Bruises Ch 02 1

Peggy practically ran down the hall to her bathroom. Pulling her shorts and panties down, she sat on the commode and let her pee flow. Walt's touching and his kneading of her thigh had set off her body's natural sexual impulses. She was ashamed that she had allowed herself to enjoy them and to let them grow beyond where she should have stopped him.

Embarrassment and remorse filtered in over the sense of intimacy and pleasure that she felt. When she patted herself dry, she knew that the moisture she saw on the tissue was more than just urine. Her secretions stained the pad and for the first time in years she was tempted to sniff her own scent.

"Damn, girl, don't go there," she admonished herself and selecting a fresh pair of panties out of a drawer she redressed and went out into the kitchen.

"Martin," she called from the kitchen. "It's time to eat. Wake up."

Martin walked slowly out into the kitchen from his favorite spot in his recliner.

"What time is it?" he asked even though the wall clock was almost staring him in the face.

Walt watched and listened without saying anything. This was just one of Martin's little things that he did to make himself feel like he was in control.

Peggy dutifully glanced at the clock and said, "Five after six. Do you want milk or water with your dinner?"

Dinner was relatively quiet with Martin only going off on a tirade against the Republicans one time. He blamed them for exporting jobs and forcing the downsizing that made him lose his job. He also blamed them for not letting him get Social Security disability even though he was told he did not deserve it. A partial retirement from his job would kick in when he turned fifty-five in another nine months and he could not wait to get his first check.

For the most part, Peggy and Walt ignored him because they both knew that any comment from them would only extend the rant. They exchanged glances several times during the tirade and winked and made little faces at each other.

Shifting in his chair, Walt tried to get comfortable with his stump sticking straight out from his seat. Peggy's leg brushed against it several times during dinner and each time it happened, she jerked away and Walt could see her face and chest, color in a blush.

The last time that their legs touched, he tried to get her to look at him but she avoided direct eye contact. He finally grasped her hand and held it for a moment when she passed him the salt.

"Thank you," he said and smiled at her before releasing her hand.

The kiss was still fresh in his mind and he wondered how she felt about it. Her sudden rush to the bathroom indicated that she was affected by it and he wondered how she reacted to it.

"I'll help you," Walt offered after they finished their dessert.

"How are you going to do that," Martin said on his way back to his chair. "You can't walk."

"Martin!" Peggy warned.

"It's OK, mom. I'll rinse if you bring them to the sink."

Leaning against the sink, he was able to rinse the dishes in preparation for stacking them in the dishwasher. Peggy made several trips back and forth to carry the items to him from the table and the range.

Each time she reached around him to add the dishes to the sink, he could feel her breasts touch his back. He imagined that she was doing it on purpose but he could not be sure and he did not want to do anything that would freak her out.

"That's it," she reported after putting the last of the pots into the sink. "I'll take care of these, you go ahead and sit down."

Walt pivoted on his leg and leaned back against the counter top.

He could see tears in her eyes when he faced her.

"What's wrong? Please, don't cry," he said and reached for her.

She let him draw her closer to him and said, "Don't pay any attention to him, he's got a mean streak in him. He's feeling depressed because he's not working. It is upsetting to him that we're living on your father's annuity. If it were not for that, I would have to get a job. As soon as he starts getting his pension things will get better."

Walt wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him. She wiped her eyes with the back of her fingers before turning her head and resting it on his shoulder.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

They both knew what she was talking about without the need to put a name to it.

"No, just a little ache now and then. That's because you're a good nurse. I'm going to keep you around."

"I've got news for you, you can't get rid of me. I'll be here for you as long as you need and want me."

"I'm going to need and want you forever," he whispered into her hair. "Forever."

Peggy turned her head and looked up at him in wonder. He was saying things that she wanted to hear, but at the same time something in the back of her head told her that they were flirting with danger.

She opened her mouth to speak but he didn't give her a chance to get any words out before his lips touched hers. Once again, it was not a lover's passionate kiss and he didn't move his lips against hers. He pressed his mouth against hers and kept his eyes open so he could see her reaction.

