The Keeping of Lena Ch. 03.5

If seeing a naked man was what Ava needed to begin to heal, then he was of course happy she'd picked him.

But he quickly realized he was far more out of control than he'd originally thought, for he'd completely forgotten that, to Ava, his sex would actually appear abnormal.

He tried to conceal it, but Ava's eyes were already wide on his hardening cock, her mouth opened in a silent gasp as she gazed at the smooth, and unconcealed, head.

"I can explain, Ava—"

"What is there to explain? Be it my God or yours, you've certainly been blessed with...most impressive endowments," Ava purred appreciatively.

Karl groaned in frustration, for she was a sight far too enticing to be safe.

"Do I excite you, Doktor Günther?" Ava asked. Her voice was as innocent as a kitten, but her gaze was as knowing as a siren. They both knew very well how much she excited him.

But Karl could tell that Ava needed to hear it anyway.

"Far more than should be lawful, Frau Wolfenbarger. Especially now," Karl strained to say.

Ava reached for the neckline of her gown and gently tugged, until her smooth, creamy flesh unfolded before his eyes like a bloom at dawn. The sight of her breasts, ample and pert, her full mounds justbegging to be grabbed, was nearly his undoing, but Karl knew he couldn't move a muscle.

He couldnot touch her. Not so soon.

"And does my body arouse you, dear Doktor?" Ava breathed huskily. She scooted an arms length away from him, resting her shoulders against the short table at the center of the lounge, still on her knees.

And Karl's mouth fell open as she reached again for her gown, silently sliding the flimsy material off of her hips.

"Yes, Ava. Yes," Karl said automatically. But even the affirmative was an understatement.

Ava's body was purewoman, a sweeping form of generous curves as beautiful as they were delicious. She possessed the kind of body the Greeks and Romans celebrated in sculpture, a potent exemplar of utter femininity. Her breasts were large on her chest, her hardened nipples a shadowy rose, and her recently flattened stomach unveiled the narrow waist immediately beneath. Her hips were soft and rounded, her thighs youthfully plump, and her skin was like sateen ribbon, silken and glowing in the direct glare of the fireplace.

He tried his best to avoid it, but the golden thatch of curls at her center very nearly made him expire like an untrained lad.

Ava, completely naked, was even more erotic than he'd ever imagined.

"Prove it to me, Karl," Ava said softly. She sat before him as if on a throneand in offering of servitude, her naked body reclined in perfect view for his hungry consumption.

He reached for his cock as if possessed, and Ava immediately smiled and moistened her lips.

It wasn't just looking that Ava wanted.

It seemed that Avaalso wanted a show.

His grip on his cock tightened to a rough fist, and Ava licked her lips again, nodding urgently. Her gaze was as transfixed on his body as his was on hers.

It seemed as if the sight ofhis body arousedher.

"Show me," Ava pleaded again.

Karl groaned, quickening his strokes on his shaft as he settled into comfort on the lounge before her. He breathed deeply, warring to pace himself, to not embarrass himself further, but the sight of her nudity, aroused and watching him, was sending his arousal to depths he'd never before explored.

He'd enjoyed many women over the years, but never before had he experienced such a powerful connection with a lover. It was as if Ava had her teeth on his lusts, and he was completely under her spell, even as she sat too far away for him to touch.

"Keep going, Karl. Please," Ava said softly.

He wasn't sure if he'd be able to stop if she'd asked him.

His cock pulsed in his palm as a small bead of fluid gathered at the swollen head, and Karl groaned, far louder than he'd wanted to allow. The sight of her was almost too much to bear, and he grew dizzy from the blood rushing away from his chest to the part of him nearing eruption.

Instinct took over his thoughts, silencing all of his training and education, and Karl was nothing more than a man helplessly desiring a woman, and he viciously jerked himself into a frenzy. He watched her body tremble in front of him, the way her breasts heaved as her breathing escalated in her own excitement, and he began to picture what it would be like if he could touch them.

