Goal Posts

"Damn it!" Arville nearly howled, voice muffled by the mattress.

"Hey, need your daughter hearing you like that?" Bruce snapped. "Come on, show the Ripper you can do it."

Finally, Arville did manage to claw his way forward.

"So what'd y'all work on today?" Rachael asked as she helped her man straighten out the sheets and blanket.

"Had me lifting weights," Arville said as Bruce left the room.

"Dead weights," Bruce quipped as the door clicked shut.

"Now, what's this about you walking?" Arville asked Elaine.

"Dada!" she said, gripping his nose.

"No, no, nuh uh, don't try change the subject," Arville said and lightly bit the girl's finger.

Then he looked at Rachael. The girl was truly beautiful, long blonde hair framing her angelic face. Her chest was large, but she didn't dress to draw attention to her physical attributes.

"You sure are purty, know that?" Arville asked.

She smiled and kissed him. Then she ruffled his quite long, sweaty hair.

"Need see about getting you a haircut, huh?" she asked. "And need shave that face; Benny only does it twice a week?"

"They uh, they're talking about releasing me, uh, probably next week," Arville said.

"Oh? Oh, Arville, that's wonderful," Rachael crowed. "Really? They really think you're..."

"No, they really think insurance is about to run out," Arville snapped bitterly.

"Oh. No, no, remember? Jonas and Miss May got that GoFundMe page set up?" Rachael protested.

"And it ain't raised nothing," Arville said, softening his tone.

He gripped her hand tightly. She smiled, feeling his powerful grip. Four months ago, he would not have been able to grip her hand so firmly.

"You really are an angel, aren't you?" he whispered.

After they had lunch in the dining hall of the Recovery Wing of Pine Groves, Arville held Elaine in his lap while Rachael pushed the wheelchair to his room. Then, in a move that surprised Arville, she locked his chair, took Elaine from his lap, and ordered him to get himself into bed.

"Bruce isn't the only ass hole around here," Arville muttered.

"Think I'm bad now? Just wait until we get home," Rachael threatened.

Arville looked at her as she cradled her baby against her hip. Then, he hefted his body out of his chair and onto his bed.

"There you go, Cowboy," Rachael praised.

She again helped him straighten the bedclothes. Then she kissed him. Once again, she ruffled his sweaty head.

"Now, Carmen and Iris and Elise and me are going to the spa; it's a girl thing," Rachael said as she strapped Elaine into her stroller.

"Spa? Going get a mud bath?" Arville teased.

"Ew, yeah, probably; I don't know," Rachael laughed. "Tell Daddy bye."

When she left, Arville stared at the ceiling. His thoughts were jumbled, muddled, but they did keep returning to one thought.

"She'd said 'home.' Rachael had looked at him and said 'when we get home.'

"Cardboard box," Arville smiled and fumbled with his cell phone.

"Oh thank God; your mother 'bout drive me crazy, hear?" Jonas said when he answered the cell phone.

"Well, let me talk to her; see if I can straighten her out yeah," Arville laughed.

"Mighty short drive, drive you crazy too," May said as she took the cell phone from her husband. "Hi Baby, what you need?"

"Need sell one them CDs," Arville said.

"One, why?" May asked.

She listened for a long moment, then shook her head, as if Arville could see her. She turned and walked down the hall to the bedroom.

"No, no, you ain't doing that," May said. "I got something better."

While May and Arville were arguing, Carmen, Iris, Elise, and Rachael were being pampered at the Hardington Acres Women's Health & Wellness Center. Carmen wouldn't tell Rachael, Iris, or Elise where they got the money for the treatment, just told the girls to enjoy it.

"Mother, as a police officer, if I suspect you stole this..." Elise warned.

"What? How in the hell do you steal a spa?" Carmen laughed.

Rachael hated to admit it, but the experience was absolute bliss. For a few hours, she could quit being strong, quit being in charge. She didn't even have to put on a brave face. She could just lay back, relax as steaming hot towels were being applied to her body.

"Ma'am? Ma'am? Ms. Thibodaux? What's wrong?" the girl asked as tears streamed from Rachael's eyes. "Is the eucalyptus too strong?"

While Rachael languished in steamy comfort, and felt guilty for luxuriating in steamy comfort, Benny was amused as his patient insisted on doing as much of his shower as he could. The short Latin man smiled and shrugged.

