Keeping Company Ch. 04: Revisited

*******

When I phoned the Colson house Jodie picked up. She told me Jonathan was in town and wouldn't be home until dinner time. She invited me down knowing that I was the only one in the cabin. I accepted and told her I would see them at dinner.

The whole family showed up for dinner that evening, no doubt wanting news on Laurel. I wasn't sure that I could give them much. I wasn't sure what the repercussions would do to their relationship with their sister if I revealed the wrong information, but I knew I had to tell them something. I was grateful for the children being there because they were reluctant to grill me with them around.

The dinner ended and so was my reprieve. Two of the wives took the children outside after dinner as we moved to the family room and maneuvered chairs so that all could watch me; waiting for me to give them something about their sister and friend.

"I understand you need answers but I just don't have much to give you. She told me that you all have visited her. She wanted you to know how much comfort and strength she drew from your presence and she wanted to thank you for giving her the space she needed now."

I paused not knowing how to continue. I looked at the faces around me hoping to receive some sign or inspiration on where to go from here when my eyes rested on Tony and his wife. I remembered one of my many long talks with Hank. It was about Tony and what he and the family went through once he returned from Iraq. I hoped linking what Laurel is going through now to Tony's experience would help the family understand what their sister is going through.

"Tony when you were wounded in action and holed up in hospital, who came to visit you?"

Both Tony and his wife looked at each other, confused that I was asking this when they had all gathered to talk about Laurel.

"I was one of the lucky ones; the bullet went all the way through because I wasn't wearing my vest. Of course it did some damage and got me a medical discharge from the army. Dad came with mom and they brought Heather with them which I was grateful for."

His wife and he smiled at each other and held hands.

"What did it feel like when you came back home to the farm?"

Although his chest expanded with pride, his eyes gave away the sadness that he had to leave the army.

"The family welcomed me back and life settled into normality after a few months."

"Do you still have nightmares?"

At least with that question I knew I was on solid ground. Hank had told me on one of our many walks that his son had been on meds for months after his return and the nightmares made even his own wife scared to share a bed with him. The service got him a psychiatrist and after a few weeks life settled down for him.

"No sir the nightmares are all but gone now and so are the meds. Even went for my second check-up three weeks ago."

Although I directed my comments to Tony the rest of the family sat in silence, listening to everything.

"I remembered Hank telling me about how you struggled through boot camp because your drill sergeant busted you and everyone in your platoon's butt for any small infraction committed. I believe you called him that 'sadistic-ball-busting-son-of-a-bitch' or something to that effect."

Tony smiled, "Yeah, I remember him. I wanted to either kill him or go AWOL. Dad would've strung me up by the balls if I did either. We could do nothing right. The first six weeks were the worst for me but things got better once it started to sink in. There were a couple guys who could never get out of his doghouse. It turns out they ended up washing out. I actually went to thank him when I graduated from boot camp."

"How did it feel during those early weeks?"

Tony shook his head remembering those days and replied, "It was the worst days for me. I could not even walk without being reprimanded. I felt like my foundation was systematically demolished and I had no idea what would replace it."

"You told your dad later that you understood why he was the way he was. You said that he had to break you down and build you back up to be a good enough soldier to survive and thrive on the battlefield."

"Yeah, I'm here today because of him. I survived battered and bruised but lived because of that sadistic son of a bitch." Hannah took his hand and held it to her chest thankful her husband is still with her.

Jonathan watched, listened and said nothing. Realization dawned on him as I continued to talk to Tony. Although I was talking to Tony the rest of the family sat in silence and listened to everything intently.

"Laurel went through much of what you went through, Tony, except the rebuilding never happened. You had the chance to reach for a well-defined goal but she never did. Your sadistic asshole was an honorable man. He had definite goals in place for you to reach for and attain. He rewarded you for each of your successes. Laurel's sadistic bastard never gave her anything other than pain and suffering. He tore her essential self down for no other purpose than to watch her suffer. He tortured her for his own pleasure."

