Lemony goodness.

The Other Side

The surgery took sixteen hours to complete.

Nesa mentally said the longest run-on prayer of her life during it. She'd pace or crochet or play games on her phone and suddenly think of something else to add to the prayer or praise God for. She constantly got texts asking for updates from her family. She answered, of course, but as no one had come to update her on her husband's progress, she had very little to say. At ten at night, someone shook the girl awake. It was Dr Lovelace, she'd met him once before. He looked haggard from exhaustion.

"Something went wrong, didn't it?" she asked quietly, feeling strangely at peace with whatever the Lord had decided for her.

The doctor blinked at her, then smiled tiredly. "On the contrary, Mrs. Andros. I've come to tell you that the surgery is complete and that it was textbook."

She leaned forward into her clasped hands and sobbed just once. "Thank you, Jesus, Thy will be done, Amen."

"I thought you told me that you were writing the book on these types of surgeries, doctor?" she teased the exhausted man. They shared a tired laugh at that.

"He's in the recovery room at the moment. I've come to take you there. I don't want you to expect too much of him right away. Nick never learned how to speak. He'll have to be taught every step of the way, like a baby. We'll be happy if he makes sounds, something he's never been able to do. He'll likely get frustrated, maybe even throw temper tantrums from time to time, but just stick with it. He'll get it eventually. And we've transferred care to the Speech Language Pathologist in Calgary to help out with his learning. He may never sound quite right, but he will be able to make himself understood in time."

"Oh, thank you, doctor," she said, spontaneously hugging the life out of the man. Doctor Lovelace laughed and hugged her back, used to this reaction after one of his life-changing surgeries. He took her to her husband, who was still sleeping off the anesthetic. He looked so peaceful that she had to do a breathing check on him just to make sure he was actually alive. The girl sent a group text to her family and friends letting them know what the doctor had said. After that, she attended him. She gave him a sponge bath and changed his clothes and just snuggled against him, playing 'Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman' on a loop through headphones so that it would be the first thing he ever heard. The nurses took his vitals and helped when they could and smiled at the girl as she touched the man God had given back to her as if he were a miracle.

… …

Nick woke up feeling groggy. He knew about the surgery, but it was an objective knowledge, far removed from him for the time being. There was a sound in his ears that he didn't recognize. He ignored it, for now, taking mental stock of himself. He didn't feel any different. His memories were intact as far as he could tell. He tensed and was pleased to find that his muscles moved at his command. He felt a familiar softness on his arm; his wife. The softness moved and he felt her kiss his chapped lips lightly. He needed to use some of her lip balm soon. She always teased him that he either used her supply or kissed her until his lips softened. He was looking forward to the latter option just as soon as he figured out what that rhythmic noise was. There were words in it, but it was the soothing noise that was registering right now…

His eyes popped open when he realized that this was sound and that he was hearing it. Tears leaked from his eyes as he watched the ceiling. Soft fingers wiped his tears away and he smiled, turning to face his four-month pregnant woman. She grinned back at him, removing the headphones from his ears. He made a sound and jumped, covering his mouth and looking at her excitedly.

"That's right, baby. That's our song. Welcome back, Nick Andros." He made another of those squeaking sounds and sat up, reeling at the sudden change in position. She steadied him, sitting up behind him and touching the bandage where they'd removed part of his skull to get at the speech and hearing centers of the brain. A group of nurses walked by just then, and Nick had to cover his ears to block out all the conflicting noises. She hugged him and he turned and huddled in her arms until they passed. "It's alright, baby. In time you'll learn to filter the voices and sounds so that only the ones that matter come to you instead of everything. It's alright. You can do this…" She held him until he stopped trembling. "Are you feeling hungry? Do you have to go to the bathroom? It's been 21 hours since your surgery started."

Nesa could tell that he was getting frustrated with not being able to say what he wanted to say. "It's okay to write it, Nick. It's going to take time for you to have the words to express yourself."

