Message-ID: <44447asstr$1064477427@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Original-Message-ID: <20030925002415.99718.qmail@web20502.mail.yahoo.com> From: Lazlo Zalezac X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 17:24:15 -0700 (PDT) Subject: {ASSM} John Carter I 09 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi) Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 04:10:27 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation X-Story-Submission: X-Moderator-ID: hecate, newsman __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com <1st attachment, "JC09.txt" begin> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes without the consent of the author. John Carter By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003 Part 1: Shield, Staff, and Compass Chapter 9 John wandered the hall of the burn unit carrying two books. The books had been delivered to him by the owner of the local bookstore that he visited almost daily. The owner gave him the books free with the promise that he would donate the rest of the series to the burn ward when he was able to locate them. John was about to protest, but the owner told him that it was a good tax write-off. John thanked him for his charity. The day nurse, Nurse Betty, was at the other end of the hall and spotted him. She hurried to intercept him before he reached the children's ward. She was too late, but not late enough to see his reaction to the kids in the room. She was amazed to see that he took their appearance in stride, looking at them like normal kids. He burst out in a smile and stated, "Hi kids, I'm John Carter. Do you want to hear a story?" He was greeted by silence as children tried to hide themselves from his sight. He ignored their discomfort and sat down in the one large chair in the room. He held up the two books, "I have Tom Swift and Nancy Drew. Which one would you like to hear?" The kids slowly peeked at him. He was smiling and waiting for an answer. Nurse Betty entered the room. "Ah, Nurse Betty. Would you be so kind to introduce me to my audience?" Nurse Betty went through the room introducing every child in there. With each introduction, John repeated the name, stated that he was pleased to meet them, and then made some comment about something that was special about each child. Sarah was holding a teddy bear and he praised the gentleness of the bear. Her burn covered her head and back. She had only a few hairs on her head and her left ear was almost totally missing. Jennifer had a pretty, pink nightgown. He told her it was a pretty color and that it was just right for her eyes. She was burned by grease from a pan that she had pulled off the stove. The burn ran down her right arm, along her right side, and partially down her right leg. Tommy had spider man pajama's and John told him that he had always wanted a pair just like that. Tommy had tripped and fallen into a campfire. His burns were mainly on his stomach and hands. Karla was drawing. Her burns were on both legs as though she had been dipped into boiling oil. She had tried to give herself a bath using only hot water. John asked Karla to draw him while he was reading because he really wanted a picture of himself drawn by such a talented artist. The kids finally decided they would like to hear Nancy Drew. John sat down and started to read. He read with it with emotion. He made the characters come alive. Each character was spoken in a different voice. He spoke in a soft voice during the suspenseful parts and an excited voice during the exciting parts. The kids gathered around him and listened raptly. Dr. Hilbert entered the room and watched them for several minutes. He was there for his morning examination of the children, but decided to come back later. He didn't want to interrupt them. When he finished the book, the kids all cheered. He was smiling and laughing with them. He talked to each child by name. When they would call him Mister Carter, he would correct them and tell them to call him John. Dr. Hilbert returned and asked him to leave the room while he did his examination. John smiled, "Sure Dr. Hilbert! Goodbye kids, I'll be back this afternoon and maybe we can play a game." He had gone about ten steps down the hall when he heard a scream from the room. He raced back in to find Sarah in tears. Nurse Betty had just removed the bandage. John stepped up to Dr. Hilbert and tapped him on the shoulder, "Perhaps I can help." Dr. Hilbert snapped, "Please leave." "Please, I don't like to see people in pain. Allow me to help, at least while you are removing the bandages," John was not smiling now. He stared directly into the eyes of Dr. Hilbert as though daring him to suggest otherwise. Sarah, sobbing stated, "Please let him stay." Dr. Hilbert had never been so intimidated by anyone in his life. He wondered where this nice guy kept this side of himself. He backed up and then stated, "Okay." John knelt down next to Sarah and held her hand. Looking directly into her