A Crutch by any Other Name....

 

A Crutch by any Other Name....                   By Chad







     "I can't belive this!" Rebecca fumed.  "Two weeks!  You

can't be serious?  Two whole weeks?"



     "I'm afraid so, Rebecca, the joint is completely blown, it

will have to go in for a complete refit." The man in the white

smock said.  "I take it you don't have a spare?"



     Rebecca thought of the dusty prosthesis in her closet, the

one she hadn't worn since high shool.  She had been meaning to

get it refitted, just in case, but as they say in the movies,

too late now.



     "No, no spare at all.  Isn't there anything you can do?" 

She asked, a last ditch effort to try and put off the inevitable.



     "No, I'm sorry Rebecca, but you'll have to make do on

crutches for at least ten days.  That's the soonest I can get

your leg back.  I'm sorry."  he must have seen the look come

across Rebeccas' face, because he added "Hey, millions of people

use them every day, and I know you've used them before.  It's

not so bad really.  I'll run and get a pair for you now." And

with that he left the fitting room.



     Crutches!  Rebecca thought.  Just great, I get to hobble

along like a cripple for two weeks dragging an empty pant leg

behind me.  That is all I need!  Rebecca calmed herself slowly,

thinking maybe it wouldn't be so bad, only two weeks.  Two weeks

on campus, in mid-semester, on crutches, with only one leg!  She

thought she was going to cry, but before she could break down

the doctor came back with a pair of aluminum forearm crutches.



     "These should get you through just fine, Rebecca." He said

jovially.  "And I promise, I'll get your leg back to you as soon

as I can."



     Rebecca stood up on her single leg and felt the stump

hanging there beside it.  She slid into the crutches and took a

step.  She was wearing a knee-length skirt, and had been wearing

leggings until she had to take off her leg.  Now she looked at

herself, one leg and an empty legging sticking out from the

skirt.  She sat back down and removed the sock from her stump,

putting it in her backpack.  She pulled the black legging up

over her stump, having to bunch it up on her thigh.  She stood

again and looked herself over.  Better, almost great if it

weren't for the crutches or the fact she was minus a leg. 

Disgusted and on the verge of tears, Rebecca left the hospital

and headed for her dorm.



     The sun was warm on campus, but Rebecca didn't notice, she

was too self-conscious about her situation.  She had never gone

out on campus without her leg, never even been seen without it

by all but her closest friends.  Most people didn't even know

she was an amputee, which was how she wanted it.  She remembered

all too well the pity and sympathy in high school when she'd go

to school 'sans leg', hobbling around on crutches as she was

now.  She could feel the stares from all around her as she

crutched her way up her dormitory stairs, one-legging it.  A

girl she didn't know held the door open for her, bieng so

obvious about trying not to be obvious as she stared at

Rebeccas' single leg.  Rebecca breathed a quick 'thanks' and

headed for the elevator. 



     As the elevator doors were closing, a hand shot in and

reopened them.



     "Finally, a familliar face!" sighed Rebecca "Hi cindi, how

are you?"



     "Fine Becky, but you look quite the opposite, what

happened?"



     "I blew out the knee joint on my prosthesis, and it's going

to take two weeks to get it back!"



     "That sucks! So, they can't like, give you a loner or

something?"



     "No, legs don't work that way I'm afraid.  Hey, isn't this

your floor?"



     "Yeah, but I'll go up with you, if you don't mind."



     Rebecca looked apprehensive, but agreed conditionally. 

"Look, if you're planning on opening doors for me or some stupid

shit like that, forget it.  I lost my leg eleven years ago, I'm

pretty used to it by now."



     "Ok, no door opening, not like I was giong to anyway.  Just

wanted to come up and chat, that's all."



     They reached rebeccas' room and found it locked, meaning

her roomate was out.  After fumbling for the key, the crutches

hanging off her wrists making the job all the harder, Rebecca

and Cindi went inside.



     "So, why did you really follow me?  I know it wasn't for

small talk." 



     "Well," said Cindi, "I hope you don't hate me for this, it

feels so silly."



     "What, just spit it out, we ARE friends, after all."



