La Vida Loca

[sgsg69]

IceViking rocks!!

Karma again to you for the modern day tracker premise............can't wait for the next installment!!

[sgsg69]

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[marasso]

Wow a cool turn very good writing love the story keep it going k+++

IceViking rocks!!

Karma again to you for the modern day tracker premise............can't wait for the next installment!!

Thank you guys! The next part is here, enjoy the reading



"Hi. Uhm... I know that it's a weird question, but have you seen this girl by any chance?" I asked the clerk girl behind the counter and showed her Vida's pic on my phone. Actually - the screenshot from her stream, as I had no real photo of her.

I was... in the Seven-Eleven store, yeah, exactly in that one where I was dropping Vida every time. I was certain that she wouldn't show up at our gym anymore, so I decided to start my search in that place. And I was determined and ready for weird, suspicious glances people most likely would be giving me, just like the one that girl was giving me right now.

She was black and skinny, and quite pretty. And she definitely had to run through a few scenarios in her head, asking herself why a guy like me would be looking for a girl in that way. I could see the questions popping out in her mind. Is that some kind of creep? Crazy ex-boyfriend? Stalker? Should I say anything to him? Or just tell him to fuck off?

I waited politely as she was alternatively looking at Vida's picture and me. I tried my best to smile.

Finally, she gazed at me and said "Yeah, I know her. I mean... not knowing her exactly, but she often buys groceries here. She's rather hard to miss, as she is, you know, yoked." The girl made a gesture which was supposed to simulate someone muscular. It looked quite hilarious with her stick-thin arms.

But it was the first good info I was able to gain. It meant that Vida could really live near this Seven-Eleven. Of course, the clerk surely didn't know that, but I still had to try every possible option.

"You most likely don't know where she lives, right?" I asked and made a sad face. The girl looked at me with an expression which I interpreted as compassionate.

"Sorry, I don't follow customers. But she stops by really often, so maybe... Good luck, anyway," she said and smiled warmly.

I thanked her, even though she didn't provide me with anything useful. But at least she didn't take me as some suspicious creep. Well, it's always something, isn't it? I wandered around the store for a minute, then bought a small water and chewing gum and left.

When I was walking in the parking lot, I noticed some guy watching me attentively. I realized that I saw him earlier in the store. Well, he wasn't easy to miss, as he looked... like a freaking model! Seriously, the guy was an eleven out of ten. Tall, muscular, but with great proportions, with a face like a Latino version of young Keanu Reeves - dark hair, slightly slanted eyes with obnoxiously long eyelashes, and a jaw like a classic Chad. The first thing you would want to say was 'Hey man, please, leave some women for the rest of us.'

For a moment, we had an odd stare-down contest, when he suddenly spoke. He had a deep, baritone voice. Of course, he had. "¿Qué más, parcero? I heard that you're looking for a girl," he said, smiling, but there was nothing friendly in his expression. His eyes bore into my face.

I froze a bit, not knowing if I should tell him, but hell, I really had to use every opportunity if I wanted to find Vida. So, I took out my phone and showed him the picture. "Yes, I'm looking for her. Do you know her?"

The guy barely glanced at the screen, and it proved to me that he knew Vida. He gave me a hard stare. "Maybe. What do you want from her?"

"I just want to talk with her..." I started, but the man interrupted me harshly.

"This photo... Did you stalk her on the internet? Leave her alone, dude. ¡Ábrase huevón!" He said with a hostile tone and I flinched, surprised. I didn't understand what he added in Spanish, but surely, it wasn't anything nice.

For a short moment we were staring at each other, then he cussed in Spanish and started to walk off. Fuck! That guy must have known Vida pretty well! I was aware that he may get even more confrontational, but I had to try. In the worst case I would have the first brawl since high school.

"Hey, can you at least tell her that I want to talk with her? My name is Gunnar!" I called out.

The man stopped and turned around. His expression was much different, evidently surprised. He came back to me. "Gunnar? You're... the Viking, man?"

"Yeah, I mean, Vida was calling me that," I answered, as surprised as he was.

"What happened to you guys?" He asked, but then he must have seen my confused face and stuck out his hand. "Damn, I'm sorry, man, I'm Adriano, Vida's cousin."

"Oh, yes, she told me about you. Nice to meet you," I said.

"Nice to meet you too. Sorry, when I saw the photo from her Twitch, I thought that you were another crazy-ass stalker. Vida had a problem with one dude who was harassing her." Adriano apologized and it looked honest. Then he asked again "So, what happened? Vida told me a lot about you, and she seemed so happy. Did you guys argue?"

"Well, no. Kind of. It's really complicated," I started and hesitated, as I had some doubts if I should trust him. After all, just a minute ago he looked as if he would have wanted to beat my ass, but apparently Vida was confiding to him about us. I knew that they were really close and if not him who the hell could tell me where I could find Vida? Therefore, I decided to tell Adriano about our 'break up' on that beach or whatever I should call this. And just generally - our story in a nutshell.

When I finished, Adriano shook his head with a thoughtful expression. "That sucks, man. Sorry to hear that. But yeah, Vida was always convinced that she would get ill like aunt Maria."

"But was she even diagnosed?"

"Not that I know of. But you see, Vida doesn't tell me everything. I have no idea if she went to any psychiatrist. She was always very secretive, not only toward you. Stubbornly keeping things to herself, you know," Adriano answered.

"Please, tell me where I can find her," I asked him firmly.

Adriano looked at me intensely, evidently considering if he should help me, de facto the stranger or work against the will of his cousin. Finally, he nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I'll tell you. But be careful, man, she is like my little sister. You'd better not hurt her..."

"No! I want to help her! I love her!" I blurted out, before I could even think. But there you go. I said it out loud for the first time, and realized that indeed, I felt that way.

Adriano looked at me seriously and nodded slowly. Then he showed me their address on Google Maps. 

I drove there straight away.

I was really lucky that I came across Adriano. Always far from being superstitious, but I felt that picky bitch Fortuna finally smiled upon me, for once.

***

I was standing on the porch of a small, but quite nice house, with a well-maintained yard in front. According to what Adriano told me, that house was his parents' originally and Vida and her mother moved in, after the illness became much more intense.

My heart started to pound rapidly, when I knocked at the door. I was stressed for two reasons, mostly. First because I would see Vida and that was causing agitation. However, I didn't know how she would react to me and if she wanted to hear me out. But the die was cast, and I was determined and focused. Backing out was the last thing I could think of.

After a while, I heard energetic footsteps and the door opened. I was greeted by a quite tall woman, with flawlessly straight posture. Her other features were flawless as well, despite being about fifty at a glance, she looked like Sofia Vergara. Beautiful in a noble and imposing way, resembling a Spanish marchioness. I guessed that she must be Rita - well, seeing how good-looking Adriano was and of course how beautiful Vida was, that appearance must have been one of the family's wealth.

The woman looked at me with kind indifference.

"Hello. I'm looking for Vida. Is she home?" I asked politely.

If Rita was surprised by my question, she hid that perfectly. She smiled, showing white teeth and answered. "Yes, I'll call her." Then she turned around and I could hear her strong voice calling something in Spanish.

Damn, I should start to learn that language. I feel as if I'm missing out on all the important things.

Perhaps thirty seconds passed, I heard footsteps on the stairs and right after Vida appeared in the door. She looked absolutely shocked to see me.

"Gunnar? How... how did you find me?" she asked with a trembling voice. She fluttered her eyelids, and glanced around disoriented, almost as if she was looking for a hidden camera.

"I have my methods, Vida," I said almost casually, barely registering that I said the exact words Vida once said to me.

I took a look at her. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt and gray sweatpants. No makeup at all, her eyes were swollen and red, as if she had an allergy... or was crying a lot recently. To be honest, she looked miserable. My chest tightened again, but I still found her beautiful, no matter how she looked.

A faint, smile-like grimace went across her face, but immediately was replaced by sad determination. "What are you doing, lindo? You know... that we can't... " She started and cut short, crossing arms on her chest. With the size of her muscles it could look intimidating, but for me that gesture showed her helplessness. Her vulnerability. I felt that she tried to separate herself from me that way. To show me that she would be resolutely standing behind her words from the beach, but it all seemed to begin crumbling when she saw me.

"Relax. A talk won't harm." I was doing my best to sound calm and soothing. Hopefully it was time for my stable energy to take over.

"But about what, Gunnar? You know that it is impossible, that we never could..." Vida's voice cracked and she went silent.

