The Slade Chronicles: Chapter 2 - Part 1

I woke up panicked. “Aurora!” I hollered in no more than a whisper. “Damn, my head hurts so bad. Everything is still fuzzy, light… too bright.”

“Slade, I’m here babe. I’m here,” Aurora whispered, grabbing my hand, but sounded like she was yelling and far away. “Go get the doctor, he’s waking up,” she said to someone.

I faded out again, not able to stay awake.

The room was much darker when I woke up again. I heard the hum of the air conditioner unit blowing cool air into my hospital room. The monitor next to the bed beeped with every beat of my heart. I was hooked up to an IV and nasal cannula was blowing oxygen into my nose. My head pounded. I reached up to touch my head; it was wrapped in a bandage.

“Wha… what happened,” I asked.

“Oh sweetheart,” mom sobbed.

“Hey now, please don’t cry,” I whispered.

Wiping her eyes, sniffling she said, “Okay I’ll go get the nurse. The doctor is going to want to examine you.”

I started to nod off again. “Welcome back Mr. Jones. You had us very worried for the last few weeks. I’m Natalie your overnight nurse in the intensive care unit,” a nurse said, looking over to the monitor, noting my vitals.

“Weeks,” I questioned.

“Yes, weeks, but let’s not worry about that right now. We need to make sure there isn’t any permanent brain damage, you took quite the hit to your head,” she said caringly. “How’s your pain level,” she asked.

“Pain is tolerable, I think,” I said.

“Good, Doctor Anne Stockton is on duty tonight. She will be in shortly,” Natalie said. “Is there anything you need while we wait?”

“I’m really thirsty.”

“I can’t let you drink anything just yet but how about some crushed ice,” Natalie suggested.

I nodded and turned my head to mom. “Is Aurora okay?” I asked her.

Just then Aurora burst through the door, rushing to me and giving me a hug and kissing my cheek. “I’ve been worried sick about you. Don’t you ever make me worry that much again,” she sobbed with tears streaming down her face.

“Please don’t cry,” I pleaded with her.

Sniffling, she wiped her tears and took a deep breath. There was a knock on the door. “Hello, I’m Doctor Stockton, let me have a quick look over you,” the doctor said.

She asked me who the president was, then gave me three words to remember. They were football, cake, and snow cone. She continued with her examination then after about ten minutes she asked, “Could you repeat the three words that I gave you earlier, back to me?”

“Sure, um… cake… and… snow cone… um… football,” I said.

“Good, we’ll have to give you another CT scan. If that looks good, you can go home as early as Thursday,” the doctor said.

“What day is it,” I asked.

“It’s Tuesday the 28th,” she answered.

“I don’t remember anything after mowing the lawn on Friday the 3rd,” I said concerned.

“That’s completely normal. You could get flashbacks of what happened, but we don’t know for sure. The brain can be a tricky thing. However, if your scan comes back clean, you should make a full recovery,” the doctor added.

“I’m getting tired,” I said closing my eyes, fading off to sleep.

Good morning, babe,” Aurora whispered giving me a kiss on the lips.

“Hey,” I said before opening my eyes.

Her hands slid under the blanket, then her hand found my hard cock. My eyes opened wide. “Glad to see that this still works,” Aurora purred. “Your CT scan isn’t for another hour. How about I take care of this,” she said pulling the blanket off and sliding the hospital gown up to expose my cock.

“What if someone comes in,” I protested.

“Then we’ll have to be a quick,” she responded. She moved quickly and took the head of my cock into her mouth. She moved her tongue around and sucked hard. I was close to cumming after not ejaculating for the last three weeks. I started breathing deep and my pulse increased, causing the monitor to sound an alarm.

Natalie came rushing in just as I started to cum in Auroras mouth. “Oh,” she exclaimed, closing the door quickly behind her. Natalie went to the monitor and silenced the alarm. “Well, I glad to see you awake but you really shouldn’t be doing that in here,” she scolded.

