Emily was awoken by the sound of the bedroom door shutting. She opened her eyes and turned her head to Ben’s side of the bed. It was empty. The digital clock on his nightstand said it was just after 8 in the morning. Perfect! She closed her eyes again and took a moment to wake up. The morning sun sent its beams peaking through the closed blinds and outside, birds were singing their song over the ambient sounds of distant waves gently rolling onto the beach, pine trees shaking in the soft warm winds, and a table being set. She checked her body. Her arms were still missing, that much she had expected, but she had her legs back. Ben had obeyed her rule of only setting the timer to one day.
She stretched her legs and consciously moved her toes. She relished the feeling of having them back. Restricting herself was one thing, and she enjoyed challenging herself with different limb reductions, but having nothing at all, no limbs and no stumps just left her helpless. She could imagine it being fun at home, with Ben alone, but here, in Greece with their friends, it had gotten frustrating and a bit annoying for her fairly quickly.
She took a deep breath and used her newly regained legs as counterweights to get up. Today was the last full day in Greece. Time had passed way too quickly. Couldn’t fathom having to return to work in just two days. Emily loved her job. Her boss was relaxed and gave his employees plenty of freedoms. Over the past few months, she had tried countless body configurations with Ben. Her immediate co-workers didn’t flinch at all. They themselves had tried the reductions with Emily for the first time. As for the rest of the office, it took people about two weeks to get used to seeing members of Emily’s department missing random limbs, but after that time, nobody batted an eye. Still, she had enjoyed doing absolutely nothing this past week. She’d also really come to enjoy her armlessness. She was still able to get everywhere. Doing things had gotten a little trickier, but in the end, she had always figured something out or simply asked someone to help her. And she definitely enjoyed her symmetrical shape. Having no stumps at all on her shoulders left her with a very pleasing form, her shape practically undisturbed from her toes to her head. Emily shrugged her shoulders and once again relished the restrictive feeling she had. She couldn’t reach for her brush or the doorknob. She didn’t have the means to do so, and the feeling was exhilarating.
After checking herself out in the mirror and adjusting her pyjamas by sitting down on the bed and using her toes, Emily walked to the door and opened it with her foot. Easy. A pleased grin snuck on her face. She headed to the outdoor kitchen.
“Look who’s back on her feet”, Lena greeted her as she arrived at the outdoor kitchen. Her comment earned her a chuckle from James, Hanna and Lily.
“Morning all”, Emily grinned. “Did you sleep well?”
“Well? I was comatose”, Hanna said.
“Yeah, the boat trip, while being fun, was also hella exhausting”, James agreed.
“What about you?”, Ben asked as he waddled into the outdoor kitchen on his stump and knee with numerous bottles of juice.
“Like a baby”, Emily smiled. “Morning!”
“Morning, Em!” He gave her a quick kiss before moving to unload.
“So…what can I do to help?”, Emily asked.
“Erm… I don’t know”, said James. “What do you reckon you will be able to do?”
“Good question, but I’d really like to use this last day to practice using my feet. I want to try and become as independent as possible while being like this.”
“Fair enough! Other than feeding yourself this morning, I genuinely don’t think there’s anything you can or should do for now. We’re practically done setting up breakfast”, said Ben. “You can help with lunch and dinner, though. Since we leave after breakfast tomorrow, there’s a whole lot of eating we have to do today to empty the fridge.”
“Fair enough”, said Emily, though clearly looking a little disappointed.
“Come on”, said Lena. “Enjoy being pampered one last time”, she grinned and playfully hit James with an arm stump as he waddled past them to his chair.
“Good point, will do”, Emily giggled. “Wait, there actually is something I still need. I’ll go fetch it.”
She went back to the house and began opening various cupboards with her feet. She knew that Ben had come here as a child. In the car, his parents had used seat heighteners rather than full blown children’s seats as soon as Ben was old enough to sit in them. Ben had told her about it, and he had also mentioned that his parents kept them here for “when Ben eventually comes here with his kids.”