I saw the eyes of every man in the room turn steely and their jaws set ready to destroy the man who did this to their sister. There were tears of pain and anger from the women for their sister and friend. I am sure if I let it slip who did this to Laurel there would be nothing left of him when they were done.

Jonathan spoke for the first time. He growled, "Why did she let this happen?"

"Laurel is a wonderfully nurturing woman. She chose to become a vet because of it. She has a deep-seated need to nurture and serve her special someone. All she asks in return is someone to love her, guide her and protect her. Whoever she finally chooses would be a very lucky man."

Everyone around the room nodded in agreement. They have all seen this in Laurel.

"She is also someone who is most contented and happy under someone's command. She feels lost without this guidance. The sadistic bastard is a predator who recognized what Laurel was and drew her in with platitudes and attention. Once she was trapped he turned on her and started down the path to her destruction. Much like you, Tony, her foundation was systematically destroyed but instead of him building her back up he continued to pulverize her. It has gotten so bad that she believed she had no worth other than being his."

Again I looked at the people around the room. They were each deep in thought trying to digest everything I've told them this evening.

Jonathan asked, "Where do we go from here?"

Charlie caught my attention. Other than nod his head he said nothing. I continued to stare at him while I spoke, "First, this is who she is. She will always need someone over her."

I waited as they try to reconcile their beliefs with the reality of what their sister is. I felt bad for them. Their deep roots in God, the teachings of the Bible and this small community did not equip them of this.

I continued when I felt they were ready for me, "I just want you to know that the Laurel you knew is still there. She's still the sister you remember going off to college. She's still the same God fearing Christian as when she left. She has fought her submissive side for a very long time until the pressure to submit was too great."

This was the first time I used the 'S' word. They all looked like I slapped them when the word came out. I started again when they look like they were able to take more, "Please continue to love her and support her. She is Laurel and never ever lose sight of that."

They all nodded at that.

"Second, she is hurt and confused right now. She is trying to find her footing. I had Mandy take her back to the city. She will be staying with her for a couple of days while we see to her medical needs."

There were gasps as Jonathan asked, "Is she hurt? I didn't see anything like that when we picked her up."

"She has no broken bones or anything like that but we need to see if there's any permanent damage she's suffered."

There were growls at that revelation. I continued, "She has been through a great deal ... Tony, do you remember when you returned injured? Who helped you the most when you got back?"

Tony slowly replied, "Well, Hannah and these guys of course. My wife was my lifeline."

He looked around the room as he spoke, "But, there were times when I felt they could not really relate to what I've been through. I went to the VA so I could just talk to those who've been there. They were a big help, too." Hannah slid into Tony's lap as he was speaking. She held him tight as they shared a private moment.

"Laurel, in many ways, needs the same thing. Mandy is her group. Mandy can relate to Laurel in ways you cannot. It takes nothing from your bond with her much like Tony's sessions at the VA."

One by one the Colson family's eyes looked towards Jonathan and when the silence became uncomfortable for everyone in that room, he spoke.

"She is Laurel, the girl we all played with growing up. Tony, when you graduated and Dad asked you what you wanted to do with your life you told him you wanted to enlist. We had a party and two days later he drove you to the recruitment center to sign up. It was your life and none of us ever wanted to stand in your way. We all have to keep that in mind when we deal with Laurel."

His eyes scanned every family member in the room, pausing slightly longer on the wives present.

"Laurel is our sister she has chosen to come home to us and live at the cabin. I know, from speaking to Mandy, that it will take time for our sister to adjust. From what I've been told and what we just heard the scumbag she was with in college treated her real bad."

Jonathan pointed towards me.

"Mark here is going to help us get our sister back but it's going to take time and patience from all of us. If any of you struggle with that concept then remember Tony when dad brought him back from the hospital and how long that took for us all. I love my sister and vow to be patient and pray a lot. I can only suggest you all do the same. Laurel is a Colson remember that and we will get through this. Forget it and you have me to answer too."

