Flash : Out Of The Blue

Flash 03: Loose Ends

 

The following was inspired by an email from a reader. To fully understand the context of what is happening here, I suggest you read the first two parts of this story.

This story contains elements of sci-fi and mind control. I have chosen to put it here after a number of comments suggesting I keep the whole story in one area of Literotica.

My apologies for taking so long to get this part of the story up. We’re doing a major remodel on the house, and my writing time has been severely hampered.

Many thanks to QuantumMechanic1957 for giving this a beta read. His suggestions have made this a much better story, in my opinion. I would also like to thank those who offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories.

For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper…

Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I DO moderate comments) And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama…

…

The end of Flash 02:

“It’s from her last scan, taken this morning,” he said. “It looks like a tumor, but I’d like to perform a biopsy to confirm it.”

“Can it be removed?” I asked. He shook his head.

“Not where it’s located, no,” he said. “If it is a tumor, we’ll have to find other treatments for it. There are non-invasive procedures like gamma knife that’s been very effective in cases like this, though.”

“Gamma knife?”

“Yes. It’s a form of radiation therapy that concentrates highly focused beams of gamma radiation on the tumor. Quite effective, I might add. We’re set up for that here so she won’t need to be transported to a specialized treatment center.”

“And you’re just now finding this tumor?” I asked.

“It’s quite small, so it probably hasn’t been there very long,” he said. “The sooner we can address it, though, the better.”

“What are her chances?” I asked.

“With the gamma knife, very good,” he said.

“Do what you have to do, doc,” I said.

…

And now, Flash 03: Loose Ends

Dr. Samuels ordered the biopsy and confirmed that Ginger did, in fact, have a malignant tumor in a part of her brain that could not be removed by normal surgical means. After consulting with both mine and Ginger’s insurance to make sure the gamma knife procedure would be covered, he scheduled it as soon as he could and had his office contact me with the date.

According to what I received, the procedure would take place in four weeks. I had hoped for something earlier, but apparently, that wasn’t meant to be. I saw Dr. Samuels and asked for a few minutes of his time, which he graciously gave.

“I was just curious, Dr. Samuels,” I said. “I know you said this tumor was relatively new, but how long do you think it’s been there?”

“Impossible to say, really,” he told me. “It could’ve been there for months. Personally, I don’t think it’s been there more than a year, which is why I called it ‘relatively’ new.”

“It could be there that long before anyone spots it?” I asked.

“Oh sure,” he said. “There are some cases where a tumor has grown in the brain for years before being spotted.”

“Could that affect her behavior? I’ve noticed she’s been acting different the last few months before the accident,” I said. “Almost as if she’s two different people.”

“I didn’t have a chance to examine her prior to her being brought in, but I suppose it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility. Given where the tumor was located, it might very well have affected her behavior,” he said. I thanked him and headed home.

The next time Smith and Jones came by, I hit them up with what Dr. Samuels said. They looked at each other for a few moments before turning back to me. Smith handed me what looked like a blue stone with a USB port.

“Copy her brain feed to this, Cameron,” he said. “We will need to analyze it further. Unfortunately, your application isn’t powerful enough to do the job.” I copied her feed to the device and handed it back to him.

“Give us a couple weeks to analyze this fully,” Jones said.

By now, my vacation had ended and I was back to work. But the events of the last three weeks had impacted me more than I originally thought, and I found myself thinking very seriously about what Jack Peabody and Jones had told me about using my abilities to help others.

The more I thought about it, the more it appealed to me. I certainly had plenty of money to pursue the idea — just over $200 million. But there were practical matters to consider first. Ginger’s medical costs, for example, would have to take priority. Fortunately, she has good insurance, and Jack had placed her on paid extended medical leave so she would be covered.

But there were still some loose ends I needed to take care of first. The first was Bergstrom and his cohorts, who were still in custody awaiting their trial in federal court. He was still a threat, even though he was behind bars. I had kept tabs on all of them — now known by the media as “The Dirty Dozen” — and knew that they had not plotted anything against Jack, Ginger or myself — yet.

In addition to their federal charges, all of the married members of the board had been served with divorce papers, and their soon-to-be ex-spouses wanted them all taken to the cleaners. Jack had also filed civil suits against all of them, and he introduced me to his attorney, Andrea Hawkins. I could tell right off that she was someone I could trust. Perhaps Jack saw it as well.

Andrea was chomping at the bit to put them all in the poorhouse, and I thought she was going to have an orgasm when I told her I wanted them all to be rendered penniless by the time it was all said and done.

“Tell me what happened, Cameron,” she said. She listened quietly, taking notes as I told her what they had done to Ginger. I thought I saw tears in her eyes when I finished. She wiped her face with a Kleenex, then asked me what I wanted.

“Everything,” I said. “I want them to lose absolutely everything.”

“And I agree they should. Getting them to agree to a large settlement is going to be a challenge, though,” she said. “This could take years to get through the court system.”

“Even though they’ve all confessed?” I asked.

“They confessed to the criminal charges,” she said. “This is a civil case. Things are a bit different.”

“I see,” I said in response. I had heard of civil cases taking years to resolve while lawyers racked up huge fees filing motion after motion. I was determined not to let that happen in this case and I had an ace up my sleeve that I wasn’t about to let Andrea know about. No, Harold Bergstrom and his cronies would do exactly what we wanted them to do. Andrea just didn’t know it yet.

“There’s always the possibility they’ll settle, especially with the criminal charges they’re facing and with the lawsuits Jack filed,” she said. “I just want you to be prepared for the worst.”

“I appreciate your candor,” I said. “Here’s to hoping they settle quickly,” I added, raising my coffee cup. She smiled and picked hers up as well. Touching our cups, we each took a long sip of coffee. I went home and thought about what I could do to get them to settle on my terms.

Sure, I could visit them in jail and lay it out for them face-to-face, but I suspected Andrea wouldn’t like that very much, and I thought it could negatively impact the case. I could appear in their dreams, but I doubted that would have the impact I wanted. I picked up the manual and went through it carefully.

Then I came across a section that had just translated itself. I read the section, my curiosity piqued. If this worked, it would accomplish exactly what I wanted to do. The manual warned this would take all of my concentration, and it wasn’t kidding.

I connected to Bergstrom’s mind as usual — nothing difficult about that as I had already done it several times before. The rest, however, was a bit of a challenge. That’s not exactly right — it took all of my concentration to project my image into his cell. He looked up, surprised to see me.

“What the fuck?” he asked. “How did you get in here?”

“You’d never believe me if I told you,” I said. “Don’t bother calling for the guards. You’re the only one who can see or hear me.”

“This isn’t real,” he said. “You can’t possibly be here.” I focused my energy into my fist and punched his throat. He fell back on the bad, holding his throat as he gasped for air.

“That felt pretty real, didn’t it?” I asked. “How does this feel?” I kicked him in the groin and watched as he doubled over in pain. “Is that real enough for you?”

“Okay, okay, you’re real, please, no more,” he begged after he got his breath. “What do you want with me?”

“I want everything,” I said.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I’m about to drop a lawsuit against you for a ridiculously high sum of money for what you and the board did to my wife. And you’re not going to contest it,” I said. He laughed at that.

“You’re shitting me, right?” he asked. “You expect me to just roll over and give you my money?”

“Well, only what your wife doesn’t get in the divorce,” I said. “I hear she’s taking you to the cleaners. I intend to put you in the poorhouse. Besides, you’ll be in jail for the rest of your life. You won’t have any need of it.”

“You’re talking over $400 million,” he said. “I’m not just going to hand all that over to you. You can kiss my ass.”

“I thought you might say something like that,” I said. “Maybe you’d like the spiders to come back.” He looked at me, shocked. “Yes, I know how much you fear spiders. Who do you think they work for? Who do you think put them in your dreams? Believe me, Bergstrom, you haven’t even begun to experience terror yet. By the time I’m finished with you, they’ll be taking you to the mental ward in restraints.”

“How… What…” he began. I waved him off.

“It’s your choice, Bergstrom. You either cooperate, or you’ll be up to your neck in spiders. Literally,” I said. As I watched, his face went white and his eyes bugged open in fear. Then he collected himself and nodded his head.

“Alright, alright. I’ll do as you say,” he said.

“I thought you’d see things my way,” I said. “Remember, cooperate and I’ll keep the spiders away. And I was never here. Got it?”

