"It's so good to see you, lover," she ohhed.
"Good to see you too, Hannah." Sammy blushed under her intimate gaze.
"How's the wife and kiddies?" Hannah asked brazenly.
"Don't ask." Sammy shuddered.
"That's what you get for marrying a skinny wench," Hannah told him. "Those underfed bitches are always sour. No offense, honey." She turned to Llona. "Present company beyond the pale, natch."
"I'm not offended," Llona assured her.
"You shouldn't be. You're not really skinny, anyway. The way I see it, another fifty pounds and you'd be a real beauty."
"Thanks."
"Men like that little extra softness," Hannah told her. "Isn't that true, Sammy-boy?" She nudged Sammy in his basketball belly, and the air escaped from him with an audible whoosh. "I feel that way about men, too." She turned back to Llona. "Show me a man with a solid tummy, and I'll show you a real man. Like Sammy here. I'll tell you the truth, honey, I never figured I'd be making it with a real live private eye. And he's the greatest! Oh! Look how red he's turning! Isn't that the cutest? He's embarrassed. Now how about that?"
"I'm not embarrassed for myself," Sammy tried to explain. "I'm only afraid you'll shock Mrs. Rutherford."
"I'm not shocked," Llona told him. "Only a little bit anxious to get on with our reason for being here."
"You'll have to be patient, honey." Hannah looked at her watch. "Doctor's making his rounds now. After that he'll leave for the night and we'll be able to look in on your-uhh-whatever he is to you. But he always stops back in the office before he leaves. We can't move until he comes and goes."
"Shouldn't we wait outside?" Llona asked worriedly.
"Too risky. There's bully-boys patrolling the grounds. Didn't you see them when you came?"
"No, she didn't," Sammy said proudly. "I've been timing those guards' movements the past two nights. I had it down to a split second. They didn't see us and we didn't see them."
"You're a real pro," Hannah said admiringly, the little pouches of fat under her eyes growing moist as she gazed lovingly at Sammy. "Anyway," she continued, getting back to business, "the best place for you to wait is in Doctor's supply closet over there." She pointed to a door in the opposite wall. "He never goes in there. If he wants anything, I get it for him."
"Then hadn't we better get in there?" Llona asked.
Hannah glanced at her watch again. "I guess so," she said. She led the way over to the door and held it open for them.
"It's awfully dark," Llona observed as she peered inside.
"There's a light, but the bulb's out. I've been meaning to replace it. But for now it's better this way. Just in case I have to go in for something, Doctor won't see you."
Llona stepped gingerly into the large closet, and Sammy Spayed followed her. When she turned around, automatically, to face the still open doorway, he followed suit. Hannah reached in to bestow an intimate caress.
"Whoo!-Whoo!-Whoo!-" Sammy reacted.
"What's the matter?" Llona had missed seeing Hannah's hand; it was beneath her range of vision.
"Sammy's over-sensitive." Hannah giggled.
"It's a little crowded in here with three," Sammy pointed out.
"Oh, all right." Hannah bestowed a farewell squeeze. "See you later." She stepped out of the closet and closed the door behind her.
Sammy and Llona were silent for a long time. Then, in the darkness, unexpectedly, Llona felt a hand pawing tentatively at her right breast. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she hissed indignantly.
"Oh! Sorry! Sorry!" Sammy's voice was embarrassed. "It's an itch. Uncontrollable, know what I mean?"
"Well, you'd just better control it! Just because you get a sudden desire doesn't mean you can take advantage of the situation!"
"Not that kind of an itch. I mean a back itch." Sammy-wriggled against her. "It's driving me crazy. It's right between my shoulder blades where I can't reach it."
"Oh. I see." Llona excused him. "But can't you stop wiggling?" she asked after a moment. "You're liable to knock something over."
"It's agony!" Sammy's back and shoulder blades continued to writhe.
"Maybe I can help." Llona put her hands on his back tentatively. "Where is it?"
"A little to the left. Now down. No-no. Too far. Up a little. That's it. That's the spot. Right there."
Llona scratched gently.
"Harder! Harder! Now down a little. That's it! Oh, yes! Ahh! Ah-ah-ah! Ye-e-e-e-e-sss! Ahhhhh!"
Suddenly the closet door opened. "What's going on in there?" Hannah demanded suspiciously.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Llona explained. "Mr. Spayed has an itch, and I'm scratching it for him."
"You keep your hands off him!" Hannah snarled jealously. "Any itches he has can just wait for me to take care of them. Now just be quiet, you two. I think I hear Doctor coming." She closed the door.
Once again Llona and Sammy were shut up in pitch blackness. This time they waited without talking, without moving. A long time went by before the door opened again.
Hannah held a finger up to her lips as her bulk filled the doorway. She squeezed between Sammy and the side wall to get some materials from the shelves there. Llona had a partial view, over Hannah's shoulder, of a man in a doctor's white hospital jacket.
Balancing on one foot, Hannah leaned farther and farther over to one side in an effort to reach the items she sought. Sammy Spayed tried to turn to give her more room. As it worked out, the movement was unfortunate.
They became wedged together, rotund belly to rotund bfelly, and for the moment neither was able to move.
"Can't you find it, Hannah?" the doctor called.
"In a minute," she called back. "Move back!" she hissed to Sammy.
"I can't. Mrs. Rutherford's in the way."
"Tell her to move!"
"I can't get any farther back," Llona whispered. "I'm practically stuck between the back shelves now."
"We've got to do something," Hannah moaned. "He's liable to come to see what's taking me so long."
"What's taking you so long?" the doctor called.
"Nothing. Nothing. I'll be right there. See," she whispered urgently. "You've got to move!" She wriggled against Sammy and only succeeded in trapping herself more firmly. "Damn it!"
"What are you muttering to yourself about, Hannah?" the doctor wanted to know.
"It's nothing. Just trying to find the stuff in the dark. It's a pain in the neck."
"We should replace that light bulb," the doctor remembered. "Maybe I should do it for you right now."
"No. No," Hannah responded hastily. "Don't bother. I don't have the right size bulb anyway. I'll take care of it myself first thing tomorrow. Try raising one leg." She added the suggestion in a whisper to Sammy.
He tried it.
"Ouch!" Llona exclaimed.
"What happened, Hannah?" the doctor called.
"Nothing. Barked my shin. That's all." She cautioned Llona through clenched teeth. "Will you be quiet?" she snarled. "Do you want him to find you?"
"But Mr. Spayed's standing on my foot with all his weight!" Llona whispered back urgently.
"I can't help it," Sammy whined. "Now I can't put my other foot down to shift my weight." "Try leaning over me and bracing yourself on the shelf with one hand," Hannah suggested.
"All right."
"Agghhh!" Llona's foot was crushed by Sammy's shifting position.
"That's not the shelf, you lummox!" Hannah objected. "You're leaning on my collarbone."
"Sorry." He shifted his weight agaih.
"Oh! What a relief!" Llona's foot was out from under him at last.
"This is no time to get sexy," Hannah told him.
"Sorry. That's as far as I can reach."