Broadening Ken's Horizons - Chapter 12 - Surprise!
By the way, if you run across this story and haven't read the previous chapters, go back and find Chapter 1. Also, if you are too young to be reading this type of stuff, turn back from your evil ways!
"How are you feeling?" Tom asked once Roger had awakened.
"Other than being groggy, fine," he replied, stretching his arms. "Am I still in the hospital?" He was rubbing his eyes, trying to get them to focus.
"Yes you are," replied Tom, brushing some stray fur away from Roger's eyes. "The doctor will be here in a minute to let us know if we can take you home."
"OK, good," he said to Tom, then recognized me. "Oh, hey Ken. Thanks for being here. Sorry about all this."
"No problem," I replied. "Glad to see you're feeling better."
We chatted about various things for a few minutes while we waited for the doctor to arrive, mostly just small talk. Nothing was mentioned about Tank or what had happened a couple days ago. Neither Tom or myself had heard from Tank. I tried to call him a couple of times, but no answers.
The doctor walked into the room, carrying his clipboard. He was a fur - a husky. His fur was more of a silver color than Roger's. He poked around Roger for a couple minutes, took his temperature and checked his pulse. Then he pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed and jotted down a few notes.
"Roger, everything looks good for you to go home. I'll be releasing you shortly," the doctor explained. "I just need to ask a few questions first."
"OK, great," replied Roger. "Ask away."
"Do you have any health insurance? Your friends weren't sure."
"No, I don't."
"OK. There will be some charges due. Stop by the front desk on the way out and make necessary arrangements."
"OK," Roger replied, looking at Tom.
"Don't worry about it, Roger," Tom said. "I'll talk to them."
"Let me tell you what we found," continued the doctor. "We performed a colonoscopy to check for any internal ruptures and everything looked fine. We had a little trouble initially due to a massive amount of..." the doctor flipped through his notes a second. "Equine semen."
"That's correct," interjected Tom. He noticed the doctor staring at him. "Not mine, though."
"OK," continued the doctor. "There was some minor tearing of the rectum area. I'm going to prescribe some cream to use on it. Apply it twice daily, and after any bowel movements. You may still pass some liquids for a couple of days. That would be horse semen that was forced up into your upper GI tract. Out of curiosity, how many individuals were involved?"
"Just one," Roger replied. The doctor raised an eyebrow, then wrote a couple notes.
"OK. I'm required by law to ask the next question," the doctor continued in a very serious tone. "Was the event that precipitated this injury performed with your consent or was it a result of, well, to put it bluntly - rape? Take all the time you need to answer."
Roger looked at each of us individually as he debated his answer. To be honest, I assumed it was rape. On the other hand, it could have been something that started out innocently but then got out of control, knowing Tank.
"It was rape," Roger finally looked at the doctor and spoke in a broken voice.
"I understand and I'm terribly sorry," the doctor replied, patting Roger's paw. "I am required, however, to ask the next question. You don't need to answer right away, but I will need an answer before the hospital can release you. Do you want to press formal charges against the individual with the local police department?"
Roger closed his eyes and thought carefully for about thirty seconds. Then he looked at the doctor without looking at either Tom or myself.
"No, I don't," he replied. Tom and I glanced at each other.
Roger and the doctor continued to stare at each other for several more seconds as if to determine if the answer might change. Apparently it wasn't going to, so the doctor made an appropriate note and then stood up.
"Very well, then," he finally stated. "If you do have second thoughts, we have all your records and will cooperate with the authorities if needed. I'll go downstairs and finish up your paperwork. A nurse should be in shortly to help you out."
"Thanks," Tom replied. Roger was laying on the bed with his eyes closed. I reached down and wiped a tear off his cheek and quietly scratched his head.
We quietly waited for the nurse, who arrived about five minutes later bringing in a wheelchair. Roger got out of bed on shaky legs and plopped down into the chair. The nurse pushed him down a maze of hallways, stopping at the cashier's window.
Tom pulled out a credit card as the cashier looked up Roger's charges. She typed on the computer for a bit, then hit the Enter key while hopping up out of her chair. The laser printer sprung to life and printed out about a dozen pages. The cashier sorted out the papers and stapled them together. She handed them to Tom and smiled.
"Here you go, sir," she said. "Have a great day."
"Uhm, how much do we owe?" Tom asked, flipping through the papers somewhat confused.
"Someone already paid the bill in full," she replied. "Not sure who, though. I've just been here a couple of hours today. All I know is that the computer said that the entire balance was to be placed on the credit card on file."
