Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 18:57:14 -0800
From: Fredric L. Brothers <flbrothers@hotbot.com>
Subject: "SUMMER WITH VAL "  Chapter 2  (Man/Boy)

Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction.  It contains scenes
of deep affection between an adult white male and a minor black boy.  If
you find any of this disturbing, then leave.

Please e-mail any thoughts or comments you may have:  FLBROTHERS@hotbot.com


		     ---------------------------------
			     SUMMER  WITH  VAL
		     ---------------------------------
			     By Fred Brothers

       Copyright 2000 by Fredric Law Brothers (All Rights Reserved)


		   Chapter 2 - Afternoon Agony and Excitement

	Val was in the large front family room watching TV, having some
juice and playing with Louis and Billie.  Elise and I were in the kitchen,
sitting over our third cup of coffee together, and commiserating.  El was
smoking heavily and I had to bring out an oversized ashtray for her.

	"It's been extremely rough, Zack," El was saying between deep drags
on her Marlboros.  "I've lived through an absolutely hellish three years.
Really terrible!  First Kurt leaves me, then mom dies, then Val's
hands...the accident and all...I cannot believe I've survived it all."

	"I always knew that you were an extremely strong person, El.  You
were the one keeping your family together."

	Elise was one of the most beautiful women I had ever met.  I think
that at one time, I was very much in love with her.  I know that if I had
stayed around these parts instead of going off to the boondocks for five
years, we would have had a relationship.

	"Thanks, Zack.  You've always been good to us...and so
understanding."

	"Yeah, but my understanding couldn't save my own marriage...or curb
my own appetites."

	She told me how her husband (now ex-husband) had abandoned them and
moved to Baja California with a Mexican actress he had met in LA.  Kurt had
been one of my best and closest friends, and my former college roommate.
He entered the commodities business and had been a broker in San Francisco.
I couldn't believe that he had just abandoned his family so abruptly.  It
wasn't like the Kurt I knew...but then, maybe I didn't know him.

	I always thought of him as a really straight arrow; I just could
not picture him running off with some exotic woman.  Of course, he had
married a very exotic woman - Elise definitely fit into that category, so
maybe it was entirely possible.  Kurt was also incredibly WASPy - blonde
hair, blue eyes, tall and rather soft-spoken.  Elise was sultry, tall, thin
and black.  Yet, they made a very beautiful couple and produced a very
beautiful child.

	"Have you spoken to him at all?"

	She shook her head.  "No.  Oh, he sends Val small, insignificant
gifts at Christmas and for his birthday...but that's about all."

  	Does he know about Val's...condition?"

	She shook her head again.  "No, I haven't told him.  I don't even
know how to get in touch with him any more."  She let out a long sigh.  "I
think he has tax troubles here in the states."  She sighed again.  "No,
Kurt doesn't know about Val's accident or the terrible...terrible
aftermath."

	I shook my head.  "Christ, what terrible problems we create for
ourselves," I thought.  And I reflected on my own child, living apart from
me and so far away, and the terrible mess I had made of our lives.  I
wanted to cry for all of us.

	Elise then told me about her mother's death from pancreatic cancer,
her father becoming an invalid and the necessity of putting him into a
nursing facility.  Their income had dwindled and their savings disappeared
and she had to sell their home in this middle class neighborhood.  They
moved to Oakland to afford something decent.  She had returned to school to
get a masters degree (with the financial help of her employer) while her
job in the city kept them solvent.

	"Would you...uh...could you fill me in on the details about
Val...and what happened to him."  I held my head in my hands as I shook it
absent-mindedly.  "God, I must tell you Elise that when I saw him with
those...those hooks of his, instead of...instead of his hands, I goddamned
near died!"

	"I know.  I know what you mean.  When I first saw him in...in the
hospital...after the surgery...and his arms were...were all bandaged and
they...they looked so s-s-short and stubby a-a-after they amputated parts
of both of them...I almost fainted...I goddamned near fainted...I cried and
screamed and carried on something awful and had to be restrained by the
nurses."