     "Well, it's just that, I've never seen you with no leg.  I

was wondering.... Can I see it?"



     "See what?" said Rebecca with a hint of tease in her voice.



     "You know, your..."



     "Stump?"



     Cindi blushed brightly, not meeting Rebeccas' glance.



     "Well, yeah, your stump, I was just wondering what it

looked like.  I've known you for a while and never-"



     Rebecca giggled.  If it had been anyone els, she'd be

furious, but Cindi was a cute little naieve thing who hadn't

seen much more than her own back yard before coming to colledge.

She stood up and slid the leggings down, sitting on the bed to

pull them off completely.



     "Well, I was just getting ready for a shower, so sure, here

it is." and with that, she pulled up her skirt so that Cindi

could see the smooth, pale stump all the way up to Rebeccas'

Victoria Secret panties.



     Cindi just stared at the firm, rouded stump that was once

Rabeccas' left leg.  It didn't look real, like some movie

special effect.  She reached out and touched it.  She heard

Rebecca giggle as her fingers touched the warm, smooth surface.



     "What does it feel like, to have no leg?" Cindi asked,

still touching the stump.



     "Well, sometimes it feels like there is a leg there, I get

phantom feelings, but not very frequently.  When I;m walking on

my prosthesis, it feels alot like walking, at least from what I

remember of walking.  It's just pressure in a different place,

so the balance is all screwy for a while.  It took me a long

time to learn the art of walking without a leg, belive me."



     Rebecca started to take off her shirt and looked at Cindi. 

"You don't mind, do you?  I mean, I'm not gay so I'm not trying

to seduce you or anything, I just really need a shower."



     Cindi was blushing again, but said no problem, go right

ahead.



     Rebecca stripped down to her panties and got up.  Cindi jus

kept looking at her now completely bare stump, so she wiggled it

at her and, leaving the crutches on the bed, hopped to her

closet to grab a towel.  She hopped her way into the bathroom

and shut the door, turning on the water and feeling the steam

wash up over her naked breasts.



     Rebecca had lost her leg ten years before, when she was in

junior high school.  She remembered all the stares and whispers

when she finally came back to school, just as she was now, on

crutches.  She hated it so much she decided that she'd never use

crutches again, at least not if she could help it.  Sure, there

had been times when she went without her prosthesis, if her

stump hurt or she was going to the beach or something, but in

general, she had always worn it.          She hopped into the

shower and began to soap up, the hot water and smooth lather

soothing and calming her.  She washed herself, rubbing and

caressing with the soap and washcloth.  She massaged her stump

while she washed it, the sensitive area loosening up, feeling

better.  If she hadn't had a guest, she probably would have

masturbated right there, the water and washing feeling so good. 

Instead, she finished washing her long brown hair and turned the

water off.  



     She hopped out of the shower onto the bath mat and began

toweling off.  As she was drying herself, she looked in the

mirror again.  There she stood, 5'4'', 105 lbs. Losing a leg

could do wonders for a girls' weight.  Light skin, firm breasts,

tight stomach.  Rebecca was beautiful and she knew it, with or

without the leg, but it took alot for other people to see beyond

that.  She was pulling on a fresh pair of panties when she heard

a funny thump in the room.  She hopped into the room and had to

giggle out lode despite herself.  Cindi was on the forearm

crutches, with one leg up in the air mimiking Rebecca, trying to

get around the bed.  She jumped, startled, when she heard the

giggle.



     "What are you doing, cindi?" Rebecca laughed.  "You look

rather silly."



     Again, Cindi was beet red.  "I'm, well, I'm just trying to

put myself in your shoes, I guess."



     "Don't you men shoe?" Rebecca remarked with false sarcasm,

then both girls laughed aloud, although Cindi was still very

embarrassed.



     "I'm sorry, rebecca, if I insulted you or anything-"



     "Don't be silly.  If somebody else did that, I'd probably

be really pissed, but then again they'd probably be poking fun

or patronizing me.  Cindi, nobody has ever shown as much

interest in this as you.  Most just either stare from a distance

or try to talk without noticing it, which is so obvious that

it's actually annoying.  You've actually gone as far as to see

what it's like, or at least try, and i think that's pretty cool.