Aurora swallowed my cum and then said, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. He tried to protest but he can’t seem to say no to me.”

“Wow! Your cock is big,” Natalie gushed as Aurora let go of my cock. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” She couldn’t take her eyes off my cock. There was still a little cum that leaked out on the tip of it.

“Come here and taste his cum,” Aurora offered.

“I… I shouldn’t. I could get in trouble,” she protested.

“We aren’t going to say anything, are we Slade,” Aurora asked.

“N… no…we won’t,” I stammered.

Natalie stepped closer and reached for my cock. It throbbed in her hand. She moved her face towards my cock and stopped just shy of it. Looking at both of us, she took the tip of my cock into her mouth and licked up the cum. “Mmm, he tastes great,” she said satisfied.

Aurora covered me back up. Just then the tech knocked and entered the room. It was time for my CT scan. Natalie helped get my IV-bag moved to the head of the bed. Aurora gave me a kiss and said she would be here when I got back.

Natalie lingered back a bit. I could see her and Aurora talking as I turned the corner. The orderly and technician transferred me from the hospital bed to the CT scanners table and then a tech gave me an injection. It felt warm and then I had the sensation that I peed myself. The tech noticed the look on my face and said that it was normal to have that feeling and assured me that I did not, in fact, pee myself. She told me to stay as still as possible. She then walked behind the wall and started the scan. It was over in less than 10 minutes.

An orderly wheeled me back to my room. Aurora was reading a book, waiting patiently. “How was it,” she asked.

“I thought that I pissed myself when they injected me with the contrast die,” I said in a deadpan voice.

Aurora laughed and gave me a kiss. We talked for about an hour before the doctor came in. “Good news, you get to go home tomorrow,” Doctor Stockton said enthusiastically. “Your scan showed no signs of bleeding, and the swelling has gone down, but you still need rest at home. No work for at least a month. We’ll have a follow-up appointment in four weeks. Then we will reassess.”

“Thanks Doc,” I said as she left the room.

“The police are aware that you are awake and want to talk to you,” Aurora said.

“What? The police? Why?” I asked, alarmed.

“Slade, you were attacked. I found you when I noticed that your car was still parked in front of my house. I found you on the ground, blooding from your head. You wouldn’t wake up. I thought you were dead. Once the ambulance took you away, the police asked if I knew anyone that wanted to hurt you. I told them about the fight, up in Minocqua, with Steve and Mike. The cops saw Steve driving his car nearby. They pulled him over. Mike was with him. During the investigation the police found a bat with blood and hair on it in the trunk of Steve’s car. The blood type matched yours and the hair was the same color. Both Steve and Mike were arrested that night. Mike and Steve said the other was the one who hit you. Problem is, for them, that both of their prints are on the bat. So, the D.A. is charging both with injury by negligent handling of a weapon and adding a conspiracy charge too,” Aurora said.

“Wow, that’s crazy,” I said. “Are they still in jail?”

“Yeah, the charges are felonies, so the bail was set too high for their families to post bail,” Aurora said.

“Good, I don’t want them coming after you,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.

The detectives came in the afternoon. Took my statement and said that they would be in touch as the case progresses. I thanked them and they left. Mrs. Johnston, Charlene, came to visit before dinner.

“Slade I’m so glad that you are okay. You gave us a fright that night. I saw you. Aurora screamed so loud, I thought she was hurt. I ran outside trying to see where she was. I saw your car and came running. She was sobbing, holding your head and shoulders in her lap, covered in your blood. I almost passed out. I had to hold her back so that the paramedics could tend to you,” Charlene explained.

She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “John wants to see you as soon as you are able. He now knows about what happened in Minocqua because of the police report. He’s not mad anymore. He wants to thank you for being a protector to our daughter.”

“He can visit me once I am home,” I said.

I yawned and closed my eyes. I fought it as long as I could, but sleep won out in the end.

I don’t know how long Aurora and her mom stayed but they were gone when I woke up in the middle of the night, from a nightmare. The monitor alarm was going off from my heart rate being elevated. Natalie rushed in. She looked relieved when she realized that I was not having any medical issues.