“I got it,” he said, shaking. I disconnected from his mind and caught my breath as I sat in my chair. The effort had drained me more than I thought it would. I grabbed a cup of coffee and relaxed for a bit, then performed the exercises Smith and Jones had given me. When I felt up to it, I connected to Jake’s mind and repeated the performance.

He nearly shit his drawers when he saw me in his cell. I didn’t have to convince him I was “real” the way I did with Bergstrom, which saved me considerable strength. His fear was rats, and I was easily able to convince him to accept my lawsuit. When I disconnected from his mind, I was physically exhausted and called it a night.

It took five more nights to connect with the rest of the board, all of whom were languishing in their cells. None of them put up the fight Bergstrom did, which didn’t surprise me. Compared to Bergstrom, they were all weak — physically and mentally. But the effort took a lot out of me, something both Smith and Jones commented on when they came for their weekly visit.

“Perhaps you need some new exercises,” Smith said.

“Thanks. Just what I need,” I said sarcastically. “By the way, have you finished analyzing Ginger’s brain feed?”

“We have,” Jones said, handing me a color printout and a small USB drive. “The full report is on that drive, already translated. The sheet shows a general timeline. We were able to determine the tumor came into being here,” he said, pointing to a line on the chart. “It was shortly after that she began to change. You can see what happened to her emotionally here and here,” he said, pointing to two sets of lines.

“So, the bottom line is that the tumor affected her behavior and her ability to reason,” I said. “Is that what you’re telling me?”

“An intelligent being could reasonably come to that conclusion, based on this analysis,” Jones said. I nodded my head in acknowledgment. It made sense to me. Between the drugs, the threats and intimidation, and now, this — Ginger didn’t stand a chance. I thanked them for their time and went to bed that night feeling just a bit better about things.

Andrea contacted me to come see her a day before she was set to serve the lawsuits against Bergstrom and his gang. She had the papers in front of her when I got there and handed me a summary sheet showing how much she was going for in each lawsuit. I was shocked when I saw the total on the bottom line — over $1.9 billion.

“Of course, my take is 33 percent — one-third — of that,” she said. “Still, that leaves you with well over a billion dollars. Mind you, this is what we’re asking for, not necessarily what we’ll get.”

“I understand,” I said.

“Remember, this is just the opening salvo. It could take some time to get this resolved, depending on how hard they want to fight this. As I said before, it could take years,” she said.

I connected with Bergstrom’s mind the next evening and found him fuming over the papers that he received. Looking through his memories, I discovered that he had already contacted his lawyer, who promised to see him tomorrow. I made note of the time so I could eavesdrop on the conversation and planned my lunch break to coincide with the meeting. Just as a reminder, I planted a dream reminding him of the terrors to come if he wavered.

The next day, I parked my truck in a wooded park, opened my sack lunch and connected with Bergstrom. He was in a visiting room, chained to a table, his lawyer sitting across from him. The lawyer looked over the paperwork, then looked up at Bergstrom.

“How do you want to handle this?” he asked.

“I want you to… accept their demand,” Bergstrom said, surprising his lawyer.

“You can’t be serious, Harold,” he said. “They’re asking over $400 million. It’ll ruin you After you pay him and Peabody off, you’ll have nothing left.”

“I’m going to jail anyway, I won’t have any need for it. Besides, they have me dead to rights. I’ve already admitted to everything they’ve alleged in their lawsuit.”

“Alright, Harold, talk to me. We’ve known each other for years. This isn’t like you. Did Drake threaten you?” the lawyer asked. Bergstrom shook his head.

“No,” he said.

“Something smells about this, Harold,” the lawyer said. “Look, this is just their initial salvo and we have 30 days to respond. Let’s not be rash about this. I’ll get with this Andrea Hawkins and see if we can’t get this demand down to something a bit more reasonable. We’ll also see if we can dig up some dirt on this Drake character.”

“I’ve already had him checked out,” Bergstrom said. “Hammer says he’s a fucking Boy Scout.”

“Hmm,” the lawyer said. “Well then, maybe we need to come up with something, if you know what I mean. Perhaps have a man-to-man chat with him.”

“Just be careful,” Bergstrom said.

“Why? He’s just a computer geek. What’s he going to do?”

“Something about him doesn’t sit right with me,” Bergstrom said. “Trust me — be careful.”

“Of course,” the lawyer said. “By the way, are you ready for the trial this week?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

“You sure you don’t want to change your plea?”

“Positive,” Bergstrom said.

“Alright, if that’s the way you want it,” the lawyer said. “I’m going to focus on the trial first. I guess the best we can do is mitigate the sentence you’re liable to receive. Once that’s over, I’ll turn my attention to this,” he added, holding the lawsuit. “Are you alright? You’re not looking too well.”

“I haven’t got much sleep lately,” Bergstrom said. “Hard to sleep in that tiny cell.”

“Well, get some rest, Harold. I don’t want you in court looking like shit,” the lawyer said. Bergstrom nodded his head as the lawyer stood. “I’ll see you later this week, before the trial.”

“Got it,” Bergstrom said. The lawyer pounded on the door and a guard let him out before unlocking Bergstrom from the table. That was my cue to disconnect from his mind.

I went about my business for the rest of the week — I worked during the day, then stopped by to see Ginger and check on her progress before going home. I made my martial arts classes, and worked with Smith and Jones when they came by.

I followed the trial in the news, and watched as many of the highlights as I could on Court TV, which provided the most coverage of all the networks. All 12 of the defendants were tried at the same time, in order to save money, the Court TV anchor said, citing the U.S. Attorney handling the case.

What really got my goat was the fact that they had to go through an entire trial, even though all of the defendants had confessed and plead guilty to all of the charges. The U.S. Attorney, Steven Morrison, told me that a judge cannot unilaterally declare any or all of the defendants guilty in a criminal case, because they’re entitled under the constitution to a full and complete trial.

So I watched as they went through the jury selection process, something that took almost an entire day. The next day was opening arguments. I thought Steven did an excellent job laying out his case against all 12 defendants. It took six full days to get testimony from all twelve defendants.

After both sides made their closing arguments and rested, the jury was given instructions by the judge and sent to a separate room where they would begin deliberations. Of course, the talking heads on all the news channels bloviated about the case, even though they really had no idea what actually happened. I nearly blew my television to smithereens more than once.

It didn’t take the jury long to come to their conclusions. After about four hours of deliberations, they came back to the courtroom, having found all 12 of the defendants guilty of all charges. The judge polled them all to make sure they agreed with the verdicts. Satisfied, he turned to the court.

“Sentencing to be held in one week,” he said. “Court adjourned.” I connected with Bergstrom’s mind just as his attorney saw him off.

“You going to be okay, Harold?” the lawyer asked. Bergstrom nodded his head.

“Yeah, Tom, I’ll be fine. Thanks for all your help.”

“I’m going to go see Andrea Hawkins about these lawsuits. Maybe we can get them to back off a bit,” Tom said. “You take care of yourself. I’ll be in touch.” Later that day, I got a call from Andrea.

“I just had an interesting visit with Tom Dewey, Bergstrom’s lawyer,” she said. “He wants to settle for far less than we’re asking. Of course I told him to stick it in his ear. He’ll probably come see you next. Don’t agree to anything. Tell him he needs to speak to me.”

“Okay, got it,” I said. Sure enough, he rang my doorbell about 8:00 that evening. I looked through the peep hole and saw him standing outside, so I opened the door and realized he wasn’t alone. A large, muscular man with an equally large pistol in a shoulder harness stood behind him.

“You must be Tom Dewey,” I said.

“Yes,” he responded. “And this is Max, my chauffeur,” he added, pointing to the gorilla behind him.

“You can come in, but your shadow needs to stay outside,” I said. Tom looked at Max and nodded his head.

“Wait for me in the car,” he said. “I’ll be alright.”

“Okay, boss, if you say so,” he said, giving me a sideways look. I watched as he walked to the dark sedan parked in one of the guest spots. Tom turned back to me and offered his hand as he smiled. I accepted his hand and saw him flinch when he felt the slight jolt.

“Sorry, a lot of static in my carpet,” I said as his memories downloaded into my brain.

“Of course,” he said, rubbing his hand. I invited him inside and offered a cup of coffee, which he readily accepted. Then I grabbed my laptop and a folder from my office and brought it into the front room.