Emily didn’t need to search for long to find them. Luckily, they were stored in a lower shelf. She used her foot to pull one out. It was surprisingly light, but then again, it was just a polystyrene seat with a cloth cover. She used her feet to drag it over to the couch, where she could crouch down and pick it up with her teeth. The hard part was over. She headed back outside to join her friends for breakfast.
“That was quick”, said Lily as Emily approached.
“Hm-hm!”, Emily replied. She walked to her seat and used her feet to pull back her chair a little. Then she placed the seat on her chair and adjusted its position with her feet. Once she was done, she sat down.
“This way I have a better angle at the table”, she explained when she saw the puzzled faces.
“Aah, smart! But how did you know about the seats?”, Ben asked.
“You told me about it once. I was just lucky to remember it right now”, she said.
“Damn, you really listen when I say stuff, don’t you?”
“Of course”, Emily replied.
Suddenly, a shocked expression appeared on his face. “You really listen when I say stuff. Oh dear, the nonsense I have said to you. How are we still in a relationship?”
The friends around the table laughed. “I love you, idiot”, Emily giggled and leaned over to give him another kiss.
“Now, could anybody pass me the cereal? Let’s start with something simple.”
Everybody watched as she clumsily opened the cereal box with her toes and poured some on her bowl. Surprisingly, she managed to put post of it into her bowl. Every person with arms applauded. Lena thumped her stumps on the table. Ben moved the bottle of milk into Emily’s reach. Emily used her toes to screw off the cap, that was easy. Then she slowly lifted the bottle with her feet and tried to pour the milk into the bowl. The first gush of milk missed the mark completely, but she didn’t let it disturb her. She tried again and this time, most of the milk ended up where Emily had intended. She slowly placed the bottle back on the table and replaced the screw cap. She let out a sigh.
“Damn, I definitely didn’t train my body for that. Keeping your legs up like that and coordinating them is hard… sorry about the mess.” She nodded towards the spilt milk.
“No worries”, Lily said from the kitchen sink, where she had already moved to pick up a sponge to deal with it.
“Still, that was super impressive”, said Hanna.
“Thanks”, Emily said and grinned.
She clumsily picked up her spoon and leaned forward. She took the first spoonful and managed to guide it into her mouth without making a mess.
Slowly but surely, the attention drifted away from her. Emily quickly became better at eating without her arms, and the others returned their attention to their own plates and conversations.
They had a long breakfast. By the time they finished, it was well past 10am.
“So”, Ben said addressing the group. “Today is our last full day. There are a few things we need to get done tomorrow before we leave, so I suggest you pack your things today over the course of the day. We also need to empty the fridge, so we’ll improvise with what we have left for lunch and dinner tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan. We have plenty of things left over. Some feta cheese and vegetables, some seafood and some meat that needs grilling and plenty of leftover pasta with fig-tomato sauce. So…should be good”, Lily commented.
“Right? I’ll also call up the airline and see about wheelchairs. I’ll have to find out if we can take the one we have here on the plane or if I need to give it up as luggage, in which case I might as well send it through the postal services. In addition, I will ask if they can provide wheelchairs for us at the airport.”
Emily took over: “Your reductions will end the day after tomorrow. Except your leg, Lena, which will have to be restored manually. We can do that when we get back.”
“Yeah, I think I’d like that. I had a great time like this, but not being able to walk or to grab anything is annoying”, Lena said.
“We can do it right now if you like”, Emily offered.
“You can?” Hanna looked surprised.
“Yeah, since Lena’s leg was removed without a timer being set, it can be restored. And since Ben and I also had no timer set when we did our reductions, we brought the restoration pen along in case we need someone fully able bodied for an emergency”, Emily replied.
“That’s smart”, James commented.
“Right?” Emily grinned.
“Well, if it’s okay with everyone, then yeah, I’d like my leg back today. I’ll still be missing my arms and elbows.”
Everybody nodded in agreement.
“We’ll do it right after we’re done here”, Ben said.
