Wide Open

A shiver roused Maureen from her slumber. Squinting in the dark, her eyes landed on the numbers displayed on her clock radio, glowing in their hideous red. It was only 3:24 in the morning. What the hell? thought Maureen.

Another chilly gust of wind danced over her bare arms. Maureen realized the window must be open. "Derek," she mumbled, "would you close the window?" The shifting and rocking of her bedfellow both annoyed her and made her grateful, and the sound of the window sliding back down into place soon followed.

Maureen felt an arm wrap around her from behind. A hand moved her hair away, and a pair of lips began to dot the back of her neck with kisses. She giggled, eyes still closed, and leaned into the affections being laid upon her. Her lover's hand moved slowly down her stomach to her pelvis. It finally came to rest between her thighs and began to gently stroke the soft, moist flesh it found there. Maureen let a low moan escape as the pleasure overtook her. Half in and half out of a dreamlike state, she found the encounter ecstatic.

She felt her partner roll her gently onto her back and slowly open her legs. The kisses, once belonging to her neck, now trailed down her abdomen before finally finding her most intimate parts. There, they became more and more intense, giving way to her lover's tongue. Maureen shivered, letting the rhythm of her partner's laps carry her into another plane. Colors and sensations danced and merged, dissolving into and out of one another until, finally, a satisfying explosion sent her careening into space. The feeling was almost religious, out of this world.

As Maureen let herself sail, she drifted softly back into a peaceful sleep. She did not wake again until a ray of warm sunshine crept across her eyelids. Once again, she looked over at her clock radio, which now displayed the much more reasonable time of 8:40. So, with eyes barely open, Maureen gently moved the arm that lay across her abdomen, rose to her feet, and hurried into the bathroom. There, she showered and put on her dressing gown before hurrying into the kitchen for her morning coffee. All this she did while humming merrily and savoring the memory of the night before.

She was quite impressed with Derek, she had to admit. He wasn't normally one for spontaneous early-morning lovemaking, and never before had he excited her so much, so quickly. She decided that, to show her appreciation, his favorite breakfast was in order. She grabbed the eggs from the refrigerator and was just about to crack the first into a bowl when she heard the front door open. Strange, she thought, somewhat alarmed by sound. Having no earthly idea who it could be, she hurried to the hall.

There stood Derek in his blue scrubs. He carried a large duffel bag on one shoulder. His expression was the picture of pure exhaustion. "Good lord," he said. "What a night!" He let the bag fall onto a nearby chair before smiling sweetly and approaching his wife. "Good morning, baby," he said, and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

"Derek?" Maureen blinked in confusion. "I thought you were.... Weren't you upstairs?"

Derek's eyes narrowed. "No, I got called to the hospital early this morning."

A wave of burning horror washed over Maureen. She began to shiver as her scalp and limbs flashed hot, then cold. "How early?" she asked.

"I left at three o'clock," said Derek. He tilted his head and made a careful study of his wife's face. "Why? What's wrong?"

Without giving him an answer, Maureen raced upstairs. Derek followed close behind, asking again and again for some kind of explanation. What they found in the bedroom dropped Maureen to her knees and made her wretch.

The room was just as Maureen had left it, except that the bed was empty and the window stood wide open.