eyes, he started talking. His voice was low and calm. As he talked, she got a dreamy look on her face. He described hiking through the mountains and watching deer graze. He told about the time that he had spent a whole morning watching Mountain Goats climb up impossible cliffs. He turned to Dr. Hilbert. "Remove the bandages now." Nurse Betty pulled the second bandage off and there was no sound from Sarah. She was listening intently to the story that John was telling her. The rest of the bandages were removed with the same lack of response by Sarah. Dr. Hilbert performed his examination and then Nurse Betty put new bandages on Sarah. When she was done, Nurse Betty stared at John as though he were some kind of marvelous new creature. The other kids were examined in the same fashion. John would talk and their eyes would get dreamy. The bandages would be removed without any apparent pain. The doctor performed the examination and Nurse Betty would put on new bandages. When last examination was completed, Dr. Hilbert told John, "It's your turn. Let's go to your room." John smiled and waving to the kids, "Bye, I'll be back later. Okay?" His departure was accompanied by many happy yells of okay. He walked down the hall carrying his two books. Dr. Hilbert and Nurse Betty followed behind whispering to each other. Both were in a state of amazement at what they had just witnessed. When they reached the room, John jumped into bed and laid back. Lifting his robe out of the way, he offered, "Rip her off, Nurse Betty." "There's no need. I just wanted to talk to you alone," stated the doctor. He thought about what he had seen in the children's burn ward. As he walked towards the door, he stopped and turned. In a voice that conveyed deep emotion he said, "I had heard you were a hero. You know, I never believed in heroes until today." "Dr. Hilbert. You, Nurse Betty, Ms. Smith and the rest of the staff are the real heroes. Every day you go in there and help those kids. Me, I'm just a diversion for a day or two. You are an integral part of their lives and you are helping to make their life better. I wish I could do a fraction of what you accomplish every day," replied John. Dr. Hilbert left the room. Nurse Betty stood there with tears in her eyes. She patted him on the shoulder, "You are an amazing man, John Carter." John smiled, "I appreciate you saying that to me. It means a lot coming from you." Nurse Betty stood there for a minute thinking. She finally said, "I would appreciate it if you would stay in here for a while. It's almost time for your bath and I would hate to have to hunt all over for you." "Sure thing," replied John. He added, "I guess you'll be using the wire brush?" "I'll use the big wire bristles, they dig in better." Nurse Betty laughed and left the room. When she stepped out of his room, she looked around the burn ward. Somehow, it had taken a new meaning for her. She had never felt heroic or special for what she did here. Yes, there were times when she felt good about what she did. John's words had changed something inside her. When she noticed Dr. Hilbert leaning against the wall wiping his eyes with his handkerchief, she knew that he had been changed in that same way. News of John's morning had already spread through the hospital like wildfire. The only visitors that these children received other than their own parents were staff members and only a few of them could do it for long. The sight of a disfigured child was often too heart-rending to take for long. That John had not reacted in any negative fashion to the children was viewed as further proof of his hero status. When Nurse Betty showed up in the hospital cafeteria, she was immediately surrounded by others that wanted to know what John Carter was like. The gathering grew silent as Nurse Betty repeated what she had seen. She told them about his delight in meeting the kids. She had no trouble describing how much they liked him; she was convinced that Karla was madly in love with him. She told them about how he read the story to them. She remarked that she hadn't had a single call from the kids the entire morning. She described how she was able to remove the bandages without hurting the children. Her eyes were filled with tears by the time that she finished the story. Knowing that she had everyone's attention, she added, "I'm looking for someone special to give him a sponge bath." A number of nurses and even a few of the women doctors glanced knowingly around the room. Her statement would reach the right ears. She added, "Well, I better get back to my station." John relaxed in his bed thinking about what he could do to help the children after he was gone. Sarah's scream had really upset him. He decided he was going to have to train someone how to divert attention away from the pain. It couldn't be a person of authority as the authority itself prevented the technique from working. That left out the nurses and doctors. Yet, who else would be here all the time so that they