A Secret Wish
By Ed Carlson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1

It was a hot Saturday afternoon when Dan pulled the car off the freeway and drove into the little town. He stopped at the only light in town and turned left down the main street.

“Why are we stopping?” Ann quizzed.

“I need a beer” was Dan’s reply.

He pulled into the only vacant parking spot on the street. They got out of his little sports car and walked halfway down the block to the combination bar and café. Dan held the door for Ann as they went in. They paused for a moment to let their eyes adjust to the dim light, then walked over to the empty seats at the bar.

“What’ll it be?” the bartender asked.

Dan and Ann both paused a moment as they checked out the bartender. She was in her late twenties and was quite tall. She had a great figure topped off with long dark hair and wore a white sleeveless blouse and denim shorts. The thing that made them pause was her missing right forearm. They both definitely could tell by the bright scar that her arm had been amputated about an inch below her elbow.

“Draft beer,” Dan managed to stammer.

“I’ll have the same,” Ann replied.

The lovely one-armed bartender turned and walked over to the cooler door. She used her left hand to open the door and to retrieve two mugs by the handles and the stump of her right arm to push the door shut. She set both mugs down on the drain pan under the taps and used her left hand to turn on the tap, then quickly picked up the glass for the proper tilt. When the first one was filled, she used her stump to turn off the tap. She used the same procedure to fill the second mug. When they were both filled, she served both mugs at the same time with her left hand.

Dan handed her a twenty, and she walked to the middle of the back-bar and rang up the sale. When she came back, she spread the money out on the bar in front of Dan as she counted it out. She couldn’t help but notice both Dan and Ann staring at the remnants of her arm.

“Screw conveyer,” she said.

“What?” Dan asked.

“I lost my arm in a screw conveyer loading wheat,” she said. “You’re strangers here and don’t know the story. I noticed that you were looking at my stump, and I knew you were too polite to ask.”

“That must have been pretty painful,” Ann observed.

“Ya, it smarted quite a bit,” the bartender replied. “Screwed up a lot of wheat with my blood and arm parts too.”

“You really manage pretty well,” Dan said.

“Thanks,” she said. “I do OK as long as we’re not busy. If I don’t think about it, I reach for things with my nonexistent right hand like I used to. Then I usually end up breaking something.”

Three men walked in. They were in work clothes and seemed to be regulars because she seemed to know what they wanted. One had a draft beer, one had a long neck bottle, and the third had a can. Dan and Ann marveled at her way of opening the can with one hand. She stayed down at the other end of the bar talking to the regulars with her stump in plain view as she stood there talking. Ann and Dan finished up their beer and started for the door.

“Thanks for stopping,” the bartender called.

“Thank you. We enjoyed it,” Dan replied as he opened the door.

They walked down the small town street and got in the car. He backed out and headed for the freeway.

“Now that was a turn on,” he said.

“What was a turn on?” Ann quizzed.

“That bartender with the one arm.”

“I’m envious. I didn’t know that amputees turned you on.”

“Yes. She turned me on all right,” he said. “What did you mean by envious?”

“I’ve always had a desire to be to be different, and being an amputee like that would really do it,” she replied. “In fact, I’ve dreamed of having an arm removed for years.”

“I didn’t know that. Why haven’t you said anything?”

“It’s not the type of thing you go blurting out. I’ve always kept it a secret. You’re the only one who knows.”

“You know, I was on the computer the other night and came across a site that had pictures and stories about amputees. It was really a turn on,” Dan said. “Have you ever seen one of those sites?”

“What I choose to find on the Internet is my business,” Ann snapped back. “Can’t we change the subject?”

“Does it make you uneasy talking about it?” he pressed.

“Yes it does! So don’t go there,” she replied. “Where I go with my fantasies is my business and my business alone! I never should have said anything. Just drop the subject.”

“OK, OK,” Dan mumbled to himself as he passed another semi on the freeway.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, only miles of wheat fields. Finally, they arrived at the little town where Ann’s aunt lived. There were already a lot of cars there, and it was going to be a great family reunion. Ann could hardly wait to show Dan off to the large family. They were greeted by the usual round of introductions. The rounds of introductions were concluded just as another car arrived.

“Oh good. Your Aunt Joan is here. They weren’t sure if they could make it,” Ann’s aunt said. “It’s really too bad about your cousin Judy, isn’t it? Oh good. Judy’s with her.”

Ann’s aunt went off to greet the new arrivals without explaining her comment. The car pulled up to a stop. Dan and Ann watched as Uncle Bob and Aunt Joan got out of the car. However, Judy just sat there. She moved around a little, then her father opened the door for her. The first sign that something was going on was when they caught a glimpse of a flash of metal. When he moved out of the way, both of them could see what the delay had been about. Judy was standing up on crutches, and when she moved out from behind the car door, they saw that her right leg was no longer there.

Dan and Ann watched intently as Judy slowly and cautiously crutched her way over to them, flanked on either side by concerned parents. Ann was quick with the introductions, and they greeted Dan warmly.

“Judy, you haven’t written me in six months. What happened to your leg?” Ann asked with Dan all but drooling on himself.

“I’m sorry I didn’t write, but so much has happened,” Judy said as her parents wandered off to see the other relatives. “Well, like I had this pain in my knee, and I went to the doctor a month ago. He like did some tests and said I had a bone cancer tumor growing around my knee. He said it was growing like really fast and the only way to stop it was to amputate my leg. So here I am, alive but missing a major part of my leg.”

“If it was in your knee, why did they take so much of your thigh?” Bob quizzed.

“The tumor was spreading rapidly, and they like wanted to be sure they got it all. My stump is a lot shorter than I expected,” she said. “I start chemo next week. I’m not looking forward to like losing all my hair.”

“Oh, I’m sorry that you’ll have to lose your hair. You’ve had it growing longer for a long time now.”

“Ya, it’s been like at least three years since I’ve had it cut other than trims,” Judy said. “Is there a place where we can like sit down? I need to like get off my feet, whoops, foot. My stump is starting to throb a little.”

With Ann and Dan on each side of her, Judy carefully crutched over to the vacant love seat. Ann sat in an available straight chair, and Dan sat on the couch with Judy. Judy was sitting in such a position that a portion of her still heavily bandaged stump was revealed from under her short skirt. Dan almost had a fixed stare at the stump.

“So how long have you been out of the hospital?” Ann asked.

“Like about an hour now,” Judy replied. “I’m still in the hospital, and I’ll be there a couple more weeks before they like let me go home for good. This is only a pass, and I’ll have to go back as soon as this thing breaks up. I had to like talk like a Dutch uncle to even get this far away. They put extra bandages on my stump to protect it if I like bumped it. It’s still really tender.”

“How did you feel about having your leg amputated?” Dan asked.

“Well, it wasn’t what I had really like planned on doing. I love to hike and jog, I probably won’t be like able to do that for a while,” she said. “I really didn’t have a choice though if I wanted to like live. It was either the leg or die. I’ve like chosen to live.”

“Good choice,” Dan said.

Ann’s aunt called Ann for some help in the kitchen. Ann excused herself and left Dan sitting on the love seat with her lovely one-legged cousin. Ann felt jealous of Judy being an amputee, and Dan being turned on by Judy. Ann helped her aunt finish fixing dinner for the whole group. She didn’t even take time to visit with her relatives. Dan, on the other hand, was busy talking to Judy. If she didn’t like him, she surely didn’t show it.

When they were called to the large sit-down dinner, Dan seated himself between Judy and Ann. The talk at the table was centered around Judy’s bout with the cancerous tumor and her amputation. Dan was very attentive, especially to Judy’s needs.

When dinner was over, Judy’s parents insisted that she go back to the hospital over her objections. They flanked either side of her as she slowly and unsteadily crutched her way to the car. Dan watched intently as she gave a couple of quick hops to put her crutches in the car, then hopped a couple of more times to position herself to sit on the seat. She smiled at him as she seductively pulled her remaining long leg into the car.

They sat around and visited with Ann’s gathered relatives for a while. Ann hadn’t seen some of her relatives for several years, and she enjoyed the time with them. Dan, on the other hand, became quite bored. It was late afternoon by the time they decided to leave.

“You were certainly enamored with my cousin Judy,” Ann said once they were back out on the freeway.

“She’s a nice girl,” Dan said defensively.

“What did you two talk about?”

“Nothing in particular. Just stuff.”

“Did you talk about her being an amputee?”

“Yes, a little. We talked about the prosthesis she was going to get and how she needed to increase her upper body strength to be able to handle the crutches.”

“Did you tell her that you were turned on by amputees?”

“No. We didn’t talk about things like that.”

“I bet she could tell by the bulge in your pants that something was turning you on.”

“Come on; it wasn’t that obvious.”

“I sure noticed it when you got up to go to dinner. I saw Judy looking too.”

“Speaking of amputees, when are you going to have your arm removed?” Dan quizzed, trying to turn the attention from himself.

“I don’t know,” Ann replied. “Is that what it will take to keep you?”

“What to you mean, ‘keep you’?”

“Now that you’ve met my cousin, how long are you going to stick around me?”

“I hadn’t planned on anything different.”

“I bet before too long you’ll be dating her, rather than me. Did she give you her number?”

“Yes.”

“Did she ask for yours?”

“Yes.”

“Well, there you go. You’re on the way down the road.”

“Really, I don’t have any intention of seeing her,” Dan said.

“Sure,” Ann replied. “When do you want me to have my arm amputated?”

“I don’t.”

“What do you mean, ‘I don’t’? I thought women amputees turned you on.”

“They do, but I wouldn’t want you to get your arm cut off for me.”

“How about if I wanted to do it for me?”

“It’s your body.”

“How about if I wanted to get it cut off to be different from everyone else?”

“I wouldn’t object, if that’s what you’re driving at. Would you like to have a stump like the bartender?”

“My dream has always been to have my arm missing right at the shoulder—with no stump at all. I don’t even want a depression where the upper arm bone enters the shoulder socket. I want it nice and smooth.”

“If you were to do it, how would you get it done?”

“I don’t know. As far as I can find on the Internet, not too many places in the U.S. allow it. I would have to travel out of the country, and I don’t know who I could trust. Besides, I think it would probably be pretty expensive, and I probably couldn’t afford it.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Probably keep pretending,” she replied. “Maybe someday I’ll have a chance.”

“How do you pretend?”

“I usually just hold my hand up in the middle of my back and put a baggy shirt on. I always let the sleeve just hang there.”

“So you can quit anytime by simply dropping your hand.”

“That’s the best I’ve been able to come up with, short of holding on to my bra strap.”

“Maybe we could rig you up some kind of harness that would hold your hand up in the middle of your back. That way, your arm would be sure to stay there.”

“How would you do it?”

“I saw a picture one time in the ASFA newsgroup.”

“I’ve surfed there,” Ann replied.

“This guy had rigged up like a sailing glove, you know the kind with the finger tips open, and put a loop on the fingers. He’d put the glove on and cinch down the back strap to keep his hand from sliding out. Then he’d stick his free arm through the loop and put it around his shoulder much as a prosthetic arm strap would work.”

“How well did it work?”

“According to what he wrote, it worked quite well, except that the belt that he used for a strap needed some padding,” Dan said. “On the other hand, you know that duct tape would work too. All we would have to do is to have me tape your arm firmly in place.”

“I don’t think I want to do the duct tape. I’d be dependent on you to get me out of it.”

“So?”

“You don’t get it, do you? I don’t want to get rid of my arm just to be an amputee. I want to be an amputee to be different. I know how I want my shoulder to look. I don’t mind having my arm, except that it’s in the way for getting the look I want, a smooth shoulder with no sign of ever having an arm attached to it.”

“You know, it would really turn me on if you did have your arm amputated.”

“As much as Judy turned you on?”

“She turned me on all right. But even though it was her decision, she really didn’t want to be an amputee. She became one to save her life, and that’s a turn on. If you become an amputee to get that certain look, that’s a real turn on too.”

“No scar though. I want people to have to guess whether it’s congenital or surgical when they see it. I also want to be able to get a tan without a scar popping out.”