“Are you okay Slade,” she asked with concern.

“Yeah, I had a nightmare. I think it was about the night of the attack,” I said.

“Do you remember any of it,” she questioned.

“I remember rhubarb pie and walking to my car,” I answered.

“That’s great. Not great about the nightmare, but great that you are remembering something. Now, get some more rest, your mom and girlfriend will be here in the morning to take you home,” Natalie informed me.

It was 8am when I finally woke up. Mom and Aurora were sitting, talking quietly. “Good morning,” I said.

“Hope we didn’t wake you,” mom answered as she grabbed my hand.

“No, you didn’t wake me,” I said.

“The doctor said she was going to start the discharge process as soon as you woke up. I’ll go let the nurses know that you are awake so they can tell the doctor,” Aurora said getting up from the chair. She left the room.

Mom came over and held my hand saying, “Aurora is going to stay at the house during the day while your dad and I are at work. It’s more of a cautionary measure until you are 100%.”

“I don’t need a babysitter Mom,” I protested.

“Hush, you and I both know that Aurora loves you and she will do anything for you. She just wants to make sure that you are okay. We all do,” she added. “I spoke with Ron about work, he said to get better, and the job will still be there when you are cleared for work.”

The doctor walked in. She talked about my recovery at home while she was checking over my chart. What to watch for if something is wrong. Said no strenuous activity for at least a week and then I could start with taking walks.

“Thanks doc, for everything,” I said.

She simply nodded and left the room. A few minutes later a nurse came in and removed my IV and took the nasal cannula away. She pointed to the cupboard in the corner saying that clothes are in there, but she would need to help me stand before she would leave the room to get dressed. I kicked my feet off the side of the bed. “Okay, now put your feet on the floor and stand up when you are ready,” she instructed.

I stood up. I wobbled a bit, but I stayed standing. “I’ll leave you to get dressed,” she said leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Mom grabbed my clothes and placed them on the bed. “Here son let me help,” she offered.

“No! I can dress myself and I can have Aurora help me if I need it,” I said.

“I’ve seen you naked before,” mom rebuked.

“That was over ten years ago! A lot has changed since then and I am a grown man,” I exclaimed.

“Fine,” she said defeated and left the room.

Aurora first helped me put on clean boxers. Then she put on my socks and started helping me with my pants. I grabbed the waist and pulled them up once they were at my knees. I reached over and picked up my shirt and slipped that on.

“There, all dressed,” I said.

Aurora opened the door and an orderly was waiting with a wheelchair. I protested but was shot down right away, citing hospital rules. I plopped down into the wheelchair and was wheeled to the elevator, down the hall, and out the main doors where my dad was waiting with the car. He opened the back door for me. I stood up and he gave me a hug. “Love you son, I’m glad you are okay,” he said with his eyes getting watery.

I couldn’t believe that he took off work to bring me home. He never took any time off from the foundry. I wondered if Mr. Johnston had anything to do with him being there. Once I was in the car, Aurora slid in next to me and Mom joined Dad in the front. Aurora held my hand the entire way home.

Dad pulled the car up the driveway and got out to open the door for me. “I can manage myself,” I scoffed.

“Just trying to be helpful,” he responded.

Aurora slid out behind me. She wrapped her arm around my waist and walked with me into the house. Mom made lunch and we all sat at the table, which was a rarity these days. The conversation was subdued, no one wanted to talk about what happened. “Look, I don’t remember much from that day,” I started. “I do remember mowing the lawn, rhubarb pie, and walking to my car. If I remember anything else, I’ll let you all know.”

After lunch, Dad went to work for a half shift, and Mom went to the grocery store. That left Aurora and I alone. We went into the living room and sat on the sofa. I couldn’t find anything on the tv that I wanted to watch so I found a movie channel and left it there. Aurora was cuddled up, leaning on my shoulder. She reached down and grabbed my cock. I moaned. With deft fingers she opened my fly and pulled my cock out. She stroked me gently until I was fully hard.

