When she answered the newspaper ad a month before school was out she had no idea what it would lead to." The ad had simply said that they were looking for one or two female students to participate in a yearlong clinical test." They preferred an athletically oriented young woman who still had at least two years of school left.?" The selected individual would be paid one thousand dollars per month during the test."

As soon as Tatiana read the ad she grabbed the phone and called to make an appointment for the next day." She left work a few minutes early." Not sure of what the appointment was about, she kept on the skirt and blouse with pantyhose which was the required attire at the office where she worked.

When she arrived for the appointment, she was met by a pretty young woman and a handsome young man who introduced themselves as Mary McDonald and Doctor Jeff Mitchell." They invited her to a chair at a desk in the outer office while Mary sat across from her." As soon as they were seated, Doctor Mitchell offered her a Coke while Mary began to explain what the ad was about." She said,"This is a medical research center." We participate in nation wide research programs." We follow protocols that are designed to add data to a national data bank of information based upon input from several research centers throughout the United States."

Tatiana smiled,"Gosh that sounds important, but how about telling me in plain English what this is all about."

?Tatiana, please let me try," Doctor Mitchell said." "We are a center for medical research." The results of our research is fed into a national databank."

"Well, that's fine Doctor Mitchell, but I still don't understand what you are doing and what you want with me."

?Jeff, please Tatiana, call me Jeff," he said with a kind smile.

"OK Jeff, now what is this all about?"

"We are involved in numerous research projects including some concerning orthopedics."

"Orthopedics!? Wait a minute, that stuff is like broken bones, isn't it?" Tatiana asked with a worried expression on her beautiful face.

"Well, certainly bone fractures are a part of orthopedics, but I assure you that we aren't going to ask you to let us break a leg or an arm."

?Good," Tatiana responded,"because there is no way that I would let you do that, regardless of how much money you paid me."

"Of course Tatiana, and we wouldn't ask you to do that," Jeff responded.?"But, we are conducting a research project on the effects of long term immobilization."

?Long term immobilization?" Just what is that?" Tatiana asked with a frown on her face.

"Well, a fiberglass cast is how it is done," Jeff continued.

"A cast?" You mean like with a broken leg?"

"Yes Tatiana, just like a broken leg." We would place your leg in a cast from your toes to your hip."

?But I could take it off when I wanted to, right?"

"No, I am afraid not." I would place your leg in a cast and then have you use crutches to walk with."

'so, why would you want to do that?" Tatiana asked while becoming concerned that she may have gotten into something more than she would want to do.

Jeff smiled his comforting smile again.?"Tatiana, we put your leg in a cast and then ask that you use crutches and not walk on it." The intention is to have your leg completely immobilized." Every four weeks we will remove the cast, take some measurements of your leg and then put a new cast on." What the research is all about is to find out how quickly the muscle strength will weaken in an immobilized limb."

?That doesn't sound like too good of an idea, besides a limb is something on a tree," Tatiana remarked."

Jeff smiled.

Tatiana continued,"What if the muscles don't come back, or something else?"?

"Well, that is why we will be keeping a close watch, and the reason for the monthly examinations." I can assure you that your leg will not be in danger of permanent damage."

Tatiana smiled,"That's easy for you to say since it isn't your leg."

?Tatiana, but it has been my leg." I have already done the research experiment on myself, and look," he said while lifting the bottom of his trousers legs so she could see,"look my legs are both fine."

"Well, OK, but that still seems like a strange research project."

?Tatiana, the reason we asked for females with an athletic background is so we can get a good data bank on women who have well developed leg muscles." We are trying to measure how fast the muscles will apathy without use, and the only way to do the research is either total bed rest or immobilization with the cast." Now does that help to explain why the cast?"

"Yes, but I'm not convinced that it is something I want to do, I mean wearing a cast and using crutches seems like quite a lot of effort."

?Tatiana, if you don't mind, would you let me examine your legs for a few minutes." Then we can decide if you would even make a good research candidate."

"Well, I guess there isn't any harm in that," she reacted with a little more positive voice.

?Fine Tatiana, now if you will please follow me to the next room and get up on the table with your legs extending out in front of you."

Tatiana followed Jeff's instructions, jumping up and sitting in the center of the table with her legs stretched out in front of her." As he reached down and slipped her shoes off of her stocking covered feet, she felt a slight tingle of excitement flash through her body."

?Tatiana, would you mind removing your pantyhose?" he asked while he ran his hands up and down the calves of her both legs." Then he turned and walked out of the room.

A minute later she called back.?"Jeff, I have removed my pantyhose if you would like to come back in."

When he entered the room he saw Tatiana sitting on the table." She had moved the bottom of her skirt to the top of her legs and pushed the front of it down covering her panties between her legs." Her long, tanned, muscular legs were extended out in front of her."

Jeff placed his left hand under her left ankle." He lifted her leg while remarking,"Tatiana, from the size and firmness of your muscles, it looks like you do a lot of physical activity."

"Yes, I run about five miles three times per week."

He lowered her left leg and lifted her right leg." He felt the muscles in her right leg before lowering it back to the table.?"Tatiana, you can put your pantyhose back on, then come back out to the office and we will talk some more."

When she was dressed again, she walked back out and sat back town at the little desk across from Jeff." "Well Tatiana, I think you are the young woman we have been looking for." So, I need to tell you a little more about what we will do for you and what we will expect that you will do for us."

?Mary will take some measurements of your leg, including some strength measurements." That will be done here in the office." The next day I will put a fiberglass cast on your leg from your toes to your hip and fit you with crutches." You will be expected to not attempt to walk on the cast. Once a month you will come back to the office." I will remove the cast and Mary will do the measurements again." Then I will place a new cast on your leg."

?How long will you be doing this?" Tatiana asked with a sincere expression on her pretty face.

?The evaluation period is nine months in the cast, then a follow-up on a weekly basis after the last cast is removed for three months, or until your leg is back to normal." During the follow-up period I will be running you through a rigorous physical exercise program."

'so, the program will last for a year," Tatiana responded.

"Yes, and we would like for you to begin as soon as possible, that is, if you wish to be a part of the program," Jeff said while placing his hand on hers.

"Well, I have another month before this semester if finished, but I really don't think I am ready yet."

?How about, beginning as soon as school is out?" Maybe during summer school?" Jeff suggested.

?Uh, I don't know." I was thinking about returning to Houston for the summer and moving into an off campus apartment when I returned in the fall."

?Have you considered staying here and taking some summer school classes?" I am sure that we can make some arrangements so you can move into an apartment before we began if it would help you decide to say yes."

Tatiana smiled.?"Jeff, you are making it hard to say no." Let me think about it for a couple of days." I need to see about an apartment and summer school."

Tatiana left the office with a lot on her mind. 'should she walk away from the offer, which would mean walking away from a thousand dollars per month, or should she say yes?" If she said yes, it would mean a major change in her life style." There would be no more jogging and what would it do for her social life?" How would a young woman ever have a date while on crutches with a cast on her leg?"

She spent the next two days alternately wishing she had never answered the advertisement and wanting to say yes.

Tatiana continued to wrestle with the decision to agree or not to agree to wearing a cast on her leg for nine months, until she got a phone call pleading for help.?"Hello Tatiana, this is Jeff." Would you please come by the office this afternoon after work, I would like to talk with you."

Tatiana stopped by Jeff's office like he asked." He invited her in and asked her to take a seat at the desk where he sat down across from her.?"Tatiana, have you made a decision yet?"

'she really didn't want to answer Jeff's question because she still hadn't decided if she was ready to change her lifestyle to the extent a cast and crutches would demand." She smiled a slight grin while looking down at her hands, which she was wringing together." "Well, uh?"

"I take it that you are still undecided?" Jeff's comment was really a question.

?Uh-huh," she said while continuing to avoid making eye contact.

?Have you ever been on crutches or worn a cast before?" he asked.

"No," she responded with a very soft voice.

"Is it the unknown that is bothering you?" You don't know what it will be like on crutches with a cast?" Is that what the problem is?"

"Well, kind of." That is a part of it," she said with her soft voice while continuing to look down at her wringing hands.

"A part of it?" What is the rest of it?" Jeff asked.

"It is so long!? Nine months is such a long time to be like that," she continued.

"Yes, I know, but it takes that long for your leg to be the way we need it to conduct the measurements." Remember Tatiana, I told you that I have already done the research on myself."

"Yes, I know, but? uh, I can't jog or anything like that, and, well, uh, there is my social life." Uh, I'm afraid that no boy will?" her statement was interrupted by tears running down her pretty cheeks."

?Tatiana, I think that I can assure you that the cast will not prevent boys from wanting to meet such a pretty girl as you." In fact, there is some evidence that the cast may attract the boys."

?Really?" You mean that some guys are attracted to a girl in a cast?" she responded with surprise in her voice and on her beautiful face.

"Yes, Tatiana, they are." It wouldn't surprise me that you will have even more opportunities for a date with your leg in a cast."

?Jeff, you are making a cast sound very exciting, but I'm still not sure," she said while feeling a knot forming in her stomach.

"I?ll tell you what Tatiana, I will make you a deal." After you get moved into an apartment and signed up for summer school, I will cast your leg. If, at anytime during the first month you wish to terminate the agreement, I will remove the cast, no questions asked and you can go on about your life as if you had never heard of this." And, I will give you two hundred and fifty dollars for each week you wear the cast."

Tatiana didn't take more than a few seconds before she looked up at Jeff." She smiled and said, OK, that is a deal." And, If I stick it out for the first month, I will wear the cast for the full nine months."

Jeff extended his hand to hers,"We have a deal then." I will draw up a contract that both of us can sign and we can get started as soon as you are ready.?" A couple of days later Tatiana dropped by Jeff's office and signed the contract."

?The next month was very busy for Tatiana." She completed her classes and signed up for summer school." She spent all of her spare time looking for an apartment close to the campus that didn't have stairs to climb."

A week after school was out she had moved into her new apartment and unpacked all of her things." She contacted Jeff and made the arrangements to get her first cast on the Friday before summer school began." The day before her casting, she spent several hours with Mary while she measured her leg in more ways than Tatiana ever believed was possible." That evening Tatiana decided to celebrate her last evening of freedom.

Tatiana didn't have a date, but she knew where the college kids all hung out." She decided to dress up one last time before her casting, so she put on a skirt and blouse with pantyhose and a pair of three inch heels." While she was dressing the reality raced through her mind that she was putting on pantyhose for the last time in nine months." When she had them on, she put on her heels and stood naked, in front of a full length mirror." She said in a whisper, while looking at her right leg,"It will be goodbye to you in the morning, so you should enjoy your last night of freedom," then she giggled and said aloud, 'silly me, here I am talking to my leg like it was a person.?" Then she said,"Maybe I should give you a name." It might be easier to handle if I disassociate myself from you and the cast.?" She thought for another minute before bending down and touching her leg,"I shall call you Peggy, after all, you are about to become my peg leg."

When she completed her little naming game she finished dressing." As she got ready to leave she called out to her leg,"Come on Peggy, this is your last night to shine and I want you to have a lot of fun."

Tatiana drove herself to ?The Hangout? which was actually a pizza bar with a small stage where people would grab a microphone and try to sing, usually after they had already consumed enough beer that they would no longer be embarrassed by their usually poor performance." When she entered the bar she didn't recognize any of the patrons, then she realized that the regulars had probably already gone home for the summer.

Tatiana walked over to the bar and placed an order for a pizza and a beer before securing a small table in the corner." Before long a very tall and very handsome young man walked over to her small table.?"Hello, my name is Jim," he said with a wide smile.

Tatiana looked up, returned his smile and said while extending her right hand,"Hello, my name is Tatiana and this is Peggy."

Jim shook her hand while asking with a slightly puzzled expression on his face,"Peggy?" Is there something wrong with my eyes?" I don't see any Peggy sitting here."

Tatiana could feel her face turning red from embarrassment.?"Uh, oh, I am sorry, it is just an old joke." It really doesn't mean anything." Would you like to join me with my pizza?"

Jim pulled up a chair and sat down." "I am sure that I haven't met you before." Is this your first time in summer school?" he asked a safe question.

Tatiana smiled." "Yes, how about you?"

"Yep, me too.?" There was an embarrassing several moments of silence while Tatiana was sizing Jim up." She thought that he was cute, but she couldn't think about that, she was going to get her leg in a cast in the morning, and that would ruin anything that she might have tried to plan for Jim."

Finally she said,"I think the man at the bar is motioning that the pizza is ready."

Jim jumped up while saying,"Please let me get it.?" While he was walking after the pizza Tatiana had the sobering thought that tomorrow at the same time she would need help with the simplest of tasks like going after the pizza and a pitcher of beer."

While they ate, they discussed the classes they were taking." He was beginning his Senior year in the fall, majoring in engineering." All the time they were eating, Tatiana's mind was racing toward what she was about to do, and suddenly, she was no longer wanting to submit to being casted." Why had Jim suddenly appeared?" She wished that she could tell Jeff no, but wait, she really could tell him no. All she had to do was wear the cast for a week or so and then she could back out of the agreement, but why was she thinking like that?