Now, what an I gonna do about these?"  She was holding a pair of

jeans she grabbed from he closet., a pair with both legs very

much intact.



     "My god Becky, I never even thought about that!" Cindi

said, looking at the pants.  "You aren't going to have to cut up

all your pants now, are you?"



     "No, of course not." Rebecca replied.  She folded the left

leg of her jeans insde itself, making a kind of pocket for her

stump.  She then pulled a single stocking onto her good leg,

then pulled the jeans on, the stump fitting perfectly into the

shortened leg of the jeans.



     "Theres' alot of things I take for granted, I guess." Cindi

said. "Rebecca, is there any way I can actually know, I don't

know- Is there any way I could know what it's like?  I really

want to, to see what it's like to be- like you."



     Rebecca looked at her, confused for a minute.  She finished

putting on her bra before answering.



     "Why?  I mean, needless to say nobody has ever asked me

that before, but why?  You have two perfectly good legs, why

would you want to feel like an amputee?"



     "Well, from what you've told me, Becky, you had two

perfectly good legs at one time, too." Rebecca flinched a little

at that, and Cindi could see she got the point.  "Besides, I'm a

psyc major, remember, I think it would be a good learning

experience, to experience a way of life I may never live.  i

don't know, am I crazy?"



     Rebecca looked at her, almost like seeing this small town

girl from Delaware for the first time.  She was not only

serious, but she had even convinced Rebecca.  



     "Allright, then, Cindi.  There may be a way, but you have

to promise me something.  Promise that after we start, you won't

back down.  One day is all I ask, You will have one day in my

place, but if you quit, you won't have any Idea what it's like,

and I'll be annoyed at the wole thing.  Deal?"



     "Yeah, youve got a deal, I  promise."



     "Ok, but you've got two weeks to think about it.  We'll do

it after I get my leg back."



     "Fine, I won't be changing my mind."



     "We'll see" Rebecca said with a smirk.







     The following days were trying for Rebecca.  The most

embarrassing moment had to be in calculus class.  She was late

to class, and everyone, including the professor, was there when

she arrived.  The entire class stared at her, making her feel

about an inch tall, until the professor made his comment.



     "Miss Branna, I usually dislike tardiness to my lectures,

but you seem to have an excuse."



     Rebecca looked at him quizzically, because her only excuse

was sleeping late.



     Sensing the confusion, the professor continued. 



     "You seem to have lost a leg over the weekend..I assume you

were offl looking for it."



     A dumb comment, to be sure, but it lightened the mood

enough for rebecca to relax a little.  Later, the professor came

up to apologise if she had taken offense, and to say that after

almost an entire semester with her in class, he had no idea she

was an amputee, and was somewhat startled.         The rest of

the week went about the same, and the weekend was spent studing,

so the crutches proved not to matter so much.  The whole time,

Cindi spent more and more time with Rebecca, she seemed to be

observing every little thing, every reaction around them.  One

time, when they were walking across campus, Rebecca didn't know

whether to kill Cindi or Kiss her.  Some idiot jock type was

glaring as they walked by, and they heard him make a comment

about 'hey Peg'.  Cindi, without missing a beat, shouted back

'Better to have one leg than no dick, asshole!'  The look on the

guys' face was priceless.



     The call came after ten days.  "Rebecca, your leg is ready,

you can pick it up tody."



      She was there in thirty minutes, with Cindi in tow.  Cindi

had asked to come, and Rebecca had seen nothing wrong with it. 

They got to the hospital and went straight to the prosthetics

department.



     "I never even knew this was here." said Cindi.



     "Most people don't, they have no reason to."



     "Oh my." Cindi said as they passed the rehab room.  A young

girl, maybe eleven years old, in pigtails with a little girls'

dress on, was trying to walk with two prosthetic legs, holding

onto parallell bars for support, with a doctor and a woman that

could only be her mother standing right by, encouraging.



     "In a year, maybe less, she'll be walking fine." Rebecca

said, looking over Cindi's shoulder "By the time she' s in high

school, you won't even know she's an amputee by looking at her, 

if she's wearing pants."



