Sisters

Sarah and Tara were twins, identical in every way, and had been best friends all their lives. They were both blonde, slim, and athletic, fun to be with and very outgoing - they had lots of friends. They did everything together - form school, to gymnastics, to swim team;they even did all their double dates together, and wouldn't have it any other way. Everything they did in life, they did it together - totally inseperable.

That all changed one night, when they were coming back from a ski trip one week before their twentieth birthday - an early present to themselves. Sarah was driving, and Tara was in the passenger seat talking away, both of them excited about their upcoming party, when their SUV hit an icy patch. Before Sarah could compensate, the vehicle rolled over several times, coming to rest on the passenger side. Sarah, dazed, climbed out of the wreck unscathed except for some minor cuts and abrasions. When she went back to get her sister, however, Tara wasn't moving, and she was bleeding a lot. Sarah frantically began to try freeing Tara, but it was no use - she wasn't strong enough and didn't have anything to work with. She was still trying to get Tara out when the paramedics took over a little while later. The scene was like a nightmare - all the noise, the flashing lights, the cold. It all became too much for Sarah, and she collapsed.

Sarah awoke in the hospital, groggy and aching. She was fine, they told her - just some minor cuts and bruises. Very lucky, they kept repeating. She knew, by the way they were talking to her, that Tara wasn't as lucky. She wanted to see her sister, but they wouldn't let her - she was in surgery. Her injuries were severe, they said, and all Sarah could do was wait.

Surgery took over four hours. Tara had multiple fractures, a ruptured spleen, and a dislocated shoulder. The most severe trauma, unfortunately, was to Tara's back. They repaired the fracture aas best they could, but the damage was bad. The doctor told Sarah that her sister would probably never walk again. In fact, barring a miracle, she would most likely be a quadriplegic, unable to move eve her arms. Sarah just began to weep.

Tara didn't wake up for three whole days, and even then she was dazed and groggy. The doctor told her the news, with Sarah holding her hand, and Tara began to cry. Sarah cried with her, telling her they would get through it, but inside she wasn't sure how. She kept feelign responsible for Tara's injury. Why had she escaped unscathed, while her beloeved sister was going to be crippled for life.

The next blow came a week later. Tara stopped taking visitors. She wouldn't see friends, family - not even Sarah. She just sat there, in her room, not talking, just staring straight ahead. Sarah tried to talk to her, to get her to respond, but she wouldn't - she wouldn't even look at Sarah. She just closed up.

The doctors said it was a sever depression - understandable in a case of such severe injury - but if Tara didn't come out of it, her recovery was going to be very difficult, if not impossible. It was even possible, over time, that she could just give up and die, even though her injuries weren't at all life thrreatening. Sarah felt she had to do something, and came upon a plan. She would save her sister, no matter what it took.

It was one week later. Sarah stood in her apartment, possibly for the last time. In front of her sat a fancy electric wheelchair - she had sold her car - and a metal case. A man sat on her couch.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the man said in a concerned tone.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Sarah said.

"There's no guarantee you can't reverse this. You understand that, dn't you?"

"I understand. If I take the retrogen-"

"It should all be undone. It will take a while, a few weeks, but all the nerve connections will come back. At least I think so."

"You think so?" Sarah asked, suddenly apprehensive.

"In our tests, we've regularly gotten 98% return. but no testing has ever been done on this scale." he said. "You could still suffer permanant damage."

"I'm willing to accept that possibility." Sarah said. "Start the shots."

"OK. I will give you one shot a week for six weeks. This will give you the effect you desire. I don't want to do it any faster, because it increases the possibility of permanant damage."

"OK. I'm ready." Sarah said. She layed down on the couch, on her stomach. She felt the pain of the needle being shot into her spine, she felt the burning heat of the injection. She cried out.

"I'm sorry, but to do this - it has to be in the spine." the man said.

"I'm fine." Sarah lied. "How long before it takes effect?"

"It should start working immidiately. You should feel it's effects within the hour."

The man left Sarah laying on the couch. She thought of her sister, Tara, laying in a hospital bed, completely paralyzed from her neck down. She thought of what kind of life that would be. She looked at her own power wheelchair. She was wondering if she could realyl go through with all this.

