Incest/Taboo Miracle Cream

"I like a challenge, Cory; sooner or later, you will speak to me, I know it, you know it, you're just being stubborn, and that's quite alright," Delilah said, lightly patting Cory's right forearm. "You've had to protect yourself for so long; being defensive is the only thing you know when faced with confrontation. Attacking those that are here to help you is another sign who's had to protect himself constantly from attacks. So, you do the only thing you know how to keep yourself safe, attack. It's a natural reaction for people that've suffered through this. We'll address this as well." She was waiting for his rebuttal, yet all she was met with was absolute silence on Cory's part. So, it seemed to her he was enforcing his mutism early.

"Cory," squeezing his forearm, "she's only trying to help," Celeste said, in a soft tone.

"Who is she trying to help here? I didn't ask for help, did you?" Cory asked, with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes, I did," Celeste nodded.

"Then you deal with her; this is on you, not me."

"We," Celeste emphasized, "will be dealing with her together," putting her foot down.

"So what I want means nothing?"

"When it's hurting, our chances to repair what we took for granted," Celeste said, not hiding the hurt from her eyes that Cory would throw this all away. "Please, Cory, I know you're upset about last night. I get that time with Jessica is important to you, given her upcoming departure from your life. I'm sorry you're going to be losing a friend soon, truly I am. Yet, can't you see they couldn't have known that. That taking it out on them isn't right, since you've never made it known that she was there to see you..."

"That should have been obvious," Cory spat.

"Granted, they should have, but they let their hormones blind them. Haven't you ever done that?" Celeste asked, lightly rubbing her thumb along his forearm. "Or are you saying that you're the most perfect of individuals on the planet?" A smile appeared on her lips as once again Cory became speechless when he couldn't refute her words. "People make mistakes, some small, some so large that they fail to see the damage it caused before it's far too late to stop it. Yet, they admitted their mistake and apologized."

"An apology from you all means little to me," Cory stated coldly.

"I can understand that, Cory," nodding along, "we haven't given you much confidence in our words over the years for you to blindly trust them. Yet, can you not forgive them, not about the past five years, just last night, given how they didn't know about Jessica's situation."

"I... fine, whatever," Cory said, blowing his mother off.

What could be said after that would never be known as the doctor who oversaw Cory knocked on the door to his room. Who had them leave the room while she looked over Cory before she discharged him.

"Your blood pressure has stabilized; your vitals look good. I don't see a reason to keep you here overnight." Cory tried to remember where he's seen the woman before as she wrote something in his chart.

"Have we met before?" Cory asked, as he examined her with his good eye.

"We have." The smack of his palm on his forehead was loud in the room when the woman smiled.

"How could I forget that smile? It's rather stunning. Do forgive me."

"This time," she teased, "but I expect you to remember me next time you come in. So, Mr. Miller, care to explain how you found yourself in this situation?" she asked, her eyes ran over his wounds.

"Got into a fight down at the beach. Would you believe it was three on one? Took two down, one of them landed on top of a jellyfish. You should have seen him prancing around," Cory chuckled, then his gaze turned dark. "Then the ring leader stabbed me, lost my spleen. Poor little guy, never had a chance," he sniffled. The corners of his lips lifting at the sound of her giggle.

"How's your hand doing?"

"It hurts, but at least I can feel my finger!" Cory exclaimed with a wide, happy smile.

"Oh? Was something wrong with it?" she asked, opening up his file again. "Ah. I see. An ulnar nerve reattachment. That must have been one helluva fight to cause it to sever like it did."

"Must have been the uppercut I landed on one of his goons. How I got the broken knuckles."

"Could you not have talked or walked away from the fight?" she asked; she wasn't one that advocated for violence.

"Yeah, that wasn't going to happen; it was either that or watch them Ra*e my sisters. I'm an ass, but not that low of a douche to let that happen."

"Really?!"

"Oh, yeah," Cory nodded vigorously. "From what I understand, the police raided their place, found tons of evidence of their crimes."

"Oh my," she gasped, placing her fingers lightly over her lips. "I'm sure your sisters are very proud of you for not given them what they wanted."

"Probably," Cory uttered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, do try not to injure yourself anymore; I would rather see you on the street than laying in one of my beds," she said, with a warm, friendly smile on her lips. "By the way, how are your ribs doing?"

"You know, this," gesturing to this chest, "does not hurt as much as those damn things did. But at least they're about the only thing on or in my body that isn't hurting right at this moment. Although, I wonder if I get one of those cards, and do I get a prize on my tenth visit?!" Cory spoke with a friendly smile.

"That happens on your third visit," she joked along.

"Dang, and I was really looking forward to that free CAT scan too." Seeing her biting her lower lip to contain her chuckle.