"Just hear me out, Vida, okay? Can we talk somewhere else? I don't know, in your room," I said, but then thought that she could have felt cornered there, so I added hastily "Or we can take a walk to a park or so. Whatever you prefer."

Vida was looking at me, seeming to be crestfallen and lost. Her internal struggle was more than obvious. I knew that all the reasons for our split up were very serious for her. She felt that it was the right thing to do, to not subject me to further hurt. That it was the only way. But at the same time, I felt... no, I knew that she didn't want to be left alone with all that burden. To be forgotten by me, even if she asked for that.

Finally, Vida sighed deeply and unwittingly started to massage her temples. "I don't see any sense in that, Gunnar, but fine. I'll just put some clothes on, let my aunt know, and we can go."

"Great," I answered and waited as she went back inside.

After a few minutes, Vida came back, wearing jeans shorts and a violet sleeveless blouse. I noticed that she put some eyeliner around her eyes. She wanted to hide her tumid eyes... Or maybe she wanted to look better for me? This small detail gave me a weirdly pleasant feeling. Did it mean she still cared?

Without exchanging a word we went on the sidewalk and Vida led me to a small playground, a few streets away from her house. There was a little stone table with the chessboard on it - we sat in front of each other, almost as if we were about to have a chess match. Well, our conversation was supposed to be a clash, but a different kind of confrontation. Rather a game of persuasion.

She gave me an inquiring look, so I said "I'll get straight to the point, Vida. I wanted to ask if you were ever diagnosed?"

Vida's nostrils flared and she snorted with anger. "What?! You think it's a make believe?? Or I imagine it, like some hypochondriac? Or..."

I put my hand on top of hers and said "Hey, hey, hey, Vida, it's not that at all. I know that you have every right to think that, given your mom's medical history." I didn't take my hand away, and Vida didn't try to free hers. She gasped, but went silent and just stared at our palms. I asked her quietly "So, you weren't, right?"

Vida looked at me and turned her gaze away "It doesn't change anything, Gunnar. I have symptoms. And they intensified recently."

I squeezed her palm softly to make her look at me. I didn't want her to feel accused of exaggerating. Vida really had a lot on her mind, not only recently, but during her entire life. No doubt, I would probably think the same way in her place. Given her story, suspecting a beginning of mental illness seemed as a justified, uncontrived conclusion. However, the fact that she wasn't diagnosed yet, was paradoxically good info. It gave me some hope.

"I understand. Please don't see that as if I'm trying to diminish or undermine anything. It's just... Ever since we had that conversation on the beach I have been reading about schizophrenia a lot." She gave me a dubious look, so I smiled wryly. "I know how it sounds, Doctor Google and so on. But I dug really deep into PubMed and read a lot of professional, scientific articles. One thing that wouldn't let me rest was these migraines you suffer from. This is not a common symptom of schizophrenia, you know that, right?"

"So what? They don't need to be connected. Knowing my shitty luck, I have both schizophrenia and migraines. Just as a bonus because my life isn't fucked up enough," she answered bitterly.

"But what if they are connected? What if that is something else? I know that schizophrenia is hereditary, but there is a fourteen percent probability that a child will inherit that illness, if  one parent suffers from it. It's much bigger when both parents had it. Do you know if your father had some mental issues?"

"Other than being a complete selfish, sociopathic asshole who can abandon and forget his own child?" Vida laughed joylessly. "No, he had not, Gunnar. I checked that. I also read about schizophrenia a lot, sorry to say that, but surely much more than you. I know about these statistics, it's not new information for me. Fine, I agree, migraines can be caused by something different. But how will you explain other symptoms? Mood changes, emotional instability? Alternate states of high agitation and lack of energy? Panic attacks? Did you find answers for these on PubMed?" She asked me, her tone bitter. I knew that Vida felt insulted simply by the fact that I was talking about schizophrenia like I knew a damn thing about it. I understood, but I didn't let it stop me.

"I don't know, Vida. Maybe depression? Stress? Anxiety disorder? I have no idea, but..." I wanted to say, but Vida cut me off.

"See? You have no idea what you are talking about! You're not a doctor, Gunnar!" she exclaimed with annoyance and tried to pull her hand away, but I didn't let her.

"Neither are you! That's why you should get diagnosed! To check if, by any chance, it isn't something else. I know that you don't want to hear the prospective confirmation, that it's better to be in a limbo. I know that you're afraid, Vida! Who wouldn't be? I would be scared as fuck, I'm sure! But I wanted to tell you that I'll be there for you! I will go with you to every possible doctor! You don't have to be alone with that!" I said firmly, and she blinked, surprised by the intensity of my statement.

"Why are you doing this, Gunnar? You shouldn't waste your time on me..." Vida dropped her head and sighed. She remained like that while I continued.

"It's not about me, but wasting your life. I won't let that happen. I just can't. And I'm doing that because you need someone to help you through this. Because you deserve better. Listen, Vida, you're the strongest person I've ever met. And I'm not talking about the fact that you can bench press more than I weigh," I threw in that joke to ease the tension a bit and to my delight Vida snorted softly, although with teary eyes. I entwined my fingers with hers. "But seriously, to go through what you had gone through? Almost without any help? I know that you think otherwise, but you're so strong mentally, Vida! You're heroic! But you don't need to carry that burden alone anymore, understand? Let me take some of that pressure off you!"

Hearing my words, Vida seemed almost dazed. She went silent for a longer while. Finally, she said quietly "That's... that's very kind of you, Gunnar. But I don't want you to get so involved in my problems... in me in general. It will really hurt you when it gets confirmed. Please, you must realize that at this point!"

"IF it gets confirmed, Vida. And if that happens, then we can go back to that conversation, if you wish. Don't worry about me, I'll manage, no matter what. It's time for you to take care of yourself. Just know that I'll be there with you as long as you need me," I said with a calm voice and continued in a matter-of-fact manner because I believed that only that way of dealing with it was proper - facts over emotions. "And if you get schizophrenia confirmed, it doesn't mean that you have to have such a severe case like your mom. Maybe it will be possible to keep it under control with treatment and therapy. And if it is something else, then together we'll figure out the appropriate approach."

Vida again fell silent. She looked at our entwined palms and I could see that she was thinking intensely. After a while, our eyes met and evidently, she was touched. I tried to smile assuredly at her.

"Okay, Gunnar. I will go see a doctor, if... if you'll accompany me," she said cautiously.

"Of course, I will," I answered, trying to hide my relief. I was so glad that she agreed! "I did some research about psychiatrists in Miami and found one guy with really good reviews. His name is Bernstein."

"I know him, indeed he is the best. But he charges a lot for a visit, I can't afford it now..."

"Let me take care of it, Vida."

"Ni hablar! Gunnar, it's really too much... I can't leech on you, it's out of discussion," she protested, frowning.

I was expecting such a reaction from her, as I was aware how it could look from her point of view. Money for me was the least of my problems, but I felt that Vida perceived the whole situation with her possible mental illness as humiliating, so in addition, depending on me financially, could only make this worse for her. Having this in mind, I tried to phrase that differently.

"Listen, I really care about you getting the best possible medical attention. If this Bernstein is really the top one, then you should see him. I want to help you, so please, just let me take care of it, Vida. I understand your reservations, so if you really want, we can treat it as a loan. But for me, the most important thing is to help you. How about that?" I said that calmly, but also decisively. I was truly convinced that Vida should see the best possible specialists to have a comprehensive diagnosis. So, yeah, that was the checker on the chessboard I was intending to defend.

Vida bit her lip, then shook her head with a crooked smile. "You won't give up with that idea, will you?"

"Of course not. You can't win that one. We Icelanders can be obnoxiously stubborn. That's why we survived for so long on the fucking piece of rock and ice." I chuckled cheerfully and to my joy, Vida joined me.

"Okay, okay, have it your way, Gunnar," she said and gave me the first honest smile. It was so good to see that!

"So, we have the plan settled. C'mon, I'll walk you home. I need to make some calls and book the visit," I said to her, standing up.

We walked back to her house in silence, but this time it was peaceful. No tension, no drama. Just a feeling of relief... and hope. Vida stopped next to the fence and I turned to her.

"Okay, Vida, I'll let you know when I manage to set a date for a visit to Dr. Bernstein. Please, turn on your phone," I told her substantively.

"Yes, of course," she answered. And when I was about to say goodbye, she held my forearm. "Gunnar, thank you. It means a lot to me. You can't even imagine how much. You are the first person, who ever..." She suddenly interrupted, and slowly, as if unsurely, got closer to me and hugged me tightly. I embraced her shoulders and pulled her toward me. She pressed her face to my chest. We stood like that for a while. I knew that it was her way of saying... a lot of things. It was delightful to hold her in my arms again, but I had to go, so I kissed her on top of her head and released her from my hug.

