Two to Beam Up by ParaCathy
“Transport initiated”
“Chief there’s a problem; we’ve got a surge in the primary buffer matrix!”
“Switch to auxiliary!”
“I can’t, we’re in a cascade failure, we’re losing her!”
“I’ve got a partial lock, but the secondary buffer is corrupt!”
“Dammit… Can you reconfigure the primary?”
“If I reconfigure the primary we’ll get an incomplete pattern.”
“Better most of her than none of her…”
____________________
“Lieutenant Parks…”
“Please, call me Anita.”
“Anita, of course. I'm Nurse Douglas - you can call me Jennifer. I want to talk about your accident, the transporter malfunction.”
Anita nodded and held up what remained of her arms, the stumps ending smooth and round just below her wrists. She wiggled uncomfortably in her med bed, seeing the sheet drop down where her legs now ended in similar round stumps midway between her knees and hips.
“Are you in any discomfort?” the nurse asked?
“Not… not really. No pain, at least. There’s this strange sense of… it’s hard to explain.”
“I understand, I do. There’s going to be a period of adjustment, of course, but you’re doing very well, and once the dermal regenerators have finished, you can be fitted with synthetics - they’re very good.”
“Yes - almost as good as the real thing, from what the other doctor was saying.”
“Better, in some ways.” the nurse said with a slight smile. “But for now, let’s finish with your treatments. Could I see your residual limbs, to see how they’re coming along?”
“I, um… yes, of course.” Anita said, struggling to pull the thin blanket of herself with her stumps. She struggled a few times before she was finally able to remove the blanket and expose her leg stumps. They were still pink, the regenerated skin still very new and delicate.
“These are looking quite good.” the nurse said, touching each stump gently. Anita shivered at the touch, but didn’t say anything. She watched the nurse examine what remained of her legs and then move to her arms, where the skin was now fully regenerated, looking smooth and matching the rest of her skin tone. It was so strange, seeing her arms just… end, her hands totally gone. At times it was almost like she could still feel her fingers, still wiggle them, but…
“You’re doing great - I think you should be ready for synthetics by the end of the week. Maybe even sooner.” Nurse Douglas said, still holding Anita’s arm stumps.
“That would be wonderful but, well - is there any way I could get out of the medbay before then? It’s getting kind of…”
“Boring?” Nurse Douglas giggled.
“Yes, to put it mildly.” Anita laughed. It was the first time since the accident she had felt.. well, not ‘happy’ exactly, but better, at least.
__________________________________________
“What is that?” Anita asked as Nurse Douglas came into her med bay pushing some kind of rolling chair.
“It’s called a wheelchair - not very original I know - but you said you wanted to get out of medbay, and until your synthetic limbs are ready, I thought this would work.”
“How do I use it?” Anita asked, looking at the wheelchair - the name was apt, since it was a low seat with a red cushion that looked like the polygel seats they used at the engineering consoles, a webbed back, and four wheels - two large ones in the back and to smaller casters on the front. It looked well engineered, with a shiny chromium frame and nice lines.
“Well, I’ll help you get in it and then I assume I’ll have to push you - I’m not sure your residual limbs are ready to motivate the chair - you need to push on these wheel rims here, you see?” Nurse Douglas demonstrated and she was right - Anita wasn’t sure she’d be able to propel the chair on her own - at least not yet.
“I don’t want you to have to push me around all day…” Anita said, realizing just how much she was coming to rely on her nurse.
“Don’t worry about it - I’m actually off shift now and I’m happy to help you get out and stretch your… “
“Stumps?” Anita said, but with a slight grin.
“Sorry… not really used to this.” Nurse Douglas said. “It isn’t a common injury…”
“It’s OK, I understand. Well, how about we get some air?”
Nurse Douglas helped Anita into the wheelchair and pushed her out of the room and down the hall. Even though they were in a medical wing, the looks that Anita got were clearly a mix of curiosity and discomfort. Curiously, as the nurse wheeled Anita through the complex and into a brightly lit lounge, Anita started to feel a strange comfort with the looks, with her form.
“How are you feeling?” Nurse Douglas asked.
“I’m OK.” Anita said, smiling. “It’s nice to be out of the medbay, anyway. And really, the more I think about it, the more I think about this - “ she raised her arm stumps “The more I’m thankful. I know how rare transporter accidents are, but when they do happen, well….”
“They can be a lot worse, I know.” Nurse Douglas said. “I’ve actually only know one other survivor, and well… he didn’t fare as well as you did, to be honest. I didn’t want to mention it before, because - “
“Because you didn’t know how I’d react, I understand. Thank you, for everything you’ve done. Maybe we can get some coffee some time?” Anita said without really thinking.
“I can’t date patients.” the nurse said, but her cheeks blushed slightly as she said it.
“I won’t always be a patient” Anita said with a smile.