"Do you have access to whose credit card it is?" Tom asked. "We would sure like to send a thank you note to whoever was so kind to pay a five thousand dollar charge for my friend here."
"Sorry, but due to privacy laws I would only be allowed to release that information to the patient," she said, leaning forward until she saw Roger sitting in the wheelchair.
"Yes, please," Roger stated. "I would like to know."
The cashier looked on the computer for a few seconds then wrote down the name on a piece of paper, folded it in half and handed it to Tom, who passed it on to Roger.
"Thank you," Roger said, holding the paper in his hand.
We rolled on out and lifted Roger into my car so I could drive him to Tom's place. Tom walked home, since he couldn't fit into my car.
About halfway home, Roger finally unfolded the paper, read it, then folded it back up. He didn't say anything, but just turned and looked out the window.
"Tank?" I asked quietly.
"Yes," he replied. I could tell he was crying. "Tank..." he stopped talking again, trying to compose himself.
"I know, Roger," I tried to console him. "Tank did a horribly bad thing. You should reconsider pressing charges. Otherwise, something like this might happen to someone..."
"No!" Roger interrupted. He turned and looked me straight in the eyes. "Tank didn't really ... rape me." He turned back toward the window again.
"I understand, Roger," I replied. "It is a difficult subject to talk about, and I realize at this moment you may be in denial about what happened. Let's drop it for now and maybe talk about it later, when Tom is around."
We rode quietly the rest of the way to the apartment. As I turned off the car, Roger turned to look at me again, a more composed and determined look on his face.
"Ken, I am telling you the truth, but I don't want to hurt Tom," he said.
"Whoa, wait a minute," I replied, totally confused. "I have no idea what you are trying to say. Start from the beginning."
"First of all, I kept my promise about not mentioning the supplements you've been taking to Tom. Tank knows I didn't tell him. Tank didn't tell him, either."
"OK," I replied. "I told Tom, myself. I wondered why it was somewhat of a surprise to him. Go on."
"Well, I really like Tom a lot. We've had a lot of fun together. You know - sex and all. Tom's always so gentle and caring, too, but I've been wanting more. I wanted someone to be rough with me. Treat me like the little whore that I am."
"OK," I admitted. "I'm getting a little confused again. Whore?"
"My father mistreated me the whole time I was growing up. He used to beat me for no reason. Then, when I came home from school one day when I was still a pup, he forced me into my room and..." Roger turned away again.
"He raped you," I finished his thought. Roger nodded his head.
"So," I continued, slowly piecing this puzzle together. "You asked Tank to have rough sex with you because Tom wouldn't stoop to humiliating you like your father did when you were growing up. And Tank probably just got a little carried away?"
Roger nodded and continued to stare out the window for several minutes. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Tom would be devastated. My opinion of Tank changed, as well, not to mention how I now felt about Roger. My mind was reeling with all kinds of emotions.
"Let's go inside," I finally said.
We went on in and I helped Roger get comfortable in Tom's bed. Tom had called from the pharmacy while picking up Roger's prescriptions. I got comfortable on the couch to take a short nap.
My cell phone interrupted that effort when a text message arrived. It was from Tank: "Need 2 meet. Gym at 6 pm"
I simply replied "OK, c u there" since Tom was walking in the door.
Tank replied with one more message: "Call b4 u leave". I replied back with another "OK".
About 5:30, I slipped out of the apartment and called Tank from the parking lot.
"Hey Ken," he answered. "Are you at the apartment?"
"Yes," I replied. "I'm out in the parking lot."
"Good," he continued. "Listen. Go to the kitchen. Look in the top drawer next to the sink. See if you find a set of keys. Call me back after you check."
"OK," I replied. Tank had hung up.
I found the keys and went back outside to call Tank. There were a couple of regular door keys, a car key and a keyless entry remote. Tank answered on the first ring.
"Find them?" he asked.
"Yes, I have them," I replied. "Heading to my car now."
"No, wait," Tank said. "I won't fit in your car. I need you to bring mine. Go to the back parking lot and press the Unlock button on the remote. You'll see the lights flash."
I walked around to the back parking lot. There were about thirty vehicles back there. I pressed the unlock button and saw the lights flash on a big crew cab pickup truck, so I walked over to it.
"Found it," I informed Tank on the way over to it.
"Great," he replied. "You know how to start up a diesel?"
"Uhm, no," I replied, climbing up into the roomy cab. I inserted the key in the ignition and closed the door so the 'door open' chime would stop ringing.
"Turn the key to the On position, but don't try to start it yet," Tank instructed. "Look for the light that says 'Wait' to go out, then start it like normal."