“So, what did you think of Natalie, the naughty nurse,” she asked playfully.

“Oh god, she was hot, I couldn’t believe she actually put her mouth on my cock,” I exclaimed.

“Good cause she has off tomorrow and wants to hang out with us,” Aurora said.

“Can she do that,” I asked.

“Of course, silly, she wants to feel your cock stretch her tight pussy,” Aurora said, teasing my cock.

Hearing this made my cock really hard, and it wasn’t long before I felt the pressure building up to cum. Just before I was about to cum, Aurora pinched my cock at the base, effectively stopping the orgasm. “What the fuck, why did you not let me cum,” I asked, confused.

“I’m going to edge you, which is stopping you just before orgasm, getting you all hot and bothered and then tomorrow you will finally be able to cum deep in Natalie’s pussy. How does that sound?”, Aurora asked.

“You are going to drive me insane, aren’t you babe,” I asked.

“You know it,” she responded, taking my cock into her mouth. There was a lot of precum leaking out of my cock from the edging session. Way more than normal. It was so hot. Aurora stopped and put my cock away when the I was getting close to cumming closer together.

Good thing too as mom got home about fifteen minutes later. She came in and checked on me. “You look flushed, are you feeling okay,” she asked.

“Uh… yeah just a little tired I guess,” I answered.

“Okay, if you need anything just ask. Aurora, could you help me with the groceries?” mom asked.

“Sure thing Mrs. Jones,” she said.

I nodded off. It was almost dinner time when I woke up from the nap. Aurora had gone home; Dad was home from work and mom was preparing dinner. I made my way into the kitchen. Mom was making one of my favorites, English muffin pizzas. She cooked up Italian sausage, fried bacon to crumble and made a pizza sauce. She had bought pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and mozzarella cheese.

The three of us made our own personal pizzas and sat at the table. We made small talk; Dad and I never had a super close relationship. He was always there for me if I needed but he worked long hours. He treated mom well and she adored him. After dinner Dad went to the living room and sat in his recliner to watch the news. He only cared about the sports update part of the news. He kept up with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Green Bay Packers, and he was always complaining about not having a professional hockey team, despite it being a popular sport, in Wisconsin.

I went to my room and laid on my bed for a bit, trying to remember the attack. I gave up after a few minutes, grabbed some clean pjs and went to take a shower. It felt great to wash off all that hospital smell. You know that industrial clean smell. After my shower I went to bed. Mom checked in on me before she and dad went to bed. “Good night sweetie, holler if you need anything,” she said giving me a kiss on my forehead.

Aurora arrived early as mom had to be to work by 7am. She let me sleep until 8am. She woke me by giving me soft kisses on my lips. “Wakey, wakey,” Aurora whispered.

“Mmm, I’m awake, I’m awake,” I protested as she tried pulling the blankets off me.

“What do you want for breakfast,” She asked.

“You,” I said grabbing, and pulling her to me.

“Slade, you can’t! Natalie is coming over later! Let me go,” she protested.

“Fine, I guess I would like some toast then,” I said pouting.

“Get dressed and I’ll go make you some toast,” Aurora said.

I threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. It was supposed to be hot again today. I sat at the kitchen table waiting for Aurora to butter my toast. “Here you go babe,” she said placing the plate on the table in front of me.

I quickly ate the toast and went to the living room to watch tv. There wasn’t much on at eight thirty in the morning that would interest a young adult. I flipped the tv off. “Let’s go outside for a bit before it gets too hot,” I recommended.

“Whatever you would like babe,” Aurora purred. She held out her hand and led us to the back patio.

We sat on the two-seater swing that my dad had built for mom for their anniversary. Aurora held my hand and we swayed back and forth for about two minutes before I started getting dizzy and the sun was hurting my eyes. “I don’t feel so good,” I said stopping the swing.