would be available when needed? That was real question. His thoughts were interrupted by the cleaning lady coming into the room to empty the trash. He smiled, "Hello, I'm John Carter. And who might you be?" The woman turned and looked at him with a funny expression. Most new patients hardly noticed her. They were usually so caught up in their pain, that the world would pass them by for weeks before they became aware of the surroundings. Those that did usually complained about how they were feeling. Only a few would actually engage her in conversation. Usually, it took a long time before the patients here really saw her. She answered in a strong accent, "I'm the trash lady." "Hmmm, that won't do. I can't go around calling you the trash lady," answered John. He added, "Maybe I should call you Trinidad, since that's where you're from. I'd rather call you by your real name though." She laughed, "I'm Mary, nice to meet you John Carter. You could tell from one sentence that I was from Trinidad?" "Nice to meet you Mary. You have a very distinctive accent. I've heard that people from Trinidad are good storytellers. Is that true?" "I don't know if it's true or not, but I can spin a tale that will have you laughing or crying in ten minutes." "Tell me a story about Trinidad." Mary shrugged. The staff didn't complain when she spent a little extra time with the burn patients. She told a story about growing up in Trinidad. She told about the times when the no-see-em's would infest the beaches. She described how tourists would show up to find an empty white beach and go down to it thinking they were going to have all the privacy they could want. Then they would discover that they were sharing the beach with thousands of biting insects. John enjoyed the story tremendously. He could visualize the beaches easily. He asked, "You go into all of the rooms up here?" "Every room has a trash can. So yes, I go in them all," answered Mary, "Why?" "Doesn't the appearance of the patients bother you?" "Not at all," replied Mary in her charming accent. She added, "You have to learn to look at them the right way. You don't look at the outside; you look in them. You don't get evil people here. The fire, she burn the evilness out of them." "So you like the patients here?" "Sure, most don't see me for a long time though. Then one day they notice the trash lady and we talk." "Mary, you are exactly what I was looking for!" John's excitement was quite noticeable. Mary held up her left hand, "See the ring. I'm married and I'm a good Catholic girl." John laughed, "As tempting as you are, that is not what I meant. I need a storyteller with a friendly face, nice voice, and great heart. That is you, Mary." Mary's face wrinkled in disbelief. She asked, "Why do you need that?" John knew he had her hooked, "You've heard them scream when they take off the bandages?" "Oh it breaks my heart. I have to work a different ward when they do that." John knew he had the right person, "How would you like to help end those screams?" John gestured her closer and then stated, "Let me demonstrate something to you. Then I will teach you how to do it. Once you learn, you will help so many people." She reluctantly agreed. She had heard of John Carter so she didn't quite fear what he was going to do. John sat up on the bed so that he was facing her. He took her right hand in his left hand. He stared into her eyes and started telling a story. As he wove the story, she got a dreamy look on her face. He stopped talking and she looked at him. She asked, "You're not a bad storyteller yourself, but what did you want to demonstrate?" John smiled and said, "Look at your right hand." Mary screamed when she looked down and saw that needle sticking through her hand. She reached down and pulled it out. Glaring at him, "Why did you do that?" John smiled and folded his hands on his lap. He waited for the glare to diminish a little. When she took a deep breath and looked like she was going to yell at him, he stated, "Did you feel it going in?" Mary stepped back. She turned her head to one side and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She answered, "No, I didn't." "That's what I wanted to demonstrate. That I could put a needle through your hand and you wouldn't feel it. I can teach you to do the same thing to me. When you can do that for me, then you can do that for people when they get their bandages removed." Mary sat down in the only chair in the room. She shook her head, "You are a tricky one. You can teach me to do that?" "Yes. I know I can." "Then do it. I will enjoy sticking you with the little needle." John laughed and pulled a fresh package containing a needle from the drawer next to the bed. He opened the package and handed her the needle. He then explained the process to her. He told her the signs that indicated a person was in the right frame of mind. He told her how to incorporate into the story some little element of pain in the hand that she was holding and to simultaneously