Chapter 4

Jeff woke in the middle of the night as an unexpected sensation throbbed from between his legs. In the dark of the room, he could make out a nurse standing beside his bed. It was the slightly overweight nurse that worked the night shift. Her hand was under the sheet and wrapped around him.

Seeing that he was awake, she bent down, kissed him on the lips, and then whispered, “You’ve such a good man that I wanted to be one of the first to provide you with a little pleasure. Relax and enjoy it.”

The feel of her hand was intense and all he could do was moan in reply. A shiver of pleasure ran through his body as he gave himself over to his orgasm.

In a voice that bordered on a whimper, he said, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I left my number on the table. Give me a call when you get home. I’d like to see you again, if that is okay with you. You’re a good man.”

Jeff looked at her silhouette knowing that most people didn’t see the loving woman encased within a body that wasn’t attractive. He knew better than to judge by appearances. Terry had held his hand through the first night in the hospital, providing comfort to a scared man facing old terrors. They had talked through the terrors and he was able to fall asleep. Since then, she had stopped by his bed checking up on him. Others were interested in the information on his chart, but she had cared about the spirit inside.

He whispered, “I’ll call you, Terry.”

The nurse smiled and cleaned up the inevitable consequences of her hand job. She knew that he would call her as soon as he could. Harry had told her that he had a short program of recovery in store for Jeff, but that it would be over in a couple of days. How that Druid had seen her interest still puzzled her.

She kissed Jeff on the forehead and said, “I’ll be waiting.”

Visiting the hospital had the potential for being a traumatic experience for the two young women. Sterile looking rooms stocked with adjustable beds surrounded by medical equipment provided a sharp contrast to their nice little house. The patients in the halls and the rooms looked ill. That was a sight that filled them with fear, even in the best of times.

The visit might have been scary except for Harry’s presence. On entering the hospital, Harry had noticed that the girls, Paul, and Too-Tall were lined up behind him. He started waving his staff up and down and back and forth like he was leading a marching band. Picking up his legs in a high-step march, he buzz hummed a John Philips Sousa tune. The sight of the Druid leading an invisible brass band brought smiles to everyone they encountered.

As he marched proudly at the head of the line, the others had tried to march behind him once they had overcome their initial embarrassment. The problem was that it was difficult to march and laugh at the same time. The patients they encountered laughed at his antics. A few of the ones better able to move joined the line behind Too-Tall. The hospital staff smiled at the effect the Druid had on the patients. Just by moving through the halls, he had provided as much curing energy as a hundred pills.

On reaching Jeff’s room, Harry stopped and made a grand production out of ending the marching tune. Patients laughed and clapped as they went about their business, smiles having replaced grimaces of pain. When they entered the room, Harry turned to the girls and, with a twinkle in his eye, observed, “Sometimes all it takes is a simple gesture, delivered without fear, to help people.”

Jeff looked up from his bed blushing at his visitors. He nervously adjusted the covers on his bed hoping that his condition would not create too obvious of a tent. Harry ignored his discomfort and, pointing directly at the bulge in the cover, said, “Ah, good. I see that things are functioning as they are supposed to.”

“Um, yeah. I guess. It doesn’t seem to want to stay down much,” commented Jeff as he turned an even brighter red. He estimated that his cock was erect half the day. His nocturnal emissions had shocked him. It was not that he was complaining, particularly since he enjoyed each orgasm very much.

“I’m sure that you’ll beat it into submission before long.” Even as he said it, Paul couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth. As Lilly and Dolly giggled at the comment, Jeff turned an even brighter red. The redirection of his blood to other parts of his body had an effect on his erection though.

Too-Tall stood in the back, making a champion gesture by clasping his hands over his head and shaking them. Jeff noticed and laughed at the simple message. He quipped, “It’s not a matter of winning or losing, but how you play the game.”

The girls were giggling almost non-stop, finding the entire subject embarrassing while fascinating at the same time. After having experienced the negative side of male sexuality in the form of rape, this entire topic was threatening to them. Only after living with the three men for so long did they come to understand that these men were able to control their urges.

Watching the nervous giggling of the girls, Harry suggested, “You two have a report to do about hospitals. Why don’t you go out and talk to people for some material?”

Lilly said, “Good idea.”

“Jeff, you need to get dressed so we can get you out of here,” said Harry.