I know what I want to say, I've seen people say things all my life. But the words won't come

"Speaking is a matter of imitation. You've watched the words form, but you haven't heard the syllables being formed. You haven't learned the nuances of speech yet. In many ways, it'll be like a child learning from the very beginning. Hear and imitate until it sounds like what everyone else sounds like."

I'm not a child! This isn't what I wanted

"You thought you'd bounce back from the surgery and be spouting dissertations, eh? Well, sorry. This is what you signed up for. Your brain needs to build a whole vocabulary for you to work with. It'll take time and practice to get you speaking like you want to. I believe that you are stubborn enough to do it. Most people are going to be content with whatever you can muster through your frustration. The work begins today."

Are you gloating?

"Gloating? Nick, I'm in fucking Edmonton. I've been in Edmonton since yesterday. I will be in Edmonton until you're discharged. Never will there be a more potent testament to my absolute love for you than that I am willingly in the New Jersey of Alberta, Edmonton. I'll be right back, I gotta pee." With that, she rose tiredly and went to the bathroom. The girl was exhausted after a full day of praying for her husband and forcing herself to stay awake so that he wouldn't wake to an unfamiliar face. It also didn't help that she felt like crying every time she thought of him leaving her once his speech was under control. There was nothing holding him to her according to his ideals of marriage. He could just go after all the hard work was done; get himself a shiny new bride and leave her to raise his child all alone.

She gasped painfully, working hard to keep the tears at bay. If she was anything, she was a faithful woman. No matter what he was planning, she would continue to stay true to her God. There was no limit on how bad the 'bad times' could get. So she would teach him the tools he would need to get by without her. She would do it with a smile on her face because no matter what he thought of her, she loved him completely and would continue to love him for the rest of her life. Checking herself in the mirror to make sure her eyes weren't red, the twenty-six-year-old nurse pushed her misery down and made her way back to her husband. He was flirting with the other nurses and Nesa told herself not to be jealous. Instead, she grabbed her purse and walked down to the cafeteria. She'd forgotten to eat today and Nick could likely use some fuel as well. Grabbing a couple of sandwiches, chips, and Cokes, she headed back to see Nick pulling a nurse's hand off his upper arm. Really? This was what she had to look forward to? She cleared her throat loudly and walked into the room.

"I thought you might be hungry after all that time under the knife, Nick. Here's some food. There wasn't much selection, but I know that you like roast beef, so…" He took the meal with a nod and tried to smile into her eyes, but she wouldn't look at him. Her body language screamed that something was seriously wrong, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of what it was. He reached across the bed to touch her hand and blinked when she pulled away from him. Did he disgust her now? Why was she pulling away from him?

"I know that it's insulting to work through 'See Jane run', but you really do need the basic vocabulary to start learning to speak properly. Would you like to start tonight?" Nick looked at the clock and blinked. It was four in the morning and she was pulling out Dr. Suess's books even though she looked tired enough to sleep where she stood.

Baby, you look exhausted. Did you eat or get any sleep while I was under?

"I… I was too worried. I'll sleep eventually. It's more important to-" He covered her mouth and once again frowned when she backed away from him.

Come here, Sweetness. Now that we've gotten some food in us, we could both use some real sleep

"O-okay," she blushed, looking entirely too grateful for his usual strong, independent woman. What exactly was going on in that beautiful head of hers? Unable to speak the words and knowing that she would never answer a note, he settled on wrapping her in his strong arms, caressing his baby as they drifted off to sleep. They woke an hour later when the hospital found them a bed on the surgical ward. He was able to have his weight and height taken before climbing into bed and holding out a hand for his pregnant bride. Again, she looked so shy and grateful that it upset him. What the heck was wrong with her? Hoping that a good night's sleep would fix the problem and knowing that it wouldn't, he once again drifted off to sleep with a firm hand on his child and the other rubbing calming circles on his wife's back.

The next five days were frustrating for the former deafmute. Nesa was withdrawing from him. She sometimes looked so desperate when he reached for her that it broke his heart. He didn't know how to fix this. In the meantime, his speech lessons began, and they were as remedial as she'd said they would be. The doctor saw him daily and assured him that this was to be expected, but he could barely say monosyllables! He couldn't handle crowds yet and for some reason, a bunch of the nurses had taken to hitting on him. What the fuck was going on?