By the time they were finished eating the pizza, a small, but good band had began to play." Tatiana reached out to Jim's hand." "Would you like to dance with me?" she asked.

"It would be my pleasure," he responded while standing to take her hand."

While they danced, Tatiana pulled him close to her bosom." She could feel her internal fires beginning to boil." She wanted to invite him to her apartment, but she couldn't." She had to get up early the next morning to meet with Jeff and begin her casting adventure.

After a few dances, she led Jim back to the table." When they were seated she asked,"Jim, would you mind removing my shoe and rubbing my foot." I guess I shouldn't have worn these new heels this evening."

Jim smiled a disarming grin." He reached down and guided her right foot and leg to his lap." While he removed her shoe and began to gently massage her soft foot through her pantyhose, Tatiana closed her eyes." She thought,"Peggy, enjoy this because this will be the last time that a man will be able to touch you for the next nine months.?" An hour later she said goodbye to Jim while thinking that she would never see him again."

While removing her pantyhose and getting ready for bed she rubbed her foot like Jim had." "Well, Peggy, I think you had your chance this evening but you blew it, so it will serve you right to be placed in a prison of fiberglass in the morning."

Tatiana overslept Friday morning." When she finally awoke it was already time that she was in Jeff's office." She hurried to put on a pair of shorts, a sweatshirt and a pair of white sox with her jogging shoes." Just as she was ready to walk out the door, the phone rang.?"Hello, yes Jeff, I am sorry but I over slept." I will be there as soon as I can."

She was slightly out of breath and her heart was racing when she entered Jeff's office." She wasn't sure if it was because she had been hurrying or if it was from the stress of giving in to doing something that she wasn't sure she wanted to do.

?Jeff met her at the door." "Are you alright?" You look like you are having a hard time getting your breath?"?

Tatiana walked over and sat down before answering,"Yes Jeff, I'm OK." I just over slept and had to hurry to get here."

He smiled while offering her a glass of water." "Well, Tatiana, are you ready for me to put the cast on your leg?"

She looked up at Jeff, then down to her right leg." She put her hand on her knee while saying,"Well Peggy, are you ready for this?"

"Peggy?" What is that all about?" he asked.

"Well, I have decided to address my leg as another person." I have named it Peggy since it will be like a peg leg as soon as you put the cast on it."

"Oh, I guess I have never heard of that before, but, quite frankly, I think it is a cute idea." Now if you and Peggy will follow me into the next room."

Tatiana followed Jeff into a room with several pairs of crutches hanging on the wall." He selected a pair of wooden crutches and gave them to her.?"Here put these under your arms." Have you ever used crutches before?"

?For a few days while I was in high school." I sprained my ankle and the Doctor had me use them for about a week."

'so you are familiar with the way you walk on crutches?"

"Yes, I think so," she remarked while taking a few steps see, it must be like riding a bicycle, once you have done it, you never forget."

"Yep, that is how it works," Jeff said while watching Tatiana walking around the room without a problem." He helped her to get up on the edge of the casting table with her right leg extending over the edge." Jeff bent down in front of her and removed the shoe and sock from her right foot." He explained the process as he put the stockinet and padding on her leg extending from past her toes to her hip." While he rolled the wet, light blue fiberglass cast over her foot and leg and formed a nice stockinet covered edge at the base of her toes and the top of her leg; she closed her eyes, enjoying the special attention Jeff was giving her." In fact, she felt a flicker of her inner fires from all the attention.

When the cast was finished, he called attention again to the fact that she wasn't to be walking on the cast." He helped her from the table and onto her crutches." For the next few minutes he watched her walk with the crutches before he gave her his cell phone number and told her that she should call him if her leg began to hurt." Then he made an appointment for her to return in four weeks." Before she left his office, she turned facing him on her crutches and gave him a hug." As she left his office she asked herself without an answer, why she had done that.

The first minor crises she experienced with her new cast occurred as soon as she got to her car." She opened the door and sat down on the edge of the seat like she always had." When she began to swing her legs into the car, she immediately banged her casted foot against the doorframe." "Damn Peggy, you are already causing me trouble," she said as she sat in silence for several seconds. Finally she said,"Well Peggy, looks like I have to put you in the car first."?" She stood up and put her casted leg in the car, then she sat down behind the steering wheel." Since the cast was on her right leg, her foot was in the way of the accelerator pedal." "Peggy, I just didn't know how much trouble you were going to cause me," she said to her leg before she scooted far enough out of the car that she could lift her casted leg over the center hump in the floor of the car." When she was finally comfortable she made one last comment directed at her casted leg." "Peggy, I hope you?re happy because you are causing me to have to drive split legged, which is very unlady like."

Tatiana found that walking with the heavy cast on her leg took more energy that she had expected." She went directly home and laid down on the couch." Shortly she was asleep with wonderful dreams jumping through her head." She was jogging through the college campus." As she rounded a corner she came upon Jim, who was seated at a bench, studying an engineering textbook.?"Hello, pretty lady," he said to her.

She stopped and sat beside him.?"Hi yourself," she responded." They continued to have idle chitchat for several minutes while Tatiana was building up courage." Finally, she asked him in her dream,"Would you like to come over this evening?"

As she continued with her pleasant dream she was lying in bed, naked with Jim beside her." She was just about to feel his manliness stimulate her pleasure center when she heard a distant ringing sound." As she fought to push the sound away, her dream of pending pleasure fractured." She shook her head realizing that the ringing sound was not in her dream, but her phone.

She tried to jump up while her mind was still foggy and not focusing on her newly acquired limitations." As she stood on her left foot and tried to place her right foot to the floor, it became too short and she fell, landing on her stomach in the center of the living room floor." She rolled over on her back and began to laugh,"Peggy, I guess you and I, we are going to have to learn how to get along together.?" By the time she had recovered from her fall, the phone had stopped ringing." She crawled on her hands and left knee back to the sofa." As she laid back down she began to cuss the caller who had interrupted her wonderful dream about Jim.

Her second crisis of the day came when she decided to make herself dinner." She walked to the kitchen on her crutches and started reaching for the dishes." Very quickly she realized that she couldn't operate her crutches while carrying anything that could spill." After a few minutes of trying to carry dishes with food on them she spilled a bowl of fresh peaches. She yelled to Peggy that it was all her fault before she decided that she would have to lean on her crutches while sliding things along the counter without carrying them if she ever wanted to survive Peggy's cast.

? Bedtime meant shower time, but that also meant a new frustration." Tatiana had already become so frustrated that she was no longer thinking, just reacting." She walked to the bedroom on her crutches and sat on the edge of the bed." After removing the shoe and sock from her left foot, she removed her sweatshirt." She stood on her crutches, being careful not to place any weight on her casted leg, just as Jeff had instructed her." She slipped her shorts off her hips and down her cast and finely shaped left leg." She stepped out of her shorts lying on the floor and walked to the shower on her crutches." Just as she was ready to step into the shower and turn the water on she realized what she was about to do." "Damn it Peggy," she yelled out with a raised voice,"here you are screwing with me again."

She stared at her cast with so much anger she couldn't think. She just wanted out of it." She even had thoughts of looking for a saw that she could use to cut it off." After several seconds she got out of the shower and walked to the kitchen for a plastic bag." She returned to her bed, sat down and placed the bag over her cast while tears welled up in her eyes." "Peggy, I just don't know if I am going to keep you or not."

After her shower, Tatiana went to bed, but she didn't go to sleep." She began to question again if she should have agreed to the cast." So far everything that she had done had gone wrong." She fell off the couch, spilled her peaches while trying to fix something to eat and she had just had a terrible time trying to take a shower while balancing on crutches with a big plastic bag over her cast." Oh yeah, and then there was that horrible experience with getting into her car." Truly, she was wondering if she had done the right thing."

After hours of tossing and turning punctuated with her mind exercises and the fact that, no matter how she tried to lay, the cast was uncomfortable and in the way, she just couldn't stand to wear it more that the one week that she had promised herself that she would.

The next morning after struggling to make herself some breakfast she sat on her couch and cried for a few minutes." She decided that she would have to make the best of it until the next Friday, then she would go to Jeff and have him cut it off while playing like it had all been nothing more than a bad dream.

"When Tatiana walked up to her car she said while realizing that she was really talking to herself,"Alright Peggy, we have already been through this once, are you going to create a problem again?"

While walking through the mall, Tatiana noticed that several people stopped to watch her as she glided along on her crutches." Once, while sitting down to rest her hands which had not developed the calluses necessary to prevent blisters, a young man walked over and began a conversation about her cast." While looking intently down toward the light blue prison of fiberglass surrounding her leg, he asked,"Uh, what happened to your leg?"

Since Tatiana had not been asked the question before, and she hadn't thought about it, she was momentarily caught off guard. She wasn't about to try to explain the real reason for her cast so she said,"Uh, well, uh, I broke it." I uh, well, uh, I stepped in a hole in the street and broke my ankle."

"Oh," the young man said before turning around and walking away.

As soon as he was gone Tatiana said,"Peggy, I think we have to come up with a better story than that, maybe, something risky like falling from a horse, or something like that." Something where I was doing a crazy, daring, but not stupid thing, something with adventure in it because falling down isn't dramatic enough."

Monday morning was the first day of summer school." Tatiana drove her car to the campus and turned into the closest handicapped parking place she found." She had already managed to get Peggy out of the car and stand on her crutches. She was being very careful with her crutches due to the blisters on her hands that she had developed while at the mall." She had just closed the car door and was ready to start walking toward her first class when a police officer walked up. He drew his ticket book from his pocket as he said,"Ma-am, I am sorry but you can't part there, it is a handicapped parking place.?"

Tatiana looked down to the blue cast completely encasing her right leg, ant then back up to the officer.?"But sir, can't you see that I am handicapped?"

"Well, yes ma-am, I can see that you are in a cast, but I can't see a handicapped pass on your car, without a pass you can't park in a handicapped parking place.?"

"I'm sorry officer, but I just got this cast last Friday, and, well, uh," tears began to run down her beautiful cheeks,"I didn't know." Please sir, isn't there anything that I can do?" I am already late to class, and, well, uh, I didn't know about the pass." Please, can I just park here one time?"? She sniffed back tears while looking into the officer's eyes." "I promise that, as soon as class is out, I will get a pass, that is if you can tell me how to get it."

"Well, OK, just this one time but don't ever try to park here again without the pass."

Tatiana wiped the tears from her eyes, smiled and said,"Thank you officer."

Tatiana's cast and crutches went unnoticed for the next couple of days." On Wednesday, she was in the Campus Activities Center trying to make it through the food line with a tray when a young man behind her said,"Here, may I help you," while reaching out to take her tray."

She smiled and said,"Thank you, I would appreciate it." Trying to carry a tray and use crutches at the same time is difficult."

The young man carried her tray to an empty table where he placed it for her." As he was getting ready to walk away she said,"If you don't have anyone else to set with, I would appreciate it if you would share my table with me."

The young man grinned." He pulled Tatiana's chair out and helped her be seated before taking her crutches." After being seated himself he remarked.?"Being on crutches must be really difficult." What happened to your leg?"

Tatiana had already mad up a story about falling down but she didn't think it was good enough." She sat in silence for a few seconds, pretending that she was chewing a bite of food while she tried to come up with a better story." She wanted to have a real heroin story like being chased by robbers or something but she thought that might be too dramatic." Finally she decided to ease herself into a story about riding a horse." She looked toward the young man who had told her his name was Charles." She said,"Charles, have you ever ridden a horse?"

?Uh, no, why?"

"Well," she started to feel safe with her story since he said he had never ridden a horse."I was riding a horse and?"

Charles interrupted,"Oh my god, you fell off the horse and broke your leg?" His statement sounded as if it was with shock and question.

Tatiana was planning to tell him how the horse had rolled on her leg but she liked the way Charles had reacted so she decided to enhance his reaction." "Yes Charles, I fell off the horse, but it wasn't like that." You see, I was riding down along the Rio Grand, you know, the Bad Lands area?" Tatiana didn't know if there was a Bad Lands area or not but she knew that it would sound good." It appeared obvious to her that she was sucking Charles in because he was eating up every word of her story."

?The Bad Lands, uh-huh, oh yeah, the Bad Lands," he said while shaking his head, yes.

"Anyhow, as we, uh the horse and me, as we rounded a corner on the trail a rattlesnake made a rattling sound with his tail."

"Oh god, not a rattlesnake, how awful!?

"Yep, a rattlesnake." Tatiana was really into her story.?"My horse heard the sound." You know Charles, horses are deathly afraid of rattlesnakes!?

"Oh yes, deathly afraid of rattlesnakes." Tatiana was sure that Charles was buying ever word of her story.

"Anyhow Charles, when the horse spooked, as I fell off. I felt a searing pain flash through my body like I had been struck by lightning as I hit my leg against the rocks."

?Gosh Tatiana, what did you do?" I mean, how did you catch your horse again?"

