Mother's Helping Hand

The next day Karen felt so confident in Josh's progress that she spent a few hours at the office. She had been able to keep up with her work and her project deadline was approaching. So things on that front were doing fine. But as she was chatting with Meg, her co-worker her hand twitched. She almost spilled her coffee.

"You okay?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," she frowned. "It's just this carpel-tunnel thing. It seems to be coming back with a vengeance."

"Have you been straining yourself lately?"

"I suppose," she said. "What with Josh's hands the way they are I have to - I have to, um, well it's like I have to do everything I ordinarily do, but do it twice."

"Yeah," Meg said. "That'll give you some strain. You have a wrist-wrap?"

"Two."

"That bad?" she said shaking her head. "So listen, I'll set up a voice-mail box special. You can call in and dictate. Sandy will transcribe. With all you have to do these days it's the least we can do to help you."

"That is so nice!"

Josh thought so too. But as she walked about the house with both wrists wrapped he had to wonder. The wraps didn't just clutch her wrists, but wrapped around her thumb and palm with a metal plate that ran from her arm to just below her fingers. But he didn't say anything. They showered that night and she took them off to clean him. But that's all that she did. It was okay, he figured. He could hold out a while.

But that while began to get long. And they both knew it. He was getting grumpy and she was getting frustrated. She knew that his need would rise soon, but as willing as her spirit was she wondered about her weak flesh.

It was Saturday night and he had finally worked up the courage to invite Jamie over. Karen insisted that she come for dinner. Josh was at first mortified at the thought. She'd see him being fed like a baby.

"Well she saw that when she visited you in the hospital," Karen said. "In fact she even helped you and you two were all giggles about that."

"But that was in the hospital," he protested. "I was wearing that stupid hospital gown and there were all those hospital monitors and things, and it was okay because it was a hospital."

"Your logic would confound Plato himself."

"Don't you see?" he said almost whining. "That was different. It's different here. Here I'm home and I'm dressed regular and it's just different."

"I know what to do," Karen said.

At first Josh thought that she was crazy. She had rented a movie, sent out for pizza and set up the living room. And at first Karen thought that she was indeed crazy. Jamie showed up all bubbly and concerned and that was just fine. But she was dressed in a pair of Daisy-Duke cut-offs and a very tight ribbed tank-top. The girl was a stunner, and she saw the look in Josh's eyes. She also saw a look in Jamie's eyes and so she dared to hope.

Her plan worked out. Jamie and Josh were back to giggling and joking as she sat next to him, all curled up and feeding him. Josh looked happy and relaxed. The kids asked what movie she had rented.

"It's an old film, but quite charming. It's called Edward Scissorhands. Ever hear of it?"

They both shook their heads. They looked at the cover and then looked at each other. But when they saw it was one of Johnny Deep's early works they got a little excited. Then they were captivated. And when the romantic scene between Edward and Kim came on Karen's phone rang. It was Meg, and right on time.

Karen left the room to take the call. In the kitchen she and Meg had a good laugh over their successful little plot to leave the kids alone. The two chatted on the phone until Jamie had to leave. Josh and Jamie asked if she could come back the next day and the two could hang out by the pool. Karen was more than happy. After the girl left and Karen was cleaning up the pizza, she asked,

"So what did you think of the movie?"

"Kinda weird," he said as if in a daze. "But kinda cool too."

High praise, she thought.

But as she was finishing up she saw that he was curled up on the couch. Then she saw his erection. Then she saw the look in his eyes. She smiled, got the towel and lotion. She dimmed the lights, got on her knees, and hoped.

Then she cursed herself for trying. He was as hard as he had ever been, but she was not able to perform. The moment she had taken off her wrist wraps she felt the twangs of pain. And as she tried to caress and stroke him, her hands cramped and the pangs were causing her to jerk and twitch, then she snagged his flesh with a fingernail. He yelped.

"Oh I'm sorry," she cried.

"It's okay," he said. "It was nothing. Really. It's okay."

"Oh Josh, I am so sorry."

"I know," he said.

He was beginning to fade. She slumped. Then he sat up, leaned in and with his bandaged hand he lifted her chin.

"Look mom," he said. "It's really okay. You've done so much to help me. It's okay. Kind of crazy when you think about it. I mean here I am not able to - you know, because of my hands. And now it's your hands. Kind of weird, isn't it?"

They both chuckled.

"Makes you wonder," he said. "What Edward did."

"Probably why he was so pale."

They both laughed.