“I just want to say, Mr. Drake, that I’m truly sorry about what happened to your wife,” he said. “I know this isn’t an easy time for you.”

“Thank you for saying so, Mr. Dewey,” I said. “But in all honesty, shouldn’t you be talking to my attorney?”

“Yes, and I did speak with Ms. Hawkins,” he said. “But I thought you and I could take care of things, man-to-man. That’s why I’m authorized to give you this right now to settle the lawsuit.” He handed me a check for $4 million. I chuckled as I looked at it, then handed it back.

“You’re missing a couple zeros on that check, Tom,” I said. “Besides, I’m not authorized to accept anything you have to offer without my lawyer present.” His demeanor changed and he suddenly looked very threatening. I didn’t need to probe his mind to know what he was thinking.

“Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with, Cameron?” he asked. I picked up the folder and opened it up.

“I suppose this is where you start monologuing like a villain in one of those old Saturday morning cartoons,” I said. “You know, where you tell me how rich and powerful you are, how many cops you have on your payroll, how many politicians you have lining up to suck your dick. Maybe you’ll even tell me how you’ll have Max or some of his buddies make life difficult for me if I don’t go along with your program. The real question you should be asking is: do you have any idea what you’re dealing with, Mr. Big Hot-Shot Lawyer Man?”

He looked down at the coffee table as I began putting photos I had printed out earlier. Photos of Bergstrom screwing my wife, wiping his filthy dick on her tear-streaked face, then laughing as she lay on the boardroom table, crying.

“Where did you get these?” he asked.

“You’d never believe me if I told you,” I said. “Your client targeted my wife, set her up, tried to frame her. Then he used and abused her in the most horrific ways imaginable. Then he directed Chad Wheeler to have her killed,” I added, placing photos of her in the hospital and the wreckage of her car on the table. “He admitted doing it in court, along with the rest of the board. A jury has already found them guilty. And now they need to pay for what they’ve done. And you know something?”

“What?” he asked, his face ashen as he looked at the photos I placed on the table.

“I think you knew about it,” I said. He looked up at me, shocked. “Oh, you may not have known all the particulars, and you may not have even known her name, but you knew Bergstrom and his board were up to no good. Hell, you’ve spent years cleaning up after him. And I happen to know he invited you to take part in one of his orgies. I’ve even got it on video if you want to see it.”

“Video?” he asked. “How did you get video?”

“I got it from the same place I got these photos,” I said.

“Alright, yes, he invited me, but I turned him down,” he said.

“I know,” I said. “But there was something he told you that got me wondering. Something about your last frat party in college. Said his latest ‘piece,’ meaning my wife, was very much like her. You remember that?”

“I may recall something like that,” he said. I pulled out one more photo and set it in front of him. The photo showed a young attractive blonde between a much younger Bergstrom and an equally younger Tom Dewey. All three were naked, with Bergstrom’s dick in her mouth and Dewey’s in her pussy.

“What the hell is this?” he asked, his face white.

“June 1976, just a few days before your graduation,” I said. “The woman, in case you forgot, was Janice Taylor, a second-year medical student engaged to one of your frat brothers. He caught the three of you, kicked your asses, then took his engagement ring back from her. I guess you forgot he was the state karate champion in 1975.

“You went on to Harvard Law School while Bergstrom went to business school. Janice, however, fell into a deep depression and took her own life a few days after this… incident,” I said.

“Where did you get this from?” he asked. “No one took any pictures that night.”

“Same place I got most of those other pictures,” I said. “You may not have participated in Bergstrom’s rape of my wife, and yes, as far as I’m concerned, it was rape. But you knew what kind of a man Bergstrom is, and you knew what he was up to, but you never once did anything to stop him. I’m no lawyer like you, Tom, but it seems to me you’re at least somewhat complicit in what happened to her. In my book, you should be sharing a cell right along with him.”

“So, what do you want?” he asked.

“I want for this to have never happened,” I said. “But that’s not possible. So instead, I want Bergstrom and his minions to pay with everything they have. And I want you to make it happen. Do the right thing. For once.”

“And if I refuse to do what you want?” he asked. He gasped as I flexed my eye muscles, making them flash red. Then his face changed as he grabbed his chest. I let him experience some pain for a few moments, then released his heart and watched as the color came back to his face. He took a few deep breaths and looked at me, shocked.

“W… What are you?” he asked.

“I’m your worst fucking nightmare, Mr. Hot Shot Lawyer Man. I’m a pissed-off husband looking for justice,” I said. He nodded his head as he thought about what I said.

“I… understand, Mr. Drake,” he finally said.

“Good,” I told him. “You know, maybe after this business with Bergstrom is over, you should consider retiring. Take your wife on that Caribbean cruise she’s always wanted to take.”

“Maybe you’re right,” he said. “How did he know about that?” I heard him ask in his mind.

“I look forward to hearing from my attorney real soon, Tom,” I said as I escorted him to the door. “It’s time to put an end to this nightmare.”

“Good night, Mr. Drake,” he said as we shook hands at the door. “And I do hope your wife recovers soon.”

“As do I, Tom,” I said. I waited for about an hour before connecting with Tom’s mind. I figured he would be at home by then, and I was right. I saw him put his briefcase and jacket away before pouring a glass of whiskey. His wife came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him.

“I saw the news about the trial, Tom,” she said. “I know how much you hate losing. But maybe it was for the best. You can’t win them all, you know. And I never did like that Bergstrom character anyway.”

“I’ve known Harold for damn near 40 years,” Tom said. “I kept telling him his dick was gonna get him in trouble, but he never listened. Now he’s going to lose everything. His freedom, his money, everything. You know, I met an interesting young man tonight. Kinda reminded me of the way I was when I first went to law school. Idealistic, headstrong. Full of ideas like justice. Made me realize there’s more important things in life besides wealth and power.”

“Oh? What are you thinking?”

“I’ll be done with this Bergstrom mess in a week or so. I was thinking about retiring. Think you can still get those tickets for that Caribbean cruise?”

“I think so,” she said. “What brought this on?”

“I realized that you’ve put up with me for what, 30 years? Thirty years of me putting my career before everything else.”

“Thirty-two years, five months and 18 days,” she said with a smile. “But who’s counting? And what will you tell Senator Johnson? He’s been after you to take that seat on the Superior Court.”

“I’ll tell him I’ve decided to devote more time to my loving wife, who’s more than earned it,” he said.

“Well, whoever this young man is, I’ll have to thank him for opening your eyes,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“What do you say we go upstairs and ‘discuss’ our second honeymoon? Maybe after the cruise, we can go to Europe and visit all those places you want to see.”

“Oh, Tom, you don’t have to do all that,” she said. “Just having you here with me would be perfect.”

“Whatever you say, dear,” he said. “Whatever you say.” I disconnected from his mind. At least one marriage would have a happy ending, I thought.

The next day, I got a call from Steven, the lead U.S. Attorney. He wanted to know if I would be willing to address the court during the sentencing hearing.

“This will be your chance to tell the court how all of this has affected you and your marriage to Ginger,” he said.

“They’re still going to prison, right?” I asked.

“Oh, yes, and I have every reason to believe they’ll get a life sentence. But hearing from you might help. Are you willing to do it?” he asked.

“Of course,” I said. “I’ll be there.”

“Good man,” he said. He gave me all the particulars before we ended the call.

A couple days later, I got a call from Andrea, telling me the attorneys representing all 12 of the board members contacted her. To a person, every single one of them agreed to our demands.

“I’ve never had that happen before,” she said. “I honestly thought we’d be fighting this for a year or two at least. Anyway, the signed papers are being filed in court today and I’ve been told the funds will be released and available in a week. I’ll send you an email with the details. Remember, there’s taxes coming out of all that, plus my cut, so you’ll probably see a bit less than a third of the total settlement, but it’s still pretty darn good for a day’s work. I hope you know a good financial planner.”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” I said, thinking of Jack.

“Good,” she said. “Well, I’d better get going, but I will be in touch. Congratulations, Cameron, and I do hope your wife recovers soon.”

“Thank you, Andrea,” I said. “So do I.” My next call was to Jack Peabody, Ginger’s CEO. He had offered the services of a financial planner when he paid me $100 million to help him clean up his company.