I took my cue from Jonathan, "We will do everything in our power to help Laurel heal. We'll bring her back to the cabin when she's ready to be alone. We'll let the people who know how to heal her guide us in this area. I do not profess to be an expert to the inner workings of a person either physically or mentally. What I will tell you is that if everything works out like we hope Laurel will come back much better. She will still need time to recover from what she has gone through and find herself again. She will need something to occupy her time when she's back."

This time I looked towards Jonathan. "I would suggest we speed up the completion of the clinic. Also, it would do her good if she has work waiting for her whether it's complete or not."

The dinner broke up then, children were collected and the family went home. Jonathan and I talked on the porch as they left.

"I know none of this is easy for you or your family but I believe this is the only way. Once her focus is on her vet work then the rest will come but it will take time. One of the girls will be with her at all times so she won't ever be alone."

Jonathan watched Charlie swing his youngest around before opening the truck door and placing her in her child seat. He gave me a sidelong glance before continuing.

"You're not going to tell me the worst parts are you?"

This time I smiled.

"Even as head of this family there are some things that are best left unsaid. Your father trusted us and we hope you feel the same. Regardless we will deal with this and you will have your sister back but it has to be on her terms. Like you said in there, be patient."

*******

I woke with Wendy and Carol-Anne on either side of me. Wendy was awake and we both looked over at Carol-Anne to see if she was. Although her eyes were closed her breathing gave her away. When she finally opened her eyes she looked at us both.

Carol-Anne grumbled, "What? So, I was rode hard and put away wet. Blame the skinny redhead over there," while giving us a mock glare.

Both Wendy and I barked out our laughs shaking our heads.

"I didn't hear any complaints last night."

"Well, yeah, how could I when you kept my mouth occupied"

Wendy shrugged and said. "I had an itch that needed scratching so I scratched it all over her body when we got here."

I let the girls shower first while I started breakfast. They took over while I had mine. Carol-Anne joined me and washed my back before asking me to turn around. She was already on her knees when I did. Her hands went to my ass and held me in place as she licked me to hardness before ensconcing my cock in her wondrous mouth.

Carol-Anne wasted no time as the smell of breakfast reminding us of our hunger ... for food. Our years together left very few secrets between us. Carol's mouth demanded her due with a vengeance. When I was done she licked me clean and both of us grabbed a towel each drying ourselves on the way and sitting on the towels when we got to the kitchen. It was Wendy that started the conversation.

"I know we came up here without first talking with you but we all know from our past that you're focused on Laurel at the moment. You'll wear yourself down to a nub waiting for results. You have no patience when someone you feel responsible for is hurting. Amy is doing everything she can. She already has a PI tailing the bastard and a forensic accountant tearing his financials apart. We'll get him but it will take time. You have already arranged everything that needed arranging for Laurel so be patient. I warn you, if you don't relax the girls will fuck the living daylights out of you!"

I held her hand for a moment and gently squeezed it. The burp came from the other side of me.

We both looked at Carol, who shrugged and exclaimed, "Not my fault. I had a high protein shake before this big breakfast. It always makes me a little gassy. It's all your fault," as she slapped me on the shoulder.

The room filled with giggles and chuckles over Carol's antics. The girls brought me up to date with the rest of the news as we finished breakfast. Mandy had Laurel at her apartment and they were going to see Dr. Hartman later this morning. It seems that Mandy asked Carol-Anne to come up and join me. Wendy was already on her way to Carols for the weekend anyway so she tagged along.

After breakfast and cleanup we got dressed and went to see the progress on the new clinic. Jonathan was there doing the same. We looked over the plans and work in progress and come up with a few ideas. He said he would talk to the builders on Monday. We came to the conclusion that we would leave the final layout for Laurel to decide since this is her area and she knew where she wanted things.

Jonathan told us that the owners of the ranches in the area had heard that Laurel was back as a certified vet along with a clinic opening up for her. They are beginning to clamber for her to start her practice. It looked like she was going to be busy once the building was operational since the nearest vet was over seventy miles away. Thinking about the distances of Laurel's area of operations an idea struck me. I looked over at Jonathan and saw the same idea came to him.

