Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.
Just to clear up the confusion some of you might have, the unidentified man at the end of chapter 9 was the same guy that appeared at the end of chapter 1. They weren't Hunter!
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Chapter 10
"Please let me up, I want to leave!" Jeff pleaded with John. He was trying to get up from the bed but John was holding him down gently.
"Jeff, you're sick and you're in no condition to move. Dave's not going to hurt you." John pacified him.
Jeff shook his head, almost on the verge of tears, "Please, I can't stay here!"
Randy and Adam left to get Mark and Matt. They realized that Jeff was uncooperative and John needed help to calm him down. As soon as Mark heard, he headed immediately to Jeff's room to find a distraught Jeff and a flustered John.
Jeff reached for Mark with outstretched arms as soon as he spotted him, "Please Mark, I want to leave!"
Mark held him tight, holding his head to his chest. Jeff buried his face against Mark's chest, whimpering softly.
"I know you don't want to stay here but Dave's trying to make amends. You're sick and you need a safe place to stay and Dave was kind enough to offer us his home. He won't come near you if you don't want him to. So you need to calm down."
Jeff continued to cling to Mark, "You promise he won't come near me?" When Mark nodded, he relaxed slightly but pleaded with him, "Please stay, don't leave me."
"I'll stay but you don't have to be afraid, Jeff, no one here is going to hurt you. I want you to lie down, close your eyes and rest."
Mark eased him down onto the bed and pulled the covers over him. He stroked his hair to comfort him and waited patiently for him to quiet down. The day's events had finally taken their toll on Jeff, his eyes slowly fluttered shut. John, who was still sitting on the bed, sighed in relief. Mark nodded to him to follow and both quietly got up and left, closing the door gently behind them.
As soon as everyone had seated themselves, Matt asked anxiously, "Is Jeff all right?"
Mark nodded, "He has finally fallen asleep. I think one of us should stay by his side tonight, in case he panics when he wakes up in the middle of the night."
"I'll stay!" John volunteered without hesitation. Randy and Adam snickered, managing to catch the attention of the others.
John frowned at them, "Hey, it's not funny! Jeff's scared to be alone!" Both men looked remorseful.
Adam turned to Mark, "I don't know what's going on but if Jeff's in trouble, Randy and I would like to help any way we can." He looked at Randy who nodded his agreement.
Mark looked at Matt for approval. This involved his brother and it was up to Matt to decide if he wanted Adam and Randy to know. Matt hesitated. The less people to know about Jeff's problems the better, but Adam and Randy would be a great help since they were on the same brand as Jeff. They could help Mark and John to watch over his brother.
Matt nodded to Mark before turning to Adam and Randy, "We need all the help we can get but you have to keep this to yourselves. No one else needs to know, Jeff still feels insecure about people knowing his dark secrets."
He looked at Mark, "Mark, I'll leave it to you to tell them. I don't think I can go through that all over again!" He got up, keeping his head down, "I'm going to stay with Jeff," and left the room.
Everyone looked at each other. Matt was deeply affected by what had happened to his brother and was trying hard to hold it together.
Mark sighed heavily, "For Adam and Randy's sake, I'll start from the top but John, we have not told you about the latest development. You need to brace yourself because it's bad news!"
Adam and Randy listened with shock and horror as Mark related the tumultuous events. When Mark told them about Jeff's nightmares and his suspicion that Jeff could have been sexually violated on the night he disappeared, John turned pale. His eyes widened with shock.
"Did you ask him?" he whispered. He looked distressed by the revelation.
"Yes, we did but he refused to reveal anything, he didn't deny it either. He got so upset that we decided to stop pressing the issue until he recovers. I don't understand why he's keeping his attacker's identity a secret. I'm really puzzled by his erratic behavior."
John clenched his fists. He wanted to tear the rapist limb from limb and rip his heart out! Just as quickly, his anger left him suddenly and he looked defeated. He raised his eyes to look at Mark remorsefully, "I failed him! You left him in my care and I failed to protect him!" He got up to stand beside the window, staring outside blindly through unshed tears. How could I let it happen? I'm supposed to protect him but I've failed!