The move shocked her at first and she reacted by trying to pull away, but he held her tightly against him with her lips tingling and her chest feeling like it would explode. Succumbing to the moment, she closed her eyes and let their joined lips speak for themselves.

Ray watched her eyes flutter shut and still holding onto her waist he closed his own and moved his mouth gently against her lips. He felt her stiffen and he relaxed his grip on her waist expecting her to try and pull back again but she remained leaning against him.

Taking a chance, he softened his lips and teased his tongue against the outside of her upper lip. This time she gasped and broke their kiss. Opening her eyes, she stared into his for a long moment before releasing her grip on his shoulders and stepping back out of his arms.

Still looking into her eyes, he repeated, "I love you, mom."

Trying to break the spell, Peggy absently wiped her hands on her apron and said, "Move away Marine. I'm on mess duty here."

She picked up his crutches and handed them to him. Taking them, he stepped sideways to give her room and picking up a sponge, she replaced him at the sink.

She looked down at the water and said so quietly that he could barely hear her, "I love you too, now go away."

Walt went into the family room and sat on the sofa as far away from Martin's chair as he could get. Martin was awake and complaining that his back hurt.

"I wouldn't have had to take that damn job at the furniture store and I wouldn't have hurt my back if those damn Republicans weren't in the White House," he said.

Walt ignored him with full knowledge that if he said anything it would only provide fuel for him to continue. Eventually Martin fell asleep and Walt changed the channel to a game show and prepared to while away the evening watching the tube.

He was dozing a little when Peggy came into the room and, after taking a look at Martin, sat on the other end of the sofa from Walt. He woke up and noticed that she had changed into her silk pajamas and robe. Tucking her bare feet up under her, she picked up the remote and displayed the guide on the screen.

"Anything good on tonight?" she asked in a low voice.

"No, nothing earth shattering," he replied at the same volume.

Walt could feel her looking at him after she clicked the screen back to the game show. Turning towards her, he levered himself up so that his left leg was on the sofa and his stump was hanging out over the edge.

"Does it hurt tonight?" she asked in that same low voice.

"No, it's OK," he answered and reached down to rub it.

"How's your leg," he asked with a smile.

"It's OK too," she replied.

He noticed that they were both talking in soft voices so as not to wake Martin.

"Two cripples staying home on a Saturday night," he laughed softly.

"You're not crippled," she admonished him. "You'll be fine. I know it."

"I know it too, mom. With you helping me, I can do anything. Thanks."

"Son?"

"Yes, mom?"

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way but why don't you go out with your friends anymore? Is it because of your leg?"

"No, not really. It's just that they moved on with their lives while I was away and we don't have too much to talk about."

"Whatever happened to Lisa? You and she seemed to be close before you left."

A look of pain crossed his face and he paused before he answered.

"She wrote to me for a while but it sort of died out and she stopped answering my emails. She said she was too busy or that she never got some of them."

"You saw her on your last leave before they ... you know, took off the rest."

"Amputated is the word, mom. It's OK to say it. Yes, but I think she was embarrassed to be seen with me. It was an awkward evening, her having to drive and all and with me trying to get around on my crutches. I wasn't too good with them at first. It's OK, I'm fine."

"Embarrassed? How could she be like that? You're a hero, not someone to be embarrassed about."

"Thanks, mom, I just don't think she's mature enough for me anymore."

"I'm going to get a beer, do you want one?" she asked.

"No. I'm not supposed to drink while I'm taking these pills. How about a soda?"

"I'll be right back."

Walt sat back and reflected on his last date with Lisa. She told him that she was afraid of hospitals so she had not visited him while he was there. She came to the house on the day he came home and the look on her face when she saw him in his wheelchair told all.

She stared at the spot where his missing leg used to be and when she bent over to give him a hug and a kiss, he knew that it was over. She treated him like a leper and seemed afraid to touch him. She agreed to a date the next night but she showed up with a girlfriend and a guy he didn't know.