“Anyway”, Emily continued, “we wanted to offer you to stay at our place until your limbs come back. You know, in case you need assistance.”
“That’s very kind, thanks”, Hanna smiled. She looked over at Lily “…but I think Lily and I will stay at my place tonight.”
Lily blushed. “Is that an official invitation?”
“I guess so”, Hanna smirked.
“Well hell yeah”, Lily beamed.
“Yeah, Lena and I also wanted to spend that time together. We’ll stay at my place. Thanks for the offer, though”, James said.
“I guess that’s settled then”, Emily giggled.
“And I think that’s also every topic I wanted to talk about covered”, Ben added. “Let’s enjoy today.”
They helped together clearing the table. Lily hopped to fetch a bag for Emily, so she could carry things, and Emily was glad to be able to actively contribute and perform tasks without assistance. She used her feet to fill the bag with stuff from the table, used her mouth to carry the bag to the house, where she opened the fridge with her feet and replaced everything from the bad into the fridge.
Once they were done, Emily used her feet to brush her teeth. It took her twenty minutes until she was satisfied, but she felt accomplished and proud. Meanwhile, Ben had called the airline and found out that they could just bring their foldable wheelchair onto the plane. He also notified the airline that were would be four people missing one or both legs in their group of six. He was assured that there would be the additional wheelchairs waiting both at the airport in Greece and at the airports once arrived back home. Then Ben had waddled to fetch the restoration pen and restored Lena’s leg. Lena had immediately gone for a long stroll with James, who now waddled beside her.
Lily and Hanna were quick to pack everything they didn’t deem necessary for their last day in Greece. Once they were done, they switched into their bathing clothes and headed for the beach, where they were joined by Emily and Ben after a little while.
Around two in the afternoon, Emily and Hanna headed to the kitchen, where Emily began cutting up fruit and vegetables using her feet. They made a big Greek salad and sweet fruits as desert, before Emily went to tell everybody to join them if they wanted. Lily and Ben came and joined them, but Lena and James were still nowhere to be seen.
After their lunch, Ben stowed the leftovers in the fridge, while Lily cleaned the kitchen. Then Emily and Ben went to pack their things. Lily and Hanna went for another swim, this time with their snorkel. Their wetsuits were already in their packed bags, but the water was warm enough anyway.
In the late afternoon, they were joined by Lena and James, who seemed closer than ever. Lily and Hanna didn’t comment on it, but they shot each other knowing grins.
Once Emily and Ben had packed their bags, they too joined their friends by the beach for a last swim, before all of them headed up to the houses.
In the shower, Emily cleaned herself using her legs while sitting down, using a sponge. She did however have to rely on Ben to properly wash her hair. Ben himself only struggled a little with opening the shampoo bottle using his hand and stump, but after a week of missing his hand, he had become quite adept at dealing with almost everything using just one hand and his stump.
Over at the guest house, Lily and Hanna were the first to shower, because they both had both hands at their disposal. Once they were done, Hanna scuttled and Lily hopped into their bedroom to get ready for their last evening, while James helped Lena get properly cleaned up in the shower.
Once everybody was cleaned up, they reconvened in the outdoor kitchen to prepare dinner. Lena visibly enjoyed having her leg back and being able to properly contribute. She was even able to carry things using her stumps. They all prepared dinner together. Ben worked the grill and they all enjoyed one last feast of grilled fish, meat, and stuffed peppers.
After dinner, they cleaned the kitchen together, before sitting down by the beach and looking back on the past week. James, Ben and Lily were drinking a tsipouro, while the others were sipping retsina, Emily and Lena with straws.
“What a week that was”, Hanna said.
“Absolutely wonderful”, Lena agreed. “Thank you for having us, Ben.”
“Oh, it was an absolute pleasure”, Ben replied. “I’m glad you all came and were able to enjoy yourselves.”
“That we sure did”, Lily chimed in. “Hey, I finally got to try out scuba diving. I’ve had that on my list for quite a while.” She grinned.
“Damn, yeah, that was fun”, Hanna agreed and smiled at her girlfriend.