"Poor guy," she said. "But at least we know that you'll get your hands back soon. Still, I wish there was something that I could do. I feel so . . . helpless."

"Well," he said with a sort of innocent shrug. "You know, I've heard, I mean sometimes, like sometimes I've heard of people using, um, like using their . . . mouths."

She wasn't startled. She wasn't shocked. She knew that he was just thinking logically. And logically it made sense. Sort of. But there was something about the thought that made her think more than twice. She looked at him, and she truly felt sad.

"I . . . "she said hesitating. "I don't think that I could do that. I don't know. It just seems like it's crossing some line. I just don't . . ."

"It's okay! Look, it was just a thought, but I see what you mean. So anyway, it was a great night. Thanks. Really. So let's go to bed now. Okay?"

She lay awake, unable to stop thinking. The night had gone so well. She had managed to turn his humiliation into something exciting and playful. Jamie got into it. She had chosen the right movie and she had engineered her absence perfectly. But when it came time to put the climax on things she had failed. She knew that it wasn't her fault. If only there was something else she could have done for him. She thought about his suggestion, but that was just out. She finally fell asleep, still wondering.

In the morning shower he was as hard as iron. She tried to ignore it and he let her. She knew that he had his need, but he didn't ask. Still, she knew that she needed to do something, and she was determined to figure it out.

When Jamie arrived she told the kids that she needed to get some important work done. She and Jamie made lunch and Jamie said that she would take care of things while Karen shut herself up in her study. They promised to not disturb her. And there was no reason why they would. They took Josh's laptop and phone out by the pool and Jamie became Josh's fingers. And whatever it was that so captivated the two kept them there all afternoon.

In her study Karen shut the door. She thought it ironic how that with her wrist-wraps she could do pretty much anything - except what she needed to do. She got on her computer and - and she didn't know what to look for. Where should she start? She knew that the answer was out there somewhere, if she knew the right question. She tried the obvious.

'My son needs sexual relief'

What she got was a lot of article regarding adolescents with autism. Not her case.

'My son can't masturbate'

Again - autism. And then a lot of tips on how to get kids to stop jerking off. Nope.

'I need to help my son climax'

She was deluged with porn sites.

She spent over an hour frustrated like that. She went into the kitchen for more coffee, and as she was pouring she saw Nurse Lauren's card stuck to the refrigerator. She dashed back to her office and called the woman. She didn't tell her exactly what she was looking for but rather explained that she was hoping that maybe there's be some sort of support group. Lauren gave her three. She scored on the first one.

There was a chat-room. She made up a name for herself. She had some nice chats with other mothers in similar circumstances. They talked about tips. They talked about this and that. And when Karen brought up the question of showering no one seemed bothered. They talked about using gloves, or weird sponges, and one woman went on and on about some strange device she had built. Everyone seemed obsessed with avoidance.

Doesn't anybody touch? she typed.

The lack of response was deafening. They went back to household tips. They ignored her. She was crestfallen and a little embarrassed. She was about to quit and go find another site when someone invited her to a private chat.

Karen praised the wonders of the world-wide-web. She had within hours found someone who was going through almost the exact same thing. The woman called herself Bridgette, and they talked about their feelings and Karen was overjoyed to talk with someone who understood. She had always kept buried in her soul the idea that what she was doing was immoral. But as the two typed back and forth about their feelings of genuine need to help their sons in their ultimate frustration Karen felt so reassured. They talked about how they had found a sense of maternal pride each time they would bring their son to climax. They even talked about technique.

But when Karen told of her own problems with her hands, Bridgette didn't hesitate.

"Have you tried oral?" she wrote.

"No."

"Are you afraid?"

"Yes."

"Are you afraid because you feel that you will be crossing a line, or because you are inexperienced?"

Karen hesitated. She was amazed at how bold and confident the woman was. She didn't want to seem shy. She had found a real confidant and she needed that confidence.

"Both," she typed.

Bridgette sent her a smiley face. Then she said that she understood. Karen's heart flooded with relief. Bridgette talked about her own battle with the idea, and as they chatted Karen came to see the act as simply a logical extension. It wasn't something that she would have chosen to do, but it just made sense.

She was actually disappointed when Bridgette had to go. But she had to ask one more question.

"How - how do I do it?"

Bridgette seemed to pause, but then a moment later a website popped onto her screen. Karen quickly copied it. They said goodbye and promised to chat again.

Trembling a little, Karen got up to fix her own lunch. It was almost after one. Jamie was bringing things back into the kitchen.

"How are you two doing?" she asked.