"Oops," Tatiana thought to herself." She hadn't thought about that part of her story."

While she was trying to think of an answer Charles said,"I guess you must have kept a hold of the reins when you fell."

?Uh yes, that's right, I kept a hold of the reins when I fell."

Charles smiled,"Tatiana, I must say that was a fascinating story you just told me, but really how did you break your leg?"

Tatiana hoped that Charles couldn't see her face turning red.?"Uh, OK, really Charles," she was trying to decide whether to tell him that she had stepped in a hole and broken her leg, or if she should go into the whole thing about the medical experiment." "Would you believe that I am being paid to wear this cast on my leg?"

'sure Tatiana, tell me more," Charles responded with an eager voice and a wide smile."

"Well, I answered an ad in the newspaper wanting a young woman to wear a cast on her leg for nine months to conduct a medical research project on muscle apathy."

?Medical research huh, why are they researching something like that?" he asked with a sincere voice.

Tatiana had to think for a few seconds because Jeff had not really explained why, other than they wanted to measure apathy and how quickly the recovery time was." Finally she said while she could feel her face becoming flushed,?"Uh, I guess it has something to do with how quickly a person can recover form a fracture."

Charles smiled." He reached out and placed his hand on her arm."Tatiana, there isn't anyway that story is true." But, I have to tell you that you have a great imagination." Now, what did you really do, step in a hole and break your leg?"

Tatiana looked down at the table with embarrassment on her face." "Yes Charles, that is actually what I did." I was in my back yard and stepped in a hole, breaking my ankle."

When she was done with her story Charles pushed his chair back, said,"Tatiana, I have to tell you that you are one hell of a story teller," then he stood and walked away while shaking his head." As he left, Tatiana told herself that she was never going to try to explain the medical research project to anyone else, and she was never going to try out her horse story again." The best story was just going to be the lie about stepping in a hole in her back yard.

A couple of days later Tatiana was coming out of the library on her crutches." She was looking down at the steps she was about to descend when she heard a familiar voice call out,"Tatiana, wait up." What happened to you?"? She felt her heart begin to race as she looked up." "Oh god," she told herself,"now what am I going to do?" I can't run and I don't know what I am going to say."

CHAPTER 5 - Would You Like a Date?

Tatiana felt panic racing through her veins." It was Jim and she didn't know how to explain her cast." She had a quick thought that she might try to ignore him, but not only did she not want to, but she knew that she couldn't." She looked his way while she could feel her face becoming flushed." She leaned on her crutches while raising her right hand to make a slight waive while responding with the best smile she could make.?"Hi Jim, fancy seeing you here."

His first question was,"Gosh what happened to you?"

Tatiana tried to hold her smile." "It is a long story," she responded while wishing that she could get away with that meager answer."

?How about a cup of coffee while you tell me the long story," Jim said while stepping closer to her." He reached out and took the book she was trying to hold under her arm while using her crutches.

"On, not right now," Tatiana said while wanting very badly to talk with him, but just not about the cast which she was sure would be his first question again.

Jim had already started to walk with her and he had her book so she felt that she had no choice other than to follow him to the Campus Activities Center." When they got to the building, he held the door open for her before following her to the small coffee shop. He pulled out her chair before taking her crutches and leaning them against the wall."

While Jim was gone after the cups of coffee Tatiana tried to go over the best answer she could think of to the obvious question of her casted leg." She thought of trying the horse story but she wasn't ready to be embarrassed again over a horse." She thought that the truth might be the best answer, but she had been accused of lying with that story." Finally she decided to stick to the story about stepping in the hole." When Jim returned, he set the cups down, pulled out a chair and sat down." He placed his elbows on the table, cradled his chin in his hands, leaned forward to where his face was only a foot from hers." While looking directly into her eyes he said, 'so pretty lady, what happened to your leg?"

Tatiana was so taken aback by Jim's direct and close eye contact that she felt herself become short of breath while her body was beginning to tingle all over."Her heart began to beat even faster that it already was." Her mind went blank.?"Huh?" she responded.

"I ask you, pretty lady, what happened to your leg?"

?Uh, my leg?" Her focus was so distracted she had forgotten about her leg.

"Yes pretty lady, what happened to your leg?"? He asked again while still looking into her eyes.

She decided to go with the simple, but untruthful answer.?"Uh, I broke it," she answered while hoping that was enough of an answer.

?Broke it?" How? When?"

"Yes Jim, I broke my leg." I stepped in a hole and broke my ankle last Friday."

"Does it still hurt?" he asked with more sincerity than Tatiana had expected.

?Uh," her mind had to work quickly,"uh yes, a little.?" She reached down and placed her hand on the knee of her cast,"But, it doesn't hurt much now."

?Good," Jim responded,"because I would like to take you to dinner tomorrow evening."

Tatiana could feel her body become drenched in the adrenaline rush of excitement." She had been dreaming of a date with Jim from the first time she had seen him, but she had decided that it would never happen, particularly since she had given in to being casted." She wanted to reach out and grab his face and pull his lips to hers, but she realized that it would be more bold that she should be, at least for the present." If everything worked out, maybe she would have the opportunity to place her hot lips on his lips a little while later." "Well Jim," she began while trying to not look too eager,"what did you have in mind?"

?How about me taking you to a nice restaurant and then out to a play." There is a new off Broadway play being presented tomorrow evening at the Palace Theater."

"Are you sure that you want to take me out, uh, I mean, with this cast on my leg and my crutches, are you really sure?" Tatiana asked while wondering if she should be questioning Jim on his motives for asking her for a date.

?Tatiana, I am interested in you, not your leg, uh, I mean, of course," his face became flushed from embarrassment,"uh, well, uh, you can bring your leg along also," he said with a chuckle.

Tatiana bent down as if talking to her casted leg,"Do you hear that Peggy, the good man has invited you to come along with me."

Jim looked down at Tatiana's casted leg, and back into her face with a puzzled expression on his face." "Peggy?" Who's Peggy?"

Tatiana could feel her face becoming red.?"Uh," she responded with a stupid smile on her pretty face." "Peggy is the name I have given to my casted leg." Don't you think it is cute?"

"What, the name or your casted leg?"

Tatiana wasn't expecting a response like that so, you think my cast is cute?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, yes, I think your cast is cute and very sexy, don't you?"

"I have to admit," Tatiana responded,"I had never thought of a leg cast as being either cute or sexy, but now that you speak of it, well?"? She let her statement die before completing her sentence.

Tatiana felt her body melting as she stood on her crutches and tried to walk to her car after her encounter with Jim." For the rest of the day, she was unable to concentrate on anything other that the date she was going to have with Jim the next evening." She was rehearsing what she was going to wear, and what she was going to say." She was even going over in her mind how she was going to act around him because she wanted to make the best possible impression.

Tatiana fell asleep that night with visions of Jim flashing non-stop through her mind." She could feel her body tingle with excitement when she awaken in the middle of the night with her hand between her legs and visions of Jim lying beside her in bed with his face next to hers and his arms tightly embracing her hot throbbing body."

She was so excited the next morning that she couldn't concentrate on her classes." As soon as he last class was over, she rushed home while she was going over an inventory in her mind of what she was going to have to do to get ready for her date with Jim."

First on her list was to take a shower and shampoo her hair." After removing all of her clothes, Tatiana stood on her crutches in front of a full-length mirror." As her eyes passed from her full and rounded breasts down her hourglass waist and past the little crop of dark brown hair marking the sensual spot between her legs, her eyes focused upon the light blue fiberglass prison encasing her right leg from her hip to her toes." She said,"Well Peggy, I am not sure whether you have been a help or a hindrance in snagging Jim, but I sure hope you don't get in the way later if I decide to invite Jim to do something with the rest of me."

Tatiana placed a plastic bag over her cast and wrapped some tape around the top before she entered the shower. She sat on a small seat molded into the shower while she carefully shaved her left leg before finishing her shower and shampoo." After she was finished she removed the plastic bag from her casted leg." She slipped on a pair of black thong panties before sitting on the edge of the bed." She carefully polished her toenails while talking to Peggy about looking good for Jim." "I want you to be nice, look smart and not get in the way while we are with Jim." And above all, if he makes a pass at you, just enjoy his attention, because I think that he likes you."

Tatiana stood long enough to attach a black garter belt around her shapely waist before sitting back down." She worked a black nylon stocking over her thumbs while telling Peggy,"I sure am glad that we went shopping in the mall for these stockings last Sunday.?" She slipped the soft, sheer fabric over her toes, and soft heel."As she extended her leg, she pulled the thin nylon skin up her leg, over her calf and over her rounded knee before pulling the reinforced top of the stocking to the top of her left thigh where she attached it to the garters.

Tatiana slipped a strapless bra over her large, rounded love mounds before standing on her crutches." She stepped into a black half-slip that stopped just above her knees." She finished her sensual dressing activities with a form fitting one piece black dress with spaghetti straps and a full skirt that extended to the center of her knees." She selected a two inch heeled, open toed black sandal with a strap around her heel, which she set out in a convenient location with future plans for Jim.

Once she was dressed she combed her hair and applied a light coat of make-up while waiting for her date to arrive." Just as the clock turned to seven o?clock, she heard the doorbell." She walked to the door on her crutches." She opened the door, stood back and smiled as she watched Jim's eyes sweep her figure from her head to her toes and back again." "Wow, you look beautiful this evening," he said with excitement in his voice.

Won't you please come in?" she responded with a pleasant smile while her heart raced in her chest.

CHAPTER 6 - Come-Hither

Tatiana watched as her handsome date entered her apartment." His eyes followed hers as she looked down to her left foot in he black nylon stocking." She cleared her throat with a shy cough while pretending that she was needing his help." She said while pointing toward her foot and then to the shoe she had placed on the chair in her living room.?"Jim," she said while wiggling her toes through her black stocking before walking on her crutches over to the chair "Would you please help me with my shoe?"

He smiled an embarrassed grin while saying,"Uh, sure."

Tatiana walked to the chair, removed her crutches and lifted her casted right leg forward while bending to sit on the chair." Jim immediately walked over, keeled in front of her and reached out with his left hand to place his fingers around her left ankle." Tatiana felt a quick flurry of excitement race through her body while his strong fingers wrapped around her ankle." He lifted her foot into the air and gently slipped the sandal over her toes and lifted the blackstrap over her heel."

Tatiana knew she had his full attention as he finished, when he moved his soft fingers up the back of her nylon covered leg while looking into her big dark eyes." She returned his gaze with a smile and a soft,"Thank you, I don't know what I would have done without your help."

Jim stood." He reached out, took Tatiana's hands in his and helped her stand before handing her the crutches." "If you are ready, pretty lady, I am ready to show you a great evening."

"Please, lead the way," Tatiana responded.

Jim stepped ahead of her at the car." He opened the door allowing her to back up and turn so she could remove her crutches and sit on the edge of the seat." After taking her crutches, he bent down, placed his hands under the calf of her cast and lifted her leg." He guided her foot while she turned her leg into the car."

As they were driving to the restaurant, Jim asked,"Well Tatiana, how is your leg?" I mean, does it still ache?"

Tatiana had forgotten about the lie she had told him." "Ache?" No, my leg doesn't hurt at all, it's a medical exp?.,?" she quickly cut her words off in mid sentence."

"What do you mean, it was a medical something?" Jim asked with a sincere voice.

Tatiana quickly tried to think." Did she want to admit what the real reason for the cast was, or should she try to talk herself out of the situation." She really liked Jim, and she hated to lie to him, but she just knew that he would think she was dumb to have agreed to such a crazy medical research project." Finally she answered,"Well, it is obviously a medical thing, I mean, I broke my leg, so why shouldn't it be." I was just trying to explain why it no longer hurt." You know, after a while, a broken bone will usually stop aching, and mine has."

"Oh, I thought you were going to tell me some big medical thing," Jim replied with no more concern in his voice.

Jim parked at the restaurant and hurried to Tatiana's side of the car." He opened the door, reached inside and lifted her casted leg." While guiding it through the door he placed his hand over her toes, protecting them from being bumped into the door edge." As his warm, soft hand cupped around her toes, Tatiana felt shivers of excitement flood through her veins. She wanted to say something but decided to wait until later.

They were quickly shown to a dark corner with a candle burning in the center of the table." Jim took her crutches before helping her to be seated." He sat across from her." While waiting on their meal Tatiana reached out and took Jim's hand." "I want to thank you for your kind assistance this evening."

"Assistance?" What have I done?" Jim asked with innocence in his voice.

?Helping me with my shoe and then with my cast." You know, helping me get my leg in the car, and then that little thing you did with covering my toes while helping me get my casted leg out of the car."

"Oh, that." That wasn't anything special." I just wanted to help you with your cast." After all, it isn't frequent that a man gets to help a pretty girl who has one of her beautiful legs all wrapped up in a cast like yours."

Suddenly, Tatiana began to remember back to what Jeff had told her while he was trying to convince her to wear the cast." He had told her that some men liked women in leg casts and she was beginning to think that she had just found one." She thought about asking him if he was turned on by her cast, but then she decided not to, it might be embarrassing, and she was beginning to really enjoy the evening with him.