"Is fine, Amigo; you want do my job for me? I go smoke, okay?" Benny said.

"Things going kill you," Arville warned.

"Got to die of something," Benny shrugged.

But he did not leave the room. He did help Arville wash the long hair, helped him rinse the suds.

"Doing good, doing good, hell, might get you looking almost good as me," Benny teased.

"Impossible," Arville teased in return.

Then Arville dried himself, even wiggling from side to side to dry his buttocks. Benny nodded his approval.

After Arville had pulled his pajamas on, only needing Benny's help to get briefs and pajama bottoms up, Benny unlocked the shower door and moved to wheel Arville out.

"Got this, got this," Arville demanded.

"Yes you do," Benny praised as he walked alongside the wheel chair. "So, what? You got doctor's appointment tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Arville asked, laboring to push the chair a little faster.

"You two days early for shower," Benny pointed out.

No, no, got something important to do tomorrow," Arville answered.

"Okay, NOW I can go smoke," Benny said when Arville insisted on hoisting himself into the bed.

"No, no, damn it; this is as far as I can get," Arville protested, sprawled half in and half out of the bed.

"Looks good to me," Benny chuckled.

"Damn it, Benito, don't you leave me like this," Arville demanded.

"Oh, I being paged? I think I'm being paged," Benny teased but did assist the young man into the bed.

"Pain in the ass," Arville said.

"Now, I go smoke," Benny said and closed the door.

The next day, Rachael smiled and waved as she and Elaine travelled the familiar corridors of Pine Groves. One or two of the elderly patients insisted on talking to her, talking to Elaine. A few of the nurses also chatted briefly with mother and daughter.

"Knock, knock," Rachael called out and entered Arville's room.

"Hey, how was the spa?" Arville asked, putting a hand underneath his blanket.

"Oh. My. God," Rachael enthused. "I swear, I could do that every day and never get tired of it."

She told him, step by step, moment by moment what they did while at the spa. Both Arville and she laughed at Elise claiming that their mother had somehow stolen their certificates.

"Hey, uh, before we go to lunch?" Arville asked as Rachael was pushing his chair over to the bed.

"Uh huh?" Rachael asked as Arville swung his legs out of the bed.

"My uh, my dad, the one before Jonas, he uh, he gave my Mom a ring," Arville stammered. "They, well, he didn't have a whole lot of money, but he saved up every penny he could and he got her a ring and he got down on one knee and he asked her marry him, and I get down on one knee it's going be pretty hard get up but this is the ring my dad got her and let's just pretend I'm down on one knee and I'm asking you if you'll wear this ring and if you'll be my wife and we can live in a cardboard box?"

Rachael looked at the small ring. It was a thin gold band with a small diamond and it had to be the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen.

"This, your dad gave this to Miss May?" Rachael asked, looking at the gorgeous ring.

"Yeah, and when I told my mom wanted buy you a ring, she said I wasn't buying you no ring when we already got this one just waiting for you," Arville smiled as Rachael's hand shook.

"This is your momma's ring?" Rachael asked.

"No, Sweetheart, it's your ring," Arville said. "If you'll have it, if you'll have me."

"Oh my God," Rachael sighed and held out her hand.

Both of their hands shook horribly, but Arville did manage to get the ring onto Rachael's hand. She looked at the ring on her hand, then kissed Arville. Arville pulled his cell phone from underneath the blanket.

"She said yes," Arville said into his cell phone.

The door was flung open and May and Jonas, Carmen and Dick and Elise and Iris crowded into the room.

"You, y'all knew?" Rachael asked, tears streaming.

"What? Where's everyone else?" Arville asked, smiling as Rachael clung to him.

"Charlie and Darren got them in the lunch room, smarty pants," Elise smiled.

A loud cheer went up when the happy couple entered the lunch room. Carmy and Jennica immediately volunteered to be flower girls while Henry gave Arville a high five. Then Trey and Richard also had to get their own high fives.

"Careful, buddy," Charlie Lapointe warned Arville. "They'll turn you into a Davis when you're not watching."

*.*.*

Rachael smiled as Carmen fussed with the dress one more time. It was the same dress that Elise had worn at her wedding to Darren; Elise smiled as she told Rachael it was guaranteed to bring her a long, happy marriage.

The music swelled and Jennica and Carmy solemnly began the procession out of the small vestibule.

