Aftercare: General's Daughter, Book 4 (19 page)

“This is a female thing, son. Don’t get pissed, please,” Dr.
Quimby said calmly.

“I’m not pissed. And I am very aware about how possessive
some women can be. I just did not expect it from her, of all people. She had
better understand that I am not going to sit quietly and allow her to boss me
around.”

“Technically, she can,” Scott grinned. “I need to see when we
can recommend promotion for you to get you two into equal ranks. She can’t be
promoted again until she’s 22, according to her field commission status. By
then, you might make captain.”

“Well, that would be something more for her to bitch about. I’m
going to go take a nap with her. Maybe holding her will get her calmed down.”

“Good luck, Rich,” both the older men echoed.

Rich ran up the stairs two by two and walked into the girl’s
room. He noticed Sam turn away when she saw him. “Hey, I want to say hello. I
missed you last night. I was stuck playing Monopoly with your dad and uncle,
and making sure they didn’t cheat.”

“Knocking on a closed door is the customary introduction to
your presence,” she said coldly, ignoring his statement.

Rich left the door open, kicked off his shoes and slid into
bed with her. “Greeting people when you enter a room is another. Why are you
pissed at me, sweetheart?”

“Leave me alone,” she grumbled as he put his arm around her,
drawing her back against his chest.

“No, I won’t leave you alone. Talk to me. I don’t get it. I’m
a man, remember? I need you to spell it out to me. What did I do?”

“Go away.”

He kissed the side of her neck, acknowledging that she was
not struggling very hard against his hold. “I really don’t know what I did, but
I’m sorry. I would never do or say anything intentionally to hurt you. You know
that.”

Sam frowned, turning to look at him. “You hurt my feelings. I
wanted you to stay and keep me company and you didn’t want to be with me.”

“Honey, you know what duty is like. And you know what we are
like when we’re together. I just didn’t want you getting into trouble. I’d
spend every minute with you if I could, but we have to realize life and
responsibility gets in the way of that sometimes. Come on, please don’t be
angry because I want to protect you.”

“Scott said you need a breather from me too.”

“Scott doesn’t always pick the best words, but we all need
our space now and then. You go into the water and no one, not even Mike, can
follow you down. You grab that time to refresh yourself, clear your mind and
relax. It’s no different when I need a little me time. It makes our time
together better for both of us.”

“I don’t like it.”

“You sound like a spoiled little twelve year old girl who
didn’t get her way,” Rich scolded lightly. “Now, you can either kiss me and say
you love me, or you will find yourself over my knee being spanked like a
naughty child. Which is it?”

She thought a moment, and then turned to him. “I love you.” She
kissed him briefly, and then turned away from him again.

“Oh no, you’re not getting away that easily. Kiss me like you
mean it.” He flipped her to her back and straddled her hips, holding her arms
over her head.

She eyed his crotch. “What would you like me to kiss? Anything
in particular?”

“That’s my girl,” Rich praised, placing his lips full onto
hers. She stopped fighting and returned it. His kisses always made her melt
like butter on hot asphalt. He sat up, still on top of her. “Let’s take a nap. No
more temper tantrums from you, okay? I don’t like them,” he said, curling next
to her, his face in the back of her neck.

“I’ll try. Night.” Sam yawned, closing her eyes.

Several hours later, Scott and Dr. Quimby snuck a look in the
room and elbowed each other. Both were sound asleep with Rich pinning the tiny
girl down under his right arm and leg.

“He’s not letting her get away very easily, is he?” Dr.
Quimby observed, closing the door.

“Good thing she’s always liked being squashed. She’s going to
get a lot of that from that boy. What’s for dinner? I’m famished.”

“Don’t you ever think of anything other than your stomach?”

***

 
“We haven’t gone
camping in ages. How about if we take a long weekend and go somewhere special?”
Scott said Thursday afternoon two weeks later. He was sitting at the flag
officer’s table in the chow hall with his family.

“I love camping. I haven’t been since I was a kid,” Jen said.

Michael nodded. “You’re right, it’s been a long time. Where
would we go?”

“Salmon fishing maybe? Do some white water?”

“Can I do it without problem?” Sam asked quietly.