_____________________________________________________________
“The synthetics will connect to your nervous system as they are attached.” Doctor Marwan said. He was Thurasian and had a cold, brusque manner, but she knew it was typical of the species. Anita was looking at a pair of near-realistic legs and a set of synthetic hands created for her. They had a strange sheen to them, the synthetic skin not quite matching a normal pallor, but overall they looked like legs and hands. The doctor droned on about maintenance and discomfort and charging, things that Anita had already read on the technical readout she got days earlier, but what she really wanted was to interface with their systems. The doctor said there might be some disorientation and possible discomfort as the synthetics interfaced and Anita was nervous about what that might mean. Finally, Doctor Marwan lifted the left leg - her left leg - and moved it into position.
“The legs are easier to interface, so we will start with them.” the doctor said. “You will slide the interface cuff here over your residual limb and engage it here.” he showed her what to do and she lifted the synthetic leg in her abbreviated arms.
It was heavier than she expected, though she realized she had no real idea how heavy a leg should be. The doctor slipped the interface cuff of the leg over her stump - it was cold and smooth - and he engaged the interface, clearly going over each step of the process with her. She immediately felt lightheaded and a tingling sensation, and then she felt her leg! Well, it was sort of like her leg, only if it was partially asleep, like she could feel her thigh, and her knee, and her ankle, but not toes. It was definitely disorienting, but she was excited to feel something for the first time since the accident.
“Can you attempt flexion?” the doctor asked. It took her a moment but she was soon able to flex the knee almost as if it was her own. It felt very different, but she still felt it, understood it. The doctor engaged her second leg and she felt the same disorientation. She flexed it as well, feeling the systems integrating with her own.
“The hand mechanics are more complex, so they will take longer to integrate with your systems.” Doctor Marwan said. He lifted one of the synthetic hands and slipped the interface cuff onto her arm stump, engaging it. There was a pain up her arm as the interface engaged, making her wince.
“The discomfort should be temporary.” the doctor said, noting the wince. The pain diminished, but did not disappear completely. After a minute, Anita began to experiment with extending her fingers. As she moved the synthetic fingers she heard the subtle sliding of EM servos and felt an almost pinching sensation as the fingers and hand moved. She was looking at the first hand moving as the doctor engaged the second, and she felt the same pinching sensation.
“Can I try walking?” Anita asked tentatively, and the doctor nodded affirmative as he looked at a spec readout on his padd. “Yes, integration with nervous system is already at 80 percent, you should be able to stand and walk, just take it slow.”
Anita stood and immediately felt dizzy. The synthetic legs held her, but it was almost like her brain wasn’t processing the stimulus right. She sat back down quickly and the dizziness passed.
“Was there a problem, Lieutenant?”
“Just dizzy… I felt really dizzy when I stood.” Anita said.
“That will likely take some adjustment as the synthetics complete integration. Try again.”
Anita tried again and the dizzy sensation was still there, but more manageable. She was able to take a step, then a few more, tentatively moving across the medbay as the blue-skinned doctor monitored her progress and the status of her synthetic legs dispassionately. By the time she completed a circuit of the medbay, the dizziness had almost completely subsided and she was walking almost normally, her new legs obeying her mental commands, though with a noticable (to her) delay before executing.
“That was good. We can explore hand dexterity next.” the doctor said almost distractedly once Anita returned to the chair next to the desk.
A holographic display of hands appeared in front of Anita and the doctor asked her to move her hands into the same positions. She lifted her synthetic hands in front of her face and started concentrating on moving them - her left hand complied, but her right hand wasn’t cooperating, it’s fingers moving somewhat randomly. Doctor Marwan manipulated the padd he was holding and there was a numbness in Anita’s right arm, then a tingling sensation. A moment later her synthetic hand started to behave more correctly.
“There was a mis-alignment in the interface.” the doctor said absently by way of explanation. “I have corrected it.”
Anita worked through several exercises with her hands, slowly gaining dexterity and confidence. She worked with the doctor for over an hour as he tweaked the interface algorithms until her manual dexterity with the synthetic hands was ‘within operating parameters’. There was still work to do, he assured her, but her synthetics were well integrated and aligned to her nervous system.
_____________________________________________
“Um, hi - Nurse Douglas?” Anita spoke into her quarters vid screen.
“Please, call me Jennifer.” the nurse smiled over the vid.
“Jennifer, right - I’m sorry to call you after hours, but - “
“Is everything OK?” Jennifer said, a look of concern on her face.
“Oh, yes - everything is fine. Well, as fine as you’d expect under the circumstances. It’s good to be hone and sleeping in my own bed, at least. Look- I was just curious; do you still have access to that wheelchair?”
“The wheelchair? Um, yes - yes it should still be in the med center, it wasn’t recycled or anything. Why, do you need it?”
“Well, it’s just that when I need to charge my synthetics I think it might be easier to get around.” Anita said, looking a little embarrassed.