He wiped his tears away when Mark put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, "Stop blaming yourself, it's not your fault! We never expected the assailant to kidnap Jeff from his own room. If you beat yourself up with guilt, you'll be no good to Jeff and to me. I need you to stay focused. I can't do this by myself John."
Adam and Randy moved to stand on either side of John. Adam spoke first, "Mark's right. Whoever this guy is, we'll catch him and make him pay for what he did to Jeff! You need to stay strong!"
Randy had trouble taking in everything at once. He shook his head, "I don't know, I mean I want to catch this guy too but how are we going to do it? He's real slick, planning everything to a 'T'. It's going to be hard to catch him!"
Mark's eyes darkened with fury, "I made a mistake right from the start. I waited for him to make his first move, unknowingly giving him all the time to plan his every move. If anyone is to be blamed for Jeff's rape, it's me!"
Dave got up to join them, "I'm to be blamed for this mess too! If I didn't mess up with Jeff's head, he would have approached you for help. He's afraid that once he let the skeletons out of the closet, everybody will ridicule him!"
Matt spoke up then. He had returned just in time to hear them berating themselves for Jeff's misfortune, "Just listen to yourself, guys, you're blaming yourselves for everything that has gone wrong." He added sadly, "I blame myself too. I'm Jeff's brother and I've done nothing but upset him. But you guys," he looked gratefully at all of them, "you're not even related to him, yet you have gone all out to protect him, to love him! You've done more than a brother would have! Please stop this nonsense, Jeff would be really upset if he is to hear you talk like that!"
Everyone remained silent, each caught up with their own thoughts. Randy broke the silence, "You know, this is kind of weird."
Everyone turned to look at him with frowns on their faces. John asked, "What's weird?"
"You guys!" Randy's mouth quirked in amusement.
"What're you getting at Randy?" John asked in exasperation.
Randy's eyes gleamed mischievously, "Jeff's suitors gathered in the same room, sharing their thoughts like old buddies when you should be at each other's throat! It's hard to believe if I'm not seeing this with my own eyes!"
John looked at Dave who looked at him and both looked warily at Mark. Mark cocked his eyebrow, "What?"
They had just realized that Mark was their greatest rival for Jeff's affections. Dave found it out from Matt while it only dawned on John after he saw how Jeff reacted to Mark. He couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy, Jeff was very attached to Mark! He eyed Dave warily. The big guy had just renewed his interest in Jeff, he shouldn't write him off as yet.
Try as he might, Matt just couldn't hide his amusement. He knew Jeff was going to have a hard time deciding who he wanted to be with when the time came to choose. The same thought was going through Adam and Randy's minds. Adam pulled Randy to one side and they were conferring in hushed tones.
"This is getting interesting, Randy. Dave's back in the race and now, we have Mark added to the equation. So, how do you want to do this?" Adam asked.
Randy looked baffled, "Do what?"
"The bets! What else should I be talking about?" Adam snorted.
Randy thought for a moment. "We can place our bets up to a maximum of two guys. Winner takes all but if we only got one guy right, we split 50-50. How does that sound?"
Adam disagreed, "Nah, I don't want that cos' we'll end up even. I say we just bet on one guy, winner takes all!
"Okay by me!" Randy conceded to Adam's proposal. "How much are we talking about here, the usual five hundred?"
"This is going to be a toughie. These three gentlemen have an even chance, so, the stake has to be raised. Why don't we make it five hundred for each guy? That makes a thousand five hundred from each of us."
Randy was aghast at the amount, "Adam, you know that means the pool money is three thousand dollars?"
Adam gave him a cocky grin, "Look at it this way, you come out half the amount but you may get to double your money! It's only a thousand five hundred!"
"Only a thousand five hundred!" Randy echoed with disbelief, "so says the guy who told me that five hundred is not loose change!" he huffed.
"Okay, just tell me if you're in or not."
After some grousing, Randy gruffly agreed, "Okay, I'm in." The guys shook hands to seal the deal. They turned to see that they were being watched. All eyes were on them. Both guys laughed uneasily.
Dave rolled his eyes before asking, "I'm ordering take-in, Chinese. You guys staying for the night?"
Adam and Randy shook their heads with Adam replying, "There're not enough beds for all of us. We'll come over again to see Jeff and we'll bring something to cheer him up! See you guys tomorrow!" Adam and Randy showed themselves out.