	She took a few deep puffs and a sip of her coffee.  "It was
horrible.  I don't think I've completely recovered from it yet."  As she
said this, I thought I detected a touch of bitterness in her voice.

Just then, Val came in; he looked around the kitchen and opened the
refrigerator - something I could lovingly remember the two boys doing years
ago.

	"Valery Ivan Hendricks!  What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Elise called out sharply to the boy.  "This isn't you house, boy!"

	"Elise, leave him alone.  He's just doing something he used to do
so often all those years ago."  I turned to the boy.  "Are you hungry Val?"
I asked.  He nodded.  "Would you like some lunch?"  He nodded again.  "What
would you like?"  He shrugged his shoulders.  "Okay, then maybe I should
tell you what I have and you can select from that."

He nodded again, gave me a big smile and then he saluted me.  God!  What
memories began to immediately flood my brain.  I could remember and vividly
picture both young boys doing that; they would play soldiers in the
backyard for hour after hour and maintain the attitude even when they came
inside.

	I realized that I was staring at his shiny steel hook again as he
broke the salute - and my heart just shattered for Val.  This beautiful kid
- this charming, gorgeous boy - was now permanently maimed.  I could not
take my eyes off of him - or his hooks.  I just wanted to scoop him up and
cuddle him and tell him that everything was going to fine and that he'd
have a great life and that people still love him - even without hands.  I
opened my arms and he clasped me around my chest again.  I felt so
comfortable holding him and he seemed to like it very much.

	I looked over at Elise and she was staring at Val.  He had his head
turned slightly and I'm sure he could see her.  It is hard to describe her
expression, but it was not a pleasant one.  It seemed to be a mixture of
jealousy, disgust and sadness.  It really surprised and shocked me.  What
was going on between Elise and her son?  Was there some kind of
estrangement?  What was this unspoken but quite apparent tension between
them?

	Val finally made his selection from the contents of my fridge and I
made some lunch for Elise and me.  The three of us ate together while Louie
and Billie sat right by Val's chair and begged for scraps.  He was only too
willing to accommodate them.

	I watched with growing fascination how Val was able to manage with
his hooks.  He easily lifted his sandwich and ate but he did not put the
food down on the plate between bites.  He asked for a cup so that he could
drink his Coke.  He obviously could not manage a glass; the cup handle
obviously gave him more control.  He seemed to be able to handle almost
everything he did quite well.

	"Mom, did ya tell Dr. Greene about med school?"

	"Medical school?"  I was a little perplexed.

	"Yeah!  Mom's goin' to med school!" he said rather proudly.

	"Elise!  Is this true?"  She nodded and gave me a big smile.
"That's marvelous!  Absolutely marvelous!"  I stood, walked over and gave
her a kiss.  "I know you've wanted to go for a long time but..."

	She was nodding vigorously.  "I know; I know!  I've wanted to go
ever since I was a kid.  And now I'll be going, starting July first."  She
paused and looked down at her plate.  "You know, Kurt was always against
it.  He thought it was a waste for a woman."  She sighed heavily.  "But now
I'm going and I'll make the most of this opportunity."

	"Where?"

	"UCSF Med School."

	"Great school.  How will things work out with your upcoming heavy
school schedule and also taking care of Val and all?"

	"We have that all set.  Don't we, honey?"  The boy nodded and
smiled.  She spoke rather indistinctly and quite rapidly.  "I've rounded up
a team of neighbors and friends and they'll look after Val in shifts.  So
things are going to work out all right."  She sighed heavily again and
looked directly at the kid.  "Considering all the things we've been hit
with over the last few years, this bit of really good news in so very, very
welcome.  Really welcome!  Val and I are really happy now.  Aren't we,
pumpkin?"

	Val nodded his head vigorously.  "Mom's gonna be a doctor.  Isn't
that great, Dr. Greene?"

	"It sure is, Val.  It's really very impressive and wonderful."

