White Lies Ch. 03

{Here is another of those "There is almost no sex at all in this story" warnings.}

+++

Life has a way of trapping people. Responsibility can dictate the need to care for someone, it can be an elderly parent, a mate, even a child that after becoming supposedly adult, still has their hand out.

Walker felt that way, trapped. His wife Carla was now his problem. She was recovering, but it was a long and slow laborious process.

Love had long since left him, the cheating, lying killed what was there before.

There had been those insane moments of shock, outrage at his discovery of the truth of what Carla had done. He had even envisioned mayhem, and had taken steps towards exactly that.

But time and a calmer head prevailed. His gut instinct reactions would only have served to lower himself to the level of Jonathan, the man he had come to hate.

Walker would have simply left Carla, his intent was to do exactly that but before he could complete the preparations, the trap was sprung.

His wife Carla became an invalid, he just could not drop that responsibility upon his daughter Sara. He loved Sara more than life itself, no way could he do that to her.

Sara had her youth, her beauty, her future and her right to a shot at happiness, a full rewarding life. He knew very well that if he did just leave Carla to her own fate, Sara would step in and sacrifice herself and her own future to care for her mother.

For Sara, Walker would do anything, give anything to make sure she had her own shot at life. The choice was obvious to him.

So Walker stayed himself, caring for Carla. It was not for his wife, it was for Sara.

The trap of life became one day bleeding into the next, doing what he felt he must. There appeared to be no end to it. He fed her, clothed her, bathed her, even assisted at first with toiletries. Every day was the same.

The times that Sara dropped by in the evenings were one blessing, Walker could leave for a few hours. Without fail he drove down to the old bar, without fail that old woman sat there waiting. A retired therapist, not once did she ever ask for a single thing, she just saw the pain that was displayed clearly in him and tried to help.

They talked quietly for hours, it was like a portion of his life became hers. In her words, he found his own strength.

When she suggested he try to find a nurse for Carla, Walker realized the old woman was right.

The first person to respond to his ad was Melanie, after just a few minutes of conversation, he hired her.

Part of that was the fact that the woman was obviously bright, the other part was the little girl that stood there holding Melanie's hand, huge round eyes and a thumb stuffed securely in her mouth.

+++

Walker glanced over at Sara as she reached out to slip her hand into the crook of his elbow. His heart swelled with pride, she caught his eye and smiled, then the music began.

Sara was, in that instant, the most beautiful creature on Earth. The gown she wore was flowing white, demonstrating for all to see her purity.

Walker was completely sure of that.

This one moment filled Walker with happiness. There had not been much of that in his life for quite some time. He brought up his sleeve to wipe away a tear of joy, catching the smile in Sara's face as she looked at him.

He leaned down and touched her smiling cheek with his lips. That was the very instant he gave up the very greatest gift a father can give.

Then the music began.

+++

Finding out his wife of over two decades had carried on a sporadic but very long term affair with a former lover was a terrible shock. Walker had considered evil, but the idea of actually doing what he had planned in those first periods of insane rage just left him sickened when sanity returned.

The discovery also that the lover was the true Father of the Daughter he worshiped? That bad moment did not last long, Sara was his, his from the moment of birth until now and nothing on Earth could change that in his mind.

Walker had stood there and watched Sara enter the world, she was his and nothing on Earth could change that fact.

Physically, he had failed in his one attempt at revenge. His poorly thought out attack had failed miserably. Walker had no skills in fighting, and her long term lover Jonathan was a far larger and more powerful man.

That was nothing more than genetics, a simple fact of life.

The only relief from that was finding out what that man was really like. Jonathan might be his physical superior but he was no match for Walker as a human being.

Three years, the Judge had said. It seemed like so little for causing so much pain.

He had planned to just leave Carla, ending the relationship, but first there were those terrible injuries Jonathan had caused to deal with. Carla would have no place to go if he simply abandoned her, and the only other person on Earth that would step in was Sara.

Thinking she would heal quickly, Walker stayed to care for her until she could manage on her own.