It was about forty five minutes after her injection that Sarah began to feel the change. Her feet gre cold, then numb. Her legs began to feel a tingle, up to her knees. Within ninety minutes, Sarah was numb from her toes to mid-thigh. Her legs were essentially paralyzed - she had no feeling or motor control at all. She tried wiggling her toes, hard, focusing with all her might, and she couldn't do it. She suddenly realized that the wheelchair wasn't close enough, and she knew she wouldn't be able to walk over to it. She got off the couch and immidiately realized she wouldn't be walking anywhere - her legs wouldn't support her. She got on the floor and began to crawl over to the wheelchair. She struggled into it's seat and pulled herself into a sitting position. It felt strange - this was the first time she had sat in the chair. She realized she had been avoiding it. She sat in the chair for an hour without moving, taking in what she was trying to do. She thought of her beloved sister - she had no choice in this.

Finally, Sarah began to set up the chair properly, while she was still able to do so. She reclined the back a few more degrees and raised the legs a few inches so she was properly reclined, as the doctor had explained. She moved the mouth control into the proper position, so she could use it easily. She had thought to start out with hand controls, but she knew in four weeks her hands would be uselss, so she didn't bother. She held her breath and grabbed the control stick with her mouth. She moved the stick slightly, and the chair moved forward, surprizing her. She was glad she had time to get used to this before she totally needed the chair, she thought - and again, her thoughs wandered to Tara, who did not have the luxury of practice before she beacame a quardiplegic.

The next day was strange for Sarah. She was now definitely disabled, there was no doubt. Her legs were totally numb from her thighs down, and she couldn't move her toes, ankles, ot knees at all. She was still in bed, wondering how to start her day, when she heard the door open and someone enter the apartment. A moment later, one of her best friends from school, Crystal, entered the bedroom wearing a nurses uniform.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah asked, sitting up.

"I figured I'd get a head start, too." Crystal said.

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked.

"You didn't think you were going to be able to do this alone, did you?"

"How did you know?" Sarah asked.

"Nursing student, remember?" Crystal said. "Jack talked to me the day after you contacted him. He didn't know we were friends. You really are crazy, you know?"

"And you're still going to help me?" Sarah said.

"I'm going to help Tara, actually. I just realize this is the only way it's going to happen. I'm also going to make sure you can undo this."

Sarah looked at her friend. She could barely mouth the words 'thank you'.

Crystal proved to be a valuable asset to Sarah, because Sarah hadn't really prepared her apartment for wheelchair living. She couldn't reach anything in the fridge or the cupboard, and she couldn't even fit her new wheelchair in the bathroom properly. The first day. Crystal went out to a nursing supply store and bought a shower wheelchair and other necessities for disabled living. She helped Sarah do some things, but Sarah was still capable of many tasks. Crystal insisted, however, on doing al of Sarah's transfers for her, lifting her properly and moving her from wheelchair to couch, couch to whelchair, etc.

"I have to get used to it now, while you can still feel how I'm doing it, so you can tell me if I'm putting stress on you or hurting you in some way. Soon, you won't be able to feel me lift you, and you won't be able to help, so I need to get used to it now." she had explained.

The week went by uneventfully. Sarah had almost fallen out of her wheelchair trying to reach the remote control, but other than that she had adjusted to the loss of the use of her legs. She knew, however, that it was jut the beginning of the process. She had also called the hospital - there was no change in Tara at all. She was healing, but she was still unresponsive to anything or any one. She ust lay there, motionless and silent. It broke Sarah's heart, but fortified her to the steps that she needed to take.

Jack showed up on schedule, and Sarah was already on the couch - the wheelchair parked closer this time. Crystal had left - she didn't want Jack to know she was helping. Jack again tried to talk Sarah out of it, and again Sarah refused, thinking about Tara. Again the needle went in, again Sarah felt the pain, and again, Jack left. She lay on the coutch, waiting for the drug to take effect.

It was quicker this time, Sarah noticed. The cold crept up her thighs, to her crotch, then climbed higher, to just below her navel. Again the paralysis set in - she was now numb and unresponsive from her hips down - a high Lumbar or low Thoracic paraplegic. Again, she focused on her legs, on moving them or feeling something, but she couldn't - she was dead from the hips down now. She worked at sitting up - it took more effort - and she had to lift her legs with her hands now, as her hips were also paralyzed. She waited, sitting here, until Crystal returned.

Crystal got back a short while later and helped Sarah into not her wheelchair, but her shower chair. She took Crystal into the bathroom without saying anything, and then pulled out a package of adult diapers.

"What are those for?" Sarah asked.

"For you." Crystal said. "You should be a lower thoracic paraplegic now. You've lost bladder and bowel functions."

"I have?" Sarah asked, concerned.