	After he finished eating, Val stood and nodded to Elise.  She rose
and with her hand apparently rubbing Val's back, they walked from the room.
I cleared the table, feeding the last of the food scraps to the dogs; they
scrambled for the tidbits.  When she came back into the kitchen, she just
shrugged her shoulders.  "Val's in the family room watching TV again.  He
does that a lot."  She looked at me sharply as if to emphasize her
following statement.  "He can't have...he can't take care of his own bodily
need without help.  I'm sorry, Zack."

	"Nothing to be sorry about.  Nothing at all; these are the facts of
life."  I poured more iced tea; Elise and I walked out onto the terrace.
"You were about to tell me about Val's accident.  He seems to be all right,
I suppose; of course, I've only seen him for an hour or so, so I really
don't know for sure."

	She shook her head.  "He's really not doing well."  She continued
to shake her head and coughed and sighed.  "He isn't doing that well at
all.  He sees a therapist every week...he gets teased a lot in school...he
can't really take care of all his own needs...he can't do whatever he wants
or go wherever he wants...he gets frustrated very quickly when he can't do
something."  She lit up again.  "It hasn't been easy.  Believe me, it
hasn't been at all easy.  He's so active...he just cannot keep up with his
wants...and needs."  She began to sob slightly and took a handkerchief out
of her pocket.  "Sometimes I watch him trying to do something...you know,
if I'm some place he can't see me.  And I just cry watching this poor kid
trying and trying and trying..and failing."  She put her head down and
sobbed openly.

	I rose and stood behind her and gently began to rub her shoulders.
I didn't say anything - nothing need be said in this kind of situation.
"Thanks, Zack," she said quietly.  "It's been hard...very hard.  And with
nobody there for me when I need it, when I need some comforting or
reassurance or just to be held, it's even harder."  She looked off into the
distance.  "It certainly has screwed up my social...uh...activities.  I
can't leave him alone for any length of time or..."  Her voice trailed into
silence.

	"I'm sorry, Elise; I'm truly sorry."  I held her hand gently and
sat down on my chaise while still holding her beautiful hand.

	"People see him and say 'the poor kid having to live in that
condition for the rest of his life' but what about me?  What about the poor
parent who has to cope with this situation day in and day out?  What about
us?  What about me?"  She paused, shook her head and appeared to be
thinking.  "I think the worst part is that he is very lonely.  So am I,"
she added as an afterthought.  "He has no friends...at least none come over
to the apartment and he doesn't go to visit anyone.  He's become very
solitary.  That's why I've encouraged him to take part in some team sports
- like soccer."

She composed herself after taking a few deep breaths and blowing her nose
again.  "The incident is easy to tell.  It's very straightforward and
simple.  The consequences...the goddamned consequences...they're something
else again."

"We were living in Oakland.  Val and a couple of other boys in a group -
some would call it a gang - he hung around with got into an abandoned
factory building - to do some mischief, I suppose.  It's not the best place
to live, Zack."  She sighed heavily again.  "They began fooling around with
some electrical equipment - switchboard, transformers and...I don't know
what.  They must've thought they were dead.  But they weren't.  And the
results were horrendous!

	"Two of the boys were electrocuted - killed right there on the
spot.  Three were severely burned on their bodies, another was
blinded...and Val sustained extremely bad burns to both of his hands and
arms.  A watchman on duty called the police when he noticed something wrong
with the electricity.  They were all rushed to the hospital.  When I got
there I was taken to see him.  Val was in tremendous pain.  He was making
the most horrendous sounds...and crying out for me.

	"The doctors gave me the bad news.  They told me that his hands
were destroyed...destroyed...burned beyond saving.  Also, parts of his
lower arms were severely burned and...would need corrective surgery...or
possible amputation.  They told me they had to perform the surgery
immediately; they would have to amputate his hands and maybe parts of his
arms to prevent the onset of severe infection or other acute problems."

	She began crying again.  "Excuse me, Zack...it's hard...to speak of
this...even now.  I don't think it will ever get easier."