"Nick, I know that you want to be able to say everything," Dr. Lovelace said with a fatherly pat on his shoulder. "But your wife said it perfectly the other day. You simply don't have the shape of enough words in your memory banks to express yourself. You're like a baby in this regard. A great source of childhood frustration is the simple inability to express themselves. As your vocabulary grows and your mouth and brain get used to the shape of words, you'll be able to say more. You've spent the first twenty-five years of your life unable to hear to pick up the nuances of speech. I'd be very surprised if you were ever able to speak properly. But at least you have the possibility of it. Be more grateful, Nick. And be more patient with yourself while you're at it."

"I… will… do… this," Nick said in his new thick voice, thoroughly insulted by the doctor's words to him.

"It's important not to push too hard right away," the doctor said, not seeming to register the fury behind those four little words.

"Thank you, doctor. When can Nick go home?" Nesa jumped into the conversation, knowing that her husband was close to physical violence.

"I'd like to discharge him tomorrow if that's okay. His skull is healing nicely, but I'd like one more day of observation before I 'release him into the wild', so to speak."

"Very well. Have a good day." The words were said civilly enough, but something about the frank dismissal in her tone gave the doctor the insult Nick had been trying to convey. The doctor stomped out of the room and Nesa resumed their speaking lesson. He knelt before her and took her hands in his.

"Thank you," he forced out of his throat.

"Anytime," she nodded with a sad smile. They were discharged first thing the next morning. They didn't even see the doctor again. Home care was arranged to bandage his head daily for the next few months. He was to be on blood thinners and antibiotics for the first little bit after he got home and his care was transferred to a Calgary doctor that he was to see next week.

After making sure that everything was in order, Nesa drove them home. She'd been living in Nick's private room for the last week and she was dying for a proper shower with actual water pressure. Not to mention a proper home-cooked meal. She was given a voucher for her parking over the past week and they were on their way. She kept the music blasting for the whole four hours it took to get to Calgary. Only when they were near home did she stop for a bathroom break. She'd been hoping to make it all the way home before emptying her bladder.

"Damn kid," she muttered darkly.

"What?" Nick slurred.

"Nothing," she growled. "Nurses are known for their iron bladders. This kid is making me soft."

I'm sure you can handle it, Sweetness

She gave a little half-smile and started back onto the road.

What's going on with you, Sweetness? You barely smile, you have to be reminded to eat and sleep

"I'm just… I'm just processing, Nick. This has been a pretty traumatizing experience." It was a pretty plausible explanation for her depression. He didn't believe it for a moment.

"Liar." Nesa nearly ran into the back of the car in front of her upon hearing his first two-syllable word. "You will... tell me the tr-truth."

"I don't want to talk about this right now." And she didn't. The girl was fully dedicated to his recovery and upgraded his vocabulary with Judy Blume and Robin McKinley. She read to him and sang for him and had him repeat it all back. She took him to his appointments like a dedicated soccer mom and the Speech Pathologist marveled at his progress. The man was advancing by leaps and bounds, his voice sounding more normal and less thick and awkward by the day. The woman went to work and then came home and drilled him on his words fanatically.

She also refused to be intimate with him at all. She slept downstairs on the sofa-bed. She didn't hug or touch him like she used to. She teared up whenever he attempted to get close to her, even as she pulled away. He never got to see her naked and she locked the door when she showered, something she'd never done before all of this started.

"Well, what changed? You did," Gregory, Nick's doctor-appointed Access Mental Health Psychiatrist said nonchalantly. "Perhaps your wife is feeling inadequate."

"But I haven't changed!" the IT Tech said in frustration. "You know, she's been going to her midwife appointments without me? I asked her about it and she said 'you have more important things to worry about'. What could be more important than my baby?"

"Have you asked her why she's been distancing herself from you?"

"That's it! That's what it feels like she's doing. We sit across from each other at the table and it feels like there's a continent between us. But when I ask her what's the matter, she says that she doesn't want to talk about it! She's working extra shifts, barely sleeping, barely eating… I'm worried about her. And whatever's going on in her head, I know that she's told her midwife, because when Gladys saw me last week, she glared at me like I was the Devil himself."