“The synthetics should be able to charge while they’re on you, you know…” Jennifer said, but there was a hesitation in her tone.
“I know, I read that in the technical documentation, but… Can I be honest with you? “
“Of course Anita - and I won’t repeat anything you tell me - unless it’s dangerous, of course. Starfleet regulations, you understand.”
“Oh, yes - it’s nothing dangerous, it’s just that… I like to take off the synthetics around the house. They’re great - don’t get me wrong, and they’ve really helped me get back on my feet, so to speak… but they feel so strange, sometimes it’s nice to remove them.”
“I understand fully, don’t worry. I can bring the wheelchair by tomorrow after shift - would that be OK?” Jennifer said with a smile.
“Perfect - I’ll see you then.” Anita said. She closed the vid and smiled to herself. She rubbed her leg stumps together, enjoying the way the smooth skin felt. When she woke up after her transporter accident she was terrified, living like this, but now…. She couldn’t explain the feelings she had, wasn’t sure how to even describe them. She liked them, though.
The following day shortly after shift end, Anita heard the chime for the door to her quarters.
“Come in.” she called out, and the door slid open, revealing Jennifer pushing the wheelchair. Jennifer was smiling brightly, but when she saw Anits and there was just the slightest hint of disappointment.
“Hi Nurse - sorry Jennifer. Thanks for bringing it.” Anita said.
“Oh it was really no trouble. I’m glad we’ll get some more use out if it. I mean you - I’m glad you’ll get some more use out of it.”
“Is everything OK?” Anita asked, walking over to greet her guest.
“What? Oh, yes. Yes, everything is fine.”
“You seem distracted, disappointed.” Anita said as she got closer.
“I do? No, I’m fine. I guess I was just…”
“Just what?” Anita asked.
“It’s silly. Here is the wheelchair - let me know if you have any trouble with it.
Anita got close to Jennifer, only the wheelchair between them. “Tell me. Please.”
Jennifer sighed. “It was just - I was hoping when I got here you’d have taken your synthetics off. That sounded awful out loud, wow. I’m sorry.”
“Well…” Anita smiled and took the handles of the wheelchair. “I wanted to wait until this had arrived… so I could get around a little better. You want to stay, maybe have some dinner? After all, I might need assistance using this complicated medical device.”
Jennifer smiled and nodded and sat on the couch as Anita took the wheelchair and headed into the bedroom to change. Anita’s quarters were standard starfleet, but Anita had warmed them up with several tapestries and pictures, making it feel more like a home. Jennifer got up to examine one image, consisting of beautiful swirls of color in complex patterns.
“That’s the Praxian system.” Anita said, making Jennifer jump a little. She hadn’t heard her come back.
“But the Praxian system is - “ Jennifer said, turning to respond. Anita sat there in the wheelchair, no longer wearing her starfleet uniform, but rather sitting in a light teal dress with patterns of gray and silver. She wore white ‘socks’ on her arm stumps, and her rounded leg stumps barely peeked out from under the hem of the dress.
“The Praxis system is a binary black hole, I know - it doesn’t look like anything to the naked eye…” Anita struggled a little to push the wheelchair, her rounded arm stumps pressing against the rubberized tires and sliding slowly forward. “But I took those with enhanced spectrum flouroscopy with an overlay in the x-ray range.”
“You took this? It’s so beautiful.” Jennifer said, moving behind Anita to push her wheelchair for her.
“Thank you.” Anita smiled, and it was clear the response was both for the compliment and the assistance with the wheelchair.
“I’m surprised you don’t leave your hands on…” Jennifer said, but secretly happy that she had removed them. She started pushing Anita into the dining area. “It would make things easier, at least.”
“I usually leave them on at least until I’ve eaten, but I have help tonight, so I took a chance. I’ll be honest - it’s the hands I like the least.”
“Really? Are you not adjusting to them well? I could run a diagnostic…” Jennifer said, snapping into ‘nurse mode’ unconsciously.
“No, it’s nothing like that - they work very well, and when I’m at work, when I’m focused on my job, they are perfect really - I barely notice them. It’s when I’m home, though, and can focus on them, that they just feel ‘foreign’, they feel unnatural. There’s this strange sensation that has to do with the neural link, it’s like I can still feel my original hands on top of the synthetics. It’s hard to describe, but it’s… distracting. I actually look forward to being able to remove them at the end of the day.”
“I understand.” Jennifer said, removing a chair and then parking Anita’s wheelchair at the table. “Well, not really, but kind of…” she smiled. “You look nice - I haven’t seen you out of hospital wear or uniform. I like the dress.”
“Thanks - I picked it up on Risa, it’s a favorite of mine.” Anita said, blushing slightly.
“Risa, you say?” Jennifer smiled. “I’ve never been, but I hear it's… nice.”
