This choice: Your dad tells you about Stephanie's past and what she did for a living. • Go Back...Chapter #6Your dad tells you about Stephanie's past a... by: CassieG   "Dad?" You manage to whisper when you wake again at last. Outside the window the sky has darkened from midday blue to the orange touched purple of sunset.
"I'm here son," he said, setting a hand on your non-injured leg. "Would you like me to get you something? They left a bucket of ice, I could get you some water with it."
"Please," you croak. The doctors from earlier are gone, leaving you to wonder if it was all a terrible dream. The accident surely wasn't, and you could feel the casts immobilizing your left wrist and ankle, along with a dull ache in your left side. Thankfully, the doctors had been kind enough to leave the majority of the IVs and monitoring equipment on your left arm, making it relatively easy for you to take the small plastic cup from your father and sip at the icy cold water it contained. Sitting upright enough to sip at the water brought a small twinge from your ribs, but you felt oddly proud at managing the simple act of drinking by yourself. "Thank you," you manged, less feebly than before.
"Look, son, we need to talk, and visiting hours are almost over. I need to get home to your brother and sister soon, but I wanted to talk to you before I went home. I know you're pretty tired, so just relax and listen okay sport?"
You nodded, worried about what he could have to say. There was no way that your befuddled mind could be remembering correctly, that your mother had died and another woman's brain had been placed in her body. None the less, your mind jumped exactly there, remembering the two doctors saying that this woman would take over your mother's life. It couldn't be...
"It's about your mother son," your father continued, beginning to pace across the room, clearly agitated. "I want you to know... I begged them to try to save her. They said they thought she had less than one chance in a million, but I screamed at them that she was that one," he cut off, drawing a deep shuddering breath. "Your mother was such a strong woman... she always took such good care of all of us. I... I don't know how we'll get along without her."
"Dad," you said, better able to speak now that your mouth and throat didn't resemble coarse sand paper. "We're tough, we'll figure it out," you continued, feeling the need to comfort your father even as his own fears echoed in your heart. Your father had carried the family financially for your entire life, working hard and becoming a successful businessman. His work kept him on the road nearly half the year, but the deals he struck for his company were measured int he millions and tens of millions of dollars, and his salary and bonuses reflected that. Your mother had never needed to work, but with him gone so long, she had been the glue that held the family together. How would you live with out her?
"There's more though son," your father continued, staring out the window at the setting sun. "The doctors... that Saunders and the other fellow, they came to me when I was holding your sister's hand after they told us that your mother hadn't survived the operation. They asked if we would allow them to use her body for a radical experimental procedure to save another life.They told me that we would have to decide quickly because they had no other donor and that the other woman was dieing. You have to understand, I didn't know what they were doing when I said yes... I just thought that your mother gives so much, she would want to help one more person, one more time."
"She was that kind of person dad," you said quietly from your bed.
"She was. But now they ruined all that," your father said, anger creeping into his voice. "Son, we can't tell anyone, but this... Stephanie woman... they put her brain in your mother's body. They want us to pretend like she's your mother, they're going to make her pretend to be your mother to avoid scandal and to let us have a 'normal life.' Sure, it will keep the media away from us, but how can we have a normal life with that.... that .... woman defiling your mother's body."
"Dad... I don't understand..."
"This Stephanie Burke... they call her 'Amber Nights,'" your dad continued, now pacing in front of the window with an angry stride. You tried not to show any sign that you recognized the name. You knew that your father, and your brother David for that matter, were pretty straight laced. Hell, your father had been more proud when your brother became an altar boy at the church than when you had made the varsity soccer team this year. But Amber Nights.... Amber Nights pictures probably accounted for a third of the naughty images saved to your laptop hard drive, and you had at least three of her appearances in magazines stuffed under your mattress at home. Your father's pacing stopped as he slammed a fist down on the counter. "Son, she's a whore. Oh, they have all sorts of nice words for what she did: 'Adult Entertainer' and 'Erotic Actress,' but I don't care what you call it, a whore is a whore, and now this whore is wearing your mother's body!"
"Dad," you said very carefully. "Have you, um, have you met her yet? Have you talked to her?"
"No, they've said they had tests to run and they wanted to make sure they got her up to speed before the 'shock' of meeting us. But, I can't stay any longer, I have to go home and take care of your brother and sister tonight, and then I have to get on a plane to Chicago. I'll be back in a week, not more than ten days. But.... you're going to be the man of the house while I'm gone. The doctors think you're going to be recovered enough to go home before I get back, and David can drive you if he needs to, you don't have to rely on that woman. When I get back, we'll work things out, but for now, hang tough okay?"
"Okay dad," you said, feeling amazingly drained by the conversation. Your mother was dead, and now your favorite porn star was going to take over her life? Darkness beaconed, calling you back to sleep and the notion that maybe all of this was still a dream.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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