	"I understand El."

	"The surgery went rather quickly.  When I was allowed to see him in
the recovery unit I almost died.  I felt like my guts were slowly,
steadily, painstakingly and painfully being pulled out of my body.  It was
horrific!  Here was my baby with all these tubes going in to him.  He
looked so small on that large bed.  I finally worked up the courage to look
at his arms...the shock was enormous even though I was expecting what I
saw.  The bandages...the bandages at the ends of his arms...they told me
that they had removed his hands...his hands were gone...my baby's hands
were cut off...they were gone...as were about two inches of his arms...his
arms above the wrists...my poor baby was..." Her words were lost in her
sobs.

	Elise shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts and to get her
mind back on track.  "I knew I needed to collect myself...to put on a real
brave appearance because...because the hardest part was yet to come...when
Val woke up.

	"And that didn't take too very long.  He began to stir and almost
immediately started to complain about the pain in his hands.  I tried to
calm him by rubbing his belly and he opened his eyes and smiled at me.

	"'Hi, mommy,' he whispered."

	"'Hi, sweet pea.  How ya doin'?' I said softly"

	"'Okay, I s'ppose.  I got a awful pain in my hands, though.'  He
moaned slightly and tried to shift himself on the bed.  He opened his eyes
wide and looked directly at me.  'My hands...my hands are gone, aren't
they, mommy?'"

	"I nodded my head.  'Yes, sweetheart, your hands are gone.'"

	"'Was it bad?' he asked softly."

	"'Yes, sweetie, it was very, very bad,' I replied."

	"'What am I gonna do without hands?'"

	"'You'll get new hands...artificial hands - and you'll be great
with them, I know.'  I was trying to be as reassuring as possible with him;
in my own heart, of course, I had so many doubts...so many grave
doubts...doubt that persists to this day, Zack.

	"He just turned his head away.  He slowly lifted his arms and
looked at the bandaged stumps.  He didn't say anything but just stared at
the bandages for a few minutes...between cries of pain.  A nurse came in to
give him more painkillers and he was asleep quickly.  I just sat by his
bed...and cried...and touched him...and kissed him.  Occasionally a nurse
or a doctor would come in to check on him.

	"When he awoke the next time he'd already been moved to a room.  He
sat up, ate some food and was generally behaving like an eight-year-old.
He complained about the programs on TV, the food, the nurses, the pain...in
other words, he was behaving rather normally.  The hardest part for me was
to watch...to watch when he would try to do things with his hands - and
then suddenly realize that they were not there any more - they were gone.

	"He was a good kid, Zack.  So stoic.  He never complained about his
injuries, never whined, never cried, although what he did when I wasn't
there I really don't know.  Two days after the surgery he was running up
and down the halls, kicking a ball and everything; the staff could not keep
him in bed."

	"Val's always been incredibly active," I commented.

	"He gets that from his father," Elise added with a little
bitterness in her tone.  "Always on the go, though not always knowing where
he's going."  She turned to me and smiled again.

	"He came home ten days after the...the accident.  I had to keep his
bandages clean and dry - and try to keep him under control.  I had my hands
full.  I fed him, bathed him, took care of his bodily needs.  It felt like
I had an infant all over again.

	"Val returned to school before the bandages finally came off.  He
was squeamish about his appearance but put on a brave front.  Some kids
wanted to touch his stumps...some pretended to vomit when they saw him.  I
was a very hard time for him...and for me, too.  I would sometimes see him
sitting in front of the TV, pretending to watch, but actually looking at
his arms - at what was left of both his arms.

	"I'll never forget the day his bandages finally came off.  We were
at the hospital, the doctor called us into his office, and snip, snip,
snip, he took off the light bandages covering Val's arms...or rather his
stumps.  He lifted them, one at a time, inspected his handiwork, and told
us that everything was great.  He asked me if I would like to see them and
he rubbed those scarred remains of Val's arms...and lifted them for me to
see...and...and I went...went running from the room.  I ran outside and
puked.  I just puked!"  She was sobbing heavily again now, and took another
cigarette out of her purse and lit up.  "I had a couple of cigarettes
before going back inside.  By then, Val was sitting in the waiting area
with a stack of papers on his lap, staring straight ahead of him.

