Saturday Evening

"You ok?" asked a worried Steve, his truck is bigger than she is used to. She has a car but she doesn't drive, normally her youngest daughter Nadia drives it and she lives in Gainesville right now.

Maria got her crutches underneath her and made her way to the back of the truck. "Oh, you're such a mother hen."

"That's just what we need, we tell Doctor Albertson we can function together and you snap a hip hopping out of my pickup."

"I'm still mad at you, so relax."

"Me?!? What did I do?"

"You serenaded me, as we drove here, that was very sweet," she said as she patted his chest. "But you picked an ancient Beatles song and said it was something I could identify with. I'm not that old." Steve had sang along with a cover of I Should Have Known Better recorded by what sounded like a garage band.

"What... Beatles? No, that was from a group called Brian Wilson and T.B.B." It was a song that popped up as a suggestion in his Spotify oldies playlist.

"You don't know what T.B.B. stands for?" Steve looked utterly lost and she wasn't going to give him a break... not yet anyway. "T.B.B. is The Beach Boys, that's the name they used when they recorded some party songs like Bah Bah Bah, Bah Barbra Ann which was also ahead of my time."

Now he looked shocked, "I'm sorry, I've never heard it before."

Maria tried to stifle her laughter as she leaned back on the tailgate of his truck. "Here, I got something yesterday that I'm going to share with you, IF you're good." She gave him a kiss then pulled the remote for the garage door out of her purse.

As the door slowly opened Steve's eyes opened wide in surprise. There in the garage sat a brand new Forest River Rockwood popup camper. It was folded up but those models unfold easily. "What do you think?" she asked. Seeing the look on his face that had dollar signs creating worry lines she said, "This is mine. The truck is yours. Together we go camping, I'm not going to ask you for a dime."

"You're so crazy," he chuckled. He has no idea what her financial status is, but she's never worried when they talk about money and she can bore him to tears talking about money. All he knows for sure was that she and her sister were raised on a farm, then something happened and they had to move to Brooklyn when she was six. She and Guiseppe started out clawing their way up, but soon their business was a hit and when they were run over and Guiseppe was killed she had sold their business and retired early.

"Do you have to tow it out?" she asked. "The dealer delivered it and parked it here and I'm new at this."

"Nah, they're not heavy, watch me be a hero," and he pushed it out into the sunlight. For the next hour they moved the truck and set up the camper. Having strong arms from walking on crutches for a decade, she turned the crank to raise the top and turned the crank on the front jack to level the camper while Steve ran around and set up the stabilizing jacks, the fold out beds, and set up the canvas.

He showed her how to set up the stove inside, then he set it up outside which she loved. She gestured indicating the whole outdoors and said, "I finally have a kitchen big enough!" Finally taking a break, Maria sat in the dinette and said, "If you don't love it, I'll send it back, but for what we want to do, Sally Anne said this should work."

"This is your camper," said Steve. "Don't worry about me, you and a sleeping bag are all I need. YOU need to be in love with it." He looked at her as she relaxed and said, "Can you live for a weekend or more without a bathroom?"

"Hmmm... that campground we were at in Sebastian had a nice bathroom, are there a lot of places like that?"

"Yeah. Not all but many places are like that... and while that place was nice, I've seen a lot better."

"That's all I need." Then she frowned, "Shoot! We can't go this weekend; the Humane Society has their election of officers. I need to be there." She loves her work with the humane society, because she's not mobile enough to have a dog, she has two very nice fish tanks and a pair of cockatiels named Spot and Rover but she hopes to get a support dog someday.

"That's ok," he got a playful look on his face. "I can pull it around back and we can camp out by the pool. That way we'll know what we need for our first official campout."

"Where will we go for our first campout?"

"Anywhere you want, as a disabled vet I can get into any state park for free," he grinned.

