Days of Darkness

Chapter 18

Oh dear God!" Betty yelled from the bedroom. Natalie looked at me then at Betty's bedroom door. I tried not to laugh, but I couldn't help it. We could hear windows being slammed open and four letter words emanating from Betty. Natalie squinted her eyes at me, trying to understand.

"Uhm," I stuttered, "I felt that...I mean I knew she pooped." Natalie's head slanted as she considered me, "it's getting stronger," I added, remembering the carpet burn. Betty burst through the bedroom door.

"I can't breathe," Betty said, gasping for breath. The smell followed her out of the room and thankfully, Natalie smiled as she lifted her finger to block her nostrils.

"I'm sorry," I said to Natalie as I reached for the bag that contained the diapers. The real meaning of love is sacrificing everything for the target of that love. Natalie followed me into the gas chamber without a thought. Love could ask for nothing more. Together we cleaned up the sewage and wrapped Teegan in a fresh diaper after a liberal powdering. I walked outside, barefoot, and tossed the offending diaper into the trash can that was thankfully well away from the cabin.

She loves you so much," Natalie said quietly when we were finally alone again. My idiocy fed my doubts, filling my head with things that shouldn't be considered. Teegan was such a powerful d**g, and I knew what drugs did to people.

"Is what we have real?" I asked. I feared how much was just a fantasy imposed by a small child. I was losing what I was, not that it was worth keeping.

"It is to me," Natalie stated, moving closer. I looked at her, my heart wanting to explode at what it saw as the most perfect women in the world. She was everything I ever wanted or would ever need. Selfishly, I ignored what could be a warped sense of reality.

"I love you," I said with pure honesty. The robe hit the floor in the flickering shadowy flames of the fire I had seen before in a dream . A fantasy, dressed in nothing but socks, became my world. Natalie was my reality.

.14 - Sam

A blinding pain woke me from a dream I would never remember. I squinted my eyes as I sat up, quickly trying to decide what part of my brain someone just drove a nail through.

"You poor thing," Natalie said from the other side of the room. I blinked my eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden light. The sun had obviously been up for a while.

"That has got to hurt," Betty added. I opened one eye as Natalie scooped up Teegan in her arms. Betty moved close, her hands moving Teegan's hair about on the back of her head, looking for an injury. I lifted my hand to the back of my head and couldn't feel the bump I expected. "Barely a bump," Betty continued, "sounded worse than it was I guess." Natalie cuddled Teegan close in sympathy, kissing the back of her head, exactly where the pain was growing on mine. Where was my kiss?

I tried to stand up but lost my balance and landed on my a*s before I even found my feet. Betty laughed and turned away quickly. Natalie, laughing as well, moved quickly to my side with Teegan in her arms. She pulled the blanket back over my n***d body.

"Sorry," Betty announced as she moved toward the bedroom to give me a few minutes. The humor in her tone told me she wasn't that sorry. I suspected it was more the comedy than my physique that made her un-sorry.

"I should have woken you," Natalie said smiling, "you looked so comfortable I didn't want to disturb you." A soft good morning kiss accented her words. Memories of falling asleep in front of the fire came back to me. I tried to smile at the virility I displayed the night before. I winced at the pain in the back of my head.

"She bumped her head?' I asked.

"Yes," Natalie said with curiosity in her voice, "she crawled under the table and tried to sit up."

"She's crawling?" I asked, somewhat sad I didn't see it begin. I wasn't sure why it was important to me.

"Yep," Natalie replied as she sat down next to me. Teegan reached out to me in the most endearing manner. I had no choice but to take her in my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck, her cheek against mine. The world shifted as the bond became strongly evident.

Teegan apologized. Not in words, but in feelings. I could feel her distress at the pain I felt.

"It's okay, honey," I whispered, "It's not that bad." I caressed her back as I absorbed her remorse at causing me pain. Love overwhelmed me. I was a father who could do what every father had desired since the beginning of time. I could take her pain onto myself.

