Eddie's Christmas Gift

Eddie's Christmas Gift

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This romance is my submission for the Literotica 2021 Winter Holidays Story Contest. It features an unpleasant medical situation, limited sexual activity and an unusual ending. Consider yourself forewarned. If the sound of this doesn't appeal to you, please feel free to check out the other excellent stories on this site.

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When I came on my evening shift, I found a note from our administrator left in my locker at the Green Oaks Convalescent Center. Normally if there was an issue, she would chat with us in the hallway or call us at our ward station to discuss it. With trembling fingers, I slipped the note from the envelope.

Josephina, please come to my office this evening around five to discuss an important issue. Thank you. J. Sanderson.

This made me very nervous. My name is Josephina, but everyone calls me Josie, so when she used my formal name, it meant something serious was going on. I was able to do my early rounds and pass out the late afternoon meds before I told Samantha she needed to cover for me as Jennifer Sanderson had asked for a meeting.

Once at her door, I paused and tried to keep my heart from beating too loudly; I certainly could hear it. Ms. Sanderson was a nice lady, but she was the boss and the note made me pretty anxious.

"Come in," was the response to my knock. I entered, nodded and sat in a chair which she had pointed out to me. Instead of sitting behind her desk like usual, she sat in a chair close to mine.

"Thanks for coming in, Josephina," she smiled.

"I, uh, excuse me, but you know I go by Josie, Ms. Sanderson."

"Oh, I know you do, but for this conversation, I want to be a bit more formal."

"Am I in trouble?"

"Oh, no," she laughed. "You're in no trouble at all. In fact, you're one of the best employees we've ever had here at Green Oaks. No, I wanted to discuss a very important resident issue with you and I hope you might be able to help out some."

"Phew. You had me kinda nervous there, Ms. Sanderson."

"I see. Well, anyway, I wanted to talk to you about Eddie."

Eddie was a sad, tragic man who lived down at the far end of our long-term wing. He was in his late twenties, not like most of the residents who were seniors. He was involved in a rock-climbing accident about a year earlier. The details were fuzzy, but apparently his climbing partner slipped and his rope pulled free from the metal thingies which held it to the rock. He fell, was instantly killed and pulled Eddie down with him. Eddie landed on his left side destroying his left arm and suffering a major crushing injury to his head, in spite of his helmet. Some other climbers on the same wall called for help and eventually Eddie was flown to the trauma center near us.

He had brain surgery and was in neurosurgical intensive care for over two weeks before he was stable enough for his arm surgery. By the time it was all over, this previously healthy, outdoorsy guy was left paralyzed on his entire right side and his left arm was shattered. It had to be fused in a bent position at the elbow. Once he stabilized, he spent a few months in physical therapy but it was clear he'd never be able to live independently. His speech was severely limited but as best one could tell, his mind still worked OK. He was fitted with a special motorized wheelchair with special controls reachable by the fingers on his damaged arm and he came to Green Oaks to live.

"Oh, is there still a problem with his posters?" I asked.

I knew there had been quite a bit of controversy shortly after he arrived. His friends had brought in some posters of gorgeous women to put up in his room. One featured the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and another was a classic Raquel Welch shot. The one which really caused an uproar was a poster of a young Sports Illustrated woman who had pulled down her wet bikini top and one could almost see her nipples. The bottom was tissue thin and showed off her camel toe, though I hate that term. Some of the female employees claimed his posters made for a 'hostile workplace' but once Ms. Sanderson stepped in, she pointed out that his room was his home and he could decorate it the way he wanted. She did agree to make sure there were no 'nips or naughty bits' showing and the controversy eventually simmered down.

"No, the posters are not a problem. But it is along those lines that I think we may have an issue. Uh, have you talked with Angelica about him?"

Angelica was a bath aide who worked the day shift. She was gorgeous but could be rather coarse at times. She did a good job doing what most people would hate to do: washing and bathing people all day long.

"No, why?"

"Well, Josephina, I want you to keep this in confidence, but I overheard her talking the other day about Eddie's, uh, penis. He apparently keeps getting erect when she is bathing him and she was joking about it to some of the other employees."