Throughout their meal Tatiana wondered if she should tell him the truth about her cast and ask if he was a cast lover." Twice she almost told him, but both times he began to speak about how lucky he was to have bumped into her at the library." Finally she decided not to tell him her little secret because she didn't want to chase him away.

After dinner Jim helped Tatiana from the restaurant and to his car." While driving to the theater he said,"I hope you enjoy the play."

Tatiana reached out and took his hand in hers." She said,"I am sure I will," while her mind was really focused upon another type of play that she was hoping Jim and she would engage in after the theater play was finished.

Jim parked the car as close as possible to the front door of the theater." He helped Tatiana from the car and onto her crutches for the walk inside." He had selected a pair of seats on an aisle where Tatiana could rest her casted leg in the aisle if the top of her cast began to bite into the back of her leg."

All through the play, Tatiana focused more on her thoughts than the play.?" Her mind was racing through her plans for Jim after the play was over." She was going to ask him in, then she was going to serve him a drink while telling him that she wanted to change her clothes and get comfortable." She was going to return from her bedroom wearing the most seductive clothes she owned." Then she was going to fall all over him, leading him to take her into the bedroom and make passionate love to her.

When the play was over Jim turned to Tatiana,"Did you enjoy the play?" he asked.

'sure, it was great," she answered, before asking,"Jim, would you like to take me back home so we can have a drink together?"

"I would love too," he responded before standing and helping her onto her crutches.

As they drove home Tatiana reached over and took Jim's right hand in hers." She placed it on her left knee covered in nylon." Then she leaned her head against his shoulder." She could feel her body becoming warm all over.

Jim parked in front of her apartment." He opened her car door and helped her out." As he stood her up and placed her crutches under her arms, Tatiana felt weak all over from the sensual thoughts she had just had.

Once they were inside her apartment, Tatiana showed Jim where the liquor was stored before she rested on her crutches long enough to kick her shoe off.?"Jim, why don't you make us a drink while I go to the bedroom and get into something more comfortable!?

A few minutes later Tatiana returned from her bedroom wearing a nylon stocking thin black gown over her black strapless bra." She was still wearing her garter belt with her black nylon stocking, but she had placed her black bikini panties over the garter straps." She was wearing a three inch heeled mule on her left foot." She had also slipped the toe of a matching black nylon stocking over her toes in her cast.

When she entered the room, Jim's eyes immediately panned from her head to her toes and back again while his face was painted with a wide smile and his eyes danced." "Wow Tatiana, you are beautiful!?

She washed her face in a shy grin while tilting her head and looking at the floor with an "Ah-shucks, who me?" response. She held out her arms while leaning on her crutches, then she looked into his eyes with a ?come hither? expression dancing in her eyes.

Jim stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her wonderfully shaped body, pulling her large breasts tightly into his chest while holding his lips just a couple of short inches from hers." Tatiana closed her eyes and leaned forward slightly while placing her throbbing lips firmly against his, locking his lips to hers."

After a quick, but passionate kiss, Tatiana moved her head back, separating her lips from his.?"Jim, have you got our drinks ready yet?"

Tatiana walked to the couch on her crutches." She removed her crutches and sat at one end of the couch before looking up to take her drink from Jim." After he sat beside her, he remarked,"Do you know how sensual you look this evening?"

Tatiana smiled her "Ah-shucks? smile again while looking down,"Now why would you think that?"

Jim chuckled, 'so, you don't think you are sensual looking tonight?"

"Well," she reacted with innocence,"maybe, just a little, but don't you like it?" I mean, you know Peggy and I got all dressed up like this just for you."

?Just a little?" Pretty lady, you are the most sensual thing that I have ever seen."

With that remark, Tatiana knew that she was about to get exactly what she was hoping for.

CHAPTER 7 - Passion Builds

As soon as Jim sat down beside Tatiana on the couch she turned and said with a smile,"Would you mind helping me lift my legs across your lap?" My left leg is very tired, you know it has been doing the work of two ever since Peggy decided to get all casted up."

Tatiana could tell by the expression on Jim's face that he was going to enjoy complying with her request." He placed his drink on the end table beside the couch." He leaned down and placed one hand around her nylon covered left ankle while placing his other hand around the ankle of her baby blue fiberglass cast." He lifted them while Tatiana turned on the cushion of the couch." Jim placed her legs across his lap while she smiled contently.

Jim began to massage her left foot through her black nylon stocking, beginning at her toes." As Jim's strong fingers gently kneaded the high arch of her small foot, Tatiana laid back on the arm of the couch and closed her eyes." Quickly she fell asleep."

Tatiana was standing before Jim on her crutches with tears streaming down her cheeks.?"Honestly Jim, I wasn't trying to deceive you when I told you that I had broken my leg."

?But you lied to me Tatiana!? How can I trust you enough to marry you if you are going to lie to me about such a simple thing as why you are wearing that cast on your leg?"

"I'm so sorry Jim." Please forgive me." I wasn't trying to lie to you, it was just that I thought you would think that I was stupid for agreeing to wear a cast for money." I just needed the money to pay for school and I thought this was a good way of getting money."

?But money to wear a cast?" You have got to be kidding!?

"No Jim, I'm not." And if you can't accept that,"well, you can just leave."

Her last words,"you can just leave? were spoken aloud.

Tatiana was awakened by Jim shaking her shoulder." He was asking in a raised and near panic ridden voice,"Just leave? Tatiana, why are you telling me to leave?" Have I done something wrong?"

Jim's reaction startled Tatiana from a dream filled sleep to wide awake in an instant." She was confused by the way Jim was reacting and why he was talking about leaving.?"Huh, what are you talking about?" she asked." "I don't want you to leave," she exclaimed with a loud, reactive voice.

?But you just told me to!? he responded with a questioning voice.

It took Tatiana a few seconds to realize what had happened." Now she was faced with trying to explain herself out of the situation." She took a deep breath before starting.?"Jim, I am sorry but I haven't been honest with you about my cast."

"Oh, what is there to be dishonest about?" You broke your leg and now you have a cast on it!? his response was sincere.

"Well, actually Jim, I haven't broken my leg.?" She paused for a few seconds while she felt her face becoming hot and flushed.?"Uh, Jim, my cast is a part of a medical research project."

"A research project?" What are you researching? I don't understand. Is it something like, can you get sympathy from guys if you walk around the campus on crutches?"

Tatiana took a deep breath while wondering if she should be angry over his accusation." "No Jim, it isn't an experiment to try to catch guys.?" While saying that she had to bite her tongue to not also say,"but it worked on you." "After another few seconds to calm herself over his comment she continued."Jim, I saw an ad in the school paper." They were offering to pay for a young woman to wear a cast on her leg to conduct a medical research project concerning muscular apathy and how quickly the muscle would recover after nine months of being immobilized in a cast."

"Oh," was Jim's only comment." Then be began to massage her upper leg through the reinforced top of her nylon stocking.

?Jim, are you OK with this?" I mean, do you have a problem with me wearing a cast for medical research?"

Jim turned his face to look directly into her big dark eyes." He reached out, pulled her lips to his and placed a passionate kiss on her rosy lips." He smiled,"What do you think?"

Tatiana returned his kiss." "I think it is time that you moved your hand from the top of my stocking to the center of my panties."

The next morning Tatiana awoke to Jim lying in bed beside her." He was naked, and she was only wearing the big baby blue cast on her right leg." She rolled over, pulled his face to hers and kissed his lips before saying,"I think you have more than answered my question about me wearing a cast for medical research."

He smiled,"Only nine months?" Are you sure that it is long enough?"

Tatiana told herself,"I sure hope that his interest is in me and not just my cast."

Jim and Tatiana were an un-separable item for the next month." One weekend Jim, who knew of Tatiana's passion for the outdoors surprised her with a camping trip." They had already agreed that they were going to drive out to the lake, take a short hike in a wooded area and have dinner over an open campfire." Then, as far as Tatiana knew, they were going to return to her apartment after dinner.

When Jim picked her up, she noticed several canvas bags in the back of the car." She asked,"Jim, what are those things?"

He smiled,"Oh, just something that I thought we might need for later."

"What are you planning?" she tried to quiz him but he wouldn't tell her anything."

Once they arrived at the lake, Jim stopped at the guardhouse." "Please stay here, I?ll be back in a minute," he said before leaving the car."

When he returned, Tatiana asked with a wide smile,"Jim, what are you planning?" Is that a tent in one of those bags?"

?Maybe yes and maybe, no," he smiled a wide grin.

"Oh, you dirty dog, we are going to camp out in a tent tonight, aren't we?"

"If I say yes, will that make you mad?" he giggled.

Tatiana reached over, pulled his face to hers and placed a quick kiss on his lips before answering,"I"D love it." Being with you in a tent is a wonderful idea."

As soon as they were parked, Tatiana was out of the car, onto her crutches and asking what she could do to help set up camp." Jim looked at her with a smile, then he walked to the back of the car, removed a folding chair, opened it and said, 'sit down and watch while I erect the tent, then you can get inside and make up the bed."

Once the tent was up, Jim put two air matrices and some bedding in the tent and said,"OK Tatiana, now you can make up the bed while I get the cooking equipment setup."

After the camp was made, they began a short hike along a trail leading into the small wooded area." Although Tatiana had been on crutches for three weeks already, her body and hands was still not completely accustomed to the stress of long walks on crutches with the heavy cast encasing her right leg."

Several times in their brief hike she stopped." During one stop, Tatiana stepped in front of Jim, wrapped her arms around him and pulled his muscular body tightly against hers while shivers of passion shot through her wanting body like bolts of lightning flashed through the sky during a summer afternoon storm." She pressed her lips against his. Her lips parted as his did, while his hot tongue passed her throbbing lips." They held to that sensuous embrace for several seconds before parting." Their eyes met with an understanding of the pleasure had just experienced.

After eating dinner they held hands for a while as they sat by the fire." Before long, Tatiana turned around and placed her legs across Jim's lap." As he began to massage her toes in her cast, she began to feel her inner fires starting to boil.?"Jim," she said in a whisper,"I'm afraid that we have started something that we can't finish out here."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, in a tent, what if someone comes by and knows what we are doing?"

'so!? Don't you think that they will have been doing it also?"

Tatiana responded with an embarrassed,"Well, yes, I guess so.?" Then she lifted her legs off of Jim's lap, reached for her crutches and said with a giggle,"I bet I can get to the tent before you."

When it came time for her first return visit to see the Doctor, Jim went with her." He insisted upon being in the room with her while the cast was removed, her leg was tested and measured and a new cast just like the original was reapplied." While the Doctor was applying the new cast to her leg, Jim asked questions." He wanted to know all about the way a cast was applied, how long it took to dry and why the cast was made of fiberglass rather than plaster.

After they were finished at the Doctor's office, Jim took her to a nice restaurant for a candlelight dinner." While they ate, Jim said,"Thank you for letting me accompany you to the Doctor." I have always wanted to see how a cast was applied." I fount it very interesting."

Tatiana reached out, took his hand in hers and said,"Thank you for coming with me." I was very much afraid that it would hurt. I didn't know how they cut casts off and I could just see my leg being ripped from my toes to my hip." After dinner, they went to her apartment for a night of hot, passionate lovemaking."

Tatiana didn't understand why, but unfortunately, Jim's passion faded as quickly over the next week after he watched her getting an new cast as it began a few weeks earlier when he first saw her in the cast.

CHAPTER 8 - Gotcha

Tatiana was very surprised when Jim's passion fell of so quickly. She thought that he had enjoyed their passion as much as she had, but almost overnight he didn't appear to be interested in her any longer." After a few days of wondering sprinkled with a few tears, she decided to move on.

Tatiana had spent a couple of weeks without Jim at her side when she caught a glimpse of him setting on a bench outside the library." She felt at first like she wanted to walk up to him and ask what was wrong, but she was upstairs in the building." Before she had the opportunity to get to the elevator and out to where he was setting, the problem became very obvious."

Tatiana observed a beautiful young woman with very long dark hair walking toward him." At first she didn't think much of it, but as she watch the young woman she could see over a clump of bushes that she was walking with a limp, almost like one leg was longer than the other." As the young woman walked past the bushes Tatiana could see the reason." She was wearing a big white cast on her right foot." By the way she was walking without crutches, it appeared that she was wearing a short leg cast with a rubber walking pad on the bottom.

Tatiana thought at first that she would try to catch the young woman and challenge her to taking her boyfriend, but she had second thoughts." If Jim was that much of a two-timer, she was going to have a better plan for him than just walking up to the young woman on her crutches and saying,"Hi.?" She stayed in the shadows of the bushes while she watched the young woman walk over to Jim, smile and sit down beside him." Tatiana's heart began to ache as she watched him reach out, place his hands on both sides of her face, bring her face to his and place a long kiss on her lips." She wanted to jump up, run over and hit him over the head with one of her crutches while tears were welling up in her big dark eyes.