"OK, it went off," I replied after waiting about 15 seconds. I turned the key and the diesel motor roared to life, settling into a clattery idle. "Started."
"OK, park around back of the gym. Not enough room on the street," Tank explained. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw why. The truck had dual rear wheels which necessitated fender extensions that stuck out from the sides of the body.
"Alright, I'm rolling," I replied. "Hanging up so I can drive. See you in a few."
I concentrated on getting the big pickup out of the parking lot without running over any cars. Maneuvering the big truck felt like trying to drive a house around. I was used to driving small cars, but after I started getting the hang of the truck, it was actually pretty nice. I might have to look into one of these, I thought to myself. I looked around the inside of the cab while waiting at a stop light. There was plenty of headroom. I could see why Tank had such a vehicle.
I pulled into the parking lot behind the gym. Before I could park, though, Tank came walking out to the passenger side of the truck, carrying his backpack. He opened the rear passenger door and threw the backpack inside. Then he climbed in the front passenger seat and closed the door.
"Keep driving, I want to show you something," he said. "Also, I want to explain a few things. Head towards the interstate, then get on and head north."
I nodded and wheeled the truck back onto the street, heading toward the interstate.
"Are you running?" I asked. "Because Roger confided in me what really happened."
"No, I'm not running," Tank said. "What I did was terrible, but he kept pressing me to do it. Is he doing OK?"
"Yeah, he's back at the apartment. No internal damage, but he won't be able to sit for a while," I explained. "So, you said you wanted to explain some things?"
"Yes, but not yet," he replied. "Let me show you something once we get to where we are going, then I will explain. It will all make sense then."
We drove up the interstate for a few miles, heading away from the city. Tank instructed me to take an exit which put us in the middle of some of the upper-class subdivisions out in the suburbs. We drove around winding streets past huge houses with manicured yards. Finally, Tank instructed me to pull over to the curb and stop.
"See the couple sitting on the porch, two houses up on the left?" he asked. I looked where he instructed and saw who he was talking about. It was a human couple, probably around 60 years old, sitting in chairs on the porch and talking to another couple, probably neighbors.
"Yes, what about them?" I asked.
"Drive by slowly, but don't stare," he explained. "Then keep going and I'll start explaining."
"OK," I shrugged. I put the truck in gear and slowly started up the street, giving the couple a quick glance. I was still a bit confused as we drove out of the subdivision.
"Those are my parents," Tank said, quietly.
"But they're humans," I replied, even more confused.
"I know," Tank replied. "And I used to be human, too...before I started taking these stupid pills."
I jammed on the brakes and stopped right in the middle of the street. A car behind me swerved to avoid hitting the back of the truck, the driver laying on the horn as he passed by.
"There's a bar a couple blocks away," Tank said. "I think we both need a beer and a quiet booth so we can talk."
We pulled into the bar parking lot and I finally got the truck parked, using two spaces in the process. We went in, found a nice, quiet booth in the back and ordered a pitcher of beer and two glasses. Once the beer arrived and the waiter was gone, I spoke first.
"OK, explain," I said.
Tank explained that when he graduated from high school, while still a human, he had already been working out a lot and had been entering and winning bodybuilding competitions. His dream was to continue along that path and also work as a personal trainer. His parents thought he should go to college, get a good degree and work in a 'real job' as a lawyer, doctor or some other more appropriately admirable profession.
While he suffered his way through college, he continued to hit the gym and was still entering bodybuilding competitions. However, as he worked up into the upper divisions, the competition got much more difficult. Eventually, he was losing much more often. He thought about using steroids, but those were too easily detected.
While on a Spring Break trip to Cancun during his senior year of college, he was walking down the street and was approached by a man who was standing outside one of the many local pharmacies that are typical in Mexico. The man told him of a drug that was usually used to treat muscle problems in horses, but had the ability to promote rapid muscle growth in humans. The best part was that the drug wouldn't show up on drug tests as a steroid.
Tank was skeptical, but the price was right so he bought a bottle. The pharmacist packaged the pills in a container that said it contained vitamins. However, he put the original drug label down inside the bottle. Tank started taking them right away. Once he was back in school and started working out, he said the effects were just as the pharmacist described.
When he entered his next competition, the drug test came back clean and he won second place in his division. Shortly after that, he started noticing some strange side effects. His cock started growing, his balls were hanging lower, his semen output increased dramatically, he started growing taller and fur started appearing on his body. Pretty much all the symptoms I was experiencing. He stopped taking the pills and the effects slowly stopped progressing, but never did reverse.
