I'll at least accept it." he said.

"Thank you again, Andy" and she handed Andy the letter and left his room.

As Donna Sue was leaving the hospital entrance, Max walked up to her and sadly asked, "Did you give him my letter?"

"Yes, he said he wouldn't promise to read it, but he did take it." She saw the concern in Max's troubled face and said, "Max, Andy is a good man and he forgave me for my part in the mess that destroyed his life. I am fairly certain he will read your apology soon. What he does after he reads it; well, that's anyones guess."

A surprised Max asked, "How did you know it's an apology?"

"Max, you are basically a good man yourself; but, if you haven't figured it out by now, I was in love with you. Had been for a long time. It just about killed me when you dumped me to chase after that skank Shayla. It is just as obvious to me that you feel responsible for everything and have finally realized that Shayla played you for a fool, too." and Donna Sue turned and walked away with tears in her eyes.