The Lifeguard

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. If you are offended by graphic descriptions of homosexual acts, go somewhere else.

Copyright c by Orrin C. Rush. All rights reserved.

Neither this story nor any parts of it may be distributed electronically or in any other manner without the express, written consent of the author.

THE LIFEGUARD

The author is a triscadeccaphobiac, so there will be no Chap

Chapter 14

It had been years since I'd gotten into the Christmas spirit. This year was totally different. Eric and Annie really got into it, and I was drawn in by their enthusiasm.

They decided to have an "open house" on Christmas Eve and invite virtually everybody they knew. They also wanted me to invite all my friends, too. Christmas Dinner was to be just family, Eric's Mom and Dad, Kevin, and the three of us.

I suggested to Eric that he call Ryan and offer to send the plane for him. He did, but Ryan had other plans.

I was consulted, but didn't get very involved in all the planning, they were having so much fun that I didn't want to intrude. I knew that they were very capable, and it was fun watching the two of them work together.

Dusty strings of lights were dug out of the garage and put up everywhere, inside and out. The first time they'd been used in years. There weren't enough, so they bought more. A huge tree appeared in the main living room, and everyone, including Kevin, worked on decorating it.

Eric had about 60 on his invitation list, Annie had over a hundred, and I had a paltry 20. It would be mostly young people, but who can argue with that?

I knew I had to go shopping. I'd long ago ordered Annie and Eric's "big" presents, a Mercedes 2-seater for Eric, and a Maserati coupe for Annie. They would be delivered early Christmas morning. The problem was the presents for them to open, and something really personal for Eric.

I racked my brain on that one. I wanted something personal for him that would have meaning. Eventually, I came up with an idea, and spent hours on the phone trying to locate it. I finally found what I wanted in London. It was sent by courier to the office, and was everything that I had hoped for.

I girded my loins and attacked the stores. Annie was impossible, anything she wanted, she bought. She was a gadget freak, so I hit the electronic stores and found a few she didn't have. I also found a strand of large, antique pearls for her. Eric was a little easier, but not much. I found him a set of cuff links and studs for formal that were set with sapphires that matched his eyes. Elegant but not gaudy. I also got him a few electronic gadgets for his study.

I had the most fun at the toy store. I got Eric a couple of remote-control toy trucks, and fuzzy stuffed animals for Annie, and other toys that caught my eye for both of them.

Annie was always complaining that Kevin, being a typical man, was constantly getting lost, so I got him a GPS unit for his car.

I sneaked all this stuff into the house and Mary insisted on wrapping everything for me, saying that anything I wrapped looked like it had been "bandaged."

As Christmas approached, I asked Annie when she was planning to nail our friend, the Baron.

"The day after Christmas," she said. "Let them enjoy that, then we'll get him. I've got him under surveillance already, so the bastard's not going to get away."

For Eric, school was out for the holidays, but he was busier than usual, and I didn't see much of him during the day. Business was in the holiday doldrums, too, so not much was happening. Home, however was an entirely different matter. It was a beehive of activity, getting ready for the big party. Mary and Annie were in the middle of things, and Eric got involved when he was around. I watched from the sidelines.

The day of the party arrived, and in the late afternoon, I was resting in the den when the phone rang. It was Edward Milton.

Our conversation was short. In his extremely polite way, he told me that his family had reached a decision, and that they would like to talk to me soon after the first of the year. A time was set, and we wished each other a Merry Christmas.

I put down the phone and let out a yell that brought the whole house to a standstill. Eric and Annie came running.

"Is everything OK?" they wanted to know, but one look at me told them that I was more than OK.

"What happened?" Eric asked, slipping his arm around me.

"The best news you could imagine," I said, trying to be calm, but grinning from ear to ear. "Edward Milton just called, and they're ready to talk!"

"You did it again, Dad," Annie said exuberantly. "Wow, what a Christmas present!"

"The most important thing to me," I said seriously, "is that my reputation wasn't that badly tainted by all that's happened. The Milton's wouldn't even talk to me if they believed any of the stuff that's been said. That makes me feel so damned good."

"People are smarter than they're given credit for," Eric said. "They see through all that crap."

"Let's keep this to ourselves until next week," I suggested. "The only one who deserves to know about this is Bill, and I'll tell him tonight."

Eric and Annie nodded in agreement. "I've just gotta tell Kevin," Annie said. "That OK?"