"I got you, Vida," I said strongly, wanting her to know that. "We're in touch."

Then I walked away, heading to my car. I felt weird, simultaneously exhausted and full of energy. It wasn't an easy talk, as nothing was easy in that situation. No one said that it would be easy - only now I began to appreciate that cliché slogan. But the silver lining was that Vida agreed to my idea. That was a light at the end of the tunnel and I wanted to see it as an exit, not as an incoming train.

[marasso]

Hi guys, another part is published! Remember, all the feedback is much appreciated, I even prefer to receive only comments than karma points Anyway, enjoy!



Dr. Bernstein seemed to be a nice guy via phone and not only because I used the most compelling language in the world - money. He had a free spot a few days after I talked with Vida, so I booked it instantly.

Straight away I called Vida and to my pleasant surprise, not only was her phone on, but she picked up after one ring, as if waiting for my call. She seemed to be elated to hear me. Well, needless to say that I was happy for that.

The day of the visit, I drove to Vida's house and found her already waiting on the porch. She appeared to be nervous, but also somehow... reconciled? I would even risk stating that, for the first time since... probably ever, she looked as if she allowed herself to have hope.

Nevertheless, I could notice the change in her mood and behavior. She wasn't so engrossed in despair anymore, she still seemed to be lost in her thoughts, but right before the first examination, it was perfectly understandable. We drove to Bernstein's office in silence. I was only glancing at her pretty profile and pouty lips.

After we arrived at the place, and we were sitting in the luxury waiting room, Vida looked like a bundle of nerves. She didn't complain at all, keeping everything to herself, but I could see that she was stressed. It was almost contagious, but I fought it off and tried to remain as calm as possible. I had to be her rock, so I was. I held her hand and when Dr Bernstein finally called her to the office, I gave her a strong, reassuring hug. She smiled ruefully and went inside.

It seemed to be a long wait, so it was good that I had a considerable library on my phone. I could catch up with reading and not overthinking everything.

Vida spent almost two hours in the office. But that was a proof for me that Bernstein was treating his patients seriously and doing thorough interviews. When the door of his office opened, Vida came out and chatted with him in the doorway. Then she returned to me. I grabbed my stuff, and we left the waiting room.

Vida seemed to be tired and confused, which of course wasn't surprising at all. I suggested we go to the nearby café. It was quite a nice place, and we ordered two black coffees. As we sat down at the table, I asked: "So, how did it go? What did he tell you?" I was barely holding my curiosity. But, as I was aware that Vida most likely received a lot of information at once, I wanted to give her space to tell me all at her own pace.

"Oh God, what he didn't tell me! How long was I there? Two hours? It felt like eight. But one thing I have to admit, Bernstein is really good. I mean, he's meticulous and compassionate, as a doctor. He didn't miss any aspect." Vida smiled and took a sip of coffee. "Okay, but to the point. So... he said that it can't be confirmed for one hundred percent yet, and it requires more tests and interviews, but... he doesn't think it's schizophrenia," she said and looked at me with a hard-to-read expression. As if she weren't sure how I would react or even how she should do that.

"Wow! I mean, I don't want to jump through the roof too early because it's preliminary, but... still promising at the very least, right?" I touched the top of her hand and she smiled, although rather faintly.

"Yeah, it is." Her reaction didn't show much joy, but I figured out she didn't want to hold on to hope too early. Vida sipped coffee and continued. "But still, it has to be checked further. And about my mental health in general, Bernstein said that I have obvious signs of depression and some other issues because of stress, but in his opinion it's nothing I couldn't deal with some therapy, healthy lifestyle, workouts, and the help of my... close ones." Vida dropped her eyes, but smirked meaningfully, and it made my heart speed up.

"Then we're gonna deal with each one of those issues. Together. Right?" I reached to her cheek and stroked it. Her dark eyes sparkled.

"Yes. We'll do that," Vida said with more enthusiasm, but straight away got serious again. "Listen, Gunnar, I spoke with Bernstein a lot about my migraines. In fact, they worried him the most. He said that these symptoms are alarming and that I have to have neurological examinations, like MRI or CT scans. Actually, he gave me a referral for them," she finished quietly.

"So, you'll do them. Actually, give me a minute, I know one place. Two years ago I was doing an MRI scan of my knee there, as I had suspected a torn ACL after a very 'light and friendly' futsal session. I'll call them and see if they have an available date," I said and took out my phone.

I called the reception of that clinic, and it turned out that they had a free spot the next day. I put them on the speaker, so Vida could hear it too. She nodded to let me know that she agreed. And just like that - I arranged an MRI scan for her in a blink of an eye.

We left the café and Vida seemed to be in a better mood. Not exactly elated, but evidently she cleared her head, at least to some extent. She wouldn't have admitted that yet, but Bernstein's expertise and his reputation already partially convinced her that it wasn't schizophrenia. And I knew that this possibility was a considerable weight taken off from her.

I drove her home, and we sat in the car for a moment, talking about the plan for the following day. And when we were about to say goodbye for the evening, I noticed that Vida was tense and behaved as if she wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start.

"What is it, Vida? Something bothers you?" I asked her gently.

She snorted softly. "Yeah, there are numerous things that bother me, but right now, it's... it's the fact that I will never be able to fully express my gratitude, Gunnar, for what you're doing for me. That's... I have no words to describe it. No one ever offered me so much..."

I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable, so I started saying "It's okay, Vida, it's really not..."

She interrupted me quickly "No! Please don't say that it's not a big deal! Because it's precisely what it is! It's much bigger than anything I did for you... C'mon, compare that with... with what? Putting ointment on your leg?"

"Hey, I really appreciated your treatment on my leg," I said lightly, wanting to turn the conversation into a more cheerful direction, but Vida's face was still tense, so I added, "Then compare doing what I've been doing with taking care of a mentally ill person for... how long? Fifteen years of such a knackering and challenging task?" I said, but it only made Vida's expression more dogged.

"It was never perfect, Gunnar. If you pictured me as a heroic, selfless, loving daughter, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. You can't even imagine how often I hated my mother, how unbearable my shame of her was! How often I just wished... that instead of schizophrenia she would have cancer or some other terminal illness. So, after some time she would have been gone! That it would be over finally!" Vida burst out suddenly. She went silent for a moment, then continued with a deflated tone. "I knew that it wasn't her fault, but it didn't stop me from hating her. Because it wasn't my fault either. And... when... When she has better moments, which are very rare, she sometimes would ask me: 'did I give you a hard time, corazón?' And then she will try to make things better... just until another episode comes... But I feel like the worst shit because of all that anger and hatred I felt toward her." Vida sobbed quietly and covered her face with hands.

I gently massaged her arm, not wanting to impose myself too much with physical touch.

"I know that I can't relate any experience in my life to what you had been through, but believe me, Vida, that I can imagine that it was a nightmare. Even though you weren't the perfect daughter, you didn't abandon your mom, you didn't put her into a facility forever. You sacrifice so much of your own life, your education and simple enjoyment of having close relationships with people. All because of fear of rejections. You did and continue doing the right thing." I tried to say something encouraging and cheerful, but it wasn't easy to find appropriate words which wouldn't seem shallow.

"I just can't understand why you're doing this, Gunnar. I'm not a good catch. No soy nadie! I feel that I don't deserve your attention and care! I'm not worthy of that! Maybe I don't have schizophrenia, but I'm still a complete mess. Why would anybody be interested in... saving me? Because that's what it is. Are you also into broken girls like Nathan was?"

"I'm doing this for two reasons, Vida. Objective one because you need that help, it is as simple as that. Every sensitive person would help in that situation, if only it would be possible. And you're wrong. Of course you deserve that chance for recovery, for having a normal life. To start over and catch up with missed time. And nothing bad you'd try to say about yourself will change my mind," I said firmly, but with a calm tone. I put my hand on her shoulder, to make her look at me.

She raised her wet eyes at me. I smiled softly, slightly grazing over her cheek with my finger.

"The second reason, Vida, is more personal. I...  like you. A lot. You brought countless positive emotions into my life. And no, I'm not into broken girls. I'm into you, and you're not broken. Okay, even if you are a bit broken, you are still beautiful. Like in Kelly Clarkson's song. Broken but beautiful. It's not like you're beyond repairable. You just need a helping hand, a bit of extra motivation... like at the moment we met, remember? You just needed to hear that you can do it, and you did two additional reps with a freaking 90 kilo barbell! You have a warrior mentality, Vida. And that's what I like in you. That and asking me if I believed in aliens right after we had sex," I chuckled, and she snorted too. I felt that she finally began to calm down.