"OK, so that's where I am right now," I interrupted. "So I will probably just remain like this for the rest of my life, then? I could learn to deal with my current state, assuming it stabilized."
"I guess so," Tank replied. "But I'm not sure. Let me tell you the rest of my story."
He went on to explain that he started getting more anxious to get back into competition and eventually found himself back on the pills. His height gains got increasingly more difficult to explain, not to mention it became impossible to find posing shorts that would contain his massive package.
He dropped out of school and went to live with a trusted friend, who understood the changes he was going through. He stopped contacting his parents and all his human friends. Eventually, his feet turned into hooves, his head changed into that of a horse and he grew a tail. His friend eventually helped him obtain a new identity when he had fully transformed.
"And that pretty much brings us to the present," he concluded. "Everyone assumes that I'm just another equine fur and that I've always been one since birth."
"So, not even Tom knows this?" I asked.
"You are the first person I've ever told since I changed," he replied.
"The reason I asked," I went on to explain, "is that Tom is going to have some type of medical specialist come look at me and see if he can treat any of the symptoms. If he heard your story, it might help him."
"I can't ever face Tom or Roger again," Tank sighed. "You can tell the specialist if you need to, but don't tell anyone else, OK?"
"What if the specialist wants to see you?" I asked. "You know, to run tests or something."
"Call me and I'll meet him somewhere, just not around Tom or Roger."
"OK, I'll do that," I replied. "And Tank, your secret is safe with me."
"Thanks," he replied.
We finished our beer, paid the bill and walked out to the truck. I handed the keys to Tank, but he handed them back.
"You can use the truck, I'm fine," he explained. "I'm going to stay at a friend's place near here. I'll let you drop me off. You'll need a way back into town."
Tank directed me back into the neighborhood where his parents lived, right down their street. He had me stop right in front of their house. The neighbors were gone, but his parents were still on the porch.
Tank pushed the window button and lowered his window.
"What are you doing?" I hissed at him. He waved a hand back at me as a gesture to be quiet. Then he leaned out the window.
"Mom? Dad?" he called out. "It's me, Ben."
"Ben?" I whispered.
"My given name when I was human," he said to me before turning his head to look back out the window. His parents had both gotten up and were walking toward the truck. It was getting dark outside, so it was more difficult to see who was in the truck. I glanced down to make sure the transmission was still in 'Drive' just in case.
"Ben!" his mother exclaimed. "It is our Ben - I would recognize that voice anywhere! We've missed you so much."
"The hell it is!" his father exclaimed angrily, grabbing the woman's arm to stop her forward progress. "It's one of those damn furs! What kind of a sick joke is this? I don't know who you are, mister, but if you don't leave right now, I'll call the damn police!"
At the last comment, I let my foot off the brake and the truck started slowly rolling.
"No, stop, dammit," Tank yelled over to me, so I jabbed the brake and stopped the truck. Then he leaned back out the window. "Really, it is me, your son. It's a long story, but I can explain it all to you if you'll just listen to me. Can we sit on the porch?" Tank had started to open his door.
"It does sound like Ben," his mother continued.
"Well, you two can stand out here and catch up if you like," his father continued angrily. "I'm going into the house to call the police and to grab my gun!" With that, he turned and started stalking across the yard.
Tank stepped out of the truck onto the yard. Seeing how big he was, his mother started slowly backing away.
"What's the matter, Dad?" Tank called across the yard. "You don't remember your little 'Skinny Bennie'?"
His father stopped in his tracks. His mother had also stopped and now had both of her hands clamped to her face in a look of astonishment.
"What was that again?" his father asked, turning around slowly. I glanced down at the shift lever again - still in 'Drive'.
"What's the matter, old man?" Tank shot back. "You hard of hearing, or you got corncobs stuck in your ears?"
His father started slowly moving toward Tank, then started walking more quickly. This didn't look good at all.
"Tank, get in" I whispered loudly, but he just stood there.
His father marched right up to him and stopped just a step away, looking slowly up Tank's massive frame, then locked gazes with him for about ten more seconds. Suddenly, a smile broke across his father's face and he reached up and hugged Tank, slapping him on his back. Then he backed away to look him over again.
"What's with the horse costume?" his father asked.
"It's not a costume," Tank replied. "That's what I wanted to explain, if you'll let me come in and talk. Mom?" Tank turned to look at his mother, who ran up and hugged him, crying.
"Of course, son," his father said. "Come on in. How about your friend?" His father was looking towards the truck.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Tank apologized. "Mom, Dad, this is my best friend, Ken."