- Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:

Some bad news gets Julie very upset.

----- Tuesday at the clinic

Not much to say here -- the usual: change into gown, get stuck with needles, receive meds, give blood, socialize.

Marie wanted to bring her brother to see me this coming Friday. I told her that would be great. I'd love to meet someone who was really into martial arts again. There wasn't much of that around the town I lived near. I would have to go into the city for that. Something I really didn't want to do.

I talked some more with Gail. Poor thing was only three and a half feet tall. I got a picture of her in my mind of Julie and her meeting. Before she became infected she stood at five feet and one inch tall -- four inches taller than Julie before the growth spurt. Now Gail would be looking up at Julie's crotch. Such a contrast.

"I missed you last Friday."

"Last Friday?", Gail asked, looking puzzled.

"Yeah. You know. When I sang at Mike's."

"Oh. I didn't think I could make it."

"That's ok. I know you didn't anticipate going."

"Look, just between you and me, I don't like to go out in crowds."

"I understand." And I really did understand. People look at me funny sometimes. I can only imagine them looking over Gail being so small. Even though she looks young, she's still very sexy, yet so short.

"I knew you would. I'd love to see you sing sometime. Maybe some place more intimate with not too many people around."

"How about if I invite everyone here over to my house. Would you come to see me play?"

"Maybe. But even here it's a crowd."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to be pushy."

"What kind of music do you sing?", she asked.

"Folk music mostly. It goes great with an acoustic guitar."

"I like country, but I'm not that into listening to music."

"What are you into?"

"I like flowers."

"That's cool. Are you a florist?"

"No. I work in a pharmacy."

"A pharmacist?"

"A pharmacy aid."

"You must be familiar with the drugs they're using here, then?"

"No.", she said, looking down at her feet, a sad expression on her face.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Nah. I never thought I'd be needing meds. Not this young."

"You're bummed out about the virus, aren't you?"

"Yes. Very."

"We're all in this together. If you'd like to talk about it some time, like in private so there won't be too many people around, I can listen."

"Thanks, Sam. Maybe some day."

"I'm a good listener too.", Sue said.

Sue came out of nowhere and when I turned to look at her she was standing close to me.

"I could keep you safe from Sam." She said that with a smile and a wink indicating that she was kidding. "You really should come see Sam play. He's good."

"I'll think about it Sue. Thanks, you two; maybe I will take you up on your offer. It might do me good to talk about it one on one rather than in a big group. Especially with someone else who knows what I'm going through."

"You're not happy with the group?", Sue asked.

"I don't like to be around lots of people. Even the few here."

"You like everyone here, right?", I asked.

"Mostly."

"Ok. I won't be pushy but let me know if you want to talk."

"Me too.", said Sue.

When Gail went wandering off to get her blood drawn for the second time that day I turned to Sue.

"You like Gail?"

"Uh, sure."

"You think she needs protection from me?"

"I was just kidding, Sam."

"Ok."

"Maybe you're the one that needs protecting from her."

"Huh?"

"Just kidding. Lighten up."

"Ok."

"Are you going to be playing again this Friday?"

"Very likely, unless something bad happens to keep me away."

"You want some protection?"

I rolled my eyes. "Uh, no. I don't think I need protection."

"I'm kidding again. Hey, I'm sorry I couldn't make it out to your place last week. Maybe this week."

"Sure. But only if you don't kid ever again."

"Never?"

"I'm just kidding."

"Oh. Ha, ha. Very funny.", she said, slowly shaking her head.

"I'm just getting back at you."

"Ok, I deserve that."

"Are you uncomfortable around me, Sue?"

"No. No, I'm not. Not really. Why do you ask?"

"Because sometimes people try to use humor and sarcasm when they're uncomfortable."

"No." Now she really did look uncomfortable. I changed the subject.

"I'm pretty sure we'll all be getting together after the show Friday and you're welcome to come with us." She became much happier and her smile returned.

"Ok. I can plan for it this time."

"You can stay over Friday night like Cindy did. I'm sure we can find room for you. That way you don't have to drive home late and if you should find yourself drinking any alcohol then we definitely don't want you on the road."

"That's cool. I'll bring a bag, just in case. Will Cindy be staying over again?"

"I pretty sure she will. It would be cool to have both of you over."

"I'd love to come over."

"Great. I'll be looking forward to it."

"Me too."

She did seem eager and I was feeling giddy about it too. She was sexy. I had seen her in regular clothes without the gown last week at Mike's. She had a slim waist and and average size bust. Her dark brown, nearly black, hair was usually worn in a pony tail and she had bangs. She had a really good dark, flawless complexion, as if she tanned outside every day.

