Page 11 of August
“She made us act like that when we were around you and Grandma D. She said that if we didn’t, she’d beat us again.” Richard looked at his brother as he continued. “She hated you and Grandma D. I don’t know why, but she did.” He looked at her then. “If you take us home with you, you won’t have a speck of trouble out of us. We’ll even stay in our room all day, so you don’t have to feed or water us.”
“She locked you in your rooms all day? How long has this been going on?” Richard said since he’d been little like Joey was. Then she asked him when was the last time he’d had a good meal. “I don’t remember. None of us are going to cause you a bit of trouble, Aunt Jacky. We just want to not be sold where somebody will want to have sex with us. She said that it would happen at your house, too, but I don’t mind so long as the others are all right.”
“I swear to you, no one is going to harm you again. You have my honest truth on that.” She hugged the boys and looked up at the judge. “Please let me show these children what a good home islike and a good hot meal as well.”
“This will be a lot of responsibility, Mrs. Erickson. I know you have a good heart, but this might be more than you can take. I’m going to ask you again, are you sure you want to take this on?” She nodded her heart in her throat for all these little ones had been going through. “All right then, we’ll allow you to take them home with you today, but we’ll do this by the books. We’ll have a meeting with the board of children’s services as soon as one can be made.”
“You’re honor, if anyone can do this, it’ll be my wife and I. We have the funds to get them help should they need it as well.” The judge blew his nose and said that he knew that. “Thank you, sir. You’ll never hear another bad thing coming from them again.”
It was later that afternoon when they were going home. She was now the mother or aunt, whatever they wanted to call her, to three children. Since they were all family, it would be easier, but she’d never harm them. They were hers and August’s children now, and they’d have the best of care.
Getting them to the emergency department was next on their list. The judge had suggested it, saying that with the marks they could find on them, they’d be better safe than sorry. The youngest two of Richard’s children wouldn’t allow anyone to touch them without her there holding their hand and Richard stayed with August as he claimed that he was a bigger person than anyone that wanted them. It broke her heart to hear everything that she’d thought about the children. Mom met them at the hospital.
No one spoke about what had happened in the courtroom. August said that he’d told her all he could, and she wanted to be here for them all. As Peter was getting x-rays, Richard would stand with him like he had told her. He didn’t want him to cry when they put him on the table.
“I don’t know what’s going on other than they’re going to be my children. They’ll never want for anything either.” Mom told her that she’d help. “Thank you. It might take all of us to do this if even only half of what I’m thinking was going on.”
The brothers were going to spend the night so that they could get other tests run tonight. Setting up the rooms with Shipley’s help, they all took turns staying with the kids so that they were never alone. The doctor came by a little after nine. The kids were all asleep, and he told them what he had so far.
“They’ve not been sexually abused, but there are other forms of it that I can’t see on an x-ray. They’re malnourished and dehydrated badly, and I don’t believe they have had a good bath in some time. I will tell you that they’re exhausted and are going to need some help dealing with the things that have been done to them. Today alone seems to have broken the youngest one. I believe that he’s resigned to the fact that his mother is going to come and get them and beat them all to death. I had no idea either, but Mary was treating her children the same way, according to the oldest, Davey.”
“I’m beginning to think that we’re all going to need some help before this is all over.” He simply nodded. “What can we do to start here? There has to be something that we can do to make sure they know that they’re safe.”
“Love them. Hug them. Most importantly, make sure they understand that you’re going to be there for them from now on.” She and August both said that they’d be there for them forever.
It was nearly midnight when she finally closed her eyes. The youngest, his name was Peter of all things, said that he didn’t want to sleep without his blanket. It didn’t take them long to figure out that it wasn’t a blanket at all but a small, very small piece of one that their mother didn’t know that he had. She would have beaten all of them had she understood how much it meant for them to have anything to sleep with. Jack wanted to find their parents and show them what it was like to have nothing and be treated like nothing as well.