“You’ve given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?”

“I’ve dreamed about having it done since I was in the sixth grade and saw a one-armed lady in the mall. Ya, I’ve given it a lot of thought.”

“So when are you going to have it done?”

“I don’t know. Someday when I’m rich and can afford it I guess. It’ll be a while unless something comes up.”

“Not to change the subject, but don’t you have a job interview this week?” Dan asked.

“I do,” Ann replied. “I think I have a pretty good shot at it. I had preliminary interviews and really intense psychological testing last week. I made the final cut, and I have a one in three chance of getting the job.”

“What kind of job is it?”

“I’d be the executive assistant to the president of a large import firm. The job announcement says travel is to be expected. They said in the first interview that the travel was to the Orient mostly, and sometimes to Europe or South America.”

“So you’ll be gone a lot?”

“I don’t know exactly how much travel will be involved. The main office is on the south side so I’ll be close to home and won’t have to move.”

“So what’s going to happen to our relationship?” Dan asked.

“It shouldn’t change that much, unless you want it to.”

“No, I’m fine with the relationship.”

“But I’m not an amputee like Judy. I almost expect you to dump me for her.”

“Probably not. We live here in the city, and she lives way over there. I don’t think I’d like the commute.”

“What if she came to live with me?”

“Really?” Dan exclaimed excitedly.

“We talked about it a little while you were in the bathroom.”

“I’m solid with our relationship, but it would be fun having her around. I think she’s a neat person.”

They continued driving on back to the city, and Dan dropped Ann off at her apartment.

Chapter 2

Ann had a good night’s sleep and was well rested. She had readied herself for the interview and was a knockout when she walked into the interview wearing her new business suit. The interview went well, and she was offered the position. It paid about four times what she had been making at the manufacturing plant before it closed and much more than the unemployment she had been drawing. Three days later, she was an employee of Imports Are Us with an office on the top floor next to the president of the company, Darrel Jones.

“Miss Sanders, could you come in here please?” the voice crackled from the intercom.

“I’ll be right there Mr. Jones,” Ann replied in a voice that did not sound as nervous as she was.

She picked up her large DayTimer and started for the door to her office. She walked into the common area, which was richly appointed and contained only the receptionist. Ann knocked lightly on the door before she walked in.

“You wanted to see me Mr. Jones?” she asked.

“Yes. Please come in and have a seat,” Mr. Jones said, waving a hand toward the center one of the three overstuffed chairs that surrounded the heavy glass coffee table. “Could I get you coffee or tea?”

Ann sat as she was directed and replied: “No thank you sir. I’m fine.”

Mr. Jones sat down in the chair on her right side. Ann crossed her long slender legs and unconsciously pulled her skirt down.

“Miss Sanders, you were told when you were hired that traveling would be part of your duties,” he said.

“Yes, I was completely aware of that,” she replied hesitantly. “Please call me Ann.”

“All right Ann, only if you call me JD. All my business associates do. It sounds less formal,” he said. “Are you ready to take a little trip?”

“Certainly. Where to and when?”

“How about Hong Kong tomorrow?”

“Oh . . . OK.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I guess I am sir. I wasn’t expecting to be going so soon.”

“I want to introduce you to our largest suppliers so that you can put a face to the voice you’ll be talking to. Any questions?”

“I’m sure that I’ll think of a lot of them as soon as I walk out the door. How long will we be there?”

“Plan on about a week. Our suite has been reserved, and Marjorie has our tickets.”

“I have a passport. Won’t I need a visa?”

“Marjorie said they promised to have your visa here later this afternoon.”

“What do I wear?”

“Plan on both business and casual. I’d suggest that you plan on going shopping when you get there. There’ll be plenty of time, and Hong Kong is a wonderful place to shop.”

“Well, I just started and haven’t been paid,” Ann said almost in a whisper.

“Here, this is yours to use while you work for us,” JD said, handing her a platinum credit card. “Charge whatever you need, and we’ll write it off as travel expenses or per diem. OK?”

“Oh JD, thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. It’s part of being management here at IAU. You worked hard to get that MBA degree. Now enjoy the fruits of your labors. Remember the statement in the job announcement that said ‘plus benefits’? That’s one of the benefits. Any more questions?”

“No, not right now.”

“Good. Let’s go over some of the files I have pulled. I want you to become intimately familiar with their contents. They contain the personal profiles of the people we’ll be dealing with.”

They spent the rest of the morning going over the files and then broke for lunch. When they returned, Ann spent the rest of the day going over the stack of files that Marjorie had produced. Ann studied the files closely and tried to absorb as much as she could. She wanted to succeed.

Just as she was about to go home for the day, Marjorie brought in her visa.

“How did you get it this quickly?” Ann asked. “I thought these things take months to get.”

“They usually do,” she replied. “However, because we’re reputable shippers and never try to smuggle anything in through customs, they give us some priority. Besides, I know who to call.”

She left, and Ann loaded her attaché case with the profile files she was to study and memorize. She was still excited when she left the office for her apartment and her evening of diligent study. She had two phone calls that evening, one from JD wondering if she had any questions about the trip and the client profiles. A couple of Ann’s concerns were allayed, and she was assured that there would be plenty of time to prepare on the transpacific flight. The second call was from Dan. He was put out and jealous when Ann told him that she was about to leave for Hong Kong. He was not happy when he slammed the phone down. Ann finished the evening by packing and going to bed early.

Ann was awake before her alarm went off. She showered and was ready to go fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. She had time to watch the morning news and international weather before it was time to go to the office pulling her suitcase.

She was on the elevator with JD, and he told her that they would be leaving for the airport around nine o’clock. Ann went to her office and went through the client profiles one last time. She was beginning to feel as though she had known each one of them for years.

Marjorie knocked lightly, then opened the door. “Do you have any questions?” she asked.

“Come in. I have a few.”

Marjorie walked over and pulled up a chair beside Ann, and they began talking about the clients. Marjorie had been with the company from almost the beginning and knew the inside information on most things that went on in or around the company. The boss’s secretary is a great ally to have, and Ann was working on that.

“It looks like we have a lot of medical contacts,” Ann observed.

“They are the bulk of our business. We deal with some other suppliers but mostly medical.”

“I also notice that we deal with a lot of doctors too.”

“For the most part, they have gotten out of the practice of medicine for life in the business world. They find that the medical supply business is more lucrative than just practicing medicine. Some of them do take on special cases from time to time.”

“Special cases?” Ann quizzed.

“Yes, you know everyone has specialties; this one consults on pacemakers, and this one was a prosthetist.”

“You mean someone who makes prosthetics. Artificial legs?”

“Yes, except he specialized in making artificial arms. Now this fellow, Dr. Chan, is great at doing amputations by request. He also has a very extensive research prosthetics facility. Both arms and legs.”

“Amputations by request?” Ann puzzled.

“Some people have a desire to become an amputee. Dr. Chan does the custom amputation for them. I’ve seen a couple, and he didn’t even leave a scar. Mary down in finance had him do her leg. She said it was just the way she wanted, and best of all, she didn’t even have a twinge of phantom pain. She said the whole procedure was completely painless.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“Would you like to meet her?” Marjorie asked. “She should have the overnight reports up here in a few minutes.”

“Uh, sure,” Ann stammered. “Yes. I’d like to meet her.”

“Any more questions on the clients?”

“No. I think that’s enough. Thanks for the information. I really do mean that.”

Marjorie got up and left Ann’s office. Ann continued pouring over the files and trying to correlate potential orders. She looked up when she heard a light knock on her door.

“Mary is here now. Would you like to meet her?” Marjorie asked.

“Certainly. Come on in.”

Marjorie opened the door and a beautiful young woman crutched her way into Ann’s office. She was using metal forearm crutches. She had only one long leg, which was beautifully proportioned and accentuated by a very short leather skirt.

“Miss Sanders, this is Mary Buccaneer,” Marjorie said.

“Please come in and have a seat,” Ann said, pointing at one of the chairs in her office.

“Marjorie said you were interested in my amputation,” Mary said as she gave a couple of hops in the process of sitting down.

“I’ll leave you two to your little chat,” Marjorie said as she left the room and closed the door.

Ann sat down next to Mary. Ann could tell that Mary was very nervous.

“So what would you like to know Miss Sanders?” Mary asked nervously.

“Please call me Ann.”

“All right.”

“Marjorie tells me that you had Dr. Chan amputate your leg, voluntarily.”

“Yes. It was something I had always dreamed of. Dr. Chan amputated it exactly as I wanted. He didn’t even leave a scar. I couldn’t be happier. I love the way I am now.”

“Did you say he didn’t even leave a scar?”

“Would you like to see my stump? It’s not very big; it’s just the way I wanted.”

“Sure. Yes, I’d like to see it.”

Mary stood up and pulled her skirt up around her waist. She took a couple of hops toward Ann. Ann examined the little stump. It was less than three inches long—a lot smaller than Judy’s stump was.

“I can’t see any scar at all,” Ann told her.

“Put your finger right here. You can feel a little bump under the skin.”

Mary guided Ann’s finger over the invisible scar.

“That’s amazing,” Ann said as she moved her hand away and Mary pulled her short skirt down and smoothed it out. She hopped a couple of times and sat down again beside her crutches.

“Was the decision to have it done difficult?” Ann quizzed.

“Kind of. It was a final decision. Once my leg was gone, there was no putting it back on. I’ll always be one legged from now on.”

“Do you have a prosthesis?”

“No. I’ve always wanted to be on crutches. I do have a pretty large collection of them now—one for every occasion and outfit. Are you considering an amputation?”

“There’s only one other person that I’ve ever confided in with this. I’ve always wanted to have my left arm amputated,” Ann said. “My dream has always been to have my arm missing right at the shoulder with no stump at all. I don’t even want a depression where the bone enters the shoulder socket. I want it nice and smooth.”

“You’d really look great that way. An empty sleeve on a silk blouse will drive guys wild. It’d be cool with a suit jacket at a board meeting too.”

“How many people here know about you having your leg amputated?”

“Only a few. JD set it all up for me. I know he’s done it for quite a few others. All you need to do is ask. I think amputees turn him on. Marjorie makes sure that I have a reason for going in to see him every time I bring the reports up.”

“Interesting,” Ann said. “Thanks for coming in. Now I have something to dream about.”

“If it’s what you really want to do it, go for it,” Mary said as she stood up and gave a couple of hops picking up her crutches.

“I’ll give it serious consideration. I’m not sure I’m ready for the big leap yet.”

“We can talk more anytime,” Mary said as she crutched toward the door. Her movements were graceful as she glided toward the door.

Ann walked with her to the door and out into the corridor. Mary said goodbye and crutched toward Marjorie’s desk. JD came out of his office and began talking to Mary. He glanced over at Ann and pointed to his watch. Ann nodded and went back into her office and closed the door behind her. As she had done many times, she rubbed her shoulder and wondered what it would be like to be one armed—and to be able to feel the place where her arm had been.

Ann snapped herself back to reality. She put her notes on the files in her attaché case. She extended the handle on the suitcase and, with it in tow, went back to the reception area and Marjorie’s desk. Mary came out of JD’s office, and he followed her with his suitcase in tow. The three of them said goodbye to Marjorie and boarded the elevator. When they stopped at Mary’s floor, she got out of the elevator car and said goodbye. JD had positioned himself to watch her as she crutched gracefully away.

“A thing of beauty,” JD said. The door closed, and the two of them continued on to the lobby level. The limousine and chauffeur were waiting for them right outside the door. He held the door for them to enter and put the luggage in the trunk. Ann settled into the soft leather seats and looked at the rich appointments.

“Is this your first limo ride?” JD asked.

“I hate to admit it, but yes it is,” Ann said sheepishly.

“Don’t let it bother you. It doesn’t seem that it was that long ago that I was driving around in my old VW bug.”

“I can’t imagine you in a bug.”

“If you like this, just wait a few minutes.”

They continued to chat about everything and nothing as they continued on to the airport. Ann didn’t notice that they didn’t pull up to the terminal but instead pulled up beside a waiting business jet.