Tatiana remained in control of her emotions to the point that she didn't run out and create a scene." She decided to get to Jim through the young woman so she remained hidden until they parted company." Once the young woman walked away, Tatiana began to follow her while seeing how huge the cast on the young woman's right foot really was." It appeared that the person who had applied it had some weird sense of trying to handicap her with the thickness of the cast under her foot.

When Tatiana caught up to her she said,?"Uh Miss," as she approached the young woman from behind."

The young woman stopped and looked over her shoulder." When she saw that her pursuer was on crutches with a huge cast on her right leg, the young woman stopped." "Yes, can I help you?" she responded with a faint smile on her pretty face.

Tatiana answered,"Ma-am, I think we need to talk."

'sure, but what about?"

Tatiana motioned to a bench setting a few feet away.?"Can we go over there and sit down?" I don't know about you, but it doesn't take a lot of walking on these crutches before I need a rest."

The young woman smiled,"Yes, I understand what you are saying," then she led the way to the bench.

After they were both comfortably seated the young woman asked,"What is this about?"

Tatiana introduced herself by stating her name and offering her right hand." The young woman responded,"My name is Charity and it is nice to meet you, but why were you following me and why did you ask me to stop and talk with you?"

Tatiana could feel her face becoming flushed.?"Uh, I'm sorry, uh, but this is a delicate subject, uh, I'm not sure why I even called for you to stop and talk with me."

"Well, since you have, and I have agreed to stop and listen to you, why don't you just go ahead and spell it out, surely there can't be that big a deal when we have just met."

"Well, uh, it's that guy I saw you kissing back there."

Now it was Charity's turn to feel her face becoming flushed."Oh that," she responded.?"But, what is it to you?" she asked.

"Well, I think his name is Jim, right?" Tatiana said while knowing she was correct.

?Uh, yes, but so what?" Is he your boyfriend?"

"Is?" Well, no, but he was, that was until a few days ago, then he just stopped coming around or calling me."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Charity said.?"But what does that have to do with me?"

Tatiana pointed down to the white rock of fiberglass imprisoning Charity's right foot, then to the fiberglass prison covering her entire right leg.?"This!? Can't you see the connection between you in a leg cast and me in a leg cast?"

"Well, I guess it looks like Jim has managed to find two women who have broken a leg, but so what?" Why does that have anything to do with me, uh, us, other than he was your boyfriend and now he is mine?"

Tatiana answered with a question."Let me ask you, were you wearing the cast on your leg when he first met you?"

"Actually, no," Charity responded." "We had been in class for a couple of weeks together when I broke my ankle."

?Had he paid any special attention to you before you got your cast?" Tatiana asked while being pretty sure that she already knew the answer.

"No," Charity answered with a smile.?"But," she continued while pointing her finger toward Tatiana,"I have a feeling that you already knew what I was going to say."

Tatiana returned her smile.?"How long was it after you showed up in that cast before you became the total focus of his attention?"

?The first day that I was back in class, but how about you?" You seem to already have been there." How did it happen with you?" Charity asked.

"I met Jim once before the cast." Then we accidentally met on the steps of the library right after I got my cast." From that moment on, Jim was like my shadow, uh, that is until almost two weeks ago." Then, almost overnight he quit calling and I haven't seen him for almost a week, uh, that is, until I saw him with you."

"Oh, I'm sorry." It sounds like I stole Jim from you."

Tatiana reached out, placed her hand on Charity's arm.?"That's all right, I think I have seen his true colors? I?"

Charity interrupted Tatiana,"Yeah, I think I am beginning to see what you mean."?" She remained silent for a few seconds before saying,"How would you like to get even with him?" I mean, it is obvious that he isn't really interested in us, just our casted legs."

Tatiana began to giggle."What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm not sure yet, but something where he is with one of us while the other one walks in and catches him."

?That sounds great, I can just see his face now when we catch him, but what do you have in mind?"

"What if I get him into some compromising situation and then you walk in and catch us." You can make a big deal out of it and I will pretend to not know what is going on."

?"OK, but we want it to really be somewhere so he will really be embarrassed when we catch him," Tatiana was really feeling good about being able to get even with Jim for dropping her." It wouldn't have been so bad, she thought, if it had been because he was interested in someone else, but to make it so obvious that he was only paying attention to her because of her cast, well, she just had to get even with him for that."

She continued,"Charity, why don't you get Jim to take you to very nice restaurant, you know, one where you really dress up nice." A hose and heel type of place, then I will walk up to your table and I will catch him with you."

?Great idea, but, maybe we should catch him on the sidewalk in front just as we are about to enter the place." I'm afraid that we might be the ones in trouble if we cause a scene inside the restaurant."

?Good idea, outside it will be," Tatiana agreed.

Tatiana and Charity met the evening they were going to play the little game before Charity and Jim were to meet." When Tatiana saw Charity in a skirt and blouse with a two inch heel on her left foot she remarked,"Looks to me like you should be wearing a heel all the time with that big cast."

Charity looked down at her right foot in the cast and her left foot in her nylon stocking with her toes showing through the open toe of her sandal." "Actually Tatiana, I usually do wear a heel, even without the cast." You just caught me kind of dressed down the other night."

Tatiana drove to the restaurant parking lot." She parked in a secluded area where she could observe the sidewalk in front of the place." A few minutes later she saw Jim drive up." He parked close to the entrance before walking around to help Charity from the car." As his attention was focused upon her, Tatiana got out of her car and onto her crutches." She managed to remain hidden from Jim's view while she walked toward his car.

Charity was standing so she could see Tatiana as she walked up to Jim and her next to his car." "Well Jim, fancy meeting you here!? she said with a sugar sweet voice.

Jim turned around quickly." His face turned crimson as his eyes made a quick sweep of Tatiana from her head to her casted toes and back again.?"Uh, what, uh?"?

Tatiana said,"Well, well Jim, I see you have found another woman in a cast, and you always tried to convince me that it was me and not my cast that attracted you."

Charity turned to Jim,"Is that right?" You have been telling me how much you liked me, but I think it is obvious that it is the cast and not me," then she turned to Tatiana,"and wouldn't you agree?"

Tatiana began to laugh.?"Jim, if you haven't figured it out yet, we gotcha." You see, Charity and I have figured you out.?"

Then Tatiana turned to Charity,"What do you say, would you like to accompany me to the restaurant while Jim tries to sort out what just happened?"

Then she turned back to Jim with one last statement,"There is nothing wrong with being fascinated with a girl in a leg cast, but next time just be honest with her."

CHAPTER 9 - Officer Long

After the experience Tatiana had with Jim she was very untrusting with any guy who even approached her to ask for the time of day." As a result she kept to herself for the next three months. She passed the time by studying and going for short walks along the trails that she used to run on." During that time she found it very hard to convince herself that she should continue to wear the cast." The only thing that caused her to continue was the fact she was being paid to wear the cast and that she got to see Doctor Jeff Mitchell. She wasn't particularly attracted to him, but she did find it a pleasurable event when he removed her old cast and carefully wrapped her leg in the new cast.

One afternoon she drove to a small parking lot leading to her favorite walking trail." She passed a young man who was a Sheriff's Deputy before entering the trail." She had only taken a few steps along the trail when she heard a sound she instantly recognized, a sound all too familiar to anyone living in West Texas. Her heart began to pound." She froze on her crutches and her left foot while she looked around to locate the source." It was a huge Diamondback Rattlesnake in the weeds not more than three feet from her." The snake was coiled with its tail twitching and its head up." Its forked tongue was flipping in and out of its mouth.

Tatiana looked down toward the snake, then back to her leg so close to the snake that she was sure it was within striking distance." She had always heard that the best thing to do was stand still and not move, but that was going to take more courage than she felt she had." Should she try to step back away from it, or should she try to strike at it with her crutch?"

Before she could react to her decision she heard a gunshot ring out from behind her and at the same instant she saw the snake's head disappear in a bloody splash." At the same time she also heard a strong male voice from behind her yell, 'stand still and don't move."

The scene had unfolded so quickly before her eyes that she wasn't sure what had happened when she felt strong warm hands against both of her sides just under her crutch pads." She also felt her left knee buckle." Her vision closed in from both sides and her mind went blank.

A few minutes later she became aware through a fuzzy vision and strange sense of feeling that she was lying on something hard and there was what appeared to be through her blurred vision, a face, a man's face that was speaking to her." She thought she felt something cool resting on her forehead." A voice in the distant was saying,"Young lady, are you all right?"

Tatiana tired to sit up but a strong hand held her down." "What"Who"Where am I?" She called out to the voice in the distance.

?Just take it easy," the voice was sounding closer as she squinted her eyes bringing the face into focus.

As her vision cleared, she could see the face in front of her was very handsome." As her eyes focused more clearly she could see the man was wearing a uniform like the man she had passed in the parking lot." There was a silver colored object of some type over his left breast." "Who are you?" she asked.

?My name is Long, Doug Long, I'm with the Sheriff's Department." What is your name?"

She had to think for a few seconds before she could answer.?"Tatiana, my name is Tatiana, but where am I and what happened?"

?Just lay still and rest." You fainted." I put a damp cloth on your forehead and now you are lying on a park bench and waiting for an ambulance to come."

"Ambulance?" Why do I need an ambulance?"

"Well Tatiana, since you were unconscious I called for an ambulance to take you to the hospital for a check up."

"What happened?" she asked." "All I remember was a snake and a loud noise." Then something happened to the snake and?"

"Yes, the snake." Did it strike you?" Long asked.

"No, I don't think so." All I remember was it was rattling, and then a boom sound from behind me and then the snake was gone."

"I shot the snake," he responded.

"Oh Officer Long, thank you so much, I didn't know what to do."

"Doug, please call me Doug."

"OK Doug, but why do I need to go to the hospital?" I feel fine now," she wanted to add "With you at my side," but she decided not to.

Doug stayed at her side until the ambulance arrived." Then he followed it to the hospital." While the Doctor was examining her, he asked about her leg cast." Tatiana responded,"My leg is OK but if you want to know more please call Doctor Jeff Mitchell."

A few minutes later the Doctor returned." He said,"I contacted Doctor Mitchell and he has explained the situation."

Tatiana smiled a quick approval.?"Thank you Doctor."

When the Doctor was finished with the examination he helped Tatiana to a wheelchair and pushed her from the examination room." "Officer Long, you may have her now."

Tatiana looked over her shoulder toward the Doctor with a question on her face." "Officer Long can have me now?" What's that all about?"

"Doug stepped up.?"Thank you Doctor," he said before turning to Tatiana." "I have to fill out a report." That's all, I just need to get your name, address and phone number for my report."

"Oh good," Tatiana said with a slight nervous smile,"I was afraid that I was under arrest or something."

"No, not that I know about," Doug smiled. After he finished his report he asked,"Do you feel like driving home if I take you back to your car?"

Tatiana looked at the young officer in his Sheriff's uniform while thinking how she should answer his question." She was beginning to have a strong desire for him, but her mind quickly flashed back to the last time she had that feeling and how it had turned out."

?Uh, I think so," she answered.

Doug helped her get her casted leg into the front seat of his patrol car." While he was driving back to the parking lot he said,"You know, it probably isn't any of my business, but maybe you shouldn't be walking on those trails by yourself, at least until you get the cast off of your leg."

She smiled and said very politely,"Thank you, I will think about your advice."

Doug parked next to Tatiana's car." He walked around to her side of his car and helped her get her casted leg out of the car." While he was giving her the crutches her mind quickly remembered back to the time Jim had also helped her from his car." Just as quickly she suppressed the memory, filing it under the heading of a bad thought.

Once she was standing on her crutches, she found that she was facing Doug with only a couple of feet of distance between them." It was almost as if he wanted to say something to her." After an awkward few seconds he stepped back out of the way." He cleared his throat and said,"Just remember what I told you about walking along the trails alone."

Tatiana smiled,"OK, sure," she responded while walking to her car." As she walked she wished that she had said, 'sure, OK, now will you walk with me?" but she didn't.

As she drove home, Tatiana thought more about Doug." No question, she was very interested in him, but she had also felt the same way about Jim, and look where it got her, nothing but heartbreak." Was she ready to experience another disappointment like that again?" For the next two days all Tatiana could think of was Doug." She drove back to the parking lot where she had met him but he wasn't there." Once she got up enough nerve to call the Sheriff's office and ask for him. While waiting on him to come to the phone she got cold feet and hung up, then she asked herself exactly why she was tormenting herself over him." Obviously, if he was as interested in her as she was him, he should have been calling her." Tatiana finally told herself that she had to forget Doug and get back to her studies because midterms were coming up quickly."

Once while she was walking from her car to her class, she saw a Sheriff's patrol car drive by." Her heart began to pound so hard that it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest." She stopped and stood still while watching the car slowly drive by. When she realized that it wasn't Doug she wanted to kick herself for stopping to watch." But she was equally as angry at herself for trying to suppress the fact that she was still interested in him. Why could she not be honest with herself and admit that she was still interested in seeing him again?