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Now that their love was out in the open, life changed for Steve Anderson in an incredible way. He no longer had to suppress his feelings for her, he didn't have to watch every word that he said and he no longer had to fight back the urge to reach out and touch her. He no longer had to invent excuses to go to her house just to spend a precious moment with her. Discovering what made Maria tick was now a full time pleasure. Every day after work he raced through his daily chores, he checked his mail, addressed any bills that came that day, then he raced over to her house. On the days that she was at the Humane Society he worked in the yard and on the patio and pool area. On Sundays they made it a family meal inviting Darlene and Bruce McLaren and whoever his current girlfriend was at the time over for dinner and Maria gladly made a huge Italian feast.

The day after she showed him her pop-up trailer he arrived at her house with the back of his truck loaded with camping gear and he headed out back to set up their little palace. A pop-up camper was like camping in a large tent, with added benefits, like a heater, sink, stove, and in Maria's case a roof top air conditioner. There is a huge bed that over hangs each end and in the middle is a small dinette that can be folded down to a single bed that will also fit a couple of kids. The beds at each end have a curtain for privacy.

This is the same type of camper that Steve and his family camped in; being the only boy, he slept on the dinette which was only used as a dinette when it was raining. His parents slept on the front bed; his sisters (one older, one younger than him) slept on the rear bed. His family went camping constantly, and he loved it, even if it meant that he was with his sisters. He didn't get along with them, at some point in their young lives the girls decided it was them against him and he no longer felt welcome in his own home. Back then they camped year 'round, winter was a challenge but they did it, the only nod to the "civilized world" was the gas heater inside their camper. They camped all over the UP, in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but also on their farm and Steve became an expert at cooking over an open fire. His parents weren't survivalists, they just loved the outdoors and were cheap.

As Steve tended to Maria's flower garden on the west side of the large lot he wondered how Maria's family fared in their camping adventures. She mentioned that they used to go camping until their father moved the family to Brooklyn, did they tent camp? Did they trailer camp? She was too young at the time to remember fully; she just remembers the whole family spending weekends in the woods. He decided when they meet to ask her sister, Giannina Tamaro, whom everyone called Jeannie.

As the sun set, Steve skimmed the leaves and bugs off the "pond" as Maria called her grass edge swimming pool, then he put the tools away. When the stars started to glow in the inky black sky his real job was ready to begin. Steve is starting Maria on a new course of aquatherapy and she seems to be responding well.

The temperature was still in the 90's long after sunset, it was a hot Florida evening in the land of the Year 'Round Summer and Steve was not done for the day. He had cut the lawn, weeded the garden, and made sure that Maria's yard was perfect so they could relax when she got home; she even put some beer in the fridge on the patio for him, which really helped when he worked outside.

He was filthy, covered with sweat and dirt after spending the day working in the garden and on the lawn; he stepped under the shower by the pool still wearing his T-shirt and shorts and rinsed off. He took off his shirt and shorts, wrung them out, then he started the fire in their firepit. Maria and Steve wanted a real campfire, propane fires looked like a fire, there were ceramic logs and propane flames, but the sound was wrong and they just don't smell right. Campfires are a living thing, they crackle and snap, they move as the wood is consumed, they get hotter, and cooler, the flames are always changing as the wood is consumed also. But realizing that with the click of a switch the fire comes on, another click and it goes off, Maria and Steve went with propane. He lay down naked on the lounge next to the camper, cracked open a beer and waited for Maria...

Maria crutched her way through her kitchen and stepped out onto her patio; home from the fancy fund raiser that ate up so much of her time lately. Steve partially opened one eye and saw her looking around the yard in awe, the flickering glow of the tiki torches placed around the yard illuminated all of Steve's efforts. She was probably re-elected secretary for the Humane Society again, but right now the sight of her yard drove away all thought of her activity today, Steve had performed a miracle in her yard!

She crutched over to where he lay, he had almost drifted off to sleep and she was leaning over him, whispering, brushing her hand against his cheek, asking "Why don't you go out and find a nice girl your own age?" her New York Italian accent coming through loud and clear. "Don't hitch your wagon to a fading star."

"You know I hate it when you say things like that."

"I say it because it's true, and hating it doesn't make it different," she said as their lips met. "You spent your day off working in my garden, you should go, find yourself a nice Yooper Girl..."

"Why should I when I have you?"