“So what did you want to eat?” Anita said, changing the subject. “We can replicate whatever you like.”
“I had an idea about that.” Jennifer said, moving to the replicator. “Merlot, Earth vintage, two glasses.” She said, and two glasses of rich red liquid appeared in the replicator. She placed both on the table and sat. First, she took one glass and raised it to Anita’s lips so she could take a long drink, then she placed the glass down and sipped from her own. Anita said nothing, just looked at Jennifer with deep, soulful eyes, and Jennifer looked back in much the same way. A few more sips of wine in silence, Jennifer’s hand finding it’s way onto Anita’s arm stump, and then Jennifer was up, replicating a Rigellian dish with some kind of spiced beets in a sweet, tangy orange sauce.
“So, the, well - socks I guess - on your arms? What’s that about?” Jennifer asked as she fed Anita a spoonful of dinner.
Anita swallowed and smiled. “I call them gloves for lack of a better term, but yes, they’re basically socks. They help me to get around, grip things a little better - just makes it a little easier.”
“Clever” Jennifer said, feeding Anita another spoonful of the delicious meal. She was enjoying this so much more than she expected, feeding a grown woman, staring at her abbreviated limbs, imagining them… She stopped herself.
“Is everything OK Jennifer?” Anita asked, a curious look on her face. “You just looked -”
“Oh, I’m fine.” Jennifer smiled wide, breathing deep. What was happening? Why was Anita affecting her so much? “I’m just fine. More?” She raised Anita’s glass and Anita nodded and drank more of the rich red wine...
“I hope you come by again soon.” Anita said as Jennifer was leaving. Both women were smiling and Anita, in her wheelchair, touched Jennifer’s shoulder with her arm stump. A noticeable shiver went up and down Jennifer’s bach and she smiled, cheeks pink, and started to lean in for a kiss, but stopped and passed the movement off as straightening her shirt. There was an awkward moment between the two women and then Jennifer smiled again at Anita and headed back to her apartment, happy and confused and even a little scared at all the things she was feeling inside. Anita slowly pushed her wheelchair back to her sleeping quarters and started getting ready for bed, silently wondering if she would ever see Jennifer again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I’m sensing a lot of confusion.” Troi said as Jennifer sat down in the plush chair in the counsellor’s office.
“That’s putting it mildly.” Jennifer said, breathing deeply. It was three days since her dinner with Anita, and she was more confused about her feelings than ever.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning.” Troi said in her measured, calming voice. “When did this start?”
Jennifer told the counsellor about the transporter accident, about Anita’s loss of limbs, about the wheelchair, her synthetics, trying to keep it all very clinical, very professional, but she could already tell Troi wasn’t fooled. She wasn’t sure if she should go into the dinner, but Troi was already ahead of her.
“And something else happened, didn’t it? Something outside the medical setting you’re describing here? I sense that is where the confusion truly started, something unexpected happened once this Lieutenant Parks - “
“Anita.” Jennifer interrupted without even realizing it.
“Yes, once this Anita left the medbay, something else happened. Tell me about that.” Troi said calmly, yet her eyes drilled into Jennifer, she felt like the counsellor could see right through her.
“Well, about a week after she left medbay, she called me and asked for the wheelchair she had used - “
“You mean the wheelchair you got for her?” Counsellor Troi interrupted.
“Well, yes - I mean, I brought it to her, sure, but it’s just a wheelchair...”
“You replicated it for her - you looked up the design of an outdated piece of medical equipment rarely used in today’s medbay so that she could be more mobile during a time of severe personal crisis, and it sounds like you spent some portion of your off-hours time helping her with it, even pushing her around.” Troi looked at Jennifer as the truth slowly dawned. “It sounds to me that it is more than ‘just a wheelchair’ and that in reaching out specifically to you, she was doing more than asking for a piece of medical equipment. She could have asked literally anyone in medbay to bring it to her quarters, she could have gone to pick it up herself - she probably could have even replicated it on her own with an equpiment replicator. So why do you think she asked you to bring it to her?”
“So you think…?” Jennifer processed this new information.
“It certainly seems it’s possible.” Said Troi. “But I don’t think Lieutenant Parks’ feelings towards you are what brought you here today, are they? I sense your confusion is something much more personal. Have you never felt attraction to a member of the same sex before?”
“It’s not that… I mean, that’s part of it, but it’s…”
“Oh. Oh I see. It’s not so much her gender, it is her condition, her amputations that is causing these feelings, this confusion.”
Jennifer broke down. She had tried so hard not admitting it to herself, no matter how obvious it was. Hearing the counsellor say it, it was so obvious, yet almost painful to hear.
“You must think I’m terrible.” Jennifer said, sighing, not meeting the counsellor’s eyes.
“Have you seen Ensign MacAvoy in the Science Lab?” The counsellor asked calmly. Jennifer looked up, curious.