"I'll get your discharge papers started. If you need to come back to the ER, I normally work the morning shifts in case you need or want a doctor who's familiar with your medical history."

His deep lime green eye ran over her name tag that was pinned on her doctor's coat, "I'll keep that in mind, Dr. Cooper. Any relation to D.B. Cooper?" Cory joked, cocking a smirk.

"Shh, he's my dad, don't go spreading it about," Dr. Cooper stated in a low whisper, holding her finger to her lips with a smile on her face. "Eat light, if you eat at all tonight," she said, patting his leg before heading off to fill out his discharge papers.

Lifting the sheet, seeing how he was nude once again on a hospital bed. Wondering... turning his head when Cassy walked back in. With his shorts, a new shirt, and his shoes in hand, and closed the door.

"Sorry, Cory, but we couldn't save your shirt, hospital policy about blood-borne pathogens. But we were able to save your shorts," Cassy said, as she walked towards him.

"They better be reimbursing me. I loved that shirt," Cory huffed.

"Really?"

"No, that was sarcasm."

"Oh."

"Still would it kill them not to destroy my wardrobe?" Cory grumbled as Cassy helped him into his shirt.

"I am truly sorry about last night. I had no idea she was leaving or that you needed your friend then. If..."

"If and buts won't change what's happened, Cass," Cory stated, cutting her off.

"I'll make sure it won't happen again," Cassy said, in a firm tone.

"You shouldn't make promises that you can't keep. You see a pretty girl, you become like a guy in a way, tunnel vision," Cory said, as she pulled up his shorts as he slid off the bed.

"Can't help it, Cory," feeling her cheeks reddening, "it's just in my nature," Cassy said, tying a tight but loose knot in the drawstring. "Now sit back down, and I'll put your shoes on. So is she really leaving?"

"Yep, her mother isn't too happy about it either," Cory uttered as she tied his right shoe.

"I'm sorry to hear that; I'm sure she's a wonderful friend to have," Cassy said, peering up, trying not to gaze up the leg of his shorts to spy upon that rod of his.

"She is," Cory agreed.

"I hope the two of you can stay in contact with one another. A friendship shouldn't end because one of you was forced to move to the other side of the country."

"Me too, but you never know. She might forget about me with all that glamour in SoCal," Cory said, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I doubt that, Cory, even when you're being an ass, you leave an impression on people that isn't easily forgotten," Cassy said, sitting down next to him once she had finished tying his shoes.

"Oh?"

"It's true," Cassy nodded. "You know, Mom only takes new patients on referrals now. She's taken a liking to you, not because of what you have swinging between your legs because she knows what it's like to be in your shoes. Mom was angry for a long time too. You have no idea how many times, my dad put her in the hospital. It's not even funny," she said, her tone took a dark hue to it as she reminisced her childhood. "I tried to stop him, but I was just a little girl. He's kind of the reason I'm more into the ladies than men." Seeing him listening to every word she spoke.

"And where is he now?"

"Don't know and don't fucking care. The moment Mom, with the encouragement of her friends and especially my grandfather, who was there to keep that ass from doing anything, threw him out, I haven't heard a word from him. Not that I'm expecting to hear anything from that narcissistic dick," blowing out a breath so as not to get herself riled up, "but a part of me still loves him, he is my dad, but that's about all he'll ever get from me. Like I know there is still a part of you that loves them. I have no clue what went on between you and your family, and I'm not trying to tell you what to do or anything of that sort. Yet, Zoe is really hurt," placing a hand on his left arm, "I know she's hurt you, along with the others. But at least try to put the past behind you all."

"Let me ask you if I went out and found your daddy, and brought him here, and forced you and your mother into the same room and told you to make nicey nice with him. Wouldn't you bite my head off and put it on a stake and tell me to go fuck myself for interfering in your private life?" Cory asked, with a pointed look. "Because that's basically the same damn thing you and your mother are telling me to do."

"I... can see where you're coming from," Cassy reluctantly admitted. "Yeah, Mom would probably flip out and beat you with a chair until only the stub of the chair remained. But they aren't like my father; my father only cared about one thing, himself, and whether or not we made him look good in public. If we didn't, I got the belt; Mom got the beating. I'm not telling you to break out the good china and have morning tea with them, just offer them that olive branch to show them that while yes, you're hurt and very disappointed in them for their past actions, that if you all work together, you all can build on it to at least be somewhat of a family again," she said, as Cory turned his attention away from her in deep thought.

"Wouldn't do morning tea, anyway. That's specially reserved for the Mad Hatter and his cohorts."

"As long as he isn't offering you a cracker to quench your thirst," Cassy replied, seeing the left corner of Cory's lips lifting from her position.