After dinner, all the guys, except Dave, drew lots to determine who would stay with Jeff that night since everyone clamored for that privilege. John had the lucky pick and he couldn't help whooping with glee. He would get his chance to hold Jeff in his arms, he couldn't wait!
~*~
Where can he be? I don't see him anywhere! Hunter had been wandering around the hotel all day and had yet to catch a glimpse of Jeff. He hadn't seen Mark either. He was about to head to the bar to check if they were there when he spotted Adam and Randy entering the hotel. He frowned, Jeff wasn't with them.
He turned to leave when Shane, his brother-in-law, intercepted him, "Hunter, what are you doing here alone?"
Hunter was surprised to see him, "I was getting bored in my room and decided to come down for a drink. What're you doing here yourself?"
"Dad wants me to take over Creative for the time being. He said Stephs almost due and he wanted to be on standby for any emergency. I think he can't wait to be a granddaddy again! So, here I am!"
It was news to Hunter. Steph never mentioned it to him when he last saw her. She must have forgotten to tell me, the baby on her mind all the time.
"So, what's the plan for tomorrow night? Any changes I should be aware of?" Hunter was curious. Shane didn't need to attend the event in person. But then again, Shane always took his responsibilities seriously and it was his first time overlooking the Creative Department.
"Jeff may not be able to face Randy in the contender's match. He's down with the flu. I was thinking of putting Adam in his place. The members of Rated-RKO feuding with each other, what do you think?"
Hunter's eye twitched at the news on Jeff but he spoke nonchalantly, "It would make a great storyline. It's only a matter of time before you break up their tag-team collaboration."
"I thought so too. If Jeff is able to wrestle Randy tomorrow night, I'll delay the feud to the following week. Well, I've got to go, I'll see you around."
As soon as Shane took his leave, Hunter headed towards his room. Jeff's sick! He must be staying in a hospital somewhere! Hunter called for directory assistance and asked to be put to the hospital nearest the hotel. He asked if they had admitted a Jeffrey Hardy and was told to wait. Yes, they did have a Jeffrey Hardy but he was discharged earlier that day. Hunter thanked the lady for her assistance and hung up. Now, where has he gone to? He must be staying somewhere with Mark. Hunter reasoned to himself. He hoped Jeff was all right. It looked like he would have to wait for another time to catch Jeff alone.
~*~
The man growled in frustration, Jeff was staying at Dave's house! It would have been the perfect opportunity to grab him since he was ill except for the fact that he was unreachable. It looked like Mark was covering his bases well. He didn't anticipate the Deadman to house Jeff in Dave's house, it was a smart move!
His eyes narrowed at the thought. Of all the guys, he was most wary of Mark. He swore the man had sixth sense, as well as eyes at the back of his head! It would be extremely difficult to get his hands on Jeff with the Deadman hanging around him all the time! He needed a plan to get Mark away from Jeff, just long enough for him to grab the pretty blonde! I'll still have you yet, my pretty one!
~*~
John was in total bliss! He was presently lying on the bed beside the man of his dreams! Mark had fed Jeff earlier and then prepared a bath for him. It was up to Matt to help Jeff wash since he was too bashful to let the others see him in the nude. After dressing Jeff in his usual night shirt and boxers, Matt helped his brother back to the bed. He gave Jeff his medication and tucked him in. Kissing him on his forehead, Matt bade him good night and left him in John's care.
John kept looking adoringly at Jeff who blushed at his close proximity. Matt had told him that John would be looking staying with him that night, but Jeff didn't expect John to be sharing his bed!
John grinned and leaned in, studying Jeff closely, "You look so much better Jeff! All you need is a good rest!" He stared into the pretty green orbs and realized for the first time that they were speckled with gold. Jeff's long and curly eyelashes fluttered over his downcast eyes, blushing at the attention. John cast his eyes downwards to those luscious full lips. He wanted so badly to taste them! He couldn't resist running a thumb sensuously over Jeff's bottom lip. Jeff let out a gasp of surprise.
John asked in a hushed whisper, "May I kiss you Jeff?"
Jeff flushed at the request, a dubious look on his face, "You'll catch what I have and fall sick if you do."