They chatted some more and watched the sunset by the sea. Then came the stars and they all indulged in the breath-taking stellar fireworks once more.
Eventually, the couples turned in one by one, until only Emily and Ben were left by the beach.
“Thank you for taking care of me this week”, Emily said and cuddled up to Ben.
“You know how much I love doing that.”
“I do”, she purred, and they kissed. Kissing turned into fondling (at least from Ben), and they enjoyed one last passionate moment by the beach, before turning in as well. After a quick shower and Ben helping Emily to brush her teeth, to speed things up, they slid into bed, kissed each other goodnight and switched off the lights.
The next morning, Emily woke up first. She quietly slid out of the room and started setting the breakfast table. She was soon joined by Lena and James, and by the time the others arrived, the breakfast table was almost ready.
After breakfast, James, Ben, and Lily went to fetch the deck chairs from the beach, while Hanna and Lily swiped the terrace. Emily cleaned the kitchen as well as she could. After the house was ready, everybody went to fetch their last things before they got into the car.
At the airport, everybody got out of the car, and while Ben returned the rental, they headed to the information desk to pick up the wheelchairs. They were redirected to the priority check in but had to wait for Ben to return with the rental company’s shuttle service. Once he arrived, they checked in together, then made their way to the gate. They drew a lot of attention, but enjoyed it. Over the past few days, they had gotten very comfortable with their shapes.
Their flight took off in the early afternoon and touched down in the early evening. After collecting their luggage, they hugged each other goodbye, and each couple got into a separate cab.
“What a week”, said Ben, when he closed the door behind the cab driver, who had kindly helped them carry their luggage up into their flat.
“A great week”, Emily said and smiled at him.
“You think so?”
“Hell yes! Don’t you? We got engaged, we had an awesome time with our friends, and everything was damn near perfect.
“I’m very happy to hear that. I had a blast as well”, Ben said. “I love you, Em! I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“I love you too”, Emily grinned, leaned in for a hug and kissed her fiancé.
“Let me just fix my leg. I don’t mind the hand, but after a week, I sure am looking forward to walking again normally.” Ben waddled into the bedroom and opened their bag. After a minute or two, he returned on two legs, as if he had never been any different.
Emily was in the living room studying a menu for a new takeaway place that had come in the mail while they were away.
“Do you fancy takeaway tonight? This place looks interesting, they have Syrian food.”
“Sounds great. Let me have a look.”
They sat down on the couch and picked out their orders. Then Ben got up and went to the phone to place their orders, while Emily used her feet to switch on the TV and checked if there was anything worth watching on right now.
Ben returned just as she settled on “Border Patrol Australia”. He scanned the stack of mail on the living room table when walking past, and picked out a letter, before joining Emily on the couch.
“What have you got there?”, she muted the television and turned her attention to Ben and the letter.
“It’s from the company that created the Atomizer. Let me see…” He struggled to open the letter with one hand, but eventually managed by pressing the letter against his knee with his arm stump and ripping it open with his hand. He pulled out the letter and began to read.
“Em, looks like they offer an upgrade for the Atomizer. New functions and more options. They say that for a small fee of €30, they can perform the upgrade at any of their stores, or we send in our device and they send it back with the upgrade installed.”
“Uuuh, that sounds interesting.”
“There’s a whole list of what the upgrades to exactly. Fine tuning for example. Apparently, we can now narrow the beam enough to do precision work. Basically a scalpel for shaping our bodies, amongst other things. There’s a whole range of new functions. What do you think?”
“Let’s do it”, Emily exclaimed excitedly.
“Great! I’ll drop it off at the store on my way to work tomorrow.”
“Awesome!” Emily grinned.
They watched some of the “Border Patrol” episode. Once their food arrived, they sat down by the table and Emily got to practice using her feet as hands some more. After dinner they hopped into the shower, before getting ready for bed. By 10pm, they were both in bed. They wished each other a good night, and Emily closed her eyes. She couldn’t wait what the new upgrade to the Atomizer would bring.