"True, his tea is rather rubbery, he tends to bake at high heat, and I quote: 'Of course you're here, in my- sanctum sanctorum. You always have been. You always will be. You're the Nonsense in my head that mustn't be ignored. You're the piece of me that maddens everyone, my sister the most' that's his saying on a good day," Cory said, playing along.

"And if it isn't?" Cassy asked, leaning in.

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" Cory said, quoting the Mad Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass.

"He's quite mad, isn't he?" Cassy asked, with a smile on her lips.

"Indubitably so," Cory nodded. "But all the best ones are." Looking over at her when she laughed along and lightly bumped his shoulder.

"Cory, can we come in?" Celeste asked, knocking on the door as she pushed it open slightly.

"Only if you brought crumpets to sit on, with tea to eat, and the musical sounds of the mushrooms. Now, where is that cracker? I'm rather parched."

"W-what?!" Celeste stammered, unsure how to even respond to that. Sighing loudly, "I must find my hatter for this place is quite mad," Cory spoke, shaking his head in sorrow. "I'm going to give you a sentence, a full sentence with a noun and a verb and a possible agitate. I don't like all these judges running around with their half-baked sentences, that's how you get salmonella poisoning."

"Yes, yes but you would have to be half-mad to dream me up," Dayana quoted, knowing exactly what he was saying. It was, after all, still her favorite book to read.

"There is a place, like no place on earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger. Some say, to survive it, you need to be as mad as a hatter. Which, luckily, I am," Cory retorted.

"Ah, you do not appear to be Alice, Mister Hatter," Dayana said, with a smirk on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes.

"Of course not, but this is a dream that's not reality, who's to say which is which?" Cory replied, noting how their mother glanced at the two of them as they bantered back and forth.

"I didn't know you've read those books?!" Dayana exclaimed excitedly.

"How could I not? We're all mad here. One has to learn from the best; why not the Mad Hatter?" Cory asked, with an arched eyebrow.

"Well then, I best keep you away from any looking-glasses," Dayana said, with a stern but jovial nod.

"The horror you speak!"

"Just what are the two of you talking about?!" Celeste asked, with a rather perturbed look on her face for being left out.

"Cory's been quoting the Mad Hatter, from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass," Dayana answered, looking over at her mother. "I just didn't know you knew that book so well."

"One could say the same to the one before me."

"I love those books; why didn't you tell me?" Dayana asked, even though she knew the reason.

"One does not willingly offer their head to the Red Queen," Cory said, keeping to his premise of being the Hatter's apprentice.

"I am not; I am the Queen of White; I'll have you know, good sir," Dayana said, turning up her nose as she played along.

"Your head doesn't look that small to me," Cory spoke, causing Dayana to snort.

"That's a good one," Dayana giggled. Glad to see that his anger had passed for the moment, and this side of her brother had surfaced.

"Tally ho!" Cory commanded once he was settled into the wheelchair as Dayana pushed him towards the elevator.

"Do you think you'll need me for the rest of the evening?" Cassy asked, once they walked out of the front entrance of the hospital.

"Nah, I think I'll probably crash when I get home. It's rather disconcerting having so many fettling with one's innards without the courtesy of buying a boy a drink beforehand," Cory replied as Dayana held the wheelchair steady as he rose.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I took Zoe out?" Cassy asked, seeing the bashful look appearing on her face as she said that.

"You better bring the carriage then and make sure those glass slippers fit; I'd rather not hear she had to chop off her toes," Cory said, referencing The Brothers Grim tale.

"Just what kind of books are you reading?!" Cassy asked; she had never heard that version of Cinderella before.

"The original versions, so much better than the ones altered to placate parents of the gore in the original fairy tales," Cory said, hearing Dayana whispering to their mother.

"You'll have to lend me your copy because I've never heard that version before," Cassy said, with a friendly smile.

"Didn't know Pixies could read, who knew?!" Cory spoke, seeing Cassy's eyes widen and luster at the word.

"We're magic, so there!"

"Magic, huh? I'll have to learn some counter spells then, just can't have a Pixie Queen marching into my room whenever..."

"Cory, are you alright?" Celeste asked, catching her son as he doubled over in pain.

"Y... yeah, think whatever they gave me finally worn off," Cory grunted through the pain.

"Then let's get you home," Celeste stated, holding him close, to which he nodded along.

"I'll help you get him to your car," Cassy said, moving to his free side, helping to shoulder his weight.

"Awful strong for a Pixie."

"Have to be I have a grumpy dwarf that makes life rather... difficult," Cassy retorted; her left eye glanced at him from the corner of it.

"You know the dwarfs ate Snow White; why do you think we don't talk?"

"They did not?!" A look of horror appeared on Cassy's face remembering the pictures that lined their family photo album of her in Snow White's dress.

