Sweet Candy

"Sir? Who am I talking to?" the 911 operator called out.

Kal finally looked back at the cell in annoyance and hung up. He grabbed Candy by her hair and dragged her into the Study. He absently tossed her cell onto the couch and then pushed Candace down as well. As she hit the cushions, she managed to grab the cell and shoved it under the waistband of her pants. She looked up at Kal, who was examining his dad's handiwork on Crystal's ass.

"Fuck, she's pretty cut up. What were you spanking her with, a meat tenderizer?" Kal said with a grin at his own cleverness. He looked at Missy. "That's a pretty nasty cut too."

Byron scowled and then looked at his reddened hand.

Candace saw his signet ring had spun around to face inwards, and its rough face was covered with blood.

The red and blue lights of the police and ambulance arriving shone in the study windows, and Byron scowled.

"What the fuck are they doing here?" he snapped as he looked at Kal.

He held up his hands. "It wasn't me. It was Candy!"

There was a thumping knock on the front door, and Kal just stood there looking at his dad with a stupid grin on his face.

"Go tell them to piss off," Byron snapped at Kal.

"That's a cop! He won't listen to me!" Kal argued.

"Get the door! Be fucking useful for once in your miserable life and make them go away!" Byron bellowed.

Kal flashed an angry look at Byron and left.

Candace took that moment of distraction to move to Missy and check the gash on her arm. It was deep and still bleeding. She grabbed one of the fancy white cloth napkins from the overturned bar cart and tied it tight around the wound.

She felt a presence at her back then she saw stars as a fist struck her in the temple. The room went sideways, and Byron was dragging her away from Missy by her hair. She screamed as it hurt so much.

"Are you faking, cunt?" Byron snarled into her face. She blinked her wide blue eyes up at him in terror. That emotion wasn't fake. He looked like he was ready to beat on her some more, and her head was still spinning from his punch.

She needed him to believe. "You're hurting me!" she cried in a little girl's voice.

Doubt then disgust returned to his eyes as he bought her act once more. He released her hair with another tug and then turned to the hallway to see a police officer standing there with an uncomfortable look on his face. He stepped inside to make room for the paramedics at his back. Two of them entered. One immediately went to Missy while the other paramedic hurried over to Crystal.

Candace knew she had to get out of the house tonight. If the paramedics were taking her stepmom and sister to the hospital, that was the safest place for her as well. The police wouldn't protect her. She slipped away while the officer spoke quietly to Byron.

She went up the stairs to her bedroom and quickly changed, right down to her underwear. Her head was still bothering her from his punch, and she wondered if she had a concussion. She grabbed her little Hello Kitty purse, slung it across her body, and slipped back downstairs. Hearing Byron and Kal viciously arguing, she dashed outside and climbed into the back of the ambulance with Missy strapped to a gurney.

The paramedic arrived to close the back door and spotted her. "No, Candy. You have to stay home."

She shook her head and winced.

The man frowned and climbed in. He quickly examined the bruising beginning on the side of her face and checked her pupil dilation. His expression went through a series of emotions. "Looks like he hit you, too," the man grumbled. He turned and closed the doors. "Let's go!" he called out to the driver then they were underway.

The second ambulance followed, but the police car remained at the house.

On the way to the hospital, the paramedic looked at Candace, leaning against the wall wearily.

"Did you tie the napkin around this woman's injury?" he asked.

She nodded and winced with the movement of her head.

"You did a good job. You may have saved her life," he said, and Candace smiled weakly.

Then they were at the hospital, and Candace's headache got worse. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open. Admitting processed her through with Crystal and Missy, but as her injury was a lower priority, they put her in a consultation booth to wait.

The emergency ward was so busy, and the ambulances were immediately sent back out. Candace heard someone mention a multi-car pileup on the nearby interstate.

She was holding her head in her hands as the pain throbbed when Nurse Stewart stopped to speak with her.

"Candace, dear? Why are you still here?" Then she noticed the wristband. "Oh! What happened?"

"Daddy punched me," she managed to say as she pointed to the side of her head. "He hurt Crystal and Missy, too."

Margaret checked Candace's eyes and frowned. "It looks like you have a concussion, but you'll have to wait for a doctor to give you that diagnosis."