Barely home, a blood clot had caused a major stroke, seriously compounding the situation.

Walker now found himself with no other real choice but to continue to care for his wife. The love was gone, he knew that. But the duty remained.

+++

Who would have dreamed that the fat and bubbly little girl he had spent countless hours sitting in the living room delighting in watching her learn would grow up to become this vision?

Walker looked up at the man turned their way waiting as they stepped down the aisle to the music, a smile on his face.

Tim Herrington, the tall and strong man she had chosen, handsome in his tuxedo stood waiting for his prize.

A policeman? Who could have even dreamed of that?

A Doctor, Lawyer, perhaps a Corporate Executive was what Walker would have expected. A major politician, perhaps? Yet it was her choice to make, and that choice was this fine young man.

As they approached the elevated podium, Walker looked briefly at his wife Carla. She sat quietly watching, but a smile was on her face.

It had been many months since he had seen her smile, he looked again carefully to be sure.

Yes, she was smiling. Her full time nurse Melanie sat by her side, Walker noted that Melanie held Carla's hand securely.

The rest was a blur, it went swiftly. Tim lifted the thin veil, leaned in and kissed Sara gently. In that instant Walker saw her eyes, so like her mother's. That same smile he had just seen on her Mother's face was momentarily clear.

Then somehow they were at the reception. The giant hall they had rented was barely adequate, every chair was in use, and many others stood around talking.

When finally the monstrous limo left, and the endless stream of people coming by to shake his hand ended, he helped Carla to their car. Melanie stood there quietly waiting.

"Would you like me to come over to help tonight, Walker?" Melanie asked him.

"Thanks, but we will be OK. I think we would like to be alone tonight. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off."

"All right. I will see you in the morning." She smiled. Walker watched her walk towards her vehicle. Melanie certainly was attractive. If his situation was different, he knew he might just act on his thoughts, but there was no hope, no chance the way things were.

+++

The long day, full of all of the things he was supposed to do, to say had ended. Now finally Walker felt he could relax. They pulled into the driveway, he went around and helped Carla out of the car.

Each day she seemed to be slightly better, gaining strength in her right side. He watched as she reached out for the doorknob, pleased when once again she managed to turn it enough to open it. Then she turned and flashed him that smile.

Walker smiled back and nodded.

"Good." He said. Melanie's efforts at helping Carla regain her strength, her use of her body was having amazing results.

+++

Walker had tucked his anger securely into the deepest recesses of his mind, then confronted Carla when they got home from the hospital that first time after her beating.

She still spoke clearly but with an effort. The blisters that had covered her skin from bleeding into her brain were gone, the team of Doctors were actually surprised at her fairly rapid recovery.

"It's very good that you are right here, it helps her to recover mentally." One old Physician had told him.

Unable to bear not knowing all of the truth, Walker had asked her the painful questions, so many of them. Carla was past lying, he was sure of that and she tearfully told him the truth.

That man, Jonathan had been the very first she had ever been with. Then running onto him at an out of town meeting a few years later had been nothing more than a simple act of fate. Carla had chosen Walker over Jonathan.

One thing had led to another, it was only a visit, bringing things up to date in their lives.

Jonathan was a man that Carla liked, the man she has given her virginity to. For him, the new seduction was an easy thing to do.

A few drinks, lowered inhibitions, and Carla woke up in his bed. She felt sudden shame, and knew that if Walker ever found out, she would lose him.

Finding herself pregnant, then terrified at what she had done, she took steps to protect her marriage. The day Sara was born, Carla knew the truth. Then fearful of what a second child might reveal, she chose to not have another.

Why the interludes continued, each over a year apart, she had no answer to. The fact that Jonathan had been her very first somehow stayed in Carla's mind, and that made her indiscretions easier.

Each time she felt guilt afterward, telling herself it would never happen again. Yet each time, it did.

The truths hurt, and refreshed Walker's anger, but he managed barely to not just explode. He made up his mind, he was going to move out the moment he felt she could care for herself.

That resolve had lasted just five days.

