Author's note: This chapter has absolutely no sex in it and is entirely story-driven. That said, the events which occur in this chapter are pivotal and important to the overall outcome.
I have thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated all of the feedback and comments sent to me thus far. All of you have done a credible job of inspiring me to continue with this storyline. I shall do my utmost to give you the best that I can as long as you continue to keep a dialogue with me and let me know how I'm doing. Please vote and keep the feedback coming!
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Woe! Lament! Heartbreak! If a soul could speak, these are the words that mine would have uttered on Monday, August 22nd, 2007. My wife, my lovely woman and vibrant friend and the other half of my heart, is gone. Never again will she be by my side, act as my guide and refuge when I know not where to go or what to do. I saw my love, the mother of my only child, expire from this world and move on to the Next with my own two eyes and, as you might expect, I broke completely in two.
The day after my sordid and completely sinful day with Kelly, fullfilling her tawdry fantasy, I awoke in my bed. Again, Kelly was peacefully asleep next to me, breathing quietly as dawn's early rays began to fill the room. After our tryst the day before, she allowed me to recover and relax from my exertions while she puttered around the house and cleaned up almost a week's worth of my mess. In truth, there wasn't much to clean up since I had kept after myself while I was Between, but there were some odds and ends that needed looking to while I slept. And, true to her word, she respected my wishes about having sex in the bed that Sarah and I shared- when she crawled into bed with me late that night, she didn't lay a hand on me except to gently kiss me goodnight on my forehead and thank me again for making her dream come true. After that, though, she curled up next to me and went blissfully to sleep while I did the same.
My time in the Between had been long indeed, as I said almost a week, but it had taken its toll on me. I wasn't necessarily tired, per se, but coming back to Normal Time, it seemed, took some adjustment on my part. My mind, I guess, had become accustomed to being in a perfectly still and quiet world and, when I came back to Normal Time, all the movement and activity of the outside world sort of taxed my mind a bit. My body was as fit as ever and I felt supremely better than I had in my entire life, but I was mentally drained and could think of nothing but sleep after I'd taken a nice, hot, long shower. It was strange, I must say, to work it out in my head that, while a week had passed for me, it had only been less than an hour for everyone else on Earth. Perhaps there's some sort of strange time-dilation effect that occurs on a mental level, like my bioligical clock needed to be reset before I could truly reintegrate with the rest of the world. I'm not entirely sure, but I was definitely keen on getting as much rest as I humanly could, almost like having jet lag. So I slept all that night and woke up early the next morning, feeling much better and more aware of my surroundings. The most amazing thing, though, was a change that I hadn't even really paid much attention to at the time: I'd quit smoking. It wasn't an act of will to quit, either. I just... quit wanting them and they never entered my mind anymore, like I'd somehow forgotten that I ever smoked at all.
I glanced at the alarm clock next to me, sitting quietly and inobtrusively on the night stand table, and saw that it was only just after 6 AM. I'd gone to bed sometime around 6 PM the day before and enjoyed a deep, dreamless sleep. When I woke, however, my body began to send signals to my brain that could not be denied: bladder relief and hunger clamored in my head loudly, screaming for attention and priority. Not wanting to make a mess of things, I ambled into the master bathroom, leaving my beautiful and sultry daughter lifelessly asleep in bed, and did my first order of business. When I emerged, I regarded the messy bed in which I'd just left. Kelly was still in it, but she'd kicked off the covers to reveal a blessedly naked body. In that morning light Kelly glowed like a beacon and I felt such incredible pride for this amazing creature that Sarah and I had brought into this crazy world. So adorable in her slumber was she that I could not bring myself to wake her. Instead I quietly left the bedroom, not even bothering to get dressed (I was completely naked, too), and went downstairs to see if I could rustle up some breakfast. My stomach, it seemed, had begun to speak to me not just in one clear language, but in several- it would not be denied any longer.
While both Sarah and Kelly are masters in the kitchen, I'm no slouch, either. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes I had constructed a rather impressive meal of pancakes, eggs, bacon, freshly-squeezed orange juice and the coffee was well on its way to percolating, sending out its odiferous siren song throughout the house. As I cooked, I happily grazed and nibbled on the bacon until Kelly came into the kitchen, still naked, her hair a mess and somewhat slouched over. As she slowly made her way towards me, I could see that she walked with a slight limp. She approached me and hugged me tightly.
"G'morning, Daddy," she said sleepily. She looked past my shoulder and saw the food behind me on the counter. "Mmmm," she cooed, "that looks good. But there sure is a lot of it."
I chuckled as I returned the embrace, enjoying the feeling of my daughter's soft skin beneath my hands. "What can I say, honey? I'm hungry. Your old man worked up one hell of an appetite yesterday. This is the first real meal I've had in almost a week, y'know?"
Kelly released me from the hug and stood back looking a little surprised. "Oh, wow," she said. "That's right. From your perspective, you've been gone a long time. I'm sorry, Dad. I should've prepared something for you last night."
I smiled down at her sweetly and said, "It's okay, Kelly. Last night I was more tired than I was hungry. I doubt I would've had the energy to wait. But now?" I turned and picked up the plate of eggs and bacon and handed them to her. "I could eat a bear."
Kelly held up the plate of bacon. "Will a pig do?"
"In a pinch," I said.
Kelly took a step back and gave a long, low whistle as she surveyed my body. "Wow, Dad, you really DID shape up, didn't you? I mean, look at you: you've got six-pack abs. I don't think I've ever seen you in better shape." She raised a hand to feel my left pectoral muscle and nodded appreciatively. I just stood there as she examined my new physique, feeling a little self-conscious about it, but willing to let her admire for a minute. "Nice tone and definition, Dad. Seriously. There's guys my age who would kill to have a bod like yours." She gave me a stern look and added, "Now don't you dare lose that. Keep working out and eat lots of protein. Take it from someone who knows: if you let yourself go now, everything will be ten times worse and you'll gain more weight than before."
I gave her a lopsided smile and said, "Sweetheart, if I didn't know better, I'd think that you want me to stay like this for selfish reasons."
"Oh, I most definitely do!" she said with unabashed honesty. "I mean, Dad, girls DREAM of finding a guy like you. Wise, honest, kind, strong, well-built, dependable, caring, handsome... Dad, you are, officially, a hottie. And when Mom sees the new you, well... lucky Mom. And, until she does, hell, lucky me!"
I gave my daughter a quick kiss on her forehead in thanks and then grabbed the stack of pancakes.
After we set the table, I started to fill my plate up with food and said, "I notice you've got a bit of a limp. Are you okay?"
