The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Perfection Unchained

(by S.B.)

5 — Protective

Albert sat by the cold hospital bed, clawed hands on his lap, sunken eyes refusing to see anything other than the mid-seventies intubated man that had been a major driving force in his life. Albert Wendell Sr. had given him both his name and more headaches than he could remember. Genuine life lessons had been few, the most striking one being not repeating his mistakes when growing up, a test that, despite all the hardships, he had passed with flying colors.

Their relationship was strained from the start. When young Albert was born, his parents had already convinced themselves they would never have another child again. Two was the limit, but the third didn’t know that. Despite unwanted, strong religious beliefs saved him from pre-natal extinction, probably the only time God—or at least, the idea of such a Supreme Being—was truly on his side. Still, opening his eyes to the world didn’t make his childhood any easier.

During the first six years of his troubled youth, Albert had to endure constant reminders of his “accidental” nature, the love he hoped for, replaced by the bitter resentment of having yet another mouth to feed. Despite not agreeing with their father at all, neither Thomas nor Samantha did much to ease his pain of being looked upon as a human-shaped parasite, and the dreadful state of affairs only took a turn for the better when another accident came to be.

Unlike what happened to him, they always saw Bethany as a miracle. Born with Atrioventricular Septal Defect, a medical condition in which there are holes between the chambers of the right and left sides of the heart, and the valves that control the flow of blood between them may not form correctly, she had to undergo several surgeries at a tender age. The interventions were risky, but she had the soul of a warrior and the perseverance to fight for a better and healthy life. While a complete cure of the problem proved impossible, the steps taken were the right ones and she pulled through. Her fragile, yet unrelenting existence gave Albert a fresh perspective on things as well. He was no longer the third child no one had wished for but the self-proclaimed guardian of the fourth, a protector to make sure she had everything she deserved, and more.

Until her teenage years, the two of them were inseparable. He shielded her from all the destructive influences that tried to gain a foothold in her thoughts and, in return, she kept him grounded while he struggled to finish college. Then, hormones happened and, as her body transformed to signal her entrance into adulthood, new horizons unfolded where the presence of her sweet brother was more of a nuisance than a boon. And so he stepped back. When he finally moved to the West Coast to pursue architectural dreams, their bond shifted from close tightness to a more relaxed string, but it never broke. Neither one of them would accept such an outcome.

Of all the people he expected to see during his visit, she was the most important one. The brief time they had spent together at her wedding hadn’t been enough to catch up, something which he hoped to remedy soon, despite the occasion not being the most momentous one. However, up until that day, he still hadn’t had the chance. In fact, he hadn’t talked to anyone since he had arrived at the hospital, for there was no one to talk to.

With no discernible motive, both older siblings had chosen not to visit their father, despite living only a state away. Their mother—Meredith—had severed all ties to Albert Sr. after a messy divorce a couple of years back so she too was out of the picture, and even his latest conquest, an air-headed blonde more than half his age, was M.I.A., probably partying and drinking herself to sleep with a wide variety of liquid nitrogen chilled cocktail glasses. Having cut her honeymoon short, Bethany was on her way there, but she hadn’t arrived yet. He was alone with his thoughts, and what they were saying was not what he wanted to hear.

“You’re a hypocrite for being here. He never cared about you for real. Why do you?”

“Regardless of what he did or didn’t do, he’s still my father. It’s only right I be here for him.” He muttered.

“Why? Blood ties are just an excuse. They don’t make you family. If he had had his way back then, you would have grown to be nothing more than an abortion. Is your self-esteem so low that you need to pander to him even when he’s at death’s door? Grow some balls, Albert! It’s not too late to return home.” His darkest side hissed.

“It’s as late as it needs to be. I already forgave him.”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be able to hear my voice, would you?”

“Will you please shut up now?” He glanced at the vital signs monitor. Stable, yet dangerously close to the minimum threshold of survival. The next few hours would be vital for his chances of recovery.

“Talking to yourself, Al?” Bethany whispered just outside the bedroom entrance. “I heard that if you do that a lot, your hair will turn gray.” She smiled.

“Forgive me if I don’t trust your sources.” He replied as she stood up to hug her. “Hi, B. When did you get here?”

“Just now.”

“And Patrick? Where is your beau?”

“Trying to find us a hotel bedroom.” She kissed his forehead. “How are you doing?”

“You mean, besides looking like shit?” Albert cut the embrace short and pretended to tidy his clothes. Both the striped green shirt and corduroy pants looked like they had just survived a nuclear blast.

“Yeah, besides that...” She let out a faint giggle. “But trust me, I’ve seen worse.”

“I’m okay. You, on the other hand, look radiant. Marriage sure did you good.”