"I got to like the girl who was dancing a samba in the middle of the street. The girl who was so committed to her workouts, so driven and focused. Who could find order in the middle of the chaos. The girl who was concerned about seeing a very dark bruise on a very pale leg and took care of it. The girl who was fun, spontaneous and a bit crazy, but in a good way. That's the girl I have feelings for," I finished, looking into her eyes.

Vida was staring at me, dazed by my confession. Two big tears rolled down her cheeks and I wiped them with my fingers. She smiled softly.

"Uhm... these tears weren't because of despair, Gunnar." Vida giggled timidly. She inhaled and exhaled a few times. "Oh my goodness, I have the feeling that recently I'm constantly crying next to you, and you're saying that I have a warrior mentality. Que ironía." She joked and we both chuckled.

"Crying does not mean you are weak. You fall and you stand up. That's the point. That's the strength. And you wipe these tears away. I understand, it's just a low point in your life, Vida. But I believe that soon it will only get better."

"I want to believe that too, Gunnar," she said quietly and then turned toward me. Her eyes were now full of passion. She slowly raised her hands and touched my face, as if doing it for the first time. Her lips were trembling a bit, when she said "I would like to tell you that I feel the same about you! That moment on the beach, when I knew how much I hurt you by my disappearances and still had to hurt you more by... by breaking up, it devastated me. It broke my heart! Please, know that I didn't want it at all, I just believed at the moment that it was the only way..." She looked at me with hope that I would now understand, and I nodded to show her that I did.

"I figured it out, more or less, but thank you for telling me that." I sighed and squeezed her arms a bit. I tried to smile a bit more briskly.

" Listen, Vida, let's focus now on checking all possible health issues, okay? Once we resolve them, then we can go back to this... more personal conversation with the more propitious terms. Now, you should get some rest, it was a very long day. I'll be there tomorrow an hour before the MRI, okay?"

"Si, mi corazón. Thank you," Vida said and pulled me into a tight hug. She held me for a solid thirty seconds, but I didn't complain. Then she got out of the car and went home.

While I was driving to my apartment, uncannily, I had a perfect clarity in my mind. It was a hard day, but I strongly believed that it got us more attuned to each other. And that together we could overcome everything that life would throw at us.

[Wookey]

Coming back to the good stuff K+

[wowser1016]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Good for Gunnar! He did what I hoped he would do and once again the story is looking up and as a reader I have hope. I really like your work and it goes beyond the scope of just a female muscle entry which makes it more interesting and real. You have done a really fine job with your characters and you are earning the Karma you receive. K+!.

[marasso]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Good for Gunnar! He did what I hoped he would do and once again the story is looking up and as a reader I have hope. I really like your work and it goes beyond the scope of just a female muscle entry which makes it more interesting and real. You have done a really fine job with your characters and you are earning the Karma you receive. K+!.

Oh, man, you can't even imagine how much this comment means to me. I want my stories to appear real and La Vida Loca is more a romance with a female muscle motif than the story focusing on the kink. Thank you for reading, we're coming close to the end of the story, this will be the 3rd part from the end.

Coming back to the good stuff K+

Thank you! Enjoy the next part



The next day was really hot, and the weather was perfect. About 30 Celsius degrees or whatever it would be in that ridiculous, unintuitive Fahrenheit scale. Clear sky, but with a pleasant refreshing breeze from the ocean.

Yesterday, right after I parted with Vida, I called Dr. Bernstein and asked him if she could see him after getting the MRI scan results. Luckily, he agreed, moreover he promised to call his colleague neurologist and asked if he could take a glance at the scans. Bernstein asked me to keep informing him on the fly.

With this good news and also surprisingly good humor, I drove for Vida. Again, she was sitting on her porch and when I parked next to the sidewalk, she almost ran toward me. It was a touching view, I'm not gonna lie. We hugged tightly and I ogled her.

Vida looked astonishing, but somewhat different, however I couldn't put my finger on why exactly. She had a simple blue dress, tied with a thin black strap in her waist. As usual, her arms were bare, and the color of the dress made a nice contrast with her golden skin. The only other things she wore were black flip-flops and a little purse.

"Hey beautiful, you look stunning," I said to her, smiling widely.

Vida answered with a similar grin "Gracias, guapo. Tú también!" she spun around. "You like that? Hah, funny enough, my choice of clothes today is purely because of that MRI scan."

"How so?" I asked, when we got into my car.

"You know, you can't have any metal elements, buttons, buckles, zippers and so on," she explained. I nodded, realizing that indeed it was true. "I had to take off all my earrings too. You see?" She put her hair behind her ear, this one in which she had multiple jewelry pieces previously, now indeed they were all taken out.

"Um-hum. I see," I answered, and my eyes involuntarily went lower, to Vida's chest. Even the simple thought about her pierced nipples caused the sudden rush of blood to my cock.

Vida caught my look and bit her lips in a seductive manner. "Yes, Gunnar, those too," she whispered with a sultry tone.

"Oh, that's really good to KNOW, Vida," I mumbled with a goofy expression and we both burst into laughter.

It was great to hear Vida laughing so honestly and heartily again. Even though we were going to the examination which could bring potentially bad news, we both were in a great mood. My mood didn't matter that much of course, but the fact that Vida managed to find a mindset which allowed her to be relaxed and optimistic was relieving. Perhaps, she just made peace with her fate, whatever will be, will be, and that alone gave her some well-deserved serenity.

Giggling and chatting about silly stuff, we drove to the medical facility. There I sat in the lounge, Vida left her purse with me and after a small discussion with the receptionist, she went to the room with the MRI. I read online how long it can take for a scan and found out that it usually takes a maximum of an hour. However, Vida came back after half of that time.

The receptionist told us that the results would be available in two hours, so we went to a nearby shopping mall. Meanwhile I called Dr. Bernstein, telling him that Vida underwent an MRI. He asked us to come to his office once we got the results and that he would call that neurologist to drop by too. Bernstein's commitment and initiative to help Vida, just assured me that he was the best choice.

The two hours of waiting we spent eating at Subway, walking around the shops and talking. For the first time, I felt as if we were a real couple. At last doing normal, mundane stuff like other people do.

While we were eating sandwiches, Vida surprised me by asking how I managed to find her after our 'break up' at that beach. For a brief moment, I had some doubts if I should tell her everything, but after all I felt that there was nothing particularly bad in what I did. Moreover, I simply wanted to be honest with her.

So, I told her about finding the video clip from her stream, then looking for her in that Seven-Eleven and finally, my lucky encounter with Adriano. I evaded telling Vida about watching her stream because I didn't want her to figure out that I sent her that donation. It wouldn't bring anything good at the moment, at least that's what I believed. However, I made a promise to myself that one day I would tell her that too.

When I mentioned Adriano, Vida smirked all-knowingly and said that her cousin came clean and confessed that he was 'the snitch'. First, she laughed about the whole situation, finding it rather funny but then got serious and said that all the effort I put in finding her was admirable and touching. That no one ever cared about her as much.

With that as a punchline, we went back to the medical center and received the results. Vida decided to not even glance at them by herself, she preferred that Bernstein and that neurologist would look at them first. I could feel that Vida became more stressed, but she tried to keep cool.

I called the former and gave him a heads-up that we were coming with the results. Bernstein told me that they were already waiting for us. So, we didn't waste any time and drove straight to his office.

Vida gave the MRI results to the receptionist and she carried them to Bernstein's office. After a couple of minutes, the doctor peeked out and said to the girl behind the reception desk "Annie, can you call Dr Wong to my office? Thank you."

A moment later, a short older Asian man walked in the corridor and went inside Bernstein's office. Maybe a quarter later, Bernstein peeked out again, this time to call Vida inside. She asked him first. "Can my boyfriend be with me inside?" Her voice was a bit shaky. It maybe wasn't the best moment, but I couldn't help but feel a pleasant thrill to hear what she called me. 

"Of course, if you wish," Bernstein answered politely and invited us to his office.

Inside was that Asian man, who introduced himself as Dr. Wong, neurologist and neurosurgeon. Documents from Vida's MRI scan were on the desk, in front of Dr. Wong.

We sat down and Vida reached for my hand, clamping on it strongly. Her palm was hot and sweaty from nerves. I reciprocated that squeeze to show her my support, at least in that way.