"Know your dad and your step-father are kind of upset they're not getting to..." Dick said quietly.

"Wouldn't have even invited them y'all hadn't insisted," Rachael snapped.

She gently touched Dick's face.

"Mr. Dav... Dad, you've been more of a daddy to me in the last couple of years than my own father. As far as man married my mom? He's never been a daddy to me," Rachael said. "He's never ever wanted be a daddy to me."

"Well, ready get this over with?" Dick asked, smiling.

"Lovely way to put it, Dad," Elise said just before stepping out of the vestibule.

Rachael and Dick stepped out of the vestibule and onto the long white runner. Rachael blinked as several flashes went off. She smiled at all the people, her family, her friends that were here for this special day.

"Mommy!" Elaine cried out.

"That's right! That's mommy," Carmen said, holding the happy toddler in her arms.

"And who gives this woman to be wed?" Father Goldbridthe intoned.

"Her mother, her father, and those of us that are fortunate enough to be her family give this woman," Dick smiled proudly.

"Friends, family, we are gathered here today..." Father Goldbridthe said loudly.

"Hang on, hang on, something ain't right," Arville said, locking the wheels on his wheelchair. "Dad?"

Jonas smiled and brought a walker up to where Arville was sitting.

"Thanks Dad," Arville smiled and hoisted himself to his feet.

"You, you're standing!" Rachael screamed as Arville stood, leaning heavily onto the walker.

The church erupted in cheers. The applause continued for several long moments.

"Hey! I'm taller than you, you know that?" Arville smiled down at Rachael.

"Oh. My. God," Rachael gasped, looking up at her man.

"Might want hurry up, Father; ten minutes is about the longest I've managed do this," Arville said, a slight sweat already beginning to form on his forehead.

"Reader's Digest version it is," Father Goldbridthe said drily.

A few years after their marriage, Arville walked, with the use of a cane, into the classroom at Andrew Jackson Elementary School.

"Hey! You're Arville Brodt!" a young boy cried out.

"My name, is MISTER Brodt," Arville smiled.

"My dad says you could have been the greatest quarterback in the world," the boy continued.

"Yeah? Well, today, I'm going be the greatest American History teacher in the world, okay?" Arville smiled, leaning against his desk.

Rachael Brodt, his wife said he was the greatest husband in the world. His daughters Elaine 'The Ripper' Brodt and Carmen May 'The Dominator' Brodt said he was the greatest Daddy in the world.

Looking at the faces of his students as he talked about the extreme courage those first colonists had as they travelled from Europe to an unknown country, Arville felt like he was the luckiest man in the world.

THE END

*****

**Author's Note: I write these stories for my pleasure. I post them here for your enjoyment. I thank you sincerely for reading my stories. I especially thank those that take the time to leave comments, good and bad, and those that take the time to rate my stories.

Arville Brodt is a character from the 'Choices & Decisions' series in the Group Sex category. Many of his football comrades and the coaching staff were also featured in the 'Choices & Decisions' series.

Rachael Thibodeaux is a character from the 'Knowing Your Strength' series in the Nonhuman category.

Elise Richards, Darren Richards, Henry and Jennica Richards are characters from the 'Love, Bullets And Badges' series in the Romance category.

Iris Lapointe was introduced as Iris Gaudet in 'Mending Broken Flowers' in the Loving Wives category. She is also in the 'Love, Bullets And Badges' series.

Carmen and Dick Davis were introduced in 'The Broussard Sisters' series in the Group Sex category. They are also featured in 'Love, Bullets And Badges' series in the Romance category.

Charlie LaPointe, Trey LaPointe, Richard LaPointe, and Carmy LaPointe were all introduced in 'The Broussard Sisters' series in the Group Sex category. They are also principal characters in the 'Love, Bullets And Badges' series in the Romance category.

Bobby Breaux, the sportscaster out of Lafayette was introduced in 'Xavier Smith' in the Loving Wives category.

Milt Duhon and his cooking show The Cast Iron Stomach were introduced in 'On Channel 12' in the Loving Wives category.

Benny, the nurse was introduced in 'Mending Broken Flowers' in the Loving Wives category.

Bruce, the physical therapist was introduced in 'Quiver' in the Gay Male category.

Again, I do thank you sincerely for reading my stories.

Have a super day. Down, set, hut hut!