Almost as if answering his silent wish, Ava suddenly reached for her breasts, teasing her nipples in her elegant fingers as her knees tightly squeezed together. There was a dampness in those golden curls that hadn't been there before, and as his breathing continued to deepen, he could faintly detect the heady scent of her arousal.

It was torturous to look at her, delightful, sinful torture, and Karl could think of nothing else than his desire to replace his hand with her tight, hot sheath. He pictured her crawling over him, straddling his thighs, as she lowered herself onto his cock and rode him to completion, her breasts bouncing directly in his face, close enough for him to lick.

"Ava...Ava," he groaned, for calling her name was the only word he could summon.

"Show me, Karl," Ava urged, and his abdominal muscles seized in fierce tension as the pressure within his body began to propel at a fearsome speed. His jerks on his cock were almost angry, for watching Ava's naked body was arousing him more than he could handle.

He was close, embarrassingly close, but watching Ava touch her breasts was too much stimulation for him to mitigate. It was as if she was activating every pleasure center at once, harnessing every nerve with white hot electrical energy, a true angel of lust.

She threw her head back and released a soft moan, still with her eyes on him, andclose immediately becamenow. With a powerful shout, Karl came, and fiercely, ropes of hot release landing across his stomach in heavy streams.

Ava crawled before him like a determined lioness, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. He was barely recovering as she knelt between his parted thighs, lowered her head, and traced a path of his release all the way from his cock to his chest with her tongue.

"Thank you, Karl," Ava said, although he couldn't understand the reason for her gratitude.

He should have been thanking her.

He also should have apologized...

"Will this be a regular demand of yours?" Karl asked, once he finally caught his breath. Ava grinned devilishly.

"Once I've fully healed...you won't have any energy left for self pleasures, my Karl dear. I want you to know, how...am anxious to have you. All of you," Ava said. Karl smiled lazily.

"I'll be here for you every step of your healing, Ava. You'll find no selfish haste from me. When you're ready...I too am anxious to have you," Karl said.

"Is that a promise?" Ava asked. Karl chuckled.

"Yes, Ava. That is a promise," he replied.

Ava slowly stood and began to dress, almost shyly.

"And I do expect a proper proposal from you by spring," Ava called playfully. Karl was still weakened by his release, but he knew it was time for him to clean and dress as well.

"Wouldn't you first prefer anactual courtship?" Karl asked. Ava laughed and shook her head.

"I've waited years for you, Doktor Günther. I hope I've made my intentions clear...I'm not delaying my happiness any longer," Ava said.

He held her hand as he led her out of his quarters, carefully closing the door behind him. They remained silent as they tiptoed through the darkened hallways of Schloss Wolfenbarger, like lustful criminals, and the thrill of danger excited him further.

They very nearly made it back to Ava's chambers, but before he could kiss her goodnight, a small figure appeared in the hallway.

"Oh...Lena. I was just showing Ava to bed." He wasn't sure why he'd felt so compelled to explain.

Lena's huge blue eyes rounded and embarrassed, and she was bashfully chewing her lower lip. He would have laughed at the sight, had he not felt so embarrassed himself.

But then he noticed that her skin was far paler than normal, ghostly white, and Lena was actually struggling to stand.

She looked as if she were moments from collapsing.

"Lena dear, are you all right?" Ava asked. Lena smiled weakly.

"Oh I'm just fine, I assure you. I was just hoping, umm...well—"

"What is it, Lena?" Karl urged. He found her tendency to ramble when she was nervous particularly annoying.

"I...I was wondering if you happened to have any...umm...napkins, please," she whispered.

Karl tried his best to suppress his astonishment. He'd suspected Lena was pregnant, but perhaps the lack of a babe was for the best.

It would be too much for her to be pregnant, unmarried,and abandoned by her lover.

"Of course, I have some supplies downstairs—"

"Oh my Lord, Lena!"

Ava rushed to Lena's side as the girl suddenly lost her balance and fell, and Karl rapidly followed, quickly categorizing her body as she lay on the floor.

Now that he could see her more closely, he noticed that her skin was coated with sheen, and as cold as ice. Her gown was being rapidly soiled with blood...considerably more blood than to be expected.