"Great," the girl smiled. "I'm getting Josh updated on Facebook and answering tweets and getting him caught up with everyone."

"Well I could have done that," Karen said. But Jamie gave her a look. "Okay, I suppose I couldn't."

"How's work going?" the girl asked.

"Oh . . . productive. Very productive."

Back at her computer she pasted the link onto her browser.

Fellatio 101

She wavered. Then she clicked enter. The site looked professional enough. The woman who came on the screen was an animated image, but a very good one. She talked about the joys of oral sex and praised its virtues. She went on like that a while and Karen fidgeted. Twice she found herself looking around to make sure that she was really alone. After what seemed like a high school lecture the animations switched to a man's penis and a woman's mouth. The mouth was a cutaway.

"The most important thing to remember when performing fellatio," the voice-over said. "Is to remember that teeth can irritate a man's penis if used incorrectly . . ."

Karen started taking notes.

After Jamie had to leave that afternoon Josh sat alone by the pool. It had been a good day. Of the many things they talked about he had told of how much his mom was a help. Jamie thought that was sweet and declared that he should do something nice for her. Josh asked her what. She said that she didn't know, but would help him think of something. And when she said that Josh felt good, because that meant that she would be coming back.

The April days were getting warmer. Josh and Karen had a light supper outside. He could tell that his mom was distracted. She'd been cooped up in her study all day and he figured that she was just tired. But after she had cleaned the dishes she emerged back outside wearing her yoga clothes. She had her hair up and she took him by the arms and said that it was time for his exercises. That was when he knew that something was on her mind. She had her regular gym routine, but she never worked out at home, unless she had something to work out in her mind.

He happily joined her in the work-out. Her black yoga pants hugged her form as though they were sprayed on. When she stood straight she had a small thigh-gap at the top of her legs and the fabric nestled into the little vee between her legs. She was bare between her waist and her top and her creamy skin was smooth and firm. Her pink spandex sports bras was stunning. It held and covered her breasts tight and firm, but it didn't quite suppress her nipples. As they did their routines he kept stealing glances.

Her body wiggled and jiggled as she bent and stretched. The fabric of her pants would tighten around her ass and it almost looked sheer at times. Her bra was soon soaked with her sweat and as she moved he could tell that her tits were sliding around underneath. When she would bend one way or twist the other he could catch small glimpses of that lovely line where the two mounds met. And when she jumped or lunged they would flop up and down, along with her graceful cheeks.

And despite being winded and his heart rate rising from the exercises, he was getting aroused.

After almost an hour they stopped. They caught their breath and congratulated each other on a job well done. Then it was time for a shower. Karen removed her wrist-wraps and they stepped into the glass enclosure fully clothed. Karen said that it would be good to rinse out their sweaty clothes. And as the water cascaded and clung to her elastic fabric he thought that her form was so beautiful.

Then she began to strip. She peeled of the pants. She was wearing white cotton panties that clung her cheeks. He saw the place where her buns parted, the cotton crossing over and covering her crack. She held the pants under the water a bit, then wrung them out and hung them up.

"Now, avert your eyes please," she said.

"What? Oh."

She had her thumbs under the bottom band of her bra. Josh could hear the water splashing as it pooled between her breasts. He turned away, but even as he did he saw the hand mirror that she would use to shave her legs and armpits. It was hanging off the rack. He turned slightly and he had a fraction of a view of one side of her. She pulled the bra off and as she did her breast was pulled up in such a provocative way. Then as the elastic slid over her nipple her breast flopped back down. He gazed in wonder. This time there was no flickering TV light, but the soft radiance of sunshine and her breast seemed to glow.

She seemed slightly hung up as she pulled the top over her head and Josh feasted on the vision. But even as she freed herself she stepped out of his view. He heard her wringing out her bra. And a moment later she said,

"It's okay now."

He turned to see her in her old tee-shirt. The raining water quickly soaked the cotton and the way the white fabric hung and stuck to her chest she might as well have been nude. The bottom of the shirt caressed her slender waist and below she was still in her panties.

She must not have realized how she looked so wet and gleaming. She helped him undress, rinsed and hung his clothes and went about their routine as she always had. She did his hair, she lathered and washed his body and legs, and when she worked under his shorts she found him almost fully erect.

Neither said anything about that. And later that night as they watched the ball-game he never said anything about the lotion.

Again Karen couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned. She got up in the middle of the night. She checked that he was sound asleep. Then she went into her study and quietly shut the door.

"The most important thing to remember when performing fellatio . . ."