“Are you trying to set me up with someone to get my mind off this?” Jennifer asked, confused.
“Have you seen him?” Troi repeated.
“Yes, of course. He’s hard to miss.” Jennifer smiled.
“And why is that?” Troi asked.
“Well, he’s big, broad shouldered, thick, dark hair, a jaw chiseled from Arcturian granite….”
“He’s a very handsome man is what you are saying. You feel an attraction to him due to his physical attributes?”
“Well sure, me and every other woman on the ship. A few of the guys too, if rumors are true.” Jennifer giggled.
“So being attracted to someone for physical attributes is normal then?” Troi asked “It seems in the case of the ensign, it’s even expected, due to his unique attributes.”
“Well sure, that’s - “
“So why would the attraction to the unique attributes of Lieu - I’m sorry, Anita - be a terrible thing?”
Jennifer stopped in her tracks. The counsellor looked at her, her kind face and piercing eyes breaking through Jennifer’s internal defenses.
“She's’...” Jennifer started to say.
“She is the survivor of a terrible accident, that’s true, and I suspect part of the attraction may be the strength you see in her after such an event, but an attraction to her body, her unique physical appearance, there is nothing wrong with that, especially since, based on the way you talk about her, you have a strong attraction to the woman herself. The unique appearance, the amputations, that’s just a unique difference that you react to on a physical level, and there’s nothing wrong with it.”
“So, there’s… there’s nothing wrong with me?” Jennifer said, feeling her heart beating in her chest.
“The only thing wrong here would be not pursuing a relationship that it seems like you are both in favor of because of these feelings that liking her because of, or in spite of, her disability is somehow ‘wrong’.” The counsellor said.
__________________________________________________
“I brought dessert.”
Anita was looking at Jennifer’s smiling face on the viewscreen and her heart leapt. She coded the door to open and Jennifer walked in, wearing a beautiful coral dress and carrying what looked like an Andorian chocolate cake.
“What… Why…?” Was all Anita could say, wheeling over to greet Jennifer.
“I… had to work some things out.” Jennifer said, putting the cake on the low table near the entry.
“And… did you?” Anita asked, looking up at her from her wheelchair.
Jennifer leaned down and, almost before Anita realized it, they were kissing. Anita hesitated for a moment before leaning in and kissing her back, wrapping her abbreviated arms around her in a unique embrace that both women enjoyed for several long moments.
“So, cake. Is that an apology?” Anita said after they ended their embrace.
“No.” Jennifer said, kneeling beside Anita’s wheelchair and looking at her eye to eye. “This is the apology. I like you - I like you a LOT, to be honest. I really like you as a person, but…”
“But you’re kind of freaked out by these…” Anita said, holding up her arm stumps.
“Wow, um, no… no that’s not it at all. At least not how you’re thinking, anyway.” Jennifer said, suddenly feeling terrible that she made Anita think her deficiencies drove her away.
“What are you talking about?” Anita asked, now looking genuinely curious. It was an adorable look.
“I LIKE these…” she said, holding Anita’s arm stumps. Anita still looked curious. “I mean, REALLY like these…” she said again, looking in Anita’s eyes. Comprehension finally dawned as Anita’s cheeks began to turn pink. Suddenly, it was as if all the tension in Anita’s entire body was exhaled in one long transformative breath - the change in her look, her attitude was remarkable. Instead of saying anything, she put her right stump to her mouth and pulled the white stump sock off with her teeth, then caressed Jennifer’s cheek with it.
Jennifer shuddered, eyes closing partially as she felt the smooth, warm limb caress her cheek gently. Her left hand touched the arm stump as her right hand slipped to the smooth ends of Anita’s leg stumps, caressing them slowly, sensually, as she had dreamed of doing since the medbay. Suddenly they were kissing again, and then Jennifer lifted Anita out of her wheelchair and carried her back to the sleeping quarters.
__________________________________________________
Both women moved slowly, deliberately, seductively. Jennifer undressed Anita, kissing her softly as each new inch of bare skin was revealed. Anita wanted to undress Jennifer on her own and Jennifer did not stop her as she fumbled across her body with smooth, round stumps, enjoying every touch, every caress. Once naked, Jennifer continued Kissing Anita, starting at her neck and slowly moving down to her breasts, her arms, her stumps - Anita moaned aloud as Jennifer kissed each arm stump in turn, her lips pressing hard against the smooth flesh, her tongue tracing lines seductively across skin. Jennifer kissed lower, to stomach, across the seat of Anita’s hips, then directly to what remained of her legs, again kissing the stumps passionately, her heart beating wildly and Anita writhed with passion under her touch.