"Afraid so," Cory lied, in truth, in the Grim fairy tales, the Prince raped Snow White in her slumber. He particularly didn't care for that version of the fairy tale.

"Liar, I know your lying," Cassy said, defending her childhood fable.

"You sure about that?"

"Definitely," Cassy nodded sternly.

"Well, it's better than the truth, at least in my version, Snow White wasn't raped in it by Prince Charming," Cory stated, seeing his mother's head snapping towards him like it was news to her.

"Cory? That isn't true, is it?" Celeste asked, recounting how she would read that story to her daughters when they were very young.

"Afraid so, The Brothers Grimm didn't sugar coat their stories," Cory said, breathing hard as his chest and hand throbbed painfully.

"Well, I don't think I like that story," Celeste grumbled.

"Me either," Cory agreed.

"I'll pick you up at nine," Cassy cooed as they lingered in each other's arms while Dayana and Celeste helped Cory into the back seat of his mother's car.

"Okay, I'll be ready," Zoe said, with a smile on her lips as she pulled away from Cassy. Rolling her eyes as her brother uttered an 'Ew' as they kissed.

"You better have your Pixie shot?! There's no telling what you might catch..." The loud swish of the door as it closed, and the latch fell into place silenced Cory's banter.

"That's so much better, now where were we?" Cassy asked, before passionately kissing Zoe once again.

"Rather rude of you," Cory stated once Zoe slid in beside their mother in the passenger seat. "You ruined a perfectly good jest!"

"Shut up, you goof," Zoe said, seeing her mother holding her phone over her right shoulder to Cory.

"Call your father, Cory; he was wanting to talk to you once you woke up," Celeste said, feeling her phone being pulled out of her grasp.

"Where's mine, by the way?" Cory asked, knowing his was in his shorts at the time.

"In my purse, do you need it?" Celeste uttered, starting her car as she peered at her son in the rearview mirror.

"Not unless I got texts while I was out."

"Not that I saw."

"Then no, I don't; it can wait. Don't really feel like talking much anyway," Cory said, looking over as Dayana lightly rubbed his shoulder.

"Here, I'll dial for you," Dayana whispered as she noted how much his hands were trembling due to the pain he was in.

"Thanks," Cory muttered when she handed the phone back to him.

"You're welcome," Dayana said sweetly, lightly brushing her fingers through his hair.

"Hey, Cory, how are you feeling?" Jairo asked, once he answered his phone. He's been waiting for this call ever since his wife called him in tears to inform him that their son was back in the hospital.

"Like someone been fettling around with my insides," Cory replied, resting his left hand on his chest as he breathed hard.

"Ah, I can understand that son, three surgeries in four days does take a lot out of a person. How's your hand? I heard they went ahead and did the surgery while you were under. Did it help?"

"It's alive?!" Cory spoke, mimicking Dr. Frankenstein, hearing his father's chuckle over the line.

"I'm glad to hear the surgery went well."

"Yeah, I have to find some war buddies, so we can compare scars," Cory joked.

"You sure you're okay, son?" Jairo asked, concerned as he heard the pain in Cory's voice.

"Nope."

"Well, you rest when you get home. Don't put too much stress on yourself if you can help it."

"Tell that to Mom. She's rather insatiable," Cory said, hearing his mother huff from the front seat.

"True, she can be. Do you need me to have a word with her?"

"Nah, I think I can handle it."

"Alright, I love you, son. You call me if something happens, okay?"

"Sure."

"Hand me back to your mother," Jairo directed, knowing that was the second time that his son hadn't responded to that statement.

"Here, he wants to talk to you," Cory said, placing the phone in the palm of his mother's hand.

"Hey, honey?! No, they didn't; it wore off before I could get him home. I'm going as legally fast as I can. I know, can't help it. You saw it. It's magnificent!" Her eyes flickered towards the rearview mirror as Cory pressed his head against the back of the seat, trying to will the pain away. "I'll try, but you aren't here to take my frustration out on. Jairo?! You naughty man you!" Celeste giggled at the very lewd words Jairo whispered into her ear. "Hold on. Cory, are you hungry?"

"No. I Don't think I can eat anything right now," Cory said, in a pain filled wince.

"But you're going to need to eat something to take your meds," Celeste said, in a motherly tone. "How about an order of just chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A?"

"Alright, you talked me into it," Cory spoke, smacking his lips. He could never turn down Chick-fil-A.

"Okay, let me pick up some dinner for him and get him home. Love you too, baby, call me when you get to your motel room," Celeste said into her phone before shutting it off.

With their meals tucked between Zoe's thighs to keep warm, their drinks, minus Cory's, were tucked neatly and securely into their cup holders. Celeste headed off for home. A home she hoped they could repair so her son never ever felt like leaving it again.
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