The Harem Ch. 07

Hello Readers! As always, thank you for being patient with me as I take my sweet ol time writing these chapters. I anticipate that this will be the final entry in the harem series so you can all take a deep breath and know that everything gets wrapped up (more or less) by the end of this chapter. I love your comments and appreciate every one of them. Please continue to vote and comment. I really do read them and try to improve my writing with them.

NOTE - This chapter focuses a lot on River. If you aren't into Transwomen having romantic sex with cis-men then click off now and save me the pain of reading your comments about how you hate the content.

Thanks and stay horny!

Mark's head was fuzzy. His thoughts swam around him in nonsensical circles.

River in white and gold lingerie. Her breasts on tantalizing display and her cock only just discernible.

Liz screaming at him. Again.

Wait, hadn't they broken up? Why was she screaming at him this time?

No. She wasn't screaming at him now. That was a memory. That had already happened.

Mom and Rachel talking to him. River crying.

"What happened?"

"He's awake!" River said. She wasn't crying. What was going on?

Immediately there were people around him. He opened his eyes. He had never realized how difficult it was to open his eyes before. He opened his eyes and saw a nurse leaning over him. She peeled back his eyelid and flashed a light in his eyes. "Hey there, young man," the nurse said, "I'm Nurse Ratchet. Can you tell me your name?"

Mark couldn't help himself. "McMurphy."

She smiled. "You got me. I'm Nurse Rathmahataman, but they call me Nurse Ratchet because I told a patient I'd cut off his balls if he touched my ass again." She put the penlight in her pocket. "You got a name, Handsome?"

"Mark. Mark Amren." There was a sound of relief and some sobs from... somewhere in the room. He tried to sit up but his head swam and he immediately fell back. "What happened?"

"There's a lot of people interested in the answer to that question. Think you're up for talking to some folks?"

"My head."

"You're dehydrated and suffering from blood loss. Let's get you sitting up, and then I'll get you some ice chips and sugar water while the nice men ask you their not nice questions."

"What?"

More hands were on him and looking around he saw his mom, Rachel and River all trying to help him into a sitting position. Everyone was dressed for dinner. That's right, they were going out to dinner. "Damn," he said, "and to think I had a date with you ladies."

The Nurse laughed. "Not with me young man. You're not my type."

He chewed on some ice chips that had been covered in sugar and felt his head clear up a bit. Clear up enough that he could look around the room and take in his surroundings a bit. The fluorescent lights washed everything with their ultra sterilized hues and it wasn't difficult for Mark to recognize the curtains and surroundings as belonging to an emergency room. Even so, filling most of his vision was the dark skinned Nurse Rathmahataman. She smiled at him when she noticed his eyes focus on her. "There we go. Much better." She turned to the others. "I'll be right back. The police will want to talk to him."

She turned and left, leaving Mark suddenly surrounded by his mother and two sisters. Susan was wearing a very flattering black cocktail dress and sports coat. Her nipples were clearly visible under the fabric and that wasn't surprising given that the AC in the hospital must have been tuned down to somewhere around 65 degrees. She leaned in and kissed Mark on the forehead.

"Damnit Mark, you had us really freaked out there for a while."

Rachel perched on the foot on his bed. She was also wearing a cocktail dress, but unlike the form fitting number that Mama wore, Rachel's dress was off the shoulder, cinched at the waist, and flared out from her hips. It was also a deep emerald green and she had a matching green shawl. Also unlike mama, Rachel was wearing a bra that prevented what Mark assumed was equally cold nipples, from putting themselves on display. She put a hand on his ankle and squeezed it but didn't say anything.

A sharp intake of breath had Mark looking at River, who stood by his bed, opposite Mama. She had her makeup done, her hair done, her nails were fantastic. She wore a short, black skirt with a red, billowing wrap around blouse with bell sleeves. Mark smiled. "Damn. Got my money's worth on that outfit. Didn't we, River?"

The harsh breath turned into a combination laugh and sob as River put her hand on Mark's shoulder. "You're a dork, you know that?"

"Don't cry, River." Mark tried to lift his left arm to caress River's head but found that the shoulder was wrapped pretty tightly.

That's when the police came in. "Mr. Amren?" The first officer asked.

