Unnatural Growth

[GLKnight]

Hey. It's been a while, huh? Life has... well, sucked massive donkey balls lately. Which honestly impacted my ability to write. So to break out of the slump, I decided to start a new story. It'll be done in shorter spurts as I write it, so except a little bit more staggered posts.

And no, this doesn't mean any of the other stories like Your House, The Sandow Family, Cassie & Massiva, The Sword Of Monsters or anything else is canceled. I'm just trying to work out the block I'm currently under.

Anyway, here's Wonderwall...

________________________________________________________________

"These photo autotrophic responses seem to be inhibited by the solution from the Alchemeans spill. Which means... Which means..."

Gripping the bridge of his nose, Delmar pulled himself away from the electron microscope with a sigh. He was on the 37th hour of research into a massive chemical accident on behalf of the United States government and the Department Of The Interior, specifically in the name of land conservation. But when you're a Biochemist with three PHD's based in various facets of Botany, known for busting some of the worst Corporate mismanagements and underhanded tactics involving pollution and local wildlife, you tend to run yourself ragged. But reputation guarantees work, and work guarantees reputation. Exhaustion was really starting to settle in, as evidenced by the rather sharp migraine he was starting to feel behind his eyes.

So, with a stretch and a groan, he got out of his chair and reached for his water bottle for a drink. Only to find it emptier than the desert he retrieved these spill site samples of Desert Spoons from.

"That might explain my headache." he grumbled to himself, turning on his heels and making a beeline towards the door. Opening it quickly, he was immediately spooked to find his wife, Shelly coming out of her own personal space - the workout room he had paid no expense to ensure she had ample opportunity to stay in shape like she wanted. Her red ponytail bobbing wildly as she jumped back like he had.

"Whoa! Del! Fancy seeing you- Wait, are you okay, honey?"

Her hands immediately went towards his face. Her fingers brushing against his cheek as she looked into his eyes. Opening them wider and letting more light sink in, causing his head to start pounding even harder as he became more photosensitive.

"I'm okay," he mumbled, pulling her hands away but holding onto them. "Just dehydrated and getting a headache."

"Let me get some aspirin, then" she said, flashing him a smile before running off towards the kitchen. Del's eyes lingered on his wife's backside in her golden yoga pants, admiring all the hard work she had done in the past two years to get in shape. Watching her firm ass wiggling, taking in just how much it had rounded out in that time until she quickly turning the corner and ending the show.

"Five years on," he thought to himself, faintly smiling. "And she's still the hottest woman on two legs to me."

Walking down the hall, his eyes roamed to all the mementos of his life so far with Shelly. The photo of the group date that was their first meeting. Their first vacation to Argentina after he got his third doctorate. The night he proposed to her, taken by their friends. Their wedding in the middle of October, in a spectacular array of trees in a private orchard their rented out three years ago. Their honeymoon in Morocco, and so on.

And for her part, Shelly was a real trooper. She understood how important Del's work was, working to ensure people's safety and saving the environment as well as he could. But lately, the drive to make love just wasn't there for him. Blame it on overworking, exhaustion, being too caught up in whatever. But he just couldn't muster up the energy. He loved her with all his heart, but his body needed to limit him somewhere, he figured.

The sound of the faucet turning on coaxed him out of his thoughts, which only reminded him how much his head felt like it was starting to split in two like an overripe melon wrapped in rubber bands.

"Pain relief, then maybe a nap." he told himself. Busting corporate malfeasance could sit on the backburner for once. He needed to thank his wife for consistently being there for him, first.

[GreatJustice]

Great little start and already some nice character development; hope things get a bit more normal for you and this opportunity for new words unblocks the creative circuits! Looking forward to more of course… but I always do with your stories!

[ArkhamAsylum]

This seems like an interesting story. The first part is a great setup. I'm looking forward to read the continuation.

[HumanPersonBeing]

This is great. It's cool to see more stories from you!

[Jaguar]

Great start!

[yuiii007]

👍

[GLKnight]

As he walked down the hallway, keeping his eyes closed to avoid more pain from sinking in, he imagined Shelly at the sink. The sound of the water filling a cup followed closely by the subtly crisp tunk of glass on marble-top counters while she turned off the faucet. The crescendo of the creaking cabinet before it groaned close, and then the shuffle of the catch-all drawer below the spot where the aspirin was. Opening his eyes in time to catch his wife, bent over and creating a perfect silhouette of her ass beneath her the golden Lycra as she pulled out the bottle with a rattle, spinning on her toes with a dancer's grace before gleefully handing it off to him.

