Shining Girl Ch. 06: Andy & Linda

Andy eventually found me in the waiting room, with Jack's mum. I couldn't go back in that terrible room, not to see Jack like that, not when I remembered him so tall and sweet, and handsome, always ready with a joke and a big-brotherly hug for me; he knew I'd had a crush on him for years, but he'd never led me on, or made fun of me; he'd just acted like I was his little sister, and now, to see him like that...

Andy could see I was in no fit state to stay there any longer, so he took me back to the house in Eaton Square, then sat holding me all day while I cried for Jack and what had been done to him. Eventually I cried myself to sleep, waking in the early evening to find he'd ordered-in pizza and Chinese. I picked distractedly at the food, not really hungry, my head full of images of our friend wrapped in sheets that looked ominously like a shroud, no sign of life or vitality, just the slow traces on the monitor screens telling us he was still alive, but just barely.

At last I gave up trying to pretend to eat; Andy was obviously feeling the same, so we went to bed to try and get some rest for that long, long drive back to Edinburgh the next morning. I fell asleep quickly, but woke up in the middle of the night to feel Andy trembling against me; I switched on the light, and poor Andy was crying silently for his friend, his best friend since they were both six years old, which started me off again; I didn't feel contempt for him, a grown-man crying; if you can't grieve for your closest friends, what kind of person does that make you?

*

We stopped at the hospital to see Jack once more before we made our way home again; his condition was unchanged, but a whole bunch of his old friends from school, comrades all, had congregated in the foyer, anxious for news; it felt so bad telling them that he was in a coma, and was going to stay that way for the foreseeable future, and there was only a slim chance he'd survive. I was in tears again, and Harry took me from Andy and hugged me, trying to make me feel better; Sai Fong was sitting in a corner, her face set and expressionless, and something told me she didn't want anyone speaking to her or disturbing her while she grieved, so I left her in peace; when she was ready, she'd call me.

We hardly spoke on that long trip home, over 400 miles; what was there to say? Harry and David and all the others were trying to be upbeat and positive, but I knew, deep in my heart, that we were going to lose him, and that scared me more than I could say; Jack had been a part of my life, in one way or another, since I was a little girl; he was Andy's best friend and companion, together with Harry, and I knew him and loved him almost as well as I knew and loved my brother. I'd never met his half sister, Teruko; she'd never crossed my path, but I'd seen pictures of her; Jack had always carried a picture of her in his wallet, so I knew she was a real beauty; how was she taking all this?

We spent the rest of that summer in close touch with Harry; he and Sai Fong had taken it on themselves to care for Teruko; she spent all her time, day and night, at Jack's bedside, and Sai and Harry had to physically force her to eat, rest, and sleep. But she never left his side, which definitely made her a star in my book, and told me she was much more to Jack than just his little sister.

Summer turned into autumn, and we began to hear about little improvements in him; his eyes were opening and tracking movement, he'd begun to move around on the bed, and they'd had to restrain him as he sometimes threshed around; Harry and his mother kept us updated on the little, baby-steps progress he was making, but it all seemed to be good news.

Then one morning in early December, I got an excited call from Sai Fong.

"Lin, it's Jack...he woke up; Lindy, oh my God, he woke up!"

I screamed, bringing Andy running, and he took the phone from me because I was on the verge of hysterics again, but in a good way; he was back, he'd come back! While I hazed-out, Andy talked with Sai, then hung up, a huge, happy grin, the first one I'd seen in the longest time, creasing his face.

"Lin, LIN! Calm down baby, there's more; shush, listen!"

His voice cut through the fog, and I began to pay attention to him.

"Lin, Jack's awake, but he's got retrograde amnesia; that means he doesn't know who or where he is, or what happened, but he can still talk, so the memory loss isn't total. The specialists think the amnesia is only temporary. I know you'd like to run down there, so would I, but the best thing we can do for him right now is let him rediscover the world slowly. Teruko, his mother, Harry and Sai Fong, they're about as much as he can handle right now, and I don't want to scare him with too many people and things he's forgotten; he must be really scared and confused right now, so we have to keep away until he's ready for us, okay?"