That effort led to Bergstrom and his gang being arrested and charged. He also put $100 million into an offshore account for Ginger. Between that and the money I was about to receive, we would be set quite well for the rest of our lives. Jack was ecstatic to hear of the settlement, and suggested I come see his nephew as soon as possible.

Nathan Jones was already looking after the large payment Jack had given me, and so far, he was doing a good job keeping it safe from the vultures that large sums of money seem to attract. I knew Jack was right. I would need someone like Nathan to look out for my interests.

“I think that would be a good idea, Jack,” I said. “He’s done a good job so far. I’ll give him a call and set up an appointment. Did you hear about the trial?”

“I sure did,” he said. “Are you going to the sentencing?”

“Yes, I was asked to address the court,” I said.

“So was I, so I guess we’ll see each other then. Maybe we can go have a beer afterward, if you’re up to it.”

“Sounds like a plan, Jack,” I said.

“By the way, how’s our girl,” he asked, referring to Ginger.

“They’re going to be doing the surgery in a few days,” I said.

“We’ll keep her in our thoughts, Cameron,” he said. “And if there’s anything you need, just call.” We said our goodbyes and ended the call.

A few days later, I met Jack at the courthouse for the sentencing. We shook hands and went into the courtroom, which was filling up fast with reporters and spectators. Jack and I watched the 12 “Dirty Dozen” being led into the room in shackles. None of them looked like they had slept very well lately. I smiled to myself, knowing the reason for that.

We all rose when the judge came into the courtroom and sat back down when he gave the word. He started the hearing and gave the defendants a chance to speak on their own behalf. They each said they were sorry for any hurt they had caused, but none of them really seemed very remorseful to me.

When they were finished, Jack was called to address the court. Then it was my turn. I had a whole speech written out, but decided not to use it. Instead, I spoke from the heart.

I told the court how Ginger and I had met and fallen in love. I talked about how warm and loving she was before Bergstrom and his gang got their hooks into her. I could feel the pressure in my head as I recalled the events of those six or seven months and had to stop a couple times to catch my breath.

“Your honor,” I said. “Ginger was a beautiful, loving woman. And those 12 individuals deliberately targeted her, threatened her, drugged her and as far as I’m concerned, raped her. Repeatedly. They used her like a piece of meat. She was forced to get an abortion, thinking she was saving my life in the process. They didn’t care what they were doing to her, or to me, or us. In that time, Ginger changed into something I didn’t recognize.

“I nearly divorced her and even had papers put together. Then I learned what happened to her. I didn’t know it at the time, but she fought back the only way she thought she could. And because of her efforts, their plots and schemes have been laid bare.

“Ginger doesn’t know what is happening here today. She doesn’t know that her efforts have paid off. That’s because she’s been in a coma ever since the attempt on her life. And now, she has a brain tumor. I don’t know if she’ll recover or not, your honor. And I don’t know if I’ll ever get her back.

“I’ve already gotten my pound of flesh from these… people, but in my mind, there’s no level of Hell too low for them. I only ask that you give them the maximum sentence you possibly can, your honor. Ginger deserves nothing less. Thank you.” I thought I saw moisture in the judges eye as he listened to me wrap up.

“Thank you, Mr. Drake,” he said as he wiped his face with a handkerchief. After I sat down, Jack patted my arm and gave me a reassuring smile as he nodded his head. The judge considered the 12 defendants before speaking.

“There are simply not enough words in the English language to adequately express my loathing and disgust with the twelve of you,” he said. “The things I have heard here in this case frankly make me sick to my stomach. I’d love nothing more than to sentence each of you to the lowest circle of Hell, but unfortunately, my hands are tied by federal law. Therefore, I sentence you to spend the rest of the your lives in federal prison. Bailiff, take them into custody and prepare them for transport. Court is adjourned.”

He pounded his gavel and I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I looked and saw Bergstrom speaking with Tom. I connected to his mind so I could hear what the two men had to say to each other.

“I guess this is the end, then,” Bergstrom said, reminding me of that old 1960s song by The Doors.

“Yes, it is, Harold,” Tom said sadly. “You know, I warned you that one day your dick would write a check you wouldn’t be able to cover.”

“I know,” Bergstrom said. “But hey, at least I can say I went out with a bang.”

“Good luck to you, Harold,” Tom said, extending his hand. Bergstrom shook it as best he could with the shackles.

“Thank you, Tom, for being a friend,” Bergstrom said. A bailiff came and led Bergstrom away, which was my cue to disconnect. Tom closed up his briefcase and walked to the table where Jack and I sat. He stopped and turned to us.

“I sincerely hope your wife fully recovers, Mr. Drake,” he said, extending his hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Dewey,” I said, accepting his handshake. “I appreciate that.” He nodded his head and turned to Jack.

“I hear your nephew is in town, Jack,” he said.

“Yes, he’s working at the firm now,” Jack said.

“I hope everything goes well for you Jack, and I’m truly sorry… for everything,” he said.

“Apology accepted, Tom,” Jack said. “So, what’s this rumor about you retiring? I thought you were up for a seat on the bench.”

“After more than 30 years, I’ve decided there’s things in life more important than work,” he said. “If all goes well, this time next month Julie and I will be enjoying the Caribbean together. Who knows? Maybe we’ll buy a little bungalow down in Costa Rica or something. Spend our golden years on the beach.”

“Sounds like fun,” Jack said. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, Jack. Good luck to you as well.” With that, Tom left. Jack and I made our way out of the courthouse and managed to steer clear of the reporters gathered for the sentencing. We walked to a small bar just down the street and ducked inside, where we grabbed a table and ordered a couple beers.

“I can’t tell you how glad I am that part’s all over,” I said, taking a sip of my beer.

“Me too,” Jack said. “So, have you given any thought about what we talked about?”

“You mean, starting my own business?” I asked.

“Yes,” Jack said. “You have more than enough to make it happen now.”

“That’s true,” I said. “I’ve given that a lot of thought. I want to get Ginger through this surgery first, but the more I think about it, the more it appeals to me.”

“If you want, I can talk to Nathan and see if he’d be willing to put together a business plan for you,” Jack said. “Would you be interested in that?”

“Yeah, what the hell,” I said. “So, how are things with you?”

“I’m doing quite well, thank you for asking,” Jack said with a smile. He certainly seemed happier than the last time I saw him. I knew he had won his lawsuits as well, but I decided not to press him on that. If he wanted me to know, he would tell me. “Believe it or not, there really is life after divorce.” I chuckled at that.

“Your wife and daughter? Any word on them?” I asked.

“They turned state’s evidence against Bergstrom and his gang,” Jack said. “Got a reduced sentence, but they’ll still spend a few years in a minimum security facility. Nothing like what Bergstrom will face, though.”

“How’s the love life, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Not at all. Haven’t had time, frankly. I’ve been a bit busy putting the firm back together. Got a new board, all of them seem quite capable and they all came highly recommended. Things are picking up and looking good on that end, anyway. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave me with a lot of time for personal pursuits. But I plan to change that here pretty soon.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Jack,” I said. We drank our beer and talked about this and that for a while, then went our separate ways. I went to the hospital to see Ginger and sit with her for a while. I told her about the sentencing and the time I spent with Jack afterward. Before I left, I kissed her on the forehead.

On the day of her surgery, I was in her room early and watched as the nurses prepared her for the procedure. Dr. Samuels came into the room and told me it could take a while, so I camped out in the waiting room with my laptop and watched some shows on Amazon. Four hours later, he came back and motioned for me to follow him into a small conference room.

“The surgery was a success,” he said. “I believe we got the whole thing, but I want to monitor her closely for a while.”

“Of course,” I said. “Now if we can only get her to wake up.” He nodded his head.

“That would be the icing on the cake,” he said. “You know, if it wasn’t for her being in a coma, she could probably go home in a few hours.”

“So I can see her soon?”

“Sure, we’ll have her back in her room in a couple hours and you can go right on in,” he said.

“Thanks, doc,” I said. I packed up my laptop and went to the cafeteria where I grabbed a bite to eat. A couple hours later, I headed for her room, and saw that she had already been brought back. I almost expected to see her head bandaged up, and was surprised when I saw that not only was she not bandaged up, but her blonde hair was still in place. Then I remembered Dr. Samuels saying the procedure didn’t require her to be shaved.

I sat down next to her bed and took her hand in mine. She seemed so peaceful lying there. I tried connecting to her mind, but only heard a form of static, almost like a radio slightly off-tune. This is different, I thought. Until now, I had heard nothing from her.