     "Really?"



     "Really." Rebecca said, and kept walking.



      I didn't think it would take you long to get here." the

doctor said."I think this is what you came for."  He handed her

her prosthetic leg, looking like new.



    "Thank God!" Rebecca said.  "If you don't mind-"



     "Go right ahead, I've got to check on a new patient."



     "The little girl?" Cindi asked.



     "Yes, her name is Jessica.  Lost both legs eight months ago

in a car wreck, drunk driver.  He got away without a scratch. 

She's had some trouble with her stumps, but we're hoping we can

condition them so she can wear prosthetics, otherwise-"  And

with that the doctor left.



     "Otherwise what?" Cindi asked.



     "Otherwise means that if her stumps are too sensitive, or

just not right, then she can't wear prosthetics. Ever."



     "then she'd be-"



     "Yes, in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.  At eleven

yers old."



     A chill wnet through Cindi.  She watched as Rebecca slid

out of her skirt and pulled what looked like a white sock and

some navy blue leggings out of her backpack.  She slid the sock

over her bare stump.



     "What's that?" Cindi asked.



     "It's a sock, silly."  Rebecca kidded.  "Haven't you ever

worn socks?  It's to keep me from getting blisters, etc.. from

the prosthesis."



     Cindi watched as Rebecca sat and slid her stump into the

hollow end of the leg.  The color almost matched Rebeccas

natural skin tone.  Rebecca slid into it and fastened the belts

that held it in place.  She then began to put on her leggings,

first by lifting her prosthesis and sliding it into the

stocking.  Then she put her real leg into the leggings and

pulled them up.  She stood and adjusted herself.  Cindi was

amazed to see the difference!  Except for the fact that the fake

leg was fatter around the top, Rebecca looked perfectly natural,

both legs looking like they grew there.  When she put her skirt

on, it completed the illusion, and suddenly Cindi was looking at

Rebecca with two perfectly natural legs.  The doctor returned a

minute later, as Rebecca was walking about, making sure the

prosthetic was allright.



      "Well?" He asked.



     "It's better than ever." Rebcca replied "I'll take it!"



     The doctor laughed, but then Rebecca almost screamed in

disgust.



     "What is it, is the leg ok?" he asked.



     "The leg's fine, it's my brain that needs fixing!" Rebecca

said.   "I was in such a hurry to get here, I only brought one

shoe!"



     "Only one shoe?" Cindi asked.  "I guess I do take alot for

granted, don't I."



     "What do I do now?"  Rebecca asked.



     "I have an idea." Cindi said.  "Doc, can you get me an ace

wrap?:"



     "SUre, I'll be right back." He said, and left down the hall.



     "What size shoes do you wear?" Cindi asked.



     "Seven, why?" 



     Here, give me your one shoe" Cindi said, and proceeded to

take her own shoes off, as well as one of her socks.



     When the doctor returned, Rebecca was wearing Cindi's

flats, and Cindi was wearing Rebeccas' one shoe, her other foot

bare.



     "Allright doc, tape up my ankle like I spriained it." Said

Cindi



     "Cindi, you're amazing." said Rebecca, obviously impressed

by not only the girls' ingenuity, but also her willingness to

sacrifice, since she knew what this was leading to."



     After Cindis' ankle was taped up, she stood and slipped her

arms into Rebeccas' forearm ctutches.  



     "Allright, let's go." She said, taking a hop towards the

door.  "I figure you'd had enough of these things, so I'll take

'em for now." 



     Rebecca got up and followed her, just the simple art of

walking feeling great after almost two weeks.  As the two girls

walked past the rehab room again, Cindi stuck her head in and

called to the girl still learning to walk again "Keep it up, 

Jessica, You're doin' great!" and kept crutching her way all the

way to the car.



     "So you still want to see what it's like to be an amputee?"

Rebecca asked as she pulled her leg into the car.



     "More than ever now." Cindi said strangely, but didn't

expand on it.



     "Saturday, then." Rebecca said



     "Saturday it is." Said Cindi, "Saturday it is."



                                                                

                         



                            -TO BE CONTINUED....