“We couldn’t make connections in San Francisco,” JD announced. “I thought we could ride in style. It belongs to a friend of mine.”

They walked up the short ramp and into the jet’s plush surroundings. “I’d like to meet your friend,” Ann said.

“He has a wife,” JD replied. “She’s a DAE. I arranged it for them.”

Anne was puzzled as they settled in and the jet began to taxi. Soon they were airborne and heading south. “I hate to sound ignorant,” Ann said. “What is a DAE?”

“It stands for double above the elbow. Both of her arms have been amputated. It was a voluntary amputation.”

“And you arranged it like you did for Mary?”

“Yes. Dr. Chan did the operation. There are no scars, and that’s the way she wanted it.”

“He did leave the poor lady some arm stumps, didn’t he?”

“He did exactly as they agreed. Both of her arm stumps are six inches long and have perfectly rounded ends. She uses a bilateral set of hook prosthetics.”

“Wow, both arms above the elbow.”

“Like I’m sure Mary told you, the decision is final. There’s no going back. Once they are amputated, whether it’s arms or legs, they’re gone for good.”

“That would be a tough decision to make.”

“Not if it’s really what you wanted.”

The subject changed, and JD told her about his place and his horses. Soon they were landing at the private jet terminal. Their luggage was handled for them, and they were driven to the main terminal and were soon in the frequent flyer’s lounge. When it was time to board the plane, they were escorted by an airline hostess to the gate and down the jet way. Ann had not seen the tickets but, after riding in the business jet, was not surprised that they were riding in first class. They settled in, and soon the 747 was winging its way to Hong Kong. They went over the client information until dinner was served. After dinner while they were enjoying a drink, the conversation changed.

“Have you ever given any thought to becoming an amputee?” JD asked.

“Yes,” Ann replied truthfully. “I’ve wondered what it would be like to be missing a limb.”

“Would you like to be minus arms or legs or both?”

“I wouldn’t want to be helpless—like have all of my arms and legs taken off. That’s a little too extreme.”

“I can understand that, but I know of women who’ve done it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, one gorgeously shapely blond had both of her arms taken off right at the shoulders and both legs taken off with only small stumps shorter than Mary’s. She and her husband are both wild about her being that way. They say now sex is absolutely great for both of them. She claims to be in permanent bondage.”

“Wow. I guess she would be,” Ann said. “How does she cope?”

“Her husband straps her into her motorized wheelchair, and she uses mouth controls. But other than that, she can’t do anything. He has to do everything for her, including feeding her. She’s completely helpless to the point of when he leaves her for more than an hour, help has to be brought in. If he puts her on the floor, she can drag herself a little with her chin, but if he puts her on her back, she can’t move. She can’t even roll herself over.”

“That’s way too extreme for me. Did Dr. Chan do the operation?”

“Operations,” JD corrected. “They started with both arms first. Then they came back for one leg two years later and the other leg a year after that?”

“So it was well thought out.”

“Oh yes. Dr. Chan won’t do an operation without consultation and psychological evaluation. Unlike some other doctors, his is truly a customized body reconfiguring service,” JD replied. “You didn’t tell me your choice.”

“I guess that would be my left arm.”

“Why your left arm?”

“Because I’m very right-handed. I’d only do the operation to be different than others, not to make myself helpless or be in bondage like the woman you were telling me about.”

“That’s understandable for your first time.”

“First time?”

“Some people get hooked on having amputations, and they go back for more.”

“Not me, once would be enough. I don’t know if I could do it again.”

“Sure you could. The first time is the most stressful. But once you’re over that hurdle, subsequent operations are a snap. How long of a stump would you want?”

“I wouldn’t want any,” Ann replied. “I’d like my shoulder smooth with no scar or any sign that I ever had an arm.”

“Interesting. You’d look cool like that. An empty sleeve would be a turn on to a lot of guys, especially in a silk blouse. Dr. Chan wouldn’t do it that way for the first operation.”

“He wouldn’t? Why not?”

“He would do a mid upper arm amputation first. That way, you could experience a workable prosthesis first. He’d have you that way for at least a year before he’d do the second surgery to remove your arm completely.”

“I guess I understand. It sounds reasonable, but it’s a moot point anyway. There’s no way I could ever afford it.”

“I gave you a credit card, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but I’d never use it for a thing like having my arm amputated.”

“Why not? Full medical is part of your executive benefits package. The only one who has to approve it is me.”

“I can’t believe it. You’d pay to have my arm amputated.”

“Yes. You wouldn’t be the first. I paid for Mary’s and at least a dozen others. Think about it. It’s up to you.”

“Why would you do it for me?”

“I like happy employees, and I’m turned on by amputees.”

“So is my boyfriend. I’m worried about losing him to my cousin. They just took her leg off because of cancer.”

“Well, there you go. One more reason to make your dream come true.”

“I need to think about this.”

“Our schedule is arranged to meet with Dr. Chan soon after we get to Hong Kong. Meet him first, and then you just might decide to go through with it.”

The subject changed, and JD and Ann talked about other facets of the business. They talked late into the evening, then reclined the seats for a good night’s rest.

Chapter 3

They landed soon after sunup, quickly cleared the official hurdles, and found their waiting car. JD knew the driver, who spoke excellent English.

When they arrived at their hotel, the red carpet treatment was afforded them as the checked in. When they got to their suite, a large basket of fruit was on the coffee table in the living room. The suite had two bedrooms, each with its own luxurious bath. Ann was given her choice of bedrooms. A magnificent breakfast was served in the suite. Once breakfast was over, there was a knock on the door. Ann answered the knock to find an impeccably dressed Chinese gentleman. He introduced himself as Dr. Chan.

JD appeared and did the formal introductions. He did not offer a handshake, but bows were exchanged. JD invited him into the living room, and they all were seated around the coffee table. Dr. Chan opened his briefcase and took out a sheaf of papers with copies for each of them. It outlined the newest proposed venture. JD was excited when he realized the potential of the venture. When they finished with discussion, JD dropped the bomb.

“Ann is interested in using your custom voluntary amputation service.”

“Tell me about your wishes,” Dr. Chan asked.

“I’ve only toyed with the idea of having my left arm removed,” Ann said with some embarrassment.

“If you wish, it can be easily arranged.”

“I haven’t made up my mind about doing it.”

“How much residual arm would you like to have?”

“If I do it, none. I’d like a nice smooth shoulder with no scar and no indentation,” Ann replied.

“A little tricky, but I could do that.”

“Like I told you, I’m just toying with the idea of being one armed.”

“When I do a disarticulation like that, whether it’s an arm or a leg, I always do it in two phases. In your case, I would do a mid-upper arm amputation first.”

“Why not just do it once?”

“First, there is no going back. This way, you would at least have the opportunity for a useable prosthesis. Secondly, it gives your muscles and mind a chance to realize that the rest of your arm is missing. Are you interested?”

“I don’t know,” Ann replied hesitantly. “That is a huge step.”

“Have you ever considered paralysis to get a feel for what it would be like to not have the use of your arm?”

“No, I guess I haven’t.”

“I have a nerve block technique that I use with clients who are unsure. It is simply a two shot procedure. The first shot blocks all the nerves to your arm. It becomes paralyzed and loses all feeling. You no longer have the use of the arm until the second shot is administered, at which time full use of your arm is regained with no after effects.”

“That seems like a safe way of getting used to using only one arm. It’s better than pretending with my arm behind my back. What do you think?” she said, looking at JD.

“Go for it. I’ve seen him do it before, and it’s completely reversible.”

“JD is correct. I’ve used this technique on most arm clients for them to be sure that being unable to use their arms and hands is what they really want. I find that about ninety percent go through with the amputation. I’ve even had some that have opted to continue with the paralysis.”

“I can have it undone at anytime?”

“Yes, just say the word. JD can even administer the antidote if necessary. He’s done it before.”

“OK, I think I’d like to try it. When can we make time to go to his office JD?”

“You needn’t come to the clinic. We only need to do that for an amputation. I can administer the nerve block now if you like. I have the components with me.”

Ann looked at JD, and he gave her a thumbs up. She nodded, and Dr. Chan removed two vials and two syringes from his briefcase. He filled one of the syringes and had Ann remove her blouse. He injected one of the components in her back near her shoulder. Ann felt her arm start to tingle immediately, and suddenly she had no feeling in her arm at all. There was no pain when Ann tried unsuccessfully to move her fingers.

“That’s about the weirdest feeling I’ve ever had,” Ann remarked.

“I’ll leave the antidote here in case you wish to have the paralysis eliminated. JD has done it before.”

“I don’t know how much help I’m going to be JD. I may even have problems buttoning my blouse with one hand. I’m glad that I didn’t have the right arm done.”

“I can do that one too,” Dr. Chan said with a smile on his face.

“Oh no. One is more than enough for now.”

“I best be going now,” Dr. Chan said. “I’ve just had a thought. Because we will eventually be wanting the rest of your arm removed, how about if I try an implant device I’ve been working on? It will allow your prosthesis to be snapped into place and should eliminate some control straps.”

“Why not? Like you said, the rest of the arm will be gone sooner or later. Sure, I’ll be a guinea pig.”

The three of them stood up and walked Dr. Chan to the door where they said their goodbyes. As soon as he left, Ann went into her bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. She tried to move her paralyzed arm, nothing happened. No matter how hard she tried to make her fingers move, they wouldn’t respond. She picked up her paralyzed hand with the other one and let go. Her paralyzed hand dropped to her side. Ann only felt a tug around her shoulder when it fell. She closed her eyes and purposely bumped the arm against the bathroom vanity and felt nothing. She checked her makeup and went back into the living room.

“So what’s the verdict?” JD quizzed.

“This is so weird. I know my arm is there. I can see it, but I can’t feel it. I can’t make it move either.”

“In other words, it worked like a champ and you’ve a temporarily paralyzed left arm.”

“That’s about it. It’s paralyzed and useless now.”

“Remember that Dr. Chan left the antidote, and I can inject it anytime you want.”

There was a knock at the door. JD answered it and greeted the next client. The client was introduced to Ann, and like with Dr. Chan, no handshake was offered, only a polite bow. The three of them seated themselves around the table in the dinning room. Papers were spread out and work began. Ann, of course, was only able to use her right hand and arm. Her left arm hung limply at her side. She noticed the client watching her as she fumbled with things using only her right hand. JD was watching her too. Ann would blush when he flashed her a little smile.

When the second client had gone, it was lunchtime. They decided to eat in the restaurant in the hotel. Ann had only a little difficulty using chopsticks one handed. She scanned the crowded restaurant and noticed that everyone was busy with their own conversations and no one had noticed that she had no use of her left hand.

The afternoon was much as the morning had been, and they met with four more clients. Ann was exhausted when they finished. Jet lag was getting to her, and coupled with the stress caused by her new condition, Ann was at least ready for a power nap. JD informed her that they would be meeting with Dr. Chan for a late dinner.

Ann went to her half of the suite and undressed. This was the first time that she had seen her dead arm in relationship to the rest of her body. It didn’t look any different than it had before Dr. Chan had given her the injection. When she was in the tub, she was aware that her arm simply floated. She tried to make it sink but found that she needed to force it underwater. Drying off was easy, and when she slipped on the hotel provided terry-cloth robe, she didn’t put her arm in the sleeve but just let it dangle at her side. She found that she couldn’t tie a bow knot one handed. She liked the look when she admired herself in the mirror. She lay down on the bed for her nap.

She awoke in fifteen minutes well rested. She was still wearing only the robe when she went into the living room. JD was reading the paper and looked up when he saw her.

“I like the look. The empty sleeve becomes you very much.”

“Thanks. I thought I’d see what I would look like again. I’ve done this a thousand times.”

“And haven’t done it yet?”

“This is really the first time I’ve talked seriously to anyone about this. I’ve only told my boyfriend and now you two. Oh yes, Mary too.”

“How do you like having the feeling of being one armed? You seemed to have a little problem this morning, but by the end of the day, you seemed to be doing great.”