We both yelled, "Van!"

Both Carol-Ann and Wendy looked at us and rolled their eyes as Carol-Ann stage whispered to Wendy, "Yelling monosyllabic non sequiturs at each other must be a guy thing."

Wendy whispered back, "No kidding. We would still be crawling around on all fours if it was up to them."

They proceeded to walked off laughing at their own jokes.

Jonathan and I looked at each other and shrugged as he said, "Me done. Me go to back to cave start fire." I responded with a grunt and trailed after the girls.

I heard the phone ring as I approached the cabin. It sounded like Wendy answering the call. She put the phone on speaker as I entered. I could see all the humor drain out of her as she looked at Carol and me. Mandy gave us a run-down of Dr. Hartmann's initial exam. It was discovered that she contracted an STD so the doctor put her on a course of antibiotics. That should take care of that.

She was tested for AIDS and that came back negative but she will have to be tested monthly for the next year. Dr Hartmann has referred Laurel to a neurologist. She has a bruised kidney with no sign of laceration. Her liver was undamaged even though there were several deep bruises throughout her torso. She had also referred Laurel to a clinic that specializes in tattoo removal.

Mandy finally concluded, "I think Laurel will need a steadying presence while she's recovering. It may be wise to have you stay with her at the cabin and we'll rotate around you."

Mandy was already putting together the schedule so that there will at least one girl with her at all times throughout the visits to the clinic so she wouldn't be alone. I thought about her damages and noted she made no mention of the burns or other scars. Mandy simply stated that everything else took precedence. She also thought we should let Laurel decide whether she wants the plastic surgery to clear the scars when she's well enough to think more clearly.

Mandy paused before continuing, "Once I got her back to my apartment I had to collar her."

"What happened?"

"I know I overstepped my bounds master, but I had no choice. She was falling apart before my eyes. This slave could not allow that to happen."

Mandy knew what she was doing and if collaring Laurel was the only way to prevent a meltdown then she did the right thing. "Mandy, you didn't overstep. I trust your judgment and I know you will do what's best for Laurel. We're going to update her siblings. We'll see you soon."

We all piled into our car and drove down to talk to Jonathan. Jodie asked her eldest to look after the youngsters while they talked.

We exited to the barn for some privacy. Some things really are not for little ears. Both held hands when we did and both were near to tears as we talked about his sister's condition. What few words of support I could offer I did and we told him we would foot the bill for all her medical expenses and the tattoo removal. Jodie knew nothing of the tattoo.

"What tattoo? Laurel always thought people who got tattoos were idiots."

"The sadist made her get it. I'm not sure if you want to know the details." Jodie thought about it and reluctantly agreed. She knew once that door was open she would never be able to close it.

Jonathan thanked us for keeping him up to date but he refused our help with paying for her treatment.

"I know you will understand what I'm about to say. I've read some about a submissive. Laurel is my sister and you don't own her so we will pay for her medical expenses. Only when she is fit and well again will we let her decide where she goes from here. The family will back her on what that decision may be."

I was proud of Jonathan I put my arms around his shoulder as he struggled with the realization that his sister has changed so much. Eventually he looked up and nodded. He reminded me so much of Hank. All he wants is the best for his family and his ranch. We told them both that Laurel would hopefully be back soon and we will keep them posted on her progress. We also told them that they will know everything we will be planning for their sister.

Jonathan nodded coming to a decision, "We will start lining up work for her in the area as well as the livestock we have on the ranch so she can start working as soon as she's ready. I agree that her work will help her heal and recover."

Jonathan seemed to be growing into the role of head of the Colson family. We bid them a good evening and I started back to the cabin to await the arrival of Mandy and Laurel, they didn't arrive until close to midnight. They both looked exhausted but I decided that we'd have our conversation on the porch. The moon was near full that night. The silver light was a balm to all our nerves after such an emotional day.