It was only after the two girls left that Paul said, “You really are looking happy. I’m glad they were able to help you.”

Tears welled up in Jeff’s eyes. He was a whole man, able to function and feel things like other men. In a whisper, he said, “I can’t believe what it feels like. It’s amazing. I have been given the greatest gift that a man can receive.”

Wanting to lighten the discussion, Harry said, “Considering how Kelly heals, I take it you are no longer a virgin.”

“Uh. Well. I. Sure,” replied Jeff not knowing how to answer. On one hand, he wanted to protect Kelly in an old-fashioned sense of chivalry. A stronger desire was to stand on top of the tallest building he could find and proclaim to the world, ‘I’m not a virgin!’ He got out of the bed and started putting on his clothes in an attempt to hide his true feelings.

Paul grinned at the expressions that passed across the face of his friend. He was going to tease him about it, but recalled that he was going on a date that night. He turned to see that Too-Tall was pantomiming a man walking with a woman on his arm and pointing to Paul. Interpreting the gesture, Jeff asked, “He’s got a girlfriend?”

“I have a date tonight,” answered Paul with a grin as Too-Tall nodded. The girls had been teasing him about it all day. Little songs about Paul and Janet sitting in a tree had been sung all morning. Even Too-Tall had been humming along with them.

“I’m glad for you. I may have a date soon, too,” said Jeff recalling the invitation of the previous night. Terry had left her number on the bedside just as she had promised and he was going to call her just as he had promised. He put on his shirt, taking his time to button it. Standing there in his underwear and shirt, he was relaxed and pleased with his body for the first time in his life. He might not be the best looking man on the block, but at least his cock no longer looked like a fish filet.

The expression of surprise on Too-Tall’s face was priceless and made Jeff break out laughing. Paul said, “You just got it fixed and you’re ready to wear it out?”

“What about you, Too-Tall?” asked Jeff believing that his friend was without a girlfriend.

When Too-Tall shrugged, Harry smiled at him and wiggled a finger in a bad boy gesture. Too-Tall grinned and looked away in a guilty manner. Seeing the exchange made Paul wonder what was going on there. Curiosity aroused, he asked, “What?”

Grinning at Too-Tall, Harry said, “If I recall correctly, when I stopped by the construction site, Too-Tall was having lunch with a rather attractive lady. It seems that he’s been signing with her during lunch for the past couple of months. At least that’s what her fingers told me.”

Too-Tall raised his hands as though embarrassed at having gotten caught. He had tried to hide his relationship. Paul, until just recently, wouldn’t allow himself to even entertain the idea of opening emotionally to a woman. On the other hand, he had expected that Jeff wouldn’t ever have a normal relationship.

Puzzled that his friend had gone so long without letting him know about that, Jeff asked, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Too-Tall turned to Harry and started signing to him. It was the first time that Jeff or Paul had seen Too-Tall signing rather than making contextual gestures. Harry watched the tall man’s hands with a smile and nodded. Turning to the other two men, he said, “He was afraid that he’d hurt your feelings if you learned that he had a girlfriend and you were facing a future without a woman in your lives.”

“Hey, we’re here for you big guy. You don’t have to hide that things are going well for you,” said Jeff. In a way, the revelation had hurt his feelings, but he could understand why Too-Tall would act that way. He added, “You’re our friend.”

The big man signed to Harry for a minute. Harry signed back rather than say something aloud that the others could understand. After a minute of intensive exchange, Harry turned to Jeff and said, “Too-Tall was afraid that you would be very hurt to know that he was seeing someone. He felt that your problem was much more serious than his little speech impediment. Overcoming it with a deaf woman was a minor thing.”

Placated a little, Jeff said, “I don’t want to hold anyone back from being happy. After having experienced sex for the first time in my life, I’d hate to think that I prevented anyone from having sex. I plan to pursue opportunities with great diligence.”

Harry laughed and said, “I haven’t heard it put that way before, but I understand what you are saying. I do have to tell you that I’ve arranged for some rehabilitation activities for you over the next couple of days.”

As Jeff tried to figure out what kind of rehabilitation activities Harry had in mind, Paul turned to Too-Tall and asked, “When did you start signing?”

Too-Tall raised seven fingers. For a moment, Paul thought it was seven years, but he was pretty sure that Too-Tall wouldn’t have been able to hide it for that long of a time. He was too facile with it to have only been doing it for seven days or weeks. As a result, it had to be seven months. He asked, “You’ve been signing for seven months?”