pinch the hand. He then told her to try it on him. The first time through, he felt the needle go into his hand. He stopped her and told her what she had done wrong. They tried it again. He felt the needle again. He stopped her and pointed out different mistakes. After about the fifth time, he could tell that she was getting upset at hurting him so much. He talked her into trying it one more time and that, this time, she was to think about how she was going to take the pain away from him. She wasn't to rush or hurry in any way. This time Mary told her story and incorporated more details. Little things that made the story live. She took her time and kept her voice calm and steady. She noticed the changes in John's face, yet didn't break eye contact. She went through the whole process exactly as John had told her. She inserted the needle and then stopped talking. John looked down and smiled. She had done it. He looked up at her to see her smiling. He smiled, "Now, do it again and take the needle out." She went through the process again. The needle was removed without him being aware of it. When she stopped telling her story, he quipped, "You need to do it again. This time, you insert the needle, wait a minute, and then remove the needle." Mary looked at his hand. It looked like a pincushion. She had lost track of how many times she had stuck him with the needle. She went through the process again. This time, she stuck him and pulled out the needle. Still telling the story, she stuck him again and pulled out the needle. She stopped talking. John smiled and stated, "That was very good. Now we need to do it again. Only do it twice." Mary smirked, "Sorry, I got carried away last time and did it twice. I knew you were going to ask me to do that anyway." "Mary, I'm shocked. You've only known me an hour and you know me too well." Mary nodded, "I picked up on that pretty quick." John answered, "That's great. I'll talk to Dr. Hilbert and we'll find a patient for you to try it on." Mary laughed, "Oh, I doubt that will ever happen. You're a good man, John Carter, but you don't know doctors." John laughed, "Oh, I've put more than one doctor in his place. I've even kissed one on the lips when he was being a bastard!" "You're a crazy man!" "Don't worry, I'll talk to the doctor. You probably need to get on your rounds." "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, John Carter." He watched Mary leave the room. He looked at his hand and wiped it down with alcohol. He didn't want it to become infected. He had to put a bandage on the palm and the back of the hand. He shook his head, he had been afraid that she was never going to get the knack down. He had just laid back down on the bed when the door to the room opened. He looked over and saw Betsy enter the room. She was wearing a standard nurses outfit, white pants, a white top, and comfortable white shoes. With her sandy brown hair cut short, green eyes, and cute nose she was very attractive. He greeted her with genuine joy, "Hello Betsy. I've been hoping that you'd come by to visit me." Betsy smiled, "I'm afraid this isn't a friendly visit." John faked a frown, "You mean you came here to hit me and beat me? I'm so disappointed." Betsy shook her head, "No, it's nothing like that. You see, the other nurses are busy so I've been called in to give you a sponge bath." John looked around nervously. It wasn't that he minded getting a sponge bath, but Betsy was really cute and he had entertained the idea of dating her. He stated, "I camp a lot and know how to give myself a sponge bath. No need to waste your time." Betsy smiled at his nervousness. He really was cute. She cut off his objections, "Hospital regulations." He tried to find some other way to get out of the sponge bath, but couldn't. Reluctantly he agreed, "Okay." Betsy went into the bathroom and filled a small tub with water. She came out and set the tub on the table next to the bed. Smiling she told him, "You need to remove the bathrobe. It's rather hard to wash you with you all covered up." John stood and removed the bathrobe. He faced her because the hospital gown was wide open in the back. He lay down and watched as Betsy went about laying out the sponge and towel. Stepping back from her work Betsy looked around, "I'm all ready to start except for one little thing." She started to remove the nurse over-shirt. John watched her a little confused. When she slipped it off, she laid it on the chair. Then she started to unbutton her shirt. She did it slowly taking her time with each button. John's body started to react to the show. John nervously cleared his throat, "Ah, what are you doing?" Betsy smiled and unbuttoned the last button. She removed her shirt revealing a lacy blue bra. She answered his question, "Oh, don't worry. I always get so wet when I give a sponge bath. Sometimes I take my clothes off so that they don't get wet." John averted his eyes. It was too late to prevent an erection though. Even looking the other way, just