“So what’s on the agenda tonight?”

“We’ll take a cab over to Dr. Chan’s clinic, and he’ll give you the two-bit tour. Then dinner. We can do anything we want after that. I know a couple of swinging clubs that are fun if you’re up to it.”

“We’ll see. The nap did wonders, but I’m not sure I’m ready to stay up and see the sunrise,” Ann said and then went back to her bedroom. She put on panty hose and a short, black thin-strapped dress. Black heels completed the ensemble. She was getting used to having the use of only one arm quite rapidly. After she had done her makeup and hair, she made her entrance back into the living room. JD was just emerging from his room as well.

“You look fantastic,” he remarked.

“You don’t look so bad yourself JD,” Ann returned. “Let me get my bag, and I’ll be ready.”

Dr. Chan greeted them outside the clinic and then escorted them inside. The clinic was spacious and spotless, with stainless steel everywhere. A team of janitors was busy maintaining the spotless condition.

“This is my arm amputation room,” Dr. Chan announced as they entered one of the rooms. The room was equipped with things Ann had only seen on TV. The table in the middle of the room had a large light and supports for arms on each side.

“If I were to have my arm removed, is this where you’d do it?” Ann quizzed.

“Yes. We do only arms in this room. The table is specialized just for that use. I’ll show you the room where we do legs next, just in case you want one or two of them removed too.”

“Oh no, not legs. The most I’ve ever wanted is an arm.”

“Like we discussed this morning, should you elect to go through with the amputation, I’d remove your arm above the elbow in the first operation and have you come back to do the shoulder disarticulation.”

“How long will I be unconscious with anesthetic?” Ann asked.

“You won’t be,” he said. “You can watch if you want. Most patients elect not to though.”

“Gosh, won’t it hurt?”

Dr. Chan picked up her dead arm and poked a pin in her forearm. “Does that hurt?”

“No. I see it, but I don’t feel a thing.”

“The nerve block I put in this morning renders your arm completely pain free. You could put your hand on top of the stove and burn all of the flesh off, and you still wouldn’t feel it. Your amputation will be completely painless as long as the nerve block is in place. After you have healed sufficiently for at least a week, then the antidote can be administered.”

“When could you do the amputation?” Ann asked.

“I have an opening tomorrow at two,” he said. “You should be free to go by three-thirty.”

“I don’t have to stay in the hospital?”

“There is no need,” Dr. Chan replied. “Your arm will feel just like it does now. You may be a little light-headed because we’ll give you a tranquilizer to help you relax. The operation is practically bloodless with the laser surgery technique I use.”

“Why do people stay in the hospital so long in the States then?”

“Most are the victims of trauma, and the amputation is unplanned. Besides, we have ancient Chinese medicines that we use to accelerate healing. I don’t use stitches so the pulling and discomfort associated with them are eliminated.”

“If you don’t use stitches, how is the wound held together? Won’t it come open?”

“I can’t tell you my secret for keeping the wound closed. It is a compound that I developed to eliminate the scars. It has the side effect of almost instant healing as I apply it to the open cut. All I have to do is hold it together for about ten minutes, and I can remove all bandages. I will put your residual arm stump in a very light cast to control swelling and prevent you from inadvertently injuring the arm while you can’t feel it. The cast will be flesh colored and practically unnoticeable.”

“JD, what do you think I should do?”

“You know me. I like amputees. I think we should take tomorrow off, go shopping and come here for the two o’clock appointment.”

“Let me think about this a little more. How about the rest of the tour?” Ann said, turning to Dr. Chan.

He led the tour of the rest of the facility. It was obvious that JD had been in the facility many times before. She was surprised to find that Dr. Chan had several rooms dedicated to doing legs. He had them divided into above the knee and below the knee rooms. It appeared that the voluntary amputation business was brisk. The last room was filled with electronics. He told Ann that he does a lot of work on myoelectric prostheses.

They had a great dinner atop one of the hotels with a fantastic view of the city. Dinner was over, and they were having an after-dinner drink when Ann said: “OK Dr. Chan, I’ll be there for the two o’clock appointment. If it’s still open.”

“I knew you would. I set the time for you right after I left your hotel room.”

“You must meet a lot of people doing this.”

“I do, and I’ve become a pretty good judge of what my clients are going to do,” he said, almost bragging.

“OK, what am I going to do?”

“I think that once I do the operation tomorrow that you will like your arm that way and won’t want the shoulder disarticulation. I predict that you will be fitted for a prosthesis and come to like it so much that you’ll come back and have me do a match on your right side.”

“I think you’re wrong Doctor,” I said. “I only want my left arm off at the shoulder.”

“We’ll see” was his answer.

“I haven’t seen him be wrong many times,” JD interjected.

“We’ll see” was Ann’s answer.

The cab dropped Dr. Chan off first and then took Ann and JD to their hotel. They talked on the way to the elevator and observed the no talking rule in the elevator, then resumed the conversation on the way down the corridor to the room.

“How many people do you know that have had both arms amputated?” Ann asked.

“Four above the elbow and ten below that I can think of right now,” JD replied.

“How many work for the company?”

“Three bilateral arm amputees,” JD said. “Joan is a DAE and is in the plant in Iowa. Betty is a DBE and works in Texas at the plant there. And Judy is a DBE. She’s at the research facility.”

“What happened to the rest of them?”

“Most of them decided to stay home and raise families. Two have become models.”

“Armless models?”

“Sure, take a good look at some of the bra models. There is no way to hide an arm like some of them do. They usually have an amputation like you wanted, only a little more shoulder is left to kinda give that bulge at the shoulder.”

“Are they all happy with their decision?”

“Every last one of them,” he said. “None of them would go back even if they could. They made the right decision, and you’ve made the right decision too. You’ll like yourself that way.”

“I sure do hope so.”

They decided to go to bed. Ann was surprised to find that her bed had been turned down and a chocolate placed on her pillow. Also, she noticed that her clothes that had been left scattered around were neatly hung in the closet. She was soon undressed and in bed. Tomorrow would be a day that she’d always remember.

Chapter 4

Ann jumped when JD touched her foot. It took her a few seconds of waking to remember her surroundings and why she couldn’t move her left arm.

“It’s quarter to nine,” he said. “I’m ready for some breakfast.”

“Me too,” Ann replied. “I really crashed. Let me catch a quick shower, and we can be out of here in fifteen minutes.”

“Fair enough,” JD said and exited her bedroom. Ann took a quick shower and was ready to go on time. She was wearing a tee shirt and shorts. She had to ask JD to tie her tennis shoes.

They caught a cab, which took them to a very upscale department store. JD mentioned that this was his favorite place to shop. They stopped first at the coffee shop on the first floor.

“So what are you in the market for?” Ann asked as she repositioned her left arm with her right hand.

“I need a couple of suits, a few more ties, and I can always use white shirts. What about you?”

“I guess I need about everything. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll have to exercise that card you gave me.”

“No need. We have an account here,” he replied. “Show them your ID card, and it gets billed directly to accounting. We do it that way because we get a huge discount. That hundred-dollar blouse will only cost us fifteen.”

“Wow, that is a huge discount.”

“It’s factory direct. A perk for being a large wholesale customer. After we finish a bite, we’ll go up and meet Howard. He runs this place.”

Breakfast was quick. Ann was having no problem using only her right hand to do things, and when she wasn’t able, JD was more than happy to oblige. After breakfast as promised, Ann was introduced to Howard. He arranged for a team of tailors to take all of Ann’s measurements. This was the finest service she’d ever seen.

Ann helped JD pick out several suits and one blazer. She also helped him with several ties. They invaded the women’s department. Ann ended up with ten outfits for the office and five casual outfits and two cocktail dresses at JD’s insistence. Ten pairs of shoes were also selected. When they left the store, they had no packages. Part of the merchandise would be sent to the hotel, but the bulk of it would be shipped directly to the office in the U.S.

Lunch in the countryside was next. Ann couldn’t help but to look down at her hand lying lifelessly on her lap. It wouldn’t be there much longer. Lunch and time seemed to go by quickly, and they soon were back in the cab. At exactly five minutes before two, they pulled up in front of Dr. Chan’s clinic.

Ann didn’t even have time to sit down in the waiting room. She waved goodbye to JD as she was led away to the operating room that she had been shown the night before. She was sitting on a chair in the corner of the operating room when Dr. Chan came into the room.

“Good afternoon Ann,” he said and flashed a smile. “Are you ready for this?”

“As ready as I’m going to be,” she replied.

“Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?” he asked sternly as he examined her arm closely. “There is no going back on this decision. This is final!”

“I know it is, and yes, I want you to amputate my arm,” she said as he made some marks with a pen on her arm.

“OK. These marks are where I’ll be making incisions. I’m going a little higher than I usually do. It will give a little more room for a prosthetic elbow to work. Your arm will be this long,” he said as he pointed at a line about three inches above her elbow.

“You can take more off if you want,” Ann told him. “I want it all gone eventually.”

“Maybe next year’s project. Probably not though. Like I said last night, we’ll see.”

“That’s right, we’ll see.”

“I’m going to give you a shot now; it’s only a mild tranquilizer. It will make you relax while we’re doing the procedures. Because you’re going to have this arm removed completely, like we talked about, I’m going to do an implant socket for holding a prosthetic arm.”

 He gave her a shot in her left shoulder, and the only reason she knew he had done it, is because she watched.

“I normally video the operation. You can have a copy to take home to your boyfriend if you like.”

“Cool,” she replied. “I really am feeling relaxed.”

He helped her remove her tee shirt and get onto the operating table, and both of her arms were spread out in the extensions. An IV drip was started in her right arm. He moved a curtain in place to shield her from view and talked to Ann all the time he was removing her arm. She was wide awake and felt absolutely nothing. She was not even aware that her arm was gone when he was closing the incision. She did see her stump arm move when he applied the lightweight cast. In less than an hour, she was sitting on the chair and he was helping her put on her tee shirt.

Ann looked down at her arm stump and tears came to her eyes. “I don’t know how to thank you Dr. Chan. It’s exactly the way you said it would be. I still can’t get over it being completely painless.”

“You shouldn’t have any problems with phantom pain. But if you do, it can easily be remedied.”

JD walked into the room. He had a broad smile on his face, and his eyes fixated on her stump. “I guess I don’t need to know how it went.”

“Just fine,” Dr. Chan said. “She came through with flying colors. There should be no complications. You know all of the signs. Just let me know if anything happens, and I’d like to see her in three days if that fits your schedule. Why don’t we have dinner on the boat tomorrow night?”

“That works for us,” JD said, looking at Ann with a nod. Ann returned his nod.

“Good,” he said. “Fine, I’m back to doing legs. I’ll see both of you then.”

He gave a quick polite bow and left the room. Ann was only a little dizzy when she stood, and JD was there to steady her. A cab was waiting for them to take them back to the hotel. The first thing Ann did when they got back to their suite was to go into her bathroom to admire her new look. Tears were flowing down her cheek when she heard JD knocking on her bedroom door.

“Come on in. I’m decent.”

“You most certainly are,” JD commented. “You look ravishing that way.”

“Thank you. I absolutely love the way I look. I don’t even know now if I want my arm all the way off,” Ann said with a huge smile on her face while tears continued to stream down her cheeks. “The cast is amazing. It looks almost like my skin color.”

“He uses a computer to match your skin color just like they do when they match color for paint,” JD said. “The material also allows your skin to breathe. By eliminating the shine, it looks lifelike.”

“It sure does. I’d love to take it off and see my arm.”

“No, you wouldn’t. Right now, it’s very discolored and puffy. The cast contains the puffiness. That’s why it’s so tight. If we took it off now, we’d never get it back on. It’ll take a week at least.”

“I understand,” Ann said. “How soon before I can regain use of my arm and get some feeling back?”

“If I were to inject the antidote right now, you’d pass out from the sheer pain because of the swelling in the cast. He’ll give you feeling back and take off the cast at the same time. So for now, enjoy a pain-free arm. Sorry that it’s unusable.”