“Okay, let’s get you inside,” she encouraged. “Whoa there,” she said feeling me stumble as we walked.

I made it back inside and laid down on the sofa. Aurora made a phone call. She came back with a wet, cold washcloth. “Here, put this on your forehead and over your eyes,” she instructed.

I didn’t fall asleep, but I was zoning out when someone knocked on the front door. I heard Aurora talking to another female. “He’s in here,” she said.

I pulled the washcloth off my eyes to see who she was talking to. It was Natalie. She was not dressed in scrubs but a cobalt blue sundress. She looked hot. I tried to sit up too fast and got dizzy. She ran to me before I fell face first onto the floor. “Nope, take it easy Slade, you aren’t 100% yet. Aurora said you guys were sitting outside on the swing when you started to not feel well, is that correct,” she asked.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Your equilibrium could still be off a bit; you had a bad concussion. Which also caused the light sensitivity,” she explained. “You should rest a bit while Aurora and I go over some things about your care.”

I woke up again about two hours later. I could hear Aurora and Natalie talking at the kitchen table. I walked in, feeling much better. “Hello ladies,” I greeted them.

“Hey babe,” Aurora greeted me back.

“How are you feeling now Slade,” Natalie asked.

“Much better, I won’t go back on the swing or be outside for too long until I feel better,” I reassured her.

“Good, now you know that you are, in fact, not completely okay yet,” Natalie said.

“I feel well enough to empty a load into you,” I offered.

“Oh really,” she purred.

“Why don’t we take this up to your bedroom,” Aurora suggested.

“Good idea,” I said.

I held out my hand to Natalie who grabbed it and I led her to my bedroom. For a thirty-year-old she was hot. I slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders and let the dress fall to the floor. She wasn’t wearing a bra or panties. Her pussy was shaved clean, nipples were pierced, and she had a tattoo across her lower back. Her body curved in all the right places. My mouth was watering. I bent do to kiss her. She kissed back with eagerness.

Aurora stood behind me and grabbed the hem of my shirt. She pulled the shirt up. I paused kissing Natalie to let her remove my shirt. Tossing it on the floor Aurora then slid my pants and boxers down letting them fall to the floor.

Natalie placed her hands on my cock. She gave it a couple tugs and then kissed her way from my chest to my hips. Taking my cock into her mouth. Her lips barely fit around the head. She moaned. Her hands and mouth moved on my cock with experience. It was one of the best blowjobs I had had yet. I moaned.

I backed up until I bumped into the bed. Pulling Natalie with me we laid down. I scooted up to the head of the bed, Natalie crawled up to me. She straddled me and rubbed her wet pussy over my hard cock. Aurora sat next to me and started to massage Natalie’s tits. Natalie had an orgasm as Aurora sucked a nipple into her mouth. Natalie was not dripping wet with excitement.

Aurora grabbed the base of my cock and lined it up to Natalie’s pussy. Natalie slowly lowered herself onto my rigid pole. She took the whole thing inside her in one try, shuddering as the head pushed against her cervix. She started rocking back and forth with my cock buried in her. Aurora again played with Natalie’s breasts, sucking and kissing her nipples. Aurora placed a hand between Natalie and me. She found Natalie’s clit and rubbed. This sent Natalie into another orgasm, this one more intense than the first. Natalie collapsed forward onto me.

I let her come down from her orgasm and then started moving my cock in and out of her pussy again. She purred and kissed my neck. Aurora got down between my legs and licked my balls and cock as I slid in and out. After a few minutes, Aurora started to massage my balls. She then placed a finger at Natalie’s back door. Natalie let out a yelp. “Go ahead, I like my ass played with,” Natalie said in response.

Aurora used some lube that I had in my nightstand and lubed up Natalie’s asshole. Once she was well lubed, Aurora slid her index finger all the way in, then she removed it and placed her index and middle finger in Natalie’s ass. Aurora massaged my cock though the barrier. It felt amazing. Natalie had another orgasm building. Her pussy milked my cock as she got closer. We came at the same time. I flooded her pussy with more cum than I had ever had before. It started leaking out before I pulled out. Aurora leaned in and licked up the cum that escaped. I pulled out and Aurora dove right in, licking and sucking Natalie’s pussy until all the cum was cleaned up, she then cleaned up my cock.