"I see. It happened once to me when I was in nursing school. I think it happens to a lot of female nurses."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. But it brings up an issue. Uh, you see, Eddie is a male in his twenties. His hormone system still works. But he can't...uh...do anything about it."

"Yeah, I think I see what you're talking about. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't take care of things, you know, with his one arm all bent up and the other paralyzed."

"Yeah, that's right. So, what do you think we could do about it?"

"I'd move Angelica to the opposite wing. Maybe he's having trouble with her, you know, washing him, since she's so pretty and all."

"I hadn't thought of that," she admitted, "And it might help a little bit. But he's still a male with...uh...needs, I guess I should say."

"Uh-huh," was all I could answer.

"Now, Josephina, I've been watching him and I can see he really likes you."

"Yeah, I guess. He always drives up once I'm on shift to say 'Hi' and we get along well."

"I hear that in the late evenings, if things aren't too busy, you read to him."

"Yeah, I keep a few books for him. I think TV must get really old after a while. I try to pick titles that might interest him. A while back I read some chapters from a book on Mt. Everest. Now I'm reading to him about Yellowstone. Did you know Yellowstone once was a huge volcanic crater, miles across?"

"No," she chuckled, "No, I didn't. So, uh, he seems to enjoy being with you, then?"

"Oh, I think it's because I pay him attention and I read to him. I don't see there being anything more than that."

"That, Josephina, that brings me to the main point of my little discussion today. I'm about to ask you a big favor, but it will be a most unusual one. Can I have your promise to never talk about this discussion, ever?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it, the favor, I mean?"

"OK, I'll just come out and say it. I think Eddie needs some sexual release. And I think nurses need to treat the whole person and not only the disease. So, we need to treat his sexual frustration."

"Uh-huh. And how...?"

"Josephina, how would you feel about helping him with that? You know, giving him some relief?"

"Me?!"

"I know what I'm suggesting violates all kinds of nursing ethics, but his situation is unique and I think we need to look for equally unique solutions for his problem. And that's where you come in."

"You want me to have sex with him?" I almost shouted.

"Please, not quite so loud. The word 'sex' can mean many things and I would only suggest we figure out a way that you could help him, you know, uh, maybe using your hands, you know, masturbation, something like that."

"I see. When would this happen? I mean, I couldn't do it on shift, could I?"

"No, I was thinking since his room is at the end of the hall you could tell the night shift you were leaving and when you got to his room, you could duck in there. Once things were all over, you could slip out and go home."

"I guess that could work," I said with my mind racing.

"One other thing: I couldn't pay you for this as it's something which we can't officially support or document."

"No, I get it. I'd have to consider it volunteer work."

"Just so you understand: this is highly unusual and if anyone were to ever find out, well, you could be in a lot of trouble, even lose your license. That's a risk you will need to consider.

"I know you're quite busy these days," she went on, "What with your classes for your nurse practitioner degree. I think you could spend a little time every now-and-then with him and it shouldn't interfere too much with your schooling."

"Maybe I could 'visit' him," I suggested, using little rabbit ears, "On nights when I wasn't working the next day. And I know I'd have to be very careful."

"Josephina, I tell you what. Why don't you figure it out? You're the nurse and I'm not, so you decide what to do, how to do it, how often, you know. You be in charge. And, of course, I'll have to pretend this conversation never happened, just like you will."

"Ms. Sanderson, I'm not sure I'm willing to do this, so give me some time to think about it. I'll let you know in a week or so, OK? I'll give you a sign: thumbs up or down and you'll know what it means."

"That sounds good. And I want to thank you for all you've done for Green Oaks. I know already I'll miss you once you've got your degree and go into practice. And thanks for considering helping Eddie." She got up and escorted me to the door and gave me a quick, little handshake before closing the door behind me.

By the time I got to the ward, I was a total wreck. I knew Eddie would be there at some point in the evening. He usually came by right after dinner and then again towards the end of my shift when I would read to him, if I wasn't too busy. I kept my head down and did a lot of paperwork until the nurses' aides reported that everyone had been fed and their trays had been collected. I spent the next bit of time passing the late evening meds and once I was back at the nurses station, I heard the whine of Eddie's wheelchair coming up the hall. Suddenly I was super nervous, my heart began to pound and I could feel my cheeks flush.