"Well, can you feel anything down there?" Crystal replied?

"Well, no, I guess not." Sarah said. She watched as Crystal lifted her unfeeling legs and pulled off her cotton panties, then put on the bulky adult diaper. She was suddenly glad she couldn't feel anything.

The next morning, Crystal changed Sarah, washed her, then took her into the living room. There was an excercise mat on the floor.

"What's that for?" Sarah asked.

"You didn't research this much, did you?" Crystal commented, lifting Sarah and placing her on the mat. "If your muscles aren't excercised regularly, they'll atrophy. You'll have smaller chance of full recovery if we don't do this every day."

"Do what?" Sarah said.

"Excercise your legs." Crystal replied.

"But I can't move my legs." Sarah said, confused.

"That's what I'm here for." Crystal said with a chuckle. Crystal took one of Sarah's limp legs and began to massage it, rubbing it vigorously. She lifted it, pulling and pushing it through a full range of motion that Sarah couldn't feel at all. Sarah layed back and watched Crystal massaging and moving her unfeeling legs, flexing her toes, rubbing her feet. Sarah realized that, in all the time she could feel her feet, she had never had a footrub. Now that she was getting one, she wished she could feel it - but also felt kind of strange, watching Crystal toucher her in places that she couldn't felt. She didin't really understand it.

That afternoon, Sarah tried to act quadriplegic, but it wasn't working. Every time she had an itch, she just moved her arms and scratched it. She was having doubts abotu her ability to go through with the plan, but every time she did she thought of Tara and what she was going through.

Crystal continued to help Sarah, but Sarah now insisted, as long as she was able, to take care of her own toilet functions and diapers. It just felt too awkward. She knew she would need the help eventually, but for now she just wanted to do things herself.

On the fourth day of the week, a strange thing happened. Sarah was in her wheelchair, watching TV, when one of her legs started twitching. It jumped so much her shoe kicked right off. She called Crystal, and when Crystal got there the tremor had stopped, but Sarah's leg was flopped out of it's legrest. Crystal said it was a fairly common occurance cause by random nerve impulses, but she fastened a wide velcro strap across Sarah's legs in the legrests, so if it happened again Sarah wouldn't hurt her legs. Now, each time Sarah wanted to leave her wheelchair, Crystal had to unstrap her legs and lift her gently. Sarah was beginning to like it.

Sarah got a scare when she called the hospital. Tara was doing worse - she had stopped eating and was now being fed through a tube. The doctors weren't sure how much longer she would be able to hold out if she didn't start to get some of her fighting strength back. It seemed she just wanted to die, and nothing anyone said was going to change that.

When Jack arrived that week, Sarah wanted him to finish the procedure that night - give her the rest of the syrum. Jack utterly refused, but after much badgering decided that double-dising her might not cause any permanant damage. The risks increased, of course, but Sarah didn't care. She needed to help her sister right away.

Again the shot, again the pain, this time much more of the burning sensation, higher up her back. It took over two hours for it to take full effect, but by the time Crystal returned, Sarah was completely numb from her breasts down, and her arms were weak. She was now a high thoracic, low cervical quadriplegic.

Sarah now relied heavily on Crystal. Her condition dodn't allow her to do much more than feed herself, and even then she was using special utensils that Crystal had bought - her hands could no longer grip normal flatware. Crystal now had to clean her, bather her, and dress her each day, helping her into her wheelchair and strapping her legs in. Her chair was reclined far enough back so she didn't need a chest strap at all.

Life became much more difficult for Sarah. She couldn't really do much at all. Her arms were very weak, and she was completely numb from the tops of her breasts down. She was seriously questioning her plan one night, after Crystal had put her to bed, ans she began crying - for her sister, and also for herself. She wasn't really paying attention, and was suddenly startled by Crystal, sitting on the bed beside her.

"What's wrong?" Crystal asked.

"Nothing." Sarah lied. "Just thinking about Tara. Why didn't you go home?"

"I was going to, but then I heard you sobbing. I'll stay here tonight, if you want me to."

Suddenly, Sarah couldn't bare the thought of spending the night alone. "Please stay." She said to Crystal.

Crystal undressed and slipped into bed with Sarah. Sarah couldn't really feel her there, but knowing she was there made her feel much better.

The next morning, Sarah felt better than she had since the accident. She could hear Crystal in the kitchen, cooking and whistling. She was smiling when she brought Sarah breakfast.

"Sleep well?" Sarah asked, amused.

"Like a baby." Crystal said.

