Lynette nodded, but her heart was truly broken.
I hugged her tightly, telling her that nobody was angry at her. She seemed to appreciate my words, but I don’t think I lifted her spirits very much.
As Lynette left the room, I knew by the way my heart went out to her how much I truly loved her. I wished that I could have consoled her, but I didn’t think that would be possible until Kristen actually woke up.
Patty drove Lynette to class, and I was happy my friend was with Lynette. On more than one occasion, Patty helped me feel better when I felt lower than dog shit. I hoped she would be able to help Lynette.
After the girls left, I visited Kristen. It only took a casual glance to see how sore Kristen was.
Kristen’s eyes opened when I was nearby. “Hi, Jim!” Kristen said, groggily.
“Hey, kiddo. That looks like a nasty bruise.”
“I know how Lynette felt that first day.”
I smiled. “New rule: anybody that’s been nozzled in the last six hours cannot hold the nozzle.”
Kristen smiled. “You like rules.”
“I prefer to know when they are being crossed, rather than find out afterward that they’ve already been crossed.”
Kristen nodded.
“Do you want me to drive you to the doctor’s?”
“With this sort of injury, they’ll suspect rape, Jim.”
“Tell them the truth.”
“Girls don’t always admit rape. Think about Patty.”
I sighed. Kristen was right. Still, it really hurt me to see Kristen like this. When Lynette was hurt, she ended up missing classes for a day before she was able to walk properly, and Kristen looked worse—much worse.
“Maybe we’re going too much for the extreme.”
Kristen shrugged.
I left the spare bedroom into the kitchen. I used the intercom there to get to the main house.
“Harry, this is Jim.”
“Hey, Jim!”
“I need some help. Kristen got hurt yesterday when some horseplay went bad. She’s bruised today and probably can’t walk.”
There was a pause. “I think there’s a wheelchair here from when Charley’s mother was staying here a few years ago. Are you going to need me to drive you to a hospital?”
“A general practitioner would probably do, Harry.”
“Anything else?”
“I’ll need a hand getting her downstairs.”
“Certainly.”
I went back to the spare bedroom, and asked June to help me put on a pair of sweats on Kristen, despite Kristen’s objections.
When Kristen saw Harry at the door, she went ballistic. “I don’t need to go to the doctor’s.”
Harry didn’t miss a beat. “Very well, Miss Swift. I think your mother is in the main house. I haven’t informed her where I am, but I’ll send her over to make the final decision.”
“No!” Kristen shouted.
“Either you come with me, or I send your mother in.”
Kristen glared at Harry, but he wouldn’t be cowed. I was actually impressed. I always thought house servants as… well, as servants. Harry, on the other hand, was definitely not acting like a servant but was giving the orders.
“I’ll go down,” Kristen said. “I’ll need help going downstairs.”
“Jim told me that. I’m here to help him bring you down.”
“I have a pillow, Kris,” June added. “It might help.”
I said, “Harry has a wheelchair downstairs as well.”
“Grammy’s?” Kristen asked, her voice sounding like a child’s.
“Yes, Kris,” Harry said, gently, the voice of authority no longer needed.
“Let’s get going,” Kristen said.
Harry, June, and I helped Kristen downstairs. I don’t think she really needed all three of us, but none of us wanted to not be there for her.
When Kristen was wheeled into the doctor’s office, I was amazed by the response of the staff.
Every memory I have ever had of being in a doctor’s office was that of waiting. You arrived for an appointment at a particular time, and the doctor still wouldn’t see you until an hour after that time. It was always a matter of wait, wait, wait.
Today, this definitely wasn’t the case. Apparently, Harry called ahead, and although he didn’t know the extent of Kristen’s injuries, she was immediately sent into one of the examination rooms. Kristen wanted me to go in with her, but I suggested it might be better if June went instead.
As soon as Kristen left, I sat down and did my normal activity in a doctor’s office. Wait.
When the room was mostly empty, Harry asked me, “Can you tell me what happened?”
I always considered Harry a friend, but I knew where his loyalties were. I also knew that Kristen’s parents both thought of me as the perfect person for their daughter, so I knew that they’d give me the benefit of the doubt. I hadn’t done anything wrong, except not realize that Lynette probably shouldn’t have been the one to turn on the water yesterday. Still, there was something about talking about your girlfriend’s genitals that was off-putting.
“Kristen has a new toy, and she uses it on Lynette. Yesterday, Lynette got even, but didn’t realize that she had the toy set too… strong. Afterward, both girls were out of it, but June and I noticed that Kristen was starting to bruise. I didn’t think much of it, because Lynette bruised the first time and was fine, although a bit sore. This morning, however, when I saw Lynette, I saw that she felt terrible. When I saw Kristen this morning, her bruising was much worse than Lynette’s was.”
Harry nodded. “That explains a lot. Are they going to suspect foul play?”
“Kristen said that they would, and that’s why she didn’t want to go. I was more worried about Kristen’s safety, so I called you.”
“That’s why you sent June in with Kristen.”
“Yeah. June was there when it happened.”
Harry sighed. “I don’t know how the fuck I’m going to explain this to Kris’ parents.”
This was the first time I heard Harry use profanity. I stared at him, not knowing how to react.
“I used to be Kristen’s nanny when she was very young,” Harry said. “My mother took ill about ten years ago, and I had to take care of her until she passed away, so I left. I liked Edgar, but I knew he was due to retire. I’ve known Kristen since she was born, Jim. I know how she is.”
I nodded, unsure of what Harry was trying to say.
“Kristen is sometimes headstrong, and sometimes she can be cruel. Lynette was only getting even, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Kristen has no reason to lie, and June is there with her. I wouldn’t feel worried about what people think about you.”
“I’m not worried about that, Harry.”
Harry looked at me, surprised. “Huh?”
“I feel bad that Kristen got hurt when we were playing together. I know it’s unrealistic, but I keep thinking that I should have prevented it from happening.”
“Ahh,” Harry said, “I feel exactly that same way. Was there something I could have done? Could I have told security not to ignore it when you guys play together?”
“They tell you?” I asked.
“One day, not too long ago, they were really worried. They said that Kristen was screaming bloody murder. I told them to ignore it unless they hear the distress code.”
“That wasn’t really physical that time,” I said, not really wanting to get into details of our sex life with Harry.
“I understand, and it turned out that I was right. I’ve done that a few times, only they said it wasn’t Kristen until yesterday afternoon.”
“I… I didn’t know.”
“Daniel doesn’t want to know about Kristen’s sex life, Jim. He still thinks of her as his little girl. He thinks of you as her Prince Charming, and he probably has no idea what to make of June and Lynette. Personally, I think that June is harmless, but Lynette is a bit extreme.”