“The doctor said the surgery was a success,” I told her. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I had hoped there would be some change in her. I talked to her for a while, then found I had to use the rest room. I did my business, then came back into the room and turned on the television. I was flipping through the channels when I heard it.

“C-Cam?”

At first, I thought it was in my mind, but then I realized it wasn’t. I turned and was shocked to see her eyes slightly open, looking at me. I probed her mind, and realized she was starting to actually wake up.

“Cam?” she said weakly. “Where… What…” I rushed to the side of her bed and took her hand in mine.

“Yes, Ginger, it’s me,” I said. “You’re in Mercy General Hospital. You’ve been in a coma for a few months. They just did surgery to remove a brain tumor. Stay with me, okay? I have to let the doctor know you’re waking up. Stay with me, please.”

I rushed into the ward and spoke to the nurse, telling her that Ginger was waking up.

“I’ll get Dr. Samuels,” she said. “Stay with her, keep talking to her, okay?” I rushed back in the room, and sat next to Ginger. Her eyes were still open and she was looking at me.

“I’m back, Ginger,” I said. “The doctor is coming. You need to stay awake, okay?”

“Wake?”

“Yes, stay awake for me. Can you do that?”

“Okay,” she said weakly. Soon, the room filled up as Dr. Samuels and a couple nurses came inside pushing carts full of equipment. I stepped back out of the way and let them do their jobs. Dr. Samuels spoke to her as he examined her. After a while, he stopped and came over to me.

“I’m going to run her through a battery of tests,” he said. “This could take a while, so why don’t you go home or run some errands and come back at, say, 5:00 pm. I should know something concrete by then.”

“Okay,” I said. I started for the door and was by the bed when I heard Ginger’s thoughts: “I can’t believe he stayed. I love that man so much.” I turned to her and saw her mouth wasn’t moving.

“I love you too, Ginger,” I said with a smile. Her eyes grew wide and I gave her a wink. “I’ll be back.” I headed for the house where I showered and changed clothes. I called my parents and Jack to tell them the news. They were all excited and wanted to know when they could visit. I told them I’d let them know as soon as I could.

I grabbed something to eat and got back to the hospital just before 5:00 pm. I headed for Ginger’s room and saw Dr. Samuels. He was smiling as I approached.

“What’s the word?” I asked. “Is she really awake?”

“It certainly looks that way,” he said.

“I don’t understand. What happened?”

“Well, if I had to give an educated guess, I’d say removing that tumor is what did the trick,” he said. “I know you’re excited, and so are we, but we need to be careful and not rush this. I want to keep an eye on her for a few days. She’s lost some weight and she’ll need therapy to learn how to walk again. I want to get her on some solid food, and get her strength back up. We’ve already got the approval from her insurance and we’ll be getting her to a rehab facility.

“In the meantime, I suggest you keep talking to her. She knows what’s happened to her and she’s still in a bit of shock from that. I know the two of you had some issues when she was brought in, but I don’t want you hashing that out with her just yet. I don’t want to see her go into a relapse. Got it?”

“I got it, doc,” I said. I went into her room and saw her sitting up in bed, a tray of food in front of her. I kissed her and sat down next to her. She looked at me, a tear forming in her eye.

“You… stayed with me all this time?” she asked, her voice still weak.

“Of course,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I?” Tears fell down her face and I held her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

“I’m sorry,” she cried.

“Shhh,” I said. “It’s okay. Everything will be okay. We’ll talk about this when you’re stronger. Why don’t you try to eat something. It’s been months since you’ve had any actual food, you know.” She picked up a spoon and ate her cottage cheese, then a small cup of jello. When she finished, she looked at me as if for the first time.

“You’ve changed,” she said. “You look… stronger. More confident.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I started taking martial arts.”

“But it’s more than that,” she said. “There’s something… different about you.”

“Well, I’m still a work in progress,” I said. “Or so I’ve been told.”

“We have a lot to talk about,” she said after a few moments.

“Yes, we do. And we will, but not until you’re a bit stronger,” I said.

“Okay,” she said. “Hold me… please?” I put my arm around her as best I could. It was difficult with the tubes and wires going to her arm from the equipment attached to her bed. “Does Chad know where I am?” she asked. I could sense the fear in her.

“No, Chad and his thugs are gone,” I said.

“Gone? Gone where?”

“Hopefully to Hell,” I said. She looked at me, her brows furrowed.

“What do you mean? Did you do something?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” I said.

“I know. When I’m stronger,” she said. “What about the board? Do they know?”

“Yes, but they’re irrelevant now. They’re all in prison, thanks to you.”

“Prison?” she asked. “What happened?”

“Well, I worked with Jack and we found the reports and spreadsheets you saved in the cloud,” I said. “He was able to make sense of it all and they were arrested. They just got sentenced to life in federal prison for what they did to you and to Jack’s company.”

“You worked with Jack Peabody? The CEO?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “He paid me handsomely for my help. Let’s just say I’ve been rather busy these last four months.”

“I guess you have been busy,” she said. “Have you… You know… Dated anyone?”

“Well, there were a couple nurses who took care of me when I was in the hospital, but they were only dinner dates. Nothing happened,” I said.

“Nothing?” she asked.

“No, nothing,” I told her.

“You could have, if you wanted to,” she responded.

“I won’t say I wasn’t tempted. I was. It just didn’t seem right. And they made it clear they didn’t want a relationship with a married man.”

“Do you still love me?” she asked.

“Of course I do,” I said.

“You may not after you learn everything I was forced to do,” she said quietly.

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes. Right now, you need to get your strength back,” I told her. She snuggled closer to me and held my arm tight. I could feel the tears dripping down her face.

“You deserve someone much better than me,” she said.

“Stop talking like that,” I said. She looked up at me with sad eyes, tears falling down her face.

“I’m serious, Cam,” she said. “That day, I promised myself I was going to tell you everything and beg your forgiveness. When I couldn’t stop the car, I thought I was going to die without getting a chance to apologize. Seriously, you’d be better off if I were dead.”

“No, that’s not true,” I said. “Don’t ever talk like that again, you hear me?” She nodded her head, not saying anything. I gently probed her mind and found that her memories were coming back to her, along with something else — regret, shame and self-loathing. I could tell she was bursting with the desire to confess her transgressions, but I also remembered what Dr. Samuels said.

I held her for another hour or so as we watched some television. I looked down and saw she was falling asleep, so I slipped my arm out from behind her and laid her down on her bed before covering her up. A nurse came in and checked her out, then put something in her IV.

“She’s had a long day. She’s probably very tired,” the nurse said.

“Probably right,” I said. I saw Ginger open her eyes a bit and I bent down to give her a kiss good night. “I’ll be heading home now,” I told her. “Get some rest. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” I said in response.

Ginger improved considerably over the next few days, but she was still weak and had a lot of difficulty getting around. The doctor seemed convinced that her tumor was gone and she was transported to a nice rehabilitation facility in a rural area north of the city. I followed the medical transport vehicle to the place and was stunned when I saw it.

The facility occupied several acres in a wooded, hilly location, and it included a nice, well-kept pond that was fed by a creek. I could see myself retiring in a place like this. The room she was given was quite large, well-appointed, and had a nice view of the pond and the woods on the other side of it.

We got her situated in the queen-sized hospital bed and the nurse showed her how to operate the large wall-mounted television and the other controls on the bed. She also made sure we knew how to connect to the facility’s wifi, and showed us how to place an order with the kitchen, which she said was available 20 hours out of the day.

“Oh, and here’s a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign if you ever want to have a bit of privacy,” she said, while reminding us that visiting hours were over at 11:00 pm. “Her day starts right at 7:00 am, and we want to make sure she gets a good night’s sleep,” she added with a smile. We thanked her and I helped put Ginger’s things away in the dresser.

When we finished, Ginger changed into some pajamas and plopped down on the bed. I could tell she was exhausted.

“If you don’t mind, I think I’ll call it an early day,” she said. “Thanks for coming out with me. It means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome,” I said. “This sure is a nice place.”

“Yes, it is,” she said. “Maybe one day we can retire to someplace like this.”

“Who knows?” I asked. “Well, I’d better get going. I’ll be by tomorrow,” I added, giving her a kiss.