"You seem unusually chipper today." Del said, putting his water bottle in the crook of his arm while palming the cap as she spun around to grab the glass of water.

"Well," she said, her smile getting brighter by the second. "You remember me telling you about that batch of rare flowers I've been eying a while back?"

Del knew exactly what she was talking about - Epiphyllum Oxypetalum, otherwise known as the Night-Blooming Cereus. One of the rarest flowers in all the world, its waxy, trumpet shaped white petals blooms for only one night, and only for about two hours at most. One of the hardest breeds for any gardener to get their hands on, and even harder still to get it to bloom at all.

"No way! You found a seller!"

Excitedly bobbing her head, Shelly proceeded to hand Del the glass of water as she could no longer contain her glee.

"Not only did I find a reputable provider, but he's willing to give me an incredible DISCOUNT on top of it all!"

As she began to squeal and bounce, Del quickly popped a couple tablets of aspirin in his mouth before chugging his water to joy her celebration. The empty glass thumping on the counter before he threw his arms around his wife.

"This is amazing news!" he cheered as he held her face in his hands and kissed her. "Do you know how much those bulbs usually cost?"

"At least a few hundred for a pack of five," Shelly said, peppering her husband's scraggly beard with kisses. "But he said he needed to clear out stock, so he offered a fifty pack for two hundred!" Showering each other with kisses, Del's migraine seemed to be fading away as he held his wife's trim body in his arms. Joy overtaking exhaustion as his happiness for her seemed to well up from deep within. But the sound of the landline phone on the wall next to the hallway brought his migraine back with a sudden burst of aching distraction.

"I should get that..." Del groaned, putting a hand on his temple before solemnly turning around and picking up the receiver on the third ring.

"Doctor Allens speaking... Secretary Brighton! How are you doing this evening, sir?"

As she watched her husband's features shift and change, growing more and more serious as the frankly one-sided conversation continued, Shelly grew more and more concerned. Del worked himself to the bone when it came to acting on behalf of the government, and especially the people they represented and lands they lived on. He was a consumate protector of lives. And it was this noble streak that she fell in love with ever since they first met. His drive to do all he could, find the truth of every matter and bring those who did wrong to justice.

"I understand... I understand. I'll see you soon, Mister Secretary."

As she watched him hang up the phone, Shelly's worry wriggled inside her guts like overactive worms. Forcing her to say something, anything to try and help.

"Del? What's the matter, honey?"

With a dour look on his face, exhaustion reclaimed Del with a deep sigh as he began to wipe away nothing from the corner of his eye.

"That was Secretary Brighton," he morosely began. "There was another accident involving the transportation of chemicals by Alchemeans. This one's massive, as it's an extremely experimental solution. So they are using every legal loophole in the system to not tell us what it does."

"Okay," she muttered with a breathy wisp of exasperation, rubbing her palms against her golden yoga pants. "Okay, so they'll be sending you the samples soon, so that-"

"They need teams out in Wyoming now, Shelly." he said, frustration evident in his voice. "They want me on site for this one, babe."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Shelly knew what Del was implying.

"H-How long, Del?"

The pause lasted only one second, but felt like a thousand years to both of them.

"Secretary Brighton said "as long as it takes". Which means it's bad, Shelly. Probably 6 months to build a proper case, at least."

Pulling the chair beneath the wall phone closer, Del proceeded to slump into it with a tired groan. Causing his wife to rush to his side and hold his head against her body. Her white workout shirt rumpling beside his ear as she held him close.

"I should pack," he mumbled, too tired to be fully coherent. "Then get to bed. My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon."

All Shelly knew she could do was coddle her husband and try to help soothe him before necessity separated them for the next half a year.

[ArkhamAsylum]

What are the chances that those mysterious chemicals will cause 'unnatural growth' in Del's wife? Great work.

[phil123]

Would like to read what will happen next.

[Jaguar]

Anxiously awaiting more !

[GLKnight]

"Once I get to the airport, I'll pick up my tickets at the terminal."

The day after he received the order from Secretary Brighton, Del was ready to go. Bags packed enough for at least a few weeks of work at a time without the need to do laundry, all his credentials and personal equipment. It seemed the imperative to be on site caused him to crash hard, sleeping for almost sixteen hours straight after he had gotten ready for his flight in a couple of hours. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, the Biochemist was eager to get to Wyoming.

