When the nurse closed the door to Jill’s room to give her some privacy, she took hold of James’s hand and said, “I have not told you everything about my injuries. I now need to tell you what is going on. You see, when our plane slid up against that concrete wall, a small piece of metal from the plane broke free and entered the right side of my chest. You saw my bloody shirt and helped me when I could not breathe for a short time. What we saw at the time was a tiny hole, but it did not look serious. When I first came into the hospital and the doctors took a series of chest X-rays, they could see an object inside me. It turns out the object is a screw and the doctors can see the threads in the X-rays they took. The screw ended up lodging itself near my heart. Actually, it ended up resting against the fluid filled sack called the pericardium sack that surrounds and protects my heart. That metal is still inside me and the doctors are trying to decide if they need to open my chest and remove it. The ultrasound that they are doing in a few minutes will help determine if the object needs to come out or remain where it is. Now that I am stable and can tolerate the surgery, they may choose to remove the metal. I hope they decide to remove it. I don’t want to live my life with that thing inside me.”
James squeezed Jill’s hand and said, “Okay. I suggest you press that nurse call button and let’s get this test underway. Sitting here worrying is not going to give us the answers. I will ask if I may accompany you while you have your tests done.” Jill giggled and said, “That would be nice. I am a little scared. I think I need your hand to hold.”
Two hours later, the doctor walked into Jill’s room. He looked at James and said, “You look like you are feeling better.” James smiled and said, “Thanks to you and all of the wonderful people who work here.” The doctor turned his attention to Jill. He said, “The screw that is embedded in your chest should come out. I have consulted with the surgeons and they tell me they can remove it with their laparoscope. The incision will only be about an inch long and a few staples and some glue will easily put things right. The doctors would like to do the surgery this afternoon and then allow you to go home in two days if you are feeling up to it.” Jill smiled and said, “Let’s get this thing out of me so I can go home.”
***
Three months after James and Jill returned home with the help of Sally and her brother, they finalized the paperwork to adopt two children from the local orphanage. James and Jill had met the two girls three or four times, but hoped to take them out of the orphanage for a few days so they could all bond. James seemed timid around the energetic teens, but Jill was determined to work things out so they could adopt the girls. Jill had fallen in love with the twins the first time she met them.
When the two blond headed girls walked out into the reception area with Angela, they held hands, pulled back their shoulders and stood up straight. Angela giggled and said to the girls, “No need to act so nicety nice towards James and Jill. They will soon figure out that you two sisters are the pranksters of the orphanage.” Angela then introduced the two girls as Orphan and Annie. When the two girls looked up at her with their angry faces, she laughed and said, “Wait, I got it wrong, this one with the long hair is Dennis and the other one is Menace.” Then Angela said, “Okay girls, I will stop teasing you. The one with the long hair is Pricilla and this one with the short hair is Monica.” Jill walked over to the girls and began talking to them. When James joined into the conversation, the girls began to giggle as teenage girls often do around handsome males. After a few minutes of talking, Jill put her hands on her hips and said, “Okay. You two girls need to get one thing straight right now.” Jill pointed to James she said, “This man is mine!” The girls started to giggle. James just shook his head.
Jill asked Angela how they could tell the girls apart if they cut their hair the same length. Angela said, “Jill, it would be easy for you to tell them apart, but I am afraid James would not have it so easy. Pricilla has a heart shaped birthmark on her right butt cheek. If the girls cut their hair and dressed the same, James would have no way of telling them apart.” Pricilla giggled and said, “James, I will show you the birth mark any time you want.” She turned around and stuck her thumb inside the waistband of her shorts. Luckily, Angela stopped her before she could make a full reveal. James just rolled his eyes and said, “I see this arrangement is going to be exciting.”
Jill looked at James and he was blushing. Jill sat down in a chair and said, “Pricilla, Monica. James and I are planning to take our sailboat out to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean for a couple of days. Would you like to join us? Maybe we can get to know each other a little better.” Both girls turned to Angela and said, “Can you help us buy bathing suits?” Pricilla looked at Jill. Jill said, “There is a really nice sporting goods store a short distance from our beach house that sells incredible two piece suits that I think you two would look splendid wearing.” The girls turned to Angela and asked, “Can we go, Angela?” Angela swatted both girls on the butt and said, “Go pack some clothing. Make certain you take some long pants and long sleeve shirts to help keep the sun from burning your pale skin.” As the girls turned to leave, Angela said, “Take some good shoes so you can walk on the beach without cutting your feet on the oyster shells.”
When the girls headed off to pack their bags, Angela said, “Those two sisters are good kids, but they need good role models in their lives. I think you two will do just fine. Be forewarned, these two thirteen year old girls have raging hormones. They need a proper introduction to boys their own ages with your strict but loving guidance. Their father died in Afghanistan and their mother recently died of breast cancer. The girls have no other living relatives that we know about. You will have to deal with tears and stories of their parents on a daily basis, but they are learning to adjust. They just need lots of love and constant hugs.”