“You’d better be,” she said. “You know we’re going to have to talk about things sometime soon,” she added.

“I know,” I said. I’d been putting it off, not wanting to cause any emotional trauma, but I could tell that she was getting strong enough — at least physically — to deal with it. But I still had concerns. “Tell you what. Doc says he wants you here for at least a month. Why don’t we give it a week and see how you’re doing, then we’ll talk. Deal?”

“Deal,” she said after giving it some thought. I gave her another kiss and covered her up, then started for the door. “Cam,” she said before I reached it. I stopped and turned around. “I love you,” she added. I could tell she meant it.

“I love you, too,” I told her before leaving the room.

The next week went by pretty fast. I went to work, visited Ginger on my way home, worked out, went to my martial arts class, and did my weekly workout with Smith and Jones. The workouts drained me, emotionally and physically, but I always felt better afterward.

By then, the funds from the settlements had posted to my account — minus Andrea’s cut and the taxes, of course. Nathan was busy putting together a portfolio for me that would safeguard the money, maximizing its growth while giving both Ginger and I a nice monthly dividend.

He was also working on a business plan for my venture. I knew it would soon be time for me to make the decision to either fish or cut bait, but I honestly didn’t know what the future held for my marriage.

“I stopped by to see Ginger yesterday,” Jack said when I finished my appointment with Nathan. “She’s looking a lot better.”

“Yes, she’s getting her strength back. I suspect she’ll be back on her feet soon,” I said.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do about things?” he asked.

“Not yet. At least not conclusively,” I told him.

“You know she’s madly in love with you,” Jack said.

“I know,” I said. “And I still love her. Love was never the problem, though. I need to know if I can trust her again.”

“I can understand that,” he said. “You do know she was never a willing participant in what Bergstrom and Wheeler did to her.”

“I know. But I also remember how she treated me all that time. The doctor says her tumor may have played a role in that. Still… I just don’t know. I want to hear what she has to say.”

“Even with your abilities, you don’t know?” Jack asked.

“I’ve deliberately refrained from probing her mind since she woke up,” I said. “I don’t want to take the chance that she might be influenced by my presence there.”

“I see,” Jack said. “You’re going to have to face the situation, and you need to do it sooner rather than later.”

“I know.”

“I understand Nathan’s working up your business plan,” he said.

“Yeah, he’s doing a hell of a job on that,” I said.

“If you do decide to launch your own venture, you’re going to need some help,” Jack said. “Especially with the finances and the books.”

“Well, I thought about hiring you guys for that,” I said. He smiled at that.

“I’m flattered you have so much confidence in us, Cameron,” he said with a smile. “But I was thinking about someone in particular.”

“You mean, Ginger?” I asked.

“Why not?” he asked. “She has all the right skills, all the right certifications, the experience, and she’s very organized. She’s also used to managing large sums of money. If anyone can keep your office running well, it would be her.”

“Are you thinking about firing her?” I asked.

“Not at all,” he said. “In fact, I’d hate to lose her. I was thinking maybe she could start part-time with you until you were ready for someone full-time. Besides, I think it might make her feel good to know that you trust her enough for that kind of a role. And it might help the two of you get closer to each other.”

“You have this all figured out, don’t you, Jack?”

“Of course,” he said with a smile. “That’s why I’m the CEO here.” We both chuckled at that.

“You may be right, Jack,” I said. “But there’s still one very large hurdle we need to get over.”

“Then you’d better get to it, son,” he said. “Time waits for no man.”

“Thanks for the words of wisdom, Obi-wan,” I said with a laugh. He laughed with me and slapped my shoulder.

Finally, the day came when Ginger and I would discuss the “800-pound gorilla” in our marriage. Part of me wasn’t looking forward to this at all. I had seen everything there was to see in her memories, and I didn’t want to be reminded of all that. But I knew it had to be done. I walked into her room, said hello to the therapist and gave Ginger a kiss.

“How is everything today?” I asked.

“Ginger has made a lot of progress today,” the therapist said. “She’s doing better with each passing day.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said.

“Well, I’ll let the two of you visit for a while,” the therapist said. “Get some rest tonight, Ginger. Tomorrow’s going to be even busier than today.”

“I will, thanks,” Ginger said as the therapist left the room.

“Have you eaten?” I asked.

“Yes, I just finished,” she said. “The therapist recorded my caloric intake, that’s why she was here.”

“Ah, I see,” I told her. She climbed into the large bed and looked at me before speaking. I could tell she was anxious.

“It’s been a week, Cam,” she said. “I think we need to talk, get this all out in the open.”

“You’re right,” I said. “I’m sorry, I just haven’t been looking forward to this.”

“I know,” she said. “Frankly, neither have I. But I need to get this out before I explode.”

“I understand,” I said.

“First off, I want you to know that I really do love you with all my heart,” she said. “And I’m so very sorry I hurt you. I know that some of what you’re going to hear will be… very hard for you to take. But I feel that we need to face this if we’re ever going to move forward.”

“Well, I already know you were forced into doing what you did,” I said. “Bergstrom and the rest of the board already admitted to that in open court.”

“But there’s some things they may have omitted,” she said. “Please, just hear me out first before you say anything, okay?”

“Okay,” I said. I steeled myself mentally for what was about to come. I knew it would be hard to hear, especially after what I had seen in her memories. She took a deep breath and began. She told me how Chad had spent some time flirting with her, and how she liked it at first.

Then she told me how he falsified a couple reports she had put together — important reports that would be submitted to the federal government. I didn’t understand all that, but I believed her. After all, I had seen her memories.

She told me everything — how he drugged her and how he used her. I didn’t need — or want — a “blow-by-blow” and told her as much. She nodded her head and continued. She spoke of the boardroom gangbangs and talked about how Bergstrom and the others used her over and over again.

“I felt so dirty and ashamed when they finished,” she cried. “I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I hated myself for letting this happen, and yes, I hated you as well for not coming to my rescue.”

“I couldn’t rescue you, Ginger,” I said. “You never told me any of this was going on. You just shut me out completely.”

“I know, I know,” she said. “I was so confused. They said if I ever breathed a word of this, they would have you killed in front of me in the worst way imaginable. I treated you like shit and I’m so sorry for that.”

“Couldn’t you go to Jack?” I asked.

“No,” she said. “They warned me off of that as well. They threatened to kill him if I said anything to him.”

“So he didn’t know?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I think he may have suspected something, but he didn’t know for sure. He didn’t get along with Bergstrom or the other members of the board very well.” She continued her story, and told me how Wheeler sometimes used her to entice potential clients to the company. He also used her to “thank” clients for staying with the firm.

Of course I knew all of this already, but she didn’t know that. She went on to talk about how she decided to put together a package intended to nail Bergstrom and the others, but she never got a chance to send it all to the SEC lawyer she had contacted. As she spoke, I felt a pressure build up in my head, and I had to use what Smith and Jones taught me to keep from exploding.

“When you came to see me in the hospital, you seemed like two different people,” I said. “Tell me, did you have Chad in our condo? Were you seeing him while I was in the hospital?”

“Y… Yes,” she stammered through her tears.

“Why?” I asked. “That just doesn’t make any sense to me. You said you loved me, said you hated what he did to you, but yet you had him in our house, in our bed. Why?”

“I honestly don’t know, Cam,” she said. “You’re right, I felt like two different people. My mind was going in a hundred different directions at the same time. Yes, I hated him and what he made me do, but my body… Well, my body loved it. I can’t explain it.” I remembered Smith, Jones, and Dr. Samuels telling me about her tumor and figured that might explain her conflicting emotions.

“There’s more,” she said through her tears.

“More?” I asked.

“Chad forced me to have an abortion,” she said quietly. “Said it was either the baby or you. I absolutely hated him for that.”

“But that still didn’t stop you,” I said. She shook her head as she cried.

“I’m so terribly sorry,” she said. “I even thought about killing myself. I almost did it, too.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” I said.

“I’m not just damaged goods, Cam,” she said. “They destroyed me. Completely. I’m no good to anyone now.” She broke down, sobbing into her hands. I sat in my chair and did nothing but let her get it out of her system. Finally, she blew her nose and looked at me through tear-streaked eyes.

“You’d be better off without me,” she finally said. “If you want to get a divorce, I’ll understand. You can have everything. The condo, our accounts, everything. I’ll even give you my 401K. All I need are my clothes and my car. I still have my job, so I can get by on that. I’d appreciate it if you just let me have enough to start over in a new place.”