Lena looked up at him in embarrassment, but Karl shook his head, banishing such useless nonsense.

As a doctor, he'd seen everything, thousands of times before.

"Lena, your temperature seems low, so I'm going to lift you on the count of three, and take you to a bath. Ava, are you feeling strong enough to join me? Lena's going to need some help, I think," Karl mentioned. Ava nodded dutifully.

"Of course. How are you feeling, Lena dear? When did this start?" Ava asked. She kept her hand on Lena's forehead as Karl lifted Lena into his arms.

He could already tell that Lena had lost some weight. At least two or three kilos from the last time he'd measured her, a substantial amount for her tiny size.

"Fine, I suppose. But I woke to this...horrible pain in my stomach. I suppose it's just like any other monthly, but then I...ohh, forgive me, I...I fell sick, and—"

Lena's words were broken by a sharp cry, and Karl quickened his pace back to her suite. It seemed that even Ava sensed the growing alarm he was trying to conceal, for even she moved with a new haste.

They finally reached Lena's apartments, and Karl lowered her into the bath tub just as Ava began drawing hot water.

"Can you keep an eye on her for a few minutes? I'm just going to run downstairs to gather my bag," Karl instructed.

"Of course. Lena, we'll get you all cleaned up before he returns with your napkins, dear," Ava said soothingly.

There was concern in her eyes, no doubt, but she gazed at Lena with the fondness of a mother, or older sister.

Satisfied that Lena was stable, at least for the moment, Karl returned to his rooms and gathered napkins, as well as a few instruments for measurement.

Something just didn't seem...right about Lena's acute symptoms.

From everything she'd recounted beforehand, her monthlies were typically issue-free.

Karl returned to Lena's suite, and found Ava sitting on a small chaise just outside of the bathing room.

"How is she?" Karl asked. Ava looked at Karl, and her face held none of the cheer she'd been using with Lena.

Instead, she was utterly despondent.

"We both know that's no monthly, Karl. I think she's just too young to tell the difference," Ava said knowingly. Karl swallowed hard.

"We can't confirm that...yet. I still need to properly examine her—"

"Three towels bloodied in your absence. I had to wake a servant to change her bedding, for there's even more on her sheets," Ava said, gesturing across the lounge to the bedroom.

Karl didn't normally jump to such conclusions without evidence. He preferred to research, study, and test all hypotheses with diligent procedure.

But there was no denying that part of medicine that required more than science.

Sometimes, it required instinct.

And to his dread, his instincts compelled him to suspect that Lena was indeed experiencing a miscarriage.

"And there's something else," Ava added.

"What is it?" Karl asked. Ava looked sickened and embarrassed for several moments, and seemed to want to avoid looking him in the eye.

"Ava...you can tell me. What is it?" he asked gently, kneeling on the floor in front of her. Dew drops were beginning to collect on her eyelashes, but with a sniffle, Ava straightened her posture and quickly blinked away her tears.

"It's probably just...paranoia. I'm no doctor, after all," Ava said quickly. Karl gently stroked her cheek.

"You're a woman, Ava. Despite all of my study and training...you can understand things about Lena that I can't. So tell me. What is it? What do you see?" Karl asked. Ava cleared her throat, and her eyes grew even more somber.

"The feelings she described, what happened to her just this last hour...it reminded me of certain...experiences I've had," Ava said.

"What experiences, Ava?" Karl asked. Ava took a deep breath before answering.

"I was thrice pregnant before I gave birth to Odette Alexandra. But...Ludovic was not ready to be a father at the time. There was this tea he gave me as soon as I missed my monthlies...it's from the American West, I can't remember what it was called," Ava replied.

Karl frowned. He'd heard rumors of the unique medicinals and powerful herbal remedies of the Native peoples of the Americas, and he'd longed to study their properties.

But never before had heard of such an herb as to cause a miscarriage.

"Ava...what did it do?" Karl asked.