They helped him get into the car and putting his wheelchair into the trunk, they drove to the local bar where they used to hang out. Everyone was happy to see him and, even though he was not supposed to drink alcohol on top of his medication, they bought him beer after beer.

He couldn't very well dance and he watched as Lisa danced with the guy who he thought was her girlfriend's date. It turned out that he was really Lisa's boyfriend and she had been seeing him for several months.

After he realized that the whole date thing was a sham, he proceeded to get drunk and tell war stories to the guys and gals around the bar. At some point, Lisa and her boyfriend left without even saying goodbye. At least, they were considerate enough to leave his wheelchair for him.

The girlfriend she had brought with her stayed and got drunk along with him. At the end of the night, a high-school buddy and his date volunteered to take him home. Walt and the girlfriend necked in the back seat of the car during the drive and he even got to play with her tits. He promised to call her but he never did and he could not even remember her name.

Before he joined the Marines, he and Lisa had enjoyed an infrequent sex life whenever they got the chance to be alone. They each lived with their parents and they couldn't afford motels so they used her small car or each other's houses if their parents were going to be gone for any length of time.

The fear and revulsion that showed so blatantly in her face when she saw him, told him that it was all over between them. His sex life was reduced to reading porn magazines and masturbating. His buddies would invite him out with them and he had joined them a few times. He found that it wasn't the greatest of times since he tried not to drink.

The one good thing he got from their nights out was the stop at the local porno shop where he could pick up a new magazine to help fuel his fantasies.

The sound of Peggy's voice brought him back to reality, "Here you go, a beer for me, a soda for you."

She sat in the middle of the sofa and they watched television with very little conversation. At one point, Martin woke up and declared he was going to bed. Peggy followed him but she returned after a few minutes with a clean sock and the cream for his leg.

"Let me check that for you, honey," she said. "Move over so I'm on your right side."

Walt shuffled over to the center of the sofa and Peggy sat down in his place. When she turned and pulled her leg up to rest on the sofa cushion, he realized that she was no longer wearing her pajama pants.

She moved closer to him and he shifted so that his stump was resting on the inside of her bent leg. She kept her other foot on the floor and the only thing that kept him from being able to see her crotch was the drape of her robe hanging down between her legs.

Gently pulling the sock and the sterile pad off of his leg, she examined it closely and declared that it looked fine. Twisting in her seat, she turned off the lamp on the table next to the sofa leaving the glow of the television screen as the only illumination.

Walt thought he could see her panties when she twisted to turn off the light but he couldn't be sure. The flash of white that he saw could have been the tail of her pajama top. Regardless of what it was, he felt a stir in his loins and the start of an erection.

Picking up the remote, she muted the sound on the television before squeezing a glob of cream into her hand. Rubbing her hands together to warm it, his mother gently rubbed it into his skin. The doctors told them that it would be better if the skin was kept soft so that it would not pull and hurt as the incisions healed.

Walt watched her face as she concentrated on massaging the cream into his stump. It may have been his imagination but he thought that she was rubbing higher up on his thigh than she usually did. His erection continued to swell and glancing down, he could see it laying alongside of his leg and pushing out his shorts.

He could barely see her face in the dimly lit room but Peggy's hands went higher and higher on his leg until she suddenly stopped. The television screen brightened at that moment and he could see her staring at his erection. Seeming to catch herself, she shook her head and glanced up at him to see if he had caught her.

"I think that's enough," she said as if she were talking to herself. "Let me put the sock back on it."

While she was putting the covering back on his stump, he squeezed a little of the cream onto his hand and waited for her to finish.

"My turn," he said and placed his hand on her thigh.

She made no response but he watched her open her thighs with a little movement of her leg as she slid it slightly towards the back of the sofa. He gently rubbed the cream into her thigh about where he thought the lump should be. He could not feel it anymore but he kept up with his massage anyway.