"Are you sure you have to go, Del? You know you don't have to. They have more than enough people on retainer."

But Shelly? She was not. Barely sleeping a wink, she kept vigil over her husband, wondering if he wasn't working himself to death. Her red hair was unkempt, still in her workout gear from the day before. Clearly exhausted as she watched her husband go over his things one more time by the front door of their one level desert home.

"It's partly due to my name being known," he calmly huffed. "Every time they do anything that puts the public at risk, I'm there like a specter to remind Alchemeans that they will never get away from facing the consequences of their actions."

As he said it, Shelly knew he was right. Every time he was put on their tail, Alchemeans were unable to squirm out of whatever legal precedent they faced. It was almost like Del was the government's good luck charm. But as she watched him prepare to leave once again, a sullen ache started to fill her heart. An ache that was more powerful than the one she had been feeling deep inside herself, lower on her body, from the long and lonely nights she had been feeling while Del was killing himself by doing the right thing.

She loved him for it, but she also hated how empty it left her. How much she yearned for his touch. How she yearned for the passion that lay deep beneath the intelligent man. How she yearned to be taken like their first two years of marriage, night and day. But as his appointment and work piled on, he seemed to pull away more and more. At first, she thought it was due to her gaining weight, so she began exercising. But as she grew more toned, she realized just how much both of them loved the way she was looking. So, in time, she came to work out only for herself. But Del continued to draw away, pulled into this duty of scientific law bringing that he couldn't escape. Even if only for one night.

If anything, she felt like one of her flowers inside her greenhouse on the side of the property in her early years. She still felt loved, still felt beautiful. But she was wilting without Del's touch, her body aching to be filled with love and her heart breaking from his comfortable apathy.

"Del, I..."

An alarm went off inside his pocket, forcing her husband to pull out his phone.

"You might want to take care of your greenhouse now," he told her, holding up his phone to show her the notification. "There's a haboob that'll hit in a couple hours."

"Del," she whispered as he leaned in close, planting a kiss on her lips. "Please? Don't go. I don't know if I can take being alone this time."

He looked at her, seeing the pain in her eyes. The desperation she felt. He could hear the wanting in her voice. But he knew his mind was made up as he hugged her.

"I promise," he told her, firmly holding her to himself. "After this one, I'll ask they use other people more often, okay? It'll be just you and me. We can survive this."

Her body burned for him. Burned in cruel sympathy as his warmth filtered through her, kindling desires that she knew he couldn't reciprocate right now. She wished she was strong enough to physically hold him, carry him away. To take control for him, so that he wasn't willingly wearing himself out beyond the point of exhaustion on behalf of people who could easily replace him at a moment's notice. But his stupid pride forced him to let her go, turning to grab his bags before opening the door into the desert landscape that was their home. The reddish undertones of his dark skin standing out plainly from the yellowish red soil that besot the terrain.

She watched him as he stepped out of the home, pull his sunglasses out of the pocket of his shirt and give her a smile.

"I'll be home before you know it, dear! Love you!"

As the door closed, the house went semi-dark once again. The drawn curtains forcing the blinding desert sun to filter through its slits. The sound of the air conditioning kicking in as the heat of the day began to build. The cool darkness her only comfort as Shelly fought back the weakening resolve to fight her tears as the metaphorical loneliness became all too real.

[srielley]

It is a good story so far. I like the “slow burn” pacing and the build up.

[HumanPersonBeing]

Good. Keep it coming!

[Sounder9-]

Nice! Also good to see your still plugging away, a great start.

[GLKnight]

Over the next three days after Del left, Shelly fell into a state of disconsolate misery. Everything felt hollow, an aching emptiness that drained her of all passion. If she ate, it was very lightly. If she slept, it was barely restful. She even lacked the drive and energy to work out like she loved to do. She knew that her babies in the greenhouse were suffering from her shutting down, but even the simple act of watering her flowers was too much.

The cracks were starting to show, and it was starting to dawn on her that her marriage was starting to fall apart like sifting sand beneath her feet. Shelly knew she loved Del with all her heart. But if Del was going to always put work first, then she knew she would never be able to eke out a place in his heart that was being consumed by his pride. And this was where the most pain was coming from - the fact that she was constantly being pushed out of his life by the demands of his job. Or more specifically, by the demands of the people he worked for.