Once Jill and James had outfitted the girls with any additional clothing they might need on the trip, they went grocery shopping and filled two shopping carts. The girls seemed to like nutritious foods with the normal female desire for excessive amounts of chocolate. James figured the girls would fit in quite nicely. On their way to the beach house, Jill asked James to stop at the local pharmacy. When she got out of the car, she motioned for the two girls to come inside with her. James knew what Jill’s intentions were and he waited in the car for them to return. When they returned, Jill put a shopping bag into the back of the SUV in with her purse. When she got into the vehicle, she said, “Okay, we have enough suntan lotion for now, let’s be on our way.”
When James drove up to the front door of the beach house, Monica asked, “Who lives here?” Jill giggled and said, “We do, or should I say, all four of us do if you decide to come live with us.” The girls were out of the SUV in a flash. They looked around and asked, “When we finish helping take the groceries inside, can we go down to the beach?” Jill laughed and said, “I suggest that this one time, we ask James real nice if he would take care of the groceries while we three girls head down to the beach for a quick swim.” James laughed and said, “Girls, listen to Jill about the rip currents. They can wash you out to sea if you are not prepared. She will explain to you how to deal with them. Have fun.”
The girls grabbed their shopping bags and followed Jill inside. After five minutes, all three girls came out in their swimsuits carrying beach towels. When James walked inside, he began to laugh. There were girl’s clothes all over the floor in the living room. All three of them had stripped down and changed into their bathing suits just inside the front door. James decided then that this arrangement might work out just fine. Jill seemed as excited as the young girls were.
When Timothy walked out into the living room, James felt his heart take a leap inside his chest. He thought to himself, what if Timothy had walked out into the living room when the girls were changing into their swimming suits. Timothy walked over to the clothing strewn on the floor and asked, “Did Jill get some new clothing?” He picked up one pair of the tiny pink panties and said, “I
think we must have company. These will not fit anyone living in this house.” James began to laugh. Then he said, “Remember when I told you we might bring home two young girls from the orphanage to spend a few days with us? Well, they are here and Jill took them down to the beach to swim.” Timothy smiled and said, “It seems I was a little late coming out of my room. I will try to be a little more prompt in the future.” James laughed and said, “The girls are only thirteen years old.” Timothy snapped his fingers and said, “Should have guessed. Only a thirteen year old could wear those tiny panties.”
When the girls walked back into the living room, James and Timothy were still standing there talking. Jill took a deep breath while considering where her father was while they changed into their swimming suits. James stepped up and introduced the girls to Timothy. He explained that Jill’s father lived with them. After the girls walked up to Timothy and politely shook his hand, they started picking up their clothing on the floor. Jill joined them and said, “Girls, let me show you to your room. The architect originally designed this beach house to sleep twenty people. The maid’s quarters out back will sleep six more. There are two adjoining rooms where you can stay. If you should decide to come live with us permanently, we can have the rooms painted and fixed up the way you want them. All I ask is that you don’t put up nude boy pictures. You will have to pin them up out of sight, maybe on the back of the closet doors. James saw the girls begin to giggle over Jill’s words.
When Jill escorted the girls to their room so they could rinse off the salt water from their bathing suits and their bodies, she walked back into the living room and began picking up her own clothing.
When Jill finished changing out of her bathing suit and finished showering, she smelled food cooking. When she walked into the kitchen, James and her father had lunch cooking. They had some fish baking in the oven that they had caught yesterday from the fishing pier. There were hushpuppies cooking and large kettle on the stove contained ears of sweet corn. Jill walked up to her father and hugged him. She said, “I hope you don’t get to upset with the young girls running around the household. James and I will try to keep them under control and clothed as much as possible. I apologize for the underwear lying all over the living room floor a while ago.” Timothy hugged his daughter and said, “I think the girls will do us all some good. They are well mannered and full of spirit. They will fit in around here just fine. Finding some kid’s clothing lying around this old beach house is not all bad. I think I will enjoy their company.”
When the meal was on the table, Jill said, “James, would you knock on the girls door and ask them to come to the kitchen for supper?” James looked at her for a moment and then turned and headed down the hallway. Timothy looked at Jill and asked, “What was that all about? James looked a little insecure for a moment. Do the young girls unnerve him?” Jill giggled and said, “I think so. However, he will soon feel comfortable interacting with them. I will see to it.”
While they ate their supper, Jill said, “James and I were thinking about taking the ketch out and spending the night at sea. Would you girls be interested? There is plenty of room for everyone to sleep and the sea should be calm tonight so no one gets sea sick.” It only took the girls a few seconds to agree to the trip. When Jill asked her father to come along, he said, “I think I will stay here this one time. I will join you all on the next trip. I accepted an invitation to play pinochle with some of our neighbors tonight.” Jill reached over and squeezed his hand.
Once they finished cleaning up the kitchen, they loaded up some food and clothes into four backpacks and headed down to the dock where they had tide up the dinghy. The girls were excited to ride in the dinghy, but soon realized that the tiny craft was not quite as stable in the waves as they would have liked. When they tied up to the ketch, James stepped up onto the swim platform so the girls could hand him the backpacks. Once he had the girls aboard, he lifted the dinghy up into place and secured it onto a support built on the port side near the stern.