Peggy gave a little sound of contentment, closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the sofa. Walt rubbed her thigh from her knee up as far as he dared to go. He wanted to continue to inch upwards on her thigh but he was afraid to go too far and ruin the moment.

Her leg moved again as she brought her knee up a little more to open her thighs even more. He could now see her panties and he took this as a sign to continue. Each time his hand moved from her knee upwards he came another inch closer to her crotch. He thought he could feel her heat on his fingertips and was debating whether or not to go higher when she lifted her head from the sofa back and rested her hand on his.

"Easy there, honey," she whispered. "Not too far, OK?"

"Feel good?" he asked her.

"Feels wonderful," she agreed. "But I think we'd better stop for now."

Sitting up on the sofa, she brought both feet to the floor and looked at him.

"Thank you, honey," she said and kissed him gently on the lips.

"No, thank you, mother," he added and raising his arm, he pulled her head back towards him.

His kiss was a little firmer than hers and he held it a little longer. Once again, he let his lips soften and he touched her with his tongue. This time, she allowed her lips to relax against his. Taking this as a good sign, his let his tongue tentatively creep between them. She did not meet his tongue with her own but she waited a long moment before she pulled back.

"Good night," she said firmly and got up from the sofa.

"I couldn't feel the lump in your leg tonight. My massages must be working," he said.

"That's because it's on the other leg," she giggled. "Good night, I'll see you tomorrow."

Walt lay in bed with his hand still holding his softening erection. He could not believe what had just happened out in the family room. He hoped that something was growing between he and his mother that she had not seen before. He vowed to take it slow and not frighten her in any way, but his goal was to make love to her and for her to make love to him.

On the other side of the wall and barely ten feet away from Walt's bed, his mother lay on her side with her back towards Martin. She had her hand trapped between her thighs and her thumb was gently rubbing her panty crotch. It was many years since she had masturbated but the desire had come back to her after her little episode with Walt.

"Jesus," she said to herself. "What's the matter with you? You're technically married and he's your son, you idiot."

Rolling over onto her back, she lifted her knee and placed her foot flat on the bed. Martin continued to snore beside her and she wondered what had happened to their relationship. Her years with Walt's father had been wonderful and when he died she thought she was going to die also.

Martin came along a few years after Walter, Sr.'s death. He was also widowed and she was hungry for companionship and intimacy. Even though he was twelve years older than she was, she felt that if she married him, she could be happy again.

Walt accepted Martin as his mother's partner but never as his stepfather. They were polite to each other and he never gave any indication that he didn't like the way Martin treated her.

"If he makes you happy, than I'm happy," he told his mother.

Shortly after they decided to get married, they discovered that she would lose Walter, Sr.'s pension if she remarried. Against her better judgment, but without much choice, they decided to live together without making it legal. They exchanged commitment rings and lived as husband and wife. Peggy owned her own home so Martin moved in with her.

The first few years of their relationship were fine. Martin seemed content and they lived well but it all changed when Walt decided to join the Marine Corps. Martin had not served in the military and Peggy detected some jealously in his comments about her son. He also complained that she started paying too much attention to Walt during the months between his enlistment and his leaving for boot camp.

Peggy had tried to pay more attention to Martin but he seemed to be pulling farther and farther away. The last straw came when he was laid off. He fell into a depression and blamed everybody and everyone for his problems. He railed on about Bush and his war for hours on end.

Peggy got tired of listening to him and one day she snapped and told him, "Go get a job and stop blaming everybody else. You haven't moved off of your fat ass for three months now and I'm tired of listening to you complain."

She regretted her outburst but it was too late to take it back and Martin stomped out of the house. That was the last time that he had touched her. He carried it even to the point where he didn't kiss her goodnight. He was not overtly angry towards her but when she attempted to kiss him hello or goodbye, he turned his head and she had to kiss him on the cheek.

He refused to accompany her on her visit to Parris Island for Walt's graduation from boot camp and he never asked her for any details about her visit after her return. Eventually she stopped trying and resigned herself to a marriage without intimacy. That is until Walt came back from Iraq.