“I’m sure of it,” Michael said reassuringly. “We’ll take a
bag of minerals with us in case you feel weird and mix it with the cold water
to dunk you if necessary. Your readings have been really consistent.”

“Readings?” Dr. Quimby asked. “What readings? What have you
two been up to without my knowledge?”

His daughter pulled her sleeves up to show him the multiple
tiny bruises where she had been giving daily blood samples to her brother. He
grunted. “You whine and cry when I have to do this, but let him harpoon you. Who
taught you how to do this anyway, mister?”

“You did.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, I was saying that we’ve been testing her ability to
tolerate abstinence... OF SALINE,” Michael kicked Rich under the table, “and
she has been able to go ten days now with nothing more than 1/3 submersion in
cold water. I’ve changed the saline levels; she does better with Pacific
minerals than Atlantic, which just takes a little longer. The temperature shift
that keeps her from breathing is about 85 degrees. This means she would also be
safe to go to the Keys.”

“Dr. Michael, do you mind terribly if a real physician
reviews your findings?” Dr. Quimby grumped.

Michael grinned. “Of course, Dr. Quimby. Dr. Jenkins? My
findings are also open for your review.”

“Thank you.”

“I want to be a doctor too,” Sam whined.

Rich hugged her. “You will, in time. We should think about
forming a study together.”

“I don’t think the doctorate committee is interested in your
sex life,” Scott commented.

“You’re going to go for that too?” Jen groaned. “I just want
to finish my bachelors.”

“We’re a little competitive, sweet cakes, just ignore this
family.” Dr. Quimby smiled, patting her hand lovingly. “You do what you want to
do and we will support you.”

“Can I quit school?”

“No!” came the firm response from all the men.

Jen pouted. “That’s not fair.”

“Sit up. You are starting to act like the gremlin,” Scott
ordered.

“Why do you call her a gremlin?”

“Do you remember Gizmo, that old movie? He was cute, until
you fed him after midnight or got him wet. He then became a Tasmanian devil. She’s
cute until her weak spots are touched, then boom!” Scott explained. Sam stuck
her tongue out at him, hidden by her hand so no one else could see. He held a
finger up. One.

Jen giggled, leaning against Rich’s arm. “I’m so glad we
found this bunch of nuts. Aren’t you, big bro?”

“Yep. So, back to camping. Can we share tents?” Rich asked
mischievously.

Dr. Quimby nodded. “Of course. We wouldn’t have it any other
way. The girls in one and the boys in another. Now, let’s make some plans…”

***

The following Thursday, the six left for the trip up to
Oregon. After much begging (and a sincere promise to be considerate), Sam was
permitted to do most of the flying of the private plane to the little airport
where they would then take a helicopter to transport them to the site. Michael
quickly reviewed the charts and expertly maneuvered them through the mountain
pass and down to the camp headquarters.

“When was the last time we were here, Joe?” Scott asked,
tossing the duffle bags out of the small cargo area.

“Must be about seven or eight years. Welcome to Camp
WannaHootchi,” Dr. Quimby grinned, elbowing his friend.

“I probably shouldn’t ask, but why is it called that?”
Michael groaned, watching his parents giggle like boys.

“I’ll explain when you get older.” Scott snickered.

“Hah hah hah. You two are weird. What’s that? I don’t
remember it.” He pointed to a small hut that had seen better days.

Dr. Quimby and Scott looked at each other and laughed hard. “The
Hootchi hut.”

“This is ridiculous. Come on, let’s get camp set up while the
over-aged children stroll down geriatric memory lane. I hope they remembered
their walkers,” Michael ordered the girls and Rich. Dr. Quimby and Scott were
now on the ground, punching each other as they still laughed.

“It’s not often when we see two adult men get a case of the
giggles, is it?” Rich asked Michael.

“With these two, it’s too often for my likes. Certain things
set them off. You get the girls’ rig up; I’ll take care of ours. The boys,” he
pointed to his parents who now were wrestling over the graveled soil, “can do
their own.”

“I love it when Michael takes control. It’s sexy,” Jen
whispered, sitting down next to her friend and watching the men do the work.

“He’s getting worse, too. Just like Scott. Great, they’re in
the water now. I forgot to warn you, my family has no modesty, so—”

“They’re stripping!” Jen blushed, looking away.