“You’re serious?” I asked, surprised that she would fall on her own sword like that. She nodded her head.

“Completely. Just get the papers together and I’ll sign them,” she said. “No questions asked.” I was surprised that she didn’t offer any excuses or cliches. I gently probed her mind and found that she was completely sincere. “I do love you, Cameron, but I know you can’t live with what I’ve done and I don’t blame you. You deserve someone much better than me. Just… throw me away and move on with your life. Trust me, you’ll be a lot happier.”

I considered what she said for a few minutes, then stood up. An idea was starting to germinate in my mind but I needed to speak with Drew. I looked down at her before speaking.

“I appreciate your honesty, Ginger,” I said. “I also appreciate your willingness to face this head on with no excuses. I’ll need a couple days to wrap my head around all this. Then I’ll be back. I do love you, Ginger, but you’re right. I can’t live with what you’ve done. I’ll talk to you later.” I heard her sobs as I went through the door, tears starting to form in my eyes.

When I got to my car, I pulled out my phone and called Drew’s personal cell. He had given me his number and said to call if I needed to. I felt like I really needed to.

“Drew, this is Cameron Drake,” I said when he answered.

“What’s going on, Mr. Drake? Is everything alright?” he asked.

“I need you to do something for me if you would, please. I’d appreciate it if you could put a rush on this. And yes, I’ll pay you for your time,” I said. I went on to explain what I had in mind. He didn’t say anything as I laid out my idea.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked when I finished. “This is highly… irregular.”

“Absolutely,” I said. “Can you get this done in, say, a day or two?”

“Yeah, I don’t see any reason why not,” he said.

“Thanks, Drew,” I said. “Give me a call when it’s ready.” We ended the call and I headed home, where I spent a couple hours doing some of the mental exercises Smith and Jones had given me before considering everything Ginger told me. I sincerely hoped I was doing the right thing…

A couple days later, I went back to the rehab facility. I had purposefully stayed away, not wanting to give Ginger any hope that we might reconcile. I had connected to her mind a couple times, though, and found that she was beside herself with sorrow and regret. Tonight would be… interesting, I thought to myself.

I met the process server outside her door and nodded my head. He knew what the plan was and smiled back at me. I went inside and held the door open for him after I confirmed that Ginger was decent. She looked up, shocked, when I came into the room. I could tell that she had been crying, though.

“Please, no,” I heard her say in her mind when the process server came in. He walked over to her and handed her the large envelope.

“Ginger Drake?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

“You’ve been served,” he said, taking a step back. She sniffled as she opened the envelope and pulled out the paperwork. I handed her a pen from my pocket.

“If you would, go ahead and sign and initial where the blue arrows indicate, please,” I said in a monotone. She took the pen from me, her hands trembling. I saw tears fall down her face as she signed and initialed the paperwork. She handed the pen back when she was finished, then held the paperwork to the process server.

I intercepted the papers and put them back in the envelope, nodding at the process server, who knowingly smiled back as he nodded his head.

“I’ll take care of these,” I said. “Thank you for your time.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “Good luck.” After he left the room, I turned back to Ginger, who was still crying.

“So, I guess that’s it, then?” she asked through her tears.

“If that’s the way you want it,” I said.

“It’s not,” she said.

“It’s not exactly what I wanted, either,” I said. “But it is what it is. So, when do you think you’ll be available for your public spanking?”

“Public spanking?” she asked, shocked.

“Yes, you agreed to it, after all,” I said.

“I agreed to no such thing!”

“I beg to differ with you, Ginger. Right here on the third page. You initialed the clause. Don’t you read what you sign? You agreed to have your bare bottom spanked in front of a live studio audience. See?” I held the papers for her to see the clause. She ripped the papers out of my hand and read the clause out loud.

“What the hell kind of a joke is this?” she asked. Good, I thought. She’s getting her dander up. I watched as she tore through the rest of the papers. “What else is in here?” she asked. She looked at the last page.

“What? ‘State of Confusion?’ County Clerk: M. Mouse? These aren’t even real,” she said. “You brat! You tricked me!”

“Maybe a little bit,” I said. “I wanted to see how committed you were to what you said.” She threw the papers back at me and sat in her bed, looking up at me.

“So, you really don’t want a divorce then?” she asked. “After everything that’s happened? I take it then that everything will go back to the way it was.” I shook my head.

“No, it won’t,” I said. “In fact, it will never go back to the way it was. You see, there have been a lot of changes. I’ve changed. A lot. I’m still changing, in fact.”

“Yeah, you said you’re taking martial arts. I know that,” she said.

“It’s more than that. A whole lot more,” I said.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“Well, since we’re baring our souls to each other, I guess it’s only fair I tell you the whole truth,” I said.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “Have you been sleeping with other women all this time or something?”

“No, nothing like that,” I said. “You remember when I got struck by lightning?”

“Yes, I remember,” she said.

“Well, that wasn’t lightning,” I told her. I told her the entire story — about Smith and Jones, about my evolving mental abilities — everything.

“Oh my God,” she gasped when I finished.

“Thing is, I don’t even know what the end result will be,” I said. “Smith and Jones both say my DNA is still in flux.”

“Fuck,” she said in response. It was very rare for her to cuss, and her outburst caught me by surprise.

“There’s more,” I said. “I have all of your memories downloaded to my computer.”

“My memories?” she asked.

“Yes. Everything from the day you were born to just after the accident. I have a whole lot more. I also have a record of every thought, every emotion, every little secret — everything. In fact, having your entire brain feed is what kept me from really divorcing you,” I said.

“Brain feed?” she asked.

“Yes, everything that went on in your brain is on my computer. And it’s a good thing. It put everything into context for me. Answered a lot of questions. Smith and Jones analyzed it and they not only determined when your tumor formed, but they were also able to show that it was, at least, partially responsible for your actions. Believe me, if all I had was the video I shot of you and Wheeler that day, we’d be divorced right now.”

“So, what happens now?” she asked.

“Well, I guess that’s up to you. It won’t be easy. We’ll have a lot to work through, but if you want, I’m willing to give our marriage another shot,” I said. Her face lit up at that.

“Seriously?” she asked.

“Seriously,” I said. “But I have to warn you, I won’t be so forgiving if anything like this ever happens again.”

“Nothing like this will ever happen again, I promise,” she said. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I promise you I’ll be the best wife any man could ever want.” I nodded my head as she spoke. “So, what am I thinking right now?” she asked with a smile.

“Something about putting the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door,” I said. Her smile grew as I put the sign on the door and closed it. When I turned around, she had already removed her pajamas and leaned back on the bed, naked, her legs spread.

“Are you strong enough for this?” I asked as I undressed.

“Well, come here to me and let’s find out,” she said. I laid down on the bed and took her in my arms. “I love you so much, Cam,” she said. “I promise you won’t regret this. Now, please, make me your woman again. And don’t ever stop.” We kissed for some time and she worked her way on top of me. I knew she liked being on top, so I let her have this.

“It seems your brain isn’t the only thing that’s gotten enhanced,” she said as she grasped my now-hard cock. “I just hope I can take it all.” I smiled at that.

“I do too,” I said. I watched as she lowered herself onto me. We both gasped when I entered her and I watched her impale herself on me, clear to the hilt. Then she started riding me, and it was “Katy bar the door.”

We didn’t just make love that first time. We almost devoured each other. Finally, I felt the initial signs of an orgasm, and knew she was close as well. Then it happened.

The universe exploded.

Or at least that’s what it seemed like. I closed my eyes tight but still saw the bright light as my eyes flashed. When her orgasm hit, it seemed like our molecules had somehow merged and the two of us had literally become one being. I had never experienced anything so intense in my entire life. Finally, we both caught our breath and looked into each other’s eyes.

For a moment, I thought I saw a spark in one of her eyes and wondered… She smiled and kissed me deeply.

“That was absolutely amazing,” she whispered. “Don’t ever stop doing that to me.”

“I won’t,” I said. “And yes, it was amazing. Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”

“I’m more than okay,” she said. We held each other for a bit and I glanced over at the clock.

“Oh, shit, Smith and Jones are coming tonight,” I said. “I’d better get back to the house.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll let it go this time. Promise you’ll be back tomorrow?”