“Kiss me.” Breathed Anita, and Jennifer shifted position so that the women could kiss deeply, passionately. Jennifer moaned as she felt Anita’s leg stumps press against her naked body, felt her smooth round am stumps caressing her all over…
“Oh god.” She breathed, and they were kissing again, Jennifer running her fingers through Anita’s hair while Anita caressed her all over with her beautiful stumps. She kissed Anita deeply, her tongue exploring Anita’s eager lips, until she suddenly felt the pressure of one of Anita’s arm stumps against her sex and exploded, back arching involuntarily as she cried out and shuddered, breathing heavy.
“Wow.” Anita teased, and Jennifer smiled.
“Yeah, wow.” Jennifer said, running her fingers through Anita’s hair, still breathing heavy, her heart racing in her chest.
“What now?” Anita said, laying there looking at the ceiling.
“Now?” Jennifer said, shifting on the bed. “Now it’s your turn for Wow.”
Anita closed her eyes as she felt Jennifer's hands on each of her stumps, and then felt the kissing start…
_____________________________________________
“So this… this is a thing now?” Anita said, sitting in her wheelchair while Jennifer cut her breakfast for her.
“What - you mean us? It feels like a thing. I’d like it to be a thing.” Jennifer said, feeding Anita a fork full of egg.
“And this…” Anita said as she swallowed the bite of breakfast. “Feeding me, caring for me. I mean, I can do this all on my own, with my synthetics.”
Jennifer stopped and looked at her. “Do you want to do it on your own? I can get your hands for you.” She said seriously.
“Do you want to get my hands for me?” Anita asked, looking at her tentatively.
“Not realy.” Jennifer smiled, cutting another bite of breakfast and popping it into her own mouth.
“Neither do it.” Anita admitted, then relaxed and smiled widely. “Well, I guess it’s a thing then. Could I have some juice?” And Jennifer held the glass of juice to her lips so she could drink.
“I DO need to get ready for shift though - and so do you. Do you want to get together again tonight?” Anita asked, picking up a napkin between her arm stumps and wiping her face with it. Jennifer moaned. “And enough of that - we need to get ready for work, remember? That look you’re giving me is the opposite of getting ready for work. That look means less clothes, not more…”
“I know I know… Sure, dinner tonight? I can swing by right after shift, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind. Any special requests for me when you get here?”
“Can you wear pink stump gloves?” Jennifer asked as she put the dishes in the recycler and headed for the door.
“Sure, I can replicate some. What else?” Anita asked, pushing her wheelchair out of the eating area following her.
“Why wear anything else?” Jennifer asked, winking as she left.
_________________________________________________________
Anita suddenly wished she had asked Jennifer to stay and help her get ready for work as she struggled with the shower. She could have used her synthetics, of course - they were complete waterproof and very durable - but the more she went without them, the more she found herself enjoying it - the feeling of just her real body, as reduced as it was; the feeling of her stumps, the challenge, and the accomplishment of doing things on her own with her current limitations. And getting help from Jennifer wasn’t a bad thing either - she suspected that even though she was playing it cool, she was getting just as excited being fed at breakfast as Jennifer was feeding her. It was a complicated but satisfying relationship, and Anita wondered where else it might go.
When it came time to finally put on her synthetics she hesitated for a moment, then pushed her arm stumps into the molded hands on the charger block. They self-attached and she felt the all too familiar neural link connect, felt her ‘hands’ come online. She flexed her fingers and opened and closed her hands, rotated them left then right, the standard calibration sequence, and that was it - she had fully functional hands. She looked down at them - they looked synthetic, of course - the skin tone was a little too metallic, the skin a little too smooth, too perfect. She remembered a small cluster of freckles on her left hand, in the pattern of the Nalian constellation Theros. She had always considered it a good luck charm. She snapped out of her reverie and started attaching her legs. She went through a similar calibration routine and then stood, took a moment to get her balance, and then put on her uniform.
Once dressed in the blue and black Starfleet uniform and boots, she looked completely normal, save for the slightly unnatural pallor of her hands. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought how lucky she was that, after such a horrific accident, she was able to function fully now, almost like nothing had happened. Was she lucky though? She knew she was, obviously, but as she stood here in the quiet of her quarters, she couldn’t help but be distracted by the sensations the synthetics were sending to her nervous system, the buzzing, the feeling like she had two pairs of hands fighting for dominance. She looked at herself in the mirror and though she looked ‘normal’, something in the back of her brain was telling her she just didn’t look ‘right’, that this standing form with hands and legs wasn’t the true Anita. The voice did make a strange sort of sense.
Anita shook her head and headed out of her quarters to the astrophysics department where she worked, but she couldn’t keep the thoughts out of her head. She wondered if she should talk to someone about it…
___________________________________________
“Oh wow - I didn’t expect you to take me seriously.” Jennifer said as she entered Anita’s quarters. Anita say there in her wheelchair, pink stump socks on her arm stumps and similar cute pink socks on her leg stumps too. She smiled broadly.