"Yeah. That's me." Mark leaned down to River's head. "I might need your help remembering everything."

"We have surveillance footage from the store Intimates, and we have the mall security footage as well. We have the fight with Ms. Elizabeth Gaits in the store, we have eyewitness accounts of her treatment of you and your girlfriend while there, and we have the mall footage of her attack on you."

The second officer spoke up. "You're lucky she didn't get any higher or that knife would have gone through your neck."

The first officer ignored his younger partner's commentary. "We also have character witnesses willing to testify that she has been manipulating you for the past year or more and that your record of violence can be at least partially attributed to her influence."

"So what do you need from Mark?" Susan asked.

"We want to know if this was a simple case of assault with a deadly weapon, or if it was a hate crime." The officer nodded to River. "Certainly Ms. Gaits seems to have flown into a jealous rage that her ex boyfriend has a new love interest, but the young lady here is a member of a federally protected class."

Mark looked at River. His eyes blazed as the memory of Liz shouting at River, of her launching herself at River, fell back into place. "Did she hurt you?" he asked.

Mark saw his words wash over River, saw her submit to the demand and hold back a shudder. "No. You got in the way." She turned to the officers, "that's why the strike was so low."

Mark turned back to the officers. "Liz has crossed one line too many as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't trust myself to be in the same room as her."

The second officer looked at River. "Can we step outside for a moment, Miss?"

"Here is fine," Mark said. He turned to River. "Don't leave me right now. I need you." He looked at Rachel and Mama and told them the same thing with his eyes. He needed them. He needed them to help him stay in control. The rage was as bad as it had ever been, and the only people he could count on to help him now were these three.

"If it's all the same," Susan said, reaching across the bed. "River is as much family as Mark. Is it alright if we're here?"

River nodded. "If it's all the same?"

The second officer looked skeptical but didn't argue. "We're going to investigate this like a hate crime but in order to prosecute it as one, we will need you to testify. There's no way she gets away with the assault as it is, but a hate crime is harder."

"I'd rather not be under the spotlight if it's all the same."

The second officer opened his mouth to speak again, but the first nudged him in the ribs. "She said her piece," he said. He took a card out of his pocket and handed it to River. "If you change your mind."

They left. The Amrens let out a collective sigh of relief and the doctor came in right behind them. "Well young man, you are very lucky. The wound's were not deep or long and none required stitches. You lost a lot of blood, but not so much that you need a transfusion, and according to Nurse Ratchet here, your responses are as good as we could have hoped for. Let's get some fluids into you, and then you can be on your way."

"Rathmahataman," Mark said. "Thank you Doctor." Mark ignored the doctor's confused bluster as he turned back to his mom. "I guess this means we missed our reservation?"

Mom laughed. "By several hours."

"There's a place not far from here where you can take an order home." Nurse Rathmahataman said as she replaced the iv bag beside Mark's bed. "My brother owns it but he stays open late."

Rachel took out her cell phone and started typing. "This it?" She showed the phone to the nurse.

"That's the one. Tell him Sandi recommended you. He may not give you a discount, but he won't give you shit about calling so late either."

By the time they got home with their take out, no one was really hungry. Mark had slept in the passenger seat of Mama's SUV while Rachel and River had driven Mark's car back.

Standing in the driveway, Rachel took River's hand and squeezed it as soon as River was out of the car. As is the case with twins the world over, a simple gesture communicates volumes more than an ordinary person might realize. So much that could not be expressed in words was in that simple squeeze of the hand: understanding, pain, concern, love, and support. It was a gesture that told River that she was not alone, that others saw what was going on and that there were others with her in the midst of the confusion.

River took her sister's hand in both of hers, and kissed them. She wanted to do more, but she was tired. She wanted to get inside and lay down. She wanted to make sure Mark was ok. She wanted to shower and forget this day had happened and wake up tomorrow like all this was a bad dream. A kiss, and a look, and Rachel understood this along with the deep gratitude that River felt at such a simple thing as being seen.

Rachel linked her arm with River and walked her to the door.

River pulled back. "The food..."

Rachel tugged towards the door. "I'll get it once we get you settled."

River sagged and leaned her head against Rachel's shoulder. The two women made their way into the house and River's bedroom.