“I can live with that. Anyway, I’m going to have to. I’m just anxious.”

“Most people I bring here are. The secret is patience,” JD said. “I know you’re tired, so why don’t you lie down and rest for a while, and I’ll make a few calls. Maybe then we can put on some of our new duds, then go out for a nice dinner. Later, those clubs are still waiting if you want.”

“I’m so excited that I didn’t realize how tired I was. Why don’t I nap for a while? I bet you know all the good clubs.”

“I have just the place in mind.”

JD kissed her lightly on the neck and left Ann to admire her new look. She lay down on the bed and covered herself with a light blanket. A smile came to her face when she thought about her missing arm and JD’s little kiss on the neck just before she drifted off to sleep.

Ann awoke after about an hour and went into the living room area. It was empty. She looked in the kitchen, then poked her head in JD’s room; it was empty too. A time to sit back and relax, she thought to herself. She opened the sliding glass door and went out onto the deck and the magnificent view of the city and the ocean beyond. She sat down in the lounge chair and closed her eyes again. She was not sure she had her eyes closed, but when she opened them, JD was sitting there looking at her. She gave him a smile.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Never been better. I feel wonderful,” Ann replied. “One thing’s puzzling me though.”

“Go ahead.”

“How did you know I wanted to be an amputee?”

“Simple. You told us,” JD said. “Remember the battery of tests you took before you were hired?”

Ann nodded yes.

“Some of the questions are designed to show your desire to be an amputee without coming right out and asking. You ranked in the ninety-fifth percentile in that category. So I was almost sure that you would go through with the operation once you were given the chance.”

“What if I hadn’t gone through with it?”

“Nothing. I’d have been disappointed. I’d give you the antidote when you asked for it, and we would have gone on with the business trip.”

“Would I still have a job?”

“Certainly. You were hired for your abilities. I’d be a fool to let you go if you chose not to become an amputee. Marjorie did.”

“Marjorie?”

“Never tell her that I told you. Let her tell you. She wanted to be a bilateral below the elbow amputee.”

“OK, my lips are sealed. I’ll let her tell me,” Ann said. “So how did I stack up against the other finalists for the job?”

“I chose you,” he said coyly. “Actually your test scores were about ten points above the others even without the amp factor. When that was applied and I met you, I quickly discounted the others.”

“So what would I have to do to become the perfect amputee for you?”

“Almost perfect would be to have your right arm amputated just like he did your left and have your stumps fitted with hooks.”

“You said ‘almost perfect,’ ” Ann pressed.

“Perfect would for you to become a complete quad. Double shoulder disarticulation and stumps only the size of Mary’s for legs.”

“Wow. That’s way too drastic for me,” Ann said. “I’d consider the double above the elbow but not a full quad.”

“I know,” he replied. “I’d still like you as a quad.”

“No way. That’s not for me,” Ann said. “I couldn’t handle that.”

“I know. Your tests show that,” he answered. “They do indicate your desire to be a bilateral above the elbow though.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Ann said. “All I’ve ever wanted is to have my arm removed at the shoulder. Not both arms above the elbow.”

“I’m just telling you what your tests show. They have a way of picking out your subconscious wishes, not what you may think that you consciously want. That’s the reason Dr. Chan did your amputation the way he did. The way he did it is what your tests show is the residual arm length that you really desire. So we give it a while and see if it holds true. There is close to a ninety percent chance that it will.”

“So why didn’t you guys push to do both of them right now?”

“Because you still think that you only want your left one off at the shoulder. Also if he numbed both of them at the same time, you’d be functionally completely armless and that’s not you.”

“So you’re manipulating me?”

“No, fulfilling your subconscious desires.”

“I don’t believe it,” Ann said defensively.

“Give it a month or two, then you’ll believe me. Deal?”

“Deal,” Ann said. “Not to change the subject, but have you chosen a place for dinner?”

“I have, and I’d like you to wear that new dress that we bought you this morning.”

“I’ll be glad to. I really like the way it fit.”

“So did I,” JD commented. “It will go good with your newly remodeled arm.”

He went back inside, and Ann stayed out on the deck enjoying the early evening and contemplating the conversation. Interesting—both arms above the elbow—she’d have to give that one some thought. She lay back and closed her eyes again.

Dinner that night was great, and they decided to go dancing afterward. That was an interesting experience for Ann and her newly remodeled arm. The next day, they met with three clients and did some additional shopping. Ann was rapidly getting used to her unusable left arm stump. The following day, they met with the entire board of a company to land the exclusive output of their factory. That evening, they dressed for dinner and took a cab to the docks.

Ann was not sure what she was getting herself into when they exited the cab. This didn’t appear to be the safest part of the city. She was shocked to see a group of armed men coming down the dock toward them until she realized that Dr. Chan was among them. He greeted them, and the entire entourage walked to what he referred to as the boat. Boat was an understatement, more like a hundred plus foot yacht. Dr. Chan led them aboard while the guards stayed ashore. He gave the captain instructions to get underway as he gave Ann a tour of the yacht. They met up with JD sitting in a large overstuffed leather chair in the main salon enjoying a cocktail.

“So what do you think?” JD asked.

“This is fantastic. I’ve never been on a yacht before. I love it!”

“I told you that you should be staying here rather than in that stuffy hotel when you’re in town,” Dr. Chan said.

“This is beautiful and would meet our needs well, but you know me, I like it downtown with all the action.”

“I think that would get old in a hurry. This is such a quiet getaway. I love the quiet and the waves lapping on the sides when we anchor,” the doctor continued. “Everything you might possibly need is here onboard.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I still prefer the hotel,” JD insisted. “Maybe Ann will take you up on the offer when she makes some of the trips by herself.”

Ann was taken aback by his statement. She hadn’t thought of making the trips alone, especially now that she was one armed.

“So will you take me up on my offer of hospitality?” Dr. Chan asked. “Even if your stuffy boss won’t.”

“I think I’d like to try it at least once. I’ve never spent that much time on the water or around boats, and I’m not so sure about motion sickness,” Ann replied. “Yes, I’d give it a try. This place is a lot larger than my apartment.”

“Good,” Dr. Chan said. “Now a little surprise for you. Stand up and close your eyes please.”

Ann did as she was told. As she stood there, she swore that she could feel the rocking of the yacht under her. She felt something happening with her left arm, nothing she could feel, only a feeling of something brushing against her side. She was told to open her eyes.

“Oh my gosh,” Ann exclaimed. “I hadn’t expected that. How did you build me a cosmetic arm so quickly? It looks exactly like my old one.”

“There are occasions when exposing a bare stump at a social event is best served with a little camouflage. Though the arm isn’t functional, it does have a realistic appearance. You’ll notice that the fingers are moveable and that the elbow is also adjustable so that it doesn’t just have to hang down at your side.”

“This is so cool. Thank you very much,” she said gratefully. “I was wondering what I’d do on those occasions when I didn’t want people to know my arm was missing.”

“I’m glad you like it. It fits over the cast now and will fit over the new socket when we build that,” Dr. Chan said. “Now let’s take it off and try something else.”

He removed the new arm and had her close her eyes again. When she was told to open her eyes, she found she was wearing a hook type prosthesis. He looped the hook actuating strap around her right arm and shoulder and connected it in the back.

“So what do you think?” he asked.

“Cool. I love it. How do I make it work?”

He positioned the elbow at an angle and told her to shrug her right shoulder. The hook opened and closed when she released it. She tried it several more times. The grin on her face grew.

“This is so cool. I’ve always wanted one of these arms. Thank you.”

“You’ll be able to use it functionally once we get your arm moving again. It has a ratchet type elbow that requires movement of your left shoulder to make it operate.”

“I can hardly wait to be able to use it.”

“I’m sure that JD filled you in on how long your residual arm needs to be immobile.”

“Yes, he said it would take at least another week for the swelling to go down and be able to take the cast off. He also told me how painful it would be right now.”

“Exactly. I’d like to have you come by the clinic a week from today, and I’ll take the cast off. I’ll also need to make adjustments to the prosthetic arm to gain functionality,” he said. “Now I believe that dinner is about ready. Ann, would you like to remove that arm, wear the hand, or stay as you are?”

“I’d like to leave this one on if you two don’t mind. This is so cool.”

“Fine. If you’d like to freshen up, the washroom is right down the companionway.”

Ann went into the washroom. She stood in front of the mirror opening and closing the hook. This was so cool. She washed her hand and went back for dinner.

Dinner was fine, and they all laughed and talked a lot. The guards were waiting to tie up the yacht when they arrived at the dock. A cab was waiting at the gang plank for them. Ann continued to wear the hook prosthesis while JD carried the one with the hand.

The next few days seemed to both fly by and drag on at the same time. Ann was introduced to so many people that they all seemed to run together. She thought that she could never get them straight, but JD was very patient with her. She discovered that she had been wearing the hook prosthesis about fifty percent of the time and hoping for the time when she could use it more fully. She did wear the artificial hand on several occasions, including one time when they went to the symphony. Finally, it was time to visit Dr. Chan again.

Ann was nervous when they walked into the waiting room full of anxious people. When Ann gave the receptionist her name, she was immediately shown into an exam room filled with strange objects. Dr. Chan came into the room followed by a beautiful assistant on crutches. It was easy to tell that the assistant’s stump was as short as Mary’s.

“Well, today’s the big day,” he said as he removed the hook prosthesis. “Have you been wearing this regularly?”

“A little over fifty percent of the time,” Ann said. She noticed his assistant working on the arm on the workbench. “I bet that I’ll probably wear it more when I can use it.”

“You’ll probably wear it most of the time,” he said as he began to twist the cast like he was unscrewing it. He soon had it in his hand, and her stump was exposed to view for the first time. He examined it closely, then took her over by the large mirror. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful,” Ann said. “I just love it. I still can’t move it yet.”

He had her sit down on the stool again and was handed a syringe. She could see him in the mirror but couldn’t feel the needle. He withdrew the empty syringe. Soon her shoulder began to tingle, then her arm all the way down to the tip of her stump. It felt like a thousand little pin pricks all at once. Slowly, her arm began to come back to life, and she began to have limited feeling and movement. Within five minutes, her arm was back to normal, or as normal as a residual arm stump can be. There was absolutely no pain.

“Let’s get an X-ray of that. I want to see how the implant is healing,” he said.

His one-legged assistant took the X-ray. Ann was glad she had elected to have an arm removed. She cringed at the thought of having to hop around if crutches weren’t readily available or useable or she hadn’t chosen a prosthesis. The assistant quickly brought the freshly developed X-ray film and put it in the viewer while Dr. Chan continued to closely examine the end of her stump.

“This implant is healing nicely,” he remarked. “I think it’s ready for the attachment. I don’t know if I told you, but it’s designed to accept your prosthetic arm and provide an anchor. It should eliminate the over-the-shoulder strap, but with this implant, you’ll still need the control harness.”

“So where is the implant?”

“Right here in the end of your residual arm. It’s a threaded titanium rod up in the center of the humerus bone with a socket,” he said as he pointed to the X-ray film. He held her arm up so she could see the tip in the mirror. “This is all you see.”

“Swell, but will it work?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I think it will. Your skeletal system seems to have accepted it OK without the need for anti-rejection drugs.”

“So how do I use this thing?”

“Let me demonstrate,” he said, picking up her hook prosthesis that his one-legged assistant had been modifying. He slipped the arm up over Ann’s stump and onto the implant and pushed firmly until it clicked into place. “Just like that. Just slide it on until it clicks. To take it off, push the button on the outside above the elbow to release the lock and it’s ready to slide off.” He removed the arm again.

“That looks simple enough. Let me try it.” She picked up the arm and slipped it on and snapped it into place. She moved the arm around a bit, then pushed the button to release the arm and slid it off. She gave the arm back to Dr. Chan. “I think it will work. You said this is a first prototype; what’ll the next model have?”

“Currently, myoelectric arms and legs have sensors inside the socket that the residual stump slides into and they have to be tight and therefore uncomfortable. My thought is to have the wiring and sensors placed under the skin and terminate in a plug. That way, impulses will be sent directly to the equipment to move the arm. The harness will be eliminated. You just click the arm in place and go.”