"After my job again, Margaret?"

She smiled at the younger man who stepped into the small exam room to run the same test she had. "Dr. Markle, why would I want your job when I have all this respect and authority?"

He chuckled and nodded. "I concur with your diagnosis. There's also a nasty abrasion on her temple at the hairline." He frowned. "A ring, perhaps?" He looked at Candace. "Who hit you?"

She looked at the doctor, then Margaret, who nodded. "Daddy."

"Why?" the doctor asked.

"I tied a napkin on Missy's wound to stop the bleeding."

The doctor glanced at the nurse, so she explained. "Missy is Candace's stepmother."

The doctor wasn't finished. "How did Missy get hurt?"

"My head hurts, and I'm so tired," Candace said. She didn't want to keep going as she felt bad about acting in front of them.

"We'll get you a bed, but we just need to know a few more things," Markle said.

Margaret frowned at him. "It's highly unlikely that anything you hear would be admissible. And remember who these statements are about."

The doctor frowned and looked away. He sighed and then looked back at the nurse. "Get her a room. We'll keep her overnight for observation. I'll see if her stepmom might wish to make a statement."

Margaret nodded and looked at Candace. "Just wait here until I can find you a room."

Candace closed her eyes and faded in and out until someone finally put her in a wheelchair and brought her to a room. The next time she surfaced, she was in a hospital gown, resting in bed. The woman leaned over to speak to her.

"We'll come in to check on you a few times during the night. This is just a precaution. You're safe now."

Candace smiled up at her. Safe. The nurse didn't know.

As long as her father was a free man, she wouldn't be safe.

Chapter 8

"Good morning, sleepy head!"

Greg opened his eyes and smiled as he recognized his mother's voice.

His eyes opened fully when he saw both his mom and dad standing beside his bed. The curtain was drawn as he was no longer alone in the room.

"Dad! You're home?" he gasped.

The man smiled and took his hand. "Home? I may be a little jet lagged, but I'm pretty sure I'm in a hospital."

Greg's Mom rolled her eyes and gently slapped her husband's arm. "George, don't be a tease." She looked at her son. "How is your brain feeling today?"

He smiled at her. "It feels much better. No ache at all. Does this mean I can come home?"

"I think we'll be getting that assessment later today," his mom said, and he nodded.

Greg frowned and looked at his dad. "I thought you wouldn't be back for another two weeks."

George smiled. "Your mother filled me in on your progress after the accident, and I decided you could use some assistance during your first week at home. I'll work remotely with the team at night. Your mom can't take any more time off from her job." She made a sound of protest. "It's true, Marion. Besides, we made excellent progress on the package, and it's just down to polishing a couple of features. That won't take more than a week or two. We're still ahead of schedule."

Greg couldn't stop smiling, and his parents just returned it.

The sound of a woman crying could be heard from the doorway. Greg's smile froze as the voice sounded more and more familiar. He turned his eyes to his mother, and her expression was pained.

"Is... is that Crystal?" he asked quietly.

Marion nodded. "I overheard some of the nurses talking while we waited to come in to see you. There was an incident at the Tafferty's estate last night. Byron allegedly beat Crystal's bottom with something sharp. She was injured and had surgery last night, as did her mother. They're both in the room across the hall. We're not sure how the mother was injured. Candace is in the next room with a concussion—"

"What kind of monster beats up a mentally disabled woman?" Greg snarled in reaction to the news about Candace.

"A lot of people are asking that question. The problem is, there is no one better connected and protected in this town than the man who employs most of the people in the county.

Greg's eyes were once more drawn towards the door and the sound of Crystal crying. He wondered why he wasn't taking any pleasure from hearing that.

"I hope I get to go home soon. I'm not sure how much of that I can bear to hear. I mean... I hate what she did to me, and I'm really mad at her. I'd be entirely okay if I never spoke to her again. But... I-I don't want to hear her suffering."

His mom smiled and took his hand in hers. "You're a good man, Greg Hughes."

"He gets that from me," his dad said with a smile.

Marion rolled her eyes at her husband and then looked excitedly at her son. "Oh! I also heard the nurses calling Candace a hero. They found out that she was the one who called 911, and she bandaged her stepmother's injury, saving her life!"