Wong cleared his throat and said "Okay, Miss Diaz, thank you for your patience and I apologize for the wait. I know that it's stressful, so allow me to go straight to the most important point."

He pointed with the pen at one spot on the MRI image. "Here, this dark spot is the reason for migraines and other afflictions Doctor Bernstein told me about." Hearing that, Vida inhaled sharply and Wong quickly explained. "The good news is that it's an aneurysm, not a tumor or other oncological problem. But still, it should be surgically removed as quickly as possible. Its size indicates that there is a considerable risk of rupture and that would be very dangerous, highly possibly even fatal." He stopped and gave Vida a moment to process that news. I could see that she was shocked, almost in stupor.

"Is it operable? I mean, what's the accessibility of this aneurysm?" I asked, feeling that I was stepping out of line a bit, but then I saw that Vida nodded quickly, as if in support of my question.

"Yes, the location of it is easily accessible," Wong answered in a matter-of-fact  tone.

"What are my chances then?" Vida asked with a tense voice.

"Chances are high, Miss Diaz. The location of the aneurysm is very, let's say, advantageous for the surgery. And you're a young, healthy and strong woman. Although, I have to be clear. It is a brain surgery, so there is always the risk of complications. But still, it's less of a risk than ignoring the problem. This aneurysm won't absorb itself, the most possible result is its rupture. No one can predict when it will happen, but it will happen eventually," Wong finished and then the silence appeared.

Vida looked shocked, which was perfectly understandable. But personally, I felt a huge relief. Aneurysm sounded serious, that was undeniable, but not that ominous as brain cancer.

"Can you perform that surgery, Dr. Wong?" I asked and he confirmed by nodding.

"When can we do it?" Vida asked decidedly. I glanced at her with full of respect and surprise, as just a few seconds earlier she looked disoriented and lost, but apparently she made up her mind very quickly. That was a great sign.

Wong bent down and picked up his briefcase, then took out the calendar. "I'm strongly suggesting that it should be done at the earliest possible date, with an aneurysm of that size every day of delay is a risk. Therefore, I can do it next Thursday, so in seven days. Miss Diaz, you would still have to undergo a few more examinations, so we'd have a whole picture before the surgery. I'll write them down for you."

Dr Wong noted down a few things for Vida, then he excused himself, said goodbye and left. Bernstein spoke with Vida for a moment and said that in light of the MRI scans results, the possibility of her having schizophrenia was marginal. He added some words of encouragement about the surgery and told us that he would be at our disposal. Of course, we thanked him for his support and then left his office.

When we were walking toward my car, I wanted to give Vida space to think through all these revelations, but she surprised me by saying "Gunnar, can you stay with me longer today? Can we go somewhere... to just sit in peace?"

"Sure, not a problem. Do you have any particular place in mind?"

"Let's go to the beach, okay?"

I only nodded in response, being kind of glad that Vida suggested that because I had a bit of a mental struggle. I could only try to imagine what Vida was thinking in light of all this news. At the end of the day, aneurysm was a really fortunate diagnosis, compared to having schizophrenia or tumor. But for Vida, the perspective of having a surgery and getting her skull cut open, must have been scary. It certainly would be for me.

We drove to the nearest beach entrance. Despite it being late afternoon, it was still hot, but more tolerable. Sand was nearly scorching my unused Icelandic soles. Vida stopped and sat down, and I joined her, sitting next to her and embracing her shoulders. She smiled pensively at me and then turned her face toward the ocean.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, knowing that was a pretty dumb question regarding all the news Vida got today.

She chuckled quietly and answered "I don't really know. Neither good nor bad. Weird, that would be the most accurate. I feel as if life was making fun of me. La Vida loca, haha!" She shook her head and glanced at me.

"Yeah, that day was crazy. All the same, it turned out well, don't you think? It's not schizophrenia, Vida! And that's most important, right?"

"That's true, but still, I was right, lindo." Vida laughed again. "I have a time-bomb in my head, but of a different kind."

I looked at her and saw that she really found it amusing. Still and all, it was great that she could perceive the whole situation through the prism of humor. That was the best way of coping, wasn't it?

"Oh, come here, bomb-girl," I chuckled too and pulled her closer to me. "You are a crazy, cute bombshell, Vida," I murmured to her ear, while massaging her back.

She snuggled her face to my chest and sighed with relief "It's so good to be in your arms, Gunnar..."

We were sitting like this for a long and very pleasant while. Then Vida lifted her head and said with a timid smile "I know that it will sound weird, but do you see that buoy?" She pointed at the yellow object in the water, far from the shore.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"It's you. And I'm the ocean," she said and chuckled awkwardly.

"Hey, I know that you're big and muscular, but it's not that big a difference between us, c'mon!" I joked and we both laughed.

"Tonto! It's not about that, Gunnar. It's... Eh, a lighthouse would be a better reference, but it is what it is. You're like this buoy, Gunnar. You show where there is a safe harbor, where the shore is, where the dangerous depths begin. And you're there, stable and assuring, no matter how turbulent the waters are. If they go crazy, stormy and so on, you are still there. You're my buoy, Gunnar. My anchor, my lighthouse and my rock," she finished and looked in my eyes.

And I was certain that she meant that all. I smiled at her and shifted my position, now having my hips facing forward, with her between my legs. Vida did the same, placed her legs on top of my thighs. I pulled her closer.

"You have a poetic soul, Vida," I said, a bit teasing.

She laughed softly. "Actually, there was a period in my life, back in high school, when I wrote some poems."

"Oh, really? Will you show me?" I asked jokingly

"Only if you insist. I'd prefer not to go back to them. Those were dark, tragic and hopeless poems, Gunnar. And they probably would appear as a super-cringe now." She laughed adorably ashamed. "Because currently I would rather keep positive. I... I want to live, Gunnar. I want to..."

She didn't finish, pulling me into a kiss instead. The moment our lips connected I was out of my breath. The softness and fullness of her lips engulfed me. She held my face, delicately stroking my cheeks.

It was a much different kiss than we ever had before. I had a feeling as if Vida wanted to say 'thank you' and 'I'm sorry' by it, and 'I love you' and 'I want you'. As if, through that kiss, she wanted to express all these emotions, which sometimes were difficult to even be realized, let alone to be phrased.

Vida trembled, when my hands started to explore her body. My right hand slid on her naked thigh, enjoying the smoothness of her skin. My left palm went up to her nape, softly squeezing it, then going lower, to her upper back and shoulder.

Our lips parted away, and she muttered "I missed you so much. Your touch..." Her sentence was abruptly interrupted by her own moan, when my hand snuck under her dress and went up her thigh, to her hip and then her obliques.

My erection was almost painful at that moment. I knew that we couldn't make it right there, as the beach was still full of people, sitting, chilling and swimming, but I craved so much to touch and feel her body.

My left hand went lower on her right arm, encountering the bulge of her bicep. That reminded me of watching her online stream and the moment when she did that double bicep flex after my donation. Suddenly, I realized that I wanted to see it in real life too. Not only to show Vida that I wanted her as a whole, but out of my own curiosity.

"Flex your arm," I said to her with an inconspicuous smirk.

Her eyes widened from surprise. "You want me to flex my bicep?" She asked with an uncertain smile.

"Yeah, do it."

So she did. Still smiling confusedly, Vida lifted her right arm, clenched her fingers into the fist and slowly bent her arm. Her bicep did not only get larger with that flex, but also more detailed, as if it changed its shape and texture. From a considerably big bulge it grew to a ball of rock-hard flesh.

"Wow, this is amazing!" I exclaimed and clamped my hand around her bicep. It was even harder than it looked. I groped that muscle in every possible way.

Vida was observing me and her expression changed from surprised and unsure to happy, satisfied and even somewhat... relieved?

But still, she asked, as if she was suspecting me pulling a prank on her "Do you really like my muscles?"

"I will answer you like I did previously. First and foremost, I like you, Vida. And I would have liked you whether you were muscular, skinny or fat. But yeah, I like your muscles too. I admire your effort in building them. And if you need another undeniable, rock-solid proof for my appreciation, then..." I didn't finish, only pulled her hips closer to mine. She felt 'the proof' I was talking about, pressing at her pubic bone.

"Oh, wow, that's all the proof I need," she giggled and kissed me again.

We went for that kiss as if the world was about to end. Then we sat on the beach until it got dark, spending this time kissing, hugging and talking crazy, sexy and kinky stuff. For that moment, we had a secluded bubble of our private universe, where nothing except us existed. But, even though I knew that it was an illusion for now, hopefully it would soon change to reality.