She was the tallest of us but still pretty short. I wondered what she would seem like to 'normal' height people. Probably a real little cutie pie, I imagined.

George and I were talking.

"That little gal sure is cute, isn't she?"

"Which little gal? Gail?"

"Yeah, Gail."

I'm sure the remark was innocent but there was something that struck me as odd about him and his preoccupation with Gail. I did notice that Gail seemed to be keeping away from him.

Michele and I seemed to hit it off pretty well though. She was a graphic designer so we had computers in common. I wasn't much into the artsy picture stuff but I was a little familiar with the tools that produced web pages, doctored up photos, edited videos and processed audio. So, we had a lot to talk about.

"I don't do too much programming.", she said. "I leave that up to the development guys like you."

"That's a shame.", I said. "There's not enough females in this line of work. I don't know if the girls don't like the job or are just turned off by the geeks who do."

"It's a little of both for me, I guess."

"Well, maybe you could help turn that around."

"Oh no. I'm not really good with programming."

"I could help, if you want."

"I don't know. I get the feeling that the company I work for doesn't want me around any more."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. They're leaving me out of stuff and aren't putting me on any new things anymore. I think it might have something to do with my new height."

"That's unconscionable."

"Maybe I'm just paranoid."

"I hope so. If the worst happens then come see me. I have connections that might help. Nobody should treat you different from others like that."

I knew how she felt; a lot of people don't take me seriously at all. I was thinking the same thing could be happening to Michele. Plus she's a girl; that's like a double whammy.

I wanted to ask Joe about him and Marie but thought it would be inappropriate at this point. But I could see that they were spending time together. I was thinking Gail would also be good for Joe too. She was the only one smaller than Joe, actually.

Cindy and I talked a little at lunch. We exchanged pleasantries and that was about it. We were both busy talking to others. Finally, we got a chance to sit down and talk during one of the breaks where we were both free.

"So, are we getting together this weekend, Sam?"

"I hope so. You still want to stop by?"

"You know I do."

"This Friday can't come soon enough. And Julie is looking forward to it also."

"I'd like to see Erin again too."

"She definitely wants to see you."

"Can't wait."

We snuck in a kiss.

"Hey, did you see how Joe and Marie are getting along?"

"A little. You think there's something going on?"

"I kind of hope so. You know about Joe's situation, right?"

"What situation?"

"I better let him tell you. I wouldn't want to betray his confidence but I'd really like to see him and Marie get together."

"Do you think the group suspects anything between you and I?"

"I don't see any signs of that. Our little relationship definitely developed fast."

"I hope you don't think I'm desperate or anything, Sam."

"Nah. Just drunk."

"Ha ha. Very funny. I'm going to get you drunk one of these days."

"Don't. I told you that you wouldn't like me."

"Why? Do you get violent, or something?"

"Or something. Well, yeah, I do kind of get violent sometimes. Maybe being small all my life I just feel like I have to prove myself and end up getting into fights. That's what they tell me. I don't remember much."

"Did you ever get hurt?"

"No. Not physically. It's been the other way around. People underestimate me. Although now, I probably couldn't hurt a fly."

"Because you've shrunk?"

"Yep."

"You have Julie to protect you.", Cindy said, jokingly.

"She could kick my ass if she weren't my lover."

"Do you and her ever play games?"

"Games?"

"You know. Like her being a giantess."

"We can talk about this later. Not here, ok?"

"Ok. I can't wait to hear about it."

"It's funny you mentioned the subject."

"I'm just curious about the games you play, that's all."

"Not that. About protection. Sue was joking about that too."

"That's no coincidence. We were talking about it earlier."

"That's weird, don't you think?"

"Not really. We were both discussing how we were all vulnerable, being so small and the topic just sort of came up when I was talking about how I started shrinking."

"You seem to have started about the same time as I did."

"I hate to think of the recent past -- I was in a very bad relationship. That guy thought nothing of hurting me. Sue offered to protect me, but she was just joking."

"Sometimes people joke about serious things because it's hard to face reality."

"Perhaps. Now you have me wondering if Sue is as insecure as the rest of us."

"There's no doubt in my mind she is. Do you know how tall Sue was before she became infected?"

"No. Why?"

"I'm wondering how much smaller she became and if that has anything to do with her attitude. I think she may be as scared of this as you or I but just isn't showing it. I invited over to the house this Friday night after Mike's. I'm trying to get others to come too. You're ok with that, right?"

"Sure. I'd love to be able to talk with everyone in a more casual setting."

Sue joined us.

"We were just talking about you and this Friday.", I said.

"It'll be fun, Sue.", Cindy added.