“That sounds interesting. Let me know how it’s coming along.”

“Are you interested in being a guinea pig?”

“Perhaps. I’ll need to talk it over with JD. After all, he’s my boss.”

“I’ll have a chat with him if you’re interested.”

He put the hook prosthesis back on her and adjusted the straps, then showed her how to use the arm. He told her to try to use the arm and practice its use. He wanted to see her again for a follow-up before they went back to the U.S. Ann was beaming when she went into Dr. Chan’s private office to meet JD. She quickly put the prosthetic arm through its paces while they were still standing there. She continued to open and close the hook and flex her elbow all the way back to the hotel. They discussed the possibility of Ann having the electrodes implanted over a drink in the hotel bar. JD told her to do it if she wanted, the only drawback being that he needed to return to the U.S. sooner than planned. He called Dr. Chan from the suite, and they had a three-way conversation. They decided that it would be best if she would have the implants done in three months when JD was scheduled to return. In the meantime, she was instructed to practice and become proficient with the arm’s use, something that Ann did not need to be told.

Chapter 5

The trip back was uneventful. Both Marjorie and Mary were interested in hearing of her experience. When the two of them were alone, Marjorie confided that she had wanted to become a bilateral below the elbow amputee, mid forearm, but had chickened out. She also told Ann that watching her might renew her interest.

Ann was wearing her hook under a long sleeved blouse when she met Dan at their usual bar. His mouth dropped open when he saw it. Ann told him of her trip, Dr. Chan, and her experience with the paralyzed arm before the operation. Dan wanted to hear everything in great detail and asked a lot of questions.

When Ann took him to her apartment, Dan was almost trembling when he saw her unbutton her blouse and slip it off. She had him push the release button and slide the prosthetic arm off while she did a little pirouette to get away from the harness on her right shoulder. By the bulge in his pants, she could tell that he was terribly excited. She rubbed her stump on his neck while they kissed, and he finished undressing her and struggled to get his own clothes off. She rubbed his member with her stump, and they could hardly wait to get into bed.

The wild sex lasted for at least an hour. Her orgasms were wonderful with him, just as they always had been. Maybe now, they were even more intensified.

After sex, they had a long talk. During the conversation, Dan admitted to Ann that he had gotten together with her cousin Judy, twice. The first time, he had gone to see her, and the second, she had visited him. Because of the chemotherapy, she had lost all of her hair. Seeing her bald also turned him on. He was now torn between two women. After a long moment of silence, Ann told Dan that she wished him the best and that she would see him at the next family reunion.

After he was gone, Ann had a good cry. She had partially done the amputation to keep him, but she had done it mostly for herself. He was gone, and now it was time to move on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1

After the breakup with Dan and now one armed, Ann immersed herself in her work and became practically consumed with her job. She’d been on a couple of dates since her return from Hong Kong and her amputation, but they didn’t work out. The guys were interested more in her hook than her. Still, she remained delighted with the voluntary amputation done by Dr. Chan. She spent a great deal of time practicing with her prosthetic arm. She would often times just let her right arm dangle limply like her left arm had done while it was paralyzed and pretend that it could not be used. This would force her to use her hook. Her boss, JD, had given her right arm paralyzing shots on two different occasions. One time was for a whole weekend. She became very comfortable using just her hook.

A little over six months had passed when at the staff meeting on a Thursday morning, JD announced that he would be traveling to Hong Kong in a month. He also told the management staff that Ann would be traveling there two weeks ahead of time to do preliminary work. After the meeting, he asked Ann to stay.

“I’ve just spoken to Dr. Chan. He sends his regards,” JD began. “He told me that the new implant procedure seems to be working on those he had tested and was wondering if you still wanted to try the procedure. You had expressed an interest in participating in the design. You’d come away with an implant socket and implanted myoelectric sensors. Are you still interested?”

“I am. Just what did he have in mind, replacing the implant in my left arm or doing a new one with the socket in my right arm?”

“You’d consent to having your right arm modified?” JD asked almost in surprise.

“I’ve given it a great deal of thought, more thought than I’d like to admit, and yes, I think I’m ready to have my right arm done too.”

“Wow,” JD said. “I think he was considering more along the line of redoing your left arm.”

“He can redo both if he’d like a real research subject. I’ve been thinking about his procedure and the difficulty I had when you paralyzed my arm. Because I couldn’t move my right shoulder very well, I had difficulty opening my hook on my left side. If he does both arms at the same time, I’ll be pretty much helpless until he allows me to move them again. If he does both arms at the same time, my total span of helplessness will only be half as much. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, and I see your point. Perhaps you need to take someone along to help you while you heal up and he gets the new arm or arms working again.”

“That would be the best. It’s only a little logistical problem.”

“Let’s call him and ask,” JD said.

He picked up the phone and pressed a programmed number. Soon they were using the speakerphone and talking to Dr. Chan on his cell phone while he was on his way to work. They filled him in on their thoughts. He seemed delighted that Ann had offered to have her right arm done as well. When they told him of their concern that Ann would be unable to use either arm and that she would be unable to take care of herself, he suggested a close friend should accompany her. JD told him of their proposed timetable, and Dr. Chan was in agreement. He also reiterated the offer for use of the yacht. Ann accepted his hospitality.

“So who would you like to take with you?” JD asked when they had hung up.

“I really would like to take Marjorie, but I know she’s pretty indispensable around here, especially when you’re gone,” Ann said and JD nodded. “How about Mary? She’s been through the program and knows how the setup works.”

“I think we can spare her for a couple of weeks. The change of scenery will do both of you some good. You’ll come back looking like a new woman.”

“I’ll feel like a new woman. That’s quite a weight loss program you know. Twenty pounds at a time. I’ll call Mary and ask her.”

Ann left the conference room and called Mary from her own office and asked her to come up. Ann loved the way Mary crutched across her office and how seductive her leg was in her short skirt. When Ann asked her, Mary was delighted with the prospect of traveling to Hong Kong again and was even more excited about staying on the yacht. Ann filled Mary in on what was going to happen and that she needed her there to help her with everything. She told her she meant everything, and Mary understood. Mary had a strange smile on her face when she realized what her assignment was to be.

The next two weeks seemed to drag by. Dr. Chan had phoned twice to ask some questions that Ann was sure he knew the answers to, but she suspected that he wanted reassurance himself that she would be OK with what they were planning.

Chapter 2

Soon the day was there. They had the use of the business jet again, and on the transoceanic flight, Ann found herself seated in first class again, this time next to Mary.

A car was waiting for them at the airport and took them directly to the gangplank of the yacht moored at the end of the dock. Dr. Chan arrived just shortly after they were on deck. He greeted them with his usual bow and invited them inside. They had cocktails and dinner. All that time, Ann consciously used only her hook prosthesis while her right arm and hand hung limply at her side. Dr. Chan commented on how well she used her hook once they were alone. He took the time to go over the now familiar procedure with Ann. He had one of the new sockets with him and showed her what it looked like. He said that he was a little concerned about being able to remove the existing implant and replace it with the newer version that had the myoelectric contact socket built into it. He told Ann that because it was the most difficult, he would do her left arm first. He also told her that he had reserved the entire morning for the procedures.

Dr. Chan left early saying he had a big day ahead of him. With the exception of the crew’s quarters, Mary and Ann pretty much had the large yacht to themselves. They explored around, even up on the bridge where they pretended to be steering the vessel by the large wheel. Little did they know that the wheel was for emergencies only and the captain controlled the entire yacht from a computer keyboard or a remote control that was clipped to his belt. Both Ann, with her hook, and Mary, being one legged, joked about how much they looked like pirates. Mary joked her stump was way too short to ever consider a peg leg. They ended up in the main salon having a nightcap before going to bed. As Ann lay there alone, in the king-size bed, her hand wandered to her crotch, one last time.

After a fine breakfast served by the yacht’s chef, they boarded the car waiting for them at the bottom of the gangplank for the quick drive to Dr. Chan’s clinic. The waiting room was empty as they entered. Dr. Chan told Mary that there was no need to wait and that the car and driver were at her disposal. Mary said she knew exactly where the big department store was located and that she still had her VIP ID card.

Ann was taken into the ‘arm room’ again. This time, Dr. Chan’s assistant was no longer one legged. She was legless and sitting in a wheel chair. Dr. Chan gave Ann a cup of tea before he administered the arm-numbing drug into both shoulders, and both arms went quickly numb. He helped her to lie down, then pulled the little curtain and went to work. He struggled to get the old implant out of Ann’s humerus bone on her left arm. She couldn’t feel pain but felt herself being moved and tugged as he tried to free the implant. He moved the screen a little and talked to Ann.

“Well, I know the implant held well, almost too good. I’m going to have to shorten the bone a little more than I wanted. I’ll have to make your residual arm about three inches shorter than it was. That will make it about mid arm length. What do you think?”

“What effect will it have on my lifting ability?”

“Probably about a thirty percent reduction in capacity, maybe more. Your days of Olympic power lifting will be over, but you should be able to manage well enough.”

“Go ahead and shorten it then. Are you going to do the same to the other arm?” Ann asked.

“That’s up to you. Let me say though that the up side to this is that we can position the elbow actuator motor in your upper arm just above the elbow. Why don’t you relax and you can think about it while I finish up on this one?”

He moved the curtain back and continued working on her completely numb arm. About two and one half hours later, he moved the curtain out of the way.

“I’m ready for a break. Would you like to see what we’ve done so far?”

He helped Ann sit up on the edge of the operating table. He turned her so that her feet dangled while his legless assistant wheeled up with a mirror. She held it up so that Ann could see Dr. Chan’s handiwork. Her arm stump looked pretty much the same except shorter. Her arm now was just at breast nipple level. Ann was even more pleased than she had been before.

“Why don’t you make my right arm the same length?” Ann said. “I like this look better.”

“I thought that is what you’d say,” Dr. Chan replied.

After the break, Ann was laid down again and Dr. Chan and his assistant began working on Ann’s right arm. The procedure was not complicated by a balky implant this time. On this arm, new fresh bone in which to attach the implant rod and myoelectric socket was available. He was completed in two hours with her second arm.

As she looked at herself in the mirror, it really struck her that she was now armless. There was no going back. She was permanently armless. This is the way she’d be for the rest of her life. Just two short arm stumps hanging at each side—each equally short. Tears of emotions began to stream down her face. She couldn’t move her stumps to wipe them away. Finally, they were wiped away by a beautiful woman with both of her legs missing.

Chapter 3

Mary was still shopping, so Dr. Chan sent Ann back to the yacht in his car. The driver was very courteous and helped Ann aboard the yacht. Once onboard, one of the stewards took over the responsibility of attending to her every need. She suspected that Dr. Chan had given them strict instructions. Ann was tired and lay down on the bed. She was covered with a light blanket.

Ann awoke with a start and was aware of her new surroundings and subdued light but couldn’t remember where she was. She was surprised to find that her arms had no feeling, and she vaguely remembered that they had been amputated. The strong urge to use the bathroom was what had awakened her, and as she began to recall where she was and what had happened to her, the urge did not subside. She got up, went to the bathroom door, and reached for the knob—or at least she thought that she had reached for the knob, but her hands were not cooperating. She looked down and saw that they had not moved because they didn’t exist: they existed only in her mind. She dropped to her knees and tried to open the door with her teeth but couldn’t turn the knob to open it. She went over to the companion way door, then kicked it and hollered. Soon a steward opened the door.

“Bathroom,” she said simply.

He opened the door to her private bathroom and waited outside. She went inside, and she began to try to pull down her skirt and panties, but again her imaginary hands refused to cooperate. She realized her problem and called to the steward.

“I need some help here,” she said. “I need to have you pull down my skirt and panties.”