	"I quickly apologized for my terrible behavior and we left."  She
was puffing away on that cigarette rather dramatically.  "Zack, to this day
I cannot stand to look at those...those scarred stumps.  If it is necessary
for me to do so, like helping him with his prostheses or giving him a bath,
I keep my eyes almost closed...otherwise I can't do it."  She paused and
looked at me.  "I'm sure he knows I cannot stand the sight of them."

She crushed out her cigarette and immediately lit another one.  "So, with
the help of various charities, Val got the physical therapy required and
was fitted with his first set of prosthetic arms.  He complained about them
a lot.  But he practiced hard and was very intent about becoming proficient
with them.  He would sit for hours in front of a mirror in his room
practicing doing various things - lifting articles, eating, writing, even
typing.  He's become very adept at using them and is quite good.  Of
course, the appearance of the metal hooks is a big turn-off to many people.
They shun him because of them...and won't even shake hands with him...or
anything.  Hopefully he can eventually be fitted with those myoelectric
hands and that will improve his appearance; it will also help him perform
some simple tasks much more easily.  The problem is they are very expensive
and with his growing and all..."

	"I do have to say that the surgeons did an excellent job on his
arms...his stumps.  They are very well formed and have not caused him any
medical or physical problems at all.

	"He seems happy, Zack.  I really hope he is.  He deserves it so
much."  She looked away as she spoke again.  "Somehow...somehow...I've
never been able to come to terms with raising a crippled child.  I'm sorry
Zack, I'm so sorry to say this, but it's true.  It's physically so
exhausting...and mentally...well, mentally it's a disaster for me."

	We were both silent.  It was a difficult story to listen to and it
must have been an even harder story to have lived.

	"You know, El, he is such an incredibly thoughtful kid."  She gave
me a quizzical look.  "Really; I mean it.  When I first noticed that his
hands...well, that he lost his hands and had those hooks instead...the
first thing he did was to try to reassure me that everything was all right
and that he was comfortable with them and that he could manipulate them and
do things just fine."

	We both sighed and retreated into our own thoughts.  I finally
broke the silence.  "El, tell me one thing."  She looked at me quizzically.
"How did you and Kurt ever give that kid a Russian name?  Valery?"

	She laughed almost hysterically.  "That's a very funny story."

	"Care to share it?"

	"Certainly."  She was still laughing when she began.  "When Val was
born we had a big fight over the name of our new baby boy.  Kurt wanted
something very German - his heritage.  He suggested Siegfried or Gunther or
Helmut or...whatever.  I absolutely detested them.  I wanted a Biblical
name - Joshua or Aaron...something along those line.  After three day of
squabbling we finally agreed to pick a neutral country, with nothing to do
with either of our heritages, and select a native name from there that we
both liked.  We chose Russia and then Valery Ivan.  Val is such a great
nickname.  Isn't it?"

	I nodded my assent.  "As simple as that, huh?"

	Val came out onto the patio, followed by Louie and Billie.  Elise
turned away from him so he could not see that she had been crying.  The
dogs settle down in the shade under my chaise and Val stood next to me.

	"Finished with TV, Val?" I asked as I slowly reached out and
touched his arm.

	"Yeah.  Nothin' good on right now."  He looked at me and spoke in a
hushed tone of voice while giving me a large grin.  "Uh, Dr. Greene," he
said hesitantly.  "Can I ask you somethin'?"  I nodded and smiled at him.
"I been thinkin' about somethin'.  Ya, know, bein' back in this house again
and all?"

	"Yes, Val, what is it?"

	"Well, would it be all right, ya know, would it be okay if I could
sit on your lap - like we useta do?"

	He turned and looked at his mom, as if to get her approval for his
request.  She smiled at him - to me it seemed not quite completely sincere
- and he gave her a big grin back.