“Neither did I, but then this happened.” She smiled as she wheeled up to Jennifer. Jennifer was carrying a box with a bow on it. She put it down and knelt to hug Anita and giver her a big kiss. Anita caressed Jennifer’s face with her rounded stumps and they kissed again, deeply, passionately, and suddenly Jennifer was pushing Anita in her wheelchair directly towards the bedroom. Anita started to move towards the bed, but Jennifer stopped her.
“I like the wheelchair.” She whispered to Anita, and placed her hands on Anita’s leg stumps, gently spreading them. She began to kiss Anita’s sensitive inner thighs, Anita rubbing and caressing Jennifer’s head with her arm stumps. She cried out when she felt Jennifer’s tongue lick sensual circles over her sex, warm moist lips kissing her clit, expertly teasing her. It was the sensation of Jennifer’s hands on her stumps, caressing and kneading them, that drove her the most crazy though. The sensation of her abbreviated limbs, touches across the smooth round ends. “stumps.” She gasped, and almost like reading her mind, Jennifer changed her focus, peeling off the pink stump socks and kissing the ends of her stumps, tracing sensual lines across the sensitive tips, making Anita squirm and moan. Finally, as Jennifer was kissing her stumps and stimulating her clit at the same time, Anita exploded with orgasms, crying out and rubbing her face with her arm stumps, somehow enhancing the sensation even further.
Jennifer lifted Anits from her wheelchair and lay her in bed before undressing and laying next to her.
“You’re hired.” Anita said, still panting, and rolled over to start kissing Jennifer. She pressed against the other woman with her leg stumps and caressed her naked body with her arm stumps, enjoying the sensation of Jennifer’s skin against her own. “Tell me what you want.” She breathed, and Jennifer moaned softly and kissed her, then just said “stumps” and kissed Anita’s neck, her hot tongue teasing Anita’s earlobe seductively.
Anita began caressing Jennifer with her stumps, rubbing her breasts, her stomach, but quickly moving her her legs, her thighs. She teased, caressing Jennifer’s lower stomach and inner thighs but not quite touching her sex, and she could tell it was driving her wild. “You like my stumps Jennifer?” She whispered.
“Yesss.” Jennifer breathed back through nearly clenched teeth as Anita stroked between her legs lightly with her arm stump. When Anita didn’t think Jennifer would last much longer she began to rub her with a bit more pressure. Her residual limb was instantly slick with Jennifer’s moisture and she struggled to manipulate her with her stump, lacking a wrist or fingers made ‘fingering’ a girl highly challenging. It didn’t take long before Jennifer was moaning and crying out, her back arching and toes curling in ecstasy. Anita kept up the rubbing and was kissing Jennifer’s breasts until Jennifer finally pushed her away, unable to take any more pleasure.
“God, that just…” Jennifer started saying and then just giggled and lay back on the bed.
“Why the giggles?” Laughed Anita, cuddling up close to Jennifer, stroking her gently with a soft round stump.
“I don’t know, just happiness overflowing I guess.” Jennifer said, purring against Anita. “I’ve never had this, never felt this way. It’s strange, but…”
“But wonderful, I know.” Anita said. “I was thinking about it last night, actually.”
“Care to share?” JEnnifer asked, sneaking a kiss on Anita’s nearest stump.
“When I woke up…. After the accident, I mean… I thought my life was over. I looked at my bandaged arms and missing legs and wished they hadn’t been able to rescue me, I really did. But last night I realized that not only was I ‘coping’ with the loss of my limbs, I was… this will sound weird.” Anita hesitated.
“You can tell me anything, you know that.” Jennifer said, looking into her eyes.
“Last night I realized that, well… I’m somehow happier this way. I feel more alive, more complete like this than I ever did before my accident. Sounds crazy, huh?”
“Almost as crazy as being physically attracted to you as soon as I saw you in medbay. I had a lot of trouble with that, I’ll be honest - the deep physical, sexual attraction I had to you when I saw you. I thought it was the most awful thing.”
“I can understand that, I really can. I’m glad you got over it…” Anita smiled. “And by the way - did you bring a box in with you? I think I interrupted whatever you had in mind. I hope it’s nothing that needs to be refrigerated.” She giggled.
“Oh that - I got you a present! I was so excited too, but seeing you when I came in kind of erased everything else. You are a terrible tease.”
“Um, Jenifer - if I were a tease, you would not have just had five - “
“Seven.” Jennifer sighed.
“Seven orgasams. You can’t call it teasing if I make you cum. That’s just science.”
Jennifer laughed and replied “I’ll have to remember that. Anyway, you want your present?”
“Of course I want my present - should I get dressed first?”
“Actually, not yet, at least not a shirt.” Jennifer said. “I’ll bring them in.”
Anita pulled on modified tights as Jennifer retrieved the box.