[Sounder9-]

Another banger of a chapter! It feels real and like something I would stumble upon in real like. K++

[quick]

Somehow I missed this story.  Just plowed through all of it in a sitting.  Incredible.

[wowser1016]

I am really enjoying your characters and the story. I am wondering why Gunnar hasn't told her that he is in love with her. It is rather obvious. Just as obvious in Vide is her insecurity concerning him. Don't let me down now that things are looking better for their future. I still want that good ending. K+!

[marasso]

Another banger of a chapter! It feels real and like something I would stumble upon in real like. K++

Thank you! I'm glad that my story is realistic and believable!

Somehow I missed this story.  Just plowed through all of it in a sitting.  Incredible.

I'm happy that you enjoyed it and it was so entertaining that you read everything so quickly

I am really enjoying your characters and the story. I am wondering why Gunnar hasn't told her that he is in love with her. It is rather obvious. Just as obvious in Vide is her insecurity concerning him. Don't let me down now that things are looking better for their future. I still want that good ending. K+!

Thank you, as always! Don't worry, there will be the happy ending.

For now I have the second to last chapter! Enjoy and please give me your thoughts, as usual!



"Oh, c'mon, show me," I bantered with Vida.

"No, you'll make fun of me." She stuck her tongue out and tried to evade my arms. But she reacted too slow, or maybe did that on purpose, and I grabbed her waist. I pulled her tightly and she laughed.

The day before the surgery we were in my apartment. Vida just came back from the hairdresser, but persisted to hide her hair under the black bandana. Getting a new haircut wasn't only a whim of fashion, but a practical decision. As Vida said, even if her skull would be cut open, she won't let them ruin her hair completely. She wanted to have control over something at least, and I knew that was giving her peace of mind.

"I won't laugh, you know that's not my style," I said to her, trying to be more serious.

Vida looked at me leerily, but in a playful way. I knew that she was just messing with me. And I was right. Rolling her eyes, she smiled and said, "Fine, whatever. After all, this won't be as bad as I will look after the surgery" She lifted her arms and untied the bandana, taking it off.

Aaand... Vida looked great! The sides of her head were shaved, and on the top was left a wide mohawk. Her hair was shorter around her forehead and gradually went longer on the back of her head, where it ended at the length Vida's hair previously was.

I liked her new style. A bit edgy and badass, but very sexy too. I guess, Vida just fit in the rule that someone beautiful will always look beautiful, no matter clothes or hairstyles.

"What? I look like a crazy feminist, right?" Vida chuckled.

"Nah, they don't make them so pretty. Plus, your hair would be blue or violet. And you'd be shrieking loud as fuck," I joked to her and she started to double over from laughter.

"So it isn't so bad?" She asked, when she was able to catch her breath again.

"You look sexy as hell, Vida! Like an Amazon warrior! Like Valkyria... although, not like them, as they were virgins," I joked again, and Vida nudged me in the arm, pretending that she was offended. But then, in contrast to that, she hugged me and kissed me sensually.

Despite what was going to happen tomorrow, she was in a great mood. Maybe it was a bit of acting, and she was trying to push away stressful thoughts, but even so, we still had a wonderful time together.

During the days of waiting for the surgery, we got even closer. We developed a true bond. Spending every afternoon and evening together, partially going to additional examinations Vida had to undergo, but also doing almost everything prior to that infamous beach talk.

Except going to the gym together, as Wong said that it would be better if Vida took a break from heavy lifting. I noticed that it wasn't the easiest decision for her, but she complied with that restriction. However, we were doing a lot of... cardio, if you know what I mean. Even though Wong said between the lines that every activity which increases intracranial pressure might be dangerous. That must have included orgasms too, but Vida basically said fuck it and let's fuck. And there was no way of persuading her out of it. Not that I complained particularly.

One day I was invited to Vida's home by her aunt, who was evidently worried about a shady Icelander encouraging her niece to do risky medical procedures. I mean, that was only my theory, because it turned out that Rita was grateful for my initiative and just wanted to meet me. Even during that short meeting I noticed how close Vida was with her aunt, and if I could say anything about Rita herself... I just wish to have as much energy as her! Vida was right, they don't make people like Rita any more.

So that was it. Now, it was Wednesday evening and the next day, at noon, Vida was going to have the surgery. We ate and sat on my balcony. Vida locked her eyes on the ocean view and I could almost observe her thought process. I knew that she was thinking about the surgery, it was inevitable. But I didn't want her to be stressed, so I got an idea. I went to my laptop and played some music. Vida followed me with a confused, but also curious expression. When she heard the music she smiled with uncertain amusement.

"Hey, babe, wanna dance?" I asked with an exaggerated cocky smirk.

"Dance? To that song?" She giggled, hearing the slow rhythm of famous Berlin's hit 'Take my breath away'.

"Yeah, it will be something special, Vida. I call this 'awkward teenager's dance'. Let me show you the steps." I came closer and entwined her waist. She intuitively embraced my neck. "Oh, okay, I see that you're a natural. Now, pay attention to the moves," I said jokingly and just started slowly moving in a circle. Basically, we were spinning around together, in a tight embrace.

"Is that all?" Vida snorted with laughter, but didn't stop 'dancing' with me.

"Yup, that's it. This dance is a traditional way for every shy teenage boy to get intimate with a girl he has a crush on. You wait for the school dance, then there must be a proper song, the slower the better, and you ask her for a dance. And then you can hug her as much as you want," I explained to her, chuckling. I avoided saying that after the dance the boy would have a whole new memory data for furious jerking off sessions, as that might have ruined the atmosphere.

"That's nice..." she whispered and laid her head on my shoulder, tightening her embrace.

We danced like this for at least half an hour. I knew that because several songs passed by, like Prince's 'Purple Rain' or Roxette's 'Listen to your heart''. Slow, calm, romantic or nostalgic. Simply perfect for our moment.

It was in the middle of Tracy Chapman's 'Fast car', when I felt that Vida was trembling softly. And then she sniffled and sobbed quietly.

"Hey, what's going on, Vida? Why are you crying?" I asked her gently.

She lifted her head and looked at me with teary eyes. She smiled ruefully. "Uhm... It's nothing, I just..."

"You don't need to pretend in front of me, Vida. I know you're scared of tomorrow," I started, but she cut in.

"I'm not scared. I mean, of course I am, they will open my head like a can." She winced sarcastically. "But it's not the reason that I cried. I just got emotional, Gunnar. I'm so happy, mi cielo. You gave me so much, so much... I want to thank you for all you did for me. I don't want to sound overdramatic, but it's brain surgery, I may not wake up..."

"No! Don't even think that way! Everything will be fine, I promise you that!" I assured her fervently.

"I hope so. But you are aware that it is still a risk, that's just reality." She looked down and then her gaze went back to my eyes with a sudden determination. "That's why I want to say something to you, Gunnar, while I can..." She tried, but this time I interrupted her. With a kiss.

At first she tried to protest, but I was relentlessly kissing her and after a while she submitted to it. I felt as if her tense body was slowly relaxing in my arms. When we stopped, she tried again.

"But, Gunnar, I want you to know..."

"Hey, hey, Vida. I want to hear this all, okay? But you will tell me that after surgery, straight away. Because you WILL WAKE UP, understand? There is no other option!" I tilted her face up, so our eyes could meet. I saw fear in her eyes, but also trust and hope. She wanted to believe my words.

"Okay, lindo." Vida gave up, and I kissed her again, this time with more rapacious passion.

"Good. And now you better drop this topic, Vida, if you don't want me to silence you with something bigger than my tongue," I said to her with a lowered tone and wide grin.

Vida's eyes shot open and her lips stretched in a similar fashion to mine. "Oh, that's weird, but what you said just makes me want to be more... disobedient" She said playfully and pulled me into a fiery kiss.

Her lips were almost devouring mine, our tongues clashed in the most primal duel. I felt as her hips were pushing forward, pressing at my erection. Her pubic bone was rubbing on my strained cock, it was almost unbearable. I craved to be inside her, right there, right now!

Vida must have read my mind, because hastily she unbuckled my belt and tugged down my pants, kneeling in front of me. My cock sprung out toward Vida's face like a rocket, only grazing her cheek, because in the last moment she dodged the impact. She snorted with a surprise. I kicked my pants aside and took off my shirt, throwing it on the floor.

"Oh, fuck..." she hissed lustily, gripping my shaft. Her dilated pupils locked in my eyes. "So, will you silence me, Gunnar? Or should I do that myself?" she asked teasingly and kissed the tip of my cock.