He was a 4th Year medical student, I assumed he knew what he was talking about, so I let it go, but I was singing inside; Jack was back, he was going to be okay! I had to cry; the only thing I'd wanted through that whole terrible summer and bleak autumn was for Jack to come back, to be alright, and now he had, tears of happiness were in order.

Andy bear-hugged me, his happiness transmitting itself to me and mingling with mine, and quite without knowing it, I began kissing him; his neck, his chin, his ears, his cheek, and lips, peppering him with small, happy kisses even as the tears rolled down my cheeks. He responded by holding and squeezing me against him, and then somehow we were on the couch, his hands touching, squeezing, fondling me as his lips found mine, and his tongue brushed and circled mine, kissing me properly, happily, for the first time in what seemed like forever.

As I wriggled against him, he pushed my panties down as he squeezed and kneaded the cheeks of my bum, and I responded by rubbing my mound against the increasing bulge in his jeans, wanting him so much as the fear for our dearest friend dissipated and joy replaced it. I think deep down we were celebrating life, and how it had found a way to bring Jack back and it felt good, and right, to be doing this now, with the best news in the world still echoing inside us.

I found myself naked, with Andy rearing above me, his lovely thick cock prodding at my wet slit, and I took him and guided him into me. Andy is a large man, and I'm only slightly built, but he's a tender and considerate lover, and when he entered me it felt wonderful, slow and gentle, no jamming himself in to get himself off; he knew how happy I was, and his first aim was to make me even happier.

We made love all afternoon, months of tension and apprehension melting away as my big brother made love to me as only he could, and I gave myself to him as many times as he wanted, in any and every way he wanted. I don't remember falling asleep, but when he kissed me awake dusk was filling the room, and the emptiness inside told me we'd better get something to eat to replace the energy we'd used-up bouncing around like mad, happy things all day.

Two weeks later, we heard that Jack's memory had returned; going home had been the trigger that finally unlocked his memories, and, other than a few blank spots, he seemed to have made a good recovery.

In the run-up to Christmas, Andy picked me up early one afternoon and told me we were going shopping; as I didn't actually need anything, I was curious what we were buying, until we arrived at a small but quite exclusive boutique on Prince's Street.

"Buy a nice dress, Lin, we're going to the Old Boy's Dance on New year's Eve; Jack, Harry, Teruko and Sai are going to be there, so get something stunning, I want to show you off!"

What a sweet boy!

*

The dance itself was great; I spent a lot of time re-connecting with old friends, sisters and girlfriends of Andy's friends. We saw Jack and Teruko, but kept our distance; they were obviously completely wrapped up in each other, and we didn't want to intrude.

Jack looked terrible, thin and drawn, just a shadow of his former self, which was understandable, and he seemed to be leaning on Teruko on occasion, which concerned me; should he even have been there? Harry and Sai hovered around him a lot, I noticed, obviously as concerned as I was, and keeping close in case he needed them.

Everyone else kept a discreet distance, and deliberately didn't see him dancing closely with Teruko, which I thought was sweet and considerate, instead giving him understanding little pats or quick squeezes on arm or shoulder.

Then, as he'd led Teruko back to their table, the last person in the world I'd expected to see, Slimy Fineman, appeared from nowhere and punched poor Jack between his shoulder blades, nearly sending him flying; Andy was at my side, and suddenly he was behind Slimy, holding him off the ground by the scruff of his neck.

I was outraged; Jack was obviously still weak from his ordeal, everyone could see it, and that despicable coward saw his chance to have a go at a man who'd normally have wiped the floor with him, and I think he'd have tried if Teruko hadn't stopped him, then rounded on Slimy and told that piece of shit exactly what she thought of him, and just how far beneath notice he was.

Andy shook Slimy, hard, saw me and winked, so I did what I'd wanted to do for over a year; I slapped that bastard so hard it made my shoulder hurt, while telling him exactly what I thought of him, which got a loud cheer. Andy dragged him outside, and I felt confident that now he had him, after what he'd tried to do to me, Andy was going to dismember him and chuck the bits in the river.

While Andy was (hopefully) killing Slimy, Jack introduced me to his sister, stumbling a little over my name; it was obvious to me he'd almost completely forgotten me, which saddened me a little, obviously there were still a few blank-spots left, understandably enough, but most of the old Jack still there, which was a definite plus. I felt quite disappointed when Andy came back and told us he'd shoved Slimy in a cab after giving him a heartfelt warning about his future if he ever showed his face again.