"Then it may be time to force the issue. Women can be tricky to talk to, but if things are getting to the point that the baby's health is at risk, then it's time to have a confrontation."

"How would I go about it?"

"Ask the question you've been asking all along. And this time, don't take 'I don't want to talk about it' for an answer."

"Thanks, Greg."

"Anytime. Honestly, I'm surprised at how much progress you've been making over the last two months with your speaking."

"I wanted to be able to talk to her about this. We're almost six months pregnant and she's blocked me out. I miss her."

Nick waited until his Speech Pathologist appointment the next morning to confront his wife. She was parking the car and he tried to caress her cheek. If the car hadn't been in Park, they would have hit a wall.

"Tell me what's wrong, Sweetness! I can't stand seeing you so miserable all the time." She looked deep into his eyes. But apparently, she didn't find whatever she was looking for there. "Let's… We're going to be late for your appointment." The appointment itself was full of tension as Nick wouldn't let the subject drop this time and Nesa was determined to act as if everything was okay.

"Ganesa! Tell me what's the matter!"

"Now is not the time for this," she responded. Nick growled in frustration. He knew that his wife was a very private person when it came to what she deemed 'family business', but this was getting out of hand.

"I want to know-"

"It's obvious that this session is not going to happen while this problem is hanging between the two of you. I say that we agree on a time to meet next week and end our appointment here."

"Fine," the girl growled. She set their next appointment around her own schedule since Nick was still on disability. She fast-waddled to the car but was stopped by her husband, who grabbed her arm and swung her around into his arms. He kissed her passionately and she melted against him. Then she pulled away and slapped him.

"You can divorce me all you want, but you don't get to kiss me when you do it!" she shouted, backing away from him and bursting into tears.

Nick cracked his jaw. Damn, his woman could hit! Wait… "What? I'm not going to leave you, Sweetness." He wrapped her struggling form in his arms, not letting her get away. "Is that what this has been all about? You thought I wanted a divorce?" He suddenly felt like an idiot for not understanding her feelings sooner. She'd mentioned something like this before his surgery. Just because he'd shot her down back then didn't mean that such a poisonous thought wasn't lingering in that pregnant brain of hers. "Ganesa, you're the only one who has ever just… accepted me. I couldn't walk away from you if I wanted to." He lifted her face to his, "And I don't want to." She looked at him nakedly, her whole stance vulnerable.

"But… b-but the whole world has opened up to you. Women are throwing themselves at your feet and-" He covered her open mouth with his, suckling her until her body relaxed.

"You are the one I want, Sweetness. That's what these mean," he said firmly, showing her their wedding rings. She stared deep into his eyes and this time seemed to find what she was looking for. Before she could burst into tears again, he tilted her head up and kissed her thoroughly. He suckled her tongue until she went pliant against him invitingly.

"Everything alright here?" the security guard patrolling the parking lot asked, breaking the mood. The former deafmute looked up but didn't release his woman when she squirmed.

"Can't a man kiss his pregnant wife?" he asked with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

"Hey, I know you! You're that deafmute from the TV."

"Well, I'm not a deafmute anymore," he winked. "I just finished an appointment with my Speech Pathologist. My wife was just taking me home."

"Good on you, man. I'm glad the surgery worked. Carry on." The guard smiled at the couple and walked on without a backward glance. Nesa stared after him incredulously, only stirring when her husband kissed her forehead.

"So? Are you going to take me home? I told the guard that you would. You're not going to make a liar out of me, are you?" She looked down and Nick grabbed her, kissing her again. "Mine, Sweetling. You're all mine. I intend to prove it to you when we get back home." There were rosy undertones to her honey-gold complexion as she unlocked the car doors for her husband. They drove home in dead silence and he could feel the heat coming off of her face as he grabbed her hand and led her to the front door, using his key to let her in.