Sam shrugged. “It’s cold. Everything will shrivel up anyway. You
might as well get used to it.”

Rich, hands on his hips, watching the two older men, shook
his head. He was joined by Michael. “Well?” he asked.

Michael nodded. “Might as well.” The two also stripped and
ran in, cannon-balling the older two.

“That is our hint to get towels and start a fire. Come on.”
Sam sighed, standing. She set up a towel rack near the water, smiling as her
family splashed and wrestled each other in the deep, cold pools of the slow
moving river.

Jen elbowed her. “I know I shouldn’t look, but Rich… Wow.”

“No arguments there,” came the return giggle. “It’s a good
thing that I was familiar with well-endowed male anatomy, otherwise, I would
have been terrified.”

“I can’t believe this doesn’t embarrass you. That’s your dad!”

“So? He’s no different than any other man. I look at him or
Scott like that. It’s just them. When I was little, I told them that I was
broken because I didn’t have one, and tried to make my daddy, the doctor, fix
my ow.” She laughed, stacking wood onto the fire ring.

“Did he?”

“Do you really need to ask? He told me that it must have
fallen off somewhere. I spent days searching for it,” Sam said. Without
hesitation, she stripped to join them. She flew into the water, landing with a
big splash over all of them.

“Come on in, Jen. You can put your suit on if you want. No
one is looking.” Michael laughed. She bit her lip, screwing up the courage to
be part of them. Taking a deep breath, chin held high, she stripped and
gracefully walked to the water’s edge. It was cold!

“Jenny! Jenny! Jenny!” the family chanted to encourage her
entry. She held her breath and plunged in, surfacing to cheering.

Michael hugged her close. “I warned you about my family. You’re
one of us now. No secrets!” He touched her under the water.

“It’s way too cold for that, besides, there’s nothing left
here to play with.” She touched his penis.

“Can’t help that right now. But later… Race you across the
river!” he called. The six swam to the other side, then back across.

“Where’s Sam?” Rich asked, looking around as they got out and
wrapped towels around themselves.

Michael scanned the water. “She’s over there somewhere. She’s
been down for quite a while, too. Hey, sis! Where were you?”

“Getting LUNCH!” she announced, struggling with a salmon that
was almost her size. The boys raced to help her, taking the huge fish from her
hands.

“I don’t think we need one quite this big, do you? Let it go,
she’s just showing off,” Michael said to Rich.

The girl pouted. “I caught first fish, that means I’m free
from chores today.”

“You cheated. How long were you under?”

“About five minutes. I held my breath.”

“Hmm, we should explore that too,” Michael commented. “The
mineral content up here is a little different. Maybe—”

“NO WORK TALK!” Scott bellowed. “Get the lines, we’ll fish
for real. Fire ready?”

“Yes, Uncle Scott, of course. Hot water is going too,” his
niece said, hugging his furry, hard chest. He hugged her back, tightening his
towel.

“Go get dried off, girls, and then help us gather wood. Joe! Put
some clothes on! Rich! Bring the mess bag over here!”

“I guess the word ‘please’ doesn’t enter his vocabulary when
he’s bossing us around, does it?” Rich grinned at Sam.

She shook her head. “Hell, no. We gave up on that long ago.”

“First one to catch dinner the right way is king or queen of
the day,” Scott announced, settling on the bank and casting his rod.

“That means the winner is waited on hand and foot for the
rest of the day,” Sam whispered to Rich and Jen. “God help us if it’s Scott. He’s
impossible.”

Dr. Quimby ended up snagging the first fish, a 15 pound king
salmon that gave a good run. Grumbling about cheating, Scott set to filleting
it.

“My throne?” Dr. Quimby demanded.

Michael laughed, laying a towel upon the ground and bowing. “Your
Highness, I hope it meets your satisfaction.”

“Ah yes. Thank you, page boy. Grapes? Does anyone have
grapes?”

“I take that back, Daddy is just as bad. Here, Daddy. Seedless
ones. I am not peeling them for you this time.”

“Daddy? Dost thou call me Daddy, wench?” Dr. Quimby asked,
snatching her in his arms.

She shrieked as his fingers poked her sides. “Stop it! Michael,
save me!”

“He is the king, I have no jurisdiction over his kingdom.”