Teruko was stunning; Japanese doll features and a fair, 'peaches and cream' complexion, huge, dark, Animé-girl eyes, and long, smoky blonde hair. No wonder Jack was in love with her; with her and Sai Fong in the same room, I felt small, and plain and ordinary, because I definitely wasn't in their class when it came to sheer physical beauty; luckily, I had Andy, and he only wanted me, because I wasn't even in the running when it came to the girl Jack really wanted.

I finally understood why he'd treated me with such amused tolerance when I'd spent my teenage years gazing longingly at him and hanging on his every word; he had Teruko, and she trumped me hands down!

As we talked, I could see him beginning to remember me and putting me back in his world, and when he finally twigged that Andy and I were a couple, the acceptance and understanding were all I could have wished for.

*

We saw Jack and Teruko (and Harry and Sai) on a fairly regular basis over the next three years; Andy was taking his surgical qualification, and both Sai and Teruko were in university, both of them waiting to graduate before they got married.

As I explained earlier, I'd never really wanted to go to uni; I was happy to work at the bookshop, eventually becoming manager, living in domestic bliss with Andy, and being there for him when the work got too much for him. The poor boy was really stressing, and I like to think I helped him through all that, but the fact is, his main crutch was David Denham, who was going through the same thing in London, so they would swap horror stories, check techniques, and commiserate when they got the sharp end from a lecturer or mentor.

Harry and Sai got married in the lovely 17th century Wren church on Ludgate in London; I love Sai Fong like my own sister, but I have to admit I was deeply, hatefully jealous of her; she'd found a way to marry her beloved Harry, something I'd never have, and when Jack married Teruko in St. Chad's church in Shrewsbury, right opposite the park where I'd tried to brain Slimy, my depression about the whole marriage thing hit a new low. I wanted so much to be Andy's wife, but I couldn't work out a way that didn't get us jailed for fraud, or incest, or both.

And then David got married; he married a stunning American girl called Lori, with jet black hair and violet eyes; she looked like Disney's Snow White, except she was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. I heard a rumour from Sai that she was his half-sister, which made it even worse for me; all of my favourite people in the world could tie the knot with the girl who should have been forever barred from doing it with them, everyone had what they wanted, and I couldn't, and it was tearing me apart; all I wanted was to give that one thing to Andy, to put him up there with all the people he loved best in the world, and I couldn't, and it hurt so much.

Andy knew this was an issue with me; he told me constantly that a marriage was in the heart, not just a piece of paper, and I believed him, but it was almost too much to bear, knowing I'd never have that white dress, the Wedding March from Lohengrin, bridesmaids, bouquets, and bells ringing to tell the world I had married the man I loved, and that I'd never have the chance to tell him "I do..." in front of all the people who mattered most to us. Superficial? Maybe, but it still means so much to a girl...

I think Andy knew that only too well, because the next thing I knew, Grandfather was knocking on the door and sweeping me up as I dissolved in tears. I knew he was there because he knew what was going on with me; the one thing my Grandfather could never be accused of is not knowing what's going-on around him.

I love being around my Grandfather; he gives-off this air of wanting me around; everything I do or say is immediately of interest to him, and I can tell it's genuine, not just a cultivated mask to keep the granddaughter quiet; he's genuinely interested and concerned for me. Even with all that, though, he could never make this come out right for me, and that just made it worse; even Grandfather, king of the fixers, couldn't fix this...

Grandfather waited until the storm had passed, then led to me to couch so he could sit and hold me properly.

"You know why I'm here, Lamb-Chop," he said, "Andrew told me what's going on with you; is it really that important? I mean, you have Andrew, all he wants is you, he's never going anywhere; would a ceremony and a piece of paper really make that much difference to your lives together?"

I tried to explain what I was feeling inside, the knowledge that I couldn't give him this one thing that all his best friends had done so easily, that being a wife in actuality was important to me.

He nodded while I laid out my reasons, and my hopes, and why they were never going to come together, then looked keenly at me.

"Lamb-Chop, I can sort this for you, but you have to be sure it's really what you want; there's no going back; tell me now this is what you want, and I'll make it happen for you, but you have to swear you'll never, ever mention this to anyone. Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?"