knowing that an attractive woman was stripping was enough to excite him. The hospital gown tented obscenely. Betsy giggled at his discomfort. "Hey, relax. It's just a sponge bath." She bent down and removed her shoes and socks. John kept glancing in her direction. The way she was positioned treated him to a nice view of her breasts. She stood quickly and caught him looking at her. He quickly turned away. She took the opportunity to examine the tent in the gown. Her eyebrows raised at the size. She licked her lips. The sound of her zipper being lowered caused him to glance in her direction. She lowered the pants revealing French-cut panties that matched the lacy bra. She turned slightly away from him and removed the pants. Her position gave him a fine view of her ass. The panties displayed her assets perfectly. John's cock twitched at the sight. Standing, she approached the bed. She stated, "Sit up, please." John sat up. She reached behind him and untied the strings off his gown. With one deft move, she pulled the gown off him and tossed it aside. He blushed as his erection was revealed to her view. It dawned on him that this wasn't a normal sponge bath and he wanted to slap his forehead at his stupidity. With a giggle she stated, "Oh my. You must be very uncomfortable." She reached over and grabbed a wash cloth. She dipped it in the tub and then wrung it out. With a very professional demeanor, she turned back to him and wiped his cock with the cloth. The warm water surprised him since he was expecting it to be cold. She looked at his cock and stated, "Oh my. That didn't help at all. It looks like I have to take more drastic measures." She bent over slipping his cock into her mouth. John groaned at the wonderful sensation in his cock as her lips closed around the head. Her tongue quickly flicked around the head. It didn't take long for John to start groaning. He uttered, "I'm going to come." He expected her to finish him off by hand, but she continued to suck. She took him even deeper. She deep throated him and he exploded. Rather than stopping immediately, she continued to suck his cum from his cock. Soon his cock became too sensitive and noting that he was now reacting with discomfort, she stopped. She stepped back as his cock deflated, "Now, that's much better." John just said, "Wow, that was amazing." Betsy smiled and shook her head. He had no idea what she had in mind. She started to wash the rest of his body in a fashion that was closer to how a nurse would normally do the task. She started at his feet and worked her way up his body. About halfway through, she stepped back and stated, "Darn, my bra is wet. Oh well, I guess I'll have to take it off too." She stripped out of her bra and John openly admired her body. She was lithe and small breasted, but everything was firm. She leaned across his body to wash the far arm. The motion put her breast right in front of his mouth. He took a chance and kissed it. She only pressed her breast into him harder. He got the hint and started to suck on it. His other hand started to caress her body. After a couple of minutes, she stood up. John tried to follow her up. She stepped back and stated, "Oh my. My panties are wet. I have to take them off too." She turned away from him and slid the panties down her legs. John got a very good view of her cunt. His cock was hard as a rock. Betsy noticed his arousal and stated, "That nasty little organ just won't give up. I guess even more drastic measures are required!" Betsy climbed up on the bed and straddled him. She was careful not to touch any of his wounds or put pressure on his back. She slowly lowered herself on his cock. Her cunt was hot and wet. She started washing his chest in an up and down movement. This resulted in a rocking motion on his cock that was extremely satisfying to both. John started thrusting up into her. The sponge bath took a long time to finish, but by the time it was done, both of them had come. As Betsy climbed off him, she gave his cock one last wipe with the wash cloth. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you, John. I've wanted this for a long time." "Thank you, Betsy. You are a wonderful young lady. I hope I can see you again in the future. Could I take you out on a date when I get out of here?" "I'd love that." Betsy quickly dressed and exited the room taking the cart with her. John watched her leave in surprise. He was hoping to find out how to contact her, but she left before he had a chance to say good bye. Nurse Betty entered the room shortly after John had finished dressing in the new gown he found on the tray next to the bed. She smiled at him, "Did Betsy do a thorough job or should I ask another nurse to come in?" John wondered how much Nurse Betty knew about his experience. He answered, "Oh, I would love to have her wash me every day." Nurse Betty smiled, "Oh, that's not possible." "Well, I'm sure you'll do a good job too. If you're too busy I can manage on my own." Nurse Betty laughed, "Don't