They'd left for the appointment in a hurry, Nesa had overslept and left the sofa-bed out. Nick noticed the tear stains on the covers for the first time and growled, pulling her into his embrace once she closed and locked the door. She tried to escape, but the former deafmute was having none of it.

"Ganesa, why are you still hiding from me? I want you. I never stopped wanting you. You've been pulling away from me these last two months and I don't appreciate it. Let me love you." The girl froze. "That's right, Sweets. Now that I know what hurts, I plan on fixing it. Undress for me and let me love you." He ignored her whimpered protest and started to take off her clothes, slowly, lovingly.

"Y-you… You can't! I have to work tonight." He smiled and picked up the phone to call her out sick. Once he was done, he chased her up the stairs, leaving a trail of his own clothes behind him. "Nick, you don't… you don't have to…"

He caught her in his arms and carried her to the bed. "You're right, Sweetness. I don't." The man tumbled them into the bed. It was easy to tie her down. Even easier to part her legs and breathe in her feminine musk. He dug in after that, reveling in her screams of gratification. She writhed as he continued to pleasure her sensitive nub. She'd turned him into quite the clit man since he'd met her. He swirled his talented tongue around it, his slender fingers probing her vaginal opening. His woman was so sensitive to his touch that she exploded into his waiting mouth over and over again, writhing against the covers. He spent hours on his woman, trying to suck her dry and grinning foolishly when she gave him more of her essence. "You taste so good, Sweetness. You're sweet through and through." He was as drunk off her nectar as he was off her sounds of fulfillment. She was so loud! He couldn't believe how loud she was in the throes of passion. Was this what he'd been missing all this time? This innocently sexual powerhouse? And she thought that he was going to leave her?

"Never," he growled against her lower lips, reveling in her screams. "You will never be rid of me, Sweetness." His face was drowned in her nectar before he reluctantly released her thighs. The girl was shaking with euphoria, whining for more as she approached her umpteenth climax. He surged forward into her tight space, smirking when she yelled out something obscene and clenched his phallus hard with her inner muscles. He left her chains on as he violated her over and over again, punishing her for her lack of faith in him. In fact… "You should have trusted me," He grinned before groaning as he ejaculated deep within her body. Reaching under her side of the bed, he pulled her Magic Wand out and turned it on. Her eyes popped open at the sound of her toy in his hand. Nesa had bought the personal massager years ago, but never used it because she was so sensitive to it. Her husband tested the two speeds, watching her whimpers and pleas to get away. Deciding on the lower speed for now, he slid the device down her front, grinning when she bucked against it. "I believe that some punishment is in order for denying me these last few months, my naughty little one." He spent a significant amount of time on her sensitive breasts, teasing her with the machine as she screamed her way through a whole slew of orgasms. Her closed eyes were flooding with tears but he wasn't done with her yet. He massaged a lazy path from one touchy breast to the other then down through the valley of her breasts to her stomach, over her navel, and finally into her dark nest of curls at her mound.

"No, no! Oh please, Nick, no!" He was fascinated by the pattern of her breathing. Her gasping cries made her chest heave enticingly.

"You used to call me 'baby'," he admonished her before rubbing the vibrating toy against her clitoris. She bellowed her rapture and jackknifed up in the bed. Her soaked inner walls clamped onto him so tightly that he had no choice but to shoot his load into her. Entranced with what that one little touch could do, he forced her back down onto the bed and proceeded to torture her with her toy. She was a screaming, gibbering wreck by the time he finished with her. She was writhing so hard that he had to release her from her restraints! He extracted several oaths never to doubt herself or him again. She stuttered her pet name for him with reckless abandon. And he emptied himself completely into her juicy center. He didn't have a drop of semen to give her, yet he was still hard as steel inside of her. Instead of giving up, he forced himself deeper into her secret space and pleasured her until she exploded around his pleasantly empty cock. The motion of conquest felt so damn good to him that he kept at it until his raw member yielded up one last massive ejaculation and they both slipped into a peaceful slumber.

What an emotional rollercoaster Genesa has been on! Well, at least it ended on a high note, eh? An epilogue should tie this up nicely. Thank you for reading! :D