She wasn't sure that she could make it six months all alone.

As she left their modest bedroom, shuffling into the hallway in a semi-catatonic state, her mind was blurred out by emotional burnout. Her constant tears had left her with a serious headache, not helped by what had to be the first stints of dehydration. Slowly stumbling into the kitchen, all she really wanted was some hot tea. Prepping the kettle, she turned on the stove and sat in the chair by the fridge. Her head in her hands, an almost high pitched pain drilling itself through it as she once again started thinking about where it had all started going wrong. The almost whirring ring growing louder and louder as she was unable to come up with an exact timeframe. Guilt building within herself as self-blame reared its ugly face. "If only I started working out sooner", "if only I fought harder to make him stay", and so on.

Everything grew louder and louder inside her mind as it all started to boil over. Only realizing at the sound of sputtering splatter and the flat hiss that Shelly's tea had literally begun to do so. Forcing her to jump to her feet and rush to turn everything off, pulling the tea from the stovetop and onto the counter where she placed her usual additions - some agave and heavy cream. She popped the cap of the agave with a heavy sigh, flipping it over and squeezing it tightly. A giant glob of the golden syrup leading a small stream into her mason jar glass for a brief count of one, two and then flipped upright. A thin line cresting over the edge of the glass as she put the bottle back. With a slight grumble, Shelly knew she couldn't leave it be unless she wanted ants to start appearing inside the house. So with a gentle stroke of her pointer finger, she wiped away the trail. And bringing it to her mouth, proceeded to insert it inside. Her brain lighting up briefly as the sweet nectar, relishing the one cheat item she allowed herself to have regularly over the last two years of consistent exercise. Her eyes closing as she let out a low, throaty moan.

"Fuck, I needed this." she muttered as she quickly added some heavy cream before pouring in the black tea and gave it a swift but vigorous stir. Lifting the cup to her lips as she drank the steamy brew, parts of her that were left aching sympathetically began to recede. Lessening the amount of stress that she had been struggling with ever since Del left. But then, just when she thought she could relax, a swift knocking at her front door brought her attention back down to reality. A sudden elation came to mind, a hope of a recent purchase that might allow Shelly to busy herself until Del came home.

Without thinking, her feet began to move as she rushed towards the front door as whoever was here knocked a second time, louder than the first. Excitement swelled inside Shelly, a sudden joy breaking through her gloom as she opened the door. Finding herself face to face with a stern looking woman, her dark hair pulled back as she adjusted her glasses. Her drab dress suit too official looking to be a delivery person despite her politician's smile. A small wooden box in her hands, as she readied herself for a spiel.

"Excuse me," she began, her voice somewhat high pitched as she tried to peak past Shelly's shoulder. "But would this happen to be the residence of Doctor Delmar Allens?"

"I'm his wife," Shelly droned, taking a sip of her tea as she became crestfallen. "He's currently in Wyoming on an important matter."

The woman's face lit up as she let herself into the house without any prompting. Inviting herself in as she gently but forcefully pushed past Shelly, making sure not to bump her too hard to cause her to drop her tea.

"Perfect! I'm here on behalf of Secretary Brighton to deliver something very hush hush!"

"I didn't give you permission to come in." Shelly growled as the woman quickly put the box down on the coffee table in the living room.

"I saw the greenhouse outside," the woman fired back, an almost salesman like tone in her voice as she gave Mrs. Allens a saucy look. "Trust me, you're gonna be interested in this, too!"

"I think you should-"

Throwing open a couple latches, the dark haired woman pulled off the covers of the box, revealing something that immediately made Shelly's words die in her throat. For inside the box lay a small pot, in which rested a type of plant Shelly had never seen before. Its shiny, almost burgundy exterior was reminiscent like a type of Madrone, but it was coniferous in shape with a series of blooming flowers that were an extremely light blue in color along yellow stems. Its overall appearance giving the thing the appearance of a cacti mixed with some sort of tree and a pineapple. Utterly alien to behold like in a cheesy sci fi movie, yet somehow also like something you would find here on Earth. Shelly couldn't help but get closer to the thing, sitting down across from her unwanted guest. Enraptured by the strangeness of the plant that had been brought inside her home.

"This is a specimen that actually CAME from Wyoming," the woman told Shelly. "And we'd like your help preserving this thing until your husband comes home, Mrs. Allens."