“That was amazing,” Natalie exclaimed. “Your cock is the thickest I’ve ever had. For an eighteen-year-old you fuck pretty good.”

“Thanks, I aim to please,” I responded.

Aurora climbed up between us, on my twin sized bed, making it an even tighter fit. She faced me and gave me a loving kiss, then she turned to Natalie and kissed her. My cock started to get hard again, watching the two of them explore each other’s bodies with their hands.

I positioned myself so I could fuck Aurora. I pushed my cock towards her honey hole. She responded by pushing back on me. I slid in with ease, as she was extremely wet. Soon I had a decent pace going. I reached around and cupped her right breast, pinching the nipple between my index finger and thumb. She wiggled her ass. Natalie crawled down Aurora’s body. I held Aurora and flipped onto my back. She was now on top of me in the reverse cowgirl position. Aurora sat up a bit and ground her pussy on my cock. Natalie got between our legs and licked Aurora’s clit.

“Oh god, that feels great,” Aurora moaned.

Natalie continued her assault on Aurora’s clit but added licking my cock to the mix. Aurora’s orgasm was building. She bucked and thrashed on my cock. Aurora leaned back onto my chest as she orgasmed, squirting Natalie in the face. I slipped out of her pussy and my ropes of cum covered Natalie’s face. Natalie sat there with a thousand-yard stare, her mouth open.

“Natalie, are you okay, hello, Natalie,” I said snapping my fingers in front of her face.

“Wow, that was fucking awesome,” Natalie finally responded. “I’ve never seen someone squirt before and then to add the facial, well, I came without any touching.”

“You look hot covered in our cum,” Aurora said to Natalie.

Aurora leaned in and gave Natalie a kiss, then licked the cum off her face, kissing her again, sharing the cum between them. After she was clean, the three of us laid there in a post sex stupor. I looked over at my alarm clock, it read 1:45pm. “Shit, we need to get cleaned up and I hate to kick you out Natalie, but my mom will be home around two thirty,” I said.

“I understand,” she responded. “We will have to get together again when you are 100%, I want you to rail me with that club of yours.”

“Mmm, I’d like that,” I said. “What about you Aurora? Would you like to do this again some time?”

“Hell, yeah I would,” she exclaimed, giving us both a hug.

I let Natalie shower first, then Aurora, and then finally me. When I entered the living room, Natalie was gone and Aurora was reading a book. I settled on the sofa, turning on the tv. I found a Brewer game on, so I left it there.

“Hello, I’m home,” mom hollered from the side door.

“In the living room,” I called out.

“How was your day? Did you have any trouble,” she asked.

“No all was—” I started to reply.

“He had a dizzy spell this morning. We were sitting outside on the swing, and he started to feel ill. We were walking back inside when he got a little wobbly. He didn’t fall or anything, but I helped him to the couch. I panicked a bit and called Natalie, the night nurse from ICU. She told me to have him lay down for a while and to put a cold washcloth over his eyes and forehead. Then she came by to give him a checkup,” Aurora interrupted.

“What? You… A nurse stopped by? I hope our health insurance will cover that,” mom said, worrying.

“No charge, she did it for my peace of mind. We sort of became friends during the long nights that I stayed with him in the ICU,” Aurora replied.

“That was nice of her,” mom said with a sigh of relief. “How are you feeling now sweetheart?”

“I’m good mom, I just needed a nap. Natalie said it was from the swinging motion and the sun. Apparently, I will have some light sensitivity for a while from the concussion,” I answered.

“Aurora, if it happens again, would you please call me at work,” she asked.

“Sure thing, no problem Mrs. Jones,” Aurora answered.

“Aurora dear, I think you can call me Lisa from now on, you are practically family,” mom said.

