Tread Softly

off.

As the body tumbled aside, a pair of hands slid away from Julie's breasts.

She raised her arms to Nick. He gripped her wrists, and pulled her up. They stepped away from the bodies. Nick eased her against him. For a long time, they held each other gently and wept.

Chapter Forty-two

Scott heard a soft knocking on the door of his hospital room. 'Come in,' he said. He lay his book aside, and watched the door swing open.

Karen stepped in. She tilted her head to one side, and raised her eyebrows. 'Could you use a little company?'

'Get over here,' he said, trying to sound gruff.

She looked lovely, her hair soft and glowing around her face, brushing her bare shoulders as she approached. Her dress had spaghetti straps. Its silken blue fabric clung to her breasts, was drawn in at the waist by a gold chain belt, floated around her thighs.

At his bedside, she flicked a finger against one of his hoisted casts. 'How you been?'

'Lonely. Where you been?'

'On an outing.' She set her purse on the floor, and bent over him. She stroked his cheek.

'Looks like you got some sun,' he said. He fingered a tiny curl of peeling skin on the side of her nose.

'I missed you,' she said.

'I kept waiting for you at visiting hours.'

'I'm sorry.'

'No you. No Julie, no Benny. Tanya came by a few times, but it wasn't quite the same.'

She kissed him. Her lips felt chapped, but they felt very good and he wrapped his arms around her and caressed her. He seemed to sink into her, as if joining with a part of himself that had vanished and left him empty and returned.

Returned from an outing.

He released her.

She sat on the edge of the bed, and held herself steady with a hand on his chest as she drew a leg up beneath her. He stroked her bare thigh. 'This outing,' he said. 'We didn't want you to worry.' 'You went back to the mountains?'

She nodded. 'Julie, Benny, Nick, and me.'

'Everyone's all right?'

'We survived. Julie and Benny are waiting in the hall. Julie thought I should see you first.'

'The kid's got style.'

'That she does. You've got a couple of great kids.'

'They have their moments. How's Nick?'

'You know about Flash?'

'Yeah. Tanya told me.' He sighed. He squeezed Karen's knee. 'He was a good guy.'

'Nick's very proud of him. Nick's also madly in love with your daughter.''

'Of course,' Scott said.

She laced her fingers with his. 'O'Tooles are a lovable sort,' he added.

'Don't I know it.'

He stared into her eyes. 'God, I'm glad you're back.'

'Me, too.'

'You shouldn't have gone without me.'

'You would've done us a lot of good. Two broken legs. Old gimpy.'

'How'd it go out there?'

'It got hairy.'

'I assume the good guys won.'

'You assume correctly. The witch is vanquished. The curse went with her.'

'Want to tell me about it?'

'Nope. Benny wants to tell you about it. He's very insistent on that point. If it weren't for him, things might've gone… a bit sour.' 'He saved the day, huh?'

'I'd say so.' Karen slipped her hand free. She bent over and lifted her purse from the floor. As she opened it,

Scott slid his hand up the smooth bare skin of her thigh.. She took a felt-tipped pen from her purse. She didn't try to stop his hand. She caught her breath and arched her back.

'Well now,' he said.

'Take the pen,' she whispered.

'And what should I do with it?'

'Autograph your son's casts.'

'Casts?'

'In the plural.'

'Oh, no.'

'Oh, yes.'

He took the pen from her hand. 'Any more surprises?'

'Not at the moment.'

'Then give me another kiss.'

'The kids are waiting.'

'We'll make it brief.'

'But not too brief?'

He drew her down to him and held her and kissed her moist, parted lips, and wanted never to stop.

'Christ, gang!' Julie called from the doorway. 'Break it up!'

The End