"But you don't have me." She knew she lied, but she couldn't admit that it was a lie, not to him, and not to herself.

"Why don't you go out and find yourself a nice guy?"

"Who would want me? A broken-down old cow that doesn't have long for this world... the only thing I have going for me is this house which you make look so beautiful, and that's not even your job!" Maria took the beer from his hand and leaned back in a chair and took a long swig.

"Feeling sorry for yourself again? You know what that means," Steve swung up on his lounge and started unbuckling the aluminum braces from her legs and placed them next to her forearm crutches. She fought back as he unbuttoned her skirt from waist to hem, her laughter increased as he unbuttoned her blouse, and he playfully threatened to take advantage of his superior weight and strength.

"I'll scream!" she threatened.

"Oh, we both know you are going to," he grinned as he pulled off her panties (with her lifting her hips to help) but she leaned back then threatened to drop her in the pool with her bra on.

"Not with that chlorine!" she cried and took off her bra before Steve could damage it. Then Steve scooped a naked Maria D'Amato out of her lounge chair and carried her to the pool. "There's got to be a more dignified way to do aquatherapy," she muttered as her favorite physical therapist carried her down the stairs and into the water.

"There is, but you always say you liked this better," he said as their lips met.

"Mmmm, I do like this better," as they held each other tight.

Steve carried her to the point that he had selected, where the water depth would come up just under her armpits when she stood and said, "Now take a deep breath in, fill your lungs with air..." Then he released her, and she was free! The horrors and weakening of MS was gone and she could stand under her own control, naked as the day she was born, with a hot young man at her side.

They did an hour of aquatherapy, even the kicking exercises with the paddle board were wonderful on this magical evening. Her legs that were weakened by the ravages of injuries and Multiple Sclerosis were listening to her tonight and obeying her commands.

Maria was treading water gently near one of the underwater lights so he could ogle her large, buoyant breasts. "How am I doing tonight? Do I get a cookie?"

Steve smiled and said, "I think a reward is in order," he said as he tugged his Italian beauty to the shallow end and lifted her to the artificial grass deck laying her on a beach towel. Her immaculate skin was hauntingly beautiful under the flickering light of the tiki torches. He crouched in the pool, put her legs over his shoulders and leaned in to kiss her pussy. She groaned in delight as he spread her lips with his thumbs and began probing her cunt as deep as he could with his tongue.

"Oh God!" she cried, she grabbed his wrists and placed his hands on her large, wobbling breasts where he pinched and twisted her nipples drawing groans from her throat. Her fingers twisted in his hair holding him to her promised reward. Her gasps and cries filled the night air as he skillfully brought her to a shaking orgasm that rattled through her stricken body, relieving the stress of the day.

He stood and supported her crippled legs in his arms as she reached down for his cock and lined him up. The look of desire on her face said it all, he eased his cock into her pussy until she nodded letting him know she was ready. She was warm and soaking wet as he eased his cock in and out. "Oh Jesus!" she gasped as his thick cock eased deep into her, piercing her like nothing else ever has. He eased in and out, enjoying the clasp of her pussy as it grasped his cock, almost reluctant for it to ease back out. But each time she slammed back in, eliciting a delighted grunt from his Italian beauty, Soon he sped up, fucking firmly, rewarding her for an excellent therapy session. The sound of their bodies slapping together filled the night as did their cries of delight. Another orgasm washed over her and she gasped and cried out as Steve continued to fuck her, driving her out of her mind.

Steve leaned over her and increased the speed of his pounding thrusts into her silky depths. She grasped her legs and held them wide open, offering up her cunt to this savage fuck and she begged for more as her large breasts wobbled in time with his thrusts. Steve watched as Maria's dark pink nipples traveled in circles, propelled by the slamming of his hips into Maria's groin.

"Cum with me," she gasped softly, "cum in me!" It felt so deliciously dirty to say that to someone that wasn't her husband, not only say it but to take this young man's sperm into her womb. She hooked her arms under her knees and opened herself up even more. "Fuuuuck meee..." she groaned knowing that her salty language embarrassed him and at the same time egged him on to faster, deeper thrusts. She looked up at her young lover who was grinning down at her in the pale moonlight.