“I… I don’t feel right doing that, but I’ll give it a try Mrs. J…, Lisa,” Aurora said.

I didn’t have any more dizzy spells for the four weeks leading up to my follow-up appointment with Dr. Stockton. During the second week home, Mr. Johnston stopped by when Aurora was not over.

“Hello Slade, I’m glad you are healing well,” he said when I answered the door.

“Thank you, sir, I feel good,” I responded.

“I’ll get right to the point. After your attack I read the police reports because Charlene and Aurora wouldn’t tell me anything. You handled the situation in Minocqua very well. I know that you will do anything to protect Aurora. The other girls all mentioned how you protected them and stood up for that Matt guy even though you weren’t close friends at that point. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to bullies like that,” he said.

“What I’m about to tell you, no one else, not even Charlene, knows yet. I… I have cancer. It’s terminal and I have less than a year to live,” he said choking back tears. “I know that you love Aurora. I also know that the two of you are very young and have your whole lives ahead of you. I want you to consider something for me, for you as well,” he continued taking a deep breath. “I want to see my little girl married before I die. It’s been my dream to walk her down the aisle at her wedding since the day she was born. The timeframe has moved way up but I know that you are a good man Slade. I see the look in your eyes when she enters the room. Her eyes do the same whenever you are mentioned.”

“I am giving you my blessing if you ever so wish to marry my little girl. I have my mother’s ring, and I’d like you to have it to give it to Aurora if you wish,” he said pulling a box out of his pocket, opening it to show the most beautiful ring I had ever seen.

“I… I… Don’t know what to say Mr. Johns—,” I started.

“It’s time you call me John, and I would like to call you son, if that’s okay with you,” he interrupted.

“Yes, of course… John, I fell in love with Aurora the very moment I laid eyes on her. I knew she was the one for me,” said continuing, “I would love to ask your daughter to marry me, and I will ask her, with your help, in early August, after my checkup.”

“I know she chose well, even if I wasn’t so sure about you in the beginning, but no one would ever be good enough form my baby girl,” he said patting me on the back and hugging me.

He left me holding the box with the ring in it. My mind was going a million miles per hour. “What if she says no? I don’t believe in divorce, I’ve seen what it does to people. How am I going to support us,” I asked myself.

The next two weeks went by fast. Aurora picked up on that something was bothering me. She kept asking but I refused to, hell, I couldn’t talk about it, it would ruin the surprise, and she still didn’t know about her dad’s illness yet.

Aurora drove me to my follow-up appointment. We didn’t speak the entire way. The tension could be cut with a knife. I had another CT scan, blood tests and a physical exam.

“All the test results and scans look good Slade; I can release you to normal activity but take it easy if you do feel dizzy or anything. Don’t rush into overexerting yourself,” the doctor said. “I would like another follow up in six months. Just to make sure there have been no lasting effects.”

“Sounds great Doc,” I said, jumping off the examination table.

I went back to work the following Monday. It was nice being able to drive myself. The freedom it gives. Ron called me in to his trailer office. “Slade it’s great to have you back. Cheryl and I were worried about you,” he said patting my back. “If you need anything just let me know.”

“It’s good to be back, but there is something I need,” I said

“You’re not quitting are you,” he asked quickly.

“No, nothing like that. I need Friday off. I need to meet with my girlfriend’s father. He has terminal cancer and he gave me his blessing to ask his daughter, Aurora, to marry me,” I said with a frog in my throat.

“You’re too young,” Ron said.

“I know that, but I knew she was the one the moment I laid eyes on her. He has less than a year to live and wants to walk his daughter down the aisle,” I said in defense.

“If you are sure, I would love to help make it happen in any way I can, we can manage without you for another day” he said.

I thanked him and got to work. The day flew by. The guys on the site all gave me shit about milking the sick time off. It was so good to see everyone. I got home around 5:30. Dad’s car was in the driveway next to mom’s, but the Johnston’s car was there too.