"Yeah, I can't wait. If I stay over do you mind if I get up late the next morning. I like to sleep late on weekends."

"No problem. My sister likes to sleep late."

"Cool. It's Erin, right?"

"Yep. I hope you like her."

"You have lots of people staying this Friday, huh?"

"Erin is living with us."

"Us?"

"Julie and me. It's my house but Julie has been with me for over half a year now so it's as much hers as it is mine."

"I hope I won't be any bother to you guys."

"I doubt that.", Cindy said with a smile. "Do you like to dance, Sue."

"I love to. Do you guys dance a lot?"

"Not me.", I quickly added.

"We'll get him to dance, Sue."

"No way.", I said.

"First we have to get him drunk."

"See, there's your first mistake: I don't drink anymore."

"Anymore? Are you a recovering alcoholic?", Sue asked.

"Hardly. I get sick and throw up and lose my mind, so I don't do it."

"You have before though?"

"In college, mostly."

"Yeah.", Cindy said. "We went to the same college and they party pretty hard."

"It must have been fun."

"I suppose that's a relative term, Sue.", I said.

"You didn't have fun?"

"I spent my time on studies. My social life didn't go too well."

Just then we had to move on. It was getting late and they still had to take out the IV stuff and all that.

"Hey, you two want to continue this conversation?", Sue said.

"Sure. We can talk Friday.", Cindy offered.

"Let's make it sooner. How about tomorrow?"

"I'm too busy tomorrow. I have an interview tomorrow night after work."

"Looking for a new job, Sam?"

"Sort of. It's a long story. I'll have to tell you about it later."

"How about Thursday? Can we all get together Thursday?"

"I'll be in the city. I suppose I could."

"What about you Cindy? You want to make a date Thursday evening?"

"We'll be getting together Friday, you know. But if you really want to I can make it."

"Fantastic. I know we'll be together the next day but I missed the fun you two had last week."

She had no idea.

"I hope you don't think I'm too forward."

"No, Sue. I'm sure we'll have a good time. You'll protect us, right?", I said, sarcastically.

"I'm the big one here so yes, I'll protect you two."

"You know I was kidding?"

"I know, Sam."

That was pretty much it for our conversation. The rest of the time went like usual then we left before 7:00 again.

I talked to Julie about Cindy coming over for the weekend and she was delighted. I also told her others may be coming and possibly staying over Friday night. She was excited about spending some more time with the others too.


----- Wednesday night at a military base right outside town

After work I met with an investigator for my clearance. We talked about my college life and about the virus. The investigator had not known of this particular disease and was very interested. He said it should not make any difference at all for getting vetted and was interested purely for his own curiosity.

My case shouldn't take too long he reassured me. Then he took me by surprise when he asked about Shawn.

"But he tried to bust into our house.", I told him.

"Our house?"

"My girlfriend and I."

"Julie Morton?"

"Yeah. You know her already?"

"Her name came up. Especially in connection with Shawn. Did he come to see Miss Morton?"

"No doubt he did."

"Did Miss Morton let him in?"

"No. I opened the door."

"And you asked him to come in?"

"No. He barged right past me."

"What happened then?"

"I got up and tackled him."

"You were down?"

"Yes. He pushed me over coming in."

"And you tackled him after?"

"Yes. Well, I swept his feet. Same thing almost. You know what a foot sweep is?"

"Yes, I do. I practice martial arts. Did he say anything?"

"He said something like 'get outta my way, asshole.'"

"That's it?"

"That's pretty much all he said. Then I swept his feet and wrapped his arms up after."

"Did he try to fight you?"

"He struggled."

"Did he try to hit you before you tackled him?"

"Swept his feet, but no, but he pushed me down on his way barging on in to our living room."

"So, he was in your living room when you swept his feet?"

"Yep."

He wrote a bit in his pad then asked, "What happened then?"

"Julie came into the living room. She recognized him then."

"You knew him too, right?"

"I had no idea who he was until Julie yelled his name."

"What did you do then?"

"I didn't do anything. I was holding him while he struggled."

"You held him down?"

"I did. We were standing. I was a bit bigger then."

"I see. How did the injuries happen then? Did you choke him?"

"Julie kicked him."

"Oh, she did?"

"She kicked while I was holding him. She must have thought that he was getting away."

"Was he?"

"I had him pretty good. I feel like I could have held him forever that way but maybe not. I used to wrestle. Sometimes your opponent will get away. You adjust though, and I was ready for that with my wrestling experience. But you never know."

"But you did have him secure?"

"I did."

"And this is when Julie kicked him?"

"Yes. But I think she thought he was going to get away, me being so small and all that."