worry, there are another dozen volunteers on the list. Betsy was just so insistent that I bumped her up on the list." John frowned, "I don't get it." "You will." John decided to drop the subject. He asked, "Can I see the doctor before he makes his rounds?" Nurse Betty nodded, "Oh, he said he was coming here before he was going to start. I think he wanted to know if you could go on his rounds with him. We were both pretty amazed by what you did with the kids." John smiled, "Great. Could I also ask if you could have the cleaning lady, Mary, stop in here at the same time?" Nurse Betty frowned, "Mary always works somewhere else when the doctor makes his rounds." "Don't worry, I'm sure if you ask her, she'll come," replied John. He added, "She sure is a nice lady. Do you talk with her much?" "Oh yes, she probably does the least work of all the cleaning ladies here, but the patients love her. Most of the staff won't come up here, so they don't ask her to work harder." "Great," replied John. He was quiet for a moment and then asked, "Was there something that you needed?" Nurse Betty slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, "Well, I was wondering if you could read to the kids right after lunch. There are some people here that want to visit you and I told them that you would be available about 3:00. Would that be alright?" "Who on earth would want to visit me? I told my mom and the old lady that I rent a room from that I was here. I told them not to come down here because I know they are all busy. I don't know anyone else." "Well, there are about twenty people that have called. I've scheduled each one for about five minutes. They all work here at the hospital, so we've bent the visiting hour rules for them." "They're all staff? Well, I'm happy to meet the staff. You guys are terrific," John agreed to meet them, not really understanding why the staff would want to meet him. He was just one patient among many. Nurse Betty went to the door and opened it. She told him, "Lunch will be served in about ten minutes. When you are done, come down to the kids room. I'll let them know you are coming." The nutritionist entered the room with a tray. There was a steak, salad, and potatoes with a glass of milk. He was about to make a joke about hospital food when looked at the contents. He whistled, "I should eat here more often. To tell the truth, I was expecting a bologna sandwich." She laughed, "Hero's get the steak. We give the bologna sandwich to the villains." "Well, thank you very much. You don't know how much this means to me. I usually only get to eat a good cut of meat once a week. This looks great." "I heard you liked a good piece of meat occasionally. So John Carter, what I can make for dinner tonight?" John had no idea where she could have heard that he liked meat. He decided he didn't want to know, "Gosh, I have no idea. Just give me what you make the most for the rest of the patients." The nutritionist thought about it for a minute and then suggested, "How about stuffed pasta shells with a light tomato sauce and a nice salad on the side? Of course, you'll want garlic bread. I'll select an appropriate desert later." John smiled, "That sounds perfect. By the way, may I know your name?" "Sure, I'm June Anderson." "I'm pleased to meet you June Anderson." She smiled and inched towards the door, "Well, I better let you eat. I just wanted to thank you for helping my grandmother." John wasn't sure about whom she was talking. He asked, "What did I do?" "You suggested that a neighbor go in and check on her because she was always on the porch at that time of day. The neighbor went in and found that she had fallen and broken her hip. She had been on the floor for two hours and might have died if the neighbor hadn't checked." There wasn't enough detail in the description for him to identify the woman. He often told neighbors to check on each other and more often then not there had been a problem. "Oh, I'm glad the neighbor went over." She smiled, "You don't know who my grandmother is, do you?" He frowned, "I'm not sure. I ask lots of neighbors to check on each other." She nodded, "I know, we've had a lot of them in here telling the same story. I just wanted to thank you. I'll be bringing your dinner. We'll talk some more then." She left the room. John eyed the steak hungrily. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. It didn't take him too long to finish his lunch. He sat back for a moment enjoying the quiet and solitude. This much attention was at times hard to take. Sighing, he picked up the Tom Swift book and headed to the kids room. When he entered, the room was buzzing with excitement. Jennifer was bursting with happiness, "John, they delivered a whole bunch of books just before lunch. Look, there's Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, Curious George, and even coloring books." "Wow, that's great. I guess we're going to have to get a book case to put them all in," replied John as he eyed the five boxes of books. The owner of the bookstore must have been busy this morning. He added, "Who's gonna help me put the bookcase together?" All of the kids raised their hands and shouted, "Me." John nodded wisely and stated, "Well, there is enough work to keep all of us busy. How about I read the story now and order the bookcase later. We can put it together tomorrow, okay?" The kids gathered around and listened as he read the Tom Swift story. Jennifer and Tommy absolutely loved the story. John realized that both of them actually enjoyed the engineering component of the story the most. The adventure was just icing on the cake. Karla was busy working on her drawing. Sarah enjoyed the story for the adventure that it presented, but she had definitely enjoyed the Nancy Drew stories more. Nurse Betty had stopped by to check on his progress. When she saw that he was nearly done, she waited for the conclusion. As soon as he ended, she stated, "Okay kids. You know what time it is?" Her announcement was not greeted with enthusiasm. Sullenly, Tommy answered, "It's nap time." Whining like a little child, John asked, "Nurse Betty, do I have to?" Nurse Betty smiled. She recognized what he was doing. In a very stern voice she answered, "Yes, John Carter. You have to take a nap now! No exceptions!" John nodded and answered sullenly, "Yes, Nurse Betty." He stood up to leave and then noticed Karla looking at him. He smiled and stepped over to her. He asked, "Did you finish the drawing of me? I want to hang it over my bed so that I can look at it while I fall asleep." Karla beamed and then faltered. She was so afraid that he wouldn't like it. She slowly handed over the best drawing of him that she had made. In a scared, timid voice she stated, "Here it is." John took it and looked at it. It was a nice picture, particularly for someone her age. The subject could have been any bearded man. He smiled, "This is outstanding, but you forgot something." Karla paled, "What did I forget?" "You forgot to sign it. I have to keep it so that when you get famous I'll be able to say that I own a genuine Karla picture." Karla burst out in a grin and quickly signed her name. She handed it back to him and said, "I'll make another one for you if you want me to." John answered, "Do you know what I would really like?" "What?" "I would love a picture of all you kids. Of course, that would be pretty tough because you'd have to include yourself in it. Can you do it?" Karla nodded excitedly, "Yes I can. I'm sure I can." "Great," he replied. He glanced at Nurse Betty and then stated in a stage whisper, "I better get to bed before you know who gets mad at me! Maybe you guys should do the same." John left the room as the kids scrambled into their respective rooms. He walked down the hall enjoying the chance to move around tremendously. He wondered if they would get upset if he went for a walk around the hospital. He entered his room and sat in the chair. He placed the drawing on the table next to the bed. He called a furniture store to order a bookcase. He explained what he required and then requested that it be delivered to the burn unit in the morning. When the salesperson requested payment information, he realized that he didn't have a credit card with him. He asked if he could give the credit card number to them in the morning when he was able to get his wallet. The salesperson put him on hold telling him that he was going to have to talk to the owner. The telephone was picked up by the owner of the store. John introduced himself and explained what he needed. The owner listened carefully and then stated that he didn't have to worry. They would donate the bookcase to the burn ward and that he would personally drop it off on his way home from work. He even said that he would assemble it, but John told him that he had plenty of young patients here who wanted to take part in its assembly. The owner understood. Before hanging up, John thanked him for his generosity. After lots of thanks back and forth, the call finally ended. Glancing at the clock, John saw that he would have about fifteen minutes before the visitors arrived. He leaned back and closed his eyes. In less than a minute, he was sleeping soundly. When the first visitor arrived, Nurse Betty entered the room and saw that John was asleep. She got out a blanket and covered him. She knew he would complain about not being awakened to meet his visitors, but the needs of his body came first. She looked down at the man as he slept. It was a peaceful sleep, which was rare in this ward. Most patients had nightmares about their experiences. Exiting the room, she told the people waiting that John had fallen asleep. Apologizing for bringing them up here needlessly, she agreed to schedule people at a different time. She knew this was important to them, but she explained that he had surgery less than eighteen hours ago. <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. 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