John lifted himself to hover over Jeff, smiling down gently on him, "I don't care, I still want to kiss you! So, will you let me?"
When Jeff shyly gave a nod of consent, John slowly lowered his mouth, pressing it softly against Jeff's lips. He ran his tongue over them before locking his lips fully with Jeff, deepening the kiss. His tongue probed for entrance and when Jeff allowed him in, he thrust his tongue into the sweet haven of Jeff's mouth, exploring it leisurely. Jeff moaned sweetly, wrapping his arms around John's neck, losing himself to the kiss. His tongue came out to duel with John's, their tongues sliding over each other in a mating dance. John moved his hands to hold Jeff's head still as his kisses grew feverish. Jeff had, by now, lost any semblance of control and was returning his kisses with equal fervor. The wet sounds of their kisses, their heavy breathing and Jeff's soft mewls filled the room. They finally broke apart, gasping for air, their half-lidded eyes glazed over with undisguised desire.
Both men suddenly turned their heads towards the door in surprise when they heard it open. A man stood at the doorway. He didn't attempt to come into the room. His voice rang out quietly in the still of the night, "I'm warning you John," he growled, "if you do anything more than kiss my baby brother who is sick and defenseless right now, I'll kick your ass so hard, you'll never be able to see straight!" He paused to let his message sink in and just as quietly, he turned, closing the door behind him.
John was speechless! He blinked when he heard the pretty blonde giggling beneath him. He turned to Jeff and his face lit up on seeing his amused look. John gave a wide grin, "How does he do that? I mean, we weren't making too much noise, he couldn't have heard us!"
Jeff was baffled yet amused at how Matt always seemed to turn up impromptu when he was nearby. "I don't know but I swear my brother has got a built in radar or something like that! I'm kind of surprised that he allowed you to share my bed though." He suddenly thought of the last time he had slept with anyone. His face fell and he looked away, he didn't want to think of Hunter.
John sensed his mood change and suspected the reason behind it. His eyes narrowed in anger, he would hunt down the man who forced himself on Jeff! Once Jeff was well and back on his feet, their top priority was to catch his attacker!
Jeff turned on his side to face him, asking softly, "Will you hold me, John?"
John's heart thudded with joy. "Gladly!" he said. He wrapped his arm under Jeff's shoulder, letting him rest his head on his shoulder.
Jeff snuggled closer and couldn't help letting out a huge yawn, "Thank you for staying with me." His medication was making him drowsy, his eyes already closing.
John kissed his temple before hugging him close. "Good night Jeff, sleep well," he whispered.
The following morning ………..
Matt opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Jeff enveloped protectively within John's arms. Both were still soundly asleep. He walked towards the bed and gently shook John awake, trying not to wake his brother. As soon as John opened his eyes, Matt put a finger to his lips and gestured for him to follow.
John groused inwardly, he was so comfortable with Jeff in his arms but he gently extricated himself and followed Matt. They headed to the living room to where Mark and Dave were waiting.
"What's going on guys?" John yawned widely and sat himself down on the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
Mark elected to speak first, "Dave wants to reconcile with Jeff. Now, I don't know how Jeff's going to react but I think we owe it to Dave to help him since he has been kind enough to let us stay here."
"Why are you telling me this? Let Jeff decide if he wants to see Dave." John was reluctant to aid his rival. He would only be hurting his own chances.
Mark and Matt tried to hide their amusement but Dave threw John an unfriendly glare, "I know you don't like me John but let me remind you that you're staying in my house right now, so you better watch that attitude of yours!"
John was about to retort when Mark intervened before things got out of hand. "Boys, behave!"
He turned to John, "I know you like Jeff a lot, so does Dave and so do I!" Mark finally admitted it! Dave and John looked at him with mixed reactions. Why did he let them have free access to Jeff then? It didn't make sense!
"You don't see me stopping you guys from seeing Jeff. I think Jeff has the right to choose the guy he wants to be with, so if he chooses someone other than me, that's fine by me because I want him to be happy." He paused before adding, "I know you want that for him too."
John looked shamefaced and Dave kept quiet, both keeping their thoughts to themselves. John had fallen hard for the younger Hardy. He found it hard to be noble although he agreed with Mark. He didn't want to lose Jeff, especially to Dave! However, he couldn't help his growing admiration for Mark, but would he feel the same way if he ended up losing Jeff to him?