"I'd like to tell Dad," Eric said.

"That's fine," I said, "but that's all!"

They laughed with me, and I got hugged from both sides. Annie returned to the chaos, and Eric joined me on 'our' couch.

"You're my man," he said. "Indestructible, invincible, and pretty soon you're going to own the whole damn world!"

"My most valuable possession is right here," I said, hugging him, "but I sure as hell don't own you."

We gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment.

"I love you," he said softly, "Let's celebrate!!!"

He made us a drink and we sat together watching the sunset. I realized what an incredibly fortunate man I was.

The party got off to a roaring start. The background music was soon drowned out by voices. It looked like everyone we'd invited had shown up.

When Bill and Sandy arrived, Eric and I drug them off to the den, the only quiet room in the house.

"Dave can't wait to tell you about his Christmas present," Eric told them.

"Actually, it's something for all of us," I said. "Edward Milton called this afternoon and we're meeting on January 10th."

Usually staid Bill let out a war whoop. "You did it again," he said grabbing my hand and pumping it. "Congratulations, again!" Sandy moved in to give me a hug.

"Don't forget this guy," Bill said, grabbing Eric's hand. "He's partially to blame for all this."

"It ain't a done deal yet," I cautioned.

"It will be, I'm confident of that," Bill said. "You two are a real team!"

The party was in full swing. A band was playing by the pool, bartenders were pouring drinks as fast as they could, and servers were passing food everyplace. It was an interesting group. Straights, gays, all together, having a good time.

I didn't know half of the people there, and would never be able to remember the names of all the people Annie and Eric had introduced me to.

I found refuge with several of my old buddies who were eyeballing the lifeguards who were mixed throughout the crowd.

"Where did you find all these gorgeous men?" they asked.

"They're Eric's buddies," I said.

"Who's Eric?"

"You guys haven't met him?" I asked.

"Not yet," they chorused.

Eric was across the room talking to people I didn't know, and when he looked my way, I motioned him over.

He came over and slipped his arm around me. I performed the introductions.

"I think I'm going to faint!" one of my buddies announced. "My heart can't stand the sight of such beauty!"

Eric took the remark with good humor, giving them one of his dazzling smiles.

We all chatted for a minute, then after giving me a peck on the cheek, Eric was off to mingle.

"That is the most beautiful man I've ever seen in my life," one said as he watched Eric move across the room. I beamed, knowing that that 'beautiful man' belonged to me.

I moved on, stopping here and there to talk with people I knew and people I'd just met. I talked with most of the lifeguards, all of whom seemed to have dates, some male, some female. Maria was on the arm of a handsome hunk I'd never seen before.

Brian and Billy were in a world of their own, mooning over each other like lovesick calves. Eric didn't have anything to worry about, that's for sure.

Eric introduced me to more of his school friends, all of whom seemed to be having a good time. We wandered outside. Good thing we didn't have any close neighbors. The music was LOUD! The kids were dancing, everywhere. Around the pool, on the deck, on the lawn. It was hard to tell who was dancing with whom, but I did notice several male couples gyrating to the music.

Annie grabbed Eric to dance, and I talked with Kevin. "Great party, Mr. R," he said.

I'd asked him to call me "Dave" and we'd compromised on "Mr. R." I liked him more every time I was around him.

"I know you're supposed to only stay an hour or so at an 'open house'," he said, "but everybody is having so much fun the've forgotten the rules."

"Quite a few 'rules' have been broken tonight," I said indicating a couple of guys dancing together. "And, you know what, I fully approve."

"Me too," he said smiling.

The band packed up at 2:00 AM, and after the last goodbys, Eric and I found our way to the den to wind down. Annie and Kevin soon joined us. The couch was big, Eric and I moved closer so we could all look out at the lights. The cleanup crew was doing their job pretty quietly.

"You guys did a helluva job," I said to Eric and Annie.

We all started yawning at the same time, and headed for bed. Kevin was using one of the guest bedrooms. Yeah, right!

Kevin left early, he'd be back for dinner.

Annie, Eric and I got coffee and headed for the Christmas tree. All the packages had been set out overnight.

The two of them played Santa, putting packages in piles in front of our three chairs, then turned into little kids, ripping into them. What the hell, I joined in.

The piles dwindled, and we got down to the "special" presents. Annie went first and opened up her pearls.