Greg smiled as he recalled how Candace would smile at him from the doorway on her hospital rounds. She'd made him feel a little better in what otherwise felt like captivity. He'd begun to look forward to it. He wondered if he could return the favor on his way out today.

A young and pretty nurse appeared behind his parents and got their attention. "Mr. Hughes is scheduled for a sponge bath, then breakfast."

"That sounds wonderful! Where should I lie down?" George said with a flirty grin.

"Ugh! George Hughes! You're an incorrigible tease!" Marion growled at her husband as she flashed an apologetic smile at the confused nurse. She looked back at Greg. "We'll come back when she's done. In the meantime, I'll see when you'll be released."

"I believe he's scheduled to be released just before lunch, if the doctor can find time to make his last assessment and sign the discharge papers," the nurse offered.

"That's great! Thank you!" Greg's mom said as she pushed her husband toward the door.

The nurse smiled at Greg, who was shaking his head at his dad's antics. "It's nice that your parents came to see you."

Greg's smile widened. "Dad flew back from Germany!" he gushed, then immediately felt silly for his outburst. He glanced up at the nurse and saw she was grinning at him. She showed him an impressed expression and began prepping him for his sponge bath.

"I guess he must love you," she teased.

Greg snorted but couldn't suppress his smile. He glanced at the woman, who looked pleased with his response.

She bathed him with practiced ease and an economy of motion, so there was nothing sexy about it. Greg's mind wandered, wondering if hospital food was mandated to be so bland that patients wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Really, Mr. Hughes!" the nurse suddenly scolded him quietly as she paused her work.

He returned to the present, glanced at her face, and saw frustration. "What?"

She pressed her lips together and tipped her head to make him look down. He did and saw she'd reached his groin. He looked back at her in question. "Sorry, what's wrong?"

Her expression clouded even more. "I pride myself on being able to bathe patients without stimulating them. Yet you're... hard?" she whispered to him.

"What? No, I'm not," he insisted.

She stared him in the eye. "There's no point in lying. I can see—"

In frustration, Greg reached down and lifted his cock and let it flop back to his legs. "It's not stiff. If it was, it would be standing at attention!" he whispered back.

Her cheeks flushed a deep red in embarrassment. "My apologies! I thought... I mean, I've never seen one like yours."

"And now you have. Maybe you could finish?" he asked as his face flushed, too.

She returned to her task, but her attentions were not quite as mechanical as they'd been earlier, and her touches were waking what had previously been resting peacefully against his legs.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. "Are you done?" he asked as she ran the sponge around his testicles once more while she held his cock up between her fingers. He was definitely stiffening now.

"Sorry," she said but gave his cock a solid squeeze nonetheless.

She moved on, but the damage was done. By the time she was finished, he was sporting a full-on woody. He looked out the window, controlling his breathing, trying to will his erection away, but every subtle touch the nurse did from that point on just caused it to throb insistently.

The nurse closed his hospital gown over him and gently pressed on the tent to tie the covering closed. He barely stifled a moan and caught her grin as she turned to leave.

"Another nurse will bring you breakfast shortly," the woman said happily. "Have a nice day!"

Greg adjusted his sheets to hide the effects of his sponge bath, so the next nurse was denied the show when she arrived. He caught a slight pout as she rolled his table over to him. Too bad.

"Would you like me to adjust the bed?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Thanks, I got it," he mumbled, and she left.

After his first mouthful, he got the answer to the question he pondered earlier.

Bleh! He couldn't leave soon enough!

-=-

It was noon when his parents managed to spring him. The doctor had come and gone and must have signed the required paperwork as his mom came into his room with some clothes. As the lower half of his left leg was sealed in a cast, she'd cut off the left leg of his track pants. They were his favorite pair, so he wasn't too happy. An orderly joined them with crutches, which he handed to George. The man then lowered Greg's leg from the harness that kept it elevated. He pulled the curtain around them and helped Greg dress. He took the crutches back from the father, adjusted them for Greg, and explained their use. Once Greg understood, the orderly got Greg seated in the wheelchair and handed the crutches back to George, who passed them along to Marion as George intended to push the chair. He got behind it, and they left the room.