Once, after classes were over, Tatiana drove back to the parking lot where she had met Doug." He wasn't there so she decided to ask anyone she saw if they had seen him." She got out of her car and walked on her crutches up to a young couple who were cooling down after a run.?"Uh, pardon me, but have you seen a Sheriff's Officer around her this afternoon?"

The guy looked toward the parking lot sure," he pointed in the direction of the exit,"he left just before you drove up."

Tatiana's heart dropped to the pavement." She had just missed him and it made her almost sick to realize how close she was to seeing him again." She nearly cried as she drove home while making plans to drive back to the parking lot the next afternoon.

While she was sitting on her sofa, feeling sorry for herself and making new plans the phone rang."

?Hello, this is Officer Long."

?Tatiana, don't you remember, I got it with the police report."

"Oh yeah, I remember, but why are you calling me?"

"I need to drop by and ask you a few more questions." Would it be OK if I came by in, say, about an hour?"

Tatiana wanted to yell,"Yes," but she controlled herself enough to provide a calm response, 'sure when you are ready."

As soon as she hung up the phone Tatiana began to panic. She stood in front of a mirror while asking herself," "What should I wear?" Should I keep my shorts and sleeveless blouse or should I put on a skirt and blouse?" If I do, should I put on a nylon stocking and a heel?"? Finally, she decided to just comb her long dark hair and apply a little make-up while keeping her Texas shorts and white top.

Tatiana was so nervous while waiting on Doug to arrive that she wasn't sure she could stand up on her crutches when he did get there." When the doorbell rang she quickly stood and grabbed her crutches, she almost started walking to the door before she had them placed firmly under her arms." She quickly opened the door and stepped back with a wide smile on her pretty face.

?Good afternoon Tatiana," Doug said as his eyes passed from her pretty face to her feet and back up.

"Officer Long, won't you please come in?"

As he removed his hat he said,"Doug, remember it's Doug, and I would be happy to come in."

Tatiana directed him to the couch." While leaning on her crutches and pointing she said, Please be seated.?" Then she took a couple of steps on her crutches toward the kitchen while saying,"Would you like some lemonade?" I have just made it fresh."

'sure, why not," Doug answered while watching her glide toward the kitchen on her crutches." He couldn't see what Tatiana was doing, but he could hear glasses clanging together."

After a few seconds Tatiana stepped back around the counter." She smiled a cute little grin while saying,"I'm sorry Doug, but I am afraid that I will have to ask you to serve us." With these crutches I can't carry a glass without spilling it."

Doug stood so quickly he almost jumped while saying,"You bet, I will be glad to help." Now you go over and sit down and I will bring the lemonade to you."

Tatiana sat on the opposite end of the couch from where Doug had been sitting." She took her lemonade with a smile and watched as Doug sat back down."

They sat in silence for several seconds while looking at each other before Tatiana asked,"Well Doug, when you called you said that you had some more questions for me."

He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small tablet and a pen." He thumbed through several pages before he said,"Oh yes, uh, I know that the snake didn't bite you but, uh, what did you do when you saw it?"

Tatiana thought that was a dumb question but she smiled." "Well, I wasn't sure what to do." I was trying to decide if I should stand still or strike at it with my crutch when you shot it."

"Oh, OK," Doug said while he closed the small tablet and started to put it back into his pocket.

"Is that all? I thought you said you had several questions for me and all you ask is what I did when I saw the snake?"

Doug's face turned crimson." "I'm sorry Tatiana, I really am here under false pretenses." You see, the question about the snake was just an excuse to come by to see you again.?" He placed his glass of lemonade on the table and started to stand while continuing,"I really think I should go now."

Tatiana reached over and placed her hand on his arm." "No Doug, please don't go."

?But I should." I shouldn't have come here like this."

"Doug," Tatiana said with a raised voice, 'shut up and sit back down." I am glad that you came by because I have been thinking about you."

"Oh really," he grinned.

"Yes Doug, I have been wanting to tell you how happy I am that you were there when I needed you." I'm afraid that the snake would have bitten me if you hadn't shot it."

"Well, I just?"

"No Doug, I want to thank you for saving my life."

Doug sat in silence while the redness in his face faded away." Finally he cleared his throat and said,"Tatiana, uh, would you like to go get a pizza with me?"

She could hardly control her excitement." She wanted to jump up and down while screaming,"Yes," at the top of her lungs." "Well, Doug, do you think that it would be all right, uh, I mean, with you knowing who I am because of police business?"

"Of course it will be all right." Look, I have already put my notes and pen away." I am no longer on police business so what do you say, can we go get that pizza now?"

"OK Doug, you win, but you need to give me a minute before we go."

Tatiana stood and placed her crutches under her arms." She walked to the bedroom and shut the door." Then she said with a subdued voice while looking in the mirror,"Yes! I got him."

She straightened her hair and blouse before walking back out to the living room." She smiled while looking down at Doug still sitting quietly on the couch." "I'm ready if you are," she said with a wink.

Doug stood while looking as nervous as a young kid headed to the dentist for the first time." He walked over to her and started to reach out for her hand, then he realized that it was holding a crutch." He looked into her dark eyes with a stupid grin and said,"Uh, I'm ready if you are."

When they got to his car, Tatiana stood by on her crutches while he opened the door." He took her crutches and leaned them against the side of the car while she turned and sat on the edge of the seat." Doug bent down, placed his hands around both of her ankles and gently guided her legs and feet into the car while being careful not to bump her toes on the edge of the door." Tatiana looked up, reached out and placed her right hand on his shoulder and said,"Thank you," while smiling widely.

Doug put the crutches in the back seat before walking around to his side of the car." While driving to the pizza parlor Doug asked the one question that Tatiana knew would be asked, but also was dreading to have to answer." He cleared his throat before asking,"Uh, Tatiana, I know that is probably none of my business, but how did you break your leg?"

Tatiana could feel the blood rushing to her face while she was trying to decide what to tell him." Should she lie and tell him how she had fallen down while stepping in a hole, or should she admit what she was doing." She had originally lied to Jim, and when she finally told him it, became a disaster for their relationship." She had always wondered if things would have been different if she hadn't told him the truth." She took a deep breath before she began." "Doug, uh, I don't know how to tell you this, but, uh, I didn't break my leg."

He looked at her with a strange expression on his face and a question to his voice." "You didn't break your leg?but you have a cast on it, I guess I don't understand."

Tatiana started to just respond back with,"Well it is a long story," but then she decided that an answer like that would only prolong her agony." She needed to get it out in the open and deal with it now." If it offended Doug, she needed to know before she became more interested in him.

"Well, Doug, I am sure you are going to think that I am weird." I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to turn around and take me home right now."

Doug looked at her while his face still read a question.?"Tatiana, just what can you have gotten yourself into that is that bad?"

"Doug, uh?how about if I am wearing this cast for money?" What would you think of that?"

"Well, I guess as a Police Officer, I have heard of about everything, but I don't think that I have ever heard a story like that."

Tatiana's heart sank,"Oh god," she thought,"he really does think that I an weird."?" She said,"No Doug, I think you have gotten the wrong idea, you see I am being paid by a Doctor as a part of a medical research project."

"A medical research project?"

"Yes Doug, Doctor Jeff Mitchell is paying me to wear this cast for nine months." I go in for an examination each month and he replaces the cast with a new one." At the end of the nine months he will be testing the results of how my leg being immobilized for so long will result in muscle apathy and how long it will take for the muscles to recover."

"Well, OK, that does make sense to me, but I thought that?"

"Yes Doug, I know what you thought, but you were wrong." Now do you want to take me home or shall we continue to the pizza parlor?"

Doug turned to look her in the eye,"Tatiana, I am still hungry for that pizza, how about you?"

She took a deep breath,"Doug, I an hungry also, so, unless my cast is a problem for you, I am ready to eat pizza and enjoy the evening with you."

CHAPTER 11- The Invitation

After an evening together eating pizza Doug took Tatiana home." On the way he said,"I have really enjoyed the evening with you."

"Oh no," Tatiana thought."This sounds like the "It was fun, but don't expect me to call again? kind of speech."

"I had a lot of fun also," she answered while waiting for the rest of Doug's get lost speech.

There was silence in the car for several seconds before Doug continued." "You know, Halloween is coming up next week and, well, the guys at work always have a party." They bring their wives or girlfriends and, uh, would you like to go to the party with me?"

Tatiana had to admit to herself that a Halloween party wasn't exactly what she was hoping for, but what the heck, it was a date with Doug." She reached out and placed her hand on his arm." "A Halloween party, like with costumes?"

"Yes, a costume party."

?But, Doug, what would I wear?" I mean, with my cast and crutches, all that I could go as would be Accident Girl!?

"Well, yes, I guess you could, but I had something else in mind."

That comment told Tatiana something." She began to think,"If he had already thought about costumes, that meant that he had also been thinking about their relationship before he stumbled into her house while pretending to be doing his Police Officer's duties."

?Really Doug, what did you have in mind, or should I be asking?"

Doug smiled as if he had a little joke in mind." "Well," he said with a giggle, 'since we met because I shot the snake, uh, I uh, well, have you ever heard of Marshal Mat Dillon?"

Tatiana had to think for a few seconds, the name sounded familiar but she wasn't sure why.?"Marshal Dillon, I think I saw some guy on an old TV Western, something like uh, Gun'something."

"Yeah, the show was called Gunsmoke, and Mat Dillon was the marshal." He was always talking to the woman saloon owner, do you recall her name?"

"Actually Doug, I don't even remember seeing a full show, it was just the advertisements that I remember."

"Oh, well her name was Miss Kitty Russell," said with an assurance that he knew and wanted Tatiana to know as much about it as he did.

Tatiana quickly picked up on where she thought Doug was headed so"You are going to be Marshal Dillon and I suppose I will be Miss Kitty?"

Doug turned to her and said with a wide grin and an attempt at a Western drawl,"Yep Ma-am, you got it." Don't you think that would be fun?"

?Gosh Doug, so I dress up like a saloon girl, how about this little thing I am dragging around on my leg?" You know this cast that I have been calling Peggy, uh, well, I guess I haven't called it Peggy since I met you, but?"

Doug interrupted,"Peggy? Where did you get a cute name like that?"

Tatiana laughed,"When I was trying to get used to lugging this big heavy cast around that was always in the way, I kind of viewed it like it was a wooden or peg leg." It wouldn't bend and I don't have any feeling to the touch in my leg through the cast so I just started calling it Peggy and trying to disassociated it from the rest of my body like it wasn't my leg anymore."

"Did it work, I mean, were you able to play like Peggy wasn't a part of you?"

"Yes, I started talking to my leg as if it belonged to someone else, and every time it got in the way I would yell at it, and that made me feel better."

"Now that we have discussed Peggy," Doug said while trying to get back to talking about the Halloween party,"what do you think of dressing up like Miss Kitty and going to the party with Marshal Dillon?"

Tatiana said while remembering how she had observed the magnet that the cast had on young men,"I am game for it if you are, but don't be surprised if my cast becomes the conversational piece rather than my costume."

"I'm willing to take the chance if you are," Doug winked.

The next day Tatiana went to the Internet in search of Miss Kitty costumes." She located a local costume rental store that had just what she needed." The day of the party she drove by and picked it up.

The afternoon of the party Tatiana took a shower and washed her hair." She shaved her left leg before getting dressed." The costume came with a corset that she laced as tightly as she could stand around her body." When she was finished she found that her large breasts were now pushed up even higher, revealing a lot more cleavage that she had expected."

The bottom of the corset also contained garter straps to hold up nylon stockings." She sat on the side of her bed and pulled a sheer black nylon stocking over her small foot, up her calf, over her knee to the top of her long upper left leg before attaching the reinforced top of the stocking to the garters." When she was finished she extended her left leg along side her right leg in the baby blue fiberglass cast,"Peggy," she said,"I must tell you that you will have some competition tonight in becoming the star attraction along side my other leg."

After she finished dressing her leg, Tatiana slipped the dress over her head and let the full length skirt slip to the floor." The top of the dress just covered the corset while leaving all of her newly developed cleavage exposed.

When she had finished combing her hair, Tatiana realized that she could not reach the back of her dress to zip it up." She decided that Doug would have to help her with it before they left for the party.

Tatiana was waiting for Doug with a wide smile and open arms." As soon as he was through the door and into her apartment she turned on her crutches with her back to him and said,"Doug, I have a problem, would you please help me by zipping up the back of my dress for me."

When he was finished, Tatiana turned around on her crutches." She watched as Doug's eyes swept from her pretty face to her massive cleavage to her slim waist bound into the corset and past her hips to the flowing bottom of the dress just at floor level." As his eyes passed along her slim bodylines a wide smile grew on his face,"Wow, Miss Kitty, you are beautiful in that dress."

"Well, thank you Marshal Dillon, and you look pretty good yourself in that big cowboy hat and boots with that six-gun hung on your hip."

Doug tipped his hat and said with his Western drawl,"Well thank you Miss Kitty, you are very kind."