Eric went next, carefully unwrapping the wooden box. He slowly lifted the lid. At first he was puzzled, then a big grin spread across his face. "It took me a minute," he said. "It's beautiful, and I know the significance." He winked at me.

Annie moved over for a look. "What is it?" she asked?

"The Eye of Horus," Eric told her. "It's sometimes called the Utchat, and is considered the source of all health and happiness and protector of the living and the dead."

It was a golden pendant with a garnet eye. It was real, genuine, old, and had probably been worn by a Pharaoh.

Eric hugged me and kissed me lightly. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Ok, what's the significance?" Annie demanded.

"None of your business," Eric giggled.

"Aw, come on," she begged.

"No way," Eric told her. "Come on, Babe, it's your turn."

I had two in front of me. I opened the biggest one first. It was a slim, soft leather briefcase from Annie.

"You won't believe what that sucker'll do," she said. "It's a James Bond briefcase! Takes pictures, video, records sound, even shoots real bullets if you load it up. Since you're doing everything yourself, figured you oughta be prepared."

"I need all the help I can get," I told her. "Thanks, brat."

The last was a small package. I opened it carefully. It was a pinky ring. I took it out carefully to look at it better. It was a small gold coin with the bust of Alexander the Great, set in a very plain, masculine setting. I didn't get the significance, if there was any. Eric explained.

"You're my Alexander," he said, "and I'm your Hephaestion."

I couldn't help but get misty eyed. The significance was overwhelming. Alexander, with Haphaestion fighting at his side, had conquered the world. They were among history's most famous lovers.

"Are you THAT ambitious?" I asked him, laughing.

"Anything's possible," he answered.

"I don't have a clue what you two are talking about," Annie said. "I don't think I'd better ask, either. I flunked history, by the way."

"One more to go," I told them. "Follow me."

I led them out the front door, around the house and down the driveway. Their two cars were parked in front of the garage. "Annie," I said, pointing at the Maserati. "Eric," I said, pointing at the Mercedes.

Annie ran for hers. Eric gave me a kiss and said "You don't know when to quit!" and we walked over to look at his new toy.

"This isn't the same one we looked at," he said, crawling into the driver's seat. "Wow, not even close," then he saw the little placque on the dashboard. "2000, Milennium Edition," he read.

"They're only building 20 of these," I told him.

Annie had started up her Maserati. The throaty exhaust bespoke power, lots of it.

"C'mon over, guys, we've gotta check this baby out," she called.

We piled in, and shot down the driveway. "Oh, I'm gonna love this!" she said gleefully as we flew around a hairpin turn, flat. "Look at the way this baby corners!"

"Compared to you, I drive like a 'little old lady'," Eric commented.

"You won't, when you get in that thing of yours," she countered.

I smiled. These were the two most important people in my life, and they were happy. That made me happy.

Then it was Eric's turn. "I'll get us jackets," he said. "There's no way I'm going to put the top up!"

"Back in an hour," he told Annie.

Again, we shot out of the driveway. "Oops," he said, laughing. "Gotta get used to this thing."

We headed up the coast road. Twisty, turny, and Eric was taking the turns at about double the posted speed effortlessly. I noticed right away that we could talk in a normal tone, even with the top down, and hear each other perfectly. The center console was low enough that I could put my hand on his thigh while he drove and not have it uncomfortably twisted. When he wasn't shifting, his hand held mine.

We cut over to the Interstate to head back home. "This is totally awesome," he said, squeezing my hand. "Gives me such a feeling of power, and..." he continued, moving my hand to his crotch where I felt a big hard bulge.

"Can you make it home with this?" I asked, giving him a gentle squeeze.

"Oh yeah," he said with a leer, "but then, you'd better look out."

Annie had opened all the garage doors, and Eric parked in an open stall. When we got out, it was pretty obvious that I had reacted to his reaction, and both of us were sporting boners.

Straight to the bedroom. Erick kicked off his shoes and yanked down his pants. "Ahhh, feels so much better," he said, his cock waving in front of him. I pulled off my clothes, too, and the next thing I knew, I was sitting on the bed with my dick in Eric's mouth. He was in a frenzy, no preliminaries, just serious sucking. When he started whimpering, I looked down and saw jets of cum spouting from his untouched cock. I followed, flying over the edge myself.