The tall man nodded his head and made a gesture of a woman. His lunch companion had been teaching him how to sign. He liked her a lot and was hoping that he could see her after work sometime. She was smart, attractive, and had a good sense of humor. She liked to tell jokes about the non-deaf people around them as they ate their lunches. He particularly liked her question, ‘if a hearing endowed person fell over in a room full of deaf people, would he make a noise?’

Jeff said, “So she’s been teaching you sign. That’s great. I guess we are going to have to learn how to sign now.”

Too-Tall smiled at the idea of being able to talk with his friends with a little more ease. It was strange, but because he could hear, no one had suggested that he learn to sign until he had met her. Turning to Harry, he signed, “Why didn’t you suggest that I learn sign?”

With a wink and a smile, Harry signed, “Did you really want to communicate with anyone?”

“No,” signed the big man. It took a minute before it dawned on him that Harry was correct. Despite the fact that he was watching over the girls and lived with the guys, he had been quite comfortable not having to explain himself. When something important had to be communicated, he could write what he wanted to say. The idea of just sitting around talking about things had never appealed to him. He didn’t really deserve that kind of closeness with anyone. He signed, “I didn’t want to risk having a difference of opinion. You argue about something, the passions get high, and then someone gets hurt. It’s easier not to say anything.”

“You know better now?” asked Harry in sign. He knew that this discussion was being watched carefully by Paul and Jeff. The two men were dying of curiosity about what Harry and Too-Tall were discussing.

“If Jeff can get his dick back and Paul can start to date, then maybe I have a right to my opinion.” The big man was still for a moment before his fingers said, “I deserve some happiness in my life.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Harry asked, “What about the past two years? Have they been good?”

“These past years have been very good. The girls have been a continuous source of joy for me. The problem was that I didn’t feel like I deserved it,” signed the tall man. A little drink, a little argument, and he had destroyed other people’s lives. Then one day, he had destroyed his own. He signed, “I wasn’t always a good person.”

Harry smiled and patted the big guy on the back. At six foot five and two hundred and thirty pounds, Too-Tall was a big man. Aloud, he said, “My big man, you have a big heart and good friends. Never doubt that. The three musketeers weren’t as close as you three. You’ve watched over Lilly and Dolly with magnificent diligence, protecting them from harm, working to keep the nightmares away, and giving them a fresh start in life.”

He turned to face the three men. Paul’s eyes were misting, Jeff was looking at Harry in wonder, and Too-Tall looked humbled by what he had heard. Harry said, “Go forth and find love. The girls will be leaving to start lives of their own. There’s no reason for you three to be left behind and alone.”

“They’ll leave us?” asked Paul shaken by the news.

“They won’t stop loving you, but they are young women. Dolly will graduate and start to work. She’ll move away, find love, and marry. Lilly will graduate and go off to college. Before they leave, they’ll start dating. That’s healthy and they owe you three so much for helping them heal,” Harry looked at each man to see how he was taking the news.

“Paul, date the widow. Enjoy your time with her and, if she’s the one, fall in love.”

Paul looked down at the floor. It was strange, but he needed Harry’s permission to go on with his life. He said, “I’ll do that.”

“Jeff, you take that nurse out and you enjoy yourself.”

“You know about her?”

“I may be old, but I’m not blind. I saw her telephone number on the table by your bed,” said Harry with a smile and a gesture to the table.

“Fred, take your deaf friend out to watch a sunrise. Make love under the stars. Let others know what you think and don’t be afraid if they disagree with you.”

Paul and Jeff looked at each other in shock. It took a minute before Paul managed to ask, “Your name is Fred?”

Too-Tall nodded his head, looking at Harry wondering how he knew that. The questioning look on his face prompted Harry to say, “I occasionally see your sister. She worries about you.”

Fred ran into the bathroom in tears at the thought that his sister worried about him. He hadn’t seen her in years, not since he had beaten up her husband and become persona non grata within his own family. He wept in the room, thinking about how much he had lost and how much he had to gain now. It was too much for him.

The girls returned to the room. Jeff was dressed with the exception of his shoes and socks. Lilly examined Jeff and Paul for a minute and then asked, “Why are you so sad? You should be happy. Jeff, you’re complete again. Paul, you have a girlfriend.”