When they got into the hall, Greg stopped them. He glanced at the doorway across the hall, but Crystal was silent now. They'd probably medicated her. Then he looked at his mom. "Could we look in on Candace? I-I want to thank her for visiting."

"Sure, honey," Marion said with a sweet smile and led them next door. "Give me a second," she said and ducked inside. Moments later, she returned and waved for them to enter.

When Greg was wheeled into the room, he got his first glance at Candace. She was hiding her facial scars once more with her lovely pink hair, which she seemed to be trying to brush with her fingers. He looked into her blue eye and noticed she appeared nervous. He resolved to do this quickly.

"Hi, Candace! I just wanted to stop by to thank you for your visits. They really lifted my spirits," Greg said.

She nodded, and her eye glanced to his parents.

"This is my mom and my dad, Marion and George," he said.

Candace nodded to them with a trembling smile.

"Dear, we'll just be outside when you're done. It was nice to meet you again, Candace," Marion said as she nodded to the girl and guided her confused husband from the room.

Greg watched them go with his mouth open and the same look of confusion as his dad. He'd said what he came to say. He turned back to Candace and saw her smile was wider now as she seemed to be enjoying his bewilderment. He struggled to find something to say and something his mother told him this morning popped into his head. "I heard what you did last night. I'm really impressed that you called 911 and saved your stepmom. I'm also really sorry you got hurt."

"Thank you," she said, and he nodded.

"I'm also sorry Crystal got hurt and your stepmom. That's awful!" He was quiet for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "I-I don't... like Crystal at the moment, but I'd never wish her harm." He felt another pang of the heartbreak. He sighed, then looked up to see two lovely blue eyes watching him intensely. She'd tucked her hair back, and he'd never seen her like this. His heart did a little jump in his chest, and his eyes widened as he thought she was so lovely. He dropped his eyes and swallowed with difficulty as he realized how raw he still was after Crystal's betrayal.

"You're not her boyfriend?" Candace asked cautiously.

He looked into her eyes once again in surprise, then shook his head. "No. Not anymore. I don't have a girlfriend."

"You could be mine!" she suddenly blurted.

Greg was so surprised he almost laughed. He caught himself before he did as he saw the hope in her eyes. Instead, he smiled at her. "I've just been rejected by your sister. My heart is still hurting from that. Just like I have to wait for my leg to heal, I need to give my heart time to heal as well. Besides, I'd never want to be accused of dating you just to get revenge on her. You deserve better than that."

"You wouldn't do that!" she insisted.

He couldn't stop his chuckle at her earnest defense of his character. "Thank you. You're right, I wouldn't." He sighed as he admired her lovely features. "Unfortunately, I don't think the adults would allow us to be boyfriend and girlfriend." He gave her a regretful look, then quickly glanced back to the doorway. "We can talk about this another day once I've had time to heal from both injuries. I should go with my parents now. My dad flew back from Germany to take care of me. He must be tired. Thanks again for checking on me. It meant a lot."

Candace nodded to him. Greg thought she looked sad but also frustrated. He wondered what that was about.

He did his best to maneuver the wheelchair backward until he got stuck. Looking back at Candace in embarrassment, he saw she was giving him the oddest look. She looked like a different person for a moment. Confused, he looked over his shoulder to the hall. "Dad?"

The man entered the room and got the chair unstuck. They waved at Candace, and George pulled Greg out into the hall.

His mom moved to stand before him and looked him in the eye. "Would you like to see how Crystal and her mom are doing?"

He shook his head. "Neither of us is in any state to speak. Let's go home. Dad must be tired, and I'm starved for real food!"

Marion snorted and brushed his hair back from his face. Marion then looked at her husband. "Let's go home poppa-bear!"

George grinned. "Sure thing, honey-bunny!"

Greg grimaced. "Eww! Pet names? I did not need to hear that!"

His parents chuckled as they wheeled their boy out of the hospital.

Chapter 9

Candace leaned back against her pillow, trembling at how close she'd been to almost blowing two years of effort. Her reaction to Greg caught her by surprise. There was no question she was attracted to him. So much so that she'd tried to get him to be her boyfriend.

She rubbed her face with her hands. She felt the scar running down her face, and her mind flashed to the memory of Greg's eyes as he gazed upon her uncovered face.

What wasn't there was revulsion or even the slightest hint of discomfort.