One of the nurses found Peter a blanket from the nursery and gave it to him. Once she made it clear that it was his, he pulled both the piece and the blanket up to his face and closed his eyes. It was all she could do not to sob until she was empty of tears. But she had a family now, and she wasn’t going to let them down because she was hurting. It wouldn’t be fair to them if she were to give in.
~*~
August was happy to be home with the kids. They had spent three days and two nights in the children’s department at the hospital and it was just enough to give his family plenty of time to get beds set up along with some clothing that would fit them. Shipley helped with the staff; they were going to have all-around care for the first few months to make sure that if they wanted anything in the middle of the night, there was someone to help them with that. Or whatever they needed from now on.
He’d never been so exhausted as he was right now. And thought perhaps he could sleep for a month. But mostly, he wanted to make love to his wife. The two of them had been staying at the hospital since the day of their court hearing. And he’d do it again, but he wanted Jacklynn in any way that he could get her.
He found her in their room. She wasn’t wearing much, one of his old tee shirts, a pair of his boxer briefs, and some of his worn-out socks. The socks were a new addition to his clothing that she’d been wearing and it made him smile whenever he thought about her wearing his things.
“The kids are all asleep, and the nurses are staying with them. I brilliantly put them down the long hall so that we could have sex. Loud sex. Or not, it’s up to you. Do you want me, August?”
“Yes,” he hissed at her, and that was all it took for him to claim her. He loved her so much that there would be no time that he didn’t want her like this.
She was panting now as he slipped his long fingers into her panties and worked them down over her hips. When he got to her hips, he got down on his knees and made himself go slowly with her. She was wet.
The entire time August was undressing her, he was watching her in the mirror that was right across from the bed. While he wasn’t sure if he’d put it there for this purpose, he loved it.
When the boxer shorts were at her feet, he held his hand out so that she could steady herself while he slipped them over her feet. When he had them off, he ran his hands up and down her legs until he thought he’d scream. When he pulled her legs apart and moved in front of her, her legs trembled just for him.
“I’m going to taste you, baby. I want to drink from you and have you come in my mouth. I’m so glad that you had been brilliant in putting the kids’ rooms down the long hall so you’d let me hear you come, Jacklynn. I want you to scream out your release for me. All right?”
“Yes. Yes, please. August, I want you ever so badly. I…You’re the only person I’ve thought of making love to me since that night at the open house. It was so wonderful that…well, it was so fast that I don’t remember much of it. I’m thinking that you could go over the points that I missed tonight just to make sure that we’re doing it right to have a baby. You still want one, don’t you, Love?”
“Jacklynn. Shut up.” He lowered his head to her mound and inhaled just as she laughed. He tasted it when she gushed more of her juices into his mouth and tried to pull back from him. He cupped her ass cheeks and pulled her back with a growl that sent shivers down her body and into her pussy, so much so that he could feel it. His tongue entered her soft folds. Then his hands pulled her tight against his mouth again.
Over and over, his tongue entered her, and when he sucked her clit into his mouth and bit gently at it, she came. His body spiraled out of control as she screamed out his name. While her body was still trembling from the force of her first climax, August stood and picked her up. His mouth and chin were covered in her juices, and she leaned up to kiss him. Never would he have thought something like her on his mouth would taste so good. He kissed her back, his tongue sweeping into her mouth and dueling with her own tongue.
When he laid her on the bed, he started to unbutton his shirt. She leaned up on her elbows to watch him. Her body was beautiful, lying there open and bare to him. As she sat up to touch him, her hands running up his chest and under his shirt, he guided her hands to his chest, then his ribs. Up and down his torso until she seemed to gain confidence. Once she had, he moved his hands to his side. He didn’t touch her but watched, watched her as she explored his body.
“Take off your shirt for me. I want to see you, please. I want to touch you everywhere.” Her voice was husky and deep; his cock tightened more, straining against his zipper. He pulled the shirtoff and let it slide to the floor. She pushed slightly against him, and he took a step back as she stood up before him. Tentatively, she kissed his ribs, then his chest. When she moved up and licked at his puckered nipple, he moaned. She pulled back slightly, and he cupped her head and brought her back to his nipple. When she licked him again, he tightened his grip in her hair.