"Oh Doug, I need your help with one more thing," Tatiana said while enjoying the way Doug was pretending to be the cowboy Marshal." She lifted the bottom of her skirt while looking down to her toes on her left foot showing through the thin film of black, sheer nylon." She wiggled them while saying,"Doug, I need your help with my shoe.?" Then without waiting for him to say anything, she walked to the couch on her crutches and sat down." She pulled the bottom of her skirt up to her knees while saying,"Please be a gentleman and get my shoe and help me put it on."

Doug got her shoe and kneeled down in front of her." He placed his left hand around her nylon clad ankle and lifted her small foot off the floor." After gently slipping her black two inch heeled pump on her foot he slowly moved his fingertips up the back of her leg almost to her knee." As his fingers slowly moved up her leg, Tatiana felt shivers of pleasure flash through her body like lightning in a thunderstorm.

?Thank you Doug, that was wonderful." Now shall we take on the party?"

When they arrived at the party they were met by several of Doug's coworkers." One of them said while looking at Tatiana,"Wow Doug, how did you ever catch such a pretty little lady as this?"

Tatiana could feel her face becoming flushed while she said to the guy,"Well, thank you very much, but I bet he has already told you about shooting the snake."

One of the other guys spoke up,"Oh yes, ol? deadeye has told us all about how he shot the snake to save your life."

"Oh, he has, has he?" Tatiana said with a wide smile as she looked at Doug whose face was now turning red.

Doug and Tatiana were standing in a corner after Doug got them both a drink." One of his coworkers walked up and said,"I have been noticing you in your beautiful dress all evening, but I just can't make the connection between the dress and your crutches."

Tatiana reached out and placed her hand on his arm while smiling widely,"Well, that is because there is no connection."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your business, but I was just wondering?uh, I guess you broke your leg then?"

Tatiana looked toward Doug." She winked while mouthing,"I told you so.?"

"Yes, I broke my leg, would you like to see my cast?" she said while leaning on her crutches and lifting the bottom of her skirt to the top of her casted knee.

As the guy looked down at her casted leg, his face became flushed." "Oh, I'm sorry Ma-am, uh, I uh?"

Tatiana put her hand on his arm again and said,"That's OK, I know that a lot of men are turned on by seeking a lady in a leg cast."

As the guy turned and walked off, Tatiana began to giggle,"I'm sorry, but I just can't help it." If I am going to wear this thing, I'm going to do my best to tease the guys with it when they come up and ask me questions."

Doug began to laugh.?"Tatiana, I think your sense of humor is one of the things that I love about you."

CHAPTER 12- Halloween Party

With the comments that Doug had said to her at the Halloween Party, Tatiana felt like she was in heaven." She could hardly believe what she had heard." For the next month she and Doug were side by side." When it became time for Thanksgiving she was torn between staying close to Doug or returning home for the holidays." She wanted to be with Doug but she had promised her family that she would return to Houston to be with them." Finally, she got up the courage to ask Doug if he would accompany her home." She planned it out so there would be a very romantic setting for her to ask the big question." She prepared a special dinner for the two of them to eat in candlelight." She also bought a new dress, one that was baby blue, matching the color of her cast and she found a nylon stocking that also matched the color of her cast."

When she met Doug at the door, his eyes quickly painted her pretty face framed in her long, brunette hair as his eyes passed down to the top of her dress, low cut revealing her wonderful cleavage, before his eyes continued down to her slim waist." His eyes followed the lines of the slim, formfitting skirt to the top of her knees where his eyes met with delight her wonderfully sensual left leg in the baby blue stocking standing next to the cast that he had become so accustomed to seeing that he ignored its existence." To him the cast was just a part of the way Tatiana was, no more and no less." Oh, he had found her little story about Peggy to be cute, but he had never known her without the cast, and quite frankly, he didn't care one way or the other as long as Tatiana was happy with it.

Tatiana stood in silence with a wide smile as she watched Doug drinking her in with his eyes."Well, what do your think?" she asked as his eyes returned to her pretty face.

?The most beautiful wonder that I have ever seen," he answered before stepping closer, wrapping his arms around her and placing a passionate kiss on her rosy lips.

She stepped back and said,"I am very happy that you liked what you see, now I hope you like just as well the dinner that I have prepared for us."

"Oh, I am sure that I will," he winked before stepping forward again and kissing her on the lips.

While eating she chose a quiet time to ask,"Doug, I have a problem that I need your help with."

'sure Tatiana, what is it?"

"Well, uh, you see, I am supposed to go home, back to Houston, for Thanksgiving, but?" she smiled widely,"I don't want to leave you alone.?"

She paused for several seconds to watch Doug's reaction.?"Uh, Doug, Honey, uh, I was wondering if you would like to come with me." I think my parents would like to meet you."

Doug answered so quickly Tatiana wasn't ready because she was sure that he would turn her down." He said, 'sure, I am very anxious to meet your folks." If they are anything like you, well, they will make the holiday a very special time for me."

Tatiana stood, bent over the table and kissed Doug before responding with a soft voice,"Oh thank you, I love you so much"Oops," she placed her hand over her mouth with a shy giggle,"there, I have said it, I love you."

Doug smiled,"I know, if you didn't, you wouldn't have invited me to meet your parents.?" Then he got a serious expression on his face,"But, what are you going to tell your parents?"

"Oh, I think I will just tell them that you are a wonderful guy that I enjoy being around."

?That's nice, but what I was asking about was your leg." How are you going to explain the cast on your leg?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet." I don't know if I should tell them the truth or a story about breaking my leg."

?The truth is always good." You get caught fewer times that way."

"Yes, I know, but I hate for them to think that I am so hurting for money that I would resort to allowing a Doctor to put a cast on my leg for nine months."

"Well, maybe so, but little lies become big lies."

"Oh, I know but I still have a couple of days before I have to tell them, now lets just enjoy our dinner together."

Doug met Tatiana at her apartment the morning that they were to drive to Houston." She was wearing a knee length full skirt and a short sleeved blouse.

When he came to her door he appeared to be even more nervous that she." "Am I wearing the right thing?" he asked while Tatiana looked at his slacks and long sleeved shirt.

'sure, you look really nice."

"Yes, I know, but I am meeting your parents and want to be dressed right."

Tatiana giggled." "You know Doug, my folks are really nice." I can't believe that you, a Police Officer, are so nervous over such a little thing."

?But, I don't want to do anything that will make them not like me," he remarked with a sincere voice.

Tatiana took a couple steps forward on her crutches." She reached out and wrapped her arms around him." She placed a light kiss on his cheek before smiling and saying,"Doug, my Dear, you are going to be just fine." Now can we get on the road?"

After being on the road for a couple of hours Doug looked over at Tatiana who had tears in her eyes." "What's wrong Honey?" Why are you crying?"? Is it something that I did?"

Tatiana sniffed." She pulled the bottom of her skirt up past the knee of her cast." She struck her cast with her hand while saying,"No, it isn't anything that you did, it is this damn cast." I don't know how to explain it to my parents." They will think that I am crazy if I tell them the truth, but I hate to lie to them because they will eventually find out." I don't know what to do."

"Why do you think they will call you crazy?" After all, you are doing something constructive while getting paid for it."

"What do you mean, constructive?" I just allowed a Doctor to put me in a cast for nine months and you call that constructive? I don't understand."

"It depends on how you try to explain it." If you focus upon the money, well, it will work out like you are afraid that it will, but if you explain how the research will help other people, I think they not only will accept it, but they will probably think that what you are doing is great."

?Really?" Do you think they will?"

'sure, why not, now please stop crying before you mess-up your make-up."

Tatiana wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled,"Thank you, I am sure that you are right."

Tatiana could feel her heart beginning to race as they pulled into her parent's driveway." She looked at Doug and said with a shaky voice,"Well, here goes." I sure hope it will all be OK."

Her mother was waiting for them." As soon as the car had stopped rolling, she was standing at Tatiana's side door." Her eyes followed with surprise on her face as she watched Tatiana open the car door and reach down to lift her casted leg out of the car.?"My god Honey, what happened to you?" Why haven't you called to tell us?"

Tatiana reached for her crutches without responding to her mother's questions." As soon as she was standing with her crutches under her arms she reached out and embraced her mother." "I'm OK Mom, I will tell you about it later, but first I want you and Dad to meet Doug, a nice young man who agreed to drive me here." Then she paused for a few seconds,"Uh, he will be staying with us, uh, that is, if it will be OK with you."

'sure Honey, it will be fine," then she turned and yelled,"He Bob, come here you got to see this."

When her dad walked up his focus was more on Doug."

"Daddy, this is Doug, he is going to stay with us over the Holiday."

Her dad reached out and shook Doug's hand and said,"Nice to meet you," while her mother was trying to get him to look at Tatiana's cast.

?Bob, look at this, your daughter has broken her leg and she didn't even tell us about it."

Tatiana ignored her mother's comments while walking to her dad." She hugged him and said,"Don't worry about me, I will tell both of you about it later, but for now, I just want to visit for a while."

Half an hour had passed before her mother finally said,"Tatiana, you have held off long enough, it is time that you tell us about your accident."

Tatiana took a deep breath,"OK, but before I do, I want to tell you how I met Doug." You see, he probably saved my life."

Her mother placed her hand over her mouth while saying,"Oh my god, was it that bad?"

Tatiana smiled a slight grin." "No Mother, you have it all wrong." Doug is Deputy Sheriff." I was walking along a trail when a rattlesnake would have bitten me if he hadn't shot it."

'so?"? What does that have to do with your broken leg?" her mother asked while completely ignoring the story about Doug saving her life.

"OK Mom, I, uh, I didn't break my leg."

"Oh, so you tore the tendons in your knee?" I bet you tried to go water skiing or something didn't you!?

"No Mom, I haven't hurt myself at all." I am a part of a medical research program." I will wear this cast for nine months and then a Doctor will test how long it will take to get my leg back in shape."

?Good lord Tatiana, I don't know if I should cry because I am happy that you are OK, or if I should cry because you are doing this."

?Mom, look at it this way, it is for science and someone may get well faster because I am doing this."

Tatiana's mother reached out and hugged her." Tatiana was watching over her shoulder at Doug's smile and thumbs-up while her mother said,"Thank you for your contribution to science."

Thanksgiving at Mom's house was the best ever.

CHAPTER 13- Christmas Together

Tatiana and Doug were unseparable for the next month." Their visit to her parents over Thanksgiving had cemented their relationship even tighter, but Christmas was on the horizon and coming fast." Tatiana had considered asking Doug to accompany her to Houston again but he asked first.

They were at the mall looking at the big Christmas tree in the center of the mall when out of nowhere Doug asked, 'since I went to your parents with you for Thanksgiving, you are coming to Dallas with me to meet my parents for Christmas, aren't you?"

Tatiana was so surprised she answered without thinking, 'sure, why not?" then she began to think more about her answer." "Oh Honey, I'm really sorry but I don't think that I should." You know, my parents will be expecting me, uh, us to be in Houston with them."

Doug turned to her." "No they won't!? he said.

"What do you mean by, no they won't?" she asked with concern in her voice.

?Trust me, they aren't expecting us to meet them in Houston."

?Trust you?" Look Doug, I know we have grown very close, but you are asking me to turn my back on my parents at Christmas time and all that by you just asking me to trust you." Don't you think that is going a little too far?"

"Oh, that just depends," Doug said with a wide smile.

Tatiana turned to him and said,"OK Doug, I can see that you are up to something so what is it?"

?Trust me, just trust me."

For the next hour Tatiana tried to extract an explanation from Doug while he continued to tell her that she should just trust him." Finally, she had enough." "OK Doug, if you want to stay in my apartment and my bed with me tonight, you had better stop that damn grin and tell me what you have cooked-up that I am supposed to trust you over."

"OK, you win," he said while pointing toward a bench along one wall in the center of the mall.?"Here, go over there and sit down and I will tell you."

Doug was very slow, teasingly slow, in walking with Tatiana over to the bench." He watched her remove her crutches and sit with her casted right leg resting in front of her before he sat beside her." He reached out and took her hand, which she surrendered reluctantly because she was beginning to become angry over his little game of "I got a secret."

?Tatiana, the reason that I know that your parents aren't expecting you at their place for Christmas is simple." They will be in Dallas with my parents and us for Christmas."

Tatiana sat in silence for nearly a minute while tears began to form in her big dark eyes." As the tears started to roll down her cheeks she said,"Oh Doug, how did you make that happen?"

He giggled,"I'm a cop, I can make a lot of things happen."

"No, seriously Doug, how did you make that happen?"

"I simply called my folks to make sure that it would be OK, and then I called yours and asked if they would like to meet my parents and celebrate Christmas together."

"Oh, that simple huh," Tatiana said while her mind was beginning to spin at warp speed." She began to ask herself if that meant something more than just her parents were willing to meet Doug's parents as an excuse to go to Dallas." That didn't sound like something they would do, but why else would they agree to meet and celebrate Christmas with his parents?" Finally she came to the conclusion that it had to be a way of allowing her and Doug to be together and still be with their own parents, yeah, that had to be the reason.