“So, I was thinking about what you said, about how your synthetic hands feel… that weird ghost hand sensation…”
“Yeah, not a fan of that…” Anita said, rubbing her arm stumps together.
“Well, I did some research on what people used before synthetics and neural interfaces, and found something interesting. I got a little help from Doctor Ales - I told him it was for a research project - and had them built to your scans.”
“Are you going to keep me in suspense all night?” Anita asked, wiggling on the bed.
Jennifer opened the box and pulled out a strange contraption with straps and some kind of plastic and some kind of silver metal hooks.
“OK, I have to admit, I have no idea what that is.” Anita said, looking at the complex object that Jennifer was holding.
“You trust me?” Jennifer smiled.
“Of course! Now I’m excited!” Anita said.
“Hold up your stumps.” Jennifer said, and Anita happily complied.
“First, these…” Jennifer said, pulling white socks out of the box. She slowly slid one on each of Anita’s arm stumps and smoothed them out. “Next… we’ll need to figure this part out.
It soon became clear that the plastic cups slid over Anita’s stumps, similar to the synthetics, and the straps went around her shoulders and back. Once adjusted, Anita looked at the metal hooks curiously.
“So, amputees used these as hands?” Anita said. She moved one arm and saw the hook open and close as cables extended and contracted with her movement.
“Apparently they were quite useful for limb deficient people.” Jennifer said, adjusting one of the straps a little and watching the motion of the hooks again. “How do they feel?”
“They feel… good, actually. Well, they’re comfortable, and they don’t feel like they’re trying to reprogram my brain or confuse my nervous system, so that’s a plus… I just have no idea how to use them.”
“We’ll figure out together. How about dinner?” Jennifer asked, pulling her clothes on.
“Aw, no naked dinner?” Anita teased.
“Maybe next time.” Jennifer said. “Need help with your dress?”
“Let me give it a shot.” Anita said, reaching out for her dress with her hooks. She lifted it easily, but needed a few tries to get it over her arms and head, the hooks still clumsy but surprisingly simple for Anita to manipulate. She was finally able to get the dress over her head and Jennifer helped her into her wheelchair, then wheeled her into the dining area, parking her at the table.
“So I should be able to feed myself with these?” Anita said, looking quizzically at the shiny metal hooks.
“That’s my understanding. Here - try this.” Jennifer said, holding up a fork. Anita reached out her right arm and the hook opened. She carefully positioned the hook over the fork and moved her arm so that it would close - it gripped the fork. Anita smiled.
“OK, let’s have dinner” Jennifer said, moving to the replicator and making pasta, garlic bread, and a couple glasses of red wine. She sat beside Anita, placing her meal in an easily reached position and tucking a napkin into the collar of her dress.
“Good idea.” Smiled Anita and started in on the pasta. It took her some fine tuning, repositioning the fork in her hook a couple times, but she was suddenly able to feed herself quite easily, a fact that thrilled her.
“I’m going to miss feeding you, dearl.” Jennifer smiled, watching Anita manipulate her diner with hook hands, getting a strange thrill out of the sight.
“You’re not fired yet - can I have a drink?” Anita asked, and Jennifer put her wine glass to her lips so she could drink. “Thanks - I’m going to have to get a lot better if I’m going to be able to pick up glasses and things.”
“We’ll work on it together.” Jennifer said with a wide smile, stroking Anita’s hair.
“Well, since we’re working on so much together…” Anita said, suddenly looking nervous. “I just found out there’s an open family quarters on G deck, near hydroponics…” She tried to make it sound nonchalant, but her voice quavered a little as she said it. Jennifer beamed.
“Sure!” She said excitedly, and then “I mean, if you want to, of course.”
“Well, I think it will help my rehabilitation - it’s bigger, after all, and with my wheelchair it might make it easier to get around.” Anita smiled, her cheeks pink She still wouldn’t look directly at Jennifer. “And of course, I am still having some trouble coming to terms with my disability.”
“And clearly, as a nurse I can assist you with that rehabilitation.” Jennifer smiled, taking a sip of wine.
“And I still need someone to push me in my wheelchair.” Anita said, her voice beginning to betray an oncoming giggle.
“Oh, and don’t forget all the amazing sex.” Jennifer giggled, and started rubbing Anitas’ leg stumps under the table.
“Oh believe me, I haven’t… “ Anita said, carefully stroking Jennifer’s cheek with a smooth metal hook. Jennifer shuddered and breathed deep.
“OK, something else to try.” She whispered, and then leaned in and kissed Anita deeply. She sat back suddenly and looked around the table.
“What is is?” Anita said.
“Here.” Jennifer said, taking Anita’s prosthetic hook and adjusting it a bit, then putting her wine glass into the hook, securing it. Anita was confused until Jennifer raised her own wine glass in a toast.
“To us.” Jennifer said.
“To us.” Anita said. “Two to beam up.” She giggled, and they women clinked glasses and drank.
The End
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