His face twisted up in delighted agony, "I'm cumming!" he groaned and as they came together she clutched him with her arms and legs, the relief of their mutual climax washed over them and their tongues caressed each other in a breathless kiss of undying love.

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Their week was filled with the most beautiful lovemaking of their lives, quite often out by the pool late at night with the tiki torches lighting their lovemaking. Steve's hard work on the yard gave them a beautiful love nest but then on Friday it hit, one of the most horrible parts of MS is the sudden onset of exhaustion. It's an exhaustion of the body, mind, and spirit. Steve has coached her through a couple of these, but they are horrible. He was thinking of talking her into installing a hot tub on the patio, there's plenty of room on the other side of the shower and he's got plenty of bamboo to make another privacy wall...

"No honey, that's not necessary for me but I will order one for you."

"I really don't need..."

"Yes you do!" she insisted forcefully. It was a tone of voice that he never heard before. "I've seen the pain in your eyes when you carry me, I've seen how you turn on the heater on your truck seats the moment you get in, but only on days that you've been carrying me. I'm not going to have that on my conscious... and what if your back spasms the next time you carry me?"

"Spasms?" he demanded.

"Yes!" she nearly shouted. "Neuro-muscular spasms. The kind of thing that will make you drop me when you're lifting me!" That time she was shouting.

Steve glared at her; his eyes were dead which worried Maria. "You've read my medical history." It wasn't an accusation; it was a statement of fact. He has had neuro-muscular spasms that paralyzed him for up to ten minutes. The debilitating spasms he feels have only been mentioned to one agency, the VA. Steve loved his VA medical team, it took him long enough to build a team that he had faith in, his doctors, NPs and technicians he has faith in them all, but their management were all political stooges as far as he was concerned. "You and I both know that my records are supposed to be protected. Look darling, I love you more than life itself, but this..." his tone suddenly grew as icy as hers, Captain Anderson just came out of retirement. "I need to know where the leak is."

"I can't tell you, just know I did it out of love for you... and fear."

"You're afraid of me?" he demanded... shit, with that tone of voice any woman would be afraid of him. A long time ago he needed people to be afraid of him because sometimes combat medics need their orders followed or people die. He was now a disabled veteran because some jerk didn't follow one simple order, "Stand fast!" which means don't move a muscle.

The jerk moved exactly where he shouldn't have and set off an IED that killed him and two other soldiers. Steve threw himself over the soldier he was preparing for medevac to shield the guy and ended up with a stone wall on his back. The agony of those long minutes in the "front leaning rest position" (the up position in a pushup) while the squad dug that soldier out from under him still comes back to haunt him. His arms cramped so badly from holding himself and a section of wall up off the injured private that he couldn't raise them for two days. Then once the private was clear and heading for the Chinook and a ride home, Steve collapsed to the ground, his job was done. He woke up hours later in a hospital in Kandahar.

"Afraid of you?" she scoffed. "No, I'm afraid of my family. If you dropped me they would not be happy with you at all."

"I'm sorry, I'll dial it back, but your daughters don't scare me."

It's not my daughters he should be worried about, she thought. "They're concerned." Her tone suddenly softened. "When we get married do you mind if I change my last name to Bellini-Anderson?"

Maria, her sister, and her daughters all retained their maiden name Bellini after marrying, he's never seen anything like it. "You Bellinis, you really love your family kinship, if you want to change it, you can change it to anything you want."

Maria grinned through her pain and exhaustion. "Do you realize that you just agreed to marry me."

"Do you realize that you're now stuck with me?" Steve finally realized how much he wanted to love and care for this beautiful woman every day for the rest of his life. "I'm not getting rid'a you any time soon, capeesh?"

Maria found herself fighting back tears, this kid doesn't know what he's getting herself into... he's already in it so deep, how did she let it happen? How did he get so deep in trouble? "No, I... I'm sorry, it's not right."

"Who should be at your side more than a combat medic?" Steve kissed her forehead. "If you want I can have Father Ewen from Holy Mother come over, take our confessions and marry us.