"Ah, Hi, Cho," Eddie greeted me. He had trouble pronouncing Josie, or even Jo, and so I learned to respond to 'Cho.'

"Hey, Eddie, how you doing?"

"'Kay."

"Was dinner OK?"

"Yeah, 'ood."

"I'm glad to hear that. It looks like I'll have some time later to read to you. Interested?"

"Yeah."

"OK, come back in an hour or so."

"'Kay," he said as he turned back to his room.

A few seconds later Samantha scooted her chair over next to mine. She laughed quietly and whispered, "He's so into you, Josie."

"Oh, he is not. He just likes it when I read interesting things to him."

"Maybe, but he still likes you," she giggled before she sang softly, "Josie's got a boyfriend, Josie's got a boyfriend."

"Oh, shut the fuck up," I jokingly responded, knowing Sam could be rather crude herself at times. She laughed at me even more until I begged her to stop. "Sam, really, just be nice to poor Eddie. He's a nice guy and I'm trying to make his life a little bit better."

"Yeah, I know. You're so easy to tease and look at you; you even blushed a tiny bit under that beautiful skin of yours."

I do blush fairly easily; I have my entire life. Fortunately, my skin is kinda dark and hides most blushing pretty well. My mom is from Chile and is quite dark skinned. She was an exchange student at my dad's high school when they started going out together. Once she returned home, they kept in touch and after his sophomore year in college, he traveled to Chile to visit her. They still liked each other and her dad, a fairly tough Latino, seemed OK with his daughter dating the gringo. She decided to go to his college in the US and, as they say, the rest is history.

My brother and I have skin which looks like a smooth, even tan. Since my hair is light brunette, almost a dirty blonde, people assume I've spent time at the beach or the tanning salon and don't realize it's due to my mom's influence. My mom also gave me a nice figure. I wish I could be a little taller than my five foot three, but I got her nice boobs, if I say so myself. I easily fill a C cup and depending on the brand, sometimes I fit a D cup. The girls stand out proud, but of course I wear modest clothes and bras when I'm at work or school. If I could find one fault with my appearance (and what girl doesn't?), it would be that my butt is too big. I watch what I eat but I am a living example of 'Once through the lips and forever on the hips.'

About an hour after Sam's teasing, I heard Eddie coming up the hall. I had finished all of my routine chores and was sitting at the desk answering call lights and the phone. By this hour all the older residents were in snoozesville and I usually used the time to study or to read to Eddie.

"Hey, Eddie, here for your date?" laughed Samantha.

"Wha'?"

"Oh, Eddie, she's just teasing you. Still interested in Yellowstone? There's a whole chapter on a guy named Colter who was the first white guy to see the geysers. His traveling buddies didn't believe him. So, you wanna hear about him?"

"Yeah, 'lease."

"Well, since you said 'please,' I guess we'll get started." I picked up the book and read to him about Colter's Hell, as they first called Yellowstone. Eddie paid attention and seemed to understand what I was telling him. I had talked to his doctor one time and he pointed out that with strokes and some brain injuries, some people lose the ability to speak well but can still understand what is said to them and he said Eddie was in that situation. And it made me so mad when people, including some of our staff, would treat him like he was mentally handicapped. He simply couldn't talk well.

After about forty-five minutes, my shift was just about up and Eddie needed to get to bed. Two aides took him to his room to help him into bed while I wrapped things up and checked out to the night crew. On my way out of the building, I slipped into Eddie's room to see how easy it might be.

His room was dark with a faint light from his clock. He stirred a bit and looked at me.

"Cho?"

"Yeah, Eddie, it's me. Just wanted to say 'good night' to you.

"'Kay. 'ite."

"See you tomorrow." I turned, cracked open his door and looked up the hall. There was no one there and I easily slipped out of his room and through the outside door.

All the way to my apartment I kept thinking about what Ms. Sanderson had proposed. I felt sorry for Eddie, I really did, and I liked Eddie a lot. He was way closer to my age than all the rest of the residents and he always seemed to smile, even given what had happened to him. But there was a big gap between liking someone and getting them off, which is what she had proposed. I wasn't a prude. I'd had sex, even great sex, but for the previous couple of years I had been so busy with work and grad school that I avoided guys all together. It's kinda funny I was able to do without guys when I needed to. I let my mind wander and thought about what Eddie might have been like, you know, before his accident. I could tell he had been an attractive guy and his face still was ruggedly handsome. The rest of his body was a mess, however. As I pulled up to my apartment, I realized I had been thinking about him from a sexual angle. And to top it off, I was a tiny bit wet. 'Where did that come from?' I silently asked myself.

