Incest Justin Thyme by Callicious

[Ramesh_Rocky]

I don't know why, but I instinctively stood and knelt by her chair and gave her a one-armed hug. "I understand. You've been through a lot lately. We're here for you."

She sniffed and nodded. "Thank you, I'm learning that."

Michael sat in the cafeteria nursing a large glass of milk. His sandwich was long gone, but he didn't want to interrupt family time in Susie's room. He did however need to talk with Mr. and Mrs. Collins about future plans. He would of course accede to their wishes, but he had some ideas he wanted to offer. He hoped they would not want him to stop spending time with Susie. He had really grown attached to her in the last few days, especially as the pain meds were lowered and she was more lucid. He was going to follow through on making sure she got the best care possible, but really hoped he could be a part of it. If they did not want him as part of her life he would bow out gracefully, but it was going to leave a bigger hole than he realized.

He had just about decided they weren't going to come down, and picked up his milk glass to kill it off when the door opened and the Collinses walked in. He stood, out of respect, and waited for them to acknowledge his presence. Mr. Collins gave him a perfunctory nod and they walked toward the order point. Michael sat, waiting to see if they would join him, or if he was being rebuffed. It was strange, but he felt almost as nervous as when he was sixteen and met the parents of his first date. The time seemed interminable, but finally they picked up their food and then came his way. It seemed he could breathe for the first time since they walked into the solarium.

Tom Collins asked, "May we join you?"

"Please." Michael pulled out a chair for Madge and they all sat down.

Tom Collins was ill at ease as he said, "I'm afraid we owe you an apology for the way we treated you upstairs. Please understand our feelings at finding our daughter so badly hurt."

"No sir, no apology is needed. Had I been in your shoes I doubt I would have been as polite as were you two. I really meant it when I asked your forgiveness for the wrong I did your daughter."

Madge spoke up for the first time since they met. "Susan has been singing your praises to the skies. I thank you for what you have done for her. You have behaved yourself admirably, and you have our forgiveness, not that it is needed. From what Susan says you were totally not at fault."

Michael hanged his head. "Perhaps not legally, but I still hold myself responsible for stupidity driving that way." He lifted his head. "Please understand, I had never partaken of alcohol before in my life, and I had no idea what was wrong with me. I just thought I was ill."

Tom put hand on his shoulder. "We do understand. Ben Thompson tried to tell us over the satellite phone, but it was hard for us to take in that far away." His eyes were moist and he had to stop and clear his throat. "Susie is our only child. She means everything to us, and to think of losing her, or having her maimed was more than we knew how to handle. Then when we found you with her and that you had been staying with her caring for her was a bit much for us to take."

"I didn't want her to be alone, and with you gone there was nobody else."

"You must be exhausted, sleeping in that terrible recliner every night!" Madge placed her hand on his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Nobody would have expected that of you!"

"You mistake me. I didn't do it because I thought somebody expected it of me. I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do. I wouldn't have wanted to be alone, and with you unable to return, I thought it was the right thing. By the way, I'm really sorry about messing up your cruise."

"But what about your job? How could you get out of work to do this?"

Michael gave her a little grin, knowing this question would come up. "I don't work." He held up a hand to forestall the next question. "I designed and wrote some software and sold it, and I have written a couple of apps that have done well, so I don't really have to work. I do try to keep myself busy and productive, though, and I'm not a rich layabout or playboy. My time is pretty flexible."

Tom looked at him curiously. "What kind of software? A game or something?"

"Actually, no. It's a technical piece used by stockbrokers and some of their clients. It tracks stocks in their portfolios, following trends and margins and other technical data."

"Really? My broker just talked me into buying some software, but I'm having trouble understanding it well. What is your called?"

Michael named the piece to Tom's amazement. "That's the stuff I just bought! You look a little young to be doing that kind of work. How did you get into that sort of thing?"

"My dad had trouble keeping up with his investments, and was always frustrated with them. I got curious and started with the idea while I was in high school. After I showed it to his broker I ended up writing two forms of it, one for the professional and one for the end user. I sold the rights to the personal 'home' version and licensed the professional version. I'll be happy to help you with yours if you like. I'm actually working on a new version of it that will be a little more user friendly than the first version."