	"Certainly, Val.  Oh, absolutely."  He gently sat down on the
chaise, and then maneuvered his body onto mine.  He leaned back so that his
back was flush with my chest.  His head was just below my chin and his body
covered mine.  He didn't weigh much and I was quite comfortable; I hoped
Val was also.  He snuggled a bit, then settled down.  He rested his hooks
on his thighs and I wrapped my arms around him, letting my hands come to
rest on his thin chest.

	I had been rather surprised at Val's request.  Then I thought back
and remembered how as small children, both he and Gabe would climb up onto
my lap as I read or watched TV, or they would cuddle up next to me when I
was stretched out on the couch.  I had loved having both boys with me.

	Again, I could not take my gaze off of those shiny metal hooks.  It
was like they had some incredible hold on me...like they had me hypnotized
- there was an unmistakable attraction that I could not explain by any
current or past events.  But I knew there was a particular (and maybe even
a peculiar) attraction.

	He closed his eyes and after a few minutes, I noticed that his
breathing had become very regular and slow.  I assumed he had fallen
asleep.  Val's particular all boy aroma - the essence of his body - was
wafting up to my nose...and it was delightful.  I found it so incredibly
appealing, and really most stimulating.

	Elise, spoke quietly.  "So tell me about Iowa.  You obviously
accomplished a lot there."

	I nodded.  "It was a very productive five years.  Four books - not
bad, huh?"

	"Not bad at all.  And a number one best seller to boot!  We'll talk
about all of your sexual exploits at another time.  Or are they already in
the books?"

	I nodded and laughed.  "This is not the time or place for that kind
of talk.  As for the books, I'm as surprised as the next person, believe
me.  I had no intention of writing a big best seller."

	"So what happened?  How did you stumble into this morass of money?"

	"I think morass is the right word," I said with another laugh.
"Let me see...I managed to have a book of my essays published; it took some
doing but the University of Michigan Press brought it out.  More than
anything, I wanted it to establish my credentials.  Publish or perish in
the world of academia.  It eventually, somehow, caught the eye of certain
important people in New York publishing circles; I understand that it was
making the rounds of the literati.  They contacted me, told me how
marvelously I wrote and asked if I had ever tried fiction.  I said that I
had a big wad of short stories sitting in a carton somewhere and they asked
to read some of them.

	"I shipped what I thought were the best off to New York, and
basically forgot about them.  Three months later I get this call saying
that an editor and an agent would be visiting me in a few days.  They work
fast in New York - not like Iowa.  Of course, from this came my collection
'Dust Free Surfaces' and it sold moderately well."

	"I have a copy," Elise said.  "And I've read it...and I loved it!"

	"What?  I didn't think a copy of it ever made it west of the
Appalachians!"

	Elise laughed.  "You must autograph it for me."

	"I certainly will.  Of course, these New York types are never
satisfied so they asked for a novel next, putting the unused and
unpublished short stories aside for a while.  I had started a novel a few
months before - so I just continued and a year later 'Migratory Patterns'
was published and it did fairly well, even peeking onto the New York Times
booklist for a couple of week.  The paperback version, though, took off
like a rocket when it came out and I became a sort of cult figure,
especially among the college crowd.  Then, two years later, when 'Classless
Distinctions' came out, all hell broke loose."

	"I think I lost count of how many talk shows I saw you on," Elise
said with a hearty laugh.

	"Yes, they certainly had me trotting around, didn't they?  Talk
about your dog and pony shows!"

	"So what now?" she asked.

	"Now?  Now I'm teaching at Berkeley again - comparative lit.  Also
writing - working on another novel among other things.  Actually, two more
novels and more short stories.  I've discovered I'm pretty damned prolific.
And Gabe will be here in August for a short visit.  Plenty going on.  Plus
setting up this place again."

	We were both quiet, looking off into the distance at nothing in
particular.  I could hear Val's steady breathing and I watched the slow
rise and fall of his chest - I was fascinated.  Again I looked at those
gleaming hooks.  "Val's replacement hands," I thought.  "They certainly
have my attention."