As the time to leave for Dallas got closer the pressure was on to get gifts for all four parents, and Tatiana also had to get a gift for Doug." She managed to get to the mall and do some shopping for him while he was at work." Later, the two of them did the shopping for both sets of parents.

The night before the drive to Dallas, Doug loaded the car with their clothes and packages." The next morning Tatiana nervously tried to make sure that all the presents and clothes were in the car without making Doug feel like she didn't trust him to do it right." For the trip she decided to dress up a little." She put on a long sleeved blouse with a knee length form fitting skirt that matched a jacket that she planned to put on just before they arrived." She even put a beige nylon stocking on with a two inch heeled pump that matched her gray pinstriped suit.

While driving to Dallas, Tatiana began to develop doubts about her cast.?"Honey, what do you think I should tell your parents about my cast?" Do you think I should tell them that I broke my leg?" I don't want to lie but, well what do you think I should tell them?"

He grinned, 'so, you don't think they will understand the truth? I guess that you think you can tell them one thing after having told your parents something else?" Just how do you think that would work?"

?Gosh, I guess I hadn't thought of that," she responded while feeling her face become flushed.

?Remember, you have to do less back-tracking with the truth than a lie."

"Yeah, you win, the truth it will be."

?Good," Doug said,"because I have already told them about your cast."

"Oh really? And, just how did they react to that?" I bet they think that I am a nut case." I am really going to be embarrassed when I see them."

"Actually, they think you are a hero." You see, I told them that you were dedicating your leg to science and they thought that was great."

Tatiana began to laugh a nervous giggle." "I sure hope that when you told them I was dedicating my leg to science they didn't think that I was going to let the Doctor cut it off."

"Yes, they are expecting to see you with one leg missing," he smiled.

Tatiana took an empty swing at his shoulder while saying,"Oh you, you are impossible."

At the last stop for gas before their arrival at his parent's home, Tatiana went to the restroom." When she returned she was wearing her suit jacket." She stood on her crutches while asking with a very nervous voice,"Well, what do you think?" Will your parents like me?"

He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly for a few seconds." "Yes my Dear, they will love you just like I do.?" When he released his hold on her and stepped back, she had tears running down her pretty cheeks." "Now, what did I say wrong?" he asked.

Tatiana tried to sniff back her tears while saying in a soft voice while looking down to the pavement,"Nothing Dear, I am just so scared that your parents won't like me."

Doug reached out with his handkerchief and dabbed her tears away.?"My Dear Tatiana, they will love you, just trust me."

"Well, OK," she responded while taking his handkerchief and dabbing away more of her tears.

Tatiana felt a large lump forming in her throat as Doug drove into his parent's driveway." Her parents were the first to the car." By the time he had shut off the engine, his parents were there also." Tatiana looked toward Doug with a pained expression on her pretty face." He smiled and reached to make a reassuring touch to her hand." "It will be OK, just be yourself."

Tatiana said under her breath as she opened the door,"Here goes nothing."

Her parents waited until she was out of the car and onto her crutches before her mother stepped forward and embraced her." "Oh Honey, I am so glad to see you again."

?Thank you Mom," Tatiana said as her mother stepped back and her dad hugged her."

Doug walked around to her side of the car and greeted her parents before turning to his mother.?"Mom, this is Tatiana."

"Nice to meet you," Tatiana said to his mother while she stepped forward and gave Tatiana a light hug." Then his dad stepped forward to be introduced with the offer of his right hand.

Once all of the introductions were in order, Doug's mother said,"Folks, why don't we go into the house for some refreshments." Christmas dinner will be served this evening, then we can all sit around the fireplace, sip a little eggnog and open a few presents.?"

Before refreshments were served, Doug's mother showed Tatiana a bedroom she could share with Doug." After finishing their refreshments Tatiana followed Doug to the car to get the clothes and packages so, it is OK with your parents to share the bedroom?" she asked with a question to her voice."

"Well, why wouldn't it be OK?"

Doug reacted with some question in his voice.

Tatiana could feel her face becoming flushed,"Well, uh, I, uh, I guess, oh never mind, I am happy if they are."

Doug pulled her to him, placed a kiss to her lips and said,"Good, because that is the way it is."

After a big Christmas dinner, they all retired to the living room where Doug's dad had built a small fire in the fireplace and turned on the lights to the Christmas tree." Doug's mother served them the eggnog before she began to pass out the presents." Doug and Tatiana had brought along a present for each of the parents, while the parents had presents for Doug and Tatiana and each other.

Tatiana had held back on the present she had for Doug until after all the other presents had been passed out and opened." Then she said with a wide smile,"Doug I have a special present for you," while reaching into her purse and removing a small package.

When he opened the package he found a watch.?"Look at the inscription on the beck of the watch case," she told him.

Doug read aloud,"To my best friend, buddy and lover, may we be friends forever."

Doug walked over and lifted her face to his." He placed a kiss to her lips and said,"Tatiana, I love you."

Doug looked around as if he was trying to locate one last gift. He kneeled on one knee in front of her and reached into his pocket." She looked into his eyes with a "What are you doing? expression on her pretty face." He removed a small box from his pocket and handed it to her.?"Here, open this," he said with a wide smile.

Tatiana felt her heart beginning to pound within her chest." Her hands were shaking as she slowly opened the box." Doug removed the contents, lifted her left hand and began to slip a ring on her finger while asking,"Tatiana, will you marry me?"

Her eyes began to fill with tears as she looked into his eyes, then to her parents and on to Doug's parents." She reached out and placed a kiss on Doug's lips before saying in a soft voice brought on by her emotion filled moment,"Yes, yes, Doug I will marry you."

CHAPTER 14- The Wedding

As soon as Tatiana had recovered from the shock of Doug's question she instantly knew why her parents had agreed to meet them at Doug's parents home for Christmas. She looked toward her mother who was smiling." She said,"Mom, how could you keep this a secret like you did?"

Her mother continued to smile.?"How could I tell you when we all were waiting to see your reaction."

Tatiana turned her attention back to Doug." "Now that I have said yes, when are we going to do it?"

"Well, I was thinking that a January wedding would be great."

Tatiana thought for a moment before she answered. She reached down and touched the knee of her cast before answering." "Doug, Honey, I will still be in this cast." I don't get it off until the end of March."

"I don't care if you are still in the cast or not," he replied.

Tatiana said,"Yes, I know, you have already told me that you just consider the cast as a part of me and that it doesn't make any difference to you whether I am still in it or not." She paused for a moment while tears began to well up in her big dark eyes,"But I want to be able to walk down the aisle on my two feet without the cast."

Doug reached out and handed her a handkerchief to dry her eyes with.?"Honey, I am sorry, you are right." Do you think that a May wedding would be better?"

Tatiana shook her head." She sniffled back her tears while saying,"Uh-huh."

?Then May it will be, and probably the end of May because I want your leg to be so you can walk on it without any problems, after all, we want Peggy to be gone forever, don't we?"

Tatiana reached out and pulled Doug to her." She placed a light kiss to his lips before whispering,"I love you."

"Peggy?" her mother asked." "Who is Peggy?"

Tatiana said,"Yes, Peggy is the nickname I gave my leg while I was getting used to dragging that stiff peg leg cast around all the time."

Her mother turned to her husband,"Don't you think that is a cute idea?"

?Honey, anything that Tatiana does is a cute idea, don't you agree?"

"Yes, you re right, she is so cute that I just love her to death."

For the rest of the Christmas Holidays the two mothers and Tatiana began to plan the wedding." They decided that it would be in Houston, which was to become a problem since Tatiana was still in school in Lubbock.

"As Doug and Tatiana were driving back to Lubbock after the Holidays Tatiana began to cry." "What's wrong my Dear?"? Doug asked.

"I just don't know how I am going to get the wedding together when I am in Lubbock and the wedding will be in Houston."

Doug reached out and took hold of her hand." "I'm sure we can figure it out." When two people are in love, there is no problem that can't be solved."

Tatiana leaned her head on his shoulder and said in a soft voice,"Yes, I am sure we can," then she placed a kiss to the side of his face." She laid back in her seat and closed her eyes."

The next thing she knew Doug was shaking her and saying,"Honey, we are home."

January, February and most of March flew by while Tatiana was still in school and working by phone and a couple of trips back to Houston to plan the wedding."

Finally the big day arrived in the last week of March." Tatiana was so excited she could hardly sleep as she counted down the last few days before she went back to see Doctor Mitchell and get her final cast removed." The morning of her final appointment she asked Doug to go with her." He was reluctant to go since he hadn't been to any of her other cast removal appointments, but this time he just couldn't resist." Tatiana looked at him with her big dark eyes and said,"Doug, Honey, you are going to come with me to watch Peggy being thrown away for the last time, aren't you?"

Doug watched intently as the Doctor cut the cast down both sides and removed it from her withered leg." Once the cast was removed he told Tatiana,"I want you to go home and get in a tub of the hottest water you can stand and stay there for at least an hour while your leg absorbed the warmth." You can also carefully remove the dead skin and shave it if you wish."Come back tomorrow afternoon and I will establish an exercise program along with some measuring and strength testing so we can determine the results of nine months of total immobilization in the cast." In the meantime, obviously you will need to use the crutches to get around."

When they got home Doug helped her get undressed and into the tub of hot water." After she soaked her leg for a while Doug began to help her clean it and shave the months of hair off.

The next day Doctor Mitchell outlined an exercise program that began with a few minutes of bending and weight bearing and expanding to a more aggressive program filled with frequent returns to his office for progress checks.

Tatiana's progress was rapid, but very painful, as she pushed herself toward the big day when she hoped to be able to walk down the aisle wearing her wedding dress without the aid of a cane or a limp." She found that no matter how hard she tried, her leg was slow in building the strength needed to return to the precast condition." Two weeks before her big day she returned to Doctor Mitchell with the hope that he would have some magical formula for speeding up her recovery but he didn't." He told her,"I'm sorry, but you should expect to have a slight limp for several more months."

The day before her wedding was filled the last minute activities and a final dress fitting before the rehearsal dinner." She chose to wear a knee length skirt and short sleeved blouse for the occasion." After putting on pantyhose and her blouse and skirt she walked into the living room and sat on the edge of the sofa." "Doug Honey, would you please help me with my shoes?" she asked." He walked over and kneeled in front of her." He lifted her left foot and slipped a one inch heeled pump on her small foot before turning his attention to her right foot." As he placed his fingers around her ankle to lift her foot Tatiana asked in a soft voice,"Are you happy that I'm no longer wearing the cast?"

He looked up with a wide smile before bending down while lifting her foot." He placed a kiss to the tip of her big toe,"Yes, very much so." I have to admit that I was so use to the cast that I didn't think that it made any difference, but now that you are free of it, well I have mixed feelings." Yes, I am very happy for you that you are no longer handicapped with the cast but," he paused for several seconds,"I have to admit that the cast was fun sometimes while we were making love."

"Yes, I have to agree, and I thought that you enjoyed it too," Tatiana giggled.

After the rehearsal dinner, Doug took Tatiana back to his home where they were going to live after the honeymoon." He explored every inched of her right leg while making love to her.

The morning of the wedding Tatiana was very nervous." She wanted everything to be just right." She had taken a hot bath and shampooed her hair before going to the church where her mother and Doug's mother were going to help her with her hair, make-up and dress." Her leg was still a little weak but she hoped, while slipping a pair of pantyhose on, that it would hold up during the wedding." But there was also the two inch heels that she was planning to wear." She had never worn heels of that height after getting her cast off and she was very worried about it." After all the preparation, she just couldn't stand the thought that her leg would give out during the ceremony." Finally she asked her mother,"Mom, what should I do if my leg let's me down while we are in the ceremony?" What can I do?"

"Don't worry Dear, your Dad has already talked to Doug and he has promised to catch you if you start to fall?"

Her comment was enough to break the tension."Gee Mom, that is reassuring," Tatiana chuckled before she stood, took a quick look in the mirror and said,"Well, I think that I am ready."

As the Wedding March began, Tatiana's father held her arm while they walked down the aisle toward Doug." When Doug turned around to watch her he thought,"What a lucky guy I am."

Tatiana was so focused on the wedding ceremony that she didn't have another thought about her leg." She walked with her new husband without a limp back down the aisle and out to the reception area." Before long they were dancing arm in arm.

After a couple of dances Doug whispered,"It is time for me to remove your garter and toss it into the air for some lucky guy to catch." Tatiana whispered before she sat on the edge of a chair,"The garter is on my right leg, and it is at the top of my leg?"

Doug reached under her dress and started to run his hand to the top of her leg while she looked down and smiled with her dark eyes dancing." As his hand got to her knee, he felt something surrounding her leg.?" He felt of it for a few seconds while she continued to smile." As he began to pull it down her leg she started to giggle." When he got it low enough on her leg for him to see it, she winked." "I hope you see the symbolism," she said as he saw that it was a garter shaped like a snake,"because if it hadn't been for that snake on the trail, we would never have met."