"Whatever you like, babe," I whispered to her and stroked the shaved side of her head. It was weird to feel almost bald skin under my fingers, but it still was my Vida. And she looked sexy, no matter what.

She just smiled and tilted her head toward my hand, as if she wanted to show me that she appreciated my touch. So I touched her more, entangling my fingers into her mohawk, while her hot, soft lips engulfed the head of my cock.

A loud gasp escaped my mouth when she started to suck. My entire nervous system was shocked, when the hot insides of her cheeks were massaging me that way. I gazed down at her, and she looked so beautiful, with narrowed eyes staring at me. So lovely, so innocent and submissive.

"Oh, Vida..." I murmured incoherently and started to shove my cock inside Vida's warm mouth, holding her by the top of her head.

Instantly, Vida changed her position, bending her neck slightly, opening her throat for me, so I had an easier access to that marvelous, hot highway to heaven. With that invitation, I had to go on the ride.

Slowly, but decisively, I began to slide my cock into Vida's mouth, with each move reaching deeper and deeper. I saw that she tried hard not to gag, but was failing, due to lack of experience. Or because my cock was too big. Yeah, why not that second answer.

But the best thing about Vida was that even normally obscene sounds like gurgling and gagging in her case were sexy and arousing. And the way she was looking at me... I knew that she wanted to give me pleasure, to make me feel great. During sex Vida was expressing some integral features of her character - she could be selfless and caring more about my sensations than her own.

As the level of my pleasure was gradually building up I found myself in an ambivalent state of mind. Simultaneously, I wanted and didn't want to come in her mouth. I knew that she wouldn't mind me doing that. But at the same time, I desired to grab her hips, throw her over my shoulder, carry to my bedroom and fuck her the whole night. I felt like Vida would want it that way. A hot, intense, passionate round of sex to help her to not think about tomorrow. I wanted to give her that!

And that was the time for taking the matter to bed. Slowly, with a slurping sound, I pulled my dick from Vida's mouth. She gasped loudly and looked at me with dreamily dazed eyes. I helped her get up, and kissed her, tasting my own dick on her lips, but hey, who would care about such details. Certainly not me.

"Bedroom. Now!" I grinned at Vida and spanked her butt, when she turned around. She squeaked and then giggled.

We nearly jogged to my bedroom, meanwhile Vida managed to take off her shirt. Then she reached to my nightstand for condoms. I let her do it, holding her by the hips, then hooked my fingers on the brim of her shorts and pulled her toward me. She stumbled, but I caught her and closed in a tight hug from the rear. Her shorts quickly fell on the floor and she tossed them aside with her leg.

Hard, round globes of her buttocks were pressing against my cock. Only black panties were guarding the place where I wanted to be the most.

"Oh, Gunnar..." Vida moaned and tilted her head backward. Instantly, I covered the side of her neck with hungry kisses, nips and bites. "Take me, Gunnar, do it to me the whole night, please..." she pleaded.

"I will, Vida, don't you worry about that!" I mumbled to her ear and turned her around.

In the blink of an eye, she grabbed my cock and swiftly rolled the condom on it, then almost jumped on me. I scooped my hands under her butt and yanked her to my chest, then kind of tackled us down on the bed. We frantically moved toward the headboard. Our fiery hot bodies entangled, writhing and wallowing in the bed, hungry to be touched.

I ended up on top and laid down on her. My attention moved to Vida's hard nipples. Ever since she took off the piercing before that MRI scan, she didn't put them back on, as it wouldn't have made sense before the surgery. But that meant I could do with her nipples whatever I could imagine. And I could imagine a lot.

So, I latched my lips to her left nipple, sucking it whole into my mouth. With my hand I did everything with her second nipple - I rolled, pinched and twisted it in every possible way, playing with it like with a joystick. I loved the way her nipples were responding to my touch. They were getting harder, but at the same time remained malleable. That was simply mind-blowing.

Vida's reaction to my caressing was making my blood boil. Her hands were playing with my hair, stroking and slightly pulling. She was squirming under me, her hips were bucking up, hitting my chest over and over again. Her legs were squeezing my midsection, pulling me closer, not wanting to let me go.

"Please, please, Gunnar. I need you inside, please!" she begged me desperately.

Without saying anything, I lifted myself up and spread her legs to the sides. My harder-than-steel cock was pressing at her folds. I looked at her, seeing her gasping in anticipation, her eyes filled with lust and various emotions. Vida. My woman. My love.

I leaned down and held the back of her neck. Our eyes were connected when I pressed my hips forward and entered her. The enticing warm tightness welcomed me. Vida's eyes swiveled when I pushed forward, filling her with my entire length.

"Owww! You feel so good!" she yelped with a strangled voice.

I didn't say anything back, focused on the most atavistic way of communication that existed. My hips moved quicker and quicker with every thrust. Slowly and arduously at first, but with every second faster and faster, more fervently.

In no time I was pounding at her body, blasting forward into her hot entrance with long, desperate thrusts. Leaning down, I still held her neck, knowing that she wanted to be held like that. It wasn't a gesture of dominance or possessiveness, although it may have looked like it. But for me it was showing her that she is safe with me. That I got her, no matter what. That we were connected at every level.

I whispered all of that to her. An incoherent, chaotic and uncontrolled stream of thoughts and emotions. I told her that she was beautiful. That I got her. That I was here for her, now and always. That she was sexy. That she would make me come like crazy.

Her inner walls began to clench on my cock and instinctively, I sped up. My hips were now slamming against hers with blinding speed. Our foreheads touched and Vida climaxed hard, pulling my upper body close to her chest, squeezing me in a vice-like embrace. Her breath ceased, her eyelids drooped and a grimace of pleasure and sweet effort crossed her face.

As I was balancing on the edge the whole time, seeing Vida in that state threw me off it immediately. With the last, strong push, I bottomed out and collapsed on her, feeling boneless, as if the life energy was leaving me. Because it truly did, it was leaving me in seemingly endless spurts and squirts.

My face fell into a nook between her neck and shoulder. Her scorchingly hot skin was pressed against my cheek. I could feel the pulsing of her veins on my face, and hear her heartbeat.

"Oh, Gunnar..." Vida moaned to my ear with a faint voice. "Thank you for that, thank you, amor..."

I was panting in shuddery gasps, but slowly, with an effort, I raised myself on my elbows. I gazed at her beautiful face, now delighted, relaxed, but also somewhat emotional. We exchanged tired smiles.

"Don't thank me yet, Vida. There is an entire night before us," I said with a raspy voice and we kissed again.

And indeed that was an entire night. Long, hot and amazing night.

[Wookey]

Wonderful story. You should be proud of how much your writing has developed. K+

[marasso]

Wonderful story. You should be proud of how much your writing has developed. K+

Thank you! Being proud is maybe too much of a word, but I'm genuinely satisfied with how this story was constructed and developed.


I wanted to thank you all, Wookey, Sounder9, wowser1016, sgsg69, Mufu, crow04, jhunter, biggerisbetter, allmaster, szerep and other people who followed this story, but didn't left comments. Your positive feedback meant a lot to me! It was a nice journey, as this story was more a romance with elements of female muscle than the story focused mainly on that topic. But I hope you enjoyed it. Anyway, I'm posting the last part of it. Have a fun reading and don't forget to leave your thoughts about it!



It felt so good to wake up and find Vida sleeping in my arms. She looked so peaceful. I checked the time on the phone and decided to let her sleep as long as it was possible before we had to leave for the surgery.

Eventually, when I had to wake her up, it couldn't go unnoticed how stressed she was. She seemed to be a ball of nerves, almost mute. Since she was unable to eat anything before the general anesthesia, I denied myself a breakfast too, out of solidarity, but I doubted that she even noticed. Vida had everything already prepared and packed in the bag, so we just left my flat and drove straight to the hospital.

Rita and Adriano were waiting for us at the hospital. I noticed that her aunt's energy was actually helpful and Vida relaxed a bit talking to her.

The worst thing of all was waiting, therefore when a nurse came to us to call Vida for the procedure, I think that we all felt a relief. Even Vida, or maybe especially her. She hugged Rita and Adriano and when it came for me, she squeezed me so strongly and desperately that I almost couldn't breathe.

"I'm scared, Gunnar..." she whispered.

"Everything will be fine, Vida. In fact, you'll see me in a couple of minutes," I said surely and kissed her head. "That's how anesthesia works." I winked to cheer her up.