One tiny clot of blood was all it took. Life sprang it's trap.

+++

When Walker went into the bedroom to wake Carla for breakfast that morning barely five days after her being released from the hospital, one look and he knew she was in trouble.

He followed the ambulance in his own car, looking on with worry as they wheeled her inside. Her face was stone gray, at that moment he thought that this might be the end for her.

The stroke was severe, a blood clot from lord knows where had found it's way to an artery on the left side of her neck. She was left with a slack jawed right side of her face, a nearly useless right arm and leg.

The ultrasound testing had shown her occlusion on the right side, then a nearly complete blockage on the left had been the final straw.

"I am afraid your wife will now need full time care, sir." The old Doctor told him gently as they stood outside her room discussing her condition.

"How long?" Walker had asked.

"Only time and God can answer that question. First the bleeding around her brain, now a serious stroke? It could be a long time, if she ever does recover." He said.

Walker sat there for a very long time thinking, the bustle of the busy hospital unnoticed around him. Finally he stood up with a sigh, the decision made for him as to how his life would be.

+++

Finding Melanie had been a godsend. Sara had insisted on dropping out of school to help care for Carla, Walker had thrown a complete fit about that. He had even raised his voice, which brought Sara to a complete stop in surprise. She had never witnessed that before, it was a shock.

"All right, Daddy." She relented in a small voice. Walker instantly hugged her and apologized.

Her finishing her schooling was far more important, and he had managed to convince Sara that he would see that her Mother was taken care of.

Funds were short since he was forced to quit working, but her own government disability helped, plus Walker had carefully saved and invested, so he asked around for a nurse to help. If he was careful with finances, and no sudden disasters cropped up, he could manage.

Melanie turned out to be perfect. She was tall and slender, pretty in a way and neat as a pin. Barely 30, she came in each morning and helped. Her background in Physical Therapy was also an asset.

With a young 5 year old daughter of her own, the work allowed her to continue on with night classes, working for her own full degree.

Walker found himself looking forward to Melanie's arrival every day. Her happy smile warmed him, and she was always exactly on time. Very quickly she became much more than just an employee.

Carla even began to respond to her, in short order she was up on her feet, first with the aid of a cane, then without. Recently she had begun to mostly dress herself, even share in the light housework. Some of it was a struggle for her, Walker noticed that Melanie was always close by but simply allowed Carla to handle things at her own speed after working tirelessly to gain each step.

Now with Sara having chosen her mate, that bedroom was available, so the plan was to have Melanie and her little girl move in full time.

Excited at the prospect, Melanie had readily agreed.

Walker began outfitting that bedroom and the den area off of it, turning it into semi-private living quarters. Doing the work himself meant it was going to be a lengthy process, but it helped to keep his mind occupied.

It would help a lot to have Melanie right there full time, and Walker already filled in with the duty of watching Beth, her little girl while Melanie was gone to her evening classes. There were many joyous times, similar to those he had spent with Sara as she grew up.

Carla was making very rapid progress, she could now walk nearly normally without help, the use of her right arm was returning although it was weak.

But she had never smiled and she seldom spoke until the day of Sara's wedding, other than mumbled attempts at words that Walker had come to understand the meanings of.

The setback had also disrupted the court case against Jonathan, the man who had hurt her so badly. It had become quite clear that the man was insane, a stalker. He had broken into the house when she was alone, and when she had defied him he beat her with no mercy.

Desperate, Carla had wanted it ended to try and save her marriage, but Jonathan would have none of that.

His reaction to her denying him was to strike, lash out in rage.

Carla had fought back furiously, but she ended up lying in her own doorway in a pool of blood.

Only a nosy neighbor that spotted the door standing open saved her life.

Walker had even thought at first that perhaps it would have been for the best had it all just ended there, but then he forced that out of his mind.

It was bad enough that the courts had thrown out the DNA evidence against Jonathan on a previous case due to claims of mishandling, the police were reasonably sure he had been involved in a much earlier murder.