"If that car does THAT to you, it's gotta go!" I told him, laughing. "It's going to take away all MY fun!"

"Sorry about that," he giggled, "guess I got a little carried away!"

He cleaned up the mess he'd made then joined me on the bed.

"What a Christmas!" he said. "A year ago, I'd never have dreamed that all this could happen."

"Are you happy?" I asked.

"Ecstatic," he said, holding me tight. "All my wildest dreams are coming true, and most of all, I have you. Nothing has ever felt so RIGHT!"

We just held each other.

It was time to get moving. Mary had insisted on cooking dinner, so Annie had scheduled it early. That way, Mary could get home to her family. We showered and dressed. Today was informal.

Eric got out the boxes with our "special" gifts to each other. "I want you to put this on me the first time," he said, "and I want to put your ring on you the first time."

He took the "eye" out of its box and handed it to me. I slipped it around his neck and fastened the clasp. "It's back where it belongs," I told him, "back on the chest of a living God. That's what the Pharaohs were considered, you know."

"Isn't that's a bit much?" he laughed.

"Not to me," I said, seriously.

"Well, if you must," he said mock seriously. "But, this God really loves a very human man. Did the Pharaohs do that?"

"I don't know," I said, "but I'm sure they'd approve."

"My turn," he said, taking out the ring.

"Do I have to say 'I do'," I asked, deciding to lighten up.

"Man, how I wish we could!" he answered.

"We could go to Amsterdam and get married," I suggested.

"That's not real," he said. "We don't need that phony bullshit to know where we stand."

He slipped the ring on my right pinkie. "I got lucky," he grinned, "it fits!" I kissed him.

"I really am your Hephaestion," he said, seriously. "I want to be by your side the rest of my life."

I got misty. What more could any man ask for?

When Kevin got back, Annie promptly drug him out to the garage, then the two of them went off by themselves to exchange their gifts in private. No doubt, I'd hear all about it later.

When the Lundborgs arrived, Eric had his Dad by the arm before we could even say "hello".

More gifts. Eric had gotten something for his parents from "us" and several things from him. They brought an armload, mostly for Eric, but Annie and I weren't forgotten.

We all got a good laugh out of Kevin's GPS unit. He gave Annie a hard time about "telling," but, I think, was delighted with what I'd gotten him.

Dinner was traditional, a goose, and all the goodies. After dinner, stuffed to the gills, we sprawled. The conversation turned to the upcoming New Year, Y2K, and all the celebrations.

Annie and Kevin, along with some of their friends, were going to New York. They planned to stay at a hotel near Times Square and join the multitude. The Lundborgs were joining some friends for a quiet celebration, and Eric and I were planning to stay home.

He and I had talked about going to some of the big celebrations that were going on, but decided that the only important thing to us was to be together. We'd see more of the big to-do's on Television than those who were actually there, and be a whole lot more comfortable.

The day after Christmas, Sunday, was quiet except for Eric's remote controlled cars screaming around. He played with them until the batteries died.

Late in the afternoon, the phone rang. Eric answered it and brought it to me. "Some woman," he said.

I said "Hello," and was met with "You dirty rotten, queer ass son-of-a-bitch."

It was Georgia, and she was in fine form. I listened. She screamed some more. "How could you do this to Tina, you fucking asshole pervert? I know you did it, you prick!"

"Calm down, Georgia," I said, feigning innocence. "What are you talking about?"

"The cops hauled poor Gunter off on some trumped up charge that I'm sure you arranged, you ass-fucking bastard. You know all about it!" she screamed.

I moved over and transferred to speakerphone. This was too good to be missed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.

Her shrill voice came back, even nastier than before. "You can't stand to see Tina happy, you bastard, you set him up on some murder charge, and I'm going to get you for this, you cocksucker," she continued.

Eric stood there in total amazement. Georgia was by no means finished, and continued spouting venom, calling me everything she could think of, and getting really pissed when I wouldn't rise to the bait. This went on for several minutes, then she just slammed the phone.

"That was my ex-wife, if you didn't guess," I told Eric.

"You put up with that crap?" he asked.

"She can't push my buttons anymore," I told him. "She doesn't call often, and I've reached the point where she's funny more than anything else."

"You're not upset?" he asked.

"No," I said, "I was expecting some sort of reaction from her. Mission accomplished! I have to admit that I don't care much for Tina, but I think we did her a favor."