After settling into bed, I knew I was too tired to study anymore, so I pulled out a romance novel for my bedtime reading. There was a particularly racy scene which got me all horny so I pulled out my trusty vibrator. I may have been able to do without guys, but a girl needs a release sometimes, doesn't she? After a while, I had a nice little 'O' and was able to drift off to sleep.

The next day in class, I found it hard to concentrate. I kept thinking about Eddie and what I was going to do. To top it off, our last class of the morning was a session on human sexuality which made me think about Eddie even more. The prof was an edgy lesbian who pushed the idea that sex for simple relief was acceptable as long as no one got hurt. However, she did encourage us to counsel our patients the best sex was with someone special, you know, a committed partner or a spouse.

Once I finished the class, I rushed to the library to put in a few hours of studying before I went back to work. At Green Oaks I walked in and Ms. Sanderson was standing by my nurses station. She caught my eye and raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner. I barely shrugged my shoulders letting her know I'd not made up my mind yet.

That night was more hectic than the night before and I was too busy to read to Eddie. He seemed to take it quite well when I told him I wasn't available. Even so he parked his wheelchair right next to the station and watched all of us until it was time for him to go to bed. On my way out I hesitated slightly before slipping in his room.

"Hey, Eddie. I came to say good-night."

"'Ank 'ou, Cho."

"Sorry we couldn't read tonight. Maybe we can again soon. OK?"

"'Kay."

I don't know what came over me but I suddenly found myself leaning over him and giving him a tiny kiss on his forehead.

"Night, Eddie, sleep tight," I whispered as I slipped out the door.

I was off work for the next two days, two days I needed for studying. It would be fair to say that my mind wasn't one hundred percent on my classes. I kept wondering about him and if I would be able to help him like Ms. Sanderson wanted me to. On the second night I wrapped up the studying around nine pm and poured myself a glass of wine. I truly wanted to go out on my deck where I enjoy listening to the night when I'm having a drink, but it was October and way too cold. I turned out all the lights, pulled open the shade and stared off into the distance. Half way through my wine, I had my answer: I would help Eddie. I would go into his room and help him climax. I figured a squirt of lube and some hand action would go a long way to relieving him and it wouldn't 'cost' me anything. I could do it privately and only Ms. Sanderson would have an inkling of what was going on. Once I finished my wine, I found myself smiling as I thought about what it would mean to him.

The next day I caught Ms. Sanderson's eye and gave her a tiny nod with a little smile. She raised her eyebrows as if asking me if I was sure so I gave her the tiniest 'thumbs up' signal that I could. She nodded her head in acknowledgement and went back to her office.

Several days later was the day. I had the next two days off and I knew I would visit Eddie that night after I finished with my shift. He came up to the nurses station as usual in the late evening.

"Cho!"

"Hi, Eddie, you OK?"

"Kay."

"Good. Say Eddie, I'm kinda busy this evening and I don't think I can read tonight. Sorry."

He looked a little sad so I teased him, "You won't hate me forever, will you?"

"No, no! 'ike 'ou!"

"I know you like me, Eddie, I'm just teasing. Maybe when I get back in a few days I can read some more to you. I'll look for something fun to read, like maybe about spies or something. OK?"

"Kay. 'ank 'ou."

He turned his chair around and went down to his room. I felt a slight blush on my cheeks as I thought about what we'd be doing later that night. It actually hadn't been that super busy so I casually suggested to Sam she could head out a few minutes early. She was thrilled and I was pleased she wouldn't hang around talking to me as I left. I slipped some surgical lubricant and tissues into my purse right before the night shift nurse and aide came on duty.

I told them a little bit about two residents' issues, gathered my things and turned to head down the hall with my heart pounding in my chest. As I got to his room, I glanced back to see no one was in the hall. I slipped through his door and locked it behind me.