"I didn't feel you get up." Sarah said, immidiately realizing how stupid it sounded.

"I'm not surprized." Crystal said with a grin, patting Sarah's unfeeling leg. There was something unusual about that pat.

Crystal first helped Sarah to a sitting position, propping her up with pillows, then setting the breakfast tray over her paralyzed lap. Sarah noticed the regular fork and knife.

"You forgot my utensils." Sara said.

"No, I didn't. No utensils for you any more. Leave those hands in your lap - I'm feeding you."

"I don't know-" Sarah said.

"High five." Crystal said, holding her hand up around head level.

Sarah lifted her arm somewhat, but couldn't quite manage the 'High Five' position Crystal wanted.

"Enough said." Crystal said, cutting a piece of omlette and blowing on it to cool it. Sarah rested her arms back in her lap.

Crystal fed Sarah a nice breakfast, then did their morning routine of cleaning, bathing, and physical therapy. Sarah needed it much more now, because of her more extreme paralysis. She had gotten used to watching Crystal manipulate her legs, massaging and flexing them for an hour. Then Crystal did something new. She began rubbing Sarah's arms.

"What's that for?" Sarah said.

"Might as well start now - your arms are mostly useless anyway." Crystal replied, rubbing and then flexing Sarah's arms. Sarah noticed that a few times, Crystals rubbing strayed from er arms and shoulders, grazing her breasts. She didn't really think anything of it, but it seemed to happen a few times more than 'accidental'.

After therapy, Sarah tried to call the hospital, but because of the degradation of her hands, it took her five tries to get the number dialed. When Sarah finally reached the doctor, the news wasn't good. Tara was responding, yes - but she was crying constantly. Her depression was setting in worse, and the hospital was becoming mre concerened. The doctor asked if Sarah would come in to see her - maybe seeing her sister would make a difference now. Sarah agreed to go the next day.

"But I need it. I need to finish." Sarah was telling Crystal.

"It's not safe." Crystal insisted.

"Can you do it or not?" Sarah asked again.

"Yes, i can do it." Crystal said.

"Then do it. I'm going in tomorrow."

Crystal lifted Sarah onto the bed and injected the last two doses into her spine. The pain was less now, and Sarah began to feel dizzy, lightheaded. She wegan thinking of her sister, of the hospital, her plan coming together, working. She must have started dozing off, because the next thing she knew, Crystal was on the bed, rolling her gently over onto her back.

"How are you?" Crystal asked.

Sarah focused on herself. She couldn't feel her arms or her chest of shoulders. She couldn't move anything below her neck.

"It's done." she said. "I'm a complete quadriplegic. Just like Tara."

"then it's time." Crystal said. She began dressing Sarah. She put dark stockings on her lifeless legs. Put on her diaper and panties over it. Put on a long wrap skirt, and then a bra and a long sleeved blouse. She lifted Sarah into her wheelchair - Sarah was now complete dead weight - and positioned her nicely, her hands sitting in her lap. She then did her hair nicely, pulling it back in a long blonde pony tail. She put some makeup on Sarah, light blush and lipstick, then took her into the living room.

"I just thought of this, Crystal - how am I going to get to the hospital?"

"I have it taken care of." Crystal said. She pushed Sarah out of the apartment and down into the parking lot, then stopped in front of a blue van. She unlocked the van and lowered a lift, putting Sarah onto it and lifitng her wheelchair into the van.

"Where did you get this van?" Sarah asked as Crystal strapped her into it.

"You'll find out soon enough." Crystal said, starting the engine and driving out of the parking lot. She turned in the opposite direction form the hospital.

"Isn't the hospital the other way?" Sarah asked, confused.

"We aren't going to the hospital." Crystal replied.

"Then where are we going?" Sarah asked.

"We're going to see Tara." Crystal said, and then wouldn't say anythign more.

After about twenty minutes, the van pulled into the parking lot of a fancy condominium. Crystal pulled into a handicapped spot and then reversed her earlier process, lowering Sarah to the ground. She still left the wheelchair in neutral and puched Sarah into the building. As the elevator in the lobby opened, another woman in a wheelchair - this one a lightweight manual wheelchair - got off. Sarah could see that she had no legs, just short stumps covered in a black skirt. Crystal pushed Sarah onto the elevator and pushed the button for the fouth floor. the elevator lifted them quietly, the doors opening with a ding t the end of their trip.

Crystal pushed Sarah along, down a wide corridor, until she came to a room - 415. Crystal pulled out her keys and opened the door, pushing Sarah in before her.