"Are you ready to talk about Georgia?" he asked.

"Why not," I said, "think you're up for the whole sordid story?"

"Try me," he said. "I want to know everything there is to know about you."

For the next hour, I poured out the whole story. He listened intently.

I started at the beginning - how we'd met and started dating, then sleeping together, then her moving in with me. I told him how I'd felt at the time, not willing to face my true sexuality, and the need to get married and have kids to shut my Father up and fulfill my duties of providing an heir.

All had been wonderful in the beginning. I'd convinced myself that I was in love, and Georgia seemed like the perfect mate. Life was idyllic. There were never any arguments, or even little disagreements. It was perfect. Before we got married, however, I told her about my homosexual "tendencies". She was comfortable with that, as long as I didn't act on them, which I never did the entire time we were together.

Our wedding was the big event of the year. Her family was nowhere near our league, financially, so I paid for it. We spent two weeks in Mexico on our honeymoon, fucking like bunny rabbits.

Wedded bliss continued. She was a perfect hostess, and was welcomed into the social circles that I traveled in.

Then Annie came along. I still don't know what happened, but it was like Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. Georgia's personality changed totally. I couldn't do anything right, and we started fighting over every little thing. She seemed to resent Annie, so we got a nanny so she'd be free to do as she wanted. That didn't help.

Our sex life became nonexistant, and I started thinking more about guys. After three years of this, she decided that maybe another child would make everything better. We had sex once, I can't say we made love, and Tina was conceived. I'm sure I was fantasizing about a man at the time.

Tina's arrival didn't help matters, instead things got a whole lot worse. We fought like alley cats.

Tina was about a year old when Georgia's parents came to visit us for Christmas. Her father called me a "son-of-a-bitch" but wouldn't say why. I threw him out of the house. Within hours, Georgia packed up the kids and, with her mother, departed too.

The next day, I talked with her on the phone, and learned that she wanted a divorce. We agreed to meet at my Attorney's office as soon as possible. In a matter of minutes, everything was settled. We'd have joint custody of the kids, I'd have full visitation, and I agreed to pay enormous child support. There was to be no property settlement or alimony. The papers were drawn and signed before we left the office.

Of course, all of that changed. By the time they got back to Indiana, she repudiated the agreement, claiming duress, and the battle was on. It lasted two and a half years. I ended up giving her a several million dollar settlement, but managed to hang onto joint custody of the kids. Visitation was limited, and I had to take her to court whenever I wanted to see them.

It was nasty. When the divorce was finally final, I agreed never to say anything derugatory about Georgia in the kids' presence. That's one agreement I kept, but Georgia never did, poisoning them against me in every conceivable way.

Georgia became one of those people who couldn't take responsibility for anything. Whatever happened was somebody else's fault, never hers, and I was the evil cause of just about everything. She became bitter and miserable, and seemed to take great joy in making everyone around her as miserable as she was.

When all this happened, I was miserable. It was the first thing I'd ever failed at, and I didn't handle that very well. I drank a lot. In a booze induced fog, I tried to deal with another problem - my sexuality. I came to grips with the fact that I wanted to be with a man, but didn't know how to go about finding one. It took me a year to figure out what to do, but I finally got up the nerve to run an ad in the Advocate.

The ad brought a lot of responses, and I chose a young doctor in Los Angeles. He seemed to understand where I was coming from. We met at his house in Silverlake, and for the first time, I learned what making love was really supposed to be. The rest is history.

"There," I told Eric, "you got two stories in one, my marriage and my coming out."

"Whew," he whistled. "That's some story!"

"Comments?" I invited.

"I see why you never talk about Georgia," he said. "What about Annie?"

"That's a whole different story," I said. "She got fed up with Georgia, and decided I couldn't be quite as bad as she'd been led to believe. She showed up one day, and you've seen how that worked out. Tina stuck by her mother, and won't give me a chance."

"That's too bad," he said. "For Tina. She doesn't know what she's missing."

"I love her, but I don't like her," I said. "Maybe someday..."

The week between Christmas and New Years' is usually pretty quiet, businesswise. It wasn't for us.

Monday, Annie and I called a meeting of the group she'd put together on the Chateau deal. They were filled in on the latest developments, given assignments, and sworn to secrecy. At this point, all we had was knowledge of Milton's willingness to talk. Maybe we could come to terms, maybe not, but we definitely WANTED to buy them, and needed to be as prepared as possible.