"Put some comfy clothes on." Rachel said. "You need some rest."

River didn't let go of Rachel's hand. There was more than a moment of hesitation as Rachel left, but River didn't let go of her hand. There was more than a moment as the two women stood in River's cluttered bedroom. Rachel looked at her sister, waiting for her to say something while River stood in silence, eyes downcast, as she mentally flailed for the words that her brain just couldn't process.

"River?"

River took a deep breath. "I just..." Her throat closed up. Suddenly the only thing she could see was the wild, rabid hatred in Liz's eyes and she started trembling. The hatred. The knife. The boys in the background laughing. Liz throwing herself at River with the knife stretched out in front of her. The hatred. The laughter. The knife. The hatred.

Someone was speaking to her. As if from an impossible distance, she could hear a voice echoing down to her. Rachel. Rachel was talking.

"What are you touching?" Rachel was saying. "Come one River. We've done this before. You've done this before. What's in your hands?"

Soft. Short. flat.

"The Carpet." River's voice was barely a whisper.

"Feel the carpet with your hands," Rachel said. "flex your fingers in it. Good. Like that. Now tell me two things you smell."

"Chanel number 5," River said immediately. "The saleswoman gave me a free sample." River took another deep breath. "Mango body wash. Rachel's favorite."

"Good. Now give me three things you hear."

"I can hear your heartbeat," River said. "I can hear mine. I can hear the air conditioner running." The world around River started to come back into focus. The cycle of hatred and laughter was fading away against the weight of the present moment.

"Four things you see." Rachel prompted.

"Your dress," River realized that she was leaning against Rachel's chest and that her sister was holding her there even as River's body shook with the shock of her panic attack. "Your dress is green and shiny. It feels wonderful." River moved her cheek to feel the softness of Rachel's dress against her face, and only belatedly realized she was laying on Rachel's breasts. "I see the blade server I was putting together for you. I see the box with my old clothes in them. I had taken them out to see if there was anything I wanted to keep. I see my nails. They're polished and painted. I don't think they've ever looked this good."

River suddenly felt the weight of her own body. She was aware of the world around her and was not lost in her own thoughts or memories. She felt herself sag with relief to be in the present moment. She still shook but she and Rachel both knew that it had to do with the leftover adrenaline in her body and not with anything else that had happened. She took a deep breath, breathed in the mango body wash that Rachel loved so much and enjoyed the feel of her sister's body so close to her.

"Thanks Rach."

Rachel pushed her fingers through River's still relatively short hair, pushing it away from her eyes. The touch was delicate and River was keenly aware of the sensation of Rachel's gentle fingertips against her hot skin. The coolness of the touch sent a shiver dancing down River's spine causing her to briefly gasp. Rachel did not snatch her hand away. She did not misunderstand the reaction and as River looked up into her sister's eyes, the two opened their souls up to each other in a way that they had not done for some time. They saw reflected in each other's hearts the desires of their own.

River reached up and cupped her sister's cheek. She was surprised at the coolness of her own hand and the heat of Rachel's face. Rachel leaned into the touch and for all the River knew, she still needed to hear it. "I love you," she said. "God, I love you." Tears threatened in the corners of her eyes. She meant so much more than the love they had shared until that point but she didn't have the words for it. She just didn't know how to say what needed to be said.

Rachel took River's hand and kissed her palm. "Love you too, River."

Not "dork" or "nerd" or "pain in my ass." She said "River." In that slight change River understood and Rachel understood that they had crossed a line. Their love was no longer the kind that was comfortably held in the history of sharing a womb and a crib and a room. Their love wasn't the kind that every twin and every sibling grew up knowing for their sibling. It wasn't the kind of love that you wore around the house when no one else was looking. It was the kind of love that required starlight and moonlight. It was love that stayed up all night just to watch the sunrise together. It was the kind of love that wanted to wake up in the morning together.

It was the kind of love that required kisses and touches that siblings aren't supposed to share.

River unconsciously turned her body and tilted her head up for her twin. Her lips were parted in invitation and Rachel did not hesitate. She leaned down and kissed her. River felt Rachel's eagerness for her through that kiss. She felt the burning desire that had been lying dormant for longer than even they had thought. River felt her sister's soul pour into that kiss and couldn't help but return the gesture. It was frantic, desperate, and joyful beyond River's wildest hopes.