The place was enormous, spacious and perfectly decorated. Sarah was very confused, disoriented, and was about to ask Crystal what was going on, when she heard a familiar voice.

"It's about time you got here." Came her sister's voice. She turned her head to the left and saw Tara, dressed the same as she currently was, wheeling towards her in her own power wheelchair. She was smiling widely.

"Tara - Tara you're OK. What's going on? the doctor said-"

"The doctor was in on it." Crystal said.

"In on what. Will someone please explain to me what's going on? Tara, I thought you were on the verge of death."

"I was - until Jack told me what you were doing." she said, moving her wheelchair closer to Sarah's. Jack suddenly appeared, smiling at Sarah and giving her a little nod.

"After he said how far you would go to help me, I wanted to stop you - I said that this was no way of life for you. Jack had another idea, though. The thing was - it had to be completely your choice, with no regrets. That's why he tried so hard to talk you out of it. Your insistance on the double dosing, even though it was dangerous, sealed the deal."

"But I can still reverse this." Sarah said. "I can still take the retrogen."

"I'm afraid not." Jack said, walking into the center of the room so the two paralyzed women could see him. "After two double doses, so close together, your condition is permanant. I think you knew that."

Sara had known that - somehow she had known all along that this would be the end result, and she did it anyway - it was completely her choice. She still looked confused.

"But, what is all of this, this place?" she said.

"Our new home." Tara said. "completely equipt for women in our condition. The whole building is, really. This is a special place. Again, Jack helped."

"What kind of special place.?" Sarah said, remembering the legless woman in the elevator.

"This building is for disabled people - women mostly - who want to live a life of luxury and comfort, away from the prying eyes and harsh realities of the general population. You have first class medical facilities, spa and gym, therapy rooms, everything you need."

"Not everything." Sarah said, looking at Crystal.

"Yes, Everything. I'll be staying with you." She said, putting her hand on Sarah's unfeeling shoulder.

"But now there are two of us - you can't-" Sarah said.

"She won't have to. Sarah, meet Angela." Tara said. At once, a beautiful redhead stepped into the room, standing behind Tara. "She's my attendant."

"I'm still not sure what's going on here." Sarah said, confused with all that had just happened.

"Just sit back and let me explain it, then." Tara replied. Using her mouth control, she moved her wheelchair so that it was directly in front of Sarah. She looked deeply into her sister's eyes and began to speak.

"The night of the crash, I remember everything - us talking, joking around. The truck slipping, skidding, rolling over. I remember the pain I felt as I was slammed around, and I remember the feeling and sound when my back broke. I felt my body go numb, felt myself become paralyzed, and at that moment, I just wanted to die. I knew I would never walk or run or ski again - I know the reality of paralysis, and even before the doctors told me anything, I knew what my chances were, knew what the outcome would be. That's where I was in the hospital. I wanted to die, to just slip away and stop living. I shut out everyone, everything - even you."

"Then I met Jack. He told me you had contacted him, and told me why. At first I was angry with you - how stupid to do such a thing to yourself. Then I realized how much you loved me, that you would do such a thing. I was ready to come out of it right there, to call you and say it was all alright; but then Jack introduced me to Liz. Liz is a quadriplegic, the same level as I am, and she is wonderful - you'll meet her soon, I'm sure. She explained that she helped run a special center, that catered to women like me - this place, it tuns out. She said that if I wanted to, all my needs would be taken care of, everything would be fine - but there was a catch - you. You couldn't live here with me, unless - "

"Unless I was disabled, too." Sarah said. She began to understand.

"I had to make a choice, just as you did. Life with you in a chair, or life without you. In the end, though, I left it up to you. You chose to take the drugs, you chose to become like me. Once you decided what your path would be, we set the rest of this in motion."

"The rest?" Sarah said.

"Yes, the rest. Crystal, for example. Once Jack gave you the first injection, Crystal was called. You see, Crystal is a part of this, too - the part you might not understand just yet. There is a reason Crystal went into rehabilitative nursing, though I never knew it until now. Crystal, like Angela, has a special affinity for disabled women."

"Sexual?" Sarah said, looking at Crystal. Crystal looked uncomfortable.

"Not as you would think. To aid a woman like us brings them a certain kind of fulfillment, fulfills them in a what that nothing else can. I can be somewhat sexual - we can still be sexual beings, even paralyzed as we are - but really it's a kind of love. Crystal made her connection with you that night she slept in your bed. And I have a feeling you made a connection with her, as well."