The Financial information we had was sketchy, obtained from whatever sources our guys had been able to find. Milton was privately held, so nothing was made public, and the Miltons themselves were very tight-lipped. Until we had our hands on their Financial Statements, everything would be pure speculation.

We worked with what we had, skirting the financial part.

The week flew by, and it was New Year's Eve before I knew it.

Annie was in New York, so we had the house to ourselves. Mary had prepared enough food for an army, then left early.

We dragged "our" sofa around so we could see the big-screen TV and the fire in the fireplace.

"This is where I want to be," Eric said.

"Me too, no crowds," I answered.

We watched the celebrations as the New Millenium was rung in around the world, and talked, and played. For some reason, I was unusually horny, and couldn't keep my hands off him. By 9:00 I had him in my mouth.

"This is just the first course," Eric said. "Dinner is a few minutes after midnight."

"Sounds fine to me," I told him. "This way, dinner'll last longer! Let's fuck until one of us is bow-legged," I suggested. He just grinned.

I got on the floor in front of him and started a leisurely suck, savoring the taste and texture of him. Long and slow, taking him all the way down, then just working on the head. I was enjoying it more than he was, and my dripping dick proved it. He alternately moaned and purred, and eventually couldn't hold off any longer and I got my reward.

When he stopped thrashing around, he pushed me over on my back and got between my legs. He tried the slow approach, but I was already too far gone. I grabbed his arm, he flexed, I came.

We didn't get dressed, and with the fireplace burning, it was plenty warm. We continued playing, keeping each other in a state of semi-arousal for the next three hours. An occasional strategic lick helped.

Midnight, here on the West Coast, was kind of a letdown. All the big celebrations had been earlier, and by this time, we weren't much interested, anyway. There were other, more pressing matters at hand.

The TV went off at 12:05, and we almost ran for the bedroom. Eric went straight for the lube. We'd already had hours of buildup. I hoped that he wanted to be top, but would gladly settle for whichever he chose. I wanted him badly.

He greased up his fingers and I knew I'd gotten my wish. We kissed while he loosened me up, and when he got into position, he slid right in. Feeling him inside of me was always wonderful, but that night it was very special. We melted into one.

The long slow strokes that we both loved went on and on. I would pull him down for a kiss, then he would raise back up and we'd gaze into each other's eyes, sharing the wonderful sensations that we were both experiencing. The waves started sweeping over me. He held me tight and stroked faster. I felt him swell, and that's the last thing I clearly remember as a gut-wrenching climax took control. It was almost violent. Neither of us had control over our bodies, and it's a miracle that we managed to stay joined through the spasms. It was the longest orgasm that I'd ever experienced, and Eric was right there with me the whole time, filling me with load after load after load.

We groaned between gasps.

"I didn't think that one was ever going to end," I whispered. He groaned in response.

When he softened and slid out, we washed up. No way was I capable of standing long enough to take a shower, and he was kind of shaky too.

"A perfect start," he said. "Together. This is going to be our year!"

The next morning, we were rudely awakened by the phone. Even worse, it was Georgia.

After she'd called me every name she could think of, she dropped the bombshell. "Do you know your daughter's a goddam dope addict?" she asked.

That got my attention. "What makes you think that?" I asked.

"She's got needle marks all over her arms," she said, then in typical Georgia style, "I think she's going through withdrawal. Get you ass here and get her. I don't want her."

I almost lost it, but managed to stay calm. "I'll be there in the morning. Pack her stuff," I said then hung up.

Then I really went berserk. "That dirty rotten SOB," I said. "Not only is he a fucking criminal, he got Tina hooked on dope! And to top it off, Georgia wants to wash her hands of the whole thing. Some REALLY nice people!"

"What're we going to do?" Eric asked.

I noticed the "we". "We're going to go get her and get her the treatment she needs," I said. "According to Georgia, she's going through withdrawal, so it'll be a helluva mess. Now that that bastard's in jail, I guess she ran out of whatever he was feeding her."

"Is it OK if I call Mom?" he asked. "I know she's worked with a lot of drug cases and maybe can give us some help."

"We sure seem to be calling on your family a lot," I said, "but we can use all the help we can get."