"But you said you were bigger?"

"I was. But I was still pretty small."

"How small?"

"Less than four ten."

"I see. So it was Miss Morton that killed him?"

"WHAT?"

"Did Miss Morton kill him?"

"He wasn't dead. They took him away in a stretcher and I think they called the helicopter to get him to the hospital, but he was still alive."

"Yes, I know. He died in the hospital a couple of days later."

"I didn't know that."

"Nobody told you?"

"No. We had no idea."

"You did't inquire as to how he was doing?"

"No. Why would I?"

"I don't know. Maybe Miss Morton would have been curious."

"Shawn didn't treat Julie right. I think she wanted to forget about him."

"I see."

"Are we in trouble?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"The police never told us what happened to him."

"Have you heard from them since?"

"No, we haven't."

"Then I suppose you're not in trouble."

"That's good to know. Will this keep me from getting a clearance."

"In this circumstance, I doubt it."

"You don't know?"

"I don't make the decisions. I investigate and prepare a report. Others make a determination based on the report."

"I guess the report is real important. I hope they take the fact that the guy was a jerk into consideration."

"They take everything into consideration. That's why I investigate: so they have all the facts."

We talked of other things. He was a little skeptical of the fact that I didn't drink until I told him that it had to do with being small and not being able to handle alcohol. We talked about judo. The investigator was into martial arts himself but more along the lines of karate and kung fu. We finally wrapped things up.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?", he asked.

"About Shawn?"

"About anything. Anything you feel I should know that I haven't found out yet that might impact your ability to work for the government?"

"No. Not that I can think of."

"Very well."

"I do have one question though: when will I know if I passed?"

"Probably no longer than a month from now, but I can't say for sure. It depends on how many others are going through the process and how heavy a workload those who make the determination are having at the time."

So, that was it. I still needed to wait.


----- Wednesday night at home

"How did the interview go."

"Pretty good. Except for one thing."

"What's that?", Julie said, a worried look on her face.

"Julie, sit down please." She took a seat on the living room couch and I now had her full attention.

"What is it, Sam?"

"It's Shawn."

"Oh, no, are we in trouble? Is he going to press charges?"

"No, Julie. Shawn is dead."

"What? No!"

"I'm afraid so." Her eyes bulged. Then she covered her mouth with her hands. Tears started to form.

"I killed him."

"He deserved it."

"Is this going to keep you from getting your new job?"

"The investigator didn't think so."

"Am I in trouble?"

"The police haven't contacted us about it, so no, we're not in trouble."

"What if they just haven't gotten a warrant yet?"

"He died only a couple of days later. They would have gotten one by now if you or I were in trouble."

"I killed him, Sam."

"I told you he deserved it. It was self defense."

"I didn't have to kick him."

"But you said he hurt you. He would have hurt you again. He even threatened you. You told me he called you before it all happened. Remember?"

"I know. But I had grown. I could have protected myself this time."

"In that type of situation you're not thinking like that. Besides, you don't know that. What if he was high on drugs? He could have seriously hurt you. Or me. You didn't know that I had a good hold of him and I might not have been able to have held him much longer either."

"But ... I killed a man."

"Julie, don't worry about it. It was the righteous thing to do." Julie was staring off into space at this point. She started shaking. I went to hug her but I couldn't get my arms around her body, only her neck. I had to stand up onto the couch to do this.

"Sam. Don't you see? I killed someone. I killed Shawn."

"Julie, I had something to do with it too."

"But you stopped him. I didn't have to do that. I'm a bad person."

"Julie, you're the best person I know."

"No, I'm not, Sam. I haven't been ever since I started growing. I wish I were small again."

"Stop it, Julie! Listen to yourself. Size has nothing to do with whether you're good or bad. You sound like all the shallow people that think bigger is superior, only in your case it's the other way around. Don't you see that?"

"But, I killed Shawn."

"Stop thinking like that. Please. Ok?"

"I'll try, Sam. I don't know if I can."

"You have to Julie, or this will eat you up. You did the right thing." She got up and went to the bedroom to cry.

I went to pick up Erin from work and I told her about what happened. She said she would try to cheer Julie up when she had the chance. It was late and Julie was by now asleep.

I tidied up the house a bit then went to bed. I tried to hold Julie but as I just said, it was getting increasingly hard to do that. It was good being with her though and I wasn't sure what I was going to do to cheer her up. I only hoped that she would be better in the morning.

 

Chapter End Notes:

Will Julie stay depressed?

I've been posting a chapter every day this week. I think I've made up for my two weeks absense. I think I'll start going back to my previous schedule of posting every other day or three now.

You must login (register) to review.