And it wasn't enough.

River's hands, cold just a moment before, were now burning to touch Rachel. She ran her hands through Rachel's hair, down her arms, across her back and everywhere else she could touch. She had to gasp as she felt Rachel's hands do the same and River pulled Rachel onto the floor beside her. Laying side by side, River arched her back, begging Rachel to touch her still young breasts. Begging her to be the first to feel the softness of flesh that had never been caressed by a lover's hand.

"Touch me," she said. "Rach, touch me."

As soon as she said it, she knew it was the wrong thing to say. She felt Rachel pull back. Confused, River looked at Rachel, her eyes foggy through the haze of love and lust, and tried to understand why she was pulling back. What was happening here?

Then a gentle, almost chaste kiss.

"I want to, Babe. God I want you so bad I can barely stand it."

"Then-"

"Mark should be first."

"Mark?" River asked. "What's Mark have to do with this? With us?"

Rachel laughed. "Come on, River. Admit it. You want him a lot more than you want me."

River thought about Mark protecting her. She thought about his strong arms, his insistence on ... everything tonight. Then a million details started to filter into her mind. The way Mama was dressing. The way Rachel was dressing. They way they acted around each other. It was a lot freer, a lot less restrained. They were extraordinarily affectionate with each other over the last couple of weeks and if they were having a frank discussion about River sleeping with Mark after trying to have sex with Rachel .... "Mark. I want him just like you want him. And Mama?"

"Yes," Rachel said. "Mark seduced Mama on prom night." She tilted her head thinking about it. "Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, I joined in at graduation. Sometimes it's just me and Mark or me and Mama and sometimes it's all three of us. He wanted to give you a chance to figure yourself out, before getting you wrapped up in us and the force of his personality."

River couldn't stop herself. "Personality? Is that what we're calling it now?"

They laughed then. They laughed until they were rolling on the ground, their sides aching from it . They laughed until they had run out of breath and tears tore down their faces. They laughed so hard they didn't hear the door open as Mama brought Mark home. The panic was gone and the lust induced haze that life threatening moments always caused passed with it.

When they finally caught their breath Mama was standing in the door to River's room. "This sounds like good news considering I had to bring your brother and the food in." Mama said. "Especially given how hard things were tonight."

"As hard as Mark's personality." River said. It almost derailed the conversation in another fit of giggles.

"Personality?" Mama said. "Is that what we're calling it now?" She came into the room and sat on River's bed.

River didn't think about what she did next. She just climbed into Mama's lap straddling her hips, and kissed her with all the love and desire that had been boiling in her. She kissed her with the desire that Rachel had told her had to wait until Mark was ready. Mama, unprepared for the onslaught of that kiss and all it entailed, and reeling from her own experience of danger responded instinctually and with as much fervor as River offered. River was thrilled to see her advances not only welcomed, but reciprocated. Mama however, was a cooler head than Rachel and pulled away from River before they could get to the handsy part.

"River. Sweety," she said.

"I know." River said. "Mark first. Rachel explained it all."

Mama leaned around River to look at her other daughter. "All of it?"

"The important parts," Rachel said.

"About how you're all sleeping together," River said. "I don't mind being last to join. And I know Mark is in no shape for games tonight, but do you think we could all sleep together in your bed? Like when we were kids?"

Mama took a deep breath. "I'm going to need a cold shower first. But yes. We can do that." She smacked River's ass. "Now put on some decent pajamas that won't get your brother's heart rate too high, alright?"

"Yes Mama," the two girls replied with a giggle.

"Right. and a cold shower for me,"

Mark did not remember his dreams that night. He didn't remember much after leaving the hospital. As he floated slowly towards wakefulness and the sound of summer birds outside the window, his mind wandered to a single thought: "Who is in bed with me?" Lying on his back, he could tell he was in Mama's bed. Granted, the bed in "his" room was one that he hadn't used for most of the summer, and he was thinking of the master bedroom more as "ours." Even so, he could tell the difference and knew that he was waking up in his mother's room. He also could smell the gentle touch of her shampoo on one side of him. His left. She wasn't lying on his chest, like she so often did. Why was that?