He was very embarrassed when he removed her skirt and closed his eyes when he pulled down her panties. He stood with his back to her as she hurriedly emptied her bladder. His head was turned away as she had him pull up only her panties and had him follow her into her stateroom. She had him take out a pair of shorts and help her get them on. She had him remove her shoes so that at least she’d be able to use her toes. As Ann returned to the main salon, Mary was just arriving.

“I’m sorry I didn’t make it back to the clinic on time,” she apologized. “I had a little problem downtown.”

“What happened?”

“I was going into this little restaurant away from the department store for some coffee around ten o’clock—you know a little break from shopping and the opportunity to get off my foot a little bit. I was just about to go in when kids came up on either side of me. They began hassling me and took my crutches. So there I am hopping around the street yelling at the kids as they took off and left me stranded. No one would even try to stop them.”

“Oh my gosh! What did you do?”

“I hopped into the restaurant and let my nerves settle with a cup of tea while I decided what to do. I’m a good short hopper, but I lack stamina for a hopping marathon. I ended up hopping three blocks back to the department store where luckily they had some old loaner crutches, like for sprained ankles. They also told me of a place that carried a great crutch selection. I bought these and took the loaners back. Needless to say, my shopping spree was cut short, but I did find a shop that has a lot of neat crutches. My kind of shop.”

“I’m glad that you made it back OK, and I’m glad that I don’t need a crutch store.”

“It looks like you need an arm store,” she replied. “How did the operation go? It looks like he had to shorten up your stumps.”

“He did. He couldn’t get the old implant in my left arm out. So he had to cut off two more inches of bone and revise my left stump. I had him match the right one with the left. My stumps are shorter than I expected, but the good news is now there’s room for the elbow motor in my upper arm rather than the extra weight in my lower arm. Besides, I think that I like them better shorter.”

“They look really good,” Mary commented. “It looks like your stumps are right at nipple height. I like the look.”

“I haven’t looked at myself in the mirror without a top and bra. I’m anxious to see how I look stripped down.”

“No time like the present,” Mary said. “Let’s go do it.”

Mary got up and gave a couple of little hops getting her new crutches situated while Ann struggled to get out of the overstuffed chair without the use of arms to push herself up. Mary led the way while Ann enjoyed the show as Mary crutched ahead of her. Once in Ann’s bathroom, Mary unbuttoned Ann’s blouse and removed her bra. Ann admired herself. Mary was right; she looked hot. Mary had leaned her crutches against the vanity, and now she gave a couple of quick hops to get behind Ann as she looked in the mirror. Mary reached around her and cupped each of Ann’s nice breasts in her hands.

“These feel fine,” Mary purred. Ann was a little shocked at Mary’s action, but as she continued to cup her hands, Ann began to enjoy it. It was the first time she’d been touched by a woman like that, and she wasn’t sure of her feelings about it.

“Do you need help with anything else?” Mary said, sliding one hand down to Ann’s crotch.

“Uh . . . Uh . . . Uh not right now,” Ann sputtered. “I took care of that last night while I still could.”

“Good thinking,” Mary responded. “I’m available whenever you need someone with that special touch. I also like stump rubs in return.”

“Why don’t we wait until I can feel again before we try the stump rub?” Ann said, still unsure about her feelings. “I’d like to have you help me out later tonight if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Pleasure is never too much trouble,” Mary replied, then hopped back to her crutches and Ann’s bra. She quickly got Ann’s bra back on her, as well as her blouse buttoned. Dr. Chan was in the main salon by the time they got back. “We were just admiring your handiwork.”

“I hope you two liked what you saw,” he said.

“This was my first time for really seeing what I look like now. I like what you’ve done. I really like my arms stumps shortened this way.”

“I’m pleased that you like it. This will make the design of the prosthetic arms less difficult because of the area we gained to house your elbow motors. This length may become the new standard for above elbow amputations if things work out as planned.”

“I can hardly wait to try the new myoelectric arms,” Ann told him.

“Actually, I didn’t tell you, but we will be making you up two sets of arms—one myoelectric, and one body powered using a conventional harness. It will take a lot more practice to use the myoelectric arm than we have time to dedicate to that now. JD has made arrangements with another myoelectric arm user to help you get started. You can use the standard training video for the requirements of what should be learned. You and your instructor will have to work out how to make your arm work that way.”

“Why the body powered arms then?”

“So that Mary won’t have to babysit you any longer than necessary. Also, there will also be times when your myoelectric arms need a tune-up, so to speak. That way, you won’t be left standing there with unusable stumps. Besides, you already know how to run the manual ones. It’ll just be a matter of training your right arm to do what your left already knows how to do now.”

Dr. Chan told the captain that they wanted to anchor out where they could see the lights of the city. Ann and Mary stayed out on deck while they cast off and got underway. By the time they came back inside, they were pretty windblown and went to the restroom again. Mary brushed and fixed Ann’s hair before she did her own. They both decided that they both looked pretty hot, each in their own way.

The captain dropped anchor in a protected little cove that offered a fantastic view of the city. The gourmet dinner was great, and the view from the aft deck where dinner had been served was breathtaking. Mary had fed and attended Ann like their agreement. Mary and Ann decided they wanted to build a house right there. Dr. Chan suggested that they could. He offered to take the small power boat back to the dock and allow them to stay at anchor.

“We couldn’t do that,” Ann told Dr. Chan. “What if we need to go ashore?”

“Have the captain take you back to the dock when you have that imaginary urge. He knows how to get there; that’s his job. He can get you to any port in the world that you want and have you safely tied up to the dock. That’s what we pay him for.”

“We?” Mary asked.

“C and D International owns the yacht. I just have custodial rights to it. My partner has the use of it when he’s in town if he wants to. His problem is he likes hotels.”

“I have C figured out, but is the D our JD?” Mary asked.

“Yes. We formed that international corporation five years ago when business picked up.”

“I guess it picked up if you two can afford a yacht like this one and he doesn’t even come down here,” Ann said. “I remember you offering the hospitality the last time I was here with him and he turning you down.”

“I guess I don’t understand why he would turn down staying on such a lovely yacht. This thing has every imaginable gadget made,” Mary remarked.

“He’ll have to share his reasons with you. I’m not at liberty to say,” Dr. Chan said. “I must be going now. By the way, I’ve made arrangements for you to remain anchored out here where you can see the city. I’ll take one of the speedboats back to shore. The other speedboat, as well as the rest of the boat, is at your disposal. Thank you for a delightful evening. I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

Ann and Mary remained on the aft deck and watched as the speedboat disappeared into the night. The city was still fantastically beautiful. They had several more drinks. Ann had been requesting drinks that contained a straw and had them set on the table in front of her. They decided it was time for bed. Ann was nervous about having Mary in her room undressing her. The only one of the yacht’s crew still available was the bartender, and Ann certainly didn’t want to have him undress her. They made their way back to Ann’s stateroom. Mary had undressed Ann completely when she asked Ann if she needed the service of her fingers. Ann declined the offer even though she wanted to have Mary touch her in that certain way in that secret place. Mary did not seem upset at Ann’s response and simply slipped on Ann the oversize tee shirt and fished her paralyzed arm stumps into the sleeves. She helped Ann into bed and left the door to the bathroom slightly ajar. As she crutched out of the stateroom, she also left the door to the companionway slightly ajar. Ann felt good about her actions and didn’t feel as trapped as she had felt before.

Ann awoke around three in the morning with the urge of a full bladder. In her sleepy fog, it took her a few moments to understand why her arms were missing and why her remaining stumps did not work and lacked feeling. She slipped out of the king-size bed and made her way to the bathroom. She figured out how to get her tee shirt up high enough before she sat down. The toilet was easy enough to flush by using her toes. She went into the main salon and enjoyed the view from the darkened cabin of the city as they drifted at anchor. She wanted to go out on deck but couldn’t get the door open. At that point, she wasn’t so sure that voluntarily becoming a DAE was such a good idea after all. What if these new myoelectric implants couldn’t operate her new arms? What if Dr. Chan had really screwed up? She went back to bed to continue a night of fitful sleep.

Mary was in the main salon when Ann wandered sleepily in. They decided that it was time for Ann to have a bath, and the two of them went back to her bathroom. Mary started the water running in the tub, then completely undressed Ann. Ann took the opportunity to admire her new look in the full length mirror. Ann noticed Mary hopping around the mirror and was pleased that she had chosen to have her arms amputated rather than a leg. She might have lost tactile and grasping ability, but she would still have mobility without crutches. When the tub was full, Mary helped Ann into the tub and left her there for a little soak. Mary came back in after fifteen minutes and scrubbed Ann thoroughly. Ann jumped when she hit her special spot, and her reaction was greeted with a sly smile from Mary. Today was going to be a lounging on the yacht day, so Ann chose bikini bottoms and a long tee shirt. Ann went into the main salon to wait for Mary to shower. Mary was dressed similarly when she crutched into the salon. It was impossible for Ann not to notice how short Mary’s leg stump really was. After breakfast, they went out on deck to soak up sunshine and work on their tans.

They had enjoyed their day of lounging and complete relaxing. Ann was becoming a bit anxious about her inability use her arm stumps at all, as they were still temporarily paralyzed while she healed. When Dr. Chan arrived, he spent some time examining her and reassuring her that the whole healing process was right on, if not a little ahead of, schedule.

“After all, I did cut both of your arms off. It takes time to heal. Don’t rush it,” he told her. “One more week and two days and the casts can come off and feeling restored. You can begin to learn how to use your new arm at that time.”

Chapter 4

The next week and two days seemed to drag by for Ann even though she and Mary made several raids on the department store and spent two separate days touring the countryside. When the day finally arrived, a car was at the dock to take Ann to the clinic. Mary had hopped down the gangway and crutched over to give Ann a hug before she left for the clinic. She wished Ann good luck and stood on her one leg waving at Ann as the car pulled away.

Ann was full of anticipation as Dr. Chan’s assistant walked out to meet her. When Ann noticed how well she walked on her prosthetic legs, Ann was surprised. Ann followed her to the cast removal room and couldn’t help but notice the four prosthetic arms lying on the work bench—her new prosthetic arms. Dr. Chan greeted Ann with his usual bow and had her sit on the exam table. He removed the left cast first and closely examined her arm stump. The smile on his usually stoic face told her that he was pleased. He removed the cast from her right arm and, after an examination, had the same smile, if not larger.

“Things appear to have healed very well. I think your healing might even be ahead of schedule,” he told her. “Are you ready for some feeling and movement?”

“That’s not a question that you need to ask after the way I’ve bugged you all week,” Ann replied.

“Fine. I’ll do the left first as that one may have complications because we removed the first implant.”

Dr. Chan gave Ann a shot in the place in the middle of her back. Very soon, the feeling began to return to her left shoulder in a tingling sensation that felt like a million little pin pricks. It began in her shoulder and began working its way down her arm. Unlike last time, it stopped at the tip of her stump. He had her move her arm to demonstrate its range of motion and to check for any pain. When he was assured that she was pain free, he poked around the implant with his finger a thing that looked like a stylus from a palm pilot. Next, he carefully felt the areas where the sensors had been placed and was pleased when they were also pain free. He plugged a cord into the socket in the tip of her arm stump. He plugged the other end of the cord into a laptop computer and gave Ann instructions how to imagine moving her arm and in what sequence. He began with raising and flexing her elbow. As she did, Dr. Chan’s assistant wrote down a series of numbers. Next was rotating her wrist, first left, then right, followed by opening and closing her hand.

“Why didn’t I feel the tingling going clear to my hand like last time?” Ann asked when he was finished.

“That’s because we’ve intercepted the signals from your nerves and channeled them into the sensors,” he replied. “Let’s do your right arm now.”

He began the process again with the shot to the back and the tingling sensation. The million pinpricks stopped at the end of her right arm stump just like the left. He performed the same careful exam on her stump and went through the same procedure with her right arm connected to the computer. When he was finished, he put the manual body powered prosthetic arms on her and adjusted the harnesses.

“When do I get to try out the myoelectric arms?” Ann asked anxiously.