Ingrid arrived about an hour later. Eric listened as I filled her in on everything I knew, including Georgia's reaction. From there, she took charge.

"What are you planning to do?" she asked.

"Quite frankly," I answered, "we planned to go get her, but beyond that I don't know what to do."

"It sounds like she's on heroin," she said, "but it could be any number of drugs. She's probably going through hell right now, and might need some immediate attention. Do you trust Georgia to get a Doctor for her?"

"No," I said. "Georgia probably wouldn't do it anyway. All she wants is to get Tina out of her way as fast as possible, and since I agreed to come get her, she won't do anything."

"If that's the way it is," she said, "we need to move pretty fast for Tina's sake."

I noticed the "we" and smiled.

"When were you planning to go get her?" she asked.

"In the morning," I answered.

"We should go today," she said. "That girl might need medical attention faster than that. You have your own plane?"

"Yes," I said.

"Let's not waste any time," she said. "How soon could we leave?"

The "we" again, Ingrid had taken charge. I was very thankful.

"I'll find out," I said, heading for the phone.

I called Ron and explained the situation. Without consulting Jason, he said that they'd be ready for takeoff in an hour and a half, tops, and for us to get to the airport as fast as we could.

I relayed this information to Ingrid and Eric.

"I need to go by my office to get my little black bag," she said, "then, I'm ready to go. Can I make phone calls from the plane?"

"Yes," Eric told her.

"After I see her, we'll need to make arrangements for treatment," she said.

There were several things that she suggested we take with us, but most of what she needed was already on board the plane. Eric and I changed into warm clothes and he grabbed a ski jacket for his mother.

"This isn't going to be fun," I warned him.

"That's OK," he said. "With Mom in charge, everything'll work out."

"You have no idea how much I appreciate what she's doing," I told him.

We piled into Eric's jeep and headed for Ingrid's office.

"I called Karl and told him I'd be back late," Ingrid told us.

The plane was being towed out of the hangar as we pulled up. Ron was giving the orders.

Jason arrived a few minutes later. "We need to eat," he said, indicating the packages he was carrying.

"I owe you guys big time for this," I said. "What a way to start the Millenium!"

"Anytime, boss," Ron chimed in, smiling. "We're here for ya."

We got on board, the engines started, and we taxiid to takeoff position. When we were airborne, Ingrid commented "Wow, what a way to travel. I've never been on a private jet before."

"I just wish it were under different circumstances," I said.

We discussed Tina, and what would be the best for her. I knew very little about drug addiction, so Ingrid patiently explained the various treatments available. She didn't pull any punches, and explained that the success of treatment largely depended upon the addict's willingness to accept treatment and desire to get off whatever it was they were addicted to. The point she stressed was that addiction was only a manifestation of other, more deepseated problems that had to be addressed. There was no "cure" as such, and the recovery percentage was small.

This wasn't what I wanted to hear, at all! I had been thinking more along the lines of a "quick fix". Reality was downright scary.

Obviously, my fear and dread showed. Eric had his arm around me, and said "Don't forget, we're in this together."

"I'll do everything I can for her," I told him.

"I wouldn't expect any less from you," he answered.

"We'll take it one step at a time," Ingrid added.

We discussed logistics in Indianapolis. Georgia didn't expect us until tomorrow, so there would be confusion. The objective was to get Tina out of there as fast as possible. It was decided that Eric, Ingrid, one of the pilots and I would go after her. We'd need a car and driver who knew Indianapolis. Eric went up to the cockpit to make arrangements.

Ingrid and I talked. I gave her a rundown on my relationship with Tina, and told her what I knew about Tina's relationship with her mother. Ingrid mostly listened, and when I finished, said "That girl really needs you now. It's not going to be easy, but I know you'll be there for her."

Eric came back. "Everything's arranged," he said. "There'll be a limo waiting. Ron's going with us, Jason will gas up, and food for all of us will be delivered. Is there anything else you'll need, Mom? We can have it waiting."

"I won't know until I see her," Ingrid said, "but I think I have everything I'll need."

"There's one more thing," I said. "Georgia is a foul-mouthed, abusive woman, and she won't be very pleasant. I'll get the brunt of it, but you'll get your share, too, Eric, if she figures out who you are."

"I can handle it," he said. "I've heard her on the phone, remember?"

"How about you, Ingrid?" I asked.

"I'm an old pro at this," she said. "I can handle anything that comes up."