It was true. Despite the circumstances, Bethany never looked more beautiful. Standing a little above five-foot-six, the children’s books illustrator had a beautiful round face that told everyone she was the perfect choice to meet someone’s parents. She sported Alaskan blue eyes, straight jet black hair, and the cutest half-heart birthmark partially hidden by her right eyebrow. Admired by many since her once flat-lined chest exploded into two almost perfectly symmetrical teardrop C cups, she never had as many boyfriends as everyone believed. Her husband was only the second man she had been with, and the first to have the honor of being on top.

“Charming as always.”

“I mean it. Sorry you had to interrupt your special memories, but I’m glad you came.”

“It’s Dad. I had to.” She approached the bed and leaned to check in on his condition.

“Tell that to Thomas and Samantha. Unlike me, they always had it easy with him, but guess who came running to see him while they ignored what was happening?”

Bethany caressed her father’s wrinkled hands, “You’re a kind man, Al. You always were. One day, he’ll acknowledge he did you wrong, mark my words. What are the doctors saying about his odds?”

“Not great, but not terrible either. They’ve done everything they could so far. It’s a wait-and-see approach now.”

“How about the police? Heard anything from them? Have they caught the man who did this to him?”

“Not yet, but they’re working on it. The car had a Florida plate. I’m sure it’s long gone by now.”

“Yeah, well... we have to stay positive.”

“That’s always been more your department than mine.” Albert murmured.

“Time to rub off some of my hope in you then. Have you had lunch yet? The food plane was awful! What do you say we go grab a burger or something?”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea for a newlywed woman to drown her sorrows in fast food? Patrick will not like that.” Albert grinned.

“I won’t tell him if you don’t. Besides, I don’t want to drown anything, just eat!” She pulled his sleeve. “Come on! I’ll share the fries with you if you’re so worried about my calories intake.”

“I haven’t had a bite since yesterday afternoon... what makes you think I’m in the mood to share?”

“Oh, that’s not good! Double dose for you then.”

“What about him?” Albert asked, putting aside her infectious cheerfulness for a moment.

“Is his condition going to get any better if you sit here, starving?” Bethany retorted, gravely.

“No.”

“Then he can wait just like we have to. Come on, Al. Don’t make me repeat myself!”

“Since when did you become so protective of me? That was always my ‘job’, not yours.”

“It was no one’s job, but don’t think I will ever forget everything you did for me while we were growing up. Let me pay you in kind just a little right now, okay?”

“Sure, but only if you promise to tell me all about the series you’ve been working on. What’s it called again?”

“Mrs. Porridge, and she’s the cutest anthropomorphic hare you’ve ever seen!” She dragged him away from the small rectangle of imminent death. “I already finished work on the first book and there are three more in the queue. I’ll be busy the whole semester, maybe more.”

“That’s wonderful.” He wrapped his arms around her once again and tried to keep up with her rapid pace as they traversed the brimming hospital corridors. “I’m happy for you.”

“What about you? I had a feeling you were trying to tell me something big at the wedding, but then the moment never came. What have you been up to?”

“Oh, not much...” He replied as they approached the elevator that would take them one step closer to the exit. “The Sports Center project has some permits issues that need to be taken care of, so that’s on hold for now. My boss is still an egotistical asshole. You know... same old, same old.”

“That’s it?” She looked at him with soul-stealing intensity, the same mischievous expression she used when she was hunting for secrets. “Nothing out of the ordinary happened to you, recently? Do I need to get you to Karaoke too, to see if you lighten up a bit?”

“Anything but that, please.” He watched the elevator doors close.

“Then dig deep into that noggin and tell me something good I haven’t heard before like... I know... Ladies! How’s that going?”

“You know I’m not looking.”

“I know that’s what you always say...” She placed her hands around her petite waist like an offended virgin. “... but surely you’ve been meeting new people, right?”

“A few, but only online.”

“Better than nothing, I guess.”

“Nothing romantic, though. It’s...” He hesitated.

“It’s what?” Bethany bit her tongue. “Come on, according to ‘younger sister privilege’, you know I’ll have no choice but to keep insisting until you finish that sentence so let’s hear it. “It’s...?”

“Complicated, okay?”

“Like Facebook? You’re on Facebook team now?”

“No, I... I joined this online community out of curiosity and then I met two women, one that’s like a wonderful angel in everything she says and does, and the other a horrible demon with her priorities all messed up. I’m not sure why, but I can’t stop hearing them both ever since.”

“Oh? That sounds like a spicy tale in the making... “I’ll need more details, of course. Tell me more about these opposite women that get you all triggered. What is their deal? What do they do?”

Albert stared into the distance and laughed at her more than striking vocabulary choice. It was surprising how Bethany was able to guide the conversation, even without being aware of what was at stake. Feminine intuition, or a deeper connection, he didn’t know which was which, but it always ended the same way. Not telling her everything had long stopped being an option.

“Funny you mention the word ‘triggered’ because they’re both hypnotists...” He confessed.

And just like that, she remembered a million other questions in desperate need of an answer. They were both in for a treat.