Once aboard, Jill took the girls on a tour of the ketch and had them help her put away the food in the galley. Then it was time to set sail. James motored out into deep water and then sat the girls down where they could watch. He explained that the boom preventer would normally prevent the boom from swinging around and hitting a crewmember, but warned them to pay attention at all times. He also showed them how to put on their life vests and how to attach their lanyards to the vessel to prevent them from falling overboard in high seas. Once James and Jill had the sails set and they were on their way towards the remote island, James began explaining the sails and how they worked. Then he sat the girls down behind the wheel and showed them the autohelm system. With all the electronics aboard, the girls could sit and watch the depth of the water, any vessels around them, the wind speed and direction and dozens of other important bits of information they might need if they sailed at night or in unfamiliar waters.
James spoke to the girls about an hour into the trip and had them apply more suntan lotion to their pale skin. He made certain they wore their cute hats and got the suntan lotion under the edges of their bathing suits. James knew that the girls would be sunburned in short order if he and Jill did not constantly watch over them the first few hours of the trip. Being on a sailboat under the hot scorching sun can put a person in the hospital if they don’t take precautions.
By the time they found an area free of choral beds to anchor, it was getting dark. Jill made up beds in the portside bow cabin for the girls. She and James would sleep in the stern cabin, which was much smaller and had no head. They did not want the girls walking around the deck trying to find a bathroom during the night. The girls would be much safer in the bow cabin near the head.
Once they finished making up beds for the night, everyone gathered up on the deck. James asked if anyone needed some food. The girls were obviously hungry so they cooked some hotdogs on the gas grill. They had no more than sat down to eat when they all heard the sound of James fishing reel trying to stop the run of a large fish. James quickly ran down to the swimming deck and retrieved the pole from the holder. The fish made a run for the deep water, but James finally managed to stop the fish and turn it back around. It took almost ten minutes for James to wind up the line the fish had pulled off the reel. When the fish was finally up on the surface of the swimming deck, James held it still and removed the hook. The fish was not one they wanted to eat so James threw it back into the water. It quickly swam away, trying to hide from recapture.
As they finished eating their hotdogs and potato chips, Pricilla asked if the boat had a name. Jill giggled and said, “This ketch does have a name. I christened her, The Jillian II.” The girls thought that was an appropriate name for Jill’s boat.
While the girls helped Jill clean up the dishes, James walked up to the bow of the boat and stood looking off towards shore. He heard the giggles of the three girls and when he turned, he saw two bare butts as the girls dove into the ocean from the swim platform. Jill was there watching over them and handed each a bar of soap to wash. James sat down on the viewing platform just above the hawsepipe to relax. He would stay where he was until Jill had the girls bathed and snuggled into their warm ankle length robes, then he would light the barbecue grill and help the girls make s’mores before everyone settled down for the night. It would be late before the girls settled down and were ready for bed, so a little sugar in their bellies would not hurt them.
As the girls wound down, Jill took them both down to their beds. She put two flashlights on the headboard so they could find one if they needed to get up during the night. Jill warned them not to go up on deck unless they went together. She explained that if they fell overboard in the darkness, they might drown before anyone could rescue them. She emphasized her concern by telling them that sharks often searched for food in the darkness of night. Then she said, “During the day we can see the sharks, but at night, they are invisible until they strike.” Then Jill said, “If either of you should fee
l sick during the night from the waves moving us around, ring the bell that hangs over the doorway and one of us will come down and give you some medicine to calm your stomachs. Remember to tell us right away if you feel ill. If you take the medicine right away, you will be okay in just an hour or so.”
When Jill sat down beside James at the bow of the ketch, James asked, “So what do you think now about adopting these two sweethearts?” Jill said, “We had originally planned to spend the next two years on this ketch sailing the south pacific. Those plans will now have to go on the back burner for a while. The girls will have many meetings with Angela to insure they are doing well with their new parents and we have my father to consider. He will only be alive another few month and I would like to make the last few months of his life as easy as possible. I guess I have to turn the question around and ask you if you are prepared to take all of this on. With our busy work schedule and my father’s illness, can you manage with these two girls in our household?” James looked at her and said, “Jill you have brought meaning to my life. Your father is amazing and I love having him around. I think the two girls in the house will actually make your father’s life a little more pleasurable. He does not necessary understand today’s teenagers and their lifestyles, but he has fallen in love with Pricilla and Monica just as you and I have.” Jill giggled and said, “From your words, I suspect you have already made up your mind.” James chuckled and said, “I fell in love with them back at the beach house. They are good kids and they make me happy. I am certain there will be times when I would rather paddle their butts, but that is the case with all children. I think they just need a place to call their home. They need to know they will have unconditional love and not have to worry about being sent back to the orphanage just because they had a bad day.” Jill rolled over and hugged James. She whispered in his ear, “If you are very quiet so we don’t wake our girls, I will make love to you.”
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