Sarah nodded, remembering the feelings she had when she awoke that morning.

"Crystal and Angela will live here with us, help us with everything we need physically. In return, we help them with what they need emotionally."

Sarah sat there, not saying anything for almost a full minute.

"Sarah." Tara said. "Are you OK?"

"No." She said simply. "Crystal, could you hold my hand?"

Everyone smiled then, letting out a sigh of relief as Crystal took Sarah's paralyzed hand in her own. Tara then led the way in the 'grand tour' of their new home.

First was Sarah's bedroom. It had a sling lift, a huge bed, a closet full of specially adapted clothes, and a television she could see while laying in bed. Beside the bed was a new power wheelchair, identical to Taras.

"Well, we are twins." Tara said with a smile. "Your current wheelchair will be donatated."

Wanting to try it right away, Sarah wheeled herself over to the new wheelchair. It was dark blue, like her sisters, with a steeply reclined back and nice mouth controls. It had special padded armrests that form-fit Sarah's arms and hands. Crystal moved her gently into the new chair and strapped her legs into it, then switched it on.

The wheelchair did respond better than her old one, and it was more comfortable - at least as far as she could tell. After the wheelchair switch, the tour continued. Sarah noticed that Jack stayed behind and removed the old wheelchair. She wondered who it was being donated to - but she was pretty sure it would stay in the building.

Tara's bedroom was almost identical to Sarah's, of course, with the same bed setup and closets and TV. There was another dresser, though, and Sarah asked about it.

"That's Angela's things. She has half the closet, too."

"So she-"

"Yes, she sleeps with me. We didn't want to seem forward by setting you and Crystal up in the same way - that's a decision you'll have to make." said Tara.

"It's not a tough decision." Sarah said, smiling at Crystal. "I'd feel better if you slept with me."

"So would I." Crystal said. The tour continued.

The bathroom was amazing. A huge whirlpool bath, corner shower for the attendants, toilet facilities with a lift - it was amazing. There was also a makeup counter with enough space for two, Sarah noticed.

They breezed through the kitchen - granted, it was very nice, but neither woman had any use for it any more. Crystal and Angela were apparently already familiar with it.

Finally, they returned to the living room area. Sarah's head was spinning - it was so much to take in.

"You'll get used to it." Tara said, smiling.

"Will I get used to this?" Sarah said, using her head to indicate her wheelchair. "We're both quadriplegic now. No more running, skiing, no nothing."

"It will take time, for both of us, I know." Tara said. "I would be lying if I said I didn't cry myself to sleep every night. It's very difficult, but this place will make it better. I know it will."

"And so will I." Said Angela, stroking Tara's hair.

"As will I." Said Crystal, stroking Sarah's cheek. As Crytal touched her, she suddenly felt OK again. She smiled, and she saw that Tara was smiling, too.

"Bath Time!" Angela said as she walked into the living room. Sarah and Tara had been playing chess - with Crystal moving the peices where they told her to - and Sarah had been winning.

"Naturally, it's bath time - I'm winning." Sarah said, exasperated. Crystal wheeled her into the bathroom, with Tara and Angela behind them.

The Whirlpool tub was frothing as the two quadriplegic women were lowered into the water by their attendants. Sarah giggled as Tara's limp legs floated up in front of her, her toes poking out of the warm, swirling water.

"If either of you feels faint, let us know immidiately." Crystal said.

"Yes mom." Tara said sarcastically. "They worry too much." She said quietly to her sister.

"Tara." said Sarah softly.

"Yes?" her sister replied.

"Can we really do this?" Sarah asked. "Live like this?"

"We certainly can, Sarah. And we can enjoy it. We're not that different than we were before, we just need help to do things."

"We need help to do everything, Tara." Sara replied, still sounding gloomy.

"And that's half the fun." Tara said mischeviously.

"What do you mean?" Asked Sarah.

"This feeling of helplessness." Tara said. "It's kind of a turn-on, isn't it?"

"A turn on?" Sarah asked, bewildered.

"Think about it. Close your eyes and think about it. About Crystal liftng your leg, sliding your stockings on, brushing your hair. Think about her touching you - you can't feel it, but you know she's there, her warm skin against yours. You can't move at all - you're totally helpless, yet so is she. She needs your paralyzed body as much as you need her whole one. It's erotic, I think."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Sarah said, her cheeks flushed. "I do feel something when she's near me, when she's caring for me."

"That feeling will grow, believe me."