“Absolutely,” I said. I got out of bed and dressed as she put her pajamas back on. I pulled the sign off the door and one of the nurses came in to check on Ginger.

“Is everything okay?” the nurse asked.

“Yeah,” Ginger said with a coy smile. “I’m just getting some… therapy.” The nurse smiled.

“Uh huh,” she said. “Tell you what, why don’t I change these sheets while you take a shower and get ready for bed.”

“Okay,” Ginger said, getting out of the bed. I felt a bit embarrassed, but I had a feeling this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Ginger came over to me and gave me a kiss.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

“See you then,” I said. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” she said. I drove home, feeling happier than I had in a very long time. Smith and Jones showed up a few minutes after I got home. They looked at me funny when they came inside.

“You were with your wife today?” Smith asked.

“Yes, I was,” I said.

“We can tell,” Jones said. “Did you… copulate with her today?” What the hell kind of a question was that, I wondered.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did,” I said. “Why?” They looked at each other for a few moments before responding.

“Oh, nothing,” Smith said. I didn’t believe him, but didn’t press it. Perhaps I should have. We went through our exercises and they gave me another assignment from the manual.

“Your life is about to change in ways you cannot begin to imagine, Cameron Drake,” Jones said. “It is nearly time for you to advance to the next level.”

“How do you feel about children?” Smith asked.

“I’ve always wanted one or two. Why?” I asked. Smith and Jones looked at each other for a moment.

“You will know soon enough. Good evening,” Jones said. They left and I wondered what they were on about.

…

Over the next week, my schedule consisted of work, study, and visits with Ginger. Our relationship seemed to be healing and we opened up to each other in ways we had never done before. The sex was fantastic — even better than it was before all the crap with Wheeler started.

I finally decided to make my move and put in my two week’s notice. Ryan wasn’t thrilled to see me leave, but he understood my life had changed and I was looking to pursue other interests. The company held a small party for me on my last day, and everyone wished me well.

“If things don’t work out for you, Cam, you’re always welcome back,” Ryan said.

“Thanks, boss, I appreciate that,” I said.

That day, I told Ginger what I had done and told her about my plan to go into business for myself. At first, she was concerned, especially with the finances.

“Cam, can we afford that? It takes money to start up a business, and we still have bills to pay.”

“That won’t be a problem,” I told her. “Between the settlements and what Jack paid me, we’re worth just north of $800 million.”

“$800 million?” she asked. “Are you kidding me?”

“Not at all,” I said.

“We’ll have to find another house,” she said. “We can’t run a business from the condo. It’s not zoned for that.”

“No problem,” I said. “Once you’re released from here we’ll go find the perfect house.”

“But do you know how to run a business? Who’s going to take care of the books?” she asked.

“Well, I do have someone in mind for that,” I said. “That is, if she’s willing to take it on.”

“Oh? Who?” she asked.

“You,” I said.

“Me?” she asked. “But what about my job?”

“Jack said he’d let you work part time while I get set up and established,” I said. “So, are you up to it?”

She thought about it for a few minutes, then a smile spread across her face and she wrapped her arms around me.

“Of course, my husband,” she said. “It’ll be our little adventure. So, what kind of a business is this going to be? Are you going to fix computers or something?”

“No,” I said. “Jack, Smith and Jones suggested I use my abilities to help other people. So, that’s what I intend to do.”

“Wow,” she said. “I’m impressed. What are your plans starting out?”

“Well, Nathan — Jack’s nephew — suggested I take some courses in criminal justice, maybe get certified as a private investigator. That may take a couple years.”

“It sounds interesting,” she said. “I can’t wait to get started.”

“Jack also said he’s called some of the local private investigators he knows. None of them have a spot for an intern, but he’s said there’s one guy who’s very interested in talking to me. Someone named Max Burnage. I called, and set up an appointment to meet him in three weeks.”

“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” Ginger asked.

“I am,” I told her.

“Whatever you decide, I’ll be there for you. No matter what,” she said.

“That means a lot to me,” I said. “Thanks.”

The next three weeks were a blur. I signed up for some online classes and spent as much time as I could soaking up everything I could. I continued my workouts with Smith and Jones along with my martial arts class. At the same time, I scoured the papers looking for a house, but nothing grabbed my attention.

Ginger was finally released from the rehab facility, so I collected her and brought her back to the condo. Jack and some of the girls from her office had planned a surprise party for her, so I let them in the condo so they could set up while I went to get her.

We all had a good time, and everyone was glad to see her back on her feet. By the time the party ended, she was exhausted, so I helped her take a bath and put her to bed.

“This isn’t the same bed we used to have,” she told me when I got in with her.

“No, it’s not,” I said. “I got rid of the old one a long time ago. I hope this one is comfortable enough for you.”

“As long as you’re here with me, it doesn’t really matter,” she said. We fell asleep in each other’s arms in our own place for the first time in months, and it felt good to have her back.

She didn’t know what to make of Smith and Jones the first time she met them. At first she was scared, but I assured her she had nothing to be scared of. They spent the first half hour of their visit examining her with a collection of small, hand-held devices.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Just conducting a preliminary examination,” Smith said. “Nothing to be concerned about.” When they finished, they consulted with each other in what I had come to learn was their native language. Then they turned to Ginger.

“Despite the medieval nature of your species’ medicine, your tumor seems to have been completely mitigated,” Jones said.

“What?” she asked.

“Your tumor is completely gone,” Smith said. “And your body is returning to normal parameters. However, we suggest you visit one of your doctors soon.”

“Why?” she asked. “I’m healed, I’m rehabilitated, I’m doing very well, thank you.”

“Indeed. But you have engaged in sexual intercourse with your husband, have you not?” Jones asked.

“Of course, we’re married,” she said.

“You have accepted his DNA into your body.”

“Uh, yeah. So?” she asked, confused.

“His DNA is still in flux,” Smith said. “His transition is not yet complete.”

“Transition into what?” she asked.

“A more perfect version of himself,” Jones said.

“We will need to monitor you,” Smith said. “Please take note of any changes you detect in yourself and let us know. We will be back in a week to check on you.” He turned to me before speaking again.

“Keep an eye on your wife, Cameron. Take note of any changes you see, no matter how small or insignificant you think they may be,” he said.

“Is everything alright?” I asked.

“So far, yes. But we have… concerns. Continue with the work we have already given you.”

“Alright,” I said. They left the condo and Ginger looked at me, confused.

“That was… interesting,” she said. “What do you think they were on about?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “But we’d better do as they ask. I’ve learned to listen to what they say. Keep a journal and note anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small. Changes, dreams, thoughts, whatever. If they’re concerned, I’m concerned.”

“Alright, Cameron,” she said.

I kept an eye on Ginger and periodically connected to her mind just to see if anything had changed. I did notice one thing — a gold speck in her right eye that wasn’t there before. Ginger told me she had started hearing strange things whenever she was close to someone.

“Those are their thoughts,” I said. “Make a note of that in your journal.”

“I will,” she said. “You hear that all the time?” I nodded my head.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’ve learned to focus my attention so it doesn’t distract me too much, but it can be a pain in the ass. Smith and Jones can help you deal with it.”

“There’s something else,” she said. “I stopped to get some gas and I saw this guy. I don’t know who he was, but he looked — odd.”

“What do you mean, odd?” I asked.

“Well, he reminded me a bit of those 3-D pictures. You know, the ones where you have to wear the red and blue glasses,” she said.

“Yes, that’s called an anaglyph,” I said. “You saw that?”

“Yes,” she said. “It was hard looking at him. It was like I was seeing three of him in different colors. I started getting a headache after a while.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “I have the same thing happen to me. That happens when you meet someone who’s being deliberately underhanded. The more underhanded and deceitful the person, the worse the effect. You’d better make a note of that.”

“That happens to you as well?” she asked.

“Yes. Remember that first day you came to visit me in the hospital? That’s what you looked like to me.”

“I remember you saying it hurt to look at me,” she said. “I thought you were just disgusted with me and was trying to hurt me.”

“I WAS disgusted with you, but no, I wasn’t trying to hurt you. It actually gave me a headache looking at you.”

“Do you still get that when you look at me?” she asked. I shook my head.

“No, I don’t. Not since the accident,” I said.

“I’m glad,” she said. She went into the bedroom to fill in her journal for Smith and Jones. I knew this was only the beginning for her, but I had no idea how far she would progress.