"By the third time he forced me to drink it...I'd learned to predict exactly what would occur. He would feed me the tea, and for seven days, I would feel perfectly fine. But on that seventh day...there would be this feeling in my stomach, like some evil thing taking hold of my womb, squeezing, and breaking me. And then...bleeding, so much bleeding...for seven more days after," Ava said, and then she broke down in tears.

Karl held her to his shoulder as she cried, gently stroking her hair. He couldn't tell if her story was one of truth, or the painful misunderstood narrative of a horribly abused woman, but in that moment, he knew it wasn't the time to try and correct her.

Ava was still grieving, after all, and she was identifying with Lena in ways that he couldn't comprehend.

"I'm going to go and check on her. Can you wait here for me?" Karl asked gently.

"Check her stomach. Look for the spiderweb, the blue spiderweb. It happened to meevery time," Ava urged hysterically, still with tears in her eyes.

Karl gently shhed her, for he knew it was well past time for her to rest. She was no longer making sense, for her words of mystic arachnid engineering seemed to be based more in fantasy than in science.

Greta entered the suites then, directing two maids to Lena's bedroom.

"Greta, won't you take Ava back to bed? I need to examine Lena," Karl offered. He placed a soft kiss on Ava's forehead as her maid gently escorted her out of the room.

Karl knocked twice on Lena's bathroom door before he finally heard her invitation.

He stepped inside, and was horrified to find that Lena was even paler than when he'd left her just a few minutes ago. There was absolutely no color in her face, and her eyes were lifeless.

If it weren't for the minute rise and fall of her shoulders with her breathing, Lena would have looked entirely like a corpse.

"How are you feeling, Lena?" Karl asked.

"Cold...I feel so cold," she murmured weakly. The steam rising from the tub confirmed that the water was still very hot.

Karl reminded himself to take her temperature the moment she emerged.

"Your pain?" Karl asked.

"Not...as terrible...at the moment," she replied between weak breaths. He could tell she was beginning to slip in and out of consciousness, likely due to her profound blood loss, so he resolved to supervise her until the maids returned.

He dutifully averted his eyes as the two maids finally entered the bathing room, thoroughly cleansing Lena before helping her out of the tub, drying her, and dressing her.

He then carried her back to bed, where he was pleased to find her sheets had been freshly changed.

"I'm just going to take a few measurements, and then you can go back to sleep," Karl mentioned. Lena nodded feebly, eyes already closing.

He checked her pulse, noting that it was unusually slow. Then, he checked her temperature, and was even more concerned to find she was far below normal.

If he hadn't known better, he would have thought she'd just been spending the night sleeping uncovered outside in the frost.

He shined light in her eyes, to her discomfort, and was pleased to find that her pupillary responses at least remained strong.

"Are you finished yet?" Lena mumbled groggily.

"Just one more check, Lena. Just relax," Karl said soothingly, and she put up no resistance as he quickly raised her gown to her ribcage with clinical efficiency.

He'd been prepared to glance at her stomach for no longer than a second, just to satisfy his curiosity and confirm there were no mystical spiderwebs.

But his jaw fell open when he saw those deep purple lines, dozens of thin, wiry bruises, that stretched across the nearly translucent skin of her lower abdomen. It was less like a spiderweb, and more like a haunted, barren forest.

He'd never seen such a sight, not even in medical literature.

"Am I going to be okay, Karl? It's just a severe monthly, right?" Lena asked.

He really didn't want to lie to her, but there was no way he could tell her he suspected she'd just lost a baby. She'd lost too much recently. And if she'd somehow come in contact with the same chemical that Ava's husband had forced her to ingest, then he hadfar more serious matters at hand.

He needed to be able to run more tests, and to do so, he needed Lena calm.

There was no denying that Lena was more than a patient to him, for she'd unwittingly captured his heart in a way he knew he'd never be able to turn back from.

Karl loved her as if she were his own little sister...which meant it was his duty to protect her, in any way he could.

So he cleared his throat, and forced neutrality on his face.

"That's right, Lena. Just a severe monthly. You'll feel better in a few days' time."

Lena smiled sweetly and gently squeezed his hand.

And finally, she went soundly to sleep.