	"Why didn't you ever contact me Elise?  You know, with all the
problems you were having...your mom...Kurt...Val's situation...his
condition.  You knew where I was...and how you could get hold of me."

	She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.  "I don't know,
Zack.  I guess I didn't want to burden you...you were riding so high...you
were on top of the world."  She looked me directly in the eye.  "Maybe I
was also afraid of...of possibly rekindling...some..." She broke her gaze.
"The meaningless, insignificant problems of a black woman with a crippled
kid...well, we've managed."

	I put out my hand to her and she took it and squeezed it lightly.
"Maybe I was riding too high," I said with a touch of remorse in my voice.
We both sat back in our chairs and let the delightful Pacific breezes bathe
us in serenity.

	Elise seemed to doze off.  It was so unimaginably pleasant sitting
once again on this beautiful terrace, in these peaceful surroundings.  The
spectacular view, the verdant landscaping...everything combined to make
this a wonderful experience.  The dogs were asleep under my chair; I could
hear them snoring slightly.

	Sudden it dawned on me that I was slowly and deliberately rubbing
Val's sleeping body.  I don't think Elise noticed anything - anyway, she
was asleep now.  I found that I was moving one hand over the boy's chest -
slowly stroking him through his sweatshirt.  I could feel his ribs, his
little nipples (which were erect, and that surprised me) and parts of the
harness he was wearing, the harness controlling those fascinating hooks.  I
was moving my other hand up and down Val's arm; I felt the metal and
plastic of his prosthesis, and the cables running up his arm to the
shoulders.

	Much to my consternation, I also noticed that these actions were
all combining to get me aroused.  I didn't understand what was
happening...or why.  But I liked it - I liked what I was feeling.  I loved
that Val was here with me and that his body was resting on mine.  I was
caressing Val's body and I cherished what I was doing.  I was rubbing an
inanimate appliance attached to this lovely child's severed arms and it was
doing very strange and wonderful things to me.  I loved the feel of
everything about this child - this beautiful boy.

	Val was beginning to move his tight little butt - moving it very
slightly side to side.  Since his bottom was right over my genitals, the
motion of his beautiful, tight little body was definitely exciting me.  And
the more I rubbed his chest, or moved my hand over his prostheses and arms,
the faster he would move his cute little butt.

	Val move his head from the center of my chest over to the side and
turned to look up at me.  I was startled that he was awake.  I was
embarrassed at being caught by him - caressing him this way, and so openly.
But any fears that I had were quickly put to rest.  He gave me a truly big,
winning smile and I noticed that his eyes were filled with tears.  I sensed
those large, beautiful hazel eyes looking into the very depths of my soul.
He was so incredibly adorable.  And he seemed so happy.  I smiled back at
him, giving him my warmest response.  I slowly began to stroke his head.

	He raised his right arm and brought the hook to his lips.  He
placed a kiss on it.  Then he raised the arm even higher until the hook was
right by my lips.  I knew what I had to do - what he wanted me to do - what
I wanted to do.  I brought my hand to the wrist area of his prosthesis and
lightly grasped it.  I pressed the shimmering hook to my now quivering
lips.  I kissed it - lovingly and long - on the exact spot where he had
placed his delicate kiss.  He moved the hook slowly away from my lips and
caressed my cheek with the gleaming metal of this incredibly sexy
appliance.

	Then he lowered his arm until the hook came to rest on top of the
other one.  I slowly and gently placed my hand on top of them.  I looked at
him long and admiringly...and lovingly.  I stroked his cheek.  His
beautiful cafe-au-lait skin shone with an unearthly radiance and his large,
dazzling eyes absolutely blazed.  I leaned over and placed a soft kiss on
his forehead.

	He gave me a big beautiful smile.  "Thank you," he whispered.
"Thank you so...so very, very much, Dr. Greene."


		       To Be Continued Very Soon...