Hesitantly, she let go of me and disappeared with Wong behind the door.

And then, even worse waiting began.

The surgery could last up to eight hours, then Vida probably would remain in the induced coma for some time, before doctors decide to wake her up.

So we waited. It was an excruciating challenge, because of that nerve-wracking anticipation and uncertainty. Each of us was dealing with it in our own way, but while Rita and Adriano were talking to each other, I got lost in thought.

I sort of drifted into a mental limbo, as I couldn't focus on anything in particular and at the same time I was thinking about everything involving Vida. It sounds a bit embarrassing, to even admit it in front of myself, but I was daydreaming about us. Visualizing our future life together. Was that weird? Perhaps. Going too forward too soon? Maybe. But I was doing it anyway. It was a well-needed distraction. Besides, I got Morgan Freeman as a narrator for my story, so you know...

Hours went by one after another, and the only change was the personnel walking through the corridor, from time to time. In one moment, Rita came back (honestly, I didn't even notice that she went somewhere) and brought me coffee and some bagels. That was really nice of her, as it was my first meal that day.

I was beginning to believe that time started to run backwards, when suddenly the door opened and Dr. Wong came out, accompanied by other doctors and nurses. I glanced at the clock - the surgery took almost six hours. It felt more like six years. Wong spoke with his colleagues for a moment, then turned to us.

"The surgery went without any complications. Miss Diaz is stable, and we moved her into the intensive care unit. I know that you waited a long time, but I'm afraid that's not over. I'll inform you when we will be waking her up," he explained to us.

Needless to say - I felt a giant relief, also on a physical level, almost as if I could finally drop a heavy backpack off my shoulders. Rita hugged me tightly, and I exchanged a strong handshake with Adriano, almost like Dutch and Dillon in Predator.

I knew that still we would have to wait, but it didn't matter, the most important thing was that the surgery went well. Also, we could go out and eat a proper dinner, spending that time in a more relaxed state of mind.

We went back to the hospital and waited for an additional couple of hours. I don't even know how long. But finally, Wong came out and told us that Vida was regaining consciousness.

My heart began to pound like crazy, and I felt dizzy. Frantic and terrifying thoughts crossed my mind. What if she won't recognize me? What if she won't remember me at all? They were irrational, most likely, yet still possible. It was brain surgery after all, not cutting out the appendix.

Wong led us to her room. In front of the door, a stern looking nurse said that only the closest relatives were allowed to visit, but Rita wasn't having any of it. She took me under my elbow and answered that we were all family.

Vida was lying motionlessly, with bandaged head and connected to multiple pipes coming from various medical machines. One was going through her nose. Her whole face was swollen, and she had dark shadows on her eyes, almost looking like bruises. I was expecting her to look like that, but it was still heartbreaking to see my beloved woman in such a state.

Rita came closer to Vida and gave her a bit of water from a special sponge. Then Vida must have said something to her because she leaned down and listened. Next, she stroked Vida's cheek delicately and straightened up. She held Adriano's arm and turned to me with an emotional smile.

"Let's give them a moment, Adriano. We'll wait outside," Rita said to me, and they left.

My legs seemed to be made of rubber when I came closer to the head side of the bed. I knelt on the floor, to be on the same level as Vida. Her beautiful dark eyes followed me, despite being foggy from medication. She looked so fragile right now, my heart got squeezed painfully.

"Vida, sweetheart, you see? I told you that it would be only a couple of minutes," I said and smiled at her. I barely registered a tear rolling down my cheek. 

Vida moved her mouth, but I couldn't understand anything, so I leaned forward more. Then I heard her talking and got petrified that something went wrong during surgery. She was slurring, and her words seemed to make no sense.

"What? What are you saying?" I asked her, horrified, but then she repeated and I finally understood. She... she was trying to speak in Icelandic!

"Ég elska þig... Gunnar," Vida muttered with a raspy voice and her lips moved in an attempt to smile, but she seemed to be too weak to do that. But her eyes shone!

I love you. She said 'I love you'!

"Oh, Vida, I love you too, baby," My voice cracked, and now I was fully crying, but couldn't care less. When can a man cry, if not in such situations?

Cautiously, I kissed her hand next to the heplock. Then I sat there as long as I could, before the nurse came in and kicked me out.

My imaginary Morgan Freeman smiled somewhere in the background and read with his characteristic voice:
Since then, they lived long and happily.
And nothing could stand against their love.
 
EPILOGUE - 3 YEARS LATER

"It's beautiful here!" Vida exclaimed and glanced around with delight.

"Careful, this gravel is slippery," I warned her, as she grabbed my hand for the support. I helped her walk down the sloped path.

"No tengas miedo, mamá está aquí," Vida said and kissed the little red haired head, sticking out from the baby carrier.

'Don't be afraid, mommy is here' - yeah, I understood what Vida said, as I learned some Spanish in the last three years. We decided to speak to Maria, our eleven-month old daughter, in both our native languages and in English too. It would be confusing as hell for her, but she definitely will thank us in the future, when she becomes trilingual.

And yes, we had a child, a beautiful and healthy, brown-eyed girl with dark red hair, tone lighter than my beard. Eyes after Vida, hair after me, so I would call it a draw in a genetic duel. And the name Maria after Vida's mother.

We were in Iceland, the second time since Vida's recovery. Partially for holiday, but mainly to show my parents their granddaughter for the first time. Kind of late to do that, but long distances and so on... They still were enamored with our little angel.

A lot has changed since Vida's aneurysm surgery.

Often you can hear that someone feels reborn after some events in his or her life. Vida was the best example of that. She literally received a second life. And she began to make most of that rebirth.

After the convalescent period, Vida started to do things she always wanted. Things she missed, because of her mother's illness and being lonely with all that burden. One of them was education - she took many courses and became a personal coach and nutrition advisor. It was elevating to observe her determination in rebuilding her life. Just like she regained her shape, first after recuperation, and the second time after the pregnancy. She even initiated special courses in the gym, to inspire other women for a healthy and fit lifestyle.

Vida finally blossomed like a beautiful flower she always meant to be. No more la Vida loca, more like la Vida feliz. And believe me or not, but our love was adamant. We never argued, never ever. It seemed that we proved the theory claiming that couples which had to overcome some real, tough life challenges together, were ending up getting stronger and closer than any other. That the hardship was only cementing their bond.

However, not everything was as perfect as our relationship, and it mostly concerned Vida's mother. Her condition never improved, but at least we could afford better care for her. But yeah, I guess I never really met my mother-in-law or should I say, she never got to know me. Although, I had a real mother-in-law - Rita. And a funny, kind brother-in-law in the form of Adriano.

Vida's mother was still a beautiful woman, yet disturbed and totally consumed by the illness. I witnessed only two moments of her clarity - the first one was during our wedding, when she seemed to be truly aware that her daughter was getting married. The second time was both heartwarming and heartbreaking - Vida's mom got very emotional when we presented little Maria. For a brief moment she was fully back with us, she talked to Vida about our daughter. Then that clear-headedness vanished, but she still interacted with our baby girl in a sweet way. The only difference was that she was calling our child... Vida.

"So, was it here?" Vida asked, waking me up from my reminiscences.

I smiled at her and glanced around. I wasn't a hundred percent sure, but it had to be somewhere there.

"I think so," I answered and recalled the bizarre moment from seventeen years ago or so. "Yeah, it must have been here. I was running down that path and around here I saw this weird object. It hovered over me and then flew in that direction," I said and waved my hand toward trees visible in the distance.

"Ga!" Our daughter babbled and raised her little hand too, making us both laugh.

Vida embraced my waist and looked at me in the way I loved; with sparkles in her eyes. And I stood, utterly stunned by happiness, in the place where I saw the UFO as a teenager. Accompanied by two women I loved more than my life - my daughter and my wife.

My ancestors, the Vikings, went across the Atlantic Ocean in primitive wooden ships to explore a new land, to settle and prosper there. It must have been hell of a journey, but they never gave up.

Just like me, only my terra incognita was Vida. But it was worth the effort. Oh boy, it truly was.

THE END

[wowser1016]

That was so good! Thank you but I really hate to see it end. I loved your characters and their romance and am so glad it had the kind of ending most readers like to see. I have to tell you that in Vida's hospital room when Gunnar cried I even teared up but then I am a real sucker for that kind of storied ending. In my book you done yourself proud. K+!

[srielley]

A wonderful story. Good characters and a good ending. Bravo! 

[UnholyDk1103]

Great story with a great ending.
Are you planning to continue writing your other story "hit me harder"?