Natalie, as smart as she was, searched the back of my head. I winced at the pressure. Her hand retracted quickly, and she moved slightly away in shock.

"She...she's projecting," Natalie stammered, "you feel her." I nodded. I no longer cared if I was being manipulated. As far as I was concerned, I was Teegan's father. Come hell or high water, I was there for her.

Through my child, I saw into Natalie. I could see the love she felt for me and her joy at the night before. I had never been someone's joy before. I smiled as her fantasies became apparent. Some were better left as dreams, others...well...I could cheat as well as her. My growing smile gave me away.

"Stop," Natalie said, her face blushing, "it's only fair if I do it." I now knew how she had seemed so attuned to my needs last night. I kissed Teegan's cheek before Natalie practically tore her from my arms.

"Don't you dare," I warned Natalie. I was smiling with as much malevolence as I could conjure into my eyes. "Tonight is mine." Natalie sucked in her breath and retracted her hand from Teegan's skin.

"Tonight is many hours away," Natalie stated. She had a hint of what I now knew. The thought of her under my passionate control was intoxicating. I wrapped one of the blankets around my waist and rose from the floor.

"Let me love you tonight," I negotiated, "last night was my dream. Tonight will be yours." I loved how her smile grew. I leaned forward and kissed her soft neck, then moved my lips next to her ear and whispered, "I have such devious plans." I loved the shudder that ran visibly down her body. I walked off, wrapped in the blanket, to get dressed. I knew she was watching me leave. I just wish I had the ability to wiggle my hips like she could.

We drove Betty to her sister's in Steele. The two-hour drive didn't seem long enough, goodbyes demanded more time. The people who bonded with Teegan were like family. They knew intimate things about us, feelings mostly, but intimate nonetheless. We knew the same of them, causing grief at separation, siblings at heart.

I was able to get by with a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. Natalie and Betty embraced for a lot longer. They shared something stronger, a knowledge that only sisters would understand. It was understandable although we only knew her for a couple of days. Drugs are like that, instantly friendly and world changing.

Natalie raided a portion of her savings while she was in town. I was lucky to have a ten bucks in my account. She, on the other hand, had been saving for years. She had to open a local account and execute an electronic transfer to change some to cash. It was not exactly a normal transaction these days and the bank was justified in their concern. ATM limits were just too small.

I felt rather domesticated when we stopped at the small grocery store in Steele. I pushed the cart, Teegan seated happily in the back facing me as we traveled the aisles. Natalie pulled things down from the shelves, comparing prices and quality, and loaded her choices into the cart. A situation I would have gagged at a few weeks ago. That day, it felt comfortable. Daddy pushing daughter and wife making decisions. I was the muscle and Natalie the brains.

Teegan was fun to tease. I would wheel the cart close to the colorful products on the shelves, just out of her reach. She would grunt as she strained to reach for them. I would drift away if she got close, slightly frustrating her until another product caught her eye.

"Stop teasing her," Natalie said with a smile. She meant it, though she said it in a kindly manner. I, being an obstinant male, moved Teegan close to the shelves of cereal. The boxes glowed with colorful cartoon characters begging for small hands. When she reached out this time, I let her get a hold of them as instructed. Unfortunately, I didn't consider her strength or the domino effect.

Teegan pushed sideways in her attempt to grab a box of Cap'n Crunch. I watched in surprise as a line of different brands of cereals began tumbling off the shelves. Teegan and Natalie laughed as I ran down the aisle putting boxes back on the shelf and knocking off more in the process.

"I'll take care of it, sir," a young pimply faced kid said as he jogged forward.

"I don't know him," Natalie said with a straight face as she pushed the cart farther down the aisle. I tried and failed to put another box on the shelf before I let the kid take over.

"Sorry, my kid got a hold of them," I said, handing one of the boxes to the kid. He rolled his eyes and put the box back on the shelf.. I turned, red-faced, and quickly caught back up to Natalie.