Dave, on the other hand, wondered if Mark ever revealed his true feelings to Jeff. From the way things looked, he doubted that Jeff even knew about the Deadman's feelings for him! If he was in Mark's shoes, he wouldn't have gone the same way. When it comes to love, he believed that you have to be selfish and in his opinion, Mark was being foolish to let either of them get so close to Jeff!
Mark knew what they were thinking from their faces, "Don't think this is easy for me," he spoke quietly. "If either of you can make Jeff happier, I can live with that but it doesn't mean I love him any less." His eyes suddenly narrowed and his tone changed to a dangerous growl, "But if you hurt him, you'll answer to me!"
They were interrupted by the sound of soft padded footsteps and turned to see Jeff standing barefooted at the doorway. He looked so small and vulnerable in his oversized 'T' which fell over his boxers. Jeff had stopped his approach as soon as he saw Dave and was hesitant in coming forward. Everyone immediately got up to go to him, except for Dave, who had stood up but stayed where he was. He didn't want to spook Jeff and was really glad that he didn't take off at the sight of him.
"You shouldn't get up yet, you're all wobbly on your feet," Matt scolded his brother, his arm supporting him around his waist.
Jeff gave him a small smile, "I'm feeling better Matty. I'm hungry and I thought you have forgotten to feed me so I came down to find you."
Dave immediately made his way to the kitchen, "Just sit right down while I make breakfast, it won't take long." He threw Jeff a glance and was pleased to see that he didn't look away but he still looked awkward.
"I'll help you Dave," Matt offered, handing his brother to Mark who wrapped his strong arm around Jeff and guided him to the dining table. John excused himself to get clean up before joining them.
As Dave and Matt busied themselves in the kitchen, Mark poured Jeff a glass of O juice and a cup of coffee for himself.
He sat down beside him, "Glad to see you up and you do look better. Did you sleep well?"
John made it out in time to hear Mark's question, "Of course he did! I held him in my arms all night!" e He sat himself down on the other side of Jeff and grinned at him.
Jeff blushed lightly, "I slept well Mark, thanks for looking after me yesterday." Saying, he reached up and planted a kiss on Mark's cheek. Mark looked at him in surprise. Jeff just smiled sweetly at him.
He then turned to John and pecked him on his cheek as well, "You too, John."
John beamed at him, "Any time, Jeff."
Any further conversation was put off as Dave and Matt set plates of bacon, eggs and toasted bread on the table.
"Tuck in while it's hot," Matt said while buttering some toast for Jeff.
Jeff was ravenous and helped himself to the hearty breakfast. It had been awhile since he had a home-cook meal and eating with the guys added a homely atmosphere to the whole setting. He was warmed by that thought. It did feel like they were a family. Well, almost. He sneaked a peep at Dave who caught his eye and smiled at him. Jeff looked down, blushing slightly. He had given thought to what Mark told him last night, about Dave wanting to make amends. The Dave he was seeing now was the Dave he liked, not the one that snarled and hurled abuse at him a week ago.
He frowned, thinking to himself, What if he changes his mind again, especially if he finds out about Hunter? He's not as understanding as Mark and John and I'll just be making a fool of myself. I can't really trust him, even though I wish I could. Jeff cautioned himself to be on his guard. It was safer to keep his distance from Dave. He didn't want to build up any feelings for him and then get blown off again. It hurt the last time and he didn't want to risk it happening again. It was better to stay on the safe side so that nobody would get hurt.
He ate his fill and waited politely for the rest to finish. He was startled when Mark suddenly said, "Come on guys, lets leave Jeff and Dave to talk alone." Mark got up and placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him, "It'll be all right, Jeff. Just give him a chance to explain."
Matt got up to follow but John hesitated somewhat. He wasn't sure it was a good idea but the fact that Mark initiated the reconciliation process forced him to his feet and he followed them out reluctantly.
There was a temporary uneasy silence before Dave got up and moved to sit next to Jeff. His nearness made Jeff nervous. He twisted the ends of his shirt nervously with his fingers, fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat, uncertain how it would go.