"It might not be a bad idea if Georgia doesn't know that you're Eric's mother," I added.

"He's my son," she said emphatically, "and I'm damned proud of him!"

Things went smoothly. The four of us were in the limo and on our way before the engines were completely shut down. The driver already had the address and we headed across town. No traffic. It was New Year's Day.

Georgia lived in a high rise building. We stood in front of her door and I knocked.

"You fucking bastard," was Georgia's screamed greeting.

"Where's Tina?" I demanded.

"The sick bitch is in there," she said, pointing.

Ingrid and I scrambled in that direction. Eric followed and Ron waited just inside the door. The bedroom was a shambles. Tina was curled up on the bed in a fetal position, moaning. Georgia followed us, screaming the whole time.

"You slimy cocksucker," she said. "This is all your fault." She didn't stop there, calling me everything she could think of, and when she ran out of that, started in on Eric.

I tried to ignore her. Tina looked so helpless and scared, like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming semi. Ingrid sat on the bed and held her hand. "What have you been taking?" she quietly asked.

"That stuff over there," she mumbled, pointing at a nightstand, "and some pills, but I ran out."

I looked, but didn't know what I was looking at. "Heroin," Ingrid said. "Gather that stuff up and look around for pill bottles, Eric."

Ingrid patted Tina tenderly. "Honey, I'm going to give you something that'll make you feel a little better," she gently told her, reaching into her little black bag.

"Who are you?" Georgia screamed. "Are you a doctor?"

"Yes," Ingrid said, glaring at her. "Now shut up and get out of here." Georgia didn't budge and never slowed her outpouring of venom.

I looked around. A partially packed suitcase was open on the other side of the bed. I started scooping up the scattered clothes and stuffed them in. Next came the closet where I grabbed everything in sight and stuffed that in too. Georgia was ranting the whole time, not making much sense but letting us all know what she thought of us "fucking queers" in no uncertain terms.

When she ran out of things to say about us, she started in on Tina. It was awful.

Ingrid administered the injection, then turned to me. "Let's go," she said.

I picked Tina up, blanket and all. She was light as a feather and limp as a dishrag. Eric grabbed her luggage and we got out as fast as we could, not saying a word to Georgia who was so frustrated by now that she was crying and screaming at the same time.

"That lady needs more help than Tina does," Ingrid commented on the elevator down.

The "snatch" had taken less than 15 minutes.

We got Tina comfortably situated on the couch on the plane. She was out, totally. "She'll sleep for several hours," Ingrid told us. "That's what she needs right now."

"Actually," she continued, "she's in much better shape than I expected."

"What do we do now?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"She'll need to go through detox," Ingrid explained, "under strict medical supervision, then undergo a lot of psychological treatment. The best place, if we can get her in, would be the Betty Ford Clinic in Palm Springs. If that's OK with you, I'll see what I can do."

"Here's the phone," I said by way of an answer.

Although I tried not to eavesdrop, I could tell that Ingrid was having success. When she got off, she told us that everything was arranged.

I talked to the pilots and we detoured to Palm Springs.

An ambulance was waiting, and after Tina was gently taken off the plane, Ingrid, Eric and I went along with her to the Clinic. Jason or Ron would get a car to pick us up later.

Ingrid conferred with the Doctors while I took care of all the admission paperwork. Tina was whisked off by the staff.

When it was all completed, I asked if I could see Tina. No, I was told. She wouldn't be allowed any visitors for at least the first week, but Ingrid, her Doctor, could see her anytime she wanted.

On the trip home, Ingrid explained. For the first few days, she would be weaned from the drugs and her body built back up. There would also be preliminary counseling to get her started on the road to recovery, psychologically. "They have the best doctors there are," she said. "I'm now just the Doctor of record, and I don't want to interfere with them, but I'd like to stay involved in the case if that's allright with you. I can report to you like the other Doctors can't."

"That would be wonderful," I said. "The plane's at your disposal."

We got home drained, physically and emotionally. Eric, attuned to my feelings as usual, just held me and warned me not to go on any guilt trips.

To be continued.

Author's Note: My thanks to all you guys who have sent Emails. A lot of your suggestions are being used in the story, so keep 'em coming. Your constructive critism and comments have also, hopefully, helped hone my writing skills. I will answer all messages. orrinrush@yahoo.com