I gazed at him in wonder, but he looked deadly serious.

"Yes Grandfather, I'm quite sure. Please help me!"

Grandfather smiled as he hugged me.

"Give me a few days, okay? In the meantime, relax, Lamb-Chop, we'll sort this out for you, I promise!"

*

A week later, a courier knocked at the door with a package for me. Bursting with curiosity, I tore it open, and there inside was a birth certificate for 'Linda Eugenia Francesca Montagu-Hillingdon' with the same birthday as me. There was a passport in the same name, with my photograph inside the back cover, and a driving license, again with my picture, and also in the same name. I was astonished; they were all legal identity documents, and apparently all genuine; even the birth certificate looked and felt the proper age. Only Grandfather could have pulled-off something like this; I knew he had some very curious, shadowy contacts, in some very shady corners of the business world, and fingers in some very dubious pies, but this...

The phone suddenly ringing nearly made me jump out of my skin; when I answered it, it was grandfather.

"Lamb-Chop, you should have a...a package; have you opened it?"

I answered in the affirmative, and his warm chuckle filled my ear.

"Good, it arrived on time. Darling, I'm at London City Airport, waiting for my flight, I should be with you in about three hours, we'll talk then; until then, don't talk to anyone about you-know-what. Love you, Lamb-Chop!"

Three hours later I answered the door, and there he was, looking as pleased as Punch. I was full of questions as to what this all meant, and how he'd done it.

"Lindy, my second-cousin once removed is now your mother; her name was Sabrina Montagu-Hillingdon, so your surname is Hillingdon, too. She passed away a couple of years ago in St. Moritz, skiing accident, but all her records now show that you are in fact her daughter. All your funds and trust holdings are now in your new name, all her properties, trusts, and investments formerly held in probate are also now yours, because you're her daughter and always have been, so these are for you."

He handed me a packet of cheque-books and withdrawal slips all in my new name. I was frankly astonished at how completely I'd disappeared, and told him so. Grandfather grinned at that.

"Lamb-Chop, once you marry Andrew, you'll get your Grosvenor-Edgeworth name back, the only difference being you were legally Linda Montagu-Hillingdon when you married him, complete with the papers to prove it, and you'll be legally married, according to the laws of the land, not some dodgy legal sleight of hand somewhere overseas. I promised you I'd help you, Lamb-Chop, and I always keep my promises!"

I was still a little confused as to how he'd done it all, and just a little worried; a house of cards is not the most stable of structures...

"Grandfather, how is this all possible? Surely there are records that people can check..." I trailed-off as I saw him shake his head, grinning happily.

"Lindy, believe me, all the records that matter have been changed, expunged, or physically removed and destroyed. There are people who owed me, and I called-in those favours; all it took was money and a little pressure, et voilà. Rest easy, Lamb-Chop; no-one is ever going to know, or be able to work it out, because all the trails stop exactly where they should: at you, Linda Montagu-Hillingdon, now and forever, amen!"

*

We published the banns the following week; Andy had been astonished at how completely Grandfather and his 'people' had covered my tracks and re-invented me, but that didn't stop him getting down on one knee and proposing formally; I was half-tempted to tell him I'd think about it, but I couldn't be that cruel to my sweet Andy, so I said 'yes, I'd be honoured!'

With that, I leaped on him, kissing him wildly while he squeezed, groped, kissed and licked; the knowledge we could get married, properly, legally, had had a powerful aphrodisiac effect, and I wanted to take this further. While I kissed and nibbled him, his hands slid into my panties and edged them down far enough for him to squeeze and knead my cheeks, pulling them apart and making me mew and squeal mid-kiss as he stretched my bum hole open.

Andy didn't want to do this here, on the couch, and suddenly I wanted to be in a bed with him, naked, his lips on mine as he rammed that thing of his into me; right now, I didn't care where he stuck that thing, just so long as he did me properly! When he stood up, a naughty idea came to me, and I slid to my knees, fumbling with the fastening of his jeans, and then suddenly I had his cock in my hands. He smelled delicious, fresh and salty, with just a faint, almost metallic edge, and when I licked him from his balls to the tip, he groaned softly.