His fears were laid to rest when Dave spoke gently, "You don't need to be afraid of me, Jeff. I'm so sorry for my bad behavior towards you, it was inexcusable! I've my reasons but I shouldn't have jumped on you like that! Please forgive me. I really hope we can still be friends."
Jeff had kept his eyes down all the while, but he slowly raised them to meet Dave's. Those eyes never failed to hold him captive and he couldn't look away. They looked at him with tenderness and .... there was something else …. . He forced himself to look away, a confused look on his face. He must be mistaken! He could hear his heart thumping loudly and he was certain that Dave could hear it as well. He got up to make his escape but he swooned and before he knew it, he was in Dave's arms.
"Lets get you to bed, you're still sick!" Dave lifted him into his arms and carried him out.
Mark and the rest were startled at the sight and quickly made it to their side. Mark asked anxiously, "What happened?"
"He got to his feet and just fainted. He should have stayed in bed," Dave replied, making his way to Jeff's room, the others following close behind. He gently laid Jeff on the bed, pulling the covers over him, "Rest now, we will talk later."
He caressed Jeff's cheek lightly with his fingers and Jeff couldn't help leaning towards them. He felt comforted by the touch. He allowed himself to enjoy the moment until Dave removed his hand. He felt his head being lifted and some pills were fed to him. After that, everything else was in a haze. He could still hear their voices as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
When Jeff woke up several hours later, he felt someone lying close to him. A hand touched his forehead before Matt's voice rang out, "He's awake! Jeff, you're feeling better?"
Jeff forced his eyes open to look into the worried eyes of his brother. Several pairs of eyes stared down at him. He realized that Adam and Randy were among them.
"Help me up," Jeff struggled to sit up. Matt helped him while Randy propped him up with another pillow. He smiled his thanks and asked curiously, "Why are you guys all here?"
Everyone stared at him before Matt said, "Jeff, don't you remember? You fainted!"
Jeff furrowed his brows trying to recall what happened, "Oh!" He finally remembered. He looked nervously for Dave and saw him standing at the corner. He wore a worried look on his face. He noticed everyone else wore the same look, "Why are you all staring at me?"
Mark moved to sit beside him, studying him closely. "Are you having dizzy spells? You fainted when you stood up."
Jeff shook his head, "No, I'm fine Mark. Don't worry about me, okay?" But he didn't convince anyone.
Matt spoke up, "I don't care what you say Jeff, you're going to stay in bed and I'm not going to let you wrestle tomorrow night!" Despite Jeff's protests, Matt was adamant and he was glad that Mark totally agreed with him. Jeff resigned himself to his fate and sat pouting on the bed. He really wanted to win the contender's match!
Adam and Randy made their way to his side. Adam pulled something over his hands and waved them in front of Jeff to catch his attention. "Look Jeff, meet Jeff and John Socko." Adam introduced his handmade puppets. They were actually socks made to look like Jeff and John with buttons, colored papers and hand-drawn mouths.
Jeff giggled as Adam entertained him. He began to have one sock talk to the other, changing the pitch of his tone, starting with John Socko, "Oh Jeffie baby, I heard you're sick, I hope you're feeling better." Jeff Socko looked crestfallen, "I do feel better but I won't be wrestling tomorrow, Matty doesn't allow it!" Jeff Socko started to cry, "Boo…..hoo….."
Randy jumped in with his Undertaker and Dave Socko. Undertaker Socko had mean eyes drawn in and Dave Socko had a grim smile. Undertaker Socko said, "Don't worry kid, you'll get your chance at the title. If anyone tries to deprive you of that chance, I'll bury him!" Dave Socko added his bit, "This Animal will protect you! If Matty tries to stop you, I'll power bomb him through the ground!" The Sockos turned and growled menacingly at the real Matt Hardy who shook his head and rolled his eyes at them.
Adam and Randy had accomplished what they set out to do, to cheer Jeff up and it worked! He was giggling and was now playing happily with the Sockos which Adam and Randy had removed and given to him. It seemed his worries had faded away. No one knew that Jeff's life would take a drastic turn within the next few days!
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Sorry for the delay, my elder son has been incarcerated in a rehab centre yesterday. He has been fighting his glue-sniffing addiction for almost a year. I'll continue to write since it helps me to relieve stress.
Reviews greatly appreciated …………………….