“We’ll have you come back in two days and try to run them on the bench while you’re hooked up to them with a long cord. The onboard computers need to be programmed. Now that we have the values for the leads, we can begin,” he said. “We have them on the bench because they can go in any direction until you learn to control them and we get the levels set. The good news is that we now have a starting place and that you already know how to run these body powered arms. Show me what you can do.”

He had Ann pick up several small objects. She had only a small amount of difficulty with the left arm because of the shortened arm stump. She had a great deal of difficulty with the right arm. It was like the first time she had put the left arm on and had to learn to use it.

“Pretty good with that left arm, but you’ve got some practicing to do with the right arm,” he said. “Here’s the challenge. I want you to be able to feed yourself using mostly your right hook when we have dinner this evening. Mary doesn’t get to help you eat.”

“That is a challenge all right. I’ll give it a try,” she told him.

“Mary will have to help you get those arms on and off until you get the hang of doing it by yourself. I’ll show you how to do it tonight after you show me your stuff at dinner.”

Mary was in the waiting room when Ann came out and smiled from ear to ear when she moved her arms and opened and closed both her hooks. Ann told her of the challenge, and Mary suggested they go back to the yacht to practice.

Mary was a real taskmaster when it came to forcing Ann to practice the use of her new arms and hooks. By the time Dr. Chan arrived for dinner, Ann was able to pick up a fork and feed herself. She was also able to pick up a glass and bring it to her lips. They met him at the top of the gangplank.

“Are you two ready for a before dinner cocktail?” he asked.

“Of course,” both Ann and Mary answered in unison.

“Why don’t you go to the aft deck, and I’ll meet you as soon as I wash up and change?”

They did as he instructed. When Dr. Chan arrived on the aft deck, they were both holding a drink. Ann had hers held in her right hook terminal. The steward had Dr. Chan’s drink ready for him, and he held it up in toast fashion. They both held theirs up in a similar fashion, and then they all three drank. Ann did not spill a drop, even though she had earlier in the afternoon.

“Good job,” Dr. Chan said with a wink. “Now the big test. Let’s eat. I’m told our dinner is ready.”

Mary led the way back to the dinning room, followed by Ann and Dr. Chan. He had them sit in their usual places, and the steward began serving. Soup and salad was the first course. Ann did OK with soup but had some difficulty with the lettuce in the salad. She almost fainted when the steward began bringing out steaks for the main course. But when he removed the cover from hers, she saw that the chef had cut it into cubes for her. She used her fork to bring the cubes to her mouth.

“You learn quickly,” Dr. Chan told her.

“Mary was a real taskmaster this afternoon. She’s the reason for my success,” Ann said. “I must admit these do feel natural to wear. I really like them.”

“So do you just want to bag the myoelectric arms then?”

“No, especially since you’ve gone to the work of the implants and sensors,” Ann said. “I am concerned about weight and battery life. One of the other things I’m concerned with is taking these arms on and off with just these short stumps.”

“OK, good. We’ll keep working on the myoelectrics. I’m also concerned about weight and battery life, especially if you’re used to these lightweights,” he said. “That is a valid concern with removing and donning those arms.”

“What happens when I click the lock on one arm and take it off, how do I click the lock on the other one with no hands or hook to push the button?” Ann quizzed.

“Good question, and hopefully we’ve addressed it. Once the lock is disengaged, there is a little resistance built unto the mating assembly. So you can unlock both arms before you take the other one off. Let’s have dessert, and I’ll show you how to get those arms on and off.”

The steward cleared the dishes and brought out a decorated cake that read HAPPY ARMS ANN. Ann cut the cake and dished it for the three of them. Dr. Chan was more than pleased with Ann’s progress and ability.

The three of them went into Ann’s stateroom after dinner where he had Ann ratchet both forearms up to ninety degrees from the floor. He then had her unlatch the catches on both arms and then straighten out the arms and lock them. He then had her give a little hop to free both prosthetic arms from the implant sockets, then lay down on the bed and wiggle out of the harness. When she stood up, she was free of her new prosthetic arms. She was instructed to check the straps to be sure that they weren’t twisted and to lie on the harness where the straps crossed. She was told to slip her arm stumps through the shoulder loops of the harness and slide down until she could line up her stumps with the sockets of her prosthetic arms. He had her stand again and press down on the bed with each hook separately until the latch clicked.

“That works pretty slick.” Ann told him.

“That’s basically one way of doing it. I was hoping it would work,” he replied. “Unless you’re different from everyone else in the world, you’ll work out your own way of getting them on and off.”

“Thanks. I have a lot more confidence in myself now,” she said. “I love Mary to death, but I’ve got to learn to live as independently as possible.”

“That’s true,” Mary spoke up. “We both have our own lives, as much as I like Ann too, we need to be moving on with our lives.”

They went to the main salon where Ann continued to show off her talents in operating her new prosthetic hooks. They all had several more drinks before Dr. Chan left for the evening. After he left, the two women had one more drink before going to bed. Ann removed her clothes without incident. She had no problem removing her new arms. She had to use her teeth to pick them up by the straps to move them off of the bed and stand them in the corner. She thought that at home she could use a different arrangement; she’d use the bed in the spare room to store the arms. She used her teeth to spread out the tee shirt on the bed and got down on her knees to get it over her head. She’d been able to do it with her arm stumps paralyzed, and now it was easier for her to get it over her head with usable stumps. She had just gotten back to her feet when Mary stuck her head in the door.

“How are you doing?”

“Great,” Ann replied. “I got my arms off and my tee shirt on by myself, thanks.”

Mary pushed the door open and hopped in. Ann looked down at her beautiful leg.

“Where are your crutches?”

“Oh, I hop around without them all the time at home. Sometimes it freaks people out so I don’t usually hop around people that don’t know me well. Can I sit down?”

“Sure. Here, sit on the bed,” Ann said, sitting down beside her. “Did you see Dr. Chan’s assistant this morning?”

“Yes. I saw her. She was beautiful.”

“She’s a double amputee,” Ann said. “Both of her stumps are shorter than yours.”

“You’re kidding. She walked too well to be on prosthetic legs.”

“When I had my left arm off the first time, she had one leg with a stump like yours. Then when I went in to have both my arms off two weeks ago, she was in a wheelchair with matching stumps. This morning, she was walking around like she had both of her legs and nothing had ever happened to them.”

“Maybe she’s using myoelectric legs or something,” Mary guessed. “Do you think that she and Dr. Chan are developing some new kind of legs?”

“Could be. But whatever they’ve done, they’ve made her walk and get around like she had her original legs. I saw her hop on my first visit. She laid her crutches down and hopped around the office.”

“Maybe she lost her second leg after they took off your left arm the first time.”

“Could be. I just found it interesting that she gets around so well on prosthetics,” Ann said. “You know, you’ve helped me out a couple of times when my arm stumps were paralyzed. I promised to help you out with a stump rub when I was back in action.”

“Why don’t I come back later when everyone on the yacht is asleep,” Mary said. “Need help with anything else?”

“No, I’m OK. I’ll use the toilet and go to bed,” Ann replied. “I’ll see you later.”

It was a little after midnight when Mary opened Ann’s door . . .

The next day, both Ann and Mary called on two clients to discuss the status of their orders. In the meantime, Ann practiced using her new hooks. The following morning, Ann was at Dr. Chan’s clinic for her appointment. Dr. Chan’s assistant was on crutches again; this time her prosthetic leg was on the other side. Ann was led to a fitting room containing several computer screens and electronic equipment.

“Before Dr. Chan gets here, can I ask you a question about your legs?”

“Certainly. You do know they’re prosthetic?” his assistant began. “Unlike you, I lost my legs in an accident. Dr. Chan did my reconstructive surgery and asked me to become his assistant. We have been working on myoelectric legs and having a great deal of success. I’ve worn them in all three configurations when you’ve been here I believe.”

“Yes. The very first time I was here you were wearing a leg on the other side. I had no idea that it was prosthetic.”

“That was one of the earlier models. I couldn’t do this,” the assistant said, leaning her crutches against the workbench and giving a few hops around the room.

“That’s amazing,” Ann exclaimed. “How do you keep your balance?”

“The computer in the leg has a gyro to help with the balance. It also has a biofeedback mechanism to help me know where the leg is. Other than that, it’s practice, practice, practice.”

“I know about the practice,” Ann replied.

“Dr. Chan told me how well you operate your manual body powered arms. He says you’re a natural. Why don’t we take those arms off so I can get you plugged in.?”

The assistant helped Ann remove her arms and had her sit on a stool, then plugged a cord into each of Ann’s sockets in the end of her arm stumps. She plugged the other end of the cords in the computer and had Ann go through the same routine that she did the day she had the casts removed.

“That’s great. None of the levels have changed,” the assistant said. “Now let’s have some fun.”

She had Ann stand up and walk over to the workbench where the upper parts of two arms lay. The assistant plugged each of the cables into the arms. She had Ann try to bend her elbow on her right arm, and the prosthetic arm elbow bent. Then she had her do the same to the left elbow. Next, she had her rotate both wrists in order.

“These arms weigh a lot more than your lightweight manuals,” the assistant said. “Dr. Chan believed that you really liked using the hooks and also believed that you would want to wear these for short periods of time. He has developed a hand that is the same size as your real one was. He thought that you might want to wear it for social occasions, in the same way you used the prosthetic hand we made for you before.”

“I think he’s right, as usual,” Ann said. “Can I still use hook terminals with these arms?”

“Yes, but they’ll be a little different because of the way the cables connect. I’d like to have you try the arms with the hand terminals first.”

Ann agreed, and the assistant removed two hands from a box marked ANN SANDERS and laid them on the workbench. Ann marveled at how real they looked. The fingernails were even painted Ann’s color. She watched to see how the assistant fastened the hand terminals to the forearm of the prosthetic arms. Because she was still attached to the prosthetic arms via the electrical cables, Ann was asked to move her new hands. It took a few tries, but she was able to open and close each hand. Next, Ann was disconnected from the cables and her new myoelectric prosthetic arms were locked into place in her implanted sockets. Dr. Chan’s assistant again asked Ann to do the arm and hand movements for each arm in sequence. Because of the weight, Ann had difficulty holding the arms up for more than a minute. She was exhausted and soon asked to have the arms removed. Ann was in tears when Dr. Chan walked into the room.

“What’s the matter?” he quizzed.

“I love those arms, but they’re so heavy I can hardly lift them,” Ann sobbed. “I couldn’t hold them up for more than a minute before I have to drop them to my side. Right now, I’m completely exhausted and I only had them on for ten minutes.”

“I was afraid of that,” he said. “When I was forced to shorten your upper arms, I had to remove part of your biceps and triceps. In other words, removal of muscle mass and that coupled with the loss of leverage by having shorter humerus bones has greatly diminished your lifting ability.”

“We could embark on a muscle building regimen for you beyond your normal work out. It will give you some strength but will build a lot of muscle mass that will be out of proportion for your body.”

“I really don’t like that option at all,” Ann said. “I don’t want to be wandering around looking like Popeye.”

“I agree,” Dr. Chan said. “I wouldn’t want you to. How are you adjusting to the manual body powered arms?”

“I absolutely love them. They are lightweight, and I can do all of my exercises with both arms. They’re a little tiring, but not too bad.”

“That’s your answer then. We bag the myoelectric arms for you and send you away all happy with manual arms that you like so well.”

“But your experiment with the implanted sensors?” Ann objected.

“We know they work well as does the socket design, which was my main goal with you. I was hoping you could handle them for long periods, but you can’t,” he said. “We’ll put the skin on them so they look real, and we’ll send you away with those arms as special occasion arms when you want hands. But you’ll be using the manual arms probably ninety five percent of the time.”

“You’re not disappointed with me for being a wimp?”

“No, not at all,” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “You came to me searching for a certain look. You allowed me to experiment on you—an experiment that worked. The only thing that doesn’t work is the leverage mechanics with your shortened arms. About the only thing left to do is to remove your arms completely and let me build you powered shoulders too.”

“I’ll use the manual arms for now anyway, thank you. I do like the hooks,” Ann said. “But let me know when you get the shoulders perfected, I just might be interested.”

E N D