One detective, acting in an over zealous manner? Then confusion due to numerous other cases, and a very long time in the interim?

Broken chain of custody, Tim Herrington had told Walker with an unhappy expression on his face.

That was all it had taken, he never fully understood all of that. Jonathan's guilt was clear, but with no way to present the evidence, that portion of the case was over.

With Carla unable to testify, his lawyer tried to twist all the problems back on Walker.

"Yes or no, did you attack my client with no warning?" He asked Walker once he had taken the witness stand, giving the date when Walker had seen them kiss and exploded.

"Yes, but..." Walker answered. He was instantly interrupted by another question.

Carla was presented as a jealous female, enraged over Jonathan's seeing a different woman. She had managed to injure the man in the struggle, they made that quite clear.

The verdict had come back as guilty, however. The simple fact of the difference in their sizes made the claim of Carla attacking Jonathan ridiculous.

The moment of being pleased at that turned to shock when the Judge sentenced Jonathan to just three years in prison.

Three short years for destroying a life, nearly killing Carla?

Walker sighed and went home, his only good feeling was witnessing Jonathan casting a look of hate his way as he was led off in handcuffs.

+++

Once back home and inside after the wedding, Carla headed for her bedroom on her own. Slowly she had begun to attempt to do more things. The actual smile he had seen on her face at their Daughter's wedding, then again when arriving home pleased him.

She made it to the bedroom door, then turned.

"Sara. She is happa..hap.." The smile flashed again onto her face. Even the hollow sunken spot on her cheek could not hide the obvious smile. The words were actual words, not the sounds and pointing with her left arm that he had become used to.

"Yes, she is happy. She picked a very good young man." Walker stepped up and led her into the bedroom.

"Batt...?" She asked.

"Bath? Sure." Walker went in and started the bathwater. Carla had nearly managed to remove her gown by the time he got back.

He quickly undressed her the rest of the way, then helped her into the bathtub.

This was the hardest part for him. He was now well over full year without being with anyone, and even in what was nearly that long prior his sex life had been spotty at best.

Her affair, the disruptions, make up sex, more disruptions. That had not been a good time in his life. He had tried so hard to recapture the magic that had been there before, but the emotion would not come.

Carla's breasts were still beautiful, the only real change was now her pubic hair was untouched and natural. Even the rather ugly scar on her side that nearly matched his own did not detract from the fact that she was beautiful.

Walker used a soapy washcloth, doing his best to keep himself under control as he cleansed her thoroughly. Carla was showing the obvious signs of a reaction to his touch, she looked up at him with that same familiar look he had seen so many times before.

Once out of the tub and dried off, he helped her over to the bed. She lay back, allowing her legs to part slightly. Ignoring the heated reactions she was giving him, her got her pajamas on and turned the covers back.

He got her into bed, tucked her in, checked the sound monitor.

"Will you stay with me?" Carla asked him softly, as clear as a bell.

Walker just shook his head. Then he went to his own bedroom next door like he had since the day he brought her home from the hospital.

He lay there listening to the quiet sound of her breath on the monitor.

"Love you." He heard her say, again as clear as a bell. He sat bolt upright. Did he just dream that? After a few moments her breath was coming slowly, quietly, so he lay back down.

It was another fitful night.

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Melanie moved in the next week after Sara ans Tim's wedding, Walker took his truck and helped her. That really didn't take long, her little girl Beth had more things to move than Melanie did.

She was now a delightful 6 year old, Walker was very pleased to hear the sounds of her playing, it brought back so many memories.

Just two weeks later Sara and Tim were back from their honeymoon, she looked radiant like always.

"Tim is perfect, Daddy!" She whispered into his ear with a giggle as she hugged him. Then she went into the bedroom to visit with her mother.

Walker was in the kitchen helping Melanie with lunch when Sara came back out.

"Mom is talking much better, when did that start?" She asked.

"The day of your wedding, she began to speak as soon as we got home that night."

"Wow, that is great! Maybe she will really get well?"

"Maybe, honey. We can hope so." Melanie went in to get her, they were back quickly.